memorables of the life of faith taken out of mr. b's sermon preached before the king at whitehall : published thus for the poor that want money and memory / by one desirous to promote the common salvation. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1690 approx. 18 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26953 wing b1307 estc r14225 12390605 ocm 12390605 60984 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26953) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60984) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:11) memorables of the life of faith taken out of mr. b's sermon preached before the king at whitehall : published thus for the poor that want money and memory / by one desirous to promote the common salvation. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1 sheet (1 p.) printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1690. attributed to richard baxter. cf. bm. three columns to the page. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng faith. salvation. broadsides -england -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion memorables of the life of faith , taken out of mr. b's sermon , preached before the king at whitehall . published thus for the poor that want money and memory . by one desirous to promote the common salvation . hebrews 11. 1. faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen . q. 1. what means the apostle by these words ? a. he means , that tho' the glory promised to believers , and expected by them , be yet to come , and only hoped for ; and be yet unseen , and only believed : yet is the sound believer as truly affected with it , and acted by its attractive force , as if it were present and before his eyes . or thus ; that the nature and vse of faith is to be as it were instead of presence , possession , and sight . or , to make the things that will be , as if they were already in existence ; and the unseen things which god revealeth , as if our bodily eyes beheld them . it is true , 1. faith changes not its objects . 2. nor gives it the same degree of apprehension or affection , as the sight of present things doth give . no ; but , 1. things invisible are objects of our faith. 2. and faith is effectual instead of sight of them . it is so unto four uses ; namely , 1. the infallibility of our apprehensions . 2. the determination of our wills choice . 3. the moving of our affections in the degree necessary unto holiness . 4. the ruling in our lives , and bringing us thro' duty and sufferings for the sake of the happiness believed . q. 2. do you count faith an infallible sort of knowledge then ? why so ? a. why , 1. so speaks the scripture , joh. 6. 69. and we believe and are sure that thou art that christ , the son of the living god ; rom. 8. 28. and we know that all things work together for good , to them that love god , to them who are the called according to his purpose ; 1 cor. 15. 58. therefore my beloved brethren , be ye stedfast , unmoveable , always abounding in the work of the lord , forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the lord 2. believers know , as sure as they know there is a god , that god is true , and his word true ; heb. 6. 18. that by two immutable things , in which it was impossible for god to lie , we might have a strong consolation , who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us ; titus 1. 2. in hope of eternal life , which god that cannot lie , promised before the world began . 3. they know that the holy scripture is the word of god , by his image which it beareth , the evidencs of divinity which it containeth , and the many miracles by which it is confirmed . god , besides this , gives them to believe , phil. 1. 29. for unto you it is given in the behalf of christ , not only to believe on him , but also to suffer for his sake ; eph. 2. 8. for by grace are ye saved , through faith , and that not of your selves : it is the gift of god. 4. and believers have the spirit of christ within them to actuate faith , and help them against temptations ; 1. cor. 2. 12. now we have received , not the spirit of the world , but the spirit which is of god , that we might know the things that are freely given to us of god. 5. spiritual experiences also advantage faith. they have part of the holy scripture verified in themselves , and that much confirms their faith of the whole . 6. likewise very nature affords us undeniable arguments to prove a future happiness and misery . and that doth exceedingly help us in the faith of the supernatural revelation of it . 7. and those that have seen the objects of our faith , have given us their infallible testimony ; joh. 1. 18. no man hath seen god at any time , the only begotten son , which is in the bosom of the father , he hath declared him ; joh. 3. 11. verily , verily i say unto thee , we speak that we do know , and testifie that we have seen ; and ye receive not our witness ; 1 joh. 1. 1 , 2 , 3. that which was from the beginning , which we have heard , which we have seen with our eyes , which we have looked upon , and our hands have handled of the word of life : ( for the life was manifested , and we have seen it , and bear witness , and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the father , and was manifested unto us . ) that which we have seen and heard , declare we unto you , that ye also may have fellowship with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the father , and with his son jesus christ . add 8. satan's rage against the life of faith discovers there is more than a fancy in it . q. 3. but why would not god let us have the sight of heaven and hell ; being that would have prevailed for our conversion more generally and more certainly ? a. 1. who are you that dare dispute against god ? shall the thing formed say to him that formed it , why hast thou made me thus ? 2. it is fit god's government suit the nature of its subject . your nature is a reasonable one . and reason is made to apprehend more than we see : and by reaching beyond sense , to carry us to seek nobler things than sense can reach . should a man understand no more than he sees ? a wise man and a fool , and a man and beast would then be very like . in worldly matters , men can go to much cost and pains for things they never saw ; why not in spiritual matters ? you shall believe god's promises , if you have ever the benefit of them ; and believe his threatnings , if ever you escape the evils threatned . if the reward and punishment were seen , what should difference wise men and fools good men and bad ? no man plays the adulterer in the face of the assembly . no thief will steal before the judge . q. 4. who is it ( then ) that with you goes for a believer , or a christian ? a. 1. he is one that lives as if he saw the lord ; that in some measure so lives . he does all , as if he saw god stand by . all the day he waits on god , psal . 25. 5. lead me in thy truth , and teach me : for thou art the god of my salvation , on thee do i wait all the day . 2. he is one that liveth on a christ whom he never saw . lives on him with trust in him , adherence to him , love of him , joy in him , 1 pet. 1. 8. whom having not seen , ye love , in whom though now ye see him not , yet believing , ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory . 3. he is one that judges of men by their invisible insides . pitying the ungodly who pity not themselves , because they see not what he sees . and admiring the inward beauty of the saints , thro' all their poverty seeing god's image . valuing none for stature , complexion , cloaths , or learning , &c. psal . 15. 4. in whose eyes a vile person is contemned : but he honoureth them that fear the lord : he that sweareth to his own hurt , and changeth not . 4. he is one that seeks a happiness that he never saw ; and that with a greater estimation and resolution than he seeks any things that he hath seen . 5. he is one , that , all his life , prepareth for a day that is yet to come ; and for the presence of his judge . one , that is asking , o what life and actions will be sweetest upon review when i come to my doom ! not so much caring , what will now best please the flesh , and ingratiate with men . 6. he is one careful to prevent a threatned misery that he never felt ; and a place of torment that he never saw . — other faiths are ineffectual dreams . and ( remember ) to dream you are princes , may consist with beggery . 1. o how rare a jewel is true faith ? 2. and how weak in faith are the most of true believers ? [ even as dying men are weak in body . ] 3. how plain is the reason , that believers are seriously holy , just , and charitable ? they are men that do see the lord , see heaven , see hell. their faith sees them all in the glass of divine revelations . 4. how plain is the reason , that vnbelievers are careless of their hearts and ways ; and mock at believers care , and take them for fools and mad men ? poor wretches , they do not see the things that believers see . if they saw the king of glory , as believers do see him , they must reverence him as believers do reverence him . q. 5. does it not concern every man , then , to make sure of this faith ? this , that is given to make things to come as if they were at hand , and things unseen as if we saw them . a. it doth infinitely concern every man. for , 1. it is not so common a thing , as most do imagine it . 2. till you have it , you are no living members of christ . 3. till you have it , you are at enmity with god. 4. till you have it , you are under the guilt of all your sins . no one of them is forgiven . 5. till you have it , you will be carnally minded : and thro' the carnal end you will have in them , your works that be good materially , will be corrupt and fleshly . 6. till you have it , you have no right to heaven ; joh. 3. 16 , 18 , 36. for god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , that whosoever believeth in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . he that believeth on him is not condemned ; but he that believeth not , is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god. he that believeth on the son , hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not the son , shall not see life : but the wrath of god abideth on him . q. 6. well , how shall i know whether i have this true faith and saving , tho' in the least and lowest degree of it ? a. all that have it , tho' in the lowest degree , will have these four signs of it within them . 1. a practical estimation of things unseen , above all earthly things . 2. an habitual inclination of heart to embrace unseen things freely , delightfully , and resolutely ; above and against earthly things . 3. a bent of life for god , and for unseen blessedness , as in resolution , so in practice . 4. a disposition to let go all sensible possessions , when they be inconsistent with spiritual hopes and happiness ; luk. 14. 33. so likewise , whosoever he be of you , that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot be my disciple . these you will have , if faith be the eye you do see by for the conduct of your life . q. 7. if faith be the eye by which i do see , whereby should i quicken my self to live by it ? or if it be not , wherewithal should i stir up my self to seek faith and the life of faith ? a. put to thy heart these questions , frequently and seriously . q. 1. what should i be , if i saw the lord continually before me ? and that as verily as i ever see a man ? if i saw him as moses saw him , exod. 34. or as john saw him , rev. 1. 13. and in the midst of the seven candlesticks , one like unto the son of man , clothed with a garment down to the foot , and girt about the paps with a golden girdle . or as st. paul saw him , acts 9. q. 2. what should i be if i had seen the things that god hath done already in time past ? if i had seen the world drowned and the ark saved ; sodom and gomorrah burned , and the righteous lot saved ; pharaoh and his host swallowed up of the red sea , and the israelites saved ? and the like memorables of the h. scripture . q. 3. what should i be , if i saw the glory of heaven above ? if i were rapt up but into the third heaven , and had seen what st. paul saw . if i had seen what st. stephen saw before his death . if i had seen lazarus in abraham 's bosom ? q. 4. what should i be , if i saw the face of death , and were under the power of a mortal sickness , and were given over by all physicians and friends ? or had a messenger from god to tell me , i must die to morrow ? q. 5. what should i be if i saw the great and dreadful day of judgment as christ doth describe it ? mat. 25. if i saw that fulfilled which st. paul speaks , 2 thes . 1. 7 , 8 , 9 and to you who are troubled rest with us , when the lord jesus shall be revealed from heaven , with his mighty angels , in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord jesus christ . who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power . q. 6. what should i be if i heard satan accusing me for all my sins unto god , and calling for justice against me ? q. 7. what should i be , if i had seen and did now see the damned in their miseries ? if i heard them cry out of the folly and self-destruction of their careless lives ; and wishing one were sent from the dead unto me to warn me that i come not unto their place of torment ? q. 8. what should i be , if in my temptations unto sin , i saw the devil the tempter , and heard him hissing me on to sin , to swear , curse , rail , lie , scorn a holy life ? o should i then ever chuse to be ungodly , or be patient of so being ? nay , q. 1. should i not say in my heart , that the most gainful sin is worse than madness ? q. 2. should i not plead for the most serious godliness ? q. 3. should i ever be offended with a minister again , for plainest reproof , and closest exhortation ? or for too much and plain preaching ? q. 4. should i not hear at another rate than ever yet i heard a sermon ? q. 5. should i not give over my greedy pursuit of worldly wealth and credit ? q. 6. should i ever be drawn away by temptations again as i have been ? q. 7. should i ever stick at sufferings when god calls for them from me ? q. 8. should i not highly value christ , his spirit , his grace , his promises , his word , his ordinances ? q. 9. should i ever be quiet under uncertainty of my reconciliation unto god ? q. 10. should i not then be all for peace , quietness and love , with all that love the lord jesus christ , and are seeking invisible things ? 1. o live not too much on things visible ! 2. live upon the things invisible . 3. promote the life of faith in others . remember , 1. worldliness is a loathsom disease . to live by sense , is to stand on ones head , and to turn ones heels toward heaven . 't is unnatural . 2. vnseen things be the only great and necessary ones . 3. faith is the souls wisdom , sensuality is very blindness . 4. visible things are transitory . they be things that are not . 5. things visible , by their changing , give us a disgraceful mutability . fill us with disappointments and vexations . 6. fore-seeing faith is of necessity unto your eternal blessed life . 7. vnseen things kept duly in your thoughts will serve you excellently unto these things . 1. they will repel your temptations . 2. quicken you to your duties . 3. instruct you to choose your companies . 4. furnish you with daily comforts and satisfaction . things sublunary be something or nothing as they relate unto eternity . we judge of means , as they conduce unto their ends. i desire to know no mercy in any other form or name ; and to value none upon any other account . idem alicubi . i have lived a sweet life by gods promises , and i hope , through grace , can die by a promise . they be gods promises can stand by us . through them life is mine , death is mine . god's covenant is all my salvation and all my desire . jos . alleyn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . o that i could by the effectualness of contemplation behold the greatness of the heavenly felicity which is provided for me ! yet , as i can conceive it , i cannot chuse but long to be absent from hence , that i may be present with the lord ▪ j. ratliff . these four books are lately published by mr. baxter . 1. english nonconformity , truly stated and argued . 2. a treatise of knowledge and love. 3. cain and abel ; or enmity to serious godliness lamented . 4. scripture gospel defended , and christ , grace and free justification vindicated . london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside near mercers chapel ▪ 1690. universal concord the sufficient terms proposed for the use of those that have liberty to use them, and as the authors profession of his own religion, in contentious, dividing age / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a27063 of text r6627 in the english short title catalog (wing b1444). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 15 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a27063 wing b1444 estc r6627 12323782 ocm 12323782 59503 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27063) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59503) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:20) universal concord the sufficient terms proposed for the use of those that have liberty to use them, and as the authors profession of his own religion, in contentious, dividing age / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [32], 80, [5] p. printed by r.w. for nevil simmons ..., london : 1660. contains also a catechism with special t.p.: the christian religion, expressed briefly in the ancient creeds, the ten commandments, and the lords prayer, and more largely in a profession taken out of the holy scriptures. no more published. errata on p. [15]. reproduction of original in british library. imperfect: text is lacking on film. only "to the reader" signed by richard baxter appears. eng a27063 r6627 (wing b1444). civilwar no universal concord. the first part. the sufficient terms proposed for the use of those that have liberty to use them: and as the authors prof baxter, richard 1660 2524 5 0 0 0 0 0 20 c the rate of 20 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-10 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-11 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion universal concord . the first part. the ▪ sufficient terms proposed for the use of those that have liberty to use them : and as the authors profession of his own religion , in a contentious , dividing age . by richard baxter . the first and general part , is preparatory to the second part , containing the particular terms of reconciling the severall differing parties that are reconcileable . london , printed by r. w. for nevil simmons , bookseller in kederminster , 1660. to the reader . christian reader , i must acquaint thee , what it is that is here offered thee , and to what use and purpose . here is , 1. the articles or summe of the christian religion , both briefly in the antient creeds , and more largly and explicitly in a profession , 1. of christian belief , 2. consent , 3. and obedience . 2. here is a form of agreement for the pastors of such churches as are left to voluntary associations and communion . 3. here is a larger description of the ministerial offices and church-ordinances . the first of these ( which was formerly published as a catechism , and is now corrected ) was to me a work of greater difficulty than greater volumes ; which those will understand , that have tryed what it is to avoid defectiveness , redundancies , and disorders in such a draught , ( which yet i know i have not perfectly attained ) . the uses to which it was intended are these . 1. whereas mr. john dury ( who hath laboured above thirty years for the healing the divisions among the protestant churches ) did send to the ministers of this county of worcester , to give him their advice and assistance in that most desireable work ; and whereas one principal part of our advice was , that the churches should hold their vnity and concord in necessary things , and liberty in things not necessary , and charity in both , and that they should each send to other a confession of their faith , containing only such necessary things , and thereupon desire the acknowledgement and communion of their brethren : this profession is purposely fitted to that vse ; containing as much as neighbour-churches should require ; in order to that distant communion with us or others , which several churches are capable of ; and containing nothing but what all christian churches are agreed in . and whereas many have said , that it is defective , because it containeth nothing but what a papist will subscribe ; i answer , it is so much the better : the churches had a perfect or sufficient symbole or confession of faith , before popery ( name or thing ) was known in the world : and they are not bound to alter and enlarge it , as oft as errours shall arise : the rule must still remain the same , and [ a rejection of all that is contrary to this rule ] is that which we must do in opposition to heresies and errours . we have no new religion , but the same antient faith which was before popery was conceived . if we have nothing but what they confess to be true , then our faith is justified by them , ( and so we are on the surer side ) : but they having much which we deny , their faith as popish is condemned by us , though their faith as christian we approve . 2. another use of this profession is to be a sufficient test for particular church-communion ; ( where authority leaveth it to the church . ) i will not reject him as defective in the articles of his belief , who believeth but what is comprehend in this summe . 3. it is also useful for the catechizing of the ignorant , and the clear explication of the creeds and the ten commandements , to the understandings of the weak . i know it is an inconvenience to children , to have answers so long to some of the questions : which i would have redressed , if i could have done it without greater inconveniences . and i know that there are hundreds of catechisms abroad already : but if i could have told where to have found one that had contained as much as this doth , in as few words , and no worse order , i had spared this labour . since the first edition of this ▪ i received the exactest that i have taken notice of , in certain propositions , from the most learned author mr. thomas greaves , much suited to the same designs as this . to this last use some will think that there is wanting the definition of the sacraments of baptism and the lords supper : but to them i say , 1. the antient church did purposely conceal the mysterie of the eucharist from the catechumenes , till they were baptized . 2. and then it was by sight and observation of the actual celebration , that they first and chiefly learned the nature of it . 3. and he that nameth them with their vses and ends , ( as i have here done ) supposing that he speaketh to such as have seen the administration , may perhaps escape the censure of omitting any thing that is of true necessity ; the doctrine and thing signified by them being before explained . 4. but yet i have afterwards given a description of them , pag. 29. & 46. thes. 8. & 34. from whence it may be fetched for the use of the catechized . 4. it is also useful to my self , and others in my case , that have swarms of malicious accusers , that would fain be questioning the soundness of our faith , and accusing us of errours ; and that have need to make it known what indeed is our religion to magistrates or brethren , for their satisfaction and our just defence . if any question ▪ what is my religion ? it is here expressed : it consisteth in [ my belief of all that god revealeth to me , and my love of god in himself and in all the appearances of his goodness ; my trust in his fidelity , and hope of all his promised mercies ; and my obedience to him in all his laws ; my assent and consent in general to all the will of god revealed in nature or the holy scriptures , as far as i can understand them : and in particular and more distinctly to all the parts of this profession . ] this is my religion ; i doubt not but this much will be acceptable with god , and sufficient to salvation : if it be not acceptable to men ▪ nor sufficient to my being reputed orthodox , and accepted into their communion , the day is at hand that shall reveal , whether the fault was theirs or mine . i will reject no man of this religion from my charity or communion : i will censure , or molest , or persecute none such : if they will do otherwise by me , the suffering will at last be greatest , where the fault was greatest . and yet ( though i adhere to the antient simplicity ) i will not be wanting to satisfie any as far as i am able : and therefore i have added the other two parts : the agreement of the associated ministers , is intended for nothing else but a sufficient enumeration of all those things which pastors , being left to so much liberty by the magistrate , should agree in voluntarily among themselves : but observe that it is only for such times and places of liberty ; ( and there it may serve instead of all the volumes of canons and decrees : ) but in places and times of greater strictness , where the civil rulers grant no such liberty to the churches , much of the articles of agreement are in vain , and not to be practised ; especially much in the sixth and seventh articles : and as we justly swear in the oath of supremacy , that the king is the only supream governour of this realm , in all causes spiritual or ecclesiastical ( that is , as to all coercive government about such causes , distinct from spiritual government by the keyes of the word upon mens consciences ) so we must accordingly obey him ; and no agreements , or covenants , or canons of our own or others , without a true and certain prohibition from the law of god , must be pretended against our obedience to lawful powers . for gods law having already bound us to obey our rulers , we cannot by any power , or covenants , or agreements of our own , disoblige our selves : otherwise men might evade a great part of their duty ; and while they pretend to dispence with the laws of god , they should , in a sort , set up themselves as above him . but if man command us to disobey our maker , we must disobey that command , though with patient submission to sufferings , without resistance , or reproaching of our governours . and because some men of narrow principles , are calling for assent to many more particulars ( especially about church-offices , and worship , and discipline ) and will not bear with those that in smaller things dissent from them , especially if ministers ; i have added 80. theses about the offices of the ministers of christ , containing such things as one would think , for number and quality , might be taken as sufficient for our concord and communion with those whose opinions hinder not the prosperity of their charity and of the church . and now call me by what name or title thou seest cause ; here thou hast my profession and my judgement about the matters of the church : if thou desire to see the practical part that will bear it , exemplified in any forms , i should not refuse to give thee such satisfaction upon any just occasion . i know of no title that well agreeth to the nature of that religion which indeed i hold , and which i have here proposed , and which i think would be fit for the churches to agree in , but christian & catholike , and these i own : if thou give me any other , let him that maketh or useth it , be responsible for it . understand also that this general part , containing the positives of the catholike religion , and fit materials of catholike concord , is but the first part of the book , the second intended being somewhat large , as containing the particular terms on which the abassines , armenians , greeks , romanists , lutheranes , calvinists , arminians , contra-remonstrants , episcopal , presbyterian , independents , and moderate anabaptists should be agreed : and discovering that with most of the parties , the present disagreements are not such as should break communion , and cause them to reject each other as too many uncharitably do . i conclude with one necessary advertisement to thee , that if thou wouldst not be cheated of thy religion by those that are still perswading men that the essentials or fundamentals of religion as distinct from the integral parts cannot be known , because no one certain perfect form of words is given to the church which containeth those and none but those , remember that it is the matter and sence believed , loved and obeyed that is the essence of religion and necessary to salvation for it self ; but the words are only necessary as revealing or expressing the matter : and therefore the same form of words or sentences is not necessary alike to all . the most general words , are most comprehensive , and most certainly take in all the matter : but then the particular things which must necessarily be understood , are not alike conceived of by all men by the helpe or use of general expressions : a wise understanding christian when he saith but [ i believe in god the father , the son , and the holy ghost , ] doth distinctly conceive of all those things that essentially constitute such a true belief ; when perhaps an ignoranter weaker person must have those generals opened by more distinct expressions , and more particularly , before he can have a true apprehension of such essentials . and therefore the more ignorant any person is , ( caeteris paribus ) the more large , distinct and particular his creed or profession should be ; because he conceiveth of nothing but by very particular distinct expressions , when the judicious by a few words conceive of as much as the ignorant by many . though much of the second part of this treatise be long since prepared , yet so great are the threatnings of god to deprive me of opportunities of publike serving him , and so wonderful is the impatience of men against peace makers , ( as crossing their opinions , interests and designes ) that i have great reason to question whether ever it will see the light : and therefore i intreat thee at the present to accept of this imperfect piece alone , from him that is resolved by the help of christ , and in confidence on his promise , matth. 5.9 . to continue his endeavours ( though weak and unsuccesful ) for the churches peace , though it cost him a thousand more injuries and slanders , and all that furious prosperous malice can inflict , as being his servant who will beare our charges , and save us harmless in his work . rich. baxter . errata . pag. 4. l. 22. for [ the seventh day ] read [ the sabbath day ] . pag. 10 , 11. those that would have more brevity , may blot out [ to reconcile and bring me unto god ] and all after [ sanctifier ] to the end of that paragraph . pag. 24. l. 12. blot out [ and consent ] pag. 61. l. 1 ▪ blot out [ any ] pag. 68. l. 3. for [ great ] r. [ urgent ] and l. 6. for [ omit ] r. [ over-pass ] englands warning-piece. to all sleepy secure sinners, or, the true christians subjection to christ as their king and saviour. plainly and powerfully setting forth to the heart and conscience, of all careless secure sinners, their great folly and madness in refusing to submit to jesus christ as he is tendered in the gospel. : with many cogent arguments and reasons to perswade all persons to come into christ for salvation, now in the day of their visitation, before the fire of his wrath be kindled upon them, and the gates of heaven be shut against them, and they perish for ever. : with some rules and directions how we may attain true happiness. / gathered from the painful labours of mr. richard baxter, being the substance of a sermon ; lycensed and entred according to order. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1678 approx. 29 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 13 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a76168 wing b1258a estc r172645 43077471 ocm 43077471 151530 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a76168) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 151530) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2263:7) englands warning-piece. to all sleepy secure sinners, or, the true christians subjection to christ as their king and saviour. plainly and powerfully setting forth to the heart and conscience, of all careless secure sinners, their great folly and madness in refusing to submit to jesus christ as he is tendered in the gospel. : with many cogent arguments and reasons to perswade all persons to come into christ for salvation, now in the day of their visitation, before the fire of his wrath be kindled upon them, and the gates of heaven be shut against them, and they perish for ever. : with some rules and directions how we may attain true happiness. / gathered from the painful labours of mr. richard baxter, being the substance of a sermon ; lycensed and entred according to order. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [23] p. : port. printed for j. conyers at the black raven in duck-lane, [london] : 1678. frontispiece on verso of half-title. title within line border. reproduction of original in: william andrews clark memorial library, university of california, los angeles, california. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sermons, english -17th century. 2007-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-06 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2008-04 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2008-04 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion englands warning-piece . 1 cor. 6 chap. 19. 20. ver and ye are not your own , for ye are bought with a price , therefore glorify god in your body and in you spirit , which are gods. englands warning-piece . to all sleepy secure sinners . or , the true christians subjection to christ as their king and saviour . plainly and powerfully setting forth to the heart and conscience , of all careless secure sinners , their great folly and madness in refusing to submit to jesus christ as he is tendered in the gospel . with many cogent arguments and reasons to perswade all persons to come into christ for salvation , now in the day of their visitation , before the fire of his wrath be kindled upon them , and the gates of heaven be shut against them , and they perish for ever . with some rules and directions how we may attain true happiness . 2 cor. 5 chap. 11 verse , knowing therefore the terrour of the lord we perswade men . gathered from the painful labours of mr. richard baxter , being the substance of a sermon . lycensed and entred according to order . printed for j. conyers at the black raven in duck-lane , 1678. the true christians subjection to christ , the only way to salvation . psalm 2. 11. and 12 verses . serve the lord with fear , and rejoyce with trembling . kiss the son least he be angry , and ye perish from the way , when his wrath is kindled but a little , blessed are all they that put their trust in him . the chief scope of the psalm is , to foretel the extent and prevalency of the kingdome of christ : admonishing his enemies to submit to his government , deriding the vanity of their opposing projects and fury , and forewarning them of their ruine if they come not in . i shall draw the scope of the text into this one doctrine . no power or priviledge can save that man from the fearful sudden consuming wrath of god , that doth not unfainedly love , depend upon , and subject himself unto the lord jesus christ . in handling of this point , i shall observe ●… order . first i will shew you what this love , dependency , and subjection are . secondly , what wrath it is that will thus kindle and consume them . thirdly , why this kissing the son is the only way to escape it . fourthly , why no power or priviledge else can procure their escape . fifthly , application . first , subjection to christ is , the acknowledging of his absolute soveraignty both as he is god , creatour , and as a redeemer over all the world , and particularly our selves , and a hearty consent to this his soveraignty , especially that he be our lord , and his laws our rule , and a delivering our selves to be governed accordingly . secondly , this dependency on christ is , when we acknowledge the sufficiency of his satisfaction , and his power , and willingness to save all that receive him in his free universal offer in the gospel , we do heartily accept him for our only saviour , and accordingly [ renouncing all other ] do wait upon him beleivingly , for the benefits of his sufferings and office , and the performance of his ●●●…hful covenant to us , in restoring us to all the ●●●…ings which we lost , and advancing us to a far ●…ater everlasting glory . thirdly this affection to christ is , when in the knowledge and sence of his love to us both common and especial , and of his own excellency , and the blessedness of enjoying of him and the father , and life by him ; our hearts do chuse him and the father by him as our only happiness , and accordingly love him above all things in the world . these threefold descriptions containeth the summ of the gospel , so hath it nothing but what is of necessity to sound christianity . secondly , what wrath is it that will thus kindle and consume them ; as there are two covenants , so each hath his proper penalty for its breaking . 1. then , till men do come in and submit to christ , they lye under the wrath of god for all their sins , as they are against the covenant of works , or they are lyable to the curse of that covenant . christ's death hath taken away the curse of the covenant , not absolutely from any man , but conditionally , which becomes absolute when the condition is performed : the elect themselves are not by nature under the covenant of grace , but remain under the curse of the first covenant , till they come into christ . 2. whosoever rejecteth or neglecteth this grace , and so finally breaketh the new covenant , must also bear the curse or the penalty thereof , besides all the former , which will be a greater curse , even as the blessings of this covenant are far greater than those of the first . it was a heavy punishment to be cast out of paradise from the presence of god , and to be cursed by him and subject to eternal death , and all creatures below cursed for our sakes , to bear all those curses and plagues threatned in duteronomy 27. ch . 26. verse , cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them : and all the people shall say amen . see deut. 29. chap. 20 verse , heb. 10. chap. 28. 29. verses , he that despised moses law , ayed without mercy , &c. of how much sorer punishment , shall he be thought worthy , who hath troden under foot the son of god , and hath counted the blood of the covenant , wherewith he was sanctified , an unholy thing , and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace . 3. why this kissing the son , [ that is loving , depending on , and submitting to him ] is the only way to escape these curses : i answer . first the proper reason that can be given is ; the will of the great law giver , who hath absolute power over us , might dispose of us as he pleases , and make us such laws and conditions as seem best to his wisdome , upon which our justification and salvation should depend : he bath resolved that this shall be the only condition and way : and that as no man shall be justified by a meer christ , or his death abstracted from faith [ that is of age or reason ] so this faith shall be the condition upon which they shall be justified : or , as a christ neglected shall save no man , so the accepting or receiving of him , shall justify and save them , as the condition of the covenant performed , under which notion it is , that faith justifieth . the reasons from the former are , 1. from the equity , it is but equal that he that hath bought us so dearly , and from a stare so desperate and deplorable , should be acknowledged and accepted for our saviour and lord. 1 cor. 6. cha . 19. 20. verses , and yea are not your own , for ye are bought with a price , therefore glorify god in your body and in your spirit , which are gods. rom. 14. chapter 9. verse , for to this end christ both dyed and rose again that he might rule over both quick and dead . 2. as salvation by free grace through christ , is away most suitable to god's honour , and to our own necessities , as we could not have a more fitter way to the father , than by christ ; so neither could there be a fitter way to christ , or means to partake of him , than by fatih , it is this faith or accep●ation of christ for our saviour and king , which is here called kissing the son , applying and appropriating to our selves the person , righteousness and benefits procured and offered , but not the least honour of the work , all we do is but to accept what christ hath procured , and that must be by the special assistance of his holy spirit . 4. why no priviledge or power in the word can save them that doth not kiss the son ? it might here suffice , that i have shew'd you god's determination to the contrary ; but further consider if any should hope to escape , by their friends , strength , or other endowments or virtuous qualifications . 1. the must resist the unresistable will of god , they must do that which heaven or earth , men or devils were never able yet to do ; they have resisted his laws and love , but they could never resist his power , where dwelleth that man , or what is his name that did neglect christ and yet escaped damnation ? job . 9 chap. 4 verse , who hath hardned himself against him and hath prospered ? 2. he that will save the soul that loveth not , dependeth not , and subjecteth not himself to christ , must first make false the word of god , and make the faithful and true god a lyer , for god hath given it under his hand for a truth , that he that beleiveth not is condemned already ; joh. 3. ch . verse 18. that he shall not see life , but the wrath of god abideth on him , john 3 chap. ver . 36. that those that are invited and make light of christ , shall never tast of his supper , that is , shall be more easy for sodom in the day of judgement than for that city which refuseth the offers of the gospel , matt. 10. ver . 15. those that would not have christ reign over them shall be brought forth at last and destroyed before him as his enemies , luke 19. that they shall all be damned that beleive not the truth , but have pleasure in unrightroussness , 2. thess . 2. chap. 12. ver . hath the almighty sayed thus , and who dare say it shall not be : thus you see his task that will undertake to save one neglector of christ. vse 1. you hear by the text how you are like to speed at the bar of christ , who shall dye and who shall live , the great assize is near at hand , the feet of the judge is at the dore , go thy way unbeleiving sinner , when thou hast had all the pleasure that sin can afford thee , the rousing voice will awake thee after thou hast lain in dust and flep a while , and thine eyes shall see that dreadful day , oh blessed , oh doleful day , blessed to the saints , doleful to the wicked : oh the triumphant shoutings of the joyful saints , the hideous roaring cryes of the damned , when each man hath received his doom , there is nothing but eternal glory , and eternal fire . you must all of you shortly appear , and hear what doom must pass upon you , i hope you beleive it . what would you now give to know for certain how it will then go with you ? why here is the book by which you must be judged , and here is the summ of it in my text , and the grounds upon which the judge will then proceed : will you but go along with me and answer the questions i shall put to you , you may know your doom and here you must know , that it is the kiss of the heart and not of lips which we must here inquire after : the questions will not be at the great day of doom , who hath spake christ fair , or who hath called themselves christians , or who hath said the creed or lord's prayer oftnest , or cryed lord , lord , or come to church , or hath held this opinion , or who that : it would make a mans heart ake to think how zealous men honour the shadow of christ , bow at his name , reverence the image of the cross he dyed on , and the reliques and names of the saints that dyed for him , yet do utterly neglect the lord himself , and resist his spirit , and cannot endure to be governed by him , and hate them that really love him , and yet believe themselves to be real christians . for god's sake sirs do not delude your immortal souls , as to think your baptism and your outward devotion , and your good meanings as you call them , and your righteous dealing with men will serve the turn to prove you christians , alass ! this is but with judas to kiss the mouth of christ. and indeed to fetch your death from those blessed lips from whence the saints did fetch their life , i will shew you some surer signs than these . 1. let me a little inquire into your subjection to christ : do you remember the time when you were the servants of sin and satan , and led captive at his will , and all within you was in carnal peace , do you remember when the spirit in the word came powerfully upon your hearts , and bound satan and cast him out , and answered all your carnal wisdome , and brought you out of darkness into light , and from the power of satan unto god , acts 26. chap. 18 vers . hath christ the only soveraignty in your souls , is his word thy law which thou darst not pass , doth it bind thy thoughts unto thy tongue , and command all thou hast , hast thou laid down all at the feet of christ , and resigned all to his will , and devoted allto his dispose and service , dost thou dayly and spiritually worship him in private , and in thy family , and teach thy children and servants to fear the lord ; i intreat you sirs , deal truly and faithfully in answering these questions , for never man was saved by the bare title of a christian , if you are not subject to christ you are not christians , no more then a picture or a carkass is a man , and your salvation will be such as your christianity is , subjection is an undoubted part of thy faith , and obedience is its fruit . in short then , dost thou make him thy fear , and tremble at his word , and be willing to do or suffer any thing for his sake , as the sword , fire , nakedness , displeasure of friends , credit or life , art thou willing to submit to all that he revealeth , dost thou say , speak lord for thy servant heareth ? lord what wouldst thou have me to do ? i am ready to do thy will o god , beloved this is the frame of every servant of christ , and this is the acknowledging and accepting of him for your lord. dost thou take him for thy only saviour , and truly beleive this history of his life and passion the truth of his divine and humane nature , his resurrection , his office , and his approaching judgement ; dost thou see that all thy supposed righteousness is but vanity and sin , and that thou art not able to make the least satisfaction to the law by thy works or sufferings , and if his blood did not wash thee , and his righteousness justify thee , thou must certainly be damned yet and perish for ever ; do thou therefore cast thy self into his arms and venter thy everlasting state upon him , and trust him with thy soul , and fetch all thy help and healing from him , dost thou so build upon his promise of an happiness hereafter , that thou canst let all go here , and drink of his cap , and be baptised with his baptism , and lose thy life upon his promise that thou shalt save it , why this is kissing the hand of christ . beloved i profess to you all in the name of the lord , that it is not your bold and confident affirming that you love christ which will serve your turn , when christ shall judge , he will search deep and judge according to truth in the inward parts . how many thousand will perish then as his utter enemies , that verily thought themselves his friends . how easily might they now find their mistake would they now examine themselves , oh try , try sirs before god try you , judge your selves before christ jugeth you , it would grieve a mans heart that knows what it is to love christ , to beleive and be subject to him , to see how rare these are in the world . vse the 2d . it is time to turn my speech to exhortation , and oh that you would encourage me with a resolution to obey : my business is as a herauld to proclaim the lord jesus your king and saviour , and to know whether you will acknowledge and take him to be so or not , and to perswade you to kiss the son least his wrath be kindled against you : you will say this is a common errand , i know the name of christ is common , the swearer doth swear by it , the begger begs by it , the charmer puts it into his charms , and the jester in his jests , and many papists and ignorant protestants do mutter it oft-times over their prayers , but who trembleth at , or triumpheth in it , who maketh it his fear and joy , and give up their souls to be governed by christ ? i do hear solemnly proclaim to you that the lord jesus will not be put off with complements , he cares not for your meer name of christianity , your cap or knee , if your heart be not set upon him thou art none of his , you must depend on him alone for soul and body , or never look for mercy at his hands , he is the author of eternal salvation to them ( only ) that obey him , hebrews 5 chap. 9 ver . what say you sirs in answer to my message , what do you resolve upon , shall christ be your love , and your lord or not , will you kiss the son , or will you slight him still , methinks you should easily be resolved , and say , away with credit , plcasure , profits , away with these bewitching delights and vanities , christ has bought my heart and he shall have it , he is my lord and i will be ruled by him . i perswade you not to opinions or factions , but to be with all your heart for christ , as ever you look christ should be for you : to love him as he that hath bought you from everlasting wrath , and dyed to save you from eternal burnings , to lay hold of him with most earnest affectionate apprehension , as a man that is ready to be drowned would do upon a bough , or the hand of his friend that would pull him to the shore , to do nothing till thou hast asked counsel at his word , these are the things i exhort you to , these are things that christ expects from you : think of what i say , and weigh it , if i speak not truth and reason reject it and spare not , but if it be , and thy conscience tell thee so , take heed then how thou dost neglect it or reject it , least thou be found a fighter against the spirit of god. i will draw these considerations only from the text. 1. thou art else a rebel against thy soveraign lord , this i gather from the command in my text , and the whole psalm , god hath given thee into the hands of his son , and made him lord and king of all , and commanded all to submit to him and accept of him ; who can shew such right to rule thee as christ can do ? he is thy maker , and so is not satan , he dearly bought thee , so did not the world , 1 pet. 1 ch . v. 18. thou wast not redeemed with silver and gold and corruptible things from your vain conversations . i make this challenge in the behalf of christ , let any thing in the world step forth and shew a better title to thee , to thy heart and to thy life than christ can shew , then let them take thy heart , but i know thou canst not but confess it , yet will thou not yield him thy love and chiefest obedience , out of thy own mouth then art thou condemned as a wilful rebel . 2. to deny thy love and subjection to christ is a most barbarous unkindness a sinner can be guilty of , did he pitty thee in thy lost estate , and take thee up when thou wast wounded in the way and make thee a plaister of the blood of his heart , and is this thy requital did he come down from heaven to earth , to seek thee when thou wast lost , and take upon him all thy debt , and put himself into the prison of the world and flesh , and paid for thy folly , born the wrath of god which thou must have suffered for ever , and doth he not deserve to be entertained with most affectionate respect , , but with a few cold thoughts instead of hearty love , and a few formal words instead of worship , oh let the heavens blush at such ingratitude . me thinks you should rather wonder with your selves that ever christ should give you leave to love him ; and say , will the lord eudure such a wretch to kiss him ; will he suffer himself to be embraced by those arms which hath been so often defiled by the imbracements of sin , will he honour me so highly as to be his subject and servant to be guided by such a blessed and perfect law , and doth require no harder conditions then these for my salvation : take then my heart o lord , it is only thine , and oh that it were better , take it and make it better , the spear hath made a passage to thy heart , o let thy spirit upon me make a passage to mine . i dare challenge earth and hell and all the enemies of christ in both , to shew the least hurt that ever he caused to the soul of a beleiver , or wrong to the soul of any , and must he have such a stir to do thee good , must he beseech thee to be happy , and follow thee with intreaties , and yet art thou like a stock that neither hears nor feels ; nay dost not thou murmur against him as if he would do thee a mischief ; ah foolish sinner it is sin would hurt thee , and not thy saviour , why dost not thou strive against that , it is the divel that would destroy thee , yet dost not grudge thy obedience to him , be judge thy self whether this be equal dealing . sinner i beseech thee in behalf of thy poor soul not to renounce thy saviour , till thou hast found a better master , say as peter , whither shall we go ? lord thou hast the words of eternal life . 2ly . these following considerations are drawn from the aggravation of the punishment , and all from the words of my text. 1. god will be angry if you kiss not his son , his wrath is as a fire , and this neglect of christ is the way to kindle it , if thou art not a beleiver thou art condemned already , but this will bring upon thee a double condemnation : oh what will the father say to such unworthy wretches ; must i send my son from my bosome to suffer for thee , must he groan and bleed , when thou shouldst bleed , and dye when thou shouldst dye , and canst thou not be perswaded to imbrace and obey him , must he have the naked title of thy lord and saviour , while the fleshly pleasures and profits have thy heart ; what wrath can be too great , and hell too hot for such ungrateful wretches , go seize upon him justice , let my wrath consume , and hell devour thee , seeing thou hast chosen death , take it ; and as thou hast rejected heaven , thou shalt never see it , but my wrath shall abide on thee for ever , john 3. chap. 36 ver . woe to thee sinner if this be once thy sentence , thou hadst better have heaven and earth fall upon thee than one degree of god's displeasure . o what a pittyful sight t is to see a man under the wrath of god , and are these little sparks so intollerably hot what then do you think are the everlasting flames , beloved hearers , if god had not spoke this , i durst not have spoke it : the desire of my soul is that you may-not feell it , i hope the foreknowing may help to prevent it . let me tell you from god , as sure as heaven is over your heads , and the earth under your feet , except the son of god be nearer thy heart and dearer to thy heart than friends , or goods ; or pleasures or life , or any thing in the world , this burning wrath will never be prevented when this wrath of god is throughly kindled , then blessed are they that trust in him , luke 14. matt. 10. 37. and now what is your resolution , perhaps you have been enemie to christ under the name of christians , will you be so still ? have you not loathed this busie , diligent serving of him , and hated them that carefully seek him , more than the vilest drunkard or blasphemer , have not his word service and sabboth been a burden to you , crying away with these precise preachers , they shall not controle us , this precise scripture shall be no law to us , and consequently this christ shall not rule over us , you may go on as far as pharo if you will , but if you be not losers in the latter end god hath not spoken by me 1 kings sirs i am loath to leave you till the bargain be made , what say you , are you willing that christ shall be your soveraign ? his word your law , his worship your recreations , his merits your refuge , his glory your end , and himself the delight of your souls , the lord jesus waiteth for your answer , thou wilt very shortly wait on him for thy doom ; as ever thou wouldst have him speak life to thy soul , do thou resolve upon the way of life , remember that thou art almost at death and judgement , if thou didst but see what others suffer for neglecting of him that now offereth thee his grace , what wouldst thou do , when it comes to that , then thou wilt cry , away with the world , away pleasures , nothing can comfort me but christ , why then will not you be of the same mind now . oh that it might stand with the will of god that this sermon might take effect upon your hearts , and fasten upon your souls , and pierce into your consciences as an arrow drawn out of the quiver of god , it should follow thee home , and bring thee down on thy knees in secret , and there lament they case , and make thee cry out in the bitterness of thy spirit , lord i am a sinner that hath neglected thee , and have tasted more sweetness in the world than in thy blood , and taken more delight in my earthly labours and pleasures than in praying and meditating on thee , and here it should make thee lye in tears and prayers , and follow christ with cryes and complaints till he take thee up from the dust , and assure thee of his pardon , and change thy heart , and close it with his own . to conclude all with the words of my text oh kiss the son least he be angry and you perish , blessed are all they that trust in him . finis . books printed for joshua conyers at the black raven in duck lane with many others . the young mans guide in his way to heaven , or a cabinet of rich jewels 2. an awakening call to unconverted sinners , or the jaylors conversion . 3 gods sword against drunkards , or a timely warning to drunkards swearers , and blasphemers of gods holy name the first parr . 4 the great and grievous sin of pride , whoredome , and adultery , arraigned and condemned in abundance of examples ; the second part , 5 a dreadful warning to all impenitent sinners , seting sorth the great danger of making light of christ and salvation by mr. baxten . 6 the art of divine contentment in all conditions , a new peice 7 the travels and persecutions of our saviour christ and his 12 apostles . 8 the fiery tryals of martyrs that were burnt to death for the protestant religion . 9. seven & forty examples upon persecutors . the judgment of mr. baxter concerning ceremonies and conformity with a short reflection upon a scandalous pamphlet intituled, a proposition for the safety and happiness of the king and kingdom : in a letter to a gentleman of the house of commons. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1667 approx. 18 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26945 wing b1290 estc r5453 12319073 ocm 12319073 59438 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26945) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59438) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:6) the judgment of mr. baxter concerning ceremonies and conformity with a short reflection upon a scandalous pamphlet intituled, a proposition for the safety and happiness of the king and kingdom : in a letter to a gentleman of the house of commons. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. gentleman of the house of commons. 15 p. printed for r. jenaway [sic] ..., london : 1667. halkett and laing (2nd ed.) attributes authorship of "a proposition for the safety and happiness of the king and kingdom" to david jenkins. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng jenkins, david, 1582-1663. -proposition for the safety and happiness of the king and kingdom. dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-09 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the judgment of mr. baxter concerning ceremonies and conformity . with a short reflection upon a scandalous pamphlet , intituled , a proposition for the safety and happiness of the king and kingdom . in a letter to a gentleman of the house of commons . london , printed for r. jenaway , in the year 1667 sir , i suppose the pamphlet which you sent mee , was designed rather to let me see the impudence of this licentious age , than to draw me into the impertinence of answering it . the lameness of the style , the sence , and the coherence , but especially the weakness of what he calls arguments , make me ashamed to deal with such an adversary . yet in running it over , i could not but observe this one confession : it is not the dignity of the bishops , their lordships and revenues ; it is not their cathedrals , organs , and their divine service in what state and magnificence they please ; it is not common prayer , no nor any ceremony of the church whatsoever for all its significancy , if it be but a circumstance of worship , and no more , that could hinder most of the sober nonconformists to come over to you ; but it is these declarations , subscriptions , and oaths which you impose on them in your acts. now , though i think it no hard matter to make it appear , that these declarations , subscriptions , and oaths , contain nothing in them but what is absolutely necessary to the safety of the church and state ; and that those men who refuse to make such acknowledgments and engagements , are utterly unfit to be intrusted with the cure of souls , and the office of preaching to the people ; which , like other good things , as it is excellent in the use , so is it no less dangerous in the abuse : yet supposing , for once , that these oaths and subscriptions were as unlawful , as they would have the world believe ; what is this to those that are not required to subscribe or swear ? is not this a plain acknowledgement , that notwithstanding all these clamors against the governours , and the ceremonies of the church , yet there is indeed no just ground of separating from either , since no swearing or subscription is required of the multitude , of which they so much boast , and whose cause they pretend to plead ? of these , by their own confession , as many as are judicious and sober , may come over and conform : so that we have only a few factious men ( that call themselves ministers ) that make all this noise ; as if for their sakes , the king and parliament must undoe all that they have done , for the restoring of religion and good order in the church , and preserving peace in the state : and because the city and the ships have been lately burnt , these men that are well skilled in blowing coals , must have leave to set the whole kingdome in a flame . the worthy gentlemen of your house , will , i hope , consider this : which that you may not look upon only as an unwary word dropt from a loose pen , i shall add , for confirmation , what i long since observed in a book written by a great rabbie of that tribe , under the title of five disputations of church government , and worship : printed at london , 1659. a time , when he could have but small encouragement to say more than be thought in this matter . the judgment of mr. baxter concerning ceremonies and conformity . those modes or circumstances of worship which are necessary in genere , but left undetermined by god in specie , are left by god to humane prudential determination : ( else an impossibility should be necessary . ) but many such there are , that are necessary in genere , but left undetermined of god in specie ; therefore many such are left to humane prudential determination . § . 5. yet it is in the power of man to determine of such modes and circumstances as are necessary to the performance of that worship which god hath instituted in his word : and therefore lawful governors may in such cases bind us by their commands . 1. it is left to humane determination , what place the publick assemblies shall be held in . 2. it is left to man to determine of the time of holy duties , except only where god hath determined of it already . 3. it is left to the determination of humane prudence , what utensils to employ about the publick worship of god. here therefore we must thus conclude , 1. that every misordering of such great affairs , is the sin of them that do it . 2. but yet that the subject is not exempted from obedience by every such mistake of the governor : but by some , he is . § . 67. if the mischoosing of such circumstances , by church-governors , be but an inconvenience , and do not destroy the ordinance it self , or frustrate the ends of it , we are to obey : 1. for he is the judge of his own work , and not we : 2. the thing is not sinful , though inconvenient : 3. obedience is commanded to our lawful governors . we must obey in all things lawful . and when we do obey in a case of miscommanding , it is not a doing evil , that good may come of it , as some do misconceive : but it is only a submitting to that which is ill commanded , but not evil in him that doth submit . it is the determiner that is the cause of the inconvenience , and not the obeyer . nor is it inconvenient for me to obey , though it be worse perhaps to him that commandeth . while he sinneth in commanding , he may make it my duty to obey . § . 6. dist . 4. we must distinguish between ceremonies imposed by a lawful magistrate , or church-governors ; and such as are imposed by usurpers , or men without authority . § . 25. prop. 12. it may be very sinful to command some ceremonies , which may lawfully , yea , must in duty be used by the subject when they are commanded . § . 27. prop. 14. yet certain things that are commonly called ceremonies , may lawfully be used in the church upon humane imposition ; and when it is not against the law of god , no person should disobey the commands of their lawful governors in such things . of set-forms , and the book of common-prayer . prop. 1. a stinted liturgy is in it self lawful . 2. a stinted liturgy in some parts of publick service , is ordinarily necessary . 3. in the parts where it is not of necessity , it may not onely be submitted to , but desired , when the peace of the church requireth it . 7. the safest way of composing such a publick form , is , to take it all , for matter and words , out of the holy scriptures . 8. yet is not this of such necessity , but that we may joyn in it , or use it , if the form of words be not from scripture . prop. 1. a stinted liturgie is in it self lawful . this is thus proved : argument 1. that which is not directly , or consequentially forbidden by god , remaineth lawful : a stinted liturgy is not directly , or consequentially forbidden by god : therefore it remaineth lawful . the major is undoubted , because nothing but a prohibition can make a thing unlawful . sin is a transgression of a law : where there is no law , there is no transgression : and yet i have heard very reverend men answer this , that it is enough that it is not commanded , though not forbidden ▪ which is plainly to deny both scripture and civil principles . now for the minor , that a stinted liturgy is not forbidden , we need no other proof , than that no prohibition can be produced . argument 6. if it be lawful for the people to use a stinted form of words in publick prayer , then is it in it self lawful for the pastors : but it is lawful for the people : for the pastors prayer ( which they must pray over with him , and not onely hear it ) is a stinted form to them , even as much as if he had learnt it out of a book . they are to follow him in his method and words , as if it were a book-prayer . argument 7. it is lawful to use a form in preaching : therefore a stinted liturgy is lawful . 1. because preaching is a part of that liturgy . 2. because the reason is the same for prayer , as for that , in the main . argument 8. that which hath been the practice of the church in scripture-times , and down to this day , and is yet the practice of almost all the churches of christ on earth , is not like to be unlawful : but such is the use of some stinted forms of publick service : therefore , &c. that it was so in the jews church , and approved by christ , i have shewed . that it hath been of ancient use in the church since christ , and is at this day in use in africk , asia , europe , even among the reformed churches in france , holland , geneva , &c. is so well known , that i think i need not stand to prove it : yea , those few that seem to disuse it , do yet use it , in psalms , and other parts of worship . as for the common-prayer it self , i never rejected it because it was a form , nor thought it simply unlawful because it was such a form ; but have made use of it , and would do again in the like case . of ceremonies . the ceremonies controverted among us , were especially , the surplice , the gesture of kneeling in receiving the lords supper , the ring in marriage , laying the hand on the book in taking an oath , the organs and church-musick , holy-dayes , altars , rails , and the cross in baptism . of the surplice . some decent habit is necessary ; either the magistrate , or the minister himself , or the associated pastors must determine what . i think neither magistrate nor synod should do any more than hinder undecency : but yet if they do more , and tye all to one habit ( and suppose it were an undecent habit ) yet this is but an imprudent use of power . it is a thing within the magistrates reach ; he doth not an aliene work , but his own work amiss : and therefore the thing in it self being lawful ; i would obey him , and use that garment , if i could not be dispensed with . yea , though secondarily the whiteness be to signifie purity , and so it be made a teaching sign , yet would i obey . of kneeling at the sacrament . but yet , as sinfully as this gesture was imposed , for my part i did obey the imposers , and would do , if it were to do again , rather than disturbe the peace of the church , or be deprived of its communion . for god having made some gesture necessary , and confined me to none , but left it to humane determination , i shall submit to magistrates in their proper work , even when they miss it in the manner . i am not sure that christ intended the example of himself and his apostles , as obligatory to us that shall succeed . i am sure it proves sitting lawful ; but i am not sure that it proves it necessary : ( though very convenient . ) but i am sure , he hath commanded me obedience and peace . of the ring in marriage . and for the ring in marriage , i see no reason to scruple the lawfulness of it : for though the papists make a sacrament of marriage , yet we have no reason to take it for any ordinance of divine worship ; any more than the solemnizing of a contract between a prince and people . all things are sanctified and pure to the pure . of organs and church musick . and for organs , or other instruments of musick in gods worship , they being a help partly natural , and partly artificial , to the exhilerating of the spirits , for the praise of god , i know no argument to prove them simply unlawful , but what would prove a cup of wine unlawful , or the tune and meeter , and melody of singing unlawful . of holy-dayes . nor for my part do i make any scruple * to keep a day in remembrance of any eminent servant of christ , or martyr , to praise god for their doctrine or example , and honour their memorial . but the hardest part of the question is , whether it be lawful to keep days , in celebrating the memorial of christs nativity , circumcision , fasting ; transfiguration , ascension , and such like ? and yet for all this i am resolved , if i live where such holy-days as these are observed , to censure no man for observing them ; nor would i deny them liberty to follow their judgments , if i had the power of their liberties ; provided they use not reproach and violence to others ; and seek not to deprive them of their liberties . yea more , i would not onely give men their liberty in this , but if i lived under a government that peremptorily commanded it , i would observe the outward rest of such a holi-day , and i would preach on it , and joyn with the assemblies in gods worship on it . yea , i would thus observe the day , rather than offend a weak brother , or hinder any mans salvation , much more rather than i would make any division in the church . of altars , and rails . and for the next ceremony , the name and form of an altar ; no doubt it is a thing indifferent , whether the table stand this way , or that way : and the primitive churches used commonly the names of sacrifice , and altar , and priest , and i think , lawfully : for my part i shall not be he that shall condemn them . i conceive that the dislike of these things in england ( the form and name of an altar , and the rails about it ) was not as if they were simply evil . whether we shall receive the lords supper at a table , or in our seats ; and whether the table shall be of wood or stone ? whether it shall be round , or long , or square ? whether it shall stand in the east or west-end of the temple , or in the middle ? whether it shall have rails , or no rails ? all these are left to humane prudence . of the cross in baptism . but of all our ceremonies , there is none that i have more suspected to be simply unlawful , than the cross in baptism . yet i dare not peremptorily say , that it is unlawful : nor will i condemn either antients or moderns that use it : nor will i make any disturbance in the church about it , more than my own forbearance will make . i presume not to censure them that judge it lawful ; but onely give the reasons that make me doubt , and rather think it to be unlawful , though still with a suspicion of my own understanding . ambros . contr . symmach . unus quis que patienter ferat , si non extor que atur imperatori , quod moleste ferret , si ei extor quere cuperet imperator . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26945-e140 p. 18 , 19. p. 6. notes for div a26945-e530 disp. 4. p. 361. disp 5. p. 400 ▪ p. 400. p. 401. ibid. p. 423. p. 424. p. 396. p. 398. disp . 4. p. 358. p. 359. p. 361. p. 364. p. 421. p. 409. p. 409. p. 411. p. 411. p. 412 : * in point of lawfulness ; for conveniency is according to several accidents . p. 412 , 413. p. 416. p. 417. ibid. ibid. p. 401 , 402. p. 417. p. 418. an appeal to the light, or, richard baxter's account of four accused passages of a sermon on eph. i,3 published in hope either to procure the convincing instructions of the wise, or to humble and stop the erroneous resisters of the truth. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1674 approx. 16 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26868 wing b1190 estc r10225 12385751 ocm 12385751 60838 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26868) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60838) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:6) an appeal to the light, or, richard baxter's account of four accused passages of a sermon on eph. i,3 published in hope either to procure the convincing instructions of the wise, or to humble and stop the erroneous resisters of the truth. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 6 p. printed for nevil simmons ..., london : 1674. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -n.t. -ephesians i, 3 -sermons. sermons, english. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-04 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2004-04 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an appeal to the light , or , richard baxter's account of four accused passages of a sermon on eph. 1. 3. published in hope either to procure the convincing instructions of the wise , or to humble and stop the erroneous resisters of the truth . read ioh. 3. 20 , 21. and iam. 3. london , printed for nevil simmons at the princes-arms in st. paul's church-yard , 1674. an appeal to the light , &c. in the sermon accused by some having before opened 50 blessings or priviledges of believers through christ , i named 20 counterfeit priviledges asserted by the libertines called antinomians , corrupting the gospel of jesus ! so many have since accused that sermon , ( though no one to my self ) that i think it my duty to give this repetition of those 4 points which i hear they speak against . i. i did assert that christ's righteousness ( even habitual , active and passive , exalted by his divine righteousness ) being the fulfilling of his law and covenant of mediation , hath perfectly merited the reconciliation , pardon , justification , adoption , sanctification , glory , and all the good which ever we receive , to be given us freely in his own time , and on his own terms , by his new covenant , by his spirit , and by his providence : and that we are as justly and certainly justified , pardoned and saved by and for this meritorious righteousness and sacrifice of christ , as if we had done and suffered all our selves : and that he suffered for us , and in our stead , that we might not suffer , and fulfilled all righteousness for us that were sinners : and to these proper uses we have and need no other righteousness ; and though it be not a scripture phrase , we may truly say that thus christ's righteousness is imputed to us . but christ did all this in the person of a mediator ; and not as our delegate , servant or agent ; nor full representer of our persons ; that is , his person , and the person of each sinner were not the same indeed , or in law-sense , nor did god so judge them : god did not so impute our sins to him , as to take the very sins themselves to be his own sins ; for then they would denominate him accordingly , and make him actually hateful to god as they do us , and his person would be corrupted by them : it is therefore ill language ( and strictly not true ) to say that christ was not only an ignorant , infidel , atheist , a blasphemer , a murderer , an adulterer , a lyer , but the greatest sinner in the world , and the worst person , as having the sins of all the world , or elect , made in themselves his very sins . it was only the punishment which he underwent , as a voluntary sacrifice of propitiation . and it is not true that we did our selves fulfil all righteousness , and satisfie justice , by and in christ as personating us : nor that god doth judge us to have done all this in and by him ; and so take us to be such as never sinned , as having from our birth to our death perfectly done all commanded us by another : nor are we justified by the law of innocency , as no sinners : but from that law , by the law of grace ; else we could have no need of christ's death and satisfaction , nor be capable of any pardon , nor pray for pardon , nor use any means for pardon , nor give any thanks for it , nor need a law of grace to give it us , nor a sacrament to seal it to us ; for he that is reputed never to have sinned , but to have perfectly kept the law , hath no sin to pardon , or to be washed from by the blood of christ. and this maketh all god's punishing corrections of us for sin to be none , or to be unjust ; if we are reputed such as never sinned , or such as have made perfect satisfaction by another . christ's righteousness is ours as to the effects , uses and ends , and in the time , measure and order determined by himself : but it is not ours in the same sense as it is his ; for his person and ours being not the same , ( though union make us members of his political body , not of his natural ) the same accident cannot be in two ( yea innumerable ) subjects : christ's righteousness is divine as well as humane , and so is his essence , and is infinite , and is very god : but we have no righteousness which is our essence , infinite , and is very god : we are not gods : christ's habitual righteousness is exclusive of all sin , or need of healing grace , or of a saviour : but so is not ours : christ was the very agent of those acts that are his active righteousness : but we did them not , nor doth god mistake , and think we did them : it is not well said therefore that we are as righteous as christ , and more righteous than the angels , as having all the same righteousness that christ hath , as proprietors of it self : but it is ours in and to all the fruits and effects of it , as it pleased the father and son to convey them . and lest any could not remember my words , i told you that mr. bradshaw in a little book of iustification ( in latin and english ) hath in a few lines in the preface told you in what sense christ's righteousness is and is not imputed to us , just as i mean , and to that i stand . ii. i said that we have no righteousnesses of our own , which answereth the law of innocency , or satisfyeth it : nor any which is in stead of the righteousness of christ , or any of its proper uses ; nor any which is to joyn with christs to the same uses and nearest ends ; nor must we ascribe to our own works , the least degree of that which is proper to the meritorious righteousness , or sacrifice , or grace of christ : but as christ is our king , and hath freely given his benefits , by the way and terms of a law of grace ( the baptismal covenant ) so that covenant or law must be performed by us through his grace : and we must be judged by that law : and we must have a righteousness required by that law in subordination to christ's meritorious righteousness : and by that personal righteousness , we must be justified against the contrary charge : that is , we must be justified by our faith against the charge of infidelity , and by our repentance against the charge of impenitency ; and by our love , holiness , obedience and sincerity , against the charge of final unholiness , rebellion , and being hypocrites : and the day of judgment will not be to try christ and his righteousness , but ( to honour it ) and try us and ours : and all men shall be judged according to their own works : and to be judged , is to be justified or condemned : and salvation or damnation will be adjudged us as we are found to have been personally righteous or unrighteous , in respect to the terms of the law of grace ; that is , believers or unbelievers , penitent or impenitent , holy or unholy ; and no man shall be justified or saved by this plea ; though i lived and dyed an atheist , infidel , blasphemer , impenitent , unholy , carnal , a dishonest man , a thief , a murtherer , an adulterer ; yet christ believed , repented , was holy , and just , and sober , and honest , in my stead and person . and yet salvation as to the thing it self , is the free gift of god , merited only by christ for us ; but it is a reward to our obedience , only as to the order of collation of that free gift : as a father will give a piece of gold to his child that will humbly thank him , and not to him that will despise it . iii. i said that god indeed commandeth no duty which he is not ready to help us to perform , and that he that commandeth us to believe , repent and love him , doth by effectual grace cause all his elect to believe , repent , and love him ( and sincerely to obey him , and persevere herein ) but that it is not true that his commands , and promises , and operations are of equal extent , so that he promiseth and giveth all that he commandeth , either to all , or to the elect : for unless we will say as some papists , that there are counsels which are no laws , and venial sins , which are but analogically and not properly called sins , we must believe that all men are commanded to love , trust and obey god with all their mind , and soul , and might , yea perfectly ; and that all sin is forbidden , even imperfection of holy duty , and every vain thought , and word , and deed : and he , that saith he hath no sin , is a lyer , for in many things we offend all ; and sin is a transgression of the law : and it is not meet for a godly man's mouth to say , either that no man , or no elect man ever sinneth , or that god breaketh his promise as oft as any of them sin ; which must be if he promise and give all that he commandeth , and not only help or enable men to do more than they do . all the other counterfeit priviledges i pass by , because i hear of none accused particularly but these ; and if herein i erre , i crave hereafter the charitable teaching of them that by accusing , shew that they think their knowledge of these matters is more clear ; professing my desire thankfully to learn , and to buy the truth at a dearer rate than a recantation of my error . but if i have only opened a weighty part of christ's gospel , which babes should understand , and all sober christians do or should agree in , and have only sought to keep god's doctrine , church , and servants , from such corruption as looketh too like another gospel , and if prevalently practised , would be mens utter ruine ; and also to vindicate god's servants from such scandalous errors , as some envious writers with great scorn endeavour to fasten on them ; i humbly a●monish all sober christians , that they own not those errors , and justifie not those accusers , and harden not any insulting adversaries , and ensnare not honest injudicious christians , or posterity , and to fear lest they should hainously injure that christ , and that sacred gospel , which they love : and if they will not learn of one that differs from them , that they would consider what it is that they defame , lest they take that brand upon themselves , as being of the contrary judgment , which i would have saved them from , and lest they do many souls such hurt as they cannot cure . iv. and ( on the by , perswading teachers , not hastily to engage the common hearers though godly , in such controversies as they are unfit for , and are past their reach , lest they turn their practical religion into wordy contentious sidings , and make their churches militant against themselves , and other brethten ) i did aver to them upon my long observation and experience , that so much of those difficult controversies among christians doth lye in bare ambiguous words and notions , ( or unrevealed things ) as will hardly be believed by such as have not throughly tryed it : yea , not only among protestants , but some such controversies with the papists themselves ; where i told you by distinction , that our controversies with them are of two sorts ; 1. some that a carnal interest bred and feedeth , such as their papal usurped power , and tyrannical church government , and indulgences , and their carnal way of worship , and all those doctrines ( as purgatory , and such others ) which serve the same interest and ends : and in all these our difference is great indeed , and unreconcileable unless they change : but 2. there are some points which no carnal interest , but the meer difficulty of the matter , and the weakness of man's understanding make a controversie ; such as ( i named them ) about election and reprobation , and physical predetermination , and universal redemption , the definition of man's power and free will , the way of divine operations on the soul , the nature and difference of effectual and sufficient grace ; perseverance , god's providence about the causation of sin , and other such like ) : and here i say again so much of the difference lyeth in words differently understood , as few believe : and a man well skilled in opening such wordy ambiguities , and truly stating controversies , might force many to confess that they mean the same thing , while they trouble the church by rendring each other odious for the difference . and that in the foresaid points , the papists more differ one from another , than the protestants do among themselves , or from the adverse part of them : the synode of dort ( and the english articles and doctrine ) not going near so far from the very jesuits ( or arminians or lutherans ) as the dominicans and jansenists do ; and i would have no christians think or say that they differ where they do not , nor make the worst man seem worse than he is , nor wrong any adversary , and harden them by wronging them , and that to our own hurt and dishonour . but instead of this which i thus delivered , it hath been reported abroad the city , that i said , the difference between us and the papists , was but in words ; and all the said distinction and instances left out : and i humbly now propose it to such brethren , whether this be serving the lord or his truth , or profitable to the hearers and reporters souls , or safe or honourable to themselves , and who is served and gratifyed hereby . and whether those teachers that have bought their little knowledge at as dear a rate as any of them , deserve not better justice from them , if not the charity of personal conviction or instruction , instead of all this behind our backs , when we cannot right our selves , or save the hearers ; and whether such requital for our labours will be their peace at last , or their honour to posterity . though to me it must be a small thing to be judged of man , being going to the judgment of the lord ; and small to be denyed the praise of man , which is the hypocrites poor reward . and i doubt not but that which the erroneous accuse , will be profitable to impartial teachable persons ; and as errors have in all ages been shorter lived than truth , so the age that followeth may entertain that , which prejudiced mistaught persons at present do resist . and it is sound doctrine that must make sound christians , and sound churches : which must not by any faithful minister be betrayed ; especially not for fear of displeasing them , who would hate their errors if they did but know them ; and who expect that we should flatter neither princes nor prelates , were we to preach to them , who yet can offer us far greater temptations , than these offended persons , from whom we crave and expect no more , but entertainment of gods truth as far as we prove it , or at least to stay while they impartially consider it , and not fearlesly to speak evil of that which they never understood . but if with some mis-led hearers , so much wisdom and conscience is not to be hoped for , i am perswaded that in england , few ministers of christ will prove so weak as to propagate or approve such errors . postscript . i must here also tell the world that there are divers sheets published and cryed about as mine ; with my name prefixed ; ( as one called [ mr. baxter's directions for family duties ; another of sentences about conversion , ] and more such , which are none of mine ▪ but are falsly so pretended to my wrong : some said to be printed by iohn conniers in southwark , and some by others . finis . mr. baxter's vindication of the church of england in her rites and ceremonies, discipline, and church-orders as faithfully taken out of his own writings, without either false citation, or fraudulent alteration : to which is prefixed his epistle to the non-conformists, being a just and true abstract of his book entituled, a defence of the principles of love. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 56 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 22 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27066 wing b1449 estc r1229 12885390 ocm 12885390 95019 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27066) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 95019) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 909:4) mr. baxter's vindication of the church of england in her rites and ceremonies, discipline, and church-orders as faithfully taken out of his own writings, without either false citation, or fraudulent alteration : to which is prefixed his epistle to the non-conformists, being a just and true abstract of his book entituled, a defence of the principles of love. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [6], 37 p. printed for walter kettilby ..., london : 1682. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng baxter, richard, 1615-1691. -defence of the principles of love. church of england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-11 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-08 taryn hakala sampled and proofread 2006-08 taryn hakala text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mr. baxter's vindication of the church of england in her rites and ceremonies , discipline , and church-orders . as faithfully taken out of his own writings , without either false citation , or fraudulent alteration . to which is prefixed : his epistle to the non-conformists : being a just and true abstract of his book , entituled , a defence of the principles of love. schismaticks are they who unwarrantably separate from those churches in which they ought to abide , that they may gather new congregations after their mind . mr. baxter ' s reasons of the christian religion , p. 472. no christian must pretend holiness against vnity and peace , and every tender conscience should be as tender of church-division and real schisms , as of drunkenness , whoredom , or such other enormous sins . mr. baxter ' s reasons of the christian religion , p. 485. london . printed for walter kettilby at the bishops-head in st. pauls church-yard . 1682. to the reader . it being evidently apparent , as in most other cases , so in our church-divisions , that a resolved prostration to the authority , and a confident adhaesion to the opinion of reputed-good men , doth commonly seduce the populace , first into prejudice , then into parties , and so to a tenacious obstinacy in errour . hereupon one probable way of rescue and remedy is , to propose to the wandring people the documents of one whose authority is great among them ; therefore have i thought on the oracle mr. baxter , who in this book ( his defence of the principles of love ) is not more antesignanus than eirenarches , prescribing very well for peace and church-union , as the ensuing treatise , especially the epistle , shews . and to anticipate that prejudice and mistakes which a thing of this nature is very liable to , let no man think it my design to accuse mr. baxter of self-contradiction , inconsistency , &c. but that it is meerly for the conviction of those whom that learned author calls honest erroneous christians : and to let the world see that mr. b. and other non-conformist ministers , do not believe that intrinsick evil and sinfulness to be in conformity , which their unwary followers are induced , or rather seduced to believe ; and that there is more extrinsick danger and heinous sinfulness in their separation , than his honest erroneous christians do imagine , that the difference between conformists and non-conformists is very small , and ( as mr. baxter tells mr. bagshaw in his defence ) that non-conformists do injure conformists and make the case ( of conformity ) more odious than it is . and to obviate objections , let it be noted , 2. that if here be found any small alteration in words , it is meerly for the sake of brevity and ease in reading , and no other than what doth fairly consist with , and not at all , pervert the sense and meaning of the first author . and since the renouncing of the covenant , ( which non-conformists call the great mountain in the way ) is now removed , if the more peaceable non-conformists have a mind to come into the conforming churches , here is that in this small treatise will help a little to justifie and encourage their practice in so doing . what acceptance this poor thing will have , i am ignorant , but not sollicitous , since the testimony of my conscience is , that it is in vindication of truth , and defence of a good cause ; nor would i fear the success much more than i do the acceptance , would the honest erroneous christian read it , with as little partiality and prejudice , as he would if coming from the first authors hand . mr. baxter's epistle to the non-conformists , being a just and true abstract of his defence of the principles of love. brethren , it grieves me to the heart that neither party , conformable or non-conformable , is more sensible of the sin and danger of our distance ( though i know that in both parties there are many wise and holy persons , who , i suppose , lament it more than i do . ) it layeth my soul in daily lamentations to see how we run further from each other , to the apparent danger of the protestant cause , and of the kingdoms welfare , and of all the hopes of our posterity . our narrow judgment draws many to think that it is the interest of religion now in england to have the parish-churches brought low in reputation , and deserted , and god's publick worship which they would have all religious people use , to be onely that of tolerated , or more private churches , by which they little know what they wish against the interest of the christian and protestant religion in this land , and what hurt they would do , if in this they had their wills . the interest of the christian protestant religion must be kept up , by keeping up as much truth , piety , and reputation , as may be , in the parish-churches . i am very glad that the pious lectures of mr. hildersham , mr. rogers , and such other old non-conformists , are in so good esteem among good people , where they will read them urgeing the people , not onely against separation , but to come to the very beginning of the publick worship , and preferring it before their private duties . and i need not tell those that have read the writings of the good old non-conformists , ames , parker , bains , fox , dearing , greenham , &c. that these did some of them read the common prayer , and most of them judged it lawful to join in it , or else mr. hildersham , rogers , &c. would not write so earnestly to men to come to the beginning , and prefer it before all private duties . when i think what learned , holy , incomparable men , abundance of the old conformists were , my heart riseth against the thoughts of separating from them ; if i had come to their churches when they read the common-prayer and administred the sacrament , could i have departed and said , it is not lawful for a christian here to communicate with you . what! such men as mr. bolton , mr. whateley , mr. fenner , mr. crook , mr. dent , mr. dike , mr. stock , mr. smith , dr. preston , dr. sibbs , dr. taylor , and abundance other such ; yea , such as bishop jewell , bishop grindall bishop hall , bishop potter , bishop davenant , bishop carleton , &c. yea , and the martyrs too , as cranmer , ridley , hooper , farrar , bradford , philpot , sanders , &c. i think not my self worthy to be compared with mr. bolton , whateley , fenner , preston , sibbs , white , field , usher , jewell , and abundance other old conformists ; and you might forgive me , if i tell you again , that if they were all alive , and used now the same liturgy and ceremonies as they did then , i could not find in my heart to think their communion in prayer and sacrament unlawful , nor to censure that man as injurious to the church , who should write to persuade others not to separate from them on that supposition , i am sure the assembly of divines that sate heretofore at westminster , were so conformable when they went thither , that i never heard of five non-conformists among them , except the five dissenting brethren ; their judgment was ( as mr. sprints ) that conformity was lawful in case of necessity , rather than to be deprived of liberty to preach the gospel . and as for the present conformists , i know those of them , whom i think as godly and humble ministers [ n.b. ] as most of the non-conformists , whom i know — and as my acquaintance increaseth i know more and more ; — and i tell you again , that i believe there are many hundred godly ministers in the parish churches of england , and that their churches are true churches . and for my part i forbore communion with the parish churches in the sacrament a long time , yet at last i saw that the reasons seemed to me to cease , and i durst not go against my conscience , for i knew not what . but o that you would yet consider how much defect of love and patience there is in you as well as others , how easily can we aggravate the faults of others , and how hardly can we aggravate or see our own ! the defects of the liturgy , and the faults of those by whom we suffer , are easily heightned even beyond desert , but when many of us vend untruths and slanders against our brethren about the land , who aggravates this , or repents of it ? but above all i entreat the dividing brethren , if they can so long lay by their partiality , to judge by this of the reasons of their separation from those churches private or parochial , that they differ from in tolerable things . you think it a sin to communicate in a church where the liturgy is used , and where discipline is not so strictly exercised against some offenders , as you and i desire . but publick multiplied untruths in mens mouths , do never make you scruple their communion . i intreat you do but study an answer to one that would separate from you all upon such grounds as these . first for the sin , consider of these texts , exod. 23.1 . thou shalt not raise a false report , &c. eph. 4.31 . let evil speaking be put away from you . j●mes 4.11 . speak not evil one of another , &c. tit. 3.1 , 2. prov. 25.23 . pet. 1.2 , 1. &c. have you more or plainer texts of scripture against the common-prayer than these are against slandering , &c. now suppose one should say that a people of such sin as this , should not be communicated with , what answer will you give to this , which will not confute your own objections against communion with many parish-churches in this land. god hates every disorder in extemporate prayer , and yet he more hates that censoriousness and curiosity which would draw men to forsake the substantials of worship or christian love and communion on that pretence . if christians should plead gods jealousie about his worship , as censoriously against their own prayers , as they do against other mens , and churches in this case , they would turn prayer into the fuel of despair and torment . if paul thought his galatians foolish and bewitched , and his corinthian-christians to be babes , yea carnal , and not spiritual , because there were among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , envyings , strife , and divisions , or as the words signifie , zeal , or aemulation , strife and separation , factions and dividings in several parties ; while one saith i am of paul , another i am of apollo , what wonder if we are no better now . i will not pretend conscience for the defiling of my conscience , and the forsaking the sacred life of love . do not you your selves condemn a carnal state ? remember then that they are carnal , who are contentious dividers in the churches : 1 cor ▪ 1 , 2 , 3. you will join with me in disallowing a fleshly life ; remember then that the works of the flesh are these , as adultery , fornication , &c. so also hatred ( or enmities ) variance , emulations , wrath , strife , seditions , ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dividing into parties ) &c. i know you will confess , that if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his , rom. 8.9 . remember then that the spirit of christ is the spirit of love , that the fruit of the spirit is love , joy , peace , long-suffering , gentleness , &c. gal. 5.20 . old mr. wilson pastor of boston , being desired by the elders of the churches , assembled at his house , that ( on his dying-bed ) he would declare solemnly to them , what he conceived to be those sins which provoked the displeasure of god against the countrey , told them , that he had long feared these sins following , as chief among others , which god was greatly provoked by , 1. separation , 2. anabaptistry , 3. koraism , when people rise up , as korah , against their ministers and elders , as if they took too much upon them , when indeed they do but rule for christ , and according to christ : and so for the magistrates being gallio-like , not caring for these things , or not using their power and authority for the maintenance of the truth , and gospel , and ordinances , &c. alas ( dear brother ) that after so many years silencing and affliction , after flames and plagues , and dreadful judgments , after twenty years practice of the sin it self , and when we are buried in the very ruines which it caused , we should not yet know that our own uncharitable divisions , alienations , and separations , are a crying sin , yea the crying as well as the uncharitableness and hurtfulness of others . alas , will god leave us , even us also to the obdurateness of pharaoh ? is there not crying sin with us ? what have we done to christs kingdom , to this kingdom , to our friends , to our selves , and ( alas ) to our enemies , by our divisions ? and do we not feel it , do we not know it ? wo to us ! into what hard-heartedness have we sinned our selves ? irenaeus , epiphanius , augustine , theodoret , beside the rest , do sadly tell us in their catalogues and controversies , how lamentably these dividers then hindered the gospel , and distressed and dishonoured the church : and the sad stories of holland , munster , and others in germany , poland , and especially these twenty years past in england , do bring all closer to our sense . the dissolution of the separated churches of the english in the low-countries , by their own divisions , is a thing too well known to be concealed . brethren — i know that our division gratifieth the papists , and greatly hazardeth the protestant religion , and that more than the most of you seem to believe or regard . i know that our division advantageth profaneness , and greatly hinders the success on both sides , i know that it greatly pleaseth satan , and buildeth up his kingdom , and weakeneth the kingdom of our lord ; his own mouth hath told us so . i foresaw , that while we worried and weakened one another , papists were like to be the principal gainers : and they would be ready to offer their service to strengthen one of the parties against the other , and would be glad to take up the reproaches against the most religious people , that were by angry adversaries brought unto their hands . and that when we had made our selves the common scorn by our manifold divisions , and by our biting and devouring one another , they would plead this as their shame , to draw people to themselves , as the onely stable and , consistent church ; and would make us giddy , that we may rest on them , as our supporters , and when they saw us weak , would , be ready to devour us all . three ways especially will popery grow out of our divisions : 1. by the odium and scorn of our disagreements , inconsistency and multiplied sects ; they will persuade people , that we must either come for unity to them , or else all run mad , and crumble into dust and individuals . thousands have been drawn into popery and confirmed in it already by this argument , and i am persuaded that all the arguments in bellarmine , and all other books that ever were written , have not done so much to make papists in england , as the multitude of sects among us : yea some professors of religious strictness , of great esteem for godliness , have turned papists themselves when they were giddy and weary with turnings , and when they had run from sect to sect and found no consistency in any : and , 2. who knows not how fair a game the papists have to play by the means of our divisions . methinks i hear them hissing on each party , and saying to one side , lay more upon them , and bate them nothing , and to the other , stand it out , and yield to nothing . and who is so blind then , as not to see their double game and hopes ( viz. ) that either our divisions and alterations will carry men to such distances and practices , as shall make us accounted seditious , rebellious , and dangerous to the publick peace ; and so they ( i.e. papists ) pass for better subjects than we ; or else that when so many parties under sufferings are constrained to beg for liberty , the papists may not be shut out alone , but have toleration with the rest . and shall they use our hands to do their work ? we have already unspeakably served them in this . and 3. it is not the least of our danger , ( nor which doth least affect me ) lest by our follies , extremities , and rigours , we should so exasperate the common people , as to make them readier to join with the papists than with us , in case of any competitions , or their invasions , or insurrections against the king and kingdoms peace . — let us do nothing by unlawful alienations and singularities , or fierce and disobedient oppositions , which tend to make the people think better of papists than of us . in the year 1634. mr. roger williams assistant to mr. ralph smith pastor of plimouth , removed from thence to salem , where in one years time he filled the place with principles of rigid separation , and tending to anabaptistry . the prudent magistrates of the massachusets jurisdiction , sent to the church of salem , desiring them to forbear calling him to office ; which they not hearkening to , he proceeded more vigorously to vent many dangerous opipinions , as , that the magistrate had nothing to do in matters of the first table , but onely the second , and that there should be a general and unlimited toleration of all religions ; and for any man to be punished for any matters of his conscience , was persecution : that if the church of salem would not separate , not onely from the churches of england , but of new-england too , he would separate from them . the more prudent part of the church being amazed at his way , would not yield to him ; whereupon he never came to the church-assembly more , professing separation from them as antichristian . divers of the weaker sort of church-members did by degrees fall off to him , insomuch that he kept a meeting in his own house , unto which a numerous company did resort , — whereupon he was banished the massachusets colonie , and came to a place called providence , was followed by many of the church of salem , who zealously adhered to him , and cried out of the persecution that was against them ; others resorted to them from other places . they had not been there long , but from rigid separation , they fell to anabaptistry , [ n.b. ] renouncing their baptism received in infancy , and taking up another baptism , and so began a church in that way . but mr. williams stopt not there long , for after some time he told the people that followed him , that he was out of the way himself , and had misled them ; for he did not find that there were any upon earth that could administer baptism , and therefore their last baptism was a nullity as well as their first ; and therefore they must lay down all , and look for the coming of new apostles ; and so they dissolved themselves & and turned seekers . to which i add , that this man was one of the greatest instruments , after all this , of sublimating the english separation to the same heighth , and gratifying the papists by raising up the sect of seekers . and sad , sad indeed was the case of the barmuda's , when in so disciplined a plantation , one minister turned away the greater part from church-communion , till they became aliens — and the rest whom he gathered as the onely worthy persons , so many turned quakers , seekers , and such like . the case of three or four churches in new-england grieves my heart , but the case of the summer-islands , as related to me by mr. vaughan , a worthy minister , lately discouraged and come from thence , would make a christian heart to bleed , to hear how strict , and regular , and hopeful that plantation once was , and how one godly minister by separation , selecting a few to be his church , and rejecting all the rest from the sacrament , the rejected party are grown to doleful estrangedness in religion , and the selected party much turned quakers , and between both , how wofull are the fruits ! but the case of england , scotland , and ireland ( which i foretold in my book of infant-baptism ) is yet a more lamentable proof , what separation hath done against religion , so full a proof , that it is my wonder that any good man can overlook it . yea , before our eyes , the most pernicious heresies , even that of quakers , are still not onely continued , but increased ; and we see men that to day condemn communion with the parish-churches , and then with the presbyterians , do shortly fly from communion with the independents too — . it 's commonly known how many of late have turned quakers , and shall we stand by and see such work and neither lament their sins that drive men to this , nor warn them of the passions and principles that lead to it . separation will ruine the separated churches themselves at last , it will admit of no consistency ; parties will rise in the separated churches , and separate again from them , till they are dissolved . i beseech my dear brethren that are otherwise minded , to open their eyes so far as to regard experience . i am not able to bear the thoughts of separating from almost all christs churches upon earth ; but he that separateth from one , or many upon a reason common to almost all , doth virtually separate from almost all ▪ and he that separateth from all among us upon the account of the unlawfulness of our liturgy , and the badness of all our ministry , doth separate from them upon a reason common to almost all , or the far greatest part ( as i conceive ▪ ) . therefore pray we ; mr. baxters prayer . o that the god of love would pity and undeceive the selfish and passionate sort of professed christians , and teach them to know what manner of spirits they are of ! o that he would rebuke the evil spirits that are gone forth ; the spirit of covetousness and pride ; the spirit of hypocrisie and religious imagery , of self-conceitedness , of malice and wrath , of back-bitings and false-accusing , before that both christianity and humanity be turned into devillism , and before earth be more conformable to hell ! o that the spirit of light would make us of one mind , and the spirit of love would mortifie both mens malignant and religious passions , contentiousness and malice , and cause us to love our neighbours as our selves ! that as the envious and striving wisdom from beneath hath caused confusion , and every evil work ; so the wisdom from above , which is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , and easie to be intreated , might bring forth mercy and good fruits , without partiality or hypocrisie , that we might edifie the body of christ in love , eph. 4.16 . and frustrate the hopes of the enemies of our peace , who wait for our total dissolution , and triumph already in our divisions , ( when it is their own mill which grindeth us to powder ) but god can make their oven to bake us into a more christian and salubrious consistency , ( that i may use ignatius's allegory ) but it must be first by fermenting us with unfeigned love , and then we shall be lovely in his sight , and the god of love and peace will be with us . amen . mr. baxter's vindication of the church of england in her rites , and ceremonies , discipline , and church-orders . 1. standing up at the creed and the antiphones . mr. baxter's scripture-proof of infant-church-membership . part. ii. cap. 6. p. 121. i humbly propound ( meaning to the assembly of divines ) that the custom of standing up at the creed , may be reduced to its primitive nature and vigour [ i.e. as 't is now in use in the church of england ; it being then quite out of use . ) and in the next page he reckons this among one of those five plain duties , which he says must not be wiped out , lest the directory be found more defective than the common-prayer-book . in his sacrilegious desertion of the ministry rebuked , ] he says , that the conformists in standing up at the antiphones , ( viz. gloria patri , te deum , jubilate , &c. ) do better than the non-conformists in not standing up . 2. episcopal confirmation . scripture-proof of infant-church-membership , part. ii. cap. 6. p. 120. i humbly propound ( says mr. baxter ) that the ancient practice of confirmation may be reduced to its primitive nature ( i.e. as 't is now used in the church of england ) as plainly appears by his calling it ( in the same page ) the old order of confirmation by bishops : for this he cites calvin as earnestly desiring it , instit . l. 4. cap. 19. in the 122. page , he intimates confirmation also to be one of those plain duties not to be wiped out , lest the directory be found more defective than the common ▪ prayer-book , and left the world be made believe that 't is such things ( i.e. such plain duties ) as these that we find fault with . he adds , that since there are so many learned and judicious opposers , ( meaning the episcopal divines ) observing the alterations , therefore ( says he ) 't is but modest and rational to desire , either the establishment of the fore-mentioned particulars , viz. confirmation , standing up at the creed , &c. or the publication of satisfactory reasons against them . and in his political apherisms , thes . 236. let ministers ( says he ) be restrained by law , from admitting the uncatechised and unconfirmed to communion , ( intimating very well , that he would have them looked upon as excommunicate persons that refuse to be chatechised and confirmed : ) to which he prefixeth , that if magistrates force not the grosly ignorant to hear and learn , and submit to chatechising , and such means of instruction , till they are confirmed , their baptism will but let in corruption and confusion into the churches . he hath in his treatise of confirmation , p. 206 , 307 , 208. & alibi , soundly asserted the cause of conformity in this point , which his deluded followers do so profanely and scornfully , not onely neglect , but contemn and deride . nor can i find that ever mr. baxter found much fault with the manner of its administration , as now in the church of england . if he would have every parish-minister invested with the power of confirming , 't is no more than what the canons of the church allow , if the bishop think fit , ( the bishop or suffragan , says the 60. canon . ) every parish-minister may be made a suffragan , if the bishop so please . 3. church-musick by organs , or such like instruments . in his christian directory , ecclesiastical cases . q. 86. mr. baxter renders these five reasons for the use and lawfulness thereof . 1. god set it up long after moses's ceremonial law , by david , solomon , &c. 2. it is not meerly an instituted ceremony , but a natural help to the minds alacrity ; and 't is a duty , and not a sin to use the helps of nature and lawful art : as it is lawful ( says he ) to use spectacles in reading the bible , so it is to use musick ( speaking of church-musick ) to exhilarate the soul. 3. jesus christ joined with the jews that used it . 4. no scripture forbids it , therefore it is not unlawful . 5. nothing can be against it , that i know of , but what may be said against tunes and melody ; for whereas they say , 't is humane invention , so are our tunes ( metre and version : ) nay , it is not a humane invention , as the last psalm , and many others shew , which call us to praise the lord with instruments of musick . the last book he hath printed ( that i know of ) viz. poetical fragments hath in its preface more to the same purpose . 4. godfathers and godmothers . infant-church-membership , p. preliminary to the epistle . mr. baxter there tells us , that the currant consent of historians assures us of the use of godfathers and godmothers at the baptizing of infants in hyginus's time , who lived ( as he alledgeth from nicephorus , paraeus , prideaux , and others ) within about 40 years of s. john the apostle , and conversed with the disciples and familiars of the apostles , and therefore ( says he ) could not be ignorant of the practice of the apostles in baptizing infants . thus hath he well proved the use of godfathers and godmothers , in all probability to be apostolical , at least , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and beyond all reach of scruple , to be of greatest antiquity in the church , viz. forty years within the apostles times . * 5. the antiphones , or the peoples bearing a part with the minister in divine service . christian direct . cases ecclesiast . q. 83. 1. says mr. baxter , the scripture no where forbids this . 2. if the people may do this in the psalms in metre , there can be no reason given , but they may lawfully do it in prose . 3. the primitive christians , ( says he ) were so full of the zeal and love of christ , that they would have taken it for an injury , or quenching of the spirit , to have been wholly restrained from bearing a part in the praises of the church . 4. the use of the tongue keeps awake the mind , and stirs up god's graces in his servants . 5. it was the decay of zeal in the people that first shut out responses : while they kept up the ancient zeal , they were inclined to take their part vocally in the worship . thus mr. baxter , with more to the same purpose in the place above cited . 6. bowing at the name of jesus . christian directory cases ecclesiastical . q. 86. that we may lawfully express our reverence by bowing when the names [ god , jehovah , jesus , &c. ] are uttered , i have met with few christians that deny , nor know i any reason to deny it ; 't is true , he speaks of it as equally lawful in it self to bow to the name jehovah , god , &c. as well as jesus , but nothing at all against the lawfulness of bowing at the name of jesus . 7. it is certain from god's word , that the child so baptized , dying before it commit actual sin , is undoubtedly saved . mr. baxter in his plea for peace makes angry exception against this in the rubrick after baptism , as one one of those things which it is sinful to assent to ; though whoever reads his scripture-proof of infants church-membership , will find it none of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that children ( indefinitely , and in materia necessaria , as will appear by and by ) are holy by stated separation to god ; and that all children of believers , ( whether sincere or hypocrites , if they are believers professedly ) are undoubtedly saved , and we baptize the children of no others than of believers , professedly at least . for this see in his scripture-proof of infants church-membership : his animadversions on mr. bedford's tratise of baptismal regeneration . p. 315. speaking of baptism , he hath these words ; for the pardon of original sin , and other relative grace , i affirm that we are to judge it probably given to the child of every believer , and if any will say , it is certainly given to every such child , even the non-elect , i will not gainsay him . these are his words ipsissime , which fully and plainly import that the children of non-elect believers , ( i.e. believers in profession onely , ) do by baptism receive remission of original sin , and other relative grace ; whether it be on the account of the faith of the church in which he is baptized , or of the bare profession of the parents faith , is excentrick to my business to dispute . to proceed ; in the same page last cited , saith mr. baxter , god hath clearly made the parents faith the condition of infants pardon and salvation . what faith , and what parents ? why , professedly-believing parents , and the bare profession of faith. for which see his infant church-membership , part. 1. cap. 29. p. 94. profession ( says he ) is a probable sign , and a professor is probably a true believer ; and whether he be so or no , we are bound to admit him among believers ; and p. 92. it is sufficient that the parent be virtually and dispositively a believer , ( in contradistinction to his being actually such , ) and in his letter to mr. cranford , is it not a large comfort to parents ( says he ) that god doth pardon infants their original sin , and put them in statum salutis ; but what i first quoted of him , is instar omnium , viz. that the children even of the non-elect , have pardon of sin , and other relative grace by baptism . 8. kneeling at the sacrament . christian directory , cases ecclesiastical . 98. had i my choice , says mr. baxter , i would receive the lords supper sitting , but where i have not my choice , i will use the gesture which the church useth . there speaks an oracle ; good reader , mark him ; what could be said more orthodox and honest ? and because he speaks so home in this one place , i 'le forbear citing those in his cure of church-divisions ; and in his reasons of the christian religion , where in the one place he calls kneeling an inoffensive harmless ceremony ; in the other , he teacheth that vesture , gesture , time , place , &c. are all at the determination of the lawful magistrate . 9. episcopacy is apostolical , and of divine institution . christian directory , cases ecclesiastical . q. 56. p. 127. having proved the particular orders of presbyters and deacons , he gives his reasons for a larger episcopacy , as the margin shews ; besides this , says he , in the apostles days there were under christ in the universal church many general officers , that had the care of governing and overseeing churches up and down , and were fixed by stated relation , to none . such were the apostles , evangelists , and many of their helpers in their days . and most christian churches think , that though the apostolical , extraordinary gifts , priviledges , and offices cease , yet government being an ordinary part of their work , the same forms of government which christ and the holy ghost did settle in the first age , were setled for all following ages , though not with the same extraordinary gifts and adjuncts . because 1. we read of the setling of that form , viz. general officers as well as particular , but we never read of any abolition , discharge , or cessation of the institution . 2. if we affirm a cessation without proof , we seem to accuse god of mutability , as setling one form of government for one age onely , and no longer . 3. we leave room for audacious wits to question other gospel-institutions , as pastors , sacraments , &c. and to say , that they were but for an age onely . 4. it was general officers that christ promised to be with to the end of the world , matth. 28.20 . now , says he , this will hold good , or not ; if not , then this general ministry is to be numbred among humane additions , to be next treated of . if it do , then there is * another part of the form of government ( i.e. distinct from that of presbyters and deacons ) proved to be of divine institution . i say not another church , but another part of the government of both churches universal and particular , because such general officers are so in the universal , as to have a general oversight of the particular . as an army headed onely by the general himself , and a regiment by the colonel , and a troop by the captain ; but the general officers of the army , as the lieutenants general , and majors general , &c. are under the lord general , in and over the army , and have a general oversight over the particular bodies , ( regiments and troops . ) now if this be the instituted form of christ's church-government , that he himself rule absolutely as general , and that he have some general officers under him , ( not any one having the charge of the whole , but in the whole unfixedly , or as they voluntarily part their provinces ) and that each particular church have their own proper pastor , one or more ; then who can say that no form of church-government is of divine appointment or command . thus mr. baxter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , solidly proving the divine institution of diocesan episcopacy , and sufficiently confuting all that he hath so passionately wrote against the order of bishops , and the constitution of national churches . 10. the oath of priests and deacons for canonical obedience to their diocesan . christian directory , cases ecclesiastical . q. 122. the old non-conformists , says he , who thought the english prelacy an unlawful office , yet maintained that it is lawful to take the oath of canonical obedience , because they thought it was imposed by the king and laws ; and that we swore to them not as officers , claiming a divine right in the spiritual government , but as ordinaries or officers made by the king , to exercise so much ecclesiastical jurisdiction under him , as he can delegate . — and if prelacy were proved never so unlawful , no doubt but by the kings command we may swear , or perform formal obedience to a prelate , as he is the king's officer . thus mr. baxter ; though in plea this is in the enumeration of those things which he says it is sinful to conform to . and here note that this concession of mr. baxter speaks it lawful to swear obedience , not onely to the bishop , but also to the chancellor , to the bispops officials , &c. because they are the kings officers : though the oath of canonical obedience requires no such thing , but to the bishop onely and his chief ministers . 11. the surplice . his five disputations , p. 409. some decent habit is necessary , the magistrate , ministers , or associated pastors must determine what , — if they tie all to one habit ( and suppose it were an indecent habit ) yet this is but an imprudent use of power , it is a thing within the magistrates reach , he doth not an alien , but his own work amiss : and therefore the thing in it self being lawful , i would obey him , and use that garment , if i could not be dispensed with ; yea though secondarily the whiteness be to signifie purity , and so be made a teaching sign , yet would i obey . 12. the cross at baptism . christian directory , cases ecclesiastical , q. 113. mr. baxter doth there allow of the sign of the cross to be used out of baptism , before a heathen , which shews that he doth not believe the use of the cross to be simply and of it self unlawful . that which non-conformists urge for the unlawfulness of it , is its being forbidden in the second commandment , as a transient image , and its being made a sacrament of the covenant of grace ; whereas if it were either of these , it would be so at other times as well as after baptism ; for the time or place wherein it is used , cannot alter the nature of the thing . so that from mr. baxter's own concession may be reasonably inferred the lawfulness of its use ; but in his 123. p. he is more positive . quest . may one offer his child to be baptized with the sign of the cross , or the use of chrism , the white garment , & c. ? ans . when he cannot lawfully have better , he may and must offer his child to them that will so baptize him , rather than to do worse , or not at all ; because baptism is god's ordinance and the childs priviledge , and the sin the ministers and not his . mr. baxter hath a frequent distinction of conformity into an old and new. by the old conformity he means those points of conformity which were in being , and were taken for conformity-points , before the last act for vniformity was made , and were there no more required now than conformity to those points , he says , many of the nonconformists would conform . the new conformity , which he seems to say most stick at , is differenced from the old in the accession of these two points in chief , reordination and renouncing the covenant , of both which mr. baxter hath sufficiently asserted the lawfulness . 13. reordination . christian directory , cases ecclesiastical . q. 21. mr. baxter there grants , that the outward part of ordination may be repeated : which i take to be a full and plain concession of the whole , for in reordination there is nothing repeated but the outward part , or ceremony of investiture . 14. renouncing the covenant . plea for peace . p. 213. it is not in the subjects power , by vows to withdraw themselves from obedience to authority . directory , sect. 43. a vow is as null , says mr. baxter , when the matter is morally or civilly out of our power ; as if a child or servant vow a thing which he cannot do lawfully without the consent of parent or master , though the thing it self be lawful : for god having bound me to obey my superiours in all lawful things , i cannot oblige my self by my own vows . sect. 79. of his directory . 15. the defects and faults of the liturgy . when mr. baxter in his plea for peace excepts against the whole liturgy , all the common-prayer-book-forms in gross , as faulty and defective : in the same place he confesseth the faults to be no other , than what with them the forms of prayers may be used by a godly man either in obedience to authority or for unity , or when better cannot be had . 16. the errour of demanding a scripture-text , or rule , for ceremonies and circumstances of gods worship . mr. baxters defence of the principles of love , part 1. p. 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102. there are men otherwise very honest , and truly godly , who think that the scripture is intended by god , not onely as a general , but a particular law , or rule , for all the very circumstances of worship ; and that the second commandment in particular , condemns all that is the invention of men , in or about the worship of god ; and that to deny this , is to deny the perfection of scripture — i hope the number is but small that are of this opinion . we are obliged to take heed of countenancing this errour — for if it prevail , what abundance of hurt will it do ? 1. — 2. it draweth men into the dangerous guilt of adding to the word of god , under pretence of strict expounding it , and defending its perfection and extent . 3. — 4. it altereth the very definition of the the holy scripture , and maketh it another thing . that which god made to be the record of his holy covenant , and the law and rule of faith and holiness , and the general law for outward modes and circumstances , which are but accidents of worship , is pretended by men to be a particular law , for that which it never particularly medleth with . 5. if sorely prepares men for infidelity , and to deny the divine authority of the scripture , and utterly to undo all , by over-doing . if satan could but once make men believe , that the scripture is a rule for those things which are not to be found in it , and which god never made it to be a rule for . he will next argue against it , as a delusory and imperfect thing — he that believes it to be given as such a particular rule , and then finds that it is silent , or utterly insufficient to that use , is like next to cast it away as a delusion , and turn an infidel , or antiscripturist . 6. this mistake tends to cast all rational worship out of the church and the world. 7. this opinion will bring in all confusion , instead of pure reasonable worship , while every man is left to find that in scripture , which never was there , and that , as the onely rule of his actions , one will think that he finds one thing there , and another another thing , for it must be reality and verity which must be the term of unity , men cannot agree in that which is not . 8. it will let in impiety and errour , for when men are sent to seek and find that which is not there , every man will think that he findeth that which his own corrupted mind brings thither . 9. and hereby all possibility of union among christians and churches must perish , till this errour perish ; for if we must unite onely in that which is not in being , we must not unite at all . 10. hereby is laid a snare to tempt men into odious censures of each other ; ( of which see my author excellently at large . ) 11. hereby christian love will be quenched , when every man must account his brother an idolater , that cannot shew a scripture for the hour , the place of worship , &c. 12. and hereby back-biting , slandering , and railing must go currant as no sin , while every calvin , cartwright , hildersham , perkins , sibbs , &c. that used a form of prayer , yea , all the christians in the world must be accused of idolatry , as if it were a true and righteous charge : and 13. all our sins will be fathered on god , as if the second commandment , and the scripture-perfection required all this , and taught children to disobey their parents and masters , and say your prayers and catechisms are images and idols , &c. 14. it will rack and perplex the consciences of all christians , when i must take my self for an idolater , till i can find a particular law in scripture for every tune , metre , translation , method , vesture , gesture , &c. that i use in the worshipping of god ; when conscience must build onely in the air , and rest only on a word which never was . 15. it will have a confounding influence into all the affairs and business of our lives . lastly , it will fright poor people from scripture and religion , and make us , our doctrine and worship ridiculous in the sight of all the world. these are the consequences ( which mr. baxter shews very well at large ) of that impracticable and erroneous doctrine of demanding a particular text of scripture for the ceremonies and circumstances of gods worship . 17. the church of england not guilty of any kind of false-worship . defence of the principles of love. part 2. p. 3 , 4. mr. baxter having recited the seven several kinds of false worship , acquits the church of england from all , and proves at large ( in the pages here cited ) that it is not guilty of false worship in any kind or any acceptation whatsoever , any more than mr. bagshaw ( whom he there speaks particularly to ) or the rest of the non-conformists are in their extemporate prayers . 18. a general vindication of the liturgy and ceremonies . defence of the principles of love. part 1.90 , 91. to do it ( i.e. to use , as he calls it , an unreformed liturgy ) out of choice , is one thing ; to do it as a duty put upon us by gods providence and our governours , when we can do no better , is another thing : it is god that hath pulled down our liberty and opportunity to serve him better , and we must obey him . it is no faulty mutability to change our practice , when god by changing our condition doth change our duty ; no more than it was in augustine , who professeth that he would worship god , as to forms and ceremonies , according as the church did with which he joined , where-ever he came . 19. the soundness of the doctrine of the church of england . defence of the principles of love. part 2. p. 3. the doctrine of the church of england is so sound , that the independents and presbyterians have still offered to subscribe to it , in the 39. articles . thus hath mr. baxter copiously vindicated the church of england in almost every point of conformity which is any thing material ; which shews that non-conformists themselves do not really believe what they have suggested to , and imposed upon the belief of their followers concerning the sinfulness of conformity . and that what they except against in conformity , is not upon the account of its sinfulness , but inexpediency onely ; which neither the law of god , nature nor nations did ever allow the people to be judges of , but the rulers onely : and therefore ought in point of christianity and right religion , to be submitted to , for the sake of those great christian duties , peace , unity and obedience to magistrates ; for the conviction of our religious enemies , for the good and prosperity of the church , for the safety , honour , and welfare of the king and three kingdoms , for the credit of christianity , and for the glory of god , to whom be glory for ever and ever . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a27066-e400 pag. 18. part 1. pag. 49. par. 1. pag. 36. part. 1. pag. 56. the publick to be preferred before the private : and come to the beginning of common-prayer . part. 2. p. 176. common-prayer preferred before all private duties . part . 1. p. 97. the heinousness of separation , in consideration of those excellent persons that they separated from 1. the old conformists ▪ 2. the present conformists . part. 1. p. 12.13 . part. 1. p. 10 , 11 , 12. part. 1. p. 40. mr. baxter dares not go against his conscience in not taking the sacrament at his parish church . part. 1. p. 16 , 68 , 69. the separatists that are so scrupulous about church communion , make no conscience of greater sins . part 1. p. 84. the evil of ●eparation . part 1. p. 2 , 3. mr. baxter ●ounts sepa●●tists no bet●er than foo●●sh and be●itched ●abes , carnal ●nd not spiri 〈…〉 al. part. 2 . p. 155. separation and koraism provoking sins . here he speaks particularly to mr. bagshaw . part 2. p. 6 , 7. part 1. p. 60. the sad effects of church-divisions . part 2. p. 175. part 1. p 17. the present separation a promoting cause of popery , and greatly hazards the protestant religion , advantageth profaneness , &c. part 1. p. 32. part 1. p. 52. the manner how popery will grow out of our divisions . the present separation promoteth anabaptistry , quakerism , &c. mr. baxters addition to this history . part 2. p. 175 part 1. p. 50. part 1. p. 49. part 1. p. 54. part 2. p. 150. notes for div a27066-e1900 * yet this is that some of the non-conformists have called one of the hardest points in conformity . the third edition . * diocesan episcopacy . the duty of heavenly meditation reviewed by richard baxter at the invitation of mr. giles firmin's exceptions in his book entituled, the real christian. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1671 approx. 46 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 18 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-11 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26920 wing b1255 estc r3049 12309720 ocm 12309720 59344 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26920) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59344) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 200:20) the duty of heavenly meditation reviewed by richard baxter at the invitation of mr. giles firmin's exceptions in his book entituled, the real christian. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 33 p. printed for nevil simmons ..., london : 1671. reply to firmin's criticism of the author's the saints everlasting rest. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng firmin, giles, 1614-1697. -real christian. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. -saints everlasting rest. meditations. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-06 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-07 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2004-07 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the duty of heavenly meditation , reviewed by richard baxter , at the invitation of mr. giles firmin's exceptions ; in his book entituled the real christian. london , printed for nevil simmons , at the sign of the three crowns , near holborn conduit . 1671. dear and much honoured brother , i have lately perused your judicious treatise called the real christian , in which you seek to deliver the church from the danger of the errors of mr. daniel rogers , mr. hooker mr. shephard , and mr. perkins ; ( and i think mr. shephard's sound believer needeth more medication to make it sound , than you have yet used . ) among the rest , i find you have endeavoured in the end , to save the church also from the trouble and danger of my directions for heavenly meditation in my saints rest. and though my own opinion be , that seeing we have formerly had some converse by writing , it would have been better to have attempted to convince me by letters , of my errors , before you had warned the world to take heed of them , that you might have heard first what i had to say for my self ; yet i confess those are punctilio's , not to be stood upon in this age ; in which no great exactness of foresight , prudence or justice is to be expected : nor have i a desire to abridge you of your liberty of speaking as publikely as you have a list . but taking your writings as i find them , i shall take the boldness to tell you , i. how far my judgement doth concurr with yours , which shall be answered by my endeavours : ii. how farr i am unsatisfied in your writings on this point . i. i am glad , 1. that you are tender of the peace of troubled tender christians , and would have ministers take heed lest they should break the bruised reed . 2. i am glad that you would have ministers accurate in their words and writings , and not by heedless unwarrantable expressions wrong the church . 3. i am glad that you are sensible that extreams are to be avoided , and that over-doing in doctrines of piety , and pretending to go beyond the church of god , even farther than god would have us , is one way of injuring truth and piety . 4. i am glad that you are for keeping close to that rule of truth and duty , and against making a religion , or any part of it to our selves . 5. i am glad that you are for a free and faithful opening and disowning the errors and failings of the most esteemed divines ; that weak christians may not be injured by the reverence of their names . and that you are not of the pernicious opinion of a multitude of professours of religiousness in this age , who think that none of their faults or weaknesses should be opened , lest it give matter to their adversaries to reproach them ; and that all that is said against them , is said against religion ; and that to call them to repentance , is to disgrace religion , and to strengthen the hands of wickedness . i am glad that you see the horrid blindness and wickedness of this conceit ; and how odious a thing it is to preferr our selfish personal reputation , before the honour of christ and true religion ; or else to think that it is an honour to christ and religion to justifie our sins . i am glad that you have the wisdome of a christian , rather to disown the errors of the godlyest divines , than to leave it to angry contentious adversaries to open them in another manner , and to other ends and uses : and that you think not as our selfish blind ones do , that we may dance naked unseen and undisgraced , if we are but in the net of self-flattery ; and that angry adversaries will see none of our errours or faults , unless we tell them of them by our repentance . in all this , you and i are of a mind . 6. and in particular , i am afraid as well as you of screwing weak ones too high in this duty of meditation on the glory of heaven . and therefore lest i should injure the weak , or any others , 1. in the book it self ( the saints rest ) i have given the reader these warnings , pag. 703. ed. 9. [ yet be cautious in understanding this . i know this will not prove every mans duty : some have not themselves and their time at command ; and therefore cannot set their hours : such are most servants , and many children of poor and carnal parents ; and many are so poor that the necessities of their families will deny them this freedome . i do not think it the duty of such , to leave their labours for this work , just at certain set times ; no nor for prayer or other necessary worship . no such duty , is a duty at all times : affirmatives bind not semper & ad semper . when two duties come together , and cannot both be performed , it were then a sin to perform the lesser . of two duties we must choose the greater ( i. e. consideratis considerandis ) though of two sins we must choose neither . i think such persons were best to be watchful , to redeem time as much as they can , and take their vacant opportunities as they fall ; and especially to joyne meditation and prayer as much as they can with the very labours of their callings . there is no such enmity between labouring and meditating , or praying in the spirit , but that both may conveniently be done together . yet i say , as paul in another case , if thou canst be free , use it rather . those that have more spare time from worldly necess●ries , and are masters to dispose of themselves and their time , &c. and pag. 704 , [ just how oft it should be , i cannot determine , because mens several conditions may vary it : but in general , that it be frequent , the scripture requireth , when it mentioneth meditating continually , or day and night , psal. 1.2 . & 119.97 . & 148.19 . circumstances of our conditions may much vary the circumstances of our duty . it may be one mans duty to hear , or pray ofter than another ; and so it may be in this of meditation : but for those that can conveniently omit other business , i advise that it be once a day at least : so also pag. 707. & 709. and being afraid lest i should injure unable persons , in many books since , i have over and over ( lest it should be overlookt ) repeated ( i feared ad nauseam lectoris ) these cau●ions ; as method for peace of consc. p. 12. [ studying and serious meditating be not duties for the deeply melancholy — you must let those alone till you are better able to perform them , lest by attempting those duties which you cannot perform , you utterly disable your self from all , &c. and i thus conclude my treat . of the divine life , [ but now i have given you these few directions for the improvement of your solitude for converse with god , lest i should occasion the hurt of those that are unfit for the lesson i have given , i must conclude with this caution which i have formerly also published : that it is not melancholy or weak headed persons who are not able to bear such exercises , for whom i have written these directions . those that are not able to be much in serious solitary thoughtfulness , without confusions and distracting suggestions , and hurrying vexations thoughts , must set themselves for the most part to those duties , which are to be done in company by the help of others ; and must be very little in solitary duties ; for to them whose natural faculties are so diseased and weak it is no duty ; as being no means to do them the desired good : but while they strive to do that which they are naturally unable to endure , they will but confound and distract themselves , and make themselves unable for those other duties , which yet they are not utterly unfit for : to such persons therefore instead of ordered , well digested meditations , and much time spent in secret thoughtfulness , it must suffice that they be brief in secret prayer ; and take up with such occasional abrupter meditations , as they are capable of , and that they be the more in reading , hearing , conference , praying , and praising god with others , &c. ] more such i omit . i now add more particularly ( lest i should injure any . ) 1. that i take it not to be the duty of a minister to leave his necessary study , preaching , prayer , &c. for this set meditation : 2. nor for a magistrate to leave his necessary work of government for it . 3. nor for any man in an active life , to leave a necessary duty of his place for it : 4. nor for any weak persons to stretch their braines beyond their abilitie , to do what they cannot do . greatest duties must be preferred , and men must endeavour prudently according to their capacity and power . and god will have mercy and not sacrifice and would not have religion crack our braines , nor turn out our duties towards men , or of our particular callings . but for all this i am of the same mind expressed in the book which you find fault with . 1. that heavenly mindedness is essential to holiness . 2. that heavenly thoughts or meditations , are much of the exercise of heavenly mindedness . 3. and that it is every mans duty to exercise his thoughts or meditations in the most clear , methodical , affecting , practical way that his abilities and opportunities ( consideratis considerandis ) will reach to . for which useful method i gave the best directions i could . but i will not justifie my weakness , nor deny that it is injurious to the church of god , nor deny the preheminence of my brethrens understandings , nor the greater usefulness of their labours . and it is not unlikely that mine may have more faults that i discern , which are soon discerned by more judicious men ; for whose correction i would not be unthankful . ii. and now i sh●ll tell you wherein i differ from you . 1. it seemeth to me unrighteous dealing , when you undertake in print to save christians from my errours , to overpass all the limitations before recited which i gave them ; and to carry it as if i had made that manner which you except against , to be all mens , or most mens duty . yea not only by your preterition of my words , but by your own , to perswade the reader that so indeed it was : when you say , pag. 314. [ this i see is the meditation strongly urged , upon christians : a duty very hard i am sure ; and if our salvation lie upon this being performed after this manner as this learned and reverend author hath set down , then most christians that i meet with , forty to one , and those whom i esteem good christians , must never come at heaven , but must to that dark place . ] did you not intimate in these words , that i make it as necessary to salvation as these words import ? if so , truth and candor should have prevailed with you , to have left out all such passages . you see i make it not so much as a duty to any that have not ability and conveniency : much less that the mode is of necessity to salvation . but yet i must add , that our salvation is not unconcerned in any of our duties , though i will not say that our salvation lyeth on it , so as we must else be damned . what if i had given you a scheme of the admirably accurate method of prayer , which is found in the lords prayer ? i would have said that the observation of this method is a duty ; and that our salvation is not unconcerned in that duty ; i would have said that all men should do their best to come up to that accurate method in their prayers ; but so , as not to crack their brains , nor hinder them in the matter , nor neglect any greater duty , to do this ; but with moderate , just endeavours , according to their abilities and opportunities . i would not have said that their salvation so lyeth on it , that none that use not this method can be saved ; nor would i be so rough and curst , ( as you speak ) to those that cannot use this method , as to deprive them of their comfort : but i would tell them what is their rule and pattern . even so do i in this case of meditation . 2. and i like not reducing the rule to our impotent sinful natures , nor to our crooked lives , when our hearts and lives should be measured by , and reduced to the rule . i grant that not one of forty doth pray in the method of the lords prayer : no not of godly people , no nor ministers ; no not in their studied liturgies . what then ? is it therefore no duty , because few perform it ? were it not enough to have said that methodical , set meditation is a high pitch of duty , which every weak christian cannot ●each ; or which few can reach ; or that it is not so much as a duty to all , as to the circumstances of time , & c ? as i like not the papists making gods law imperfect , that they may make man perfect , and sin veniall , or vnivocally no sin ; so i as little like it in our selves , to say that duty , is no duty , and so deny the perfection of the law , because that every one cannot reach it , and few good people perform it . god forbid i should deny all duty which few good people perform , any more than justifie all sin which most , or all , good people commit . 3. you say [ if i should humbly desire a text or two from holy writ , to prove that is the meditation that god requireth of christians ; if the reverend author will answer me , it is a ridiculous question , ( as he hath said in another case , ) i must be silent . ] answ. the case which i call ridiculous , you vainly silence , seeing any understanding reader ( at least of the book you blame ) will see it : they were ridiculous sectaries , seekers , and such like , that i then had to do with : if you , or your most skilful casuist whom you mention , had called for a text of scripture to prove that we must pray twice a day in our families , its like i should have given you more reverent language : though i had thought never the better of the question : nor do i think sure that you can judge it ever the less a duty , because your father used it not ( which yet i think you were not obliged to have so far told the world . ) but why did you not candidly recite those reasonings , by which in that place i manifested the question to be ridiculous ? nay doth not your saying that if i do but say [ it is ridiculous , you must be silent ] imply that i do but barely say so ? i will not injure the reader by the tedious recitation of my words . but to your self i may say , i suppose you are not for veronius new way of arguing from express texts of scripture containing both propositions : if you are , i referr you to vedelius his rationale , theolog. but specially to dalleus , de fidei ex script . demonst . part. 1. cap. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. 1. to prove meditation or frequent meditation day and night a duty , is needless ; you confess it . 2. to prove methodical meditation a duty to them that have ability and opportunity , it sufficeth to cite , 1 cor. 14.26.40 . let all things be done to edifying , and in order ; that is , right order , not wrong : and that is , method . but whether this or that method be really true and most orderly and edifying , you need not the words of scripture to tell you : that cogitationes , judicia & verba , rebus sunt aptanda ; that the verity of judgement and speech lyeth in their congruity to things ] are points known by the light of reason , and you should not call for a text to prove them . the light of nature is not contemptible : the law of nature is gods law. if scrip●ure had never spoke it , yet by the law of nature it had been a duty to do all things in order and to edifying . what is orderly , the nature of the subject meditated on , with the end , will declare . preaching is the expressing of those thoughts to others , which by meditation we exercise for our selves . therefore if it may be known what is orderly preaching , by the agreeableness of the expressions to the matter in order to the true end , then so it may be in meditation , which is a preaching to our selves . therefore that explication and confirmation should go before application , that examination should be furthered by signes , that reproof should be furthered by aggravations of sin , that exhortation should be furthered by motives , that practice should be helped by directions , the nature of the thing doth prove : and you may as well call for a text of scripture for most points in metaphysicks , or physicks , or logick , as for these . meditation should be done in order to edification : but order to edification ( in them that have ability , and opportunity ) requireth that vnderstanding go first , application after , and that the application intended be furthered with convenient helps , as aforesaid . therefore meditation should be done in this order , &c. the major is found in nature and scripture : the minor is a naturally-known truth , exemplified throughout the scripture , which is written in that method ( and in all theological writings ) and yet must you have a text for the conclusion ? as for family prayer i have by me a long disputation which i think fully proveth it to be a duty ; and to most christian families twice a day . but if the law of nature must make up neither major nor minor , but you must have the conclusion in express texts of scripture , its like if you saw it , you would not be satisfied with it : but it satisfyeth me , as very full proof . but so that there also i believe not that there are no exceptions : or that no family may have business so urgent as to exempt them from this as a duty ; or that all families are bound t● the same hours , or the same proportion of time . i will not tell you that it is ridiculous to ask what text of scripture maketh it a mans duty , to give meat to his family twice a day : ( with the other instances which i laid down . ) but if those ridicula capita that then thus pleaded against family prayer did ask me the same question again , i would tell them so . and i would think this argument might prove a divine obligation . [ god requireth us to give food to our families ( if we are able and have opportunity ) as oft as is for the benefit or necessity of their natures . but it is for the benefit and necessity of their natures to have food twice a day , ( ordinarily , and as to most persons : ) therefore god requireth us to give food , to most families , and ordinarily , twice a day . or suppose i put in but once at least , if you think i cannot prove the twice . i am not now determining whether famil● prayer must be as oft , but whether this arguing be faulty for want of a conclusion in the words of a text of scripture . i think that scripture is so admirably suited to the nature of things , that the farr greatest part of its precepts are found also in the true law of nature ; and that even most of the gospel precepts may be called , ( supposing the history and doctrine ) lex naturae lapsae reparandae , a law suited to natures reparation . 4. but i am utterly ignorant of your meaning , when you say , that they that can meditate thus ten hours , &c. are the happier men , and have great cause to bless god for such a mercy . either you take it to be a duty to such men ( to any men ) or no duty : if you take it to be their ( or any mens ) duty , then 1. you would not call for a text of scripture to prove it a duty . 2. nor you would not pretend to differ from me ; for i know your candour abhorreth calumny ; and therefore ( notwithstanding your forementioned unhandsome intimations ) i suppose it is none of your purpose to perswade your reader that i make it a duty for all men , and you only for some ? for as your piety and your friendship satisfie me that you have no such intent , so i know you would discern it to be against the interest of your own reputation , which would suffer when the contrary is seen in my writings . therefore i cannot understand whether you take it to be any mans duty . and if not , then you seem to hold the popish doctrine of evangelical councils of perfection , and of works of supererrogation or perfection which are no duties . which yet i will not believe you hold , till i needs must : and therefore having no third exposition of your words , i must leave them all as unintelligible to me . if you should say that my limitations are not in the same book ( the saints rest ) where the duty is described , i should answer , 1. that is not so ; they are in the same . 2. he that confuteth a man twenty years after his writings are published , is obliged to take notice of what he hath written since : else if a man reform or correct his own writings it will signifie nothing ; but others are obliged to do it still , as supposing it undone . 3. and this book of yours is not in the same volume as my supposed errour is : therefore if my own will not serve turn , because they are not the same book , neither will yours . or may i doubt lest you did for want of leisure , confound the several parts of my writing ? and take that which i wrote of the common necessity of a heavenly mind , or of meditation of heaven , to be written also to prove or urge the same necessity of the length or method ? no ; i must not be so injurious to you ; for though you are not obliged to read my writings till you understand them ; yet i know you cannot forget that you are obliged to understand them , if they are intelligible , before you deliberately oppose them . therefore i have no way left but to conclude , that you are not intelligible to me . 5. what i have said all this while of the method , i say also of the time of meditation , which is part of your exception . it is a duty to spend so much time in meditation as is best to edification to attain its end. but to them that have ability and opportunity , at least a quarter or half an hour , if not more , is best to edification to attain the end. therefore to such it is a duty to spend so much time herein . i will give you no text of scripture for the conclusion , nor for the minor. the nature of the thing , and common experience proveth it . christs sermons recited in scripture seem to be very short : you may call for a text now to prove it a duty that a sermon or prayer should be an hour or a quarter of an hour long . it is enough that i prove it from the aptitude of the means to its end . experience telleth us , that very few words and short time serve not to inform mens understandings . and after that , the will and affections must have time to be duly excited , and resolved ; and more time is necessary yet to drive the nail to the head , and to settle the soul against the force of all objections that may be produced to the contrary ; and yet more time to settle it in the right way of practice . in a word , if short and seldome preaching to others , be all that is any preachers duty , murmur not that you are silenced , but write to ministers to spare the bishops the labour and odium , and to silence themselves , as to their long unnecessary sermons . if you say that preaching is more of divine institution than meditation , i deny it . there is here no magis or minus : if god have instituted both , it cannot be said that he hath instituted one more than the other ; though it may be said that one ( which ever it is ) be of greater necessity than the other . and though i confess that he that preacheth to himself , may omit and abbreviate much , which must be distinctly expressed to others , yet that doth but shew that preaching must ordinarily be longer than such set meditations ; but not that these also must not have that time , which method and the ends require , when it may be so done . do you not think it as presumptuous to define the time of a mans conference about scripture , with his children and servants daily , as to define the time of his meditation ? i suppose you will judge the case much like . suppose then that i should say to a master of a family , [ besides your little occasional reflections , you that have ability and opportunity may do well ( yea must take it for your duty ) oft times ( even once a day , if no greater duty hinder you ) to set some time apart to speak methodically and seriously to your families , first by way of explication and then of application to convince them , and resolve them , and to drive all home to practice , &c. ] would you call for a text to prove this a duty ? i would give you then , deut. 6.7 , 8 , 9. & deut. 11.18 , 19 , 20. for the major ; ye shall teach them your children , speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house , &c. with gen. 18.19 . & 1 cor. 14. 26 , 40. and the minor i would prove by the light of nature and experience . the case is the same in the main , as to the exhorting of our selves . truly , brother , if your soul be not much more heavenly than mine , it needeth a considerable time of holy exercise , to habituate it to converse above ; and to bring it to the benefits of meditation which we must desire . as i cannot get met heat with walking , no nor running neither , by the violence of the motion alone , unless i continue some considerable time ; no more can i in prayer and meditation ; though my lazy humour too oft inclineth me , to sit down and content my self with a short cogitation or wish ; ( like the prayers of those that wash them and button their doublets and interpose other talk , and yet pray on . ) and the warmth which i have once got , is quickly abated , if i give over the duty , and be short and seldome in it . short and seldome thoughts of heaven , will not serve with so bad a heart as mine , to keep up the habit , much less to exercise a heavenly mind , in that degree as all true christians must confess desirable . and i suppose god hath therefore appointed us such variety of ordinances and helpes , and such long and frequent use of them in their several turnes and times , which prophane men count but unnecessary preciseness , that so our hearts may be habituated to a holy and heavenly frame , by the frequent and much use of holy and heavenly exercises . for surely we add nothing unto god , nor do we change him , by our words or hours of religious exercise ; but we wait for his grace in the use of those means , which tend to prepare us both for grace and glory . and by the same reasonings as you will shift off , or shuffle this meditation into some cursory thoughts on the by , the world would do so by prayer , preaching , holy conferences , sacraments , and all religion . but that several men must allow several proportions of time for this duty , and that all cannot allow it the same time , again i say , i will not suspect you to suppose and affirme me to deny . 6. another thing that you oft mention is , that i say , other thoughts should not be intermixt . and without giving you a text for the conclusion , the same kind of arguing will prove this , as proved the rest : adding eccles. 9.10 . and such like . if a man have ability and opportunity , will not attending wholly to the work in hand , best edifie him and further the success ? if not , intermix other thoughts also with your greatest studies , your prayers , your preaching , and do all diviso vel prae-occupato animo . let the people when you are preaching to them , talk in the church to one another . reprove them not for thinking of other things . or give them a text of scripture for the conclusion , saying you may not think or talk of other matters at sermon time . if you say , that meditation is not to be a set duty as preaching is , and therefore may lawfully be interrupted ; i answer , if it be a duty commanded of the same god , it must in its place be regulated by the same general laws , let all be done to edifying and in order . for my part , intermixing thoughts do hinder the success with me ; but what they may do with stronger heads and better hearts i know not . you say , p. 320. [ but when i come to impose duties , as meditation , &c. upon christians to be performed by them in such a manner , and for such a time , and their soundness or unsoundness , seriousness or sleightness is determined according to their performance according to that manner which i set down , surely i had need bring clear scripture proof . — answ. but if there be no word in my writings that say any such things as determining of soundness or unsoundness by that manner of performance , what do you think the reader that tryeth it , will think and say of you , and of such passages as these ? i will not tell you lest i offend you . but only i tell you , this is not well done : and you had need to have proved what you intimate by some clear words of mine , if you would be believed . but p. 319. you argue à fine & effectu , and say that meditation is then rightly performed when the affections are wrought up unto a suitableness with the object i am meditating on — now let this meditation be performed how it will , let it be in what length or shortness of time , what is that to the essence of the ●u●y . answ. 1. but , do you regard nothing in duty but the essence ? nothing at all the integrity ? nothing the degree ? why these also are duty . he that bindeth us to sacrifice forbiddeth us to offer the halt and the blind and requireth the best we have . 2. how happy a heart have you , that will so easily be got up to a suitableness to god and heaven ! is it not you now that forget the case of weak christians ? verily such hearts as mine will need more adoe . it is not [ performing meditation how it will , in shortness ] that will serve the turn , to bring my heart to such a suitableness . and i doubt all the weak ones whose case you seem to plead , are not much better . 3. this savoureth much like the saying of a late learned physicion of ours , that said , what need all this adoe in preaching and talking of religion , when all is dispatched in three words , think well , and speak well , and do well . o but a great many words are necessary to bring us up to these three things : and so are a great many thoughts to bring our hearts to a suitableness to god , to christ , to heaven . tell me if you can , why the same arguing is not as strong against long conference , or long preaching ? all that sermons and conference are to do is , to bring up our hearts to a suitableness to the object : and if this will be done by one sentence , what needs there a quarter of an houres preaching or catechising or discourse : ( and so away with this preaching office ; ) but it is a false supposition that one sentence will do this , so well as more . 4. and when i think my heart is somewhat well affected , there is much yet to be done , to fix , and settle , and habituate , and direct it , which may be lost by hasty breaking off , and slubbering over so great a business . one work of meditation is self-examination . i may say as you , if i can but know my spiritual state , let examination be performed how it will for length or shortness , what 's that to the essence of the duty ? but it is not such performance that will acquaint me with my condition . if i have not time to consider of evidences , and then of my heart and life , &c. yea and this with serious uninterrupted thoughts , it will not do . i could put off religious exercises as cursorily as another , if cursory brevity would attain the end , and serve turn with such a heart as mine . but by all this , i conjecture , that you will be a gentle censurer of ministers that preach short and seldome , and of parents that are short and seldome in family instructions , and of all christians that are so in their religious conferences , unless your censures bear no due proportion among themselves . 7. but yet you have somewhat to say of the object of meditation , the joyes of heaven , p. 315. and say [ it must be supposed as they must have a title to heaven , so they must know and be assured of that title to heaven ; there must be no dark cloud , &c. ] answ. now i perceive we differ indeed ▪ do you think that neither unconverted nor unassured doubting persons , are called to meditate much of heaven ? i think that none have greater need , and that nothing will be more powerful to do their work . 1. that meditation is most profitable to the unconverted which tendeth most to bring their hearts to the love of god. but the meditation of the infinite goodness of god revealed in the heavenly glory , and offered to all , tendeth most to bring their hearts to the love of god , — ergo — that which representeth god most amiable tendeth most to bring the soul to love him . but the explication of the heavenly glory where he is enjoyed in the fullest love , representeth god most amiable — ergo — 2. that meditation is most profitable to the unconverted , which tendeth most to destroy all carnal concupiscence and worldly love , by drawing their hearts to better things . but such is the meditation of everlasting glory — ergo — 3. that meditation is most profitable to a sinners conversion , which draweth him most effectually to consent to the covenant of grace ( for that consent is conversion . ) but such is the meditation of the heavenly felicity — ergo — 4. that meditation is most profitable which tendeth most to make men repent of sin , and be fully willing of a holy life . but such is the meditation of heaven ( when they see what sin depriveth men of , and what they are like to get by holiness ) — 5. that meditation is most profitable to conversion , which fullyest sheweth men the excellency of christ and of all his grace . but such is the meditation of heaven , ( as being the highest benefit of christ and grace ) — ergo — 6. that meditation is most profitable to the wicked , which tendeth most to save them from temptations : but such is the meditation of heaven , ( as setting that in the ballance which alone can weigh down all that can be offered by the tempter ) — . 7. that is the most profitable meditation which is exercised on god in his fullest revelation — but , &c. 8. that is the most profitable and powerful meditation which is about the ultimate end ; because that it is the end that is loved for it self , and all means but for the end : and the end guideth us in the choise , the estimation and the use of means , and is the very life of them all — but , &c — ergo. john preached the kingdom of heaven , more expresly than the person of the messiah : and christ sent his disciples to preach the kingdom of god , when he forbad them to tell men that he was the christ , ( because the miracles , resurrection , and other proofs of it , must first be made , and then be preached to win belief ) luke 9.2 , 21. and by the kingdom of god he meant that of grace , as related to glory , vers . 27 , 28. it is the want of thinking more seriously what heaven is , and the certainty of it to all believers , that causeth men to follow the flesh and world , and to lose it by contempt or gross neglect . ungodliness consisteth much in a neglect of heaven , for want of convincing , quickning meditations of it . and when you bring a sinner to be but soberly thoughtful of heaven , you have done much towards his true conversion . so that in this , you and i do vastly differ , if you think as you write . i will crave your pardon for my over-passing all the rest of your opposition ( supposing that i have spoken to the main , ) and shall shut up all with these three professions and admonitions to the reader . i. since i find that this judicious worthy man hath made these exceptions , i have considered again whether there be not cause ; and i find what long agoe i found , that i was too blame that i observed no more , the weakness and danger of melancholy persons , when i first wrote it ; and that i was not more large in disswading them from taking that to be their work which they cannot do . for i believe i have spoken with farr more than ever this reverend brother hath done ( though he be a physicion ) who have been disabled by melancholy and other weakness of brain from this work : which made me so oft since give them such warning . and i do here again desire , most women and all melancholy persons , to take up more with shorter and occasional meditations , and with such holy thoughts as good books and conference do more easily bring into their minds ; and not to over-stretch their brains , by striving to do more than they are able , and so disable themselves yet more . ii. the review of these things doth convince me , that learned men , and all men of opportunity and ability to bear meditation , should use this duty much more than they do ; and that much of our ignorance , unbelief , ungodliness and uncomfortableness is for want of making a set and serious business of it . and i think that few men that labour in their shops , or ever walk or travel abroad , can truly say , that they are wholly destitute of leisure . and i think that poverty and crosses in the world , should make the thoughts of heaven the more welcome to them ; and that it should be so farr from being taken for an ungrateful burden , that it should be the sweetest pleasure in this world ; and farr more delightful , than to think of lands or dearest friends . and i admonish all that have ability and opportunity to take heed lest short and seldome and slight thoughts of heaven , do harden them in that unacquaintedness above , which will be the unho●iness of their lives , and their terrour at death . iii. though i said it not before , i will now say , that even methodical heavenly meditation is a duty to all that have the free use of reason ; but not a duty which they are presently fit , and able to performe ; and therefore it is ( as the sacrament to the unprepared ) a mediate duty : they sin in not doing it , because they sin in being unprepared for it . but yet it is not immediately to be done , till shorter and easier meditations have first prepared them . but gods law ceaseth not to be perfect because we are imperfect , nor to oblige us to duty , because we are mo●ally undisposed . i will not say , the highest ●orme in the school must not learn greek , because the lowest are unfit for it ; nor that ●he lowest are not mediately to be brought up to it . it is every weak christians sin , ●hat he prayeth not methodically , because his disability is sinful ; though it be a sin that god forgiveth to all that are sincere . but as i will not be one that shall rob the sincere of the comfort of that forgiveness , so neither will ● be one that shall perswade them to impeni●ence by saying , it is no sin , nor accuse gods law of imperfection . understand and practise these two texts , and i desire no more of you as to this meditation ; matth. 6.21 . where your treasure is , there will your hearts be also . phil. 3.20 . our conversation is in heaven . the lord forgive my neglect of this duty , and yet help me to perform it , with more heavenly life , and light , and love , till i shall be above the life of faith. iv. not medling now with the reason● of other men , against either method or length of prayer , preaching , or heavenly meditation , my own sad experience commandet● me to give this caution to all christians , wit● a special earnestness ; take heed of a slothful omission or cursory performance o● such holy duties ; lest when you have los● the life and sweetness of them , you los● next the sense and belief of their excellenc● and necessity . when you cannot perswad● your self to them , you will be much mor● unapt to perswade others to them . and whe● you have suffered your hearts to grow i● different to them , you will too easily b● drawn to take them for things that are 〈◊〉 indifferent . practice helpeth us to an experience and taste of the goodness of duty which will do more to draw us to it , th●● bare reasoning alone will do . and wh●● practice is neglected , love , willingness an● pleasure first abateth ; and next the understanding it self is in danger of judging it no better or more necessary than we feel it . for my own part , when my conscience commandeth me to omit meditation , because of some greater and more urgent duty , forbidding it at that time , i usually find that it is my affliction to fall under any such diversions , that both may not be done . and i find that whatever else i think of , of christ , of scripture , of promises , of threatnings , of sin , of grace , &c. if i leave out heaven and make it not the chief part of my meditation , i leave out the sence and life of all . thence must i fetch my light , or i must be in darkness ; thence must i fetch my life , or i must be dead , and my motives or i must be dull , or not sincere ; and my daily comforts , or i must be uncomfortable or worse . my hearing , and reading , and studies grow to common things , if heaven be not the principal part : my life groweth towards a common and a carnal life , when i begin to leave out heaven : death groweth terrible to my thoughts , and eternity strange and dreadful to me , if i live not in such frequent and serious thoughts of the heavenly glory , as may render it familiar and grateful to my soul. yea i cannot think with any due knowledge , love or pleasure , of the ever-blessed god himself , if i think of him only as he is revealed to us in this world , and not as we shall see him in the world of light. i find my self but a common man , if heavenliness make me not to differ : and i find my self unfit to live or to die , and that my soul is void of the true consolation , that is needful both in life and at death , when i grow a stranger to heavenly thoughts , and consequently to heavenly affections : and that as nothing will serve turn instead of heaven to be my happiness ; so nothing will serve turn instead of heaven to make up the end of my religion , and forme my heart and life to holiness . and therefore by experience i counsel all christians that are able to perform it , especially ministers , and learned men , to be much in the serious fore-thoughts of heaven , and to comfort themselves and others with these words , that we shall for ever be with the lord , 1 thes. 4.17 , 18. and i adjure the reader , not to conceive of the worthy person to whom i write this , as any adversary to a heavenly life : for he is a sober , godly , faithful minister ( though silenced ) who hath been in new england ; and brought back with him a great deal of judgement and moderation , in church-matters , as having seen the experience of the evil of extreams ( as his former writings witness . ) and as he opposeth not mr. rogers , hooker , shephard , out of any ill-will to their persons , but lest those whom he best loved should wrong the church , so i have reason to believe that he doth with the same candour , deal with me . and if we do differ at all ( which i am not sure of ) it is so little as is not like to cause the least disaffection . i would all our differences made no wider a distance than is betwixt this faithful brother and me. — octob. 1. 1670. finis . the judgment of m. cartwright and m. baxter concerning separation and the ceremonies cartwright, thomas, 1634-1689. 1673 approx. 45 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 16 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a35057 wing c701 estc r21747 12121876 ocm 12121876 54455 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a35057) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 54455) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 591:8) the judgment of m. cartwright and m. baxter concerning separation and the ceremonies cartwright, thomas, 1634-1689. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [6], 25 p. [s.n.], london : 1673. includes bibliographical references. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -customs and practices. dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-10 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the judgment of m. cartwright and m. baxter concerning separation and the ceremonies . london , printed in the year , 1673. to the reader . upon this following letter of t. c. there will need no other observation than what archbishop bancroft long since made , in these words : but it most of all pleaseth me to see , how master cartwright draweth homeward . for as the anabaptists by their madness kept master calvin within some good compass , and as master beza hath been compelled in some sort , to retire himself from his former eagerness : so assuredly the phrenetical giddiness of these our new unbrideled schismaticks , who for pretended purity are many degrees beyond all the savoyan disciplinarians , hath wrought a miracle ( to my understanding ) upon m. cartwright . for hear him , how for fear of falling into flat donatism , he was fain to plead against one ( that had been his scholar ) in the behalf of the church of england , so bitterly before by himself impugned . the ordinary assemblies ( saith he ) of those which profess the gospel in england , are the churches of christ : which he proveth in this sort ; those assemblies which have christ for there head , and the same also for their foundation , are gods churches : such are the assemblies of england , therefore , &c. again , they that have performed unto them the special covenant which the lord hath made with his churches , of pouring his spirit upon them , and putting his word into their mouths , are the churches of god : but such are the assemblies in england , therefore , &c. hereunto may be added ( saith he further ) the judgment of all the churches of christ in europe , all which give the right hand of society in the house of god , unto the assemblies which are in england . again , to prove that the church of england is the church of god , notwithstanding it want the pretended discipline ; he useth this distinction ; that at it is in mans body , so is it in this matter ; there are certain-parts essential , and such as without the which a man cannot stand , and some serving either to his comelyness or to his continuance . and of this latter sort he maketh the discipline . and lastly , he write , thus ; to say that the church of england is not the church of god , because it hath not received this discipline , methinks is all one with this , as if a man would say , it is no city , because it hath no wall : or , that it is no vineyard , because it hath neither hedge nor ditch . thus far master cartwright . in which his manner of speech you find a very great alteration , from his anoient stile . and as concerning the necessity whereof i intreat , the wind you see is turned . there is no more necessity in england of the geneva platform , than that every city in this realm should be walled about . and besides , the pretended discipline is become not to be any longer of the essence of the church , but as appertaining to the comelyness of it . and a little after , and this i will add unto it , that if master cartwright would but confer with some that haves kill in fortification , to know of him whether an old thick wall of lime and stone , made many hundred years since , or a new slight wall slubbered over , and wrought with untempered mortar some few years ago , whether ( i say ) of these two walls are of better defense for any city : i should be in good hope , that he would in short time , leave the disciplinary walls of geneva , and content himself with the ancient fortifications of the church of england ; and the rather , because he seeth what a giddy and itching humour his novelties have bred , in the unstayed sort of many fantastical people . now to what m. cartwright hath said in general to shew that there is no such necessity of separation from the church of england , as some of his followers now pretend : may be added the judgment of a later writer ( concerning those particulars which are so much scrupled by them , who under pretense of greater purity will needs cast out all decency and good order from the house of god : ) in a book , intituled five disputations of church government and worship . printed at london , 1659. a letter of t. c. to richard harrison concerning separation . grace and peace , &c. for so much as i left you the choice for the first conference , whether you would have it in writing , or by speech of mouth ; i attended some daies for answer of that matter : which , because it was not returned , i esteemed that you held you still to the request of your letters ; which was , to receive something from me by writing . for answer therefore ; so it is , that your letters affected me diversly : for where your first page had raised me up unto some hope , of re-uniting your self with the rest of your company unto us , from whom you have thought good to sunder your selves ; the second page , which layeth forth the condition of our peace , did cast me , and as were , beat me from it again . howbeit , the mercy of god upholding me in some good hope of profiting you , or receiving profit from you , i thought to cut out this time of my weightiest and most necessary business , wherein i might give that contentment , which the lord hath enabled mine hand unto . unto you , not unwilling to come to us , the passage ( as it seemeth ) is stopped in divers respects : the short whereof is ; the receiving without publick repentance , of those which come from the churches of england : where because in the outward profession , that the laws of the land do justifie the dumb ministry , there appear unto you no lawful assemblies of the church of christ ; your fear is , least in uniting your selves with such , you should be unequally yoaked , and made fellow members of some other than of that whereof christ jesus is the head. first therefore , if it be shewed , that the ordinary assemblies of those that profess the gospel in england be the churches of christ , it seemerh that the way will be paved and planed for mutual entercourse between us . thus therefore it seemeth to be performed . those assemblies which have christ for their head , and the same also for their foundation are gods church . but such are the assemblies of england . ergo , they are gods church . the assumption is evident , in that , by believing that christ is our righteousness , we are members of his body , and thereby are lively stones laid upon him as upon a foundation , and grow into one spiritual house with him . now that they have like precious faith with us , is convinced , not onely by their own profession , but by the testimony of the spirit of god , who by manifold graces poured upon them , doth bear them witness that they be members of the body of christ , who as the head hath partaked unto them his holy spirit , even to an apparent sanctification of numbers of them . they which have performed unto them the special covenant which the lord hath made with his churches , by pouring his spirit upon them , and his word in their mouths , are the churches of god. but such are the assemblies in england ; therefore , they are the churches of god. as touching the spirit of god , it hath been said before : whereupon it also followeth , that he likewise put his word in their mouths , considering that the spirit of god is not given but by his word . and seeing that the lord in mercy hath set up divers burning lamps in those assemblies , whereby light is conveyed more or less into all the parts of the land ; it seemeth that the church of england should receive injury if it should not be counted among the golden candlesticks , which serve to keep out darkness and night from the lords house , until such time as the day-spring , and lucifer arise in our hearts . if you say , all do not believe the gospel truly , which profess ; the same exception lyeth against all other churches , how reformed soever . if there be fewer faithful in our churches , than in others ; the truth of the church standeth not in number : for it there were in every church one truly undissemblingly faithful , all the rest holding the faith of our lord jesus christ in words onely , yet should all those churches be to us the churches of god. and if you say , that all those assemblies , as it were all the branches and arms of the candlestick , have not light set upon them ( the greater part of them being damped by a dumb ministry ) notwithstanding by the way you confess , that those assemblies upon whom the lord hath set up the lamp of a preaching ministery , are the churches of god : which seemeth to cast down that hill which standeth in the way against our rejoyning , whereby you cannot afford us the name of gods churches , because we have not the discipline by him appointed . now for that other , whether they have some glaunce of knowledge by that dumb ministery or not , may afterward in another place be considered : for the present , i answer , that even those congregations , for so much as they both have by some former ministery or means which the lord hath used towards them , received faith ; standing thereby in our saviour christ , as in the shaft of the candlestick , and being members of the same body , they may well receive some supply of their wants , from the light that shineth in the next branch unto them ; for if every assembly being without a lamp of the ministery , should by and by be holden to be broken from the shaft of the church-candlestick , then at every vacation of the ministery , and whensoever by death the lord should put out one of his lights , it should follow , that that assembly by the fall of their minister into the grave , should from the highest heaven fall into the grave of hell. but you will say peradventure , that an assembly that hath a dumb minister , is in worse case than that which bath none at all : if that be granted , it followeth not therefore , that the assembly which yesterday , being without a dumb minister , was the church of god , should to day , having such a one set over them , be the synagogue of satan . and here , methink , when you go about to make nothing of the dumb ministery , you ascribe more force unto it than it hath : for you make him not so much a guide , as an head of the church , as that those which before in all equal judgment were to be deemed members of christ , by having of them should suddenly become members of antichrist . i do not therefore yield unto you in that you say , they are the chief alway in the synagogue ; our saviour christ , in whom those companies do believe , being the chief ; with whom through faith they grow to be one body , rather than with satan by * hearing the dumb minister , to be one with him . say therefore , that it is a fault in them to hear such a minister , thrust upon them ; yet that it is an apostacy from god , and an utter falling away from the gospel , i se not with what great appearance of truth it can be spoken . moses , when divers of the people clave unto coreh , dathan , and abiram , forsaking willingly the lawful and ordinary ministery of the aaronites , did not therefore cast them forth from the lords host : and should the churches of god , for hearing a dumb minister , which is thrust upon them , forthwith be reputed for runagates from the lord ? again : the lord is in covenant with the people , to whom he gives the seals of his covenant . this he doth to our assemblies in england . therefore , they are the lords confederates . if you say , that the seals set to by the dumb ministery are no seals , ( which afterward cometh to be examined ) yet you thereby confess , that those which are ministered by sufficient ministers , are true and uncounterfeit sacraments of the church : whereby it falleth out again , that you seem to hold , that the churches of england are not the true churches of christ , because they have not his commanded discipline . hereto may be added all the churches in europe , all which give the right hand of society in the house of god unto the assemblies which are in england . which argument of churches authority , although it be not so strong as it will enforce , yet ought it to stay all sudden judgment unto the contrary : and so long to cause silence , until the cause being ripely on both sides debated , the contrary of it which the churches should do , through the lightsomness of the truth thereof break forth . and if it be meet to proceed softly , and as it were with a leaden foot , unto the excommunication of one onely member of the church of god ; there ought verily to have been great consultation taken , or ever the churches of two whole islands should have been cast out : especially , when they be holden in by voices , not onely of divers persons , but of all the churches to whom knowledge of their estate hath come . and if there were but one man worthy to be excommunicate , yet if the greater part of your assembly would not yield consent thereunto , i hold it , that the order of the discipliae requireth that the rest are to bear the person whom they cannot remove : and therefore , though the assemblies of england had deserved , through want of discipline , and of a preaching ministery , to be cast out from the accompt of the churches of god ; yet being holden in by the voices of the churches themselves , ought to have been so far born with , as the communicating should not make them guilty of a falling away from the lord. now i come to those two reasons whereby you think you may justly hold the assemblies in england for no churches of god : and first of all to the reason of the discipline , for the want whereof you gave them all without exception the black stone of condemnation from being the churches of god : where it is to be understood , that as in a man there are certain parts essential , and such as without which the man cannot stand ; and other some serving to his comelyness , or to his long continuance : so it is in this matter ; there is the foundation , christ , whereupon it is necessary that by faith the assemblies be laid , which groweth unto the lords building , without the which it cannot be his church ; which thing being , whatsoever is wanting of that which is commanded , or remaining of that which is forbidden , is not able to put that assembly , which by faith is laid upon christ , from the right and title of being the church of christ : for faith can admit no such thing , which giveth an utter overthrow and turning upside down of the truth . by this title of the faithful , the apostle in his epistles noteth out the churches of god , it being all one with him to say , to the faithful , or to the saints , as to the church of such a place . whatsoever wanteth unto this , or is more than enough , that wanteth or aboundeth to the disgrace or uncomelyness , or to the hazard of continuance , and not to the present overthrow of the church . hereupon the people of israel , which neglected for the space of forty years the holy sacrament of circumcision , and the passeover also as it seemeth ( one onely time excepted ) ceased not therefore to be the churches of god , and to have the sanctuary among them . and in this respect the dutch assemblies , whereof the greatest part in high germany ( which , beside the main of discipline , which is common to our churches , are groslly deceived in the matter of the supper ) are notwithstanding holden in the roul of the churches of god. in this respect also , certain assemblies of our profession , which having the use of the discipline permitted unto them , are not suffered to have the use of the lords supper , are not therefore ( when the lords churches are mustered , and their names written and enrouled up ) cast out as unfit to be in any accompt of the lords hosts . without any part of that order or discipline which the lord hath appointed , i grant there can be no church of christ ; or , that without some part of it , there can be no faith in jesus christ : it is a part of the discipline of our saviour christ , that there should be certain which should be chosen out of the rest to preach the gospel , by preaching whereof the churches are gathered together : where therefore there is no ministery of the word , there it is plain , that there are no visible and apparent churches . it is another piece of the discipline of the lord , that the rest of the body of the church should obey those that are set over them in the lord : wheresoever therefore there is no obedience of the people to the ministers , that in the lords name preach unto them , there can be no true church of christ . but where these two be , although other points want , yea although there be some defect in these , that neither the ministers do in all points preach as they ought , nor the assemblies in all points obey unto the wholesome doctrine of their teachers ; yet do they ( for the reason above-said ) retein the right of the churches of god. this is made plain by a similitude from the body of a man , whereinto we are already entred : for if a man should have both his hands and his arms cut off , his eyes put out , &c. yet as long as the head standeth , and other vital parts , he is to be accompted a man , although a maimed man : even so it is in the assembly ; as long as it holdeth the head , how defective soever it is otherwise , it hath the due and right of the church of god. and although a man should have six fingers in one hand , and but three in another , and albeit they should stand where the mouth doth ; yet all this deformity should not hinder him from being truely holden to be a man , although it should be a great deformity in him . on the other part , if he had no head at all , or that there were no natural conjunction of the parts one with another , but a whole and through displacing of every part from his proper seat ; then verily would he be denyed to have either the proportion of a man , or his life . so likewise if an assembly should not hold the head , which is jesus christ , or be nothing elss but a confused multitude , without part of the order which the son of god hath appointed , the same is justly crossed out of the accompt of gods church . was not jerusalem , after the return from babylon , the city of the great king , until such time as nehemiah came and builded the walls of the city ? to say therefore , it is none of the church of god , because it hath not received the discipline , metthinks it is all one with this , as if a man should say , it is no city because it hath no wall , or that it is no vineyard because it hath neither ditch nor hedge . it is not , i grant , so sightly a city , or vineyard , nor yet so safe against the invasion of their several enemies which lye in wait for them ; yet are they truely both cities and vineyards . there remaineth that other point , which is against those assemblies onely which have a dumb minister : wherein the part of your conclusion , that that assembly where they be , is none of the church of god , is before answered . therein resteth that part of your conclusion , whereby you infer , that the sacraments ministred by them are none of gods sacraments , and therefore that a man may not receive any part of them at their hands . here first i agree with you , that their ministery is unlawful , and to themselves , without repentance , a certain matter of destruction ; especially in those to whom knowledge of corruption is come : to the churches where they be , presently hurtful , and in the end without remedy , deadly : but that they are no ministers of god , so far as to receive the good they offer unto us , that ( i suppose ) i may not yield unto : the ground whereof i take from the former part of my answer ; that for so much as they are allowed by the churches of god , they ought , until remedy may be found of so great disorder , to be heard and retained so far as they can give us any thing that is of christ : and for this cause our saviour commanded , that the scribes should be heard , for that they taught truely ; which honour our saviour would never have given unto them , unless the church-calling had moved him thereunto : neither had it been lawful for the people otherwise to have heard them ; for it is evident that their unfitness and unlawfulness in the ministery ( although another way ) was as great as it is in our reading ministers . they were altogether deceived in the messias ; for neither knew they that jesus was christ ; nor yet that christ , whom they looked for , should be the son of god , but held him for a bare and naked man. it appeareth also that they taught the justification by the law of works , not onely in the 18. of luke , but even in the same very place , where our saviour christ commandeth this audience : for speaking of the works of the moral law , which they would not touch with one of their fingers , he saith , that they laid them upon the peoples backs as burthens which cannot be born : whereby our saviour ( beside their pharisaical pride and lordlyness in teaching ) signifieth that they taught them to justification ; seeing that if they had onely taught them as testimonies and fruits or faith , they had not been intolerable , bur , as our saviour christ saith , an easie yoke , and as s. john saith , not grievous nor heavy . now the dumb ministery is not farther off from the justification of a lawful ministery , than to teach untruely in the chief grounds , of religion ; neither is the edifying of the church respected in making laws for the ministery , less hindred by an unpreaching ministery . and according to this saying of our saviour christ , we may see what the practice of the prophets had been before ; who although they had oftentimes to do with false teachers and priests that were dumb dogs and not able to bark , yet ( giving the people warning of their corruptions and insufficiencies , threatning also the casting of them from their ministery , in that good time when the lord shall take pity on his church ) they are never found to have forbidden the people to have come unto their sacrifices commanded by the law unto them . yea our saviour christ that lived in the corruptest times of the church , and when things were most confused , and fewest steps of any lawful calling to be seen , yet commanded he the man whom he purged from leprosie , to shew himself to the priests generally , without willing him to make choice of a priest better instructed or affected to the truth than the rest . the high priest , although he entred by simony and reward to the romans , yet notwihstanding we see our saviour christ bore him reverence for his office sake , and ( as before his judge in spiritual causes ) gave an accompt of his doctrine . we have another example of reverence given to such rulers , even in things that were done by them wrongfully . for jeremy being for a time suspended from coming into the temple , being at liberty would not ( least , as it seemeth , he should make a tumult ) enter the temple ; and therefore ( having written that which he had to say ) sent baruch to read his sermon in the temple . moreover , when a magistrate is not able to do some part of his office , as for example , being able to do the duties which are to be performed in peace , is insufficient for martial affaire , yet no man refuseth that which he is able to give , because he is not able to do all that is required : even so , endeavouring to our uttermost a sufficient ministery , i would think in the mean season , that the good things they are able to give us , may be taken at their hands . and if any man say , that it is of the substance of a , church-minister , to be able to teach ; and therefore that he is no minister , that hath not that ability : it may be answered , that it is of the substance of a good and lawful minister of god , but not simply of a minister ; whereunto it is sufficient to have the churches calling : as it is of the substance , rather of a lawful magistrate , to be able to judge between his subjects , than simply of a magistrate , whom the election of the people , or of other to whom his choice belongeth , maketh a magistrate of the lord , although he be no lawful nor sufficient magistrate . as therefore we call him a magistrate , who for the ignorance of his charge may be called an idol magistrate ; even so it seemeth that he may be holden for a minister , which hath his churches calling , although he be not able to do the principal charge of the ministery . neither doth the place of the prophet hosee , which saith , because they have refused knowledge , they shall be no priests unto the lord , stand against this : the prophet rather giving a rule to follow in the election or disposition of them , shewing how far they may be used . finally , to that which is objected of communicating with their impiety , in any taking any thing at their hands : i answer , the same might have been laid to the peoples charge under the law ; which is never done by the prophets . secondly , if by communicating with him , we should make him minister , i grant that a piece of his guilt would stick to our fingers : but when that is not , i see not how , by receiving the sacrament of him , we partake more of his wickedness , than the son is partaker of his fathers murther , because he receiveth of his fathers gift some part of his lands or moveables : and so much the less there than here , as the father giveth his own things , whereas the dumb minister doth onely dispense the gifts of the lord. wherefore it may be rather feared , lest in refusing the sacraments offered by him , we put the lord away from us , whose they be ; than in taking of the sacraments at his hands , be partakers of impiety , which is the mans , and can take no hold of the sacraments in any sort . for even as i , not able to avoid him , may communicate with a minister , that is an adulterer , without being partaker of his adultery ; so also may i communicate with a dumb minister and yet nevertheless be free from his impiety . thus you have mine answer , written not without the fear and trembling your selves make mention of ; whereby it will not be hard for you to understand , how both our desires of being united together may be performed : and although i write in good assurance , especially in the former part as touching the rightful title of the churches of christ to be due to the assemblies of england ; yet remembring ( beside the common frailties of our whole race ) special breaches and decaies in my self , i willingly hearken to any , much more to you ( whom the lord hath bestowed good graces upon ) shewing better things : for which cause if further conference be needful , i must through business be forced to refer to conference by mouth some time after diner . and thus with most humble prayers to the lord our god for his holy spirit , where-through we may be able to discern the things that differ , to our inoffensive walking in the sight of all men , even to the day of the lord , i bid you farewel . yours thomas cartwright . the judgment of mr. baxter concerning ceremonies and conformity . those modes or circumstances of worship which are necessary in genere , but left undetermined by god in specie , are left by god to humane prudential determination : ( else an impossibility should be necessary . ) but many such there are , that are necessary in genere , but left undetermined of god in specie ; therefore many such are left to humane prudential determination . § . 5. yet it is in the power of a man to determine of such modes and circumstances as are necessary to the performance of that worship which god hath instituted in his word ; and therefore lawful governors may in such cases bind us by their commands . 1. it is left to humane determination , what place the publick assemblies shall be held in . 2. it is left to man to determine of the time of holy duties , except only where god hath determined of it already . 3. it is left to the determination of humane prudence , what vtensils to employ about the publick worship of god. here therefore we must thus conclude , 1. that every misordering of such great affairs , is the sin of them that do it . 2. but yet that the subject is not exempted from obedience by every such mistake of the governor : but by some he is . § . 67. if the mischoosing of such circumstances , by church governors , be but an inconvenience , and do not destroy the ordinance it self , or frustrate the ends of it , we are to obey : 1. for he is the judge of his own work , and not we : 2. the thing is not sinful , though inconvenient : 3. obedience is commanded to our lawful governors . we must obey in all things lawful . and when we do obey in a case of miscommanding , it is not a doing evil , that good may come of it , as some do misconceive : but it is only a submitting to that which is ill commanded , but not evil in him that doth submit . it is the determiner that is the cause of the inconvenience , and not the obeyer . nor is it inconvenient for me to obey , though it be worse perhaps to him that commandeth . while he sinneth in commanding , he may make it my duty to obey . § . 6. dist . 4. we must distinguish between ceremonies imposed by a lawful magistrate , or church-governors ; and such as are imposed by vsurpers , or men without authority . § . 25. prop. 12. it may be very sinful to command some ceremonies , which may lawfully , yea , must in duty be used by the subject when they are commanded . § . 27. prop. 14. yet certain things that are commonly called ceremonies , may lawfully be used in the church upon humane imposition ; and when it is not against the law of god , no person should disobey the commands of their lawful governors in such things . of set-forms , and the book of common-prayer . prop. 1. a stinted liturgy is in it self lawful . 2. a stinted liturgy in some parts of publick service , is ordinarily necessary . 3. in the parts where it is not of necessity , it may not onely be submitted to , but desired , when the peace of the church requireth it . 7. the safest way of composing such a publick form , is , to take it all , for matter and words , out of the holy scriptures . 8. yet is not this of such necessity , but that we may joyn in it , or use it , if the form of words be not from scripture . prop. 1. a stinted liturgy is in it self lawful this is thus proved : argument 1. that which is not directly , or consequentially forbidden by god , remaineth lawful : a stinted liturgy is not directly , or consequentially forbidden by god ; therefore it remaineth lawful . the major is undoubted's because nothing but a prohibition can make a thing unlawful . sin is a transgression of a law : where there is no law , there is no trangression : and yet i have heard very reverend men answer this , that it is enough that it is not commanded , though not forbidden . which is plainly to deny both scripture and civil principles . now for the minor , that a stinted liturgy is not forbidden , we need no other proof , than that no prohibition can be produced . argument 6. if it be lawful for the people to use a stinted form of words in publick prayer , then is it in it self lawful for the pastors : but it is lawful for the people : for the pastors prayer ( which they must pray over with him , and not onely hear it ) is a stinted form to them , even as much as if he had learnt it out of a book . they are to follow him in his method and words , as if it were a book-prayer . argument 7. it is lawful to use a form in preaching : therefore a stinted liturgy is lawful . 1. because preaching is a part of that liturgy . 2. because the reason is the same for prayer , as for that , in the main . argument 8. that which hath been the practice of the church in scripture-times , and down to this day , and is yet the practice of almost all the churches of christ on earth , is not like to be unlawful : but such is the use of some stinted forms of publick service : therefore , &c. that it was so in the jews church , and approved by christ , i have shewed . that it hath been of ancient use in the church since christ , and is at this day in use in africk , asia , europe , even among the reformed churches in france , holland , geneva , &c. is so well known , that i think i need not stand to prove it : yea , those few that seem to disuse it , do yet use it , in psalms , and other parts of worship . as for the common-prayer it self , i never rejected it because it was a form , nor thought it simply unlawful because it was such a form ; but have made use of it , and would do again in the like case . of ceremonies . the ceremonies controverted among us , were especially , the surplice , the gesture of kneeling in receiving the lords supper , the ring in marriage , laying the hand on the book in taking an oath , the organs and church-musick , holy-dayes , altars , rails , and the cross in baptisme . of the surplice . some decent habit is necessary ; either the magistrate , or the minister himfelf , or the associatcd pastors must determine what . i think neither magistrate nor synod should do any more than hinder undecency : but yet if they do more , and tye all to one habit ( add suppose it were an undecent habit ) yet this is but an imprudent use of power . it is a thing within the magistrates reach ; he doth not an aliene work , but his own work amiss : and therefore the thing in it self being lawful ; i would obey him , and use that garment , if i could not be dispensed with . yea , though secondarily the whiteness be to signifie purity , and so it be made a teaching sign , yet would i obey . of kneeling at the sacrament . but yet , as sinfully as this gesture was imposed , for my part i did obey the imposers , and would do , if it were to do again , rather than disturb the peace of the church , or be deprived of its communion . for god having made some gesture necessary , and confined me to none , but left it to humane determination , i shall submit to magistrates in their proper work , even when they miss it in the manner . i am not sure that christ intended the example of himself and his apostles , as obligatory to us that shall succeed . i am sure it proves sitting lawful ; but i am not sure that it proves it necessary : ( though very convenient . ) but i am sure , he hath commanded me obedience and peace . of the ring in marriage . and for the ring in marriage , i see no reason to scruple the lawfulness of it : for though the papists make a sacrament of marriage , yet we have no reason to take it for any ordinance of divine worship ; any more than the solemnizing of a contract between a prince and people . all things are sanctified and pure to the pure . of organs and church musick . and for organs , or other instruments of musick in gods worship , they being a help partly natural , and partly artificial , to the exhilerating of the spirits , for the praise of god , i know no argument to prove them simply unlawful , but what would prove a cup of wine unlawful , or the tune and meeter , and melody of singing unlawful . of holy-dayes . nor for my part do i make any scruple * to keep a day in remembrance of any eminent servant of christ , or martyr , to praise god for their doctrine or example , and honour their memorial . but the hardest part of the question is , whether it be lawful to keep dayes , in celebrating the memorial of christs nativity , circumcision , fasting ; transfiguration , ascension , and such like ? and yet for all this i am resolved , if i live where such holy-days as these are observed , to censure no man for observing them ; nor would i deny them liberty to follow their judgments , if i had the power of their liberties ; provided they use not reproach and violence to others ; and seek not to deprive them of their liberties . yea more , i would not onely give men their liberty in this , but if i lived under a government that peremptorily commanded it , i would observe the outward rest of such a holy-day , and i would preach on it , and joyn with the assemblies in gods worship on it . yea , i would thus observe the day , rather than offend a weak brother , or hinder any mans salvation , much more rather than i would make any division in the church . of altars , and rails . and for the next ceremony , the name and form of an altar ; no doubt it is a thing indifferent , whether the table stand this way , or that way : and the primitive churches used commonly the names of sacrifice , and altar , and priest , and i think , lawfully : for my part i shall not be he that shall condemn them . i conceive that the dislike of these things in england ( the form and name of an altar , and the rails about it ) was not as if they were simply evil . whether we shall receive the lords supper at a table , or in our seats ; and whether the table shall be of wood or stone ? whether it shall be round , or long , or square ? whether it shall stand in the east or west-end of the temple , or in the middle ? whether it shall have rails , or no rails ? all these are lest to humane prudence . of the cross in baptism . but of all our ceremonies , there is none that i have more suspected to be simply unlawful , than the cross in baptism . yet i dare not peremptorily say , that it is unlawful : nor will i condemn either ancients or moderns that use it : nor will i make any disturbance in the church about it , more than my own forbearance will make . i presume not to censure them that judge it lawful ; but onely give the reasons that make me doubt , and rather think it to be unlawful , though still with a suspicion of my own understanding . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a35057-e60 surv. of pretend . discipl . c. 34. p. 447. th. cartw. to harrisen . notes for div a35057-e490 1. reason . 2. reason . * having . 3. reason . of assemblies of dumb ministers . mat. 23. 2. joh. 9. 22. mat. 22. 42. mat. 11. joh. 5. isa . 56. mat. 8. jer. 36. 19. hos . 4. 6. notes for div a35057-e3130 disp . 4. p. 361. disp . 5. p. 400. ibid. p. 401. ibid. p. 423. p. 424. p. 396. p. 398. disp . 4. p. 358. p. 359. p. 361. p. 364. p. 421. p. 409. p. 409. p. 411. p. 411. p. 412. * in point of lawfulness ; for conveniency is according to several accidents . p. 412 , 413. p. 416. p. 417. ibid. p. 417. p. 401 , 402. p. 417. p. 418. mr. baxters rules & directions for family duties shewing how every one ought to behave himself in a christian behaviour, suitable to that relation in which god hath placed him : wherein is set forth the duty of parents (required of god) towards their children, likewise childrens duty to their parents, husbands to their wives, and wives to their husbands, masters to their servants, and servants duty to their masters ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1681 approx. 16 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27012 wing b1379 estc r6732 12324373 ocm 12324373 59513 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27012) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59513) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:15) mr. baxters rules & directions for family duties shewing how every one ought to behave himself in a christian behaviour, suitable to that relation in which god hath placed him : wherein is set forth the duty of parents (required of god) towards their children, likewise childrens duty to their parents, husbands to their wives, and wives to their husbands, masters to their servants, and servants duty to their masters ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1 sheet ([1] p.) printed by h. brugis for j. conyers ..., [s.l.] : [1681] extract from the "christian directory". cf. bm. date of publication from wing. imperfect: bottom of page cropped. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng family -early works to 1800. christian life -early works to 1800. broadsides -england -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mr. baxters rules & directions for family duties . shewing how every one ought to behave himself in a christian behaviour , suitable to that relation in which god hath placed him . wherein is set forth the duty of parents ( required of god ) towards their children ; likewise childrens duty to their parents . husbands to their wives , and wives to their husbands . masters to servants , and servants duty to their masters . a work of great use , the serious practise thereof would establish peace and prosperity in all families , and promote the power of godliness throughout the nation . and necessary to be set up in every house . josh . 24. chap. 15. ver . as for mee and my house , we will serve the lord , psal . 50. 23. to him that ordereth his conversation aright , will i shew the salvation of the lord. the obligations and duty of parents required of god towards their children , in their educating of them in godliness . be sure in the first place , that you do your part in entring them at first into the baptismal covenant ; 1. see that you be true to your covenant your self , for the promise is made to the true christians and their seed , eph. 2 ch. 13. gen. 17 ch. 4. 13. 14. 2ly , do not think that his bare being the child of godly parents , is his full condition of right to the benefits of the covenant , that is but the fundamental part ; but you must actually dedicate him to god in baptism , ( deut. 29. ch . 11. 12. ver . rom. 11 ch . 16 , john 3. ch . 2. 5. ) the child of a believer actually offered or dedicated to god , is a rightfull receiver of baptism and its benefits . 3ly . teach them therefore to know what covenant they have made , and then cease not till you have brought them heartily to consent to it at age themselves : and then bring them to the minister of the church , that he may solemnly own the covenant made in his baptism , and so may be admitted into the number of adult communicating members in a regular way . teach them the words of the covenant , 2 tim. 1 ch . 13. and also the creed , the lords prayer , and the commandements , and the catechism , teach them the meaning of them , and the way of practising all labour to possess them with the greatest reverence of god and the holy scriptures : then shew them the word of god , for all that you would teach them to know or do . 2ly . never speak to them of god and holy things , but with the greatest gravity and reverence : for if they are used once to slight , or jest , or play with holy things , they are hardened and undone . use often to take an account of what they know and what they do , both in their open and secret practise ; leave them not carelesly to themselves , but narrowly watch over them . 3ly . use all your skill and diligence by word and deed to make a holy life appear to them , as it is the most honourable , profitable , safe , and pleasant life in the world , that it may be their constant delight ; make good things pleasant to them , keep them from feeling religion as burthensom , or unpleasant , or a needless thing . first , begin with the easiest parts , as scripture histories , and then church histories : let them read the lives of holy men , written by mr. samuel clark and his martyroligy , and the lives of mr. bolton , and mr. joseph allir , mr. janeway ; dr. beards theatre of gods judgments , speak much to them of the praise of ancient and latter holy men ; be much in opening to them the riches of grace , and the joyes of glory : exercise them much in psalms and praising god ; let your discourse with them be much in the disgrace of sensuality , pride , and wordlyness : tell them how pride is the devils sin , which cast him from heaven , when others tell them of riches , honours , and preferments , do you tell them these are the devils baites to allure and steal thy heart from god that they may be damned , make them often read , luk 12 ch . 16. 18. ver jam. 14 ch . 5. ver . rom. 8 ch . 12. ver . matt. 5 ch . 21. 6. ver . wisely break them of their own wills , and let them know that they must obey and like gods will and yours . let their apparell be plain and decent , not gaudy ; be sure when they come to years of ripen , that you keep them from opportunity , nearness , or familiarity with tempting persons of another sex. be sure you ingage your children in good company , and keep them as much as possible out of bad : wicked children will infact them before you are aware , as to drink , to swear , to game , to talk filthily , to lying , and to make a mock of godliness and sobriety . teach them to know the value of precious time , and the shortness of this life , and to set death still before their eyes ; use them to read good books , let your correction of them be wisely used as they need it , not too severely as to disaffect them to you , nor so little as to leave them in a course of sin and disobedience , let it be alwayes in love . pray earnestly for them , and commit them by faith to christ , into whose covenant you did ingage them . go before them by a holy life : let your practice tell them what you would have them be , especially in representing godliness delightful , and in living in the joyful hopes of heaven . choose such trades for them that have least dangerous temptations , and when marriagable , provide such for them as are truly suitable , and stay not till lust and folly insnate them . these are the counsels which i earnestly recommend to you in this important work , for your childrens souls are so precious , and the difference between the good and bad so great , that all this must not seem too much , for i take the due education of children for the needfullest and excellent work in the world , especially for mothers . the duties of husbands to their wives , and wives to their husbands . the common duty of husband and wife is to love each other , ( eph. 5 ch . 25. ver . husbands love your wives even as christ loved his church , ) and therefore choose one that is truly , lovely , and proceed in your choice , with great deliberation , and avoid all things as tend to quench love. 2ly . dwell together and enjoy each other , 1 cor. 7 ch . 29. ver . and faithfully joyn together in the education of your children , the government of your family , and the management of your worldly business . 3ly . especially to be helpers of each others salvation , to stir up each other to faith , love , and obedience , and good works , to warn and help each other against sin and all temptations , to joyn in gods worship in the family and in private , to prepare each other for the approach of death , and comfort each other in the hopes of life eternal . 4ly . to avoid all dissentions , and to bear with those infirmities in each other which you cannot cure : to asswage , and not to provoke unruly passions , and in lawful things to please each other . 5ly . to keep continual chastity and fidelity , and to avoid all unseemly and immodest carriage with any other , which may stir up jealousie , and yet to avoid jealousie which is unjust . 6ly . to help each other to bear their burthens ( and not by impatience to make them greater ) in poverty , crosses , sickness , and dangers , to comfort and to support each other , and to be delightful companions in holy love and heavenly hopes and duties , when all other outward comforts faile . the more special duties of husbands are to exercise love and authority together , ( never seperated ) to his wife . 2ly . to be chief teacher and governour of the family , and provider for its maintainance , to excell the wife in knowledge and patience , and to be her teacher and guide in the matters of god , and to keep up the wives authority & honour in the family over inferiors . the special duties of wives are , to excell in love , and 2ly . be obedient to their husbands , and examples therein to the rest of the family , submissively to learn of their husbands , ( that can teach them ) and not to be self conceited , talktive , or imperious , to subdue their passions , not to tempt their husband to satisfie their vain desire in pride , excess , revenge , or any evil ; not to rob god and the poor by a proud wastfull humour . 5ly . to govern their tongues , that their words be few , and grave , and sober . 6ly . to be contented in every condition , to avoid the childish vanity of gaudy apparel , and following of vain fashions of the prouder sort . 7ly . to help on the maintainance of the family by frugality , not to dispose of her husbands estate without his consent . 8ly . above all to be constant helpers for the holy education of their children ; for this is the most eminent service that women can do in the world ; she must daily catechise them , and teach them to know god , and mind them of the world to come , and teach them to pray . the duty of children to parents is to love them dearly , and to be thankfull for all that love & care which they can never requite , 2ly . to learn of them submisively , especially the doctrine of salvation . 3ly . to obey them diligently in all lawful things in obedience to god. 4ly . to honour them in thought , words , and actions , and to avoid all appearance of slighting , dishonour , and contempt . 5ly . to be contented with their parents allowance and provisions , and willing and ready to such labour or imployment as they command them . 6ly . to take patiently the reprooffs and corrections of their parents , and to confess their faults with humble penitence , and to amend . 7ly . to use such company as their parents command them , and not to run into the company of vain and tempting persons . 8ly . to be content with such a calling as their parents choose for them . 9ly . to marry by their parents choice or consent only . 10ly . to relieve their parents if they need . gen. 9. ch . 22. prov. 30 ch . 17. 13. 24. prov. 6 ch . 20 ver . col. 3 ch . 20 ver . a short prayer for children . let thy blessing o lord , be upon my parents and governours , cause them to instruct and educate me in thy fear , cause mee with thankfulness to receive their instruction , and to love , honour , and obey them in obedience to thee : keep mee from the snares of evil company , temptations , and yotuhful pleasures , and let mee be a companion of those that fear god ; let my daily delight be to meditate on thy law , and let me never have the mark of the ungodly , to be a lover of pleasure more than of god ; furnish my youth with those treasures of wisdom and holiness which may be daily increased and used to thy glory . all this i beg and hope for on the account and merits of jesus christ my saviour , saying , as he hath taught me , our father which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name , &c. the duty of masters towards their servants . is to rule them with that gentleness as becometh fellow christians , and yet with such authority , as that they be not encouraged to contempt . 2ly . to restrain them from sinning against god. 3ly . to instruct them in the doctrine of salvation , and pray with them , and go before them by the example of a sober life . 4ly . to keep them from evil company , and temptations , and opportunity 〈◊〉 sinning . 5ly . to set them upon meet labours , to keep no idle serving men , nor yet to over-labour them to the injury of their health , nor command them any unlawfull thing . 6ly . to provide them such food and lodging as is wholesome and meet for them ; and to pay them what wages is due to them by promise or desert . 7ly . to bear patiently with their daily infirmities , and such frailties as must be expected in mankind , eph. 6 ch . 9. 10 ver . col. 4. ch . 12. 3. ver . the duty of servants to their masters . first , to honour and reverence them , and obey them in all lawful things belonging to their places to command , and to avoid all words and carriage , which savour of dishonour , contempt , or disobedience . 2ly . to perform all labour willingly which they undertake , and is required of them , and that without grudging : and to be as faithful behind their masters backs as before their faces . 3ly . to be trusty in word and deed , and abhor lying and deceit , not to wrong their masters in buying or selling , or by stealing any thing that is theirs , no not meat nor drink against their will : but being as thrifty and carefull for their masters profit , as if it were their own , not to murmer at the means of ●ood that is wholesome , nor to desire a life of fulness , ease , and idleness . 5ly . to be more careful to do their duty to their masters , then how their masters shall use them , because ●in is worse than suffering . 6ly . not to reveale the secrets of the family abroad , to strangers or neighbours . 7ly . thankfully to receive instructions , and to learn god's word , and to observe the lords day , and seriously joyn in publick and private worshipping of god. 8ly . to bear patiently reprooff and due correction , and to confess faults and to amend . 9ly . to pray daily for a blessing on the family , on their labours and themselves . 10ly . to do all this in true obedience to god , expecting their reward from him , 1 pet. 2. ch . 18. tit. 2 ch . 9. ver . 1 tim. 6 chap. 12 ver . col. 3 ch . 22. 2● eph. 6 ch . 5 ver . matt. 10 ch . 24 ver . the servants prayer . o lord , as thou hast made mee a servant , make mee co●sionable and faithful in my place , trusty and carefull 〈◊〉 my masters goods and business , as i would be if it 〈◊〉 my own ; make me submissive and obedient to my govern●● 〈◊〉 keep mee from self-will and pride , from murmuring and 〈◊〉 iterant speeches , from falshood sloathfulness & all deceit , that 〈◊〉 be not an eye servant pleasing my lust & fleshly appetite 〈◊〉 may chearfully and willingly do my duty , as believing that 〈◊〉 art the revenger of all unfaithfulness and may 〈…〉 not only as unto man , but as unto the lord , expecting from 〈◊〉 my chief reward . all this i beg on the account of the 〈◊〉 of my dear saviour jesus christ , concluding in the 〈…〉 hath taught us , our father which art in heaven , &c. printed by 〈◊〉 for j. conyers in duck lane , 〈…〉 there is lately printed a most exellent sheet , called si●●s groans , or the distressed state of the 〈◊〉 church . two papers of proposals concerning the discipline and ceremonies of the church of england humbly presented to his majesty by the reverend ministers of the presbyterian perswasion. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1661 approx. 61 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 13 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27060 wing b1440 estc r201112 12626673 ocm 12626673 64662 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27060) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 64662) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 344:6 or 2302:6) two papers of proposals concerning the discipline and ceremonies of the church of england humbly presented to his majesty by the reverend ministers of the presbyterian perswasion. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 24 p. [s.n.], london : 1661. drawn up by richard baxter. cf. halkett & laing (2nd ed.). reproduction of originals in union theological seminary library, new york and the newberry library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -customs and practices. church of england -discipline. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion two papers of proposals concerning the discipline and ceremonies of the church of england . humbly presented to his majesty , by the reverend ministers of the presbyterian perswasion . london , printed in the year , 1661. the first paper . may it please your most excellent majesty , we your majesties loyal subjects cannot but acknowledge it as a very great mercy of god , that immediately after your wonderful and peaceable restauration unto your throne and government ( for which we blesse his name ) he hath stirred up your royal heart , as to a zealous declaration against all prophaneness in the people , so to endeavour an happy composing of the differences , and healing of the sad breaches which are in the church . and we shall , according to our bounden duty , become humble suiters at the throne of grace , that the god of peace who hath put such a thing as this into your majesties heart , will , by his heavenly wisdom and holy spirit , so assist you therein , and bring your resolutions to so perfect an effect and issue , that all the people of these kingdoms may have abundant cause to rise up and bless you , and bless god who hath delighted in you , to make you his instrument in so happy a work : that as your glorious progenitor , henry the seventh , was happy in uniting the two houses of york and lancaster , and your grandfather king james ( of blessed memory ) in uniting the kingdoms of england and scotland ; so this honour may be reserved to your majesty ( as a radiant jewel in your crown ) that by your princely wisdom and christian moderation , the hearts of the people may be united , and the unhappy differences and mis-understandings amongst brethren in matters ecclesiastical so composed , that the lord may be one , and his name one in the midst of your dominions . in an humble conformity to this your majesties christian design , we taking it for granted , that there is a firm agreement between our brethren and us in doctrinal truths of the reformed religion , and in the substantial parts of divine worship ; and that the differences are only in some various conceptions about the ancient form of church government , and some particulars about liturgie and ceremonies ; do in all humble obedience to your majesty represent , first , in as much as the ultimate end of church-government and ministry , is , that holiness of life and the salvation of souls may be effectually promoted , we humbly desire in the first place , that we may be secured of those things in practice , of which we seem to be agreed in principles : as , 1. that those of our flocks who are diligent and serious about the matters of their salvation , may not by words of scorn , or any abusive usages , be suffered to be reproachfully handled , but may have liberty and encouragement in their duties , of exhorting and provoking one another to love and to good works , and of building up one another in their most holy faith , and by all religious and peaceable means of furthering one another in the waies of eternal life ; who being not therein opposite to church-assemblies , nor refusing the guidance and inspection of their pastors , and being responsible for what they do or say . 2. that each congregation may have a learned , orthodox , and godly pastor residing among them , to the end the people may be publickly instructed , by preaching every lords day , by catechising and frequent administration of the lords supper , and of baptism , and other ministerial acts , as the occasions and necessities of the people may require in health and sikness : and that effectual provision of law may be made , that such as are insufficient , negligent , or scandalous , may not be allowed or permitted in so sacred a function and imployment . 3. that none may be admited to the lords supper , till they can competently understand the principles of christian religion , and do personally own their baptismal covenant , by credible profession of faith and holiness , not contradicting the same by a contrary profession , or by a scandalous life ; and that unto such only confirmation ( if continued in the church ) may be administred . and that the approbation of the pastors , to whom the catechising and instructing those under their charge doth appertain , may be produced before any person receive confirmation . which course ( we humbly conceive ) will much conduce to the quieting those sad disputes which have greatly troubled the church of god amongst us , touching church-members and communicants . 4. that an effectual course may be taken for the sanctification of the lords day , appropriating the same to holy exercises both in publick and private , without any unnecessary divertisments ; it being certain and by long experience found , that the due observation thereof is a special means of preserving and promoting the power of godliness , and obviating of prophaness . then for matters in difference , viz. church-government , liturgy , and ceremonies , we humbly represent to your majesty : that although upon just reasons , we do dissent from the ecclesiastical hierarchy or prelacy disclaimed in covenant , as it was stated and exercised in these kingdomes ; yet we do not , nor ever did renounce the true ancient primitive episcopacy , or presidency , as it was ballanced or managed by a due commixtion of presbyters therewith , as a fit means to avoid corruptions , partialities , tyrannies , and other evils which may be incident to the administration of one single person : which kinde of attempored episcopacy , or presidency , if it shall by your majesties grave wisdome and gracious moderation , be in such manner constituted ( as that the fore-mentioned , and other like evils , may be certainly prevented ) we shall humbly submit thereunto . and in order to an happy accommodation in this weighty business , we desire humbly to offer to your majesty some of the particulars , which we conceive were amiss in the episcopal-government , as it was practised before the year , 1640. as , 1. the great extent of the bishops diocess , which was much too large for his own personal inspection , wherein he took apersonal charge over the souls of all those within his bishoprick ; which burden must needs be granted to be too heavy for any one man's shoulders , the pastoral office being a work of personal ministration and trust , and that of the highest concernment to the souls of the people , for which they are to give an account to christ . 2. that by reason of this disability to discharge their duties and trusts personally , the bishops did depute the administration of much of their trust , even in matters of spiritual cognizance to commissaries , chancellors , and officials , whereof some are secular persons , and could not administer that power which originally pertaineth to the officers of the church . 3. that those bishops who affirm , the episcopal office to be a distinct order by divine right , from that of the presbyter ; did assume the sole power of ordination and jurisdiction to themselves . 4. that some of the bishops exercised an arbitrary power , as by sending forth their articles of visitation , inquiring unwarrantably into several things , and swearing the church-wardens to present accordingly ; so also by many innovations and ceremonies imposed upon ministers and people , not required by law. for the reforming of these evils , we first crave leave to offer to your majesty : 1. the late most reverend primate of ireland his reduction of episcopacy , unto the form of a synodical government , received in the ancient church as a ground-work towards an accommodation and fraternal-agreement , in this point of ecclesiastical government ; which we rather do , not only in regard of his eminent piety and singular abilities , as in all other parts of learning , so in that especially of the antiquities of the church ; but also , because therein expedients are offered towards in the healing of these grievances . 2. and in order to the same end , we further humbly desire , that the suffragans chorepiscopi , mentioned in the primate's reduction , may be chosen by the respective synods , and by that election may be sufficiently authorized to discharge their trust , and that the associations may not be so large as to make the discipline impossible , or to take off the ministers from the rest of their necessary work. 3. that no oathes , or promises of obedience to the bishops , nor any unnecessary subscriptions or engagements be made necessary to ordination , institution , or induction , ministration , communion , or immunities of ministers , they being responsible for any transgression of the law : and that no bishop , nor any ecclesiastical governor , may at any time exercise their government by their private will or pleasure , but only by such rules , canons and constitutions , as shall be by act of parliament ratified and established : and that sufficient provision may be made to secure both ministers and people against the rules of arbitrary government . secondly , liturgy . 1. we are satisfied in our judgments concerning the lawfulness of a liturgy , or form of worship , provided it be for the matter agreeable to the word of god , and fitly suited to the nature of the several ordinances and necessities of the church , neither too tedious in the whole , nor composed of too short prayers or responsals , not dissonant from the liturgies of the reformed churches ; nor too rigorously imposed , nor the minister confined thereunto , but that he may also make use of the gifts for prayer and exhortation which christ hath given him , for the service and edification of the church . 2. inasmuch as the book of common prayer hath in it many things which are justly offensive , and need amendment , hath been long discontinued , and very many , both ministers and people , and persons of pious , loyal , and peaceable minds , therein greatly dis-satisfied ; whereupon if it should be again imposed , will inevitably follow sad divisions and widening of the breaches which your majesty is endeavouring to heal : we do most humbly offer to your masties wisdome , that for preventing of so great evils , and for setling the church in vnity and peace , some learned , godly and moderate divines of both perswasions , indifferently chosen , may be imployed to compile such a form as is before described , as much as may be in scripture-words ; or at least to revise and effectually reform the old , together with an addition or insertion of other varying forms in scripture-phrase , to be used at the ministers choice ; of which variety and liberty there be instances in the book of common prayer . thirdly , concerning ceremonies . we humbly represent , that we hold our selves obliged in every part of divine worship , to do all things decently , in order , and to edification , and are willing therein to be determined by authority in such things as being meerly circumstantial , are common to humane actions , and are to be ordered by the light of nature , and humane prudence , according to the general rules of the word , which are alwaies to be observed . and as to divers ceremonies formerly retained in the church of england , we do in all humility offer to your majesty these ensuing considerations . that the worship of god is in it self pure , and perfect , and decent , without having any such ceremonies affixed thereunto ; for did they contribute any thing to that necessary decency which the apostle requires , we might expect to meet with them in the apostles time , there being no reason to induce us to the use of them , which might not have induced them . that the lord hath declared himself in the matters that concern his worship , to be a jealous god , and this worship of his is certainly then most pure , and most agreeable to the simplicity of the gospel , and to his holy and jealous eyes , when it hath least of humane admixtures ( in things of themselves confessedly unnecessary ) adjoyned and appropriated thereunto . upon these accounts many faithful servants of the lord knowing his word to be a perfect rule , of faith and worship ( by which they must judge of his acceptance of their services , and must be themselves judg'd ) have ever been exceeding fearful of varying from his will , and of the danger of displeasing him by additions or detractions , in such duties , wherein they must daily expect the communication of his grace and comfort ; especially in seeing these ceremonies have been imposed and urged upon such considerations as draw too near to the significacy and moral efficacy of sacraments themselves , that they have together with popery been rejected by many of the reformed churches abroad ; amongst whom , notwithstanding , we doubt not but the lord is worshipped decently , orderly , and in the beauty of holiliness : and ever since the reformation they have been a matter of contention and endless dispute in this church , and have been a cause of depriving the church of the fruit and benefit they might have reaped from the labors of many learned and godly divines , some of whom judging them unlawful , others inexpedient , were in conscience unwilling to be brought under the power of them ; and they have occasioned through the offence taken at them by many of the people heretofore great separation in our church , and so have rather prejudiced than promoted the vnity thereof : and at this time by reason of their long disuse , may be more likely than ever heretofore to produce the same inconvenience . and they are at best indifferent , and in their nature mutable : and that it is ( especially in various exigencies of the church ) very needful and expedient , that things in themselves mutable , be sometimes actually changed , lest they should by perpetual permanency and constant use , be judged by the people as necessary as the substantials of worship themselves . and though we do most heartily acknowledge your majesty to be custos utriusque tabulae , and to be supream governor over all persons , and in all things and causes , as well ecclesiastical as civil , in these your majesties dominions ; yet we humbly crave leave to beseech your majesty to consider , whether , as a christian magistrate , you be not as well obliged by that doctrine of the holy apostle , touching things indifferent , in not occasioning offence to weak brethren , as the apostle himself ( then one of the highest officers in the church of christ ) judged himself to be obliged by ? and whether the great work , wherein the lord hath intrusted your majesty , be not rather to provide by your sacred authority , that the things which are necessary by divine command in gods worship , should be duly performed , than that things unnessary should be made by humane command necessary and penal ? and how greatly pleasing will it be to the lord , that your majesties heart is so tenderly and religiously compassionate to such of his poor servants , differing in some matters , who prefer the peace of their consciences in god's worship , above their own civil concernments whatsoever . may it therefore please your majesty out of your princely care for the healing of our breaches , graciously to grant , that kneeling at the lords supper , and such holy daies , as are but of humane institution , may not be imposed upon such as do conscienciously scruple the observation of them . and that the use of the surplice , and cross in baptism , and bowing at the name of jesus ( rather than christ or emmanuel , or any other names whereby the divine person , or either of the other divine persons is denominated ) may be abolished . these things being in the judgment of the imposers themselves , but indifferent and mutable ; and in the judgment of others , a rock of offence ; and in the judgment of all , not to be valued with the peace of the church . we likewise represent to your majesty , that divers ceremonies ( which we conceive have no foundation in the law of the land ) as erecting altars , bowing towards them , and such like , have not only been introduced , but in some places imposed , whereby an arbitrary power was usurped , divers ministers of the gospel ( though conformable to the established ceremonies ) troubled , some reverend and learned bishops offended , protestants grieved , and the papists pleased , as hoping these innovations might make way to greater changes . may it therefore please your majesty , in such waies as your royal wisdome shall judge meet , effectually to prevent the imposing and using such innovations for the future ; that so according to the pious intention of your royal grandfather ( king james of blessed memory ) the publick worship may be free , not only from blame , but from suspition . in obedience to your majesties royal pleasure signified to us , we have tendered to your sacred majesty , what we humbly conceive may most conduce to the glory of god , to the peace and reformation of the church , and to the taking away , not only our differences , but the roots and causes of them . we humbly beg your majesties favourable acceptance of these our loyal and consciencious endeavours to serve the church of christ ; and your majesties gracious pardon , if in any thing or expression we answer not your majesties expectation ▪ professing before your majes●●● and before the lord the searcher of all hearts , that we have done nothing out of strife and vain-glory , or emulation , but have sincerely offered what we apprehend most seasonable , as conducing to that happy end of vnity and peace , which your majesty doth so piously prosecute . we humbly lay ourselves , and these our addresses , at your majesties feet ; professing our unfeigned resolution , to live and die your majesties real , faithful , and obedient subjects : and humbly implore your gracious majesty , according to your princely wisdom and fatherly compassion , to lay your hands upon the bleeding rents and divisions that are among us , that there may be an healing of them . so shall your throne be greater than the throne of your fathers ; and in your daies the righteous shall flourish , peace run down like a river , and the generations to come shall call you blessed . the second paper . may it please your majesty , so great was the comfort created in our mindes by your majesties oft expressed resolution , to become the effectual moderator in our differences , and your self to bring us together , by procuring such mutual condescentions as are necessarie thereto ; and also by your gracious acceptance of our proposals , which your majesty heard and received , not onely without blame , but with acknowledgement of their moderatio● ; and as such as would infer a reconciliation between the differing parties ; that we must needs say , that the least abatement of our hopes is much the more unwelcome and grievous to us , in finding so much of the proposed necessarie means for our agreement ( especially in the point of government ) here passed by in your majesties declaration , as if it were denied us . but yet remembring the gracious and encouraging promises of your majestie , and observing your majesties clemencie in what is here granted us , and your great condescention in vouchsafing not only so graciously to hear us in these our humble addresses and requests , but also to grant us the fight of our declaration before it is resolved on , with libertie of returning our additional desires , and hope that they shall not be rejected . we reassume our confidence , and comfortably expect , that what is not granted us in this declaration that is reasonable and necessary to our agreement , shall yet be granted upon fuller consideration of the equity of our requests . as our designs and desires are not for any worldly advantages or dignities to our selves , so have we not presumed to meddle with any civil interest of your majesty , or any of your officers , nor in matters of meer convenience , to cast our reason into the ballance against your majesties prudence , but meerly to speak for the laws , and worship , and servants of the lord , and for the peace of our consciences , and for the safety of our own and our brethrens souls . it lifts us up with joy to think what happy consequences will ensue , if your majesty shall entertain these healing motions ; how happily our differences will be reconciled , and the exasperated minds of men composed ! how temptations to contention and uncharitableness will be removed ! how comfortably your majesty will reign in the dearest affections of your subjects , and how firmly they will adhere to your interest as their own ! how chearfully and zealously the united parts and interests of the nation will conspire to serve you ! what a strength and honour a righteous magistracy a learned , loyal , holy ministry , and a faithful , praying people will be to your throne ! and how it will be your glory to be king of the most religious nation in the world ! that hath no considerable parties , but what are centred under christ in you. what a comfort it will be to the bishops and pastors of the church to be honoured and loved by all the most religious of their flocks , to see the success of their labours and the beauty of the church promoted by our common concord , and brethren to assemble and dwell together in unity , serving one god , according to one rule , with one heart and mouth . and on the contrary , should we lose the opportunity of our desired reconciliation and vnion , it astonisheth us to foresee what dolefull effects our divisions would produce , which we will not so much as mention in particular , lest our words should be misunderstood . and seeing all this may be safely and easily prevented , we humbly beseech the lord in mercy to vouchsafe to your majesty , an heart to discern aright of time and judgment . and as these are our general ends and motives , so we are induced to insist upon the form of a synodical government , conjunct with a fixed presidency or episcopacy , for these reasons . 1. we have reason to believe that no other terms will be so generally agreed on , and it is no way injurious to episcopal power , but most firmly establisheth all in it that can pretend to divine authority , or true antiquity : it granteth them much more than reverend bishop hall in his peace-maker , and many others of that judgment do require , who would have accepted of the fixing of the president for life , as sufficient for the reconciliation of the churches . 2. it being agreeable to the scripture and the primitive government , is likeliest to be the way of a more universal concord , if ever the churches on earth arrive to such a blessing : however it will be most accptable to god , and wel-informed consciences . 3. it will promote the practice of discipline & godliness without disorder , and promote order without hindering discipline & godliness . 4. and it is not to be silenced ( though in some respects we are loth to mention it ) that it will save the nation from the violation of the solemn vow and covenant , without wronging the church at all , or breaking any other oath . and whether the covenant were lawfully imposed or not , we are assured from the nature of a vow to god , and from the case of saul , zedekiah , and others , that it would be a terrible thing in us to violate it on that pretence . though we are far from thinking that it obligeth us to any evil , or to go beyond our places & callings to do good , much less to resist authority , ( to which it doth oblige us ) yet doth it undoubtedly bind us to forbear our own consent to those luxuriances of church-government which we there renounced , and for which no divine institution can be pretended . not presuming to meddle with the consciences of those many of the nobility and gentry , and others , that adhered to this late majesty in the late unhappy wars , who at their composition took this vow and covenant . we only crave your majesties clemency to our selves and others , who believe themselves to be under its obligations . and god forbid that we that are the ministers of the word of truth should do any thing to encourage your majesties subjects to cast off the conscience of an oath . till the covenant was decried as an almanack out of date , and its obligation taken to be null , that odious fact could never have been perpetrated against your royal father , nor your majesty have been so long expulsed from your dominions . and the obligation of the covenant upon the consciences of the nation , was not the weakest instrument of your return . we therefore humbly beseech your majesty ( with greater importunity than we think we should do for our lives ) that you would have mercy on the souls and consciences of your people , and will not suffer us to be tempted to the violation of such solemn vows , and this for nothing , when an expedient is before you that will avoid it , without any detriment to the church ; nay , to its honor & advancement . the prelacy , which we disclaim , is , that of diocesans upon the claim of a superior order to a presbyter , assuming the sole power of ordination , and of publick admonition of particular offender ▪ enjoyning penitence , excommunicating and absolving ( besides confirmation ) over so many churches , as necessitated the corruption or extirpation of discipline , and the using of humane officers ( as chancellors , surrogates , officials , commissaries , arch-deacons ) while the undoubted officers of christ ( the pastors of the particular churches ) were hindred from the exercise of their office. the restauration of discipline in the particular churches , and of the pastors to the exercise of their office therein , and of synods for necessary consultation and communion of churches , and of the primitive presidency or episcopacy , for the avoiding of all shew of innovation and disorder , is that which we humbly offer as the remedy , beseeching your majesty , that if any thing asserted seem unproved , an impartial conference in your majesties hearing may be allowed us in order to a just determination . concerning the preamble of your majesties declaration , we presume onely to tender these requests . 1. that we are perswaded it is not in your majesties thoughts , to intimate that we are guilty of the offences which your majesty here reciteth ; so we hope it will rather be a motive to the hastning the nations cure , that our unity may prevent man's temptations of that nature for the time to come . 2. though we have professed our willingness to submit to the primitive episcopacy and reformed liturgie , hoping it may prove an expedient to an happy union ; yet have we expressed our dislike of the prelacy and present liturgie , while unreformed . and though sacriledge and unjust alienation of church-lands , is a thing that we detest , yet whether in some cases of true superfluity of revenues , or true necessity of the church , there may not be an alienation which is no sacriledge ? and whether the kings and parliaments have been guilty of this crime that have made some alienations , are points of high concernment , of which we never had a call to give our judgment ; and therefore humbly beseech your majesty , that concerning these matters , we may not to our prejudice be otherwise understood , than as we have before and here expressed . 3. that as your majesty hath here vouchsafed us your gracious acknowledgment of our moderation , it may never be sayd , that a minister and people of such moderate principles , consenting to primitive episcopacy and liturgy , could not be received into the settlement and countenanced body of your people , nor possess their stations in the church , and liberty in the publick worship of god. 4. and whereas it is expressed by your majesty , that the essence and foundation of episcopacy may be preserved , though the extent of the jurisdiction may be altered ; this is to us a ground of hope , that seeing the greatning or lessening of episcopal power is in your majesties judgment but a matter of convenience , the lord will put it into your heart to make such alteration in the alterable points , as the satisfaction of the consciences of sober men , and the healing and union of the churches do require . and as to our plea for primitive episcopacy ; the offices and ordinances of christ must be still distinguished from the alterable accidents ; though we plead not for the primitive poverty , persecution , or restraints , yet must we adhere to the primitive order , and worship , and administrations in the substance , as believing that the circumstantiating of them is much committed unto man , but to institute the offices and ordinances , is the high prerogative of christ , the universal king and law-giver of the church . concerning the matter of your majesties concessions , as related to our proposals . i. we humbly renew our petition to your majesty for the effectual securing of those premised necessaries , which are the matter of our chiefest care , and whereunto the controverted points subserve , viz. 1. that private exercises of piety may be encouraged . 2. that an able faithful ministry may be kept up , and the insufficient , negligent , and non-resident and scandalous cast out . 3. that a credible profession of faith and obedience be pre-required of communicants . 4. that the lords day may be appropriated to holy exercises , without unnecessary devertisements . i. for church-government : in this your majesties declaration , parish-discipline is not sufficiently granted us ; inferior synod : with their presidents are passed by : and the bishop , which your majesty here declareth for , is not episcopus praeses , but episcopus princeps ; endued with sole power both of ordination and jurisdiction : for though it be sayd , the bishop shall do nothing without the advise of the presbyters , yet their consent is not made necessary , but he may go contrary to the counsel of them all . and this advice is not to be given by the diocesan synod , or any other representatives of the clergy , but by the dean and chapter , and so many , and such others as he please to call . in all which there being nothing yeilded us , which is sufficient to the desired accommodation and vnion ; we humbly prosecute our petition to your majesty , that the primitive presidency , with their respective synods , described by the late reverend primate of ireland , may be the form of church-government established among us , at least in these three needful points . 1. that the pastors of the respective parishes may be allowed not only publickly to preach , but personally to catechise , or otherwise instruct the several families ( admitting none to the lord's table , that have not personally owned their baptismal covenants , by a credible profession of faith and obedience ) and to admonish and exhort the scandalous , in order to their repentance , to hear the witnesses and the accused party , and to appoint fit times , and places for these things : and to deny such persons the communion of the church , and the holy eucharist , that remain impenitent , or that wilfully refuse to come to their pastors to be instructed , or to answer such probable accusations , and to continue such exclusion of them till they have made a credible profession of their repentance , ● and then to receive them again to the communion of the church provided there be place for due appeals to superior power . al this we beseech your majesty to express , under your fifth concession , because it is to us of very great weight , and the rubrick is unsatisfactory , to which we are referred . 2. that all the pastors of each rural deanry , having a stated president chosen by themselves ( if your majesty please to grant them that liberty ) may meet once a month , and may receive presentments of all such persons , as notwithstanding suspention from communion of the church , continue impenitent , and unreformed ; and having further admonished them , may proceed to the sentence of solemn excommunication , if after due patience they cannot prevail : and may receive the appeals of those that conceive themselves injuriously suspended , and may decide the cause . or ( if this cannot be attained ) at least , that the pastors of each rural deanry , with their president , may have power to meet monthly , and receive all such presentments and appeals , and judge whether they are fit to be transmitted to the diocesan or not : and to call before them and admonish the offenders so presented ; yet if the presentments against magistrates and ministers be resolved only to the diocesan synod , and their appeals immediately put in , we shall therein submit to your majesties pleasure . 3. that a diocesan synod , consisting of the delegates of the several rural synods be called as often as need requireth ; and that without the consent of the major part of them , the diocesan may not ordain or exercise any spiritual censures on any of the ministers , nor excommunicate any of the people but by the consent of the synod , or of the pastors of the particular parishes where they had communion . and that not only chancellors , but also archdeacons , commissaries and officials ( as such ) may pass no censures purely spiritual , but for the exercise of civil government , coercively by mulcts , or corporal penalties , by power derived from your majesty , as supream over persons and things ecclesiastical , we presume not at all to interpose , but shall submit to any that act by your majesties commission . our reasons for the first part of discipline , viz. in particular parishes , are these . it is necessary to the honour of the christian profession , to the integrity of worship , to the destruction of impiety and vice , to the preservation of the sound , the raising them that are fallen , the comforting of the penitent , the strengthning of the weak , the purity , order , strength and beauty of our churches , the unity of believers , and the pleasing of christ who hath required it by his laws : and withall it 's agreeable to the ancient canons and practice of the churches ; and is consented to by our reverend brethren , and so is no matter of controversie now between us . yet is not the rubrick satisfactory to which we are referred . 1. because it leaves the people at liberty , whether they will let us know of their intention to communicate , till the night or morning before , and alloweth us then only to admonish them ; when in great parishes 't is impossible for want of time . 2. because it alloweth us to deny the sacrament to those only that maliciously refuse reconciliation with their neighbors , and only to admonish other scandalous sinners to forbear ; though the canon forbid us to deliver them the sacrament . the reasons why we insist on the second proposal , are these : it being agreed on between us , that the younger , less discreeter sort of ministers are unfit to pass the sentence of excommunication without advice and moderation by others ; and every church is not like to be provided with grave , discreet , judicious guides ; the necessity of these frequent lesser synods for such moderation , and advice , and guidance , will appear by these two general evidences ; 1. it is the very nature and substance of the office of a presbyter to have the power of the keys for binding or loosing , retaining , or remitting sin : which therefore together , or apart , as there is occasion , they are bound to exercise . and this being the institution of jesus christ , cannot be altered by man. in their ordination , according to the established order in england , it is sayd [ whose sins thou dost remit they are remitted , whose sins thou dost retain they are retained . ] and they are commanded to minister the doctrine , sacraments , and discipline of christ as the lord hath commanded , and as this realm hath received the same , as expresly as the bishops are . and as the late primate of ireland observeth in his reduction , that they may the better understand what the lord hath commanded , the exhortation of s. paul to the elders of the church of ephesus is appointed to be read to them at the time of their ordination : take heed to your selves , and to all the flock over which the holy ghost hath made you overseers , to feed ( or rule ) the congregation of god which he hath purchased with his blood . and it is apparent in this acts 20.17 , 18 , 28. act. 14.23 . act. 15. — 1 thes . 5.12 , 13. 1 tim. 3 , 4 , 5. 1 tim. 5.17 . heb. 13.7 , 17 , 24. and other places , that it is the office of a presbyter to over-see , rule , and guide the flock with that ministerial rule which consisteth in the exercise of the keys , or management , or personal application of gods word to the consciences and cases of particular persons , for their salvation , and order of the church ; the coercive power belonging to the magistrate . and this was the practice of the ancient church , as appeareth undeniably in ignatius , tertullian , cyprian , jerome , chrysostome , &c. concil . carthag . 4 can. 22 , 23 , 29 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37. and is confessed by the chiefest defenders of episcopacy . ii. if all presentments and appeals be made to the bishop and his consistory alone , it will take from us the parish-discipline , ( which is granted us ) and cast almost all discipline out of the church ; as is most apparent to them , that by experience are acquainted with the quality of our flocks , and the true nature of the pastoral work , considering , 1. how many hundred churches are in a diocess . 2. how many thousand persons are in many parishes ; and of those , what a number are obstinate in wilful gross ignorance or scandal , refusing to be instructed or admonished by their pastors . 3. how long , and earnestly , and tenderly , sinners must be dealt with , before they are cut off by solemn excommunication . 4. how unsatisfactory it must be to the conscience of a bishop or synod , to cut off a man as impenitent , upon the bare report of a minister , before they have upon full admonition proved him impenitent themselves , especially when too many ministers are ( to say nothing of a passion that may cause partial accusation ) unable so to manage a reproof and exhortation , as is necessary to work on the consciences of the people , and to convict resisters of flat impentiencie . 5. what abundance of work the bishop will have ( besides constant preaching , which will require time for preparation ) visiting the several churches , confirming all the souls in so many hundred parishes ( which alone is more than any one man can do aright , if he had nothing else to do ) ordaining , instituting and examining the persons so far as to satisfie a tender conscience ( that takes not all on trust from others , and is but the executor of others judgments : ) these and much more , with a care of church-building , lands , and his own affairs and family , and sicknesses , and necessary absence sometimes , will make this great additional work ( which must be constantly performed for so many hundred parishes ) to be impossible . 6. reproofs and suspension will so exasperate the scandalous , that they will vex the pastors with numerous appeals . 7. the pastors will be undone by travelling and waiting , and maintaining such multitude of witnesses , as is necessary for the prosecuting of presentments , and answering the many appeals . 8. the business will be so odious , chargeable and troublesome , that witnesses will not come in . 9. the minister by these prosecutions and attendances , will be taken off the rest of his ministerial work . 10. bishops being but men , will be tempted by this intolerable burthen , to be weary of the work , and slubber it over , and cast it upon others , and to discountenance the most conscionable ministers that most trouble them with presentments : which when the people perceive , they wil the more insult , and vex us with appeals : so that the discouragements of the ministers , and the utter incapacity of the bishops to perform a quarter of this work , will nullifie discipline , as leaving it impossible , experience hath told us this too long . and then when our communion is thus polluted with all that are most incapable through ignorance , scandal , and contempt of piety , 1. ministers will be deterred from their administrations to subjects so uncapable . 2. bishops that are tender-conscienced , will be deterred from undertaking so impossible a work , and of so ill success . 3. and men that have least tenderness of conscience , and care of souls , and fear of gods displeasure , will seek for and intrude into both places . 4. and the tender-conscienced people will be tempted to speak hardly of such undisciplin'd churches , and of the officers , and to withdraw from them . 5. and hereby they will fall under the displeasure of superiors , and the scorn of the vulgar , that have no religion , but what is subservient to their flesh . 6. and so whilest the most pious are brought under discountenance and reproach , and the most impious get the reputation of being most regular and obedient to their rulers ; piety it self will grow into disesteem , and impiety escape its due disgrace . and this hath been the cause of our calamities . ii. as to liturgie . it is matter of very great joy and thankfulness to us , that we have heard your majestie more than once so resolutely promising , that none should suffer for not using the common-prayer and ceremonies ; but you would secure them from the penalties in the act for uniformity , as that which your declaration at breda intended : and to find here so much of your majesties clemencie in your gracious concession for a future emendation . but we humbly crave leave to acquaint your majestie , 1. that it greives us after all , to hear that it is given in charge by the judges at the assizes to indite men upon that act , for not using the common-prayer . 2. that it is not onely some obsolete words , and other expressions that are offensive . 3. that many scruple , using some part of the book as it is , lest they be guilty of countenancing the whole , yet would use it when reformed . therefore we humbly crave , that your majesty would here declare , that it is your maje●●●es pleasure , that none be punished or troubled for not using the book of common-prayer , til it be effectually reformed , by divines of both perswasions equally deputed therunto . and that your majesty will procure that moderation in the imposition hereafter , which we before desired . iii. concerning ceremonies . returning our humble thanks for your majesties gracious concessions ( of which we are assured you will never have cause to repent : ) we further crave , 1. that your majesty will leave out those words in your declaration , concerning us [ that we do not in our judgments believe the practise of those particular ceremonies which we accept against to be in it self unlawful ] for we have not so declared our judgments . indeed , we have sayd , that treating in order to an happy uniting of our brethren through the land ; our work is not to say , what is our own opinion , or what will satisfie us , but what will satisfie so many as may procure the sayd union . and we have sayd , that some think them flatly unlawful , some but inconvenient ; some think some of them unlawful in themselves , and others but inconvenient ; and while th● imposer thinks them but indifferent , we conceived they might reasonably be entreated to let them go , for the saving of their brethrens consciences , and the churches peace . we are sure that a christians conscience should be tender of adding to , or diminishing from the matter of gods worship in the smallest point . the laws of god being herein the only perfect rule , deut. 12.32 . and that synod infallibly guided by the holy ghost , would lay upon the churches no other burden but necessary things , act. 15.28 . and that for things indifferent , christians should not despise or judge each other , rom. 14. much less by silencing the able and faithful ministers of the gospel , to punish the flock even in their souls , for the tollerable differences and supposed mistakes of ministers . we doubt not but peter and paul went to heaven without the ceremonies in question . and seeing your majesty well expresseth it [ that the universal church cannot introduce one ceremony in the worship of god that is contrary to gods word , expressed in the scriptures . ] and multitudes of the protestants at home and abroad do think that all mystical , sacramental rites of human● institution , are contrary to the very perfection of gods law , and to deut. 12.32 . &c. ( though the determination of meer circumstances necessary in 〈◊〉 be not so ) and therefore dare not use them for fear of the displeasure● of god the universal sovereign . it must needs be an expression of your majesties wisdome , and tenderness of gods honour , and the safety of your peoples souls , to refuse in things unnecessary to drive men upon apprehended sin , and upon the wrath of god , and the terrors of a condemned conscience . 2. we beseech your majesty to understand , that it is not our meaning by the word [ abolishing ] to crave a prohibition against your own , and other mens liberty in the things in question . but it is a full liberty we desire , such as should be in unnecessary things , and such as will tend to the concord of your people , viz. that there be no law nor canon for or against them , commanding , recommending , or prohibiting them ; as now there is none for any particular gesture in singing of psalms , where liberty preserveth an uninterrupted unity . for the particular ceremonies . i. we humbly crave , as to kneeling , in the act of receiving the lords supper , that your majesty will declare a liberty therein , that none shall be troubled for receiving it standing , or sitting . and your majesties expressions [ upon reasons best ( if not only ) known to our selves ] commands us to render some of our reasons . 1. we are sure christ and his apostles sinned not , by not receiving it kneeling ; and many are sure ▪ that by kneeling they should not sin : and therefore for the better security , though not for absolute necessity , we crave leave to take the safest side . 2. we are sure that kneeling in any adoration at all in any worship on any lords day in the year , or any week day between easter and penticost , was not only dis-used , but forbidden by general councils , ( as concil . nicen. 1 〈◊〉 20. concil . trull . &c. ) and disclaimed by ancient writer● ; and this as a general uncontrolled tradition : and therefore that kneeling in the act of receiving , is a novelty contrary to the decrees and practice of the church for many hundred years after the apostles . and if we part with the venerable examples of all antiquity , where it agrees with scripture , ( and that for nothing ) we shall depart from the terms which most moderators think necessary for the reconciling of the churches ; and novelty is a dishonor to any part of religion . and if antiquity be honorable , the most ancient and nearest the legislation and fountain , must be most honorable : and it is not safe to intimate a charge of unreverence upon all the apostles and primitive christians , and the universal church , for so many hundred years together of its purest time . 3. though our meaning be good , it is not good to shew a needless countenance of the practice of adoring the bread as god , when it is used by papists round about us . sayth bishop hall in his life , p. 20. i had a dangerous conflict with a sorbonist , who took occasion by our kneeling at the receit of the eucharist , to perswade all the company of our acknowledgment of a transubstantiation . 4. some of us that could rather kneel than be deprived of the communion , should yet suffer much before we durst put all others from the communion that durst not take it kneeling ; which therefore we crave that we may not be put upon . ii. we humbly crave also , that the religious observation of holy daies of humane institution , may be declared to be left indifferent , that none be troubled for not observing them . iii. we humbly tender your majesty our thanks for your gracious concession of liberty as to the cross and surplice , and bowing at the name jesus , rather than christ , or god : but we further humbly beseech your majesty , 1. that this liberty in forbearing the surplice may extend to colledges and cathedrals also , that it drive not thence all those that scruple it , and make those places receptive only for a party . and that the youth of the nation may have just liberty as well as the elder . if they be ingaged in the universities , and their liberties there cut off in their beginning , they cannot afterwards be free ▪ and many hopeful persons will be else diverted from the service of the church . 2. that your majestie will endeavour the repealing of all laws and canons by which these ceremonies are imposed , that they may be left at full liberty . we also tender our thanks to your majestie for your gracious concession of the forbearance of the subscription required by the canon . but , 1. we humbly acquaint your majestie , that we do not dissent from the doctrine of the church of england expressed in the articles and homilies ; but it is the controverted passages about government , liturgie and ceremonies , and some by-passages and phrases in the doctrinal part , which are scrupled by those whose liberty is desired . not that we are against subscribing the proper rule of our religion , or any meet confession of faith : nor do we scruple the oaths of allegiance and supremacy : nor would we have the door left open for papists and hereticks to come in . 2. we take the boldness to say , that since we have had the promises of your gracious indulgence herein , and upon divers addresses to your majestie and the lord chancellor , had comfortable encouragement to expect our liberty ; yet cannot ministers procure institution without renouncing their ordination by presbyters , or being re-ordained , nor without subscription , and the oath of canonical obedience . 3. we must observe with fear and grief , that your majesties indulgence and concession of liberty in this declaration , extendeth not either to the abatement of re-ordination , or of subscription at ordination , or the oath of obedience to the bishops . we therefore humbly and earnestly crave , that your majesty will declare your pleasure , 1. that ordination and institution and induction , may be conferred without the said subscription or oath . 2. that none be urged to be re-ordained , or denied institution for want of ordination by prelates , that was ordained by presbyters . 3. that none be judged to have forfeited his presentation , or benefice , or be deprived of it , for not reading those articles of the 39. that contain the controverted points of government and ceremonies . lastly . we humbly crave , that your majestie would not onely grant us this liberty , till the next synod ; but will endeavour that the synod be impartially chosen ; and that your majestie will be pleased to endavour the procurement of such laws , as shall be necessary for our security till the synod , and for the ratification of moderate healing conclusions afterward . and that nothing by meer canon be imposed on us , without such statute-laws of parliament . these favours ( which will be injurious to none ) if your people may obtain of your majestie , it will revive their hearts to daily and earnest prayer for your prosperity , and to rejoyce in the thankfull acknowledgement of that gracious providence of heaven , that hath blessed us in your restauration , and put it into your heart to heal our breaches , and to have compassion on the faithful people in your dominions , who do not petition you for liberty to be schismatical , factious , seditious , or abusive to any ; but onely for leave to obey the lord that created and redeemed them , according to that law , by which they must all be shortly judged to everlasting joy or misery ▪ and it will excite them to , and unite them in the cheerful service of your majesty , with their estates and lives , and to transmit your deserved praise to posterity . finis . one sheet for the ministry against the malignants of all sorts by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a26980 of text r13471 in the english short title catalog (wing b1335). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 44 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a26980 wing b1335 estc r13471 12389440 ocm 12389440 60958 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26980) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60958) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:17) one sheet for the ministry against the malignants of all sorts by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 14 p. printed by robert white for nevil simmons ..., london : 1657. reproduction of original in british library. eng clergy -office. a26980 r13471 (wing b1335). civilwar no one sheet for the ministry, against the malignants of all sorts. by richard baxter. baxter, richard 1657 8546 7 0 0 0 0 0 8 b the rate of 8 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2006-01 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion one sheet for the ministry , against the malignants of all sorts . by richard baxter . london , printed by robert white , for nevil simmons , book-seller in kederminster , anno dom. 1657. one sheet for the ministry , against the malignants of all sorts . as mans first felicity was attended with the malice of the serpent , so is the wonderful work of his restauration . the promise of reconciliation by the seed of the woman , is joyned with a proclamation of open war with the serpent and his seed . the enmity was hottest in the devil and his seed against christ himself , who bare and overcame it , and is become the captain of our salvation , that his church may overcome by his cross , and strength , and conduct ; the next degree of malice is against his officers : the most eminent , the general officers had the hottest assault : and his ordinary officers bear the next : that we shall be hated of all men for the name of christ , ( mat. 10. 22. ) is still verified to our experience . not only the openly prophane ab●o●●● for our work-sake , but fals-hearted professors that turn from the truth , do presently turn malignants against the ministry ; and many weak ones that are better minded , are dangerously seduced into a guilt of the sedition . to all these i here proclaim in the name and word of the lord , numb. 16. 26. [ depart i pray you from the tents of these wicked men , and touch nothing of theirs , lest ye be consumed in all their sins . ] which i shall now open to you . 1. the office of the ministry is an undoubted ordinance of god , to continue in the church to the end of the world . no man can pretend that they ceased with the apostles ; for it is gods will that ordinary fixed presbyters shall be ordained in every church , acts 14. 23. tit. 1. 5. 1 tim. 3. 1. 2 tim. 2. 2. and pastors and teachers are appointed for the perfecting of the saints , for the work of the ministry , and edifying of the body of christ ; till we all come to a perfect man , ephes. 4. 11 , 12 , 13. a ministry authorized to disciple the nations , baptize and teach them , is instituted by christ as king and saviour , and have his promise to be with them alway to the end of the world , matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. the same necessity and work continueth ; still souls are born and bred in darkness ; and how shall they be saved without believing , or believe without hearing , or hear without preaching , or we preach without sending ? rom. 10. 13 , 14 , 15. there is a clearer word in the gospel for the ministry then the magistracy ; though enough for both . our own call i shall speak of anon . 2. these malignants set themselves against the principal members of the body of christ , that are in it as the eyes and hands to the natural body , 1. cor. 12. 16 , 19 , 27 , 29. ephes. 4. 11 , 15. the ministers of christ , and stewards of the mysteries of god , 1 cor. 4. 1. the over seers of the flock that is purchased with christs blood , acts 20. 28. they are the chief members , 1. in office ; 2. ordinarily in gifts for edification of the body : 3. and in grace . now a wound in the stomack or liver is more mortal to the body , then in the hand : and the loss of an eye or hand is worse then the loss of an ear . 3. these malignants are therefore principally enemies to the church it self . they take on them to be only against the ministers , but it will prove most against the people and whole church . if they sinite the shepherds , the sheep will be scattered . how can they more surely ruin christs family , then by casting out the stewards that must rule , and give the children their meat in due season , even milk to the babes , and stronger meat to them of full age , heb. 5. 12 , 13 , 14. luke 12. 42. mat. 24. 45. what readier way to ruine the schools of christ , then by casting out the teachers that he hath appointed under him ? or to ruine his kingdom , then to reject his officers ? or to wrong the body , then to cut off the hands , and pull out the eyes , or to destroy the principal parts : was it not ministers that planted the churches , and converted the world , and have ever born off the assaults of enemies ? where was there ever church on earth that continued without a minister ? the great kingdom of nubia fell from christianity for want of preachers . the nations that have the weakest and fewest ministers , have the least of christianity : and those that have the most and ablest ministers , have the most flourishing state of religion . all over the world the church doth rise or fall with the ministry : cut down the pillars , and the building falls . he is blind that sees not what would become of the church , were it not for the ministry . who should teach the ignorant , or rebuke the obstinate , explain the word of truth , and stop the mouthes of proud gain-sayers ? what work would heresies , and division , and prophanness make , if these banks were cut down ? when all that can be done is still too little . it must needs therefore be meet enmity against the church that makes men malignant against the ministry . 4. the design of the maligners of the ministry is plainly against the gospel and christianity it self . they take the readiest way in the world to bring in heathenism , infidelity and atheism , which christianity hath so far banished . for it is the ministry that christ useth to bring in light , and drive and keep out this damnable darkness , acts 26. 17 , 18. [ i send thee to open their eyes , and turn them from darkness to light , &c. ] why are so many nations infidels , mahometans and idolaters , but for want of ministers to preach the gospel to them ? these malignants therefore would take down the sun , and banish christianity out of the world . 5. and they hinder the conversion of particular souls , and so are the cruellest wretches on earth . though an angel must be sent to cornelius , it is not to be instead of a preacher , but to send him to a preacher , acts 10. though christ would wonderfully appear to saul , it is to send him to ananias for instruction , acts 9. though the jaylor must feel an earth-quake , and see miracles , it is but to prepare him for the ministers words , acts 16. philip must be carried by an angel to expound to an eunuch the word that must convert him . the ministry is gods instituted setled way , by which he will convert and save the world , as truly as the light is the natural way by which he will corporally enlighten them , acts 2. 18. 1 tim. 4. 16. matth. 5. 14. rom 10. 14. do you think so many souls would be converted if the ministry were down ? do you not see that the very contempt of them , that the scorns of the ungodly , and opposition of malignant apostates have occasioned , doth hinder most of the ignorant and prophane from receiving the saving benefit of the gospel ? how many millions of souls would these wretches sweep away to hell , if they had their will ? while thousands are in damnation for want of the light , they would take it from you , that you might go there also . do you not understand the meaning of these words against christs ministers ? why the meaning is this : they make a motion to the people of the land , to go to hell with one consent , and to hate those that are appointed to keep them out of it . they would take the bread of life from your mouthes . they are attempting an hundred times more cruelty on you , then herod on the jews when he killed the children , or the irish that murdered the protestants by thousands ; as the soul is of greater worth then the body . 6. these malignants against the ministry are the flat enemies of christ himself , and so he will take them and use them . he that would root out the inferiour magistrates , is an enemy to the soveraign ; and he that is against the officers of the army , is an enemy to the general : christ never intended to stay visibly on earth , and to teach and rule the world immediately in person ; but he that is the king will rule by his officers ; and he that is prophet will teach us by his officers ; and therefore he hath plainly told us [ he that h●areth you , heareth me ; and he that despiseth you , despiseth me ; and he that despiseth me , despiseth him that sent me , luke 10. 16. ] o fearful case of miserable malignants ! durst thou despise the lord thy maker and redeemer , if he appeared to thee in his glory ! to whom the sun it self is as darkness , and all the world as dust and nothing . remember when thou next speakest against his officers , or hearest others speak against them , that their words are spoken against the face of christ , and of the father . i would not be found in the cafe of one of these malignants , when christ shall come to judge his enemies , for a thousand worlds . he that hath said , [ touch not mine annointed , and do my prophets no harm ; and hath rebuked kings for their sakes , psalm 105. 15. will deride all those that would break his bands , and will break them as with a rod of iron , and dash them in pieces as a potters vessel , psalm 2. 3 , 4 , 9. and as he hath told them plainly , [ who so despiseth the word shall be destroyed , prov. 13. 13. ] and [ he that despiseth , despiseth not man but god , 1 thes. 4. 8. ] so he hath told us that it shall be easier for sodom and gomorrah in the day of judgement , then for such , mat. 10. 15. many a thousand prouder enemies then you hath christ broken ; and look to your selves , for your day is coming . if you had but stumbled on this stone , it would have broken you in pieces ; but seeing you will strive against it , it will fall on you , and grinde you to pouder , matth. 21. 44. and then you shall see that he that made them his embassadors , will bear them out , and say , [ in as much as you did it to these , you did it to me . ] and you shall then say , blessed are they that trust in him . 7. it is apparent that these enemies of the ministers , are playing the papists game . because the just disgrace of their ministry , was the ruin of their kingdom ; therefore they hope to win of us at the same game . they know that if the people were brought into a hatred or suspition of their guides , they might the easier be won to them . they tell us in their writings , that not one of ten of our people but taketh his faith on trust from their teachers ; and therefore take them off from them , and they will fall : but they delude themselves in this : for though the ungodly among us have no true faith of their own , and the godly must lean on the hand of their supporters , yet there is in them a living principle ; and we do not as the papist priests , teach our people to see with our eyes , and no matter for their own : but we help to clear their own eye-sight . doubt not but the most of the sects in the land that rail against the ministry , are knowingly or ignorantly the agents of the papists . for the principal work of a papist is to cry down the ministry , and the scripture , and to set all they can on the same work . 8. these sects that are against the ministry do all the same work as the drunkards , whore-mongers , covetous , and all ungodly persons in our parishes do : and therefore it seems they are guided by the same spirit . it is the work of drunkards and all these wicked wretches to hate , and despise , and revile the ministers , and to teach others to say as they . and just so do quakers , seekers , papists and all other malignants reproach the same ministers : and yet the blind wretches will not see that the same spirit moveth them . 9. it is apparent that it is the devils game they play , and his interest and kingdom which they promote . who fights against christs officers and army , but the general of the contrary army ? what greater service could all the world do for the devil then to cast out the ministers of christ ? and what more would the devil himself desire , to set up his kingdom and suppress the church ? wretches ! you shall shortly see your master , and he will pay you your wages contrary to your expectation . read gods word to a malignant , acts 13. 10. 10. these enemies do reproach as faithful a ministry as the world enjoyeth , and their malice hath so little footing , as that the result must be their own shame . among the papists indeed there are mass-priests that can but read a mass , whose office is to turn a piece of bread into a god ; and yet these the malignants either let alone , or liken us to them . the greeks , and ethiopians , and most of the christian world , have a ministry that seldom or never preach to them , but read common-prayer and homilies . the most of the protestant churches have a learned ministry that is so taken up with controversies ; that they are much less in the powerful preaching and practice of godliness : above all nations under heaven , the english are set upon practical divinity and holiness ; and yet even they are by malignity chosen out for reproach . alas , scandals in the ministry , ( as drunkenness , swearing , &c. ) among other nations are but too common : but in england magistrates and ministers combine against them . ministers are still spurring on the magistrates to cast out the insufficient , negligent and scandalous ; and desire and use more severity with men of their own profession , then with magistrates or any others in the land . in nothing are they more zealous then to sweep out all the remnant of the scandalous . and for themselves , they are devoted to the work of the lord , and think nothing too much that they are able to perform , but preach in season and out of season , with all long-suffering and doctrine ; and yet malignants make them their reproach . 11. it is abundance of pride and impudency , that these malignant enemies are guilty of . they are most of them persons of lamentable ignorance ; and yet they dare revile at the teachers , and think themselves wise enough to rebuke and teach them : many of them are men of wicked lives ; and yet they can tell the world how bad the ministers are . a railer , a drunkard , a covetous worldling , an ignorant sott , is the likest person to fall upon the minister ; and the owl will call the lark a night-bird . alas , when we come to try them , what dark wretches do we find them ! and should be glad if they were but teachable . and yet they have learnt the devils first lesson , to despise their teachers . 12. and o what barbarous ingratitude are these malignant enemies of the ministry guilty of ! for whom do we watch , but for them and others ? can they be so blind as to think a painful minister doth make it his design to seek himself , or to look after great matters in the world ? would not the time , and labour , and cost that they are at in the schools and universities have fitted them for a more gainful trade ? do not lawyers , physitians , &c. live a far easier , and in the world a more honourable plentiful life ? have not the ministers themselves been the principal instruments of taking down bishops , deans and chapters , arch-deacons , prebends , and all means of preferment ? and what have they got by it ? or ever endeavoured ? speak malice , and spare not . is it any thing but what they had before ? even the maintenance due to their particular charge . unthankful wretches ! it is for your sakes and souls that they study , and pray , and watch , and fast , and exhort , and labor , to the consuming of their strength ; and when they have done , are made the drunkards song , and the scorn of all the wicked of the countrey ; and when they spend and are spent , the more they love , the less they are beloved . in the times of this greatest prosperity of the church , they live under constant hatred and scorn , from those that they would save , and will not let alone in sin . and what do they endure all this for but gods honour and your salvation ? would we be ministers for any lower ends ? let shame from god and man be on the face of such a minister ! i profess , were it not for the belief of the greatness , and necessity , and excellency of the truths that i am to preach , and for the will of god and the good of souls , i would be a plow-man , or the meanest trade , if not a sweep-chimney , rather then a minister . must we break our health , and lay by all our worldly interest , for you , even for you , and think not our lives and labours too good or too dear to further your salvation , and must we by you , even by you , be reproached after all ? god will be judge between you and us , whether this be not inhumane ingratitude , and whether we deserve it at your hands . 13. yea it is injustice also that you are guilty of . the labourer , saith christ , is worthy of his hire , luke 10. 7. ( mark that , you that call them hirelings ) the elders that rule well are worthy of double honour , 1 tim. 5. 1. 7. especially they that labour in the word and doctrine . and will you throw stones at their head for endeavouring to save your souls ? will you spit in their faces for seeking with all their might to keep you from hell ? is that their wages that you owe them ? but blessed be the lord , with whom is our reward ; though you be not gathered , isa. 49. 5. but as you love your selves , take heed of that curse , jer. 18. 20. [ shall evil be recompenced for good ? for they have digged a pit for my soul : remember that i stood before thee to speak good for them , and to turn away thy wrath from them , &c. ] o how many a time have we besought the lord for you ▪ that he would convert you , and forgive you , and turn away the evil that was over you : and when all these our prayers , and groans , and tears shall be remembred against you , o miserable souls , how dear will you pay for all ? 14. and is it not a wonder that these malignants do not see what evident light of scripture they contradict ; and how many great express commands they violate ? they break the fifth commandment , which requireth honour as well to spiritual ecclesiastical parents , as to civil and natural . and he that curseth father and mother , his lamp shall be put out in darkness , prov. 20. 20. the eye that mocketh at his father , and despiseth to obey his mother , the ravens of the valley shall pick it out , and the young eagles shall eat it : prov. 30. 17. did these wretches never read 1 thes. 5. 12. we beseech you brethren , to know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you : and to esteem them very highly in love for their work-sake , and to be at peace among your selves . ] and heb. 13. 17. [ obey them that have the rule over you , and submit your selves ; for they watch for your souls as they that must give account , that they may do it with joy , and not with grief ; for that is unprofitable for you . ] and heb. 13. 7. remember them which have the rule over you , who have spoken to you the word of god . ] and so ver. 24. and 1 tim. 5. 17. the elders that rule well are wor●hy of double honour , &c. ] with abundance more such passages as these ? do not you feel these flie in your faces when you oppose the ministers of christ ? doth a thief or murderer sin against plainer light then you ? 15. these malignants sin against the consent and experience of the universal church of christ till this day . the whole church hath been for the ministry , and instructed by them : and as the child doth seek the breast , so did new born christians in all ages seek the word from the ministers , that they may live and grow thereby . and all the nations of the christian world are for the ministry to this day ! or else they could not be for christ , and for the church and gospel . is it not plain therefore that these malignants are dead branches , cut off from the church , that are so set against the spirit and interest of the church ? 16. moreover they sin against the experience of all , or almost all the true christians in the world . for they have all experience that ministers are either their fathers or nurses in the lord . and that by their means they have had their life , and strength , and comforts : their sins killed , their graces quickened , their doubts resolved ; the taste of the good word of god , and of the powers of the world to come . may we not challenge you as paul oft doth his flock , whether you did not receive the illuminating , sanctifying spirit by the ministry , if ever you received it ? i tell you , it is as much against the new and holy nature of the saints to despise the ministers of christ , as it is unnatural for a child to spit in the face of his father or mother . and the experience of sound christians will keep them closer , and help them much against this inhumanity , what ever hypocrites may do . 17. and if these malignants had not pharaohs heart , they would sure have considered , that the experience of all ages tells them , that still the most wicked have been the enemies of the ministry , and the most godly have most obeyed and honoured them in the lord ; and that this enmity hath been the common brand of the rebellious , and the fore-runner of the heavy wrath of god ; and that it hath gone worst with the enemies , and best with the friends of a godly ministry . do i need to prove this , which is so much of the substance of the old testament and the new ? was it the friends or enemies of all the prophets , apostles and ministers of christ , that scripture and all good writers do commend ? do not the names of all malignants against the godly ministry stink above ground , as the shame of mankind , except those that are buried out of hearing , or those that were converted ? 18. nay such are noted for the highest sort of the wicked upon earth : worse then drunkards , whore-mongers and such filthy beasts : the persecutors of gods ministers have been ever taken as walking devils . and the hottest of gods wrath hath faln upon them . take two instances , 1. when the jews went into captivity , this was the very cause , 2 chron. 36. 15 , 16. [ but they mocked the messengers of god , and despised his words , and misused his prophets , till the wrath of the lord arose against his people , till there was no remedy . 2. and when the jews were cut quite off from the church , and made vagabonds on the earth , this was the very cause , acts 28. 28. be it known therefore to you , that the salvation of god is sent to the gentiles , and that they will hear it . ] 1 thes. 2. 15 , 16. these jews [ both killed the lord jesus , and their own prophets , and have persecuted us : and they please not god , and are contrary to all men , forbidding us to speak to the gentiles , that they might be saved , to fill up their sin alway ; for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost . ] 19. it is the devils own part that these malignants act : for it is he that is the great enemy of christ and the saints , and he that is the accuser of the brethren , which accuseth them before god day and night : and is not this the work of quakers , drunkards , papists and all malignants ? but the lord will rebuke them , and be the glory of his servants , zach. 3. 1 , 2. [ he shewed me joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the lord , and satan standing at his right hand to resist him . and the lord said unto satan : the lord rebuke thee o satan , even the lord that hath chosen jerusalem . ] 20. these malignants do most of them condemn themselves ; for they honour the antient ministers of christ that are dead , even while they oppose and hate the present that are living , who are the nearest imitaters of their doctrine and life that are on earth ! the name of peter , and paul , and john they honour , and some of them keep holy-dayes for them . and at the same time hate and reproach those that preach the same doctrine , and that because they tread in their steps . they honour the names of austin , and chrysostom , and hierom , and other ancients : and hate those that preach and live as they did . they speak honourably of the martyrs that were burned to death for the doctrine of christ ; and at the same time they hate us , for doing as they did . what difference between the calling , doctrine and lives of those martyred ministers , and these that are now alive ? o wretched hypocrites , do you not know that these apostles , fathers and other ministers , did suffer in their time from such as you , as we now do and more ? hear what christ saith to such as you , matth. 23. 29 , 30 , 31. [ wo to your scribes , pharisees , hypocrites : because ye build the tombes of the prophets , and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous , and say , if we had been in the dayes of our fathers , we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets : ye are witnesses to your selves that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets , : fill ye up then the measure of your fathers : ye serpents , ye generation of vipers , how can ye escape the damnation of hell ? ] 21. moreover these malignants do harden themselves against the freshest of the judgements of god , which some of their own hands have executed : and justifie the persecutors , and succeed them in their fury . have you forgotten what god hath done here against the papal enemies of the gospel and ministry , in 88. and the powder-plot , and many other times ? have you already forgotten how the persecutots of a godly ministry have sped within these sixteen years in england and ireland ? and dare you now stand up in their room and make your selves the heirs of their sin , and punishment , and justifie them in all their malignity ? what do you but justifie them , when you rave against , and revile the same sort of ministers , and many of the same persons , whom the former malignants persecuted ? and oppose the same sort of ministers that the papists burned ? and would not you do the like by them if you had power in your hands ? can any wise man doubt of it , whether papists , and quakers , and drunkards , that now make it their work to make the ministry odious , would not soon dispatch them if they could ? blessed be the great protector of the church ; for were it not for him , our lives would soon be a prey to your cruelty . 22. and indeed if these malignants had their wills , they would undo themselves , and cut down the bough they stand upon , and destroy the little hope and help that is yet left for their miserable souls : it is for the sake of gods servants among them that judgements are so long kept off them . and as long as the gospel and ministry remains , salvation is offered them : the voyce of mercy is calling after them , repent and live . they have the light shining in their eyes , which may at last convince them , as paul was convinced of his persecution : the voyce which they despise may possibly awake them . though they have less hope then others ; yet there is some . but if they had their will , and were rid of the ministry , alas what would the forlorn wretches do ? then they might damn themselves without disturbance , and go quietly to hell , and no body stop them , and say , [ why do you so ? ] 23. and i pray you consider what it is that these men would have . what if the ministers were all cast out ? would they have any to do gods work in their stead , or none ? if none , you may see what they are doing : if any , who and where are they ? is it not horrible pride if all these silly souls do think that they can do it better themselves ? and what else do quakers and all these sectst that are the enemies of the ministry ? do they not go up and down the land , and say to the wisest holyest teachers , as if they took them by the sleeve , [ come down and let me preach that can do it better : come down thou deceiver and ignorant man , and let me come up that am wiser , and better , and know more : out with these proud lordly preachers , and let us be your teachers , that are more holy , and humble , and self-denying then they . ] is not this the loud language of their actions ? and can you not hear the devil in these words of highest pride and arrogancy ? but really sirs , do you think that these men would teach you better ? and is there enow that are wiser and better then we to fill up our rooms , if we were out ? do but prove that , and you shall have my consent to banish all the ministers in england , to some place that hath greater need of their labour , that they may no more trouble you that have no need of them , and keep out better . 24. lastly , consider on what sensless pretences all this enmity against the ministry doth vent it self . you shall hear the worst that they have to say against us , ( though but briefly ) and then judge . 1. the quakers say , we are idle drones that labour not , and therefore should not eat . answ . the worst i wish you , is , that you had but my ease instead of your labour . i have reason to take my self for the least of saints , and yet i fear not to tell the accuser , that i take the labour of most tradesmen in the town to be a pleasure to the body in comparison of mine ; ( though for the ends and the pleasure of my mind , i would not change it with the greatest prince ) their labour preserveth health , and mine consumeth it : they work in ease , and i in continual pain : they have hours and dayes of recreation , i have scarce time to eat and drink . no body molesteth them for their labour ; but the more i do , the more hatred and trouble i draw upon me . if a quaker ask me , what all this labour is , let him come and see , or do as i do , and he shall know . 2. they accuse us of covetousness and oppression , because we take tithes or hire , ( as they call it ) answ . 1. is it not malice or sacrilegious covetousness that frameth this accusation ? whose are the tithes ? are they ours or theirs ? the same law of the land that makes the nine parts theirs , doth make the tenth ours . if we have no title to the tenth , they have none to the rest . we ask none of our people for a farthing . they give it not to us : it was never theirs . when they buy or take leases of their land , it is only the nine parts that they pay for ; and if the tenths were sold them , they should pay themselves a tenth part more . and would these men make all the people thieves and covetous , to take or desire that which never was their own ? nay would they have them rob god , to whom for his service the tithes were devoted ? read mal. 3. 8 , 9 , 10. rom. 2. 22. gen. 14. 20. heb. 7. 6 , 9. and whether tithe it self be of divine institution still , is more then they are able to disprove . sure i am , when christ told them of tithing mint and cummin , he saith , these ought ye to have done , and not to leave the other undone , mat. 23. 23. 2. but most certain i am that god hath made it our duty to meditate on his word , and give our selves wholly thereto , 1 tim. 4. 15. and that we may [ forbear working , and not go on warfare at our own charge ; and sowing to men spiritual things , should reap their carnal things ; do ye not know that they which minister about holy things , live of the things of the temple ; and they which wait at the altar , are partakers with the altar ? even so hath the lord ordained , that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel . ] 1 cor. 9. 6 , 7 , 13 , 14. 3. and know you not that the primitive christians gave not only the tenths , but all that they had , and laid it at the apostles feet , to shew that the gospel teacheth more clearly then the law , the necessity of dedicating our selves and all that we have to god . 4. and yet i must say , that we are content with food and rayment . most ministers in england would be glad to give you all their tithes , if you will but allow them food and rayment for themselves and families , and such education for their children as is fittest to make them serviceable to god . and i hope it is no sin to have mouths that must be fed , or backs that must be cloathed . what i must gods ministers above all others be grudged food and raiment , and that of the lords portion , which none of you pay for ? i fear not to imitate paul stopping the mouths of malicious accusers , and to tell you , that the ministers , whose expences i am acquainted with , do give 500. pence for 50. that they receive by gift from their people : and that they take all that they have as christs ▪ and not their own ; and if they have never so much they devote it wholly to him , and know he 's not beholden to them for it : and some of them lay out in charitable uses , much more then all the tithes that they receive for their ministerial maintenance . and if the quakers that accuse them of covetousness , would cast up accounts with them , i doubt not but it will be found that they receive more by gift then preachers , and give not the fourth part so much when they have done . 3. another accusation is , that we preach false doctrine , and deceive the people . answ . it 's easie to say so of any man in the world : but when they come to prove it , you will see who are the deceivers . 4. another is , that we are persecutors , and like the priests of old , and so all the reproofs of them and the pharisees belong to us . answ . this is soon said too : but where 's the proof ? for themselves we have no mind to be troubled with them . let them let us alone ; as long as we will let them alone . but yet they shall be taught one day to know , that if the magistrate stop the mouths of such railers and abusers of god and men , he doth no more persecute them , then he persecuteth a thief when he hangeth him : or then paul persecuted hymenaeus and philetus when he delivered them up to satan ; or elymas , acts 13. 11. or then peter persecuted ananias and sapphira , acts 5. or then god would have had the churches be persecutors against the woman jezebel that was suffered to teach and seduce the people , or against the doctrine of the nicolaitans which god hated , rev. 2. 15 , 20. if hindering sin , be persecuting , the calling of a magistrate is to be a persecutor , rom. 13. 4. and all parents must persecute their own children . 5. another accusation is , that we are against the preaching of any but our selves . answ . who doth not desire that all the lords people were prophets ? but yet we know all are not prophets , 1 cor. 12. 29. nor teachers . we would have none of gods gifts in our people huried , but all improved to the uttermost , for his glory . but we would not have men turn ordinary teachers , that are neither sound , nor able , nor sent ; nor every self-conceited ignorant man have leave to abuse the name and word of god , and the sou●s of men . what would you have more then is granted you ? when any unordained man that is judged competent by the commissioners of approbation , ( of whom some are souldiers ) may be a constant preacher , and have fullest maintenance , as well as presbyters ? 6. another charge is , that we are some weak , and some scandalous . answ . we do all that we are able to cast out such ; and i think never more was done . the magistrate sets his guard at the door , and lets in none but whom he please : and sure if he knew where to have better then those that are in , he would put them in , or else he is too blame . if he do not know , will you blame him for using the best that he can get ? but if you will come and help us to cast out any that are vitious and unworthy , we will give you thanks . 7. another accusation is , that we differ among our selves , and one saith one thing , and another another thing . answ . 1. and are all these sects that oppose us , better agreed among themselves ? enquire and judge . 2. do not all preach one gospel , and the same essentials of the christian faith ? and we expect not perfect unity , till we have perfect knowledge and holiness ; which we dare not boast of , what ever quakers do . 8. another accusation is , that we are not true ministers . and why so ? because we have not an uninterrupted succession of lawful ordination . answ. this objection is the papists , who have little reason to use it , while it is so easie a matter to prove so many interruptions of their papal succession . at large and often have we answered them , and are still ready to deal with any of them herein , and to prove , 1. that an uninterrupted succession of right ordination , is not of necessity to the being of the ministry . 2. and if it were , we have more to shew for it then they . if others stick on this , let me tell them , that magistracy is as truly from god as the ministry : and let ever a king on earth shew me an uninterrupted succession giving him title to his crown , and i will shew him a more undoubted succession or title to my ministry . but here 's no room to discuss this question . 9. object . but you are parish priests , and no true ministers , because you have not true churches . answ . all the christians in our parishes that consent are our flock . and we undertake to prove the truth of such churches , not only against scorn , but against all the arguments that can be brought . 10. object . but you have not the spirit , and therefore are no true ministers . answ . and how prove you that we have not the spirit ? the approvers admit none but such as they think have the spirit . he that is sanctified hath the spirit : prove us unsanctified , and we will resign our office . object . you read your sermons out of a paper ; therefore you have not the spirit . answ . a strong argument ! i pray you take seven years time to prove the consequence . as wisely do the quakers argue , that because we use spectacles , or hour-glasses and pulpits , we have not the spirit . it is not want of your abilities that makes ministers use notes : but it 's a regard to the work and good of the hearers . i use notes as much as any man , when i take pains : and as little as any man when i am lazy , or busie , and have not leisure to prepare . it 's easier to us to preach three sermons without notes , then one with them . he is a simple preacher that is not able to preach all day without preparation , if his strength would serve : especially if he preach at your rates . 11. object . but the true ministry is persecuted : but so are not you , but are persecutors of others . answ . 1. for our pesecuring others , be so merciful as to prove it to us , that we may lament it . if punishing wicked men and seducers be persecuting , not only paul was such , that wished they were cut off that troubled the galatians : but god himself would be the greatest of all persecutors , that will lay you in hell without repentance , and then you will wish your old persecution again . and if we be not persecuted , what means the reproaches of you and all the drunkards and malignants about us ? but i pray you , envy us not our lives and liberties , and a little breathing time . do you not read that [ the churches had rest throughout all judaea and galilee , and samaria , and were edified , and walking in the fear of the lord , and in the comfort of the holy ghost were multiplied ? act. 9. 31. ] envy not a little prosperity to the church . doth not paul pray that the gospel may run and be glorified , and that we may be delivered from unreasonable wicked men ? 2 thes. 3. 1. sometimes you can say that more glorious dayes are promised , and that the saints shall rule the world . unmerciful men ! it is but a while ago since we had our share of sufferings ! since that the sword hath hunted after us ! many of our brethren are yet in america , that were driven thither , at this time in spain , and italy , and germany , and savoy : alas , what do our brethren suffer in the same cause and calling that we are in ! and do you reproach us with our mercies , if we be out of the furnace but a little while , in one corner of the world ? object . 12. you work no miracles to confirm your doctrine . answ . it is true : nor do we need : it is confirmed by miracles long ago . if we brought a new gospel , or as the papists , gave you not our doctrine on the credit of scripture , but scripture and all on our own credit ; then you might justly call for miracles to prove it . but not when we have nothing to do but expound and apply a doctrine sealed by miracles already . again i say , let any prince on earth that questions our calling , sh●w his title to his crown , or any judge or magistrate to his office ; and if i shew not as good a title to mine , let me be taken for a deceiver , and not a minister . christian reader , as ever thou wouldest be sanctified , confirmed and saved , hold fast to christ , scripture , ministry , and spirit , and that in the church and communion of saints , and abhor the thoughts of separating them from each other . august 15. 1657. finis . a sermon of repentance preached before the honourable house of commons, assembled in parliament at westminster, at their late solemn fast for the setling of these nations, april 30, 1660 / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a27042 of text r209398 in the english short title catalog (wing b1413). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 86 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 27 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a27042 wing b1413 estc r209398 12044921 ocm 12044921 53082 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27042) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 53082) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 857:2) a sermon of repentance preached before the honourable house of commons, assembled in parliament at westminster, at their late solemn fast for the setling of these nations, april 30, 1660 / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. england and wales. parliament. house of commons. [6], 47 p. printed by r.w. and a.m. for francis tyton and jane underhil ..., london : 1660. reproduction of original in huntington library. eng bible. -o.t. -ezekiel xxxvi, 31 -sermons. repentance -sermons. fast-day sermons. a27042 r209398 (wing b1413). civilwar no a sermon of repentance· preached before the honourable house of commons, assembled in parliament at westminster, at their late solemn fast f baxter, richard 1660 15368 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a this text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion tuesday may the first , 1660. ordered , that the thanks of this house be given to mr. baxter for his great pains in carrying on the work of preaching and prayer , before the house at saint margarets westminster yesterday , being set apart by this house for a day of fasting and humiliation . and that he be desired to print his sermon , and is to have the same priviledge in printing the same , that others have had in the like kind . and that mr. swinfin do give him notice thereof . w. jessop cler. of the commons house of parliament . a sermon of repentance . preached before the honourable house of commons , assembled in parliament at westminster , at their late solemn fast for the setling of these nations , april 30. 1660. by richard baxter . london , printed by r. w. and a. m. for francis tyton and jane underhil , and are to be sold at the sign of the three daggers in fleet-street , and at the bible and anchor in pauls church-yard , 1660. to the honourable the house of commons assembled in parliament . as your order for my preaching , perswaded me you meant attentively to hear ; so your order for my publishing this sermon , perswaded me that you will vouchsafe considerately to read it . ( for you would not command me to publish only for others , that which was prepared for , and suited to your selves . ) which second favour if i may obtain , especially of those that need most to hear the doctrine of repentance , i shall hope that the authority of the heavenly majesty , the great concernment of the subject , and the evidence of reason , and piercing beams of sacred verity , may yet make a deeper impression on your souls , and promote that necessary work of holiness , the fruits whereof would be effectual remedies to these diseased nations , and would conduce to your own everlasting joy . shall i think it were presumption for me to hope for so high a reward for so short a labour ? or shall i think it were uncharitableness not to hope for it ? that here is nothing but plain english , without any of those ornaments , that are by many thought necessary , to make such discourses grateful to ingenuous curious auditors , proceeded not only from my present want of advantages for study ( having and using no book but a bible and a concordance , ) but also from the humbling and serious nature of the work of the day ; and from my own inclination , less affecting such ornaments in sacred discourses , then formerly i have done . it is a very great honour that god and you have put upon me , to conclude so solemn a day of prayer , which was answered the next morning , by your speedy , and cheerful , and unanimous acknowledgement of his majesties authority . may i but have the second part , to promote your salvation , and the happiness of this land , by your considering and obeying these necessary truths , what greater honour could i expect on earth ? or how could you more oblige me to remain a daily petitioner to heaven for these mercies , on your own and the nations behalf , rich. baxter . a sermon of repentance . ezek. 36. 31. then shall ye remember your own evil wayes , and your doings that were not good , and shall loath your selves in your own sight , for your iniquities , and for your abominations . the words are a part of gods prognosticks of the jews restoration , whose dejecton he had before described . their disease begun within , and there god promiseth to work the cure . their captivity was but the fruit of their voluntary captivity to sin ; and their grief of heart , was but the fruit of their hardness of heart ; and their sharpest sufferings , of their foul pollutions ; and therefore god promiseth a methodicall cure ; even to take away their old and stony heart , and cleanse them from their filthiness , and so to ease them by the removing of the cause . how far , and when this promise was to be made good to the jews , as nationally considered , is a matter that requires a longer disquisition then my limited hour will allow : and the decision of that case is needless , as to my present end and work . that this is part of the gospel-covenant , and applicable to us believers now , the holy-ghost in the epistle to the hebrews hath assured us . the text is the description of the repentance of the people , in which the beginning of their recovery doth consist , and by which the rest must be attained . the evil which they repent of is , in general , all their iniquities , but especially their idolatry , called their abominations . their repentance is foretold , as it is in the understanding and thoughts , and as in the will and affections . in the former it s called [ remembring their own evil wayes ] in the latter it s called [ loathing themselves in their own sight , for their iniquities and abominations . montanus translates it [ reprobabitis in vos ] : but in c. 20. v. 43. [ fastidietis vos ] the same sense is intended by the other versions : when the septuagint translates it by [ displeasure ] and the chaldee by [ groaning ] and the syriack by [ the wrinkling of the face ] and the sept. in c. 20. 43. by [ smiting on the face : ] the arabick here perverts the sense , by turning all to negatives [ ye shall not , &c. ] yet in c. 20. 43. he turns it by [ the tearing of the face . ] i have purposely chosen a text , that needs no long explication , that in obedience to the foreseen straits of time , i may be excused from that part , and be more on the more necessary . this observation contains the meaning of the text , which by gods assistance , i shall now insist on : viz. the remembring of their own iniquities , and loathing themselves for them , is the sign of a repenting people , and the prognostick of their restoration . ( so far as deliverance may be here expected . ) for the opening of which , observe these things following . 1. it is not all kind of [ remembring ] that will prove you penitent . the impenitent remember their sin that they may commit it : they remember it with love , desire and delight : the heart of the worldling goeth after his aery or earthen idol : the heart of the ambitious feedeth on his vain-glory , and the peoples breath : and the filthy fornicator is delighted in the thoughts of the object and exercise of his lust . but it is a remembring , 1o from a deep conviction of the evil and odiousness of sin ; 2o and with abhorrence and self-loathing ; 3o that leadeth to a resolved and vigilant forsaking , that is the proof of true repentance , and the prognostick of a peoples restoration . 2. and it is not all self-loathing that will signifie true repentance . for there is a self-loathing of the desperate and the damned soul , that abhorreth it self , and teareth and tormenteth it self , and cannot be restrained from self-revenge , when it finds that it hath wilfully , foolishly and obstinately been its own destroyer : but the self-loathing of the truly penitent , hath these following properties . 1. it proceedeth from the predominant love of god , whom we have abused and offended : the more we love him , the more we loath what is contrary to him . 2. it is much excited by the observation and sense of his exceeding mercies , and is conjunct with gratitude . 3. it continueth and encreaseth under the greatest assurance of forgiveness , and sense of love ; and dyeth not when we think we are out of danger . 4. it containeth a loathing of sin as sin ( and a love of holiness as such ) and not only a love of ease and peace , and a loathing of sin as the cause of suffering . 5. it resolveth the soul against returning to its former course , and resolveth it for an entire devotedness to god for the time to come . 6. it deeply engageth the penitent in a conflict against the flesh , and maketh him victorious ; and setteth him to work in a life of holiness as his trade and principal business in the world . 7. it bringeth him to a delight in god and holiness ; and a delight in himself , so far as he findeth god , and heaven , and holiness within him : he can with some comfort and content own himself and his conversation , so far as god ( victorious against his carnal self ) appeareth in him . for as he loveth christ in the rest of his members , so must he in himself . and this is it that self-loathing doth prepare for . this must be the self-loathing that must afford you comfort , as a penitent people in the way to restoration . where you see it is implyed , that materially it containeth these common acts . 1. accusing and condemning thoughts against our selves . it is a judging of our selves , and makes us call our selves with paul , foolish , disobedient , deceived , yea mad ( as acts 26. 11. ) and with david to say , i have done foolishly , 2 sam. 24. 10. 2. it containeth a deep distaste , and displeasure with our selves ; and a heart-rising against our selves . 3. as also an holy indignation against our selves ; as apprehending that we have plaid the enemies to our selves and god . 4. and it possesseth us with grief and trouble at our miscarriages . so that a soul in this condition is sick of it self , and vexed with its self-procured woe . 2. note also , that when self-loathing proceedeth from meer conviction , and is without the love of god and holiness , it is but the tormentor of the soul , and runs it deeper into sin ; provoking men here to destroy their lives ; and in hell it is the never dying worm . 3. note also , that it is [ themselves ] that they are said to loath : because it is our selves that conscience hath to do with , as witness and as judge : it is our selves that are naturally nearest to our selves ; and our own affairs that we are most concerned in . it is our selves that must have the joy or torment : and therefore it is our own actions and estate that we have first to mind . though yet as magistrates , ministers , and neighbours , we must next mind others , and must loath iniquity wherever we meet it ; and a vile person must be contemned in our eyes , while we honour them that fear the lord , psal. 15. 4. and as by nature , so in the commandment , god hath given to every man the first and principal care and charge of himself , and his own salvation , and consequently of his own wayes . so that we may with less suspition loath our selves , then others ; and are more obliged to do it . 4. note also , that it is not for our troubles , or our disgrace , or our bodily deformities or infirmities , or for our poverty and want , that penitents are said to loath themselves : but for their iniquities and abominations . for 1o this loathing is a kind of justice done upon our selves ; and therefore is exercised not for meer infelicities , but for crimes . conscience keepeth in its own court , and medleth but with moral evils , which we are conscious of . 2o and also it is sin that is loathed by god , and makes the creature loathsom in his eyes : and repentance conformeth the soul to god , and therefore causeth us to loath as he doth , and on his grounds . and 3o there is no evil but sin , and that which sin procureth . and therefore it is for sin that the penitent loaths himself . 5. note also , that it is here implyed , that till repentance , there was none of this remembring of sin , and loathing of themselves . they begin with our conversion , and ( as fore-described ) are proper to the truly penitent . for ( to consider them distinctly ) 1o the deluded soul that is bewitched by its own concupiscence , is so taken up with remembring of his fleshly pleasures , and his alluring objects , and his honours , and his earthly businesses and store , that he hath no mind or room for the remembring of his foolish odious sin , and the wrong that he is doing to god and to himself . death is oblivious : and sleep hath but a distracted uneffectual memory , that stirreth not the busie dreamer from his pillow , nor dispatcheth any of the work he dreams of . and the unconverted are asleep and dead in sin . the crowd of cares and worldly businesses ; and the tumultuous noise of foolish sports , and other sensual passions and delights , do take up the minds of the unconverted , and turn them from the observation of the things of greatest everlasting consequence . they have a memory for sin and the flesh , to which they are alive ; but not for things spiritual and eternal , to which they are dead . they remember not god himself as god , with any effectual remembrance : god is not in all their thoughts , psalm 10. 4. they live as without him in the world , eph. 2. 12. and if they remember not god , they cannot remember sin as sin , whose malignity lyeth in its opposition to the will and holiness of god . they forget themselves , and therefore must needs forget their sinfulness : alas , they remember not ( effectually and savingly ) what they are , and why they were made , and what they are daily nourished and preserved for , and what business they have to do here in the world . they forget that they have souls to save or lose ; that must live in endless joy or torment : you may see by their careless and ungodly lives , that they forget it . you may hear by their carnal frothy speech , that they forget it . and he that remembreth not himself , remembreth not his own concernments . they forget the end to which they tend : the life which they must live for ever . the matters everlasting ( whose greatness and duration , one would think should so command the mind of man , and take up all his thoughts and cares , in despight of all the little trifling matters that would avert them , that we should think almost of nothing else ; yet ) these , even these , that nothing but deadness or madness should make a reasonable creature to forget , are daily forgotten by the unconverted soul , or uneffectually remembred . many a time have i admired , that men of reason that are here to day , and in endless joy or misery to morrow , should be able to forget such unexpressible concernments ! me thinks they should easier forget to rise , or dress themselves , or to eat or drink , or any thing , then to forget an endless life , which is so undoubtedly certain , and so near . a man that hath a cause to be heard to morrow , in which his life or honour is concerned , cannot forget it : a wretch that is condemned to die to morrow , cannot forget it . and yet poor sinners , that are continually uncertain to live an hour , and certain speedily to see the majesty of the lord , to their unconceivable joy or terrour , as sure as now they live on earth , can forget these things for which they have their memory ; and which one would think should drown the matters of this world , as the report of a canon doth a whisper , or as the sun obscureth the poorest glow-worm . o wonderful stupidity of an unrenewed soul ! o wonderful folly and distractedness of the ungodly ! that ever men can forget , i say again , that they can forget , eternal joy , eternal woe , and the eternal god , and the place of their eternal unchangeable abode , when they stand even at the door , and are passing in , and there is but the thin vail of flesh between them and that amazing sight , that eternal gulf ; and they are daily dying , and even stepping in . o could you keep your honours here for ever ; could you ever wear that gay attire , and gratifie your flesh with meats , and drinks , and sports , and lusts ; could you ever keep your rule and dignity , or your earthly life in any state , you had some little poor excuse for not remembring the eternal things , ( as a man hath , that preferreth his candle before the sun : ) but when death is near and inexorable , and you are sure to die as you are sure you live ; when every man of you that sitteth in these seats to day can say , [ i must shortly be in another world , where all the pomp and pleasure of this world will be forgotten , or remembred but as my sin and folly ] one would think it were impossible for any of you to be ungodly ; and to remember the trifles and nothings of the world , while you forget that everlasting all , whose reality , necessity , magnitude , excellency , concernment and duration , are such , as should take up all the powers of your souls , and continually command the service and attendance of your thoughts , against all seekers , and contemptible competitors whatsover . but , alas , though you have the greatest helps ( in subserviency to these commanding objects ) yet will you not remember the matters which alone deserve remembrance . sometimes the preachers of the gospel do call on you to remember ; to remember your god , your souls , your saviour , your ends and everlasting state , and to remember your misdoings , that you may loath your selves , and in returning may find life : but some either scorn them , or quarrel with them , or sleep under their most serious and importunate solicitations , or carelesly and stupidly give them the hearing , as if they spoke but words of course , or treated about uncertain things , and spoke not to them from the god of heaven , and about the things that every man of you shall very shortly see or feel . sometime you are called on by the voice of conscience within , to remember the unreasonableness and evil of your wayes : but conscience is silenced , because it will not be conformable to your lusts . but little do you think what a part your too-late-awakened conscience hath yet to play , if you give it not a more sober hearing in time . sometime the voice of common calamities , and national or local judgements do call on you to remember the evil of your wayes : but that which is spoken to all , or many , doth seem to most of them as spoken unto none . sometime the voice of particular judgements , seizing upon your families , persons or estates , doth call on you to remember the evil of your wayes : and one would think the rod should make you hear . and yet you most disregardfully go on , or are only frightened into a few good purposes and promises , that die when health and prosperity revive . sometime god joyneth all these together , and pleadeth both by word and rod , and addeth also the inward pleadings of his spirit : he sets your sins in order before you , psal. 50. 21. and expostulateth with you the cause of his abused love , despised soveraignty and provoked justice ; and asketh the poor sinner , hast thou done well to waste thy life in vanity ? to serve thy flesh ? to forget thy god , thy soul , thy happiness ? and to thrust his service into corners , and give him but the odious leavings of the flesh ? ] but these pleas of god cannot be heard . o horrible impiety ! by his own creatures ! by reasonable creatures ( that would scorn to be called fools or mad men ) the god of heaven cannot be heard . the brutish , passionate , furious sinners , will not remember . they will not remember , what they have done , and with whom it is that they have to do , and what god thinks and saith of men in their condition ; and whither it is that the flesh will lead them ? and what will be the fruit and end of all their lusts and vanities ? and how they will look back on all at last ? and whether an holy or a sensual life will be sweetest to a dying man ? and what judgement it is that they will all be of , in the controversie between the flesh and spirit , at the later end ? though they have life , and time , and reason for these uses , we cannot entreate them , to consider of these things in time . if our lives lay on it , as their salvation , which is more , lyeth on it , we cannot intreate them . if we should kneel to them , and with tears beseech them , but once a day , or once a week , to bestow one hour in serious consideration of their latter end , and the everlasting state of saints and sinners , and of the equity of the holy wayes of god , and the iniquity of their own , we cannot prevail with them . till the god of heaven doth over-rule them , we cannot prevail . the witness that we are forc't to bear , is sad : it is sad to us : but it will be sadder to these rebels , that shall one day know , that god will not be out-faced ; and that they may sooner shake the stable earth , and darken the sun by their reproaches , then out-brave the judge of all the world , or by all their cavils , wranglings or scorns , escape the hands of his revenging justice . but if ever the lord will save these souls , he will bring their misdoings to their remembrance . he will make them think of that , which they were so loth to think on . you cannot now abide these troubling , and severe meditations : the thoughts of god , and heaven , and hell , the thoughts of your sins , and of your duties , are melancholly unwelcome thoughts to you : but o that you could foreknow the thoughts that you shall have of all these things ! even the proudest , scornful ; hardened sinner that heareth me this day , shall shortly have such a remembrance , as will make him wonder at his present blockishness . o when the unresistible power of heaven shall open all your sins before you , and command you to remember them , and to remember the time , and place , and persons , and all the circumstances of them , what a change will it make upon the most stout or stubborn of the sons of men ? what a difference will there then be between that trembling self-tormenting soul , and the same that now in his gallantry can make light of all these things , and call the messenger of christ that warneth him , a puritane or a doting fool ! your memories now are somewhat subject to your wills ; and if you will not think of your own , your chief , your everlasting concernments , you may choose . if you will choose rather to employ your noble souls on beastly lusts , and waste your thoughts on things of nought , you may take your course , and chase a feather with the childish world , till overtaking it , you see you have lost your labour . but when justice takes the work in hand , your thoughts shall be no more subject to your wills : you shall then remember that which you are full loth to remember ; and would give a world that you could forget . oh then one cup of the waters of oblivion , would be of unestimable value to the damned ! o what would they not give that they could but forget the time they lost , the mercy they abused , the grace which they refused , the holy servants of christ whom they despised , the wilful sins which they committed , and the many duties which they wilfully omitted ! i have oft thought of their case , when i have dealt with melancholy or despairing persons . if i advise them to cast away such thoughts , and turn their minds to other things , they tell me they cannot ; it is not in their power ; and i have long found , that i may almost as well perswade a broken head to give over aking . but when the holy god shall purposely pour out the vials of his wrath on the consciences of the ungodly , and open the books , and shew them all that ever they have done , with all the aggravations , how then shall these worms be able to resist ? and now i beseech you all consider ; is it not better to remember your sins on earth , then in hell ? before your physitian , then before your judge ? for your cure , then for your torment ? give me leave then , before i go any further , to address my self to you as the messenger of the lord , with this importunate request , both as you stand here in your private , and in your publick capacities . in the name of the god of heaven i charge you [ remember the lives that you have led : remember what you have been doing in the world ! remember how you have spent your time : and whether indeed it is god that you have been serving , and heaven that you have been seeking , and holiness and righteousness that you have been practising in the world till now ? are your sins so small , so venial , so few , that you can find no employment on them for your memories ? or is the offending of the eternal god , so slight and safe a thing , as not to need your consideration ? god forbid you should have such atheistical conceits ! surely god made not his laws for nought ; nor doth he make such a stir by his word , and messengers , and providences against an harmless thing ? nor doth he threaten hell to men for small indifferent matters : nor did christ need to have dyed , and done all that he hath done to cure a small and safe disease . surely that which the god of heaven is pleased to threaten with everlasting punishment , the greatest of you all should vouchsafe to think on , and with greatest fear and soberness to remember . it is a pittiful thing , that with men , with gentlemen , with professed christians , gods matters , and their own matters , their greatest matters , should seem unworthy to be thought on ; when they have thoughts for their honours , and their lands , and friends ; and thoughts for their children , their servants , and provision ; and thoughts for their horses , and their dogs , and sports ! is god and heaven less worth then these ? are death and judgement matters of less moment ? gentlemen , you would take it ill to have your wisdom undervalued , and your reason questioned : for your honour sake do not make it contemptible your selves , in the eyes of all that are truly wise . it is the nobleness of objects that must ennoble your faculties ; and the baseness of objects doth debase them . if brutish objects be your employment and delight , do i need to tell you what you make your selves ? if you would be noble indeed , let god and everlasting glory be the object of your faculties : if you would be great , then dwell on greatest things : if you would be high , then seek the things that are above , and not the sordid things of earth , col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. and if you would be safe , look after the enemies of your peace : and as you had thoughts of sin that led you to commit it , entertain the thoughts that would lead you to abhorr it . o that i might have now but the grant of this reasonable request from you , that among all your thoughts , you would bestow now and then an hour in the serious thoughts of your misdoings , and soberly in your retirement between god and your souls , remember the paths that you have trod ; and whether you have lived for the work for which you were created ? one sober hour of such employment might be the happyest hour that ever you spent , and give you more comfort at your final hour , then all the former hours of your life : and might lead you into that new and holy life , which you may review with everlasting comfort . truly , gentlemen , i have long observed that satans advantage lyeth so much on the brutish side , and that the work of mans conversion , and holy conversation , is so much carryed on by gods exciting of our reason ; and that the misery of the ungodly is , that they have reason in faculty , and not in use , in the greatest things , that i perswade you to this duty with the greater hopes : if the lord will now perswade you but to retire from vanity , and soberly exercise your reason , and consider your wayes , and say , what have we done ? and what is it that god would have us do ? and what shall we wish we had done at last ? i say , could you now but be prevailed with , to bestow as many hours on this work , as you have cast away in idleness , or worse , i should not doubt , but i should shortly see the faces of many of you in heaven , that have been recovered by the use of this advice . it is a thousand pitties , that men that are thought wise enough to be entrusted with the publick safety , and to be the physitians of a broken state , should have any among them that are untrusty to their god , and have not the reason to remember their misdoings , and prevent the danger of their immortal souls . will you sit all day here , to find out the remedy of a diseased land ; and will you not be intreated by god or man , to sit down one hour , and find out the disease of , and remedy for your own souls ? are those men likely to take care of the happiness of so many thousands , that will still be so careless of themselves ? once more therefore i entreate you , remember your misdoings , lest god remember them : and bless the lord that called you this day , by the voice of mercy , to remember them upon terms of faith and hope . remembred they must be first or last : and believe it , this is far unlike the sad remembrance at judgement , and in the place of woe and desperation . and i beseech you observe here , that it is your own misdoings that you must remember . had it been only the sins of other men , especially those that differ from you , or have wronged you , or stand against your interest , how easily would the duty have been performed ? how little need should i have had to press it with all this importunity ? how confident should i be , that i could convert the most , if this were the conversion ? it grieves my soul to hear how quick and constant high and low , learned and unlearned are at this uncharitable contumelious remembring of the faults of others : how cunningly they can bring in their insinuated accusations : how odiously they can aggravate the smallest faults , where difference causeth them to distaste the person : how ordinarily they judge of actions by the persons , as if any thing were a crime that is done by such as they dislike , and all were vertue that is done by those that fit their humours : how commonly brethren have made it a part of their service of god , to speak or write uncharitably of his servants ; labouring to destroy the hearers charity , which had more need in this unhappy time , of the bellows then the water ! how usual it is with the ignorant that cannot reach the truth , and the impious that cannot bear it , to call such hereticks that know more then themselves ; and to call such precisians , puritanes , ( or some such name which hell invents , as there is occasion ) who dare not be so bad as they ! how odious , men pretending to much gravity , learning and moderation , do labour to make those that are dear to god ; and what an art they have to widen differences , and make a sea of every lake , and that perhaps under pretence of blaming the uncharitableness of others ! how far the very sermons and discourses of some learned men are from the common rule of doing as we would be done by : and how loudly they proclaim that such men love not their neighbours as themselves ; the most uncharitable words seeming moderate which they give ; and all called intemperate that savoureth not of flattery , which they receive ! were i calling the several exasperated factions now in england , to remember the misdoings of their supposed adversaries , what full-mouth'd and debasing confessions would they make ? what monsters of heresie , and schism , of impiety , treason and rebellion , of perjury and perfidiousness , would too many make of the faults of others , while they extenuate their own to almost nothing ! it is a wonder to observe , how the case doth alter with the most , when that which was their adversaries case , becomes their own . the very prayers of the godly , and their care of their salvation , and their fear of sinning , doth seem their crime in the eyes of some that easily bear the guilt of swearing , drunkenness , sensuality , filthiness , and neglect of duty , in themselves , as a tolerable burden . but if ever god indeed convert you , ( though you will pitty others , yet ) he will teach you to begin at home , and take the beam out of your own eyes , and to cry out , [ i am the miserable sinner . ] and lest these generals seem insufficient for us to confess on such a day as this , and lest yet your memories should need more help , is it not my duty to mind you of some particulars ? which yet i shall not do by way of accusation , but of enquiry : far be it from me to judge so hardly of you , that when you come hither to lament your sins , you cannot with patience endure to be told of them . 1. enquire then , whether there be none among you that live a sensual careless life ; cloathed with the best , and faring deliciously every day ? in gluttony or drunkenness , chambering and wantonness , strife or envying , not putting on christ , nor walking in the spirit , but making provision for the flesh , to satisfie the lusts thereof , rom. 13. 13 , 14. is there none among you that spend your precious time in vanities , that is allowed you to prepare for life eternal ? that have time to waste in complements and fruitless talk and visits ; in gaming and unnecessary recreations , in excessive feasting and entertainments , while god is neglected , and your souls forgotten , and you can never find an hour in a day , to make ready for the life which you must live for ever . is there none among you that would take that man for a puritan or phanatick , that should employ but half so much time for his soul , and in the service of the lord , as you do in unnecessary sports and pleasures , and pampering your flesh ? gentlemen , if there be any such among you , as you love your souls , remember your misdoings , and bewail these abominations before the lord , in this day of your professed humiliation . 2. enquire whether there be none among you , that being strangers to the new birth , and to the inward workings of the spirit of christ upon the soul , do also distaste an holy life , and make it the matter of your reproach , and pacifie your accusing consciences with a religion made up of meer words , and heartless out-side , and so much obedience as your fleshly pleasures will admit ; accounting those that go beyond you , especially if they differ from you in your modes and circumstances , to be but a company of proud , pharisaical , self-conceited hypocrites , and those whom you desire to suppress . if there should be one such person here , i would entreat him to remember , that it is the solemn asseveration of our judge , that except a man be converted , and be born again , of water and the spirit , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven . joh. 3. 3 , 5. mat. 18. 3. that if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his , rom. 8. 9. that if any man be in christ , he is a new creature ; old things are past away , and all things are become new , 2 cor. 5. 17. that without holiness none shall see god , heb. 12. 14. that the wisdom that is from above , is first pure and then peaceable , jam. 3. 17. that god is a spirit , and they that worship him , must worship him in spirit and in truth , john 4. 23 , 24. that they worship in vain , that teach for doctrines the commandments of men , mat. 15. 8 , 9. and that except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and pharisees , you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven , matth. 5. 20. and i desire you to remember that its hard to kick against the pricks ; and to prosper in rage against the lord : and that its better for that man that offendeth one of his little ones , to have had a mill-stone fastened to his neck , and to have been cast into the bottom of the sea , matth. 18. 6. it is a sure and grievous condemnation , that waiteth for all that are themselves unholy : but to the haters or despisers of the holy laws and servants of the lord , how much more grievous a punishment is reserved ? 3. enquire also , whether there be none among you , that let loose your passions on your inferiours , and oppress your poor tenants , and make them groan under the task , or at least do little to relieve the needy , nor study not to serve the lord with your estates , but sacrifice all to the pleasing of your flesh , unless it be some inconsiderable pittance , or fruitless drops , that are unproportionable to your receivings . if there be any such , let them remember their iniquities , and cry for mercy , before the cry of the poor to heaven , do bring down vengeance from him that hath promised , to hear their cry , and speedily to avenge them , luk. 18. 7 , 8. 4. enquire , whether there be none that live the life of sodom , in pride , fulness of bread and idleness , ezek. 16. 49. and that are not pust up with their estates and dignities , and are strangers to the humility , meekness , patience , and self-denyal of the saints : that ruffle in bravery , and contend more zealously for their honour and preheminence , then for the honour and interest of the lord . for pride of apparel , it was wont to be taken for a childish or a womanish kind of vice , below a man ; but it s now observed among the gallants , that ( except in spots ) the notes of vanity are more legibly written on the hair and dress of a multitude of effeminate males , then on the females ; proclaiming to the world that pride , which one would think even pride it self should have concealed ; and calling by these signs to the beholders to observe the emptyness of their minds , and how void they are of that inward worth , which is the honour of a christian , and of a man : it being a marvel to see a man of learning , gravity , wisdom , and the fear of god , appear in such an antick dress . i have done with the first part [ the remembring of your own evil wayes and doings . ] i beseech you practically go along with me to the next , [ the loathing of your selves in your own eyes , for all your iniquities and abominations . every true convert doth thus loath himself for his iniquities ; and when god will restore a punished people upon their repentance , he bringeth them to this loathing of themselves . 1. a converted soul hath a new and heavenly light to help him , to see those matters of humbling use , which others see not . 2. more particularly , he hath the knowledge of sin , and of himself . he seeth the odious face of sin , and seeth how much his heart and life , in his sinful dayes abounded with it , and how great a measure yet remains . 3. he hath seen by faith the lord himself : the majesty , the holiness , the jealousie , the goodness of the eternal god whom he hath offended ; and therefore must needs abhorr himself , john 42. 6. 4. he hath tasted of gods displeasure against him for his sin already . god himself hath set it home , and awakened his conscience , and held it on , till he hath made him understand that the consuming fire is not to be jested with . 5. he hath seen christ crucified , and mourned over him . this is the glass that doth most clearly shew the ugliness of sin : and here he hath learned to abhor himself . 6. he hath foreseen by faith the end of sin , and the doleful recompence of the ungodly : his faith beholdeth the misery of damned souls , and the glory which sinners cast away . he heareth them before-hand repenting and lamenting , and crying out of their former folly , and wishing in vain that all this were to do again , and that they might once more be tryed with another life , and resolving then how holily , how self-denyingly they would live ! he knows if sin had had its way , he had been plunged into this hellish misery himself , and therefore he must needs loath himself for his iniquities . 7. moreover the true convert hath had the liveliest tast of mercy ; of the blood of christ ; of the offers and covenant of grace ; of reprieving mercy ; of pardoning mercy ; of healing and preserving mercy ; and of the unspeakable mercy contained in the promise of everlasting life : and to find that he hath sinned against all this mercy , doth constrain him to abhorre himself . 8. and it is only the true convert that hath a new and holy nature , contrary to sin ; and therefore as a man that hath the leprosie doth loath himself because his nature is contrary to his disease , so is it ( though operating in a freer way ) with a converted soul as to the leprosie of sin . oh how he loaths the remnants of his pride and passion ; his excessive cares , desires , and fears ; the backwardness of his soul to god and heaven ! sin is to the new nature of every true believer , as the food of a swine to the stomack of a man ; if he have eaten it , he hath no rest till he hath vomited it up ; and then when he looketh on his vomit , he loatheth himself to think how long he kept such filth within him ; and that yet in the bottome there is some remains . 9. the true covert is one that is much at home ; his heart is the vineyard which he is daily dressing ; his work is ordinarily about it ; and therefore he is acquainted with those secret sins , and daily failings , which ungodly men that are strangers to themselves , do not observe , though they have them in dominion . 10. lastly , a serious christian is a workman of the lords , and daily busie at the exercise of his graces ; and therefore hath occasion to observe his weaknesses , and failings , and from sad experience is forced to abhorre himself . but with careless unrenewed souls it is not so ; some of them may have a mild ingenuous disposition ; and the knowledge of their unworthiness ; and customarily they will confess such sins , as are small disgrace to them , or cannot be hid ; or under the terrible gripes of conscience , in the hour of distress and at the approach of death , they will do more ; and abhorre themselves perhaps as judas did ; or make a constrained confession through the power of fear . but so far are they from this loathing of themselves for all their iniquities , that sin is to them as their element , their food , their nature , and their friend . and now , honourable , worthy and beloved auditors , it is my duty to enquire , and to provoke you to enquire , whether the representative body of the commons of england , and each man of you in particular , be thus affected to your selves or not . it concerns you to enquire of it , as you love your souls , and love not to see the death-marks of impenitencie on them . it concerneth us to enquire of it , as we love you and the nation , and would fain see the marks of gods return in mercy to us , in your self-loathing and return to god . let conscience speak as before the lord that sees your hearts and will shortly judg you : have you had such a sight of your naturall and actuall sin and misery , of your neglect of god , your contempt of heaven , your loss of precious hasty time , your worldly , fleshly , sensuall lives , and your omission of the great and holy works which you were made for ; have you had such a sight and sense of these , as hath filled your souls with shame and sorrow ? and caused you in tears or hearty grief to lament your sinfull careless lives , before the lord . do you loath your selves for all this , as being vile in your own eyes , and each man say , what a wretch was i ? what an unreasonable self-hating wretch , to do all this against my self ? what an unnaturall wretch ! what a monster of rebellion and ingratitude , to do all this against the lord of love and mercy ? what a deceived foolish wretch ! to preferre the pleasing of my lust and senses , a pleasure that perisheth in the fruition , and is past as soon as it s received , before the manly pleasures of the saints , and before the souls delight in god , and before the unspeakable everlasting pleasures ? was there any comparison between the bruitish pleasures of the flesh , and the spirituall delights of a believing soul , in looking to the endles pleasure which we shall have with all the saints and angels in the glorious presence of the lord . was god and glory worth no more , then to be cast aside for satiating of an unsatisfiable flesh and fancie ! and to be sold for a harlot , for a forbidden cup ; for a little aire of popular applause , or for a burdensome load of wealth and power , for so short a time ? where 's now the gain and pleasure of all my former sins ! what have they left but a sting behind them ? how neer is the time when my departing soul must look back on all the pleasures and profits that ever i enjoyed , as a dream when one awaketh ; as delusory vanities , that have done all for me that ever they will doe , and all is but to bring my flesh unto corruption ( gal. 6. 8. ) and my soul to this distressing grief and fear ! add then i must sing and laugh no more ! i must brave it out in pride no more ! i must know the pleasures of the flesh no more ! but be levelled with the poorest , and my body laid in loathsome darkness , and my soul appear before that god whom i so wilfully refused to obey and honour . o wretch that i am ! where was my understanding , when i plaid so boldly with the flames of hell , the wrath of god , the poison of sin ! when god stood by and yet i sinned ! when conscience did rebuke me , and yet i sinned ! when heaven or hell were hard at hand , and yet i sinned ! when to please my god and save my soul i would not forbear a filthy lust , or a forbidden vanity of no worth ! when i would not be perswaded to a holy , heavenly , watchfull life , though all my hopes of heaven lay on it . i am ashamed of my self : i am confounded in the remembrance of my wilfall self-destroying folly ! i loath my self for all these abhominations : o that i had lived in beggery and rags , when i lived in sin : and o that i had lived with god in a prison or in a wilderness , when i refused a holy heavenly life , for the love of a deceitfull world ! will the lord but pardon what is past , i am resolved through his grace to do so no more , but to loath that filth that i took for pleasure , and to abhorre the sin that i made my sport ; and to die to the glory and riches of the world , which i made my idoll ; and to live entirely to that god that i did so long and so unworthily neglect ; and to seek that treasure , that kingdome , that delight , that will fully satisfie my expectation , and answer all my care and labour , with such infinite advantage . holiness or nothing shall be my work and life ; and heaven or nothing shall be my portion and felicity . these are the thoughts , the affections the breathing of every regenerate gracious soul . for your souls sake enquire now , is it thus with you ? or have you thus returned with self-loathing to the lord , and firmly engaged your souls to him at your enterance into a holy life ? i must be plain with you gentlemen , or i shall be unfaithfull ; and i must deal closely with you , or i cannot deal honestly and truly with you . as sure as you live , yea as sure as the word of god is true , you must all be such converted men , and loath your selves for your iniquities , or be condemned as impenitent to everlasting fire . to hide this from you , is but to deceive you , and that in a matter of a thousand times greater moment then your lives . perhaps i could have made shift , instead of such serious admonitions , to have wasted this hour in flashy oratory , and neat expressions , and ornaments of reading , and other things that are the too common matter of ostentation , with men that preach gods word in jeast , and believe not what they are perswading others to believe . or if you think i could not , i am indifferent , as not much affecting the honour of being able , to offend the lord , and wrong your souls , by dallying with holy things . flattery in these things of soul concernment , is a selfish vilany , that hath but a very short reward ; and those that are pleased with it to day , may curse the flatterer for ever . again therefore let me tell you , ( that which i think you will confess , ) that it is not your greatness , nor your high looks , nor the gallantry of your spirits that scorns to be thus humbled , that will serve your turn when god shall deal with you , or save your carcasses from rottenness and dust , or your guilty souls from the wrath of the almighty . nor is it your contempt of the threatnings of the lord , and your stupid neglect , or scorning at the message , that will endure , when the sudden unresistible light shall come in upon you and convince you , or you shall see and feel what now you refused to believe ! nor is it your outside hypocriticall religion , made up of meer words or ceremonies , and giving your souls but the leavings of the flesh , and making god an underling to the world , that will do any more to save your souls , then the picture of a feast to feed your bodies . nor is it the stiffest conceits that you shall be saved in an unconverted state , or that you are sanctified when you are not , that will do any more to keep you from damnation , then a conceit that you shall never die , will do to keep you here for ever . gentlemen , though you are all here in health , and dignity , and honour to day , how little a while is it , alas how little , till you shall be every man in heaven or hell ! ( unless you are infidels you dare not deny it . ) and it is only christ and a holy life that is your way to heaven , and only sin , and the neglect of christ and holiness that can undo you . look therefore upon sin as you should look on that which would cast you into hell , and is daily undermining all your hopes . o that that this honourable assembly could know it in some measure , as it shall be shortly known ? and judg of it as men do , when time is past , and delusions vanished , and all men are awakened from their fleshly dreams , and their naked souls have seen the lord ? o then what laws would you make against sin ? how speedily would you joyn your strength against it , as against the only enemy of our peace , and as against a fire in your houses , or a plague that were broken out upon the city , where you are ? o then how zealously would you all concurre to promote the interest of holiness in the land , and studiously encourage the servants of the lord ! how severely would you deal with those , that by making a mock of godliness , do hinder the salvation of the peoples souls ? how carefully would you help the labourers that are sent to guid men in the holy path ? and your selves would go before the nation , as an example of penitent self-loathing for your sins , and hearty conversion to the lord . is this your duty now , or is it not ? if you cannot deny it , i warn you from the lord , do not neglect it ; and do not by your disobedience to a convinced conscience , prepare for a tormenting conscience . if you know your masters will and do it not , you shall be beaten with many stripes . and your publike capacity and work , doth make your repentance and holiness needfull to others as well as to your selves . had we none to govern us , but such as entirely subject themselves to the government of christ ; and none to make us laws , but such as have his law transcribed upon their hearts , o what a happy people should we be . men are unlikely to make strckt laws , against the vices which they love and live in : or if they make them , they are more unlikely to execute them . we can expect no great help against drunkenness , swearing , gaming , filthiness , and prophaneness , from men that love these abominations so well , as that they will rather part with god and their salvation , then they will let them go . all men are born with a serpentine malice and emnity against the seed of christ , which is rooted in their very natures . custome in sin encreaseth this to more malignity ; and it is only renewing grace that doth overcome it . if therefore there should be any among our rulers , that are not cured of this mortall malady , what friendship can be expected from them to the cause and servants of the lord ? if you are all the children of god your selves , and heaven be your end , and holiness your delight and business , it will then be your principall care to encourage it , and help the people to the happiness that you have found your selves . but if in any the originall ( increased ) enmity to god and godliness prevail , we can expect no better ( ordinarily ) from such , then that they oppose the holiness which they hate , and do their worst to make us miserable . but woe to him that striveth against his maker . shall the thorns and bryers be set in battail against the consuming fire and prevail ? isa. 27. 4 , 5. oh therefore for the nations sake , begin at home , and cast away the sins which you would have the nation cast away ! all men can say , that ministers must teach by their lives , as well as by their doctrines ; ( and woe to them that do not . ) and must not magistrates as well govern by their lives , as by their laws ? will you make laws which you would not have men obey ? or would you have the people to be better then your selves ? or can you expect to be obeyed by others , when you will not obey the god of heaven and earth your selves ? we beseech you therefore for the sake of a poor distressed land , let our recovery begin with you . god looks so much at the rulers of a nation in his dealings with them , that ordinarily it goes with the people as their rulers are . till david had numbered the people , god would not let out his wrath upon them , though it was they that were the great offenders . if we see our representative body begin in loathing themselves for all their iniquities , and turning to the lord with all their hearts , we should yet believe that he is returning to us , and will do us good after all our provocations , truly gentlemen , it is much from you that we must fetch our comfortable or sad prognosticks , of the life or death of this diseased land . whatever you do , i know that it shall go well with the righteous ; but for the happiness or misery of the nation in generall , it 's you that are our best prognostication . if you repent your selves , and become a holy people to the lord , it promiseth us deliverance : but if you harden your hearts , and prove despisers of god and holiness , it 's like to be our temporall , and sure to be your eternall undoing , if saving grace do not prevent it . and i must needs tell you , that if you be not brought to loath your selves , it is not because there is no loathsome matter in you . did you see your inside , you could not forbear it . as i think it would somewhat abate the pride of the most curious gallants , if they did but see what a heap of flegme , and filth , and dung , ( and perhaps crawling worms ) there is within them . much more should it make you loath your selves , if you saw those sins that are a thousand times more odious . and to instigate you hereunto , let me further reason with you . 1. you can easily loath an enemy ; and who hath been a greater enemy to any of you , then your selves ? another may injure you ; but no man can everlastingly undo you , but your selves . 2. you abhorre him that kills your dearest friends ; and it is you by your sins that have put to death the lord of life . 3. who is it but your selves that hath robbed you of so much precious time , and so much precious fruit of ordinances , and of all the mercies of the lord ? 4. who is it but your selves that hath brought you under gods displeasure ? poverty could not have made him loath you , nor any thing besides your sins . 5. who wounded conscience , and hath raised all your doubts and fears ? was it not your sinfull selves ? 6. who is it but your selves that hath brought you so neer the gulf of misery ? and endangered your eternall peace ? 7. consider the loathsome nature of your sins , and how then can you choose but loath your selves ? 1. it is the creatures rebellion or disobedience against the absolute universall soveraign . 2. it is the deformity of gods noblest creature here on earth ; and the abusing of the most noble faculties . 3. it is a stain so deep that nothing can wash out but the blood of christ . the flood that drowned a world of sinners , did not wash away their sins . the fire that consumed the sodomites , did not consume their sins . hell it self can never end it , and therefore shall have no end it self . it dieth not with you when you die : though churchyards are the guiltiest spots of ground , they do not bury and hide our sin . 4. the church must loath it , and must cast out the sinner as loathsome if he remain impenitent : and none of the servants of the lord must have any friendship with the unfruitfull works of darkness . 5. god himself doth loath the creature for sin , and for nothing else but sin , zech. 11. 8. my soul loathed them . deut. 32. 19. when the lord saw it he abhorred them , because of the provoking of his sons and daughters . ] lev. 26. 30. my soul shall abhorre you . ] psal. 78. 59. when god heard this he was wroth , and greatly abhorred israel . lam. 2. 7. he abhorred his very sanctuary . ] for he is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity , hab. 1. 13. in a word , it is the sentence of god himself , that a wicked man is loathsome and cometh to shame , prov. 13. 5. ] so that you see what abundant cause of self-abhorrence is among us . but we are much afraid of gods departure , when we see how common self-love is in the world , and how rare this penitent self-loathing is . 1. do they loath themselves that on every occasion are contending for their honour , and exalting themselves , and venturing their very souls , to be highest in the world for a little while ? 2. do they loath themselves that are readier to justifie all their sins , or at least extenuate them , then humbly confess them ? 3. do they loath themselves for all their sins , that cannot endure to be reproved , but loath their friends , and the ministers of christ that tell them of their loathsomness ? 4. do they loath themselves that take their pride it self for manhood , and christian humility for baseness , and brokenness of heart for whining hypocrisie or folly , and call them a company of priest-ridden fools , that lament their sin , and ease their souls by free confession ? is the ruffling bravery of this city , and the strange attyre , the haughty carriage , the feasting , idleness and pomp , the marks of such as loath themselves for all their abhominations ? why then was fasting , and sack cloth and ashes , the badg of such in ancient times ? 5. do they loath themselves for all their sins , who loath those that will not do as they ? and speak reproachfully of such as run not with them to the same excess of ryot , 1 pet. 4. 4. and count them precisians that dare not spit in the face of christ , by wilfull sinning as venturously and madly as themselves . 6. or do they loath themselves for all their sins , that love their sins , even better then their god , and will not by all the obtestations , and commands , and intreaties of the lord , be perswaded to forsake them ? how farre all these are from this self-loathing , and how farre that nation is from happiness where the rulers or inhabitants are such , is easie to conjecture . i should have minded you what sins of the land must be remembred , and loathed if we would have peace and healing . but as the glass forbids me , so , alas , as the sins of sodom they declare themselves . though through the great mercy of the lord the body of this nation , and the sober part , have not been guilty of that covenant-breaking perfidiousness , treason , sedition , disobedience , self-exalting , and turbulencie as some have been , and as ignorant forreigners through the calumnies of malicious adversaries may possibly believe , yet must it be for a lamentation through all generations , that any of those that went out from us , have contracted the guilt of such abhominations , and occasioned the enemies of the lord to blaspheme ; and that any in the pride or simplicity of their hearts , have followed the conduct of jesuiticall seducers , they knew not whither , nor to what . that profaness aboundeth on the other side , and drunkenness , swearing , fornication , lasciviousness , idleness , pride and covetousness , do still survive the ministers that have wasted themselves against them , and the labours of faithfull magistrates to this day ! and that the two extreams of heresie and profaneness , do increase each other ; and while they talk against each other , they harden one another , and both afflict the church of christ . but especially woe to england for that crying sin , the scorning of a holy life , if a wonder of mercy do not save us . that people professing the christian religion , should scorn the diligent practise of that religion which themselves profess ! that obedience to the god of heaven , that imitation of the example of our saviour who came from heaven to teach us holiness , should not only be neglected , unreasonably and impiously neglected , but also by a transcendent impious madness , should be made a matter of reproach ! that the holy ghost into whose name as the sanctifier these men were themselves baptized , should not only be resisted , but his sanctifying work be made a scorn ! that it should be made a matter of derision , for a man to preferre his soul before his body , and heaven before earth , and god before a transitory world , and to use his reason in that for which it was principally given him , and not to be wilfully mad in a case where madness will undo him unto all eternity ! judg as you are men , whether hell it self is like much to exceed such horrid wickedness ! and whether it be not an astonishing wonder , that ever a reasonable soul should be brought to such a height of abhomination . that they that profess to believe the holy catholike church , and the communion of saints , should deride the holiness of the church , and the saints and their communion ! that they that pray for the hallowing of gods name , the coming of his kingdom , and the doing of his will even as it s done in heaven , should make a mock at all this that they pray for ! how much further think you is it possible , for wicked souls to go in sinning ? is it not the god of heaven himself that they make a scorn of ? is not holiness his image ? did not he make the law that doth command it ; professing that none shall see his face without it ? heb. 12. 14. o sinfull nation ! o people laden with iniquity , repent , repent , speedily and with self-loathing repent of this inhumane crime , lest god should take away your glory , and enter himself into judgment with you , and plead against you the scorn that you have cast upon the creator , the saviour , the sanctifier to whom you were engaged in your baptismall vows ! lest when he plagueth and condemneth you he say , why persecuted you me ? ( acts 9. 4. ) inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren , ye did it unto me . ] read . prov. 1. 20. to the end . when israel mocked the messengers of the lord , and despised his words , and misused his prophets , his wrath arose against his people till there was no remedy , 2 chron. 26. 16. and o that you that are the physicions of this diseased land , would specially call them to repentance for this , and help them against it for the time to come . having called you first to remember your misdoings , and secondly to loath your selves in your own eyes for them ; i must add a third , that you stop not here , but proceed to reformation , or else all the rest is but hypocrisie . and here it is that i most earnestly intreat this honourable assembly for their best assistance . o make not the forementioned sins your own ; lest you hear from god , quod minus crimine , quam absolutione peccatum est . though england hath been used to cry loud for liberty , let them not have liberty to abuse their maker , and to damn their souls , if you can hinder it . optimus est reipublicae status , ubi nulla libertas deest , nisi licentia pereundi , as nero once was told by his unsuccessfull tutor . use not men to a liberty of scorning the laws of god , lest you teach them to scorn yours : for can you expect to be better used then god . and cui plus licet quam par est , plus vult quam licet ( gell. l. 17. c. 14. ) we have all seen the evils of liberty to be wanton in religion : is it not worse to have liberty , to deride religion ? if men shall have leave to go quietly to hell themselves , let them not have leave to mock poor souls from heaven . the suffering to the sound in faith is as nothing : for what is the foaming rage of mad men to be regarded ? but that in england god should be so provoked , and souls so hindered from the pathes of life , that whoever will be converted and saved , must be made a laughing stock ( which carnall mindes cannot endure , ) this is the mischief which we deprecate . the eyes of the nation , and of the christian world , are much upon you , some high in hopes , some deep in fears , some waiting in dubious expectations for the issue of your counsels . great expectations , in deep necessities , should awake you to the greatest care and diligence . though i would not by omitting any necessary directions or admonitions to you , invite the world to think that i speak to such as cannot endure to hear , and that so honourable an assembly doth call the ministers of christ to do those works of their proper office , which yet they will be offended if they do ; yet had i rather erre in the defective part , then by excess , and therefore shall not presume to be too particular . only in generall , in the name of christ , and on the behalf of a trembling yet hoping nation , i most earnestly beseech and warn you , that you own and promote the power and practise of godliness in the land , and that as god whose ministers you are ( rom. 13. 4. ) is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him , heb. 11. 6. and hath made this a principall article of our faith ; so you would imitate your absolute lord , and honour them that fear the lord , and encourage them that diligently seek him . and may i not freely tell you , that god should have the precedencie ? and that you must first seek his kingdom and the righteousness thereof , and he will facilitate all the rest of your work . surely no powers on earth should be offended , that the god from whom , and for whom , and through whom they have what they have , is preferred before them ; when they should own no interest but his , and what is subservient to it . i have long thought that pretences of a necessity of beginning with our own affairs , hath frustrated our hopes from many parliaments already : and i am sure that by delayes the enemies of our peace have got advantage to cross our ends and attain their own . our calamities begun in differences about religion , and still that 's the wound that most needs closing : and if that were done , how easily ( i dare confidently speak it ) would the generality of sober godly people , be agreed in things civill , and become the strength and glory of the soveraign ( under god ? ) and though with grief and shame we see this work so long undone ( may we hope that god hath reserved it to this season . ) yet i have the confidence to profess , that ( as the exalting of one party by the ejection and persecuting of the rest , is the sinfull way to your dishonour and our ruine , so the termes on which the differing parties most considerable among us , may safely , easily and suddenly unite , are very obvious ; and our concord a very easie thing , if the prudent and moderate might be the guides , and selfish interests and passion did not set us at a further distance then our principles have done . and to shew you the facility of such an agreement , were it not that such personall matters are much liable to misinterpretations , i should tell you , that the late reverend primate of ireland consented ( in less than half an hoursdebate ) to five or six propositions which i offered him , as sufficient for the concord of the moderate episcopall and presbyterians , without forsaking the principles of their parties . o that the lord would yet shew so much mercy to a sinfull nation , as to put it into your hearts to promote but the practise of those christian principles which we are all agreed in : i hope there is no controversie among us whether god should be obeyed and hell avoided , and heaven first sought , and scripture be the rule and test of our religion , and sin abhorred and cast out . o that you would but further the practise of this with all your might : we crave not of you any lordship or dominion , nor riches , nor interest in your temporall affairs : we had rather see a law to exclude all ecclesiasticks from all power of force : the god of heaven that will judg you and us , will be a righteous judg betwixt us , whether we crave any thing unreasonable at your hands . these are the summe of our requests : 1. that holiness may be encouraged , and the overspreading prophaneness of this nation effectually kept down . 2. that an able diligent ministry may be encouraged , and not corrupted by temporall power . 3. that discipline may be seriously promoted , and ministers no more hindred by magistrates in the exercise of their office , then physicions and schoolmasters are in theirs ; seeing it is but a government like theirs , consisting in the liberty of conscionable managing the works of our own office that we expect : give us but leave to labour in christs vineyard with such encouragement as the necessity of obstinate souls requireth , and we will ask no more . you have less cause to restrain us from discipline then from preaching : for it is a more flesh-displeasing work that we are hardlier brought to . i foretell you , that you shut out me and all that are of my minde , if you would force us to administer sacraments without discipline , and without the conduct of our own discretion , to whom the magistrate appoints it ; as if a physicion must give no physick but by your prescript . the antidisciplinarian magistrate i could as resolutely suffer under as the superstitious ; it being worse to cast out discipline , then to erre in the circumstances of it . the question is not , whether bishops or no ? but whether discipline or none ? and whether enow to use it ? 4. we earnestly request that scripture sufficiency as the test of our religion , and only universall law of christ may be maintained : and that nothing unnecessary may be imposed as necessary , nor the churches unity laid on that which will not bear it , nor ever did . o that we might but have leave to serve god only as christ hath commanded us , and to go to heaven in the same way as the apostles did ! these are our desires ; and whether they are reasonable god will judg . give first to god the things that are gods , and then give caesar the things that are caesars . let your wisdome be first pure , and then peaceable . not but that we are resolved to be loyall to soveraignty , though you deny us all these : whatever malicious men pretend , that is not nor shall not be our difference . i have proved more publikely when it was more dangerous to publish it , that the generality of the orthodox sober ministers , and godly people of this nation , did never consent to king-killing , and resisting soveraign power , nor to the change of the ancient government of this land ; but abhorred the pride and ambition that attempted it . i again repeat it : the blood of some , the imprisonment and displacing of others , the banishment or flight of others , and the detestations and publike protestations of more ; the oft declared sense of england , and the warres and sad estate of scotland , have all declared before the world , to the shame of calumniators , that the generallity of the orthodox sober protestants of these nations , have been true to their allegiance , and detesters of unfaithfullness and ambition in subjects , and resisters of heresie and schisme in the church , and of anarchie and democraticall confusions in the commonwealth . and though the land hath ringed with complaints and threatnings against my self , for publishing a little of the mixture of jesuiticall and familisticall contrivances , for taking down together our government and religion , and setting up new ones for the introduction of popery , infidelity and heresie ; yet i am assured that there is much more of this confederacie , for the all-seeing god to discover in time , to the shame of papists , that cannot be content to write themselves for the killing of kings when the pope hath once excommunicated them , and by the decrees of a generall councill at the laterane , to depose princes that will extirpate such as the pope calls hereticks , and absolve all their subjects from their fidelity and allegiance , but they must also creep into the councils and armies of protestants , and taking the advantage of successes and ambition , withdraw men at once from their religion and allegiance , that they may cheat the world into a belief , that treasons are the fruits of the protestant profession , when these masked juglers have come by night and sown and cherished these romish tares . as a papist must cease to be a papist if he will be truly and fully loyall to his soveraign ( as i am ready to prove against any adversary ; ) so a protestant must so farre cease to be a protestant before he can be disloyall . for rom. 13. is part of the rule of his religion . unhappily there hath been a difference among us , which is the higher power , when those that have their shares in the soveraignty are divided : but whether we should be subject to the higher power is no question with us . gentlemen , i have nothing to ask of you for my self nor any of my brethren as for themselves : but that you will be friends to serious preaching and holy living , and will not ensnare our consciences with any unscripturall inventions of men , this i would beg of you as on my knees : 1. as for the sake of christ , whose cause and people it is that i am pleading for . 2. for the sake of thousands of poore souls in this land , whose salvation or damnation will be much promoted by you . 3. for the sake of thousands of the dear servants of the lord , whose eyes are waiting to see what god will do by your hands . 4. for your own sakes , who are undone if you dash your selves on the rock you should build on , and set against the holy god , and turn the cries of his servants to heaven for deliverance from you , luk. 18. 8. if you slumble on christ he will break you in pieces ; but if he fall upon you he will grind you to powder . 5. for the sake of your posterity , that they may not be bred up in ignorance or ungodliness . 6. for the honour of the nation and your selves ; that you turn by all the suspicions and fears that are raised in the land . 7. for the honour of sound doctrine and church government , that you may not bring schisme into greater credit then now you have brought it to deserved shame . for if you frown on godliness under pretence of uniformity in unnecessary things , and make times worse then when libertinisme and schisme so prevailed , the people will look back with groans and say , what happy times did we once see ? and so will honour schisme , and libertinisme , and usurpation , through your oppression . 8. lastly , i beg this of you , for the honour of soveragnty and the nations peace . a prince of a holy people is most honourable . the interest of holiness is christs own : happy is that prince that espouseth this , and subjecteth all his own unto it . see psal. 1. 1 , 2. & 101. & 15. 4. it is the conscionable , prudent , godly people of the land that must be the glory and strength of their lawfull soveraign . their prayers will serve him better then the hideous oaths and curses of the prophane . woe to the rulers that set themselves against the interest of christ and holiness . read psal. 2. or that make snares for their consciences , that they may persecute them as disobedients , who are desirous to obey their rulers in subordination to the lord . see dan. 3. & 6. 5 , 10 , 13. i have dealt plainly with you , and told you the very truth . if god have now a blessing for you and us , you will obey it : but if you refuse , then look to your selves and answer it if you can . i am sure in spite of earth and hell , it shall go well with them that live by faith . finis . mr. baxter's judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish-assemblies, as by law required, impartially stated and proposed baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1684 approx. 70 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 20 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26943 wing b1289 estc r14325 12718211 ocm 12718211 66265 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26943) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 66265) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 973:6) mr. baxter's judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish-assemblies, as by law required, impartially stated and proposed baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [8], 31 p. s.n.], [london : 1684. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng dissenters, religious -great britain. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2006-01 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mr. baxter's judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish-assemblies , as by law required . impartially stated and proposed . great men are not alwayes wise , &c. job 32. 9. surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird prov. 1. 17. happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth , rom. 14. 22. printed in the year 1684. to the reader ▪ thou art desired to consider , that the reason why the author of these papers has given thee the judgment of mr. baxter against communicating with the parish-assemblies , as by law required , is to undeceive those who think , that he has been of late writing for it ; whereas that which he hath written does hold good only on supposition , the parish assemblies are congregational churches , independent on the diocesane bishop , who is for our holding communion with them only as such . it has very much grieved the author to see how many have been led from their principles by some men , who though otherwise dissenters , have since the late vigorous execution of the paenal laws , not only gone themselves to church , but done their best to engage others to do so too ; and to that end have observed the rule of the polititian , to press the examples and practices of some eminent men , as a good means to draw on the rest . thus have they published the names of nye , robinson , owen , and goodwin to countenance their commnnicating with the parish assemblies in the liturgy-worship , which is manifest abusing those persons , while they are made to plead for a practice they disavow . the designe of the publisher of mr. nye , robinson , &c. ( as he himself professeth ) is as well to satisfie those that scruple communion with the church [ to wit , with the parish assemblies in their liturgy-worship ] as to vindicate those who have complyed ; whereas there is not one of these men that spake a word in favour of parish communion . nye's and robinson's rapers are only for the lawfulness of hearing the conformist ministers preach , not for communicating with the parish in their liturgy-worship . besides , it must be noted , that what they wrote was confined to private manuscript , until some years after their death , and never , it may be , designed for publick view . and the author of a speedy remedy against spiritual incontinency , pag. 4. doth assure us , that at leyden , mr. robinson being confuted in the presence of above three hundred people , did revoke his opinion about hearing , and acknowledged that hearing was a sinful partaking with that ministry . that this was nine years before robinson's death , and that robinson's papers were not published in some years after his death , and had not been published then neither , had they not through inadvertency escaped the flames , and fell into the hands of an inverterate enem● who printed them . soon after they were printed , mr cann wrote an answer ; notwithstanding which , thes● papers are now re-published , and robinson's authority urged to justifie the lawfulness communicating with the parish assemblies in the liturgy-worship . in like manner , dr. owen , who did grant that forms of pra●ers , in thesi , may be lawful , is introduced as an approver of the lawfulness of the imposed liturgy and ceremonies in particular ; than which there cannot be a greater abuse . dr. goodwin likewise , after the diocesane episcopacy was laid aside , did say , that in some of the parishes in this kingdom there are many godly men , that do constantly give up themselves to the worship of god in publick , and meet together in one place , to that end in a constant way , under a godly ministry , whom they themselves have chosen to cleave unto ( though they did not chuse him at first ) these ( saith the doctor ) notwithstanding their mixture , and want of discipline , i never thought for my part , but that they were true churches of christ , and sister churches , and so ought to be acknowledged ; and as for holding communion with them , i say , as sister-churches , occasionally , as strangers , men might hold communion with them . so far dr. goodwin . note here , 1 st . that he describes a church , which for its kind is congregational , though in it there is a mixture and want of discipline . his discourse is of a compleat congregational church , not of an incompleat part of the diocesane . 2 dly . he writes for our acknowledging 'em to be sister churches , and communicating with them occasionally as strangers ; but speaks not of our communicating with such parish-assemblies as are of the diocesane frame , nor of fixing our communion there , as the law now requires . 3 dly , he insists only on the faultiness of mixture , and want of discipline , not on the liturgy-worship , which sufficiently evinceth that he meant it of the presbyterian congregations , which had no liturgy ; not of the episcopals which have . for whoever consults what he has in his exposition on the revelations , will find enough that shews how much he was against the liturgy-worship . but yet this doctor 's judgment must be produced for the justifying our communicating with the parish-assemblies , that are but incompleat parts of a diocesane single church in their liturgy-worship , as by law required . much after the same manner doth the reverend mr. baxter deal with us , when he refers us to the judgment of the old nonconformists , who though they were for communion with the parish assemblies then in being , yet esteemed the diocesane kind of churches , ministry and ceremonies to be violations of the second commandment , idolatrous and antichristian . and as to the controverted ceremonies ( for instance , kneeling at the sacrament ) mr. baxter knows best how much he differs from several of them , to whom he refers us ; for they assert these ceremonies to be antichristian and idolatrous . but mr. baxter , notwithstanding the high applauses he gives 'em , has openly relinquished their doctrine , and fallen in with morton and burgesse , having also espoused that very distinction of primary and secondary worship , which they received from bellarmine and suarez ; the insufficiency whereof has been long a go detected by doctor ames in his reply and fresh suite . moreover , it must be observed , that mr. baxter has not given us so full and distinct a state of the present controversie , between him and those he calls separatists , as was necessary ; for , his discourses for communion with the parish-assemblies , without fuller explanation , will ( as now they are ) be generally taken as if he meant it of the parish assemblies by law established , which are in a kind destructive of christ's churches , ministry and discipline , as mr. baxter himself avers ; whereby the weaker sort mistaking mr. baxter , are induced to conclude the established constitution to be good . but what is this less than the casting a stumbling block in the way of his weak brethren ? these things then being so , 't is become necessary that some-what be done to undeceive the world ; and seeing mr. baxter is the person on whose authority most of those dissenters who are now for parish communion , do lean , i have thought it expedient to lay before them an impartial state of mr. baxter's judgment , as i find it in some of his late writings , together with those reasons that he doth furnish us with , ( as arrows which we may gather up to shoot back upon him ) against communicating with the parish assemblies , as by law required . the giving a just account of baxter's judgment against parish-communion is , i acknowledge , but argumentum ad hominem , adapted chiefly for the silencing mr. baxter ; but the reasons that are couched in what is given out of mr. baxter , are more than so , and such as must receive another answer than meerly the saying ▪ that mr. baxter is grown wiser , and hath changed his judgment ; for until mr. baxter or some other do validly answer what mr. baxter has said in his five disputations against episcopacy and ceremonies , and in his late treatise against episcopacy , what i have here urged will abide in its strength , and carry also with it the authority and weight of the vnanswerable mr. richard-baxter . mr. baxter's judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies , as by law required , impartially stated and proposed . there has been of late no little stir about going to the parish assemblies , and communicating with them in their liturgy-worship , and in special mr. baxter hath been warmely engaged in the defence , ( as he himself will have it ) of his own , and the practice of those that are for parish-communion , and cannot suffer a little manuscript , said to be dr. owens , to escape his annimadversions and opposition . it is at this time no part of my province to examine baxter's answer to owen's arguments ; i call the manuscript dr. owens , not only because common fame directs me to do so , but because in the arguments there is the doctor 's wonted accuracy and strength . there are very many scripture-reasons couch'd in a few lines , and such as are too strong to receive any harm from baxter's answer , as i could by divine assistance clearly evince : but at this time it shall be no part of my work. in this , my aim is to shew , what it is mr. baxter is really for , that he is as much against holding communion with the parish-assemblies , as by law required , as those are , against whom he writes , and that we are furnished with unanswerable arguments against such parish-communion , by mr. baxter . thus much will be made very manifest to a common capacity , by shewing what are baxter's avowed principles about the institution , ministry and discipline of christ's churches , and what are the natural consequences of those principles he holds , and wherein lies the point , in which he differs from his brethren . in doing which i will give you baxter's sence , for the most part in his own words , directing you to the very pages of those books of his i make use of . § . 1. all christians ( saith mr. baxter ) are agreed , that christ is the author of the universal church ( consider'd both as baptized or externally covenanting , call'd visible , and as regenerate and sincerely covenanting , call'd , mystical ) as it is headed by christ himself , and called his body and special kingdom . § . 2. we doubt not but christ has instituted the office of the sacred ministry , to be under him as a teacher , ruler and high-priest of the church , in teaching , guiding and worshipping , and that he has instituted holy assemblies and societies , for these things to be exercised in . and that [ a society of neighbour christians , associated with such a pastor or pastors , for personal communion , even in such doctrine , discipline and worship ] is a church-form of divine institution . § . 3. we know not of any proof that ever was produced that many churches of the first rank , must ( of duty ) make one fixt greater compound church by association , whether classical , diocesane , provincial , patriarchal or national , and that god has instituted any such form , vide mr. baxter's nonconformists plea for peace , p. 8. 12. § . 4. christ has stated on the pastors of his instituted churches , the power of teaching assemblies , and particular persons of leading them in publick worship , and sacraments , and of judging by the power of the keyes , whom to receive into their communion by baptism , and profession of faith , and whom to admonish , and for obstinate impenitance reject ; and this institution none may alter . § . 5. he has instituted ordinary assemblies , and stated particular churches , as is aforesaid , for these holy exercises , and forbad all christians to forsake them , and he and his apostles , have appointed and separated the lords day hereunto . none therefore may abrogate , or suspend those laws ; all this is proved , mat. 28. 19 , 20. and 16. 19. and 18. 18 , 19. joh. 20. 23. luke 12. 37 , 38. mat. 21. 36. and 22. 4 , 5. &c. and 24. 45 , 46. heb. 11. 25 , 26. acts 11. 26. 1 cor. 14. ephes . 4. 4. to 17. 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. heb. 13. 7. 24. tit. 1. 5 , 6. &c. 1 tim. 3. acts 14. 23. acts. 20. 1 cor. 16. 1. &c. mr. baxter vbi supra , p. 24. § . 6. the diocesane kind of particular churches , which has only one bishop over many score or hundred fixed parochial assemblies , i take ( saith mr. baxter ) to be it self a crime : which in its very constitution , overthroweth the office , church and discipline , which christ by himself , and his spirit in his apostles , instituted : for 1. parishes are made by them no churches , as having no ruling pastors , that have the power of judging whom to baptize , or admit to communion , or refuse , but only are chappels , having preaching curates . 2. all the first order of bishops in single churches are deposed . 3. the office of presbiters , is changed into semi-presbiters . 4. discipline is made impossible ; mr. baxter ' s church history of bishops and council abridged , ch . 1. § . 54. the like he affirms in his five disputa . of church-government , pag. 19. as to the eight sort of bishops ( viz. ) [ the diocesane , who assumeth the sole government of many parish churches , both presbiters and people , ] as ten , or twelve , or twenty , or more , as they used to do , even a whole diocess , i take them ( saith mr. baxter ) to be intollerable and destructive to the peace and happiness of the church , and therefore not to be admitted under pretence of order or peace , if we can hinder them . § . 7. this diocesane church government , being de facto , established in this kingdom , the parish assemblies are not compleat particular churches of the first rank and order , they are but parts of a diocesane , which is de facto , established as a single church , infime speciei . that parish assemblies are not particular churches , is manifested from mr. baxters principles . for 1. that cement which is necessary to the being of a church , is wanting . and it is impossible ( saith mr. baxter in his cathol . concord , p. 231. ) to be a church without the cement of consent . if many be forced into a temple , not consenting , it is a prison , they are not a church if they consent only to meet on other occasions , as for some occasional act of religion , it is not thereby made a church . if they be commanded to consent , and do not , and if it only be their duty , it maketh them not a church , but only proveth that they ought to be one : so far mr. baxter . and it is manifest , that in pursuance of canon and statute law , the parishes are de facto , settled as parts of a diocesane church ; and whoever joyn themselves unto the parish assemblies , as by law required , consent to be of the parish assembly , as it is a part of the diocesane church ; this doth every parish minster , who swears canonical obedience , that is , obedience to his ordinary secundum canones , and who is to rest so fully satisfied in the diocesane government , as to declare he will not endeavour , on any pretence whatever the alteration of it . but to form the parish assembly into a compleat particular church , is to make a substantial alteration in the diocesane constitution . besides the vesteries , who ( as mr. baxter saith ) do after a sort represent the parish assembly , are also sworn to the diocesane constitution and government , and therefore cannot be justly interpreted to consent to the parish assemblies , being a compleat particular church ; whatever consent there is between the minister and people , it must be supposed to be no other than what is agreeable to the diocesane rule , ( i. e. ) to be parts of the diocesane church , taking none for their pastor but the diocesane bishop . 2. this parish-assembly doth not only want consent to make it a church , but it has no parochial pastor , though the pastor and flock are the essential constitutive parts of a particular organiz'd church , yet it s not to be found in our parishes . it may be a community ( saith mr. baxter , ubi su●r . ) without a pastor ; not a polity , not an ecclesiastical society . that the parish minister is not a pastor , is manifest ; for he is deprived of what is essential to the pastoral office. this is evident ( according to the principles of mr. baxter ) who distinguishing between the old and new episcopacy , and who though he had more favourable thoughts of the old than of the new , and knows that the present is more like the new than the old , and consequently worse ; yet writing against the restoring the old , he lays down his fourth argument thus , — 4. that episcopacy , which degradeth all the presbyters in the diocess , or causeth them to suspend an essential part of their office , is not to be restored under any pretence of the right order of peace . but such was the late english episcopacy ; and in his advertisement to his five disp . p. 13 , 14 , &c. to satisfie those that make some doubt of the truth of the minor , he saith , all men in england that knew but twenty years ago what belonged to these matters , are past doubt of it . and i have no mind to dispute against them that contradict the common knowledge of the nation , as if they should doubt whether ever we had a king in england . 2. read over the canons , and the yearly visitation articles , which the church-wardens swear to present by , before they had ever read the book , or heard what was in it . and then judge , 3. their arguing for the sole jurisdiction of bishops , and that they only were properly pastors , and that presbyters had not the key of discipline , but of doctrine , is some evidence . it is known to the nation , that the pastors of the parish-churches had no power by their laws , ( or sufferance ) to castout any the most erroneous sinner or heretick from the church , nor to bring them to open confession of their sin , nor to absolve the penitent , but by reading of their sentences , and publishing what they sent from their courts , and consequently could do nothing of all the means hereunto ; for the means cannot be used where the end is known to be impossible . all the obstinate scandalous persons and scorners of a holy life , we must take as members of our churches , having no power to cast them out . indeed we had the same power as the church-wardens , to put our names to the presentments , but a power of accusing to a chancellors court , is not a power of governing , especially when piety , under the name of preciseness and puritainism , was so hated and persecuted , that to have accused a man for meer prophaneness , would have been so far from obtaining the end , as that it was like to have been the undoing of the accuser . obj. but is not the power of discipline given them in their ordination ? answ . 1 st . in their ordination , the bishop said to them [ receive the holy ghost , whose sins thou dost remit , they are remitted ; whose sins thou dost retain , they are retained ] and in the book of ordination it was asked them , [ whether they would give their faithful diligence alwayes to administer the doctrine and discipline of christ , as the lord has commanded , and as the realm has received the same , according to the commandments of god ? ] and the rubrick of the common-prayer-book enables the curate to admonish open and notorious evil livers , by whom the congregation is offended ; and those that have wronged their neighbours , that they come not till they have openly declared , that they have repented and amended . but , 1. this doth but serve to leave them inexcuseable that acknowledge discipline to belong to the office of a presbyter , when yet he might not excuse it . the bishops in the ordination of presbyters enabled them to preach the gospel , and yet they were after that forbidden to preach , till they had a licence , and it was put into the visitation article , to present those ministers , that preached without a licence . if they will deny us the exercise of the power , that they first confess belongeth to our office , we are not answerable for , their self-contradictions . 2. by discipline , i suppose they mean but our instruction , and our publishing their orders for penance , excommunication , or absolutions . 3. they were the judges of the sence , of the laws as far as the execution required , and the universal practice of england ; which their writings shewed us , to our cost , their judgment ; what good would it do us , if the law had been on our side , while the concurrent judgment and practice of the governours denied it , and went aganist it ? 4. he that has kept a man from the sacrament , according to the plain words of the rubrick , was to have been acountable for it at their courts , and so likely to have been undone by it : so far mr. baxter . which sufficiently shews that the parish minister is in his judgment degraded and deprived of what is essential to the pastors office ; for by taking from them the power of church-government they destroy the very office of the presbyters ; for ruling is as essential to their office as preaching ; notwithstanding which , as mr. baxter proves , and expresly asserts , the english episcopacy , taketh from the presbyters the power of church governing ; see his five disput . p. 39. but if it had been only the exercise of the parish presbyters power that had been suspended , yet considering the suspension is statedly established by ▪ law or custom , during the life of the minister , it s a destroying his office ; saith mr. baxter ; though an office may be unexercised for a time on some special reason , yet if it be statedly suspended , and that suspension established by law or custom during the life of the minister ; this is plainly a destroying or nulling the office it self , and not to be endured . and surely , the exercise of the pastoral power is statedly suspended , and the suspension is by law or custom established , during the ministers life , and therefore the office is nulled and destroyed ; that is , the parish minister is not a pastor , nor has the parish assembly any pastor , it is not a particular church . all this mr. baxter saith , of the old english prelacy , and yet thinketh that the present is much worse than the old. in his second defence of the nonconformists , p. 64. dr. still . saying , that t●ere is no other reason of our separation , because of the terms of our communion , than what was from the beginning of the reformation . mr. baxter answers , to say , that we grant that there are no more reasons now , than were then , is too bold an untruth , there is more reason ( 1. ) from the quality of the things imposed ( 2. ) from the designes and drifts of the imposition . ( 3. ) from the effects . ( 4. ) from the aggravation of conformity , as in the church that we must communicate with . ( 5. ) from the things which give us a fuller cause for our preaching and assemblies , viz. the late general contrary church state and engagement to it , &c. on these particulars mr. baxter enlargeth ; i will but just intimate what he saith on some of them . ( 1. ) as to things imposed now which were not then . 1o. the vestry act was not then made , by which so considerable part of the parish churches as the vestries are , are to renounce all obligations , to endeavour any alteration of the government of the church , from the oath and vow , called the covenant ; so that all reformation of church government , as so sworn , was renounced by them , who in a sort represent the parish church . 5. the reordination of ministers , ordained by presbyters , was not then required , and made a necessary condition of their ministration and church relation , ( even by them that confess reordination unlawful . ) and therefore plainly intimateth the nullity , of the first . — 9o. the word [ pastor ] as applyed to parish ministers , distinct from [ curates ] was not then blotted out of most places in the liturgies , nor the 20th of the acts , as applyed to presbyters left out [ take heed to your selves , and to the flock &c. ] in plain design to alter the office and parish churches . to all this let us add . § . 8. that he that will hold communion with a church , must consent to the ministry , discipline and worship of that church , see cathol . concord , ubi supra . so that he that will communicate with the parish assemblies must consent to the ministery , discipline and worship of their assemblies ; that is , he must consent to the diocesane pastor , to the parish semi-presbyters , and to the parish assemblies , as being a part of the diocesane church , and to the diocesane discipline ; for de facto , this is the constitution and frame of parish assemblies , they are but parts of the diocesane church , they are under no other pastor but the diocesane bishop , have no other minister than a semi-presbyter , who wants what is essential to the pastoral office , and the assembly wants that cement of consent that is necessary to the making e'm a compleat particular church . this being so , may we by any act or deed contribute to the fixing and establishing the diocesane episcopacy amongst us ? i 'll answer according to sound reason , in conjunction with mr. baxter's own principles : if it were unlawful to restore the old english episcopacy , its unlawfull to give countenance and strength to it , once restored ; for the strengthening it , is but the continuation of the thing restored : and if we might not lawfully help forward , nor consent unto the restoration of it , we may not lawfully fix it , when once restored ; for all these mischiefs that are said to be the fruits of its restoration , will be continued by a fixing it . but according to mr. baxter , it was not lawful to restore the old english prelacy , much less lawful to settle the new , which ( he saith ) is worse . his reasons are many , e. g. it destroys the end of government , and is certainly inconsistent with the necessary government and discipline , to be exercised in the churches ; it unavoidably causeth separations and divisions in the church ; it degradeth all the presbyters in the diocess , and destroys and nulls their office ; it is the product of proud ambition and arrogancy , contrary to the express command of christ : it so far gratifieth lazy ministers , as to ease them of the most painful part of their work : it is contrary to the word of god , and apostolical institution , according to their own interpretation . moreover , it gratifieth the devil and wicked men , not by an unavoidable accident , but by a natural necessity ; therefore ( saith mr. baxter in his five disput . pag. 32 , to 50. ) not to be restored under any pretence of the order or peace of the church : and for the same reason ( say i , according to mr. baxters principles ) not to be complyed with , not to be countenanced , not to be fixed and strengthened by us , though now restored . though the order and peace of the church be pretended , yet we must do nothing that countenanceth or stregthens the english episcopacy , we must not hold communion with them ; for that is to consent to the uninstituted species of their church , ministry , discipline and worship . what then must we do ? may we separate without contracting the guilt of schisme ? take mr. baxter's own answer . § . 9. if any prince would turn his kingdom , or a whole province , diocess or country , into one onely church , and thereby overthrow all the first order of churches , of christs institution , which are associated for personal present communion , allowing them no pastors , that have the power of the keys , and all essential to their office , though he should allow parochial oratories or chappels , which should be no true churches , but parts of a church , it were no schism to gather churches , within such a church , against the laws of such a prince ; see nonconformists first plea for peace . p. 52. thus according to mr. baxters principles , a separation from the parish assemblies , and an erecting particular churches , according to gospel order , is not schism . our separation from the diocesane constitution , and from the parish churches , as but parts of the diocesane , is justifyable , and not to be condemned . now the lay-nonconformists are fully perswaded , that the law of the land requires our coming to church , our going to the parish assemblies , as they are parts of the diocesane church , which mr. bax. saith they must not do . this being so manifest , i presume the reader will be querying about mr. baxters practice , and late writings , and say , why then does mr. baxter go to church ? why doth he write so much for it , and cannot suffer a few lines in manuscript to pass without a publick confutation ? what! doth mr. baxter say and unsay , or is his conscience against communicating with the parish churches , and his practice for it ? god forbid i should think so of one , whose goodness and learning both seem above the size of what is ordinary : really therefore that i might find out the notion on which mr. baxter insists to satisfie himself , in holding communion with the parish assemblies , even when he is so very much against them , as they are but parts of the diocesane church , i have taken some pains , and have been impartial in my search , and i think i have found out the notion he builds on , which i take to be this . mr. baxter distinguisheth between the many parish churches , and the diocesane , and the church of england , as constituted of such diocesane churches . the old nonconformists commonly owned the parish churches , ( and the church of england , as made up of such ) but not the diocesane . it is therefore a mistake , that owning the parish churches and worship , is an owning of the present diocesane constitution . mr. b. against dr. o. p. 9. so that mr. baxter distinguisheth between the church of england , as it is made up of many particular compleat churches that are parochial , and as it is made up of many particular diocesane churches . and here it must be noted , 1. that though mr. baxter supposes the national church of england to fall under these two distinct considerations , yet de facto , its notorious that there are not two such national churches of england existent ; and in truth , its impossible that there should be two such churches , simul & semel , existent in one nation ; for a national church made up of many compleat parochial churches , is in its very constitution destructive of a national church made up of many particular diocesane churches . mr. baxter himself confesseth , that the diocesane church made up of many parochial assemblies , and established as a single church , infimae speciei , of the lowest rank and order , is destructive of the very constitution of parochial churches , and the diocesane episcopacy and discipline destructive of the parochial ; and the same may be said , è contra , of the parochial , it is destructive of the diocesane . so that its impossible there should be in this nation two distinct national churches , the one made up of many parochial compleat single churches , the other made up of many diocesane single churches . if then the national church be in pursuance of the laws , de facto , settled as made up of many diocesane single churches ( whether this be of divine or humane right , matters not ) its impossible to joyn our selves to the parish-assemblies , as to compleat particular churches . for what-ever mental notions we may have of the church of england , our notions cannot make the constitution to be de facto , otherwise than it is ; and all know that the national church is de facto , a national church made up of several single diocesane churches , and that there is no national church of england existent made up of many compleat parochial churches . but , 2. suppose one parish assembly , or more , should form and frame themselves into compleat single churches , and the people should consent to take the parish minister for their pastor , and the minister should exercise the whole power of a pastor in this parish church . if this be so , it 's acknowledged that mr. baxter may hold communion with this parish church , and not own the present diocesane constitution : but then it will also unavoidably follow , that this parish church cuts it self off from the national settled order , it is a dissenting church ; for it hereby ceases to be a part of the diocesane constitution , it is no more under the pastoral over-sight of the diocesane bishop , but assumes to it self all that pastoral power that in pursuance of canon and statute law is fixed in the bishop ; so that this parish church is not established or allowed by the law , but is a dissenting congregation , of the same nature , form and constitution with that of other dissenting churches ; for the species of these parochial churches constitution , ministry and discipline is the same with theirs , and as perfectly inconsistent with that of the diocesane , and by the church of england's representative declared to be no true church , and the minister and vestry , who consent to this alteration , do act contrary to their several declarations and oaths , and are by the canons excommunicate , and their assemblies declared conventicles . in the 11 th canon , whose title is [ maintainers of conventicles censured ] it s express , that whosoever shall hereafter affirm or maintain , that there are within this realm other meetings , assemblies or congregations of the king 's born subjects , than such as by the laws of the land are held and allowed , which may rightly challenge to themselves the name of true and lawful churches , let him be excommunicated , and not restor'd , but by the arch-bishop , after his repentance and publick revocation of such his wicked errors . and in can. 12. whosoever shall affirm , that it is lawful for any sort of ministers and lay-persons , or either of them to joyn together and make constitutions in causes ecclesiastical , without the king's authority , and shall submit themselves to be ruled and governed by them , let them be excommunicated , ipso facto , and not be restored until they repent , and publickly revoke those their wicked and anabaptistical errors . and in canon 73. where the title is [ ministers not to hold private conventicles ] it is thus ordained ; for as much as all conventicles and secret meetings of priests and ministers , have been ever justly accounted very hurtful to the state of the church wherein they live , we do now ordain and constitute , that no priests or ministers of the word of god , nor any other persons shall meet together in any private house , or else-where , to consult upon any matter or course to be taken by them , or upon their motion or direction by any other , which may any way tend to the impeaching or depraving of any part of the government and discipline now established in the church of england , under pain of excommunication , ipso facto . so that those parish assemblies that are erected in other manner than according to the diocesane constitution , and made compleat particular churches , they are as such no more a part of the settled national order , than the present dissenting congregations , but are by the canons declared to be conventicles , and the ministers and people that have had a hand in the framing their parishes into this order , are ipso facto , excommunicated . this then being so , i desire it to be observed , that when mr. b. joyns with these parish-assemblies , thus constituted , his communion is still confined unto the dissenters congregations , he doth not hereby hold any communion with the church of england , any more than the dissenters do ; for his communion with these parish churches , is with them as they are erected , in opposition unto and destruction of the national settled order , which is diocesane . to undeceive the world then , i must tell them ( and mr. baxter cannot deny it , ) that mr. baxter is no more for the joyning with the parish assemblies , as they are parts of the settled national church , than the congregational dissenters are , that when he goes to church , he holds no other communion with the church of england than they do who go not to church ; for his communion is still confind to a dissenting parish church , erected as much contrary to the law of the land , as their congregations are . it s true , he joyns with them in some part of the liturgy , and so goes farther then they , but he holds not communion with the church of england , as it is a church of legal establishment , any farther than they do . for he esteems the church of england , as by law established , to be destructive of that kind or species of those churches , ministry and discipline , which is of christs institution , and parochial or congregational . mr. baxter and they ( i say ) are agreed in their dissent and separation from the parish assemblies , as they are parts of the settled national order , and differ about the frame of parochial assemblies ; for mr. baxter supposes them to be what ( consideratis considerandis ) other dissenters judge impossible . to make this as plain as possible i can , it must be observed , that mr. baxter affirms the parish assemblies to fall under a twofold consideration ; they must be looked on , either as they are compleat particular congregational churches , independant on the diocesane , or as they are incompleat parts of , and dependant on the diocesane . now as the parish assemblies are parts of the diocesane ; they are not by any means to be owned or approved , but as they are particular congregational churches , so they are to be communicated with and owned . this is baxter's judgment ; but on the other hand , his dissenting brethren hold , that though parochial assemblies may be actually formed and framed according to the congregational constitution , that is , an assembly of good christians living in a parish , may give up themselves to god , and associate themselves for personal communion in the doctrine , discipline and worship of christ , chusing a pastor and other officers ; for this end the parish assembly may consent to be of such a constitution , and may chuse a pastor , and in this assembly all the ordinances of christ may be regularly administred , and discipline duely exercised . this may be , but though it may be so , yet they affirm that the parish assemblies are not thus constituted , their constitution is not congregational , but diocesane . they are not a compleat church , but incompleat parts of the diocesane ; there is no such consent as is necessary to constitute such a church ; but a consent to be what the law directs 'em to be ; they have no pastor amongst them , as a congregational church has , nor are they independant on the diocesane , as the congregational is . they are not a particular church of christs institution : though they may be a sound part of the catholick church , or of the christian kingdom , yet they are not an instituted church , they are not a true particular church , and therefore it is impossible any should communicate with them , as with such a church . whatever we may fancy them to be they alwayes remain the same , our imaginations cannot make any change on their constitution , our mental conceptions are but iminanent acts , et nihil penunt in esse . think any man what he will of the church of england , de facto , it remains the same , viz. a national church made up of many single diocesane churches , infimae speciei , of the lowest rank and order ; for which reason its impossible for any to joyn with the church of england , as made up of many single compleat parochial churches ; we cannot communicate with it as such , because it is not so made ; there is not any one parish thus constituted . let mr. baxter direct them to that parish , that is thus framed , that is , a particular compleat church of christs institution , and he would do somewhat , but till then , although there be some such parish churches , it is to them as if there were none such ; for [ de non apparentibus et non existentibus eadem est ratio . ] besides they say , that if there be any such parochial congregational church actually existent in this kingdom , and the minister and people privately declare so much , they think , that if without an open profession of their church constitution , as different from the national established order , their commuunicating with them must be interpreted a communicating with them as they are a part of the settled national order , which is diocesane , which cannot be done without an owning the present diocesane constitution . but if such a profession be made , they communicate not with the church of england , but with a congregation of dissenters , from the national constitution . farthermore , some are afraid , that the erecting such parish assemblies , cannot be without the ministers and vestry mens contracting the guilt of perjury . in fine , i must again beseech the reader to fix it in his thoughts , that the church of england , as made up of many single diocesane churches , is not in mr. baxter's judgment a true church ; though it be a sound part of the church universal ; yet the diocesane churches , which make up the national , and which in pursuance of the law are , de facto , settled and established , are not true churches . mr. baxter doth hold that the parish assemblies , as parts of diocesane churches , are not true churches ; for they have not pastures , as has been largely proved , and it s no schism to deny 'em , the communion proper to a true particular church . what mr. baxter saith of a parish , that wants a pastor , on the account of the peoples not consenting to one imposed on 'em , the same may be said of that parish , whose minister wants what is essential to the pastoral office ; and this all parish ministers according to the settled national order do want , and therefore it may be said , that that parish church is no parish church , in the proper political organized sence , as we now speak of a church , as constituted by the governing and governed part . for that which wanteth an essential part wanteth the essence . and therefore it is no schism to pronounce it no such church , [ i e. no true church of christs institution ] and to deny it the communion proper to such a church . mr. baxters nonconformist plea for peace , p. 82. this then is mr. baxters judgment , touching the diocesane churches , as by law established . he cannot consent unto them , nor hold communion with them as such . for the very kind and frame of their churches is false , so is their ministry , and discipline , even destructive of christs churches , ministry and discipline . § . 10. a congregation or nation of men ( saith mr. baxter ) of eminent sanctity and order , sound doctrine and worship , may by humane frailty take some one falshood or uncertain thing to be necessary to ministry or communion , ( as they say , some churches unhapily of late reject all that own not the antiquity of the hebrew points ) i cannot have local communion with that church , ( saith he ) for they will not receive me , unless i subscribe either a falsehood , or that which i judge false ) but yet i highly honour and love 'em , and have mental catholick communion with them , when perhaps necessity makes me joyn with a church of far worse men and order , that will impose no sin on me . mr. baxter's schism detected , pag. 56. in pursuance of this principle mr. baxter layes down , his brethren separate from the church of england ; for there are several things which they judge unsound , that are made necessary to their communion with them . by cannon 27. no minister , when he celebrateth the communion shall wittingly administer the same to any but such as kneel , under pain of suspension , nor under the like pain to any that refuse to be present at publick prayers , according to the orders of the church of england ; that 't is according to the 18 th . canon , the communion must not be administered to him , that will cover his head in the church or chappel , in time of divine service , or that doth not reverently kneel , when the general confession , lettany and other prayers are read , and shall not stand up at the saying of the belief , or refuse to make due and lowly reverence , when the name of the lord jesus shall be mentioned , in time of divine service , or refuse to say in due place , and audibly with the minister , the confession , the lords prayer , and the creed , or not make such other answers , to the publick prayers , as are appointed in the book of common-prayer . whoever refuseth these things , he is one who though present at the publick prayers , yet not according to the orders of the church , is not to be admitted to the communion , that is , all those things are made necessary to the communion : and here it must be observed , that though the admitting notorious offenders to the comunion be forbiden by the 26 th canon , yet not under the penalty of suspension , as it is in this case of admitting those who refuse to kneel , or to be present at the publick prayers , according to the orders of the church of england . but these things several dissenters for great reasons refuse to do , i 'll at this time only insist on the ceremony of kneeling at the sacrament , and give the reasons of some learned men against it . 1st . let us hear mr. baxter in his five disput . p. 410 , 411. as for kneeling at the sacrament , i doubt not at all but the imposing it , and that on such rigorous terms , tying all to it , and easting all out of the communion of the church , or from the participation of the sacrament , that durst not use it , was a very grevious sin , and tended to persecution , and injustice , and church dividing . it is certainly in a doubtful case the safest way to do as christ , and his apostles , and the vniversal church did for many hundred years ; either the gesture is indifferent in it self , or not ; if it be , how dare they thus divide the church by it , and cast out christians that scruple it , when they have these and many other reasons of their scruples ( which for brevities sake i omit ) ? if they say , that kneeling is of it self necessary , and not indifferent , because it is reverent . [ now if the reader considers the rubrick added in the new common-prayer-book , he will find that kneeling is enjoyn'd for a signification of our humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of christ therein received , and for avoiding such prophanation and disorder in the holy communion , as might otherwise ensue . thus we see the gesture of kneeling is made a reverent gesture , necessary to avoid disorder and prophanation . but sayes mr. baxter , if kneeling is of it self necessary , and not indifferent , because it is reverent ] then , 1 st , they make christ an imperfect law-giver . 2 dly , they make himself or his apostles , or both , to have been sinners . 3 dly , they condemn the catholick church of sin. 4 thly , they condemn the canons of the chief general councils . all which are consequents that i suppose they will disown . what a perverse preposterous reverence is this ! when they have leave to lie in the dust before and after the very act of receiving , through all their confessions and prayers ; yet they will at other times stand , and many of them sit at prayer , and sit at singing psalms of prayer and praise to god , and yet when christ doth invite them to a feast , they dare not imitate his apostles and universal church in their gesture , lest they should be sinfully irreverent . so sar mr. baxter . now though mr. baxter is accurate in distinguishing , and as to the part of the receiver , may yet see how to answer all these arguments , and satisfie himself in kneeling , yet he cannot but believe , that godly and judicious men may be so far under the powerful convictions of such arguments against the imposition , as to be unable to satisfie their consciences in complying with the gesture of kneeling . surely mr. baxter tells the world so much in his first nonconformists plea for peace , p. 150 , 151 , 152. some nonconformists ( saith he ) lay and clergy , judge kneeling , as things now stand , vnlawful : their reasons are , 1. in doubtful cases duty lieth on the surest side ; but this to them is a doubtful case on one side , and to imitate christ's institution by such sitting , as men use to do at meat , is certainly lawful . 2. because they think kneeling violateth the reasons of the second commandment , being used where by whole countries of papists round about us , and many among us , it signifieth bread-worship , or idolatry by the same action , at the same season used . for they suppose that the second commandment forbiddeth images , as being external corporal idolatry , and symbolizing scandalously with idolaters , though the mind intend the worship of god alone : and such they think this kneeling is , and that encourageth the papists . so far mr. baxter . 2. i 'll only add one argument more , which i find in a proposition concerning kneeling , joyned to bradshaw's twelve arguments , which is taken from the abuse of kneeling in this ordinance , by the papists . 't is there said , that the apostle , to reform an abuse which crept ( even in their times ) into love-feasts , which were immediately before or after the lords supper , did banish them thence , and reduced the manner of admistring the lords supper to the first institution , saying , shall i praise you in this ? i praise you not ; for i have received of the lord that which i delivered unto you , &c. 1 cor. 11. vers . 22 , 23. whereby it is apparent , that that form of administration which differeth from the first institution , is worthy no praise , and therefore no acceptable service to god. for if the apostle would not tolerate an indifferent thing ( as was a love-feast till then ) to continue so near the lords supper , when it was abused , how would they allow the change of sitting into kneeling , especially in these two considerations ? first , because the abuse of love-feasts ( viz. superstuity ) was never so great and scandalous in the apostles time , as the abuse of kneeling ( viz. idolatry ) ▪ was and is in the synagogue of rome . and besides , love-feasts were either before or after the lords supper ; whereas kneeling is in the principal part of the holy communion . therefore if the apostle banished love-feasts from the lords supper , because of the abuse , and brought the church to the simplicity of the first institution , is it not a tempting sin to retain the idolatrous kneeling of papists , and reject the exemplary sitting of our master christ ? and the rather because it is in that sacrament , and in that part of the sacrament which especially setteth forth our communion with christ and his church , and is therefore called the communion — doth not god strictly forbid us to serve him as idolaters do their godds ? the which considered , can kneeling , wherewith papists honour their breaden god , be honourable to christ in his holy sacrament ? for such reasons , many are convinced , that kneeling at the receiving the communion is unlawful ; and seeing without kneeling they cannot have communion with the church of england , they cannot locally communicate with her , but yet highly honour her for the soundness of her doctrine , and do mentally hold catholick communion with her , so far as she agrees with the catholick church ; but necessity makes them to with-hold local communion from them . to make this yet more clear , the reader must observe , that the argument mr. baxter doth furnish them with , runs thus , it is not lawful to communicate with those that impose sinful terms of communion : this mr. baxter affirms . but the church of england imposeth many things as terms of communion with them , which they think are sinful . ergo they must not communicate with them . now in the minor mr. baxter and they differ ; he thinks the things they scruple ( for instance , kneeling ) are lawful , but yet proposes strong arguments against the lawfulness of kneeling ; which arguments , though not convincing unto him , yet are so unto them . and therefore whatever is his liberty , it is their duty to with-hold their communion from the church of england , still honouring her for the soundness of her doctrine , &c. § . 11. mr. baxter in his schism detected , p. 40. affirms , that he who is unjustly cast out of the church , and by its very laws excommunicated , ipso facto , is no damned nor sinful schismatick , for worshipping god in a church , that will receive him . but according to the judgment of mr. baxter , protestant dissenters , are unjustly cast out of the church of england , and by its very laws , ipso facto , excommunicated . ergo they are not sinful schismaticks . when mr. baxter speaks of going to another church , mr. baxter must be understood to mean a with-holding communion from the excommunicating church , and commuicating with another , whose laws do not , ipso facto , excommunicate . the which being so , the argument against mr. baxter is valid for the acquitting their seperation from the guilt of sin. § . 12. there is another argument which mr. baxter , in conjunction with dr. sherlock gives us , and which will acquit the lay-dissenter from sin , 〈…〉 no sin , but a duty to with-hold communion from a schismatical church : this dr. sherlock doth over and over assert . but the church of england is a schismatical church , saith mr. baxter . it is a schismatical church , it is guilty of haneous and aggravated schisme . mr. baxter in his first plea , p. 41. saith , § . 14. if any proud , or passionate , or erronoous person do , as diotrephes , cast out the brethren undeservedly , by unjust suspensions , silencings or excommunications , it is tyrannical schisme , what better name soever cloaks it . if any should make sinful terms of communion by laws or mandates , imposing things forbidden by god , on those that will have communion with them , and expelling those that will not so ▪ sin ; this wore haneous schisme ; and the further those laws extend , and the more ministers or people are cast out by them , the greater is the schisme . § . 15. if any should not only excommunicate such persons for not complying with them in sin , but also prosecute them with mulcts , imprisonments , banishments , or other prosecution , to force them to transgress ; this were yet more haneously aggravated schism . § . 16. all those would be deeply guilty of such schism , who by talk , writing or preaching justifie it , and cry it up , and draw others into the guilt , and reproach the innocent as schismaticks , for not offending god. [ then look to your self , good mr. baxter , reflect on your talk and writing , and clear your self from the guilt of reproaching the innocent as schismaticks , if you can . ] but i 'll proceed : § . 17. if any should corrupt such a church , or its doctrine , worship or discipline , in the very essentials , by setting up forbidden officers and worship , or casting out the officers , worship or discipline instituted by christ , and then prosecute others for not communicating with them , would be yet the more haneous schisme . § . 18. if either of the last named sorts would not be contented with mens communion with them , but would also silence and prosecute such as will not own , justifie and consent to all that they do by subscriptions , declarations , covenants , promises or oaths , this would be yet more aggravated schism . so far mr. baxter . now let any impartial reader compare what is here said , with what else-where mr. baxter accuses the church of england of , and he 'll find all this to be but his description of the church of england , which according to the general import of his writings , must be looked on as guilty of haneous , aggravated and tyrannical schism , that is , to be deeply schismatical ; and therefore , according to dr. sherlock , not to be communicated with . but i 'll draw to a close , beseeching the reader to consider well what mr. baxters judgment is , about communicating with the parish-assemblies , by law established , how much he is against it , and what are some of his reasons , and he will find , i. that mr. baxter is as much against communicating with the parish-assemblies , as by law required , as his brethren are . the parish-assemblies , by law established , are diocesane , and with them , as such , mr. baxter communicates not . but first fancies the parish assembly to be a congregational church , and the parish minister to be an independant pastor , exempt from the spiritual jurisdiction of the diocesane bishop , and then holds communion with it as such , that is , he either communicates with it as if it were what indeed it is not , or if it be really such a church as he fancies it to be , his communion with it is only as 't is a church separated from the national settled order : for the parish assembly , as a part of the national settled order , is no church , it has no pastor , &c. ii. that baxter's communion is no more catholick than theirs ; though he talks more of the name , he has no more of the thing than they have . doth he hold catholick communion mentally with the universal church ? so do they . do they with-hold mental communion from parish-assemblies , as by law established ( i. e. ) as they are parts of the diocesane ●nstitution ? so doth mr. baxter . are the con●●●●●…tions , to which their local communion is confined , of a constitution different from , and independent on the diocesane ? so is the parish church with which mr. baxter communicates , if it be really what he fancieth it to be ; so that his local communion is as much confined to dissenting assemblies as theirs is . this is on a supposition that mr. baxters imaginations were operative , ad extra , and would make a real change on the constitution . but if the parish assembly continues , de facto , as established , then i must say , iii. that mr. baxter holds both those premises , from which a conclusion ( justifying their separation ) doth naturally follow . the premises are these ; it is our undoubted duty to separate from the corruptions that are in the parish assemblies . but the very constitution of the parish assemblies and ministry , by law established , are corruptions . these are mr. baxter's premises . and let the world judge whether this conclusion [ namely , that it is our undoubted duty to separate from the parish assemblies and ministry , as by law established ] doth not naturally flow from them , justifying a with-holding communion from the parish assemblies . in fine , it must be observed , that if the parish assemblies be really de facto , but parts of the diocesane church , and no compleat churches , mr. baxter must justifie the separation , and that he doth so , i will give you his own words , as i find 'em in his schism detected , p. 28. either our parish churches ( saith he ) are true churches , or not ; if not , the separatists are so far in the right , and separate not from true churches , eo nomine , because they separate from them : so far mr. baxter ; who , if the parish . assemblies be but parts of the diocesane constitution and not true compleat particular churches , justifies the separation from 'em ; and who knows not , that the parish assemblies , as by law established , are but parts of the diocesane ? finis . fair-warning, or, xxv reasons against toleration and indulgence of popery with the arch-bishop of canterbury's letter to the king and all the bishops of irelands protestation to the parliament to the same purpose : with an answer to the roman-catholicks reasons for indulgence : also the excellent reasons of the honourable house of commons against indulgence, with historical observations thereupon. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1663 approx. 78 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 24 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-11 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26927 wing b1263 estc r15222 12542994 ocm 12542994 62999 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26927) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62999) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:6) fair-warning, or, xxv reasons against toleration and indulgence of popery with the arch-bishop of canterbury's letter to the king and all the bishops of irelands protestation to the parliament to the same purpose : with an answer to the roman-catholicks reasons for indulgence : also the excellent reasons of the honourable house of commons against indulgence, with historical observations thereupon. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [8], 39 p. printed for s.u.n.t.f.s., london : 1663. "twenty-five reasons against toleration and indulgence of popery" (p. 23) signed: richard baxter, catholique. first ed. cf. nuc pre-1956. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature. anti-catholicism -england. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-07 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-08 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2004-08 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion fair-warning : or , xxv . reasons against toleration and indulgence of popery ; with the arch-bishop of canterbury's letter to the king , and all the bishops of irelands protestation to the parliament to the same purpose . with an answer to the roman-catholicks reasons for indvlgence . also the excellent reasons of the honourable house of commons against indulgence ; with historical observations thereupon . london , printed for s. u. n. t. f.s. 1663. to the kings most excellent majesty , may it please your majesty , i have been too long silent , and am afraid , by my silence , i have neglected the duty of the place it hath pleased god to call me unto , and your majesty to place me in . and now i humbly crave leave , i may discharge my conscience towards god , and my duty to your majesty . and therefore i beseech your majesty , give me leave freely to deliver my self , and then let your majesty do with me what you please . your majesty hath propounded a toleration of religion : i beseech you sir , take into your consideration , what the act is , next what the consequence may be . by your act you labour to set up that most damnable , and heretical doctrine of the church of rome , whore of babylon . how hatefull will it be to god , and grievous unto your good subjects , the true professors of the gospel ; that your majesty , who hath often disputed , and learnedly written against those wicked heresies , should now shew your self a patron of those doctrines , which your pen hath told the world , and your conscience tells your self , are superstitious , idolatrous , and detestable . besides , this toleration which you endeavour to set up by proclamation , cannot be done without a parliament , unlesse your majesty will let your subjects see , that you will take unto your self a liberty to throw down the laws of the land at your pleasure . what dreadfull consequence these things may draw after them , i beseech your majesty to consider . and above all , lest by this toleration , and discontinuance of the true profession of the gospel , whereby god hath blessed u● , and under which this kingdome hath for many yeares flourished , your majesty do not draw upon the kingdome in generall , and your self in particular , gods heavy wrath and indignation thus in discharge of my duty towards god , to your majesty , and the place of my calling , i have taken humble boldnesse to deliver my conscience . and now , sir , doe with me what you please . i am your most faithfull subject and servant . g. canterbury . to the right honourable the lords and commons assembled in parliament . humbly sheweth , that the religion of the papists is superstitious and idolatrous , their faith and doctrine erronious and hereticall , their church in respect of both apostaticall . to give them therefore a toleration , or to consent that they may freely exercise their religion , and professe their faith and doctrine is a grievous sin ; and that in two respects . for first , it is to make our selves accessary , not only to their superstitious idolatries , heresies , and in a word , to all the abom●nations of popery ; but also ( which is a consequent of the former ) to the perd●tion of the seduced people , which perish in the deluge of the catholick apostacy . and as it is a great sin , so also a matter of most dangerous consequence , the consideration whereof we commend to the wise and jud●cious . beseeching the zealous god of truth , to make them who are in authority , zealous of gods glory , and of the advancement of true religion ; zealous resolute , and couragious against all popery , superstition and idolatry . amen . ja : armachanus . auth : medensis . ro : dunensis . &c. richard cork , cloyne , rosses . tho : kilmore & ardagh . mich : waterford , and lismore . mal : casohellen : tho : hernes . & laughlin . geo : deceus . andr : alachadeus theo : dromore . franc : lymrick . since then , neither in right reason , and true policy of state , it is either becoming or safe , for christian magistrates , to have no acknowledgment of any face of religion , so farre among their people and subj●cts as to stablish , own and command it ; nor is it any piety , for christians , to be alwayes scepticks in religion ; ever unsatisfied , and unresolved , and unestablished in matters of gods worship , and mans salvation , still ravelling the very grounds of religion with endless cavells and endless disputes . since the word of god is neer and open to direct all men in the wayes of god ; and since what is necessary to be believed and obeyed in truth and holinesse , is of all parts in scrip●ure most plaine and easie ; no doubt , but christian magistrates are highly bound in conscience to god , and in charity to the good of their subjects , ( to whom they must do more good , then they are desired to do by the vulgar ) to establish those things , as to the extern order , ministry , form and profession of religion , both in doctrine and duties , which they shall in their conscience judge and conclude , upon the best advice of learned and godly men , to be most agreeable to the will of god , as most clearly grounded on the word in the general tenor and analogy of it ; and as most fundamentally necessary to be believed and obeyed by all christians ; whereto the catholick beleife and practice of all churches ( more or lesse agreeing ) gives a great light and direction . christians must not be alwayes tossing to and fro in religion , as if nothing were true fixed and certaine in religion ; nothing heretical , corrupt , and damnable in opinion and doctrine ; nothing immorall , unlawfull , and abominable in practice ; nothing perverse , uncharitable , and uncomely in seditions , schisms and separations . john wigorn. twenty five reasons against toleration of popery reason . 1. that way which seduceth poor souls from the great rule god hath given to live by and be saved , is not to be tolerated ( shall we allow them among us who take away from immortal souls all the sure foundation they have against the time to come ? shall we endure them among us whose business it is to hide the eternal counsel of god from men . ) popery doth seduce poor souls from the great rule of life . papistis , ( and shall they be tolerated ) make it part of their religion to perswade us that we should not search the scripture , wherein we may have life ? catholicks ( and shall they be indulgent ? ) make it their business to keep us from the holy sriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation , perfect and thoughly furnished unto all good works : they of rome ( and shall they be connived at ) draw poor souls from the word of god that is able to build us up and to give us an inheritance among them that are sanctified : they ( said that there should be such among us ) endeavour that we should not prove what is the good , the perfect , the acceptable will of our god : that without knowledge of this will the people should perish : they ( and what can satan do more ? ) disuade poor souls from reading the scriptures : they persuade them that the scriptures ought to be in an unknown tongue ; that hearing poor souls might hear and not understand the things that belong to their peace , must we needs have these among us that may persuade people too much inclined of themselves to sit in ignorance among us who ( after all our pains to instruct an ignorant world ) now persuade poor souls to be still alienated from the life of god , to have their understanding still darkened to retain still the blindnesse of their hearts ? and can the enemy of mankind do any more : shall we have those in the midst of us ( who notwithstanding all our endeavours to teach the world a saving knowledge of god ) shall yet ( and alas ! the murderer from the beginning desires no more ) persuade mankind that it is a vein thing to be filled with the knowledge of gods will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding : no christian state can tolerate those people whose religion is to keep the world in ignorance of all religion , who know we must love god , yet will not suffer us to know him ; who know we must obey him , yet wil not suffer us to know his will. reason 2. that way that persuades men to believe and live by the traditions of men , and to make the word of god of none effect is not to be tollerated , how can a king ( who must give an account of himself to god ) answer for his connivance at that profession which teacheth men to live , not by the will of god that made them , but by the will of men like themselves . how can kings answer it if they suffer men to live by the law of men , and not of god , will god endure that the world should be governed by the creature and not by the creator ? but popery takes men off from the wil of god : they say we have no scripture but what the pope allow do not they teach ( and that among christians too ) that we must think the scripture the word of god no longer than the church saith it is so ? do not they write ( and that among us that waite upon god to hear the scripture weekly and dayly , ) that their customes and opinions are to be the rule and foundation of our faith as well as the scripture do not they equal the popes decrees to gods word , and say their church may impose new articles of faith upon poor souls every day prefering the judgement of the church before the counsel of god ? that say the authority of the church in its laws is above the authority of god in the scripture , and yet the authority of the pope in his decrees is above the authority of the church in her laws : that say god in his word did not say enough to save men , did not speak cleerly enough to instruct them in the knowledg of the truth . be wise o ye kings , be instructed o ye judges of the earth ? to what end hath he set up you , but to see that men should walk according to his will ? to what end hath god advanced you but to see that men lived according to his law hath god raised you up ? and will you suffer anti-christ to advance himself above every thing that is called god ? doth not god see this ? doth not he observe it ? reason 3. that way which buildeth the salvation of men upon the infallibility of one man is not to be tolerated popery doth so therfore , &c. o princes do you not watch over your people for good ? have you any care of precious souls ? will you endure those men that will not suffer us to rest upon the foundation of god which standeth sure , and allure us to trust in the foundation of men that wil fail : wil you indulge men that delude your people to rely upon man that is a lye , and the son of man that may deceive ) will your god keep silence when he observes you looking on men making one another a god and yet keep silence : will you stand by and see god robbed of his honour , and vain man indeavouring to be as god , and use not that power god gave you to punish : hath he pulled down the usurpers of your throne ; and will you not keep under the usurpers of his attributes , hath he overturned them that would be kings as well as you : and will you encourage them that would be infallible as well as he ? can you stand still and see so many perish and led away in that great errour of the wicked : that man is infallible : o suffer not that way which leadeth us to man , bottometh us upon man : and leaveth us short of god. reason 4. that way that leaves men , no certain way to be saved is not to be tolerated : popery is that way &c. when poor souls would know how to be saved ? they say hear the church : if he say how shall i know wether the church is infallible ? they say by the scripture : how shall we know the scriptures : they say by the church , o wil you suffer your subjects , o ye kings to be thus led in a maze : to be thus perplexed in a circle , for eternity : is this your kindness to give them leave to be utterly at a loss for another world ! is this indulgence to let them live and dye , they know not how : besides its a cruel favour to let people throw away their souls upon these uncertain traditions , decrees , &c. that the most learned can hardly understand : if you love them keep them to the law of god which is perfect converting the soul ; the testimoney of the lord which is sure , making wise the simple ; the commandement of the lord , which is pure enlightning the eyes : the fear of the lord which is clean , enduring for ever : the judgements of the lord which are true and righteous altogether : however be not so unmerciful us to let christians cease to hear the scripture , that they may hear the pope cease to be christians that they may be papists . reason 5 , being there is but one safe way to salvation , do you think that the protestant way is that way , or is it not . if it be not , why do you live in it . if it be , how can you find in your heart to give your subjects liberty to go another way : can you in your conscience give them leave to go on in that course in which in your conscience you think you could not be saved ? reason 6. a way to serve god , which no man can know must not be tolerated ( o we must not be indulged to worship we know not what ) popery is a way that no man can certainly know : for the papists way is to believe as the church believes : now a man knoweth not whether he believe a right in that way ; if he is not sure . 1. that the church of rome is the true church . 2. that this church is by the promise made to st. peter infallible . 3. that the pope is peter's true successor . 4. they must know that he is rightly qualified , duly , well-chosen to his place : 5. whether the cardinals , the people , or the emperour have the right power to make a pope : for there have been popes chosen by all these at one time . 6. they must know which of the popes is infallible ▪ when sometimes one pope disannulleth , what another decreed . 7. when there are many popes at once ( as there have been ) they must know which is the infallible . 8. they must be sure at this distance that the cardinals consecrated him who is now in the seat , they must know in england that they have the right decree of the pope , or travel so many miles to him themselves : and the right meaning of them &c. will you ( o gracious prince ) give up the peoples souls that are under you , to these infinite doubts and scruples which it is impossible for any to be satisfied in ? will you not keep them to the sure word of prophecy ? to which they do well to take heed , as to a light shining in a darke place . reason 7. the greatest novelty and schisme in the world is not to be tolerated popery : is the greatest schisme and novelty in the world : so great a schisme that separate from all the world and damne all the world : so great a novelty that we have no footsteps of it in the scripture which is the reason why they would not have us read the scriptures : will you indulge novelties , o ye the defenders of the faith , once delivered to the saints . will you allow them amongst us whose business it is to perswade the world that you and we are damned ? reason 8. nothing is to be tolerated that is directly contrary to the word &c. for therefore indeed kings are commanded to read the word of god that they may suffer nothing that is contrary to the word , you can do nothing against the truth but for the truth you are to be a terror to them that do evil against the word , and an incouragement to them that do well according to that word : we pray four you that are in authority that we may lead peaceable & quiet lives in all godlinesse according to the word of god : and honesty according to the laws of men : how can you stand by and see the communion and administred in one kind against the institution of christ which is , eat ye all of this , drink ye all of this ? how can you stand by and look upon them serving or rather mocking god in an unknown tongue in dispight of the apostolical injunction , 1 cor. 14. will you allow men a liberty to choose whether they will read the scripture , when you know that these things are written that ye might beleive , & that beleiving ye might have life through his name , will you suffer them that say rend not these holy scriptures least they destroy your faith and bring you to damnation , when you know that whatsoever things are written , are written for our learning that we through the comforts of the scriptures might have hope . what shall i do saith the man in the gospel that i may inherit eternal life ? our saviour answereth what is written in the law , how readest thou ? what sins will you punish , o you kings . 1. if you wink at them , that vilifie gods words us obscure or insufficient for salvation : even the late times of liberty denied liberty to them that denied the scripture . 2. that presume to alter the express institutions of god. 3. that forbid the reading of the scripture , the only way of life : lord what shall not be allowed if these men be allowed . reason 9. idolatry is not to be tolerated ? what have we to do any more with idols ? popery is idolatry , &c. can you have the patience to see the creature worshiped instead of the creaor : is not your spirit stirred within you to see men change the truth of god into a lye , and worshipping , and serving the creature , more than the creator god blessed for ever , do you not know that this sin overthrew princes , over turned kingdomes , and hath the wrath of the jealous god , who will not give his honour to another allwayes attending it : if you forbid not their sin , you commit it : and if you partake of their sins , you will partake of their plagues : hath god honoured you ( o ye excellent princes ) and will you see him thus dishonored ? hath he exalted you , and will you see him thus debased ? would you see an usurper upon your throne , and can you endure stocks and stones in gods house ? he that honoureth god , god wil honour : he that dispiseth him , shall be lightly esteemed : shall darius make a decree for all people , nations , and languages that dwell on the earth that all men should tremble and fear only before the living god. and shall christian kings endure other gods should be worshipped . how can you endure to see men falling down before the works of mens hands . o remember that rev. 2.10 . notwithstanding i have a few things against thee : because thou hast suffered that woman iesabel which calleth her self a prophetess to teach , and to seduce my servants to commit fornication : and to eat things sacrificed to idols : i have a few things against thee , because thou hast there , them that hold the doctrine of baalam , who taught balac to cast a stumbling-block before the children of israel , to eat things sacrificed unto idols , and to commit fornication . reason 10. that religion which destroyeth all civil government is not to be tolerated ( shall princes wink at their own ruine popery destroyeth all civil government : kings have no more power , subjects owe no more duty : then the pope is pleased to grant the one and enjoyn the other , shall we admit these among us that upon all occasions let loose the people to cut one anothers throat : and to destroy their soveraigns : who then may be safely : the prince must dayly look for poison and daggers . the people for massacres and cruelties , all for dangerous attempts against the lord and against his annoynted , who embroyled us in the late war was it not papists ? upon what principle did we rebel , kill and take possession , but upon the principles of popery , if they did such mischief when checked and awed by laws what will they do when tolerated ? shall a protestant prince countenance them that may in conscience be bound to kill them as hereticks , shall the prince look upon them as subjects who may upon the least occasion be absolved by the pope from all fealty and allegiance to the great danger of the kingdom if they are papists they cannot be indulged , for they are not subjects , if they are protestants they need not be indulged for they are and will be obedient and faithful , subjects as whole profession states the rightly of civil goverment upon the most clear and firm principles , secure them by the most powerful obligation , and urgeth them upon the most efficatious imotives of reward and punishment in the world , shall we allow them that upon ruin of encommunication and damnation may not dare to be faithful : who must renounce their religion i.e. obedience to the pope , that they be loyal . reason 11. that way must not be tollerated ; whose tolleration increaseth our danger , and yet lesseneth those incomes whereby we defrayed the charges of our danger : the papists disturbed us indeed formerly , but their estates secured us : they threatned us ; and their estates maintained those forces by sea and land that protected us ; shall we now increase our danger in allowing their liberty , and yet quit those two parts of their estates by which we weathered out the danger ? what at once let in an enemy and weaken our selves . reason 12. blasphemy must not be tollerated ( he that blasphemed was to be put to death you know ) popery is blasphemy : do not your ears tingle to hear them say , that god in the scripture is not infallable , but the pope in his decrees is . 2. that they can make a god of a piece of bread . 3. that that god may be eaten by the most wicked man , yea the most vile creature , by a dog , or a mouse , &c. shall the name of god through you be blasphemed , god forbid ? reason 13. that way which brings to an uncertainty is not to be tollerated , &c. will you suffer men to live among us that perswade us we must not believe our eyes : that are so deceitful , that when we see a piece of bread , must needs insinuate to us that we see a god , a saviour ; if we cannot trust our eyes , how shall we live ? if we cannot trust our sences how can we know you , and obey you ? how can we know the scripture and believe it ? o suffer not those men among us , that are about to perswade us that we must not believe our eyes , and that we can know nothing . reason 14. they are not to be tollerated who turn all religion to interest and formality ; will you endure them that teach poor men no more religion then 1. the advancement of one to be head of the church ; for let us believe what we will , if we deny that the pope is head of the church , we are damned . ) 2. then a few formalities and ceremonies : will you suffer poor men to rest in a form of godliness denying the power thereof : will you let christianity turn a piece of pagentry , and all christians walk in a vain shew : will you not once appear before that god that is to be worshiped in spirit and in truth : and can you forbear 't when you look abroad and see the holy and blessed god mocked with histrionical , gawdy , vain bablings , childish canting , saying and hearing they know not what ; god forbid we should countenance that in the world by a christian religion , whose businesse is to mock god with an unreasonable service , and to set up man in an unreasonable pomp , greatnesse , dominion , and tyranny over the world . o shall the spiritual and inward frame and power of religion be turned to an outward shew . reason 15. that religion that allows men the greatest liberty to sin is not to be tollerated , &c. shall you who have power given you to restrain evil , allow a religion that gives the greatest liberty to it . in vain are you kings , if you allow that way which can dispence with all oaths and obligations of subjects unto kings . in vain will you make laws against prophanesse , if you indulge a religion ( if i may so call it ) which may give indulgence to all prophanesse . in vain will you punish , if you suffer men to think the pope may pardon . in vain do you trust your subjects upon their oaths and promises , if you countenance that religion that teach men to equivocate , to speak one thing , to mean another . in vain do you professe the protestant-religion , if you allow that religion that gives men liberty to dissemble any religion , to be anabaptists , to be quakers , to be any thing to promote their own cause . will you permit that way which leads men to these abominable courses . my soul come not thou into their secrets . shall the poor people be given over to believe lyes and legends : and when they have seen their ridiculousnesse and folly , at last come to believe nothing ; their holy frauds and cheats , making most of the antient writings uncertain : a mischief as we cannot expresse , so they cannot repair . reason 16. a way that engageth poor souls in certain perjury , contradiction , and impossibility , is not tollerable . &c. the papists can you , o ye tender hearted princes see poor souls perplexed thus with impossibilities : amazed with contradictions and plunged in perjury : and consider that posterity will write that these things were done in your days : and that the poor souls will complain at the last day . alas woe is us , we were undone under your government . o most excellent governours , we hope better things of you . reason 17. a party whose businesse it is to puzzle people in their religion , and debauch them in their lives is not to be tollerated . the papists are such , &c. they puzzle us with divisions , that we know not what to do but return to popery , where though we do err , , yet they bear us in hand that we cannot err . they debauch poor souls with licenciousnesse , that when they are troubled in conscience , and upon their death-bed , know not how to be saved : they may in dispair throw themselves into popery for that pardon and indulgence which no other religion can afford them . in vain do you set up an ecclesiastical government , if you endure another way to take in those whom your discpline cast out , when we have taught the people faithfully , admonished them sincerely , reproved them severely , censured them justly , and excomunicated them solemnly , they in contempt of you and us , can turn papists and laugh at us : for popery and schism is the sinne and channe that receives the excrements and filth of our church : when we tell men of their sins they run to the papists , and they tell them they are venial : when we restrain men they run to them of the separation , and there are at liberty to do what they please : it is in vain to make laws , if a party of dissenters be tollerated , with whom loose men may find . refuge against all laws , reason . 18. what destroyes your government most excellent prince , under which we lead peaceable and quiet lives , in all godliness and honesty , secure in our lives , estates and libertie , is not to be tolerated : popery destroyeth your government , they set up one whom they must obey for conscience sake , while they obey you onely for conveniency : theire priests may do what they please , you have no power over them . sr. if the question between us were whether we should be holy or prophane , whether we should obey christ or not : whether we should be good christians and subjects or not ? we should be ashamed to come behinde them : but when we consider that all this stir is to set up one man above the world , shall we gratify his ambition ? and promote his designe against our own interest and welfare : now they care peaceable indeed , but let a priest be discontented ( and what state can promise to please them alwayes ? ) and they will let you know what it is to let priests and jesuits into england : they will incense the people , promote discontents , conviegh whispers , occasion misunderstandings , and make you weary of your government and life . reason . 19. you must not tolerate popery , unless you will withal tolete all these heresies which are contained in popery , viz. 1. that the word of god ( i tremble to write it ) is obscure , imperfect , and insufficient to lead us to all truth that may save us , and to keep us from all error that may damn us . 2. that men must rest upon the judgement of men for salvation . 3. that some , if not all are born without sin : which one opinion may undoe the world by keeping it in ignorance of is misery , and in a neglect of the way of safety . 4. that man works out his salvation by the power of nature , and is saved by the merit of his works . 5. that some sins are venial , and deserve not death ( though the law saith the man is accursed that continueth not in all things commanded in the law to do them , ) 6. that the sin against the holy ghost is not unpardonable . 7. that christ is not god of himself , and that bread and wine is god. 9. that there are many mediators , as the virgin mary , &c. besides , that one mediator jesus christ : by whose merits we are saved : that saints are to be worshipped . 10. that we must still offer sacrifice , that preaching is the way of hereticks . 11. that the vertue of sacraments depend upon the intention of a priest. 12. that the observation of outward ceremonies is the essence of divine worship ▪ 13. that mingle so many ceremonies with the pure worship and holy sacraments . 14. that the grace of god depends upon these cere●onies , and the outward observance of them . 15. that some meats are unlawful . 16. that priests marriages are unlawful . 17. that a few words turn the bread and wine into the body and blood of christ. 18. that one and the same body of christ is in heaven and in earth all one . 19. that men must worship creatures . 20. that none are saved by the sacrament who communicate in both kinds against the judgement of the church . 21. that men can pardon sin . 22. that mass may save men after they are dead . 23. that if man believes in christ he cannot be saved , unless he believe in the pope . that kings may be deposed and murthered by their subjects : &c. they that indulge popery , indulge almost all the heresies that are in the world . popery being nothing else but a forrage of old errors , heresies , and superstition brought into the church to serve the interest of men , is it a light thing with us to suffer damnable heresies , shall we hang men for injuries done to few men , and shall suffer them that intend to damn all . reason . 20. we ought not at this time to set up popery , when god seems ( according to the prophesies that went before of it ) to pull it down , what when babylon is falling , shall we put an hand to uphold it , when the kings who have given their kingdoms to her , threaten her , shall we indulge her ? rev. 18.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 5. and after these things i saw another angel come down from heaven , having great power , and the earth was lightened with his glory , and he cried mightily with a strong voice , saying , babylon the great is fallen , is fallen and is become the habitation of devils , and the hold of every foul spirit , and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird . for all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of of her fornication , and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her , and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies . and i heard another voice from heaven , saying , come out of her my people , that ye be not partakers of her sins , and that ye receive not of her plagues : for her sins have reached unto heaven , and god hath remembred her iniquities . reas. 21 that which we pray against we should not allow : we pray against popery — &c. shall we not deliver our selves from all false doctrine and heresie , when we pray , from all false doctrine and heresie good lord deliver us : do we pray that antichrist may be destroyed ; and yet do we uphold him ? do we set a solemn day , viz. 5. of november , to thank god that he delivered us from the superstition , idolatry , heresie , tyranny and cruelty of rome : and shall we admit them ? o do nothing against your fai●h , do nothing against your prayers . — reas. 22. if the papists may with a safe conscience conforme with us ; then we ought not to comply with them but they may conform with us ; — therefore , &c. — our religion is the same it was in the beginning of queen elizabeths reign , but when they came to our churches , they heard our prayers , and our sermons , why can they not do it now ? yea many of them come to our churches now , — why may they not all do so ? the pope forbids them they say : — and do they deserve an indulgence from our magistrates , who will rather obey a foreign power , then submit to our lawes ; they are not worthy of protection , much less of favour among us that own a forreign power , which they assert for disobedience to our own . reas. 23. if we had the happiest times for peace , plenty , prosperity and general satisfaction to all people , when the severest lawes against papists were made , — then we ought not to mitigate those lawes ; the restraint of faction is our security , their indulgence is our danger : o the happy yeares of queen elizabeth when papists durst not shew their heads ; the blessed time of king james when a priest durst not be seen ; — we date our happinesse from that hour in queen elizabeths time that popery was voted treason ; we date our miseries from that time in the last yeares of king james that it was declared tolerable ; what calme , what peace , what quiet , what unity , order and uniformity before ? what feares , what jealousies , what troubles , what dangers , what divisions and disorders since . reas. 24. and what you think would our fore-fathers say , if they saw those whom they resisted unto blood , enjoyning equal liberty with themselves : methinks reverend cranmer's ashes stirre at the mention of the toleration of popery ; — methinks the blood of martyrs cryes aloud . no toleration of popery ; the mill●o●s that have been massacred in ireland , &c c●y how long lord , good and true , will thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? shall god avenge ? and will you indulge . reas. 25 and to say no more when i see coutzen campanella , allen , &c. laying this m●thod for the undermining of the reformed religion and the promoting the popish : viz. 1. that seeing the papists are so odious among protestants , they would put on the visors of severall sects and factions , and under that pretence oppose the established religion in any country privately with more successe then they did openly ; 2 they should endeavour to make the sects so considerable as to gain an universall toleration wherein they might be included by the benefit whereof they might advance the catholique cause with security and confidence ; i promise my selfe that no ingenious protestant will advance this toleration , which seemes to be the greatest designe that conclave of rome manageth , — which is the wisest assembly of men that overlooketh the world ; have they embroyled us in war , broken us in religion , confounded us in our government only for toleration , and shall it in peace be granted them , if indulgences be the utmost that a papist can with confidence desire ; ( and we know they are not overmodest ) it 's more then protestants may with safety grant . — and whereas under the vizor of the sect before mentioned you are of late so earnest in pleading for a toleration , deal but impartially like honest men , and i will set in with you . procure but a toleration for the reformed christian religion in italy and spain and your part of germany , portugal , &c. and i should willingly petition the sovereign powers in england that you might have as much liberty here : but that you shall have full liberty here , and protestants have none where you can hinder it , this is not equal dealing . but how comes it to pass that you that pretend so much to unity are in this also of so many opinions ; the english papists are for liberty of religion , and the spanish and italian are against it ? but i must cry you mercy : i now consider , it is but your selves that you think have right to liberty here , and others should have it but in order to yours . as hardly as you think you are used in england , you live openly among us , and no man that i hearof layeth hands on you : when you know if a spaniard or italian be known to be a protestant , hee 's as sure tormented and burnt at a stake as the coat is on his back . do you not know this to be true ? were i in these places where your religion hath its will , i know one leafe of this book would cause me to be burnt to ashes : that i am alive is because i am not in your power : but for my part i wish not the shedding of one drop of your blood , nor your imprisonment or banishment , but only your moderate and necessary restraint from open iniquity , and seducing of those that are unfurnished to encounter you . 1. either scripture is true or not true : if not , popery is not true , which pleadeth its warrant from it ( and some of them argue , as if they purposed to disprove the scripture , and to imitate samson , in pulling down the house on their own heads and ours , in revenge for the dishonour they have suffered by the scripture . ) if it be true ( as nothing more true ) then popery is not true , which palpably contracteth it , as in the points of latine service , and denying the cup in the lords supper , and many other is most evident . 3. either the judgement of the ancient doctors is sound or not : if not , then the church of rome is unsound , that is sworn to expound the scripture only according to their consent : if it be sound , then the church of rome is unsound , that arrogate a universal government and infallibility , and build upon a foundation , that was never allowed by the ancient doctors ( as in the third dispute . i have fully proved ) and which most christians in the world do still reject . 4. either reason it self is to be renounced or not : if it be , then none can be papists but mad men . if not , then popery must be renounced , which founded our very faith upon impossibilityes , and teacheth men of necessity to believe in the pope as the vicar of christ , before they believe in christ , with many the like which are afterwards laid open . 5. either our five senses , and the judgement made upon them , is certain and infallible or not , if not , then the church of rome , both pope and council are fallible , and not at all to be trusted . for when all their tradition , is by hearing or reading , they are uncertain whether ever they heard or read any such thing ; and we must all be uncertain whether they speak or write it : and then we must not only subscribe to fransc. sanchez , quod nihil scitur , but also say that nihil certo creditur . but if sense be certain and infallible , then the church of rome , even pope and council are not only fallible , but certainly false deceivers and deceived . for the pope and his council tell the church that it is not bread and wine which they take , eat and drink in the eucharist . but the senses of all sound men , do tell them that it is . i see that it's bread and wine , i smell it , i feel it , i taste it ; and somewhat i hear to further my assurance : and yet if popery be not false , it 's no such matter . one would think the dullest reader , might be quickly here resolved , whether popery be true or false . look on the consecrated bread and wine , touch it , smell it , taste it , and if thou canst but be sure that it is indeed bread and wine thou maist be as sure that popery is a delusion . and if thou canst but be sure , that it is not bread and wine , yet thou maist be sure that the pope or his council , nor any of his doctors are not to be believed . for if other mens senses be deceitfull , theirs and thine are so too . reader , adhere to god , and the righteousnesse of christ , and the teachings of the holy ghost , by the holy scriptures , and a faithfull ministry , in the communion of the saints , and as a member of the catholique church , which arising at jerusalem , is dispersed over the world , containing all that are christians ; renounce not right reason , or thy senses ; and live according to the light which is vouchsafed thee ; and then thou shalt be safe from popery and all other pernicious damning errours . richard baxter , catholique . an answer to the roman catholiques reasons for indulgence just as i was closing this afternoones diversion , the reasons aforesaid come to my hand ; reasons why roman catholiques should not be persecuted : what indeed i expected , it being an ill cause for which so many learned men as are devoted for that way , can say nothing , and though i hear they are answered by an abler hand , yet thus much i thought fit to adde concerning them . reason , — we have great reason to bless god that they deal with us with calme reasons , who dealt with our forefathers with cruell persecutions , — that when they burned them , they are so restrained that they can only dispute with us , that they only argue here , while they banish as in poland ; torment as in spain ; massacre as in other places : — not unto us , not unto us ; it is even so o father , because so it pleased thee . — reasons why roman catholiques — reason is as universall as mankind , and of as great a compasse as nature ; — doeth reason say in england , that roman catholiques shall not be persecuted , and doeth not reason say in spain , italy , &c. that poor protestants shall not be tormented : doeth mens reason tell them that a small fine is intollerable in england , and doeth mens reason tell them that the inquisition is tollerable in spain . be not partiall in your selves , but judge righteous judgement : desire no more in reason from us , then you would in reason allow us . — should not be persecuted , alas ! for you — how modestly you insinuate — should not be persecuted ? you meane no harme , only you would not be oppressed — very good , and how are you persecuted , your priests are safe , your estates are intyre , your way is connived at : and yet what paines you take to prove you should not be persecuted , — will you never leave your trickes — thus when you lived peaceably among us , you perswaded the world we eate you up , we oppressed , we tormented you ; — in so much that some of your people take us for devils and not for men , and think england is an hell , or a purgatory as well for papists as for ho●ses ; fye upon these religious cheates , and devout frauds , is this the way to uphold an holy cause : what will yee lye for god , and do so great an evil , that any good may come thereof , god forbid : — should not be persecuted . — a subtle yet a palpable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : o sirs , this is not the first time you meant more then you spoke , i. e. should be tolerated , and at full liberty to deceive and be deceived ; not be persecuted , that is in the english that was spoken in queen maries dayes ; persecute : we are not ignorant of your devices , we know that an indulgence to vice is a punishment to virtue , — that a toleration of errour , is but a subtle oppression of truth ; and an indulgence to you , is but a sly persecution of us : you know we desire not to persecute you , but to secure our selves : we make no laws against your religion , — but for our own : we onely establish the truth we apprehend , and take care that we be not seduced to the errours we fear . if you will needs oppose these laws which you know will punish you , undermine this truth which you know will prevail against you , and promote those errours which you know will undo you ; — blame us not , your ruine is of your selves : we may say that we desire not you misery , ( if you suffer any ) but that you should turn from your evil ways , and live among us . not be persecuted : — if we persecute you , it is onely in part of your estates , which you can easily part with , and live very well , that we may save your souls : we correct , that we may reform you ; we give you over to some punishment , that you may be saved in the day of the lord. what you think severity , is the greatest mercy ; what you call cruelty , is the greatest kindness in the world , as being a kindness to souls , and that for eternity . — should not be persecuted : — and who of you is persecuted ? 1. not your priests , for they are onely enjoyned to stay in those forreign parts whither they went against law and allegiance of their own accord , and forbid their own countries which they have of their own accord forsaken . — if they stay at home , they may have the priviledge of subjects : if they will run beyond sea for order and power to do mischief , here they must be punished as fugitives : for the world must know that the french , spaniards , &c. do not suffer with us ; onely such english men as must needs go abroad to learn that mischief which they may practice at home . 2. not your people : — for they onely pay little more then others towards that charge of the government which they occasion : you endanger our government more then others , you pay a little more towards the support of it then others . — it 's true , you are charged two parts of three of your estates ; but you usually come off with a slight composition , — which you may very well afford towards the security of the government which you so much hazard . is it persecution to allow something of your superfluities for the kings necessities ? especially when it is not so much as the pope extorted from you , when he called england , puteus inexhaustus . — you pay nothing now for bulls , pardons , licenses , dirges obits , — vestments , crosses , &c. you may have a cheap way of serving god : and therefore i hope you may afford his majesty the more that he may maintain that way . — should not be persecuted : — you are not persecuted for religion , but punished for disobedience . — you say you disobey for conscience sake : — be that between god and you : — the magistrates observe your actions , and punish them ; your hearts they know not , and therefore they judge them not . — there is no governing of mankind , if the magistrate must not punish mens actions which he seeth , but indulge them for their conscience which he seeth not . — should not be persecuted : — you are not persecuted , but onely disabled from persecuting us : you are weakned in your estates onely , that you may not ruine us : you are uncapable of power , that you may not oppress us : to live quietly , soberly and honestly , you have enough ; to live seditiously , dangerously and factiously , you have too much . we are so indulgent to you , that you want nothing which may be necessary for your livelyhood , though we are so jealous over you that you want that which may be necessary for your designe : we take away part of your estates , that you may not be capable of attempting that whereby you may forfeit the whole . — here i observe two rules : 1. the one of charity ; teaching not to do to others what we would not have done to our selves : where we must distinguish what we would not in reason , and what we would not in interest : if i were a malefactor in interest , i would not be punisht ; if i were a judge in reason , i would punish a malefactor : so if i were in an errour , self-love would distaste to me a desire of advancing my errour . — if i held the truth contrary to that errour , conscience would suggest to me my duty to suppress that for the advancement of a truth ; to the case in hand , if you should really think we were deceived and went astray , we would have you by all means discover to us the errours of our waies , and restrain us from them ; and now we really think you in damnable errors , we would convince you of those errors ; and by all means restrain you from them . 2. the other rule is of prudence ; teaching to bear with you the lesser inconveniences as coming neerest to us , that we may be able to suppress other factions that go farthest from us : 1. of two inconveniences we may chuse the least ; but of two sins we may chuse none , — and really i think it sin in me to countenance any thing in which i judge against gods truth and way ; — if i can discountenance it . 2. to bear with you is to bear wi●h all the errors in the world : your way being a farrage of all the exploded heresies among christians . 3. now you know we are under the disgrace of coming too neer your way , we must say and will prove it that your religion ( if i may so call it ) is the farthest from that which is styled the old protestant , then from any other way professed and owned in england . 4. and is it come to that , that you have raised so many sects among us — ( for the sects are but your by-blowes ) that we have but this sad choice left , either to be swallowed up by them , or to close with you ? — this is plain english. — 1. reas. roman catholique was the religion of england a thousand years . ans. the roman catholique way was not the religion of england , but the corruption of its religion these thousand years : ( although however that 's not the christian religion that is of a thousand standing onely ) our religion was the word of god for 1400 years , to which the papist added their idolatry , superstition , and tradition , these 900. years : the religion of england was alwaies contained in the lords prayer , the 10 commandments , the articles of faith , the doctrine of the sacraments , the order and discipline we have now established by law : — the corruptions of rome were only of late brought in upon these foundations ; and are now removed by law : and really it 's strange that humane corruptions , such as popery is , should claim the same right with gods institution , such as judaism was : one institution of god may give place to another by degrees , — though it give not place to the corruption of men not for an hour . — we have buried your way in honour , our care is how that it rise not again in dishonour . as the primitive christians suffered that generation of jews which was bred up in judaism to continue their own way , though they suffered neither jews nor gentiles to be bred up in it , in the next generation : so we used that generation we found here at first very civilly , but would not suffer any more to learn that way . the apostles that suffered jews to practice their way for the present , would not suffer them to teach it for the future : and we who indulged papists in the first generation after the reformation to live in their own perverse way , would not allow them to pervert others in the next generation : and as we would not force a heathen ( as he saith ) to our way , so would we not suffer him to perswade others from our way ; we would not compel heathens or papists ( who in some places are little better then heathens ) to the truth , but we would restrain them that they should not seduce others to their errours . reas. but shall the old protestant , who confesseth rome a true church , and himself derived from her , persecute her , — and call her a whore , let the presbyterian , &c. answ. let the world know that the old protestant bears as little honour to the corruptions of rome , as the presbyterian ; and that the presbyterian bears as much honour to the truth of rome as the old protestant : and that both ( for we will not by your artifices be divided any further then needs must ) own her as a true church , though they do not own her as a corrupued church . — they will allow the church of rome , and they maintain their own here : they condemn not them that live in communion with the church of rome , because they have the foundation of religion . — they allow them not the same priviledge with those of their own communion , because they build dangerous things upon that foundation : we own all protestants for christians ; yet we hang them for murder and felony : so we own papists for christians , yet we punish them for superstition and idolatry . — reason , 3. if we acknowledge they have all things necessarie to salvation , then we should indulge them . — an. indeed you hold as you say , the fundamental truth by which men may be saved : but you hold likewise some errors in judgement , and corruptions in practice contrary to those fundamental truths , by which men may be damned : we embrace your faith , and yet we oppose the heresies you hold contrary to the faith : i love a man , though i hate his disease : — i love the religion of rome , — i hate her prophanation of that religion : — if any man be saved in rome , it 's by the truths we and you hold in common , and not by those abominations we punish in you : — and we must needs say that we restrain you not as christians , whom we shall see in heaven one day ; but as idolaters and hereticks , whom except you repent , we shall never see in heaven , 1 cor. 6.9 . gal. 5.20 , 21. — 4. reason , we differ but in small questions and opinions , &c. therefore . 1. answ. if so small the difference between us , why so great your cruelty towards us ? — were we burned , massacred , tortured , banished , imprisoned , famished , upon quirkes , and differences in words , rather then in real points ? — 2. but is the worshipping of creatures but a quirk●s with you ? is saying to a peice of bread , thou art god , but a trifle ? and to god , thou art not able to instruct us for salvation without humane tradition , but a toy ? — 5. reason , because we own one rule of faith with them that is scripture and tradition , we ought to tollerate them . answ. we disown this reproachful insinuation : we own no rule of faith but the scripture , — by which we try all humane writings — judging in our selves what is right : — and though we have the fathers and the first councils against you , yet we desire nothing but the scripture for our selves ; — we reverence the practice of the ancients ; we walk by the rule of scripture ; as we would do as they did , so would we walk by the same rule they did . 6 reason , the lutherans agree with the papasts elsewhere , therefore , &c. ans. i. how the lutherans agree with papists we say not , we are sure the papists agree not with lutherans , — what else means the quarrels , plots , seditions , tumults , discontents we hear of every day ? 2. we walk not by example , but by rule : 3. this favour the lutherans and hugonots got by arms , and keep by interest ; before we know how they were used . 7. reason , as to what you say of commerce and marriage , we establish not our religion upon policie , but upon piety — we look not what is most advantagious , but what is most lawfull : although yet it be the interest of forreigners as much to be of our religion , as it is ours to be of theirs — the english peace and trade is as much their advantage , as theirs is ours : as for the earl of bristow , he told king james and king charles , that for which he was questioned by the duke of buckingham in parliament : as for the earl of leicester he did a little regard richleau , as he did him : — and he hath lived to see as great a cardinal court the english , when resolute in their way , though never so severe to catholiques — their resolute are fooled , the resolved are feared : — as for the queen of bohemia , if we had followed her interest , she might have been the greatest queen in europe ; — and the lord would have let the world have seen — that it was the highest advantage in the world to give up our selves and relation to god and the gospel : as for english queens we may in time have protestant queens . in the mean time we know our gracious queens will not impose upon us the publick practice or indulgence at least of their religion no more , then we impose our religion upon them : they had rather few then whole kingdoms should suffer , they had rather see you suffer for your conscience , then force us to allow your way against our consciences ; however to avoid some supposed inconveniences , we will not commit sin which is a real , and the greatest inconvenience in the world. to your eighth , ninth and tenth reason : we say , if you are true to the popes supremacy , you cannot be true to the kings government : — if you deny that , ( as you seem to do ) you deny the foundation of your religion , yea , the sum of christianity , as bellarmine saith . whether you speak as you think in the eighth and ninth reason , we know not ; for you can equivocate : — we know your brethren will never say so , when they have obtained a toleration ▪ and we know it is no new thing to have a few moderate men offer that in adversity , which their brethren will never own in prosperity . indeed you can juggle so , as that some shall write for supremacy , and others against it ; and laugh among your selves to see how you cheat the world : we know what the sorbonist● stand upon at this time : however , you are punished here onely for actual disobedience , upon what principle soever you disobey : if some of you think loyally , you all live disobediently to the ecclesiastical laws of this realm . ii. reason . you say you are forced to be dangerous by fleeing to forreign embassadours , and parts for safety . answ. 1. it 's well we know your designe . 2. if you did not go to forreigners for religion , you need not go to forreigners for protection : if you will worship with them , you may live with them . 3. if you keep correspondence with our enemies , and practise against us , when you are in danger of punishment ; what will you do when you are tolerated ? if you deal with forreigners now , to secure your selves from us ; much more will you deal with them hereafter , that you may have power over us : what you do now for liberty , you will do hereafter for power : this threatning insinuation will signifie little with us , who measure our religion by our consciences , and not by interest ; whatever inconvenience follows upon your punishment , we will not displease god to tolerate you . to your twelfth reason , we can say upon sad experience that you may do more harm by creeping into houses , then we can do good by preaching in congregations . to your last we say , — our bishops can prove their consecration ; they will make their authority eminent in awing you , if they cannot make their perswasions eminent in converting you ; and that when they are the severest enemies to your corruptions , they are the most hearty well-wishers to your persons , and you may hear them as such . — sirs , as you did your duty in serving the king in his just war , so he will allow you all just priviledge in time of peace : but you must not think that the reward of your obedience to him in some things , shall be a liberty to disobey him in other . although we have been ( as you say ) fellow sufferers with you , we will not sin with you . you say , you hazarded much to restore the king to his throne : to what purpose , i pray you , if every man shall do what is good in his own eyes , as when there was no king in israel ? and you must know , his sacred majestie makes laws against you , not to satisfie any mans passion or revenge , but to satisfie his own conscience . whereas you speak of his majesties mercie , and word from breda : — 1. let me tell you , that toleration would be the greatest cruelty in the world . — 2. you know his majestie promised no more at breda , but that he should condescend to such provisions for tender consciences as his parliament would think fit . may it please therefore the wisdome and goodness of both houses of parliament , setting aside those plausible insinuations which undermine the principles of government , to see that the permission of roman catholicks is not onely contrary to the peace , quiet and union of the subject , but also dangerous to the constitution , and threatning to the welfare of this church and kingdome ; and not let that be promoted upon shallow and fallacious suggestion of any interest and advantage , especially since the wisdome of france . the duke of rhoan hath made it appear to the world , and your wisdom makes it clear to your selves , that the protestant religion is the interest of england . finis . the excellent reasons of the honourable house of commons against indulgence ; with historical observations thereupon . but to what end do we trouble the world with our inconsiderable reasons , now we are all concluded by the common reason of the kingdome ( at least that part of it wherein we are included ) represented by the most honourable the commons of england assembled in parliament , then whom the sun scarce beheld a more noble , a more resolved , a more unanimous , a more loyal and orthodox assembly , and assembly as that excellent bishop said , quo nihil videt orbis augustius : their famous vote which may satisfie all your reasons , — their vote — at which your conclave at rome may tremble , all the conventicles in the world shake ; a dejected and forlorn church raiseth up its selfe ; decayed religion is recovered , the soules of the first reformers ( if they have any sence of things here below , ) rejoyce ; ( o if there be joy in heaven at the recovery of one sinner , what is their at the recovery of a nation ! ) millions of unstable soules are setled : the many breaches of our church are close , that threatning evill of schisme and separation is checked , — the loose hopes of dangerous men are bounded : the callapsed honour of england is restored ; former miscariages are expiated , for which our gracious king the defender of the true ancient , and apostolick faith heartily thankes them . in which the nobles if they have any sence of their ancestors honour , will concur with them ; the reverend clergy will be bound to pray for them ; and we with our posterity that are yet unborn will stand up and call them blessed : — their famous vote to which we must submit is this ; — the vote . that it be presented to the kings majesty as the humble advice of this house , that no indulgence be granted to the dissenters from the act of vniformity . and that you may know that this is not an act of power but — of reason , not what they think they may , but what they think they ought , you have added their reason too — ordering . that a committee be appointed to collect and bring in the reasons of this house for this vote upon the present debate , to be prescuted to his majesty ; and that the nominating of the committee be adjourned till to morrow morning . but reason is not reason untill it be resolved on , it was therefore resolved , &c. that in the close of the reasons to be presented to his majesty for the vote of advice ; it being also added , that this house will assist his majesty with their lives and fortunes , and that the comittee appointed to bring in the reasons do pen an address for that purpose to his majesty . do you observe their reasons against your suggestions 1. as to the promise of breda you urge , — they say you should not trouble his majesty further with it . reas. 1. because it is not a promise in it selfe , but only a gracious declaration of your majesties intentions , to do what in you lay , and what a parliament should advise your majesty to do ; and no such advise was ever given , or thought fit to be offered ; nor could it be otherwise understood , because there were laws of vniformity then in being , which could not be dispensed with , but by act of parliament . they who do pretend a right to that supposed promise , put the right into the hands of their representatives , whom they chose to serve for them in this parliament , who have passed , and your majesty consented to the act of vniformity . if any shall presume so say , that a right to this declaration doth still remaine after this act passed , it tends to dissolve the very bonds of government , and to suppose a disability in your majesty and the houses of parliament , to make a law contrary to any part of your majesties declaration , though both houses should advise your majesty to it . against indulgence that most honourable house saith , 1. that it will establish schisme by a law : in the 24.25 . and 26. year of queen elizabeth the non-conformists especially of kent bestired themselves , and procured the lords of the councell to write to arch-bishop whitgift to take charitable consideration of their causes , that the people of the realme might not be deprived of their pastors , being diligent , learned and zealous , though in s●me points ceremoniall , they may seeme doubtfull onely in conscience , not in willfulnesse , upon this , though onely an intercession of the councell : they are incouraged to separate from the church , and upon the earle of leicesters interest ( what would they do if they had a law of their side ? ) they are hardned to hold a solemne councell at cambridge i think to answer our convocation ; wherein they made decrees as they call them of such things as ( do seeme ) may stand with the peace of gods church : see bishop bancrofts danger pos . p. 46. they have a conference at lambeth before the lords of the councell with the arch-bishops of canterbury and york , and the bishop of winchester cambd●el . 1584. and finding but favour ( no law all this while on their behalfes in parliament ) they erect a presbytery at wandsworth in sunrey , bishop bancroft engl. scot . 3. b. c. 1. full. cent. xvi p. 30 where offices and rules are agreed on by 24. presbyters in as much authority as our 26. arch-bishops and bishops , this way they settle in london a while after ; altar against altar , post against post : — they became violent anno 1575. and left the sober men , humphrey — , fox , &c. they set up prophesying , anno 1580. and private meetings , fasts and conferences ; they meet at cuckefield in suffolke threescore ministers almost enough to make a convocation , where they resolved what was to be tolerated , and what was to be refused : again they meet at cambridge , where were many things very solemnly enacted : in the year 1585. 1. a parliament meets , 2. convocation sits , 3. an assembly of ministers vying with the convocation , gets together , they admonish , they threaten , they plot , they get a 16. fold petition drawn up for them anno 1587. el 30. they libel , — they met at a synod in coventry 10th . of the 4. moneth as they write , — where they resolved thirteen points against the church , full. xvi cent. 194. and drew up a discipline and form essential at all times , which was tendered to all the classes far and near in england ; — they humble themselves at northampton for their former conformity to the church , — john test p. 6 full. p. 196. they refuse oaths tendred to them , — they talke of a bickering and then a battle ; as one wiggington words it , they sollicit the king of scots assistance may 2. 1591. — hacket and coppinger , grow outragious and threaten the queen and the privy councell , at last they grew so odious at court as mr. fuller writes that none durst appear in their behalfe , and so they continued all king james his time — and king charles when we had peace untill at last this schisme in the warre was established by a pretended law , — and england knowes very well what it is to establish schisme by a law. — in the latter end of king james his reign there was a toleration propounded , and immediately the popish policy and government was set up in opposition to ours , — they had archbishops to our archbishops , bishops to our bishops , their meeting of priest to our convocation , — their masse to our common prayer : and so cromwell told his cronies in a thing called a parliament in his loose time , that they had their hierarchy setled , and that they had an orderly government within his government ; — this , this it is to have a schisme established by law. — 2. the honourable house of commons are against indulgence to dissenters , because it will make the government of the church precarious , and contemptible : what can a bishop do , if there be parties to which all the guilty will betake themselves , to elude his authority , he excommunicates , they seperate and excommunicate themselves : he cites , they undervalue him ; he threatneth , they ( as the church wardens of saint anne aldersgate ) say they will try it with him , he would turn out a parish-clark like him of black-fryers , he goeth to law with him : the indulged party will be the receptacle of all the discontented , ambitious , turbulent , and guilty persons which the law threatneth , discipline correcteth : and justice punisheth . 3 the honourable house of commons are against indulgence , because , it will no way become the gravity or wisedome of a parliament , to pass a law at one sessions for vniformity , and at the next sessions ( the reasons of vniformity continuing still the same ) to pass another law to frustrate or weaken the execution of it . the most happy constitutions are they that are maturely , debated , resolvedly enacted , and not without great reason , and much time repealed . the first parliament that ever was in england ordered that the same assembly should not repeale and make laws : a parliament hen. the thirds time refused to alter a most inconvenient law , because they thought no inconvenience greater then alteration of laws , so in k. h●n . 7. hen. 8. q. eliz. reign . 4 the honourable house of commons are against indulgence . because , it will expose his majesty to the restless importunity of every sect and opinion , and of every single person also , who shall presume to dissent from the church of england . it will be a cause of increasing sects and sectaries , whose numbers will weaken the true protestant profession so far , that it will at least be difficult for it , to defend it selfe against them : and , which is yet further considerable , those numbers , which by being troublesome to the government , finde they can arrive to an indulgence , will , as their numbers increase , be yet more troublesome , that so at length they may arrive to a generall toleration , which his majesty hath declared against ; and in time some prevalent s●ct , will at last contend for an establishment ; which , for ought can be foreseen , may end in popery . it is a thing altogether without precedent , and will take away all means of convicting recusants , and be inconsistent with the method and proceedings of the laws of england . you know there is no end of humor and faction , hooper procures k. edw. 6. letter for a dispensation from certain rights and ceremonies offensive to his conscience , as the letter runs ; the nonconformists in the beginning of q elizabeths reign , are onely for alteration of some things offensive : the later nonconformists were against the common prayer , and most of the usage of the church ; at last they are against all church government , discipline , orders and forms of worship , the people will have it so ? and what will ye do in the end thereof . 5 the honourable house of commons are against indulgence , to dissenters . because , it is humbly conceived , that the indulgence proposed will be so far from tending to the peace of the kingdom , that it is rather likely to occasion great disturbance . and on the contrary , that the asserting of the laws , and the religion establisht , according to the act of vniformity , is the most probable meanes to produce settled peace and obedience throughout your kingdom : because the variety of professions of religion , when openly indulged , doth directly distinguish men into parties , and withall gives them opportunity to count their numbers ; which , considering the animosities , that out of a religious pride will be kept on foot by the severall factions , doth tend directly and inevitably to open disturbance . nor can your majesty have any security , that the doctrine or worship of the severall factions , which are all governed by a severall rule , shall be consistent with the peace of your kingdom . when master cartwright preached at saint maries in cambridge the church could not hold the people , when doctor gouge preached at black-fryers , it was too little for him , when master dod preached , people were almost througed to death ; if a nonconformist preach , the whole city is in a tumult ; if a man be but a little inclined that way , how great is his auditors ? if orthodox , how thin his congregation , which , considering the animosities , that out of a religious pride will be kept on foot by the severall factions , doth tend directly and inevetably to open disturbance . nor can his majesty have any security , that the doctrine or worship of the severall factions , which are all governed by a severall rule , shall be consistent with the peace of your kingdom . what security have we that the papists will not teach the popes power as well as his religion : that they will not absolve men from their allegiance to the king of england , as well as they absolve men from their obedience to the church of england ; that they will not disobey , as well as not obey for conscience sake , — how know we but they have all taken a solemn covenant to defend the kings majesty onely in the maintenance of religion ; i. e. of their severall wayes : — be wise therefore o ye kings , be instructed o ye judges of the earth . — habet aliquod ex iniquo omne magnum exemplum quod contra singulos , utilitate publica rependitur — tac. an 14. ne timeas contrà charitatem esse si unius scandalum multorum pace compensaveris . — bern. ep. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26927-e850 see bishop abbot on jer. 6 16. ●e dr. peirce sermon . the christian religion expressed i, briefly in the ancient creeds, the ten commandments, and the lords prayer, and, ii, more largely in a profession taken out of the holy scriptures, containing 1, the articles of the christian belief, 2, our consent to the gospel covenant, 3, the sum of christian duty, according to the primitive simplicity, purity, and practice, fitted to the right instruction of the ignorant, the promoting of holiness, and the charitable concord of all true believers ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a26895 of text r25270 in the english short title catalog (wing b1221). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 113 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 44 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a26895 wing b1221 estc r25270 08833965 ocm 08833965 41924 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26895) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 41924) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1274:12) the christian religion expressed i, briefly in the ancient creeds, the ten commandments, and the lords prayer, and, ii, more largely in a profession taken out of the holy scriptures, containing 1, the articles of the christian belief, 2, our consent to the gospel covenant, 3, the sum of christian duty, according to the primitive simplicity, purity, and practice, fitted to the right instruction of the ignorant, the promoting of holiness, and the charitable concord of all true believers ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 80, [5] p. [s.n.], london : 1660. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library, new york. eng christianity. theology. a26895 r25270 (wing b1221). civilwar no the christian religion. expressed i. briefly, in the ancient creeds, the ten commandments, and the lords prayer. and ii· more largely in a p baxter, richard 1660 21769 9 0 0 0 0 0 4 b the rate of 4 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 rachel losh sampled and proofread 2004-05 rachel losh text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the christian religion . expressed i. briefly , in the ancient creeds , the ten commandments , and the lords prayer . and ii. more largely in a profession taken out of the holy scriptures ; containing 1. the articles of the christian belief . 2. our consent to the gospel covenant . 3. the sum of christian duty . according to the primitive simplicity , purity , and practice : fitted to the right instructing of the ignorant , the promoting of holiness , and the charitable concord of all true believers . which whosoever sincerely believeth , consenteth to , and practiseth , shall certainly be saved . it is also by prefixed questions , made a catechism . by richard baxter . london printed , 1660. to fill up this vacant page . the papists confession of the sufficiency of our belief . concil. basil. orat. ragus . bin . p. 299. [ the holy scripture in the literall sense , soundly and well understood , is the infallible and most sufficient rule of faith . ] bellarm. de verbo dei , l. 4. c. 11. [ in the christian doctrine both of faith and manners , some things are simply necessary to salvation , to all ; as the knowledge of the articles of the apostles creed , of the ten commandments , and of some sacraments : the rest are not so necessary , that a man cannot be saved without the explicite knowledge , belief and profession of them — these things that are simply necessary , and are profitable to all , the apostles preached to all — all things are written by the apostles which are necessary to all , and which they openly preaclot to all ] ( see the place . ) costenus enchirid. c 1. p. 49. non inficiamur praecipua illa fidei capita quae omnibus christians cognitu sunt ad salutem necessaria , perspicuè satis esse apostolicis scriptis comprehensa . the ancient creed . i believe in god the father almighty , maker of heaven and earth : and in jesus christ his only son our lord , who was conceived by the holy ghost , born of the virgin mary ; suffered under pontius pilate , was crucified , dead and buried , he descended into hell ; the third day he rose again from the dead ; he ascended into heaven , and sittteth on the right hand of god the father almighty , from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead . i believe in the holy ghost ; the holy catholick church , the communion of saints : the forgiveness of sins ; the resurrection of the body , and the life everlasting , amen . i believe in one god the father ▪ almighty , maker of heaven and earth , and of all things visible and invisible ; and in one lord iesus christ the only begotten son of god , begotten of his father before all worlds , god of god , light of light , very god of very god , begotten not made , being of one substance with the father , by whom all things were made : who for us men , and for our salvation came down from heaven , and was incarnate by the holy ghost of the virgin mary , and was made man , and was crucified also for us under pontius pilate . he suffered and was buried , and the third day he rose again according to the scriptures , and ascended into heaven , and sitteth at the right hand of the father ; and he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead ; whose kingdom shall have no end and i believe in the holy ghost , the lord and giver of life , who proceedeth from the father and the son , who with the father and the son together is worshipped and glorified , who spake by the prophets . and i believe one catholike and apostolike church ; i acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins . and i look for the resurrection of the dead , and the life of the world to come . amen . whosoever will be saved : before all things , it is necessary that he hold the catholike faith . which faith except every one do keep wholly and undefiled : without doubt he shall perish everlastingly . and the catholike faith is this : that we worship one god in trinity , and trinity in unity . neither confounding the persons : nor dividing the substance . for there is one person of the father , another of the son , and another of the holy ghost . but the godhead of the father , of the son , and of the holy ghost , is all one : the glory equal , the majesty coeternal . such as the father is , such is the son : & such is the holy ghost . the father uncreate , the son uncreate , and the holy ghost uncreate . the father incomprehensible , the son incomprehensible , and the holy ghost incomprehensible . the father eternal , the son eternal , and the holy ghost eternal . and yet they are not three eternals : but one eternal . as also there be not three incomprehensibles , nor three uncreated : but one uncreated , and one incomprehensible . so likewise the father is almighty , the son almighty , and the holy ghost almighty . and yet they are not three almighties : but one almighty . so the father is god , the son is god , & the holy ghost is god . and yet they are not three gods : but one god . so likewise the father is lord , the son lord , and the holy ghost lord . and yet not three lords : but one lord . for like as we be compelled by the christian verity , to acknowledge every person by himself to be god and lord . so are we forbidden by the catholike religion , to say there be three gods , or three lords . the father is made of none : neither created , nor begotten . the son is of the father alone : not made , nor created , but begotten . the holy ghost is of the father , and of the son : neither made , nor created , nor begotten , but proceeding . so there is one father , not three fathers ; one son , not three sons ; one holy ghost , not three holy ghosts . and in this trinity none is afore or after other , none is greater or less then another . but the whole three persons be coeternal together , and coequal . so that in all things , as is aforesaid , the unity in trinity , and the trinity in unity is to be worshipped . he therefore that will be saved : must thus think of the trinity . furthermore , it is necessary to everlasting salvation ; that he also believe rightly in the incarnation of our lord jesus christ . for the right faith is , that we believe and confess : that our lord jesus christ the son of god , is god and man . god of the substance of the father , begotten before the worlds : and man of the substance of his mother , born in the world . perfect god and perfect man : of a reasonable soul , and humane flesh subsisting . equal to the father as touching his godhead : and inferiour to the father touching his manhood . who although he be god and man : yet he is not two , but one christ . one , not by conversion of the godhead into flesh , but by taking of the manhood into god . one altogether , not by confusion of substance , but by unity of person . for as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man : so god and man is one christ . who suffered for our salvation , descended into hell , rose again the third day from the dead . he ascended into heaven , and sitteth one the right hand of the father , god almighty ; from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead . at whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies : and shall give account for their own works . and they that have done good , shall go into life everlasting : and they that have done evil , into everlasting fire . this is the catholike faith : which except a man believe faithfully , he cannot be saved . the ten commandments , exod. 20. god spake all these words , saying , i am the lord thy god , which have brought thee out of the land of egypt , out of the house of bondage . thou shalt have no other gods before me . thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image , or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above , or that is in the earth beneath , or that is in the water under the earth ; thou shalt not bow down thy self to them , nor serve them ; for i the lord thy god am a jealous god , visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children , unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me ; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me , and keep my commandments . thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain ; for the lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain . remember the sabbath day to keep it holy : six days shalt thou labour , and do all thy work ; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the lord thy god ; in it thou shalt not do any work , thou , nor thy son , nor thy daughter , thy man-servant , nor thy maid-servant , nor thy cattel , nor the stranger that is within thy gates : for in six days the lord made heaven and earth , the sea , and all that in them is , and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it . honour thy father and thy mother , that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy god giveth thee . thou shalt not kill . thou shalt not commit adultery . thou shat not steal . thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour . thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house , thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife , nor his man-servant , nor his maid-servant , nor his ox , nor his ass , nor any thing that is thy neighbours . the lords prayer , mat. 6. our father which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name : thy kingdom come : thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven : give us this day our daily bread : and forgive us our debts , as we forgive our debtors ; and lead us not into temptation , but deliver us from evil ; for thine is the kingdom , and the power , and the glory , for ever , amen . the profession of the christian religion . i. the articles of the christian belief . it is a catechism if you prefix to every article , the question , what do you believe : 1 there is one only god a in three persons , * the father , son and holy ghost b : who is infinite in being , power , wisdom and goodness c : the creator of all things d ; our most absolute lord , most righteous governour , and most gracious father e . 2 god made man for himself f in his own image g ; with reason and freewill h : endued with wisdom and holiness i ; and put under him the inferior creatures , for his use k : and bound him by the law of nature to adhere to god his maker ; to believe him , fear him , love him , honour him and obey him with all his powers l : moreover forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death m . 3 man being tempted by satan , did wilfully sin , and so fell from god and happiness , under the wrath of god a , the curse of his law b and the power of the devil c : and hence we are all conceived in sin , and prone to evil , d and condemnation is passed upon all e ; and no meer creature is able to deliver us f . 4 god so loved the world that he gave his only son to be their redeemer a ; who being god , and one with the father b did take our nature , and become man ; being conceived by the holy ghost in the virgin mary , and born of her , and called jesus christ c ; and being free from sin , he conquered the tempter , fulfilled all righteousness d , revealed the gospel , and confirmed it by miracles e ; and gave himself a sacrifice for our sins , and a ransome for us , in suffering death on the cross , to reconcile us unto god f ; and was buried , and went among the dead g * ) and rose again the third day , having conquered death , h ; and afterward ascended into heaven i where he remaineth god and man , in one person k , and is lord of all , in glory with the father l ; the chief priest , and prophet , and king of his church m ; interceding for us ; and teaching and ruling us , by his spirit , ministers , and word n . 5 the lord jesus christ hath ordained in his testament , that all they that receive him by a true effectual faith , and by true repentance do turn from the flesh , the world , and the devil unto god , shall freely receive the pardon of their sins a , and shall become the sons of god , and heirs of everlasting life , b & the spirit of christ shall dwell within them c : and all that overcome and persevere to the death , shall live with christ in endless glory d : but the unbelievers , impenitent and unholy shall be condemned to everlasting fire e . and this he hath commanded his ministers to preach to all the world f : and hath told us , that all that are given him of the father , shall come to him , and that he will in no wise cast them out , nor shall any pluck them out of his hands . g 6 the holy ghost proceeding from the father and the son , did inspire and guide the prophets , apostles , and evangelists , that they might truly and fully reveal the doctrine of christ , and deliver it in scripture to the church as the rule of our faith and life a : and by abundance of evident uncontrouled miracles , and wonderfull gifts , to be the great witness of christ , and of the truth of his holy word b . 7 where the gospel is made known , the holy ghost by it doth enlighten the minds of all that shall be saved , and opening and softening their hearts , doth draw them to believe in christ a and turneth them from the power of satan unto god b : whereupon they are joyned to christ the head , and into one holy catholick church which is his body , consisting of all true believers c : and are freely justified , and made the sons of god d ; and a sanctified peculiar people unto him e , and do love him above all , and serve him sincerely in holiness and righteousness f , loving and desiring the communion of the saints g ; overcoming the flesh , the world and the devil h , and hoping for christs second coming , and for everlasting life i . 8 at death the souls of the justified go to happiness with christ , and the souls of the wicked to misery a : and at the end of this world the lord jesus christ will come again , and will raise the bodies of all men from the dead ; and will judge all according to their works b and the righteous shall go into everlasting life , and the rest into everlasting punishment c : all this i do unfeignedly believe . ii. our consent to the gospel covenant , with god the father , son and holy ghost ; by which we are christians , and members of the catholick church . quest . are you willing and resolved to give up your self to god the father , son and holy ghost , according to the gospel doctrine which your profess ? repenting of my sins , and renouncing the flesh , the world and the devil a , i do take this one god to be my only god b , and do heartily give up my self unto him c ; even to the father , d as my creator and reconciled father in christ : and to his son jesus christ , as my lord , and only saviour , to reconcile , and bring me unto god e : and to the holy ghost as my sanctifier ; that he may further illuminate , sanctifie and confirm me , and i may hold fast and obey the doctrine of christ , which was revealed by his inspiration , and witnessed by his gifts and miracles , and is now contained in the holy scriptures ; and that he may be in me the earnest of my everlasting happiness with god f . iii. the summ of christian duty . quest . what are 1 christ hath appointed that fit men shall be ordained his ministers , to preach the gospel to the nations of the world a , and make them his disciples , baptizing them in the name of the father , son and holy ghost b : and to congregate his disciples c , and to oversee and guide the several congregations , and each member thereof d : particularly , to teach them the word of god e ; to pray and praise god with them and for them f to administer the lords supper in remembrance of him g ; h especially on the lords day , which he hath appointed for holy communion in such works i : also to rebuke with authority the scandalous and unruly k ; and to bind and reject those that are obstinately impenitent , and unreformed ; and to absolve and restore the penitent , and confirm the weak l . it is therefore the peoples duty to joyn with such churches , for the aforesaid worship of god a ; and to know , hear , submit to , and obey these their guides that are over them in the lord ; b and to avoid division and discord , and to live in unity , love and peace c . 2 the secret duties of holiness are these : the exercise of faith , repentance , love , hope , delight in god , and all other graces a : the mortifying of our sins ; especially atheism , unbelief , and unholiness ; hardness of heart , disobedience and unthankfulness , flesh-pleasing , covetousness , and pride , b : the diligent examining of our own hearts , about our estates , our duties , and our sins c : meditating upon god , and his word and works ; especially of our redemption by jesus christ ; and of death , judgement , heaven , and hell d ; watching diligently over our thoughts , affections , words and actions e : resisting temptations f : and frequent and fervent prayer to god , in the name of christ , with confession , thanksgiving , and cheerful praises g ; 3 parents and masters must diligently teach their children and servants , the word and fear of god a , and pray with them , and for them , and hinder them from sin b , and use all their power that they and their households may serve the lord c : children and servants must willingly learn and obey d : we must seek instruction in the matters of our salvation , especially of our teachers e : we must take heed of the company of tempting , and ungodly persons , and delight in the company and help of the godly : we must lovingly and faithfully give , and thankfully receive admonitions and exhortations f : confessing our faults one to another g : and by prayer , psalms , and edifying conference , and a holy conversation , provoking one another to love , and to good works h . 4 superiors must rule for god and the common good ; with justice and mercy a : inferiors must honour and obey them in the lord b : we must not injure , but preserve the life , chastity , estate , name , and rights of our neighbour c : not seeking our own against his welfare d , but doing as we would be done by e ; forbearing and forgiving f ; and loving our neighbour as our selves g : yea loving our enemies ; and doing good to all according to our power h . the agreement of the associated pastors . i. we do each one for himself , profess our resolution , in the strength of christ , to be faithful and diligent in the works of our ministry ; and to live an holy and exemplary life , in piety , justice and charity , according to the measure of our abilities : especially watching against those sins that tend to the corrupting or dividing of the church , and to the hindring of our ministry ; and to the dishonour of the gospel , and of our holy profession . ii. we do profess our agreement and resolution in the strength of christ , to be faithful and diligent in publick preaching the gospel : and in the personal instructing of all in our parishes , or undertaken limits , that will submit thereto ; teaching the ignorant the principles of religion ; endeavouring in love , compassion and meekness , and yet with seriousness and zeal , to convince the erroneous and opposers , to awaken the presumptuous and secure , and help them to try the state of their souls , and to see and feel their sin and misery , and return to god by christ that they may live : to strengthen the weak ; to raise the faln ; to edifie and confirm the strong ; and to comfort such as need consolation ; and to help them all to prepare for death and judgement , and for everlasting life : and all this , as frequently , constantly and orderly , as our strength , and time , and greater duties will permit . iii. that the churches may be capable of the discipline of christ , and constituted and ruled according to the word of god , and the ends of our office and labours may be attained , we are agreed and resolved to take none for adult members of the churches committed to our special charge , nor admit them , as such , to church-communion and priviledges , but those that have first made some personal credible profession of true christianity , that is , of faith and obedience , and as members of those churches , submit to our pastoral over-sight according to the word of god . but all that make this profession of christianity and consent to live in communion with the church , and under the ministry and discipline of christ , we shall receive , though they be weak in knowledge , and utterance , and duties ; and shall faithfully imploy our ministerial abilities and care for their edification and salvation . iv. we are agreed and resolved in the strength of christ , while we have ability and opportunity , to congregate the people , and hold constant assemblies , especially on the lords-dayes ; and therein faithfully to perform the works of our office , in reading the holy scripture , preaching , praying , baptizing , praising god , celebrating the sacrament of the lords supper , and guiding the people in the whole publick worship of god : and to manage our work with as much prudence , and reverence , and love , and compassion to the peoples souls , and with as much plainness and convincing evidence , authority , seriousness , and zealous importunity as we can : avoiding as far as we are able , such things as corrupt and dishonour gods ordinances , and tend to corrupt the peoples minds with errour , presumption , deadness , negligence , or other distempers , displeasing to the lord . v. for the ends of our office , in obedience to the lord , we agree and resolve in the strength of christ , to exercise so much of church-government and discipline , in the churches committed to our charge , as we discern to be our certain duty ; that is , to keep order and decency in the holy assemblies , and see that all be done to edification : convicting seducers , and stopping the mouthes of perverse gain-sayers ; overseeing the several members of our charge ; and requiring them to walk obediently to christ , and do their duties towards each other : to reprove the gross and scandalous offenders : and if they continue impenitent or unreformed , to tell the church , or rebuke them before all ; ( and publickly pray for their recovery ) : and if they hear not the church , but remain impenitent and unreformed , after sufficient reproof and patience , to put away such persons from among us , declaring against them the threatnings of the lord , and requiring them to forbear communion with the church , and requiring the church to avoid them , and have no familiarity or communion with them , as persons unmeet for the communion of saints . and those that credibly profess repentance , we are to absolve ministerially in the name of christ , and comfort with the promises of grace ; receiving them , and requiring the people to receive them , as brethren , into their communion : but warning them to watch and sin so no more , lest worse befall them . this holy discipline , by the help of god , we shall exercise faithfully and impartially , but yet with caution and moderation ; neglecting no necessary consultations with other pastors , or concurrence of the church : and consenting to be responsible for male-administrations . vi . for the communion of churches , and the strengthening our selves for the work of god , and helping one another therein , and maintaining unity , love and concord ; we do consent to hold a brotherly communion and correspondency : and to that end , when necessity or greater duty hindreth us not , we shall meet at such convenient times and places , as shall be appointed or agreed on from time to time ; and shall labour to improve these meetings to our mutual edification , in such consultations , conferences or other holy exercises , as our present case shall most require . and we consent to deal faithfully in advising and admonishing one another ; and for the satisfaction of the brethren ( to the fore-mentioned ends ) to be responsible , if any shall charge us with heresie , scandal , schism , or male-administration : and forbearing matters without our line , to study and endeavour the promoting of truth , and holiness , and unity among our selves , and with other churches , as we have a call . and also we agree by communicatory letters upon all needful occasions , to certifie our brethren and other churches of the state of our affairs , and of particular members , that those that justly have communion in one church , or are excluded , may have communion with other churches , or be refused by them accordingly , when there is just occasion . and if any brethren or churches be prevailed over so far by temptation , as unjustly to deny us their communion , in this way of association , assemblies , or correspondency , we shall not therefore deny them to be our brethren , or churches of christ , but shall love and own them , and have so much communion with them , as their distance shall leave them capable of , if they joyn with us in the profession and practice of true christianity , and of the points that are necessary to church-constitution and communion , and are not proved guilty of heresie , ungodliness , or such kind of schism or scandalous sins , for which the scripture commandeth us to reject men , and avoid them . but such as are thus guilty ( though they offer themselves to associate with us ) we shall refuse to hold communion with , till they credibly profess repentance , and manifest a reformation . vii . because it is a matter of great concernment to the honour of christ , the propagation of the gospel , and the encrease and welfare of the church , that there be a provision of able , faithful ministers , and that unworthy persons be kept out ; and because deceivers and unworthy men are forward to intrude , and the people ordinarily are insufficient of themselves to make such tryal of mens ability and soundness as is requisite to the safety of the church ; and the church in all ages hath received ministers by the ordination of other ministers of christ : we do therefore agree to be careful and faithful in the discharge of our duties hereabout , so far as we can discern them , resolving that if any vacant church desire us to recommend a fit person to be their pastor , or to judge of any recommended to them , we will not recommend or approve of any , but such as we judge most agreeable to the will of christ ; nor will we prefer less fit and worthy men , for friendship or any carnal interest or respect . and if any intollerably unworthy person be about to intrude , or have intruded , or any neighbour church be about to choose , or have chosen such , if we have opportunity , we shall faithfully acquaint them with their sin and danger , and perswade them to a better course . and if we shall be called to invest any by solemn ordination in the sacred office of the ministry , we shall perform it , as near as we are able , according to the directions of the word of god ; admitting none that christ excludeth : and if it may be , we shall do it in that congregation which the person is to over-see , that so we may the better discern their mutual consent , inculcate their duties , and engage them to a faithful performance thereof . and whereas it is much controverted of late , whether the power of ordination be given to the people , or the pastors of a particular church , or the associated neighbour pastors , and whether a stated president among these should not have a negative voice herein ; we are agreed , that leaving the people their due liberty of consent in the reception of their proper pastors , we will none of us singly ordain , without the assistance of other pastors : nor will we joyn with any hereticks or others , in unjust and impious ordinations , that tend to the corrupting or dividing of the churches . and to avoid division upon a tolerable difference of opinions , where we may agree in practice , we consent that the associations that have no stated presidents , or that give not to such a negative voice , shall receive into their communion those that are of the contrary opinion ; giving them leave , if they desire it , to profess or record their opinion in that particular , so they will afterward walk among them in love and peace . and that the associations that choose a stated president , and give him a negative voice in ordination , shall in like manner , and on like terms , receive into their communion , such as dissent in that particular , and having professed or recorded their dissent , will walk submissively in love and peace . which liberty also of professing and recording their different principles , we desire may be allowed them , that joyn in synods , as being only for communion of churches , and them that joyn in them , as having a direct superiour governing power over the particular pastors of the churches . viii . though it be the surest way to peace and concord , to take up with these necessary things , and we cannot approve of the narrow dividing principles of those men that will impose things unnecessary , to the excluding of the necessary ; yet if our lawful rulers shall command it , or the peace of the church , through the distempers of the brethren shall require it , we shall obey , and consent in things that god hath not forbidden ; and if we suffer for well-doing , and for obeying god rather then men , we shall endeavour to imitate our lord , who being reviled , reviled not again , and when he suffered , threatned not ; but committed all to him that judgeth righteously , 1 pet. 2. 23. the office of christs ministers more largely opened . 1. the lord jesus christ having purchased our salvation by his blood , and stablished his testament or covenant of grace , and left us his example of perfect holiness , ascended to the father , and is there the glorified lord of all , and head over all things to his church , all power being given him in heaven and earth ; that interceding for us with the father , he might be the treasury of our light and life ; and offering salvation to the miserable world , might gather , and cleanse , and save the church , which is his body ; communicating to them that grace that is here necessary to them , in their way and warfare , and perfecting them in glory with himself , when their warfare is accomplished . 2. christ being thus invisible to us , in glory with the father , performeth not these works below , by himself in person , immediately and alone ; but by his spirit , ministers , and word . the holy ghost being his advocate or agent to these ends ; and his ministers the instruments used by his spirit and himself : to indite and bear witness to his word , and to preach it to the world , as that infallible truth which must guide them to salvation . 3. the first prophetical and apostolical ministers , being sent by himself , and qualified by the inspiration , conduct and miraculous gifts of the holy ghost , did found the church , and enlarge it unto many nations of the world , and left them the holy scriptures , which contain the doctrine which they preached , that it might be certainly and fully preserved , and propagated till the coming of christ . and they setled by the appointment of christ and his spirit , an ordinary ministry to succeed them , not to deliver a new law or gospel , but to preserve and preach the doctrine which in the holy scriptures ( and conjunctly at first also from the mouths of the apostles ) they had received as once delivered to the saints , and to guide the churches by it to the end . 4. though christ appointed ministers that should have so far a charge or care of the whole church , as not to be limited to any one part , but to extend their labour and oversight , as far as their capacity and opportunities would permit : yet did he never make any man his vicar or vicegerent , as head of the universal church : nor lay upon any one , whether peter , paul , or any other , the charge and oversight of the whole : nor did ever peter or any one apostle exercise such an office , in governing all the catholike church : especially when it ceased to be confined to jerusalem and the adjacent parts , and was dispersed through the world . never did the apostles receive their commissions from peter : or all the ministers then in the world , perform their work by his commission , or by any power received from him , nor were accountable to him , and judged by him for what they did . much less is this universal head-ship , committed to the pope of rome through all ( or any ) generations : but because a certain primacy of order was granted him by emperours and councils , within the limits of the roman empire , long after the apostles days : therefore doth he take advantage thence , to pretend a title to the universal head-ship : as if the roman and the christian world had been the same ; or the emperor and his clergy had been the rulers of all the christian subjects of all other princes or pastors upon earth : and his limited primacy had been an universal soveraignty . this claim of the pope of rome to be the vice-christ , or universal pastor of all the christian world , is a tyrannical , impious , irrational usurpation ; contrary to the holy scripture , and the state of the primitive church , and contrary to nature and common sense , which declare his incapacity of the work ; far more then any prince is uncapable of being the universal monarch of the world ; and therefore all christians should abhor this proud and impious usurpation , and fly from the guilt of that horrible schism , and those corruptions in doctrine , worship and government , which it hath introduced . 5. christ calleth his ordinary ministers to that office , by enduing them with his gifts , and disposing them thereunto , and moving the hearts of the people to consent , and by ordination of the senior pastors ; and giving them opportunities for the work : and sometime the magistrates command hath a hand in the obligation . 6. it belongeth to the office of the ministers of christ to preach the gospel to the nations of the world , and make them christs disciples , baptizing them in the name of the father , the son , and the holy ghost . 7. this preaching or publishing the gospel , is done by voice or by writing : that by voice , is done by reading , by publike sermons , or interlocutory conference : that by writing is either by translating the holy scriptures into the languages used by the nations , or by expounding and applying them . so that the holy scriptures in the original languages , are the word of god , both as to the terms and sense grammatical and doctrinal : the same scriptures in a translation are the word of god as to the sense , both grammatical and doctrinal ; but not as to the terms : the holy doctrine of the scriptures delivered in the writings , and sermons , and conferences of the preachers of the gospel , is the word of god , as to the doctrinal sense ; but not as to the terms or grammatical sense , except when they recite the scripture words , as in the original or translated . 8. baptism is a holy sacrament instituted by christ , in which a person professing the christian faith ( or the infant of such a professor ) is ( regularly by a minister of christ ) baptized in water into the name of the father , the son , and the holy ghost , in signification and solemnization of the holy covenant , in which as a penitent believer ( or the seed of such ) he giveth up himself ( or is by the parent given up ) to god the father , son and holy ghost , from henceforth ( or from the time of natural capacity ) to believe in , love , and serve this blessed trinity , against the flesh , the world , and devil , and this especially on the account of redemption : and ( if he sincerely make this covenant ) is solemnly entred a member of christ and his church , a justified reconciled child of god , and an heir of heaven : all which , with the other present benefits of the covenant , he is hereby instated ( or invested ) in ; they being thus solemnly delivered to him by the promise thus sealed , and applyed by an appointed minister of christ . or if some of us doubt whether these special benefits of the covenant are delivered thus to all the infants that are sincerely dedicated unto god ; yet we are all agreed , that they are assured to them as soon as they believe : and in the interim of their incapacity , they have a general promise that god will be their god , and his mercy shall be to them . 9. it is a notable part of the ministerial office to baptize : and consequently to try and judge of their profession who are thus solemnly to be admitted into the church , and estated by baptism in these benefits : therefore hath christ given the keys of his kingdom to their trust , both that his holy church may be preserved from the unjust intrusions of uncapable persons : and that the faithful covenanters may have the fuller consolation , by receiving a sealed promise and pardon , from the hand of a minister of christ , commanded by him to seal and deliver it in his name . 10. we are perswaded that it is the will of christ that the infants of the faithful shall be dedicated to him in baptism , and engaged in his covenant , and made members of his visible church , because we find that under the promise before christs incarnation it was their duty to devote and engage their children to god in the holy covenant , and that god did accept them as visible members of his church ; and we never find where christ had discharged parents from this duty , or turned all infants out of his church , and reversed this blessing of their church-membership ; but contrarily we find him offering to have taken the jewish nation to be still his church , if they would have taken him for their saviour ; and telling us that it was for unbelief , that they were broken off ; and that it is but some of the branches that were broken off , and we are graffed in amongst them into the same olive-tree , and that all israel shall be saved , when the fulness of the gentiles is come in ; and we find christ rebuking his disciples for hindering little children from being offered to him , and that he charged them to forbid it no more , and that he received and blessed them himself , and tels us that of such is the kingdom of god ; and we find it the commission given to his ministers , that they were to disciple the nations , baptizing them . all which , and much more ( especially having not the least intimation of his will against that which was even then the duty and practice of the parents , and the infants benefit ) do deter us from forbidding the dedication of children unto christ , and receiving them into his church by baptism . 11. baptism being so great a work , should be deliberately , seriously and reverently performed , if it may be , publikely before the church , where the person ( or parent ) should make their solemn profession , and be received with the joy and prayers of the church ; whether infant or adult . 12. the catholick church consisteth of all the christians in the world : those that have the sanctifying spirit of christ are the living members : those that openly profess christianity , and enter into covenant with christ , and are not yet baptized , are visible members initially , but the solemnization and investiture is defective ; if it be where baptism cannot be had , the defect is innocent ; if where it may be had , it is sinful : but yet not such as nullifieth the persons visible christianity . and no errours , offences or differences do exclude any totally from the catholick church , while all the essentials of christianity are kept . 13. it is the will of christ that all christians that have opportunity , be members of some particular church , as well as of the universal : that he may have the honour , and they the great and necessary benefits , that by the ministry , ordinances and communion of saints , is there to be expected . 14. a particular christian church , is [ a competent number of christians cohabiting , who by the appointment of christ , and their own expressed consent , are united ( or associated ) under one or more pastors , for the right worshipping of god in publick , and the edification of the members , in knowledge and holiness , and the maintaining of their obedience to christ , for the safety , strength and beauty of the society , and thereby the glorifying and pleasing of the lord . ] it is a political organized society , that is here defined , and not a meer community that is incapable of the sacraments and other ordinances , and the benefits of them , for want of overseers . 15. those ministers that are placed in parishes , where are many sorts of people , some ignorant of the essentials of christianity , some apostates , some impious and of wicked lives , and some that consent not to be members of their pastoral charge , should teach them all that will submit and learn : for we are called to it by the magistrate and obliged by the publike maintenance which we receive to that end ; and engaged by the general command of improving our talents , and the special opportunity that we have thereunto . 16. this teaching of all our parishioners that will submit , must be both personally and publikely , as far as we have ability and opportunity . the former must be by catechizing , and conference ; wherein we must teach them first the essential points of christianity , and labour to help them to the clearest understanding of the doctrine of salvation ; and press it on their affections , and help them to discern their sin and misery , and do all that we can to procure their conversion or edification , according to their several states ; manageing the whole work with those holy affections , that the weight of it doth require . 17. the great necessity of our neighbours , and the advantages of this familiar way , do tell us that this work of catechizing and conference is so great a part of our duty , that we should do it with much diligence , prudence and constancy . and the general precepts of doing all to edification and in order , oblige us ordinarily to appoint a stated time and place where every family may come in order ; and if we are able we should go to them , that cannot or will not come to us , if they will but hear us . 18. those that are baptized in infancy , and there engaged to god in the holy covenant , should with all possible care and diligence , be educated by the parents , or any that have the tuition of them , in the nurture and admonition of the lord , and taught betimes to know the doctrine of the gospel , and to believe in the lord jesus christ , and to love god above all , and their neighbours as themselves , and to hate iniquity , and live to god , and first to seek his kingdom and righteousness ; to which end parents should catechize their children , and daily be teaching them the word of god , and acquainting them with his fear and holy worship . and ministers must with special care and diligence oversee the several families of their charge , and excite the parents to this necessary duty . and also should themselves assist them herein , and catechize such youth ( as well as all others that are ignorant ) as often as they can ; especially where parents do neglect it . 19. as infants are by baptism admitted among the infant-members of the church , upon their parents profession of christianity , and dedicating them to god ; so must they personally make a profession of their own faith , and own their baptismal covenant , and give up themselves to god the father , son and holy ghost , before they are to be admitted into the number and communion of the adult members of the church ; which profession is to be tryed and approved of by the pastors of the church : and so excellent a duty , to be carefully , and seriously , and solemnly performed , that the transition into the state and communion of the adult , may appear to be so great and observable a thing , as may excite all to an answerable care and diligence , in preparation thereunto , and to look after that saving faith and holiness , which they must so solemnly profess . and ministers should have a special care , that they take nothing for a credible profession , that is not so : and corrupt not the church by letting in uncapable members , that must either be cast out again , to the grievous exasperating them against the church and way of god , and so to the apparent hazzard of their souls : or else must live ungoverned in their wickedness , to the great dishonour of god , and the provocation of his wrath against them and the church . 20. for the publike worshiping of god , and our own edification , the pastors , where there is opportunity , must congregate the people in a solemn assembly in a convenient place and time . and all that can must constantly there attend , preferring the publike worship of god before the private : much more before their worldly businesses , that are not of flat necessity to themselves or others . 21. in these publike assemblies it is lawful for us to admit , even , infidels to be present , and such catechumen's as are yet unfit to be members of the church , and there to teach , reprove and exhort them , and pray for them according to their state : though we may not receive them to be members of the church , nor admit them to our special communion . 22. because it is the holy scriptures that containe that gospel of which we are ministers ; and because the honour of gods holy word is to be preserved , and the people to be instructed in it , and taught to know it ; it is therefore our duty in the solemn assemblies to read the word of god to the people , in a known tongue ; ( as moses and the prophets were read every sabbath day in the synagogues of the jews . ) such portions being chosen , and order observed , as the pastors discern to be most for edification . 23. our publike preaching of the gospel should be from faith and holy experience , with plainness , and perspicuity , with reverence and gravity , with convincing evidence and authority , with fervent zeal , and perswading importunity , with the tenderest love and melting compassion , with faithfulness , impartiality and prudence , suiting both matter and manner to the necessity of the hearers , and with frequency and unwearied patience , waiting on god for the success . 24. the pastor is to lead , and the people to consent and joyn in heart in the publike prayers , and unanimously to pour out their souls unto the lord in penitent confession of sin , and fervent petition , and joyful thanksgiving and praise : and this according to the direction of the holy scriptures ; and especially of the lords prayer : which is the most perfect , comprehensive summary , form and pattern of our prayers . 25. confession is to be made , both of our own sin , and the sins of the church and nation , of magistrates , ministers and people : yet so as that we turn it not into a reproaching and dishonouring of our superiours , or an abusing of mens persons , by venting our malice or distempered passions , or uncharitable censures against them ; we must confess our original and actual sin : the great corruption of our hearts and lives : our sinful thoughts , affections , words and actions : our privative and positive sin : out omissions and commissions : our secret and unknown sins in general , and our known and open sins by name : our sins of ignorance , and sins against knowledge : our sins before and since conversion : our sins against the lord himself , consisting in our unholiness , contrary to the first table ; and our unjustice and uncharitableness against our neighbour ; and our folly and injury against our selves : the sins of our relations , and of our more private life : our sins against the light and law of nature ; and our sins against the gospel and grace of a redeemer : against the outward means of grace , and against the inward motions of the spirit , and of our consciences : against mercies and judgements : against the examples of christ and his servants , and the warning-falls of others ; especially those sins by which we have most dishonoured god and our holy profession ; and have most scandalized , hardened or tempted others : and all our confessions should proceed from true contrition and hatred of the sin . 26. our petitions must be only for things agreeable to the revealed will of god : and principally for the hallowing of his name , and the coming of his kingdom , and the doing of his will , in earth , as it is in heaven : and therefore we must have compassionate thoughts of the dark and miserable parts of the world , where by heathenism , infidelity and mahometanism , the name of god is grievously dishonoured , and his soveraignty denied or rejected , and satans kingdom doth prevail , and where the will of god is partly unknown , and partly willfully disobeyed : and our eye and heart must be on the state of the universal church , that all this interest of god-in-christ , may be there preserved and advanced . and in order to these blessed ends , we must beg such necessaries of our life , as the supportation of our natures for the work of god requireth : and the forgiveness of all our sins through christ ( which yet we cannot expect to receive , if we from our hearts forgive not others : ) and a gratious preservation from temptations , or the power of them , and from satan and sin the greatest evils : that so the holiness of our hearts and lives may shew that we are the loyal subjects of the kingdom of our lord , and that we acknowledge and magnifie his soveraign power , and live as a people devoted to his glory . and all this we must beg in an humble sense of our great unworthiness , misery , necessity and insufficiency to help our selves ; and in the name of christ , in understanding and faith ( and therefore not in a tongue that we understand not ) and with fervency and uncessant importunity , as directed , excited and strengthened by the spirit of christ . 27. our thanksgiving unto god must not be like the pharisees , in hypocrisie and pride , or to make ostentation of things that we never had , but in humility and holy joyfulness of mind , we must declare our thankfulness , for our creation , redemption , justification and reconciliation with god , our sanctification , and all the parts thereof , and helps thereunto : for the gospel and ministery ; and the plantation , preservation and propagation of the church thereby : for common and special works of providence , for the good of the church , our brethren or our selves : for mercies ordinary or extraordinary : spiritual or corporal : for prevention of evils , or removing them : for the quality and degree , the suitableness and seasonableness of all our mercies , with the rest of their aggravations : especially for those that most promote our everlasting happiness , and the publike good and glory of the lord . 28. the matter of our holy praises of the lord , must be his blessed and infinite being and nature , and all his attributes : his infinite power , and wisdom , and goodness : his truth , and holiness , and love : his absolute dominion , his soveraignty , and fatherly benignity : his justice and his mercy : even as they are revealed in the works of the creation , and in the glass of the holy scripture , and in the person of jesus christ , and in the image of god upon his saints : and all these his works also must be praised in subserviency to his praise . and because it is a most high and excellent duty to praise the lord , we must strive to do it with all the faith , and reverence , and admiration , and love , and delight , and joy , and cheerfulness that possibly we can attain : and this with constancy as our daily work , with our eye on heaven , where we shall do it in perfection to all eternity . 29. as the holy scriptures should be read in a tongue that the people understand , so should the purest exactest translation of them be used that can be had : and though it be not of absolute necessity to the communion or peace of the churches ; yet it is to be desired and endeavoured , that all neighbour churches that are of one language do all agree in the use of that one translation . 30. though in cases of necessity the gospel may be publikely expounded and applied by the reading of the expositions and sermons of others , yet as it is meet that the preachers of the gospel be able to perform this work themselves ; by the abilities given them from god , in the use of just and edifying means ; so it is meet that by diligent studying , meditation and prayer , these abilities be improved ; and that from this holy and spiritual treasure within them , the ministers of christ do draw forth sound explication , with pertinent lively application of the truth . 31. so also in the publike prayers , though it be lawful ( in it self ) to read the words of prayer prescribed us by others ; yet as all ministers should be able to pray themselves from the knowledge and feeling of their own and the peoples wants , so it is meet that their graces and holy abilities be ordinarily exercised in such prayer , and that they be not restrained from speaking to god in such sound and meet expressions , as shall either presently , or by the means of their preparations , proceed from the sense of the matter of their prayers , excited and drawn forth by the assistance of the spirit of christ . but whether any particular pastor should use a stinted form of words imposed by others , or invented by himself , or whether he shall pray without such stinted forms , or both , by turns , is a point to be determined according to his own abilities , and the state of his flock , and other accidents : but it is not to be made a matter of such necessity in it self , as to lay the unity or peace of the churches , or the liberty of the pastors and worshippers of christ upon it . 32. the publike praises of god must be expressed by the pastor in such words as are produced by that holy knowledge , faith , admiration , love and delight , with which his soul should be possessed that is so nigh to god ; and also by the recitation of sacred psalms and hymns , and by the cheerfull singing of such by the church : wherein the melody must be spiritually , and not carnally used : for the assisting of our souls in the exercise of that holy alacrity and joy that is required in so high a work ; and not to draw off our minds from the matter , nor to stop at the pleasing of our ears . such psalms also may be recited or sung , as contain matter of confession of sin , petition , thanksgiving , and such narratives as tend to praise . 33. the form of words to be said and sung , must be taken especially out of the holy scriptures : to which use we have the psalms of david and other hymns : and also we may use such as have been or shall be composed by wise and holy men , agreeable to the doctrine of the scripture , and fuited to the gospel frame of worship , and as far as may be , even in scripture phrase . and though it be not meet to insist upon a concord in lesser things , when it cannot be attained without the violation of concord in greater things ; yet is it much to be desired and endeavoured that all the churches of the same language ( especially that are near and in the same dominions ) should agree in using the same psalms and hymns for matter and meeter ; and that the version so agreed on , be the best that they can have . 34. the eucharist or supper of the lord is [ a holy sacrament instituted by christ , wherein bread and wine being first by consecration made sacramentally or representatively the body and blood of christ , they are used by breaking and pouring out , to represent and commemorate the sacrifice of christs body and blood upon the cross , once offered up to god for sin : and are given in the name of christ unto the church , to signifie and solemnize the renewal of his holy covenant with them , and sealing it unto them , and the giving of himself to them to expiate their sins by his sacrifice , and sanctifie them further by his spirit , and confirm their right to everlasting life : and they are received , eaten and drunk by the church , to profess that they willingly receive christ himself to the ends aforesaid , ( their justification , sanctification and glorification ) and to signifie and solemnize the renewal of their covenant with him , and their holy communion with him , and with one another . ] 35. the sacrament of the lords supper containeth in it these three parts . 1. the consecration of the bread and wine . 2. the representation and commemoration of the sacrifice of christ . 3. and the giving to , and participation by the church . the consecration hath chief respect unto god the father : the representation and commemoration to the son as sacrificed : and the giving and participation , to the applying operations of the holy ghost . as it must first be the body and blood of christ before it be sacrificed , and first offered in sacrifice to god , before it is offered for nourishment and salvation unto men ; so is it in the order of sacramental representation . 36. the consecration is performed by the churches offering up the creatures of bread and wine to god to be accepted to this holy use : and by gods acceptance of them , as dedicated thereunto . the churches dedication is expressed by the present action , and gods acceptance is expressed by his command and promise , and the ministerial acception and benediction . the minister in this action is the agent of the people in offering or dedicating these creatures unto god , and he is gods agent or minister in receiving and blessing them . 37. in this dedication of the bread and wine to god to be the consecrated matter of the commemorative representative sacrifice , the church acknowledgeth the three grand relations of god to his people . 1. we acknowledge him the creator and owner of all the creatures . 2. we acknowledge him our righteous soveraign ruler , whose law we have offended , and who hath received the attonement , and whose laws we do herein obey . and , 3. we acknowledge him our father , or bounteous benefactor , by whom we are sustained , and whose love we have forfeited , and with whom we desire by christ to be reconciled . 38. this consecration maketh not the bread to be no bread , or the wine to be no longer wine ; nor doth it make any addition to , or change upon the glorified real body of christ ; but it maketh the bread to be sacramentally christs body ; and the wine to be sacramentally his blood ; that is representatively : as an actor in a tragedy is the person whom he representeth : or as in investitures , a sword is the honour of knighthood , or a key is the house , or a twig or turf is the land . 39. because christ was to be invisible to us , and the heavens must receive him till the restoration of all things , therefore as he hath sent his spirit within to be his agent in his members ; so hath he appointed his ordinances without , and especially this visible solemn representation and commemoration of his sacrifice ; that our faith might hereby be helped , and our souls might be raised to such apprehensions of his love and the mercy of our redemption , as if we had even seen him crucified before our eyes , and this till his glorious return , when we shall enjoy him visibly in his glory . 40. as christ in his intercession , as our high priest in the heavens , procureth and conveyeth his benefits of salvation upon the account of his sacrifice once offered on the cross ; so doth the church in this commemoration , present him unto god the father , as the sacrificed lamb , in whom they profess themselves to believe , and by whom alone they expect salvation , and all the blessings tending thereunto . 41. in this commemoration the minister is chiefly the agent of christ , in representing his voluntary offering up himself unto the father in sacrifice for sin : and he is the agent of the people , in that part of the commemoration , in which they profess their believing in a crucified christ , and thankfulness for him , and dependance on him as their hope . 42. jesus christ having finished the work of redemption , which he was to do on earth , in the days of his flesh , ascended and is glorified with the father , and being become the perfect head and treasure of the church , hath in his testament or new covenant made a free gift of himself and life to all that will receive him as he is offered ; and he hath appointed his ministers not only to proclaim this gift unto the world , but also in his name to deliver it to the church : and it is a great encouragement and comfort to believers , that it is a minister or agent of christ himself , that by his command , and in his name doth say to them [ take ye , eat ye , this is my body which is broken for you . ] and [ this is my blood of the new testament , which is shed for you , drink ye all of it ] ; christ himself with his saving benefits , being herewith as truly offered to their faith , as the signs and representations are offered to their hands and mouths . though it be still but ( consecrated ) bread and wine that doth represent , yet is it the very body and blood of christ that is represented ; and christ himself as the head of the church , and fountain of our renewed life , and as our spiritual nourishment , that is truly given us , and received by us . 43. it is therefore unmeet for any but a lawful minister of christ , who is authorized hereunto , to administer this holy sacrament : both because no other are called to it in the holy scripture , nor can shew any warrant for such an undertaking ; and because it is very injurious to the comfort of the church , when they know not that the person hath any authority to deliver them so great a mercy from the lord , nor whether christ will own his ministration . 44. the ministers must partake of this holy sacrament with the church : not as they are the agents of christ for the delivery of it , but as they themselves are his disciples and members of the chruch . 45. before the receiving of this holy sacrament we ought to examine our selves , that we may come preparedly with repentance for all known sin , and faith in christ , and an humble feeling of our own necessities , and a thankful sense of the love of god expressed in our redemption by christ , and a hungring and thirsting after him and his righteousness , and with an unfeigned love unto our brethren , and a high estimation of the union and communion of the saints , and with a resolution to walk in holy obedience to god , in patient hope of the coming of christ , and of the everlasting kingdom , where we shall be perfectly in him united : which holy affections are also to be exercised in the time of our communion in this sacrament , and afterwards upon the review of what we have here received and done . 46. the word and prayer must be joyned with the sacrament . the nature and use of it must be opend , and the people excited to the exercise of the duties before mentioned . sin must be confessed and lamented , and mercy implored , and thankfully acknowledged , and the goodness of god , especially manifested in the work of our redemption , must with the greatest admiration , alacrity and joy that we can attain to , be magnified and praised , till this unspeakable love of god in christ hath drawn out our hearts in fervent love to him again . and it will be most suitable to this eucharistical ordinance , that the church do sing some psalm or hymn of praise to god , for the mercies of our redemption . 47. those are to be invited to the supper of the lord that have these necessary qualifications , in some degree , and the rest to be acquainted with the danger of eating and drinking unworthily . those only are to be admitted to the table of the lord that have the use of reason , and can examine themselves , and are members of the church , and have made a personal credible profession of faith and holiness , and are not justly , for heresie or any scandalous sin , removed from present communion with the church . 48. the using or not using of forms of prayer in the administration of this sacrament , is to be determined of , as aforesaid in the other parts of worship , according to the different abilities of ministers , and state of the several congregations , and other accidents that should weigh in such indifferent things . but as in the administration of baptism , it is ordinarily meetest and most safe , to use the express form of words which christ hath directed us to , and the church hath still used , viz. [ i baptize thee in the name of the father , son and holy ghost ] : so in the administration of the sacrament of the lords supper , it is safest and meetest that we use the words that christ by his example hath directed us to use . as matth. 26. 26 , 27 , 28. luk. 22. 19 , 20. 1 cor. 11. 24 , 25. viz. [ take ye , eat ye , this is my body which is broken for you , this do in remembrance of me ] and [ this is the blood of christ , even of the new testament ( or this is the new testament in the blood of christ ) which is shed for many for the remission of sins ; drink ye all of it in remembrance of him . ] 49. as it is not unmeet for the church at other times when they assemble , to make a solemn profession of the christian faith and of holy obedience , to manifest their constancy therein ; and to declare what doctrine it is that we assemble to profess , and to preserve it in the minds of all ; so is it more especially meet , that at baptism and the lords supper , when we are solemnly to renew our covenant with the lord , the covenanters do renew this solemn profession : to which end it is most safe to make use of the ancient forms of confession , called , the apostles creed , and the nicene creed ; and also to recite the ten commandments , with a profession of our consent to the terms of the covenant with god the father , son and holy ghost . to which if we ( at lest sometimes ) adjoyn some fuller explication of the creed and decalogue ( such as is our profession here before set down ) it will not be unprofitable or unmeet . and in such manner it may all be managed , and such signs or expressions of consent required , as the pastors shall judge meet for the attainment of the desired ends , with liberty for such variations , as are necessary to prevent a dead formality . 50. at the dismission of the assembly , it is meet that the pastor do solemnly bless them in the name of christ , to which he is authorized as an act of his ministerial office . 51. deacons are church-officers instituted by the holy ghost to be serviceable to the pastors and the church , by the distribution of the creatures dedicated to the church-communion , and taking care for the supplying of the necessities of the poor , out of the contributions or stock of the church . 52. the first day of the week is appointed or separated by the holy ghost for the holy assemblies and publike worship of the church and other holy exercises ; and is herein to be improved to the honour of god , and the edification of our selves and others : and all other imployments are therein to be avoided that any way hinder the holy duties of the day ; except such as become a greater duty , upon the account of piety , justice or mercy . that some stated time be separated to the publike service of god and the benefit of our souls , is a thing that the law of nature doth command ; that this stated time should be at least one day in seven , the reason and equity ( at least ) of the fourth commandment doth acquaint us : that this day should be every first day of the week , the holy ghost in the new testament hath revealed to us ; acquainting us with christs rising on that day ( which laid the foundation of the change ) and of the assembling of his disciples on that day , and his owning their assembly by his appearing to them , and teaching them , and blessing them , and giving them their commission and the holy ghost , joh. 20. 19 , to 24. the same they did the next first day , where he again appeared and owned their assembly , and revealed himself unto them , joh. 20. 26 , 27. and that this was the practice of the apostles and the primitive christian churches directed by them , appeareth act. 20. 7 , 8. 1 cor. 16. 1 , 2. so that it was called the lords day , as the last day before was called the sabbath , rev. 1. 10. and to put us out of all doubt of the matter of fact , and consequently of the meaning of these texts of scripture ; the certain tradition and most concordant history of the church assureth us , that ever since the days of the apostles , the universal church in all parts of the world , hath constantly observed the lords day in commemoration of the resurrection of christ : which it is not possible that they could have done , without contradiction and rebukes from the apostles themselves or some of the churches which they planted , if it had not been a certain truth . those therefore that will be against the holy observation of the lords day , must either impudently deny the testimony of all church history and tradition , which with one consent assure us that it was observed universally in the christian churches from the apostles daies , as a thing by them established and practised ; or else they must imagine that all the dispersed churches through the world conspired in the teaching and practising of such an error without any known rebuke , wherein it had been most easie for any to have convicted them to be slanderers of the apostles , or the ages that were before them . having therefore so much in nature , in the fourth commandment , in the new testament , and the doctrine and practice of the universal church , for our holy observation of this day ; it ill beseems any christian to forsake all or any of these , and think now in the end of the world to find out the certain practice of the apostles , better then all the churches which they planted . 53. seeing the lords day is purposely set apart for the celebrating of the memoriall of the resurrection of christ , and so of the work of our redemption ( as the sabbath was for the commemorating of the work of creation ) , the work of the day must be very much eucharistical , and the church should be taken up in the thankful admiration of the mysterie and mercy of our redemption , and in the affectionate praises of the lord our redeemer , and an aspiring after the everlasting rest , which he hath purchased , and promised , and prepared for us with himself . 54. ministers must not only perform the publike worship of god upon this day , but also exhort the people to improve the rest of it in private , by prayer , and meditation , and holy conference , and calling to mind the word which they have heard ; especially the parents and masters of families , who must instruct their children and servants , and watch over them , and restrain them from the violation of the day , and call them to an account of the doctrine they have heard , and the duties to be performed . 55. it is lawful , and a duty on other daies also , according to our necessities and opportunities , to redeem some time for the publike worship of god . and whenever the pastors shall call the church together , to hear the word , or perform holy worship , it is the peoples duty obediently and gladly to attend , if greater duties do not prohibit them . 56. when great afflictions lie upon the church , or any useful members of it ; or when any great sins have been committed among them , it is meet that in publike by fasting and prayer we humble our selves before the lord , for the averting of his displeasure . and on such occasions it is the pastors duty to confess his own and the peoples sins , with penitence and tenderness of heart , and by his doctrine and exhortation to endeavour effectually to bring the people to the sight and sense of their sin , and the deserts of it , and to a firm resolution of better obedience for the time to come ; being importunate with god in prayer for pardon and renewed grace . 57. upon the receipt of any notable extraordinary mercies , the church having opportunity , should assemble for publike thanksgiving unto god : wherein the pastors should stir them up to the livelyest sense of the greatness of their mercies , and lead them in a joyful celebration of the praises of their bountiful benefactor . and it is lawful on these daies to express our joy in feasting and outward signs of mirth ; provided that they be moderately and spiritually used , and not to gratifie our sensual desires ; and that we relieve the poor in their necessities ( which also on daies of humiliation and other seasons we must not forget . ) 58. it is not unlawful or unmeet to keep an anniversary commemoration of some great and notable mercies to the church , the memory whereof should be transmitted to posterity . 59. in all the modes and circumstances of worship which god himself hath left undetermined , all christians must take heed of making unnecessary things to be necessary , and laying the unity and peace of the church on things indifferent , and laying snares for the consciences of others ; but must leave much to the prudence of the particular pastors that are upon the place , to whom it belongs to fit such circumstantials to their peoples state ; and the churches in such things wherein they may safely differ , must be left to their liberty : long and sad experience having taught us , that the violent imposing of unnecessary things , is the engine of the devil to tear the church . 60. the marriage of christians being a work of great concernment to themselves , and meet to be publikely performed , and accordingly to be sanctified by the word and prayer ; it is convenient that it be solemnized by the minister , or at least that he counsell and exhort them , and pray for a blessing on them : being first sufficiently satisfied of their capacity and necessary preparations . herein he is to acquaint them with the institution , nature and ends of their relations ; and the duties severally and joyntly by them to be performed ; and the difficulties and temptations to be expected and provided for . especially they are to be directed to live together in holiness , as the heirs of life , and to be very carefull and diligent in the holy education of their children , and governing their families for the lord ; and to use the world as not abusing it , remembring their approaching separation by death . and he is to see that they solemnly enter into the matrimonial covenant , engaging themselves to conjugal fidelity to each other , until they are separated by death . 61. the pastors of the churches must not only teach the people , and guide them in the publike worship : but also must faithfully oversee them in private , endeavouring to know and watch over each member of their flock , preserving them from heresies , errours , and divisions : defending the truth , confuting gainsayers and seducers ; instructing the ignorant , exciting the negligent ; encouraging the despondent ; comforting the afflicted , confirming the weak , rebuking and admonishing the disorderly and scandalous , and directing all according to their needs , in the matters of their salvation . and the people in such needs should have ordinary recourse to them , as the officers of christ , for guidance and resolution of their doubts , and for assistance in making their salvation sure , and procuring , maintaining or restoring the peace of their consciences , and spiritual consolation . 62. those persons that are known to commit any gross and scandalous sin , should first by private reproof and admonition ( unless where the notoriousness and heinousness of the crime doth presently call for publike reproof ) be called to repentance : and if they hear not the reprovers , or will not reform , the church must be told of it : and therein it is most convenient , that the pastors be first acquainted with the case ( to avoid contention and confusion , ) before it be brought into the publike assembly : and to that end it is convenient that there be stated meetings where the pastors and some chosen members of the church , ( not as officers , but the deputies or trustees of the rest ) should in their several capacities take cognizance of such offences ; that so a unity and full correspondence may be held between the pastors and the flock , and all things may be done advisedly , orderly , and concordantly : but where this cannot well be done , the pastor or pastors must do their work without it . 63. those persons that by more private means will not be brought to necessary repentance and reformation , must by the pastor be publikely reproved and admonished before the church , and there called to repentance by the opening of their sin , and the judgements of the lord , and pleading with them those gospel mercies and motives that should melt them into contrition . and if the success do not appear , it is ordinarily meet that the church should joyn in prayer for the offender , that god would give him repentance unto life . 64. if after sufficient waiting in the use of these means , the offendor still remain impenitent , it is the duty of the church to reject him out of their communion . wherein the pastors must compassionately declare his offence and his impenitency , and the judgements that god hath threatned to such , and the laws of christ commanding the church to put such from among them , and avoid them , and have no company with them , that they may be ashamed , or to take them as heathen men or publicans : and must accordingly declare the person offending to be unmeet for christian communion , and charge the people to avoid him , and have no fellowship with him , and himself to forbear the communion of christians , binding him over to answer it at the bar of christ . which sentence must be accordingly executed by the pastors , in refusing him the ordinances proper to the church , and by the people in avoiding familiarity and communion with him , till he be restored upon his repentance . 65. it must be a credible profession of repentance only that must be accepted by the church either for the preventing of such a rejection , or for restoring the rejected . and usually when the case is heinous and notorious , or the church hath had the publike cognizance of it , they must also have publike notice of the penitence of the offendor ; who should with remorse of conscience and true contrition confess his sin before the congregation , and heartily lament it , and crave the prayers of the church to god for pardon and reconciliation through christ , and also crave an absolution by the minister , and a restoration into the communion of the church : but because it much dependeth on circumstances of the case whether the confession should be publike or private , or in what manner made , it is therefore to be much left to the prudence of the pastors , whom the people in such cases are commanded to obey . 66. when a credible profession of repentance is made ( whether voluntarily by the converted , or upon the churches admonition by the scandalous , or after excommunication ) it is the duty of the pastors to declare such penitents in the name of christ to be pardoned and absolved , and ministerially to give them this mercy from the lord , in case their repentance be sincere as they profess : and if the person were excommunicate , it is the duty of the pastor to declare him again meet for the communion of the church , and require the church to receive him with joy as a returning sinner , and not to reproach him with his falls , but to forgive him ; as christ forgiveth him ; all which they are accordingly to perform ; and the penitent with joy to receive his absolution , and to return to the communion of the church , and to a more holy careful obedient life . 67. when any by frequent covenant-breaking , have forfeited the credit of their words , the church must have testimony of the actual reformation of such persons , before they can receive their professions and promises as credible any more . though yet there is so great difference here in persons and offences , that the particular cases must be much left to the prudence of the pastors that are present , and know the persons and the whole case . 68. so great is the necessity of the sick , and so seasonable and advantagious the opportunity , that ministers should not negligently omit them , but in love and tenderness instruct them , according to their several conditions : endeavouring the conversion of the ungodly , and the strengthening of the weak , and comforting such as need consolation ; directing them how to improve their affliction ; and helping them to be truly sensible of the evil of sin , the miscarriages and negligences of their lives ; the vanity of the world ; the necessity and sufficiency of christ , and the certainty and excellency of the everlasting glory : perswading them to a pious , just and charitable disposal of their worldly estate ; and to forgive such as have wronged them , and to be reconciled to those with whom they have been at variance ; and believingly to hope for that life with christ , which he hath promised to all that are sanctified by his spirit , and comfortably to commit their souls to their redeemer , and quietly rest in the will , and love , and promises of god ; resolving if god should recover them to health , to redeem their time , and live as a people devoted to his glory . it is meet also that the pastors pray for the sick , both privately and publikely when it is desired and thought fit . 69. the burial of christians should be decent and honourable , and though it be a thing indifferent in it self , whether exhortations , funeral sermons or prayers be then used , yet because the season is very advantagious for mens reception of holy instructions , it is convenient ( at least when desired ) that the minister do take that season as often as he can , to mind people of their mortality , and the necessity of a speedy preparation for their change : so prudently managing all his exhortations and prayers , that the due end may be attained , and the abuse prevented as far as may be . 70. the lives of christs ministers should be conformable to their holy doctrine : and so exemplary in innocency , love , humility , meekness , patience , contempt of the world , crucifying the desires of the flesh , and in a zealous heavenly conversation , and in all works of piety , justice and charity , within their power , that the mouths of the enemies may be stopped , and the people may learn , and be convinced and directed , even by their holy examples , and our selves may be saved , and the christian church and doctrine may be honoured , to the glory of the holy ghost and of our redeemer , and our heavenly father . 71. as we have all one god , one christ , one spirit , one faith , and hope , and love , one covenant , and one catholike church , so should the communion of saints extend as far as their capacity and opportunities will allow . and as particular persons must associate for personal communion in publike worship , so particular churches should associate for such brotherly correspondency and communion , as they are capable of , and their needs require ; that by communicating the truths and mercies which they have received , and advising together , and by a brotherly collation of their apprehensions , and improvement of their several gifts , the unity of the churches may be preserved , and discords and uncharitableness may be avoided , and the beauty and strength of the churches maintained . and therefore the pastors of the neighbour churches ( not excluding others that are fit ) should meet as frequently , and at such times and places , as the ends and works of the association do require . 72. into these associations such pastors and churches should be received that make a credible profession of faith and holiness , and no other : and they that are hereticks , or of scandalous ungodly lives , must after a first and second admonition , if they remain impenitent , be rejected and disowned by the faithful pastors and churches . 73. where the fixing of a stated president in each of these associations is requisite for the peace and edification of the brethren , it may well be yielded to : but however a special care must be had to prevent contentions and divisions : and therefore perverse disputings must be suppressed ; and proud , self-conceited , domineering persons , and such as are of fiery , turbulent , contentious spirits , and also subtile hereticks and dividers , must be watched against as the plague of the churches , and all possible charity , humility , meekness , self-denyal , and zeal for holy concord , must be exercised . 74. those that through distance or impediments cannot , or through mistakes or peevishness will not joyn in such stated brotherly associations and assemblies , are yet to be allowed the due estimation and affection of brethren , and so much communion as at a distance they are capable of , if they do but agree with us in a sound profession of the faith , and a holy conversation , and ministerial fidelity in the main : but yet we must disown the sin of their dividing , or neglect , and as we have opportunity testifie against it . 75. these churches that cannot hold local communion with one another through differences that destroy not the essentials of christianity , should yet maintain a dear and tender christian love to one another , and profess their owning each other as christians , and churches of jesus christ , and should agree together upon certain just and equal rules for the management of their unavoidable differences , so as may least prejudice charity and common good , and least harden the ungodly , or grieve the weak , or dishonour god , or hinder the success of common , great and necessary truths upon the souls of men ; contriving and amicably promoting the cause of christianity , and every part of it , in which they are agreed ; and should open their disagreements to the people as little as they can . 76. in cases of tolerable difference , as ministers and people must maintain a special holy love , and communion as far as their differences will admit ; so must they desire the well-fare and the peace of one another , and not stir up hatred or persecution , against each other , by odious nick-names , or exasperating the magistrate or people against dissenters ; but should consent to the liberty of each other , and help to take off unjust hatred , and to hinder all unmerciful violence or rigor against one another ; and all of us should watch against and abhor that proud , self-conceited , domineering disposition that would make us censorious , malicious , or cruel against the weakest servants of the lord . 77. yet must we not under pretence of charity , consent to any such noxious liberty , as plainly tendeth to the wrong of the church , and the poysoning of the souls of others ; nor yet must we consent to the errours of the best . though we are not the judges of the secrets of mens hearts , nor may not deal uncharitably with any , yet must not heretical self-conceited persons be tolerated in the obstinate dispersing of their errours , to the destruction or danger of mens souls , nor to reproach and speak against the weighty necessary truths of god : nor should any be tolerated to kindle the flames of uncharitableness and contentions in the churches , by railing , reproachful language against the tolerable dissenters : but a healing , merciful , and profitable , and not a destructive toleration should be promoted . 78. the pastors of the churches of christ have the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven , but not of the temporal sword on earth : and though we determine not whether in cases of necessity , it be lawful for pastors to be also magistrates ; yet it is certain that without necessity it should not be allowed ( their work requiring all their time and strength ) and that as pastors it belongeth not to them ; but as the magistrate is the appointed officer of god , to govern even churches , pastors , and people , in the way of outward force , and pastors are his officers to govern them by spiritual conduct ; so must we be so far from desiring to usurp a secular power , that we should still advise the magistrate to keep the sword in his own hand , and to take heed of putting compulsive power in the hands of pastors , or enabling them to execute their passionate displeasure against their brethren : and as the magistrate must not usurp the pastors office , but only see that we perform it our selves , and punish us if we do not ; so must not the pastors usurp the magistrates office , but humbly and modestly teach and advise him from the word of god , and reprove him , and threaten him , and in cases of extremity denounce the wrath of god against him , and bind him over to the tribunal of heaven , to answer for his obstinate impenitent contempt ; and then leave all the matter to that bar , and patiently suffer if we be persecuted by him ; not doing any thing in the management of any of our work , without a due respect and reverence to his authority , and a care of the common good that dependeth on his honour , but remembring what is meet for him to hear , and for us as messengers of christ to speak . 79. those churches of several nations that through distance and diversity of secular governours , are uncapable of personal or local communion with others , should yet consent as neer as may be in their holy professions , and practises ; not tying each other to any of their unnecessary modes or forms , nor uncharitably censuring any tolerable dissenters , but owning those churches that agree with them in the great and necessary things , & holding such correspondence with them by messengers , as shall be needful to the promoting of their unity , love and peace , and of the gospel and common cause of christ , and the defence of each other against the common enemies of those , as emergent occasions shall require and direct them . 80. to the aforesaid uses , the councils or synods of pastors are lawful and convenient in cases that require them , where the pastors of several churches and nations may diliberate and determine in order to their unity , of doctrines and practices to be agrreed in , and may strengthen the hands of one another . but yet , the canons of such councils are rather agreements , then proper laws , to their several members or absent brethren ; and bind in order to unity and concord by vertue of those general commands that require us to do the work of god in such unity and concord , and not by vertue of any proper superior regimental power , which that council hath over the particular bishops of the churches of christ . and as for general councils , as we should to the forementioned ends regard and honour them above all other , if really such were lawfully assembled ; so in this enlarged and dispersed state of the militant church , we may easily see , that full and proper universal councils , are neither the stated governors of the universal church , nor necessary to its well-being , no nor lawful to be attempted , as a course that would certainly destroy or grievously wrong the churches , by the death and long absence of the pastors , through so many hundred and thousand miles travail , and so long attending , which the state and work of proper universal councils will require : yea the said distance , with the age and weakness of the pastors , and the different languages , and the poverty of many disabling them from such tedious voyages and journies , and the dissent of the princes . ( many of them heathens , infidels , mahometans ) under whose government they live , or through whose dominions they must pass , these with many the like impediments do make a true universal council ( like an universal parliament or senate ) to be so far . from necessary , or desirable , as to be morally impossible , or next to impossible , as to the very being of it . the way that god hath appointed for church-government and deciding controversies , is , 1. that princes and magistrates govern by the sword or force , and judge who are fit to be punished by the sword ( and though most princes on the earth by infidelity have made themselves uncapable of this part of the work of their office , yet cannot that disoblige them from the commands of god , or free them from his punishments for not performing them , nor make the office of magistrates another thing , nor disable christian princes and magistrates , or disoblige them who have not made themselves uncapable . ) 2. that these princes and governors of several nations , do hold a loving christian correspondency , for the management of their affairs , and government of the churches under them , so as may be most to the advantage of the cause of christ , and the union , strength and defence of christians ; ( the general rules , and ends of their trust and power , do oblige them to hold such assemblies by their messengers as are needful for their agreement and the unity and safety of the churches under them , as well as they oblige pastors to such necessary correspondencies . ) 3. that the pastors of particular churches be the governors of those churches by the word and holy discipline ( not having the power of the sword or violence ) and that they judge who is fit or unfit for communion with that church which each or any of them over-see , and who is to be thence excommunicated , or there absolved . 4. that these bishops , pastors , or elders of particular churches , should hold communion among themselves with all their brethren of other churches , as far as their natural capacity will allow , and the need or benefit of the churches require it : and that they handle in common the causes that belong to all in common , and settle and maintain agreements for the unity and communion of the churches : and they are judges ( as associate ) who is to be received into their associate communion ; and who to be excluded from it ; and what pastors or churches they should hold such communion with as they are capable of ; and which they should admonish , or renounce . 5. the christian people have allowed them a judgement of discretion , by which they must prove all things , and hold fast that which is good : and must discern and obey the lawfull commands and directions of their magistrates and pastors . 6. and as men have thus their several shares alloted them in government , judgement , and decisions , limitedly , and not absolutely judging , even to the execution which belongs to their several judicatures : so the finall absolute judgement , and decision of all controversies and causes , is reserved to the dreadfull tribunal of the lord , to which we may make our last appeal , where all the world shall be judged in righteousness , and all the judgements of men be themselves judged , and truth and error , good and evil , right and wrong will be more perfectly manifested unto all ; and it shall be irreversibly determined by jesus christ , who shall go into life everlasting , and who to everlasting punishment . come lord jesus , come quickly . novemb. 16. 1658. the author thought it not unfit here to annex the description of that order and discipline which is exercised by him , with his assistant fellow-pastors , in the parish-church of kederminster ; in association with many pastors of those parts , who have agreed to exercise so much of the ministerial office , as by the consent of the episcopal , presbyterian , and congregationall , belongeth to them . which being published , 1. may prevent mens injurious mis-reports of our associations , and discipline , which they may be drawn to by fallacious fame . 2. and may be an example for those churches that by the magistrates are left at liberty , to worship god in that communion and order which they judge most agreeable to the word of god , and the vniversal consent and practice of the primitive church . the order and discipline of this church , agreeable to the word of god . i. we are willing to teach all in our parish , the doctrine of life , that are willing to learn : and desire them all to hear the word publikely preached , and to come to us to be catechized or instructed . ii. we own all those as visible christians and members of the universal church , that make a credible profession of christianity , and destroy it not by heresie , or ungodly lives . iii. so many of these as also consent to hold communion with this church as members of it , submitting to the ministers and discipline of christ , we shall esteem our flock and special charge , and faithfully perform the duties of our office for their good , as we are able . iv. we desire that all the youth of the parish will learn the principles of the christian religion : and as soon as they understand it , and are heartily resolved to give up themselves to god in christ through the spirit , and to lead a holy life , that they will come and acquaint us with their faith and resolution ; and before the church will make a solemn profession thereof , and give up themselves to god in the personal owning their baptismal covenant ; either reciting the fore-going creed or profession , or , if they are unfit for publike speaking , by consenting when we propound it to them ; or by any other fit expressions . that so we may publikely pray for their confirmation ; and if they consent also to hold communion with this church , we may know them as our charge , and register their names . v. those parishoners that desire us to baptize their children , or to be themselves admitted to the lords supper , and are not members of this church , ( because they will not ) , we desire to come to us , some dayes before ; that so we may be satisfied of their faith and life : and if they seem true christians , and either bring a certificate that they are members of any other church , with ( which we are to hold communion , or shew that it is not from ungodliness that they refuse to live under order and discipline , we shall baptize their children , and occasionally admit them to our communion . but if they are scandalous , we shall require them first to profess their serious repentance : and if they return to scandal , we shall after stay till we see their reformation ( or of one of the parents in case of baptism . ) vi . if any member of this church do differ from us about the gesture in the lords supper ( or any such circumstance ) we desire them first to come to us , and hear our reasons : and if we cannot satisfie them , we will not hinder them from receiving it in any decent gesture they desire . vii . all members of the church must ordinarily hold communion with it , in the lords supper and all ordinances : and if a brother grosly offend , they must orderly and prudently admonish him ; and if he hear them not , tell the church . viii . once a moneth we have a meeting of the magistrates , ministers , deacons , and above twenty persons chosen annually by the church , as their trustees or deputies : here the offendours must be accused , and heard , and dealt with , before the case be opened in the church . and any that are justly offended with any member , may have church-justice . ( the magistrates presence being only ad melius esse ) and the chosen trustees or deputies being no ecclesiastical officers , nor pretending to divine institution as such : but only the fittest of the people chosen to do those things which belong to the people ( who cannot all so frequently meet ) and having no authoritative ruling votes . ix . those that repent not upon publike admonition , must be cast out of our communion , and avoided as heathens : but those that are penitent , must be absolved , and lovingly received . x. if any of our people be offended at any thing in our doctrine or life , we desire them before they vent their offence behind our backs , to come and lovingly tell it us , and hear us speak . and if we do not satisfie them , we desire them to open the matter before the ministers of this association , who are here assembled every moneth . and we shall before them , be responsible , for our doctrine , our administrations , and our lives . ( as we are also willing to be to the magistrate , who only hath the power of the sword , even over the pastors of the church , and whom in all things lawful we must obey , and not resist . ) finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26895e-250 1 of god . a 1 cor. 8. 4 , 6. * or subsistencies . ] b mat. 28 ▪ 19. 1 joh. 5. 7. c 1 tim. 1. 17. psal. 139. 7 , 8 , 9. & 147. 5. isa. 40. 17. d neh. 9. 6. e rev. 4. 8. & 15. 3. ex. 34. 6 , 7. ezek. 18. 4. psal. 47. 7. & 119. 68. & 145. 9. 2 of the creation of man , and the first law . f prov. 16. 4. g gen. 1. 26. h deut. 30. 19 i col. 3. 10. eecles. 7. 29. k psal. 8. 5 , 6. l mar. 12. 30. 33. deut 6. 5. & 10 12. & 1. 32. m gen. 2. 16 , 17. rom. 6 23. 3 of mans fall , and of original sin , and our common misery . a gen. 3. john 8. 44. rom. 5. 12 , 18 gen. 3. 16 , 17. b rom. 3 9 , 19 , 23. & 6. 23. c acts 26. 18. eph. 2. 2. heb. 2. 14. d psal. 51. 5. rom 5. 12. eph. 2. 2 , 3 , 5. isa 48. 4. job 14. 4. & 25. 4. gen. 6. 5. hos. 11. 7. e rom. 5. 18 , 19. f rom. 5. 6 , 10. acts 4. 12. 4 of our redemption by jesus christ . a joh 3. 16 , 17. & 4. 42. 1 joh 2. 2. b joh. 1. rom. 9. 5 ▪ joh. 10. 30 c 1 tim. 25. heb. 2. 14 , 16. luke 1. 27 , 31 , 35. mat. 1. 20 , 21. d heb. 4. 15. mat. 4. heb. 7. 26. mat. 3. 15. e acts 2. 22. heb. 2. 3 , 4. f heb. 9. 26. & 10. 12. 1 tim. 2. 6. ep. 2. 16. g 1 cor. 15. 3 , 4. luk. 23. 43. psal. 16. 10 1 pet. 3. 18 , 19. * or [ to the departed souls ] or [ to the other world . ] h 2 tim. 1. 10. heb. 2. 14. acts 2. 24. i act. 2. 9. k acts 3. 21. rom. 9. 5. heb. 7. 24. l acts 2. 36. & 10. 36. m heb. 8. 2. & 10. 21. acts 3. 23. & 5. 31. n heb. 7. 25. rom. 8. 34. eph. 4. 8 , 11 , 12 , 13. rom. 8. 9. 1 thes. 5. 12. 5 of the new testament or covenant of grace . a heb. 9. 15. joh. 1 12. & 3. 16. acts 26. 18 ▪ gal. 5 ▪ 6. acts 11 18. & 3. 19. & 20 21. rom. 8. 1 , 13. mar. 4. 12. b rom. 8. 16 , 17. c gal. 4. 6. john 3. 6. 1 cor. 6. 17. rom. 8. eph. 2. 18. 22. d rev. 2. & 3. col. 1. 22 , 23. heb. 4. 1. e ma● . 16 16. joh 3. 3 , 5 , 36. heb. 12. 14. 2 thes. 1. 8 , 9. & 2 12. luke 13. 3. f mat. 28. 19. mar. 16. 15 , 16. 2 cor. 5. 19. g joh. 6. 37 & 10. 28 , 29. 6 of the holy ghost revealing and confirming the gospel . a joh. 14. 26. & 15. 26. 1 pet. 1. 10 , 11 , 12. 2 pet. 1. 21. 2 tim. 3. 16. joh. 16. 13. eph. 3. 3 , 5. & 2. 20. isa. 8. 20. rev. 22. 18 , 19. 1 tim. 6. 14. luke 16. 29 , 31. b acts 2. 22. 4. & 5. 32. & 19. 11 , 19. heb. 2. 3 , 4. gal. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. joh. 14. 12. & 3. 2. 1 cor. 14. 7 of our sanctification by the holy ghost , and the state and blessings of the sanctified . a acts 26. 17 , 18. rom. 8. 9 , 10 , 11. acts 16 14 joh. 6. 44. eze. 36. 26. gal. 5. 22. b act. 26. 18. c col. 2. 19. eph. 5. 30 , 31 , 32. & 3. 17. 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13 , 27. d rom. 3. 24. & 4. 24. john 1 12. e tit. 2. 14. f rom. 5. 5. mat. 10. 37. 1 cor. 6. 11 luke 1. 75. g 1 john 3. 14. 1 pet. 1. 22. acts 24. 2. h gal. 5. 17 , 24. 1 john 2. 15. i 1 cor. 1. 7. 2 pet. 3. 11 , 12. tit. 1. 2. & 3. 7. 8 of the judgement and execution . a luke 23. 43. & 16. 22 2 cor. 5. 1. 8. phil. 1. 23. 1 ▪ pet. 3. 19. luke 16. 26 , 28. b acts 1. 11. 1 cor. 15. joh. 5. 22 , 29. mat. 25. 2 cor. 5. 10. c mat. 25. & 13. 41 , 42 , 43. 2 tim. 4. 8 , 18. 2 thes. 1 8 , 9 , 10. & 2 12. john 17. 24. a luke 15. 21. act. 2. 37. & 3. 19. rom 8. 13. luke 14. 33. 1 thes. 1 9. b exod. 20. 3. deut. 26 17. jos. 24. 16. to 26. c 2 cor. 8. 5. d john 17. 3. 1 cor. 8. 6. 2 cor. 6. 17 , 18. 1 john 1. 3. eph. 4 , 5 , 6. e john 14. 6. luke 5. 14. & 14. 26. acts 9 6. rom. 6. 13 , 16. luke 19. 27. john 3. 19. f mat. 28. 29. eph. 2. 18 , 22. & 1. 13 , 14 , 18. rom. 8. 9 , 13 , 16 , 26. 1 cor. 2. 10. eph. 2. 18. 22. & 3. 5 , 16. 2 cor. 1. 22. & 5. 5. isa. 44. 3 , 4 , 5. rom. 15. 6. 1 the publike means , and duties of holiness . a mat. 28. 19 , 20. b rom. 10. 7 , 14. act. 14. 23. 2 tim. 2. 2. acts 13. 2. & 2. 41. c acts 2. 42. & 6. 2. d act. 20. 7 , 28. 1. tim. 5. 17. tit. 1. 5. e acts 20. 20 , 31. col. 1. 28. eph 4. 11 , 12 , 13. mal. 2. 7. 1 tim. 5. 17. f 1 cor. 14. 16 , 26. acts 20. 7 , 36. james 5. 14. acts 6. 4. & 2. 42. phil. 1. 4. neh. 12. 24 , & 11. 17. & 9. 5. & 8. 4 , 6. g 1 cor. 11. 24. & 10. 16. h heb. 7. 7. numb. 6. 23. i rev. 1. 10. acts 20. 7. 1 cor. 16. 2. k tit. 2. 15. & 1. 9 , 11. 1 tim. 5. 19. & 3. 5. l mat. 18. 17 , 18. tit. 3. 10. 1 cor 5. 4 , 5 , 11 , 13. a acts 2. 42. b 1 tim. 5. 17. heb. 13. 7. 17. 24. 1 thes. 5. 12 , 13. 1 cor. 16. 16. c 1 cor. 1. 10. & 3. 3. rom. 16. 17. eph. 4. 3 , 15 , 16. phil. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. rom. 15. 6. 2 the secret duties of holiness . a jude 21. gal ▪ 5. 22. luke 10. 27. 1 tim. 4. 7. isa. 64. 7. b acts 24. 16. col. 3. 5. rom. 8. 13. heb. 3. 12 , 13. mat. 15. 8 , 19. luke 12. 15. rom. 13. 13 , 14. 1 cor. 3. 18. c 2 pet. 1. 10. 2 cor. 13. 5. gal. 6. 3 , 4. psal. 4. 4. d psal. 104. 34. & 1. 2. & 119. 97 , 99. gen. 24. 63. eph. 3. 18 , 19. psal. 90. 12. luke 12. 36. 2 pet. 11 , 12. e luke 21. 36. psal. 141 3. 1 cor. 10. 12. psal. 39. 1. prov. 4. 23. f eph. 6. 10. to 19. 1 pet. 5. 9. jam. 4. 7. g psal. 34. 1. & 145. 2. 1 thes. 5. 17. phil. 4. 6. john 16. 23. 3 the private duties of holiness in our relations to others . a eph. 6. 4 , 9. de ut . 6. 11 , 12. b dan. 6. 10. act. 10. 30. prov. 22. 6 , 15. & 23. 13. psal. 101. 1 sam. 2. 23 , 29. c gen. 18. 19. josh. 24. 15. d col. 3. 20. 22. eph. 6. deut. 21. 18. e act. 16. 30 mal. 2. 7. 1 cor. 14. 35. f psal. 1. 1. & 15. 4. & 119. 63. prov. 13. 20. eph. 5. 6 , 7 , 11. lev. 19 17. mat. 18. 15. heb. 3. 13. jam. 5. 20. 1 pet. 5. 5. g jam. 5. 16. h col. 3. 16 , 17. acts 12. 12. & 16. 25. eph. 4. 29. 1 pet. 4. 11. & 3. 2. jam. 3. 13. col. 1. 3. & 4. 3. heb. 10. 24. 4 the duties of justice and charity towards men . a deut. 1. 17. 2 chron. 19. 6 , 7. josh. 1. 8. isa. 56. 1. b rom. 13. 1 , 2 , 3. 1 pet. 2. 13. eph. 6. 1 , 5. c exod. 20. mat. 5. 17. to 48. d deut. 5. 21. phil. 2. 3 , 4. 1 cor. 10. 24 , 33. & 13. 5. e mat. 7. 12. f col. 3. 13 ▪ g mat. 19. 19. & 22. 39. h mat. 5. 44. gal. 6. 10. heb. 13. 16. notes for div a26895e-2510 art. 1. for an holy exemplary life . 2 chron. 15. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. act. 20. 28. 1 tim. 4. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. and 3. 1 , &c. and 5. 17 , 21. 1 pet. 5. 2 , 3. art. 2. for teaching all that will submit . art. 3. for a personal profession of christianity to be made by all that will be taken for adult members , and partake of their communion . art. 4. for publick worship . art. 5. for discipline . art. 6. for communion of churches by associations . art. 7. of ordination and approbation of ministers . art. 8. of obedience to magistrates . the middle way of predetermination asserted. between the dominicans and jesuites, calvinists and arminians, or, a scriptural enquiry into the influence and causation of god in and unto humane actions; expecially such as are sinfull. humfrey, john, 1621-1719. 1679 approx. 134 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 25 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a52204 wing h3692a wing m95b estc r10732 13568024 ocm 13568024 100338 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a52204) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 100338) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 465:7 or 1834:13) the middle way of predetermination asserted. between the dominicans and jesuites, calvinists and arminians, or, a scriptural enquiry into the influence and causation of god in and unto humane actions; expecially such as are sinfull. humfrey, john, 1621-1719. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. w. m. [8], 40 p. printed for thomas parkhurst, at the bible and three crowns at the lower end of cheapside., london, : 1679. attributed to john humfrey by wing (2nd ed., 1994). the epistle to the reader is signed and dated: rich. baxter. septem. 19, 1678. signed: w.m. item at reel 465:7 identified as wing m95b (number cancelled). reproduction of original in henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng predestination -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-10 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-07 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-07 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion to the reverend and learned author . sir , since i had the honour and satisfaction of seeing your papers , i have blamed your delay in the publication of them ; especially being designed to recall a romish proselyte that was gone from the communion of our church , they might ( in this unhappy and distracted juncture ) have seasonably help'd towards the recovery of others , whose temporal as well as eternal interests make them as eager and desirous of satisfaction . i know that modesty is a vertue , and caution a very commendable thing : but charity and love to the souls of men is much more so . you have lived to see the church forlorn and desolate , persecuted and seemingly forsaken ; and after a little respite and the hopes of settlement , to be again threatned and menac'd with a final overthrow . down with it , down with it even to the ground , cry our modern edomites . and when the church did need the aids of those who loved her , we know she found your zeal , and resolution and courage in her service : and that now you should flag when you are so well arm'd and prepar'd for combat , or be backward when her adversaries are pecking at the very foundations with axes and hammers , and striving to undermine her by artifice or violence ; and you a champion so try'd and experienc'd , and furnish'd to defend her ; i cannot imagine , unless you are more tender than formerly , and fear taking of harm by being exposed to the open air. i think i have heard that the time has been , when , like nehemiah's builders , you wrought with one hand in the churches service , and with the other you h●ld a weapon for her defence and succour . you know the arguments that mov'd you then ; and what hinders but they should now prevail ? i am , you see , warm in the churches cause , nor do i believe that you are less concern'd . but if i seem to reproach or lament your remissness in these seasonable circumstances to send abroad your useful preparations , let me not be thought rude or unmannerly , because i hereby not only vindicate you from the common fault of being forward to print , but likewise shew the high value i have for your person and papers , and that i believe them to he very useful for the publick benefit . as to the gentleman you design to reduce , i only know him upon this occasion , and therefore can say little of his learning or ingenuity , or the motives that made him depart from us : but if after all your endeavours to convict him he still remains hard and untractable , and refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer , charm he never so wisely , he must be let alone in the obstinacy of the deaf adder , and to our prayers to soften him , when your arguments cannot alter him ; but when the world have seen your papers , and know that he has done so ; they 'l strain their charity to suspect , that something else besides the pretended advantage of infallibility perswaded him to revolt ; and till he can answer your arguments , they 'l be apt to think , that the exchange of opinion was not for faith but fancy , and that while he dreamed that he left uncertainty , it was to be secure of nothing . but if you should have that friendly influence upon him by your pains and endeavours to call him back , hee 'l ( by that charity that is more catholick than the religion he leaves ) be glad , that by his fall so great an advantage has been offer'd to the world , and that others may be reduc'd thereby to the sober enquiry upon what bottom they trust their salvation , and see upon what slender and fickle grounds their faith has been fixed ; and what those grounds are , all men will see when they peruse your tractate . besides , we have reason to thank such men as you for asserting the churches cause in these controversies ; for who now that is most freakish in folly and enthusiasm , has a front to say , that the sons of our church are warp'd from what is primitive and truly orthodox ; or factors for the romish interest ; or wish well to the promoting that cause amongst us , &c. let us hear no more such outcries against the church of england , nor against those who are exact and punctual in the decent performance of gods publick worship , and the circumstances of order and discipline . for the gaudy superstitions of rome and italy are more contemned by such men , than the looser and more careless dress of amsterdam and geneva . and you amongst many others have freed our church from this whining & unjust imputation , in that you have not only shaken , but everted that fundamental principle , upon the fall of which all the superstructure tumbles . as to your quotations , they are so proper and peculiarly adapted to every period , that you had very great luck to happen on the choice of them . and for the translations which your charity suffer'd to be made of them , for the use of your meaner and more unlearned reader ; they , i perceive , were done by one whose skill in grammar did exceed his sense in theologie and divine controversies , which may excuse them to the criticks and men of brisker fancy . however , translating is a very tedious task , and so long as they are true and l●teral , they are justifiable enough against the keenest and most snarling censurers . i am loth the messenger should stay , and therefore only wish your reader may be impartial and considerative , unprejudic'd and serious , and that your papers may convince and confirm him , that they may have their design on the gentleman you 'd recall , and advance the interest of truth and goodness amongst all men ; that they may help to allay that bitterness , and heal those animosities and w●ld conceits that trouble the christian world , and that all that see them may endeavour after the things that make for peace . which is the prayer of , sir , your faithful servant . dec. 2. 1678. the middle way of predetermination asserted . between the dominicans and jesuites , calvinists and arminians . or , a scriptural enquiry into the influence and causation of god , in and unto humane actions ; especially such as are sinfull . hos . 13.9 . o israel , thou hast destroyed thy self , but in me is thy help . london , printed for thomas parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns at the lower end of cheapside . 1679. the epistle to the reader . reader , when i had finished an answer to the author of the court of the gentiles about predetermination , this shorter treatise came to my hand ; on the same subject , plain and easie ; not fettering or vexing the reader with school disputes ; sound and judiciously done if i may judge : and i hope none will like it the worse , because the author is a non-conformist , or because he hath gone for an independent . think not that we have communicated notions , because he saith the same that i do , for i am a stranger to him , and never saw his face : but i thank god that the church hath any such , and o that they were more . blessed are the peace-makers , for they shall be called the children of god. seeing it hath pleased god to permit satan , and some otherwise honest men , to sow tares while we slept , and to hazard the church and the soules of men , by very dangerous writings of late , i think you should with thankfulness receive this antidote from this worthy servant of christ . i add this notice , that he hath a treatise of justification new licensed , written with the same healing spirit and judgment , neglect it not because there is so much written on that subject ; for it tells you more than is ordinarily told you , and there are few things written thereon with equal judgment and plainly fitted to the edifying of the meanest capacity , if he understand the matter aright , who is an earnest desirer of truth , love and concord , rich. baxter . septemb. 19 , 1678. the middle way of predetermination asserted . it 's not unknown to persons soberly inquisitive into truth , of what importance , and concernment in religion it is , so far forth as in us lieth , to have a right understanding , and due conception in our mind , touching the notive power of man , in or unto the specifying and determining , of his own acts or actions : as also of the influence and causality of god , in and unto the determination of the same : what is god's interest , and what is mans , in the existence [ especially ] of those sinful motions and actions of man , which god dehorteth from , and so severely doth prohibit and punish him for . a misconception therein on the one hand , or the other , may expose us unto the charging of god foolishly , even whil'st we take our selves to be pleading of his cause ; and may occasion in us unbecomming thoughts of our selves , and hard thoughts of him , unworthy the revelation that he hath made of himself to us , tending to expunge out of our souls all due sense of sin , and acknowledgment of the holiness , and of the equity of gods law , and of his righteousness in his procedure thereupon with us . the thesis or position which i maintain , in short is this , namely , that god doth not premove , or by his transient influence as the first cause , predetermine men unto all and every of their acts or actions whatsoever ; not in particular to those which are sinful ; such as blasphemy , incest , murder , &c. in specie . it 's not my design to enter the lifts with any one in the way of disputat●on ; nor shall i at all interest my self in the contests of other men learned and pious , engaged in that controversie about predetermination . i shall onely speak the sense of my own soul nakedly therein , and what hath been the result of my thoughts upon my most sedulous enquiry for some years past into the question ; which bordereth much upon practice , although controversial , no man but at one time or other will have his thoughts exercised more or less about it . it 's a question wherein , as well the wisest of the heathen , as of the christian world have been engaged : as well papists , as prot●stants ; and that , ●qually among themselves , as well as each against other . and it were earnestly to be wished that controversies in religion were managed with more candour and moderation , without animosities , and personal reflections , that it might appear that it is the cause of god singly , not our own that we plead ; and that it is the discovery and promotion of truth alone that we design ; which the venting of humane passion may hinder , but can never further the intertainment of . nor shall i trace the schools at all in their notions and various exp●ications of the matter under consideration . it 's every souls concernment to understand it in some measure ; and they who cannot philosophise , may for ought i know , have as due a conception and found judgment therein , as to the maine , plainly deduced from the word of god , as the most learned . yea i do apprehend , that philosophical disputes , in conjunction with an undue veneration of some men whom they affect , is that which hath rendered the truth vailed unto many . for my part , i have chosen rather to study catechismes , next to the bible , for my dir●ction herein , than the dictates of philosophical men ; rather consulted the conviction of conscience , and sense of mankind , than their scholastical determinations . but to come to the matter it self . some things preliminary , for the due stating of the question , and ●or explication sake , must be insisted on in our way . let it be noted then , ( 1 ) the question is not touching gods science , prescien●e , or foreknowledge of all futurities , his foresight of all the freest actions of man , one as well as the o●her . for supposing that god will create man , and make him a free agent , yet mutable , and put him under a law , and sustain him in his opperations . it 's granted , that by his own infinite per●●ction , he might do , and did foresee in eternity , what he would issue in , as future , isa . 41 , 22 , 23. all his actions good and evil , even the sin of them , in concreto & abstracto . ye● the formale of it , its anomie , or irregularity ( which some term a non ens ) he foreknew , but the modus or the way and manner how god foreseeth all future contingencies , especially the fall of man , and of angels , is to us unknown ; at least i sh●ll not for my part enterprise to determine it ; no principle of the ch●i●●ian religion rendring it necessary for us to understand . the prescience of god nil ponit in objecto , puts nothing into the creature ; it infers no more than a logical necessity of existence in ordine dicendi , a necessity of consequence only , joh. 12.39 . it shall be ; not of consequent , or in ordine causandi , nothing of causality , ( nor is it concerned at all in the manner of the subjects determination of it ●elf , or of it's operation , ( which is the object of his foreknowledge ) whether it be a principio dissito , from a from a principle ●xtrinsecal to it ; as when a stone moves upwards : or impetu naturali ; as when it moves downwards : or sponte ; as brutes act void of coaction : or voluntariè & liberè , according to a judgment of reason , as man , freely , still god foreseeth the even● ; but his foresight causeth it not . ) gods foresight , or knowledge , what i shall or will do to morrow , ( if i live ) hath no influence at all into the determining me thereun●o ; it leaveth me equally free and indetermined , as if he foreknew it not at all . nor 's it more difficult to me to conceive or fathom , how god should in eternity foresee the fr●est action of his crea●ure , which yet he predetermineth not to , but leaveth still in i●s own nature evitable , and contingent , than it is to me to form any conception of his eternity , or how he came to be god : wherein i am lost . ex nihilo nihil fit , that of nothing , nothing is made , is as cogent an argument to me , to prove that the world must needs be eternal , as any that ever i met with to prove that god cannot foresee , what he doth not decree to eff●ct , or that which he determineth not the creature to . god for●saw that ananias would not , not that he could not , dispose of the price of his estate as he pretended to do ; that he would not , not that he could not forbear to lie , act. 5.3 , 4. he could not ind●ed make god ignorant ; yet he co●ld have done otherwise than he did , for all go●'s knowledge that he would not so do . nay , possibly it may prove no less d●fficult to make out what some do so peremptorily fix upon as the way in which , or manner how god in eternity foreseeth all things that shall ever come to pass ; namely in his own decree , giving them a futurition in the first place , and thence taking the idea of them , in his own will : since that in eternity there is no prius and posterius one thing before an other , it consists in a point : beside , that the free act of god will have no necessary connexion with his being , nor do they by way of emanation result therefrom , eph. 1.11 . who can make out these things ? can any one define or resolve how god himself should fore-see , and fore-appoint things to come , and yet notwithstanding their futurition , or shall-be , still we are to conceive of him ( wherein he hath not bound himself by express law , or promise to the contrary , ) as retaining a liberty pro arbitrio , whether this or the other thing shall come to pass or not ; unless we will take away and destroy the reason and foundation of prayer , according to that of the poet , desine fata deûm flecti sperare precando , let us never think by prayer to move god to reverse his determinations , or to alter that which he foresees , and therefore will , and must be . we ought not to pray , only , for that it is our duty , and as that which fell also within gods predetermination ; but we are in our addresses to him , suppose under a national calamity , or a particular distress , to conceive of him , as yet free at his pleasure to prosper , or blast us , in the very instant wherein we pray to him , and accordingly as we shall demean our selves , we may expect from him , though we have no certainty of the event . jer. 18.7 , 9. jonah 2.9 . zeph. 2.3 . exod. 32.31 , 32. 2 cor. 12.8 . and not think that once he could help us , antecedently to his determination , or before the contrary was future ; but that now he is not at liberty as before to proceed either way , or to be moved by any address to him , &c. and yet to form any adequate conception of the consistency of these things , may be to us impossible . ( 2 ) nor is the question touching gods preordination , or free decree of all actions , or events , [ either efficiendo or permittendo ] whether they be good or evil : though i deny that the decree of god did enter into them after the same way and manner . god did from eternity predestinate , or decree some of fallen man , ( fallen i mean , ut in esse cognito , such in the foreknowledge of god ) unto salvation , and unto faith and holiness in order thereunto , rom. 8.29 , 30. eph. 1.4 , 5.2 thes . 2.13 . he did decree to cause it so to be ; and the same doth and sh●ll come to pass as the effect of it . but i deny that god did so decree the fall of man ( though he did to permit it , ) or that he did so predestinate any man unto unbelief , impenitency , and rebellion , the material of it . thus the learned bishop davenant in his animadversions against hoard , mihi p. 105. predestination is a cause effectual in the producing of all salutiferous actions ; but reprobation ( or preterition ) is no effectu●l cause in the producing of any wicked actions . and , we hold not that god hath d●termined to produce any bad actions in men , as impenitency , or the like , so p. 258. predetermination in this sense taken , as an immanent act in god , and the same with his decree , precisely in its self ; it puts no more into his subject than his bare prescience . how the event , or things decreed shall be brought about falls within the decree too ; but that belongs to the execution , and is de modo ; which may be , as well by permitting , or ordering things ( so as to ascertain the existence of what is decreed ; ) as by affective production , or causative determination , and specifying the operation of the creature , in persuance of his decree , and such a difference there is : gods will giveth being and existence to the object of his love ; not so of his hatred : but presupposeth it only there ; and yet both the one and the other , are births lying in the womb of his eternal decree , whether they shall have a true existence or not . even touching the evil , projections , and actions of men , god hath predefined , which of their contrivances shall take effect , and which not ; what weapon shall be improsperous , and what shall prosper , dan. 8.25 . and 11.25 , 27. isa . 54.15 , 17. jer. 47.7 . isa . 44.7 . his determinate counsell and purpose is concerned therein , isa . 46.10 . act. 4.28 . of which more hereafter . ( 3 ) neither is the question touching the providence of god , either in the sustentation or conservation of the being of man , or of his concourse to the en●bling him unto the production of his acts and opera●ions in general ; nor of his i●fluence and causation as to good actions ; ( nor yet tou●hing his order and government of the world , ) but it is , of his precurse , or transient influence , unto the determination of the subject , in the exercise and specification of his acts , antecedently ( at least in order of nature ) to his own determination , and that in relation to evil actions especially , whereof we are enquiring . here i●'s granted . 1. that the creature , as to all its actions in general , hath its dependance upon god the first cause , on his manutenency and supportation both in esse & operari , as to his being and motion , psal . 104.30 . neh. 9.6 . and consequently that to all actions incommon , whether good , or evil , ( so in like manner to all operation of every creature , ) such a sustentation and concourse of god there is necessary thereunto , as whereby he preserveth the order of nature , and enableth every cause to produce its effect : and , that by his continual energetical operation and influx ( which is the same ) he doth concurr with the reason and free will of man , at least concomitanter , in its own election and free determination , as that whereupon the will in acting , the acts of the will , and its actions willed , do depend , and without which the agent could not subsist nor move of himself at all , act. 17.28 . rom. 13.36 . but it hence followeth not but that man hath a self determining power , ( that presupposed ) as to some acts , or actions , which he hath not lost his capacity unto , 1 cor. 7.37 . the providence of god , whereby he upholdeth all things , heb. 1.3 . and by his general influence doth preserve , and keep alive the power , and operation of the creature , doth differ from creation : that is the production of something out of nothing simply , or out of the power of nature , or of any second cause , this is the sustentation of something already in being , supplying it with strength for the reduction of its power into act. it 's of the ordinary , and mediate providence of god that i am speaking , in the execution whereof , he cooperateth with the creature , yet so as that the creature hath its immediate influence i●to the specifying the effect , by virtue of its proper form , and god acteth , but mediantibus suppositis , ac virtutibus causarum secundarum , as ames expresseth it , mediately according to the law of the being , or the power and peculiar nature , or virtue of the second cause , already stamp't upon it , ( specifying the act or operation of the first cause here , in a sense , unless he will change or turn the course of nature , jer. 31.35 , 36. ) gods influence by his presence and virtue reacheth unto all and every operation of the creature , yet it is according to their nature ; he causeth not fire to coole , or the water to burn ; it were a miracle if it should . let but the general influence of the heavens , reach the trees , and herbs , and every one will bring forth its own kind ; the effect is already in the cause ; it 's no creation . so for man , of whose essence it is to have dominion over his own actions , or a liberty of specification of his own acts within his sphere , by the law of his creation : the principle is preexistent in the subject , which we call a power , ( ad actum to the act , else it s no power ) supposing the common providence and assistance of god , act. 17.28 . ( in whose hands our life and breath is , gen. 2.7 . james 4.14 , 15. ) he can determine himself this way , or the other , according to his judgment of reason and discretion , such as it is ; else he is no man , but a meere machine , inferiour to all the rest of the creation of god ; to be sure not capable of being the subject of moral government . in such sense as every species of creatures are said to have their different n●ture , tendency , or law of operation connate to them , suited to their be●ng , ( which providence works , ) of their own : so is the ●ctuat●on therof consonantly thereunto , their own , and essential to them , as well ●s the principle ; no creative act , but the law of their creation . what meaneth the plastick virtue given to the earth , and pl●nts , gen. 1.11 . or the prolifick power of other livi●g creatures , p. 22. or the rational faculties or active powers wherewith god furnished man , p. 26. if they be not a power unto act so long as their nature abides entire , and is sustained , and no impediment be in the way ? take away action , and you take away life and soul. the nature of a stone abiding , it will fall downwards , without any premotion extrinsecal to its self ; and so will the fire burn , if it's quality which is essenti●l to it be conserved ; and the beast will follow its insti●ct , so long as its nature remaineth , and determine its self to , or turn to the right hand or the left at the call of its own●r , according as it is dis●iplined ; it is within i●s power , if no natural impediment hinders ; and surely the same is not wanting to man suitably unto his nature , through the aforesaid comm●n providence of god , ( without his b●ing physically predetermined therein by him : ) a power to sp●cifie his acts according to his own inclination , in reference to his natural actions , unto which by the apostacy he is not disabled ; and sin●ul actions , to which by it he is vitiously preponderated and disposed . this the sense of all mankind doth give in its suffrage to ▪ gods ordi●ary supportation and concurse is sufficient , to the flux of an effect , within the limits of the cause , or its power à naturâ inditâ or insitâ , by god given it unto such effect . 2. as to good actions , savingly such ; it 's granted , that besides the first change wrought by god in the soul rendring potent , hab●le , and disposed to such acts , new-biassing , or invincibly turning , and inclining it towards god and holin●ss , unto which it was before impotent and wickedly averse , eph. 2.1 , 10. and 4.22 , 23. there is still necessary a continued influx of more than ordinary divine assi●tance , to keep alive , and to influence and determine the soul unto those acts of true piety or holiness which it hath the next power of , or is in an immediate capacity unto ; and that , on the account of the remaining darkness of the m●nd , and the prevalent counter-actings of the law of sin , the reliques whereof are yet ab●ding , rom. 7. gal. 5. and the weakness and imperfection of grace , rev. 3.2 . this is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the will and the deed whereof the apostle speaks , phil. 3.13 . and christ jesus is to that end constituted to be a head of vital influx to them , col. 2.19 . joh. 15.4 . and supplies are promised of god to them , in waiting upon him for the same , isa . 40.31 . eph. 3.16 . and a●cordingly , so far forth as the inclinations and actions of gods people are regular and gracious , so far its granted to be owing to the grace of christ , and the operation of his spirit , 2 cor. 9.15 . but so is not the imperfection thereof , not owing to god at all ; no more than any other neglect . a godly man through the divine help , 2 pet. 1.3 . may or can act , or he may suspend his acts in an ordinary way ; there is no saint living that doth all the good which he might or could do ; or that hath not cause as well to be humbled before god , for his will-no●s , as his can-nots ; for his neglects in what he had grace sufficient for , awaiting him , 2 pet. 5.8 , 9. and he could have helped . and , supposing him predetermined at any time ( after the manner of his first conversion ) in his gracious operations , in pursuance of gods election ; when negligent or relapsing , prevented or recovered , luk. 22.32 . it followeth not that god is the determiner of him to what is imperfect or sinful , accompanying the act to the which he is so premoved , or determined ; not to the materiale of it . suppose a man , for instance , to be efficaciously excited by god to give an alms to a disciple , ( which is good ) and withal that he hath an admixture of ostentation in his mind accompanying it , ( which is sin , mat. 6.1 . ) such thought is of himself , or of the devils injection , not of god's : and if his charity were disposed to a disciple , and not by him designed to be bestowed on him in the name of a disciple , mat. 10.42 . that omission was his own , nothing of god's ; all that god caused or effected was good ; and what was irregular or sinful was de suo of his own , in concreto , both the act , and omission ; as well the substrate matter of which the sin is denominated , as the sin its self in its abstract nature adhereing thereunto . as to the manner of god's operation on the soul in its first change , i take it to be unto us very far unknown ; nor do i think any article of religion to depend on the stating of the same . some affirm a physical predetermination of god , of all and every the acts and operations of man ; such physical precurse , and efficient pre-exciting and determining influence they assert to accompany , and to be necessary also to the specification of any act whatsoever , whether good or evil , as that without which the creature could never act or determine its self at all . to me it seems hard to make out , whether there be any such way of gods determination of man , as that termed physical in contradistinction to moral , though here , as to good i would mo●t readily admit it ; ( for to evil i do peremptorily deny it ) i mean to good actions ; for it's non-sense to speak of predetermination physical or moral either , to ought but the act or action , which is good or evil , upon an account adventitious , and extrinsecal to its self , as related to law. what it is i say that god doth in the conversion of a sinner , as to the way of working that first turn to himself , seems to me difficult to find out , joh. 3.8 . if such a physical operation there be , terminating on the entity of the soul , ( it must as well reach the body too , the ministerial and organical parts ; which are also said to be sanctified , 2 thes . 5.23 . ) it may consist in the suscitation or elevation of its natural faculties , rendring them capable of taking in a new impression , or irradiation , from the word and spirit , to which the soul was disabled before ; which some understand by vivification or quickning , 1 cor. 15.45 . eph. 2.1 . and opening the heart , act. 16.14 . and understanding , luk. 24.45 . bending also , and applying the faculty to the object , in order to its receiving of the impress and stamp thereof upon it , job . 33.16 . the signature of truth upon the mind and heart , all which i deny not ; but still , evident it is that god worketh not any moral change on the understanding otherwise than objectively , also by offering reason to it , or proposing that before it which invincibly bindeth it to an admittance thereof , hos . 11.4 . and the gospel is the deepest reason , and faith the most solid understanding , mat. 13.44 , 45. isa . 1.18 . the word of god is the seed of the new birth out of all question , jam. 1.18 . 1 pet. 1.23 . and that as proposed to the mind , 1 cor. 4.15 . and intertained there , jam. 1.21 . nor doth god work on the will or affections , or executive power in conversion , otherwise than mediante ratione by the intervention , of reason , 1 cor. 2.4 . not by any physical attingency immediately , but by moral suasion , and objective proposal , by the mind , the eye of the soul. god shall perswade japhet , gen 9.27 . by objective proposal , and moral suasion , i do not intend onely , that of god externally , in his word commanding , perswading , counselling , &c. or in and by the ministry of man ; but moreover his internal application to the soul in the ministry of the word , or otherwise ; where yet the word is the instrument in the hand of the spirit , working in a moral way ; efficiently too in a sense ; yet not modo physico after the manner of a real impulse , or proper physical action or causation . god knoweth how to reach the reason , and elective faculty , the main springs of the soul , and how to fasten a nail there , eccl. 12.11 . a fit word , spoken on his wheeles , prov. 25.11 . how to catch the soul e're it is aware , luk. 5.10 . to allure and draw , cant. 1.4 . ( not motu physico by proper physical determination i take it , but ) by convincing reason and teaching , instructing with a strong hand , isa . 8.11 . every man that hath heard and learned of the father , cometh unto me , joh. 6.44 , 45. is made willing , psal . 110.3 . the stony heart , all prepossession and aversation against god and godliness , is removed , ezek. 36.26 . and its sense of things is changed , rom. 8.5 . and the new man is put on , viz. in a moral sense , eph. 4.24 . the propension and inclination of the subject altered and changed , and become a radicated principle in the soul , disposing it unto holiness . if the devil can so far overmatch the understanding of man , when by god left to his delusions , that an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an effectual working is ascribed to him , 2 thes . 2 9. ( whom yet all acknowledge to work only morally and objectively , 1 king. 22.21 . ) who can say but that god , who is more intimate to man than he is to himself , can so accommodate his word , and follow it by internal suggestion , so fit it as a key to the he●●t of the sinner fast lo●ked against him , as to shoot aside the bolt , the d●ssenting power , and to overperswade and invincibly determine him to ●●●●o●●osse repudiaere , an mpossi●ility of withstanding any longer the call of c●rist , or to a free , yet certain entertainment of it , without such a physical influx as some insist so much upon , flecting the will , and predetermining 〈◊〉 in its operation , and specification of its acts , in a way contradisti●ct to that we are speaking of , and wherein it is not concerned . the natural faculties of the soul , its powers of understanding , reasoning assent●ng , willing ; and its affections of loving , hating , &c. are out of doubt à primà causâ , from god as the first cause , who giveth being to all things ; and the exertion of those powers into act in line â physicâ , is from him ; they are dependent beings , and cannot reduce themselves into act or exercise without his influence or assistance ; and that in the way of physi●al concurse and cooperat●on , before and after conversion the same act. 26.22 . and moreover , it 's with me out of question , that the lord doth anticipate and prevent the soul in a more than ordinary way , in its first turn to him , jer. 31.18 . 2 tim. 2.25 . rectifying all the powers of the soul , the mind , will , affections &c. turning them to their right object , and d●sposing them to their right use , and end ; that he specifieth and determineth the souls acts and operations in conversion , which is their modification , as well as concurreth to their entity , or enableth to their existence in the general as acts or actions . the question only is , whether this determination of the natural powers of the soul ( to a beleivi●g in god , a liking , loving , willing , chusing of the things of god , or of the spirit , directly opposite to the channel wherein the soul in the egress or exercise of those powers or acts ran before that , whilst it believed the devil rather than god , liked and preferred the world and the pleasing of the flesh above the pleasing of god , loved sin , and hated strict piety ) whether i say god doth change the course of the soul , and determine its operations as before , i mean give to will and to do , yea effectually cause so to do by any physical precurse , or predetermination , distinct or different from the power which he lendeth to enable the creature to all and every its natural motions and operations , or which himself evermore exorteth therein ; or by a moral agency only : whether he draweth and turneth the soul , as the fisher doth the fish when he hath it upon his hook and line , by a physical impulse : or as the fisher doth the fish when he hooketh it , or in order to it , by laying the bait before it , where the pleasure of the bait or hopes of ●ood presented in the fancie , doth allure and draw it , this way or that , till it hath takn it in , or swallowed it ; which is an objective drawing , and like to that which is moral in men ? ( i mean it not in the arminian sense , so as to leave the soul indifferent , or the will in suspense , that what ever god doth on the contrary , it still may eventually will , or nill , chuse , or refuse , cast ballance this way , or the other ; but ) whether gods actual efficacious and powerfull determination of the will of the sinner indeclinably to good , many not be effected , and brought about by the way of moral operation , or causation ( as well as physical ) where the soul specifieth its own act , in a way more congruous to its nature , and yet can go no other way in its elections without offering an affront to the dictate of its own reason and understanding , psal . 119.36 , 8. luk. 15.17 . first rectified by the special grace and help of god , col. 3.10 . job . 33.16 . jer. 31.11 . joh. 4.10 . ( after the same manner ) by a divine inculcation of truth , and fixation therof upon it , to a saving illumination , mat. 5.22 . joh. 14.26 . and 16.8 . but that god doth not either the one way or the other , predetermine men to actions wicked and sinful , i take here for grant , and shall hereafter prove : i mean , neither by external legal commanding , counselling , or perswading ; nor by internal moral suasion , or suggestion , ( which is yet more powerfull ) tempting , or soliciting effectually thereunto ; much less by any physical thrust , or premotion of the will that he should influence it inevitably and insuperably in its election of two objects lying evenly before it ; one good the other evil , to chuse and determine it self to that which is most nefariously wicked ; which at the same time he dehorteth from , and declareth h●s abhorrency of , and threatneth to punish , dut. 29.20 . here by the way , let me take occasion to note the disadvantage , which ( to my best understa●ding ) i conceive the truth of god to have received , in the management thereof in the point now mentioned , by those who go the way of physical predetermination , whil'●● sober and wo●thy men of that perswasion , in their popular sermons , undertaking ( as one doth in print ) to vindic●te the sovereignty of the grace of god in the begining and carrying on of mans conversion , and salvation , and for the maintenance of the nec●ssi●y of effectual grace therein , sh●ll pitch upon such mediums as these , namely ( 1 ) that the denial thereof , disparageth gods providence ; for that ●t breaks the essential subordination between the second cause and the first . ( 2 ) it destroys prescience ; for how then c●n god infallibly foresee the motions of the will , and the effect● depending on it , the ev●nt being uncertain ? ( 3 ) it deifies the will , making it supream and independe●t upon god himself , &c. which do as well prove , and are the main arguments brought for the maintaining of gods efficacious predetermination of men in and unto their unbelief , rebellion and all the most impious actions whereof the most profligate sinner is guilty ; and cuts the throat of the fourth argument ; that it abolishes all prayer and thanksgiving : for that , on the former hypotheses , the meaning of such prayer to god mu●t be only , that he would change his operation , and cease to premove and determine the will to that , which he had all along before guided and overruled it to ; that he would counterwork his own prior determination , and now turn it , and determine the will to good , as before to evil ; which is a strange notion of prayer . nor can the soul in good earnest thank him for it , when done , if it be indeed really convinced that it might not thank it self that it was done no sooner : or that it may thank god that it so long resisted his spirit , and walked in the path-way of destruction , in every instance whereof , it was effectually predetermined by a superiour agent , on whom it had its dependence , who foresaw all its motions , who had an absolute supremacy over its will , and unto whose effic●ent energetical operation it could not but be obsequious . if we had no other medium to oppose arminianism by , in the point of effectual grace , i should take our case for desperate ; and the remedy to be no less dangerous than the disease . but to proceed , 3. as to the providence of god in the government of the world ; it 's granted , that god doth not carry it as a meer spectator , but that his providence is positively active in the disposal of all events under the sun ; even to a sparrow falling to the ground , mat. 10.29 . or to the lot that is cast into the lap , prov. 16.33 . all the issues of health and sickness , poverty and riches , war and peace , life and death , they are in god's h●nd , eccl. 9.11 . job 14.14 . 2 king. 8.11 . jer. 10.23 . prov. 16.9 . eccl. 11.5 , 6. nor are sinful men out of the limits of his supremacy in the order and disposal of their actions ; which of their projections shall take effect , or see the light , and in what circumstances , and which not ; psal . 29.10 . he hath all wicked men upon his hook , ezek. 38.4 . the heart of the most absolute on the earth , at his pleasure and dispose . prov. 21.1 . isa . 10.5 . and 44.28 . and 45.7 , 9. psal . 33.15 , 16 , 17. the over-ruling providence we acknowledge in the order of all events , whatever betideth us . yet hath not every providence the same aspect with it , though gods hand be in it all . suppose for i●stance , a man walking in the streets , the tyles of a house , he not perceiving any danger , may slip , and fall on him : or he seeing them ready to fall , may yet to save the wetting of h●s foot , chuse to adventure the going under them , rather than to cross the way , and they happen to hit him : or , one from the roof of the house wit●ingly throwing them down upon him ; and wounding him either way , in them all , he must acknowledge , and eye providence : but in the first instance , though there was a natural cause and reason of their falling , yet he wholly resolves his misfortune into the divine providence , which could have diverted him from coming at that instant there , but did not ; or which ordered things in such a concurrence of circumstances , as that it should so fall out that he should not avoid the stroke of them . in the second , he notes the providence , and withal repents him , and befools himself for his rashness and oversight that he prevented it not , when it was in his power ; god could have turned his thoughts too , and did not ; and so might he , had he considered the danger as he should and could have done . in the third , he acknowledges providence also , but he blames the person that did it , and seeks his remedy against him , for his illegal act . if yet the person that wounded him should confidently argue with him , that he should rest satisfied in the dominion of providence , and not look at him ; that he was invincibly or effectually premoved and determined to it ; his re●son and free-will was in it indeed , but he could not help it : that the entity of the action was good , and for the anomie or irregularity , it was a privation , a non ens , had no efficient cause at all , he had no hand in that , nor yet can tell untill it be plead●d , whether any law will take cognizance of it or not . i doubt that the party aggrieved would hardly stand to dispute his distinctions ; but he would t●ach him better . gods providence in the government of sinful actions is not in dispute ; but the question is de modo , how god serveth himse●f on sinful men , or determineth them in their sinful actions to serve his providence ? whether by his transient influence upon their minds and wills , he pre-exciteth , premoveth , and predetermin●th them unto such acts or actions : or some other way he ascertaineth the event onely ? the latter is it which i affirm ; and the former , by many asserted , is it which i oppose . touching the fir●t apostacy of men or angels , the scriptures give us no account directly relating either to the decree of god thereof , or his agency therein at all . the angels that fell had a possibility of attaining happiness , and a sufficiency of divine grace given them to have preserved them from their rebellion , had they not by a voluntary act of their own abused it ; so had adam ; no decree of god did hinder him from creating him with a sufficiency of grace , or with a possibility of st●nding , saith davenant , animad . p. 282. yet that god foreknew their defection , is out of doubt ; yea , and that his governing providence was highly concerned therein , and served thereby . for the providence of god , or its concernment in all the future acts of sin , whether of wicked men or devils , since the first apostacy , therein the scripture doth lend us more light ; in which , there is not one instance upon record , where god is said to decree , order , or determine the be●ng or existence of such or such evil actions , yea , or to do them , the which ( if i be not much mistaken ) may not be made out , were it necessar● , to be with●n the reach of humane re●son to f●thom , and to assign how he might bring it about most certainly ; and that by no other medium but that onely of permission and impedition , and objective proposal or premotion , exc●ting to cogitations and actions good , and materially agreeing to his law. which two former , ordinarily insi●ted on at every turn by divines , to solve the equ●ty of gods ju●tice in his procedure with men , notwithstanding his providence over ruling their sinful actions : the former notion of physical predetermination doth wholly deny , a●d overturn : for , if the motus primo primi , the first sigments or thoughts of the heart , or machin●tions of the m●nd , isa . 59.4 , 5. and conceptions of the will , psal . 11.2 . job . 15.35 . be forged by god ; if the will cannot elicit any act , nor imperate the execution thereof , nor the executive power follow , otherwise than as the obed●ential capacity of the subject , or possibility of action contained in the powers , in an indifferency or indetermination , must be first reduced into act , and also determined by god h●mself as the first cause , then is permission , and impedition or hindring , a meer chimaera ; what should he permit , or prevent in others , or what need of that , when he determineth all , and doeth a●l himself ; or effi●iently determineth the second cause to it , as is supposed ? but that such a thing there is , and that predica●ed or affirmed of god in scripture , innumerable texts do plainly speak ; and also accommodate to our present enquiry . god is said to suffer the nations to wa●k in their own ways , act. 14.16 . so luk 8.32 . to suffer the devil to enter into the herd of swine ; and to permit , or to give men up to the swing , of their own hearts lust , rom. 1 , 24. till he s●e what their end shall be , deut. 32.20 . and frequently again to obstruct or h●nder what else would certainly be eff●cted , gen. 12.6 , 7. god withheld , and suffered not abimelech to touch abraham's wife , chap. 20.6 . he suffered no man to do them wrong , psal . 105.14 . none shall d●sire their land , exod. 34.24 . he maketh diviners mad , and turneth wise m●n backward , in order to the perform●ng of the counsel of his messengers , and all his pleasure , isa . 44.25 , 28. disappointing the devices of the crafty , so that their hands cannot perform their enter●rise , job 5.12 . the remainder of wrath shall he restrain , psal . 76.10 . & 106.46 . how many wayes c●n god render abortive the conceptions of men , prevent them , or cause them to miscarry ! hence is that memento of the apostle james , ch . 4.15 . ye ought to say , if the lord will we shall live , and do this or that . so job . 19.11 . psal . 64.5 , 7. in like manner by exciting to good , may god cause , that an other evil rather than that projected shall be effected , as gen. 37.20 , compared with v. 26. and that in persuance of sme farther design , ch . 45.8 . mat. 26.63 , 65. or by giving a diversion only , &c. wherein god's providential disposal of the event or order of this , rather than the other to take effect , neither di●poileth the creature of the liberty of specifying his own act ( in a matter wh●rein he must be accountable to his judge , ) nor doth make god the cause or determiner of it , any more than david● sl●●ghter of the am●l●k●●es , 1 sam. 30.17 . lay at the door of the philistines , ch . 29 7. who would not let him abide any longer wi●h them : or than my coming by on the rode , when a robber is about to set upon a person , and so preventi●g him thereby , would infer me to be the cause of his next robbery or murder that he commits immediately i● another place ; al●hough i foresaw that it would so prove . yet such is the order and dir●ction of god's providence , such his dominion therein , in every in●●ance of that kind , that his d●term●nate counsell may be affirmed to reach the most wicked actions , in a sense , act. 4.28 . isa . 46.10 . when he hath any design to serve by them , gen. 50.20 . yea , he is said to bid , and to do them . the lord hath said unto h●m , curse david , 2 sam. 16.10 . i w●ll do this thing ope●ly , and before the sun , 2 sam. 12.12 . he moved david against them , to s●y , go number the people , ch . 24.1 . even when the devil does it , 1 chr. 21.1 . 1 thess . 2.11 . t●e lord hath taken , saith job . ch . 1.21 . when the sabeans had spoiled him ; and , god had smitten him he said , or he received that evil of his boils , from him , ch . 2.10 . when it was the devil that had done it , by god's permission , v. 1. and would have reached his life too , would he have suffered him , v. 4. without any premo●ion of god's therein , or predeterminat●on , otherwise , as to the manner , than by a non-impedition of his own motion and inclination . the eve●t is indeed in the di●pose of god , and the executioner , as the axe , rod , or st●ffe , in his hand , isa . 10.5 . yet so , as that he retaineth a dominion over his own act therein , ( gods sust●ntation , concurse , and p●rmission presupposed , ) he is not a mere machine , or dead engine ; nor yet his reason and free will carried along after the way and manner of a vital engine , or spontaneous in●●rument , yet necess●rily : but is so termed , from his subserviency a● that time to god's special providence , and instrumental●ty in performing his design ; ( though in such a way , as he he may justly and equitably afterwa●ds be called to an account for the same ; as well for the fact , isa . 10.12 , as for the circumstances of it , v. 7.13 . ) otherwise than in every other omission of his , or every act of unbelief , impenitency , hatred of god , and the like : men are not ordinarily styled god's instruments therein , or compared to the axe or staffe in his hand , or to be conceived of by us as such , with reference thereunto , herein i subscribe to the worthy bishop davenant ; as for the procuring and working the impenitency or infidelity of reprobates , god doth not ( saith he ) at all work any vitious dispositions , or defective and sinful actions in such men ; wicked habits or dispositions are diseases bred within mens own soules , ( and yet they have an entity ) not infused into them by the physician of our souls : wicked and sinful actions are the productions of the●r own corrupted free-will , and not produced by any divine operation working in them : for it 's onely in holy and good actions that god giveth us both the will and the deed , animad . p. 120. neither doth god draw any man unto sin , by an unconquerable power , but he permiteth some men , by the devil and their own lusts to be drawn from sin to sin , till at last they perish in them ; of whom perditio tua ex●te , thy destruction is of thy self , notwithstanding , is most truly verified p. 121. although the will of god hath the determining stroke amongst all possible evil actions or events , which shall infallibly be , and which not : and god may be said to be the prime cause of the substrate matter or act , in every motion , whether of the soul or body , as in whom we live , and move , and have our being , as the same learned author asserteth ; yet doth it not follow , but that man still retaineth his s●lf-determining power quoad speciem actûs , a liberty of specifying his own act ; as the same author maintaineth with st. augustine , deus it à ordinat omnia ut proprios motus exercere sinat . p. 154. ( from whence the formal nature of good or evil resulteth , as the same is conform , or inconform to the law of god ; i mean from its specification , not its entity in the general . ) the saebeans and chaldeans for instance , had their power and their actual exercise thereof from god enabling them to take goods and drive cattel , and to destroy the life of man , or beast ; but the specification of that power , in the actual exercise thereof , or it's modification , ( which hath nothing more of entity , which way soever it 's determined ) unto the robbing of men , or slaying of the innocent , was not of god , but of themselves : that they spoiled job , not another man , and slew his servants in individuo , and not another mans , was of themselves ; as and of god too , though in a different sense : of themselves , as the immediate cause of the action ; of god , as the prime cause , or fountain of being and operation : of themselves , as the specifyers of the act , according to their own free election : of god , in that he permitted it , for the triall of his servant , ( when possibly he had hindred them from hundreds of such like exp●oits before , and besides that , overruled its circumstances so , as that it should infallibly light upon him , and no other man at that time . which i cannot better express than in the words of the aforesaid learned man ; those that derive the evil actions of men from their own free-will as the proper efficient cause , and the exsisting or coming of such actions in eventum à decreto dei permittente & ordinante , into event , from the permitting , and disposing decree and appointment of god , are in no errour at all . p. 57. the providence of god reacheth to all events , and actions ; but forwicked actions which according to gods eternal determined decree come into act at the time appointed , as the betraying of christ , the murdering of him , and such like , the devil and mens free-will are the only moving and determining causes unto them . p. 115 god cannot be an author or producer , much less an inforcer , in regard of any sinful action , yet he may be a determiner in permitting it . p. 118 gods decree in malis , is only , as he t●rmeth it , antecessio ordinis , not causalitatis . ( 4 ) nor is the question yet farther , about determination in general , or pred●termination simply considered , or of the compossibility , or consistency thereof with humane fredom . for it s gran●ed , 1. that an aequilibrium or indetermination is not mans best state . such a pendulous susp●nse or even poyse , and inclination of mind and w●ll , in the exerci●e and specification of its acts , ( consequenter , aft●r the object is united with the faculty , and reason ha●h weighed the good and evil , the conveniency and ●nconveniency of things in its ballance , and deliberated about it , ) is the soules sickne●s or disaster ; arising from an insufficient appl●cati●n of the object , or defect in the understanding , an inability to judge of the good or evil of what lieth before it , which should ponderate it , and cast the scale in its election , that it hangeth in a suspense . ( which is the freedom which arminians seem to plead for . ) true freedom consisteth not in a power or libe●ty , after the due exercise of ratioc●nation , be the evidence what it will , to write black for white , or white for black , to judge evil good , or good evil ; or still to be undetermined about it , for fear of forestall●ng the will : or in a power or liberty , in the will , not to follow the liberum arbitrium the free award of reason , or for the soul in willing not to be confined to its own reason in what it chuseth or avoideth : or pro libitu arbitrarily or at his pleasure to elicit and imperate what it listeth , though against the sentiment of the mind ; or at least , that after reason hath issued in a judgment , the will should still be indetermined to one . such a dominion over its reason , or li●erty and freedom of will , cannot but be abhorrent to the nature of man. all that can be desired is , that the soul hath such a freedom of will , and dominion ov●r its ●wn acts , as that , in what ever it willeth , it acteth as a vital and rational agent , in respect of its proper nature , and internal principle of operation , with such a natural indifferency , in sensu diviso , before it acteth , ( for quicquid est , quando est necessariò est ) as whereby reason proposing to the elective faculty diverse objects , that have no natural connexion with the will , in determin●ng its self to eit●er , it followeth the dictate of its own judgement of d●scretion , void of all nat●ral necess●●y , such as when the fire burneth ; or of coaction , as when a man is hal●d or carried without or against his own choice ; neither is led by a blind instinct , as the beast ; nor acted like a meer m●chine or e●gine , that ordere●h not its own motion , nor knows its use , or tendency . it s generally acknowledged , that if the understanding hath but one object alone proposed before it , or but one way or means to such an end ; or that if the object be presented in all respects good , as , circa finem , that happiness in general is to be desired ; or if any particular object be presented as undequáque bonum , having no appear●nce of evil in one respect , as well as of good and eligibleness in another respect , the will quoad speciem actûs , if it acts at all , must close with it , and cannot refuse the same ; and so , if there be in it omnimoda ratio mal● an appearance of nothing but evil in all and every respect , it must neccessarily repudiate , or nill it , and cannot otherwise determine its self . yea and it is affirmed of god himself in scripture , that he is not at liberty in some things to determine himself , or to will , or act otherwise than he doth ; its impossible for him to lye , heb. 6.18 . or not to do that which is just and right , gen. 18. 25. the saints also in heaven are determined to good , ( as was our saviour christ even on earth , they are invincibly inclined to it ; and it is their perfection , that it's ( as well n●turally as morally ) impossible for them to will the contrary , and th●t for reasons unalterably pr●ponderating them that way , keeping the will habitually fixed , and indeclinably pointed towards god , and holiness , wherein all future instances of worship and acknowledgment , ( being included , as the effect in its cause ) are virtually in act , the faculty being so far forth determined ; and it 's our unhappiness that it is otherwise with us now . it 's no defect , or want of any desireable freedom of will , that a man cannot obtain of himself to cut his own throat , or feel not himself indifferent about it . to be determined to evil onely , or to be in such state and condition as that , to do good , formally such , every way pleasing and acceptable in the sight of god , is impossible , to be sure is a most deplorable estate ; though it be ab intrinseco , from an innate principle . neither is it denied , but that such an indetermination as some state the freedom of mans will to consist in , were better , and to be preferred before determinate fixation , in , and insuperable propension of will unto sin , jer. 13.23 . 2 pet. 2.14 . but still , though lapsed man ( till restored by grace ) doth not estimate aright of the things of god , though he nauseateth the things of the spirit , and declineth god and holiness : it 's not from the enjoyment , or want of any such freedom as is essential to humane nature , ( nor can he plead an equitable dismission from his obligation to obedience ; since he is disabled by his own fault : ) but from a privation in his mind , laesa facultas , a peccancy or disease therein , as to his discerning and relish of divine and spiritual objects , eph. 4.18 . rom. 8.5 , 7. and a vicious disinclination in his will and affections ballancing him another way , gen. 6.5 . eph. 2.3 . joh. 3.19 . free will is still retained . what though a m●n cannot turn the course of the sun in the firmament ? yea , what though many attainments , as well natural , as moral , be now impossible to man , which were possible to adam , and of his concreated perfection , gen. 2.19 ? what if he be a lover of pleasures , more than a lover of god , 2 tim. 3.4 . and cannot obtain of himself to do otherwise ? yet is he a man still , a rational and voluntary agent in all that he doth ; and retaineth a dominion over his own acts , and a liberty in their specification too , of all within his sphere and compass . the saints in heaven , notwithstanding that their state is no other than of a determi●ate perfection , ( not of indifferency to good or evil , ) yet they retain a liberty of competition , contrariety , or contradiction in their acts , with reference to this or that particular object , within the bounds and limits of god's will and law , indel●bly engraven on their heart . the natural or unregenerate man in like manner , notwithstanding his impotency to good , and invincible propension determining him to evil in general ; yet reraineth the like l●berty and freedom , to will or nill , to chuse or refuse , and consequently to do or not do this or that , ( in the ordinary way of gods providence ) save in what , by the apostacy , or by a radicated habit or custom in sinning , he hath disabled himself , or is left of god. in his natural and civil acts , or in his sinful acts , he hath a self-determining power , ( if god permit ) he can specifie his own acts , he can of two objects before him , chuse one , and refuse the other , as the cogency of his reason shall sway him : a wicked man can chuse whether he will go to this alehouse , or that , or to neither of them : he can pay a summe of money that he hath given bond for , at the day , if he have it ; or he can let it alone : he can hear , and read , and pray , ( though not every way as he ought to do ) yea were he not deficient to himself , might overcome his will to it , ( possibly he may be wagered , or by penalties be driven to it ) as well as the contrary . every disaffection is not invincible , luk. 11.7 , 8. jeroboam , baasha , and other the kings of israel , upon the denunciation of wrath against them , might and could , for ought we know , ( we are sure graceless persons may ) have humbled themselves , and caused their people to fast , as well as ahab , or the king of nineveh did , upon the like message sent of god to them ; but they did not . jer. 5. 21 , 23. mat. 11.23 . & 12.41 . yea and the best saints , may and can do more good , and forbear more evil than they do , as hath been hinted . david might and could have forborn to make vriah drunk , or murder him , and he could have done mephibosheth right , against that traitour ziba , 2. sam. 19.27 , but he did it not . whose heart is it that reproacheth him not for preventable miscarriages ? in such things it is , ( which are within mans power either way ) that god is said to try or prove men sometimes , deut. 8.2 , 16. gen. 22.11 , 12.2 sam. 24.12 . the saints in glory are immutably determined to to good ; or cannot sin . the sinn●● , or unrenewed man or men , they are invi●cibly de●ermined to evil , or bent on it in the general ; or cannot do good. man in innocency , he had perfect good , or spotl●ss obedience ; and also sin , and evil , within his power both ; being made mutab●e . man restored , and manumitted by grace , hath imperfect good , ( comp●red to the original law ) or sincere o●edience , within his power ; and also sin and disobed●ence ; being on earth defectible , or not yet confirmed ; though the decr●e and efficiency of god shall prevent , that he sinneth not to death . yet may free-will be denominated or affirmed of them all . the one act as freely as the other ; the worst in sinning , as the best in obey●ng . he acts freely that can act , or not act , what , when , and how he p●easeth , in things which m●y be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. in our power ; so doth the s●rvant , at his masters beck , col. 3.23 . where note by the way , that to act voluntarily or freely , and yet necessarily are consistent , and may well stand together . the angels in heaven they love god , and serve him , voluntarily and freely ; so shall the s●ints in glory ( and so doth man in his present state , even in what hath a kind of natural connexion with the will , determine himself freely according to the dictate of his reason and judgment . ) a rational , a voluntary , and a free choice , are convertible terms . the will acteth freely ; not necessarily , as opposed to volun●ary , either contrariè , by coaction or violence , against its elicit inclination ; or negativè , from a meer natural necessity , without reason : b●t still it acteth necessarily in some sense , ( as the will evermore doth , when reason hath once cast the scale , ) with necessity of immutability in respect of the event , which , opponitur possibili non esse , is opposed to a possibility not to be , ( god's supportation and concurse presupposed ) or eventus contrarii , of the contrary issue or event , it can do no otherwise , and t●at from the potency or perfection of the rational faculty , and cognation that it hath with the obj●ct . and the contrary is as true , of wicked and unregenerate men ; they act freely , following the dictate of their reason and judgment , such as it is , though brutish , jer. 10.8 , 21. & 55.17 . thoug● carnal , ●ensual , and devili●h , jam. 3.15 . jer. 4.22 . vo●d of all natural necessity or coaction , in their choice of sin , and fl●sh-pleasing , eph. 2.3 . yet do they act necessarily also , so as that they cannot possibly will or do the contrary , ( without renewing grace ) job . 5.44.45 . rom. 2.5 . and that ab intriseco , from a privation in their mind , rom. 3.11 . eph. 4.18 . and an impotency , or contraty propension in their will and affections , preponderating them to evil , ( though not sub ratione mali ) and to a disrelish of true holiness , rom. 8.5 , 7. which is languor & aegritudo animi the souls sickness , and depravation of its faculties , the fruit of mans first apostacy from god , job . 14.4 . though he be still habile subjectum , a subject capable of the retrivement of god's image into his soul , col. 3.10 . i. e. man still , with his natural faculties of reason and will ; and so , good is yet possible to him in some sense , if god please to adapt him for it , eph. 2.10 . in and about particular acts agible , within mans power , and unto which he is not actually or virtually , by a previous invincible habit , or propension of mind and will predetermined , lieth the contingency and evitability of humane actions . in such actions hath man a liberty of contrariety , or contradiction , in the exercise and specification of his acts , or of indifferency , accordingly as his reason doth sway him . he may and can act , or suspend his act ; his will containeth within its dominion a power and possibility unto contrary acts and effects ; what is future , is yet evitable ; and that possible , that is not future . man ( saith the learned davenant ) hath not onely potentiam in se liberam , a facul●y in its self free , or capable of freedom ; but liberum usum potentiae , the free vse or exercise of it . a wicked man for instance , can upon other deliberation , resolve to do otherwise than he doth , which freedom is evident in adulterers , thieves , and all manner of sinners , who being resolved to commit this or that sin , when they perceive some great danger , presently choose to abstain from it till fitter opportunity . cain , absalom , judas , and others , were not under a necessity of committing those sins , whereof they are noted to be guilty ; it was out of their free election , having a power whereby they might have abstained from them . the angels that fell , notwithstanding the decree of the divine will , had a possibility of not-rebelling against god , and a sufficiency of divine grace given them to have preserved them , so had adam , had they not abused it . god's absolute prescience doth not take away the possibility of the contrary action or event ; no more doth his absolute decree , to think that the decree of absolute reprobation must leave men under a necessity of committing their several sins , is a false imagination , as every mans conscienee is able to witness , so the aforesaid author , p. 116.199.328.344 . whom i have the rather consulted , for that he is instanced in by some , and produced for a maintainer of god's predetermination of mans will , in the sense by them pleaded for ; which himself termeth , a controversy between the dominicans and jesuits ; with whose metaphysical speculations our protestant divines love not to torture their brains . nor yet do i take all extrinsick predetermination to be inconsistent with humane freedom in acting . for it hath been before granted , that such predetermination of god is necessary unto the conversion of any sinner unto him , ( though the sinner is capable of doing something that in the order of gods appointment hath a tendency to it , prov. 2.3 , 5. isa . 64 , 7. and it lieth at the door of any under the call of the gospel , that they are not converted and healed by god , it 's their own fault , jer. 13.27 . mat. 25.29 . and their heart will one day reproach them for it , luk. 16.28 . ) neither do we , when we speak of an irreversible , insuperable , irresistible determination , ( whether to good or evil actions , ) meane any more than such as cannot , or rather shall not be resisted ; such as is efficaciously prevalent , and never fruastrate . yet is the liberty and freedom of co-operation in the subject in such case , no more than that of a rational spontaneity ; it containeth in it's own nature nothing of contingency , or possibility of the contrary event . in effectual calling , the new creation , ( wherein god worketh something above and besides the order and course of second causes , in order to the new biassing and pointing the soul towards himself , heaven , and holiness ; ) whatever the influence or efficiency of god be on the soul , or its faculties of reason and will , or his manner of operation ; ( whether it be by way of objective proposal , and fixation on the mind demonstrating the object , and effectually setting home truth , to an immutation therein , and turn of the will , 1 cor. 2.4 . or by way of physical precurse and premotion besides , exciting the natural powers into act , and inclining and bowing them in their operation as the fountain of being , and motion , unto a change or turn into a new course , eph. 2.2.4 , 10. of which before , ) still , he so intimately by his presence and virtue reacheth , and applieth himself to the active principle of the second cause , he so congruously accommodateth himself to the nature of the subjecy to be wrought upon , as that all the vital wheels of the soul , the reason , elective power , will and affections go along with choice and delight in their determination , without the least rape or violence offered to the innate freedom of the soul , though god and christ be carried into the heart , with a greater weight of love than any other object can ballance , to turn the scale of its predominant elecion an other way , and yet it 's invincibly or irresistibly wrought upon , and a necessity induced upon it in a sense . it can will no otherwise , christ drawing , yet the will remaineth still free ; for voluntary and violent , willing and forced , do implicare ; the will cannot be forced , and for the will to be determined necessarily or indeclinably to good , and what may render the soul happy , no man that prayeth to god for grace , or that acknowledgeth god therein , will ever recoil at it , or account himself injured thereby , or concerned to rise up against it : nor is it at all repugnant to the commands , counsels , promises , or threats laid before men to induce them to a returnal unto god , heb. 4.1 , 11. for that , the dispensation of this grace is , as to us , contingent , and in the use of means ; and the second cause hath its immediate , formal , and proper efficiency therein . it is man that believeth and repenteth , ( not god ; yet the effect of god's power overshadowing the soul , psal . 110.3 . ) whose action is not only the first cause in the presence of such a creature , ( as in the gifts of miracles : ) but is specified by the second cause , in the virtue of its proper form suitably to its nature , as a reasonable creature , 2 cor. 6.1 . gods efficiency changeth not the natures of things ; though he rectifieth , and healeth the mind and will morally , yet he altereth not its proper motion or manner of operation naturally . it inclineth its self as freely to the act , and that upon the cogency of reason and judgment , as if there were no such hyperphysical determination thereof by god at all . dut. 30.19 . 3. but as to evil or sinful actions , whereof our question is , such predetermination is destructive to the creature , and inconfident with god's moral government over him : albeit that god's decrees are infrustrable , yet doth not god premove their wills insuperably in and unto the conception and production at such act : more were it for the honour of god , ( if sin dishonoureth him , ) and the good of man his creature , that such acts ar operations of his should for ever abide in their bare potentiality , or that his will should remain in an everlasting indetermination , ( which it 's said that it must , if god determine it not , ) than that it's p●ssibility , should be educed into an actual invasion of the government of god , and affront of his holy majestie ; and then the creature be damned for the same , ( though he could , but sees it not meet to prevent it . ) here it 's necessary , not only that the subject hath no violence offered to it , but that it be not made free nor willing , which is far the worse . if any man should violently snatch me out of ha●mes way , when i was not aware of it , or rescue me from the pit ; i should have no cause to complain of him : but in case any one could reach my elective power , and in●atuate and befool my reason , ( suppose it by fascination , ) and should determine me to the contrivance and execution of some horrid treason , to my destruction ; he should do me more mischief and injury than if he had violently or by force ass●ssinated me , and taken away my life with h●s own hands ; as is obvious to every understanding ; m●re of evil would cleave to me ; and if he were my judge in such in●tance , i know what i could not but say . god himself ●ath declared it a thing to him condecent and just , that in the matter of offence and punishment , his act should be ( if i may so speak ) at the beck and determin●tion of the creature . legisl●tion belongs to god alone ; and deliverance after forfeiture belongs to his prerogative : but that any one becomes an object of his rectoral ju●tice and wrath , god is not the first cause of th●t ; or the predeterminer to those act●ons which involve men under guilt . the judge or king is and must be at the dispose of the subject in a sense , in the execution of the penalty of the law ; not to hang whom he please ; nor yet to make them culpable . such a supremacy over all persons , and in all cases , god abhorreth from , isa . 50.1 . the position directly contrary hereunto , is that which by some is maintained ; namely , that god in eternity did predefine or decree all the sin●ul actions of angels and men. that by his efficiency , which is but the execution of his decree and adequate to it , foregoing the operation of the second cause , he doth in time , by his transient physical influence , predetermine the creature to all such actions ; th●t the necessary dependence of the second cause , or the first , and its essential subordination to it , doth so require , that the habit or fir●t act , and the operation or second act , is the product and effect of such influence of god the first cause , as secundary and subordinate to it , and is ascertained by it ; or that otherwise the decree might suffer disappointment . more particularly ; that the fall of our first parents was fore-dec●eed of god ; and that in execution thereof , substrahendo , by withdraw●ng , or suspending that light and assistance , without which it was imp●ssible for th●m eventually to stand : or efficiendo , by his physical precurse , he determ●ned them thereunto . they affi●m not only the concurse of god enabling them to and in the acts of appetition , of mastication , manducation &c. in eating of the fruit ; but that the disorde●ly modification of the act was primarily from god ; that by his influence and causation , himself did cast the scale of their will , to desire , and to eat of that tree prohibited ( in which , was ye disorder ) rather than any other , ( before free and indifferent , till determined the●●unto , by that energy of his , wh●ch cou●d not but produce the effect ▪ ) yet so , as that no straining or compassion can be dreamed of t●erein ; though in sensu composito considered , as in subordination to the immutable decr●e and efficiency of god , they co●ld do no o●herwise than they did . so for all other the wickedest actions of men ; that all the ine●cations of the flesh , the motus primo primi , all the first machinations of the mind or thoughts , and conceptions of the will , are forged by him , ( as to the sub●rate matter , ) that unto all the hatred of himself , all the lying , cursing , rap●ne , blood , cruelty and confusion in the world , he is the first ●over , the reducer of it out of its bare potentiality into act , its specifier , and predeterminer , as to its existence , and mode of being ; not only the assyrians spoiling and taking the prey , isa . 10.6 . but all his evil meaning , 20.7 . and his saying , that by his strength and wisdom he had done it , v. 13. both habit and act : all that had any thing of entity in it , that n●t only the power of herod , and the exercise thereof unto the taking of a wife was from god ; but in specie and individuo , that he took his brother philip's wife , rather than an other woman he was indeclinably premoved of god , and efficien●ly predetermined by him ; and so in all instances of natural action . this is it which i oppose , and the which now commeth more directly to be considered and argued . 1. the first argument which i shall insist on , for the confut●tion of the doctrine aforesaid , and in maintainance of the position by me before laid down , which is diametrically opposite to it , is this . it maketh god to be the efficient cause , or the author of sin ; ( not a sinner ; for that he is above law , say some , but ) of all that is so in man. the consequence i know is denied by them whom i oppose , yea and the thing disowned ; they will not affirm , nor grant god to be the author of sin , nor do think , that from what they assert , it will unavoidably follow ; whatever odious consequences we fasten upon an opinion in the way of argumentation , we take for grant the contrary . namely , that they who do hold that opinion , do not hold that which we connect with it , or , that which we tell them will follow thereupon . when i endeavour to convince a man of his errour , by reducing him ad incommodum or absurdum , to an inconveniency , or absurdity : i take it for grant that himself accounteth it an absurdity which i would fasten upon him ; or my argument is to him lost . if he agreeth not with me in that which i make use of a● my medium to convince him , ( and there is no man so perfect , but he holdeth contradictions , though he seeth it not ; ) or if he doth not with me more firmly adhere to the tru●h which i take to be contradictory to his errour , my argument , ( which procedeth ex concessis ) will not pinch him at all . here therefore they distinguish of the physical action , and the morality of it ; the acti●n they say is of god , and its existence ; he it is that premoveth , and by his transient physical influence causeth , and efficiently predetermineth men in and unto all their sinful actions ; ( and is the first cause , and determiner in all their omissions ) that he specifieth , and giveth its particular individuation to every such numerical action : but for the anomie or a●axie of it , it 's irregularity ( wherein the formal nature of sin consisteth , its inco●formity to law ) that is a privation , it 's a non ens , or nihil , it h●th no author or efficient cause at all , ( only a deficient cause , or subject rather , ) nor is caused . the action they say , the substrate matter of sin , god causeth or effecteth ; not the obliquity of it ; the act , not the sinfulness ; the former , i. e. the act , they say is ens , it hath an entity or being , and ens & bonum convertuntur , it must necessarily therefore be good , and have god for its authour , who is so of all that is good , &c. but surely ens , & bonum morale , are not convertible terms : every thing that is , is not morally good ; and of metaphysicks we are not disputing . laying aside therefore all philosophical and scholastical subtilties , let us attend to the scriptures , and see whether we can find out what is sin ; and whether it may be said to have any author of it , or no ; and if so , what it is that denominateth any one such in the language of the holy-ghost . sin is either orginal , or actual . original , is either that of adam , or of all mankind in him , rom. 5.12 . which was origo , the first beginning , and spring-head of all sin : or the immediate product thereof , that which though it be not the first s●n or transgression , yet is ab origine congenite , or of the same original with us ; and that is either private , the loss or want of something in debito subjecto , that de jure ought to be in the subject , termed the image of god , gen. 1.26 . ecc. 7.29 . col. 3.10 . or positive , an alienation , or dis-inclination to what the law of god requireth ; and a bi●ss and propension to what it prohibiteth , job . 14.4 . psal . 51.5 . and 58.3 . gen. 6 5. rom. 3.10 . ( which is heightned by continued acts , jer. 13.23 . ) and this is the source and fountain of all other sin. actual sin , is either of omission or commission . the former , is the subject's not exerting , or not coming up to some particular act , which by the law he stood obliged to . the latter , the perpetration of some act , or the doing of some thing , which the law of god forbids to be committed or done , luk. 11.42 . the formal nature of sin in abstracto , is a repugnancy to law or rule ; so the apostle defines it , a transgression of the law , 1 joh. 3.4 . all sin , however distinguished , is such , and for the same reason is sin ; because inconform to the law of god , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , an illegality ; it 's not the object , or circumstance of an act , or intention of the agent in acting , that is the rule or measure of its morality ; but the act or action so modified , is good or evil , as conform or inconform to rule , rom. 4.15 . sin in concreto , is a peccant habit , act , or omission , against law or rule . in it there is nothing more nor less to be considered , but the habit or privation , act or omission of the law ; and the habitude of the former to it . the law , that is good and holy , rom. 7.12 . it 's also index recti & obliqui , the rule and standard of what is right , and what not. god is the authour of that , man of the habit or act deviant from it ; the habitude or relation of sinfulness , stante lege , results from the former act. the formality god is the authour of , in some sense , he constituteth the law ; what action shall be good , what evil , his nature and will giveth it so to be , it 's of him ; but the existence of the act or action discrepant to law , is of man ; god is not the authour or predeterminer of that ; he might not do it , or was not necessitated so to have done it . sin is sometimes in scripture predicated of the soul now depraved ; somtimes of its faculties ; of the understanding , will , and affections ; and sometimes of the body its instrument , as the subject and efficient of it ; so it is of the habit or propension to evil ; and privation of light , and of the contrary inclination to good , ( whereof the soul it self , and its natural faculties , is the substratum , the prime subject of such depravation , and vicious inclination , and in like manner of all sinful omissions or non-agencies ) and of actual sinful commissions , ( the substratum or materiale , the matter whereof is the act it self ) yea , it 's denominated of th●m all in the abstract , eph. 5.8 . rom. 8.7 . ch . 1.29 . let now this irregular warping of the faculties , this crookedness of the habitual frame and inclinations of the soul , and disconformity of its actions , isa . 59.8 . let it , i say , be what it will be , in its precise nature , ens reale rationis , modus entis or modus modi entis ; still it cleaveth to , and is affirmed of the faculty , habit , or act whereof it is the mode , the scriptures throughou● ; and he that determineth , or is determined to an act forbidden , doth , or is so also , to the sin or evil of it , in the judgment of god ; or to the evil action in concreto ; as well to its irregularity , as to the entity of the action : which whilst the law abides , it can never really ( onely by a ment●l precision or abstraction , ) be separated from . put but the fundamentum and terminus , and the relation results . if a man begets a child , the relation of paternity cannot but ●ollow . if the souldiers do not keep their r●nks , or ob●erve not t●eir due and proper motions ; the disorder of the army re●●l●s , and no●e can help it . the winding up or loosing of a string , or physical undue touch or motion of it , will cause an irregularity or discord in music● ; and that by resultancy from it . so , let the habits and propensi●ns ●f the soul be wrong pointed , and its natural actions determ●ned , as to the entity of them , and manner of being , cross to the law of god , ( w●encesoever it be ) and its harmony is de●troyed ; sin results , ne●ther can the guilt of it come any o●her way . he that so acteth , doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , make s●n , joh. 8.34 . sin , it 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a transgression , besides or aga●nst the law , 2 pet. 2.16 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imp●ety , 2 tim. 2.16 . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a deflection from a streight line , rom. 5.14 . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an aberration , or lapse , v. 15. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disobedience , v. 19. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pravity , act. 3.26 . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●●edity or impurit● , mat. 23.27 . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wickedness , act. 8.22 . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , all inju●tice , or deviation from the rule of righteousn●ss , is sin , 1 j●h . 5.17 . the question is , of what all this is denominated ? what it is , that whoever can justly be ch●rged therewith , the g●ilt of all that cleaveth to him ? surely it 's someth●ng re●l , not imaginary onely that it 's spoken of ; it 's as well of habits , as privations ; of act● , as omissions ; and hath an efficient cause , and real foundation , with the entity whereof ; those relative respects are identified , and he that causeth one , causeth both . that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 u●br●dled concupiscence , rom. 7.8 . or the habitual inclination of the whole man to what is prohibited , and d●sclination to what is commanded . it 's termed in scripture , sin ; the body of sin , and law of it , rom. 7.23 . something present , dwelling , and moving in the subject , v. 5.17 . ch . 8.3 . sometimes it 's said to warre , sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to reign , or to lord it ; ( this non-ens , as some will have it , ) let not sin reign in your mortal body , that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof , rom. 6.12 . this our catechizes teach to be a corrupt nature inhering or dwelling in us , pondus a weight , and an operative , effective principle ; an anomalous thing ; yet the fomes peccati , the source and fountain of all actual tran●gression . the natural habit or incl●nation , is quid reale , something real and existent an active quality . it 's the soul , the form , that acteth ; but by the habit it 's disposed to act ; its faculties , and habits or dispositions , are its instruments of action , and concurre subord●nately thereunto . if it inclineth , stands bent , or determined towards what the law forbids , or be pointed repugnantly to rule , it 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evil complexion , habit or co●●●itution of soul ; a leprosie , isa . 1.6 . a running sore upon it , ps . 38.5 . it 's more than a privat●on , it 's a contrary habit to good , a plag●e on ●he heart , hos . 11.7 . inclinatio ad malum & prohibitum reciprocanter , to incl●ne to any act or object that god prohibits , is to encline to moral ev●l , or wickedn●ss ; and such inclination ( of mind , will or afflections , ) or so mod●fied , and determined , is wicked and sinfull ; the entity of it is so mo●ally , ( not physically , ) so is the mi●d its self so affected , act. 14.2 . the will , eph. 2.3 . and aff●ctions , rom. 1.26 . as well as that which proceedeth or cometh our of them : for , from within , out of the heart of men , proceed evil thoughts , adulteries , &c. saith our saviour : all these evil things ; and defile the man , mark. 7.21 , 23. having eyes full of adultery , 2 pet. 2.14 . so for omissions and commissions . omissions ; there is none that calleth upon thy name , that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee , isa . 64.7 . there is none that vnderstandeth , none that seeketh after god , none that doth good , rom. 3.11 , 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ingrateful , 2 tim. 3.2 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without natural affect●on , v. 3. i was an hungred , and ye gave me no meat ; in prison , and ye visited me not , mat. 25.42 . all this is impiety , sin , or unrighteousness . by what th●n doth a man contract the guilt of all , but by a non agency nor non-exertion of some physical act , which the law of god , some affirmative precept requireth ? it results from it . in like manner for commissions ; they are all gone out of the way , rom. 3.12 . their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their tongues they have used deceit , &c. v. 13. this is sin and wickedness . the question is whether sin hath an● efficient , or author , or not ? or if so , what it is to be the author of it ? sin is the transgression of the law , saith the apostle ▪ 1 joh. 3.4 . but he that lieth carnally with another mans wife , or that tak●th away the life of an innocent person , or uncondemned , &c. transgresseth the law , jam. 2.11 . ergò , so to do is sin. the very natural act is such : put but the law , and the act , and it results ; if ye have respect of persons , ye commit sin , and are convinced of the law as transg●essors , v. 9. you are the authours of it . hence such actions receive a new denomination , when illegal . the natural use of woman is lawfull , but that is not called adultery ; so , to take away the life of man in some case ; but that is not termed murder as before . jam. 2.11 . all eating and drinking , is not surfetting and drunkenness ; nor every taking of a purse , theft ; nor saying yea or nay , ly●ng ; but as the question is put , act. 5.8 . the modification then of these natural acts , ( the power whereof is from god , act. 17.28 . ) the specifying and determining them this or the other way , with their relation to god's law , is that which giveth them both name and thing . if a man ●ayeth yea , when by the law of god he ought to say nay , it 's lying , and the physical act sin , or transgression . to pour water , and to baptize in the name of the father , son , and holy-ghost , is no sin , ( yea may be righteousness ; ) but so to do , and say , over a beast , can never be but sin : to name the word devil , is is not alwayes sin ; but to baptize a chri●tian in●o his name , hath a moral malignity in it , that can never by the wit of man be separated from it ; but that he that determineth to the act , doth also to the obliquity of it . hence it is that men are said to hatch and contrive mischief , isa . 59.4 . to do wickedness , gen. 39.9 . or unrighteousness , lev. 19.15 . rom. 1.29 . and to commit sin , ja. 2.9 . ( the abstract for the concrete , ) this , though it may not be good metaphysicks , is found divinity i am sure it 's meant of acts oblique , and thwarting gods law ; termed a working of wi●kedness , 2 king. 21.6 . it 's the act or substratum only that is meant , or that man doth , when he is said to be the authour or worker of sin ; and that he pleaseth himself in , when he is said to take pleasure in unrighteousness , 2 thes . 2.12 . or that his members are serviceable to , when he is said to yield them as instruments of unrighteousness , rom. 6.13 . or that he repents him of , when he is said to repent him of his wickedness , act. 8.22 . and beg pardon for it , psal . 32.2 , 5. or that men are damned for , when they are said to receive the wages of unrighteousness ; and yet surely that is sin , rom. 6.20 , 23. these things hast thou done , psal . 50.21 . and diverse affection : sin hath predicated of it ; ( whereas non entis nulla est affectio ) it 's said to be intended , and remitted ; some to be greater , some less●r sins , and sinners , gen. 15.16 . a wonderfull and horrible thing is committed . jer. 5.30 . and 23.14 . it 's said also to leaven , 1 cor. 5.6 . and its self to be purged out , 2 pet. 1.9 . some to be overcome of it , 2 pet. 2.19 . and others to overcome it , rom. 12.21 . being aware of its deceit , heb. 3.13 . what can all this and the like be affirmed of : but of somewhat that hath entity ? it 's the material , the substrate matter , or subject , the illegal habits , or operations of the soul , that is called sin , and the body of it , rom. 6.6 . yet farther , if sin be a non-ens , nothing , or hath no efficient ; neither is grace any thing , nor hath it god for its authour , nor yet man : this appeareth from the rule of contraries ; contrariorum eadem est ratio . sin and grace , righteousness and unrighteousness are opposed contrarily , ( not privatively in morals ) sub habitu , vel actione morali . they are two contraries meeting sometimes in the same subj●ct , and combating there , gal. 5.17 . as grace , or holiness is an elective habit of the mind and will , or an act imperated of it , commensurate to the law of god : so is vice or sin , in the mind or will , a habit or act deflecting from the same rule ; and in the abstract the deflection ( opposed to commensuration ) is its vitiocity or sinfulness ; and the will of man is the efficient cause of it , of evil equally as of good. errour hath its radication in the mind , as well as truth ; and to be wise to do ev●l , h●th as much of entity in it , as to do good , jer. 4.22 . blindness , darkness , or ignorance is indeed nothing positive . if it be of what the nature of man is incapable of , or was never endowed with ; it 's but simple nescience , a negation only : if of natural things only , the loss of an endowment of mind in the discerning of , and knowledge in and about things not relating to religion , wherein yet manonce had understanding , and was capable of ; it 's a privation ; but no sin , or moral evil. if a man becometh ignorant or nescient in or unto the compassing of what is by the law of god forbidden ; it 's metaphysical evil , ( if i may so term it , ) a privation of something that hath an entity , and with which transcendental good ( the common affection of entity ) is convertible ; but it 's moral good , jam. 3.15 . let not my soul come into their secret , gen. 49.6 . ignorance or darkness in and abo●t the things of god , and of the spirit , be it juris or facti , of the law , or of the adequation of the act to it , 1 tim. 6.5 . isa , 5.20 . if of that which is due and was connate to man to know and understand , it 's a privation ( viz. ) of that , the habit or power whereof was once an humane endowment : ( and the which he is a subject capable of having again retrived , by a supernatural and divine power ) and perfective of man : and its moral evil. the soul or mind of man is the substratum or subject of it , or that that is so deprived : and being destitute of light and truth , it 's ens moraliter malum , a being ethically evil , a depraved faculty , eph , 4.18 . and he that extinguisheth the habit , causeth the privation , and all the evil that ●nsueth , rom. 1.28 . 2 pet. 3.5 . the pravity or sinfulness of the soul , or its faculties , by reason of that privation , is from the law requiring the contrary habit. the formal nature thereof , is its discrepancy and repugnancy to law or rule ; and hath as much of entity in it , as when the fundamentum , the foundation of that relative respect , is quid positivum something positive , as a habit. and the reason of sin is the same , in omissions , and commissions ; the will is culpable in both alike , either efficiently or deficiently ; and the obliquity or illegality of the one , hath as much of positivity in it , as of the other . neither hath righteousness or holiness , the contrary mode of being , any thing more of entity , ( as hath been said ) than sin or unrighteousness ; or is there any more of efficiency to the one than the other . neither sin , nor grace , piety , or impiety can subsist out of any subject , or hang in the air ; inconcreto , & abstracto in that agree . harmony na discord , order and disorder , conformity and disconformity , rectitude and obiquity , righteousness and unrighteousness , have an efficient cause ; and men are said as well to do one , as the other , if we may credit the scriptures , 1 joh. 3. 7 , 10. lev. 19.15 . rom. 6.23 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 uncorruptness , or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sincerity , tit. 2.7 . which is as salt , that rendereth every instance or obedience savoury ; hath no more of positivity in it , than the contrary deceit , corruptness , prevarication , or hypocrisie , of which the former is the negation ; without hypocrisie , isa . 3.17 . 1 pet. 3.4 . that is , upright , in the affirmative . yea , one and the same act or action , every way alike circumstantiated , may and have received either denomination ; sometimes , that of good or righteous , and then again of sinful or unrighteous ; upon the alteration of the law , the standard of righteousness , josh . 7. 20 , 21. and chap. 8.2 . so it was with reference to the ceremonial and judicial law , after the coming of christ . if in lineâ physicâ the jews kept their course , acted and did , what before that they practised ; those same actions were now impious and sinful , that before were pious and good. shall we then think that the goodness and rectitude of the same natural habits and acts , was ens , and had an efficient cause , ( when the law was in force ) but yet that the malignity and obliquity of them was nihil , ( after its repeal , ) and had no cause at all ? what did they more in the one , than in the other ? its too subtile for me to understand . the truth is , he that is the authour or efficient of the act , is the authour or efficient of both . righteousness , or unrighteousness ( streight , or oblique , ) is but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; or habitude of the act , and all its circumstances to law ; and he that doth or causeth the act , doth or causeth righteousn●ss or unrighteousness , ( accordingly as the same act is conform or inconform and cross to the law of god ) and that in a proper sense ; or the scriptures do never treat-of the one or the other properly at all . did not sol●mon king ' of ▪ israel sin by these things ? neb. 13.26 . what hath been said may suffice for the explication of the scriptural notion of sin. to reassume then our former argument , and reduce what hath been before i●sisted on to the case in hand . ( 1 ) as to original sin , originans i mean , that of adam , and ours in him. if our first parents inadvertency , or om●ssion of a due exercise of reason and understanding ; if their eating of the forbidden fruit ; if their los● and depravation of the image of god in knowledge and light necessary to conduct them unto god and holiness ; or their declining from god , and inclination and propension to the flesh-pleasing , contrary to the law of god , was sin ; then accordingly it followeth from our adversaries hyyothesis , that god must be the author of sin : but the antecedent is true : ergò the consequent . the antecedent is proved , gen. 3.6 . what is this that thou hast done ? saith god , v. 13 , 17. 1 tim. 2.14 rom. 5.12 . col. 3.10 . nor can it be denied to be sin. the consequent is evident , in that they make god to be the first cause , and predeterminer of man unto all , in every branch thereof . that adam did not advert , weigh , and better consider the evil and danger of complying with the temptation , was they say from gods withdrawing his influence , and causation from him , as often as man doth not will or act ; he therefore doth it not , say they , because god doth not determine him to it ; and that none-determination , or suspensation of god , meerly of its self , without any positive action inureth to the preventing of all operation of the creature . they affirm , that god did subtract or take away from adam before his fall , that spotless light , and primogenial perfection of his understanding , wherein he was at first created , and and left him so denuded or stript to shift for himself : that moreover god did predefine his lapse or fall , and that in execution of his decree , he did premove , and efficiently , by his physical influx , predetermine his will to the eating of the tree , whereof he commanded him not to eat ; to chuse that rather than the other , and that indeclinably , so as that it was inevitable to him , considered as he stood in subordination to the aforesaid decree , and efficiency of god , and his nec●ssary dependence on him : ( though in sensu diviso , considering him , or his furure act , without the consideration of the decree and efficiency of god , or his dependence upon him in esse & operari , or secluding the foreknowledge of god of all future contingencies , &c. which is impossible : they deny not but that he might possibly have stood , and not have been so predetermined by him , or caused to fall ; ) either i say all that was not sin , nor culpable ; or according to them god was the author of his sin or transgression . so in like manner , ( 2 ) for our personal original sin , ortum i mean , or originatum , that which ab origine we bring into the world with us , job 14.4 . if god be the authour and efficient of our habits or inclinations in the general , and their specifier and determiner , giving them their biass that way they propend or go , namely , contrary to his law , then is he the authour of sin : but according to them who go the way of physical predetermination he , doth the former ; ergò according to them he doth the latter also . the minor is their own assertion , they say that not onely the power of willing , and the radical affections of love and hatred ; but their alienation from the life of god , the habitual pointing and determining them oblique and cross to his law , to the love of the word and flesh-pleasing , and to the hatred of himself , and enmity to his law , both their entity and modification , god is the prime cause and efficient of . he from etern●ty foresaw it , and that in his decree , with which his efficiency runs parallel and even , in all and every creature-effect ; all that hath entity . the connexion or consequence of the major proposition , will not i suppose be denied , namely , that the habitual dis-inclination of the soul to holiness , or propension and incl●nation to acts discrepant to the law of god , ( such as the hatred of god , and avers●tion unto his commands ) is indeed sin , or the law of sin , rom. 8.3.5 . i● then god be the authour and determiner of , or unto that , he is so of sin. the case is still the s●me , as to actual sin , whether of omission , or commission . if god be the cause of mens not hearing the word , reading , praying , omitting , or not exercising of this and the other act which his law commandeth and o●ligeth them unto , causa prohibens , by his suspending or denying that influence of his , without which the creature cannot move or act at all , but is determined to a non-agency ; then is the authour , or is wholly in cause of all s●n against the affirmative commands of his law : but according to our adversaries in this point , he is so : ergo. that the omission of many physical acts is sin cannot be denied , mat. 5.42 . but that god by his non-operation doth predetermine the c●eature un●versally to a not-acting , is their constant doctrine , as ●o all natural acts , ( nor onely as to gracious or truly pious acts , the which we grant in a sense , since man hath disabled himself ) then by undeniable consequence is god the cause , yea the sole cause of such sins ; for man doth nothing at all therein , neither ( according to them ) can do , nor ever could : and that common assertion of divines , wherewith they have been wont to stop the mouths of objectors against the equity of gods procedure with man , for that he cannot do this and that ; namely that man once had power ; is by them exploded as heterodox , and of no use , if this be true . again , if god premoveth and efficaciously by his influence and causation predetermineth men unto the perp●tration of acts repugnant to the negative precepts of his law , such as gluttony , and drunkenness ( not bare eating and drinking ) fornication , adu●tery , incest , and the like ; then is he the authour or predeterminer of sin ; or else those acts are no sins : but god causeth those acts , according to them . man they would have to be the deficient cause , and god the prime efficient . all such acts say they were from eternity future : and that could not be without a cause ; if gods will then , were not it , there must be an effect without a cause ; this they term an insoluble demonstration , that such effects have god for their cause . thence they proceed to argue , that the operation of the second cause , is the effect of the precurse of the first cause , as l●ss worthy , dependent , and subordinate to it , &c. now let any one shew me , how god for instance should premove or excite achan to covet the babylonish garment , the silver and the gold , josh . 7.21 . how he should predetermine him by his physical influence , to will and to do , to take them , and to hide them in the earth , ( which himself acknowledgeth to be sin , v. 20. add for the which doing , or for the passing of which act out of its potentiality into existence , and determination , he died , ) and yet not be the authour or cause of that sin of his : how god should effectually cause that numerical act , but not the ob●iquity of it , the law abiding ; or what achan the secondary instrument did more ; if it be granted but that he was the subordinate author of that wickedness , ( though inevitable to him . ) but enough of that . arg. 2. the aforesaid hypothesis of gods predetermining all sinful actions , reflecteth on the attributes of god ; and therefore is not to be admitted . ( 1 ) it asperseth the essential holiness of god , 1 pet. 1.15 , 16. whil'st he is made to predetermine to , and by his energetical operation to give a shall-be , or determinate existence to all the impious actions conceived , and committed in the world ; yea to actions intrinsecally evil ; not only contrary to the light of our nature , the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to the fundamental principle of reason relating to morals ; but repugnant to its own nature , ( which is regula regulans , ) such as are not so , from the bare will or pleasure of god prohibiting them ; but by resultancy from his nature , and from the eternal reason of the thing , in conjunction with the habitude or relation that we stand in to him ) and which himself cannot alter not change : as , to hate his blessed self , and to lye and blaspheme his holy name , to say in the heart that there is no god , or to curse him . as to such acts or actions , god himself cannot alter the standard which they run cross to , nor can separate their entity from their obliquity , or make them not to be wickedness . and yet this he is said , by those whom i oppose , to predetermine men to , even to those very acts , ( but not to the sinfulness they say . ) more tolerable is the opinion of the manichees , who feigned two gods , one to be the author of evil , and the other of good ; than so to affirm , or to father such actions on the true god. ( 2 ) it impeacheth the legislative righteousness of god , and the equity of his law. it hath been generally taken for granted , that god not only made man with the faculties of reason and free will , without which he had not been a being of such a species or kind as had been capable of any law ; but that also he was furnished with whatever might adapt him to the keeping of that law he should be put under : and that the same was due to him from gods justice or righteousness of condecency , ( as due to his soul , in case he expected obedience from him , ) and that he should be no wayes necessitated to transgress , or obedience be rendred impossible to him , from any cause extrinsecal to himself . now all this the former hypothesis overturneth . where then is the equity of ●he law ? or by what shall the righteousness of god be vindicat●d ? if it be true , which is by them maintained , that god never gave to a man a self-determining power : ( through his assistance , ) that he never made , nor could make such a creature as might or could possibly specify his own acts ; that could chuse or refuse , but as himself first determineth him : that it were a contradiction to suppose it ; for that he must be a god , ( not made after his image ) that doth it : nor could god foresee if it were so , what he would issue in ; nor his supremacy he retained over such a subject ▪ what reason then that man should be obliged by any law , when he can neither will nor chuse in any instance of action , whether this or that shall be or not be ? which is essenti●l to the idea of a subject capable of moral government , and obnoxious to an enquiry about it . yet farther , if man cannot but omit what god efficaciously determineth him not to , but must abide in an everlasting indetermination , why shou●d he by law be obliged to a natural impossibility ? and if god inv●ncibly determineth him unto every action that he doth , by what righteous law should he be ob●iged to be above god , or to be stronger than he ? thus to r●solve all mans wickedness into necessity , is to justifie him , and to condemn god. nemo tenetur ad impossibile . ( 3 ) it reflecteth on the wisdom and counsell of god in the constitution of his law. the law must be rather for himself , than for them , if man cannot nor never could ever put in act the least thought or motion conform , nor inconform to it , but as he predetermineth him . a man might as rationally make a law for his axe , hammer or saw ; for , though his elective power goes along they say with gods precurse or premotion : yet in no instance can he turn this way or the other , but as he is first inclined by the law-giver , and predetermined anteceden●er therein . let the law speak what it will for it , or against it , still the instrument can neither move , nor act otherwise than it doth ; what then meaneth the solemnity of a law ? or to what end should it be designed ? ( 4 ) it impeacheth the fidelity and sincerity of god in his expostulations with men , if nothing be within the verge of their power . why will you die saith he ? ezek. ●8 . signifying his being agrieved at their sin , and ruine thereby . what shall we think of his upbraiding men for it , and protesting he willed the contrary ? o that my people would consider , &c. deut. 5.29 . and 32.29 . isa . 48.18 . jer. 44.4 . psal . 18.13 . mat. 11.20 . and 12.41 . if he himself indeclinably predetermineth them to the very thing which he dehorteth them from , and worketh in them both to will and to do , so as that they can do no otherwise ; no man can form a conception of god , more repugnant to the notions that the scripture hath given us of his nature and properties , if i mistake not ; amos 2 , 11 , 12 , 13. arg. 3. the former hypothesis of physical predetermination , it over-turneth the doctrine of original sin ; and of its traduction . if on the one hand god did substract his gift from adam before he sinned , and deprive him of that light and ability which he once had , and without which he could no longer stand , before any fault or forfeiture of his , ( and so determined him to fall in execution of his decree , as is sometimes said : ) by what rule should his posterity be obliged still to have that , ( which though the nature of man was capable of it , yet was never due to it , and ) which god h●mself took away ? or why should it be termed sin to want it ? when it 's by no fault of his that it 's wanting , nor was it ever by god intended to be continued ? it must be a meer negation , no privation ; since there could not be debitum inessendi , any due obligation of having it , if their supposition be true : no more than is on a beast to reason ; shall the lord and master of the family take the candle out of the room , ( not the servants extinguish it , ) and then make it an offence that they are in the dark , and challenge them for their not working ? or will it solve the matter to tell them that it 's a privation , darkness , a non-entity , and therefore he could not cause it ? so on the other hand , if that which is termed the corrupt nature dwelling in man , be ens as it is a quality or habit , and all that hath entity be the workmanship of god , ( as they say it is ; or else man must have a creative power , and also good : why then do we call it sin , and original sin ? or if it be nihil , a non-entity , how then doth it descend ? how is it traduced , joh. 3.6 . and said to be ours by real inhesion and contagion , as the whole church consesseth ? saith davenant . arg. 4. it staineth the glory of free grace in the pardon of sin , and casteth a blemish upon the whole of the meditation of christ . wha● conviction can possibly possess the mind of man of the riches of gods grace in the pardoning of sin , whilst it 's maintained that the abounding of sinful actions ( not to say sin ) is as well from god , ( the efficient and predeterminer unto them , ) as the superabounding of grace in the remission of them ? rom. 3.7 . and 5.20 ? what sense can abide upon the soul , of the grace of christ , in his being made flesh , and bearing the wrath of god for those tran●gressions , whereof himself as god was the prime efficient , and the which , man by his own influence and causation was indeclinably predetermined unto ? he that shall cause or determine another , ( supposing him a rational agent , and capable of such an impr●ss , ) freely and willingly to do that wh●ch in the issue will prove rottenness in his bones , ( as prohibited , or illegal actions will do , job . 20.11 . psal . 38.5 . ) will receive little thanks for his cure , whatever cost he may be at ; when himself caused the disease , and the which , had he not done it , there had been no need of a remedy for it . arg. 5. if the doctrine of our adversaries be true ; what meaneth then the combating of the spirit of god against sin , or mens being said to grieve , and to quench the spirit ? 1 thes . 5.19 . it must according to th●●r hypothesis be god on both parts ; his own counteraction in the subject . and if all the first motions of the imagination , all distraction in religious duties , all the vain thoughts emerging out the heart of man in their numberless operations be from god , as the first mover and determiner , why then should man be r●quired at his peril to dislodge them ? jer. 4.14 . what is it that he can do ? or should he enterprize the eviction and expulsion of the ataxie or obliquity of them , whilst that god himself keepeth the entity of them in possession , and in actual operation ? deut. 15.9 . arg. 6. it layeth the axe to the root of all repentance for what is done and past : it raseth the foundation thereof , and excludeth the very idea of it . a man may bewail impreventable disaster ; but cannot prevent him , of that which he could never have helped , 2 cor. 7.11 . i appeal to the sense of any man living , whether his heart be wont to reproach him , for the doing of that wherein he was no way wanting to himself , or for that , the which were it to do again , must be done , and could be no otherwise , on no account whatsoever within his power , now , nor ever before . if man by the necessity of his being , and from the exigency of his condition , as a dependent being , cannot move , save that way he is premoved ; and cannot but act that way that he is predetermined or acted ; why then , when he sees the event , should he wish it were undone , and repent him that he did it ; or not rather that god did it , if that be true ? repentance is not founded in the obediential subjection of the creature , namely , that god could have caused him to do otherwise ; or barely in the capacity of the subject to receive such an impress from the first cause ; but on the evitability of the fact , or possibility of the contrary , from a principle intrinsick and connate to himself . yea , who or where is the man , that dare go to god in prayer , with such a notion in his head , and hold to it , that he is not to confess that he could have done more good , and omitted more evil , than eventually he hath ? neh. 9.16 , 17 , 26 , 29. ezra . 9.10 , 14. had not david just cause to repent him of his lye that he told to abimelech , 1 sam. 21.2 . and to acknowledge it a preventable act , ( which is the sole aggravation of s●n , and true reason of it , though all sin is not now preventable , as some is : ) though i know not why or how he should so do , were it true which is by some affirmed , that in linea physicâ to the entity of the act he was predetermined of god , to speak every word and syllable that he did , ( whereof there was never a one true , ) equally as in the using of his tongue in the pra●sing of his name . arg. 7. it leaveth not the least foundation , whereupon to bottom gods judicial process against man in the day of judgment . to resolve mans damnation into meer dominion and sovereignty , is abhorrent to god , and cross to all scripture . nor is there any thing more repugnant to the notions of justice and righteousness , ( which are the attributes of god to be displaied towards all that shall then be cast , or peri●h , rom. 3.5 . 2 thes . 1.5 . ) than that he should be thought to adjudge his creature to endless torment , for that which it could never help ; or that he shou●d make that a crime , which himself was the authour or cause of , or predet●rmined it to . is god vnrighteous when he taketh vengeance ? absit , god forbid , saith the apostle : how then shall he judge the world ? rom. 3.6 . god may bestow freely his mercy and special favour where he pleases : but not so the effects of his vindictive justice and wrath ; there must be cause for it , or it were not becoming his righteousness , and holiness ; it were a wrong and injustice to the creature , as himself doth adm●t , and is willing to render accountable to any one that shall challenge him therein , ezek 18.25 , 29. isa . 5.3 . now , it 's matter of fact that the inquest shall be about , in the day of our account , mat. 25.25 , 30 , 35. rom. 3.6 . 1 pet. 1.17 . the substratum of sin , ( the same , as in all humane courts of judicature . ) if then god be the efficient cause of the fact , if he premoveth men , and predetermineth them to the entity , and giveth a futurition , and existence to their acts of murder , adultery , &c. rendering them necessary necessitate causali & motiva : on what foot of account then shall we fix the equity of his tak●ng vengeance on them for the same ? shall not the judge of all the earth do right ? should a judg so proceeding , be like unto god ? vvhat colour of justice were there ? or of meerness in the recompence ? heb. 2.2 . arg. 8. the predeterminant hypothesis , it shaketh the foundation of revelation , the authority of the scriptures , the rule of gods judgment . it maketh god the suggester of lyes , as well as of truth : then did not the false prophets deceive the people , when they said , thus saith the lord , jer. 23.17 . ( for it was ens , ) and yet god himself saith , that it was the vision of their own heart , and not from him , v. 16. the question is , what according to them , god did more in the inspiration of the true prophets , than in the false , in linea physica as they speak ? arg. 9. if god predetermineth all the operations of man , as is affrmed , there is no reason nor foundation left for civil government , oeconomical or political . it were not only ludicrous ; but highly injurious . it were a horrid thing for man not to be aware of it , ( whatever god might do , as they say ) humane lawes do presuppose the lapse , or disablement of man , and with one consent it 's agreed , that no man shall be put to the loss of his life , or member penally for omitting , or doing ought , that is not within reach of humane power to determine concerning ; if all the world be not cheated therein . what man should be so irrational as to reprove or correct child or servant , ( yea his beast , ) for that which in good earnest he stands convinced that he could not prevent ? the fact , or omition i mean , not the anomie only , which results from the same ? plain people understand well enough what i say , mat. 21.29 , 30. arg. 10. it denieth to man his essential nature , and specifick form , ( the natural image of god , in genere physico , wherein he was made , gen. 9.6 . ) which is to have dominion over his own acts ; a power of willing , or nilling , this , or the contrary ( in such sense as hath been opened . ) what is a natural faculty or active power , but an ability connate to the subject , ( founded in nature , ) rendering it potent to such an effect ? actually so , or , that it may and can reduce into act ? voluntas nostra , nec voluntas esset , nisi esset in nostra potestate ; porrò quia est in nostra potestate libera est , saith augustine . yea the former hypothesis debaseth man beneath the whole creation of god. it 's not denied but that in the virtue of their first qualities , and active principles , ( supposing the general concurse of god , ) other creatures can operate ; the fire can heat , and vvater cool , and they specifie their operation also by virtue of their proper forms , ( not that the first cause is hot , or maketh hot in the presence of the one , and cold in the presence of the other . ) by ingrafture , or inoculation , man may specifie the active influence of the first cause , of what nature it shall give the fruit of such a stock to be ; never to be altered without a miracle . and better were it to move necessarily as the stone downwards , or fire upwards , than to be moved universally like a clock or an engine , ( not in all points ; but as to the effect , without an intrinsick power unto the contrary event , ) especially in a matter of offence and punishment , ( of which our question is , and ) with which a natural necessity is by all men granted inconsistent , and would totally excuse . but what needeth to add any more ? finally , the aforesaid notion is not only subversive of all religion , policie and humanity , in its genuine consequents , as is before proved , if i be able to judge ; but it 's expresly repugnant to several plain texts of scripture ; as , to name no more , 1 john. 2.16 . all that is in this world , ( as the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eyes , and the pride of life , ) is not of the father , ( not the existence of them , ) but is of this world ; or of the devil , john 8.44 . who is a lyer , and when he speaketh a lye , saith our saviour , speaketh de suo of his own , is the author of it . so jam. 1.13 , 14. let no man say that he is tempted of god to evil. but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust ; that is an entity yet sin , and the conceiver of it , both father and mother of that which when it hath finished , bringeth forth death : opposed to grace , which is from above , v. 17. chap. 3.15 , 17. psal . 7.14 . jer. 7.31 . the lord give us understanding herein , and a due sense thereof upon our souls . w.m. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a52204-e10 psal . 137.7 . neh. 4 . 1● . how to do good to many, or, the publick good is the christians life directions and motives to it, intended for an auditory of london citizens, and published for them, for want of leave to preach them / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 121 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 28 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26939 wing b1283 estc r5487 11893224 ocm 11893224 50467 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26939) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 50467) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 53:6) how to do good to many, or, the publick good is the christians life directions and motives to it, intended for an auditory of london citizens, and published for them, for want of leave to preach them / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [6], 48 p. printed for rob. gibs ..., london : 1682. errata: p. [5] reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng citizenship. christian ethics. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-09 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion how to do good to many : or , the publick good is the christians life . directions and motives to it . intended for an auditory of london citizens , and published for them , for want of leave to preach them . by richard baxter . tit. 2. 14. who gave himself for us , that he might redeem us from all iniquity , and purifie to himself , a people zealous of good works . london , printed for rob. gibs at the ball in chancery lane , 1682. the contents . gal. 6. 10. doct. to do good to all men is all mens duty , to which every christian especially must apply himself . i. who this all meaneth , and in what order , p. 4. ii. what is the good that we must do , p. 5. iii. the rules for judging and doing good , p. 5. iv. what qualifications are necessary hereto ? 1. to know good from evil , p. 6. 2. to love all men , p. 8. 3. to love many and the common good above himself , p. 9. 4. to be good himself , p. 10. 5. suitable abilities . 6. a large prospect of the world , and of time to come . 7. christian fortitude against discouragement . 8. to look to god for his reward , p. 11. and finally believe the life to come . the impediments of doing good , p. 12. v. particular good works , or directions for publick good . i. do as much good as you can to mens bodies , in order to the good of souls , p. 15. ii. promote knowledge of necessary truth . 1. set up reading schools . 2. give bibles and good books , p. 16. iii. order families aright , and educate children for christ , p. 18. iv. promote a faithfull ministry . 1. devote not your children to the ministry , that are unqualified , p. 18. 2. let honest rich men buy presentations . the difference between good and bad pastors , p. 19. v. keep order and discipline in particular churches , p. 20. vi. promote love and concord with all that deserve to be called christians , p. 21. who those are , p. 22. vii . do your best to keep up sound religion in the parish churches , and do nothing to deprave or lose it there , p. 24. viii . see that no injuries tempt you into sedition or unlawful wars : what is lawful : patiently trust god ; and cut not the infant of deliverance out of the womb , before his time of birth , p. 25. ix . do your best to procure faithful and just rulers ? what private men may do : the great difference between good rulers and bad , p. 30. x. know publick sins and dangers to oppose them , p. 31. xi . know your duty to your neighbours , and be not strange to them . xii . be such as you would make others , p. 31. use of exhortation to do good : cavils refuted : motives to do good to many , p. 33. specially to magistrates and ministers , p. 35. consectaries . 1. a selfish fleshly life is the state of hypocrites , p. 38. 2. how carefully should we take heed of doing hurt , p. 39. 3. it s not enough to leave others to do good by our last wills. 4. yet dying men should do what good they can by their wills , p. 39. leaving great estates to children who are like to do hurt with them , or no good , but live in idleness and fulness , proved a great sin , and the objections answered , p. 40. 5. humbly proposed to merchants and rich men , 1. whether our factories might not be made more useful to promote the gospel , by chaplains and factors ? 2. whether armenians , greeks , and mofcovites might not be helpt ? and how ? 3. might not more be dove for the natives in our plantations ? 4. or at last for the blacks that are their slaves , p. 45. 6. the great opposition to good in all the world by satan and his servants , the more obligeth all christs servants to seek to over do them , and to be zealous of good works , p. 46. errata . page 1. blot out [ 1 ] before gal. 6. pa. 26. 1. 15 for [ cold ] read [ gold ] pa. 23. 1. 31. for [ with ] read [ within ] to the truly christian merchants and other citizens of london . as my disease and the restraint of rulers seem to tell me that my pulpit work is at an end , so also my abode among you , or in this world cannot be long . what work i have lived for , i have given the world more durable notice than transient words : it hath been such as men in power were against , and it seems will no longer indure . what doctrine it was that i last prepared for you , i thought meet to desire the press thus to tell you , not to vindicate my self , nor to characterize them , who think , that it deserves six months imprisonment ; but to be in your hands a provocation and direction for that great work of a christian life , which sincerely , done , will prepare you for that safety , joy , and glory , which london , england , or earth will not afford ; and which men or devils cannot take from you . when through the meritorious righteousness of christ , your holy love and good works to him in his brethren shall make you the joyful objects of that sentence , come ye blessed inherit the kingdom , &c. this is the life that need not be repented of , as spent in vain . dear friends , in this farewel , i return you my most hearty thanks , for your extraordinary love and kindness to my self , and much more for your love to christ ; and to his servants , who have more needed your releif . god is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love : you have visited those that others imprisoned , and fed those that others brought into want ; and when some ceased not to preach for our affliction , it quenched not your impartial charity . it hath been an unspeakable mercy unto me almost all my dayes , ( when i received nothing from them ) to have known so great a number as i have done of serious , humble , holy , charitable christians : in whom i saw that christ hath an elect peculiar people , quite different from the brutish , proud , hypocritical , malignant , unbeleiving world ! o how sweet hath the familiarity of such been to me , whom the ignorant world hath hated ! most of them are gone to christ : i am following : we leave you here to longer tryal : it s like you have a bitter cup to drink : but be faithful to the death , and christ will give you the crown of life . the word of god is not bound ; and the jerusalem above is free , where is the general assembly of the first born , an innumerable company of angels , the spirits of the just made perfect , with christ their glorified head. the lord guide , bless , and preserve you . how to do good to many : or , the publick good is the christians life , &c. 1 gal. 6. 10. as we have therefore opportunity , let us do good to all men , especially unto them who are of the houshold of faith. good is an epithite of the highest signification of any , in humane language . some think the name god is thence derived . greatness and wisdom are equally his attributes , but goodness is the completion , and sweetest to the creature . christ appropriateth it to god , to be good , that is , essentially , primarily , and perfectly , and universally communicative : when it is said that god is love , the sense is the same , that he is the infinite , essential , and efficiently , and finally amiable , perfect good. but tho no one of his attributes in propriety and perfection are communicable ( else he that hath one part of the deity must have all ) yet he imprinteth his similitude and image on his works : and the impress of his love and goodness is the chief part of his image on his saints : this is their very holyness : for this is the chief part of their likeness to god , and dedication to him , when the spirit of sanctification is described in scripture , as given upon believing , it signifieth , that our faithful perception of the redeeming , saving love of god in christ , is that means which the spirit of christ will bless , to the operating of the habit of holy love to god and man , which become a new and divine nature to the soul , and is sanctification it self , and the true principle of a holy evangelical conversation . and as it is said of god , that he is good and doth good , so every thing is enclined to work as it is : christ tells us the good , tree will bring forth good fruits , &c. and we are gods workmanship created in christ jesus to good works , which god hath ordained , that we should walk in them , eph. 2. 10. yet man doth not good as the sun shineth , by a full bent of natural necessitation , else the world would not be as it is : but as a free undetermined agent , which hath need to be commanded by a law , and stirr'd up by manifold motives , and exhortations ; such as the holy ghost here useth in the text. where 1. doing good is the substance of the duty : 2. men are the objects : 3. to all men is the extent : 4 , especially to them of the houshold of faith , is the direction for precedency : 5. and while we have opportunity is the season , including a motive to make haste . so large and excellent a theme would require more ; than my allotted time to handle it fully : therefore i shall now confine my self to the duty extended ; do good to all men . doct. to do good to all men is all mens duty , to which every christian especially must apply himself . all men should do it : true christians can do it , through grace , and must do it , and will do it . a good man is a common good : christs spirit in them is not a dead or idle principle . it makes them in there several measures the salt of the earth , and the lights of the world : they are fruitful branches in the true vine . every grace tendeth to well doing , and to the good of the whole body , for which each single member is made . even hypocrites , as wooden legs , are serviceable to the body , but every living member much more , except some diseased ones , who may be more troublesome , and dangerous than the wooden leg. it 's a sign he is a branch cut off and withered , who careth little for any but himself . the malignant diabolist hateth the true and spiritual good : the ignorant know not good from evil : the erroneous take evil for good , and falshood for truth . the slothful hypocrite wisheth much good , but doth but little : the formal ceremonious hypocrite extols the name and image of goodness : the worldly hypocrite will do good if he can do it cheaply , without any loss or suffering to his flesh : the libertine hypocrite pleadeth christs merits against the necessity of doing good , and looketh to be saved because christ is good , tho he be barren and ungodly ; and some ignorant teachers have taught them to say , when they can find no true faith , repentance , holiness , or obedience in themselves , that it is enough to believe that christ believed and repented for them , and was holy and obedient for them . he was indeed holy and obedient for penitent believers ; not to make holiness and obedience unnecessary to them , but to make them sincerely holy and obedient to himself , and to excuse them from the necessity of that perfect holiness and obedience here , which is necessary to those that will be justified by the law of works or innocency . thus all sorts of bad men have their oppositions to doing good ; but to the sincere christian it is made as natural : his heart is set upon it : he is created and redeemed and sanctified for it ; as the tree is made for fruit. he studieth it as the chief trade and business that he liveth for . he waketh for it : yea , he sleepeth and eateth and drinketh for it ; even to enable his body to serve his soul , in serving that lord , whose redeemed peculiar people are all zealous of good works , tit. 2. 14. the measure of this zeal of doing good , is the utmost of their power , with all their talents , in desire and sincere endeavour : the extent of the object is to all ( tho not to all alike ) that is to as many as they can . but for order sake we must here consider . 1. who this all meaneth , and in what order . ii. what is good : and what is that good which we must do . iv. what qualifications he must have that will do good to many . iii. what rules he must observe in doing it . v. what works are they that must be done by him that would do good to many . vi. what motives should quicken us to the practice . vii . some useful consectaries of the point . i. it is gods prerogative to do good to all ; mans ability will not reach to it . but our all is , as many as we can do good to . 1. to men of all sorts : high and low , rich and poor . old and young : kindred , neighbours , strangers , friends , enemies , good and bad ; none excepted that are within our power . 2. not to a few only , but to as many persons of all sorts as we can : as he that hath true grace would still have more for himself ; so he that doth good would feign do more good ; and he that doth good to some would fain do good to many more . all good is progressive , and tendeth toward increase and perfection ; why are the faithful said , to love and long for the day of christs appearing ; but because it is the great marriage day of the lamb , when all the elect shall be perfected in our heavenly society ? and that makes it a much more desirable day than that of our particular glorification at death . the perfection of the whole body addeth to the perfection of every part : for it is a state of felicity in perfect love. and love maketh every mans good whom we love , to be as sweet to us as our own ; yea , maketh it our own . and then the perfection and glory of every saint , will be our delight and glory : and to see each single ones love united in one perfect joy and glory , will add to each persons joy and glory . and can you wonder if our little sparks of grace do tend towards the same diffused multiplication ; and if every member long for the compleating of the body of christ ; o how much will this add to every faithful christians joy ? it will not be then a little flock ; not despised for singularity ; nor hid in the crowd of impious sinners , nor dishonoured by infirmities , or paltry quarrels among our selves , nor with the mixture of hypocrites : it will not be over-voted or trod down and persecuted by the power , or number of the ignorant enemies : o christians , go on in doing good to all men with chearfulness ; for it all tendeth to make up the body of christ , and to prepare for that glorious state and day : every soul you convert , every brick that you lay in the building tendeth to make up the house and city of god. but as all motion and action is first upon the nearest object , so must ours ; and doing good must be in order : first we must begin at home with our own souls and lives , and then to our nearest relations , and friends , and acquaintance , and neighbours , and then to our societies , church and kingdom , and all the world . but mark that the order of execution , and the order of estimation and intention differ . tho god set up lights so small as will serve but for one room , and tho we must begin at home , we must far more esteem and desire the good of multitudes , of city and church and commonwealth ; and must set no bounds to our endeavours , but what god and disability set . ii. but what is that good that we must do ? good is an attribute of being ; and is its perfection , or well-being : gods goodness is perfection it self : and as he is the fountain of being , so also of goodness ; and therefore his goodness is called love , whose highest act is his essential self-love , which is infinitely above his love to the world ; but yet it is communicative love ; which made all things good , and rested in seeing them all good . and as he is the fountain , so the same will or love is the measuring rule , and the end of all derived good . the prime notion of the creatures goodness is its conformity to the will of god : but the second is its own perfection as its own , which indeed is but the same conformity . therefore the true good which we must do men , is to make them conformable to the regulating will of god , that they may be happy in the pleased will of god ; and to help them to all means for soul and body necessary hereunto : and this for as many as possibly we can . iii. the rules for judging and doing good are these . 1. that is the greatest good which is gods greatest interest : and his interest is his glory and the complacence of his fulfilled will. 2. therefore the good of the world , the church , of nations , of multitudes , is greater than the good of few . 3. the good of the soul is greater than of the body . 4. the avoiding the greatest evil is better than avoiding less . 5. everlasting good is better than short . 6. universal good which leaveth no evil , is better than a particular good . 7. that is the best good as to means which most conduceth to the evil : 8. there is no earthly good that is not mixt with some evil , nor any commodity that hath not some inconvenience or discommodity . 9. no sin must be done for any good . 10. some things may be done for good , which would be sin , were it not for the good which they are done for . it would be sin to give a robber your mony , were it not to save your life , or some other commodity : it would be sin to do somethings on the lords day , which necessity or a greater good may make a duty : your own defence may make it a duty to strike another , which else would be a sin . 11. in such cases there is need of great prudence , and impartiality to know whether the good or the evil do preponderate : and a great part of the actions of our lives must be managed by that prudence , or else they will be sinful . 12. therefore it is no small part of a ministers duty , to counsel men , as a wise , skilful and faithful casuist . iv. to do good to many requireth many excellent qualifications : this is so far from being every ones performance , that we should be glad if a great part of mankind did not do more hurt than good . 1. he that will do his country good , must know what is good , and what is bad : a fools love is hurtful : he knoweth not how to use it : he will love you to death ; as an unskilful physitian doth his most beloved patients : or love you into calamity , as amorous fondlings oft do each other . this is the great enemy of humane peace : men know not good from evil : like him that kild his son , thinking he had been a thief , or like routed soldiers , that run by mistake into the army of the enemy . malignity and errour make mad and doleful work in the world , and worst in those that should be wisest , and the greatest instruments of publick good : the scripture mistaketh not , which tells us of enemies and haters of god : and most of the world are professed adversaries to christ : the jews crucified him as an enemy to caesar , and to the safety of their law and country : and if we may judge by their enmity to holiness , the spirit of christ is taken for an intolerable enemy , by no small part of nominal christians : the laws of christ are judged too strict : the hypocrites that bow to him , and hate his laws , do call them hypocrites , that are but serious in the practice of christianity , and hate them that have any more religion than complements , ceremony , and set words : the image of a christian and a minister is set up in militant opposition to them that are christians and ministers indeed : if men that are called to the sacred office , would save souls in good earnest , and pull them out of the fire , and go any further than pomp and stage-work , they pass for the most insufferable men in the world : elias is taken for the troubler of israel , and paul for a pestilent seditious fellow , and the apostles as the off-scouring of all things : many a martyr hath died by fire , for seeking to save men from the fire of hell : and when the bedlam world is at this pass , what good is to be expected from such men ? when men called christians hate and oppose the god , the christ , the holy ghost , to whom they were vowed in baptism ; when drunkenness and whoredom , and perjury and lying , and all debauchery is taken for more friendly and tolerable , than the most serious worship of god , and obedience to his laws , and avoiding sin : in a word , when the greatest good is taken for unsufferable evil , you may know what good to expect from such . they will all tell you that we must love god above all , and our neighbours as our selves ; but to fight against his word and worship and servants , is but an ill expression of their love to god : and seeking their destruction , because they will not sin , is an ill expression of love to their neighbours . when men , judge of good and evil , as satan teacheth them , and as selfish pride and worldly interest incline them , what wonder if such love have murdered 30000 or 40000 at once in france and 200000 in ireland , and have filled the christian world with religious blood ? read but the doleful histories of church contentions for 1300 years , the stories of their wars and mutual persecutions , the streams of blood that have been shed in east and west , the inquisitions and bloody laws still kept up , and all this as good works , and done in love , and you would think that the sacred roman hierarchy did believe that christ hath put down the legal sacrificing of beasts , that he might instead of it have the blood of men ; and that he who requireth his disciples to lay down their lives for him , would have a priesthood kept up to sacrifice their lives to him , that will not wilfully break his laws . and all this is but as christ foretold us , that his servants should be kill'd as a piece of service to god. no wonder if such men offer god a ludicrous mimical sort of service , and worship him in vain by heartless lip-labour , according to the traditions of men , when they dare sacrifice saints to the lord of saints , and quiet their consciences by calling them such as they are themselves . but to the honour of goodness , and the shame of sin , to shew that they sin against the light of nature it self , they put the name of evil upon good , before they dare openly oppose and persecute it ; and they put the names of good upon evil before they dare defend and justifie it . but alas ! it is not only the ungodly that do mischief , thinking verily that it is good : how many doth the church suffer by , while they prosecute their mistakes , who yet do much good in promoting the common truth which christians are agreed in ? 2. he that will do good to all or many , must have an unfeigned love to them . hatred is mischievous , and neglect is unprofitable : love is the natural fountain of beneficence : love earnestly longeth to do good , and delighteth in doing it . it maketh many to be as one , and to be as ready to help others , as each member of the body is to help the rest . love maketh anothers wants , sufferings , and sorrows to be our own : and who is not willing to help himself ? love is a principle ready , active , ingenious and constant : it studieth to do good , and would still do more : it is patient with the infirmities of others , which men void of love do aggravate into odiousness , and make them their excuse for all their neglects , and their pretence for all their cruelties . could you make all the slanderers , backbiters , revilers , despisers , persecuters , to love their neighbours as themselves , you may easily judge what would be the effect ; and whether they would revile , or prosecute , or imprison , or ruine themselves , or study how to make themselves odious , or suborne perjured witnesses against themselves . 3. yea , he that will do good to many , must love many better than himself , and preferre the common-good much before his own , and seek his own in the common-welfare . he that loveth good as good , will best love the best . and an honest old roman would have called him an unworthy beast , that preferred his estate or life before the common welfare . to be ready to do , suffer or die for their country , was a vertue which all extolled . a narrow-spirited selfish man will serve others no further , than it serveth himself , or at least will stand with his own safety or prosperity . he will turn as the weathercock , and be for them that are for his worldly interest . i confess that god oft useth such for common good : but it is by raising such storms as would sink them with the ship , and leaving them no great hope to escape by being false ; or by permiting such villanies as threaten their own interest . a covetous father may be against gaming and prodigality in his children : the men of this world are wise in their generation : many that have abby lands will be against popery . and even atheists and licentious men may be loth to be slaves to politick priests , and to come under confession , and perhaps the inquisition : and those that have not sinned themselves into madness or gross delusions , will be loth to set up a forieign jurisdiction , and become the subjects of an unknown priest , if they can help it . god often useth vice against vice , and if no worldly selfish men were the countries or the churches helpers , it must suffer or trust to miracles . but yet there is no trust to be put in these men , further than their own interest must stand or fall with the common good : if god and heaven and conscience be not more powerful with a man than worldly interest , trust him not against the stream and tide , or when he thinks he can make a better bargain for himself . he that will sell heaven and christ for the world , will sell you for it , and sell his country for it , and sell religion , truth and honesty for it . and if he scape here the end of achitophel and judas , he will venture on all that 's out of sight . christ was the grand benefactor to the world , and the most excellent teacher of love and self-denyal and contempt of the world , to all that will follow him in doing good to many . 4. he that will do much good must be good himself : make the tree good if you would have good fruit . operari sequitur esse . a bad man is an enemy to the greatest good that he should do . malignity abhorreth serious piety , and will such promote it ? if elias be a man of miracles , he shall hear , hast thou found me , o my enemy : and michaiah shall hear , i hate him , for he prophesieth not good of me but evil . feed him with the bread and water of affliction . and a bad man , if by accident he be engaged for a good cause , is still suspected by those that know him : they cannot trust him , as being a slave to lust and to strong temptations , and a secret enemy to the true interest of his country . alas ! the best are hardly to be trusted far , as being lyable to miscarry by infirmity , how little then is to be hoped for from the wicked ? 5. he that will do much good in the world , must be furnished with considerable abilities : especially prudence , and skill in knowing , when , and to whom , and how to do it . without this he will do more harm than good : even good men when they have done much good , by some one miscarriage , tempted by the remnants of selfishness and pride , and by unskilful rashness , have undone all the good they did , and done as much hurt as wicked enemies . there goeth so much to publick good , and so many snares are to be avoided , that rash self-conceited half-witted men do seldom do much , unless under the conduct of wiser men . 6. he that will be a publick blessing to the world , must have a very large prospect , and see the state of all the world , and foresee what is like to come . he must not live as if his neighbourhood were all the land , or his country , or his party were all the church , or all the world. he must know what relation all our actions have to other nations , and to all the church of christ on earth : the want of this universal prospect involveth many in censorious and dividing sects , who would abhor that way , if they knew the case of all the church and world . and we must not look only to a present exigent or advantage , but foresee how our actions will look hereafter , and what changes may put them under other judgments , and what the fruits may be to posterity . many things cause death which give the patient present ease . 7. he that will do good to many , must have christian fortitude , and not be discouraged with difficulties and opposition : he must serve god for the good of men with absolute resolution , and not with the hypocrites reserves : he must be armed with patience against , not only the malice of enemies , but the ingratitude of friends : the follies , and quarrels , and mutinies and divisions , and often the abuses of those that he would do good to , must not overcome him . he must imitate god , and do good to the evil , and bless those that curse him , and pray for them that despightfully use him : he must not promise himself more success than god hath promised him ; nor yet despair and turn back discouraged : but conscience must carry him on to the end through all , whatever shall befal him . 8. therefore he must look for his reward from god , and not expect too much from man. men are insufficient , mutable and uncertain : their interests and many accidents may change them . the multitude are of many minds and tempers ; and if you please some , you shall displease others . and it is hard to please even one person long . some great ones will not be pleased , unless you will prefer their wills before the will of god , your countries good and your own salvation : the poor are so many and so indigent , that no man can answer their desires ; if you give twenty pound to twenty of the poor , forty or an hundred , that expected the like , will murmure at you and be displeased . what man ever did so much good in the world , as not to be accused by some , as if he were a covetous or a hurtful man. therefore he that will do much good , must firmly believe the life to come , and must do that he doth , as the work of god , in obedience to him , and look for his reward in heaven , and not as the hypocrite in the praise of men , much less as the worldling in the hope of temporal advantage : he must not wonder if he be rewarded as socrates was at athens ; and as christ and his apostles were in the world : themistocles likened himself to a great fruit tree , which men run for shelter under in a storm , and when the storm is over they throw stones and cudgels at it , to beat down the fruit . reckon not on a reward from men , but from god. by what is said you may perceive what are the great impediments of doing good to many , which must be overcome . i. one , and the worst , is malignity , which is an enmity to spiritual good : for who will promote that which he is against ? ii. another is unbelief of gods commands and promises ; when men take not themselves to be his subject and stewards , nor can take his promise for good security for their reward . iii. another is the forementioned sin of selfishness , which makes a mans self to be his chiefest love and care , and more to him than christs interest , or the church or kingdom . iv. another is a false conceit that a man is so obliged to provide for his children and kindred , that all that he can get , how rich soever he be , must be left to make them rich , except some inconsiderable pittance . v. another is the great neglect of parents to prepare their children to be profitable to the commonwealth , but only to live in prosperity to themselves . 1. children should be taught as much as may be , to become persons of understanding , and such wisdom as may make them useful . 2. and especially to be truly religious : for then they will be devoted to do good , in love and obedience to god. 3. they should be taught what it is to be members of societies , and what duty they owe to church and state , and how great a part of their duty lyeth in careing for the common good , and how sinful and damnable it is to live only to themselves ; and how much this selfishness is the sum of all iniquity . 4. those callings should be chosen for them which they are fittest for , and in which they may do most publick good . vi. and a timerous cowardly disposition , is a great hinderance to publick good : for such will be still for the self-saving way , and afraid of the dangers that attend the greatest duties : if they are called to liberality , they will fear lest they should want themselves : in all costly or hazardous duty , there will still be a lyon in their way . they cannot trust god , and no wonder then if they are not to be trusted themselves . vii . lastly , sloth and idleness are constant enemies to well doing . there are two sorts especially guilty of this ; one and the better is some religious people , who think that their business is only with god and their own hearts , and that if they could spend all their time in meditation , prayer and such like exercises , it would be the best kind of life on earth : among the papists multitudes by this conceit turn fryars and nun's . among us such spend all their time , in hearing sermons , and in reading , and meditating and prayer , and such like exercises of religion towards god , if they are but rich enough to live without bodily labour : and the example of mary and martha , they think will make this good . i know that this is no common error . the wicked are of a far different mind . and i know no man can do too much to save his soul : but we may do one sort of our work too much to the neglect of other parts . we have souls in flesh , and both parts have their proper necessity and work : mary did somewhat else than hear , tho she wisely preferred it in its season . and no one is made for himself alone : you feel that religious exercises do you good : but what good is it that you do to others ? i confess a monks prayers for others is a good work : but god will have praying and endeavouring go together , both for your selves and others . bare praying god to relieve the poor and to teach your children , and instruct the ignorant , will not excuse you from relieving , teaching or instructing them : yea , and your own good will best come in by your fullest obedience to god : do what he bids you , and he will take care of your salvation : your own way may seem best , but will not prove best : it will but cast you into melancholy and disability at last ; six days shalt thou labour , is more than a permission . it s saint paul's canon , he that will not work ( if able ) let him not cat . and it was king solomons mother who taught him the description of a virtuous woman , prov. 31. she eateth not the bread of idleness , ver . 27. god will have mercy and obedience as better than sacrifice . the sentence in judgment is , upon doing good to christ in his members ; mat. 25. when many that heard much and prophesied shall be cast out , mat. 7. 21. doing good is the surest way of receiving good . the duties of the first , and second table , must go together . he that is not zealous to do good as well as to get good , hath not the peculiar nature of christs flock , tit. 2. 14. and zeal will be diligent and not for sloth . 2. the other sort of the idle are rich , ungodly , worldly persons , who live as if god did give them plenty , for nothing but to pamper their own flesh , and feed their own and others sensuality : they think that persons of wealth and honour may lawfully spend their time in idleness : that is , in sodoms sin , ezek. 16. 49. as if god expected least where he giveth most . how little conscience do many lords and ladies make of an idle hour or life ? when poor mens labour is such as tendeth to the common good ; the rich by luxury , sacrifice to the flesh the fruits of other mens endeavours ; and instead of living in any profitable employment , devour that which thousands labour for . it is not the toilsome drudgery of the vulgar , which we take to be all rich folks duty . but idleness and unprofitableness is a sin in the richest : any of them may find good work enough that's sit for them , if they be willing . children , and servants , and friends , and neighbours , and tenants , have souls and bodies which need their help . none can say , god found us no work to do . or that god gave them more time or wealth than they had prosuable use for . little do they think what it will be ere long , to reckon for all their time and estates , and to be judged according to their works . and their own flesh often payeth dear for its ease and pleasure , by those pains and diseases which god hath suited to their sins ; and which usually shortens the lives which they no better use ; or snatch them away from that time and wealth , which they spent in preparing fuel for hell , and food for the worm that never dyeth . v. but what is it that a man should do , that would do good to all or many ? there are some good works which are of far greater tendency than others ; to the good of many , some of them i will name to you . i. do as much good as you are able to mens bodies in order to the greater good of souls . if nature be not supported , men are not capable of other good . we pray for our daily bread before pardon and spiritual blessings ; not as if it were better , but that nature is supposed before grace , and we cannot be christians if we be not men : god hath so placed the soul in the body , that good or evil shall make its entrance by the bodily senses to the soul. this way god himself conveyeth many of his blessings , and this way he inflicteth his corrections : ministers that are able , and willing to be liberal , find by great experience , that kindness and bounty to mens bodies openeth their ear to counsel , and maketh them willing to hear instruction : those in france that are now trying mens religion in the market , and are at work with money in one hand and a sword in the other , do understand this to be true . all men are sensible of pain or pleasure , good or evil to the flesh , before they are sensible what 's necessary for their souls . you must therefore speak on that side which can hear , and work upon the feeling part if you will do good . besides this , your charity may remove many great impediments , and temptations : it is no easie thing to keep heavenly thoughts upon your mind , and specially to delight in god , and keep the relish of his law upon your hearts , while pinching wants are calling away your mind and disturbing it with troublesome passions : to suffer some hunger , and go in vile apparel is not very difficult : but when there is a family to provide for , a discontented wife and children to satisfie , rents , and debts , and demands unpaid , it must be an excellent christian that can live contentedly , and cast all his useless care on god , and keep up the sense of his love , and a delight in all his service . do your best to save the poor from such temptations , as you would your selves be saved from them . and when you give to the poor that are ignorant and ungodly , give them after it some counsel for their souls , or some good book which is suited to their cases . ii. if you would do good to many , set your selves to promote the practical knowledge of the great truths necessary to salvation . i. goodness will never be enjoyed or practised without knowledg . ignorance is darkness , the state of his kingdom , who is the prince of darkness , who by the works of darkness leadeth the blind world to utter darkness : god is the father of lights , and giveth wisdom to them that ask and seek it : he sent his son to be the light of the world : his word and ministers are subordinate light : his servants are all the children of light : ignorance is virtually errour , and errour the cause of sin and misery . and men are not born wise , but must be made wise by skilful diligent teaching : parents should begin it : ministers should second them : but alas ! how many millions are neglected by both ? and how many neglect themselves when ministers have done their best ? ignorance and errour are the common road to wickedness , misery and hell . 2. but what can any others do for such ? two things i will remember you of . 1. set up such schools as shall teach children to read the scriptures , and learn the catechism , or principles of religion . our departed friend , mr. thomas gouge did set us an excellent pattern for wales . i think we have grammar schools enough . it is not the knowledg of tongues and arts , and curious sciences which the common people want , but the right understanding of their baptismal covenant with god , and of the creed , lords prayer , decalogue and church communion . a poor honest man , or a good woman , will teach children thus much for a small stipend , better than they are taught it in most grammar schools ; and i would none went to the universities without the sound understanding of the catechism : yea , i would none came thence or into the pulpit without it , 2. when you have got them to read , give them good books , especially bibles , and good catechisms , and small practical books which press the fundamentals on their consciences : such books are good catechisms : many learn the words of the creed , lords prayer , commandments and catechism , by rote , and never understand them , when a lively book that awakeneth their consciences , bringeth them to sensible consideration , and to a true understanding of the same things , which before they could repeat without sense or savour . it is the catechistical truths which most of our english sermons press . and the lively pressing them maketh them pierce deeper than a catechism . if men that in life , or at death , give a stated revenue for good works , would settle the one half on a catechizing english school , and the other half on some sutable good books , it may prove a very , great means of publick reformation . when a good book is in the house , if some despise it , others may read it , and when one parish is provided , every years rent may extend the charity to other parishes , and it may spread over a whole country in a little time . most of the good that god hath done for me , for knowledge or conscience hath been by sound and pious books . iii. a great means of publick good is the right ordering of families all the week , but especially on the lords day : tho the ministry be the usual means of converting heathens and insidels , christian education by parents , is the first means appointed by god for the holy principling of youth : parents must teach them with unwearied diligence , lying down and rising up , deut. 6. 11. and they that will expect gods blessing , must use his appointed means . nature teacheth men and brutes to provide for their off-spring with diligence and patience : and as grace teacheth believers to expect far greater things for themselves and their children , than this world affordeth , so it obligeth them to be at so much greater diligence to obtain it . an everlasting kingdom deserveth more labour than a trade of full estate for the flesh . if all parents did their parts to make their children sanctified believers , as well as they expect the schoolmaster should do his part to make them scholars , and the master do his part to teach them their trades , we might hope that ministers would find them fitter for church work , and that godliness would not be so rare , nor so many wicked children break their parent hearts . but of this i have spoken lately in my counsel to young men . religion is never like to prosper if it be not made a family work . if it be there made the chief business of the house , and done with reverent seriousness , and constancy , if magistracy and ministry should fail , yet families would propagate and preserve it . begin with a reverent beging the help and blessing of god : then read his word and call upon his name : speak serious words of counsel to inferiours ; spend the lords day as much as may be in publick worship , and the rest in reading godly books , and in singing gods praise and calling on his name : put suitable books into the hands of servants and children to read when they have leisure : encourage them in it with love and rewards ; and keep them out of the way of temptation : and then gods blessing will dwell in your families , and they will be as churches of god. if any complain of negligent ministers , or persecuting magistrates , and will not do their own family duties , which none forbids , they condemn themselves . iv. if you would be publick blessings , and do good to many , do your best to procure a skilful , faithful ministry in the church . 1. send no son to the university , who doth not first shew these three qualifications , a capable natural wit and utterance , a love to serious practical religion , a great desire to serve god in the ministry , tho it should be in suffering from men . if they want any one of these , design them to some other calling ; devote not an undisposed lad to the ministry , in hope that god will make him better , but stay till he is better . 2. seeing pastors are here obtruded on the flock , it is a work of great importance for religious gentlemen to buy as many advowsons or presentations , as they can , that they may introduce the best that they can get . god hath hitherto made use of the qualifications of the ministers , as the special means for the welfare of his church . the bare title and office is so far from sufficing without the skill and fidelity of the persons , that such have been the great corrupters and disturbers of the church : when pious men have heaped up riches and honours on the clergy , these have been baits for the worst men to become seekers , and make the sacred ministry but a trade for wealth . and if carnal worldly men be ministers , alas ! what plagues may they be to the people and themselves ? they will hate the spiritual practice of doctrine which they preach ; when they have told men of a heaven and hell , and the necessity of a holy heart and life , as if they had been in jeast ; they will take those for hypocrites that believe them , and live accordingly : they will take the best of the flock for their enemies , because they are enemies to their hypocrisie and vice : instead of imitating saint paul act. 20. who taught them publickly and from house to house , day and night , with tears ; they will turn the ministry into complement and formality , and think that by saying a cold unskilful sermon , and by roteing over a few heartless words , they have laudably performed their part . they will take those for their best hearers who will most honour them and best pay them , tho never so ignorant and ungodly ; and their spleen will swell against the best , and most religious people , because they dislike their unfaithful lives and ministration . if religion should be in publick danger , these will be the judas'es that will sell it for gain . they will do anything rather than suffer much . they are ministers of the world , and not of christ : readier to make crosses for others than to bear the cross of christ : for it is gain that is their godliness : and when their treachery is seen and hated , they will hate the haters of it : and the studies of malignant men will be their laboratories , and the pulpits the place where the sublimate and essence of malice must be vended : how effectually will satans work be done when it is performed in the formalities of the sacred ministry , and in the name of christ ? o what hath the church suffered by a worldly graceless ministry these thousand years and more ; and what doth it yet suffer by them in east and west ! but on the other side , a skilful faithful minister , will preach sound doctrine , and worship god with serious devotion , and live to christ , and the churches good . he will speak the word of truth and life , with truth and liveliness : as one that believeth what he saith , and feeleth the power of it on his heart : tho he must have food and rayment as other men , it is the saving and edifing of souls , which is his work ; to which he bendeth all his studies ; for which he prayeth and longeth , and in which he rejoyceth ; and to which all his worldly interest , not only giveth place , but is made to serve . he will think no price , no pains or suffering too dear , so that the souls of men be saved ; this is the riches and preferment which he desireth : he hath nothing too good or too dear for christ , or for the meanest of his servants when christ requireth it . he is willing to spend and be spont for their sakes : it is them and not theirs that he desireth . he feareth the unbelief and hard heartedness of his hearers , and lest they should reject their own salvation , more than all the slanders or persecutions of the enemies . in a word ; his heart , his study , his life and business is to do all the good he can ; and they that under such a ministry remain impenitent and hardened in sin , are the most hopeless , miserable people in the world . v. and it greatly conduceth to publick good , to keep up true order and christian discipline in the particular churches : tho popish church-tyrants have turned the church keyes into a military reigning , or revenging sword , yet christ did not in vain commit them into his ministers hands . religion seldome prospereth well , where the church is no inclosure , but a common ; where all sorts undistinguished meet . where , as the people know not who shall be made their pastors , but must trust their souls to the care of any that a patron chooseth ; so the pastor knoweth not who are his communicating flock , till he sees them come to the lords table , no , nor when he seeth them . when it goeth for a sufficient excuse to the pastors if the rabble of wicked men communicate , or pass for his church-members , tho they communicate not , if he can but say , i knew them not to be wicked ; ( and how should he , when he knew them not at all ? ) and that none accused them , when they are meet strangers to each other . in christ jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing , but a new creature , and faith that worketh by love . and if christ made his servants no better than the world , who would believe , that he is the saviour of the world ? there will be some tares in christs field , till his judgement cast them out for ever . but if it be not a society professing holiness , and disowning unholiness , and making a difference between the clean and the unclean , him that sweareth and him that feareth an oath , him that serveth god and him that serveth him not ; christ will disown them as workers of iniquity , tho they had eat and drunk with him , and done miracles in his name , mat. 7. much more if it be a society where godliness is despised , and the most godly excommunicated , if they differ but in a formality or ceremony from diotrephes ; and the wicked rabble tolerated and cherished in reviling serious godliness , on pretence of opposing such dissenters . christ will not own that pastor nor society , which owneth not conscience and serious piety . if the pastors set up their wills and traditions before the laws and will of christ , and call out , who is on our side , instead of who is on christs side , and fall out with the sheep and worry and scatter them , and cherish the goates , and tolerate the wolves , woe to those shepheards when christ shall judge them : i wonder not if such incline to infidelity , tho they live by the name and image of christianity ; and if they be loath to believe that there will such a day of judgement be , which they have so much cause to fear . but the prudent loving guidance of faithful pastors is so necessary to the church , that without it there will be envy and strife , confusion and every evil work : and a headless multitude , tho otherwise well meaning pious people , will be all wise , and all teachers , till they have no wise teachers left , and will crumble all into dissolution , or into shameful sects : st. paul told us of two games that satan hath to play , acts 20. one by grievous wolves , that shall devour the flock ( tho in sheeps cloathing , yet known by their bloudy jawes . ) the other by men from among your selves , who shall speak perverse things , to draw disciples after them . vi. if you would promote the good of all or many , promote the love and concord of all that deserve to be called christians . to which end you must 1. know who those are , and 2. skilfully and faithfully endeavour it . 1. far be it from any christian to think that christ hath not so much as told us what christianity is , and who they be that we must take for christians , when he hath commanded them all so earnestly to love each other . is not baptism our christening ? every one that hath entred into that covenant with christ , and understandingly and seriously professeth to stand to it , and is not proved by inconsistent words or deeds to nullifie that profession , is to be taken for a christian , and used in love and communion as such . consider of these words , and consider whether all churches have walked by this rule , and whether swerving from it have not been the cause of corruption and confusion . he is a christian fit for our communion , who is baptized in infancy , and owneth it solemnly at age . and so is he that was not baptized , ' til he himself beleived . he is a christian that beleiveth christ to be true god and true man in one person , and trusteth him as our only redeemer by his merits and passion , and our mediator in the heavens , and obeyeth him as our soveragin lord , for pardon , for his spirit and for salvation . and as a christian this man is to be loved and used , tho he have not so much skill in metaphysicks , as to know whether it be a proper speech to call mary the mother of god , or that one of the trinity was crucified , or to know in what sense christs natures might be called one or two , and in what sense he might be said to have one will or two wills , one operation or two : and know not whether the tria capitula were to be condemned ; yea tho he could not define , or clearly tell what hypostasis , persona , yea , or substantia signifieth in god ; nor tell whether god of gods be a proper speech . this man is a christian , tho he know not whether patriarchal , and metropolitical , and diocesane church formes , be according to the will of christ or against it ; and whether symbolical signs in the worship of god , may lawfully be devised and imposed by men , and whether some doubtful words in oaths and subscriptions of mens imposing , being unnecessary , be lawful , and how far he may by them incur the guilt of perjury or deliberate lying : and tho he think that a minister may preach and pray in fit words of his own , tho he read not a sermon or prayer written for him by others , who think that no words but theirs should be offered to god or man. 2. if christs description of a christian be forsaken , and meer christianity seem not a sufficient qualification for our love and concord , men will never know where to rest ; nor ever agree in any ones determination ( but christs : ) all men that can get power will be making their own wills the rule and law , and others will not think of them as they do ; and the variety of fallible mutable church laws , and terms of concord will be the engine of perpetual discord ; ( as ulpian told honest alexander severus the laws would be , which he thought to have made for sober concord in fashions of apparel , ) those that are united to christ by faith , and have his sanctifying spirit , and are justified by him , and shall dwell with him in heaven , are certainly christians , and such as christ hath commanded us to love as our selves . and seeing that it is his livery by which his disciples must be known by loving one another , and the false prophets must be known by the fruits of their hurtfulness , as wolves , thornes and thistles , i must profess , tho order and government have been so amiable to me , as to tempt me to favourable thoughts of some roman power in the church , i am utterly unreconcilable to it , when i see that the very complexion of that hierarchy is malice and bloodiness against men most seriously and humbly pious , that dare not obey them in their sinful usurpations , and that their cause is maintained , by belying , hateing and murdering true christians . and on the other side , too many make laws of love and communion to themselves , and confine christs church with their little various and perhaps erroneous sects . and all others they love with pity , but only those of their cabin and singular opinions , they love with complacency and communion ; those that condemn such as christ justifieth , and say that christians are not his , are near of kin to one another , tho one sort shew it by persecution , and the other but by excommunication or schismatical separation . we are all one in christ jesus gal. 4. 28. and therefore i advise all christians to hate the causes and ways of hatred , and love all the causes and means of love. frown on them that so extol their singular sentiments , as to backbite others , and speak evil of what they understand not : especially such as the pamphleters of this age , whose design is weekly and daily to fight against christian love , and to stir up all men to the utmost of their power , to think odiously of one another , and plainly to stir up a thirst after blood : never did satan write by the hand of man , if he do it not by such as these : the lord of love and mercy rebuke them . and take heed of them that can find enough in the best that are against their way , to prove them dishonest , if not intolerable ; and can see the mote of a ceremony , or nonconformity to a ceremony , in their brothers eye , and not the beam of malice or cruelty in their own . take heed of those that are either for confounding toleration of all , or for dissipating cruelty on pretence of unity . that land or church shall never truly prosper , where these three sorts are not well distinguished : 1. the approved that are to be encouraged : 2. the tolerable that are to be patiently and lovingly endured : 3. the intolerable that are to be restrained . they may as well confound men , and beasts , wise men and mad men , adult and infants , as confound these three sorts , in reference to religion . i add this note to prevent objections , that tho meekness and gentleness promote peace , yet to speak sharply and hatefully of hatred , un peaceableness and cruelty , and all that tends to destroy love , is an act of love , and not of an uncharitable , unpeaceable man. vii . if you love the common good of england , do your best to keep up sound and serious religion in the publick parish churches and be not guilty of any thing that shall bring the chief interest of religion , into private assemblies of men only tolerated , if you can avoid it . indeed in a time of plagues epidemical infection , tolerated churches may be the best preservatives of religion , as it was in the first 300 years , and in the arrians reign , and under popery : but where sound and serious religion is owned by the magistrate , tolerated churches are but as hospitals for the sick , and must not be the receptacle of all the healthful . and doubtless , if the papists can but get the protestant interest once into prohibited or tolerated conventicles ( as they will call them ) they have more than half overcome it , and will not doubt to use it next as they do in france , and by one turn more to cast it out . the countenance of authority will go far with the vulgar , against all the scruples that men of conscience stick at , and they will mostly go to the allowed churches , whoever is there . let us therefore lose no possession that we can justly get , nor be guilty of disgracing the honest conformists , but do all we can to keep up their reputation , for the good of souls : they see not matters of difference through the same glass that we do . they think us unwarrantably scrupulous . we think the matter of their sin to be very great : but we know that before god the degree of guilt , is much according to the degree of mens negligence or unwillingness to know the truth , or to obey it : and prejudice , education , and converse maketh great difference on mens apprehensions : charity must not reconcile us to sin , but there is no end of uncharitable censuring each other . it hath made me admire to hear some mens words against comprehension , as they call it , that they would not have rulers , revoke that which they judge to be heynous sin in their impositions , unless they will revoke all that they think unlawful , lest it should strengthen the parish churches , and weaken the tolerated or suffering part : i will not here open the sin of this policy as it deserves ; but i wish them to read a small book called , the whole duty of nations ( said to be mr. thomas beverleys . ) viii . if you love the common good , take heed lest any injuries tempt you into sedition or unlawful wars ; no man , that never tried them , can easily believe what an enemy wars and tumults are to religion , and to common honesty and sobriety . men are there so serious about their lives and bodily safety that they have no room or time for serious worshipping of god ; the lords day is by necessity made a common day ; and all mens goods are almost common to the will of soldiers ; either power seems to authorize them , or necessity to allow them , to use the goods of others as their own ; as if they were uncapable of doing wrong : it is their honour that can kill most : and how little place there is for love it is easie to conceive . i doubt not but it is lawful to fight for our king or country in a good cause . as nature giveth all private men a right of private self-defence ( and no more ) , so the same law of nature , which is gods law , giveth all nations a right of publick self-defence , against its publick enemies ; that is , against any that by his religion , or his own profession bindeth himself to destroy that nation if he can , or by open arms , seeketh no less than their destruction : but as few calamities are worse to a land than war , so much is to be endured to prevent it . it is like a red hot iron , which fools lay hold on , thinking it is cold , till it fetch off skin and flesh to the bones , and perhaps set the house on fire . if your cause be bad , god will not be for you : and he that so taketh the sword shall perish with the sword ; and if you bite and devour one another , you shall be devoured one of another . and alas thousands of the innocent usually perish or are ruined in the flames , which furious men do kindle : no doubt as suffering a prison , so venturing in war is a duty when god calls you to it ; but in its self a prison is a far more desireable sort of suffering than a war. therefore between the danger of the miseries of an unlawful war , and the danger of betraying our king or kingdom , for want of necessary defence , how cautelous should all sober christians be ? ix . if you would promote the common good , do your best to procure wise and faithful rulers . quest . what can private men do in this ? ans . 1. in cases where they have choosing voices , they ought to prefer the best with greatest resolution , and not for slothfulness to omit their part , nor for worldly interest or the fear of men betray their country , as ever they would escape the punishment of the perfidious . wo to that judas that sells his country and conscience for any bribe , or by self-saving fear . 2. in other cases where you have no choosing vote with men , you have a praying voice with god : pray for kings and all in authority , that we may live a quiet and peaceable life , in all godliness and honesty . god hath commanded no duty in vain : do it earnestly and constantly , and hope for a good issue from god : do it not selfishly that you may have prosperity or preferment by them , but sincerely for their own and the common good : god is the fountain of power , the absolute soveraign of all the world . men are but his provincial officers , none claimeth an universal government of the world , but one that pretendeth to be christs vicar general , and none believe his claim but blinded men . there is no power but of and under god , who hath made rulers his ministers for our good , to be a praise to them that do well , and a terrour to evil doers ; that they that will not be moved with the hopes of gods future rewards , and the fears of his punishments , may be moved by that which is near them within the reach of sense . and all men regard their bodies , tho only believers are ruled by the everlasting interest of their souls . therefore pray hard for kings and magistrates . for if they be good they are exceeding great blessings to the world . they will remember that their power is for god and the common good , and that to god they must give a strict account : they will take gods law for the only universal law to the world , and conform their own as by-laws to it . they will take their own interest to consist in pleasing god and promoting the gospel and kingdom of christ ; and the piety and saving of mens souls . they will be examples of serious godliness , of justice and sobriety , trustiness and temperance and chastity to their subjects ; in their eyes a vile person will be contemned , but they will honour those that fear the lord , psal . 15. 4. they will love those most that love christ best , and most deligently obey him , and tenderly fear to sin against him : those please them best that please god best , and are most useful to the common good : they will set their hearts on the peoples welfare , and are watching for all , while all securely live under their vigilancy . they will cherish all that christ cherisheth , and specially the faithful pastors of the churches , that seek not the world , but the welfare of the flocks : when some are saying , in this mountain we must worship god , and some at jerusalem , they will teach them all to worship god in spirit and truth : when pastors and people grow pievish and quarrelsome for their several interests , opinions and wills , a constantine will cast all their libels into the fire , and rebuke the unpeaceable , and restreine the violent , and teach them to forgive and love each other , and will be the great justice of peace to all the churches in the land , and pare their nailes that would tear and scratch their brethren : he will countenance the sound and peaceable , and tolerate all the tolerable ; but will tie the hands of strikers , and the tongues of revilers : he will contrive the healing of exasperated minds , and take away the occasions of division , and rebuke them that call for fire from heaven , or for the sword to do that which belongeth to the word , or to execute their pride and wrath : godliness will have all the encouragement they can giveit , and innocency a full defence : malignity and persecution and perjury , and unpeaceable revenge , will be hateful where they rule ; and they had rather men feared sin too much than too little ; and would have all men prefer the law and honour of god to theirs ; where the righteous bear rule , the people rejoyce . the wisdom , piety , and impartiality of their governours suppresseth prophaneness , oppression , and contention , and keepeth men in the way of love and peace ; and as the welfare of all is the care of such a ruler above his own pleasure , wealth , or will , so he will have the hearts , and hands , and wealth of all with readiness to serve him : no wonder if such are called nursing fathers , and the light of our eyes , and the breath of our nostrils , and the shaddow of a rock in a weary land. as they bear the image of gods supereminency , and doubly honour him , they are doubly honoured by him ; so that the names of pious princes shew not only the sense of mankind , but the special providence of god in making the memory of the just to be blessed : and as they could not indure to see in their days , ungodliness triumph , or serious godliness made a scorn , or conscience and fear of sinning made a disgrace , or the gospel hindred and faithful ministers forbid to preach it ; so god will not suffer their consciences to want the sense of his love , nor their departing souls to fail of their everlasting hopes , nor their memories to be clouded by obscurity or reproach . even among heathens ; what a name have those emperours left behind them , who lived in justice , charity , and all virtue , and wholly studied the good of all ? what a wonder is it that m. antonine should be so extolled by so many writers , and not one of them all , that i remember , speak one word of evil of him ; save that a small and short persecution of the christians was made by some in his time , till he restrained it ? and all the people almost deified him , and would have perpetuated his line and name in the throne , but that the horrid wickedness of his posterity forced them to a change . what a name hath excellent alexander severus left behind him ? and what a blessing have wise and godly and peacemaking christian princes been in divers ages to the world ? and both the inferiour magistrates and the clergy usually much conform themselves , at least in outward behaviour to their example : for they will choose men of wisdom , conscience and justice under them , to judge and govern . the bishops and pastors which they choose , will be able , godly , laborious men ; not seekers of worldly wealth and honour ; not envious silencers of faithful preachers , nor jealous hinderers of religious duties , nor flattering man-pleasers , nor such as lord it over gods heritage ; but such as rule not by constraint , but willingly , as examples of love and piety to the flock . pray hard therefore for kings , and all in authority , and honour all such , as unspeakable blessings for the good of all . but on the contrary , wicked rulers will be satans captains against jesus christ , and mens sanctification and salvation . they will be wolves in the place of shepherds , and will study to destroy the best of the people , and to root out all serious godliness , and justice : conscience and fearing sin will be to them a suspected , yea a hated thing : if any abuse it , it serves them for a pretence against it . they take the peoples welfare and their own interest to be enemies , and presently look on these whom they should rule and cherish , as the adversaries whom they must tread down : they will purposely make edicts and laws that are contrary to gods law , that they may have advantage to persecute the faithful , and to destroy them as disobedient : they will study to conquer conscience and obedience to god , lest his authority should be regarded above theirs ; and christ is used by them as if he were a usurper , and not their soveraign , but were again to be taken for an enemy to caesar ; and their hatred to true ministers will be such as pauls accusers intimate , who said , he preached another king , one jesus : wicked rulers will be the capital enemies to all that will be enemies to wickedness , and resolved to please god and save their souls : they will not be obeyed under god , but before him ; nor served by the faithful servants of christ ; nor pleased , but at the rate of mens damnation by displeasing god. all men love their like . the worst men , if flatterers , will seem the best to them , and the best the worst and most intolerable . and church and state is like to be written by their copy . o what dreadful plagues , have wicked rulers been to the world , and what a dismal case do they continue the earth in to this day ! not but that people , and especially priests , do contribute hereto : but the chief authors are men in greatest power . five parts of six of the world at this day are heathens and infidels : and what 's the cause ? rulers will not suffer the gospel to be preached to them . the eastern christians were all torn in pieces by the wickedness and contention of the governours of the state and church ; banishing and murdering one another ; so that when the turks invaded them , the promise of liberty to exercise their religion tempted them to make the less resistance , thinking they could not be much worse than before : but the vulgar are so apt to follow the rulers , that ever since , the most of the easterns are apostatized from christ , and turned to mahometanism ; and tho in those countries where the turk alloweth the christian people to have governours of their own , religion somewhat prospereth , yet where that priviledge is denied them , and turks only are their rulers , it withereth away and comes to almost nothing . and what keepeth out reformation that is , the primitive simple christianity , from the popish countries that have religion corrupted by humane superfluities , but the seduction of priests and the tyranny of rulers , that will not endure the preaching of the gospel , and the opening of the scriptures to the people in a known tongue ? how much holy blood have roman and spanish inquisitors , and french and irish murderers , and most other popish rulers to answer for ? even walsh the papist in his irish history tells us all , out of ketin and others , how commonly in ages they lived there in the sin of bloody wars and murders , yea , even when they professed greatest holiness . wicked rulers are as the pikes in the pond , which live by devouring all about them . it is satans main design in the world to corrupt gods two great ordinances of magistracy and ministry , and turn them both against christs kingdom , and to destroy christians in christs name ; oh therefore ! pray hard that all christian nations may have good rulers , and be very thankful to god for such . x. and if you would be instruments of publick good , know what are publick sins and dangers , that you may do your part against them ; and joyn not with any that will promise never to endeavour any reforming alteration , the chiefest are ignorance , pride , and self-willedness in teachers and people , malignant enmity to goodness , impatience with the infirmities of good men ; judging of persons and things by self-interest , covetousness , sensuality , and taking christianity but as the religion of the land , without diligent study to be rooted in the truth . and the scandals of hypocrites and tempted christians , hardening the enemies , especially by divisions and publick temerities and miscarriages , is not the least . xi . i would also in order to publick good , perswade serious christians to be more zealous in communication with their neighbours , and live not over-strangely to others , and say not as cain , am i my brothers keeper ? be kind and loving to all about you , and live not as unknown men to them ; nor alienate them by sourness , contempt or needless singularity ; but become all things lawful to all men to save some ; lend them good books , and draw them to hear gods faithful ministers : perswade them to pray in their families , even with a form or book , till they need it not . xii . lastly , if you would do good , be such as you would have others be , and teach them by examples , of piety , charity , patience , self-denial , forbearing and forgiving ; and not by meer words contradicted by your lives . these are the materials by which you must do good to all . vi. what now remaineth , but that we all set our selves to such a fruitful course of life ? i greatly rejoice in the grace of god , which i daily see in many such of my familiar acquaintance : who study to do good to all , and to live in love and peace , and holiness , by example and by self-denial and constant charity , using christs talents to their masters ends , for the temporal and eternal good of many . but alas ! too many live as if it were enough to do no harm , and say as the slothful servant , here is thy talent which i hid . and some there be that in a blind jealousie of the doctrine of justication ( not understanding what the word justification signifieth ) cry down even the words of james , as if they were unreconcileable with pauls , and can scarce bear him that saith as christ , mat. 12. by thy words thou shalt be justified , and by thy words thou shalt be condemned ; as if they had never read , well done good and faithful servant , &c. for i was an hungry and ye fed me , &c. nor heb. 5. 9. he is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him ; or heb. 13. with such sacrifice god is well pleased , or he that doth righteosness is righteous , or that we shall be judged according to our works , or rev. 22. 14. blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life , and may enter in by the gates into the city : or gal. 6. what a man soweth that shall he reap : he that soweth to the spirit , of the spirit shall reap everlasting life : with many such . no man well in his wits can think that any thing we do can merits of god in commutative justice , as if he received any thing from us : this were even to deny god to be god. but are we not undera law of grace , and doth not that law command us obedience and the improvement of our talents in doing good ? and shall we not be judged by that law ? and what is judging but justifying or condemning ? no works of ours can stand the tryal , by the law of innocency or works , but only the perfect righteousness of christ : but he that is accused of final impenitency , infidelity , hypocrisie or unholyness , if truly accused , shall never be justified ; and if falsely , must be justified against that charge by somewhat besides what is done out of him by jesus christ . it is an easier thing to be zealous for an opinion ( which is sound or supposed such ) about works and grace , than to be zealous of good works , or zealously desirous of grace . how sad use did satan make of mens zeal for orthodox words , when the nestorian , eutychian and monothelite controversies were in agitation ? he went for a hollow hearted neuter , that did not hereticate one side or other : and i would that factious ignorant zeal were not still alive in the churches . how many have we heard on one side , reviling lutherans , calvinists , arminians , episcopal , presbyterians , independents , &c. to render them odious that never understand the true state of the difference ? and how fiercely do some papists and others cry down solifidians , and perswade men that we are enemies to good works , or think that they are not necessary to salvation ( because some rashly maintained , that in a faction against george major long ago ) or at least that they are no further necessary ; but as signs to prove that which god knoweth without them ? and on the other side how many make themselves and others believe that the true expositors of saint james's words are almost papists , and teach men dangerously to trust to works for their justification , while they understand not what either of the apostles mean by justification , faith or works . many so carefully avoid trusting to good works , that they have none or few to trust to . no doubt , nothing of man must be trusted to for the least part that belongs to christ : but all duty and means must be both used and trusted for its own part . consider well these following motives , and you will see why all christians must be zealous of doing all the good they can . 1. it rendreth a man likest to god , to be good , and to do good : on which account christ requireth it even towards our enemies , mat. 5. that we may be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect , who doth good even to the unjust : and he that is likest god is the best man , most holy and most happy , and shall have most communion with god. 2. and when christ came down in flesh to call man home by making god better known to the world , he revealeth him in his attractive goodness , and that was by his own beneficence to man : he came to do the greatest good ; to be the saviour of the world , and to reconcile revolted man to god , and all his life , yea his death and his heavenly intercession , is doing good to those that were gods enemies . and to learn of christ , and imitate his example , is to be his true disciples . and what else do his laws command us ? they are all holy , just and good ; and our goodness is to love them and obey them . by keeping these we must shew that we are his disciples . when he tells you who you must do good to in the instance of the samaritan , he addeth , go thou and do likewise , joh. 15. he largely tells us of what importance it is for every branch that is planted into him , to bring forth fruit . 3. it is much of the end of all the sanctifying operations of theholy spirit . grace is given us to use . even natural powers are given us for action . what the better were man for a tongue , or hands or feet , if he should never use them ? life is a principle of action . it were as good have no life , as not to use it : and why doth god make men good , but that they may do good , even in their duty to god , themselves , and one another ? 4. it is gods great mercy to mankind that he will use us all in doing good to one another ; and it s a great part of his wise government of the world , that in societies men should be tyed to it , by the sense of every particular mans necessity ; and it is a great honor to those that he maketh his almoners , or servants to convey his gifts to others ; god bids you give nothing but what is his , and no otherwise your own than as his stewards . it s his bounty and your service or stewardship which is to be exercised . he could have done good to all men by himself alone , without you or any other , if he would : but he will honour his servants to be the messengers of his bounty . you best please him when you readily receive his gifts your selves , and most fully communicate them to others : to do good is to receive good : and yet he will reward such for doing and receiv . 5. self-love therefore should perswade men to do good to all . you are not the least gainers by it your selves . if you can trust christ , sure you will think this profitable usury : is not a cup of cold water well paid for , when christ performs his promise ? and is it not a gainful loss , which is rewarded in this life an hundred fold , and in the world to come with life eternal ? those that live in the fullest exercise of love , and doing good , are usually most loved , and many are ready to do good to them . and this exercise encreaseth all fruitful graces . and there is a present delight in doing good , which is it self a great reward . the love of others makes it delightful to us : and the pleasing of god , and the imitation of christ , and the testimony of conscience make it delightful . an honest physitian is far gladder to save mens lives or health , than to get their money . and an honest soldier is gladder to save his country than to get his pay . every honest minister of christ , is far gladder to win souls than to get money or preferment . the believing giver hath more pleasure than the receiver ; and this without any conceit of commutative meriting of god , or any false trust to works for justification . 6. stewards must give account of all : what would you wish were the matter of your true account , if death or judgment were to morrow ? would you not wish you had done all the good you could ? do you believe that all shall be judged according to their works ? did you ever well study that great prediction of christ ? matth. 25. and it is some part of a reward on earth that men that do much good , especially that to whole nations , are usualy honoured by posterity , however they be rewarded by the present age. 7. every true christian is absolutely devoted to do good . what else is it to be devoted to god our creator and redeemer ? wha● live we for , or what should we desire to live for , but to do good ? ii. but this exhortation is especially applicable to them that have special opportunity . 1. magistrates are the capitals in the societies and publick affairs of mankind . they are placed highest that they may have an universal influence . tho it be too high a word to call them gods , or gods vice-gerents ( unless secundum quid ) yet they are his officers and regent ministers ; but it 's for the common good . in them god shews what order can do in the government of the world : as the placing of the same figure before many , doth accordingly advance its value in signification , so it is a wonder to note , what the place of one man fignifieth at the head of an army , of a city , of a kingdom . they are appointed by god to govern men in a just subordination to gods government , and no otherwise . to promote obedience to gods laws by theirs , and by their judgment and execution to give men a foretaste , what they may at last expect from god. and by their rewards and punishments to foretel men whom god will reward and punish : and by their own examples to shew the subjects , how temperately , and soberly , and godly , god would have them live . atheists can see and fear a magistrate , that fear not god , because they know him not . they that prefer those as the most worthy of honour , whom god abhorreth for their wickedness , and hate and oppress those whom god will honour , do shew themselves enemies to him that giveth them all their power : and they that by countenance or practice do teach men to despise the fear of god , and to make light of drunkenness , whoredom , lying , perjury and such like odious crimes , do in a sort blaspheme god himself , as if he who exalted them were a lover of sin , and a hater of his own laws and service . there are few rulers that are unwilling of power , or to be accounted great : and do they not know that its a power to do good , that god hath given them ? and that obligation to do it , is as essential to their office as authority ? and that they who govern as the officers of god , and pretend to be liker him in greatness , than their subjects , must also be liker to him in wisdom and goodness ? wo to that man who abuseth and oppresseth the just and faithful in the name of god , and by pretence of authority from him to do it . wo to him that in gods name , and as by his authority countenanceth the wicked whom god abhorreth , and under christs banner fighteth against him . as christ saith of the offensive : it were good for that man , that he had never been born , prov. 24. 24. he that saith to the wicked , thou art righteous , him shall the people curse ; nations shall abhor him , prov. 17. 15. he that justifieth the wicked , and he that condemneth the just , even they both are an abomination to the lord. god looketh for great service from great men : great trust and talents must have great account : a prince , a lord , a ruler , must do much more good , in promoting piety , conscience , vertue , than the best inferiors ; to whom men give much , from them they expect the more . it greatly concerneth such men seriously to ask their conscience , can i do no more to encourage godliness , conscience and justice , and to disgrace malignity , brutish sensuality , and fleshly lusts , than i have done ? o when they must hear , give account of thy stewardship , thou shalt be no longer steward , little think many rulers what an account it is that will be required of them ! o what a deal of good may the rulers of the earth , do if instead of overminding their partial interests , and serving the desires of the flesh , they did but set themselves with study and resolution to promote the common good , by disgraceing sin , and encouraging wisdom , piety and peace ! and where this is not sincerely done , as surely as there is a righteous god and a future judgment , they shall pay for their omissive treachery . and if satan do prevail to set his own captains over the armies of the lord , to betray them to perdition , they shall be deepest in misery as they were in guilt . one would think the great delight that is to be found in doing good to all , should much more draw men to desire authority and greatness , than either riches , or voluptuousness , or a dominering desire that all men should fulfil their wills. ii. the ministers of christ also have the next opportunity to do good to many : and it is a debt which by many and great obligations they owe to christ and men . but it will not be done without labour and condescention and unwearied patience . it is undertaken by all that are ordained to this office , but o that it were performed faithfully by all ! what a doleful life would the persidious soul-betrayers live , if they knew what a guilt they have to answer for ? even the contempt of the peoples souls , and of the blood of christ that purchased them ? o hear that vehement adjuration , 2 tim. 4. 1 , 2. i charge thee before god and the lord jesus christ , who shall judge the quick and the dead , at his appearing and kingdom , preach the word : be instant , in season and out of season ; reprove , rebuke , exhort with all long suffering and doctrine . speak with holy studyed skill ; speak with love and melting pity : speak with importunity : take no denyal : speak as saint paul , act. 20. publickly and from house to house : speak before you are silenced in the dust : speak before death have taken away your hearers . it is for souls , it is for christ , it is for your selves too : while you have opportunity , do good to all . but of this , i have formerly said more in my reformed pastor . iii. and let all men take their common and special opportunities to do good : time will not stay ; your selves , your wives , your children , your servants , your neighbours are posting to another world : speak now what you would have them hear : do them now all the good you can . it must be now or never . there is no returning from the dead to warn them : o live not as those infidels , who think it enough to do no harm , and to serve their carnal minds with pleasure , as born for nothing , but a decent and delightful life on earth . you are all in the vineyard or harvest of the lord : work while it is day : the night is at hand when none can work : wo to the slothful treacherous hypocrite when the judgment cometh . stay not till you are intreated to do good : study it , and seek it . give while there are men that need , and while you have it , especially to the houshold of faith. fire and thieves may deprive you of it . at the furthest death will quickly do it . happy are they that know their day , and trusting in christ do study to serve him in doing good to all . and the doctrine in hand doth further teach us some consectaries which all do not well consider . i. that living chiefly to the flesh in worldly prosperity , and dropping now and then some small good on the by , to quiet conscience , is the property of an hypocrite . but to sound christians , fruitfulness in doing good is the very trade of their lives , of which they are zealous , and which they daily study . ii. that all christians should be very careful to avoid the doing publick hurt : it woundeth conscience to be guilty of wronging of any one man : we find it in dying men , that cannot die in peace till they have confessed wrongs and made satisfaction , and ask forgiveness . and who knoweth , but the many apparitions that have certainly been on such occasions , may be done by miserable souls , to seek some ease of the torment of their own consciences ? but to hurt many , even whole parishes , cities , churches , kingdoms , how much more grievous will it prove ? and yet alas ! how quickly may it be done , and how ordinarily is it done ? what grievous mischief may even well meaning men do , by one mistaken practice or rash act ? by the fierce promoting of one error ? by letting loose one passion , or carnal affection ? by venturing once on secret sin : yea , by one rash sinful word ? how much more if they are drawn and set in an unlawful interest and way ? and little know we when a spark is kindled how it will end ? or how many wayes satan hath to improve it ? and one hurtful action , or unwarrantable way , may blast abundance of excellent endowments , and make such a grievous dammage to the church , who else might have been an eminent blessing . and if good men may do so much hurt , what have the enemies of godliness to answer for , who by wordliness and malignity , are corrupters , dividers and destroyers ? iii. the text plainly intimateth that it is a great crime in them , that instead of doing good while they have opportunity , think it enough to leave it by will to their executors to do it . when they have lived to the flesh , and cannot take it with them , they think it enough to leave others to do that good , which they had not a heart to do themselves : but a treasure must be laid up in heaven before-hand , and not be left to be sent after , matth. 6. 20 , 21. and he that will make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness , must now be rich towards god , luk. 12. 21. it s no victory over the world , to leave it when you cannot keep it : nor will any legacy purchase heaven for an unholy worldly soul . iv. yet they that will do good neither living nor dying are worst of all . surely the last acts of our lives , if possible , should be the best ; and as we must live in health , so also in sickness , and to the last in doing all the good we can ; and therefore it must needs be a great sin , to leave our estates to those that are like to do hurt with them , or to do no good , so far as we are the free disposers of them . the case , i confess is not without considerable difficulties , how much a man is bound to leave to his children , or his neerest kindred , when some of them are disposed to live unprofitably , and some to live ungodlily and hurtfully . some think men are bound to leave them nothing , some think they ought to leave them almost all : and some think that they should leave them only so much as may find them tolerable food and raiment . i shall do my best to decide the case in several propositions . 1. the case is not with us as it was with the israelites , who might not alienate their inheritances from the tribes . yet even they had power to prefer a younger son , that was more deserving , before an elder that was worse . 2. where either law or contract have disabled a man to alienate his estate from an ungodly heir , there is no room for a doubt what he must do . 3. nature teacheth all men to prefer a child that is pious and hopeful , in his provisions and legacies before a stranger that is somewhat better , and not to alienate his estate for want of a higher degree of goodness . 4. when there is a just cause to disinherit an elder son , a younger is to be preferred before a stranger ; or a kinsman if there be no tolerable son. 5. and a son that ought not to be trusted with riches or a great estate , yet ought to have food and raiment ; ( unless he come to that state of obstinate rebellion in sin , for which gods law commanded the israelites to bring forth their sons to be put to death : in such cases the house of correction is fittest for them . ) yet should he have such food as may humble him , and not to gratifie his lust . 6. if a man that hath the full power to dispose of his estate , real or personal , have sons and kindred that according to the judgment of sound reason , are like , if they had his estate , to do mischief with it , or maintain them in a wicked life , or in a meer unprofitable life of idleness , living only to themselves and fleshly ease and pleasure , that man ought to give his estate from such to some that are liker to do good with it , and to use it for god , and the publick benefit . this is much contrary to the common course of most , that think no estate too great for their heirs , nor any portion too great for their daughters , be they what they will , or what use soever they are like to make of it : but these following reasons prove it to be true . 1. every man hath his estate from god , and for god , and is bound as his steward accordingly to use it . this is past doubt : and how doth that man use it for god , who leaveth it to one that is liker to use it for the devil in a fleshly unprofitable life ? what account can such a steward give ? did god give it you to maintain idleness and sin ? obj. o but it is a son whom i am bound to provide for . ans . are you more bound to your son than to your self ? god doth not allow you to spend it on your self , to maintain idleness and vice , rom. 13. 13 , 14. make no provision for the flesh to satisfie the lust ( or will ) thereof . and may you leave it for such a use as is forbidden both your son and you ? it is god that is the owner of it , and it is to him that you must both use and leave it : whether you eat or drink or whatever you do , do all to the glory of god. and will you leave it to be the fuel of lust , and sin ? obj. i leave it not for sin : but if he misuse it , i cannot help it . ans . would that excuse you if you put a sword into a mad mans hand , to say , i cannot help it if he use it ill ? you might have helpt it : it s supposed that you fore-knew how he was like to use it . obj. but he may prove better hereafter , as some do . ans . it is not bare possibilities , that must guide a wise mans actions when probability is against them . would you commit your children to the care of a mad man or a knave , because he may possibly come to his wits , or become honest ? have you not long tried him , and have you not endeavour'd to cure him of his idleness , wickedness or lust ? if it be not done , what ground have you to presume it will be done when you are dead ? you may have so much hope as not utterly to despair of him : but that will not allow you to trust him with that which god made you steward of , for his use and service . but if such hopes may be gratified , give your estate in trust to some conscionable friend , with secret order to give it your son or kinsman , if he become hereafter fit to use it , according to the ends for which god giveth it . reas . 2. the obligation in my text of doing good to all , extendeth to the end of our lives : and therefore to our last will and testament . therefore you must make your wills so as may do good to all , and not to cherish sin and idleness . reas . 3. you are bound to your best to destroy sin and idleness , and therefore not to feed and cherish it . reas . 4. doing good is the very thing which you are created , redeemed and sanctified for ; and therefore you must extend your endeavours to the uttermost and to the last , that as much as may be , may be done when you are dead . if magistrates and ministers took care for no longer than their own lives , what would become of the state or church ? reas . 5. the common good is better than the plenty of a sinful child : yea it is to be preferred before the best child , and before our selves . and therefore much more before the worst . reas . 6. it s a dreadful thing to be guilty of all the fleshly sins , which your ungodly sons will commit with your estate ; when they shall by it maintain the sins of sodom , pride , fulness of bread , and abundance of idleness : if not to strengthen their hands for oppression or persecution . to think that they will spend their days in voluptuousness , because you gave them provision for the flesh . reas . 7. it is cruelty to them that are already so bad , to make their temptations to sin much stronger , and their place in hell the worse , and to make the way to heaven as hard to them as for a camel to go through the eye of a needle : to prepare them to want a drop of water in hell , who were clothed richly and fared sumptuously on earth . to entice them to say , soul take thine ease thou hast enough laid up for many years , till they hear , thou fool this night shall they require thy soul ; to cherish that love of the world , which is enmity to god , by feeding that lust of the flesh , and lust of the eyes , and pride of life , which are not of the father but of the world . reas . 8. when this preferring unprofitable and ungodly children before god and the common good , is so common and reigning a sin in the world , it is a great fault for religious men to encourage them in it , by their example , and to do as they . reas . 9. it is a sin to cast away any of gods gifts . when christ had fed men by a miracle , he saith , gather up the fragments that nothing be lost : if you should cast your mony into the sea , it were a crime : but to leave it to such as you foresee are most likely to use it sinfully , is more than casting it away . if you saw men offer sacrifice to bacchus or venus , you would abhor it . do not that which is so like it , as to leave bad men fuel for fleshly lust . reas . 10. it is the more dreadful , because it is dying in studyed sin without repentance . to put so much sin into ones will , shews a full consent and leaveth no room and time to repent of it . on all these accounts i advise all the stewards of god , as they love him and the publick good and their own souls , while they have opportunity , even to the last breath , to do good to all , and to provide more for the common good than for superfluities to any , and than for the maintaining ungodly children in sin , to the increase of their guilt and misery . indeed in the choice of a calling , employment and condition of life , and place for their children , doing good should be preferred before their rising in the world : and they that justly endeavour to raise their families in wealth , honour or power , should do it only ; that they might do the more good . but it is satans design to turn all gods mercies to the cherishing of wickedness , and even the love of parents to their children to the poisoning of their souls , the strengthening of their snares , and the hinderance of their own and other mens salvation . but its shame and pity , that they who in baptism devoted their children to god , the father , son and holy ghost , renounceing the world the flesh and the devil , as under the banner of the cross , should labour all their life , that impenitently at death they may leave all that they can get to such as in all probability will use it in pride , fulness and idleness , for the flesh , the world and the devil , against him and his interest from whom they received it , and to whom both they and all they had were once devoted . when men are loth that their estates should remove from the name and family ( for which there may be just cause ) i take it for the safest way , ( as aforesaid ) to trust some ( as men do their children with guardians ) by the advise of lawyers , to secure all from their unworthy heirs , for the next or some other of the name and lineage that proveth worthy . there are many other good works by which some rich men may be very profitable to the common-wealth , such as setting all the poor on work , and building hospitals for the impotent , &c. but these this city is happily acquainted with already , and tho still there be much wanting , yet there is much done . v. but one more i will presume to name only to you that are merchants , ( for i am not one who have the ear of princes who are more able ) , might not somewhat more be done than yet is , to further the gospel in your factories , and in our plantations ? old mr. eliots with his helpers in new-england have shewed that somewhat may be done , if others were as charitable and zealous as they . the jesuites and fryars shewed us in congo , japan , china and other countries that much might be done with care and diligence . tho the papal interest was a corrupt end , and all the means that they used was not justifiable , when i read of their hazards , unwearied labours , and success , i am none of those that would deprive them of their deserved honour , but rather wish that we that have better ends and principles might do better than they , and not come so far behind them as we do ( if half be true that pet. massoeus , and the jesuites epistles and many other writers tell us of them . ) i know that they had the advantage of greater helps , from kings and pope and prelates , and colledges endued with trained men and copious maintenance : but might not somewhat more be done by us , than is yet done ? 1. is it not possible to send some able zealous chaplains to those factories which are in the countries of infidels and heathens ? such as thirst for the conversion of sinners , and the enlargment of the church of christ , and would labour skilfully and diligently therein ? is it not possible to get some short christian books , which are fitted for that use , to be translated in such languages that infidels can read , and to distribute them among them ? if it be not possible also to send thither religious conscionable factors , who would further the work , the case of london is very sad . ii. is it not possible , at least to help the poor ignorant armenians , greeks , moscovites , and other christians , who have no printing among them , nor much preaching or knowledge ; and for want of printing have very few bibles , even for their churches or ministers ? could nothing be done to get some bibles , catechisms , and practical books printed in their own tongues and given among them ? i know there is difficulty in the way : but mony and willingness and diligence might do something . iii. might not something be done in other plantations as well as in new-england , towards the conversion of the natives there ? might not some skilful zealous preachers be sent thither , who would both promote serious piety among those of the english that have too little of it , and might invite the americans to learn the gospel , and teach our planters how to behave themselves christianly towards them , to win them to christ ? iv. is it not possible to do more than hath been done , to convert the blacks that are our own slaves or servants to the christian faith ? hath not mr. goodwin justly reprehended and lamented the neglect , yea and resistence of this work in barbados ? and the like elsewhere ? 1. might not better teachers be sent thither for that use ? 2. is it not an odious crime of christians to hinder the conversion of these infidels , lest they lose their service by it , and to prefer their gain before mens souls ? is not this to sell souls for a little mony , as judas did his lord ? and whereas the law manumits them from servitude when they turn christians , that it may invite them to conversion , and this occasioneth wicked christians to hinder them from knowledge , were it not better move the government therefore to change that law , so far as to allow these covetous masters their service for a certain time , useing them as free servants ? 3. and whereas they are allowed only the lords day for their own labour , and some honest christians would willingly allow them some other time instead of it , that they might spend the lords day in learning to know christ and worship god , but they dare not do it , lest their wicked neighbours rise against them , for giving their slaves such an example , might not the governours be procured to force the whole plantation to it by a law , even to allow their infidel servants so much time on another day , and cause some to congregate them for instruction on the lords days ? why should those men be called christians , or have any christian reputation , or priviledges themselves , who think both christianity and souls to be no more worth , than to be thus basely sold for the gain of mens servilest labours ? and what , tho the poor infidels desire not their own conversion ; their need is the greater , and not the less . vi. i conclude with this moveing inference : the great opposition that is made against doing good by the devil and his whole army through all the world , and their lamentable success , doth call aloud to all true christians to overdo them . o what a kingdom of malignants hath satan doing mischief to mens souls and bodies through the earth ! hating the godly , oppressing the just , corrupting doctrine , introducing lies , turning christs labourers out of his vineyard , forbidding them to preach in his name the saving word of life ; hiding or despising the laws of christ ; and setting up their own wills and devises in their stead ; making dividing distracting engines on pretence of order , government and unity : murdering mens bodies , and ruining their estates , and slandering their names , on pretence of love to the church and souls ; encouraging prophaneness , blasphemy , perjury , whoredom , and scorning conscience and fear of sinning : what diligence doth satan use through the very christian nations , to turn christs ordinances of magistracy and ministry against himself , and to make his own officers the most mischievous enemies to his truth and kingdom , and saving work ? to tread down his family and spiritual worship , as if it were by his own authority and commission ? to preach down truth , and conscience , and real godliness , as in christs own name , and fight against him with his own word , and to teach the people to hate his servants , as if this pleased the god of love ? and alas ! how dismal is their success ? in the east the church is hereby destroyed by barbarous mahometans ; the remnants by their prelates continued in sects , in great ignorancé , and dead formality , reproaching and anathematizing one another , and little hope appearing of recovery . in the west a dead image of religion , and unity , and order , drest up with a multitude of gawds , and set up against the life and soul of religion , unity , and order , and a war hereupon maintain'd for their destruction , with sad success : so that usually the more zealous men are for the papal and formal humane image , the more zealously they study the extirpation of worshipping god in spirit and truth , and thirst after the blood of the most serious worshippers ; and cry down them as intolerable enemies , who take their baptism for an obliging vow , and seriously endeavour to perform it , and live in good earnest as christianity bindeth them ; and they take it for an unsufferable crime , to prefer gods authority before mans , and to plead his law against any thing that men command them . in a word , he is unworthy to be accounted a christian with them , who will be a christian indeed , and not despise the laws of christ ; and unworthy to have the liberty and usage of a man , that will not sin and damn his soul : so much more cruel are they than the turkish tyrants , who if they send to a man for his head , must be obeyed . and is the devil a better master than christ ? and shall his work be done with greater zeal and resolution ? will he give his servants a better reward ? should not all this awaken us to do good with greater diligence than they do evil ? and to promote love and piety more earnestly than they do malignity and iniquity ? is not saving church , and state , souls and bodies , better worth resolution and labour , than destroying them ? and the prognosticks are encouraging : certainly christ and his kingdom will prevail : at last all his enemies shall be made his footstool ; yea , shall from him receive their doom , to the everlasting punishment which rebels against omnipotency , goodness and mercy do deserve . if god be not god , if christ will not conquer , if there be no life to come , let them boast of their success . but when they are rottenness and dust , and their souls with devils , and their names are a reproach , christ will be christ , his promises and threatnings all made good , 2 thes . 1. 6. &c. he will judg it righteous to recompense tribulation to your troublers , when he cometh with his mighty angels in flaming fire , to take vengeance on rebels , and to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all true believers . and when that solemn judgment shall pass on them that did good , and that did evil , described matth. 25. with a [ come ye blessed inherit the kingdom ] and [ go ye cursed into everlasting fire ] doing good and not doing it ( much more doing mischief ) will be better distinguished than now they are , when they are rendred as the reason of those different dooms . finis . the nature and immortality of the soul proved in answer to one who professed perplexing doubtfulness / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 96 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 37 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26963 wing b1317 estc r37298 16347153 ocm 16347153 105299 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26963) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 105299) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1604:20) the nature and immortality of the soul proved in answer to one who professed perplexing doubtfulness / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 72 p. printed for b. simmons ..., london : 1682. errata: p. 72. imperfect: print show-through with slight loss of print. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng soul -history of doctrines -17th century. immortality. faith and reason. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2006-09 aptara rekeyed and resubmitted 2007-02 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2007-02 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the nature and immortality of the soul proved . in answer to one who professed perplexing doubtfulness . by richard baxter . london : printed for b. simons , at the three golden cocks , at the west end of st. pauls . 1682. sir , i have reason to judg you no stranger to such addresses as these : and therefore have adventured more boldly to apply my self to you . others would , it may be , rigedly censure this attempt ; but your more christian temper will induce you , i hope , to judg more charitably , did you but understand with what reluctancy i undertook this task . i have had many disputes with my self , whether or no i should stifle these doubts , or seek satisfaction . shame to own such principles bid me do the first ; but the weight of the concern obliged me to the last . for i could not with any chearfulness , or with that vigor i thought did become me , pursue those unseen substances , those objects of faith religion holds forth , except i did really believe their existence , and my own capacity of enjoyning them . i thought at first to satisfie my self in the certainty of the things i did believe , to confirm and establish my faith by these studies , that i might be able to render a reason of the hope that is in me : but instead of building up , i am shaken ; and instead of a clearer evidence , i am invironed with uncertainties . unhappy that i am ! i had better have taken all upon trust , could i so have satisfied my reason , than thus to have involved my self in an endless study . for such i am afraid it will prove without help : for that i may not in this concern rest without satisfaction ; and yet the more i consider , and weigh things , the more are my doubts multiplied . i call them only doubts , not to palliate any opinions ; for i have not yet espoused any ; but because they have not yet attained so much maturity or strength , as to take me off those things , my doubts being satisfied , i should conclude of indispensable necessity ; they are but yet in the womb : assist to make them abortives . i have not been wanting to my self , but in the use of all means to me known , have sought satisfaction , both by prayer , reading , and meditation . i have weighed and consulted things according to my capacity . i have been as faithful to my self in all my reasonings , as i could , and void of prejudice , have passed impartial censures on the things in debate , so far as that light i have would enable me ; and what to do more , i know not , except this course i now take , prove effectual , you inclining to assist me , that i know have studied these things . my request to you therefore is , if your more publick studies will permit you , that you would condescend to satisfie me in the particulars i shall mention . i assure you , i have no other design , but to know the truth : which in things of such moment , certainly cannot be difficult , tho to my unfurnished head they have proved so : i hope my shaking may prove my establishment . that i may therefore put you to as little trouble as i can , i will first tell you what i do believe , and then what i stick at . first , therefore , i do really believe , and am very well satisfied , that there is a god , or a first cause that hath created all things , and given to every thing its being . for i am not acquainted with any independent being . i know not any thing that is able to subsist without the contribution of its fellow-creatures . i am conscious to my self , when sickness invades me , and death summons my compound to a dissolution , i can do nothing to the preservation of the being i enjoy . and if i cannot preserve my self as i am , much less could i make my self what i am : for when i was nothing , i could do nothing . and experience and sense tells me , as it is with me , so it is with others ; as there is none can preserve their beings , so there is none could acquire to themselves the being they have ; and if none , then not the first man. and indeed that was it i enquired after , from whence every species had at first their beings ; the way , how , and means by which they are continued . i know not any cause of the being of any thing , of which again i may not enquire the cause : and so from cause to cause , till through a multitude of causes , i necessarily arrive at the first cause of all causes , a being wholly uncaused , and without cause , except what it was unto it self . my next enquiry was into my self ; and my next business , to find what concern i have with my creator : which i knew no better way to attain , than by searching the bounds of humane capacity . for i concluded it reasonable to judg those attainments i was capable of in my creation , i was designed for . now if man is nothing more than what is visible , or may be made so by anatomy or pharmacy , he is no subject capable of enjoying , or loving god , nor consequently of a life of retrobution . in this enquiry i found man consisted of something visible and invisible ; the body which is visible , and something else that invisibly actuates the same . for i have seen the body , the visible part of man ; when the invisible , either through indisposition of its orgains , or its self , or being expelled its mansion , hath ceased to act ( i speak as one in doubt ) : the body hath been left to outward appearance the same ; it was yet really void of sense , and wholly debilitated of all power to act : but then what this invisible is , what to conclude of it , i know not : here i am at a stand , and in a labyrinth , without a clue : for i find no help any where . many have , i acknowledg , defended the souls immortality ; but none have proved the existence of such a being , and a life of retrobution , and that copiously enough ; but none have proved a subject capable of it . i know all our superior faculties and actings , are usually attributed to the soul ; but what it is in man they call so , they tell us not . to say it is that by which i reason , or that now dictates to me what i write , is not satisfactory : for i look for a definition , and such an one , as may not to ought else be appropriated . is it therefore a real being , really different from the body , and able to be without it ? or is it not ? if not , whatever it be , i matter not . if it be , is it a pure spirit , or meerly material ? if meerly material , and different only from the body gradually , and in some few degrees of subtilty , it is then a question , whether or not that we call death , and suppose a separation of the compound , be not rather a concentration of this active principle in its own body , which through some indisposition of the whole , or stoppage in its orgains , through gross corporeity , hath suffocated its actings . if it be a pure spirit , i would then know , what is meant by spirit ? and whether or no all things invisible , and imperceptable to sense , are accounted such ? if so , it is then only a term to distinguish between things evident to sense , and things not . if other wise , how shall i distinguish between the highest degree of material , and the lowest degree of spiritual beings , or know how they are diversified , or be certain the being of the soul is rightly appropriated . for to me , an immaterial and spiritual being , seems but a kind of hocus , and a substance stript of all materiality , a substantial nothing . for all things at first had their origine from the deep dark waters : witness moses philosophy , in the 1 st of genesis , on which the spirit of god is said to move . i am far from believing those waters such as that element we daily make use of ; but that they were material , appears by those multitudes of material productions they brought forth . and if those waters were material , such were all things they d●d produce , among which was man , of whom the text asserts nothing more plain ; for it saith , god created man of the dust of the earth ; the most gross part and sedement of those waters , after all things else were created . now the body only is not man ; for man is a living creature : it is that therefore by which the body lives and acts , that constitutes the man. now the apostle mentioneth man to consist of body , soul and spirit . my argument then is this , god created man of the dust of the earth . but man consists of a body soul and spirit : therefore body , soul and spirit are made of the dust , &c. and are material . the major and minor are undeniable ; and therefore the conclusion . yet do i not therefore conclude its annihilation : for i know all matter is eternal ; but am rather perswaded of its concentration ( as afore ) in its own body . but of its real being , purely spiritual , and stript of all materiality , really distinct from its body , i doubt . because that by several accidents happening to the body , the man is incapacited from acting rationally , as before ; as in those we call ideots , there is not in some of them so much a sign of a reasonable soul , as to distinguish them from bruits : whereas were the soul such as represented , it would rather cease to act , than act at a rate below it self . did it know its excellencies , such as we make them , it would as soon desert its being , as degrade its self by such bruitish acts : it is not any defect in its organs could rob the soul of its reason , its essential faculty . tho the workman breaks his tools , his hands do not lose their skill , but ceaseth to act , rather than to do ought irregularly : so likewise would the soul then act contrary to its own nature . secondly , because all the species both of the mineral , vegitable , and animal kingdoms , appear to me , but as the more eminent works of a most excellent operator , as engines of the most accurate engineer ; they all live , and have a principle of life manifest in their growth and augmentation , and so far as they are living weights , as i can perceive from the same source . but then comes in those natures and faculties whereby each is distinguished from other , even like several pieces of clock , or watch-work : the one shews the hour of the day , and no more ; the next shews the hour and minutes , another shews both the former , and likewise the age of the moon ; another hath not only the three former motions , but an addition of the rise and fall of tides ; yet all this , and many more that in that way are performed , are several distinct motions , arising all from the same cause , the spring or weight , the principle of motion in them . so among living weights , the first do only grow and augment their bulk , and have no possibility in nature to augment their kind ; the next , to wit , vegitables , do not only grow and increase their bulk , but likewise have a power of propagating their like : the third family , i mean the animal kingdom , do not only live and encrease their kind , but likewise are made sensative . and lastly , we our selves that are not only possest of all the former , but of something , i know not what , we think more excellent , and call reason , and all this from the same source ; namely ▪ that we live ; which if we did not , we could not perform any of these acts . for life in us is the same as the spring or weight in the watch or clock , which ceasing , all other motion ceaseth , as in a watch or clock , the spring or weight being down . as life therefore is the cause of all motion , and all natural operation and faculties ; yet those multifarious operations and faculties , manifest in , and proper to the particular species of the three kingdoms , requires not divers principles of life , no more than divers motions specified in a watch or clock , requires divers weights or springs . and as the diversity of motion in watch or clock , ariseth not from diversity of weights or springs , but rather from other means : so those diversities of natures and faculties , manifest throughout the three kingdoms , arise not from divers principles of life , but from one principle of life , manifesting its power in bodies diversly organized . so that a tree or herb that only vegitates and propagates its kind , hath no other principle of life than an animal that hath sense , and more eminent faculties . the difference only , as i conceive , is , this principle of life in the vegitable , is bound up in a body organized to no other end , by which life is hindred exerting any other power : but in the animal it 's kindled in a purer matter , by which it 's capacitated to frame more excellent orgains , in order to the exerting more eminent acts. for the principle of life can no more act rationally in matter capable of naught but vegitation ( for it acts in matter according to the nature thereof , advancing it to its utmost excellency ) , than a man can saw with a coult-staff , or file with an hatchet , or make a watch with a betle and wedges . i am apt to believe those rare endowments , and eminent faculties , wherewith men seem to excel meer sensatives , are only the improvement of speech , wherein we have the advantage of them , and the result of reiterated acts , until they become habits . for by the first we are able to communicate our conceptions and experiments each to other ; and by the other we do gradually ascend to the knowledg of things . for is all the knowledg either in the acts , liberal or mechanical , any more than this acts reiterated , until they become habits ; which when they are , we are said to know them ? and what is all our reasoning , but an argument in discourse tossed from one to another , till the truth be found , like a ball between two rackets , till at last a lucky blow puts an end to the sport ? we come into the world hardly men ; and many whose natures want cultivation , live , having nothing to distinguish them from brutes , but the outward form , speech , and some little dexterity , such as in apes or monkeys , in the things they have been taught , and the affairs they have been bred to . and could we imagine any man to have lived twenty or thirty years in the world , without the benefit of humane converse , what would appear then , think you , of a rational soul ? which the wise man well saw when he asserted the condition of men and beasts to be the same what a meer ignorant hath , moses himself made of adam , that in his supposed best state , knew not that he was naked : but i believe the nine hundred and thirty years experience of his own , and the continual experiments of posterity , in that time communicated to him , might quicken his intellect . so that he died with more reason than he was created , and humane nature in his posterity . the next generation was imbellished with his attainments , to which their own experiences still made a new addition . the next generation built on their foundation , and the next on their ; and so on : and we are got on the shoulders of them all . so that it 's rather a wonder , that we know no more , than that we know so much . so that what we have , seems rather times product , through the means aforesaid , than what our natures were at first enricht with . the which appears likewise in those whose memory fails , and in whom the vestigia of things is wore out ; the habits they had contracted , and manner of working in their several acts being forgotten , what silly animals are they ? whereas were the soul such as repesented , who could rob it of its endowments ? it 's true the debilitating of a hand , may impead a manual labour ; but rase what hath formerly been done out of the memory , and you render man a perfect bruit , or worse : for he knows not how to give a signification of his own mind . and indeed , i know not any thing wherein man excels the beasts , but may be referred to the benefit of speech and hands , capable of effecting its conceptions ; nor find any better way to attain a right knowledg of our selves , but by beholding our selves in adam , and enquiring , what nature had endued him with , which will fall far short of what we now admire in our selves . but now supposing all this answer'd , what will it avail us to a life of retrobution , if all return to one element , and be there immerged as brooks and rivers in the sea ? if we lose our individuation ; and all the souls that have existed , be swallowed up of one , where are the rewards and punishments of each individual . and we have reason to judg it will be thus , rather than otherwise , because we see every thing tends to its own centre , the water to the sea , and all that was of the earth to the earth , from whence they were taken . and solomon saith , the spirit returns to god that gave it . every thing then returning to its own element , loseth its individuation . for we see all bodies returning to the earth , are no more individual bodies , but earth : have we not reason then to judg the same of spirits returning to their own element ? and what happiness then can we hope for , more than a deliverance from the present calamity ? or what misery are we eapable of , more than what is common to all ? the same is more evident in the body with which we converse , and are more sensibly acquainted with , seems wholly uncapable of either , &c. for all bodies are material , and matter it self is not capable of multiplication , but of being changed . therefore nature cannot multiply bodies , but changeth them ; as some bodies arise ▪ others perish . natures expence in continual productions being constantly supplied by the dissolution of other compounds : were it otherwise , her store-house would be exhausted ; for it s by continual circulations , heaven and earth is maintain'd ; and by her even circular motion , she keeps her self imployed on the same stock of matter , and maintains every species . there is no body the same to day it was yesterday , matter being in a continual flux ; neither immediately on the dissolution of a compound , and corruption of the body , doth the earth thereof retain any specifick difference of that body it once was , but is immediately bestowed by nature , and ordered to the new production of other things . that part of matter therefore which constituteth a humane body , in a short time is putrified , and made earth , which again produceth either other inferior animals , or grass , or corn , for the nourishment of beasts and fowl , which again are the nourishment of men . thus circularly innumerable times round , nature continually impressing new forms of the same matter . so that that matter that now constitutes my body , it may be a thousand years ago was the matter of some other mans , or it may be of divers mens , then putrified ; which in this time hath suffered infinite changes , as it may be sometime grass , or corn , or an herb , or bird , or beast , or divers of them , or all , and that divers times over , before my body was framed ; who then can say , why this matter so changeable , should at last be restored , my body rather than his , whose formerly it was , or the body of a bird , or other animal ? for by the same reasons that the body of man is proved to arise again , may , i think , be proved the restoration of all other bodies , which is equally incredible to me ( if understood at one time ) . for natures stock of matter being all at first exhausted , she could not employ her self in new productions , without destroying some of the old ; much less can she at once fabricate out of the same quantity of matter , all the bodies that ever were , are , or shall be ; which yet , notwithstanding could she , they could not be said to be the same bodies , because all bodies suffer such alteration daily , that they cannot be said to be the same to day they were yesterday ; how then can they be capable of reward or punishment ? these are now my doubts ; but are they the fruits of diligence ? and am i thus rewarded for not believing at a common rate ? a great deal cheaper could i have sate down , and believed as the church believes ; without a why , or a wherefore , have been ignorant of these disputes , and never have emerged my self in this gulf , than thus by reflection to create my own disturbance . had i been made a meer animal , i had had none of these doubts nor fears that thus torment my mind ; for doubting , happy bruits happy , far more happy than my self ! with you is none of this ; with you only is serenity of mind , and you only void of anxieties ; you only enjoy what this world is able to accommodate with , and it may be too have those caresses we know not of , while we , your poor purveyors , go drooping and disponding , doubting , fearing , and caring about , and our whole lives only a preying on one another , and tormenting our selves . you have the carnal content and satisfaction ; we nothing but the shell , a vain glorious boast of our lordship over you , with which we seek to satisfie our selves , as prodigals , with husks , while the truth is , we are afraid to confront our vassals , except we first by craft and treachery beguile them from whom likewise we flee , if once enraged : and what a poor comfort is this ? is this a priviledg to boast of ? is this all reason advanceth to , only a purveyor to beasts , and to make my life more miserable , by how much more sensible of misery ! well might solomon prefer the dead before the living ; and those that had not been , before both ; intimating thereby , that being best , least capable of misery ; that is , of trees , of herbs , of stones , and all inanimates , which wanting sense , are insensible of misery . better any thing than man therefore , since that every brute and inanimate stock or stone , are more happy in that measure : they are less capable of misery . what the advantage then , what the benefit that occurs to us from them , or what preheminence have we above them , seeing as dieth the one , so dieth the other , and that they have all one breath ? pardon this degression ; the real sense and apprehension i have of things , extort it from me . for i , as job , cannot refrain my mouth , but speak in the bitterness of my spirit , and complain in the anguish of my soul , why died i not from the womb ? why did i not give up the ghost when i came out of the belly ? why did the knees prevent me ? or why the breasts , that i should suck ? i had then been among solomon 's happy ones : i should now have lain still and been quiet ; i should have slept , and been at rest : whereas now i am weary of life . for tho i speak , my grief is not asswaged ; and tho i forbear , i am not eased ; but now he hath made me weary , and made desolate all my company : he hath filled me with wrinkles , which is a witness against me ; and my leanness rising up in me , beareth witness to my face , god hath delivered me to the ungodly , and turned me cver into the hand of the wicked , and my familiar friends have forgotten me . i said , i shall die in my nest , and shall multiply my days as the sand , when my root was spread out by the waters , and the dew lay all night on my branch ; when my glory was fresh , and my bow was renewed in my hand : but i find while my flesh is upon me , i shall bave pain , and while my soul is in me , it shall mourn . have pity upon me , o my friend ! for the hand of god hath touched me . the wicked live , and become old ; yea , they are mighty in power , their seed is established in their sight with them , and their off-spring before their eyes ; their houses are safe from fear , neither is the rod of god upon them , &c. they are planted , and take root , they grow ; yea , they bring forth fruit , yet god is never in their mouth , and far from their reins . in vain then do i wash my hands in innocency , seeing all things come alike to all . there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked , to the good , to the clean , and to the unclean ; to him that sacrificeth , and to him that sacrificeth not : as is the good , so is the sinner ; and he that sweareth , as he that feareth an oath . i have now done ( tho i hardly know how ) , lest i too far trouble you ; and only beg your perusal of these lines , and two or three in answer of them by this bearer , who shall at your appointment wait on you for the same . let me farther beg these two things of you : first , that you would consider you have not to do with a sophistick wrangler , or with one that would willingly err , but with one that desires to know the truth . let therefore your answer be , as much as you can , void of scholastick terms , or notions that may lead me more into the dark . and then , as job did beg , that god would withdraw his hand far from him , and that his dread might not make him afraid ; so i. and further , that you would not awe me with his greatness , nor suppress my arguments with his omnipotence . then call thou , and i will answer ; or let me speak , and answer thou me . thus begging the divine influence to direct you , and enlighten me , i subscribe myself , sir , § . 1. it is your wisdom in cases of so great moment , to use all just endeavours for satisfaction ; and i think you did but your duty , to study this as hard as you say you have done . but 1. i wish you had studied it better ; for then you would not have been a stranger to many books which afford a just solution of your doubts , as i must suppose you are , by your taking no notice of what they have said . 2. and i wish you had known , that between the solving of all your objections , and taking all on trust from men , or believing as the church believeth , there are two other ways to satisfaction ( which must be conjunct ) : 1. discerning the unanswerable evidences in nature and providence , of the souls future life . 2. and taking it on trust from divine revelation ; which is otherwise to be proved , than by believing as the church by authority requireth you . i have written on this subject so much already , that i had rather you had told me , why you think it unsatisfactory , than desire me to transcribe it , while print is as legible as manuscript . if you have not read it , i humbly offer it to your consideration . it is most in two books : the first which i intreat you to read , is called , the reasons of the christian religion : the other is called , the unreasonableness of infidelity . if you think this too much labour , you are not so hard or faithful a student of this weighty case , as it deserveth , and you pretend to be . if you will read them ( or the first at least ) , and after come to me , that we may fairly debate your remaining doubts , it will be a likelier way for us to be useful to each other , than my going over all the mistakes of your paper will be . and i suppose you know , that we have full assurance of a multitude of verities , against which many objections may be raised , which no mortal man can fully solve , especially from modes and accidents . nay , perhaps there is nothing in the world which is not liable to some such objections . and yet i will not neglect your writing . § . 2. when you were convinc'd , that there is a first cause , it would have been an orderly progress to think what that cause is ; and whether his works do not prove his infinite perfection , having all that eminently which he giveth formally to the whole world , as far as it belongeth to perfection to have it . for none can give more than he hath . and then you should have thought what this god is to man , as manifest in his works : and you should have considered what of man is past doubt , and thence in what relation he stands to god , and to his fellow-creatures : and this would have led you to know mans certain duty : and that would have assured you of a future life of retribution . is not this a just progress ? § . 3. but you would know a definition of the soul. but do you know nothing but by definitions ? are all men that cannot define , therefore void of all knowledg ? you know not at all what seeing is , or what light is , or what feeling , smelling , tasting , hearing is , what sound or odor is , what sweet or bitter , nor what thinking , or knowing , or willing , or loving is , if you know it not before defining tell you , and better than bare defining can ever tell you . every vital faculty hath a self-perception in its acting ; which is an eminent sense : intuition also of outward sensible objects , or immediate perception of them , as sensata & imaginata , is before all argument and definition , or reasoning action . by seeing , we perceive that we see ; and by understanding ; we perceive that we understand . i dare say , that you know the acts of your own soul by acting , tho when you come to reasoning or defining , you say you know not what they are . you can give no definition what substance is , or ens at least , much less what god is . and yet what is more certain than that there is substance , entity , and god ? § . 4. but i 'le tell you what the soul of man is : it is a vital , intellectual , volitive spirit , animating a humane organized body . when it is separated , it is not formally a soul , but a spirit still . § . 5. qu. but what is such a mental spirit ? it is a most pure substance , whose form is a power or virtue of vital action , intellection , and volition ( three in one ) . § . 6. i. are you not certain of all these acts , viz. that you act vitally , understand and will ? if not , you are not sure that you see , that you doubt , that you wrote to me , or that you are any thing . ii. if you act these , it is certain that you have the power of so acting . for nothing doth that which it cannot do . iii. it is certain , that it is a substance which hath this power : for nothing can do nothing . iv. it is evident , that it is not the visible body , as composed of earth , water and air , which is this mental substance . neither any one of them , nor all together have life , understand●●g , or will. they are passive beings , and act not at all of themselves , but as acted by invisible powers . they have an aggregative inclination to union , and no other . were it not for the igneous nature which is active , or for spirits , they would be cessant . therefore you are thus far past the dark , that there is in man an invisible substance , which hath , yea , which is a power or virtue of vital action , intellection , and volition . v. and that this active power is a distinct thing from meer passive power , or mobilitie per aliud , experience puts past doubt . there is in every living thing a power , or virtue of self-moving , else life were not life . vi. and that this is not a meer accident of the soul , but its essential form , i have proved so fully in my methodus theologiae , in a peculiar disputation , that i will not here repeat it . it 's evident , that even in the igneous substance , the vis motiva , illuminativa , calefactiva , is more than an accident , even its essential form : but were it otherwise , it would but follow , that if the very accidental acts or qualities of a soul be so noble , its essential must be greater . vii . but it is certain , that neither souls , nor any thing , have either being , power , or action , but in constant receptive dependence on the continued emanation of the prime cause ; and so no inviduation is a total separation from him , or an independence , or a self-sufficiency . thus far natural light tells you what souls are . § . 7. you add your self , that those attainments which you were made capable of you were designed to . very right . god maketh not such noble faculties or capacities in vain ; much less to engage all men to a life of duty , which shall prove ▪ deceit and misery . but you have faculties capable of thinking of god , as your beginning , guide , and end , as your maker , ruler , and benefactor ; and of studying your duty to him , in hope of reward , and of thinking what will become of you after death , and of hoping for future blessedness , and fearing future misery : all which no bruit was ever capable of . therefore god designed you to such ends which you are thus capable of . § . 8. you say ( p. 3. ) many have defended the souls immortality ; but none have proved a subject capable of a life of retribution . it 's a contradiction to be immortal , or rewarded , and not to be a subject capable ▪ for nothing hath no accidents . nothing hath that which it is not capable of haing . § . 9. you say , none tell us what it is . how many score volumes have told it us ? i have now briefly told you what it is . you say , [ to say it is that by which i reason , is not satisfactory . i look for a definition ] . but on condition you look not to see or feel it , as you do trees or stones , you may be satisfied . i have given you a definition . the genus is substantia purissima ; the differentia is virtus vitalis , activa , intellectiva , volitiva ( trinum a imago creatoris ) . what 's here wanting to a definition ? i have told you , that there is an antecedent more certain perception , than by definition ; by which i know that i see , hear , taste , am , and by which the soul , in act , is conscious of it self . § . 10. you ask , 1. is it a real being ? answ . i told you , nothing can do nothing . 2. is it really different from the body ? answ . a substance which hath in it self an essential principle of life , intellection , and volition , and that which hath not , are really different . try whether you can make a body feel , or understand without a soul. 2. those that are seperable , are really different . 3. you ask , is it able to be without it ? answ . what should hinder it ? the body made not the soul : a viler substance giveth not being to a nobler . 2. nothing at all can be without continued divine sustentation . but we see , juxta naturam , god annihilateth no substance : changes are but by composition , and separation , and action , but not by annihilation . an atome of earth or water , is not annihilated ; and why should we suspect , that a spiritual substance is ? yea , the contrary is fully evident , tho god is able to annihilate all things . § . 11. you say , if it be meerly material , and differ from the body but gradually , death may be but its concentration of this active principle in its own body . answ . if you understand your own words , it 's well . 1. do you know what material signifieth ? see crakenthorp's metaphysicks , and he will tell you in part , it 's an ambiguous word . sometime it signifieth the same as substantia ; and so souls are material . sometime it signifieth only that sort of substance which is called corporeal . dr. more tells you , that penetrability , and indivisibility , difference them . but what if fire ▪ should differ from air materially , but in degree of subtilty and purity , or sensitive souls from igneous , and mental from sensitive , but in higher degrees of purity of matter ; is it not the form that maketh the specifick difference ? air hath not the igneous virtue of motion , illumination , and calefaction ; nor ignis , the sensitive virtues , nor meer sensitives the rational virtues aforesaid . forma dat esse & nomen . this maketh not a meer gradual difference , but a specifick . there is in compounds matter , and materiae dispositio receptiva , & forma . there is somewhat answerable in spiritual uncompounded beings . there is substantia , and substantiae dispositio , & forma . these are but intellectually distinct , and not divisible , and are but inadequate conceptions of one thing ▪ that substantia is conceptus fundamentalis , is confest . some make penetrability and indivisibility , substantiae conceptus dispositicus . but the virtus vitalis activa , intellective , volitiva , in one , is the conceptus formalis . 2. but what mean you by [ the active principles concentration in its own body ] ? it is a strange expression : 1. if you mean , that it 's annihilated , then it ▪ remaineth not . 2. if you mean , that it remaineth an active principle , you mean a substance , or accident . if a substance , it seems you acknowledg it a self-subsisting being , only not separate from its carcass . and if they be two , why are they not separable ? if separable , why not separated ? when the dust of the carcass is scattered , is the soul concentred in every atome , or but in one ? and is it many , or one concentred soul ? if you mean , that it 's but an accident , that 's disprov'd before ; what accident is it ? if concentred in the body , the body , and every dust of it , is vital and intellectual . and if so , every clod and stone is so ; which i will not so much wrong you , as to imagine that you think . § . 12. but you would know what 's meant by a spirit , whether all that is not evident to sense ? ans . it is a pure substance ( saith dr. more , penetrable and indivisible ) essentially vital , perceptive and appetitive . § . 13. you add , [ how shall i know the difference between the highest degree of materials , and lowest of immaterials ? to me an immaterial , and spiritual being , seems a kind of hocus , a substantial nothing . ans . if you take matter for the same with substance , it is material . but not if you take matter , as it 's usually taken , for corporeal ; or gross , and impenetrable , and divisible substance , uncapable of essential , vital , self-moving perception and appetite . if this seems nothing to you , god seems nothing to you , and true nature , which is principium motus , seems nothing to you : and all that performeth all the action which you see in the world ; seems nothing to you . it 's pity that you have converst so little with god and your self , as to think both to be nothing . § . 14. what you say out of gen. 1. is little else but mistake , when you say [ all was made out of the deep waters by the spirit of god ] . the text nameth what was made of them . it saith nothing of the creation of angels , or spirits , out of them ( no , nor of the light , or earth , or firmament . ) and whereas you say , [ god made man of the dust of the ground ; but the body only is not man , ergo . ans : you use your self too unkindly , to leave out half the words , gen. 2. 7. and the lord god formed man of the dust of the ground , and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life , and man became a living soul ; when the text tells us the two works by which god made man , will you leave out one , and then argue exclusively against it ? what if i said , [ the chandler made a candle of tallow , and then by another kindled it ] ? or [ a man made an house of bricks , and cemented them with mortar , &c. ] ? will you thence prove , that he made a candle burning without fire , or the house without mortar ? words are useless to such expositors . § . 15. page 4. you say ; you know all matter is eternal . but you know no such thing . if it be eternal , it hath one divine perfection : and if so , it must have the rest , and so should be god. but what 's your proof ? you again ( believe the souls concentration in its body ] . ans . words insignificant . it 's idem or aliud . if idem , then dust is essentially vital and intellectual . deny not spiritual forms , if every clod or stone have them . if. aliud , how prove you it to be there , rather than elsewhere ? and if you considered well , you would not believe essential , substantial life and mind , to lye dead and unactive , so long as the dust is so . § . 16. you come to the hardest objecti [ the souls defective acting in infants , ideots , the sick , &c. and say , [ it would rather not act , if it were as represented . ] ans . 1. it cannot be denied , but the operations of the soul here , are much of them upon the organized body ; and tho not organical , as if they acted by an organ , yet organical , as acting on an organ ; which is the material spirits primarily . and so there go various causes to some effects , called acts. 2. and the soul doth nothing independently , but as dependent on god , in being and operation : and therefore doth what god knoweth , and useth it too , as his instrument , in the forming of the body ; and in what it knoweth not it self . and as god , as fons naturae ▪ necessitateth the natural agency of the soul ▪ as he doth the soul of bruits . but as the wise and free governor of the world , he hath to moral acts , given mans soul free-will , and therefore conducting reason ; which it needs not to necessitated acts , as digestion , motion of the blood , formation of the body , &c. and as it is not made to do all its acts freely and rationally , so neither at all times , as in apoplexies , infancy , sleep , &c. it is essential to the soul , to have the active power or virtue of intellection and free-will , but not always to use it . as it is essential to the substance of fire , tho latent in a flint , to have the power of motion , lighe and heat . and its considerable , that as a traveller in his journey , thinking and talking only of other things , retaineth still a secret act of intending his end , ( else he would not go on ) when he perceiveth and observeth it not at all . he that playeth on the lute or harpsical , ceaseth when his instrument is out of tune ; because he acteth by free-will . but the soul of an idiot or mad-man acteth only per modum naturae , not by free-acts , but necessitated by god by the order of nature . only moral acts are free ; and that some other are but brutish ▪ and some but vegitative , is no more a wonder , than that it should understand in the head , and be sensible only in the most of the body , and vegitative only in the hairs and nails . it operateth in all the body by the spirits , as valid ; but about the eyes , and open sensoria , by spirits also as lucid , for that use . § . 14. but never forget this , that nothing at any time doth what it cannot do : but many can do that which they do not . tho the soul in the womb , or sleep , remember not , or reason not ; if ever it do it , that proveth it had the power of doing it . and that power is not a novel accident , tho the act may be so . § . 18. to your explications p. 4. i say , 1. none doubts , but all the world is the work of one prime operating cause ; whom i hope you see in them , is of perfect power , wisdom and goodness , the chief efficient dirigent and final cause of all . 2. i doubt not , but the created universe is all one thing or frame ; and no one atome or part totally separated from , and independent on the rest . 3. but yet the parts are multitudes , and heterogeneous , and have their individuation , and are at once many and one in several respects . and the unity of the universe , or of inferior universal causes ( as the sun , or an anima telluris , &c. ) are certainly consistent with the specifick and individual differences of the parts . e. g. many individual apples grow on the same tree ; yea , crabs and apples by divers grafts , nourished on the same stock : one may rot , or be sower , and not another . millions of trees , as also of herbs and flowers , good and poysonous , all grow in the same earth . here is unity , and great diversity . and tho self-moving . animals be not fixed on the earth , no doubr they have a contiguity , or continuity , as parts with the universe . but for all that , a toad is not a man , nor a man in torment , undifferenced from another at ease , nor a bad man all one with a good . § . 19. and if any should have a conceit , that there is nothing but god and matter . i have fully confuted it in the appendix to reas . of christian religion . matter is no such omnipotent sapiential thing in it self , as to need no cause or maker , any more than compounds . and to think , that the infinite god would make no nobler creature than dead matter , no liker himself ▪ to glorifie him , is antecedently absurd , but consequently notoriously false . for tho nothing be acted without him , it 's evident that he hath made active natures with a principle of self-moving in themselves . the sun differs from a clod , by more than being matter variously moved by god , even by a self-moving power also . else there were no living creature , but bodies in themselves dead , animated by god. but it would be too tedious to say all against this that 's to be said . § . 20 ▪ when you tell us of [ one life in all , differenc'd only by diversity of organs ] , you mean god , or a common created soul. if god , i tell you where i have confuted it . it 's pity to torment or punish god in a murderer , or call ▪ him wicked in a wicked man : or that one man should be hang'd , and another prais'd , because the engines of their bodies are diverse . but the best anatomists say , that nothing is to be seen in the brain of other animals , why they might not be as rational as men. and if it be an anima creata communis that you mean , either you think it is an universal soul to the universal world , or only to this earth or vortex . if to all the world , you feign it to have gods prerogative . if to part of the world , if each vortex , sun , star , &c. have a distinct individuate superior soul , why not men also inferiors ? and why may not millions of individual spirits consist with more common or universal spirits , as well as the life of worms in your belly with yours . that which hath no soul or spirit of its own , is not fit for such reception and communion with superior spirits , as that which hath . communion requireth some similitude . we see god useth not all things alike , because he makes them not like . § . 21. but if the difference between beasts , trees , stones , and men , be only the organical contexture of the body ; then 1. either all these have put one soul , and so are but one , save corporeally . 2. or else every stone , tree and beast hath an intellectual soul : for it is evident that man hath , by its operations . i. had you made but virtue and vice to be only the effects of the bodies contexture , sure you would only blame the maker of your body , and not your sclf , for any of your crimes : for yon did not make your own body , if you were nothing . is the common light and sense of nature no evidence ? doth not all the world difference virtue and vice , moral good and evil ? is it only the difference of an ▪ instrument in tune , and out of tune ? either then all called sin is good ; or god , or the universal soul , only is to be blamed . then to call you a knave , or a lyar , or perjured , &c. is no more disgrace , than to say , that you are sick , or blind . then all laws are made only to bind god , or the amima mundi ; and all punishment is threatned to god , or this common soul. and it is god , or the common soul only in a body , which sorroweth , feareth , feeleth pain or pleasure . ii. and if you equal the souls of beasts , trees , stones and men , you must make them all to have an intellectual soul. if man had not , he could never understand . and if they have so also , frustra fit potentia quae nunquam producitur in actum . it is certain that it is not the body ( earth , air or water ) that feeleth , much less that understandeth or willeth . if therefore all men have but one soul , why is it not you that are in pain or joy , when any , or all others are so ? tour suffering and joys are as much theirs . you hurt your self when you hurt a malefactor . why are you not answerable for the crimes of every thief , if all b●● one ? § . 22. you vainly liken several natures and faculties to several pieces of clock-work . for natures and faculties are self-acting principles under the prime agent : but a clock is only passive , moved by another : whether the motus gravitationis in the poise , be by an intrinsick principle , or by another unseen active nature , is all that 's controvertible there . all that your similitude will infer , is this , that as the gravitation of one poise , moves every wheel according to its receptive aptitude ; so god , the universal spirit , moveth all that is moved , according to their several aptitudes , passives as passive , actives as active , vitals as self-movers , intellectuals as intellectual-free-self-movers under him . no art can make a clock feel , see or understand . but if the world have but one soul , what mean you by its concentring in the carcass ? is the universal soul there fallen asleep , or imprisoned in a grave , or what is it ? § . 23. add page 5. you well say , that life is the cause of all motion : yea , infinite life , wisdom and love , is the cause of all : but there be second causes under it : plurima ex uno . and it maketh things various , which it moveth variously ; and maketh them vital , sensitive or mental , which he will move to vital , sensitive and mental acts . operari sequitur esse . § . 24. you are apt to believe , that those eminent faculties wherewith men seem meer sensitives , are only the improvement of speech , and reitorated acts , till they become habits . ans . 1. i had a parrot that spoke so very plainly , that no man could discern but he could have spoke as well as a man , if he had but had the intellect of a man ; and quickly would learn new words , but shewed no understanding of them . 2. many men born deaf and dumb , are of a strong understanding ( enquire of a brother of sir richard dyett's , a son of mr. peter whalley of northampton , a son in law of the lord wharton's , &c. 3. the faculty and the habit are two things . the faculty is the essential form of the substance . the habit , or act , is but an accident . the faculty is nothing but the active power . and the power goeth before the act. doth acting , without power to act , cause the power ? what need you the power , if you can act without it ? and what 's a contradiction , if this be not , to say , i do that which i cannot do , or i can do that which i have no power to do ? you are not a man without the faculty , but you are without the act ; or else you are no man in your sleep . the act then is but the faculties act ; and habits are nothing but the faculties promptitude to act . and this indeed is caused sometime by very strong acts , and sometime , and usually , by frequent acts ; and sometime suddenly , by a special divine operation . no doubt , but oratory , and all arts and sciences , are caused by frequent acts , and their objects : but those acts are caused by humane faculties , under god , the first cause . you can never cause a carcass , or a parrot , or any bruit , to think of god , and the glory to come , nor to do any proper humane act . credible history assureth us , that devils , or separate souls , have acted carcasses , and discoursed in them , and seemed to commit fornication in them , and left them dead behind them ; and they were known to be the same that were lately executed or dead , and were re-buried . here the dead organ was capable , when a spirit did but use it . you too much confound intellection and ratiocination . the prime acts of intellective perception ; are before ratiocination . and there are a multitude of complex verities , which all found men know without , syllogisms . the disposition to know them , is so strong , that some call it actual knowledg . § . 25. add page 6. it 's well known , that the natives in new england , the most barbarous abassines , gallanes , &c. in ethicpia , have as good natural capacities as the europeans . so far are they from being but like apes and monkeys ; if they be not ideots , or mad , they sometime shame learned men in their words and deeds . i have known those that have been so coursly clad , and so clownishly bred , even as to speech , looks and carriages , that gentlemen and scholars , at the first congress , have esteemed them much according to your description , when in discourse they have proved more ingenious than they , and if improvement can bring them to arts , the faculty was there before . when will you shew us an ape or a monkey , that was ever brought to the acts or habits before mentioned of men ? yea , of those that were born deaf and dumb ? § . 26. your mistake of adam's case , and solomon's words , is so gross , that i will not confute it , lest the description of it offend you . § . 17. the case of failing memories is answered before , in the case ▪ of infancy and apoplexies , &c. out memory faileth in our sleep ▪ and yet when we awake , we find that there remains the same knowledg of arts and sciences . they did not end at night , and were not all new made the next morning . the acts ceased , because the receptivity of the passive organ ceased : but the habit and faculty continued . and when memory in old men faileth about names , and words , and little matters , their judgments about great things are usually stronger ( by better habits ) than young mens : § . 28. you say , you know nothing wherein man excels beasts , but may be referred to the benefit of speech and hands , capable of effecting its conceptions . ans . this is answered before . those conceptions are the cause of words and actions : and is there no cause of those conceptions ? and if mans conceptions differ from the beasts , the causes differed . and if the first conceptions did not differ , the subsequent would not differ neither , without a difference in the causal faculties . why do not beasts speak as well as men ? parrots shew , that it is not in all for want of a speaking organ . if one be born dumb , and not deaf , he will know but little the less for his dumbness . if he be born dead and dumb , and not blind , he will still be rational , as dr. wallis can tell you , who hath taught such to talk and converse intelligibly by their fingers , and other signs , without words . i confess , if all the outward senses were stopt from the birth , i see not how the soul could know outward sensible things , as being no objects to it . and how it would work on it self alone , we know not ; but understand , and will , we are sure it doth : and therefore can do it . and it 's one thing to prove beasts to be men , or rational , and another thing to prove men to be beasts , or irrational . if you could prove the former , viz. that beasts have souls that can think of god , and the life to come , if they could but speak , this would rather prove them immortal , than prove man unreasonable , or of a mortal soul. your whole speech makes more to advance bruits , than to deny the reason of man. § . 29. you say , you know no better way to attain a right knowledg of our selves , than by beholding our selves in adam , and enquiring what nature had endued him with , which will fall far short of what we now admire in our selves . answ . 1. as a multitude of objects , and experiences , more tend to wisdom than one alone ; so to know both what adam was , and what all men are , and do , doth evidence more to our information , than to know adam's first case alone . 2. adam's first powers are to be known by his acts ; and his acts were not to be done at once , in a minute or a day : and we have not the history of his life much after his fall. but we may be sure , that adam's nature in innocency , was no baser than ours corrupted . and therefore adam had the powers of doing whatever other men since have done . 3. but let us come to your test : 1. adam was made a living soul by the breath of god , after the making of his body of the earth . 2. adam and eve were blessed with a generative multiplying faculty : but they did not generate god ; nor did every bruit that had also that faculty . therefore there is a soul which is not god , in every animal , ( nor yet an universal soul ) . 3. adam , no doubt , could not know external sensible objects , till they were brought within the reach of his sense : no more can we . 4. adam knew the creatures as soon as he saw them ; and gave them names suitable . this is more than we could so soon do . 5. adam had a law given him ; and therefore knew that god was his ruler . he knew that god was to be obeyed ; he knew what was his law : else it had been no sin to break it . he knew that he ought to love , and believe , and trust god , and cleave to him : else it bad been no sin to forsake him , and to believe the tempter , and to love the forbidden fruit better than god. he knew that death was the threatned wages of sin. in a word , he was made in the image of god : and paul tells us , it is that image into which we are renewed by christ : and he describeth it to consist in wisdom , righteousness , and true holiness . 6. and we have great reason to think , that it was adam that taught abel to offer sacrifice in faith , and delivered to his posterity the traditions which he had from god. tho adam did not do all this at once , he did not receive a new soul or faculty for every new act . can apes and monkeys do all this ? doth god give them laws to know and keep as moral free-agents ? but you say , adam knew not that he was naked . ans . what! and yet knew god and his law , and how to name the creatures , and how to dress and keep the garden ? he knew not that nakedness was shameful ; for he had newly made it shameful . perhaps you think of adam's forbidden desire of knowledg , and his miserable attainment of it . but that did not make him a new soul , that had no such faculty before . adam was the son of god by creation , luk. 3. and it was his duty and interest to live as a son , in absolute trust on his fathers care and love : and instead of this , he was tempte● 〈◊〉 self-dependance , and must needs know more than his duty , & his fathers love and reward : he must know good and evil f●● himself : like a child that must know what food , and rayment , and work is fittest for him , which he should know only by trusting his fathers choice , or as a patient that must needs know every ingredient in his physick , and the nature and reason of it , before he will take it , when he should implicitly trust his physician . man should have waited on god for all his notices , and sought to know no more than he revealed . but a distrustful , and a selfish knowledg , and busy enquiring into unrevealed things , is become our sin and misery . § . 36. you say , suppose all this answered : what will it avail , as to a life of retribution , if all return to one element , and be there immerged as brooks and rivers in the sea , and we lose our individuation . ans . i answer'd this in the appendix to the rea●… of the christian religion . i add ● . do you believe , that each one hath now one individual soul , or not ? if not , how can we lose that which we never had ? if we have but all one universal mover , which moveth us as engines , as the wind and water 〈◊〉 mills , how come some motions to be 〈…〉 ( as a swallow ) , and others so slow , or none 〈◊〉 all , in as mobile a body ● ? yea , how cometh 〈◊〉 motion to be so much in our power , that we can sit still when we will , and rise , and go , and run ▪ and speak when we will , and cease , or change it when we will ? a stone that falls , or an arrow that is shot , cannot do so . sure it is some inward formal principle ; and not a material mechanical mobility of the matter , which can cause this difference . indeed if we have all but one soul , it 's easie to love our neighbours as our selves , because our neighbours are our selves . but it 's as easie to hate our selves as our enemies , and the good as the bad , if all be one ( for forma dat nomen & esse ) . but it is strange , that either god , or the soul of the world , shall hate it self , and put it self to pain , and fight against it self , as in wars , &c. but if you think still , that there is nothing but god and dead matter actuated by him , i would beg your answer to these few questions . 1. do you really believe , that there is a god ? that is , an eternal infinite self-being , who hath all that power , knowledg , and goodness of will , in transcendent ●●●●…ey , which any creature hath formally , and is the efficient governor of all else that is . if not , all the world condemneth you ▪ for it is not an uncaused being , and can have nothing but from its cause , who can give nothing greater than it self . 2. do you think this god can make a creature that hath a subordinate soul , or spirit , to be the principle of its own vital action , intellection , and volition , or not ? cannot god make a spirit ? if not , it is either because it is a contradiction ( which none can pretend ) , or because god is not omnipotent ; that is , is not god ; and so there is no god ; and so you deny what you granted . but if god can make a spirit , 3. why should you think he would not ? some of your mind say , that he doth all the good that he can ; or else he were not perfectly good . certainly his goodness is equal to his greatness , and is commmunicative . 4. hath he not imprinted his perfections in some measure , in his works ? do they not shew his glory ? judg of his greatness by the sun , stars , and heavens ; and of his wisdom , by the wonderful order , contexture , and goverument of all things . even the fabrick of a fly , or any animal , poseth us . and do you think , that his love and goodness hath no answerable effect ? 5. do you think , that passive matter doth as much manifest gods perfection , and honour the efficient , as vital and intellectual spirits ? if it be a far nobler work for god to make a free , vital , mental spirit , to act under him freely , mentally , and vitally , than to make meer atomes , why should you think that god will not do it ? 6. and do you not dishonour , or blaspheme the prime cause , by such dishonouring of his work , as to say , he never made any thing more noble than atomes , and compositions of them . 7. is there not in the creature a communicative disposition to cause their like ? animals generate their like : fire kindleth fire : wise men would make others wise : god is essential infinite life , wisdom and love : and can he , or would he make nothing liker to himself than dead atomes ? yea , you feign him to make nothing but by composition , while you say , that matter it self is eternal . 8. but when the matter of fact is evident , and we see by the actions , that there is a difference between things moved by god , some having a created life and mind , and some none , what needs then any further proof ? § . 31. but if you hold , that we have now distinct spirits , which are individual , substances , why should you fear the loss of our individuation , any more than our annihilation , or specifick alteration ? if god made as many substantial individual souls , as men , is there any thing in nature or scripture , which threatneth the loss of individuation ? i have shewed you , and shall further shew you enough against it . § . 32. you say , page 7. every thing returneth to its element , and loseth its individuatiou : earth to earth , water to the sea , the spirit to god that gave it . what happiness then can we hope for more than deliverance from the present calamity ; or what misery are we capable of , more than is common to all ? ans . 1. bodies lose but their composition , and spiritual forms . do you think , that any atome loseth its individuation ? if it be still divisible in partes infinitas , it is infinite . and if every atome be infinite , it is as much , or more than all the world ; and so is no part of the world ; and so there would be as many worlds , or infinites , as atomes . it is but an aggregative motion which you mention . birds of a feather will flock together , and yet are individuals still . do you think any dust , or drop , any atome of earth or water , loseth any thing of it self , by its union with the rest ? is any substance lost ? is the simple nature changed ? is it not earth and water still ? is not the haecceity , as they call it , continued ? doth not god know every dust , and every drop from the rest ? can he not separate them when he will ? and if nature in all things tend to aggregation , or union , it is then the perfection of everything . and why should we fear perfection ? 2. but earth , and water , and air , are partible matter . earth is easily separable : the parts of water more hardly , by the means of some terrene separaror . the parts of air yet more hardly : and the sun-beams , or substance of fire , yet harder than that ( tho it's contraction and effects are very different ) : and spirits either yet harder , or not at all . some make it essential to them to be indiscerptible ; and all must say , that there is nothing in the nature of them , tending to division , or separation . and therefore tho god , who can annihilate them , can divide them into parts , if it be no contradiction ; yet it will never be , because he useth every thing according to its nature , till he cometh to miracles . therefore their dissolu●ion of parts is no more to be feared , than their annihilation . 3. but if you take souls to be partible and unible , then you must suppose every part to have still its own existence in the whole . and do you think , that this doth not more advance souls than abase them ? yea , you seem to deifie them , while you make them all to return into god , as drops into the sea. and if you feign god to be partible , is it not more honour and joy to be a part of god , who is joy it self , than to be a created soul ? if a thousand candles were put out , and their light turned into one luminary , as great as they all , every part would have its share in the enlightning of the place about it . is it any loss to a single soldier , to become part of a victorious army . 4. but indeed this is too high a glory for the soul of man to desire , or hope for . it is enough to have a blessed union with christ , and the holy society , consistent with our individuation . like will to like , and yet be it self . rivers go to the sea , and not to the earth . earth turns to earth , and not to the sun , or fire . and the holy and blessed , go to the holy and blessed : and i believe , that their union will be nearer than we can now well conceive , or than this selfish state of man desireth : but as every drop in the sea , is the same water it was , so every soul will be the same soul. 2. and as to the incapacity of misery which you talk of , why should you think it more hereafter than here ? if you think all souls now to be but one , doth not an aking tooth , or a gouty foot , or a calculous bladder , suffer pain , tho it be not the body that feeleth ; but the same sensitive soul is pain'd in one part , and pleas'd in another . and if all souls be now but god in divers bodies , or the anima mundi , try if you can comfort a man under the torment of the stone , or other malady , or on the rack , or in terror of conscience , by telling him , that his soul is a part of god. will this make a captive bear his captivity , or a malefactor his death ? if not here , why should you think that their misery hereafter will be ever the less , or more tolerable for your conceit , that they are parts of god ? they will be no more parts of him then , than they were here . but it 's like , that they also will have an uniting inclination , even to such as themselves ; or that god , will separate them from all true unity , and say , go you cursed into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels , &c. § . 33. no doubt it 's true , that you say , page 7 , and 8. that matter is still the same , and liable to all the changes which you mention . but it 's an unchanged god , who doth all this by spirits , as second causes , who are not of such a changeable , dissoluble , partible nature , as bodies are : it is spirits that do all that 's done in the world ! and i conjecture , as well as you , that universal spirits are universal causes . i suppose , that this earth hath a vegitative form , which maketh it as a matrix to receive the seeds , and the more active influx of the sun. but earth and sun are but general causes . only god , and the seminal virtue , cause the species , as such . the sun causeth every plant to grow ; but it causeth not the difference between the rose , and the nettle . and the oak . the wonderful unsearchable virtue of the seed causeth that . and if you would know that virtue , you must know it by the effects . you cannot tell by the seed only of a rose ; a vine , an oak , what is in it . but when you see the plants in ripeness , you may see that the seeds had a specifying virtue , by the influx of the general cause , to bring forth those plants , flowers , &c. neither can you know what is in the egg , but by the ripe bird ; nor what the soul of an infant is , but by manhood and its acts. § . 34. you here pag. 7. divert from the point of the immortality or nature of the soul , to that of the resurrection of the body : of which i will now say but this ; christ rose , and hath promised us a resurrection , and nothing is difficult to god. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oft signifieth our living another life after this . the body hath more parts than earth and water . the spirits as we call them , which are the igneous parts , lodged in the purest aereal in the blood , &c. are that body in and by which the soul doth operate on the rest . how much of these material spirits the soul may retain with it after death , we know not : and if it have such a body , it hath partly the same ; and god can make what addition he please , which shall not contradict identity : paul saith of corn , god giveth it a body as pleaseth him ▪ in some respect the same , &c. in some not the same that was sown . we do not hold , that all the flesh that ever a man had , shall be raised as that mans . if one man that was fat , grow lean in his sickness , we do not say , that all the flesh that sickness wasted , shall rise : it shall rise a spiritual body . god knoweth that which you and i know not . § . 35. you add , how easie it would have been to you to believe as the church believeth ▪ and not to have immerged your self in these difficulties ? ans . 1. the church is nothing but all individual christians ; and it is their belief which makes them capable of being of the church : as we must be men in order of nature , before we are a kingdom of men ; so we are believers before we are a church of believers . a kingdom or policy maketh us not men , but is made of men ; and church-society or policy maketh us not believers , but is made up of believers . therefore belief is first , and is not caused by that which followeth it ? and why doth the church believe ? is it because they believe ? and whom do they believe ? is it themselves ? i doubt you have fallen into acquaintance with those whose interest hath made it their trade to puzzle and confound men about things as hard to themselves as others , that they may bring them to trust the church , and then tell them that it 's they that are that church , as a necessary means to the quieting their minds . and they tell them , you are never able by reason to comprehend the mysteries of faith ; the more you search , the more you are confounded . but if you believe as the church believeth , you shall speed as the church speedeth , but it 's one thing to believe the same thing which the church believeth ; and another to believe it with the same faith , and upon the same authority . if a man believe all the articles of the creed only because men tell him that they are true , it is but a human faith , as resting only on mans authority ; but the true members of the church believe all the same things , because god revealeth and attesteth them ; and this is a divine faith : and so must you . if you love light more than darkness and deceit , distinguish , 1. believing men for authority . 2. believing men for their honesty , 3. believing men for the natural impossibility of their deceiving . and the foundation of this difference is here : mans soul hath two sorts of acts , necessary and contingent , or mutably free ▪ to love our selves , to be unwilling to be miserable , and willing to be happy ; to love god as good , if known , &c. are acts of the soul as necessary , as for fire to burn combustible contiguous matter ; or for a bruit to eat ; so that all the testimonies which is produced by these necessary acts by knowing men , hath a physical certainty , the contrary being impossible . and this is infallible historical knowledg of matter of fact . thus we know there is such a city as rome , paris , venice , &c. and that there was such a man as k. james , ed. 6. hen. 8. william the conqueror , &c. and that the statutes now ascribed to ed. 3. and other kings and their parliaments are genuine . for judges judge by them , lawyers plead them , kings own them , all men hold their estates and lives by them . contrary mens interest by lawyers are daily pleaded by them against each other ; and if any one would deny , forge or corrupt a statute , interest would engage the rest against him to detect his fraud . 1. the certain effect of natural necessary causes hath natural necessary evidence of truth . but when all knowing men of contrary dispositions and interests ▪ acknowledg a thing true , this is the effect of natural necessary causes . ergo it hath natural necessary evidence of truth . 2. it is impossible there should be an effect without a sufficient cause . but that a thing should be false which all knowing men of contrary dispositions and interests acknowledg to be true , would be an effect without a cause ▪ for there is no cause in nature to effect it . it is impossible in nature that all men in england should agree to say , there was a king james , k. edward , q. mary , or that these statutes were made by them , if it were false . this is infallible historical testimony . it were not so strong if it were only by one party , and not by enemies also , or men of contrary minds and interests . and thus we know the history of the gospel ; and this tradition is naturally infallible . ii. but all the testimony which dependeth on humane acts , not necessary , but free , have but an uncertain moral humane credibility . for so all men are lyars ; i. e. fallible , and not fully to be trusted . and i. those testimonies which depend on mens honesty , are no farther credible , than we know the honesty of the men : which in some is great , in some is none , in most is mixt , and lubricous , and doubtful , alas ! what abundance of false history is in the world ! who can trust the honesty of such men , as multitudes of popes , prelates , and priests have been ? will they stick at a lye , that stick not at blood , or any wickedness ? besides , the ignorance which invalidates their testimony . ii. and to pretend authority to rule our faith , is the most unsatisfactory way of all . for before you can believe that jesus is the christ , and his word true , how many impossibilities have you to believe ? 1. you must believe that christ hath a church . 2. and hath authorized them to determine what is to be believed , before you believe that he is christ . 3. you must know who they be whom you must believe ; whether all , or some , or a major vote . whether out of all ▪ the world , or a party . 4. and how far their authority extendeth ? whether to judg whether there be a god , or no god ; a christ , or no christ ; a heaven , or none ; a gospel , or none : or what . 5. and how their determinations out of all the world may come with certainty to us : and where to find them . 6. and when countreys and councils contradict and condemn each other , which is to be believed . many such impossibilities in the roman way , must be believed , before a man can believe that jesus is the christ . in a word , you must not puzzle your head to know what a man is , or whether he have an immortal soul ; but you must , 1. believe the church of believers , before you are a believer in christ . 2. and you must believe , that christ was god and man , and came to save man , before you believe that there is such a creature as man , or what he is , and whether he have a soul capable of salvation . but i have oft elsewhere opened these absurdities and contradictions ; where you may see them confuted , if you are willing . § . 36. your question about the souls nature , existence , and individuation , may be resolved by a surer and easier way as followeth : i. by your own certain experience . 1. you perceive that you see , feel , understand , will and execute . 2. you may know , as is oft said , that therefore you have an active power to do these . 3. you may thence know , that it is a substance which hath that power . nothing can do nothing . 4. you may perceive , that it is not the terrene substance , but an invisible substance , actuating the body . 5. you may know , that there is no probability , that so noble a substance should be annihilated . 6. or that a pure and simple substance should be dissolved by the separation of parts ( or if that were every part would be a spirit still ) . 7. you have no cause to suspect , that this substance should lose those powers or faculties which are its essential form , and be turned into some other species , or thing . 8. and you have as little cause to suspect , that an essential vital intellective power , will not be active , when active inclination is its essence . 9. you have no cause to suspect , that it will want objects to action in a world of such variety of objects . 10. and you have as little cause to suspect , that it will be unactive , for want of organs , when god hath made its essence active ; and either can make new organs ; or that which can act on matter , can act without , or on other matter . he that can play on a lute , can do somewhat as good , if that be broken . 11. and experience might satisfie you , that several men have several souls , by the several and contrary operations . 12. and you have no reason to suspect , that god will turn many , from being many , into one ; or that unity should be any of their loss . all this , reason tells you , beginning at your own experience , as i have ( and elsewhere more fully ) opened . § . 37. ii. and you have at hand sensible proof of the individuation of spirits , by witches , contracts , and apparitions : of which the world has unquestionable proof , tho there be very many cheats . read mr. glanvill's new book , published by dr. moore , lavater de spectris , zanchy de angilii , manlii collect. bodin's daemonolog . remigius of witches , besides all the mallei malificorum , and doubt if you can . if you do , i can give you yet more , with full proof . § . 38. iii. but all that i have said to you , is but the least part , in comparison of the assurance which you may have by the full revelatson of jesus christ , who hath brought life and immortality to light in the gospel , where the state , the doom , the rewards and punishment of souls is asserted . and without dark and long ambages , or roman juggles , we prove the truth of this gospel , briefly and infallibly thus : i. the history of christ's life , miracles , doctrine , death , resurrection , ascension , the apostles miracles , &c. is proved by such forementioned evidence , as hath physical certainty : not such as dependeth only on mens honesty , or moral argument , much less on a pretended determining authority ; but such as dependeth on necessary acts of man , even the consent of all sorts of contrary minds and interests , as we know the statutes of the land , or other certain history . but we are so far from needing to ask , which part of christians it is that is this church , that is to be believed , that it tendeth to the assertaining of us , that all the christian world , papists , protestants , greeks , moscovites , armenians , jacobites , nestorians , &c. herein agree , even while they oppose each other . to know whether there was a julius , or augustus caesar , a virgil , ovid cicero , and which are their works ; yea , which are the acts of councils , no man goeth to an authorized determining judg for the matter of fact , but to historical proof . and this we have most full . ii. and if the history be true , the doctrine must needs be true , seeing it is fully proved by the matters of fact. christ being proved to be christ , all his words must ●eeds be true . § . 39. the gospel of christ , hath these four parts of its infallible evidence . i. the antecedent and inhererent prophecies fulfilled . ii. the inherent impress of divinity on the gospel it self , unimitable by man. it hath gods image and superscription ; and its excellency , propria luce , is discernible . iii. all the miracles , and resurrection , and ascention of christ , the gift of his spirit , and extraordinary miracles of the apostles , and first churches . iv. the sanctifying work of the spirit by this gospel , on all believers in all ages of the world , by which they have the witness in themselves . a full constant unimitable testimony . § . 40. and now how highly soever you think of bruits , think not too basely of men , for whom christ became a saviour : and yet think not so highly of men , bruits and stones , as to think that they are god. and think not that your true diligence hath confounded you , but either your negligence , or seducers , or the unhappy stifling of obvious truth , by the ill ordering of your thoughts . and i beseech you remember , that gods revelationt are suited to mans use ▪ and our true knowledg to his revtlations . he hath not told us all that man would know , but what we must know . nothing is more known to us than that of god which is necessary for us : yet nothing so incomprehensible as god. there is much of the nature of spirits , and the world to come , unsearchable to us , which will pose all our wits : yet we have sufficient certainty of so much as tells us our duty and our hopes . god hath given us souls to use , and to know only so far as is useful . he that made your watch , taught not you how it 's made , but how to use it ▪ instead therefore of your concluding complaints of your condition , thank god , who hath made man capable to seek him , serve him , love him , praise him , and rejoyce in hope of promised perfection . live not as a willful stranger to your soul and god. use faithfully the faculties which he hath given you : sin not willfully against the truth revealed ; and leave things secret to god , till you come into the clearer light : and you shall have no cause to complain , that god , whose goodness is equal to his greatness , hath dealt hardly with mankind . instead of trusting fallible man , trust christ , who hath fully proved his trustiness ; and his spirit will advance you to higher things than bruits are capable of . god be merciful to us dark unthankful sinners . ri. baxter . mar. 14. 1681. errata . in the second part , p. 12. l. 9. for primus r prime . p. 16. l. 21. for is r. are . i have not leisure to gather the rest , if there be any . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26963-e120 here 〈◊〉 what 〈◊〉 want 〈◊〉 the a●… copy . the last work of a believer his passing prayer recommending his departing spirit to christ to be received by him / prepared for the funerals of mary the widow first of francis charlton esq. and after of thomas hanmer, esq., and partly preached at st. mary magdalens church in milk-street, london, and now, at the desire of her daughter, reprinted by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 162 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 51 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a69538 wing b1298 estc r5056 10547773 ocm 10547773 45240 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a69538) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 45240) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:7, 1395:27) the last work of a believer his passing prayer recommending his departing spirit to christ to be received by him / prepared for the funerals of mary the widow first of francis charlton esq. and after of thomas hanmer, esq., and partly preached at st. mary magdalens church in milk-street, london, and now, at the desire of her daughter, reprinted by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [14], 79 p. printed by b. griffin for b. simmons, london : 1682. reproduction of original in the british library and harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng hanmer, mary, d. ca. 1657. funeral sermons. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-10 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the last work of a believer . his passing-prayer , recommending his departing spirit to christ to be received by him . prepared for the funerals of mary the widow first of francis charlton esq and after of thomas hanmer esq : and partly preached at st. mary magdalens church in milk-street , london , and now , at the desire of her daughter , before her death , reprinted . by richard baxter . joh. 12. 26. if any man serve me , let him follow me ; and where i am , there shall also my servant be : and if any man serve me , him will my father honour . london : printed by b. griffin , for b. simmons at the three golden cocks , at the west-end of st. pauls . 1682. the contents of the last work of a believer . the occasion of this discourse , pag. 1. the opening of the text , p. 3. doct. 1. and 2 d passed by [ that christ is exalted in glory ] and [ is to be prayed to ] p. 5. doct. 3. man hath a spirit , as well as a body : and what the soul is , p. 6. doct. 4. the spirit of man doth survive the body : it dyeth not , nor is annihilated , nor sleepeth , p. 11. doct. 5. christ doth receive the spirits of his saints , when they leave the flesh . what his receiving them is ? p. 14. doct. 6. a dying christian may confidently and comfortably commend his spirit to christ to be received by him , p. 19. the doctrine applyed to the unregenerate unprepared soul , p. 20. whom christ will receive , and whom he will not refuse , p. 26. considerations to move them to prepare so as to be received , p. 30. applyed to believers , p. 37. encouraging proofs os christs receiving their departed soul , p. 39. other vses of the doctrine , p. 57. for the abatement of sorrow for the death of our departed friend , p. 61. the evidences of her happiness , in the graces in which she was eminent and exemplary , p. 63. the use of her example to them that survive , p. 70. doct 7. prayer in general , and this prayer in particular , that christ will receive our departing souls , is a most suitable conclusion of all the action of a christians life , p. 72. to the reader . reader , the person whose death did occasion this discourse , was one that about five years ago removed from her antient habitation ( at appley in shropshire ) ▪ to kederminster , where she lived under my pastoral care till i was come up to london : and before she had lived there a twelve-month ( for thither she removed ) she died of the fever , then very common in the city . she lived among us an example of prudence , gravity , sobriety , righteousness , piety , charity and self-denyal : and was truly what i have described her to be , and much more : for i use not to flatter the living , much less , the dead . and though i had personal acquaintance with her for no longer a time than i have mentioned , yet i think it worthy the mentioning , which i understand by comparing her last years with what is said of her former time , by those that were then nearest to her , and so were at her death , that whereas ( as i have said ) sudden passion was the sin that she was wont much to complain of , she had not contented her self with meer complainings , but so effectually resisted them , and applyed gods remedies for the healing of her nature , that the success was very much observed by those about her , and the change and cure so great herein , as was a comfort to her nearest relations , that had the benefit of her converse : which i mention as a thing that shews us , 1. that even the infirmities that are founded in nature and temperature of body , are curable so far as they fall under the dominion of a sanctified will. 2. that even in age , when such passions usually get ground , and infirmities of mind increase with infirmities of body , yet grace can effectually do its work . 3. that to attend god in his means , for the subduing any corruption , is not in vain . 4. that as god hath promised growth of grace , and flourishing in old age , so in his way we may expect the fulfilling of his promise . 5. that as grace increaseth , infirmities and corruptions of the soul will vanislh . this makes me call to mind that she was once so much taken with a sermon which i preached , at the funerals of a holy aged woman * and so sensibly oft recited the text it self as much affecting her , ( 2 cor , 4. 16 , 17. for which cause we faint not ; but tho our outward man perish , yet the inward man is re-renewed day by day , &c. ) that i am perswaded both the text it self , and the example opened ( and well known ) to her did her much good , her work is done : her enemies are conquered ; ( except the remaining fruits of death upon a corrupting body , which the resurrection must conquer ) . her danger , and temptations , and troubles , and fears , are at an end : she shall no more be discomfited with evil tidings ; nor no more partake with a militant church in the sorrows of her diseases or distresses : we are left within the reach of satans assaults and malice ; and of the rage and violence which pride , and faction , and cainish envy , and enmity to serious holiness , do ordinarily raise against christs followers in the world : we are left among the lying tongues of slanderous malicious men ; and dwell in a wilderness among scorpions ; where the sons of belial , like nabal , are such that a man cannot speak to them . 1 sam ▪ 25. 17. the best of them is as a briar ; the most upright sharper than a thorn hedge : mic. 7. 4. ( but the sons of belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away , because they cannot be taken with hands , but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron , and the staff of a spear , and they shall be utterly burnt with fire in the place , 2 sam. 23. 6 , 7. ) we are left among our weak , distempered , sinful , afflicted , lamenting friends ; the sight of whose calamities , and participation of their sufferings , maketh us feel the stroaks that fall upon so great a number , that we are never like to be free from pain . but she is entred into the land of peace , where pride and faction are shut out ; where serpentine enmity , malice and fury never come : where there is no cain to envy and destroy us ; no sodomtes to rage against us ▪ and in their blindness to assault our doors : no ahitophels to plot our ruin : no judas to betray us : no false-witnesses to accuse us : no tertullus to paint us out as pestilent fellows and movers of sedition among the people : no rehum , shimshai , or their society , to perswade the rulers that the servants of the god of heaven are hurtful unto kings , and against their interest and honour , ( ezra 4. 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 22. and 5. 11. ) : no rabble to cry away with them , it is not fit that they should live : no demas that will forsake us for the love of present things : no such contentious censorious friends as jobs to afflict us , by adding to our affliction : no cursed cham to dishonour parents : no ambitious rebellious absolom to molest us , or to lament : no sinful , scandalous , or impatient friends to be our grief : and which is more than all , no earthly , sinful inclinations in our selves ; no passions or infirmities ; no languishings of soul , no deadness , dulness , hard heartedness , or we aknesses of grace ▪ no backwardness to god , or estrangedness from him , nor fears or doubtings of his love , nor frowns of his displeasure : none of these do enter into that serene and holy region , nor ever interrupt the joy of saints . the great work is yet upon our hands , to fight out the good fight , to finish our course , to run with patience the remainder of the race that is before us : and as we must look to jesus the author and finisher of our faith , as our great exemplar , so must we look to his saints and martyrs as our encouraging examples under him . put the case you were now dying , ( and o how near is it , and how sure ! ) what would you need most if the day were come ? that is it that you need most now : look after it speedily while you have time ! look after it seriously , if you have the hearts of men , and sin have not turned you into ideots or blocks . what a disgrace is it to mankind , to hear men commonly at death cry out , o for a little more time , and o for the opportunities of grace again ! and o how shall i enter upon eternity thus unprepared ! ] as if they had never heard or known that they must die till now ! had you not a lifes time to put these questions ? and should you not long ago have got them satisfactorily resolved ? and justly doth god give over some to that greater shame of humane nature , as not to be called to their wits even by the approach of death it self , but as they contemned everlasting life in their health , god justly leaveth them to be so sottish , as to venture presumptuously with unrenewed souls upon death , and the conceit that they are of the right church , or party , or opinion ; or that the priest hath absolved them , doth pass with them for the necessary preparation ; and well were it for them , if these would pass them currantly into heaven : but o what heart can now conceive , how terrible it is , for a new departed soul to find it self remedilesly disappointed , and to be shut up in flames and desperation , before they would believe that they were in danger of it ? reader , i beseech thee , as ever thou believest that thou must shortly die , retire from the crowd and noise of worldly vanity and vexation : o bethink thee how little a while thou must be here , and have use for honour , and favour , and wealth ; and what it is for a soul to pass into heaven or hell , and to dwell among angels or devils for ever ; and how men should live , and watch , and pray , that are near to such a change as this ▪ should i care what men call me ( by tongue or pen ) ? should i care whether i live at liberty or in prison , when i am ready to die , and have matters of infinite moment before me , to take me up ? honour or dishonour , liberty or prison , are words of no sound or signification scarce to be heard or taken notice of , to one of us that are just passing to god and to everlasting life ! the lord have mercy upon the distracted world ! how strangely doth the devil befool them in the day-light , and make them needlesly trouble themselves about many things , when one thing is needful ; and heaven is talk'd of ( and that but heartlesly and seldom ) while fleshly provision only is the prize , the pleasure , the business of their lives ! some are diverted from their serious preparation for death , by the leastly avocations of lust and g●wdiness , and meats , and drinks , and childish sports : and some by the businesses of ambition and covetousness , contriving how to feather their nests , and exercise their wills over others in the world ! and some that will seem to be doing the work , are diverted as dangerously as others , by contending about formalities and ceremonies , and destroying charity and peace , rending the church , and strengthening factions , and carrying on interests hypocritically under the name of religion , till the zeal that saint james describeth , ( jam. 3. 13 , 14 , &c. ) having consumed all that was tike to the zeal of love and holiness in themselves , proceed to consume the servants and interest of christ about them and to bite and devoure , till their lord come and find them in a day that they locked not for him , smiting their fellow-servants , and eating and drinking with the drunken , and cut them asunder , and appoint them their portion with the hypocrites , where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth , matth , 24. 49 , 50 , 51. o study , and preach , and hear , and pray , and live , and use your brethren that differ from you in some opinions , as you would do if you were going to receive your doom , and as will then be most acceptable to your lord ! the guilt of sensuality , worldiness , ambition , of uncharitableness , cruelty and injustice , of losing time , and betraying your souls by negligence , or perfidiousness and wilful sin , will lie heavyer upon a departing soul , then now in the drunkenness of prosperity you can think : christ will never receive such souls in their extremity , unless upon repentance by faith in his blood , they are washed from this pollution . it is unspeakably terrible to die , without a confidence that christ will receive us : and little knows the graceless world what sincerity and simplicity in holiness is necessary to the soundness of such a confidence . let those that know not that they must die , or know of no life hereafter , hold on their chase of a feather , till they find what they lost their lives , and souls , and labour for : but if thou be a christian , remember what is thy work ! thou wilt net need the favour of man , nor worldly wealth to prevail with christ to receive thy spirit : o learn thy last work , before thou art put upon the doing of it . the world of spirits to which we are passing , doth better know than this world of fleshly darkened sinners , the great difference between the death of a heavenly believer , and of an earthly sensualist . believe , it is a thing possible to get that apprehension of the love of christ , that confidence of his receiving us , and such familiar pleasant thoughts of our entertainment by him , as shall much overcome the fears of death , and make it a welcome day to us when we shall be admitted into the celestial society . and the difference between one mans death and anothers , dependeth on the difference between heart and heart , life and life , preparation and vnpreparedness . it you ask me , how may so happy a preparation be made ? i have told you in this following discourse , and more fully else where formerly . i shall add now these few directions following . 1. follow the flattering world no further : come off from all expectation of felicity below : enjoy nothing under the sun ; but only use it in order to your enjoyment of the real sure delight : take heed of being too much pleased in the creature . have you houses , and lands , and offices , and honours , and friends that are very pleasing to you ? take heed ; for that is the killing snare ! shut your eyes , and wink them all into nothing ; and cast by your contrivances , and cares , and fears , and remember you have another work to do . 2. live in communion with a suffering christ : study well the whole life and nature of his sufferings ; and the reason of them ; and think how desirable it is to be conformed to him : thus look to jesus , that for the joy that was set before him , despised the shame , and endured the cross , and the contradiction of sinners against himself . dwell upon this example that the image of a humbled suffering christ being deeply imprinted on thy mind , may draw thy heart into a juster relish of a mortified state : sure he is no good christian that thinks it not better to live as christ did ( in holy poverty and sufferings in the world ) then as croesus or caesar , or any such worldling and self-pleasure lived . die daily , by following jesus with your cross , and when you have a while suffered with him , he will make you perfect , and receive your spirits , and you shall reign with him : it wonderfully prepareth for a comfortable death , to live in the fellowship of the sufferings of christ : he is most likely to die quietly , patiently and joyfully , that can first be poor , be neglected , be scorned , be wronged , be slandered , be imprisoned , quietly , patiently and joyfully . if you were but at hierusalem ; you would with some love and pleasure go up mount olivet , and think , [ christ went this very way ] you would love to see the place where he was born , the way which he went when he carryed his cross , the holy grave where he was buried , ( where there in a temple which pilgrims use to visit , from whence they use to bring the mark as a pleasing badge of honour . ) but how much more of christ is there in our suffering for his cause and truth ? and in following him in a mortified self-denying life , then in following him in the path that he hath trodden upon earth ? his enemies saw his cross , his grave , his mother , his person : this did not heal their sinful souls and make them happy . but the cross that he calleth us to bear , is , a life of suffeing for righteousness sake , in which he commandeth us to rejoyce and be exceeding glad , because our reward is great in heaven , though all manner of evil be spoken of us falsly by men on earth , mat. 5. 11 , 12. this is called a being pertakers of christs sufferings , in which we are commanded to rejoyce ; that when this glory shall be revealed , we may be glad with exceeding joy , 1 pet. 4. 13. and as the sufferings of christ abound towards us , so will our consolation abound by christ ; 1 cor. 1. 5. till we come up to a life of willing mortification , and pleased contented suffering with christ , we are in the lower form of his school , and as children , shall tremble at that which should not cause our terrour , and through misapprehensions of the case of a departing soul , shall be afraid of that which should be our joy . i am not such an enemy to the esteem of relicks , but if one could shew me the very stock that paul and silas sate in when they sung psalms in their imprisonment , acts 16. i could be contented to be put ( for the like cause ) into the same stocks , with a special willingness and pleasure : how much more should we be willing to be conformed to our suffering lord , in a spirit and life of true mortification ? 3. hold communion also with his suffering members : desire not to dwell in the tents of wickedness , nor to be planted among them that flourish for a time , that they may be destroyed for ever , psal . 92. 6 , 7. i had rather have bradford's heart and faggot , than bonners bishoprick . it was holy stephen , and not those that stoned him , that saw heaven opened , and the son of man sitting at the right hand of god , acts 7. 56. and that could joyfully say , lord jesus receive my spirit . he liveth not by faith ( though he may be a hanger on that keepeth up some profession for fear of being damned ) who chooseth not rather to suffer affliction with the people of god , than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season , and esteemeth not the very reproach of christ greater riches than the treasures of the world , as having respect to the recompence of reward , heb. 11. 25. 26. 4. live as if heaven were open to your sight : and then dote upon the delights of worldlings if you can : then love a life of fleshly case and honour better than to be with christ , if yon can . but of this i have spoken at large in other writings . christian , make it the study and business of thy life , to learn to do thy last work well ; that work which must be done but once ; that so death which transmits unholy souls into utter darkness and despair , may deliver thy spirit into thy redeemers deemers hands to be received to his glory ; according to that blessed promise , john 12. 26. and while i am in the flesh , beg the same mercy for thy brother and companion in tribulation , and in the kingdom and patience of jesus christ . richard baxter . london , jan. 31. 1661●●… a believers last work. acts 7. 59. lord jesus , receive my spirit . the birth of nature , and the new birth of grace , in their measure resemble the death of saints , which is the birth of glory . it is a bitter-sweet day , a day that is mixt of sorrow and joy , when nature must quit its familiar guest , and yield to any of these changes . our natural birth is not without the throws and pain , and groanings of the mother , though it transmit the child into a more large , and lightsom , and desirable habitation : our spiritual birth is not without its humbling and heart-piercing sorrows : and when we are brought out of darkness into the marvellous light , we leave our old companions , in displeasure , whom we forsake , and our flesh repining at the loss of its sensual delights : and our passage into glory is not without those pangs and fears which must needs be the attendants of a pained body , ready to be dissolved , and a soul that is going through so strait a door , into a strange though a most blessed place ; and it leaveth our lamenting friends behind , that feel their loss , and would longer have enjoyed our company , and see not ( though they believe ) the glory of the departed soul. and this is our case , that are brought hither this day , by an act of providence sad to us , though joyous to our departed friend ; by a voice that hath called her into glory , and called us into this mourning plight : even us that rejoyce in the thoughts of her felicity , and are not so cruel as to wish her again into this corruptible flesh and calamitous world , from the glorious presence of the lord ; and yet should have kept her longer from it , for our own and others sakes , if our wisdom had been fit to rule , or our wills to be fulfilled , or if our prayers must have been answered , according to the measure of our sailing apprehensions , or precipitant desires . but folly must submit to the incomprehensible wisdom ; and the desire of the creature must stoop to the will of the creator the interest of christ must be preferred , when he calleth for his own ; and our temporary interest must give place : flesh must be silent , and not contend ; and dust must not dare to question god : he knoweth best when his fruit is ripe ; and though he will allow our moderate sorrows , he will not so much damnifie his saints , as to detain them with us from their joyful rest , till we are content to let them go . thus also did blessed stephen depart from glory to glory ; from a distant sight of the glory of god , and of jesus standing at his right hand , into the immediate presence and fruition of that glory : but yet he must pass the narrow port ; enraged malice must stone him till he die ; and he must undergo the pains of martyrdom , before he reach to the glory which he had seen : and when he was arrived in safety , he leaveth his brethren scattered in the storm , and devout men make great lamentation at his burial . acts 9. 2. though it is probable by the ordinary acceptation of the word [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] that they were not professed christians , but devout proselytes , ( such as cornelius and the ethiopian eunuch were ) that buried and thus lamented stephen , as knowing him to be an excellent person , cruelly murdered by the raging jews ; yet their example , in a case not culpable , but commendable , may be imitated by believers ; upon condition that , with our sense of the excellency of the persons , and of our loss by their removal , we exceed them that had but a darker revelation , in our joyful sense of the felicity of the translated souls . the occasion of the death of this holy man , was partly that he surpassed others , as being full of faith , and of the holy ghost ; and partly , that he plainly rebuked the blind and furious persecuting zeal of the jews , and bore a most resolute testimony of christ . it is an ill time when men must suffer because they are good , and deserve not suffering , but reward : and they are an unhappy people that have no more grace or wit , but to fight against heaven , and set themselves under the stroaks of god's severest justice , by persecuting them that are dear to christ , and faithfully perform their duty . it is no strange thing for the zeal and interest of a faction to make men mad ; so mad , as implacably to rage against the off spring of heaven , and to hate men because they are faithful to their great master , and because they are against their faction ; so mad , as to think that the interest of their cause requireth them to destroy the best with the greatest malice , because they stand most in their way ; and to forget that christ , the revenger of his elect , doth take all as done to him that is done to them ; so mad , as to forget all the terrible threatnings of god , and terrible instances of his avenging justice , against the enemies of his servants , whom he taketh as his own ; and to ruine their own reputations , by seeking to defame the upright , whose names god is engaged to honour , and whose righteousness shall shine forth as the sun , when foolish malignity hath done its worst . when christ had pleaded his cause effectually with saul , that was one of the persecutors of stephen , he maketh him confess that he was [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] exceedingly , excessively , or beyond measure mad against the christians . but this blessed protomartyr , in despite of malice , doth safely and joyfully pass through all their rage to heaven : by killing him they make him more than conquerour , and send him to receive his crown : and he shuts up all the action of his life , in imitation of his suffering lord , with a two-fold request to heaven ; the one for himself , that his spirit may be received ; the other for his persecutors , that this sin may not be laid to their charge , acts 7. 59 , 60. for so you may find christ did before him , luke 23. 34 , 46. father , forgive them , for they know not what they do : ] and , [ father , into thy hands i commend my spirit . ] only christ directeth his prayer immediately to the father , and stephen to christ , as being one that had a mediator , when christ had none , as needing none ; and being now bearing witness , by his suffering , to christ , and therefore it was seasonable to direct his prayer to him ; but especially because it was an act of mediation that he petitioneth for , and therefore directeth his petition to the mediator . this first request of this dying saint , which i have chosen to handle , as suitable and seasonable for our instruction at this time , in a few words containeth not a few exceeding useful wholesom truths . as , 1. it is here plainly intimated , that [ jesus christ is exalted in glory , ] in that he hath power to receive departed souls . 2. that christ is to be prayed to , ] and that it is not our duty to direct all our prayers only to the father . especially those things that belong to the office of the mediator , as interceding for us in the heavens , must be requested of the mediator : and those things which belong to the father to give for the sake of the mediator , must be asked of the father for his sake . i cannot now stay to tell you in particular what belongeth to the one , and what unto the other . 3. that man hath a spirit , as well as a body : of which , more anon . 4. that this spirit dieth not with the body ( unless you will call a meer separation a dying . ) 5. that christ doth receive the spirits of his saints , when they are separated from the body . 6. that a dying christian may confidently and comfortably commend his spirit to christ , to be received of him . 7. that prayer in general , and this prayer in special , that christ will receive our departing souls , is a most suitable conclusion of all the actions of a christian's life . the first and second of these doctrines , offered us by this text , i shall pass by . the third is not questioned by any that knoweth himself to be a man : but that we may understand it and the rest , we must consider what the word [ spirit ] doth here signifie . by [ spirit ] here can be meant nothing but the rational soul , which is the principal constitutive part of the man. for , though the word do sometime signifie the wind or breath , and sometime the moral and intellectual qualifications , and have divers other senses , i need not stay to prove that it is not here so taken : stephen prayeth not to christ to receive his breath , his graces , or the holy ghost ; but to receive his rational immortal soul. it is not only the soul , but god himself , that is called [ a spirit ] : and though the name be fetch'd from lower things , that is because that as we have no adequate positive conception of god or spirits , so we can have no adequate proper names for them , but must take up with borrowed names , as answerable to our notions . sometime the word spirit ( as heb. 4. 12. &c. ) is distinguished from the soul : and then it either signifieth the superior faculties in the same soul , or the same soul as elevated by grace . do you ask , what the soul is ? you may also ask , what a man is . and it is pity that a man should not know what a man is . it is our intellectual nature , containing also the sensitive and vegetative : the principle or first act , by which we live , and feel , and understand , and freely will. the acts tell you what the faculties or powers are , and so what the soul is . if you know what intellection , or reason and free-will are , you may know what it is to have a spiritual nature , essentially containing the power of reasoning and willing . it is thy soul by which thou art thinking and asking , what a soul is ! and as he that reasoneth to prove that man hath no reason , doth prove that he hath reason by reasoning against it ; so he that reasoneth to prove that he hath no soul. doth thereby prove that he hath a reasonable ( though abused ) soul. yet there are some so blind as so question , whether they have souls , because they see them not : whereas if they could see them with eyes of flesh , they were no souls : for spirits are invisible . they see not the air or wind , and yet they know that air or wind there is . they see not god or angels , and yet they are fools indeed if they doubt whether there be a god and angels . if they see not their eyes , yet they know that they have eyes , because with those eyes they see other things . and if they know not directly and intuitively that they have rational souls , they might know it by their knowing other things , which without such souls cannot be known . it is just with god , that those that live as carnally , and brutishly , and neglegently , as if they had no souls to use or care for , should at last be given up to question whether they have souls , or no. o woful fall ! depraved nature ! o miserable men , that have so far departed from god , as to deny both themselves and god! or to question , whether god be god , and man be man ! return to god , and thou wilt come to thy self ; forget not , man , thy noble nature , thy chiefest part : think not that thou art only shell , because thou seest not through the shell . it is souls that converse by the bodies while they are in flesh . it is thy soul that i am speaking to , and thy soul that understandeth me : when thy soul is gone , i will speak to thee no more . it is thy soul that is the workmanship of god by an immediate or special way of fabrication , isa . 57. 16. the souls that i have made . ] gen. 2. 7. he breathed into man the breath of life , and he became a living soul . ] it is thy soul that is said to be made after god's image ; in that thou art ennobled with a capacious vnderstanding , and free-will : and it is thy soul that is the immediate subject of his moral image , even spiritual wisdom , righteousness , and holiness : god hath not hands , and feet , and other members , as thy body hath . how noble a nature is that which is capable of knowing not only all things in the world ( in its measure ) but god himself , and the things of the world that is to come ; and capable of loving and enjoying god , and of seeking and serving him in order to that enjoyment ! christ thought not basely ▪ of a soul , that redeemed souls at such a price , when he made his soul an offering for sin , isa . 53. 10. were it not for our immortal souls , would god ever honour us with such relations to him , as to be his children ? ( for he is first the father of spirits , heb. 12. 9. and then the father of saints . ) should we be called the spouse and the members of christ ? would he be at so much cost upon us ? should angels attend us as ministring spirits , if we had not spirits fit to minister to god ? would the spirit of god himself dwell in us , and quicken and beautifie us with his grace ? should a world of creatures ( whose corporeal substance seems as excellent as ours ) attend and serve us , if we were but an ingenuous sort of brutes , and had not rational immortal souls ? should such store of mercies be provided for us ? should ministers be appointed to preach , and pray , and labour for us , if we had not souls to save or lose ? they watch for your souls , as those that must give account , heb. 13. 17. why should they preach in season and out of season , and suffer so much to perform their work , but that they know that [ he that winneth souls is wise , ] prov. 11. 30. and that [ he which converteth a sinner from the errour of his way , doth save a soul from death , and hide a multitude of sins . ] jam. 6. 20. the devil himself may tell you the worth of souls , when he compasseth the earth ( job 1. 7. ) and goeth about night and day to deceive them and devour them , 1 pet. 5. 8. and yet can he make you believe that they are so worthless , as to be abused to the basest drudgery , to be poysoned with sin and sensuality , to be ventured for a thing of naught . o , sirs , have you such immortal souls , and will you sell them for a lust , for a beastly pleasure , for liberty to glut your flesh , or for the price that judas sold his lord for ? is thy soul no more worth than honour , or wealth , or foolish mirth ? is thy soul so base , as not to be worth the care and labour of a holy life ? is the world worth all thy care and labour , and shall less be called too much ado , when it is for thy precious soul ? alas ! one would think by the careless felshly lives of many , that they remember not that they have souls . have they not need in the depth of their security , in the height of their ambition , and in the heat of fleshly lusts , to have a monitor to call to them , remember that thou art a man , and that thou hast a soul to save or lose . what thinkest thou of thy negligence and carnal life , when thou readest that so holy a man as paul must keep under his body , and bring it into subjection , lest he should be a cast-away after all his labours ! 1 cor. 9. 25. 26 , 27. o live not as if the flesh were the man , and its pleasure your felicity ; but live as those that have spirits to take care for . doct. 4 the spirit of man doth survive the body . it dyeth not with it : it is not annihilated : it is not resolved into the essence of some common element of souls , where it loseth its specifick form and name : it was still the spirit of stephen that was received by christ . it sleepeth not : to confute the dream of those that talk of the sleeping of souls , or any lethargich , unintelligent or unactive state , of so excellent , capacious and active a nature , were but to dispute with sleeping men . when we say it is immortal , we mean not that it or any creature hath in it self a self-supporting or self-preserving sufficiency ; or that they are necessary beings , and not contingent ; or primitive beings , and not derived from another by creation : we know that all the world would turn to nothing in a moment , if god did but withdraw his preserving and upholding influence , and but suspend that will that doth continue them : he need not exert any positive will or act for their destruction or annihilation . though ejusdem est annihilare , cujus est creare ; none can annihilate but god ; yet it is by a positive efficient act of will that he createth ; and by a meer cessation of the act of his preserving will , he can annihilate . i mean not by any change in him ; but by willing the continuance of the creature but till such a period . but yet he that will perpetuate the spirit of man , hath given it a nature ( as he hath done the angels ) fit to be perpetuated : a nature not guilty of composition and elementary materiallity which might subject it to corruption : so that as there is an aptitude in iron , or silver , or gold , to continue longer than grass , or flowers , or flesh ; and a reason of its duration may be given a natura rei , from that aptitude in subordination to the will of god ; so there is such an aptitude in the nature of the soul to be immortal , which god maketh use of to the accomplishment of his will for its actual perpetuity . the heathenish socinians that deny the immortality of the soul , ( yea worse than heathenish , for most heathens do maintain it ) must deny it to christ himself , as well as to his members : for he used the like recommendation of his soul to his father , when he was on the cross , as stephen doth here to him . if [ lord jesus receive my spirit ] be words that prove not the surviving of the spirit of stephen ; then [ father , into thay hands i commend my spirit ] will not prove the surviving of the spirit of christ : and then what do these infidels make of christ , who also deny his deity ; and consequently make him nothing but a corpse , when his body was in the grave ! how then did he make good his promise to the penitent malefactor , [ this day shalt thou be with me in paradise . ] but he that said . [ because i live , ye shall live also ] john 14. 19. did live in the spirit , while he was put to death in the flesh , 1 pet. 3. 18. and receiveth the spirits of his servants unto life eternal , while their flesh is rotting in the grave : this very text is so clear for this , if there were no other , it might end the controversie with all that believe the holy scriptures . i confess these is a sleep of souls : a metaphorical sleep in sin and in security : or else the drowsie opinions of these infidels , had never found entertainment in the world : a sleep so deep , that the voice of god in the threatnings of his word , and the alarm of his judgments , and the thunder of his warnings by his most serious ministers , prevail not to awaken the most . so dead a sleep possesseth the most of the ungodly world , that they can quietly sin in the sight of god , at the entrance upon eternity , at the doors of hell , and the calls of god do not awaken them : so dead a sleep that scripture justly calls them dead , eph. 2. 1. 5. and ministers may well call them dead ; for alas it is not our voice that can awake them . they are as dead to us ; we draw back the curtains to let in the light , and shew them that judgment is at hand , and use those true but terrible arguments from wrath and hell , which we are afraid should too much frighten many tender hearers : and yet they sleep on , and our loudest calls , our tears and our intreaties cannot awaken them . we cry to them in the name of the lord , [ awake thou that sleepest , arise from the dead , and christ shall give thee light ] eph. 5. 14. this moral sleep and death of souls , which is the fore-runner of everlasting death in misery , we cannot deny . but after death even this sleep shall cease ; and god will awaken them with his vengeance , that would not be awaked by his grace . then sinner , sleep under the thoughts of sin and gods displeasure if thou canst ▪ there is no sleeping soul in hell : there are none that are past feeling . the mortal stroke that layeth thy flesh to sleep in the dust , le ts out the guilty soul into a world where there is no sleeping ; where there is a light irresistible , and a terrour and torment that will keep them waking . if god bid thee awake by the flames of justice , he will have no nay . the first sight and feeling which will surprize thee when thou hast left this flesh , will awake thee to eternity , and do more than we could do in time , and convince thee that there is no sleeping state for separated souls . doct. 5. christ doth receive the spirits of his saints when they leave the flesh . here we shall first tell you what christs receiving of the spirit is . the word signifieth to take it as acceptable to himself ; and it comprehendeth these particulars . 1. that christ will not leave the new-departed soul to the will of satan its malicious enemy . how ready is he to receive us to perdition , if christ refuse us , and receive us not to salvation ? he that now seeketh as a roaring lion night and day , as our adversary , to devour us by deceit , will then seek to devour us by execution . how glad was he when god gave him leave but to touch the goods , and children , and body of job ? and how much more would it please his enmity , to have power to torment our souls ? but the soul that fled to the arms of christ by faith in the day of tryal , shall then find it self in the arms of christ in the moment of its entrance upon eternity . o christian , whether thou now feel it to thy comfort or not , thou shalt then feel it to the ravishing of thy soul , that thou didst not fly to christ in vain , nor trust him in vain to be thy saviour : satan shall be for ever disappointed of his desired prey . long wast thou combating with him ; frequently and strongly wast thou tempted by him : thou oft thoughtest it was a doubtful question who should win the day , and whether ever thou shouldest hold out and be saved : but when thou passest from the flesh , in thy last extremity , in the end of thy greatest and most shaking fears ; when satan is ready , if he might , to carry thy soul to hell ; then , even then shalt thou find that thou hast won the day . and yet not thou , but christ is he that hath been victorious for thee ( even as when thou livedst the life of faith , it was not thou , but christ lived in thee , gal. 2. 20. ) thou mayst fear at thy departure , and leave the flesh with terrour , and imagine that satan will presently devour thee : but the experience of a moment will end thy fears , and thou shalt triumph against thy conquered foe . he that saved thee from the dominion of a tempting devil , will certainly save thee from him when he would torment thee . here he would have us that ▪ he may sift us , and get advantage on our weakness ; but christ prayeth for us , and strengthneth , us , that our faith may not fail , luke 22. 31. and he that saveth us from the sin , will save us from the punishment ; and from satans fury , as he did from his fraud . 2. christs receiving us , doth include his savourable entertainment and welcoming the departed soul. poor soul , thou wast never so welcome to thy dearest friend , nor into the arms of a father , a husband , or a wife , as thou shalt be then into the presence and embracements of thy lord. thou hearest , and readest , and partly believest now how he loveth us , even as his spouse and members , as his flesh and bone , eph. 6. but then thou shalt feel how he loveth thee in particular : if the angels of god have joy at thy conversion , what joy will there be in heaven at thy enterance into that salvation ! and sure those angels will bid thee welcome , and concur with christ in that triumphant joy . if a returning prodigal find himself in the arms of his fathers love , and welcomed home with his kisses , and his robe and feast ; what welcome then may a cleansed conquered soul expect , when it cometh into the presence of glorious love , and is purposely to be received with such demonstrations of love , as may be fitted to magnifie the love of god , which exceedeth all the love of man , as omnipotency doth exceed our impotency ; and therefore will exceed it in the effects ! though thou hast questioned here in the dark , whether thou wert welcome to christ when thou camest to him in prayer , or when thou camest to his holy table ; yet then doubt of thy welcom if thou canst . o had we but one moments sense of the delights of the embraced soul , that is newly received by christ into his kingdom , it would make us think we were in heaven already , and transport us more than the disciples that saw the transfiguration of christ ; and make us say , in comparing this with all the glory of the world , [ master , it is good for us to be here ; ] but in consideration of the full , to say , [ it is better to be there . ] but it must not be : earth must not be so happy as to have a moments sense of the unconceivable pleasures of the received soul ; that is the reward and crown , and therefore not fit for us here in our conflict . but low things may by dark resemblance a little help us to conceive of something that is like them in a low degree . how would you receive your son , or husband , the next day after some bloody fight , where he had escaped with the victory ? or your child , or friend , that arrived safely after a long and a dangerous voyage ? would you not run and meet him , and with joy embrace him , if he had been many years absent , and were now come home ? i tell thee , poor soul , thy saviour hath a larger heart , and another kind of love than thou , and other reasons of greater force to move him to bid dice welcome into his presence . 3. christ's receiving the departed soul includeth the state of blessedness into which he doth receive it . if you ask , what that is ? i answer , it is unto himself , to be with him where he is : and that in general is full of comfort , if there were no more : for we know that christ is in no ill place ; he is glorified at the right hand of the majesty on high , heb. 1. 3. and that the souls of the righteous , and at last their bodies , are received to himself , he often telleth us : john 12. 26. if any man serve me , let him follow me ; and where i am , there shall also my servant be ▪ ] john 14. 2 , 3. and if i go to prepare a place for you , i will come again and receive you unto my self , that where i am , there you may be also . ] and in the mean time , when we once are absent from the body , we are present with the lord , 2 cor. 5. 8. and that is in [ the building of god , not made with hands , eternal in the heavens , v. 1. paul therefore desired to depart and be with christ , as being far better , ] phil. 1. 23. and christ promiseth the converted thief , [ this day shalt thou be with me in paradise , ] luke 23. 43. and our state after the resurrection hath the same description , 1 thess . 4. 17. [ and so shall we ever be with the lord : ] and what it shall be , he declareth himself , john 17. 24. father , i will that they whom thou hast given me , be with me where i am , that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me . the soul of lazarus , luke 16. was received into abrahams bosom , where he is said to be comforted . the heavens receive christ , acts 3. 21. and therefore the heavens receive the spirits that go to him : even the spirits of the just made perfect , heb. 12. 23. that is , that are crowned with christ in glory , and freed from the imperfections and evils of this life . and so that 1 thess . 5. 10. is plain , though some would pervert it , [ that whether we wake or sleep , we may live together with him ] : not [ whether we wake to righteousness , or sleep in sin ] ; for such sleepers live not with him : nor [ whether we wake by sollicitude , or sleep in security ] : nor [ whether we naturally wake or sleep ] only : but whether we live , or die , and so our bodies sleep in death , yet we live together with him . in a word , christ will receive us unto a participation of his joy and glory ; into a joy as great as our nature shall be capable of , and more than we can now desire , and that the largest heart on earth can justly conceive of or comprehend . and because all this tells you but to the ear , stay yet but a little while , and experimental sight nnd feeling shall tell you , what this receiving is ; even when we receive the kingdom that cannot be moved , heb. 12. 28. and when we receive the end of our faith , the salvation of our souls , 1 pet. 1. 9. doct. 6. a dying christian may confidently and comfortably commend his spirit to christ to be received by him . though he have formerly been a grievous sinner ; though at the present he be frail and faulty : though he be weak in faith , and love , and duty ; though his body by sickness be become unfit to serve his soul , and as to present sensibility , activity , or joy , he seem to be past the best , or to be nothing ; though the tempter would aggravate his sins , and weakness , and dulness to his discouragement ; yet he may , he must with confidence recommend his spirit to christ to be received by him . o learn this doctrine christians , that you may use it in the hour of your last distress : the hour is near : the distress will be the greatest that ever you were in : as well as we seem now while we are hearing this , our turn is nigh : the midwife is not so neccssary to the life of the child , that receiveth it into the world , as christs receiving will be then to our everlasting life . to say over heartlesly these words [ lord jesus receive my spirit ] will be no more than a dead hearted hypocrite may do : such formal lip-service in life or at death , doth profit nothing to salvation ; now make such necessary preparation , that at death you may have well-grounded confidence , that jesus christ will receive your spirits 1. and first , let me bring this to the carnal unprepared sinner . poor sinner , what thoughts hast thou of thy dying hour , and of thy departing soul ! i wonder at thee , what thoughts thou hast of them , that thou canst sin so boldly , and live so carelesly and talk or hear of the life to come so senselesly as thou dost ! thou mightest well think i wronged thee , if i took thee to be such a brute as not to know that thou must die ! thy soul that brought thy body hither , that causeth it now to hear and understand , that carryeth it up and down the world , must very shortly be required of thee , and must seek another habitation . what thoughts hast thou of thy departing soul ! will christ receive it ? hast thou made sure of that ? or hast thou made it thy principal care and business to make sure ! o what doth intoxicate the brains of sensual worldly men , that they drown themselves in the cares of this life , and ride and run for transitory riches , and live upon the smoak of honour and applause , and never soberly and seriously bethink them , whether christ will receive their departed souls ! that they can fill their minds with other thoughts , and fill their mouthes with other talk , and consume their time in other inconsiderable employments ; and take no more care , and spend no more thoughts , and words , and time , about the entertainment of their departing souls ! when they are even ready to be gone , and stand as it were on tip-toes ; when fevers , and consumptions , and many hundred diseases are all abroad so busily distributing their summons ; and when the gates of death have so many passengers crowding in , and souls are making such haste away , will you not consider what shall become of yours ? will you say , that you hope well , and you must venture ? if god had appointed you nothing to do , to prepare for your safe passage and entertainment with christ , you might then take up with such an answer : but it 's a mad adventure to leave all undone that is necessary to your salvation , and then to say , you must put it to the venture : if you die in and unrenewed and unjustified state , it is past all ventures ; for it is certain that christ will not receive you : you may talk of hoping , dut it is not a matter to be hoped for . hope that god will make good every word of his promise , and spare not : but there is no more hope that christ will receive the souls of any but of his members , than there is that he will prove a lyar . he never promised to save any others : and that is not all ; but he hath declared and professed frequently that he will not . and you are no believers if you will not believe him : and if you believe him , you must believe that the unbelievers , the unregenerate , the unholy and the workers of iniquity , shall not be received into the kingdom of heaven : for he hath professed it , john 3. 3 , 36. heb. 12. 14. matth. 7. 23. if christ would receive the souls of all , your venture then had reason for it : or if he had left it as a thing that depended only on his unrevealed will , and not on any preparations of our own , we might then have quit our selves of the care , and cast it all on him , as being his part , and none of ours : but it is not so : i hope i need not tell you that , it is not so : believe it , the question must be now resolved , and resolved by your selves , whether christ shall receive your departed souls , or cast them off as firebrands for hell ? he hath made the law , and set down the terms already to which he will unalterably stand , and which we must trust to . it is now that you must labour to be accepted of him : for we must all appear before the judgment seat of christ , that every one may receive the things done in his body , according to that he hath done , whether it be good or bad , ] 2 cor. 5. 9 , 10. o sirs , this is the reason of our importunity with you : knowing the terrors of the lord , we persuade men , saith the apostle in the next words , vers . 11. we know that the sentence will be just , and that it is now in your own hands what judgment then shall pass upon you ! and if just now your souls were passing hence , before you went from the place you sit in , would you think any care could be too great , to make sure that they should go to happiness ! o that you would consider how much it is your own work , and how much it resteth on your selves what christ shall then do with you ! then you will cry to him for mercy , [ o cast not away a miserable soul ! lord , receive me into thy kingdom . ] but now he must intreat you to be saved , and to be the people that he may then receive , and you will not hear him : and if you will not hear him , when he calleth on you , and beseecheth you to repent and to prepare ; as sure as christ is christ , he will not hear you when you cry and call for mercy too late in your extremity . read prov. 1. and you will see this is true . it is you that are to be entreated that christ may receive you ; for the unwillingness and backwardness is on your part : you are now poysoning your souls by sin , and when we cannot intreat you either to forbear or to take the vomit of repentance : yet when you are gasping and dying of your own willful self-murder , you will then cry to christ , and think he must receive you upon terms inconsistent with his justice , holiness and truth . but flatter not your selves ; it will not be : this is the accepted time : behold now is the day of salvation : refuse it now , and it is lost for ever . o sirs , if this were the hour , and you were presently to be received or refused , would you blame me to cry and call to you with all the fervour of my soul , if i knew that it were in your own choice , whether you would go to heaven or hell ? why , now it is in your choice ! life and death are set before you . christ will receive you if you will but come within the capacity of his acceptation . if you will not , there will then be no remedy : it is a doleful thing to observe how satan doth bewitch poor sinners ! that when time is gone , and the door of mercy is shut against them , they would think no cries too loud for mercy , and no importunity too great : for christ telleth us , matth. 25. 10 , 11. that they they will cry [ lord , lord , open to us : ] and yet now when the door stands open , no arguments , no earnestness , no tears can intreat them to enter in ; then there is not the most senseless sinner of you all , but would cry more strongly than esau for the blessing , ( when his tears could find no place for repentance , heb. 12. 16 , 17. ) [ lord receive a miserable soul ! o whither shall i go , if thou receive me not ! i must else be tormented in those scorching flames : ] and yet now you will sell your birthright for one morsel ; for a little of judas , or gehezi's gain , for the applause of worms , for the pleasing of your flesh that is turning to corruption ; for the delights of gluttony , drunkenness , sports or lust . there is not a man of you but would then pray more earnestly than those that you now deride for earnest praying , as if they whined and were ridiculous : and yet now you will neither be serious in prayer , nor hear christ or his messengers , when he maketh it his earnest request to you to come in to him , that you may have life , john 5. 40. then you will knock when the door is shut , and cry [ lord open to a miserable sinner : ] and yet now you will not open unto him , when by his word and spirit , her mercies and afflictions , he standeth at the door of your stubborn hearts , and calleth on you to repent and turn to god ; now our intreaties cannot so much as bring you on your knees , or bring you to one hours serious thoughts , about the state of those souls that are so near their doom . o sirs , for your souls sake , lay by your obstinacy : pity those souls that then you will beg of christ to pity . do not you damn them by your sloth and sin , in the day of your visitation , and then cry in vain to christ to save them , when it is too late . yet the door of grace is open : but how speedily will it be shut ? one stroak of an apoplexy , a consumption , a fever , can quickly shut it ; and then you may tear your hearts with crying [ lord open to us ] and all in vain . o did you but see departed souls , as you see the corps that is left behind ! did you see how they are treated at their removal from the flesh ? how some are taken and others left ! how some are welcomed to christ , and others are abhorred , and turned over to the tormenter , and thrust out with implacable indignation and disdain ( luk. 13. 28. prov. 1. 24 , 26 , 27. ) sure you would enter into serious consideration this day , what it is that makes this difference ; and why christ so useth the one and the other ; and what must be done now , by the soul that would be received then ? alas , men will do any thing , but that which they should do ! among the superstitious papists , the conceit of a deliverance from purgatory makes them bequeath their lands and moneys to priests and friars to pray for them when they are dead , and to have other men cry to christ to receive them , and open to them , when time is past : and yet now in the accepted time , now when it is at your choice , and the door is open , men live as if they were past feeling , and cared not what became of them at the last , and would not be beholden to christ to receive them , when the deceitful world hath cast them off . and now , beloved hearers all , i would make it my most earnest request to you , as one that knoweth we are all passing hence , and foreseeth the case of a departed soul , that you would now without any more delay , prepare and make sure that you may be received into the everlasting habitations : and to this end , i shall more distinctly , though briefly tell you , 1. what souls they are that christ will receive , and what he will not : and consequently , what you must do to be received . 2. what considerations should stir you up to this preparation . i. nothing is more sure than that christ will not receive , 1. any unregenerate , unconverted soul , john 3. 3 , 5. matth. 18. 3. that is not renewed and sanctified by his spirit , rom. 8. 9. heb. 12. 14. acts 26. 18. they must have the new and heavenly nature that will ever come to heaven : without this you are morally uncapable of it . heaven is the proper inheritance of saints , col. 1. 12. this heavenly nature , and spirit , is your earnest : if you have this , you are sealed up unto salvation , 2 cor. 1. 22. ephes . 1. 13. & 4. 30. 2. christ will receive none but those that make it now their work to lay up a treasure in heaven , rather than upon the earth , matth. 6. 20 , 21. and that seek it in the first place , mat. 6. 33. and can be content to part with all to purchase it , matth. 13. 44 , 46. luk. 14. 33. & 18. 22. an earthly-minded worldling is uncapable of heaven , in that condition , phil. 3. 17 , 18. luk. 16. 13. you must take it for your portion , and set your hearts on it , if ever you will come thither ; matth. 6. 21. col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. 3. christ will receive no soul at last , but such as sincerely received him as their lord and saviour now , and gave up themselves to him , and received his word , and yield obedience to it , and received his spirit , and were cleansed by him from their iniquities , john 1. 11 , 12 , luk. 19. 27. 2 thes . 2. 10 , 12. [ that all they might be damned that believed not the truth , but had pleasure in unrighteousness . ] ( they are god's own words : be not offended at them , but believe and fear . ) he hateth all the workers of iniquity , and will say to them , depart from me , i know you not , psal . 5. 5. matth. 7. 23. 4. he will receive none but those that loved his servants , that bore his holy image , and received them according to their abilities , matth. 25. 40 , 41 , &c. and if he will say to those that did not entertain them [ depart form me ye cursed into everlasting fire , ] what will he say to those that hate and persecute them ? 1 joh. 3. 14. & 5. 2. 5. he will receive none but those that live to him in the body , and use his gifts and talents to his service , and make it their chief business to serve , and honour , and please him in the world , matth. 25. 21 , 26. 2 cor. 5. 9 , 15. gal. 6. 7 , 8. and live not to the pleasing of the flesh , but have crucified it and its lusts , rom. 8. 1 , 13. gal. 5. 24. examine all these texts of scripture ( for the matter is worthy of your study ) and you will see what souls they are that christ will then receive , and what he will reject . you may see also what you must now be and do , if you will be then received . if you are not regenerate by the spirit of god , ( though you may be sacramentally regenerate in baptism ; ) if you are not justified by christ , ( though you may be absolved by a minister ; ) if if you seek not heaven with higher estimation and resolutions that any felicity on earth , and take not god for your satisfying portion ; ( though you be never so religious in subserviency to a fleshly worldly happiness ; ) if you receive not christ as your only saviour , and set him not in the throne and government of your hearts and lives ( though you may go with men for currant christians ; ) if you hate not sin , if you love not the holy image , and children of god , and use them not accordingly ; if you crucifie not the flesh , and die not to the world , and deny not your selves , and live not unto god , as making it your chief business and happiness to please him : i say , if this be not your case , as sure as you are men , if you died this hour in this condition , christ will not own you , but turn you off with a [ depart ye cursed : ] you may as well think of reconciling light and darkness , or persuade a man to live on the food of beasts , or the stomach to welcome deadly poyson , as to think that christ will receive an ungodly , earthly , guilty soul . deceive not your selves sinners : if god could have entertained the ungodly , and heaven could hold unholy souls , answer me then these two or three questions . 1. what need christ then to have shed his blood , or become a sacrifice for sin ? if he could have received the ungodly , he might have done it upon cheaper rates . this feigneth him to have died to no purpose ; but to bring the unsanctified to heaven , that might have been as well entertained there without his sufferings . 2. to what use doth christ send the holy-ghost to sanctifie his elect ? or send his word and ministers to promote it , if they may come to heaven unsanctified ? 3. if the ungodly go to heaven , what use is hell for ? there is no hell if this be true ! but you will quickly find that to be too good news to the ungodly to be true . ii. in luk. 16. christ teacheth us our duty by the parable of the steward , that asketh himself before-hand , what he shall do when he must be no longer steward ? and contriveth it so that others may receive him when he is cast off : and he applieth it to us hat must now so provide , that when we fail , we may be received into the everlasting habitations . this is the work that we have all to mind ! we always knew that this world would fail us : o how uncertain is your tenure of the dwellings that you now possess ! are you provided , certainly provided whither to go , and who shall receive you when your stewardship is ended , and you must needs go hence ? o think of these considerations that should move you presently to provide . 1. your cottages of earth are ready to drop down ; and it is a stormy time , there are many sicknesses abroad : one blast may quickly lay them in the dust ; and them the flesh that had so much care , and was thought worthy to be preferred before the soul , must be laid and left to rot in darkness , to avoid the annoyance of the living : and when you may justly look every hour when you are turned out of these dwellings that you are in , is it not time to be provided of some other ? 2. consider , if christ should not receive thy spirit , how unspeakably deplorable thy case will be ? i think there is no man in all this assembly so mad , that would take all the world now , to have his soul refused then by christ ; that would professedly make and subscribe such a bargain : and yet alas , how many are they that will be hired for a smaller price , even for the pleasure of a sin , to do that which chirst himself hath told them , will cause him to refuse them ? o sirs , for ought you know , before to morrow , or within this week , you may be put to know these things by tryal , and your souls may be refused or received : and wo to you that ever you were men , if christ receive you not . consider , 1. if chirst receive thee not , thou hast no friend left then to receive thee . thy house , and land , an riches , and reputation , are all left behind ; none of them will go with thee ; or if they did , they could afford thee no relief . thy bosom-friends , thy powerful defenders , are all left behind ; or if they go before or with thee , they can do nothing there , that could do so much for thee here . no minister so holy , no friend so kind , no patron so powerful , that can give thee any entertainment , if christ refuse to entertain thee . look to the right hand or the left , there will be none to help thee , or care for thy forsaken soul. then thou wilt find , that one christ had been a better friend , than all the great ones upon earth . 2. if christ then receive not thy departed soul , the devils will receive it . i am loth to speak so terrible a word , but that it must be spoken , if you will be awaked to prevent it . he that deceived thee , will then plead conquest , and claim thee as his due , that he may torment thee . and if the devil say , this soul is mine ; and christ do not rescue and justifie thee , but say so too , no heart is able to conceive the horrour that will then overwhelm thee : doth not the reading of the sentence make thee tremble , matth. 25. 41. [ depart from me ye cursed , into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels ] ? this is that dreadful delivering up to satan , when the soul is excommunicated from the city of god. o therefore if thou be yet unreconciled to god , agree with him quickly , while thou art here in the way , lest he deliver thee to this terrible jaylor and executioner , and thou be cast into the prison of the bottomless pit : verily i say unto thee , thou shalt by no means come out thence , till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing , mat. 5. 25 , 26. 3. the greatness of the change will increase the amazement and misery of thy spirit , if christ receive it not . to leave a world that thou wast acquainted with , a world that pleased thee and entertained thee , a world where thou hadst long thy business and delight , and where ( wretched man ! ) thou hadst made thy chief provision , and laid up thy treasure ; this will be a sad part of the change. to enter into a world where thou art a stranger , and much worse , and see the company and the things that before thou never sawest , and to find things go there so contrary to thy expectation ; to be turned with dives from thy sumptuous dwelling , attendance , and fare , into a place of easeless torment ; this will be a sadder part of thy change. here the rich would have received thee , the poor would have served and flattered thee , thy friends would have comforted thee , thy play-fellows would have been merry with thee : but there , alas , how the case is altered ! all these have done ; the table is withdrawn , the game is ended , the mirth is ceased ; and now succeedeth , [ son , remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things , and lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented , ] luke 16. 25. o dreadful change to those that made the world their home , and little dreamed ( or did but dream ) of such a day ! never to see this world again , unless by such reviews as will torment them ! never to have sport or pleasure more ; and for these to have such company , such thoughts , such work and usage , as god hath told us is in hell ! 4. if christ receive thee not , the burden of thy sins will overwhelm thee , and conscience will have no relief . sin will not then appear in so harmless a shape as now ; it will then seem a more odious or frightful thing . o to remember these days of folly , of careless , sluggish , obstinate folly , of sottish negligence , and contempt of grace , will be a more tormenting thing than you will now believe . if such sermons and discourses as foretel it are troublesom to thee , what then will that sad experience be ? 5. the wrath of an offended god will overwhelm thee . this will be thy hell. he that was so merciful in the time of mercy , will be most terrible and implacable when that time is past , and make men know that christ and mercy are not neglected , refused , and abused at so cheap a rate , as they would needs imagine in the time of their deliration . 6. it will overwhelm the soul , if christ receive it not , to see that then art entring upon eternity , even into an everlasting state of woe . then thou wilt think , o whither am i going ? what must i endure ? and how long ! how long ! when shall my misery have an end ! and when shall i come back ! and how shall i ever be delivered ! o now what thoughts wilt thou have of the wonderful design of god in man's redemption ! now thou wilt better understand what a saviour was worth , and how he should have been believed in , and how his gospel and his saving grace should have been entertained . o that the lord would now open your hearts to entertain it , that you may not then value it to your vexation , that would not value it now to your relief ! poor sinner , for the lord's sake , and for thy souls sake , i beg now of thee , as if it were on my knees , that thou wouldst cast away thy sinful cares and pleasures , and open thy heart , and now receive thy saviour and his saving grace , as ever thou wouldst have him then receive thy trembling departed soul ! turn to him now , that he may not turn thee from him then : forsake him not for a flattering world , a little transitory vain delight , as ever thou wouldst not then have thy departed soul forsaken by him ! o delay not , man ; but now , even now receive him , that thou maist avoid so terrible a danger , and put so great a question presently out of doubt , and be able comfortably to say , [ i have received christ , and he will receive me ; if i die this night , he will receive me . ] then thou maist sleep quietly , and live merrily , without any disparagement to thy reason . o yield to this request , sinner , of one that desireth thy salvation . if thou wert now departing , and i would not pray earnestly to christ to receive thy soul , thou wouldst think i were uncharitable : alas ! it will be one of these days : and it is thee that i must entreat , and thy self that must be prevailed with , or there is no hope : christ sendeth me to thy self , and saith , that he is willing to receive thee , if now thou wilt receive him , and be sanctified and ruled by him : the matter stops at thy own regardless wilful heart . what sayst thou ? wilt thou receive christ now , or not ? wilt thou be a new creature , and live to god , by the principle of his spirit , and the rule of his word , to please him here , that thou maist live with him for ever ? wilt thou take up this resolution , and make this covenant with god this day ? o give me a word of comfort , and say , thou art resolved , and wilt deliver up thy self to christ . that which is my comfort now on thy behalf , will be ten thousand-fold more thy comfort then , when thou partakest of the benefit : and if thou grieve us now , by denying thy soul to christ , it will be at last ten thousand-fold more thy grief . refuse not our requests and christs requests now , as ever thou wouldst not have him refuse thee then , and thy requests . it is mens turning away now from christ , that will cause christ then to turn from them , prov. 1. 31. 32. the turning away of the simple slayeth them , and they then eat but the fruit of their own way , and are filled with their own devices . ] see then that ye now refuse not him that speaketh : for there is no escaping if you turn away from him that speaketh from heaven , ] heb. 12. 25. what would you say your selves to the man that would not be dissuaded from setting his house on fire , and then would pray and cry importunately to god that he would keep it from being burnt ? or of the man that will not be dissuaded from taking poyson ; and then when it gripeth him , will cry to god to save his life : or of the man that will go to sea in a leaking broken vessel , yea himself will make those breaches in it , that shall let the water in , and when it is sinking , will cry to god to save him from being drowned ? and will you do this about so great a matter as the everlasting state of your immortal souls ? will you now be wordlings , and sensualists , and ungodly , and undo your selves , and then cry [ lord jesus receive my spirit ] at the last ? what! receive an unholy spirit ? will you not knock till the door is shut ? when he telleth you , math. 7. 21. that it is not every one that will cry lord , lord , that shall enter into the kingdom of heaven , but he that doth the will of his father which is in heaven . ] lastly , consider with what unspeakable joy it will fill thy soul , to be then received by the lord. o what a joyful word will it be , when thou shalt hear , [ come ye blessed of my father , inherit the kingdom prepared for you . ] if thou wilt not have this to be thy case , thou shalt see those received to the increase of thy grief , whom thou refusedst here to imitate : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth , when ye shall see abraham , isaac , and jacob , and all the prophets in the kingdom of god , and those that from east , west , north and south shall sit there with them , and thou thrust out , ] luke 13. 27 , 28 , 29. i have been long in this part of my application , having to do with souls that are ready to depart , and are in so sad an unprepared state , as is not to be thought on but with great compassion : i am next to come to that part of the application , which i chiefly intended ; to those that are the heirs of life . ii. o you that are members of jesus christ , receive this cordial which may corroborate your hearts against all inordinate fears of death : let it come when it will , you may boldly recommend your departing souls into the hands of christ . let it be by a lingring disease , or by an acute , by a natural or a violent death , at the fulness of your age , or in the flower of your youth , death can but separate the soul from flesh , but not from christ , whether you die poor or rich , at liberty or in prison , in your native country or a forein land , whether you be buried in the earth or cast into the sea ; death shall but send your souls to christ . though you die under the reproach and slanders of the world , and your names be cast out among men , as evil doers , yet christ will take your spirits to himself . though your souls depart in fear and trembling , though they want the sense of the love of god , and doubt of pardon and peace with him , yet christ will receive them . i know thou wilt be ready to say , that thou art unworthy , [ will he receive so unworthy a soul as mine ? ] but if thou be a member of christ , thou art worthy in him to be accepted . thou hast a worthiness of aptitude , and christ hath a worthiness of merit . the day that cometh upon such at unawares that have their hearts over-charged with surfeiting , drunkenness , and the cares of this life , and as a snare surprizeth the inhabitants of the earth , shall be the day of thy great deliverance : watch therefore and pray alwayes that you way be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass , and to stand before the son of man ; luke . 21. 34 , 35 , 36. they that are accounted worthy to obtain that world , can die no more ; for they are equal to the angels , and are the children of god , luke 20. 35 , 36. object . o but my sins are great and many ; and will christ ever receive so ignorant , so earthly and impure a soul as mine ? answ . if he have freed thee from the reign of sin , by giving thee a will that would fain be fully delivered from it , and given thee a desire to be perfectly holy , he will finish the work that he hath begun ; and will not bring thee defiled into heaven , but will wash thee in his blood , and separate all the remnant of corruption from thy soul , when he separateth thy soul from flesh : there needs no purgatory but his blood and spirit in the instant of death shall deliver thee , that he may present thee spotless to the father . o fear not then to trust thy soul with him that will receive it : and fear not death , that can do thee no more harm . and when once thou hast overcome the fears of death , thou wilt be the more resolute in thy duty , and faithful to christ , and above the power of most temptations , and wilt not fear the face of man , when death is the worst that man can bring thee to . it is true , death is dreadful : but it is as true that the arms of christ are joyful . it is an unpleasing thing to leave the bodies of our friends in the earth : but it is unspeakable pleasure to their souls , to be received into the heavenly society by christ . and how confidently , quietly , and comfortably you may commend your departing spirits to be received by christ , be informed by these considerations following . 1 , your spirits are christs own : and may you not trust him with his own ? as they are his by the title of creation , ( all souls are mine , saith the lord ezek. 18. 4. ) so also by the title of redemption : we are not our own , we are bought with a price , 1 cor. 6. 19. say therefore to him , [ lord i am thine much more than my own ; receive thine own ; take care of thine own ! thou drewest me to consent to thy gracious covenant , and i resigned my self and all i had to thee ! and thou swarest to me , and i became thine , ( ezek. 16. 8. ) : and i stand to the covenant that i made , though i have offended thee ! i am sinful , but i am thine , and would not forsake thee ! and change my lord and master for a world : o know thine own , and own my soul that hath owned thee , though it hath sinned against thee : thy sheep know thy voice , and follow not a stranger : now know thy poor sheep , and leave them not to the devourer : thy lambs have been preserved by thee among wolves in the world : preserve me now from the enemy of souls . i am thine , o save me , ( psalm 119. 94. ) and lose not that which is thine own . 2. consider that thou art his upon so dear a purchace , as that he is the more engaged to receive thee . hath he bought thee by the price of his most precious blood , and will he cast thee off : hath he come down on earth to seek and save thee , and will he now forsake thee ? hath he lived in flesh a life of poverty , and suffered reproach , and scorn , and buffetings , and been nailed to the cross , and put to cry out , [ my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ! ] and will he now forget his love , and sufferings , and himself forsake thee after this ? did he himself on the cross , commend his spirit into his father's hands , and will he not receive thy spirit when thou at death commendest it to him ? he hath known himself what it is to have a humane soul separated from the body , and the body buried in a grave , and there lamented by surviving friends : and why did he this , but that he might be fit to receive and relieve thee in the like condition ? o who would not be encouraged to encounter death , and lie down in a grave , that believeth that christ did so before him , and considereth why he went that way , and what a conquest he hath made . i know an argument from the death of christ , will not prove his love to the souls of the ungodly , so as to infer that he wil receive them : but it will prove his reception of believers souls : [ he that spared not his own son , but gave him up for us all , how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ! ] rom. 8. 32. is an infallible argument as to believers , but not as to those that do reject him . say therefore to him , [ o my lord ! can it be that thou couldst come down in flesh , and be abused , and spit upon , and slandred , and crucified ! that thou couldst bleed , and die , and be buried for me , and now be unwilling to receive me ! that thou shoulds pay so dear for souls , and now refuse to entertain them ! that thou shouldst die to save them from the devil , and now wilt leave them to his cruelty : that thou hast conquered him , and yet wilt suffer him at last to have the prey ! to whom can a departing soul fly for refuge and for entertainment , if not to thee that diedst for souls , and sufferedst thine to be separated from the flesh , that we might have all assurance of thy compassion unto ours ! ] thou didst openly declare upon the cross , that the reason of thy dying was to receive departed souls , when thou didst thus encourage the soul of a penitent malefactor , by telling him , [ this day shalt thou be with me in paradise . ] o give the same encouragement or entertainment to this sinful soul that flyeth unto thee , and trusteth in thy death and merits , and is coming to receive thy doom . ] 3. consider that jesus christ is full of love , and tender compassion to souls : what his tears over lazarus compelled the jews to say , john 11. 36. [ behold how he loved him ! ] the same his incarnation , life and death should much more stir us up to say , with greater admiration , [ behold how he loved us ! ] the foregoing words , though the shortest verse in all the bible , [ vers . 35. jesus wept , ] are long enough to prove his love to lazarus : and the holy ghost would not have the tears of christ to be unknown to us , that his love may be the better known . but we have a far larger demonstration of his love : he loved us , and gave himself for us , gal. 2. 20. and by what gift could he better testifie his love ? he loved us , and washed us in his blood , rev. 1. 5. he loveth us as the father loveth him , john 15. 9. and may we not comfortably go to him that loveth us ? will love refuse us when we fly unto him ? say then to christ [ o thou that hast loved my soul , receive it ! i commend it not unto an enemy : can that love reject me and cast me into hell , that so oft embraced me on earth , and hath declared it self by such ample testimonies ? ] o had we but more love to christ , we should be more sensible of his love to us , and then we should trust him , and love would make us hasten to him , and with confidence cast our selves upon him . 4. consider that it is the office of christ to save souls , and to receive them , and therefore we may boldly recommend them to his hands . the father sent him to be the saviour of the world , 1 john 4. 14. and he is effectively the saviour of his body , eph. 5. 23. and may we not trust him in his undertaken office , that would trust a physician or any other in his office , if we judge him faithful ? yea , he is engaged by covenant to receive us : when we gave up our selves to him , he also became ours ; and we did it on this condition , that he should receive and save us : and it was the condition of his own undertaking : he drew the covenant himself , and tendred it first to us , and assumed his own conditions , as he imposed ours . say then to him , [ my lord , i expect but the performance of thy covenants , and the discharge of thine undertaken of●●ce : as thou hast caused me to believe in thee , and ●●●…e and serve thee , and perform the conditions which ●●…ou laidst on me , though with many sinful failings which thou hast pardoned : so now let my soul that hath trusted on thee , have the full experience of thy fidelity , and take me to thy self according to thy covenant . o now remember the word unto thy servant , upon which thou hast caused him to hope ! ( psalm 119. 49. ) how many precious promises hast thou left us , that we shall not be forsaken by thee , but that we shall be with thee where thou art , that we may behold thy glory ! for this cause art thou the mediator of the new covenant , that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament , they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance : ( heb. 9. 15. ) according to thy covenant , godliness hath the promise of the life that now is , and of that which is to come , 1 tim. 4. 8. and when we have done thy will ( notwithstanding our lamentable imperfections ) we are to receive the promise , heb. 10. 36. o now receive me into the kingdom which thou hast promised to them that love thee , james 1. 12. 5. consider how able christ is to answer thine expectations : all power is given him in heaven and earth , matth. 28. 19. and all things are given by the father into his hands , john 13. 3. all judgment is committed to him , john 5. 22. it is fully in his power to receive and save thee : and satan cannot touch thee but by his consent : [ fear not then , he is the first and last , that liveth , and was dead , and behold he liveth for evermore , amen ; and hath the keys of hell and death . ] rev. 1. 17 , 18. say then , if thou wilt lord , thou canst save this departing soul ! o say but the word , and i shall live : lay but thy rebuke upon the destroyer , and he shall be restrained : when my lord and dearest saviour hath the keys , how can i be kept out of thy kingdom ? or cast into the burning lake ? were it a matter of difficulty unto thee , my soul might fear lest heaven would not be opened to it : but thy love hath overcome the hindrances : and it is as easie to receive me as to love me . ] 6. consider how perfectly thy saviour is acquainted with the place that thou art going to , and the company and employment which thou must there have : and therefore as there is nothing strange to him , so the ignorance and strangeness in thy self should therefore make thee fly to him , and trust him , and recommend thy soul to him , and say , [ lord , it would be terrible to my departing soul , to go into a world that i never saw , and into a place so strange , and unto company so far above me ; but that i know there is nothing strange to thee , and thou knowest it for me , and i may better trust thy knowledg than mine own : when i was a child , i knew not my own inheritance , nor what was necessary to the daily provisions for my life ; but my parents knew it , that cared for me : the eyes must see for all the body , and not every member see for it self ; o cause me as quietly and believingly to commit my soul to thee , to be possessed of the glory which thou seest and possessest , as if i had seen and possessed it my self : ad let thy knowledg be my trust . ] 7. consider , that christ hath provided a glorious receptacle for faithful souls ; and it cannot be imagined that he will lose his preparations , or be frustrate of his end . all that he did and suffered on earth , was for this end . he therefore became the captain of our salvation , and was made perfect through sufferings , that he might bring many sons to glory , heb. 2. 10. he hath taken possession in our nature , and is himself interceding for us in the heavens , heb. 7. 25. and for whom doth he provide this heavenly building not made with hands , but for believers ? if therefore any inordinate fear surprize thee , remember what he hath said , john 14. 1 , 2 , 3. [ let not your hearts be troubled ; ye believe in god , believe also in me : in my fathers house are many mansions ; if it were nor so , i would have told you : i go to prepare a place for you : and if i go and prepare a place for you , i will come again and receive you unto my self , that where i am , there ye may be also . say therefore , [ lord , when thou hadst made this lower narrow world , thou wouldst not leave it uninhabited : for man thou madest it , and man thou placedst in it . and when thou hast prepared that more capacious glorious world , for thy redeemed flock , it cannot be that thou wilt shut them out . o therefore receive my fearful soul , and help me to obey thine own command , luke 12. 32. fear not , little flock , for it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom . ] o let me hear that joyful sentence , matth. 25. 34. come ye blessed of my father , inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . ] 8. consider , that christ hath received thy soul unto grace , and therefore he will receive it unto glory . he hath quickned us who were dead in trespasses and sins , wherein in time past we walked , &c. but god , who is rich in mercy , for his great love wherewith he loved us , even when we were dead in sins and trespasses , quickned us together with christ , and raised us up together , and made us sit together in heavenly places in christ jesus , ephes . 2. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. the state of grace is the kingdom of heaven , as well as the state of glory , matth. 3. 2. & 10. 7. & 13. 11 , 24 , 31 , 33 , 44 , 45 , 47. by grace thou hast the heavenly birth and nature : we are first born to trouble and sorow in the world ; but we are new born to everlasting joy and pleasure . grace maketh us heirs , and giveth us title ; and therefore at death we shall have possession . the father of our lord jesus christ , according to his abundant mercy , hath begotten us again unto a lively hope , by the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead , to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled , and that fadeth not away , reserved in heaven for us , 1 peter 1. 3 , 4. the great work was done in the day of thy renovation : then thou wast entred into the houshold of god , and made a fellow citizen with the sants , and receivedst the spirit of adoption , eph. 2. 19. gal. 4. 6. he gave thee life eternal when he gave the knowledge of himself and of his son , john 17. 3. and will he now take from thee the kingdom which he hath given thee ? thou wast once his enemy , and he hath received thee already into his favour , and reconciled thee to himself : and will he not then receive thee to his glory ? rom. 5. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11. god commendeth his love towards us , in that while we were yet sinners , christ dyed for us : much more then being now justified by his blood , we shall be saved from wrath through him . for if when we were enemies , we were reconciled to god by the death of his son ; much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life : and not only so , but we also joy in god , through our lord jesus christ , by whom we have now received the attonement . ] and when we have peace with god , being justifiied by faith , ( rom. 5. 1. ) why should we doubt whether he will receive us ? the great impediments and cause of fear are now removed : unpardoned sin is taken away : our debt is discharged . we have a sufficient answer against all that can be alledged to the prejudice of our souls ; yea , it is christ himself that answereth for us , it is he that justifieth , who then shall condemn us ? will he not justifie those at last , whom he hath here justified ? or will he justifie us , and yet not receive us ? that were both to justifie and condemn us . depart then in peace , o fearful soul : thou fallest into his hands that hath justified thee by his blood ; will he deny thee the inheritance of which he himself hath made thee heir ? yea , a joynt-heir with himself , rom. 8. 17. will he deprive thee of thy birth-right , who himself begot thee of the incorruptible seed ? if he would not have received thee to glory , he would not have drawn thee to himself , and have blotted out thine iniquities , and received thee by reconciling grace . many a time he hath received the secret petitions , complaints , and groans which thou hast poured out before him , and hath given thee access with boldness to his throne of grace , when thou couldst not have access to man ; and he hath taken thee up , when man hath cast thee off . surely he that received thee so readily in thy distress , will not now at last repent him of his love . as manoah's wife said , judges 13. 23. if the lord were pleased to kill us , he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands , neither would he have shewed us all these things . ] he hath received thee into his church , and entertained thee with the delights and fatness of his house ( psalm , 36. 8. ) and bid thee welcome to his table , and feasted thee , with his body and his blood , and communicated in these his quickning spirit : and will he then disown thee ▪ and refuse thee , when thou drawest nearer him , and art cast upon him for thy final doom ? after so many receptions in the way of grace , dost thou yet doubt of his receiving thee ? 9 , consider , how nearly thou art related to him in this state of grace : thou art his child ; and hath he not the bowels of a father ? when thou didst ask bread , he was not used to give thee a stone : and will he give thee hell , when thou askest but the entertainment in heaven , which he hath promised thee ? thou art his friend , john 15. 14. 15. and will he not receive his friends ? thou art his spouse , betrothed to him the very day when thou consentedst to his covenant ; and where then shouldst thou live but with him ? thou art a member of his body , of his flesh and bone , eph. 5. 30. and no man ever yet hated his own flesh , but nourisheth and cherisheth it , even as the lord the church , ver . 29. as he came down in flesh to be a suitor to thee , so he caused thee to let go all for him ; and will he now forsake thee ? suspect it not ; but quietly resign thy soul into his hands , and say , [ lord take this soul , that pleads relation to thee : it is the voice of thy child that cryeth to thee : the name of a father , which thou hast assumed towards me , is my encouragement : when thou didst call us 〈◊〉 out of the world unto thee , thou saidst , [ i will receive you , and i will be a father to you , and ye shall be my sons and daughters , 2 cor. 6. 17 , 18 , o our father which art in heaven , shut not out thy children ; the children of thy love and promise : the compassion that thou hast put into man , ingageth him to relieve a neighbour , ●ea an enemy ; much more to entertain a child : our children and our friends dare trust themselves upon our kindness and fidelity ; and fear not that we will reject them in their distress , or destroy them , though they do sometime offend us : our kindness is cruelty in comparison of thine : our love dserveth not the name of love , in comparison of thy most precious love : thine is the love of god , who is love it self , ( 1 joh. 4. 8 , 16. ) and who is the god of love ? ( 2 cor. 1. 13 , 11. ) and is answerable to thine omnipotency , omniscience , and other attributes ? but ours is the love of frail and finite sinful men : as we may pray to thee to forgive us our trespasses , for we also forgive those that have trespassed against us : so we may pray to thee to receive us , though we have offended thee ; for even we receive those that have offended us : hath thy love unto thine own its breadth and length , and height , and depth , and is it such as passeth knowledge ( ephes . 3. 17 , 18 , 19. ) and yet canst thou exclude thine own , and shut them out that cry unto thee ? can that love which washed me , and took we home , when i lay wallowing in my blood , reject me , when it hath so far recovered me ? can that love now thrust me out of heaven , that lately fetch'd me from the gates of hell , and placed me among thy saints ? whom thou lovest , thou lovest to the end , john 13. 1. thou art not as man that thou shouldst repent , ( num. 23. 19. ) with thee is no variablenes or shadow of turning : ( jam. 1. 17. ) if yesterday thou so freely lovedst me , as to adopt me for thy child , thou wilt not to day refuse me and cast me into hell. receive lord jesus a member of thy body : a weak one indeed , but yet a member , and needeth the more thy tenderness and compassion , who hast taught us not to cast out our infants , because they are small and weak : we have forsaken all to cleave unto thee , that we might with thee be one flesh and spirit , ephes . 5. 31. 1 cor. 6. 17. o cut not off and cast not out thy members that are engrafted into thee ! thou hast dwelt in me here by faith ; and shall i not now dwell with thee ? ( ephes . 3. 17. ) then hast prayed to the father , that we may be one in thee , and may be with thee to behold thy glory , ( john 17. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24. ) and wilt thou deny to receive me to that glory , who pray but for what thou hast prayed to thy father ? death maketh no separation between thee and the members : it dissolveth not the union of souls with thee , though it separate them from the flesh : and shall a part of thy self be rejected and condemned ? 10. consider , that christ hath sealed thee up unto salvation , and given thee the earnest of his spirit ; and therfore will certainly receive thee , 2 cor. 1. 22. and 5. 5 eph. 1. 13 , 14. and 4. 30. say therefore to him , [ behold lord , thy mark ▪ thy feal , thine earnest : flesh and blood did not illuminate , and renew me : thy spirit which thou hast given me , is my witness that i am thine , rom. 8. 16 and wilt thou disown and refuse the soul that thou hast sealed ? ] 11. consider , that he that hath given thee a heavenly mind , will certainly receive thee into heaven : if thy treasure were not there , thy heart would never have been there , mat. 6. 21. thy weak desires do shew what he intends thee he for , kindled not those desires in vain . thy love to him ( though too small ) is a certain proof that he intends not to reject thee : it cannot be that god can damn , or christ refuse a soul that doth sincerely love him : he that loveth , dwelleth in god , and god in him , 1 john 4. 15 , 16. and shall he not then dwell with god for ever ? god fitteth the nature of every creature to its use , and agreeably to the element in which they dwell : and therefore when he gave thee the heavenly nature , ( though but in weak beginnings ) it shewed his will to make thee an inhabitant of heaven . say therefore to him , [ o lord , i had never loved thee if thou hadst not begun and loved me first : i had not not minded thee , or desired after thee , if thou hadst not kindled these desires : it cannot be that thy grace it self should be a deceit and misery , and intended but to tantalizeus ; and that thou hast set thy servants souls on longing for that which thou wilt never give them . thou wouldst not have given me the wedding garment , when thou didst invite me , if thou hadst meant to keep me out : even the grain of mustard-seed which thou sowedst in my heart , was a kind of promise of the happiness to which it tendeth ▪ indeed i have loved thee so little , that i am ashamed of my self , and confess my cold indifferency deserves thy wrath : but that i love thee and desire thee is thy gift , which signifieth the higher satisfying gift : though i am cold and dull , my eyes are towards thee ; it is thee that i mean when i can but groan : it is long since i have bid this world away ; it shall not be my home or portion : o perfect what thou hast begun : this is not the time or place of my perfection : and though my life be now hid with thee in god , when then appearest , let me appear with thee in glory , col. 3. 4. and in the mean time let this soul enjoy its part , that appeareth before thee : give me what thou hast caused me to love , and then i shall more perfectly love thee , when my thirst is satisfied , and the water which thou hast given me , shall spring up to everlasting life , joh. 4. 14. 12. consider also , that he that hath engaged thee to seek first his kingdom , is engaged to give it them that do sincerely seek it . he called thee off the pursuit of vanity , when thou wast following the pleasures and profits of the world ; and he called thee to labour for the food that perisheth not , but endureth to everlasting life , john 6. 27. since then it hath been thy care and business , ( notwithstanding all thine imperfections ) to seek and serve him , to please and honour him , and so to run that thou mightest obtain . say then , [ though my sins deserve thy wrath , and nothing that i have done deserve thy favour , yet godliness hath thy promise of the life to come ; and thou hast said , that he that seeks shall find , matth. 7. 7. 8. o now let me find the kingdom that i have sought , and sought by thy encouragement and help : it cannot be that any should have cause to repent of serving thee , or suffer disappointment that trusts upon thee : my labour for the world was lost and vain ; but thou didst engage me to be stedfast and abound in thy work , on this account that my labour should not be in vain , 1 cor. 15. 58. now give the full and final answer unto all my prayers : now that i have done the fight , and finished my course , let me find the crown of righteousness which thy mercy hath laid up , 2 tim. 4. 8. o crown thy graces , and with thy greatest mercies recompence and perfect thy preparatory mercies , and let me be received to thy glory , who have been guided by thy counsel , ( psalm . 73. 24. ) 13. consider , that christ hath already received millions of souls , and never was unfaithful unto any , there are now with him the spirits of the just made perfect , that in this life were imperfect as well as you . why then should you not comfortably trust him with your souls ? and say , [ lord thou art the common salvation and refuge of thy saints : both strong and weak , even all that are given thee by the father shall come to thee ; and those that come thou wilt in no wise cast out : thousands have been entertained by thee , that were unworthy in themselves as well as i : it is few of thy members that are now on earth , in comparison of those that are with thee in heaven : admit me lord into the new jerusalem : thou wilt have thy house to be filled : o take my spirit into the number of those belssed ones , that shall come from east , west , north and south , and sit down with abraham , isaac and jacob in the kingdom , that we may together with eternal joyes , give thanks and praise to thee that hast redeemed us to god by thy blood . 14. consider , that it is the will of the father himself that we should be glorified : he therefore gave us to his son ; and gave his son for us , to be our saviour , that whoever believeth in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life : all our salvation is the product of his love , joh. 3. 16 , 17. eph. 2. 4. joh. 6. 37. joh. 16. 26 , 27. i say not that i will pray the father for you ; for the father himself loveth you , because ye have loved me , &c. ] john 14. he that loveth me , shall be loved of my father , and i will love him , and will manifest my self to him . say therefore with our dying lord , [ father , into thy hands i commend my spirit : by thy son who is the way , the truth and the life , i come to thee , ( joh. 14. 6. ) fulness of joy is in thy presence , and everlasting pleasures at thy right hand ( psalm . 16. 11. ) thy love redeemed me , renewed and preserved me : o now receive me to the fulness of thy love : this was thy will in sending thy son , that of all that thou gavest him he should lose nothing , but should raise it up at the last day . o let not now this soul be lost that is passing to thee through the straits of death ! i had never come unto thy son , if thou hadst not drawn me ; and if i had not heard and learnt of thee , john 6 , 44 , 45. i thank thee o father , lord of heaven and earth , that thou hast revealed to me a babe , an ideot , the blessed mysteries of thy kingdom : ( luk. 10. 21. acts 4 13. ) o now as the vail of flesh must be withdrawn , and my soul be parted from this body , withdraw the vail of thy displeasure , and shew thy servant the glory of thy presence : that he that hath seen thee but as in a glass , may see thee now with open face : and when my earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved , let me inhabit thy building not made with hands , eternal in the heavens , 2 cor. 5. 1. 15. lastly consider , that god hath designed the everlasting glory of his name , and the pleasing of his blessed will , in our salvation : and the son must triumph in the perfection of his conquest of sin and satan , and in the perfecting of our redemption . and doubtless he will not lose his fathers glory and his own : say then with confidence , [ i resign my soul to thee o lord who hast called and chosen me , that thou mightest make known the riches of thy glory on me , as a vessel of mercy prepared unto glory , ( rom. 9. 23. ) thou hast predestinated me to the adoption of thy child by christ unto thy self , to the praise of the glory of thy grace , wherein thou hast made me accepted in thy beloved , ( eph. 1. 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 ) receive me now to the glory which thou hast prepared for us , mat. 25. 34. ) the hour is at hand , lord glorifie thy poor adopted child , that he may for ever glorify thee ( joh. 17. 1. ) it is thy promise to glorify those whom thou dost justify , ( rom. 8. 30. ) as therere is no condemnation to them that are in christ , ( rom. 8. 1. ) so now let him present me faultless before the presence of the glory with exceeding joy , and to thee the only wise god our saviour , be the glory , majesty dominion and power for evermore , amen . : jude v. 23 , 24. what now remaineth , but that we all set our selves to learn this sweet and necessary task , that we may joyfully perform it in the hour of our extremity , even to recommend our departing souls to christ , with confidence that he will receive them ! it is a lesson not easie to be learnt : for faith is weak , and doubts , and fears will easily arise ; and nature will be loth to think of dying ; and we that have so much offended christ , and lived so strangely to him , and been entangled in too much familiarity with the world , shall be apt to shrink when we should joyfully trust him with our departing souls . o therefore now set your selves to overcome these difficulties in time ! you know we are all ready to depart : it is time this last important work were throughly learned , that our death may be both safe and comfortable . there are divers other uses of this doctrine that i should have urged upon you , had there been time . as , 1. if christ will receive your departing souls , then fear not death , but long for this heavenly entertainment . 2. then do not sin for fear of them that can but kill the body , and send the soul to christ . 3. then think not the righteous unhappy , because they are cast off by the world ; neither be too much troubled at it your selves , when it comes to be your case : but remember that christ will not forsake you , and that none can hinder him from the receiving of your souls : no malice nor slanders can follow you so far as by defamation to make your justifyer condemn you . 4. if you may trust him with your souls , then trust him with your friends , your children that you must leave behind , with all your concernments and affairs ; and trust him with his gospel and his church ; for they are all his own , and he will prevail to the accomplishment of his blessed pleasure . but , 5. i shall only add that use which the sad occasion of our meeting doth bespeak . what cause have we now to mix our sorrows for our deceased friend , with the joyes of faith for her felicity ! we have left the body to the earth , and that is our lawful sorrow ; for it is the fruit of sin : but her spirit is received by jesus christ : and that must be our joy , if we will behave our selves as true believers . if we can suffer with her , should we not rejoyce also with her ? and if the joy be far greater to the soul with christ , than the ruined state of the body can be lamentable ; it is but reason that our joy should be greater for her joy , than our sorrow for the dissolution of the flesh . we that should not much lament the passage of a friend beyond the seas , if it were to be advanced to a kingdom , should less lament the passage of a soul to christ , if it were not for the remnant of our woful unbelief . she is arrived at the everlasting rest , where the burden of corruption , the contradictions of the flesh , the molestations of the tempter , the troubles of the world , and the injuries of malicious men , are all kept out , and shall never more disturb her peace . she hath left us in these storms , who have more cause to weep for our selves and for our children that have yet so much to do and suffer , and so many dangers to pass through , than for the souls that are at rest with christ . we are capable of no higher hopes than to attain that state of blessedness which her soul possesseth : and shall we make that the matter of our lamentation as to her , which we make the matter of our hopes as to our selves ? do we labour earnestly to come thither , and yet lament that she is there ? you will say , it is not because she is cloathed upon with the house from heaven , but that she is uncloathed of the flesh : but is there any other passage than death unto immortality ? must we not be uncloathed , before the garments of glory can be put on ? she bemoaneth not her own dissolved body : the glorified soul can easily bear the corruption of the flesh : and if you saw but what the soul enjoyeth , you would be like minded , and be moderate in your griefs . love not your selves so as to be unjust and unmerciful in your desires to your friends ! let satan desire to keep them out of heaven , but do not you desire it . you may desire your own good , but not so as to deprive your friends of theirs ; yea of a greater good , that you may have a lesser by it . and if it be their company that you desire in reason you should be glad that they are gone to dwell where you must dwell for ever , and therefore may for ever have their company : had they stayed on earth , you would have had their company but a little while , because you must make so short a stay your selves . let them therefore begin their journy before you , and grudge not that they are first at home , as long as you expect to find them there . in the mean time , he that called them from you , hath not left you comfortless : he is with you himself , who is better than a mother , or than ten thousand friends : when grief or negligence hindereth you from observing him , yet he is with you , and holdeth you up , and tenderly provideth for you : though turbulent passions injuriously question all his love , and cause you to give him unmannerly and unthankful words ; yet still he beareth with you , and forgiveth all , and doth not forsake you for your peevishness and weakness , because you are his children , and he knoweth that you mean not to forsake him : rebuke your passions , and calm your minds ; reclaim your thoughts , and cast away the bitterness of suspicious quarrelsome unbelief ; and then you may perceive the presence of your dearest friend and lord , who is enough for you , though you had no other friend . without him all the friends on earth would be but silly comforters , and leave you as at the gates of hell : without him all the angels and saints in heaven would never make it a heaven to you . grieve not too much that one of your candles is put out , while you have the sun : or if indeed it be not day with any of you , or the sun be clouded or ecclipsed , let that rather be the matter of your grief : find out the cause , and presently submit , and seek reconciliation : or if you are deprived of this light , because you are yet asleep in sin , hearken to his call , and rub your eyes , eph. 5. 14. awake thou that sleepest , and arise from the dead , and christ shall give thee light . rom. 13. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. knowing that it is now high time to awake out of sleep , our salvation being nearer than when we first believed : the night is far spent , the day of eternal light is even at hand : cast off therefore the works of darkness , and put on all the armour of light : walk honestly and decently as in the day . and whatever you do , make sure of the friend that never dyeth , and never shall be separated from you , and when you die , will certainly receive the souls which you commend unto him . and here , though contrary to my custom , i shall make some more particular mention of our deceased friend , on several accounts . 1. in prosecution of this use that now we are upon , that you may see in the evidences of her happiness , how little cause you have to indulge extraordinary grief on her account , and how much cause to moderate your sense of our loss with the sense of her felicity . 2. that you many have the benefit of her example for your imitation , especially her children that are bound to observe the holy actions as well as instructions of a mother . 3. for the honour of christ , and his grace , and his servant : for as god hath promised to honour those that honour him , 1 sam 2. 30. and christ hath said , if any man serve me , him will my father honour , john 12. 26. so i know christ will not take it ill to be honoured in his members , and to have his ministers subserve him in so excellent a work : it is a very considerable part of the love or hatred , honour or dishonour that christ hath in the world , which he receiveth as he appeareth in his followers . he that will not see a cup of cold water given to one of them go unrewarded , and will tell those at the last day that did or did not visit and relieve them , that they did or did it not to him , will now expect it from me as my duty , to give him the honour of his graces in his deceased servant , and i doubt not will accordingly accept it , when it is no other indeed than his own honour that is my end , and nothing but the words of truth and soberness shall be the means . and here i shall make so great a transition as shall retain my discourse in the narrow compass of the time in which she lived near me and under my care , and in my familiar acquaintance , omitting all the rest of her life , that none may say i speak but by hear-say of things which i am uncertain of : and i will confine it also to those special gifts and graces in which she was eminent , that i may not take you up with a description of a christian as such , and tell you only of that good which she held but in common with all other christians . and if any thing that i shall say were unknown to any reader that knew her , let them know that it is because they knew her but distantly , imperfectly , or by reports ; and that my advantage of near acquaintance did give me a just assurance of what i say . the graces . which i discerned to be eminent in her , were these . 1. she was eminent in her contempt of the pride , and pomp , and pleasure , and vanity of the world , and in her great averseness to all these . she had an honest impatiency of the life which is common among the rich and vain-glorious in the world : voluptuousness and sensuality , excess of drinking , cards and dice , she could not endure , what ever names of good house-keeping or seemly deportment they borrowed for a mask : in her apparel she went below the garb of others of her rank ; indeed in such plainness as did not notifie her degree : but yet in such a grave and decent habit , as notified her sobriety and humility : she was a stranger to pastimes , and no companion for time-wasters , as knowing , that persons so near eternity , that have so short a life and so great a work , have no time to spare . accordingly in her latter dayes , she did ( as those that grow wise by experience of the vanity of the world ) retire from it , and cast it off before it cast off her : she betook her self to the society of a people that were low in the world , of humble , serious , upright lives , though such as had been wholly strangers to her : and among these poor inferiour strangers she lived in contentent and quietness ; desiring rather to converse with those that would help her to redeem the time , in prayer and edifying conference , than with those that would grieve her by consuming it on their lusts . 2. she was very prudent in her converse and affairs ( allowing for the passion of her sex and age ) ; and so escaped much of the inconveniences that else in so great and manifold businesses would have overwhelmed her : as a good man will guide his affairs with discretion , psalm 112. 5. so discretion will preserve him , and understanding will keep him , to deliver him from the way of the evil man , who leaveth the paths of uprightness to walk in the way of darkness , proverbs 2. 11 , 12 , 13. 3. she was seriously religious , without partiallity , or any taint of siding or faction , or holding the faith of our lord jesus christ in respect of persons : i never heard speak against men , or for men , as they differed in some small and tolerable things : she impartially heard any minister that was able , and godly , and sound in the main , and could bear with the weaknesses ministers when they were faithful : instead of owning the names or opinions of prelatical , presbyterian , independent , or such like , she took up with the name and profession of a christian , and loved a christian as a christian , without much respect to such different tolerable opinions . instead of troubling her self with needless scruples , and making up a religion of opinions and singularities , she studied faith and godliness , and lived upon the common certain truths , and well-known duties , which have been the old and beaten way , by which the universal church of christ hath gone to heaven in former ages . 4. she was very impartial in her judgment about particular cases : being the same in judging of the case of a child and a stranger : and no interest of children or other relations , could make her swerve from an equal judgment : 5. she very much preferred the spiritual welfare of her children before their temporal ; looking on the former as the true felicity , and on the later without it , but as a pleasant voluntary misery . 6. since i was acquainted with her , i alwayes found her very ready to good works , according to her power . and when she hath seen a poor man come to me , that she conjectured solicited me for relief , she hath reprehended me for keeping the case to my self , and not inviting her to contribute : and i could never descern that she thought any thing so well bestowed , as that which relieved the necessities of the poor that were honest and industrious . 7. she had the wonderful mercy of a man-like christian patient spirit , under all afflictions that did befal her , and under the multitude of troublesome businesses , that would have even distracted an impatient mind . though sudden anger was the sin that she much confest her self , and therefore thought she wanted patience , yet i have oft wondered to see her bear up with the same alacrity and quietness , when jobs messengers have brought her the tidings that would have overwhelmed an impatient soul . when law-suits and the great afflictions of her children have assaulted her like successive waves , which i feared would have born her into the deep , if not devoured all her peace ; she sustained all , as if no great considerable change had been made against her , having the same god , and the same christ , and promises , and hope , from which she fetcht such real comfort and support , as shewed a real serious faith . 8. she was alwayes apt to put a good interpretation upon gods providences ; like a right believer , that having the spirit of adoption , perceiveth fatherly love in all : she would not easily be perswaded that god meant her any harm : she was not apt to hearken to the enemy that accuseth god and his wayes to man , as he accuseth man and his actions to god : she was none of those that are suspicious of god , and are still concluding death and ruine from all that he doth to them , and are gathering wrath from mis-interpreted expressions of his love : who weep because of the smoak , before they can be warmed by the fire . yet god is good to israel ; aud it shall go well with them that fear before him , ( psa . 73. 1. eccles . 8. 12 , 13. ) were her conclusions from the sharpest providences : she expected the morning in the darkest night : and judged not of the end by the beginning ; but was alwayes confident , if she could but entitle god in the case , that the issue would be good . she was not a murmurer against god , nor one that contended with her maker ; nor one that created calamity to her self by a self-troubling unquiet mind : she patiently bore what god laid upon her , and made it not heavier by the additions of uncomfortable prognosticks , and misgiving or repining thoughts . she had a great confidence in god , that he was doing good to her and hers in all ; and where at present she saw any matter of grief , she much supported her soul with a belief that god would remove and overcome it in due time . 9. she was not troubled ( that ever i discerned ) with doubtings about her interest in christ , and about her own justification and salvation : but whether she reached to assurance or not , she had confident apprehensions of the love of god , and quietly reposed her soul upon his grace . yet not secure through presumption or self esteem ; but comforting her self in the lord her god : by this means she spent those hours in a chearful performance of her duty , which many spend in fruitless self-vexation for the failings of their duty , or in meer enquiries , whether they have grace or not ? and others spend in wrangling perplexed controversies about the manner or circumstances of duty : and i believe that she had more comfort from god by way of reward upon her sincere obedience , while she referred her soul to him , and rested on him , than many have that more anxiously perplexed themselves about the discerning of their holiness , when they should be studying to be more holy , that it might discover it self . and by this means she was sit for praises and thanksgiving , and spent not her life in lamentations and complaints : and made not religion seem terrible to the ignorant , that judge of it by the faces and carriage of professors : she did not represent it to the world , as a morose and melancholy temper : but as the rational creatures cheerful obedience to his maker , actuated by the sense of the wonderful love that is manifested in the redeemer , and by the hopes of the purchased and promised felicity in the blessed sight and fruition of god. and i conjecture that her forementioned dispositiou to think well of god and of his providences , together with her long and manifold experience ; ( the great advantage of antient tryed christians ) did much conduce to free her from doubtings and disquieting fears , about her own sincerity and salvation . and i confess , if her life had not been answerable to her peace and confidence , i should not have thought the better , but the worse of her condition ; nothing being more lamentable than to make hast to hell , through a wilful confidence that the danger is past , and that they are in the way to heaven as well as the most sanctified . 10. lastly , i esteemed it the height of her attainment , that she never discovered any inordinate fears of death ; but a chearful readiness , willingness and desire , to be dissolved and be with christ . this was her constant temper both in health and sickness , as far as i was able to observe : she would be frequently expressing how little reason she had to be desirous of longer life , and how much reason to be willing to depart . divers times in dangerous sicknesses i have been with her , and never discerned any considerable aversness , dejectedness or fear . many a time i have thought how great a mercy i should esteem it , if i had attained that measure of fearless willingness to lay down this flesh , as she had attained . many a one that can make light of wants , or threats , or scorns , or any ordinary troubles , cannot submit so quietly and willingly to death : many a one that can go through the labours of religion , and contemn opposition , and easily give all they have to the poor , and bear imprisonments , banishment or contempt , can never overcome the fears of death : so far even the father of lies spake truth , joh. 2. 4. skin for skin : yea all that a man hath will he give for his life . i took it therefore for a high attainment , and extraordinary mercy to our deceased friend , that the king of terrours was not terrible to her : though i doubt not but somewhat of aversness and fear is so radicated in natures self-preserving principle , as that it is almost inseparable ; yet in her i never discerned any troublesome appearances of it . when i first came to her in the beginning of her last sickness , she suddenly passed the sentence of death upon her self , without any shew of fear or trouble ; when to us the disease appeared not to be great : but when the disease encreased , her pains were so little , and the effect of the fever was so much in her head , that after this she seemed not to esteem it mortal , being not sensible of her case and danger : and so as she lived without the fears of death , she seemed to us to die without them : god by the nature of her disease removing death as out of her sight , when fhe came to that weakness , in which else the encounter was like to have been sharper than ever it was before . and thus in one of the weaker sex , god hath shewed us that it is possible to live in holy confidence , and peace , and quietness of mind , without distressing griefs or fears , even in the midst of a troublesom world , and of vexatious businesses , and with the afflictions of her dearest relations almost continually before her : and that our quiet or disquiet , our peace or trouble dependeth more upon our inward strength and temper , then upon our outward state , occasions , or provocations : and that it is more in our hands , than of any or all our friends and enemies , whether we shall have a comfortable , or uncomfortable life . what remaineth now , but that all we that furvive , especially you that are her children , do follow her as she followed christ ? though the word of god be your sufficient rule ; and the example of christ be your perfect pattern ; yet as the instructions , so the example of a parent must be a weighty motive , to quicken and engage you to your duty ; and will else be a great aggravation of your sin : a holy child of unholy parents , doth no more than his necessary duty ; because whatever parents are , he hath an holy god : but an unholy child of holy parents , is unexcusable in sin , and deplorably miserable ; as forsaking the doctrine and pattern both of their creator and their progenitors , whom nature engageth them to observe : and it will be an aggravation of their deserved misery , to have their parents witness against them , that they taught them , and they would not learn , and went before them in a holy life , but they would not follow them , prov. 1. 8. my son hear the instruction of thy father , and forsake not the law of thy mother ; for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head , and chains about thy neck . read and consider prov. 30. 17. and 15. 20. and 23. 22 , 25. sins against parents have a special curse affixed to them in this life ( as the case of cham sheweth ) : and the due obsevrance and honouring of parents hath a special promise of temporal blessings , as the fifth commandment sheweth , ephes . 6. 1 , 2 , 3. children obey your parents in the lord for it is right : honour thy father and mother , ( which is the first commandment with promise ) that it may be well with thee , and thou mayest live long on the earth . ] the histories of all ages are so full of the instances of gods judgements in this life upon five sorts of sinners , as may do much to convince an atheist of the government and special providence of god ; that is upon persecutors , murderers , sacrilegious , false-witnesses ( especially by perjury ) and abusers and dishonourers of parents . and the great honour that is due to parents when they are dead , is to give just honour to their names , and to obey their precepts , and imitate their good examples : it is the high commendation of the rechabites , that they strictly kept the ●recepts of their father , even in a thing indifferent , a mode of living ; not to drink wine , or build houses , but dwell in tents : an god annexeth this notable blessing , [ thus saith the lord of hosts , the god of israel , because ye have obeyed the commandemtent of jonadab your father , and kept all his precepts , and done according to all that he hath commanded you , therefore thus siath the lord of hosts , the god of israel , jonadab the son of rechab shall not mant to stand before me for ever . ] jer. 36. 6 , 7. 18. 19. but especially in the great duties of religion , where parents do but deliver the mind of god , and use their authority to procure obedience to divine authority ; and where the matter it self is necessary to our salvation , the obligation to obedience and imitation is most indispensable ; and disobedience is an aggravated iniquity , and the notorious brand of infelicity , and prognostick of ensuiing woe : the ungodly children of godly parents being the most deplorable , unhappy , unexcusable persons in the world , ( if they hold on . ) there is yet another doctrine , that i should speak to . doct. 7. prayer in general , and this prayer in particular , that christ will receive our dep●rting souls , is a most suitable conclusion of all the action of christians life . prayer is the breath of a christians life : it is his work and highest converse , and therefore fittest to be the concluding action of his life ; that it may reach the end at which he aimed : we have need of prayer all our lives , because we have need of god , and need of his manifold and continued grace : but in our last extreamity we have a special need : though sloath is apt to seize upon us , while prosperity hindreth the sense of our necessities , and health perswadeth us that time is not near its journies end ; yet it is high time to pray with doubled fervour and importunity , when we see that we are near our last : when we find that we have no more time to pray , but must now speak our last for our immortal souls , and must at once say all that we have to say and shall never have a hearing more ; o then to be unable to pray , or to be faithless , and heartless , and hopeless in our prayers , would be a calamity beyond expression . yet i know ( for ordinary observation tells it us ) that many truly gracious persons may accidentally be undisposed and disabled to pray , when they are near to death : if the disease be such as doth disturb the brain , or take them up with violence of pain , or overwhelm the mind by perturbation of the passions , or abuse the imagination , or notably waste and debilitate the spirits it cannot be expected that a body thus disabled should serve the soul , in this or any other duty . but still the praying habit doth remain , though a distempered body do forbid the exercise : the habitual desires of the soul are there : and it is those that are the soul of prayer . but this should move us , to pray while we have time , and while our bodies have strength , and our spirits have vigour and alacrity to serve us , seeing we are so uncertain of bodily disposition and capacity , so near our end : o pray , and pray with all your hearts , before any fever or deliration overthrow your understandings or your memories ; before your thoughts are all commanded to attend your pains ; and before your decayed spirits fail you , and deny their necessary service to your suits ; and before the apprehensions of your speedy approach to the presence of the most holy god , and your entrance upon an endless state , do amaze , confound and overwhelm your souls with fear and perturbation . o christians , what folly , what sin and shame is it to us , that now while we have time to pray , and leave to pray , and helps to pray , and have no such disturbing hindrances , we should yet want hearts ; and have no mind , no life and fervour for so great a work ! o pray now , lest you are unable to pray then : and if you are then hindred but by such bodily undisposedness , god will understand your habitual desires , and your groans , and take it as if you had actually prayed ; pray now , that so you may be acquainted with the god that then you must fly unto for mercy , and may not be strangers to him or unto prayer ; and that he may not find then that your prayers are but the expressions of your fears , and not of your love , and are constrained and not voluntary motions unto god : pray now in preparation to your dying prayers . o what a terrible thing it is to be to learn to pray in that hour of extreamity ; and to have then no principle to pray by but natural self-love which every thief hath at the gallows ! to be then without the spirit of prayer , when without it there cannot an acceptable word or groan be uttered , and when the rejection of our suits and person , will be the prologue to the final judicial rejection , and will be a distress so grievous as presumptuous souls will not believe , till sad experience become their tutor : can you imagine that you shall then at last , be taught the art of acceptable prayer , meerly by horrour , and the natural sense of pain and danger , as sea-men in a storm , or a malefactor by the rack , when in your health and leasure you will not be perswaded to the daily use of serious prayer , but number your selves with the families that are under the wrath of the almighty , being such as call not on his name , jer. 10. 25. psalm 79. 6. indeed there are many prayers must go before , or else this prayer [ lord jesus receive my spirit ] will be in vain , when you would be loth to find it so . you must first pray for renewing sanctifying grace , for the death of sin , and the pardon of sin , for a holy life and a heavenly mind , for obedience , patience and perseverance ; and if you obtain not these , there is no hope that jesus christ should receive your spirits , that never received his sanctifying spirit . how sad is it to observe that those that have most need of prayer , have least mind to pray , as being least sensible of their needs ? yea , that those that are the next step to the state of devils , and have as much need of prayer as any miserable souls on earth , do yet deride it , and hate those that seriously and fervently perform it : a man of prayer being the most common objct of their malicious reproach and scorn ! o miserable cainites , that hate their brethren for offering more acceptable sacrifice then their own ! little do they know how much of the very satanical nature is in that malice , and in those reproachful scorns ! and little do they know how near they are to the curse and desparation of cain , and with what horrour they shall cry out , [ my punishment is greater then i can bear ] gen. 4. 11 , 13. if god and good men condemn you for your lip-service , and heartless devotions , and ungodly lives ; will you therefore hate the holy nature and better lives of those that judge you , when you should hate your own ungodliness and hypocrisie ? hear what god said to the leader of your sect , gen 4. 6. why art thou wroth ? and why is thy countenance faln ? if thou do well , shalt thou not be accepted ? and if thou dost not well , sin lyeth at the door . ] have you not as much need to pray as those that you hate and reproach for praying ? have you not as much need to be oft and earnest in prayer as they ? must christ himself spend whole nights in prayer , luke 6. 12. and shall an ignorant sensual hardened sinner think he hath no need of it , though he be unconverted , unjustified , unready to die , and almost past the opportunity of praying ? o miserable men , that shortly would cry and roar in the anguish of their souls , and yet will not pray while there is time and room for prayer ! their judge is willing now to hear them , and now they have nothing but hypocritical lifeless words to speak ! praying is now a wearisom , tedions and unpleasant thing to them , that shortly would be glad if the most heart-tearing lamentations could prevail for the crums and drops of that mercy which they thus despise , luke 16. 24. of all men in the world , it ill becomes one in so deep necessities and dangers to be prayerless . but for you christians , that are daily exercised in this holy converse with your maker , hold on , and grow not strange to heaven , and let not your holy desires be extinguished for want of excitation : prayer is your ascent to heaven ; your departure from a vexatious world , to treat with god for your salvation : your retirement from a world of dangers into the impregnable fortress where you are safe ; and from vanity unto felicity ; and from troubles unto rest : which though you cannot come so near , nor enjoy so fully and delightfully as hereafter you shall do , yet thus do you make your approaches to it , and thus do you secure your future full fruition of it . and let them all scoff at hearty fervent prayer as long as they will , yet prayer shall do that with god for you , which health , and wealth , and dignity , and honor , and carnal pleasures , and all the world shall never do for one of them . and though they neglect and villifie it now , yet the hour is near , when they will be fain to scamble and bungle at it themselves ; and the face of death will better teach them the use of prayer , than our doctrine and example now can do . a departing soul will not easily be prayerless ; nor easily be content with sleepy prayers : but alas ! it is not every prayer that hath some fervency from the power of fear , that shall succeed : many a thousand may perish for ever that have prayed [ lord jesus receive my spirit ] but the soul that breatheth after christ , and is weary of sinning , and hath long been pressing toward the mark , may receive incouragement for his last petitions , from the bent and success of all the foregoing prayers of his life : believe it christians , your cannot be so ready to beg of christ to receive your souls , as he is ready and willing to receive them . as you came praying therefore into the world of grace , go praying out of it into the world of glory . it is not a work that you were never used to ( though you have had lamented backwarness , and coldness , and omissions ) : it is not to a god that you were never with before : as you know whom you have believed , so you may know to whom you pray : it is indeed a most important suit to beg for the receiving of a departing soul : but it is put up to him to whom it properly doth belong ; and to him that hath encouraged you by answering many a former prayer with that mercy which was the earnest of this ; and it is to him that loveth souls much better than any soul can love it self . o live in prayer , and die in prayer : and do not as the graceless witless world , despise prayer while they live , and then think a lord have mercy on me , shall prove enough to pass them into heaven : mark their statutes and monuments in the churches , whether they be not made kneeling and lifting up the hands , to tell you that all will be forced to pray , or to approve of prayer at their death , whatever they say against it in their life . o pray and wait but a little longer , and all your danger will be past , and you are safe for ever ! keep up your hands a litte longer , till you shall end your conflict with the last enemy , and shall pass from prayer to everlasting praise . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a69538-e670 * good old mris. doughty , sometime of shrewsbury , who had long walked with god , and longed to be with him ; and was among us an excellent example of holiness , blamelesness , contempt of the world , constancy , patience , humility , and ( which makes it strange ) a great and constant desire to die , though she was still complaining of doubtings and weakness of assurance . the judgment of the late lord chief justice sir matthew hale, of the nature of true religion, the causes of its corruption, and the churches calamity by mens additions and violences with the desired cure : in three discourses / written by himself at several times ... ; humbly dedicated to the honourable judges and learned lawyers ... by the faithful publisher, richard baxter ; to which is annexed the judgment of sir francis bacon ... and somewhat of dr. isaack barrows on the same subject. hale, matthew, sir, 1609-1676. 1684 approx. 133 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 39 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a44196 wing h247 estc r11139 12828839 ocm 12828839 94315 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a44196) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 94315) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 382:16) the judgment of the late lord chief justice sir matthew hale, of the nature of true religion, the causes of its corruption, and the churches calamity by mens additions and violences with the desired cure : in three discourses / written by himself at several times ... ; humbly dedicated to the honourable judges and learned lawyers ... by the faithful publisher, richard baxter ; to which is annexed the judgment of sir francis bacon ... and somewhat of dr. isaack barrows on the same subject. hale, matthew, sir, 1609-1676. bacon, francis, 1561-1626. barrow, isaac, 1630-1677. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [12], 64 p. printed for b. simmons ..., london : 1684. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng religion. 2002-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2002-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2002-04 tcp staff (michigan) sampled and proofread 2002-04 olivia bottum text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-05 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the judgment of the late lord chief justice sir matthew hale , of the nature of true religion , the causes of its corruption , and the churches calamity , by mens additions and violences : with the desired cure. in three discourses , written by himself at several times . humbly dedicated to the honourable judges and learned lawyers , who knew and honoured the author , because in their true sentiments of religion , and its depravations , and the cure , the wellfare of england , under his majesty , as well as their own , is eminently concerned . by the faithful publisher , richard baxter . to which is annexed the judgment of sir francis bacon lord verulam st. albans , and chancellour of england : and somewhat of dr. isaack barrows on the same subject . mat. 5. 9. blessed are the peace-makers ; for they shall be called the children of god. rom. 14. 17 , 18. the kingdom of god is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace , and joy in the holy ghost . for he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and approved of men . london , printed for b. simmons at the three cocks near the west-end of s. paul's church . 1684. a preface , with some notes on these discourses by the publisher . the publishing of these discourses sheweth the great mutability of such weak understandings as my own : till very lately no price could have hired me to publish them , lest it were a violation of his testament , which saith that he [ would have no writings of his published , but what in his life time he gave to be published ] ; and he delivered not these in his life time to me . in my ignorance this satisfied me . but lately opening the case to some lawyers of known eminence , honour , and integrity , they have convinced me that i cross his will , and the common good , by my suppressing them . the case is this : when he was gone from us in great weakness to the place of his death , in my last letter to him , i told him how much good the lord bacon's book called considerations of matters ecclesiastical had done , with many that too justly suspect clergy contenders of partiality ; and that the honour and just esteem that god had given him with all sorts of men he owed to the service of him that gave it : and therefore knowing the doleful case of this land , as div vided and striving about religion , i intreated him that he would write his judgment briefly and freely of the cause and cure : the rather because his contemplations were so acceptable to many . in his last letter answering this , he professeth that those contemplations were printed without his purpose , knowledge , or consent , but thanks god if they did good , though beyond his intent . but though the rest be full of kindness , i will not publish it , lest really it should violate his will. but when he was dead , he who published his contemplations , shewed me a bag of his mannuscripts , small occasional tractates , and gave me out these three , saying , that they were directed [ for mr. baxter ] by which i knew they were by him given me in answer to my foresaid letter , which craved the publication of his judgment of our divisions . but i conjecture they had been long before written by him at several times , and much to the same purpose ; and so i suppose that he gave them me , and left the use of them to my discretion . now say these learned lawyers , a man may have several wills in writing in reference to several things , not repugnant but consistent , and all shall stand and be taken as his last will , and may make several executors , and give them several distinct powers . and clausula generalis non porrigitur ad ea quae specialiter nominantur , and this direction to you on that occasion , maketh it a legacy bequeathed to you : and the answering your letter by it sheweth to what use : and his after likeing of the publishing his contemplations , sheweth that he was not utterly against appearing in print . by this and much more they satisfie me , that it was my ignorance that made me resolve to conceal them . i confess the deliverer thought it best for me to make one treatise out of them all , because being not intended for publication at the writing of them , the same thing is repeated , especially in two of them . and that repetition and the brevity made me long undervalue them . but i take it as an intollerable piaculum to put any altering hand of mine to the writings of such a man ; which i profess i have not done in adding , expunging , or changing one word ( save some false spelling of the scribe : for only the latin verses , and an enterlining or two , are his own hand ; which i know by many a sheet that i have had from him . ) and as long as the occasion of the writing them is known , i think it no dishonour to them to have these repetitions : at least not so much as my alterations would be : yea it is useful ; first , as sully shewing the readers , that these are no hasty crude conceptions , but matters that long and deeply dwelt in his heart . 2. and great matters , specially to dull or unwilling , or negligent readers or hearers , must be oft repeated ; for a transient touch passeth away from such without any effect . o that the matter of these three papers were written and spoken an hundred times , if it would make rulers , and teachers , and people once truly to consider and receive them as they deserve . yet upon oft perusal i find that the repetition is joyned with variety of inference and application : and he hath too queasy a stomach that will nauseate them in so short discourses on so great a subject , so necessary to a people dissolving by wilfull divisions , by the delusion of abaddon that is commonly painted with a cloven foot. i shall add the contents for the readers help . but i shall not presume to animadvert on the matter , save in these few notes . 1. tract . 1. pag. 3. i suppose by [ common assistances ] he meaneth not that which all men have : but which is not miraculous , and all that rightly seek may hope for . p. 7. some of the controversies which he judged undeterminable , i have cause to think he at least came nearer to satisfaction in , after the writing of these papers , as he signified to me on some discourse , specially after the reading my catholick theology . ib. among the points not distinctly knowable without more revelation than we yet have of it , one is [ what is the real consequence of the baptism of infants or its omission ] . but the act of vniformity ejected all the ministers of england , that would not publickly , declare that they assent and consent , that [ it is certain by the word of god , that infants baptized , dying before actual sin , are vndovbtedly saved ] ( none excepted ) . had the convocation but cited that word of god that saith this , this good man might have been kept from taking that as unknowable , which every conforming minister in the church is certain of , as an undoubted article of faith. and it would have been a great kindness to the silenced ministers . pag. 11. his preference of episcopacy before all other governments , was his real judgment . but it was its essentials and not all the additionals that he meant . for to my knowledge he would have been glad of the primitive model of bishop usher , ( who was his much valued friend ) . in the 3d. tract . pag. 17. the scribe left an a — for a word omitted , and i durst not supply it by conjecture . who the authors are that he so much blameth , specially the dialogist , few will doubt , but i will not name , because by the report of his good preaching and life , i cannot but hope that he repenteth of it . there is one s t. that in an invective against the protestant reconciler ( a book like this ) and against dr. stillingsleet , insinuates that i am not to be believed in my report elsewhere given of judge hales words , that [ a new act of uniformity must heal england , &c. in these three treatises this incredulous man may see much more than that , which may expugne his vnbelief : and lest any accuse me of forgery , i hope to preserve the manuscripts , and doubt not but the lady hale or mr. stevens hath a copy of them . and because this reverend enemy to the reconciler , ( pleading for their excommunication ) was a son of a reverend nonconformist ( deceased ) and lived sometime with me , at kiderminster , and frequently walkt with me , and therefore may be thought to have known my incredibility ; i ask him , why in all that time , [ if he knew me to be a lyar ] would he never once tell me of it . i take [ cursed be the trimmers ] and [ blessed are the peace-makers ] for direct contraries : and christ to be wiser and more credible than all the enemies of peace . r. b. the contents of the first discourse . the use of religion : by what means god made it so common . p. 1. how perfected by christ. p. 2. and why . 1. to recover his honour to god. 2. to bring man to happiness . 3. for the right government of man. p. 16. the few plain , easy parts of religion . comfortable consectaries . p. 4 , 5. how religion is corrupted and changed in the world. 1. by the subtilties of scholastick learned men . p 5. 1. by their disputes about unnecessary and unknowable things : instances . p. 6. 2. and of lower , yet uncertain points . p. 7. how safe the religious are without them . p. 8. 3. casuists corrupting morals . p. 9. 2. by turning religion into politick contrivances for wealth and power . instance in princes . 2. specially in the roman church . p. 9. 3. instance , in formes of church government and ceremonies . 1. overvalued . 2. over opposed p. 12. 13. 14. 4. disputes between calvinists and arminians : of old , about easter , &c. p. 15. 5. contention about trivial matters : divers instances , p. 16. 17. mens overdoing for these lamented . p. 16. 17. how different religion is from all these mens additions . the causes of these errors . 1. the weaknesses of some conscientious persons , deserving compassion , tenderness , and love , rather than severity or contempt . p. 22. 2. some to get preferment and favour with great men . 3. some for gain . 4. most from over-fondness of their own inventions . 5. an affectation of discrimination and singularity by outward badges . p. 24. &c. the contents of the second discourse . the principle of religion small , yet pregnant and productive . p. 1. religion is best in its simplicity and purity : but hard to be kept from corruption by additions . p. 2. what these corrupting additions are . 1. reducing it to gratify sense : a common corruption . p. 3. 2. additions from mens accidental inclinations . instances . 1. philosophers mix their natural philosophy with it . 2. behmen makes it chimical . 3. socinians subject it to their reason . 4. some physicians mix corporal constitution . 5. metaphisical men make it unintelligible by subtilties . p. 4. 6. politicians , and states-men , and papists hierarchy make it but an engine of policie . p. 5. 7. politick discontented men manage it to get a party against the state. p. 6. the violent zeal of such corrupters , papists , reformed episcopal clergy , presbyterians , independents , anabaptists , &c. p. 7. instances doctrinal . p. 8 3. lawful additions sinfully managed . reasons to prove them convenient . p. 9. cautions to be used in them . 1. that they be not numerous . 2. nor superstitious . 3. decent , not powpous . 4. not continued for their antiquity , when they become unseasonable or hurtful . 5. not urged with rigour and too much severity against conscentious refusers . an objection of the urgers answered . 6. still remember that religion is quite another thing . p. 12. what is true religion , and who are religious , and who not , p. 13. the contents of the third discourse . what the christian religion is , and what men true christians are , p. 1. but many additions in all ages have been made to it , by divers sorts , for divers designes and ends . some by the authority of great names , some by insensible gradations , some by supposed congruity , some as for order and decency , some for discrimination of parties , some for political ends , emergent occasions , civil or ecclesiastical sanctions , &c. and the greatest fervor and animosity of men commonly laid out on these additions , by some for them , by others against them . the unhappy consequents . p. 4. 1. diversion from the true nature and use of religion , by zeal for entire conformity to these additions or against them . 2. and so the fervour of mens spirits let out the wrong way . p. 5. 3. hence come schisms and factions , and personal animosities , discriminations , censoriousness , estrangedness by ill advancing these opinions and little things . 4. the bond of charity broken , severity , persecution , implacableness , endeavouring to supplant and disgrace dissenters , worse scorns , reproach and vilifying than between christians and turks . p. 6 5. increase of atheisme and contempt of all religion ; while preachers go so much against their doctrine ; as if religion wereof no more moment , and of no better effect than these additions , p. 8. the causes of this sad distemper , 1. self-love and fondness for that which is our own . 2. pride , and reputation . 3. plain and pure religion unsutable to mens curiosity and appetite . 4. they must have somewhat that is pleasing p. 9. 5 contrariety and jealousy of men herein concerned ; specially between power and conscience : both plead gods name , and neither will yield . p. 10. 6. specially not dealing meekly and in love with one another . but by passion , violence , and bitterness , rendring each other odious , scoffing , catching arts , misinterpreting each other ; disingenuous quotations , &c. p. 11. these are contrary to christianity . p. 12. the sad proof : 1. from such as martin mar-prelate , &c. on one side , and epithets of antichristian , babylonish , idolatrous , given to bishops and liturgie . 2. on the other side , ministers should cashiere these black auxiliaries , or else profess that it is not christs cause that they plead , but their own . p. 13. a sharp reproof of some late writers against dissenters , specially the dialogist , as heinously abusing scripture and religion : far worse than ben. johnsons prophane play. the ill effects . 1. it maketh differences unreconcileable 2. it disadventages their cause and persons that use them with sober men . 3. it exposeth religion it self to the derisiof atheists , and increaseth such . more of this evil with a concluding counsel , to use more temperance , prudence , and moderation in contests about the circumstantials of religion , p 20. 21. the contents of the additional testimonies . 1 the lord bacons words in his advertisement of the controversies of the church of england . 2. his words in his considerations for better pacification and edification of the church of england ( lest the reader accuse me of omitting any part , i had rather he would read all those two treatises himself , than those scraps ) 3 animadversions of the transcriber . 4. some passages of doctor isaack barrow . part . i. of religion . the ends and uses of it , and the errors of men touching it . true religion is the greatest improvement , advantage , and priviledge of humane nature ; and that which gives it the noblest and highest pre-eminence above other visible creatures . we may observe in many bruit beasts and birds admirable instincts , dexterities , and sagacities ; and in some of them some dark resemblances of reason , or ratiocination : but religion is so appropriate to the humane nature , that there are scarce any sort of men , but have some religion : nor do the most subtle or sagacious bruits afford any signs thereof , as communicated to their natures . it is one of the chiefest mercies and blessings that almighty god hath afforded to the children of men , and that which signally manifests his providential care towards and over them , that in all ages and among all nations he hath given to them some means and helps to discover unto them , though in different degrees , some principal sentiments of true religion : 1. by the secret characters , and impressions , and structures thereof in their minds and consciences . 2. by his glorious and admirable works , commonly called the works of nature . 3. by signal providences , and providential regiment of the world. 4. by raising up men in all ages of great wisdom , observation , and learning , which did instruct the more ignorant in this great concernment , the rudiments of natural religion . 5. by traditionary transmission of many important truths and directions of life , from ancestors to their posterity , and others : though in process of time evil customs and evil men did in a great measure impair and corrupt the sentiments and practices of men , notwithstanding these helps . therefore the same mercy and goodness of god , for the preservation and propagation of the true religion , was pleased to substitute a more fixed and permanent means ; namely , the holy scriptures , or divine revelations , committed to writing in the books of the old and new testament . though the religion delivered in both testaments , be in substance the same ; yet the true religion was more fully , and plainly , and distinctly delivered by christ and his apostles in the new testament , together also with some additional instructions , for the better preservation and propagation thereof to mankind , and divers additional evidences to prove and manifest the truth of this religion , to procure its belief and acceptation : as the birth , miracles , death , resurrection , and ascension of christ jesus , the great reformer of the jewish , and great institutor of the christian religion , so called from christ that taught and asserted it . the christian religion is the most perfect rule of our duty to god , our selves , and others ; and was designed principally for these great ends. 1. to restore to the glorious god , the honour , duty , and obedience of his creature , man ; teaching him to know , to glorifie and serve his creator , to be thankful to him , to submit to his will , to obey his law and command , to be thankful for his mercies , to acknowledge him in all his ways , to call upon him , to worship him , to depend upon him , to walk sincerely in his sight , to admire and adore his greatness and goodness in all his works , especially in the great work of the redemption of mankind by his son christ jesus . 2. to inable man to attain everlasting happiness , the perpetual vision of the glorious god , and to fit and prepare him to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light and glory . 3. to compose and settle mankind in such a decent and becomingrectitude , order , and deportment in this world , as may be suitable to the existence of a reasonable nature , and the good of mankind : which consistsprincipally in a double relation : 1. to a mans self , sobriety . 2. to others , which consists in those two great habits or disposition beneficent to mankind , viz. righteousness , or justice and charity , or love and beneficence . these three great ends are succinctly delivered , tit. 2. 11 , 12. for the grace of god , that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men , teaching us , that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts , we should live soberly , righteously , and godly in this present world. here we have these three ends of christian religion . 1. godliness , or our duty to god. 2. salvation , or our own everlasting happiness . 3. sobriety , righteousness , which also includeth charity , a part of evangelical righteousness . and because christian religion was intended and instituted for the good of man-kind , whether poor or rich , learned or unlearned , simple or prudent , wise or weak , it was fitted with such plain , easie , and evident directions , both for things to be known , and things to be done , in order to the attainment of the end for which it was designed , that might be understood by any capacity , that had the ordinary and common use of reason or humane understanding , and by the common assistance of the divine grace might be practised by them . the credenda , or things to be known or believed , as simply necessary to those ends , are but few , and intelligible , briefly delivered in that summary of christian religion , usually called the apostles creed . the agenda , or things to be done or forborn , are those few and excellent precepts , delivered by christ and his apostles , in that little book of the new testament ; and yet even the tenth part of that little book will contain all the precepts of christian duty and obedience contained in that book : and in brief the baptismal covenant , as it is contained in the liturgy , and explanation thereof in the church catechism used among us , together with the precepts of the decalogue , contain in effect a summary or brief epitome of our christian duty . and certainly it was necessary and becoming the wisdom of the most wise god , that that religion and doctrine , which equally concerned men of all kinds and capacities , should be accordingly accommodated , as might be useful for all . if the doctrine or precepts of christian religion should have been delivered in over sublime or seraphical expressions , in high rhetorical raptures , in intricate and subtile phrases or stile , or if it should have been surcharged with multitude of particulars , it would have been like a sealed book , to the far greatest part of mankind , who yet were equally concerned in the business and end of religion , with the greatest philosophers and clerks in the world. upon what hath been said , we may therefore conclude , 1. that there is not , nor indeed may not be any great difficulty in the attaining of a true saving knowledge of christian religion . 2. that the duties of christian religion are not of so vast an extent , but the knowledge of them may be also attained by an ordinary capacity willing to learn . 3. that considering that god almighty is never wanting with his grace to assist those that sincerely endeavour and desire to obey him and serve him , it is not so difficult a business to perform an evangelical obedience to the precepts of the gospel , i say an evangelical obedience , though not a perfect obedience ; an obedience that is sincere , though many times weak , and failings , which nevertheless are forgiven , and their sincere though imperfect obedience accepted by almighty god through the merits and intercession of christ , and our own humiliation and sincere repentance for our failings . and , 4. that when all is done , in this belief and this obedience consists our christian religion . this is the one thing necessary , the magnum oportet , which is of highest concernment and greatest importance to mankind . but now if we do but look about us in the world , and observe and consider the matters , wherein men for the most part do place , religion we shall find quite another kind of rate and nature of religion than what christ instituted or intended , and yet all vailed and shrowded under the name of christian religion ; and greater weight and stress laid upon them than upon the true , real , grand imports of christian religion . 1. i shall begin with the subtilties of great scholars , schoolmen , and scholastick divines . these have turned christian religion into a most curious and difficult speculation , and that which was designed by christ jesus as a plain direction to every capacity , to be a guide to a righteous , holy , and sober life here , and to attain everlasting life hereafter , they have [ made ] a meer exercise of wit , and a piece of greater subtilty than the abstrusest philosophy or metaphysicks . and this they have done principally these ways : 1. by disputes about questions , that , as they are not in themselves necessary to be known , so they are in their own nature impossible for humane understandings to determine : as for instance ; many , if not all , the points controverted between the arminians and calvinists , as touching the manner of the decrees of god , what kind of influence he hath upon the wills of men . the manner of the divine knowledge of things future , contingent , or possible . the resistability or irrisistability of divine grace . the nature of eternity , and infinitude , and indivisibility . the manner of the existence of the three persons in the vnity of essence . the nature of angels and spirits ; the manner and degrees , and method of their knowledge of things ; their several ranks and orders ; and infinite more speculations and disputes of things that do not in their own nature fall under the discovery of a humane understanding , by the ordinary course of ratiocination , and are impossible to be known further than they are distinctly revealed by almighty god , and as it were industriously kept secret by almighty god , because they are not of use to mankind to be known . it is far more possible for a child of three years old to have a true conception of the most abstruse points in philosophy , or in the mystical reasons of state or politick government of a kingdom , than for the wisest man that ever was , without revelation from god , to have any tollerable conception or notion of things of this nature with any tollerable certainty or evidence . 2. again there are other points disputed which are of a lower allay , and yet not to be distinctly known without more clear revelation than we yet have of it , nor yet of any necessity for us distinctly to know : as for instance , concerning the nature and manner of transmission of original sin ; how far the sins of immediate or remote parents affect their posterity with guilt or punishment ; the origination of the humane soul ; how far the efficacy of the sacrifice of christ was intentionally for all men ; concerning , the means of communication thereof to infants , ideots , and the invinsible ignorant ; what is the real consequence of baptism of infants , or its omission ; how far the will of man is operative to his conversion , or perseverance ; wherein the formal nature of justification consists ; how far forth faith singly is sufficient for it , without sanctification and habitual holiness at last , and how far forth the sincere love of god by a person invinsibly ignorant of many or most points of christian religion is sufficient thereunto ; concerning the estate of the separate soul before the last judgment , and how far it enjoys the beatifical vision before the resurrection . disputes touching these and the like difficult questions , have blown up mens fancies with speculations , instead , of filling their hearts with the true and genuine effects of christian religion . it is true , that physicians and naturalists do and may make inquiries into the method and progress of generation , and digestion , and sanguification , and the motions of the chile , the blood , the humours : for , 1. they have means of access to the discovery thereof by dissection and observation . and , 2. it is of some use to them in their science , and the exercise thereof . but when all is done , a man of a sound constitution digests his meat , and his blood circulates , and his several vessels and intrails perform their offices , though he know not distinctly the methods of their motions and operations . but these speculations above-mentioned , in points of divinity , as they are not possible to be distinctly determined with any certainty , so they are of little use to be known . if the heart be seasoned with the true knowledge of the things that are revealed , and with the life of the christian religion , and the love of god , it will be effectual enough to order his life , and bring him to everlasting happiness , though he be not , like an exquisite anatomist , acquainted with a distinct comprehension or knowledge of the several difficult inquiries of this nature . believe what is required by the word of god to be believed , and do your duty , as by that word is directed ; so that the life of religion , and the love of god be once set on foot in the soul , and there nourished , and commit your self to the faithfulness and goodness of god , and this will be effectual to the great end of religion , though all these disputes be laid aside . 3. again , a third mischief of scholasticks , is in relation to practicks : 1. some casuistical divines have so distinguished concerning religious external duties , that they have left little practical religion or morality in the world , and by their subtle curious distinctions , have made almost every thing lawful , and with the pharisees , in the time of our saviour , have made void the laws of god , ( and of man also ) by their traditions and distinctions : so that religion towards god , and all righteousness and sobriety , is so thin and narrow , and subtile , that by their doctrine of probability , and casuistical distinctions , all the bones thereof are loosned . it would be too long to give instances in particular : the late velitations in france between some of the popish priests and jesuites furnish the world with instances enough of this kind . 2. the second instance is this , the turning of the greatest part of religion into politick contrivances , for attaining or upholding power , wealth , or interest . there have been instances many in this kind among secular princes and states . this was the act of jeroboam to set up idolatrous religion in samaria , for preventing a return of the ten tribes to the house of david . and we may observe it in most of the religion established by heathenish princes , which was so ordered to accomodate their interest , though to the extreme corrupting of natural religion . but there is not so eminent an instance thereof in the whole world , as that of the ecelesiastical state of the church of rome , who have corrupted , as much as in them lies , the most pure and innocent religion that ever the world knew , namely , the christian religion , by distorting it to ends of wealth and power , and appendicating to it certain new doctrines and practices meerly to those ends. and not only so , but have laid the greatest weight of religion in the observation of these politick appendicatims ; so that a man , that either questions or not observes these politick additaments , runs as severe a censure and danger among them , as he that denies the most unquestionableprinciples of christian religion . such are their doctrines of the popes supremacy , the popes infallibility ; the necessity to salvation to be of the romish church , the adoration of images , saints de parted , and angels ; the veneration of reliques ; the doctrine of purgatory , indulgences , and the church treasury of redundant merits ; the doctrine and practice of dispensations and indulgences ; their canonization of saints ; their pilgrimages , numerous ceremonies , theatrical spectacles ; their doctrine of transubstantiation , and divers other superadditions and appendications to christian religion , which any person , not captivated by them , may with half an eye perceive to be invented and continued meerly for the support of the grandure of an universal monarchy , which they miscall the church , and for the amassing of wealth and power for the support of it , as might most easily be evinced by the particular examination of all those politick appendixes . and yet let any man observe it , he shall find as great a fervour for the upholding of these doctrines and practices , and as great a jealousie of the least breach made upon them , as if the whole concern of christian religion , and the salvation of souls lay in their belief and observance . 3. the third instance is in relation to the forms of church government and ceremonies . that ecclesiastical government is necessary for the preservation of religion , is evident to any reasonable and considerate man : and that the episcopal government constituted in england , is a most excellent form of ecclesiastical government , and exceeds all other forms of ecclesiastical government , may be easily evinced ; and that it is the best adapted to the civil government in this kingdom , is visible to any intelligent person : and yet i do not think that the essence of christian religion consists in this or any other particular form of government . it is a great help to the preservation of it in its purity and unity , and may be well called sepimentum religionis christianoe , as the jews call their oral traditions sepimentum legis , the fence of the law. but a man may be a good and excellent christian under this or any other form of ecclesiastical government , nay in such places where possibly there is no settled form of ecclesiastical government established . but if we observe many persons in the world , we shall find some so highly devoted to this or that particular form of government , as if all the weight of christian religion lay in it : though the wise and sober sort of conformists know and profess this , yet there be some rash people that will presently un-church all the reformed churches beyond the seas which are not under episcopal government . that if they see a man , otherwise of orthodox principles , of a pious and religious life , yet if scrupling some points of ecclesiastical government , though peaceable , they will esteem him little better than a heathen or publican , a schismatick , heretick , and what not : on the other side , if they see a man of great fervour in asserting the ecclesiastical government , observant of external ceremonies , though otherwise of a loose and dissolute life , yet they will be ready to applaud him with the stile of a son of the church , and upon that account over-look the miscarriages of his life , as if the essence and life of christian religion lay in the bare asserting of the best form of ecclesiastical government . on the other side , there is as great an extremity of the other hand : there are many indiscreet persons , as well divines as others , that having either by their education , or by conversation with dissenters , or possibly to gain a party , taken upon them the patronage or asserting of some other form of church-government , either presbyterian or independant , or some thing fram'd by their own invention , presently cry down the established government of the church , as antichristian or popish , and cry up that which they have thus espoused as the only true christian regiment instituted by christ ; and presently among them , and their followers , this is made the discriminative mark of a true christian. if they see a man conformable to the established government , tho' he be pious , sober , and truly religious , yet they despise and neglect him , censure him as a formalist , and without the power of godliness : but if a man will but revile the established government , and be bold against it , cry it down , and cry up the new institution into which they are listed , tho' the man be covetous , uncharitable , hard-hearted , proud , impetuous , and possibly otherwise loose in his conversation , yet such a man shall be cherished , applauded , and cryed up for a saint , a precious man , and zealous for the truth . and although decent ceremonies , that are for the preservation of the dignity of religion , and to keep due order and regularity , are not essential parts of christianity , nor were ever so esteemed by wise and sober men , and yet are of use and convenience in the church , nevertheless , we may easily observe among men the same extremes as are before noted : some placing the whole weight of religion in their strict observance , and making them the principal , if not the only badge of a son of the church , hateing and despising those that scruple any thing in them , or that do not come up in every punctilio to their observance , though they be otherwise sound in the principles of faith , pious and strict in their lives , just and honest to all men , and sober , temperate and blameless . on the other side , there be a sort of men that place the greatest stress and discriminating point of christian religion in opposing and decrying all instituted ceremonies , though innocent , decent , and without any the least touch of superstition in them , yet these must be decried as popish , antichristian , destructive of christian liberty , and the party that with most boldness and vehemence declaims against them , is valued by them as a most precious man , a man of zeal and courage , and needs little else to justifie and magnifie him with his party . on the other side , though a man be of an holy and conscientious life , sound in principles , sober , blameless , peaceable ; yet if he observe these blameless ceremonies , though with great moderation and charity to dissenters , he shall be slighted and undervalued , esteemed a formalist , a time-server , or at best , a man wanting courage , zeal , lukewarm , timorous , and wanting the power of godliness . such wild and wrong measures do men of extremes on all hands take of the true essence and ends of christianity . 4. again , even among professors of the protestant religion , there are divers disputed and controverted points ; as between the calvinists and arminians , especially touching the vniversality of the redemption by christ , perseverance and falling from grace ; and almost every day there arise certain new opinions , some of greater importance , but very commonly of small and incnosiderable moment ; and these are taken up by the several parties possibly agreeing in the same fundamentals of christian religion . and some times they are entertained by a party of men , because their pastors are of that opinion , or seem to be so ; though often they are taken up , or instilled into a party , to make a discriminative mark betweeen persons of several congregations . and then it is wonderful to see with what servour each party maintains his tenent , and as great weight is laid upon it , as if the whole stress of christian religion , and the salvation of the souls of men lay upon it ; when god knows they are not of any moment in it . such was the old controversie between the eastern and western churches about easter-day , and ancienter than that , in the apostles times , about eating of meats offered to idols , and among us at this day touching the five arminian questions . and yet we shall see men as fervent and zealous about them , as censorious of dissenters from them , as fond of those of the same opinion with them , as if all the articles of the christian faith were immediately concerned in them ; when all the while they are not of any moment to the salvation of men , nor of any concernment to the christian religion , or the ends thereof , but are only artifices imposed upon men to hold up parties , or to keep up some man or parties reputation ; imaginations which men are fond of , because they are their own , at least theirs whom they have in great veneration or esteem . 5. again , the fond mistakes of men in this kind , are observable in very slight and trivial matters , which yet are entertained with a kind of religious veneration , when they serve to hold up parties , or as disciminations of their professions . among the professed monks and fryars they have certain habits assigned to several orders , and as well anciently as now have several kinds of tonsures of their heads , which they observe with great severity ; and place much religion in them . and even among the various sects , or perswasions among those that at least abhor popery , yet we shall find some such fond things upon which they lay a great weight of their religion : sometimes in very looks and composing of their countenance ; sometimes in the manner or tone of expressions ; sometimes in affected phrases ; sometimes in gestures , sometimes in habits and dresses , sometimes in use of meats and drinks of one kind or another . i shall give some few instances : you shall have some that place a great point of religion in forbearing the eating of flesh upon frydays , or in the time of lent , but yet indulge themselves oftentimes in the eating of the choicest fish , and the most costly diet of other meats : others again think they must needs go as far on the other extreme , chusing those seasons for feasting upon flesh , and think it acceptable to god , because it runs counter to the other exteme . again , a time there was when it was thought that long hair was unbecoming professors of christianity , and upon that account some did wear their hair short , even to extremity . but about the beginning of the late wars , many took up , as they thought , a more elevated way of christianity , and as a badg thereof wore their hair extreme long. the conformists usually wear gowns or canonical coats ; many of the nonconformists by way of discrimination use other habits . the former officiate , as the canons require them , in surplices , and sometimes with hoods , and some are so taken with it , that they think the offices want an essential part when performed without it ; some of the latter think the solemn ordinances are profaned by it , and rendred superstitious . but among all the differing perswasions among us , there are none that give a man more ample evidence of mistakes of this nature , than those called quakers , who place a great part of their religion in keeping on their hats , in using the words thee and thou , in stiling the months and days of the week not according to the usual appellation , but the first , or second month , or day , in certain habits and postures unlike other men ; in silent devotions at their publck meettings , in revileing and crying down the established ministry , churches , sacraments , lords-day , and all manner of forms , whether commanded or used by others ; in refusing to take an oath when lawfully called thereunto ; and some such other singularities . take away but these , and the like affected superadditions , the men are as other men , some indeed very sober , honest , just and plain-hearted men , and sound in most , if not all the important doctrines and practices of christianity ; others ( as it happens in all professions ) subtle , covetous , uncharitable tumultuous , ignorant , proud despisers of others , slanderers , and yet as long as they conform to their sect in these impertinent or unwarrantable singularities , they please themselves with the stile of the people of god , and are for the most part esteemed such by those of that sect. by this little survey , we may easily take an estimate of the mistakes of mankind , and even among christians , touching the mistakes in point of christianity and christian religion , and how common it is to misplace the name of christian religion and the nature of it , and attribute it to such things as in truth have nothing to do with it , but many times are directly contrary to it . and yet even in these impertinencies many men place the greatest moment of their religion , and have as great and many times a greater zeal and fervour for them , than for the weighty points and duties of christianity , and most of the business of many men consists in velitations and defences and invectives about them ; the pulpits and the press is ingaged about them . love , and charity , and even common humanity , and mutual conversation between man and man , church and church , party , and party , is broken by the mutual collisions and animosities concerning them . so that ( the lord be merciful to us and forgive us ) there is as little love , and as great distance and animosity between many of the dissenting parties among protestants , touching these matters , as there is between papists and protestants , or between christians and infidels . and by this means the true life of christian religion , and that which was the great end of its institution , and the true genuine and natural effect of it upon the heart and soul , and course of life , is lost or neglected by them that profess it , or disparaged among those that either have not entertained it , or at least entertained it as they do the customs of the country wherein they are educated . these men , when they see so much religion placed by professors of christianity in these things , which every intelligent man values but as forms , or inventions , or modes , or artifices , and yet as great weight laid upon them , as great fervour and animosity used for or against them , as almost for any points of christian religion , they are presently apt to censure and throw off all religion , and reckon all of the same make . but when all is done , true christian religion is a thing of another kind of make , and is of another kind of efficacy , and directed unto , and effective of a nobler end , than those things about which , as above is said , men so much contend , and that makes so great a bustle and noise in the world . as the credenda are but few and plain , so the facienda , or things to be done , are such as do truly ennoble and advance the humane nature , and brings it to its due habitude , both to god and man. it teacheth and tutors the soul to a high reverence and veneration of almighty god , a sincere and upright walking as in the presence of the invisible , all-seeing god : it makes a man truly to love , to honour , to obey him , and therefore careful to know what his will is ; it renders the heart highly thankful to him , both as his creator , redeemer , and benefactor : it makes a man entirely to depend upon , to seek to him for guidance , and direction , and protection ; to submit to his will with all patience , and resignation of soul : it gives the law not only to his word and actions , but to his very thoughts and purposes , that he dares not entertain a very thought unbecoming the sight and presence of that god to whom all our thoughts are legible : it teacheth and bringeth a man to such a deportment both of external and internal sobriety , as may be decent in the presence of god and all his holy angels : it crusheth and casts down all pride and haughtiness both in a mans heart and carriage , and gives him an humble frame of soul and life , both in the sight of god and men : it regulates and governs the passions of the mind , and brings them into due moderation and frame : it gives a man a right estimate of this present world , and sets the heart and hopes above it , so that he never loves it more than it deserves : it makes the wealth and glory of this world , high places , and great preferments , but of a low and little value to him ; so that he is neither covetous nor ambitious , nor over sollicitous concerning the advantages of it : it brings a man to that frame that righteousness , justice , honesty , and fidelity is as it were part of his nature ; he can sooner dye than commit or purpose that which is unjust , dishonest , or unworthy a good man : it makes him value the love of god and peace of conscience above all the wealth and honours in the world , and be very vigilant to keep it inviolably : though he be under a due apprehension of the love of god to him , yet it keeps him humble and watchful , and free from all presumption , so that he dares not under a vain confidence of the indulgence , and mercy , and favour of god , turn aside to commit or purpose even the least injury to man , he performs all his duties to god in sincerity , and integrity , and constancy ; and while he lives on earth , yet his conversation , his hopes , his treasure , and the flower of his expectation is in heaven , and he entirely endeavours to walk sutably to such a hope : insum , it restores the image of god unto the soul in righteousness and true holiness . compositum jus , fasque animi sanctosque recessus mentis , & incoctum generofo pectus honesto . these , and the like to these , are the ends , design and effect of true christian religion , truly received and digested in the soul. and certainly any man that duly confidereth , will find that they are of another kind of nature and value , than those sublime speculations , politick constitutions , forms or not forms , affected singularities , upon which many lay the weight of religion , and for and touching which there is so much contention and animosity in the world. so that methinks men in this regard are like to a company of foolish boys , who when the nut is broken , run scrambling after the pieces of the shell , and in the mean while the kernel is neglected and lost . now touching the reasons or causes of these misapprehensions touching religion , they are various : some deserve compassion , and others are more or less excusable , according to their several kinds : 1. some persons truly conscientious and zealous of any thing that they judge to be displeasing to god , as not agreeable to his will , and observing the many corruptions , that the romish church have brought into the worship of god , are very suspicious of any thing that may look , as they think , that way ; and therefore , though they are otherwise men of sound and orthodox principles , and of a truly righteous , sober , and pious life , yet perchance are transported somewhat too far in scrupling or opposing some ceremonies or forms ; and possibly their education and conversation with men of such perswasions have confirmed them in it , so that they do not oppose out of a frowardness or peevishness of mind , or out of pride , or a spirit of opposition , but in the sincerity and simplicity of their hearts , and out of a tenderness for the honour of god. these , though they are or may be mistaken in their perswasions , yet certainly deserve compassion , tenderness , yea and love also , much rather than severity or contempt . 2. others again , observing that certain modes and forms , and the rigorous observations of them , are the common road for attaining preferments or favours of great persons , upon that account exercise a marvellous fervour of mind for them , and a vigorous opposition of all that come not up to them in every punctilio , that they may thereby be taken notice of , and imployed as useful and fit and vigorous assertors and instruments for this purpose . 3. many times gain and profit is the end and design of many practices and positions appendicated to christian religion , as is before observed in the romish church ; and it is easily observable that interest , profit , and temporal advantage have a strong byass upon mens affections , and are dearer to them than the truth of religion , and carry men more vigorously in their upholding and maintenance , than religion it self doth : and because the presence of zeal for religion carries a fair plausibility with all men , therefore those very things that are but engines of gain and profit are christned with the specious name of religion . it was the making of silver shrines for diana , the art whereby the artificers got their living , that made the out-cry , great is diana of the ephesians . 4. again , it is very certain that mankind hath a huge kindness and partiality for matters of their own invention , and set a greater rate upon them , than upon other matters handed over to them by others : and hence it comes to pass that a new fancy or opinion , a new form of worship , discipline , or government that , any man hath invented or studied out , is to such a man ordinarily of greater value and moment than it deserves , and shall be maintained with greater zeal , fervour and animosity , than points of greater truth and moment , as if the great moment and weight of religion and christianity lay in it , which is in truth nothing else but the effect of self-love and self-conceit . 5. again , though by nature man be a sociable creature , yet there is in most men a certain itch of pride , which makes them affect a discrimination from others , and to become a kind of separated party more refined than the rest of the same common profession . i do remember in the beginning of our late troubles , the only party that visibly appeared , were some that desired some reformation in church-matters : and when that party had obtained , under the name of the presbyterian party , in a very little while there arose a more sublime party of men , called the independant or congregational men , which much despised the former , as not arrived to a just measure of reformation . shortly after that there arose a kind of lay party , which as much undervalued the independant , and indeed the ministry in general . after that there arose a party discriminating it self from all the former , viz. the quakers . these various parties were as so many subdivisions and rectifications of what went before . now the means of holding up this discrimination of parties are certain select opinions , practices , or modes , which are like the badges or colours that give each party his denomination , distinction , and discrimination : and consequently these discriminative badges have as great a rate set upon them as each sect sets upon it self ; and therefore must be upheld under the very notion of the life of religion , and must be maintained with the greatest fervour imaginable ; for otherwise the distinction of the sects themselves would fall to the ground , and become contemptible both among themselves and others , because otherwise there would appear very little and inconsiderable reason , upon trifling or small reasons , to separate and divide from others , and to un-church and un-christen them that are not their company or society . part ii. concerning religion . the life of it , and super additions to it . the truth and spirit of religion comes in a a narrow compass , though the effect and operation thereof are large and diffusive . solomon comprehended it in a few words , fear god , and keep his commandments , for this is the whole duty of man : the soul and life of religion is the fear of god , which is the principle of obedience ; but obedience to his commands , which is an act or exercise of that life , is various , according to the variety of the commands of god : if i take a kernel of an acorn , the principle of life lies in it : the thing it self is but small , but the vegetable principle that lies in it takes up a less room than the kernel it self , little more than the quantity of a small pins head , as is easy to be observed by experiment , but the exercise of that spark of life is large and comprehensive in its operation ; it produceth a great tree , and in that tree the sap , the body , the bark , the limbs , the leaves , the fruit ; and so it is with the principle of true religion , the principle it self lies in a narrow compass , but the activity and energy of it is diffusive and various . this principle hath not only productions that naturally flow from it , but where it is it ferments and assimulates , and gives a kind of tincture even to other actions that do not in their own nature follow from it , as the nature and civil actions of our lives . under the former was our lords parable of a grain of mustard , under the latter of his comparison of leven , just as we see in other things of nature : take a little red wine , and drop it into a vessel of water , it gives a new tincture to the water ; or take a grain of salt and put it into fresh liquor , it doth communicate it self to the next adjacent part of the liquor , and that again to the next , until the whole be fermented : so that small and little vital principle of the fear of god doth gradually and yet suddenly assimilate the actions of our life flowing from another principle . it rectifies and moderates our affections , and passions , and appetites , it gives truth to our speech , sobriety to our sences , humility to our parts , and the like . religion is best in its simplicity and purity , but difficult to be retained so , without superstructions and accessions ; and those do commonly in time stifle and choke the simplicity of religion , unless much care and circumspection be used : the contemperations are so many and so cumbersom , that religion loseth its nature , or is strangled by them : just as a man that hath some excellent simple cordial or spirit , and puts in musk in it to make it smell sweet , and honey to make it taste pleasant , and it may be cantharides to make it look glorious . indeed by the infusions he hath given it a very fine smell , and tast , and colour , but yet he hath so clogg'd it , and sophisticated it with superadditions , that it may be he hath altered the nature , and destroyed the virtue of it . the superadditions and superstructions in point of religion are very many , and from very many and various tempers in men that add them . as for instance , 1. there is one common superaddition that naturally all men are apt to bring into it , viz. that it may gratifie the sense ; for in as much as the most powerful and immediate influence upon us comes from and through our senses , and that spiritual and internal apprehensions have not so strong or constant an impression upon us , they seem things at a distance , flat , and the soul is weary of bearing it self upon them ; men are apt to dress up religion so as it may be grateful to the sense : make us gods that may go before us : and this is the chief original of idolatry , and also of superstition . 2. there are other superadditions that come even from the accidental inclinations of men to some special matter which they value and love ; and that they carry over into religion ; and many times mingle with it . as for the purpose , take a man greatly admiring natural philosophy , he will be apt to mingle and qualifie religion with philosophical notions . many of those things of aristotle that are harshly and dishonourably asserted concerning the diety are from his tenacious adhering to certain philosophical positions that he had fixed upon . behmen , who was a great chymist , resolves almost all religion in chymistry , and frames his conceptions of religion suitable and conformable to chymical notions . socinus and his followers , being great masters of reason , and deeply learned in matters of morality , mingle almost all religion with it , and form religion purely to the model and platform of it . many great phisicians that have much observed the constitutions of mans body , have figured to themselves notions of the soul conformable to the results of their observations in the body . and as thus in these sorts of men , so again men of metaphysical and notional brains and education , as the schoolmen , they have conformed religion and their notions concerning it to metaphysicks : and indeed have made that which is and ought to be the common principle for the actuating of all men , yea even of the meanest capacities , to be a meer collection of subtilties , far more abstruse than the most intricate and sublimated humane learning whatsoever . again , take a polititian , or states-man , and he shall most easily conform religion to state policy , and make it indeed a most excellent and incomparable engine for it , and nothing else . and if we narrowly look upon the method and system of religion as it is formed by the romish hierarchy , it is a most exquisite piece of humane policy , and every thing therein suited with most exquisite art and prudence for the support of the grandure and interest of that state : this hath mingled with the christian religion the popes infalliability and supremacy , his power of pardoning and dispensing , his keys of heaven and hell , his purgatory and indulgences , and images , and adorations of them , his reliques , and pilgrimages , and canonizing of saints , and a thousand such kind of stuff most incomparably fitted to mens passions and affections ; and so to support that most artificial and methodical fabrick of the popish state : for indeed it is no other . and if we look into other kingdoms and places , we shall easily find that religion is so stated and ordered as may best conduce to the peace , order , wealth , and amplitude of every kingdom ; for wise politicians , finding that religion hath a great impression on mens minds , and therefore if it be not managed by the policy of state , may prove an unruly business , if it be contemperated with mixture prejudicial to the state , and that it may be a most excellent engine if it can be managed and actuated for the benefit of the state , do add to it much of their own , that it may be managed upon occasion , and they dress up religion with state policy , whereby in truth it becomes nothing else but a meer piece of humane policy , under the name of religion . and on the other side , those either politick or discontented spirits , that would put a kingdom into blood and confusion , do mingle discontents , and fancies , and imaginations , suspicions and frowardness with religion , and call this confused mixture of phancies and passions , religion : and manage and brandish this weapon with mighty disadvantage to that state which they oppose . for it is most apparent , that as nothing hath so great an impulsion upon men , as that which comes under the apprehension of religion , in as much as it concerns the greatest good , even their everlasting souls and happiness ; so nothing is of so universal concernment as this , and therefore like to attract the most followers ; for every man hath not an estate to care for ; but every man hath a soul to care for ; and hence it is that scarce any great contest between princes hath happened in these latter years , nor scarce any commotion in a state , but religion is owned on all sides ; and god , and his cause , and his church , owned on on all hands , and therefore still the scramble is for religion , and who shall keep the opinion of religion most firm to them , and therefore they on all hands infuse into the thing they call religion those things that may most probably and politickly hold to their party . again , in contest among clergymen , every one trims and orders religion in that dress that may most make it their own , and secure it to themselves . take the popish clergiemen : hold what you will , if you hold not the supremacy and vicariot of the pope , all the rest of your religion is not worth a rush . come to the reformed episcopal clergy : as to the popes supremacy they disclaim it : but if you acknowledge not episcopal government ; if you swear not canonical obedience to your ordinary , if you submit not to the liturgie , and ceremcnies , and vestments , and musick used in the church , you are at best a schismatick . again , come to the presbyterian clergy , they will tell you episcopal government is romish and superstitious , and their ceremonies and usages antichristian usurpations ; but if you mean to be of a warrantable religion , you must submit to the presbyterian government as truly apostolical . come to the independent , he declaims against both the former , and tells you that the true conformity to apostolical order is in the congregational way . take the anabaptist , and he tells you all the former are vain and irreligious , unless you will be rebaptized and listed in their church . again , in points of doctrine , as well as discipline , it is most plain that tenents are professed or decryed for distinction of parties : witness the contest between the arminian party and the calvinistical party , which are only used as methods on either side , to attract proselytes , and distinguish parties : and in these and the like distinctions of parties and professions the superstructions and additions are in a manner incorporated and grafted into religion , and in effect give the only denomination to it , according to the various interests and affections of parties ; when in truth , the main business of these and the like additions and superstructions , are but policies to distinguish , and fortifie , and increase parties . 3. the re are some superadditions to religion , that though i do not think they are to be condemned , yet are carefully to be distinguished from the true and natural life of religion ; and so long as they are kept under that apprehension , they may , if prudently applyed and managed , do good . but if either they are imprudently instituted , imprudently applyed , or inconfiderately over-valued , as if they were religion , they may and many times do harm ; and such are decent and inoffensive forms in the external worship of god appointed by the civil magistrate , by the advice of those that are deservedly eminent in the church for their piety , learning , and prudence . and there seems to be very good reason for it . 1. because if every man should be left to himself , there would confusion ensue ; because no man knew anothers mind , or rule of his external deportment . 2. all men have not that equal prudence to judge what were fit to be used : the magistrate is like to make choice of those persons that are fittest to advise , and their recommendations would be of greatest authority with others . 3. it is most certain , that man being composed of soul and body , cannot so regularly and well fix himself to his duty , without some justifiable help to his devotion ; such are vocal prayers , kneeling , and other gestures proper for the matter of worship which he intends . and this may be one reason , why the lord , though he strictly forbad all idolatry and superstition , and heathenish practice to the jews , yet did appoint sacrifices , priests , a glorious tabernacle , and the ark , which was not only a diversion from the egyptian idolatry which they had seen , but also a help to their natural infirmity for the excitation of their devotion . and although our lord jesus came to abrogate even that indulgence , and foretold that those that worshipped the father , should worship him in spirit and in truth , under the gospel , yet it is certain that the immediate apostles of christ did set certain orderly observances in the church for decencies sake : and it was justly allowable : as concerning the order of the exercise of their supernatural gifts , concerning womens speaking in the church , concerning mens being covered in the church , and women vailed , concerning the manner and order of receiving the sacrament , and the like . but as there be reasons for it , so there be cautions to be used in it . 1. that they be not too numerous ; for their multitude will rather oppress than secure religion . 2. that in their natures they be not superstitious , but keep as much distance from it as well may be ; otherwise they will be in religion , as the dead fly in the apothecaries oyntment . 3. that they be clean and decent , not too full of pomp or ostentation : ceremonies should be used as we use a glass , rather to preserve the oyl , than to adorn it . too much pomp causeth jealousies even in good men , of a degeneration either to jewish ceremonies or popish vanities . 4. that though such are not to be rejected because they are ancient , so if they become vnseasonable , they are not to be held meerly because they are ancient . it is with ceremonies as with some other things that are fit to be changed when they become unuseful or offensive , as the love-feasts , extreme vnction , and some other things , possibly practised , and fit enough , in the primitive times : many ceremonies were at first invented and practised , to win over unconverted heathens ; to incourage weak christians , especially the jews , who were not easily to be drawn from their legal ceremonies : but when people become a knowing people , that see beyond those ceremonies , and understand when , and why , and how they came in , then it were prudence to dispense with , or change them . 5. that they be not urged with too much rigour or severity upon such as conscientiously refuse them . charity to a weak brother in things indifferent in their own nature , is then to be exercised , when my brother is offended therewith , or never : and if it be said it is his duty to submit to the church , and not the church to him ; i do think that answer will not serve in this case ; for surely though a child owes a duty to a father , yet his neglect thereof , especially if it be upon a conscientious account , will not excuse the neglect of a fathers duty to his child : the apostle professed he would abstain from things lawful rather than offend his weak brother . 6. and especially that we be careful to remember that religion is another thing from these ceremonies . these are of use , i. e. for ornament ; they are the dressings and the trimmings of religion at the best , but the fear of god is of a higher extraction . it is a pitiful thing to see men run upon this mistake , especially in these latter times ; one placing all his religion in holding the pope to be christs vicar , another placing religion in this , to hold no papist can be saved : one holding all religion to consist , in holding episcopacy to be jure divino ; another by holding presbytery to be jure divino ; another in crying up congregational government ; another in anabaptise ; one in placing all religion in the strict observation of all ceremonies ; another in a strict refusal of all : one holding a great part of religion in putting off the hat , and bowing at the name of jesus ; another judging a man an idolater for it : and a third placing his religion in putting off his hat to none ; and so like a company of boys that blow bubbles out of a wall-nut-shell , every one runs after his bubble , and calls it religion ; and every one measures the religion or irreligion of another , by their agreeing or dissenting with them in these or the like matters ; and at best , while we scramble and wrangle about the pieces of the shell , the kernel is either lost , or gotten by some that doth not prize any of their contests . believe it , religion is quite another thing from all these matters : he that fears the lord of heaven and earth , walks humbly before him , thankfully lays hold of the message of redemption by christ jesus , strives to express his thankfulness by the sincerity of his obedienue , is sorry with all his soul when he comes short of his duty , walks watchfully in the denial of himself , and holds no confederacy with any lust or known sin , if he falls in the least measure is restless till he hath made his peace by true repentance , is true in his promise , just in his actions ; charitable to the poor , sincere in his devotions , that will not deliberately dishonour god , though with the greatest security of impunity ; that hath his hope in heaven , and his conversation in heaven , that dare not do an unjust act though never so much to his advantage , and all this because he sees him that is invisible , and fears him because he loves him , fears him as well for his goodness as his greatness ; such a man , whether he be an episcopal , or a presbyterian , or an independant , or an anabaptist ; whether he wears a surplice , or wears none , whether he hears organs , or hears none , whether he kneels at the communion , or for conscience sake stands or sits ; he hath the life of religion in him , and that life acts in him , and will conform his soul to the image of his saviour , and walk along with him to eternity , notwithstanding his practise or non-practise of these indifferents . on the other side , if a man fears not the eternal god , dares commit any sin with presumption , can drink excessively , swear vainly or falsly , commit adultery , lye , cozen , cheat , break his promises , live loosely , though he practise every ceremony never so curiously , or as stubbornly oppose them ; though he cry down bishops , or cry down presbytery ; though he be re-baptized every day , or though he disclaim against it as heresie ; though he fast all the lent , or feasts out of pretence of avoiding superstition , yet notwithstanding these , and a thousand more external conformities , or zealous oppositions of them , he wants the life of religion . part iii. of the christian religion . the superstructions upon it , and animosities about them . the christian religion and doctrine was by the goodness and wisdom of god designed to be the common means and method to bring mankind to their chief end , namely , to know , and to serve , and obey , and glorifie , and everlastingly to enjoy almighty god the chiefest good. and to that end it was given out with all the plainness and perspicuity , with all evidence and certainty ; a doctrine and religion containing precepts of all holiness and purity , of all righteousness and honesty , of all longanimity , benignity , and gentleness , sweetness , meekness , and charity ; of all moderation and patience , of all sobriety and temperance ; in brief , it is a religion that is admirably and sufficiently constituted to make a man , what indeed he should be , pious towards god , just and beneficent towards men , and temperate in himself , fitted for a life of piety , honesty , justice , and goodness , and happiness heareafter . such is the christian religion , and such the men must be that are truly conformable to it ; and if any man professing christianity , be not such a man , it is because he comes so much short of his due conformity to christian religion , and the most excellent doctrine and precepts thereof . the profession of this religion is that which is , and for many ages hath been , commonly made by a very considerable part of the known world , as the only true religion given to the world by almighty god , through his son jesus christ , wherein and whereby they may expect everlasting salvation . but yet together with this christian religion , the prosessors thereof have in several ages and places chosen to themselves various adventitious accidental superstructions , adtions , opinions , modes , and practices , which they have as it were incorporated into the christian religion by them professed , or appendicated unto it and these superstructions or appendixes of christian religion have been introduced and entertained by various means , and by various designs , and to various ends : some by the authority of great names ; some by insenfible graditions or long customs , some by a supposed congruity or incongruity ; some for order or decency : some for discrimination of rarties ; some for political ends , appearing in themselves , or secretly carryed on ; some upon emergent occasions ; either continuing or now ceasing ; some by civil , some by ecclesiastical sanctions ; some by traditional observations , either continued , or interrupted and revived ; some for ornament ; some for vse ; some as supposed necessary consequents upon the christian doctrine , some to be , quasi septa & munimenta doctrinoe & religionis evangelicoe , as the jewish traditions were supposed to be the sepimenta legis ; some for one end , and some for another : and although these are not truly and essentially parts of the christian religion , yet as the humours in the body are some good , some noxious , some innocent , though they are no part of the true vital blood , yet they mingle with it , and run along in it ; so these superstructions , and occasions , and additions have in various ages , successions , and places mingled with the true radical vital doctrine and religion of christ , in mens opinions , and practices , and professions . and yet it is visible to any man that will but attentively observe the courses of men professing christian religion , that the greatest fervour and animosity of the professors of christian religion is not so much with respect to the subftantials of christian religion , either in things to be believed or practised , as touching these additions and superstructions ; some as fervently contending for them , as if the life of christianity consisted in them , some as bitterly and severely contesting against them , as if the life and soul of christian religion were not possibly consisting with them . and by these means these unhappy consequences follow . 1. that whereas the main of christian religion consists in the true belief of the gospel of christ jesus , and the practice of those christian virtues that he lest unto his disciples and followers , both by his example and precept , namely love of god , holiness and purity of life , humility and lowliness of mind , patience , meekness , gentleness , charity , a low and easy value of the world , contentation of mind , submission to the will of god , dependance upon him , resignation unto him , and other excellent evangelical virtues , that perfect and rectifie the soul , and fit it for an humble communion with almighty god in this life , and a blessed fruition of his presence in the life to come ; the christian religion is not so much placed in these , as in an entire conformity to modes and circumstances , or an extream aversion from them . and according to the various interests or inclinations of parties those are made the magnalia of christian religion , and such as give the only character or discriminative indication of the christian religion . 2. and consequently all the greatest part of that stress and fervour of mind , which should be employed in those great weighty substantials of christianity , runs out and spends it self in those little collaterals , and superstructions , and additaments , some placing the greatest earnestness and intention , contension of mind to have them , and some placing the intension and fervour of their mind to be without them , not unlike those old contentions between the eastern and western churches touching the time of the paschal observation , one party excommunicating the other for their dissent , as if the whole weight and stress of the christian religion lay in those little additaments . 3. and hereupon there arise schismes , factions , and personal animosities , discrimination of parties , censoriousness , and studied estrangings of professors of christianity , oftentimes one party declining those practices which are good and commendable in the other , to keep their distances the more irreconcilable , and each party espousing some odd discriminating habits , modes ; and sometimes also by opinions in matters of religion , that may estrange and discriminate them each from the other ; and these opinions though of little moment or consequence ( it may be whether true or false ) are advanced up into little less than articles of faith , for the sake of this discrimination , when possibly they are of little moment whether they be assented unto or not , of less certainty , and have little or no influence or concern in the substance of christian doctrine . 4. and hereupon it oftentimes comes to pass that not only the common bond of charity and christian love is broken between the professors of the same substantials in christianity , but there is most ordinarily much more severity , and persecution , and implacableness , and irreconcileableness , more endeavours to undermine , and supplant , and disgrace dissenters , more scorns , and vilifying , and reproach , and insolence one towards another in their vicissitudes of advantage , than there is between professors of christianity , and men of the most loose and profane lives , between orthodox and heretiques , nay between christians and turks , or infidels many times . 5. and from this there ariseth a most fruitful and a most inevitable increase of atheism and contempt of religion , in many of the spectators of this game among professors of the christian religion , and that upon these two accounts : principally , because when they hear each party declare ( as they must if they declare truth ) in their sermons and writings , that the doctrine of christianity injoynes mutual love , condescention , charity , gentleness , meekness , and yet so little practised by dissenting parties , men are apt to conclude , that either these persons do not believe what they pretend to preach and publish , or that the doctrine of christianity was a notion and speculation , and never intended as a necessary rule of practice , since the greatest pretenders to the religion of christ practise so little of it . 2. because when men see that those little superstructions and additions are by the one side prosecuted , and on the other side decryed , with as much animosity , fervour and severities , as the most weighty and important truths and precepts of evangelical faith and obedience , spectators and by-standers think that they are all of the same value ; and when they see that these things which every sober considerate man must needs conclude little , and of no momont , are rated at so great a value by the contesting parties of each side , truths then are doubted of in relation to these : it makes men call in question great matters , when they see such small things pursued or declined with no less fervour and anunosity than if they were of the greatest . and considering these unhappy consequences of these fervours of minds touching these small appendixes and superstructions , even more than about , or concerning the very weighty things of the gospel , i have endeavoured to search out the reason how this strong distemper comes to pass ; and there seems to be these causes thereof . 1. ordinarily a man is more fond of , and concerned for something that is his own , than for that which is of god ; as we are transported with a love to our selves , so we are transported with a love and admiration of what is our own : and hence it is that the weightier and more important duties injoined by christ , partake less of our zeal , or courage , or intension of mind , than our own little fantasies and inventions . 2. pride , credit , and reputation are commonly ingaged in either party in the things contested , when they are once contested ; and these are violent and pressing interests and motions . 3. the plainest truth and purity of religion is a thing that seldom pleaseth and suteth to the curiosity and appetite of men ; they are always fond of something annexed or appendicated to religion to make it pleasing to their appetite . a certain sawce that may entertain their fancy , after which it may run , and wherein it may please it self . and these sawcesto religion are various , and variously pleasing , according to the various inclinations of men : most ordinarily the fancies of men affect some things splendid and sensible to be superadded to religion ; the israelites would needs have gods that might go before them ; and in complyance with this humour , most of the strange modes and gesticulations among the heathens , and most of the superstitions , ceremonies and rites among the papists were invented . again , sometimes the humour of the people runs in the other extreme , either they will have nothing of form or order , or all such forms or orders as are extremely opposite to what others use , and place their delight and complacency therein : and by this means oftentimes it comes to pass , that men are carried with greater earnestness and vehemence after those placentia , the entertainments of their fancies , than to the true substance of religion it self . 4. oftentimes it comes to pass that there are two very jealous concerns , and impatient of any corrival , that are ingaged each against other in these different and dissenting . practices , relating to collaterals in religion : on the one side , power and authority is very tender of its own interest , and jealous of a competitor or rival : on the other side , conscience and perswasion either of the necessity or vnlawfulness of any thing , is very jealous , or fearful , and suspicious of any thing that might injure it : and whether the conscience be mistaken or not , yet so long as its perswasion , that is entertained sub ratione conscientioe , prevails , this jealousie will still prevail in the mind ; and it many times falls out that authority on the one hand is impatient , or at least jealous of opposition , and conscience on the other hand restless and unquiet . 5. and the difficulty is so much the greater , because each seems to derive their obliging authority from god ; the magistrate recognizing god almighty as the fountain , root , and foundation of his power ; and the conscience supposed to be the vicegerent of god in the soul. 6. but that which admirably keeps up these differences , is that men on each side , deal not one with another calmly , mildly , or upon the reasons of the things , or upon a true way of reasoning , debating , and arguing of things , or prudent considerations that might invite yielding on the one side , or accommodations of the other , but each party takes in all those contributions , assistances , and advantages , that commonly accompany the worst of contentions . for instance , 1. extremity of passion and indignation , 2. violence and bitterness of writings and speeches , 3. each party rendring the other as odious and ridiculous as is possible : 4. scoffing , jearing , and personal reflections : 5. artifices and designs each to catch and undermine the other : 6. an industrious and willing mis-interpretation of each others words , writings , and actions , and raising them to odious inferences and consequences , beyond what they were meant , or really and truly bear . 7. disingenuous quotations out of each other , without those ordinary remedies that might be allowed by comparing of other parts of their writings . these and the like auxiliaries are on each part taken into these velitations between christians , and in relation to things contended for or against in these differences , whereas the whole tenour of the doctrine of christianity , as it was delivered by christ and his apostles , decries nothing more than anger , wrath , malice , railing , evil-speaking , back biting slanders , reproches , names and epithets of scorns , craft , and subtilty ; yet all these black legions are called , used , and imployed in the management of that cause , which each party pretends to be the cause of christ ; as if fiends , and furies , and legions of devils were thought fit auxiliaries on each party , wherein both pretend the interest of christ jesus . and that this is so , let any man but read those books whith have slown abroad from either party , he will find it evident in all the contentions of this nature : witness on the one part martin marprelate , the odious centuries put out by mr. white in the beginning of the long parliament , the frequent invectives and odious epithets given to liturgy , to the bishops , conforming ministers , and to the church of england it self , as antichristian , idolatrous , babylonish , and a thousand such names and stiles . and on the other side there have been many that have not been behind hand with bitter invectives , scornful and mocking expressions and appellations , odious reflections , unnecessary to be repeated . by all which these two things are evident , 1. that these transports of either side come not from that spirit which christ brought with him into the world , and which he commended and left to his disciples and followers ; namely , a spirit of love , of charity , of gentleness , patience , kindness , and sweetness of disposition . 2. that if men go about to justifie this , because first provoked by the adverse party , and so justifie it by the law of taliation , these men do not remember that as on the one hand the duty of christians is self-denial , moderation , and peaceableness ; on the other side , that a spirit of revenge , an eye for an eye , a tooth for a tooth , is as much against the doctrine of christ , as any thing in the world . therefore certainly it becomes those of either party either to casheer these black auxiliaries of their wars , and contentions of this kind , or otherwise for the sake and honour of christ and the christian religion , plainly declare that he is not concerned in the contest , but that the contest is a contest of interest and vain-glory , of pride and ambition , and reputation , and desire of victory ; or if they will not declare so much to the world , yet they must give leave to the spectators to judge of it so . now these bitternesses and virulentnesses of either side , have been commonly of two kinds : first such as reflect , if not all together , yet most of all , upon the persons of their adversaries . 2. or such as reflect only upon the matters in difference between them ; both were bad enough , and such as serve to make the differences and breaches wider . but of late times , i know not by what unhappy star , there hath prevailed more than formerly , certain invectives that have gone much farther , even to the rendring of religion it self , and scripture expressions ridiculous , and pieces of raillery ; and i could have wished that some late books , put out under the fashion of dialogues , and some other books of that kind , had not been too guilty of this fault . i do remember when ben. johnson made his play of the alchymist , wherein he brings in anartas in derision of the persons then called puritans , with many of their phrases in use among them , taken out of the scriptures ; with a design to render that sort of persons ridiculous , and to gain applause to his wit and fancy . but although those persons were not in very good esteem among the great ones and gallants , yet the play was disliked , and indeed abhorred , because it seemed to reproach religion it self , though intended only to render the puritans ridiculous . that which was uncomely and unseemly in a poet , who made it his business to make plays , certainly is much more fulsom and unsavoury in another ; especially if the author be a clergy . -man , as i suppose he is : for of all men in the world it becomes such prospicere honori religionis christianae , and not to render it ridiculous and contemptible , by raillery and scurrilous jeasting . and yet i do not find in all ben. johnson's alchymist one half of those ridiculous and unseemly repetitions of scripture phrases and expressions , as well as mimical imitations and disdainful mockings of those persons , and that party whom he designs to disparage : scarce a page but some unhandsom mention of the spirit , and christ and grace , and saints , and some scripture expressions : and if it shall be said that he doth it but only in exprobration of such persons as abused or misapplyed such expressions , and it is not with intent to reproach the scripture or those phrases that are desumed from it , but to shew the boldness and mistakes of them that have misapplied or abused them . i answer , that these misapplications and inconsiderate uses of scripture-phrases by them , though it be justly reprovable , yet it is far more intollerable in him . though their mistakes were weak and foolish , yet they were serious in those very mistakes ; but this man industriously and designedly makes the expression ridiculous and contemptible . 2. their abuses of scriptures and scripture-phrases will not at all justifie the like in him , though in another kind , and to another end ; he might have learned to have avoided the folly and inconsiderateness of the others , and not have multitiplied it in himself by a worse method of abuse . certainly , who ever he was that made these conferences , i dare say he hath no such pattern of writing from the apostles or fathers . the nearest copy that i know of it , is the a — and though he seems a man of wit and learning , and possibly would be some body in the world , i dare say they that cherish him in the main of his design are ashamed of his scurrility , and wish it had been spared , and so perchance may he be when more years have better consideration . the mischiefs that come by this manner of writing are very great and many . 1. it makes differences irreconcilable . when differences civil or ecclesiastical in judgment or practice happen , gentleness , softness , mildness , and personal respectfulness quiet the passions and spirits of the adverse party , gain upon him , get within him ; and when the person is thus won , and over-matched with sweetness and kindness , and personal jealousies and prejudices removed , perswasions and arguments grow prevalent , come with their full weight , are entertained calmly , and considerately , and insensibly gain grounds even upon the judgment : but i yet knew any man converted by an angry , passionate , railing adversary , for such kind of behaviour presently raiseth in the adversary the like passions and prejudice , and makes the distance greater ; and the passions being ingaged in the quarrel , the judgments of both sides are lost , or blinded , or silenced with the dust and noise of passionate digladiations ; and indeed considering how apparently and evidently such kind of dealing between dissenters renders composures almost impossible ; and yet observing how much this course of reviling , and opprobrious , and unmanly as well as unchristian language , is in practise , i thought that it hath been a real design to render each party odious and irreconcilable to the other , and the hopes of composure desperate : for who can ever expect that any man , or any sort of men , should be drawn over to that party that shall publickly stile him brain-sick , a fool , silly , hypocrite , fanatique , and a hundred such scornful appellations ; or that men will be easily drawn to relinquish those opinions or perswasions when they must thereby in effect subscribe to such epithetes and appellations before all the world ; and of all things in the world men can with the least patience bear reflection upon their intellectuals , and are most irreconcilable to them that traduce or abuse them therein . 2. it greatly disadvantageth the cause , as well as the persons of those that use this method amongst sober indifferent observers , who will be ready to conclude them a parcel of people transported by passions , weak , and prejudicated ; and look upon such a cause as is maintained by railing , scoffing , raillery , and unproved calumnies , as weak , and standing in need of such rudenesses to support and maintain it . 3. it exposeth religion it self to the derision of atheists , and confirms them in their atheisms , and gains them too many proselytes ; and that principally upon these reasons , 1. because they find that clergy-men do tell them in the pulpits , that christ himself and his appostles condemned railing , scandalous appellation , as raca , and fool , evil-speaking , foolish-jeasting , mocking , reviling ; this they tell men , and they tell them truly , and yet these very men that call themselves ministers of christ , messengers of the gospel of peace , take that admirable liberty of reproaching , scoffing , and deriding one another in their publick pamphlets and discourses , that can scarce be exampled among the most invective ranks of persons , whose trade it is to be satyrical , and render people ridiculous : nay so far hath this excellent manage prevail'd among clergy-men , that their scoffs and reproaches are not levelled at the persons , or personal defects of dissenters , but rather than want supports for their party , will have ugly flings at religion it self , at scripture expressions ; and when men see such a course of practice among the preachers and clergy-men , they are ready to conclude , that surely they believe not themselves what they preach to others ; therefore think they have a fair pretence not to believe them . 2. but principally these great animosities and transports of dissenting clergy-men , confirms and promotes atheisme , upon this account , that the things about which this wonderful hate is strucken between these parties , are such as both parties agree to be none of the fundamentals of the religion professed by both , but accessaries and accessions , and such indeed as by-standers think are of very small moment , and yet when men see so much heat and passion , so much fervour and contention , such reproaches and revilings , such exasperations of authority on either party , such mutual prosecutions one of another , that more could not possibly be done between dissenters in those points which both agree to be fundamental , atheistical spirits are apt to conclude , that probably those points , that both sides supposed to be of greater moment , are ejusdem farinoe , with those in contest , since they are not , nor cannot be prosecuted with greater fervour , than these which all men take to be small and inconsiderable , and that it is interest , vain-glory , and applause , or some other temporal concern , that gives this fervour and zeal in matters of religion , more than the true concerns of it self . the conclusion therefore is , that men for their own sakes , and for the sake and honour of the christian religion , would use more temperance , prudence , and moderation , in contests about circumstantials . sir. francis bacon lord verulam , viscount st. albans and lord chancellor after , in his advertisement of the controversies , of the church of england , pag. 138. of his works . the wrongs of them who are possessed of the government of the church , towards the other , may hardly be dissembled , or excused : they have charged them as tho' they denyed tribute to coesar , and withdrew from the civil magistrate , the obedience which they have ever performed and taught . i have oft transcribed bishop andrews confident assertion of the loyalty of those then called puritans , against the papists accusation , in his tortura torti . they have sorted and coupled them with the family of love , whose heresie they have labour'd to destroy and confute . they have been swift of credit to receive accusations against them , from those that have quarrelled with them , but for speaking against sin and vice. their accusations and inquisitions have been strict , swearing men to blanks and generalities , not included within compass of matter certain ; which the party which is to take the oath , may comprehend to be a thing captious and streinable . their urging subscription to their own articles , is but lacessere & irritare morbos ecclesiae ; which otherwise would spend themselves : non consensum quoerit sed dissidium , qui quod factis proestatur , in verbis exigit . he seeketh not unity but division , who exacteth that in words , which we are content to yield in action . and it is true , that there are some , who ( i am perswaded ) will not easily offend by inconformity , who notwithstanding make some conscience to subscribe : for they know this note of inconstancy and defection from what they have long held , shall dissable them to do that good , which otherwise they might do . for such is the weakness of many , that their ministry should be thereby discredited * . as for their easie silencing them in so great scarcity of preachers , it is to punish the people , and not them. ought they not ( i mean the bishops ) to keep one eye open , to look upon the good that the men do , but to fix them both upon the hurt that they suppose cometh by them ? indeed such as are intemperate and incorrigible , god forbid they should be permitted to preach : but shall every inconsiderate word , somtimes captiously watched , and for the most part hardly enforced , be as a forfeiture of their voice and gift in preaching ? as for sundry particular molestations , i take no pleasure to recite them . if a minister shall be troubled for saying in baptisme ( do you believe ) for ( dost thou believe ) if another shall be call'd in question , for praying for her majesty , without the additions of her stile . whereas the very form of prayer in the common-prayer-book hath ( thy servant elizabeth ) and no more : if a third shall be accused on these words uttered touching the controversies , tollatur lex ut fiat certamen , ( whereby was meant that the prejudice of the law removed , eithers reasons should be equally compared ) of calling the people to sedition and mutiny , as if he had said , away with the law , and try it out with force ; if these and other like particulars be true , which i have but by rumor , and cannot affirm ; it is to be lamented that they should labour among us with so little comfort — the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of god. thus far this conformable learned lawyer . the said lord verulam in his considerations for the better pacification and edification of the church of england , pag. 180. &c. of his works . he first answers the objection that [ it is against good policie to innovate any thing in church-matters : and praising the church , addeth , pag. 182. but for the discipline and orders of the church ; as many , and the chief of them , are holy and good ; so yet if saint john were to indite an epistle to the church of england , as he did to them of asia , it would sure have the clause , habeo adversus te pauca . and he saith , pag. 183. that there should be one form of discipline in all churches , and that imposed by necessity of a commandment and prescript out of the word of god ; it is a matter volumes have been compiled of , and therefore cannot receive a brief redargution ; i for my part do confess that in revolving the scriptures , i could never find any such thing ; but that god had left the like liberty to the church government , to be varied according to the time , and place , and accidents ; which nevertheless his high and divine providence doth order and dispose . for all civil governments are restrained from god , unto the general grounds of justice and manners . but the policies and forms of them are left free ; so that monarchies and kingdoms , senates and seigniories , popular states and communalties , are lawful ; and where they are planted ought to be maintained inviolate . so likewise in church matters , the substance of doctrine is immutable : and so are the general rules of government : but for rites and ceremonies , and for the particular hierarchies , policies , and discipline of churches , they be left at large . and therefore it is good that we return to the ancient bounds of unity in the church of god : which was , one faith , one baptism ; and not one hierarchy , one discipline : and that we observe the league of christians as it is penned by our saviour ; which is , in substance of doctrine this , [ he that is not withus is against us . ] but in things indifferent and of circumstance , this [ he that is not against us is with us . ] in these things , so as the general rule be observed , [ that christs flock be fed : that there be a succession in bishops and ministers , which are the prophets of the new testament ; that there be a due and reverent use of the power of the keyes ; that those that preach the gospel , live of the gospel ; that all things tend to edification ; that all things be done in order , and with decency , and the like , ] the rest is left to holy wisdom , and spiritual discretion of the master-builder , and inferior builders in christs church . as it is excellently alluded by that father that noted that christs garment was without seam ; and yet the churches garment was of divers colours : and setsdown as a rule : in veste varietas sit ; scissura non sit . pag. 134. for the government of bishops , i for my part , not prejudging the presidents of other reformed churches , do hold it warranted by the word of god , and by the practice of the ancient church in the better times ; and much more convenient for kingdoms than parity of ministers , and government by synods . but there be two circumstances in the administration of bishops , wherein i confess i could never be satisfyed : the one , the sole exercise of their authority : the other , the deputation of their authority . for the first , the bishop giveth orders-alone , excommunicateth alone , judgeth alone : this seemeth to be a thing almost without example in good government , and therefore not unlikely to have crept in in the degenerate and corrupt time : we see the greatest kings and monarchs have their councils : there is no temporal court in england of the higher sort , where the authority doth rest in one person . the kings-bench , the common-pleas , and the exchequer , are benches of a certain number of judges . the chancellor of england , hath the assistance of twelve masters of the chancery . &c. the like is to be found in all well-govern'd commonwealths abroad , where the jurisdiction is more dispersed : as in the court of parliament of france , and in other places . no man will deny , but the acts that passe the bishops jurisdiction , are of as great importance as those that pass the civil courts : for mens souls are more precious than their bodies or goods : and so are their good-names : bishops have their infirmities ; and have no exception from that general malediction , pronounced against all men living : voe soli , nam si occident , &c. nay we see that the first warrant in spiritual causes is directed to a number , dic ecclesioe , which is not so in temporal matters , ab initio non fuit sic . for the second point , which is the deputation of their authority , i see no perfect nor sure ground for that neither . being somewhat different from the examples and rules of government . the bishop exerciseth his jurisdiction by his chancellour and commissary , official , &c. we see in all laws in the world , offices of confidence and skill cannot , be put over and exercised by deputy , except it be specially contained in the original grant. and in that case it is dutiful . and for experience , there was never any chancellour of england made a deputy : there was never any judge in any court made a deputy : the bishop is a judge , and of a high nature : whence cometh it that he should depute ? considering that all trust and confidence is personal and inherent ; and cannot , nor ought not be transposed . surely in this again ab initio non fuit fic . but it is probable , that bishops when they gave themselves too much to the glory of the world , and became grandees in kingdoms , and great counsellours to princes , then did they delegate their proper jurisdictions , as things of too inferior nature for their greatness ; and then after the similitude of kings and count palatines , they would have their chancellours and judges . but the example of kings and potentates giveth no good defence : for the reason why kings administer by their judges , tho' themselves are supream judges , are two : the one , because the offices of kings are for the most part of inheritance . and it is a rule in all laws , that offices of inheritance , are rather matters that ground in interest than in confidence , for as much as they may fall upon women , upon infants , upon lunaticks and idiots , persons uncapable to execute judicature in person . and therefore such offices , by all laws , might ever be exercised and administred by delegation . the second reason is , because of the amplitude of their jurisdictions , &c. there is a third reason , tho' not much to the present purpose , that kings , either in respect of the common-wealth , or of the greatness of their own patrimonies , are usually parties in suites : and then their judges stand indifferent between them and their subjects . but in the case of bishops none of these reasons hold : for first , their office elective and for life , and not patrimonial or hereditary : an office meerly of confidence , science , and qualification , &c. see the rest . page . 185 , 186. the cap and surplice since they be things in their nature indifferent , and yet by some held superstitious , and that the question is between science and conscience , it seemeth to fall within the compass of the apostles rule , which is , that the stronger do descend and yield to the weaker , &c. [ lege coetera ] the rather because the silencing of ministers on this occasion , is in this scarcity of good preachers , a punishment that lighteth on the people , as well as on the party . and for the subscription , it seemeth to me in the nature of a confession , and therefore more proper to bind in the unity of faith , and to be urged rather for articles of doctrine , than for rites and ceremonies , and points of outward government . for howsoever publick considerations and reasons of state may require uniformity , yet christian and divine grounds look chiefly upon unity . see what he saith pag. 191. for a. bishop grindals way of lectures to young ministers , to teach them to preach well . and p. 192 of the abuse of excommunication . an animadversion of the transcriber . qu. why was this great man so much against bishops deputing their proper work to chancellours , commissaries , officials ? &c. ans. it 's easie to conjecture , i. tho' he thought the accidental modes of church-government mutable and humane , yet most christians with him judge , that the essentials of church office are of divine institution , and therefore fixed on the proper officers : and that no lay-man may by deputation administer sacraments , or the church keyes . ii. and so he would not have lay-men and the clergie confounded , as if there were nothing proper to the pastoral office , lest it teach the laity sacrilegious usurpation . the office is nothing but a conjunction of obligation and authority to do the works : and if a lay-man have these two , he is a bishop . iii. the very confounding of the bishops office and the presbyters , seemeth so ill to many , that they think even a presbyter ( archdeacon or chancellor ) may not be deputed to the work of the bishop , because that maketh him a bishop , much less may a lay-man . iv. many would not have the king or civil magistrate made properly a bishop , and so the offices confounded : but say they , if commissioning another to judge by the keyes , or to administer sacraments , be proper to a bishop , then kings and magistrates are bishops ; for they may send and commission other men to do all this . v. the bishops personal doing of all his own proper office-works , would answer almost all that the moderate nonconformists desire in church government : for then , 1. the keyes we hope would be used in a sacred serious manner , with due admonition , instruction , exhortation , prayer , &c. which might melt a sinner into repentance . 2. and then experience would fully satisfie the diocesans that they must needs have bishops under them , or besides them , at least in every great town , with the adjoining parishes : for by that time they had duely confirmed all before communicating , and had examined , exhorted , and judged the many hundred scandalous persons that in a diocess would be presented , i 'le warrant you they would be glad of the help of many : and though perhaps church-wardens would not present all that come not to church , in the parishes where many score thousands keep away for want of room , or on that pretence ; yet good ministers would present more than now they do , when they saw it would tend to a sacred use of the keyes , and mens repentance . bucer's desire of parish discipline , would be sure more performed , which would end most church controversies . vi. and this would bring in many nonconformists , who now stand out , because they dare not make a covenant , an oath , never in their places to endeavour any alteration of church government , because they think lay chancellours use of the keyes decretively unlawful . and dare not swear obedience to such ordinances ; nor yet own the omission of discipline which the paucity of bishops unavoidably inferreth , while a diocess hath but one . ( experience would certainly cure that ) . vii . and it moveth some , that we yet meet with few bishops that will defend lay chancellours decretive use of the keyes ; but seem to wish it were reformed . viii . and the chancellours and civilians have little reason to be offended with my lord verulam , and such men : for he would allow them the probate of wills , and matrimonial cases , and all that belongeth to an official magistrate , that hath his office from the king. and no doubt would consent that they have a moderate power by mulcts to constrain men to submit to their courts , instead of the use of excommunications and absolutions , they say this is otherwise in scotland now . and yet they are sworn not to endeavour any alteration of church government . and i hope none will be angry with this learned great man , for the blame which he layeth on the bishops usage of the non-conformists ; even before the present canons were made . since , 1. his letters shew him to have been a man extraordinarily humbling himself both to the queen and to the bishops . 2. and the most approved historians tell us , to our great grief , that such things have been no wonders and rarities , these thirteen hundred years . it is holy and credible men that tell us , how st. martin , notwithstanding all his miracles and holiness , was used by the synods of bishops in his time , for being so strict of life , and so much against the using of the sword against the priscilian gnostick hereticks . and it is as holy and credible men that tell us how st. theophilus alexander , a patriarch , envyed and used his superior patriarch , holy chrysostome , and even long studied his ruine : and how another called st. epiphanius , seditiously came out of cyprus , and affronted him at constantinople , in his own church , requiring him irregularly before all the people , to curse origen or his writings ; as if the bishop of the isle of man should come and magisterially impose this on the bishop of london or canterbury , in the congregation where he preach'd . they tell us how readily the synods of bishops condemned chrysostome , because the emperour and empress were against him : and if so excellent and holy a man , whose language and life excelled them all , could not escape condemnation twice over , and that in the age of the church which is predicated for the very best and happiest that ever was since the days of christ ; if the primacy among all the four eastern patriarchs , and his own rare parts , and holiness and innocency , could not secure him from ejection and banishment from a famous christian emperour , and the convocations of bishops that envyed his holiness and parts ; if when he was banished , his stable constant flock , that would not renounce him , were made conventiclers , and named joannits , as a note of schifmatical separatists , while those that turned to the next possessour were called the church . if another saint of greatest learning , name and power , resisted the very restoring of his name when he was dead , saying the canons were not to be broken to satisfie the schismatical joannits , whom nothing will satisfie , and that it would discourage the conformists ; i mean st. cyril of alexandria ; why should it be thought that men far inferiour to chrysostome , that live not in so pure an age , should by the clergie stream and power , be much like esteemed , and partly used . and if in those ages of the churches greatest excellency ( the 4 th . and 5 th . centuries ) the great patriarchs themselves of alexandria , antioch , constantinople , &c. who are supposed by some to be the pillars of the church for government and unity , did live almost in continual conflict , cursing , or casting out each other as hereticks , or schismaticks , and oft fighting it out in christian blood , ( to say nothing of the following worser ages ) what wonder , if still the old causes succeeding produce many of the old effects : which a man that was thought wise enough to be the lord chancellour of england , and the famous restorer of learning , might be allowed gently to touch , while the clergy themselves openly and greatly prefer those ages , and the theophilus's , epiphanius's , and cyrils , and episcopal synods thereof , before our own , and before themselves . let us hear what one more excellent person , and no fanatick or schismatick saith . dr. isaack barrow ( a man , if ever this age had any , that delivered digested truth in clear expressions ) vol. 2. p. 34. whoever indeed will consider the nature of man , or will consult obvious experience , shall find that in practical matters , our will or appetite hath a mighty influence on our judgment of things , causing men with great attention to regard that which they affect , and carefully to mark all reasons making for it ; but averting from that which they dislike , and making them to overlook the arguments which perswade it : whence men generally do suit their opinions to their inclinations ; warping to that side where their interest doth lye ; or to which their complexions , their humor , their passions , their pleasure , their ease doth sway them ; so that almost any notion will seem true , which is profitable , which is safe , which is pleasant , or any way grateful to them ; and that notion false , which in any such respect doth cross them . very few can abstract their minds from such considerations , or embrace pure truth divested of them . and those few who do so , must therein most employ their will , by strong effects of voluntary resolution , and patience , and disengaging their minds from those clogs and byasses . this is particularly notorious in mens adhering to parties , divided in opinion , which is so regulated by that sort of causes , that if you do mark what any mans temper is , and where his interest lyeth , you may easily prognosticate on what side he will be ; and with what degree of seriousness , of vigour , of zeal , he will cleave thereto . a timerous man you may be almost sure will be on the safer side : a covetous man will bend to that party where gain is to be had . an ambitious man will close with the opinion passing in court. a careless man will comply with the fashion : affection arising from education or prejudice will hold others stiff . few follow the results of impartial contemplation . and pag. 483. there is one lawgiver who can save and destroy : who art thou that judgest another ? that is , how intollerably rash , unjust and arrogant art thou , who settest thy self on gods tribunal , and thence dost adventure to pronounce doom upon his people ? did we well consider gods judgment , we should rather think it adviseable to be mindful of our own case , than to pass sentence on that of others : observing how lyable our selves are , we should scarce have a heart to carp at others ; finding what great need our actions will then have of a favourable interpretation , we should sure be more candid and mild in censuring other mens actions : specially considering , that by harsh judgment of others , we make our own case worse , and inflame our reckoning : we directly thence incur guilt , we aggravate our own offences , and render our selves unexcusable ; we expose our selves on that score to condemnation . see mat. 7. 2. luk. 6. 37. rom. 2. 2 , 3. jam. 5. 9. his two sermons on ro. 12. 18. well practised , would heal england's divisions . such also is his sermon of love to our neighbour , that against slander , and that against detraction : but that which i cite him for , is the very same description of religion which judge hale giveth . serm. 1. p. 10. the principal advantage of wisdom , is its acquainting us with the nature and reason of true religion , and affording convictive arguments to perswade the practice of it : which is accompanied with the purest delight , and attended with the most solid content imaginanable : i say , the nature of religion , wherein it consists , and what it requires : the mistake of which produceth daily so many mischiefs and inconveniences in the world , and exposeth so good a name to so much reproach . it sheweth it consisteth not in fair professions and glorious pretences , but in real practice ; not in a pertinacious adherence to any sect , or party , but in a sincere love of goodness , and dislike of naughtiness wherever discovering it self ; not in vain ostentations and flourishes of outward performance , but in an inward good complexion of mind , exerting it self in works of true devotion and charity , not in a nice orthodoxie , or politick subjection of our judgments to the peremptory dictates of men ; but in a sincere love of truth , and hearty approbation and compliance with the doctrines fundamentally good and necessary to be believed : not in harsh censuring and virulently inveighing against others , but in careful amending our own ways : not in a peevish crossness and obstinate repugnancy to received laws and customs ; but in a quiet and peaceable submission to the express laws of god , and lawful commands of men : not in a furious zeal for or against trivial circumstances , but in a conscionable practising the substantial parts of religion : not in a frequent talking , or contentious disputing about it ; but in a ready observance of the unquestionable rules and precepts of it . in a word , true religion consists in nothing else , but doing what becomes our relation to god , in a conformity or similitude to his nature , and in a willing obedience to his holy will , to which by potent incentives it allures and perswades us , by representing to us his transcendent glorious attributes — &c. see the rest , too long to be transcribed . if you say , a papist will own all this . i answer , 1. so much the better : we will not feign a new christianity to differ from papists . 2. but do they not own too much more ? how then come they to fill the world with blood and division , for the sake of their numerous humane additionals ? i know no man that hath more fully confuted that sect than he hath done in his treatise of supremacy and church vnity : and saith the publisher of his life , [ he understood popery both at home and abroad . he had narrowly observed it militant in england , triumphant in italy , disguised in france ; and had earlier apprehensions of the approaching danger , and would have appeared with the forwardest in a needful time . whoever will truly confute his treatise of the popes supremacy , and that of the vnity of the church , against the supremacy and foreign jurisdiction of councils called general , i here promise him shall make me a papist ( of the italian or the galliance sort accordingly ) if he will do it before i die , and am disabled from reading and considering it . but i doubt not but the papists will rather study to bury it in silence , ( while they do their works by other means than reasoning ) lest the notice of a confutation should occasion more to read it : and then , especially if all men in power should read it , their cause with such is utterly undone . saith dr. tillotson in his preface to it , [ i dare say that whoever shall carefully peruse this treatise , will find that this point of the popes supremacy ( on which bellarmine hath the confidence to say , the whole of christianity depends ) is not only an indefensible , but an impudent cause , as ever was undertaken by learned pens : and nothing could have kept it so long from becoming ridiculous in the judgment of mankind , but its being so strongly supported by a worldly interest : for there is not one tolerable argument for it , and there are a thousand invincible reasons against it . if these three testimonies of the most learned , wise , and impartial conformists , that these ( or many ) ages have bred , be all born down by interest and supercilious confidence , and a flood of words ( which may all be used for the worst cause in the world ) the lord be judge , and justifie his truth , and that wisdom from above , jam. 3. 17. which is justified of her children . when satan hath done his worst , blessed are the peace-makers ; for they shall be called the children of god. mat. 5. 9. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a44196-e9500 * i never met with any that have forborn subscription on no greater reason than this . a moral prognostication i. what shall befall the churches on earth, till their concord, by the restitution of their primitive purity, simplicity, and charity, ii. how that restitution is like to be made, (if ever) and what shall befall them thence-forth unto the end, in that golden-age of love / written by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1680 approx. 132 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 36 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26958 wing b1311 estc r5743 12319924 ocm 12319924 59455 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26958) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59455) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:11) a moral prognostication i. what shall befall the churches on earth, till their concord, by the restitution of their primitive purity, simplicity, and charity, ii. how that restitution is like to be made, (if ever) and what shall befall them thence-forth unto the end, in that golden-age of love / written by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [3], 67 p. printed for thomas simmons ..., london : 1680. reproduction of original in harvard university libraries. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng dissenters, religious -england. christian union -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-08 john cords sampled and proofread 2005-08 john cords text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a moral prognostication , i. what shall befall the churches on earth , till their concord , by the restitution of their primitive purity , simplicity , and charity . ii. how that restitution is like to be made , ( if ever ) and what shall befall them thence-forth unto the end , in that golden-age of love . written by richard baxter . when by the king's commission , we ( in vain ) treated for concord , 1661. and now published , not to instruct the proud , that scorn to learn ; nor to make them wise , who will not be made wise : but to instruct the sons of love and peace , in their duties and expectations . and to tell posterity , that the things which befall them , were fore-told : and that the evil might have been prevented , and blessed peace on earth attained , if men had been but willing ; and had not shut their eyes , and hardened their hearts , against the beams of light and love. london , printed for thomas simmons , at the princes-arms in ludgate-street , 1680. to the reader . reader , it is many years , since this prognostication was written , ( 1661 , except the sixteen last lines ) but it was cast by , lest it should offend the guilty . but the author now thinketh , that the monitory usefulness , may over-weigh the inconveniencies of mens displeasure ; at least , to posterity , if not for the present age ; of which , he is taking his fare-wel . his suppositions are such as cannot be denyed . viz. 1. eccles . 1. 9. the thing that hath been , is that which shall be ; and that which is done , is that which shall be done : and there is no new thing under the sun. 2. the same causes , with the same circumstances , will have the same effects on recipients , equally disposed . 3. operari sequitur esse : as natures are , so they act ; except where over-power'd . 4. the appetite ( sensitive and rational ) is the principle of motion ; and what any love , they will desire and seek . 5. therefore , interest will turn the affairs of the world ; and he that can best understand all interests , will be the best moral prognosticator ; so far as men are causes of the events . 6. the pleasing of god , and the happyness of their own and others souls , being the interest of true believers ; and temporal life , pleasure , and prosperity , being the seeming and esteemed interest of unbelievers cross interests , will carry them contrary wayes . 7. contraries , when near and militant , will be troublesome to each other , and seek each others destruction or debilitation . 8. the senses and experience of all men , in all ages , are to be believed about their proper objects . 9. men of activity , power , and great numbers , will have advantage for observance and success , above those that are modest , obscure , and few . 10. yet men will still be men ; and the rational nature will yield some friendly aspect towards the truth . 11. those that are ignorant , and misled by passion , and carryed down the stream , by men of malignity or faction , may come to themselves , when affliction , experience , and considerateness have had time to work ; and may repent , and undo some-what that they have done . 12. as sense will be sense , when faith hath done its best ; so faith will be faith , when flesh or sense hath done its worst . 13. men that fix on a heavenly , everlasting interest , will not be temporizers , and changed by the worldly mens wills or cruelties . 14. when all men have tired themselves with their contrivances and stirs , moderation and peace must be the quiet state. 15. when all worldly wisdome hath done its utmost , an● mens endeavours are w●inged with the greatest expectations ; god will be god , and blast what he nilleth ; and will over-rule all things , to the accomplishment of his most blessed will. amen . on these suppositions it is , that the following prognostications are founded ; which i must admonish the reader , not to mistake for historical narratives : but , i exhort him to know what hath been , and what is , if he would know what will be ; and to make sure of everlasting rest with christ , when he must leave a sinful , restless world . a moral prognostication of what must be expected in the churches of christendome , till the golden age returns ; or , till the time of true reformation and vnity . 1. mankind will be born in a state of infancy and nescience , that is , without actual knowledge . 2. yea , with a nature that hath the innate dispositions to sloath , and to diverting pleasures and business ; and more than so , to an aversness from those principles which are needful to sanctification , and heavenly wisdom . the carnal mind will have an enmity against god , and will not mind the things of the spirit , nor be subject to god's law , rom. 8. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. 3. sound learning , or wisdom , in things of so high a nature , as are the matters of salvation , will not be attain'd without hard study , and earnest prayer , and humble submission to instructions ; and all this a long time patiently endured , or rather willingly , and delightfully performed . 4. and if the seeds of wisdom be not born with us , in a capacious disposition of understanding ; but contrarily a natural unapprehensiveness blocks up the way ; even time and labour , will never ( without a miracle ) bring any , to any great eminency of understanding . 5. and they that have both capacity , and an industrious disposition , must have also sound , and able , and diligent teachers , or at least escape the hands of seducers , and of partial factious guides . 6. there are few born with good natural capacities , much less with a special dispositive acuteness ; and few that will be at the pains and patience , which the getting of wisdom doth require ; and few that will have the happiness of sound , and diligent teachers ; but fewest of all that will have a concurrence of all these three . 7. therefore there will be but few very wise men in the world ; ignorance will be common , wisdom will be rare . 8. therefore errour or false opinions will be common . for unless men never think of the things of which they are ignorant , or judge nothing of them one way or other , they are sure to err , so far as they judge in ignorance . but when things of greatest moment are represented as true or false , to be believed or rejected , the most ignorant mind , is naturally inclined to pass its judgment or opinion of them one way or other ; and to apprehend them according to the light he standeth in , and to think of them as he is disposed . so that ignorance and errour will concur . 9. he that erreth , doth think that he is in the right , and erreth not : for to err , and to know that he erreth in judgment , is a contradiction , and impossible . ( however in words and deeds a man may err , and know that he erreth . ) 10. he that knoweth not , and that erreth , perceiveth not that evidence of truth , which should make him receive it , and which maketh other men receive it ; and therefore knoweth not that indeed another is in the right , or seeth any more than he . 11. especially when every man is a stranger to anothers mind and soul , as to any immediate inspection : and therefore , knoweth not anothers knowledge , nor the convincing reasons of his judgment . 12. as no man is moved against his own errours , by the reasons which he knoweth not ; so pride , and self-love , and partiality thence arising , incline all men naturally to be over-valuers of their own understandings , and so over-confident of all their own conceptions , and over-stiff in defending all their errours , as pride and selfishness are the first-born of satan , and the root of all positive evil in man's soul ; so a man is more naturally proud of that which is the honour of a man , which is his understanding and goodness , than of that which is common to a beast ( as strength , beauty , ornaments , &c. ) therefore pride of understanding and goodness oft live , when sordid apparel telleth you that childish pride of ornaments is dead . and this pride maketh it very difficult , to the most ignorant and erronious , to know their ignorance and errour , or so much as to suspect their own understandings . 13. he that seeth but few things , seeth not much to make him doubt , and seeth not the difficulties which should check his confidence , and stiffness in his way . 14. he that seeth many things , and that clearly knoweth much ; especially , if he see them in their order , and respects to one another , and leaveth out no one substantial part , which is needful to open the signification of the rest . 15. he that seeth many things disorderly , and confusedly , and not in due method , and leaveth out some substantial parts , and hath not a digested knowledge , doth know much , and err much , and may make a bustle in the world of ignorants , as if he were an excellent learned man ; but hath little of the inward delight , or of the power and benefits of knowledge . 16. he that seeth many things but darkly , confusedly , and not in the true place and method , cannot reconcile truths among themselves ; but is like a boy with a pair of tarrying-irons , or like one that hath his clock or watch all in peices , and knoweth not how to set them altogether . and therefore , is inclined to be a sceptick . 17. this sort of scepticks , differ much from humble christians ; and have oft as high thoughts of their understandings as any others : for they lay the cause upon the difficulties in the objects , rather than on themselves : unless , when they incline to brutishness or sadduceisme , and take man's understanding to be uncapable of true knowledge , and so lay the blame on humane nature as such , that is , on the creator . 18. few know so much as to see the difficulty of things , and make them doubt , or sceptical . but far fewer know , so much as to resolve their doubts and difficulties : therefore , though ( as bishop jewel saith of faithful pastors ) i say not that there will be few cardinals , few bishops , few doctors , few deans , few jesuits , few fryars , ( there will be anow of these ) yet there will be few wise judicious divines , and pastors , even in the best and happyest countrys . 19. seeing he that knoweth not or that erreth , knoweth not that another knoweth , or is in the right , when he is in the wrong ; therefore he knoweth not whose judgment to honour and submit to , if he should suspect or be driven from his own : and therefore is not so happy , as to be able to choose the fittest teacher for himself . 20. in this darkness , therefore he either carnally casteth himself on the highest and most honoured in the world , where he hath the most advantages for worldly ends ; or he followeth the fame of the time and country where he is , or he falleth in with the major vote , of that party whatsoever it be , which his understanding doth most esteem and honour ; or else with some person that hath most advantage on him . 21. if any of these happen to be in the right , he will be also in the right materially , and may seem an orthodox , peaceable , and praise-worthy man : but where they are in the wrong , he is contented with the reputation of being in the right , and of the good opinion of those whom he concurreth with ; who flatter , and applaud each other in the dark . 22. when wise men are but few , they can be but in few places ; and therefore will be absent from most of the people ( high or low ) that need instruction . besides , that their studiousness inclineth them ( like hierom ) to be more retired than others , that know less . 23. this confidence in an erring mind , is not only the case of the teachers , as well as of the flocks ; but is usually more fortifyed in them than in others : for they think that the honour of learning and wisdom , is due to their place and calling , and name , and standing in the universities ; how empty soever they be themselves . and they take it for a double dishonor ( as it is ) for a teacher to be accounted ignorant ; and an injury to their work and office , and to the people's souls , that must by their honor be prepared to profit by them ; and therefore , they smart more impatiently under any detection of their ignorance , than the common people do . 24. it is not meer honesty and godliness , that will suffice to save ministers or people from this ignorance , injudiciousness and errour ; there having ever been among the very godly ministers , few judicious men , that are fit to investigate a difficult truth , or to defend it against a subtile adversary , or to see the systeme of theological verities in their proper method , harmony , and beauty . 25. morality hath innumerable difficulties as well as school-divinity : because that moral good and evil , are ordinarily such by preponderating accidents ; ( actions as actions , being neither ; but only of physical consideration . ) and the work of a true casuist is to compare so many accidents , and to discern in the comparison which prepondorateth that it requireth both an acute and a large capacious far seeing wit , to make a man a true resolver of cases of conscience . and consequently to be a judicious paster , that shall not lead the people into errours . 26. as few teachers have natural capacity for exactness , and a willingness , and patience for long laborious studies ; so many by their pastoral oversight of souls , and many by the wants of their families ( especially in times or persecution , when all their publike maintenance is gone , and they must live ( with their families ) on the charity of people , perhaps poor and persecuted as well as they ) are hindred from those studies , which else they would undergo . 27. it is few that grow to much exactness of judgment without much writing ( for themselves or others ) : for study , which is to be exactly ordered and expressed by the pen , is usually ( at last ) the exactest study : as the lord bacon saith , [ much reading maketh a man full ; much conference maketh a man ready : and much writing maketh a man exact . ] there are few camero's , men of clear judgment , and abhorring to write . and there are few divines comparatively that have opportunity to write much . 28. they that err in divinity , do think their falsehoods to be god's truth ; and so will honour that which he hates , with the pretence of his authority and name . 29. therefore they will call up their own , and other mens zeal , to defend those falshoods as for god , and think that in so doing they do god service . 30. and the interest of their own place , and honour , and ends , will secretly insinuate when they discern it not , and will increase their zeal against opposers . 31. therefore , seeing they are usually many , and wise men but few , they will expect that number should give the precedency to their opinions , and will call those proud , or heretical that gain-say them , and labour to defame them , as self-conceited opinionative-men . 32. therefore too many godly ministers will be great opposers of many of those truths of god , which they know not , and which they err about , and will help on the service of satan in the world ; and will be the authors of factions and contentions in the churches ; whilst too many are [ proud , knowing nothing ( in those matters when they think they are most orthodox ) but doting about questions , and strifes of words , whereof cometh envy , strife , railing , evil surmisings , perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds ( in this ) and destitute of the truth , 1 tim. 6. 4 , 5. 33. and if many good men will erroniously stand up against that truth which any man wiser than themselves maketh known , the worldly , and malicious , that have a manifold enmity against it , will be ready to strengthen them by their concurrence , and to joyn in the opposition . 34. not they that are wisest at a distance , but they that are nearest the people , and are always with them , are likest to prevail to make disciples of them , and bring them to their mind : so great an advantage it is , to talk daily and confidently to ignorant souls , when there is none to talk against them , and to make their folly known . 35. especially if the same men can get interest in their esteem as well as neerness , and make themselves esteemed the best or wisest men. 36. therefore jesuitical , worldly clergy men , will always get about great men , and insinuate into nobles , and will still defame them that are wise and good , that they may seem odious , and themselves seem excellent , and so may carry it by deceitful shews . 37. and they will do their best , to procure all wise and good men , that are against their interest , to be banished from the palaces of princes and nobles , where they are ; lest their presence should confute their slanderers , and they should be as burning and shining lights , that carry their witness with them , where they come : and also to bring them under publike stigmatizing censures , and sufferings ; that their names may be infamous and odious , in the world. 38. and heretical pastors will play a lower game , & creep into the houses of silly people , prepared by ignorance , and soul-disturbers to receive their heresies . 39. between these two sorts of naughty pastors ( the wordly and the heretical ) and also the multitude of weak erroneous honest teachers , the soundest and worthyest will be so few , that far most of the people ( high and low ) are like to live under the influences and advantages of erring-men ; and therefore , themselves to be an erring people . 40. in that measure , that men are carnal ; their own carnal interest will rule them . and both the worldly and heretical clergy , are ruled by carnal interests , though not the same materially . and the honester erring ministers , are swayed by their interests too much ; insomuch , that on this account , is was no over-valuing of tymothy , or wrong to the other pastors , that it should plainly be said by paul , phil. 2. 21 , 22. [ for i have no man like minded , who will naturally care for your state. for all seek their own , not the things which are jesus christs . ] and act. 20. 30. [ of your own selves shall men arise , and speak perverse things , to draw away disciples after them . ] besides the grievous wolves which would not spare the flocks . 41. the interest then of the worldly clergy , will consist in pleasing the great ones of the world ; for lordships , and worldly wealth , and honour , and to be made the rulers of their brethren , and to have their wills : and the interest of hereticks will be to have many to be of their own opinion to admire them : and the interest of upright ministers , will be to please god , and propagate the gospel , increase the church , and save mens souls . yet so that they have a subordinate interest , for food and rayment , and families , and necessary reputation , which they are too apt to overvalue . 42. therefore , it will be the great trade of the worldly clergy , to please and flatter the rulers of the world , and by all artificial insinuations , and by their friends , to work themselves into their favour , and by scorns and calumnies , to work out all other that are against their interest . 43. and it will be the trade of hereticks , to insinuate into the more ductile people , especially as ministers of truth and righteousness , that have somewhat more excellent in knowlenge or holiness , than the faithful ministers of christ . 44. and it will be the work of faithful ministers , to save mens souls . but with such various degrees of self-denyal or selfishness , as they have various degrees of wisdom and holiness . 45. many great and piously disposed princes , like constantine , will think that to honour and advance the clergy , into worldly power and wealth , is to honour god and the christian religion : and great munificence is fit for their own greatness . 46. and because such honour and wealth cannot possibly be bestowed on all ; it must make a great disparity , and set some as lords over the rest . 47. and the unavoidable weakness , passions , and divisions of the clergy , will make rulers think , that there is a necessity ; that besides the civil government , there should be some of their own office , to rule the rest , and to keep them in order , obedience , and peace . 48. ambition and covetousness , will abuse this munificence of princes : and whilst that any church preferments are so great ( beyond the degree of a meer encouraging subsistence ) as to be a strong bait to tempt the desires of a proud and worldly mind , the most proud and worldly that are within the reach of hope , will be the seekers ; by themselves , and by their friends . 49. mortified , humble , heavenly men , will either never seek them , or with no gre●● eagerness ; their appetite being less , and their restraints much greater . 50. therefore they that have the keenest appetites to church-grandure and preferments , and are the eager seekers , are likest to find . 51. therefore the lovers of wealth and honour , are likest still to be lords among the clergy ; except in such marvellous happy times , when wise and pious princes , call the more worthy that seek it not , and reject these thirsty seekers . 52. the greatest lovers of worldly wealth and honour , are the worst men , 1 joh. 2. 15. jam. 4. 4. &c. 53. therefore , except in such times as aforesaid , the worst men will be still the rich and powerful in the clergy , for the most part , or at least , the worldly that are very bad . 54. these carnal minds are enmity to god , and cannot be subject to his law. and the friendship of the world is enmity to god. and the honour , and wealth of these worldly men , will be taken by them for their interest : and they will set themselves to defend it , against all that would endanger it . 55. the doctrine and practise of humility , mortification , contempt of the world , forsaking all , taking up the cross , &c. is so much of the christian religion , that however the worldly clergy may formally preach it ; their minds and interests are at enmity to it . 56. such men will make church-canons according to their interests and minds . 57. and they will judge of ministers and people , according to their interest and mind ; who is sound , and who is erroneous ; who is honest , and who is bad ; who is worthy of favour , and who is worthy of all the reproches that can be devised against him ? 58. the humble , mortified ministers , and people , that are seriously the servants of a crucified christ ; and place their hopes , and portion in another world , have a holy disposition , contrary to this worldly carnal mind ; and their manner of preaching , will be of a different relish , and the tenour of their lives , of a contrary course . 59. the generality of the best people in the christian churches , will perceive the difference between the worldly , and the heavenly manner of preaching , and of living , and will love and honour the later , far above the former ; because their new nature suiteth with things spiritual , and fitteth them , to relish them . 60. the worst of vicious and worldly men , will disrelish the spiritual manner of preaching and living , and will joyn with the worldly clergy against it . 61. the worldly clergy being hypocrites , as to christianity-and godlin●ss ( like judas that loved the bag , better than christ ) they will make themselves a religion , consisting of the meer corps , and dead image of the true religion ; of set words , and actions , and formalities , and orders , which in themselves are ( many , at least , if not all ) good ; but the life they will not endure . 62. this image of true religion or corps of godliness , they will dress up with many additional flowers out of their own gardens , some tolerable , and some corrupting : that so they may have something which both their own consciences , and the world , may take to be honourable religion ; lest known ▪ ungodliness should terrify conscience within , and shame them in the world without . 63. this image of religion so drest up , will suit their carnal auditors and people too , 〈◊〉 the same ends ; and therefore , will become their uniting interest . 64. that which is but a weed among these flowers , the more heavenly ministers and people will dislike , and much more dislike the loathsome face of death ( or lifelesness ) in their religion . 65. these differences of mind and practise , will engage both parties in some kind of opposition to each other . the worldly clergy or hipocrites , will have heart-risings against the ministers and people that think meanly of them , and will take it for their interest to bring them down . for enmity is hardly restrained from exercise . and cain will be wrath , that abels sacrifice is better accepted than his own . 66. the better ministers , will be apt through passion , to speak too dishonourably of the other : and the rash , and younger sort , and the heretical hypocrites that fall in with them , will take it for part of a godly zeal to speak against them to the people , in such words as christ used of the scribes and pharisees . 67. hereupon the exasperations of each party , will be increased more and more ; and the powerful worldly clergy , will think it their interest , to devise some new impositions , which they know the other cannot yield to , to work them out . 68. whether they be oaths , subscriptions , words , or actions ; which they believe to be against gods word , the spiritual , and upright part of the clergy and people , will not perform them ; resolving to obey god , rather than man. 69. hereupon the worldly part will take their advantage , and call them disobedient , stubborn , proud , schismatical , self opinioned , disturbers of the publick peace and order , pestilent fellows , and movers of sedition among the people , that will let nothing be quiet , but turn the world upside-down , act. 24. 5 , 6. and will endeavour to bring them to such sufferings , as men really guilty of such crimes deserve . 70. and because the suffering , and dissenting party of ministers , when silenced will leave many vacancies in the churches they will be fain to fill them with men , how empty and unworthy soever , that are of their own spirit , and will be true to their interests . 71. the exasperation of their sufferings , will make many , otherwise sober ministers too impatient , and to give their tongues leave to take down the honour of the clergy , whom they suffer by more than beseemeth men of humility , charity , and patience . 72. when the people , that most esteem their faithful ministers , are deprived of their labours , by the prohibitions of the rest , and themselves also afflicted with them ; it will stir up in them an inordinate , unwarrantable , passionate zeal ; which will corrupt their very prayers , and make them speak unseemly things , and pray for the downfal of that clergy , which they take to be the enemies of god , and godliness . and they will think that to speak easily or charitably of such men , as dare forbid christs ministers to preach his gospel , and by notorious sacriledge , alienate the persons , and gifts that were consecrated solemnly to god ; is but to be luke-warm , and indifferent between god and the devil . 73. and when they take them as enemies to religion , and to themselves , the younger and rasher sort of ministers ; but much more the people , will grow into a suspition of all that they see their afflicters stand for : they will dislike not only their faults ; but many harmless things , yea many laudable customes which they use ; and will grow into some superstition in opposition to them , making new sins in the manner of worship , which god never forbad or made to be sins ; and taking up new duties , which god never made duties ; yea ready to forforsake some old & wholesome doctrines ; because their afflicters own them , and to take up some new unsound doctrines , and expositions of gods word ; because they are inclined by opinion , and passion conjoyned , to go as far as may be from such men , whom they think so bad of . 74. and the vulgar people that have but little sense of religion ( that are not by the foresaid interest , united to the afflicting clergy ) having a reverence to the worth of those that are afflicted , and an experience of the rawness , and differing lives of many that possess their rooms , will grow to compassionate the afflicted , and to think that they are injured themselves , and so to think hardly of the causers of all this . 75. hereupon the powerful clergy , will increase their accusations against the party that is against them , and declare to the world in print and pulpits , their ignorance , unpeaceableness , unruliness , giddiness , false opinions , and conceits about the manner of worship , and how unsufferable a sort of men they are . 76. by this time the devil will have done the radical part of his work ; which is to destroy much of christian love to one another , and make them take each other for unlovely odious persons : the one part , for persecuting enemies of godliness , and hypocrites , and pharisees : the other for pevish , seditious , turbulent , unruly sectaries . and on these supositions , all their after characters , affections and practises towards each other will proceed . 77. by this enmity and opposition against each other , both parties will increase in wrath , and somewhere in numbers . the worldly afflicting clergy will multiply not only such as are disaffected to them , but downright fanaticks , and sectaries that will run as far from them as they can , into contrary extreams . for when they are once brought into a distast of the old hive , the bees will hardly gather into one new one ; but will divide into several swarms and hives . as every mans zeal is more against the afflicting party ; so he will go further from them : some to be separatists , some anabaptists , some antinomians , some seekers , some quakers , and some to they know not what themselves . 78. for the women and apprentices , and novices in christianity , that have more passion than judgment , will abundance of them quite over-run , even their own afflicted teachers , and will forsake them if they will not over-run their own judgments , in forsaking those that do afflict them . 79. and many hypocrites that have no sound religion ; but ignorance , pride , and u●charitableness , will thrust in among them , in these discontents ; or spring up in the nurceries of these bryers of passion , and will bring in new doctrines , and new ways of worship , and make themselves preachers , and the heads of sects : by reason of whom , the way of truth shall be evil spoken of . 80. and many unstable persons seeing this , will dread and loath so giddy a sort of men , and will turn papists , upon the perswasions of them that tell them , that there is no true unity nor consistency , but at rome ; and that all must thus turn giddy at last , that are not fixed in the papal head. and thus they that fly too far from the common prayer book , will drive men to the mass , and the afflicters will make sectaries , and the sectaries will make papists . 81. when the violent clergy , instead of a fatherly government of the flocks , have driven the people into passions , distempers , and uncharitable disaffections to themselves , and have also been the great cause of multiplyed heresies , and sects by the same means , instead of being humbled and penitent for their sin , they will be hardened , and justify all their violences , by the giddiness and miscarriages of those sectaries , which they themselves have made . 82. and when they publish the faults of such , for the justification of their own violence , they will draw thousands into an approbation of their courses , ( to think that such a turbulent people can never be too hardly called or used ) and consequently into a participation of their guilt . 83. by all this , the dissenters will be still more alienated from them ; and many will aggravate the crime of the ministers that conform to their impositions , and obey them ; and for the sake of a few that afflict them , they will condemn many laudable conforming ministers , that never consented to it ; but could heartily wish , that it were otherwise . 84. and the younger , and indiscreeter passionate sort , will frequently reproach such , as unconsionable temporizers , that will do any thing for worldly ends , and that as hypocrites for a fleshly interest , concur with the corrupters , and afflicters of the godly . 85. these censures and reproaches , will provoke those conforming ministers , who are not masters of their passions , nor conquerors of their pride , to think as bad of the censurers , as their afflicters do , and to joyn with them in the displaying of all their enormities , and promoting their further sufferings , and publishing the folly and turbulency of their spirits , with spleen and partiality . 86. by these kind of speeches , preachings , and writings , multitudes of the debaucht will be hardened in their sin against all religion : for when they observe that it is the same party of men , who are thus reproached , that are the strictest reprovers of their lewdness , their fornicatious , tipling , gaming , luxuries , and ungodliness : they will think that it 's no great matter , what such a defamed giddy sort of people say , and that really they are worse themselves . 87. each party of these adversaries , will characterize the adverse party as hypocrites : the passionate sufferers , will call the afflicters , [ hypocrites and pharisees , that have no religion , but a formal shew of outside ceremonies and words , and that tythe , mint , and cummin , and wash the outside , while within , they are full of persecuting cruelty , and are wolves in sheeps cloathing , loving the uppermost seats , and great titles , and ceremonious philacteries , whilst they are enemies to the preaching of the gospel of christ , and get revenues to themselves , and devour not only the houses , but the peace , and lives of others , under pretence of long liturgies ; and that devour the living saints , while they keep holy-days , and build monuments for the dead ones , whom their fathers murdered , &c ] and the powerful clergy , will call the others hypocrites , and labour to shew that the pharisees character belongeth to them , and that their pretences of strictness in religion , and their long praying and preaching , is but a cloak to cover their disobedience , and covetousness , and secret sins ; and that their hearts , and inside , is as bad as others , and that their fervency in devotion , is but an hypocritical , affected , whining , and canting ; and that they are worse , than the lesser religious sort of people ; because they are more unpeaceable , and disobedient , and add hypocrisy to their sin. 88. the ignorant , worldlings , drunkards , and ungodly despisers of holiness and heaven , being in all countrys most contradicted in their way , by this stricter sort of men , and hearing them in pulpit , and press so brandid for hypocrites , will joyfully unite themselves with the censurers ; and so they will make up as one party , in crying down the precise hypocrites ; and usually make some name to call them by , as their brand of common ignominy : and they will live the more quietly in all their sins , and think they shall be saved , as soon as the precisest , that make more shew , but have no more sincerity , but more hypocrisy than themselves . 89. the suffering party , seeing the ungodly , and the conforming afflicters of them thus united , and made one party in opposition to them , will increase their hard thoughts of the adverse clergy , and take them for downright prophane , and the leading enemies of godliness in the world , that will be captains in the devils army , and lead on all the most ungodly , against serious godliness , for their wordly ends. 90. and the young and indifferent sort of people in all countrys , that were engaged in neither part , being but strangers to religion , and to the differences , will be ready to judge of the cause by the persons ; and seeing so many of the dignified advanced clergy , and the more sensual sort of the people on one side , and so many men of strict lives on the other , that suffer ▪ also for their religion , and hearing too that it is some name of preciseness , that they are reproached by , will think them to be the better side ; and so the title of the godly will grow by degrees , to be almost appropriated to their party , and the title of prophane and persecuters to the other . 91. all this while the nonconforming ministers , will be somewhat differently affected , according to the different degrees of their judiciousness , experience , and self-denyal . some of them will think these passions of the people needful , to check the fierceness of the afflicters ( which doth but exasperate it ) ; and therefore , will let them alone , though they will not encourage them . some of the younger or more injudicious hot-brain'd sort will put them on , and make them believe , that all communion with any conforming ministers or their parish-churches is unlawful , and their forms of worship , are sinful and anti-christian ; and that they are all temporizers , and betrayers of truth , and purity , that communicate or assemble with them . the judicious , and experienced , and most patient , and self-denying sort , will themselves abstain from all that is sin ; and as far as it is in their choice and power , will joyn with the churches , that worship god most agreeably to his word and will ; but so , as that they will not be loud in their complaints , nor busy to draw men to their opinions in controvertible points , nor will unchurch and condemn all the churches that have something which they dislike as sinful ; nor will renounce the communion of all faulty churches , lest they renounce the communion of all in the world , and teach all others to renounce theirs : but they will sometimes communicate with the more faulty churches , to shew that they unchurch them not ( so they be not forced in it to any sin ) ; though usually they will prefer the purest : yea , ordinarily they will joyn with the more faulty , when they can have no better , or when the publike good requireth it . they will never prefer the interest of their nonconforming party , before the interest of christianity , or the publike good : they will so defend lesser truths , as not to neglect or disadvantage the greater , which all are agreed in ; they will so preserve their own innocency , as not to stir up other mens passions , nor to make factions or divisions by their difference . they will so dislike the pride and worldliness of others , and their injuries against god and godliness , as not to speak evil of dignities , nor to cherish in the peoples minds , any dishonourable injurious thoughts of their kings , or any in authority over them : they will labour to allay the passions of the people , and to rebuke their censorious , and too sharp language , and to keep up all due charity , to those by whom they suffer ; but especially loyalty to their kings and rulers , and peaceableness as to their countrys . they will teach them to distinguish between the cruel that are masters of the game , and all the rest that have no hand in it ; and at least not to separate from all the rest , for the sake of a few : if they will go as far as martin ( in sulpitius severus ) to avoid all communion with ithacius and idacius , and the councils of bishops , that prosecuted the priscillianists , to the scandal of godliness it self ; yet not for their sakes to avoid all others , that never consented to it : nor with gildas , to say of all the bad ministers , that he was not eximius christianus that would call them ministers , or pastors , rather than traitors . they will perswade the people to discern between good and evil , and not to run into extreams , nor to dislike all that their afflicters hold or use ; nor to call things lawful , by the name of sin , and anti-christianity , nor to suffer their passions to blind their judgments , to make superstitiously new sin and duties , in opposition to their adversaries : nor to disgrace their understandings and the truth , by errours , factions , revilings , or miscarriages ; nor to run into sects , nor to divide christs house and kingdom , while they pretend to be his zealous servants : they will perswade the people to patience , and moderation , and peace , and to speak evil of no man , nor by word or deed , to revenge themselves ; much less to resist the authority that is set over them by god ; but to imitate their saviour , and quietly suffer , and being reviled not to revile again ; but to love their enemies , and bless their cursers . 92. the soberer sort of the people , will be ruled by these counsels , and will do much to quiet the rest . but the heretical part with their own passions , will exasperate many novices and injudicious persons , to account this course and counsel aforesaid , to be but the effect of luke-wa●mness , and carnal compliance with sin , and a halting between two opinions , and a participation in the sin of persecutors , and malignant enemies of godliness : and they will believe that whoever joyneth with the parish churches , in their way , is guilty of encouraging them in sin , and of false worship . 93. hereupon they will defame the non conforming ministers last described , as men of no zeal , neither flesh nor fish ; and perhaps , as men that would save their skin , and shift themselves out of sufferings , and betray the truth . and when such ministers , acquaint them with their unsound principles and passions , they will say of them , that they speak bitterly of the godly , and joyn with the persecutors in reproaching them . 94. and they will carry about among themselves , many false reports and slanders against them ; partly because passion taketh off charity , and tenderness of conscience ; and partly because an opinionative modal , and siding religiousness , hath ever more followers , and a quicker zeal , than true holiness ; and partly because they will think that humane converse obligeth them to believe the reports , which those that are accounted good men utter ; and partly because that they will think , that the upholding of their cause ( which they think is gods ) doth need the suppression of these mens credit , and reputation that are against it . 95. but the greater part of the honest non-conformist ministers , will dislike the headiness , and rashness of the novices , and the sectaries ; and will approve of the aforesaid moderate wayes . but their opportunities , and dispositions of expressing it , will be various . some of them will do it freely , whatever be thought of it ; and some of them that have impatient auditors , will think that it is no duty to attempt that which will not be endured , and that it is better to do what good they can , than none . and some will think , that seeing the worldly clergy forbid them to preach the gospel of salvation , they are not bound to keep up any of their reputation or interest , as long as they have themselves no hand in the extreams , and passions of the people . and some that have wives and children , and nothing but the peoples charity to find them food and rayment , being turned out of all publike maintenance by their afflicters , and prosecuted still with continued violence , will think that it is not their duty , to beg their bread from door to door ; nor to turn their families to be kept on the almes of the parish , by losing the affection of those people , whose charity only they can expect relief from : and therefore , they will think that necessity , and preservation of their families lives and health , will better excuse their silence , when they defend not those that would destroy them , against the overmuch opposition of the people ; than the command of their afflicters will excuse their silence , if they neglect to preach the christian faith. and some will think , that finding themselves hated , and hunted by one party ; if they lose the affection of the other also , they shall have none to do their office with , nor to do any good to ; and that they shall but leave the people whom they displease , to follow those passionate leaders , that will tempt them to more dangerous extremities , against the peace of christian societies . but the most judicious and resolved ministers , that live not on the favour or maintenanee of the people , or are quite above all worldly interest , will behave themselves wisely , moderately , and yet resolvedly ; and will do nothing , that shall distaste sober and wise men , nor yet despise the souls of the most impotent or indiscreet ; but by solid principles , endeavour to build them upon solid grounds ; and to use them with the tenderness , as nurses should do their crying children . but yet they will not cherish their sin , under the pretence of profiting their souls ; nor by silence , be guilty of their blood ; nor so much as connive at those dangerous extreams , that seem to serve some present exigence and jobb : but threaten future ruine to the churches , and dishonour to the christian cause . and therefore , they resolve not to neglect the duties of charity , to the bitterest of their persecutors : and the rather , because that it will prove in the end , a charity to the church , and to the souls of the passionate , whose charity they labour to keep alive . and silence at sin , is contrary to their trust and office : and they will not be guilty of that carnal wisdom , which would do evil , that good may come by it ; or that dare not seek to cure the principles of uncharitableness , divisions , or extremities in the people , for fear of losing advantages of doing them good ; or that dare not disown unlawful schisms and separations , for fear of encouraging those malignants , that call lawful practices by that name . they will do god's work ( though with prudence , and not destructive rashness , yet ) with fidelity , and self-denyal . and they will lay at christ's feet , not only their interest , in the favour of superiors ; and their peace ; and safety , and liberty , and estates , and lives , which are exposed to malignant cruelty , among the cainites of the world : but also , all the good thoughts , and words , and favour of the religious sort of people , yea , and pastors too . and they will look more to the interest of the whole church , than of a narrow party ; and of posterity , than of the present time : as knowing , that at long-running , its only truth that will stand upper-most ; when malignant violence , and sectarian passions , are both run out of breath . and therefore , in simplicity , and godly sincerity , they will have their conversations in the world ; and not in fleshly wisdom , or selfish-blinding-passions , or factions . let all men use them how they will , or judge or call them what they will ; they will not therefore be false to god , and to their consciences . and seeing it is their office to govern and teach the people , they will not be governed by the favour of the most censorious , ignorant , or proud ; but will guide them as faithful teachers , till they are deserted by them , and disabled . but the sober , antient , wise , and experienced , will alwayes cleave to them , and forsake the giddy and sectarian way . 96. in the heat of these extremities , the most peaceable and sober part , both of the conformists and non-conformists , will be in best esteem with the grave and sober people ; but in the gratest streight , with both the extreams . 97. the godly and peaceable conformists , will get the love of the sober , by their holy doctrine and lives : but they will be despised by the sectaries , because they conform ; and they will be suspected by the proud and persecuting clergy , as leaning to the dissenters , and strengthening them by their favour ; because these ministers will , in all their parishes , more love and honour the godly non-conformists , than the irreligious , ignorant , wordly , dead-hearted multitude , or the malignant enemies of godlyness . 98. hereupon these conformists being taken for the chief upholders of the non-conformists , will be under continual jealousies , and rebukes . and perhaps , new points of conformity shall be devised , to be imposed on them , which it is known , their consciences are against ; that so they may be forced also to be non-conformists : because secret enemies are more dangerous , than open foes . 99. these conformists being thus troubled , will seel also the stirring of passion in themselves ; and by the injury , will be tempted to think more hardly of their afflicters , than before : and so will part of them , turn down-right non-conformists ; and the other part will live in displeasure , till they see an opportunity to shew it . and these are the likest to cross and weaken the worldly , persecuting clergy , of any men. 100. and as for the moderate nonconformists , that understand what they do , and why , and seek the reconciling of all dissenters ; they will also be loved and honoured by the sober , grave , and experienced christians : but both extreams will be against them . the sectaries will say , as before , that they are luke-warm , and carnal , selfish , complying men : the proud imposing-clergy will say , that it is they that have drawn the people into these extreams ; and then complain of them , that they cannot rule them . and they will tell them , that till they conform themselves , their moderation doth . but. strengthen the non-conformists , and keep up the reputation of sobriety among them . and the nearer they come to conformity , the more dangerous they are ; as being more able to supplant it . and thus the moderate and reconcilers , will be as the wedge that is prest by both sides , in the cleft of church-divisions : and no side liketh them , because they are not given up to the factious passions , or interest of either . 101. only those will , in all these extremities and divisions , keep their integrity ; who are , 1. wise . 2. humble and self-denying . 3. charitable , and principled with a spirit of love. 4. and do take the favour of god , and heaven alone , for their hope and portion , whatever becometh of them in the world. but the worldly persecuting , and the sectarian party , will be both constituted by these contrary principles ; 1. ignorance and error . 2. pride of their own understandings ; every one thinking , that all are intollerable , that are not of their mind and way . 3. uncharitableness , malice , or want of love to others , as to themselves . 4. and over-valuing their worldly accommodations , honours , and estates . 102. hereupon the instruments of a foolish shepherd , will still be used to the greater scattering of the flocks . and because none are so able to dispute against them , as the moderate ; therefore they will be taken for their most dangerous adversaries : and when they are greatly inclined to the healing of these wounds , the violent and lordly will not suffer them ; but will pour oyl upon the flames , which moderate men would quench . and ( as if they were blindfolding and scourging christ again ) they will follow the people with afflicting wounds ; and then charge the moderate ministers , with their discontents ; and charge them , to reduce them to peace and conformity . and if they cannot get them to love and honour those that are still scourging them with scorpions , the scourgers will lay the blame on these ministers ; and say , it is all long of them , that the people love not those that wound them . and they that cry out most for peace , will not endure it ; nor give the peace-makers leave to do any thing , that will accomplish it : nor will keep the spurr out of the peoples sides , whilst they look that others ( spur'd more sharply ) ▪ should hold the reins ; which yet , at the same time , they take out of their hands , and forbid them to hold , by forbidding them to preach the gospel . so that , it will be the sum of their expectations , [ perform not the office of pastors , nor preach the gospel of peace and piety to the people , any more : but yet , without preaching to them , see that you teach them all to love and honour us , while we silence you , and afflict them ; or else we will account you intollerable , seditious schismaticks , and use you as such . ] 103. in some kingdomes or countries , it will be thought , that the people will be brought to no obedience to the lordly pastors , till their most able or moderate ministers , are kept from them , by banishment , imprisonment , or confinement : which will accordingly be done . 104. when the ministers are banished or removed , that restrained the peoples passions , the people will make preachers of themselves ; even such as are suited to their minds . 105. where papists or hereticks are shut out by laws , they will secretly contribute the utmost of their endeavours , to make the sufferings of dissenting protestants , as grievous as possibly they can ; that in despite of them , their own necessities may compel them , to cry out for liberty ; till they procured a common tolleration for all , and opened the door for papists and hereticks , as well as for themselves . 104. surely , oppression will make wise men mad , eccles . 7. 7. 107. mad men will speak madly , and do madly . 108. they that speak and do madly , will be thought meetest for bedlam , and for chains . 109. when the ministers are banished or removed , and the people left to their passions , and their ownmade-guides and teachers ; passionate women and boyes , and unsetled novices , will run into unwarrantable words and deeds ; and will think those means lawful , which seem to promise them deliverance , though they be such as god forbiddeth . 110. the seditions and miscarriages of some few will be imputed to the innocent . 111. for the sake of such miscarriages , in some kingdomes , the sword will be drawn against them , and the blood of many will be shed . 112. hereupon the mis-guided , passionate youth , being by the proud clergy , deprived of the presence of that ministry that should moderate them , are like enough to think rebellion , and resisting of authority , a lawful means for their own preservation : and will plead the law of nature , and necessity , for their justification . 113. if any of the sober , wise , experienced pastors be left among them , that would restrain them from unlawful ways , and perswade them to patient suffering ; they will be taken for complying betrayers of religion , and of the peoples lives ; that would have them tamely surrender their throats to butchery . as in a parenthesis , i will give them some instances for this prognostick . 1. the great lord du pl●ssis ( one of the most excellent noble-men that ever the earth bore , that is known to us by any history ) being against the holding of an assembly of the french churches , against the kings prohibition , was rejected by the assembly , as complying with the courtiers , ( because they said , the king had before promised , or granted them that assembly ) : but the refusing of his counsel , cost the blood of many thousand protestants ; and the loss of all their garrisons , and powers , and that lowness of the protestant interest there , that we see at this day . 2. the great divine peter de moulin , was also against the rochellers proceedings against the kings prohibitions ( and so were some chief protestant nobles ) : but he was rejected by his own party ; who paid for it , by the blood of thousands , and their ruin . 3. i lately read of a king of france , that hearing that the protestants made verses and pasquels against the mass and processions of the papists , made a severe law to prohibit it : when they durst not break that law , their indiscreet zeal carried them to make certain ridiculous pictures of the masse-priests , and the processions : which moderate ministers would have diswaded them from , but were accounted temporizers and luke-warm : by which the king being exasperated , shut up the protestant churches , took away their liberties , and it cost many thousand men their lives . and the question was , whether god had commanded such jears , and scorns , and pictures , to be made at so dear a rate , as the rooting out of the churches , and religion , and the peoples lives . 4. great camero ( one of the most judicious divines in the world ) was in montabon when it stood out in arms against the king ( accounted formerly impregnable ▪ ) he was against their resistance , & perswaded them to submit . the people of his own religion , reviled him as a traytor : one of the souldiers threatned to run him through : in a scottish passion he unbuttoned his doublet , and cryed , feri miser , strike varlet , or do thy worst ; and in the heat , striving to get his own goods out of the city , fell into a feavor and dyed : the city was taken , and the rest of the holds through the kingdom after it , to the great fall of all the protestants , and the loss of many thousand lives . 114. where the devil can bring differences to extremities of violence , the issues are not hard to be conjecturally fore-seen ; but are such as my prognosticks shall no further meddle with , than to foretell you , that both sides are preparing for the increase of their fury and extremities , and at last for repentance , or ruinous calamities , if they do , as i have described . 115. carnal and discontented states-men , and politicians , will set in on both sides , to blow the coals , and draw on feuds for their own ends , and head the discontented people to their ruine . 116. but in those countrys , where the difference never cometh to such disorders , there will be a war bred , and kept up in the peoples hearts ; and neighbours will be against neighbours , as guelphes and gibellines . 117. when kingdomes are thus weakened by intestine discontents ; it will increase the hopes and plots of forreign enemies ; and make them think that one party ( that suffer ) will be backward to their own defence , as thinking they can be no worse ( which is the hopes of the turks in hungary . ) 118. it will be a great injury , and grief , and danger to christian kings and states , to have their kingdomes and common-wealths thus weakened , and the cordial love , and assistance of their subjects made so loose and so uncertain . 119. and it will be a continual vexation to wise and peaceable princes , to govern such divided , discontented people ; but to rule a united , loving , concordant , peaceable people , will be their delight and joy. 120. a worldly , covetous , proud , domineering , malignant , lazy clergy , will in most christian nations , be the great plague of the world , and troublers of princes , and dividers of churches ; who , for the interest of their grandure , and their wills , will not give the sober , and peaceable , and godly ministers , or people , leave to serve god quietly , and live in peace . and the impatient , self-conceited , sectarian spirit , which like gun-powder , takes fire upon such injuries , is the secondary divider of the churches , and hinderer of christian love and peace ; and by their mutual enmity and abuses , they will drive each other so far into the extremity of aversation and opposition , that they will but make each other mad ; and then like mad-men , run and quarrel , while sober men stand by and pitty them ; but can help neither the one party , nor the other , nor preserve their own , or the publike peace . 121. the grand endeavour of the worldly clergy , will be ( in most kingdoms of the world ) to engage princes on their side , and to borrow their sword , to do their work with , against gain-sayers : for they have no confidence in the power of the keys ; but will despise them secretly in their hearts , as leaden , uneffectual weapons , while they make it the glory of their order , that the power of the keys is theirs . 122. if princes suppress disorders by the sword , the said clergy will ascribe the honor of it to themselves ; and say , it was their order , that kept up so much order in the churches : and when they have put princes to that trouble , will assume to themselves the praise . 123. the devil will set in , and do his utmost , to make both rulers and people believe , that all this confusion is long of the christian religion , and the strict principles of the sacred scriptures ; and so to make men cast off all religion , and take christianity to be contrary to their natural and civil interests . 124. and the papists will every where perswade high and low , that all this cometh by meddling so much with the scriptures , and busying the common people with religion ; and leaving every man to be a discerning judge of truth and duty , instead of trusting implicitely , in the judgment of their church : and so they would tempt princes , tamely to surrender half their government ( that is , in all matters of religion ) to the pope ; and perswade the people , to resign their reason or humanity to him ; ( that he who is so far off , may rule it all over the world , by his missioners and agents , who must live upon the prey ) and then he knoweth , that he shall have both swords , and be the universal king. 125. to this end , they will strive to make some rulers as bad as they would have them , to do their work , and to make the rest thought worse of than they are , that they may have a fair pretense for their treasons and usurpations ; which was the case of all the writers , that plead for pope gregory the seventh , against the german emperours ; who took that advantage , to settle the cardinals power of elections ; and , in a council at rome , to declare the pope to be above the emperour , and to have power to depose him : and as bad was done in the general-council , at later ▪ under innocent the third . can. 2 , 3. 126. concerning princes , i shall give you no prognosticks , but christ's ; that it will be as hard for a rich man to enter into heaven , as for a camel to go through a needles eve. and therefore , that you may know what men the rich will be , in most countries of the world. 127. and the rich will be the rulers of the world ; ( and it s meet , it should be so : not that men should rule because they are rich , but that they that rule should be rich ; and not exposed to contempt , by a vulgar garb and state. ) 128. but some wise and good princes and magistrates , god will raise up , to keep the interest of truth and justice , from sinking in barbarousness , and diabolical wickedn●ss . 129. and where princes and magistrates are bad , they will seldom do so much hurt as good , or prove very cruel , where the worldly or corrupt clergy , do not animate and instigate them : their reason , their interest , and their experience , will lead them , by man-like usage , to seek the peoples love and quietness , and their kingdomes unity and strength . but bloody persecutions ( such as that of the waldenses , piedmont lately , france , ireland , queen maries , &c. ) are ordinarily the effects of clergy-interest and zeal . 130. the grand designe of the devil , through the world , will be to corrupt the two great ordinances of cod , magistracy and ministry ; and turn them both against christ , who giveth them their power . the instances of his success , are most notorious , in the turkish empire , and the papal kingdome , called by them , the catholick-church : ( which campanella , de regno dei , doth labour to prove , by all the prophesies cited by the millenarians , or fifth-monarchy-men , to be the true universal kingdom of christ ; in which , by his vicar the pope , he shall reign over all the kings and kingdomes of the earth . ) a prognostication of the changes that will be in christendom , in the golden age , and time of true reformation and unity . 1. because it is made part of our prayers , [ thy will be done on earth , as it is in heaven ] and [ we look for a new heaven , and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness ] i hope , their opinion is not true , who think that the earth shall still grow liker and liker to hell , till the general conflagration turn it into hell , and make it the proper seat of the damned . yet , lest this should prove true , i will place my chiefest hopes in heaven ; remembring who said , [ sell all , and follow me , and thou shalt have treasure in heaven ; ] ( and not on earth . ) but supposing , that ever the world will come to full reformation and concord , ( which i am uncertain of , but do not despair of ) i proceed to my prognosticks of the way . 2. god will stir up some happy king , or governour , in some country of christendome , endowed with wisdom and consideration ; who shall discern the true nature of godlyness and christianity , and the necessity and excellency of serious religion ; and shall see what is the corruption and hinderance of it , in the vvorld : and shall place his honour and felicity in pleasing god , and doing good , and attaining everlasting happyness : and shall subject all worldly respects , unto these high and glorious ends. and shall know , that wisdom , and godlyness , and justice , leave the most precious name on earth , and prepare for the most glorious reward in heaven : in comparison of which , all fleshly pomp and pleasure , is dross and dung , and worthy of nothing but contempt . 3. this prince shall have a discerning mind , to know wise men from foolish , good from bad ; and among the ministers of christ , to discern the judicious , spiritual , heavenly , sober , charitable , and peaceable sort , from self-seeking , worldly men ; that make but a trade of the ministry , and strive not so much for heaven , and the peoples salvation , as they do for worldly honours , power , and wealth . and he shall discern how such do trouble the churches , and the world , and cause divisions , and stir up violence , for their own vvorldly interests , and ends. 4. he will take the councel neither of worldlings , nor true fanaticks , and dividing persons ; but of the learned , godly , self-denying , sober , peaceable divines ; with his grave and reverend senators , judges , and counsellors ; that know what is reason and justice , and what belongeth to the publick good , as well as to the true interest of the church , and of mens souls . 5. he will know those men , whom he is concerned to use , and to judge of , as far as may be , by personal acquaintance and observation ; and not by the partial reports of adversaries , behind their backs : and so he will neither be deceived in his instruments , nor disappointed by them . 6. he will call together the wise , peace-making persons ; and with the strictest charge , commit to them the endeavours of reconciling and uniting the several parties ; by drawing their differences into the narrowest compass , and stating them rightlier , than passionate men do ; and by perswading them to love and peace , and to all such abatements and forbearances , as are necessary . and his own prudent over-sight and authority , ( like constantine's at nice ) will facilitate the success . 7. he , and his people will enquire , what terms of concord are meet , not only for some one corner or country , but for all the christian world ; that when he hath found it out , he and his kingdom may be a pattern to all christendome , and the spring and leven of an universal concord of all true christians . 8. therefore , he will enquire of vincent . lerinensis , catholick terms of quod 1. ab omnibus . 2. ubique . 3. semper , receptum est . 1. what all christians are agreed in , as christians , in the essentials of their religion . 2. what all christians did agree on , in the apostles time , which was the time of greatest light , love , and purity . 3. vvhat all christians , in all kingdoms of the vvorld , since then , to this day , in the midst of all their other differences , have been , and still are agreed in , as their religion . for he will see , that there is no hope of agreeing the disagreeing vvorld , ( at least , in many an age ) by changing mens judgments from what they are ; and bringing them all in controverted things , to the mind of some party ; nor to agree them on any terms , in which they do not really agree . but that their concord must be founded in that , which they are indeed all agreed in : leaving the superfluities or additions of each party , out of the agreement . 9. the peace-makers will then find , that christian religion is conteined in three forms . 1. in the sacramental-covenant with god the father , son , and holy-ghost , as the briefest formula . 2. in the creed , lord's prayer , and decalogue ; as the summaries of the credenda , appetenda , and agenda , matters of faith , will , ( or desire ) and practice , as the larger form. 3. in that canon of scripture , which all the churches receive , as the largest form or continent . and that he who is understandingly , a sacramental-covanter with god the father , son , and holy-ghost , was ever taken for a visible christian . and therefore , baptism was called our christening ; and the baptized taken for christians , before they knew the controversies of this church , or that : and that the competent ▪ explicite understanding of the creed , lord's prayer , and decalogue , was ever taken for a competent understanding of the sacramental-covenant , and more . and that he that implicitely receiveth the commonly-received canonical scripture , as god's word ( though he understand no more than as followeth ) and that explicitely understandeth the creed , lord's prayer , and decalogue , and receiveth them , and consenteth to the sacramental-covenant , alwayes was accounted , and is still to be accounted a christian . on these terms therefore , the peace-makers will resolve to endeavour the union of the churches . 10. therefore , they will pare off , and cast away , ( as the greatest enemy to unity ) all those unnecessary controversies , or things doubtful , which christians ( yea , or divines ) were never agreed in ; and which never were the happy and successful means or terms of any extensive concord ; and which have long been tryed , to be the great occasions of all the scruples , and contentions , and divisions , and woful consequents in the churches . and they will once more say , [ it seemeth good to the holy-ghost , and to us , to lay upon you no greater burden , than these necessary things , act. 15. 28. ] all christians shall in general , receive the canonical scripture as god's word ; and more particularly , the creed , lord's prayer , and decalogue , as the summary of necessaries ; and shall profess , with competent understanding of it , their consent to the sacramental-covenant ; and vow , and devote themselves therein to god. and this shall be all the title , which they shall be forced to shew , for their visible , church-communion . and though a higher measure of the understanding of the same principles and rules , shall be required in teachers , than in the flock ; and accordingly , the ordainers shall try their understandings , together with their utterance and ministerial readiness of parts : yet shall the teachers themselves , be ( ordinarily ) forced to no other subscriptions , professions , or oaths , ( besides their civil allegiance ) than to assent and consent to all afore-said ; and to promise ministerial fidelity in their places . all councils , called general or provincial , canons , decretals , articles , formula's , rubricks , &c. shall be reserved to their proper use ; but be no more used for ensnaring and dividing subscriptions , professions , or oaths ; or made the engines to tear the churches . 11. when all those superfluities , and foot balls of contention , are cast out of the way , the power of the keys , or pastoral government , shall come to be better known and exercised , and the primitive discipline set up ; which took place , before cyril of alexandria took up the sword , and pride swelled the bishops into a secular state , and way of rule . then it shall be church-government , to see that the people be duely taken in the sacramental-covenant , and learn the creed , lord's prayer , and decalogue ; and be instructed in the word of god , and live together in sobriety , righteousness , and godlyness . and the pastors shall leave all secular matters to the magistrates ; and be no more troubled , nor corrupted by their use of any forcing power : their government shall be a paternal , authoritative exercise of instruction , and of love ; and no more : like that of a tutor to his pupils , a physician in his hospital , a phylosopher in his school , ( supposing a divine commission and rule . ) the church it self , shall be all their courts , ( supposing the magistrates ) and the people the witnesses ; and the present incumbent pastors , be the judges , without excommunicating and absolving lay-chancellors , surrogates , commissaries , or officials . and all the materials of contention being now gone , they shall have nothing to do in these courts , but to try , whether the people have learnt , and understand their cathechisms , and consent to god's covenant , and communicate in his worship , with the church : and when any are accused of wicked living , contrary to sobriety , righteousness , and godlyness , to try , whether these accusations be well proved : and if so , to perswade the offenders to repent ; and by plain scripture-arguments , to convince them of the sin ; and with tears , or fatherly tenderness and love , to melt them into remorse , and bring them to confess , and forsake the sin. and if this cannot be done at once , to try again and again ; and pray for their repentance . and , when there is no other remedy , [ to declare such a one openly uncapable of church-communion ; and to require the church , to avoid communion with him ; and him , to forbear intruding into their communion : and to bind him over by a ministerial denunciation of god's displeasure , ( as against the impenitent ) to answer it at the bar of god himself ; as one that is under his wrath , till he do repent . ] and this is the utmost of the pastoral power , that shall then be used , ( supposing private admonitions ) : and this only , in that church , or congregation , wherein the sinner had before his communion ; and not at a distance , nor in other churches , or parts of the world , where the pastor hath no charge . yea , this much shall not be exercised irregularly , and at randome , to the injury of the flock ; but under the rules and remedies afterward here exprest . 12. the primitive-church-form shall be restored : and as ( where there are christians enow ) no churches shall be too small , so none shall be greater for number or distance , than to be one true particular church ; that is , a society of christians united as pastor and people , for personal communion and assistance in god's publick worship , and holy living : that is , so many as may have this personal communion , if not all at once , yet per vices , as oft as is fit for them to meet with the church , ( which all in a family , cannot usually do at once . ) so that , ignatius his church-mark shall be restored , [ to every church there is one altar , and one bishop , with his fellow-presbyters and deacons . ] and there shall no more be a hundred , or six hundred , or a thousand altars to one bishop , primi gradus , and in one church of the first form , called a particular church : nor shall all the particular churches be un-churched , for want of true bishops ; nor all their pastors degraded into a new order of teaching-ministers , that have no power of pastoral-government : nor the true discipline of the churches , be made a meer impossible thing ; whil'st it is to be exercised by one bishop only , over many hundred congregations ; which do every one of them , afford full work for a present bishop . nor shall the bishops office be thought so little holy , any more than preaching , and sacramental-administrations , as to be performable by a lay-delegate , or any one that is not really a bishop . but the people shall know them , that are over them in the lord , which labor among them , and admonish them ; and shall esteem them very highly in love , for their work sake ; and shall be at peace among themselves , 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. such bishops as dr. hammond in his annot. describeth ; that had but one church , and preached , baptized , chatechized , visited the sick , took care of the poor , administred the lord's supper , guided every congregation as present in publick worship , and privately instructed and watched over all the flocks , shall be in every church that can obtain such . 13. where the churches are so great as to need ( as most will do ) and so happy as to obtain , many faithful presbyters or pastors , whether they shall live together in a single colledge-life , or married , and at a distance ; and whether one as the chief , or bishop , shall be president , and have a negative voice , or all be equal in a concordant guidance of the flocks , shall be left to the choise and liberty of the several churches , by mutual consent of pastors , and people , and magistrates , to do and vary , as their several states and exigences shall require : and shall neither be called anti-christian or odious tyranny on the one side , nor made of necessity to the churches communion , or peace , on the other , as long as the true pastoral or episcopal office is exercised in every particular church . 14. neither magistrates nor other bishops , shall make the bishops or pastors sermons , and prayers for him ; but leave it as the work of the speakers office , to word his own sermons and prayers ; and to choose a set form or no set-form , the same or various , as the case requireth : yet so as to be responsible ( as after ) for all abuses and mal-administrations , and not suffered to deprave gods worship , by confusion or hurtful errours , or passionate and perverse expressions : but to be assisted , and directed to use his office in the most edifying ways , by such kind of helps , as his personal weaknesses shall require . and where set-forms are used , none shall quarrel with them as unlawful . 15. none of the people shall have the high priviledges of church communion , and sacraments bestowed on them , against their wills : no more than a man impeninent and unwilling , shall be ministerially absolved from the guilt of sin. for every sacramental administration , whether of baptism , or of the body and blood of christ , is as full an act of ministerial absolution as any pastor can perform : and what he doth to particular persons upon their penitence after a lapse , that the pastor doth to the whole church at the lords supper . and as consent is made by christ , the condition of pardon and covenant-ben●fits , which no non-consenter hath a title to ; so therefore professed consent is necessary to the sacramental collation or investiture : and those that are but constrained by the apparent danger of a fine or jail , are not to be accounted voluntary consenters by the church ; when the lord of the church will account none for consenters , that will not forsake all , and endure fines and jailes , rather than to be deprived of the benefits of mystical and visible church-communion . the magistrate therefore will wisely , and moderately , bring all the people to hear that which is necessary to their good ; but will not by penalties , force the unwilling to receive either absolutions or communion with the church , in its special priviledges . but if the baptized refuse church-communion afterwards , they lamentably punish themselves ; and if it be found meet to declare them excommunicate , it will be a terrible penalty , sufficient to its proper use . 16. the magistrate will not imprison , harm , confiscate , banish , or otherwise punish any of his subjects , eo nomine , because they are excommunicate : for that is to punish his body , because his soul is punished . nor will he hearken to those unbelieving clergy-men , that cry up the power of the keys as their office ; and when they have done , scorn it as an uneffectual shaddow of power , which will do nothing without the magistrates force . but he will himself hear , and judge before he punish , and not be debased to be the clergies executioner , to punish before he have tryed the cause : because clergy-mens pride and passions , may else ingage him to be the instrument of their vices and revenge . yea , as he that seeth a man punished in one court , will be the more delatory to bring him to punishment in another , for the same crime ; so the magistrate that seeth a man excommunicated for his fault , will rather delay his civil force against that man , to see what effect his excommunication will have : because the conjunction of the sword against the excommunicate as such , doth corrupt christs ordinance , and make the fruit of it utterly undiscernable , so that no one can see whether ever it did any thing at all , or whether all was done by the fear of the sword. and verily , a faithful minister , that seeth a sinner come to confession of his fault , but when he must else lye in jail and be undone , will be loath to take that man for a true penitent . and to force pastors to absolve or give the sacrament , to every one that had rather take it , than lye in jail and be undone , is to set up such new terms of church communion , which christ will give men little thanks for . church communion is only a priviledge due to volunteers and penitents . but yet the magistrate may punish men with fines or other penalties , for the same faults , for which they are excommunicate , having tryed and judged them in his own court : but not quaterus excommunicate , but according to the nature of the crime . 17. the schools of learning and academies , shall not educate youth , either in idleness , luxury , or hypocritical formality ; but under learned , pious tutors , in learning , sobriety and piety ; from whence they shall not over-hastily leap into the pastoral office. 18. none under thirty years of age ( at what time christ himself entered on his publick works ) shall take a pastoral charge , except in case of meer necessity of the church , no not on pretence of extraordinary fitness : but till then shall imploy themselves as learners , catechists , school-masters , or probationers . nor shall they meddle in the pulpits , with matters of such controversies , as the church is in danger to be troubled with . 19. ministers shall all be commanded by the magistrate , and advised by the neighbour pastors , to forbear all unnecessary controversies in the pulpits ; and to teach the people the foresaid substantials , the covenant of grace , the creed , lords prayer , and decalogue , the duties of faith , love , repentance , and obedience : and shall reserve their subtiler and curious speculations , for schools and theological writings ; and so the christian people shall be bred up in the primitive , plain , simplicity of doctrine and religion ; and their brains shall not be heated , and racked with those new-coined phrases and subtilties , which will but distemper them into a proud , contentious , wrangling disease ; but will not be truly understood by them , when all 's done . and so when it is the peoples work , to hear only ( usually ) the doctrine of the catechisme , and simple old christianity , and to talk of no other ; 1. their time will be employed in promoting faith , repentance , love , and obedience , which was wont to be spent in vain janglings , and strife of words . and , 2. religion will be an easier thing ; and consequently , will be more common , ( as cheap food and rayment is every ones penny-worth ) : and ministers may hope to bring the generality of their people , to be savingly and practically religious : whereas the fine spun religion of novelists , and wranglers , that pretend new light and increase of knowledge , doth not only dwindle into a cob-web of no use , or life , or power ; but must be confined to a few , that can have leisure to learn to talk in new phrases , and will but become the matter of ignorant men's pride and ostentation ; and make them think , that they only are the religious people ; and all that cannot talk as they , are prophane , and not to be admitted to their communion . when as the apostolick , primitive , plain religion , without the laces , and whimsies , that dreamers have since introduced , would make men humble , holy , heavenly , obedient , meek , and patient ; and spare men the loss of a great deal of time. 20. the maintenance of the ministry shall neither be so poor , as to discourage men from devoting their children to the office , or disable them from a total addictedness to their proper work , by any distracting wants or cares ; or yet wholly disable them from works of charity : nor yet so great , as may be a strong bait to proud , covetous , worldly minded men , to intrude into the ministry for fleshly ends. it shall be so much , as that the burden of their calling may not be increased by want : but yet not so much , but that self-denyal shall be exercised by all that under-take the ministry ; and of the two , the burden of the ministerial labors , with its proper sufferings , shall to flesh and blood , seem to preponderate the worldly advantage . so greatly needful is it to the church , that all ministers be self-denying men ; that valuing things spiritually , can practise humility , mortification , and contempt of the world , as well as preach it . 21. there shall be a treble-lock upon the door of the ministry : 1. whether they are fit to be ministers in the general , the ordainers shall judge . 2. whether they are fit to be the pastors of this , or that particular church ; the members of the church shall so far judge , as that none shall become their pastors , without their own consent . 3. whether they be fit for the magistrates countenance , maintenance , and protection , the magistrate himself shall judge . and therefore , all three shall severally try , and approve each pastor : yet so , that the two first only be taken , as necessary to the office it self ; and the third only , to the maintenance and encouragement , or defence of the officer . and though sometimes , this may occasion disagreements and delayes , for a time ; yet ordinarily , the securing of a faithful ministry , and other good effects , will countervail many such inconveniences . 22. no one church , shall have the government of another church : and the secular differences of metropolitans , patriarcks , &c. which was set up in one empire , upon secular accounts , and from secular reasons , shall all cease . and no differences shall be made necessary among them , which christ hath not made necessary . but christian princes shall take warning by the greek and latine churches , and by all the calamities and ruins , which have been caused in the christian world ; by bishops striving who should be the greatest , when christ decided the controversie long ago , luk. 22. 23. as christians hold personal , christian communion , in their several particular churches ; so churches shall hold a communion of churches , by necessary correspondencies , and associations : not making a major vote of bishops in synods , to have a proper government over the minor part. but that by counsel and concord , they may help and strengthen one another ; and secure the common interest of christianity . and that he that is a member of one church , may be received of the rest ; and he that is cast out of one , may not be received by the rest , unless he be wronged . so that , it shall not be one politick church ; but a communion of churches . 24. the means of this communion shall be , 1. by messengers . 2. by letters and certificates communicatory . 3. by synods . 25. these synods shall , as to a few neighbour churches , be ordinary and stated : and the meetings of ministers in them , shall be improved ; 1. to the directing and counselling of one another , in matters doubtful ; especially of discipline . 2. to edify each other by conference , prayer , and disputations . 3. that the younger may be educated under the grave advice and counsels of the elder . 4. that the concord of themselves , and the churches under them , may be preserved . but if they would grow imperious , tyrannical , heretical , or contentious , the magistrate shall hinder their stated , ordinary meetings ; that it be not accounted a thing simply necessary , nor used to the disturbance of the church or states . and all provincial , national , and larger councels , shall be held by the magistrates consent . 26. he that taketh himself to be wrongfully excommunicated in one church , shall have a treble remedy : 1. to have his cause heard by the associated pastors of the neighbour-churches ; though not as rulers of the bishop , or pastor of that particular church ; yet as counsellors , and such whose judgment bindeth to concord in lawful things . 2. to be admitted by another church , if it appear that he is wronged . and , 3. to appeal to the magistrate , as the preserver of justice , and order , in all societies . 27. the magistrate shall appoint some of the most grave , and wise , and godly , and moderate of the ministers , to have a general inspection over many churches ; and to see , that they be well taught and ordered , and that pastors and people do their duty : who shall therefore oft visit them , and shall instruct and exhort the younger ministers ; and with the countenance of the magistrate , and their own seigniority and ability , shall rebuke the sloathful and faulty ministers ; and perswade them to diligence and fidelity : but shall exercise no outward force by the sword ; nor any excommunication by themselves alone , or otherwise than in the fore-said regular way . 28. all ordinations shall be performed , ( except in case of necessity ) either in the assembly of the associated pastors , with their president ; or in the vacant church , by some of them , appointed by the rest : or by the general visiter , last mentioned , with a competent number of assistants . but still , an ordination to the ministry in general , shall not be taken to be formally the same ; as the affixing him to this or that church , in particular : no more , than the licensing of a physician , is the same with the affixing him to a particular hospital . 29. a catalogue shall be drawn up , of some of the greatest verities , which are not expresly found in the creed , lord's prayer , or decalogue ; which , as the articles of confession , of the associated churches of the nation , shall serve for these three uses : 1. to satisfie all forreign churches , against any accusation , that they are orthodox . 2. to examine the knowledge of such as are admitted to the ministry , by : ( but not to be subscribed , unless only as to a general acknowledgment of the soundness of their doctrine ; without saying that , there is nothing faulty in them . ) 3. to be a rule of restraint to ministers , in their preaching ; that none be allowed publickly , after admonition , to preach against any doctrine contained in them . 30. the usurped , ecclesiastical power , of bishops , and presbyteries , and councils , ( which were co-ercive , or imitated , secular courts , or bound the magistrate to execute their decrees ) being cast out , and all pastors restrained from playing the bishops in other churches , out of their own charge ; the magistrate shall exercise all co-ercive , church-government himself ; and no more trust the sword directly , or indirectly , in the hands of the clergy , who have long used it so unhappily , to the disturbance of the christian world , and the shedding of so much innocent blood. where it may be had , there shall be a church-justice , or magistrate , in every considerable parish ; who being present , shall himself hear how ministers preach , and behave themselves among their people . and all ministers and churches shall be responsible to the magistrate , for all abuses , and mal-administration . if any minister preach or pray seditiously , abusively , factiously , railingly , against tolerable dissenters , to the destroying of christian love and unity , or heretically , to the danger of the peoples souls ; or shall exercise tyranny over the people , or live a vicious life ; or be negligent in his office of teaching , worship , or discipline , or otherwise grosly mis-behave himself : he shall be responsible both ( as afore-said ) to the associated pastors and visitor , ( or arch-bishop ) and also to the magistrate ; who shall rebuke and correct him , according to the measure of his offence . and it shall appear , that the magistrate is sufficient for all co-ercive , church-government , without all the clergies usurpations ; which uphold the roman , and other tyrannical societies . 31. the question , who shall be judge of heresie , schisme , or church-sins ? shall be thus decided . 1. the bishops or pastors of the particular churches , shall be the judges ; who is to be denyed communion in their churches , as hereticks , schismaticks , &c. 2. the associated churches shall be judges , ( in their synods , or by other correspondence ) who is to be commonly denyed communion in all their churches ; and what pastors and churches , shall have the dextram communionis , and who not . 3. the magistrate shall be the only judge , who is to be punished for heresie or schism , &c. with fines , or any outward , corporal penalty . and no one shall usurp the others right . 32. the magistrate shall silence all preachers that after due admonition , so grosly mis-behave themselves in doctrine , worship , or conversation , as to be the plagues of the churches , and to do apparently more hurt than good . but as to all worthy and able ministers , if they commit any fault , they shall be punished as other subjects , only with such penalties as shall not by silencing or restraint , be a punishment to the innocent peoples souls , nor hinder the preaching of the gospel of salvation : even as if the common bakers , brewers , butchers , carpenters , perform their work perniciously ( poisoning their beer , bread , and meat ) they shall be forbid the trade : but for other faults , they shall be so punished , that the people be not left without bread , beer , meat , houses , for their faults . 33. if any hereticks ( as arrians , socinians , &c. ) would creep into the ministry , there shall not be new-forms of subscription made to keep them out ( which its like , with their vicious consciences would be uneffectual , and would open a gap to the old church-tyrannies and divisions ) ; nor an uncertain evil be uneffectually resisted by a certain greater mischief . but while he keepeth his errour to himself , he is no heretick as to the church ( non apparere being equal to non esse : ) and when he venteth his heresy , he is responsible all the ways aforesaid , and may be by the magistrate punished for his crime , and by the churches be branded as none of their communion ; which is the regular way of reforming crimes ' viz. by judgment and execution , and not by making new rules and laws , as fast as men break the old : as though laws could be made , which no man can break . 34. the magistrate shall countenance or tolerate no sin or errour , so far as he can cure it by just remedies , which will not do more harm than good : but he shall unwillingly tolerate many tolerable errours and faults ; because it is not in his power to remedy them , by such means . but , 1. the sound and concordant ministry only , shall have his countenance and maintenance . 2. smaller errours and disorders , shall be best cured by gentle rebukes , and discountenance , and denyal of maintenance ; together with the disgrace that will be cast upon them , by the judgment and dissent of all the united concordant ministers and churches ( which two together will do more and better , than exasperating cruelties will do ▪ ) 3. the publishing of pernicious principles , shall be restrained more severely . but though men may be restrained from venting pernicious falsehoods , they cannot be constrained to believe the truth ( we are not so happy ; ) nor shall they be constrained to lie , and say that they believe it when they do not . 35. all matters of quarrels , division and cruel usage of each other , being thus cut off and gone ; bitterness , and revengeful thoughts will cease , and love will revive in all mens breasts , and unity , and peace will follow of its own accord . and if any heretical or contentious sect arise , the hearts of all united people will so rise against them , that desertion and shame will quickly kill them . 36. then will the hearts of the people cleave to their pastors : and they will be no more put on the great difficulties of loving the bishops that hurt them , or of loving them in jailes ; but it will be as easy to love them , when they feel the love to their souls in the labours and kindness of their pastors , as to love their dearest and nearest friends . and then love , will open the peoples ears to the teachers doctrine , and it will do them good : and then the labours and lives of faithful ministers , will be sweet and easy , when the love , and the unity , and faithfulness of the people , is their dayly encouragement . o how good , and how happy will it be for pastors and people , thus to live in love and unity ! it will not only mind us of aarons perfume , but of the spirit of love that dwelt in our redeemer , and which he promised should be his seal and mark upon all his true disciples ! yea , and of the celestial society , and life of perfect love. 37. then shall neighbours exercise their charity , for the help of the ignorant about them , without the suspicions of venting heresies , or sedition , or encroaching on the pastors office. and neighbours when they come together , shall not take praying together , or holy conference , or singing gods praise , or reading good books , or repeating their teachers sermons , or counselling each other , to be a bad or dangerous work : but the ignorant , that cannot spend the lords day in holy exercises at home ( because they cannot read or remember much ) shall joyn with the families of their more understanding neighbours , who can help them ; ( as they met act. 12. 12. for prayer ; and as neighbour-families were to joyn in eating the passover , with the family that had not enow to eat it . ) for love and unity shall end these jealousies . and all shall be done under the guidance and over-sight of their pastors ; and not in enmity or opposition to them , or to the concordant church-assemblies . and , o what helps and comfort will this be to all faithful pastors , when all the work lyeth not on them alone ! but every one sets his hand to build , in his proper place ! and when they that converse together all the week , are seconding that which he more seldom teacheth them in publick . 38. the younger sort of ministers , that are now bred up in vulcan's forge , shall be then trained up under grave and peaceable men ; where uniting , and peace-making principles , shall be the rudiments of their literature . 39. and the younger sort of the people , shall be no more tempted into envious heats against their afflicters ; nor into contentious sects , because of controversies : but shall be fed with the milk of peaceable principles , and be educated in the love of love it self . and the names of sects , and church-divisions , and proud pretendings , shall by use , be made as disgraceful , as now the names of swearing , drunkenness , and whoredom are . 40. and , o how dear ! how amiable ! how honourable will their governours be , to such a people ! ( especially , that blessed prince , that shall first perform this work ! ) how heartily will they pray for them , plead for them , and fight for them ! and , how freely will they contribute any thing in their power , to their aids ! and , how impatient will they be against every word , that would dishonour them ! how blessed will the people be under such a prince ! and , how sweet and easie will the life of that prince be , that is to govern such a people ! grant , o lord , that this great honour and comfort , may fall into the hands of the king of england , before all others in the world ! kings will then see , that it is their interest , their honour , and their greatest happyness on earth , to be the wise , pious , righteous governours , of a wise , pious , just , united people ; that love them so much , that still they would fain serve them better , than they are able . 41. the ignorant , vulgar , and ruder sort , observing this amiable concord , and all the blessed fruits thereof , will admire religion , and fall in love with it : and multitudes , that shall be saved , will be dayly added to the seriously religious ; and the house of christ , will be filled with guests . 42. hereupon the scandalous and flagitious lives of common protestants , will be much cured : for the number of the flagitious , will grow small ; and crimes will be under common disgrace . besides that , they will be punished by the magistrate : so that , gross sin will be a marvail . 43. the books of plain doctrine , and holy living , with the pacificatory treatises of reconcilers , will then be most in esteem and use ; which now are so dis-relished by turbulent , discontented , siding persons . and abundance of controversal-writings , about church-government , liturgies , ceremonies , and many other matters , will be forgotten , and cast aside , as useless things : for the swords shall be made into plow-shares , and pruning-hooks . 44. the happy example of that happy prince , and country , that shall begin and first accomplish this work , will be famous through all the protestant-churches ; and will enflame such desires of imitation in them all , and be such a ready direction in the way , that it will greatly expedite their answerable reformation . and the famous felicity of that prince , in the reformation and concord of his subjects , will kindle in the hearts of other protestant-princes and states , an earnest desire of the same felicity . and so , as upon the invention of printing , and of guns , the world was presently possessed of guns , and of printed-books , that never before attained any such thing : so here ; they that see the happyness of one kingdom brought about , and see how it was done , will have matter enough before their eyes , both to excite their desires , and guide their endeavours , in the means to bring all this to pass . 45. the protestant kingdoms and states , being thus reformed , and united in themselves , will be enflamed with an earnest desire of the good of all other churches , and of all the world : and therefore , as divines have held something called general councils for the union of all those churches ; so these princes will by their agents hold assemblies for maintaining correspondency , to the carrying on of the common good of the world , by the advantage of their united counsels , and strength : and then no enemy can stand long before them . for , they that love , and serve them zealously at home , will venture their lives for them zealously abroad , if there be cause . 46. the excellent , and successful use of the magistrates government of the churches in their dominions , will quite shame all the usurping claims of the pope , and general councels , and their mungrel ecclesiastick courts , and all the train of artifices and offices , by which their government of the world is managed : and the world , and especially princes will plainly see how much they were abused by their usurpations ; and that there is no need of pope or cardinal , nor any of those officers or acts at all : but that these are the meer contrivances of carnal policy , to keep up an earthly kingdom under the name of the catholick church . and also the purity and unity of the reformed churches , where the vulgar have more religion and union , than their monasteries , will dazzle the eyes of the popish princes , states , and people ; and when they see better , and especially the happiness of the princes , they will forsake the usurper that had captivated them by fraud , and will assume their freedom and felicity ; and so the roman church-kingdom will fall . 47. the deluded mahometans seeing the unity , and glory of christendom , as they were before kept from christ by the wicked lives , and the divisions of christians ( thinking that we are far worse than they ) so now they will be brought to admire and honour the christian name , and fear the power of the christian princes . and one part of them will turn christians ; and the rest , even the turkish power , the christians force by the power of god , will easily break . and so the eastern churches will be delivered , and reformed ; and the mahometans come into the faith of christ . 48. the poor scattered jews also , when they see the glory and concord of christians , will be convinced that christ is indeed the true messias : and being converted perhaps , shall by the christian powers , be some of them re-established in their own land : but not to their antient peculiarity , or policy and law. 49. and then the christian zeal , will work to the conversion of the poor idolatrous , heathen world ; and part of them will yield to reason and faith , and the rest by just victories be subdued . and so the kingdoms of the world , will become the kingdoms of the lord , and his christ ; and the gospel shall be preached in all the world. 50. and when the kingdom of grace is perfected , and hath had its time , the kingdom of glory shall appear , upon the glorious appearing of christ our king ; and the dead shall arise ; and they that have overcome , shall reign with christ , and sit with him upon the throne , even as he overcame , and is set down with the father on his throne . amen . even so come lord jesus . john 17. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24. neither pray i for these alone , but for them also , which shall believe on me through their word : that they all may be one , as thou father , art in me , and i in thee ; that they also may be one in us , that the world may believe that thou hast sent me : and the glory which thou gavest me , i have given them , that they may be one , even as we are one. i in them , and thou in me ; that they may be made perfect in one , and that the world may know that thou hast sent me , and hast loved them , as thou hast loved me ; father , i will that they also whom thou hast given me , be with me where i am , that they may behold my glory , which thou hast given me. object . but if this world should ever become so happy , it would be more amiable , and so be a greater snare to our affections , and make us willing to stay from heaven . answer . no amiableness or pleasantness , stealeth the heart from god , or keepeth it from heaven , but that which hideth the glory and goodness of god and heaven , from our minds , or corrupteth , and diverteth the will and affections by some inconsistency or contrarity : but the spiritual excellency of the reformed concordant church on earth , will so much more clearly represent heaven to our conceptions , and give our hearts so pleasant a foretast of it , that above all things it will excite our desires of that fuller glory , and call us most powerfully to a heavenly mind and life : as the first-fruits , and earnest do make us desire the harvest , and the full possession . and as now those that live in the most heavenly society , and under the most excellent helps and means , have usually more heavenly minds and lives , than they that in more tempting and distracting company , never enjoy such heavenly beams . consectary . all the romish-dreams of church-union , arise from ignorance of the true state and interest of the church , and the true and necessary terms of union . and all the plots also , of the moderating papists , that talk of a political church-catholick , having a visible constitutive , or governing-head ; whether monarchial , ( the pope ) ; or aristocratical or democratical , ( the patriarchs , or a general-council ) : and that talk of universal laws of this church , made by such a universal-head ; besides the universal laws of christ , and falsly feign the councils called general , in a particular empire , called or ruled by one emperour only , in his own dominions ; to have been universal , as to all the catholick churches on earth , and that feign these councils to have been infallible , which so often erred , and crost each other : and that set the world upon the undeterminable controversie , which were true general councils ; and , how many we must receive , and conform to : whether only four , or six , or eight ; and till what age. and that would perswade the christian world , that what-ever diversity of canons , customs , or church-laws , or ceremonies , are allowed among them , it must all be done or held by this same authority of the pope , or council , or both : to which ( though forreign ) kings and bishops must all be subject ; and from which , they must receive their christianity ; and by which , all their reformations must be tryed , and that none must be taken as catholicks , nor any churches tolerated , that hold not such a factious union , under such an usurping head , personal or collective , but as tertullian speaketh , rather than endure such wiser and better societies ; solitudinem facerent , & vocarent pacem ; and as a worldy clergy , whose church and kingdom is only of and in this world , would banish from it all ( save a lifeless-image ) which hath any kin to heaven ; and suffer none to live in this world among them , but themselves . i say , all this is , 1. from ignorance of the true nature of the christian religion , church-state , and terms of unity and concord ; which i have lately opened in a book , entituled , [ the true and only terms of the concord of all the churches . ] 2. and from contention about ambiguous words , and self-conceitedness in their controversies , ignorantly thence raised ; which i have sought to end in a book , called , [ catholick theology . ] 3. and from vicious passions and partiality ; which i have sought to heal in a book , called , [ the cure of church-divisions . ] all written long since the writing of this foregoing prognostication . finis . a sermon preached at the funeral of that faithful minister of christ, mr. john corbet with his true and exemplary character / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1680 approx. 83 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 20 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27044 wing b1416 estc r17576 12395210 ocm 12395210 61124 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27044) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 61124) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 269:8) a sermon preached at the funeral of that faithful minister of christ, mr. john corbet with his true and exemplary character / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 36 p. printed for thomas parkhurst ..., london : [1680] date of publication from nuc pre-1956 imprints. errata on p. 36. advertisement on p. [1] at end. reproduction of original in university of chicago library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng corbet, john, 1620-1680. funeral sermons. sermons, english. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2006-01 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a sermon preached at the funeral of that faithful minister of christ mr. john corbet . with his true and exemplary character . by richard baxter . london , printed for thomas parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns at the lower end of cheapside . a funeral sermon . 2 cor. 12. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. it is not expedient for me doubtless to glory : i will come to visions and revelations of the lord. i knew a man in christ above fourteen year ago ( whether in the body i cannot tell , or whether out of the body , i cannot tell , god knoweth ) such an one caught up to the third heaven . and i knew such a man ( whether in the body , or out of the body , i cannot tell : god knoweth ) how that he was caught up into paradise , and heard unspeakable words , which it is not lawful for a man to utter . of such an one will i glory ; yet of my self will i not glory , but in mine infirmities . for though i would desire to glory , i shall not be a fool ; for i will say the truth : but now i forbear , left any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be , or that he heareth of me . and lest i should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations , there was given to me a thorn in the flesh , the messenger of satan to buffet me , lest i should be exalted above measure . for this thing i besought the lord thrice , that it might depart from me . and he said , my grace is sufficient for thee : for my strength is made perfect in weakness . most gladly therefore will i rather glory in my infirmities , that the power of christ may rest upon me . it is but lately that we were here lamenting the loss of this city and the church of god , in the removal of an excellent saint ; we are now come on the like occasion . it is a year of jubile for holy souls , and a harvest for heaven , the ripest are gathered , and the green and sowre fruit is yet left on earth : but oh what a heavy judgement is it , to the needy world , which wants such lights , as god is taking in . but we are not the choosers ! it s well if we be obedient learners , and can follow such to life in the holy path . the text read to you hath so much matter of instruction that will excuse me if i scarce name the most . it is part of pauls vindication against the accusers of his person and ministry , which were some erroneous judaizing teachers . he confesseth that glorying is an unexpedient thing , and sounds like folly ; but yet in case of necessary defence , it may be modestly and sincerely done : especially the opening of those divine revelations and gifts which makes for the strength of the faith of others . the explication shall be taken in as we go . observ . 1. it is no new thing for the wisest and holiest of christs ministers to be accused even by the teachers of christianity . for 1. there are many erroneous teachers , that are confident they are in the right , and oppose the teachers of truth as if they were the erring men . 2. and there are worldly , proud , malignant hypocrites , who bring their unsanctified hearts into the sacred office , and manage it as men do common trades , but with greater enmity and strife . 3. and there are abundance of ignorant or halfwise injudicious men , who have self conceitedness enough to be peremptory and confident , but neither knowledge nor humility enough to perceive their own weakness and mistakes . vse . 1. therefore let it not become a scandal to you if you hear some teachers accusing and vilifying others . 2. and think not that a minister is erroneous or faulty , meerly because others , though of great name , do accuse him , or so represent him . it hath still been so , and while satan is satan , and man is corrupt man , and there is so much darkness and so much worldly temptations , and cross interests , it will be so : and preachers will be made the common and dangerous hinderers of preachers ; and where they have power will silence them , and disgrace their work . observ . 2. glorying or boasting is in it self an inexpedient thing . it savours of pride , and selfishness , and folly , when it is not necessary and just . and therefore all christians should be backward to it . observ . 3. yet that which is so inexpedient , may on just occaons become good , and a duty . that is , 1. when it is made needful to gods honour , and the vindication and success of our ministry and the truth . and , 2. vvhen these are our true ends . and , 3. vvhen we speak nothing but the truth . vse . iii. o that men knew how great a sin it is , by their confident errors and rash accusations , to put christs ministers upon such a defence ; much more to seek their silence and destruction . 2. and here you see that inconveniencies will not excuse us from necessary duties ; nor prove that all is unlawful which hath such . what is it in this confused and imperfect vvorld that hath not its inconveniencies ? in government , both monarchy , aristocracy and democracy , absolute and limited , have their many inconveniencies . in churches , the power of people and pastors , equality and subordination , riches and poverty , severity and lenity ; to use discipline or neglect it , have their inconveniencies . in worship , imposed words of free , and all humane forms and modes have their inconveniencies . in houses , a marryed life and a single , to have children and to have none , to have servants or none , to have much business or little , to be high or low , rich and poor , to rule greatly or severely , have all their inconveniencies . in our conversations to be yielding or not , to converse with few or many , with high or low , to speak or to be silent , have all their inconveniencies . and yet there are men that on one side can silence christs faithful ministers by hundreds or thousands and persecute the true members of christ , and cast out true discipline , and corrupt the churches , and justifie all this by urging some inconveniencies . and there are others that can unchurch most churches in the world , and separate from their worship , and think the charge of inconveniencies will justifie all . and so we should have no government , no ministry , no worship , no families , wives or children , or servants , no books , no trades , no food , no physick , if all meer inconveniencies forbid them . by this our instance solomon may be understood , what it is to be wise and righteous overmuch , some are so wise and righteous ( materially not formally ) that they can find faults in all persons , all duties , all speeches , all actions , and on pretence of doing all better , would hinder us from doing what we can , and undo all as if it were for amending , not but that inconveniences may make actions sinful . but the great part of christian prudence lyeth in holding the ballance , and trying wisely whether the good or hurt , the benefit or inconvenience do weigh down ; we shall never preach or pray , nor converse with mankind without some inconveniency . observ . 4. divine revelations acquainting the soul with heaven , are matters most worthy of lawful , humble , modest glorying . it was pauls heavenly visions which he gloryed in as his advancement , when he had mentioned his many persecutions and sufferings in the way . these tend to that perfection and felicity of souls : in these men have to do with the glorious jehovah , the angelical chore , the heavenly society , our glorified head , our highest hopes , and matter of the greatest everlasting joys . o if god would but give you and me this heavenly sight , and let us but once see what paul saw , what little things would crowns and lordships seem to us when we look down from such an height ? what trifling should we think most of the busles of this world ? what toyes and dreams , their wealthy honour and sinful delights . i should then say , now i see what it is that we seek and hope and suffer for , what it is to enjoy god and our redeemer : and therefore now i know , what it is to be a beleiver , a saint , a man indeed . o what a help to mortification would such a sight of paradise be ? how easily should we after resist temptations , deny the flesh , contemn the world , and hate our sins . o how it would overcome all these distrustful trembling fears of death , and make us long , and grown and cry , to be with christ ? vvhat life would it put into all holy duty ? how easily should we bear our short afflictions ? how would it mellow our sowre contentious minds toward one another , and teach us better whom to love and live in peace with , than pride and vvorldliness or faction will teach us . fellow christians , though you and i may not expect such raptures , and extasies as paul's ; yet we have the gospel of jesus , a divine revelation of this same heavenly glory ; not to be set light by , because we see it not our selves , it is by the son of god that saw it , and now is there preparing it for us ; it is by a sealed certain word . and the heavenly beams are sent down from him upon our hearts , to shew it us and lead us up . vve are capable of a lively beleif of the full assurance of hope , of the pledges , earnest , and first fruits ; and of rejoycing with unspeakable glorying joy . we are capable in our manner , and are sure of traffick for heaven , and with heaven , of sending up our treasures , and there conversing in spirit as in the city which is our home , and hearing by faith the joyful harmony of the heavenly songs and praises of jehovah . here we are capable of such a powerful touch with the loadstone of divine love , or to have our spirits so refined and sublimated , as shall make it as natural to them to make upward towards christ , and long for full and perfect union . o had we lived as beleivers should have lived , how much more of heavenly mindedness , and delight might we have attained than we have done ? o thank god for the gospel revelation , and beg grace to bring it in power on your hearts ; and then , let worldlings take their earthly portion ; vve can spare them all that hindereth not the gathering and edification of the church , and the heavenly interest of souls . observ . 5. there is a third heaven and heavenly paradice , where are the concerns and hopes of holy souls . paul was thither taken up ; had he no interest there , no hopes , no friends , no business there ; vvhy then should he have been rapt up thither ? how many heavens there be , and why it is here called the third , i will not interrupt your more necessary thoughts , by conjecturing enquiries : most say the air is called the first , the starry heaven the second , and the place of the glorified spirits , the third ; but these are vain conjectures . no man knoweth how many there be , the globes or stars are at vast distance from each other , some great philosophers have been tempted to think that vvorld is infinite as an adequate effect of infinite power , because god hath no unactive power ; all this is prophane rashness . the heavens which are our inheritance are the place where perfect glorious spirits shall live in blessed society with christ and one another ; joyfully beholding the glory of god , and feeling the delights of mutual love ; and yet there are different degrees of glory from the different degrees of the capacity of spirits : whether also from any difference in the place and communicating causes , we shall shortly better know . there are more sorts of spirits thatn we can now know . though i know not how to receive aquinas's doctrine that no two angels are of the same species ; the diversity as well as the incomprehensible glory and numbers , are unknown to us . those that god employeth under christ as his pursuivants , messengers , and servants for his church , are called angels : whether there be orders over orders quite above angels , and how angels differ from the perfected spirits of the just , we know not . as it is designed for saints , its glory consisteth , 1. in the glory of the place . 2. in the perfecting and glorifying the natures and persons that enjoy it . 3. in the glory of the heavenly society , christ , angels and saints . 4. in the glory of their high and excellent work , to love and magnifie god for ever . 5. in the communication of the joyful love , and light and life of god , upon these glorified spirits . o what doth every one of these words signifie ! is not this a paradise indeed , that is a place of purest greatest pleasure ? vse . 1. and are we not taught by such a glass as this , how great and how good a god we serve ? o look up to the heavens , and see what he is by that which he hath made . yea , it s said psal . 113. 6. that he humbles himself to behold the things in heaven ; as well as upon earth . o sinners ! what a god do you despise , neglect , and forget ! and what a heaven do you fell for fleshly lust , and to feed a corruptible body for the grave ! o christians , what a god have we to serve and fear ! and how zealously and purely should we serve him ! what a god have we to trust and hope in , and how great a sin is it to distrust him ! what a heaven have we to seek and hope for , and how chearfully and constantly should we do it . alas , our cold hearts , and slothful lives , and worldly cares , and sinking spirits , beseem not such a god and heaven . were we designed but to inhabit the sun , or some resplendent star , how high is it above this earth ? shall we creep only on earth and feed on dust , and defile our souls as if we were preparing them by sin for hell , when we have a third heaven , and paradise to look up to , and seek and hope for ? doth satan say , what is that to thee , that is so far above thee . it is to us ; it is the place where the glory of god is which we seek ; where our glorified head is . the place of holy spirits , whither also henoch and elias were translated : where abraham , isaac and jacob live ; whither christs spirit went at death , and where he received the believing thief ; where lazarus is in abrahams bosom ; which stephen foresaw , and to which he was received . it is the place which we are set on earth to seek ; dearly purchased ; surely promised ; to which gods spirit is now preparing us : and of which it is our pledge and seal . were it not for such an end and hope , how vain were man , and what a dream this world. take heaven from us , aud take our lives , our joyes , yea , more than many such lives as these : o that we could be more deeply sensible for what we are christians , and for what we hope ! what holy , patient , joyful christians should we then be . but it is not a wavering belief , a divided heart , and a few cold strange and staggering thoughts of heaven , that will do this , as we desire it . observ . 6. souls are not so closely tyed to the body , but now they may be rapt up into paradise , or the third heavens . when paul could not tell whether it was in the body or out of it , it sheweth some how the soul was there , and that its possible it might be out of the body . obj. if it were in the body , the body must go with it : if out of the body it must leave the body dead . ans . it might be in the body and not take up the body : if man were born blind , the iucid spirits , and visive faculty would act only within : but as soon as a miracle opened his eyes , he would see as far as the sun and stars . and the sun sends down its beams even to this earth . should god open this dark lanthorn of the body , we little know how far a soul may see without any separation from the body : did not stephen's soul in the body see christ in glory ? and if it went out of the body , it followeth not that it must be separated from the body and leave it dead . when london was on fire , how high did the flame go above the fuel , and yet it was not separated from the fuel : a soul can stay in the body , and yet not be confined to it as a chicken in the shell ; but may see , and mount above it to the heavens . vse . therefore think not of souls as you do of bodies , which are circumscribed in their proper places . we know not what formal thoughts to have of the dimensions or locality of spirits : somewhat such eminenter they have , ( for they have individuation and numeral quantity , and some passivity ) but not formaliter as gross bodies have : while the soul is in the body , it worketh on it , and is a substance distinct from it , and such a form as hath also its own form ; even it s formal power or virtue , of vital activity , sensitive and intellective perception , and sensitive and rational appetite . it is active life it self , as the principle : it perceiveth it self , and loveth it self , it understandeth what other spirits are , by it self ; it remembereth innumerable things past : it riseth up to some knowledge of god. it can seek , love , and obey him , and all this though not out of the body yet above any efficiency of bodily organs . o what a sad part of mans fall is it , to lose so much as the world hath done , of the knowledge of our selves . and to begin to know our selves , our souls , and how man differs from a beast , is the first part of recovering knowledge , leading up towards the knowledge of god , which is the highest . o then , sirs , do not only own the heavenly dignity of souls , but use your souls accordingly . are they good for no better ▪ than to serve the body in lust and appetite , and keep it in motion and some pleasure , or at least from stinking a while in the world , sinners , hear and consider , if you willfully condemn your own souls to beastiality , god will condemn them to perpetual misery . yea , you do it your selves , and pass from bruitishness to the devilish nature and woful state. observ . 7. the things of the heavenly paradise are to mortal men unutterable . that is , 1. such as cannot be uttered . and , 2. such as must not be uttered . it is not lawful to paul that saw them . not that nothing of it may or must be uttered : christ hath brought life and immortality to light : they are great things and glorious which are by him revealed . enough well believed and used to overcome the temptation of this flesh and world , and to raise us to a holy life , and joyful hope , and comfortable sufferings and death . christ best knoweth the just measure of revelation meet for earth . candles must serve for narrow and dark rooms , and are more worth than all the gold on earth : the sun by day must not come too near us lest it burn us up , but send us its beams at the distance that we can bear them . and all souls are not here meet for the same measures ; much less for that sight which the glorified enjoy . the pure in heart do see god , mat. 5. and even here more than impure souls . 1. there is no humane language that hath words fit to reveal that part of the heavenly things which god hath shut up from us as his secrets . mans words are only fitted to mans use and to mans concerns , and not to angels and the secrets of heauen : we speak not a vvord of god himself , which signifieth formally what god is , but only analogically or by similitude , and yet not in vain . paul saw , and holy souls see , that which no humane language can properly express . 2. and if it could , yet mortals could not understand it : no more than a language which they never heard . 3. and paul had it revealed in a manner suited to his own use , and not in a manner meet for communication . 2. and it was unlawful also to utter it . for god saw not all that meet for the dark world of undisposed sinners , which was allowed to one eminent saint . 2. nor would he have so much more revealed by a minister than the son of god from heaven ; had himself before revealed . 3. and the revelation is to be suited to the fruition . full knowledge is fit only for those that must fully enjoy it . vse . therefore remember with what measures of heavenly knowledge , we must be here content , so much as christ hath revealed and is suitable to a distant life of faith. i have known some that have run into greater calamities than i will mention , by an expectation of visible communion with angels ; and others by rash conceits of visions , dreams and prophetical revelations : but the common errour of christians is , to content themselves with a feeble faith ( or at least get no better ) and then think it should be made up by somwhat like to sight or corporal sense , and to be unsatisfied because they know no more than by beleiving they can reach to : as if beleiving were but an uncertain apprehension , ( with which we are unsatified ) and we are not content to live on that which god hath revealed , but we would fain know more , before we are ready for it ; whereas we must explicitly beleive all that is explicitly revealed , and implicitly beleive and trust god for the rest . vve are here used to live by sight and sense , and the soul is strange to such apprehensions as are quite above sense and without it . and fain we would have god bring down the unseen things to these sensations and perceptions : and we would fain have distinct and formal knowledge , of that which god hath but generally revealed . it is somewhat excusable for a soul to desire this , as it is the state of perfection to which we do aspire . but it is not well that we remember not more that sight and full fruition , are reserved together for the life to come ; and that we live no more thankfully and joyfully on so much as we may in the body by beleiving know . quest . what may we conjecture those things are which paul had seen and must not utter ? vvhy should we enquire , when they must not be uttered ? vve may mention a possibility to rebuke our bold unquiet thoughts . our souls would fain have not only analogical , but formal conceptions of the essence , substance , glory , immensity , eternity of god. hope for much in heaven ( but never for an adequate comprehension ) but this is the very highest of all those things which are not to be uttered , and therefore not to be here attain'd . our souls would fain be perfect extensively and intensively in philosophy , and know heaven and earth , the spheares , or orbs , or vortices ; the magnitudes , number , distances , motions , and the nature of all the stars , and the compagination of the whole frame of being . but this is unutterable , and not here to be known . our souls would fain know more of the angelical nature ; what such spirits are , whether absolutely immaterial as meer acts and virtues ; or substances which are pure matter , and what their number and differences are , and how vast and many and distant their habitations , and what are their offices on earth or elsewhere ; and how much they know of us and our affairs , and in what subordination men , churches and kingdoms stand to them , and they to one another , and how they are individuated , and how farre one : but all these are unutterable , and lockt up from us . our souls would fain know whether there was any vvorld before this earth , and the creation of the six dayes ; and whether there was any spiritual being , which was an eternal effect by emanation from an eternal cause , as light from the sun : and whether the sun , and stars are intellectual or sensitive , and exceed man in form as well as in matter , and what the noble nature of fire is . but these things are unutterable and so not knowable to us . our souls would fain have more sensible perceptions of themselves , as to their substance , and their separate state ? whether they are substances utterly immaterial , how they are generated ? how they subsist , and act out of the body ? and how they do enjoy ? how they are indivuate , and yet how far one ? how far one or not one with christ , and one another ? whether they are divisible in substance as continued quantities , as well as in number as quantitates discretae : what place and limits do confine them ( being not infinite ) ? how far they have still sensation ? and how they see , praise and enjoy god ? and how they converse with one another ? and how farre they know the things on earth ? and how their state before the resurrection differs from what it will be after ? and how far the soul will be instrumental in the raising of the body : but all these are unutterable things . we would fain know more of the decrees of god , and how all his acts are eternal , and yet produce their effects in time ? how they are many , and yet but one , producing divers and contrary effects . many such things inquisitive nature would fain know which are unutterable . but this must satisfie us . 1. that sinful souls , and dark , in a dark body , and a dark world , are not fit for so great a light , nor capable of it ; it will put out our eyes to gaze so neerly on the sun. 2. that christ hath revealed so much of the greatness and certainty of the heavenly glory , as he seeth meet and suitable to gods holy ends and us . 3. that the church hath so much clearer a revelation than the heathen and infidel world , as should make us thankful for our light. 4. that if we believe the revelation of the gospel soundly , we may live a holy joyful life , and die in the peace and triumph of our hopes . 5. that it is not by sight , but by faith that we must here live , in our vvilderness expectant state . 6. that the more we cleave to god , and live by faith above the flesh and world whilst we are in it , the clearer and sweeter our apprehensions of heaven will be . 7. that god must be trusted implicitely about that which is yet unknown to us , as well as explicitly for what we know . and , 8. that what we know not now , we shall know hereafter and the day is neer . let these things quiet our souls in health and sickness , though we are yet in darkness as to the unutterable things . 9. and always adde , that what we know not , christ knoweth for us , to whom it belongeth to prepare the place for us , and us for it , and to receive us . had we but a friend in heaven whom we could trust , we could partly , take up with their knowledge . our head is there , and the eyes that we must trust to are in our head. but how was paul in danger of being exalted above measure , by the abundance of revelations ? answer , 1. it might have been above the measure meet for man in flesh , and so unsuitable to his present state . 2. it might have been unto sinful pride , as the angels fell from god , and as adam fell , desiring to be as a god in knowledge . observ . 8. even heavenly revelations may be made the matter and occasion of unmeet and sinful exaltation . for , 1. it is the nature of sin to turn all our objects into it self to feed it . not as they are without us in esse reali , but within us in esse cognito , the idea's in our minds . austin saith indeed , that grace is that quo memo male utitur , but he must mean it . 1. as in it self . 2. and efficiently , grace never doth evil . but objectively in the idea or remembrance of it , it may be abused to pride . 2. and the greatest and most excellent objects as ours , give pride the greatest advantage . heavenly revelations are far more excellent than gold , and dominion and vvorldly pomp. children are proud of fine cloths , and vvordly fools of vain-glory ; but saints may be more tempted to be proud of vvisdom , holiness and things above the reach of others . 3. and satan knoweth how to fetch . temptations from the highest , best , and holiest things : and his malice being as much against them as against us , he will be here most malignantly industrious . vse vve see then that pride is such a sin , as the holiest saint is not fully secured from , no not when he hath been hearing unutterable words , and seeing the heavenly paradise it self : no not if he came down from the third heavens , ( and bring his unperfect nature with him ) though he came newly from converse with angels ; much more when he cometh from the most fervent prayers , or holiest meditations , or most heavenly and successful studies , and from hearing the most seraphick preacher , or preaching as such an one himself : he is not out of danger , when he newly cometh from the most self-denying acts of mortification , or the greatest victory against temptation , or the greatest suffering for christ . vvhat a sad description do cyprian and epiphanius make of the miscarriages of some confessours that had offered to die for christ . let none therefore abuse the grace of christ , and the doctrine of perseverance , by thinking that it sets him above all danger or fears of falling , unless he can say that he is better than paul was , and hath seen and heard more than he did in paradise , or than peter did with christ , and moses and elias on the holy mount. o that this age did not loudly tell us , how much the real or supposed knowledge of divine things , may be abused to sinful exaltations ! by one side , even by most famed teachers , to contempt of others , and lording it over the heritage of god , and wracking and rending his church by their needless , yea wicked comvulsive imposing devises . and by other side , by hurtful unwarrantable censures and separations , and speaking evil of the things which they know not . have you heard and seen more of heaven than others ? be then more holy , loving , merciful and peaceable , and liker those in heaven than others : read over and over jam. 3. shew out of a good conversation your works with meekness of wisdom : for the wisdom from above neither befriendeth enmity to piety or peace , but is first pure , then peaceable , &c. but how is paul kept from being exalted above measure ? god gave him a thorn in the flesh . note , observ . 9. god seeth our danger when we see not our own , and saveth us from that which we saw not , or had not else prevented . thanks to him , and not to us . but how doth god do it ? by a thorn in the flesh . observ . 10. it is better that the flesh smart , than the soul be overmuch exalted . no pain or suffering of the flesh is so bad as pride , nor hath so bad effects . vse . why then do so little fear exaltation . how greedily do some religious people desire it ? how impatient of any thing that crosseth it and humbleth them : how little do they lament it and confess it . is pride so rare or so small a sin ? even among preachers and zealous men . and why do we so much fear every thorn in the flesh : every sickness , pain , or cross , as if pride could be prevented or killed at too dear a rate ? and why do we quarrel with god for our sufferings as if our disease were not so bad as his remedy . who ever heard you in health cry out of your pride , as in sickness you do of your pain . it 's a happy thorn which lets out this corrupt aud pestilent blood . but what was this thorn in the flesh of paul. answ . the greek word signifieth a sharp stake , pale , nail , stub , or thorn , or any such sharp thing that runs into the flesh , as it falls out with barefoot travellers among such thorns and stubs . it s strange how many expositors came to take up that injurious conceit that it was fleshly lust ; which hath not the least colour in the text. 1. lust wou'd be rather likened to a fire or itch , than to a thorn. 2. it would be called an alluring rather than a buffeting . 3. paul had a life of labour and suffering , which would keep down flesly lust . 4. this thorn is given him , as sent from god to save him from sin ; but where is god said to give men lust to save them from pride . 5. this thorn was the buffeting of a messenger of satan . but it is not like , that satan could so excite lust in paul. 6. paul prayeth thrice that it might be taken from him : it is not like that satan could so follow him with lustful motions , and that paul would not have mentioned fasting and other means of cure. 7. god doth not yet say that he will yet take it from him , but under his weakness manifest his sustaining grace : which sounds not like an answer of a prayer against lust . 8. paul is vindicating his ministry against accufers , by mentioning his infirmities , that is , his bodily sufferings and his revelations ; and is the telling them of his lust a meet means for this ? 9. it is called his weakness ; which is his usual title for his sufferings ; but you may see rom. 7. that he calleth lust by more odious names . i doubt not but it was some bodily suffering which was this thorn , but whether by persecutors or by a disease is the chief doubt : many think that it was by persecution . 1. because it was by a messenger of satan . 2. because wicked men are in scripture likened to thorns . i more encline to think it was a fit of some violent pain in the flesh , and most likely the stone ( or some such thing ) which indeed is a tormenting thorn in the flesh . for 1. vve read of his frequent persecutions , but never that he so named them , or that he so much prayed against them , but rejoyced , as christ bids such , with exceeding joy : mat. 5. 11 , 12. and when he and all the apostles so much exhort believers to rejoyce in such sufferings for christ , is it like he would here tell men how he prayed against it ? and as to the reasons for the contrary sense , 1. vvicked men are called thorns as hurtful , and so are other hurting things . christ had a crown of thorns on his head , joh. 19. 5. and paul must feel one in his flesh . job 41. 2. prov. 26. 9. & 22. 5. hos . 2. 6. & 9. 6. any thing hurtful is likened to thorns . 2. and satan is in scripture usually mentioned as gods executioner , even in trying his children . it was into his hands that job was put : hurting work is fittest for an evil and destroying angel. he would sift the apostles as wheat , by outward affrighting as well as inward tempting . however suffering it was . observ . 10. a thorn in the flesh is one of gods means to keep the best from being overmuch exalted . you have heard that the best may need it ; 1. and the flesh hath so much hand in our sin , that it is fit to bear its part of suffering . 2. and it is the most ignoble part , and therefore its suffering hath less of hurt , and less to signifie gods displeasure . soul sufferings are the sore sufferings . and it is the soul that is the chief agent in our duties , and therefore where it is spared we are least disabled for gods work , and our communion with him . 3. and the nearness of body and soul is such , that god can use the body to keep the soul in a humble , and a safe condition . vse . mistake not the nature and meaning of the flesh's sufferings . grudge not at god , if he exercise thus his greatest saints : vvonder not if the best men have sharp persecutions , pinching wants , and painful sickness , a long and sharp tormenting stone , or other such like thorn in the flesh . 1. it is but the flesh , in our british part ; common to beasts : if flesh must die and rot , why may it not first feel the thorn. 2. vve grudged not at that health and youth and ease and pleasure of it , which was the danger and temptation to the soul , why then should we grudge at the pain which tendeth to our cure. 3. if you feel not the need of suffering , you know not your selves : did you know your pride , and overmuch love of flesh and ease , you would say that pain is a physick which you need , were it but to help on your willingness to die . 4. pain here depriveth us of none of our true felicity ; it hindereth not gods love to us ; it keeps us not from heaven : lazarus was in a fairer way than dives . it takes nothing from us , but what we covenanted to forsake for christ . 5. do we not find that we are better when we suffer than when we are high ? were religious people better when victories and successes did lift them up than they have been in their sufferings . did they live then more humbly , peaceably and heavenly ? 6. the thorn will soon be taken out ; flesh will not endure long and therefore this pain will not be long ; a few more painful nights and days , and the porter which we fear , will break open our prison doors , and end these weary grievous sufferings . vse . 2. and think not the thorn is a mark that such are worse than others . paul was not worse ; and shall we censure such as he . vse . 3 but let us all know the use of suffering , what cure hath this medicine wrought ? blessed be our wise and gracious physician , we find it a powerful though unpleasant remedy . it keepeth lazarus from the sins of dives ; from living a worldly sensual life ; and loving the prosperity of the flesh instead of heavenly true felicity : it keepeth us from a beastly living to our appetites and lust ; which would divert and deprave the spiritual appetite : it keepeth us from being deluded by worldly flatteries , and looking for a portion in this life , and laying up a treasure on earth , and from growing sensless and impenitent in sin. it awakeneth the soul to serious expectations of eternity , and keepeth us as within the sight or hearing of another world , and tells us to the quick that we must make ready to die , and to be judged , and that we have much more to do with god than with man , and for heaven than earth ; it taketh down pride , and all excessive respects to humane approbation , and keeping us still in the sight of the grave , doth tell us what mans body is , mors solae fatetur , quantula sunt hominum corpuscula , juv. what faithful soul that hath been bred up in the school of afflictions doth not by experience say that it was good for him ? how dull , how proud , how worldly might we else have been , and trifled away our lives in sloth and vanity . and it is not for nothing that our thorns ( or nailes ) in the flesh are kin to the nailes that pierced our saviour on the cross , and that we tread in his steps , and as cross-bearers are thus far conformable to his sufferings . be patient than under the pain , and careful to improve it , and thankful for the profit . and let not the soul too much condole the flesh , as if it had not at hand a better habitation and interest . it is but this vile body , phil. 3. 19. lent us for a little time , as our clothes till night , or as our horse in a journey ; when we have done with them , be content of gods separation ; and till then let us not take our corrector for our enemy . i groan too much , lord , i complain too much , i fear too much : but my soul doth acknowledge the justice and love and wisdom of thy dealings , and looketh that this thorn should bring forth sweet and happy fruit , and that all the nailes of my cross being sanctified by the blood of my crucified redeemer should tend to make me partaker of thy holiness . but who put this thorn into pauls flesh ? it was one of satans messengers . observ . 11. the sufferings of the holiest persons in the flesh , may be the buffettings of a messenger of satan . no wonder ! he that hath got somewhat of his own in us all , defiling us with sin , if he also may answerably be permitted to afflict us : he possessed many in christs time , and it was devils that made them dumb , and deaf , and mad ; whom christ at once delivered from devils and diseases . he is called the accuser and destroyer , and he that had the power of death . heb. 2. 14. whom christ by death and resurrection conquered . christ calleth his healing the palsie man , the forgiving of his sin ; and james saith , upon prayer and anointing , the sick should be healed , and his sins forgiven . and for the cause of sin , many christians were sick and weak , and many fallen asleep . i cannot say that good angels may not hurt men , and execute gods judgments ; but scripture maketh evil ones his ordinary executioners . vse . therefore it is no proof that a man is not a child of god , though the devil have permission to torment his flesh , rev. 2. 10. the devil shall cast some of you into prison . please god , and satan hath no power ; and christ will take take out the thorn ere long , which satan is permitted to put in . but how doth paul endure the thorn ? he prayeth that is might depart from him . observ . 12. the best men are sensible of the suffering of the flesh , and may pray god to take it from them . grace doth not make the flesh insensible ; nor separate the soul from it , though it set us above it ; nor make us despise it , though it shew us a higher interest and better habitation , and teach us to bear the cross , and resign the body to the will of god. a godly man may groan under his pain , and take it as a fruit of sin , and an act of the chastizing justice of an offended father , and pray against it as hurtful , though not as a remedy . they that ignorantly dispute that because christ hath suffered all our punishment , therefore there is no penal hurt in pain or death , confute themselves if they complain under it , or pray against it , or desire such prayers from the church or any . yea , one use of the thorn is to awaken and quicken us to prayer : like jonas's storm . vse . go then to god in all affliction , but not with carnal discouraged hearts . he maketh you thus feel the need of his mercy , that you may with the prodigal think of home and cry for mercy , and abuse it no more . christ did not blame the blind and lame for crying out , jesus , thou son of david have mercy on us . nor the canaanite vvoman for begging for the crums ; is any afflicted let him pray , and send for the elders prayers . the thorn in the flesh will make us feel ; and feeling will teach us to repent and pray , and prayer is the means of hope for the deliverance of body and soul. grace maketh us not stupid , yet there are some that think a man behaveth not himself like a believer if he cry and pray that the thorn may depart ! what think they of david , in psal . 6. and 17. and 88. and many more ? what think they of christ that prayed , that if possible the cup might passe by him . he did it to shew that even innocent nature is averse to suffering , and death through grace makes us submit to the will of god ; ( we continue men when we are beleivers , we must mourn with them that mourn , and yet not love others better than our selves ; nor feel their thorns more sensibly than our own . vve must neither despise chastenings , nor faint . but how doth paul pray ? doth he make any great matter of of his thornes , he besought the lord thrice , that it might depart . observ . 13. even earnest and oft prayer is suitable to sharp afflictions . there is a kind of devils , and so of satans thornes , which go not out but by fasting and prayer , no not by christs own apostles . the sense and means must be suited to the malady . god can do it upon one prayer , or upon none , but we are not so easily fited to receive it . and paul in this also is conformed to christ , who in his agony pray'd thrice against his cup , though with submission vse . 1. you see here that the apostles gift of healing , was not to be used at their own will , nor for their own flesh that it might not suffer ; but for the confirmation of the faith , when it pleased the holy spirit . troplainus and epaphroditus might be sick , and timothy need a little vvine with his vvater , though paul had the gift of healing . vse . 2. o let our pains drive us all to god , who hath not some ? sicknesses are all abroad , what house , how few persons have not some ; and yet is there a prayerless house , or person ? if faith have not taught you to pray as christians , methinks feeling should teach you to pray as men ? i say not that prayer must shut out food and physick , but food and physick will not do , if prayer prevail not with the lord of all . vse . 3. and think not thrice or continued praying to be too much , or that importunity is in vain , luk. 18. 1. christ spake a parable to this end , that men ought always to pray and not wax faint . vvhether god deliver us or not , prayer is not lost , it is a good posture for god to find us in , we may get better if we get not what we ask . obey and pray , and trust god. but what answer doth the lord give to pauls thrice praying . he said , my grace is sufficient for thee , and my strength is manifested in weakness . 1. it was not a promise that the thorn should depart . 2. it seems to be rather a denial at the present , and that paul must not be yet cured of his thorn ; for it is called a weakness that must continue for the manifesting of gods strength : and what was the sufficiency of grace and strength for , but to endure and improve the thorn ? 3. but this promised grace and strength is better than that which was desired . obs . 14. even oft and earnest prayer of the greatest saint , for deliverance from bodily pains , may not be granted in the kind , or thing desired . for , 1. we are not lords , but beggars , and must leave the issue to the donor . and god hath higher ends to accomplish , than our ease or deliverance . it 's meet that he should first fit all his actions to his own will and glory , and next to the good of many , and to his publick works in the world ; and then to look at our interest next . 2. and we are utterly unmeet judges of matter , manner , time or measure what god should give us for the body , and how much , and how , and when . when should we be sick , or pained , or persecuted , or dye , if all our prayers must be absolutely granted . we know not how much better god is preparing us for by pain , and bringing us to by dismal death . he will not keep us from grace and glory because our flesh is loth to suffer , and to die . 3. and in this paul also was conformed to christ : he was heard in the thing that he feared , when in his agony he prayed with strong cryes : but it was not by the removing of the bitter cup , but by divine strength and acceptance : and so it is with paul ; sufficient grace and strength to bear , is the thing promised . vse . 1. we see then that they are mistaken that think christs promise of giving believers whatever they ask , will prove him a breaker of his promise , if the strongest believer receive not all that he asketh for the body . was not paul a strong believer ? all that god hath promised , and we are fit to receive , god will be sure to give . 2. let not unbelief get advantage by gods not granting such prayers for the body . say not , why then is it my duty to pray ? 1. you know not before-hand but god may give it . possibility bids you beg . 2. why did christ pray against his cup ? 3. you lose not prayer : you draw nearer god : you exercise repentance and desire : you signifie your dependance : you are prepared for much greater gifts . obs . 15. when god will not take the thorn out of our flesh , and deliver us when we pray , from bodily sufferings , he will be sure to do better for prepared persons , even to give them his sufficient grace , and manifest his strength in their pain and weakness . it is not for want of love or power that he lets us tumble on our beds in pain , or lie under slanderers or persecutors rage . he that with a word could make the world , with a word can save us from all this . but if we suffer not , how shall suffering-graces be exercised , faith , patience , self-denial , and hope ? is not grace better than ease or life ? how shall we get the benefit of suffering , if we feel it not ? how shall grace and divine strength be manifested to our selves and others ? quest . what is it that grace is sufficient for ? ans . 1. not to set us up above the frailties of humanity and mortality ; nor to raise us to the joy that souls in heaven have . 2. not to every one alike , but in our several measures : some fear pain and death more than others : some have greater patience and joy , and long to depart and be with christ . but to all the faithful it shall suffice , 1. to keep them from revolting from christ , and repenting of their choice and hope . 2. to save them from charging god foolishly , as if he did them wrong . 3. it shall keep them from damning despair . when satan sifteth them , christs intercession shall keep their faith from failing : grace shall humble them , and save them from sin , and the flesh and world : they shall cast soul and body upon christ , and trust him in hope in their several degrees . and those that have been more believing , heavenly and fruitful than the rest , are likest to have the greatest peace and comfort , especially in their greatest need . quest . and how is gods strength manifested in our weakness ? ans . 1. it is manifested to our selves , by keeping us from sin , and sinking into despair , and enabling us to bear , and trust , and wait , and usually in the peace or joy of hope : we know we are insufficient for this our selves : when flesh and heart , as natural , fail us , god is the strength of our hearts , and our portion for ever , psal . 73. 26. we do not think oft before that ever we can bear and overcome , as grace enableth us . 2. and it 's manifest oft to others , who shall see that power of grace in the sufferings of believers , which they did not see in their prosperity . vse . 1. let not then our own weakness and insufficiency too , much distress us with fears of suffering and death ; yea , when we feel the thorn , let us not forget our help and strength . by grace here is meant , the living and merciful help of god , especially giving us the inward strength by which we may not only bear , but improve the sufferings of the flesh . this body was not made to be here incorruptible or immortal ; we were born in sin , and therefore born to pain and death . we have lived in sin , and no wonder if we live in sorrow : but the sufferings of our redeemer have sanctified our sufferings . the cross is not now such a cursed thing , as guilt had made it . he took our suffering flesh and blood , that he might destroy by death , the devil that had the power of death , and deliver us who by the fear of death , were all our life-time subject to bondage , heb. 2. 14. our pain prepareth us for endless pleasures , and our sorrows for our masters joy . when we have suffered with him , we shall reign with him : he liveth , and we shall live by him : he is risen , and we shall rise by him : he is in glory , and we must be with him . in the mean time his grace is sufficient for us , not only in health and ease , but in all our pain and sickness : he is not so unskilful or unkind , as to give such physick to his own , which shall do them more harm than good . though it be grievous at the present , it brings forth the quieting-fruit of righteousness : but we must first be exercised therein . let us not then be his impatient patients : grace can support us and overcome . men are not sufficient : our wit , our power , our worthiness are not sufficient : but god's grace is sufficient : if ease and life had been better than grace and glory , we might have had them : but god giveth us better than flesh would chuse . though the body be weak , the head weak , the memory weak , the stomack weak , and all weak , yet god is strong , and his strength will support us , and bring us safe to our journeys end . lazarus lay among dogs in weakness at the rich mans doors , but the angels convey'd him in strength to abrahams bosom . we must lie , and languish , and groan in weakness , but omnipotence is engaged for us : we must die in weakness , but we shall be raised in power , by him who will change these vile bodies , and make them like to his glorious body , by the power by which he can subdue all things to himself , phil. 3. 20 , 21. let us therefore lift up the hands that hang down , and the feeble knees , heb. 12. 12. looking to jesus the author and finisher of our saith , who for the joy that was set before him , endured the cross . and let us beg more for divine grace and strength , than for the departing of the thorn . grace is better than ease and health . if the soul be our nobler part than the body , the health of it is more desirable . bodily ease is common to bruits and wicked men : strength of grace is proper to saints : ease and health in this life are short ; but holiness will be everlasting . health fits us for fleshly pleasure , but holiness for communion with god. o pray not carnally , for the flesh more than for the spirit , for earth more than for heaven . pray , that while the outward man is perishing , the inward man may be renewed day by day ; and that our light afflictions , which are but for a moment , may work for us an exceeding and eternal weight of glory , while we look not at the temporal things which are seen , but at the eternal things , which are unseen to us , 2 cor. 4. 16 , 17 , 18. why should we grudg at any sufferings , which are for the glory of gods grace and strength : as christ said of lazarus , this sickness is not unto death ( that is , the end of it is not to end his life , though he dye ) but that the glory of god may be revealed . so pain and death are not gods ends , but the manifesting of his grace and strength . but , alas , it is not only the flesh that is weak , but grace it self , ( as it is in us , though not as it is in god and of god ) ; nor is it flesh only that hath the thorn , but the heart or conscience also hath its part . the spirit of a man ( if sound and well ) will sustain ( his bodily ) infirmities : but a wounded spirit who can bear ? if faith were not weak , if hope , and love , and desire were not weak , the weakness of the body might well be born . if sin and guilt were no wound or thorn in the soul and conscience , we could be more indifferent as to the flesh , and almost as quietly bear our own pain and death , as our neighbours . though it 's hard to say is tertullian nihil crus sentit in nervo , cum animus est in coelo ; yet our content and joy would overcome the evil of our suffering . but , alas , when soul and body must be both at once lamented , this , this , is hardly born ! lord ! seeing it is thy sufficient grace , and not my bodily ease which i must trust to , and my weakness must manifest thy strength : o let not grace also be in me insufficient and weak ! o let not faith be weak , nor hope , nor love , nor heavenly desires and foretasts be weak ! nor patience and obedience weak ! head is weak , and heart is weak ; but if faith also be weak , what shall support us : at least let it be unfeigned and effectual , and attain its end , and never fail . flesh is failing , and health ( as to its proper strength ) is failing . but be thou my god , the strength of my heart , and my portion for ever . and what ever thorn the flesh must feel , yet let me finish my course with joy . amen . i have run over many things in a text so suitable , that i could not well spare any of them . those that well knew our deceased friend , will say that except pauls extraordinary rapture , and apostolical priviledges , in pauls case i have been describing his . i come not to gratifie the interest of any of his relations , to speak to you according to custom of a stranger whom i knew not ; but for the honour of gods grace , and our own edification , to tell you what i knew by my most faithful and familiar friend . it is almost forty years since i heard him preach in the city of gloucester ; there was his enterance , and there he lived ( under a papist bishop of the protestant church , godfry goodman , as his last testament in print professed ) there he abode during the civil wars , and wrote the history of what happened there . he was after removed to the city of chichester , and from thence to bramshot in hamshire , and silenced with the rest , he was cast out , where he continued till 1662. he lived peaceably in london without gathering any assembly for publick preaching . dwelling in totteridg with alderman web , his great love drew him there , to remove to me , with whom a while he took up his habitation . in all the time that he was with me , i remember not that ever we differed once in any point of doctrine , worship , or government ecclesiastical or civil , or that ever we had one displeasing word . the kings licenses encouraged his old flock at chicestor to invite him thither , though they had the help of another nonconformist before , with whom he joined with love and concord . god many years afflicted him with the disease that was his death ; while the pain was tolerable to nature , he endured it , and ceased not preaching till a fortnight before he was carried up to london to have been cut . but before that could be done , in about a fortnight more he died . this is the short history of his course . but i will next give you his true character , and then tell you how like his case was to pauls here in my text , and then tell you to what use i do all this . i. he was a man so blameless in all his conversation , that i may say as i did here lately of another ( alderman ashurst ) that i never heard one person accuse or blame him , except for nonconformity , and that difference from others in these divided times , which his book expresses . of which more anon . ii. were it not that i have said we never differed , and so made my self an incompetent judg , i should have said that i thought him a man of great clearness and soundness in religion , much by the advantage of the calmness and considerateness of his mind . iii. he was of so great moderation and love of peace , that he hated all that was against it , and would have done any thing for concord in the church , except sinning against god , and hazarding salvation . in the matter of the five articles , or arminianism , he went the reconciling way , and i have seen a compendium of his thoughts in a manuscript , which is but the same with what i have delivered in my cath. theol. but better fitted to readers that must have much in a few words . he constantly at totteridg joined in all the worship with the publick assembly , and had no sinful separating principles . he was for catholick union , and communion of saints , and for going no further from any churches or christians than they force us , or then they go from christ . he then preached only to such neighbours as came into the house between the times of the publick worship . he was for loving and doing good to all , and living peaceably with all as far as was in his power . something in episcopacy , presbytery , and independency , he liked , and some things he dislikt in all ; but with all sorts lived in love and peace , that did seek the furtherance of mens salvation . many parts of conformity he could have yielded to , but not to all , nothing less than all would satisfie . iv. in all he was true to his conscience , and warpt not for a parties interest or faction . if all the nonconformists in england had refused , he would have conformed alone , if the terms had been reduced to what he thought lawful . and he studied that with great impartiality . v. he managed his ministry with faithfulness and prudence : he took it for heinous sacriledg to alienate himself from the sacred office to which he was devoted , though men forbad it him . but he thought not the same circumstances of ministration necessary to all times and places : he was not for open preaching to great numbers , when it was like by accident to do more hurt than good : nor yet for forbearing it , when it was like to do more good than hurt . he spared not his flesh , but held on from year to year under his great pain of the stone in the bladder , till within a month before he dyed . much less would the prohibition of any restrain him , to whom god gave no such forbidding-power . vi. he served god with self-denial , not with any selfish or worldly designs : he never lookt after preferment or riches , or any great matters in the world : he had daily bread , and was therewith content . vii . he suffered his part in our common lot 1662. aug. 22. ( ejected and silenced with about 2000 more ) with as little murmurring as any man that i knew : i never heard him dishonour the king , nor speak much against those by whom he suffered , or rip up their faults , unless a rare and necessary self-defence be called an accusing them . i never heard him so much as complain how much church maintenance he was deprived of , nor of the difficulties of his low dejected case . viii . he was great hater of that base pride and envy , which possesseth too many of the sacred office , who grudg if others be preferred before them ; and if the people go from them to others for their greater edification , and think themselves wronged if they be not followed and applauded , either above , or equal with more worthy men : he was very careful to preserve the reputation of his brethren , and rejoyced in the success of their labours , as well as of his own , and a most careful avoider of all divisions , contentions , or offences . and he was very free in acknowledging by whom he profited , and preferring others before himself . ix . he was very much in the study of his own heart , by strict examination , as his cabinet-papers , which may come to light , make known , as i had also occasion otherwise to know . x. by this examination he was confidently assured of his own sincerity in the true love of god , and of holiness for it self , and such-like evidences which he wrote down , renewing his examination as occasion required : and though he had known what it was to be tempted to doubt of the life to come , he was fully setled against all such doubts and temptations . xi . but though he had a setled assurance both of the truth of the gospel , and the life to come , and of his own satisfaction and sincerity : yet so lively were his apprehensions of the greatness of his approaching change , and the weight of an everlasting state , and what it is to enter upon another world , that he was not without such fears , as in our frail condition here , poor mortals that are near death are lyable to . and indeed fear signifieth a belief of the word of god , and the life to come , much more than dull insensibility : but he signified his belief both by fear and hope , and strong assurance . xii . he had the comfort of sensible growth in grace . he easily perceived a notable increase of his faith , and holiness , and heavenliness , and humility , and contempt of worldly vanity , especially of late years , and under his affliction , as the fruit of gods correcting-rod . i have truly given you the description of the man , according to my familiar knowledge . i shall yet review the similitude of his case with this of paul described in my text. i. paul was accused by envious , contentious teachers : and so was he ; though i never heard any one person else speak evil of him ; as is said , they that upbraided not paul with his former persecution , nor had any crime to charge him with , yet accused his ministry : as they said of daniel , we shall find no fault against him , except it be concerning the law of his god. his preaching and writings , though all for peace , were the matter of his accusations : the bishop blamed him for preaching , even when the king had licensed him : and a nameless writer published a bloody invective against his pacificatory-book , called the interest of england , as if it had been written to raise a war. the enemies of peace were his enemies . ii. he took boasting to be inexpedient , as paul did : and when he was silenced as unworthy to be suffered in the ministry , he once offered a modest defence to the bishop , and wrote a short and peaceable account of his judgment about the sin of schism , in his own vindication . iii. he had ( though not the extasie of paul , yet ) great knowledge of things divine and heavenly to have been the matter of his glory . iv. the heavenly paradise was the place of his hopes , where he daily studied to lay up his treasure , which had his chiefest thoughts and care . v. he found by experience that an immortal soul is not so tyed to this body of flesh , but that it can get above it , and all its interest and pleasure , and live on the hopes of unseen glory . vi. as he knew the incapacity of mortals , to have formal and adequate conceptions of the state of the heavenly paradise and separated souls ; so he submitted to gods-concealing will , and lived on the measure of gospel-revelation . vii . he knew the danger of being exalted above measure , by occasion of holy knowledge ; and how apt man is to be so puffed up . viii . god himself saved him from that danger , by his humbling wholesome sharper remedy . ix . a thorn in the flesh was gods remedy to keep him in a serious humble frame : three great stones were found in his bladder , and one small one in a corrupted kidney : and how painful a thorn these were for many years , it is easie to conjecture . x. satan was permitted to try him as job , not only by the pain of his flesh , but also by reproaches , as aforesaid , and by casting him out of his ministry , as unworthy to preach the gospel of christ , unless he would say , swear , and do all that was by men imposed , and the rest of those afflictions which are contained in such an ejected , impoverished , calumniated state , are described in the late and former experience of may such . xi . though i never heard him pray against poverty or reproach , yet for the liberty of his ministry he did , that he might preach that gospel of salvation . and pain forced him to have recourse to god for deliverance from the thorn in his flesh . and if christ and paul prayed thrice with earnestness , no wonder if continued pain made him continue his suit to god. xii . as christ was heard in the thing which he feared , and yet must drink that cup : and paul instead of the departing of the one , was promised sufficient grace , and the manifesting of gods strength in his pain and weakness ; so it pleased not god to take away the thorn from our dear brothers flesh , but he did better for him , and gave him his supporting help , and an increase of grace , and shewed his own strength in all his weakness ; and also hastened his final deliverance , beyond expectation . and now he is past all , at rest with christ , and all the blessed : we see not them , but they see god , and god feeth us , and is preparing us for the same felicity : and if it be by the same means , and we must bear the cross , and feel the thorn , it will be wholesome and short , and good is the will and work of god. lord , let me not account ease , honour or life dear to me , that i may finish my course with joy , and the ministry received of the lord , and come in season and peace to thee . and is not this providence of god , and this example of our deceased friend of use to us ? yes , no doubt of manifold use . i. it is of great use to all the land , to good and bad , to observe gods threatning in the removal of his servants : o how many excellent christians and faithful ministers of christ , have been taken hence within a few months : the same week we hear of four or five more besides our brother , and some of them the most excellent useful men . and is it not time , 1. to repent of our neglect of such helps as god is now removing ? 2 and to be presently awakened to use them better before the rest be taken away ? alas , poor souls , what a case are you in , if you dye , or the word be taken from you , before you are regenerated and prepared for a better life ! it is not so much their loss and hurt as yours , which satan endeavoureth in silencing so many hundred such : and it is your heavy punishment more than theirs , which god inflicteth by their death . o speedily repent , before that death have stopt the mouths which call'd you to repentance . and it should awaken the best to prepare for death , and for publick suffering : it seems there is some great evil to come when god thus takes away the best . yea , if it should be a forerunner of a better state , yet all save two of the old stock that dishonoured god in the wilderness must fall , and it was by bloody wars ( a dreadful means ) that joshua and the new generation were to possess the land of promise . ii. it is of use to us unworthy ministers of christ who yet survive . 1. it calleth loudly to us to work while it is day , for our night is near when we cannot work : death will shortly silence us all more effectually , than men have done . do gods work prudently , do it patiently , peaceably , and in as much concord and true obedience as you can : but be sure you do it , whoever forbid it , or be against it , as long as god or your selves have not rendered you uncapable . whatever silencers say against it , necessity is upon you : god calls for it : souls call for it : the charge is dreadful , 2 tim. 4. 1 , 2. your vows call for it : satans malice , and the number of soul-betrayers and murderers must provoke you : our time is short : souls are precious : christ the chief shepherd dearly purchased them , and will judge you according to your works : it will not justifie your neglect to say , men forbad me : sufferings were prepared for me : bishops and famous divines wrote learned books to prove that preaching was to me a sin , and that i was bound to forbear it when forbidden . 2. and it telleth us that we as well as others must prepare for the sharpest tryals from god. no thorn in the flesh so sharp and painful , which we may not feel . no death so violent or sudden but we may undergo . love and hatred are not known by outward events , prosperity or adversity . a great difference solomon acknowledgeth between the good and the bad , the righteous and wicked , him that sacrificeth ( or worshippeth god ) and him that doth not ; him that sweareth ( perjuriously or prophanely ) , and him that seareth ( such ) an oath : some are loved of god , and some are hated : and this difference is manifest in such disposals , even of prosperity and adversity , as tend to their greater holiness and happiness , which shall manifest the difference fully and for ever . but outward events manifest it not in themselves : all such things come alike to all : yea , the cross is more laid on the godly , than the wicked . o therefore away with the two disciples desires of church-preferment and worldly dignity , and prepare to drink of christs cup , and be baptized with his baptism , eccles . 9. 1 , 2 , 3. matth. 20. 22 , 23. learn daily how to bear slanders and persecutions from men , even from christian teachers ; and how to lie in fleshly pains night and day , and how to die : and all this in faith , and peace , and joy , at least in the quiet hope of everlasting joy . iii. and without any disgracing or provoking design , but meerly in conscience and compassion to the souls of the people , and of our reverend brethren themselves ; i do humbly intreat the right reverend and reverend imposing clergy , to lay by a while , if possible , all unrighteous prejudice and partiality , and worldly interests and respects , and consider that they also must die , and as they will stand to it at last , to resolve these questions : i. whether those terms of church-concord and peace be wisely and justly made , which are too narrow to receive such men as this ( for faith , knowledge , peaceableness , blamelesness , holines , &c. ) into the ministry , communion of their church , or to endure themout of a jayl ? whether wise and good men could find no better ? and whether christ ever directed the church to exclude such , or did not plainly require the contrary ? and whether the apostles ever excluded such , or made such rules ? ii. whether they think in their hearts that it were better all the good were undone , which hath been done by nonconformists these 18 years to the ministerial furthering of knowledge , repentance , holiness and salvation , than that such should have preached the gospel when forbidden ? iii. whether it will be peace to your consciences at the judgment of christ , that any of you have furthered the silencing of such , and their other sufferings ? iv. whether they that have written and preached against their preaching , or for their silencing , and the execution of the laws against them , or perswaded them to give over their work themselves , and reproached and accused them for doing it , be not engaged in this frightful cause ? v. is it not gross partiality , if you will cherish men of ignorance , vitiousness , or far less worth , while such as these are thought intollerable , meerly because the former are more obedient to you , than fear of sinning will suffer these to be . vi. was that church therein guided by the spirit of christ , which made the canon which ipso facto excommunicateth such ? vii . if you had known as many of the ( about ) 2000 silenced , and as well as i have done , how much of the grace of god shined in them , is it possible that any man that hath the true fear and love of god , and sense of everlasting things , could ever by any pretences of church government or order , or upon any byas of interest , have consented to their silencing and sufferings ? some will think that in partiality i over-magnifie men , because they were of my own mind and party : i have ( besides some pious women ) written the characters , and published the praises of divers ; of mr. rich. vines , mr. john janeway , mr. joseph allen , mr. henry stubbs , mr. wadsworth , and now mr. john corbet , and lately one layman , alderman ashurst ; and he that hath now received them , whom such as you cast out or villified , knoweth that i have in knowledge of them , and love to christ , whose grace shined in them , spoken simply the truth from my heart ; and it is in a time and place where it is fully known , and feareth no confutation . and the history shall live to the shame of church-dividing tearing principles , and all thorny hurtful dispositions , and to the encouragement of the faithful , and the imitation of those that in time to come , shall by saith , patience , and well-doing , seek for immortality and eternal life , by serving our redeemer , and pleasing god. finis . errata . pag. 3. line 26. for great , read gentle . pag. 4. l. 1. for our , r. one . l. 34. for grown , r. groan . p. 5. l. 11. for are sure , r. measure . l. 37. after that , r. the. his writings published are , 1. his history of col. massy's military-actions at and near glocester . 2. the interest of england , 1st and 2d part. 3. a discourse of the religion of england , asserting , that reformed christianity , setled in its due latitude , is the stability and advancement of this kingdom : in two parts . 4. the kingdom of god among men : with a discourse of schism : and an account of himself about conformity . 5. his secret self-employment is now to be printed . containing , 1. memorials for his own practice . 2. his evidences upon self-examination . 3. his thoughts in his last painful afflictions . what else may hereafter see the light , we yet know not . besides his labour in compiling mr. rushworth's first volume of historical collections . select arguments and reasons against popery by r. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1675 approx. 13 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27036 wing b1406 estc r36645 15747333 ocm 15747333 104624 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27036) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 104624) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1164:15) select arguments and reasons against popery by r. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 6 p. [s.n., london printed : 1675?] date of publication suggested by wing. imperfect: t.p. torn with loss of imprint date. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-09 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion select arguments and reasons against popery . by r. baxter . london ▪ printed in the year . ●●●● . select arguments , and reasons , &c. popery , is a certain heap or mixture of many grievous errours in the doctrine of faith , government , and worship , expressed in the authorized writings of the romanists , especially in their decretals and counsels ▪ corrupting the christian religion which they profess , the whole being denominated from that one falshood , the pope of rome is the universal bishop , and visible head of the universal church and christs vicar general on earth , and that , that only is the catholick church , and those only catholicks that so believe ; for the papists professing to be christians do first own the substance of christian doctrine , and then corrupt it , and contradict it by super-adding this fardle of their own inventions ; now to shew how dangerous such their opinion is , be pleased to consider these arguments . argument . 1. those doctrines which are sounded upon a notorious falshood and resolved into it , are not a safe way to salvation , but such are the doctrines which we call popery , therefore popery is no safe way to salvation ; as for the minor the papists confess , they are founded on and resolved into the doctrine of the popes infallibility , or at least his counsels , but that this is a notorious falshood is evident from their histories of both popes and counsels that have erred , and their own confession , i mean , whilst one part of them do confess that the pope may err ( as the french ) and the other ( that is the italians and spaniards ) that a counsel may err ▪ nay pope adrian the 6 th . ( whose word fure may be taken in this case of himself ) wrote his judgement of it , acknowledging that a pope may err . arg. 2. the papists are not agreed amongst themselves either clergy or layity about the very fundaments of their faith , o● matters which they make necessary to salvation , for they maintain that we must receive our faith and the scriptures upon the authority of the infallible church , and yet are not agreed amongst themselves nor ever like to be what the infallible church is , whether in the pope , or in a counsel or in both together . arg. 3 , popery is a new devised way to heaven , such as the apostles never knew , nor the church after them for many a hundred year ( in the main parts of it ) and therefore can be n● s●●e way to salvation . arg. 4. the papists are the greatest schismaticks on earth , most desperately rending the church , and separating themselves from the main body thereof , and lay the grounds of a continual schism in making a new head , and center of the unity of the church ; the catholick church for many hundred years after christ was that body of christians who were united only in christ the head , and held communion in the fundament●ls of faith and worship and had no moral head or center but the worldly greatness of the city of rome occasioning the usurpation of her bishop he would needs make himself the center of union and universal head , and is not this the vilest schism that men can be guilty of . arg. 5. the doctrine of popery derogateth from the written word of god , and setleth the decrees of men above it , enabling them to contradict it's most express institutions , and therefore is no way to salvation . arg. 6. popery is idolatry teaching men to worship the creature with divine worship , as the consecrated host or bread in their mass , 't is true they tell us , that it is no longer bread but the body of christ , but this is a fiction , consider these reasons , if the bread were christs real body , then christ had two real bodies , a sense and an insensible body both at once , and then the apostles did tear christs true flesh , and draw out his blood as well as the jews , and thence it will follow that christs glorified body is corruptible , and may be digested by a mans stomach and become sinful as being a natural part of a sinner , for the bread and wine do nourish us , and turn into our substance , and that a creature ( the baker or priest ) may make god , and that the scriptures are not true , which witness that the heavens must receive him till the restitution of all things , acts 3. 21. with many other abominable absurdities . arg. 7. the doctrine of popery teacheth men to turn the most of gods worship into meer unreasonable ceremonies and vain formalities of mans devising , and who can think that the holy and blessed god will be delighted in their vain bablings and childish cantings , and affected repetitions of words , and saying and hearing we know not what . arg. 8. popery is maintained most commonly by most wicked and abominable means , the very business they so much contend for , is pomp , greatness , dominion , yea tyranny in the world , so that 't is evidently pride , vain glory , and covetousness sets them on , for the support of which , they care not what wickedness they venture : as dispensing with the vilest sins , forging miracles , raising egregious lyes , and butchering where they have power , those that oppose them . argument the 9 th . if all that part of the christian world that was out of reach of the roman empire did never submit to the soveraignty of the pope , then hath he not been successively or at any time the actual head of the universal church , but 't is certain vast numbers of christians amongst the indians , abissines , poles , muscovites and other parts did never so submit , therefore the pope was never actual head of the universal church . argument the 10 th . the rule or test of the faith of papists never had a real being , or no succession from the apostles , and therefore their faith and church hath either no real being , or no such succession , for either general counsels , or popes , or the church essential ( as they call it , that is the whole body ) is the rule of their faith , if it be general counsels . 1. they had no being from the apostles till the counsel of nice , therefore the rule of the papists faith was then unborn . 2. yea the truth is , they never had a being in the world , for that of nice was so far from being universal , that it had but one or two bishops present , but those of the empire , nor was there any thing like a free general counsel since the days of the apostles to this day ; if it be the pope that is the rule of their faith , then their faith hath been interrupted , yea and turned to heresie and infidelity when the pope hath so turned . but lastly , if it be the major part of the universal church , 't is known that two to one are against them , or at least the greatest part , if we reckon ( as we must ) the greek church ; and all others professing christianity in the world , therefore by that rule their belief in the papal soveraignty is false , and yet besides it would be hard if a man must be of no belief till he have brought the world to pole for it . arg. 11. if sence be either fallible or infallible , the pope is fallible , but sence is either fallible or infallible , ergo , the consequence is proved thus , if sence be fallible , the pope is infallible , and all his church , for their senses and the apostles and their followers too must be fallible , but if sense be infallible , still the pope and his counsel are , because the common senses of all sound men take that for bread and wine which they expresly say ( as d● fide to be believed ) is not either bread or wine . reasons to resolve any considerate man against popery . reas . 1. the faith or religion of papists as described by themselves , is so far from infallibility , that it is utterly uncertain unintelligible and meer contradiction and confusion , a changeable thing that no man knoweth whether he have it or not , nor when he hath it all , but whoever hath it , hath certainly a hodge podge of truth and falshoood . reas . 2. their papacy which essentiateth their church is a horrid usurpation of christs own prerogative , and of an office to do that which is incomparably above the power or capacity of any mortal man to take care of all the souls on earth , and rule the antipodes , and in those parts of the world which he hath no knowledge of . reas . 3. the said papacy is an arrogant usurpation of the power of all christian princes and pastors , or of a power over them never given by christ , it setteth up a kingdom in a kingdom , and taketh from pastors the power which christ gave them over their particular flocks . reas . 4. their church is oft essentially unholy , heretical and wicked , because the pope is often so , who is an essential part of it , and therefore it is not the holy catholick church , for whole counsels have upon examination judged their popes to be hereticks , schismaticks , adulterers , blasphemers , &c. and that church cannot be holy , whose essential part is so unholy . reas . 5. their doctrine is not only contrary to many express texts of holy scripture , but also contrary to it's self , one pope and one counsel having decreed one thing , and another the clean con●rary . reas . 6. their religion tendeth greatly to mortifie christianity , and turn it into a dead image by destroying much of its life and power ; by befriending ignorance , locking up the scriptures blind devotion and external formalities . reas . 7. they plead for a church that never had a being in the world , that is all christians headed by one pope , when all the christian world did never take him for their head , nor were governed by him to this day . reas . 8. they dreadfully injure the holy scriptures ; as if jesus christ , and the prophets and apostles in those sacred records had not skill or will to speak intelligibly , and plainly to deliver to us the doctrines necessary to salvation , but they make their voluminous counsels more intelligible and sufficient as if they had done it better , and whereas men must only discern god● laws , and judge causes by the law , they make themselves judge● of the law it self ; by which they must one day be judged . reas . 9 every honest godly protestant may be as sure tha● popery is false , as he is , that he is himself sincere , and loveth god● and is truly willing to obey him ; and no man can turn papist with● ou● self contradiction , who is a true christian , and an honest man for b● turning papist he confesseth himself to be before a fall heart●d hypo●rite , for it is a part of popery to believe that non● in a state of salvation but the subjects of the pope , or members of the papal church , and consequently that no others hav● true faith , repentance , or love to god , all therefore that kno● their own hearts to be truly devoted to god are safe from pope● and since it is agreed on both sides that none ought or can tu●● papists , but ungodly hypocrites , no wonder if such are delud●● by the most palpable deceits and forsaking of god when they h●●● before forsaken him . to conclude this paper , there is yet one argument behind ●●quisite against popery , for it's professors plead not as other p●●ties , only by the tongue , but by exciting princes and states ●gainst us , and disputing with the faggot , or ha●chet in th●●● hands , and therefore if we have not arguments that will con 〈…〉 a navy , an army , or a powder-plot , we may still happen to 〈◊〉 worsted by them . which i beseech the lord for the sake of church , and the honour of the gospel to prevent . finis . additions to the poetical fragments of rich. baxter written for himself and communicated to such as are more for serious verse than smooth. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1683 approx. 93 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 41 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26856 wing b1180a estc r26683 09523472 ocm 09523472 43456 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26856) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 43456) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1323:31) additions to the poetical fragments of rich. baxter written for himself and communicated to such as are more for serious verse than smooth. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 76, [2] p. printed for b. simmons, london : 1683. in verse. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 melanie sanders sampled and proofread 2004-05 melanie sanders text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion additions to the poetical fragments , of rich , baxter , written for himself , and communicated to such as are more for serious verse than smooth . london , printed for b. simmons at the three golden cocks at the west-end of st. pauls , 1683. a supplement to the poetical fragments . i. grace . gods perfect power did this great world create , gods perfect wisdome all in order plac't , gods perfect goodness made all very good , but sin gods image on mans soul defac't . power caus'd necessity , and wisdome order , and both by goodness caused harmony ; all in one perfect frame gods glory shew , praise him and please him with pure melody . sin could not change necessity , nor that disorder which god fixt above mans reach ; but the free lord free agents also made , and there by sin f●●●e-will did make the breach . this breach to man was punishment it self , for god before had order'd nature so , that poyson would cause pain , & wounds cause smart ; and sin to sinners misery and woe . goodness is love delighting to do good , wisdome resolves this fowl breach to repair , and make advantage of mans sin and woe , iustice and mercy largely to declare . hurt is soon done : the wound was quickly made , the cure must be performed by degrees : a saviours grace must exercised be , wisdome with love to do the work decrees . mans soul incorruptible substance is essential life ; not made it self to die . it s final state then like it self will be , durable happyness or misery . but it is plac't in corruptible flesh and the compounded frame that 's called man , must be dissolv'd ; for sin hath caused death ; and flesh must turn to earth , whence it began ▪ but he who mans salvation undertook is perfect primitive life , light and love ; and will give compound life again to man , in joyful glory with himself above . but as in nature god great difference made , stones are not men ; all have their proper place ; men are not stars , and stars are not the sun , so he will make great difference in grace . man is not helpless left to mear despair , life is again made possible to all , the former terms of innocence now cease , mercies all sinners to repentance call . a law of saving grace is newly made , all that accept it and consent shall live , trust but a saviour for that blessed life , and he will freely grace and glory give . but yet mans life on earth a warfar is , gods grace and satans malice daily fight ; and all that will be sav'd must overcome ; sin 's vanquished by grace , darkness by light. each part their captain have , & they their bands , not made by force , but doctrine and consent ; each man as rational and free commands , one draws to sin , the other to repent . sin hath its punishment , the worst within , when for neglect of grace , god it suspends but the correction of the flesh for sin , furthers repentance , and the soul amends . thus all on earth have some degrees of grace , which reason tells us , they should not abuse , which bringeth some so far to adam's case , they stand or fall as they these mercies use . but god will not his grace at randome give , and leave the event to uncertainty , but hath his chosen , who shall surely live , in whom his saving grace shall never die . the two first brothers did this war begin , he killed and conquer'd who was first by birth , he that seemd conquer'd , triumphed by death , the victor's a curst vagabond on earth . this war continu'd is unto this day , between the holy and the serpents seed , these brothers the prognostick instance were , of all that ever after should succeed . but the worst war is inward ; grace and sin , the controversie daily there debate that which the final victory doth win , determineth mans everlasting state . a law of grace thus made to all mankind , in adam and noe common roots of all , ill entertainment with fall'n man did find , who mostly to idolaty did fall . the strength of sin is love to flesh and world , and averse strangness to a better life . it stronger grew by custome , and abhor'd all motions tending to the souls relief . but gods electing grace shall not be void , in abel , henoch , noe he this declar'd , but specially in abraham whose great faith , he with a special promise did reward . not calling back the common law of grace , he chose his seed as a peculiar nation , gave them a proper law , and of them rais'd the lord incarnate , author of salvation . yet was their dignity most typical , as was their law , to shew what god would doe ▪ when he the nations unto christ would call , and build his church as catholick anew . sin soon prevail'd ; their land was dry and small ; seldome from under enemies and wast ; but they gods oracles preserv'd for us , and from their vine we all salvation tast . but as in nature god works by degrees , from seed to infancy , from thence to youth ; from thence to manhood and maturity ; so did he in revealing grace and truth . faln man his infancy and childhood had , in the old laws , dark types and prophesies : but in times fulness , god incarnate came , the sun of righteousness to man did rise . three laws he did fulfil , one as a man , once made for all ; another as a jew : the third as saviour proper to himself ; then for his church , he made another new . he preacht gods will ; proclamed saving grace , brought to light life and immortality ; declar'd gods love ; shew'd man gods pleased face , a sacrifice for sinful man did die . he came to conquer satan , destroy sin , and heal sick souls of worldly fleshly love , to raise the earthly mind of man to god , and bring him to a better life above . words were too weak for this , his works must do it . he was to teach man how to bear the cross , to deny life and live above this world , for heav'n to count all here as dung and loss . wonder of wonders ? god appears in flesh , preacheth to sinners , calls them home to god , dies for them as a sinner on a cross till the third day among the dead abode . himself the greatest wonder , many wrought , heal'd all diseases , gave the blind their sight , raised the dead ; by present bare command ; long , before many , in the open light. the third day rose from death , stay'd forty days , describes his laws , church-covenant and seals : commissions his apostles ; promiseth his spirit which all saving truth reveals . ascendeth up to heaven before their eyes , and before multitudes at pentecost , gives them the gift of miracles and tongues , by giving them the promis'd holy ghost . they preach christ to the world , speak various tongues . work miracles , heal sickness , raise the dead : convey this power and spirit unto others , thus through the world , the word of life they spread . these many wonders , not in corners wrought , converted thousands , conquer'd unbelief , but above all , his great convincing works , the spirits sanctifying grace was cheif . the erring know the truth ; fools are made wise , the proud made humble , wrathful ones made meek , the worlds fond●lovers now do it despise , kill fleshly lusts , and heavenly glory seek . sin is a hated thing , god now is all . love makes all common , for it makes all one , zeal for good works , patience in bearing wrong , were the true marks by which christs flock was known . had not christ added this convincing seal , tongues , miracles and sanctifying grace , the wonder of redemption is so great , that faith to unbelief must needs give place . apostles mortal were : before they die , for future ages they christs sacred word , his deeds , laws , doctrine by the promis'd spirit , to guide the church , infallibly record . as moses gave the iews the only law , which following priests and prophets were to teach , so th' holy ghost by the apostles wrote , the word which after ages were to preach . as moses law was seal'd with miracles , when such the following ages did not need , so christs apostles did by wonders seal , those records which the after ages read . the spirit promis'd to the apostles was , to lead them to all needful saving truth , and bring christs words to their rememberance , what they by his commission did , christ doth . their writings are the holy ghosts own book , though human imperfection do appear ; in modes and phrases , it 's no just offence , but leaves the truth , and use still sure and clear . words but the vehicle of matter be , gods spirit owns not the translators words ; but if as signs , they with his words agree , the sense and matter of them is the lords . this spirit helps the church , but not to bring another gospel , law or word from heav'n , nor mend or change gods laws in word or sense . but to preach and obey the word once given . to bring new laws or messages from god ; a prophets office is , and not a priests , to forge such , or make laws for all the church , the authors prove , false prophets , or false christs . christian religion is one stablisht thing , which all the church from first to last may know , it is not human , changeable or new , nor doth by mens decrees increase and grow . if canons no part of religion be , but laws for rites and things indifferent ; why must all christians needs in these agree , or not agreeing by church-wars be rent . the church hath all one head , one perfect law , all justified be by christs blood and merit ; all that are true , though weak , christ doth receive , for all are sanctified by one spirit . the holy ghost in all true christians dwells , he doth illuminate , and make them new ; this is christs agent , and his body formes . his witness proving that his word is true . this spirit did the gospel first indite , and on it did gods image first ingrave , and then by it , as his great instrument : that image prints on all that he will save . though it be long of their resisting will , that any of this grace deprived be ; yet scripture and experience , clearly tell , that diffrencing , electing grace is free . in children it appears , when god doth choose , he gives a reachable and willing mind ; good dispositions , and capacity , by grace their nature is to good inclin'd . grace chooseth parents careful of their souls , helps them to educate them in gods fear ; to commend virtue , and disgrace all vice , teach them gods word , & causeth them to hear . gods seed in such , is often early sowd , and as they grow it springs up by degrees ; as plants , and fruits , by sun & moisture grow'd , whose present growth and motion no man sees . the first beginnings of the spirits work , is in a learning mind , and fear of sin ; a love and liking of good things and men , 'gainst sins for duty , conscience strives within . grace watcheth over them , provides them helps , meet teachers , books , examples , company ; keeps off temptations , causeth them to hate lying , bad words and deeds , and ribaldry . bad childrens hearts , are quite averst to good , they love not virtue , relish not gods law ; tempting discourse , examples , vanities , catch on their hearts , as fire doth on straw . if early helps , parents and teachers fail , and sin the childish mind and life pervert ; if folly , flesh , and tempting baits prevail , yet god his chosen will in time convert . hee 'l either give them better company , or better helps , and teachers whom hee 'l bless ; or bring some useful book unto their eye , and make their snares , & their temptations less . or hee 'l some sharp affliction on them lay , which may awake the hardened sleepy heart ; or conscience shall some quickning motion feel , tell them their sins , their danger , and desert . o! how the case with sinners now is chang'd , things all appear now in another shape ; sin now is madness ; mad he calls himself , for loving death , and thinks now how to scape . now god is holy , just , his word is true , he is in earnest , though sinners be in jest ; the face of all his works and ways seem new , those things seem worst , which formerly seem'd best . the common texts and truths he daily heard , do now begin to have some life and sence : he wonders how he past them by before , as if they had been of no consequence . that wounds , & shames , and grieves , and breaks his heart . which formerly was his delight and pleasure , that 's vanity , and mortal poyson now ; for which he hungred as his food and treasure . now the mad prodigal comes to himself , perhaps the world doth him its husks deny , why , saith he , did i leave a fathers house ? there none do want ; here i must starve and die . o that i had not tasted satans bait , nor pampred flesh , and pleas'd vain appetite , neglected grace , and things of greatest weight , nor medled with sins poysonous delight . but the time lost can never be recal'd , the works of madness cannot be undone ; i have undone my self ; is there no help ? i know all else is vain : there is but one . a fathers love affordeth me some hope , the world gives none : i must return or die ; i 'le go , and humbly , all my sin confess , and cast my self upon his clemency . but god is just and holy : how can i , defil'd with sin and guilt , stand in his sight ? now the sick soul a sure physicion needs , there is one saviour , who is gods delight . he is the way , by whom men come to god ; he is the truth , to save the world from errour ; he is the life , to save from endless death , self-murdering souls , subject to hellish terrour . and now the gospel's better understood ; redemption seemeth not a needless thing ; his thoughts are precious , of christs precious blood , his mediator , prophet , priest , & king. the gospel now is tydings of great joy , pardon of sin , adoption , peace with god , freedom from terrour , satan , sin , and hell , mans self-made , and gods just revenging rod. he sees why love in mans repair , must be as much admir'd , as power in our creation , sinners cannot immediatly god see , but by a mediator have salvation . now all things else seem loss and dung for christ ; wisdom is folly where christ is left out ; to know him is the true philosophy ; the rest doth teach men but to prate and doubt . some glimps of god and heav'n , blurd nature yields , but it s but as a candle to this sun ; others towards god and heav'n , may grope and creep , christians with joyful hope , believe & run . but will christ to such sinners saviour be , who long and wilfully contemn'd his grace ? yes , if they have but hearts to him to come ; he excepts none : hee 'l all their sins deface . the prodigal now hopefully resolves , in christ i 'le trust , and to my father go , when there 's but one way , who should stand & doubt the vanity of all things else i know . if in his house i may the lowest be , his wonderous grace , i will with thanks proclaim ; my sin and misery i will confess , and in repentance take deserved shame . and when repenting souls are thus resolv'd , and with design do towards their father come , they are surpriz'd with unexpected love , grace feasts , forgiv's them , bids them welcom home . now the returned soul doth dwell with god , and god in him ; for there his spirit dwells , god hath his highest love , heaven his chief hope , christ is his life ; he trusteth to none else . o how much better , is it with him now ; how wise , how safe , to what he was before , what hee 's yet short of , faith hath in its view ; hee 'l choose the way of sin and hell no more . now farewel mortal sin , stoop bruitish flesh , now pride & lust come down , submit to faith ; farewel ensnaring sports and company , farewel deceit , i 'le hear what scripture saith . now all is new , new judgments , love and life , new hopes , delights , a new intended end ; the means then must be new , or better us'd ; new friends , new thoughts , & all that to it tend . but yet , though out of aegypt he be come , through the red sea , he 's in a wilderness ; faith must be try'd by many enemies , hard journeys , wants , delayed hopes , distress . and flesh still strives , satan still busie is , the world will tempt , sin 's not quite overcome ; dark fears and unbelief do yet hang on , we are in hope , but are not yet at home . but yet we have the leading fire and cloud , the law , the angels presence as we pass ; moses fell in the wilderness : but there the tempter by our saviour vanquisht was . the law was weak , and nothing perfect made , grace giveth light , and life , & love , and strength ; and though it long , and oft assaulted be , it conquereth , and triumpheth at length . it is the work of god , who knows his own , and makes them christs beloved interest ; all that are given him , he loves and keeps , and brings them to the promis'd land of rest. grace suited is , to every time and state , to childhood , manhood , and decrepid age ; an antidote against contagious pleasures , yet grief , wrath , fear , and suffering doth asswage . it useth every state for the true end , it sanctifies prosperity and vvealth ; still doing good , and doth to godward tend , to him devoteth time , life , wit , and health . it useth friends and enemies for god , improveth kindness , easily bears wrong ; loves others as our selves , doth right to all , hopes for a blessed end , when sufferings long . it takes not too much part with pained flesh , it ruleth reason , appetite , and sense ; conquers temptation , keepeth inward peace , keeps neer to god , who is our sure defence . it all the way foresees the blessed end , motives to duty , comfort in all grief , it fetcheth more from god & heav'n , than earth , in every case from christ it finds relief . it spendeth health and life in preparation , for foreseen death , and the souls final change , it s not surprized without expectation ; it trusteth christ , when things unseen seem strange . all this grace doth , in various degrees , in most but weak , imperfect in the best ; clog'd here with flesh , and contradicting sin , but ends in glory and eternal rest. it s whole work is to bring mans vvill to god , as our original , our guid and end , thankfully take his grace , obey his word , and wholly love him as our chiefest friend . and more than so , to love him for himself , the final object of created love ; this only perfect ones , perfectly do , vvho see gods glory in the world above . amen . ian. 6. 1682 / 3. ii. wisdom . he that by faith sees not the world of spirits , which christ with his blest family inherits , the sense of providence can never know , nor judge aright of any thing below . things seem confused and neglected here , because in broken parcels they appear ; who knows a work in arras by one piece , small parcels shew not workmens artifice ? the beauty of a picture is not known , when one small part , or limb alone is shewn ; they that on some few letters only look , can never know the meaning of gods book . who knows a stately building by one post , ●ts but short scraps that one age sees at most ; heav'n seeth all , and therefore knows the sense , of the whole beauteous frame of providence . his judgment of gods kingdom needs must fail , who knows no more of it than this dark goal : if heaven and hell were open to mens sight , most men of present things would judge aright . who would be griev'd at prosperous sinners reign who did foresee their everlasting pain ? who would grudge pride & rage , so short a pow'r , who did foresee its fall , and dismal hour . who 'd grudg gods patience to the greatest crime , which will scape vengeance for so short a time : who 'd grudge at any wrong or suffering here , who saw the world of happiness so neer . if that one sun a thousand fold excel , this earth in bigness , where we sinners dwell ; ( and what 's one sun to all the heav'n beside ? ) is not gods kingdom glorious and wide ? who then dare say , gods work is not well done , because an ant-hill is not made a sun : or because sin and devillish rage do dwell , in this vile prison , which is next to hell. who 'd measure gods great kingdom , or his love , by us poor prisners who in fetters move : god placed man in earthly paradise , heav'ns outward court , the way to highest bliss ▪ and man himself doing what god forbade , his house a bedlam and a bridewel made ; man turn'd it by his sinful base defection , into gods prison and house of correction . gods wondrous mercies , which do never fail , fetch many sons to heav'n out of this goal : if the rest finally neglect gods grace , and choose no better than this sinful place . the dream of pleasure which will end in shame , they had their choice , and whom else can they blame ; who 'd censure god for one poor bedlams sake , but such as of his madness do partake . and though he rage , and sober men disdains , who loves his case , or longeth for his chains ? who envy wicked men , their hurting power , who do believe their sad approaching hour ? vvho the toads hurtful venom envieth , vvho'd have the basalisks pernicious breath ? vvho longs to be a serpent for the sting ? it s worse to be a great , but hurtful king. christians by patience win a better crown , than all the bloody conquerors renown . true christian kings , who rule in peace & love , a better kingdom have with christ above . our king may with more peace and safety rule , than the great turk , tartarian , or mogul : no king so mighty as the devil is , nor hath dominions so large as his . yet would no wise man such a devil be , that he might be as powerful as he ; if any would be such , his own desire , makes him a devil fitted for hell fire . madness cal'd wisdom is , and rules in chief , with all that cannot see beyond this life : to them that see not beyond flesh and blood , and tast no better than these senses food ; that know not the true everlasting good , nothing on earth is rightly understood . the heavenly light must open sinners eyes , before they ever will be truly wise : one real prospect of the life to come , a true belief whither mens souls are gone , would more felicitating wisdom give , than foolish sensual men will now believe . call not that wisdom which will end in shame , vvhich undoes him who by it wins the game : a wit that can decieve himself and others , vvit to destroy his own soul , and his brothers : vvit that can prove that sins a harmless thing , that sin 's no sin , or no great hurt will bring ; that with the serpent can give god the lie , and say , believe not god ; you shall not die . vvit that can prove that god speaks but in jest , that present fleshly pleasue is mans best : vvit that can prove gods wisdom is deceiv'd , and sacred scriptures should not be receiv'd ; vvit to confute gods word , reject his grace , lose time , sin boldly , post toward hell apace . defend the devils cause , his own damnation , slight god , neglect a saviour and salvation . call not that wisdom , which men would disown , and wish at last that they had never known , to go with honour , ease , and sport to hell , and there with shame & late repentance dwell . truth is for goodness , wisdom's use , and end , to which true learning , and just studies tend ; is , that this may be throughly understood , to be good , do good , and get endless good , false wit emploi'd in hurting other men , vvrites its own death in blood , with its own pen : it forceth many to their self-defence , vvho fain would live in quiet innocence . kites , foxes , wolves , have wit to cath their prey , yet harmless sheep , live quietter than they . men keep their flocks that they may multiply , so that but few by wolves and lyons die ; but hurtful ravenous beasts , all men pursue , while all destroy them , there remains but few . some slight gods word , because weak men abuse it vvhat 's law or reason then , when all misuse it . men will not despise god , nor sin , nor die , but they will give a learned reason why . what is so false , which wit cannot defend , and that by volumes confidently pen'd ; reason can justifie the greatest wrong , the basest lie can hire a learned tongue . what cause so vile , that cannot wit suborn , men will not without reason be forsworn . reason can make rogues of the best of men , and make a church of saints a serpents den ; can make usurping lucifer a saint , and holy martyrs , like to devils paint . even reverend wit , can by transforming skill , make hereticks , and schismaticks at will ; it can prove white is black , and black is white , that night is day , and grossest darkness light. say what you will , reason can prove it true , what is 't that drunken reason cannot do ? how rare is that blest place , that age or season , which may not own this character of reason . and must we therefore brutishness prefer , because well used reason is so rare . but when the drunken frenzie fit is gone , and devils their deceiving work have done ; vvhen death , the dreaming sinner doth awake , o what a dreadful change doth god then make ? then wise men only are the pure and just , vvho christ , who god obey , and in him trust . iii. madness . lord is not man , though lodg'd in flesh and blood , a noble vital , intellectual spirit ? thou maid'st him in thine image , wise and good , earths paradise , heav'ns suburbs to inherit . how comes a reasonable human soul , transform'd by such a monstrous ugly change ? into a bruitish , raging , wicked fool , to god , himself and wisdom , blind and strange . thou gav'st him sight , who hath put out his eyes , thou gav'st him knowledg , who hath made him mad ? ev'n satan , promising to make him wise , thou mad'st him holy , sin hath made him bad . did not endeavours , blessed by thy grace , restore some holy wisdom in thine own ; the souls which sin and satan did deface , would not from bruits & devils well be known . it s strange in man , how these two twisted be , to be a bruit , and a malignant devil ? folly and wickedness too well agree , a fool to goodness , is wise to do evil . children do quickly learn to serve the flesh , their pride , their appetite , and their self-will , eager for every thing that these can wish , but little knowing what is good or ill . their sense and fancie do so strongly rage , that teachers speak in vain , flesh will not hear , bruitishness gets advantage by their age , till grace comes in , and opens heart and eare . depraved nature , made by custom worse , makes reason now a fetter'd slave to sense ; increased sin becomes a double curse , fights against god , and is its own defence . as flesh grows up , so sense and fancie grow . lust and vain pleasure now do tyranize ; what crosseth these they hate , & would not know , and raging flesh abhoreth to be wise . yet wise in wickedness , they needs will seem , they can confute their teachers with a breath ; all that reproves them they as error deem , and become advocates for sin and death . and now the same who infant-christians were , and did renounce the flesh , the world , & devil ; flesh , world , and devils , serious servants are , and christ blaspheme as patron of their evil. now god and conscience , seem their greatest foes , god as above them doth controle their lust : he that pleads conscience , for an enemy goes , and all that 's done against him goes for just . god's call'd to sinners bar , and there condemn'd , as heading rebels that do him obey : before those fools , his laws are all contemn'd , christ must be taught to think and say as they . and being once engag'd in satans war , his daring souldiers , they are quickly made ; but little wit and labour needful are , to learn the lying , hating , hurting trade . now valiant bedlam , drunken , devillish wit , conquers resistance , triumphs over all : fights against all that help not , or submit , to bring church , kingdoms , souls , to satans thral . o what a busie trade mad worldlings drive , they talk , they ride , they run , contend & fight ; with craft they plot , with fraud and force they strive , for fleshly lust , and poysonous delight . as the fleet swallows glides to catch a flie , and toylsom ants , do gather sticks and straw : at dearer rates men purchase vanity , for satan , lust , and madness , make their law. may they but a sick mortal lust fulfil , get money , houses , land , and large revenews , look big , and make all stoop to their proud will ; feast , drink , and play , and keep a great retinue . this is the dreaming happiness of fools , life spent for this , and heav'n for this is lost : and this is all for which they sell their souls , a fools cap purchas'd at the dearest cost . all this is done in the known way to death , they have not the least hope , but die they must : they are not sure to fetch another breath , they know their pamper'd flesh will soon be dust . their pomp & wealth for which they god forsake , yea , though their streets with slver they could pave ; all the vexations , strife , & stir they make , they know is but in passing to the grave . were they but following anothers course , such going towards a grave would be a shame ; but when it s towards their own , it is far worse , a madness which doth want a proper name . sheep know not when death 's neer , yet live in peace birds feed & sing in peace , together got , man always knows his life will shortly cease , yet madly lives as if he knew it not . but when death comes they are surpriz'd with fear , as if till then they knew not they must die ; departing wealth and life , their hearts then tear , o how the case is chang'd when death seems nigh . how sad doth dives look ? how deep he groans , his mammon god , now will not hear his cries ; money and friends now answer not his moans , for all his wealth , he trembles , faints and dies . the greatest lord and prince must now submit , crowns , titles , money will not ease his pain ; forced repentance seems to have some wit , preachers may speak now without proud disdain . he calls for mercy , he forgiveth all , instead of fire and sword , he speaks for peace , his wit revives as flesh and strength do fall , not from a holy change , but for his ease . now he talks how he 'd live , when life 's nere gone , he seemeth wise , and promiseth to mend ; he thinks what time is for , when time is done , begins to think of living at his end . might he be sav'd now for a frightned wish , vvhen guilt and terrour cause his heart to faint , vvhen worldly pleasures all forsake his flesh , he 'd have the end and portion of a saint . now take an inventory of his vvealth , this corps was once the body of a man : it liv'd in pleasure , honour , ease and health , goes naked hence , as naked life began . that frightful earthly face was wont to smile , and with proud scorn on hated persons frown , it comely seem'd , which now is black and vile , that its the same , can hardly now be known . those closed eyes , the casements were of lust , there enter'd vvorldly vanity and sin , that mouth , those lips that now must rot to dust , have taken many a pleasant morsel in . that throat , his fellow-creatures did devour , made sumptuous feasts his body to maintain , with pleasant liquors , many a merry hour , he did exhilerate both heart and brain . those ears have heard , jests , plays and melody , mens flattering praise , and many a merry song , the welcome news of their calamity , whom wrath and malice did delight to wrong . that mouth hath utter'd many a merry jeast , vain worldly talk , strife , news & feigned story , oaths , lies and wanton speeches , were its feast , threats , and proud boasts , & scorning were its glory . that nose delighted was with pleasant smell . that black & sallow skin was smooth & white ; on eyes and countenance did grandure dwell , the just did flie ; the poor crowch'd at his sight . those limbs could move ; those hands had nimble joints , the corps which now lies dead , did ride & run , all did perform what lust and pride appoints , many successful actions he hath done . many deep plodding thoughts that brain hath hatch'd , how to grow rich , & great , & have his vvill , for means and seasons , he hath wisely watch'd , all his desires and pleasure to fulfil . and now what 's left ? to keep him from mens sight , a shrowd and coffin's all that he must have , and these unknown , afford him no delight , but serve their turn , who bring him to a grave . but where 's his money , honours , lands & treasures ? left to his heirs , lest they should wiser be , that the strong snare of fleshly worldly pleasures , may tempt them all to live and die as he . but where is dives soul ? christ saith , in hell : but his five brethren will not this believe : christ will not lie : and who can better tell : but satan thus successors doth deceive . what hath he taken hence of all his gains ? gods wrath : the guilt & conscience of his sin : but not one drop to ease tormenting pains : will all his honours , lands and riches win . a preacher tells his brethren what christ saith : he 's charg'd of slandering so great a man : a goal , and scorn , is the success he hath : convince proud , wilful , sinners , no one can . and is not this a doleful bedlam-case , when all a rich mans pleasure with him dies ? his brethren madly follow the same chase , at the same time , while he in torment lies . he 's paying for his long contempt of grace ; they build his tomb , and celebrate his fame ; he 'd have them warn'd , & not come to that place ; they praise his doings , and keep up his name . could one at once but see them & their brother ; him in his torment ; them in their delight ; how unlike are their thoughts to one another ; one groans for that , for which the others fight . faith sees all this : but flesh and sense is blind : these bruits believe no more than what they see : one from the dead sent could not change their mind ; but it by sense too late , will changed be . god gives men life : they 'l not consider why : time's short : fools know not what they have to do , nor think why they were born , till they must die , nor whither their departing souls must go . they live , as if they thought that heaven & hell vvere the only places of consideration , and to be drunk , or mad , were to be well : and fool away this life of preparation . iv. hypocrisie . but none are worse than learned reverend fools , who vend their folly under wisdomes name , and are abaddons keenest hurtful tools , by usurp'd grandure , and religious fame . who teach untruths , or live not as they teach , pretend to watch for other mens salvation , and hate the holy life , for which they preach , and as a trade , preach their own condemnation . who against christ do fight with sacred arms ; his name , & words , church-order , forg'd commissions , and reverend titles , are made potent charms , to win the ignorant to their conditions . they praise gods word , but make it first their own , the words are gods , the church must make the sense , it s no law , till their sentence make it known , not their meer teaching by truths evidence . religion they corrupt by forg'd traditions , they think gods laws too big , & yet make more , all 's not enough without their vain additions , religion was an infant-thing before . and under christ , the churches only head , th' have found one king , or one church-parliament . whose soveraign rule the christian world must dread , and all that will be saved , must consent . this soveraigns kingdom is the whole round earth , the lands where they can never have access ; from it their canon-law receiv'd its birth , to which they all obedience profess . but the false name of councils-general , is now a cheat to serve the roman-king , where are those councils ? whence : who must them call ? who them from all the earth together bring . could not our lord without all this adoe , have made sufficient universal law , but our religion must have so much new , which th' ancient christians never heard , or saw . communion's made subjection by this cheat , none can be sav'd that are not canon-proof ; obey them , or they 'l say you separate , they build the church , beginning at the roof . thus can the flesh such learned men deceive , and make them love their enemies as friends , and rule their faith , and make them all believe , that all is good , which serves their worldly ends ? how wise and holy should that person be , whose daily business is to search gods law ; who should in heavenly pleasure live , but he , that heaven and hell , as in a map , still saw . doth pride and envy , bitter strife and wrath , church tyranny , or hatred of the good , become that man , who such an office hath , to preach gods love , seal'd with christs flesh & blood. what is his calling , but souls to convert , and build them up in faith and love with peace , in what art should he rather be expert , then to breed love , and hurtfulness suppress . if he love christ , he 'l gently feed his sheep . cherish and love the good , strengthen the weak , the flock from wolves & hurtful beasts he 'l keep , and not against the just and upright speak . self-contradicting is a madmans mark , judg then what these malignant preachers are , self-damning , self-confuting , in the dark , heart , tongue & hand , are in a constant war. they are church-shepherds , & yet hurtful wolves , they preach for love to foes , yet hate christs friends ; preach life to others , choose death to themselves ; heavenly words they speak , for worldly ends. they pray , that gods great name may hallowed be , which they profane , by pleading it for evil ; they pray , as if christs kingdom they would see , but mean their own , that 's ruled by the devil . they hate gods will , & pray it may be done , ev'n as it is in heaven : a high degree ! yet if one plead gods will against their own ; who 's hated more , or used worse than he . they pray for daily bread ; for life & health : but without plenty are not satisfi'd : but seek preferment , fulness , rule & wealth ; and grudg if fleshly lust be but deny'd . the' ask pardon of the sin they love & cherish : and that but as themselves forgive another , yet to fear god , sin , hell , as loath to perish , they 'l not forgive to a dissenting brother . they pray god not to lead them to temptation , yet tempt themselves , & love most tempting things strong baits of flesh are their chief consolation , greedy of all that deadly pleasure brings . they ask deliverance from all that 's ill , yet sin the worst , they love and will not leave . they ask , what 's full against their vicious will , that which god offers , and they 'l not receive . they seem to own a god : they preach his law , but man and flesh must be before him serv'd . the world 's more lov'd , of man th' are more in awe ; as if god but the tongue & knee deserv'd . the image is their god , and hath the heart . god's made an image , and hath but the name . religion is with them meer form and art , kept up for peace , by custom , fear & shame . christ is their saviour call'd ; their king & lord , to preach his grace and glory is their trade . but to be sav'd from lust & sin , 's abhor'd , and he an underling to flesh is made . they say they do believe the holy ghost ; but his refining work will not be born , a fleshly worldly life doth please them most , the spirits name & work some make a scorn . and yet for holiness , who hath more zeal ? meaning great names , & interest of their own : they against sacriledg to god appeal ; as it would rob their flesh , and it dethrone . it s none to hurt christs flock , withhold their food , his faithful ministers to alienate , nor feed proud flesh with what belongs to god , all 's holy that to it is dedicate . religion ends with them as it begun , they were baptiz'd , and made the sacred vow : but this was by a strange godfather done , it s with great grief that i must tell you how . it s known an infant hath no will to choose . the parents will and choice do stand for his . till he be capable his own to use , he in the power of his parents is . and god obligeth christians to devote themselves and theirs , in covenant , to christ , this he accepts , as many scriptures note , the parent being dedicated first . but now some other doth the parents part , vows for the child , and its due education ; and ( though he never meant it in his heart ) to see it taught all needful to salvation . atheists , and infidels , and sadduces , their children are all freely taken in , if they have but such godfathers as these , baptism is said to save them all from sin. men forbid parents godfathers to be , and ministers their presence to require . foreign kings stand for those they never see . poor men get such as they for money hire . parents these undertakers do not ask , will you these vows and promises perform ? baptismal vows are made a formal task ; thus they began : thus men christs laws reform . thus christians by false ceremony made , religion 's made a ceremony now , not minding what suborn'd men vow'd or said , they boldly break what others falsely vow'd . and when in play & sin their childhood's spent , for canting a few words , not understood , mindless what faith is , or their baptism meant , confirm'd , they boldly claim christs flesh and blood. a lifeless image being thus receiv'd , more forms and ceremonies it adorn , and hypocrites by shadows thus deceiv'd , the unknown holy life do hate and scorn . thus life is fool'd away , till death seem near , which doth disrobe their splendid cheating sins , but to ease conscience waken'd now by fear , forc'd penitence mans absolution wins . and at the grave , when men as bad as he , do hear that god in mercy took his soul ; and charity for this hope pleaded be , false hopes which should be broken , are kept whole . thus sinners are befoold till time is done , from first to last spent in hypocrisie ; and endless sorrow when all hope is gone , tell them what mercy they did long deny . yet still the reverend masters of the game , cherish the malady with zeal and art ; being themselves diseased by the same , by mortal habit both of head and heart . tradition , ceremony , pomp and rule , a humane image without divine life ; by pharisees was used as the tool , of self-deceit , and of malignant strife . dead saints they honour'd , and the living kill●d , the dead molest them not by their reproof ; their relicks , days , and monuments they held , in their devotion as of great behoof . yet none were fiercer enemies of christ , nor did his truth and servants more oppose ; none with more zeal for holy blood did thirst , none did more mischief to the church than those . wolves in sheeps cloathing , by their fruits are known , by hurtful fangs , devouring bloody jaws , as thorns and bryars , prick men to the bone , so these by hurtful hands and cruel laws . they 'r humble ministers , but rule as lords , servants of all , yet vice-kings under christ : on pain of hell , all must obey their words , if you will serve god , you must serve them first . heav'ns keys are theirs , their right we must not doubt , to curse and cast out those whom christ takes in , these they by words , themselves indeed shut out , by mortal fleshly , and malignant sin. christ's house a place of merchandize is made , children cast out , his table spread for dogs ; to make sound christians odious is their trade , to curse gods saints , & cast their pearls to hogs . the holy catholick church , is in their creed , which is , all true believers upon earth ; of whom christ only is the king and head , to him they joyned are in the new birth . but these men mean one corrupt sect alone , about the fourth part of the whole are they ; cut off , and separate from the rest as none , their pope and councils that do not obey . the saints communion they in words profess themselves , and dead mens images they mean ; none pass for saints who do not wear their dress , the best , if not their subjects are unclean . call them but hereticks , and they may kill , a thousand saints , and by it heaven may win ; such is the power of a papal will , to make a vertue of the greatest sin. on catholick communion , they lay , not only all mens duty , but salvation ; for schism rends men from the church , say they , and so from christ , & therefore brings damnation . yet that 's mans duty which they schism call , to own no human universal king ; no legislative power over all , in councils , pope , or any human thing . none 's capable to rule all , but the lord , give church or state , law , judgment or defence ; mans universal soveraignty's abhor'd , by nature , reason , and experience . among the mad , those princes monsters are , who subjects be to this church-soveraigns claim ; and yet with scorn , and just disdain would hear , a universal civil soveraigns name . vvhen certainly it is a harder thing , to rule all earth , by the church-power & word : than for the wisest parliament or king , to rule the whole world by the civil sword. thus they impossible communion make , and yet damn all that do not it observe : none can tell whom for soveraign we must take , nor which the laws are , from which none must swerve . must pope or council , this great soveraign be , is 't monarchy , or aristocracie ; or is it mixt , and must they both agree , or is it the diffus'd democracie ? whom must we take for pope ? who must him choose , which is the pope , when there are two or three ? must they that give the power which they use , superiors , equals , or inferiors be ? when one at rome , one at avignion was , and each a council had which took his part ; which for the true communion then must pass , which was the chuch from which none must depart ? must all th' abassians , and armenians know , ( and in cosmography so skilful be , ) whither there 's such a place as rome or no , whither there be a pope , and which is he ? is 't the whole church on earth that he must rule , why then hath not the whole a choosing vote ? is all the world save rome , but the popes mule , and that his crown 's elective all do note ? it s like , that all the church consents , they 'l say , then he 's no pope whom three 4th parts disclaim , how shall three parts then know whom to obey ? will any serve that will usurp the name ? when popes damn popes , & councils damn them all , and popes damn councils , what must christians do ? when they each others laws damn & recal , how shall we know whose power then was true ? the french say councils have this soveraignty , the first three hundred years it was not so ; the soveraign power , the church doth unifie , was it then none , or how could men it know ? an universal council never was , 't was but one empire that did make that name ; now that 's dissolv'd , how should it come to pass ? that any prince on earth should do the same . hath any one the common rule of all , or will turks , papists , and all kings agree ? such a true council , when and where to call , or can one third part universal be ? the church of councils power is not agreed , therefore this doth not it now unifie : those that stand for their soveraignty indeed , which were those councils differ shamefully ? some are for four , some six , some eight , some all , some such as by the pope approved were ; divers each other hereticks did call , and which we must obey cannot appear . and is church unity no better known , and yet is necessary to salvation : and to all those that christ himself will own ? what fallows hence , but general damnation ? an universal council none shall see , till the world have an universal king , this the triple-crown'd pope pretends to be , though not the name , he challengeth the thing . the poor fifth monarchy seekers , they pity , as seeking that which long hath extant bin : no monarch ever matcht the holy city , by his church keys , thus rules the man of sin. and if we knew which powers to obey , which be the canons , which so needful are ? if some , who knows them , if all , then are they more necessary than gods scriptures far . christ hath the terms of church-communion made , these wiser men , who make so many more ; will shortly find their legislative trade , among their greatest sins set on their score . baptism christ made , what was thereto requir'd ? the church still knew , & by gods mercy knows , the words then us'd , the requisites desir'd , scripture and sure tradition fully shews . the church by baptism was specify'd , christ did command all such to love each other , holy communion was to none deny'd , all were to take a christian as a brother . till by some heresie or great offence , he brought his covenant-keeping under doubt ▪ and having added prov'd impenitence , was not so much cast as declared out . none were baptized into peters name , much less to general council , or the pope ; they had one god , one christ , their creed the same , one spirit , body , and one future hope . but as the serpent tempting eve at first , by pride and promis'd knowledg did man kill ; so from the pure simplicity of christ , by promis'd wisdom , he befools man still . to know this subject better , read a book , call'd the remains of fulk , grevile , lord brook. v. man. vain man ! why is thy being no more known , why seeking knowledg readst thou not thy self ? how many books in vain dost thou take down ? thy own book standeth on the nearest shelf . should vital knowing spirits cloath'd in flesh , mistake so course , a garment for the man ? and live as if they did not hope or wish , for any other life than this short span. if cloathing hide thee from thy neighbours sight , let it not hide thee also from thine own ; look on thy self , thy nature is a light , shall knowing souls be to themselves unknown . now know thy self before thou art undrest , and tho through flesh men cannot see thy heart ; open thy eyes , unveil thy face at least , that men may see thou hast a better part . how vile a thing is man , if flesh be he ? can he look high who thinks himself so base ? his bruitish sleepy thoughts and life must be , a dreaming , doating , or despairing case . where was that flesh one year before thy birth ? what is it now but warmed moving clay ? what will it be e're long but common earth ? to this thy pomp and pleasure is the way . where did gods art that curious body form ? as in a dunghil , even in natures sink , though skin and cloathing now do it adorn ; 't was bred between the dung and urins stink . what was it made of , but the mothers food ? curdled and quickned by the makers pow'r , and there it lay in darkness , filth , and blood ; unmeet for sight till births appointed hour . in pain and danger then it is brought forth , a speechless , helpless , and polluted thing ; entring the world with crying at its birth , foretelling greater griefs which time will bring . how long by patient mothers care and love , doth feeble , useless , troubling age subsist ; should man continue such , we could not prove , that he in kind is better than a beast . long do these unripe fleshly bodies keep , the soul from shewing its essential power ; sense rules , while reason lyeth half asleep , vain toys and folly , spend our childish hours . by use and prepossession flesh gets strength , resisting light , and all that 's wise and holy ; till reason be its servile slave at length , and greatest wit become the greatest folly. then carnal man lives like a crafty beast , only to pamper flesh and please its lust ; to make the worms and hell a costly feast , when souls must part and leave flesh to the dust. if flesh be man , how many men are one , from birth to death , when as the rivers flow ? daily new flesh succeeds that which is gone , and none is what he was one year ago . that beauteous face , that pamperd body stood , but lately on thy table as thy meat ; 't was mutton , bief , pork , chicken , or such food ; what now thou art , is what thou then didst eat . part of a fish , a swine , a calf or lamb , is turn'd into a lady , lord or king ; this metamorphosis of beast to man , is surely done by some great unseen thing . yea all of man that 's seen did lately grow , in fields , and that was corn , or fruit , or grass ; which now is flesh , or from the springs did flow , to shew what flesh will be , by what it was . vain man ! knowst thou no deeper than thy skin ? go see an opend corps , and that will shew , what garbage filth and dung are hid within , what thy vile body is , thou there maist know . think that thy noisom stinking excrement , is one part of that sumptuous pleasant food ; whose other part a while of better scent , is turned into that proud flesh and blood. if yet deceitful beauty cheat thy eyes , look on a face that 's crusted with the pocks ; or a white breast where stinking cancers rise , and pity fools whom fleshly pleasure mocks . if health , wealth , pomp , or pow'r , delude thy mind , go to the greatest dying sick mans bed , ask him what safety he in these doth find ? yea , go yet further , look upon the dead . here much unlike to what it was before , is that now loathsom flesh , that ghastly face ; what hath it now of all its power and store , remember this must shortly be thy case : how long the sight and scent can you abide , of your dead , greatest , wisest , dearest friend ? unless some art the frightful visage hide , and from the smell your tender sense defend . we can devise no better a dispose , of dearest friends , than a deep darksom grave ; where to lie rotting we may them repose , the living from their sight and scent to save . the worms without repulse there feasted be , they feed on heart and face without offence ; vvhat pamperd bodies are , there you may see , if you dig up that corps a few months hence . but though what 's out of sight , grows out of mind , pictures and guilded tombs , are also set , the sensless hearts of men further to blind ; that what flesh is they may the more forget . yet the next opened grave casts up in sight the skull , whose holes of eyes & mouth you see , where enter'd formerly the dear delight , think then , thus shortly it will be with me . the harmless pretty bird with pleasure sings , not so deform'd in life or death as we ; the cruel bowels of great lords and kings , to her an honourable tomb may be . save that to be devoured by bad men , turns guiltless things into a guilty wight ; and makes them sinful , and more fetide than , if they had rotted in the open light . the labouring ant less burdensome flesh hath , thousands in peace in one stor'd heap can dwell ; in peace by crowds they travel the same path , and being dead annoy none by their smell . the working bees in peace together live , fetching their hony home from many flowers ; dwelling in quiet order in one hive , but man destroys them and their store devours . god who by nature gives them flying wings , and their rare mellifying power gave ; doth give them also their defensive stings , their house , and young , and property to save , men kill them , and eat up their gathered food , but make the like no king , no artist can ; their work , yea their dead corps , are sweet & good but sweetest things corrupt and stink in man. how swiftly do th● unwearied swallows flee , and mount , and sport , even to an unseen height ; their active fiery part is quick and free , not clog'd as men are by a fleshly weight . the mounted lark hovering with nimble wings , dwells above earth till strength and spirits sail ; and peering towards the sun , she sweetly sings , but falls down mute when earthly parts prevail . some say , all motion tends to ceasing rest , of earths forc't lifeless motion this is true ; to spirits perfect action is the best , uncessant love and pleasure is their due . experience sadly tells man , that his soul is clog'd by flesh , perverted by its bent , so that dark heathens did its case condole , as for old sins into this body sent . did not gods holy spirit quicken ours , and cause us unseen things by faith to see ; renew and raise our dead corrupted powers , none could from flesh , lust , sin , hell , saved be . flesh is not sin , it s made for holy use , in it souls here must seek and serve the lord ; but it s the tempting object of abuse , while we its life and lust too much regard . the body as a servant we must love , but souls have sense , and sense to flesh is ty'd ; and so drawn down from god and things above , the soul that hath not faith is bruitify'd . the interest of flesh perverts the will , it conquers reason , and corrupts the mind , no other enemy doth so much ill , to self-destroying , perishing mankind . and now oh man , is flesh all that thou art ? worthy of all thy stir , and cost , and care , live not as if thou hadst no better part , mens souls like god , and kin to angels are . even bruits have souls possest of life and sense , made to serve man , who 's made his god to praise ; whither distinct or one , when taken hence , subject to us , whom god will higher raise . what 's flesh but water mixt with sensless earth ? viler than dirt , when souls a while are gone , it 's unseen spirit which causeth life and birth , this moveth all that 's mov'd , doth all that 's done . mans soul is made the image of his god , substantial virtue of life , light , and love. and though in flesh it now have its abode , its tendency is to the world above . it came from god , and unto god returns , though in this flesh its life of tryal be ; it daily wasts the oyl , as fire that burns , consumes its fuel , and then is set free . as flames mount upward , souls tow'rd heav'n ascend , and are still restless till they be at home ; if sin depress them not , tow'rd god they tend , blessed and joyful , when to him they come . as things inanimate , are rul'd by force , by sense and objects , bruits determined be ; both these are carried on in natures course , mans will more undetermin'd is , and free . bruits are not ruled by a moral law. nor moved by the hopes of life to come ; nor of gods threats and justice stand in awe , nor after death fear any other doom . man 's made in his degree to know the lord , to know his duty , and to please gods will ; to learn and love , trust and obey his word , in hope of heav'n , his course here to fulfil . god is mans supreme king , his guid , his end , his soul and life should have no other scope ; from sin and devils , god will his defend , in life and death , god is our only hope . you see not whither souls departing go , but heav'n and hell are visible to faith ; god hath reveal'd enough to make us know , that all shall be performed which he saith . we no more need to fear his word should fail , or god forsake the souls that do him please , or any final hurt , christ's flock assail , than earth to bear , or sun to shine should cease . is not a sober , righteous , holy life , in certain hope of everlasting joys , better than sin , despair , care , fear and strife , for short deceitful pleasant dreams and toys . if yet blind man , thou thinkst thou art a beast , and hast no higher hopes & work to mind , become a tame , and gentle one , at least , not of the wild , fierce , hurtful , bloody kind . serpents , & toads , & wolves , are harmless things , yea lions , tigers , and such beasts of prey , compaird with many conquerors and kings , who do ten thousand fold more hurt than they . if this short fleshly pleasure be thy best , what need of wars & blood , rage & debate ; sweet love , and quiet peace , afford more rest , than pow'r & wealth , with hurtful plots & hate . what need of large dominions , to prepare for dying pangs , a coffin , and a grave . quiet , content , and kindness , fitter are , thy neighbours welfare , & thy own to save . but of all beasts , the man-beast is the worst , to others , and himself , the cruelst foe , and turning serpent , doth become accurst , a scourge to others , his own endless woe . as holiness fits souls for endless bliss , and here hath its beginning and foretast ; so sin the plague of unman'd nature is , and turns man-beast to devil at the last . if all men made themselves , & are their own , and have no ruler but self-will and sense ; if man be nothing else but flesh and bone , can live here still , and say , i 'le not go hence ; if man can conquer god , and him dethrone , kill christ again , and shut up paradise ; then saints are fools , and worldly men alone , choosing a shadow and despair , are wise . but sure if man be only mortal flesh , a squib , a bubble , a vile earthy clod , he never will have pow'r , what e're he wish , to save himself , by overcoming god. but heav'n is quite above malignant powers , our peace & safety 's far above their reach . christs kingdom is not of this world , nor ours , it 's unseen blessedness which he did preach . there holy spirits free from sin and fear , from cruel tyrants , devils , death and hell , the sweet celestial melody still hear , in perfect light and love together dwell . there 's no dark error , no perplexing doubt , no selfish envy , strife or discontent ; all hurtful troubling things are there shut out , no wrathful sting , no malice , no dissent . numberless numbers there , are all but one , of the same body , each a member is , each hath his due degree and place , but none a selfish separated part of bliss . all have one god , one head , one vital spirit ; all love god with one love ; and all rejoice with one joy : all one kingdom do inherit , all sweetly sing gods praise , as with one voice . true unity with diff'rence well accords , and makes up beauty & consort ; though there self , numbers , many , and such parting words , have not the same dividing sence as here . thus hath one soul more than one faculty , one sun ; each sort of life , three formal powers ; some image of the divine trinity ; but none on earth so excellent as ours . and as in being , so in more respects , unity doth with number well agree , many concauses have the same effects , yea all gods creatures one and many be . so divers fruits are but parts of one tree ; and every tree is rooted in one ground : all grounds of this one earth but parcels be , this earth a small part of the world is found . souls are unseen , and so their union is , many united individuals , their distinct persons make some think amiss , that they are incoherent integrals . god only hath a perfect unity , of the same world , some blest , some cursed be , some union stands with great diversity , apples and crabs may grow on the same tree . blest union is of good-things near of kin , to things discordant union causeth pain ; an aking tooth is better out than in , to lose a rotting member is a gain . the nearest fuel is consum'd by fire . gods wrath is near the wicked , to destroy . to holy souls , who gods love most desire , he is their full and everlasting joy. ten thousand stars and candles give one light , concordant sounds make one sweet melody . two ears , one hearing cause , two eyes , one sight ; but light & darkness have no unity . here wicked men are every where in wars : men against men , as tigers fiercely rave : our minds , & wills , & passions , have their jars ; our souls and bodies mortal discords have . though life be short , & death is at the door , impatient foes think posting time too slow , they grudg to let us live a few days more , revenge and malice long to give the blow . but heav'n hath no such work : there 's no such men : nothing is there , the blessed to annoy , with christ & angels holy soul shall then , praise god in perfect life , light , love & joy ! amen , decemb. 17. 1682. vi. the exit . my soul go boldly forth , forsake this sinful earth , what hath it bin to thee but pain and sorrow , and thinkst thou it will be better to morrow ? love not this darksome womb , nor yet a gilded tomb , though on it written be mortal mens story , look up by faith , and see sure joyful glory . why art thou for delay , thou cam'st not here to stay ? what tak'st thou for thy part , but heav'nly pleasure ? where then should be thy heart , but where 's thy treasure ? thy god , thy head 's above , there is the world of love ; mansions there purchas'd are , by christs own merit , for these he doth prepare thee by his spirit . look up towards heav'n , and see how vast those regions be , where blessed spirits dwell , how pure and lightful , but earth is near to hell , how dark and frightful . here life doth strive with death , to lengthen mortals breath ; till one short race be run , which would be ended , when it is but begun , if not defended . here life is but a spark , scarce shining in the dark ; life is the element there , which souls reside in : much like as air is here , which we abide in . hither thou cam'st from thence : the divine influence in flesh my soul did place , among the living : to be of humane race , was his free giving . there i shall know god more : there is the blessed chore : no wickedness comes there , all there is holy : there is no grief or fear , no sin or folly. ierusalem above , glorious in light and love , is mother of us all , who shall enjoy them , the wicked hell-ward fall ; sin will destroy them . o blessed company , where all in harmony , iehovah's praises sing , still without ceasing : and all obey their king , with perfect pleasing . god there is the saints rest , god is their constant feast ; he doth them feed and bless , with love and favour , of which they still possess , the pleasant savour . god is essential love , and all the saints above , are like unto him made , each in his measure : love is their life and trade , their constant pleasure . love flame 's in every breast , the greatest and the least ; strangers to this sweet life , there are not any . love leaves no place for strife ; makes one of many . each is to other dear , no malice enters there ; no siding difference ; no hurt , no evil ; because no ignorance , no sin , no devil . vvhat joy must there needs be , vvhere all gods glory see ; feeling gods vital love , vvhich still is burning : and flaming god-ward move , full love returning . self makes contention here , love makes all common there , there 's no propriety , mine is my brothers . perfect community makes one's anothers . go out then lingring soul ; from this vile serpents hole ; vvhere bred as in a sink , they hiss and sting us . vvill not christ , dost thou think , to better bring us . think not that heav'n wants store , think not that hell hath more , if all on earth were lost : earth's scarce one tittle , to the vast heavens : at most , exceeding little . all those blest myriads be , lovers of christ and thee ; angels thy presence wish , christ will receive thee : then let not bruitish flesh , fright and deceive thee . gladly my soul go forth ; is heaven of no more worth , then this curst desert is , this vvorld of trouble : prefer eternal bliss , before this bubble . vvish not still for delay : vvhy wouldst thou longer stay from christ , from home so far , in self-denyal : and live in longer vvar , a life of tryal . souls live when flesh lies dead : thy sin is pardoned : vvhen christ doth death disarm , vvhy art thou fearful ; and souls that fear no harm , should pass forth chearful . cherish not causeless doubt , that god will shut the out : what if he thee assur'd from heav'n by letter : his son , his spirit , and vvord . have done it better . hath mercy made life sweet : and is it kind and meet , thus to draw back from god , vvho doth protect thee ? look then for his sharp rod , next to correct thee ? vvhat if foes should make hast , thou wilt the sooner tast vvhat all blest souls enjoy , vvith christ for ever ? vvhere those that thee annoy , shall hurt thee never . fear not the vvorld of light , though out of mortal's sight : as if it doubtful were , for want of seeing : gross bodies vilest are , and the least being . vain sinful vvorld farewel ; i go where angels dwell ; vvhere life , light , love and joy , are the saints glory : gods praises there employ the consistory . christ who knows all his sheep , vvill all in safety keep . he will not lose his blood , nor intercession : nor we the purchas'd good of his dear passion . i know my god is just , to him i wholy trust ; all that i have , and am , all that i hope for : all 's sure and seen to him , vvhich i here grope for . lord jesus take my spirit : i trust thy love and merit : take home this wand'ring sheep , for thou hast sought it : this soul in safety keep , for thou hast bought it . amen , decemb. 19. 1682. the valediction . 1. vain world , what is in thee ? what do poor mortals see which should esteemed be , worthy their pleasure ? is it the mothers vvomb , or sorrows which soon come , or a dark grave and tomb vvhich is their treasure ? how dost thou man deceive by thy vain glory , vvhy do they still believe thy false history . 2. is 't childrens book and rod , the lab'rer's heavy load , poverty under-trod the vvorld desireth ? is it distracting cares , or heart-tormenting fears , or pineing grief and tears , vvhich man requireth ? or is it it youthful rage , or childish toying ? or is decrepite age vvorth mans enjoying ? 3. is it deceitful wealth , got by care , fraud , or stealth , or short uncertain health , vvhich thus befool men ? or do the serpents lies , by the vvorlds flatteries , and tempting vanities , still over-rule them ? or do they in a dream , sleep out their season ? or born down by lusts stream , vvhich conquers reason . 4. the silly lambs to day , pleasantly skip and play , whom butchers mean to slay , perhaps to morrow : in a more bruitish sort , doe careless sinners sport , or in dead sleep still snort , as neer to sorrow . till life , not well begun , be sadly ended , and the web they have spun , can ne'r be mended . 5. what is the time that 's gone , and what is that to come ? is it not now as none , the present stays not . time posteth , oh how fast unwelcome death makes hast , none can call back what 's past , judgment delays not : though god bring in the light , sinners awake not , because hells out of sight , they sin forsake not . 6. man walks in a vain shew , they know , yet will not know ; sit still when they should go , but run for shaddows : while they might tast and know the living streams that flow , and crop the flowers that grow in christ's sweet medows . life's better slept away , than as they use it . in sin and drunken play , vain men abuse it . 7. malignant world adiew , where no foul vice is new , only to satan true , god still offended : though taught and warn'd by god , and his chastising rod , keeps still the way that 's broad , never amended . baptismal vows some make , but ne'r perform them ; if angels from heaven spake , 't would not reform them . 8. they dig for hell beneath , they labour hard for death , run themselves out of breath to overtake it . hell is not had for nought , damnation's dearly bought , and with great labour sought , they 'l not forsake it . their souls are satans fee , he 'l not abate it . grace is refus'd that 's free , mad sinners hate it . 9. vile man is so perverse , it 's too rough work for verse , his badness to rehearse , and shew his folly. he 'l die at any rates , he god and conscience hates , yet sin he consecrates , and calls it holy : the grace he 'l not endure , which would renew him : constant to all , and sure , which will undoe him . 10. his head comes first at birth , and takes root in the earth , as nature shooteth forth , his feet grow highest : to kick at all above , and spurn at saving love ; his god is in his grove , because its nighest . he loves this world of strife , hates what would mend it : loves death that 's called life , fears what would end it . 11. all that is good hee 'd cursh , blindly on sin doth rush , a pricking thorny bush , such christ was crown'd with . their worships like to this , the reed , the judas kiss , such the religion is , that these abound with . they mock christ with the knee when e're they bow it ; as if god did not see the heart , and know it . 12. of good they choose the least , despise that which is best , the joyful heavenly feast , which christ would give them : heav'n hath scarce one cold wish , they live unto the flesh , like swine they feed on vvash , satan doth drive them . like weeds they grow in mire , vvhich vices nourish ; vvhere warm'd by satans fire , all sins do flourish . 13. is this the vvorld men choose , for which they heav'n refuse , and christ and grace abuse , and not receive it . shall i not guilty be of this in some degree , if hence god would me free , and i 'd not leave it . my soul from sodom flie , lest wrath there find thee : thy refuge-rest is nigh , look not behind thee . 14. there 's none of this adoe , none of the hellish crew , gods promise is most true , boldly believe it . my friends are gone before , and i am neer the shoor , my soul stands at the door , o lord receive it . it trusts christ and his merits , the dead he raises : joyn it with blessed spirits , who sing thy praises . ian. 14. 1682 / 3. finis . the titles . i. grace . pag. 1 ii. wisdome . 19 iii. madness . 25 iv. hypocrisie . 34 v. man. 48 vi. the exit . 62 vii . the valediction . 70 books lately printed for b. simmons at the three golden cocks at the west-end of st. pauls , 1683. mr. rich. baxter's dying thoughts , preparatory to his approaching change. octavo . of the immortality of man's soul , and the nature of it , and other spirits . two discourses . octavo . by mr. baxter . truth and peace promoted : or , a guide for young christians in the way of salvation , past the danger of errors and difficulties of curiosity . in a familiar dialogue between a minister of christ , and a devout private christian. twelves . by adam martindalt . rich. baxter's review of the state of christian's infants whether they should be entered in covenant with god by baptism ... or whether christ, the saviour of the world, hath shut all mankind out of his visible kingdom ... 'till they come of age? : occasioned by the importunity of mr. e. hutchinson (and of mr. danvers and mr. tombes) who called him to this review in order to his retractation [sic] ... review of the state of christian's infants baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1676 approx. 142 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 37 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27008 wing b1372 estc r18045 12395436 ocm 12395436 61144 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27008) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 61144) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 269:2) rich. baxter's review of the state of christian's infants whether they should be entered in covenant with god by baptism ... or whether christ, the saviour of the world, hath shut all mankind out of his visible kingdom ... 'till they come of age? : occasioned by the importunity of mr. e. hutchinson (and of mr. danvers and mr. tombes) who called him to this review in order to his retractation [sic] ... review of the state of christian's infants baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [8], 64 p. printed for nevil simons ..., london : 1676. first ed. cf. wing. reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng hutchinson, edward, 17th cent. danvers, henry, d. 1687. tombes, john, 1603?-1676. infant baptism. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-10 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion rich. baxter's review of the state of christian's infants . whether they should be entered in covenant with god by baptism , and be visible members of his chvrch , and have any covenant-right to pardon and salvation ? or whether christ , the saviour of the world , hath shut all mankind out of his visible kingdom , and covenant-rights and hopes , 'till they come to age ? and whether he did so from the beginning of the world , or after his incarnation ? occasioned by the importunity of mr. e. hutchinson , ( and of mr. danvers , and mr. tombes , ) who called him to this review in order to his retractation . an impartial reading is humbly requested , of those dissenters who would not be found despisers of holy truth , nor such as judge before they hear . london , printed for nevil simons at the princes arms in pauls churchyard , 1676. reader , i once more stew the world , that is is in the power of other men , if god permit them , to hinder us from greater service to the church , by making things far less in themselves , to become accidentally at that time more necessary ? by which kind of impediments in contentious times , satan frustrateth the better desires and designs of many of the servants of christ , who would fain be better employed ; yea , and useth herein the service of such men , as in other respects are none of his servants . and thus , though scriptures be our general rule , the providence of god , and the great ends of all our life , are the determiners of the circumstances of our duties . the cause of this review is a letter of one mr. e. hutchinson , sent me , very large in considerable oratory , to let me know his contempt of my last ( and former ) book of baptism , and to humble me for the great sin of abusing the world with such frivolous writings , which seem to do something , but prove nothing , and leave mr. danvers , &c. unanswered ; so that it is an answer that he would have : and he vehemently urgeth me to repentance and retraction of what i have written for infants church-membership , covenant and baptism ; as did mr. tombes more than once before him . should i print his letter without his consent , perhaps he might take it for an injury ; and if he would have it done , it 's like he will do it himself . but because it refereth to a printed paper of mr. danvers , against me , called his third reply , which i never saw till his letter informed me of it , i thought that it was more than himself whom he importuned me to satisfie . i have told him here truly , how little the meer difference about the outward baptism of infants doth abate my esteem and love of any godly peaceable men : two sorts of persons called anabaptists i can live in as friendly concord with , as with most i hold communion with : first , those that deny not the covenant-rights , and church-relation of the infants of believers , confessing them to be holy ; but only think that their baptism , being but the solemnization of their foregoing covenant , and the publick investiture of them in their relation , may , as the coronation of an infant king , be deferred till they come to some understanding ; of which minde were tertullian and nazianzene . secondly , those that being in doubt only of the sufficiency or lawfulness of infant-baptism , do receive a second or a third administration ( as some marryed by justices lately , were marryed again by ministers ; and as mr. humphrey pleads for a second ordination , especially if hypothetically done ) to satisfie their doubting consciences , and then live in peace , and orderly communion afterwards with other christians , as knowing that in christ jesus neither circumcision availeth , nor uncircumsion , but a new creature . i say none of these shall be more willing of loving communion with others , than i shall be with them . but 1. if men will deny and scorn our infant-right in the covenant of grace , and in christ , pardon and salvation ; and visible church-relation , and will so far deny the kingdom and grace of christ , as to maintain that he excludeth all mankind from any visible right , or hope of salvation till adult , and hath given such right no more to christian 's children than to heathens ! and if they will make this opinion the measure of their communion , and will divide the church , and unchristen , or unchurch all that are not as unthankful and injurious to christ , and to the holy seed as themselves , it is not i that separate from these men , but they from me , and all sober christians . and i will here add but these two or three notes to the reader ; 1. if he will peruse two short disputations which i have lately published of original sin , ( the primary and secondary ) he will see it fully proved , that both naturally , and by supernatural revelation god hath declared such an interest of parents and children in each other , as is much of the reason of all that i here plead for : and he that will accurately observe the whole current of the scripture herein , shall find this conjunct-interest asserted from end to end . 2. i am past doubt that it is a principal design of satan to mortifie our christendom it self , by keeping parents from that intelligent and serious covenanting with god , in their solemn dedication of their children to him , which the greatness of the work and case requireth ; and to turn our very christening into a ceremony , or lifeless formality : and it is not the least part of my non-conformity , that i dare not deliberately profess my assent and consent , that no parent shall be suffered in the church to enter his own child into the covenant of god , nor to speak one covenanting , promising , undertaking , nor dedicating word ; ( nor must be urged to be so much as present ) but that godfathers and godmothers ; who never give us any cause to believe that one of many thousands of them take the child for their own , nor ever purpose to educate him , or do what there they vow and covenant to do , must be the only covenanting undertakers ; and so that so much notorious false vowing to god , or perfidiousness , must defile our baptism : and now come these anabaptists , and instead of calling the parents to seriousness , and holy fidelity in so great a work , they tell them that it is none of their duty at all . 3. and how light soever some make of unity , i know that it 's even essential to the church ; as the union of the stones and timber is to the house , and of king and subjects to the kingdom ; and of the several parts , to a clock or watch : for the form is relative . and do you think then that they befriend christ or his church , who turn the sacrament of our union into the occasion of our great division ? yea , and unchristen and unchurch all the christian world in infancy ; yea , and a thousand parts to one of the christian church of the adult , because they are not re-baptised at age. passion , and prejudice , and partiality ( when men have espoused the interest of a cause as the best and holyest in their eyes ) may make men swallow such things as these , and think that they serve god in reviling all that are against them . were we agreed against infants covenant-right , when should we ever be agreed at what age it is that they are to be received ? and when a childs profession were valid ? but he that thinketh that 1. all the christian world will ever unite in the renouncing of all infants covenant-rights and hopes . 2. or that without unity , ( in the essentials ) or without love and peace the church , of christ is in a prosperous state , doth not judge as i do upon the most serious thoughts that i am able to exercise , and as i doubt not but i shall judge to the last breath , which is not like to be far off . to mr. e. hvtchinson . sir , when i read you general accusation of my firey discouraging of reprovers , &c. i began to bethink me who they were in all my life time that had to my face reproved me , and been discouraged by any unthankful passionate returns of mine ; and not remembring any one in my life , ( unless you will call my contradicting men in disputation and altercation in case of differences of judgment by that name ) i did read on , in expectation of fuller information , and i perceived that it was not any verbal rejecting any reproof of my present monitors , that you meant , but my published writings against those called anabaptists . i have long had far lowder calls than yours to review my life and writings , and to judge of them as impartially as i can . upon the review i am conscious , 1. that i never meddled at first with mr. tombes , till he unavoidably constrained me , by sending those whom he had prevailed with to me , to tell me , that if i would not answer him , they must lay their change so far on my refusal to satisfie them . we lived to gether till then , without any meddling with the difference by me . 2. i find that when he had ( without my consent ) published these papers which i privately sent him , with his answer , i gave not a word of reply to them , till mr. danvers made it seem necessary to me , though it be above 20 years since they were written . surely my silence was no furious contradiction . 3. i find that when mr. tombes published them so long ago , and they have been in your own hands in mr. tombes his book , neither you nor others till now that i know of , shewed me any such fury in them . and those that i have spoke with say , that there is no such thing , but that his reply is passionate , ( which i leave to others judgment that yet may read them in his book together . ) 4. i find that in 1659. when i endeavoured to perswade mr. lambe and mr. allen to christian concord , that i did not strive against their anabaptistry , but only to satisfie them , that holding that difference , they yet ought to satisfie themselves , in that which they took to be their duty , and to hold loving communion with the churches and christians of the other mind . and when they had renounced their separation , it was not i but their own light , experience and consideration ( by what other helps i know not ) that made them renounce their anabaptistry . 5. when before that , there was a treaty in london for the reconciling of the presbyterians & iudependents , i did first at home to the ministers of worcestershire , mantain by a set disputation , that it was our duty to seek peace and communion with the anabaptists ; and after sent up the terms of that desired concord to london , to mr. allen , who at some meetings for that purpose , told me the business went hopefully on , till the confusions in 1659. disturbed and overthrew all . 6. i have above 20 years in print and pulpit frequently told the churches , that they are greatly beholden to gods providence in permitting the anabaptists to call us so lowd to the serious confideration of of our baptism ; and that if those that were baptized in infancy be not brought to as serious understanding , and resolved a renewing of that covenant , as if they had never been baptised before , yea and pass not out of the state of infant church-membership into that of the adult , by a solemn transltion in owning of their covenant , these church corruptions will be continued which are the scandal and temptation of the anabaptists . and to that end i wrote a treatise of confirmation . 7. i have printed in this last book ( recited by mr. barret in the end of his queres ) such an offer of brotherly concord with the anabaptists , ( supposing our continued difference in that point ) even the very words of such a profession on which both parties may with mutual forbearance live in brotherly love and communion , as never any man did to me accuse either of rigor , unlawfulness , or insufficiency to that end . and if you resolve that you will have no communion with any in the world , but those that are of your opinion against infant-baptism , your communion will be narrower than mine , and such talk as this of yours is never like to draw me to your mind . 8. i have many years insisted more upon the terms ( and improvement ) of our baptismal covenant , as containing that very touch-stone , or state of evidence , by which both our sincere grace , and our right to church-communion must be tryed , than any man that i know of ; of which my family book is a full proof . 9. to the reconciling of men herein , i have oft shewed , that if our childrens part in the covenant of grace upon their parents dedication of them to god , ●nd so their church-membership , were but yielded , the rest ( whether they should actually be baptized with water ) would be much less cause of our distance and alienation , than on both sides it is usually judged . yea , if the anabaptists would but say , [ i dedicate this child to god , as far as he hath given me power , and heartily desire that god may be his father , christ his saviour ; and the holy ghost his sanctifier : ] and did ever any of you prove this to be a sin ? and we are ready on our part to profess that [ infant-baptism will save none at age that consent not to the same holy covenant . ] 10. i have oft told the world that though the ancient churches denyed not their childrens part in the covenant of grace , nor their right to pardon and salvation , and infaut church membership by that covenant , yet the time when children themselves should be solemnly baptized , was left in the churches for above 200 years to every ones free choice ; some ( and the most christians ) usually baptizing them quickly , and others thinking as tertullian , that it would bind them faster if they stayed somewhat longer ; or , as nazianzene thought , till they were three or four years old : even as one that hath right to a crown in his infancy , may have his coronation performed either then , or afterward . 11. i have oft told the world that i would have this liberty and moderation again revived , and that i would have no anabaptist persecuted or excommunicated for that his opinion . 12. i never persecuted any of them , nor perswaded any to do it ; nor never endeavoured to hurt them , nor denyed them any good that i could do them ; ( though i told you truly that even they of mr. t 's . church that had seemed my old friends , sought my life or ruine , by way-saying a man that told them he carryed letters of mine , violently taking them from him and carrying them up to london to the council , to sir h. v. &c. ) this is the account that my reviewing conscience giveth me of my dealing with the anabaptists , with whom to this day i still plead for love and peaceable communion upon terms of mutual forbearance : and whether it be holy patience and humility that takes this for fire and fury , and cannot bear it , consider . but yet fury and folly you copiously exclaim against , and call me to repent : i thank you unfeignedly for that honest wholsome word [ repent ] whether well or ill applyed . but your many scornes at my repentings scarce well agree with the invitation . were i like to have life and leisure for such a work , i would resolve to review all my writings just in the method that austin did , and to tell the readers what i dislike in them ; which having no reason to expect , i have so dealt already with those that most needed it , and corrected others in the later impressions . if you need no repentance , and have written as much as i , and that without any fault , you have been happier than i. and yet i intend not to give over writing , preaching , praying , praising god , or conference with men , because i cannot do any of them innocently , in a manner that needed no repentance . but upon the full perusal of your letter , i must say , i never had a more wordy , windy , empty invitation to repentance , that i remember in my life . i looked still when the fault was told me , and some words at least named that were guilty of the folly or firyness mentioned ; or some of my particular sins proved , that i might be convinced : i looked to find some one argument of my books confuted and proved vain , or fallacious . but it renewed in me that grief and pity , for the strange diseasedness of such dissenters , ( which mr. danvers had before caused ) to find such abundance of rhetorical invectives , without one word of proof : as if you had prevaricated , and had a design to have kept me from repentance , by telling me i had no particulars to repent of that you could shew . what do all your generals of [ no answer ] and tergiversation , and abundance the like signifie , to any man of common sense , unless this be the meaning of them , [ it is mr. danvers his opinion and mine that you are foolish , firey , injurious , frivolous , &c. therefore you must repent of this , though we say nothing that should convince a reasonable man. ] but , i must retract what i have written against anabaptists ; for you invite me to it by a torrent of general accusations , and letting me know that mr. d. and you do think me hetorodox . ] and just so doth mr. pen and the quakers do also : and so do the papists , and with as great confidence and oratory perhaps as yours : and so do the accusers of the non-conformists in many volumes : and so do many other parties : and must i be therefore of all their minds ? or why more of yours than of theirs , if i have nothing from you but confident gnerals , which they can say as well as you ? yea thus do the infidels themselves now use me , and must i therefore yield ? but i have written fierily against mr. danvers ! 1. did i begin with mr. d. or he with me ? 2. have i said any thing offensive to him , besides the detecting of his marvellous audacity in strange heaps of untruths in matters of fact ? and his lamentable injury thereby to the church of christ ? sir , i know you not , and should i tell you what a spirit in your self , your copious outcryes , and extream tenderness of our dissent and contradiction of you , shews , and how unlike to the voice of a sheep of christ it is to cry so loud , as if the knife were at your throat , when we do but tell the church of your errours and injuries to the truth , upon the urgency of your restless importunity : should i tell you what strange partiality you shew in finding meekness , truth , and reason in mr. danvers his books , and folly , fire , and no-answer in mine , i could not expect that you should ever the more be convinced , or repent , but rather take that also for fiery , as taking me for an uncapable monitor . but i desire you only to ask the opinion of the judicious and impartial herein ; for repentance to your self should be no odious thing . and whereas you tell me over and over what all wise men now think and say of me , and of my writings , am not i an unhappy man that never met with one of those wise men , but your self and such professed opposites ( anabaptists , quakers , papists , or such like . ) but what if i be foolish , and you be wise ? cannot you suffer fools gladly , seeing you your selves are wise ? and is your impatient and general invectives , and your self-justifying , an infallible proof of your great wisdome ? brother , upon the deepest search that i am able to make in above 20 years consideration , i am satisfied that you heinously wrong the mercy of god , and the church , and true believers , and their seed , by denying them that part in gods covenant and mercy , which i have proved he hath stated on them in his word : i am fully satisfied that god never had church-laws on earth , whether in innocency , or since the fall , which extended not the priviledge of a covenant and church-state to the infants of the church , if they had such ( on that supposition ; ) and that the church from the dayes of adam till now hath had infants members by gods appointment ; and that christ so found them , and so continued them ; and that it was then a thing that none did controvert : i am satisfied fully , that all that are discipled are by command to be baptized ; and that nations should be discipled , and the kingdoms of the world made the kingdoms of christ ; and christ would have gathered to his church the whole jerusalem , as the hen gathereth her chickens , and none were broken off but for unbelief , and therefore the children of believing jews were not broken off ; and that we are graffed into the same olive : i am satisfied that they that so hardly digested the forbearance of circumcision , would never have silently past over the vnchurching of all the infants , without one word of exception ; nor christ have so far countenanced the excepters , as to be angry with those that would have forbid children comeing to him , because of such is the kingdom of heaven , nor the scripture have talk'd so much of baptizing housholds . i am not hardened enough to reject so plain a text as , [ the unbelieving husband is sanctified , &c. else were your children unclean , but now they are holy . ] nor in that one text to expound sanctifying for lawful marriage , and holyness for [ legitimation ] when the words are never so taken else in the bible , and ma-many hundred times in another sense : nor to say , that all pagans children are holy if they be not bastards . i am satisfied that man must not teach god how to speak , but carefully enquire what he hath spoken ; and if but one text of scripture acquaint us , directly or consequentially of his mind , we must be faithful in observing it : i believe that these are your thoughts as well as mine , and that you verily think that you hold close to the scripture , and that i depart from it : but as i am as willing to understand it as you are , and at as hard a rate of cost or labour , so i well know that one mistake once deeply received , doth let in abundance more , and fights against all the light that would detect and shame it : and he that once accounteth falshood to be truth , will account the defenders of truth to be its enemies . otherwise how could you and such others bring your consciences to wrest and wrangle against such abundance of plain scripture texts ? were it but this one , what could be plainer ? what is wresting scripture if this be not , to force a sense of holyness and sanctification upon one text , which is never found else in any text , and the contary , or different sense neer six hundred times ; is this impartial dealing with gods word ? and do you think that paul mentioneth that as a great and comfortable priviledge of believers , which belongs to heathens equally with them ? why do you not your selves still use that language then , and say , that the children of infidels are holy , when too many will scarce allow the title to any adult christians that are not of your sect , much less to the children of christians , though dedicated by baptism to god ? but being called by you to a review , i am again remembred , that our saviour himself was a church member in his infancy , even the chiefest , that is , the head ; mr. tombes confesseth it : let not your opinions interest draw you to deny it , nor to call my assertion [ rotten dictating . ] if you should , i would ask of you , at what age christ began to be christ , and the churches head , as we ask the socinians , at what age he began to be god ? and if an infant was capable of being the head , king , priest , and prophet relatively , though yet he had never ruled , sacrificed , or taught , then there is nothing in the infant age , which maketh it uncapable of being members , subjects , and disciples of christ : and it is like that irenaeus was not deceived , who saith that he sanctified the state of infancy by being an infant ; and we have reason to judge , that he did thereby give us notice that the infant age is not unacceptable to him , nor uncapable of church relation . truly sir , the serious thought of christs infant relation is a very great confirmation of me against those that exclude all mankind in their infancy from the covenant and church ; even as christs ordinary communion in the synagogues and temple , is an insuperable argument with me against unlawful separations . and god himself calling infants his servants , who do no actual service , levit. 25. 41 , 42. yea and calling them disciples , acts 15. 10. prevaileth more with me , than the words of any one that shall say , they are uncapable of being servants , or disciples . if the infant-age did not render them uncapable of being subjects of christs kingdom , and members of his church ( universal and particular ) before christs incarnation , it maketh them not since uncapable of the like or same relations . and why should i suspect such incapacity ? are not infants members of other societies ? are they not members of families ? and may not a family be sanctified by dedication to god ? are they not members of all the kingdoms in the world ? and is it not the common light of nature , which teacheth all men so to esteem them ? are not infants the kings subjects ? and why may they not as well be christs subjects as the kings ? have they not right of inheritance and honour ; even of crowns , lordships , and lands ? do any nations under heaven level all children , as if the parents communicated neither good or evil to them ? what reason then to suppose that christ obliterateth even natures laws ? and if you deny not original sin , why should you think that god is so unproportionably prone to punish and damn more than to pardon and save ; as that while all infants are made sinful and miserable by their parents , yet not one in the world shall have so much as a part in christs meritorious righteousness , and the free grace and pardon of his covenant , upon the parents dedication of him to god , and entering him by consent into his covenant ? doth sin abound so much more than grace , as that condemnation is passed upon all infants for and by their parents sin , and the free covenant gift doth not pardon any sin to any one infant in the world upon any condition which the parent can perform ( nor any other . ) you never yet by all your words ( for all words are not light and proof ) did convince me that it was no benefit to infants before christs incarnation to be covenant-members of his church ( particular and universal , ) nor that christ came to deprive them all of that benefit : mr. tombes his pretenses that it is a benefit to christians to have all their infants put or kept out of the church state and mercies , is so absurd , against nature , that i am asham'd to say any more against it : if it be our benefit to have no covenant-gift of christ , pardon and life to our children , may you not next say , it is our benefit to have them damn'd ? and if it were so , nature teacheth us to be loath to receive our benefits by such means ; as one would be loath that a physitian should cure his sickness by a draught of the heart blood of all his children . sir , i could the easilyer bear with your delay of external baptism ; if you did not deny all infants their part in the covenant of life . but when you dare not only do that , but reproach our assertion of gods covenant-grace to them , as [ absurd and heretical ] it is no fieryness to say , that i will not follow you . where there is no covenant or promise there is no hope , which we can call divine ; and if we have no hope of the pardon or salvation of our children upon any promise of god , it is no promise of mans that can keep us from despair . we may not then say as david , i shall go to it ] any farther than to the grave . nay do you not do worse than deprive us of our hopes , even lay such grounds as destroy and exclude them , by a sentence of damnation ? for god [ addeth to the church such as shall be saved . ] and if infants be not added to the church , are they not excluded from salvation ? for christ washeth and sanctifieth his church , & he is the saviour of his body only ; and if they are not of his church or body , he washeth them not , nor is their saviour effectively . the same text that saith , he that believeth shall be saved , saith , he that believeth not shall be damned . ] and he that believeth not is condemned already . ] if therefore you allow them no participation in their parents faith , but require personal belief of them , as necessary to their salvation , according to the promise , you must also require the same of them to save them from damnation , by the threatning . did you but leave christians no more hope than you do pagans and turks of their childrens pardon and salvation , i would not be ambitious of the joy of your opinion ; much less if you positively condemn them . and what do you less , if finding them condemned by the violated covenant of innocency , you totally exclude them from the remedying , pardoning , and saving covenant , and from christs body which he doth save . if you say that they may be of his invisible church , which is the saved body ; i answer , 1. what they may be , tells us not what they are . if they be not so much as visible members , who can say that they are invisible ones ? 2. they are by nature visible members of the kingdom of satan , and children of wrath , and visibly under the laws condemnation : therefore 'till we can prove them visibly by grace translated out of this state of nature , their visible condemnation cannot be denyed . and what a jumble make you , if you make a great part of mankind to be at once condemned visible members of the kingdom of the devil , and invisible saved members of christ ? men may be visibly christians , ( hypocrites ) and yet invisibly wicked ; but to be visibly condemned members of the kingdome of darkness , and yet invisible members of christ is strange to me ; especially considering that hypocrites are visibly what they are not really , and invisibly , because they falsely profess what they have not : but a condemned infant doth not deceive men by dissembling , but we actually know that as a child of adam , he is a child of sin and death : it is truly so . therefore we must conclude that as gods word is true , he continueth so , till he be delivered by grace . and the covenant of grace is the conveyance of , and title to our gracious priviledges , as the threatning is of wrath . shall not all that are judged , be judged by gods law ? ( the law which they were under ? ) and what law shall infants then be judged by ? if they are under no covenant of promise that giveth them title to life , how can they have title by it , or be judged by it ? are they justified or not justified ? if not justified , they are condemned certainly ; and shall not be glorified ; for it is the justified that are glorified , rom. 8. 30. but if they are justified , either it is by some justifying promise and covenant , or without : if without , 1. do you not give hope also to all heathens and wicked men , that though they are condemned by the law of innocency , and not justified by any covenant of grace , yet they may be justified without ? 2. and by what means is it ? by any or none ? if by any , by what ? if by none , how know you it ? but if it be by any covenant-grant that they are justified , it must be by that of grace which i am pleading for or none . for we will not now receive another gospel . to talk therefore of meer election , is nothing to any of this that i have said . election justifieth not , nor dissolveth the condemning sentence of the law. god judgeth not men meerly on the grounds of his unreveled election , but by his word , which is the rule . and were it otherwise if unrevealed , none can prove it , and therefore must not affirm it : and were it reveled that god will save some that he promiseth not to save , nor giveth them any antecedent right to it ; yet 1. no man could know by this , whether any one in england or europe , or in the world in his age shall so be saved : nor whether it be many or few , or more than a dozen in the world . 2. and no one can know who any of these be ? and so can have no notice of comfort for any of his own . 3. nor that christians infants shall be saved any more than the heathens . these things , sir , are not to be submitted to by all christians , for fear lest you else revile them , or lest mr. t. sayes , their blood be on their own heads . austin is called durus pater infantum , for too sharp a censure on the unbaptized ; ( though many mistake him . ) but we should be harder , did we leave all visibly condemned without a pardoning word , or any visible remedy and hope . and truly me thinks you too much honour the kingdome of the devil , if you make it visibly contain all the seed of the woman , even of the faithful , till they come to age . it is too great , i will not feign it to be greater . were all the circumcised israelites , and all the holy seed till christ , at once both in the church , and in satans kingdom ? if not , sure it is not so now . sure i am that the scripture tells us of a larger church , and a better covenant , and promises , and greater salvation under the gospel ; and do you bring it down to this , to give us all up to the devils visible kingdom , without any visible remedy , till we come to age ? and he is scarce so like to prove a member of christ at age , who is trained up in the kingdom of the devil till then , as he is that is educated in the houshold of god. there is more of gods blessing to be expected in his own family than in the devils . either it is a mercy or no mercy to be in christs family or church ? if none , why do you value it ? if it be , why should we think that the saviour of the world procureth it to no infants ? nay that he came to leave them out . would you not take it for a mercy if you believed that god in scripture gave it , to all the seed of the faithful dedicated to him ? i think you would . for my part i believe that the seed of the righteous is blessed , psal . 37. 26. and that the children of satan , and the condemned unjustified seed are not blessed : that blessed are they whose sins and iniquities are forgiven and covered , and to whom the lord imputeth not sin , and that this blessing cometh even on the uncircumcised ; but not on them who are unpardoned , and condemned already . i hear many sad mothers lamenting their dead children , for fear lest they are damned : and though i never was a father , i can perceive what the concerns and bowels of parents are . but what would they do , if they were taught to believe , that no infant ever in the world , had any justifying , pardoning promise , nor visible remedy , but all till age are under condemnation , by the undissolved obligation of the law. the antinomians of late years have attempted to perswade men , that secret election justifieth from eternity , and dissolveth the laws obligation , ( before it did oblige , even to non-existent subjects : ) but few believe them , the errour being sufficiently laid open . and yet what other than this feigned antinomian justification do the anabaptists allow to any infants in the world ? but the obligation of a law or covenant to punishment , must according to gods established order , be dissolved by a law or covenant , even by the pardoning law of grace . no doubt but all elect persons , before regeneration are in the visible kingdom of the devil , and heirs of hell , and under the condemnation of the law , as undissolved , and they not pardoned : and is this the case of the best of infants ? had infants church-membership been a meer jewish ceremony , or a meer piece of the mosaical policie , giving no right to any spiritual benefits , nor extended to any other but the jews , we should have judged of it as of the rest : but i dare say that i have given full proof of the contrary in both my books , not here to be recited ; and have produced more than [ rotten dictates ] that from adams dayes infants were esteemed as under the blessing or the curse , as belonging to their parents , & interested in their actions & conditions . besides that any heathen might have brought in his children as proselites into church-membership with the jews ; whereas now you allow not so much to any christians . and it was before circumcision was instituted , that marriage was regulated by god , that there might be [ a seed of god ] mal. 2. 15. ] and i will not be so audocious , as to expound that title , of all the devils children that be not bastards . but still you say , there is no scripture , president , or precept for infants baptism . ] answer , 1. abuse not your selves and others : we are first to agree whether infants may be church members , and under the covenant of grace with their parents ? and then we shall next consider , at what age , and in what manner they should be solemnly invested . confound not differing questions : the first must be first resolved . 2. there is no scripture president for baptizing any kings ; must none therefore be baptized ? 3. scripture tells us not all that was then done , but all that must be done . 4. when baptism was first instituted and practised , the parents must first be converted and baptized . 5. yet over and over the baptizing of housholds is recorded . 6. infants church-membership was a thing that they were before in profession of , and no sort that ever i read of questioned it : therefore what need christ institute it anew , any more than to new make the ten commandments ? 7. if it had ever been his meaning to dispossess them all , he would have told us so in some word of scripture , or some mention sure had been made of it . 8. but certainly he told them that he would have gathered jerusalems children to him , which is the nation that was before gods church . 9. and he took children in his arms and blessed them , and was angry with those that kept them from him , and said , of such is the kingdom of god. 10. and how can we obey mark 9. 36 , 37. and receive children in christs name , and as belonging to christ , if none do visibly belong to him ? 2. but i answer fully , there is a full command for infant baptism mat. 28. 19. go ye disciple me all nations , baptizing them . where note , 1. that it is not the effect that is made their duty , but their endeavour ; else the apostles had sinned when the hearers believed not , and because all nations were not discipled . note that to be disciples and to be christians , acts 11. are made all one ; and to be discipled and to be christened . 3. note that it is not here and there one , but nations , that they must endeavour to disciple : and as the jews are called a holy nation , so it is said , i will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance , psal . 2. and isa . 55. 8. mal. 1. 10 , 11 , &c. the conversion of the nations and heathens is promised : and the word and our experience have both said , the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of the lord , and of his christ . but kingdoms and nations contain infants ; and he discipleth not a nation that discipleth no infants in the nation . the apostles were commanded to discple whole nations : the infants are parts of whole nations : therefore the apostles were bound to endeavour to disciple infants . object . it is only the capable parts : but infants and ideots are not capable parts . answ . i have before [ and else-where fully ] proved infants capable parts , as christ was of being head , and as infants are of societies , and of a part in covenants with men : and ideots having not the use of reason from the birth , are in the same case with infants ; and the distracted , after at age , are nothing to our case , but are capable of being distracted members ; and distraction is not excommunication , nor unchurcheth any . object . 2. they must be made disciples by teaching . answ . 1. if they be made disciples any way , they must be baptized . 2. as a mans hand or foot doth not understand by teaching , and yet is part of a disciple that 's made such by teaching ; so infants understand not , and yet are infant disciples , as being naturally so much appertaining to their parents , that by gods law the parents will goeth for theirs in consenting for their good . they are subjects before they obey , and servants of god before they serve him ( as those were to abraham that were born to him in his house , ) and as christ was a priest before he sacrificed , &c. and so they are disciples before they learn ; and made such by thes teaching which made their parents such , and taught them to dedicate them to god. if the king should send embassadours to perswade the heathens in new england at once to become christians and his subjects ; would any man doubt but when the embassadours prevail with all the adult to become the kings subjects , they do thereby make the nations , and so all infants as dependents on the parents to be subjects also ? and if the same speech of the same men make the parents both christians and the kings subjects , may it not as truly be said that that speech made the infants christians ( when the parents consent ) as subjects when they consent ? 3. if actual learning or believing were necessary to the christianity , or church-membership of all , then whenever any one were mad or distracted , or in an appoplexy ( if not every night while he is asleep ) he should cease to be a christian and church-member . and if infants as part of nations must be made disciples , and all that are discipled be baptized , ( as the investing act ) then here is a plain cmmand to baptize infants : all that must be discipled must be baptized : infants must be discipled : therefore infants must be baptized : what have you more for baptizing kings ? and if men ask for scripture presedent , or fuller proof ; 1. i also require them to give me any one scripture presedent , where ever any one that was the child of a christian , and not at age when the parents were made christians , was afterward baptized when he came to age ? prove that and you will prove something . 2. i ask them whether many points in divinity be not now taken as necessary , or sure , for which not the fourth part so much is produced out of scripture as i have done for the church-membership of infants . and seeing you have so importunately called me to a review ; i will add these few things more , [ i. ] what benefits i perceive cometh by infant-baptism . [ ii. ] what hurt would come if you could prevail against it . [ iii. ] what sin you would draw men to by rejecting it . [ iv. ] and i will tell you what thanks therefore i owe to god for preserving me from your mistakes and way . i. and i cannot but think that all these following are mercies not to be despised . 1. to be gods children , and god to be their god and father . 2. to be christs members , and christ to be their head and saviour . 3. to have the holy ghost in covenant with them , to give them his grace and help as shall be necessary to them upon the further terms on which it is by degrees to be communicated . ( of which more anon . ) 4. to have the pardon of all original sin , as to the damning punishment , and so to have the laws condemnation disabled . 5. to be members of so holy , safe , and honourable a society as the church . 6. to have their love and prayers as members . 7. to have parents obliged solemnly to endeavour to educate and use their children as members of christ , fellow citizens with the saints , and of the houshold of god. 8. to have right to heaven , so dying , by gods gift . 9. for parents and friends to have comfortable notice of all this . 10. and that they are not under the power and kingdom of the devil , as those that are rebels against the covenant , or that are without . ii. should your perswasions prevail against infant-baptism , these evils i think would follow . and whereas you say , that your think is as good as my think , pardon my modesty , and while you follow your own think , give me and others leave to judge of mine , by the evidence at least of probability which i bring . 1. i think that christian parents would want one of their motives to live in thankfulness to god , and to magnifie the grace of the redeemer , if they did beleve that all infants are in the visible kingdom of the devil , and have no promise or covenant-grant of pardon , remedy , or life . 2. the want of this demonstration of divine love would be a disadvantage to their love to god : for where much is forgiven , there will be much love. 3. it would deprive christian parents of all the forementioned comforts for their childrens good , and leave them to mourn for the dead as those that have no hopes , which any promise of god alloweth them . 4. parents would be more negligent in the pious education of their children , than they are ; for their solemn vow and promise is a great additional obligation . 5. young persons would be more bold in sin , when they know that they are under no covenant , vow or promise to the contrary : and they would usually delay their repentance and baptism ; as constantine , and many in those times did ; as thinking that [ all sin is done away when i repent and am baptized ; but it is more dangerous to sin after baptism than before : and so most would think it best to live out of the church , and to die in it ; to live as infidels , and die as christians ; to live after the flesh as do the wicked , and to be regenerate before death , and to die the death of the righteous . 6. these delayes would do [ as delay of repentance now doth to many . ] even drive away gods spirit , forfeit grace , harden the heart , so that few delayers would be converted . 7. by these delayings of repentance and liberty of sins , wickedness would more abound , and so gods judgments against the land be more increased . 8. pagans and infidels would be hardened and encouraged , by the multitudes of the unbaptized , and the paucity of christians . 9. for christians would be but few in comparison of the multitude : just as mr. tombes thinks christ would have it , [ here one and there one . ] 10. and while some delayed their baptism in scruple , ( as many now do the lords supper ) and others to take the liberty of sinning ( which were like to be the common case of youth ) and others in senseless negligence , the baptized and unbaptized would grow ( like our non-conformists and conformists ) into distinct parties , upon distinct interest in point of reputation ; and so the unbaptized become the adversaries ( for the most part ) of the baptized . 11. and the rich , and the multitude being usually the unbaptized party , they would be still the strongest , and the governours of the rest ; and the laws and government would be such as the governours . 12. and hereupon the church would be ( as before the dayes of constantine ) ordinarily under persecution . 13. this persecution would detein the most from looking towards christianity , and so hinder multitudes from comeing in to christ : and woe to them that so offend or hinder such little ones ; it were better a milstone were hanged about their necks and they were cast into the depth of the sea. 14. there would then be no sanctified families dedicated to god , ( except those few that had no children . ) 15. much less would any nation be discipled , or any one kingdom be the kingdom of the lord , and of his christ . this is not the condition that i desire and pray for : if you doubt of all or any of this , look to the easterni parts of the world , and be not worse than those that will learn by nothing but experience . judge whether under the turkish government the greek church be grown better , and whether the christians are more and holyer than heretofore . and yet the turks give liberty of religion , which most unbaptized princes do not . o dreadful case ! that ever religious persons should study , preach , pray , and fervently dispute and write to bring the christian world to this , as for the advancement of religion ! iii. to tell you of sinning , i suppose will be taken for fiery fury ; or a reproach of the godly : but i may tell you why i am not of your mind , and what sin i think i should be guilty of , if i were . 1. god made it a duty for parents solemnly to enter their children , by dedication , into the covenant of god ( as is oft proved . ) and how will men answer the non-performance hereof any more than their not praying for them , or not feeding or cloathing them ? 2. what a sin is it to rob christ of so great a part of his church ? 3. what a sin so to deny the gospel grace and promise , and to hide so much of the love of god ? 4. what a sin so far to confound the state of christians and pagans , as to their childrens blessing ? 5. what a sin so to enlarge and honour the devils kingdom , as to give him all mankind visibly , till they come to age ? 6. what a sin to rob parents of so much of their due comfort . 7. what a sin to deprive so many millions of covenant-pardon , grace and life , by hindering the acceptance and consent ? 8. what a sin thus to change and take from the word , yea from the very covenant of god ? 9. what a sin to vilifie so great mercy , as if it were none , and to preach such ingratitude ? 10. what a sin so to dishonour christ , as if sin abounded so much more than his grace , as that all infants being visibly condemned , not one in the world is visibly pardoned or justified ? 11. yea to make christ so like satan and contrary to himself , as to come into the world to cast or keep all mankind in infancy out of the church and covenant of grace ; and when his name is called jesus , because he saveth his people from their sins , he will take none for his people , till age , nor save any infant visibly from sin , either guilt or habit , and so be no jesus to any but the adult , that we can know of : when yet before his comeing it was otherwise ; and so to make the gospel much harder than the law , and the yoak of christ harder than the yoak of circumcision . 12. yea and to make the gospel church more narrow and unhappy than all the pagan nations were before , whose children might have been proselited with the parents . 13. what a sin is it to teach men to be thus unnatural , and cruel to their off-spring ? 14. what a sin to teach all that are not re-baptized , that they break no baptismal vow or covenant , nor sin against it , because they never were baptized . 15. and is it nothing so to cross our prayers , [ let thy kingdom come ] and to pray and endeavour that christs kingdom may not extend to any of mankind , till they actually at age believe . but the great difficulty which it will be expected that i resolve , is , whether i do not imply , that all the children of true christians dedicated to god , having saving grace in their infancy , many after fall from it , seing experience tells us , that too many prove ungodly . i answer , 1. so much of scripture , and so great and many mercies must not be all denyed , when a difficulty ariseth in the way , which we cannot at the present answer : else what would become of most mens christianity it self ? 2. this was no difficulty to the antient fathers , no not to augustin and his followers , and so to all the known church of christ for a thousand years after the apostles , who commonly held that even of the adult , many fall from true grace , justification , and a state of life ; some appropriating perseverance to the elect , ( as austin ) and some to the confirmed in grace , and some to both . 3. it is hard that they that cannot extricate themselves out of such difficulties , will but reproach those that offer them their help : but this is not the first time that i have ventured upon their ingratitude : i speak of it still as a difficulty ; but what i have said in my [ more reasons for infants church-membership . ] seemeth most probable to me , viz. 1. all christians confess that adam fell from a state of salvation , or right to life , at present . 2. adams grace which he lost , was a power to love god , and obey him , which he could use or suspend . 3. beyond a meer power , there is in the sanctified by the in-dwelling spirit of adoption ; gracious habits of love and obedience : what adam had of this i am not here to determine . 4. beyond meer weak habits , there is in some , such habits as are strong , confirmed and radicated . ( 5. and in heaven above all these , there is full perfection . ) now i apply this , 1. actual and habitual , love and obedience , is in the sanctified adult by the indwelling spirit ; for actual love and obedience is their duty , which the habit is joyned to . 2. vocation giveth faith and repentance in act , with some seminal disposition to the said acts and habits of love and obedience , ( as amesius medull . de orat. ) not yet habits ; and this vocation goeth before sanctification , faith being the condition on which the spirit of adoption and sanctification is promised . 3. so much grace may be given to infants , as was to adam , as to meer power to do what he did not , and as the dominicans call sufficient , or necessary grace ; and perhaps such as is the innitial disposition before full sanctification . and this much may qualifie them for present pardon and justification , for actual love and obedience is not their duty , and consequently not the proper habit , beyond a power and seminal disposition , as of necessity to their first state of grace : and as adam lost this much , so may they . 4. the sanctifying spirit of adoption , is not promised to infants to work such acts in them as they are not yet capable of , nor such habits , as in gods usual order follow such acts ; but he is related to them as their sanctifier , because christ will send the spirit as they come to the use of reason , to help them in holy acts , and so to habits , if they forfeit not his help . which some do ( besides the perfidious neglect of parents ) and so lose that infant-grace . 5. but all gods elect shall certainly have more than this grace of sufficient , necessary , losable power and disposition , and shall at age have actual faith , love , and obedience if they live . 6. what ever infant dyeth in the state of that grace & disposition ( which we call sufficient , & in its nature was as loseable as adams ) shall be perfected in his access to the perfecting glory ( as all imperfect saints are , ) and is one of the elect , and shall by promise be saved : ( allowing degrees of glory : ) if there be no need , or evidence of this solution , and you have any other surer way , then cast this by as [ rotten dictating . ] thus far i have given you an account of my review : but yet i here repeat again ; that if you would be contented your selves , to satisfie your own consciences to be re-baptized , ( as one that doubted whether he were well marryed would secure it by being marryed over again ) and would afterward live peaceably in communion with your brethren , and not appropriate church-communion to your sect. and if you would not deny our infant part in the covenant of grace , the promise of pardon , and life by christ , and our infant church-membership , and only delayed the baptismal investiture , as tertullian desired , for the more solemn inauguration , and obligation ; though i should not be of your mind , i should live in as loving forbearance and communion with you , as with other christians . but if when we are for peace , you are for church-wars , and cannot differ from us without dividing , unchurching , unchristening , avoiding , and even contemning or slandering almost all the christians in this and former ages , in such things i will have no communion with you . the fathers likened re-ordaining , and re-baptizing . if any would satisfie his own conscience with being ordained again for surety , not unchurching , degrading , avoiding , reproaching , persecuting those that are not of his mind , i would break no peace with such a re-ordained person : but if the re-ordaining sectaries will say as you , our way only is right , we only are the true ministers and churches , and turn like to donatists , i am not of their mind . and i here profess , that while i tell you of my dissent from your extream , it implyeth no liking of the contrary extream of those that would confound the christians & the heathens , so far as equally to baptise all their children , if any baptized person will but perfidiously promise that for them , which they never made any intelligent man believe that ever they intended to perform : nor can i love the hypocritical religion of the pharisees , which turneth almost all into ceremony , as if they had to do with none but children ; nor the turning of catechising and confirmation into a lifeless formality , to be instead of a serious profession at age , of the christian covenant , and a solemn intelligent transition to the church priviledges of the adult . i know that it is satans game , first to draw hypocrites to mortifie gods ordinances , and turn religion into an image or a carkass ; and thence to stir up others in several sects , instead of reviving them , to loath and bury them . woe to the world because of offences , and woe to them by whom they come . before i come to my fourth part , which is my application to my self , i must take notice of some more of your applicatory letter in the way : and if i disorderly repeat some things , in following so disordered a leader , you ( at least , whatever others do ) must take it patiently , it being far short of the tedious work which you seem to call for : you would have mr. danvers his letter answered , and you would have better proof for infant baptism . it is not in my power to believe the reasons of my two books , which you generally take for none , to be no sound reasons ; nor to believe mr. danvers his books not to be such a bundle of most gross mistakes and vutruths , as i scarce ever before met with , from a professed christian . if i mistake , it is not in my power to do otherwise , were i to die this hour . and if i have offended the anabaptists by a faithful perswading them to repent of the doleful work which they have made in england , my conscience more accuseth me for doing it no more , than for doing so much . if you take all men for as bad as you describe me , that wish your repentance for such works , and also for our woful church divisions , and differ from you about infant-baptism , and that yet beg for mutual forbearance , and peaceable communion with you , i am not of your spirit or mind , and hope neither to live nor die in so narrow a communion . as for any more answering any of you , those that i converse with , tell me it is needless ; i repent that i have been drawn by contenders so often to interrupt more useful work . if more be needful , let them do it that have leisure , and longer life . you say , that it is now a common question whether ever i will die a martyr ? i am sorry that your acquaintance are hardened , and used to questions that so little concern them , and that are so unmeet for their determination : if suffering be the best state , how happy hath this kingdom been made by the overturners ? do you mean that you doubt whether ever the anabaptists will have power enough to effect it ? they attempting what they did against me too late , just when they and their co-partners were a pulling down themselves and others ? or do you mean , that till we are martyred we are not capable of your good opinion ? ( and are all the anabaptists graceless that are yet unmartyred ? or have more anabaptists than poedobaptists been martyred in our times ? ) or is it only your prognostick on supposition of my tryal ? i have more cause to distrust my self , and beg gods strengthning grace , than boastingly to foretel , though all men deny thee , yet i will not . ] but your talk of [ my flight , and others suffering by proxie for me ] doth but shew that you have not that care of avoiding falshoods in matter of fact , which might invite us to think that you are liker than others to be sound in doctrine . but had you not mistaken , yet i might have admonished you , not to have condemned every anabaptist that hath taken a grosser flight , than a sick mans going for his health into the countrey , when he had neither any flock , nor vndertaking , nor call to hinder him : at least that you mock not at paul for being let down by the wall in a basket , nor at christ for his flight into aegypt , or withdrawing into the wilderness , and into gallilee , &c. nor for saying , when they persecute you in one city , flee to another : or at least pass no hard sentence on your self for being yet alive ; no nor on mr. tombes for writing against separation , and for communion with the parish churches . but in the end you [ beseech me in the bowels of jesus christ , and as i will shortly answer at the great and dreadful tribunal that among my other errata , i would repent of that absurd and heretical position , of a baptismal covenant of grace running in a fleshly line . answ . but 1. just thus the quakers dreadfully adj●re me to repent of all that 's against their way ; and must i therefore do it ? and yet mr. hicks , ives , and other anabaptists treat them far more sharply than cover i did the anabaptists . 2. i have so many years looked for my appearing at the tribunal of christ , that if i should not be true to that light which doth appear to me , i were more unexcusable than yet you think me . but will your word at that tribunal pass for law , or for my justification , if i should contradict the grace and covenant of god , and his church laws and state from the dayes of adam to this day ? how shall i be sure that it is the bowels of christ , and not self-conceitedness , and the zeal of a dividing sect , in which you make this carnest sute to me ? 3. especially when you so unintelligibly recite my supposed errour , and give me not a word of answer against that abundance of scripture proof which i have brought ? this is too unsatisfactory an answering of books , to beseech us to repent of them ? 4. the wisdom from above is pure , & peaceable , and without partiality . is yours so ? ask any impartial man whether you write like one that knoweth himself ? you here call us to repent of a position as absurd and heretical ? did i ever call your opinion heretical . not that i remember ? such writing as this of mine is fiery ; but your large invectives without one word of proof , and your charge of an heretical position , is nothing but christian gentleness . your phrase of a covenant running in a fleshly line , is your own . the words of a position charged as heretical , should have been truly recited . tell me where i ever used such . i refer you to my late two disputations of original sin , besides my two books of baptism , for full proof that god hath taken the children of the godly and the wicked as participants , into promises of love and mercy , and threatnings of punishment , with their parents : how far , i have there opened . your telling me that such reference is to set you the task of sysiphus , shall not so befool me as to tempt me to write the same over again : for by the like reason , others of as great authority as you may call me to write it twenty times . and if i give neer thirty scripture testimonies or arguments for our infant mercies , we that see no reason to invalidate them , will not so despise god and his laws and benefits , as to deny or reject all , because such a man as you require it , and tells us that they are all invalid . if we must take our faith on trust : it were more excusable to take it from councils , than from you . i have told you my judgement herein so often , that it is the more disingenuous in you to give it in such senseless or ambiguous words , as [ a baptismal covenant running in a fleshly line . ] gods covenant as instituted , runs no where ; but is recorded in the scripture , preached , and ministerially applyed by his ministers . mans convenanting act , is absurdly said to [ run in a fleshly line . ] but men that have flesh as well as souls , do accept gods covenant , and enter themselves and infants in the mutual convenant by dedicating both to god. natural generation ( communicating essence ) maketh your children to be naturally yours , which is so neer an interest , that original sin and suffering tells us that god esteemeth not our children naturally guiltless of the parents crimes : and he hath provided a remedy for both , and not for the parents or adult only : and the remedy is a pardoning saving covenant procured by a mediator . this convenant is vniversal to the adult , as offered on the condition of believing acceptance : and is there no promise , no covenant for infants ? why so ? have they no need of pardon , and a saviour ? or are they left remediless as the devils ? or is the promise of their salvation without any condition ? if so , is it to all , or to some only ? if to all , and so all are christs members , then all ( turks and pagans ) children should be church-members . this were to make it run unto a fleshly line indeed ? if not to all , to whom , or to how many ? is it to more than twenty in the world ? or more to christians children than others ? if it be a promise of pardon and life , and neither tell to how many , nor to whom ; 1. this is a strange promise , and is no mutual covenant ? shew us where in scripture we may find it ? 2. this then must be another species of a covenant of grace , distinct from the baptismal covenant ; and to feign and add a second sort of covenant is another kind of adding to the word of god , than adding of ceremonies is . and who can say in all the world , that any child of his hath any part in such a promise ? or that pagans have not as much of it as christians ? all promises of pardon to the adult are conditional , and some means for certain title is prescribed ? is there no means for the certain pardon of our infants ? 2. but if you will say that it is conditional , what is that condition ? that which i have still said is this , the condition is , that they be the children of the faithful dedicated to god : not meerly that they be our fleshly line ; that doth but make them ours , and ( with gods law ) enable and oblige us to dedicate them in covenant to him : but being thus in our power , and our wills for them as their own , it is our dedicating them to god , that is the immediate condition : and every true christian doth dedicate himself , and his children to god , as far as he thinks himself enabled : this dedication is virtually in our own actual sanctification , and actually when we have children , which is solemnized in baptism . what we devote to god by his will he doth accept : and we can shew his promises to the seed of his servants , and will not plead against our mercies . should we apostatize our selves , the mercies promised to the generations of them that love god , would be intercepted , and would not run to a fleshly line : but an infant by believers dedicated to god , is not unclean but holy , and so better than a meer fleshly line . to pour out your clamours against our proof , full and plain proof , of this , from the whole current of the scripture , and to vaunt , and talk with such confidence as you do in the dark , as if all this were un-proved , ( and the very second commandment were again cast out , and gods own proclamation of his name , exod. 34. 6 , 7. ) and to call for more answers , while you cry out of too much ; and to talk against dictating , while you thus obtrude your quaker-like oratory , contempt , & obtestations , instead of argument and answers ; this must not make us unthankful despisers of the promises of god. if you would thus hector men out of their inheritances , or the title of their infants to them , few would think you argued cogently : and should the words of such self-conceited singular persons , which we take to be against the scope of scripture , and consent of christs church , make us give up all infants convenant-title to church-membership , pardon and salvation ? you read frequently in the gazetts , that many set so much by their dogs , as to cry them about , and offer great rewards to those that find them , and will bring them home ; and shall all christians set so little by their children ( and so by all our own infant priviledges ) as to be hector'd out of our hopes , and renounce their great and precious promises , which number them with the houshold of god : and that by such rhetorical canting as a man of equal wit may use , in almost any other controversie ? as cicero wondered at them that pleaded against the immortality of the soul , that ever men would be such enemies to themselves , as to study for reasons against their own interest and hopes ; so i say , though our meer interest prove nothing to be true , it tells us , what we should desire ; and when we find gods word so excellently suited to our interest , let them dispute against it that will , for i will not . let the enemies of mankind or of christians , plead against the interest of mankind and of christians , and not themselves . it 's an unavoidable streight that we are in , between them that silence and ruine us in this world , among such other things , for not professing our assent , that [ it is certain by the word of god , that infants baptized ( none in the world excepted ) and dying before actual sin , are certainly saved ▪ ] not allowing us to preach christs gospel if we cannot say that all this is certain ; ( were it faith in christ himself , the weak in faith should be received ; ) and such as you on the other side , that account us even heretical if we will not be so unthankful to god , as to deny and reject the precious covenant hopes , and church-relation of our children . you know that with what measure you mete it is measured to you again by many ; and that no small number of christians have numbred anabaptists with hereticks ; and yet i that have dealt otherwise with you , am your most fiery adversary ? and why ? any judicious by-stander may see , though you cannot : just as as w. pen lately seemed to think more favourably of me than of others , till in an open dispute i had detected the evil of his cause ; and then [ he had rather be a socrates at judgment , than such a nominal christian as i : so you and your brethren that are like you , because a book or two of mine have cross'd the interest of your party , think i deserve all that you pronounce of or against me ; so powerful is interest with most mens understandings : so far as it is your mistake of the interest of christ that does mislead you , i easily bear it as the infirmity of a weak and prejudiced judgment : but so far as it is the interest of your party which is abused against the publick interest of christs church it is selfish , and such as is described at large in james 3. as for your talk of mr. danvers his words against my heterodoxes in other matters , and your supercilious insulting as if he were unanswered , i say , 1. i take him to be fully answered , and if you do not , that proveth it not to be as you affirm . 2. what more should i answer ? what doth he but recite some scrap of my words ? had he done it truly and fully , had that been any argument against them ? do i need to answer my own words , before any charge against them be proved , or proof once attempted ? was it not enough for me to lay down the contraries to my doctrines , and leave the reader to choose which he seeth best ? dare you not own the contraries , and yet continue your accusation of my words ? would not the world ( whom i blame not if they think that i have written too many books already ) condemn me for a fool indeed , if in the condition that i am in , the cant of such men as he and you , should draw me to write another volumn in defence of a volumn that defendeth it self to all judicious impartial readers , and that against one that proveth nothing in it to be erronious ? and as for those that will not impartially peruse the words accused , i have no reason to think that they will make any better use of a defence if i should write it ? and as i am past doubt that mr. d's quarrels , and your justification of them , are the effect of meer ignorance , self-conceit , partiality , and passion ; so if you prove to be the knowing men , and i the ignorant , i am sure it is not through my neglect of study , nor unwillingness to know or own the truth : and i have no cause to envy you the felicity of your greater wisdom . but if it be a wisdom that tendeth to bitter strife and to confusion , and destroyeth your love to those that differ from you , i will remember that my peace lyeth more on my love to you , than on yours or any mans else to me . as for your talk about my words in my first book that some did then baptize naked , i have given you a true answer . to contradict what i said , were to lie : i know not that you baptize any at all but by report of others ; and so i heard that then of some so credibly as that i am not able now because you call for proof almost thirty years after , to disbelieve it : i undertake not to prove it now ; ( nor that the quakers then used to quake or vomit , seeing now no such thing is seen among them : ) if really it was a misreport , and never any baptized naked in england , nor in other lands , i wish that no man may believe it . but did mr. danvers take this for so heynous an injury , and yet himself in2 books labour to prove , that for many hundred years baptizing naked was the ordinary custome ! o how far will partiality blind men ? was it the custome of all the churches , and yet a reproach to be retracted , to say that at one time divers did so , if fame , not then denyed by any of those anabaptists that i converst with , may be believed ? to conclude , sir , the importunity of mr. danvers and you have not been unprofitable to me : it hath caused me , as you desired , to review my old thoughts of infants church-membership and baptism , and to renew my thanks to the god of mercy , who hath not left all the world in their infancy unredeemed , nor without a promise or covenant of grace ; nor left christian parents to mourn for their dead infants , as those that are without hope of their salvation , and have no promise on which to ground their hope : it hath renewed my sense of the great obligation that lyeth on believing parents , both of gratitude to god , and duty for their children : it tells me that they may now love their children , as the members of the church of christ , and need not , nay must not take them as members of the kingdom of the devil ; nor yet stretch their brains to prove that there is a middle region ( like purgatory , or limbus infantum hereafter ) between the kingdom of christ , and the kingdom of the devil ; and that it is a sad employment for parents to dispute their own children out of the blessings of gods covenant , and to prove them to be in satans kingdom , and not in christs : yea it hath reminded me how much the interest of infants in their parents case is founded by god in nature it self , and to bless god for that inscription in stone of the second commandment , and that marvellous voice from heaven , exod. 34. 6 , 7. i believe that the synod of dort said truly , acts 1. 17. that faithful parents need not doubt of the election and salvation of their children dying in infancy , ( before the violation of the baptismal covenant . ) and seeing god hath pronounced our children holy , and not unclean , and told us that of such is the kingdom of god , it remindeth me how careful parents should be , as thankfully to dedicate them to god , so carefully to educate them according to their covenant , remembering that as the parents consent and dedication of them to god , is the condition of their first right to the covenant benefits , so those parents do promise their pious education ; and if they after prove false in such promises on their part , they must not charge god with unfaithfulness , if it go worse with their children than on supposition of the parents fidelity it had done ; ( though still at age they may be accepted upon repentance and personal belief : ] of which mr. whiston hath written more judiciously than any on that point that i remember . also i have been hereby made thankful that god kept me from the snare of anabaptistry ; for though i lay not so much as some do on the meer outward act or water of baptism , believing that our heart consent and dedication qualifieth infants for a covenant right before actual baptism ( which yet is christs regular solemnization and investiture , ) yet i make a great matter of the main controversie , notwithstanding that i hereticate not the anabaptists for the bare opinion sake , nor would have them persecuted ; for now i better see than ever what god hath thus preserved me from . 1. how much else might i have been led to , that tendeth towards the denying the kingdom of christ , and denying him to be the saviour of the world ; yea how neer might i have been led towards the making him to be the destroyer , or abaddon , as comeing into the world to condemn the world , and to take from them the promises and hopes of salvation : for , 1. i find that all are lost in adam , and that god made an vniversal covenant of grace with fallen mankind in adam after his fall , and renewed it with noah : i find that it is but a small part of the world that had the law of moses , the jews being to the earth , but as one village to england ; and to be king but of a village is not to be king of england . i find that the making of abraham's or moses his covenant was no repeal of the vniversal law of grace ; nor put them into a worse condition than he found them in . and i find that past all doubt infants were church-members , and in the covenant before christs incarnation , not only the circumcised but the uncircumcised females , and all the uncircumcised males in the wilderness , yea and out of the jewish nation , as well as in it , ( though the covenant of peculiarity was proper to them . ) and yet notwithstanding all this , i find , 1. that many now do exclude all the world out of christs kingdom before his incarnation , except the jews , or at least a few rare individuals more , when abraham hoped there had been fifty righteous in sodome . 2. that the same men suppose that since christs incarnation , the old law of grace made to mankind in adam and noah , is repealed , and they that cannot have the gospel are left under the meer law of innocency or none . 3. and that all mankind in their infant state is put or left out of the church of christ , and the covenant of life . and had i been seduced into all this , 1. to hold that for 4000 years christ had a kingdom no bigger than england . 2. that he came to deprive all the world that have not his gospel , of the former law of grace that was made to them . 3. and that he came to cast out of their church-state , or covenant-mercies all mankind while they are infants ; and to leave us no hope that is grounded on his covenant or promise of any infants salvation , or any description or condition whatsoever : alas , what should i have been led to ? and what guilt against christ , and of furthering infidelity , should i have incurred , under the pretense of promoting the purity of his kingdom ? ii. and if god had thus left me , i had been likely ( as i see by others ) to have gone yet farther , and narrowed the gospel church it self so much , as to have confined it to the anabaptists ; or to have thought all the rest of the christian world uncapable of church communion ; i might have come to revile the doctrine of gods gracious promise or covenant to our children , as absurd and heretical ; and when gratitude is the complexion of gospel obedience , this ingratitude might have been mine . iii. and then i should likely have been left to a proud over-valuing of my own opinion , and the singularity of my wisdom and integrity , as quite beyond all the christian worlds that differ from me : and out of a selfish unobserved adherence to my own conceits , to have magnified the sect that was of my own mind , above all others . iv. and then i might have been seduced to have had a hand in all the turnings and overturnings , setting up and pulling down , praying and unpraying , owning and disowning , bloody dayes and thanksgivings for them , that were since triplo heaths-parliament till 1660. and more than so , to have justified them in others , yea and that after gods most remarkable disowning them ; yea and to have abhorred and derided the very name and motion of repentance for them , and to have despised the religious retreat of nath. ward , a wise though jocular interpendent , though repentance be the only plank after shipwrack , and the great and merciful concession of the gospel . v. i might have been drawn hereby to divide christs kingdom , and to set up antichurches , whose employment should be to cry down others , and draw men into odious thoughts of one another , and to destroy christian love and concord in the world . vi. and hereby i might have been one that prepared professors to turn quakers , seekers , or ranters , to have finished the work that i began . vii . i might have been tempted to do all this as in the name of christ , and for his truth , word and church ; and so to have entitled god to all , and put his holy name to these works of darkness , and pretended his own commission for my opposing him . viii . i might have been tempted hereby to write letters as long and vehement as yours , in as or●●●cal and pious a strain , which should have been b●●… birth of my ignorance and self-conceit , and made ●… of hypocrisie ; all along pretending that i am offended with my adversary for want of an answer or proof , when indeed it were the success of his answers & cogent proofs , prevailing with multitudes against my opinion , that was the true cause of my anger : and when partiality had filled my heart with bitterness against my brother for such success , i might have been drawn to cover all from my self and others , by accusing him of fieryness or folly in generals , and by summoning him to repentance and recantation , as the quakers do , by the dreadful tribunal of god , when i cannot resist the scripture evidence which he bringeth . ix . and i might have been tempted when once prepossession , prejudice & interest of reputation had engaged me to so bad a cause , to have studyed all that i can rake together to maintain it ; and to have stretch'd all my wits to have opposed all that is brought against it , and to have made it the chief work and religion of my life , in which my thoughts , affections , time and industry should be laid out to carry on this mistaken and destructive cause , and to keep the churches of christ from loving-unity , communion and peace , till they will all unite against infants church-membership and baptism , which they never did , nor never will do : yea , and i must have taught all christian parents , that though they must love their children as they are their own , ( as heathens do ) yet that they must not love any one infant in the world , as a member of christ , or of his church , and in his covenant . x. and by all this , what a scandal should i have given to the atheists , infidels , papists and profane , to harden them in their contempt of godliness , and derision , or accusations of religious men ; as if all serious religion among us were but pride , contention , humour and hypocrisie , and a cloak for our mala●ies and crimes . yea i might have tempted them to persecution , and quieted their consciences in silencing christs ministers , for the sake of such , whom they think they use not so ill as they deserve . xi . and alass what a distraction and scandal should i have caused to the ignorant and weak , when they see so many wayes , and hear men calling them this way and that way , and terrifying them with gods judgment , and the charge of sin , if they be not of this mind or of that , till poor people ( that have a plain rule left them by christ ) are driven out of all religion , or out of their wits , as not knowing of what side and way to be . xii . and i should have been like enough to have been drawn into the guilt of persecution my self , while i cryed out against persecution . i might have persecuted my brethren with my tongue , and thought it necessary to the promoting of the cause of god , to blast their just reputation , and to make them by falshoods to become despised , lest their names should hinder my design . yea , who knows but i might my self have joyned with those whom you judged the persecuting silencers of the ministers of christ , and ruiners of the churches peace , by endeavouring the continuance of those same impositions , and keeping ministers out of the publick ministry , and depriving them of all the established maintenance , which in the judgment of the sectaries themselves is heynous sin , and all this lest repentance and altering such impositions ( unless they will do it as far as the said persons desire ) should weaken their party , and leave them under greater disagvantages ; and to have thus desired mens impenitent continuance of that which is accounted heynous persecution and devastation of the churches , and starving many thousand souls , and undoing ministers ▪ and their families , might have made all this to be my own by such consent , yea and endeavour ; and the pitiful shift of [ opposing a comprehension , to keep off our own sufferings , or our weakening , and the dividing of the non-conformists . ] might have been an opiate to my conscience for so heynous an iniquity . xiii . yea , who knows but i might have come to that inhumanity , and immodesty as to falsifie publick history , against the common notice of all the learned world ; and to have faced down mankind that the novatians were against infant baptism , and so were the donatists ; and that austin wrote divers books against them , as holding that opinion ; and that the brittains of old were of the same mind , and the waldenses since , and wickliffe also , &c. and if learned men had wondred at my impudence , i might have comforted my self that my followers will believe me : yea and to have furiously calumniated those that detect my sin , and call me to repentance , and to have reproached them as foolish and fiery who will defend the mercies of christ , and their infant hopes and title to pardon and salvation . these and many more evils i might have been seduced into , if i had yielded to those reasonings that would have drawn me to deny the graces of the covenant ; and which in my youth once did cause some doubting in me , till i diligently studyed the point ; my ignorance of the true nature of the covenant and baptism , and the weakness of many writers arguments against the anabaptists , being then my great temptations . and now , sir , i thank you for calling me , in the bowels of christ , as i will answer it at gods dreadful tribunal , to a review of the cause which i was drawn by your brethren to defend : for it causeth me in the review of the nature and reasons of it , to renew my thankfulness to god for my preservation , and that he hath made any use of me to vindicate his covenant , and the mercies given by it to mankind , and for saving me from this fore-described deluge ; and i solemnly protest in his sight , that knoweth my heart , that if i knew , or by study could find out that papists , conformists , separatists , anabaptists , or quakers were in the right , i would quickly and joyfully declare my consent , & be glad before i die , to joyn with them , and recant what i have held , or said , or done against them . but the reasons which i have given in my two books , and which mr. jos . whiston ( above most others ) hath lately given , seem to me unanswerable . and yet i doubt not but mr. danvers or you can answer them all ; there being few causes so clear that a man may not talk against , as long as his talking faculty holds out : but do not expect that i should offend you by replying , to words which i think need no reply , unless the necessities of such as are deceived by you do require it . blessed be that mercy that will shortly reconcile his dark mistaken wrangling children in the world of reconciling light and love , in the perfect vnity , which grace is now preparing us for , and they that live in faith and love , are breathing after : and woe to them who by dead formalities elude and hinder mens solemn intelligent owning of their baptismal covenant at age , and thereby make anabaptists , and make infant-baptism seem a crime . london , decemb. 31. 1675. rich. baxter . mr. danvers his third reply considered , at mr. hutchinson's invitation . before the receipt of mr. hutchinsons letter , i knew nothing of mr. danvers his third reply , which i have now perused : though by his conclusion one would think that he took open rebuke for a tolerable , yea acceptable , friendly office ; yet finding how impatiently he receiveth it , and that the detection of his voluminous untruths doth but occasion him to defend them , and to stir up all his forces to render the reprover odious , and so doth but exasperate his disease , i thought my self disobliged from any farther attempts to bring him to repentance ; and those that yet need more to save them from the belief of his historicall misreports , are persons that i have not leisure enough to satisfie . i again profess , that the experience of these last fifteen years , of the strange incredibility of some men on both extreams , [ the violent and the dividing ] about notorious matters of fact , hath done more to bring me to great unbelief of all mankind , so far as i find them pre-engaged by contention , and by a carnal , or a sideing factious interest , than all that ever i before had read , or heard , or seen : i should once have thought that i had been injurious to humanity it self , if i had thought such men as incredible as some have now declared themselves in print to be : i scarcely now believe any meer humane history any farther than the agreement of men of contrary minds and interests , in matters of common and easie notice , giveth a kind of natural evidence to it , beyond what it borroweth from the honesty of the writer ; or at least farther than the footsteps of very great candor , conscience and unbyassed impartiality shall speak more for my belief , than the authors most confident words or oaths . and herein modest men , and disinterested peace-makers are now believed by me , before all the greatest , the learned'st , and the most zealous contenders in the world . davids saying , that all men are lyars , and pauls [ let god be true , and every man a lyar , ] were too much overlooked by me , till men themselves had told me what they are ; and warned me to cease from man , as vanity . mr. danvers his accusations were partly of such publick parties ( the ancient churches , the novatians , the donatists , the old brittains , the waldenses , the wickliffians , &c. ) and partly of such publick writings ( as augustines and many others ) as one would think any scholar that will read the cited books might soon see whether he or i be the falsifyer , especially about a practical matter , in which their judgments could not easily be hid from all the adversaries about them , no more than from those of their own mind and way . his accusation of the novatians he neither defendeth ( that i see ) nor confesseth to be a slander ; but silently passeth all the matter by . his accusation ( for such it is ) of the rest ( for the most part at least ) he still defendeth . he cannot repent of it ; and i can no more believe him when i have read the books that are our records , than i can if he would as fiercely contend , that the bishops , or church of england are anabaptists , because of his accusation of the now bishop of lincoln . but should i be so injurious to the reader and my self as to cast away precious time in again and again answering his untrue citations and expositions of words which are before our eyes ? and which neither his word or mine can satisfie any reader of , who must know the truth by the books themselves ! when he tells men of my writing for popery , conformity , &c. can his yea or my nay go for proof with any that is in doubt which of us saith true ? must not the perusal of the full words decide the case ? and so it must as to his accusations of the several churches and parties in questions : and if his believers would be perswaded that the welsh tongue is the common language of england , if he do but vehemently affirm it , and revile such as contradict him , i could not help it , nor must i write books about it , as long as he hath leisure , ink and paper to hold on . his exclamations of the unsatisfactories of these general answers , ( or refusals ) shall not tempt me to cast away the little relicts of my time , in numbring and disproving all the vntruths that he hath written , and will write . by what law am i condemned to such a drudgery ? the very first paragraph of this his third reply hath more than one or two . but the chief substance of his book is his reiterated accusation of my words in my first book , that [ many then baptized naked ] for which , as a heynous calumny , i must repent . readers , my conscience telleth me that repentance is such an excellent healing duty , that i shall loath my self so far as i find my self unwilling of it ? but is it possible for a man to repent of all that the several contradicting sects ( papists , quakers , anabaptists , &c. ) call him to repent of , when that is best with one side which is the worst to divers others ? we are openly agreed , 1. that the baptizing naked is not the usual way of the anabaptists in england . 2. that it was not the way of the most of them when i wrote that book . 3. that we heard of none with us in england that for any considerable time continued it . the questions remaining are 1. whether when i wrote those words , the common fame or report of the countrey where i lived took it not for as certain that divers then in some places did it , as the most scriptural way , as that the quakers quaked , and that the ranters swore ? 2. whether ever any anabaptist that then was acquainted with me , yea or any one person denyed it to my hearing or knowledge ? 3. whether mr. tombes denyed it when i wrote it ? all these i will no farther trouble the reader about , than to tell him that he neither doth , or can disprove me , and should i recant what i said of these three questions , i must tell three downright lyes ? and is that a safe way of repenting ? 4. but let the question be whether i did well to believe it ? i answer , i believed it not as a divine revelation , but as a humane report ; which constrained a proportionable belief , which it was not in my power to deny ? 5. but should i not yet disbelieve it ? answer , i am more willing to do it than not , but i am not able : i do believe ( according to the measure of the aforesaid evidence ) that it is a truth ? i cannot believe the contrary : i hear not a word to warrant me to disbelieve it : it is not in my power , and i must not lie , to say that i believe it not . 6. but the next question is , did i not say more , or mean more at least , than that it was but [ at that time ] [ the practise of many but not of most , or their ordinary way ] and that i knew it no otherwise than by uncontradicted fame ? ] answer , either i did say or mean more , or i aid not . if i did , i hereby renounce it , and declare that i wronged them . if i did not , ( as i know i did not ) to say i did were to lie ; and is it worthy his writing a book to tempt a man to lie ? if he will prove that i said more , the words must decide it if ; that i meant more , he is not to be believed of my heart , as if he knew it better than i. but he proveth it ( that i intended them all ) contrary to my most express words . 1. he saith , it is my scope and design ? 2. from my arguments , which take in the whole party ? 3. from the instance , &c. reader , if i were to teach a man to understand my book , before he wrote against it , i should have some little hope of true dealing in his report , how weak soever his arguing were : but when i must deal with a man that understandeth not plain english , because partiality will not suffer him , and will not learn to understand what he doth not , and yet cannot forbear a publick contradicting it , till he understand it , would it not be a slavery to be tyed to write against such a man as long as he would write , should i live so long ? i joyned together , as the mode of their re-baptizing , their doing it in cold water or rivers , some naked , and the rest ( the usual way ) next naked , that is , in a linnen shift , or vest , only to cover them . i took that which in the hotter countreys was safe , to be in our frigid countreys a breach of the sixth commandment ; and can prove , that he that said , [ go learn what that meaneth , i will have mercy and not sacrifice ] would not have plunging over head in cold water , to be the ordinary way with us . i supposed that as among the naked indians , use maketh nakedness a less provocation to lust , than it would be here ; so also in the hotter regions , of the world , their appearing publickly next to naked , in one linnen vest or shift , was less unseemly than it would be here : david might dance so before ark , though michel thought it impudent ; and they might usually were such garments as would not have kept their nakedness from being seen , if they had gone by steps upon the altar ; and such as if it were but turned aside would leave their nakedness as noah's was to spectators : custome is of great signification in such things . but i appeal to common modesty with us in england , whether it would not be a breach of the seventh commandment to come to church , or walk the streets , or appear in assemblies in our shirts and smocks ? now this man first feigneth me to say that it is adultery , because i say it is a breach of the seventh commaadment , as if nothing but adultery were there forbidden ? next to prove that i mean it of them all , that [ they baptize naked ] he alledgeth that i said , that all or most did it , [ naked or next naked ] and , are these all one ? pray doth he not disprove himself ? is it not sure that he that saith , [ some baptize naked , and others next naked ] doth not say of all [ that they baptize naked ] what should one say to such a man as this ? but he saith , that [ some naked and next naked are much at one . ] answer , that 's but another of his untruths , from whom they flow so easily that i may not number them . a grosser and lesser breach of the seventh commandment are not much at one with me . i never said or thought that they were . if i had , is that any thing to the question in hand ? can he prove that i said [ all baptized naked ? ] if i had said , that i took [ next naked ] to be as bad . 2. but de facto , doth he deny the latter ? it seems here that he doth . i profess also that i go in this but by common fame . if they baptize not next naked in one linnen shift , i never heard it denyed till now ? i renounce the mention of it if it be untrue ; but it is not in my power to disbelieve it . but because i never saw it , if he will say that they baptize them all in hats , bands and cuffs , i will not peremptorily deny it . but he will prove that i meant not [ common fame ] because i add [ experience , &c. ] but sure i never alledged my own experience . ] i never saw any of them baptize : i never heard a ranter blaspheme , ( though i have read letters full of it ; ) nor i never saw a quaker quake . if you say that they never did so , i will not prove it . but how shall other mens experiences be known to me , but by report or fame ? and i think that the more common and uncontradicted the report is , it is the more probable . i have not leisure to go on at this rate with such a writer ; i again profess that i had rather retract what i said than not , if i could do it without lying , but i cannot . but , reader , what 's all this to the question , whether our infants are in covenant with christ , or visible members of his church ? is it not a meer diversion ? but the last question is , have i not wronged their cause by wronging the persons , in believing fame , that ever any of them baptized naked ? answer , 1. i have not the books now to peruse , ( men of his spirit , though of another opinion , have disabled me at this time from confuting him by books . ) but i am past doubt , that i have read of their baptizing naked in forreign writers . 2. but , reader , could one that had read this book of his against me , for this passage as injurious , believe if he had not seen his other books , that it is this same man himself , who in his two former books maintaineth it against us , that for many hundred years , baptizing naked was the churches practise ? was this no injury ? or shall the same man take me as injurious for believing the same of some of them for a very little time ? i hope i have almost done with such disputers . as to what he saith of mr. lambes and mr. allens . ( who have left them , ) exceedingly as he hears , blaming me for broaching , much more for defending this slander . ] i answer , 1. his heresay's have quite lost their credit with me : i believe it never the more for his hearing it : they never blamed me to my face : and i think that they are men likely to do it in that friendly way , if any way ; and therefore at least i may hear from them hereafter ; and if so , their reproof shall be willingly considered . if it be true , i suppose it is , because they have mistaken me as he doth , as if i had spoken that of their ordinary practice , which i mentioned only as the practice of some only at that time ; which was as short and confined as the quakers quaking . 2. is it a slander of mr. tombes his citing vossius , or of vossius cited by him , to say that some baptized naked in former times ? 3. is it then no slander of mr. danvers to say , and stiffly defend it , that the ancient churches ordinarily did so ? doth he who so pleadeth for immersion , because it was the first way , now take it for well done in the ancient churches , and an intollerable slander that it should be said to have been done of any of late ? he next cometh to defend his false report of a paper which i read to some people that i preached to : the first hour that ever i spake to them , i openly professed that we met not there as separating from the publick assemblies , but for the necessary instructing of the people , who else had none , nor any publick worship of god : the parish of giles where i lived , and the parish of martins where i preached are supposed to have 1000000. souls or neer : of these it is supposed that not above 6000. can hear in the parish churches at the most ( and the incumbent of one had not officiated at all for many years : ) it grieved me to think that while the king aintainerh a corporation and revenew for propagating the gospel in america , and the jesuites are justly praised for doing so much to propagate it in the east indies , we should sluggishly suffer america and the indies to come so neer whitehall , and so famous and religious a city as this , to be ( to so great a number ) without any publick worship of god , while mahometans are not quite without . therefore to my great cost i preached neer a year over the market-house at st. james's . and when the informers began with me , and accused me to the justices of meeting contrary to the act against conventicles , i gave my reasons to some justices , and others , in word and writing , to prove that neither i , nor such others , might be judged breakers of that act , because we did not meet to worship god with any other manner of worship than what is according to the liturgy and practice of the church of england ▪ for though we did not so much as they , we did nothing but what they do : for we did but read the scriptures , pray freely in the pulpit , and preach the christian doctrine ; and all this the church of england doth : and though i did not read my self , but another did it , it was because i was not able , which if i were , i would do it . and expecting quickly to have the cause come to a tryal , i wrote the sum of this in a paper , and read it openly , and then gave it the clerk , that none might misreport me : and though some able and pious lawyers that perused my large reasons , thought that they were very useful for others as well as me , yet the noise and murmuring of some women first , and such as mr. danvers after , sent abroad my reproaches for it through city and countrey , with so many false additions , and so much displeasure , as added somewhat to my former knowledge of the difference between sectarian and christian zeal . surely these men do think themselves very grear haters of sin , who would render that man odious as a heynous sinner , who doth but speak those words to vindicate himself and others from the accusation of informers , which he verily believeth to be true and useful : when a man hath for about fourteen years , not only preached without pay , but at many score pounds a year charges ; when he hath never taken away one of their communicants from any parochial , or non-conformists church , nor meddled with either sacrament , nor ever set up his own preaching against theirs , but desired to preach to a few of those many thousands that have none at all , nor have any publick worship of god , no not so much as the reading of the liturgy ; and when for endeavouring this in languishing and pains , by great charge and labour , his utter ruine , if not death , shall be unreconcileably endeavoured by one party , and for not hateing that which is good in the liturgy as much as they , or upon every surmise of a diseased brain , shall become the common obloquy of another , ( the sectarians , and the women that are infected by their disease : ) reader , judge whether the true belief of gods acceptance , and better than the hypocrites reward , be not necessary to keep such a one from imitating jonas , and quietly leaving men to their beloved ignorance and sin ? and whether , if we had not many soberer men between them , that are for neither of the extreams , it would not be harder preaching in england than in america ? yet with most hearty thanks to god , i must say , that notwithstanding the opposition of both these extreams , god hath abundantly sweetned his service to me ; by the ready reception and profit of such people , as men so much labour to keep in darkness . i speak all this with reference to mr. danvers his following words also of my preaching in the parish churches . the foresaid paper of mine he published in his last book , as matter of accusation ; and did it , according to his custome , falsely : i briefly mentioned his falsification : he now printeth that copy as received from his bookseller , in one column , and on the other , another , called [ the copy obtained from the original . ] to shew that there is but two words difference that is , his copy spake of my reading the liturgy , and mine spake of my own reading what my assistant read ( the scripture . ) but 1. if this be all one with him , are we not so to judge of his other expositions ? i know one whose oversight in writing usually lyeth in leaving out [ not ] and [ un . ] and what is one syllable ? the kings printer , who as dr. heylin saith , was fined in the star-chamber for printing [ thou shalt commit adultery . ] left out but one poor syllable . but he did not justifie it as mr. danvers doth . 2. if it be his excuse to lay the copy on his bookseller , may we not take it also for his answer , that all the untruths that he hath said of the novations , donatists , brittains , augustine , &c. he had them from — some body of as great authority as his bookseller ; and then all 's well . 3. but , reader , dost thou not expect that at least he should now say true after so much warning , and that this should be a true copy which he saith , without exception , is [ obtained from the original . ] i assure thee on the word of a christian , it is yet so far from being true , that divers lines , even a considerable part of the writing is left out . take heed therefore to thy belief hereafter . believe not every spirit , nor every man that raileth at others as less wise or spiritual than he ; what wonder if he untruly tell us of the opinion of whole parties , novatians , donatists , &c. and tell us of whole books that have not one word of what he affirmeth , but somewhat for the contrary , when he will not only falsifie my own writing , even a few lines , but defend his so doing against my self that have the copy by me , and that by a greater falshood than the first . are this mans citations to be credited ? yet he goeth on and averteth that [ there is not another syllable different ] and he will prove moreover , that ▪ if i meet not on pretense of any religious exercise in other manner , &c. i must accordingly read the common-prayer my self . answer , so said the informers , but were i at the sessions upon my appeal , i would be bold to deny it , and to say that he that saith but the lords prayer , doth not use another manner of worship than the church ? and that to do less , is not to do that which is of another manner . but if i mistake in so thinking , it followeth not that i prevaricate , or mean dishonestly , as he insinuateth . but if he want more matter of reproach , or any such as he , i will voluntarily give him more , so careless am i of such censures : i do therefore tell him that i am no greater an adversary to the liturgy than were the old non-conformists , mr. hildersham , who perswadeth men to come to the beginning of it ; mr. knewstubs that constantly read much of it ; mr. ball , that wrote the tryal of separation ; mr. bradshaw , mr. paget , mr. gifford , and such others that did the like : and that , as before the wars , when i was accounted a non-conformist , i did ( at bridgnorth ) usually read most of the lords dayes part of the liturgy , ( and as in 1660. the ministers of london consented so to do ) to would i do again , on the same terms : and that if my nonconformity did consist only in the contrary , i should have little reason to blame the conformists for the sharp censures which they write against me . he keepeth constantly in his way , and addeth [ — it is confidently affirmed by some , that mr b. hath lately in hartfordshire or buckinghamshire , in order to obtain the pulpit ( where he several times preached in publick ) read the common prayer , or at least some part of it , out of the service book . ] answ . 1. who is it that this man converseth with whose confident reports he published ? are his reporters infected with his disease ? 2. why doth he print this confident report if not to be believed ? and if so , alas , will he put no bounds to this sin , while he thinks that he cryeth down our sin ? i thank god for my time , strength and liberty , i did preach fourteen times in several parish churches of those counties , after thirteen years exclusion from the pulpits of such churches ; and it is not in the power of this mans pen to make me repent of it . but in all those times , i never read either one word of common-prayer , nor one chapter or psalm , save once , when i preached where there was no one to read , i read the scripture as i would have done at home . will not the presence of thousands of witnesses secure a man from the forgery of any unnamed slanderer ? no , it will not : as after our savoy conference untruths were printed against me , contrary to the most notorious evidence of writings and witnesses ; so sometimes where i preach in london , it is not the multitude of witnesses that secureth me from the gross false reports of this kind of auditors , ( who have not so much kindness for their own souls as either to stay away , or forbear their untruths . ) no wonder then if witnesses at 26 years , or 26 miles distance , or neer , be no security against such a one as mr. danvers , or his confident reporters . he adds , [ though it is also said that he hath obtained that publick liberty by vertue of a license he hath from the arch bishop of canterbury : but whether it be one formerly granted by him , when the bishop of london before the act of conformity , ( when by the bishop of worcester he was silenced in those parts ) or since is worthy inquiry ? answ . it 's like you have enquired , and found that it was the former ; if not , i tell you now : but to some it is almost as hard to believe a truth that is against their spleen , as to speak it . he next saith , as the exposition of my sufferings , [ viz. to fly from his place and charge , if not to avoid the cross of christ , and to shun a suffering witness when so loudly call'd thereto ] answ . 1. did you hear his case , or do you judge before you hear it ? 2. these passages are too conformable to the rest . how prove you that it was a flight ? how prove you that it was from my charge ? ( reader , it is fifteen years since i had any charge , of any one congregation , more than over the rest of the land , unless my dwelling made my neighbours become my charge ? i had no charge of any but my family there , unless my great charge in preaching to them for nothing , and paying assistant , &c. and building a place in hope of more such labour , made them my charge ? and if i give an hundred pounds to one man , when i owed him no more than others , doth that make him for the future become my charge ? ) and how proveth he that i was lowdly called to suffer ? or that it was the cross of christ that i avoided ? this man is against dictating ! i would he were more against untruths ! my sufferings have been enough to shew what men are that procured them , but to me so small , that except my restraint from preaching , i account them not worthy of the name of the cross . but yet i will hope that he will so far suspend his custome , as not to say , that any sectarian preacher in england , anabaptist or separatist , ( to go no farther ) that lost not his life , hath lost more of the world , by his meer non-conformity , than i have done ? he sends my conscience here to divers scriptures , 2 cor. 6. 4 , 5 , 6. acts 20. 11 , 12 , 13. mat. 10. 38 , 39. john 10. 12 , 13. mat. 23. 2 , 3 , 4. i am willinger to hear these texts than him . i suppose he meaneth not those that i before minded mr. hutchinson of , of christs early flight into aegypt , or his oft avoiding the jews , in nazareth , and other parts of galile , the wilderness , &c. nor his , bidding us when persecuted in one city flee to another ; nor pauls being let down the wall by a basket ; nor the scattering of the disciples , by the persecution at jerusalem , nor pauls circumcising timothy , non his shaving his head for his vow , nor his appeal from the jews to caesar , nor his crying out that he was a pharisee , nor his denying that he had done any thing against the temple or the law , nor any such like . and if he condemn christ and paul it will be no suffering to them . the first text tells us that paul in much patience bare afflictions , necessities , distresses , stripes , imprisonments , &c. answ . what thence ? is it ergo r. b. did ill to come out of the goal when he was put in ? or that he did ill not to put himself in again ? did paul sin for not scourging and imprisoning himself ? the next text speaketh of pauls preaching till midnight ? ergo r. b. should not preach in the summer in the country ? i deny the consequence . it may be he meant acts 21. 13. paul was ready to be bound or die at jerusalem ! what thence ? ergo he sinned in avoiding suffering oft before ? or , ergo r. b. should not have gone into the countrey either for health or preaching ; yea if it had been in case of danger to have preached to many instead of fewer that had often heard him ? i deny the consequence . the next text tells us that we must take up our cross and follow christ , &c. and what thence ? ergo we must make our own cross , and take up that instead of christs ? or , ergo , christ sinned in avoiding the cross so oft before ? or , ergo , r. b. must go into a prison that he may give over preaching the gospel ? i deny all these . what kin are they to the text ? have all the anabaptists and separatists lived all this while in sin , that lived out of prison ? or that have had maintenance and quietness , while r. b. hath been laid in the common goal , and hunted by one sort , and reviled by the other ? why will not the persecution of your pen or tongue prove a comfortable suffering for the truth , as well as if i pleased your spleen in preferring a chosen prison before a pulpit ? the next text tells us , that the hireling deserts the sheep by fleeing . thus the quakers also talk to me when they call me hireling . but , sir , i am not so much as a hireling ? much less the owner of the sheep ? i would i knew which of these two you judge your selves to be ? for my part i am neither . christ is the owner ? i am not so much as the pastor of any flock : and ( that i may not discourage your contempt , i add ) nor ever , that i remember , called to be such these 13 or 14 years : nor have i so long taken any hire . and did paul flee like a hireling when he went from places of less liberty to other more commodious places to preach ? did not pain , weakness , and want of money for so chargeable a work disable me , my conscience would command me ( by the motive of experience ) to go about preaching from place to place , though every d●g in the streets where i pass , should bark nothing but [ hireling , hireling . ] the last text is against separation ; the scribes and pharisees sit in moses his seat ; all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe , that observe and do , but do not ye after their works , for they say and de not , for they bind heavy burdens , and grievous to be borne , &c. and what from hence ? ergo i should not preach in the parish churches ? or is it , ergo i should have bound heavy burdens for my self ? or is it , that i should not ●ave made such for others ? this is the likest sense ; f●r the best way of expounding authors is by similar passages . and were not this an untruth it would be non-conformable to the rest aforesaid . but ( saith he ) is not this a strange paradoxe that he should suffer at the rate for a non-conformist at london , and yet act the part of a conformist to so high a degree in the countrey ? answ . this is very conformable to the rest . to preach in the parish churches ( for his story of reading the common prayer is like his books ) is the high degree of conformity . this is expository . i now perceive what it is in me to be [ for conformity and against it , for popery and against it , for arminianism and against it , ] as he saith . the equivocation maketh all true . i am for the conformity , and the popery , and the arminianism of preaching christs gospel in parish churches ( which the papists say they sometime said mass in ) and for the conformity and popery of infants part in the covenant of god , for their baptism , and for the reading of gods word , for the creed , the lords prayer , and the ten commandments ; and for the love of brethren , and the unity , peace and concord of christs church ; however i be against that which the world commonly knoweth by the name of conformity and popery . o what a high degree of conformity did the old non-conformists exercise in this mans sense ! i have lived long to little purpose it such a man by the bare names of conformity , popery , or arminianism can frighten me out of my christianity , my honesty , my charity , my min●stry , and my wits . next relating my story with more caution than usual [ with an [ if i be not misinformed : ] ( o that this sentence had been twice or thrice in every page of his books ) with some truth , some mistake , and more omission , he subjoyneth , that [ by proxie ( that 's his fiction ) i suffer imprisonment for a non-conformist in london , and in person out doe all the non-conformists by his publick preaching in the countrey as a conformist . ] answ . 1. reader , by this you may see at what rates we ministers must do our masters work . woe to us if we preach not : and if we do , one sort imprison us , and seek our ruine ; and the other revile us , as if our greatest duty were our greatest sin . 2. you see what abundance of enemies the preaching of the gospel hath , when satan can stir up such men of zeal to take it for a crime . paul might preach even in the jews synagogue : i must not in a parish church . 3. you see how certain it is that the two extreams are much of the same spirit , and that they that most cry out against persecution are oft of a persecuting mind , when such men as this would silence us , or have us give over preaching to the multitude that most need it , as well as others . and so would the quakers . 4. you see what they mean that cry down a comprehension : they would not have us preach in the parish churches to the needy multitude , unless they may have all first altered according to their desire . thus w pen called me cruel for desirng a comprehension as leaving the quakers to the dogs : so that they would have us all silenced , even by those impositions which they themselves account sinful , till they and all such have their will. 5 you see here what a reproach these men would bring on non-conformity , and what strong invitations they give men to conform , by making conformity to be preaching in parish churches . 6. or you see what need you have instead of disputing longer with such men , to pray god to give them tenderer cnnsciences , that may fear to multiply untruths , which thousands of witnesses , ( of whom some were anabaptists and of other sects ) are ready to confute . especially to pray that the churches , and the peoples souls may be delivered from such as would not only unchurch all mankind till they come to age , but make it a sinful conformity than to preach the gospel in the parish churches . finis . richard baxter's farewel sermon prepared to have been preached to his hearers at kidderminster at his departure, but forbidden. farewel sermon prepared to have been preached to his hearers at kidderminster at his departure but forbidden baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1683 approx. 121 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 24 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26929 wing b1266 estc r4900 12317912 ocm 12317912 59411 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26929) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59411) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:2) richard baxter's farewel sermon prepared to have been preached to his hearers at kidderminster at his departure, but forbidden. farewel sermon prepared to have been preached to his hearers at kidderminster at his departure but forbidden baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [5], 42, [1] p. printed for b. simmons ..., london : 1683. sermon on john 16:22. advertisement on p. [1] at end. reproduction of original in yale university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -n.t. -john xvi, 22 -sermons. farewell sermons. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2005-11 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion tuesday may the first , 1660. ordered , that the thanks of this house be given to mr. baxter for his great pains in carrying on the work of preaching and prayer , before the house at saint margarets westminster yesterday , being set apart by this house for a day of fasting and humiliation . and that he be desired to print his sermon , and is to have the same priviledge in printing the same , that others have had in the like kind . and that mr. swinfin do give him notice thereof . w. jessop cler. of the commons house of parliament . richard baxter's farewel sermon , prepared to have been preached to his hearers at kidderminster at his departure , but forbidden . london , printed for b. simmons , at the three golden cocks on ludgate-hill , at the west end of st. pauls ▪ 1683. to the inhabitants of the burrough and forreign of kidderminster in the county of worcester , dear friends , while i was lately turning up the rubbish of my old papers , i found this sermon in the bottom , which i had quite forgotten that i kept , but thought it had been cast away with many hundred others . much of the last sheet was added to the sermon after i came from you ; and i remember that when i intended to send you this sermon as my farewel , i durst not then have so much converse with you , for your own sakes , lest it should raise more enmity against you , and your displeasing circumstances of religious practice , should be said to come from my continued counsels to you . i have lately taken my farwel of the world , in a book which i called my dying thoughts : my pain of body and debility increasing , and my flesh being grown to me more grievous than all my enemies or outward troubles , i remembred the benefit i often received uppon your prayers ; and craving the continuance of them till you hear of my dissolution , therewith i send this , as my special farewel to your selves , whom i am bound to remember with more than ordinary love and thankfulness , while i am richard baxter . john 16.22 . and ye now therefore have sorrow ; but i will see you again , and your heart shall rejoyce , and your joy no man taketh from you . my dearly beloved in our dearest lord , i will so far consent to your troubled thoughts of this unwelcome day as to confess that to me as well as you , it somewhat resembleth the day of death . 1. death is the separation of the dearest consorts , soul and body : and how near the union is betwixt us , both that of relation , and that of affection , which must admit this day of some kind of dissolution , i will rather tell to strangers then to you . 2. death is unwelcom both to soul and body of itself ; ( though it destroy not the soul it doth the body . ) so dear companions part not willingly . your hearts and mine are here so over forward in the application , that words may be well spared where sense hath taken so deep possession . 3. death is the end of humane converse here on earth . we must see and talk with our friends here no more . and this our separation is like to end that converse between you and me , which formerly we have had in the duties of our relations . we must no more go up together as formerly to the house of god ; i must no more speak to you publickly in his name , nor solace my own soul in opening to you the gospel of salvation , nor in the mention of his covenant , his grace , or kingdom : those souls that have not been convinced and converted , are never like to hear more from me , for their conviction or conversion . i have finished all the instruction , reproof , exhortation and ●erswasion , which ever i must use in order to their salvation . i must speak here no more to inform the ignorant , to reform the wicked , to reduce the erroneous , to search the hypocrite , to humble the proud , to bow the obstinate or to bring the worldly , the impenitent and ungodly to the knowledge of the world , themselves and god. i must speak no more to strengthen the weak , to comfort the afflicted , nor to build you up in faith and holiness . our day is past , our night is come when we cannot work as formerly we have done ! my opportunities here are at an end . 4 death is the end of earthly comforts : and our separation is like to be the end of that comfortable communion , which god for many years hath granted us . our publick and private communion hath been sweet to us : the lord hath been our pastour , and hath not suffered us to want : he made us lye down in his pleasant pastures , and hath led us by the silent streams ! psal . 23.1 , 2. he restored our souls , and his very rod and staff did comfort us . but his smiting & scattering time is come . these pleasures now are at an end . 5. death is the end of humane labours : there is no plowing or sowing , no building or planting in the grave . and so doth our separation end the works of our mutual relation in this place . 6 death is the effect of painful sickness , and usually of the folly , intemperance or oversight of our selves . and , though our conscience reproach us not with gross unfaithfulness , yet are our failings so many , and so great , as force us to justify the severity of our father , and to confess that we deserve this rod. though we have been censured by the world , as being over strict , and doing too much for the saving of our own and others souls , yet it is another kind of charge that conscience hath against us : how earnestly do we now wish that we had done much more ? that i had preached more fervently , & you had heard more diligently , and we had all obeyed god more strictly , and done more , for the souls of the ignorant , careless , hardened sinners that were among us ? it is just with god that so dull a preacher should be put to silence , that could ever speak without tears and fervent importunity , to impenitent sinners , when he knew that it was for no less than the saving of their souls , and foresaw the joys which they would lose , and the torment which they must endure , if they repented not . with what shame & sorrow do i now look back upon the cold and lifeless sermons which i preached ? and upon those years neglect of the duty of private instructing of your families , before we set upon it orderly and constantly ? our destruction is of our selves ! our undervaluings and neglects have forfeited our opportunities . as good melancthon was wont to say , in vulneribus nostris proprias agnoscimus pennas ; the arrow that woundeth us , was feathered from our own wings . 7. death useth to put surviving friends into a dark and mourning habit . their lamentations are the chief part of funeral solemnities . and in this also we have our part : the compassion of condolers is greater than we desire . for sorrow is apt to grow unruly , and exceed its bounds , and bring on more sufferings by lamenting one ; and also to look too much at the instruments , and to be more offended at them than at our sins . 8. but death is the end of all the living . the mourners also must come after us : and , alas , how soon ! it maketh our fall more grievous to us , to foresee how many must ere long come down ! how many hundred pastors must shortly be separated from their flocks . if there were no epideicmal malady to destroy us , our ministry hath its mortality . your fathers where are they ? and the prophets , do they live for ever ? zech. 1.5 . this made us the more importunate with you , in our ministry , because we knew that we must preach to you , and pray with you , and instruct you , and watch over you , but a little while . though we knew not what instrument death would use , we knew our final day was coming when we must preach and exhort and pray our last with you ! we knew that it behoved us to work while it was day , ( and o that we had done it better ! ) because the night was coming when none could work , joh. 9.4.9 . and as it is appointed to all men once to die , so after death there followeth judgment . and we also have our further judgment to undergo . we must expect our hour of temptation : we must be judged by men , as well as chastened by god : we must prepare to bear the reproach and slanders of malicious tongues , and the unrighteous censures of those that know us not , and of those who think it their interest to condemn us . and we must also call our selves to judgment : we are like to have unwelcom leisure , to review the daies and duties which are past ! it will then be time for us to call our selves to account of our preaching and studies , and other ministerial works , and to sentence our labours and our lives : and it will be time for you to call your selves to account of your hearing and profiting , and to ask , how have we used the mercies which are taken from us ? yea god himself will judge us according to our works ! he will not justifie us , if we have been unfaithful in our little , and have been such as satan and his instruments , the accusers of the brethren , do report us . but if we have been faithful we may expect his double justification . 1 by pardon he will justify us from our sins . 2. by plea and righteous sentence he will justify us against the false accusations of our enemies . and that 's enough . how small a thing should it seem to us , to be judged of man , who must stand or fall to the final sentence of the almighty god ? 10. the separated soul and body do retain their relations , and the soul its inclination to a re-union with its body . and though our nearest obligations may be now dissolved , and the exercise of our communion hindered , yet i know we shall never forget each other , nor shall the bond of love which doth unite us , be ever loosed and made void . and so much of our relation shall still continue , as is intimated in those texts , 1 cor. 4.15 , 16.12.14 . phil. 4.1 . &c. 11. and the power of death , will not be everlasting . a resurrection and re-union there will be at last . but whether in this world i cannot prophesy . i am apter to think that most of us must die in the wilderness ; and that our night must bear some proportion with our day . but things unrevealed belong only unto god. it sufficeth me to be sure of this , that as our kingdom so our comforts are not of this world , and that as christ so his servants under him , may say , behold , i and the children which god hath given me , heb. 2.13 . and that we shall present you as chast virgins unto christ , 2 cor. 11.2 . and therefore we have preached , taught and warned , that we might present you perfect in christ jesus . col. 1.28 . for what is our hope , or joy , or crown of rejoycing ? are not even ye in the presence of our lord jesus christ at his coming ? for ye are our glory and our joy , 1 thessalonians 2.19 , 20. but yet the resemblance between death and this our separation , holdeth not in all things . 1. it is not i nor any pastour , that is the churches soul or life . this is the honour of christ the head. being planted into him you may live , though all his ministers were dead , or all your teachers driven into corners . 2. the continuance of your church-state dependeth not on the continuance of any one single pastour whatsoever . god can provide you others to succeed us , that may do his work for you more successfully than we . and could i but hope that they should be as able , and holy , and diligent , as i desire , how little should i partake with you in this daies sorrows ? had i not given you these exceptions , malicious tongues would have reported that i made my self your life or soul ▪ and take the churches to be all dead when such as i are silenced and cast out . but i remember , psal . 12. though what i have said , and what you feel , may make you think , that a funeral sermon is most seasonable on such a day , yet i have rather chosen to preach to you the doctrine of rejoycing ; because you sorrow not as men that have no hope : and because i must consider what tendeth most to your strength & stedfastness ; and that you may see herein , i imitate our lord , i have chosen his words , to his troubled disciples , before his departure from them , joh. 16.22 . and , though i make no question but it will be said with scorn , that thus i make my self as christ , & that i seditiously encourage you by the expectations of my restitution , yet will i not therefore forbear to use my saviours consolatory words ; but will remember to whom and on what occasion he said , every plant which my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up : let them alone , they be blind leaders of the blind : and if the blind lead the blind , both shall fall into the ditch , math. 15 , 13.14 . the words are christs comforts to his orphane , sorrowful disciples , expressing first their present condition , and that which they were now to tast of , and secondly their future state : their present case is a state of sorrow , because that christ must be taken from them : their future case , will be a state of joy , which is expressed 1. in the futurity of the cause [ but i will see you again . ] 2. in the promise of the effect : [ and your heart shall rejoice ▪ ] 3. in the duration and invincib●lity of it : [ and your joy no man taketh from you ] or [ shall take from you . ] he had before likened their sorrows on this occasion , to the pains of a woman in her child-bearing , which is but short and endeth in joy . and in relation to that similitude , the syriack translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 [ sickness ] and the persian translateth it [ calamity ] some expositors limit the cause of their sorrows , to the absence of christ , or that death of his , which will for a time both shake their faith , and astonish their hopes , and deprive them of their former comforts : and others limit the word [ therefore ] to the following crosses or sufferings which they must undergoe for the sake of christ : and accordingly they interpret the cause of their succceding joy . but i see no reason but both are included in the text ; but principally the first , and the other consequently . as if he had said [ when you see me crucified your hearts and hopes will begin to fail , and sorrow to overwhelm your minds , and you will be exposed to the fury of the unbelieving world , but it will be but for a moment : for when you see tha● i am risen again your joy will be revived ; and my spirit afterwards and continual encouragements shall greatly increase and perpetuate your joys , which no persecutions or sufferings shall deprive you of , but they shall at last be perfected in the heavenly everlasting joys . ] the cause of their sorrow is first his absence , and next their sufferings with him in the world. when the bridegroom is taken from them they must fast ; that is , live an afflicted kind of life , in various sorrows : and the causes of their succeeding joy , are first , his resurrection , and next his spirit which is their comforter , and lastly , the presence of his glory at their reception into his glorious kingdom . their sorrow was to be short as that of a woman in travail , and it was to have a tendency to their joy. and their joy was to be sure and near , [ i will see you again ] and great [ your heart shall rejoice ] and everlasting [ your joy no man taketh from you . ] the sense of the text is contained in these six doctrinal propositions . doct. 1. sorrow goeth before joy with christs disciples . doct. 2. christs death and departure was the cause of his disciples sorrows . doct. 3. the sorrows of christs disciples are but short : it is but [ now. ] doct. 4. christ will again visit his sorrowful disciples : though at the present he seem to be taken from them . doct. 5. when christ returneth or appeareth to his disciples , their sorrows will be turned into joy . doct. 6. the joy of christians in the return or reappearing of their lord , is such as no man shall take from them . of these by gods assistance , i shall speak in order , and therefore be but short on each . doct. 1. sorrow goeth before joy with christs disciples . the evening and the morning make their day . they must sow in tears before they reap in joy ; they must have trouble in the world , and peace in christ . god will first dwell in the contrite heart to prepare it to dwell with him in glory . the pains of travail must go before the joy of the beloved birth . qu. what kind of sorrow is it that goeth before our joy . ans . 1. there is a sorrow positively sinful , which doth ( but should not ) go before our joy . though this be not meant ( directly ) in the text , yet is it too constant a foregoer of our comforts . it is not the joys of innocency that are our portion , but the joys of restoration : and the pains of our disease go before the ease and comfort of our recovery : we have our worldly sorrows , and our passionate and pievish sorrows ; like jonas's for the withering of his gourd . according to the degree of our remaining corruption , we have our sorrows , which must be sorrowed for again . sometimes we are troubled at the providences of god , and sometimes at the dealings of men ; at the words or doings of enemies , of friends , of all about us : we are grieved if we have not what we would have , and when we have it , it becomes our greater grief : nothing well pleaseth us , till we so devote our selves to please our god , as to be pleased in the pleasing of him . 2. and we have our sorrows which are sinful through our weakness & imperfection when through the languishing feebleness of our souls , we are overmuch troubled at that which we may lawfully sorrow for with moderation . when impatience causeth us to make a greater matter of our afflictions than we ought . if god do but try us with wants or crosses ; if we lose our friends , or if they prove unkind ; we double the weight of the cross by our impatiency . this cometh from the remnants of unmortified selfishness , carnality and overloving earthly things . were they less loved , they would be less sorrowed for . if we had seen their vanity and mortification had made them nothing to us , we should then part with them as with vanity and nothing . it 's seldom that god or men afflict us , but we therefore afflict our selves much more . as the destruction of the wicked , so the troubles of the godly is chiefly of themselves . 3. there is a m●er natural suffering or sorrow , which is neither morally good or bad : as to be weary with our labour , to be pained with our diseases ; to be sensible of hunger and thirst , of cold and heat ; to be averse to death as death ( as christ himself was ; ) and at last to undergo it , and lie down in the dust . there are many sorrows which are the fruits of sin , which yet in themselves are neither sin nor duty . 4. there are castigatory sorr●ws from the hand of god , which have a tendency to our cure , if we use them according to his appointment . such are all the foresaid natural sufferings , considered as gods means and instruments of our benefit . he woundeth the body to heal the soul. he lanceth the sore to let out the corruption : he letteth us blood to cure our inflamations and apostemated parts . he chasteneth all that he loveth and receiveth ; and we must be subject to a chastening father if we will live . for he doth it for our profit , that we may be partakers of his holiness . 5. there are honourable and gainful sufferings from blind malicious wicked men , for the cause of christ and righteousness . such as the gospel frequently warneth believers to expect . these are the sorrows that have the promises of fullest joy . not that the meer suffering in itself is acceptable to god. but the love which is manifested by suffering for him , is that which he cannot but accept . so that the same measure of sufferings are more or less aceptable , as there is more or less love to god expressed by them ! and as the honor of christ is more or less intended in them . for to give the body to be burned , without love , will profit us nothing . but when the cause is christs , and the heart intendeth him as the end of the suffering , then , blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven , &c. 6. there are penitential and medicinal sufferings , for the killing of sin , and helping on the work of grace , which are made our duty . in the former we are to be but submissive patients ; but in these we must be obedient agents , and must inflict them on our selves . such are the sorrows of contrition and true repentance . the exercises of fasting , abstinence and humiliation . the grief of the soul for gods displeasure , for the hiding of his face , and the abatement of his graces in us . and all the works of mortifying self-denyal ( and forbearing all forbidden pleasures ) which god doth call his servants to : though in the primitive and principal part of holyness , there is nothing but what is sweet and pleasant to a soul , so far as it is holy : ( as the love of god and the love of others , and worshipping god and doing good , and joy , and thanks , and praise , and obedience , &c. ) yet the medicinal parts of grace , or holiness , have something necessarily in them that is bitter , even to nature as nature , and not only as corrupt , such as are contrition , self-denyal , mortification , abstinence , as aforesaid . 7. there are charitable sorrows for the dishonour of god , and for the sin and hurt and miseries of others . these also are our duties and we must be agents in them as well as patients . as we must first pray for the hallowing of the name of god , and the coming of his kingdom , and the doing of his will , on earth as it is done in heaven ! so we must most grieve for the abuse & dishonor of gods name , the hindering of his kingdom , and the breaking of his laws , that so many nations see not the peril , and know not god , and have not the gospel or will not receive it ; but live in rebellion against their maker , and in blindness , obstinacy and hardness of heart , and are given up to commit uncleanness with greediness : that so many nations which are called christians , are captivated in ignorance and superstition , by the blindness , pride , carnality and covetousness of their usurping , self-obtruding guides . that so many men professing christianity have so little of the knowledge , or power of what they generally and ignorantly profess , and live to the shame of their profession , the great dishonour and displeasure of their lord , and the grief or hardening of others ; that the church of christ is broken into so many sects and fractions , possessed with such an uncharitable destroying zeal against each other , and persecuting their brethren as cruelly as turks and heathens do ! that the best of christians are so few and yet so weak and lyable to miscarriages ; all these are the matter of that sorrow which god hath made our duty . and all these sorts of sorrow do go before a christians fullest joy . reas . 1. god will have some conformity between the order of nature and of grace . non-entity was before created entity : the evening before the morning : infancy before maturity of age : weakness before strength : the buried seed before the plant , the flower and fruit : and infants cry before they laugh ; weakness is soon hurt , and very querulous ! no wonder then if our sorrows go before our joys . 2. sin goeth before grace , and therefore our sorrows are before our joys . the seed is first fruitful which was first sown . joy indeed hath the elder parent in esse reali & absoluto , but not in esse causali & relativo . we are the children of the first adam , before we are children of the second ; we are born flesh of flesh , before we are born spiritual of the spirit . and where satan goeth before christ it is equal that sorrow be before joy . 3. our gracious father and wise physician , doth see that this is the fittest method for our cure . that we may deny our selves , we must know how little we are beholden to our selves ; and must smart by the fruit of our sin and folly before we are eased by the fruit of love & grace . it is the property of the flesh to judg by sense , and therefore sense shall help to mortify it . the frowns of the world shall be an antidote against its flatteries . it killeth by pleasing and therefore it may help our cure by displeasing us . loving it is mens undoing ; and hurting us is the way to keep us from overloving it . these wholsom sorrows do greatly disable our most dangerous temptations ; and preserve us from the pernicious poyson of prosperity ! they rowze us up when we are lazy and ready to sit down : they awake us when we are ready to fall asleep : they drive us to god when we are ready to forget him , and dote upon a deceiver : they teach us part of the meaning of the gospel : without them we know not well , what [ a saviour , a promise , a pardon , grace ] and many other gospel terms , do signify . they teach us to pray , and teach us to hear and read with understanding ; they tell us the value of all our mercies , and teach us the use of all the means of grace . they are needful to fix our flashy , light , unconstant minds . which are apt to be gazing upon every baite , and to be touching or tasting the forbidden fruit ; and to be taken with those things , which we had lately cast behind our backs , till medicinal sorrow doth awake our reason and make us see the folly of our dreams . yea if sorrow check us not and make us wise , we are ready to lay by our grace and wit , and to follow any goblin in the dark , and like men bewitched , to be deceived by we know not what , and to go on as a bird to the fowlers snare , as an ox to the slaughter , and as a fool to the correction of the stocks . 4. moreover precedent sorrows , will raise the price of following joys . they will make us more desirous of the day of our deliverance , and make it the welcomer to us when it comes . heaven will be seasonable after a life of so much trouble , and they that come out of great tribulation , will joyfully sing the praises of their redeemer . 5. and god will have the members conformed to their head : this was christs method , and it must be ours . we must take up the cross and follow him if ever we will have the crown ; and we must suffer with him if we will be glorifyed with him . though the will of god be the reason which alone should satisfy his creatures yet these reasons shew you the equity and goodness of his waies . use 1 use . 1. if sorrow before joy be gods ordinary method of dealing with his most beloved servants , learn hence to understand the importance of your sorrows ! you say as baruch , jer. 45.3 . wo is me now ! for the lord hath added grief to my sorrow ! i fainted in my sighing , and i find no rest ! you are ingenious in recounting and aggravating your afflictions . but are you as ingenious in expounding them aright ? do you not judge of them rather by your present sense , than by their use and tendency ? you will not do so by the bitterness of a medicine , or the working of a purge or vomit ? you will like it best when it worketh in that way , as usually it doth with them that it cureth . and should you not be glad to find , that god taketh that way with you , which he most usually takes with those that he saveth . sure you do not set light by the love of god! why then do you complain so much against the signs & products of it ? is it not because you have yet much unbelief , and judge of gods love as the flesh directeth you , instead of judging by the effects & prognosticks which he himself hath bid you judge by ? we will grant to the flesh , that no chastisement for the present seemeth joyous , but grievous ; if you will believe the spirit , that nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness , to them that arexercised thereby ; and that whom the lord loveth he chasteneth , and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth , heb. 12.6 , 11. misunderstand not then the prognosticks of your present sorrows ! think how they will work as well as how they tast . they boden good , though they are unpleasant . if you were bastards and reprobates you might feel less of the rod. when the plowers make furrows on you , it prepareth you for the seed ; and the showers that water it prognosticate a plenteous harvest . think it not strange if he thresh and grind you , if you would be bread for your masters use . he is not drowning his sheep when he washeth them ; nor killing them when he is shearing them . but by this he sheweth that they are his own ! and the new shorn sheep do most visibly bear his name or mark , when it is almost worn out , and scarce discernable , on them that have the longest fleece . if you love the world and prosperity best , rejoice most in it , & grieve most for the want of it : but if you love god best , and take him for your part and treasure , rejoyce in him , and in that condition which hath the fullest significations of his love , and grieve most for his displeasure , and for that condition which either signifieth it , or most enticeth you to displease him . if things present be your portion , then seek them first , & rejoice in them , & mourn when they are taken from you . but if really your portion be above with christ , let your hearts be there ; and let your joys and sorrows and endeavours signify it . the sense of bruits doth judge of pain & pleasure only by their present feeling : but the reason of a man , and the faith of a christian do estimate them according to their signification and importance . i know that it is in vain to think by reason , to reconcile the flesh , and sense unto its sufferings ; but if i may speak to you as to men , much more if as to christians , and reason with your reasonable part , i shall not at all despair of the success . qu. 1. tell me then who it is that you suffer by ; that hath the principal disposing hand in all ? is it one that you can reasonably suspect , of any want of power , wisdom or goodness ? is he not much fitter to dispose of you , than you or any mortals are ? if the physician be fitter than the patient , to determine how he shall be ordered , and if you are fitter than your infant child , and if you are fitter than your beast , to determine of his pasture , work and usage , sure then you will grant , that god is much more fit than we. and if he would give you your choice and say ; [ it shall go with thee all thy daies , for prosperity or adversity , life or death , as thou wilt thy self , or as thy dearest friend will ] you should say , nay lord , but let it be as thou wilt : for i and my friend are foolish , and partial , and know not what is best for ourselves . not our wills but thy will be done . qu. 2. do you not see that carnal pleasure is far more dangerous than all your sorrows ? look on the ungodly that prosper in the world , and tell me whether you would be in their condition ? if not , why do you long for their temptations ? and to live in that air whose corruption causeth such , epidemical mortalities ? if you would not with the rich man , luk. 16. be damned for sensuality , nor with the fool , luk. 12.19 , 20. say , soul take thy ease , &c. when your souls are presently to be taken from you ; or with him , luk. 18.22 , 23. go away sorrowful from christ , desire not the temptations which brought them to it . if you would not oppress the people of god with pharaoh , nor persecute the prophets with ahab and jezebel , nor resist the gospel , and persecute the preachers of it with the scribes and pharisees , 2 thes . 14 , 15 , 16. desire not the temptations which led them to all this . qu. 3. would you not follow your saviour , and rather be conformed to him and to his saints , than to the wicked that have their portion in this life . i doubt you do not well study the life and sufferings of christ , and the reason of them ; when you find your selves so little concerned in them , and so desirous of another way . and would you not go to heaven in the common way , that the saints of old have gone before you in . read the scripture and all church history , and observe which is the beaten path of life ; and whether even among believers and the pastors of the church , it was the persecuted or the prosperous that most honoured their profession ! & which of them it was that corrupted the church with pride & domination , & kindled in it those flames of contention which are consuming it to this day . and sowed those seeds of divisions whose soure fruit have set their childrens teeth on edge . mark whether it was the suffering or the prospering part that hath had the greatest hand in her after-sufferings . qu. 4. what saith your own experience , and how hath god dealt with you in the time that is past ? hath not your suffering done you good . if it have not , you may thank your selves : for i am sure gods rod hath a healing virtue , and others have received a cure by it . how much is mankind beholden to the cross ? when david went weeping up mount olivet , he was in a safer case , than when he was gazing on bathsheba from his battlements ? and when christ was sweating blood upon mount olivet , it was a sign that mans redemption was in hand : and when he was bleeding on the cross , and drinking vinegar and gall , it was almost finished . and if the cross hath born such happy fruit , what reason have we to be so much against it ? if it have proved good for you that you were afflicted , and no part of your lives have been more fruitful , why should your desires so much contradict your own experience ? if bitter things have proved the most wholsom , and a full and luscious dyet hath caused your disease , what need you more , to direct your judgment , if you will judge as men , and not as bruits ? obj. but ( you 'l say ) it is not all sorrow that foretelleth joy : some pass from sorrow unto greater sorrow . how then shall we know whether our sorrows tend to worse or unto better ? ans . it is true that there are sorrows which have no such promise , as these have in the text . as 1. the meer vindictive punishment of the wicked . 2. the sinful sorrows which men keep up in themselves ; proceeding from their sinful love of creatures . 3. and the corrections which are not improved by us to our amendment and reformation . but the promise belongeth 1. to those sorrows which in sincerity we undergo for the sake of christ and righteousness . 2. to those sorrows which we our selves perform as duties , either for the dishonour of god or the sins or miseries of others ; or our penitential sorrows for our own offences . 3. and to those sorrows of chastisement which we patiently submit to and improve to a true amendment of our hearts and lives . for though sin be the material cause , or the meritorious cause , yet love which maketh reformat●on the effect , will also make the end to be our comfort . vse . 2. if this be gods method , condemn not then the generation use 2 of the just , because you see them undermost in the world , and suffer more than other men . think it not a dishonour to them to be in poverty , prisons , banishment , or reproach , unless it be for a truly dishonourable cause . call not men miserable , for that which god maketh the token of his love , and the prognostick of their joy . methinks he that hath once read the psal . 37. & 73. and mat. 5.10 , 11 , 12. & joh. 13. & 15. & 2 thes . 1. and well believeth them , should never err this old condemned errour any more . and yet it is common among carnal men , to do as some beasts do , when one of their fellows is wounded they all forsake him : so these stand looking with pity , or fear , or strangeness upon a man that is under sufferings and slanders , as if it must needs be a deserved thing ; and think it a great dishonour to a man how innocent soever , when they hear that he is used as offendours & malefactours are ; forgetting how by this , they condemn their saviour , and all his apostles and martyrs , and the wisest , best , and happyest men that the earth hath born . and all this is but the blind and hasty judgment of sense and unbelief , which hath neither the wit to judge by the word of god , nor yet the patience to stay the end , and see how the sorrows of the godly will conclude , and where the triumph of the hypocrite will leave him . and yet some there be that are apt to err on the other extream , and to think that every man is happy that is afflicted , and that such have all their sorrow in this life ; and that the suffering party is alwaies in the right , and therefore they are ready to fall in with any deluded sect , which they see to be under reproach and suffering . but the cause must be first known , before the suffering can be well judged of . doctrine 2 doct. 2. christs death and departure was the cause of his disciples sorrrows . this is plain in the words [ ye now therefore have sorrow ; but i will see you again . ] and the causes of this sorrow were these three conjunct . 1. that their dear lord whom they loved , and whom they had heard , and followed , and put their trust in , must now be taken from them . if the parting of friends at death , do turn our garments into the signs of our sad and mournful hearts , and cause us to dwell in the houses of mourning , we must allow christs disciples some such affections , upon their parting with their lord. 2. and the manner of his death , no doubt , did much increase their sorrows . that the most innocent should suffer as a reputed malefactour , that he that more contemned the wealth and pleasures and glory of the world , than ever man did , and chose a poor inferiour life , and would not have a kingdom of this world , and never failed in any duty to high or low , should yet be hanged ignominiously on a cross , as one that was about to usurp the crown ? that deluded sinners should put to death the lord of life , and spit in the face of such a majesty , and hasten destruction to their nation and themselves ; and that all christs disciples must thus be esteemed the followers of a crucifyed usurper , judg if we had been in their case our selves , whether this would have been matter of sorrow to us , or not . had it not been enough for christ to have suffered the pain , but he must also suffer the dishonor , even the imputation of sin , which no man was so far from being guilty of ? and of that particular sin , usurpation of dominion , and treason against caesar , which his heart and life were as contrary to , as light to darkness ? and was it not enough for christians to suffer so great calamities of bodies for righteousness sake , but they must also suffer the reproach of being the seditious followers of a crucifyed malefactour whom they would have made a king ? no! our lord would stoop to the lowest condition for our sakes , which was consistent with his innocency and perfection ! sin is so much worse than suffering , that we may take this for the greatest part of his condescension , and strangest expression of his love , that he should take not only the nature and the sufferings of a man , but also the nature and the imputation of sinners . though sin itself was inconsistent with his perfection , yet so was not the false accusation and imputation of it : he could not become a sinner for us ; but he could be reputed a sinner for us , and die as such . and when our lord hath submitted to this most ignominious kind of suffering , it is not fit that we should be the choosers of our sufferings , and say , lord we will suffer any thing except the reputation of being offenders , and the false accusations of malicious men ! if in this we must be made conformable to our head , we must not refuse it , nor repine at his disposal of us . 3. and their sorrow for christs departure was the greater , because they had so little foresight of his resurrection and return . it is strange to see how dark they were in these articles of the faith , for all their long converse with christ , and his plain foretelling them his death and resurrection : and how much of their teaching christ reserved to the spirit after his departure from them , joh. 12 16. luk. 18.31.32.33.34 . then took he unto him the twelve , and said unto them , behold we go up to jerusalem , and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the son of man shall be accomplished : for he shall be delivered unto the gentiles , and shall be mocked and spightfully , entreated , and spit upon , and they shall scourge him and put him to death , and the third day he shall rise again . and they unstood none of these things , and this saying was hid from them , neither knew they the things which were spoken . had they known all that would follow , and clearly foreseen his resurrection and his glory they would then have been troubled the less for his death . but when they saw him dye , and foresaw him not revive and rise and reign , then did their hearrs begin to fail them , and they said , luk. 24.21 . we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed israel . even as we use to lament immoderately when we lay the bodies of our friends in the grave , because we see not whither the soul is gone , nor in what triumph and joy it is received unto christ ; which if we saw it would moderate our griefs . and even so we over-pity our selves & our friends in our temporal sufferings , because we see not whither they tend , and what will follow them . we see job on the dunghil , but look not so far as his restoration , jam. 5.11 . behold we count them happy which endure : ye have heard of the patience of job , and have seen the end of the lord , that the lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy . there is no judging by the present , but either by staying the end , or believing gods predictions of it . use . it is allowable in christs disciples to grieve ( in faith and moderately ) for any of his departure from them : they that have had the comfort of communion with him in a life of faith and grace , must needs lament any loss of that communion : it is sad with such a soul , when christ seemeth strange , or when they pray and seek , and seem not to be heard ! it is sad with a believer when he must say , i had once access to the father by the son ; i had helps in prayer and i had the lively operations of the spirit of grace , and some of the joy of the holy ghost , but now , alas , it is not so . and they that have had experience of the fruit and comfort of his word , and ordinances , and discipline , and the communion of saints , may be allowed to lament the loss of this , if he take it from them . it was no unseemly thing in david , when he was driven from the tabernacle of god , to make that lamentation , psal . 42 , and 43. as the hart panteth after the water brooks , so panteth my soul after thee ▪ o god : my soul thirsteth for god , for the living god : when shall i come and appear before god ? my tears have been my meat day and night , while they continually say unto me , where is thy god ? — o my god , my soul is cast down within me , &c. and psal . 84.2 , 3 , 4. my soul longeth , yea even fainteth for the courts of the lord : my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living god ; yea the sparrow hath found an house , and the swallow a nest , &c. blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will be still praising thee . — for a day in thy courts is better than a thousand : i had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my god , than to dwell in the tents of wickedness . it signifieth ill when men can easily let christ go , or lose his word , or helps , and ordinances . when sin provoketh him to hide his face , and withdraw his mercies , if we can senslesly let them go , it is a contempt which provoketh him much more : if we are indifferent what he giveth us , it is just with him to be indifferent too , and to set as little by our helps and happiness , as we set by them our selves . but we little know the misery which such contempt prepareth for , jer. 6.8 . be thou instructed o jerusalem , lest my soul depart from thee ! lest i make thee desolate ; a land not inhabited . hos . 9.12 . yea , wo also unto them when i depart from them . when god goeth , all goeth : grace and peace , help and hope , and all that is good and comfortable is gone , when god is gone ! wonder not therefore if holy souls cry after god , and fear the loss of his grace and ordinances ; and if they lament the loss of that , which dead-hearted sensualists are a weary of , and would drive away ; it will be the damning sentence , depart from me all ye workers of iniquity : and therefore all that is but like it , is terrible to them that have any regard of god , or their salvation . doct. 3. the sorrows of christs disciples are but short . it is but now that they have sorrow . and how quickly will this now doctrine 3 be gone ? reas . 1. life it self is but short , and therefore the sorrows of this life are but short . man that is born of a woman is of few days , and full of trouble : he cometh forth like a flower , and is cut down ; he fleeth also as a shadow , and continueth not , job 14.1 , 2. though our days are evil , they are but few , gen. 47.9 . as our time maketh haste , and posteth away , so also do our sorrows , which will attain their period together with our lives . as the pleasure of sin , so the sufferings of the godly are but for a season , heb. 11.26 . now , for a season , if need be , ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations , 1 pet. 1.6 . the pleasures and the pains of so short a life , are but like a pleasant or a frightful dream : how quickly shall we awake , and all is vanished . if we lived as long as they did before the flood , then worldly interest , prosperity and adversity would be of greater signification to us , and yet they should seem nothing in comparison of eternity : for where now are all the fleshly pains or pleasures of adam or methuselah ? much more are they inconsiderable in so short a life as one of ours . happy is the man whose sorrows are of no longer continuance than this short and transitory life ! reas . 2. gods displeasure with his servants is but short ; and therefore his corrections are but short , psal . 30.5 . his anger endureth but for a moment , but in his favour is life , isa . 54.7 , 8. for a small moment have i forsaken thee , but with great mercies will i gather thee . in a little wrath i hid my face from thee for a moment , but with everlasting kindness will i have mercy on thee , saith the lord thy redeemer , isa . 26.20 . come my people , enter into thy chambers , and shut thy doors about thee , hide thy self as it were for a little moment , until the indignation be overpast . thus even in judgment doth he remember mercy , and consumeth us not , because his compassions fail not , lam. 3. he will not always chide , nor will he keep his anger for ever , — for he knoweth our frame ; he remembreth that we are dust , psal . 103.9.14 . his short corrections are purposely fitted to prepare us for endless consolations . reas . 3. our trial also must be but short , and therefore so must be our sorrows . though god will not have us receive the crown , without the preparation of a conflict and a conquest , yet will he not have our fight and race too long , lest it overmatch our strength , and his grace , and we should be overcome . though our faith and we must be tried in the fire , yet god will see that the furnace be not over hot , and that we stay no longer , but till our dross be separated from us , god putteth us not into the fire to consume us , but to refine us : that when we come out we may say , it is good for us that we were afflicted , psal . 119.71 . and then he will save the afflicted people . reas . 4. the power of those that afflict gods servants wrongfully is but short , and therefore the sorrows of such affliction can be but short ; though it be foreign churches of whom i speak : i hope it is to such as take their case to be to them as their own . while they are breathing out threatnings , they are ready to breath out their guilty souls . if a man in a dropsie or consumption persecute us , we would not be over fearful of him , because we see he is a dying man. and so little is the distance between the death of one man and another , that we may well say all mens lives are in a consumption ; and may bear their indignation , as we would do the injuries of a dying man ! how short is the day of the power of darkness : christ calleth it but an hour , luke 22.53 . this is your hour , and the power of darkness . how quickly was herod eaten of worms , and many another cut off in the height of their prosperity , when they have been raging in the heat of persecution ? little thought ahab that he had been so near his woful day , when he had given order that michaiah should be fed with the bread and water of affliction , till he returned in peace : what persecutions have the death of a licinius , a julian , a qu. mary , &c. shortened ? while they are raging they are dying ; while they are condemning the just , they are going to be condemned by their most just avenger . how quickly will their corps be laid in dust , and their condemned souls be put under the chains of darkness , till the judgment of the great and dreadful day ? he is not only an unbeliever , but irrational or inconsiderate , that cannot see their end in the greatest of their glory ! how easie is it to see these bubbles vanishing , and to foresee the sad and speedy period of all their cruelties and triumphs ? job 20.4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. knowest thou not this of old , since man was placed upon earth , that the triumphing of the wiched is short , and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment ? though his excellency mount up to the heavens , and his head reach unto the clouds , yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung : they which have seen him shall say , where is he . — he shall fly away as a dream , and shall not be found ; yea , he shall be chased away as a vision of the night . the eye also which saw him , shall see him no more , neither shall his place behold him . though pride do compass them about as a chain , and violence cover them as a garment , and they are corrupt and speak oppression or calumny wickedly , they speak loftily ( or from on high ) though they set their mouth against the heavens , and their tongue walketh through the earth , yet surely they are set in slippery places . god doth cast them down into destruction : how are they brought into desolation as in a moment ? they are utterly consumed with terrors ; as a * dream from one that awaketh , so , o lord , in awaking , ( or raising up , that is , saith the chaldee paraphrase , in thy day of judging ) or as all the other translations , in civitate tuâ , in thy kingdom or government ) thou shalt despise their image , that is , shew them and all the world how despicable that image of greatness and power , and felicity was which they were so proud of . if such a * bubble of vain glory , such an image of felicity , such a dream of power and greatness , be all that the church of god hath to be afraid of , it may be well said , as isa . 2.22 . cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils ? for wherein is he to be accounted of ? psal . 146.4 . his breath goeth forth , he returneth to his earth ; in that very day his thoughts perish . and isa . 50.9 . behold the lord god will help me , who is he that shall condemn me ? lo , they all shall wax old as a garment ; the moth shall eat them up . and isa . 51.7 , 8. hearken unto me ye that know righteousness , the people in whose heart is my law : fear ye not the reproach of men , neither be ye afraid of their revilings : for the moth shall eat them up like a garment , and the worm shall eat them like wool : but my righteousness shall be for ever , and my salvation from generation to generation . the sorrows which so short-lived power can infl●ct , can be but short : you read of their victories and persecutions in the news-books one year , and quickly after of their death . use . hence therefore you may learn how injudicious they are , that think religion is disparaged by such short and small afflictions of believers ; and how unexcusable they are ▪ who yield unto temptation , and venture upon sin , and comply with the ungodly , and forsake the truth , through the fear of so short and momentary sorrows : when there is none of them but would endure the prick of a pin , or the scratch of a briar , or the biting of a flea to gain a kingdom , or the opening of a vein , or the griping of a purge to save their lives . o how deservedly are ungodly men forsaken of god : for how short a pleasure do they forsake him , and the everlasting pleasures ? and how short a trouble do they avoid , by running into everlasting trouble ? if sin had not first subdued reason , men would never make it a matter of question , whether to escape so small a suffering they should break the laws of the most righteous god ; nor would they once put so short a pain or pleasure into the ballance against the endless pain and pleasure ? nor would a temptation bring them to deliberate on a matter , which should be past deliberation with a man that is in his wits . and yet alas , how much do these short concernments prevail through all the world ! unbelievers are short sighted ; they look only or chiefly to things near and present ! a lease of this empty world for a few years , yea an uncertain tenure of it , is preferred before the best security for eternal life . it s present pleasures which they must have , and its present sorrows which they take care to escape . as christ hath taught us to say about these worldly things , so the devil hath taught them to say about everlasting things , care not for to morrow , the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self ; sufficient to the day is the evil thereof , math. 6.34 . therefore when the day of their calamity shall come , a despairing conscience will perpetually torment them , and say , this is but the sorrow which thou chosest to endure , or the misery which thou wouldst venture on , to escape a present inconsiderable pain . if there be any of you that shall think that present sufferings are considerable things , to be put into the scales against eternity , or that are tempted to murmuring and impatience under such short afflictions , i desire them but to consider , 1. that your suffering will be no longer than your sin . and if it endure but as long , is it any matter of wonder or repining . can you expect to keep your sickness , and yet to be wholly freed from the pain ? can sin and suffering be perfectly separated ? do you think to continue ignorant and proud , and selfish , and in so much remaining unbelief , carnality , worldliness and sloth , and yet never to feel the rod or spur , nor suffer any more than if you had been innocent ? deceive not your selves , it will not be . sin lieth at the door , and be sure at last it will find you out , prov. 11.31 . behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth , much more the ungodly and the sinner . judgment must begin at the house of god , and the righteous are saved with much ado , 1 pet. 4.17 , 18. god is not reconciled to the sins of any man : and as he will shew by his dealings , that he is reconciled to their persons , so will he shew that he is not reconciled to their sins . if god continue your sufferings any longer than you continue your sin , and if you can truly say , i am afflicted though i am innocent , then your impatience may have some excuse . 2. your sorrows shall be no longer than you make them necessary , and will you grudge at your own benefit ? or at the trouble of your physick while you continue your disease ? it is but [ if need be ] that now for a season ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations , 1 pet. 1.6 , and who maketh the need ? is it god or you ? who maketh you dull and sloathful , and sensual ? who turneth your hearts to earthly things , and deprives you of the sweetness of things spiritual and heavenly ? who maketh you proud and unbelieving , and uncharitable ? it is he that doth this , that causeth the need of your afflictions , and is to be blamed for the bitterness of them ; but it is your physician that is to be thanked and praised for fitting them so wisely to your cure. 3. your sorrows shall not be so long as you deserve . it is strange ingratitude , for that man to grudge at a short affliction that is saved from everlasting misery , and confesseth he hath deserved the pains of hell. confess with thankfulness , that it is his mercy that you are not consumed and condemned , because his compassions fail not : if god be your portion , hope in him : for the lord is good to them that wait for him ; to the soul that seeketh him : it is good that you both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the lord : it is good for a man that he bear the yoak in his youth : he sitteth alone and keepeth silence , because he hath born it upon him : he putteth his mouth in the dust , if so be there may be hope . he giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him , he is filled full with reproach : for the lord will not cast off for ever , but though he cause grief , yet will he have compassion , according to the multitude of his mercies , lam. 3.22 . to 33. ezr. 9.13 . all that is come upon us is for our evil deeds , and for our great trespasses , and god hath punished us less than our iniquities . 4. your sorrows shall not be so long as the sorrows of the ungodly , nor as those that you must endure , if you will chuse sin to escape these present sorrows . abels sorrow is not so long as cains : nor peters or pauls so long as judas's . if the offering of a more acceptable sacrifice do cost a righteous man his life , alas what is that to the punishment that malignant envious cainites , or treacherous judas's must endure . what is the worst that man can do , or the most that god will here inflict , to the reprobates endless hellish torments ? o had you seen what they endure , or had you felt those pains but a day or hour , i can hardly think that you would ever after make so great a matter of the sufferings of a christian here for christ , or that you would fear such sufferings more than hell . it is disingenuous to repine at so gentle a rod , at the same time whilst millions are in the flames of hell , and when these sufferings tend to keep you thence . 5. your sorrows shall not be so long as your following joys , if you be persevering conquering believers . what is a sickness , or a scorn , or a prison , or banishment , or shame , or death , when it must end in the endless joys of heaven . o do but believe these with a lively , sound , effectual faith , and you will make light of all the sufferings in the way . nihil crus sentit in nervo , saith tertullian , cum animus est in coelo : the mind that is in heaven , and seeth him that is invisible , will easily bear the bodies pains . mistake not in your accounts , and you will reckon that the sufferings of this present time , are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us , rom. 8.18 . 2 cor. 4.17 , 18. for our light affliction which is but for a moment , doth work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory , while we look not at the things which are seen , but at the things which are not seen : for the things which are seen are temporal , but the things which are not seen are eternal . use 2. and if it be but for a [ now ] that you must have sorrows , how reasonable is it that those sorrows be moderated and mixt with joy ? and how just are those commands , rejoice evermore , 1 thes . 5.16 . math. 5 , 10 , 11 , 12. rejoice and be exceeding glad , for great is your reward in heaven , rom. 12.12 . rejoicing in hope , patient in tribulation , act. 5.42 . how rational was their joy , who being beaten and forbidden to preach , departed from the presence of the council , rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of christ ; 1 pet. 4.13 , 14. rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of christs sufferings . — if ye be reproached for the name of christ , happy are ye ; for the spirit of glory and of god resteth upon you ▪ on their part he is evil spoken of , but on your part he is glorified : it is a shame to be dejected under a short and tolerable pain , which is so near to the eternal pleasure ; and to suffer as if we believed not the end , and so to sorrow as men that are without hope . doct. 4. christ will again visit his sorrowful disciples . he removeth not from them with an intent to cast them off . when he hideth his face , he meaneth not to forsake them : when he taketh away any ordinances or mercies , he doth not give them a bill of divorce . when he seemeth to yield to the powers of darkness , he is not overcome , nor will he give up his kingdom or interest in the world. when he letteth the boar into his vineyard , it is not to make it utterly desolate , or turn it common to the barren wilderness . for , 1. he hath conquered the greatest enemies already ; and therefore there remaineth none to conquer him . he hath triumphed over satan ; death and hell : he hath conquered sin , and what is there left to depose him from his dominion ? 2. he retaineth still his relation to his servants : whether he be corporally present or absent , he knoweth his own ! and it is their care also , that whether present or absent , they may be accepted of him , 2 cor. 5.7 , 8 , 9. he is their head while they are suffering on earth ; and therefore he feeleth their sufferings and infirmities , heb. 4.15 . and hence it is that he thus rebuketh a persecuting zealot , saul , saul , why persecutest thou me , act. 9 , 4. 3. he hath not laid by the least measure of his love ; he loveth us in heaven as much as he did on earth ; having loved his own which were in the world , to the end he loved them , joh. 13.1 . and as josephs love could not long permit him to conceal himself from his brethren , but broke out the more violently after a short restraint , so that he fell on their necks and wept ; so will not the more tender love of christ permit him long to hide his face , or estrange himself from the people of his love : and when he returneth , it will be with redoubled expressions of endearment . 4. his covenant with his servants is still in force ; his promises are sure , and shall never be broken , though the performance be not so speedy as we desire , deut. 7.9 . know therefore that the lord thy god he is god , the faithful god , which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him , and keep his commandments to a thousand generations , and repayeth them that hate him to their face to destroy them : he will not be slack to him that hateth him , he will repay him to his face , 1 king. 8.23 . he keepeth covenant and mercy with his servants that walk before him with all their heart , so dan. 9.4 . neh. 1.5 . and 9.32 . and it is the promise of christ when he departed from his servants , that he will come again and take them to himself , that where he is , there they may be also , joh. 14.3 . and 12.26 . 5. his own interest , and honor , and office , and preparations , do engage him to return to his disconsolate flock : his jewels and peculiar treasure are his interest , mal. 3.17 . 1 pet. 2.9 . exod. 19.5 . he that hath chosen but a little flock ( luk. 12.32 . ) and confined his interest and treasure into such a narrow compass , will not forsake that little flock , but secure them to his kingdom . he that hath made it his office to redeem and save them , and hath so dearly bought them , and gone so far in the work of their salvation , will lose none of all his cost and preparations , but for his people , and his blood , and his honour , and his fathers will , and love will certainly finish what he hath undertaken . and therefore his withdrawings shall not be everlasting . 6. it is for their sakes that he withdraweth for a time : though the bitter part be for their sin , it is intended as medicinal for their benefit ; sometimes he doth it to awake and humble them , and stir them up to seek him , and call after him : to shew them what they have done in provoking him to withdraw and hide his face , that renewed repentance may prepare them for the comforts of his return . sometimes he hath such work for them to do , which is not so agreeable to his presence ; as fasting , and mourning , and confessing him in sufferings , math. 9.15 . and sometimes he hath comforts of another kind to give them in his seeming absence , joh. 16.7 . i tell you the truth , it is expedient for you that i go away : for if i go not away , the comforter will not come unto you ; but if i depart i will send him to you . as there were comforts which the disciples were fittest for in christs bodily absence , so when he will take away his ordinances , or our prosperity or friends , there are comforts of another sort , in secret communion with him , and in suffering for him , which his people may expect : not that any can expect it , who on that pretence do reject these ordinances and mercies , no more than the disciples could have expected the comforter , if they had rejected the corporal presence of christ : but god hath such supplies for those that mourn for his departure . use 1. misunderstand not then the departings of your lord ! it is too bad to say with the evil servant , my lord delayeth his coming ; and worse to say , he will never return . 1. he will return at his appointed day to judge the world ; to justifie his saints whom the world condemned ; to answer the desires , and satisfie all the expectations of believers ; and to comfort , and everlastingly reward the faithful that have patiently waited for his return . and when he returneth with salvation , then shall we also return from our calamities , and shall discern b●tween the righteous and the wicked , between him that served god , and him that served him not , mal. 3.18 . undoubtedly our redeemer liveth , and shall stand at the latter day upon the earth , and though after our skin , worms devour these bodies , yet in our flesh we shall see god , job . 19.25 , 26. behold he cometh with clouds , and every eye shall see him , and they also which pierced him , and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him , even so amen , rev. 1.7 . though unbelieving scoffers shall say , where is the promise of his coming ? 2 pet. 3.4 . yet believers consider , that a day is with the lord as a thousand years , and a thousand years but as a day ; and that the lord is not slack of his promise , but long suffering , v. 8.9 . he will not leave us comfortless , but will come unto us , joh. 14.18 ▪ the patient expectation of the just shall not be forgotten , nor in vain . seeing it is a righteous thing with god , to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you , and to you who are troubled , rest with us ; when the lord jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels , in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord jesus christ , who shall be punished with everlasting destruction , from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power , when he shall come to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that believe in that day , 2 thes . 1.6 . to 11. 2. and he will return also to the seemingly forsaken flocks of his disciples : he hath his times of trial , when the shepherds being smitten , the sheep are scattered ; and he hath his times of gathering the scattered ones again together , and giving them pastors after his own heart , that shall feed them with knowledge and understanding , jer. 3.14 , 15. and shall say , what is the chaff unto the wheat , jer. 23.28 . when we cry , wo is me for my hurt ! my wound is grievous ! we must also say , truly this is a grief , and i must bear it : my tabernacle is spoiled , and all my cords are broken : my children are gone forth of me , and they are not , there is none to stretch forth my tent any more , and to set up my curtains ; for the pastors are become bruitish , and have not sought the lord. — o lord correct me , but with judgment , not in thine anger , lest thou bring me to nothing , jer. 10.19 , 20 , 21.24 . many pastors have destroyed my vineyard , they have trodden my portion under foot , they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness , and being desolate it mourneth to me ; the whole land is made desolate , because no man layeth it to heart , jer. 12.10 , 11. but wo be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture , saith the lord. therefore thus saith the lord against the pastors that feed my people , ye have scattered my flock , and driven them away , and have not visited them : behold i will visit upon you the evil of your doings , and i will gather the remnant of my flock . — and i will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them , and they shall fear no more , nor be dismayed , neither shall they be lacking , saith the lord , ezek. 34. wo to the shepherds of israel that feed themselves ; should not the shepherds feed the flocks ? ye eat the fat , and cloath you with the wool , ye kill them that are fed , but ye feed not the flocks . the diseased have ye not strengthened , neither have ye healed that which was sick , neither have ye bound up that which was broken , neither have ye brought again that which was driven away , neither have ye sought that which was lost ; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them . — thus saith the lord , behold i am against the shepherds , and i will require my flock at their hands , and cause them to cease from feeding the flock , neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more ; for i will deliver my flock from their mouth . — behold i , even i , will both search my sheep and seek them out , and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day . — and as for you , o my flocks , behold i judge between cattel and cattel , between the rams and the hee-goats ? is it a small thing to you , to have eaten up the good pasture , but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures , and to have drunk of the deep waters , but ye must foul the residue with your feet ? and as for my flock , they eat that which you have trodden with your feet , and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet . therefore thus saith the lord god unto them , behold i , i will judge between the fat cattel and the lean ? because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder , and push'd all the diseased with your horns , till ye have scattered them abroad , &c. read the rest . particular churches may be scattered to dissolution , but none of the faithful members shall be lost . 3. and christ hath his returning time , to the souls of his servants which seem to be forsaken by him : weeping may endure for a night , but joy cometh in the morning , psal . 30.5 . when he seemeth their enemy , and writeth bitter things against them , he is their surest friend , and will justify them himself from their accusers . though they may be troubled when they remember god , and their spirit be overwhelmed in them , and their souls refuse to be comforted , and say , will the lord cast off for ever ? and will he be favourable no more ? is his mercy cle●n gone for ever ? doth his pr●mise fail for evermore ? hath god forgotten to be gracious ? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ? yet must we rebuke this unbelief , and say , this is my infirmity , i will remember the works of the lord , surely i will remember thy wonders of old . i will meditate of thy works , and talk of thy doings , psal . 77. the long night that hath no day , the long winter that hath no summer is the reward of the ungodly : but light ariseth to the righteous in his darkness , and joy to them that are upright in heart , psal . 112.4 . light is sown for them , and in season will spring up , psal . 97.11 . the righteousness which was hid from the world by false accusations , and from our selves by the terrors and mistakes of darkness , will god bring forth as light , and our judgment as the noon day , psal . 37.6 . our eclipse will vanish when the sun returneth , and our sins no longer interpose . and though all our enquiries and complainings have not brought us out of the dark , yet god is the lord who sheweth us light , psal . 118.27 . and in his light we shall see light , psal . 36.9 . say then , o distrustful trembling christian , why art thou cast down o my soul , and why art thou thus disquieted within me ? hope thou in god , for i shall yet praise him , who is the health of my countenance and my god , psal . 42.5.11 . and 43.5 . though now you go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy , god will send out his light and truth , and they shall lead you , and bring you to his holy hill and tabernacle . and then you shall go with praise to the altar of god , even of god your exceeding joy . use 2. learn then how to behave your selves in the absence of your lord , till his return : if you ask me , how ? ans . 1. be not contented and pleased with his absence . you must bear it , but not desire it . else you are either enemies , or children that have run themselves into such guilt and fears , that they take their father for their enemy . 2. nay be not too indifferent and insensible of your lords departure . love is not regardless of the company of our beloved . he may well take it ill , when you can let him go , and be as merry without him , as if his absence were no loss to you . if you care no more for him , he will make you care , before you shall feel the comforts of his presence . such contempt is the way to a worse forsaking : call after him till he return , if he hide his face . 3. turn not aside to the creature for content , and seek not to make up the loss of his presence , with any of the deceitful comforts of the world. let him not see you take another in his stead , as if riches , or power , or worldly friends , or fleshly pleasure , would serve your turn instead of christ : if once you come to this , he may justly leave you to your vain contents , and let them serve your turn as long as they can ; and see how well they will supply his room . o see that no idol be admitted into his place till christ return . 4. be not emboldened by his absence to sin : say not as the evil servant in your hearts , my lord delayeth his coming , and so begin to smite your fellow servants , and to eat and drink with the drunken , lest your lord come in a day when you look not for him , and cut you asunder , and appoint your portion with the hypocrites , there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth , math. 24.48 . to 51. because christ cometh not to judge the wicked as soon as they have sinned , they are emboldened to sin more fearlesly : and because sentence against an evil work , is not speedily executed , therefore the hearts of the sons of m●n , are fully set in them to do evil , eccl. 8.11 . but behold the judge is at the door , jam. 5.9 . he that cometh will not tarry . and for all these things you must come to judgment , eccl. 11.9 . and 12.14 . 5. be not discouraged by your lords delay , but wait his coming in faith and patience . can you not wait for him so short a time ! o how quickly will it be accomplished ! sink not into despondency of mind ! be not dismayed in the duties or sufferings to which you are called . lift up the hands that hang down , and the feeble knees , and make straight paths for your feet , lest that which is lame be turned out of the way , but let it rather be healed , heb. 12.12 , 13. be stedfast , unmoveable , always abounding in the work of the lord , forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the lord , 1 cor. 15.58 . be sober and hope unto the end , 1 pet. 1.13 . ye are the house of christ , if ye hold fast the confidence , and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end , heb. 3.6.14 . and 6.11 . ye have need of patience , that having done the will of god , ye may inherit the promise , heb. 10.36.11 . doct. 5. when christ shall again appear to his disciples , their sorrows shall be turned into joy : when christ returneth , joy returneth , saith david , psal . 30.7 . thou hidest thy face , and i was troubled . but v. 11 , 12. thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing : thou hast put off my sackcloth , and girded me with gladness , to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee , and not be silent : o lord my god i will give thanks unto thee for ever . when the sun ariseth it is day , and its approach dispelleth the winter frosts , and reviveth the almost dying creatures , and calleth up the life which was hidden in the seed , or retired unto the root , after a sharp and spending winter , how quickly doth the suns return recover the verdour and beauty of the earth , and cloth it in green , and spangle it with the ornaments of odoriferous flowers , and enrich it with sweet and plenteous fruits : the birds that were either hid or silent , appear and sing , and the face of all things is changed into joy . so is it with the poor deserted soul , upon the return of christ ; unbelieving doubts and fears then vanish : the garments of sadness are laid aside , and those of gladness are put on : the language of distrust and despairing lamentations are first turned into words of hope , and then into words of peace , and then into joyful thankfulness and praise . the soul that was skilled in no spiritual discourse , but complaining of a dead and frozen heart , of dull and cold and lifeless duties , is now taken up in the rehearsals of the works of infinite love , and searching into the mysteries of redemption , and reciting the great and precious promises , and magnifying the name and grace of its redeemer , and expatiating in the praises of the everlasting kingdom , the heavenly glory , the blessed society , and especially of the lamb , and of the eternal god. you would not think that this is the same person , that lately could scarce think well of god , or that dwelt in tears and dust , and darkness , and could think of nothing but sin and hell , and from every text and every providence , concluded nothing , but [ undone ] or damned : would you think this joyful , thankful soul , were the same that lately was crying on the cross , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ! that could find nothing written on the tables of his heart , but forsaken , miserable and undone ; that daily cried out , it is too late , there is no hope , i had a day of grace , but it is past and gone . when christ returneth , and causeth his face to shine upon them , all this is turned into [ praise and honour and glory unto the lamb , and to the almighty and most holy god , that liveth for ever , and is the everlasting joy and portion of his saints . ] and sooner or later , thus will it be with all the upright , that wait on god in the day of trial , and deal not falsly in his covenant : the son who was brought up with the father , and was daily his delight , rejoycing always before him , rejoycing also in the habitable parts of the earth , whose delights were with the sons of men , doth bless the children of wisdom with a participation of his delights : for blessed are they that keep his ways . — blessed is the man that heareth him , watching daily at his gates , waiting at the posts of his doors : for he that findeth him findeth life , and shall obtain favour of the lord , prov. 8.30 . to the 36. though christ had left his disciples so lately under fears and trouble , guilty of deserting him , and seemingly now deserted by him , yet early on the third day , he ariseth for their consolation , and presently sendeth them these joyful words , in the first speech he uttereth , and that by a woman that had been sorrowful and a sinner , [ go to my brethren , and say unto them , i ascend to my father and your father , and to my god and your god ] joh. 20.17 . those that his ministers have long been comforting in vain , when christ returneth he will revive and comfort them in a moment , and with a word . the soul that now crieth [ o it is impossible , it will never be ] doth little know how easie it is with christ . it is but saying , lazarus arise : or , let there be light , and there will be life and light immediately at his command . 2. and so when he restoreth his ordinances and order to a forsaken church , and restoreth their holy opportunities and advantages of grace , what gladness and praising their redeemer will there be ? as it was with the churches upon the death of julian , and after the heathen and the arrian persecutions , in the happy reign of constantine , theodosius , marcian , &c. how joyfully did the english exiles return to worship god in their native land , upon the death of queen mary ; and see the fall of bonner and gardiner , that had sacrificed so many holy christians in the flames ? how gladly did they grow in the soil that was manured with the blood and ashes of their faithful brethren , and reap the fruit of their fortitude and sufferings ? when christ whipt the buyers and sellers out of the temple , and would not let them make the house of prayer a place of merchandize , what hosanna's were sounded in jerusalem , math. 21.15 , 16. when the salvation of israel cometh out of zion , and the lord bringeth back the captivity of his people , jacob shall rejoyce , and israel shall be glad , psal . 14 , 7. blessed are they that dwell in his house , for they will be still praising him ! for a day in his courts is better than a thousand , psal . 84.4.10 . blessed is the people that know the joyful sound ; they shall walk , o lord , in the light of thy countenance ; in thy name shall they rejoyce all the day , and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted : for the lord is our defence , and the holy one of israel is our king , psal . 89.15 , 16 , 17 , 18. what gladness was there at a private meeting of a few christians that met to pray for peter , when they saw him delivered and come among them , act. 12.12.5.14 . when the churches had rest , they were edified and walked in the fear of the lord , and in the comfort of the holy ghost ▪ act. 9.31 . 3. but the great joy will be when christ returneth in his glory at the last day ! what a multitude of sorrows will there be ended ? and what a multitude of souls will then be comforted ? what a multitude of desires and prayers , and expectations will then be answered ! how many thousand that have sowed in tears , shall then reap in everlasting joy ! when the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption , into the glorious liberty of the sons of god , rom. 8.26 , 27. when all the faith and labour , and patience of all the saints from the beginning of the world , shall be rewarded with the rivers of celestial pleasure , and the just shall enter into their masters joy , mat. 25.21 . that you may the better understand the sweetness of all these sorts of joy , which christs return will bring to saints , observe these following ingredients in them . 1. it is christ himself that is the object of their joy : he that is the dearly beloved of their souls ; that for their sakes was made a man of sorrows . it is he who is their hope and help : with whom they are in covenant as their only saviour . in whom they have trusted , with whom they have deponed their souls ! if he should fail them , all would fail them ; and they were of all men most miserable : they would be comfortless if he should not come unto them , and were not their comfort . the world cannot help and comfort them , for it is empty , vain , a transient shadow : it will not , for it is malignant , and our professed enemy . for we know that we are of god , and the whole world is in maligno positus , set on wickedness , ( or as some think because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for the devil in the foregoing verse , and the article here also used ) is as it were planted into the devil , or put under the devil to war against christ and the holy seed : and indeed satan seemeth in this war against the church , to have somewhat like success as he had against christ himself : as christ must be a man of sorrows and scorn , and be crucified as a blasphemer and a traitour , before he rejoice the hearts of his disciples by his resurrection , so the church was a persecuted , scorned handful of men , for the first three hundred years , and then it rose by christian emperours to some reputation , till satan by another game overcame them by judas his successours ; that for [ what will you give me ] by pride and worldliness betrayed them into that deplorate state , in which they have continued these 900 years at least : so that the christian name is confined to a sixth part of the world ; and serious sanctified believers are persecuted more by the hypocrites that wear the livery of christ , than by heathens and infidels themselves . and when the church is so low , almost like christ on the cross and the grave , will not a resurrection be a joyful change ? when it crieth out on the cross , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? will not christ appearing for its deliverance be a welcome sight ? it was when adam had brought a curse on himself and his posterity , and all the earth , that redemption by the holy seed was promised ; and when satan had conquered man , that christ was promised to conquer him . it was when the world was destroyed by the deluge that its reparation was promised to noah : it was when abraham was a sojourner in a strange land , that the peculiar promises were made to him and his seed . it was when the israelites were enslaved to extremity , that they were delivered . and it was when the scepter was departing from judah , and they and the world were gone from god , that christ the light of the world was sent . and when the son of man cometh , shall he find faith on the earth ? when we see how vast the heathen and infidel kingdoms are , and what a poor despised people those are that set their chief hopes on heaven , and how satan seemeth every where to prevail against them , and most by false and worldly christians , what a trial is this to our faith and hope ? as the disciples said of a crucified christ , we trusted it had been he that should have redeemed israel ; we are almost ready in the hour of temptation to say , we trusted that gods name should have been hallowed , and his kingdom come , and his will be done , on earth as it is in heaven ? and o how seasonable , and how joyful will the churches resurrection be after such low and sad distress ? many a sad christian under the sentence of death , is going hence with fear and trouble : when a moment shall transmit them into the joyful presence of their lord , and the possession of that which with weakness and fear they did but believe . 2. and christ will not come or be alone : with him will come the new jerusalem : he will put glory on each member , but much more on the whole o how many of our old companions are now there ? not under temptation , or any of the tempters power ? not under the darkness of ignorance , error , or unbelief ? not under the pains of a languid , diseased , corruptible body ? not under the fear of sin , or satan , or wicked men : not under the terror of death or hell , of an accusing conscience , or the wrath of god : o with what joy shall we see and enjoy that glorious society ? to be translated thither from such a world as this , from such temptations , sins , such fears and sorrows , such perfidious malignant wickedness , what will it be but to be taken as from a goal unto a kingdom , and from the suburbs of hell , unto the communion of blessed saints and angels , and into the joy of our lord. doct. 6. your joy shall no man take from you : the joy that cometh at christs return will be a secure everlasting joy . impregnable as heaven it self : christ and his church will be crucified no more : nor any more despised , scorned , persecuted , or falsly accused and condemned : look not then for christ or his church in the grave ; he is not here , he is risen : who can we fear will deprive us of that joy ? 1. not our selves : and then we need to fear no other : our folly and sin is our enemies strength : they can do nothing against us , without our selves . the arrows that wound us are all feathered from our own wings . but our trying time will then be past , and confirmation will be the reward of conquest . he that hath kept us in the day of our trial , will keep us in our state of rest and triumph . how the ( now ) fallen angels came to lose their first innocency and wellfare , is unknown to us : but we have a promise of being for ever with christ . 2. nor shall devils deprive us of that joy : neither by those malicious temptations wherewith they now molest and haunt us : nor by the unhappy advantages which we have given them by our sin , to corrupt our imaginations and thoughts , and affections , or to disturb our passions , or pervert our understandings . nor by any terror or violence to molest us . 3. nor shall any men take from us that joy : the blessed will increase it : their joy will be ours ; and the wicked will be utterly disabled : they will be miserable themselves in hell. they will no more endanger us by flattering temptations ; nor terrify us by threats ; nor tread us down by their power ; nor hurt us in their malice ; nor render us odious by false accusations ; nor triumph over us with pride and false reproach . they that said of the church as of christ , he trusted in god , let him deliver him now if he will have him ; for he said , i am the son of god ; they shall see that god hath delivered his church , and he will have it . use . and will not a firm belief of all this , rejoyce the soul under all disappointments and sufferings on earth ? and doth not our dejectedness and want of joy declare the sinful weakness of our faith ? o sirs , our sadness , our impatience , our small desire to be with christ , the little comfort that we fetch from heaven do tell us that christianity , and a life of faith , is a harder work than most imagine : and the art and form ▪ and words of holiness are much more common than a holy heavenly mind and life . christ speaketh many words of pity , to his servants under sorrows and sinking grief , which some mistake for words of approbation or command . why are ye afraid , o ye of little faith , were words both of compassion and reproof . i am sure the great unbelief that appeareth in much of our dejectedness and sorrow , deserveth more reproof than our sufferings deserve to be entertained with those sorrows . use 2. i will therefore take my farewel of you , in advising , and charging you as from god , that you be not deceived by a flattering world , nor dejected by a frowning world , but place your hopes on those joys which no man can take from you . if you cannot trust the love of god , and the grace and promises of our saviour , and the witness of the holy spirit , you must despair ; for there is no other trust . so many of you seem to have chosen this good part , the one thing necessary which shall never be taken from you , that in the midst of our sorrows , i must profess that i part with you with thankfulness and joy . and i will tell you for what i am so thankful , that you may know what i would have you be for the time to come . i i thank the lord that chose for me so comfortable a station , even a people whom he purposed to bless . ii. i thank the lord that i have not laboured among you in vain , and that he opened the hearts of so great a number of yours , to receive his word with a teachable and willing mind . iii. i thank the lord that he hath made so many of you as helpful to your neighbours in your place , as i have been in mine ; and that you have not been uncharitable to the souls of others , but have with great success endeavoured the good of all . iv. i rejoyce that god hath kept you humble , that you have not been addicted to proud ostentation of your gifts or wisdom , nor inclined to invade any part of the sacred office , but to serve god in the capacity where he hath placed you . v. i rejoyce that god hath made you unanimous , and kept out sects and heresies , and schisms , so that you have served him as with one mind and mouth : and that you have not been addicted to proud wranglings , disputings , and contentions , but have lived in unity , love and peace , and the practice of known and necessary truths . vi. i rejoyce that your frequent meetings in your houses , spent only in reading , repeating your teachers sermons , prayer and praise to god , have had none of those effects which the conventicles of proud opiniators , and self-conceited persons use to have , and which have brought even needful converse , and godly communication into suspicion at least with some , that argue against duty from the abuse . yea , i rejoyce that hereby so much good hath been done by you . you have had above forty years experience of the great benefit of such well ordered christian converse , increasing knowledge , quickening holy desires , prevailing with god , for marvellous , if not miraculous answers of your earnest prayers , keeping out errors and sects . vii . i am glad that you have had the great encouragement of so many sober , godly , able , peaceable ministers , in all that part of the country round about you , and mostly through that and the neighbour countries : men that avoided vain and bitter contentions , that engaged themselves in no sects or factions , that of a multitude not above two that i know of , in all our association had ever any hand in wars : but their principles and practices were reconciling and pacificatory : they consented to catechize all their parishioners , house by house , and to live in the peaceable practice of so much church discipline , as good christians of several parties were all agreed in . and you have lived to see what that discipline was , and what were the effects of such agreement . viii . i am glad that you were kept from taking the solemn league and covenant , and the engagement , and all consent to the change of the constituted government of this kingdom . i took the covenant my self , of which i repent , and i 'le tell you why : i never gave it but to one man ( that i remember ) and he professed himself to be a papist physician newly turned protestant , and he came to me to give it him : i was perswaded that he took it in false dissimulation , and it troubled me to think what it was to draw multitudes of men by carnal interest so falsely to take it : and i kept it and the engagement from being taken in your town and country . at first it was not imposed but taken by volunteers : but after that it was made a test of such as were to be trusted or accepted . besides the illegality , there are two things that cause me to be against it . 1. that men should make a meer dividing engine , and pretend it a means of unity : we all knew at that time when it was imposed , that a great part , if not the greatest , of church and kingdom were of another mind : and that as learned and worthy men were for prelacy , as most the world had ( such as usher , morton , hall , davenant , brownrig , &c. ) and to make our terms of union to be such as should exclude so many and such men , was but to imitate those church dividers and persecutors , who in many countries and ages , have still made their own impositions the engines of division , by pretence of union . and it seemeth to accuse christ , as if he had not sufficiently made us terms of concord , but we must devise our own forms as necessary thereto . 2. and it was an imposing on the providence of god , to tye our selves by vows to that as unchangeable which we knew not but god might after change , as if we had been the masters of his providence . no man then knew but that god might so alter many circumstances , as might make some things sins that were then taken for duty , and some things to be duty which then past for sin : and when such changes come , we that should have been content with gods obligations , do find our selves ensnared in our own rash vows . and i wish that it teach no other men the way of dividing impositions either to cut the knot , or to be even with the covenanters . ix . i greatly rejoyce that family religion is so conscionably kept up among you , that your children , and apprentices , seem to promise us a hopeful continuation of piety among you . x. and i thank god that so great a number of persons eminent for holiness , temperance , humility and charity , are safely got to heaven already , since i first came among you , and being escaped from the temptations and troubles of this present evil world , have left you the remembrance of their most imitable examples . and having all this comfort in you as to what is past , i shall once more leave you some of my counsels and requests , for the time to come , which i earnestly intreat you not to neglect . i. spend most of your studies in confirming your belief of the truth of the gospel , the immortality of the soul , and the life to come , and in exercising that belief , and laying up your treasure in heaven ; and see that you content not your selves in talking of heaven , and speaking for it ; but that your hopes , your hearts , and your conversation be there ; and that you live for it , as worldlings do for the flesh . ii. flatter not your selves with the hopes of long life on earth , but make it the summ of all your religion , care and business , to be ready for a safe and comfortable death : for 'till you can fetch comfort from the life to come , you can have no comfort that true reason can justify . iii. live as in a constant war against all fleshly lusts , and love not the world as it cherisheth those lusts : take heed of the love of mony , as the root of manifold evils : think of riches with more fear than desire : seeing christ hath told us , how hard and dangerous it maketh our way to heaven . when once a man falls deeply in love with riches , he is never to be trusted , but becomes false to god , to all others , and to himself . iv. be furnished before hand with expectation and patience , for all evils that may befal you : and make not too great a matter of sufferings , especially poverty , or wrong from men. it is sin and folly in poor men , that they over-value riches , and be not thankful for their peculiar blessings . i am in hopes that god will give you more quietness than many others , because there are none of you rich : it s a great means of safety to have nothing that tempteth another mans desire , nor that he envieth you for : despised men live quietly , and he that hath an empty purse can sing among the robbers . he that lieth on the ground feareth not falling . when judea ( and so when england by saxons , danes , &c. ) was conquered , the poor were let alone to possess and till the land , and had more than before : it was the great and rich that were destroyed , or carried , or driven away . is it not a great benefit to have your souls saved from rich mens temptations , and your bodies from the envy , assaults and fears , and miseries that they are under ? v. take heed of a self-conceited unhumbled understanding , and of hasty and rash conclusions ; it is the fool that rageth and is confident : sober men are conscious of so much darkness and weakness , that they are suspicious of their apprehensions ; proud self conceitedness , and rash hasty concluding , causeth most of the mischiefs in the world ; which might be prevented , if men had the humility and patience to stay till things be throughly weighed and tried . be not ashamed to profess uncertainty where you are indeed uncertain : humble doubting is much safer than confident erring . vi. maintain union and communion with all true christians on earth ; and therefore hold to catholick principles of meer christianity ▪ without which you must needs crumble into sects . love christians as christians , but the best most : locally separate from none , as accusing of them further than they separate from christ , or deny you their communion unless you will sin . the zeal of a sect as such is partial , turbulent hurtful to dissenters , and maketh men as thorns and thistles : but the zeal of christianity as such , is pure and peaceable , full of mercy and good fruits , mellow and sweet , and inclineth to the good of all . if god give you a faithful or a tolerable publick minister , be thankful to god , and love , honour and encourage him ; and let not the imperfections of the common-prayer make you separate from his communion ; prejudice will make all modes of worship different from that which we preferr , to seem some heynous sinful crime : but humble christians are most careful about the frame of their own hearts , and conscious of so much faultiness in themselves and all their service of god , that they are not apt to accuse and aggravate the failings of others , especially in matters , which god has left to our own determination : whether we shall pray with a book or without , in divers short prayers , or one long one , whether the people shall sing gods praise in tunes , or speak it in prose , &c. is left to be determined by the general rules of concord , order , and edification . yet do not withdraw from the communion of sober , godly nonconformists , though falsly called schismaticks by others . vii . be sure that you maintain due honour and subjection to your governours : fear the lord and the king , and meddle not with them that are given to change , prov. 24.21 . and that in regard of the oath of god , eccl. 8.2 . curse not the king , no not in thy thought , and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber ; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice , and that which hath wings shall tell the matter , eccl. 10.20 . obey god with your first and absolute obedience , and no man against him , but obey the just commands of magistrates , and that out of obedience to god ; and suffer patiently when you cannot obey . and if god should ever cast you under oppressing and persecuting governours , in your patience possess your souls ; trust god and keep your innocency , and abhor all thoughts of rebellion or revenge : he that believeth will not make haste : do nothing but what god will own , and then commit your selves and your way to him : repress wrath , and hate unpeaceable counsels : our way and our time must be only gods way and time . self-saving men are usually the destroyers of themselves and others : peter that drew his sword for christ , denied him the same night with oaths and curses . fools trust themselves , and wise men trust god : fools tear the tree by beating down the fruit that 's unripe and harsh ; and wise men stay till it is ripe and sweet , and will drop into their hands : fools rip up the mother for an untimely birth ; but wise men stay till maturity give it them . fools take red hot iron to be gold , till it burn their fingers to the bone : they rush into seditions and blood , as if it were a matter of jest ; but wise men sow the fruit of righteousness in peace , and as much as in them lieth live peaceably with all men . all men are mortal , both oppressours and oppressed : stay a little and mortality will change the scene ; gods time is best . martyrdom seldome killeth the hundredth part so many as wars do . and he is no true believer , that taketh martyrdom to be his loss : and christ is more interessed in his gospel , church and honour than we . queen maries cruelties , and the bishops bonefires , made religion universally received the more easily when her short reign was ended . we may learn wit of the fool , that seeing great guns , and musquets , ask'd what they were to do ; and the answerer said , to kill men , saith he , do not men die here without killing ? in our country they will die of themselves . viii . be sure that you keep up family religion ; especially in the careful education of youth . keep them from evil company , and from temptations , and especially of idleness , fullness and baits of lust . read the scripture and good books , and call upon god and sing his praise : and recreate youth with reading the history of the church , and the lives of holy men and martyrs ; instruct them in catechisms and fundamentals . ix . above all , live in love to god and man ; and let not selfishness and worldliness prevail against it . think of gods goodness as equal to his greatness and wisdom , and take your selves as members of the same body with all true christians . blessed are they that faithfully practise those three grand principles which all profess , viz. . 1. to love god as god above all , ( and so to obey him . ) 2. to love our neighbours as our selves . 3. and to do as we would be done by . love is not envious , malignant , censorious , it slandereth not , it persecuteth not , it oppresseth not , it defraudeth not , it striveth not to gain by anothers loss : get men once to love their neighbours as themselves , and you may easily prognosticate peace , quietness and concord , happiness to the land , and salvation to the peoples souls . finally , brethren live in love , and the god of love and peace shall be among you . the lord save you from the evils of which i have here and often warned you : remember with thankfulness the many years of abundant mercy which we have enjoyed ( tho too much mixt with our sins , and vilified by some ) 1 thes . 5.11 , 12 , 13. comfort your selves together , and edify one another , even as also ye do ; and i beseech you brethren , to know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord and admonish you , and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake , and be at peace among your selves . and the lord deeply write on all your hearts these blessed words , 1 joh. 4.16 . we have known and believed the love that god hath to us . god is love , and he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god , and god in him . and remember , 2 pet. 3.11 , 12 , 13. seeing all these things shall be dissolved , what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness , looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of god , wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved , and the elements shall melt with fervent heat : nevertheless we according to his promise , look for new heavens and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness . i need not lengthen my counsels further to you now , having been called by the will and providence of god , to leave behind me a multitude of books , which may remember you of what you heard , and acquaint the world what doctrine i have taught you : and if longer studies shall teach me to retract and amend any failings , in the writings or practice of my unripe and less experienced age , as it will be to my self , as pleasing as the cure of any bodily disease , i hope it will not seem strange or ungrateful to you : though we must hold fast the truth which we have received , both you and i are much to be blamed , if we grow not in knowledge , both in matter , words and method ; the lord grant that also we may grow in faith , obedience , patience , in hope , love and desire to be with christ . now the god of peace that brought again from the dead our lord jesus , that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant , make you perfect in every good work , to do his will , working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight , through jesus christ , to whom be glory for ever and ever . amen . heb. 13.20 , 21. finis . these books following are lately printed for , and sold by b. simmons , at the three golden cocks , at the west end of pauls . a full treatise of episcopacy , for the primitive sort only . poetical fragments : heart imployment with god and it self . the concordant discord of a broken healed heart . sorrowing , rejoycing , fearing , hoping , dying , living . by richard baxter in octavo . price bound 1 s. of the immortality of mans soul , and the nature of it , and other spirits . two discourses one in a letter to an unknown doubter ; the other in a reply to dr. henry moors animadversions on a private letter to him ! which he published in his second edition of mr. joseph glanvils saducismus triumphatus , or history of aparitions . by richard baxter in octavo . price bound 1 s. 6 d. richard baxters dying thoughts upon phil. 1.23 . written for his own use in the latter times of his corporal pains and weakness in octavo . price bound 2 s. 6 d. a●ditions to the poetical fragments of richard baxter , written for himself , and communicated to such as are more for serious verse than smooth , in octavo . price stitcht 6 d. truth and peace promoted : or a guide to young christians in the way of salvation , past the danger of errors , and difficulties of curiosity : in a familiar dialogue between a minister of christ , and a devout private christian . with an appendix concerning the length of a sabbath days journey . by adam martingdale a minister of the gospel in cheshire . price bound 6 d. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26929-e330 isa . 30.20 . heb. 12. from v. 1. to 〈…〉 1 cor. 13.3 . matth. 5.10 , 11 , 12. eph. 4.18 , 19. 1 cor. 15. john 3.6 . prov. 7.22 , 23. rev. luke 14.28 , 33. rom. 8.17 , 18. tim. 2 cor. 4.18 . mat. 6.20 , 21. col. 3.1 , 2 , ● , 4. luke 22.44 . luk. 8.37 . math. 25.41 . mat. 7.23 . luk. 13.27 . 1 pet. 1.6 , 7 , 9. ps . 119.67.75 . ps . 129.1 , 2 , 3. isa . 49.13 . psal . 18.27 . 2 pet. 24. jude 6. * or as amyraldus paraphras . cum olim evigilabunt , praesens eorum felicitas erit instar somnii , quod somno discusso dissipatum est : quin etiam antequam evigilent , in ipsa illa urbe , in qua antea florebant vanam istam felicitatis po●pam , in qua antea volitabant , reddes contemnendam , tanquam umbram aut imaginem evanescente● ▪ in qua nihil solidi est . * nubecula est cito evanescit , said athanasius of julian . when julian's death was told at antioch , they all cried out , maxime fatue ! ubi sunt vaticinia tua ? vicit deus & christus ejus . abbas vrspargens . pag. 91. gen. 4.7 . numb . 32.23 . heb. 11.25 , 26 , &c. ps . 9.7 , 8. psal . 43.2 , 3 , 4. mat. 27.43 . a letter from a friend in shropshire to his country-man mr. richard baxter at his meeting-house in london j. m. 1681 approx. 7 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 2 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a51737 wing m38 estc r5858 12986810 ocm 12986810 96217 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a51737) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 96217) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 719:41) a letter from a friend in shropshire to his country-man mr. richard baxter at his meeting-house in london j. m. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 2 p. printed for al. banks, london : 1681. broadside. caption title. signed and dated: j.m. oswalstree in the county of salop, july 20, 1681. reproduction of original in huntington library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng broadsides -england -london -17th century 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-09 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a letter from a friend in shropshire to his country-man mr. richard baxter at his meeting-house in london . being well assur'd of the respect you bear to mankind in general , and particularly those of your native-country , i presume to trouble your reverence with the perusing of these lines , being mostly matter of fact , as it is acted by one mr. hugh p — and mr. philip ap r — , preachers of an independent congregation at swiny in this parish , at mrs. bakers , in which you may easily observe how some men corrupt the word , and what kind of gain they make by the pretence of godliness had i known the particular resident at london for this part of england , i would have forborn this trouble to your self ; but presuming you may have some knowledge of him , i desire , at your first conveniency , to communicate this with what you shall think fit further to be done in the affair , as your reverence's wisdom shall find most expedient . the case is , mrs. baker before-named was left by her husband baker ( one whom you know to be an honest man , and active in the late reformation ) in possession of an acquir'd estate , to the value of 500 l. per annum well stock'd , and generally believed to be a money'd man. the said preachers , with one mr. m — of shrewsbury , a person for his integrity well known to all the gentlemen in the county , were deputed trustees for the securing of the said estate according to the will of the donor , his chiefest care being to prevent any claim his nephew mr. john lloyd might make to it , for that his said nephew was a frequenter of the parish-church all his life-time , &c. and did not partake of the benefits he might have made by dissenting in that particular . but so it is , the testator has been dead about four years , and our good woman before-nam'd has enjoy'd the estate , and has not in any thing slackn'd her hand wherein she might serve the cause ; for doing of which the more effectually , she converts the hall of her mansion-house to a very convenient meeting-place , and furnish'd it with a pulpit , and all necessary pues and seats for accommodating of the auditory , which was very numerous ; for the word was preach'd as well in welsh as in english ; mr. p — performing the first part ; and of both nations there was generally a great appearance . it is to be considered in our remote parts , and especially in villages , there is not conveniencies for accomodating of people with necessary provisions , when so far from their homes ; to supply which , the good woman ( out of her own purse ) relieved all persons according to their qualities , which you may reasonably guess cost money ; and 't is now more then suspected that she has disbursed above 2000 l. besides the yearly in-come ; for that was very insignificant to the pressing occasions of the congregation ; and indeed ( to give some of 'em their just commendation ) they were not wanting at any time to supply the good gentlewoman with such sums of money as she thought ( for the better carrying on of the work ) she might stand in need of ; and for security , they were so much her true friends , that they never refus'd the meanest servant in the house ; by which kindness they the more easier effected their ends ; as you shall presently understand . the good woman being intangled , as you have seen , and now hardly is mistress of any thing she us'd to call her own , she laid it a little too near her heart , and was very much afflicted with melancholly , and by the care of her trustees she was convey'd to shrewsbury , for the better recovery of her health , and in the mean time the estate is seiz'd by the said preachers for the use of the creditors ; which was done so effectually , that all , or most of the poor servants being engaged with their mistress , fled , for fear of the storm coming upon themselves , and left the booty to any that would take it . mr. p — and mr. ap r — having now preach'd themselves from the hall to every individual room in the house , and in full possession of the whole , it 's observ'd that the usual care that was taken on the congregation is somewhat abated , and the numbers begin to lessen , not only in the weekly-meetings , but in the great and monthly-meeting , which was celebrated with breaking of bread in the evening , after a good dinner at noon ; the defect of the latter does seem much to impair the use of the former ; to prevent such an evil , will take up some time and cost . and now , my good country-man , as i have always heard a very good report of your justice and integrity , and your willingness to imploy your self upon all occasions wherein you might serve your generation in any honourable undertaking , let me desire you to consider the sighs of the poor abus'd widow , and find some expedient that she may be restor'd to her house and estate ; for in all probability that may be the only effectual way of a certain cure ; for so great a burden is too hard for one shoulder , ( as appears by our object ; ) but if laid upon the whole , it will not only cure a distemper in her , but in many hundreds , who ( it 's fear'd ) are infected , more or less , with the spoils of a devour'd widows house ; and if by your spiritual comforts to the poor woman you are successful , no doubt but it will be an acceptable piece of service , and a much greater to god and the whole kingdom , if your fatherly admonitions against such practices , there shall be no occasion for the future to make any complaints of this kind . my service to the brethren , but more especially to your self : i am a hearty well-wisher , and your country-man . oswalstree in the c●un●y of salop , july 20 , 1681. j. m. london : printed for al. banks , 1681. the difference between the power of magistrates and church-pastors and the roman kingdom & magistracy under the name of a church & church-government usurped by the pope, or liberally given him by popish princes opened by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1671 approx. 136 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 32 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-11 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26914 wing b1241 estc r3264 12310081 ocm 12310081 59351 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26914) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59351) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 200:17) the difference between the power of magistrates and church-pastors and the roman kingdom & magistracy under the name of a church & church-government usurped by the pope, or liberally given him by popish princes opened by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [4], 59 p. printed for nevil simmons ..., london : 1671. reproduction of original in harvard university libraries. marginal notes. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature. church and state -early works to 1800. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-08 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2004-08 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the difference between the power of magistrates and church-pastors , and the roman kingdom & magistracy under the name of a church & church-government usurped by the pope , or liberally given him by popish princes : opened by richard baxter . to the learned and sincere ludovicus molinaeus dr of physick , and author of jugulum causae , papa ultrajectinus , and other books on this subject . for the vindication of the true pastoral discipline , exercised by the ancient churches , and claimed , but alas , too little exercised , by the churches called protestant and reformed . and to acquaint posterity what we hold in this , that false accusations misinform them not . london , printed for nevil simmons , at the sign of the three crowns , near holborn conduit . 1671. reader the first epistle is now written upon the sight of jugulum causae : the other with the propositions was written about a year and half ago , upon the sight of papa ultrajectinus , &c. and the paraenesis contra aedificatores imperii in imperio : and the design of all is , to shew how little or nothing at all the sober moderate protestants , called episcopal , presbyterian , independent , and political or erastian are disagreed in all this business , whilst i name you near a hundred propositions in which they commonly consent : that princes and all magistrates may see , that they have no cause to be offended at the christian and protestant doctrine , or to judge the true religion of any of these parties , as such , to be contrary to their interest ; when in very truth they are in that all one : but that among all sects and parties , there will be still some injudicious , intemperate and unpeaceable men ; especially those whose interest in the world is great , and cannot be upheld , without encroaching on the rights of others : as great trees must have much room , and suffer nothing to prosper under them , but weeds and bryars . and it is to tell politicians , that the true pastoral power ( being a power to labour and suffer in patient self-denyal for the church of christ and the souls of men ) is past all doubt of christs appointment : and to diminish that power , is but to diminish our obligation to labour and suffer , and to gratifie our sloth and fleshly interest . but to diminish that secular church-power which clergie men claim as of divine right , is but for princes to be princes , whether the clergie will or no. and as to the learned author , dr. lud. molinaeus , my meaning is to second him in awakening magistrates to reassume their proper power , and to leave it in no clergie mens hands , of what party soever : but as to his reflections on the protestants discipline , lovingly to chide him for making the difference seem wider than it is , and to reconcile the four parties , while i distinctly open the common doctrine of them all , excepting the rigid opinions of some interessed or intemperate individuals . my learned , sincere and worthy friend , when i had hastily set down my judgement of the cause which i found handled in your papa ultrajectinus and other writings which you sent me , i cast by that script ( which i intended at the writing of it , for your view ) that i might surely keep it from the notice of others , in this age wherein the prevalency of interest , faction , passion and injudiciousness , doth make it so great a difficulty , to say any thing for the cure of any mens errors , enormities or impieties , which shall not be charged with the same crime ( or greater ) which it would cure , and be taken for a disturber of the church and peace , which it would save or heal . but now seeing that you renew your endeavours in the same cause , and finding your jugulum causae directed to so many hands , by seventy particular epistles , and that you have honoured me with a place among those great and worthy persons , i take my self obliged to render you some account of my judgement of your writings , and especially of the whole cause , by bringing into the open light , those hundred propositions which i had purposed to conceal : and withal to tell you , 1. that ( though you have much overvalued me in your recitation of their report , who would have joyned me with so great , so wise and good a man as a bishop usher , and that in so great a work ; and experience may tell you , that other men have other thoughts of me , as one unmeet to preach the gospel in the land of my nativity , much more unmeet to be a decider of the churches controversies ) yet you have truly described my judgement of your self and your undertaking . i confess i hope not that ever you should make the roman usurpation , more palpable , than the falshood of their doctrine of transubstantiation ; where they maintain ( not only the corporal presence , which is not it that i now mean , but ) that bread is not bread , and wine is not wine , when all men see , taste , smell and feel them : and if the princes , doctors , and great men of the world , can thus obstinately deny ( or take on them to deny ) the judgement which is made of sensible objects , by all mens senses , you may gather what fruit you may expect of your labours , or of any cause how plain soever , where prejudice and seeming interest are against you ? can all the writings or reasonings in the world , bring any thing to a more clear and sure decision , than that of all the senses of all men in the world , about the proper objects of sense ? if flesh so far conquer flesh it self , and the interest of sensuality can cause such men , and such multitudes to renounce the apprehension of all their senses , what have we to do more for the cure of mankind ? you have made it plain enough , that it is really a part of the secular government of kings and states , which is now commonly called ecclesiastical among the papists , and as such is challenged and usurped by the pope , and that princes that subject their kingdoms to his usurpation , do take in a joint ruler with them , and divide their kingdoms or power between themselves and him . but so they have done , and so they will do , till the time of the churches fuller reformation , and of the coalition of the christian world is come . i know you may think that as interest blindeth them , so this great detection of the invasion of their interest is the way to bring them to the truth . for who will have a co-partner with him in his kingdom , that may choose ? who had not rather rule alone , than divide his kingdom with the pope ? undoubtedly they give away more of their own interest hereby , than you have opened ? when they deliver part of their power to one , who by an approved general council of their own , which is the religion of their party , later . sub innoc. 3. can. 2. 3. may depose temporal lords , ( though no protestants themselves ) that will not exterminate those that deny transubstantiation out of their dominions , and may absolve their subjects from their fidelity , and may give their countryes unto others . when their most learned , renowned , applauded doctors teach , that the pope may excommunicate kings , and that an excommunicated king is no king , and he that killeth him , killeth not a king. when the roman council under greg. 7. decreeth , that the pope may depose emperours : and the same greg. 7. li. 4. ep. 7. conspireth in the like doctrine . the oration of card. peron is well known : if so great a kingdom as france , that glorieth of its church-liberties , can bear so much , what will not those bear , that are less able to deliver themselves ? the words of this great and pretendedly moderate cardinal in a moderate kingdom , in a publick writing against a protestant learned king ( king james ) pag. 453. ( as cited by a. bishop usher of babylon , pag. 163. is fit to be written on the doors of all princes , and of the pope himself , in capital letters ; viz. [ by this article ( that kings may not be deposed by the pope ) we are cast headlong into a manifest heresie , as binding us to confess , that for many ages past the catholick church hath been banished out of the whole world : for if the champions of the doctrine contrary to this article do hold an impious and detestable opinion contrary to gods word , then doubtless the pope for so many hundred years expired , hath not been the head of the church , but a heretick and the antichrist . ] what would you have more to satisfie kings , than their own profession that , either the pope may depose kings , or 〈◊〉 he is not the head of the church , but an heretick and antich●i●t , and hath been so for many hundred years . can you sh●w their interest plainlier than all this ? and lest any say , that this is but the doctrine of the jesuits , remember that perron was another kind of man , and the famous perverter of king henry the fourth . and i will cite here the words of one more of a multitude , even one that wrote so long ago , as to be numbred with the fathers in biblioth . patr. to. 4 p. 913. and a roman cardinal bertrard card. & epis. eduens . de orig. & usu jurisd . qu. 4. [ respondeo & dico quod potestas spiritualis debet dominari omni humanae creaturae per rationes hostiensis — item quia jesus christus silius dei dum fuit in hoc mundo , & etiam ab aetern● naturalis dominus fuit , & de jure naturali in imperatores & quoseunque alios depositionis sententias ferre potuisset , & damnationis , & quaseunque alias : utpote in personas quas creaverat , & donis naturalibus & gratuito donaverat , & etiam conservabat . et eadem ratione etiam ejus vicarius potest . nam non videtur discretus dominus fuisse ( ut cum reverentia ejus loquar ) nisi unicum post se talem vicarium reliquisset , qui haec omnia posset . fuit autem iste vicarius ejus petrus apud mattheum : et idem dicendum est de successoribus petri , cum eadem absurditas sequeretur , si post mortem petri humanam naturam a se creatam sine regimine unius personae reliquisset . ] i will english it lest the unlearned believe not what fathers , what a biblioth . patrum , what cardinals , and what doctrines the roman clergy obtrude upon the christian world . [ i answer and say , that the spiritual power ought to have domination over every humane creature , by hostiensis reasons — also because jesus christ the son of god while he was in this world , and also from eternity , was the natural lord : and by natural right , could pass the sentence of deposition and of damnation , and any other , upon emperours and upon any others ; as being persons that he had created and endowed with natural gifts , and freely , and also preserved : and by the same reason his vicar can do it : for the lord seemeth not to have been discreet ( that i may speak with reverence to him ) unless he had left behind him one such vicar , who could do all these things . and in matthew this his vicar was peter : and the same must be said of the successors of peter , seeing the same absurdity would follow , if after the death of peter he had left humane nature created by himself , without the regiment of one person . ] do you think this is not plain dealing enough , if men are willing to understand ? i know that there were emperours and princes that strugled hard , before they suffered themselves to be thus subjected ; and these emperours had lawyers , statesmen and divines that took their parts ; as all the treatises in goldastus his three volumes de monarch . and his imp. constit. shew . but still those that sided with the pope spake contrary , as the argumentations of those books besides the authors whom they oppose , do shew . and , alas , occham , and marsilius patavinus , and widdrington and barclay came all too late . for all that secular power which was cloaked with the name of ecclesiastical and spiritual , was before so deeply rooted in the papacy , that they durst plead for no more , than that princes are not subject to the pope in temporals : but as you truly note , abundance of temporals , and of the magistrates proper work about things ecclesiastical , was still vailed under the name of spiritual : and at last , even the temporal power again claimed more subtilly , and indirectly , as in ordine ad spiritualia . but you 'l say , that all men are naturally so regardful of their own interest , and especially princes , that it is not possible they should be so servile , tame and self-abasing , as to give away so great a part of their kingdoms to a forreigner , yea , to one that claimeth all , ( by himself , or by his most famous writers ) and by his councils claimeth a power to depose them ; they that with their own nobles and other subjects , are so jealous of their prerogatives , would never so far depose themselves , if they did but know what they do : and therefore when popish princes understand the matter , they will shake off the yoke , and re●ssume their right . answ. it 's true , that protestant princes and states have done so ; and the true meaning of our oath of supremacy is the same with your main design : and though some have stumbled at those words , that the king is supream governour in all causes ecclesiastical , the meaning is only ( as hath been oft publickly declared ) that he is the supream civil or coactive governour by the sword , in all causes ecclesiastical , so far as they fall under that coactive or coercive government . and hereby the king doth but reassume the royal power over the clergy and the affairs of religion , which the pope had usurped under the name of ecclesiastical . for it s well known what was called ecclesiastical power in england in the times of popery : so that this much of the vail is removed long ago among all protestants . and if you peruse but bishop bilsons excellent tract of christian subjection , and bishop andrews his tortura torti ( to pass by all others ) you will see that this case is better opened , than i for my part am able to open it . and it is seldom heard of ( for all the industry and subtilty of rome ) that any prince or state doth voluntarily turn papist , that is once delivered from the yoke , and that ever again parteth with his power when he hath recovered it . but yet that even this argument from notorious interest , doth not recover the liberty of countreys subject to the pope , you will the less wonder , if you consider these three things . 1. that the papal interest hath got such rooting in their subjects minds , that it is not in their power to reassume their right . the clergy are so numerous , subtile , ubiquitary and potent , and the people so commonly deceived , and so tenacious of ancient customs , that to make this change , might cast all into a flame : and they think it better to lose part , than all . and no doubt but the examples of henry the third , and henry the fourth of france , maked some think , that if they displease the pope and his consederates , they have not sufficient security for their lives . 2. and princes stand usually on such terms of danger or jealousie from one another , that they are fain to keep such a peace at home , lest they expose themselves to a greater mischief from abroad . and they are broken by the papal subtilty , especially in germany and italy , into such fractions , and petty principalities , that few of them are strong enough to defend themselves against the confederates of the pope ( when potent emperours heretofore could not do it . ) and many of them , especially the house of austria , do take this copartnership of the pope , to be a great part of their strength : and as anciently many emperours were forced to choose their caesars and copartners , when the defence of the empire was too hard for themselves alone ; so divers princes are glad to make use of the papal interest and power for their own security ; though upon terms that else would never be submitted to . and in some countreys the rebellious disposition of the subjects driveth them to accept of this dear remedy ; and they choose rather to strengthen themselves by a copartner , than to stoop to the wills of their inferiours . for here you must take notice , that the pretence of a jus divinum and of spirituality , and the interest of christ , and of the safety of their souls , doth make this kind of servitude much less dishonourable , than it is to be overtopt by a neighbour prince , or to be curbed by their subjects . for what dishonour is it for a man to be subject to his maker and redeemer ? nay , what greater honour can there be ? and the roman clergy have used themselves to canonize those princes that have been most zealous for their grandure , and to raise the fame and praises of such , as have raised that which they call the church , that the very ambition of the clergies praises , doth do much to tempt some to a tame acceptance of a copartner , who pretendeth to be the vicar of christ : when this servitude goeth for sanctity , and carrieth not with it the reproach of other sorts of servitude . 3. and it greatly furthereth their success , that the popes agents are commonly bred up in learning , and so are made able to over-wit the laity ; and that it is their great design , to gratifie the lusts of princes , by indulging their voluptuous sensual lives , that so they may spend their dayes in such things , as will never advance their understandings to an ability to discern the cheats of their copartners : and they detestably cherish the ignorance of the common laity , that they may be the fitter to be led and mastered by them ; even as men keep women from learning and great attainments , lest they should be the more uncapable of subjection . and thus as satan leadeth men to hell , so the papal usurper bringeth the laity into their power , by their own consent , by such pleasing baits , as make their servitude easie to them . and it is not your telling them of their interest , that will prevail against all these temptations . they that will lose heaven , and their salvation by such cheats , may lose half of their earthly dominions by them , as long as the other half sufficeth to satisfie their concupiscence , and to maintain their honour and pleasure in the world . the roman usurpation consisteth of two parts . 1. the usurpation of such a pastoral power as they have no right to . 2. the usurpation of a great part of the magistrates power , sometime directly , and sometimes indirectly in ordine ad spiritualia ; and constantly by the cheat of the false name of church power , put upon the magistrates part of church government , as if it were the clergies part . i. the usurpation of a pastoral power which belongeth not to them , is the chief part of their iniquity . and it consisteth in these , among other particulars . 1. in the impious , and arrogant claim of an universal pastorship over all the world . the roman prelate must be the teacher of all the world , the high priest of all the world , and the spiritual ruler of all the world ; which because he cannot do by himself , he must do by others , as far as he can to uphold his usurpation . he must be the law-giver and the judge of all the world , even at the antipodes , and where he hath no acquaintance nor access . 2. by this he undertaketh to be a bishop in other mens diocesses , and to rule in all matters , where he hath no more power , than any pastor hath in another pastoral charge . 3. and by this he undertaketh to be the spiritual father and governour of all the kings and rulers of the christian world , and so to have the power of excommunicating them when he thinketh there is cause , and to brand them as uncapable of christian communion with their own subjects ; or with any other christians . 4. by this he usurpeth authority of imposing what pastors he please ( even such as will carry on his interest ) upon all the churches in the world , and depriving both princes and people of their just liberty of choice . 5. by this also he usurpeth the power of deposing what bishops or pastors he please , and depriving the people of their necessary helps , and faithfullest teachers . yea , of putting whole nations under interdicts of serving and honouring god in church-assemblies ; commanding all pastors to shut up the church doors , and forbidding them to perfom their office , and to preach christs gospel , or administer his holy sacraments . 6. by this he sendeth forth his missionaries ▪ and setteth up societies of jesuits and fryers to do his work , and commandeth all princes and people to receive and countenance them . 7. by this he layeth claim to a right of maintenance for himself and his missionaries in all parts of the world , in the name of christ , who hath said , that the labourer is worthy of his hire . 8. by this he granteth dispensations , pardons , indulgences , commandeth praying to saints and angels , and praying for the dead , as being in purgatory , and by this he setteth up his whole new frame of self-devised worship and religion . now i call not all this an usurpation of magistracy , so far as he useth no corporal force , and threatneth no penalty but excommunication and damnation . for every true pastor with his own flock hath the power of guiding them by delivering christs doctrine and precepts , and commanding obedience as his servant or embassadour in his name , and of denouncing his judgements , and of judging obligingly who are fit to be taken in to the church by baptism , and who to be cast out as impenitent by excommunication in his own particular charge or society . and if the pope usurp a power of doing all this and more , as an universal pastor only , this is an usurpation of a church power , and not of a magistracy . and indeed if you will acquit him from the guilt of the mysterie of iniquity any further than he invadeth magistracy it self , you will do him a great deal of wrong : for he is the vicarius christi , and the vice-christ more notably by his spiritual usurpation of a power proper to christ himself , or at least of a power that christ never gave him . ii. his setting up a kingdom , and invading the magistracy is done i. directly , ii. indirectly and consequentially . i. directly ; 1. by holding a secular jurisdiction , as the king of rome , where he exerciseth the supream civil power , acknowledging no superiour civil governour ; either as to the legislation or execution , in all the parts of his own dominions . 2. by his laying claim to many kingdoms as his own ( among which england is one , as pretended to be delivered to him by king john ) and supposing that the kings do hold them as under him , and by his grant. 3. by laying claim to the temporal or corporal government of all the world ( say some ) or of all the christian world ( say others ) : of which you may see a multitude of volumes written in the defence of his pretensions : in particular all those aforesaid were of this subject , which all goldastus his collected treatises , for the right of princes do confute . i gave you cardinal bertrands words before . and though some of their clergy who live under princes that are not willing to resign their crowns , do disclaim the popes direct title to the universal civil soveraignty , yet he himself disclaimeth it not , nor condemneth the books as such , that have been written to defend it . in the jesuits morals the last chapter hath this title [ that the jesuits teach , that the church cannot command spiritual and internal actions ; that its laws and guidance are humane , and that it is it self only a political body ] where the jansenist chargeth them with destroying the church from its foundation , and making it altogether external , humane and politick ; and that which needeth only politick vertues for its government , and the exercise of its principal offices , and that they make its laws but humane and politick , which oblige only to things external : and chargeth them as cyprian did the novatians , quod ecclesiam humanam faciunt ] so that if he accuse them justly , here is no room for any subterfuge : it is not the spiritual and temporal power that he makes them claim , but the temporal or external only : but what ! doth the jansenist himself therefore disclaim all temporal power in the church , or is he just to kings ? judge but by pag. 388. where he boasteth of laymans confession of the truth , that [ ecclesiastick power is instituted immediately from god , and the civil power comes immediately from men : and that civil power regards properly and directly wealth and peace temporal only : ] and he adds [ for the civil power regards the outward order and civil tranquility alone ; and prescribes none but outward and humane means to attain this end . ] which is all false , and most injurious to kings ; whom this moderate jansenist would hereby set as far below every priest ; in real dignity and amiableness to the subjects as a humane creature is below a divine , and the interest of the body is below that of the soul. whereas indeed god is the immediate original of civil and church power , though in both the persons are designed by the means of men . and both have god himself for their ultimate end , and the common good of the society for their common end ; which ever consisteth most in spiritual felicity , referring to eternal . though the magistrates weapon be the sword , and the pastors only the word , by which all this is brought to pass . indeed it is not possible that the papacy in its present state can be defended by any man how moderate soever , without injury to princes and states , whose power the pope hath so notoriously invaded and usurped : for how can they defend him , that usurpeth the power of kings , or usurpeth a false power over kings , and not be injurious to them that the usurper injureth ? but it is most wonderful to me , that when w. barclay defendeth the right of monarchs in such a kingdom as france that hath power and will to hold fast its own , he should complain as if he undertook a cause which most were against him in , and in which he expected to be wondered at for his singularity . 4. by their inquisition , and by their decreeing corporal penalties in their councils , and decreeing the deposition of princes , and the giving away their dominions to others , as in the two fore-cited councils , roman . su● . greg. 7. & lateran . sub innoc. 3. in a word , by all that they do in their usurped legislation , judgement and execution , by the sword , or a forcing power as in themselves . ii. but the more successful usurpation of the power and rights of princes is indirectly , and as bellarmin defendeth it , in ordine ad spiritualia ; by using their ecclesiastical usurped power upon mens consciences , in such a way as shall overtop the magistrates power of the sword : when they decree that all are hereticks that believe their senses , and deny transubstantiation , and that all such hereticks shall be banished or burnt ; the clergy is not to do this themselves , but to deliver them over to the secular power : the pope and clergy do but charge it on their consciences in the name of christ. and if princes obey them not , or temporal lords will not burn or banish all such hereticks for believing sense , the pope is not to touch their bodies , but to excommunicate them . and if they will not yet obey the pope , when they are excommunicate , the pope , good man , will not draw a sword against them , but only use the spiritual sword , by giving their dominions to others , which is but by word of mouth ; he doth but declare such a temporal lord to be dispossest of his title , and require another to take his lands , and let his great divines publish that an excommunicate king is no king , and that to kill him , is not to kill a king : and if princes will defend themselves by arms , the pope will not send his clergy in arms against them , but only by the spiritual sword , or word , command other princes , states and people to arm themselves against their emperours , kings and governours , and to defend those to whom he hath given their dominions . how oft these games have been seriously acted , the german histories lamentably tell us : and guicciardine● italian , and the english , french and others are not wholly silent . so if the clergy be exempt from paying taxes , from secular judgements , if their lands and estates be not under the power of kings , if they set up courts of judicature with offices like a civil court , if they assume to themselves the sole judgement of hereticks , and schismaticks , and apostates , and also of testaments of the dead , and of causes of adultery and fornication , of lawful or unlawful degrees of marriage , and of divorce , if the pope lay taxes on the clergy that are subjects in all princes dominions , if he dispose of buildings , tythes , glebes , monasteries , lands , almshouses , colledges , and abundance such like ; all this is not by the sword , but by perswading kings and states that they are bound in conscience to promote all this , and obey the pope as their ghostly father herein : and that if they be stricken with the thunderbolt of excommunication , they are in a state of damnation , and if they so dye , are undone for ever : and by perswading other princes and people , that the arms taken up against such princes at the popes command ( according to the foresaid councils ) are meritorious , and shall procure their salvation . and if princes and people will believe all this , and will be deceived , and will voluntarily subject themselves to such an usurper , who can help it ? though it excuse not the pope , yet they have little reason to complain , that they lose that power which they voluntarily give away , and that the pope shall exercise that power which they give him . and so much to your cause against the papacy . ii. but in your epistle to mr. areskin and several others , you lay much of the like charge upon the reformed churches , and you take our great reforming divines , to have kept up the mysterie of iniquity in their discipline . concerning which give me leave to deal freely with you , and to tell you , that i am perswaded that your meaning is sincere and good , and that it is an usurpation or devised imitation of secular government by the clergy which you condemn ; and that too great a part of the protestant clergy have given you some occasion for these complaints : but that really you deal not accurately in the controversie , and accurateness is the thing you want . you do not here exactly describe the true difference between the several powers where you seem to describe them ; you leave out much that should be said . it is a more distinct way of handling this point , that must decide the controversie . to which end i have laid you down an hundred propositions , on occasion of your former writings sent me . and as you say in epist. ad d. russellum , p. 248. that in this you would believe one physicion , one coxe , goddard ; lower , ridgley , &c. ( though i have reason to think that the first and last of these are more of my mind about church government than of yours ) before a thousand augustines , hieroms , gregories , yea , jewells , davenant , ushers , dallees ; so my opinion is , that usually all men are wisest in their own profession . and though i am naturally somewhat unapt to take more than needs i must upon trust from any ( since i have had great experience of humane ignorance and vanity ) yet i had rather take a physicions judgement in physick , and a lawyers in points of law , and a souldiers in military matters , and a divines in theology , than any of their judgements about the matters of an aliene profession . not but that now and then a man may arise , that shall know more on the by , than others that make it the study of their lives : but that is not usual . and that one man would have been yet wiser , in those things if he had been of that profession . for surely caeteris paribus , he that bestoweth twenty years , or thirty , or forty , or threescore in the study of divinity alone , with its subservient helps , is liker to understand it , than he that alloweth it , but now and then a spare hour , in the midst of other diverting studies . for my part , if i follow not one thing only when i am upon it , but divide my thoughts among things heterogeneal , i cannot pierce deep into any great difficulties , nor make any thing of distracted studies ; neque quicquam recte fit , quod fit praeoccupato animo . god doth not use to give wisdom now by the way of miracles ; but they that seek most , are likest to find . and therefore pardon me for telling you , that though i am deservedly a great honourer of the physicions you name , yet i set more by the judgement of one usher , one davenant , one jewell , one dallaeus , one blondel , one camero , one le blank , one petrus molinaeus in matters of theology , than of abundance of lawyers and physicions . and of one lawyer and physicion in matters of their profession , than of many divines . being still of pembles mind , that one clear eye can see further than a council of purblind ones . and as to the matter of partiality of which you suspect divines , it is not without cause as to all that party who seek for riches , ease and honours , or domination and preferments and preheminency in the world : but such as that st. martin whom you mention out of severus , who so vehemently opposed the ithacian violence , * and maximus his using the sword against the priscillianists are as impartial as you . certainly if christianity be what we all profess to take it for , it will make that man best who is most a christian : and he that is best will be most impartially and self denyingly faithful to christ , and will prefer christs honour incomparably before his own . and he is like to be most a christian , who doth sincerely give up himself to the closest study of it all his dayes . deny this , and your suspicions will fall upon christianity it self . but yet i will allow you to be moderately suspicious where you see that there is any great bait of carnal interest to tempt men : a popedome , a cardinalship , ( i must name no more ) may make the roman heathen say , i will turn christian , if you will make me bishop of rome , &c. but will you suspect that a good man , yea , and all such good men , should be partial where they put themselves on the greatest self-denyal ? where they have no profit , no preterment , no man-pleasing , no worldly honour to invite them ? yea , where it is like to diminish their gain , to hinder them from preferment , to make them hated by most on whom their discipline is exercised ? if a few out of a pang of factious or phanatick zeal , may cast themselves on such a self-denying life , it is not like that this will be the ordinary case , of learned , sober , godly men . if it be , with whom shall the ignorant trust the conduct of their souls , that will not make merchandize of them ? would you be partial and false to the truth of christ your self , if you were the pastor of a church ? is the office so malignant to infect all that undertake it ? if it be , how can our religion be good ? if not , why should you think that others will not be as just and impartial as you would be ? do you consider what excellent persons in all respects for wisdom , and piety , and integrity , were melanchthon , bucholtzer , sohnius , kimedontius , olevian , ursinus , zanchius , paraeus , and those english men you named , and many hundreds more ; who more unlikely through ignorance or partiality to betray the truth ? but they say , that interest will not lye . do you not know that an able preacher , may better by many degrees consult his own ease , his profit , and his worldly honours by preaching only , than by this troublesome ungrateful work of discipline ? i am confident that you and i do take one another for true plain dealing honest men , and therefore can believe each other . and if you will believe me , i did , in my pastoral charge ( in those times when i was thought tolerable in the sacred office ) for about ten years ( of the twenty that i had leave to preach ) exercise some discipline upon some particular offendors , according to the common judgement of protestant divines ; and it was so much to my labour , to my expence of time , to the grievous displeasure of those that fell under it , and required so much self-denyal , that when i consulted with flesh and blood , if i might but have forborn it , and only preached , and given the sacraments to all that came , i should have thought my self so greatly disburdened , as would have made my life to be sensually pleasant : so that , though i had not any maintenance of my own , i think i could gladly have given up all that i received for my ministry , and made what other shift i could for food and rayment , so i might but have been freed from the trouble of this particular discipline : i speak only what it was to flesh and blood , and not what it was to faith , which saith god cannot be served too dearly . till i speak this to one that hath tryed the thing i talk of , i shall take it for granted , that my words are not half understood . if you say , why then did you not forbear a work so ungrateful ? i now only answer , why doth not the judge and sheriff forbear hanging murderers and thieves : the rest of my answer you shall have anon . though my following propositions seem full enough in opening the difference between the two powers ; yet i will here also briefly tell you , 1. somewhat of the nature of church power : 2. somewhat of the certain truth that jesus christ did institute it : 3. somewhat of the necessity of it sub ratione m●dii ad finem . i. for the first , take these few things together , and you may clearly see what power we claim . 1. our office for the original of it , is as immediately from christ as that of magistrates , and is not made by kings or any monarchs . therefore we hold it as immediately from christ. 2. for the matter of it , it is only to expound and apply the word of god , both commonly in sermons , and particularly to each mans several ▪ case , as physicions look to the cure of individuals : and also to exercise the keys of the church or kingdom of christ ; that is , 1. to be the ordinary judges who is to be taken in by baptism ; 2. and also who is to be publickly admonished as scandalous , in our particular charge : 3. and also who is to be absolved as penitent : 4. and who is to be declared unmeet for church-communion , as obstinately impenitent , and to be forbidden communion with the church , and the church with him , and consequently denyed the priviledges of the church , and signs of communion in the lords supper , which it belongeth to the pastor to deliver only to the capable , and by the peoples familiarity and brotherly society , which they are obliged to deny them . and this sentence of the pastor , if it should proceed on mistake , doth not make the mans case the worse before god ; but yet ( till the church have ●ought its due remedy against mistaking pastors ) it remaineth so far valid , as that none against it may obtrude himself on the communion of that church . for , i pray you tell me , if plato , or zen● mistake in their judgement of a disciple whom they refuse , or any free schoolmaster in judging of the incapacity of a scholar , shall others so misjudged intrude into their schools , and make themselves their scholars against their wills ? or shall he whom by mis-information you refuse or reject from your family or service , become your houshold servant in despight of you ? 3. and as to the instruments and manner of exercising our office , we professedly disclaim all pretensions to any power of the sword , or of corporal penalty , that is coactive or coercive . you confess this once your self . we claim no power but by the word , either generally preached , or particularly applyed to the case of those that are of our charge . no other power of excommunication do we claim : if men will despise our ministerial instructions , reproofs and censures , we have done with them . shall they force themselves into our familiarity or communion in spight of us ? your epist. 54. ad mettagerium openeth the matter so fairly , that we little differ from it . if you say that presbyterians and episcopal set up courts , judicatories , with officers like civil courts : i answer , 1. the more pomp and likeness to the magistrates coercive way , the worse i like it . 2. but how shall men be heard , if they be not cited ? how shall such things be justly and regularly , transacted , if there be not a known time and place , and if accusers and witnesses be not summoned ? are not such regular proceedings necessary even in cases of meer arbitration ? if this be all , here is no more sword , no more force , than in a pulpit . and how doth excommunication ( that is , declaring an impenitent person unfit for church communion by christs laws , and binding him over to the great day ) i say how doth this touch mens bodies or estates , or work any otherwise than a pulpit-sermon on the consciencious volunteers ? 3. and if horning , or writs de excommunicato capiendo , or imprisonment , or burning men as hereticks follow this , all this is the magistrates own doing ? if it be well , praise him for it . if it be ill , blame him for it . if rulers will make such laws , and if they will so far be executioners of the clergies decrees , who can hinder them ? if it be against their right , it is their own act , who give so much of their right away . if you say , that clergy men are too blame that urge them to it ; you shall not easily think worse of their so doing , than i do : it is greatly against our wills that the sword so closely followeth excommunication . i think it is the effect of carnal clergy mens base conceit of their own sacred office , as if it were a leaden unpowerful sword which christ hath put into their hands , and excommunication were invalid , when the sword forceth not the impenitent to dissemble repentance and submission . when great worldly baits have enticed worldly men into the sacred office , as to a worldly preferment and trade , they will judge accordingly and manage it like themselves ( which is and hath been the churches pest ) we would beg on our knees of kings and magistrates , if it would prevail , to leave church censures to our lords intended use ; and valeant quantum valere possunt ; and to keep their sword out of church-mens hands , and to punish men in their own courts for every crime that deserveth it ; but not quatenus excommunicate , or meerly because the clergy hath judged them unmeet for church communion . he that taketh excommunication alone for no punishment , is not fit to be in the communion of the church , and therefore should not be driven for fear of a prison to that which he hath no right to . so that you must not charge the acts of princes , nor of ambitious cardinals , &c. neither on calvin , beza , or any such as them . and as to lay-elders , or lay-chancellors , i am no more for them than you are ; that is , as the magistrates officers , or as the churches sub-officers circa sacra & non in sacris : but sure those of them who are introduced on a mistaken conceit of divine right , and do no more than the pastors do , are no usurpers of coercive power . you see by the late acts of king and parliament in scotland , that all external church power is declared to be in the king : and what would you have more ? no doubt the meaning is not , all power about external things : for the sacraments of baptism and the lords supper , and the persons baptized , &c. are external objects : nor can it be all power that is exercised by the external parts of the body . for the tongue of the preacher , and the hand of the baptizer , as well as the ear of the hearer is an external part . but in these two senses it is true , and commonly consented to , by all that i remember of my acquaintance that are christians . 1. that all the power of the sword , or of forcing by mulcts or bodily punishments , as distinct from the power of the word , that worketh directly upon the soul alone ( by the senses ) is in the king , and not in any of the clergy , though it be about the matters of religion . 2. and that all power in church matters and religion . extrinsecal to the pastoral office as instituted by christ , is of right the kings , and his inferiour magistrates . and what would you or any man have more ? 4. and as to the exercise of our office , we all confess ( except the papists ) that we are responsible to the king and magistrates , for our faults , yea for our injurious mal-administration . and that though the king be not the chief pastor , nor hath the power of the keys which christ gave to his ministers , yet he is the ruler of all churches and pastors by the sword , as well as of all physicions . and is not all this enough to satisfie you , that we claim no part of the magistrates office ? as you say , our power is but perswasive . it is 〈◊〉 . by the word ; it is but on the conscience ; it is under the magistrates coercive government : and so it is like a physicions or a tutors in a colledge . but that i pray you leave not out 1. that it is not under the magistrates , as to the derivation of the office or power , that is , it is no office which the magistrate made or may unmake : 2. that it is as immediately of divine institution as the magistrates . and therefore in your similitude you must suppose your physicion and tutor to have a commission from god. 3. that god hath described our office , and limited the magistrates office , so that he hath no power from god to hinder the ministry . 4. but if he do it injuriously we must not resist , but patiently suffer for obeying god. so much of the nature of the office . ii. now that it is certain that god hath committed to pastors , such a government of his church by the word , as to stated commissioned officers , because i have past by the proofs in my following propositions , i will add some here . supposing what dr. hammond hath said of the power of the keyes , and that no man with common sense can take the power of the keyes , for any thing less than a power of church government , or authoritative guidance , and so a power of receiving in and putting out as there is cause ; it is plain in that christ first reciteth his own commission and power , matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. and thence dateth the commission of his apostles , as it was to endure to the end of the age or world . see isa 22. 22. & rev. 3. 7. & 1. 18. compared with matth. 16. 19. & john 20. 23. the word presbyter and bishop can signifie no less : as acts 4. 8 , &c. compared with acts 14. 23. & 15. 2 , 4 , 6 , 22 , 23. & 16. 4. & 20. 17 , 28. titus 1. 5. james 5. 14. 1 pet. 5. 1. rev. 4. 4 , &c. and nothing less can be meant by 1 tim. 5. 17. the elders that rule well are worthy of double honour , &c. heb. 13. 17. 24. obey them that have the rule over you , for they watch , &c. 1 thess. 5. 12 , 13. know them that labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you , 1 tim. 3. 1 , 4 , 5. if a man desire the office of a bishop , he desireth a good work — one that ruleth well his own house , having his children in subjection . — for if a man know not how to rule his own house , how shall he take care of the church of god. so tit. 1. 7 , &c. 1 pet. 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. many other i pass by . and for the act of excommunication , or excluding unmeet persons from christian church communion , it would be tedious to stand to vindicate all those plain texts from any mens exceptions , 1 cor. 5. per totum . titus 3. 10. 2 john 10 , 11. 2 thess. 3. 6 , 14. rev. 2. 14 , 15 , 20. but while i am writing this , i remember that i have long ago written a small book called universal concord , in which i have described all the pastoral office and work : if you can prove it less than i have there named in any one point , you will so far ease us , and take nothing from us at all that gratifieth our flesh : if you can deny none of that , we are agreed . and in the preface to the same book i have given you twelve reasons of the great use of church discipline ; which shall save me the labour of the third point which i intended next to speak to ; save only that i will briefly ask you , iii. would you have any difference made between the christian church and the pagan and infidel world ? if not — if you would , it must be such a difference as christ hath appointed us to make ? and doth our baptismal covenant contain no promise and profession of godliness and obedience , as well as of belief ; and so of repentance and a better life ? 2. who would you have to be judge in this matter ? shall every one be judge himself ? then all pagans , murderers , blasphemers may come in and turn religion and the church into a scorn . if any must judge , you would not sure set the magistrates or people such a task ( on pain of damnation ) to leave their calling , to try and judge of the qualifications of expectants or church-members . 3. whom do you think christ committed this business to ? who were the judges of the capacity of persons to be baptized , or the desert of persons to be rejected ? diotrophes could not have rejected christians injuriously , if he had not then had some governing power . 4. hath not all christs church exercised such a discipline as i have described since the apostles days till now ? ( saving the corruption of it by ill additions , or carnal neglects ) and hath all this church been from the beginning under a false government in the main ? or is not reformation a righter way than extirpation , of discipline as well as of doctrine and worship ? 5. is it not the wickedness of christians that is the chief hardening of turks and other infidels against christianity ? and would they not encrease this pollution that would have the most vicious to be equally received with the best ? 6. is not faith for holiness , and did not christ come to purifie a peculiar people , and restore us to the image of god ? and if for want of discipline saints and swine be equally church-members , and partakers of holy things , is that agreeable to this design of our redeemer ? 7. if oeconomical government and school government and colledge government be no wrong to kings , neither is the church government which christ hath instituted . i do not say all this to intimate that you say the contrary . but because your charge on luther , calvin and other protestants sheweth that you do sure mistake them : and to tell you that i joyn with you in disowning the kingdom and magistracy of the mock-church of rome ; and of all that will imitate them ; but that i take the enmity to and grosse neglect of true church-discipline , to be one of satans principal services that is done him upon earth , against true godliness . the churches and the magistrates power stated in matters of religion ; in an hundred propositions , which almost all sober protestant teachers are agreed in . a reconciliation of the sober episcopal , presbyterians , independents and erastians . to my very learned , sincere and worthy friend ludovicus molinaeus dr. of physick ( the author of many treatises on this subject . ) dear sir , upon the perusal of your writings which you sent me , the love of the church , and of truth and peace and you , doth command me to tell you as followeth ; 1. that i make no question , but that the pride of the clergy ( with their covetousness ) hath for above twelve hundred years been a greater plague to the churches throughout the christian world , than all the cruelties of the laity : and that the sensless forgetting the matter and manner of christs decision of his apostles controversie , which of them should be the greatest , hath divided the east and west , and corrupted and kept down religion ; whilest that the lives of the prelates have perswaded the observers , that they still took it for a more important question , which of them should be the greatest ? than , whether they or their people should be saved . and it hath ever been a matter of easie remarque , that there have been seldom any dangerous schisms on one side , or any cruel persecutions on the other side , which the clergy have not been the principal causes of : and that the laity would be more quiet , if the clergy did not delude them , or exasperate them ; and that even the more mistaken and violent sort of magistrates , would have some moderation in their persecutions , if the clergy did not make them believe , that a burning killing zeal is the mark of a good christian , and is the same that in tit. 2. 14. is called a zeal of good works ; and that to destroy the bodies of men truly fearing god , is the way to save their own souls , or their dominions at least ; when indeed , the zeal of christs commanding , is a zealous love to one another , and a zealous doing good to others , and the devilish zeal ( as st. james distinguisheth it , james 2. 15 , 16 , 17. ) is an envious , hating , hurting zeal . 2. that in all this the laity are not innocent , but must thank themselves for the evil that befalleth them ; and that on two notable accounts : 1. because they have ordinarily the choosing of the dignified and beneficed churchmen , and they have but such as they choose themselves : they think it is their wisdom as well as piety , to make the honour and profit so great , as shall be a very strong bait to pride and covetousness : and when they have so done , the proudest and most covetous will certainly be the seekers ; and that with as much craft and diligence , as an ambitious mind can use their parts to : and he that seeketh ( by himself and friends ) is likest to find : and the more humble and heavenly any one is , and consequently most honest , and fit to be a pastor of the church , the further he will be from the seekers way ! so that except it be where the world hath rulers so wise and strangely pious , as to seek out the worthy who seek not for themselves , its easie to prognosticate what kind of pastors the church will have : and verily they that choose them , are the unfittest to complain of them . whereas if the churches maintenance were such , as might but prevent the discouragements of such as seek the ministry for the works sake and for the love of souls , that so students might not make it a trade for wealth , but a self-denying dedication of themselves to god , the churches would be accordingly provided ; and they that intend the saving of souls , would be the candidates , ( by their own and their parents dedication ) as now they that intend a trade to live and serve the flesh by ( in an honourable way ) are too great a part of them . or men might be further rewarded ex post facto for their merits , without being tempted to study principally for that reward . and if we will needs have carnal men , let us not wonder if they live carnally . and if the carnal mind be enmity to god , and neither is nor can be subject to his law , rom. 8. 6 , 7. we may easily prognosticate how christs enemies will do his work , and guide his church , and whether their wills and wayes will be such as the conscionable can conform to . 3. and the laity are unexcusable , because it is they ( in all those countreys where popery and church-tyranny prevaileth ) who put their sword into the clergies hands , and give away their own authority , and set up men to vie with them , and to overtop them : of which more anon . 3. i grant you also , that in all such countreys as aforesaid ( where popery and church-tyranny prevaileth ) the name of ecclesiastical courts and discipline , is applyed to that mungrel power , which is neither fish nor flesh ; and that the true spiritual power set up by christ , is corrupted and turned into a secular thing , or by confusion , a third sort arisen out of both . and that popish princes are wofully abused by this deceit : while that the reverence of the name of the church and church-government , doth perswade them to ruine the church indeed , and to set up their subjects to be the governours of themselves , and to give away their own power to their servants , and then to stoop to the power which they have given . 4. and i grant you , that all this mischief would much be cured , if magistrates would keep the sword to themselves , and use it only according to the judgement of their proper courts ; and would leave the power of the church keyes to the pastors , & valeant quantum valere possunt ; and let it be thought penalty enough for an excommunicate person qua talis to be excommunicate : and not to take him to be a penitent , or worthy of the communion of the church , that had rather be there than in a gaol . there be wiser wayes of bringing men to repentance and to the communion of the church , than by saying [ choose this or the goal : you are worthy to be in the church , if you had but rather be in it than in a prison . ] christ said , [ forsake all , or ye cannot be my disciples ; ] and some say , [ be christs disciples , or forsake all : the church will receive you , if you will but accept her communion rather than imprisonment or beggary . ] a kind church indeed ! of which more anon . 5. but notwithstanding all these concessions , i must further tell you , that it is the pastors of the churches that must keep up the interest of christianity in the world ; and that as the bad ones are the greatest plagues , so the good ones are the greatest blessings of the earth ; even the salt and lights of the world : and none but the enemies of christ are their enemies , ( as such . ) and as the ministry hath grown better or worse , so hath christianity either risen or fallen , in all times and places of the church on earth . ( of which see two sheets which i have written for the ministery , against the seekers and malignants long ago . ) 6. and though the carnal clergy afore described , deserve all the invectives in your books , and their usurpations , and turning church discipline into a secular thing , do call aloud for a just detection and rebuke , and it would be the happiness of the world , if the eyes of all christian princes and rulers , were opened in this point ; yet i must tell you , that i believe most sober , pious protestant divines are really agreed in the main things that you desire and intend ; and that both you and some of your adversaries both do amiss , to make the difference seem wider than indeed it is : and that making verbal differences seem real , and small ones seem great , is an ill employment ; when a few distinctions and clearer explications , would make both sides see , that they are almost of one mind . therefore all that i shall do in this business is , to lay down my own judgement , and i think the judgement of all the pious and sober part , of the episcopal , presbyterian , independents and erastians ( or politicians ) in certain brief propositions , which shall carry their own evidence past all contradiction of learned and considerate christians . prop. 1. the work of the gospel-ministry is not a work of meer charity and liberty , but an office-work : authority , reason and love , are its principles , matth. 28. 19 , 20. titus 1. 5. acts 14. 23. 2. this office is instituted by christ himself , and by the holy ghost , ibid. acts 20. 28 , &c. 3 ▪ it was instituted for great and necessary ends , that the ministry might be christs agents , messengers , s●eward● , &c. for the furthering the affairs of his spiritu●l kingdom , and mens salvation in the world , 1 cor. 4. 1 , 2. 1 tim. 3. 1 , 2 , 3 , &c. acts 20. 28. 1 thess. 5. 12 , 13. ●●b . 13. 17. 4. it was first put into the hands of apostles ch●s●n by christ himself ; who were to be the gatherers , edifiers ●nd guides of his church , and to be its foundation built on christ , and the transmitters of the gospel , and a stated ministry to the following ages . 5. though the extraordinary part of their work ceased with them , the ordinary part continueth after them , with a ministry which is to continue to the end of the world eph. 4. 11 , &c. 6. this office was in time before a christian magistrate , and must be the same where there is any such , and where there is none , matth. 28. 20. eph. 4. 12 , 14 , 16 , &c. 7. it consisteth in an authority conjunct with an obligation to do their proper work . 8. this ministerial office is subordinate to christ in the three parts of his office , prophetical , priestly , kingly ( as they are commonly distinguished ) or , in teaching , worshipping god , and governing his flocks , john 20. 21. matth. 28. 19 , 20. 1 cor. 4. 1 , 2. 1 tim. 3. 2 , 3 , &c. & 5. 17. acts 6. 4. 9. it is essential to the office to have all these in divine authority , but not in exercise , nor in the civil liberty of exercising them ( which may be hindered ) acts 5. 18 , &c. 10. the office is to be judged of by gods institution , and not by the ordainers wills intention , or contrary expressions ; if the essence of the office be delivered in general words . 11. christ made these officers the key-bearers of his churches , that is , the rulers or guides , who have authority under him over church communion , to judge what members shall be taken in , and who shall be put out , mat. 16. 19. heb. 13. 17 , 24. 1 thess. 5. 12 , 13. 12. the first and great act of this key-bearing power ( never denyed them from christs time to this day ) is the power of baptizing and of judging who shall be admitted by baptism into the church or number of visible christians , mat. 28. 19 , 20. acts 2. 41. & 8. 12 , 13 , 38. 13. this power is not arbitrary but ministerial , regulated by christs universal laws ; which describeth every mans title to admittance ; which is [ his own ( or parents if an infants ) understanding , voluntary , serious profession of consent to the baptismal covenant . ] acts 2. 38. & 8. 12. & 10. 47 , 48. m●r. 16. 16. matth. 28. 20. 14. if one minister refuse such consenters , others must admit him : and if many should agree utterly to tyrannize , both magistrates by just laws may correct them , and the people desert them , for better guides : 1 kings 2. 27. 2 john 10 , 11. mat. 7. 15. & 16. 6. 15. the churches communion and sacraments are not to be common to all the world . otherwise the church were no church , as consisting of heathens , infidels and all , that would come even purposely to pollute and scorn the holy mysteries , 1 cor. 10. 16. 2 cor. 6. 14. acts 2. 47 , &c. 16. it is necessary therefore that some men be the judges who are fit , and who shall be admitted . else there can be no difference . of this see my treatise of confirmation . 17. every man is not to be the sole publick judge for himself : for then there would be still no difference , nor the mysteries kept from common scorns . 18. the magistrate is not made the first and proper judge : for then he must make a calling of it , and attend upon this very thing , to try the baptized and the admitted ▪ which is no small work . for he that judgeth , must first try the case , and that with the diligence which the weight of it requireth , acts 8. 37. 19. the people are not to be the ordinary judges : for else they must all leave their callings to attend baptizings , and such works as th●se ; and must do that which most of them are unfit to do : and christ hath put all out of doubt , by putting the keys into the pastors hands , and commanding their study and attending to this work , and calling them the rulers , guides , pastors , fathers , stewards , overseers &c. and commanding the people to obey them with submission ; and telling ( not the people or magistrates ) but the pastors of the great and dreadful account that they must give , heb. 13. 17. matth. 24. 45 , 46 , 47. 1 cor. 4. 1 , 2. 2 tim. 4. 1 , 2. & 1 tim. 4. 15 , 16. 20. he that will lay this work upon people or magistrates , is their cruel enemy ; and brings on them a most heavy burden , and consequently makes it their duty to prepare and study for it , and to avoid all other business that hindereth it , and would lay them under the terrors of a most tremendous reckoning unto god. 21. seeing it is a trust that must be committed to some or other , common reason tells us , that it is better in their hands that christ hath put it in by office , and who spend their lives in preparation for it , than in theirs that neither have the preparations nor the office , 1 cor. 9. 16. & 2 cor. 5. 19 , 20. 1 cor. 4. 1 , 2. 22. it is the great end of christs coming into the world to destroy the works of the devil , and to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works , and to save his people from their sins , and to vindicate the holiness of god : and the world is so apt to judge of christs doctrine by his followers , that the holiness and concord of christians is one of christs great appointed means , for his own and his fathers glory in the world : that as gods greatness shineth forth in the frame of nature , so might his holiness in the church : and the enemies of holiness and condemned by their creed , when they profess to believe the holy catholick church , and the communion of saints . and rome it self doth own the name and pretence of holiness . 23. travellers well know , that the great hinderance of the conversion of infidels and heathens , turks , persians , indians , tartarians , &c. is the wicked lives of the professed christians that are next them ; when they see that christians are more false , and cruel , and drunken , and beastly , and divided , &c. than themselves . 24. those therefore that would have the church lye common ( without christs discipline ) to all the most prophane and wicked that will come in , and have communion with it , are indeed antichristian , even open enemies to the church , to holiness , and to the saving of the infidel and heathen world , 1 cor. 5. 6 , 11 , 12 , 13. 1 pet. 2. 9. tit. 2. 14. 25. the devil hath fought in all ages as subtilly and diligently against the holy discipline of christ , as against the christian doctrine . 26. true discipline doth so wonderfully displease the guilty , and lose mens love , and especially the richer sort , and all mens carnal interest and nature inclineth them so much to man-pleasing and flattery , that ministers have abundance more need to be driven to the exercise of discipline , than restrained from it ; except it be the corrupt and carnal discipline which the popish and tyrannizing clergy do exercise , where the magistrate himself upholdeth them in grandure , and lendeth them his sword. let discipline be but such as christ appointed , and stand of it self , and then it is but few that will have any more cause , to be restrained from it , than from too much preaching : though still i yield , that there must be limits for the wilful and the indiscr●et , 1 cor. 5. 3 john 9. 27. the true discipline of christ hath been acknowledged to be his ordinance , in all the churches almost in the world , since the apostles dayes till now ; save that ( as you open it ) since constantines time it hath been much corrupted by the mixture of the secular force , and the emperours lending his church-power to the bishops and councils . 28. government hath two parts : antecedent to mens facts , which is legislation ; and consequent , which is judgement and execution . christ is the only lawgiver of universal laws to the universal church ; and the author of his own doctrine , and the substantials of his worship : but yet there are many undetermined circumstances , which may and must be antecedently determined , some by each pastor ; some by a consent of pastors , and some by magistrates ( if they please ) . i will name you twenty lately named elsewhere ; 1. what day ( besides the lords day ) and what hour , the church shall meet . 2. how long the prayers , reading and sermons shall be . 3. when and how often publick fasts and thanksgivings be . 4. what place the church shall meet in . 5. of the form , ornaments , seats , &c. of the temples . 6. the place and form of the pulpit . 7. the subject of the present sermon , and the chapter to be read . 8. the method of the sermon . 9. the words of sermons and prayers . 10. of using or not using books and sermon notes for memory . 11. what translation of scripture to use . 12. and what version and meeter of the psalms . 13. and what tune to sing in . 14. what form of catechism to use . 15. of decent habits , especially in publick worship . 16. by what professing sign to testifie our consent to the churches confession of faith : whether by speaking , or lifting up the hand , or standing up . 17. of decent gestures in the acts of publick worship . 18. of font , table , cups , cloathes , and other utensils . 19. making new officers for these actions circa sacra , as door-keepers , clarks , churchwardens , &c. 20. judging when any private man shall speak in the church , and when he shall be silent , and such other orders necessary to peace and edification , 1 cor. 14. 28 , 29. 33. 26 , 40. 29. most of these should be left to every pastors judgement ; some may be determined by the magistrate ; but yet some are fittest for the concordant determination of consociated churches , in a synod , or by consent . but none of them by any neighbour pastor ( that like the pope ) usurpeth authority over other churches . nor should any standing laws at all , be made of such things where there is no need ; especially where the case is mutable , and it belongeth to the pastors function to determine it , as occasion serveth . 2 tim. 2. 15. mat. 24. 45. 30. whether these antecedent determinations of concordant pastors in a synod , shall be called laws , or canons , or decrees , is but lis de nomine : and also whether this power be called legislative , or jurisdiction . and who will trouble the church unnecessarily about words and names ? but yet i think they may be best called canons or agreements : and i wish that high titles be laid aside , lest it encourage the usurping spirit , that aspireth after too high things . 31. grotius de imperi● summarum potestatum circa sacra hath said so much and so well of all this controversie , that it is a shame to us all that we need any more , and a shame to me to trouble the world after him , with writings on that subject , so far less useful ; and to any one , to cloud that which he hath clearly and judiciously stated ; were it not that renewed occasions require it . 32. pastors have not only the charge of right ordering the assemblies , but also of helping and overseeing all the individuals of their charge ; and to help them in the personal application of the scriptures to themselves , and to resolve their particular doubts and cases of conscience ; and to reprove , admonish and comfort the individuals as there is need . as a physicion is not only to read a physick lecture to his hospital , but to govern each patient in order to his cure. 33. ordination is & rei & ordinis gratia an act of office , by which the ministerial office and power is ministerially delivered by way of investiture and solemnization , as a house is delivered by a key , and a parcel of land by a turf and twig , by the hand of a servant appointed thereunto . or as our church state is delivered to us by baptism by the like investiture . though yet it is god directly , who giveth the power , and that secondarily by his servant thus investeth us in it ; though not without the previous call which is necessary thereunto . 34. ordination is not an idle ceremony which the ordainer must perform upon the judgement of others ( prince or people ) without his own cognizance of the person , or against his conscience : but he that must ordain , must first judge the person fit to be ordained ; and therefore must also try his fitness , 1 tim. 5. 22. 35. so much of the antecedent power of the ministry ▪ in which it is to be noted , that ordination and baptism are efficient acts , like generation in nature , under god the first efficient , as ex quo omnia , and as they are ordinis gratia , are the beginning of government also . and government is an ordering act , as under god the supream governour , ut per quem omnia . and sacramental entertainment with christs body and blood in church communion , is actus am●ris , a final act , of friendship , under god as the final cause , ad quem omnia . 36. the subsequent part of the pastoral government , is by using the members of the church in the exercise of the pastoral office , according to their several deserts : which is by a general , and particular application of the word of god to their consciences , and guiding them in circumstances , and judging of actions and persons according to that word , in order to the good of souls , and the preservation of the church and truth , acts 20. 28. heb. 13. 17. 37. when the whole church falleth into notorious sin , the pastors must reprove them , and call them to repentance : and if they apostatize forsake them , as ceasing to be a church . 38. when a single member falleth into notorious scandal , the pastor must admonish him , and call him to repentance : and if he remain impenit●nt and obstinate after due admonition , and publick exhortation and patience , he must [ as christs steward of his word and family , pronounce him a person unfit for church communion , and require or command him in the name of christ to forbear it , and the church to forbear his communion , declaring him also unpardoned by christ till he rep●nt , and binding him over to his judgement . ] so that excommunication is a sentence of the person as uncapable of church communion according to christs laws , and a fore-judging him as unpardoned and condemnable by christs judgement , unless he repent , and a command to the sinner to forbear the communion and priviledges of the church , and to the church to avoid him , 1 cor. 5. titus 3. 10 , &c. 39. if the sinner repent , the pastor is christs officer , in his name to pronounce him pardoned , if his repentance be sincere ; and the guide of the church to require them to receive him again into their communion , 2 cor. 2. 7 , 10 , 11. gal. 6 1 , 2 , 3. 40. because magistrates and people ( as aforesaid ) cannot attend so great a work as this , without the neglect of their particular callings , and are not to be supposed so ●it as the pastor , and because god hath made it the work of his office , the people are to rest in his judgement about the fitness and title of those that have the publick church communion with them , ( though they are the judges and choosers of their domestick and private familiars : ) and they must not separate from them that are thus regularly admitted . 41. yet when the pastors by mal-administration , give them just cause , the flock may seek their due remedy : of which more anon . 42. this power is essentially in the ministerial office ; and therefore is in every single pastor , and not only in some few , or in the abler sort , or only in a synod , mat. 16. 19. 43. when a church hath but one pastor he must exercise it alone ( with due consideration and advice . ) but when a church hath many pastors , they must exercise it ( and all church guidance ) in a way of concord , and avoid all dissentions among themselves , ephes. 4. 3 , 4 , 5. 1 cor. 1. 10. john 17. 21 , 22. 44. therefore in such a case a particular pastor may be obliged oft to suspend some such acts , because the major vote of his syn-presbyters are against it ; not that they are his governours for the majority of vote , but because the laws of concord require the minor part to submit to the major . 45. the same is the reason why in elections , consents and other acts belonging to the flock , the major vote should carry it in things lawful ; not because the people have any true church government ; but because they are obliged to unity and concord ; and in that case , the law of nature calleth the minor part to submit to the major , lest there never should be any concord had . 46. and the same is the reason why in synods and councils , the major vote of the bishops must prevail , in lawful things not forbidden of god. 47. if any pastor in the world pragmatically thrust himself into another mans charge , and pretend himself to be the ruler of his neighbour churches and pastors , and attempt to exercise authority over them , he is to be slighted as an usurper , and a disturber of the order and peace of the churches of christ , 3 john 9 , 10. 48. yet every pastor is an officer and minister of christ ( as to the unconverted world to call them , so ) to the universal church to exercise his office in it where ever he hath an orderly call ! and if he teach , or administer sacraments or discipline , upon such a particular call , in a neighbour church pro tempore , he doth it as an officer of christ ( and their pastor pro tempore ) and not as a lay-man : as a licensed physicion medicateth another physicion , or anothers hospital , when called to it , not only as a neighbour that is unlicensed , but as a licensed physicion . so timothy , ap●llo , silas , and others did . 49. therefore neighbour pastors must have so much care of other churches as to admonish them against the infection of any heresie or scandal , which they see them in apparent danger of ; whether by heretical wicked pastors , or others . 50 all neighbour churches capable of correspondence , are bound to hold a special concord among themselves , for the advantage of the gospel by their unity , or for the conversion of the infidel world , and for the preservation of the several churches from danger , by heresie or discord , acts 15. john 17. 21 , 22. eph. 4. 3 , 6. 51. he that is excommunicated justly in one church should not be received by the rest till he repent : therefore the neighbour churches may do well , to acquaint each other whom they have excommunicated , when there is cause . 52. this correspondence is to be kept by messengers , letters , or synods . 53. whether such synods be stated , or occasional , and whether the president shall be still the same or changed , with such other circumstances , are things not determined in scripture , but left to the determination of humane prudence , as the case shall require , for the end intended . 54. though the major part in these synods , be not the proper governours of the minor , yet the pastors there assembled are still the governours of the flocks , and they are also bound to concord in things lawful among themselves . therefore their decrees about such things , are obligatory to the people ratione authoritatis , and they are obligatory to one another ( i mean the pastors ) ratione concordiae : and this is the true state of the binding power of synods . 55. though the usual phrase of [ binding the conscience ] be unapt , ( conscience being an act of science ; and it is not to know that by the obligation now in question we are bound to primarily ) yet as to the sense intended , it is certain , that the commands of parents , magistrates and pastors , in their proper places , do all truly bind the soul , or will , or man , or as they say , the conscience ; but it is only by a secondary obligation , from a derived power ; as god bindeth it by a primary obligation by the primitive power . he that hath no power of obliging , hath no power of governing . and he that obligeth not the soul and will , obligeth not the man at all , by any moral obligation : the body alone or immediately is bound by cords and chains , but not by commands and laws : he that may not bind the soul by a command , hath no commanding authority , col. 3. 20 , 22. eph. 6. 1. tit. 3. 1. heb. 13 17 , 24. & 11. 8. 56. therefore the distinction of internal and external government , and of the forum interius & exterius , needeth better explication , than is used by most ; or else it will be worse than useless . the true difference of the government civil and ecclesiastical is to be fetcht , ab objecto , & fine proximo & modo regendi . but as it meaneth that which is in●rinsecal or extrinsecal to the pastoral office , it is of great use . and as it differenceth government by the sword , from that which worketh only on the mind . 57. the same god who instituted the office of the magistrate , did also immediately institute the office of the ministry : and therefore as to the foundation they are co-ordinate , and neither of them derived from the possessors of the other . 58 as to the work and end , the magistrates work and the ministers have each a preheminency in their own kinds . 59. magistrates , ministers and parents may all command the same thing , and all their commands be obligatory ; as to learn a cat●chisme , to observe the lords day , &c. 60. it is not lawful for pastors to excommunicate either kings , or their chief magistrates , or their own parents ( unless perhaps in some rare case ) by any publick formal or dishonouring excommunication . because the great command in nature [ honour thy father and mother ; honour the king ] lyeth lower than the positive command of excommunication ; and is antecedent to it : and as affirmatives bind not semper & ad semper , so also they give place to natural laws , and not naturals ( ordinarily to them . and the rulers honour is of more publick use and necessity , than excommunication in that particular act is . but an usurping tyrant , who may be deposed , and dishonoured , may be excommunicated . 61. much less may a strange pastor , to whom the magistrate never committed the care of his soul , presume to excommunicate him who is none of his charge : and therefore the pope and his prelates excommunicating kings and rulers , seemeth to me , to be nothing but a proclaiming open hostility against them . 62. pastors have no power over any but consenters : nor can they use the sword , or have any coactive power at all ; that is , any power to touch a mans body or estate : but only to work upon his conscience , and his church-reputation . the forcing power belongeth only to parents , and magistrates , and not to ministers as such at all , luke ●● . 25 , 26 , 27. 1 pet. 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. 2 cor. 10. 4. 63. the similitude of a physicions power , ( if you will but suppose him to have a hospital of volunteers , and his office to be of divine institution ) ; or of a philosophers or tutors ( on the like supposition ) over adult disciples , may much explicate the church power . no wise physicion will take any into his hospital and cure , upon unsafe destructive terms , which the patient or magistrate shall impose ; but will say , [ it is my function to rule you , as to medicine for your cure ; take what i give you , and use your self upon it as i advise you , or else take your course ; you are no patient for me ; nor shall be in my hospital : i will not strike you , nor fine and imprison you ; but i will be none of your physicion , ( or saith the tutor , i will be none of your teacher ) nor shall you be any part of my hospital , ( school ) or charge . ] only still remember here the divine institution of the ministry and discipline , and the regulation of it by gods laws , that it be not arbitrarily used . 64. the undoing of the church of christ ( in those countreys where popery and church-tyranny prevail ) hath long been by the magistrates annexing their executions to the sentence of the church ( as it is called ) and becoming the meer executioners of the judgement of other men . no magistrate should be debased , so as to be made the churches executioner . if the magistrate will punish a man , it must not be meerly quatenus excommunicate , that is , as punished already ; but for the fault for which he was excommunicate . and if so , then he must try and judge him for that fault at his own barr , and not punish him unheard , because the church hath sentenced him : and if rulers would more leave the church to the exercise of its proper power , and let excommunication do what it can of it self , ( unless the nature of the crime require a distinct secular judgement and punishment ) it would do much to heal all the divisions and perturbations in the christian world . for which course i have these reasons following to urge . 1. it is a great contempt and reproach to christs institution of discipline , to tell the world , that it is a powerless uneffectual thing of it self , unless the secular sword do enforce it . such pastors vilifie their own power also , which is so useless . 2. it is a corrupting of christs discipline , and destroying the use of it : for it cannot be known now , what the keyes do of themselves , when the sword goeth with them : no man knoweth when repentance professed is credibly real and moved by divine motives ; and when it is dissembled for avoiding of the secular punishment . 3. it must leave the pastors conscience unsatisfied in his administrations ; and bind him to abuse christ ; when he must say to men , [ if you had but rather say that you repent , than lye in a gaol , i absolve you , and give you the sacraments , and pronounce you pardoned by christ. ] who can administer on these terms ? 4. it is a dangerous deluding of the sinners soul , that seemeth intimated by this way . 5. it is a wilful corrupting and confounding of the church ; when men shall be forced to be its members , though they be infidels , heathens , or most impious , if they had but rather say they are christians than lye in gaol . and by this means it is , that no man can know , who are really of the church of rome , or of any tyrannical church , but only who had rather say they are of the church , than be undone : which any infidel and atheist will soon do . therefore let not rome boast of the number of her members which are unknown . 6. it is a changing of christs terms of covenant , christianity , communion and absolution : when christ saith , [ he that from his heart believeth and repenteth , and forsaketh the flesh and the world for me , shall be my disciple and be pardoned ; and he that credibly professeth thus much , shall be taken into the church ( which are truly christs terms ) now cometh the church-tyrant and saith [ he that will say , that he believeth and repenteth rather than he will forsake the flesh and the world , and will choose the church before a gaol , shall be pardoned , and have communion with the church , or at least have the seals of pardon to delude him . 7. by this means the church is mostly constituted , in such countreys , of the grossest wicked hypocrites : and it is made a scorn to infidels and heathens , and their conversion hindered thereby , when they see that christians are worse than they . 8. and by this means these hypocrites ruine the church it self ( as an enemies souldiers in an army ) : and nominal christians and pastors , that are heartily enemies to christ , do him more wrong , and cause more divisions and ruines in the church , than they could have done , if they had staid without . 9. it destroyeth most of the hopes or the success of those pastors , as to the converting and saving of mens souls : because when the magistrate is made but their executioner , the people take all their sufferings as from them : and they will bear that from a magistrate , which they will not bear from a minister , whose office is to rule them by reason and by love : and so such pastors are usually feared and hated by the people , whereby they are disabled to do them that saving good , which can be done on none against his will , 1 cor. 8. 13. & 9. 22. 1 tim. 4. 16. 10. and hereby a church-tyranny is set and kept up in the world , by which persecutions and divisions have been maintained for many hundred years ; and the ministers of christ have been forbidden to preach his gospel , to the unspeakable injury of souls ; and the lives of many hundred thousands , have been a sacrifice , to the pride , and avarice , and cruelty of the clergy ; to the great dishonour of the christian name . 11. and hereby princes have had a power set over them , to the diminution of their proper power , and part of their dominion subjugated to others , under the false name of ecclesiastical authority ; yea , and their own standing made troublesome and unsafe , and multitudes dethroned , and wars raised against them by the clergies pretended power , or instigation ; of which all the wars between the ●erman emperours and the papalines are full proof , recorded in all the histories collected by freherus , ruberus , and pistorius , in sabbellicus , nauclerus , and multitudes of other historians ; and our english histories , by ingulphus , matthew paris , hoveden , &c. and the italian by guicciardine and many others : nay , what countrey is there , where the papal and tyrannical clergy have not overtopt or troubled the state. 12. and when all this is done , they would deceive the princes themselves into a consent , and so into the guilt of their own disturbance , and their peoples misery : and cast all the odium upon them , and say , we do but deliver you into the hands of the secular power , it is they that do the execution on you : when yet a general council ( the rule of their religion ) later . sub innoc. 3. can. 2 , 3. deposeth such temporal lords that will not do such execution . 65. he that desireth the communion of the church , doth take it for a grievous punishment to be cast out of it . and he that doth not desire it , is unfit for it . therefore he that cannot feel the penalty of an excommunication alone ( but only of a mulct or prison ) may be fit enough for further punishment , but is unfit for the communion of the church . 66. yet is the magistrate the protector of the church , a keeper of her peace and priviledges and of both tables ; and must use his power to promote religion . 67. to which end he may prudently by moderate means constrain some that neglect their own salvation to hear gods word , and confer with such as can instruct them , and use those means , which god hath made universally necessary , to bring the ignorant to knowledge ; and may restrain them from actual open sin , and from scorn and opposition of the means that should convert them , and from hindering others from the means of salvation , and from open seducing them from god , or christianity , or from a godly , righteous , or sober life : in all this , moderate penalties may be used ; and men may be thus far constrained , and restrained : but not constrained to profess that which they do not believe , nor to take the priviledges which god forbiddeth them to take . so that there are fitter means left , for the magistrate to help the church by . 68. the king and magistrates have curam animarum , though not in the same sense as the pastors have : they have the charge of government , not only in order to the corporal case , and peace and prosperity of their subjects , but also in order to mens holy , sober and righteous living , and to the saving of mens souls . and their calling must be sanctified , by doing all in it to these high and holy ends , rev. 11. 15. rom. 13. 3 , 4 , 5. isa. 49. 23 , &c. 69. they are gods subordinate officers , and have their power from him , and therefore for him , who is the beginning and the end of all , rom. 13. 2 , 4 , 5 , 6. 70. because their power is from him and for him , they have none against him . 71. yet have they a power which we must submit to as from god , even when it is used by accident against him , in some points of his will and interest ; so be it that we obey it not in doing any sin our selves . 72. they that make kings and magistrates to have no charge of religion , ( but only as the clergies judgement leads them , ) but only to preserve mens bodily power ; and say that the church hath the care of mens souls and religion , and the king only of the body and our outward wealth , do debase the magistrate as far below the minister , as the body is below the soul ; and teach the people to esteem , love and honour the minister as much above the magistrate , as the soul and heaven are better than the flesh and earth : and they make the difference so great , as that the holier any of the people are , the more they must prefer their minister before their king : which is a popish and most unsufferable debasing of the highest officers of god. 73. the same points of religion , the same sin and duties , come under the judgement of the magistrate and the pastors ; though to several ends . the magistrate is the judge of heresie , and the pastors are the judges of heresie : the magistrate is the judge of murder , adultery and theft , and so is the pastor : that is , the magistrate is judge , who is to be corporally punished for heresie and murder , and adultery , &c. and the pastors are judges , who is to be excommunicated as impenitent in such guilt , 1 cor. 5. 3 , 4 , 5 , &c. 74. yet there are some faults , and some sorts of inquisition into faults , which the magistrates may prudently restrain the pastors from medling with , for the safety of the publick peace : especially when they would indirectly make themselves judges of mens titles and estates ; or in controverted cases , where the magistrate must first decide , and the pastors only follow , if the pastors will be the first deciders , and prevent the magistrate and assume his work , or otherwise wrong the publick peace , or private right , they are to be restrained . 75. the magistrate hath all the coactive government , over ministers as well as over any others of his subjects : and to exempt the clergy from his subjection without his consent , as traiterous . ( and if he will consent , he may thank himself . ) 76. magistrates may ( by moderate penalties ) drive on negligent pastors to their duty , and restrain them from mischieving the church , and punish them for notorious pernicious mal-administration : as solomon deposed abiather , &c. 77. but they must not on this pretence invade any part of the pastors office ; as to ordain , degrade , baptize , excommunicate ecclesiastically , nor impose on the pastors any of the circumstantials , which it is their own office to determine of . 78. pastors must obey the magistrates in all lawful things , which belong to his office to command . 79. many things are sinfully commanded ( because without necessity or cause , or because to ill ends , or with ill circumstances in the commander ) which yet it is the subjects duty to obey in : because one law may be for a ruler , and another for a subject , and their duties various . 80. where it is not lawful to obey , it is yet unlawful for subjects to resist the higher powers , as being the authorized officers of god , for our good , rom. 〈…〉 2 , 3 , 5 , 6. 81. though usually it is very unfit that pastors be also magistrates ( both because of some dissonancy in their necessary deportment and work , and because one of the offices alone is enough for any man faithfully to perform ) yet if the king make magistrates of pastors , as magistrates their coactive power must be obeyed . 82. magistrates may make laws for the church in circumstancials circa sacra , which belong to their proper determination : and also to enforce obedience to the commands of god , as far as prudence shall justly direct them : of this see grotius de imp. sum . pot . 83. magistrates may call synods and councils : and the pastors may also voluntarily assemble , for mutual advice , either in cases of great necessity for the safety of the church , or in lesser cases , when the magistrate forbiddeth it not . 84. in a time when blasphemy , or heresie , or sedition prevaileth , the magistrate may name certain blasphemies , heresies , &c. which he may forbid his subjects to preach up . 85. and he may restrain all utterly unable persons , or heretical false teachers , or any that notoriously do more harm than good , from the liberty of preaching in his dominions , till they are proved fitter ; that is , from abusing the gospel and mens souls . 86. but if on this pretence he should forbid christs faithful able ministers , to preach the christian faith , and call men to repentance , and save mens souls , ( when there are not enow more , especially to do that work , as proportioned to the number and necessity of souls ) it would be a sin so heinous against christ , and against the souls of men , as i think it not meet now to aggravate or express , 1 thes. 2. 15 , 16. 87. if faithful ministers break good laws , they must be punished as other subjects , in purse , or body , or name , so as may least hinder them in the work of christ. 88. they that silence faithful able pastors , for such faults as may be otherwise punished , do grievously punish the faultless people ( even in their souls ) for the fault of another . as if a man that hath a family of an hundred persons , were forbidden to give them bread to save their lives , because he was drunk , or swore an oath , which might be punished on himself alone . 89. the magistrate may excommunicate in his way , as well as the pastors do in theirs . that is , the magistrate may as a penalty for a crime , lay subjects under a note of infamy , and outlaw them , and command all men to avoid familiarity with them ; ( and this as bad subjects , whether they be church-members or not . ) and he may as a keeper of the churches priviledges and peace ( till forfeited ) restrain all excommunicate persons from forcing themselves into the communion of the church which did excommunicate them . 90. so contentious are pastors oft times , and so necessary is the magistrates office to the publick peace , that every church should be under the eye of some justices of the peace , or censors appointed by force to silence intruding bawlers and railers , and to restrain ministers from making it their publick work , unpeaceably to traduce and revile their brethren , and represent dissenters as odious to the flock . and if such magistrates had kept the churches order and peace according to their office , it had prevented abundance of the papal usurpations , which were the fruit of magistrates neglects . 91. lay chancellors exercising the spiritual power of the keyes ( though they should pro forma use the stale of an ordinaries pronunciation ) is such a sort of church government , as i will never swear that in my place and calling i will not at any time endeavour to alter by lawful means . 92. the parents are put in the fourth commandment , rather than the magistrate or pastor , because their authority is the most plenary image of the divine authority in these respects . 1. their authority is not by contract , but by nature . 2. it is the primary radical power . 3. it is most universally necessary to mankind . 4. and it representeth gods government . 1. in that it is founded in generation , as gods in creation . 2. because thence ariseth 1. the fullest image of his dominion , in the parents fullest propriety in his child . 2. of his sapiential rule , in the parents government ( as in presence ) 3. of his love which parents are allowed to exceed all other rulers in : therefore god calls himself our father . 93. q. what if the magistrate , minister , and parents have opposite commands ? which of them is to be obeyed ? e. g. the magistrate bids you meet in one place for publick worship ; the bishop in another , and the parent in a third ? the magistrate bids you learn one catechism and no other ; the bishop another , and not that , and the parents a third . the magistrate bids you stand , the pastor bids you kneel , the parents bid you sit . the magistrate bids you pray by one form , the bishop by another , and the parents by a third or none . the magistrate commandeth one translation of the scripture , and the bishop another . the bishop commandeth you to use a ceremony , or to keep a holy day , and your parents forbid it you ? in such cases which must you conform to and obey ? answ. when i am desired , and promised by those concerned in it , that it will be well taken , i will answer such kind of questions as these . but till then i will hold my tongue , that i may hold my peace . 94. no contrary commands of church-men ( as they are called ) ; nor any of our own vows or covenants , can excuse us from obedience to the higher powers , in lawful things , which god hath authorized them to command ; that is , which are belonging to their place of government to regulate . though if the question be but , e. g. what medicine and dose shall be given to a patient , or by what medium a philosopher shall demonstrate ; or what subject and what method and words a pastor shall use for the present edification of his flock ; or how a surgeon shall open a vein , or a pilot guide his ship , &c. the artist may be obeyed before an emperour , ( by him that careth for his life , or his understanding ) . but yet as all these are under the government of the king , so he may give them general laws , especially to restrain them from notorious hurtfulness . sir , if all these propositions be enow for the concord of sober christians in these matters , i hope neither you , nor i , nor any lover of the church and peace , shall need to use much sharpness against the opinions of such dissenters . but if they be not , i know not when we shall have concord . and yet that you may see that i am not over sollicitous of my peace , i will make up the number with these less pleasing propositions . 95. because corruptio optimi , est pessima , magistrates and ministers are of all men ( usually ) either the greatest blessings or the greatest burdens of mankind on earth . saith campanella , ( metaph. ) potentiae corruptio , est tyrannis maxima mundi mala . sapientiae corruptio , est haeresis maxima mundi mala . amoris corruptio , est hypocrisis maxima mundi mala . ( though indeed he might as well have named more . ) as tyranny is in the greatest part of the whole world , ( which is heathen , infidel and popish ) the principal sin , which hindereth the gospel and kingdom of christ , forbiddeth the preaching of the word of life for mens salvation ( and therefore a sin which no christian magistrate or preacher , should think of , but with great abhorrence , and none by any palliation should befriend it ) ; so prudent and good princes are under god the pillars of the world ; for they are the chief officers of god , to shew forth his power , wisdom and goodness , truth and holiness , justice and mercy , in their government ; and by their laws to promote the obedience of his laws ; and to encourage the preachers and practicers of godliness , sobriety and righteousness ; and to defend them against the malignity of those that would silence , oppress and persecute them on earth ; and by their examples and punishments , to bring all ungodliness , intemperance and injustice unto shame . none therefore that possess so great a mercy , should undervalue it , or be unthankful . 96. wise rulers will watch the plots of such enemies , as would use them as the devil would have used christ , who carried him to the pinnacle of the temple , in hope to have seen his fall the greater : who would have them with herod arrogate the praise of god unto themselves , or with pharaoh or nebuchadnezzar to disdain to be under the soveraignty of their maker ? and ascribe to them the divine prerogatives ; and would make it seem their honour to have power to do the greatest mischief ; that the pretence and claim may make them odious , and so may debilitate and undermine them . that like a draught of cold water to one in a pleurisie , they may kill them by pleasing them . 97. it is an unchristian carnal craft for the protestant clergy of several opinions , to lay false charges on one another , as being enemies to the civil government , when really their principles therein are all the same ; or to make the differences of statesmen and lawyers , to be taken for differences in religion : purposely to make one another ( and their religion ) odious , and to strengthen themselves by the errors and passions of princes ; till at last they have tempted the world to think as bad of all and of religion it self , as they have said of one another , and by undermining others fall themselves . 98. but yet that party who really make a religion of the doctrine of rebellion , are to be disowned by all that will be true to god and to his officers : in my sermon to the parliament the day before they voted the restoration of the king , i said somewhat of the difference of the protestant and popish religion , in this point . and a papist gentleman first wrote an invective against me , as if i had given no proof of what i said ; and several persons of unknown names wrote letters to me to urge and challenge me to prove it : blindly or wilfully overlooking the undeniable proof which i had there laid down , from one of their general councils , viz. the decrees of approved general councils are the papists religion : the decrees of approved general councils are for the popes deposing temporal lords , if they exterminate not such as deny transubstantiation , and giving their dominions to others : ergo , the popish religion is for the popes deposing temporal lords in that case , and giving their dominions to others . the major is not questioned . the minor , ( besides the concil . rom. sub greg. 7. which determineth that the pope may depose emperours ) i there proved from the express words of concil . lateran . sub innoc. 3. can. 3. which uttereth it at large . and if any protestant do ( with dr. tailor , dr. gunning , and dr. pierson ) doubt of the authority of those canons , that 's nothing to the papists who justifie it as an approved council , and vindicate it , as you may find with copiousness and confidence , in the printed answer to the last named doctors . what impudency then is it in these men to challenge me to prove , and yet overlook my proof ? 99. christianity according to the scripture and primitive simplicity , in doctrine , worship , government and life , doth constitute a christian , and a christian church . the making of humane additions and mutable adjuncts to seem things necessary , doth constitute a sect . ( and alas how small a part of the christian world , is not entangled in some such sect. ) to be united to all christians , in the bond of christianity , is to be a catholick : to trouble the churches peace by striving to set up one sect or faction , and suppress the rest , is to be a schismatick and sectary . so then if some will by a superstitious unscriptural rigour of discipline , make every pastors power arbitrary ( or the peoples , which is worse ) in judging of mens inward holiness , and will lay by the scripture title , which is ( a sober profession of the baptismal covenant ) and think by this strictness to advance the honour of their party , as to purity , they will but endlesly run into divisions : and by setting themselves at a greater distance , from common christians , than god alloweth them , provoke him to cast on them some greater shame . and if any others will make their unnecessary forms of synods , and other adjuncts , to seem so necessary , as to enter into leagues and covenants to make them the terms of the churches unity , god will not own such terms nor ways , nor will they be durable , while the ground is mutable . and if in the countreys where popery and church-tyranny prevail , any other more lofty faction , shall perswade the people that there must be no king any longer than their domination is upheld ; and shall seek to twist the corruptions , grandure or mutable adjuncts of their function , by oaths , into the very constitution of the state ; like the trent oath , swearing the subjects to obey the church , yea , putting the church before the state , and swearing them , not at any time ( though commanded by the king ) to endeavour any alteration in that church-government ; no nor to consent to any ; that so the subjects may be as fast bound to them , as they are by the oath of fidelity to their kings ; it is time in such a case to pray [ god save the king ] and to write on our doors [ lord have mercy on us . ] and a true subject in such cases , when it comes to swearing , must learn seneca's lesson , [ no man more esteemeth vertue , than he that for the love of it can let go the reputation of it ; ] and must be content to be called disloyal , disobedient , factious , that he may not be so , nor betray his soul , his prince , and his posterity . 100. but to put my self out of the reach of any rational suspicion , besides what is said , i profess , that i ascribe all that power to kings , which is given them by any text of scripture , or acknowledged by any council general or provincial , or by any publick authentick confession of any christian church , either protestant , greek or popish , that ever i yet saw . and if this be not enough as to matter of religion , ( leaving the cases of law to lawyers ) i can give you no more . object . eccles. 1. 18. in much wisdom is much grief , and he that increaseth knowledge , increaseth sorrow . 7. 16. be not righteous over much ; neither make thy self over wise : why shouldst thou destroy thy self ? 9. 2. as is the good , so is the sinner : he that sweareth , as he that feareth an oath . isa. 59. 15. truth faileth ; and he that departeth from evil , maketh himself a prey . 1 kings 22. 13. let thy word , i pray thee , be like the word of one of them , and speak good . — answ. v. 14. as the lord liveth , what the lord saith unto me , that i will speak . luke 12. 4. i say to you my friends , be not afraid of them that kill the body , and after that have no more that they can do . but , &c. 1 thess. 2. 15 , 16. they please not god , and are contrary to all men ; forbidding us to speak to the gentiles , that they might be saved , to fill up their sins alwayes , for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost . acts 20. 24. but none of these things move me , neither count i my life dear unto my self , so that i might finish my course with joy , and the ministry which i have received , &c. 1 cor. 4. 17 , 18. for our light affliction which is but for a moment , worketh for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory : while we look not at the things which are seen , but at the things which are not seen : for the things which are seen are temporal ; but the things which are not seen , are eternal . sept. 21. 1669. addition : of the power of kings and bishops out of bishop bilson and andrews . lest you should wrong the sober episcopal divines , so as to think that they claim as jure divino , and as pastoral , any coercive forcing power , but only an authoritative perswading power , and that of the keyes of the church , i will transcribe some of the words of that learned , judicious bishop bilson in his tract . of christian subjection ; by which you will see , that all forcing power claimed by them , is only magistratical , as they are the kings officers , and not from christ. note also that constantly he distinguisheth the magistrates power from the pastors , by the [ sword ] as the instrument of execution , which even about ecclesiastical matters is proper to the magistrate ; as the power of the word and sacraments , or keyes of the church , is the pastors : and these are the shortest , plainest , and least ambiguous terms ; and more clear than [ internal , ecclesiastical and civil ] which have all much obscurity and ambiguity . pag. 238. princes only be governours in things and causes ecclesiastical , that is , with the sword — bishops be no governours in those things with the sword. ] pag. 240. we confess princes to be supream governours , — supream bearers of the sword — we give princes no power to devise or invent new religions , to alter or change sacraments , to decide or debate doubts of faith , to disturb or infringe the canons of the church . but of these two last i must tell you , what we puritans ( as they call us ) hold 1. that the king may and must decide doubts of faith , in order to execution by the sword ( as , who shall be banished or imprisoned as a teacher of heresie ) 2. and that canons circa sacra not takeing the pastors proper work out of his hand may be made by the magistrate even if he please without the prelates ▪ and if pastors make canons , the● are but in order to their proper way of execution . pag. 252. and if princes shall not bear the sword , in things and causes ecclesiastical , you must tell us who shall — since by gods law the priest may not meddle with the sword , the consequent is inevitable , that princes alone are gods ministers , bearing the sword , to reward and revenge good and evil in all things and causes , be they temporal , spiritual or ecclesiastical : unless you think that disorders and abuses ecclesiastical should be freely permitted — page 256. this then is the supream power of princes , which we teach — that they be gods ministers in their own dominions , bearing the sword , freely to permit and publickly defend that which god commandeth — so may they with just force remove whatsoever is erroneous , vicious , and superstitious within their lands , and with external losses and corporal pains repress the broachers and abetters of heresies and all impieties — from which subjection to princes , no man within their realms , monk , priest , preacher or prelate is exempted : and without their realms no mortal man hath any power from christ judicially to depose them ; much less to invade them in open field , least of all to warrant their subjects to rebell against them . these be the things which we contend for ; and not whether princes be christs masters , or the functions to preach , baptize , impose hands , and forgive sins , must be derived from the princes power and laws ; or the apostles might enter to convert countreys , without caesars delegations ; these be jests and shifts of yours . page 261. to bishops speaking the word of god ; princes as well as others must yield obedience : but if bishops pass their commission , and speak besides the word of god , what they list , both prince and people may despise them . page 258. his word is truth : and therefore your bishops cannot be judges of the word of christ , but they must be judges of christ himself that speaketh by his word , which is no small presumption . — my sheep hear my voice — they be no judges of his voice . — page 259. if you take judging for discerning , — the people must be discerners and judges of that which is taught — page 271. ph. if general councils might err , the church might err — th. as though none were of or in the church , but only bishops ! or all the bishops of christendome without exception , were ever present at any council ? or the greater part of those that are present might not strike the stroke without the rest — see pag. 350 , 351 , 352. et seq . that only magistrates may touch body or goods . page 358. the watchmen and shepheards that serve christ in his church , have their kind of regiments distinct from the temporal power and state : but that regiment of theirs is by counsel and perswasion , not by terror or compulsion ; and reacheth neither to the goods , nor to the bodies of any men — page 366. as for your episcopal power over princes , if that be it you seek for , and not to take their kingdoms from them , i told you , if they break the law of god , you may reprove them : if they hear you not , you may leave them in their sins , and shut heaven against them . if they fall to open heresie or wilful impiety , you may refuse to communicate with them in prayers and other divine duties ; yea , you must rather yield your lives with submission into their hands , than deliver them the word and sacraments , otherwise than god hath appointed . ] ( say you so ; i promise you sir , if kings must be dealt so strictly with , though it cost you your lives , i will be a non-conformist a little longer , though it cost me my livelihood , rather than give baptism , the lords supper , absolution , and the justifying assertions at burials , as commonly as i must do , if i conform . ) p. 525. pastors have their kind of correction even over princes : but such as by gods law , may stand with the pastors vocation ; and tend to the princes salvation : and that exceedeth not the word and sacraments : other correction over any private man pastors have none ; much less over princes — princes may force their subjects by the temporal sword. — bishops may not force their flock with any corporal or external violence . pag. 526. chrysostom saith — for of all men christian ( bishops ) may least correct the faults of men by force : judges that are without the church — may compell — but here ( in the church ) we may not offer any violence , but only perswade . we have not so great authority given us by the laws as to repress offenders : and if it were lawful for us so to do , we have no use of any such violent power ; for that christ crowneth them which abstain from sin , not of a forced , but of a willing mind — hilary teacheth the same lesson ; if this violence were used for the true faith , the doctrine of bishops would be against it . god needeth no forced service : he requireth no constrained confession : i cannot receive any man but him that is willing ☜ i cannot give ear , but to him that intreateth . i cannot sign , ( that is , baptize any but him that ( gladly ) professeth . — so origen — for all the crimes which god would have revenged , he would have them revenged not by the bishops and rulers of the church , but by the judges of the world — bishops by vertue of their callings cannot command others , or authorize violence or arms . — pag. 541. parliaments have been kept by the king and his barons , the clergy wholly excluded ; and yet their acts and statutes good . and when the bishops were present , their voices from the conquest to this day , were never negative . by gods law you have nothing to do with making laws for kingdoms and commonwealths : you may teach , you may not command . perswasion is your part : compulsion is the princes . page 245. far better st. ambrose saith [ if the emperour ask for tribute , we deny it not : the lands of the church pay tribute : if he affect the lands themselves , he hath power to take them : no man among us is any let to him . the alms of the people is enough for the poor . let them never procure us envy for our lands : let them take them if they please : i do not give them to the emperour , but i do not deny them . so far bilson . all this we allow : and if all this be the concurrent judgement of all sorts of sober protestants , called episcopal or presbyterians , what reason hath any erastian upon the account of the magistrates interest to quarrel with them . if any practise not according to these principles , let them hear of it . indeed in point of convenience we greatly differ from some men : that is , 1. whether it be convenient for the king to make church-men magistrates , or not ? 2. and whether it be convenient immediately to back their excommunications , with the sword ; and for the magistrate to be the clergies executioner , or to imprison men eo nomine , because excommunicate and not repenting . 3. and whether it be convenient to make the same court called ecclesiastical , so mixt of pastoral and secular power united , in one chancellor ( who is no pastor , but a lay man ) or in a bishop , as that in and by it , the magistrates , and the spiritual government shall be either confounded , or so twisted as to be undiscernable , or become one tertium . but for this , as we love not to be too forward in teaching magistrates what is convenient , ( though many of the ancient fathers have done it plainly , and spoken against the magistracy of priests ; and cy●il of alexandria is branded by socrates and others with some infamy , as the first bishop that used coercive power ) ; so you have more cause to say what you have to say in this , to the magistrate himself , than to the bishops or presbyteries : for if the magistrate will needs-make priests his officers , and put his sword into such hands , as have enough to do in their proper work , or if he will punish men with the sword , because they are punished already by excommunication , or because they repent not , lest excommunication alone should prove uneffectual ; quarrel not for his actions with other men : it is his own doing ; and it is himself that you blame , when you blame these things : say not that prelates or presbyteries take the magistrates power from him ; but say the truth , that the magistrate giveth it them , and will have it so to be . ( though i excuse none that urge him to it , or voluntarily assume his power . ) bishop andrews also saith tortur torti p. 383. [ cohibeat regem diaconus , si cum indignus sit , idque palam constet , accedat tamen ad sacramentum : cohibeat & medicus , si ad noxium quid vel insalubre manum admoveat : cohibeat & equiso , si inter equitandum adigat equum per l●cum praeruptum , vel salebrosum , cui subsit periculum . etiamre medico ? etiamne equisoni suo subjectus rex ? sed de majori potestate loquitur : sed ea ad rem noxiam procul arcendam : qua in re charitatis semper potestas est maxima . here you see what church government is in bishop andrews sense , and how far the bishops hold the king himself to be restrainable even by a deacon ; and yet but ( i think ) according to your own sense , i pray you judge then whether the bishops and you differ as far as you imagine ; and whether the courts and church power which offendeth you , be not set up by kings themselves , who make the bishops their officers therein . to which add what bilson proveth that patriarchs , metropolitans and archbishops dignities are the gift of princes , and not the institution of christ , and then you will see more , that it is the princes own doing . i add to the like purpose more out of bilson pag. 313. [ we grant , they must rather hazard their lives , than baptize princes which believe not , or distribute the lords mysteries to them that repent not , but give wilful and open signification of iniquity , &c. ] this is church government , which none can contradict . this is it that chrysostom so often professeth also , as that he would rather let his own blood be shed , than give the blood of christ to the unworthy . and beda hist. eccles. l. 2. cap. 5. telleth us , that melitus bishop of london ( with justus ) was banished by the heirs of king sabareth , because he would not give them the sacrament of the lords supper , which they would needs have before they were baptized . ( and by the way , if bishops say that kings must be used thus , the non-conformists are not such intolerable schismaticks , as some now represent them , for desiring , that every presbyter may not be compelled against his conscience to give the sacrament to the basest of the people that are ignorant what christ or christianity is , and to them that are not willing to receive it , but are forced to take it against their wills for fear of a prison ; nor to baptize the children of such parents as know not what baptism is , or as are professed infidels , having not so much as christian adopters , but only ceremonious persons called god-fathers and god-mothers . ) papirius massonus in vita leonis 1. reciteth his words of the magistrates banishing the manichees , and addeth [ ex hac rei gestae narratione perspicuum est romanos episcopas relegare tunc non potuisse , nec in exilium reos mittere , utì hodie faciunt ; sed eos tantum censura coercere , & poen● ecclesiastica mulctar● . i add no more , supposing that almost all sober episcopal , presbyterians , independents and erastians are agreed in all the first ninety four propositions , ( if not all ) that are here asserted ; and that all those may suffice to signifie their concord , and promote their reconciliation , if interest ( mistaken ) and passion ( mis-guided ) did not much more than difference of judgement in these matters , to cause their alienation . and as i have written this to vindicate both the power of kings , and the office of pastors from any mens unjust suspicions or accusations , who look only on one side ; and to shew that these offices are no more contrary than head and heart , than light and heat : so i do require the reader to put no sense upon any thing here written , which is injurious to the government of magistrates or pastors , or contrary to the laws : for all such senses i do hereby disclaim . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26914-e310 read the declaration against the oath of allegiance by h. i. for the popes deposing kings , pa. 16 , 17 , 27 43. read hottomans franco-gal . cap. 7. and his brutum ●●lmen , pag. 87 , 97 , 98. read withriagton and barclay against bellarmia in goldastus tom. 3. de mon. and bellarmia against barclay c. 9. vid. sua ez . ● . advers . sect . a●glic . li 6. cap. 4. sect . 14. & cap. 6. sect . 22. 24. azor. ●rs . mor. par . 1. l. 8 c. 13. dom. bannes in thom. 22. q. 12. art . 2. august . triump . de potest . eccl. q 46. art . 2. there is no doubt ( saith he ) but the pope may depose all kings when there is reasonable cause for it . ] see the jesui●s morals , and mystery of jesuitism , and myster . patrum jesuitarum . ☜ ☜ ☜ ☞ ☞ ☞ ☜ ☜ ☜ see bellarm. de pontif. ro. li. 5. c. 1. & 6. & 7. & 8. he saith , it is the common judgement of all catholick divines , that the pope ratione spiritualis hath at least indirectly a certain power , and that the highest in temporals . which c. 6. he saith , is just such over princes , as the soul hath over the body ; or sensitive appetite : and that thus he may change kingdoms , and take them from one , and give to another , as the chief spiritual prince , if it be but necessary to the safety of souls . yea , he saith , that it is not lawful for christians to tolerate an infidel or heretical king , if he endeavour to draw his subjects to his heresie or unbelief . but to judge whether a king do draw to heresie or not , belongeth to the pope , to whom the care of religion is committed . therefore it belong●th to the pope to judge a king to be deposed , &c. * you are mistaken when you twi●● call maximus imperator ethnicus , who but for his ●●●patio● , ha● been a christia● saint . how far holinesse is the design of christianity where the nature of holiness and morality is opened, and the doctrine of justification, imputation of sin and righteousness, &c. partly cleared, and vindicated from abuse : in certain propositions, returned to an unknown person, referring to mr. fowlers treatise on this subject / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1671 approx. 46 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 13 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26938 wing b1282 estc r6861 11894631 ocm 11894631 50545 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26938) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 50545) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 53:5) how far holinesse is the design of christianity where the nature of holiness and morality is opened, and the doctrine of justification, imputation of sin and righteousness, &c. partly cleared, and vindicated from abuse : in certain propositions, returned to an unknown person, referring to mr. fowlers treatise on this subject / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 24 p. printed for nevill simons ..., london : 1671. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fowler, edward, 1632-1714. -design of christianity. holiness. christian ethics -early works to 1800. justification. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-12 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-12 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion how far holinesse is the design of christianity . where the nature of holiness and morality is opened , and the doctrine of justification , imputation of sin and righteousness , &c. partly cleared , and vindicated from abuse . in certain propositions , returned to an unknown person , referring to mr. fowlers treatise on this subject . by richard baxter . london , printed for nevill simons , at the three crowns at holborn conduit . 1671. qu. whether holinesse be the only design of christianity ? sir , the sum of your letter is , [ that mr. fowler and many others of late , by crying up holiness as the only design of christianity , do 1. give us a description of such a holiness as is but the meer morality of a heathen , [ a sound complexion of soul , &c. ] 2. and that they greatly obscure or drown the whole doctrine of our justification , and adoption , and of christs satisfaction and imputed righteousness ; and make the glory of this to be none of the design of christianity . 3. that , by this they tempt men , that can but imagine that seneca , antonine , epictetus , plutarck or cicero do give as wise and wholsome precepts of virtue and good living as christ , to think as highly of them as of christ . 4. that hence they secretly reproach both the imposers of conformity , and the non-conformists , and magnifie the stretching conscience of the passive latitudinarian conformist as the only wise man that careth for none of these little things : and that they secretly undermine all instituted ordinances . 5. that because my aphorisms and other writings have had some hand in breeding such opinions , i am doubly guilty in being silent now they spread and prosper . ] this being the sum of your complaint , i shall answer to all this in that manner as the nature of the thing requireth . in general , i must tell you , that i am responsible for no mans writings but my own ; neither shall you hereby tempt me to become an aristarchus , and arrogant censurer of other mens . this is all that i need to say of the book you mention , that it is of very much worth and use , to call men more seriously to consider of the design of mans redemption , and of the nature of true religion and felicity : and though i will not defend every word in my own writings , much less in other mens , when i am not concerned , yet i may say that i had rather perswade the licencious of this age to the careful reading of that book , than turn it into matter of strife . but it is only my own judgment about the things in question which you can reasonably expect ; which i think the brevity requisite in a letter directeth me to give you in certain self-evidencing coherent propositions . prop. 1. god is the beginning , the ruler and the end of all : of him , and through him , and to him are all things . 2. the word [ design ] doth signifie , sometime the act of intention ; sometime the end intended . in the question it must needs signifie the later , : therefore instead of it i shall henceforth use that common word . 3. by the end of christianity i doubt not is meant , 1. the end of god and our redeemer in the framing and imposing christianity on mankind . 2. the end which man is bound to intend in receiving and using christianity . ( these two are called finis operantis . ) 3. and the end to which the frame of the christian religion is adapted ( which is called finis operis . ) 4. holiness in creatures , is their separation from common uses unto god : omne sanctum deo sanctum est . 5. holiness in rational free-agents , is such a separation to god , as is agreeable to their natures . 6. holiness is to be described with distinct respects . 1. to the subject , 2. to the object . and 1. s to the whole subject , 2. as to the distinct faculties . 7. holiness in the whole subject is 1. active , 2. dispositive or habitual . 3. relative : or is in our acts , habits & relations . 8. active holiness is our active dedication , devotion or adherence unto god , begun in our conversion to him , and christian covenant with him , and exercised after in the practice of our lives . 9. habitual holiness , is that fixed inclination or disposition of the soul , by which it is fitted to perform the aforesaid active adherence and devotion with strength , facility , and constancy . 10. relative holiness is the relation of man ( or angel ) thus actively and dispositively devoted to god : which is particularly to be considered with the object . 11. besides the commoner holiness of all saints , there is also an office-holiness of magistrates ( though some deny it ) and of christs ministers : which containeth their active dedication to their proper work , their dispositive aptitude for it , and their relation to god in it . and accordingly the anointing to such office , and the giving of the holy ghost for its performance , signifie somewhat else than the common sanctification of all saints . as the work to which they are anointed is more . 12. holiness in respect of the distinct faculties is , 1. in the vital and executive power ( for such a distinct faculty there is ) and then it is called spiritual quickning , life , and strength . 2. in the understanding , where it is called spiritual illumination or light , ( knowledge and faith . ) 3. in the will , where it is called , spiritual love , and holiness in an eminent narrower sense . 13. holiness is not to be described or understood without its proper object , which doth essentially constitute it . it s no true description which omitteth it . 14. the object of holiness , primary , immediate and proper is god himself . the secondary and remoter object , is the impressions , image or glory of god in his works . 15. god is the object and terminus of our holiness , as in his divine per●ections , so in his three grand relations , as he is our efficient , dirigen● and finial cause ; and in his three great relations to his intellectual creatures , as he is our owner our ruler , and our lover or benefactor , all comprized in the word [ father : ] and this on the fundamental relation and work , of his being our creator , redeemer and sanctifier . 16. our holiness therefore is our answerable threefold relation to god , that we be , sui , subditi , amatores , his own , his subjects and his lovers ; all comprehended in the word [ children ] that we be peculiarly the children of god. 17. from all this the true description of holiness is obvious and sure , viz. that it is the active habitual and consequently relative , separation , dedication , & devotion , of intellectual free-agents , by life , light and love , to god our father as his children ; or to god our absolute owner , ruler and benefactor , our creator , redeemer and sanctifier , as his own peculiars , his subjects and his lovers . 18. though every one that is holy hath not this distinct and orderly conception of the nature of holiness , yet every one that is holy , hath really all this in himself . and its pity that so useful a part of knowledge as is that of the pourtraicture of the new creature , or the image of god on man , should not be found in all that have the thing . though it is to be no more wondred at , than that men who have intellects , and wills , and vital power , are so much perplexed with difficulties and disputes about the nature of them , as the greatest philosophers are . 19. the secondary objects of our holiness ( active and dispositive , ) being gods image and appearance in all his works , it is this that is often called [ his glory , ] that is , as his glory is made mans object and his end ; even the glorious communication , and reflections , and appearance of god in his perfections , on our selves and on all his works ( and not only the praise that we give him for them , by our thoughts or words .. ) 20. as more or less of god is found in any thing or person , so we are more or less to love and honour them , because we do it for god appearing in them . 21. there are not only different degrees therefore , but also different sorts of love and honour due to different things and persons , as god hath communicated different gifts to them . ( as virtue , office , magistracy , ministry , parentage , &c. ) 22. when any of these is loved and honoured truly for gods image or glory appearing in them , it is ultimately god himself that is loved and honoured in and through them : and so even this love of god appearing in his creatures ( animate or inanimate , intellectual , or his word and ordinances ) is a holy love ; when as the love of all the same things , on another account , and not as god is glorious and beloved in them , is but a common and unholy love. 23. accordingly it is a real secondary part of our holiness , to love our neighbour as our selves , for that of god which equally appeareth in him ; and to do justly unto all , and to love our selves on the same account , and to keep our selves in temperance , chastity , sobriety , &c. and so the duties of the second table , are a secondary holiness , as they are chained to the first , by the relation that the creature hath to god , and as god is the beginning and end in all ; that is , 1. as all things are of him ; and as he is the maker and owner of us and them . 2. as all things are through him , and as he is the ruler of man , and commandeth him this duty . 3. as all things are to him ; and as he is the end of us and all things ; and thus all things are said to be sanctified to believers . 24. so also when parents , magistrates and pastors , are loved , honoured and obeyed in their pure subordination to god , ( viz. 1. as they have their power and office from god. 2. and as this is commanded us by god. 3. and as they honour god , and as our duty honoureth or glorifieth him , and as he is pleased in it ) this also is a secondary part of our holiness : but when they are honoured and obeyed , meerly for fear , or for our own ends , or on any humane account , not subordinate and referred as a means to the glory and pleasing of god , it is a common and unholy honour and obedience . 25. as all mankind are falln by him , from god to themselves and other creatures , so holiness is their contrary adherence to god upon their return . and so when we say all the world is distinguished into two sorts , the unholy and the holy , or the ungodly and the godly , we mean that one part adhere to carnal self and creatures as serviceable to carnal self , and the other part are converted from self to god , and use the creatures as a means to god , as he is their end. 26. the word morality is made ambiguous by the loose and various use of men , not used to any accurateness of speech : but the first , famous and most notable acception of the word , is to signifie all virtue and vice , or conformity and disconformity to the ruling will or law of god ; as ethicks or morals as distinct from physicks , and other sciences . and in this usual sense , all things commanded by god are directly , and all things forbidden , reductively , the parts of morality : that is all moral good and evil : and so faith in christ is a great part of our true morality . and they that will needs take the word in any narrower private sense , prepare for quarrels ; and are obliged to explain themselves , before they censure others or dispute about an ambiguous word . 27. the sum of holiness and morality ( which is all one ) is , the love of god as god ( including absolute resignation and subjection , ) and the love of man and all things for god appearing in them , and served by them . 28. if either heathens or wicked nominal christians do take holiness or morality to be only the love of our selves , and our neighbours , and a disposition of mind , and course of life , in which we live orderly , justly and charitably to all , and soberly to our own minds and bodies , and all this only for the maintaining of the temporal prosperity of our selves and others , or for the meriting of a prosperity in the life to come ; not at all referring all this to god , as the beginning , the guide and the ultimate end of all ; it is but analogically called either holiness or morality , and not in a proper or univocal sense ; because the end is left out which must give being to all true holiness and morality . ( of which see my agreement with dr. barlow in my small tractate of saving faith. ) 29. the meaning of those divines of my acquaintance , that speak against preaching meer morality , is indeed against these that preach no morality , but the ethicks or analogical morality of atheists , who leave out the end ; or else a piece of morality , which we call the natural part , leaving out christianity as if that were no part of holiness or morality : or treat lightly and loosly of it , as if it were a ceremony or thing indifferent , as needless if not troublesome to the world , as their things called indifferent are . and what christian can excuse that sort of preaching . 30. as elsewhere i have often said , we must carefully distinguish between the primitive or primary and natural part of holiness ; which is godlinesse or our love to god as such ; and the mediate remedying , subservient part , which is faith in christ , or christianity as such . the first is as our health , the second as our medicine . 31. this distinction is it which is intended by the apostles , when they so often tell us , that we are sanctified or receive the spirit of holiness , by believing in christ ; faith kindling love , and love kindled by faith , being the two parts , and whole of our religion . 32. gods only end in this and all his works , ( so far as he may be said to intend an end ) is ultimately himself ( for he can have no other ultimate end . ) 33. when we say god is his own end , we mean not that his essence or existence , is his end ( for of that there cannot be a means : ) but formally it is the fulfilling and complacency of his will. for his will is the beginning and end of all things caused by him . 34. materially gods highest end ( or the summary of all means ) in order to this complacency of his will , which is the formal ultimate end , is his glory ; that is , the foresaid glorious impress or appearance of himself communicated to his creatures , and found in his works . and this is not only the image or glory of his holiness , ( though that be the most eminent part ) but also of his omnipotence and omniscience : ( unless any will take the the word [ holiness ] in god so largely as to comprehend all his perfections . ) 35. and here his glory resplendent in the universe ( as comprehending christ and the whole creation ) being the total , comprehending all the parts , must needs have the preheminence before each part . 36. and among the parts the glory of god shining forth in the whole heavenly society ( christ , angels and men ) must needs have the preheminence . 37. and if you come down to individuals , his glory shining in the person of christ is greater ( and so nearest to the ultimate end ) than his glory in angels or men : because christ in his created nature is the best and highest of gods works ; and therefore as god is more glorified in the sun , than in a star , so is he more glorified in christ , than in any man or angel. 38. gods wisdom , love and power , were wonderfully glorious in the person of christ , and in all his works performed for our redemption , when he was on earth ; much more in his person and intercession in the heavens . 39. and as to the effects of redemption upon man , the glory of gods wisdom , love , and holiness , justice and mercy , do shine forth wonderfully in our union with christ , and membership of his political body , in our free pardon and justification , reconciliation and adoption , through the sacrifice , merit , and intercession of christ , and not in our sanctification only . 40. the same i may say of all gods mercies , which as immediate demonstrations of his goodness do glorifie him ; and also of his judgments now , and of the great and glorious final judgment , in which gods wisdom and goodness , truth , justice and mercy will be immediately glorified , and not only as the judgment maketh man holy , nor only as it declareth us to be so . 41. the holiness of god is wonderfully glorified in that he will have no immediate communion with any soul that is defiled with the smallest sin ; but after they have once sinned , and till they are perfected , be they never so sincerely holy , their whole communion with him ( as to receiving from him , and returning to him ) must be only by a mediator that hath no sin . all mercy must be given by him , ( ev●n the spirit it self ) and all our sacrifices and duty offered to god by him . only the sinless can have immediate communion with god , at least as to moral communication ( for of physical i will not here dispute . ) 42. the wisdome , and goodness of god are wonderfully glorified , in providing this incomprehensible way of our redemption , that by it justice and holiness may be as fully glorified , the truth of god vindicated , the honour and authority of the law and lawgiver preserved , and sin disgraced and confounded , by the sacrifice , merit and intercession of christ , as if all sinners themselves had been condemned . ( all which and much more mr. truman in his great propitiation hath fullier opened , than i can now stay to do , and therefore to him i must refer you . ) 43. in this aptitude of it to attain these ends of god our ruler and benefactor , better than mans damnation could have done , consisteth the satisfactoriness and meritoriousness of the death or sacrifice of christ , and not in the identity in kind , or in the equal proportion of the degree of christs sufferings , as compared with that which man deserved . 44. by all this it is evident , that our personal holiness is not the only end ( or design ) of god in mans redemption , nor in instituting the christian religion . but if god must be said to have no end , which is also a means , ( but only the ultimate end , the complacency of his blessed will , which is no means , but all are means to it ) then our holiness is none of gods end , but one means to it . but if the means themselves , as the end of lower means , may be called gods end , after the manner of imperfect man , than our holiness is one of his inferior ends , among many others ; it being one part of that universal frame , in which conjoyned his glory most appeareth , in which his blessed will taketh complacency . 45. and all this being so evident to all that receive the christian faith , when this learned worthy man , and such others , do say that holiness is the only design of the promises , &c. you mud not interpret them too severely , nor suppose them to speak properly or accurately ; but [ only ] is an hyperbolical expression , ( as many use the word infinite as an attribute of created things , instead of great , ) doubtless he intended it not as exclusive of all other ends ( either of god or man , ) and the mode of the age having turned accurate school-language , into figurative and such as rhetoricians use , may teach you to expect some such , even in the severest sort of writers . 46. but though it be not true that our holiness is the only end or design of the promises , or of christianity , it is true that it is the end of all our christianity , that is one of its very great and noble ends . 47. the same graces or gifts of god to man do usually circularly promote each other , and so each is as to other , both an end and means in several instances and respects . see what i have said in my treatise of the life of faith , to the question , whether the precept be for the promise , or the promise for the precept ? whether the reward be the end of obedience , or obedience the end of the reward ? pag. 237. 48. when we say that holiness is the end of christianity or faith in christ , we take holiness narrowly for that primary and most immediate part of holiness , which is our resignation , subjection and love to god as god ; and not so largely as to include our faith in christ it self . and we take not christianity for the whole christian religion , but for the remedying part , or faith in christ as such . otherwise we could but say that the remedying part of our religion or holiness , is the means to the primary part which is its end . when we understand each other , let us not needlesly quarrel about words . 49. if any say too much in making our holiness gods only end , it ill beseemeth those to be their censurers , who haue tempted them to it , by erring more on the contrary extream . and it is not to be denyed or hid , that more than downright antinomians , have so ill expounded the points of christs suretiship , and of the imputation of our sin to him , and of the imputation of his righteousness to us , as hath proved the great occasion of some mens running into the contrary errour ; yea , and as would exclude all pardon of sin , and all true religion , had their notions been practically and prevalently held . but their opinions are confuted by so many ( olevian , ursine , piscator , paraeus , wendeline , camero , and many other forreigners ; and by wotton , gataker , and others at home ; and plainliest in mr. trumans foresaid treatise , mr. bradshaw of justif . and mr. hotchkis of pardon , and le blank in his theses ) that i will not here stay to deal with those points . and it is not an easie or a common thing , for men that write against any dangerous errour and extream , to keep up large impartial thoughts , and see the danger on the contrary side ; for mans mind is limitted and narrow , and cannot think with equal seriousness and clearness of many things at once . and the wisest man alive , when he is earnestly pleading against any errour , is in great danger of forgetting what is on the other side the way , and of thinking so eagerly what to say against the opinion he opposeth , as to forget both what may be said for it , and what worse his own arguings may infer . 50. nothing is more sure in christianity , than that christ came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost ; and to bring home straying prodigals to god , and to destroy the works of the flesh and devil ; and to bring man back to the love and obedience of his maker , and to cure him of his worldly love . and so that holiness or the love of god , is the end of our redemption , and our faith. 51. it is most certainly that he is the best man that hath the least need of pardon of sin , that is , that is most holy and least sinful ; and that all men must rather desire to be kept from sin , ( and pardoned when they do sin ) then to sin and then be pardoned : nor may we desire pardon alone , if we could have it . so that we are pardoned what is past , that love may make us sin so no more ; and justification is an antecedent means to our fuller holiness and obedience to god ( which i have largely opened in my confession of faith . ) 52. it is certain that justification and sanctification go on hand in hand together ( of which see mr. george hopkins , salvation from sin ; ) and that it is a notorious errour of such as say that justification is perfect as soon as it begins ( though it be true that all sin is then forgiven . ) 53. and it is certain that sanctification as it is the work of god , is an executive part , or one part of the executive pardon of our sins ; because it is the taking off of a very great penalty , which is the privation of the spirit of grace . 54. nothing is more injurious to christ than to feign that he is a patron of sin , or came to excuse men by free justification from obedience to their creators law of nature , or to make sin less odious to mankind : seeing he dyed to redeem us from all iniquity , and to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works . 55. and it is an intollerable blasphemy against god , to imagine that christ came to make the divine nature more friendly or reconcileable to sin , or to love complacencially an ungodly person as if he were godly , as being such by the imputation of christs righteousness to him , and to repute any man to be what he is not ; to take a wicked man for a saint , because that christ was holy for him : what ever malicious papists say , the protestants abhor such doctrine . 56. and as far are we from believing that christ was a sinner , or that god ever supposed him to be a sinner , or hated or punished him as a sinner : or that ever our sin did really become his sin , or that god reputed it so to have been . for no false judgment can belong to god. 57. but we believe that christ dyed for our sins , as a sacrifice , ransome , propitiation , attonement . and that his own voluntary sponsion and his fathers will were his obligation ; and that our sins were the occasion , and the evil to be done away ; and that ( for the holy ends forementioned ) he suffered for our sakes and in our stead , such a kind and measure of suffering , as was fit to attain the ends of our creator , better than our damnation could have done . and thus far our sins may be said to be imputed to him , in that he dyed for them ; though properly he undertook the punishment only ; but never the sin it self : his nature and holy will abhorring such an undertaking . the reatus facti , or reatus culpae were never upon christ ; nor the primary proper reatus ad poenam ; but only an improper assumed reatus ad poenam , or obligation to punishment for our sins . nor can an accident remove from one subject to another , but its removing is its perishing . 58. and though we believe not that god doth judge us to have done all the righteousness that christ did , nor to have possessed the same individual righteousness as christ had ( for god never erreth ) nor accounteth us as righteous as christ himself ; nor yet useth us in all respects as he would have done , if we had been as righteous as christ himself ; nor do we think it a thing possible that the same individual righteousness that was in christ ( being an accident ) can be in it self and really given to us , and made ours ; yet do we believe that his habitual perfection , with his active righteousness and his sacrifice or sufferings , all set together , and advanced in value , by their conjunction with his divine righteousness , were the true meritorious procuring cause of our pardon , justification , adoption , sanctification and salvation . not one part imputed to this effect , and another to that ; but all thus making up one meritorious cause of all these effects ; even of the covenant and all its benefits . and thus christs righteousness is imputed and given to us ; not immediately in it self , but in the effects and fruits : as a ransome is said to be given to a captive , because it is given for him ; though strictly the ransome is given to another , and only the fruits of it to him . 59. those ignorant , self conceited contentious teachers , that seek the reputation of orthodox zeal in the things which they never understood , and instead of clear apprehending sound scripture-doctrine , and plain expounding it to the church , do take on trust and for company , false or insignificant confounding notions , and proudly make them the instruments of their furious censures and revilings , and of dividing the church by raising slanders against those that presume to be wiser than they ; and so by backbiting tell their hearers , how erroneous and dangerous this and that mans doctrine is , because they never had the wisdom , study and patience to understand it ; such i say are the men that in all ages have been the firebrands in the church , and zealously promoted christs kingdom by dividing it , and will hardly ever have peace here themselves , nor endure their brethrens or the churches peace . 60. it is not possible for god to hate a holy soul , that loveth him as god , and beareth his holy image . 61. yet is his holiness no satisfaction to gods justice , for the sins of his unholy state , or for his imperfections . 62. if you ask , what then would god have done with one thus converted , if he had no saviour , to ransom him from justice for his sin ? i answer ; it is a supposition that is not to be put ; because no man is converted and sanctified that hath not a saviour , and the pardon of his sins , for none but christ could first merit , and then give , the spirit of sanctification which we had lost ; and so without christ and his spirit we should have been equally unsanctified and unpardoned . 63. it is vain therefore to dream that cicero or seneca , augustine or chrysostom , luther or calvin , are as much saviours as christ , so far as their doctrine maketh men holy : for neither philosophers nor divines preach any good doctrine , but what christ as the mediator and light of the world , did some way or other communicate to them : so that their doctrine that is good , is not their own but his , ( even theirs that know him not . ) it is not they but he , that merited all grace , and that preserved the sinning world from being used as it deserved , and that ascending up on high gave gifts ( both common and special ) unto men . their light is as the moons derived from the sun ; which of them but christ , hath purchased and given a covenant of grace to the condemned world ? and which of them but christ , sends forth with their doctrine , a quickening , illuminating and sanctifying spirit , to overcome the devil , the world and the flesh ? 64. while all sober divines thus plead for holiness , and censure one anothers doctrines as unholy and countenancing sin , it plainly sheweth that they are very much at unity in the main ; but that they have not the skil to word and methodize their notions rightly , and to make all fall right with the ends and main matter which they are agreed in . and when we hear men accuse each other of unholy , and sinful opinions and practices , though we must hate the ignorance , pride and uncharitableness which is in it , yet it is a comfort to us , to hear and read that they all agree to cry down sin in the general and to disgrace it ; and that they all bear so conjunct a testimony for the excellency and necessity of holiness ; what hope is there then that if we could set all our tacklings together , and see truths fall right in their several places , we might unite our force against the kingdom of the devil , and ungodliness ; and might give over destroying holiness by crying down the things we understand not as unholy ; and might be healed of that antique phrensie , which maketh so many divines and other christians , by ill managing their zeal for holiness , to divide the churches , and hinder the gospel , and be the instruments of satan , to keep and cast down holiness in the world . 65. those churches especially that lament the lapse of discipline , and the confounding of the holy and prophane ; and those that are constituted by unwarrantable scrutinies after the holiness of members , beyond the test that was appointed by christ , should not dishonour themselves , nor bring their doctrine or persons in●o suspition , by being the hasty censurers and condemners of such writings , as drive harder for the promoting of holiness than themselves . 66. there is so clear a tendency in all gods instituted ordinances to further holiness , that he knoweth not what he talketh of , who slighteth them , on pretence of natural evidences and helps to the same end : seeing natural and supernatural evidences and helps , are so far from being opposite , that they are both necessary , and do in admirable suitableness and harmony concur . 67. he knoweth not the hurtful miscarriages of our times , who knoweth not what the mistaken notions about free grace , have done against free grace it self ; and how the gospel hath been supplanted , by an erroneous crying up the gospel , and crying down the law ; and how justification hath been abused , by mens seeming to extol it , and sanctification injured by such pretexts : and he that with one eye looks on that disease and its effects , and with the other looks on the book you tell me of , and such like , will quickly see what sore this plaster was provided for , and how much excellent matter there is in it , which the foresaid persons and diseases need . 68. and as to your mention of my former writings , and my interest in the business questioned ; i shall say but this , 1. that either you have read my former writings , or you have not ; if not , i will not write more to satisfie you , who read not what is already written : for why should i think that you will rather read the later than the former ? if you have read them , ( especially my confession , my disputations of justification , and my life of faith , ) either they satisfie you or not : if they do , you need no more ; if not , i cannot satisfie you . the question is whether it be truth and clearly opened which is there written ? if it be , i will not avoid it , lest men abuse it ; nor will i hope to write that which none shall misunderstand , or turn to an occasion of some extream . 2. and these few pages tell you my sense ; the same which i have formerly published : if wrong , confute it : if right , my former writings , fullier opening the same things are so far right . 3. and my life of faith is so late and large in opening the same points ( where i have named no less than fifty eight errours on the antinomian side and their fautors in the point of justification and imputation ) that me thinks you should not so quickly call for more . 69. and as to mr. fowlers consectaries ; ch . 20.22 , 23. what would you wish more accommodate to an honest concord ( which is our strength and beauty ) and to the healing of deforming and destroying divisions , than the practising of the motion , that our union be placed in things necessary to holiness ▪ and whereas you think our church-controversies concerned , i know not your own mind , because i know not you ; but as for my self , you are not i hope so unreasonable as to expect that i plead the cause of the imposers of conformity ; and as for the non-conformists , i think they have no dislike to his rule , ch . 23. how far we may comply with rulers or customs , but highly approve it : whether they are in the right or the wrong , i suppose you will not allow me to be judge : but you cannot sure be ignorant that they are so far from taking the things for indifferent which they refuse , that they think it would make them guilty , should they do them , of sins so many and so very great , and for peace and the reverence of superiors , i will not now so much as name . and they take nothing to be more suitable to their principles about such things than mr. fowlers doctrine . 70. to conclude , undoubtedly holiness is the life and beauty of the soul ; the spirit of holiness is christs agent to do his work in us , and our pledge and earnest and first fruit of heaven : it is christs work , and subordinately ours , to cleanse us from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , perfecting holiness in the fear of god. christ , the spirit , the word , the ministry , mercies , afflictions , and all things are to bring home , our hearts to god , and to work together for our good , by making us partakers of his holiness . our holiness is our love of god who is most holy : and our love of god , and reception of his love ▪ is our heaven and everlasting happiness ; where having no more sin to be forgiven , but being presented without spot or wrinkle unto god , we shall for ever both magnifie the lamb that hath redeemed us , and washed us from all our sins in his blood , and made us kings and priests to god , and also shall with all the holy society , sing holy , holy , holy to the blessed jehovah , who is , and was , and is to come ; to whom all the heavenly host shall give this special part of praise for ever . and as all real saints desire nothing more than holy hearts and holy lives , holy m●gistrates and holy pastors , holy churches and a holy state , holy doctrine , holy worship , and holy discipline , and that all the people may indeed be holy ; that true reformation may make all the churches of the world more holy , and their holiness may win home the infidels and idolaters to a holy conformity to them , and that the kingdoms of the world may become all the kingdoms of god and of his christ ; so all those hypocrites that place their holiness in superstition , & vain singularities in a love-killing proud dividing zeal ; in bittern●ss against those that are wiser and better than themselves , in making things to be sins ▪ & duties which god never made so , in new opinions , for which they think highly of themselves , and contemptuously of those that are not of their mind ; in dead imagery and cold formalities , or hurtful pomp , in names , and words , and shews , and sidings ; in reproaching , silencing , and cruel handling , all that dislike their carnal interest and way ; and wil not sell their innocency and salvation to humour them in their pride , & comply with all their interests and conceits , that think their places , their parties , their high professions , do make those sins to be small & tolerable in them , which god abhorreth in all others ; all these counterfeits , images or carkasses of holiness , are but the powerful cheats of the unholy ; and the portion of hypocrites & unbelievers shall be the same , ( though not perhaps in the same degree . ) aug. 24. ( the fatal day ) 1671. what happiness is ? augustin . de morib . eccles . cap. 3. fol. 1. pag. 320. beatus , quantum e 〈…〉 o , neque ille dici potest qui non habet quod amat , qualecunque●●● ; neque qui habet quod amat si noxium sit ; neque qui non amat , quod habet etiamsi optimum sit ; nam & qui appetit quod adipisci non potest , cruciatur , & qui adeptus est quod appetendum non est , fallitur ; & qui non appetit quod adipiscendum esset , aegrotat : ( he might have added , et qui non habet quod amet ; quia neque objectum habet beatificans nec actum ) quartum restat — ubi beata vita inveniri queat cum id quod est hominis optimum ( viz. deus ) & amatur & habetur . i take not him to be blessed , who hath not that which he loveth , whatsoever it be ; nor him that hath what he loveth , if it be hurtful ; nor him that loveth not that which he hath , though it be the best ; for he that desireth that which he cannot get is tormented ; and he that getteth that which is not desirable , is deceived ; and he that desireth not that which should be gotten , is sick . it remaineth therefore fourthly , that a truly blessed life consisteth in this , when that which is best for a man is both loved and enjoyed ( which he proveth at large to be god alone . ) what holiness or virtue is ? id ▪ ib. cap. 15. quod si virtus ad beatam vitam nos ducit , nihil omnino esse virtuiem affirmav●rim , nisi summum amorem dei — & sic definire quatuor virtutes non dubitem ; ut temperantia sit amor integrum se prebens ei quod amatur : justitia , amor soli amato serviens , & propterea recte dominans ; prudentia , amor est , ea quibus adjuvatur ab eis quibus impeditur sagaciter seligens . that is , [ but if virtue be the way to a blessed life , i will affirm that virtue is nothing else , but the chiefest love of god — and i make no doubt thus to define the four virtues , temperance is love , delivering our selves intirely to our beloved ; fortitude is love , easil●●nduring all things for the sake of our beloved ; justice is love , serving our beloved alone , and therefore rightly governing our inferiors ; prudence is love , skilfully differencing our helps from our hinderances . ] holiness not fanatically proud or aspiring . id. ib. cap. 12. fit deo similis quantum datum est , dum illustrandum illi atque illuminandum se subjicit : et si maximè ei propinquat subjectione istâ quâ similis fit longe ab eo fiat necesse est audaciâ , quâ vult esse similior . that is , a man is made like to god , in that degree that is granted him , when he subjects himself to him , to be illustrated and illuminated by him : and let him come never so near him by this subjection , to whom he is made like , it must needs be that the arrogancy , of desiring to be liker to him ( than is meet ) will be far from him . finis . the humble petition of many thousands, gentlemen, free-holders, and others, of the county of worcester to the parliament of the common-wealth of england, in behalf of the able, faithful, godly ministry of this nation / delivered by colonel jeff bridges, and m. thomas foly, december 22, 1652 ; with the parliaments answers thereunto. england and wales. parliament. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a29382 of text r15906 in the english short title catalog (wing b4477). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 16 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a29382 wing b4477 estc r15906 12100098 ocm 12100098 54088 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a29382) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 54088) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 885:8) the humble petition of many thousands, gentlemen, free-holders, and others, of the county of worcester to the parliament of the common-wealth of england, in behalf of the able, faithful, godly ministry of this nation / delivered by colonel jeff bridges, and m. thomas foly, december 22, 1652 ; with the parliaments answers thereunto. england and wales. parliament. bridges, john, colonel. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. foley, thomas, 1617-1677. 8 p. printed by robert white, for francis tyton, and thomas underhill and are to be sold at their shops ..., london : 1652. reproduction of original in huntington library. attributed to john bridges and richard baxter. cf. wing. eng church and state -england. a29382 r15906 (wing b4477). civilwar no the humble petition of many thousands, gentlemen, free-holders, and others, of the county of worcester, to the parliament of the common-weal baxter, richard 1652 2864 6 0 0 0 0 0 21 c the rate of 21 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the humble petition of many thousands , gentlemen , free-holders , and others , of the county of worcester , to the parliament of the common-wealth of england . in behalf of the able , faithful , godly ministry of this nation . delivered by colonel john bridges , and mr. thomas foly , december 22. 1652. vvith the parliaments answer thereunto . london , printed by robert white , for francis tyton , and thomas underhill , and are to be sold at their shops , the three daggers in fleet street , and the bible 〈…〉 to the honourable the parliament of the common-wealth of england . the humble petition of us gentlemen , free-holders , and others inhabiting the county of worcester . shevveth , that your petitioners having with grief observed both the language of many pamphlets and persons of late times , against the ministers of christ among us , and petitions preferred to you against their present maintenance , without any regard to the substitution of a fitter : and these pretending to the relief of the impoverished nation , as if they were the very sense and language of the body of this commonwealth : we cannot but suspect , yea discern that there is a party that desire and endeavour the subversion of the ministrie ; yet have we hitherto remained silent , partly in hopes that they were so few and inconsiderable , as not to deserve to be publikely taken notice of , and mentioned , to the dishonour of our nation : partly that we might not interrupt your weighty consultations , but chiefly lest we should be mis-interpreted to suspect your fidelitie to the ministrie , and consequently to christianity and christ himself : which we know you must needs resent as an uncharitable censoriousness , considering how evident you have seen , and how often acknowledged with greatest solemnity , the lord jesus in your preservations ; and how deeply you are engaged to him above most men on earth , and how sensibly you vindicated a persecuted ministrie in the very beginning of this parliament , and how strongly you have obliged your selves , not only to preserve the reformed religion in doctrine , worship , discipline , and government ; but also to promote in all these a further reformation where it is wanting ; as also considering what a tender respect to a faithful ministrie you have all along to this day professed , and are still consulting for the propagation of the gospel , and have done justice on some opposers so near you ; besides the augmentations you have allowed to many places where means was wanting . we disclaim therefore all such ungrateful censoriousness , and thankfully acknowledge all your favors to the ministrie and gospel of the lord jesus , who is easily able to reward you , and see that you be no losers by him and his cause . but yet least our continued silence should seem to signifie our consent to those that would undo us , under pretence of releiving us ; and lest they be thought to speak our sense , lest their audaciousness encrease while none contradict them : and lest we dishonour our nation in the eyes of the christian world , whilest they think that the voice of these few is the common voice : and lest your own hearts should be overwhelmed with grief , not only to see such a degenerated people living under your government ; but also that so few gain ▪ say them , as if the nation had lost their love to the gospel : and that after such light , profession and engagements ; and consequently you may think they will prove an ungrateful people to you , who prove so ungrateful to the lord their saviour ; we have therefore adventured on this bold enterpellation , and crave your patience , while we do with more then ordinary importunity bespeak you , seeing it is in the zeal of the lord , for his glory , his church , his gospel , and the souls of our selves and posterity . we know it was by ministers of the gospel , that the lord jesus did set up his kingdom on earth , and hath subdued so much of the world to himself , destroying the kingdom of darkness , paganism , idolatry , and wickedness : we know he granted their commission upon the reception of his plenipotencie , and upon his ascending he gave them for the perfecting of the saints , and the edifying of his body , till they come to his fulness , and that as a means to preserve them from seducers , and being tossed and carryed about as children with every wind of doctrine , eph. 4 9. to 15. and hath promised to be with them to the end of the world : which promise he hath hitherto eminently accomplished . it is the ministrie by which christ hath continued his church to this day : nor do we know , or have heard of that place on earth where christianity was ever maintained in splendor and vigor ( if at all continued ) without a ministrie . it was the ministers by whom christ did waken the superstitious world , and discover to them the romish delusions ; and by whom he begun and carryed on the work of reformation , by them exciting a zealous magistracie ; and after all their labours , multitudes of them did sacrifice their lives in the flames . it is the writings of a learned able ministrie which yet stand up in the face of heathenish , mahometan , and romish adversaries , to their vexation and confusion , which they may sooner reproach or burn , then answer : by which after-ages are , and still may be stablished in the truth , against all the subtill endeavours of seducers . it is a learned , able , faithful ministrie , which yet is the daunting and discouragement of the jesuits and other deceivers , who well know , if these were but taken out of their way , how boldly they might dare us , how insultingly they might challenge us to dispute for our religion , and how easily they might silence and shame us , and thereby carry away the multitude after them . for who should strengthen the peoples hearts , and defend the cause of the lord against them , if such a ministry were down ? it was a faithfull ministry who revealed gods mercy , and the precious truths of the gospel to our own souls , and whom god by the cooperation of his spirit hath blessed to be the means of converting , or confirming , or both , the souls of all those of us who have attained to any saving knowledge of himself . when we remember how often , and how happily our souls have been revived and refreshed by their ministry , we are ashamed of the remisness of our zeal in this cause ; when we think that they are our fathers , and confirmers in christ , and how they must present us to him at his appearing as their joy and crown , phil. 2. 19 , 20. and that when we have escaped the flames of hell , and meet them in glory , we must acknowledge them instruments of so unvaluable a blessing ; we had rather there were no tongues in our mouths , then that ever we should joyn with their reproachers , and had rather suffer greater wants then ever we yet suffered , then ungratefully deny them their necessary maintenance , seeing our lord himself said , when he set them upon his work , the labourer is worthy of his hire ; and the holy ghost saith , who goeth to warfare at his own charge ? they that minister about holy things , live of the things of the temple ; even so hath the lord ordained , that they which preach the gospel , should live of the gospel , 1 cor. 9. 7. to 15. considering also that they are not forreigners , but englishmen , our own brethren , and sons that receive it from us , even that which by law is not ours but theirs ; and considering also how much more liberal papists are to their mass-priests and seducing jesuits then we are to a faithfull ministry of christ . and when we consider , that if england do excell other nations in the light of knowledge , and power of godliness , it is the ministry that are herein our glory , and the means of what the people do enjoy , we cannot be so ungratefull to them as to starve them and cast them off ; nor yet such enemies to englands happiness and honour● yea ▪ when we consider how the dreadfull , omnipotent king of saints doth call them his co-workers , and hath sent them in subserviency to his own blood-shed , and spirit , and said , he that despiseth you , despiseth me ; we had rather endure any corporal calamities , then stand charged with such a sin at the bar of our lord : yea ▪ and when we consider how he hath owned and stood by them , and rebuked kings for their sakes and his churches , charging them to do his prophets no harm ; and how well those rulers have sped , that have most obeyed , and encouraged them in the work of the lord ; and how god hath broken those powers that have disobeyed and abused them , 2 chron. 36. 15 , 16 , 17. and how severely he hath dealt in england before our eyes with that generation of men that silenced , reproached , and persecuted them ; we tremble at gods judgements , and dare not venter into the same consuming fire , whose flames are yet so fresh in our memory . your petitioners having as in the presence of the lord made this necessary and solemn profession of their judgements , affections , and resolutions , to acquaint you how far they are from approving or consenting to any opposers or underminers of the ministry and gospel of the lord jesus , do humbly address themselves , with these earnest requests , to this honourable assembly . first , that you will be pleased , not only to continue your owning of , and tenderest care for the upholding or an able , godly , faithfull ministry ( of which we dare not doubt ) but also that you will so far countenance and encourage them in the lords work , and discountenance all that oppose them , directly or indirectly that all the world , and especially the people of this common-wealth , may still see , and acknowledge your open and resolved adhering to the reformed christian religion , and interest of the lord jesus : and seeing all the ungodly ( besides misguided distempered christians ) are ever discouragers of them , god having sent them on a work so unpleasing to flesh and blood , you will the more sedulously encourage them , as nursing fathers of the church . secondly , that you will be pleased to this end , to take special care of their competent maintenance , that we may not have an ignorant ministry , while they are forced to be labouring for food and raiment , while they should be in their studies , or watching over their flocks ; and that through disability or unpreparedness , they disgrace not the work of christ , nor make it and their office contemptible , thereby rejoycing the enemy , and hindring the saving of souls ; specially seeing it is expected that they credit their doctrine with works of charity : and seeing that a dependant and beggarly ministry will lose so much of their authority with the souls that most need them , and themselves will be laid open to the sore temptation of man-pleasing ; besides the probability of the suffering of their children , when they are dead : and if the ministers of this age be never so resolved to continue their work through all necessities , yet in the next age the church is like to be destitute and desolate , because men will set their sons to other studies and imployments : we therefore humbly crave , that this honorable assembly will not take down the present maintenance by tythes ( though we have ●s much reason to be sensible of those inconveniences that it is charged with , as others ) or at least , not till they , instead of it , establish as sure , and full , and fit a maintenance . thirdly , that you will be pleased to take into your compassionate thoughts , both the dark places in england and wales which want able godly teachers ; and the state of great cities , and populous towns , where through the exceeding number of souls , one minister hath more work then can possibly be done by many : whereby while they are confined to the publike work alone , all private ministerial instruction , admonition , and other oversight , must needs be neglected : that therefore to such very numerous congregations , you would allow a maintenance , if not to ministers proportionable to the number of souls , and greatness of the work ; yet at least more then in smaller places : we offer but the same request to you , in your places , which christ hath commanded us to offer to god himself . that where the harvest is great , and the labourers are few , more labourers may be sent into the harvest . fourthly , that you will be pleased to continue your care of the universities , and schools of learning , and tenderly preserve their maintenance and necessary priviledges , that there may be a meet supply of labourers for the continuation of the gospel , and the glory of england to our posterity . fifthly , and because our sad divisions in matter of religion , especially about church-government , have been such a hinderance to the propagation of the gospel , that you will be pleased speedily to imploy your utmost wisdom and power for the healing of them : and to that end would call together some of the most godly , prudent , peaceable divines of each party , that differs in points of church-government , and lay upon them your commands and adjuration , that they cease not amicable consulting and seeking god , till they have found out a meet way for accommodation and unity , and acquainted you therewith : and if through gods heavy displeasure against us , he shall suffer the spirit of division and prejudice so far to prevail , as to frustrate their consultations ( the contrary whereto we should strongly hope ) that you would be pleased to advise with those divines that are most judicious and peaceable , and least addicted to parties ; and thereupon to recommend at least to the people , so much of church-order and government , as you finde to be clearly required by jesus christ , and vouchsafe it your publique countenance and encouragement , though you scruple an enforcement . these things we humbly and earnestly request of this honorable assembly , in the behalf of jesus christ ( to whom we doubt not but you are daily petitioners ) and of this commonwealth , and the souls of men : beseeching you to let the interest of the gospel have the most speedy and resolute dispatch in your consultations , and at least to equal it with our most necessary defence , whereby you will the more engage christ to defend both you and us , whom you have so often found to be the surest defence : so shall you be called the repairers of our breaches ; and shall oblige us to pray , &c. [ subscribed by above six thousand . ] col : iohn bridges , and mr. thomas foly being called in to the house , master speaker told them , the house had read and considered the petition brought up out of the county of worcester , and the house had commanded him to give them thanks on the behalf of those of the county of worcester that sent it , for their good affections expressed therein : and accordingly he did give them the thanks of the house , and that they would take their petition into serious consideration in due time . finis . richard baxter his account to his dearly beloved, the inhabitants of kidderminster, of the causes of his being forbidden by the bishop of worcester to preach within his diocess with the bishop of worcester's letter in answer thereunto : and some short animadversions upon the said bishops letter. account to his dearly beloved, the inhabitants of kidderminster, of the causes of his being forbidden by the bishop of worcester to preach within his diocess baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1662 approx. 118 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 27 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26854 wing b1179 estc r1412 12305967 ocm 12305967 59251 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26854) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59251) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 200:7) richard baxter his account to his dearly beloved, the inhabitants of kidderminster, of the causes of his being forbidden by the bishop of worcester to preach within his diocess with the bishop of worcester's letter in answer thereunto : and some short animadversions upon the said bishops letter. account to his dearly beloved, the inhabitants of kidderminster, of the causes of his being forbidden by the bishop of worcester to preach within his diocess baxter, richard, 1615-1691. stillingfleet, edward, 1635-1699. letter to a friend for vindication of himself from mr. baxter's calumny. [8], 45 [i.e. 39] p. [s.n.], london printed : 1662. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng stillingfleet, edward, 1635-1699. church of england -clergy. clergy -england. 2004-02 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-06 rachel losh sampled and proofread 2004-06 rachel losh text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion richard baxter his account to his dearly beloved , the inhabitants of kidder minster , of the causes of his being forbidden by the bishop of worcester to preach within his diocess . with ▪ the bishop of worcester's letter in answer thereunto . and some short animadversions upon the said bishops letter . london , printed anno dom. 1660. to my dearly beloved the inhabitants of the burrough and parish of kederminster in worcester-shire . as i never desired any greater preferment in this world , than to have continued in the work of my ministry among you , so i once thought my dayes would have been ended in that desired station : but we are unmeet to tell god how he shall dispose of us ; or to foreknow what changes he intends to make . though you are low in the world , and have not the riches which cause mens estimation with the most , i see no probability that we should have been separated till death , could i but have obtained leave to preach for nothing . but being forbidden to preach the gospel in that diocesse , i must thankfully take the liberty which shall anywhere else be vouchsafed me . and while i may enjoy it , i take it not for my duty to be over querulour , though the wound that is made by my separation from you be very deep . and though to strangers it will seem probable that such severity had never been exercised against me , but for some heynous crime , yet to you that have known me , i shall need to say but little in my defence . the great crime which is openly charged on me , and for which i am thought unworthy to preach the gospel , ( even where there is no other to preach ) is a matter that you are unacquainted with , and therefore , as you have heard me publikely accused of it , i am bound to redder you such an account as is necessary to your just information and satisfaction . it pleased the kings majesty , ( in the prosecution of his most christian resolution , of uniting his differing subjects by the way of mutual approaches and abatements ) to grant a commission to twelve bishops and nine assistances on the one side , and to one bishop and eleven other divines and nine assistants on the other side , to treat about such alterations of the liturgy , as are necessary to the satisfying of tender consciences , and to the restoring of unity and reace . my experiences in a former treaty ( for reconciliation in matter of discipline ) made me intreat those to whom the nomination on the one side was committed , to excuse me from the service which i knew would prove troublesome to my self , and ungrateful to others ; but i could not prevail . ( but the work it self , i very much approved , as to be done by fitter and more acceptable persons . ) being commanded by the kings commission , i took it to be my duty to be faithful , and to plead for such alterations as i knew were necessary to the assigned ends ; thinking it to be treachery to his majesty that entrusted us , and to the church and cause for which we were entrusted , if under pretence of making such alterations as were necessary to the two forementioned ends , i should have silently yield to have \ [ no alterations\ ] or \ [ next to none . \ ] in the conclusion ( when the chief work was done by writing ) a committee of each part , was appointed to manage a disputation in prefence ( by writing also . ) therein those of the other part formed an argument , whose major proposition was to this sense ( for i have no copy ) \ [ whatsoever book enjoyneth nothing but what is of it self lawfal , and by lawful authority , enjoyneth nothing that is sinful : \ ] we denied this proposition ; and at last gave divers reasons of our denyal ; among which one was that \ [ it may be unlawful by accident , and therefore sinful\ ] you now know my crime ; it is my concurring with learned ▪ reverend brethren , to give this reason of our denyal of a proposition : yet they are not forbidden to preach for it , ( and i hope shall not be ▪ ) but only i. you have publikely heard , from a mouth that should speak nothing but the words of charity , truth , and sobernesse , ( especially there ) that this was \ [ a desperate shift that men at the last extremity are forced to\ ] and inferring \ [ that then neither god nor man can enjoyn without sin . \ ] in city and country this soundeth forth to my reproach . i should take it for an act of clemency to have been smitten professedly for nothing , and that it might not have been thought necessary to afflict me by a defamation , that so i might seem justly afflicted by a prohibition to preach the gospel . but indeed is there in these words of ours so great a crime ? though we doubted not but they knew that our assertion made not every evil accident , to be such as made an imposition unlawful , yet we exprest this by word to them at that time , for fear of being misreported ; and i told it to the right reverend bishop when he forbad me to preach , and gave this as a reason : and i must confesse i am still guilty of so much weaknesse , as to be confident that some things not evil of themselves , may have accidents so evil , as may make it a sin to him that shall command them . is this opinion inconsistent with all government ? yea i must confesse my self guilty of so much greater weaknesse ; as that i thought i should never have found a man on earth , that had the ordinary reason of a man , that had made question of it ; yea i shall say more then that which hath offended , viz. that whenever the commanding or forbidding of a thing indifferent is like to occasion more hurt than good , and this may be foreseen , the commanding or forbidding it is a sin . but yet this is not the assertion that i am chargeable with , but that \ [ some accidents there may be that make the imposition sinful ; \ ] if i may ask it without accusing others , how would my crime have been denominated if i had said the contrary ? should i not have been judged unmeet to live in any governed society ? it is not unlawfull of it self to command out a navy to sea : but if it were foreseen that they would fall into the enemies hands , or were like to perish by any accident , and the necessity of sending them were small , or none , it were a sin to send them , it is not of it self unlawful to sell poyson , or to give a knife to another , or to bid another do it : but if it were foreseen that they will be used to poyson or kill the buyer , it is unlawful , and i think the law would make him believe it that were guilty . it is not of it self unlawful to light a candle or set fire on a straw ; but if it may be foreknown , that by anothers negligence or wilfulnesse , it is like to set fire on the city , or to give fire on a train and store of gunpowder , that is under the parliament house , when the king and parliament are there : i crave the bishops pardon , for believing that it were sinful to doe it , or command it : yea or not to hinder it ( in any such case , ) when qui non vetat peccare cum potest , jubet . yea though going to gods publike worship be of it self so far from being a sin , as that it is a duty , yet i think it is a sin to command it to all in time of a raging pestilence , or when they should be defending the city against the assault of an enemy . it may rather be then a duty to prohibite it . i think paul spake not any thing inconsistent with the government of god or man , when he bid both the rulers and people of the church , not to destroy him with their meat for whom christ dyed : and when he saith that he hath not his power to destruction , but to edification . yea there are evil accidents of a thing not evil of it self , that are caused by the commander : and it is my opinion ▪ that they may prove his command unlawful . but what need i use any other instances then that which was the matter of our dispute ? suppose it never so lawful of it self to kneel in the reception of the sacrament , if it be imposed by a penalty that is incomparably beyond the proportion of the offence , that penalty is an accident of the command , and maketh it by accident sinful in the commander : if a prince should have subjects so weak as that all of them thought it a sin against the example of christ , and the canons of the general councils , and many hundred years practice of the church to kneel in the act of receiving on the lords day , if he should make a law that all should be put to death that would not kneel , when he foreknew that their consciences would command them all , or most of them , to die rather than obey , would any man deny this command to be unlawful by this accident ? whether the penalty of ejecting ministers that dare not put away all that kneel , and of casting out all the people that scruple it , from the church , be too great for such a circumstance , ( and so in the rest , ) and whether this , with the lamentable state of many congregations , and the divisions that will follow , being all foreseen , do prove the impositions unlawful which were then in question , is a case that i had then a clearer call to speak to , then i have now . only i may say that the ejection of the servants of christ from the communion of the church , and of his faithful ministers from their sacred work , when too many congregations have none but insufficient or scandalous teachers , or no preaching ministers at all , will appear a matter of very great moment , in the day of our accounts , and such as should not be done upon any but a necessary cause , where the benefit is greater then this hurt ( and all the rest ) amounts to . having given you ( to whom i owe it ) this account of the cause for which i am forbidden the exercise of my ministry in that countrey , i now direct these sermons to your hands , that seeing i cannot teach you as i would , i may teach you as i can . and if i much longer enjoy such liberty as this , it will be much above my expectation . my dearly beloved , stand fast in the lord ; and fear ye not the reproach of men , neither be afraid of their revilings : for the moth shall eat them up like a garment , and the worm shall eat them like wooll : but the righteousnesse of the lord shall be for ever , and his salvation from generation to generation , isa. 51. 7 , 8. if i have taught you my doctrine of error or impiety , of disobedience to your governours in lawful things , of schism or uncharit blenesse , unlearn them all , and renounce them with penitent detestation : but if otherwise , i beseech you mark them which cause divisions and offences , contrary to the doctrine which you have learned , and avoid them : for they are such as serve not our lord jesus christ , but their own belly ; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple , rom. 16. 17. if any shall speak against truth or godlinesse , remember what you have received ; and how little any adversary could say , that ever made such assaults upon you : and that it is easie for any man to talk confidently when no man must contradict him . i denyed no man liberty upon equal terms , to have said his worst against any doctrine that ever i taught you . and how they succeeded , i need not tell you : your own stability tells the world . as you have maintained true catholicism , and never followed any sect , so i beseech you still maintain the ancient faith , the love of every member of christ , and common charity to all , your loyalty to your king , your peace with all men : and let none draw you from catholick unity to faction , though the declaiming against faction and schism should be the device by which they would accomplish it ▪ and as the world is nothing , and god is all , to all that are sincere believers ? so let no worldly interest seem regardable to you , when it stands in any opposition to christ ; but account all loss and dung for him , phil. 3. 8. and if you shall hear that i yet suffer more then i have done , let it not be your discouragement or grief ; for i doubt not but it will be my crown and joy : i have found no small consolation , that i have not suffered , for sinfull , or for small and indifferent things : and if my pleading against the ejection of the ministers of christ , and the excommunicating of his member , for a ceremony , and the divisions of his church , & the destruction of charity shall be the cause of my suffering ( be it never so great , ) it shall as much rejoyce me to be a suffering witnesse for charity and unity , as if i were a martyr for the faith. i participate with paul in an expectation and hope , that christ shall be magnified in my body whether by life or death : and as to live will be christ , so to die will be gain ; only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of christ , that whether i ever see you more , or be absent ( till the joyfull day ) i may hear of your affairs , that ye stand fast in one spirit , with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel ; and in nothing terrified by your adversaries , which is to them an evident token of perdition , but to you of salvation , and that of god ; if to you it shall be given in the behalf of christ , not only to believe on him , but also to suffer for his sake , phil. 1. 10 ▪ 21 , 27 , 28 , 29. but let no injury from inferiors provoke you to dishonour , the governors that god himself hath set over you . be meek and patient ; the lord is at hand ; honour all men ; love the brotherhood ; fear god ; honour the king : for so is the will of god , that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men , 1 pet. 2. 15 , 17. it is soon enough for you and me ▪ to be justified at the bar of christ ( by himself that hath undertaken it ) against all the calumnies of malicious men . till then let it seem no greater a matter then indeed it is , to be slandered , vilified or abused by the world . keep close to him that never faileth you , and maintain your integrity , that he may maintain the joys that none can take from you . farewell my dear brethren , who are my glory and joy in the presence of our lord jesus christ at his coming ( 1 thes. 1. 18 , 19. your faithful , though unworthy pastor , rich. baxter . nov. 11. 1661. the bishop of worcester's letter to a friend for vindication of himself from mr. baxter's calumny . sir , i have received that letter of yours , whereby you inform me that mr. bazter hath lately written and printed something with such a reflection upon me , that i am obliged to take notice of it . i thank you for your care of my reputation , which next to conscience ought to be the dearest of all things to all men , especially to men of my profession and order , who the more they are vilified ( whether justly or unjustly ) the less good they will be able to doe , especially amongst those that have industriously been prepossessed with prejudice either against their persons or their functions . this was st. pauls case , when there were some that did what they could to make the corinthians to undervalue his person , that thereby they might discredit his doctrine , and weaken his authority , whom therefore he thinks he may without breach of charity call false apostles and deceitful workers . nay this was our saviours own case , who , whilest he lived here upon the earth , was ever and anon traduced and slandred by the scribes and pharisees , those proud hypocrites , who were the greatest pretenders to holinesse , and yet the greatest seducers of the people , and the grossest falsifyers of gods word , that ever were in the world , until these our times , which have brought forth a generation of men ( st. john baptist would have called them a generation of vipers ) who in the art of holy jugling and malicious slandring have out done the pharisees themselves , and all that went before them ; witnesse their so often wresting and perverting the scripture in their sermons to stir up the people to sedition , and their as often libelling the king in their prayers , in order to the making of his subjects first to hate him , then to fight against him , and at last to take away his crown , and his life from him . and is it any wonder that those that are such enemies to kings , should not be friends to bishops ? or that one ( who hath done what he could to make the late king odious unto his people ) should do what he can likewise to make the pastor odious unto his flock ? to this flock i say ; for it is the bishop of worcester , and not mr. baxter that is pastor of kidderminster , as well as of all other parochiall churches in that diocess ; neither did i or any other bishop of worcester , ever commit the care of souls in that , or any other parish of that diocess to mr. baxter , though by that preface of his to those of kidderminster , he would make the world believe , that they were his flock , and not mine , and that therefore he hath the more reason to complain of my defamation of him ( as he calls it ) in that place and before that people : whereas the truth is , that mr. baxter was never either parson , vicar or curate there or any where else in my diocess ; for he never came in by the door , that is , by any legal right or lawful admission into that sheepfold , but climbed up some other way , namely , by violence and intrusion , and therefore by christs own inference he was a thief and a robber ; and indeed he did rob him that was then , and is now again the lawful vicar of that church ; he robbed him i say , first of his reputation amongst his flock , and then of his means and maintenance , by taking away the fleece as well as the flock from him ; though ( as mr. baxter himself hath confessed to me ) he be a man of an unblameable life and conversation , though not of such parts ( said mr. baxter ) as are fit to qualifie him for the cure of so great a congregation ; which whether it were so or no , i am sure mr. baxter was not to be judge ; but in that case the bishop that was then living should and would have provided him a coadjutor , as i have done since , and such an one , as i hope will feed that flock with much more wholsome doctrine then mr. baxter did , when he sowed the seed of schism and sedition , and blew the trumpet of rebellion amongst them . for which cause i thought it my duty ( as being the pastor in chief ) not only to forbid mr. baxter to preach there any more , which , by the way , he had done without any license ; but likewise to preach there my self , and to do what i could to undeceive that poor seduced and miserably deluded people ; which was not to be done , as long as they had the person of their seducer in so great admiration ; and therefore by the example of st. paul , who in order to the same end did take the same course with alexander the copper-smith , with demas , philetus , and hymenous ; as likewise by the example of christ himself , who in order to the same end , did take the same course with the scribes and pharisees , i thought it necessary to let them know that one that was of great authority amongst them ( meaning indeed , though not naming mr. baxter ) was not the man they took him for ; that he had not dealt faithfully with them , nor preached the word of god sincerely to them , when he made them believe it was ▪ lawfull for them to take up arms against the king , nor in suffering ( if not making ) them to scruple at these things as unlawfull , which he he himself confesses to be lawfull ; and afterwards making use of those scruples of theirs ( which he himself had infused into them , or not endeavoured to take from them ) as the only argument why those things they did so scruple at should not be enjoyn'd by lawful authority , though lawful in themselves , because , forsooth , the enjoyning of things lawful by lawful authority , if they may by accident be the occasion of sin , is sinful ; which assertion of his ( as then i said , and must still maintain ) is destructive of humane society in taking away the authority of commanding and the obligation of obeying together with the whole legislative power , civil as well as ecclesiastical , and divine as well as humane . and thus much ( as mr. baxter himself saith ) i told him before in mine own house , neither did he then deny the assertion , or endeavour to disprove what i inferr'd from it , by any of those distinctions or instances he now useth . and that this is true the reverend dr. warmstry now dean of worcester will witness for me , whom i desired to be by whilest i conferr'd with mr. baxter , foreseeing what mis-report a man of mr. baxters principles and temper was like enough to make of what should pass betwixt us . and it was very well i did so ; for i find that the presbyter as well as the papist will serve themselves , as often as they are put to it , of their piae fraudet , or holy artifices , of speaking more or lesse then the truth , as it makes more or less for their purpose or advantage ; as likewise of putting non causam pro causa , or a part and a less principal part of the cause for the whole cause . for who would not think that knows not mr. baxter , that when he tells his disciples of kidderminster , you now know my crime , with reference to the aforesaid assertion , and to that only , who would not think , i say , that either there was nothing else objected against him , or at least nothing of moment , or that could be any just and reasonable cause of my forbidding him to preach in my diocess ? especially when he adds that the right reverend bishop gave him this as a reason for his forbidding him to preach ; where if he means that the bishop gave him this as the only , or the principal reason , he speaks without truth , and against his conscience ; for the first and principal reason the bishop gave him for his forbidding him to preach , was ( as he well knows , and as the dean of worcester will witness against him ) his preaching before without license , having no cure of his own to preach to ; whereunto when he replyed , i had promised to give him such a license as the bishop of london had given him , viz. quàm diu se bene gereret , & durante beneplacito ; i rejoyn'd , that it was true indeed , i had once promised to give him such a license , but withal , that it was as true , that first i had never promised to give him a license , if he took it before i gave it him ; and that for this presumption of his , i had now forbidden him to preach any more . secondly , that i knew more of him since then i did at that time ; for , first , i had been credibly informed , that he had abused the bishop of london's favour in preaching factiously , though not in the city , yet in the diocess of london , and i named the place to him : secondly , that since that promise of mine ( which cannot be supposed no other then conditional ) i myself had heard him in a conference in the savoy ▪ maintaining such a position as was destructive to legislative power both in god and man ( meaning the assertion before spoken of , viz. that the enjoining of things lawfull by lawfull authority , if they might by accident be the cause of sin , was sinful ) which assertion of his with the horrible consequences of it i told him then at worcester , i had formerly told him of at the savoy openly , and before all the company that was at the conference ; whereunto all that he replyed at my second telling him at worcester , was , that he had used some distinctions to salve that assertion from those consequences ; but what those distinctions were he did not then mention , ( as dr. warmstry can witness ) though in this printed address of his to his friends of kidderminster , he saith , he did tell the bishop in what a limited and restrained sense he and his brethren understood that assertion ; which whether they did or no , will appear by and by , when we shall more nearly examine his printed narrative as to that particular . in the mean time , though i said indeed that one that held and was likely to teach such doctrines , was not to be suffered to preach unto the people , yet this was not then alledged by me as the cause or crime for which i had forbidden him to preach , ( for that , as i said before , was his presuming to preach without license ) but only as a reason why i should have thought myself not obliged by the promise i had formerly made him , to give him license , though he had not otherwise forfeited his claim to that promise by preaching without , or before he had it . lastly , he might have remembred another reason i gave him why i could not have made good that promise , namely , those principles of treason and rebellion publickly extant in his books , which i had not taken notice of till after the making of that promise , and which till he should recant in as publick a manner , i thought myself obliged in conscience not to suffer him to preach in my diocesse ; whereunto his answer was , that whatsoever he had said or done in that kind , was pardoned by the act of indempnity : true , said i , so far as the king can pardon it , that is , in regard of its corporal punishment here in this world , but it is god that must pardon the guilt or obligation to punishment in the world to come , which he will not without repentance , and it is the church that must pardon the scandal , which she cannot do neither without an honourable amends made her by publick confession and recantation . i could tell mr. baxter in his ear likewise , that in excuse of his rebellious principles formerly published , he said , that now the parliament had declared where the soveraign power was , he should acknowledge it and submit to it , as if the king owed his soveraignty to the declaration of a parliament , which is as false as rebellious , and as dangerous a principle as any of his former , however by what hath been said , it appears that mr. baxter meant to impose upon his credulous friends at kidderminster , & upon his unwary readers , by making them believe that was the only cause for which the bishop forbad him to preach , which was neither the only , nor the principal cause , why the bishop did so , nor indeed , to speak properly , any cause of it at all ; for the only proper cause for which the bishop forbad him to preach , was his preaching before without the bishops license ; the other which he pretends , together with the third which he conceals , where properly and professedly the causes why the bishop would not take off that prohibition , or why he would not give him a license to preach for the future , either at kidderminster , or in any other place of his diocess , until he should publickly retract that position which he had openly asserted at the conference , and should publickly renounce likewise those seditious and rebellious principles which are published in his books . and this is the truth , the whole truth , and nothing but the truth of what passed betwixt me and mr. baxter at worcester , before i preached at kidderminster , where whether i defamed him , or he , by saying so , hath not grosly defamed me , will appear by that which follows ; wherein that i might neither be deceived myself , nor deceive others , i have not trusted to my own memory only , as mr. baxter saith he doth to his , but i have consulted with dr. gunning and dr. pearson , two of the three that managed that conference with mr. baxter and his assistants , and have seen that assertion in the same sense that i object it , and mr. baxter disclaimes it , affirmed by mr. baxter himself under his own hand . i found mr. baxter at the savoy engaged in a dispute , and i perceived that to keep himself off from that part of the argument which would presse near to the merits of the cause , he had often affirmed in his answers , that the command of a most lawful act was sinful ; if that act commanded might prove to any one a sin per accidens . this assertion i did then and there presently and openly lay to his charge ; and when he denied it ( as it was most frequent with him immediately ▪ to deny what he had before affirmed ) the answers which he had delivered written with his own hand were produced , and upon the reading of them , the justice of my charge was most apparent ; whereupon i urged him farther , that this assertion of his was not only false , but destructive of all authority , humane and divine , as not only denying all power to the church of making canons ecclesiastical for the better ordering and governing of the church , but also taking away all legislative power from the king and parliament , and even from god himself : i delivered at the same time my reason for what i said , which was briefly this , because there can be no act so good of itself , but may prove per accidens , or by accident , a sin ; and therefore , if to command an act which may prove per accidens a sin , be a sin , then every command must be a sin . and if to command be a sin , then certainly god can command nothing , because god cannot sin ; and by the same reason , kings , parliaments and churches ought not to command any thing , because they ought not to sin . thus farre i then charged mr. baxter , and to this charge he gave then no satisfaction . neither can i yet conceive it possible to give any satisfaction , but by one of these two waies , either by proving that the assertion , with which i charged him , was never his , or by shewing that the consequence i urged , is not good ; neither of which was he then able to doe : and by what he hath now been pleased to publish , it is more then probable that he can never perform either of them . for in his bold , but weak apology , he doth not so much as pretend to shew any invalidity in my inference ; and for the assertion with which i charged him , he denies it so poorly , and goes about to prove another instead of it so manifestly , that he may without any injury be interpreted to yield it , he saith indeed now , that he told us that his assertion made not every evill accident to be such as made an imposition unlawfull . but whether he ever said so before this time or no , it was then clearly proved that he did assert , that an act for nothing else , but because it might be per accidens a sin , could not be commanded without sin . and now in his publick appeal , he hath taken a strange way to wipe off all this , for he makes a very brief narration , and most notoriously imperfect , and then sayes , you know my crime , as if that were all that had been , or could be objected against him . besides , in the relating of this short narrative , he relies wholly upon his own memory ; not so much as endeavouring to satisfie himself , before he presumed to satisfie others . how his memory may be in other things i know not , in this if it hath been faithfull to him he hath been very unfaithfull to others . he relates an answer in what terms he pleaseth , and brings one proposition , as made by his opponents , in what terms he thinks fit , and the application of this answer to that proposition he propoundeth as all his crime ; whereas his answer was farre more largely given , and that to several propositions in several syllogisms , of which the proposition which he relateth was but one , or rather none ; so that he hath most shamefully abused his disciples at kidderminster , with a short and partial narrative of his fact . as for his concurring with learned reverend brethren , ( which he would pretend to be part of his crime ) and his invidious insinuation , that they are not forbidden to preach for it , though he be ; the reason is clear . he had often delivered this assertion before the company , his brethren had not ; the words of the answer were written with his hand , not with his brethrens . his brethren had several times declared themselves not to be of his opinion ( as particularly when he affirmed ( that a man might live without any actual sin ) and therefore we were so just as not to charge them with this assertion ; especially considering they did shew themselves unwilling to enter upon this dispute , and seemed to like much better another way tending to an amicable and fair complyance , which was wholly frustrated by mr. baxters furious eagerness to engage in a disputation . all his discourse which followeth ( after his imperfect narrative ) in justification of himself , is grounded first upon a mis-reporting of his own assertion ; secondly , upon the dissembling of the severall propositions , to which his answer was so often replyed ; thirdly , upon his pretending that he says more now , then that which had offended formerly ; which is most palpably false , and in all probability ( if he have any memory ) against his own conscience . and this will presently appear by the vanity and impertinency of all those specious instances which he brings to mollifie his assertion . to command a navy to sea ( he sayes ) is lawfull , but if it were foreseen that they would fall into the enemies hand , or were like to perish by any accident , it were a sin to send them . is there more then he said before , or is it any defence of his assertion at all ? is it not certainly ▪ because the opponents had put it expresly in the proposition ; that the act in it self lawful , was to be supposed to have nothing consequent , which the commander of it ought to provide against ; and yet being so stated , mr. baxter affirmed , that if the act might be per accidens sinfull , the commanding of it was sin . now certainly the falling of a navy into the enemies hand , or the perishing of it another way , if foreseen , ought to be provided against by the commander ; whereas mr. baxters answer did import , that if any prince did command a fleet to sea , though he did not foresee the fleet would fall into the enemies hand , or perish any other way , yet if by accident it miscarried that or any other way , which he could not foresee , or were not bound to provide against , the very command at first was sin . the same reason nullifies his instances of the poyson , and the knife , because the sin in selling them supposeth the murder of the buyer to be foreseen , and consequently that the seller ought to prevent it ; but if he will speak in correspondence to his former answer , he must shew , that though the seller do not foresee that the buyer will use the poyson or the knife , to his own , or any other mans destruction , yet if by any accident or mistake , either the buyer , or any other perish by the poyson or the knife , the seller is guilty of his death . his instance of setting a city on fire , or putting gunpowder unto the parliament house when the king and parliament are there , is of the same nature , and needs no addition of answer but only this , that mr. baxter , in a sense too true , hath been very instrumental in setting the city on fire ▪ and in adding powder to the parliament . the rest which follows betrayes the same weaknesse , because the inconveniences are urged upon a duty to prohibit them , and his answer did charge the command with sin in respect of such accidents , as it was no part of the commanders duty to provide against . it is therefore most certain , that no one of those instances single , nor all of them jointly have any force in any measure to justifie that assertion which mr. baxter did maintain , and whereof he is accused . as for that last instance , which was ( saith he ) the matter of the dispute , and which he urgeth in this manner , ( suppose it never so lawful of it self to kneel in the reception of the sacrament , if it be imposed by a penalty , that is incomparably beyond the proportion of the offence , that penalty is an accident of the command , and maketh it by accident sinful to the commander ) he is manifestly guilty of a double falsification : first , in pretending the matter in dispute , was the imposition of kneeling at the communion ; when this very matter was expresly rejected in the very beginning of the dispute , as belonging to the canons not the common-prayer-book , the lawfulnesse of which canons the commissioners had no authority to debate , and mr. baxter knows , that his argument was denied upon that ground . the second falsification is yet greater , in urging the penalty to make the command sinful , when his answer did charge the command with sin , without any relation to the punishment ; and when the proposition he replyed to was so framed , that all unjust penalties were in terminis expresly excluded , even then i say he charged the command of a lawful act with sin , if it were otherwise by accident sinful ; though by the way i must not grant that the penalty imposed by the law for not kneeling at the receiving of the sacrament ( namely the not admitting of such as will not kneell , at the receiving of it ) is incomparably greater then the offence ; for the greatnesse of the offence in such cases , and as it stands in relation to such or such a penalty appointed for it , is not to be measured by the quality of the act considered in it self , but by the more or lesse mischievous consequences it is likely to produce , if men be not restrain'd from such an act by such a penalty ; for example , when a souldier is hanged for stealing of a hen , or for taking away any thing of never so little a value , without paying for it , no wise man will blame the generall for such a severity ; because if he did not do so , every one would take what he pleased , which would discourage the countrey from bringing in provisions , and consequently the whole army would be ruin'd . and as the martial , so the civil and ecclesiastical laws likewise in commanding or forbidding any thing under such or such a penalty , have an eye not so much to the merit of the action it self , as to the more or less danger of the publick in the consequences of it ; whence it comes to passe , that a lesse evil may sometimes most justly be forbidden under a more severe penalty then a greater , because the former may be of much more dangerous consequence then the latter ; so that he that will judge rightly , and impartially of the equity or iniquity of appointing or inflicting such or such a penalty , he must not so much consider the quality of the transgression singly in it self , nor whether it be from weaknesse , or wilfulnesse in the party transgressing ( as he is this or that individual person ) but rather he must consider what the consequence would be of the breach of such a command if it were not prevented by such a penelty , alwayes supposing the command it self to be lawful , and that the transgressor of it is to be considered as he stands in relation to that whole body , whether civil , or ecclesiastical , whereof he is a part ; and that the whole is not to be endangered out of tendernesse and indulgence to some particulars , as evidently it would be , if every man were left at liberty to do what seem'd best in his own eyes , even in the ceremonials and circumstantials of gods worship ; for considering the pride and self-love that is in humane nature , which makes men so overvalue their own practises and their opinions , that they are alwayes apt to undervalue those that will not conform to them , as it alwayes hath been , so it alwayes will be ; he that worshippeth god one way , will either judge or condemn him that worshippeth god another way ; he that kneeleth at the sacrament , will be thought to be idolatrous or superstitious by him that kneeleth not , and him that kneeleth not will be thought wilful , or weak , by him that kneeleth . and thus from diversity grows dislike , from dislike enmity , from enmity opposition , and from opposition , first separation and schism in the church , and then faction , sedition and rebellion in the state ; which is a progress very natural , and i would we had not found it to be so by our own experience ; for as the state depends upon the safety of the church , so the safety of the church depends upon unity , and unity it self depends upon uniformity , and uniformity there cannot be , as long as there is diversity or divers wayes of worship in the same church , which will be alwaies , unlesse it be lawful for publick authority to oblige all particulars to one way of publick worship , and that under such penalties , as the law-givers shall think necessary to prevent the disturbing of the publick peace and safety ; the preservation whereof being the main end of all laws , and of all penalties appointed by law , those practises that are either intentionally or consequentially destructive to this end , may be , and no doubt ought to be restrain'd by severe penalties . it is not therefore the not kneeling at the sacrement , but the breaking of the orders of the church , and the endangering of the peace and safety of the whole , which our lawes punish by not admitting such unto the sacrament , as will not , or perhaps dare not kneel at it ; for as they will not endanger the peace of their consciences for the churches sake ; so it becomes the law-givers not to endanger the churches and the states peace for their sakes . and surely when there is a necessity of the yielding of the one or of the other , it is much more reasonable that a part should yield unto the whole , then the whole unto a part , especially when the whole cannot yield without endangering it self , and with it self even those themselves also , that , will they nill they , must be involved in the ruine of it , as the presbyterians have found by their own experience also , who by their groundlesse and needlesse separation from us , have given example and ground enough for others to separate from them , till by dividing and subdividing from one another , there was nothing of uniformity , or unity , or order , or decency left in that church , which was formerly ( and i hope by the prudence and piety of publick authority will be now again ) the glory and pattern of all other protestant and reformed churches in the world ; of which , by the way , there is not one which doth not use as great severity for the preserving of unity by uniformity as we do , even in this particular ; for do not the protestant churches in france enjoyn standing , the churches of holland , scotland , and the church of germany that follow calvin enjoyne sitting , and the churches that follow luther there and elsewhere enjoyn kneeling as we do , and all of them upon the same penalty of not receiving it otherwise ? and is it not as lawful for our church , as for all other protestant , and all other christian churches , to require of her children the like conformity to her laws under the like penalty for the same end , & to prevent the same danger ? yes ( replyed mr. baxter when this question was asked him ) just as lawful , that is , not lawful at all , such an injunction upon such a penalty being sinful , wheresoever and by whomsoever it is enjoyned . a happy england , that hath such an aristarchus as is worthy to censure all the churches of the world , whose catholick practise ( if it cross mr. baxters opinion ) must presently without more adoe be condemn'd as sinful , and all the world must be lyars rather then mr. baxter must not be justified in his sayings . you have before seen the ingenuity and veracity , you now see the humility , and the modesty of the man ; and indeed in proportion , of the whole party , for crimine ab uno , — disce omnes . but doth mr. baxter and the rest of his perswasion think indeed , that it is so great and grievous a punishment to be kept from the sacrament when men will not receive it in that way and upon those terms that the church offers ? if they doe , why then do they deny it to so many that hunger and thirst after it , whensoever either by reason of age , or lameness , or sicknesse , or some other bodily infirmity they cannot come to church for it ? especially when the catholick church in the twelfth canon of the first general council commands it be given even to those that are excommunicate , if they desire it when they are in extremis , or going out of the world . secondly , why have they suffered so many whole parishes in england under their charge to have been without a communion so many years together , as i am credibly informed they have ? thirdly , why do they reject those from the sacrament , that will not come before hand to them to be examined by them , there being neither precept nor practise in the gospel , nor canon in the church , either to warrant them to require it , or to oblige the people to submit to it upon any such penalty ? i am sure st. paul when he chides those of the church of corinth for coming ignorantly to the sacrament , and for behaving themselves prophanely at the sacrament , that which he prescribes for avoiding the same or the like faults for the future , is not that every man should come and be examined by the minister , but that every man should examine himself before he eat of that bread and drink of that cup ; and yet i will not deny but that ▪ every man before he communicates ought to be well catechis'd and instructed by the minister , and thereby enabled to examine himself the better ; nor will i deny neither but that every man may and ought in case of scruple of mind or trouble of conscience to advise with , and to be advised by him that hath the cure of his soul ; but that every man as often as he intends to receive the sacrament should be obliged under the penalty of being rejected from it , this is that which i utterly deny , and which i take to be the same thing in other words with that of auricular confession ; so that they who exact the one , have no reason to condemn the other , unlesse it be because they would ingrosse it wholly unto themselves : howsoever , if refusing the sacrament to those that will not kneel , when the church enjoyns it , be a penalty so far transcending the offence , how much more must the same penalty transcend the offence , when there is indeed no offence at all ? for where there is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , there can be no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , where there is no law there can be no transgression , and consequently there being no law of god nor man that requires all communicants to be pre-examined by the minister , those that are refused the sacrament because they will not be pre-examined , are punished with the same punishment which they complain of , for no offence at all . and therefore si maximè digna essem ( may our church say ) ista contumelia , indigni vos , qui faceretis tamen ; for , who art thou o man that judgest another ? nay , that judgest thy mother , when thou doest the same , or worse , thing , then those are for which thou condemnest her ? and how can any man of reason be so scrupulous , as to quit his calling , rather then deny the sacrament to those that will not receive it kneeling , when the church commands it should neither be taken nor given otherwise , and yet make no scruple at all of denying it to whole parishes , of denying it to those that cannot come to church for it , though desirous of it , and qualified for it , and such as have most need of it to strengthen their faith in their last agony ? and lastly , of denying it to such as refuse to be pre-examined by them , and all this without any command or warrant from gods word , and contrary to the command and custome of gods church ? whereby it plainly appears , that either they do not think the receiving of the sacrament of so great importance , as indeed it is , nor the denying of it so great an injury or punishment as they pretend it to be ; or else that they would have every minister to be a monarch or soveraign law-giver in his own parish , and this indeed is that they would fain be at , now they have lost their hopes of governing the whole kingdome ; for you see by what mr. baxter adds , that if they may not be suffered to give or deny the sacrament to whom they please , and in effect to doe what they list in their own parishes , they threaten to quit their stations , which he calls being ejected because they dare not put away all that will not kneel at the sacrament ▪ and this menace they often repeat upon all occasions , as if they were the only men that could carry on the work of the lord ; or as if the church must needs sink and perish , if it wanted such pillars as they are to uphold it . but ( thanks be to god for it ) the church of england is not yet ( notwithstamding all their endeavours to that purpose ) reduced to so very ill a condition , that she cannot subsist without them ; as long as they can continue to be what they have been the sowers and fomenters of schism in the church , and sedition in the state ; and as long as they continue to do as they have done in humouring , and hardning , and confirming the people in their obstinate standing out against the lawful commands of their superiours ; which they would never have done at all , if these men had not at first infused into them these scruples . and therefore as god asked adam and eve , how , came you to know that you are naked ? so if i should ask those poor souls whom those sly and subtle serpents have beguiled and seduced , how came you to know that you shall sin against god if you obey the orders of the church in generall ? or particularly how came you to know , that it is against the canons of the generall councels , and many hundred years practise of the church to kneel in the act of receiving ? did you or can you your selves read those general councels ? did you or can you examine so many hundred years practise of the church as mr. baxter speaks of ? what answer can they make to these demands , but that which eve made unto god ? the serpent beguiled me , and i did eat ; mr. baxter , or some such godly and learned men as mr. baxter is , did tell us so , and we believed them : but what if mr. baxter do not believe that himself which he would have you believe ? for first he would have you believe that there is great reverence and respect to be given ( as indeed there is ) to the canons of generall gouncels , and to the catholick practise of the primitive church ; but doth he himself believe this ? if he do , why did he so furiously oppose that which all general councels approve of and confirm ? i mean the government of the church by bishops in the sense wherein it is asserted and practised in one church ? or why did he perswade subjects to take up arms against their soveraign ? which he knows to be contrary to the doctrine and practise of the primitive christians for many hundred years more then he speaks of . secondly , mr. baxter would have you believe , that kneeling at the receiving of the sacrament is forbidden by generall councels , and contrary to the custome and practise of the antient church , which i am afraid he doth not belive himself ; i am sure there is no convincing reason to make him believe it ; for it is not the ancient churches injunction to stand when they prayed betwixt easter and whitsontide , that will prove they were forbidden to kneel when they received ; especially if the presbyterian opinion be true , that we are not to be in the act of praying , when we are in the act of receiving ; but if we may pray ( as no doubt we may and ought to pray ) in the act of receiving , then supposing the ancient injunction of the church to stand at prayer upon sundaies betwixt easter and whitsontide to be still in force , yet all the rest of the year we are to kneel when we pray , and consequently when we receive , though there were no particular command of our own church for it . besides , mr. baxter knows not the aforesaid injunction of the church was but temporary , till the people were sufficiently confirmed in the doctrine and belief of the resurrection ; for if it had been of perpetual obligation , and were still in force , mr. baxter must needs condemn the whole present church of god for kneeling when they pray betwixt easter and whitsontide , and particularly he must most of all condemn himself and the presbyterians of england , for not standing when they receive , if at least that injunction be to be understood of receiving as well as praying ; which if it be not , then it is urged by mr. baxter against us to no purpose , as indeed it is ▪ and therefore no doubt mr. baxter doth not believe himselfe what he would have others believe , when he presseth that occasional temporary injunction of the church for standing against kneeling ; which if it be of force , must needs condemn his own practice of sitting as well as ours of kneeling . the like may be said of christs example , alledged by him also ; for would he , or would he not have his disciples believe that they are obliged to doe as christ did ; if he would not have them believe so , why doth he presse them with christs example ? if he would have them believe so , i demand again , whether he doth believe it himself or no ? if he do not , it is plain he is a seducer of the peeple : but if he do believe it , he must needs condemn the french presbyterians for standing , as well as the english protestants for kneeling ; nay he must needs condemn himself and all other christians in the world for not doing as christ did in point of time , i mean for not giving and receiving the sacrament in the evening , as christ did , as well as he condemns us for not doing as christ did in point of gesture ; unless he can prove ( which i think he cannot ) that we are of necessity to follow christs example in one circumstance of the same action , and not in another ; and in that circumstance which is lesse , but not in that which is more material ; for certainly that circumstance which denominates the action ( as the circumstance of time doth the lords supper ) is most material ; and yet that circumstance by the consent of all christendome is altered from the evening to the morning , and so was the gesture or posture of receiving also , and that upon most just and weighty reasons , till those that delight in change would needs have it otherwise , and that perhaps for no other reason , but because they found it setled in the church : this is not to follow christs example , who in things indifferent in their own nature conform'd his practise to that of the church in which he lived , though varying in some circumstances from the primitive institution ; and particularly in this very action , from which they press us with christs example : for it is certain that christ and his disciples sate at the passeover , ( though it be uncertain whether he or they sate at the giving and receiving the sacrament or no , for it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , after he had supped , saith the text , luke 22. 20. ) howsoever it is certain , i say , that christ and his disciples sate when they eat the passeover , and this no doubt was according to the custome of the jewish church at that time ; but it is as certain that this was not the manner according to the first institution of it , which was to eat it standing , as you may read exod. 12. 11. so that to urge christs example against us , is to urge christs example against himself ; for as we conform our selves to the churches order and custome of our times , in receiving the communion otherwise in point of gesture , then perhaps it was received at the first institution ; so christ and his apostles conforming themselves to the order and practise of the church of their times , did celebrate the passeover otherwise then according to the first institution it was to be celebrated in point of gesture also ; thereby intending to teach us , that as long as the essentials of doctrine and worship ( which are unalteraable ) are preserved , we are not to separate from the church or quarrel with our superiours , if those things that are in their own nature alterable , be not alwaies and in all places just the same that they were at first ; because there may be very just cause for the alteration of them ; and whether there be such a cause or no in this and the like particulars , it is the church that is to be the judge . so that there is nothing that can be collected either from the canons of the councels , or from the practise of the primitive church , no nor from christs own example , that can prove kneeling at the sacrament to be a sin ; neither doth mr. baxter himself believe it to be sinful , for if he did , he would not say ( as he does pag. 4. 11. of his five disputations ) that he himself would kneel rather then disturb the peace of the church , or be deprived of its communion . in which words he confesseth , first , that kneeling at the sacrament is not sinful or unlawful ; secondly , that not to kneel when it is imposed , is to disturb the peace of the church ; and thirdly , that the imposing of it upon penalty of being deprived of the communion , is an effectual means to make those that otherwise would not kneel , to conform to it ; and consequently , that the imposing of it upon such a penalty is prudent and rational , and whatsoever is prudent and rational cannot be unlawful ; so that not only the act of kneeling it self , but the imposition of it by lawful authority must needs be lawful . neither indeed would the people scruple at the imposition , if they had not been taught that the thing it self were unlawful , or if mr. baxter would yet teach them to believe what he himself believes , namely , that it is lawful ; which with what conscience he can refuse to do i know not ; for sure he is obliged to teach them obedience not to divine authority only , but to humane authority also in all lawful things ; and not to let them go on in such an erroneous opinion , as will disturb the peace , and deprive them of the communion of the church , and consequently make them sin against god and man and their own souls . of which sin of theirs he must needs be a partaker in a great measure , if he do not perswade them from it ; seeing ( as he himself saith ) qui non vetat peccare cum potest , jubet . and what power he hath to lead or mislead those kind of men , their venturing to kill and be killed in a most unrighteous quarrel ( upon his perswasion ) hath more then enough demonstrated during the time of the late troubles ; unlesse he will say that he hath conjured up a spirit that he cannot lay . howsoever by how much the more faulty he hath been in misleading them heretofore , by so much the more zealous he should be to reduce them into the right way hereafter ; which if he and the rest of his brethren can do ( as i am confident they can if they wil ) they wil make some amends for the mischief they have done , and then there will be no fear or danger of ministers being ejected for their tenderness towards the people , nor of the ejecting of any of the people from the communion of the church for not conforming themselves to the orders and commands of it , & consequently , there will be no schisms or divisions amongst us , when we shall all worship the same god the same way . but if they will not do this ( which by all obligations humane and divine they are bound to do ) for my part i know no better way for undeceiving & reducing of the people , then by removing such ministers , and then we shall see when the blowing of those boisterous winds ceaseth , whether the waves will not be still or no : in the mean time i hope the removing of erroneous and seditious , will not necessitate the introducing of ignorant and scandalous ministers , though mr. baxter ought to remember , that as there is no sin more heinous then rebellion , so no teacher ought to be more scandalous ( i am sure there is none more dangerous ) then a teacher of rebellion . and now ( to use mr. baxters own words ) i think there is no man to be found on earth , that hath the ordinary reason of a man , but will confess ▪ that it is indeed destructive of all government and legislative power , to assert ( as mr. baxter did assert ) the command of a thing in it self lawful by lawful authority , under no unjust punishment , with no evil circumstance , which the commander can foresee or ought to provide against ( for all these pre-cautions were expresly put in the proposition which mr. baxter denied ) as a sinful command , for a●● other reason , but because the act commanded may be by accident a sin . let mr. baxter then know , and ( if he have ingenuity enough ) confess , that the words i spoke ( as to this particular ) were words of truth , and words of charity also , as being intended and spoken to no other end , but to undeceive that people , who by having his person too much in admiration ( as if he could neither deceive nor be deceived ) had been so long and so dangerously mislead by him ; so that it was not i that defamed him then , but it is he that hath defamed me now . neither could i expect lesse from the boldnesse of this man and that party , who have had the confidence publickly to own the obligation of the covenant , even since it hath been condemn'd to be burnt by the parliament . and truly i see no reason why all those books and sermons which have been preach'd and printed in defence of the covenant , or to maintain the same or worse principles of sedition then are in the covenant , should not be burnt also . nay i dare be bold to say , that if the authors of such books and sermons were not still of the same opinions ( and if they be , god deliver us from such preachers ) if they were not still , i say , of the same opinions , but did truly repent of them , and were heartily sorry for the horrible mischief they have done by them , they would with those converted exorcists , act. 16. 19. bring all those conjuring books of theirs togethers and to save the hang-man a labour , would publickly burn them all with their own hands , that so , though by the burning of their works they may perhaps suffer some losse in point of reputation with some of their disciples , yet they themselves may be saved , but so as by fire , 1 cor. 3. 15. at least they ought to be enjoyned to write books of retractation , as st. augustine did , having much more reason to do so then st. augustine had . and this sir is all i have to say upon this occasion , and more a great deal then i thought to have said , or then perhaps was needfull to be said to one that knows mr. baxter and me as well as you do ; which if it satisfie you , as i hope it will , you may do what you please with it , in order to the satisfying of others ; for this is the first and last trouble i mean to put my self to of this kind , whatsoever provocation i may have from him hereafter . your very affectionate friend , and servant , g. worcester . the attestation of dr. gunning and dr. pearson . concerning a command of lawful superiours , what was sufficient to its being a lawful command . this proposition being brought by us , viz. that command which commands an act in it self lawful , and no other act or circumstance unlawful , is not sinful . mr. baxter denied it for two reasons which he gave in with his own hand in writing thus : one is , because that may be a sin per accidens , which is not so in it self , and may be unlawfully commanded though that accident be not in the command . another is , that it may be commanded under an unjust penalty . again this proposition being brought by us , that command which commandeth an act in it self lawful , and no other act wherby any just penalty is injoyned , nor any circumstance whence per accidens any sin is consequent which the commander ought to provide against , is not sinful . mr. baxter denied it for this reason given in with his own hand in writing thus : because the first act commanded may be per accidens unlawful and be commanded by an unjust penalty , though no other act or circumstance commanded be such . again this proposition being brought by us , that command which commandeth an act in it self lawful , and no other act whereby any unjust penalty is injoyned . nor any circumstance whence directly or per accidens any sin is consequent ▪ which the commander ought to provide against , hath in it all things requisite to the lawfulness of a command , and particularly cannot be guilty of commanding an act per accidens unlawful , nor of commanding an act under an unjust penalty . mr. baxter denied it upon the same reasons . peter cunning. john pearson . the postscript . least mr. baxter should say i have defamed him once more , by charging him with devising and publishing maxims of treason , sedition and rebellion ( which till he should as publiquely recant , i thought it unfit to restore him to the exercise of any act of the ministry in my diocess ) i think my self obliged to set down some few of his political theses or aphorisms in his own words , as they are extant ( though it be strange such a book should still be extant ) in his \ [ holy common-wealth\ ] most falsly and prophanely so called . mr. baxter's theses of government and governours in generall . i governours are some limited , some de facto unlimited : the unlimited are tyrants , and have no right to that unlimited government , p. 106. thes. 101. ii. the 3. qualifications of necessity to the being of soveraign power are , 1. so much understanding , 2. so much will or goodness in himself , 3. so much strength or executive power by his interest in the people or others , as are necessary to the said ends of government , p. 130. thes. 133. iii. from whence he deduceth 3. corollaries , ( viz. ) 1. when providence depriveth a man of his understanding and intellectual capacity , and that statedly or to his ordinary temper , it maketh him materiam indispositam and uncapable of government , though not of the name . thes. 135. 2. if god permit princes to turn so wicked as to be uncapable of governing so as is consistent with the ends of government , he permits them to depose themselves . thes. 136. 3. if providence statedly disable him that was the soveraign from the executing of the law , protecting the just , and other ends of government , it makes him an uncapable subject of the power , and so deposeth him . thes. 137. iv. whereunto he subjoyns , that though it is possible and likely that the guilt is or may be theirs , who have disabled their ruler by deserting him , yet he is dismissed and disobliged from the charge of government ; and particular innocent members are disobliged from being governed by him . v. if the person ( viz. the soveraign ) be justly dispossest , as by a lawful war , in which he loseth his right , especially if he violate the constitution and end enter into a military state against the people themselves , and by them be conquered , they are not obliged to restore him , unlesse there be some special obligation upon them besides their allegiance . thes. 145. vi. if the person dispossess'd , though it were unjustly , do afterwards become uncapable of government , it is not the duty of his subjects to seek his restitution . thes. 146. no not although ( saith he ) the incapacity be but accidental , as if he cannot be restored but by arms of the enemies of god or of the commonwealth . vii . if an army ( of neighbours , inhabitants , or whoever ) do ( though injuriously ) expel the soveraign , and resolve to ruine the commonwealth , rather then he shall be restored ; and if the commonwealth may prosper without his restauration , it is the duty of such an injured prince for the common good to resign his government , and if he will not , the people ought to judge him as made uncapable by providence , and not to seek his restitution to the apparent ruine of the commonwealth . thes. 147. where by the way we are to note , he makes the people judge of this and all other incapacities of the prince , and consequently when or for what he is to be depos'd , or not restored by them . viii . if therefore the rightful governour be so long dispossess'd , that the commonwealth can be no longer without , but to the apparent hazard of its ruine , we ( that is , we the people , or we the rebels that dispossess'd him ) are to judge that providence hath dispossess'd the former , and presently to consent to another . thes. 149 , ix when the people are without a governour , it may be the duty of such as have most strength , ex charitate , to protect the rest from injury . thes. 150. and consequently they are to submit themselves to the parliament , or to that army which deposed or dispossess'd or murdered the rightful governour . x. providence by conquest or other means doth use so to qualifie some persons above other for the government when the place is void , that no other persons shall be capable competitors , and the persons ( doth not he mean the cromwells ? ) shall be as good as named by providence , whom the people are bound by god to choose , or consent to , so that they are usually brought under a divine obligation to submit to such or such , and take them for their governours , before those persons have an actual right to govern. thes. 151. xi . any thing that is a sufficient sign of the will of god that this is the person , by whom we must be governed is enough ( as joyned to gods laws ) to oblige us to consent and obey him as our governour , thes. 153. xii . when god doth not notably declare any person or persons qualified above others , there the people must judge as well as they are able according to gods general rules . thes. 157. xiii . and yet all the people have not this right of choosing their governours , but commonly a part of every nation must be compelled to consent , &c. xiv . those that are known enemies of the common good in the chiefest parts of it , are unmeet to govern or choose governours , but such are multitudes of ungodly vicious men . pag. 174. so that if those that are strongest ( though fewest ) call themselves the godly partty , all others besides themselves are to be excluded from governing or choosing of governours . as amongst the ungodly that are to be thus excluded he reckons all those that will not hearken to their pastors ( he means the preshyterian classis ) or that are despisers of the lords-day , that is , all such as are not sabbatarians , or will not keep the lords-day after the jewish manner , which they prescribe , and which is condemned for judaism by all even of the presbyterian perswasion in the world , but those of england and scotland only . xv. if a people that by oath and duty are obliged to a soveraign , shall sinfully dispossess him , and contrary to their covenants , choose and covenant with another , they may be obliged , by their latter covenant notwithstanding their former ; and particular subjects that consented not in the breaking of their former covenants , may yet be obliged by occasion of their latter choice to the person whom they choose . thes. 181. xvi . if a nation injuriously deprive themselves of a worthy prince , the hurt will be their own , and they punish themselves ; but if it be necessarily to their welfare , it is no injury to him . but a king that by war will seek reparations from the body of the people , doth put himself into an hostile state , and tells them actually that he looks to his own good more then theirs , and bids them take him for their enemy , and so defend themselves if they can . pag. 424. xvii . though a nation wrong their king , and so quoad meritum causae , they are on the worser side , yet may he not lawfully war against the publick good on that account , nor any help him in such a war , because propter finem he hath the worser cause . thes. 352. and yet as he tells us ( pag. 476. ) we were to believe the parliaments declarations and professions which they made , that the war which they raised was not against the king either in respect of his authority , or of his person ; but only against delinquent subjects , and yet they actually fought against the king in person , and we are to believe ( saith mr. baxter pag. 422. ) that men would kill them whom they fight against . mr. baxter's doctrine concerning the government of england in particular . he denies the government of england to be monarchical in these words . i , the real soveraignty here amongst us was in king , lords , and commons . pag. 72. ii. as to them that argue from the oath of supremacy and title given the king , i refer them ( saith mr. baxter ) to mr. lawson's answer to hobb's politicks , where he sheweth that the title is often given in the single person for the honour of the commonwealth and his encouragement , because he hath an eminet interest , but will not prove the whole soveraignty to be in him : and the oath excludeth all others from without , not those whose interest is implied as conjunct with his — the eminent dignity and interest of the king above others allowed the name of a monarchy or kingdome to the common wealth , though indeed the soveraignty was mixed in the hands of lords and commons . pag. 88. iii. he calls it a false supposition . 1. that the soveraign power was onely in the king , and so that it was an absolute monarchy . 2. that the parliament had but onely the proposing of laws , and that they were enacted onely by the kings authority upon their request . 3. that the power of armes , and of warre and peace was in the king alone . and therefore ( saith he ) those that argue from these false suppositions , conclude that the parliament being subjects , may not take up arms without him , and that it is rebellion to resist him ; and most of this they gather from the oath of supremacy , and from the parliaments calling of themselves his subjects ; but their ground ( saith he ) are sandy , and their superstructure false , pag. 459 & 460. and therefore mr. baxter tells us , that though the parliament are subjects in one capacity , yet have they their ptrt in the soveraignty also in their higher capacity , ibid. and upon this false and trayterous supposition he endeavours to justifie the late rebellion , and his own more then ordinary activeness in it . for , iv. where the soverainty ( saith he ) is distributed into several hands ( as the kings and parliaments ) and the king invades the others part , they may lawfully defend their own by war , and the subject lawfully assist them , yea though the power of the militia be expresly given to the king , unlesse it be also exprest that it shall not be in the other . thes. 363. the conclusion ( saith he ) needs no proof , because soveraignty , as such , hath the power of arms and of the laws themselves . the law that saith the king shall have the militia , supposeth it to be against enemies , and not against the common-wealth , nor them that have part of the soveraignty with him . to resist him here is not to resist power but usurpation and private will ; in such a case the parliament is no more to be resisted than he . ibid. v. if the king raise war against such a parliament upon their declaration of the dangers of the common-wealth , the people are to take it as raised against the common-wealth . thes. 358. and in that case ( saith he ) the king may not only be resisted , but ceaseth to be a king , and entreth into a state of war with the people . thes. 368. vi. again , if a prince that hath not the whole soveraignty , be conquered by a senate that hath the other part , and that in a just defensive war , that senate cannot assume the whole soveraignty , but supposeth that government in specie to remain , and therefore another king must be chosen , if the former be incapable . ( thes. 374. ) as he tells us , he is , by ceasing to be king , in the immediately precedent thes. vii . and yet in the preface to this book he tells us that the king withdrawing ( so he calls the murdering of one king , and the casting off of another ) the lords and commons ruled alone ; was not this to change the species of the government ? which in the immediate words before he had affirmed to be in king , lords and commons ; which constitution ( saith he ) we were sworn , and sworn , and sworn again , to be faithful to , and to defend . and yet speaking of that parliament which contrary to their oaths changed this government by ruling alone , and taking upon them the supremacy , he tells us that they were the best governours in all the world , and such as it is forbidden to subjects to depose upon pain of damnation . what then was he that deposed them ? one would think mr. baxter should have called him a traytor , but he calls him in the same preface , the lord protector , adding , that he did prudently , piously , faithfully , and to his immortal honour exercise the government , which he left to his son , to whom ( as mr. baxter saith pag. 481. ) he is bound to submit as set over us by god ; and to obey for conscience sake , and to hehave himself as a loyal subject towards him , because ( as he saith in the same place ) a full and free parliament had owned him : thereby implying , that a maimed and manacled house of commons , without king and lords , and notwithstanding the violent expulsion of the secluded members , were a full and free parliament ; and consequently that if such a parliament should have taken arms against the king , he must have sided with them . yea , though they had been never so much in fault , and though they had been the beginners of the war , for he tells us in plain and expresse terms , viii . that if he had known the parliament had been the beginners of the war , and in most fault , yet the ruine of the trustees and representatives , and so of all the security of the nation , being a punishment greater than any faults of theirs against the king could deserve from him , their faults could not dis-oblige him ( meaning himself ) from defending the common-wealth ▪ pag. 480. and that he might do this lawfully , and with a good conscience , he seems to be so confident , that in his preface , he makes as it were a challenge , saying ; that if any man can prove that the king was the highest power in the time of those divisions , and that he had power to make that war which he made , he will offer his head to justice as a rebel . as if in those times of division the king had lost or forfeited his soveraignty , and the parliament had not only a part , but the whole soveraignty in themselves . ix . finally mr. baxter tells us , pag. 486. that having often searched into his heart ; whether he did lawfully engage into the war or not , and whether he did lawfully encourage so many thousands to it ; he tells us , i say , that the issue of all his search was but this , — that he cannot yet see that he was mistaken in the main cause , nor dares he repent of it , not forbear doing the same , if it were to do again in the same state of things . he tells us indeed in the same place , that if he could be convinced he had sinned in this matter , he would as gladly make a publick recantation , as he would eat or drink : which seeing he hath not yet done , it is evident he is still of the same mind , and consequently would upon the same occasion do the same things , viz. fight , and encourage as many thousands as he could to fight against the king , for any thing that calls it self , or which he is pleased to call a full and free parliament : as likewise that he would own and submit to any usurper of the soveraignty , as set up by god , although he came to it by the murder of his master , and by trampling upon the parliament . lastly , that he would hinder as much as possibly he could , the restoring of the rightful heir unto the crown . and now whether a man of this judgement , and of these affections , ought to be permitted to preach or no , let any , but himself , judge . a letter unto a person of honour and quality , containing some animadversions upon the bishop of worcester's letter . honourable and worthy sir , i am to thank you for the last piece of divertisement you gave me , in sending the bishop of worcester's letter , and i wish you would have let me enjoyed the satisfaction i took in reading it , without obliging me to give you my sense upon it : for besides my unwillingness to meddle in a personal quarrel , it will not , i think , be very safe for any to engage against so angry an adversary , which i shall be thought to do , though i resolve to speak nothing but truth in the character i intend to give of him ; and it is briefly this , that , in fewer leaves i never yet read more passion , which is so very predominant , that his disorderly and abrupt stile doth altogether partake of it ; so that the bishops best way will be , to get his heat mistaken so zeal , for else it may justly be accounted something that hath a worse name , and which , in the dog-dayes will be very dangerous . this being , sir , my judgement upon the whole letter , you may well expect that i should make it good , by an induction from particular instances ; but before i do this , i must deal impartially , and assure you , that as to the main controversie , i think the bishop hath much the better of mr. baxter : for if the question between them , was as d. gunning , and dr. pearson do attest , such a command is so evidently lawful , that i shall much wonder if mr. baxter did ever dispute it ; and till he doth clearly disprove that that was not the thing in question , i must needs think that he hath much forgot himself in making an imperfect and partial relation . setting therefore aside the business of that particular contest ( wherein you see how much i am inclined to favour the bishop ) there are other things in his letter of general concernment , which i think lyable to just exception ; as , first , that he supposeth there is so strict an union , and so inseperable a dependence between kings and bishops , that they must stand and fall together ; and all who are enemies to the one , must needs be enemies to the other . i know very well this axiom is much talked of , and some advantage may be taken to confirm it , from the event of our late wars : you know likewise , sir , how much my judgement is for the order of bishops ; and how passionate a lover i am both of the kings person and government , but yet , being thus called by you to declare the truth , though contrary to my own humour and interest , i must needs say , 1. it is clear from story , that kings were in all parts of the world , in their most flourishing estate , before ever bishops were heard of ; and no reason can be given , why what hath once been , may not with the same terms of convenience be again ? 2. bishops as they are by law established in england , are purely the kings subordinate ministers , in the management of ecclesiastical affairs ; which his majesty may confer upon what order of men he pleases , though they be as much lay persons as you and i are . it is therefore very injurious to the kings authority , to averre that he could not otherwise uphold and maintain it , than by preserving the undue , and , as some think , antichristian dignity and prelation of his inferiour officers . 3. bishops are so little useful to support the regal dignity ( which is founded upon a distinct basis of its own ) that upon enquiry it will be found , how none have been greater enemies to the true and undoubted soveraignty of princes , than some bishops themselves : for by their officious , and scarce warrantable , intermedling in civil affairs ; by their absurd and insignificant distinguishing between civil and ecclesiastical causes ( of which last they have alwayes made themselves sole judges ) they mangle the kings authority , and as to church-matters ( which may be extended as far as they please ) they leave the king nothing of supremacy but the name . the pope of rome therefore ( who is the great father of all such bishops ) hath improved this notion and distinction so far that in ordine ad spiritualia , he hath laboured to subject all civil empires unto his sole jurisdiction . so that if the bishop of worcester's rule hold good , of crimine ab uno — disce omnes , i. e. that all men who are of a party may be judged of by the miscarriages of one , then i must leave it to you to judge , what all those bishops , that are of the bishop of worcester's complexion , do really drive at , by the fatal example of that one bishops usurpation ? for , secondly , that assertion , that the bishop of worcester ( and consequently every other bishop ) is the sole pastor of all the congregations in his diocesse , if it be at all defensible , i am sure can be defended only by those arguments , which are commonly alledged to maintain the popes supremacy over all churches whatever . for since a bishop can no otherwise discharge his duty herein , than by providing substitutes , what hinders but the bishop of rome may as well oversee a million of churches , as the bishop of worcester five hundred ? since if deputation be lawful , more or less compass and circuit of ground doth not at all alter the case . i forbear to urge how contrary this practise is to the doctrine of the apostles , both paul and peter ( i hope the bishop will not take it ill that i do not call them saints , for these holy men do not need any stile of honour out of the popes kalender . ) when paul had sent for the elders of the church at ephesus , he bids them to feed the church of god , over which ( not he himself , by his sole authority , as bishop of the diocesse , but ) the spirit of god had made them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. overseers , or to use the proper stile , bishops . and peter commands his fellow-elders , ( for so doth that apostle condescend to call himself ) to feed : the flock which was among them , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 overseeing , or acting the bishops , not ( like the bishop of worcester ) as lording it over gods heritage , but as patterns of the flock . from which places we learn , not only that those two so much controverted names of bishop and presbyter , are without distinction ascribed to the same persons , but likewise , that whoever feed the flock , are , under christ ( whom the apostle there stiles the chief-shepherd ) the next and immediate pastors of the flock ; and to extend the pastoral power beyond the actual care of feeding , is a notion altogether unscriptural , and likewise leaves us no bounds where to fix , till we come to center upon some one universal pastor , who may claim this power over the whole world , by the same parity of reason , that a bishop doth over one diocesse . thirdly , it seems to be a light , and ( to say no more ) unseemly trifling with sacred scripture , to affirm , that those words of our saviour concerning such as come not in by the door , and therefore are thieves and robbers , ought to be understood of such ministers , as preach to congregations without the bishops license , which thing , the bishop ( in great heat and earnestnesse , as if he had done very well in it ) tells us more than once , that it was the principal reason why he silenced mr. baxter . truly if this practise be justifiable ▪ and those who design themselves to preach the gospel , must , besides their ordination , procure a license from a bishop , to do that , which a woe is denounced against , if they offer to omit . then 1. i see not what ordination signifies , since the power that then is given , no authority from man can take away , any more than dissolve the contract of a marriage , much less impeach and hinder the free use of it , except for moral and notoriously vicious misdemeanours . 2. for one minister of the gospel ( for certainly a bishop is no more ) to silence another , and that for no better reason , than because his fellow-minister is desirous to preach the gospel without a new license , this is an abuse of dominion , which as our saviour doth no where countenance , so the first ages of the church , were altogether unacquainted with . for the bishops instance of our saviours putting to silence the scribes and pharisees , is both impertinent and false , because our saviour did only silence them by argument , which the bishop may do when ever he is able ; but what is that to an authoritative and imperious commanding men to be silent . besides , even then when our saviour was most strict in pronouncing woes against the pharisees , in that very chapter , he is so far from forbidding the pharisees to preach , that he commands his disciples both to hear and to obey their doctrine . so that since the bishop will needs have the presbyterians to be pharisees , let him but allow them the same liberty of teaching the people , as our saviour did the other , and i believe they will not ( at least were i a presbyterian i should not ) envy his lordship , either his title or maintenance , how undue and unmeri●●ed soever they ●●oth be . and though the bishop is pleased to say that the presbyterians preach nothing but sedition and treason ( which is most false , as being directly contrary to their declared principles ) yet the pharisees taught something worse , and that was blasphemy : yet our saviour ( who sure had more power , and withall , more care of his church than the bishop of worcester ) did not go about by force to prohibit them . i wish therefore , th●● this bishop and the rest of his brethren ( if any are cholerick and testy enough to be of his mind ) would consider , that as by silencing their fellow-ministers , for such frivolous and slight pretences , they usurp a power , which christ never gave , so at the last day he will not thank them for the exercise of it . fourthly , how consistent with the civil peace ( for as to christian charity , the whole thing is but a letter of defiance against it ) the bishops distinction is about the act of indempnity ▪ and ( the so much forgotten act of oblivion , i hope his majesty and the parliament will in due time consider . for he is so hardy as to tell us , that the king by it only pardoned the corporal punishment ; but the church had not , nor ought not to forgive the scandal , till honourable amends were made her by confession and recantation . where by speaking of the church , as distinct from the state ( i mean in point of coercive jurisdiction ) the bishop would make us believe , that after his majesty and the parliament have forgiven men their civil crimes , there is still another power , which he calls the church , unto which they are still accountable , even so far as to make a publick recantation . here i wish the bishop would have spoken out of the clouds , and plainly told us , what he meant by the church : for i●● it b●● a congregation of the faithful met together for the worship of god , as t●● defin●●ion of scripture , and of the church of england is in the 39. arti●●les ; this will not at all advantage him , since such a church hath no coercive or imposing power : but if he means the hierarchy or ecclesiastical state , by arch-bishops , bishops , &c. there can be nothing more false , or more dishonourable unto our civil government , than to affirm that it lies in their power , not only to punish , but likewise to exact a recantation , for those faults which the king and parliament have not only pardoned , but under severe penalties commanded should never more be remembred : and therefore i doubt not , but they will resent this malicious and ill-grounded fancy . and since the bishop is so over-zealous for the very letter of the law , when it imposes ceremonies , give me leave a little to wonder , that one of his profession and place in the church should so unchristianly go against it , when it enjoyns moderation and forgiveness as to civil injuries . such as he , who make the law , instead of being a buckler to protect converts , a sword only to cut off all such as were once offenders , labour what they can to make men desperate , and thereby render the peace of the nation , and , in that , the prosperity and welfare of his majesty very insecure and hazardous . for what can more enrage men to take wild and forbidden courses , than to see even preachers of the gospel strive to widen their wounds , and , contrary to their own former professions , to pull off that plaister , which the wisdom of our state physicians had provided to heal our distempers . fifthly , it is bold and impious ( i know not how to express it more mildly ) what he affirms , that if to command an act , which by accident may prove an occasion of sin , be sinful , then god himself cannot command any thing . for , though as i said before , i will by no means own that assertion , yet , a thing , which by accident may become sinful , may be unlawful in another to command , for want of sufficient authority , whereas gods soveraign power doth without dispute or controversy make all his commands to be just ; and therefore his name ought not to be mentioned in our trivial disputes ▪ because every such vain use of it , is nothing but a diminution and lessening of his greatness . sixthly , that an offence ; to which a disproportionable penalty is annexed , is not to be measured by the quality of the act considered in it self , but by the mischievous consequences it may produce ▪ wh●●ther this ought to hold good in civil laws , becomes neither the bishop nor me to dispute : but in divinity nothing can be more false and dangerous . for to impose , in the worship of god as necessary circumstances of it , things confessedly trivial and needless ; and , upon the forbearance of them , to debar any from the benefits first of christian , and then of civil communion , is a thing which hath not the least pretence of scripture or primitive practice to justifie it . for our saviour tells us , that whoever were not against him , were for him ; and the apostle bids us to receive our weak brother , and not to judge , much less to burden his conscience . unto which sacred canon ; nothing can be more directly contrary , than what the bishop most incompassionately tells us , that the laws do well to punish , even with non-admission to the sacrament , such as will not , or perhaps dare not , kneel . and the reason he gives is equally apocrypha , because , saith he , it becomes not the law-givers to endanger the churches peace for their sake : as if first , it did not much more become all law-givers , in the things of god , to observe the law of christ , which is a law of love and liberty . secondly , as if the churches peace would not be much more endangered , by the pressing of things doubtful , than by the forbearance of them . for since by the enforcing of such things , as god hath no where commanded , our christian liberty is entringed ; from hence it follows , that , if we ought not , yet we lawfully may refuse to submit unto such impositions ; as our saviour did in not washing his hands before meat ; and the apostle paul , in the case of circumcision . seventhly , as for the chain of consequences , which the bishop links and ties together . as that from diversity in external rites , ariseth dislike ; from dislike , enmity ; from enmity , opposition ; thence schism in the church , and sedition in the state ; for proof of which , he doth very virulently instance in our unhappy times . to prevent which , he tells us , that the state cannot be safe without the church , nor the church without the unity , nor unity without uniformity , nor uniformity without a strict and rigorous imposition . to all this i answer , that it is a meer ▪ rope of sand , and the parts of his chain do as little harg together , as sampsons foxes did before they were tied by the tails , which course the bishop hath imitated , not forgetting to put in even the firebrand it self to make up the comparison . for 1. nothing is more clear than that there hath been , nay ought to be , diversity in external forms , without any dislike at all as to the person of another : for the apostles that preached to the circumcision gave the right hand of fellowship unto the apostles of the gentiles ; although their outward rites in publick worship , were far more different , than those , which , by any of the most distant perswasions , are now practised in england . 2. the state may be preserved , without the least reference to the church , unless it turns persecuter of it ; as is evident in those 300 years before constantines time , in which there was no church at all legally countenanced ; and for some scores of years after , both the christians and gentiles were equally advanced and favoured . 3. unity , i mean such as christ came to establish ( which is an unity in heart and spirit ) doth not in the least depend upon uniformity but upon charity , i. e. a christian and a candid forbearance of one another in things circumstantial , when we agree in the essentials of worship ; which is a thing , that meer civility would teach , though religion were silent in it . and whereas the bishop thinks he hath got some advantage , by reviving the memory of our late civil wars , which , were he either christian or man enough , he would wish were eternally buried in silence ) i must ( to use his own phrase ) tell him in his ear , that our wars did not arise from the separation of conscientious dissentors , but from the violence and fury of unconscionable imposers : who would not allow their brethren ( who desired nothing more than to live peaceably by them ) that sober liberty , which the law of god commanded , and no law of man could justly deprive them of . and whether the publick maintaining of the very same positions and practises , may not in time beget the same feuds and animosities , although this bishop cares not , yet i doubt not , but his majesty , as he now doth , so will alwayes graciously consider . eighthly , whether as to the matter of fact , the french protestants do enjoyn standing at the sacrament ; and the dutch kneeling ; i will labour to inform my self of some more un●●yassed witness than this bishop ; for in the ecclesiastical laws of those churches , which i have carefully perused , i can find no such matter . but if they did so , this would not at all justifie the imposition of kneeling ; because 1. the question is de jure , whether it be lawful to prescribe any one such certain posture , without submiting to which , it shall not be lawful to admit any to the sacrament ; and till the affirmative of this be proved by scriptures , examples , and instances from the practice of men , will not satisfie a doubting conscience ▪ 2. neither of those fore-mentioned postures are so much to exception as kneeling ; because this last is manifestly more superstitious , for 1. it varies most of any from the first pattern . 2. it hath been monstrously abused by the papists to idolatry ; which alone renders it most unsafe to be practised , & most unwarrantable to be imposed : especially , till it be again explained , as in the very first liturgy of all it was ; which i particularly mention , to shew how little our reformation since edw. 6th . time , hath been improved . lastly , as it was needlesly , so was it likewise uncharitably done , to revile the whole body of presbyterians for the faults of mr. baxter ; upon supposition that either he is a presbyterian , or so culpable as the bishop would make him . for since every man is to bear his own burden , what bible did the bishop find it in , that he might without scruple , asperse a whole order of men , for the pretended miscarrige of one ; who , by the bishop's own confession , was not of so amicable and com●●i●●t a temper as the rest : and therefore certainly they ought not to be brought in as parties i●● that ●●r●●e of unpeaceableness , from which the bishop just before had absolved them : but chol●● spoils the memory ; and s●●e his brethren the bishops would not take it well of a presbyterian , should he cry out crimine ab uno , disce omnes — see what manner of spirit these bishops are of , and judge them all by the bishop of worcester ' s example . truly , sir , i am a little angry , when i confider how much this one mans indiscretion hath exposed all of the same order to censure ; for were they all like him , ( which i do not , nor dare not think ) i should not scruple to pray heartily , what the bishop doth in scorn concerning the preachers — lord deliver us from such bishops . and let all the people say amen . thus , sir , you see how willing i am to serve you , in proposing my exceptions , the fuller prosecution of which , i must leave to some other pen , more able both in divinity and policy , who may convince both the bishop and the world , that it is not yet time to sow such tares ; this age is a little too knowing to be gull'd with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or to take every thing for oracle which a bishops passion dictates . but before i ease you of your trouble in reading this , i will crave leave to give you a taste of the reverend father's deep wisdom in two or three particulars . — 1. in that he declaims , so fiercely , as if he would crack his girdle , against all those who force all communicants to come unto them , and be particularly examined before they admit them to the sacrament . indeed , sir , this was an imposition , as no way justifiable , so , for ought i can here , no where practised . the custom being that men were only once for all examined , at their first coming to the sacrament ; which the bishop himself allows under other names of being catechised and instructed . it was therefore wisely done of the bishop , this cold weather , to set up a man of straw , and then get himself heat by threshing it . 2. it is methinks very politickly done to exclaim against the poor covenant ; and , in great zeal , to wish all the books , which defend it , were burnt by the authors , to save the hangman a labour . for here let his adversary do what he can , the bishop will be too hard for him : for if he takes no notice of the covenant , the bishop clearly gains the cause , if he ventures to assert it , he shall presently be confuted with a confiscation . so that under the shelter of this unanswerable dilemma , i leave him , lest i should be gored with the horns of it . and this i speak , sir , as one that , though i never took , but always opposed the covenant ; yet i have a very good opinion of many that did , and withal a great tenderness for the lawful part of an oath , after it is once solemnly taken . i will only adde this , that since that oath hath been so generally taken , even by those that were most active in his majesties service ; and several times ventured their lives , to signalize their loyalty ; i think the ashes of it ( since it was burnt by publick authority ) had much better have been suffered to rest quietly , than thus to be blown up and scattered abrbad by the bishop's furious breath , when no occasion was given him so much as to mention it . lastly , i can never enough commend the bishops wisdom , in resolving so angrily never to write again ▪ for he is old , and hath travelled far , and knows that it is much easier to speak rash and unjustifiable things , than to defend them . and therefore he deals with those , that he hath provoked , as witty school-boyes do with their companions , first he hits them a box on the ear , and then very discreetly retreats , and fairly runs away . but if goliah , who took upon him to defie the host of israel , should as soon as ever he had dope , have sneaked out of the field , and thought he had done manfully enough in making a bold challenge , and in shewing his teeth at them ; i believe the philistines would hardly have thanked him for that empty shew of valour , whereby he could not conquer , but only enrage the enemy . and whether the bishops will not have the same opinion of this over-forward and unwary champion of theirs , i hope , sir , you will neither enquire your self , nor desire that i should : for i have already done enough to shew how much i am , jan ▪ 21. sir , your most humble servant d. e. a second letter unto a person of honour and quality , containing some animadversions upon the bishop of worcester's letter . together with a brief answer unto all that one l's — intends to write . honourable and worthy sir , you much surprized me in your last , wherein you acquainted me , that the letter i sent you ( which was the hasty issue of one or two leasure hours , and therefore very unfit for publick view ) was by your self , to prevent the trouble of transcribing , communicated to the world ; and the result , you tell me , is , that many sober persons ( who thought it very fit that the bishop should be a little humbled ) are much satisfied by it , but the bishop himself so far concerned , that he hath employed one l's — to answer it . truly , sir , i am so taken with this last part of your news , that , instead of prosecuting my resentments against the reverend bishop ( which nothing but publick considerations made me take up ( i now begin to pity him ; and am heartily sorry he should be driven to so desperate a shift , as that , for want of better champions , he is forced to commit his cause to the patronage of such a pen , whose defence will more dishonour him than the sharpest accusation . for who that knows any thing of civility and learning , doth not know , that the character you give of that l's — is not more sharp than serious , when you call him a person so lost to all good breeding , of so forfeited , so undone a reputation in point of meet morality , that for a bishop , so much as to countenance him ▪ is a crime which some councels have pronounced ●●n anathema against ; but to employ him , and to think , that either he is fit to manage such nice points as that letter glanceth upon ; or that such indigested stuffe as he must needs disgorge , will not create a nausea and loathing in all sober readers , is altogether as improper , as if the bishop should set ( to use a phrase which that gentleman understands ) a hog to play upon his organs , or appoint a scavenger to wash his surplice ; the very attempting of which would betray , that he loved neither musick nor cleanlinesse . i must confess sir , i am very tender of the bishops reputation , and there is yet a possibility for him to recover his credit again ; for though he be a little angry , yet the world must needs acknowledge , that he is a plain dealing man ; since his dudgeon phrase of this is the truth , the whole truth , and nothing but the truth , with such kind of home-spun . harmless elegancies that are scattered in his letter , savour very much of the old english breeding , and call to mind the trunk-breeches , and wooden daggers of our ancestors ; who i believe , spake all in the same uncounterfeit stile , which it well becomes a bishop who loves antiquity , to imitate : but for him now to grow weary of this primitive simplicity , to suspect his own strength , and to entrust mounsieur le friske the morice-dancer to undertake his quarrel ; to chuse one for his champion , who hath been a fidler in all governments ▪ and would have been a fidler to the worst of them ( for which end he knows how many pitiful begs and faces he made , to scrape acquaintance with the tyrant oliver ) for him now to be suddenly advanced so much beyond his art , will run the poor man into a dangerous vertigo ; and in the mean while much discredit the bishops cause , as if he could get none to maintain it but this common barreter , this mercenary songster , that for two crowns more will change his note , and rail against his patron . this , sir , if possible , much more low and mean being my opinion of that whiffling and thin souled adversary you mention , give me leave to tell you , that i am so little concerned in any thing he intends to write , that since you resolved to divulge the letter i sent you , i am sorry you did not likewise publish my name to the world to ; that so , another , whom , as you tell me , he designes to fall upon , might not , upon mistake , have the credit of his calumnies ; since every reproach from him ( who hath not let any thing sacred , whether person or doctrine , escape his venomous pasquils ) i look upon as a signal mark of honour , beyond what any other epitaph can give me . as when men scatter dung upon a garden , the flowers grow more fair and fragant ever after ; so were i ambitious of ▪ a name , i think i could not more speedily procure it among all good men , than by entreating that l's — to appear against me . as therefore , sir , you love my credit , manage this design for me , and promote the work as much as you can ; and by divulging my true name , let not any jot of the commendation he designes me , be derived upon that gentleman you mention , whose vein , if i mistake not , lies in another way . however , sir , if there be no help , but the innocent must suffer , pray think so nobly of me , as that i do religiously intend to follow your advice , and not offer to answer one , who would fain be answered , that he might appear considerable . i will not , sir , by taking any notice of him , suffer him to rail himself into reputation : but as hitherto , with all his little witticismes , and twenty good morrows ( to shew what trade he drives ) he could never gain so much respect from any , as to deserve a confutation ; so shall i let him pass still , like bessus in the comedy , secure in his own want of worth , and by that , safe from censure . and thus , sir , i dismiss that puny authour , unto his learned labours , of which , you tell me , he is now lying in ; and if there be any vertue in sack ( for he drinks and writes in the same measure , only with this difference , that what goes in wine , comes out water ) the women of turnball-street shall not long be unfurnished of a pamphlet . but , sir , to conclude with something more serious , i can assure you ; that i am perfectly reconciled to the bishop , and will point him out a fair and noble way of righting himself . for , setting aside those merry passages in my letter , which his too much heat gave but too just an occasion for , i give you free leave to acquaint both him and the world , that i intend to make him an acknowledgment as submiss as any canon enjones ▪ if he will either by writing , or conference , make good any of these positions , which he asserts in his book , and against which , i have briefly subjoyned my reasons . pos. 1. that monarchy cannot consist without episcopacy . neg. f●● monarchy was many 1000. years before episcopacy , and therefore demonstrably may be without it . pos. 2. that the bishop of worcester is the sole and immediate pastor of all the congregations in his diocesse . neg. for it is utterly against scripture rule , to extend the name of pastor , beyond the flock which one actually feeds . pos. 3. that it is unlawful for any , though ordained , to preach in the bishop of worcester ' s diocesse , without his license . neg. for ordination is a sufficient license , which runs as the apostles commission did , go preach the gospel ; without being confined to place , or needing a new license . pos. 4. that it is lawful in the worship of god , to enjoyn a small thing under a great penalty . neg. for we have no warrant for such an imposition in the word of god , which ought to be the sole rule of all religious worship . pos. 5. that the church hath power to exact confession and recantation , for those crimes which the state hath pardoned . neg. for , as to coercive power and jurisdiction , there is no difference at all between the church and state. pos. 6. that the presbyterians ( i suppose , he means , not imposers of their own formes , but barely dissenters from those imposed by others ) are all seditious . neg. for it is against their publick confession of faith ; which , as the 39. articles , and church-canons are of the episcopal , so that ought to be the test of the presbyterian perswasion . thus , sir , you see i am willing to reduce this controversie unto a rational and calm way of debate , and if the bishop , or any sober person for him , will undertake to maintain , either all , or any of the forementioned positions , i will either make good my negative , or declare my conversion . and because , sir , it is possible you may be asked , who it is that thus boldly makes a challenge unto one of our learned prelates ? your personal knowledge of me can abundantly satisfie them , that he is very much for bishops , more for the king , most of all for the purity and peace of religion ; and were he not for all these , in their due and just subordination , he thinks you would not own him for , feb. 6. 1661. sir , your most humble servant , d. e. postscript . i have just now received an elaborate piece , written by one that stiles himself j. c. m. d. a man very well read in the modern fathers , and of so elegant and facete a style , that i am sorry all the places in gotham-colledge are taken up , for this man would be an excellent president of it : i hope the bishop will be so charitable as to provide a sine-cura for him , for his employment in physick will never be able to maintain him in books and clean linnen else ; i wish neither he may ever want such able champions , nor they befitting pensions . adieu . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26854-e3420 he might have refer'd them to himself , pag. 460. where he gives the same answer to the same objection . vid. preface to the holy common wealth . pag. 6. notes for div a26854-e5240 pag. ●● . pag. 2 ▪ & 3. act. 20. 28. pag. 3. p. 3 , 6 , 8 , & 9. pag. 8. pag. 20. pag. 5. short instructions for the sick: especially who by contagion, or otherwise, are deprived of the presence of a faithfull pastor. / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1665 approx. 13 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-iv tiff page image. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2009-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a76214 wing b1416a estc r172655 45097537 ocm 45097537 171152 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a76214) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 171152) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2562:1) short instructions for the sick: especially who by contagion, or otherwise, are deprived of the presence of a faithfull pastor. / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1 sheet ([1] p.). printed by robert white, for francis tyton, at the three daggers in fleet-street: and for nevill simmons, book-seller in kederminster., london, : anno dom. 1665. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -prayer-books and devotions. sick -prayer-books and devotions. broadsides -england -17th century. 2008-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2008-08 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2009-01 megan marion sampled and proofread 2009-01 megan marion text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion short instructions for the sick : especially who by contagion , or otherwise , are deprived of the presence of a faithfull pastor . by richard baxter . those happy persons who have made it the chief care and business of their lives , to be alwayes ready for a dying hour , have least need of my present counsel : it is therefore those unhappy souls , who are yet unprepared , whom i shall now instruct . and , o that the lord would bless these words ; and perswade them yet , ere time be gone ! if sin had not bewitched men , and made them monsters of senslesness and unbelief , it could not be , that an endless life , so sure , so neer , could be so sottishly made light of , all their lives , as it is by most , till they perceive that death is ready to surprize them . but , poor sinner , if this have been thy case , supposing yet that thou art unwilling to be damned , i earnestly intreat thee in the name of christ , for the sake of thy immortal soul , that thou wilt presently lay to heart these short instructions , before time and hope are gone for ever . i. at last bethink thee what thou art ? and for what end and work thou camest into the world ? thou art a man of reason , and not a brute , and hast a soul which was made to know , and love , and serve thy maker ; and that not in the second place , with the leavings of the flesh ; but in the first place , and with all thy heart and might . if this had been indeed thy life , god would have been thy portion , thy father , and thy defence , and thou mightst have liv'd and dy'd in peace and comfort , and then have liv'd with god for ever . and should not a creature live to the ends and uses which it was made for ? must god give thee all thy powers for himself , and wilt thou turn them from him , to the service of the flesh , and that when thou hadst vowed the contrary in thy baptism ? how wilt thou answer for such treacherous ungodliness ? ii. it is time for thee now to have serious thoughts of the life which thou art going to : if thou couldst sleepily forget it all the way ; it is time to awake when thou art almost there . when thy friends are burying that flesh in the earth , which thou didst more regard than god and thy salvation , thy soul must appear in an endless world ; and see those things which god foretold thee of , and thou wouldst not believe , or set thy heart upon : as soon as death hath opened the curtains , o what a sight must thou presently behold ! a world of angels and of holy souls adoring , and praising , and admiring that god , whom thou didst refuse to mind , and love , and serve : a world of devils and damned souls , in torment and despair , bewailing their contempt of christ and grace , their neglect of god , and their salvation , their serving the flesh , and loving the world , and wilfully losing the time of mercy , and all the means which god vouchsafed them . believe it , sinner , there is an endless joy and glory for the saints , and an endless misery for all the ungodly ; and one of these must quickly be thy case . thy state is changeable while thou art in the flesh : if thy soul be miserable , there is yet a remedy : it s possible christ may renew and pardon it : but as soon as thou goest hence , thou enterest into a state of joy or torment , which must never change : no not when millions of years are past . and dost thou not think now in thy conscience , that such an endless misery should have been prevented with greater care and diligence , than all the sufferings of this life ? and that the attaining of such an endless glory , had been worth thy greatest care and labour ? and that it is far better to see the glory of god , and be filled with his love , and joyfully praise him with his saints and angels , for evermore , and by a holy life to have prepared for this ; than to please the flesh , and follow the world a little while , and be undone for ever ! hast thou got more by the world and sin , than heaven is worth ? thou art almost at the end of worldly pleasures , and hast all that ever they will do for thee ? but if god had had thy heart and service , he would not thus have cast thee off ; and his rewards and joyes would have had no end . o how much happier are the blessed souls in heaven , than we ? iii. and seeing you are so neer to the judgment of god , where your soul must receive its final sentence , it is high time now to judge your self , and know what state your soul is in ? whether in a state of justification , or of damnation . for this may be certainly known if you are willing . and first you must know who they be whom christ will justifie , and whom he will condemn : and this the word of god will tell you : for he will judge them by that word . in a word [ all those whom christ will justifie and save , are made new creatures by the renewing work of the holy ghost : their eyes are opened to see the vanity of this world , and the certainty and excellency of the glory of heaven ; and to see the odiousness of sin , and the goodness of a holy life , and to believe that christ is the only saviour , to cleanse them from their sins , and bring them to that glory . and therefore they forsake the sinful pleasures of the flesh , and set their hearts on the everlasting blessedness , and seek it before all things , and lamenting and hating their former sins , they give up themselves sincerely , to their god and father , their saviour , and their sanctifier , to be taught and ruled , justified , sanctified , and saved by him ; resolving whatever it cost the flesh , to stand to this choice and covenant to the death . ] this is the case of all that christ will justifie and save : the rest who never were thus renewed and sanctified , will be condemned , as sure as the gospel is true . therefore let it be speedily your work , to try whether this be your case or not ? have you been thus enlightened , convinced , and renewed , to believe in christ , and the life to come , and to give up your self in a faithful covenant to god your father , your saviour , and your sanctifier ? to hate your sin , and to live and love a holy life , in mortifying the flesh , and seeking heaven before the world ? if this be not your case , i should but flatter and deceive you to tell you of any hope of being saved , till you are thus renewed and justified . never imagine a lye to quiet you , till help is past . no one that is unregenerate or unholy , shall ever dwell with god. yet you may be saved , if yet you will be truly converted and sanctified : but without this , assuredly there is no hope . iv. therefore i counsel you in the name of christ , to look back upon your sinful life with sorrow ; not only because of the danger to your self , but also because you have offended god! what think you now of a sinful and of a holy life ? had it not been better that you had valued christ and grace , and lived in the love of god , and in the joyful hopes of the life to come , and denyed the sinful desires of the flesh , and been ruled by the law of god , and spent your time in preparing for eternity ? do you not heartily wish that this had been your course ? would you take this course if it were to do again ? and god recover you ? repent , repent from the bottom of your heart , of the time you have lost , the mercy you have abused , the grace you have resisted , of all your fleshly , worldly desires , words and deeds ; and that you gave not up your soul and life to the love of god and life eternal . v. and now resolvedly give up your self in a hearty covenant to god! though it be late , he will yet accept and pardon you , if you do it in sincerity . take god for your god , your portion and felicity , to live in his love and praise for ever ; take christ for your saviour , to teach , and rule , and justifie you , and bring you unto god ; and the holy spirit for your sanctifier , and certainly god will take you for his child . but see that you be truly willing of his grace , and resolved never to forsake him more . o happy soul , if yet at last , the lord will make this change upon thee ! and i 'le tell you certainly how to know , whether this late repentance will serve for your salvation , or not . if it be but fear only which causeth your repentance , and the heart and will be not renewed , but you would turn again to a fleshly , worldly and ungodly life , if you be recovered ; then it will never save your soul . but if your heart , your will , your love be changed , and this change would hold if god recovered you to health again , then doubt not of pardon and salvation . vi. and if god have thus changed your heart , and drawn it to himself , be thankful for so great a mercy ! o bless him for giving you a redeemer and a sanctifier , and the pardoning covenant of grace . and now be not afraid or loath to leave a sinful world , and come to god! pray harder for grace and pardon , than for life . commit and trust your souls to christ ! he had never done so much for souls , if he had not loved them , and been willing to receive them ! how wonderfully came he down to man , to bring up man to the sight of god! he is gone before to prepare us a mansion in the city of god , and hath promised to take us to himself , that we may dwell with him , and see his glory ! the world which you are going to , is unlike to this ! there is no pride , or lust , or cruelty , oppression , deceit , or any sin ! no wicked men to scorn or persecute us ! no vanity to allure us ! no devil to tempt us ! no corruption of our own to burden or endanger us ! no fears , or cares , or griefs , or discontents ! no poverty , sickness , pain , or death ! no doubtings of the love of god or our salvation ! but the sight of god , and the feelings of his love , and the fervent flames of our love to him , will be the everlasting pleasure of the saints ! these will break forth in triumphant and harmonious thanks and praise in the presence of our glorified redeemer , and in concord with all the heavenly hosts , the blessed angels , and the spirits of the just ! this is the end of faith and holiness , patience and perseverance : when hell is the end of unbelief , ungodliness , sensuality , and hypocrisie . how justly are they condemned , who sell their part of endless joyes , for a shadow and dream of transitory pleasures ? and can delight more in the filth of sin , and in a fading vanity , than in the love of god , and the fore-thoughts of glory ! what love can be too great , what desires too fervent ; what prayer and labour can be too much ! what suffering too dear for such a blessedness ? vii . lastly , because there are many cases of the sick , which require the presence of a judicious divine ; if it be possible get the help of such ; if not , remember that god is just , in denying men that mercy in their distress , which in the time of their health and prosperity they rejected with scorn & contempt , and cleave to him whom you may enjoy for ever . london , printed by robert white , for francis tyton , at the three daggers in fleet-street : and for nevill simmons , book-seller in kederminster . anno dom. 1665. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a76214-e10 deut. 6.5 . & 10.12 . & 11.1 , 13. deut. 32.29 . matth. 6.19 , 20 , 33. matth. 25. rom. 2. 2 cor. 4.18 . & 5.1 , 7 , 8 , 9. phil. 3.18 , 20. 2 thes . 1.9 , 10. 1 pet. 4.18 . 1 cor. 11.31 . 2 cor. 13.5 . pet. 1.10 . john 3.3 , 5. 2 cor. 5.17 . ephes . 1.18 . joh. 3.16 , 19. gal. 5.24 . rom. 8.9 . mat. 6.21 , 33. mat. 28.20 . heb. 12.14 . rev. 2.7 , 10. prov. 11.7 . job 8.13 , 14. luk. 13.3 , 5. luk. 15. matth. 18.3 . matth. 11.28 . 2 cor. 8.5 . act. 11.23 . psal . 78.34 , 35 , 36 , 37. hebr. 8.10 . & 10.16 . jer. 32.40 . phil. 1.21 , 23. 2 cor. 5.1.8 . rev. 14.13 . act. 7.59 . john 17.24 . & 12.26 . rev. 21. & 22 ▪ mal. 2.7 . james 5.14 . psal . 73.26 . the redemption of time, or, a sermon containing very good remedies for them that have mis-spent their time shewing how they should redeem it comfortably / by william whately ... ; now published for general good by richard baxter. whately, william, 1583-1639. 1673 approx. 126 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 66 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a65610 wing w1590 estc r38583 17802451 ocm 17802451 106619 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a65610) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 106619) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1109:4) the redemption of time, or, a sermon containing very good remedies for them that have mis-spent their time shewing how they should redeem it comfortably / by william whately ... ; now published for general good by richard baxter. whately, william, 1583-1639. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [36], 94 p. printed for francis tyton ..., london : 1673. preface signed: rich. baxter. reproduction of original in the cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng redemption. salvation. christian life. 2003-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-02 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-06 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2003-06 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-08 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the redemption of time or , a sermon containing very good remedies for them that have mis-spent their time : shewing how they should redeem it comfortably . by william whately , preacher and minister of banbury in oxfordshire . now published for general good by richard baxter . psalm 90.12 . lord teach us to number our daies , that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom . london , printed for francis tyton , at the three daggers in fleet-street . 1673. the preface . the usual vice of humane nature , to be weary of good things , when they grow old and common , and to call for novelties , is especially discernable in mens esteem and use of books . abundance of old ones are left neglected to the worm● and dust , whilest new ones of far less worth are most of the book-sellers trade and gain . it is not easie to give a reason of it , but it is not to be denyed , that this age hath few such writers as the last , either controversal or practical . even among the papists , there are now few such as suarez , vasquez , valen●●● , victoria , penottus , ruiz , alvarez , bellarmine , &c. and among us , too few such as iewel , whittaker , reignolds , field , usher , white , challoner , chillingworth , &c. which the papists understanding , would fain have the monuments of these worthies forgotten ; and are calling for new answers to the schisme that have been so long agoe confuted ; to keep those old unanswerable writings , from the peoples hands . and thus doth the envious enemy of holiness , by the practical writings of those holy men who are now w●th god. the solid , grave , and pious labours of rich. rogers , perkins , greenham , deering , dent , smith , dod , hildersham , downame , sam. ward , hall , bolton , dike , sto●ke , elton , tailor , harris , preston , sibs , ball and many more such , are by the most neglected , as if we were quite above their parts ; but it were well if more injudicious or undigested writings possessed not their room . though i may hereby censure my self as much as others , i must needs say , that the reprinting of many of our fathers writings , might have saved the labour of writing many later books , to the greater commodity of the church . among the rest , i well remember that even in my youth ( and since much more ) the writings of mr. whateley were very savoury to me : especially his new-birth , his care-cloth , and his sermon of redeeming time. and finding this last now hardly to be got , when yet the necessity of it is increased , and knowing of no other , that hath done that work so well , i have desired the printer to vindicate it from oblivion , and benefit the world with the reviving of so profitable ( though small ) a treatise . i must so far venture on the displeasure of the guilty , as to say , that the doleful condition of two sorts of persons , the sensual gentry , and the idle beggars , is it that hath compelled me to this service : but especially of the former sort , who though slothful , may possibly be drawn to read so small a book : what man that believeth a life hereafter , and considereth the importance of our busin●ss upon earth , and observeth how most persons , but especially our sensual gentry , live , can chuse but wonder that ever reason can be so far lost , and even self-love and the care of their own everlasting state , so laid asleep , as mens great contempt of time declareth ! ladies and gentlewomen , it is you whom i most deeply pity and lament : think not that i am too bold with you : god , who employeth us on such service , will be bolder with you than this comes to . and christ was bold wi●h su●h as you , when he spake the histories or parables of the two rich men in luke 12. and luke 16. and when he told men how hardly the rich should enter into the kingdom of heaven . and iames was b●ld with such when he wrote , chap. 5. go too now , ye rich m●n , weep and ●owl for your miseries that shall come upon you : your riches are corrupted , and your garments mo●heaten : your gold and silver is cankered , and the rust of them shall be a witness against you , and shall eat your flesh as it were fire , &c. — yee have lived in pleasure on earth , and been wanton : ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter . — and he was neither ignoble nor unlearned , but of honourable birth , and the orator of an university , who was so bold with the english gentry ( when they say , they were much wiser and better than they are ▪ now ) as to be speak them thus — ( herbert's church-porch . ) " fly idleness ; which yet thou canst not flye . " by dressing , mistressing , and complement : " if those take up the day , the sun will cry " against thee ; for his light was only lent : " god gave thy soul brave wings ; put not those feathers " into a bed to sleep out all ill weathers . " o england ! full of sin , but most of slo●h ! " spit out thy phlegm , and fill thy breast with glory ! " thy gentry bleats , as if thy native cloth , " transfus'd a sh●epishness into thy story . " not that they all are so , but that the most , " are gone to grass , and in the pasture lost . " this loss springs chiefly from our education , " some till their ground , but let weeds choak their son : " some mark a partridge ; never their childs fashion : " some ship them ●ver , and the thing is done . " study this art : make it thy great design : " and if gods image move thee not , let thine . " some great estates provide ; but do not breed " a mast'ring mind ; so both are lost thereby . " or else they breed them tender ; make them need " all that they leave : this is flat poverty . " for he that needs five hundred pounds to live , " is full as poor as he that needs but five . when i peruse the map of sodome in ezek. 16 49 , 50. methinks i am in an infected city , where instead of [ lord have mercy on us ] is written on the gentry's doors [ pride , fulness of bread , abundance of idleness , unmerci●u●ness and abomination . ] b●hold this was the iniquity of thy s●st●● ●od me , pride , fulness of bread , and abundance of idleness was in her , and in he● daughters , neither did she strengthen the ●a●d of the poor and needy : and they were haughty and committed abomination before me ] the title over the leaves of these verses might be [ the character of the sensual gentry . ] mistake me not , i am so far from accusing all the rich and honourable , that i must say it is as a testimony against the rest , that i know many such who spend their time as fruitfully and diligently as the poor ( though in another sort of service : ) and such might the rest have been if their bodies had not got the mastery of their souls . it is not your pride or fulness of bread that i am now to speak of , but your idleness . many of the old philosophers thought that when sickness or age had made one unserviceable to the common-wealth , it was a shame to live , and a duty to make away themselves ; as being but un●rofi●able burdens to the world . christians are not of their mind , because it is a mercy even under pain to have time of preparation for another world , and because we may serve god in patience and heavenly desires and hope , when we cannot serve him by an active life : but christians and heathens will proclaim those persons , to be the shame of nature , who wilfully make thems●lves unprofitable , and live in their hea●●h a● if they were d●s●bled by sickness ; and are condemned by their se●suality to a prison , or a grave : so that their epitaph may be written on their door , here lyeth such a one , rather than it can be said that here he liveth . o what a rock is a ha●dened heart ! how can you chuse but tremble when you think how you spend your dai●s ? and how all this time must be accounted for ? that those that have a death and judgement to prepare for , a heaven to get , a hell to scape , and souls ro save , can waste the day in careless idleness , as if they had no business in the world , and yet their consciences never tell them what they do , and how all this must be reviewed ? compare together the life of a christian , and of a fleshly bruit , and you will see the difference . suppose then both ladies and gentlewomen of the same rank : the one riseth as early as is consistent with her health ; with thoughts of thankfulness and love , her heart a●so awaketh , and rise●h up to him that night and day preserveth her : she quickly dispatcheth the dressing of her body , as intending no more but serviceable warm●h , and modest decency : and then she betaketh her self to her closet , where she poureth out her soul in confession , supplication , thanksgiving and praise to god , her creator , redeemer and sanctifier : and as one that delighteth in the law of the lord , she reverently openeth the sacred scriptures , and readeth over some part of it , with some approved commenta●y at hand , in which she may see the sense of that , which of her self she could not understand : what is plain , she taketh in , digesteth ▪ and layeth up for practice : and that which is too hard for her , as a humble learner she waiteth in patience , till by her teachers help in time she can come to understand it . as she hath leisure , she readeth such holy books , as interpret and apply the scriptures , to inlighten her mind , and resolve her will , and quicken her affections , and direct her practice . and as she liveth in an outward calling or course of labour , in which her body , as well as her mind , may have employment , she next addresseth her ●elf to that ; she looketh with prudence and carefulness to her family ! she taketh care of her servants labours , and their manners : neither suffering any to live in idleness , nor yet so over-labouring them , as to deny them some time to read the scriptures , and call upon god , and mind their souls : she endureth no prophane despisers of piety , or vicious persons in her house : she taketh fit seasons to speak to her servants such sober words of holy counsel , as tend to instruct and save their souls : she causeth them to learn the principles of religion in some catechism , and to read such good books as are most suitable to their capacity . in her affairs , she avoideth both so●bid parsimony , and wastful prod●gality ; and is thrifty and sparing , not in covetousness , but that she may do the more good to them that want : she indulgeth no excess or riotousness in her house , though the vices of the times should make it seem need●ul to her honour . if she want recreation , or have leisure for more work , she steps out to her poor tenants and neighbours houses , and seeth how they live , and what they want , and speaketh to them some sober words of counsel about the state of their immortal souls , and stirreth them up to a holy ●ife : she caus●th the sou●s of the poor to bless her , and is an example of piety to all about her . but h●r special care and labour is in the education of her children ( if she have any : ) she watcheth over them , lest the company , and example , and language of ungod●y persons should infect them . she causeth them to read the scriptures , and other holy books , and to learn the princip●es of rel●gion , and tea●heth them how to call upon god , and give him thanks for all his mercies : she acquainteth them with the sins of their depraved natures , and laboureth to humble them in the sense th●reof : she opene●h to them the doctrine of mans salvation by christ , and the necessity of a new birth , and of a heavenly nature : she disgraceth all sin to them , especially the radical master-sins , even ignorance , unbelief , selfishness , pride , sensuality and voluptuousness , the love of this world , and unholiness of heart and life : she sweetly and seriously insinuateeth into them the love and liking of faith and holiness ; and frequently enlargeth her spèech to them of the greatness , wisdom , and goodness of god , and what he is to man , and how absolute●y we owe him a●l the service , obedience and love , that our faculties can possibly perform : she sweetneth their thoughts of god and godliness , by telling them what god hath done for man , and what he will be to his own for ever : and by acquainting them with the reasons of a holy life , and the folly of ungodly men , and what a beastly thing it is to be sensual , and to pamper and please this flesh , which must shortly turn to dust , and to neglect a soul which must live for ever . she remembreth them oft that th●y must die , and telleth them how great a cha●ge death makes , and how the charge of regeneration must prepare us for it : she op●●●eth to ●hem the blessedness of holy souls , that shall be for ever with the lord , and the misery of the damned , who cast away themselves , by the wilful neglect of the tim● of their visitation . in a word , it is her dai●y care and calli●g , to prepare her children for the service of god , and to be blessings to the world in their generation , and to be happy themselves for evermore : and to destroy and prevent that sin and wickedness , which would make them a plague and curse in their generation . her meals are not lxurious nor long , nor her feastings unnecessary , to the wasting of estate , or precious time ; but seasonable , frugal , charitable and pious , intended to promote some greater good . she keepeth up the constant performance of religious duties in her family ; not m●●king god with formal complement ; but wo●sh●pping him in reverence and serious devotion , reading the holy scriptures , and seriously calling upon god , and singing to him psalms of praise . if her mind need recreation , she hath some profitab●e history , or other fruitful books to read , and variety of good works , and a seasonable diversion to the affairs of her family , instead of cards and d●ce , and the abused fooleries of the sensual world : when she is alone , her thoughts are f●uit●ul to her self ; either examining her heart and life , or looking seriously into eternity , or rejoycing her soul in the remembrance of gods mercies , or in the foresight of endless blessedness with him , or in stirring up some of his graces in her soul. when she is with others , her words are savoury , sober , seasonable ; as the oracles of god for piety and truth , tending to edification ; and to administer instruction and grace to the hearers , and rebuking the idle ta●k , or filthy scurrility ? ●r backbiting of any that would corrupt the company and discourse . at evening she again returneth to the more solemn worshipping of god , and goeth to rest , as one that still waiteth when she is called to rest with christ , and is never totally unready for that call . thus doth she spend her daies , and accordingly doth she end them , being conveyed by angels into the presence of her lord , and leaving a precious memorial to the living , the poor lamenting the loss of her charity , and all about lamenting the removal of a pattern of piety and righteousness , and loving holiness the b●tter , ●or the perfume of such a heavenly and amiable an example . on the other side , how d●fferent is the life of the sensual ladies and gentlewomen to whom i am now writing . when they have indulged their sloth in unnecessary sleep , till the precious morning hours are past , they arise with thoughts as fruitless as their dreams : their talk and time , till almost half the day is gone , is taken up only about their childish trifling ornaments : so long are they dressing themselves , that by that time they can but say over , or joyn in a few formal words , which go for prayer , it is dinner time ( for an image of religion some of them must have , lest conscience should torment them before the time . ) and when they 〈◊〉 sate out an hour or two at dinner , in gratifying their appetites , and in id●e talk , they must spend the next hour in talk , which is as idle : a savoury word of the life to come , must not trouble them , nor interrupt their fleshly converse : perhaps they must next go to cards or dice , and it may be to a play house , or at least , on some uprofitable visitation , or some worthless visitors that come to them , must take up the rest of the afternoon , in frothy talk , which all set together comes to nothing , but vanisheth as smoak : and they chuse such company , and such a course of life , as shall make all this seem unavoidable and unnnecessary , and that it would run them into contempt and great inconveniences if they did otherwise . if they look after their affa●●s , it is meerly through covetousness : but more usually they leave that care to others , that they may do nothing that is good for soul or body : they use their servants , as they do their beast● , for their service only ; and converse with them as if they had no souls to save or lose : they teach them by their example to speak vainly , and live sensually , and to forget the life to come : their children they love but as the bruits do their young : they teach them how to bow and dance , and carry themselves decently in the sight of men ; but never labour to heal their souls of ignorance , unbelief and pride ; nor open to them the matters of everlasting consequence : but rather perswade them that serious holiness is but hypocrisie , and the obedience of gods laws is a needless thing . they teach them by their example to curse , and swear , and lye , and rail , and to deride religion , or at least , to neglect god , and life eternal , and mind only the transitory vanities of this life : they leave them to satan , to wicked company and counsel , and to their fleshly lusts and pride , and when they have done , take care only to get them suffi●ient maintenance , to feed this sensual fire while they live : they train them up for the service of sin and satan , that at age they ; may have igno●ance and vi●e s●fficient to make them the plagues and misery of their country , and to engage them in enmity against that gospel and ministry which is against their lusts ; that rebelling against christ , they may have at last the reward of rebels , instead of salvation . in a word , they do more against their poor childrens souls , than all their enemies i● the world ; if not more than the devil himself could do , at least ▪ they most eff●ctually serve him , for their childrens damnation . thus do they spend their daies , and at night conclud● them as carelesly as they begun them : and at death ( without a true conversion ) shall end them as miserably as they spent them sinfully : and while they are pampering their flesh , and saying , i have enough , i will eat , d●ink and be merry , they suddainly hear , thou fool , this night shall thy soul be required , and then whose shall all this be which thou possessest , luke 12.19 , 20. and when they have a while been cloathed in purple and silks , and fared s●mptuosly every day , th●y must hear at last , remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things , and lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented . and when the time which they now despise is g●ne , o what would they give for one other year or hour of such time , to do the work which they now neglected , luk. 16.24 , 25 , 26. matth. 25.8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. is there not a great difference now between these two sorts of persons , in the expence of time. and is it any wonder if there be a difference in their rewards . in matth. 25.30 . it is not on●y [ cast the whoremonger , the drunkard , the perjured , the persecutor ] but [ cast the unprofitable servant into outer ●arkness ; there shall be weeping a●d gnashing of t●eth . ] compare , i beseech you , the time which you spend , 1. in idleness . 2. in excessive sleep . 3. in adorning you . 4. in feasting and long meals . 5. in curiosity and pomp , employing most of your servants time in impertinences , as well as your● own . 6 in excessive wordly cares . 7. in vain company and idle talk . 8. in vain thoughts . 9. in sensual recreations , in cards , dice , huntings , hawkings , playes , romances , fruitless books , &c. i say compare this time , with the time which you spend in examining your hearts and lives , and trying your title to eternal life , in bewailing sin , and begging mercy of god , and returning thanks and praise to your great benefactor , in instructing your children and servants , in visiting the sick , relieving the poor , exhorting one another , in meditating on eternity and the way thereto , in learning the word and will of god , and in the sanctified labours of your outward calling ; and let your consciences tell you , which of these hath the larger share ? and whether those things which should have none , and those which should have little , have not almost all ? and whether god have not only the leavings of your flesh ? gentlemen and ladies , i envy not your pleasures : i have my self a body with its proper appetites , which would be gratified , as well as you ? and i have not wanted opportunity to grat●fie it . if i thought that this were the most manly life , and agreeable to reason , and that we had no greater things to mind , i could thus play away my time as you do . but it amazeth me to see the worlds stupidity that people who are posting away unto eternity , and have so much to do in a little time , and of such unconceivable importance , can yet waste their dayes in sleeping , and dressing , and feasting , and complementing ; in pastime and playes , and idle talk , as if they were all but a dream , and their wits were not so far awakened as to know what it is to be a man. and to increase our pity , when they have done they ask , [ what harm is there in cards and dice , in stage-playes and romances ? is it not lawful to use such and such recreations ? ] suppose they were all unquestionably lawful , have you no greater matter that while to do ? have you no more useful recreations ? that will exercise your bodies and minds more profitably , or at least with less expence of time ? to a sedentary person , recreation must be such as stirs the body : to a labouring person , variety of good books and pious exercises is a fitter recreation than cards and dice. is your recreation but as the mowers whe●ting of his sythe ? no oftner , nor no longer than is necessary to fit you for those labours and duties , which must be the great and daily business of your lives ? if this be so , i am not reprehending you ; but i beseech you consider , have you ●o● souls to regard as well as others ? have you not a god to serve ? and his word and will to learn and do ? have you not servants and children to instruct and educate ( and o what a deal of labour do●h their ignorance and obstinacy require ? have you not death and judgement to prepare for ? have you not an outward calling to follow ? ( though i say not that you must do the same labours as the poor , i say that you mast labour and be profitable to the common-wealth ) have you not many good works of charity to do ? and will you leave the most of this undone , and waste your time in playes , and cards , and feasts , and idleness , and then say [ what harm is in all this ? and are they not lawful ? ] o that the lord would open your eyes , and shew you where you must be ere long , and tell you what wo●k you have here to do , that must be done , or you are lost for ever ; and then you would easily tell your selves , whether playing and fooling away precious time be lawful for one in your condition ? if your servan●s leave most of their work undone , and spend the day in cards , and stage-playes , and feasting , an● in merry chat , and then say , mada● , are not cards , and playes , and jesting lawf●l ? ] will you take it for a satisfactory answer ? and is it not worse that you deal with god ? it is a most irrational and ungrateful errour , to think that you may spend one hours time the more in idleness , because that you are rich. the reason were good , if labour were for nothing but to supply your own bod●ly necessities : but do you not believe that god is your lord and master ? and that he giveth you not an hours time in vain , but appointeth you work for every hour ? ( except your necessary rest ; ) and that your time and wealth are but his talen●s ? and bethink your selves whether a servant may say , i will do less work than my fellow servants , because i have more wages ? and whether you may do less for god , because he giveth you more than others ? but of this i have said so much in my preface to my book called [ the crucifying of the world ] that i shall now dismiss it . and what i have said especially to the rich , ( who think their loss of time no sin , ) i must say also to all others , o value time before it 's gone ! use it before it 's taken from you ! dispatch the work that you were made for : repent and turn to god unfeignedly : prepare for death without delay : time will not stay ; nor will it ever be recovered : were it not lest i should write a treatise instead of a preface , i would especially press this on all these following sorts of people . 1. those that are young , who have yet the flower of their time to use , that they cast it not away on child●sh vanity or lust● . 2. those that have lost much time already , that they shew the sincerity of their repentance , by redeeming the rest , and lose no more . 3. those that are yet ignorant , ungodly and unprepared for death , and the world to come ; o what need have these to make haste , and quickly get into a safer state , before their time be at an end . 4. those that in sickness resolved and promised , if god would recover them , to redeem their time. 5. the weak and aged , who nature and sickness do call upon to make haste . 6. the poor and servants , whose opportunities for spiritual means are scant , and therefore have need to take them when they may ; especially on the lords day . those that live under excellent helps , and advantages for their souls ; which if they neglect , they may never have again . 8. and those that by office or power have special opportunity to do good . all these have a double obligation to value and redeem their time. but because in my book called now or never , i have already urged these to dilige●ce , i shall only add this one request , to sportful youth , to sensual b●uites , to the idle sort of the gentry , to impenitent loyterers , to gamesters , and to all that have time to spare , that they will soberly use their reason in the answer of these following questions , before they proceed to waste the little time that is remaining , as vainly as they have done the rest . and i earnestly beseech them , and require them , as in the sight and hearing of their judge , that they deny me not so friendly and reasonable a suit . quest. 1. do you consider well the shortness and uncertainty of your time ? you came but lately into the world , and it is but a very little while till you must leave it . the glass is turned upon you : and it is uncessantly ●unning . a certain number of motions your pulse must beat , and beyond that number it shall not be permitted to strike another stroke . whatever you are thinking or saying , or doing , you are posting on to your final state : and o how quickly will you be there ! suppose you had seventy years to live , how soon will they be gone ? but you are not sure of another hour . look back on all your time that is past , and tell me whether it made not haste ? and that which is to come , will be as hasty . will not the tolling of the bell instruct you ? will not graves and bones , and dust instruct you ? while many are hourly crouding into another world , will conscience permit you to be idle ? doth it not tell you what you have to do , and call upon you to dispatch it ? can you play away your time , and idle it away , whilest the bell is tolling , whilest the sick are groaning , whilest every pulse and breath is telling you , that you are hasting to your end ? do you consider what a wonder of providence it is , that all your humours , parts and organs , that so many arteries , nerves and vains , should be kept in order one year to an end ? if you have no pains or sickness to admonish you , do you not know what a fragile thing is fl●sh ? which as the flower fa●leth , doth hasten to corruption and to dust ? how short is your abode in your present dwelling like to be , in comparison of your abode in dust and darkness ? and can you have while now to waste so many hours , in the adorning , the easing and the pampering of such a lump of rottenness , and forget the part that lives for ever ? must you stay on earth so short a time , and have you any of this little time to spare ? yea so much of it as you daily waste , in idleness , play and vain curiosity ? quest. 2. do you sober●y consider , what work you have for all your time ? and on how important a business you come into the world ? believe it , o man and woman , it is to do all that ever must be done , to prepare for an everlasting life ? endless joy or misery is the certain reward , and consequent of the spending of your present time ! and o that god would open your eyes , to see how much you have to do , in order to this eternal end ! you have ignorant minds which must be instructed , and knowledge is not easily and quickly got ! poor ministers of christ can tell you that , who with many years labour can scarce bring one half a parish to understand the very principles of the christian religion . you have souls depraved by original sin , and turned from god , and enslaved to the world and flesh ; and these must be renewed and regenerate : you must have a new and holy nature , that you may have a new and holy life . how many false opinions have you to be untaught ? how many weighty lessons to learn ? how many pernicious customs to be changed ? how many powerful corruptions to be mortified ? how many temptations to be overcome ? how many graces to be obtained ? and then to be exercised , and strengthened , and preserved ? is it easie to get a solid faith ? a tender heart ? a faithful conscience ? a fervent desire and love to god ? a quieting confidence and trust ? a well guided zeal ? and preserving fear ? an absolute resignation , self-denyal and obedience ? a hatred of all sin ? a love to holiness ? a fitness and ability for every duty ? a love to our neighbour as our selves ? a true love to our enemies ? a contentedness with our condition ? a readiness and joyful willingness to die ? a certainty of the pardon of all our sins , and of our title to e●ernal happiness ? a longing after the coming of christ ? a publick spirit , wholly devoted to the common good ? is it nothing to do all that whi●h y●u ●ave to do , in meditation , in self-examinati●n , ●● prayer , in educating children , in teaching and governing your families ; in all duties of your other relations ? to superiours ? to inferiours ? to equals ? to neighbours ? to enemies ? to all ? is it nothing to order and govern your hearts ? your thoughts ? your passions ? your tongues ? alas , sirs , have you all this to do ? and yet can you have while to sl●g , and game , and play and fool away your time ? if a poor man had but six pence in his purse , to buy bread for himself and for his family , and would give a groat of it to see a poppet-play , and then dispute that poppet-playes are lawful , how would you judge of his understanding and his practice ? o how much worse is it in you ( as the case is more weighty , ) when you have but a little uncertain time , to do so much , so great , so necessary works in , to leave it almost all undone , and throw away that time , on cards and playes and sensuality and idleness ? i tell you , time is a most pretious thing : more pretious than gold , or jewels , or fine cloaths ; and he is incomparably more foolish , that throws away his time , than he that throws away his gold , or trampleth his cloaths or ornaments in the dirt . this , this is the foolish pernicious prodigality . quest. 3. have you deeply considered that everlasting condition is , which all your time is given you to prepare for ? doth it not awaken and amaze thy soul , to think what it is to be for ever ; i say , for ever , in ioy or misery ? in heaven or hell ? one of these will certainly and shortly be thy portion , whatever unbelief may say against it ? o what a heart hath that stupified sinner , that can ●idle away that little time , which is allotted him to prepare for his everlasting state ? that knoweth he shall have but this hastly life to win or lose eternal glory in , and can play it away as if he had nothing to do with it ? and heaven and hell were indifferent to him ? or were but insignificant words ? quest. 4. what maketh you so loth to dye , if time be no more worth than to cast away unprofitably ? the worth of time , is for the work that is to be done in time ? to a man in a palsie , an apoplexie , a madness , that cannot make use of it , it is little worth ; if you were sick and like to die this night , would you not pray that you might live a little longer ? i beseech you cheat not your souls by willful self-deceit . tell me , or tell your consciences , how would you form such a prayer to god for your recovery if you were now sick ? would you say , lord give me a little more time to play at cards and dice in ? let me see a few more maskes and playes ! let me have a little time more to please my flesh , in idleness , feastings and the pleasures of worldliness and pride ! did you ever find such a prayer in any prayer book ? would you not rather say , lord vouchsafe me a little more time to repent of all my loss of time , and to redeem it in preparation for eternal life , and to make my calling and election sure ? and will you yet live so contrary to your prayers , to your consciences , and to reason it self ? quest. 5. is the work that you were made for hitherto well done ? are you regenerate and rènewed to the heavenly nature ? are you strong and stablished in grace ? have you made sure of pardon and salvation ? are your hearts in heaven ? and is your daily coversation there ? and are you ready with well grounded hope and peace , to wellcome death , and appear in judgement ? if all this were done , you had yet no excuse for idling away one day or hour , because there is still more work to do , as long as you have time to do it . ( and if this were done , you would have that within you , which would not suffer you to cast away your time . ) but for these men or women to be passing away time in ●loth or vanity , who are utterly behind hand , and have lost the most of their lives already , and are yet unregenerate , and strangers to a new and heavenly life , and are unpardoned and in the power and guilt of sin , and unready to die , and shall certainly be for ever lost , if they die before that grace renew them , i say again , for such as these to be sporting away their time , is a practice which fully justifieth the holy scriptures , when they call such persons , fools , and such as have no understanding , unless it be to do evil , and succesfully destroy themselves . quest. 6. do you think if you neglect and lose your time , that ever you should come again into this world , to spend it better ? if you idle away this life , will god ever give you another here ? if you do not your work well , shall you ever come again to mend it ? o no sirs , there is no hope of this . act this part well , for as you do it , you must speed for ever ; there is no coming back to correct your errours . i have elsewhere told you , that it must be now or never . and yet have you time to spare on vanity ? quest. 7. do you mark what dying men say of time , and how they value it ? ( unless they be blocks that are past feeling . ) how ordinarily do good and bad then wish , that they had spent time better , and cry out , o that it were to spend again ? then they are promising , o if it were to do again , we would spend that time in heavenly lives , and fruitful obedience , which we spent in curiosity , idleness and superfluous sensual delights then they cry , o that god would ●enew our time , and once more try us how we will spend it . alas sirs , why should w●se men so much differ in health and sickness ! why should that time be vi●ified now , which will seem so precious then ? quest. 8. how think you the miserable souls in hell would value time , if they were again sent hither , and tryed with it again on the terms as we are ? would they feast it away , and play it away as you do now ; and then say , are not playes and cards and feasting lawful ? every fool will be wise too late , matth. 25 . 3● 8 , 11. bethink you what their experience teacheth them , and let warning make you wise more seasonably , and at a cheaper rate . quest. 9. do you believe that you must give an account of your time ? and that you must look back from eternity on the time wh●ch you now spend ? if you do , what account will then be most comfortab●y to you ? had you not rather then find upon your accounts that all your hours have been spent to the best advantage of your souls , than that abundance of them have been cast away on fruitless toyes ? will you have more comfort then in the hours which you spent in heart-searching , and h●art-reforming and learning and practising the word of god , or in those which you spent upon needless sports , curiosity or idleness ? do now as you would desire you had done . quest. 10. how do you now wish that you had spent the time which is already past ? had you not rather that it had been spent in fruitful holiness and good works , than in idleness and fleshly pleasures ? if not , you have not so much as a shadow of repentance ; and therefore can have no just conceit that you are forgiven ? if yea , then why will you do that for the time to come , which you wish for the time past that you had never done ? and hereby shew that your repentance is hypocritical , and will not prove the pardon of your sin ? for so far as any man truly repenteth , he is resolved not to do the like , if it were to do again , under the like temptations . quest. 11. do you know who attendeth you while you are loitering away your time ? i have elsewhere told you , that the patience and mercy of god is waiting on you : that christ is offering you his grace , and the holy spirit moving you to a wiser and a better course ; that sun and moon and all the creatures here on earth , are offering you their service : besides ministers and all other helpers of your salvation : and must all these wait upon you while you serve the flesh , and vilifie your time , and live as for nothing ? quest. 12. do you consider what you lose in the loss of time ; that time which you are gaming or idling away , you might have spent in entertaining grace , in heavenly converse , in holy pleasures , in making your salvation sure . and all this you lose in your lose of time : which all your sports will never compensate . quest. 13. is the devil idle while you are idle ? night and day he is seeking to devour you : and will you , like the silly bird , sit chirping and singing in your wanton pleasures , when the devils gun is ready to give fire at you ? if you saw but how busie he is about you , and for what , you would be busier your selves for your own preservation , and less bu●ie in doing nothing than you are . qu●st . 14. do you really take christ , and his apostles and saints , to be the fittest pattern for the spending of your time ? if you do not , why do you usurp the name of christians : is he a christian who would not live like christians ? or that taketh not christ for his master and example ? but if you say , yea ; i pray you then tell us how much time christ or any of his apostles , did spend at cards , or dice , or stage-playes ? how much ●n curiosity about dressing and superfluous ornaments , about unnecessary pomp and courtship ; how much in sluggishness , idleness and vain discourse ? or how much in furnishing their bodies , their attendants , their habitations with matter of splendour and vain glory ? did they waste so much of the day , in nothings , and need-nots as our slothful sensual gentry do ? or did they not rather spend their time in holy living and fervent praying , and in doing all the good they could to the souls and bodies of all about them ? and in the labours of a lawful bodily employment ? write after this copy ; rather than after that which is set by the sensual fools of the world , if you make any account of gods acceptance ! do as the saints did , if you will speed as they ; or else for shame never honour their names and memorials to your own condemnation ! if you will spend your time as the flesh and the world teach you , rather than as christ hath taught you , you must look for your payment from the flesh and the world . and why then in baptism did you renounce them and vow to follow christ ? be not deceived , god is not mocked , for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall be also reap ; for he that soweth to his flesh , shall of the flesh reap corruption : but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit reap life everlasting , gal. 6.7 , 8. bethink you what the reason was that the ancient fathers and churches , so much condemned the going to the spectacles of theaters ; and why the canons made it such a crime for a minister to play at dice ( read dr. io. reignolds his cloud of witnesses of all sorts against stage-playes . ) reader , if thou think this counsel or reprehension too precise or strict , grant me but this resonable request , and i have my end [ live in the world but with a soul that is awake , that soberly considereth what haste time maketh , and how quickly thy glass will be run out ; how fast death is coming , and how soon it will be with thee ? what a work it is to get a carnal unprepared soul to be renewed and made holy , and fitted for another world ; what a terrible thing it will be to lie on a death-bed with a guilty conscience , unready to die , and utterly uncertain whither thou must next go , and where thou must abide for ever ! foresee but , what use of thy present times will be most pleasing or displeasing to thy thoughts at last , and spend it now but as thou wilt wish thou hadst spent it ; and value it , but as it is valued by all when it is gone ; use it but as true reason telleth thee will make most to thy endless happiness , and as is most agreeable to the ends of thy creation and redemption ; and as beseemeth that man who soberly and often thinketh what it is to be either in heaven or hell for ever , and to have no more but this present short uncertain life , to decide that question , [ which must be thy lot ? ] and to make all the preparation that ever must be made for an endless life ] i say , do but thus lay out thy ti●e as reason should command a reasonable creature , and i desire no more . i have warned thee in the words of truth and faithfulness ; the lord give thee a heart to take this warning ! thy compassionate monitor , rich. baxter . sept. 23. 1667. the redemption of time . ephes. 5.16 . redeem the time , because the dayes are evil . whilest i bethought my self of a portion of holy writ to treat upon , that might hold some agreement with the present season ; this short sentence offered it self unto my mind . at the first i rejected it as impertinent , but after a second and more serious view , methought it was the most fit scripture that i could make choice of , on this occasion : for howbeit it hath pleased the common sort of men , to stile these festival dayes with the name of good times ; yet by reason of the gross abusage , to which the corruption of men hath made them subject , they may very well receive an alteration of their title , and in a quite contrary phrase , be termed evil dayes ; yea , and that in the highest degree of all , the worst of dayes . now in this time wherein time is so lavishly mis-spent , i hope it cannot seem unconvenient , or untimely , to give a brief exhortation concerning the right use of time. these words which i have read , lead us into that path : being part of an exhortation begun in the former verse . there in general he had exhorted them to be most strictly carefull of their wayes , and to direct their course of life in such respective sort , as they might deserve the name of wise , not unwise men : commending herein unto them and us , that very strictness and preciseness , wherewith the world hath now long since pickt a quarrel and fallen out . and because this was but a general rule , he seconds it with some particulars , by which we may be led on to the like instances in other matters . the first of these specials is placed in the well disposing o● time , in this verse : where having set down the duty of christians in this behalf , he backs it with a reason ; which in it self and to a spiritual understanding , is most sound and firm ; but to the carnal judgement of a carnal man , is void of all soundness and reason . the duty is , to buy out the time , to traffique with it , as men do with wares ; and when it is in other mens hands ( as i may say ) to give something ( yea , any thing ) that we may get it into our own hands for good uses . he means , that we should use our greatest care and diligence ( even that which we would employ in matters most nearly concerning us ) to win all the time we possibly can , for the duties of religion and godliness . his argument to confirm this exhortation , is taken from the contrary , ( if we look on it with a carnal eye , it will seem inconsequent , halting , and not able to bear up the conclusion ) it is , because the days are evil : that is , the customs and manners of the greatest part of men that live , are wicked and lewd . now because the number and rout of the world is so strongly bent to all manner of ungodliness , as that they have even tainted the time itself , and corrupted the very dayes ; the apostle would therefore have the ephesians , and all other christians so much the more industrious , to take all seasons and occasions for the bettering of themselves . because other men are naught , and stark naught , therefore ought faithful christians to be good , and very good , and to turn all opportunities to this end and use , that they may be furtherances to make them good . the world would have framed a more crooked conclusion from this ground , and have said , because men are so generally and extremely bad , ( for that is noted in saying , the days are evil ) we must therefore needs strain courtesie a little , and not be too strict , lest we should be over much different from other men , and incur the by-name of singularists . but the apostle telleth us , that because the waves of men are excessively disordered , and full of naughtiness , we should bestow so much the more pains , that we might not be carried down the violent stream and deluge o● unsanctified living ; and unto this intent should earnestly watch , and diligently take all good occasions of getting and doing good . you see in part the meaning of this short sentence , which containeth a few words indeed , but is stuft full of worthy matter , which ( according as my weakness can attain ) i shall strive to spread before your eyes , unfolding it in such manner , as that you may perceive the things , that lay therein closely wrapped up before . doct. the point which the words offer to our consideration at the first sight , is this , that all christians ought to be very good husbands for their time . good hours and opportunities are merchandize of the highest rate & price : and whosoever will have his soul thrive , must not suffer any of these bargains of time to pass him , but must buy up , and buy out all the minutes thereof . no man of trade can be more careful to chaffer , and deal in the most gainful things that pertain to his occupation , than we should be to deal in this ware of time , wherein every christian is , or should be a well taught and practised dealer . as such kind of men ( if they can either make mony themselves , or borrow it of their friends , yea ; or else ( such is the greediness of men ) ( take it up of the usurer ) will not let slip any commodity wherein they have skill , and are perswaded that it will bring in large profit within a short time of return : so should every good man use all diligence ( for diligence is in stead of mony here , and care in stead of coin ) to gain every day , every hour , and every minute , ( so much as may be possible ) from all unprofitable actions , and over-worldly affairs , to bestow the same on the duties of religion and godliness . this being such a parcel of ware , as if it be wisely bestowed , when it is heedfully gotten , will come i● again with both hands full of profit for recompence of ones pains taken i● that behalf . this self-same exhorta●tion , this same apostle delivers in s● many words unto the colossians , whe● he saith , walk wisely towards them that are without , and redeem the time ▪ col. 2 , 5. see how paul , an old beaten and experienced dealer in these matters for the soul , doth neither forget nor neglect to teach his apprentices ( as i may call them ) the very secrets and mysteries of the trade of good living , whereof this is one , even the thrifty laying out and getting in of time : which being repeated to the colossians , ( as well as delivered to these ephesians ) comes with a double charge upon our minds , to make us heedful in these bargains . and that excellent petition of moses ( the man of god ) doth mean nothing else but this , when in other words he saith , teach me so to number my days , that i ●ay apply my heart to wisdom , ps. 90. ●2 . for he means , that god would enable him with grace , so seriously to consider of the shortness of this life , and the transitoriness of this present world ; as that he might take all occasions , and use all means to bend his heart to the seeking and obtaining of the true knowledge of god and himself , and so the true fear of god , which is the beginning of wisdom . and the want of this husbandry christ doth mournfully lament in the city of ierusalem , setting out unto us also the grievous and dismal effects and consequents of this heedlesness , in regard of taking time , and using the fit opportunity : o ( saith he ) if thou hadst even known , at the least in this thy day , those things that pertain unto thy peace ! but now are they hid from thine eyes , &c. luke 9.42 . as if he had said , hitherto thou hast had the means to learn what made for thy good , and what might have prevented thy ruine ; and if thou hadst but even at this last hour marked and considered them , thou mightest have escaped these fearful judgements : but now that thou hast been all this while wanting to god , he will hereafter be wanting to thee ; thou shalt never have any true knowledge of these things , nor ever avoid these miserable calamities . because they did not use time , whilst time did serve , to repent and turn to god , therefore after , it was too late , god would not hear them nor help them . they that refuse the good offer of a good bargain from god , shall not have this bargain offered again at their pleasure : yea god will not deal with them at their leisure , that would not deal with him at his leisure . and wisdom ( in solomon's wise book of proverbs ) speaks to this effect of ungodly men , prov. 1.24 , 25 , 26 , 27. that when their misery comes , she will laugh at them , because when she gave her good instructions to prevent this misery , they laughed at her . the neglect of taking the fit time and occasion to follow wisdom's wholesome counsel , and to come when she calls , plungeth scornful men into such a depth of misery , as that there is no means of recovery . for when wisdom laughes a man to scorn , whither shall he repair for succour ? and to this intent ( of husbanding our time well ) notable is the saying of the same apostle in another place , bidding us , whilst we have time , do good to all , gal. 6.10 . as much as if he had told us , that time must so much the rather be bestowed in doing good , ( and then it is redeemed ) because we have no such great store of it , as we do foolishly imagine . the vessel of time is not so full , ( as most men dream ) nay , it will soon come to the bottom : 't is then wisdom to spare betime , and not in the very dregs and lees . all these places do in most plain manner confirm the point , viz. that every christian must be very saving and thrifty of his time , that is , must convert all occasions to the good of his soul , and furthering of his reckoning , not suffering by his will any hour or minute ( more than needs must ) to be laid out in any thing , but matters that may fit him for a better life . this is in truth to have ones conversation in heaven , when one upon the least occasion is ready to make one step further thitherwards : when one gives all his time to god , but so much as may be more especially to religious exercises , and such things as do after a peculiar sort make for a better life ; not letting slip any means of furtherance , that is offered him this way . now for your better direction in this saving thrift , and for the more full understanding of this point , and more ●●sie practising of this needful duty , ●● purpose to stand some while in shew●●g these two things . first , from that time is to be redeemed . secondly , what the time is which must be redeemed . for the first , we must understand , that there be five hucksters of time , very cormorants and ingrossers of this precious ware , which betwixt them ( for the most part ) get up all the hours of mens lives , not suffering the soul to enjoy so much as an hour for its own use , upon the best occasion to benefit it self . these thieves , when i have told you their names , i will discribe more at large . they be , 1. vain sports . 2. vain speeches . 3. immoderate sleeping or sluggishness . 4. vain thoughts . lastly , immoderate following of worldly businesses and affairs . play , ●watling , sleeping , foolish thinking , excessive rooting in the earth . now for these fond sports ( amongst which i comprehend riotous feasting and belly-chear , a companion 〈◊〉 gaming , for the most part , and als● that trifling and womanish diseas● of curiousness in putting on apparel for these ( i say ) it is easie to prov● that they do eat up these good hours which otherwise would much inrich the soul of man. solomon ( th● wisest of meer men that lived sin●● adam ) hath set it down as a su●●● rule ( that never fails , scarce ever admits exception ) that he which love● pastime shall be poor , and he that love● wine and oyl shall not be rich , prov. 21.17 . if this saying be understoo● only of the body , it is most true for these things will make a man extremely reedy in the midst of larg● possessions , and plenteous revenues ▪ but if we apply it to the soul , ( as see no cause why it may not be applied to both ) it is most universally true . he that is so wedded to his pleasures , and besotted upon vai● ●elights , as that the current of his ●●fe is carried that way , or else too ●reat a part of the stream is turned ●hither ; shall be destitute of under●tanding , shall have a naked , ragged , ●●atter'd soul : and that comes , because he hath not used his time well , by the right employment whereof he might have got wealth for his better part ; i mean , unto his mind and heart . a threed-bare heart , needy of knowledge , comes from a voluptuous life stuffed with pleasures . and the prophet isaiah cries out , chap. 5.12 . with a woful and a better cry against those which had the timbrel , the pipe , and the harp in their feast , but would not regard the work of the lord : all their dayes were taken up in eating and drinking , in banqueting and feasting , in good chear and merry-making ; so that there was no time to meditate and think on those afflictions , whereby god did warn them to repentance and amendment ; which is most contrary to this duty of redeeming the time for all this time is even lost and cast away . and had we no other proo● than our own experience in this behalf , would it not manifestly convince , that he which desires to redeem the time , must flie these vain delights and sports ? for do we not plainly see , what a canker it is in a number of mens lives ? when ( many days ) they bestow three or four hours together , yea , half the day , if not the whole , in dicing , carding , bowling , shovel-board , of the like idle ( if not wicked ) exercises ? doth not this waste and pour forth time over-lavishly ? or can that man have so much rest and quiet , or so much fitness and opportunity to do good to his soul , as his wise care in cutting off these needless recreations , or vexations rather , would have afforded him ? for these vain pleasures are n●t alone mischievous hinderers of this thrift , in ●hat they consume the very hours ●hemselves , but as much , or more also , in that they dissettle the heart ; and pull the affections out of joynt : so that a man is driven to take as much pains to set his heart to a good exercise , as would well have dispatched the duty , had he not been thus unfitted . now what a miserable loss is it when a man is robbed of his time , and of his heart both at once ? and by both kept from reading , praying , medi●ating , examining his heart ; or any such good exercise for his souls advantage . wherefore if any man would so prevent these vain and foolish sports , that they should not spoil him of his heart and hours : let him observe these two rules in his sports , and then he shall do well in these respects . first , ( this being presupposed , that he do not use any recreations , but those which he can prove to be in themselves lawful : ) first , i say , for the beginning of recreation ; let every man know , that recreation must follow labour , for the most part : or 〈◊〉 at any time it go before it , it must be very little , only to fit one for labour . the lord allows a man no sport● ( though never so lawful in it self ) until such time as his body or mind do stand in need of it ; chiefly when they have been busied in some such honest affairs , as by wearying them , have made them unfit to further labour , so that they must again be fitted there●o by recreation . until pains-taking have made the body or mind not so well able to take pains , there is no allowance ordinarily for r●creation . all our sports and recreations , if we will use them well ( i speak of those which are lawful ) must be to our body or mind ; as the mowers whetstone or rifle is to his sythe , to sharpen it when it grows dull . he that when his sythe is dulled , will not ( upon a desire to do more work ) take time to whet it , shall cut less , and with more pain , and more unhandsomely than he need ●o do ; so he , that when his body or mind is tyred or heavy , will not use some honest refreshing , shall do less , and with less dexterity than he might . but on the other side , if the mower should do nothing from morning to noon , or from noon to night , but whet , whet , whet , rubbing his sythe , he would both marr the sythe , and be counted an idle work-man also , for losing his dayes work ; so he that will run after the most honest delights , when neither the weariness of his body , nor heaviness of mind requires the same ( but only upon a fond lust or longing after them ) shall in time destroy his wit and strength , and in the mean seas●n marvellous unthriftily mis-spend his time . therefore let not a man begin the day with play , though never so lawful , unless his body 〈◊〉 mind require some necessary exercis● to make it more apt for his calling he that sets into the day sportingly shall be sure to go through it , eith●●●umpishly or sinfully , much more 〈◊〉 he spend all the day from morning to night in playing ; let it be never so much holy-day , or have he what other excuse he will. this rule is for beginning of sports . the second is for the measure and continuance of them , where this is a general and a firm direction ; that it is not lawful for a man in an ord●nary course , to spend more time in any pastime , upon any day , than in religious exercises . i mean chiefly private religious exercises ; i say , it is utterly unlawful to bestow a larger time any day upon the most lawful delight , than in private religious exercises , or at least in a customable course so to do . this is plainly proved by that which christ speaks to 〈◊〉 , saying , mat. 6.33 . first seek ●he kingdom of god , and the righteousn●ss thereof . you see here commanded to prefer the seeking of hea●en , before any oth●r thing whatsoever ; ●o let that have the chief place in our souls , and in our lives . now he that first seeks the kingdom of heaven , cannot bestow more time in sports of any sort , than in those things which do directly make for the obtaining , of eternal life , and that righteousness which will bring one thereunto ; such as are , hearing and reading the word , praying , meditating , examining the heart , conferring , and the like . and surely this is a most equal thing , that the most needful duty should have the most time bestowed upon it . yea , and it is a most easie rule to all sorts of men , that have seasoned their hearts with the true fear of god. for if a mans calling lye in bodily works , then the very ●●●rcises of religion are a refreshing to his body , in that he doth for the space while they continue , desist from his bodily labour , ( and his calling affords sufficient stirring of the body for health ; ) so that if he be religiously minded , and have indeed set his delight on god , he may well give as much time to these actions , as to any carnal sports . but if any mans calling lye in study , or such like labour of the mind ; first , the change is a great refreshing , and variety a delight ; and then there be religious exercises , which will refresh the mind as well as any sports ; and for so much exercise as health requires , it is not long in using , because nature is here , as in other matters , content with a little , howsoever men seek excuses by belying her : so that at the least , an equal portion of time must be allotted to god and religion : as to sports and delights , even of students , if they will first seek the kingdom of god. therefore let a man measure out the time of sporting and recreating himself , by the time he takes to pray , to read , to meditate , to sing psalms , to con●●rr of good things , or the like ; and ●how that he hath not liberty from god to employ ordinarily so much ●ime , never to employ one minute ●ore , in the most unoffensive sports , ●●an in these services of god. now ●et a man conform himself to these two ●ules : begin not to play , till need of ●ody or mind crave it : con●inue not ●ports longer than a man hath , or ●hall continue some godly private ●xercise of religion , and he shall save ●is time well from his first thief . now comes to be considered the ●ext spender , or rather robber of ●ime , that is , idle twatling or bab●ing ; and concerning this , our saviour christ deals plainly with us , saying that of every idle word which men shall speak , they shall give account at the day of judgement : think well of this sentence , and lay up every wordpunc ; thou must not alone give account of thy works , but also of thy words : thou must not alone be called to a reckoning for moving of thy hand , foot , or whole body , but of thy tongue also : and that not alone for wicked words , sinful words , harmful words , speeches in themselves infectious and rotten ; but for idle and waste words , and not only for a number of idle words , for a whole throng or fleet of them , but for every idle word . now then if there be an account to be given , and a reckoning to be made for these rubbish speeches , judge , if it be not a want of redeeming the time , to lay it out in such a thing as will bring a sore and heavy burden afterwards without repentance to cast it off ; and judge if he which makes much of time had not need take much heed of this ill-spent breath . not alone then wicked speaking ( when one bel●heth forth lewd and filthy words , not slanderous and backbiting talk , ( when one whispers of his neighbours faults behind his back , utt●ring ( perhaps ) also lying reports , and fathering that upon him wh●ch he never d●d or meant ; ) but even vain , needless , and ●●profi●able words , 〈…〉 to no good or wh●●●som● 〈…〉 on body ) are a mis-s●●●ding of 〈◊〉 , and contrary to th●s ●r●c●pt ; and therefore also to be 〈◊〉 of him that is this way 〈◊〉 dispos●d . n● 〈◊〉 can talk idly , but he casts himself 〈◊〉 a double damage , even the loss of a word , and the loss of time ; two great losses , what ever m●n imagine of th●m : and therefore the apostle paul also finds fault with a certain sort of women that were pratlers , which would go from house to house , twa●ling and babling out fro●hy speech that was good for nothing , which fault he condemns as a ma●ter something worse than idleness , or doing nothing , when one talks toyes or trifles , and speaks shadows or gawds that yield no profit . such twatling cuts out the heart of good time , for it hath seldom any measure , it creeps by little and little over a great part of the day , and sometimes of the night . how many winter nights do men suffer themselves to be robbed of , by this childish babling ? and in the fourth verse of this chapter the apostle forbids foolish speaking and jesting : the one is a roving discourse , gathering together a great deal of chaffie geer , that will feed no man : a busie , but absurd prosecuting of a headless and footless tale ( as we may call it in our phrase . ) the other is a setting of ones self , and sharpning of his wit , to coyn pretty and witty scoffs and conceits that may move laughter , and for this end only : both these are condemned , as unlawful , and unbeseeming christians . there must be a difference made betwixt a smooth and pleasant uttering of ones mind in seemly phrases , and good and delightful terms and manner ; and this whetting of the wit , to bandy and toss sharp and brinish taunts and quirks . now this pleasantness of the most honest sort is not to b● used as a custom , but in the nature of a refreshing , when men are dulled for better matter . for laughter being a power of gods creating , and wholesome to the body , and therefore lawful , it cannot be unlawful in a seemly sort , harmlesly to move laughter by words ; but it must not be jesting : one must not give himself to it , and make it his occupation for an hour or two together . now none can be ignorant , how great an hinderance this vain speech is to the well imploying of time . for do we not see , that in many places , whole dayes are cast away in the deep gulf of roving , and unprofitable runnagate-babling to no purpose ? and that whole meals are devoured in gibing and jesting , if without taking the sacred name of god in vain , and hurting ones brothers name , ( which is very seldom , yet excessively , and not without thrusting out better ma●●er , which is a grievous faul● . wherefore that we may be well armed against this robber , let us observe diligently these two rules : first , let us make conscience of our words , & of the moving of our tongue , knowing it to be a necessary duty that god hath imposed upon us , to have our words always gracious , and seasoned with salt ; always good for the matter , and tempered with wisdom for the manner . which precept the apostle adds presently after this , of redeeming the time ( to the collossia●s ) col ▪ 4.5 . as an t●ble part of it . the law of grace then must be the bridle of our tongue , and wisdom must raign in our mouths , so that we speak nothing but that which may be for some profit to our own or others soul or body , being f●ly temp●red to the present circumstances of time , place , &c. where and when we speak . for the words are gracious , not alone when they tend to the further edification of the soul in some matter of religion ; but also when they be busied about ones honest outward affairs , and lawful calling , this being a great furtherance to godliness , that a man may know how ( and accordingly practise it ) to follow his calling with dexterity and wisdom . now he that would not have unnecessary trifling words steal into his heart , and out of his mouth , and so spoil him of good seasons , must set it down , as a thing to which his conscience is bound , ( as well as not to lye , swear , or slander ) not to speak one word , whereof he cannot give some reason from the good that he doth aim at in speaking of it . and every man must know , that having let slip such a word , he hath committed such a sin , as makes him lyable to gods judgement , and the sentence of condemnation . the want of resolving the heart thus , causeth many to take liberty to their tongues , ( and harmful liberty it is ) and yet to think they have done no harm to themselves in so doing . and therefore the common excuse of such twatlers is this : i hope that it is no harm : yea , but what good was it ? if it were not directed to some good , it hath done harm , for it hath broken gods commandment , and set thy self deeper in debt than thou wast before , thou hast one trespass more to answer for , before gods tribunal : no man shall ever avoid this puddle , that will not be perswaded it is a damnable sin to step into it . first then , labour to convince thine heart , and frame thy practice to this rule in all speaking . secondly , for honest comely mirth in speech , ( besides that it must not relish of lust , nor savour of malice and prophaneness , for then it is worse than idle words ) it ought to be bounded with this rule ; namely , that it be used as a means to quicken our selves or others against some natural heaviness or deadness , by which the heart is made unapt for better conference , and other exercises of more profitable use ; and when this effect is brought to pass , that laughter hath scattered the mist of dulness from off the heart and mind ( or if no such occasion be offered ) then let mirth and natural laughter give place to his betters : otherwise coming into a continued custom , and shouldering out more needful communication , it takes the name and nature of jesting , and is a thing much unbeseeming the stayedness of a christian. thus the tongue may be bound from dealing falsly with the heart , and cousening the soul of good hours and occasions . now followeth the third devourer of time , and that is immodera●e sleeping or sluggishness . the wi●e king solomon have a great hatred to this thief , and gives many warnings and caveats ; whereby men might learn to take heed of it . the bed is a very cunning and slie cousener , that useth a pleasing trick to deceive a man , and robs him , under shew of friendship . now solomon hath made ▪ a most fit description of a sluggard caught by the whiles of sleep and sloth ; setting him out to the light , prov. 6.9 , 10 , 11. where he brings him in roaming himself , and rubbing his eyes with an unwilling hand , uttering broken and sl●epy sentences , as one not half awake . first , he calls him up ( as it were ) saying ; how long wilt thou sleep , when wilt thou rise out of thy sleep ? as if he had said ho , sir , it is time to get up ; what not out of your b●d yet , at this time of the day ? then mark the drowsie , slumbring , and senseless answer : a little sleeps , a little slumbers , ( for the original hath the words in the plural nember , well befitting a sluggard ) a little folding of the hands to sleep . see how speaking of sleep all is in the littles ; and though he names sleeps , yet it is but a little in his conceit . he tells not when he will rise , but he cannot rise yet ; and when he ha●h had enough , and too much already , then he must have a little more , begging for sleep as one would beg for bread . he asks a little , because he would not be denyed . first , he must have sleeps ; and having slept , he must have slumbers , and having slumbred , he must fold his hands , and roam and tumble himself . behold a sleeper in his colours ; and mark what answer solomon gives , he spends no more time to call him up , but tells him his doom as he lies in his bed ; therefore thy poverty comes as a traveller , and thy necessity as an armed man. as if he had said , well , be it so , if you will needs , sleep on , take your belly-ful of sleep , but know , that sith you shew such skill in begging sleep , you shall even become a beggar for it ; sith you will have you fill of sleep , you shall have little enough of any wealth ; poverty will pursue you , and overtake you ; it will follow you , and surprize you ; it will make haste and strike home , you cannot run from it , nor resist it , it comes with speed and with force ; it will take you in bed , where you cannot flie away from it , nor drive it from you : and what he saith of outward poverty , is most certain of inward penury ; a sluggard hath so much the less grace ; by how much he hath the more sleeps and slumbers . so the same wise king hath set out a sluggard in another place , saying , that a sluggard tumbles himself on his bed , as the door on the hinges , prov. 16.14 . that is , he is still there , and there must be such a do before he can be removed from off his couch , as if one were to lift a door off the hooks , a man must come with leavers to heave him off : call him , waken him , bid him rise , &c. all is little enough to rear him . this sluggish humour ( you see ) is condemned long ago , for a mis-spender of time . and surely it is not alone very dangerous , in regard of the quantity and muchness of the time which it filcheth ; but also in regard of the quality and goodness : for it ordinarily feeds gluttonously on the very fat of time , it eats the very flower of the day , and consumes the first fruits of our hours , even the morning season . after sleep hath made strong what labour hath weakned ; after that nature hath been well refreshed , and the revived spirits come with a fresh supply of strength and nimbleness to serve the body and the mind : then for want of exercise all grows dull again , as a band of souldiers , that grow effeminate by lying in garrison without labour all the summer . thus it robs one of the principal and most seasonable time , when the mind and body were both in the greatest fitness to read , pray , meditate , or to dispatch and cast any matter of ones calling : it is a thief that robs one , not of his baggage stuff , but even of his gold and jewels , ( for some time is better than other , as much as some metal is better than others ; and this always for the most part takes away the most precious ) yea , it hath one trick as much , and more dangerous than the former : if a man give himself to sluggishness , it will often follow him to the church , and close up his eyes and ears , both of body and mind , from hearing and marking those most wholesome exhortations , which like so many pearls , god's messenger with a liberal hand , according to the pleasure of his lord , doth sca●ter amongst men , that who so will may take them up . the time of preaching and expounding the word , with applying it , is the time of harvest , it is god's market day ; nay , it is his dole or prin●ely congie , when he gives gifts freely , and those of great worth too , unto those that will take them . how can it chuse but be a great hinderance to a mans estate to sleep in harvest , and to be in bed at such a time , when so much wealth is bestowing ? therefore this sleep , you see , is a most crafty and pernicious deceiv●r , and doth with much cunning over-reach a man , taking from him , for the most part , the morning time , and the time of hearing , two the most profitable seasons , and the most worthy to be rede●med of all others . now against the deceit of this false companion , a man may defend himself by following these two rules . first , it is not lawful for any man , upon pretence of leisure from business , to take more sleep than is required for the strengthening and refreshing of his nature . the measure of ones sleep , or lying in bed , must not be according to ones business , bu● so much as his nature requires , for the better enabling of it to perform the duties of his calling , and of religion . indeed a man may , and ought to break his sleep , and stin● himself in this regard , when important business , either for the soul or body , do press upon him ; but no man must take more sleep than is requisite for the sufficient refreshing of nature , upon vacation of necessary affairs . the reason of this is plain : it is a sin to strain and stretch natural things for the serving of lust , beyond that end for which they were created and ordained . now sleep , and lying in bed , was ordained for the strengthening of nature , and for the repairing of the spirits diminished by labour ; wherefore it must not be drawn beyond this end , to the satisfying of a sluggish humour . so that , as it were a fault for a man to sit and cram himself with meat , till his stomach would turn back the morsels , because no business did call him from the table : so it is a sin to give ones self to immoderate sleeping or slugging in bed , ( as our-word is , to sleep compass ) because no urgent matter doth call him up . this is to be on the bed , as a door on the hinges , that one cannot rise till a leaver come ; that is , something even almost of necessity . it is wicked to ●urfeit on sleep , as well as on meat . so then , it shall be a great help against sluggishness , to know that god allows not any man to be sluggish , ●nd therefore to accustome ones self to timely rising : for in this one thing , custom hath as much power almost as in any thing , so that look what is ones use , that he shall hardly refrain . he that doth customably forsake his bed , so soon as he fe●ls his nature fresh , and his spirits quickned , shall with ease keep on in so doing . but he that takes liberty to laze himself , and dull his spirits for lack of use , shall find the more he sleeps , the more he shall be drowsie , till he become a very slave to his bed , and make sleep his master . so a healthful body , by confessing it to be his duty , ( and through custom , though hard at first ) drawing unto it a nature , may have the morning at command . and this is the first rule . secondly , for time of hearing the word , he that would not be troubled ▪ with such sluggishness then , must look that he do use meat , and drink , and sleep moderately , in the first season of it ; and then strive to quicken himself against carnal heaviness and sorrow , by prayer and meditation before-hand : which two things will keep a heathful body in such good temper , that s●ee , shall not ordinarily oppress it in this most sacred exercise . now follows the fourth thief to be arraigned , and that is , idle thoughts . mans imaginations will be working , and tossing conceits up and down almost continually . now all men by nature are so tainted with the sickness of vanity , that their minds will run willingly after nothing else , but that which vanity begets . and for this cause men have taken up a proverb , to dazle their eyes , ( if it might be ) that this might not seem a ●●u●● . they say , tha● thought is free ; a● though one should never answer for idle though●s . and it is the common excuse of men to say , they think no harm ; as though it were enough , to hatch no mischievous and harmfull conceits , notwithstanding they do exceed in idle and unprofitable imaginations . whereby it may be seen , that men are so far from reforming this fault , and avoiding this thief , that they will not take it for a fault , nor esteem it as a thief of time . but this swallows up most of our solitary hours , when men are in bed , or alone in the night season , and cannot sleep ; or when they be journeying and walking without company , they cannot then possibly talk with others , when no man is present : yet their mind doth busie it s●lf in idle talking with it self , casting a thousand fond things before ones eyes ; as , wha● if this should be ? or , what if that should come to pass ? and much ado to little purpose . this roving and frisking of the fantasie ( like a wanton calf let loose from the st●ll ) is a f●●ting worm , that eats out a great deal of most mens time , so that they cannot redeem it for the profit of their hearts . this puts by good meditations , and suggests featherly and light stuff , that hath no good substance in it ; froth and some , which is not nourishment to the mind , but rather poison , in that it fills it full of wind ; and a windy heart is no less burdensome that a windy stomach . this casts out the cogitation of god's benefits , that one may not be thankful for them ; it shoulders away the thought of ones own sins , that he may not renew his godly sorrow and repentance for them ; it justles out the consideration of god's graces , that we cannot set our affections on fire , to long and labour after them . and in all th●se respects , it takes away the benefit of much good opportunity . for every time a man is alone , separated from all company and outward business , there is an excellent occasion of furthering his own soul , offered unto him . if any thing grieve him , he may freely disburden his heart into god's bosome ; if he faulted any way , he may have full and free scope to confess and bewail it ; if he want any good thing , there is l●isure and place in as effectual manner , and with as many words as one can , to beg it of the lord. thus great riches might come to the soul by a well spent solitariness : but vain cogitations do deprive a man of all this , and do so blow up the mind with that which is nothing , as it grows swollen , like the flesh of him which hath the dropsie , so that it may well be called the dropsie of the mind . now for a help against this vanity of the mind , breaking forth in idle thoughts and phancies ; first , we must take the counsel of solomon , to keep the heart with all diligence . the heart is that which must be narrowly looked unto , that evil and unprofitable thoughts rise not up in it . here must be the special care to prevent , first breeding and ingendring of sin in the most inward parts . this thief will be still filching and stealing time continually , do what one can . wherefore a watchful and wary eye must be had thereunto , and a diligent guard must be set before the heart , to keep out such imaginations from entring , as be like rogues and vagrants , worth nothing , and alwaies come to steal something . when a man makes conscience of his thoughts , and observes them to what end they tend , this will be an excellent help to keep them from wandring ; whereas if one will follow the proverb , and esteem them as free , they will never be kept from a busie fondness , like ants in a mole-hill , that run up and down , hither and thither , and do nothing . then in the second place , we must labour to be provided before-hand , of some profitable matter or subject , whereunto to bend the thoughts in solitariness ; something that tends to the glory of god , and our own good , either in the matters of the soul , or the lawful affairs of the body , must be let into the soul , to take up the room , that the busie fancies may be the better stopt out . and indeed the lord hath provided a christian of good store of such matter , if he be not wanting to himself . for there is nothing that offers it self to any of our senses , which doth not also offer to our mind ( if it were not stark blind ) some glorious attribute of god to be seen and considered of . so that to want occasion of good thoughts in this variety of matter , as to want light at noon-tide , that proceeds from nothing but from want of eyes . but this is a great help to him , that can see to set his soul a work first on the good things . for if one have let his heart loose at first , he shall not ( without much pains and toyl ) catch it again , and have it within command . thus doing , a great part of vain cogitations shall be cut off . now comes to be handled the fifth and worst of all the five consumers of time ; which is so much the more dangerous , because it is in some honest reckoning among most men ; and is esteemed as the right lord and true owner of that time , which for the most part it holds by usurpation and injury . this is the immoderate care of the world , and of things of this life , though in themselves honest and lawful , when a man doth wind himself into such a labyrinth and maze of affairs , as he cannot get out at fit times to spiritual and religious duties , at least not to those which are private : when the heart is so surcharged with bargains and purchases , and buying and selling , and building , and such like ; that god and goodness , christ and salvation , heaven and hell , come not into a mans mind once in a day , scarce once in a week ; or at least , 〈◊〉 they come , they be quickly shut o●t , and have no long nor quiet entertainment there : when the soul is overwhelmed with caring , thinking , devising , and striving how to grow great h●re , and is so tossed in the gulf of earthly matters , that it cannot come to land ( as it were ) to settle it self in any proportion , to think how it may grow great in heaven , and how it may get possession of ●he true treasure . this is a wondrous consumer of good hours , digging them all into the dunghill of this world. christ finds fault with this in the parable ; the men bidden to the feast , had farms , and oxen , and wives , and such matters in hand , ( business forsooth of more importance than so ) and therefore could not come , matth. 22. and the thorny ground had so much carking and caring how to live , that it doth even choak the word , the good seed could not grow thereby , matth. 13. and the lord complains of them of the captivity of iudah , hag. 1.13 . that they could find time to build their own houses , yea and to ciele them too ; but they sa●d , it was no time to build the house of god : so this sin do●h ingross all the time to it self , and will not give elbow-room to any good exercise , especially to any private exercises , without which the publick are but as meat without digestion ; and yet it comes like an honest and approveable thing , painted wi●h the name of thriftiness and pains in ones lawful calling . to fence our selves against this ravenous and lurking fault , we must binde our selves to these three rules , which all depend upon the rule of christ , that bids us first seek the kingdom of god , first in time , and first in affection , matth. 6.33 . and again , lay up your treasure in heaven . v. 20. hence ( i say ) three rules may be collected , to which he that would not be spoiled of good occasions to the soul by worldliness , must more and more frame himself and his life . that first is , that no man suffer himself to enter upon so many businesses , or any so eagerly , as that his ordinary affairs should hinder himself , or his family from the performance of ordinary religious exercises . the common and daily matters of this world , in any mans calling whatsoever , should not draw him , or his family , from common and daily duties of religion ; such are reading , praying , meditating , and religious observing of the sabbath : for here a man must take care for his houshold , as well as for himself , that he do not hinder them from taking convenient time to pray , and read , &c. by forcing upon them an over-great burden of ordinary businesses . for if the soul be to be preferred before the body , and heaven before earth ; then those customable matters that pertain to the saving of the soul , must be set before , much more stand equal with the things that pertain to the body . secondly , the extraordinary works of our calling ( if any fall out ) must not barr us from the extraordinary works of religion . as for example , harvest , and hay-●ime , or the like , are extraordinary times for the business for the body : so preparation to the sacrament , fasting ( if need so require ) and such like , are extraordinary works for the soul ; now as the care of inning ones corn or grass , must not keep him from taking time to prepare himself to the sacrament , or to fast at his need : so the receiving of the lords supper is matter of more than ordinary use for the soul ; and some needful journey stands in the like manner for the body , but a man must rather def●r his journey ( if it may be put off without over-much hinderance to him ) than omit the receiving of the lords supper . the same rule must be kept in all other particulars . for if the soul be more worth , and must be more carefully attended on than the body ( as it is no reason the handmaid should take place of the mistress , ) then those things which do after a peculiar manner concern the good and profit thereof , must not be neglected for such as do more specially help the state of the body outwardly . lastly , if some outward duty of religion have been put off from the time , wherein it should be performed , by some sudden and unexpected business , that required such haste ( as in such case ordinary duties of religion may be deferred ) then some ordinary business of less weight must ( in recompence ) give place to that exercise afterwards , and a man must find time for that , whether it be reading , praying , or meditating , by leaving undone ( for that space ) something that may be better spared . and thus you have heard what be those special evils which lie in wait to cousen us of our good time , and how they may be prevented . and so the first part is handled ; namely , from what time is to be redeem●d . now follows to shew , what it is that is to be redeemed , and so you shall fully know wherein this duty consists . now by time , the apostle means two things : first , the very passing away of hours and minutes , the space and leisure of any thing ; and secondly , the good occasions or opportunities that fall out in this space . for the word in the original , signifies not alone the very sliding of minutes , but the space considered also with some special fitness , that it hath for some good , which we call the season of it . now for the first , it shall not be needful to say any more , being that every one knows , that every thing must have some space wherein to be done . and he that will avoid the five fore-named evils , shall never want time , or the space wherein to do or get good . but for the occasions and fit opportunities that fall out , now for this , now for that , in this space , it is some more skill to find them out , and make use of them . now these seasons are all of two sorts : first , such whereby a man may more easily get some good to himself : secondly , such , whereby a man may with more fitness and ease do some good . of the first sort , namely , seasonable opportunities to get good , i will name three particulars which are most needful to be considered , and by proportion of which , any man may come to the knowledge of other like . the first , when god continues the gospel , offering daily the word and sacrament , and calling to repentance and amendment of life ; this is the season of repenting ; this is the harvest wherein we may reap christ , if we be not negligent ; this is the acceptable year of the lord , in which one shall be received , if he return . whilest wisdom lifts up her voice ; whilest her messengers come daily to invite us ; whilest her gates stand open , and her dinner stands ready drest , whilest her message is done unto us : all this time if a man will strive and endeavour to turn from his sin , to leave his folly , and forsake his scorning , he shall be a welcome guest , she will accept him , help him , and give him an encrease of grace , till he become strong with her mea●s . whosoever lives under the preaching of the gospel , hath this priviledge annex●d to the outward teaching , that if he will but strive and pray to god , to give him strength to repen● and 〈◊〉 his waies and turn to him , god will ( upon his promise ) hear his prayers and assist him : but when the gospel is gone , then the da●● is past , a man may call and not be heard , and cry and not be regarded . so then every man rede●ms th●s season of the gospel , when he gi●es himself to consider seriously of those ●●ults which he finds in himsel● , and hears sharply reproved in the word , and hereupon resolves to forsake them , and doth not only his own b●st endeavour , but earnestly call upo● god for his hel● , with●u● which his p●wer is bu● weakness ●●d ineffectual ▪ when he doth also duly ponder upon the holy commandments that he hears preached , and those exhortations that are daily sounded in his ears to move him to do such duties as god requires , and hereupon concludes with himself to set about this work , and craves the strength of god to bear him through in the same . and when he doth advisedly think of the promises that are generally proclaimed , and labours to get some assurance that he is such a one to whom the right of these promises appertain : thus doing , i say , one redeems the time wisely , and makes his advantage of the gospel while it continues , which is a thing that all men should do : but so rare in the world , as that it is wonder the lord hath so patiently continued his loving voice , when men scoff at it and will not hear . the lord hath and doth send his prophets amongst us , as he did among the jews , rising up early , and sending them , which with all earnestness do proclaim the dangerous event that shall follow upon prophaneness , neglect , and contempt of gods word , breaking of his sabbath , rayling , wrathfulness , whoredom , wantonness , covetousness , thieving , oppressing , slandring , lying , and such like : yet how many run on in these evils presumptuously , rushing like the horse into the battle , with an unreasonable boldness , not fearing any danger , and shutting their ears against these reproofs , as the deaf-adder doth , that they may not be moved by them to amendment : ah , how contrary is this to redeeming the time ? if any man have hitherto lost the season , let him now grow wise , and even at this time turn to god , and beg power to forsake these sins . how often and how earnestly are men exhorted to all good works by the continual voice of god , speaking unto them by his servants ? to read the word of god daily ; to pray privately ; to meditate upon the word , to watch over their dayes ; and to call themselves to a reckoning every day for the faults committed in the day ; yet who regards this voice ? who marks these exhortations ? where is one , that hath enjoyned himself to some constancy in praying , reading , and the fore-named duties ? this is to sleep in harvest , a most foolish practice and unwise ; wherefore whilest there is yet a little time left , whilest we have the light , let us walk in it , that we be not overtaken with darkness . he that hath not yet begun , let him be sorry that he hath put it off so late , and now set foot into these wayes of god , whilest god sets out his word as a candle to direct him , and as his hand to lead him by . the promises of god are in like sort published amongst us . happiness is held up as a reward of all true hearted christians , and the crown of life is proposed to those , which are sound and faithful members of jesus christ. and yet as ●●●ugh all w●r● sure to get it , or it w●re not worth ●eeking●y any , the most men slatter themselves in their sins , and will n●●ds promise these good things to themselves , when they have no assurance or proof out of gods word , whereby to lay claim or title to them . this is a grievous and a dangerous neglecting of time . and if any have not yet made sure work this way , let him even now set about it , whilest the word as a touch-stone is before him , by which he may try himself , and which will make him such a one as he should be , if he will strive to follow it , and pray for ability to be ruled by it . so then whilest god holds out his benefits , and stands with his arms open to accept us , let us take his benefits , and be perswaded to come unto him in good earnest ; let it be too late to travel when midnight shall come , instead of noon day● ▪ this is the first and chiefest opportunity of getting good : namely , to joyn with the gospel , and follow it with our endeavours and prayers , by which it shall be made effectual unto us . the second opportunity of getting good , is in time of youth and health , whilst the vigour and strength of the body and mind is fit for labour , and capable of instruction . and solom●n in his book of penance , viz. ecclesiastes , bids , remember thy creator in the days of thy youth , before the evil days come . these days of youth and health are good days , when he which will use them , hath his memory stedfast to call to mind his evil ways that he may bewail them , and to treasure up good instructions and promis●s that may guide and comfort him , when the limbs will joyn with the mind , and the mind hath the body as a fi● instrument to seek the kingdom of heaven , if a man will address himself unto it : but the days of old age and sickness fail much of the commodious fitness for good ; the memory is cracked , the head and understanding is weak , and especially the time of sickness is so filled with pain , so shaken with distractions , and incumbred with griefs and sorrows , that one is nothing fit to repent , or pray , or hear , or to do any such thing . now when a man in the prime of his days , and in the fulness of his health , will give himself to seek heaven , will hear the word , and meditate upon it , and apply it to himself , will confess his sins , and force himself to bewail them ; will pray to god for good things , and set the whole course of his life in a right frame ; he hath well taken opportunity , and he shall have rest in his latter days , much quiet and contentment , at least much strength and assistance in his sickness , because he hath something in store against the time of want . but alas , how do the common sort of men bewray their monstrous folly in this behalf ? what more common than that sottish and bruitish speech , at least such ignorant and profane thoughts , men will repent when they be old , and cry god mercy when they feel themselves sick , and amend all when they be ready to go out of the world ? and foolish man , thou knowest not whether thou shalt die suddenly , whether thou shalt have thy wits and senses , or whether thou shalt have power of heart to make the least colour of repentance in those extremities . how many have died suddenly ? how many sottishly ? and yet how do men , for all these warnings , defer the best business , namely , the work of repentance and turning to god , ( which will require the whole strength of the soul ) to the worst and most crasie time of sickness or old age ? as if a prisoner , at what time a man was offering him a pardon , and calling upon him to take it , some good space before the assizes , should say , nay , let me alone , i will not look after my pardon , till immediately before i am to come before the judge : this were a most fond part , especially if it were so , that the thief knew not whether the next day should be the day of his arraignment or no : so the case stands betwixt the lord and us . if any man therefore hath been so little careful of his own eternal good , as to put off repentance and conversion till that dead time , or doth foster any such harmful conceit in his heart , let him now cast it out , and now that he hath his health and strength , upon better deliberation take in hand this work . be not so extremely mad , as to give more time to the devil than to god , especially to give the principal time . he were a foolish traveller , that would willingly gallop all the day quite contrary to his way , and being told of it , would answer , when it draws towards sun-set , i will turn into the right way . why be men thus blockish for their souls , that knowing themselves to be out of the way of life , will yet of purpose defer to set their feet into the right path , till sickness of age , when the sun of their life is at the point of setting ? ah , let our proverb teach us more wit , make hay while the sun shines . turn , turn , whilst thou hast health and strength , use all to get repentance and salvation . the last chief opportunity of getting good , is , when a man hath company , and is in the society of some godly wise man , able to give sound counsel and direction , able to answer all doubts , objections , and scruples of ones mind , now there is a fit opportunity to grow in wisdom , to be resolved of all doubts , and to seek direction . so then , a man ought not to suffer bashfulness , or other foolish matters to put by that good communication , whereby he might inrich his soul. it is a special favour of god , that any man can come where his servants are that have excellent gifts ; and he doth deprive himself of much good , that will not seek to benefit himself by them . when the woman of samaria perceived christ to be a prophet , she proposed her doubt unto him , albeit he was a stranger . when iohn baptist might be come to , the publicans and sinners came and asked what they should do . whilst the jayler had paul in his keeping ▪ he came to ask that needful ●uestion , what shall i do to be saved ? so if there be any man whose heart is perplexed with some doubt , or over-burdened with some temptation , or over-master'd by some sin , it is a part of ●●od discretion for such a one to go and se●k the advice of some able christian or wise man , before that either himself be too far gone , or he want the opp●rtunity of such a counsellor or helper . these be three special occasions of obtaining good to a man 's own soul from things without him : in all which , to take the time is a most commendable point of wisdom , but to be negligent , is such folly as solomon reproves , when he saith , that a fool hath a price in his hand to get wisdom , but he wants a heart . oh that men would beware of this heartlesness , and take heed of losing their price , by which they might get wisdom . now come to speak of the occasions of doing good , and these are either in others , or in themselves . first , in others , and that for their soul and body . sometimes a man shall find a kind of tractableness in those with whom he hath to deal , that their ears stand open , and they are ready to drink in an exhortation or reproof , by reason of some affliction that is upon them , or some need they have of our help , or such like occasion . here is time for a kind and sound admonition , then a man ought in all love , and yet with all plainness , to follow the occasion ; striking ( as our proverb is ) whilst the iron is hot , speaking when he sees him in the melting vein , ready to take all well , and in good part . and so elihu notes , that when a man is brought to his dea●h-b●d , and to abhor all worldly delights , then his ears are bored , and then there is w●rk for an interpreter : before the bones clattered , and the mourners looked for the funeral , an interpreter was despised , but now his words are observed . thus a man may do much good to his neighbours or servants soul , if he wait for a time when he is fit to receive admonition , and then gives him it ; as the husbandman in dry weather waits for a shower of rain , and then sets in his plow. again , for the body , sometimes one shall meet with one that hath true need , that is in distress for his bodily estate , and doth indeed want relief ; this is an occasion and fit time to shew liberality , now a man must open his purse , and be ready to give freely ; i mean not , that every time a man meets a beggar , he should be giving , ( for to those a man should not give , but in the very extremity of necessity ) but if our brother hath been afflicted by any loss through fire , or such like , ( that he do not make himself needy by idleness , but it comes upon him by some hand of god ) here is an object fit for mercy , and here one may be seasonably liberal ; here is an altar , offer the sacrifice of alms upon it , which is a thing wherewith god is well pleased . some other time sparing may be more fit , but now is a season to be more free of gift , and openhanded . there is an occasion of doing good offered in others , wherein i have named these two particulars , that every man might accordingly take notice of other like . then , there is also occasion of doing offered in ones self , whether by some outward thing that befals him , or by some inward stirring of the mind and affections : as outwardly when a time comes in , wherein we have received some more special benefit ; this should provoke us to more thankfulness by remembrance of the benefit . thus this time of christ's nativity should ( if any way ) be celebrated , that it might turn to an occasion of of more hearty thanksgiving , and more true obedience unto christ , that gave himself for our sins , and took our nature upon him , that in it he might bear our iniquities . so when we be in the enjoying of gods creatures , whilest we be eating and drinking , or such like , here is a special season to lift up the heart to god , and to kindle a flame of praise by this fuel , that our thanks might be so much the more earnest , by how much we have a more present feeling of gods mercy , and do even taste how good he is . on the other side , a man is sometimes pressed with a sore cross and affliction that pincheth his soul , here is a very fit occasion of humbling ones self , and examining ones heart : for in these afflictions god calls to humiliation for the most part , which duty being performed , after , a man may rejoyce in his afflictions , but whilst the burthen of the cross is heavy , here is a notable means to ●urther one in the work of humiliation ; and if one can take the time when god smites , he may ( at least he ought ) cause his heart to stoop before him with more ease , than when he was at more ease for his body . again , sometimes a man hath a more inward stirring of his affections , which he cannot have at another time ; this must be followed , greedily taken , sometimes at the sermon , or upon some other occasion , a man hearing or thinking of his sin , and the punishment due thereunto , having a kind of pricking in his heart , and some touch of remorse within him , his conscience begins to tell him that all is not well , and he grows to some orderly conclusion ; sure i will now be sorry for this fault , and amend it : now if one will follow this motion , and go after god when he calls ( for this is one of his inward callings ) and not shoulder it out with fond mirth , but nourish it by a plain confession of his sin to god , and an hearty begging of grace and strength from him , to do that which he now sees he should do ; this will come to godly sorrow , and so t● repentance : but else if he choak it and quench it , it will vanish , and the heart will be more hard frozen in the dregs of sin . so that if there be any , whose heart at this time at the speaking of these words , whose soul smites him for his swearing , lying , sabbath-breaking , whoredom , drunkenness , gaming , covetousness , railing , or the like sin ; let him when he is gone out of the church , cast himself down in the presence of god confess this is his sin or sins freely , without dissembling ; labour to be more sorrowful for them than ever he was , and pray to god to pull him out of this mire . this if he do , he shall take the time , he shall be a convert , the lord will receive him , as the unthrifty prodigal son was received , and by redeeming the time he shall find redemption to his soul. but if he despise this admonition of god , his soul shall be more seared than before , his heart shall be delivered to a greater hardness and senselesness than ever before , and so be further off from repentance and life . but alas , the frantick dealing of men in this case is too palpable , and to be wondred at , when gods word strikes upon them , when they feel the keenness of it , when the threatnings have cut , so that they smar● for it ; then they run to dicing , carding , drinking , dancing , &c. as it were of set purpose to drive away the spirit of god , that was coming towards them to heal their soul. none is so mad to take such courses for his body , that when he feels the sore to smart , then to run from the physician , and cover it over with a clout , or strive to forget it : yet for their souls a number deal so senselesly in this thing as much as in any other , verifying that name which the holy ghost hath given unto them , when he terms them mad 〈…〉 it is a property 〈…〉 mad man , that fe●ling 〈…〉 hate the physician 〈…〉 him that would 〈…〉 of us which have 〈…〉 so mad , would return now to their minds , and to god to be healed ! again , sometimes a mans hear● is stirred up with an inward and secret rejoycing or gladness . then saith saint iames , if any man be merry , let him sing psalms , jam. 5.13 . now he shall do it with a chearful courage indeed ; and therefore david would in such a case rise at midnight to sing a psalm , rather than he would lose the season , when it would relish with him so well . sometimes also a man or woman shall feel a secret pensiveness growing over his heart , so that it even melts , as the ground that thaws after a frost , and he could even weep abundantly , tears offer themselves in a full measure . here is an excellent occasion of renewing ones repentance . now whatever be ones company , whatever be the matter in hand , except it be of absolute necessity , let him leave it off , and betake him to his chamber or some secret place , let him fall on his knees ; now let him open his mouth , and acknowledge his sins against himself , giving vent to his grief , and turning all to godly sorrow , whatsoever the occasion was at first . thus if any body do , his repentance shall receive a notable encrease : but if he pass it over , his heart will not answer his desire another time . further more , sometimes a mans heart is earnestly moved with some hungry desire to enjoy some grace of god , and great longing after some christian vertue : now let him in the heat and flame of his desire address himself to prayer ; then one shall send up such piercing cries , and give such a loud knock against the gates of christs mercy , that he cannot choose but hear , and send one back wi●h an alms , as it were ; thus he redeems the time : but else his desires will be so cold and chill at another time , that he shall scarce thrust a petition out of his lips , and then these drop down at his feet , and do him little good . and thus in every other ( through the turning of our affections ) we must follow gods spirit , yea , or nature when it leads us , wisely turning all to spiritual uses . and thus you may perceive what it is to redeem the time , and how it may be attained . now let us come to some brief application of the point . vse . first , this point thus explained , meets with a number of imperfections even in the best , and him that is most careful of his ways ; of which we are now to take notice , and purpose amendment , if we have not hitherto considered of them . for this is a fault to which a man ( even in a good measure spiritual ) is subject , for want of redeeming the time , that he comes to that lazy pass now and then , as he hath nothing to do , nothing whereabout to settle himself . it is a carnal unsettledness in a christian to be so negligent of his time , as that he should have any minute of time , which he knows not how to bestow upon some good and profitable use . the lord offers such a multitude of occasions to do and receive good , that if we could with wisdom take them , there is no hour passeth us , in which we might not do or get some good . and if there be nothing else , yet this is something whereabout he hath good occasion to be busied , even to fall out with himself , because he hath nothing ( i mean , he sees nothing that he hath to do . ) sometimes , if men see their servants standing idle and unbusied , they can ask them with a kind of indignation , what , can you find nothing to do ? and sure the lord might come with this question divers times to us , and say , as it is in this parable . why stand you all the day idle ? asking whether the world were so empty of occasions , and our selves so perfectly well , as that we can find nothing to do ? but there is no hour passeth us , which we should not find fit for some good thing , if we could catch the opportunity before it be turned , and did not harm our selves for want of diligent redeeming the time . yet there are other faults , of which christians are to be warned : as to begin with the last first . how many be there that are so stuffed with worldly businesses , and yet are greedy of more , as that they cannot find leisure one hour in a day , nay , scarce in a week , to bestow upon rea●ing , praying , meditating or conferring ? yea , as though time were made for nothing but to seek wealth and transitory things , so it is the chiefest of their care . it appears that such labour not for conscience , but for gain , because they cannot break off ordinary labours so long , as well to perform ordinary duties of religion . many may say ( with grief enough if they did well ) that their hands are so full of the world , as that they can scarce through the week , take the bible into their hands to read any thing therein , unless perhaps it be in the church at some publick meeting . thus , men which are born to a better inheritance , are content to w●ar out themselves in the earth , as if they were to perish in the earth with other baser creatures . here is one fault to be amended then : let no christian bestow so much time in the world , as that he cannot find sufficient to seek heaven and the things thereof . then for the matter of sports , methings some christians should even shrink , before the word of reproof comes to them , when they may think of so many hours spent such a day at bowls ; so many ( it may be ) the next day in shooting ; so many the third day in shovel-boord , or the like exercises : haply in themselves not unlawful , and when they come to reckoning for religious exercises , the count comes in very slowly , but the minutes or quarte●s , some half quarter of an hour , or thereabouts bestowed such a day in praying alone , and some three or four days after , about a quarter of an hour in reading ; and ( it may be ) the next week , some half quarter more in meditation : and thus if the expences of time were written in our debt-books , as they be in gods ; we might even blush to read so many items for pleasure and sport , and scarce one or two in a side for private religious exercises . then for our words : may we not hang down our heads with shame , to think that god made our tongues , and we speak scarce one word in an hundred to his glory ? idle words , even many of those whom we are to regard as christians , count them no faults , neither come to rep●n● for them ; it was but a word out of the way , say they . but this power to speak ( being a gift peculiar to men above all beasts ) ought to be more preciously regarded , than that it should be abused for base trifles . then for idle thoughts ; who makes question of them almost ? alas we do not remember that god hath searching eyes and fierce , which pierce into the depth of ones soul. we dream that thoughts are not so much , and spare our selves in our unthriftiness , when we should deal more religiously with our selves . lastly , some might be reproved for too long lying in bed , and spending more hours in slugging or sleeping , ●han health and strength doth require : many perhaps will think that it is left to their own pleasure , and that the preacher is too busie , if he take upon him to teach them when to rise , as though it were no fault to over-sleep themselves . indeed some old and sickly mens bodies must take it when they may ; but for the greatest part of men , if they knew what good the first half hour of the early morning spent in religious exercises would bring them , they would not love sleep so well , as for it to neglect them . it is well said , he that seeks me early , shall find me , and it well may be literally understood . therefore ( brethren ) there is none but may see a fault in himself in these respects some or all of them , and happy is he that resolves to mend it . therefore if you will take good counsel , do thus when you come home . think , alas , if time must be reckoned for , and should be redeemed , how far am i behind hand with god , that ( what for sleep , what for play , what for idle babling , what for vain thoughts , and excessive worldliness ) i cannot make a good account of the fortieth , yea , of the hundredth part of my time ? and then grieve because thou hast been such an unthrift of time , and now begin carefully to spare before all be gone . but now here is a reproof more sharp for some others , that are not willing to hear of that ear . tell them they must not spend a whole day , or a whole night in playing and sporting . what not at christmas ? ( say they ) why , you are too precise : well , but yet vouchsafe to consider a little what god speaks . thou sayest this is too much preciseness , and so saith the world ; but the apostle bids to walk precisely or warily , redeeming the time : and he that will take time to card or dice , and to use lawful recreations immoderately ( i mean so , as to be at his play the greater part of the day , and it may be some , if not the most of the night too ) shall pay full dearly for it : either he must repent , and undo this with much grief and sorrow of heart , or else he must smart for it hereafter worse in hell. i would not deal over sharply with thee : but take gods loving admonition , and let him have one tenth part of the four and twenty hours : yea , more a good deal than so , now that thou hast more leisure than ordinary . and here is yet a kind of people that are to be rigorously handled , such as are all gamesters , that spend no one hour waking , but upon pleasure : the world calls them scatter-goods , and the lord will call them scatter-hours , that do mispend both goods and hours . such ( let them think of themselves how the● will ) as do make gaming the greatest part ( if not all ) of their occupation , must be content to hear that they have no portion in heaven , as they can keep no portion in earth . how can one have treasure in heaven , that never laid up any there ? if god hate a gamester ▪ so that he will not give him good clothes to his back , ( now he had ●reamed tha● he shall be clothed with ●●g● ) he will much less afford him a seat in heaven . and howsoever for a time they ruffle it out , and be clad better than their more laborious neighbours , yet this trade will surely undo them , for they have brought this peril upon themselves , that either god must not be true , or they must not be rich , he must forfeit his truth , or they their goods , besides their name and soul : wherefore let such as have hitherto given their days to such an unsanctified and inordinate course , surcease from the practice of their lewdness ; and both in conscience for their souls sake , & in discretion for their goods sake , resolve to become better husbands of time , lest their gaming on earth , bring beggary to their latter days , and damnation to their souls for ever . lastly , let all good christians be admonished to make precious account of their time , and with much carefulness to take the seasons and opportunities of god , according as they have heard it is their duty . christians either indeed purpose to learn , or make a shew of such a purpose when they come to church . ah , that we might all learn this thrift , and practise it as we have heard : begin to day , and hold on still . now is a time of remembring the most admirable work of christs incarnation , when he was made flesh of the virgin to purge us from sin , and save us from wrath by the shedding of his blood , and sufferings which he endured in his flesh . give not all ( ah , why should we give any of it ? ) this time to play , chiefly to bezeling , surfetting or wantonness , but take some space to consider of the greatness of this benefit , and to be thankful proportionably thereunto . i would i might hope to prevail with any by this exhortation : but howsoever , it is needful to be spoken , that none may have occasion to pretend ignorance . you see or might see your duties in this behalf ; and in practising the same shall find the benefit of it . but fools will scorn admonition , and those that have accustomed themselves to lust , will not be entreated to pull their necks from out their hard yoke , and to serve a better master ; nay , so foolish are a number , that they think to do christ great honour in spending the day whereon they imagine that he was born , and some few that follow it , in more than ordinary riot and sinful excess ; as though he were a god that loved iniquity , and were delighted with drinking , and swilling , and gaming , and swearing , and surfetting , and all disorder : but those that know christ , know full well that he is not pleased with such pranks . wherefore if we will spend a day to christ , spend it more religiously and soberly than all other days , not more prophanely and luxuriously . we should neither forget his birth ; but when we observe some special time of remembring it , shew that we remember his goodness by doing good , more honour to his name , not by committing more rebellion against him . and to conclude , as at this time so at all times , let all men that would have their souls well furnished with inward substance , play the good husbands in taking time and opportunity . whensoever we find any fit occasion of getting or doing good in our selves or others , let it not slip , but lay hold upon it , and use it . it is joyful to th●nk ( if we could think of it seriously ) what commodity this thrift would bring ; how much knowledge and godliness might he get , that would keep his tongue and heart carefully to good matters ? what a large treasure of good works might he have , that would be ready whensoever his neighbours necessity called for help , to stretch our his hand for his relief ? and when he saw him fit for an admonition , would wisely bestow it upon him ? how full of grace should his old age and sickness be , that would give his health to god , and his first years to the service of his soul ? how great acquaintance might he get in the palace of wisdom , that would come to her at her first call , and enter so soon as the doors were set open ? how many sins might a man leave , and how much power should he get over all sin , that ( when his heart smites him ) would turn to god by prayer and confession ? what great grace would affliction bring , if a man would settle himself to humiliation , and gage his heart in time of affliction ? how much thankfulness might he have , that would lift up his heart to god in the fruition of blessing ? how many fervent prayers might he store up in heaven that would not fore-slow time , when he feels his desires earnest ? how comfortably might he weep over christ , and how plenti●ully , that would take the tide of tears , and turn all pensiveness to this use ? and how many sweet and chearful psalms might a christian sing , if he would turn all his mirth into a psalm ; and offer it up to god ? o what a large encrease of grace would this care bring ? how should his souls thrive , that would be thus husbandly ? surely as the common speech hath commended a little land well tilled , before much more ground that is carelesly dressed : so the weaker means with this care , would be more available to enrich the heart , than are the strongest without it . it is not the greatness of ones living that makes one rich ; but the good employing and wary husbanding of it : so it is not the greatness of the means , but the diligent redeeming of time , to make use of the means , that makes the soul wealthy . but if great means joyn with great care , the encrease will be so much the more large , as a large living with good husbandry . but alas , hence comes it , that some in the store of all good means of salvation , are very beggars and bankrups , because of their negligence to take the time and fit season . they let pass all good opportunities , and care not for any occasion for the soul , and how can their soul thrive ? wherefore let every true-hearted christian learn this wisdom , and practise it , as ever he desires to store his soul with that wealth , which will make him glorious in the eyes of god , and much set by even in heaven among the angels . and thus much for this time , and this duty of redeeming the time . finis . making light of christ and salvation too oft the issue of gospel invitations manifested in a sermon preached at lawrence-dury, in london, by rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1691 approx. 83 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 19 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26952 wing b1306 estc r32552 12716308 ocm 12716308 66241 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26952) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 66241) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1030:13) making light of christ and salvation too oft the issue of gospel invitations manifested in a sermon preached at lawrence-dury, in london, by rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. the second edition. [4], 32 p. printed for nevil simmons and sold by most booksellers, london : 1691. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sermons, english -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2006-01 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion making light of christ and salvation too oft the issue of gospel-invitations . manifested in a sermon preached at lawrence-jury , in london . by rich. baxter . heb. 2. 34. how shall we escape , if we neglect so great salvation ? the second edition . london : printed for nevil simmons , and sold by most booksellers , 1691. to the reader . reader , being called on in london to preach , when i had no time to study , i was fain to preach some sermons that i had preached in the country a little before . this was one , which i preached at s. lawrence , in the church where my reverend and faithful brother in christ , mr. richard vines is pastor : when i came home , i was followed by such importunities by letters to print the sermon , that i have yielded thereunto ; though i know not fully the ground of their desires . seeing it must abroad , will the lord but bless it to the cure of thy contempt of christ and grace , how comfortable may the occasion prove to thee and me ! it is the sleighting of christ and salvation that undoes the world. oh happy man , if thou scape but this sin ! thousands do split their souls on this rock which they should build them on ! look into the world , among rich and poor , high and low , young and old , and see whether it appear not by the whole scope of their conversations , that they set more by something else than christ ? and for all the proclamations of his grace in the gospel , and our common profesing our selves to be his disciples , and to believe the glorious things that he hath promised us in another world , whether it yet appear not by the deceitfulness of our service , by our heartless endeavours to obtain his kingdom , and by our busie and delightful following of the world , that the most who are called christians do yet in their hearts make light of christ ? and if so , what wonder if they perish by their contempt ? wilt thou but soberly peruse this short discourse , and consider well as thou readest , of its truth and weight , till thy heart be sensible what a sin it is to make light of christ and thy own salvation , and till the lord that bought thee be advanced in the estimation and affections of thy soul , thou shalt hereby rejoyce , and fulfil the desires of thy servant in the faith , rich. baxter . matt. 22. 5. but they made light of it . the blessed son of god , that thought it not enough to die for the world , but would himself also be the preacher of grace and salvation , doth comprize in this parable the sum of his gospel . by the king that is here said to make the marriage , is meant , god the father , that sent his son into the world to cleanse them from their sins , and espouse them to himself . by his son , for whom the marriage is made , is meant , the lord jesus christ , the eternal son of god , who took to his god-head the nature of man , that he might be capable of being their redeemer when they had lost themselves in sin . by the marriage , is meant , the conjunction of christ to the soul of sinners , when he giveth up himself to them to be their saviour , and they give up themselves to him as his redeemed ones , to be saved and ruled by him ; the perfection of which marriage will be at the day of judgment , when the conjunction between the whole church and christ shall be solemnized . the word here translated marriage , rather signifieth the marriage-feast ; and the meaning is , that the world is invited by the gospel , to come in and partake of christ and salvation , which comprehendeth both pardon , justification , and right to salvation , and all other priviledges of the members of christ . the invitation , is god's offer of christ and salvation in the gospel ; the servants that invite them , are the preachers of the gospel who are sent forth by god to that end ; the preparation for the feast there mentioned , is , the sacrifice of jesus christ , and the enacting of a law of grace , and opening a way for revolting sinners to return to god. there is mention of sending second messengers , because god useth not to take the first denyal , but to exercise his patience till sinners are obstinate . the first persons invited are the jews ; upon their obstinate refusal they are sentenced to punishment ; and the gentiles are invited , and not only invited , but by powerful preaching , and miracles , and effectual grace compelled , that is , infallibly prevailed with to come in . the number of them is so great , that the house is filled with the guests ; many come sincerely , not only looking at the pleasure of the feast , that is , at the pardon of sin , and deliverance from the wrath of god , but also at the honour of the marriage , that is , of the redeemer , and their profession by giving up themselves to a holy conversation ; but some come in only for the feast , that is , justification by christ , having not the wedding garment of sound resolution for obedience in their life , and looking only at themselves in believing , and not to the glory of their redeemer ; and these are sentenced to everlasting misery , and speed as ill as those that came not in at all ; seeing a faith that will not work , is but like that of the devil ; and they that look to be pardoned and saved by it , are mistaken , as james sheweth , 2. 24. the words of my text contain a narration of the ill-entertainment that the gospel findeth with many to whom it is sent , even after a first and second invitation . they made light of it , and are taken up with other things . though it be the jews that were first guilty , they have too many followers among us gentiles to this day . doct. for all the wonderful love and mercy that god hath manifested in giving his son to be the redeemer of the world , and which the son hath manifested in redeeming them by his blood ; for all his full preparation by being a sufficient sacrifice for the sins of all ; for all his personal excellencies , and that full and glorious salvation that he hath procured , and for all his free offers of these , and frequent and earnest invitations of sinners ; yet many do make light of all this , and prefer their worldly enjoyments before it . the ordinary entertainment of all is by contempt . not that all do so , or that all continue to do so who were once guilty of it : for god hath his chosen , whom he will compel to come in . but till the spirit of grace over-power the dead and obstinate hearts of men , they hear the gospel as a common story , and the great matters contained in it go not to the heart . the method in which i shall handle this doctrin , is this : 1. i shall shew you what it is that men make light of . 2. what this sin of making light of it is . 3. the cause of the sin . 4. the use of the doctrin . 1. the thing that carnal hearers make light of , is , 1. the doctrin of the gospel it self , which they hear regardlesly . 2. the benefits offered them therein : which are , 1. christ himself . 2. the benefits which he giveth . concerning christ himself , the gospel 1. declareth his person and nature , and the great things that he hath done and suffered for man : his redeeming him from the wrath of god by his blood , and procuring a grant of salvation with himself . furthermore , the same gospel maketh an offer of christ to sinners , that if they will accept him on his easie and reasonable terms , he will be their saviour , the physitian of their souls , their husband and their head. 2. the benefits that he offereth them , are these , 1. that with these blessed relations to him , himself and interest in him , they shall have the pardon of all their sins past , and be saved from god's wrath , and be set in a sure way of obtaining a pardon for all the sins that they shall commit hereafter , so they do but obey sincerely , and turn not again to the rebellion of their unregeneracy . 2. they shall have his spirit to become their guide and sanctifier , and to dwell in their souls , and help them against their enemies , and conform them more and more to his image , and heal their diseases , and bring them back to god. 3. they shall have right to everlasting glory when this life is ended , and shall be raised up thereto at the last ; besides many excellent priviledges in the way , in means , preservation and provision , and the fore tast of what they shall enjoy hereafter : all these benefits the gospel offereth to them that will have christ on his reasonable terms . the sum of all is in 1 john 5. 11 , 12. this is the record , that god hath given us eternal life , and this life is in his son : he that hath the son , hath life , and he that hath not the son , hath not life . ii. what this sin of making light of the gospel is ? 1. to make light of the gospel , is , to take no great heed to what is spoken , as if it were not a certain truth , or else were a matter that little concerned them , or as if god had not written these things for them . 2. when the gospel doth not affect men , or go to their hearts ; but though they seem to attend to what is said , yet men are not awakened by it from their security , nor doth it work in any measure such holy passion in their souls , as matters of such everlasting consequence should do ; this is making light of the gospel of salvation . when we tell men what christ hath done and suffered for their souls , and it scarce moveth them : we tell them of keen and cutting truths , but nothing will pierce them : we can make them hear , but we cannot make them feel : our words take up in the porch of their ears and fancies , but will not enter into the inward parts ; as if we spake to men that had no hearts or feeling ; this is a making light of christ and salvation , acts 28. 26 , 27. hearing ye shall hear , and shall not understand , seeing ye shall see , and shall not perceive . for the heart of this people is waxen gross , and their ears are dull of hearing , their eyes are closed , &c. 3. when men have no high estimation of christ and salvation , but whatsoever they may say with their tongues , or dreamingly and speculatively believe , yet in their serious and practical thoughts , they have a higher estimation of the matters of this world , than they have of christ , and the salvation that he hath purchased ; this is a making light of him . when men account the doctrin of christ to be but a matter of words and names , as gallio , acts 18. 4. or as festus , acts 25. 19. a superstitious matter about one jesus who was dead , and paul saith is alive . or ask the preachers of the gospel , as the athenians , acts 17. 18. what will this babler say ? this is contempt of christ . 4. when men are informed of the truths of the gospel , and on what terms christ and his benefits may be had , and how it is the will of god that they should believe and accept the offer ; and that he commandeth them to do it upon pain of damnation ; and yet men will not consent , unless they could have christ on terms of their own : they will not part with their worldly contents , nor lay down their pleasures and profits , and honour at his feet , as being content to take so much of them only as he will give them back , and as is consistent with his will and interest , but think its a hard saying , that they must forsake all in resolution for christ ; this is a making light of him and their salvation . when men might have part in him and all his benefits , if they would , and they will not , unless they may keep the world too ; and are resolved to please their flesh , whatever comes of it ; this is a high contempt of christ and everlasting life , mat. 13. 21 , 22. luke 18. 23. you may find examples of such as i here describe . 5. when men will promise fair , and profess their willingness to have christ on his terms , and to forsake all for him ; but yet do stick to the world and their sinful courses ; and when it comes to practice , will not be removed by all that christ hath done and said : this is making light of christ and salvation , jer. 42. 5. compared with 43. 2. iii. the causes of this sin are the next thing to be enquired after . it may seem a wonder that ever men that have the use of their reason , should be so sottish as to make light of matters of such consequence . but the cause is ; 1. some men understand not the very sense of the words of the gospel , when they hear it , and how can they be taken with that which they understand not ? though we speak to them in plain english , and study to speak it as plainly as we can ; yet people have so estranged themselves from god , and the matters of their own happiness , that they know not what we say , as if we spoke in another language , and as if they were under that judgment , isa . 28. 11. with stammering lips , and with another tongue will he speak to his people . 2. some that do understand the words that we speak , yet because they are carnal , understand not the matter ; for the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of god , neither can he know them , because they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2. 14. they are earthly , and these things are heavenly , john 3. 12. the things of the spirit are not well known by bare hear-say , but by a spiritual tast , which none have but those that are taught by the holy ghost , 1 cor. 2. 12 , that we may know the things that are given us of god. 3. a carnal mind apprehendeth not a suitableness in these spiritual and heavenly things to his mind , and therefore he sets light by them , and hath no mind of them . when you tell him of everlasting glory , he heareth you as if you were perswading him to go play with the sun : they are matters of another world , and out of his element ; and therefore he hath no more delight in them than a fish would have to be in the fairest meadow , or than a swine hath in a jewel , or a dog in a piece of gold : they may be good to others , but he cannot apprehend them as suitable to him , because he hath a nature that is otherwise inclined : he savoureth not the things of the spirit , rom 8. 5. 4. the main cause of the slighting of christ and salvation , is , a secret root of unbelief in mens hearts . whatsoever they may pretend , they do not soundly and throughly believe the word of god : they are taught in general to say , the gospel is true ; but they never saw the evidence of its truth so far , as throughly to perswade them of it ; nor have they got their souls setled on the infallibility of god's testimony , nor considered of the truth of the particular doctrins revealed in the scripture , so far as soundly to believe them . oh did you all but soundly believe the words of this gospel , of the evil of sin , of the need of christ , and what he hath done for you , and what you must be and do , if ever you will be saved by him ; and what will become of you for ever , if you do it not ; i dare say , it would cure the contempt of christ , and you would not make so light of the matters of your salvation . but men do not believe , while they say they do , and would face us down that they do , and verily think that they do themselves . there is a root of bitterness , and an evil heart of unbelief , that makes them depart from the living god , heb. 2. 12. and 4. 1 , 2 , 6. tell any man in this congregation , that he shall have a gift of 10000 l. if he will but go to london for it ; if he believe you , he will go ; but if he believe not , he will not ; and if he will not go , you may be sure he believeth not , supposing that he is able . i know a slight belief may stand with a wicked life . such as men have of the truth of a prognostication , it may be true , and it may be false ; but a true and sound belief is not consistent with so great neglect of the things that are believed . 5. christ and salvation are made light of by the world , because of their desperate hardness of heart . the heart is hard naturally , and by custom in sinning made more hard ; especially by long abuse of mercy , and neglect of the means of grace , and resisting the spirit of god. hence it is that men are turned into such stones : and till god cure them of the stone of the heart , no wonder if they feel not what they know , or regard not what we say , but make light of all ; 't is hard preaching a stone into tears , or making a rock to tremble . you may stand over a dead body long enough , and say to it , oh thou carcase , when thou hast lain roting and mouldring to dust , till the resurrection , god will then call thee to account for thy sin , and cast thee into everlasting fire , before you can make it feel what you say , or fear the misery that is never so truly threatned ; when mens hearts are like the high-way that is trodden to hardness by long custom in sinning , or like the clay that is hardned to a stone , by the heat of those mercies which should have melted them into repentance ; when they have consciences seared with a hot iron , as the apostle speaks , 2 tim. 4. 2. no wonder then if they be past feeling , and working all uncleanness with greediness , do make light of christ and everlasting glory . oh that this were not the case of too many of our hearers ! had we but living souls to speak to , they would hear and feel , and not make light of what we say . i know they are naturally alive , but they are spiritually dead , as scripture witnesseth , eph. 2. 3. oh if there were but one spark of the life of grace in them , the doctrin of salvation by jesus christ , would appear to them to be the weightiest business in the world. oh how confident should i be , methinks , to prevail with men , and to take them off this world , and bring them to mind the matters of another world , if i spake but to men that had life , and sense , and reason ! but when we speak to blocks and dead men , how should we be regarded ? oh how sad a case are these souls in , that are fallen under this fearful judgment of spiritual madness and deadness ! to have a blind mind , and a hard heart , to be sottish and senseless , mar. 4. 12. john 12. 40. lest they should be converted , and their sin should be forgiven them . 6. christ and salvation are made light of by the world , because they are wholly enslaved to their sense , and taken up with lower things ; the matters of another world are out of sight , and so far from their senses , that they cannot regard them ; but present things are nearer them , in their eyes , and in their hands : there must be a living faith to prevail over sense , before men can be so taken with things that are not seen , though they have the word of god for their security , as to neglect and let go things that are still before their eyes . sense works with great advantage ; and therefore doth much in resisting faith where it is . no wonder then if it carry all before it , where there is no true and lively faith to resist , and to lead the soul to higher things : this cause of making light of christ and salvation , is expressed here in my text : one went to his farm , and another to his merohandize : men have houses and lands to look after ; they have wife and children to mind , they have their body and outward estate to regard , therefore they forget that they have a god , a redeemer , a soul to mind ; these matters of the world are still with them . they see these , but they see not god , nor christ , nor their souls , nor everlasting glory . these things are near at hand , and therefore work naturally , and so more forcibly ; but the other are thought on as a great way off , and therefore too distant to work on their affections , or to be at the present so much regarded by them . their body hath life and sense , and therefore if they want meats , or drink , or cloaths , will feel their want , and tell them of it , and give them no rest till their wants be supplied ; and therefore they cannot make light of their bodily necessities ; but their souls in spiritual respects are dead , and therefore feel not their wants , but will let them alone in their greatest necessities ; and be as quiet when they are starved and languishing to destruction , as if all were well , and nothing ailed them . and hereupon poor people are wholly taken up in providing for the body , as if they had nothing else to mind . they have their trades and callings to follow , and so much to do from morning to night , that they can find no time for matters of salvation : christ would teach them , but they have no leisure to hear him : the bible is before them , but they cannot have while to read it : a minister is in the town with them , but they cannot have while to go to enquire of him what they shall do to be saved : and when they do hear , their hearts are so full of the world , and carried away with these lower matters , that they cannot mind the things which they hear . they are so full of the thoughts and desires , and cares of this world , that there is no room to pour into them the water of life : the cares of the world do choak the word , and make it become unfruitful , mat. 13. 22. men cannot serve two masters , god and mammon , but they will lean to the one , and despise the other , mat. 6. 24. he that loveth the world , the love of the father is not in him , 1 john 2. 15 , 16. men cannot chuse but set light by christ and salvation , while they set so much by any thing on earth ; it is that which is highly esteemed among men , is abominable in the sight of god , luke 16. 15. oh this is the ruin of many thousand souls ! it would grieve the heart of any honest christian , to see how eagerly this vain world is followed every where , and how little men set by christ , and the world to come : to compare the care that men have for the world , with the care of their souls ; and the time that they lay out on the world , with that time they lay out for their salvation : to see how the world fills their mouths , their hands , their houses , their hearts ; and christ hath little more than a bare title : to come into their company , and hear no discourse but of the world ; to come into their houses , and hear and see nothing but for the world , as if this world would last forever , or would purchase them another . when i ask sometime the ministers of the gospel how their labours succeed , they tell me , people continue still the same , and give up themselves wholly to the world , so that they mind not what ministers say to them , nor will give any full entertainment to the word , and all because of the deluding world : and , oh that too many ministers themselves did not make light of that christ whom they preach , being drawn away with the love of this world ! in a word , men of a worldly disposition do judge of things according to worldly advantages ; therefore christ is slighted , isa . 53. 3. he is despised and rejected of men , they hide their faces from him , and esteem him not , as seeing no beauty or comeliness in him , that they should desire him . 7. christ and salvation are made light of , because men do not soberly consider of the truth and weight of these necessary things ; they suffer not their minds so long to dwell upon them , till they procure a due esteem , and deeply affect their heart ; did they believe them , and not consider of them , how should they work ? oh when men have reason given them to think and consider of the things that most concern them , and yet they will not use it , this causeth their contempt . 8. christ and salvation are made light of , because men were never sensible of their sin and misery , and extream necessity of christ and his salvation : their eyes were never opened to see themselves as they are ; nor their hearts soundly humbled in the sense of their condition : if this were done , they would soon be brought to value a saviour : a truly broken heart can no more make light of christ and salvation , than a hungry man of his food , or a sick man of the means that would give him ease : but till then , our words cannot have access to their hearts : while sin and misery is made light of , christ and salvation will be made light of ; but when these are perceived an intolerable burden , then nothing will serve the turn but christ . till men be truly humbled , they can venture christ and salvation for a lust , for a little worldly gain , even for less than nothing ; but when god hath illuminated them , and broken their hearts , then they would give a world for a christ ; then they must have christ , or they die ; all things then are loss and dung to them , in regard of the excellent knowledge of christ , phil. 3. 8. when they are once pricked in their hearts for sin and misery , then they cry out , men and brethren , what shall we do ? acts 2. 37. when they are awakened by gods judgments , as the poor jaylor , acts 16. 29. then they cry out , sirs , what shall i do to be saved ? this is the reason why god will bring men so low by humiliation , before he bring them to salvation . 9. men take occasion to make light of christ , by the commonness of the gospel ; because they do hear of it every day , the frequency is an occasion to dull their affections ; i say an occasion ; for it is no just cause . were it a rarity , it might take more with them ; but now , if they hear a minister preach nothing but these saving truths , they say , we have these every day : they make not light of their bread or drink , their health or life , because they possess them every day ; they make not light of the sun , because it shineth every day ; at least they should not , for the mercy is the greater ; but christ and salvation are made light of , because they hear of them often ; this is , say they , a good plain dry sermon : pearls are trod in the dirt where they are common ; they loath this dry manna , prov. 27. 7. the full soul loaths the hony-comb ; but to the hungry every bitter thing is sweet . 10. christ and salvation are made light of because of this disjunctive presumption , either that he is sure enough theirs already , and god that is so merciful , and christ that hath suffered so much for them , is surely resolved to save them , or else it may easily be obtained at any time , if it be not yet so . a conceited facility to have a part in christ and salvation at any time , doth occasion men to make light of them . it is true , that grace is free , and the offer is universal , according to the extent of the preaching of the gospel ; and it is true that men may have christ when they will ; that is , when they are willing to have him on his terms ; but he that hath promised thee christ , if thou be willing , hath not promised to make thee willing : and if thou art not willing now , how canst thou think thou shalt be willing hereafter ? if thou canst make thine own heart willing , why is it not done now ? can you do it better when sin hath more hardned it , and god may have given thee over to thy self ? oh sinners ! you might do much , tho' you are not able of your selves to come in , if you would now subject your selves to the working of the spirit , and set in while the gales of grace continue ; but did you know what a hard and impossible thing it is to be so much as willing to have christ and grace , when the heart is given over to it self , and the spirit hath withdrawn its former invitations , you would not be so confident of your own strength to believe and repent : nor would you make light of christ upon such foolish confidence . if indeed it be so easie a matter as you imagine for a sinner to believe and repent at any time ; how comes it to pass that it is done by so few , but most of the world do perish in their impenitency , when they have all the helps and means that we can afford them ? it is true , the thing is very reasonable and easie in it self to a pure nature ; but while man is blind and dead , these things are in a sort impossible to him , which are never so easie to others . it is the easiest and sweetest life in the world to a gracious soul to live in the love of god , and the delightful thoughts of the life to come , where all their hope and happiness lieth : but to a worldly carnal heart it is as easie to remove a mountain , as to bring them to this . however , these men are their own condemners ; for if they think it so easie a matter to repent and believe , and so have christ and right to salvation , then have they no excuse for neglecting this which they thought so easie . o wretched impenitent soul ! what mean you to say , when god shall ask you , why did you not repent and love your redeemer above the world , when you thought it so easie that you could do it at any time ? iv. use 1. we come now to the application : and hence you may be informed of the blindness and folly of all carnal men : how contemptible are their judgements that think christ and salvation contemptible ? and how little reason there is why any should be moved by them , or discouraged by any of their scorns or contradictions how shall we sooner know a man to be a fool , than if he know no difference between dung and gold ! is there such a thing as madness in the world , if that man be not mad , that sets light by christ and his own salvation , while he daily toyls for the dung of the earth ? and yet what pity is it to see , that a company of poor ignorant souls will be ashamed of godliness , if such men as these do but deride them ! or will think hardly of a holy life , if such as these do speak against it ! hearers , if you see any set light by christ and salvation , do you set light by that man's wit , and by his words , and hear the reproaches of a holy life , as you would hear the words of a mad man ; not with regard , but with a compassion of his misery . use 2. what wonder if we and our preaching be despised , and the best ministers complain of ill success , when the ministry of the apostles themselves did succeed i no better ? what wonder if for all that we can say or do , our hearers still set light by christ and their own salvation ; when the apostles hearers did the same ? they that did second their doctrin by miracles : if any men could have shaken and torn in pieces the hearts of sinners they could have done it : if any could have laid them at their feet , and made them all cry out as some , what shall we do , it would have been they . you may see then that it is not meerly for want of good preachers that men make light of christ and salvation : the first news of such a thing as the pardon of sin , and the hopes of glory , and the danger of everlasting misery , would turn the hearts of men within them , if they were as tractable in spiritual matters as in temporal : but alas , it is far otherwise . it must not seem any strange thing , nor must it too much discourage the preachers of the gospel , if when they have said all that they can devise to say to win the hearts of men to christ , the most do still slight him , and while they bow the knee to him , and honour him with their lips , do yet set so light by him in their hearts , as to prefer every fleshly pleasure or commodity before him . it will be thus with many : let us be glad that it is not thus with all. use 3. but for closer application . seeing this is the great condemning sin , before we enquire after it into the hearts of our hearers , it beseems us to begin at home , and see that we who are preachers of the gospel , be not guilty of it our selves . the lord forbid that they that have undertaken the sacred office of revealing the excellencies of christ to the world , should make light of him themselves , and slight that salvation which they do daily preach . the lord knows we are all of us so low in our estimation of christ , and do this great work so negligently , that we have cause to be ashamed of our best sermons ; but should this sin prevail in us , we were the most miserable of all men . brethren , i love not censoriousness ; yet dare not befriend so vile a sin in my self or others under pretence of avoiding it ; especially when there is so great necessity that it should be healed first in them that make it their work to heal it in others . o that there were no cause to complain that christ and salvation are made light of by the preachers of it . but , 1. do not the negligent studies of some speak it out ? 2. doth not their dead and drousie preaching declare it ? do not they make light of the doctrin they preach , that do it as if they were half asleep , and feel not what they speak themselves ? 3. doth not the carelesness of some mens private endeavours discover it ? what do they for souls ? how slightly do they reprove sin ? how little do they when they are out of the pulpit for the saving of mens souls ? 4. doth not the continued neglect of those things wherein the interest of christ consisteth , discover it ? 1. the churches purity and reformation . 2. it s unity . 5. doth not the covetous and worldly lives of too many discover it , losing advantages for mens souls , for a little gain to themselves ? and most of this is because men are preachers before they are christians , and tell men of that which they never felt themselves . of all men on earth , there are few that are in so bad a condition as such ministers : and if indeed they do believe that scripture which they preach , methinks it should be terrible to them in their studying and preaching it . use 4. beloved hearers ; the office that god hath called us to , is , by declaring the glory of his grace , to help under christ , to the saving of mens souls . i hope you think not that i come hither to day on any other errand . the lord knows i had not set a foot out of doors but in hope to succeed in this work for your souls . i have considered and often considered , what is the mater that so many thousands should perish when god hath done so much for their salvation ; and i find this that is mentioned in my text is the cause . it is one of the wonders of the world , that when god hath so loved the world as to send his son , and christ hath made a satisfaction by his death sufficient for them all , and offereth the benefits of it so freely to them , even without mony or price , that yet the most of the world should perish ; yea the most of those that are thus called by his word ! why here is the reason , when christ hath done all this , men make light of it . god hath shewed that he is not unwilling ; and christ hath shewed that he is not unwilling that men should be restored to god's favour and be saved ; but men are actually unwilling themselves . god takes not pleasure in the death of sinners , but rather that they return and live , ezek. 33. 11. but men take such pleasure in sin , that they will dye before they will return . the lord jesus was content to be their physitian , and hath provided them a sufficient plaister of his own blood : but if men make light of it , and will not apply it , what wonder if they perish after all ? this scripture giveth us the reason of their perdition . this sad experience tells us the most of the world is guilty of . it is a most lamentable thing to see how most men do spend their care , their time , their pains for known vanities ; while god and glory are cast aside : that he who is all should seem to them as nothing ; and that which is nothing should seem to them as good as all ; that god should set mankind in such a race where heaven or hell is their certain end , and that they should set down , and loyter , or run after the childish toyes of the world , and so much forget the prize that they should run for . were it but possible for one of us to see the whole of this business , as the all seeing god doth ; to see at one view both heaven and hell which men are so near , and see what most men in the world are minding , and what they are doing every day , it would be the saddest sight that could be imagined . oh how should we marvail at their madness , and lament their self-delusion ! oh poor distracted world ! what is it that you run after ? and what is it that you neglect ? if god had never told them what they were sent into the world to do , or whether they were going , or what was before them in another world , then they had been excusable ; but he hath told them over and over , till they were weary of it . had he left it doubtful , there had been some excuse ; but it is his sealed word , and they profess to believe it , and would take it ill of us if we should question whether they do believe it or not . beloved , i come not to accuse any of you particularly of this crime : but seeing it is the commonest cause of mens destruction , i suppose you will judge it the fittest matter for our enquiry , and deserving our greatest care for the cure . to which end i shall 1. endeavour the conviction of the guilty . 2. shall give them such considerations as may tend to humble and reform them . 3. i shall conclude with such direction as may help them that are willing to escape the destroying power of sin. and for the first ▪ consider ▪ 1. it is the case of most sinners to think themselves freest from those sins that they are most enslaved to ; and one reason why we cannot reform them , is , because we cannot convince them of their guilt . it is the nature of sin so far to blind and befool the sinner , that he knoweth not what he doth , but thinketh he is free from it when it reigneth in him , on when he is committing it : it bringeth men to be so much unacquainted with themselves , that they know not what they think , or what they mean and intend , nor what they love or hate , much less what they are habituated and disposed to . they are alive to sin , and dead to all the reason , consideration and resolution that should recover them , as if it were only by their sinning that we must know they are alive . may i hope that you that hear me to day , are but willing to know the truth of your case , and then i shall be encouraged to proceed to an enquiry . god will judge impartially ; why should not we do so ? let me therefore by these following questions try whether none of you are slighters of christ and your own salvation . and follow me , i beseech you , by putting them close to your own hearts , and faithfully answering them , 1. things that men highly value will be remembred , they will be matter of their freest and sweetest thoughts : this is a known case . do not those then make light of christ and salvation , that think of them so seldom and coldly in comparison of other things ? follow thy own heart man , and observe what it daily runneth out after ; and then judge whether it make not light of christ . we cannot perswade men to one hours sober consideration what they should do for an interest in christ , or in thankfulness for his love , and yet they will not believe that they make light of him . 2. things that we highly value will be matter of our discourse : the judgment and heart will command the tongue . freely and delightfully will our speech run after them . this also is a known case . do not those then make light of christ and salvation , that shun the mention of his name , unless it be in a vain or sinful use ? those that love not the company where christ and salvation is much talked of ; but think it troublesome precise discourse : that had rather hear some merry jests , or idle tales , or talk of their riches or business in the world. when you may follow them from morning to night , and scarce have a savory word of christ ; but perhaps some slight and weary mention of him sometimes ; judge whether these make not light of christ and salvation . how seriously do they talk of the world ? psal . 144. 8 , 11. and speak vanity ! but how heartlesly do they make mention of christ and salvation ! 3. the things that we highly value , we would secure the possession of , and therefore would take any convenient course to have all doubts and fears about them well resolved . do not those men then make light of christ and salvation , that have lived twenty or thirty years in uncertainty whether they have any part in these or not , and yet never seek out for the right resolution of their doubts ? are all that hear me this day certain they shall be saved ? oh that they were ! oh had you not made light of salvation , you could not so easily bear such doubtings of it ; you could not rest till you had made it sure , or done your best to make it sure . have you no body to enquire of that might help you in such a work ? why you have ministers that are purposely appointed to that office. have you gone to them and told them the doubtfulness of your case , and asked their help in the judging of your condition ? alas ministers may sit in their studies from one year to another , before ten persons among one thousand , will come to them on such an errand ! do not these make light of christ and salvation ? when the gospel pierceth the heart indeed , they cry out , men and brethren , what shall we do to be saved ! acts 16. 30. and 9. 6. trembling and astonished , paul cries out , lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? and so did the convinced jews to peter , acts 2. 37. but when hear we such questions ? 4. the things that we value do deeply affect us , and some motions will be in the heart according to our estimation of them . oh sirs , if men made not light of these things , what workings would there be in the hearts of all our hearers ? what strange affections would it raise in them to hear of the matters of the world to come ! how would their hearts melt before the power of the gospel ? what sorrow would be wrought in the discovery of their sin ? what astonishment at the consideration of their misery ? what unspeakable joy at the glad tidings of salvation by the blood of christ ? what resolution would be raised in them upon the discovery of their duty ? oh what hearers should we have if it were not for this sin ! whereas now , we are like to weary them , or preach them asleep with matters of unspeakable moment . we talk to them of christ and salvation till we make their heads ake ; little would one think by their careless carriage , that they heard and regarded what we said , or thought we spoke at all to them . 5. our estimation of things will be seen in the diligence of our endeavours . that which we highliest value , we shall think no pains too great to obtain . do not those men then make light of christ and salvation , that think all too much that they do for them , that murmur at his service , and think it too grievous for them to endure ? that ask of his service as judas of the oyntment ; what need this wast ? cannot men be saved without so much ado ? this is more ado than needs . for the world they will labour all the day , and all their lives ; but for christ and salvation they are afraid of doing too much . let us preach to them as long as we will , we cannot bring them to relish or resolve upon a life of holiness . follow them to their houses , and you shall not hear them read a chapter , nor call upon god with their families once a day ; nor will they allow him that one day in seven which he hath separated to his service . but pleasure , or worldly business , or idleness must have a part . and many of them are so far hardened , as to reproach them that will not be as mad as themselves . and is not christ worth the seeking ? is not everlasting salvation worth more than all this ? doth not that soul make light of all these , that thinks his ease more worth than they ? let but common sense judge . 6. that which we most highly value , we think we cannot buy too dear : christ and salvation are freely given , and yet the most of men go without them , because they cannot enjoy the world and them together . they are called but to part with that which would hinder them from christ , and they will not do it . they are called but to give god his own , and to resign all to his will , and let go the profits and pleasures of this world , when they must let go either christ or them , and they will not . they think this too dear a bargain , and say they cannot spare these things : they must hold their credit with men ; they must look to their estates : how shall they live else ? they must have their pleasure , whatsoever becomes of christ and salvation : as if they could live without christ better than without these ? as if they were afraid of being losers by christ , or could make a saving match by losing their souls to gain the world. christ hath told us over and over , that if we will not forsake all for him , we cannot be his disciples , mat. 10. far are these men from for saking all , and yet will needs think that they are his disciples indeed . 7. that which men highly esteem , they would help their friends to as well as themselves . do not those men make light of christ and salvation , that can take so much care to leave their children portions in the world , and do so little to help them to heaven ? that provide outward necessaries so carefully for their families , but do so little to the saving of their souls ? their neglected children and friends will witness , that either christ or their childrens souls , or both , were made light of . 8. that which men highly esteem , they will so diligently seek after , that you may see it in the success , if it be a matter within their reach . you may see how many make light of christ , by the little knowledge they have of him , and the little communion with him , and communication from him ; and the little , yea , none of his special graces in them . alas ! how many ministers can speak it to the sorrow of their hearts , that many of their people know almost nothing of christ , though they hear of him dayly ! nor know they what they must do to be saved ; if we ask them an account of these things , they answer , as if they understood not what we say to them , and tell us they are no scholars , and therefore think they are excusable for their ignorance . oh if these men had not made light of christ and their salvation , but had bestowed but half so much pains to know and enjoy him , as they have done to understand the matters of their trades and callings in the world , they would not have been so ignorant as they are : they make light of these things , and therefore will not be at the pains to study or learn them . when men that can learn the hardest trade in a few years , have not learned a catechism , nor how to understand their creed , under twenty or thirty years preaching , nor cannot abide to be questioned about such things ; doth not this shew that they have slighted them in their hearts ? how will these despisers of christ and salvation be able one day to look him in the face , and to give an account of these neglects ? thus much i have spoken in order to your conviction . do not some of your consciences by this time smite you , and say , i am the man that have made light of my salvation ? if they do not , it is because you make light of it still , for all that is said to you . but because , if it be the will of the lord , i would fain have this damning distemper cured , and am loth to leave you in such a desperate condition , if i knew how to remedy it ; i will give you some considerations , which may move you , if you be men of reason and understanding , to look better about you ; and i beseech you weigh them , and make use of them as ye go , and lay open your hearts to the work of grace , and sadly bethink you what a case you are in , if you prove such as make light of christ . consider , 1. thou makest light of him that made not light of thee who didst deserve it . thou wast worthy of nothing but contempt . as a man , what art thou but a worm to god ? as a sinner , thou art far viler than a toad : yet christ was so far from making light of thee and thy happiness , that he came down into the flesh , and lived a life of suffering , and offered himself a sacrifice to the justice which thou hadst provoked , that thy miserable soul might have a remedy . it is no less than miracles of love and mercy that he hath shewed to us ; and yet shall we slight them after all ? angels admire them , whom they less concern , 1 pet. 1. 12. and shall redeemed sinners make light of them ? what barbarous , yea devilish , yea worse then devilish ingratitude is this ? the devils never had a saviour offered them , but thou hast , and dost thou yet make light of him ? 2. consider the work of man's salvation by jesus christ , is the master-piece of all the works of god , wherein he would have his love and mercy to be magnified . as the creation declareth his goodness and power , so doth redemption his goodness and mercy ; he hath contrived the very frame of his worship so , that it shall much consist in the magnifying of this work ; and after all this , will you make light of it ? his name is wonderful , isa . 9. 6. he did the work that none could do , john 15. 24. greater love could none shew than his , john 15. 13. how great was the evil and misery that he delivered us from ? the good procured for us ? all are wonders , from his birth to his ascension ; from our new birth to our glorification , all are wonders of matchless mercy . and yet do you make light of them ! 3. you make light of matters of greatest excellency and moment in the world : you know not what it is that you slight ; had you well known , you could not have done it . as christ said to the woman of samaria , john 4. 10. hadst thou known who it is that speaketh to thee , thou wouldst have asked of him the waters of life . had they known , they would not have crucified the lord of glory , 1 cor. 2. 8. so , had you known what christ is , you would not have made light of him ; had you been one day in heaven , and but seen what they possess , and seen also what miserable souls must endure that are shut out , you would never sure have made so light of christ again . oh sirs , it is no trifle , or jesting matter that the gospel speaks of . i must needs profess to you , that when i have the most serious thoughts of these things my self , i am ready to marvel that such amazing matters do not overwhelm the souls of men ; that the greatness of the subject doth not so overmatch our understandings and affections , as even to drive men besides themselves , but that god hath always somewhat allayed it by the distance ; much more that men should be so blockish as to make light of them . oh lord , that men did but know what everlasting glory , and everlasting torments are . would they then hear us as they do ? would they read and think of these things as they do ? i profess i have been ready to wonder , when i have heard such weighty things delivered , how people can forbear crying out in the congregation ; much more , how they can rest till they have gone to their ministers , and learned what they should do to be saved , that this great business might be put out of doubt . oh that heaven and hell should work no more upon men ! oh that everlastingness should work no more ! oh how can you forbear when you are alone , to think with your selves what it is to be everlastingly in joy or in torment ! i wonder that such thoughts do not break your sleep ; and that they come not in your mind when you are about your labour ! i wonder how you can almost do any thing else : how you can have any quietness in your minds : how you can eat , or drink , or rest , till you have got some ground of everlasting consolations ! is that a man or a corps that is not affected with matters of this moment ? that can be readier to sleep than to tremble , when he heareth how he must stand at the bar of god ? is that a man , or a clod of clay , that can rise and lie down without being deeply affected with his everlasting estate ? that can follow his worldly business , and make nothing of the great business of salvation or damnation ; and that when they know it is hard at hand ? truly sirs , when i think of the weight of the matter , i wonder at the very best of god's saints upon earth , that they are no better , and do no more in so weighty a case . i wonder at those whom the world accounteth more holy than needs , and scorns for making too much ado ; that they can put off christ and their souls with so little : that they pour not out their souls in every supplication ; that they are not more taken up with god ; that their thoughts be not more serious in preparation for their account . i wonder that they be not an hundred times more strict in their lives ; and more laborious and unwearied in striving for the crown , than they are . and for my self , as i am ashamed of my dull and careless heart , and of my slow and unprofitable course of life ; so , the lord knows , i am ashamed of every sermon that i preach , when i think what i have been speaking of , and who sent me ; and that men's salvation or damnation is so much concerned in it . i am ready to tremble , lest god should judge me , as a slighter of his truth , and the souls of men , and lest in the best sermon i should be guilty of their blood . me-thinks we should not speak a word to men in matters of such consequence , without tears , or the greatest earnestness that possibly we can ; were not we too much guilty of the sin which we reprove , it would be so . whether , we are alone , or in company , me-thinks our end , and such an end , should still be in our mind , and as before our eyes ; and we should sooner forget any thing , and set light by any thing , or by all things , than by this . consider 4. who is it that sends this weighty message to you ? is it not god himself ? shall the god of heaven speak , and men make light of it ? you would not slight the voice of an angel or a prince . 5. whose salvation is it that you make light of ? is it not your own ? are you no more near or dear to your selves , than to make light of your own happiness or misery ? why sirs , do you not care whether you be saved or damned ? is self-love lost ? are you turned your own enemies ? as he that slighteth his meat , doth slight his life ; so if you slight christ , whatsoever you may think , you will find it was your own salvation that you slighted . hear what he saith , prov. 1. 36. all they that hate me , love death . 6. your sin is greater , in that you profess to believe the gospel which you make so light of . for a professed infidel to do it , that believes not that ever christ died , or rose again ; or doth not believe that there is a heaven or hell , this were no such marvel ; but for you that make it your creed , and your very religion , and call your selves christians , and have been baptized into this faith , and seemed to stand to it : this is the wonder , and hath no excuse . what! believe that you shall live in endless joy or torment , and yet make no more of it , to escape torment , and obtain that joy. what! believe that god will shortly judge you , and yet make no more preparation for it ? either say plainly , i am no christian , i do not believe these wonderful things ! i will believe nothing but what i see ; or else , let your hearts be affected with your belief , and live as you say you do believe . what do you think when you repeat the creed , and mention christ's judgment and everlasting life ? 7. what are these things you set so much by , as to prefer them before christ and the saving of your souls ? have you found a better friend , a greater and surer happiness than this ? good lord ! what dung is it that men make so much of , while they set so light by everlasting glory ! what toyes are they that they are daily taken up with , while matters of life and death are neglected ! why sirs , if you had every one a kingdom in your hopes , what were it in comparison of the everlasting kingdom ? i cannot but look upon all the glory and dignity of this world , lands and lordships , crowns and kingdoms , even as on some brainsick beggarly fellow , that borroweth fine cloaths , and plays the part of a king or a lord , for an hour on a stage , and then comes down , and the sport is ended , and they are beggers again . were it not for god's interest in the authority of magistrates , or for the service they might do him , i should judge no better of them . for as to their own glory , it is but a smoak : what matter is it whether you live poor or rich , unless it were a greater matter to dye rich than it is ? you know well enough that death levels all : what matter is it at judgment , whether you be to answer for the life of a rich man , or a poor man ? is dives then any better than lazarus ? oh that men knew what a poor deceiving shadow they grasp at , while they let go the everlasting substance ! the strongest and richest , and most voluptuous sinners , do but lay in fuel for their sorrows , while they think they are gathering together a treasure . alas ! they are asleep , and dream that they are happy ; but when they awake , what a change will they find ? their crown is made of thorns ! their pleasure hath such a sting as will stick in the heart through all eternity , except unfeigned repentance do prevent it . oh how sadly will these wretches be convinced ere long , what a foolish bargain they made in selling christ and their salvation for these trifles ! let your farms and merchandize then save you if they can ; and do that for you that christ would have done . cry then to thy baal to save thee ! oh what thoughts have drunkards and adulterers , &c. of christ , that will not part with the basest lust for him ! for a piece of bread , saith solomon , such men do transgress , prov. 28. 21. 8. to set so light by christ and salvation is a certain mark that thou hast no part in them , and if thou so continue , that christ will set as light by thee : those that honour him he will honour , and those that despise him shall be lightly esteemed , 1 sam. 2. 30. thou wilt feel one day that thou canst not live without him . thou wilt confess then thy need of him ; and then thou mayst go look for a saviour where thou wilt ; for he will be no saviour for thee hereafter , that wouldst not value him , and submit to him here : then who will prove the loser by thy contempt ? oh what a thing will it be for a poor miserable soul to cry to christ for help in the day of extremity , and to hear so sad an answer as this ! thou didst set light by me and my law in the day of thy prosperity , and i will now set as light by thee in thy adversity . read prov. 1. 24. to the end . thou that as esau didst sell thy birth-right for a mess of pottage , shalt then find no place for repentance , though thou seek it with tears , heb. 12. 17. do you think that christ shed his blood to save them that continue to make light of it ? and to save them that value a cup of drink or a lust before his salvation ? i tell you sirs , though you set light by christ and salvation , god doth not so : he will not give them on such terms as these : he valueth the blood of his son , and the everlasting glory ; and he will make you value them , if ever you have them . nay , this will be thy condemnation , and leaveth no remedy . all the world cannot save him that sets light by christ , heb. 2. 3. luke 14 24. none of them shall taste of his supper , mat. 10. 37. nor can you blame him to deny you what you made light of your selves . can you find fault if you miss of the salvation which you slighted ? 9 , the time is near when christ and salvation will not be made light of as now they are . when god hath shaken those careless souls out of their bodies , and you must answer for all your sins in your own name ; o then , what what would you give for a saviour ? when a thousand bills shall be brought in against you , and none to relieve you , then you will consider , oh , christ would now have stood between me and the wrath of god : had i not despised him , he would have answered all . when you see the world hath left you , and your companions in sin have deceived themselves and you , and all your merry days are gone ; then what would you give for that christ and salvation , that now you account not worth your labour ? do you think when you see the judgment set , and you are doomed to everlasting perdition for your wickedness , that you should then make as light of christ as now ? why will you not judge now , as you know you shall judge then ? will he then be worth ten thousand worlds , and is he not now worth your highest estimation , and dearest affection ? 10. god will not only deny thee that salvation thou madest light of , but he will take from thee all that which thou didst value before it : he that most highly esteems christ , shall have him and the creatures so far as they are good here , and him without the creature hereafter , because the creature is not useful ; and he that sets more by the creature than by christ , shall have some of the creature without christ here , and neither christ nor it hereafter . so much of these considerations , which may shew the true face of this hainous sin . what think you now friends of this business ? do you not see by this time what a case that soul is in that maketh light of christ and salvation ? what need then is there that you should take heed lest this should prove your own case : the lord knows it is too common a case . whoever is found guilty at the last of this sin , it were better for that man he had never been born . it were better for him he had been a turk or indian , that never had heard the name of a saviour , and that never had salvation offered to him : for such men have no cloak for their sin , john 15. 22. besides all the rest of their sins , they have this killing sin to answer for , which will undo them . and this will aggravate their misery : that christ whom they set light by , must be their judge , and for this sin will he judge them . oh that such would now consider how they will answer that question that christ puts to their predecessors , mat. 23. 33. how will ye escape the damnation of hell ? or heb. 2 ▪ 3. how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? can you escape without a christ ? or will a despised christ save you then ? if he be accursed that set light by father or mother , deut. 27. 16. what then is he that sets light by christ ? it was the hainous sin of the jews , that among them were found such as set light by father and mother , ezek. 22. 7. but among us men slight the father of spirits . in the name of god brethren , i beseech you to consider how you will then bear his anger which you now make light of ? you that cannot make light of a little sickness or want , or of natural death , no not of a tooth-ach , but groan as if you were undone , how will you then make light of the fury of the lord , which will burn against the contemners of his grace ? doth it not behove you beforehand to think of these things ? hitherto i have been convincing you of the evil of the sin , and the danger that followeth : i come now to know your resolution for the time to come . what say you ? do you mean to set as light by christ and salvation as hitherto you have done ? and to be the same men after all this ? i hope not . oh let not your ministers that would fain save you , be brought in as witnesses against you , to condemn you . at least , i beseech you put not this upon me . why sirs . if the lord shall say to us at judgment , did you never tell these men what christ did for their souls , and what need they had of him , and how nearly it did concern them to look to their salvation , that they made light of it ? we must needs say the truth : yea lord , we told them of it as plainly as we could ; we would have gone on our knees to them , if we had thought it would have prevailed ; we did intreat them as earnestly as we could , to consider these things : they heard of these things every day ; but alass , we could never got them to their hearts ; they gave us the hearing , but they made light of all that we could say to them . oh sad will it prove on your side , if you sorce us to such an answer as this . but if the lord do move the hearts of any of you , and you resolve to make light of christ no more : or if any of you say , we do not make light of him ; let me tell you here in the conclusion what you must do , or else you shall be judged as slighters of christ and salvation . and first i will tell you what will not serve the turn . 1. you may have a notional knowledge of christ and the necessity of his blood , and of the excellency of salvation , and yet perish as neglecters of him . this is too common among profest christians . you may say all that other men do of him ; what gospel passages had balaam ? jesus i know , and paul i know , the very devils could say , who believe and tremble , jam. 2. 2. you may weep at the history of his passion , when you read how he was used by the jews ; and yet make light of him , and perish for so doing . 3. you may come desirously to his word and ordinances . herod heard gladly ; so do many that yet must perish as neglecters of salvation . 4. you may in a sit of fear have strong desires after a christ , to ease you , and to save you from god's wrath : as saul had of david to play before him ; and yet you may perish for making light of christ . 5. you may obey him in many things , so far as will not ruine you in the world : and escape much of the pollutions of the world by his knowledge , and yet neglect him . 6. you may suffer and lose much for him , so far as leaveth you an earthly felicity ; as ananias ; the young man. some parcels of their pleasures and prosits many will part with in hope of salvation , that shall perish everlastingly , for valuing it no more . 7. you may be esteemed by others a man zealous for christ , and loved and admired upon that account , and yet be one that shall perish for making light of him . 8. you may verily think your selves , that you set more by christ and salvation than any thing , and yet be mistaken , and be judged as contemners of him : christ justisieth not all that justisie themselves . 9. you may be zealous preachers of christ and salvation , and reprove others for this neglect , and lament the sin of the world in like expressions as i have done this day ; and yet if you or i have no better evidence to prove our hearty esteem of christ and salvation , we are undone for all this . you hear brethren what will not serve the turn ; will you now hear what persons you must be if you would not be condemned as slighters of christ ? o search whether it be thus with your souls , or no. 1. your esteem of christ and salvation , must be greater than your esteem of all the honors , profits , or pleasures of this world , or else you slight him : no less will be accounted sincere , or accepted to your salvation : think not this hard , when there is no comparison in the matters esteemed . to esteem the greatest glory on earth before christ and everlasting glory , is a greater folly , and wrong to christ , than to esteem a dog before your prince , would be folly in you , and a wrong to him . scripture is plain in this , mat. 10. 37. he that loveth father or mother , wife , children , house , land , or his own life more than me , is not worthy of me , and cannot be my disciple , as luke 14. 26. 2. you must manifest this esteem of christ and salvation in your daily endeavours and seeking after him , and in parting with any thing that he shall require of you . god is a spirit , and will not take an hypocritical profession instead of the heart and spiritual service which he commandeth . he will have the heart or nothing ; and the chief room in the heart too . these must be had . if you say that you do not make light of christ , or will not hereafter ; let me try you in these few particulars , whether indeed you mean as you say , and do not dissemble . 1. will you for the time to come make christ and salvation the chiefest matter of your care and study ? thrust them not out of your thoughts , as a needless and unprofitable subject ; nor allow it only some running slight thoughts , which will not affect you . but will you make it your business once a day to bethink you soberly when you are alone , what christ hath done for you ; and what he will do if you do not make light of it : and what it is to be everlastingly happy or miserable ? and what all things in this world are in comparison of your salvation ? and how they will shortly leave you ? and what mind you will be then of ; and how you will esteem them ? will you promise me now and then to make it your business to withdraw your selves from the world , and set your selves to such considerations as these ? if you will not , are not you slighters of christ , and salvation , that will not be perswaded soberly to think on them ? this is my first question to put you to the trial , whether you will value christ or not . 2. will you for the time to come , set more by the word of god , which contains the discovery of these excellent things , and is your charter for salvation , and your guide thereunto ? you cannot set by christ , but you must set by his word ; therefore the despisers of it are threatned with destruction , prov. 13. 13. will you therefore attend to the publick preaching of this word ? will you read it daily ? will you resolve to obey it whatever it may cost you ? if you will not do this , but make light of the word of god , you shall be judged as such as make light of christ and salvation , whatever you may sondly promise to your selves . 3. will you for the time to come esteem more of the officers of christ , whom he he hath purposely appointed to guide you to salvation ? and will you make use of them for that end ? alas , it is not to give the minister a good word , and speak well of him , and pay him his tythes duly , that will serve the turn : is it for the necessity of your souls that god hath set them in his church ; that they may be as physitians under christ , or his apothecaries to apply his remedies to your spiritual diseases , not only in publick , but also in private : that you may have some to go to for the resolving of your doubts , and for your instruction where you are ignorant , and for the help of their exhortations and prayers . will you use hereafter to go to your ministers privately , and sollicite them for advice ? and if you have not such of your own as are fit , get advice from others ; and ask them , what you shall do to be saved , how to prepare for death and judgment ? and will you obey the word of god in their mouths ? if you will not do this much , nor so much as enquire of those that should teach you , nor use the means which christ hath established in his church for your help , your own consciences shall one day witness , that you were such as made light of christ and salvation . if any of you doubt whether it be your duty thus to ask counsel of your teachers , as sick men do of their physitians , let your own necessities resolve you ; let god's express word resolve you ; see what is said of the priests of the lord , even before christ's coming , when much of their work did lie in ceremonials ! mal. 2. 5 , 6. my covenant was with him of life and peace : and i gave them to him ( to levi ) for the fear wherewith he feared me , and was afraid before my name . the law of truth was in his mouth , and iniquity was not found in his lips ; he walked with m● in peace and equity , and did turn many away from iniquity . for the priests lips should keep knowledge , and they should seek the law at his mouth : for he is the messenger of the lord of hosts . nay , you must not only enquire , and submit to their advice , but also to their just reprehensions , and church censures : and without proud repining , submit to the discipline of christ in their hands , if it shall be used in the congregations whereof you are members . 4 will you for the time to come , make conscience of daily and earnest prayer to god , that you may have a part in christ and salvation ? do not go out of doors till you have breathed out these desires to god ; do not lie down to rest till you have breathed out these desires ; say not , god knoweth my necessity without so often praying ; for though he do , yet he will have you to know them , and feel them , and exercise your desires , and all the graces of his spirit in these duties : it is he that hath commanded to pray continually , tho' he know your needs without , 1 thess . 5. 17. christ himself spent whole nights in prayer , and encourageth us to this course , luke 18. 1. if you will not be perswaded to this much , how can you say that you make not light of christ and salvation ? 5. will you for the time to come , resolvedly cast away your known sins at the command of christ ? if you have been proud or contentious , or malicious and revengeful , be so no more . if you have been adulterers , or swearers , or cursers , be so no more . you cannot hold these , and yet set by christ and salvation . what say you ? are you resolved to let them go ? if not , when you know 't is the will of christ , and he hath told you , such shall not enter into his kingdom , do not you make light of him ? 6. will you for the time to come , serve god in the dearest as well as in the cheapest part of his service ; not only with your tongues , but with your purses and your deeds ? shall the poor find that you set more by christ than this world ? shall it appear in any good uses that god calls you to be liberal in , according to your abilities ? pure religion and undefiled before god is this ; to visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflictions , jam. 1. ult . will you resolve to stick to christ , and make sure this work of salvation , tho' it cost you all that you have in the world ? if you think these terms too dear , you make light of christ , and will be judged accordingly . 7. will you for the time to come make much of all things that tend to your salvation ; and take every help that god offereth you , and gladly make use of all his ordinances ? attend upon his strengthening sacraments , spend the lord 's own day in these holy employments . instruct your children and servants in these things , deut. 6. 6 , 7. get into good company that set their faces heaven ward , and will teach you the way , and help you thither : and take heed of the wicked scornors , or foolish , voluptuous , fleshly men , or any that would hinder you in this work . will you do these things ? or will you shew that you are slighters of christ by neglecting them ? 8. will you do all this with delight , not as your toyl , but as your pleasure ? and take it for your highest honour that you may be christ's disciples , and may be admitted to serve and worship him ; and rejoyce with holy confidence in the sufficiency of that sacrifice by which you may have pardon of all your failings , and right to the inheritance of the saints in light ? if you will do these things sincerely , you will shew that you set by christ and salvation ; else not . dearly beloved in the lord , i have now done that work which i came upon ; what effects it hath , or will have upon your hearts , i know not , nor is it any further in my power , to accomplish that which my soul desireth for you . were it the lord's will that i might have my wish herein , the words that you have this day heard , should so stick by you , that the secure should be awakended by them , and none of you should perish by the slighting of your salvation . i cannot now follow you to your several habitations , to apply this word to your particular necessities : but oh that i could make every man's conscience a preacher to himself , that it might do it , which is ever with you : that the next time you go prayerless to bed , or about your business , conscience might cry out , dost thou set no more by christ and thy salvation ? that the next time you are tempted to think hardly of a holy and diligent life , ( i will not say to deride it as more ado than needs ) conscience might cry out , dost thou set so light by christ and thy salvation ? that the next time you are ready to rush upon known sin , and to please your fleshly desires against the command of god , conscience might cry out , is christ and salvation no more worth , than to cast them away , or venter them for thy lusts ? that when you are following the world with your most eager desires , forgetting the world to come , and the change that is a little before you , conscience might cry out to you , is christ and salvation no more worth than so ? that when you are next spending the lord's day in idleness or vain sports , conscience might tell you what you are doing . in a word , that in all your neglects of duty , your sticking at the supposed labour or cost of a godly life ; yea , in all your cold and lazy prayers and performances , conscience might tell you , how unsuitable such endeavours are to the reward ; and that christ and salvation should not be so slighted . i will say no more but this at this time : it is a thousand pities , that when god hath provided a saviour for the world , and when christ hath suffered so much for their sins , and made a full satisfaction to justice , and purchased so glorious a kingdom for his saints , and all this is offered so freely to sinners , to lost unworthy sinners , even for nothing , that yet so many millions should everlastingly perish , because they made light of their saviour and salvation , and prefer the vain world and their lusts before them . i have delivered my message , the lord open your hearts to receive it , i have perswaded you with the word of truth and soberness ; the lord perswade you more effectually , or else all this is lost . finis . sacrilegious desertion of the holy ministery rebuked, and tolerated preaching of the gospel vindicated, against the reasonings of a confident questionist, in a book called toleration not abused; with counsil to the nonconformists, and petition to the pious conformists / by one that is consecrated to the sacred ministry, and is resolved not to be a deserter of it ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1672 approx. 204 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 73 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27014 wing b1380 estc r5946 12320257 ocm 12320257 59462 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27014) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59462) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:16) sacrilegious desertion of the holy ministery rebuked, and tolerated preaching of the gospel vindicated, against the reasonings of a confident questionist, in a book called toleration not abused; with counsil to the nonconformists, and petition to the pious conformists / by one that is consecrated to the sacred ministry, and is resolved not to be a deserter of it ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 139, [1] p. s.n.], [london : 1672. written by richard baxter. cf. bm. place of publication from wing. errata on p. [1]. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng fullwood, francis, d. 1693. -toleration not to be abused. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2006-01 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion sacrilegious desertion of the holy ministery rebuked , and tolerated preaching of the gospel vindicated , against the reasonings of a confident questionist , in a book called [ toleration not to be abused . ] with counsel to the nonconformists , and petition to the pious conformists . by one that is consecrated to the sacred ministery , and is resolved not to be a wilful deserter of it , in trust that any undertakers , can justifie him for such desertion at the judgment of god ; till he know better how those can come off themselves , who are unfaithful pastors , or unjust silencers of others . 1 cor. 9. 16. for though i preach the gospel , i have nothing to glory of : for necessity is laid upon me , yea woe is unto me , if i preach not the gospel . 1 tim. 1. 12. & 2. 9. & 3. 6. for which cause i suffer these things , nevertheless i am not ashamed , &c. 1 thes . 2. 15 , 16. who both killed the lord jesus and their own prophets , and have persecuted us , &c. printed in the year , 1672. tolerated preaching of christs gospel vindicated . chap. i. of the author and the title . sect . i. i am one my self that am so greatly desirous of his majesties clemency , and that this present toleration should not be abused by any , especially silenced ministers ; that if this had been all that author endeavoured , i should earnestly ●e seconded him . and i am not without fear of the weakness , rashness , injudiciousness and imprudence of some that yet are earnest and profitable preachers . but when i find that by not abusing our liberty , he meaneth , not-using it , and that he hath the face to exhort us to desert our office , when the king doth hinder them from forcible restraining us ; and that , when it is gods work which we are vowed to , he cometh to us ( as the old prophet ) in gods name , to charge us to forbear it , my conscience bids me help to save the weaker sort that need it , from such pernicious fallacies . and if i speak plainly of the quality of his arguings , i desire the reader not to interpret it , as if i had not the heartyest desire of peace , and all brotherly love and concord with all conformable , godly , faithful ministers . but words are not answered according to their nature , when the nature of them is not opened . sect. 2. who the author is , and why he resolveth his question on the presbyterian principles , and passeth by the episcopal non-conformists , as if he were so ignorant of the present state of england , as not to know that there are many such ( when at the kings return , 1660. it was bishop ushers form of episcopal government which they all offered for concord , who were employed in that work ) these are little matters , not to be insisted on . only i shall tell him that i have met with few presbyterian ministers in england : though most have that name given them in their licenses . a presbyterian is one that is [ for the divine right of ruling-elders , unordained , having no power to preach and administer sacraments ; and for the government of the church by presbyteries , classes , and synods , composed of teaching-elders in parity with these ruling-elders conjunct , so that a general assembly of them is the true ecclesiastical head of a national-church . ] of late , a presbyterian is like the puritan of old : a word which hath as many and as bad significations , as speakers have diversity of designs or intents . in one mans mouth a presbyterian is an episcopal protestant of the soberest sort , who is neither for sects , nor for church-tyranny ; and so impudency hath called them presbyterians many years , who offered the said episcopal form , which a. bishop usher proved to be the true government of the ancient churches . and so we have made episcopal presbyterians , who are against unordained elders , and for bishops . in anothers mouth a presbyterian is one that is resolute against popery . in anothers mouth a presbyterian is one that is for the serious practice of a holy life . in another mans mouth a presbyterian is one that is against bishops . and so independents and many others sects would be presbyterians too . and in other mens mouthes a presbyterian is one that is of bishop reynolds , and dr. stillingfleets judgment , that no form of government ( besides the meer pastoral office , and church-assemblies ) is prescribed in the word of god , but variously left to variety of occasions . among all these , when you speak with a railing ruffian , he must tell you which he means himself : but when we meet with a divine that understandeth the common use of the word , we must take him to use it in the first proper sense . in which sense i say again , that i am acquainted with few comparatively that are for presbytery ; but i know many that are for pastoral administration without church-tyranny or schism . sect. 3. as the author honoureth himself with the praise of being a lover of the truth and peace ( which commendation all the contending parties , from the papist to the quaker are as ready to give themselves ) so i hope i shall the easilier obtain his pardon , if ( believing him ) i shall prove that it is truth and peace which he opposeth . and if i offer him a better way to secure them ; assuring him that i agree with him in his main design , to bring the conformists and non-conformists nearer , and to a more amicable concord in the work of god , and not to drive any further from mutual communion than they are . chap. ii. the nonconformists resolutions , and the true state of the case to be debated . sect. 1. be it known to the reader , that the name of nonconformists was not made by our selves , but by others , ( as the names of the four confessors , dan. 1. was ) . the titles which we assume , as signifying our own professed religion , are but these , our religion is christian , and no other ; in opposition to dividing sects we are catholicks ▪ in contradistinction from hereticks , we cleave to the scripture as our rule ; in contradistinction from the roman schism and corruptions we are protestants , that is , we protest to cleave to simple christianity , and to the primitive purity and simplicity against their introduced novelties and vanities . sect. 2. as to the point of church-government & worship ( the quarrel of the present age ) 1. we easily confess that we are not all of a mind ; which is no cause of alienation of affections , nor should be a cause of mutual persecutions ; it being our judgment that christians are to bear with one another in greater matters , than episcopal , presbyterians , independents , and anabaptists disagree in . and if any among us have done otherwise heretofore , it was from a vice homogeneal to that of the present conformists , which now they smart for ; and the conformists may repent of in due time . sect. 3. we take not the name of nonconformists to be such a cothurnus or hose drawn over the several parties by your prudence as shall make them one , or tye them closer together than conformists and nonconformists are . i pray you try , if you will not believe us , whether papists or quakers take us or you for their greater adversaries . remember how after the fire of london the papists in print did court you as men much nearer unto them than we are , and much liker to befriend them . and i doubt you will never make them think otherwise . we take you for men of the same religion with us , and much fitter for our communion , than such nonconformists as papists and quakers are . sect. 4. but we that suffer from you ( hear it now , for you shall hear it from god ere long , ) all the poverty , confinements , calamities , silencings that have been inflicted on us , because we would not subscribe , say , swear , and do — you know what ; can no more go against our consciences , in conforming to one another , than to you . therefore you must not think that episcopal , presbyterian , independent , and anabaptists , will be ever the more of a mind for this toleration . till reason change their opinions , they will live according to their different principles , though they love each other , and live in peace . and because you seem to be ignorant of their principles and purposes , i will tell you some of them , that concern the matter in hand . sect. 5. 1. they take a ministry to be ordinarily necessary to the propagating of the gospel & the saving of souls , rom. 10. 14 , 15. act. 20. 17 , 18 , &c. 2. they suppose that this ministry doth not save men , as wizards think that charms do heal men , by their presence , titles , names , or habits ; by standing in the reading-place , or pulpit , or being called the parson of the parish , or saying his set words over them when they are dead : but by such publick and personal , frequent , plain , serious instructions , as are suited to their ignorance security , presumption , hardheartedness , and love to sin ; and such as in other cases would be thought fit to change mens minds and lives . 3. they suppose that when a well , commended speech hath been said to ignorant impenitent people , one day in a week , without any personal familiar conference to set it home , and make it more intelligible , the most make but little more of it , than if it had been said to them in an unknown tongue , or at least remain still ignorant and impenitent . yea , if forms of catechisms themselves be taught them , it is ordinary with them year after year to say the forms , and never understand the matter signified . 4. they suppose that a greater number of the conformable priests , than they are willing to mention , do preach so ignorantly and dully in the pulpits , and do so little of this personal or private work besides , as that there is great need of a far greater number of assistants , than all the present nonconformists be . 5. they find that some places , of many years past , have had no ministers at all . 6. they are not able to confute the people in too many places , who tell them that their publick priests are so defective in their necessary qualifications for their office , as that they hold it unlawful to own such for true ministers , and to encourage them by their presence , or commit the care of their souls to such . 7. they think that some other places have godly , able conformable ministers , whom the christian people love and honor . 8. they think that parish bounds of churches , are of humane prudential constitution , and not of divine institution , or unchangeable . 9. they think that a parish , quatenus a parish , is not a church ; nor a parishioner , as such a church-member ; for infidels , papists , hereticks , schismaticks and dissenters may be parishioners . 10. they think that the magistrate hath the power of the temples and tythes , and publick maintenance and liberty , but that he hath not the power of ordination or degradation ; but a man may be a true minister without his consent , and so i think all christians hold . 11. they think that some of the nonconformists were true pastors of their several flocks , before they were silenced and cast out . 12. they think that the ejecting them from the temples and tythes did not degrade them , nor make them no true pastors to their flocks . 13. they think that the magistrates putting another parish minister in possession of the temple and tythes , did not dissolve the foresaid relation of the former . 14. they think yet that prudence requireth minister and people to consent to such a dissolution of their relations , where they cannot hold it without greater hurt than benefit : yea , and to consent that the imposed minister be their pastor , when he is fit himself , and the worship performed by him fit for them to joyn in . 15. but where both are fit , they know no reason but they may take both the ejected and the imposed person conjunctly for their pastors , each being to administer to the same church , according to their various liberties & capacities . 16. they greatly difference between london & such like populous cities , & country parishes , because the burning of churches , the greatness of parishes , and the paucity of ministers in london is such , that the tenth person in several parishes cannot come to church if they would . 17. in such places therefore they purpose to hold their meetings at the time of the parish meeting , because it will be no hindrance to it . 18. so they do also in those parishes where the parish priest is unfit to be owned in that relation . 19. where there is a faithful pastor in the parish church whom yet half the people cannot hear , they will not draw the people from him , nor disparage him to hinder the success of his labors , but rather perswade them to honor him , hear him , and obey his doctrine ; and to judge of the tolerated minister but as of his fellow servant , of the same religion , helping in the same work , where all our labours are too little . 20. where the parish minister is faithful , and the parish small enough , and neer enough to assemble in one place , and the people satisfied with the liturgie , i suppose the soberest of the nonconformists ( for they are not all of a mind ) will gather no church out of that parish , but will joyn with that parish church and minister ( supposing them united by consent ) and will use their own ministerial assistance , at such other times , and place , and manner , as shall best tend to keep up love and concord , and to further and not hinder the successes of the publick minister . 21. i hope no man worthy the name of a minister , will dream that england should have no more teachers , than there are ( or are like to be ) nonconformists : or will think it his duty to hinder the labors of any sober protestant ministers : nay , i hope they will all understand , that it was never more their duty nor their interest to cherish all brotherly love and concord with such ; and woe be to that man who ever he be , whether a selfish envious conformist , or a schismatical factious nonconformist , that after all such sins and sad experience of the fruits , shall yet hinder the concord of protestant christians , i had almost said , or that doth not heartily and diligently promote it . 22. he that had rather ten thousand persons stay'd idlely at home , or went to sports or drinking , in stepney parish , or giles cripplegate , or sepulchers , or martins in the fields , or giles in the fields , or clement danes , &c. than a nonconformist should preach to them , i will not soul my paper by calling him as he deserveth , though he pretend that gathering a church out of a church , is a thing that he opposeth . 23. in all these cases following , the nonconformists will hold distinct church-assemblies from the parish churches . 1. where the parish church is not capable of them , as was last instanced , by reason of the number . 2. when the parish priest is one to whom wise men may not commit the care of their souls , and one whose ministry is not to be owned , ( i would there were none such . ) 3. when the ejected minister in foro conscientiae & ecclesiae verè sic dictae , retaineth still his ancient relation to his flock , and part of them schismatically separate from him , and joyn with an intruder publickly , that never had a lawful call , and the other half separate not from their ancient pastor . it s possible the obtruder , though he have the temple , may be the schismatick . ask dr. wild , and dr. gunning whether they thought not so 14. years ago . 4. it may be some that are more complyant than my self with good peoples weaknesses and humours , when there is none of the foresaid reasons , may rather choose to be pastors to honest separatists , or anabaptists , than by deserting them to leave them to do worse . and what great matter of injury or provocation should this seem to any peaceable man ? envy is too odious a thing for any servant of christ to own . is it in the power of anabaptists to bring all their judgments to yours . and till they can , must they be quite cast off . who knoweth not how many ages the novatians were tolerated by the wisest and godlyest emperors and bishops ; yea , what black characters are given by pious historians , of ithacius , and his fellow bishops , who first in france did set the sword awork even against heresies , and of cyril at alexandria , who first as a bishop used it himself . 5. but that 's not all : what if any number of persons as good as you , shall think that the liturgie is guilty of all the disorders and defects which once were charged on it , and of some doctrinal corruptions since : and what if they think that the parish churches are void of christs true discipline , and are under an alien , one which they judge unlawful . what if they say that yet your churches may be true churches , and all this may be submitted to , when we can have and do no better ; but he that can serve god in a manner more agreeable to his word , is bound to do it ; and not to offer god the worst , when the king alloweth us to do our best . and if withall they say , that you refuse them and they refuse not you : you will not give them the lords supper , unless they take it kneeling ( which i think they may do , but they think otherwise ) you will not baptize their children without the transient image of the cross as a dedicating sign , &c. if in this case they choose a distinct church-assembly and pastor , and mode of worship ; what harm ●s this to you or any one , and why should it break love and peace ? 24. but in this last case i suppose the most of the nonconformists that live in country parishes which have good ministers of their own , will not call themselves a distinct church ( totally ) but will hold their meetings as chappel-meetings are held ; preaching the word and communicating in the sacraments in the best way they can among themselves ; but so as not to unchurch the parish church as none , or to withdraw themselves from their communion ; but will keep all loving correspondence with them , and seasonably sometimes communicate with them , to shew their principles by their practice . for the benefit of christian love and concord , may make it best for certain seasons to joyn even in defective modes of worship , as christ did in the synagogues & temple in his time . though the least defective must be chosen when no such accidental reasons sway the other way . and perhaps some nonconformists own administrations may be as defective as the liturgie . 25. where the people are satisfied with the parish-church communion , i suppose the nonconformists will only help to instruct them at seasonable times , and not meddle with the sacramental administrations . 26. the same practice may be done on various principles ; and many nonconformists may gather churches in the forenamed cases , without turning separatists , or forsaking any of their former principles . their differences will appear in these respects . 1. they will not pronounce any of your parish churches null , which have lawful ministers . 2. they will not say that your worship is such as no man may lawfully communicate in . 3. they still hold that parish-bounds are very convenient ( though not absolutely necessary ) to be church-bounds : not taking every parishione to be of the church , but none ( ordinarily ) but parishioners to be of the church . 4. they are driven from the parish-ministry against their wills , and had far rather hold their ancient stations . 5. they will thankfully return to them when ever they have leave ; and earnestly pray that these seemings and shews of separation may cease , the occasion of them being taken away . 6. they prefer their own manner of worshipping god , as better than the liturgy in their opinion , and therefore to be chosen when they may choose ; but they account it not the only acceptable worship , but are present with you in spirit , desiring a part in the prayers of all true christians in the world . 7. they set not up the church-government of the people over the pastors , or themselves , nor any of the rest of the separatists proper principles of church-government . 8. lastly , they desire nothing more than as neighbour-ministers in love and concord to carry on with you the same work of christ . and in all these they differ from separatists , though they gather churches . 26. the grand difficulty to the nonconformists in their present condition , lieth but in this one case , whether in competent parishes , which have able and godly conformable ministers , the obligation to hold union and communion with the parish church , or the obligation to exercise a more regular way of church-discipline and worship than the parish churches do or will do , should be judged the more prevalent ; and consequently whether they should gather churches out of churches in this case . for in the other forementioned cases the answer is more easie . i shall give my own opinion as followeth : 1. it is lawful and a duty to be a member of such a parish-church , when we can have and do no better . 2. we cannot have or do better , when it cannot be without a greater hurt to the publick interest of the gospel , the church , and the souls of other men , than the benefit to us and others is like to countervail . that cannot be done lawfully which cannot be done without doing more hurt than good , and destroying the end . obj. we must do that which god bids us , and leave it to him what shall be the success . ans . true. but you must prove then that god bids you do it ; for we will not take your word . a●●●●matives bind not to all times : no duty is at all times a duty ; nay , out of season it is a sin . he that saith , pray continually , would not have you pray when you should preach or hear , or be quenching a fire in the town : he that commanded sacrifice , set some to learn the meaning of these words [ i will have mercy , and not sacrifice . ] there is few of you but would forbear a sermon or prayer to save your own or others lives : and you receive the sacrament but once a moneth ( at most ) which the primitive churches used every lords day . 3. the same practice than in one place ( where it will do more good than hurt ) is a duty , which in another place ( where it will do more hurt than good ) is a sin . 4. the case is now of so great moment that no minister should rashly determine it for himself , nor upon the desires of some of the people only , but should consult with wise and sober men that are impartial . 5. the benefits to be expected and compared , are these , 1. the pleasing of god ( when we know it is his will ) and the profit of mens souls , by the most regular manner of discipline and worship . 2. the setting up an imitable example of right discipline and worship to other churches ( but then woe to them that set up a worse . ) 3. the satisfying the consciences of some honest mistaking people , who think ( erroneously ) that a conforming minister may not be communicated with , or at least not in the use of the liturgie , or in a parish church , or that the sacrament may not be received kneeling . 6. the evils to be feared , and compared with the benefits , are these . 1. the exasperating of the minds of persons for number or quality considerable , and so alienating them from their brethren , and hindring their good . 2. and thereby weakening the protestant interest , in a time which requireth our greatest concord . 3. and the setting of parties against parties , and churches against churches , and turning religion into contentions and mutual oppositions . 4. and the countenancing of unlawful separations , which will all shelter themselves under such examples ; and the dividers will not see the different principles on which we go , while our practice seemeth to be the same . 5. and so it may be injurious to future ages , by seeming to give them presidents for unlawful separations . 6. and it is not the least evil consequent , that we shall cherish not only the error of those that think worse of the parish-worship & assemblies than there is cause ; but we shall also accidentally nourish their pride , who will think themselves a holier people , because they erroniously over-censure the persons and practices of others . 7. the prime great obligation for the cure of all this , doth ile upon some of the conforming side ; it were easie for them , not to silence christs ministers that are as wise and good as themselves . it were easie for them , not to punish a godly person so heavily as an excommunication comes to , for the weakness of scrupling a sacrament-gesture ; and not to punish their children with being unchristened , or themselves with excommunication , who think the dedicating image of the cross unlawful , or think it their own duty to enter their own children into the covenant of god , rather than godfathers that have no propriety in them , and they are sure never intend to take them for their own , or use them as they covenant to do . 8. if on such occasions , true godly christians are cast out of their parish-churches , whether they err or not , all ministers are neither obliged , nor allowed to desert them , and so to add cruelty and affliction to the afflicted . 9. they that think they answer all by saying that these peoples scruples are but errours , do but 1. shew their self-esteem , who can call that errour which they have said so little to prove to be so ( in some of their instances . ) 2. and he talketh neither like a pastor nor a christian , nor a man , that thinketh all that err should be cast out of the church . 10. to discern whether in this case a distinct church is to be gathered or not , is a work of meer christian prudence and must be determined by comparing the good and evil consequences together , and discerning truly which preponderateth . and he that through imprudence misjudgeth either way , doth sinne . 11. therefore it is folly , and sin for ministers ( conformable , or nonconformable ) to expect that in this , all should go the same way , and to censure those that differ from their opinion , when they may be under different circumstances . 12. they that live in london , where it hath ever been usual to go to neighbour parish-churches from their own , and where custome , and abundance of accidents make the inconveniencies less , have not so much against their different church-meetings , as those in countrey towns and parishes have , 13. those that live where the nonconformists are the main body of the people , and the rest are such for number and quality , whose displeasure is of less publick consequence , have the less against their distinct church-meetings . 14. those who live where the nonconformists are few , and the conformists for number and quality most considerable , and are like to be greatly exasperated by distinct churches , must deny their own personal conveniencies , rather than hinder a greater good , and may not do that which others may do . 15. when the publick good forbids it , the tolerated ministers must not gather distinct church-assemblies , but joyn with the publick churches , and help the people by their instructions at other times . 16. when the publick good forbids it not , the tolerated ministers must hold distinct assemblies , for assistance in doctrine , worship , and discipline , as near as they can to the will of god. but so as to further , and not disgrace nor hinder , the honest parish-ministers ; living with them in unity , love , and peace : and whether de nomine their assemblies shall be called distinct churches , is a case of no great moment , though i think that it is fittest to take them for distinct churches , secundum quid , and not simpliciter , as many chappels be : seeing though in the assemblies they distinctly worship god , &c. yet they hold personal communion in a godly conversation with the rest of the christians in the parish , and should sometimes also assemble with them . and so much for my own opinion in this case . 27. if christians would but give over the censoriousness , contentions , and abuse of others , which different assemblies in the same town are usually employed in , i see not what great hurt it would do any , for anabaptists , separatists , &c. that cannot joyn with the parish-churches , to have leave to meet among themselves , and worship god together in peace . 28. as the weakness of the people inclineth them to causeless separations and disjunctions , so the doleful pride and selfishness of the carnal part of the clergie , hath in most ages made them too impatient with the peoples weakness ; and make such a noise and stir in the world , if a few do but withdraw from their communion , as if all that disowned them , disowned christ . and all , because pride would make every man a god to the world , on whom all must depend , whom all must honour and obey , and no man must contradict ; and all that depart from them , are supposed to accuse and undervalue them . and thus as of our own selves , some men arise to draw disciples after them , so others set the churches in a flame , for fear of losing any of their disciples or esteem ; and between both , how sadly and for how many ages , have the people of christ been torn in pieces . what harm doth it me or any other ( if my pride will let me be quiet ) if men that differ from me in some points of judgment , do quietly worship god , by themselves . but it is so rare for separated assemblies , not to make it their religion and work , to make others odious , and factiously to draw disciples and associates to themselves , that they must also thank themselves , that others are so impatient with them ; so certain it is that all sides are too blame . 29. the right diocesan holdeth that a bishop is essential to a church , and consequently that we have no more churches than diocesses , and that parish-churches are properly no churches , but chappels , or parts of the diocesan-church : and if so , 1. then he that separateth from a parish-church , separateth from no church ( though we think otherwise . ) 2. and as he that went to any parish in the diocess , kept still in his own church , so a tolerated church may be as good , a church , as such a parish , and it should not be made a hainous matter for any to go to it , by them that allow men to go from parish to parish . 30. the nonconformists hold that the ministerial office is not to be taken up on tryal , or for a time , but durante vitâ cum capacitate ; and that it is no less than , 1. horrid sacriledge ; 2. perfidious covenant-breaking ; 3. disobedience to god ; 4. cruelty to souls ; 5. and unthankfulness for great mercies , if any of us shall desert our undertaken offices ( yea though a silencing diocesan should forbid us the exercise of it , unjustly . ) therefore preach and officiate while we can , we must . 31. having told you thus far the nonconformists principles , i will add , that [ if there be any such conformable clergie men , as first will do all they can to silence and eject us , and forbid us to preach the gospel of salvation , whil'st many hundred thousands that lie in ignorance and impenitency , need more help , and then will do all they can to hinder our restauration , and to keep us silent : and lastly , when his majesties prudence and clemency giveth us liberty to preach , when they can no longer hinder us by force , would stroak us into silence and neglect of our office , by a few such silly and confident reasonings as this author useth , as if to hinder our ministry and labour one way or other were their interest and work , i will not offend the readers ears , by giving them the name that i think they deserve ; but wish them to read , 1 thes . 2. 15 , 16. and to tell them ( by what names or titles soever they be distinguished ) that i that am a dying man , would be loth to stand in their case before god , and that if they and i were well agreed , that there is indeed a god , a christ , a heaven , and a hell , i think we should the easilier be agreed in all the rest of our differences . some teachers need these plain admonitions . chap. iii. the questionists stating of his question considered . sect. 1. having disclaimed the approving and censuring his majesties declaration , he questioneth [ whether it be adviseable , especially for the presbyterians , either in conscience or prudence , to take advantage from his majesties declaration , to deny or rebate their communion with the parochial congregations , and to gather themselves into distinct and separate churches . sect. 2. here note , 1. that the episcopal , or erastian nonconformists , have none of his especial advice . 2. that he seemeth to speak to none in london or elsewhere who denied their communion with the parish-churches before ; but only to those that would take advantage so to do from his majesties declaration . 3. that he calleth them not parochial churches , but congregations . 4. that he joyneth two questions into one , which therefore must be distinctly answered . sect. 3. my answer is , 1. it is not adviseable for any nonconformists , who before held the parish congregations to be true churches , and their communion lawful , and used to communicate with them , to change these principles , nor to renounce , or totally forbear such communion . 2. but it is adviseable for them , when they are cast out of the parish-ministry , and forbidden to preach in the parish-temples , but have leave to exercise their ministry elsewhere , accordingly elsewhere to exercise it ; either in stated , or occasional assemblies , that shall be parts or no parts of the parish-congregations , as the variety of places and cases shall require , which assemblies shall be distinct and separate from the said perish-congregations , either as chappels be , or ( somewhere ) as one parish-congregation is separate from another , being not one , nor in one place , if you will call that separation . but this but for a time , with profession of great unwillingness , and of a desire to return into the parochial ministery , as soon as you can procure them leave : but resolving not to be idle , cruel , sacrilegious , and perfidious till then , but to live with all godly conformable ministers , with christian love , and peace , and concord , if it be possible , and you will give them leave . sect. 4. when you say [ they cannot but understand the declaration to be a very strict prohibition of all such private meetings as the law stiles conventicles ] you know not whose understandings you talk of . 1. we know not , that the law doth not call our house-meetings , now tolerated ( though the door be open ) conventicles : if not , it had been well for us , if you would have proved it sooner . 2. and if you are sure that the law calleth none of the papists tolerated private meetings , conventicles , we knew not so much : and why should you feign us to be as wise as your self . sect. 5. as to your three wayes , i answer ●ou ; 1. i believe the presbyterians will joyn with the independents , not as a sect ( as you call them ) but in all that they think good and warrantable . 2. that they will exercise their ministery , as they are by covenant engaged , for christ and mens souls , and will bear with you , if you call that [ setting up for themselves ] ( hoping yet that you set not up wholly for your selves that speak so . ) 3. and they will worship god with the sect of the diocesan prelatists in the parish-churches also , as far as will stand with the due exercise of their proper ministery : but will not promise you to give over preaching to become your constant auditors or disciples . sect. 6. you understand neither the men that you talk of , nor their cause : they take not the independents assemblies to be [ the tents of enemies ; ] they leave terms of enmity among brethren , to those that have enmity in their hearts . nor do they [ tamely deliver up the cause . ] the most nonconformable ministers of my acquaintance , whose judgment i ever asked of that matter , do seem to think as i my self do , that the episcopal , pretbyterians , independents , and erastians , have each of them some truth and good which above the rest they do defend ; and each of them some special mistake , where they err above the rest : and if we could know it , we would take the best from among them all , and leave the worst : and not maintain church-quarrels , under pretense , that we must not flie to the enemy , and give up the cause . sect. 7. o the confidence of this adviser in his own understanding ; that dare say [ that he is sure that the presbyterians have no reason to engage in a way of publick worship contradistinct to our parochial congregations . ] 1. that is contradistinct which is not opposite , or adverse , but either co-ordinate ( as one parish to another ) or subordinate ( as a chappel ) . 2. and what man ! is a vow and dedication to preach the gospel , no reason to preach it elsewhere , when its forbidden us in your assemblies ? is the alienation of consecrated persons no sacriledge ? is the notorious need of many hundred thousand souls no reason ? is the exercising of a worship and discipline more agreeable to gods word than yours ( we are ready to give you the proof when we have leave , ) no reason ? is the relieving of many godly christians , who are cast out of your communion , because they dare not conform , no reason ? had we had leave to have conted the silly reasonings of mr. fulwood and some such other pamphleteers , produced against the nonconformists , we had long ago shewed you cause to repress such self esteem , which dare say [ i am sure they bave no reason ] . sect. 8. and this man that is sure they have no reason for it , could instance in no greater than the objection , that it will seem an undervaluing their liberty , and ingratitude to the king. 1. we have no reason to be ungrateful to the king , nor to undervalue our liberty . 2. but did that move the london ministers and others , to preach all this while , before the declaration . 3. when you have proved that greater hurt than good , will follow our preaching and ministry ; and when you have proved that though all the papists in england , do use the liberty of the toleration in the declaration , yet the nonconformists must not , but silently leave our sufficient conformists to do all the work against ignorance , infidelity , popery , and sensuality themselves ; i say , when you have proved this well , you may again bless the people with our silence , and perswade us to silence our selves , when you cannot do it otherwise . sect. 9. but he saith ( p. 6. ) their ingenuity and gratitude to god and the king will be better expressed by their conformity , and loyal obedience to the known laws , than by the use of the liberty permitted to the contrary . answ . he knoweth that we must not give him our reasons against conformity . he cannot but know that many that conform nor , in all the matters of subscriptions , declarations , oathes , discipline , &c. ( not medling with other mens consciences , ) do think it would be in them a composition of such hainous crimes , as they do forbear to name them , for fear of seeming to be accusers of others , and to be unpeaceable : and if he think that such toys , as mr. fulwoods , mr. stilemans , and mr. hinkleys , &c. should satisfie them , he thinks contemptibly of their understandings . and he that by such poor temptations as those , will yield to what their consciences fear , can scarce tell what he may not yield to before he dieth . let him procure us leave , but to publish ours reasons against conformity , and then let him tell us that we were better conform , when he hath answered them . it 's easie to talk when none must confute him , and to brave it against one whose tongue is tyed . sect. 10. his next supposition is , that the matter of this liberty is evil . i am glad it is not evil for the conformists to preach and worship god , lest it would have been lawful to none at all . we are glad that christ is preached , even by them that do it contentiously , in envy and strife , to add to our afflictions and bonds : but we will not our selves give over preaching , praying , nor the rest of the christian religion , because such men can call it evil . he that saith our preaching is evil , may tempt men to think that the gospel which we preach is evil , or that infidelity , atheism , sensuality , and wickedness which we preach against is good or harmless . is it good in you , and evil in us to preach the same gospel ? if you turn to them that calumniate us of preaching errour , or sedition , the law is open , our writings and doctrine are easily tryed : if we say evil , bear witness of the evil : if not , take heed of calling it evil , isa : 5. 20. chap. iv. whether to gather themselves into distinct and separate congregations , is unlawful in the judgment of the presbyterians themselves ? sect. 1. the proving the affirmative is his work , pag. 7 , &c. but the presbyterians do not love confusion , nor to dispute such blindly-stated questions . they distinguish , 1. between bare local distinction , and separation ; and that which is eminently called separation in england , and denominated from the separatists , which is [ separating from the parish-churches , ministry , & worship , as being no true churches , ministry and worship ; or at least such as no christians may lawfully communicate with , in doctrine , prayer , and sacraments , when they can have no better . ] in the former sense ( as is said ) one parish-church is separate from another . and if there be any difference in their forms or modes of worship ; so was there between basil at caesarea , and the church at neocesarea , and between rome and millane , and between almost all the catholick bishops for many hundred years . and so now , one parish-minister prayeth freely in the pulpit after sermon , and before ; another by a form ; a third biddeth prayer before ; and a fourth prayeth not afterward at all . and yet these are not separated churches , any otherwise than locally and in such modal differences . 2. they distinguish between a parish-church that imposeth nothing on the ministers or people that god forbiddeth , and one that doth . 3. and between a parish-church that is reformable ▪ in that which notoriously needeth reformation ; and one that solemnly covenanteth against reformation . 4. they distinguish between a parish-church that is such , and owneth it self for such : and a parish-congregation that hath no proper bishop , nor pastor who hath the power of the keys of government , but is called by its rulers only a part of a church , ( diocesan ) and the minister , but the diocesan bishops-curat . 5. they distinguish between a parish-church where the ministers in question are forbidden to preach , and the people to have the sacrament , or their children to be baptized , unless they will say and do such things , as they dare not do for fear of god's displeasure ; and a parish-church , that driveth none such away from ministry or communion . and now will this adviser prove that what any presbyterians ever said in one case , must reach to all others , that are so different . sect. 2. he next questioneth , 1. [ do you not allow our parochial churches to be true churches ? ] answ . yea , those of them that have true pastors , but no others , ( in a political or organized sense . ) 2. quest . [ and will you not account such congregations as shall be gathered to your allowed places to be true churches also ? ] answ . in some places we will , and in some we will take them but as parts of the parish-church ; and in some we will take them but for temporary assemblies , waiting for a fixed better state ; and in some we will take them for churches secundum quid , but not simpliciter ; even as the case of each particular place requireth . sect. 3. and hence follows the cry of schism , independents , brownists , rank separatists , &c. as if the ministers of christ did know no difference between noise and sense . yea , we are told of schism from the church of england , when i would give him all the money in my purse , to make me understand what the church of england is . 1. i know that the king is the civil-head or governour of it . but it is a constitutive ecclesiastical head that must denominate it , as an essential part . 2. i take it for granted he speaks of a church organized in a proper political sense , as constituted of a pars regens , and a pars subdita ; and not as an ungoverned community . 3. i take it for granted that we have two archbishops , and they tell me , that one is not under the government of the other . and if that be true , we may have a church of canterbury , and a church of york , but no one church of england as denominated from one of them as head. 4. i take it for granted that the convocation is not the constitutive-head , 1. because it is so seldom in being , that then we should seldom have a church of england : for the essence ceaseth with the essential part . 2. and the canon thundreth against them that deny the convocation to be the representative-church of england . if it mean of the whole church , pastors and people , then the people rule , and make canons by them ( as the separatists hold : ) and it is the head of the church only that we enquire after . if they mean the clergy , then the representative-church or head must be somewhat distinct from the real represented . if it be the whole clergy that is the real represented-church or head , then we are popular , or presbyterian ; for the presbyters are the major part by far . and what rulers are they that never rule the church as one , by themselves , but only by representatives . i confess easily that many churches united under one king , and living in one kingdom , and having thereby special opportunity for synods , and correspondence and concord , may be called one church , by a denomination , 1. accidental , 2. and humane , not used in scripture ; and we will not be so quarrelsome as to avoid that language where men will needs use it : but it is the thing , and not the name , that we enquire of : what is that one essential constitutive-head which maketh the churches of england to be all one church , in a proper political sense , that is , as a governed-society ? none question the civil-head ; none question the need of communion and agreement among all these churches . but the question is only of the one ecclesiastick constitutive head. and if you will have the question to be de nomine , pardon us for holding that forma denominat . but if you will denominate many churches [ one ] from one accident , instead of one individual form or essence ; and if you will use terms in divine matters , which god never so used in his word , we contend not against you , but only desire to understand you , when you charge us with schism from the church of england . we have observed what hath been the effect of such another enterprize in the roman empire : it was thought meet by princes that where the empire was one , the church should be in some sort one also , which was under them . whereupon rome had the chief patriarchate . but in time , 1. this humane-unity ( name and thing ) is pretended to be divine ; 2. and this one imperial church ( under one emperour ) is taken to be one vniversal church ; as if the indians , persians , and all other christians ( even the abassian empire ) had been part of it , and the orbis romanus had been orbis universalis . 3. and then no man is a christian that is not baptized into this papal church , and made a subject of the pope . tell us what you mean by our schism from the church of england ? we divide not our selves from the king or kingdom , or from the particular churches as concordant in any necessary thing . if it be only that we agree not with the major vote in all subscriptions , oaths , discipline or ceremonies : no more did the bishops in the roman empire , who had various liturgies ; nor gildas with the britains , nor ambrose and martin with the french and italian bishops ; nor the episcopal party in scotland heretofore with the presbyterians , when they were the major part . is every difference in things unnecessary from the major part , a schism from them ? the bishops thought not so in england fifteen years ago : we do not go so far with you , as gildas with his british clergy , who pronounced him non eximium christianum , no excellent christian , that called them priests or ministers , and not rather proditores , traitors , as he himself did . nor do we make such a schism as martin seemed to do , who renounced communion with the bishops and their synods ( all his life ) who had prosecuted the priscilianists with the secular sword. yet neither of these holy men are called separatists or schismaticks . but perhaps it is our disobedience to the church that is our schism from it . 1. but every one that maketh himself an ecclesiastical governour over other pastors and churches , is not therefore their rightful lord. the king we know , and his officers we know , but we know not all that call themselves our lords or masters . not but that obedience is the easiest course of life , to a quiet humble mind : but fidelity to our king commandeth the disowning of usurpers . 2. we confess that we do not actually obey the civil unquestionable power in every particle about gods worship which hath been commanded us ; i need not tell you why . no more did the christians for three hundred years after christ ; nor the orthodox bishops in the dayes of constantius , valens , &c. nor the protestants now in france , nor the calvinists now in sweden , denmark saxonie ; nor the lutherans under calvinist governours , &c. we compare not our rulers to any of these , in any other respect , but only as rulers ; but if you your selves are resolved to say and subscribe , and swear , and do whatever lawful rulers bid you , its possible that before you dye , you may shew that indeed you are not of our minds . 3. but who ever took every act of disobedience in a circumstance , in a family or kingdom , to be a schism from that family or kingdom ? do you rule by such a law of works or innocency , which cuts off men for every disobedience , and censureth him that obeyeth not perfectly in all things ? 4. and methinks this should not be your meaning , because by nonconformity , we more disobeyed our rulers before their toleration , than since ; and yet it is our preaching after that you call our schism from the church . you see what trouble you put men to , to understand you , because you speak unintelligibly and confusedly . if you tell me that the presbyterians owned a national church in scotland . i answer , 1. so do i , as before described , that is , as denominated , 1 from an accident , and not from an individuating form , and therefore equivocally and improperly , 2 and humanely , and so unnecessarily , 2. and if scots or any presbyterians do it otherwise , that 's nothing to me , who am no more bound to their opinion than yours . and sure the church of england is not called one in the presbyterian sence , as an aristrocracie , or as headed by the whole clergie conjunct . sect. 4. the rest , p. 8 , 9 , 10. need no other answer , then 1. that the old puritanes never held it unlawful for them to preach in houses , even when they had no toleration . 2. as they held it lawful to hold lay-communion with parish-churches that have true ministers , so do we . 3. they never said , it was unlawful to hold communion with any besides the parish-churches ; no more will we . what law tyeth us to be such schismaticks as to renounce communion with all other churches , except parochial and conformists , or what nonconformists ever held it ? 4. whose conscience should sooner accuse him of schism ; a conformists , that will hold communion with none but his own party , but separateth from all the other churches in the land ? or ours , that resolve to to hold communion seasonably with all true christian churches among us , that teach not heresie , nor preach down holiness , love or peace , and deny us not their communion , unless we will sin ? let the impartial judg which of us is the schismatick and separatist . 5. do you not hold it lawful for a minister to remove from one parish to another ; and for any man for his souls edification , to remove his dwelling into another parish where is a better minister ? and what if forty families do so ? who calleth any of this separation ? and what if it had been into the parish of dedham , ashby , whitmore , preston , when john rogers , arthur hildersham , john ball , john dod , all nonconformists , were allowed to preach there without conformity . had this been separation and schism , or not ? if yea , what law of god or man forbad it ? what church did they divide from ? if nay , why then is it schism to joyn with such men in other places ? where lyeth your point of schism or separation ? is it for going out of their own parishes ? 1. so men in london have ever done to other parish-churches . 2. and who ever made a parish and a church synonymal , jure divino ? shall mutable conveniencies be turned into immutable necessities ? what then ? is it for going to a nonconformist ? so did those before mentioned . is it for going to a private house ? 1. so did many episcopal pastors fourteen years ago . 2. and some in london since the fire . 3. and it s an ill argument against them , that would fain preach in the publick temples , if they could have leave . as far as i discern , this dust of schism which you would cast into other mens eyes , obligeth you to wink hard , lest it be blown back into your own . sect. 5. the love of peace , and the fear of frightning any further from parish-communion than i desire , do oblige me to forbear so much as to describe or name the additional conformity , and that sin which nonconformists fear and fly from , which maketh it harder to us that desire it , to draw many good people to communion with conformists , than it was of old . but when both law , and love of peace and concord forbid us , so much as to name the causes , it is disingenious for the culpable to take that advantage against us , and to urge us to do that which they themselves cannot bear . sect. 6. but with full sail of self-conceitedness he next comes upon us , with this as an undeniable proof , that [ our members are taken out of true churches . ] who would gainsay a man of such understanding ? but 1. do not those , as aforesaid , that remove from one parish church to another , remove from true churches ? 2. how many bishops have written that the church of rome is a true church ( as halls collection against burton sheweth you ) and must no churches therefore be gathered out of them ? 3. what advantage then hath every foolish superstitious priest above god , and over all good christians ? god bids us worship him according to his law , and to do all things in order and decently , and to edification . and must not god be obeyed ? no , if the priest will not consent : for if he will worship god foolishly , with non-sence , undecently , disorderly , against edification , you cannot help it ; his followers may be a true church still , and then no man must remove to worship god better than pleaseth the priest . he that is fallen under such drunken readers , as i was bred under in my youth , that were drunk many times oftner than they preached ( i am ready to prove it , for they never preached , but were drunk oft ; ) this poor man and his family must venture their souls on this sottish drunkards conduct , because it is a true church , and they must not go from a true church ; what a trick hath the devil found to bind men to constancy in his service , so it be done in a true church ! alas poor england , whose teachers talk confidently at this rate , because they can say that they do it in a true church , & did not the parliament take a church out of a true church , when they separated covent-garden from martins parish . and so it is when parishes are divided into two , one part is separated from the other . sect. 7. but factious disputers see but on one side . you thought not that you your self were all this while proving your selves schismaticks . i undertake to prove that pastors and people are the constitutive essentials of a true church : that dr. seaman , mr. calamy , dr. manton , mr. gouge , dr. bates , dr. jacomb , and abundance more such , with the people subject to them , as pastors , were true churches . prove you if you can , that on aug. 24. 1662. they were degraded , or these true churches dissolved , on any reason , which any churches for 600 years after christ would own . 4. if not , you seem your self to accuse their successors , of schism , for drawing away part of the people from them ( meerly by the advantage of having the temples and tythes ) and so gathering churches out of true churches ; so ordinary is it for self-esteeming men to talk to their own reproach and condemnation . sect. 8. but as to his second objection , i will take his part ; and though we differ not at all from the doctrine of the church of england ( till the new doctrine about infants was brought into the new rubrick ) yet it is not in minutioribus that we differ from the conformists ; gather from it what you can . god knoweth we think the matters in difference , very far from things indifferent . chap. v. whether the declaration make the non-conformists preaching more lawful , or their duty , than it was before ? sect. 1. his sect. 2. pro. 2. is impertinent . for , 1. he knoweth little , if he know not , that the nonconformists did before take such preaching and meetings to be lawful , and a duty in respect of the law of god , where they had opportunity to use them . 2. but they take it for a double sin , to neglect a duty , when they have liberty granted them by the king to perform it . but he knoweth we take god for our absolute soveraign , and think that none can repeal his laws , because that none hath any power but from him ; and we suppose that he will pass the final sentence on kings and us . to what purpose is it then among christians to question , whether men make it lawful for christs consecrated ministers to preach , when god commandeth it . sect. 2. but pag. 14. he thinks he may safely say , [ that the declaration doth not so much as uncommand and uninjoyn any thing , which the law properly commands or injoyns ] . answ . say you so ? 1. the law commandeth magistrates to execute the penal laws . the king forbiddeth them : is not that to uncommand them ? 2. the law commandeth us not to meet above four in a private house for worship , otherwise than , &c. the king suspendeth , or dispenseth with this command , and not only with the penalty . and is not a suspension of a precept an uncommanding , though not a commanding of the contrary ? i will not instance in juries indicting papists , &c. sect. 3. but he subtilly tells us that the declaration meddles neither with the preceptive nor punitive parts of the law , but only with the execution , which is extrinsick to both . all lawyers must come learn anew of him , what it is to dispense with a law. as if the command [ you shall examine and punish such & such men , ] and the prohibition [ you shall not punish them , but protect them ] were not contrary . nor the prohibition [ you shall not meet above four &c. ] and the dispensation , [ you may meet , &c. ] sect. 4. but all this is utterly impertinent to them whose consciences never allowed them to forbear their ministry in formal obedience to any mens prohibition , but only when they had not power or opportunity to exercise ; it 's no duty which cannot be done . and license maketh that possible which was impossible ▪ he that untieth my feet , accidentally maketh it my duty to go . sect. 5. pag. 16. let mr. crofton answer for himself , but the other two named by you , ball and baxter have much against you , but nothing for you ; and understand themselves better than you understand them ; and he that surviveth , taketh himself to be abused by your allegations , and provoketh you to cite any of his words , which are against nonconformists preaching as they have opportunity . if you had rather that we were all used as mr. jos . allein was , you may see by his preface to his life , whether he was not for such sufferings rather than silence . sect. 6. his reviving his pitiful objection , that we have the approbation of authority for separation , is but a contemptible sporting of himself at the game he is best skilled at ; objecting nothing , that he may seem to answer it with something . sect. 7. but p. 18. he will bring us to vtopia ( morus invented it ) and there he will suppose [ the villanies of theft , murder and adultery unpunished , and publick meetings allowed where they should be practised . ] answ . 1. what should the poor nonconformists hear , if they thus commented on the clemency of the king ? 2. but because you will force dumb men to speak , suppose that in the same utopia , the philosophy schools which had faithful teachers , and the christian churches that had faithful pastors , were deprived of near 2000 of them at once , and those that came in their places , had the consent but of the least part of the people ; and that they were such as did doctrinally declare to the people that millions may be per ● without sin , & that they , ex animo , approve of all the gregorian liturgie , and every thing therein , and of all the lutherans consubstantiation , and church-images ; and when in baptism they had vowed to fight against the world , the flesh , and the devil under christ , they should contrarily upon deliberation make a solemn publick covenant , that in their places , & callings , they would never endeavour to reform cardinals , inquisitions , high-places , consubstantiation , church-images , or church-tyranny , & so in part renounce their baptism : and suppose a clement prince should release the ejected teachers from their restraints , and allow them to set up private schools of philosophy and divinity , and the people should say , we cannot in conscience cast our souls on the guidance of the per ● and therefore crave the benefit of your conduct : if these suffering men shall seek to reconcile them to the pers ● and desire them to have a better opinion of them , but yet tell them , that they will not deny them their own best help ; quaere , whether they sinned by not being per ● themselves , or by not being cruel deserters of mens souls ? and which side is to be compared to the murderers and adulterers ? i know this is not our case in england ; but if we must follow you into utopia or moria , let us have the equitable judgment of the place . chap. vi. of the inconveniencies of our tolerated meetings . sect. 1. nothing more easie than for men that have some great advantages , to force inconveniencies upon other mens greatest duties . and we look to do nothing in the world scarce that shall have no inconvenience . i eat not one meal of ten that doth not make me sick . but must i therefore give over ? i can tell you of more than a few inconveniences of your own preaching , and church-worship ; and yet you will not give it over . but if any shall make those inconveniencies against our wills , and to the grief of our hearts , & then tell us that to avoid them we must sacrilegiously and as soul-murderers desert our ministery , we shall easilier answer them , then they will shortly answer god. sect. 2. his first inconvenience is , that [ we shall lay down the cudgels and beg the peace , &c. of the rest of the sectaries , as well as the independents . ] answ . a hard point to that sect that is turba gravis paci , placidaeque inimica quieti ; who know not how to lay down the sworn . but if we have been at cudgels , we mean not to live and die at a work so unsuitable to our religion and our minds . reproach not him that said [ if it be possible , as much as in you lyeth , live peaceably with all men ] but if it be our dislike of schism that are the cudgels you mean , you are answered already . pretend not to know our minds better than our selves . when were we against our own preaching , as we had opportunity ? sect. 3. he would next raise a suspicion , [ that our principles change with the times , ] and yet saith [ it is a thing not easily observed in us in any thing else ; ] condemn not your self then by suspecting it in this , till you better know our minds : [ or else , which is worst of all , that our interest lay at the bottom , and was the only spring and wheel of our zeal , and all our motions , &c ] answ . who had been the more accusable of this carnality and hypocrisie , in the eyes of any standers by , the conformists that take up the principles that go along with safety , wealth , preferments and dignities ? or the nonconformists , that have near ten years been deprived of all ecclesiastical maintenance ? some lived in extream poverty , and some lain in jails , &c. sure , if we accuse not you , even you , of hypocritical following carnall interest , one would think a little modesty might have cured the canker that moved these suspicions or accusations of us , either as to these or former opinions . but my expectation of modesty , i see by the following words , needs a pardon . sect. 4. he addeth [ consider i beseech you , how like to independent-ape● your new congregations will make you look , &c. ] answ . that is to say , come nonconformists , if you will not be beaten from your masters work , we will try whether we can scoff and scorn you out of it ; if that will not do , we will pretend christs name and authority as forbiding you . for as christ , matth. 4. so you must encounter a three-fold temptation . but we take pleasure in infirmities , and can bear to be made as the off-scouring of all things , remembring who was cloathed in purple , and then mockt as being like a king. if you will take my spoon and knife from me , and then say that i eat like an ape or a beast , i will not be so prated and fooled out of my meat . if with diogenes i had cast away my dish to use my bare hands , or forsaken my house to live in a tub , i had deserved your derision ; but if you take my house & all my goods from me , you shall not mock me out of my poor tub also ; we would avoid all appearance of evil ; but only in things indifferent , we will not cease christianity preaching or praying , when you can make it by your artifice appear like evil : let 's hear the instances . sect. 5. [ 1. your churches will be gathered as theirs . ] answ . as much as all the churches for three hundred years were ; or the meetings of flavianus , meletius , and others at antioch , when they were prohibited the temple . and as dr. wilds and dr. gunnings were fifteen years ago . or if you will , as the joannites were in constantinople , till chrysostoms name and bones were honoured by wiser men than those that cast him out . sect. 6. [ 2. you can administer baptisms or the lords supper , to none but those of your select number . ] answ . 1. is it because we will not , or because you will not give us leave ? who then is it long of ? o for modesty ! tye mens feet , and reproach them for not going ! 2. but is it not better to give an alms to the bodies or souls , of some men , than of none at all ? argue thus with your physicians , you can medicate none but your select patient ; ergo , you are to be scorned if you medicate any at all . and i profess , were it not for the poor peoples sake , and my duty to god , i would give you ( that desire it ) all my practice , and all the gains . 3. but why may we not in the allowed places exercise our ministry , in baptizing the children of any one of your flocks that shall desire it , or giving them the sacrament ? i yet understand it not , unless for the avoiding of your envy and displeasure . sect. 7. [ 3. you cannot exercise discipline but by the consent of your people . ] answ . 1. we cannot be pastors to any against their wills : if you can , and take that for your honour , keep it , for we will have no part with you . we find indeed that it is your opinion to exercise your discipline on us against our wills . 2. but though we cannot take men for christians , nor for our special flock , nor bring them to repentance , nor yet absolve them against their wills , we can admonish and excommunicate them against their wills , and deny them the lords supper from us ; if they first voluntarily submit to our ministry . we take it not for our part or honour to do in these things so much as you can . sect. 8. [ 4. neither can you have any church . government but in your single congregations , and that too independent on all others . ] answ . 1. who is that long of ? is it not you that forbid it us ? 2. but indeed we never desired to play the bishops in other mens diocess : if we pretended to govern you , would you take it for our orthodoxness ? i think not . i would you were of the same opinion , & i would the pope were of the same opinion , and would let other men alone , and exercise his discipline over none that he hath nothing to do with . baxter whom you name hath told you , that bishop usher profest his judgment to him , that even bishops in a council ( though they are there governours of the flocks , yet ) meet not for government of one another by vote , or of other bishops , but for concord . and grotius de imp. sum . pot . hath shewed you that canons are not laws but agreements . 2. but why may not many of us ministers meet in one allowed place , for such agreements in our pastoral government ? and no greater dependance do we desire : i assure you we should be glad if all the silenced ministers these thirty years had been less dependant on the diocesans . sect. 9. he addeth [ thus as others are independents by choice and profession , you will make your selves so by necessity ; and that necessity such , as you wilfully throw your selves into against all the light of presbyterian-conscience , prudence and interest , by a needless and sinful , a scandalous and mischievous separation . ] answ . 1. such confidence upon such insignificant reasonings , is a great dishonour to the wit and humility of the author . he that no better knoweth their judgments , can tell you , what all the light of the presbyterian conscience is . 2. he can prove that our ministery is needless , sinful , &c. because he can call the exercise of it separation : as if the paucity of ignorant and ungodly souls , and the sufficient number , ability , zeal , and diligence of the conformists made us and our labours needless indeed . alas , what thoughts have these men of souls , of sin , of holiness , of repentance , and of their own sufficiency and labours . but , sir , who made you a fitter judge of the need of souls , than themselves and all others ? next perswade us that tutors are needless , because all in england are born learned . i have much ado to get servants in my own family that have tolerable knowledge and piety : and can our conformists alone sufficiently teach many hundred families , and prove that other mens help is needless ? try first whether you can perswade men , that you alone are sufficient to teach all the children in your parishes to speak , and to dress them , and feed them , and that all other persons help is needless . get them to fast all till you seed them your selves , and make them believe they need no other meat . we that have conferred with all the people of our parishes when we were permitted , found that multitudes were almost as ignorant as heathens : and yet our excellent successours , that do no such thing ( as to any two of them that ever i knew or heard of ) but see their faces in the church , can prove all our teaching needless to these poor ignorant souls : is this humility , and ministerial fidelity ? it s sin in us to preach , and duty to the conformists : i am glad they take it yet for a duty to any . 3. but is it not as easie for us to say , that you have needlesly , and sinfully , and scandalously taken our places , ( i mean as to the church-relation , & not as to the temples and tythes , ) and drawn some of the people to separation from those that were before true churches ? we say not so ; but put not your selves on the hard task of disproving it , if you are wise . 4. but our necessity sir , hath visible causes . 1. god and our own consent at our ordination , made our necessity of exercising our ministry ; we are not ashamed of the gospel of christ , nor that it was our choice : but god hath laid this necessity on us , and wo be unto us if we preach not the gospel , as we have opportunity . 2. the bishops to some of us , and senior pastors to others , by ministerial investiture imposed this necessity on us . 3. the great necessity of multitudes of fouls ( which nothing but gross ignorance de facto , infidelity , or impudency can deny ) concurreth to cause this necessity . 4. the law imposeth a necessity on us , not to preach among you in the temples : if then god say , preach , and the law say , preach not in the temples , we may conclude we must preach out of the temples ; if we have but as much wit as king james's hounds had , that at a double way , if they find the hare hath not gone one way , will take it for granted he is gone the other . here is then but two makers of our necessity , the imposer and the restrainer ; reproach neither of them if you will take our council . sect. 10. he addeth [ in vain do you think to help your selves , and to satisfie the world , by pleading the moderation of your principles , and that you do believe our parochial congregations are true churches , which the other sectaries deny : for besides that many of the independents acknowledge the same , this is the great aggravation of your schism : for why then do you seperate from us ? ] ans . 1. we are glad that you confess the independents themselves are so moderato towards you . 2. we perswade none to separate from you . 3. do you silence us , and depose us from the ministry , and forbid baptism and the lords supper to all that have not as wide a swallow as your selves , and then ask , why separate you from us ? 4. do you draw churches to your selves out of our true churches that were before you , and then charge your act on us ? 5. why come not you to the private churches among you that have all this while been kept up ? e. g. in london , why may not dr. manton , dr. annesley , dr. jacomb , and abundance of such , as fairly charge those that go only to the temples , for separating from them ? they say , they are as true chuches as you . if their not hearing you is separation , why is not your not hearing of them so ? big words when men are got into the saddle make not their cause good . 6. but it seemeth that acknowledging you true churches will not satisfie you , without ( what ? ) actual hearing you . but doth not every chappel , and every neighbor parish then , and all the world besides your auditory , sinfully separate from you ? some men can triumph in such reasonings for themselves , as would make another sick to read them . chap. vii . of the inconvenience from our brethrens sence of toleration . sect. 1. his next section , pag. 21 , &c. is as meer delusion as any of the rest . first , he argueth from the presbyterians being always against a toleration . reader , all sober divines that ever i met with , use here to distinguish between tolerable and intolerable things and persons , and to conclude that the tolerable must be tolerated , and the other not , though they all agree not how much is tolerable . now what doth this man but talk confusedly , as if they had been against all toleration . look up man without blushing , and tell the world , whether ever the presbyterians maintained it a sin to tolerate presbyterians . alas , for those poor people , that cannot try sence from nonsence ! with what stuff will such men carry them away ? if you talk of the toleration of any that are intolerable , what have we to do with it any more than you ? sect. 2. any more than you , did i say ? sir , vilifie not the wits of those clergy men that chiefly contributed to our — so as to imagine that they did not know what they did , and foresee this day . honour their understandings more , than to take them for so ignorant , ( especially being lowdly foretold it , ) as not to foreknow , 1. what number and sort of men would be laid by . 2. how the people would judge of them and their cause . 3. how both they and the people would go through their sufferings . 4. how wise , sensible , and merciful his majesty would be , when he saw all this stir , and dissatisfaction of his people . 5. and that the preaching of silenced ministers in private , would encourage all other sects . 6. and when ever the door was opened for their liberty , all others would endeavour to thrust in with them . who then i pray you hath done more for toleration , you or we ? sect. 3. but his next hath no bounds , and grieveth me to read it ( o posterity , how will you know what to believe ? ) viz. p. 22. [ have not you lately refused the comprehension , and denied so great an advantage to your selves , because you could not have it without a general toleration . ] answ . no , sir , we have not ; nor should you have by a question vented such a falshood . name the men that offered us a comprehension , and the men that refused it ? if you tell us that you , or such another offered it to one of your neighbours , you may possibly make your words ridiculously true : but if you mean that either the king or parliament offered it , tell us when , and and who were the refusers . if you mean any parliament speeches , it is not fit for us to talk about them . but you will not i suppose presume to say that the parliament ever offered either toleration or acceptable comprehension ( that is , to take in nonconformists ; ) much less both . there was a rumor of one mans speech , called a presbyterian , as if it had sounded like a refusal of some abatement , but if you will talk with him as i have done , he will soon shew you the falshood of that rumor . if you could have proved that any secret person ever refused such an offer , can you thence say to the presbyterians that they refused it ? if you mean an offer that by a great minister of state was made , be better informed of it your self . 1. that it was not refused , but very thankfully accepted . 2. that for the toleration of other men , besides themselves , those two or three that meddled in it , answered . 1. that it was their desire that all tolerable dissenters might be tolerated . 2. that it was his majesties work and not theirs . 3. that therefore those that were to be tolerated , were accordingly to be spoken to of the terms , for we were capable of treating of the case and terms of none but our selves . and after this the endeavour for our comprehension went on to our content , till the parliament sate , and presently shut the door against it . i know of no other offer but this , which those few that dealt in it well know was far from being refused ; so that a greater slander could scarce have been laid on men that have stil so greatly desired a comprehension of all sober protestants in the publick ministry , and a toleration also of all tolerable dissenters , under laws of peace and safety : this was still the thing which we begged for in vain : but who should be accounted tolerable , we were never called to give our publick opinion or advise , that i know of . repent of such calumnies , and study not to aggravate your fault by excuses . indeed , if the offer had been made to them of a comprehension on condition they themselves would have approved of an vniversal toleration of all those whom they account intolerable . i doubt not but they would have said , we thankfully accept comprehension , but cannot approve of such a toleration , but leave your own work● to your own wisdom ; we cannot go against our consciences for any liberty : but other mens actions , are not ours . sect. 4. and he addeth old speeches against toleration , universal intolerable toleration : wherein we lament his want of common sense or modesty . 1. if he would insinuate that we are for an vniversal toleration , because we preach when we have liberty and opportunity , what dealing is to be expected from such men ? when he confesseth that we have been still against such a toleration ? when we have almost twelve years ago , cryed out , even to unmannerliness , that if possibly we might have been heard , to the reverend prelates , cast not out so many in the necessities of the people ? o drive not godly people from your communion for nothing ! if you can prove crossing , and your sacrament-kneeling lawful , with subscriptions , canonical-swearing to you , &c. yet all that think otherwise should not be excommunicated , or forbidden to preach christs gospel : we have fornicators , and drunkards , &c. enough to excommunicate : o drive not upright conscionable christians from your churches ! force not ministers to private preaching and sufferings , which will certainly occasion sects , and open a door to you know what . and when we can no whit prevail , if these very men themselves shall say , that it is we that are for universal toleration , with what forehead — what man that hath not lived in a dream these 12 years , hath made any doubt but that it hath been the interest and desire of infidels , papists and quakers , that our ejections and pressures might be as great as might be , that so the protestants might be weakned & broken by their own divisions , and the chief opposers of these men be either consumed , or forced by misery to petition for toleration , or at least that it might be granted as for our sakes , and we might be said to open to them the door , that they that confess we have been most against it , might be able ( but quâ fronte ) to say that it was our doing and not theirs . but when mens wits have thus play'd the game to the utmost , they are but abusing themselves : for they must dye , i tell you , they must dye , & be judged by that god that hateth malignity , cruelty , and hypocrisie , and will detect all frauds before the world ; when all that is now admired by the dreaming world , shall be levelled , obscured , and appear contemptible , even to them that sold their souls to obtain it . sect. 5. once more reader , peruse all the citations of this author , out of mr. edwards , mr. trap ( a conformist , yet numbred with us ) or the jus divinum presbyterii ( said to be written by dr. roberts , a conformist ; ) only read them not with this authors spectacles or eyes , and then tell me like a man of truth , whether thou dost believe that their meaning was , [ an universal toleration is unlawful : ergo , presbytery must not be tolerated , if any others get the power ] or whether ever the nonconformists said , [ we are not to be tolerated ] or , whether the episcopal men told cromwel in his usurpation , [ it is unlawful to tolerate us ? ] it is strange that any party who think themselves only or chiefly fit for legal possession , should yet think themselves intolerable . but if he talk of the tolerating of others , that are indeed intolerable , let him talk to them that have to do with it ; and let him first talk his friends into the tears of true repentance ( if they be not past learning ) even from the greatest experience it self . sect. 6. but the man will seriously prove what he saith , p. 25. [ can you more signally own , recognize , or more expresly give your unfeigned assent and consent unto , and approbation of both toleration and schism , than not only des●ring to escape the penalty of the laws , and to live quietly in a state of separation by vertue of it , but also by taking the utmost advantage of it , for the erecting distinct and separate congregations to your selves . ] ans . 1. if he mean that we approve of the toleration of our selves , & all the tolerable ; sure we never did deny it : let the enemy of mankind glory in the contrary , as his proper vertue . but if he mean ( as he plainly seemeth ) that we approve of the universality of toleration ; come , weigh his proof . 1. by desiring to escape the penalty of the laws . answ . now you speak sense , we feel your meaning . it is a crime worthy the name of schism , to desire to be unpunished , when you desire our punishment : we do not toto pectore telum recipere : what if you were for hanging and burning us ? were it tolerationism & schism to be unwilling to be hang'd or burnt ? while we have such ithacian masters in our own coats , blame us not to desire toleration , and to thank the king for saving us from our brethren . the penalty of poverty , and losing all ministerial maintenance , we never escaped since you succeeded us : yet god that bids us ask for our daily bread , would not have charged our desiring it , on us as our sin , if the law had forbit it us . poor joseph alleine and many another are gone , and did not escape the penalty : i never heard that bradford or hooper , or latimer were accused for desiring to escape penalty . was it josephs sin that the ishmaelites and egyptians were more merciful to him than his brethren ? but , brother , what good will our sufferings do you ? what harm wil it do you if we escape ? do you feel your self ever the more at liberty when we are in the common-jayls ? are you the fuller , because some nonconformists wants bread ? we have been heinously accused by others , for coming within five miles of any city , corporation , and place where we lately preached ( when christ said , if they persecute you in one city , flee to another : ) as if it were lawful to desert all the souls in cities and corporations , or to take you alone for sufficient , where the very number of souls proves you least sufficient . but would you be at more hearts-ease , to think that none of us are within five miles of you , nor teach any of the people the gospel of christ ? you have with less noise endured infidels and papists enough within five miles of you ? alas , when the stone is set on rolling down the hill , where will it stop ? sect. 7. but this is spoken conjunctively with what followeth : and what 's that ? 2. [ to live quietly in a state of separation — ] that is , not to be your subject hearers : but , 1. have not many of us , some constantly , some at times , sat at your feet as your disciples . 2. if ministers be judged by you unworthy to preach the gospel , have they not reason to think you judge them unworthy to receive the sacrament ? 3. are you separatists for not hearing them ? if not , why are they such for not hearing you ? but of this before . sect. 8. but the utmost is [ erecting separate congregations to your selves . ] answ . 1. you mean , it is sin in us to exercise the ministry which we are vowed to , and not to be sacrilegious and cruel to souls : for can we preach without auditors ? and can those auditors be no congregation ? and can that congregation be out of your hearing , and not be locally separate , as every parish-church and chappel is ? must two congregations be one , or else be separatists ? i know two churches so near that the people may hear each other , and yet they are two , and therefore one is separate : and i pray , which of them is it ? it may be all in england save canterbury , or rather glastenbury , are separatists , for separating from the first church : as if pythagoras justly cursed the number of two , because it was the first that durst depart from unity ; and all churches in the world were separatists except jerusalem . i pray you sir , tell me , what if a tolerated presbyterian should read the common-prayer in his church , and use all your ceremonies ( though he fear perjury , and lying , and violating his baptismal vow ) : were this a schismatick or not ? if yea ; then so is every neighbour parish-minister , or chappel curat . if not ; than it is not a distinct congregation that maketh separatists . and then what if he do not use the liturgie ; doth that make a separatist ? were you all separatists that used it not fifteen years ago ? i shall next expect to hear that he is a separatist that readeth in his own common-prayer-book , and not in yours . but i doubt the separation is in this , that the tolerated minister will not be your curat , and ruled by you : but remember that some are presbyterians , and therefore for parity of ministers ; and i and many others are so much for episcopacy , as that we would not have prelatical jurisdiction given to those parish priests , who themselves are against presbyters , and for prelacy . chap. viii . of inconvenience from the nature of the practice . sect. 1. in all this section , let the reader consider , 1. how few words there be , which a papist priest in paris might not say against the protestants . 2. whether this be not the summe of all , [ preaching the gospel hath hazards , inconveniencies and likelihood of frustration ; therefore it is your folly and sin to preach it . ] 3. whether there be not much that would not almost as handsomly have served celsus , julian , porphyry , eunapius , or symmachus against christianity ? sect. 2. do not you excommunicate and drive from your several parishes the members of christ , for not eating with your spoon , and then repreach them that will take them in whom you cast out ? sect. 3. we still hold that members of the same particular church , should not live at a distance so great , as to make them uncapable of ordinary personal communion . sect. 4. we take your warning : independents , as you say , may over-reach us ; peoples inconstancy and weakness may frustrate much of our labours ; quakers and papists may deceive some ; we adde , and you and others may keep us after all in poverty , and in jayls , for ought we know . and what of all this ? therefore preach not . next say , therefore be no christians ; therefore damn your own souls , if your temptations be so great . no , sir , but , therefore we will serve christ the more resolutely , and trust him for our preservation and reward . the god whom we serve is able to deliver us : but if he will not , be it known unto you , that we will not cease to preach his gospel , while we can , and we fear not being losers by him . sect. 5. but your will seemeth to bear down your experience , while you would tempt us , by the discouragements of difficult assembling , and the peoples poverty . have those kept us from doing what we could till now ? will our poverty be greater than you conformists have made it ? have we served god about twelve years without one bit of the levites portion ? and cannot we do so till we die ? there is an harmony in all your discourse : to tell us of the discouragement of poverty from others , that would help us , were they able , when your party hath so long kept us without a bit of bread , but what alms , or some mens own stocks afforded them , is just like the rest . it sufficeth us to tell you , that we preach not for riches , and we will not cease through poverty . talk at this rate to one another . sect. 6. when you say , that a toleration may reduce the common sort to an indifferency in religion . i answer , get your friends together then that have brought it to that pass , as that [ it must be this or worse ] and bring them to weep over their sins before god ; that if a miserable nation may not be saved from the fire that you have kindled , your souls yet if possible may be saved . sect. 7. but , ( pag. 29. ) you too boldly make your selves the stewards of god's blessings ; and as magisterially , without proof , pronounce that we are out of his way , and in opposition to his church , and contrary to his word . answ . for my self i have long been of an opinion , which one day you will pardon , that , perjury , perfidiousness and persecution , proud contending who shall be greatest , and covenanting never in certain points to obey christ against the world and the flesh , is not the way of god : if you take me for singular , there is no remedy . 2. and what word of god is it that we contradict ? i reade in the rubrick of something about infants , certain by the word of god ; but i never heard in what chapter or verse it was . 3. and which is christ's church which we oppose ? what chapter and verse saith , that only subscribers , swearers , declarers and conformists are the church of christ ; and those that fear an oath and conformity are none of it ? chap. ix . of inconvenience from our present conformity . sect. 1. he next confesseth that [ most of us have hitherto held some measure of communion with the church of england ] and now [ if we depart and fall quite away ] ( when we purpose to go no further from them , but rather come nearer if they will give us leave ) then saith he [ you will publish to the world , that your complyance with us before the toleration , was not out of sense of duty , or love of peace and unity , or any other good end ; but meerly out of slavish fear of punishment , &c. ] answ . 1. we will not reflect by recrimination , because we would not provoke you more than needs . 2. as far as i can promise , we will judge of you no worse than we have done , nor deny any communion with you which we have used , and can use without neglecting our own work . as i constantly joyn in my parish-church in liturgy and sacraments , so i hope to do while i live ( if i live under as honest a minister , ) at due times . but what if i had leave without conformity to preach in the next parish-church ? i cannot then be in yours at the same time . he that preacheth not , may hear you constantly : but he that may preach himself , must not cease his ministry , to be still one of your flock . we long ago published our judgments , that it is a sin not to joyn with a less-worthy minister , and a less-orderly mode of worship , when we can have no better ; and that it is a sin to tye our selves ordinarily to such when we may have better lawfully , that is ( consideratis considerandis ) upon terms whereon it will not do more hurt than good . you see then on what terms we may vary our practices , without the crimes recited by you . if now when we are preaching our selves , you will say that we are departing from you , ( because we cannot be in two places at once ) , and then come on with all these calumnies , we take but this to be your meaning ; 1. to tell us that you think we so value the honour of our names and reputations with you , as that you can make us false to our callings , rather than be censured by you . 2. that you have alwayes a quiver full of such arrows provided , and resolve , that if we will not give over our ministry , and be ruled by you , you will make as many as you can believe , that we never had sense of duty , love of peace or unity , or any good end , but meer slavish fear . so men , it 's like , would say of christ , when sometimes he preached openly , and sometimes departed from mens fury into the wilderness or obscure places ; or of paul that was let down by the wall in a basket , and when he departed from the jews synagogues which he had before frequented ; or those that fled from one city to another . it is a duty to preach when i can , and no duty when i cannot : and if others make the [ can ] and the [ cannot , ] is it i or they that change my practice ? but if you teach men such apparently causless censures and reproaches , you may have many disciples , but not very good ones . and some will thus paraphrase your words , [ if the king will not let us persecute them for preaching , we are resolved we will slander them , and make men believe ( on how hard terms soever they serve christ ) that they do it all but as cowardly self-seeking knaves . ] what abundance have called me rogue of late years , that never knew me , or spake one word to me before , or heard one from me ! as to the rest [ that we proclaim our cowardise , or a love of licentiousness , or put on liberty for a cloak of maliciousness ] it all signifieth but what you have a list to say , and calls to us to long for the judgment-day of christ , but yet to look well to the integrity of our hearts , and try our way before we go it . chap. x. whether our ministry by divisions will let in popery . sect. 1. i love this author much the better , because he speaks against divisions , and because he seemeth willing to draw those men towards him , whom others drive from them , and because he seemeth careful of our protestant interest , and desirous of some kind of unity to that end . but , alas , have we so many years ago besought his party with all humble petition and importunity , and disputed it with them ; that they would have pitty on the consciences of thousands fearing god , that they would have mercy on the thousands of ignorant souls that need all our teaching ; that they would not cast out so considerable a part of the protestant ministry that should hinder popery , and would not necessitate unavoidably those divisions , which by weakning the protestants , would do the papists work ; and under the sad denial of our petitions , must we now hear that ( the pope shall come on the puritans back ? ) that word [ shall ] we have bin long hearing and feeling . to be masters of the game is a great advantage for the disposal of other mens reputations in this world , a little while ; but in the next , the sport is spoiled . sect. 2. and really , will popery come in ever the more for our preaching ? ( do you think we shall preach for it ? ) or ever the less , if we renounce our ministry ? why then will not your silence too prevent it ; and so we may all be silent le●t we preach in popery . sect. 3. but it is divisions that will do it . no doubt of it , if it ever be done . come and impartially debate the case with us , who have bin the great causes of protestants divisions , conformists or non-conformists ? but i am ashamed to say that it needeth a debate . but o that you would yet repent of what is past , instead of reproaching those that you have afflicted ; and for the time to come , if we hav● not unity and peace , for my own part i can say , it shall be your doing , and wilful doing , to refuse it . chap. xi . counsel to the non-conformists , ministers and people . brethren , you hear by this author that the conformists are greatly afraid of popery , and that the danger by some will he said to be from you : but who ever taketh you for the papists friends , the papists themselves will never so esteem you . you see that some comformists are desirous of peace and concord with you , for the common end , the churches strength against all adversaries . god forbid that you should not be as forward to love and peace as they . i have these following counsels to give you before i go out of the world , expecting to have you ere long in a condition , which will require more wisdom , holiness , and fortitude , than i fear the most are yet possessed of . 1. resolve by the grace of god , against all temptations , and through all difficulties , faithfully to ply your ministerial work you see how much satan is against it , and how he tryeth every way to hinder it : sometimes by force and fears , sometimes by flatteries , sometimes as that old prophet seduced the other , by coming as in christs name , as an angel of light , and by ministers of righteousness . he maketh not light of your ministry , else he would not do so much against it ; o do not you make light of it . our ordination , vow and covenant is holy ! if ananias and sapphira dyed for alienating consecrated money by a lye , what shall we expect , if we alienate consecrated persons by a lye : souls are precious , sin is strong , satan is subtile , the world is deceitful , the flesh is unreasonable , deceivers have great advantage , time is short ; o therefore work while it is day , for the night cometh when none can work ; our own floath and sin is the most dangerous silence . how many souls feed or famish , live or die , as we do our duty , or neglect it ? can you spare your flesh or labour , when you think what impenitent souls must feel for ever ; and what the sanctified shall enjoy ? would you not shine your selves as stars in the firmament ? would you not be found by christ so doing ? would you not convert sinners from the errour of their way , when it is the saving of a soul from death , and covering a multitude of sins ? what ever word of god deceivers may abuse to stop your mouths , be sure that holy covenants must be kept ; that sacrilege is a sin ; that nature it self tells you , no man hath power to nullifie your obligation to charity it self in the work of mens salvation ; that the love of god dwelleth not in you , if you see your brother have need , and shut up the bowels of your compassion from him : men may regulate your charity for good , but not destroy it . if the poor were famishing about you , no law can disoblige you from relieving them . be sure that necessity is laid on all the ministers of christ ( though not by the same way as it was laid on the apostles ; ) and woe be unto them if they preach not the gospel . fear none of those things that you shall suffer : they are the prognosticks of your crown : you shall judge the world that judgeth you : it will be joyful to hear , these are they that came out of great tribulation , &c. even dr. th. jackson notably concludeth , that the reason why martyrdom among christians now , is rarer than among unbelievers heretofore , and that more suffer not , as john baptist did of herod , is not because great ones among christians are not ready to do as herod did , but because ministers more omit their duty ; the dearest duty is the most gainful . 2. i beseech you , study harder that you may now so preach , as that you may convince men practically , that you are really useful & needful to the world , and that your silence is a real loss . they that now take your labours to be needless , are tempted to it by the weakness of too many . they can scarce find in their hearts to say so of any eminent judicious men ; if when you have so long made the world believe that silencing you is a most heynous sin , you shal now preach so rawly , so incongruously so injudiciously , & unskilfully , or coldly , as to confute your selves , & harden those that were for your silence , how great will your shame be ? if you will be thought more useful than others think you , preach better now than others do . i really fear , lest meer non-conformity have brought some into reputation as consciencious , who by weak preaching will lose the reputation of being judicious , more than their silence lost it . what now will you do better and more than others to prove that the nation cannot spare you ? i expect not great judgement & learning in all the younger sort , nor those that in these times have bin kept from study , by labouring to get their children bread : but verily the injudiciousness of too many among you , is for a lamentation . but the grand calamity is , that the most injudicious are usually the most confident and self-conceited ; and none so commonly give way to their ignorant zeal , to censure ; back bite , and reproach others , as those that know not what they talk of . i impute not this to you as non-conformists , but as sons of adam : for experience hath convinced me , that pride of understanding , when men have little to be proud of , or confidence of all mens own apprehensions , is the vice of men , women and children , when they are past eighteen years of age , which seemeth to be most desperately uncurable . few sorts so silly , but are always in the right , and others erroneous in comparison of them : as bedlams pitty the ignorance of their keepers ; so that i fear not the prevalency of scepticism in the world ( though i fear infidelity : ) self-conceitedness , i warrant you will keep it under . such ancient as ephrem syrus , macarius , martin , &c. who were of little learning but holy and humble , and presumed not above their knowledge , were honoured in the churches : but when the egyptian holy monks would shew their humble pride and ignorance , by tumults and zealous madness , to seek the blood of the bishops , that believed not that god had hands and feet like men , and to destroy those as ungodly that were not as foolish as themselves , what could have bin more scandalous against the honour of godliness and christianity ? 3. over value not your own preaching ▪ and under value not other mans , because they are conformists . the number and necessities of the ignorant and ungodly indeed do make your labours necessary , were you less fit than many of the conformists : but that proveth you not more able , or your preaching better than theirs . partiality may make some of your own mind , think all well that you say , and all weak that others say : but the rest of men will the more despise you . be not wise in your own conceit ; look not every man at his own gifts and worth , but at the gifts and worth of others : in honor prefer one another : pride is the first born of the devil : and pride of knowledge and goodness is more common and pernicious , than pride of comelyness , wealth , or greatness . mark that preacher conformable or non-conformable , who striveth hardest for his own honour , and would raise it by dishonouring others , and is most impatient of all that clowdeth him , and is onely for those that set him up ; and look out no further for a mark of badnes● , but take that man for one of the worst , how well soever he preach or pray . except christs apostles had bin converted to the teachable humble state of little children , they could not have entered into the kingdom of heaven , math. 18. 3. you wear not the livery of christ , if you are not humble , and apter to think meanly of your own gifts and doings , proportionably , than of other mens . how unsavoury is it to hear a non-conformist come from a profitable sermon of a conformist , saying ( to hinder the peoples benefit , ) this is poor dry stuff , and carping at every incongruous word ; as much as to say , i can do much better : through gods mercy , some conformists preach better than many of you can do . 4. yet difference between conformable ministers , and own not the ministry of any that are utterly incompetent and intolerable ; hear them not ordinarily : for though i say not that all their ministrations are nullities , yet i say that you should not encourage an intollerable undertaker , to destroy himself and others . by into crable men , i mean , first , such as are ignorant of , or erroneous against the essentials of christianity . secondly , such as are utterly unable to teach them others . thirdly , such as malignantly preach down the practice of a holy life . or in a word , those whose ministry is such , as really tendeth to do more hurt than good ; from such turn away . yea , where the conformable minister may be tolerable , in case no better could be had , yet if indeed his teaching be so trifling , and sapless , as is like to do but little good , let compassion move you , to take more liberty your selves to teach the people there , than under worthyer men. too many such young raw triflers , i confess i have heard my self : and i would not have order or humility pretended , to turn preaching into a ceremony , lest all religion be next taken but for a ceremony . it is a serious work , and must be seriously done . 5 if you live where the conformable parish minister is faithful ( truly endeavouring the salvation of his flock ) i charge you in the name of christ do not onely , if possible , as much as in you lyeth , live in love , familiarity and peace with him , but also do all that you can to maintain his honour , and promote his work . be not strangers to him : distance breedeth uncharitable thoughts . if you hear or see any thing that you dislike , go privately and lovingly , and tell him of it : if any behind his back dishonour him , rebuke them . if he look for some superiority over you , and some observance from you , deny it not : it is a duty to submit to one another . you can tell a prelate , that he that will be the greatest , must be the servant of all : practice as you preach . he that scorns to stoope is proud , as well as he that would have men stoope to him . live with him as a brother and as a servant , in meekness , humility , and gentleness of behaviour : and do not like our young passionate persons , trample upon him , as if his conformity had put him , as a sinner , below you as more holy than he , and under the magistery of your reproofe . you and i think that he hath sinned : but he thinks that it is we that sin : and he that is without sin , let him cast the first stone . i charge you love him , as your selves , and behind his back say nothing , and do nothing , but what is fit to testifie such love . let all men thus know that you are christs disciples ; for all your nonconformity , you are no better than he , if you be not more charitable than he . if you set your selves in a dividing way , secretly to rejoice at his disparagement , and to draw as many from him as you can ; you are but destroyers of the church of god : call your selves what you will , i will call you destroyers if you are dividers . yea much that else would be your duty , must be omitted to avoid division . the work of god , the good of souls , the defence of the protestant religion agai●st papists , require your most conjoyned strength . and you are be rayers of all these , if you are dividers . suppose your selves as chappel curats under the parish ministers , and so in concord perform your work . 6. therefore go as oft as you can to his congregation , and hold communion personally with him , and lead the people with you . do not say , now we have opportunity to do better , it is unlawful to joyn with them that do worse : for thoug it be not lawful for you to neglect your own duty and opportunity , it is lawful for you by deed as well as word , to shew your christian concord and communion : and so to do , may make it at that time much better which else in regard of the manner would be worse . otherwise if one preacher , pray and preach better than all the rest , all the people should be bound to forsake their ministers & go to him as one that doth better . but bonum est ex causis integris : disjunction and ill effects , your better mode of worship worse . 7. therefore in parishes where all may well hear the parish minister , i would not have you , without necessity , preach at the same hour as he doth , but at some middle time ; that you may not seem to vie with him for auditors , nor to draw the people from him ; but let them go with you to hear him , and after come and hear you ( or before ; ) but in london and great parishes where all cannot come to the parish church , as also in parishes where the minister is not to be owned , i perswade you to no such observation : it is so inconvenient to the people there , to be cast upon unmeet hours , that i perswade you not to do it . 8. where the parish minister is to be heard by you and your hearers , i think it best to preach ther but once a day , and at some neighbour place that hath most need , the other part . my reasons are , first , because the people cannot hear and digest four sermons a day , nor three well : and those that hear you twice , will not go to the parish church ; and so you will but draw them away , from that which might profit them as well as yours . and it is preaching well that more affecteth people , then preaching long or often . secondly , because , alas , you will hardly live , where some neighbour parish hath not so bad a minister , as that the people have more need of help ; and the rest of your pains may be bestowed on week-day lectures , as the people have leisure . 9. therefore i greatly desire , that in such places you would bestow the greater half of your labour in private , in skilful exhorting people from house to house ? if you did not so before you were silenced , repent betime ; if you did , you have found the benefit of it . this is it , which few conformists do , and in this you may best live as their true assistants . publick hearing without personal conference , seldom bringeth men to understand well what you say . brethren , let me ask you , as before god : why hath no more of this bin done while you were silenced ? is it not too much hypocrisie , to cry out against them that forbid us preaching , which is one half of our duty , and in the mean time wilfully to neglect that part which none forbad us ? i speak not of them that were driven from all cities and corporations where their acquaintance enabled them , and forced to live where they had no such opportunity ; nor of them that through poverty had not time . but most men might have done more this way than was done ; this way the papists have done their work . and it is very considerable , that most that come to your chappel meetings , are such as you take for the least needy , as being already turned unto god but from house to house you may speak with the more ignorant : for some of them its like will hear you . and sincerity inclineth men to that way of duty that hath least ostentation . 10. preach faith and repentance , the common catechism principles , ( which are of greatest need and use , and require the greatest skill in preachers , ) and do not on pretence of going higher , trouble the peoples heads with unnecessary things , nor turn them after vain janglings : much less against conformity , or any thing that reflecteth upon the parish ministers . you may quickly kindle in your religious hearers , a factious opinionative kind of zeal , that shall make them fire-brands in the church , and no whi● tend to save their souls . and you may deceive your selves by exercising such an opinionative zeal , while you think you are doing the work of christ . o how happy had the churches bin , if instead of all the schoolmens & old contenders curiosities of the trinity , and all the blind disputes of predestination and free-will , and all the busle about episcopacie , presbytery , independency , anabaptistry , &c. the churches had heard the baptismal covenant it self , with the creed , lords prayer , and d●alogue well opened , and mens hearts had bin more fired with the love of god in christ , rather than their heads heated with such controversies , as the poor people cannot manage , but only by unskilful teachers , are tempted by them to be disturbers of the church . 11. if there be any among your people , that by such a sinful unpeaceable zeal , will be censuring & deriding conformists , independents , anabaptists , or any honest tolerable dissenters , and will be reproaching them behind their backs , and making them odious to the hearers , rebuke them sharply , and cherish not their sin ; and if they hear not , rebuke them before all , and if they amend not , cast them out of your communion : and as you love your selves , the church and others , let not the proudest censerious people be your masters : take heed of that base complying humour , that maketh some they dare not displease them , least they should call them as bad as they do the conformists . for if you come to this , it is the women and boys that have least knowledge , and most proud censorious passions , that will be the church governours . keep your authority , let them take it how they will , and be not servile followers of the peoples errours and irregular ways . 12. possess your hearers with true gospel principles of love , that they may be first pure , then peaceable and gentle . preach zealously for love , against love-killing envious zeal . teach them to know that all men are imperfect and faulty , and so is all mens worship of god ; and that he that will not communicate with faulty worship , must renounce communion with all the world ( and all with him . ) unteach them that false conceit , that all book-prayers are unlawful , yea , or all that is imposed : read over to them those psalms that have frequent repetitions and responses , that they may know that such are not unlawful . if it be lawful for the people to sing gods praise , it is not unlawful to say it . do you doubt of the consequence : prove to us , what difference there was between the ancient singing , and our laudatory saying , and you will find your task too hard . unteach them that paultry principle , of placing religion in being cross to the rest of the congregation . as when they will not stand up at the creed , or at all the hymns of praise , when reason and use tell us , that standing up is a convenient praising gesture ; and when the primitive churches ( from an unknown original , calling it an apostolical tradition ) unanimously commanded standing only , in all the lords days adorations ; which because we cannot now well observe , it is decently confined to praises only . and in this the conformists do better and more decently than you : and it is sorry perversness to fly from a better way , because that others use it . unteach them their unwarrantable self-made tests of church communion ; as if there must be any other proof of holiness needs given , besides a sober profession of christianity , ( that is , of the baptismal covenant ) not provedly contradicted by heresie , or a wicked life : if we are non-conformists , because we cannot comply with all that we think to be invented uncapable terms of communion from others , why shall we make such engines to divide the churches our selves , and do the very things which we condemn in others . unteach them their expectations , that all the church must be satisfied of the sincerity of each communicant ; or that the presence of the unworthy , who are admitted by their own false profession , or by the ministers fault , doth make it unlawfull to others there to communicate . the book called , the cure of church divisions will tell you more such dividing principles , which you must unteach them . the ministers that have bred and cherished these , have bin our subverters , and are our shame : and such principles are the shame of too many well meaning honest people . woe to the selfish teachers , that for their personal interest , dare not contradict them , but cherish them into their dividing errours ; when their eyes are opened , and they see their mistakes , they will be tempted to shew their own dislike of them , by running as far on the extreame of formality ; in a word , help to save and faulty , and so is all mens worship of god ; and that he that will not communicate with faulty worship , must renounce communion with all the world ( and all with him . ) unteach them that false conceit , that all book-prayers are unlawful , yea , or all that is imposed : read over to them those psalms that have frequent repetitions and responses , that they may know that such are not unlawful . if it be lawful for the people to sing gods praise , it is not unlawful to say it . do you doubt of the consequence : prove to us , what difference there was between the ancient singing , and our laudatory saying , and you will find your task too hard . unteach them that paultry principle , of placing religion in being cross to the rest of the congregation . as when they will not stand up at the creed , or at all the hymns of praise , when reason and use tell us , that standing up is a convenient praising gesture ; and when the primitive churches ( from an unknown original , calling it an apostolical tradition ) unanimously commanded standing only , in all the lords days adorations ; which because we cannot now well observe , it is decently confined to praises only . and in this the conformists do better and more decently than you : and it is sorry perversness to fly from a better way , because that others use it . unteach them their unwarrantable self-made tests of church communion ; as if there must be any other proof of holiness needs given , besides a sober profession of christianity , ( that is , of the baptismal covenant ) not provedly contradicted by heresie , or a wicked life : if we are non-conformists , because we cannot comply with all that we think to be invented uncapable terms of communion from others , why shall we make such engines to divide the churches our selves , and do the very things which we condemn in others . unteach them their expectations , that all the church must be satisfied of the sincerity of each communicant ; or that the presence of the unworthy , who are admitted by their own false profession , or by the ministers fault , doth make it unlawfull to others there to communicate . the book called , the cure of church divisions will tell you more such dividing principles , which you must unteach them . the ministers that have bred and cherished these , have bin our subverters , and are our shame : and such principles are the shame of too many well meaning honest people . woe to the selfish teachers , that for their personal interest , dare not contradict them , but cherish them into their dividing errours ; when their eyes are opened , and they see their mistakes , they will be tempted to shew their own dislike of them , by running as far on the extreame of formality ; in a word , help to save religious people from being superstitious while they cry out against superstition ; and make them know that a religion which consisteth in our own modes and ways of worship , and in decrying other mens , may stand with all unmortified sin ; and that the flesh is no more denyed by sitting , than by kneeling , and that to say i am godly because my gestures , and orders are more scriptural than the conformists , is a pittiful way for an hypocrite to cheat his soul : and make them know that few things have hardened men against religion , and made non-conformists a scorn instead of being helpers of mens souls , so much as to see that many place their religion in superstitions of their own , touch not , tast not , handle not ; and make it piety to avoid that as sin , which is no sin : and then men judge of all the rest by this . 13. and i will presume to tell you my opinion , as of a matter , not absolutely necessary , but at this time , of such convenience , as if i were to keep a church meeting , i would resolve upon it , as my duty : and that is , that your own practice now shew a sound and healing judgement about that church troubling controversie of praying freely , or by forms ; even that now you would seasonably do both . the contention about this hath bin childish , and yet a fire not yet quenched in the church : while one belyeth god , as if he had forbidden all free prayer in the church ; and others belye him as if he had forbidden all forms or book-prayer : when god hath left both free , to be done as edification most requireth . his understanding is low that thinketh either of them simply unlawful ; and he knoweth little in such matters , that knoweth not , that both ways have many and great conveniences , and both have many and great accidental inconveniences , ( which having enumerated else where i must not now repeat . ) and they that are all for the one only , or the other only , shall have all the inconveniences with the benefits : but he that will seasonably use both , shall have the benefits of both , and the least part of the inconveniences of either ; therefore in the churches of england , free prayers were allowed in the pulpits , after the liturgy . and pardon me for saying , that when this petty controversie hath so much distracted us , those ministers ▪ that use but one way onely , seem scandalously to the people to be onely for that way , and so do harden them in their errour , and keep the fire burning in the church . he that prayeth only by book or form , perswadeth the poor people that free prayer is fanatical , uncertain and unlawful : and they that never pray otherwise , perswade the poor people , that all forms or book-prayers are unlawful ; if a whole party agree in forbearing all forms at such a time as this , when so many take them for unlawful . and so they corrupt mens very religion , and teach them to make duties and sins to themselves which god never made , and thereby set them in a way of hypocrisie , self-delusion , and endless quarreling with others . i prescribe to no man ; and toleration so far taketh off publick impositions , as that none can now say , this form is imposed on me , and therefore unlawful . but ( though i will not bind my self ) i here tell the world , that if my strength and toleration , and a call should ever more give me opportunity for the free exercise of mine office , i would sometimes pray freely without forms , and sometimes use some part of the common liturgy , and sometimes use the reformed liturgy , which in 1660. was agreed on by the commissioned non-conformists , ( though being done in extream hast , it should be reviewed and perfected : ) i would ordinarily pronounce the creed , ( as the faith which the church assembleth in the profession of , ) and ordinarily recite the lords prayer and decalogue , and read two chapters and the psalms : and they that would not joyn in this way of worship , should freely go choose them a teacher more agreeable to their opinions : for i would not serve the humours of any in their dividing errours . and brethren , endure me to tell you , 1. that pleasing the ignorant professors humours , is a sin that sheweth us too humane and carnal , and hath always sad effects at last . 2. and that i confess to you i think your day is short ; and that it is now of more importance , what the future effects of your course will be to posterity , or those to come , than how it will take with your present followers . and when the history of this age is written , do that now which you would have there recorded . my chief meaning is , this will be a controversie when we are dead and gone : do that now , which being recorded may best tend to the right decision of it then . leave to posterity now you have liberty , that example ( as well as words ) which thou would have them follow . tempt not future contenders to plead that all forms are unlawful by your examples . if any say , we shall thus loose our people , and the separatists , who will cherish all such humours , will have them all : i answer , we have too long tryed the pleasing way already , and see that we cure not , but cherish their disease . take gods way , and let us deny our selves , as well with the humourous people as we have done with the conformists , and then leave the issue to god. and if they will follow separatists , it is fitter that they be mislead by such erroneous persons , than by you . 14. and on this occasion let me say a word to this kind of religious people : is it not a shame to you that your worthiest ministers should be fain to go besides their own judgement in gods worship to humour you ? and that they must tell the world , we would mix free-prayer and forms in publick , but the people then will be gone to the separatists . i say not that they go against their consciences ; for their consciences have directed them to omit what else would have bin fittest , lest crossing your humour , it should drive you away to your own subversion : but how came you to be so much holyer and wiser than the holyest and wisest of your teachers ? mark , is it not more of the women and apprentices that are of this mind , than of the old experienced christians . is it not a high degree of pride for persons of your standing and understanding , to conclude that allmost all christs churches in the world for these thirteen hundred years at least to this day , have offered such worship unto god , as that you are obliged to avoid it , and all their communion in it ; and that allmost all the catholick church on earth , this day , is below your communion for using forms ? and that even calvin and the presbyterians , cartwright , hildersham , and the old non-conformists , were unworthy of your communion : would you have run away from dod or perkins , or from cyprian or augustine , and said , they are formal fellows , not to be joyned with ? doth god use by miracle to make self-conceited women and young men , so much wiser than the most ancient studious experienced divines . it is best then to turn preachers before we grow old , and to avoid study and experience lest it make us more ignorant than we were . brethren and friends , i profess for your sincerity many of you are our joy , and it is not a little that we have done and suffered for your sakes ; but i must tell you ( for adversaries will t●ll if you ) that for your ignorance , injudiciousness , pride , self-conceitedness , you are our grief and shame . we are hit in the teeth with such self-wise ignorant giddy unpeaceable followers , and we have nothing to say , but to blush , and say that you mean well , and that it is not long of us . can gods spirit which ordaineth elders to be pastors in his church , be the guide of your judgements , when with such shameless pride you set up your errours against the knowledge of your guides ? if you are wisest be you the pastors , ( which some are prone enough to arrogate . ) it shameth us , it grieveth us , to see and hear from england , and from new-england this common cry . we are endangered by divisions , principally because the self conceited part of the religious people , will not be ruled by their pastors , but must have their way , and will needs be rulers of the church and them . yea , i tell you with truth and grief , i am confident ( next to mens own sin , which leaveth them to a judicial delusion , ) nothing hath done more to set up popery , and the prelacy you dislike , than the scandalous instances of your unruliness and church tearing humours : and that you have made more papists , than ever you or we are like to recover . nothing is any whit considerable that a papist hath to say , till he cometh to your case and saith , doth not experience tell you , that without papal unity , and force , these people will never be ruled or united ? it is you that tempt them to use fire and fagot , that will not be ruled nor kept in concord , by the wisest , and holyest and most self-denying ministers on earth . even ainsworth the learnedest and godlyest pastor of the separatists , though he went with them beyond sea , and was of their opinion , and carded wooll to maintain himself while he was their teacher , yet could not keep that one separated church in peace . and must you , even you that should be our comfort , become our shame , and break our hearts , and make men papists by your temptation . woe to the world , because of offences , and woe to some by whom they come . i thank god , i speak not my own case ; i think those many religious people that i have had the oversight of , are as ready to be ruled by me , and as undivided , as any that ever i have known ? but alas , in too many places it is otherwise : should the ministers in london , that have suffered so long , but use any part of the liturgy and scripture forms , though without any motive , but the pleasing of god , & the churches good , what muttering and censuring would there be against them ? and woe to those few teachers that make up their designs by cherishing these distempers . one would think that their warning had bin fair . but — si nati sint ad bis perdendam angliam — the lord have mercy on us ! 15. seeing places and numbers and other church-circumstances are matters left to humane prudence , be sure that you prudentially discern the divesity of duties , according to the diversity of places and occasions . these things i here include . first , that you be not of those church-tearers opinion , who must have all go just one way , in all those undetermined variable things ; and will censure all , and take them for dividers , that do not as they do . secondly , that edification or the publick good is the end , rule and measure of these prudential actions . thirdly , that in looking to this rule and end , you must not look only to your present congregation or the present age , but to all the churches abroad , and to posterity . fourthly , that nothing here should be rashly done , but by great advise . fifthly , that therefore other brethren , ( as well dissenting as consenting ministers ) should for safety be consulted with , not to be your governours , but for counsel and for concord . sixthly , to which end correspondencies of ministers is necessary . 16. in those places where the name of a distinct church , and that your administration of the sacraments is like to do more harm than good , it is your duty to forbear it , and only to teach . how to discern this , prudence and counsel must direct you : if there be a worthy parish minister , and the people are all or almost all satisfied ( or may be satisfied by you ) to communicate with him according to the liturgy , and if your own administration would stir up so much offence and hurt , as that the benefit cannot countervail it , the case is plain . but if you live in london , or where all the people cannot come to the parish church , or the minister is intollerable , and the good is like ( on prudent advise ) to be apparently greater then the hurt , i know not but you may 1. know your flock by name . 2. and take it either as a chappel ( in some places ) or as a distinct neighbour church ( in other places . ) 3. duely administer the sacraments . 4. and soberly and wisely use christs discipline . 17. be sure that the concord of all the true protestant non-conformists churches , be established upon the simple ancient catholick terms , and not upon any self-devised additions : that is , that all that own the scripture in general , and the baptismal covenant , the creed , lords prayer , and decalogue in particular ( as the summary of holy belief , holy desires , and holy practice , ) be taken for fellow christians , till it be proved against them that by heresie or wickedness they nullifie this profession . this is the rule and test of universal concord . here all agree : and if after this one church will use forms of prayer , and another will not , one will baptize infants , and another will delay it , &c. they are differences that must be born , where love and reason cannot heal them , without breach of charity , concord or communion ; yea in the same church , such different opinions may be born , further than as those that dissent from the pastors mode of worship , will separate themselves when none rejecteth them . we have all naturally a pope born in us , and when men have never so much talkt against popery and prelacy , too many censure or run away from all that are not of their way . if any tell you that so wide an enterance will let into the church socinians and other hereticks , who will mis-expound the words , ask them again , first , whether baptising men is not a taking them into the church ? and whether the apostles and churches for many hundred years , required any more of those that were baptized ? and whether their business be to shew themselves wiser than the apostles , and the primitive church ? secondly , whether hereticks will not subscribe to all the scripture , while they misinterpret it ; and whether all the scripture therefore be not big enough for a creed ? thirdly , whether all heresie be not a contradiction of some of the aforesaid articles of faith , and he that saith , i believe this creed and all that is contrary to it , renounce not all heresie . fourthly , whether all laws be faulty which men can misinterpret ; and whether the law must be changed and enlarged as oft as any break it . fifthly , whether all the volumns of general councils , be not yet too little by that rule , the sence of many being still controverted ? sixthly , if we must have new creeds and church articles as oft as hereticks misexpound the old , whether it be not in the power of the devil and hereticks to make our faith ridiculously alterable every year , till it grow intolerably voluminous ? seventhly , and who is it that must be still the creed-makers or menders ? and where will they stop ? and how shall we know when we have all ? eighthly , is he a wise pastor , that readeth how the churches have ever since the council at nice bin distracted with new creeds , and yet will take no warning ? read how hilary pict . inveigheth against them . when they vexed hierome himself with suspicions of heresie about the trinity , ( because he was not for the term hypostasis as a person ) his answer was , they ask me of my belief ( or faith ) as if i had bin new-born ( or baptized ) without a belief : as if he should say , is it not a true and sufficient creed or profession of faith , which we all make at baptism ? why else are we baptized ? ninethly , tell them , that pastors indeed must know more than all the people : but not by having a new creed or scripture , but at their oraination they are to give an account of a fuller understanding the same creed than the people must do : and the ordainers must examine them where they suspect them of heresie . tenthly , lastly , tell them that no more than this is necessary , at the door ; but if any after prove an heretick , the accuser must prove it by him ; and what is the use of church-discipline , but to reform him or cast him out ? and laws will not serve alone instead of judgement . if they say that a heretick may do much mischief before it can be proved against him , tell them . 1. that it must not be thoughts but words that do mischief in the church ; and words are proveable . 2. that such proud tyrannical overdoers , have bin the churches undoers ? and it is they that have done as much mischief as most hereticks : and that they that will be so much wiser and better than god , as to keep out all heresie by their self-conceited ways , are the men that let in heresie and impiety , and keep or cast out faithful pastors , and are the officers and agents of the great divider and destroyer of the churches . let me add , brethren , we that have lived in an age , when the engines of church-division have so sadly prospered , and have smarted thereby , and born our testimony against them , are doubly obliged to leave this testimony of ours to posterity to warn them , that if possible they may escape the snare ; and therefore to publish this our judgement , and our own concord on these primitive terms to all the world , as against the romish tyrannical-uncertain-confounding church-dividing , and still growing articles of faith ; remembring that the same men that have made their religion so big as that the french impression of it ( viz. their councils ) is too dear for the purse of a non-conformable minister ; can yet tell you that even ●aith in christ himself ( explicite ) is not absolutely necessary , at least to justification , and that the knowledge even of much of the law of nature as well as of the gospel may not be absolutely necessary , as sancta clara , deus-nat-grat . problem . 15. and 16. proveth out of the schoolmen at large . 18. manage your ministerial converse prudently and piously . the converse of ministers is of great use , and therefore frequent meetings needful : use them to these ends . 1. to advise and prevent the effects of rashness or imprudencie in church affairs : when every weak man hath the use of the wisdom of all his seniors , it is safe . 2. to preserve concord , and prevent backbitings , animosities and sactions , and discordant scandalous singularities . 3. that young ministers may be learners as well as teachers , and may grow up under the helpes of their seniors . i think therefore you may best thus improve your converse . i. often meet for fasting and prayer , to lament our former and later sin , and to pray for the church of christ and for all men ; for the king and all in authority , that we may live a quiet and peaceable life , in all godliness and honesty . ii. set up constant regular disputations , ( not about trifles , nor with litigious licenciousness ) but about the grounds of our religion , especially the differences between us and the socinians , and papists ; and this with school order , under moderation . because , 1. too many of us are young and unstudyed in these matters , and little fit to deal with the philistins goliahs , and have great need to increase in holy defensive skill . 2. it will by the bounds of order prevent all contentions and wranglings , and medling with rulers or other mens matters , and all loss of time by impertinent discourse . iii. counsel and concord about church practice must take up the rest of your time . and these three seasonably used prayer , disputation , and counsel will conduce much to your growth and strength . but see that ministerial meetings turn not from counsel and agreement to formality and vsurpation of a ruling power over one another , and so degenerate not into synodical church-tyranny ; much less usurpe the magistrates right : for synods ill managed have bin the fevers and pleurisies of the churches . 19. therefore be sure to keep out , both the tyranny of major votes , and of the proud magisterial self-arrogations of any individuals , that think all others must stoop to them . 1. when it is once thought that the major vote must carry it , an ithacian synod , will tyrannize ; and every weak self-conceited man , that hath nothing of sence to say against you will charge nine learned judicious grave divines with insolency , if they will not be governed by ten that are unlearned or injudicious self-esteemers . voteing is not for government , but for concord ; and not to be used , ( lest it seem an appearance or introduction of usurpation , ) except in cases where meer concord is your work . 2. but nothing hath more plagued the church than the pride and arrogancy of some of the pastors , that think they are wronged if they may not rule . think not that this spirit is only in papists or diocesans ; pride is the heart of the old man , and born in all ; and doleful experience telleth how it surviveth in too many antiprelatical ministers , of humbling principles , and unhumbled souls . do we not know that the pride of some among our selves , that must be all , and do all , till they have undone all , is the very thing , that hath silenced so many ministers , and brought us to the state that we are now in ? there are some men that must only be heard in all debates , and seldom hear ; who are angry if they be gainsaid ; who think that nimble tongues , or popular interest , or grey hairs , must pass for uncontrolled reason . and they study to make parties , and set up their own dictates , by passion or indirect contrivances : they can seldom debate a cause , but their spleen swelleth against those that say not as they say , but contradict them , and they secretly back-bite them to blast their names ! they note those that follow them , and those that oppose them , and make two parties of them . and all cometh from the common sin of man-kind , an unhumbled overconfident understanding . these men must first be meekly desired to be quiet , and to let you be quiet , and to remember that non-conformists are not for self-obtruding prelacy ; and that they are brethren and not lords : if that will not do , try by prayer to prevail with god , for more of humility and peace in his ministers . if that will not do , silently bear their importunity with neglect : if that do not , meet without them : 3. and yet there is as great a mischief as any of these to be avoided also : which is the self-conceitedness and pride of the younger and the more injudicious sort of ministers , hindering them from following the counsels of wiser experienced men . for though we must have no arrogant lordly usurpers among us , yet all that know any thing must confess , that in all professions wise and eximious men are few : it is but to few divines that god giveth clear and accurate judgments ; and undoubtedly there is a three-fold superiority and submission of divine obligation , 1. of subjects to men in office over them . 2. of the younger to the elder . 3. of them that have less knowledge , to them that have more . for office and seniority are but formalities , did they not suppose an eximious fitness by superior knowledge . if therefore god endow here and there one man with extraordinary judgement , it is the wisdom and happiness of the times to know him , and to kindle their torches at his fire : so did one luther , one melanchthon , one calvin , one erasmus , one jewel , whitakers , reignolds , davenant , &c. profit many . you may go a hundred miles amongst the less judicious sort , and miss of that light which one amesius●ne ●ne camero , one strangius , one le blanch &c. could shew the world . and it is the plague of corrupted nature that ignorance keepeth men from knowing it self , and not one of a multitude ( even of religious men ) who are injudicious will believe that they are injudicious ; but every man is so much the more confident that he is in the right and others erre , by how much the more he erreth himself : so that few ignorant ministers are teachable , but think that they are too wise to learn , because by office they undertake to teach : but through gods mercy , my own converse hath bin with an humble sort of ministers , which was the occasion of our unity and peace . and london and the countrey have many such , who i hope will be able to resist the dividing attempts of the self ignorant and self-conceited . 20. lastly , spend this little time as in the way to speedy sufferings and death : your present winters day is short . work hard : live wisely : suppose your tryal were the next year : behave your selves as men that stand in prospect of the grave : it is not likely that god will pass over twenty years wilfull divisions , wantonness , proud contention , self-distraction , scandals , and great sins so little repented of , that men cannot endure to hear them named , with so short or small a suffering as we have undergone . and the same spirit yet blinding the guilty , and keeping some of the separating party in impenitence , and working still by unlawful means to their unlawful ends , is the fearful prognostick , that more of the old effects are to be produced by the old uncured cause . o be not partakers in the guilt and blindness lest you partake of the destruction , and dementation be the sure prognostick of perdition . but o lord spare thy people , and bless thine inheritance , and let not the weakness or willfulness of the pastors or people , deliver it up as a prey to the destroyer . and though our folly and scandal have made us a scorn , let it not turn to the extirpation of true religion , and to the further advantage of church-tyranny , ignorance , or malignity in the world . and if we the foolish sinful pastors , have forfeited our honour and station in thy church , let not the tyrannical foolish and wicked , but those that shall be wiser , holyer and more faithfully and succesfully diligent succeed us . chap. xii . an humble petition to the conformists . sect. 1. fathers and brethren , though i presumed to counsel the non-conformists as my equals , i will presume no higher with you , than to lay my self at your feet , and humbly a second time to become your petitioner for the souls of men , for the gospel , the church , and the interest of christ . it is your office to be petitioners to mankind for christ , and to beseech them in his stead to be reconciled to god. and a man might hope that one that should become a petitioner to you , that your selves would not destroy that church , might find acceptance and prevail . but satan hath got so great advantage , that the wisest man living is uncapable of speaking rightly to you without offence . he that can draw men into great disgraceful sin , hath thereby raised a bulwark to defend his work . to be silent and comply , is to be cruel to the sinner and himself , and who can do it that believeth death and judgement : to call men to repentance , is utterly to lose them by implying that they have sinned . o little did i once think that repentance had bin so hard a work , when god offereth pardon of all other sins , against the law of innocency , on so low and reasonable a condition . sect. 2. it is not in my thoughts to confound all conformists , as if there were no difference among your selves . i know that there are many sorts of you : i. there are some learned zealous high conformists , who think they have done good service to god , by all that they have done already ; and no doubt , were wise enough to foresee what they were bringing to pass , and are not , by any sober man , to be accused of doing either they knew not what , or what they did not suppose was good , and would countervail all that it should cost to procure it . their work hath prospered ; and the hinder part of it is yet in their hands ; but it is also in the hands of god. to these reverend persons , i have formerly spoken to their great offense . sect. 3. ii. and i would there were no ministers so pittifully dark , and young , and raw , or so much out of love and relish , with things spiritual , through the prevalency of a stronger appetite , as that their incapacity convinceth me , that i am not to expect much regard from them , as knowing with what ears they hear . sect. 4 iii. there are also some called latitudinarians , who love not fopperyes or violence , but are men of reason and sober conversations , though they are not so tender and scrupulous as the non-conformists , but can break over greater rubs . sect. 5. iv. and there are other godly sober unwilling conformists , who by the benefit of subscribing in their own sence , have stretcht themselves to do what they have done ; who conform on the terms of mr. sprint , submitting to what would else be evil , onely to obtein the liberty of preaching ; ( far be it from me to put in any selfish ends . ) who are unwillingly conformists , as the westminster assembly were , that after took down prelacy . sect. 6. to all of them that yet have ears to hear , i humbly present these following requests . i. o be not too angry with those that censure you as sinners . i detest rash censoriousness : but you know men that differ in this world , about speculatives , may differ about matters of practice too : the jesuists , fryars and jansenists do so , in not a few or little things . and in such a difference , one party must needs consure the practisers of the contrary , as sinners . if you and i differed about usury , stage playes , gaming , &c. one party must needs think that the other side do live in sin . and who liveth and sinneth not ? either the censure is true or false : if true , should you not be as thankful as to one that would save you from the plague ? will sin do you less hurt than censure ? if it be false , consider 1. you are fallible ; and the notice of a possible pernicious danger , should be received with self-suspicion and thanks . 2. and you should love them the better for their aversness to sin , though they should mistake the matter of it . a proud heart saith swellingly , am i to be accounted herein a sinner ? a humble person will say : alas , i am too likely to mistake and sin : but if i do not , i will love , even a mistaken enemy of sin . and to deal faithfully with you , had those honest conformists of my acquaintance , but come first to the ablest dissenters , and impartially heard and weighed all that they had to say , and not secretly slipt into conformity , as if they had bin afraid of hearing all , i should have bin the more offended with their censurers . but god hateth sin , and so must all that truely love him . and they are our best friends that do most to preserve us from it . and they are our greatest enemies , that would flatter us into it . to preach against sin , is your ministerial office : and if any man thinks that you make a solemn covenant to sin , that you may have leave to preach against sin ; yea , that you deliberately commit a great one , that you may have leave to preach against a less in other men , this man deserveth to be heard though he mistake . at death and judgment , nothing in the world but sin will be your danger : unjust censures will be none . if we say nothing to you yet its easie to gather by the costly terms on which we avoid it , that we take conformity for a sin . and if any of the people carry it censoriously or contemptuously towards you ( which we abhor ) remember that you take them for weak and pievish persons : and honour or contempt is valuable according to the quality of the honourer or contemner : you take your followers to be the wiser as they are the more : and we bear their censures of us , and much more : and cannot you bear the censures of a few that you judge weaker ? you will proclaim the non-conformists to be the stronger christians , if they can bear poverty and restraints , with the censure of the most , when you cannot bear the censure of the fewest , with liberty and ministerial maintenance and honour . ii. for your souls sake and for the churches sake , take heed of selfishness and pride , lest it fill you with envy against your brethren that serve the same lord , when you think they any way diminish your reputation and honour . i would have others keep up your reputation to the utmost ; which in the name of god , i charge upon them ; yea , and in honour to prefer you : but if you think they do not , remember that you are the servants of a crucified christ , who made himself of no reputation , but took upon him the form of a servant , and yet this way got a name above every name . as sure as you live , contending for honour , is one of the readiest ways to loose it , and giving it to others , and contemning it your selves , is one of the surest ways to get it , it is its motto , quod sequitur fugio ; quod fugit ipse sequor . self-esteem , and pride is odious in all : but in a minister of christ more odious , than in any man : but never so odious as when it riseth to such malignity , as to envy or hinder the work of god , because another more esteemed doth it . it is a sin that i am readyer to tremble to think of , than further to reprove . and remember what work it hath made in the churches of christ already . read but what eusebius , socrates , sozomen , evagrius , nicephorus , &c. say of the fewds of the old bishops : read but the acts of the councils at ephes . 1 , & 2. of chalcedon , at ariminum , at sirmium , at nice , 2d . &c. and if horrour and shame do not overwhelm you , to think what christian bishops did , and that so early in the face of the heathens , you are not men . read but how nazianzene was used at constantinople , by a synod of orthodox bishops , when he had overcome the arrians : read the controversies between basil and anthymius , and others : read the doleful story of theophilus alexandrinus , and the egyptian monks , and of the same theophilus his manner of dealing against the origenists , and of his double letters and present which he sent by ifidore a priest , to the emperour and maximus , to be given to him that got the better : read the odious story of the said theophilus and epiphanius his proceedings against chrysostome , and his ejection by a councel of bishops : read the proceedings of ithacius and idacius and their synods in sulp. severus : there is no end of instances : read but the destruction of the many hundred brittish monks at bangor , and the great suspicions that augustine caused it . look but on the face of the greek and latine churches to this day , from the begining and cause of their divisions : and see what the lutherans have done oft times against the calvinists in saxony , and other parts of germany , ( as in gasp . peucers sufferings for one : ) and see what the roman papacy and clergy have done in the world by lordly pride and selfishness : and lastly , see what hath bin done by it in this land ; and at last learn by experience , and judge of church-mens pride by the effects . brethren , what harm will it do to you , if a non-conformist preach by you ? if many follow him ? if some prefer him before you ? do not others prefer you before him ? what if his followers think conformity to be sin ? do not you and yours think so of our non-conformity ? it is not your selves that you preach for , but the peoples souls : and why may not christs gospel profit them from another as well as from you ? nature teacheth men to relish their own food , and partly to feel what doth them good ? clemens alexand . strom. 1. giveth it as the reason why the church ( then , not now ) left it to every communicant at the sacrament , to take their own part , because man having free will , shall be the chooser , or refuser of his own good . if they choose a worse teacher than you , it is not you but they that are the loosers : if they choose a better , you have your end , if you are christians ; if you preach not so well as another , you are not fit to be ministers of christ , if you be not glad that another doth better , and is a blessing to the flock . if you preach better , it s two to one but goodness will have an insuparable attraction : or if mistake make them more capable of good from another than from you , should you not desire that they might have it ? will you say , it is their partial humour ? i have heard many ministers say so , that had reason to have said , it is my unskilfulness or dulness : but suppose it be so ; a physician will let his patient take his medicine from one mans hand , if he refuse it from another . the father will not let the infant famish if he will take no meat from him , but from the mother . if the people had no faults or weaknesses , what need were there of you or other ministers . i am as apt to speak sharply against the humours and weakness of religious people , as most that are not envious and malignant . but i must give them this testimony , that though many of them cannot well judge of judiciousness in their teachers , yet most of them love a serious preacher and a godly liver ; and few of them distast either prelates or conformists , if they preach seriously , and live holily . but when in all the countreys they see such preachers and livers chosen out for silencing , all the world cannot keep them from disliking such bishops as shall do thus . i am most confident for those of my old acquaintance , that if they had seen bishops ( after their long disacquaintance with them ) to have preached and prayed in a sound and serious holy manner , and set themselves to promote the labours of godly preachers , and to encourage piety in the people and repress iniquity , they would generally have loved and honoured them , without respect to presbytery or independency : it is godliness that godly people care for . but since i and abundance about us were ejected , and since many of themselves have bin laid in goals , it is no more in my power to make them love such bishops , than to make them love the goal it self . yea further , brethren , what if the non-conformable minister do give the sacrament to some , as you do to others ? what if they think their way best , as you think yours ? what if they call themselves a church and exercise discipline , ( which without need i would not have them do , ) what harm will this do to you or others ? if it do them harm , let them thank themselves : but to you it can do none , unless the unchristian sin of pride and envy cause it : or unless by reproaches and contentiousness they hinder the success of your labours ; which is another thing . i confess i have ever bin jealous of such arbitrary churches , where there is room for all in one church , lest they should turn anti-churches and theatres of emulation and contention ; ( which i charge all conscionable persons to abhor : ) but all this may be avoided at cheaper rates , than silencing so many laborious ministers , or excommunicating all the people that are non-conformists . iii. joyn lovingly with your brethren , as servants of one lord , to promote one work . look not strange at them , if they desire your friendship ; yea , if any of them prove censorious and pievish , if you are the more patient , condescending , and forward to love and unity , and to further the peoples good , i shall take you for better men than them ; and so will all that judge by the fruits of the spirit . try this way instead of wrath , and i dare undertake that it shall more maintain your honour , with your peace of conscience . brethren , our great account is near : the judge is at the door : it will be then comfortable to give a true account of ministerial fidelity , and hear , well done good and faithful servant ; rather than to hear , we have beaten our fellow servants , or unfaithfully kept the key of knowledge . the souls of your charge are many and precious : it is a hard and great work to cure one : to make one ignorant person understand , one proud person humble , one infidel to believe , one worldling to become heavenly , or one sensualist to be a mortified saint : what help then do you need ; what labour is requisite , to bring a parish of many hundred or thousand persons to this change ! as our weakness must make us all cry out , who is sufficient for these things , so when one man hath ten mens work to do , he may well say , he is insufficient : in the first three centuries , when one congregation had a bishop with a colledge or company of fellow presbyters , they were not too many , though one onely could preach at once . i speak not uncertainties : we have tryed the pastoral work ; and know by experience that a parish of a thousand ( much more of many thousand ) families , hath work enough for many the most able and diligent ministers in the land : yea , a parish of an hundred families , needeth more help than any one minister is able to afford them : try them all by personal conference house by house as we have done , and judge . would you then have the people taught , reformed and saved , or not ? if yea , would you not have necessary help to do it ? i cannot believe that man to know truely what it is to be a minister or a christian , that perceiveth not a necessity of help if he can have it : and if you had converted all now living , those that are born next will have need of as much labour as their parents : for ignorance , sensuality and pride will be born with them . thank god therefore that you may have help , and take it , whether you meet in one or two assemblies : help your tolerated brethren in their work , as those that more desire the good of the peoples souls than they . consult together for the removing of impediments , and for the strengthening of each other . and if any factious , or froward non-conformist should happen to be your neighbour , go to him , and by love and familiarity seek to win and cure him ; and you will win the hearts of all good people . and if he be really turbulent , and do more harm in the place than good , i am perswaded the rest of the non-conformists will rebuke him , and disown him . i add , iv. if any difference between you cannot be composed , instead of troubling the people about it , quietly refer it to some indifferent arbitrators . is there not a wise man among you ? must abrahams and lots servants , separate them for a well ? must paul and barnabas part for different censures of another mans omission ? shall christians , protestants , ministers , the teachers of love , and concord and patience , be so weak , so selfish , so bad , such contradicters of their daily doctrine , as not to be able to carry on christs work in peace ; nor to make an amicable composure of their differences ? if you are christians indeed , the difference is not who shall have the most followers , applause or honour , but who serveth god and saveth souls , in the right and true effectual way ? and may not prayer and consultation reconcile such a controversie ? for my own part i am conscious of pride and selfishness ; yet i can confidently say , that when i had a pastoral charge , where i needed many assistants , if i had known where that man lived whom the people would have loved , honoured and profited by , more than my self , i would have rid night and day to get him to be the man : and when i have heard my neighbour ministers that were younger men ( i can scarce forbear naming them ) preach much more affectionately and profitably than my self , i have sate under them with tears of joy . but alas , what hath ten years silence of such men , deprived the souls of the poor people of ! i never 〈…〉 it meet with saint francis and the fry●●s , to abase my self by going naked , or by taking on me to be an awfe , or by filthiness , or ridiculous behaviour ; as if heaven and a swine-sty were most like : ( see foulis his history of popery . ) but i have thought it my duty to cast away deliberately and knowingly much of my reputation , even with religious people , by the discharge of such duty as i knew would do it ; believing that reputation is one thing to be resolutely denyed for christ , and that he that saveth his honour shall lose it , and he that loseth it for christ shall have everlasting honour . brethren , there is no great matters to be done in the church of christ in the midst of so many corruptions and temptations , without confirmed resolution : resolve t● be wholly the servants of christ , and to seek mens salvation , and to take no thought for your carnal interest and honour ; and then the god whom you serve will take care of it . think not that other mens selfishness or frowardness is an excuse to yours : who knoweth man ; and knoweth not that pride and selfishness is as common as sin , that is , is the last-dying heart of all our corruption ? will you expect none of it in others , when you know ( if you know your selves ) that you have much of it in your selves ? 〈◊〉 dealing is not the sign of enmity but love . 〈◊〉 must tell you , that we cannot but think that you need repentance , great repentance , for sinning more ( and that by publick , deliberate , chosen , covenanted , ministerial sin , protesting against repentance ) in the day when judgements called us all to renew our repentance for our former sins . but yet we suspect our own understandings : we know what different apprehensions of things good men may have : we know that we are great sinners our selves : we take not all this to warrant our censorious separations from you . but we beseech you be not too angry with us , for differencing between good and evil , between him that sweareth , and him that feareth an oath . as long as we do it to the cost and suffering of our own flesh , which disputeth in us more cunningly and strongly for conformity , then all the durels , the fullwoods , the stilemans , &c. in england . we have naturally no more love to poverty , to scorn , to a prison , than you have : and why may not those that do nothing else almost say , that its like we study to know the truth , as hard as any of you all ? and the love of beggery , scorn and imprisonment , is not likely much to byas us . and if you think that our honour with our party doth it , you must needs think that we ( who so sharply reprove them , ) do think very highly of that poor despised party , when we prefer their opinions , not onely before your magnates & plures , but also before our livelihoods , liberties and lives . woe to the hypocrite that hath no better a reward ! and why should we do it ? were we not as capable of the more noble and general applause as you , if we could have taken your way ? as we are none of your judges then , be you none of ours , but let us with resolved unity ( though not uniformity ) serve that one god whom we are all devoted to . remember that to preach love is your ministerial work ; and to practice it is your christian work . resolve as much to maintain christian love as inviolate , even to martyrdom , as the martyrs did to maintain the christian faith. remember ridley and hooper : you may come to ridley's confessions ere you die . we purpose not to unminister you so much a● gildas did his brittains , nor to separate from you so much as martin did to the death , from all the neighbour synods and bishops , for a far lesser cause than the silencing of eighteen hundred ministers . we take not you whom i now write to , to be consenting to this work . ( though your silence and non-resistance , hath bred such thoughts of you in people , as we would fain have you cure by the contrary means . ) we are for peace : be not you against it : but we cannot buy it , by deserting the ministry , to which we were consecrated and devoted , nor by neglecting so many thousand miserable souls . bring things in england once to that pass , that really our labour may be unnecessary , in the judgement of those that are not infidels , ignorants , or malignant enemies of a holy life , and we will presently gratifie all that desire our silence , or our banishment , and will not trouble men with needless work . thus , brethren , you see , i have presumed no higher than to petition you ; and that not to your cost or detriment ; nor for our preferment , wealth or ease : we aske you not for food or rayment ; we crave from you none of your dignities , nor estates : though when i find this author disswading us from our ministry , because the people are poor , i think that reason might almost as aptly have served to perswade us to live no longer , because the world is too poor to keep us ; we do but eat if we preach , and so we must if we do not : and i think it had savoured of no excess of charity and ministerial ingenuity , if he had rather said , brethren , you must perform your undertaken ministry , and we and the peoples souls have need of all your help ; and the maintenance is given for the work , therefore you that work with us , shall have part of the church maintenance with us , at least a fifth part , as was allowed to the ejected by the parliament , because the people cannot maintain you , and it is hard to serve god without anxiety , while your families are in want . this had better beseemed our brethren ; but we crave and expect no such thing from you ; but only patiently to suffer us to live and labour by you , and let god provide for us as he please . and if we had expected that heretofore you had petitioned our rulers , for the liberty of our ministry , it had bin no unreasonable expectation . all knew that our own petitions had no hope : ministers should of all men have bin most sensible of the churches breaches , loss and danger , and most compassionate of the peoples souls : if you had but humbly acquainted our rulers , that all our labours conjoyned are too little ; that you needed our help , and the ignorant our teaching ; that your own judgement was , that our ministry was more necessary than our personal conformity , 1. you know not but you might have bin heard : for no doubt our rulers thought they did that which the reverend church-men did advise or think best : i hope you do not think that our civil rulers would have done all that they have done against us , if it had bin against the bishops and conformable clergies judgment and advise : civil governours are never so cruel in matters of religion , as the ruling and exasperated clergy are , as the histories of all ages testifie . 2. or at least you might have had the greater peace of conscience , in all the confusions that have followed , and said , it is not long of us . and you would have acquitted your selves in the judgement of all your hearers , and they would have bin the less prejudiced against your ministry . had you petitioned and prevailed but for these two things , you had healed all our breaches , first , that the door of enterance might not have bin barred by any other subscriptions , professions or oaths , than what were used in the churches of christ , till the exaltation of the papacy ( for 600 years , ) besides the oaths of allegeance and supremacy , and the subscribing the doctrine of the church of england , in the 39. articles , according to the 13th . of queen elizabeth . secondly , that those ( so subscribing ) who dare not use the liturgy and ceremonies , might have leave to preach in the churches which use them , under laws which shall restrain them from all unpeaceable opposition to what they dare not use , or to the government of the church . and having mentioned this , what if i added yet this clause to my present petition to you ? v. that you will yet petition for us , or rather for the church of christ , that upon the foresaid terms we may be , if possible , taken in to the established ministry , if not , yet tolerated as lecturers under you in such churches , where the ministers desire us , not taking any of their maintenance from them , but trusting god for our daily bread . by this means you shall have no need to fear our injuring of your wealth or reputation ; nor the strengthening of the papists by the weakening of protestants through our-own divisions ; ( onely let not the people who scruple conformity , be therefore denyed church-communion and sacraments . ) and now as god will judge , so let the world judge , & let posterity judge whether we are unworthy in comparison of the present ministers of england , to be permitted to preach christs gospel on these self-denying and self-abasing terms ; and whether they that cry out of the danger of popery . infidelity , profaneness and heresies , and yet had rather let them in all , than give us leave to exercise that ministry to which we were consecrated , in poverty and subjection ; and while they cry out of divisions , will not lay by the dividing-engines ; should rather accuse us or themselves , if the evils overwhelm us , which they seem to fear ? it is not pleasure , profit or worldly preferments , that we contend for : we would do no man hurt or wrong : if our lovers of church-power do think us intolerable , because we obey them not as fully as they desire , we profess before god and man , that it is not because we would not be subject and obedient to any , as far as will stand with our obedience to god , but only because we dare not , we will not do that which we believe that god forbideth us : and if we erre , it is not for want of studying , perhaps as hard and impartially as they , to know the truth : and to him that thinketh he doth evil it is sin . it is sin , and no small or tolerable sin , which our consciences fear , in our forbearing subscriptions and conformity : if they also take it to be a sin to suffer us to preach the gospel , and a greater sin , than to suffer the inundation of infidelity , popery and the rest which they say is ready to break in upon us , and if they think our not subscribing , swearing , &c. to be in us so great a sin , that the punishment laid on swearers , drunkards , or fornicators , will not serve turn to avenge it on our selves , nor any other of our personal sufferings , unless the souls of many thousands , and the protestant religion , and our posterity also suffer for it , the judgments of god must be endured . but remember not lord our offences , nor the offences of our fore-fathers , neither take thou vengeance of our sins : spare us good lord ; spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood , and be not angry with us for ever . and hasten o lord jesus thy more righteous judgement . finis . errata . p. 13. l. ●● . the thing , p. 19. l. ● . del . 〈◊〉 , p. 28. l. 21 ▪ r. you , p. 45. l. 15. del . 4 ▪ p. 65. l. 6. r. work . p. 67. l. ●8 . r. by not only , p. 70. l. 3. for [ ? ] r. [ : ] p. 89. l. ● . r. intolerable , p. 9● . l. ● . r. make your , p. 108. l. 21. r. and renounce all . the nonconformists advocate, or, a farther account of their judgment in certain things in which they are misunderstood written principally in vindication of a letter from a minister to a person of quality, shewing some reasons for his nonconformity, modesty answering the exceptions of two violent opposers of the said reasons. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1680 approx. 221 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 45 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26964 wing b1318 estc r1328 12626685 ocm 12626685 64663 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26964) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 64663) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 344:3) the nonconformists advocate, or, a farther account of their judgment in certain things in which they are misunderstood written principally in vindication of a letter from a minister to a person of quality, shewing some reasons for his nonconformity, modesty answering the exceptions of two violent opposers of the said reasons. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [4], 83 p. printed for thomas simmons ..., london : 1680. written by richard baxter. cf. halkett & laing (2nd ed.). errata: p. [4]. reproduction of original in huntington library. marginal notes. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng letter from a minister to a person of quality, shewing some reasons for his non-conformity. dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-01 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-03 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2006-03 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the nonconformists advocate : or , a farther account of their judgment in certain things in which they are misunderstood . written principally in vindication of a letter from a minister to a person of quality , shewing some reasons for his nonconformity , modestly answering the exceptions of two violent opposers of the said reasons . london , printed for thomas simmons , at the prince's arms in ludgate-street , mdclxxx . the epistle to the reader courteous reader , some years since i was called upon by a person of quality , to acquaint her ladyship with the reasons of my non-conformity : for it had been suggested to her ladyship , that i had none ; but only was swayed by the example of some others , much reverenced by me , to tread in their steps , at all adventures . as if i had been one of those mentioned by origen in his first book against celsus , who chose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be of this sect and party , not out of any sound mind and judgment , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but by a certain illogical hurry of determination without all deliberation . vpon this i was necessitated , to put pen to paper , and give her ladyship such an hasty account , as the time would permit : which was under the limit of five or six days . i could not therefore search into all things affording matter of scruple , they being too large and numerous ; but only singled out those mentioned in my letter , as being next at hand , and moreover obvious , and easie to be understood by her ladyship , at the first reading of them . a copy of this letter , such as it was , without adding , diminishing , or the least alteration , was appointed to be printed about three months since : but printed it was not a long time after ; at least i supposed so . but when i deemed no such matter , my copy was brought unto me printed , together with a printed confutation of it at the same time in quarto . this seemed strange to me , but i being in that instant oppressed with bitter grief , by the death of a darling-child , was not in a condition to read it over , much less to justifie my self against it . and now within less than a week after , another second confutation was directed to me , upon which i thought i had a loud call , notwithstanding my great indisposition , to undertake mine opponents , and make good my reasons against all their gainsayings . with what evidence of truth , i must leave you and others to judge , my sheets are now ready for the press , but when that will give them a more publique passport , i know not . farewell . october , 27. 1679. errata . page , 8. the four last lines must not be read . p. 15. l. 3. quae tales , r. quâ tales , p. 51. l. 13. after the word likewise the word is must be put in , p. 53. l. 20. after the word condition the word of must be put in , p. 61. l. 33. aucupare r. aucupari . several other faults about the stops left to be corrected by the reader . a refutation , &c. sir , before you would confute me , you thought meet to defame me , in these words ; being lately in a book sellers shop , i met with a letter pretended to be writ from a minister to a person of quality , shewing some reasons of his non-conformity . and you add , i have often observed this humour in some mean , but vain people , who dare not look upon persons of quality , when they are present , to talk of them with great familiarity , and as their peculiar intimates and confidents . but i answer ; why should you a minister be so censorious and uncharitable , as to charge one who is stiled a minister , and i suppose utterly unknown to your self , with pride and lying at the first dash ? with pride , in a vain humour of aspiring unto acquaintance with persons of quality ; with lying , in pretending unto such a familiarity , when indeed there is no such matter . the printer , or some other , affixed this title , for my copy had none at all ; but yet it is altogether truth ; though i have reason to blush , and crave pardon for being no more mannerly and courtly in my stile and address to such a person of honour . by this , and what follows , i observe in you a strange spirit , which i pray god convince you of , and deliver me from : a spirit haughty and scornful , bitter and revengeful , and yet elsewhere too too friendly and amicable . sir , you stile me gentleman , again and again , ironically and contemptuously enough ; and what i have written , you call it stuff to impose upon the injudicious rabble , and parallel it with poor robin ; and many such opprobrious reflections you fasten upon it . this is pride and scorning ; which can never satisfie ( as you would be thought to aim at ) an honest impartial inquirer , but much rather cloud his eyes from beholding , and harden his heart from receiving , whatsoever can be offered ( though with far more powerful and perswading oratory than your own ) to change his mind , or turn him into another path. sir , you alarm the magistrates and governours to a jealousie against us : wherein you sufficiently signifie , not only your grief and grudging at our present indulgency , but also your desire to have us made examples for daring to mutter a word , and pleading on our own behalf , though purposely to shew that we are not wilful , fanatical , and obstinate in our non-conformity ( which is commonly objected against us ) but have in our own apprehensions insuperable objections blocking up the way , and obstructing us from complying . but what is it not enough that we are removed ab officio & beneficio , unless also we be further persecuted and torn in pieces by the secular powers ? what must a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , our utter ruine and destruction be the epilogue ? this is bitter malice in extremity , far from the good spirit of god , which was seen in the shape of a dove , but never in the appearance of a vulture , or bird of prey . sir , you plead for the truth of apocrypha , yea of the most exploded parts of it : here your fierce frowns against poor non-conformists are turned into sweet and gracious smiles upon the roman party , as if father parsons , campian , and such others , had your heart already ; and you hereby intimate before-hand ( if the wind shall ever turn to that corner , which god in his great mercy keep off ) how willingly and easily you could turn about with it into their tents . sir , you quarrel my introduction , and charge it with the want of sense and grammar , but you shew not wherein , and i am pretty confident you cannot ; both the syntax of it , and my mind in it being plain and obvious to every school-boy ; but i well perceive the very first sight of my sheet , fronted with the mostodious word of non-conformity ( so great is your distast against us ) immediately rufled your patience , and like the appearance of purple or scarlet before the eyes of an elephant , put you presently in apassion ; which misted your understanding , and hindered you from discerning , what , to an unprejudiced person , would be most clear and intelligible . our great difference is in making a just comment , and in finding out the true sense and meaning of the words of the first declaration . here by the way there is just matter of complaint , that the said words should need any comment ; for i look upon this declaration ( thus openly to be made before the face of god , and the whole congregation ) of the same nature , and congenerous with an oath ; wherein things ought to be expressed perspicuously and evidently , the sense of them easie and fixedly the same to every understanding ; and this , if possible , beyond all scruple or hesitation ; and not like delph oracles , with their meaning doubtful , intricate , and involved ; and as occasion shall serve , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quickly to be turned from what at the first hearing they seemingly imported and intended . you say assent and consent intend no more than vse and submission , and that this is all in effect which is required of the conforming clergy : i wish it had been so worded in the declaration , and instead of saying , i a.b. do declare my unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the book , entituled the book of common prayer ; we might have said , i a.b. will submit to the use of all and everything contained in , &c. because for peace sake i can submit , where i do not like and chuse ; and in this sense ( notwithstanding your scorn of a very wise and grave observation ) i do yet take the words assent and consent , and am not removed from my first apprehension and explanation of them . in the words of the declaration there is an agent , an act , the object : the agent is the person or minister declaring , and this unfeignedly and sincerely from his heart ; the act is this person his assenting and consenting : now this act of assenting , as to the party declaring , relates to his understanding ; and as to the thing assented to , relates to the truth and rightfulness of it : so likewise again , the act of consenting relates to his will , and as to the thing consented to , to the goodness , expediency , and behooffulness of it . this is what you deride , and hold that the intervention of truth and goodness need not be supposed as a necessary ingredient to what we declare we assent and consent unto ; but in so declaring we mean and intend only this , that we will submit to the use of all and every thing contained and prescribed , &c. whether they be in their own nature ( if strictly examin'd ) most eligible and behoofful to be observed and practised , yea or not . now this your exposition of assent and consent , i look upon as weak and faulty , no more coming up to the full purport of the words considered in themselves , than to the purpose of the law-makers , who framed and injoyned them to be declared . for i take it for granted , that this declaration was thus worded by the most reverend clergy , archbishops , bishops , deans , and such other divines , and this too for divines and ministers of the gospel to be declared by them , as the test of their worthiness and meetness for the ministerial function ; accordingly therefore such persons may rationally and well be supposed to use the words in sensu theologico , in a divine or scriptural sense , and not otherwise : now in the scripture phrase we find assent and consent , fully and altogether according to the exposition which i have given of them . as for example sake , we have found this man a pestilent fellow , and a mover of sedition among the jews ; and the jews assented , saying , these things were so . assented , that is , they avouched what tertull●s had witnessed against paul , was the very truth . shall not their cattel , and their substance , and every beast of theirs be ours ? let us consent unto them , and they will dwell with us . let us consent unto them , that is , let us willingly and readily chuse and imbrace their terms , since the end obtained by them will be so good and gainful , so beneficial and profitable for us . thus s. paul saith , i consent unto the law , that it is good , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , eo quod , or therefore , because it is good . thus generally these words are taken in the description of faith among divines , who tell and teach us , that faith is made up of these three parts , assent , consent , and affiance . faith , as it is assent , acknowledgeth and avoweth the truth and certainty of gospel-revelation , especially concerning the messiah , and the promise of life by and through him : faith as it is consent , imbraceth and receiveth the blessing and goodness of this promise , as most behoofful and advantagious unto us : and from hence is excited readily , chearfully , and thankfully to close in with christ upon his own conditions and proposals , as the only way to happiness : faith , as it is affiance , resteth and relieth upon the veracity of the speaker , and stability of the covenant to felicitate our state , and save us from all the evil and misery sin hath brought upon us . by what i have spoken , we may the better perceive the genuine force and meaning of assent and consent ; the object of these acts now therefore offers it self to our consideration , which i say ( according to the declaration ) is all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the book intituled the book of common prayer ; whereas you , as a general salvo , suppose the word use to be the next object or matter of those acts on which they terminate ; as thus , i assent and consent to the use , ordoing of all those things contained in , and prescribed by , &c. but now is this seemly or tolerable in a most solemn protestation , oran oath , to have the main matter of it brought in only by the blind wicket and back-door of a supposition ? why was not this word openly mentioned and expressed ? why was it not enjoyned us thus to declare , i assent and consent to the use and doing of all and every thing contained , & c ? how can we know the law-makers intended , or will admit of any such a subaudi ? what you mention as their preface to the declaration is somewhat , but not sufficient ; my reason is this ; because in the book of common-prayer there are credenda , as well as agenda ; things of faith , as well as of practice ; yea , some things only of faith , and not of practice : now i cannot but think our law-m●kers in commanding this declaration , did as zealously and carefully design the conformity of our faith , even as of our practice , to the frame and model of theology contained in the liturgy : i am sure , in right reason , the first ought to be aimed at by them , before the last and the last only as the result of the first , unless they thought all conformists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bruit animals , rather than rational creatures ; surely they would not thus reproach them of their own coat , who bear themselves high upon their own understanding above others , and think it but justice to be reputed the most sapient and judicious amongst men . it appears by the woful event , that more than a thousand non-conforming ministers could not thus construe the words of the declaration , when it was first put unto them , and required of them ; which ( with some other things commanded ) made them to turn out , and lose all , rather than lose their souls , in doing what was clearly against their consciences . so that it is not perverseness and folly ( what-ever you say or think ) to stick at the words assent and consent , but rather from the dictates of a sound mind , influenced and awed by the fear of the lord. sir , far beyond my desert , by the good providence of god , i have had the favour and countenance of several great persons of quality , who have received me very lovingly and familiarly : this i speak ( my witness is in heaven ) neither to vaunt my self with the glory of it , nor yet to put you under any disarray again by the vanity of my pretension , but to acquaint you with something to our purpose in the matter before us . a little before the black bartholomew , one of the foresaid in discourse enquired of me , what mine intentions were ? and whither i would conform , yea or not ? i answered his lordship , such things were required and enjoyned , as i could not swallow , and therefore should be necessitated to march off , and sound a retreat . his lordship seemed to be much concerned for me , using many arguments ( as good as ever i have heard or read from any ) to reconcile me to a compliance ; but perceiving me not to be overcome by them , while i urged some of these things now mentioned as a just cause of my refusing ; at last he said with a sigh , i wish it had been otherwise ; but they were resolved either to reproach you , or undo you . of which wise and weighty apothegm i leave you to be the interpreter . was not conformity contrived in such a way and manner on purpose , either to expose us to common infamy , as persons who would say , and swear , and do any thing , rather than lose our livings ? or else to ruine and undo us , by turning us out a grazing in the woful wild of extreme poverty and want ? about a year after another great peer ordered me to wait on his lordship , and proposed something to be done by me with reference to the liturgy , which ( as i thought ) in my then present circumstances , having neither call nor necessity to do , i humbly craved leave of his lordship to be excused therein ; and speaking yet further , about the strict and hard terms of conformity , his lordship replied , i confess i should scarcely do so much for the bible , as they require for the common-prayer . both these , i assure you , are great and learned noble-men , and as far from being presbyterians as your self ; yet you may see their resentments , as to what was commanded , how little they were pleased with such high and rigorous proceedings , and how in the bottom of their hearts , they were rather the advocates , than the accusers of the non-consenters : yea , i perswade my self , that many among your selves had scruples more than a few , or easie , and would then with all their hearts have declined the test of assent and consent , if by any other means they could have escaped the danger : it is well for them if they tentured not their consciences , while they tendered their worldly interests and necessities ; but to chuse to do it from any free act of their own option and will , as what was desired and delighted in by them ( setting aside some high prelatical church-men , who returned in anger and meditated retaliation ) was not to be found in the bosom of many ; yet even these are called forth to declare their unfeigned assent and consent , &c. than which words , i know none more significant of heart and good will , of love and choice , as to all and every thing contained in and prescribed by the book of common-prayer . for i pray , sir , were you to express your judgment and affection in any matter , and how your whole soul and mind is fully pleased , satisfied , and gratified therein , and this beyond all demur and exception ; how could you more clearly discover your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , than by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of an unfeigned , assent and consent unto it ? for mine own part , i profess i know not : therefore it is well remarked by you , that assent and consent , and approve , are words synonymous . but you say , cannot we approve of the use of a book , or approve of a book , as lawful to be used , as well as assent and consent to the use of it ? yes surely : but you mistake me , for i neither can assent nor consent , nor approve of the book , or the use of the book , so as hereby to witness mine own will or desire for the same ; yet i can use it in submission to command , if i shall judge it not simply unlawful and sinful to do it : i , can , as i have said , silently and patiently swallow down some gnats , if my superiours will have it so ; but if i shall be required to say , i assent and consent , and approve of swallowing down gnats , this alters the case ; and now i can no more swallow them down , than if they were camels . wherefore , eo nomine , upon the very same account , as you ingenuously confess , you would be a non-conformist to any church in the world , i am at this present to the church of england . and upon the same score i think present conformity harder than formerly , the now declaration being much more comprehensive in its own nature , and taking in much more of our mind , will , and approbation , as to all and every thing recounted and specified therein , than any foregoing subscription ; especially than that mentioned by your self in the time of queen elizabeth , wherein the clergy were only required to subscribe this promise ; i shall read the service appointed plainly , distinctly , and audibly , that all people may hear and understand . as for the articles published by the authority of king edward the vi. and particularly that concerning the book of common-prayer , with subscription thereunto , i have not seen them , except in your quotation , and therefore can say nothing in the case , one way or other : but i have two books of common-prayer printed in his days , the first about the middle , the second in the last year of his reign ; in neither of which is to be found any rubrick asserting the certainty of childrens undoubted salvation out of gods word , though they are baptized and die before actual sins ; there is not , i say , one syllable to the said purpose in either of them . even this very particular would have rendred subscription more facile and passable to me , had i lived in those days . as for the subscription of the three articles in the time of king james , i acknowledge this was one , quod liber publicae liturgiae , &c. that the book of common-prayer contains in it nothing contrary to the word of god , &c. unto which i had rather , and should much sooner subscribe , than declare my unfeigned assent and consent ( supposing the same book of common-prayer ) to all and every thing contained in , and prescribed by it . for though i cannot prove such and such things to be absolutely contrary to , or against gods word , yet i cannot therefore presently affirm them to be according to gods word , either as expresly revealed , or positively commanded by the sacred canon ; which yet i must be able to do , before i can declare my unfeigned assent and consent to the said particulars ; else i should strangely violate my conscience , and blindly rush forward at all adventures , without all reason or judgment . as for example , though i cannot say concerning children baptized , and dying before actual sin , that their undoubted salvation is absolutely contrary to the word of god ; yet never the more can i affirm , that their undoubted salvation is certain and express by the same . therefore though perhaps i might subscribe to the former , yet i could not declare my unfeigned assent and consent to the latter . one thing i take notice of in these subscriptions , and i wish you would also for your better information ; viz. that assent and consent , relate unto the acknowledgment or avouching the truth and goodness of the things assented and consented to , as well as to the use the great ends generally mentioned for these declarations and subscriptions , are unity and uniformity in the matters of religion and worship ; whereas the contrary effects of animosity and difference have wofully followed hereupon , time after time , as we have seen by long and sad experience in continual breaches and dissentions . there is , and will be , a judicium discretionis in every person , who will be a judge in his own concern contra gentes ; his own mind and apprehension shall and will dictate to him what is right , and what is wrong , what is good , and what evil , both to be believed and practised by him ; the greatest authority of his superiours , and the wisest models of their devised forms for his devotion , in any wise notwithstanding ; nothing shall be able further to subjugate his thoughts to any idea or system of service , than to what may be truly said to be his own , i mean according to his own understanding ; and therefore much less to an oneness and sameness of opinion and judgment of it with those that are above him ( though commending and commanding it to be received and observed ) meerly because they are so . wherefore as it is the wisdome of the church to chuse such a creed , as all who stile themselves christians do universally agree in ; so likewise it would be the highest prudence , to pitch upon such a declaration which all ministers might securely and freely assent and consent unto , without all scruple or hesitation , as the test of their conformity . i will not presume to mention the nature and quality of such an one ; but shall leave it wholly to my superiours and betters : and let these , in gods name , enjoyn all ministers both to declare and do whatsoever the word of god requires of them , to capacitate them for church-work , and no more ; then should i expect unity and uniformity in all things of moment , with peaceable toleration and forbearance in the rest , to the glory of god , and the greatest edification of the church , and never before : then also i would be among the first , who would humbly offer my self as a candidate to that high and holy function , though in the meanest and poorest place of preferment . but it is high time to come to particulars : i cannot approve of the order appointed for the reading of the scriptures ; my reason was , because many books of apocrypha are commanded to be read for the lessons of the day , as the fabulous legends of tobit and his dog , bell and the dragon , &c. while some books of the sacred canon are wholly left out , &c. this i perceive touches you to the quick ; this is confidence and impudence , this is matter of exclamation against our invenomed tongues and pens , and against our persons as pharisaical schismaticks , and what not ? i see your zeal for apocrypha will cause you presently to fly on the faces of those who shall dare to speak a word in any diminution or derogation of it , and this only too as it rivals the holy canon : yet say what you can in the justification of apocrypha ( how the stories therein were received by many of the ancient fathers for truth and reality , and how ( supposing them fiction and fancy ) profitable they are for instruction , comfort , reproof , as the parables of christ himself ; ( so many say , they can profit as much at a play , as at a sermon ) yet apocrypha is apocrypha still , and those very books appointed ro be read , full of absurdities and impossibilities , as i could easily demonstrate in several notorious circumstances ; but this would be actum agere , since it hath been sufficiently manifested by many protestant pens against the papists ; here therefore i shall leave you to be censured and chastised of all , who are not of the red letter , or looking that way : as for mine own part , i ran over the kalender , and saw there one whole month together : viz. october , filled with apocryphal books , forenoon and afternoon , appointed for the lessons of the day ; the same likewise in november , unto the twenty fourth day of it , besides what went before in september of the same kind , while some books canonical are wholly left out , which i did not approve of ; neither can i find any thing of better information from your self to change my mind : and the rather , because i am fully perswaded some parts of scripture are omitted and shut out , which contain in them more to the profit and edification of the hearers , than all the books of apocrypha put together ; yea , it were little less than a blasphemy to say and think otherwise : let us not presume to be wiser than god. but you say , nothing of apocrypha is appointed for sundays ; whoever laid this to your charge ? yet if you speak truth , then some of your ministers are not well skill'd in the order of reading , who , as i am told by ear-witnesses , do sometimes on sundays read out of apocrypha ; whether they then read according to the common monthly kalender , and not according to the proper lessons appointed for sundays , or whether they so read when an holy-day , whose proper lesson is out of apocrypha , falls to be on a sunday , when there is proper against proper , and the minister left at discretion which of the propers he will chuse ; i shall not trouble my self about it , but leave it in medio , to the wise and learned in the case . you say in our conventicles we read little of scripture ; indeed too little ! pudet haec opprobria nobis , and wish it were otherwise with all mine heart ; for i am as far from assenting and consenting to any such omission and neglect , as i would be to all and every thing contained in , and commanded by the book of common-prayer : should i be required to give my approbation of this fault , or else could not be admitted into society with them , i would rather bear their excommunication , and like an hermit serve god in the wilderness by my self alone , than joyn myself to them . so vast a difference there is between being in communion where faults are ( for what church is free from them ? ) and owning those faults ; yea , making such an owning and approbation the lydius lapis , whether we are fit for communion yea or not . now this is the very case of poor non-conformists , with those who have outed them . but to return , recrimination is no self-justification : besides , in most of our meetings , there is on lords-days , at least , constant reading of the scripture , besides the exposition , and giving of the sense of it , with much care and pains , to the edification of the hearers . i cannot approve of the order appointed for the ministration of baptism , because of the strict requiring of godfathers and godmothers to stand as bounden sureties and undertakers for the child , viz. that he shall renounce the devil , and all his works , &c. you say , godfathers and godmothers are not so strictly required as to make it essential to the nature of baptism , as is evident in private baptism , which is declared valid without it . i never objected any such essential strictness ; this therefore is meer impertinency : yet reading over the ministration of private baptism , as it is appointed to be further and fully compleated by the minister , there i find godfathers and godmothers interrogated , and fully ingaging on the childs behalf , as well as in publick . but suppose godfathers and godmothers are not called upon in private baptism to make such a promise ; this is only in a rare extraordinary case of extremity , and out of the general usual road : we know some others , in the like exigency , will grant a greater liberty ; so much do they attribute to the opus operatum , that they will give leave to the midwife to baptize , rather than fail : one swallow makes no summer . herein also you run from the matter in hand . i say , godfathers and godmothers are usually brought to the font to avouch a great untruth ; for though they make such a solemn promise on the childs behalf , they seldome perform it . this you fully acknowledge past contradiction , but charge it as a fault upon the godfathers and godmothers , and not at all upon the constitution ; yea , you highly applaud the prudence and piety of the church in taking such a care for the vertuous education of the children baptized . but quo warranto ? who hath authorized the church to lay such a charge upon any , besides the parents upon whom god has laid it ? and if upon any , why upon those who are called godfathers and godmothers , rather than upon others of the congregation , who are all eye-witnesses of the baptizing of the child , as well as they ? as we may not make more sins than god has made sins , so neither more duties than god has made duties : why therefore in particular should we impose the duty on godfathers and godmothers , to look to the well education of the child baptized , when god has not imposed it ? especially we may not do it , where the fulfilling this duty is an utter impossibility , as sometimes it falls out in the matter before us . sometimes persons are sureties for children by their proxies , themselves living in another country ; how can these see the said children vertuously brought up , when they never see them ? sometimes boys and girls stand as godfathers and godmothers for the infant at the font ; these are very likely to make good their promise , when they are scarce in a capacity to understand what they say ; so far are they from a right apprehension of the matter they ingage in : whereby it appears , that the great care of the church for the health and safety of those she receives into her bosom , ( which is so much spoken of , and magnified ) is no more than a meer pretence , and dwindles into a sorry shadow of words and names : for if there was such a true and real care as is given out , and vaunted , why will ye , the ministers , admit of any such , as i have now mentioned , to be godfathers and godmothers ? ye except against none , that i hear of . and why will you lay a charge upon these , of doing what in reason ye cannot but be convinced they are not in a condition to perform ? verily , if a man should judge according to your quotidian practice , i should be prone to believe , ye your selves scarce think it an absolute necessity , for godfathers and godmothers to perform their font-promises ; for setting aside only what is there barely read before them , i never met with any book , sermon , or discourse , wherein the duty of godfathers and godmothers is pressed upon them , with reference to their god-children , not any thing to mind them of their obligation , or move them to the fulfilling of it : who therefore can imagine ye think it much material , further than the pomp and ceremony of their appearing , whether such godfathers and godmothers look to the good manners of the children baptized , yea or not ? if men and women were throughly convinced by the word of god , what great bonds they lye under by being godfathers and godmothers , according to their own oral protestation , and form of speech there dictated to their hands , notwithstanding what you speak of the easiness of the performance of the promise , it would be hard to find out such voluntary stipulators , or collateral security in the case ; but the minister and his clerk should be necessitated to undertake that province from time to time . again , i approve not of the order appointed for the ministration of baptism , because the father of the child is left out , not mentioned and taken notice of at all in the publick stipulation , as if he had no concern in it , though it is his proper place to undertake this charge for his own child , according to the law of god and nature . with the highest scorn you justifie this way , by the similitude of a debtor , and sureties bound with him for an hundred pounds : but i never yet saw such a bond , where the principal , and indeed the sole debtor , is not expresly , and in the first place named ; for if he be not expresly named , how can any notice at all be taken , that the money was lent unto him , which is , as you know , your own concession ? yea , if he be not expresly named as a debtor , in point of law , he has nothing to do with the bond , or the bond with him ; which yet is the thing you would expose me for . your comparison affects me not , nor makes against me , but rather on my side : for let the father be the chief debtor to bring up his own child in the nurture and admonition of the lord , and some of his friends ( i mean godfathers and godmothers ) be sureties with him , that this debt shall faithfully be paid and discharged ; shall not this chief , and indeed sole debtor , be called upon , and that too in the first place , to pay his debt ? in right reason he should ; and you your self would be of the same mind , were you in some great bond only collateral security to a friend , and this too in little more than a complement . now therefore that the principal and sole debtor is not once mentioned or called upon for the payment of the debt , but only the collaterals ; this is my exception , and i think not without cause . but you say , nature and religion call upon the principal debtor , viz. the father of the child , and that is sufficient , without any further call from the minister . i know what you would reply in the case , but i am not so spirited . nature and religion call upon us to keep the moral law , or ten commandments ; and therefore the ministers call to keep them is needless , and out of doors . this is to make composita to be opposita : the more obligations are upon us from religion and nature to fulfill any duty , the more we are to be called upon by arguments out of those topicks to perform the same , and all little enough : if not always nature , yet always religion does bind godfathers and godmothers quae tales to perform the promise made on the behalf of the child baptized , for if it be not from religion , there can be no tye in the case ; yet the church thinks not religion enough to bind them , without the further help of additional exhortation : why therefore should not the same be thought necessary to the father himself , to bind him also to his duty , notwithstanding any preceding obligation of nature ? i approve not of the sign of the cross , nor that sacramental mystical way of signing with this sign , as if baptizing with water in the name of the father , and of the son , and of the holy ghost , were not sufficient ; but moreover , the sign of the cross needful , to bind the conscience , and confer the blessing . you say , the sum of my argument against signing with the cross is , because lest by a perverse interpretation it may seem to the vulgar people what it is not , and what i my self dare not affirm it to be : but herein you are either wilfully blind , or grosly in the dark ; for though i mentioned my fear , lest the action then done by the minister ( for then the priest shall make a cross upon the childs forehead ) and the words then uttered by him , ( we receive this child into the congregation of christs flock , and do sign him with the sign of the cross , in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of christ crucified , and manfully to fight under his banner against sin , the world , and the devil , and to continue christs faithful souldier unto his lives end ) might be taken in a wrong sense , and mistaken by the generality , and do fear it still ; yet the presumptuous addition of the cross to baptism , and this too after the manner of another sacrament , the devised sacrament of man to the instituted sacrament of god was the grand cause of my exception against it : for if we may add at our pleasure the sign of the cross ▪ why not also with some others cream , salt , and spittle ; yea , whatsoever else the daring invention of man shall think meet to devise and conjoyn ? who , in this case , shall set the limits , and say , ne plus ultra ? as for mine own part , i would sooner yield to have my child baptized with cream , salt , and spittle , yea , though snow and sope also were put into the laver , than to have it signed with the sign of the cross in such a mystical manner . we are neither to add nor diminish in the matter of gods worship ; and particularly this holds good in the sacraments of the gospel , which in their own nature are signs and ceremonies ; wherefore if we shall arrogate to our selves the license of adding sign to sign , and ceremony to ceremony , in so doing we boldly set threshold against threshold , and proudly usurp no less than the place , and dictatorship of god himself . this likewise more than faintly and covertly speaks the baptism of water to be lame , and wanting of it self alone ; which i have the courage to speak out in the hearing of all , according to your command ; yea , i promise you , if you will be at the charge to procure me one of sir samuel moreland's stentorean tubes , i will take the pains to go up to the monument , and at the top of it i will trumpet it out as a truth all over the city ; and if i could , i would cause it to ring and eccho from one end of the nation to another : why else is this dedicating sign of the cross , at the time of the infants dedication , by washing in the name of the father , son , and holy ghost , thought so necessary , and constantly co-applied ? but you have a church-canon by you , mounted and bent on purpose to discharge upon me , prim'd with the rubrick , and ready to give fire , upon all occasions , with a loud contrary report : well , be it so ; yet after all , it is but brutum fulmen , i mean only protestatio contra factum , and therefore ipso facto void , and of none effect . as if you should vow and protest you were no idolater , and yet at the same time worship a crucifix , adore the host , or bow your knee to the image of baal . you indeed baptize the child with water in the name of the father , son , and holy ghost ; and you say , the child so baptized , is lawfully and sufficiently baptized ; yet notwithstanding , at the same time , you sign him with the sign of the cross , in token hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of christ crucified , and manfully fight under his banner against sin , the world , and the devil , &c. now this is the answer of a good conscience , and the main end and obligation of baptism , as to the party baptized , which the cross , and the signing him with that sign ( and not washing alone ) must at least mind him of , if not spirit him in , and ingage him to with the greatest manhood and courage ; else signing with the sign of the cross is a meer insignificancy , and a ridiculous nothing . entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate . what need the cross , if washing with water could sufficiently bring about its own ends ? the cross therefore , as it is there used , loudly proclaims , washing of and by it self incompleat , and imperfect . something was spoken further by me , about laying aside the use and custom of signing with the sign of the cross , to distinguish our selves from the idolatrous papists , who superstitiously adore the cross , foolishly , fondly , and wickedly signing themselves with it , upon every occasion , putting no little confidence in it , to free them from evil , and to furnish them with all good . but upon this score , to leave off crossing , you call it vanity and affectation , which is peculiar to the pharisees , and some other people who are very like them . i understand your elegant periphrasis , and the biting sarcasme in it : oh how sweet are your lips ! honey and milk are under your tongue ; yet what is the reason of all this rancour and bitterness ? what is the cause ye cannot speak peaceably of us , or to us ? what is our desert ? what our provocation ? are we not abased sufficiently ? have ye not all in possession ? do ye envy our being and breathing amongst you ? death hath eased you of many of us already ; and cannot you quietly expect a little longer , and we shall all retire , and trouble you no more ? i grieve , and am sad to see you of this spirit , but rejoyce and am glad my soul is not under your power ; for if it were , i might fear unplacable wrath , never to be appeased , would never forgive me , neither in this world , nor in the world to come . but to come to our business ; you say , i am much mistaken in the temper of the church of england , ( verily i am not at all mistaken , for i see it evidently in her children , the sons of the church , especially if all be of your temper ) for the church of england neither does any thing , nor leaves any thing undone , meerly for a note of distinction and separation . i know not what weight and stress you put upon the word meerly , or else as good a church , and better than ever the church of england was , notwithstanding its grandeur and glory with the pomp of that name , has ( and that too by the counsel and command of infinite wisdom and reason ) upon the account of distinction and separation from others , not more idolatrous and sinful than the papists in their worship , left off several rites and customs , not only sinful and unlawful , ( so some will dare to say of signing with the cross ) but in themselves otherwise innocent and harmless . i have a most unhappy memory , and cannot recover the name of the author , a christian jew , who apodictically , and most elaborately discovers , that many things were directed in their law by god , both to be done and left undone by the nation of the jews , chiefly to difuse and take them off from the ways and practices of the gentiles that were round about them . but let infallible truth be the judge in this matter , levit. 18.3 . after the doings of the land of egypt , wherein ye dwelt , ye shall not do ; and after the doings of the land of canaan , whither i bring you , shall ye not do , neithet shall ye walk in their ordinances . then moses , all along the chapter , enumerates many of those heathenish doings , from which the people of god were most religiously to abstain : but in the next chapter following some other things are mentioned ; which in themselves absolutely considered , were neither sinful nor unlawful , yet upon the score of non conformity , were forbidden them , ver . 27. ye shall not round the corners of your heads , neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard . but why ? what evil in it ? ainsworth gives us the true reason of this inhibition ; this , saith he , is likely to be the manner of the heathens , especially in their mourning , as these laws compared with , chap. 21. v. 5. seem to imply ; and he brings in the authority of maimonides , in these words , it was the manner of idolatrous priests to mar their beards ; therefore the law forbiddeth to mar the beard . so again , v. 28. ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead , nor print any marks upon you . the aforesaid most learned expositor here again , out of the same maimonides , informs us , what these prints or marks were ; viz. when one did cut open his flesh , and filled the cut place with stibium , or with ink , or some other colour ; and this was the custom at the heathens ; and particularly this they were wont to do in sorrow , and mourning for a s●ul departed , as it is in thargum jonathan : now from these , and other like heathenish rites , god will keep his people ; and therefore it is said , ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead . i could easily produce much more to the same purpose , but i think it needless . i excepted against what is annexed at the end of the sacrament ; it is certain by gods word , that children which are baptized , dying before they commit actual sin , are undoubtedly saved . you say , had you a mind , you might wave the dispute : surely it would be your prudence so to do ; for though you affirm it evidently to be the doctrine of your church , as appears from the homilies , and several passages in the office of baptism it self ; yet i apprehend it beyond the wisdom and learning of all the fathers and sons of the church together , to make good the enunciation , especially it being so indefinite and unlimited , concerning the children baptized , without all restriction , and yet so positive and peremptory in the predicate . i called for the u●i out of gods word , viz. wherein i might be satisfied , beyond all doubt , of christened childrens salvation before actual sin : you should have designed the holy page ; this had been a direct and easie way of confutation , by which i must have been convinced and silenced , and there had been an end of the contest : but i see you cannot bring your proof , nor indeed offer any thing like unto it out of scripture ; wherefore my objection is just , and i suppose unanswerable . secret things belong unto the lord ; and surely the salvation of infants , even as of the adult , is inter arcana , one of gods secrets : why therefore should any presume to intermeddle with it , and confidently pronounce concerning the whole genus of such a sort of infants . that they are all undoubtedly saved ? though they are young , do they not make a number in computation ? which if they do , certainly their number is great , very great , especially if that observation be true , that well nigh half of all born and christned among us , depart this life before they have committed actual sin . these are a swarming multitude ; and yet shall all these undoubtedly be saved ? far be it from me to limit the grace and mercy of god ; yet methinks , even from this consideration , we have some ground of a contrary suspition out of gods word , at least of suspending our judgment in the matter before us . for though the number of the children of israel be as the sand of the sea , a remnant shall be saved , rom. 9.27 . there are few that are saved ; only a remnant , a little end of the whole piece ; some few choice ones only among those who are stiled the israel of god ▪ shall be thought worthy of eternal life . but i forbear to bring in any new objections , only give me leave to ask you this question , how you can fairly wave this dispute ? how can you think it not incumbent upon you to make good the assertion , and justifie what you have assented and consented unto ? you tell me upon what account , because though it be contained in , yet it is not prescribed by the book of common-prayer ; that is , it is never to be used ; and we assent and consent only to the use of those things which are both contained in , and prescribed by that book . this word both , thrust in by your self , as you imagine , gives you your quietus est . hitherto i have taken you for a divine , but now one would think you some cunning subtil lawyer with your tricks and quirks ; you have found out an unexpected loop-hole to escape , and baffle your bond , which hath lost all force and vertue of obligation in sensu diviso , because it only binds in sensu composito . yet pardon me , sir , for i must assume the liberty to keep this yoke still upon your neck , shake it off how you can . but how ? thus ; you dare not but acknowledge that the great and learned sages of the church , who composed and worded this declaration , were compotes mentis , and understood what they did better than your self , or any such expositor ; and therefore had , as it hath been shewn already , when they put in these words , assent and consent , into the said declaration , credenda as well as agenda in their thoughts and intentions , they had equally an eye to both these in the time of the composing it . besides what is there spoken for the clearing of this truth , i am now further confirmed in my opinion by the two following participles , contained in , and prescribed by , which very naturally , and almost necessarily , answer the foregoing substantives assent and consent , to such an end and purpose ; as thus , i declare my unfeigned assent to all and every thing ( as truth and right to be believed ) which is contained in the book of common-prayer : and i declare my unfeigned consent to all and every thing ( as good and eligible to be practised and observed ) which is prescribed by the book of common-prayer . here is grammar and sense , and i suppose the very sense intended by the law-makers . surely they well weighed every several and distinct word in such a set and solemn protestation ; and therefore every several distinct word in it , hath its several distinct weight and purpose ; for far be it from me to charge such considerate composers as guilty of any tautology , much less of battology ; unto which you will cause them to approach too near , if assent and consent unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the book , &c. do refer to , and terminate upon use and practice only , without any further aim ; then it had been fully enough to say , i declare my unfeigned consent to all and every thing prescribed by the book of common-prayer , and no need at all either of the word assent , or of the word contained in , to be once mentioned or thought upon . you therefore deserve a rebuke from your superiours for your presumptuous intrusion ; who made you of their counsel ? why should you leave out , or put in any thing without their commission ? why should you insert the word use , which they never inserted ? but then you go further ; for having inserted the word use , you say confidently enough , that assent and consent to all and every thing contained in , and prescribed by , centre wholly upon the word use , and have no other matter to respect ; and then again from hence you think you have gained another point ( concesso uno absurdo , &c. ) of freeing your self from the difficulty and pressing force of the exception against christned infants , their certain and undoubted salvation , dying without actual sin , by saying , you are not bound to give assent and consent to this rubrick ; because though it be contained in , yet it is not prescribed by the book of common-prayer , that is , it is never to be used ; and we assent and consent only to the use of those things which are both contained in , and prescribed by that book . but this is a deep fetch , and a fine subtilty of your own , never to be allowed : what think you of the church catechism , wherein we have a compendium of the churches faith ? what does not the declaration bind you to believe it your self , as well as to teach it the children ? what think you of the creed ? does the declaration only bind you to rehearse the articles of it before the congregation , and not believe them your self ? surely to the latter , as well as the former : every collect , every prayer has in it a credendum , as well as an orandum ; and without the first the last cannot be performed , since faith is of the very essence of prayer , properly so called ? but what do you imagine , the declaration binds the minister only to say over those prayers , and not to pray them , or pray in them ? that is , not to believe what he prays for to be right , and according to gods holy will and pleasure ? this seems to me highly paradox , and of a most dangerous consequence . grant you this postulate , and you spoil the whole declaration , as to the great intents and purposes of it ; for who may not declare in these words , i assent and consent to all and every thing , &c. if nothing of belief , but only use and submission be intended by them ? i have heard of some jews , continuing such , without any change of their religion , officiating as priests among the papists , and celebrating mass ; now why may not such jews , yea turks also , thrust in among our clergy , if by declaring their unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the book of common prayer , they signifie no more , than that they will read over those prayers , perform those offices and ceremonies , and submit to the use and doing of every thing enjoyned ; but in the interim , without being obliged at all to believe the things so contained in , and prescribed by the book , and so said and done by them , to be right , good , and justifiable ? they may act as upon a stage for a livelihood , and have no concern about the thing acted , or whom they personate : therefore sir , i tell you again , you cannot wave the dispute , but are bound to believe , as well as to do all and every thing contained in , and prescribed by the book of common-prayer , and to believe this in particular , concerning the undoubted salvation of children baptized , and dying before actual sin ; and this too as a truth asserted plainly and evidently out of gods word , past all cavil , or gain saying . wherefore i humbly and earnestly entreat you , as a most learned textuary , to quote the place , and satisfie my scruple ; for until then , i dare not declare my unfeigned assent and consent unto such a doubtful and questioned proposition contained in the book . but you would know of me , whether nothing be undoubtedly certain by scripture , but what we have an express text for ? yes ▪ many things are undoubtedly certain by scripture , not only in terminis express●s but also by an undeniable consequence : wherefore let what is asserted concerning the undoubted salvation of such infants , be confirmed and demonstrated out of gods word , in the true sense and meaning of it , or by any certain and necessary in●erence and reason from it , and our business is at an end . this therefore you attempt as it were syllogistically . if those who are regularly admitted into the church of christ ▪ have a right to the blessings of the covenant , then they have a title to salvation . i answer , there is no such word in the rubrick as regularly admitted ; which makes me wonder at your confidence , to add what you please , from time to time , to serve your turn . 't is an hard question , whether all children in england be regularly admitted ( as you may expound the words ) by baptism into the church , yea or not ? i cannot divine what are your thoughts in the case , nor what an avenue and start-hole you would find from regularly admitted , rather than be set up , and mated . there is a great ambiguity in the word regularly admitted , which must be ascertained : wherefore we must suppose all infants baptized in the church of england , according to the liturgy , are regularly admitted into the church of christ , for the rubrick intends at least all of them ; yea , it speaks of children indefinitely : wherefore if these being regularly admitted ( as we suppose they are ) into the church of christ , have a right unto the blessings of the covenant , then they have a title to salvation . i answer , if by having a right to the blessings of the covenant , you mean all the blessings of the covenant , even to the ultimate and great blessing of all , viz. salvation , then there is petitio principii not to be granted , until it be proved , as being the bone of contention : but if by having a right to the blessings of the covenant , you mean some blessings of the covenant , i shall readily concede ; for even their admission into the church , as visible church-members , is a great covenant-blessing , immediately investing them with the actual priviledge of having god for their god , in a more peculiar manner , than those without the pale ; besides , with a foundation right of enjoying the oracles , ordinances , communion of saints , &c. their admission into the church by baptism , gives them from that time forward jus in re , though not jus ad rem , by reason of their present incapacity . but you further argue ; if they have not a right to the blessings of the covenant , through a regular admission into the church by baptism , then baptism is an insignificant ceremony , and not the seal of the covenant . i answer , they have many blessings of the covenant ( as i have now shown ) though yet they may fall short of the greatest of all ; and therefore baptism notwithstanding is not an insignificant ceremony , but a seal of the covenant . shortly , baptism supplied the room of circumcision , which was a seal of the righteousness of faith ; yet we cannot avouch , that all who were regularly circumcised , should have been undoubtedly saved , had they died in their infancy ; for esau was circumcised as well as jacob , concerning whom , without all respect either of their doing good or evil , that the purpose of god might stand according to election , it is written , jacob have i loved , and esau have i hated : esau was hated both before and after circumcision ; which therefore could never have been his sure convoy to happiness , had he immediately expired upon the receiving of this seal : salvation depends upon election , and not at all upon our sooner or later dying after we are baptized . these are your arguments , unto which i will not say with a just return in your own dialect , the man is mad , and raving , but his logick is weak , and will not do the work : yet it may be from your civility and good nature thus to mollifie and lenefie your hard speeches with soft arguments : in the interim , we are now still under the same doubt , about the undoubted salvation of christned infants dying before actual sin , as we were in the beginning , and so shall continue , until we see better reasons to the contrary ; and therefore cannot assent and consent . my following queries are neither captious nor impertinent , but natural and apposite , if we look upon the words of the rubrick , as considered in themselves ; viz. it is certain by gods word , that children which are baptized , dying before they commit actual sin , are undoubtedly saved ; for here is the opus operatum , children baptized , and dying before actual sin ; here is the effect , at least , the sure consequent of it , such are undoubtedly saved ; here is nothing mentioned concerning the modus , how and in what manner the work is or ought to be done to produce such an effect or fore-signifie such a consequent . now therefore , if such a consequent do necessarily follow after such a cause ; then if it be in the power of man to be such a cause ( as to kill a poor infant presently after baptism ) it will be in his power also to bring about such an effect , viz. the salvation of such an infant . but you say , regularly admitted by baptism , which the church of england supposes , answers most of my captious queries . i answer , let me have liberty to put in and out , and suppose what i please in all cases , ( as you do from time to time ) and i will , nullo negotio , untye every gordion knot ; i will affirm or deny any proposition , be it in it self true or false , right or wrong , without any scruple or hesitation ; no priest or jesuite shall be able to out-do me . how know you that the church supposeth these words , regularly admitted by baptism ? why should you presume to set such limits , to put such a close hedge about the rubrick , when it lies open , and in common ? but if you will thus incroach presumptuously from your own head and heart , why am i bound to give credit unto you ? or govern my faith and practice by your private sentiments ? yet i wish these words , regularly admitted by baptism , had been expressed in the rubrick ; which perhaps might have saved me the trouble of objecting , and so you of confuting . but granting the truth of the rubrick in its latitude ; i said , that a minister would be very cruel and unmerciful , to deny any children their christendom , though their parents out of weakness or tenderness of conscience scrupled godfathers and godmothers , and the sign of the cross , and durst not upon that score bring their children to be baptized ; yet , as i added , if he were a true son of the church , and punctually observed his prescribed rule , he must not baptize any infant without godfathers and godmothers , without signing of it with the sign of the cross , whether it be saved or damned . here you say , i am a man of conscience , that is of no conscience at all , of a tender conscience , that is cauteriz'd : but why ? for bringing in such a false and unjust charge against the practice of the church of england ; which , as plainly appeareth in the form of private baptism , has expresly ordered her ministers to baptize children without godfathers and godmothers , or the sign of the cross : you know not what remark to make on this , but leave it to my self , and every impartial reader , to think on it . though you do not know what remark to make on my objection , yet i know what remarks to make on your confutation ; for plainly , i observe in it falseness , and weakness : first , there is a great untruth in it ; for though you say , the church of england has expresly ordered ( in that private form of baptizing ) to baptize children without godfathers and godmothers , or the sign of the cross ; yet there is no such thing expressed or mentioned in the order , but at the uttermost it is only supposed by a mute ; and will you call silence expression ? here i leave you to your self , and serious thoughts ; so likewise to the thoughts of the impartial reader , how far you can stretch to bring in an accusation . if the minister in private baptism should sign the infant baptized with the sign of the cross , would he cross the intent of that silent ( which you call express ) order , yea or not ? i believe nothing at all ; which to do , had it been an expressed or declared order , would have been a manifest violation of the same : and then as to godfathers and godmothers , they are both mentioned , and interrogated , and as clearly brought in for the consummation of private baptism , as in publick . secondly , there is a great weakness in our confutation ; for my objection lies against the manner of baptizing in ordinary , and you answer me from the manner of baptizing in extraordinary , as in case of any apparent danger of death . what ? can only parents ( whose children are in danger of death ) have these scruples , mentioned by me , against godfathers and godmothers , and against the sign of the cross , and not multitudes besides them ? how shall the children of these , how scrupulous soever they be , ( as you avouch they may ) come to their christendom ? what shall these , whether these children be in imminent peril of death , yea or not , come with a lye in their mouths to the minister , and say , pray , sir , baptize our children according to the private order of baptism , for they are ready to die , though they are not ? well , he comes , and on the contrary sees their children strong and well ; ought he now to baptize them according to the private or publick form ? surely according to the publick , because the pretended necessity of the private is found a falsity : here ergo the scrupulous parents are at the same bar as at the beginning , and their children as far from being baptized as ever ; and this too because the minister will not , and , according to order , ought not to baptize their children without godfathers and godmothers , and the sign of the cross . now what i have here spoken is not an idle supposition , and ● meer imagination , but i have reason to believe it a real truth , i● matter of fact ; for i know the person very well , who has again and again been desired by parents to baptize their children , and being unwilling and averse to intermeddle in that affair , hath sincerely counselled the said parents to have a recourse to their own parish-minister to do it for them , whose proper office it was : but they have replied , he will not baptize our children without godfathers and godmothers , and we know not where to get them . my last scruple was against the order and office for the burial of the dead ; wherein we have as much said , as can well be signified and expressed by word or tongue , concerning the most certain salvation and happiness of every one buried by the minister , though of the worst of men , though of the most flagitious and facinorous persons , so living , and so dying . what think you of s. coleman the traytor ? i am assured from an eye and ear-witness , that he was buried in s. giles's church-yard by one of the readers , and by the common-prayer book ; and so perhaps were the rest , not of the loyal , but liolan and lying saints after him : at every such interment , the minister saith , forasmuch as it hath pleased god of his great mercy , to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed , &c. what can more plainly signifie the safety and bliss of such a soul ? what can more fully declare the love and favour of god towards it , and place it in heaven ? you say , it is no more than that of solomon in the ecclesiastes , chap. 12.7 . then shall the dust return to the earth as it was , and the spirit shall return unto god who gave it . but surely , in my judgment , god his taking to himself ( and this too in mercy , in great mercy ) every such particular soul , ( whose body is committed to the ground ) sounds and imports much more than solomon intended , by his returning , of the spirit unto god after death ; for the whole verse is but a general description of death , and to give us to understand , that after death the body goes one way , and the soul another ; the body to the ground , and the soul unto god ; that is , ad deum judicem , unto god as unto a judge , before whose dreadful tribunal the soul immediately after death shall be brought to appear , and there shall be sentenced according to desert , either to weal or woe , for ever and ever . this is quite another thing from god his receiving of every soul departed in great mercy to himself ; which implies the happy and setled state and abode of such a soul , in the place of gods abode to all eternity . you say , to return to god , and to be taken to him , signifies to be put in the immediate disposal of god ; and for your authority and vouch , you quote one mr. falkner : i see by your often quotations of him , you securely rely upon him , as if he were an unerring oracle , and an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , an unanswerable demonstration ; nevertheless i know not the man , nor ever yet set eye upon any of his learned lucubrations ; and therefore how truly or how falsly you have quo●ed , or perhaps transcribed him , i can neither affirm , or deny . i freely grant him to be a reverend person , of great abilities , according as you have reported him ; notwithstanding my faith and perswasion depend not upon his sense and judgment , nor indeed of any mans else , though otherwise the most renowned for learning in the age , but only upon the infallible truth of gods word ; and therefore will follow him , and you also , as far as ye follow that , but no further . he saith , according to your quotation , our church acknowledgeth to be an act of mercy in god , through the grace of christ , who hath the keys of hell and death , that dying persons do not forthwith go into the power of the devil , who had the power of death , but do immediately go into the hands of the great god , and our saviour jesus christ , to be disposed of by him , according to the promises and conditions of the gospel-covenant , &c. these are his words : but can these be verified of every wicked and profligate wretch buried by the liturgy ? truth saith concerning such persons , 2 tim. 2.16 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that while they were alive ( as the word imports ) they were taken captive by the devil : who therefore can believe , that they made an escape from him , and got out of his clutches by death , and not rather then fell under his power in a more fearful manner ? the devil had , and has still , the power of death , in respect of all impenitent sinners , as the carnifex , or executioner , has power over those who are condemned to die ; and accordingly put into his hands , that the sentence may be actually fulfilled . but now are the condemned ever known to escape from the hangman , after he has noosed them in the halter , and actually trussed them up ? i think not . so again , who can believe that abominable wicked workers ( against whom i make the objection ) go immediately after death into the hands of the great god , to be disposed of by him according to the promises of the gospel-covenant ; when the said persons had never the least qualification of grace and holiness to entitle them to the covenant of grace , or the promise of the gospel , but utterly the contrary ? what therefore is this harangue and flourish of words ( were they not only uttered by mr. falkner , but also by an angel ) to satisfie my scruple , or give me a licence when i am to bury the worst and most vile amongst men , to say , forasmuch as it hath pleased god of his great mercy , to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother ? neither is there then place or season to mention any thing of a sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto eternal life , unless to imbolden wicked livers to continue stil● in their sins ? much less to use any such expression in prayer , that when we shall depart this life , we may rest in him ( christ ) as our hope is this our brother doth . alas ! what well-grounded hopes can either minister or people have and h●rbour of drunkards , whoremongers , adulterers , cursed swearers , and the like , their resting in christ , who every day are brought unto the ground , and buried by the liturgy ? you say , there are various degrees of hopes , and some of them so little , that we can hardly deny them to any person , though never so wicked . i confess , in this particular , your charity and hope is much beyond mine , and yet i think mine is regulated according to the gospel . but your fullest justification of your church in this matter , is by supposing this office of burial to be performed only to persons dying in communion with the church . i look upon it as the best apology , and i have heard it again and again , yet it is not equal nor satisfactory ; because it supposeth , if not an impossibility , yet the greatest improbability : for it is known upon matter of fact , that excommunication was never duly exercised , nor church-discipline ever duly administred , nor indeed likely to be for the future ; while in the interim multitudes , multitudes of ungodly men are brought to the ground , and there the last office done unto them , as if they were the most godly , and approved by the church . the church supposeth or maketh a foundation which is not , and then buildeth her practice upon it , against all right and seemliness : it is as if i certainly knowing such and such persons to be really mad , and out of their wits by a long quotidian experience , and yet from time to time would treat and converse with them , as persons most sober and discreet , because being men , it must be supposed that they have exercise of reason and understanding . but rather than not justifie the office for the dead , and not to help out the defect of due excommunication , you say , i doubt not but whosoever shall leave out that sentence , as our hope is this our brother doth , at the burial of some notorious profligate sinners , complies with the intention of the church , and may justifie himself to his superiours for doing so . i answer , antiquum obtines , you are semper idem , beginning and ending with the same mind , and in the same way . you can put in , and leave out , to serve a turn , according to your pleasure , and yet not be a transgressor , but comply with the intention of the church . surely there is no such matter ; for the church hath expresly ordered concerning the last prayers for the office , whereof these words , as our hope is this our brother doth , are a part , in this manner , then the priest shall say , shall say , that is , he must and ought to say them , and never omit them . here the minister is expresly commanded , and much more , than to baptize without the sign of the cross , as you could urge in the case of private baptism , though most illogically , and most remotely from true reason , as far as a privative is from a positive , and a non-entity from a being . to conclude , if you do not when you bury the dead ( though known beyond all peradventure to die in their sins ) use these very words , as our hope is this our brother doth , you are a transgressor against the church , inasmuch as you directly disobey her express order and rule , and you contradict your own declaration , and little less than give the lye to your own solemn oath and asseveration ; for then and there you declared your unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the book , entituled , the book of common-prayer ; and therefore to all and every thing contained in and prescribed by the said book for the burial of the dead ; which yet you like not , nor approve in such and such cases that too often occur , as to such and such persons , which are every day upon the biere ; but rather you think it right and meet to omit and skip them over , as not proper to be applied , not good to be mentioned . on the other side , if you use these words , as our hope is this our brother doth , viz. rest in christ , at the sepultures of the sons of belial , while you obey the churches order , you are a transgressor against your own conscience , in uttering what you believe not ; and a transgressor against god , in mentioning this your hope before him in your prayers , as if you had good ground and authority for it out of his holy word , concerning the persons deceased ; when as in reality there is nothing in the scriptures of truth to intimate or countenance such an hope , but altogether , on the contrary , to strike a fear in our hearts of their most miserable restless state under eternal death and damnation . sir , what in your conclusion you are pleased to stile the only piece of ingenuity in me , is still my mind and judgment , and i do not retract from it in the least , let it displease whom it shall displease , as i believe it will do many . and what you say , i acknowledge to be a great truth ( whether properly and directly inferred from my concession , yea or not ) viz. that there is a real difference between that conformity which is requir'd of a clergy man , and that which is required of a lay-man . you add further , the use i would make of this acknowlodgment is this , that whatever objections there may be against conforming as a minister , there are none against conforming as a private christian ; and therefore that nothing he hath said ought to disswade private christians from conforming to the church of england , by his own confession . i answer , let the persons concerned judge , and do according as god and a good conscience shall dictate unto them ; but as for mine own part , were i one of them , i should not cordially chuse and approve of him to be my shepherd , nor easily assent and consent to sit under his pastoral charge ( if good pasture might be found and had elsewhere ) who entreth not by the door into the sheepfold , but climbeth up some other way ; especially if this other way appeared to me to be too too like the way which david most devoutly prayed against , psal . 119.29 . remove from me the way of lying . amen . the second part. after a confutation in quarto , another is brought to my hands in folio : i have kill'd him for a villain , said he on the stage , and made him an example . what ? have you kill'd him ? kill him again . i was kill'd sufficiently , as one would think , by my first antagonist ; notwithstanding to make sure work , another comes in with his deadly stab , and will needs kill me the second time ; and yet i find and feel a quite contrary effect , and even return into life by this renewed death ; while the first of these , as it were , with a strong puff of wind blows out my candle , and the second with a sharper blows it in again , and my candle burns still as bright as ever : for comparing one confutation with another , i am the better informed to answer them both , and continue more stedfastly the same , what i was , in my first opinion ; inasmuch as in several things mine opponents are not more contrary to me , than contrary to themselves , in what they write against me : though yet in their spirit and temper they are one , full of wrath , censure , and bitterness ; a man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron , and the staff of a spear , else they will pierce and gore intollerably . i have scuffled with the first as well as i could , and am now come to encounter the last . sir , your introduction is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , from the common place called , revi●ing and reproaching ; and though it be particularly calculated for a preface against me , yet it may indifferently serve as a general exordium to any philippick against the whole tribe of the non conformists in all controversies whatsoever . i have heard of one beholding a great pair of gates to a very little city , said facetiously to the citizens , pray shut your gates , lest the city run out , and be lost ; such me thinks is your large beginning above the proportion of the following matter , it being more than a sixth of the whole . o how copious and fluent are you in this kind of rhetorick ! how is your pen as the tongue of a ready speaker ! none , i dare say , about the bridge can out-do you , or put you down ; but i check my self , for i have a better answer prepared to my hand , in which i shall acquiesce , not rendring evil for evil , or rai●ing for railing , but contrariwise blessing . i bless the lord jesus that i am accounted worthy among my brethren to suffer shame for his name ; and i pray god to bless you , in turning your heart from your causless prejudice and wrathful indignation against us . this is all i have to reply to your premises , and now come to the work before us . i could not declare my assent and consent , mine unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained in and prescribed by the book of common-prayer . this , you say , may be one of my chief scruples , that i could not prevaricate with authority ; had there been allowed a l●ttle equivocation , and might i have been permitted to give an assent and consent which were not unfeigned , the task had not been so intollerable ; but to require such an assent and consent , searches men to the bottom , and beats the hypocrite out of all his subterfugies ; who can bear it ? i answer , the declaring of my unfeigned assent and consent is a great scruple to me , though not hereby to be kept from a little equivocation with man , but from a down-right lying before god , and against mine own conscience ; and the rather ( as you truly observe ) because such an unfeigned assent and consent search me to the bottom , yet not because i am an hypocrite ( according to your supposition ) but because i am none ; my tongue and my heart being , as they ought to be , perfect unisons , and going together : for if i were an hypocrite indeed , i could easily find my several subterfugies , and no such declaration should be ever able to bear me out of them . herein therefore you are out : but in the interim , upon the whole matter you plainly infer , what was denied by your fore-man , that conformity is now much stricter than in former days ; and this also designedly . you say , because of some possible errata or faults that may escape in the printing of the book of common-prayer , or otherwise , i scruple to give my unfeigned assent and consent unto all and every thing contained in it ; but this is a weak foundation , and the cavil trivial , and therefore you leave me to be noted in my folly . i answer , it is you , and not i , who make such errata , properly so called ( which may be found in the common-prayer book , as well as in any other book , wholly besides the intention of the composers of them ) to be the true , proper , and main ground of my bogling at the declaration ; for i plainly by name except against the order appointed for reading the holy scriptures , against the order appointed for the administration of baptism , and so against the order appointed for the burying of the dead : now the things wherein i except against these , in my apprehension , are not errata , but errors , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; however , i am sure they are not escapes by accident , and besides the intention of the law-makers , but are both contained in , and prescribed by the book , as some of the substance and chief matter of it ; and this too confirmed by the rubrick . by what i have now spoken , i clearly free my self from the absurdity of calling errata the contents of any book or writing , as you would fasten upon me , against all apparent truth and reason : and whereas you say , my scruple cannot affect you here , because though such errata may be contained in , yet they are not prescribed by the book of common-prayer . i have evidenced the contrary in the instances forementioned : wherefore the coat you would put upon me is more proper for another , who lets the true enemy alone , and fights against his own shadow , as if it were an armed man ; and then triumphs like a thraso in his wonderful manhood for vanquishing such an appearance . but , say you , do we not think we may safely assent and consent to the contents of any writings that pass an estate for fear of errata , which by frequent copying out , and transcribing the enrolled deeds , may happen to be there ? i answer , i never yet heard of any such writings of conveyance , or charters of liberties and properties , where the parties concerned were called to declare their unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained in them , or else should be punished with the loss of their temporal rights , which yet is the penalty of all those who will not assent and consent to all and every thing contained in the book of common-prayer . i have sometimes seen the accounts of merchants adjusted , and subscribed by their names , but with this proviso , saving all errours in them unknown to our selves . now upon this condition you and i will quickly compromise the difference ; let me insert these words , saving all errours which may be found therein , ( as your fore-man was good at inserting ) and i will readily declare my unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained in , and prescribed by the book of common-prayer . but i charge my governours , at least by insinuation , with a pretending to an infallibility , in their requiring an unfeigned assent and consent to all things devised and prescribed by them ; but this is an odious inference . i answer , how odious soever , yet if the charge be true , the odiousness is not at all to be imputed to the insinuation , but wholly to the injunction . but , say you , this is destructive to the reason of all laws ; and by this argument every law-giver must be supposed to be infallible ; the end of all whose injunctions are to be assented and consented to . i answer , this is nothing destructive to other laws ; because law-makers in making those laws , never require of the people any such unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained in , and prescribed by their institutes , but only submission and obedience , secular laws reach only to compliance of the outward man , and not meddle with our thoughts and conscience ; whereas this declaration requires the inward approbation of the mind , will , and heart , as well as the outward observation in matter of practise , which is one great ground of our quarrel against it . but , say you , if it be necessary there should be a rule of uniformity , 't is necessary that men subscribe to it , not as an absolute rule of conscience , but as a rule of peace and ordor : and this is all the church requires , that they so far submit their wills and understandings to their governours , as for these ends to conform to what they have prescribed . i answer , we must and ought to submit our will and understanding to the prescription of our governours , both in conformity , and in every case , so far forth as conscience will allow us , and no further . conscience will intermeddle , and be inquisitive into all our actions , whether we will or no ; and if truth and right be not at the bottom , peace and order ( which otherwise in general should prevail much with us ) will never be able to free and justifie us from the inward severe censure and condemnation of it . the composers of this book of common-prayer , thought all things therein right and good in every particular : but unto this i replied , though this was their perswasion , yet it might not be every mans perswasion ; and therefore i said , i thought it not equal to compel all others ▪ jurare in verba magistri , to declare themselves to be fully of the same mind and judgment with them : my reason was , hast thou faith ? have it to thy self ; force it not upon others , compel them not to think as thou thinkest , and to declare as thou declarest . now you would know of the scrupulous non-conformist , whether this rule be given to the publick officers of the church , or to the private christian ? i answer , this rule is given to all christians , whether publick or private ; according to the several occurences which may befal them . you should have rather queried , about what this rule is given ? i would have told you , that it was given concerning things which are not evidently and certainly true and good in their own nature , beyond all doubtful disputation : now such are many things contained in the liturgy , as the reading of apocrypha , signing with the sign of the cross , &c. these things are not of an infallible truth , nor are we sure of the goodness of them in their own nature by the word of god : wherefore here the forementioned rule is most apposite and necessary , hast thou faith ? have it to thy self : in these uncertain doubtful matters compel not others to judge as thou judgest , nor to affirm what thou affirmest . but , say you , why , or how then can there be any publick sanctions in the world ? i answer , there should be no publick sanctions , especially in the matters of god , and his worship , unto which every private professor shall be called , and necessitated to give his unfeigned assent and consent ( as we are bound to do in all things , with reference to the liturgy ) but the truth and goodness of them , in their own nature , should instantly and apparently be seen by every eye , beyond all scruple , or doubtful hesitation ; for otherwise , whosoever shall so declare his unfeigned assent and consent , will either do it blindly , at all adventures , or else unfaithfully , with a wavering uncertain judgment , or else wickedly , against his own mind and thoughts . wherefore the highest of publick magistrates may not abuse their power into any oppressive compulsion , but are bound for peace sake , and for conscience sake , not to bind the consciences of the people to believe and imbrace their private particular sentiments , as if they were oracular , and beyond all questioning ; but leave them to their own liberty to judge as they please , until such time as they are better informed , and more fully convinced . but , say you , a publick church-officer may reject an heretick . i answer , what is this to the matter before us ? because he may reject an heretick , that is , one who denies the fundamentals of religion and godliness , therefore he is above this rule , hast thou faith ? have it to thy self ; and may compel those under him to believe what he believes , and say what he saith : from such a kind of wild reasoning , libera nos ! i profess i am at my wits end here , as in several other places , to find what you drive at ; how then shall i fence my self against you ? i wished , as to the liturgy , our law-givers had required no more than use and submission , as preceding governours , h●d done before them . you say , and what is more required ? i answer , very much : for when i declare my unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing , &c. i speak as much as can be spoken in words , to express my love , approbation , and choice , concerning all and every thing contained in , and prescribed by the book , as most true and unquestionable to be believed , as most eligible and desirable to be observed in every office , service , rite , ceremony , and circumstance thereof ; but when i only submit to the use of the liturgy , i yield , for peace and order's sake to my superiours , in things not simply sinful and unlawful , though in themselves far from perfection , and far from my desire in my own free choice and election . and what i have now asserted with little less than a contradiction to your self , you have acknowledged already in your foregoing discourse , paragraph 4. and in this very paragraph you do it again ; when you say , 't is our zeal too they are offended at , that beyond what our preceding governours did , with reference to this book of common-prayer , we thus strictly enjoyn , that ministers do declare their unfeigned assent and consent ; but are not the men we have to deal with , those that are gone off from all obedience to church and state , and is it not reason we take some pledge of them for their future integrity ? is any man found guilty of a much less hainous indictment , and yet discharged without giving sureties for his behaviour ? shall men who have broken through oaths of allegiance , shall such men be displeased , if we cannot take the viper into our breast without pulling out the sting ? that we dare not admit men of these principles and practices to come into the church , without giving such caution of their being in good earnest , as may justifie those in admitting them , who have the care of the publick ? now what is the purport and meaning of all these words , and many more of the same nature , but plainly to tell us , that an harder yoke is now put upon our necks , than upon ministers in former days ? and that our governours had all reason to make our bonds stronger , as for the punishment of by-past miscarriages , so for the prevention of future relapses ? here therefore you forget your self . but , you say , it is not necessary to the assent and consent here required , that every particular person should take upon him expresly to determine in all these points , 't is sufficient that nothing is sinful ; much less doth it become his humility to oppose the opinion he hath of a thing 's being good and expedient , to the sense and reason of his governours ; 't is matter of obedience belongs unto him , &c. i answer , though this be your mind and judgment , i am clearly of another opinion ; i must determine , in all points , whether the things be right and good , yea or not , before i can assent and consent unto them ; i must be well ascertained what i affirm for a truth , to be a truth indeed , else i may be guilty of some degree of lying in speaking the very truth . it is not contrary to humility , but the just and due exercise of reason , to search into the goodness and expediency of whatsoever i am called to assent and consent unto , by whomsoever commanded ; yea , and to oppose my private opinion to the sense and reason of my governours , if what they stile sense and reason , shall evidently appear to be without sense and reason , and at the widest distance in a contrary way . every man is bound to see with his own eyes , and to judge from his own understandings , if he will act like a rational creature ; it is not the part of gospel-humility , but of sheepish stupidity to follow our leaders , not at all considering or judging of the way , but by a blind implicit faith and submission , yielding to be turned into every path , meerly because it is their pleasure and appointment . thus far in general , now in particular . i excepted against the order and appointment for the reading of the holy scriptures , because many books of apocrypha are commanded to be read for the lessons of the day , as the book of tobit , bell and the dragon , &c. while some of the sacred canon are wholly left out , &c. now for the removing this exception , you say , we desire that our governours be not blamed , if according to their best discretion they have chosen out such parts of scripture to be read in the congregation , which are most intelligible ; and if they have omitted others , which they thought would not be for the edification of a vulgar auditory ; and if they have mixed some of apocrypha , as may be of wholesome instruction . i answer , though you would not have your governours blamed for this mixture , yet some others will question their zeal and discretion herein , and think they have just reason so to do : for who shall presume to be wiser than christ for the good nurture of his church ? who shall take on them to determine which is most intelligible , and most edifying to the people , either the holy scripture , or any other writings ? i am sure he that knows it , hath said , all scripture ( and therefore that part of scripture also , which is left out of the kalendar ) is given by inspiration of god , and is profitable for doctrine , for reproof , for correction , for instruction in righteousness , that the man of god may be perfect , throughly furnished to all good works . there is no such testimony left on record , concerning any of the best parts of apocrypha , though some of those appointed to be read in the congregation are far from the best ; to say no more : therefore this appointment by our governours may well be scrupled ; but then the other appointment upon this appointment is most highly to be blamed , i mean in their requiring all ministers to declare an unfeigned assent and consent to this their appointment , though in their own hearts ( at least many of them ) do not approve of this order , but wish it were otherwise . but is this a reason , say you , to break communion with a church , let any man judge ? to this i have answered already ; for though i would read some books of apocrypha , rather than break communion with the church , as possibly not being in it self sinful and unlawful ; yet i would rather break communion a thousand times over with the best church in the world , than be a wilful transgressor ; and such should i be in a notorious manner , if a lye be a transgression ; and i should lye most egregiously to declare my unfeigned assent and consent , that is , my will and desire to read the apocrypha , rather than scripture in the hearing of the people ; for in the bottom of my soul , and in the truth of my reins , i am utterly against it . i excepted against the order appointed for the ministration of baptism , because of the strict requiring of godfathers and godmothers , to stand as sureties and undertakers for the child brought to his christendom , and this upon several accounts ; as , first , because it is unscriptural : unto this you say , it cannot be supposed that this order of godfathers and godmothers should be prescribed in scripture , the receiving of persons by baptism there being upon their own actual faith , and before there was any national church wherein this order could be observed ; and it was sufficient that the children were then admitted to baptism , as they were in the covenant ; that is , by the faith of the parents . i answer , in these words there seems to me to be a plain contradiction in themselves , but nothing of reason , why godfathers and godmothers are not mentioned in scripture for the baptizing of infants . there is a contradiction in them ; for you say , persons in those times were received upon their own actual faith ; and yet you presently add further , that children were then admitted to baptism by the faith of their parents . there is nothing of reason in them for what they are propounded ; for though parents were received by their own actual faith , and children by the faith of such parents , what is this of bar and impediment to godfathers and godmothers at the baptizing of infants ? or why they should not be mentioned and appointed in scripture ? surely , in my weak apprehension , nothing at all : but the adult , as you truly speak , in scripture-times were admitted into the church by baptism through their own actual faith , and their children were invested with the same priviledge , by virtue of the covenant , as being there declared in that royal charter and patent , fellow-inheritors of the same promise together with their parents . and are not children in our days received by baptism in the same way , and upon the same terms and conditions , as from the beginning ? since therefore ( according to your own concession ) their children then had no sureties when they were baptized , neither need ours in the like circumstances . you would confute me , and you confute your self . but you say , abundans cautela should not be scrupled , but rather commended . i answer , let us not pretend to be more careful than god , in the receiving of those into his family , whom he commands us to receive ; but leave him wholly to his own most sapient providence , and admit of all such upon his own conditions , and consult no better . secondly , i objected , that the father of the child is left out , not mentioned , nor at all taken notice of at the baptizing . for the vacating of this objection , you say , the receiving the child , supposes the father concerned in it , because it is through his faith he is in covenant . i answer , you speak so much in the clouds , that i am utterly at a loss what arrow you let fly at me , or what you intend . every child i know supposeth a father , and every baptized child a believing parent ; yet this believing parent is left out ; who notwithstanding is and ought to be the main susceptor and surety for his child 's good abearing : on him , i say , it is incumbent , to promise and vow to bring up his child in the knowledge and obedience of the christian faith , much rather than upon godfathers and godmothers . but you say , as to the particular ingaging of the father for the childs education , he must be worse than an infidel , if he do not take care for those of his own house . i answer , though i will not , yet some would be ready to reply , and therefore the minister is worse than an infidel , if he do not mind him of his duty ; especially at such a proper and peculiar season , when this parent may well be supposed to bring his babe to the minister , desiring him to receive it , and make it a visible church-member : but in the whole office of baptism , the father is not considered , nor any thing of his duty signified unto him . but you say , not to admit godfathers and godmothers , might in some cases be totally to debar the child of baptism , because it may so fall out that the father may be dead before the child is born ; and then how shall he be offered to baptism ? i answer , though the father of the child be dead , yet some one or other at all times , either by nature , as being next of kin , or by deputation from the person deceased , or some other way , will appear as a propater , a second father to the child , to offer him to baptism : but put the case that none should appear , yet for want of such a sponsor , the babe must not be debarred of its right , but ought by the care of the church both to be baptized , and edoctrinated in the christian faith. thirdly , i objected , that godfathers and godmothers are generally brought to the font to a vouch a great untruth , and make themselves obnoxious of lying and perjury in the face of god , and the church . you say , if they be guilty of this , this is their abuse of what is well intended . i answer , whatsoever is found by along quotidian experience to be the occasion of much sin , ( if it be not in it self absolutely necessary to be done and continued ) in prudence and piety also it ought to be disused . but say you , the child also may not answer the intents and purposes of that solemn vow in baptism , neither the father make good his promise on the behalf of him ; and therefore if godfathers and godmothers shall be detained from ingaging , for fear and danger of falsifying their promises and ingagements , with parity of reason the child also upon the same account may be detained from being baptized , and the father likewise from being a surety for him . i answer , what god commands is one thing , and what man commands is another : whatsoever god commands to be observed , must be observed without regarding consequences ( and such i hope you apprehend at least the ordinance of infant-baptism , if not also of the father his then being chief sponsor ; ) but in all humane commands and appointments consequences are much to be weighed and considered , either as a motive for them , or a bar against them ; and therefore such humane commands should not be imposed which are never likely to be performed , much less those which ( as such , and such circumstances may and often do arise and occur ) are tantum non , next to an impossibility ; now of this nature are those duties required of godfathers and godmothers , with reference to their god-children , and of this kind is the task imposed upon them , which yet rashly and inconsiderately enough they undertake to make good and fulfil . you know the charge then given them by the minister , and have given it your self , i suppose , many and many a time , in these words ; forasmuch as this child hath promised by you , his sureties , to renounce the devil , and all his works , to believe in god , and to serve him : ye must remember , that is your parts and duties to see that this infant be taught , so soon as he shall be able to learn , what a solemn promise and profession he hath here made by you : and that he may know these things the better , ye shall call upon him to hear sermons , and chiefly ye shall provide that he may learn the creed , the lords prayer , and the ten commandments in the vulgar tongue , and all other things which a christian ought to know and believe to his souls health , and that this child may be vertuously brought up , lead a godly and christian life . speak now , sir , your consciscience , and let not prejudice blind you , but tell me , bona fide , do you believe when you give this charge to godfathers and godmothers , that they are ever likely to perform it ? do you think when you call them to this arduous province , they can answer the ends of it according to the trust committed to their hands , or according to their ingagements ; and not be found lyars ? godfathers and godmothers , you know sometimes live far from their god ▪ children in another hamlet , village , town , city , county , country ▪ generally they are at a distance in another house , and in another street : how therefore is it possible for them to see the said children to be taught as soon as they are able to learn ? and particularly to be instructed concerning the nature and quality of those solemn baptismal promises made on their behalf ? how is it possible for them to provide that the said children shall learn the creed , &c. with all other things which a christian ought to know and believe to his souls health ? can these things be brought to pass , and effected , while god-children are down upon their knees , and ask their godfathers blessing ? or do they not require continuance of time , with a continual care and diligence ? these words which i command thee this day shall be in thine heart , and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children ( not god-children ) and talk of them , when thou sittest in thine house , when thou liest down , and when thou risest up . parents who are daily and hourly conversant with their children by often talking in their hearing concerning the matters of religion both of law and gospel , and by a frequent catechising and instructing them in the rudiments thereof , may cause the knowledge of christianity guttatim to instill into their minds ; and so train them up in the right way for their souls health ; but for others to see this diligently prosecuted , and faithfully discharged , it is scarce feasible , but rather on the contrary utterly impracticable . therefore although you say , this objection cannot bear any weight with considering men , it will be found , to be otherwise . before i pass on to what follows , if it might not displease you , i would ask you one question more about godfathers and godmothers , whether when you give them the forementioned charge , your self hold them bound to perform the obligation of it ? did you ever in good earnest , either in the pulpit ; or out of the pulpit , mind them of their duty ? did you ever confer with them in private about the greatness and momentousness of their font-ingagements ? one mr. falkner , i perceive , has written much in the high commendation of the liturgy ; has he any word of conviction to chide with godfathers and godmothers for their quotidian neglect , and to shew them the sin and danger of it ? has he any word of exhortation to stir them up to pay their vows , and bind their consciences to a due care and faithfulness herein ? what , are we in earnest , or in jest ? what , is all meer formality without reality ? at non ludendum est in sacris ; this scene is not seemly , and i wish it might not continue . you say , my reasoning against the cross is so trifling , that you wonder with what face any can urge it ? i answer , be it so ; but withall , pray let us see what ponderous reasons you can bring for it ? they follow in these words , did the ancient fathers plead so much for it in any other sense than christ commanded his disciples , to take up their cross , and follow him ? are they to imitate their master in doing this , in the whole course of their life , and may they not use so much as a sign of it to express it to others , or bring them in mind of their duty themselves ? davus sum non oedipus : i neither understand the sense nor the scope of these words , much less how they are urged either against me , or for the good and expediency of the sign of the cross in the ministration of baptism . if the ancient fathers did plead so much for the cross in no other sense , but in christs sense , then in your sense they pleaded not for it at all ; that is , for the sign of the cross to be made in the forehead by the finger of a minister : for was this the cross christ commanded his disciples to take up , and follow him ? are they again , say you , to imitate their master in doing this , and may they ( his disciples ) not use so much as a sign of it , to express it to others , ( i suppose you mean by others , the children baptized ) or to bring them ( these children ) in mind of their duty themselves ? i answer , god never ordained the sign of the cross , to bring us in mind or remembrance of bearing christs cross , that is of sustaining 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and drinking what remains behind of that bitter cup , which the lord jesus did propine to all his followers : neither can i see any aptitude in the sign of the cross , as it is there applied in baptism , to any such purpose . for , first , the cross is aiery and transient upon the flesh , and not inured in the flesh ; how therefore shall that that is vanished bring the child hereafter in mind of his duty , as to confess the faith of christ crucified , and manfully to fight under his banner ? &c. secondly , because the child baptized is then not a subject capable of knowing , regarding , or minding what crossing imports . surely therefore if the sign of the cross shall be thought at all requisite and expedient , it would be much better deferred and reserved for the time of confirmation ; for then children may well be supposed to have attained and gained the use of reason , to know and remark what is said and done unto them : yet i confess if many of them be not , yet they may and ought to be confirmed ( though wholly besides the true intent and end of that church-constitution ) while they are very children ; for this is according to the order in that case , which runs in these words , ye ( godfathers and godmothers ) are to take care that this child be brought to the bishop , to be confirmed by him so soon as he can say the creed , the lords prayer , and ten commandments in the vulgar tongue , &c. my children , i thank my god , could say all these as perfectly as my self before they were four years old , and i assure you too in the vulgar tongue ; for i pray tell me , what protestants now teach them their children in latin ? what need therefore of that grave item and caution ? only we must still go on in the old road , when the customs of things are altered and antiquated , and the reason of them utterly annihilated : but in the interim , i thought not my children then fit for confirmation , but wish they may be found worthy ten years after . and now , notwithstanding what has been spoken to the contrary , i will grant you your plea , viz. that the sign of the cross is to bring the children baptized in mind of their duty , to confess the faith of christ crucified , &c. but then will it not be too too like a sacrament upon a sacrament , thus to add the sign of the cross unto baptism ; though for me to say so , you stile it frivolous ? for what is a sacrament ? is it not , according to the catechism , an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace ? is not the sign of the cross an outward and visible sign ? and is not the minding of our duty , or the practical remembrance of confessing of the faith of christ crucified , and of manfully fighting under christs banner , the inward and spiritual grace ? i leave it to your consideration . baptizing it self , i said , ipso facto , does oblige the person baptized , and withall exhibits a vertue to every worthy partaker , to confess the faith , and to fight against sin , the world , and the devil . here you except against me , and say , the expression looks too like the sacrament's conserring grace , ex opere operato . i answer , if the expression be fairly and candidly interpreted , it signifies nothing less in the true sense and meaning of those words , as they are commonly spoken , and taken among divines . you would pick something out of the words ipso facto , which yet there imply no more than this , when the baptizing is over , or the washing of water in the name of the father , son , and holy ghost , is done or performed by the minister , without any future or further signing with the sign of the cross . and yet after all , the sacraments are not nuda signa , sed signa exhibentia & obsignantia to every worthy partaker of them ; and who are thus worthy , i will acquaint you in something which shall be spoken to by and by . but to requite you for your kindness , i pray sir , let me know whether my saying , that baptizing in the name of the father , &c. obliges the person , and exhibits the power , &c. does import and imply the sacraments conferring grace ex opere operato , and not your rubrick much more , which saith , it is certain by gods word , that children which are baptized , dying before they have committed actual sin , are undoubtedly saved ? qui alterum accusat probri , ipsum se intueri oportet . for the justification of this rubrick i called for scripture , and you say to that purpose , what think we of s. peter's telling us , 1 epist . 3.20 , 21. where speaking of those who were saved in noah 's ark by water , he subjoyns , the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us ? i answer , i think s. peter speaks nothing to the justification of the rubrick ; but only thus far in general , that as noah and his family in the ark were saved from the deluge , so people by baptism are saved from the worser deep ; and these not only children before actual sin , but even the adult also after the perpetration of the same ; for such were all they who were housed and saved in the ark. if therefore you will frame an argument from hence for the salvation of infants baptized before actual sin , the argument is of like force for men and women baptized , though actually guilty : and then from hence it will follow , that all persons baptized are undoubtedly saved . here is opus operatum , conferring grace with a witness , and without all failure : though it is far otherwise , as we may see even in that type of baptism ; for notwithstanding cham was saved in the ark with an ark salvation , yet we think him a cast-away ; so thousands may be saved with a baptism-salvation , and yet perish eternally . but you add further , christ saith of such ( i. e. of little children that come unto him , and it is by baptism only that th●y can come ) is the kingdom of heaven . i answer , granting this coming to christ is intended of baptism ( as i am wholly of your mind , and glad to find another of mine in this particular ) yet this is spoken indefinitely of all little children , as well as of the baptized , and before their baptizing , and not after ; for christ saith , because they are of the kingdom of god , let them come unto me ; and not , that they may be so ; let them come and be signed and sealed , because they are of such a number and order , who shall inherit the kingdom . again , though christ saith , of such is the kingdom of god ; yet of such , does not necessarily include all children in general , though coming unto christ , but may well be understood of some particulars among them . your strongest argument i have reserved to the last , taken out of s. mark , chap. 1.4 . is not baptism said to be for remission of sins , such it is in it self , such it cannot cut be to those who rightly partake of it ; and if children do this , if by this they are actually brought into the covenant of grace , whilst they break no law , as 't is only by actual transgression they can do this ; is it any question that they are undoubtedly saved , that is put at least in a salvable condition ? he has better learned aristotle's organon than ever i can do , who knows to reduce this confused heap of both of words and matter into any just syllogism . i see indeed you are a very cunning sophister , if in nothing else , yet in this , that you quote scripture by halves ( i will not tell you like unto whom ) leaving out that part of it which would destroy your argument , as he those words which would have overthrown his temptation . you say , is not baptism said to be for remission of sins ? whereas the text is thus ; john did baptize in the wilderness , and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins . the baptism therefore here spoken of belongs not properly to infants ; for , first , it is a baptism of repentance , of which infants are not capable : secondly , it is for remission of sins , which therefore imply actual sins , whereas infants are only guilty of original sin , and that is but one . and besides all this , remission of sins , there spoken of , relates not so much unto baptism , as unto repentance ; for john baptist his great work was to call people to repentance , in those days came the baptist preaching , and saying , repent ye , for the kingdom of god is at hand ; upon this account his baptism is stiled , the baptism of repentance ; and he himself saith , matth. 3.11 . i indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : and as a testimony of their true repentance , he called them to his baptism , and not otherwise ; and accordingly if their repentance were unfeigned and sincere , answerable to the outward sign of it in baptism , their sins should be remitted unto them , else abide upon them , notwithstanding that washing . this is the true intent of the place , as we have it explained from the mouth of peter , act. 2.38 . repent and be baptized , every one of you , in the name of jesus christ , for the remission of sins . but notwithstanding what i have now answered , i will yet acknowledge , that true and real gospel-baptism is for remission of sins : but then we must well understand and find out , what this true and real gospel-baptism is , and wherein it consists ; for john baptist himself saith , i indeed baptize with water unto repentance , but he that cometh after me is mightier than i , he shall baptize you with the holy ghost , and with fire . there is baptisma flu●i●●● , & b●●tisma flaminis , an outward and inward baptism , the one of water , and the other of the spirit ; the one to purge away the filth of the body , the other to purge away the filth of the soul . now there is a wide and vast difference between these two , which are not only distinguishable , but separable , and often separated the one from the other . the baptism of water is often without the baptism of the spirit , and the baptism of the spirit without the baptism of water . where these two happily meet together in the same person , there the blessed result and consequence hereof is sure pardon , and remission of sins , and the final issue , undoubted salvation ; otherwise not . but now who shall presume to tell , as to hic & nunc ( when this and another child is baptized ) concerning the certain concurrence of both these ? who hath known the mind of god herein ? who can discover this inscrutable secret ? but yet let me not be mistaken when i said , otherwise not ; for it is to be restrained only to the first baptism : for though this cannot seal unto us the pardon of sins without the last , yet the last can do it by it self alone without the first . all the ancient patriarchs , and prophets , and holy confessors , and saints before christ's incarnation , had only the last baptism ; and since that time , all those infant-martyrs under the butchery of herod , had only this last baptism ; thousands of the seed of believing parents , some of them dying before they were born , and some of them immediately after , have had only this last baptism : that blessed babe which brake out of the womb , while the mother of it was now sacrificing her body in the flames , for a testimony to the truth against cursed papists , ( who most cruelly and unnaturally forthwith condemned this young heretick to be burnt , together with the old one ) had only this last baptism ; notwithstanding the sins of all these ( and of all others in the same circumstances ) were undoubtedly remitted , and their souls undoubtedly saved . though they were not made partakers of the outward washing , yet the inward washing was graciously vouchsafed to them unto life everlasting : this therefore is that which i would call the true and real gospel-baptism , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , by way of eminency ; whereas the outward baptism of water , which is only in the power of man to administer , can never do away sin , neither can it assure us of the remission of the same . he is not a jew who is one outwardly , neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh ; but he is a jew who is one inwardly , and circumcision is that of the heart , and in the spirit , rom. 2.28 . in like manner , he is not a christian who is one outwardly , neither is that baptism which is outward on the flesh , but he is a christian who is one inwardly , and baptism is that of the heart , and in the spirit : this , this only is the unerring infallible sign and seal unto us of our interest in the covenant of grace , and the great blessing annexed to it : i will be merciful unto their unrighteousness , and their sins and iniquities i will remember no more , heb. 7.12 . but now who knows , whether all and every one among the multitude of young children that have the baptism of the flesh , have also the baptism of the heart , and in the spirit ? this is thick darkness , and we cannot pierce through it . since therefore here we are left at uncertainty , though the said children be baptized , and though they die before they have committed actual sin , yet never the more can we be certain by gods word , that they are undoubtedly saved . yet for all this , the baptism on the flesh , or washing with water , is not an insignificant ceremony , but has its weighty and momentous ends , according to the wise counsel of him that ordained it , handing forth many general , blessings to all that are baptized ; and besides these , more special favours to every worthy partaker of it ; and this signal one among others , remission of sins . and now why tarriest thou ? arise and be baptized , and wash away thy sins , calling on the name of the lord. but then we must carefully single out who are the worthy partakers ; there is therefore a double worthiness , the one external , and the other internal : now these special blessings are imparted not to those who are only worthy with an external worthiness , but with an internal also . all they may be said to be externally worthy , who have an outward call , and are duly qualified , according to the rules of the gospel , to participate of that ordinance ; and among others , the children of professors , or the children of believing parents : all they , and only they have an inward worthiness , who are the called of god according to his purpose , and chosen in christ before the foundation of the world : now unto all these , and only unto these , the sacrament does sign , seal , exhibit , and convey the grace of the gospel . when i say , exhibit and convey , i mean only in suo genere , according to the nature of the ordinance , as an instrument in the hand of omnipotency , who worketh in , and by , and with whatsoever means he will , and effecteth all his counsels and stupendious works , in this way and manner , with never failing success ; as when with the blast of rams horns he tumbled down the walls of jerico , or to come nearer to the matter in hand , when with the waters of jordan he healed the syrian of his leprosie . you see therefore , that it is not the sacrament it self , as it is opus operatum in the administration of it , but the omnipotency and faithfulness of god in the application of it , conferring grace ; and yet not unto all , but only unto the worthy partakers , and these also with an inward worthiness . to conclude therefore , as baptism is for remission of sins , so likewise the lords supper , this cup is the new testament in my blood , shed for many for the remission of sins . it was indeed for remission of sins unto the eleven , but not unto judas , though he drank of that cup as well as his colleagues , yea and had a worthiness for it , that is an outward worthiness , and was rightly admitted unto it , but wanted the inward : to the inwardly worthy the blessing is communicated , but from all others the blessing is suspended . among other things you say , children by baptism are actually brought into the covenant of grace . here again i might fasten upon you the opus operatum conferring grace , as well as you upon me from a lesser cause : but i pass it by to tell you of another errour ; for children of believers were actually , i.e. really and truly in the covenant of grace before their baptism , because it is by vertue of their interest in that covenant , that they are admitted to that ordinance : baptism is but an open declaration of that which before was more latent and implicit ; it strengthens our claim to the covenant , but our title was good and sure before . in a word , baptism is as the mutual sealing , when both sides are agreed ; the articles are drawn up , all things are concluded , and now only to be consummated , by setting their hands and seals . children , say you , baptized , and dying before actual sin , are undoubtedly saved , that is , put at least in a salvable condition . i answer , after all your strong proofs and arguments , you faint in your great assertion and very tamely are contented to come down to lower terms . vndoubtedly saved , that is , to be in a salvable condition . you are like the wise steward , who instead of an hundred talents willed the debtor to write down fifty . vndoubtedly saved , and to be put into a salvable condition , are no synonyma's ; for the last is far short from an equipolency to the first . there is a vast difference between a non posse non vivere , and a posse non mori , between a necessary enjoyment of life with the utmost security from death , and the most possible yea probable attainment of life , cum formidine contrarij , with the hazzard of the contrary . of these two , undoubtedly saved is the first , and a salvable condition is the last . you know the proverb , a bird in the hand . undoubtedly saved is a ship arrived , put in and safely come to shore , past all danger ; a salvable condition is a ship far off on the main ; though she be a stout and strong built vessel , with all her tacklings firme and compleat , and in a good and likely way to make a prosperous voyage yet she may miscarry and perish in the deep . your paraphrase therefore is paradox to the text , though sound and orthodox in it self ; children baptized are indeed in a salvable condition , not only before , but also after they have committed actual sin : yea ( according to the doctrine of the liturgy , in the order appointed for the burial of the dead ) not only children , but grown up men , committing actual sins ( sins of the deepest die , most gross immoralities , not to be named among christians , heaven-daring and hell-deserving sins , all the days of their lives , unto their last exit ) are still in a salvable condition : or else how can they be thought to be in an hope-able condition ? you know what is read over all such , when they are brought to the grave . that when we shall depart this life we may rest in him ( in christ ) as our hope is this our brother doth . there is a gospel without an hope to relie upon the promise of it , and there is an hope , i see , without a gospel to justifie the reason of it . but that remains yet to be discussed : i therefore return to the matter before us . children baptized are in a salvable condition , that is in a right , hopeful , and probable way of salvation , according to the gospel . for though christ hath said it , many are called , and few are chosen ; and though from hence , even because of the multitude who are called into gods family continually by baptisme , as from other objections , some scruples may arise in our minds , powerful enough to take off , and hinder the full assurance , and certain belief of the undoubted salvation of all such ; yet because the secret things of election belong wholly to god , and the revealed things of the outward call only unto us , we according to what is revealed unto us in that outward call , may and ought to judge charitably concerning all infants baptized , and hope well of their eternal state. in the general , we have good reason to believe , that god will own and bless his own ordinances , and grant salvation to his people in his own ways and institutions appointed for such an end . truth hath said it , he that believeth and his baptized shall be saved . children , i confess cannot actually believe , and so perhaps this promise is not properly theirs : yet they cannot wholly be debarred of it ; for even in their infancy , the seed of grace , and the seed of faith , may be sown and rooted in their hearts ; but however they are actually baptized , which leads on directly to the blessing there mentioned , and has such a full and fair aspect upon the same , that i would not be wanting of the ordinance of baptisme my self , nor deprive my children of it for thousands of gold and silver ; and the rather because wisdom hath said again , except a man be born of water , and of the spirit , he cannot enter into the kingdom of god. you have therefore my vote and suffrage , for the salvable condition children baptized : i leave them in the way of life , while yet they are living : in via salutis , dum viatores , but how they can be thought or said to be so in termino , after they are gone to their long , lasting , everlasting home ; or how you can apply this for the vindication of the rubrick , is beyond my understanding . it is certain by gods word , that children which are baptized , dying before they commit actual sin , are undoubtedly saved ; that is , say you , in your explanation , they are put at least in a salvable condition , what are they still but in a salvable condition after dying ? i shall make no remark upon this remarkable — but am ready to trespass another way , even volens nolens . quis tale legendo temperet a risu ? nevertheless this shall be spoken for your honour , that you are a more generous opponent than the former ; for you intrepedly and heroickly own justifie the truth of the rubrick ; when as he most basely and sneakingly would have shuffled it off by the slight of evasion : not allowing it any place in his assent and consent , though it hath evidently a place in the liturgy and is a part of the whole . but then on the other side , i think him more sober than your self , though he call a certain query of mine , a raving question : which was this , since baptizing gives such an unquestionable title unto heaven , may a minister deny the ordinance to any infant whatsoever , if he might be permitted to administer it ? in particular i brought down the question to a true believer , whose child had an unquestionable right unto gospel baptisme according to the terms and conditions of the gospel ; whether , if such a believer should bring his child to the font , and desire the minister to have it baptized , but yet either out of weakness or tenderness of conscience , scruples god-fathers and god-mothers , and the sign of the cross , and dares not admit of them , the minister may and ought upon that score deny his babe christendom ? he saith in such a case the answer is plain , that he ought not . though here he speaks without book , i mean the common-prayer book , and against the order of it in the baptizing of infants . whereas you say on the contrary in these words , that odium he ( meaning me ) would load the minister with , that shall deny to administer baptism to them , who come not according to the rule of the church — are ( surely it should be , is , referring to odium ) besides our argument , 't is sufficient he ( the minister ) hath no title ( i think you mean hath no right , for i am often at a loss to unriddle you ) so to do it , that he is more serious in his function , than to be knowingly unjust , either to the trust the church or god himself , as i may say , hath reposed in him . if a father come to have his child baptized , but not according to the rules of the church : the minister has no title so to do it , and therefore in such circumstances will be more just to the trust reposed in him than to baptize the said child . if this be not the purport and intention of your words , you speak unintelligibly : but if they be , you fight against your fellow souldier , yea and against truth it self . shall we obey god or man ? christ hath said , go and disciple all naions , baptizing them in the name of the father , &c. and among others , the children of believing professing parents , simply because they are so : this is the true gospel trust put into the hands of gospel ministers ; well , but the church or man commands , to baptize them with god-fathers and god mothers , and the sign of the cross , meer accidents and accessories , forreign from the nature and essence of baptism , but only invented and imposed from humane tradition ; which therefore some weak and scrupelous believers , question and fear as a profanation of that holy ordinance , and accordingly dare not so address themselves with their children unto baptism . but now shall their babes upon this account be denyed their birth-right ? shall they be denyed a priviledge so excellent and so desirable ? shall a pitiful order of the church in comparison over-rule and obtain ? shall it be heeded and observed by the minister more than the regia placita of heaven it self ? god forbid . i objected against the order for the burial of the dead ; because what is there spoken to god and man , though often at the interment of the worst of sinners , is spoken of them as if they had been saints . and most devout holy persons , and their souls then in a safe and happy state. for first the congregation by the mouth of the minister speaks as it were to themselves one to another , concerning the party deceased , forasmuch as it hath pleased god of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother . he is a brother , a dear brother , his soul is now taken by god , taken in mercy , in great mercy , and it is taken to himself . and then when corps is put into the grave , he continues his speech in these words , we therefore commit his body to the ground , in a sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life . then secondly the congregation , in the close of the office , by the mouth of the minister , speaks unanimously to god , we meekly beseech the o father , to raise us from the death of sin to the life of righteousness ; that when we shall depart this life we may rest in him , christ jesus , as our hope is this our brother doth . what can be said more , if the most holy martyr , or confessour , if stephen again were carried to his burial ? let him be a nabal , a cain , a judas , yet here is ( if i might use the word ) his apotheosis , his enthronization among the crowned in celestial glory . you say i have only this to say , that it is in the judgment of charity we prenounce this of all . i answer , charity with judgment , is a gracious excellency , but without judgment , it is the greatest absurdity , and nothing else but the vain opinion of an over-pittiful simplicity . but if charity be with judgment , then it must have some rule of judging : and if the right golden rule , then this rule is the word , for i know no other ; now if charity hath this golden rule of the word to judge by , then charity can have no hope for some ( many ) flagitious abominable sinners , so living and so dying , when they are brought to be buried ; as suppose two hectors falling out , and fighting for a miss , and both killing one another in the place ; or let it be one of them : which happens too too often : suppose some high-way gentlemen in the very act of robbery , shot down stark dead the same moment by the honest traveller , and thus i might instance in many like cases . here , if we will speak soberly and according to truth , we can have no hope : nothing being written in the whole bible , from end to end , to ground the least of any such hope upon . here to mention , what happened to the thief upon the cross , and what may be the dealings of god with the most profane wretch at the last minute , as you do ; and what may befall the most profligate persons , inter pontem & fontem , as some others ; is a vain execuse , and cannot afford the least shew or shadow of a just apology . as for the thief upon the cross , a wonderful act of mercy was extended to him at the last , by an extraordinary priviledge , at an extraordinary occasion ; but withal we know what a wonderful extraordinary testimony he gave of his faith , and of the change of his heart before expiration . the order for the burial of the dead , might have been proper enough at his interment : but would it also have been as proper at the interment of the other his copartner in sin ? had he suffered in england ( supposing all things then as now ) he might have then been buried according to liturgy . for i see none else excluded , but the unbaptized , excommunicate , and laying violent hands upon themselves ; and yet even these also upon your grounds may equally be admitted to christian burial ; i am sure the first of them , the unbaptized , may upon far better ; and as for the worst of the other , who knows how gracious god may be in his dealings with them in the last minute ? who knows ? none can know : and because none can know , therefore none can hope : for hope without knowledge is a meer nullity . as for what we know concerning such abominable wicked workers ( if we believe the holy scripture , which saith , neither fornicators , nor idolaters , nor adulterers , nor thieves , nor covetous , nor drunkards , nor revilers , nor extortioners shall ever inherit the kingdome of god ; which saith , without regeneration and holiness no man shall see the lord , and every where to the like purpose ) it speaks their condition desperate and damned ; and therefore with silence , but without hope , we must leave them wholly to the disposition and determination of god their judge . and this also you seem to to acknowledge and concede : for in making good those words , since it hath pleased god of his great mercy to take unto himself — you say , that it is not necessary the words in great mercy should refer to the persons taken away , for it may be mercy , and a great mercy , to them who suffered by their injury , or ill examples , supposing them to be such in whom no shew of goodness did appear . i answer , i thank you heartily for this new notion , which never before came upon the imagination of my thoughts , nor perhaps of any other : so that you may say in a boast as zabbarel ( if i hit right upon his name ) ego primus hoc inveni . verily the gens togata , i mean all of the clergy , are much your debtors , and i hope in gratitude will highly extoll the acumen of your wit , and the pregnancy of your invention . for a recompence , i think my self bound to tell you a story , which this rare piece of fancy of yours brought fresh into my remembrance . in those days ( when the book of sports and pastimes , as lawful and expedient to be indulged to youth , and fit to be exercised on the lords day ) was commanded to be published , and accordingly was read in most congregations ; deus bone ! what are the best of men , the tribe of levi , the sons of the church themselves , when they come to be tryed ! yet there were some of them non-conformists to the rest , who neither could nor would do what was then required , what ever they suffered . one of them a most worthy preacher , was desired by some of his chief parishoners to visit his friends in another county , and to absent himself from them three weeks or a month together : and in the interim they procured an old certain saint john ( a very obscure person , who neglected his dress , but cherished the hair of his face and beard at a strange rate ) to do this good turn for him : who by the like crotchet of an extraordinary fancy was ready at their service , and made no bones of it . he comes therefore , and appears in the desk , after the manner of some wild satyr out of a wood , and for the better grace of the matter , what he spake was with a twanging tone out of his nose . well ; he sets upon the performance of the work , and reads over the book of sports distinctly and audibly : but when he had done , he added as followeth ; beloved brethren ! here the king gives you liberty to play on sundays , and to exercise youth in vain sports and pastimes , which to do is aprofanation of the sabbath , and a breach of gods holy commandment : but now , brethren ! do you understand the kings mind , and his true intent and meaning herein ? why , i will tell you , my brethren ! a father has a stubborn rebellious child , and he sees his temper , and spirit from time to time , aukward and cross to do any thing he is bidden , but rather more resolved and forward to do the contrary ; wherefore the father , when he would have anything done by this perverse and froward boy , forbids him the doing of it : but what indeed he would not have done , he charges him to do it . thus in like manner , my brethren ! our good and gracious king has commanded us to observe the sabbath in coming to church , and in a religious serving and worshipping of god , by many good preceeding laws , and orders for that end and purpose : but still such is our contumacy and wickedness , that we drink and play , and have our dances and revels on that blessed day , in a shameful manner : wherefore he seeing our perverse rebellious carriage , against his former good precepts , he speaks unto us by contraries , he bids now play on sundays , but his true meaning is , that we should no longer play , as formerly we have done , but keep god's sabbath better , and more religiously ; this is all our good and gracious king ( judging of us according to our wonted crosseness ) intended in publishing this book of liberty , and i hope will follow upon the reading of it . here was a strange unexpected , and unlooked for enucleation of the mind of the king , as now yours is of the words of the liturgy . when i heard this relation first , i was hugely pleased with it : and said , it was pity some courtier had not not acquainted the king with it ; who certainly would have rewarded this rare interpreter with a dean's or prebend's place , for his eminent understanding and service herein : i wish you the same success in your parallel atchievement . but in the interim we must consider , whether those words in great mercy can admit of any such avulsion from the words following , which relate unto the dead , to be an apostrophe to them that are living ? let us read them and weigh them , for as much as it hath pleased god of his great mercy , to take to himself the soul of our dear brother here departed , &c. therefore the person here spoken of cannot be ( as you would suppose him ) a man of an ill example , an injurious person , and in whom no shew of goodness did ever appear , for he is a brother , a dear brother , and his soul now taken to god and accordingly these words , in great mercy , must refer unto himself the person taken away , and not unto others ; unto whom this his being taken away , was rather in judgment , and for correction , by the loss of such a dear brother . notwithstanding procure a rubrick to confirm your interpretation , for until then ( according to your own look ) i may not believe it : but when i shall see that once affixed , let the turning of these words , in great mercy , from the dead to the living , be proper or improper , it shall be all one in the case ; for your sense of them shall be most authentick with me . you have yet another salve for the sore place , to justifieth is last office for the dead , in these words , nor have i ever thought the person officiating , obliged to use this form of burials intirely in all cases — something i conceive may be left to the discretion of the priest , especially with the advice of his ordinary , &c. your meaning plainly is this , that you may leave out some part of what is appointed to be read for the burial of the dead , if the persons buried be not subjects proper for it , but utterly the contrary . as for example , if the person to be buried , has been a notorious flagitious offender from first to last , then after your own discretion , especially with the advice of your ordinanry , you may leave out the words , in great mercy , and to himself dear , and the like , and read only thus , for asmuch as it hath pleased god to take the soul of our brother , we therefore commit his body , &c. thus likewise in the close , you may omit those words , as our hope is this our brother doth , and read it thus , that when we shall depart this life , we may rest in him , and at the general resurrection be found acceptable in his sight , &c. i answer , it would be well , if the minister might thus be left to his own discretion , supposing all parties agreed , and that there would be no scandal in the case ; which i look upon as an impossibility . for put the case , after you have declared your unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained in the book of common-prayers , before the face of god , and the congregation , one of them should immediately step forth and say , sir do you like and approve of all , and every thing contained in , and prescribed by the order for the burial of the dead ? e're long your office will call you to bury as cursed , reprobate wretches as ever breathed ; for too too many such are among us . do you think it lawful and expedient to stile every one of that sort , dear brother ? can you then with a good conscience say , god in great mercy hath taken his soul to himself ? or can you express your hope before god , even sure and certain hope , of his resting in christ , and eternal happiness ? what now will you answer to his questions ? will you bring in your last mentioned plea , and think to help and justifie your self by it ? will you replie thus , friend , i have indeed in your hearing , as in the hearing of the whole congregation , declared my unfeigned assent and consent to all , and every thing contained in , and prescribed by the book of common-prayer , and by consequence , as you justly infer , to all and every thing appointed for the burial of the dead ; but yet you must know , i have a mental reservation according to my own discretion ; and besides , my ordinary , though i have avouched i will do this and that , has given me a secret licence , to leave it undone insuch and such cases ; and in this very case in particular about burying the dead ; and therefore when i shall judge it meet and necessary , i will omit several expressions , when they shall not be proper nor applicable to the persons to be buried , or at least i will take the words in a contrary sense , according to what they are usally taken ? should this be your answer ? but with what forehead could you utter it ? how quickly might the said person reply upon you , to your shame and confusion , in this or the like manner ? belike , sir , though you have declared your unfeigned assent and consent to all , and every thing contained in and prescribed by the book of common-prayer , you have but jugled in all you have declared ; you have your private reservations and exceptions , and your ordinary has given you a licence to profess one thing , and do another ; i see your heart and mouth have not gone together , but you speak and think two several ways . i took you for a good protestant minister , but i perceive you are a meer jesuite : an ireland , a gavan can do no more . what way you could devise , to free your self from this impeachment , is altogether beyond my thoughts . sir , you well observed a certain sort of ministers among your selves , pitied in their non conformity , as doing , good men , what they would not do , if they were not forced to it , and therefore they huddle up and curtail the prayers , and shew industriously by the manner of performance how little they like and approve of what they do . this what you say , i have heard my self spoken in their praise , and themselves much commended for it ; but i have always thought them so far from being worthy of praise , that i have esteem'd them most worthy of censure and condemnation ; and my heart has risen against them beyond all others . this is wretched simulation , and a base pitiful disguise . surely after i had declared my unfeigned assent and consent to all and every thing contained in the liturgy , before the whole congregation , i would be faithful to mine own word , and justifie my profession by a consonant practice : i would not curtail the prayers , but have the courage before all the world to read them distinctly and reverently , and do all in a most ample manner , as the matter did require , scorning aucupare famam , to get the good opinion of any , by shewing my self an hypocrite . and thus , sir , it should be with you in your own concern ; after your declaration , it behoves you to be true unto it in every iota and tittle , frankly , roundly , and entirely coming up to the full performance of it , and of all and every thing required by it , yea even in the order for the burial of the dead , any word , phrase , expression , or passage therein in any wise notwithstanding . moreover , besides this scandal ( arising from your last contrivance of ●●earing your self ) a worse yet might follow in the event and issue : even sometimes to the peril and danger of your life , should you indeed do , as you say you have liberty ; that is , should you leave out those words , phrases , and expressions , wherein the piety and felicity of the party deceased is signified and declared , it would never be endured : suppose the person interred , some lord , knight , or gentleman ; a person , of worth i cannot say , but of wealth and quality , though in the time of his life , he was never so wicked and ungodly , yet now that he is dead , he must be reputed a worthy good man in all kinds , and nothing thought or said amiss of him : a pompous funeral is prepared for him , and his friends with much solemnity , follow the bier , expecting for him the due and accustomed honour of christian burial , and that every word be there spoken over him by the minister in the very form and manner as it is prescribed ; if therefore you shall presume to take your liberty , and use your discretion to skip over any thing in the sepulture of him , which of others you do not ; it will be taken as an affront , and an unpardonable trespass by his then present relations ; and so perhaps some son , brother , or fellow hector , shall be ready to tumble you into the grave after him , or offer some other abuse , to your great mischief and evil . yea the meanest will not endure such a reproachful reflection upon their relations , but will hate you for it in their hearts . you see therefore this stratagem of leaving out at discretion will challenge your discretion , but never do your work . and consequently as things are now ordered in the liturgy , and as you have unfeignedly assented and consented to them in the declaration , you must be again and again a transgressour either to god or man , in the burials of the dead . but , you say , the church must frame her offices to suit those , who are her real members . i answer , here is the wisdom of the church to frame all her offices and services in such a manner as may be furthest from all scandal in one kind or other ; and count that most sutable , that is most conducible to such an end . to speak therefore about the office for the burial of the dead , it is known upon matter of fact , that all men have not faith , 't is known that most , who are named professors , and live in church-communion , are yet graceless , christless persons ; and in this wretched woful condition go commonly out of the world. shall it now notwithstanding be thought suitable and seemly , in the burying of all these , to speak of them , as if they were saints , and true sincere approved disciples of christ ? surely , sir , if you would freely declare your mind from the unprejudiced sentiments of an unforestalled judgment , you must needs bring in your negative , and say , it is far from being suitable , but rather insufferable . what therefore of help and remedy shall be found in the case ? surely methinks some forme of words in general , concerning death , and judgment , and the other world , with good and wholsome prayers corresponding , and to the same purpose , might be so contrived ( for the edification of the hearers , without intermedling at all with the particular condition of the party deceased , either to his praise or dispraise ) that no just offence might be either given or taken by any . this is the sudden and extempore effusion of my pen in this matter . until some such course be taken , i am well pleased that i have no call to bury the dead , nor can i , rebus sic stantibus , ever declare my unfeigned assent and consent unto them . a postscript . i have yet two queries to propound to mine opponents , to each of them their question , and so i shall take my leave of them for the present . you therefore , sir , who appeared first against me , highly applaud the writings of the apochrypha , and plead much for the verity of them in themselves , and the usefulness of them as to the reading of them to the people ; for you say , few protestant writers of any note , ( i would you had named some of those noted men ) but have commended , at least have allowed of the reading of them ; that is , in the publique assembly , and congregation , as well as other scripture ; and you except against me for stiling them , fabulous legends , and say , many of the ancient fathers did believe them to be true stories , ( as true as gospel ) and though he ( a.b. ) is pleased to call them fabulous legends , i never yet saw any arguments to prove them fables , but what would admit of a fair solution , and when this author produces any , i shall consider them . and you add , but supposing them fables , they are nevertheless fit for all that to be read in the christian assemblies : since they may serve for instruction , or comfort , or reproof , as the parables of our saviour do . what , sir , do you think what you speak ? what as the parables of our saviour do ? what , shall the fables of apochrypha beavouched , to serve for instruction , comfort and reproof as the parables of our saviour do ? is this as a conjunction of equality , or onely of aliquality ? to my best remembrance it is aquinas his distinction , and it is needful here to free you from an horrid blasphemy : you might well therefore have affixed some word of rebate to your word as , to have avoided all imputation of it . yet this is not the question i have to propound : but since you declare your mind and judgment , for the truth and goodness of the apochryphal writings , i would enquire of you , q. what strong convincing , and cogent motives of credence wrought you into this perswasion , and brought you into this mind ? the reading of this paragraph set me a wondring ; but certainly you have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 somthing hidden in your brest beyond vulgar knowledge to justifie apocrypha ; which i would gladly understand for my better information . for i confess unto this day , i have entertained a quite different , yea utterly a contrary apprehension of them . among many others these are two of my reasons : first , because they contain in them several doctrines , not only inconsistent with themselves , but also repugnant to the scriptures of the old and new testament . secondly , because they report and witness many things as really transacted and done , which sound reason and common sense ( if they may beheard to speak ) will unanswerably tell you , can be nothing else but monstrous and incredible fiction , impossible in nature , and at as great an elongation from faith and verity , as whatsoever was hatched in the brains , or mentioned by the pens of hesiod , homer , or any other of the greatest and most famous of those lying poets , i remember very well , when i was but a little young school-boy in reading over the books of the maccabees , many of those strange stories found as little belief in me ; but that of one razis , a jew i judged to be a notorious untruth , and continue to be of the same mind unto this day . for thus it is written of him , 2 maccab. chap. 14. v. 37. now there was accused unto nicanor one razis one of the elders of jerusalem , a lover of his country men and a man of very good report , who for his kindness was called , a father of the jews — so nicanor willing to declare the hate he bare unto the jews sent above five hundred men of war to take him — now when the multitude would have taken the tower , and violently broken into the utter door , and bid the fire should be brought to burn it , he being ready to be taken on every sde , fell upon his sword chusing rather to die manfully ( that is to be guilty of self murder ) then to come into the hands of the wicked , to be abused otherwise then beseemed his noble birth : but missing his stroak through hast , the multitude also rushing within the doors , he ran boldly up to the wall , and cast himself down manfully amongst the thickest of them ; but they quickly giving place , and a space being made , he fell down into the midst of the void place . nevertheless while there was yet breath within him , being inflamed with anger he rose up , and though his blood gashed out like spouts of water , and his wounds were grievous ; yet he ran through the midst of the throng , and standing upon a steep rock , when as his blood was now quite gone , he pluckt out his bowels , and taking them in both his hands , he cast them upon the throng , and calling upon the lord of life and spirit to restore him those again , thus he died . here is such a concatenation of prodigies , in this one narration , that nothing less than a prodigy of credulity can assent to any one particular of them . it is marvellous that the fall of razis , from the top of the high wall of the castle ( especially he casting himself down violently from thence , and falling upon the bare ground or pavement , for they quickly gave place , and did not bear him up ) had not immediately done his business for him upon the spot ; had not immediately beaten his brains out of his head , his bowels out of his belly , and breath out of his body ; at least put him out of all capacity of rising and running ; and this through a throng of people , and these a throng of souldiers and armed men , and they also assayling him on every side ; for they were sent to seize his person , and to bring him prisoner . alas our george , and arthur are not so much , if compared with this great heroe razis , as a grashopper with goliah ! the most renowned of such knights have lost their spurs ; ecce homines homunciones blancati quasi libia , as he said merrily in another case : which will more notoriously appear in the conclusion of this most astonishing tragical exploit : for behold though his blood gushed out like spouts of water , yea when his blood was now quite gone , and not one drop of it left in the veins , ( which might befall him , either by the violence of the aforesaid fall , or from the many wounds he had received from the swords of the souldiers , or othewise ; for we are left at uncertainties . ) yet even then he called upon the lord of life ! it is written indeed of our saviour , that after he had lost much blood upon the cross , he cryed out with a loud voice , saying , eli , eli , lama-sabachthani , and yeilded up the ghost . but this was wholly and altogether above the power of nature , and therefore worthily counted one of his last miracles ; because great effusion of blood does necessarily enervate the parts of the body instrumental and requisite to speech , beyond the possibility of framing or uttering any articulate voice , or indeed any sound at all . which therefore ( as some have thought ) the centurion hearing and observing , being ( as well he might be ) a naturalist and a philosoper , did convince him , that the person then suffering was not only a just and righteous man , but also much more then , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , meer man ; for he said , truly this was the son of god , mat. 27. v. 54. compared with luk. 23. v. 46. though it is evident that our saviour had yet much of his blood remaining within him , when he loudly lowed out ( if i may so speak with all due reverence ) that bitter lamentation ; for afterward it is said , one of the souldiers with a spear pierced his side , and forthwith came there out blood and water , joh. 19.34 . wherefore as for our razis , it may be said , if it could be without unpardonable blasphemy , behold a greater than christ is here ; for now when his blood was quite all gone , he called upon the lord of life and spirit : yet this is no great matter , if considered with what is still further reported of him : for now notwithstanding all his blood was gone , he had not only power and vigour to call upon god , but also to pluck out his own bowels , surely they hung very loose , and take them with both his hands ; it is strange that neither of them was hurt and disabled by his fall ; and cast them upon the throng . if this be not a thumper , i never heard one in my life . but you will object , and say , these books of the maccabees are not in the kalendar , neither are they appointed to be read . i answer , though they are not in the kalendar , yet they are in apochrypha ; of which in the whole lump you are a strenuous propugnator , without any limitation or exception . nevertheless to give you all fair play imaginable , i will return from the maccabees to the history of tobit and his dog , which hath its course in the desk , and that too by order , as well as any part of the holy bible it self , tobit , i say , and his dog : for though you were pleased to flurt at me for mentioning of his dog , and say , i suppose this author does not know that the fifth chapter of tobit is left out , ( that is , out of the kalendar ) where tobit and his dog are found together ; yet how causelesly and weakly you do it , will instantly appear ; insomuch that if tobit's dog were yet alive he had reason enough to resent the injury with asnarl , and not only so , but also bite you by the heels , for putting such a slight and affront upon him ; for why should you shut him out of the holy place , as an unclean thing ; since he is admitted and received as well as his master ? yet suppose i had not known that the fifth chapter was left out , it would have no more challenged my knowledg or understanding , then if you should be ▪ upbraided with ignorance , because you know not to handle your needle , nor how to cut out a gown in right mode & fashion , as well as any french taylour in the town ; for what have you to do with such a knowledg ? and so what have i to do with the curiosity and intreague of the kalendar in this particular ? yea , i believe your self would be put to a stand , to give a good and satisfactory account , why only that fifth chapter of the whole book of tobit , should be left out ? why this rather then any of the rest , which are altogether ejusdem farinae of the same leven ? and the rather , because if you observe it in this fifth chapter , the main plot and foundation of the whole tragick-comedy is brought in and laid , as it is usual upon the stage , in some of the first scens . for here is raphael a great angel of heaven , if you have faith to believe , brought in under the disguise of a servant , and professes himself to be * azarias the son of ananias the great ; by what latitude of speech , i will not undertake to resolve , nor yet how decorously : for it is not usual nor slightly , that the son of so great a man should need to turn serving-man . well , notwithstanding he profers his service to tobit the son , v. 6. and is entertained to waite upon him in his travail ; and so they went forth both and the young mans dog with him , ver . 16. and it is this raphael , this servant which teaches his young master those unheard of rarities , and puts him upon the performing those wonderful exploits in the following acts. davus omnia : raphael is all in all , and young tobit is nothing without him . why therefore this necessary scene of introduction , should be left out and omitted , and this busie davus and most extraordinary servant should abruptly and suddenly appear , none understanding from whence or how , is wholly beyond my apprehension . i would gladly know , whether mr. falkner , ( unto whom you owe much ) in any of his great labours , and learned exercitations about the liturgy , has given us the true reason of this chasme and hiulcan leap in the kalendar ? surely there is some mystery in it : but what , raphael knows for all me . in the interim it may well purple your cheeks , that you should rather then not twit me with ignorance , betray your own ; for though the fifth chapter is left out , and consequently tobit , and his dog , yet if you had looked forward unto the eleventh chapter ( ordered to be read ) there you shall find tobit and his dog again : for thus it is recorded , v. 4. so they went their way , and the dog went after them . and for the better convincing you of the truth of what i now speak , be pleased , if you count it worth the while , to go to any of our cathedral-churches , next third day of october , in the forenoon in the year one thousand six hundred and eighty , and so quotannis for the future , and you will be satisfied . saint paul's is not yet reedified , therefore that of west-minster is nearest ; where if you will do your devotions in that grave and solemn assembly , graced with the presence of a great and generous bishop : together with his prebends , priests , and deacons , besides a loud chorus of singing men , and singing boys alternatly responding ; you shall see the reverend reader in due time and place coming out of his seat , first making his lowlie obeisance , with his face to the earth towards the holy altar , though without a sacrifice ; and therefore why he so bows , is not a little mysterious ; and then turning about to shew the same reverence to the presul of the quire , and going into the pew , you shall hear him pronounce with a loud voice , these or the like words , the holy lesson appointed , for this morning service is the eleventh chapter of the book of tobit ; and then he proceeds to his work . after these things tobias went his ways praising god , that had given him aprosperous journey , and blessed raguel and edna his wife , and went on his way till he drew near to ninive . then rapahel said to tobias ; thou knowest brother , how thou didst leave thy father ; let us hast before thy wife , and prepare the house ; and take in thine hand the gaul of the fish . so they went their way , and the dog went after them . i wonder there is no asterisk or finger in the margent pointing to the place , for it is valde notabile ; and then you could not have so easily over looked it . give me leave , for i think it innocent and harmless , and i am sure 't is opportune , to impart unto you a merriment . i once heard a young lord ( now a great and grave senator ) whose tongue is excellently well hung , who to exercise his faculty of speaking , would needs take upon him to preach extempore ( as he said but too loosly , ) and what should be his text , but this very verse , though not exactly repeated to a letter , but in this manner , so tobit went out , and his dog followed him . i remember his first work was to make inquiry , for he said it was of great importance , what kind of dog this might be , whether a spaniel , gray-hound , water-dog , or some other : for from hence said he , we may very probably find out the temper and genious of his master . if this dog were a spaniel , then young tobit in all likelihood was a gentleman , and one who delighted in hawking ; but why then do we not read of an hawk on his fist , as well as a dog at his heel ? if this dog were a grayhound , then young tobit took his pleasure in coursing : if this dog were a water-spaniel , then young tobit's recreation was ducking . but yet perhaps the dog was none of all these , but rather a meer pedlars-cur ; for it is said , the dog followed after him , just like such a cur ; for as for the forementioned they are seen to be more aiery , metalsom and sprightly than heavily to follow after , but range up and down the fields far from their masters feet , and hunt after prey ; and such a dog might well sute with his masters mean condition for the present , because his mother was but a kind of chair-woman , as old tobit the father reports of her , chap. 2. v. 11. and my wife anna did take womans work to do , by which she earned her livelihood , v. 14. this and much more was his oratory , which i list not further to repeat , and the rather , because what i have said already , is indeed more than sufficient to convince you of your mistake about tobit and his dog . but besides , i have several doubts still remaining concerning old tobit the father , and young tobit the son ; which how they can be solved , and received by others , as true and real , do utterly mate and non plus my thoughts . concerning old tobit the father we read thus , chap. 2 . v . 9. the same night i returned from the burial , and slept by the wall of my court-yard , being polluted , and my face was uncovered ; and i knew not that there were sparrows in the wall , and mine eyes being open , the sparrows muted warm dung into mine eyes , and a whiteness came into mine eyes ; whereby he became blind . if he slept , how came it to pass that his eyes were open ? i have heard this to be the property of an hare ( but i suppose it a vulgar error ) and of nothing else living upon the earth . but though the good man slept with his eyes open , how could two sparrows joyn by a conspiracy against him to make him blind ? one sparrow could not work him this mischief alone by its single muting ; what did they secretly whisper , and soby consent , in one and the same moment , turn up their tailes , and let fall this into one eye , and that into the other , and put them out together ? oh hateful unhappy birds ! else though such a shrewd mischance had befallen one of his eyes , yet the other might have been preserved : surely he would have been more watchful for the future , after he had understood the danger of it . concerning young tobit the son we read thus , chap. 6. 1 , 2 , 3. and as they went on their journey , they came in the evening to the river tigris , and they lodged there , and when the young man went down to wash himself , a fish leaped out of the river , and would have devoured him ; then the angel ( his servant raphael ) said unto him , take the fish ; and the young man laid hold of the fish , and drew it to land . this was a strangebold fish to forsake its own element to devour a man. forté hippopotamus , saith grotius upon the place : but it is forty to one that it was not ; since that kind of water-beast ( for so it may be called rather then a fish ) is reported to live only in the river nile , * and not in tigris ; and besides it is of greater bigness and fierceness , than tamely to be laid hold on by the hand of any , and brought to land ; only our young tobit's excepted ; who had the strength and valour to atchive this great enterprize . well ; drawn this fish is upon the bank , and by the appointment of the servant ( for here the man commands the master ) it is gutted , or rather unbowelled , the heart , liver , and gaul being taken out , and carefully preserved , v. 4. and not without cause , for in due time they will be found to be of an astonishing quality and vertue , working wonders . all the tetragammatons , soleo-terrenos , withall other the terrible hard names boasted of by your mountebanks , are not to be named the same day with them , as you shall hear , v. 6. then the young man said to the angel , to what use is the heart , the liver , and gall of the fish ? and he said unto him , touching the heart and the liver , if a devil , or any evil spirit trouble any , we must make a smoak thereof before the man or the woman , and the party shall be no more vexed : as for the gall it is good to anoint a man that hath whiteness in his eyes , and he shall be healed . this is repeated again , v. 16. when thou shalt come into the marriage chamber , thou shalt take the ashes of perfume , and shalt lay upon them some of the heart and liver of the fish , and shalt make a smoak with it : and the devil shall smel it , and and flee away , and never come again anymore . the reason of this ( as you know ) was thus ; a match was resolved upon by the angel between young tobit and a young virgin that was lov'd by a devil ; i assure you by all the faith of apocrypha the devil asmodoeus , for that is his name , was desperately in love with her , and as a most jealous lover impatient of rivals , had murdered and torn in peices , no less then seven men one after another , for pretending unto her ; for so her father raguel like an honest good man , plainly told this ignorant wooer ( as he supposed ) when he first brake his mind to him about the buness . chap. 7. v. 10. and raguel said to tobias it is meet , that thou shouldest marry my daughter ; nevertheless i will declare unto thee the truth ; i have given my daughter in marriage to seven men , who dyed that night they came in unto her . for a wicked spirit loved her . chap. 6.14 . and whosoever offered to touch her was sure to go to pot for it . nevertheless to this frightful , fatal , and deadly bride young tobit is designed and resolved to be the bridegroom : but how comes he to be so hardy and adventrous ? because he had the heart and liver of the foresaid fish in a readiness by him , as a sure and safe amulet to fray away the foul fiend , and send him packing . i dare be bold to say , the devil of mascon was not , as he said himself , more terrified with the cross and holy water , then this evil spirit with the smoak , arising from the heart and liver of that watery monster . for so we read it , chap. 8. v. 1. and when they had supped , they brought tobias in unto her ; and as he went , he remembred the words of raphael , and took the ashes of the perfumes , and put the heart and the liver of the fish thereupon , and made a smoak therewith ; the which smel , when the evil spirit had smelled , he fled into the uttermost parts of egypt , and the angel bound him . surely this smoak was a most hellish fogg , darker than ever any from the bottomless pit ; and this smel a most divelish strong smel to out-stink the devil , and put him thus to flight ; no assa foetida could be a thousand part near so noisome . it is commonly reported , that when the devil appears and frights people , at his departure for a farewell , he leaves an horrible sulphureous stink behind him , ready to poyson all in the room : but here was a more dreadful damnable breath , so that old nick the stinker was afraid to be poisoned himself , and forced to hurry away , and remove farther off at a distance sufficient , as will presently appear . but in the interim i wonder how the bride and the bridegroom could abide by it ? yet possibly they had the cunning to stop their noses , until the smoak and smel was past and vanished ; and so might the devil , if he had not been a stark fool . a silly devil indeed , to be frighted with smoak , and to be driven from his amasia with a smel ! could he not ( as i have said ) have stopped his nose , and kept out the stink ? could he not have gone and opened the window for a little while , and relieved himself with the fresh and sweet air ? could he not have smelled out before hand what was consulted against him ? could he not have provided himself with a counter-charm ? could he not have furnished himself with some rare civet , musk , or other such like perfume on the knob of his staff : by whose sweet and odoriferous sent , he might easily have secured himself from those baneful and killing exhalations , and not received the least dammage from them ? had he not been a meer fungus and dolt of a devil , he would have set his brains a work , and tryed a thousand conclusions before he would have so meekly and patiently parted with his admired adored mistress ; and left her in the bosome , and embraces of a stranger before his eyes . yet possibly there might be an antipathy , and a particular aversion in his nature against this foul fetour and venemous vapour ; which therefore no sooner did steam into his nostrils but presently put him into a cold sweat , and made his face look as pale as a white cloth . alas poor devil ! what would you have him to do ? he was ready to have fallen down into a sown ; therefore he had no remedy , as soon as ever he came to himself , but to flie for his life . but whether ? the text saith , he fled to the uttermost parts of egypt . from whence ? from ecbatane . ecbatane was the place where the great exploit was acted , a city of the medes : media is a country not far from the caspian sea ; between which and egypt lieth all assyria , and all the desarts of arabia , and the red-sea , and then the hither most parts of egypt , and then over nilus , and then the uttermost parts of egypt — thither asmodeus fled and took sanctuary in montanis illis locis quibus aegyptus a lybia dirimitur , in those vast range of mountaines , by which egypt and lybia are divided . this was an huge long post , above a thousand miles , as i guess , in a right line ; but how many windings and turnings he made , whether he went by the string or the bow , who knows ? asmodeus certainly wanted his box of snush ; for had he but soundly sneezed , it would have perfectly cleared his nose of that pestilent whiff , without going the hundred part of such a tedious journy . but i would gladly be informed how , and in what manner this evil spirit fled ? whether by any magical operation he changed himself into the shape of any beast , dromedary , gray-hound or the like ? or whether he changed himself into the shape of any fowl , stork , long wing'd hawk or the like ? or whether into the shape of an ostrich , and so by the help both of wings and heeles together ran faster and swifter then any race-horse , straining out himself to the greatest speed to beat his fellow ? or if he continued in his old form without metamorphosie , whether he went on horse-back , or in a chariot , or made use of any other vehicle for his more suddain passage ? well ; though we know not the manner how , yet the place whether he fled for shelter , is plainly told us , the uttermost parts of egypt ; so great was his fright , that he durst never stand still nor look back until he was at that distance , and fully recovered that asylum . and yet his peril is not past ; for no sooner stood he still , but the angel bound him . alas poor asmodeus , this was very severe after such sore travail ! but asmodeus must patiently endure it : for bound he was , not able to move hand or foot , not able to stir or turn himself this way or another ; but perhaps continue in the same place and posture unto this day . but it is now more than high time to be serious ; has therefore a spirit flesh and bones ? our saviour saith , it hath not . has a spirit corporal parts , and bodily members ? has a devil the organs of carnal sense ? has he eyes to see , as man seeth ? has he ears to hear , as man heareth ? has he fingers to touch , as man toucheth ? has he a palat to taste , as man tasteth ? or has he a nose to smel , as man smelleth ? thou shalt make a smoak with the liver and heart of the fish , and the devil shall smel it , and flee away , very true : his smelling and fleeing , are both of the same certainty ; no sooner did he one , but he did the other also . but is the devil capable of smelling ? even as much as the great huge stone ( in an open street of the town , wherein i was born ) is capable of hearing : whereof it was commonly said , as i well remember , to poor little children , that whensoever it heard the clock strike twelve it turned thrice round ; and it was puzling enough to them . but is it possible for smoak or any material fume to affect , and excruciate an immaterial and spiritual being or essence , or put such an existency under the least consternation ? oh how does the devil laugh behind the curtain ! oh how is he pleased , that such ludicrous representations , and ridiculous stories should be given out and credited concerning himself ! here is the old heathenish doctrine revived and continued under gospel light ( which teacheth us better things ) of the gods or daimons their burning in love , their burning in filthy lust , with young beautiful virgins and women ; as jupiter was deeply in love with danae the daughter of acrisius , apollo with daphne the daughter of peneus , and others in like manner : so here this daimon or devil is with sarah the daughter of raguel . an evil spirit loveth her , saith tobias unto raphael , when he first mentioned the match unto him , chap. 6. v. 14. but why ? because the maid was fair and witty , v. 12. so here again we have the doctrine of binding of spirits , and of keeping them from walking and haunting our houses and chambers , with several other ethnick poetical tales . all which , how they may admit of a fair solution from being pure fable , and impure imposture and be reconciled to truth and reality as to matter of fact , you have it in a readiness ; and as for all objections to the contrary you have promised to consider . in the interim i would gladly learn what profit , and edification can be propounded to the people in reading , and in hearing the whole legend of tobit , so likewise of judith , bell and the dragon and the rest , which you say are fit to be read in the christian assembly ? shall this christian assembly believe what is read unto them , or shall they not believe ? if they believe , their minds are corrupted from the truth , and they believe lyes : if they believe not , what spiritual good and advantage can they reap and receive from such light , frothy , vain , yea even almost defiling romances ? but that such stuff ( to use your own word in another case ) such paultry pitiful stuff should be named and avouched to serve for instruction , comfort , and reproof as the parables of our saviour do , filles me with wonder and astonishment . what , shall the fable of the virgin , sweet-heart , and miss to the devil , who flew several innocent persons in the nuptial chamber , lest they should touch her , serve as much for instruction as the parable of our saviour , concerning the ten virgins , whereof five were wise and five foolish , and these last shut out , and eternally repudiated for want of watchfulness and due preparation ? or as the parable of our saviour , concerning a certain king making a marriage for his son , and inviting many to the wedding , who would not come , but spightfully intreated the messengers ; and were therefore destroyed and their city burnt up ? what , shall the fable of the smoak , and fuliginous steam from the heart and liver of the fish frighting , and quite routing the devil , serve for consolation as the parable of our saviour , concerningthe strong man armed and keeping the palace , yet overcome and cast out by a stronger than himself ? or like that parable of our saviour ( for so i think it may be stiled ) when he said to his disciples , i beheld satan as lightening fall from heaven ; behold i give you power to tread on serpents , and scorpions , and over all the power of the enemy . what shall the condescension of raphael one of the seven holy angels , which present the prayers of the saints , and which go in and out before the glory of the holy one , shall i say his stooping down to become a serving man to young tobias ; or the humility reported of raguel his mother , in taking woman's work to do ; serve for reproof to those proud and haughty ones , who will not stoop down to the lowest and meanest services , for the good of others , as the infinite abasement of our blessed saviour , when be made himself of no reputation , but took upon him the form of a servant ; and when he took a towel and girded himself , poured water into a bason , washed his disciples feet , and wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded ? certainly such comparisons are not only odious , but most execrable and accursed . wherefore what you have here spoken and uttered , was only i hope in a transport of indiscret zeal to your cause in hand , and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 your second and more considerate thoughts will bring you into a better understanding . god grant it . amen . a word or two more to my last confuter , and i have done . sir , in your large introduction towards the close of it , you tax me as one guilty of sacriledge , and who , when time was , according to common fame , would have greedily swallowed down a steeple , only i could not do it either with the spire downward , lest it should have pricked my conscience , nor with the tower downwards , lest the weather cock should have appeared at the top , and shewn how the wind blew : a very witty conceit , i promise you . and then you charge the whole generation of non-conformists , as making no scruple of swallowing church and church lands ; yea you say , they have already , if they be not belied ( that is well put in ) divided the spoil , and taken into their possession the houses of god , by a sacrilegious prolepsin . but as for you and your party , ye can wash you hands in innocency from any thing , every thing of like imputation , and nothing can tempt you to such an hainous wickedness . wherefore i would humbly and peaceably enquire of you , whether conformists may not be sacrilegious as well as non-conformists ? or rather , let this be the little question , whether persons may not be guilty of sacriledge , that are stampt with a sacerdotal character as well as any other ? sacriledge in the greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which properly signifies a prey or a making of a prey of holy things . the latine word saecrilegium signifies a stealing of sacred things : sacrilegium , say some , is quasi sacrilaedium , the violation , the abuse , the hurt of what is hallowed and devoted . from all ; this may be a discription of it , viz. sacriledge is the alienating and wresting of things devoted , and set apart to holy and sacred uses and ends , unto other , and contrary purposes . here therefore we must enquire , to what uses and ends the wealth , riches and the great revenues of the church , were given and granted primarily and principally from god himself , and secondarily from the piety and charity of bountiful benefactours ? and then we must search again , whether they are piously and punctually appropriated to those uses , and expended upon those ends , and not misused any other way ? church riches , i take it pro confesso , were given and granted to carry on church work . now what is church work , i mean eminently such , but animarum cura , a looking diligently to the souls of men , that they may not miscarry and perish eternally ? church work is to instruct the people , shewing them the way they are to walk in , and the thing they are to do . church work is by a sedulous study and endeavour in word , doctrine , example , prayer , and often renewed exhortation to turn people from darkness to light , from the power of satan unto god , that they may receive forgiveness of sins , and an inheritance among those that are sanctified by the faith of christ . church work is to bring people to the knowledg and obedience of the truth , to make them a people fitted for the lord , to put them in a due capacity to serve him in this world , and to enjoy him in the world to come . church men therefore who reap the harvest of these donations , who possess this wealth , and divide these revenues among themselves , ought wholly to give themselves unto this service , and make the saving of precious souls , and gaining them to christ , their main work and business . but now is this their chief study and intendment ? is this their constant imploy and negotiation ? do they look upon themselves as intrusted and honoured with church-offices , maintained and enriched with church-goods to prosecute and expedite this high design , and most important affair with a most watchful and unwearied solicitude ? o vtinam would to god there were such an heart in them , but i am afraid it is far otherwise ! do we not see great names in the church accumulating living upon living , even the fattest benefices , and some of them dean's , and prebend's places besides to the value of three , four , five , six hundred pounds per annum and more , and yet are never satisfied . they run greedily after the errour of balaam for a reward . o sordid covetousness utterly beneath the height , and sublimity of raised winds ! but how much abhorrent is it from the rare and heavenly philosophy of the gospel , which saith , love not the world , nor the things of this world ; feed the flock of god — not for filthy lucre , but of a ready mind — and when the chief shepherd shall appear , ye shall receive a crown of glory , which fadeth not away . true and good church-men should be better versed in these , and in the like golden sayings of the spirit , than basely to covet such an evil covetousness , which casteth no little shame and reproach upon their persons and profession . what shall all your generous studies , and great acquirements of learning , for which ye are renowned and dignified , teach you no other lesson , but inhiare pecuniae to quest after mony , quarry upon the dross and dung of this world , and load your selves with thick clay ! surely you understand higher matters . the sons of the earth , who never knew more than the cart and plough , can attain to this excellency , almost as well as your selves : conformity therefore here is a most debasing deformity , which ye ought to reject with an holy haughtiness of disdain . and the rather , because herein also ye are very injurious and grievous oppressours . of whom ? even of your fellow brethren , the tribe of levi ; not suffering them to have any lot , share , and portion with you in the good things of the church , against all right and equity . ye grasp and run away with all , and they can get nothing to their great discouragement . how many sad complaints have these ears of mine heard against pluralities , from the mouths of those that are as conforming , and some of them as meriting as your selves ! they wait and wait till their hearts ake , even as the impotent and lame at the pool of bethesda , for the stirring of the waters , i mean for an opportunity of preferment , but in vain ; for no sooner can the blessed angel appear , any such place known to be vacant , but another instantly steppeth in before them , and bereaves them of their hope . some famed doctor or court-favourite like the sharp eyed eagle seeth the prey afar of , trusseth it in his talons , and swiftly hurries it away to his former heap ; while these poor wretches lie languishing with vexing dispair in their continual disappointments . the heart of man is deceitful , yet surely if i can know any thing by my self , were i in your stead , i would have so much goodness and kindness , for those of mine own coat and function , as to be willing they should live by me , yea , and live comfortably upon the altar as well as my self , according to the mind and appointment of the first donour in the case . i would not be an oppressour but a comforter unto them , seeking by all good ways and means to keep them up in heart and countenance , and strengthen their hands in the work before them . but to return to our purpose . what signal service do such great doctors , and pluralists perform unto god and his church ? what use do they make of their vast incomes and salaries ? how do they answer the trust reposed in them ? how good and faithful are they in their steward-ship ? we see them rem facere purchasing estates , we see them riding up and down with coach and horses in great pomp and glory . but is nothing more expected from them ? is this the end of the church's bounty and liberality ? their wages plainly point out to another work , as most necessary incumbent upon them without dispensation ; which yet they can easily obtain to their great ease and content . as for teaching the people the good knowledg of god , and a constant conscientious instructing them in the way of salvation , they can do it by a proxy . it is enough for some of them , to eat of the fat and drink of the sweet , while others labour in the word and doctrine ; to fleece the flock , while others feed them . but now who are their under-shepherds ? who their substitutes , and under-feeders ? many of them sorry feeders , god wot ! pitiful hirelings , whose salaries are so smal , as utterly to discourage and disenable them , from any chearful , and vigorous attending upon sacred things : alas several of them are necessitated , to turn petty ▪ scriveners writing bills and bonds , and stoop to such servile offices to patch up a livelihood . what reverence and honour can be paid to such persons by the people ; which is most absolutely necessary for the success of their ministry ? hobb and john the meanest plowman in the parish , is ready to behave himself insolently against them , and thinks himself as good a man , as he who talks to him out of the pulpit ; why ! he is but the poor curate , and not the principal man ; he is but the usher and the school-boys regard him not , for the master , whom they only fear and reverence , is absent and elsewhere . a noble lord , then lately returned from his long travail , among other things told me , that the french did wonderfully vilifie , and set at naught such substitutes sent amongst them to officiate from the lord abbots , and great clergy-men , styling them commonly , poures diables , poor devils , in scorn and derision . but now shall these be thought worthy to be the embassadours of god , and the representatives of christ ? can these rule over the house of god ? can these be supposed to have a throne in the hearts of the people , and to speak unto them with all authority and power ? alas their persons are vile , their preaching vaine , and their oratory contemptible ! oh what disservice , instead of service , is hereby done unto christ and his church ! oh how are the people hereby prompted to atheism and impenitency , and so sent thronging to hell , rather than awfully awakened with fear and repentance , and so brought home unto god! i wonder conscience flies not in the face of some persons concerned ; who cannot but be sensible , that what i now write in great measure is according to truth . i would not bring such guilt of the blood of souls upon mine own soul , to reap the whole profit now in the hands of all the church-men of england put together . but in the interim , are not they guilty of sacriledge ? i think , if any other , these may be arraigned for it with a witness , and stand charged with it in a most notorious manner . suppose a knight , or gentleman , has a parsonage or living in his gift , of two or three hundred pounds per annum ; he puts in a parson or minister , but yet by some clancular pact and condition , reserves a third of the profits to himself ; the clerk presented is of most approved abilities for the place , and carries himself worthily in it . notwithstanding , if this thing be known , the patron shall be sharply , and severely censured , as one that hath unpardonably violated the rights of the church , and bainous sacriledge shall be imputed to him ; the poor minister shall be outed for simony , and another will quickly force in upon the premises . but who is the man ? perhaps some great doctor , who has several church-promotions already , but he must , and will have another , since it falls so luckily in his way . well ; he comes , and according to law takes full and quiet possession ; but then he being elsewhere richly accommodated , and pleasantly seated , cannot think of removing , but sends his curate to do the work for him ; and for his salary allows him not half so much , as the true patron did the former incumbent : he has found out a ten pound levite , and that shall suffice , all the rest must come to his own purse , to keep up his port , and for other certain uses best known to himself ; nevertheless here is nothing of sacriledge in the case ; who dares to think , or speak such a word ? no , here is nothing but what is right and praise-worthy in the whole procedure . fye upon it ! how does covetousness blind our eyes ? how does evil custom impose upon our reason and judgment ? is it odious and detestable sacriledge in one person , and not in another ? can meerly taking holy orders , take away the name and thing of what we call sacriledge ? can the putting on a canonical habit , put off all guilt and demerit in that kind ? then let the aforesaid knight , or gentleman , be made a clergy-man , and immediately he is rectus in curia , and no longer sacrilegious . be not deceived , god is not mocked . to conclude , the curate , or person substituted , who ever he be , that actually performs the office , and does the duty of the minister , either he is worthy or else he is unworthy of the place . if he be unworthy , then much more unworthy you to thrust such an unable and unmeet man upon the people , to their apparent ruin and destruction . he said haughtily like himself , viderit utilitas , hang gain , i will look to mine honour : and you say in your actions , not only sordidly but impiously . viderint animae , let souls be damn'd if they will ; i must and will look to my gain , and to have a good income . but if he be worthy , then the dues and profits arising from the said place , both by the law of god , and of the land ( if pure justice and right might not be wrested from its direct and first intention ) do , ipso facto , belong unto the said minister or curate , as in the reward of his service ; and i think it both oppression and sacriledge , by any plea or pretext ( though of being legally the rector or parson of the parish ) to detain them from him . thus much in requital , for your charge of sacriledge , and my swallowing down a steeple , when time was , with the spire upward or downward , whether you please . farewell . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26964-e380 page 1. p. 2 l. 16. p. 2 l. 7 , 10 , 11. p. 2. l. 17. 2. l. anpenult . ● 10.23 . p. 2. l. 21. p. 9. l. 10 p. 7. l. 18. p. 7. l. 23.24 . p. 7. l. 2● . act. 24.9 . gen. 34.23 . ro. 7.16 . p. 17. l. 33. p. 8. l. 21. p.o.l. 3. p. 9. l. 5 , 6 , 7. p. 3. l. 20. p. 5. l. 2. 1549. 1552. p. 9. l. 30. p. 11. l. 2. l. 15. p. 13. l. 11. p. 10. l. 23. p. 10. l. 33. p. 9. l. 29. p. 9. l. penult . ● . 13.22 , 23. ● . 14. l. 20. l. 22. l. 23. l. 25. p. 15. l. 1 , 2. ● ▪ 14. ●● 4 , 5. p. 14. l. 8. p. 14. l. 13. p. 16. l. 23. p. 16. l. 10. p. 16. l. 16. l. 17. p. 16. l. 19. p. 17. l. 21. p. 17. l. 18. l. 19. l. ●0 . p. 17. l. 27. l. ult . p. 18. l ▪ ● 17. ● 29 , 30 , ● . p. 17. l. 30. p. 18. l. 8. p. 18 ▪ l. 13. p. 18. l. 15. p. 19. l. 14. l. 23. p. 18. l. 20. p. 20. l. 6. p. 20. l. 11. p. 2. l. 19. p. 20. l. 14. p. 20. l. 15. p. 21. l. 14. ● . 21. ● . 19. ● . 21. ● . 21. ● . 21. ● . 22. p. 22. l. ●● . p. 23. l. 14 , 15. p. 23. l. 20. notes for div a26964-e6270 p. 2. l. 54. p. 2. l. penult . p. 3. l. 5. l. p. 3. l. 1. p. 3. l. 10. p. 3. l. 11. p. 3. l. 16. ● 3. l. 40. rom. 14.1 . p. 3. l. 55. p. 3 l. 43. p. 4. l. 2. p. 4. l. 18. p. 4. l. 59. p. 5. l. 9. p. 5. l. 16. p. 5. l. 37. p. 5. l. 41. p. 5. l. 45. p. 5. l. 47. p. 5. l. 5 p. 5 l. 51. p. 5. l. 54. deut. 6.6 . p. 5. l. 48. p. 5. l. 63. p. 6. l. 11. col. 1.24 . p. 6. l. 23. p. 6. l 44 p. 6. l. 51. p. 6. l. 46. mark 1.4 . p. 61.48 . p. 6. l. 50. p. 19.26 . p. 7. l. 9. ● . 7. l. 15. p. 7. l. 17. p. 7. l. 17. p. 3. l. 7. p. 7. l. 23. l. 27. p. 4. l. 38. p. 7 1 22. p. 2. l. 22. notes for div a26964-e11420 p. 10. l. 16. 〈…〉 p. 7. l. 13. c. 12.15 . c. 5. v. 12. * hoc autem mendacium est , quo neque deus neque veriipsius angeli , in canonicis libris leguntur usi : quodmendacium , ut excusemus , non magnopere pu●amus esse laborandum : qui●●●ut multae rationes ●inc inde comportentur ) mendacium est mendacium , a deo & ab electis ejus angelis alienissimum ▪ so a true expositor upon the place . c. 2. v. 4.10 * plinie in his natural history having spoken of the crocodile , saith further , major altitudine in eodem nilo bellua hippopotamus editur caudâ & dentibus aprorum , tergorisad scuta galeasque impenetrabilis . c.p. 3. v. 3. 6.7 . v. ● . ● 12.15 . job . 39. ●9 . a true believer's choice and pleasure instanced in the exemplary life of mrs mary coxe, the late wife of doctor thomas coxe. preached for her funeral by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1680 approx. 79 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 37 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27055 wing b1433 estc r218157 99829774 99829774 34217 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27055) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 34217) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2024:8) a true believer's choice and pleasure instanced in the exemplary life of mrs mary coxe, the late wife of doctor thomas coxe. preached for her funeral by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [6], 65, [1] p. printed by r.e., london : in the year, 1680. caption title on p. 1 reads: a true believer's choice and pleasure, &c. running title reads: a funeral sermon. includes errata on a3v. reproduction of the original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng coxe, mary, d. 1679 -early works to 1800. funeral sermons -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-02 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-03 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2007-03 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a true believer's choice and pleasure . instanced in the exemplary life of mrs mary coxe , the late wife of doctor thomas coxe . preached for her funeral by richard baxter . prov. 10.7 . the memory of the just shall be blessed , but the name of the wicked shall rot . london , printed by r.e. in the year , 1680. to my worthy and much honoured friend , dr. thomas coxe . sir , though your great kindness and care of the health of me and mine , much oblige me to you , and your personal worth much more , and your worthy children command my great respect and love ; yet none of these should have moved me to say a word of all that i have said of your deceased wife , which i had not verily believed to be true : and it was gods grace in her , which much more commanded it , than all my debt to you and yours . she was so exemplary , as that i think it my duty for the good of others , to make this publication of her character , and of this sermon . but one great defect is here to be notified to the reader , that almost all her secret way of duty , and particular converse is omitted , which you that were still with her , could have described ; for i thought meet to say no more than i either knew my self , or was obvious and known to many . the words which i heard but yesterday from the mouth of your brother in discourse , were such as i doubt can be said of few , that in so many years , from the hour of her marriage , to her death , she was never known to do one disobliging action , or speak one disobliging word , of or to any one of her husbands kindred or relations . had it seemed meet to you , or to your worthy and ingenious son , and your pious daughter ( the true image of her mother ) to have been the describer of the soul and life , of this exemplary saint , how much more fully could you have done it , than i , that was so much less acquainted with her . she is gone home , and you and i are at the door ; the lord give us so to live by faith on the promise and love of god , and the things unseen , that thence we may daily fetch our ruling motives , and stablishing consolations , and not from a transitory deceitful world ▪ and following christ and his saints under the cross , may with them possess the incorruptible crown ; and be found at his call among those that love his appearing , and be for ever with the lord. amen , amen . novemb. 19. 1679. errata . page 8. line 1. for angel read angels . p. 16. l. 12. for suffient r. sufficient . p. 27. l. 13. r. in which . p. 34. l. 21. r. sent for . p. 38. l. 11. for it is r. is it . p. 43. l. 6. for on r. of . l. 7. for of r. on . p. 58. l. 4. for causeth r. cureth . p. 61. l. 12. for will r. would . p. 62. l. 14. for received r. refused . a true believer's choice and pleasure , &c. psal. 119.111 . thy testimonies have i taken for an heritage for ever ; for they are the rejoycing of my heart . a text that speaketh of rejoycing , and that in an heritage , and an heritage for ever , may seem unsuitable to a mournful funeral : but it was chosen by our deceased friend , and not without justifiable reason . that which was a day of sorrow to us , was a day of rest and joy to her ; and it was meet that she should foresee that joy , and tasting it in the first-fruits , should commend that to us which she had found so sweet , and would bring us to the felicity which she hath now obtained . if the damned sensualist , luk. 16. would have had one sent from another world , in hope to save his unbelieving brethren , no wonder if a holy person were desirous that others should partake of her pleasure and inheritance : and like the lepers that found the siege of sama●ia raised , would not feast and rejoyce alone . she chose this , no doubt , as that which was most lively imprinted on her own heart , with a just desire that it might be imprinted also on the hearts of others ; that so we may not only rejoyce with her that now rejoyceth in the heavenly possession , but , as paul saith , gal. 6.4 . every man may prove his own works , and so may have rejoycing in himself alone , and not ( only ) in another . let us therefore by god's assistance so improve these words , as may conduce to this desired end . by god's [ testimonies ] here is meant that supernaturally revealed law and promise ▪ which was possessed by the church of the jews , as god's peculiar people , supposing the law of nature , and the common mercies which god had given to all the rest of faln mankind : both the precepts and promises are here included ; the types and their signification of the thing typified . [ i have taken them ] signifieth , i have believed them , implying that god revealed them ; and i have accepted them , implying , that god had offered them ; and i have chosen them , implying the preferring them before all competitors ; and i have trusted them , as signifying their special use , for the guiding , stablishing , quieting , and saving of the soul . [ for an heritage ] signifieth 1. as that which i trust to as my security for an heavenly inheritance . 2. and as that which now is my best portion while i am in the way , ( including the things connoted . ) 3. and as that which i prefer before all wealth and worldly heritage . alexander and caesar had larger dominions than david ; but neither of them was king of god's peculiar people , that had possession of his oracles , nor had the promises which he had , that christ should be his son and successor on his throne . the word [ for ever ] relateth both to the inheritance as everlasting , and also to david's choice , as immutably hereupon determined . they are said to be the rejoycing of the heart aptitudinally in themselves , which caused him to choose them , and actually , because he had chosen , believed , loved , and obeyed them . so that this is the sum of the sense [ worldly men make choice of a worldly inheritance , and hopes , and on this they trust ; and in this they seek their chiefest pleasure : but i , though blessed largely with thy bounty , have suffered many afflictions in the world : but thy word hath been my guide , and thy promises still fulfilled to me ; and experience hath confirmed my faith and resolution , to lay all my hope upon thy word or covenant , both for this life , and that to come , and from it i seek and fetch my comfort : it hath been my joy in all my sorrows , and in it to the last will i rejoyce ] this is the sense of the text , from which we are all taught . doct. that god's covenant or testimonies are the true believers heritage for ever , and as such are trusted and chosen by him ; and therefore among all the allurements and the crosses of this world , are the support and rejoycing of his heart . in the handling this i shall shew you i. what it is in god's testimonies which make them fit to be our heritage , and our joy ? ii. how they are called an heritage for ever ? iii. how they are so taken by believers ? iv. how far they are their joy ? i. in god's covenant or testimonies there is 1. the author . 2. the mediator . 3. the applying agent . 4. the ascertaining revelation . 5. the donative or benefit given . 6. the guiding doctrine and law. 7. and the persons or subjects connoted to whom all this is suited , to be an heritage for ever , and the rejoycing of their hearts . 1. the author is god , the lord of us and all ; in whose hand and will is our soul and body , our life and death , our health and sickness , our joy and sorrow , whose loving-kindness is life , and better than life , psal . 63.3 . who , if he will can make us whole and happy , and who hath told us what he will do by his covenant : he wanteth not love , for he is love it self ; essential , infinite self love , communicating to his creatures such love as his wisdom seeth meet for them to receive . the love that gave us the mediator and the covenant , will certainly perform it : it was of mercy that he promised : it is now of mercy and justice that he perform it . he wanteth not wisdom to rule the world by truth and goodness , and needeth not deceit and falshood hereunto , nor to flatter such worms as we into obedience . nor doth he that maintaineth heaven and earth , want power to make good all his word ; nor is there any adverse power to make it difficult , and hazard the success . indeed , he that seriously considereth the divine perfection , will think it were more strange and incredible , that god should not bless and glorifie the faithful , according to his word . if it be credible that the sun sends forth its illuminating and enlivening beams so far and wide , to so many millions of various creatures ( though it scorch the unsuitable objects that are too neer ; ) it is credible that god who is infinite goodness , should bless the capable with heavenly glory ! and did we not see that sin maketh many uncapable , it would be harder to reason to believe that all shall not be blessed by such a god , than that all the faithful shall be blessed . and we find , that though both be hard to unbelievers , they are of the two more hardly brought to believe the threatnings , than the promises of god. what wonder is it that infinite power , wisdom and love , should make some of his creatures blessed by communication ? and man in special when he hath made him capable of it ? and what greater satisfaction and security can a fearful , troubled , dying man have than the infallible word of the most gloririous god. sure he that firmly believeth it to be his word , can hardly choose but believe that it is true , and meet for our most quieting trust . 2. the angel and moses were the mediators of the jewish law : but the eternal word incarnate is the mediator of the new covenant ; promised only before ( to abraham , david , &c. yea to adam ) but sent when made man in the fulness of time , gal. 4.4 . and it must needs be a sure and excellent covenant which is made and confirmed by such a mediator , named in the prophecy , isa . 9.6 . wonderful , counsellor , the mighty god , the everlasting father , the prince of peace , of the increase of whose government and peace there is no end : he is the heir of all things by whom the worlds were made , the brightness of god's glory ; the express image of his person ; and upholding all things by the word of his power ; made better than angels ; having by inheritance obtained a more excellent name ; whom all the angels of god do worship ; and for whom they disdain not to minister to the faithful . it is a sure and comfortable doctrine which must have such a preacher sent from heaven , and a certain covenant which hath such a wonderful mediator . 3. but it is not like the powerless word of man , but the holy spirit of the father and the son undertaketh to accompany it , and as the arm of god to set it home , and make it effectual to its proper ends : we have not only heard this word , but felt it : as we hear and feel the powerful winds , though we see them not , and perceive not whence they come , or whither they go : all have felt this who are born of the spirit , joh. 3.8 . god spake not like man when he said , let there be light , gen. 1. and he teacheth not like man , when his spirit by his word doth quicken , illuminate and regenerate souls . it is a sure covenant that hath such an inward mediator , such an agent , and advocate , and witness of christ , speaking operatively from god to man , and speaking prevailingly in man to god. 4. and the sure manner of revelation doth make it fit to be our trust and joy. as it beareth on it self the image or impress of god's power , wisdom and goodness ; so by powerful miracles , and manifold wisdom , and unmeasurable goodness it hath been delivered , sealed , defended and propagated : and by a communicated spirit of life , light , and love in all sound believers , confirmed to this day . 5. and what is it that with such glory and certainty is delivered to us from heaven ? it is a deed of gift ( thus sealed by christ's blood and spirit ) of grace and glory ; of christ to be our head , and lord , and husband , and life , in and with him . john 5.10 , 12. of the free pardon of all our sins how many and great soever , and of reconciliation with god , and of justification by the blood and righteousness of our redeemer , and of the continued teaching , preserving , sanctifying , strengthening , comforting aid of the holy spirit ; of adoption and title to the heavenly inheritance ; that being sons , and having the spirit of the son , by it we shall be sealed up to glory , and be made the habitation and temples of god : in a word , it is a promise of this life , so far as that all things shall work together for our good , rom. 8.28 . and of the life which is to come , where we shall live in glory with christ for ever . this is the sure and blessed covenant of god. 6. and what is the doctrine and laws of god , are they not also suited to our trust and joy ? is it not a delightful thing to read that which no meer man could tell us ? how god made man and all the world , and what laws he gave him ? how sin came into the world , and death by sin ? how god hath governed the world from the beginning , and how he hath redeemed us ? what christ is , and what he hath done , and what he will do ? and what man is , and what he should be , and what he shall be , and do , and have for ever . and what is there in god's laws , but that which is our safety , and should be our joy ? if good laws be the safety and honour of kingdoms , are not god's laws so to all the world ? what an ugly dungeon were the world without them ? and what a worse than bruitish thing were man ? o how happy were man , were families , were cities , were kingdoms , if all had made god's laws their rule , and all mens laws and lives had been ruled by them ? then there would have been none but wise , just , and holy rulers , that would have governed for god , and for the common good , and princes would have been indeed the fathers of their countries , and masters of their families , abhorring all contradicting selfish interests , and all injustice , tyranny , and oppression . then subjects would have with reverence , readiness , and fidelity , obeyed god , in obeying and honouring their parents , princes and masters . then all men would love their neighbours as themselves , and do as they would be done by ; love and justice would reign among all , and injury , partiality and selfishness would be abhorred . and which of us cannot say , had i been ruled by god's laws , i had escaped all the guilt , the shame , the corrections , the terrours that have befallen me ? it is our sin against that sacred rule , which is the cause of all our sorrows ; else what peace might we have had in our consciences , in our bodies , in our houses , in our cities and countrey , as having peace with god. god's strictest laws , are but his strict forbidding us to destroy or hurt our selves and others , as you forbid fire and water , and knives and gunpowder , surfeiting and poyson to your children , for their preservation . o how glad would every true christian be , if god's laws were fuller written on his heart , and he could but be and do all that god therein commandeth . for want of this perfect conformity it is , that he cryeth out with paul , rom. 7. to will is present with me , but to do i find not — o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death . how joyful should we be if we could but trust god , and love him , and obey him , and be free from sin , as much as the law of god commandeth us ? we testifie therefore that the law is holy , and just , and good , while we repent that we break it , and wish that we could better keep it : for this would keep our souls from guilt and shame , and terrors , and our bodies from much calamity and pain ; all gods ways are pleasantness , and all his paths are peace . great peace have they that love his law , and nothing shall offend them ; let papists ▪ hide it , and accuse it , and let the ignorant and malignant scorn it , yet will believers judge it fit for their confidence and delight . 7. and the rather , because that all this is admirably suited to our necessity . we are undone sinners ! and had perished for ever , without a saviour , and a pardoning covenant . we are dark and foolish , and should have erred to damnation , without this sure and heavenly guide ? we are beset with temptations , and how should we overcome them , without god's promise of better things than this world can give us ? we are under manifold pains and sorrows , and must shortly dye : and how should we undergo all this in peace , if we had not hopes of future happiness , and of that which will compensate all our losses ? we have a life of service to god , which must be faithfully and chearfully done ; and how should we so do it , without good perswasion of this revvard ? he that cometh to god , must believe that god is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him . o then what a joyful word should that be to us , which is sent from god himself thus to guide , to secure , to strengthen and comfort us , by the promise of all that we need , and can well desire , sealed by the blood , miracles , and spirit of christ ; and bearing the impress of god the author ; and that to such miserable sinners as vve are . ii. but how are god's testimonies our heritage for ever ? when in heaven vve shall have no need of scriptures . ans . 1. [ for ever ] sometime signifieth , to the end of my life ] as david saith , psal . 23. i shall dwell in the house of the lord for ever ; and so oft . and so gods testimonies vvere taken for his heritage , or chiefest portion , and rejoycing constantly , and to his lives end , as securing him of an everlasting heritage . 2. and the heritage promised by them , and connoted , is everlasting ; and the holiness imprinted by them on his soul , vvill be perpetuated , and perfected in heaven . iii. what is it for believers to take god's testimonies for their heritage ? ans . it is supposed that the flattering world , and the pleasures of the flesh , do stand here in competition , and are by many taken for their best , and this beeause they either think not of , or believe not the better things of a life to come , and the comforts of a holy prospect and preparation . in this case every true believer , seriously weighing all , and what can be said on both sides , what the world and flesh will be and do for him , and what god and grace , and glory will be and do , doth wisely discern and resolve , 1. that the world is vanity , and sin abominable . 2. that god is all suffient , infinitely good , and to be trusted , and his word most wise , and just , and true : and therefore though his belief have its imperfections and assaults , yet he so far believeth gods promises to be sure , and his precepts to be good and necessary , as that he resolveth here to place his hope and trust for his whole felicity in this life and hereafter , and to give up himself to the study , love , and obedience of gods laws , as the guide and security , and comfort of his soul , renouncing all the flatteries of the flesh and world which stand against it , and are preferred by sensual unbelievers . in few words , this was davids faith and choice , and this is the faith and choice of all true believers , by which we may discern whether we are such ; though all have not the same degree of trust and fixed resolution , yet all have this much in sincerity . iv. quest but can all say , they are the rejoycing of my heart ? ans . all of them can say , 1. we see that there is in the word and covenant of god in christ , unspeakably more matter fit to be our joy , than in all the pleasures , and wealth , and honours of this world . 2. and therefore we prefer it before them all , in our desire and our fixed choice . 3. and we find so much goodness and sutableness to us in this sacred word , as that we love it as our food and our security , though not with the appetite and love which we desire . 4. and though we have not that joy in this our love to it , and in the hopes of promised glory , which a stronger faith and love would cause , yet we find that it is our best , and we perceive more good in it than in sinful pleasures ; and the true and chief support of our souls in all our fears and troubles , and in our prospect of another life , is from the love and word of god through christ . and though our pleasure in it be not sensual and luscious , it is much more solid and satisfying to our souls , than we find in any other thing . and the sweetness which we taste in it , is greater at some times than at other . and the comfort which we have in our bodily health and welfare , is much as it signifieth to us the love of god performing to us his promises , and helping us to serve him with joy and gladness , in order to everlasting joy . this is the ordinary case of true believers ; though extraordinarily ; 1. some tempted , troubled , melancholy christians overwhelmed with grief and fears , do not perceive this much in themselves . 2. and the healthfuller stronger sort of christians have yet a more sweet and constant pleasure , in the testimonies and ways of god. having said this much for explication , a little more may suffice to shew you why and whence it is that believers receive the testimonies of god with this fixed choice , and trust , and pleasure . 1. it is from honest self love and interest : they certainly find that it is their best ; that it is true and good , and that there is nothing else to be found in this world , that will serve instead of it , to be a quieting security , guide and comfort to the soul. they perceive what they need ; and that nothing else can supply those needs : this must be their hope , or they must despair . 2. it is from holy suitableness and love to god , and the goodness which they relish in his word . as god giveth every living creature an appetite suitable to his food , and benefits , so doth he to the new creature . holiness is mostly the souls appetite to god , and spiritual good . the word which promiseth and guideth us to the incorruptible crown of glory , is an incorruptible seed , 1 pet. 1.3 , 4 , 5 , 6. and it is our milk or food , 1 pet. 2.2 . and by it we are made partakers of the divine nature , 2 pet. 1.4 . and it is the ingrafted or innaturalized word which is able to save our souls , jam. 1.21 . and as the whole stock is marvellously turned to serve a little graft , which is planted into it , and as if it had lost its former kind , doth bring forth only the fruit of the graft , so is god's word implanted in us to the change of our nature , and our fruits . and it is no sound appetite which hath no pleasure . no wonder if a strong belief do cause us to rejoyce with joy unspeakable , and full of glory , that we may receive the end of our faith , our salvation , 1 pet. 1.6 , 7 , 8. all god's commands and promises have by the divine impression of them on our souls , lest somewhat there which is like them , and connatural ; even a holy light to understand their truth and goodness , and a holy love to them , and the things revealed , to desire them , and take pleasure in them , and a holy liveliness to pursue the good desired . and this is the writing of the law and gospel on our hearts : and in this sense it may be said that god , that christ , that the holy ghost is in our souls , and dwelleth in us , even as an efficient principle , and a beloved object , and desired end . and if this be all that they intend , those called quakers have no reason to accuse us , for not preaching a god , and a christ within us . and if this be it that is meant by those who tell the world , that by saying that the holy ghost is in us , we are more arrogant than the pope , that claimeth a visible monarchy ; we glory in this joyful priviledge , this earnest , seal and first-fruits of heavenly glory , and humbly thank him who hath vouchsafed it , and assured us of it in his word , rom. 8.9 , 11. 2 cor. 6.16 . ephes . 3.17 . 1 john 4.13 . 1 cor. 3.16 . 2 tim. 1.14 . 1 john 3.24 , & 4.12 , 15 , 16. and if the scorners have any belief of the scriptures , let them read and tremble , rom. 8.9 . if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his . iii. i have given you the sense and the reason of this doctrine : we come hither to learn what use to make of it . and i think if i preach also on the copy or impress of this text , whose reliques we have laid in the dust , and tell us what use she made of such doctrine , it will be a considerable help to our own application . i have never loved or used to adorn sepulchers , or hang out specious signs at the doors of pride , ambition , tyranny , or worldliness , to entice others to imitate prosperous sinners in their sin : were i to preach at the funerals of an alexander , or a caesar , i had rather say that which may save the living from following them in pride and bloodshed , than to tempt men to the like sin and misery . to praise damned men , because they had the pleasures of sin for a season , is to be more foolish and uncharitable , than the tormented gentleman , luk ▪ 16. who would have had one sent from the dead to warn his brethren , lest they should follow him to that place of torment , by preferring fleshly pleasure and prosperity , before the life and hope of saints . our praises ease not tormented souls . it is a mark of the citizens of the holy city , that a vile person is contemned in their eyes ? but withall , that they honour those that fear the lord : for god doth honour them . my duty therefore to god , and my love to holiness , and holy persons , and to you in special that are her children , and other relations , commandeth me to tell you , ( though some of you know it better than i ) that our deceased friend , in the course of her pilgrimage , did speak of her self by her constant practice , what david professed in this text. though i speak but from eighteen or nineteen years acquaintance with her my self , i have full evidence of it for the former part of her life . and my acquaintance with herby neighbourhood , and mutual esteem , hath been such as hath given me more advantage to know her than most have had : though i remember not ever to have spoken with one person that hath known her , that did not take her for an extraordinary and eminent example of the piety and virtues which i shall mention . if the hypocrites seek the praise of men , verily they have their reward ( a poor reward ) but she seeking first the kingdom of god , and the honour that is of him , had this cast in as overplus : i never heard that any person of any perswasion did speak evil of her , or question her eminent sincerity and worth . had she come to this by sinful compliance , she might have feared christs words , luke 6.26 . wo to you when all men speak well of 〈◊〉 . but as god hath not left himself without witness to the very heathens , so he hath not left innocency , wisdom , love , peace and piety , without some witnesses in the consciences of the ungodly ; few of them have the face to speak against these in their proper names : and if he could not dishonour them by our mixed faults , and by the slanderous affixed names of heresie , schism , disobedience , hypocrisie , phanaticism , folly , and what else ignorance and malignity can devise , the devil knew not how to dishonour holiness and vertue , nor to encourage the blind world to so common a hatred and opposition of them , as they shew in all nations of the earth . when she chose this text , it was from such a sutable spirit , as all men choose the food , the friends and company , the business and discourse which by agreeableness they most delight in . that she made gods word and covenants , ( connoting gods love , christ , grace and glory , the spring , matter and end ) her best , her heritage , her all , contemning all that stood in competition ; and that these were the rejoycing of her heart , she shewed to us that knew her by these notable effects . i. by her constant , serious , diligent use of the word of god , by hearing , reading , conference and meditation . her food was not more constantly used , nor i believe so sweet to her . her hearing in the publick assemblies , nothing but necessity could interrupt : and her private constancy her relations know . she practically told us that the blessed mans delight is in the law of the lord , and therein doth he meditate day and night , psal . 1.2 . ii. she made so much , ( in esteem , use and thankfulness ) of every little of the help she could get in these spiritual things , as shewed that they were her heritage and joy . when some come home with accusations of the sermon , as dry , dull , or weak , she found in it something for profit and solace : i am sure my own conversation and duties have been truly guilty of the foresaid faults , and yet how gladly would she come over the way to us at prayer time . how much did she value now and then a little ( too dull unprofitable ) conference , and took it for a loss that she could have no more . how glad was she of now and then a too dry and short letter , and how carefully would she keep them . as if with the woman of canaan , she had been begging for the crums . alas our duller appetites seldom so desire after , or delight in , much larger portions of well-drest food , but fulness hath loathing , and we call it dry manna , which we are weary of ; or every little fault in the dressing turneth our stomach against it ; full souls loath the honey-comb , but to the hungry every bitter thing is sweet . iii. she loved and received the word of god from any faithful . minister that brought it : it s true that she more frequented and desired some than others : but her religion was not faction , or siding with this party or with that : she was far from a shismatical mind or practice . when one party separates from all that preach in the parish churches , and another from all that preach elsewhere , she separated from neither . iv. accordingly she loved all persons that feared god , as such : not confining her affections or kindness to those of this or that controvertible opinion : but that candour and holy simplicity , and serious practical religion which she had her self , was it that she loved in all others whomsoever . v. and accordingly her conference was not about controversies , or matters of contention , which too many spend their hours in these times , but that which tendeth to edification , and to administer grace to the hearers : she was not such as paul oft reproveth for striving about words , and little things , that tend not to edifie but subvert . vi. much less was she tainted with any heresie , or dangerous errour in religion , nor ever drawn from the truth , and her spiritual stedfastness ; but cleaved to the form of wholsom words , and the simplicity that is in christ , and to them that held the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace ; avoiding the vain janglings of men of contention , pride and corrupt minds . vii . she was not of a censorious backbiting temper , nor used , as too many faulty christians , to make it her discourse , to find fault with others , and make her self the judge of controversies , cases , actions and persons which she understood not : but had learned that lesson , [ speak evil of no man , ] and to know and be called to it , before she judged . viii . she was very desirous of the good of all , and glad of any thing which tended to promote the conversion and saving of mens souls . ix . she was charitable and liberal also to their bodies ; in an unusual degree ; as i am able to say by particular experience , in which i have known it exercised to the poor . x. her humility and detestation of pride was manifest , not only in her garb and behaviour , but in her low thoughts of her self , and the lowliness of all her conversation , and great dislike of all that savoured of pride . xi . she was not morose , nor a refuser of converse or useful visits , when reason required them : but she took it for a great affliction to have much diversion by company or by matters , from her constant course of better work : and ( besides her health ) was therefore the more inclined to be much in the country , that her mind and time might not be at the mercy of too much intruding diversions , and unprofitable discourse . xii . much more was she a verse to all sorts of sensuality : such pleasing of the flesh as corrupteth the mind , and turneth it from holy work and pleasure ; and such vain recreations as waste precious time , and profit not our selves or others : holy things were her food and feast , her work and recreation . xiii . her prudence in all matters was very exemplary ; being much more against unadvised rashness , and actions which tend to ill effects , than most of us of the stronger sex : and i confess i should think much better of my self if i could equal her herein . in which her acquaintance commonly admired her , though this is a point which all must acknowledge much imperfection in . xiv . and her gentleness , meekness and calmness of mind and carriage was very amiable to her friends and most that did converse with her : she was a great adversary to passionate behaviour , which surely came from that power of grace , which had made love and meekness become a nature in her , seeing no such thing could be else expected in one of her sex and complexion , and bodily weaknesses . xv. she did not , as the hypocrite , give god the second place in her heart and life , and the world the first , nor put off christ with the leavings of the flesh , nor take this world for her best or heritage , and the next only for a reserve when she must needs leave this : she seemed to prize no heritage but god , nor to set much by any transitory vanity whatever . xvi . she excelled in the earnest desire of her childrens good , and in the care of their well-doing and salvation . how oft hath she desired me to pray for them ? how glad was she if i would at any time but converse with them , and advise them : they know better themselves ( though i know much , ) how much she prayed for them ? how oft and tenderly she counselled them ? what letters of serious holy counsel she would write to them ? and how like she was to job , who prayed and sacrificed for his children , when they were merry and feasting together , fearing lest they should forget god and sin against him ? xvii . this kind of life which i have described was her calling and trade , and in a manner her only business in the world : it was not now and then in a good mood , like a feast or recreation : but as she knew that one thing is needful , so she chose that better part , which never was , nor will be taken from her . she so lived as if she had but this one thing to mind and do in the world , to please god by obeying him , and to cleave to christ , and to do good , and to be saved . nothing else seemed to be much in her mind , thoughts , care , and business ; her life seemed to be but this one thing . but i must confess that poor and tempted persons , that are under many worldly wants , crosses and employments , cannot be expected to reach her measure in this : though one thing be their best and portion , they may be tost with many troublesome cares and businesses . but god gave her both mind , opportunity and help to live in as even a course of constant holiness in a family , as monks can pretend to or hope for in their community or solitude . religion was her very life . xviii . in this life she had also a constant peace of conscience , bewailing her imperfections , but not living in melancholy , despair , hard thoughts of god , or an uncomfortable sort of religion : i have oft heard her speak of her lamented weakness of faith , love , and heavenly desires and joy , but never , that i remember , one doubting word of her own sincerity and salvation : but her ordinary speech was lamenting that we were all so weak in our belief of the word of god , and the unseen world , and what execellent persons we should be if herein we had a stronger faith that were liker unto sight ; and how much it should be the business of all believers , to pray and labour for an increased powerful belief hereof , as that which would set all right in us xix . her patience under her bodily infirmities also was exemplary . her weakness made her so lyable to dangerous coughs while she was in london air , that by this she was constrained to live much from home . and most of all her life she was tormented with a frequent head-ach ? but in her patience in all this she did possess her soul ; and patience furthered experience , and experience hope , and she learnt more the quiet fruits of righteousness by being much exercised herein . xx. and as by this she daily learned to dye , so the expectation and preparation for death , was her continual work and state . she lived and heard , and prayed , and wrote her letters to her children as at the brink of the grave , and the door of eternity . not that her diseases did seem to us to be very mortal , or threaten this sudden change . but she knew the brevity of mans life , and that death is ready to remove us all , and what a moment it is till that certain hour . and as she lived holily , and in peace with god and man , so she dyed with ease and little likelyhood of the ordinary miseries of fear or pain : a little soreness and swelling of her leg , and pain towards the hip , turned to two swooning fits , and in the third or fourth , having been in quiet discourse with her husband , she as quietly sunk and dyed away ; desiring that i should be sent to pray with her ; she was dead before i came , without any signs of nature striving : and she had said to her daughter after her former fits , she did not think that one could have dyed so easily as she had almost done . a death thus expected , and thus prepared for is not to be called sudden ! thus god can make death easie to some of us , that are apt to over-fear the antecedent pain . and now what can be more , ( almost ) desired in this world , than such a life and such a death . our dear friend is at home with christ , and gods will , which is goodness and love it self , is so fulfilled ; even that will which must dispose of all things , and in which only we must seek our rest . and having described this true copy of the text , i may boldly speak of it to several sorts . i. i may again ask both quakers and scorners , whether the holy spirit do not dwell and work in such among us , as our dear friend now deceased was ? ii. i may ask vnbelievers and sadduces , whether these operations of the spirit of god on believers , be not a sign that god owneth the gospel by which he thus worketh ? and that christ liveth and reigneth , who can thus still send a sanctifying spirit into believers souls ? and whether it be not blasphemy to think and say , either that these excellent endowments of souls are not of god , or that he giveth them all in vain , and that believers are all deceived by god , and labour and hope all their days for that which hath no being ; and that the better god maketh them , the more deluded , vain and frustrate he maketh them , and ruleth and amendeth the world by falshood . iii. i may ask the papists , with what face they can say as they use to do , that they never heard of a protestant saint ? and whether we may not be as religious in the places that god hath set us in , as if we turned recluses , monks or nuns , and shut up our selves from doing any good in the world . iv. i may ask the malignant that call all serious godliness hypocrisie , whether such a life as this doth savour of dissimulation ? and whether such seriousness and hypocrisie are not contraries , and hypocrisie be not a profession without that seriousness which is sincerity ▪ and whether they that in baptism solemnly vow to take god for their god , and christ for their lord and saviour , and the holy ghost for christs advocate and witness , and their sanctifier and comforter , and to renounce the flesh , the world and the devil , and when they have done , perform none of this which they vowed , but live to the flesh and world which they renounced , and take a holy life as needless , yea and hate it ; i say , whether these be not the impudent hypocrites that vow and profess that holiness which they abhor , rather than they that with all their deligence perform the holy vow which they have made . and if wives promise fidelity to their husbands , servants to their masters , and subjects to their princes , are they the hypocrites that are serious and keep their promise ? or they that were never serious in it , but scorn the keeping of it ? v. and as to those malignant persons that take this strict and serious diligence for mens souls , to be but scrupulosity , or the character of some over-zealous bigots or puritans who are most inclined to schism , and to be troublesom or dangerous to states ; i ask them , 1. what is there in all the description which i have here truly given you , which is injurious or dangerous to church or state , or any person ? will it hurt any one that god and men are seriously loved ? and that god's testimonies are trusted and delighted in and obeyed ? and that god's kingdom and righteousness is first sought ? 2. it is not christ , and christianity , and scripture that you accuse ? if it be schismatical and dangerous to be serious in performing what we profess and vow , surely it is bad in baptism to vow it , and still by calling our selves christians to profess it ? to accuse , hate and scorn the serious practice of your own profest religion , is to be the most foolish self-condemners , and in some respects worse than mahometans , infidels , and heathens . vi. but my most earnest desire is to you the loving husband , and beloved children of our departed friend ; that you will not overlook , 1. the correction , 2. the sin , 3. the mercy , 4. or the duty which god now calleth you seriously to consider . ( 1. ) i need not perswade such as are rather apt to over much sorrow , not to despise this chastening of the lord , but rather not to faint under his rebuke . but i cannot disswade you from a just sense of your loss , we that are your neighbours feel it ; but you much more , to whom it is much greater : what saints in heaven do know of us , or think of us , or do for us , we shall better know when we are there : but here you are deprived of the daily prayers which she sent up for you ; of the continuance of her loving care of your souls , and watchfulness over you ; of her wise and faithful counsels to you , and of her imitable example , as it was still before you ; a husband of a pious prudent helper , and children of a tender affectionate mother ; your great sorrows tell me you feel your loss . ( 2. ) and all correction is for sin , which is worse than suffering ; o fall down before god , and with penitent tears bewail your sin , which hath caused your loss : humbly confess how unworthy you were of such a mother , and beg of god to forgive that sin . ( 3. ) but mercy also as well as sin and loss must be acknowledged . your sorrow must give due place to thankfulness and comfort . your mother is taken from you , but remember . 1. what a mercy it was and is to you , that you are so related to such parents , seeing god hath promised special mercy to the faithful and their seed ; and if any of you miss it , it will be through your own ingratitude and contempt . 2. what a mercy is it that all her prayers for you are yet in force , and more of the answer of them may yet be sent you , if you reject it not ? 3. you have yet all her holy counsels to remember , and they may profit you while you live . 4. and though she be gone , i hope her example will never be forgotten by you . 5. and what a mercy is it , that under all her infirmities , you enjoyed her so long ? 6. and yet how much greater cause of thankfulness have you , that she so lived and so dyed , and that you may think of her with comfort , as being with christ , and hope to be with her for ever . every one hath had a mother , but every one had not such a mother as you have had . ( 4 ) and i have intimated your duty , while i have mentioned your loss and mercy . 1. think over often what sin she reproved in you , and what counsel she gave you , and now revive your resolution to obey it . 2. remember what she was wont to pray for on your behalf ; and let it not now be long of your neglect or wilfulness , that you are without it . 3. remember her humble , moderate , holy example ; and think whether your souls have not as much need of the greatest care and diligence as hers had ? and why should not you be as studious to please god and make sure of heaven as she was ? bless god that you have such a pattern , that hath so long dwelt with you for your imitation , next your imitation of christ : holy simplicity is despised by the world , but it will prove the only wisdom at the last . i have told you what use to make of the example of our deceased friend : let me now tell you what use to make of the text which she so much loved , transcribed , and chose . i. and first here you may learn , the nature of true faith , and sound rel●gion : it taketh gods testimonies and promises for our heritage , and for the comfort of our hearts . it is not true faith , unless we so trust gods promises for this life and that to come , as to take what he promiseth for our best and our inheritance , and his promise for our best security and title , and his law for our governing rule that we may obtain it . so that , 1. here you see how we differ from infidels , that do not trust their everlasting hopes and happiness on the promise of god. 2. and how we differ from hypocrites who speak best on heaven , but really look for their best of earth : which christ calleth [ trusting in their riches , ] because that is indeed their trust , from which they have their greatest expectations , and for which they most labour and will leave all ; this a believer doth for promised happiness : and this the worldly hypocrite doth for the prosperity of the flesh on earth . 3. and here you see that faith and godliness are not melancholy uncomfortable things , as the devil and the flesh would perswade unexperienced fools and unbelievers : unless it be sad to have security from god of a heavenly heritage , and rejoice therein . and here you see the differences between the mirth of a fleshly infidel and of a believing saint : one is like a drunkard that is merry for an hour in a brutish kind of befooling pleasure ; or like one that hath a pleasant dream ; or one that heareth a jeast or merry tale , or seeth a pretty comedy or shew : the other is more rational and heart-contenting than it should be to any one of you , to have good security for many hundred years life and health and prosperity here on earth ; such a birth-right do prophane fools sell for such a morsel ; not knowing that the fear of god caused by true faith is the beginning of wisdom . 2. hence therefore we may learn how to try our sincerity of faith. doth it make us take gods promise and the thing promised as our heritage ? though we are not without temptations to doubting , nay nor without the remnants of unbelief , but our hearts are troubled when we look beyond death with many fears , yet if we so far trust gods word , as resolvedly to take it for that which we will adhere to , and lay our chiefest hopes upon , we have a faith that will entitle us to the promised benefits . obj. but some may say , i cannot say that it is the rejoycing of my heart . ans . 1. can you say that you take it for that in which you place and seek your joy , though you cannot yet attain it ? and that you prefer not any other pleasure in your esteem and choice and seeking ? if so , you shew that you truly believe and trust to the faithfulness of god's word , though yet you reach not what you seek . desire is the first-fruit of faith and love , and holy joy is the flower and perfection . 2. cannot you say that it is this word that maketh you hope that there is for man a better life , and that you shall not perish like the beasts ? and that your fears and sorrows are somewhat abated by the promises of god ? 3. cannot you say that you perceive a pleasing goodness in the word of god , which maketh it welcome and acceptable to you ? by what i have mentioned , you may find , 1. that the word hath not been in vain unto you , when it hath caused such effects . 2. and that the same spirit is in you which wrote the word ; or else you would not love and desire it , and take it for suitable food and pleasure , yea , your heritage and joy . 3. and you may hence perceive that you are not without the love of god himself , though you see him not , and have not such sensible conceptions of him as you have of men and things which you have seen : for if you love truth and goodness and holiness in gods word , because it is such , you sure love best the greatest truth , goodness and holiness , and that is god. 4. and hence you may perceive that though our nature love not death , and a weak faith will not overcome all fears , when we think of coming into an unseen world , yet really you are lovers of heaven , in that you are lovers of that which constituteth heaven , and is its desirableness to man ; even holiness and gods love and glorious presence , and our perpetual joy herein . if you desire this you desire heaven , though the fear of death do make you doubt of it . 5. and hence you may find that you are not worldly hypocrites ? else it is not gods promises , and law , that you would take for your heritage and joy ; but worldly prosperity and fleshly pleasure , and god and heaven should have but the leavings of the flesh , for fear of an after reckoning at death . 6. and though your joy be small , you may know that it is of the right kind , when it is chiefly sought in god's love and promises ; and you would not let go the word of god , and lose your part in it for all the vanities of this world. iii. hence also you may learn why all true christians so much value the testimonies or word of god ? why they so much read it , think of it , talk of it , and hear of it ; and are loath that papists should corrupt it , or conceal it in an unknown tongue ; or that any should deny them the necessary use of it , or silence the ministers that preach it to them ? who would willingly be deprived of his heritage , or heart rejoycing ? iv. yea , indeed hence we see , how much we should set by it , and use it , how dear it should be to us ? how strictly we should obey it ? with what delight we should read it and meditate in it ? how diligent we should be to confirm our belief of it , and how we should fetch our hope and comfort from it , in life and at our death ? v. and you may see hence , that it is no wonder that the devil and all his servants in the world are enemies to the word of god. because they are enemies to our heritage and joy : and there are few better signs while many pretend to be for christ , to know who are really for him , and who are against him and his greatest enemies ; than to judge of men as they further or hinder ; love or hate the word of god as to its proper use , , as the heritage and joy of holy souls . vi. but the chief part of my application is , to commend this wise and holy choice , and solid comfort to you all ; and to beseech you presently to imitate david , and turn away from all inconsistent pleasures . if you live in sorrow or deceit , and die in desperation , it is not for want of an offer from god of better things . have you lived hitherto as thus resolved ? if you have , the lord confirm you , and be sure such hopes shall not deceive you . if you have not , what will you now choose and do ? if you live not to some end , you live not like men , according to reason . if you have chosen what end to live for and seek , what is it ? consider , i be-beseech you , of these things following before it be too late . 1. what will you take for your heritage , or your best , if not the future promised joyes , and what will you take for your security but gods word ? what is it that you place your chiefest hopes in ? shall health and wealth , and pleasure to the flesh , and honour among men , be taken for your heritage ? dare you under your hands make a covenant for these to quit all your hopes of the life to come ? if not , which is that you prefer , and which would you quit , if one must be hazarded or lost ? which hath the nearest and highest place in your hearts ? which seek you first , and make all other things give place to ? o sirs , it is a shame to our stupid hearts , that we have need to be so oft told by preachers , that we must dye , and that our flesh must shortly lie neglected in dust and darkness , till the resurrection , and that we and all the deceitful trifles of this world are ready to part for ever ! it is a shame that we must be oft told that which every fool and child at the use of reason may know , how poor and how short an heritage or pleasure all those have , who have no better than this world can give them . what say you , will you die in hope or in despair ? if unbelief make you hope that there is no hell , yet hope of heaven you can have none , unless you trust the word of god ? the light of nature indeed is such a natural word or revelation , as may tell us much of a future life of retribution ; but gods supernatural revelation is so much clearer , that we cannot expect that he will see by a lesser , who wilfully rejects a greater light : sure all men would live for ever if they could , and all would be for ever happy : you would not sure die like dogs , without any hope of a better life hereafter , if you could have good security for such hopes ? and what better security is there to be found , by mortal men , than ( the promises of god , confirmed by christs blood and miracles , and by the seal of his holy spirit . ) in a word , without all doubt , either heaven must be your heritage , or you must have none that is worthy of a serious thought , and enough to keep a man from wishing that he had never been born , or been a brute , that had not reason to know the matter of his griefs and fears . and either gods word seconding the light of nature , must give you hopes of a better life , or you must live and dye in meer despair . and shall that be your wilful choice ? 2. consider how unvaluable a mercy it is , to man , yea , to sinful miserable man , that god should vouchsafe to give him such an everlasting heritage , and such security for it , and that on the meere thankful acceptance of the sinner . and how worthily will they be undone , that by wilful refusal are deprived of freely offered felicity ? 3. and consider , how suitable an heritage and security it is that is offered us , and how fit for our joyful acceptance and esteem . the thing promised is no less than endless glory with god our redeemer , and all the blessed : it is in the world where we must be for ever ! it is the perfection of that which every holy soul desireth : it is our best , our all ; it must be that or nothing ; that or hell. the word or covenant which is our trust , 1. is gods own word . 2. it perfecteth and secondeth natural revelation and hope . 3. it beareth on it self the impress of god , even his power , wisdom and love , in wonders , prophecies and grace , it is sealed by the blood of christ ; by his own and his disciples multitude of miracles ; and by the gift of his sanctifying spirit to all true believers to the end : it is confirmed to our souls by the experience of the power of it , and the blessed effects , and this in-dwelling spirit , the witness of christ ; and by the answer of prayers , by many providences , and by the experience of all believers to this day . it is excellently suited to all our needs ; to our wants , our dangers , our fears , our doubts , yea , and our sinful unworthiness in the freeness of gods mercy , and all his gifts . indeed man had rather live by sight , and would fain know by seeing , whither souls go , and what they are , and have , and do hereafter . but it is not we , but god that is the ruler , and fittest to choose both the gift and means , the end and way : if we thankfully trust and improve a promise , we shall quickly see , and have possession . blessed be god for the light of his gospel , to guide us up to the light of glory . o that we had hearts to trust it , love it , and rejoice in it , as we have just cause . 4. and is it not a great mercy of god , that he hath herein called us to a life of happiness and present joy ? if he had bid us only weep for sin to the last breath , the condition had been easie as for pardon and hope of endless mercy ; but he hath given us a word , which he would have to be the rejoycing of our hearts ; and do we not love joy ? or have we any better ? i have not now time , and i much more want my self such a mind and heart as i should have , to tell what cause of daily joy god hath given us in his word and covenants . but this i will tell you , that our want of joy is our daily sin and shame , as well as our loss and suffering ; and among all the discoveries of the sinful weakness of our faith , hope and love , our want of rejoycing in the word of promise , and hope of glory is not the less ? o what an enemy is death in this respect , that standing between it , darkneth and affrighneth us from our joys : but christ hath conquered death , to deliver those that through fear of it are subject to bondage , heb. 2.14 . and though we cry , o miserable men , who shall deliver us ? we ye thank god through jesus christ our lord. and i must second the testimony of our deceased friend , in professing for your encouragement , my own experience , i have taken god's testimonies for my heritage , and they have been these fifty years , or near , the pleasure of my life , and sweeter than honey , and preciouser than thousands of gold and silver . as we tell men in charity of the things which we have found good , the medicines that have healed us , and commend the persons that have been friendly to us , and as man's nature is inclined to propagate the knowledge , and communicate the good which we partake of , and grace increaseth this inclination ; so i take it to be my duty , to add herein my own experience , if it may contribute to the determining of your cho●ce : and reason teacheth all men to regard that means and remedy and good the more , which many have had experience of ; and it is not to be taken for vain ostentation , to profess that which all must have in some degree that will be saved . though the natural and sinful fears of pain and death , too long deprived me of much of the joy which i should have had in the thoughts of the unseen world , and too much doth so to this day , yet i must say that the word of god , and the persons that love and practice it , and the holy way of life and peace , and all the means and things that here savour of heaven , have been so good and pleasant to me , as enableth me to assure you , that on earth there is nothing so worthy of your desire and joy . and to encourage you , i will tell you by my own experience , what benefit may be expected from this kind of delight , agreeable to davids and our friends experience . 1. by this means my life hath been almost a constant pleasure . 2. this pleasure hath much upheld me under almost constant bodily infirmity and pain . 3. it hath made all my sufferings from men , and crosses in the world to be tolerable and very easie to me ; had not gods word been my delight , i had lived uncomfortably , in constant pains and sorrows , and had perished in my trouble . 4. it hath saved me from the snares of sinful pleasures : mans nature will seek for some delight , and they that have it not in good-will , seek it in things hurtful and forbidden ; it is only greater things that can overcome our mistaken choice of lesser . in my childhood i was sinfully inclined to the pleasure of romances , and of childish sports ; but when i tasted the sweetness of gods testimonies and ways , i needed no other but spit out those luscious unwholesome vanities . and though common knowledge , called learning , be pleasant to mans nature , and i cannot say that i have not overvalued it , yet i must say , that the relish of these greater matters , hath made me see how much of it is vanity , and hath saved me from the pursuit of that part of it which doth but please curiosity and fancy , and tendeth not to use and to greater things ; and sensual pleasures i had no need of . 5. it hath by this means made that pleasure which i had , to be such as my reason did approve and justifie , whereas if i had sought it in preferment , wealth , or sensuality , a foreseeing conscience would have afrighted me out of all my pleasure , and i should have had more of the pricks than of the rose ; of the sting , than of the honey . of this pleasure you need not fear too much ; but of the sensual pleasure , we more easily catch a mortal surfeit 6. this sweetness of gods word , hath made also my calling and daily labor sweet ; so that it had my heart , and not my forced hand and tongue . 7. and this hath helpt my constancy herein : for when we have no delight in our work , we grow weary ; and weariness tendeth to give it over , or to do it heartlesly and slubber it over in unacceptable hypocrisie . 8. and this hath much saved me from the sinful loss of time : pleasure causeth trifling and delays ; who needeth vain pastimes , that delighteth in gods word and work ? 9. and this hath been to me an excellent help for the increase of knowledge : for the mysteries of godliness have still more to be learned by the wisest man ; and as boys at school , so the scholars of christ , learn best who have most pleasure in their books . 10. and this pleasure hath much confirmed my belief of the truth of scripture , when it hath born its own witness to my mind , and i have tasted that goodness which is agreeable to its truth . i easily believe him that commendeth a thing to me , when i taste or feel that it is good . 11. and this pleasure hath helped me against vain thoughts and talk , while the truths of god were sweet , and so continually welcome ; it 's easie to think of that which we delight in ; and sinful delights corrupt the thoughts and speech with constant sin . 12. and this pleasure hath somewhat fed my daily thankfulness to god , in the constant experience of the goodness of his truth and ways . 13. and it cured the error of my beginnings , when i strove for nothing so much as to weep for sin , and perceived not that the joy of the lord is our strength , and the flower of holiness , and likest to the heavenly state ; and that the spirit sanctifieth , by making god and goodness pleasant to us . 14. and hereby it made me find , that the praises of god are the sweetest and noblest exercises of religion ; when before i placed more in lamenting sin and misery . 15. and this maketh many things needless to me , that else would seem needful ; i want not more company ; i want no recreation but for my body ; if i have not what i would have , i see where only it is to be found . 16. and i am assured that the constant pleasure of my mind , hath not only kept me from melancholy , but from greater sicknesses , and tended to the lengthning of my life ( as scaliger saith , pleasant studies do . ) for constant pleasure must needs tend to health . 17. and this taste hath made me long for more , and had i not felt that it is good to draw near to god , and very desirable to know him and his will , i should never have so earnestly beg'd for clearer light and more near and sweet communion with him ; pleasure is the cause of strong desire . 18. it hath been one of my greatest helps against many temptations , of subtile enemies that tempt men to sadducism and doubt of the life to come . 19. it hath made me more communicative to others , for we would all have partakers in our delights . 20. and it hath greatly furthered my repentance and hatred of sin , when i have tasted what pleasure it depriveth us of ; and the abhorrence and loathing of my self that can delight in such a god and saviour , and word no more : when i taste how good it is , and see so much reason to rejoice in it , and the hopes of glory a thousand fold-more than i do , none of all the actual sins of my life , do make me half so much loath my naughty heart , as to think that my want of greater joy in so great and near a good , doth shew so much weakness in my faith , and hope , and love ! o that i had more faith and love that i might have more of this delight ! hearers i have sincerely told you what comfort you may have if you will not refuse it from the word of god , and from the experience of david , and ( because things near are aptest to affect ) from the experience of our deceased friend , and of my self , and indeed of all gods servants in their degree ; you would live in joy ; you will dye in joy ; we need it in a life of so much trouble , and for a change that else is terrible ; and its sure and near . o sirs we need another kind of comfort , than sport or appetite , or wealth , or any such fading vanity will give us , you may have some of it , if you will. and though joy be the top of grace which we arrive not at with a wish , nor in an hour , yet the nature of the new creature relisheth or savoureth the things of the spirit , rom. 8. 5 , 6 , 7. and the spirit of adoption is a spirit of filial love , and cryeth abba father , and the love of god the father , the grace of the son , and the communion of the holy spirit , which are the believers part , are all of them the greatest comforters ; and christ giveth believers that seek and trust him , that spring of living waters , which tendeth to everlasting satisfaction , and cureth indigent and sinful thirst . will you then have any portion , heritage and joy which will be worthy of a man , and shall go further with you than the grave ? if you will you may : god and this congregation are witnesses that it was offered you . but think not to refuse it , and prefer the transitory pleasures of sin before it , and at last have it , and find that which you received , or which you sought not first , mat. 6.33 . nor to find a treasure in heaven where you never laid it up or sought it . the hopes of the wicked perish , and the hypocrites hopes are as the giving up of the ghost : but the righteous hath hope in his death , and therefore may dye in peace and joy , job 8.13 , 14. and 11.20 . prov. 11.7 . and 14.32 perhaps some will say , that such a discourse of rejoycing is unsuitable to the mourning of a funeral . i think not of such a funeral , in which we commemorate the holy life and death , and believe the present and everlasting joy of such a friend , and one with whom we have long joyned in seeking and waiting for that felicity , and hope ere long and for ever to rejoice with christ and her , and all the blessed . and funeral sermons are not for the benefit ( though for the due honour ) of the dead , but of the living , to teach us all to prepare for death , which indeed is so much of the business of our whole life , that all the rest is but a vain shew , and foolish trifling or much worse . and wherein doth our preparation for death so much consi●t , as fore-seeing what so great a change will need , and what a tryal it will put our faith and hope to , to seek and get such security for our everlasting state , and such sound belief of it , and setled content and comfort in it , which the fears of death , judgment , and hell , may not shake or overcome , that so we may finish our course with joy , and pass through the valley of the shadow of death , and fear no evil , but may comfort one another and our selves with this , that we shall for ever be with the lord , and may say with paul , i have fought a good fight , i have finished my course , henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness , which god the righteous judge will give , to me and to all that love christs appearance ; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that do believe , and shall say , well done good and faithful servant . enter thou into the joy of thy lord. woe and for ever woe to every soul of you , that shall finally reject or neglect the offer of such an heritage and joy ! and blessed be that grace which hath caused all true believers to prefer it in their highest esteem and choice and seeking . i have lookt about to see if there were any better and surer to be had ; and i am fully satisfied it must be this or none . i offer you but what god hath caused me , and all that he will save , to choose ; and lord grant that i may never look back to any other ; let the love of god my heavenly father , the grace of jesus christ my lord , and the joy of the sanctifying spirit , sealing up the promise of god as my security , and writing his law and gospel in my heart , be my heritage and joy ; and i shall never envy the most prosperous sinner their portion in this life , but shall live and dye in the thankful praise of the god of my salvation , who is essential , infinite , joyful love. amen , amen . finis . mr. richard baxter's last legacy in select admonitions and directions to all sober dissenters. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1697 approx. 182 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 38 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26948 wing b1297_variant estc r25271 08834002 ocm 08834002 41925 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26948) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 41925) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1274:13) mr. richard baxter's last legacy in select admonitions and directions to all sober dissenters. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [6], 59 [i.e. 67] p. printed and are to be sold by e. whitlock, london : 1697. "to whom, being dead, he yet speaketh." reproduction of original in the trinity college library, cambridge university. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -controversial literature. devotional literature. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-10 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mr. richard baxter's last legacy in select admonitions and directions to all sober dissenters . to whom — being dead , he yet speaketh . london : printed and are to be sold by e. whitlock , near stationer's hall. 1697. the preface to dissenters . the instructions here recommended as mr. baxter's legacy , were collected out of his own genuine writings , and perused by him in his life-time , and being much for his reputation with all sober persons ; he seemed well pleased with them , notwithstanding much obloquy and reproach from divers dissenters ; for in the preface to his christian directory , he says , it was objected , that his writings differing from the common judgment , had already caused offence to the godly ; to which he answers , if god bless me with opportunity and help , i will offend such men much more , by endeavouring farther than ever i have done , the quenching of that fire which they are still blowing up , and detecting the folly and mischief of those logomachies by which they militate against love and concord , and inflame and tear the church of god. and in his second admonition to bagshaw , he stiles himself a long-maligned and resisted endeavourer of the churches vnity and peace ; and in p. 11. of that book , he thus declares his christian temper and resolution . if injuries or interest would excuse any sin , i think their are few ministers in england who have more inducement to the angry separating way than i have ; but shall i therefore wrong the truth ? god forbid ! and p. 52. he further tells bagshaw , i repent that i no more discouraged the spirit of peevish quarrelling with superiours and church orders , and though i ever disliked it and opposed it , yet that i sometimes did too much encourage such as were of their temper , by speaking too sharply against those things which i thought to be church corruptions , and was too loth to displease the contentious , for fear of being uncapable to do them good , meeting with too few religious persons that were not too much pleased with such invectives ; and when mr. bagshaw objected , that he chose to communicate on easter-day in a very populous church , purposely that it might be known ; he answered , p. 76. if a man by many years forbearing all publick prayers , and sacraments should tempt others to think that he is against them or counts them needless , how should he cure that scandal , but by doing that openly and pleading for it which he is supposed to be against ? ministers being bound to teach the people by example as well as doctrine . the question which he maintained against mr. bagshaw was , is it lawful to hold communion with such christian churches as have worthy or tollerable pastors , notwithstanding the parochial order of the ministers conformity and use of the common prayer-book ? and concludes , p. 89. that we ought to do so when some special reasons as from authority , scandal , &c. do require it . he saith , i wrote a book at the end of my cain and abel on purpose to shew the lawfulness of communicating with the church of england ; but before it was printed , dr. owen ( having heard of it ) sent me 12 arguments against joyning with the church of england , which i answered ; whereupon a swarm of revilers poured out their keenest censures upon me ; one said i was an apostate ; another said that my treatise of episcopacy fully proved the duty of separation , and i were reported to be a pleader for baal and anti-christ ; in answer to all which , i published a treatise in defence of catholick communion , to which i refer you . i will tell the world a certain truth , i preach , i write , i frequently and openly talk against separation , and for the lawfulness of joyning with the church in the use of the liturgy , and to rebuke mens extreams and censures of the episcopal clergy , and for an impartial love of all true christians . i sharply reprove the weak reasonings of those that are otherwise minded , and by this i occasion the true sectarians every where to speak against me , apol. p. 62. i take it for a duty to preach against schism , sedition , and rebellion and all principles that tend to breed or feed them , and to use all opportunities and interest in the people to promote their loyalty and publick peace , p. 18 , 19. i did not vary from my most early opinion concerning these things , for in my epistle to the saints rest , i gave the same admonition to my flock at kidderminister in these words . i charge you in christ's name , as you will answer it when we shall meet at judgment , that you faithfully and constantly practise these directions — above all , see that ye be followers of peace and vnity in the church , and among your selves . i differ from many in several things of considerable moment , yet if i should zealously press my judgment on others so as to disturb the peace of the church , and separate from my brethren , i should fear least i should prove a firebrand in hell , for being a firebrand in the church : and for all the interest i have in your judgments and affections , i charge you , that if god should give me up to any factious church-rendring course , that you forsake me , and follow me not a step , believe not those to be friends of the church , who would cure her by cutting her throat . vpon writing my cure of church divisions , mr. bagshaw , p. 152. published other invectives against me , as that one worthy of credit told him , that the learned and judicious mr. herle , having read that book , said , that it had been better for the church of god , if mr. baxter's friends had never sent him to school , and that mr. cawdry had a like opinion of that book , and that another person as knowing in the mystery of godliness , as either of them , told a friend of his , that notwithstanding the noise about mr. baxter , he would end in flesh and blood. but mr. baxter was well fortified against these obloquies , having been surfeited , as he says , with humane applause . but notwithstanding all these clamours and vexatious troubles , mr. baxter kept a constant course , pleading for concord and vnity almost in every book which he set forth , and that with such cogent arguments , as the like are scarce to be found on any other subject which he hath written upon , as from the following admonitions collected out of a few of his many treatises will appear to the judicious reader ; and many more may be observed in those that are conversant in his writings , wherein although some things accidentally written , may seem to be contradictory , yet as he told mr. l'estrange he was well able to reconcile them . and by his distinctions he hath reconciled many seeming contradictions , by help whereof , as mr. silvester observed in the preface to his life , as he could speak what he would , so he could prove what he spake . i am well perswaded , that by the following collections , any impartial separatist may find sufficient arguments to resolve all his scruples and objections against conformity to the established worship , for which end they are now published by the collector . but i foresee it will be necessary to obviate two objections that will be made against these admonitions : first , that mr. baxter hath written plain contradictions to them , and the separating brethren will adhere to his first sentiments which lead them to their non-conformity ; to which i answer , that mr. baxter gave them this precaution in one of his first and best treatises , charging them strictly , that if god should give him over to any church-rendring course , that they would forsake him , and not follow him a step . secondly , that what they interpret as contradictions , were in truth no other then confessions of his former mis-apprehensions and passionate heats of his intemperate zeal ; but these are the results of his sedate and rational deliberation . the great apostle st. paul , was not ashamed to record in holy writ , what enormities a misgrounded zeal had hurried him into , while he was in an estate of ignorance and vnbelief , 1 tim. 1. 13. and this doubtless was mr. baxter's practice for reflecting upon what he had said , or done , to countenance the separating way ; he saw it had done more hurt than good , for which reason he recanted them . but these instructions of his are like the coelestial bodies , which carry light and benign influences with them ; they are self-evident , and speak home to the judgment and consciences of all unprejudiced men , who cannot resist the force of that reason and demonstration , which inspires every part of them with so much life and power , beauty and ornament , consistency and symmetry , as will render them highly acceptable , amiable , and beneficial to such as shall embrace and practise them . as for such dissenters as have conceived any hard thoughts of mr. baxter , or these his admonitions , i intreat them to consider , whether they can answer or confute them to the satisfaction of their own consciences , and if they cannot , then whether it be not rational and pious to walk by these directions which tend so much to the establishment of the publick peace of this divided church and nation , and to their own present and eternal welfare . 2. objection . it may be said that these amonitions are now become unseasonable , there being a toleration granted to men of all perswasions to worship god after their several modes . answ . to this i say , that schism is a sin antecedent to all humane constitutions , as being directly forbid in the holy gospel , and consequently will continue to be sinful , tho' all the kings and rulers of the earth should indulge , and tolerate them ; for the laws of men cannot make void the law of god , nor alter the nature of things , and justifie or make that to be good which the only lawgiver of christians hath condemned as unlawful ; and as it is said of poligamy among the jews , that the law of moses connived at it , for the hardness of their hearts , so it is for the hardness and uncharitableness of mens spirits , that rulers are constrained for a time to tolerate and bear with many things that are offensive and prejudicial to the prosperity of their government . for toleration far differs from the approbation of a thing , and implieth the unlawfulness thereof , rather than the justification of it . besides , the present toleration is far from intending or making an establishment of the practises which are tolerated to the prejudice of the church , which hath for many ages , and now doth continue in actual possession of all its powers and priviledges as in time past . so that as the present schism and separations is possitively condemned by the laws of the gospel , so they have not any approbation from the laws of men , but what the corruptions of men , and their ungovernable tempers make tolerable on some pressing occasions , and unhappy juncture of affairs . i beseech you therefore read the following admonitions without prejudice , and judge of them by the end for which they were first written by mr. baxter , and are now published by , &c. mr. richard mr. richard baxter's last legacy to all sober dissenters . of the church . in a petition drawn by mr. b. to be presented to the king , he makes this a part of the profession of his religion . i do willingly profess my consent to all the holy canonical scriptures , as the word of god ; and to the doctrine of the church of england professed in the 39 articles of religion , as in sense agreeable to the word of god. and i renounce all errors or heresies contrary to any of these . and i do hold , that the book of common-prayer , and of bishops , priests and deacons , containeth in it nothing so disagreeable to the word of god , as maketh it unlawful to live in the peaceable communion of the church that useth it . mr. baxters life part 3. p. 161. mr. baxter in his reasons for the christian religion , p. 464. sect. 2. the church of christ being his body is but one , and hath many parts , but should have no parties , but unity and concord without division . § 3. therefore no christian must be of a party or sect as such , that is , as dividing it self from the rest , causing schism or contention in the body , or making a rent unnecessarily in any particular church which is a part . § 8. nothing will warrant us to separate from a church as no church , but the want of something essential to a church . § 11. it is essential to particular political churches , that they be constituted of true bishops or pastors and of flocks of baptized or professed christians , united for holy communion in the worshipping of god , and the promoting of the salvation of the several members . § 12. it is essential to a true bishop or pastor of the church to be in office ( that is in authority and obligation ) appointed by christ in subordination to him in the three parts of his offices , prophetical , priestly and kingly . that is , to teach the people , to stand between them and god in worship , and to guide or govern them by the paternal exercise of the keys of his church . § 15. if a church which in all other respects is purest and best , will impose any sin upon all that will have any local communion with it , tho' we must not separate from that church as no church , yet must we not commit that sin , but patiently suffer them to exclude us from their communion . § 1. we do not say you are no true ministers nor churches , nor that it is unlawful to communicate with you . apology , p. 82. see also p. 87. 89. § 2. where parish bounds are judged necessary , all persons living in the parish may be constrained to hear publick teaching , and to worship god either in that , or in some other approved or tolerated church within their convenient reach , or neighbourhood . way of concord . part 3. p. 139. § 3. the people are no judges who is fit to be , and shall be a minister of christ , the supream civil magistrate is judge whom he must countenance , maintain and tolerate — the disposal of the tithes and temples is in the power of the prince and patron by his grant — who but physitians are fit to judge , who is meet to be a licensed physitian . p. 127. of the 2d . defence . § 4. in case of meer different modes , circumstances , and order of worship , see that you give authority , and the consent of the church where you are , their due : christian directory , part. 3. p. 13. § 5. conform your selves to all the lawful customs and gestures of the church with which you joyn ; you come not thither proudly to shew your selves wiser than they in the circumstances of worship , nor needlesly to differ from them , much less to harden men into a scorn of strictness , by seeing you to place religion in singularities in lawful and indifferent things , but you come to exercise peace , love , and concord , and with one mind and mouth to glorifie god ; stand when the church standeth ; sit when the church sitteth , and kneel when the church kneeleth , in cases where god doth not forbid it . christian directory , p. 71. part 3. § 6. temples utensels , lands devoted and lawfully separated by man for holy uses are holy , as justly related to god by that separation . every thing should be reverenced according to the measure of its holiness , and this expressed by such signs and gestures as are fit to honour god , to whom they are related . and so to be uncovered in a church , and use reverent cariage and gestures there , doth tend to preserve due reverence to god and to his worship , 1 cor. 16. 20. christian directory , part 3. p. 167. § 7. plain intelligible church musick which occasioneth not divisions , but the church agreeth in , for my part , i never doubted but to be lawful . for 1. god set it up long after moses's ceremonial law by david , solomon , &c. 2. it is not meerly an instituted ceremony , but a natural help to the minds alacrity ; and it is a duty , not a sin to use the helps of nature and lawful art. as it is lawful to use the help of spectacles in reading the bible , so is it of musick to exhilerate the soul to god. 3. jesus christ joyned with the jewes that used it , and spake not against it . 4. no scripture forbids it . 5. nothing can be said against it , but what may be said against tunes and melody of voices ; yea it is not a humane invention , as the last psalm and many others shew , which call us to praise the lord with instruments of musick . § 8. let not prejudice against melody or church-musick possess you with a splenatick disgust of that which should be your most joyful work , if you know how much the incorporate soul must make use of the body in harmony , and the joyful praises of jehovah . do not then quarrel with lawful helps , because they are sensible and corporal , christian direct . p. 72. part. 3. p. 167. harmony and melody are so high a pleasure of the sense , that they are nearest to rational delight , if not participating of them , and exceedingly fitted to elevate the mind and affections unto god. we the ministers who drew up the worcester agreement , required our people to declare in these words : iab do consent to be a member of the particular church of christ in d. whereof , ef is teacher and overseer , and to submit to his teaching and ministerial guidance and over-sight , according to god's word . of the doctrine of the church of england . as for the doctrine of the church of england , the bishops and their followers from the first reformation begun by king edward the sixth , were sound in doctrine , adhearing to the augustine method expressed now in the articles and homilies ; they differed not in any considerable point from those whom they called puritans , but it was in the form of government , liturgy and ceremonies , that the difference lay . the independents as well as the presbyterians offer to subscribe the xxxix articles as distinct from prelacy and ceremony . and when i was in the country , i knew not of one minister to ten that are now silenced , that was not in the main of the same principles with my self . mr. baxter's reasons for obedience in lawful things , page 483. of his five disputations . sect. 1. lest men that are apt to run from one extream into another , should make an ill use of that which i have before written , i shall here annex some reasons to perswade men to just obedience , and preserve them from any sinful nonconformity to the commands of their governours , and the evil effects that are like to follow thereupon . § 2. but first i will lay together some propositions for decision of the controversie ; how far we are bound to obey mens precepts about religion ? especially in case we doubt of the lawfulness of obeying them ? and so cannot obey them in faith ? § 3. briefly : 1. we must obey both magistrates and pastors in all things lawful which belong to their offices to command . 2. it belongs not to their office to make god a new worship ; but to command the mode and circumstances of worship belongeth to their office : for guiding them wherein god hath given them general rules . 3. we must not take the lawful commands of our governours to be unlawful . 4. if we do through weakness or perversness take lawful things to be unlawful , that will not excuse us in our disobedience . our error is our sin , and one sin will not excuse another sin. even as on the other side , if we judge things unlawful to be lawful , that will not excuse us for our disobedience to god in obeying men. 5. as i have before shewed , many things that are miscommanded , must be obeyed . 6. as an erroneous judgment will not excuse us from obedience to our governours , so much less will a doubtfulness excuse us . 7. as such a doubting , erring judgment cannot obey in ( plenary ) faith , so much less can he disobey in faith. for it is a known command of god , that we obey them that have the rule over us : but they have no word of god against the act of obedience now in quection . it is their own erring judgment that intangleth them in a necessity of sinning ( till it be changed . ) 7. in doubtful cases , it is our duty to use god's means for our information : and one means is to consult with our teachers , and hear their words with teachableness and meekness , 8. if upon advising with them we remain in doubt about the lawfulness of some circumstance of order , if it be such as may be dispensed with , they should dispence with us : if it may not be dispensed without a greater injury to the church or cause of god , than our dispensation will countervail , then is it our duty to obey our teachers , notwithstanding such doubts : for it being their office to teach us , it must be our duty to believe them with a humane faith , in cases where we have no evidences to the contrary : and the duty of obeying them ☞ being certain , and the sinfulness of the thing commanded being uncertain and unknown , and only suspected , we must go on the surer side . 9. yet must we in great and doubtful cases , not take up with the suspected judgment of a single pastor , but apply our selves to the unanimous pastors of other churches . 10. christians should not be over busie in prying into the ☞ work of their governours , nor too forward to suspect their determinations : but when they know that it is their rulers work to guide them by determining of due circumstances of worship , they should without causeless scruples readily obey , till they see just reason to stop them in their obedience ; they must not go out of their own places to search into the actions of another man's office , to trouble themselves without any cause . no reason can be given , why a lawful thing should become unlawful ? because a lawful superior doth command it , else superiors may take away all our christian liberty , and make all things unlawful by commanding them ; you would take it ill from a child or servant when you bid them learn a form of prayer or catechism , if they should say it was lawful for us till you commanded it , but because you bid us it is unlawful . § 4. and now i intreat all humble christians readily to obey both magistrates and pastors in all lawful things ; and to consider , to that end , of these reasons following . reas . 1. if you will not obey in lawful things , you deny authority , or overthrow government it self , which is a great ordinance of god , established in the fifth commandment with promise : and as that commandment respecting societies and common good , is greater than the following commands , as they respect the private good of our neighbours , or are but particular means to that publick good , whose foundation is laid in the fifth commandment ; so accordingly the sin against this fifth commandment must be greater than that against the rest . § 5. reas . 2. in disobeying the lawful commands of our superiors , we disobey christ , who ruleth by them as his officers . even as the disobeying a justice of peace or judge is a disobeying of the soveraign power ; yea in some cases when their sentence is unjust . some of the ancient doctors thought that the fifth commandment was the last of the first table of the decalogue ; and that the honouring of governors is part of our honour to god , they being mentioned there as his officers , with whom he himself is honoured or dishonoured , obeyed or disobeyed : for it is god's authority that the magistrate , parent , and pastor is endued with , and empowred by to rule those that are put under them . § 6. reas . 3. what confusion will be brought into the church if pastors be not obeyed in things lawful ? for instance : if the pastors appoint the congregation to assemble at one hour , and the people will scruple the time , and say , it is unlawful , and so will choose some of them one time , and some another , what disorder will here be ? and worse , if the pastors appoint a place of worship , and any of the people scruple obeying them , and will come to another place , what confusion will here be ? people are many , and the pastors are few : and therefore there may be some unity if the people be ruled by the pastors ; but there can be none , if the pastors must be ruled by the people , for the people will not agree among themselves : and therefore if we obey one part of them , we must disobey and displease the rest . and their ignorance makes them unfit to rule . § 7. reas . 4. moreover , disobedience in matters of circumstance , will exclude and overthrow the substance of the worship it self . god commandeth us to pray : if one part of the church will not joyn with a stinted form of prayer , and the other part will not joyn without it , but both parties cannot be pleased , and so one part must cast off prayer it self , or separate from the rest . god commandeth the reading , and preaching , and hearing of the scripture , and the singing of psalms : but he hath left it to man to make or choose the best translation of scripture , or version of the psalms . now if the pastor appoint one version and translation , and the church joyn in the use of it , if any members will scruple joyning in this translation or version , they must needs forbear the whole duty of hearing the scripture , and singing psalms in that congregation . if they pretend a scruple against the appointed time or place of worship , they will thereby cast off the worship it self . for if they avoid our time or place , they cannot meet with us , nor worship with us . § 8. reas . 5. and when they are thus carried to separate from the congregation , upon such grounds as these , they will be no where fixt , but may be still subdividing , and separating from one another , till they are resolved into individuals , and have left no such thing as a church among them . for they can have no assurance or probability , that some of themselves will not dissent from the rest in one circumstance or other , as they did from their pastors and the church that they were of before . § 6. reas . 9. by this means the wicked that are disobedient to their teachers , and reject the worship of god it self , will be hardened in their sin , and taught by professors to defend their ungodliness : for the very same course that you take will serve their turns . they need not deny any duty in the substance , but deny the circumstance , and so put off the substance of the duty . if a wicked man will not hear the word preached , he may say [ i am not against preaching ; but i am unsatisfied of the lawfulness of your time or place , i am in judgment against coming to your steeple-house , or against the lord's day . ] and so he shall never hear , though he say he is for heating . if a wicked man will not be personally instructed , or admonished , or be accountable to the church or pastors for any scandals of his life , nor submit to any discipline , he may say [ i am for discipline , i know it is my duty to be instructed : but i am not satisfied that i am bound to come to you when you send for me , or to appear at such a place as you appoint : the word of god nameth no time or place , and you shall not deprive me of my liberty . ] if a wicked man would not hear or read the scripture , or sing psalms , he may say , that he is for the duty , but he is only against this and that translation and version : and so while every version is excepted against the duty is as much evaded , as if it were denied it self . by this device it is that the rebellion of unruly people is defended : they run to the circumstances of the duty , and ask [ where are they bound to come to a minister ? or to be examined by him , in order to a baptism or lord's supper ? or to speak their consent to be church-members , or to subscribe to a profession , or to read an english bible , or to hear in a steeple-house , with many such like . ] thus also it is that they put off family-prayer , and ask , [ where are they bound to pray in their family morning and evening ? ] and so keep no constancy in family-prayer at all , under pretence of denying only the circumstances . § 10. reas . 7. by this disobedience in things lawful , the members of the church will be involved in contentions , and so ingaged in bitter uncharitableness , and censures , and persecutions , and reproaches of one another : which scandalous courses will nourish vice , dishonour god , rejoyce the enemies , grieve the godly that are peaceable and judicious , and wound the consciences of the contenders . we see the beginning of such fires are small , but whither they tend , and what will be the end of them , we see not . § 11. reas . 8. by these means also magistrates will be provoked to take men of tender consciences for factious , unruly , and unreasonable men , and to turn their enemies , and use violence against them , to the great injury of the church : when they see them so self-conceited , and refusing obedience in lawful circumstances . § 12. reas . 9. by this means also the conversion and establishment of souls will be much hindred , and people possessed with prejudice against the church and ordinances , when they take us to be but humorous people , and see us in such contentions among our selves . to my knowledge , our late difference about some such lesser things , hath turned off , or hindered abundance of people from liking the holy doctrine and life which we profess . § 13. reas . 10. it will seem to the wisest , to savour of no small measure of pride , when people on the account of lawful circumstances , dare set themselves against their governours and teachers , and quarrel with the ordinances of god , and with the churches : humble men would sooner suspect themselves , and quarrel with their own distempers , and submit to those that are wiser than themselves , and that are set over them for their guidance by the lord. there may more dangerous pride be manifested in these matters , than in apparel , and such lower trifles . § 14. reas . 11. consider also what yielding in things lawful the scripture recommendeth to us ? how far yielded paul when he circumcised timothy ? acts 16. 3. and when he [ took the men , and purified himself with them in the temple , to signifie the accomplishment of the days of purification until that an offering should be offered for every one of them ] and this for almost seven days , acts 21. 26 , 27. with the foregoing verses . § 15. so 1 cor. 9. 19 , 20. [ for though i be free from all men , yet have i made my self servant unto all , that i might gain the more : and unto the jews i became as a jew , that i might gain the jews ; to them that are under the law , as under the law , that i might gain them that are under the law : to them that are without law , as without law ( being not without law to god , but under the law to christ ) that i might gain them that are without law. to the weak i became as weak , that i might gain the weak : i am made all things to all men , that i might , by all means save some , and this i do for the gospels sake , &c. ] study this example . § 16. read also rom. 14. and 15. chapters , how much condescension the apostle requireth even among equals , about meats and days . and 1 cor. 8. 13. the apostle would tye up himself from eating any flesh while the world standeth , rather than make a weak brother to offend . many other passages of scripture require a condescension in things of this indifferent nature , and shew that the kingdom of god doth not consist in them . § 17. and matthew 12. 1 , 2 , to 9. you find that hunger justified the disciples of christ for plucking and rubbing the ears of corn on the sabbath days . and hunger justified david , and those that were with him , for entring into the house of god , and eating the shew-bread , which was not lawful for him to eat , nor for them which were with him , but only for the priests : and the priests in the temple were blameless for prophaning the sabbath-day . ] now if things before accidentally evil , may by this much necessity become lawful and a duty , then may the commands of magistrates or pastors , and the unity of the church , and the avoiding of contention , and offence , and other evils , be also sufficient to warrant us in obeying , even in convenient circumstantials of the worship of god , that otherwise could not be justified . § 18. reas . 12. lastly consider , how much god hath expressed himself in his word to be pleased in the obedience of believers . not only in their obedience to christ immediately , but also to him in his officers , 1 sam. 15. 22. [ behold to obey is better than sacrifice , &c. ] col. 3. 20 , 22. [ children obey your parents in all things , ( that is , all lawful things ) for this is well-pleasing to the lord. ] [ servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh , &c. ] and obedience to pastors is as much commanded , 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. [ we beseech you brethren , to know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you , and esteem them very highly , &c. ] heb. 13. 17. [ obey them that have the rule over you , and submit your selves , for they watch for your souls , as they must give account , &c. ] so verse 7. and 24. 1 tim. 5. 17 , &c. § 19. as the general commission to a parent , or master , or magistrate to govern their inferiour relations , doth authorize them to many particular acts belonging to their office , that were never named in their commission : so your general command to obey them , obligeth you to obey them in the said particulars . and so it is also betwixt the pastors and the flock , in matters belonging to the office of a pastor . § 20. if a child shall ask a parent , [ where doth god's word allow you to command me to learn this catechism , or read this divine's writings , or repeat this sermon , or write it ? &c. ] doth not the question deserve to be answered with the rod ? the general commission for parents to govern their children is sufficient . so if a school-master command his scholars to come to such a place to school , and to take their places in such an order , and to learn such books , and do such exercises , &c. the general commission that he hath to teach and govern them , will allow him to do all this . ( though it will not allow him to set his scholars to any artifice or manual operation alien to his profession . ) so if a minister determine of the variable circumstances of worship , as what place and people shall come to , and at what time , to be catechised , examined , instructed , &c. what translation or version of psalms to use , what utensils to make use of about god's service , or such like , he is warranted for this by his general commission . and if he miss it in the manner , by choosing inconvenient circumstances , or by unnecessary determination of points that should rather be left undetermined to liberty , thought this be his own sin , it will not excuse the people from obedience ; unless the errour of his directions be so great as would frustrate the ordinance it self , or do more harm than our disobedience would do ; which in circumstantials is rarely found . by long experience i am assured , that practical religion will afford both to church , state , and conscience more certain , and more solid peace , than contending disputers , with all their pretences of orthodoxness , and zeal against errours for the truth , will ever bring , or did ever attain to . holy common-wealth , p. 352. god never instituted churches to be kept up in disobedience to those christian magistrates which he commands us to obey upon pain of damnation . disobedience to our rulers is in ministers double treason and wickedness . page 30. of the 1st plea. princes and rulers may forbid all that preach rebellion and sedition , and may punish them if they do it : and may hinder the incorrigible , whose preaching may do more hurt than good , from exercising their ministry , or preaching within their dominions . pag. 32. they should see that their kingdoms be well provided of publick preachers and catechists : and may by due means compel the ignorant to hear and learn what christianity is . and sect. 37. they ought to be preservers of peace and charity among churches , and to hinder preachers from uncharitable and unrighteous reviling each other , and their unpeaceable controversies and contentions . pag. 35. sect. 40. they may make their own officers circa sacra , to execute their magistratical power : and if they authorize any particular bishops or pastors to exercise any such power as belongs to the prince to give , not contrary to christ's laws — we judge that the subjects ought to obey for conscience sake . christian direct . he that is silenced by a just power , though unjustly , in a country that needeth not his preaching , must forbear therefore . let none perswade you ( i. e. ) the magistrates , that you are such terrestrial animals that have nothing to do with the heavenly concernment of your subjects ; bodily things ( rewards and punishments ) are the means whereby you may promote it ; you are custodes utriusque tabulae , and must bend the force of all your government to the saving of the peoples souls . the mischief of separation . the mischief of separation lies not in the bare errour of judgment , but in the unchristian and church-dissolving division and alienation , which thence followeth ; contrary to that humility and love , which is the visible character of christians , and to that oneness , which is still in scripture ascribed to the visible church . alas , that pride and ignorance should have such power among believers , that men cannot be of several judgments in lesser points , but they must needs be of several churches . god will make us value peace and union a little more , before we shall taste of the perfect everlasting peace and union ; yea , before we shall see the blessing of union in the church . wounding is a dividing , healing is a re-uniting ; a building is of many stones or pieces orderly conjoyned ; a church is an aggregation of individuals , an association of believers : what then is it to demolish , but to separate and disjoyn ? and what is it to dissolve churches , but to break their association , to reduce them to the individuals , to cut them into shreds ? as for the differences in way of government , between the moderate presbyterians , independants , episcopal , and erastian , i make no doubt , but if mens spirits stood not at a greater distance than their principles , they would quickly be united . but of all the four sorts , there are some that run so high in their principles , that they run out of the hearing of peace or truth . — for anabaptism and antinomianism god spake effectually against them , by those wondrous monsters in new-england ; but wonders are over-lookt , where the heart is hardned , and god intends to get his justice a name . the fearful delusions , that god hath formerly given them over to , and the horrid confusion which they have introduced where they have sprung , hath spoken fully against both these later sects . the weeping eyes , the bleeding sides , the lacerated members of these churches , the reproach of the gospel , the disappointed reformation , the hideous doctrines , and unheard of wickedness that hath followed them , the contemned ordinances , the reproached , slandered , and ejected ministers , the weak that are scandalized , the professors are apostalized , the wicked hardned , and the open enemies of the gospel , that now insult ; all these do describe them more plainly to england , than words can do , and cry loud in the ears of god and man. what will be the answer , time will shew ; but from rev. 2. 14 , 15 , 16 , &c. we may probably conjecture . he that is not a son of peace , is not a son of god. all other sins destroy the church consequently , but division and separation demolish it directly . building the church is but an orderly joyning of the materials , and what then is disjoyning but pulling down ? many doctrinal differences must be tolerated in a church , and why , but for unity and peace ? therefore disunion and separation is utterly intolerable . believe not those to be the churches friends , that would cure and reform her by cutting her throat . those that say , no truth must be concealed for peace , have usually as little of the one as the other . study gal. 2. 22. rom. 14. 1. acts 21. 24 , 26. 1 tim. 1. 4. & 6. 4. titus 3. 8 , 9. i hope , sad experience speaks this lesson to your very hearts , if i should say nothing . do not your hearts bleed to look upon the state of england , and to think how few towns , or cities there be ( where is any forwardness in religion ) that are not cut into shreds and crumbled as to dust , by separations and divisions ? to think what a wound we have hereby given to the very christian name , how we have hardned the ignorant , confirmed the papists , and are our selves become the scorn of our enemies , and the grief of our friends , and how many of our dearest best esteemed friends , have fallen to notorious pride or impiety , yea , some , to be worse than open infidels ? these are pillars of salt , see that you remember them . though of your own selves , men should arise , speaking perverse things , to draw disciples after them , acts 20. 30. yea though an angel from heaven should draw you to divisions , see that you follow him not . if there be erroneous practices in the church , keep your selves innocent , with moderation and peace . it must be no small error , that must force a separation . justin martyr professed , that if a jew should keep the ceremonial law , so he did not perswade the gentiles to it , as necessary , yet if he acknowledged christ , he judgeth that he might be saved , and he would imbrace him , and have communion with him . paul would have him received , that is weak in the faith , and not un-church whole parishes of those that we know not , nor were ever brought to a just trial . i ever loved a godly peaceable conformist , better than a turbulent non-conformist . i differ from many , in several things of considerable moment , yet if i should zealously press my judgment on others , so as to disturb the peace of the church , and separate from my brethren that are contrary minded , i should fear , lest i should prove a firebrand in hell , for being a fire brand in the church . and for all the interest i have in your judgments and affections , i here charge you , that if god should give me up , to any factions , church rending course , ( against which i daily pray ) that you forsake me , and follow me not a step . and for peace with one another , follow it with all your might , if it be possible , as much as in you lieth , live peaceably with all men , rom. 12. 18. ( mark this . ) when you feel any sparks of discontent in your breasts , take them as kindled by the devil from hell , and take heed you cherish them not . if the flames begin to break forth , in censoriousness , reproaches , and hard speeches of others , be as speedy and busie in quenching it , as if it were fire in the thatch of your houses . for why should your houses be dearer to you than the church , which is the house of god ? or your souls , which are the temples of the holy ghost ? hath god spoke more against any sin than unpeaceableness ? if ye forgive not men their trespasses , neither will your heavenly father forgive you : which lodovicus crocius says , is the measure , and essential property of the least degree of true faith ; if you love not one another , you are not disciples of christ . publick wars and private quarrels usually pretend the reformation of the church , the vindicating of the truth , and the welfare of souls ; but they as usually prove in the issue , the greatest means to the overthrow of all . it is as natural for both wars and private contentions to produce errors , schisms , contempt of magistracy , ministry , and ordinances , as it is for a dead carrion to breed worms and vermine . believe it from one , that hath too many years experience of it ; it is as hard a thing to maintain even in your people , a sound understanding , a tender conscience , a lively , gracious , heavenly frame of spirit , and an upright life in a way of war and contention , as to keep your candle lighted in the greatest storms , or under the waters . the like i may say of perverse and fierce disputings about the circumstantials of discipline , or other questions , that are far from the foundation ; they oftner lose the truth than find it . wo to those ministers , that make unnecessarry divisions , and parties among the people , that so they may get themselves a name , and be cryed up by many followers . the way to prosper your labours is to quench all flames of contention , to your power . study the peace and unity of your congregations , keep out all occasions of divisions , especially the doctrine of separation , and popular church-government , the apparent seminary of faction , and perpetual contentions . if once the people be taught , that it belongs to them to govern themselves , and those the scripture calleth their guides and rulers , we shall have mad work . they that would pluck up the headge of government , as if the vineyard could not be fruitful , except it lay waste , to the pleasure of all the beasts of the forest , are like the pond , that grudged at the banks and damm , and thought it injurious to be restrained of its liberty , and therefore combined with the winds , to raise a tempest , and so assault and beat down the banks in their rage ; and now where is that peaceable association of waters ? we feel now , how those are mistaken that thought the way for the churches unity , was to dig up the banks and let all loose , that every man in religion might do what he list . wo to those ministers , that make unnecessary divisions , and parties among the people , that so they may get themselves a name , and be cried up by many followers . the way to prosper your labours , is to quench all flames of contention . study the peace of your congregations ; keep out all occasions of divisions , especially the doctrine of separation , and popular government , the apparent seminarys of faction , and perpetual contentions . every tender conscience should be as tender of church divisions , and real schism , as of drunkenness , whoredom , and other such enormous sins , james 3. 14 , 15 , 16. reasons for christ . relig. p. 485. sect. 34. if it be objected that i preached to separate congregations ; my answer is , that i preach'd only to some of many thousands that cannot come into the temples , many of which never heard a sermon of many years . and what i did , was only to preach to such as could not come to our churches . answ . to letter , p. 24. quasi dicerit that where parish churches are large enough , there separate congregations are unlawful . they are , usually , men least acquainted with a heavenly life , who are the violent disputers about the circumstantials of religion . as the body doth languish in consuming fevers , when the native heat abates within , and unnatural heat inflaming the external parts succeeds : so when the zeal of a christian doth leave the internals of religion , and fly to ceremonials , externals , or inferior things , the soul must needs consume and languish . of conformity . for conformity , though to ministers it be another thing , by reason of the new impositions , than it was to our predecessors ; yet to the people , conformity is the same , if not easier , ( especially to them that i now speak to : ) for it is the liturgy , ceremonies , and ministry , that most alienate them . and the liturgy is a little amended , as to them , by the change of the translation , and some little words , and by longer prayers ; and the ceremonies are the same ; and thirty years ago , there were many bare reading , not preaching ministers , for one that is now . therefore our case of separation being the same as of old , i take it to be fully confuted , by the ancient non-conformists : and i have so great a veneration for the worthy names , much more an estimation of the reasonings , of mr. cartwright , egerton , hildersham , dod , amesius , parker , baines , brightman , ball , bradshaw , paget , langley , nicols , herring , &c. that i shall not think , they knew not why they chose this subject , and wrote more against separation , than the conformists did . i am very glad that the pious lectures of mr. hildersham , mr. r. rogers , and such old non-conformists , are in so good esteem among good people , where they will read them , urging the people , not only against separation , but to come to the very beginning of the publick worship , and preferring it before their private duties . when i think what holy learned men the old conformists were , my heart riseth against the thoughts of separating from them . if i had come to their churches , when they used the common prayer , and administred the sacrament , could i have departed and said , it is not lawful for any christian here to communicate with you ? what! to such men as mr. bolton , whateley , fenner , dent , crook , dike , stock , smith , dr. preston , sibbs , stoughton , taylor , and abundance other such ? yea , such as bishop jewel , grindal , hall , potter , davenant , carleton , &c. dr. field , smith , jo. white , willet , &c. yea , and the martyrs too ? as cranmer , ridley , hooper himself , farrar , bradford , fillpot , sanders , &c. could i separate from all these on the reasons now in question ? yea calvin himself , and the churches of his way were all separated from by the separatists of their times . and though ministerial conformity is now much altered , ( as to ingagements ) many ( of the assembly of divines ) that are yet living , do conform again ; nor would i shun communion with the reverend members of that assembly , twiss , gataker , whitaker , and the rest , if again they used the liturgy among us . and if the old conformists , such as bolton , &c. were alive , and used now the same liturgy and ceremonies as they did then , ( which was worse than now ) i could not think their communion in prayer and sacraments , unlawful , nor censure that man as injurious to the church , who should write to perswade others not to separate from them . read over some of the old non-conformists books against separation , as mr. jacob's the independent , against johnson , and mr. bradshaw , and mr. gataker's defence against cann , mr. gifford , darrell , paget , &c. and fullest of all ( at the beginning of our troubles ) mr. john ball in three books : in these you will find the same objections answered , or more and greater . and i profess my judgment , that our ordinary boasters , that think they know more in this controversie than the old non-conformists did , as far as i am able to discern , are as far below them almost as they are below either chamier , sadeel , whitaker , or such other in dealing with a papist . objections answered . but what if there be gross and scandalous sinners are members of the church ? answ . if you be wanting in your duty to reform it , it is your sin ; but if bare presence made their sin to be ours , it would also make all the sins of the assembly ours . but what if they are sins committed in the open assembly , even by the minister himself in his praying , preaching , and other administrations ? answ . 1. a ministers personal faults may damn himself , and must be matter of lamentation to the church , who ought to do their best to reform them , or get better , by any lawful means : but in case they cannot , his sin is none of theirs , nor doth it make his administration null , or ineffectual , nor will it allow you to separate from the worship which he administreth . — you may not separate from him , unless you can prove him , or his ministry , utterly intolerable , by such faults as these : 1. an utter insufficiency in knowledge , or utterance , for the necessary parts of the ministerial work : as if he be not able to teach the necessary points of christian religion , nor to administer the sacraments , and other parts of publick worship . 2. if he set himself to oppose the ends of his ministry , and preach down godliness , or any part of it , that is necessary to salvation : or be a preacher of heresie , preaching up any damning errour , or preaching down any necessary saving truth . 3. if he so deprave the publick worship , as to destroy the substance of it , as in putting up blasphemy for prayer or praise , or commit idolatry , or set up new sacraments , or impose any actual sin on the people . but there are other ministerial faults which warrant not our separation ; as , 1. some tolerable errours of judgment , or envy , and pettish opposition to others , phil. 1. 15. 2. it is not unlawful to joyn with a minister , that hath many defects in his ministration , or manner of worship ; as if he preach with some ignorance , disorder , unfit expressions or gestures , and the like in prayer and sacraments . 3. it is not unlawful to joyn with a minister , that hath some material errour or untruth in preaching or praying , sobeit we be not called to approve it , and so it be not pernicious and destructive to the ends of his ministry . if we run away from all that vent any untruth or mistake in publick or private worship , we shall scarce know , what church or person we may hold communion with . for 1. a small sin may no more be done or owned , than a greater . 2. and then another man's weakness may disoblige me , and discharge me from my duty . of subscription with assent and consent , particularly concerning infants baptized . q. 152. is it lawful to subscribe or profess full assent and consent to any religious books , beside the bible , seeing all are fallible . answ . 3. it is lawful to profess or subscribe our assent and consent to any humane writing , which we judge to be true and good , according to the measure of its truth and goodness . as if church-confessions , that are sound , be offered us for our consent , we may say , or subscribe , i hold all the doctrine in this book to be true and good . and by so doing i do not assert the infallibility of the author , but only the verity of the writing . i do not say that he cannot err , but that he erreth not in this , as far as i am able to discern . q. 35. is it certain by the word of god , that all infants baptized , and dying before actual sin , are undoutedly saved ? answ . i think that all the children of true christians do by baptism receive a publick investiture , by god's appointment , into a state of remission , adoption , and right to salvation , at present ; though i dare not say , i am undoubtedly certain of it . — but i say , as the synod of dort , art. 1. that believing parents have no cause to doubt of the salvation of their children , that die in infancy , before they commit actual sin ; that is , not to trouble themselves with fears about it . for if such infants were admitted to outward priviledges only , then ( which is my second reason ) we have no promise , or certainty , or ground of faith for the pardon and salvation of any individual infants in the world : and if there be no promise , there is no faith of it , nor no baptism to seal it , and so we make anti-paedobaptism unavoidable . whereas some mis-interpret the words of the old rubrick of confirmation in the english liturgy , as if it spake of all that are baptized , whether they have right or not , the words themselves may serve to rectifie that mistake : [ and that no man shall think any detriment shall come to children by deferring of their confirmation , he shall know for truth , that it is certain by god's word , that children being baptized have all things necessary for their salvation , and be undoubtedly saved . ] where it is plain , they mean , they have all things necessary ex parte ecclesiae , or all god's applying ordinances necessary , though they should die unconfirmed , supposing they have all things necessary to just baptism on their own part : which is but what the ancients were wont to say of the baptized adult : but they never meant , that the infidel and impenitent were in a state of life , because he was baptized , but that all that truly consent to the covenant ▪ and signifie this by being baptized are saved . so the church of england saith , that they receive no detriment by delaying confirmation ; but it never said , that they received no detriment by their parents or responses infidelity or hypocrisie , or by their want of true right , coram deo , to be baptized . q. 39. what is the true meaning of sponsors or godfathers , and is it lawful to make use of them ? answ . my opinion is , that they did both witness the probability of the parents fidelity ; and also promised , that if they should either apostaize , or die , they would see that the children were piously educated . if you take them , but as the ancient churches did , for such as do attest the parents fidelity , ( in their perswasion ) and do promise , first , to mind you of your duty , and next to take care of their pious education , if you die ; i know no reason you have to scruple this much ; yea more , it is in your power to agree with the godfathers , that they shall represent your own persons , and speak and promise what they do , as your deputies , only in your names : and what have you against this ? object . when the church-men mean another thing , this is but to juggle with the world ? answ . how can you prove , that the authority that made , or imposed the liturgy , meant any other thing ? 2. if the imposers had meant ill , in a thing that may be done well , you may discharge your conscience , by doing it well , and making a sufficient profession of your better sense . as for the antiquity of god-fathers , the current consent of historians assures us that hyginus bishop of rome , did first ordain god-fathers at the baptism of infants . he lived but forty years after st john. preface to infant baptism . christ . direct . p. 116. part 3. q. 41. whether they are really baptized , who are baptized according to the english liturgy and canons , where the parents seem excluded , and those to consent for the infant , who have no power to do it ? answ . p. 117. that the parents consent is supposed , though he be absent . 2. the parent is not required to be absent . 3. the reason of that canon seems to be their jealousie lest any would exclude god-fathers . 4. while the church hath not declared what person the sponsors bear , nor any farther what they are to do , than to speak the covenanting words , and promise to see the pious education of the child , the parents may agree that the god-fathers shall do all this as their deputies primarily and in their steads , and secondly as friends that promise their assistance . 5. while parents really consent , it is not their silence that nullifieth the covenant . 6. all parents are supposed and required to be themselves the choosers of the sponsors and sureties , and also to give notice to the ministers before hand , by which it appears their consent is presupposed : and though my own judgment be that they should be the principal covenanters for the child expresly , yet the want of that expresness will not make the persons to be unbaptized . q. 42. how is the holy ghost given to infants in baptism ? whether all the children of true christians have inward sanctifying grace ? &c. answ . my judgment agreeth more in this with davenant's , than any others ; saving that he doth not appropriate the benefits of baptism to the children of true believers , so much as i do . and though , by a letter impleading davenant's cause , i was the occasion of printing good mr. gataker's answer to him ; yet i am still most inclined to his judgment , not , that all the baptized , but that all the baptized seed of true christians are pardoned , justified , adopted , and have a title to the spirit , and salvation . and we must choose great inconveniences , if this opinion be forsaken , viz. that all infants must be taken to be out of covenant with god , and to have no promise of salvation ; whereas , surely the law of grace , as well as the covenant of works , included all the seed in their capacity . of the responses . q. 83. may the people bare a vocal part in worship , and do any more than say amen ? answ . the people bare an equal part in singing the psalms , which are prayer , and praise , and instruction : if they may do so in the psalms in metre , there can be no reason given , but they may lawfully do so in psalms in prose ; for saying them , and singing them , are but modes of utterance , and the ancient singing was liker our saying , than our tunes . the primitive christians were so full of zeal and love to christ , that they would have taken it for an injury , and a quenching of the spirit , to have been wholly restrained from bearing their part in the praises of the church . the use of the tongue keepeth awake the mind , and stirreth up god's graces in his servants . it was the decay of zeal in the people , that first shut out the responses : while they kept up the ancient zeal , they were inclined to take their part vocally in the worship . and this was seconded by the pride and usurpation of the priests thereupon ; who thought the people of god too prophane to speak in the assemblies , and meddle so much with holy things . yet the very remembrance of former zeal caused most churches to retain many of the words of their predecessors , even when they lost the life and spirit which should animate them ; and so the same words came into the liturgies , and were used by too many , customarily , and in formality , which their ancestors had used in the servour of their souls . and if it were not , that a dead-hearted , formal people , by speaking the responses carelesly and hypocritically , do bring them into disgrace with many , that see the necessity of seriousness , i think , few good people would be against them now . — it is here the duty of every christian , to labour to restore the life and spirit to the words , that they may again be used in a serious and holy manner , as heretofore , exod. 19. 8. in as solemn an assembly as any of ours , when god gave moses a form of words to preach to the people , all the people answered together , and said , all that the lord hath spoken , we will do . so exod. 24. 3. and deuter. 5. 27. which god approved of , v. 28 , 29. see levit. 9. 24. 2 kings 23. 2 , 3. 1 chron. 1. 35 , 36. it is a command , psal . 67. 3 , 5. let all the people praise thee , o god , &c. and he that will limit this to single persons , or say that it must not be , vocally , in the church , or , it must be in metre only , and never in prose , must prove it lest he be proved one , that addeth to god's word . q. 84. is it not a sin for our clerks , to make themselves the mouth of the people ? answ . the clerks are not appointed to be the mouth of the people , but each clerk is one of the people , commanded to do that which all should do , lest it should be wholly left undone . if all the congregation will speak all that the clerk doth , it will answer the primary desire of the church governors who bid the people do it of bowing at the name jesus — and of priests , altars , &c. q. 86. is it lawful to bow at the name of jesus ? answ . that we may lawfully express our reverence , when the names ( god , jehovah , jesus , christ , &c. ) are uttered , i have met with few christians who deny ; nor know i any reason to deny it . if i live and joyn in a church where it is commanded , and peremptorily urged , to bow at the name of jesus , and where my not doing it , would be divisive , scandalous , or offensive ; i will bow at the name of god , jehovah , jesus , christ , lord , &c. my judgment of standing at the gospel , and kneeling at the decalogue , ( when it is commanded ) is the same . q. 122. may the name , priests , sacrifice and altars , be lawfully used ? answ . the new testament useth all the greek names , which we translate priests , sacrifice and altars ; and our translation is not intolerable , if priest come from presbyter ( i need not prove that ) if it do not , yet all ministers are subordinate to christ in his priestly office. and the word sacrifice is used of us , and our offered worship , 1 pet. 2. 5. heb. 13. 15 , 16. phil. 4. 18. eph. 5. 2. rom. 12. 1. and heb. 13. 10. saith we have an altar , which word is frequently used in the revelations , in relation to gospel times . we must not therefore be quarrelsome against the bare names , unless they be abused to some ill use . the ancient fathers and churches did ever use all these words so familiarly , without any question oa scruple raised by the orthodox , or hereticks about them , that we should be wary , how we condemn these words , lest we give advantage to the papists to tell their followers , that all antiquity is on their side . the lord's supper is by protestants truly called a commemorative sacrifice . of the communion-table , &c. q. 123. may the communion tables be turned altarwise ? and railed in ? and is it lawful to come up to the rails to communicate ? answ . 1. god hath not given a particular command , or prohibition about these circumstances , but only general rules for edification , unity , decency and order . 2. they that do it out of a design to draw men to popery , or to incourage men in it , do sin . 3. so do they , that rail in the table , to signifie , that lay-christians must not come to it , but be kept at a distance . 4. but where there are no such ends , but only to imitate the ancients , that did thus , and to shew reverence to the table on the account of the sacrament , by keeping away dogs , keeping boys from sitting on it ; and the professed doctrine of the church condemneth transubstantiation , the real corporal-presence , &c. in this case christians should take these , for such as they are , indifferent things , and not censure or condemn each other for them . 5. and to communicate , is not only lawful in this case , where we cannot prove , that the minister sinneth , but even , when we suspect an ill design in him , which we cannot prove , yea , or when we can prove that his personal interpretation of the place , name , scituation , and rail , is unsound ; for we assemble there to communicate in , and according to the professed doctrine of christianity , and the churches , and our own open profession , and not after every private opinion , and error of the minister . whether we shall receive the lord's supper at a table , or in our seats ? whether the table shall be of wood or stone , round or long , or square ? whether it shall stand on the east or west side of the temple , or in the middle ? whether it shall have rails , or no rails ? all these are left to humane prudence . as for standing at the reading of the gospel , page 148. he says , if i live where rulers peremtorily command it , as a signified consent to the gospel , i would obey them rather than give offence . and for kneeling when the decalogue is read : that the thing it self is lawful , is past doubt ; and if it be commanded , and the omission would be offensive , i would use it , though mistaken persons were present , because i cannot disobey nor differ from the whole assembly without a greater hurt and scandal , than seeming to harden the mistaking person , and because i could and would by other means remove that persons danger as from me , by making him know that it is no prayer ; and the rather because in our times the minister may in the pulpit tell the people the contrary . we must not lightly differ from the churches where we live in such things . i like best to kneel in prayer and confession of sins . to stand up in praises to god ; at singing and reading psalms of praise and other hymns ; to set at hearing the word , because the body hath necessity of some rest . of the creed . q. 139. what is the use and authority of the creed ? is it of the apostle framing or not ? answ . it s use is , to be a plain explication of the faith professed in the baptismal covenant ; and for the satisfation of the church , that men indeed understand what they did in baptism , and professed to believe . 2. it is the word of god , as to the matter of it , whatever it be as to the order , or composition of the words . 3. it is not to be doubted , but the apostles did use a creed commonly in their days , which was the same with that , now called the apostles , and the nicene , in the main . 4. and it is easily probable , that christ composed a creed , when he made his covenant , and instituted baptism , matth. 28. 19. 5. that the apostles did cause the baptizable , to understand the three articles of christ's own creed and covenant , and used many explicatory words to make them understand it . 6. it is more than probable , that the matter opened by them , was still the same when the words were not the same . 7. and it is also more than probable , that they did not needlesly vary the words , lest it should teach men to vary the matter . and lastly , no doubt but this practice of the apostles was imitated by the churches , and that thus the essentials of religion were by the tradition of the creed , and baptism , delivered by themselves , as far as christianity went , long before any book of the new testament was written . and the following churches , using the same creed , might so far well call it the apostles creed . of the apocrypha . q. 150. is it lawful to read the apocrypha , or homilies ? answ . it is lawful , so be it they be sound doctrine , and fitted to the peoples edification . 2. so be it they be not read scandalously , without sufficient differencing them from god's book . 3. so they be not read to exclude , or hinder the reading of the scripture , or other necessary church duty . 4. so they be not read read to keep up an ignorant lazy ministry , that can , or will do no better . 5. and especially if authority command it , and the churches agreement require it . of the oath of canonical obedience . q. 153. may we lawfully swear obedience , in all things lawful and honest , either to usurpers , or to our lawful pastors ? answ . if the king shall command us , it is lawful . so the old non-conformists , who thought the english prelacy an unlawful office , yet maintained that it is lawful to take the oath of canonical obedience , because they thought it was imposed by the king , and laws , and that we swear them to them , not as officers claming a divine right in the spiritual government , but as ordinaries or officers , made by the king , according to the oath of supremacy , and if prelacy were proved never so unlawful , no doubt but by the kings command , we may swear or perform formal obedience to a prelate . read bradshaw against can concerning this , pag. 181. christ . direct . 2d . edit . of the holiness of churches . q. 170. are temples , fonts , utensils , church-lands , much more ministers holy ! and what reverence is due to them , as holy ? answ . temples , utensils , lands , &c. devoted , and lawfully separated by man , for holy uses , are holy , as justly related to god by that lawful separation . ministers are more holy than temples , lands , or utensils , as being nearlier related to holy things ; and things separated by god , are more holy than those justly separated by man. and so of days , every thing should be reverenced according to the measure of its holiness : and this expressed by such signs , gestures , actions , as are fittest to honour god , to whom they are related . and so to be uncovered in the church , and use reverent carriage and gestures there , doth tend to preserve due reverence to god , and to his worship , 1 cor. 16. 20. of the power of the magistrate in circumstantials . we flatly affirm , that the kings laws do bind the mind , soul , or conscience to a conscionable performance of all his lawful commands , apol 4. we are so tender of obeying our rulers , that we will do any thing to obey and please them , except disobeying god , page 111. we doubt not but magistrates may restrain false teachers from seducing others , and drawing them to sin. of episcopacy , page 193. princes and rulers may for orders sake , distribute their christian kingdoms into parishes , which shall be the ordinary bounds of particular churches . and such distribution is very congruous to the ends of the ministry and churches , and conduceth to order and peace . non-confor . plea , pag. 31. when pastors by concord , or magistrates by laws , have setled lawful circumstances , or accidents of church order , or worship , or discipline , though they be in particular but humane institutions , it is sinful disobedience to violate them without necessity , as parochial order , associations , times , places , ministers , scripture translations , &c. page 49. god's laws bind us to keep love and concord , and the agreement of councils may determine of the matter in alterable points , and so absent and present . bishops may for concord sake be obliged by god's law to keep such canons ▪ and they are matter of duty , page . 266. the true interest of a meer non-conformist , requireth him to live in loyalty , peace , and patience , and in love and communion with the parochial churches , page 251. n. 11. i deny not but magistrates may moderately drive men to hear god's word , and to do the immediate duties of their places . of episcopacy , page 144. those modes or circumstances of worship , which are necessary in genere , but left undetermined by god , in specie , are left by god to humane , prudential determination , ( else an impossibility should be necessary . ) it is left to humane determination what place the publick assemblies shall be held in . and to determine of the time , except where god hath determined already , and what utensils to imploy about the publick worship . of the surplice . some decent habit is necessary ; either the magistrate , or the minister , or associated pastors must determine what . i think neither magistrate , nor synod , should do more than hinder indecency ; if they do , and tye all to one habit ( and suppose it were an indecent habit ) yet this is but an imprudent use of power , it is a thing within the magistrates reach , he doth not aliene work , but his own work amiss , and therefore the thing in it self being lawful , i would obey him , and use that garment , if i could not be dispensed with . yea though , secondarily , the whiteness be to signifie purity , and so it be made a teaching sign , yet would i obey . and see no reason to scruple the lawfulness of the ring in marriage ; for , though the papists make a sacrament of marriage , yet we have no reason to take it for any ordinance of divine worship , more than the solemnizing a contract between a prince and people . all things are sanctified and pure to the pure . and , for organs or other instruments of musick in god's worship , they being a help , partly naturally and partly artificial to the exhilarating the spirits , for the praise of god , i know no argument to prove them simply unlawful , but what would prove a cup of wine unlawful , or the tune and metre , and melody of singing unlawful . here therefore we thus conclude page 423. that every misordering of such great affairs , is the sin of them that do it , yet the subject is not exempted from obedience by every such mistake of the governour . and § . 67. if the mischoosing of such circumstances by the governors , be but an inconvenience , and destroy not the ordinance it self or frustrate the ends of it , we are to obey , for he the judge of his own works , and not we : the thing is not sinful , though inconvenient . page 398. of five disputations . § 25. prop. 12. it may be very sinful to command some ceremonies which may lawfully , yea must in duty be used when they are commanded . and prop. 14. certain things , commonly called ceremonies , may lawfully be used in the church upon humane imposition , and when it is not against the law of god , no person should disobey the command of their lawful governours in such things . if the prince command one thing , not contrary to god's law , and the pastors command the contrary , we must obey the prince before the pastor ; we must obey the magistrate ; we know not that their commands are lawful , as long as we have no sufficient reason to believe them unlawful . page 356. of holy common-wealth . and page 357. of holy-days . the holy doctrine , lives and sufferings of the martyrs , and other holy men , hath been so great a mercy to the church , that for any thing i know , it is lawful to keep anniversary thanksgiving in remembrance of them , and to encourage the weak , and provoke them to constancy and imitation — no christian should refuse that which is lawful , nor to joyn with the church in holy exercises , on the days of thankful commemoration of the apostles and martyrs , and excellent instruments of the church , much less pertulently to work , and set open their shops to the offence of others , but rather to perswade others to imitate their holy lives , to whom they give such honours . chr. direct . p. 167. part. 3. nor do i scruple to keep a day in remembrance of any eminent servant of christ , or martyr , to praise god for their doctrine , or example , and honour their memorial . i am resolved , if i live where such holy-days , ( christ's nativity , circumcision , fasting , transfiguration , ascension , and such like ) are observed , to censure no man for observing them . but , if i lived under a government , that peremprorily commanded it , i would observe the outward rest of such a holy-day , and i would preach on it , and joyn with the assemblies in god's worship , yea i would thus observe the day , rather than offend a weak brother , or hinder any man's salvation ; much more rather than i would make any division in the church . of the cross in baptism . of all our ceremonies , there is none that i have more suspected to be simply unlawful than the cross in baptism , yet i dare not peremptorily say , that the cross in baptism is unlawful ; nor will i condemn ancients or moderns that use it ; nor will i make any disturbance in the church about it , more than my own forbearance will make . i presume not to censure them that judge it lawful , but only give the reasons that make me doubt , and rather think it to be unlawful , though still with a suspicion of my own understanding . p. 123. of christ . direct . q. 49. may one offer his child to be baptized with the sign of the cross , the use of crisme , and the white garment , milk and honey , or exorcism , as in the lutheran churches . answ . 4. when he cannot lawfully have better , he may and must offer his child to them that will so baptize him , rather than not at all , because baptism is god's ordinance , and the sin is the ministers , and not his . another man 's sinful mode will not justifie the neglect of our duty , else we might not joyn in prayer or sacrament in which the minister modally sinneth ( i. e. ) in none . mr. b. grants p. 161. of christ . direct . edit . 2. that it is not unlawful to make an image to be objectum vel medium excitans ad cultum dei , an object of our consideration , exciting our minds to worship god as a death's-head or crucifix , to stir up in us a worshipping affection ; and that it is lawful by the sight of a crucifix to be provoked to worship god. i durst not to have reproved any of the ancient christians that used the sign of the cross meerly as a professing sign , to shew the heathen and jews that they believed in a crucified christ , and were not ashamed of his cross . of church government , p. 404. mr. baxter's judgment concerning confirmation agreeable to the practice of the church of england , may be seen in a particular treatise on that subject . of conventicles . q. 172. are all religious and private meetings forbidden by rulers , unlawful conventicles ? answ . 1. it is more to the honour of the church , and of religion , and of god , and more to our safety and edification , to have god's worship performed solemnly , publickly , and in great assemblies , than in a corner , secretly and with few . 2. it is a great mercy , where rulers allow the church such publick worship . 3. caeteris paribus , all christians . should prefer such publick worship before private , and no private meetings should be kept up , which are opposite , or prejudicial to such publick meetings . and therefore if such meetings , ( or any that are unnecessary , to the ends of the ministry , the service of god , and good of souls ) be forbidden by lawful rulers , they must be forborn . and it must be remembred , that rulers , that are infidels , papists , hereticks , or persecutors , that restrain church-meetings , to the injury of men's souls , must be distinguished from pious princes , that only restrain hereticks , and real schismaticks , for the churches good . 2. and that times of heresie and schism may make private meetings more dangerous , than quiet times . and so even the scottish church forbad private meetings , in the separatists days of late . and when they do more hurt than good , and are justly forbidden , no doubt , in that case , it is a duty to obey , and to forbear them . p. 117. of the first plea. if the generality of the ministry obtain their liberty by some small tolerable sin or errour , and the sounder part be few and unnecessary in that country , prudence bindeth them to go to some other place that needeth them , and never to exercise their ministry in that place , where in true reason it is like to do more hurt than good . holy common-wealth , thesis 240. it is necessary to the churches peace , that no private congregations may be gathered , or anti-churches erected , without approbation or toleration from the magistrate . if private assemblies be permitted promiscuously and unlimitedly , it will then be impossible to restrain heresie and impiety ; yea , they may meet to plot against the magistrate . and no assemblies whatsoever , besides the parish churches , are to be allowed by the magistrate . it is a dangerous thing , to be ensnared in a sect ; it will , before you are aware , possess you with a feaverish , sinful zeal for the opinions and interest of that sect ; it will make you bold , in bitter invectives and censures , against those that differ from you ; it will corrupt your church-communion , and fill your very prayers with partiality , and human passions ; it will secretly bring malice , under the name of zeal , into your minds and words . in a word , it is a secret , but deadly enemy to christian love and peace . let them that are wiser , and more orthodox , and godly than others , shew ( as the holy ghost directeth them , james 3. 13 , 14 , &c. ) out of a good conversation their works with meekness of wisdom : but if ye have bitter envying ( or zeal ) and strife in your hearts , glory not , and lye not against the truth . this wisdom descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensual , devillish . p. 36. of the defence . the interest of the protestant religion must be much kept up , by keeping up as much of truth , piety , and reputation , as is possible , in the parish churches . sacril . desertion , p. 92. in parish-churches , where all may hear the parish minister , i would not have you , without necessity , to preach the same hour of the day , but at some middle time , that you may not seem to vye with him for auditors , nor to draw the people from him ; but let them go with you to hear him , and after come to hear you . saints rest , p. 518. do not meet together in opposition to the publick meeting , nor yet to make a groundless schism , or to separate from the church whereof you are a member ; nor to destroy the old , that you may gather a new church out of its ruines , as long as it hath the essentials , and there is hope of reforming it . the great advantages that satan hath got upon the church , through the sin of the pastors in these days , is by division ; by this he hath promoted all the rest of his designs . our divisions gratifie the papists greatly , hazard the protestant religion more than most of you seem to regard or believe ; it advantageth profaneness , and greatly hinders the success of the ministers ; it pleaseth satan , and builds up his kingdom . preface to confession . the hand of god is apparently gone out against the separatists , you see you do but prepare for a further progress : seekers , ranters , quakers , and too many professed infidels , do spring up from among you , as if this were the journeys end , and perfection of your revolt . by such fearful dissertions did god formerly witness his detestation of those that withdrew from the unity of the church . parties will arise in the separate churches , and separate again from them , till they are dissolved . i beseech you ( my brethren ) to open their eyes so far as to regard experience ; how few separated churches do now exist that were in being 100 years ago ? can you name any ? and would you have all the churches of christ dissolved ? of communion in the lord's supper . q. 2. may we communicate with unworthy persons ? answ . it is your duty to communicate with that church which hath a true pastor , and where the denominating part of the members are capable of church-communion , though there may some infidels , or heathen , or uncapable persons violently intrude , or scandalous persons are admitted , through the neglect of discipline , in case you have not your choice to hold personal communion with a better church , and in case also you be not guilty of the corruption , but by seasonable and modest professing your dissent , do clear your self of the guilt of such intrusion and corruption . if we sin not by omitting our own duty , it will be no sin of ours to communicate with the church where scandalous sinners or hereticks are permitted , the pastors and delinquents sins are not ours . q. 3. but what if i cannot communicate , unless i conform to an imposed gesture , as kneeling ? answ . i never yet heard any thing to prove kneeling unlawful ; there is no word of god , for , or against , any gesture . christ's example cannot be proved to oblige us in this , and his gesture was not such a sitting as ours . the nature of the ordinance is mixt . and if it be lawful to take a pardon from the king upon our knees , i know not what can make it unlawful to take a sealed pardon from christ , by his ambassador , upon our knees . as for this ceremony of kneeling at the sacrament especially , since the rubrick is inserted , which disclaimeth , both all bread-worship , and the bodily real-presence , my judgment was ever for it . god having made some gesture necessary , and confined us to none , but left it to humane determination , i shall submit to magistrates in their proper work. i am not sure , that christ intended the example of himself in this as oligatory ; but i am sure , he hath commanded me obedience , and peace . mr. perkins was for kneeling , and mr. baines in his letters writes for it , and answers objections against it . pag. 133. of mr. b' s life . i cannot be so narrow in my principles of church communion , as many are , who are so much for a liturgy , or so much against it ; so much for ceremonies , or so much against them , that they can hold communion with no church that is not of their mind or way . if i were among the greeks , the lutherans , the independants , yea the anabaptists , i would hold sometime communion with them as christians — i cannot be of their opinion , that think god will not accept him that prayeth by the common-prayer-book , and that such forms are a self-invented worship which god rejecteth . q. 4. but what if i cannot communicate , but according to the administration of the common-prayer-book ? answ . 1. that it is not unlawful to receive according to the administration of the common-prayer-book , because it is a form , needs no proof to any , that is judicious . 2. nor yet , for any evil in this particular form , for in this part the common-prayer is generally approved . 3. nor yet , because it is imposed ; for a command maketh not that unlawful to us , which is lawful before , but it maketh many things lawful , and duties , that else would have been unlawful accidentally . 4. and the intentions of the commanders we have little to do with . and for the consequents , they must be weighed on both sides , and the consequents of our refusal will not be found light . in general , i must here tell the people of god , in the bitter sorrow of my soul , that at last it is time for them to discern that temptation , that hath in all ages of the church almost , made this sacrament of our union , to be the grand occasion or instrument of our divisions . and that , true humility , and acquaintance with our selves , and love to christ , and one another , would shew some men , that it was but their pride and prejudice , and ignorance , that made them think so heinously of other mens manner of worship . and that , on all sides , among true christians , the manner of their worship is not so odious , as prejudice , and faction , and partiality representeth it . and that god accepteth that , which they reject . and they should see , how the devil hath undone the common people , by this means , by teaching them every one to expect salvation for being of that party which he taketh to be the right church , and for worshipping in that manner which he , and his party , thinketh best . and so wonderful a thing is prejudice , that every party , by this , is brought to think that ridiculous and vile , which the other party accounteth best . but to magnifie any one church or party , so as to deny due love and communion to the rest , is schism . to limit all the church to your party , and deny all , or any of the rest , to be christians , and parts of the universal church , is schism , by a dangerous breach of charity . it is schism also , to condemn unjustly any particular church , as no church . and it is schism , to withdraw your bodily communion from a church that you were bound to hold communion with , upon a false supposition that it is no church , or is not lawfully to be communicated with . and it is schism , to make divisions or parties in a church , though you divide not from that church . the holiness of the party that men adhere to , is made a pretence to excuse schism ; but this must make but a gradual difference in our esteem and love to some christians above others . if really they are most holy , i must love them most , and labour to be as holy as they : but i must not therefore , unjustly deny communion , or due respect to other christians , that are less holy , nor cleave to them as a sect , or divided party , whom i esteem most holy . for the holiest are most charitable , and most against the divisions among christians , and tenderest of their unity and peace . own the best , as best , but none , as a divided sect ; espouse not their dividing interest ; confine not your especial love to a party , but extend it to all the members of christ . deny not local communion when there is occasion for it , to any church , that hath the substance of true worship , and forceth you not to sin . love them as true christians , and churches , even when they drive you from their communion . i have found that reformation is to be accomplished more by restoration of ordinances and administrations to their primitive nature and use , than by utter abolition . mr. bagshaw objected to mr. baxter , that he chose to communicate in a very populous church upon easter-day , purposely that it might be known : to this mr. baxter answers , p. 76. if a man by many years forbearing all publick prayer , and sacraments , should tempt others to think that he is against them , or thinks them needless ; how should he cure that scandal , but by doing that openly , pleading for it which he is supposed to be against , ministers being bound to teach by example as well as doctrine ? of the liturgy . § 1. mr. baxter in the 2d . page of his exceptions against the liturgy , urged an objection of mr. hales in these words . to load our publick forms with private fancies on which we differ , is the most soveraign way to perpetuate schism , see also , p. 48. the bishops gave this answer to the objection ; we heartily desire that according to this proposal , great care may be taken to suppress private conceptions of prayer , lest private opinions be made matter of prayer , as it hath , and will be , if private persons take liberty to make publick prayers . to this i agreed , p. 201. cure of divisions , in these words ; every separatist , anabaptist , antinomian , doth too willingly put his errors into his prayers : the sense of which mr. bagshaw thus expounds . p. 7. of his antidote , by mentioning of separatists , as a distinct body of men from the antinomian , anabaptists , &c. it is evident he can mean no other but his presbyterian and congregational-brethren . § 2. that which god prescribed is lawful , but god prescribed forms of prayer , as the titles and matter of many of the psalms prove , which were daily used in the jews synagogues . christ . direct . 2d . edit . p. 139. q. 74. is it lawful to impose forms on the congregation in publick worship ? answ . yes , and more than lawful . it is the pastors duty so to do ; for whether he forethink what to pray , or not , his prayer is to them a form of words , and they are bound to concur with him in spirit or desire , and to say , amen . so that every minister by office is daily to impose a form of prayer on all the people ; only some men impose the same form many times over , or every day , and others impose every day a new one . pag. 140. ibid. pag. 142 , 143. mr. baxter shews the conveniencies and inconveniencies , both of see and prescribed prayers ; and adds , my own judgment is , that somewhat of both ways joyned together will best obviate the inconveniencies of both , though by this i cross the conceits of prejudiced men on both extremes ; i think i cross not the judgment of the church of england , which alloweth free prayers in the pulpit , and at the visitation of the sick — nor of the famous non conformists , cartwright , hildersham , greenham , amisius , perkins , bains , &c. mr. cartwright all the time that he lived abroad , used the same form before sermon and after , and read prayers in the church , and concluded with the lords prayer . § . 4. pag. 102. of , mr. baxter ' s life , part 1. under pretence of the purity of their churches , the separatists set themselves against the same men , that the drunkards and swearers set against , doing what they could to make them odious , and put them down , only they did it more profanely than the profane , in saying , let the lord be glorified ; let the gospel be propagated ; abusing sacred scripture to their purpose . all this began in unwarrantable separations , and too much aggravating the faults of the churches , and common people , and common-prayer-book , and ministry , which because they thought they needed amendments it required their obstinate separation , and allowed them to make odious any thing that was amiss and if any man had rebuked them for making it more faulty than it was , they called him a pleader for antichrist and baal , and every eror in the mode of worship was idolatry , popery , antichristianism , superstition , will-worship , &c. when many of their own prayers were full of carnal passion , faction , disorder , vain repetitions , unsound and loathsome expressions , and their doctrine full of errors and confussion . § 5. pag. 169. part. 3. of b' s life . i wrote a book called cain and abel , intending a third part , to tell dissenters , why i went to the parish church , and communicated ; and why they should not suffer as separatists , least they suffer as evil doers ; which a bookseller importuned me to let him print , but for reasons then given , i delayed it ; but at last consented to publish the reasons of my communicating in the parish churches , and against separations : but a manuscript of dr. owen's , containing twelve arguments against joyning with the liturgy in publick churches was sent me , which i answered , whereupon a swarm of revilers powred out their keenest censures whom i answered . another said , that my treatise of episcopacy fully proved the duty of separation ; whereupon i explained that treatise , and all these things together i published in a treatise in defence of catholick communion , to which i refer such as desire farther satisfaction . § 7. i shall name but one passage more on this head , in his defence of the principles of love. pag. 88. the covenant ( he saith ) bindeth us to reformation according to god's word , and the example of the best reformed churches : but to prefer no publick worship , or a worse before the liturgy , is deformation and profaneness ; and it is greater reformation to prefer the liturgy before none , than to prefer extemporate publick worship before the liturgy ; for all the reformed churches in christendom do commonly profess to hold communion with the english churches in the liturgy , if they come among us where it is used , so that it seems in mr. baxter's judgment a breach of the covenant to prefer no publick worship before the liturgy , or to refuse occasional communion in the use of the liturgy , as if it were unlawful , when in mr. b's as well as in the judgment of all the reformed churches , it is to be preferred to extemporate publick worsip . my opinion as to liturgy in general , is , 1. that a stinted liturgy is in it self lawful . 2. that a stinted liturgy in some parts of publick service is necessary . 3. in the parts where in is not necessary , it may not only be submitted to , but desired , when the peace of the church requireth it . 4. it is not of such necessity to take the matter , and words out of the holy scriptures , but that we may joyn in a liturgy , or use it , if the form of words be not from scripture . this is thus proved : 1. that which is not directly , or consequentially forbidden by god , remaineth lawful . a stinted liturgy is not directly , or consequentially forbidden of god : therefore it remaineth lawful . the major is undoubted , because nothing but a prohibition can make a thing unlawful ; where there is no law , there is no transgression . yet i have heard very reverend men answer this , that it is enough that it is not commanded , though not forbidden , which is plainly to deny both scripture and civil principles . now for the minor , that a stinted liturgy is not forbidden , we need no other proof , than that no prohibion can be produced . the main body of non-conformist ministers did judge , that the ordinary liturgy appointed for publick worship , was such as a good christian might lawfully joyn in , apol. p. 148. if it be lawful for the people to use a stinted form of words , in publick prayer , then is it in it self lawful for the pastors : but it is lawful for the people , &c. for the pastors prayer ( which they must pray over with him , and not only hear it ) is a stinted form to them , even as much as if he had learnt it out of a book . it is lawful to use a form in preaching , therefore a stinted liturgy is lawful . 1. because preaching is a part of that liturgy . 2. because the reason is the same for prayer as for that in the main . that which hath been the practice of the church in scripture times and down to this day , and is yet the practice of almost all the churches of christ on earth , is not like to be unlawful : but such is the use of some stinted forms , &c. i have shewed , that it was so in the jewish church . that it hath been of ancient use in the church , since christ , and at this day in africk , asia , europe , and the reformed churches in france , holland , geneva , &c. is so well known , that i need not stand to prove it : and those few that seem to disuse it , do yet use it in psalms and other parts of worship . as for the common-prayer it self , i never rejected it , because it was a form ; or thought it simply unlawful , because it was such a form ; but have made use of it , and would do again in the like case . object . but if a faulty manner of praying be prescribed , and imposed by a law , i know it before-hand and am guilty of it . answ . if the thing be sinful , either it is , 1. because the prayers are defective and faulty ; or , 2. because they are imposed ; or , 3. because you knew the fault before-hand , but none of these can prove your joyning with them sinful . 1. not because they are faulty ; for you may joyn with as faulty prayers ( you confess ) if not imposed . 2. not because imposed for that is an extenuation , and not an aggravation . for ( 1. ) it proveth the minister less voluntary of the two , than those are that do it without any command , through the errour of their own judgments . ( 2. ) because ( though lawful things oft become unlawful when superiours forbid them , yet ) no reason can be given , why a lawful thing should become unlawful , because a lawful superiour doth command it ; else superiours might take away all our christian liberty , and make all things unlawful to us , by commanding them . you would take it for a wild conceit in your children or servants , if they say , when you bid them learn a catechism , or use a form of prayer , it was lawful for us to do it till you commanded us , but because you bid us do it , it is unlawful . if it be a duty to obey governours in all lawful things , then it is not a sin to obey them . 3. it is not your knowing before hand , that makes it unlawful : for 1. i know in general before hand , that all imperfect men will do imperfectly : and though i know not the particular , that maketh it never the lawfuller , if fore-knowledge it self did make it unlawful . 2. if you know that ( e. g. ) an antinomian , or some mistaken preacher , would constantly drop some words for his errour , in praying or preaching , that will not make it unlawful in your own judgment , for you to joyn ( if it be not a flat heresie . ) 3. it is another man's errour or fault that you foreknow , and not your own . 4. god himself doth , as an universal cause of nature , concur with men in those acts which he foreknoweth they will sinfully do , yet is not the authour or approver of the sin. we ( the commissioners 1663. ) all thought a liturgy lawful , and divers learned and reverend nonconformists of london met to consider how far it was their duty , or lawful to communicate with the parish churches , where they lived , in the liturgy and sacrament , and i proved four propositions : 1. that it is lawful to use a form : 2. that it is lawful to joyn with some parish churches in the use of the liturgy : 3. that it is lawful to joyn with some parish churches in the lord's supper : 4. that it is to some a duty to joyn with some parish churches three times a year in the lord's supper : and none of the brethren seemed to dissent , but took the reasons to be valid . were i in armenia , abassia , or among the greeks , i would joyn in a much more defective form than our liturgy , rather than none . and this is the judgment of many new-england ministers , conform to the old non-conformists , who did some of them read the common prayer , and the most of them judged it lawful to joyn in it , or else mr. hildersham , mr. richard rogers , &c. would not write so earnestly for coming to the beginning , and preferring it before all private duties . and truly , i am not able to bear the thoughts of separating from almost all christ's churches upon earth ; but he that separates from one , or many , upon a reason common to almost all , doth virtually separate from almost all ; and he that separates from all among us upon the account of the unlawfulness of our liturgy , and the badness of our ministry , doth separate from them upon a reason common to almost all , or the far greatest part , as i conceive . those forms of liturgy which now are most distasted , were brought in by the most zealous religious people at the first : the many short invocations , versicles and responses , which the people use , were brought in when the souls of the faithful did abound with zeal , and in holy fervors break out in such expressions , and could not well endure to be bare auditors , and not vocally to bear their part in the praises of god and prayers of the church . i have shewed at large , how far god hath given men power to prescribe , and impose forms for others , and commanded others to obey them : when christ said , when ye pray , say , our father , &c. he bound the disciples in duty to do as he bid them ; how forms may be imposed publickly on the congregations of believers , and on the ministers , yea though the forms imposed be worse than the exercise of their own gifts , ( though among us no man be forbidden to use his own gifts in the pulpit . ) the pharisees long liturgy ( it is like ) was in many things worse than ours ; yet christ and his apostles often joyned with them , and never condemned them . i shall now only add that the lord's prayer is a form directed to god as in the third person , and not to man only as a directory for prayer in the second person : it is not , pray to god your father in heaven that his name may be hallowed , his kingdom come , &c. but , our father which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name , &c. and it seems by the disciples words , that thus john taught his disciples to pray , luke 11. 1. and we have in the scripture the mention of many set forms of service to god , which therefore we may well use . and i desire the reader again to note , that though prayer was corrupted by the pharisees , yet christ usually joyned in their synagogues , luke 14. 17. and never medled with our controversie about the lawfulness of set forms . [ this mr. baxter infers from calvins note on matth. 6. before the preface to the defence . ] pag. 76. of concord . i constantly joyn with my parish church in liturgy and sacraments , and hope so to do while i live . i take the common-prayer to be better incomparably than the prayers or sermons of many that i hear . as for the common prayer it self , i never rejected it , because it was a form , or thought it simply unlawful , because it was such a form , but have made use of it , and would again in the like case . he that separates upon the account of the unlawfulness of our liturgy , and the badness of our ministry , doth separate upon a reason common to almost all of the far greatest part of the churches . see the defence , p. 54. the defects of the liturgy , and the faults of those by whom we suffer , are easily heightned even beyond desert . defence , p. 68. apology , p. 9. having perused all the foreign and antient liturgies in the bibliotheca patrum , i doubt not but our own is incomparably better than any that is there . that which is not unlawful in it self , is not therefore unlawful , because it is commanded , obedience to superiors , is our duty and not our sin , unless in sinful things . p. 152. christ . direct . 2d edit . of obedience to our pastors . we are indangered by divisions , principally because the self-conceited part of religious people will not be ruled by their pastors , but must have their way , and will needs be rulers of the church and them . but pleasing the ignorant professors humors , is a sin that shews us to be too humane and carnal , and hath always sad effects at last . it is a high degree of pride for persons of ( ordinary ) understandings , to conclude , that almost all christs churches in the world for thirteen hundred years at least , have offered such worship to god , as that you are obliged to avoid it , and all their communion in it ; and that almost all the catholick church on earth at this day is below your communion , for using forms . mark , is it not more of the women and apprentices that are of this mind , than of old experienced christians ? i think till we have better taught , even our godly people , what credit and obedience is due to their teachers , and spiritual guides , the church of england shall never have peace , or any good or established order , we are broken for want of the knowledge of this truth ; till this be known we shall never be well bound up and healed . the people of the new separation , so much rule their ministers , that many of them have been forced to forsake their own judgments to comply with the violent . labour to maintain the ordinances and ministry in esteem . the church is bound to take many a man , as a true minister to them , and receive the ordinances from him , in faith and expectation of blessing upon promise , who yet before god is a sinful invader , an usurper of the ministry , and shall be condemned for it . ( how much more then to respect their lawful bishops and pastors ? ) of lay-elders . for lay-elders , as far as i understand , the greatest part , if not three for one of the english ministers , are of this mind , that unordained elders wanting power to preach or administer sacraments , are not officers in the church of god's appointment : of this number i am one , and mr. vines was another . in the worcester agreement printed 1653. mr. baxter declared , that neither scripture nor antiquity knew of any such officers as lay-elders . in the third defence , p. 58. it was notorious , that the parliament yielded to presbytery to exclude episcopacy , because they had no other way to uphold their wars , without which they had no way to hold up themselves , but by help of the scots . my first book ( viz. the preface to saints rest . ) disclaims lay-elders , pag. 109. to hinckly . of bishops . page 832. of mr. baxter ' s directory , q. 56. mr. baxter tells you in the margin of those reasons for a larger episcopacy , that in the apostles days there were under christ in the universal church , many general officers that had the care of gathering and over-seeing churches up and down , and were fixed by stated relation unto none . and most christian churches think , that though the extraordinary gifts , privileges and officers cease , yet government being an ordinary part of their work , the same form of government which christ and the holy ghost did settle in the first ages , tho' not with the same extraordinary gifts and adjuncts were settled for all following ages : 1. because we read of settling that form , ( viz. ) general officers as well as particular , but never of any abolition . 2. because if we affirm a cessation without proof , we seem to accuse god of mutability , as setting a form of government for one age only . 3. and we leave room for audacious wits to question other gospel-institutions , as pastors , sacraments , &c. 4. it was general officers that christ promised to be with to the end of the world , matth. 28. 20. and in this premonition he says , he doth not dispute the lawfulness of arch-bishops , over parochial-bishops , as successors to the apostles , and other general officers of the first age , in the ordinary continued parts of their office. and in his plea for peace , p. 263. some of us incline much to think , that arch-bishops ( i. e. ) bishops that have over-sight of many churches , with their pastors , are lawful successors of the apostles , in the ordinary part of their work. so also , first plea , p. 35. and of his accepting two parts of episcopacy , not varying the species in the preface to the second plea. in church-history , p. 37. and in plea for peace , p. 66. the bishops in cyprian's time had the best ordered churches in the world ; and the bishops were the most godly , faithful , peaceable company of bishops since the apostle's times . in preface to the second plea , we offered arch-bishop usher's model , and when his majesty would not grant us that , he prescribed the episcopacy of england , as it stood with little alteration , this we joyfully and thankfully accepted , as a hopeful means of a common conformity and concord . see more p. 3. of his apology , and p. 161. i shewed , that there are in directory , p. 832. such general officers in the church ; as an army , that is headed by the general himself , and a regiment by the colonel , and a troophy a captain ; there was no parity then in the church-officers . in the preface to the five disputations , p. 9. two sorts of episcopacy are allowed , first , such as st. hierome says were brought into the church for a remedy against schism ; the bishop of this constitution was to preside over presbyters , and without him nothing was to be done in the church that was of moment . s. 58. of church hist . the second is that which succeeds the apostles in the ordinary parts of church-government , while some senior pastors have the care of supervising many churches , as the visitors had in scotland ; and are so far episcopi-episcoporum , having no constraining power of the sword. but a power to admonish and instruct the pastors , and to regulate ordinations , synods , and all great and common circumstances that belong to churches : for if there were one form of government , in which some pastors had such extensive work and power , as timothy , titus , and the evangelists had , as well as apostles , we must not change it without proof , that christ himself would have it changed . many wise men think , that the presbyterians rejecting all episcopacy , setting up unordained elders , and national churches headed by national assemblies , are divisive and unwarrantable , as their making by the scots covenant , the renouncing of episcopacy , to be the test of national concord was divisive . page 72. of the third defence , part the last . cranmer , ridley , latimer , hoper , jewel , davenant , usher , moreton , abbot , hall , potter , charleton , were all pious as well as learned bishops , and so were many conformist ministers , sibs , preston , fenner , bolton , whately , dent , crook , pike , stock , stoughton , taylor , &c. my judgment is , that a peace with the divines of the episcopal judgment is much to be desired , and earnestly endeavoured . if it be objected , that he calls the bishops their silencers and persecutors , p. 104. of his apology he says , no bishops have silenced us by spiritual government , that we know of , but only as barons by the secular laws , to which some of them gave their votes , for mr. baxter acknowledgeth all did not . as for bishops ( viz. ) a diocesan , ruling all the presbyters , but leaving the presbyters to rule the people , and consequently taking to himself the sole , or chief power of ordination , but leaving censures and absolution to them , except in case of appeal to himself ; i must needs say , that this sort of episcopacy is very ancient , and hath been for many ages of very common reception through a great part of the church — and if i lived in a place , where this government were established , and managed for god , i would submit thereto , and live peaceably under it , and do nothing to the disturbance , disgrace or discouragement of it . ( you may see how far mr. vines and mr. baxter did agree in the notion of a bishop over many presbyters . ) of which grotius in his commentary on the acts , and particularly chap. 17. saith , that as in every particular synagogue , many of which were in some one city ( in jerusalem 480. ) there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such was the primitive bishop . and doubtless the first bishops were over the community of presbyters , as presbyters , in joynt relation to one church or region ; which region being upon the increase of believers divided into more churches , and in after-times , those churches assigned to particular men ; yet he the bishop , continued bishop over them still . for that * you say , he had a negative voice , that is more then ever i saw proved , or i think ever shall , for the first 200 years ; and yet i have laboured to enquire into it . that makes him angelus princeps , not angelus praeses , as dr. reinolds saith . calvin denies that , and makes him consul in senatu , or as a speaker in the house of parliament , which , as i have heard that d. b. did say , was but to make him foreman of the jury . as touching the introduction of ruling elders , such as are modelled out by parliament , my judgment is sufficiently known . i am of your judgment in the point , there should be such elders , as have power to preach as well as rule . on this mr. baxter reflects , p. 353. though mr. vines here yield not the negative voice to have been de facto , in the first or second age , nor to be de jure ; yet he , without any question yielded to the stating of a president , durante vitâ , if he prove not unworthy , which was one point that i propounded to him ; and i make no doubt , but he would have yielded to a voluntary consent of presbyters , de facto , not to ordain without the president . and the difficulties that are before us , de facto , in setting up a parochial episcopacy , which he mentioneth , i have cleared already in these papers , shewing partly , that the thing is already existent , and partly how more fully to accomplish it . the instances which he gives , are in the episcopacy of the protestant churches in poland , from adrian regenvolscius , hist . eccles . sclavon . l. 3. p. 424. n. b. whereas from the first reformation of the churches in the province of the lesser polonia , it hath been received by use and custom , that out of the elders of all those ( districtus ) divisions , which are 36 in number , one primate , or chief , in order , who is commonly called superintendent of the churches of lesser poland , and doth preside over the provincial synods , be chosen by the authority , consent , and suffrage of the provincial synod , and that he be inaugurated , and declared ( not by imposition of hands , to avoid the suspicion of primacy , and the appearance of authority and power over the other elders ) only by benediction , and fraternal prayers , and by reading over the offices which concern this function , and the prayers of the whole synod , for the sake of government and good order in the church of god , &c. the other instance is of the churches of the bohemian confession , who have among the pastors of the churches , their conseniors and seniors , and one president over all , related by the same regenvolscius , p. 315. the elders or the superintendents of the bohemian and moravian churches , &c. are for the most part chosen out of their fellow-elders , and are ordained and consecrated to the office of seigniory by imposition of hands , and publick inauguration , &c. mr. baxter dislikes our species of diocesan bishops , because of their chancellors , which is very groundless for the power of legislation , the foundation and form of government , which being wholly in the bishops and clergy , who in convocation have the sole power of making canons for the government of the church ; and there being no censure to be inflicted but according to those canons , the lay-chancellor are but inferior officers , intrusted by their bishops with some part of the executive power ; the bishops themselves , as well as their chancellors , having the canons to direct and over-rule them in the execution ; and if there be any extra-judicial process , there lye appeals from them both . moreover , the chancellors being bred up to the study and practice of the canon and civil laws , are most fit for executing the canons , being acquainted with the nature of evidences , probations , and judicial process , which meer presbyters cannot be presused to understand so well ; and this office of chancellors being allowed by the laws of the land , they may be submitted to as they are the king's officers , by mr. baxter's own concessions . this may satisfie the impartial reader against those bitter invectives of mr. baxter , against the species of diocesan bishops , as being anti-christian , and the military instruments of the devil . those that treated with the bishops , 1660. did yield to such an episcopacy , as the old nonconformists would scarce generally have consented to , i. e. to bishop usher's model . episcopacy is not such an upstart thing , nor defended by such contemptible reasons , as that the controversie is like to die with this age ; undoubtedly there will be a godly and learned party for it , while the world endureth . and it is a numerous party : all the greek church , the armenian , syrian , abassine , and all others , but a few of the reformed . for denmark , sweden , part of germany and transilvania , have a superintendency , as high as that i plead for , p. 11. if you know no godly persons of the episcopal way , i do , and as my acquaintance increaseth , i know more and more , and some i take to be much better than my self ; i will say a greater word , that i know those of them , whom i think as godly , humble ministers , as most of the non-conformists , whom i know , p. 12. and i believe there are many hundred godly ministers in the church of england , and that their churches are true churches . and i am confident , most of the ministers in england would be content to yield to such an episcopacy , as you may find in the published judgments of bishop hall , usher , dr. forbes , hodsworth , and others . preface to the five disputations , p. 9. christ . direct . the second edition , p. 189. part 3. q. how doth the holy ghost set bishops over the church ? answ . by making the office it self so far as the apostles had any hand in it , christ himself having made their office. the holy ghost in the electors and ordainers , directeth them to discern the fitness of the persons , and so to call such as god approveth of and calleth by the holy ghost in them , which is done by the ordinary help of god's spirit , in the wise and faithful electors and ordainers ; the holy ghost doth qualifie them for the work , by due life , light and love , knowledge , willingness and activity , and so inclining them to it , and marking out the person by his gifts , which was done at first by extraordinary gifts , and ever since by ordinary , special , and saving in some , common , and only fitted to the churches instruction in others , so that whoever is not competently qualified is not called by the holy ghost , when christ ascended he gave gifts to men , some apostles , &c. eph. 4. 78 , &c. of sacriledge . q. 171. what is sacriledge ? ans . it is a robbing god by the unjust alienation of holy things . as deposing kings , silencing true ministers , the unjust alienating of temples , utensils , lands , days separated by god himself and justly consecrated by man. mr. vines his letter to mr. baxter , p. 35. of the 5 disput . concerning sacriledge . as for your question about sacriledge , i am very near you in the present opinion . the point was never stated nor debated in the isle of wight ; i did for my part decline the dispute , for i could not maintain the cause as on the parliament side ; and because , both i and others were unwilling , it was never brought to open debate . the commissioners did argue it with the king , but they went upon grounds of law and polity , and it was only about bishops lands ; for they then averred the continuance of dean and chapter lands to the use of the church . some deny that there is any sin of sacriledge under the gospel , and if there be any , they agree not in the definition . some hold an alienation of church-goods , in case of necessity , and then make the necessity , what , and as extensive , as they please . the most are of opinion , that while the church lies so unprovided for , the donations are not alienable , sine sacrilegio . if there were a surplusage above the competent maintenance , it were another matter . it is clear enough , the donors wills are frustrated , and that their general intention , and the general use ( viz. the maintenance of god's worship , and ministers ) should stand , though the particular use might be superstitious . i cited in my last sermon before the parliament a place out of mr. hildersham , on psal . 51. touching sacriledge , it did not please . if his description of it be true , then you will still be of your own mind . i dare encourage no purchasers , &c. mr. baxter's advice to separating brethren . mr. b' s epistle to separate congregations . consider this , it is the judgment of some , that thousands are gone to hell , and ten thousands on their march thither , that in all probability had not come there , if they had not been tempted from the parish churches for injoyment of communion in a purer church . pag. 21. of defence . the interest of the protestant religion must be much kept up by means of the parish ministers , and by doctrine and worship there performed , and they that think and endeavour contrary , shall have the hearty thanks and concurrence of the papists . and i am perswaded , that all the arguments of bellarmin , and other books that have been written , have not done so much to make papists in england , as the multitude of sects among our selves . defence p. 21. in the second admonition to bagshaw , p. 78. it is lawful to hold communion with our churches , having but tolerable ministers , notwithstanding the parochial order , and the ministers conformity , and the use of the common-prayer-book , and that we ought to do so when some special reason , as from authority , scandal , &c. do require it . a ministers personal faults do not allow a people to separate from the worship of god , nor all ministerial faults , but only those that prove him or his ministration utterly intolerable . answer to dr. stillingfleet . p. 50. the word schism signifieth any sinful division among christians ; there may be a schism in a church , when no party divideth from it ; as when one says , i am of paul , &c. 1 cor. 3. 3. a man may cause divisions from a church , that separates not from it himself . the sparks of schism are kindled , when proud persons are brainsick with a fond estimation of their own opinions , and heart-sick for propagating them . till church divisions be rightly apprehended , as whoredom , swearing and drunkenness are , they will never be well cured . imprint therefore on your minds the true character of them , and consider the effects , and then you will fear this confounding sin , as much as a consuming plague . pag. 63 when you are tempted to separate from any church for defectiveness in its manner of worship ; enquire how god is worshipped in all the churches on earth , and then consider if you lived among them , you would forsake communion with them all . read the church history , and consider what heresies have been in times past , and what havock schisms have caused among christians , for if this had been known by well meaning persons in our days , we should not have seen those same opinions appleaded as new lights , which were long ago exploded as old heresies : nor should we have seen many honest people taking that same course to reform the church now , and advance the gospel , which in so many ages and nations destroyed the church , and cast out the gospel . a narrow soul that taketh all christs interest in the world to lye in a few of their separate meetings , and shuts up all the church in a nut-shell , must needs be guilty of the foulest schisms . it is a catholick spirit and principles loving a christian as a christian , abhorring the very name of sects and parties , as the churches wounds , that makes a catholick indeed . mr. caudry in his book of schism ; against dr. owen , p. 14. says , that toleration ( of separate congregations ) had done more to the rooting out religion from the hearts of many in seven years , than the inforcing of uniformity in seventy years before . as to separation : be the backwardest to divide and separate , and do it not without a certain warrant , and extreme necessity ; resolve with augustine , i will not be the chaff , and yet i will not go out of the floor , though the chaff be there . never give over your just desire and endeavour for reformation , and yet as long as you can possibly avoid it . forsake not the church that you desire to reform ; as paul said to them , that were to forsake a shipwrackt vessel , if these abide not in the ship , ye cannot be saved . many a one , by unlawful flying and shifting for his own greater peace and safety , doth much more hazard his own and others . of raising churches against churches . church gathering is church scattering work , p. 110. christ . direct . the interest of the christian protestant religion in england , must be much kept up by keeping up as much of truth , piety , and reputation as is possible in the parish-churches . therefore , — in parishes where all may hear the parish-minister , i would not have you , without necessity , to preach at the same hour of the day , but at some middle time , that you may not seem to vie with him for auditors , nor to draw the people from him ; but let them go with you to hear him , and after come and hear you . do not meet together in opposition to the publick meeting , nor at the time of publick worship , nor yet to make a groundless schism , or to separate from the church , whereof you are members , nor to destroy the old , that you may gather a new church out of its ruines , as long as it hath the essentials , and there is hope of reforming it ; nor yet would i have you forward to vent your own supposed gifts and parts in teaching , where there is no necessity of it ; nor as a separated church , but as a part of the church more diligent than the rest in redeeming time . let all your private meetings be in subordination to the publick , and by the approbation and consent of your spiritual guides , remembring them which have the rule over you , heb. 13. 7 , 8 , 9. and i beseech you brethren , mark them which cause divisions and offences , contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them , &c. rom. 16. 17 , 18. i would you would ponder every one of these words , for they are the precious advice of the spirit of god , and necessary now as well as then . the great advantages that satan hath got upon the church through the sin of the pastors , in these later days , is by division . by this he hath promoted all the rest of his designs . our division gratifieth the papist , and greatly hazardeth the protestant religion , more than most of you seem to believe or regard . it advantageth profaneness , and greatly hindereth the success of the ministers ; it pleaseth satan and builds up his kingdom . the hand of god is apparently gone out against the separatists ; you see you do but prepare persons for a further progress ; seekers , ranters , quakers and too many professed infidels , do spring up from among you , as if this were the journeys end and perfection of your revolt . by such fearful desertions did god formerly witness his detestation of those that withdrew from the unity of the church . and separation will ruine the separated churches themselves ; it will admit of no consistency . parties will arise in the separated churches , and separate again from them till they are dissolved . i beseech my brethren to open their eyes so far , as to regard experience . how few separated churches do now exist , that were in being an hundred years ago , can you name any ? and would you have all the churches of christ to be dissolved ? in the year 1634. roger williams of new-england , an assistant to mr. kalph smith pastor at plymouth , where , having vented divers singular opinions , he was dismissed , went to salem , which place in a years time he filled with principles of rigid separation , tending to anabaptistry , as that it is not lawful for an unregenerate man to pray , or take an oath , in special not the oath of fidelity to the magistrate . he forbad any of his church-members to hear the godly ministers of england when occasionally they went thither . he taught that the magistrate had nothing to do in matters of the first table ; that there should be an unlimited toleration of all religions ; that to punish any man for his conscience was persecution . he separated not only from the churches of old , but of new-england also , as antichristian . after that , he would not pray , or give thanks with his own wife or family , because they went to the church-assemblies . he kept private meetings by way of separation from , and opposition to the church-assembly ; and being banished as a disturber of the peace , he sat down at a place called providence , and there fell to anabaptistry , renouncing infant baptism . and after a while he told his people , that he was out of the way himself , and had misled them , for he could not find that any on earth had power to administer baptism , and therefore their last baptism was a nullity as well as the first , and that they must wait for the coming of new apostles ; and so they dissolved and turned seekers . the case of the summer islands as related by mr. vaughan , a worthy minister come from thence upon discouragement , would make a christians heart to bleed . to hear how strict and regular , and hopeful that plantation once was , and how one godly minister by separation , selecting a few to be his church , rejecting all the rest from the sacrament , the rejected party were dolefully estranged from religion , and the selected party turned quakers . but our own case is yet a more lamentable proof , what separation hath done against religion ; so that it is my wonder that any good man can over-look it . above all things i intreat the dividing brethren , if they can so long lay aside partiality , to judge of the reasons of their separation . the defects of the liturgy , and the faults of those by whom we suffer , are easily heightned even beyond desert . but when many of us vent untruths , and slanders against our brethren , and multiply publick untruths , we never make scruple of communion with such . suppose one should say , that a people guilty of such sins , as are condemned , exod. 23. 1 , 2. psal . 15. 3. rom. 1. 30 , &c. ( i. e. raising false reports , reproaching our neighbours , strife and debates ) should not be communicated with , especially when not one of those offenders is called to repentance for it , what answer will you give to this which will not confute your own objections against communion with many parish churches in this land ? as to popery ; the interest of the protestant religion must be much kept up , by the means of the parish ministers , and by the doctrine and worship there performed ; and they that think and endeavour contrary to this , ( of which side soever ) shall have the hearty thanks and concurrence of the papists . nor am i causelesly afraid , that if we suffer the principles and practices , which i write against , to proceed without our contradiction , popery will get by it so great advantage as may hazard us all , and we may lose that which the several parties do contend about . three ways especially popery will grow out of our divisions , 1. by the odium and scorn of our disagreements , inconsistency , and multiplied sects , they will perswade people , that we must either come for unity to them , or else all run mad , and crumble into dust and individuals . thousands have been drawn to popery , or confirmed in it , by this argument already : and i am perswaded , that all the arguments else in bellarmine , and all other books that ever were written , have not done so much to make papists in england , as the multititude of sects among our selves . some professors of religious strictness and great esteem for godliness , having run from sect to sect , and finding no consistency turned papists themselves . 2. who knows not how fair a game the papists have to play by our divisions ? methinks i hear them hissing on both parties , saying to one side , lay more upon them , and abate them nothing : and to the other , stand it out , and yield to nothing : hoping that our divisions will carry us to such practices , as shall make us accounted seditious , rebellious , and dangerous to the publick peace , and so they may pass for better subjects than we , or else , that they may get a toleration together with us . and shall they use our hands to do their work ? we have already served them unspeakably , both in this , and in abating the odium of the gunpower-plot , and other treasons . 3. it is not the least of our danger , lest by our follies , extremities and rigors we so exasperate the common people , as to make them readier to joyn with the papists , than with us , in in case of competitions , invasions or insurrections against the king and kingdoms peace . the papists account , that if the puritans get the day , they shall make great advantage of it ; for they will be unsetled , and all in pieces , and not know how to settle the government . factions and distractions ( say they ) give us footing for continual attempts . to make all sure we will secretly have our party among puritans also , that we may be sure to maintain our interest . let the magistrate cherish the disputations of the teachers , and let him procure them often to debate together , and reprove one another : for when men see that there is nothing certain among them , they will easily yield saith contzen the jesuit . of toleration . shall the meer pretence of carnal liberty be thought an argument for a wicked damning liberty , a liberty to destroy and deceive as many as they can ; will merciful rulers set up a trade for butchering souls , and allow men to set up a shop of poyson for all men to buy and take what they will , yea to proclaim this poyson for souls in the streets and church assemblies . saints rest , p. 133. could i have believed him , that would have told me five years ago , that when the scorners of godliness were subdued , and the bitter persecuters of church were destroyed , that such should succeed them who suffered with us , and were our intimate friends , which we took sweet councel , and went up together to the house of god , should draw their swords against each other , and seek each others blood so fiercely ? o what a potent instrument for satan is a misguided conscience when it is set at liberty . of spiritual pride . proud men will not grow in the same field , or church , where tares do grow , but will transplant themselves , because god will not pluck up the tares , especially if any ministerial neglect of discipline be conjoyned ; and instead of blaming their own pride , lay the blame on the corruptions of the church . — the pharisees liturgy is frequent in separate assemblies , god i thank thee , i am not as other men . but this is very remarkable , that it is a pretence of our impurity , and a greater purity with you that is pleaded by such as first turn over to you ; and that this height of all impieties should be the usual issue or a way , pretended so exact and clean , doubtless it is not gods mind , by this to dis●ourag● any from purity and true reformation , but to shew his detestation of that spiritual pride , which maketh men to have too high thoughts of themselves , and too much to contemn others , and to desire to be further separated from them , than god in the day of grace doth allow of . consider this , it is the judgment of some , that thousands are gone to hell , and ten thousands on their march thither , that in all probability had never come there , if they had not been tempted from the parish churches , for injoyment of communion in a purer church . he that causeth differences of judgment and practice , and contendings in the church , doth cause divisions , though none separate from the church . if you may not divide in the church , nor from it , then you may not causelesly divide from it your selves . and commonly appearance , advantage , interest , and a taking tone and voice do more with the most , than solid evidence of truth . but they who desire to have a party follow them , and are busie in perswading others to be of their mind , and speak perverse things , &c. are guilty of church divisions . do not you condemn a carnal state ? remember they are carnal , who are contentious dividers in the churches , 1 cor. 3. 1. you will disallow a fleshly mind and life ; remember then , that the works of the flesh are these , as adultery , fornication , &c. so hatred , or enmity , variance , emulations , wrath , strife , seditions , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , dividings into parties . — when once parties are ingaged by their opinions in anti-churches , and fierce disputings , the flesh and satan will be working in them against all that is holy , sweet and safe . the fire is blown up , when men are desirous to have a party follow them , and cry them up , and thereupon are busie in perswading others to be of their mind , and do speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them , to be accounted masters of a party . christ . direct . p. 52. part . 3. church dividers are the most successful servants of the devil , being enemies to the family of christ in his livery . they gratifie satan and all the enemies of the church , and do the very works that he would have them do , more effectually than open enemies could do : as mutineers in an army may do more to destroy it than the power of the enemy , p. 60. it is a sin that contradicteth all gods ordinances and means of grace . a sin against as great and lamentable experiences as almost any sin can be ; this is a heinous aggravation of it , that commonly it is justified and not repented of , yea it is fathered upon god , every sect pretending gods authority , and it represents his kingdom worse than that of the devil which is not divided . of superstition . do you not hate superstition ? consider then , what superstition is ; it is the making of any new parts of religion to our selves , and fathering them upon god. of this there are two sorts , positive , and negative . when we falsely say , this is a duty commanded by god , or when we falsely say , this is a sin forbidden by god , take heed of both . for instance , the scripture telleth us of no church-elders , but what were ordained , and of none but such as were of the same office with the preaching pastors or elders , of none that had not authority to baptize and administer the lord's supper ; nor doth church history tell us of any other , as a divine office. but now we have concluded , that there is a distinct office of ruling elders , who need not be ordained , and who have no power to baptize , or to administer the lord's supper . this i think is superstition , for we feign god to have made a church office which he never made . — that it is simply unlawful to use a form of prayer , or to read a prayer on a book ; that if a school-master impose a form upon a scholar , or a parent on a child , it maketh it become unlawful ; that our presence maketh us guilty of all the errors , or unmeet expressions of the minister , in publick worship , at least if we before know of them , and therefore that we must joyn with none , whose errors or mis-expression we know of before ; — that we are guilty of the sins of all unworthy or scandalous communicants , if we communicate with them , though their admission is not by our fault ; that he whose judgment is against a diocesan-church may not lawfully joyn with a parish-church , if the minister be but subject to the diocesin ; that whatsoever is unlawfully commanded , is not lawful to be obeyed ; that it is unlawful to do any thing in the worship of god , which is imposed by men , and is not commanded in the scripture : these and more such as these are superstitions , which some religious people have brought in . and by all such inventions fathered upon god , and made a part of religion , the minds of men are corrupted , and disquieted , and the churches disturbed and divided . most of our acquaintance think it their duty to keep up the reputation of the publick conformable ministry . p. 246. of plea , and p. 109. we are far from designing any abasement of the clergy ; nor do we deny or draw others to deny any due reverence or obedience to them . i repent , that i no more discouraged the peevish spirit of quarelling with superiors , and church orders ; and that i encouraged such by speaking too sharply against those things , which i thought to be church corruptions . admonition to bagshaw . the people are ready to scorn the gravest and wisest pastors , we are indangered by divisions ; chiefly because the self-conceited part of the religious people will not be ruled by their pastors . cure of divisions , p. 393. i repent , that i no more discouraged the spirit of peevish quarrelling with superiors , and church orders , and ( though i ever disliked and opposed it ) yet that i did sometime too much encourage such as were of their temper , by speaking too sharply against those things which i thought to be church corruptions , and was too loath to displease the contentious , for fear of being uncapable to do them good , and meeting with too few religious persons , that were not pleased with such invectives . p. 52. to bagshaw . in the preface to christ . direct . it is said , that my writeings differing from the common judgment , had already caused offence to the godly . answ . 4. if god bless me with opportunity and help , i will offend such men much more , by endeavouring further than ever i have done , the quenching that fire which they are still blowing up , and detecting the folly and mischiefs of those logomachies , by which they militate against love and concord , and inflame and tare the church of god : and let them know , that i am about it . of prejudice . take heed of suffering prejudice and fancy to go for reason , and raise in your minds unjustifiable distasts of any way or mode of worship . it is wonderful to see what fancy and prejudice can do , get once a hard opinion of a thing , and your judgments will make light of all that is said for it , and will see nothing that should reconcile you to it . partiality will carry you away from equity and truth . abundance of things appear now false and evil to men , that once imagined them to be so , which would seem harmless and laudable , if tried by a mind that is clear from prejudice . of censoriousness . is not censoriousness and rash judging a sin ? yet one congregation of the division labours to make others odious and contemptible , and that is called the preaching of truth , and purer worshipping of god. i have seen this grow up to the height of ranters , in horrid blasphemies ; and then of quakers , in disdainful pride and surliness , and into seekers , that were to seek for a ministry , a church , a scripture , and consequently a christ . i have lived to see it put to the question ( in the little parliament ) whether all the ministers of the parishes of england should be put down at once . i have seen how confidently the killing of the king , the rebellious demolishing of the government of the land , the killing of many thousands of their brethren , the turnings and overturnings of all kind of rule , even that which themselves set up , have been committed , and justified , and profanely fathered upon god ; these with much more such fruits of love-killing principles i have seen . if you converse with censorious separatists , you shall hear so many invectives against them that are truly catholick and sober , as will make you think , that love and peace , and catholick communion are some sinful and mischievous things . the experience of twenty six years in this kingdom may convince the world , what crimes may stand with high professions ; such as the generation springing up will scarce believe . what high professors were the proudest overturners of all government , and resisters and despisers of ministry and holy order in the churches ? the most railing quakers , and most filthy blaspheming ranters , to warn the world to take heed of being proud of superficial gifts , and high profession , and that he that stands in his own conceit should take heed lest he fall . i have much ado to forbear naming some high professors known lately at worcester , exeter , and other places , who died apostate infidels , deriding christianity , and the immortality of the soul , who once were separatists . and i have heard of some separatists , who when others of a contrary judgment were going to the churches at london , looked in at the doors , saying , the devil choak thee , art thou not out of thy pottage yet ? i commend to all that of the apostle , phil. 2. 3. let nothing be done through strife and vain glory , but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves . read this verse over on your knees , and beg of god to write it on your hearts . and i would wish all assemblies of dividers and unwarrantable separatists , to write it over the doors of their meeting places , and join with it , rom. 12. 10. but especially study james 3. in a word , if god would cure the church of religious pride , the pride of wisdom , and the pride of piety and goodness , the church would have fewer heresies and contentions , and much more peace , true wisdom and goodness . the forwardness of many to keep open divisions , and to affect communion with none , but such as say as they do , is a down right mark of a schismatick . and i know that dividing principles and dispositions do tend directly to the ruine and damnation of those in whom they do prevail . when men fall into several parties , burning in zeal against each other , abating charity , censuring and condemning one another , backbiting and reviling each other , through envy and strife ; when they look strangely on each other , as being of several sides , as if they were not children of the same father , nor members of the same body , or as if christ were divided , one being of paul , and another of apollo , &c. and every one of a faction , letting out their thoughts in jealousies and evil surmises of each other , perverting the words and actions of each to an ugly sense ; and snatching occasions to present one another as fools , or odious to the hearers ( as if you should plainly say , i pray you hate , or despise these people , whom i hate and despise : ) this is the core of the plague sore , it is schism in the bud . s. 16. when people in the same church do gather into private meetings , not under the guidance of their pastors , to edifie one another in holy exercises , in love and peace , but in opposition to their lawful pastors , or to one another , to propagate their single opinions , and increase their parties , and speak against those that are not on their side , schism is then ready to increase and multiply , and the swarm is ready to come forth , and be gon . s. 17. when these people actually depart , and renounce or forsake the communion of the church , and cast off their faithful pastors , and draw into a separated body by themselves , and choose them pastors , and call themselves a church , and all without any just , sufficient cause ; when thus churches are gathered out of churches , before the old ones are dissolved , or they have any warrant to depart ; when thus pastor is set up against pastor , church against church , and altar against altar , this is schism ripe and fruitful , the swarm is gone and hived in another place . s. 19. if they shall also judge that church to be no church from which they separated , and so cut off a part of the body of christ by an unrighteous censure , and condemn the innocent , and usurp authority over their guides ; this is disobedience and uncharitableness , with schism . a true christian that hateth fornication , drunkenness , lying , perjury , because forbidden in the word of god , will hate divisions also , which are so frequently and vehemently forbidden , jo. 17. 21 , 22. ro. 14. throughout . ro. 15. 12. 1 cor. 1. 10. eph. 4. 1 , 2 , &c. 1 cor. 12. phil. 3. 15. ro. 16. 17 , 18. 1 tim. 1. 4. james 3. the mischief of divisions may be seen at large , p. 739. q. may , or must a minister , silenced , or forbid to preach the gospel , go on still to preach it against the law ? answ . he that is silenced by just power , though unjustly , in a country , that needeth not his preaching , must forbear there , and if he can , must go into another country , where he may be more serviceable . we must do any lawful thing to procure the magistrates licence to preach in his dominions . how humane laws bind the conscience . q. whether the laws of men do bind the conscience ? answ . p. 37. taking conscience in a stricter sense , as including essentially , a relation to god's obligation , the full sense of the the question is this , whether it be a sin against god to break the laws of man ? answ . it is a sin against god to break such laws as rulers are authorized by god to make : first , because god commandeth us to obey our rulers . god commandeth us to obey in general , and their law determineth of the particular matter , therefore god obligeth us ( in conscience of his law ) to obey them in that particular . 2. because by making them his officers , by his commission , he hath given them a certain beam of authority , which is divine , as derived from god ; therefore they can command us by a power derived from god : therefore to disobey is to sin against a power derived from god. man being god's officer , first his own law layeth on us an obligation derivatively divine , ( for it is no law , which hath no obligation , and it is no authoritative obligation , which is not derived from god. ) 2. god's own law bindeth us to obey man's laws , rom. 13. and it may be a good reason , to perswade obedience to our ecclesiastical governours , because preaching is a cheap and easie work , in comparison of church-government . take heed of engaging your selves in a sect , or faction ; a narrow sectarian separating mind will make all the truths of god give place to the opinions of his party , and measure the prosperity of the gospel , by the prosperity of his party ; he will not stick to persecute all the rest of the church of christ , if the interest of his sect require it . overvalue not any private or singular opinions of your own , or others ; for if once spiritual pride and ignorance of your own weakness make you espouse particular opinions , as peculiarly your own , you will think your conceits more illuminating and necessary , than they are , as if mens sincerity lay in the imbracing of them , and their salvation on the receiving of them ; and think all that are against your opinion , deserve to be cast out as enemies to reformation ; and perhaps , twenty years after , experience may bring you to your wits , and make you see the falshood , or smalness of all those points , which you made so great a matter of , and then what comfort will you have of your persecutions ? o the deceitfulness of the heart of man ! little do the many real separatists , who cry out against persecution suspect , that the same spirit is in them . whence is persecution , but from thinking ill of others , and abhorring or not loving them ? and do not you do so by those whom you causlesly separate from ? it is one and the same sin in the persecutor and divider , or separatist , which causeth the one to smite their brethren , and the other to excommunicate them ; the one to cast them into prison as schismaticks , and the other to cast them out of the church as profane ; the one to account them intolerable in the land , and the other to account them intolerable in the church : the inward thoughts of both are the same , that those whom they smite or separate from , are bad and unlovely , and unfit for better usage . but i have observed that professors of religion did oppose and deride almost all that worship of god out of ( pretended ) conscience , which others did out of profaneness . saints rest , part 1. c. 7. sect. 14. it was none of the old cause , that the people should have liberty , and the magistrate should have no power , in all matters of god's worship , faith and conscience : and as it is not the old cause , so it is not the good cause . for first , it contradicteth the express revelation of the will of god in the holy scripture . moses , as a magistrate , had to do in matters of religion , and so had the kings of israel , and judah . — law , and providence , are both quite changed , if toleration of false worship , and other abuses of religion tend not to the ruine of the common-wealth . if magistrates must give liberty for all to propagate a false religion , then so must parents and masters also , which would be a crime so horrid in the nature and effects of it , as i am loth to name with its proper titles . the magistrates will quickly find that the distractions of the church will breed and feed such distractions in the common-wealth , as may make them wish they had quenched the fire , while it was yet quenchable . — our unity is not only our strength , but their strength ; and the fire that begun in the church , may , if let alone , reach the court. pag. 423. of his 5 disputations , he lays down this as the summ of what he had said , that man may determine of modes and circumstances of worship , necessary and commanded in genere , but not determined by god in specie , sect. 65. and then infers , sect. 67. if the mischoosing of such circumstances by church governors be but an inconvenience , and do not destroy the ordinance it self , or frustrate the ends of it , we are to obey . 1. for he is the judge in his own work , and not we . 2. the thing is not sinful though inconvenient . 3. obedience is commanded to our lawful governors . sect. 70. and when we do obey in a case of miscommanding , it is not a doing evil that good may come of it , as some do misconceive ; but it is only a submitting to that which is ill-commanded , but not evil in him that doth submit . it is the determiner that is the cause of the inconvenience , and not the obeyer . nor is it inconvenient for me to obey , though it be worse perhaps to him that commandeth : while he sinneth in commanding , he may make it my duty to obey , pag. 461. sect. 6. the reasons of this are obvious and clear , even because it is the office of the governors to determine of such circumstances : it is the pastor's office to guide and oversee the flock , and when he determineth these , he is but in his own way , and doth but his own work ; and therefore he is therein the judge , if the case be controvertible . if none shall obey a magistrate or pastor in the works of their own office , as long as they think he did them not the best way , all governours then would be presently overthrown , and obedience denyed . we are sure that god hath commanded us to obey them that are over us in the lord , 1 thes . 5. 12. heb. 13. 7. 17 , &c. and therefore a certain duty may not be forborn on uncertain conjectures , or upon every miscarriage of them that we owe it to . this would un-church all churches ( as they are political societies : ) for if pastors be taken down , and the work of pastors , the church is taken down . sect. 7. and the things in which the pastor is now supposed to err , are not of themselves unlawful , but only by such an accident as being over-weighed by another accident shall cease to make them unlawful . for instance , p. 461. sect. 4. if of two translations of scripture , or two versions of the psalms the pastor use the worser , ( so it be tolerable ) we must obey . and sect. 7. if the pastor appoint a more imperfect version of the psalms to be sung in the church ( as is commonly used in england ) the obeying of him in the use of this will not bring so much hurt to the church , as the disobeying on that account would do . for besides the sin of disobedience it self , the church would be in a confusion if they forsake his conduct that preserves the union ; and some will be for this and some for that , and so the worship it self will be overthrown . and let it still be remembred , that we allow both magistrates and pastors to see to the execution of god's laws , and to determine of circumstances in order thereto that are necessary in genere , p. 482. sect. 35. but not determined of god in specie , p. 422. sect. 65. it may be very sinful to command some ceremonies which may lawfully , yea must in duty be used by the subject when they are commanded , p. 398. certain things commonly called ceremonies may lawfully be used in the church upon humane imposition , and when it is not against the law of god ; no person should disobey the laws of their lawful governors in such things . if there should be any pastors of the churches who instead of concurring to heal the flock of these dividing principles , shall rather joyn with backbiters and incourage them in their misreports and slanders , because it tends to the supposed interest of their party or themselves ; let them prepare to answer such unfaithfulness to their consciences , which will be shortly awakened ; and to the great shepherd of the flock , who is at the door , and who told even the devils agents that , a house or kingdom divided against it self cannot stand , but is brought to nought . for farther satisfaction i refer the reader to mr. baxter's case of separation , in the appendix to his life , p. 67 , to p. 80. where he thus concludes ; more may be seen in mr. nye's book for hearing the parish preachers , and in mr. tomb's who wrote against infant baptism , vindicating the lawfulness and duty of joyning in ordinary communion , in word , prayer , and sacrament with the parish churches . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26948-e100 in the 3d. part of his life . p. 169. notes for div a26948-e750 preface to 5. disput . p. 6. defence of principles of love , p. 64. preface to christian direct . ad finem . epistle dedicatory to saints rest . saints rest , p. 551. p. 666. p. 55. p. 57. p. 12 , 13. defense , p. 89. christian directory , p. 747. see christ . direct . p. 606. christ . direct . p. 902 p. 807. p. 810. ibid. p. 812. p. 814. 1st edit . p. 815. p. 856. p. 857. p. 857 p. 〈◊〉 p. 859. p. 882. p. 882. p. 896. p. 901. christian directory , p. 179. 2d edit . p. 902. p. 915. five disp . p. 361. p. 401. p. 409. p. 411. p. 412. christ . direct . p. 884 five disp . p. 412. p. 416. p. 117. see christ . direct . p. 885. p. 418. confirmation , p. 207 , 220 , 230. christ . direct . p. 916. christ . direct . p. 49. christian directory , p. 616. 1st edit . christ . direct . p. 137. 2d edit . five disp . p. 411. defense , p. 177. christ . direct . p. 607. christ . direct . p. 48. p. 49. baxter of confirmation , p. 3. dispute the 4th . of church government . p. 358. p. 359. see christ , direct . p. 874. p. 361. p. 364. christ . direct . p. 748. see christ . direct . p. 848. defence , p. 38. p. 176. p. 54. cure of divisions , p. 200. p. 174. p. 179. p. 185. five disp . p. 363. sacrileg . deserting , p. 103. p. 101 , 102. baxter against cramdon , p. 83. cure of divis . p. 393. saints rest p. 519. church government . p. 131. 5. disput . preface , p. 4. five disp . p. 20. p. 352. sigonius de repub. heb. l. 2. c. 8. * mr. baxter . defense , p. 65. christ . direct . p. 916. cure of divis . p. 80. defence , p. 36. sacrilegious deserting , p. 92. saints rest p. 518. preface to confess . defence , p. 17. epistle to separate congregagations . defence , p. 50. answ . to exceptions , p. 170. defence , p. 68. defence , p. 21. p. 52. key for catholicks . baxter's holy commonwealth . epistle to separate congregagations . christ . direct . p. 733. cure of divisions , p. 359. defence , p. 3. cure of divis . p. 77. p. 282. p. 288. p. 290. p. 292. christ . direct . p. 66. part. 3. preface to cure of divisions . cur●… . p. 152. p. 24. p. 〈◊〉 p. 188. p. 22. preface to confess . christ . direct . p. 734. christian directory . p. 854. p. 36. part the 4th . baxter of confirmation , p. 293. christ . direct . part 4. p. 73. cure of divis . p. 254. p. 261. holy commonwealth . eddit . to pres . prop. of confir . p. 309. cure of divisions . p. 253. the invaluable price of an immortal soul shewing the vanity of most people in taking care for the body, but neglect their duty as to the preservation of their never-dying souls : with advice to secure sinners to examine themselves before it be too late, that when death shall come to separate their souls from their bodies, they may be in a condition to welcome death for that happy change which all prepared christians will ever rejoyce in : very necessary for all people to read and consider who would willingly be accounted true christians : with large admonition to prayer as a duty most incumbant upon all who desire to obtain everlasting life through christ jesus. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1681 approx. 22 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 13 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26941 wing b1287 estc r25867 09269019 ocm 09269019 42568 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26941) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 42568) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1300:13) the invaluable price of an immortal soul shewing the vanity of most people in taking care for the body, but neglect their duty as to the preservation of their never-dying souls : with advice to secure sinners to examine themselves before it be too late, that when death shall come to separate their souls from their bodies, they may be in a condition to welcome death for that happy change which all prepared christians will ever rejoyce in : very necessary for all people to read and consider who would willingly be accounted true christians : with large admonition to prayer as a duty most incumbant upon all who desire to obtain everlasting life through christ jesus. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [19] p. printed for j. clark, london : 1681. attributed to richard baxter--nuc pre-1956 imprints. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng soul. spiritual life -modern period, 1500 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-11 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the invaluable price of an immortal soul. shewing the vanity of most people , in taking care for the body , but neglect their duty as to the preservation of their never-dying souls . by mr. richard baxter . printed for j clarke , in west-smithfield . the invaluable price of an immortal soul . shewing the vanity of most people , in taking care for the body , but neglect their duty as to the preservation of their never-dying souls . vvith advice to secure sinners , to examine themselves before it be too late , that when death shall come to separate their souls from their bodies , they may be in a condition to welcome death for that happy change which all prepared christians will for ever rejoyce in . very necessary for all people to read and consider , who would willingly be accounted true christians . with large admonition to prayer , as a duty most incumbant upon all who desire to obtain everlasting life , through christ jesus . printed for j. clark , at the bible and harp , at the hospital-gate , in vvestsmithfield . 1681. the invaluable price of an imortal soul , shewing , the vanity of most people in takeing care for the body , but neglect their duty as to the preservation of their never-dying sovls . the immortality of the soul is a thing indisputable , and the natural proneness of man to sin , is a thing undeniable : but the body which should be as a servant to the soul , is now ( the more is the pitty ) taken more care for in one day , then the soul in one year . how diligent are men for the preservation of their bodily health , by providing for themselves what delicates the appetite desires : while their poor souls are even starved for want of heavenly food , and ready to faint for want of divine cordials : if the body be distempered , the physition is run for , but the poor soul which sometimes lyes in a perishing condition shall not find one dram of spiritual comfort to refresh it self : oh christians , consider how it will be with you at the last day if you suffer your poor souls to be thus ship-wrackt , consider the price of your souls , which cost no less then the precious blood of iesus christ to redeem them , the riches of the whole world is not worth one soul that now is so little regarded ; it had better been for those who are so careless of their souls never to have had any , but to have been like a brute beast , that when it dyes there is an end of him ; but it is not so with man , for he shall give an account at the great day of all his worldly transactions , the neglecting of his soul , the too great care of his body , the starving of the one and the pompering of the other ; which though they know it must dye and shall dye , yet will they take more care for it then that which cannot nor shall not dye , but live for ever in endless joys , or unspeakable torments . besides this great neglect of most men , there are more very great and dangerous defects in and amongst seeming professors , who are so secure in their sins , that they will confidently affirm , that if any go to heaven , they shall be of that number ; for say they , vve have lived honestly , we have done no man wrong , we have not lived debauched lives , we are not given to any notorious vice , but never consider that they have brought sin enough into the world to damn them , without the great mercy of god , who only can preserve and keep us from that lake of everlasting torment provided for those who shall not dye in the lord. how few is there that are convinced of original sin imputed to them ? and how many that never consider that they with adam transgressed by eating the forbidden fruit ; nay , i fear do not so much as busie their thoughts with any such matter , but are satisfied with their morallity , and account themselves upright in their dealing , and so conclude they are in a fair way for heaven : but alas ! poor deceived souls , this is not sufficient for you , for you will never arrive at that desired haven of happiness without a better wind do fill your sails , he will fall short of his desires who putteth his trust in his own vvorks or deserts , for all the impieties of mens wicked lives are nothing in comparison of that venome which lodges in the heart by nature , and man himself hardly sensible thereof : oh wretched state that man knows not his own heart , but hath a thousand times more sin in him unknown , then the greatest self-conceited person in the world can see perfection in himself : few there are that are not too strongly and too well opinionated of themselves , and some have high esteem of others , and will say , that such a one is a good natur'd man , he hath no deceit in him , he would not wrong a vvorm : when alas , these excellencies are nothing in comparison of that ocean of sin , deformed corruption , which lurks in his heart , and cannot be rooted out but by that heavenly antidote which alone can expell the poyson of sin out of our corrupted hearts , carnal men do not consider that their wilful minds are not nor cannot be subject to the law of god , which is absolutely pure without spot or blemish , whilst the best of our actions , the supream of our thoughts , are vain , sinful and rebellious . the carnal mind thinks of nothing more then to provide for this present life , and hath no reflection upon eternity , nor makes any provision against that severe vvinter which undoubtedly will follow the pleasant summer of our pleasure and delight , but minds only the present things of this life , with the neglect of seeking after eternal happiness : would not you account him silly who would exchange diamonds for pebbles , gold for dross , or liberty for a goal ? how much more is he then to be accounted witless , that minds momentary pleasures before everlasting happiness , taketh more care for his mortal body then his immortal soul , and prizes the riches of this vvorld , which have vvings and will flye away , before those never-ceasing joys which attend all those who do most faithfully and diligently seek after and earnestly desire to obtain them . carnal minds are slaves to the more ignoble parts of our souls , and love that best which is least worth : we have such a simpathizing nature toward sin and momentary pleasure , that we do not only endeavour to extenuate the culpableness of the crimes , but rather justifie and plead for them , being so agreeable to our sinful natures . and thus do we vvalk dayly more and more in sin , till at last we are brought into such a labyrinth of sin that we cannot find the way out , nor can our blinded consciences tell us our errours of our lives , for we conclude all is well with us , we do justifie our selves with good opinions of our selves , and thus we erroniously deceive our never-dying souls . again , some have a kind of an unwilling willingness to sin , and could wish that such and such things were no sins , because they are so suitable to their sinful desires , they had rather to live a brave , jovial , merry life , like servants to sin , then a sober , serious , and holy life like servants of god : thus still are present injoyments preferred before everlasting crowns of glory to come , and conclude with the old proverb , a bird in hand , is worth two in a bush : these enjoyments they are certain of , but future injoyment , they may miss , poor incredulous sinners , dare you not take gods word for what he hath promised , think you that he will make any abatement of the reward which he hath promised to bestow upon those who keep his commandements , and walk in the paths of righteousness ? no , it cannot be , he will rather add then diminish from your joys , he takes as much delight in multiplying mercies , as you in multiplying sins , and what he hath promised shall be made good . some also are blinded in their affections , so as to love what they should have hated , and hate what they should love , and yet are not sensible of what a sad condition they are in , but go merrily on , and fear not but in the end they shall be saved , concluding that there are many thousands far worse then they that live in open sins and abominations , which they abhor ; and some of these , if not most or all of them , will say that they hope to be saved as well as others , and if they can hope for salvation , well may they who live much more civilized and strangers to these enormous crimes and detestable practises : yet still do they deceive themselves , and look not upon sin so as to see it in its greatest deformity , which makes devils of many who are still fighting and striving against god and his most just laws , and do not consider that the devil is the authour of it , but still flatter up themselves , and say , that they have nothing to do with the devil , nor he with them , yet are never better pleased then when they are busied about the devils work : they conclude , that they can live in sin and defie the devil and all his works . how few is there that can give a true definition of sin , and what an enemy it is to all mankind ; for had it not been for that blessed mediator christ iesus , the whole frame of nature had been utterly destroyed by it . sin is absolutely contrary to the will of god , therefore should it be absolutely detestable to the heart of man , sin would pull down what gods holy laws would set up , and establish gods prescribed laws for the salvation of souls , and the devil deviseth sins for the destruction of souls , yet will not poor sinners see that impurity which in sin it is clearly contrary to the very nature of god. it is universally evil , there is no good in it , nor can come any good of it , men are not easily persuaded there is any good in poverty , reproach , disgrace , persecution , but very easily believe there is good in sin . this jumps with their opinion , this suits with their sinful natures , and all things fall out according to their worldly desires : but never to take into consideration the evil effects and miserable consequences of sin , the vvriting on the wall is not minded while they are alive . vvere it possible for men to go to hell-gate , there to hear the terrible shrieks and crys of the damned : or could we persuade people to believe the words of the prophet , there is no peace to the wicked ; then surely men would not set their delights upon sin , which is the sole object of gods hatred , and nothing separates betwixt god and souls but sin ; though sin fills the conscience with terrour , hell with fire , yet few are affrighted hereat , but continue in their old road of wickedness , till iudgment follows close and before they are aware overtakes and destroys them in the midst of their sins . there are also some who are clearly cast out of the favour of god , yet are not at all sensible of their miserable conditions , but go dauncing along in the devils chains , and mind not that the sentence is given forth , because it is not forthwith executed , though there may be but a little breath before they for ever perish . how many is there that never knew what a wounded conscience or the fear of iudgement means , yet count themselves noble spirits , and promise to themselves peace , reckon themselves needy of nothing ; when alas , poor deceived souls , they need but all . though ministers dayly labour to convince them of their errors , yet they rest confident that their condition is good as the precisians , nor can serious consideration take such hold on them as to cause them to lose one minutes rest to lament their sad conditions , never were they so sensible of the insupportable burthen of sin , as to cry out what shall i do to be saved ? and the reason is , because they are dead in sins and trespasses . death is a thing which deprives us of sense as well as of life : the dead fear not though threatned with the greatest of punishments ; the dead fear not though god pronounce woes upon woes against them : the dead see not , though hell be so frightful a place : the dead smell not , though sin stinks worse then rotten sepulchres : the dead feel not , tho' mountains of lead were lying on them : they complain not as cain did in the bitterness of soul , by reason of sin : nor say with hannah , that they were ever of a sorrowful spirit . and though there be an entayl of wrath upon the very sins they live in ; though hell be open to receive the impenitent and hard-hearted sinner ; and though room is preparing for them to entertain them with the vegeance of a displeased god , yet few vvork out their salvation with fear and trembling , but fall short of the sense of hypocrite . oh i pitty these secure souls , how short will they fall of their hopes , and not only so , but how far will they fall short of heaven . and again , some are not sensible that it is sathan who finds out these stratagems to destroy their poor souls , or that he hath the possession of the hearts of the vnregenerate : but certain it is , that he hath vvalks in the hearts of meer natural men , therefore plain it is , that while thou art vnregenerate , he is as certainly entred into thee , as ever he was into the herd of swine , and will hurry thee into destruction , as them into the sea. though some may be convinced of the deformity of sin , yet they are not convinced of the necessity of personal and constant obedience , which is required by the covenant of works , but conclude , that if there be any failure in the whole law , so much as to a vain thought , that then this covenant is broke , and nothing but dread and fear shall seize upon such a soul . but to prevent these sorrowful consequences of neglect or misconstructions . take my advice , and apply your self wholly to god by prayer for his assistance : prayer is a thing which shuts up hell & opens heavens gates ; yet how little hath prayer been used as it ought to be , it is too often seen that men under affliction appeal to god by prayer , but afflictions being once past , he forgets again , and prayer is neglected . it is very sad , when our affections are so little heaven-ward , as that we aim not at all at gods glory , but altogether our own advantage ? how can we expect that god can have any respect to our prayers , when we have none to his divine majesty , and perhaps if we be not presently answered , we flye out into extreams , and speak contemptuously of our creator , who can in one minute throw us all into everlasting misery : such is our weakness , such is our wickedness , that upon every occasion we are apt to charge god wrongfully , nay , speak almost blasphemously : though the cause why our prayers are not ansuered is in our selves : to live without prayer is to be dead while alive , for it is to live without god : what can you do less for god then ●y this hommage to own him for your creator ? or what can you do less for your own souls , then beg for their salvation of him who alone can grant it ? prayers may well be counted and and called sallies of the soul for more grace , and neglect of them can be no less than provocation , it grieves god to see that he should be so merciful and gracious as to let his door stand open , and that he should assure us of a vvelcome at any time , and that we should be so unkind as not to visit him with our prayers , which should be looked upon as embassies to his divine majesty , he cannot but take this very unkindly . consider the reward which is promised to prayer , you have christs word for it , for he saith , when thou prayest , enter into thy closet , and when thou hast shut thy door , pray to thy father which is in secret , and thy father which seeth in secret , shall reward thee openly . but notwithstanding this so sweet promise , how is this duty by some omitted , and by others quite deserted . satan is an utter enemy to prayer , and studies out many ways to put by prayer , he persuades some that if they do pray , it will be but hypocritically : others that it is not a convenient time , for some worldly business is to be dispatched , or any fallasie to put by this holy duty , for the devil doth seek and contrive all the ways that possibly can be used by him to intrap and insnare mans soul , on purpose to make it as miserable as himself : but man was created for a more nobler design then to be led captive by the devil , and prayer is the main instrument to avoid all his allurements . private prayer is in a manner a secret talking with god , and who would not be glad to have such blessed communion with him , who onely can make us eternally happy , or everlasting miserable : it is somewhat saint like to desire private conference betwixt god and the soul . but let not the devil so blind your eyes , neither as to think that the uttering a parcel of good and rhetorical expressions after any manner of way or formality , will be taken for prayer with god : no , that will not do , for you must pray ardently , affectionately , sincerely , zealously , earnestly , and also constantly : and if you would have your prayers ansuered , you must wait with patience , for gods time is the best and fittest time to answer prayer in , for he knows best when and how to answer us , and what is fittest for us to enjoy : but many there are , who because that their prayers and petitions are not ansuered presently according to their expectations , do presently revolt from their custome of prayer , thinking that because god doth not suddenly ansuer them , he doth not take any care of them : when alas poor souls , if they did but remain constant and fervent in their devotions , god hath promised to be heard by them , and that he will aid and succour them according to their necessities . vve ought to submit our wills to his will , whether our prayers be ansuered or no , and not to desist from praying because we enjoy not the thing which we do earnestly pray for . for to desist from good vvorks or holy duties , is some small kin to apostacy , and back-sliding will suddenly bring you out of acquaintance with god , and then will this duty ( so necessary for all christians ) be totally extirpated , and you become a nebuchadnezzar , unto a heathen will you soon turn . if thou dost love god , thou wilt love to be with him in private , where thou mayest freely impart thine affections unto him . let not thy religious worship in thy family be used on purpose to keep up thy credit with men , for god who is the searcher of all hearts , will not be so hypocritically served , the upright and the sincere heart the lord loveth . make it thy business to wait upon god in private , for when thou art by thy self then thou art the fittest to call upon god , as being at that present freed from worldly incumbrances . the heathen scipio doth much commend these private solitudes , for saith he , then can i freely entertain my own imaginations , and converse with all the learned that have been in former ages . but thy honour is greater to converse with god , who loves to commune with the soul in private , and communicates his affections to his people in secret : david praised god seven times a day , but his day sacrifices yielded him not that marrow and sweetness which he tasted in the night , being then sequestred from all business which might impede or hinder his godly and pious intentions . vvhen we are alone , satan is most busie , and then have we the most need of heavens auxiliaries . no sooner doth the true christian open his eyes from sleep , but he opens his heart likewise to god , and posts to heaven with secret ejaculations and praises to gods holy name , and doubts not but that god will be as willing to receive as he to offer up his morning sacrifice . besides , many mischiefs attend by deferring holy duties , which god expresly in his vvord hath commanded we should diligently keep : god is not willing to be served last of all , but expects the first fruits , and reason good , because he bestows upon us his choicest blessings . then let me persuade all those that desire their souls everlasting good , not to neglect this holy duty , which will be so beneficial to your souls , and so pleasing unto our almighty god , which that you may sincerely do , shall be the prayers of him that subscribeth himself a hearty well-wisher to all your souls . finis . iohn clarke r. baxter's sence of the subscribed articles of religion baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1689 approx. 17 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 7 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27037 wing b1407 estc r15129 12720278 ocm 12720278 66284 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27037) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 66284) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 973:10) r. baxter's sence of the subscribed articles of religion baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 12 p. printed for ben. cox ..., london : 1689. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. caption title. imprint from colophon. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england. -thirty-nine articles. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-09 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion r. baxter's sence of the subscribed articles of religion . i take not this form of words called , the articles of the church of england , to be essential to the said church ; nor any thing in them to be essential to the christian religion , which was not so from its beginning , and in the first ages of christianity , yea and in every following age : nor do i take such form or matter to be instead of the scripture and the ancient creeds , a necessary rule of divine faith , or necessary to the being of ministry , membership , and communion in the church of england : but that they were , subordinate to the scriptures and the said creeds , a laudable profession of this church at the reformation , that they misexpounded not the divine rule by any heresie , thereby to promote our communion with other reformed churches , and to guide novices at home in the exposition of the said rule : far be it from us to be of a religion and church which is no older than the said articles or common prayer . but holding , with excellent augustine , that contra rationem nemo sobrius , & contra scripturam nemo christianus , so also that , contra ecclesiam nemo pacificus ; ( the church still being supposed to be for reason and scripture , sober and christian ) and wishing that god's own word were taken for the sufficient terms of our consent and concord in order to union and communion , and knowing that the ambiguity of words , and our common imperfection in the art of speaking , do leave an uncertainty in the sence of most humane writings till explained , and yet supposing that the authors of these articles meant them orthodoxly , that i may not seem needlesly scrupulous , i subscribe them , and that i may not be unconscionably rash in subscribing , i here tell all whom it may concern , how i understand the words which i subscribe . art. 2. a sacrifice for all the sin of man , original and actual . ] tho' [ omnibus ] be also in the latine , [ all ] is left out in k. james his edition . i suppose they meant not [ for any mans final predominant impenitence , infidelity , atheism or vnholiness ; ] but for all sorts of sin , on condition of faith and repentance , actually pardoning them to penitent believers . art. 3. he went down into hell ] that is , into hades , the state of separated souls : of which see archbishop vsher's answer to the jesuits . art. 4 took again his body with flesh and bones , and all things appertaining to the perfection of mans nature , wherewith he ascended into heaven , and there sitteth , &c. ] that is , he sitteth in heaven with the same body glorified , which was flesh and bones on earth , and catechrestically is by some so called now it is a celestial , incorruptible , spiritual , glorious body ; but indeed is not now the same thing which we call formally flesh , bones , or blood , nor will admit of the same definition . for , 1. the scripture saith plainly , that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of god , 1 cor. 15. 50. there is a natural body , and there is a spiritual body , vers . 43 , 44. the context sheweth that it is not moral sinful corruption that is called flesh and blood here , but that natural corruptibility which flesh and blood hath . see hammond on the text. christ's body will not be worse than ours ( but ours made like to his , phil. 3. 20. ) but ours shall not be flesh , blood , and bones . 2. when there is not the same form or definition , there is not to be the same proper formal denomination : but no sober philosopher or physician ever gave such a definition of flesh , blood , or bones as will truly agree with christ's glorified body : the name therefore can be but equivocal . 3. there is a symmetry in god's works , christ being in his glorified humanity advanced above angels in power , is not below them in natural perfection : his spiritual celestial body is congruous to his soul ; and all the angels obey and worship him . when we are the children of the resurrection , we shall be equal to the angels , and neither marry nor die : and so not have bodies of mortal constitution . i dare not say that the sun or light is a more glorious body than christ's ; nor encourage those disputers that ask how many foot long and broad his body is , or the place that containeth it . 4. i dare not incur the guilt of contradicting two general councils in a matter of faith , when they anathematize the dissenters , and agree therein , tho' disagreeing in other things , and pleading the tradition of the fathers , and the scripture . the seventh general council at c. p. under const . copion . condemning image-worship , saith , ( as binnius translateth it ) pag. 378. defin. 7. siquis non confessus fuerit dominum nostrum jesum christum post assumptionem animatae rationalis & intellectualis carnis , simul sedere cum deo & patre , atque ita quoque rursus venturum cum paterna majestate , judicaturum vivos & mortuos , non amplius quidem carnem , neque , incorporeum tamen , ut videatur ab iis à quibus compunctus est , & maneat deus extra crassitudinem carnis , anathema . to which saith the second nicene ( their adversaries ) by epiphanius , huc usque rectè sentiunt & patrum traditionibus consentientiae dicunt . ] 5. the long church-divisions , which have for 1300 years followed the rash determinations about some dark invisible things , maketh me more inclined to suspend , than rashly to affirm , in doubtful cases , especially about god , and jesus christ . 6. it is not the perfection of glorified humanity to be flesh and bones . 7. i cannot say , that earth ( as flesh and bones are ) dwells in aethereal regions . art. 6. holy scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation ] i consent : therefore if the ministry , sacraments , and church-communion be necessary to salvation , the scripture containeth all necessary to them ibid. in the name of the holy scriptures we understand those canonical books of the old and new testament , of whose authority was never any doubt in the church . ] expos . not excluding the epistle to the hebrews ; james ; 2 pet. jude ; 2 & 3 john ; revelation , which divers churches long doubted of . art. 7. [ the civil precepts thereof the law given from god by moses ) ought not of necessity to be received in any common-wealth . ] expos . civilia sunt praecepta quae dantur ad regendas civitates ( seu societates civiles ) god's laws are the supreme civil laws : man's laws are but by-laws ( such as corporations make under the laws of the land ) about things mutable , left undetermined by god , and subordinate to his laws . god hath two sorts of civil laws : first , such as are universal or common to all christian nations at least : as , that there shall be rulers and subjects ; that rulers obey and promote the laws of god and the kingdom of chrst , and do nothing against them ; that they seek the common good , and rule in righteousness , and be a terrour to evil works , and encourage piety and vertue and peace ; that they restrain blasphemy , perjury , prophaneness , murder , adultery , theft , false witness , and false judging , &c. these civil laws bind all nations , as the law of nature ; and all christian nations , as the law of christ : but not as the laws of moses promulgate to the jews . 2. but there are also particular civil laws that were proper to the jews commonwealth in specie : i suppose the article meaneth these , and includeth the former in the word [ moral laws ] though indeed they be the most eminent civil laws . art. 8. the three creeds , viz. nice creed , athanasius creed , and that commonly called the apostles creed , ought throughly to be received and believed ( omino . ] ex●●● . 1. rightly understood ; viz. 1. that by [ god of god very god of very god ] be not meant two g●ds : 2. nor the damnatory clauses taken for part of athanasius creed , ( though they be part of the liturgy assented and consented to . ) art. 9. this infection of nature doth remain even in them that are regenerate . expos . that is , in a mortified , subdued degree , but not predominant , or unpardoned . art. 10. we have no power ( nihil valemus [ viz. our natural powers or faculties are not sufficient without grace . art. 11. we are accounted righteous before god only for the merit of our lord and saviour iesus christ , and not for our own works or deservings : wherefore that we are justified by faith only , is a most wholesom doctrine , &c. ] expos . tho' he that doth righteousness is righteous , and the scripture throughout and frequently mentioneth an inherent personal righteousness necessary to salvation , yet this is no universal righteousness , nor such as will justifie us according to the law of innocency or works ; but is meerly subordinate to the merit and efficacy of the sacrifice and righteousness of christ , which only meriteth for us as a price , out faith being only the requisite ( yet given ) moral qualification for the reception of the free gift of pardon , justification and adoption , and hath not the least part of the office or honour of christ ; yet are christ's words true , that by mens words they shall be justified or condemned : and all men shall be judged according to their works : and james truly saith , that by works a men is justified , and not by faith only : not by works of perfection or of moses law , nor any that as a price or commutation do make the reward to be of debt , and not of grace ; but by a practical faith or christianity : such acts as faith it self is , and prove our belief to be such as christ hath promised justification and salvation to ; such as by justifying belief to be sincere , do justifie the person against the charge of infidelity , hypocrisie , impenitence and ungodliness , christianity is that faith which paul opposeth to works . art. 12. good works spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith , insomuch that by them a lively faith may as evidently be known as a tree discerned by the fruit . expos . 1. it is a hypothetical necessity , that is here meant , consistent with freedom . 2. and a truth of evidence , and not an equal degree . art. 13. works done before the grace of christ and the inspiration of the spirit , are not pleasant to god ; forasmuch as they spring not of faith in jesus christ : neither do they make man meet to receive grace , or as the schools say , deserve grace of congruity , yea rather they have the nature of sin . expos 1. no good is done before all common grace . 2. preparatory grace usually goeth before special grace ; and those that resist it , are farther from the kingdom of god , than they that have it . and to him that hath ( by improvement ) shall be given : and in every nation , he that feareth god , and worketh righteousness , is accepted of him . believing that god is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him , is better than nothing , and than meer sin . art. 14. voluntary works , besides , over and above god's commandments , which they call works of supererogation , cannot be taught without arrogancy and iniquity . expos . i suppose they meant not that voluntary canons , impositions , oaths , and church-offices are so bad . art. 16. expos . i suppose this article meaneth only the unpardoned sin against the h. ghost , and of a total departure from common grace , and some degree of habit and act from special grace ; but determineth not the controversie , whether any totally and finally fall from such an unconfirmed grace as else would save . art. 18 they are to be had accursed that presume to say , that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth , so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law and the light of nature . for holy scripture doth set out to us only the name of iesus christ whereby men must be saved . ] expos . some sects contradict the light of nature : they worship devils , and offer their children in sacrifice to them , and murder the just : this will save none . but if the meaning be to curse all that hope that some are saved , who never heard of the name of christ , and that his spirit and grace go farther than the knowledge of his name , i will not curse such . all were not accursed that hoped well of socrates , antonine , alexander severus , cicero , epittetus , plutarch &c. there is no name that is , no other messiah to be saved by but christ . but , 1. god judgeth men by no other law , but that which they were under : and the law of grace made to fallen mankind in adam and noah , was not repealed by the jews peculiarity . 2. god had more people than the jews and proselytes of old . 3. the old jews knew less of christ than his apostles before his resurrection . 4. the apostles then believed not his dying for our sins , his resurrection , ascension , heavenly intercession , &c. 5. it 's no christianity now that believeth not these . if i durst curse all the world who now believe no more than the old jews and the apostles then did , yet durst i not curse all christians that hope better of them . art. 23. those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent , which be chosen and called to this work by men , who have publick authority given them in the congregation , to call and send ministers into the lord's vineyard . ] expos . given them , that is , by christ in his scripture-institution , and by those that christ authoriseth under him . art. 25. sacraments be certain sure witnesses and effectual signs of grace , and god's good will , &c. ] expos . they signifie what god offereth : they invest the true believing receiver in the right of pardon , adoption , and salvation . they are morally operative signs of exciting and increasing inherent grace in believers . art. 26. [ nor is the effect of christ's ordinances taken away by their ( ministers ) wickedness ] expos . sacraments are not void , because a bad man administred them ; but prayer , and preaching and example are usually more effectual from able godly men , than from the ignorant and wicked . the blind man could say , god heareth not sinners ; but if any be a worshipper of god , and do his will , him he heareth . psal 50. to the wicked saith god , what hast thou to do to take my covenant into thy mouth , &c. it is a sin to prefer a bad man before a better . and it is dangerous to encourage men in daily sin , who usurp the sacred office of bishops or pastors , having neither the qualifications essentially necessary thereto , nor that which is essentially necessary to a call. the excepted articles , and those that need no exposition , i pass by . if i have hit on the true meaning , i subscribe my assent : and i thank god that this national church hath doctrine so sound , and pity them that write , preach , or practise contrary to the articles which they subscribe , and accuse them that refuse subscribing them ; and take them for sinners , who take them not for their pastors , because that their wickedness nulleth not their sacramental administrations . finis . london , printed for ben. cox , next door to the dog-tavern in ludgate-street . 1689. the judgment of non-conformists about the difference between grace and morality baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1676 approx. 225 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 62 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a69536 wing b1292_variant estc r16284 12545518 ocm 12545518 63040 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a69536) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 63040) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:11b) the judgment of non-conformists about the difference between grace and morality baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 123 p. s.n.], [london : 1676. statement of responsibility appears on t.p. of the second part of the non-conformists plea for peace. "the judgment of non-conformists of things indifferent commanded by authority," "the judgment of non-conformists of things sinful by accident, and of scandal," and "what meer non-conformity is not" each has special title page. printed and suppressed in 1676 and is here issued in the original sheets. place of publication from wing. reproduction of original in university of chicago library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-08 robert cosgrove sampled and proofread 2005-08 robert cosgrove text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the judgment of non-conformists about the difference between grace and morality . printed in the year , 1676. the judgment of non-conformists , &c. what advantage the enemy of god and man hath got against truth , holiness , and love , by the divisions of christians , and especially by the contentions of their teachers , experience hath been long telling the christian world , by smart and sorrow : where envy and strife hath begun , confusion and every evil work hath followed : little breaches tend to greater : the cause which first made them , will make them wider , by calling in more causes to its help and service . distinct parties have their distinct interests , as to commodity and reputation : and , alas ! what work will selfishness and fleshly interest make ? what moralities , what untruths , injustice , and unmercifulness is it pregnant with ? what evil so great , that it will not first venture on , and then palliate , and next justifie , and lastly propagate , if god do not mortifie , or restrain it ? the foresight of this danger to the land of our nativity , moved some of us to strive for the prevention of it , while we thought there was place for our endeavours : but as our labour did but exasperate the disease , 〈◊〉 our doleful and dear-bought experience , of the prog ●●ss and calamitous fruits of discord , in the space of more than two apprentiships , hath wrought no ( perceived ) cure on mens minds , nor deliverance to the church . the discord , which began about worship and discipline , is by some now pretended to be also in doctrinals , and about the principles of civil government , and humane society and peace . and whither increasing discord , by the power of interest and envy , may yet carry the charge , or how much wider yet dividers may perswade the ignorant that the difference is , we cannot foretel : but because we are sure that all tendeth to the ruine of brotherly love , and that he that hateth his brother is a murderer , and hath not eternal life abiding in him , to save as many on both sides as we can from such a damning sin , we take it to be our duty to detect the errours of contentious dividers , and to hinder their farther widening of the breach . which we shall here attempt about this question , much agitated of late . quest . whether the parties called conformists and non-conformists do really differ , about the nature and sufficiency of morality compared with the grace of christ ? neg. as to the explication of our terms , 1. what we mean by conformists and non-conformists , we have lately shewed on another question : we mean not that if a papist , or socinian , or quaker should join either with the conformists or non-conformists , they would not herein differ from others : but that they that are now called conformists and non-conformists herein differ not : 1. formally , qua tales ; 2. no nor materially , qui tales , being meerly such . 2. we speak only of the parties : for as to some individual persons , it cannot be expected that any parties in the world should be wholly made up of men so wise , as that none among them have ignorance enough to wrangle in the dark . 3. the terms [ grace ] and [ morality ] must be anon explained in our proof . which proof ( as in our last case ) we fetch , i. from our common consent to the sacred scriptures , the ancient creeds , and the doctrinal articles and homilies of the church of england ; which surely contain all that is needful to be held about the difference of grace and morality . nor hath either party declared their dissent by any contradiction of any of the aforesaid articles or doctrines . ii. our second proof is , by a sufficient explication , and enumeration of the points in which we are agreed . i. the word grace is taken , 1. efficiently , 2. objectively , 3. subjectively . i. efficiently , grace is taken , 1. for the efficient principle : 2. for the efficient action of the first cause : 3. for the efficient means and its operation . 1. grace taken for the efficient principle , signifieth god's efficient favour , love , mercy , or will to do good freely to the unworthy . 2. grace taken for god's efficient action , signifieth the same good-will of god ex parte sui , but as connoting the effect in fieri vel facto esse . the former is considered as decreeing or meerly willing ; but this as effecting . 3. grace taken for the efficient means , is an effect of god's free love , and a second cause of man's sanctification , and hath many parts ; of which christ as mediator is the head or chief , and his gospel , ministers , sacraments , and providences are inferior subservient parts : all which are the efficient grace of god. ii. objectively , grace is all god's free-given mercy as it is offered and proposed to man's actual belief , acceptance , and improvement , ( or use . ) even as the word fides signifieth , 1. the fidelity or trustiness of god the promiser or revealer : 2. the fidelity or trustiness of the word promising or asserting : 3. the belief or trust of the believer ; ( fidem promittentis , fidem promissi , & fidem credentis . ) so the word grace hath the like three significations : 1. the grace of the giver . 2. the grace of the extrinsick gift . 3. the intrinsick grace of the receiver . this objective grace , or free-gift , is , 1. god himself , as offered us relatively through christ to be our reconciled god and father , with his love , and our relation to him as his children . 2. christ himself , to be our head and saviour , and our relation to him , as his justified , saved members . 3. the holy ghost to be our sanctifier , our relation to him and his grace as offered : this is the grace offered and given us in baptism by covenant , on gods part . under these are the objective means ( the gospel as it is to be believed , the sanctified mercies of this present life , the ordinances as to be used , &c. ) and ultimately , heaven as the end of all : glory freely given being the perfection of subjective grace , and as proposed and offered being the perfection of objective grace . iii. subjectively , grace , is , 1. gracious dispositions and habits ; 2. gracious acts ; viz. 1. of the intellect , 2. the will , 3. the executive power in practise . the word grace hath in the use of divines all these significations , besides several sub-divisions which the schoolmen ordinarily make . and in scripture , i. for efficient grace , see exod. 34. 6. and 33. 29. num. 6. 25. neh. 9. 17. 31. joh ▪ 33. 24. psal . 86. 15. and 103. 8. and 112. 4. isa . 30. 18 , 19. joel 2. 13. jon. 4. 2. 1 pet. 2. 3. heb. 4. 16. and 10. 29. eph. 1. 6 , 7. and 2. 5. 7 , 8. and 6. 24. 2 cor. 12. 9. rom. 11. 5 , 6. and 5. 2. and 1. 7. and 4. 16. acts 15. 40. heb. 29. ii. for objective grace , see gal. 1. 6. and 5. 4. and 2. 21. jud. 4. 1 pet. 3. 7. and 1. 10. 13. joh. 1. 17. acts 20. 24. 32. and 14. 3. rom. 6. 14 , 15. tit. 2. 11. heb. 12. 15. 1 pet. 4. 10. and 5. 12. iii. for subjective grace , see 2 pet. 3. 18. 1 pet. 5. 5. jam. 4. 6. heb. 12. 28. and 13. 9. col. 3. 16. and 4. 6. eph. 4. 7. 29. and 3. 8. gal. 2. 9. 2 cor. 8. 6 , 7. and 9. 8. joh. 1. 16. &c. ii. the words [ morality ] and [ moral ] have also divers significations . i. in the first most comprehensive and most famous sense , morality , as distinguished from meer naturality or physicks , doth signifie the relation of the manners or acts of an intelligent free agent to the governing will and law of god : and so actus morales and actus humani are used in the same sense ; and all morality is distinguished into moral good and moral evil , virtue and vice. ii. some have used morality in a narrower sense , unfitly , for so much of man's duty as is revealed by the meer law of nature , and as is of common obligation to lapsed mankind : and so it comprehendeth the relicts of the law of innocent nature ( to love god and obey him , &c. ) and the additional law of lapsed nature , ( to repent , and use all possible means for our recovery , and thankfully improve the mercies which we receive . ) and thus it is distinguished from duty known by supernatural revelation , and especially the mysteries of redemption by jesus christ . iii. some use the word ( improperly also ) for all that duty which is of perpetual obligation , whether by natural or supernatural revelation : and so it is distinguished from temporary duties : and thus the lords-day , baptism , the lords-supper , a gospel ministry , scripture ( to be used ) discipline , are said to be moral-positives , distinct from meer natural duties , and from temporaries . iv. lastly , some , yet more unaptly , confine the sense to the duties of our common conversation towards man , as distinct from holiness or our duty to god : and so they distinguish a meer moral honest man , from a godly or religious man. though we wish that the needless use of words improperly were not the common fuel of vain contendings , yet we being not the masters of language , must take words as we find them used , and leave all men arbitrarily to use them as they please , so be it they will but tell us what they mean by them , before they lay any stress on them in disputing . in reference to these various senses of these words , we suppose that we are all agreed as followeth . i as to morality in the first and most famous signification , we are agreed , 1. that all proper humane acts are moral , that is , morally good or evil : and all duty and sin , virtue and vice , in habit and act , positive and privative vice , are parts of morality ; moral good directly , and moral evil reductively and consequently . 2. holiness to the lord , or the love of god as god , is the chief part of morality ; and what duty soever is evangelical and spiritual is also moral . 3. nothing is morally laudable or rewardable , but moral good ; and nothing is punishable , but moral evil. 4. all morality is seated primarily in the will , but is secondarily ( as flowing thence ) in the imperate acts of the intellect , and inferior faculties . 5. all truly moral good in lapsed man , is , 1. from god's efficient grace . 2. and exercised on some objective grace . and , 3. is it self subjective grace , either special or common . 6. the good called moral in infidels , and all other ungodly unsanctified men , is such but secundum quid , and not simpliciter , nor in the full or properest sense : because bonum est ex omnibus causis essentialibus : and a good principle , rule , end , and right object , especially the formal object , are all essential to a truly good moral act : but every ungodly man in every action doth want at least some one of these . and an act is denominated in morality from that which is prevalent in it , and not from every conquered deprest ingredient : we say not that he that killeth his father or prince , with the reluctancy of better thoughts and inclinations , doth therein do a good work , though that reluctancy was good : so he that hath some love to god and goodness , but more hatred ; and more love to sinful pleasure ; doth not a work properly good , which proceedeth from such a mixed cause . but the evil principle and end is predominant in all ungodly men . 7. but materially , and secundum quid , bad men may do works that are morally good , and physically very good to others ; as governing and protecting common-wealths and churches , building cities and temples , and hospitals , relieving the poor , preaching the gospel , expounding scripture , defending truth , promoting learning ▪ and in good nature , patience , meekness , temperance , chastity , wit , and industry , they may be commendable and exemplary , and their precepts and practice may conduce much to the good of others . 8. whatever good is found in heathens or infidels , or ungodly men , is to be acknowledged and praised proportionably according to its real worth ; it being all from god , who must not be robbed of his praise . 9. a man that hath but common grace is better than he would be if he had none , and it is the usual preparatory for special saving grace . though many civil temperate persons , by overvaluing common good , are hindred from seeking special grace , that is not caused by the good , but by their abuse of it objectively . and though god take occasion from some mens great sins , to affright their consciences to repentance and reformation , that is not caused by the sin , but by gods mercy : sin as remembred is not sin in the act of remembring , nor sin as repented of in repenting ; but before in the committing . god may convert paul in the act of persecuting : but persecuting is not the way or means of conversion . special grace must be sought in the use of common grace , and not in a way of negligence , contempt , or wilful sin . ii. of morality in the second sense ( as taken for natural duties , which all mankind is obliged to by natural revelation of god's will ) we are agreed , as followeth . 1. the sum of this natural morality or duty , is to love god as god for himself , and all things else for him , even as being of him , and through him , and to him ; to obey god , and make it our chief care to please him , and therein to place and seek our happiness , even in everlasting mutual love : to love others as our selves , and do all the good we can to all for soul and body , especially to the most publick societies ; to do justly , and as we would be done by ; to use our bodies as the servants of our souls , and soul and body as the servants of god : and to hate and avoid all that is contrary to these . this natural evidence will prove to be the common duty of mankind . 2. this love to god and man before described is true holiness ; that is , the soul's separation and devotedness to god. 3. all the evidence which nature affordeth us herein , is not seen by all men that are of natural wit or industry , no more than all that is revealed by the scripture is known to all that read the scripture , or that believe it . 4. holiness is the end of medicinal grace , as used by christ on us , and as used by us towards christ as the mediator : faith in christ is to kindle in us the holy love of god , and obedience to him : love therefore as the final and everlasting grace , is preferred by the apostle , 1 cor. 12. last v. and 13. throughout . 5. even our faith in christ , and our obedience to the gospel ( in preaching , sacraments , and such like ) are neither only of natural , nor only of supernatural obligation , but mixt : christ and his ordinances are supernaturally revealed ; but being once revealed , with the evidence of divine authority , natural revelation then telleth us that it is our duty to believe and obey . 6. that which is of natural revelation and obligation , must be performed by supernatural grace . though nature prove that all men should love god as god , it is grace that must dispose and enable them to do it . 7. we call grace supernatural , not only because it is not essential to nature ( no not to adam in innocency ) but because in our lapsed state it is not conveyed to us by natural generation , but nature in the state of pravity is deprived of it ; and because god worketh it by the free gift of his spirit , in a manner beyond the search of man , and by it , as an effect of his love , doth make us lovely , ( in our union and relation to christ who sanctifieth and justifieth us ) it being his image on the soul , which no meer natural causes , without this operation of god's love and spirit , can effect . but yet , 1. we all agree that holiness is nature's health or rectitude , and therefore sutable to it as its perfection , as health is to the body . 2. and that the spirit of god doth ordinarily make use of his appointed means , and especially his word , for our sanctification . and these being second causes , which have their proper natures , may so far be called natural causes : and that thus far grace may be said to be natural . 8. this holy love being the final act , on god the final object , and so being man's felicity it self , it followeth , that all men have so much happiness constitutively , as they have holy love to god and goodness ; and that no man can be damned that hath the said predominant holy love , while such : and that such have no cause to fear damnation , any farther than they should fear lest by forfeiting gods grace they should lose that love . 9. the mediation of christ , and our faith in him , who is the glass , the messenger , and the great gift of the fathers love , are the means appointed by god to sanctifie us , by the effecting of this love , with all its concomitants and fruits . 10. therefore as god is called [ all in all ] so christ is called [ all in all , ] col. 3. 11. to believers , as being the way , the truth , and the life . 11. therefore they that would bring men to the holy and felicitating love of god , must preach jesus christ and his grace to them , as the means , and bring them to believe in him , and to take it for their wisdom to know christ crucified , and glorified , and to learn of him , and obey him , and trust in him , and daily to use him as their mediator for access to god , acceptance with him , and communication from him . 12. to preach up the blessedness of saints and excellency of holiness , without teaching men how to attain it by christ , is but to commend health to the sick , without directing them to the physician and the remedies : and to hear of a sanctity and felicity not attainable , is to be tormented by despair : and to think to obtain it by our works or endeavours , without a mediator and his grace ( or by any other mediator than christ , ) is the way to lose it by false presumption , and neglect of the necessary means : it being christ that is made of god to us , wisdom , righteousness , sanctification , and redemption . 13. as christ on earth did purchase us this salvation by his meritorious righteousness and sacrifice ; and is now in heaven our head and intercessor , and the treasury of grace and life to believers , so he sanctifieth us by his word and spirit ; and herein differeth from all other teachers that ever were in the world , 1. that his gospel ( doctrine , precepts , and covenant-promises ) are singularly suited to this sanctifying work . 2. that he sendeth forth his spirit with it , to work the souls of men to that which he teacheth and commandeth , that so they may be effectually taught of god : without the spirit of jesus no word or means will sanctifie and renew a soul. 14. therefore all preachers must jointly preach god and holy love , ( trust , obedience , and delight in him ) as the end , and christ and faith in him , and learning of him , and obeying him in the use of his healing remedies , as the means : this being life eternal , to know the only true god , and jesus christ whom he hath sent , joh. 17. 3. 15. and though the end must be preached as more excellent than the means , yet the means must be preached as more mysterious , and above meer natural revelation . experience telleth us , that all men quickly learn to confess that they should repent of sin , and love god as god ; but they are hardly taught to understand the mystery of redemption , the person , incarnation , works , office , and grace of the redeemer ; and therefore have here need of longer teaching : the grace of our lord jesus christ , the love of god the father , and the communion of the holy spirit , must be the preachers subject , as it is the christians benediction and felicity . 16. there are things in aristotle's ethicks , and in the ethicks of the stoicks and and some other philosophers , of great worth and use to christians , to shew us what by natural evidence may be discerned : but they are all poor , defective , spirit-less doctrines and precepts , in comparison of the gospel of christ , though to carnal wit they seem to excel it in method , language , and several curiosities : and the writings of christians , who do but expound and apply christ's doctrine , do far excel all the heathens ethicks . 17. we have no reason to think that any of the heathens understood all that nature it self by way of proving-evidence revealeth : yea , or that any christians perfectly understand it ; because natural evidences are exceeding numerous , and none can say that he seeth them all ; and they are of various degrees , some plain , and some obscure ; and even natural verities , as they arise from the great branches , into innumerable partitions as smaller sprigs , are not perfectly discernable by a mortals eye . 18. therefore no knowledge of man , much less any heathens writings , are the certain measure of natural verities , in morality , by which the number and certainty of the obscurer particles may be known . 19. though heathens know and teach , that we must love god and goodness above all : and all that sincerely love god and goodness shall certainly be saved : yet this confession will but more condemn them , that have not , and practice not what they teach ; but , when they profess to know god , by their works deny him , and are void of true sanctifying grace . 20. therefore it is intolerable in those that are stiled the ministers of christ , and preachers of the gospel , to preach little more than what heathens teach ; and when they speak of christianity and faith , and should open the mysteries of the gospel , to do it as drily , scantly , and heartlesly , as if it were done but on the bye , and for custom or fashion sake , rather than as a matter of the necessity and importance before described . in all this we are agreed . iii. as to morality in the third sense ( as it signifieth naturals and positives of perpetual obligation ) we are agreed , 1. that all to whom they are promulgate are obliged to the practice of them . 2. and that for that practice we need the fore-described helps of grace ; even efficient , objective , and subjective grace : for saving practice special grace , and for common practice common grace . iv. and as to the fourth sense of morality ( as signifying only our duty to man , as distinct from holiness to god ) we are agreed , 1. that as the love of our neighbour as our selves is the second great commandment like to the first , so the practice of this in our duty towards man , proceeding from love and obedience to god , is the second part of our duty , and to be preached and practised accordingly . 2. and it is that part , about a near discernable object , by which our love to god must be expressed and made known ; and by which it shall , by christ himself , be judged of at the last day . 3. and it is that matter in which god will have our obedience to him to be carefully and constantly exercised : because god needeth us not himself , but as his government of man is his ordering us to our own good and felicity , so he obligeth us to do good to our selves , and one another . 4. but as man without god is nothing , and no man ; so duty and love to man , not depending on duty and love to god , is no duty , no morality at all : and as to love , honour , or obey man above god , as the best or greatest , is damnable idolatry , or rebellion against god ; so to preach up love , honour , and obedience to man , as separated from , or not dependent on our love , honour , and obedience to god ( much more as above him , or against him ) were but to preach up idolatry , or rebellion . no man can love man for gods sake , that loveth not god more ; and no man can honour or obey man for gods sake , who doth not more honour and obey god. he that will serve man more than god , doth as it were make man his god , and from man must expect his protection , provision , and reward . 5. profession of piety to god without true justice and charity to man , is but hypocrisie . while we have time we must do good ( as we are able ) to all men , for with such sacrifice god is well pleased , gal. 6. heb. 13. christ was our great pattern in doing good , even to the unworthy , and he purifieth to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works , tit. 2. 14. for we are his workmanship , created unto good works in christ jesus , which god hath ordained that we should walk in them , eph. 2. 10. to be rich in good works is to be rich to god , luke 12. 21. and to lay up a good foundation for the time to come , to lay hold on eternal life , to lay up our treasure in heaven , and to make us friends of ( that which to worldlings is ) the unrighteous mammon ; and blessed are the merciful , for they shall obtain mercy ; and receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet , or a righteous man in the name of a righteous man , is the way to have a prophets , or a righteous mans reward , when christ will say , in as much as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren , ye did it unto me . pure religion and undefiled , is to visit the fatherless and widdows in their adversity , and to keep our selves unspotted of the world. as we verily believe that not only the parties called conformists , and non-conformists ( alas ! that we must call them parties ) but most true protestants are agreed in all this , so we take it to be our duty to profess our dissent from the practice of such as would hinder love and concord by perswading men that we are really disagreed when it is not so . and as we are the believing disciples of the prince of peace , that blessed reconciler , who took down the partition-wall between jews and gentiles , and made them one , so we would serve him with all our power and interest , in building up the wall of defence , and taking down every partition-wall , which unjustly divideth the church of christ ; and dayly pray that god would humble , convert , and reform those men who have built them up , and will not yet be intreated to give peace to the churches , and in special to this self-distracting land. finis . the judgment of non-conformists of things indifferent commanded by authority , as far as the subscribers are acquainted with it . written to save the ignorant from the temptations of diabolism , ( described 2 tim. 3. 3. and 1 joh. 3. 10. 12. 15. joh. 8. 44. ) blessed are the peace-makers , for they shall be called the children of god. matth. 5. 9. printed in the year , 1676. the judgment of non-conformists of things indifferent commanded by authority . quest . whether things antecedently lawful do therefore become unlawful , because commanded by lawful authority ? neg. we take the question as we hear it stated by some accusers of the non-conformists , who feign them to affirm it : and some seem serious in the fiction , as if they did indeed believe themselves ; by which they dispatch these several works of no small moment ; viz. 1. they hereby render the non-conformists contemptible and odious , as brain-sick persons , who keep up a dividing faction in spight of the light and obligation of the common principles of humanity and society . 2. they hereby imprint the stamp of satan , viz. the hatred of their brethren , upon the minds of such hearers as will believe them , and receive the impress . 3. they hereby fill families , cities , and countries , with all that spawn of ugly sins , which are the genuine fruits of such hatred and contempt , and keep men also from repentance for any thing that they have said or done ( how cruelly soever ) against such ministers , and others , as are represented as so odious to them . 4. they hereby fortifie the peoples souls against receiving converting , or edifying instruction , by such accused ministers . 5. they furnish papists , insidels , and other adversaries , with matter of accusation against one part of the ministers and servants of christ : they are able now to say , that such and such protestant clergy-men themselves reported it . 6. they tempt the worser and weaker sort of the accused , to return the like measure to them again , and to judge as they are judged : satan hereby gets matter for a temptation , to call the accusers fools in revenge , to bring them to the danger mentioned , mat. 5. 22. and to hate their brethren for hating them , that they may be as murderers , that have not eternal life abiding in them , 1 joh. 3. 15. 7. and lastly , they hereby perhaps quiet their own consciences , and deceive themselves ; or at least for a while , with some , preserve their reputations , by making it believed , that their conformity , or difference from the non-conformists , consisteth but in the rejection of such wild opinions , as the affirmers hold ; and in being the wise spectators of such as are beside themselves . but the sun will arise after the longest , and the darkest night : in the mean time this candle may serve the formerly deceived reader , to save his soul from the mortal sin , of hating his brethren wrongfully , which false accusers would tempt him to be guilty of . the terms need little explication : 1. we call things here [ lawful and unlawful ] in respect to the laws of god : for as to the laws of men the affirmation of the question , were but a mad contradiction . 2. we speak of that which is antecedently lawful as cloathed with all its accidents , save this subsequent one ( being commanded by authority ) and that the question is , whether the command of authority be an accident that rendereth it unlawful . 3. we take [ lawful authority ] to be a tautologie ; ( for all authority is lawful , being in the sense in the question nothing else , but a jus r 〈◊〉 gendi ; and [ jus justum , or a lawful right ] is a tautologie : if it be not lawful , or a jus , it is but equivocally called authority : ) yet because the equivocal use of the word , may to some need such an expository epithete , it may here be born . and we suppose that the word signisieth [ authority over the persons , and in general , over the affairs in question ; so that you may see first here what is not the question , and thereby the more easily perceive what it is . 1. the question is not of a thing before lawful meerly as an act in genere , vel specie , but unlawful by some other accident , e. g. it is lawfal to kill , and to kill a man , ( else none could be put to death for capital crimes ; ) but it is unlawful to kill a just man : and if rulers command it , it is still unlawful ; but not because it is commanded by them , but because it is forbidden of god. it is lawful to forbear preaching , ( else women might not forbear ; ) but not for a true minister of christ to forbear it , when mens souls notoriously need his preaching , and he is able consideratis consideran 〈◊〉 is to perform it : if then rulers forbid it him , it is still unlawful to forbear ; but not because they forbid him , but because god commandeth him in season , and out of season , instantly to preach , 2 tim. 4. 1 , 2. 2. the question is not of the command of usurpers , civil , or ecclesiastical : for their command sometimes may make a thing antecedently lawful to become vnlawful , by accident , at that time , and to that person . as it is lawful in it self to meet an usurper , and to put off the hat to him , and to give him money ; but if he by pretended authority command the kings subjects to appear before him as their king , or to put off the hat in token of subjection to him , or to pay him tribute as his subjects , it is an unlawful owning of him , so far to obey him . it is in it self lawful to go to rome , but not in obedience to the pope , who is an usurper , if he command it us . it is in it self lawful to take an oath , yea an oath of obedience ( viz. to the king : ) but if the pope , or one of his prelates would command the kings subjects to take an oath of obedience to him ; yea , or to perform obedience as such , it may become unlawful so to own his usurpation . it is lawful , and a duty , to be justly obedient to a true pastor , or bishop of the church : but if arrians be obtruded on antioch , a 〈◊〉 exandria , cesarea , and other eastern churches , even by the emperour valens , the churches will resolutely refuse to obey , or hear them : or if sede vacante one intrude without a true call , and will tyranically make himself a pastor , or is obtruded by the pope , or other foreign power , without the consent of the church ( either the clergie , or the flocks ) or any one that hath true power to chuse him to that place or office , it may be a sin to own such an usurper , though by 〈…〉 in it self . 3. the question is not of men that have lawful 〈…〉 , and not over the person in question : the king of france may have lawful authority there , and yet no authority to command us in england . 4. nor is the question of a ruler that hath authority in other matters , but not in the matters now in question . for as rich. hooker saith , though a man be a lawful governour , yet if he extend his commands beyond his authority , and command that which he hath no true power to command , it is not disobeying authority , therein to disobey him : e. g. if the judge of the common-pleas command that which is proper to the judges of the kings-bench , extra proprium forum , they have no authority . if a bishop would command husband-men when to plow and sow , and with what seed ; and what cloaths to wear , and what meat to eat in particular ; or all physitians what physick to give each patient ; these commands are usurpations , and make no duty : nay unless greater accidents preponderate to make the thing needful on some other accounts , it may do somewhat towards the making of an act otherwise lawful to become unlawful , when the doing it will encourage and strengthen such usurpers , and be a scandalous seeming to own their usurpation . so if a justice would presume to arrogate the power of a judge , or a constable of a justice , or a church-warden of a constable , or a magistrate of the pastors of the church , &c. but because it seemeth doubtful , whether the question be of one that hath authority to command the lawful thing in question ; or only of one that hath authority in general , whether his authority extend to the point in question : and if not , whether his command make the act unlawful to be done : we shall include what we assert in these propositions , which will shew what it is that we deny . pr. 1. to question whether it be lawful , yea or a duty , to obey them whom we suppose to have authority to command the very thing questioned , is but to question the same thing which we first affirm ; and to deny it , is to deny what we first affirm . for to have authority to command an action , is nothing else but to have authority to oblige me to do that action by command . and is it a wise mans question , whether he that hath authority to oblige me by his command to do an action , doth not , by making it my duty , make it become unlawful ? that is , whether duty be sin , whether life be death , and light be darkness ? why should men be feigned so mad , as to argue at this rate ? pr. 2. if the question be , whether any ruler have power to command a thing which would be no duty , but indifferent , if he did not command it ? it is to question that which all sober persons must assert , in the disjunctive use of things , or actions , as to each other . that is , 1. nothing is to be done or commanded , that is not good before , or made good and useful by the command : idle laws are not good , if idle words be bad . 2. the end and benefit of an action may be necessary , and the commanding of an action or circumstance before indifferent , ( comparatively as to others , ) may be disjunctively necessary , ( either this or that ; ) and the indifferency taken away , and the thing made both naturally and morally good , by the determination of the command . for instance : it is necessary that the army keep together , and march in unity and order : it is therefore necessary that they all meet , or rendezvous at one determinate certain place ; and it is necessary that they meet at one determinate certain time , or day : it is therefore necessary that one certain place and time be determined : by consent it will not be : it is therefore necessary that it be done by command . none of this is indifferent : but the place , and day , may be antecedently so indifferent , that no man can see a reason , why one , rather than the other should be chosen ; no more than why of two equal eggs i should chuse this , rather than the other . in this case it is not properly chusing , but taking : i do not chuse this rather than the other , there being no preserence of esteem ; but only i take this , and not the other ; because i must take one , and i must take but one . and when the indifferent place and time is determined of , it then , and thereby , is made profitable to the end , which is unity and order . thus far things necessary in genere ( this or that disjunctively ) and unnecessary antecedently in particular ( this no more necessary than that , ) may be commanded by authority , and are thereby made naturally useful , and morally the subjects duty . pr. 3. if the question be only in matters of god's worship or religion , whether the same hold there ; we affirm that it there holdeth also . which we thus explain . 1. no ruler hath authority to forbid what god commandeth , or to command what god forbiddeth , as to action , or any circumstance of an action . 2. no man can command by pretence of an authority co-ordinate with god's , but only derived , and subordinate . 3. no man can do any thing which god hath appropriated to himself as his own proper work ; as to make universal laws for the whole world , or church ; to make another gospel , divine covenant , or sacraments of gods covenant ; to add to , or diminish , or alter the word of god ; to alter the ministry , church-state , or laws which he hath made , or to make the like ; or to change his institutions . 4. no man can command any thing , but what god giveth him authority to command ; for there is no power but of god. 5. but god giveth men authority to command things before indifferent in his worship , such as we before described about civil or military things : that is , it is necessary that the worship of god be orderly performed in sacred assemblies ; and that unity and concord be there kept : it is therefore necessary that many meet in the same place , and the same time , and use the same translation of scripture at that time , and the same metre and tune of psalms , and hear the same preacher on the same text , and the same sermon ; and that the preacher at that time use the same words and method of prayer and sermon to them all , whether by notes , or without , &c. but whether it be this place or that , this day and hour or that ; this translation , metre , tune , or that ; this chapter , text , method , words , or that , may be indifferent before , and needful and a duty to the people after the determination of the ruler , to whom it doth belong . pr. 4. if a ruler do not act quite out of the matter or circuit of his own jurisdiction , about a thing which belongeth not to him , nor by his determination of circumstances subvert the thing circumstantiated , and the very end or work it self ; though he miss it in a work which belongeth to his office , and do it not the best way , but be culpable in his command , the subject yet may be bound to do what is so commanded , and is not excused by the faultiness of the rulers determining commands . which we thus explain . 1. it belongeth not to a king to govern a mans thoughts . therefore if he make laws for our thoughts , it is doubted by many , whether they oblige ; unless as he is the official promulgator of god's laws , or exhort men to obey them : yet knowing that he is god's minister for our good , if he should ministerially command us not to think ill of god , or well of wickedness , &c. we will not concur with those that affirm , that no secondary obligation ariseth from his command ; as long as we all hold , that if a church-pastor ministerially as christ's officer , forbid blasphemous , malicious , filthy thoughts , and command holy meditation , and mental prayer and thanksgiving , his ministerial command hath an answerable obligation . it sufficeth us therefore to say , that kings cannot punish men , or reward them for their thoughts ; which is from their natural incapacity of knowing them : for could they know a thoughtful plot of treason , or a wise and honest contrivance or design for publick good , we cannot say that they might not answerably punish and reward them . but to go to clearer instances : it belongeth to the king to give general regulating laws to physicians , to mariners , to parents , to nurses , to farriers , to brewers , bakers , cooks , &c. he may forbid physicians the use of some dangerous drugs ; and mariners some times , and places , that are unsafe ; and parents , and nurses , to give their children some pernicious food , or wicked counsel or education ; and brewers , bakers , and cooks , to poison men , or deceive them in the matter of their trades . but if he make such laws as take these mens callings out of their hands ; if he will chuse a physician for every patient , and the medicines that every physician shall use , with dose , time , and other circumstances ; and what food every parent shall give his children , with the measure , time , &c. and so of the rest ; this is to go beyond his calling , and so beyond his true authority , and such laws oblige not . so if a king will give such laws to christ's true ministers , as turn them out of their callings , and take them all upon himself ; it is an acting beyond , and without authority , and doth not oblige . it is the office of a pastor of the church , to have and use the keys of the church , to be the immediate ministerial judge of individuals , who is to be taken in by baptisme , and entertained in holy communion , and in sin called to repentance ; and for impenitency shut out by excommunication ; and upon repentance restored by absolution . for the right performance of all these the king may give general regulating laws , subservient to christ's laws , to secure and promote their execution ; and he may forbid and punish gross abuses of the ministry , as well as of physicians , and other callings . but if he will usurp the ministry in the parts aforesaid , or take those parts out of the ministers hand , and as uzziah burn incense : if he will chuse for the minister what text still to preach on , and what words in preaching and prayer still to say ; and bid him instruct , reprove , comfort , direct , baptise , absolve no man but such as are named to him by the king , nor in any words but such as he prescribeth ; this being , 1. a destroying of an office of christ's institution . 2. and an usurping of it without christ's consent ; such laws oblige not , but are null as to conscience , for want of true authority in the makers : as the sentence of a judge in foro alieno , or in a circuit , city , or corporation , where the power is appropriated to others . 2. and if a prince , or inferiour ruler , who hath power to determine circumstantials about the callings of his subjects , shall so determine them as shall overthrow the very end and work it self , in a calling which god by nature , or scripture , hath made necessary ; this determination bindeth not , it being an act without authority : for it is as true of magistracy , as of paul ' s apostleship , we have this power for edification , and not for destruction , 2 cor. 10. 8. & 13. 10. eph. 4. 12. 2. cor. 12. 19. 1 cor. 14. 5. 12. 26. it is the pernicious errour of some papists , to dream that their pope and church hath a power of obligatory judging in matters of faith and practice , in partem utramlibet ; and in this wicked supposition they cant over and over to the ignorant , who shall be judge . to which we say , that publick judgment belongeth to publick persons ; that is , to the magistrate [ who shall have civil communion ] ( even on religious accounts , ) and to the pastors [ who shall have church-communion ; ] and private judgment ( discerning each mans duty ) belongs to every rational man. but all men are subjects of god , and their judging power is limited by his laws . if the question be , whether there be a god , a christ , a scripture , a heaven , an immortality of souls , &c. kings , and pastors , and councils may , and must judge that there is ; but none of them may judge that there is not ; if they do , it 's worse than null : and in practicals , if the question be , whether we may , or must pray for the hallowing of god's name , the coming of his kingdom , the doing of his will on earth as it is done in heaven ; or whether we must love and worship god , and hear him , and meditate on his word ; and whether true ministers of christ may , or must preach in season and out of season ; and seek to instruct and save mens souls ; whether we must honour our parents , relieve the poor , and save mens lives , in danger , from murderers , &c. they have authority to judge affirmatively , but none at all to judge negatively ; which if they do , it 's worse than null . so kings and pastors have power to judge that we may not take god's name in vain , nor be perjured , nor prophane his separated day , nor forsake the assembling of our selves for his publick worship , nor murder , nor commit adultery , nor steal , nor lye , or bear false witness , nor persecute , nor hurt any man injuriously ; but they have no power to judge that we may do any one of these : and if they so judge , or command , it is a nulli 〈◊〉 y to the subject , and worse to themselves . god hath made no men absolute judges , but given them a regulating and limiting law to judge by . even so those rulers who have power to judge and command some circumstances of divine worship , they have it but as a means of promoting that worship , and its ends , by the means of edifying-order ; and they have no power to destroy the worship , or its ends. for instance , whoever hath power to determine of the place of publick worship , hath that power for the worship , and worshippers sake ; and is to be obeyed when he doth it accordingly . but if he command a thousand persons to meet no where but in a room that will not hold two hundred , or three hundred ; or fifty thousand persons to meet no where but in one temple , where above three thousand cannot hear ; this is , on pretense of ordering and placing god's worship , to forbid it to all the rest ; for which god never gave him power : so also it is , if he command them to meet no where but forty , or thirty , or twenty miles off from their habitation , or where they cannot go without destroying the work and end. so whoever hath power to chuse the day , or the hours of god's publick worship , hath this power for the work sake , and the peoples edification ; and is to be obeyed when his commands are answerable . but if he should command men to worship god only once a year , or once a month ; or to do it only at mid-night , and so destroy the work by ill-timing it ; this is a nullity , as being an act without authority , and worse , as against the laws of god. so whoever it be that hath power to appoint pastors and teachers to the churches or publick assemblies , if they should , as constantius and valens , send arrians to be bishops , or any other intollerable persons , who through utter insufficiency , heresie , or malignity are uncapable , and will do more hurt than good ; or if they would limit the churches , or countries , to an utterly incompetent number , and say , no other shall preach , but such uncapable persons ; or no more than one to fifty thousand souls , or where ten or twenty are necessary ; this is to forbid preaching , or corrupt it , and destroy mens souls on pretense of order : and it is a nullity , and worse . so if the same rulers should say , that , you shall preach only in country villages , but not within many miles of cities , or corporations , which truly and notoriously want your preaching ; this were but to forbid such cities , and corporations , to hear the necessary preaching of the gospel , and the ministers to preach it ; and is a nullity and worse , as being both without any authority from god , and against his laws . 3. but if true rightful governours , who have power to determine circumstantials , civil , or religious , shall mis-determine them ; yet so as not to destroy the work , or end , nor put subjects on the breaking of any law of god ; here their fault will not disoblige us from the duty of obeying . though it be a sinful mistake of theirs , we may be yet obliged to do what they command us . for instance , the ruler chuseth a place less convenient , that hath no seats , or an ill access , yet capable of the assembly ; he chuseth a less convenient hour of the day ; he placeth the pulpit in a les 〈◊〉 convenient place ; he appointeth a tollerable , but not the best translation of the scripture , and metre of the psalms , or tunes , to be used ; he appointeth a bible of a worser print ; and ( supposing him authorized to chuse the preacher ) he appointeth not the best , or fittest preacher which might be had : and whether it be the present pastor , or any other ( we now dispute not that ) who hath authority to chuse chapters , and texts , and word the sermons and prayers , if he chuse a less convenient chapter , text , or subject , and less convenient method and words in preaching and prayer ; all this is his infirmity and fault , but yet the people must not refuse the thing so commanded : not that we must obey it sub ratione ma●● , as ill chosen and inconvenient , but [ though it be such ; ] not qua but quod inconveniens . and the reasons are , 1. an inconvenient ill-chosen place , time , text , translation , metre , tune , &c. may be good as a means of union and concord in the worship , which without that would not be had ; and that union and concord is a duty : therefore so is the necessary means , though it be not the best that could be chosen . if the people will not join with that translation , metre , tune , subject , place , time , which the minister useth , or chuseth , they cannot join with him in the worship . were there no interposition of authority , but mens consent , if a thousand of the people are for a less convenient means , ( time , place , &c. ) and a small part for a more convenient , they cannot concur but in some agreement : and if the mistaken part will not yield to the other , when unity is necessary , for that unity sake the rest must yield to them . 2. the less convenient way may accidentally become a means to avoid persecution , and the loss of all their liberty and publick advantages ; and they that refuse that may be deprived of all the rest . and it 's better worship god , e. g. at an inconvenient time , place , &c. than not at all . 3. the general obligation to obey our governours , is not nullified by every mistake in the law or determination : for all mankind being imperfect , it is supposed that all government by man is imperfect : if we should forbear praying till we can pray without all sin , we should never pray ; and if we should forbear obeying till rulers commands be perfect , or blameless , we should never obey : there is some fault in every translation of the bible , every version of the psalms , every sermon and prayer , that we hear , or make ; and in every book that we write , and read. if no parent , teacher , master , prince , oblige us , but only by such laws and mandates as have no 〈◊〉 ault , all government and obedience is null , or at an end. obj. no man is bound to that which is evil . answ . 1. it may be evil in the commander , and good in the obeyer : not that the same thing is good to one , and ill to the other ( though in other instances that often fall out ; ) for it is not the same thing : to command an inconnveient time , place , translation , tune , &c. is one action , and to obey that command is another . 2. we obey it not as evil , but as good : the inconvenient time , place , &c. is not good as inconvenient , but as a means of order and concord , and so we use it . and the general nature of obedience is good ; and if we must do no good , which we cannot do without some adherent evil , we must never pray , preach , eat , drink , or trade more . pr. 5. if a ruler go beyond ( and so without ) his authority , yet in several cases we may be bound to do what he commandeth , as such . for instance , in case the thing be in it self good , or at least indifferent and lawful ; and the honour of the ruler , or the peace of the society dependeth on our material obeying him : it is our duty to honour the king , and our parents and pastors , and to avoid all things that will dishonour them ; or that will encourage others in disobedience , or disorder the society . if therefore it were granted to be the pastors duty , and not the kings , toword our prayers and sermons , and chuse translations , chapters , metres , tunes , &c. yet if the king do it , though beyond his calling ; that is , if he appoint us what chapter to read every day in publick , and command some prayers to be read , and some homilies , or printed sermons to be sometime read , which are all good and lawful in themselves , not destroying the office of the ministry ; and if by him , or the people , it be taken for contempt , and a dishonouring him , to disobey him , the general command of honouring the king , will here oblige us to the commanded action . and if the question be , whether this be formal obedience , or only material ? we answer , 1. it is but material and not formal obedience , de specie , properly as it is to a command that is without authority to that thing . but , 2. it partaketh of formal obedience as to the genu , in as much as we do it for the honour of a ruler , and because it is his command who hath authority to govern us , though not to do it by this mistaken action . pr. 6. if a rightful ruler should go quite beyond the bounds of his authority , so far as that his command did not at all bind us , yet would it not make an indifferent thing become unlawful , meerly because he doth command it ; what ever any other accident may do . proved , 1. because there is no force in the inference , [ it is commanded , ergo , it is unlawful . ] 2. though his act be culpable and without true power , yet he is no usurper whom we are obliged to disown ; and all true governours have their faults . 3. the thing may be good , and so a duty on other accidental reasons , viz. 1. as a means of concord : 2. of pleasing others to their edification : 3. of honouring superiours : 4. of obtaining liberty , and avoiding mischief ; and as such , though not as an act of obedience , may be a duty . 4. else it would be in the power of ill-minded rulers , to make all indifferent lawful things to be sin or unlawful to us , by commanding them ; and so to deprive us craftily of all our liberty , and make us slaves . if rulers forbidding them , make not all things indifferent sinful ( which many say ) much less their commanding them ; else they might command instead of forbidding , and do the same thing . we do believe that there may be found some persons in the world of such weak understandings , and unruly spirits , as to think that it is a sinful betraying of their liberty , to do a thing antecedently indifferent , when it is commanded them . were we acquainted with such a one , we might ask him , 1. at what age he would have mankind begin the practice of this principle ? infants cannot learn it . if before they can feed themselves , they should refuse meat at the hour when it is offered them by the mother , because that hour was antecedently indifferent ; yea , if children or servants refuse their set meals on that account , it were just if hunger teach them more wit and obedience . if children will think they betray their liberties , if they learn that catechism , or words of prayer which the parents teach them , ( even set forms , ) or if they will not read , hear , or learn , or pray at the hour appointed by their parents , because it was antecedently indifferent ; or if they will not go to the church at the hour set them by the minister , because it was before a time indifferent , how should they be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the lord ? 2. we would ask such a one , whether this be an obeying of that command , col. 3. 20. 22. [ children obey your parents in all things , for this is well-pleasing to the lord : servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh ? are things lawful none of the [ all things ? ] 3. if obedience must be only to things antecedently necessary , may not the child in such expect obedience from the father , in some sort , as well as the father from the child ? we mean material obedience , that the thing be done . 4. we hope they will not say the same to god , that they will obey him in nothing antecedently indifferent : and that is , because the very nature of obedience is contrary . and if so , is it no subordinate obedience that is due to parents and other superiors ? government , as such , can make that a duty which antecedently was none , ( or else all children and servants live in constant sin : ) therefore obedience , as such , consisteth in obeying such government . for though the chief work of all rulers , is to urge the observation of gods own laws , yet their secondary work is ( as corporations have by-laws about particulars , under the universal laws of the kingdom , so ) to determine of subservient particulars . and if their principle practised in families and schools , would overthrow all family and school order and obedience , and utterly subvert the education of mankind ; let them consider why it should be brought into kingdoms , cities , or churches . 5. and we would ask them , whether they live not themselves in the practice of the contrary ? do not all sects , even quakers , meet at the place and time which their leaders do appoint them ? do they not hear the words which the leader chuseth for their ears ? do they not command their own servants and children things or circumstances antecedently indifferent ? did we hold such principles , we should have less reason to lament the sin of those who have of late written accusations against us , as subverters of government , order , and obedience : and if any one can find any word of such importance , in any one called a meer non-conformist ( which we know not of , ) we have no more to do with it , than the church of england hath with words of untruth , cal 〈◊〉 mny , errour , or non-sense , which we read in the books , or hear in the words of any conformists : ( of which we are not willing to imitate such as gather catalogues or dunghills of them : ) and the rather because , 1. we licensed not such books : 2. nor ordained such to the sacred ministry : 3. nor have the government of them ; and therefore are not responsible for them . as for those men that have perswaded the ignorant in print , that we hold the things , to which we deny conformity , to be indifferent or lawful , and avoid them only as inconvenient or offensive to the weak ; and that some of us were forced at the savoy to assert , that , nothing may be commanded by authority which may by accident become unlawful to the subject , ( or become his sin by abuse ▪ ) it is a subject of which we shall here say no more , but that , we will not here do so great a dishonour to the authors , as some of them have done to themselves , that is , to tell the world their names ; the rest that concealed them , had more tenderness it seems of their reputation than of their consciences : what sort of men believe them , it is easie to conjecture : it is no fault of the earth to bear them , nor of the sun to shine upon the writers or the believers ; and we hope it is none in us to hear and bear the calumny , nor ( in our circumstances ) that we have not farther provoked them , by answering for our selves . we must lament the temptations and dangers of the age , and the sinful alienation of minds , divisions and distractions , which incendiaries have caused , and still cause . but for our selves , we do with peace read and remember , luke 8. 17. nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest , neither any thing hid , that shall not be known and come abroad . jam. 5. 7 , 8. be patient , brethren , to the coming of the lord — stablish your hearts , for the coming of the lord draweth nigh . matth. 5. 11 , 12. blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you , and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly , or my sa 〈◊〉 e : rejoice and be exceeding glad , &c. psal . 37. 13. the lord shall laugh at him ; for he seeth that his day is coming . psal . 146. 4. his breath goeth forth , he returneth to his earth : in that very day his thoughts perish . luke 23. 34. father forgive them , for they know not what they do . finis . the judgment of non-conformists of things sinful by accident , and of scandal . published to save mens souls from the guilt of believing those men who tell them , that the non-conformists asserted , that , [ whatever may be the occasion of sin to any must be taken away ; or that , nothing may be imposed which men may take scandal at , or by accident turn to sin. ] and to help those to repentance , who have polluted their souls with falshood and uncharitableness by believing them , and seconding their reports . printed in the year , 1676. the judgment of non-conformists of things sinful by accident , and of scandal . could we but have prevailed with men of confused conceptions , and consounding pra●●●s , to have been reconciled to distinctness and 〈◊〉 engruity of speech ; or at least , with men of has 〈◊〉 e , temer 〈◊〉 ty , and 〈◊〉 assion , to have endured it , and patiently heard us distinctly tell them what we hold , we might have spared this trouble to the reader and our selves . those that cannot bear d 〈◊〉 stinct explication , but in the dungeon of confusion still deride or r 〈◊〉 ge at the light , which rendering things intelligible , doth open the unloveliness of ignorance , and the errour and sin which are its progeny , are not the reader 〈◊〉 for whom this is published ; but such as have retained so much of humane nature , as to love the light , and be willing to know the truth , and to be patient of a little sober consideration that they may know it . that we may make the matter in question intelligible , we must open the nature of morality , and so of moral evil ( or sin , ) and what it is to be evil by accident ; and what accidents make a thing unlawful to be commanded , and what not ; and what scandal is , and how far to be avoided ; which we shall do in these propositions following . prop. 1. morality is either regulans , or regulata , ( mensurans , or mensurata : ) the first is radically in god's own mind and will , and is called by many lex aeterna ; and it is signally , and expressively in gods laws ; and subord 〈◊〉 nately in man's laws , as they are a rule to subjects : of these we are not now to speak ; that is , not of the holiness of god or his laws , nor of man's , as they are truly a rule to subjects . morality as regulated is subjected in the minds and actions of the creature ; specially in the will , and in our actions , as voluntary ; and so even the laws of men , as those men are god's subjects , and their laws are actions good or evil , as regulated by god's superiour laws , are the subjects of the morality now in question . prop. 2. this morality in man's will and actions is nothing else , formally , but their relation of conformity or disconformity to god's law , as their rule ; ( and subordinately to subordinate rules ; ) and materially to the end and o 〈◊〉 jects . prop. 3. how far this moral relation is immediately founded in a physical relation , which is before it in order of nature , viz. in the said relation of the will and action to the end and object as such , antecedently to the relation to the commanding or forbidding law , we would willingly open , were it not lest we seem , with men that love not much distinction , to justifie or excuse them that censure us as guilty of excess herein ; and we may do what is now necessary to be done without it . prop. 4. no being as such , no substance as such , no habit as a habit , no act as an act , is morally good or evil : for so they are but quid naturale ; and god doth not command and forbid natural beings as such . prop. 5. all moral good and evil is subjected in natural beings , or privations , but not immediately as such ; but as modified , circumstantiated , and related . prop. 6. good and evil make up all morality ; there is no third species : there are many things that are indifferent as to morality ; that is , neither morally good , nor morally evil ; but there is nothing moral-indifferent : meer natural beings and acts are indifferent as to morality ; that is , they are not moral : but whatever is moral , is morally good or evil , and not indifferent . prop. 7. the subject and quid absolutum fundamentale , of all moral good , is , quid positivum , or a real being ; but the form of moral evil is ever found indeed in a real subject , but not always in a real fundamentum . for it is ( oft at least ) in total omissions and privations of the act , and in privations of some modal or accidental qualification , or rectitude . prop. 8. yet the formal relations of moral good and evil , are both tru 〈◊〉 relations ; even dis-conformity as well as conformity , ( as curv 〈◊〉 tude and dis-similitude are , as well as rectitude and similitude : ) and a meer negative is neither good nor evil , e. g. negative non-conformity , which is not privative dis-conformity , is no sin ; because there being not the debitum inessendi , the non-inesse is inculpable . it seemeth indeed to some learned men , that non agere may be moral good ; e. g. non odisse deum , au 〈◊〉 proximum , non ment 〈◊〉 ri , not to murder , steal , &c. and it 's true , that the 〈◊〉 is the thing remotely commanded , or , loco materie 〈◊〉 ; but the thing imm●●●ately commanded , is the 〈◊〉 agere : the will by all these commands is bound posit●●ely to nill the forbidden act , e. g. murder , adultery , lying , &c. to nill them is the prime duty or moral good ( that we say not with ockam , the only ) and not-to-d 〈◊〉 them is the secondary , but that is as they are acts restrained , or forborn , by a commanding will : for a man in infancy , or the womb , or in an apoplexie , or when he is wholly taken up with some other sin , not then to steal , lye , murder , or commit adultery , is not at all a moral good. but a meer incogit●●●y , non agere , non velle , may be a true moral evil : the reason is , because when a right volition is commanded , ( as to love god or man , ) or ●●ight action , ( to do good 〈◊〉 ) not to do it is a breach of the command : and not to will and not to do when we ought is the commonest kind of sinning . prop. 9. right ordered actions , dispositions , and habits then as in , or of the will , directly , and remotely some non agency , are the only things commanded , called morally good ; ( save that eorum gratia the soul and whole man ( or person ) is well and truly called morall 〈◊〉 good : ) and the p 〈◊〉 ivation and i 〈◊〉 ordination of voluntary actions , dispositions , and habits , are the only moral evil ; ( save that the person is also called such eorum gratia . ) prop. 10. an action may be indifferent , or of no morality , as to election , or performance ; and yet to deliberate about that act may be morally good . e. g. i may doubt of two ways which are equal to my end ( as far as can be known by me , ) whether they be so or not ; or which is the better : i may be obliged to deliberate whether they are equal or not , to guide my progress , and end my doubt : and when i have found them equal , i have found that comparatively neither of them is matter of election , as by reason to be preferred to the other : but yet because i must chuse to g 〈◊〉 on , therefore i must take one way and not the other , because i cannot go both : but this is only a chusing to go , and a taking that way , but not a chusing it , which signifieth a rational preferring it . here my deliberation is a moral act , and so is my chusing to go ; but my chusing this way , rather than the other , is none : for upon deliberating i found that neither was eligible , and choice no duty . prop. 11. as the smallness of the least physical being , though undiscernable , proveth it not to be nothing ; so the smallness of any moral good or evil , ( duty or sin ) proveth not that it is no duty , or sin at all . prop. 12. moral good and evil is it self only an accident ; for habits , dispositions , actions , and relations , are accidents ; and privations are either reductively accidents ( as some call them ) or less than accidents , even meer nothings , ( though from a nullity or privation a moral relation truly result on the person . ) prop. 13. therefore when we say that a thing is good or evil by accident , we mean somewhat more than that the good or evil is an accident it self , ( for there is no other : ) we mean that it is something acciding ( or added ) to the former accident or state that maketh it now good or evil. prop. 14. in an action there is considerable , 1. the action as such , or as specified only by the faculty , ( intellection , volition , imagination &c. ) 2. the action as farther specified by the terminating object ; 1. in the first respect , the gradus actus is accidens accident 〈◊〉 : and an act may become good or evil , by such intenseness or remissness as is ordinate or inordinate . and the timing it may do the like : ( as to be thinking when i should sleep . ) 2. in the second respect , an accident supervening or added to the object , is said to make that action good or evil by accident ; that is , by an alteration of the specifying object by some accident . and this is the commonest case , and the sense in which this controversie in hand is most concerned ; which therefore we desire to be most observed . prop. 15. any man therefore that knoweth what true knowledge is , may easily perceive that he that will dispute about bonum vel malum per se & per accidens , if he would not lose his labour , or deceive must use more diligence in explaining these terms , than they do that toss them about unexplained , as if they were sufficiently intelligible of themselves , to such as some use to make the receivers of their cholerick and splenetick evacuations . even bonum & malum per se , is not such ver se qua substantiam , nor per se qua actum , nor per se qua intellectionem , volitionem aut praxin execu ivam ; but per se ut accidens substantiae ( scilicet actum ) circa objectum ( quod est accidens plerumque ) sine altero accidente superaddito . so that the same which now is bonum vel malum per accidens , is called bonum vel malum per se , in respect to a supervenient accident : and excluding all accidents , or all good or evil by accident ; so nothing in the world is bonum or malum morale per se ( except what is anon excepted . e. g. to love is an act ; that act ( as is the habit also ) is an accident : to love a man as godly or wise , or as my king or teacher , is to love him for accidents ; that is , godliness , wisdom , authority , &c. this is bonum per accidens , and yet bonum per se , stating the object thus , without farther accidents . to love him as an enemy , and persecutor , and silencer of godly ministers of christ , is malum per accidens , and yet malum per se , in respect to farther accidents . to love the man is not evil , but to love him for his evil. the exception here is , when we are bound to love the simple essence , as such , abstracting from all accidents : the principal instance is of our love to god , ( of which more anon ; ) because god hath no accidents , and therefore is loved meerly as in his essence : and no doubt but god is to be loved as in his essential perfection . but yet we are nono of those that against pet. hurtado mendez , and other nominals , will undertake to prove , that relations to the creatures ( which are accidents ) do not truly belong to god ; such as that of creator , owner , ruler , benefactor , &c. we leave that task to the thomists ; and to other mens judgements how well they perform it . the next instance is ( our love to man as man , ) and so to other created essences ; which we deny not , but add , 1. that man's relation to god , as he sheweth his maker's perfections is a relation , and that 's it that is to be loved morally in man , at least principally , and never left out : the same we say of other essences . 2. and the wisdom , goodness , and so the moral amiableness of man ( at least the principal ) is it self an accident . the word of god , and the worship of god , are accidents . but yet we say , that the properest notion of bonum per se , is , when we love a thing ( but specially god himself ) as in the simple essence , 〈◊〉 a supervening obliging accident : and of malum per 〈◊〉 , when god's very essence is hated , or not loved : but that any morally hate the very substantial essence of a creature , we leave others to prove . prop. 16. this holdeth about the very negative laws of the decalogue , e. g. to kill a man is in it self no moral evil ; else it were sin to execute malefactors ; and kings , judges , and souldiers were the most criminal sinners : to kill a man authoritatively , that is , a traytor , or murderer , is good ; that is , an act with its due mode and object , which are accidents that make it good . and to kill the innocent , or without authority , is sin by this accident , of an undue mode and object . to take another mans goods or money is not malum per se ; for it may be done as a mulct , or by law on just cause , or for the publick defence by authority , or by his consent : but to take it without consent , right , or authority , is sin by this accident . so also of the seventh commandment . the law forbids the act as clothed with its undue accidents . the names of injustice , coveting , murder , adultery , theft , false-witness , &c. all signifie the acts with the undue prohibited accidents . one of our casuists excepteth only lying , as simply per se evil : but he that lyeth , sinneth not because he speaketh those same words , but because he speaketh words that , in relation to his own mind , and to the matter , and to the hearers understanding , are false and deceitful : and that relative incongruity of the words is the accident that maketh them sinful . prop. 17. man passeth his life among such a multitude of accidents and circumstances , that it is not one , but very many , that every one of our actions is clothed with , or concerned in , which tend to make it good or evil. prop. 18. a chief distinction here to be observed , is between immutable duties , ( supposing our own continued faculties ) and mutable ones ; and those things are principally or eminently called good or evil per se , which are so immutably , and no supervenient accident can ever make them otherwise : and in the most notable sense those things are called good or evil per accidens , which by supervening accidents may be changed from what they were before . pr. 19. that which is thus immutably good per se , is mans duty to god himself immediately , as he is our owner , ruler , benefactor , and end : considering this duty not in this or that time , but in kind , in its season ; and supposing our faculties and con-causes . for if a man should be exercising even love to god when he is bound to sleep for the support of nature , or if a man should love god with so passionate an affection as would distract him , this , as so used , is not good ; but we never knew any in much danger of so over-doing : nor is it a duty for a man in infancy , or an apoplexy , or deep sleep , &c. actually to love , fear , or trust god ; and in other such cases of impossibility . but when possible , or in its season , it is immutably a duty : not so rarely as the jansenist chargeth the jesuite casuists to hold , once in many weeks , or months , or years ; but love constraining us to its holy fruits , must be the very new nature as it were of our souls , and the business of our lives . prop. 20. that which makes this to be bonum per se immutabile , which no accident can alter , is , 1. because the foundations of our obligations are immutable , while our faculties and powers endure ( else they would cease , ) for the de 〈◊〉 itum is a relation resulting from the meer being or position of the humane nature , as related to god : and god will never change : therefore unless man cease to be man , or to be able to act as man , the obligation can by no accident be changed . 2. because it is a duty to the supreme ruler and absolute infinite good ; and therefore the very performance of it is exclusive of all changing accidents : for he that loveth god as a means to his fleshly pleasure and prosperity only , and as less good to him than the world , loveth him not as god : and he that loveth him as god , loveth him as the absolute power , wisdom , and goodness , and therefore exclusively as to all competitors , unless as this love is sinfully defective ; but that accident of defectiveness maketh not our love to god to be a sin , but the defe 〈◊〉 t of it as to degree or frequency of exercise is the sin . 3. and also because that god is the final object , and love the final act ; which together make up the ultimate end of man ( including the vision that kindleth love , and the praise joy , and obedience which express it : ) but though mean 〈◊〉 may be oft changed , and may be too much loved , yet the ultimate end is unchangeable , and cannot be too much loved ( by true mental love , distinct from distracting passions ; ) therefore our obligations to it are according . so that love to god is the most immutable moral good. and the same in their place and time must be said of holy fear , trust , and obedience to god , from which no accident can disoblige us ; no command or prohibition of man ; no suffering of body , or danger of life it self ; much less the allurements of sensual delights . pr. 21. accordingly to hate god , to distrust his known promise , to disobey his known law , to oppose or persecute his known interest in the world , in his word and worship , church and servants , are immutably evil per se ; which no accident can make good or lawful : for the reasons before given . pr. 22. but where the object is mutable , and the circumstances of things which the obligation presupposeth , there the duty or sinfulness is by supervening accidents mutable : even incest , which is a hainous sin , was a duty to adams children , because of accidental difference of the case . the killing of an innocent son , was well consented to by abraham , when the lord of life and of all the world had commanded it ; and that consent was an act of eminent goodness , and accordingly rewarded . the borrowing of the egyptians goods without intent to restore them , and the robbing of them by taking them away , was well done , when the absolute owner of the world had by his precept altered the propriety . thus the altering of the case may alter obligations . pr. 23. but besides the immutable obligations to god himself , there are many instances of our actions towards men , and worldy things , which are ordinarily unchanged ; and only some rare or supernatural declaration of the will of god doth change them : for as god the author and orderer of nature , sheweth us by experience , that he delighteth much in the ordinary constancy of his operations , and rarely changeth the course of nature ; so there is an answerable constancy in the ordinary state and order of things ; and consequently of obligations or duty . and these are the matter of gods common universal laws , which ordinarily oblige all mankind ; these are the matter of the second table of the decalogue ; and are seconds in point of immutable obligation to the first ( mentioned ) sort ( our natural duty to god : ) for though man be mutable , and god immutable , yet god preserveth so much constancy in humane affairs , as is just matter of constant universal laws , ( though they are lyable rarely to dispensations or exceptions . ) and as not murdering , not committing adultery , not stealing , not lying , or false witness bearing are such , so also are the meer positives of the first table , such as are the acts of instituted worship , and the holy observation of the lords day . prop. 24. the cases of mans life , which are more mutable , are the matter of mutable duty and sin , which are most usually called good or evil per accidens , because that mutable accidents , added to the more constant accidents , make them such by change . and so it is greatly to be noted , that the act which is a duty to one man , in one place , at one time , &c. may be a sin to another man , or at another time , place , &c. and that new accidents may again come in , and make that action , that was a sin , to become again a duty : and more new accidents may make it a sin again ; and so over and over : even as when you are weighing in the ballance , one grain may turn the scales the other way , and two more in the other end may turn them back again ; and three more in the other end may yet return them , and so on many times over and over . for instance , suppose an honest man cannot pray without some unseemly faults in utterance ; in secret it is his duty to pray vocally if that most profit and affect his heart ; if an exceptious person be known to over-hear him , it may be a sin to do it audibly : if his family be capable of bearing it , it is his duty to do it as he can : if strangers come in that would by scorn make it do more hurt than good , he may be bound to forbear till they are gone : when they are gone it is his duty again : a fire breaketh out , or one falleth into a swound , and it is his duty to forbear : when that is over , it may be his duty again , &c. pr. 25. two sorts therefore sin against god , that would tye men to do the very same things , of such a mutable nature , without excepting the mutation of accidents : 1. those that will tye them to it by peremptory laws : 2. those that will censoriously reproach or condemn them as sinners , that do not do just as they do , when the circumstances alter the case : many are so guilty who complain of other mens impositions . pr. 26. hence it is evident , that prudence , discerning how the alteration of accidents alter our obligations , is a very needful thing to christians , for the same guidance of their hearts and lives : and as men picture justice as holding the ballance , so should christian prudence be thought on , even as judging of good and evil with the ballance in our hand , and putting every grain of considerable accidents into each end : and much errour , censoriousness , disorder , and other sin is in the world , by ignorant mens judging of things by some mistaken word of scripture , without prudent weighing of circumstances , and discerning which preponderateth : there were circumstances in which paul would shave his head , and circumcise timothy , and become a jew to the jews ; and there were circumstances in which he saith , if ye be circumcised christ shall profit you nothing : stand fast in the liberty with which christ hath made you free . pr. 27. hence the common people , who cannot be expected to have a sufficient measure of such ponderating prudence , do need spiritual guides ; who should be good casuists , and endowed with so much accurateness of sapience , and prudence , as to be able to examine all the circumstances of actions , ( as physicians must do about their patients case ) and to see when one grain or accident doth indeed determine them to be good or evil . pr. 28. and the laws of just governours being made by men that must be presumed to be wiser than the ordinary subjects , in the matters which belong to their own office ; as also the decision of a spiritual casuist and pastor ; if either of them be put into a ballance that before stood equal , are an additional accident which must turn the s 〈◊〉 ales : supposing that the former equality , or suspense , was not from the persons sinful ignorance , or negligence . prop. 29. but in such variety of cases and intricate difficulties , god doth not lay our safety , peace , and comfort , upon such degrees of accurateness and prudence as we cannot attain , though truly willing and faithfully endeavouring it by sincere diligence : nor is god pleased that men be over scrupulous , or over solicitous , about lesser doubtful circumstances ; that is , that we neglect the duty it self , or too much delay it , or live in self-distracting uncomfortable despondencies ; making god's service burdensome and grievous to us , either by an over troublesome and tedious care of some less accident , or because we can do the work no more exactly : like a servant that instead of his days work and journey , would sit down and spend half the day in crying because he can do no better , or in curious enquiries about lesser circumstances : but god would have us upon our sincere willingness , and a proportionable fidelity in enquiry , to do his service chearfully as well as we can ; and to go on as believing that we have a merciful god , a sufficient and a pardoning covenant , and expect with joy his acceptance of our sincerity . pr. 30. he that would tell rulers that they may lawfully command every thing which is not evil in the physical action , considered without its accidents ; or that is not evil in the first accidents or circumstances that cloth it , will teach them to cast off religion and common honesty and justice , and to own more iniquity than ever mahomet , or any false prophet to our knowledge , hath defended , and such as satan himself hath confessed to be evil . pr. 31. no man may command others any action , which is by accident unlawful to be commanded : for it is sin , if sin by accident . ) but rulers may command many things , which the subject may by accident make sinful for himself to do , ( as shall be shewed . ) pr. 32. for there are some accidents rendring the act sinful , which a ruler may and ought to make provision against , or prevent : and there are some which he neither can prevent , nor is bound therefore to forbear or change his law. for instance , pr. 33. no man is bound to forbear a law or practice , which is commanded of god , or is necessary to a greater good , ( as gods glory , the publick safety , the salvation of many , or himself , &c. ) lest some man should turn it to his own sin and ruine : gods laws must not be broken , nor the publick welfare hazarded , to save a particular person from himself , and from his sinful inclinations to ill doing . pr. 34. as to a circumstance that is indifferent antecedently to further accidents , and if it be determined one way will do accidentally a great deal of good and a little hurt ; and if the other way , it will do a little good and a great deal of hurt ; the ruler , if he foresee it , must determine it the first way , notwithstanding the accidental hurt ( whether sin or suffering ) which will follow . because a greater hurt is more carefully to be avoided than a less , and a greater good more carefully to be endeavoured than a less : e. g. if the army be appointed to meet at such a day and place , some few souldiers ( one of a thousand ) will mutiny and not appear : if at another time and place , most of them will mutiny . or if a congregation be appointed to meet at such an hour and place for 〈◊〉 ods worship , and join with such a worthy teacher , one of an hundred will schismatically separate : if in another place , at another hour , with another worthy teacher , an hundred to one will separate . here the ruler must first avoid the greater evil that by accident will follow . if one pe 〈◊〉 vish hearer will sinfully separate if the preacher use sermon notes , or if he use such a translation , such a metre , such tunes of psalms , if he pray freely without a form , or if he use the same words often as a form ; and it an hundred to one are for the contrary , and would separate if he did otherwise , the greater evil by accident must be avoided before the less . pr. 35. so much are wicked men inclined to turn all things into sin , that it is not possible to command any thing so good , which bad men may not make a sinful use of : sin taketh occasion of god's own commandments , ro. 7. 8. pr. 36. no ruler is bound to suspect and prevent such unusual dangers of mens sin , or ruine , as fall out beyond all rational fore-sight or expectation , of whose probable event , or possible at least , there was no just evidence . pr. 37. caeteris paribus , an equal certain hurt must rather be avoided , than an equal uncertain hurt , much more an improbable one . pr. 38. the equal danger of a more publick worthy person is to be avoided more than the danger of a private , or less worthy person . and so in other instances : rulers must weigh all discernable accidents , and prudently pr 〈◊〉 fer the greatest good , and most avoid the greatest evil. pr. 39. seeing it is accidents that make most actions good or evil , it is the office , skill , and honour of rulers to avoid as many ill accidents , and prevent as many sins by accident , as is possible : and as the multitude of his patients funerals is the physicians dishonour , and the multitude of cures is his honour ; so is it to the ruler ( allowing necessary disparities ) as to mens sins by accidents . pr. 40. if good as good be amiable , then the greatest good as such is most amiable , and to be preferrd before the less : and when the difference is known , or such as rulers are obliged to know , the less cannot be preferred without sin ; and such as is against the very nature of goodness , and of man's will. it is not therefore a thing indifferent , nor the matter of god's counsel , which is no law. pr. 41. but to know of several goods which is most eligible , or the greatest , is a matter of great difficulty in many instances , in which consisteth no small part of the christian wisdom , work , and life . the rules of such discerning are elsewhere laid down , by such as have written on that subject ; see christian direct . p. 137. &c. pr. 42. a good that in it self is lesser may be the matter of a greater duty , pro hic & nunc , because the greater may have another season when the lesser cannot : e. g. to save a soul , or to build a church may be a better work than to quench the fire in an house : and yet for that time the quenching of the fire may be the greater duty , because it can be done no other time , when the other may ; and so both done in their several seasons are better than one alone . pr. 43. a greater good may be no duty to him that is not called to do it ; as preaching to a woman , or unable lay-man : to rule well as a king is a greater good than private business ; and yet private men must not usurp it , but let it alone as no work of theirs . the subject must not take up the rulers work , nor the child the fathers , nor the wife the husbands , nor the scholar the teachers , because it is better . pr. 44. a rulers command will not justifie all scandal given by the act commanded , nor make that act lawful : nor will all scandal , that we foreknow will thence be taken , excuse us from obeying the rulers command in the offending act. it is therefore a matter of great difficulty and prudence sometimes to discern , whether the rulers command , or the scandalousness , or accidental hurtfulness of the act , put into the counterballance , do weigh down the other . pr. 45. if governours determine circumstances antecedently indifferent , ( as the place and hour of assemblies , &c. ) that way which some will be scandalized at , and turn to their sin and hurt , when they might have avoided this occasion of their sin , by another way , without any , or so great a hurt ; this is the governours sin so to mis-do : but it may , notwithstanding , be a duty in the subject to obey that determination ; because , 1. it is a command of a ruler in his place : 2. the thing is supposed not only lawful , but such as doth more good for concord , as it is a determination of authority , than it doth hurt by mens mistake : ( of which we have spoken in another paper . ) as , e. g. some are so offended at the old metre of our singing psalms , that they will separate from the worship on that account : suppose that the magistrate , and pastors , will use them and no other : if they sin in chusing no better , and if my using them be offensive to them that separate , yet is it my duty and the rest of the peoples to obey the magistrate and pastor , and joyn with the church in using them , rather than separate as others do ( for many reasons . ) pr. 46. of the nature , kinds , causes , and cure of scandal given and taken , one of us hath written so much ( christian directory , tom. 4. p. 80. &c. ) as may excuse the omission of the same in this writing . but we must still desire the reader to note , that the word [ scandal ] is among us variously used : 1. sometime by the vulgar for meer displeasing or grieving another , especially in matters of religion : 2. sometime for [ a seeming sinfulness : ] so a scandal is said to be raised of a man when he is ( truly or falsly ) accused of sin , especially a disgraceful sin : and a man is called scandalous , and scandalized , when others ( justly or unjustly ) report him to be a disgraceful sinner ; and he is called a scandal in the place where he liveth for that infamy : 3. the use of the word in the gospel is , for any thing that is a snare or trap or stumbling-block to others , to keep or hinder them by temptation , from faith , repentance , holiness , or salvation . pr. 47. love kindled by faith , and faith kindling love , and love working in the order of obedience , is the sum of all our duty , or religion . to love our neighbours as our selves , and exercise love in doing good to all as we are able , is indispensible duty : ( we speak of natural and moral-legal power conjunct : illu 〈◊〉 possumus quod & animae corporisque viribus , & jure possumus : ) seeing then that love is the fulfilling of god's law , no rulers law can disoblige us from it ; no , not to our very enemies : nor are they disobliged themselves . pr. 48. he breaketh the sixth command [ thou shalt not murder ] who doth not do his best to save his neighbours life in danger : much more if he voluntarily and unnecessarily do that , which he knew , or ought to know , would be the occasion and means abused to effect it . he that oweth maintenance to another , and denyeth it him , is guilty of his suffering though he take nothing from him : e. g. he that provideth not food for the life of his child , and famisheth him by such omission : he that suffereth his neighbour to famish when he might relieve him : yea , or his enemy , except when in wars , or a course of justice , he may take away his life . he that seeth his neighbour in fire , or water , or among thieves , and could save him by lawful means , and doth not , is guilty of his blood. so is he that seeth his neighbour in drunkenness , folly , or passion , making away himself , and doth not save him from himself , if he can . much more is be guilty of murder , who wilfully selleth poyson to him , who he knoweth doth intend to kill his neighbour , or himself ; much more his prince with it : and if we have any casuists more loose than the jesuites accused by montaltus , who will justifie this , because that selling arsenick , &c. is lawful per se , and unlawful only per accidens , ye we suppose that the judges would be stricter casuists , in judging him to punishment that sinned thus per accidens : and as gods laws reaching the conscience are stricter in such things than mans , so should the expositors of them be than the judges . and we hope that our casuists will never see a law so made , that shall command ( or tolerate ) all apothecaries to sell poyson to those that they know mean to use it to treason , or murder ; and shall say , you are not bound to neglect your trade , your right , or liberty , to prevent another mans sin , and abusing it to his own , or others hurt : our law-makers will never say , we may command this , because it is sin but per accidens : when interest is against their errour , who by interest were led into it , it will then be easie to see the evil of such commanding ( yea , or conniving at ) sin per accidens . till then it is hard curing them , whom mistaken interest blindeth , of the most inhumane errour . pr. 49. we therefore who are called non-con 〈◊〉 ormists , ( and puritans , by men whose interest dictateth reproaches ) do now confess , that , whereas we once hoped that we had differed but in lesser things from our accusers , we do find our selves so far mistaken , as that some of them , who have thought it worth their labour to write vehemently for our reproach and increased sufferings , do differ from us in the vitals of our religion , even of our belief , our love , and practice . we mean such as hold [ that all the obligations of scandal proceed purely from that extraordinary height of charity , and tenderness of good nature , that is so signally recommended in the gospel : — but if it proceed from humour , or pride , or wilfulness , or any other vitious principle , then is the man to be treated as a peevish and stubborn person ; and no man is bound to part with his own freedom , because his neighbour is froward and humorous : and if he be resolved to fall , there is no reason i should forego the use of my liberty , because he is resolved to make that his stumbling-block . ecclesiast . polit. page 231. ] because this is contrary to that very religion in which only we hope for salvation , we take the boldness to put these few questions to them who thus judge . q. 1. is not love the fulfilling of the law , and the end of the gospel , and faith working by love , the sum of christian religion ? doth not the law of nature oblige us to love our neighbour as our selves ? q. 2. doth not god beneficently love his enemies ; even the sinful , the humorous , the proud , and the peevish ? did not christ come to seek and save them ? is there not joy in heaven for their repentance ? doth not god welcome such prodigals when they return , luke 16. and call , invite , and intreat them to return ? q. 3. are we not commanded to be merciful as our heavenly father is merciful ; and to love even our enemies , and pray for persecutors , that we may be like him ? and is not this a natural common duty ? q. 4. hath not god sent out his ministers to preach home such sinners ; and commanded them to do it instantly , in season and out of season , reproving and exhorting , and with meekness , to instruct opposers , if god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth ? and must we not labour hard , and suffer much , for to win such souls ? q. 5. should not every thing be valued according to its worth ? and are not the souls of such as you call humorous , peevish , or wilful , worth more than some of that which you call your liberty ? are they not worth more than a pipe of tobacco , or a cup of sack , or a stage-play , or a needless ceremony ; which you account part of your liberty ? would you deny none of these to save many souls ? q. 6. would you not deny your liberty in a cup of drink , or a pipe of tobacco , to save the life of one that in humour would destroy himself ? or his house , who would set it on fire ? q. 7. if not , doth this religion of yours much commend it self to the nature of mankind ? or is he that writeth this fit to report us of the other mind , unfit for subjection , or humane society ? can christians be of your religion ? q. 8. are not souls more worth than bodies ? and should not the soul of a sinner be as compassionately saved by us as his body , as far as we are able , and at as dear a rate ? q ▪ 9. is that man like to profit his hearers , or be taken for a faithful pastor , or an honour to the church of england , who would tell them , [ i would not forsake a pipe of tobacco , or a lawful sport or jeast , to save any of your souls , who are vitious , humourous , or peevish ? ] q. 10. doth not this doleful doctrine tell men consequently , that they should seek to save the soul of no sinner in the world ? for if you , 1. except all that have humour , pride , wilfulness , or any other vitious principle ; 2. and that but so far prevalent as to be resolved to make a stumbling-block of some liberty of anothers : what sinner almost is not here excluded from your charity ? who is it that hath not as great sin as some humorous , or peevish stumbling at some lawful thing ? or who is it that hath no pride , no peevishness , no humorousness , or at least that hath no vitious principle at all ? is not that man perfectly holy ? 3. and if to save such an one you would not so much as deny any of your liberty for him , what would you do for him at all ? who can expect that you should bestow any great labour or c 〈◊〉 st to do good , or save a sinner , that would not lose a cup of sack to save him ? q. 11. do you not thus reproach christ , that set a higher price on souls , when you value them not at the price of a cup of drink ? would you have it believed that they are purchased by his blood ? q ▪ 12. would you have god care no more for your soul , and value it at no higher a rate ? doth he believe the immortality of souls who will say so ? q. 13. should god give such a law to all his creatures , for their acting towards your self and one another ; q. 〈◊〉 . [ d 〈◊〉 ny not so much as a lawful jeast , or sport , or ceremony , to win and save any one in the world , that out of any vitous principle will stumble at your liberty ; ] what family , or common-wealth , could subsist under such an inhumane privation of love ? q. 14. if you loved your neighbour as your self , and did as you would have others do to you , would you deny no lawful thing to save his soul , though he had some vitious principle ? q. 15. what will people say of such men as you , if you shall ever preach for love and good works , and would make people believe that its you that are for them , and we against them ; when they compare this doctrine with your words ? q. 16. why do such men call us puritans , as if we succeeded the old catharists ( or perfectionists ) and the novatians , when we are so far from so vilifying sinners that have a vitious principle , and sin against some lawful thing , by taking it for unlawful , that we know none in the world that hath no vitious principle , and is not to be helped at a dearer rate ? and seeing we find such real difference in our very religion it self , from such as this , we cannot wonder if men of such principles use us and the nation no better than they do : but we crave their solid resolving of these doubts , if they will lose so much of their ease and liberty , for the convincing of persons judged so unworthy . pr. 50. for our parts we must profess , that we take it to be our duty not only to deny a lawful thing , or our liberty therein , for the saving of souls that have vitious principles and humours , but to bestow our labours , and endure poverty , reproach , persecution , imprisonment , and , when god calls us to it , death it self , to serve christ in the saving of such souls . pr. 51. we suppose that christ and his apostles were of the same mind , when christ would have a right hand or a right eye rather lost , than the soul should be hazarded by the scandal or temptation of it . and when he would pay caesar tribute when he was free , rather than o●●end men . and when he so dreadfully speaketh of them that offend or scandalize one of the little ones , even weak believers , as that it were better for them that a milstone were hanged on their necks , and they were cast into the sea : mat. 5. and 18. 8. mar. 9. 42 , 43. mat. 17. 27. and 18. 6. rom. 14. 13 , 14 , &c. this was s. paul ' s judgment , [ let us not judge one another any more , but judge this rather , that no man put a stumbling block , or an occasion to fall , in his brothers way . i know , and am perswaded by the lord jesus , that there is nothing unclean of it self ; but to him that esteemeth any thing unclean , to him it is unclean . but if thy brother be grieved with thy meat , now walkest thou not charitably : destroy not him with thy meat for whom christ dyed : let not your good be evil spoken of : for the kingdom of god is not meat and drink , but righteousness and peace and joy in the holy ghost : for he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and approved of men : let us therefore follow after the things that make for peace , and things wherewith one may edifie another . for meat destroy not the work of god : all things indeed are pure ; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence . it is good neither to eat flesh , nor drink wine , nor that whereby thy brother stumbleth , or is offended , or made weak . hast thou faith ? have it to thy self before god : happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth : and he that doubteth is damned if he eat , because it s not of faith : for whatsoever is not of faith is sin . this was paul ' s doctrine then , even to all the church of rome . so on , rom. 15. 1 , &c. we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak , and not to please our selves . let every one of us please his neighbour for his good , to edification : for even christ pleased not himself . — now the god of patience and consolation , grant you to be like minded one towards another , according to christ jesus . so 1 cor. 8. 9. but take 〈◊〉 eed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak . — 13. wherefore if meat make my brother to offend , i will eat no flesh while the world standeth , lest i make my brother to o●●end . ] remember that he that spake this had as great church-authority as any bishop , and spake this as an apostlers and not as a meer private man. pr. 52. the same author saith , ( eccl. polit. p. 230. ) that this school-distinction ( of scandalum datum & acceptum ) is apparently false and impertinent , and the main thing that hath perplexed all discourses of this article . ] but we see no reason to think , that the generality of both protestants & papists are herein mistaken , & this writer is in the right , or that the school doctors need go to school to him to reform such errors : it is a moral subject , & given and taken are morally meant ; that is , there is scandal culpably given , and there is scandal culpably taken only , and not so given . the distinction is of the parties culpable . all which is culpably taken is not culpably given : a man that either purposely or negligently speaketh injurious provoking words , doth give the temptation of wrath to the hearer : but he that speaketh words which in themselves have no tendency to provoke , nor was obliged to foresee that they would provoke , doth give no scandal ; ( no nor he that justly and aptly reproveth : ) but a peevish or impatient sinner may yet take scandal from them . he that leaveth arsenick where he should know that another is like to take it to his death , whether he do it purposely or negligently ( that is by the wills commission or omission ) is the reputed giver , or moral cause , of that man's death . but he that leaveth it where he could not know , and was not obliged to fear , that another would so take and use it , may say , it was taken by him , and not given by me . an alluring habit , actions , and gestures , which have a natural tendency to provoke others to sinful lusts , have ever been condemned by all sober divines as scandal given ; which yet chaste persons may re 〈◊〉 use to take : but if the soberest and modestest habit prove a snare , it is a scandal taken , and not culpably given : ( as a thief , if he steal my knife and cut his own throat with it , cannot say that i gave it him . ) he that speaketh words which are apt to tempt the hearer to treason or rebellion , doth give the scandal : but if by the reading of any chapter in the bible , any will be incited to rebellion or disloyalty ; or if by the innocent , necessary , and sober defence of a just cause , any will be tempted to think unworthily of his governours or judges , he taketh scandal that is not culpably given him . pr. 53. if a man were bound to forbear all that others will turn into an occasion of sin , he should not only lose all his liberty , but omit all his duty : and to think that we are bound to deny no liberty , or nothing indifferent to prevent or cure the sin of others , is to deny the common principles of humanity ; and on pretense of justice to renounce common charity , and to become an adversary to the great precepts of christ and his apostles . therefore the difficulty is to resolve how far , and in what cases , our liberty must be denyed , to save other men from sin ; and consequently from damnation ; which must be determined by the great general canons : [ thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self : whatsoever you would that men should do to you , so do to them : let all be done to edification : prefer a greater good before a less ; and most avoid the greatest evil : caeteris paribus , the most publick good ( of many ) is the greatest : sin is a greater evil , than bodily wants and sufferings . ] no ruler may command any thing which is contrary ( though but by accident ) to the law of god , in nature and scripture expressed : charity and justice are commanded by the law of nature and scripture : when accidentally the man that fell among thieves was wounded , and naked , charity obliged the priest and levite to have relieved him . if by accident fire consume mens habitations , charity requireth others to relieve them . especially where the obligation is great and special , as for parents to feed their children : if rulers forbid them , and so would have them murder them by famine , the command is sinful , and the obligation null ; because they cannot dissolve the obligation of god's natural laws . and the exercise of charity to believers , that are the members of christ , is a duty that none may countermand ; and the commands of none can disoblige us from : for mat. 25. christ tells us that he will judge men , according to their exercised charity to his servants , to everlasting life , or everlasting punishment . yet christ foreknew , and foretold men , that much of this charity must be exercised against the wills of many of the rulers of the world. much less may rulers prohibit the due exercise of charity to mens souls , or can oblige men by such prohibitions : as to instruct an unbeliever , exhort a blasphemer , idolater , adulterer , a thief , a murderer , &c. to repent . and much less yet may rulers forbid the means of mens salvation , to be used by the faithful ministers of christ , who by covenant in their ordination are specially thereto obliged . and least of all may any rulers command , or can oblige men , to kill men unjustly , or to draw men to sin , or to deceive them by false teaching , or any thing else , that directly , or by accident , is like to procure their damnation , except in the cases hereafter excepted . pr. 54. though rulers cannot destroy charity , they may regulate it in due subordination to god's laws : e. g. they may make laws that the poor shall be kept in their own parishes , and not beg abroad ; and forbid relieving them that so beg . they may forbid parents to cram their children to excess . they may forbid ministers the unnecessary , and irregular , intruding into other mens pulpits , or assemblies , or families ; and such like . pr. 55. and they may forbid men doing hurt on pretenses of charity : e. g. physicians to give men pernicious drugs ; or preachers or others , to seduce men to idolatry , or blaspheme christ , or draw men to mahume 〈◊〉 anisme , socinianisme , &c. or to preach rebellion , or seek to bring the subjects into subjection to a forreign prince , or ecclesiastical usurper ; or uncalled and unfit men , to make themselves unnecessarily publick teachers , to the disgrace of the sacred doctrine which they abuse , and hindrance of mens salvation , and of the publick peace and safety . pr. 56. in a word , rulers may forbid all things not commanded by god , though seemingly charitable , or good by accident , when contrary accidents notoriously preponderate , and it is certain , or most probable , to men of true judgement , to whose cognizance it belongeth , that the thing will do more hurt than good , and tendeth more to destruction , than to edification ▪ pr. 57. the time , place , and other circumstances of a duty may be at the governours determination , when the duty it self is not : and they may forbid the duty it self , as to that time , and place , &c. when a greater good , at that time , requireth it . e. g. they may forbid resting on the lords-day , in time of a fire , inundation , or a siege , when defence is necessary : they may forbid some publick assemblies in time of a great pestilence , to prevent infection : they may command men out of the church to quench a fire , &c. pr. 58. it is certain that rulers have not power from god to destroy the duties commanded by god , on any pretenses of regulating , or duly circumstantiating , or ordering them ; or of being the judges : ( as is elsewhere shewed . ) for they have their power to edification , and not destruction ; and are the ministers of god for good. e. g. if on pretense of forbidding hurtful preachers and seducers , they forbid sound doctrine , or necessary preaching of it . constantius and valens might not set up arrians , and cast out and forbid the orthodox , on pretense that they were the judges . so if on pretense of restraining unnecessary supernumeraries , they forbid , or silence , one half the necessary number : or if on pretense of keeping order , they commit the charge of fifty thousand or one hundred thousand souls to one , or two men , who cannot possibly supply the real necessities of five thousand of them ; and forbid all others to help the rest , as intruders into another mans charge : ( on which pretense they might keep almost all the people from the gospel , by committing a kingdom or county only to one man : ) so also if on pretense of any cross interest of their own , they would prohibit christ's gospel : or if they will forbid men to preach , because they will not make a covenant against some law of god , or will not lye , or be perjured , or prophane god's ordinances , or own false doctrine , or disown the very law of nature , calling this non-conformity , disobedience , or schisme . yea , if they forbid necessary helps to mens salvation , because the teachers be not all of one opininion about some unnecessary controversie , or ceremony : as if all the lutherans would silence all called calvenists , or they the lutherans , or arminians : much more unlawful is it for rulers themselves to be the makers of such snares and occasions of dissent , and then to impose them by such penalties , that none shall preach the gospel of christ , that will not consent to them , how great soever the necessity be . as , e. g. god hath not forbidden wearing a pair of horns : if rulers should make laws that none shall preach the gospel that will not wear horns in preaching , in token that the word of god shall push down the powers of sin and satan , this is an unlawful command . so if on pretense of ordering the place of worship , men be commanded to such a distance , or confined to so small a room , as destroyeth the end of the work it self , and depriveth most of all possibility of the benefit . pr. 59. rulers ought not to command any thing which will notably do more harm than good , nor make an unnecessary thing a means or occasion of excluding the necessary worship of god , or preaching of his gospel . nor will their saying that necessary teaching is not necessary , or that they are the judges of necessity , or that hereticks are orthodox , or the orthodox are hereticks , or that usurpers only are duly called , and others are schismaticks , or that ignorant insufficient preachers are sufficient , or that more in number are not necessary , when indeed they are ; none of this will excuse their sin , nor disoblige christs servants from the obedience of his laws . pr. 60. if still ignorant or fraudulent men should ask us , ad rancedinem usque , who shall be judge of order and necessity , we again and again repeat our undenyable answer ; 1. that the esse rei is before the scire : either the thing is really true and good which they judge true and good , or it is false and bad ; and no mans false judging will change the thing : ( e. g. our preaching is sound and necessary , or it is not . ) 2. the magistrate is the publick judge who shall be protected or punished by the sword. the pastors are the publick judges who is fit for church-communion , and who not . and all the subjects are the rational private discerning judges of their duty : this no man can with a face of reason deny . but all these are subjects to god , and limited by him in their judging power , and not enabled to judge falsly , that evil is good and good is evil : what good is such by nature or accident , they cannot make evil , and forbid what god commandeth on pretense of judging . they have power to judge that all the articles of our faith are true , but not that any of them are false : they are judges that the commands of god must be all kept , but have no power to judge the contrary . in what cases we may be bound to obey them when they erre , we have opened in another paper , and may partly be discerned from what is here said . pr. 61. the bishops or pastors of the church are above others obliged , to exercise paternal tender love to all the peoples souls . if they are peevish , and humorous , and quarrelsome , and proud , and have other vitious principles , it is their office and work under christ to cure them , and to use all that gentleness and forbearance which is needful to their cure ; and to become all things ( lawful ) to all men , to win and edifie them : ( not doing greater hurt by injuring others , or the publick good , for the sake of those that are few or less considerable . ) if therefore they should either scandalize them and hinder their salvation by things unnecessary , or whose good will not countervail the hurt ; or if they should say , we are not bound to forsake our own liberty ( no not in a trifle ) for the sake of such as are inclined to offence by their vitious principles , they seem to us much to forget or renounce their proper callings , as well as humane charity to souls ; as if a physician should say , i am not bound to medicate any that are sick , but only those that are in health . and if all that have vitious principles be so far from under the ministers 〈◊〉 are , we see no reason why the kingdom should maintain so needless a ministry , at so dear a rate ; nor why they should be had in so much honour , and why we should not all be silenced at once . pr. 62. the sin of tyrannical abuse of power is so contrary to the nature of all good rulers , and so contrary to their own true interest , peace , and comfort , and final justification before god , and so contrary to the welfare of all mankind , and doth at this day so much mischief in the world , by serving satan , maintaining idolatry , mahometanism , popery , and prophaneness , and keeping out the gospel from the most of the whole world , that the flatterers that would for their own ends and carnal interests promote it , and make all odious to rulers that dislike it , will one day be known to be the great enemies of princes and people , of church and state , of jesus christ and god the soveraign lord of all . pr. 63. and confusion , anarchy , popular rage , faction and sedition , dishonouring our rulers , and all rebellions and schisms , must be odious to all men of interest , wisdom , and true religion , as being ultimately against the god of order , and the glory of his wisdom and soveraignty in government , who is to be honoured and obeyed in kings , in pastors , and parents , and all that are under him authorized to govern us . pr. 64. perjury , justifying thousands in perjury , deliberate lying , covenanting against great and known duty , corrupting gods worship and church government , cruel denying christendom and salvation to the infants of thousands of godly christians , and casting out godly christians from the churches communion causelesly for a gesture , pronouncing all atheists , infidels , adulterers , and other wicked persons saved , so be it they be not unbaptized , excommunicate , or make away themselves ; none of these , nor any such other , in our judgment will ever be made lawful by any command or accident , nor will ever be lawfully commanded ; nor shall we ever number them with things indifferent , nor revile or persecute any as humorous , obstinate , disobedient , schismaticks , or seditious , for refusing them . finis . what meer non-conformity is not : the profession of several whom these times have made and called non-conformists . printed in the year , 1676. what meer non-conformity is not . that we may not , after near fourteen years suffering and silence , yet tell the world what our non-conformity is , without offending our superiours , and incurring all the censures and farther sufferings which we have reason to expect , is more grievous to some of us , than all the corporal pressures by ejections , deprivation of maintenance , prosecutions , fines and imprisonment which we have undergone ; when we consider not only that the little remnant of our opportunities for ministerial work , ( the preservation whereof hath done much to restrain us ) is by the odium cast upon us made less profitable to mens souls ; but especially , how many thousands do defile their hearts with false uncharitable conceptions of their brethren , and their tongues with false reproaches , if not their hands with cruel prosecutions , because they are falsly informed of our cause : when we think how satan is served by this ; how odious sins are multiplied through the land ; how christian love is killed ; and divisions made among all ranks of men , and in all places : when we think how god is hereby provoked , the land dishonoured and endangered ; and how fast the guilty post one after another into another world , where such work will cost them dear ; with many a heart-tearing groan some of us have long said , must we be silent and see all this ? in a christian state , must we be condemned , imprisoned , driven about as rogues and seditious persons , and our ministry vilified , and that by clergy-men , who think that it is their right to be believed , and not have leave once to speak for our selves , so far as to tell men , what it is that we take for sin ? and why must we see so many thousands going in such guilt into another world , and distracting a kingdom that hath been too long distracted , and weakening both the protestant and the christian interest , and by building and keeping up a wall of separation , serving the great enemy of both ? and must we not in compassion speak for peace , but only say as christ , father forgive them , for they know not what they do ? if god forgive men he turneth their hearts , and giveth them repentance . and we are commanded to pray , forgive our enemies , persecutors , and slanderers , and turn their hearts : and must we pray , and not endeavour ? at least , now at last , we shall endeavor to stop them by this short profession , from believing those tongues or pens which tell them , that we make a schisme for things which our selves confess indifferent , and that our non-conformity consisteth in what it doth not : if we must not tell them what it is that we think men command and god forbids , we may tell them what it is not : for this may be some service to themselves . but we must premise , that if any that are called by other names , denoting other opinions besides meer non-conformity , or any persons else whosoever , do hold any thing unlawful which we here allow , it is none of our meaning to declare their judgements , which they are fittest to declare themselves : we profess but our own , and such as by familiarity we have had opportunity to understand . three sorts we must here justifie our selves against , who we know are likely to accuse us upon unjustifiable accounts : i. those that will be angry that we so far undeceive the people , as to acquaint them with our judgement , and the untruth of what they have believed of us : how many soever may be guilty of this , it is so diabolical that we suppose few will own it , and therefore we need not any farther dispute it , than to tell them that worldly interest , and wicked means will serve mens turns but a little while . ii. those that will say that we are not all of a mind ; one thinks more unlawful , and another less ; and therefore we are not to be united or agreed with , nor can it be known what will satisfie us all . if the churches peace & concord depend upon such heads , and hearts , and principles , as this objection doth imply , no wonder if it have no peace or concord : we are united and agreed with those that differ from us in more than circumstances : we will hold concord with all in faith and love and communion ( if they will admit us without our sinning ) upon the terms set down by the holy ghost and the apostles , act. 15. 28. who would have nothing but necessary things imposed , ( or such things whoso determination one way or other is necessary , though compared each with other they are indifferent ; ) at least not made necessary to life , liberty , ministry , or communion ; we have long learnt from rom. 14. 15. and from that spirit which indited it , not to judge nor to despise each other for things of tolerable difference , but to receive each other as christ receiveth us . one man is not a church , nor a kingdom : and if no men must be of the same church or kingdom that have any difference , yea as great as the objection can reasonably suppose in the meer non-conformists , we are sure that no two men in the world can be of the same church or kingdom , except you will compose it of such as hold nothing at all unlawful , and consequently nothing morally good , which is no church . we profess that we love them as our selves , and shall not be guilty of imprisoning , undoing , silencing , or excommunicating them , who wear not the same cloaths , and use not the same gesture in singing , hearing , or reading , as we do ; who differ from us in the sense of many a text of scripture , who take many things for duty or sin which we do not ; who will not be tyed to use no publick prayers to god , but what we or others write them down ; so they hold one body , one spirit , one hope , one lord , one faith , one baptisme , one god and father of all , and will endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace , eph. 4. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. we are not for cutting off every member that is of different size or shape , 1 cor. 12. god keep us from their mind and guilt and judgment , who will hold love and communion with none but those , in things unnecessary , of their own opinion or way , or that would ruine and persecute all the rest . iii. and some non-conformists that are more than so , or differ from us , will say that we should not have declared thus our judgment , lest by differing from them we seem divided , and expose them to the greater odium and persecution , because they cannot go so far as we . but , 1. we protest against the persecution of sober godly christians , on the account of such differences ; and are we then guilty of what we deprecate ? 2. did not mr. eaton , when he wrote that the oath of allegiance and the covenant bind not , know that most of us were against his judgement ? to say nothing of many more that wrote against episcopacy , presbytery , infant baptisme , parish churches , &c ▪ who yet forbore not on any such accounts : did not mr. nye and mr. tombes , when they wrote very well for the oath of supremacy , know that in scotland many refuse it as unlawful ? and did they forbear for fear of bringing persecution on dissenters ? did not mr. nye write to prove it lawful to hear the parish ministers ? and mr. tombes write to prove it lawful both to hear and to communicate with them ? and did the fear of bringing persecution on others hinder them ? 3. hath not this reason ( to keep others from persecution ) prevailed with us far enough and long enough ? 4. would they have us either by speech or silence draw men to believe , that we are of all mens minds whom we would save from persecution ? must we tempt men to think that we are seekers , quakers , separatists , anabaptists , lest we expose them to persecution ? is not this such carnal policy , as if not repented of , will perish with the masters of it ? even to do evil , and to tempt others to evil , and to draw all our hearers into sin by our example , by making them think that we hold that to be good or evil which we do not ? and all this on pretense of good ? yea to cherish the sin of many , lest some should suffer ? 5. the thing is unreasonable , and the pretense is apparently vain : for it is known by our superiors that we differ already ; and yet they who make this objection have suffered never the more , but live a quieter life than we have done . 6. if the objection implyeth , as it seems to do , that we are of their mind that will bear , or live in communion , with none but those that differ not from them , as far as the objectors now suppose , we disclaim their dividing principles , and are not of their mind : if they are not for loving christians as christians , and using them accordingly , let them not expect that we should not seem to differ from them . and that we do not this that we do without reason , we must thus shew : i. it is sinful when we can help it , to let clergy-men uncontradicted deceive mens souls , and draw and keep both high and low , even many thousands in sin , by perswading them that we are so schismatical and hateful a people , that our sufferings are no persecutions , because we divide the church for things indifferent , and stick at nothing but liturgie , or forms of prayer , and ceremonies , and that we hold rebellious and seditious principles ; or at best , have such humours , foolish scruples and singularities , as render us fitter for the common goal , than the church . shall our silence contribute still to their deceit , and to the quieting of mens consciences in all that is done against us , as if it were good service to god and the king ? shall we have no pity on mens guilty souls ? ii. on the other side , we have long by sad experience seen , that the misunderstanding of the case , and perhaps partly of some of our judgments , hath led many of the people who are against conformity , to over-run moderation , and the truth , and to run into unsound opinions and singularities , and to lay heavier charges on the liturgy , and the parish churches , than there is cause for : and having once over-run us , they expect that we should follow them , and be ruled by them ; and if we do not , are ready to censure us as guilty of sinful compliance and conformity : it greatly concerneth us therefore , to keep some from such mistakes , to rectifie others , to vindicate our selves , and clear our consciences , that we tell men what our non-conformity is not , if we may not tell them what it is ? i. our non-conformity is not in holding that the scriptures are a particular rule or determination of all the circumstances of church-government and worship , ( as time , place , utensils , words , methods , metres , tunes , division of the text into chapters and verses , translations , helps by notes , written or printed , gestures , habits , &c. ) but nature and scripture give us sufficient general rules or laws for all such ; as that they be done in unity , charity , to edification , decently and orderly , &c. which must be observed . ii. we hold , that when 〈◊〉 un 〈◊〉 etermined circumstances are lawfully determined 〈◊〉 authority , yea were it but by the consent and 〈◊〉 of the churches of christ , or the present conduct of their pastors , the assembly should yield conformable obedience , and avoid unnecessary singularities . iii. we hold , that if those , to whom such determinations belong , should mistake , and not do it in the best and profitablest manner ; yet ordinarily it is the peoples duty to obey and hold communion with that church , so be it that nothing sinful 〈◊〉 e commanded them to do , and the errour of the determination be not such as overthroweth the worship or end it self : of which we have elsewhere fullier opened our sense ( in our judgment of things indifferent . ) iv. we are against no bishops or church-government of gods appointment : we all are for an episcopus gregis ; and where there are many chappels and curates in a parish , we are far from perswading them to deny such submission to the chief pastor , as the law requireth , and as god himself alloweth : were ignatius his episcopacy among us , who tells us this , as the note of the churches unity , that [ to every church there is one altar , and one bishop with his fellow presbyters and deacons ] we should be far from perswading any to separate from it : yea were it cyprian's measure of episcopacy . yea , there are some among us who have long professed themselves uncertain , whether such a large episcopacy , as is but the same with the ordinary part of the church-power of the apostles and evangelists , be not jure divino , such as should be still continued ; because , 1. when christ hath once setled a form or order of government , a change must not be charged on him rashly , and without proof ; especially as made so suddenly : if the affirmer prove the settlement , the denyer must prove the change and revocation . 2. because christ promised to be with them to the end of the world , mat. 28. 20. when he appointed them this universal , or indefinite work. 3. because many others , as well as apostles , had larger circuits than particular churches for their work , ( as silas , silvanus , apollo , titus , and many more : ) and at their reformation the scots visitors seemed such . that men of extraordinary worth and gravity may plant many churches , and take the care of many , directing , exhorting , and admonishing the pastors , or particular bishops , not depriving those pastors and churches of the power and priviledges granted them in scripture , some of us do not deny . government by the word is an ordinary continuing ordinance of god : but the apostles extraordinary work and office ( to be eye-witnesses and embassad●●rs immediately sent , and endued with the extraordinary measures of the spirit ) these we believe they have no successors in , because they were but for a time . and those of us that cannot grant so much , as is aforesaid , and all of us as to an episcopacy which we think contrary to god's word , can yet submit to much which we dare not approve of ; and as we take our selves bound to obey all by what names or titles soever distinguished or dignified , who , circa sacra , as officers of the king , do exercise any part of that power of the sword , by his commission , which we acknowledge in the oath of supremacy ; so if any usurp more power of the keys than christ alloweth them , we are not thereby disobliged from living peaceably in our places , nor allowed to raise sedition , or use any unlawful means to re 〈◊〉 orm it ; though we cannot make a vow and covenant never to do any lawful thing , to alter and amend it . much less is it true which m 〈◊〉 n of hard faces have sometimes said , that we are against bishops , because we cannot be bishops our selves . and they that tell men that every presbyter would be a parish pope , do sure think they speak to men so silly as to be mockt by an undiscerned contradiction : a pope is the universal monarch of the christian world , ( or all : ) is a parish all the world ? a diocesan is the sole bishop with us of a multitude of churches . is a parish a multitude of such churches ? if a man be against one schoolmaster only over a thousand schools , shall he be reproached because he is willing to teach one ? is a king in each kingdom as unreasonable a thing as a papal monarch , or a king of kings , and of all the earth ? if it be to the gain of souls that we are deprived of this parochial episcopacy , we can easily bear it ; professing that we hold it far easier to be governed , than to govern. v. we judge not all officers , circa sacra , unlawful which are made by man : as some circumstances are not particularly determined in scripture , but left to men , so are many of the officers that must execute them . if the king appoint church-magistrates to keep peace and order , to call synods , and take such cognisance of causes as belongs to him , or do any part of his work , as is afore said , we will obey them : and so of church-wardens , door-keepers , sextons , and such others , as some churches of old made use of , so be it they usurp not any part of the office which christ hath appropriated to the pastors of the churches . vi. we are not for lay-mens claim or exercise of the power of the keys , whether they be lay-chancellors , or magistrates or lay-officers , or people : but we hold that the keys of christs church , that is , the power of receiving in by baptism , and of guiding the people by holy doctrine , and in holy worship , and of excommunicating and absolving , are by christ committed to the pastors of the churches . though there is also an admonishing power in magistrates , and divers sorts of penalties , for sins against god , which they may inflict . and the voluntary execution of the pastors judgment , by holding or not holding communion with others , is the peoples part ; in which , as reasonable , they have a discerning judgment . vii . as to the case of elders , we all hold that none should be proper church governours , by the said keys , which are meerly lay-men , and not church officers : and many of us hold that neither christ nor his apostles over appointed any elders to rule the church , by the power of the keys ( distinct from the magistrates government by the sword , ) but only ordained ministers of christ , who have also authority to preach and administer both the sacraments . however , we know that when many of these belonged to one congregation , one that was the chief speaker ( usually the bishop ) was w 〈◊〉 nt to preach , and the rest to be his assistants , especially in private care of souls ; and those of us that think otherwise , that christ or his apostles made such a church office as ruling elders not-ordained , or that have no power of preaching or administring sacraments , do not hold such essential to the church , nor refuse to live in love and peace and communion with the churches that have no such elders . and we all think that so small a difference should make no greater a breach among us . viii . we are against the excommunicating of kings , and of other magistrates , on whose honour the well-governing and peace of the kingdom doth depend , ( and are sorry to find some of our sharp accusers of another mind : ) our reasons are , because the dishonouring of them is forbidden in the fifth commandment : and positive institutions , caeteris paribus , must give place to moral natural laws : rituals and matters of order are no duties , when they make against those grand duties which are their ends , or those that are of fundamental or greater use . and this christ hath often taught us , by sending the contrary minded to learn what this meaneth [ i will have mercy and not sacrifice , ] and bidding the unreconciled leave their gift at the altar , &c. the end is to be preferred before the means , which indeed are no means when against the end. and church-order is not to be pretended for disordering and confounding kingdoms , or against the publick good and safety . we judge that bishop bilson , bishop andrews , and such others , have truly heretofore determined , that some wicked impenitent princes may be denyed the sacrament , but not defamed or dishonoured by a sentence of excommunication : much less by any foreign usurper , or any minister at home , that the prince himself doth not by consent make the guid of his soul ; for no other but he that is called to give him the sacrament if qualified , is the denyer of it if he be unqualified ; unless as he is to do what he doth , by the advice and consent of fellow pastors . but the very use of excommunication is to punish and reform men by dishonouring and shaming them ; therefore it is not to be used , where we owe such honour by the fifth commandment , to our prince . obj. 1. we are bid also to honour father and mother ; 2. yea to honour all men . answ . 1. we dare not justifie any pastors publick disgraceful excommunicating his own father or mother , unless where a publick obligation for publick good requireth it . 2. but to both instances , we say that a greater end and more publick good is to be preferred to a le 〈◊〉 s : and when a private mans honour is forfeited , we cannot give him that which he hath cast away , and god will penally take away till he repent . but when the publick order and welfare ( which is above all personal good ) obligeth us to honour magistrates , a subordinat 〈◊〉 law will not suspend it . publick excommunication is an act of government , to be exercised on the governed for the ends of government . but for a prelate or priest , or any other , to do this on his governours ( though of another rank ) crosseth the ends of government : nor are subjects so to be tempted to contemn their rulers , lest they come to think , as bellarmine and such papists , that infidels are not to govern christians , nor to be tolerated in their government ; or as their very religion teacheth them , concil . later . c. 3. sub innoc. 3. that when princes are excommunicated , they may be deposed by the pope ; or as their learnedest doctors say , that they are no kings , and to kill them is not to kill the king : see the testimonies of this cited at large , and expresly , by h. fowlis in his book of popish treasons . if ever any protestants episcopal , presbyterian , or independents , were or be of another mind , ( for the excommunicating of kings or chief rulers ) that 's nothing to us , who shall neither live nor dye by the faith or opinion of others : but we should so much the rather here disown it . ix . it is none of our judgment , that when men are excommunicated ( by pope , prelates , presbyters , or people , who are the four pretenders to that power ) the magistrate must be their lictor or executioner , or must further punish men by the sword , meerly , eo nomine , because they are excommunicate , or because they reconcile not themselves to the church , by penitence and obedience ; or because the pope , or prelate , or priests , deliver up the excommunicate to him to be punished , or threaten him if he will not do it . the civil ruler may punish the same men for the same crimes , but upon their own exploration and judgment of the cause , and not as meer hangmen that must needs execute the judgment of other judges . their own conscience must be satisfied , and they must know what they do , and why ; else to how many base and bloody offices the factious worldly clergy may oblige them , the papal kingdom hath long given men too sad a proof . and we must profess , that we are fully perswaded , that we have good reason to conclude , that so near a prosecution by the civil power , as is the imprisoning and undoing of persons excommunicate , meerly because they stand excommunicate , and are not absolved as penitents , hath not a few nor small incommodities ecclesiastical . 1. so great a dominion in the clergy hath done much to corrupt the sacred office , and make men ( naturally proud ) unmeet for the humble services of the gospel . 2. and it breedeth in the people a distast and hatred of the clergy , as if they were the grievous wolves that devour the flock in sheeps cloathing , and bear not grapes and figs , but wear thorns and thistles to p 〈◊〉 ick and hurt them ; and causeth their exhortations to be the more unsuccessful . 3. it seemeth to dishonour the discipline instituted by christ , as if the keys of his church ●●re of no more signification , than the crown of thorn● 〈◊〉 reed with which he was derided , and could do nothing without the princes sword. 4. it contradicteth the experience of above 300 years , when church discipline was exercised more effectually than it is now , and that not only without the sword of the magistrate , but also against his will and opposition : yea , it was many a hundred years more , after emperours were christian , before the keys were ever thus seconded by the sword ; and had not the donatists , by inhumane assaulting the orthodox , provoked the churches and magistrates , it had been like to have been long before the sword had been drawn against hereticks at all . 5. and that which much moveth us is , that it greatly frustrateth the use of the keys ▪ or church discipline , by obscuring the use and efficacy of them : for who can tell whether they do any thing or nothing to that mans seeming repentance , who must lye in goal and be undone , unless he will say that he repeneth ? though the church must take up with outward professions , as not knowing the heart , yet must they be voluntary and credible professions . 6. and thus how unavoidably must the church be corrupted , when its communicants are such as chuse rather to be in the church than in the goal , and all those are thought worthy of its priviledges , who had rather say [ we repent ] than be made beggars : whenas in the ancient churches none had its communion that did not desire it , and beg for it , though it cost them dear in the world . 7. and thus christs great and precious gifts seem exposed to contempt , while they are forced upon the refusers by ways of violence . if the church be made a prison , and men be driven into it and lockt up , the place will hardly prove them christians . 8. and we fear it will misrepresent christs laws and covenant-terms to the world , while christ saith , that none can be his disciples that do not ( by consent and resolution ) take up the cross , and forsake all , and follow him , in hope of a reward in heaven , ( luke 14. 26. 29 , 30. 33 , 34. ) and this course seemeth to tell men , that if they had but rather be in the church , than among rogues and beggars in the goal , they shall have christ , pardon , and life eternal , given and sealed up to them particularly in the holy sacrament . as if christ were the cross-maker , and the cross to be born by his enemies only , and not christ but sin were served by forsaking temporal felicity . 9. and we fear lest it tend to deceive mens souls , by giving them all the sealed grant of forgiveness and salvation , who can but rather endure to take the sacrament , and say i repent , than be undone . we doubt not but there is a time for just punishment of sinners : but we read not , that christ sent men to preach repentance by any such motives , nor to offer his blood and mercy on terms so low , nor to any but desirous volunteers : and with what confidence or comfort can a minister deliver the sacrament to such ? all which considered , we are so far from desiring to subdue kings and rulers to be the executioners of the clergy , and the servants of their worldly interest , pride , or passions , that we heartily wish that church discipline might be left to operate alone , & valeat quantum val 〈◊〉 re potest , and that church priviledges might be given to none but desirers , and voluntary accepters , and none might be cram'd or drencht with the body and blood of christ , but all earnestly invited , and by loving importunity compelled to come in : and that magistrates may judge and punish vice , in their proper court , and proper way . x. we hold it not unlawful to take oaths , and make covenants , subscriptions , or declarations of things lawful , when authority commandeth us ; yea , we hold oaths of fidelity to the soveraign to be needful ; and are the loather to swear allegiance to any inferior officers , or to swear never to endeavour any alteration of them , lest we seem to make them equally necessary and fixed as the king ; and to give them any of his prerogatives , when they are his officers , whom he hath power to alter . xi . we readily subscribe the doctrine of faith and sacraments contained in the 39 articles , and differ not therein from the church of england , that we know of . though our religion is only ( objectively ) gods word , ( as to the essentials , the sacramental covenant , expounded in the creed , the lords prayer and decalogue , and integrally the sacred scriptures , ) and therefore if there be any fault in the 39 articles , it is no fault in our religion , ( which is confessed to be all true by papists themselves ; ) yet as our writings , and sermons , and speeches , are the expressions of our subjective religion , so the confessions of churches are eminently such ; being useful to satisfie other churches of our sincerity , and to regulate or limit the teachers , that by weakness or errour are apt to deliver their mistakes , or to oppose the truth . and though there be some expressions in the articles , the liturgy , yea in the creed called athanasius's , which we think not accurate , but lyable to an ill interpretation , yet when our consciences tell us that it was truth which was intended , and words are not natural , immutable , but arbitrary signs of the speakers mind , we are far from affecting to be peevishly or unreasonably quarrelsome or scrupulous , but are willing to overlook infirmity and unfitness of expression , when we see that we are not to own untruths . xii . we much approve of the method of the church catechism , as it first openeth the essentials of christianity in the baptismal covenant , and then the exposition of it in the creed , decalogue , and lords prayer , and then the use of the confirming sacrament the lords supper : though we are perswaded , that it needeth more explication and some correction . xiii . we are taught by christ and his apostles using of the septuagint , that it is lawful , when the peoples usage and acquaintance with it doth render it most edifying to them , to use a defective faulty translation of gods own word , and to call this gods word , as long as it sufficently expresseth the doctrine , which is the matter and main sense . and that we may hold communion with churches that publickly and privately use such translations , and that have many other faults in their doctrine , discipline , and worship ; though we cannot justifie the least of them , by our professed assent and consent , nor make a covenant that we will never endeavour to alter or amend them . we are apt enough to let sin alone , and not to amend any thing amiss in our selves and others , so far as sin remaineth in us ( it being a self-de 〈◊〉 ending evil , ) and therefore are unwilling to adde to our badness , nor do we need a law to bind us never to repent or amend , or never to help others in such a case to do it . xiv . we have in a peculiar explication of our judgment , not only disclaimed , but sufficiently depressed , that unruly opinion falsly charged on us by some , viz. [ that things lawful or indifferent become unlawful when commanded by lawful authority . ] though we hold it unlawful to encourage and strengthen traytors and usurpers against christ or the king , by voluntary swearing or performing such obedience to them , even in licitis & honestis , as seemeth to own their usurpation . xv. how far we think the magistrates laws bind us to things scandalous , or evil and hurtful by accident , yea by the weakness of others , we are prepared to open in a distinct profession by it self . xvi . we are far from condemning all forms of prayer , and publick liturgies , as unlawful , ( of which we have his majesties testimony , in his declaration about ecclesiastical affairs ; ) much more are we far from condemning all the ancient and present churches of christ that have used such , or yet use them , throughout the christian world : and yet farther are we from separating from them on that account , ( for using liturgies , ) and from encouraging such a separation . yea we commonly use a stinted liturgie our selves , at least the psalms read and sung ; and we hold it lawful to use such as are invented by men , that are no prophets ; seeing we are commanded to use psalms , and hymns , and spiritual songs , ( which confineth us not only to scripture words ; ) and all men have not the skill to make hymns ex tempore ; much less would all the assembly , ex tempore , break forth into the same words : therefore those that are used by all , must be invented by some : and ministers with us do ordinarily impose their own invented words on all the congregation , who must follow them ; as our metres and tunes of psalms are imposed . xvii . we think it not unlawful to use as much of the english liturgy , as we consented to use , when by his majesties commission some of us treated about the reformation , or alteration of it ; viz. in such assemblies where the peoples incapacity maketh not such use of it more hurtful than helpful to their edification , and the comly concordant worshipping of god : much less do we think it unlawful for our selves , or the people , in this case to join in the reverent and serious use of it with others . we find that even the old non-conformists ( such as cartwright , hildersham , knewstube , dr. jo. reignolds , bradshaw , paget , ball , &c. ) petitioned for a reformation , but not an abolition of it , and wrote and preached against separating from it , or for it , from the churches that used it ; and many of them not only used much or most of it themselves , but also perswaded to the use of it , and answered largely the separatists arguments against such use . and we join with mr. ball , and other of them , in thanking god that england hath a more reformed liturgy , than most of the churches in the world ; and we would not seem to use it when we do not , but do it ( as aforesaid ) in the serious devotion and fervour of our souls : nor would we peevishly make any thing in it worse than it is , but would put the best construction on each part of it , that true reason will justifie or allow . xviii . we are far from judging the parish ministers to be no true ministers of christ , or the parish churches no true churches , or judging it unlawful to hold communion with them : but if there be any called ministers or priests , of these following sorts , we take them for no true ministers of christ , ziz . 1. if by insufficiency they are uncapable of teaching the necessary parts of christianity , and guiding the church accordingly in the publick worship of god. 2. if they are hereticks , denying any of these essential parts . 3. if they are malignant opposers of the practice of them : and in a word , if they are such , through incapacity , as are like to do more harm than good . xix . in several customs ( freely , not by constraint , ) used in many ancient churches , and in several practices of several churches of these times , we find that which we would not by oaths , or subscriptions , or covenants , approve , but with they were reformed , and that they had never been used ; when yet we do not for such things dishonour and reproach such churches , nor inveigh against them in our preaching to diminish their due esteem ; much less disclaim them as no churches of christ ; but love , and honour them ; and live peaceably under many faults which we cannot reform in the places where we live : so be it no sin be put upon our selves , we can hold communion with those that have divers sins , or faults , in their ministrations ; not as with their sin , but with their church in worship , notwithstanding the sin , so it corrupt not god's worship so far as that he himself rejecteth it : for no man is sinless in his best performance . xx. though the pastors hold any tolerable errors personally , and though such are usually uttered in their ministration , and though they be inserted in their liturgies , so that we may expect to hear them ; yea , uttered as in that churches name ; we hold not all this sufficient cause to warrant our separation from that church : for all churches consist of men , and all men are faulty and imperfect ; and such as the men are , such we may expect their works should be , notwithstanding the divine assistance : and to separare from all faulty churches and worship , is to separate from all the world ; and allow all the world to separate from us . xxi . if 〈◊〉 true church deny us communion , unless we will commit some sin , or omit some necessary duty ; though we cannot be locally present in such cases , nor approve what they so do , yet we shall not therefore renounce them as no churches ; but lamenting their sin , and their denying us their communion on just terms , we shall continue the union and communion of faith and love , and be present in spirit , though corporally absent , desiring a part in their prayers , and owning all that god disowneth not . xxii . we hold that no christians must be disjoyned , or separated in any of the seven points of union required by the holy ghost , eph. 4. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. 1. one body , ( the catholick church headed by christ : ) 2. one spirit , ( the holy ghost : ) 3. one hope of our calling , ( remission , adoption , and the heavenly glory : ) 4. one lord ( jesus christ : ) 5. one faith , ( the essentials of christianity believed : ) 6. one baptisme , ( or baptismal covenant with god the father , son , and holy ghost : ) 7. one god and father of all , who is above all , and through all , and in us all ; of whom , and to whom , and through whom are all things . xxiii . though we are not satisfied of the lawfulness of using the transient image of the cross , as a dedicating sign and symbol of christianity , so much sacramental ( much less to refuse from baptism and christendom all christians infants , unless they will have them so crossed , no more than if a crucifix were so imposed and used : ) yet do we not condemn all use of either cross , or crucifix : nor do we presume censoriously to reproach and dishonour the ancient christians , who , living among pagans that derided christ crucified , did shew them , by oft using this sign , that they were not ashamed of the cross : and though we find that they used more rites and significant devised signs and ceremonies , than we think they should have done , yet we judge it our duty to love and honour their memorial : nor do we take all rites to be sinful that are significant . xxiv . we hold not all the use of images , even the images of holy persons , to be unlawful : historical and memorative use we commonly allow , as the english geneva bible sheweth by many pictures : we condemn not them that have scripture persons and history painted on their walls , or on the very bricks that adorn their chimnies ; nor that use a skelleton or deaths-head ; or that by these are minded of mortality or the life to come , and so make a holy use of them , ( as good men should do of all lawful things ; which therefore are pure and sanctified to them . ) xxv . we hold not a gown , or other meer distinctive garment for ministers , to be unlawful , in which , saith the canon , no holiness is placed ; any more than to judges , lawyers , or phylosophers . and some of us hold a surplice rather to be used , than the ministry forsaken : and those that think otherwise , think not the matter of so much weight , as to alienate them from love or communion with those that use it : for we pretend not to so much perfection , as to be all just of a mind and measure of knowledge in all things , of no greater importance than this : nor would we silence faithful ministers for a surplice . xxvi . though we greatly dislike the common use of god-fathers , as they undertake that , as sole-promisers for the child , which they never signifie credibly the least purpose to perform , and the parents are excluded from entering their own children into covenant with god , and must not speak one covenanting or promising word ; no , nor be urged to be present , &c. yet we refuse not the use of such sureties or sponsors in baptisme , as are but seconds to the parents and only attest the parents credibility , and undertake to take care of the childrens education , in case the parents either apostatize or dye ; nor yet such as are adopters of the children , and take them to them as their own , and so have the right of disposing of them , and covenanting in their names and stead . though yet we conform not to the denying of christendom to the children of all godly parents , that either cannot get such god-fathers , or will not , but offer to enter their own children into that covenant . xxvii . many of us hold it lawful to communicate kneeling , in the reception of the sacramental body and blood of christ : and those of us that think so , and those of us that think otherwise , take it not for such a matter as should hinder christian love , concord , unity , and peace ; or allow men to despise , condemn , or excommunicate one another : but all detest that cruelty that dare cast out the worthy members of christ and his church from communion , for their difference in that gesture . xxviii . we all hold that god must be orderly and decently worshipped with the body , as well as spiritually with the mind : and that reverent gestures and behaviour are fit , not only to express mental reverence to god , but also to excite it in our selves and others . and that such slovenly , rude , and undecent behaviour , as seemeth to signifie prophaneness and contempt , or to tempt others thereto , is no small sin , whatever men intend by it . xxix . we all hold that preaching , prayer , or sacraments , should not be made ridiculous or contemptible , by the ministers incongruous , light , or otherwise unmeet and uncomly words ; nor by tautologies , and such an unmeet stile as tendeth to disaffect the hearers : ( though that curiosity , which consisteth in pedantick , light , and frothy speech , unsuitable to the hearers edification , we dislike . ) and o that god would raise up enow such for his service , in the church and world , as are able to express true wisdom , holiness , and zeal , in words beseeming the most holy majesty , and the holy things of which they speak . but yet we judge that various auditories should have various stiles , though none but clear , and spiritual , and serious : as a labouring poor man will chuse a great piece of brown bread , before a little piece of manchet , when idle tender persons will chuse otherwise . xxx . we are so far from holding it unlawful to use the creed , and commandments , and lords prayer , as some accuse us , that we take them to be the summaries of the christian religion , as to matter of belief , desire , and worship ; which the church should use and profess accordingly , and should never be forgtoten . xxxi . we are so far from being against catechizing , as some have accused us , as that we take it to be a most needful thing , and no small part of that work which both ministers and parents should perform . xxxii . we are far from opposing that sort of confirmation , which consisteth in the solemn transition of persons out of the state of infant communion into that of the adult , by their solemn intelligent owning that covenant with god , which they entred into by others in their infancy . the reasons of which more than one of us have long ago publickly given to the world , ( mr. hanmer , mr. baxter . ) and the want of which we conceive is a great cause of the pollution of the church , and of the increase of anabaptists , who are scandalized at the omission of it , and the turning it into a ceremony or formality . xxxiii . we hold it a duty for all ministers in their administrations of baptism , the lords supper , absolution , and in their speeches of the dead at burials , to go as far in charitable hopeful expressions , as reason will allow ; and to speak and judge of men according to their own intelligent professions , not rendred incredible by proved contrary expressions , or notorious contrariety of practice ; as being no searchers of mens hearts our selves : and where discipline is truly exercised , such words are meet , as otherwise are not tolerable . so that if we conform not to the liturgy in our administration of any of these ordinances of christ , and if we dare not pronounce of all the open atheists , infidels , hereticks , schismaticks , rebels , perjured , murderers , thieves , adulterers , drunkards , &c. who made not away themselves , and were not unbaptized or excommunicate , that [ god of his great mercy hath taken to himself the souls of these dear brethren , ] nor give thanks for [ delivering them out of the miseries of this sinful world , ] nor pray to rest in christ [ ●is our hope is this our brother doth , ] &c. it is not because we deny any of this before granted , but because we dare not renounce the gospel , that saith , [ he that believeth not shall be damned , ] and [ without holiness none shall see god , ] and [ except ye repent ye shall all perish ; ] and because we are loath to preach to men all our lives , that which we shall contradict at mens burial , and tempt the ungodly to presumption and damnation . xxxiv . many of us hold it lawful to keep anniversary days of thanksgiving , in commemoration of the great mercies of god to his church , by the holy doctrine , labour , miracles , lives , and sufferings of the apostles , and most famous promoters of the faith ; so that superstition and prohibited creature-worship be sufficiently avoided . and those of us that scruple such days of mans institution , yet take not this for any other than a tolerable difference among us . xxxv . we are not against such sort of reading the sound parts of the apocrypha , as we may do by other good books , sufficiently distinguished from other scriptures , and used in due time and place ; though we conform not so far as to declare our assent and consent to the use of the calendar , prescript , or directory , which requireth them to be read in the mornings , from septemb. 27. and 28. till novemb. 24. even bell and the dragon , susanna , tobit , when as the vulgar understand not the word apocrypha sufficiently , to distinguish them from the sacred scriptures , when they are equally called the lessons , and read in the same order . and we are confirmed in this part of our non-conformity by the articles of religion , which discard the apocrypha , and by the learned treatise of the late bishop cousins , who hath fully proved that the ancient churches received not those books into the canon , and by many doctors of the church of england that charge them with untruths : some of us have seen the writing ( as on good reason is supposed ) of a present learned worthy bishop , who sheweth that the words of the angel in tobit are a lye , who said that [ he was the son of ananie of the tribe of naphtali : ] and that so is his saying , [ that the smoke of a fishes heart will drive away all devils , that they shall never return ; when christ tells us of some that go not out but by prayer and fasting . ] xxxvi . we are far from designing any abasement of the clergy , nor do we deny , or draw others to deny , any due reverence and obedience to them . and though we know that the bare title and office will never preserve sufficient respect , for the honour of the clergy , and the success of their work , without competent qualifications and labours of the persons ; yet would we rather hide than open or reproach the faults of such as are tolerable in that sacred office , and would do our best for their work sake , to promote the esteem even of those that differ from us , and of some that persecute us . we know that the people are exhorted , to know those that labour among them , and are over them in the lord , and to esteem them highly in love , for their work sake , 1 thess . 5. 12 , 13. and to obey them that have the rule ( or guidance ) of them , and to submit themselves , heb. 13. 17. 24. and that the elders that rule well are worthy of double honour , especially they that labour in the word and doctrine , 1 tim. 5. 17. we that take it for our duty to honour all men , and submit our selves to one another , would not deny any due honour to any of the clergie that have any preeminence , either in age , grace , gifts , or by the magistrates appointment , as his officers ( as aforesaid , ) or any way given them by christ : we take it not for a priviledge to be from under government . xxxvii . our non-conformity consisteth not in denying a national , provincial , or other church form of mans invention and institution : on these suppositions : 1. so it be presupposed that there is somewhat of divine institution predetermined by christ and his spirit in the apostles , ( that is , 1. that there be such doctrine , worship , and discipline as he hath commanded : 2. that there be such pastors to exercise them , whose office he hath described : 3. that there be such stated congregations or societies in which they shall be used , even neighbour christians associated for personal communion therein . 4. that all these churches enjoy the priviledges granted them by christ , and live in love , peace , and concord , and hold such just correspondence as is necessary thereto , and to the common end and good : all this is of divine appointment . ) 2. so that these divine institutions be not violated by humane , or by the power of man. 3. so that humane churches be not made equal and co-ordinate to the divine , much less superior , and superordinate ; as if they were to christs instituted churches , what a kingdom is to a city , or a regiment to a troop , and christs churches were but similar parts of the humane churches , that must rule them . but as the king is episcopus exterior , or the governour of the churches so far as the sword is to be used ; so , circa sacra , we have before said , that he may make his own officers , and consequently provinces for them , and orders of their exercise : and the churches in his dominions may be so called one national church , as he is the exterior civil governour of them all by the sword , which indeed is but to be a religious or christian kingdom ; as also , ab accidente , as these many churches are under one christian ( yea were he an infidel ) king ; and as hereby they have the advantage of fraternal association and correspondency for concord . but proper denominations are from the essential form. xxxviii . it is no part of our non-conformity to be against the due use or authority of councils , or synods of the clergy . we hold , that when one is cast out of one church for a cause belonging to the cognisance of many , many may have occasion to take cognisance of it : and the edification of each other , the satisfactory debate of difficulties , the preservation of mutual love , peace , and concord , may make synods to be useful . but yet we hold that the major vote of bishops in a council are not thereby the proper governours of the minor dissenting part , nor of the absent bishops ; but that councils are for counsel and concord , and not for direct regiment of each other , ( though together and asunder the pastors are all governours of the flock . ) and some of us have long ago publickly proved , that councils were called general at first , but with respect to the dominions or empire of one prince , and not as if they were universal as to all the christian world ; and that absolutely universal councils never were , or ought , or can , or ever will be called ; and that to pretend that a papal or imperial general council is the universal law-giver of the world , and that they have a promise of infallibility in what ever they determine , and that we receive our faith in christ upon their infallibility given by him , ( and so we must know that christ maketh them infallible before we can believe that he is christ . ) these and such other nonsense cheats which some are now agitating , are fit to delude none but the grosly ignorant , that are prepared for deceit . xxxix . yet we deny not , but that god having first bound us to unity and concord as far as we can ●ttain , ( with loving forbearance in the rest , ) when a lawful synod or council hath determined of a way of concord , on lawful terms , in matters under their power , there is an obligation on all the particular members , to forbear breaking that union , and violating those lawful terms of concord : for where there is not a governing law , there may be an obliging contract , or consent . and whereas even the papists now usually teach that even a councils decrees bind not the churches , at least those that had no delegates , till by actual reception they consent , be it known to the world , that on these terms the non-conformists in london seem to have some excuse , if it had been only indifferent things that the late convocation had imposed on them : for when the clergy met to chuse clarks for the convocation for london , ( at sion-colledge , ) the major vote chose mr. calamy and mr. baxter , ( whom the bishop of london , according to his power , did reject ; ) so that the city of london neither hath , nor ever had one clark of their own chusing in this convocation which altered the liturgy ; but the dignitaries , and the two clarks chosen by the exterior parts of the country , were the only persons hence accepted ( that ever we heard of , or could learn : ) and surely our after-consent will hardly be alledged . and london is no inconsiderable part of england . xl. we refuse not the renunciation of the solemn vow and covenant , as if we thought it bound us unto any disloyalty , sedition , or other sin : for we are ready to profess , that it so obligeth no man : it cannot make a sin to be a duty or no sin , nor a duty to our superiours to be no duty ; nor disoblige us from any part of our due obedience to the king. nay , we judge that we must not make our selves a religion or law by our own vows , or bind our selves to any thing but what we are bound to antecedently by god ; and so our vows must be but secondary obligations : and these being our own thoughts , we must needs hold accordingly , that this solemn vow doth bind as to nothing , but what god doth bind us to antecedently himself ; and what would be our duty had we never taken it : and therefore should we renounce this vow , we should still take our selves bound by god himself to do all the good that in it was vowed . whether the vow of a thing indifferent bind or not , we are not determining ; but as we hold that no such thing should be vowed , so we declare that it is none of our present case , as is aforesaid . xli . we are so far from refusing the oxford oath , or the subscription , upon any disloyal or rebellious principles , that we shall hereafter adjoin such a profession of this subject , as shall suffice with all men of common humanity , and impartiality , to justifie our principles of loyalty , against malice it self . and if yet malice will go on to keep open our divisions , and keep us under odium and unjust suspensions , and provoke men to forbid us to preach christ's gospel , by talking of the late wars , and charging all on the non-conformists , we shall now only crave their just answer to these few questions following . q. 1. are they willing that so many of the english non-conformists shall have leave to preach christ's gospel freely , as never had any hand in the wars ? if they will procure us this , we are confident that the rest that medled with the wars are so few , and so self-denying , that they will thankfully accept of this liberty for their brethren , though they be silenced , or banished themselves . q. 2. was it for matter of war that near two thousand ministers were ejected , or silenced , 1662 ? or for something else ? was this the cause that mr. martin of weeden , that lost an arm in the king's army and war , could not have a day abated him in the common goal at warwick , when he preached as a non-conformist ? and many other instances we may give . q. 3. did ever any of us that now address our selves to you , go farther in our principles than bishop bilson did , even in his excellent book of christian subjection ? we detested all that went beyond him in his doctrine of resistance : or did any of us ever go near so far as your famous r. hooker in his first and his eighth book of eccles . politie , ( published long ago , and again by bishop gauden , and dedicated to the king , ) whose over popular principles one of us , long ago , at large confuted : and were they silenced for this ? q. 4. we humbly crave them that remember , and knew the persons , to bethink them , whether , 1. most of of the parliament , when the war began : 2. most of the westminster assembly , when they met : 3. most of the earl of essex's collonels , and chief officers : 4. most of the lord lieutenants of the militia : 5. most of the parliaments major generals , in the earl of essex's time : 6. most of the sea captains , in the earl of warwick's time : we say , whether most of these ( we think ten to one , and in some instances twenty to one ) were not conformists ? as sure as archbishop abbots was , and all the bishops , save six , in his days ; on whom doctor heyling layeth the cause of our divisions . q. 5. and is it just , that all the conformists be therefore made odious , and all the conformable ministers silenced for these conformists sakes , even such as never had a hand in the business ? q. 6. if the war had been raised only by non-conformists , yet why should a thousand or 1400 ministers now , that were never proved guilty of any wars , be silenced and ruined for other mens actions ; any more than the conformists for the archbishop of york's , who was a commander for the parliament ? q. 7. why should no other penalty serve in this case , but silencing us ? to the loss or hazard of the innocent people . is silencing us our suffering most , or the peoples ? if half the bakers , brewers , and country farmers had been in those wars , is there no way to punish them , but to put down their trade , and forbidding them to bring provision to the markets ? would not punishing the innocent , as drunkards or whoremongers are punished , satisfie you ? nor any thing but keeping them from preaching the doctrine of salvation ? and that when the fire consumed the churches , and when in many parishes the tenth part of the people have no church to go to ? q. 8. do you think that the devil and the papists had rather we were silenced , or not ? are they pleased with well-doing , and with that which promoteth the protestant interest , and mans salvation ? and hath the protestant religion been secured and advantaged by our usage ? q. 9. if it be that we preach worse than others , or preach sedition , or unsound doctrine , why are not we accused of it , and judged upon proof ? and why are we not suffered rather to preach publickly , where witness may be had , than driven into corners , where sedition or heresie may be hid by those that preach it ? q. 10. if you say that our preaching is needless , is not your own then as needless , if you preach the same gospel ? and must you have lordships , great maintenance , reverence , honour , and obedience , for needless preaching ? and when some parishes have ten thousand , some twenty thousand , some thirty thousand , some it is thought fourscore thousand souls , when three thousand cannot come to hear in the church , why is preaching any more needful to those three thousand than to all the rest ? or to four persons in a village , than to thousands in cities ? when our preaching and other ministration ceaseth to be notoriously needful , we profess our selves joyfully willing to cease : our flesh had rather have ease , and a gainfuller trade of life , than spending-labour , with poverty , reviling , scorn , and imprisonments . xlii . to conclude , as far as we are able to understand the most learned , sober , judicious conformists , by their own words to us , and their writings , they differ not at all from us about the matter it self , which we deny conformity to , but confess it to be unlawful , ( as to the hardest points of the imposed subscriptions , oaths , and declarations , and covenants ; ) but they only take the words in such a sense , in which we our selves could take them , were we perswaded that it were indeed the true meaning of them . and do they that are as much as we against that sense which we disown , and agree with us in the matter , deserve liberty , honour , and preferment , for otherwise interpreting the words of the law , which the law-givers themselves will not interpret ? and doth our supposition that the law-makers mean properly as they speak , deserve scorn , silencing , and goals , from them that will not expound them to us ? the righteous god will be judge between us . for instance , 1. by [ assent ] in the declaration required , we understand [ believing it to be true . ] but the conformists that we speak of , understand only [ a belief that i may use it . ] 2. by [ all and every thing contained in the book ] we suppose is meant [ all and every thing indeed : ] but they say , only the forms to be used are meant , and many other things in the book not meant . we find after named [ unfeigned assent and consent unto , and approbation of the said book , and to the use of all the prayers , rites , and ceremonies , forms and orders therein contained and prescribed , ] we think here approbation and assent are more than consent to use ; and we think that the use of all the orders is more than the use of the forms : we think that no word in the book was intended to be useless , and that the doctrines , calendars , ( even that untrue one to find out easter-day ) rubricks , and directories , have each their proper use . we suppose that the foregoing words of the use , are the end , and the form of the declaration is the means to secure that use as the end , and that the means hath more in than the end. 3. some of them suppose , that denying christendom to christians children , for want of crossing , or godfathers , and denying communion to true christians that receive not kneeling , are none of the orders to be used : but we think otherwise . 4. some of them think , that [ admitting none to the holy communion , till they be confirmed , or desirous to be confirmed , ] though it be the very words , is none of the orders which they consent to use ; ( and we never knew any use it by any tryal of mens desires : ) but we think that nothing in the book is intelligible , if such plain passages are not . 5. some of them by the words at burial [ that thank god for taking to himself the soul of this our dear brother , out of the miseries , &c. ) understand not his salvation , but his going out of this world : but we think otherwise . 6. when only [ the unbaptized , self murderers , and excommunicate ] are there excepted , some say , all others are meant that ought to be excommunicate ; and so every priest is made the judge who should be excommunicate : but we think , that exceptio particularis firmat regulam in non exceptis . 7. they think that the words in the canon [ that nothing in the three books is contrary to the word of god , ] are meant with exceptions as to [ nothing ] or to [ contrariety : ] but we take [ nothing ] for [ nothing , ] and [ contrary ] for [ contrary . ] 8. some of them say , that the church being the maker of these impositions , we are to take them in the churches sense , which the bishops may signifie . but we think , that we must take them in the sense of the king and parliament , as the law-makers ; and that no church or bishops can alter our religion , or articles , or subscriptions , by an expository power . 9. some of them think , that the words [ on any pretense whatsoever ] in the subscription , have exceptions : but we know not how any words can be more exclusive of exceptions . 10. some of them think , that [ by any commissioned ] is meant only [ lawfully commissioned , ] and so subjects are left to judge of the lawfulness : we find there no such limitation or exposition . 11. some of them say , that by [ the government of the church , not to be altered ] is not meant the lay-chancellors use of the keys : but we think , that their actual government is the government actually . 12. some of them say , that by [ no change or alteration ] is meant only of the essence of episcopacy : we take [ no alteration ] for [ no alteration . ] 13. some of them say , that by [ not endeavouring ] is meant only [ not seditiously , or by ill means : ] we think , that ubi dex non distinguit , non est distinguendum . 14. some of them think that no law or words imposed must be expounded contrary to gods law , or any former law , or to the king 's or peoples rights . but , 1. that is to suppose that men cannot contradict themselves or god , or do unjustly . 2. and then whatever oaths men put on us we may take them , were the words never so false or impious , because the meaning must still be judged good . 15. some say that we must put the best sense on imposed oaths , and covenants , and subscriptions , that the words can be subdued to : we think that they must be taken in the sense of the law-makers , which is to be judged of by the usual meaning of their words , unless themselves do otherwise expound them . and so in many other instances , the conformists say that they would not conform themselves , if they understood the words as we do . seeing then that all these worthy conformists before mentioned do confess , that if the words of the laws be properly to be understood , and not with their limitations , then the conformists are in the wrong , and the non-conformists in the right ; we conclude with these few questions . q. 1. whether we owe not that honour to our law-makers , as to suppose that they are able , and willing , to speak intelligibly ? q. 2. whether they would have men left as to the oath of allegiance , and all other oaths and laws , to subdue the law-makers words to any sense that the subject thinks lawful ; and to make themselves judges of the sense , by departing from the common use of the words , without proof that the law-makers meant otherwise ? q. 3. whether there be need of much learning , conscience , or honesty , to stretch the words from their ordinary sense , more than to do otherwise ? and whether so to do would deserve honour and preferment , and to do otherwise be a crime that deserveth silencing , and ruine ? q. 4. whether their way of exposition , or ours , tend more to promote perjury and equivocation ; and which more secureth truth and honesty ? q. 5. if once the conscience of oaths and covenants be relaxed , by stretching words to the takers interest , are not the lives of princes left in danger , and the bonds of common converse loosened ? q. 6. if this must be the cause of our sufferings , and silence ; is it not justice so to tell the world , and write it on our cross , that we are silenced and laid in goals , because we dare not take oaths and covenants , imposed in terms excluding limitations and exceptions , in a limited excepting sense , without the explication of the law-makers ? q. 7. and if we must be so used , whether any in the whole world be more unfit to silence , imprison , fine , reproach , and ruine us , for mis-understanding the words which we are to subscribe or promise or covenant in , ( viz. for taking [ none ] to mean [ none , ] [ nothing ] to mean [ nothing , ] [ not any ] to mean [ not any , ] contrary ] to mean [ contrary , ] [ all ] to mean [ all , ] than those that while they are set to ruine us , will by no intreaties , after our almost fourteen years sufferings and expectations , be prevailed with to procure us an exposition of the sense of any of these so much controverted words ? we are more confident that the law-makers can more certainly , and infallibly expound their own words , than the pope or council can expound theological difficulties : and if our accusers will not once endeavour to procure them so to do , nor be intreated to consent it , when conformists and non-conformists are chiefly disagreed about the interpretation of them ; and when our preaching or silence , honour or reproach , maintenance or poverty , liberty or imprisonment , yea , and much duty or sin in the body of the nation , lyeth upon the resolution of this controversie , ( what is the law-makers meaning , ) we will still refer all to him that judgeth righteously , who will shortly finally end the controversie ; praying to god , though men will not hear us , to open our lips , that our mouths may sh●w forth his praise ; that he will make speed to save us , and make has●e to help us ; that he , whose service is perfect freedom , will defend us his humbled servants in all assaults of our enemies , that we surely trusting in his defence , may not fear the power of any adversaries ; and that these evils which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us be brought to nought , and by the providence of his goodness they may be dispersed , that we his servants being hurt by no persecution , may evermore give him thanks in his holy church ; that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in his mercy , and evermore serve him in holiness and pureness of living ; that he will forgive our enemies , persecutors , and slanderers , and turn their hearts ; especially that he will save our posterity from their curse , who say , the blood be on us , and on our children . for we are not against such a liturgy as this . postscript . reader , it was intended that a short account of the nonconformists judgement , about the power of kings , and the obedience of subjects , should have been added ; but by reason of some mens aptness to be offended at all such publications , and because of the present dispersion of the collectors , it is pretermitted , with this profession , that they shall at all times be ready to give such account of their judgements , when authority shall call them , or allow it , as shall satisfie all impartial men , that they are haters of disloyalty , sedition , rebellion , and schisme . finis . a plea for the late accurate and excellent mr. baxter and those that speak of the sufferings of christ as he does. in answer to mr. lobb's insinuated charge of socinianism against 'em, in his late appeal to the bishop of worcester, and dr. edwards. with a preface directed to persons of all persuasions, to call 'em from frivolous and over-eager contentions about words, on all sides. 1699 approx. 208 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 73 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a55108 wing p2521 estc r217330 99829007 99829007 33442 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a55108) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 33442) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1935:12) a plea for the late accurate and excellent mr. baxter and those that speak of the sufferings of christ as he does. in answer to mr. lobb's insinuated charge of socinianism against 'em, in his late appeal to the bishop of worcester, and dr. edwards. with a preface directed to persons of all persuasions, to call 'em from frivolous and over-eager contentions about words, on all sides. lobb, stephen, d. 1699. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [16], 128 p. printed for j[ohn] lawrence, at the angel in the poultry, london : 1699. with errata at foot of a8v. stephen lobb's "appeal to the right reverend edward lord bishop of worcester" was published in 1698; "mr. baxter" in the title is richard baxter, the presbyterian divine, who died in 1691. this is the parting shot in an ongoing controversy between presbyterians and independents, largely fueled by lobb and john humfrey, in which the presbyterian non-conformists are accused of socinianism. reproduction of the original in the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng theology, doctrinal -17th century. presbyterianism -apologetic works -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-09 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a plea for the late accurate and excellent mr. baxter , and those that speak of the sufferings of christ as he does . in answer to mr. lobb's insinuated charge of socinianism against 'em , in his late appeal to the bishop of worcester , and dr. edwards . with a preface directed to persons of all persuasions , to call 'em from frivolous and over-eager contentions about words , on all sides . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . non agimur partis studiis — . london : printed for j. lawrence , at the angel in the poultry , 1699. to the ( whether dissenting , or consenting ) readers . though the concealment of my name might ( perhaps ) be some security to me , supposing any one should be offended at the following papers ; yet have i not thereupon allow'd my self a liberty ( too commonly taken ) to reflect upon and censure those , whose sentiments are not the same with mine : i have indeed taken the freedom to expose their notions , as they deserve ; but without reproaching those that hold ' em . there is scarce any thing more common , than for persons to maintain such principles , the necessary consequences whereof they do abominate ; but either through ignorance , or inadvertency , they discern 'em not : many through weakness cannot , others for want of due attention do not apprehend the connexion there is between 'em : in both which cases 't is not allowable , nor have we allow'd our selves to charge such invidious consequences upon 'em ( which are not own'd , but especially which are disown'd by 'em ) ; but to argue from 'em against their mistaken principles , is what no one can reasonably disallow . — and this is what is principally blam'd in our accuser , that he has laid us under the imputation of socinianism , at least of socinianizing ( crimes which we do from our very souls detest ! ) had he attempted to prove it , as a consequence upon one or other principle advanc'd by us , we should very thankfully have accepted his endeavours to undeceive us ; but having so injuriously reproach'd us , we are necessitated to vindicate our selves ; should we be silent under the impeachment , we should too far participate in our accuser's guilt : that same law of god not permitting us to bear false witness against our selves , which obliges us not to do it against our neighbour . but though from this very consideration the general design of these papers be justifiable , that is not enough ; nor yet tho the management and manner of writing be so too : that may be justifiable , that is not greatly useful or commendable : we have therefore endeavoured that the ensuing pages may do real service . in order whereunto , we have not only avoided all unbeseeming reflections , upon any person or party , by reason of their differing sentiments from us ; but have also studiously declin'd all meer logomachies , all contentions about meer words and phrases , carefully distinguishing ( upon every occasion ) real from meerly verbal differences ; and as to the latter , even where the words have been less apt and expressive , we have not thought rent worthy of a debate , being more sollicitous to find out the sense in which one or other person uses them , than concern'd about phrases or expressions on one side or other . and were this one rule more universally observ'd , how greatly would it contribute to the ending most of our controversies ; not to make meer phrases and forms of speaking , the matter of a dispute either way ; but to allow every one the liberty of their own expression , provided they can but agree in sense . 't is hardly to be conceiv'd , of how pernicious consequence this one thing has been , the making necessary what god has never made so : should we take the freedom to instance in self-devis'd notions , and ceremonies ( some , as amongst the papists , wicked and intolerable ; others , almost amongst all other persuasions that profefs christanity , needless , and ( at the best ) but tolerable ) which yet have been impos'd with like rigour as if all religion had dain in 'em ; how black and dismal a tragedy would it introduce ! how great a part of that christian blood , which has been spilt , would be found chargeable hereupon ! but i shall confine my self to the point before us , the insisting upon terms and phrases ( such as are meerly of humane stamp , ) as if so necessary that orthodoxy in the faith , that christianity itself could not subsist without ' em . such a spirit as this has long been growing upon the church ; and in our accuser it seems to have arriv'd to full maturity : his whole zeal and strength and time is , in a manner , taken up in collecting , and heaping together , out of various authors , certain words , and forms of speaking ( without any fix'd determinate sense ) ; and ( though they have no certain meaning ) the man will needs force some upon us , that we must by no means leave out , unless we will fall under his resentments ; and another set of phrases , we may not use ( let our sense be what it will ) but , by vertue of i know not what ( papal or patriarchal ) authority , he will say , we do socinianize . at this rate of magisterialness does he talk , in the preface to his appeal , p. 3. if any one that comes after shall use the same expresions ( meaning , the same that mr. baxter uses ) — i say ( and who then dare gain-say it ? ) he does socinianize ! and immediately after ( speaking of such words , as he with others shall put into your theses ) he adds , much less may i be censur'd , though i express my resentments against him , whosoever he be , that is for leaving such words out . one would have thought it had been no excess of modesty , if he had , at least , excepted his superiours in state , age , gravity , learning and piety : if the king should convene an assembly of the most pious and judicious bishops and others , to draw up theses to avoid socinianism and arminianism , and they should leave out such words , as this dictator would put in , they are like ( for what i see ) to feel his resentments , whosoever they be , without exception ; though those worthy persons , to whom he has appeal'd , should be amongst 'em , they are to find no favour ; nay , though the king himself should preside in the assembly , the beams of majesty will not be a sufficient security to him. in the mean time , it is to be observ'd , what a mighty stress this man lays upon words and expressions ; these are all he talks of ; not one syllable about the sense or meaning of 'em : men may mean what they will , so they do but use his phrases ; and let their meaning be never so sound , they must not escape his censure , unless they speak his words . what degree of necessity he puts upon 'em , as well as what the particular words and phrases are that he would impose , may , the better appear if we also cast our eye upon the letter he prefix'd to his late defence : there we are told , that the phrases are those , that they of the greatest character for learning — have both us'd , and judg'd necessary — not only as a fence about the receiv'd faith , and a barrier against irruptions upon common christianity : but as such phrases , without which the doctrines of christ's satisfaction , and of our justification could neither be orthodoxly , nor intelligibly express'd . you see 't is not enough , that he may use 'em himself , but they must be impos'd as necessary : nor is be satisfi'd , to have his words accounted a fence about the receiv'd faith , a barrier against irruptions upon common christianity ; but they must be admitted as the standard of orthodoxy : nothing will serve the turn , but they must be esteem'd necessary , so necessary , as that without them the doctrine of christ's satisfaction , and of our justification can neither be orthodoxly , nor intelligibly express'd . and what these so invaluable phrases are , he tells us afterwards in his defence it self , p. 13. & passim . they are the very same that run through his appeal , viz. a commutation , or change of persons between christ and us ; christ's sustaining the person of sinners , and suffering in their person ; his coming under the bond and obligation of the violated law , &c. these forms of speaking are not , by any means , to be omitted ; we forfeit our understandings , our orthodoxy , our christianity , if we dare to alter ' em . and ( perhaps ) all the guilt of this kind does not lie at the door of this accuser , and others of his way ; it were well , if there were not a participation of it on all sides : and therefore , as one earnestly desirous of the more healthy and peaceful state of the church amongst us , i will here adventure to lay my hand upon the contenders of all denominations ; and whether they will hear , or whether they will forbear , i will ( at least , so far as relates to the matter in hand ) interpose a few seasonable and healing advices . 1. distinguish carefully betwixt such words or terms as the spirit of god has made use of , and such as are of our own devising . 2. as to the latter , distinguish again betwixt obscure and improper terms , and such as are apt and expressive of what is intended by ' em . 3. distinguish betwixt what you are oblig'd to use your selves , and what you may expect from others . 4. as to others , you will find a difference ( which shou'd be allow'd for ) betwixt such as are acted for one or other party , by ignorance or prepossession , and men of more large and free understandings . 5. but especially ( as to the expressions of other men ) distinguish betwixt what they say , and what they mean. whereupon i add , ( 1. ) it should be no matter of debate amongst christians , whether scriptural , or other terms , be to be preferr'd ; the very words of scripture being sacred , as well as the sense . though this will not altogether hold true , as to one or other translation ; yet of the original text , it is most certainly true , the very words being dictated by the divine spirit . and this ( perhaps ) is what principally distinguishes it from the best of other writings : and even as to translations themselves , by how much the nearer they approach ( in their respective languages ) to the original text , and by how much the more exactly they express that , so much the greater regard is to be had to the very words that are found in ' em . thus far it may be hop'd , such as are christians will readily be agreed . i say not this to countenance any in their ignorant mis-applications of scripture-phrases ; i would only have it to refer to an understanding , and apposite use of ' em . ( 2. ) as to meerly humane phrases , or forms of speaking , there are none ( upon any pretence ) fit to be impos'd ; the most plausible pretences commonly made use of , for that purpose , are either on one side , [ our phrases are of venerable age , what the church has long been in possession of ] : or , ( perhaps ) on the other side [ our terms , though new , are most clear and expressive of the truth , and render it easily intelligible to every considering mind ] : now , granting either the one or the other to be true , or ( in some instances ) that they are both old and significant ; yet all that can follow thereupon is , therefore they are fit to be us'd ; not , therefore they may , or ought to be impos'd . how weak would such a method of reasoning as this be , such a word the ancients us'd , therefore we must use no other ; such a father , or such an eminent reformer us'd it , and therefore he is a heretick , or a man of very dangerous principles , that varies from it ] ! or again , should it be admitted on the other hand ; [ such a word is very significant , therefore no other should be us'd ] ! yet upon no better bottom do multitudes suffer the churches peace , and their own charity to be reason'd away . ( 3. ) when we either speak , or write our selves , we are oblig'd to make use of such terms as have a most clear and agreed sense , and are best adapted to express to others , what it is we mean : the very end of speech it self proves this . and hereupon we ought , out of how great variety soever offers , to choose the fittest for our own use ; but we are not hereupon impower'd to choose for , or prescribe to others , [ in these words , and no other , shall ye pray to god , or speak to men , &c. ] those seem fittest to one person , which do not so to another . ( 4. ) amongst men that do not religiously tie up themselves to the phrases of one or other party ( but , placing their christianity only in those great and necessary things about which all parties of professors are agreed , as to other matters , have a greater latitude and freedom , both of thought and speech ) we may indeed expect the last mention'd rule will be observ'd : but we should not wonder , if some do tenacionsly adhere to the terms and modes of expression , that are peculiar to their own party , how obscure and improper soever ; some out of weakness cannot , and many out of prejudice and prepossession will not vary from ' em . ( 5. ) now even as to these , there is room to hope ( at least ) , they may not mean altogether so bad , as their words would seem to import : we should therefore ( in such cases ) do what in us lies , to find out the sound sence they aim at , and approve of that , though not of their uncouth , and unintelligible phrases . but , ( 6. ) by no means seek to impose upon others , one or other self-devised phrase , or form of expression , as if truth could not be maintain'd without it ; neither lay so great a stress upon meer words , as if orthodoxy or heresie did depend upon ' em . and surely we should have little disposition so successively to cry up , and contend for our respective modes and forms of speaking , if we did consider , i. what a trifling spirit it argues , wherever it has place ! a mind empty of every thing that is more great and manly ! a childish spirit that can find leisure for , and pleasure in such little , inconsiderable things ! ii. especially , if we also add , ( and i pray let it be added ) how disagreeable it is , to a spirit rightly christian ! and that on many accounts : particularly , 1. as it manifests too little veneration for the sacred scriptures ; how boldly are these impeach'd of insufficiency , when words and phrases not to be met with here , are obtruded upon the church as necessary , so necessary as that without them , the most important articles of the christian faith can neither be orthodoxly nor intelligibly express'd . with modest minds it should surely suffice to say [ they are apt , and may be useful ] : but if their necessity be press'd upon us , they are at least equaliz'd with , if not preferr'd to those of the divine spirit . and can any one that has the spirit of christianity in him , deliberately agree to this [ my words , my phrases are as necessary as those the holy ghost has chosen ] ! he knew not how to convey his sense to the world so well as i ! if any will thus insolently set up themselves and traduce the sacred oracles of our holy religion , my soul , come not thou into their secret ! 2. nor will christianity suffer , that the perogative of god should be thus invaded : his soveraign rights are hereby usurp'd upon : for asmuch as it is one of his peculiarities , to impose any thing upon the church as necessary . he claims it , as what belongs to him , not only to be a law-giver , but to be the one , the only lawgiver in reference hereto : and who are we , that we should justle him out of his throne . 3. how disagreeing to the spirit of christianity is it , to give way to and countenance such uncharitable censures ; [ that such an one is unsound , heretical , no christian ; because he dos not use my words . ] how common a guilt is this ! and by how much the more lately such an over-magnifi'd phrase was introduc'd , so much the farther does the censure reach : for instance , christ's suffering in our person , &c. if no one may be allow'd for orthodox , that uses not this phrase ; the whole christian church is laid under censure , except an inconsiderable bandful within this last age. but can it consist with christianity ( whereof charity is a most essential and inseparable part ) to reproach , and unchristianize ( in a manner ) the whole christian church ? besides , 4. we do not only hereby revile christians , ( and so offend against the generation of god's children ) ; but we do also debase christianity it self : how contemptibly mean , and vile is it render'd in the eyes of by-standers , when they see us with so unproportionate beat and zeal contend for and against insignificant words and phrases ; and labouring to proselite men to these , as if the kingdom of god was in these letters and syllables : how do they hereupon ridicule , and break their prophane jests upon our holy profession ! and how are they fix'd in their prejudices against it ! and is it nothing to us , that the name of christ , and christianity , is blasphem'd through us , by our means . 5. besides , how are we hereby diverted , our minds diverted from intending the most amazingly great and awful things that relate to christianity : those principles and practices that do most truly essentiate and constitute it : those truths which are according to godliness , and which are adapted to advance and promote it ; which do both tend to make the temper of our own spirits better , and to excite us to do more good to others . these are forgotten , and overlook'd : hereupon ( being diverted from what should animate and nourish us ) what a ghastliness and languor appears in the face of our profession ! how are we become as dead men ! how little of the life and power of godliness is to be found amongst us ! and should not this ( will it not ) be laid to heart by such as have any serious regard to the welfare of christianity , or of their own souls ? will it not henceforward render strifes of words less grateful and relishing to such , that they are likely to be attended with so pernicious effects . we cannot surely deliberately consent , that one or other phrase should be to us instead of our god , our redeemer , our faith , our hope , our love , holiness , and our heaven ; nor place out the zeal on that , which should be reserv'd for these . but again , iii. if this spirit were not so disagreeing to christianity ; 't is no way fit to be indulg'd , on the account of those perpetual quarrels , it must necessarily introduce amongst us : it would endlesly be contested ( without the possibility of being ever decided ) what particular phrases shall be admitted as necessary ? by what rules their necessity , or no-necessity shall be adjusted ? or , with whom the judgment of this grand affair shall be entrusted ? and iv. it would greatly tend ( should it obtain ) to discourage all improvements in knowledge : every encrease of light will require more or less alteration to be made in the old and customary modes of expression ; and consequently endanger a person 's reputation . at how much easier cost , may men learn a set of phrases , that they do not understand ; and save their pains , and their orthodoxy at once . v. and lastly , it has not the least advantage attending it , to compensate for , and set against all its mischievous effects . that which is commonly pretended for it , is , that it may be a security against error . but how utterly insufficient is it for any such purpose ! how possible , nay , how common a case is it , for persons to use the same phrase , and yet not mean the same thing . so vain , and so pernicious does it generally prove , when we leave the methods god has prescrib'd , and will needs prevent or remove the churches maladies by ways and means of our own devising . but to draw to a close , there is one thing farther that i would add ( to avoid offence ) and 't is in reference to the mention of mr. cross's name , in the long marginal note : when i wrote what you find there , i was in hopes of his second thoughts upon that text ; and the papers were out of my hand sometime before i heard of his death ( i not having seen 'em for several months past ) : nor , till i saw it in print , did i remember there was any thing in which he was concern'd ; otherwise i should at least have suppress'd his name , if not all that relates to him — for i cannot but be averse to every thing that looks like trampling upon the ashes of the dead . errata . page 5. l. 26. r. nostra , p. 15. l. 8. r. as errors , p. 20. l. 16. r. alledge , p. 28. l. 26. r. surely , p. 45. l. 2. r. that , p. 75. l. 14. r. strictius , p. 92. l. 2. add it , p. 114. l. 4. r. pursuing . introduction . not knowing whether that right reverend and worthy bishop , or the other very learned person ( in the great and constant cares of a more publick nature that attend their stations ) may not account it rudeness for us to break in upon and disturb 'em with our petty quarrels ; i have not thought fit so directly to apply to them ; and for this only reason it is , that i have not joyn'd in the appeal to ' em . their determination is not hereby intended to be declin'd ; there being no reason to fear the issue should they think fit to publish their judgments to the world. but whether their leisure from greater affairs will permit 'em ( or indeed , whether they shall account it worth their leisure ) to interpose in this matter , or not ; the nature of the charge is such , that ( how groundlesly soever it be advanc'd ) it is not fit to be silent under it . that which is apprehended more especially to require that this invidious reflection be taken notice of , is , that this way the reputation of that most excellent person is undermin'd , and his most valuable writings ( as well as the ministry of those that in this matter are of his judgment ) are ( so far as in this accuser lies ) blasted , and rendred odious and useless . and such as either have wanted opportunity to look into the socinian writings , or have not judgment sufficient to distinguish betwixt appearances and realities , may be so far impos'd upon , by the confidence of this accuser , as to believe the charge advanc'd against us . for their sakes therefore , and our own ; to prevent their guilt , as well as to preserve our own reputation and usefulness ( and , if possible , also to undeceive this accuser and his brethren ) we think it fit and necessary that it be made appear , there is no sufficient ground whereupon to censure mr. baxter , or ( those whom he calls ) his followers , as socinians , in that great and important article of christ's satisfaction . for the clearing whereof , we shall , with reference to the suspected passages , ( first ) manifest their agreeableness to truth . and then shew the no-advantage hereby given to the socinian cause . now the passages this accuser , and his brethren , are so much afraid of , and griev'd at ( as he pretends ) we shall set together , that we may see what they will in the whole amount to ; and they are these : 1. christi perpessiones quoad rationem reifuere malum naturale perpessum ex occasione & causalitate remota peccatorum generis humani . ( he should have added ) & proxime ex sponsionis & consensus proprii obligatione . bax. method . theol. pars iii. cap. 1. determ . 5. p. 38. this will be the better understood , if it be observ'd , that the question he had before him , was , whether the suffering of christ was properly and formally a punishment ? for the determination whereof , he does define punishment ( properly so call'd ) a natural evil ( that is , an evil of suffering ) inflicted for , or on account of a moral evil ( i. e. the evil of sin. ) and ( besides other distinctions which he had premis'd ) he distinguishes betwixt the suffering of the delinquent himself , for his own sin , in which case his sin is directly , immediately , and per se , the cause of his suffering ; and this ( he tells us ) is punishment in the primary and most famous sense of it : and the suffering of another by reason of the delinquent's fault ; in which case , though there be a suffering for sin , yet that sin is more indirectly , mediately , and per accidens the cause of the suffering ; and therefore though it be punishment , yet 't is only in a secondary and analogical sense to be so call'd . and this secondary sort of punishment is two-fold ; 't is either natural or voluntary ; the natural punishment for another's sin , he calls that which follows upon the nearness of relation in nature betwixt the sufferer and the sinner ; as when children suffer for their parent 's sins ; the voluntary is , when there is a free consent and undertaking to suffer on the behalf , and in the stead of the sinner , though there was no previous relation to the sinner from whence he should naturally be oblig'd to suffer for him . now he does ( and surely with very just reason ) conclude the sufferings of christ to be of this last kind , for that they were not the sufferings of the delinquent himself , and so not punishment in the primary and most famous sense of the word ; they cou'd therefore only be punishment in a secondary and less proper sense . and since , even in his assuming our nature , christ was conceiv'd miraculously by the power of the holy ghost ( and did not descend from adam by ordinary generation ) therefore in that secondary sense , his punishment could not be the natural effect of adam's sin. it remains then , that christ only was punish'd as a voluntary undertaker , and the analogical punishment he underwent was inflicted on him as a sponsor in our stead ; our sins were the ground and reason of his sufferings , yea the meritorious cause ( but not so nearly and immediately as they wou'd have been of our own sufferings ; ) for that his sponsion and consent did necessarily intervene ; so that they may not unaptly be call'd punishments , though not so fully and properly as the sufferings of the sinners themselves might have been so call'd . to this sense does that excellent person speak , and this is little else than a translation of his latine words , as will appear to any one that is capable and willing to consult the place referr'd to . and this being the substance of what he afterwards quotes from him , i shall need to be at no farther trouble than only to recite the words . 2. and thus he goes on ; peccata nostra fuere causa remota passionis christi . and again , culpa nostra non erat causa proxima ejus passionis , sed tantum remota & occasio . once more ; at sensu improprio ( i. e. not in that most proper and primary sense in which they are imputed to the sinner himself , as may be collected from the immediately fore-going words ) per meram connotationem dici potest , peccata nostro christo imputata fuisse , viz. quoad reatum paenae ( & culpae ut ad paenam , at non in se ) idque tantum remote : non quasi peccata nostra paenas christi merita essent , sed quia nisi nobis paenas merita essent , ille paenas non dedisset . et quia paena nulla est formaliter nisi propter peccatum , ideo quatenus christi passiones fuere paenae analogice fic dictae , peccatum ( non suum , sed nostrum ; non causam meritoriam , sed quasi procausam meritoriam & occasionem ) connotabant . ibid. determ . 7. p. 40 , 41. 3. he quotes him again in english , thus : man's sin was an occasion of christ's sufferings , as being loco causae meritoriae , for properly there was no meritorious cause . the law 's curse , or obligation , was another occasion , as being miseriae causa removenda . christ's voluntary sponsion or consent , was the moral obliging cause . universal redempt . p. 7. again , we must distinguish betwixt suffering ex obligatione legis , & merito peccati , as we should have done if we had suffered our selves ; and suffering ex obligatione solius sponsionis propriae , as christ did , without any merit , or legal obligation , his own sponsion being instead of both , and our sin and obligation being but the occasion , or loco causae meritoriae , ibid. p. 25. again , the law , as binding us was the great occasion of christ's death , and loco causae obligatoriae ; but not the obligatory cause it self : christ's own sponsion , and his father's will , were the only proper obligations , p. 34. again , christ did not suffer from the obligation of the law , but from the obligation of his own sponsion , on occasion of the law 's obliging us to suffer , p. 48. once more , christ's sufferings had no real , proper , meritorious cause ; but yet man's sins were the pro-causa meritoria , he undertook to bear that suffering which for them was due to us ( not to him ) and therefore when i say , he bore the sufferings due to us , i mean it materialiter only ; such sufferings for kind and weight he bore , but his obligation to bear 'em was only from his own sponsion , and not the law , p. 91. these are alledg'd by the accuser , as some of those passages which move him and his brethren to fear , &c. appeal , p. 4. but these being but some of 'em , he adds the rest , p. 10. 11 , 12. and what he further transcribes is this : 4. we must not say that christ died nostro loco , so as to personate us , or represent our persons in law-sense , but only to bear what else we must have born , p. 51. and , as for your objection , that no other way but representing our persons cou'd suffice to save us by the satisfaction of another , 't is a gross mistake , and naked affirmation , without proof : and for them that say , christ suffer'd in persona nostra , but not satisfy'd , or merited so : i answer , they speak inconsistencies , p. 76. to which he adds his explication of that phrase of christ's suffering loco nostro ; as it signifies , suffering that which another was oblig'd to suffer towards the freeing him from it ; being materially the same , but not formally , from the same obligation , but from the obligation of a voluntary sponsion ; and this not in the name , or as representing the person of that other , but in a third person , viz. in the person of a mediator , redeemer , or friend , p. 22. 23. i need not mention what he next adds , for that it were exceeding strange if any one shou'd ( with this author ) traduce a person as socinianizing , for distinguishing betwixt christ's dying in our stead , and his dying for our good . now to what purpose have we all these passages transcrib'd by him ? with what design ? what , can it be imagin'd the man will make of ' em ! ( unless he have a mind to bring some of his friends into a better acquaintance with that most excellent person . ) what has he to except against any of the recited clauses ? for my part , i was not able to guess , what evil it was that he wou'd charge upon 'em ; nor cou'd i have been more surpriz'd , if any one had cavill'd against the plainest theorem in euclid ; mr. baxter's theses in this case , being as plainly demonstrable ( upon scripture-principles ) as any of euclid's are ( upon principles of common reason : ) nor is it fit ( perhaps ) that any thing shou'd be admitted into the rank of christian doctrines , but what is so . but what dangerous , what pernicious error has he found in these passages ! why , he dreams at least , that he is aware of a design ( bad enough , you may be sure ) against the doctrine of a real , full , and proper satisfaction to god's justice for our sins , p 4. risum teneatis . well , but how must this design be carried on ? why , don't you observe it , here 's left out a change of persons between christ and us all along ? i 'm well aware of it ; and what then ? why , and then there 's not a word of christ's sustaining our person , nor of christ's suffering in the person of sinners ; and a design there is on foot ( i smell it at a distance ) to turn [ christ's suffering in the person of sinners ] into [ his suffering in the person of a mediator . ] why surely , though one can't yet guess what hurt there should be in it , yet ( if it be kept so very close , as this man's way of expression would intimate ) one would be ready to suspect , there was some ill design in it ; but ( upon further enquiry ) it appears , there was no need of so great cunning to find out that this was design'd ; 't is what mr. baxter proclaim'd openly ( in the hearing of the whole world ) near fourty four years ago ; for thus he spake in his confession of faith , p. 152 , 153. christ , as the publick sponsor , did bear the punishment deserv'd by the sins of the world , and made to his father a satisfaction sufficient for the sins of all : but this he did in the person of a mediator , that undertook to bear the penalty , and not in the person of the elect , or of any particular sinner , &c. nor has he at any time since made a secret of it ; but upon every befitting occasion this has still been his constant language . so in the catechism , at the end of his family-book , p. 447. christ suffer'd for our sins , and in our stead , because it was to free us from sufferings ; but yet he suffer'd in the person of a mediator , who indeed is one that undertook to suffer in the sinner's stead , but never was , nor consented to be esteem'd the sinner himself . and a little farther ; christ suffer'd in our stead , but not as our delegate , nor in our name and person properly , but as a voluntary mediator , &c. — so also in his treatise of justifying righteousness , part i. p. 55. christ suffer'd and obey'd in the person of the mediator , between god and man , and as a subject to the law of mediation . the like again , p. 24. as indeed frequently in that book . so in his meth. theol. p. iii. p. 42. christus in persona mediatoris passus est — non in persona — offendente . and in his cath. theol. part ii. p. 38. § . 41. christ did not take upon him strictly and properly the ( natural or civil ) person of any sinner , much less of all the elect , or all sinners , but the person of a mediator between god and sinners . see also § . 43. and p. 66. § . 142. he ( god ) judges christ to have been the sponsor and mediator , and in that person to have done and suffer'd as he did ; because it is true : but he judges him not to have been the legal person of the sinner , — because that is not true . it were almost endless to refer you to all the other places where he thus speaks — now after all , is it not very pleasant , to have this man come and whisper it ( as if it had been some mighty secret ) that he was aware this great man had a design to turn [ christ's suffering in the person of sinners ] into [ his suffering in the person of a mediator . ] p. 12. if it be a plot , 't is surely a very innocent one , that he should carry it on ( for so many years ) so openly , and in the view of all the world ; 't was what he never was asham'd to own ; and what was known to be his sense of the matter ( for ought i know ) before this informer was born . but to proceed , suppose he was for christ's suffering in the person of a mediator , and not of sinners , ( as , though 't is by this accuser only hinted as a remote design , yet we have ( if that will do him any kindness ) given him very full and plain evidence of it ) what hurt is there in it ? — what! why then christ was never by vertue of the sanction of the law oblig'd to suffer for us ; that is , as he oft tells us , the original law , the law which we had transgressed did not oblige christ to suffer . well , 't is granted ! pray go on ; and then , he suffer'd not a proper punishment [ but only the same sufferings we were oblig'd to materially , not formally : ] this is the design he ( the reporter ) was aware of , and so suggested it , p. 12. the reporter ( if all reports be true ) has been aware of other kind of designs which yet he has not thought fit to suggest ; and if he be so good at an intrigue himself , as he is commonly fam'd to be , no wonder if he be jealous of every one else : it would incline one ( that is of no very surmising temper ) to fear his thoughts run much upon designs and plots when he is awake , that he cannot sleep but he must dream of 'em , and like one delirous cry out in his sleep , oh! they have a design , a cursed design , i 'm aware of what they aim at ! and when he is perfectly awake , he can tell of no more that they design , than only to turn [ christ's suffering in the person of sinners ] into [ his suffering in the person of a mediator ] who was never by vertue of the sanction of the law , oblig'd to suffer for us , and who suffer'd not a proper punishment , but only the same sufferings we were oblig'd to materially , and not formally ; though in his dream he had talk'd of a design against the doctrine of satisfaction . — whereas these two things do so widely differ , as that the one may be design'd , where the other is not , as shall hereafter be made appear ; yea , that 't is as consistent , as for a most sincere anti-socinian to be as heartily engag'd against antinomianism ; and that nothing but his ignorance can disprove this accuser's being engag'd in a design to promote either the one or the other , socinianism , i mean , or antinomianism ; though whether of the two may hereafter more evidently appear , if ever he should have either less policy , or more integrity than now . in the mean time , as a vindication of that ( not-without-just-veneration-to-be-nam'd ) mr. baxter , and those who ( with my self ) bless god for him , and his excellent labours , ( though we , as the servants of christ , dare follow no one farther than he is a follower of our lord ; ) i say , as a vindication of him and our selves , i shall undertake these two things in the following papers , viz. to prove , that what is here transcrib'd from mr. baxter is the truth , that must secure us from the impious and to be abhorr'd blasphemy of antinomianism : and afterwards , to make it appear , that the equally horrid opinions ( on the socinian extream ) are ( not only not-countenanc'd , but also ) most effectually refell'd upon these principles . to which i shall apply my self , when i have only added , that what is here said , is not intended as an anticipation to the just defence that may be expected from that other worthy person , whom this accuser does also by name traduce ; and therefore i do not meddle with any of those passages wherein he is personally concern'd . part i. § . 1. this accuser having throughout his appeal insinuated that the before-recited passages are unsound , and socinianizing at least , if not socinian , has made it necessary in order to our defence , that we make it appear , they are not chargeable errors , much less as socinianism : the former of these we shall begin with , viz. that there is nothing erroneous or unsound in the particulars he has transcrib'd from mr. baxter . § . 2. in order to which we shall consider 'em distinctly , according to the several heads , to which he seems to have reduc'd 'em ; tho' for want of method in his book ( or thro' the intricacy of it at least ) 't is not easie to find 'em out — but the principles he seems to extract from the above-mention'd passages , and to expose to censure are these , viz. i. that christ suffer'd by vertue of the law of mediation , not by vertue of the sanction of the violated law. ii. and consequently that he suffer'd in the person of a mediator , not in the person of sinners . iii. and that thereupon his sufferings were only materially , not formally the same we were oblig'd to . iv. and that our sins ( tho' they were the impulsive meritorious cause of christ's sufferings ) yet it was only more remotely that they were so , and not so nearly and immediately as they wou'd have been of our own . v. and therefore , though his sufferings may not unaptly be call'd a punishment , yet not in that full and proper sense in which the sufferings of the sinner himself might have been so call'd . chap. i. that christ did not suffer by vertue of the law which we had transgress'd , but only by vertue of the law of mediation . this is so far from being a pernicious error , as that it is a very important and most useful truth ; for the manifesting which i 'll set my self to hint the absurd consequents of the opposite notion , and to obviate the seeming reasonings of this accuser against it . § . 1. suppose we for a while that this notion of mr. baxter's is false , as this accuser would have it ; now if it be so , then the proposition contrary to it must needs be true ; and if it were true , nothing but what is so could naturally and necessarily flow from it . we will therefore consider some of the direct consequences of that opposite notion , and they are such as these . § . 2. 1. if christ did suffer by vertue of the violated law , then it must needs be , either that he was a violator of the law himself , or that law must be disjunctive ; [ thou , or thy surety , shall obey , otherwise , thou , or thy surety , shall suffer . ] that one of these consequents must be allow'd , cannot ( with any appearance of reason ) be denied : he cou'd not suffer by vertue of that law , unless he were under the reach of it ; and how cou'd he be any other way under the reach of that law , than one of these two : either as having violated it himself ; or , being bound , when the law was given , as a surety in the same bond with us . there is indeed a third way pretended by this accuser , and that is , that by his own sponsion , and by the will of the father , he came under the obligation of the violated law , and so stood bound by this law to suffer , ap. p. 5 , 6. but 't is strange , that a person so well acquainted with laws , as he wou'd be thought to be , shou'd need to be told , that if the obligation christ laid himself under to suffer , was as exactly the same , with that we lay under , as it was possible to be ; yet the change that was made in the person oblig'd to suffer , did alter the form of it , and make it truly another law , another obligation , and not that of the original law , otherwise than materially only . we are willing to allow , that christ suffer'd the same for quantity and quality that we shou'd have suffer'd , so far as there is but probable proof . baxt. of univers . redempt . p. 78 , 79. but if it were most strictly the same thing that we were oblig'd to , yet it is not sufficient to prove , he suffer'd under the formal obligation of the violated law , or that he stood bound by that law to suffer ; for that another person may , in the stead of a criminal , suffer the very same kind of pain , or loss , that the criminal himself was condemn'd to , and this by his own sponsion , and the will of the prince : in which case i dare appeal to all the learned in the law , whether the obligation be not another ; whether the law by vertue whereof he suffers , be not differing from that which condemn'd the malefactor himself . so that if christ did ( as this accuser of him , as well as us , says ) suffer by vertue of the violated law ; 't is not to be conceiv'd , how the threatning of that law cou'd reach him , unless he were ( as we have hinted ) either a violater of that law himself , or an antecedent surety with and for us . which either of these he shall say , it will equally be subversive of the whole gospel . § . 3. ( 1. ) shou'd he have the front to say , that christ was himself a violater of that law , what more egregious blasphemy cou'd he utter against the author of our holy religion ? how shou'd he be the redeemer of sinners , that was a sinner himself ! the whole gospel does depend upon , and necessarily presuppose his innocency ( yea , which is more , his divinity ) as the foundation of it , john 1. 1. hell it self cannot foam out greater rage and nonsense than to call god a sinner ; and while we are so expresly assur'd , that our lord jesus was holy , harmless , undefiled , separate from sinners , heb. 7. 26. that he knew no sin , 2 cor. 1. 21. heb. 4. 15. 1 pet. 2. 22. 1 joh. 3. 5. 1 pet. 1. 19. we shall not so much as suspect , that any one professing the christian name will imagine , that christ suffer'd as being a violater of that law himself . 2. if then he suffer'd by vertue of the sanction of that law , it remains that he was an antecedent surety with and for us ; otherwise the obligation of that law cou'd never reach him ; and then the law as given to adam , must be supposed to run [ thou shalt obey , or thy surety for thee ; otherwise , thou shalt die , or thy surety for thee . ] now if the original law did thus take in a surety , how plain is it , that it was never violated ! our surety did obey , did fulfill all righteousness ; if then it only oblig'd either him , or us disjunctively to obey ; what ground is there left , whereupon either christ or we shou'd suffer ! obj. but i presume some will allege , his suretiship did only respect the sanction , not the preceptive part of the law ; that the law did not oblige him to obey ; but only ( supposing our disobedience ) either he or we must suffer . repl. to which it might be reply'd , the surety's name is not more legible in the penal ; than in the preceptive part of the law ; and we find he did obey , as well as suffer ; and therefore have reason to think he was equally oblig'd to obey , as he was to suffer . but yet we will suppose it to be ( as they wou'd have it ) that christ was only oblig'd in case of our disobedience ; that he was only a surety with reference to the penalty ; and that the sense of the law was [ thou adam shalt obey , otherwise , thou or christ , shall die . ] and thus far at least he must be obnoxious to the original law , otherwise he cou'd not possibly suffer under the obligation of that law ; he cou'd not be said to be ( as this accuser wou'd have it thought he was ) in the same bond with us , and oblig'd to suffer by vertue of the sanction of the same law that oblig'd us to suffer . § . 4. now this notion in the consequences of it , is equally subversive of christianity with the former , for 1. if the original law ( as to its penal part ) was disjunctive , viz. either that the offender shou'd suffer , or christ for him , then the gospel had not been the bringing in of a better covenant , but a performance of the old. thus does that right reverend person , to whom this accuser has appeal'd , argue against him . upon this principle , what the apostle had so carefully distinguish'd , are confounded together , and made one and the same thing , when upon a comparing 'em together , he does once and again give the preferrence to the latter covenant , ( as heb. 7. 22. — 8. 6. ) 't is plain he supposes the one is not the other ; or , if the apostle in that discourse had a more immediate reference to the mosaick law , his argument will hold a fortiori from hence , in reference to the original law. but there is one thing farther i wou'd add under this head , which perhaps will be of weight with this accuser and his friends , and that is , that hereupon the gospel must needs be a law , the very old , original law , and not so much as a law of greater grace ; what can there possibly be left to distinguish the old , original law , and the gospel , if this principle be admitted ? 2. if the original law ( as to its penal part ) was disjunctive , it wou'd also follow , that we are justifiable , according to the utmost rigour of that law ; for supposing the penalty to be already borne , what has that law further to charge upon us ? the psalmist ( surely ) had much differing apprehensions of the matter , when he cried out , if thou , lord , shouldst mark iniquities , o lord , who shall stand ? psal . 130. 3. the reverend dr. owen's words upon this place , are very remarkable : but ( says he ) may not an intercessor be obtain'd to plead on the behalf of the guilty soul ? eli determines this matter , i sam. 2. 25. if one man sin against another , the judge shall judge him ; but if a man sin against the lord , who shall intreat for him ? there is not , says job , between us , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that might argue the case , in pleading for me , and so make up the matter , laying his hand upon us both , job 9. 33. we now ( as he immediately adds ) consider a sinner purely under the administration of the law , which knows nothing of a mediator . so that ( according to him , and indeed according to the truth of the thing ) the original law did not admit or appoint any mediator , any christ to suffer and plead on the behalf of the guilty soul ; and consequently left no place for hope . but upon this supposal , that that law only oblig'd either christ , or us to suffer , what reason was there for so dismal apprehensions ? tho' god shou'd mark iniquities , resolve to animadvert upon 'em with utmost rigour , we may yet stand ; for that the very rigour of the law does ( according to them ) require only , that either christ , or we shou'd suffer , not that both shou'd , now then where is the danger the psalmist was so apprehensive of ? and whence is it , that he does elsewhere so earnestly deprecate god's judicial process , psal . 143. 2. enter not into judgment with thy servant , for in thy sight shall no man living be justify'd . it must needs be , either that the psalmist , or these men , have very greatly misapprehended the sense of that law ; for that according to him , if god shou'd judge us by that law , no man living cou'd be justify'd ; whereas according to them , though god shou'd judge us by that law , we cannot but be justify'd ; for when the threatned penalty is inflicted , the most rigorous justice can go no further ; we are recti in curia , when the law is satisfy'd ; no further charge can have place against us . 3. yea further , it follows , that we never had ( as indeed we cou'd never need ) a pardon . the case will be very plain by a familiar instance : suppose two persons jointly bound for the payment of a certain sum of money , or for the performance of any other condition or contract ; if either party pay the money , or discharge the bond , the other is quit in law , and the creditor cannot be said to have forgiven him . justice it self is so far from requiring , that it wou'd not admit of double payment . now then , if christ was in the same bond with us , if either he or we suffer , the debt is paid , the utmost demands of justice are answer'd ; what place is there then left for forgiveness ? can a penalty be said to be forgiven , that was not due ? or can it be yet due , when 't is already paid ? and is it not in law paid , if either the principal or surety pay it ? upon this principle then it is plain , that god cannot be said to have forgiven us , to have been gracious to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : for tho' socinus did ( as grotius has manifested ) argue from those terms , with great weakness , against all satisfaction ; yet nothing can , with greater force and evidence , disprove a full and proper solution . what shall we then say to those numerous texts , where we and our sins are said to be forgiven ? hereupon the gospel-covenant , as offering remission , luke 24. 47. and the sacraments of the gospel , as sealing it to sincerely penitent believers , acts 2. 38. mat. 26. 28. are render'd meer impertinencies ; and can it be thought these persons do ever pray for pardon ; or that they do account themselves beholden to god for it ? how they can consistently with this their opinion , i see not . 4. moreover , this doctrine renders our repentance , and all obedience of our's needless ; and a continued course of the most enormous wickednesses wou'd hereupon be unhurtful to us . if these persons will be consistent with themselves , it seems necessary for 'em to say ( as dr. crisp ) that sin can do us no hurt , and holiness can do us no good . upon this principle , what hurt can sin , the grossest wickedness do us ? suppose a person an atheist , a blasphemer , an adulterer , that he live and die such ; in this case it can only be said , the law was violated , and therefore the threatning must take place : but if this notion be true , that the law threatens only , that either the sinner or christ shall die , it cannot touch such a creature as this , it having been already executed . and alike needless must it needs render holiness and obedience in all the instances of it ; for to what purpose is it , can it be suppos'd to be needful , if he may be accepted with god , if he may be rectus in curia without it . 5. again , if this principle be admitted , none of our sufferings wou'd consist with the justice of god : for that according to them , the law did oblige only christ , or us , to suffer ; if either suffer therefore , full payment is made ; the law has no farther demands to make ; how is it then , that we notwithstanding suffer ? that we are subjected to any sufferings , spiritual or temporal ( not to make any mention here of eternal ones ) whence is it that god with-draws the quickning , or comforting influences of his spirit from any ? whence is it , that he gives up any to their own hearts lusts ? whence is it that any are expos'd to the fiery darts of the wicked one ? or yet , that the arrows of the almighty do wound , do stick fast in any soul ? or , if we shou'd yet come lower , how unaccountable were it , that we shou'd groan under pining sicknesses , noisom diseases , racking pains , and at length yield to death ? it will , perhaps , be pleaded , that god may inflict all these evils , and many more at pleasure , as being absolute lord of his creatures ; but it shou'd be remembred , that having given us a law , he is become our ruler ; and thereby he does declare , that he will not , however ( antecedently thereto ) he might have arbitrarily inflicted any evil upon us : the very giving out a law , in and by which it is enacted , that such certain evils shall be inflicted upon the transgressors of it ; how plainly does it indemnifie-the non-violaters of it from such sufferings ? such threatnings otherwise cou'd answer no end ; if it were intended , that whether they violated the law , or not , they shou'd be alike obnoxious . now if we consider god as a governour , the evils he inflicts come under another consideration ; they are not meerly afflictions or sufferings , but they are also punishments , and therefore they are not dispens'd arbitrarily , but according to a stated rule ; he does not punish any but such as by the law are obnoxious ; hence is it that we read of his righteousness in reference to this matter . and as this does more generally evince , that all evils inflicted by a ruler as such , are punishments ; so ( with reference to the particular instances above-mention'd ) it might be distinctly made appear , that they are , in the most strict and proper sense , punishments — in the last ( which is not the least doubted ) case , how plain is it ! that the separation of soul and body is penal ; that 't is a natural evil no one doubts , as such 't is abhorr'd of all ; and that 't is inflicted for , or by reason of sin , is as unquestionable , if the apostle's account of the matter may be allow'd ; for so he tells us , rom. 5. 12. by one man sin enter'd into the world , and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men , for that all have sinn'd . so that death ( amongst men ) has the nature of a punishment in it , but how then comes it to be inflicted , if it be not due ? if we be not obnoxious to the sentence of the law , it cannot be said to be due to us ; if the threatning was disjunctive , both parties bound cou'd not be obnoxious , if sentence be executed on either , the other is clear ; how comes it then that we are punish'd and christ too ! what shall we say ? is god unrighteous that taketh vengeance ? rom. 3. 5. or is not this rather an unrighteous doctrine , that wou'd reflect the imputation of injustice upon the holy god ? 6. yet again , according to this notion , how can the eternal damnation of any soul consist with divine justice ? this surety is a punishment with a witness ; but how can it be a righteous one if it be not due ? and it cannot be due to any man , if it be already paid ; and every man has paid it , if his surety have done it . i see not , upon this principle , how god can , in justice , damn any individual soul : here then is universal redemption , and universal grace , beyond the utmost stretch of arminianism it self . what! is it then not only possible that they may , but is it also certain that all shall be sav'd from everlasting perdition ! is there not only a sufficiency of grace afforded to all , but that efficacious influence that will secure the effect ! is god not only unwilling to damn any , but is he also unjust , unrighteous if he do ! 't is strange then , that we should read of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rom. 2. 5. and an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , heb. 2. 2. certainly a threatning us with wrath , because of god's righteous judgment , and with remediless ruine , as a just recompence of reward , cannot but intimate , that god wou'd be righteous and just , tho' careless obdurate sinners shou'd finally perish . nay , while we are assur'd , that sodom and gomorrah , jude , v. 7. and many others , suffer the vengeance of eternal fire , and that god has not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , power , ability , mat. 10. 28. but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , power , authority , luke 12. 5. to cast into hell : those , and many like texts , cannot be more true , than this opinion is false , that wou'd infer god cannot punish , cannot cast into hell , were unjust if he shou'd do it ; yea , such a notion must needs be false , that these sacred scriptures may be true . 7. i 'll add but one more absurd consequence of this opinion ( though many more might be subjoyn'd ) and that is , that the patrons of this principle do hereby greatly obscure , and lessen that free-grace in christ , which they so highly pretend to exalt and magnifie . when they have seem'd to advance free-grace beyond all others , to cry up gospel-grace , and gospel-preaching , they do at length subvert all purely-gospel-grace at once , and necessarily resolve the whole of divine grace into the constitution of the law of works : for , supposing ( with them ) that christ's name was put into the original bond ; supposing that law did take in christ as surety with us ; 't is not of grace , but justice , that god is reconcil'd to us , or that we are accepted with him ; it shou'd not be said that we are justify'd freely by his grace , but that the rigour of the law did exact nothing more , and therefore our justification was a due debt , 't was what was owing to us by governing justice ; the righteous god cou'd not condemn us , having already exacted the threatned punishment at our surety's hands . now is it so adorable , so surprizing grace , that god shou'd be just to his own law ! is it so very astonishing and wonderful a thing , that god shou'd be true to his word ! thus , after all their pretences of a more exalted admiration of , and value for divine grace , they do by this notion shrink it into so narrow a compass , as the framing the original law ; and as for all that which the gospel magnifies as grace , they render it nothing other than pure justice ; all gospel grace shou'd ( with them , if they will consist with themselves ) be nothing differing from a due debt , tho' the apostle does so carefully contra-distinguish and oppose 'em to each other , rom. 4. 4. § 5. ( 2. ) if christ did suffer by vertue of the violated law , then his sufferings were most strictly the same that we were obnoxious to ; this is as plain , as that the sanction of the law was the same with it self . but is it to be admitted , that our lord jesus christ was alienated from the life and love of god! that he was dead in trespasses and sins ! deserted of the spirit of holiness ! was his soul over-run with outragious and impetuous lusts ! all which , under one consideration , is our punishment , tho' under another respect it be also our sin. or was the lord jesus hated , abhorr'd of the father ! did he lose all right to , and interest in god's favour and kindness ? did he bear the stinging reflections of a guilty conscience , the horrors of a despairing damned wretch in hell ? this is but part of the punishment included in the threatning against us ; but what pious soul wou'd not rise with indignation against any one , that shou'd so far blaspheme the holy and ever-blessed redeemer , as to say this was his case , his state ? and if he did not suffer what that law threatned , it cannot be said that he suffer'd by vertue of that law. it remains then , that he did only suffer by vertue of the law of mediation , as before . § . 6. ( 3. ) then the law oblig'd him to suffer ; whereupon it wou'd follow , that neither he cou'd refuse the undertaking ; nor god refuse to accept it as punishment ; but this i shall but mention here . § . 7. we are next to obviate the seeming reasonings of this accuser against this truth ; and what he does loosely ( and immethodically enough ) offer here and there to this purpose , we shall endeavour to reduce into some order , that it may appear , with all the force it has , against us ; and be more capable of receiving a just reply . and , ( 1. ) he does insinuate , that christ's sufferings cannot otherwise be an act of rectoral justice ; but only acts of obedience and dominion . take his own words : we are of opinion , that sufferings which are not from the obligations of a violated law , cannot be an act of rectoral justice , which does essentially respect the law in its distributions . — if a rector sentenceth any to sufferings , without a regard to sin , it is unjust . appeal , p. 7. and again , if mr. b. resolve christ's sufferings wholly into a conformity to the precept of the mediatorial law , — they can be but acts of obedience and dominion , not acts of justice , p. 50 , 51. so he goes on , p. 52. they affirm 'em to be but acts of obedience , and consequently acts of dominion , not of punitive justice . so again , p. 54. the sufferings of christ — cou'd not be a judicial act of god : he ( christ ) cou'd not be condemn'd , nor cou'd sentence pass upon him ; nor according to any sentence cou'd he be executed ; for where no obligation to punishment by the sanction of the law , there no guilt in any sense ; where no guilt , no condemning , no passing a sentence justly , no execution , &c. and p. 56. his sufferings cou'd be but an act of dominion . now to all this we answer . 1. that he is so confus'd , and unsteady in the forming this objection , that we can hardly so much as guess what it is he means : sometimes he speaks of the sufferings of christ as an act of rectoral justice , and a judicial act of god ; where one wou'd think he considers 'em as inflicted by god ; and yet in other places , he speaks of 'em as acts of justice , where 't is not certain , but he may refer to 'em as undertaken by christ : now these two are far from being the same thing , that christ was not unrighteous in undertaking , and undergoing those sufferings ; and that god was not unrighteous in inflicting and laying 'em upon him. again , he thus confounds , an act of dominion , and acts of dominion ; whereas the former may import , that the father ( as dominus christi , as his lord ) might enjoyn him to suffer ; and the latter may signifie , that christ ( as lord of his own acts ) might offer , might consent to suffer . besides , he confounds sufferings inflicted by vertue of the sanction of the law , and sufferings inflicted , with a regard to sin , and makes the latter signifie as much as the former , whereas we constantly ( and with the justest reason ) distinguish betwixt 'em ; and allow that in the sufferings of christ , there was a regard had to sin , to our sin , as what had offended , highly incens'd the divine majesty against us , and render'd it necessary ( for the reputation of his wisdom , holiness , justice , and the support of his governing-authority ) that his displeasure shou'd in one way or other be manifested against sin , if he shou'd ( and that he might ) remit the penalty due to the sinner . and hereupon it was agreed betwixt the father and the son , that christ shou'd suffer ; the divine wisdom this way at once providing for the honour of god , as governour , and for the redemption of apostate-man . so that we readily grant , there was a respect had to sin , in the sufferings of christ ; yea , that it cou'd not have consisted with the justice of god as rector , to sentence him to suffer , without a regard to sin . but it does not , cannot thence follow , that he suffer'd by vertue of the obligation of the violated law ; that that law oblig'd him to suffer ; unless you will also say , that that law oblig'd god to save sinners , and to appoint this ransom for ' em . but , 2. supposing him to mean ( as his reference to the bishop of worcester's letter wou'd intimate ) that unless we will allow christ's sufferings to have been by vertue of the violated law , they cou'd not be inflicted by god as a ruler , but only as an absolute lord. we deny the consequence : neither is it to be allow'd , unless he can make it appear , that this is the only law , by vertue whereof christ cou'd be oblig'd to suffer . and therefore also , it might be ( and was ) a judicial act of god , an act of his rectoral justice to inflict sufferings upon christ , because the law of mediation render'd him obnoxious to sufferings : and being hence oblig'd to suffer ( and , in that general sense , having guilt upon him ) he might have sentence justly pass'd and executed upon him ; and accordingly we find ( in that prophetical psalm , 22. 3. ) christ justifies god the father under the very depth of his sorrows . nay , christ's sufferings did not only consist with the justice of god as a rector ; but did also declare and demonstrate it to the world , rom. 3. 25 , 26. god set him forth , set him in view of all the world , by him ( by his blood ) to declare his righteousness , that he might be , and appear to be just , though he was a justifier of sinful men. as we shall ( god willing ) more fully clear , when we come to deal with the socinian adversaries , in the second part of this discourse . ( 3. ) whereas he argues from their being acts of obedience ( in our opinion ) that consequently we must hold , that they are only acts of dominion , &c. we again deny the consequence ; nay , rather think the direct opposite shou'd have been inferr'd , viz. that because we do consider the sufferings of christ , as acts of obedience to a law , therefore god is not , in reference hereto , to be look'd upon as a meer lord or owner , but also as a ruler . and we are the less afraid of having any ill consequence prov'd upon us , as to this , because ( which yet this accuser , as if he very little convers'd with the scriptures , seems not to know ) 't is consecrated language as well as divine truth ; 't is not only the sense , but also the words of the holy ghost , rom. 5. 19. phil. 2. 8. heb. 5. 8. so that the sufferings of christ were acts of obedience , and consequently we may infer , did correspond to the precepts of a law , and what other could it be but that of mediation : accordingly , in reference to these very sufferings , our saviour himself tells us , that he acted herein pursuant to a command he had receiv'd of his father , john 10. 17 , 18. he says not , this i was oblig'd to by the threatning of one or other law ; but a command i have received to this purpose , and i 'm ready to obey ; for thus also in the volum of the book it is written of him , lo , i come to do thy will , o god ; for to the offering of his body , the apostle does apply those words , heb. 10. 7 — 10. ( 4. ) and lastly , to close this head , we add , that if indeed we had said , that the sufferings of christ had no respect at all to the violated law , he might then ( with some force of reason ) have inferr'd upon us , that we thereby render'd 'em , with the socinians , a meer act of dominion upon christ , and not ( in any sense ) an act of justice : but he cannot but know , that we willingly grant , that they had some reference even to the sanction of that law , and that both as , the law , obliging us to suffer , was the ground and reason of his undertaking to suffer . his sufferings did in great part answer the ends , for which that sanction was annex'd to the law. ( 1. ) the law , as obliging us to suffer , was the ground the reason of christ's undertaking to suffer ; but his sufferings themselves , were by reason of that undertaking ; had it not been that we were under sentence of death by that law , we had not needed a mediator ; nay further , could that sentence have been remitted without any satisfaction made ; could the threatning have been absolutely recall'd ( so as that no severe marks of divine displeasure should have been left upon sin ) and this without weakning his authority , and rendring the majesty of heaven cheap : christ had never suffer'd , never undertaken to suffer — but these things are vastly differing ; to say that upon this reason christ undertook to suffer ; and to say , that that very sanction oblig'd him to suffer ; in the former case , 't is no more than loco causae obligatoriae ; in the latter , it would be the obligatory cause it self . ( 2. ) christ's sufferings did , in great part answer the ends of that sanction ; as will appear , if we consider for what purposes a sanction was added to the law ; and amongst others , such as these do readily occur , viz. thereby to express god's hatred of sin ; to secure the law and law-giver from contempt ; and to enforce obedience , &c. now these ends of the threatning were answer'd as well ( perhaps better ) by the sufferings of christ , than they could have been by the sufferings of sinners themselves . yet it cannot therefore be said , that the threatning it self was executed upon christ . in short , some respect the sufferings of christ had to the violated law , as is above said , but not such , as that it can be said with truth , either that that law oblig'd him to suffer , or that it was fulfill'd in and by his sufferings . ( 2. ) he does next insinuate , as if christ cou'd not be a mediator , at least , not suffer as such ; unless he suffer'd by vertue of the violated law. this ( surely ) must be his sense , if he have any , p. 25. where he says , that though christ came not under the obligation of the law of works , but by the father's will , and his own consent — yet ( on his entring into the office of a mediator ) the obligation to suffer for sin , is immediately by vertue of the sanction of the law. i take him to mean , that tho' he was not a mediator , without the appointment of god , and his own consent , yet upon his very becoming a mediator , the obligation of the violated law must immediately lay hold upon him ; so that tho' he might have avoided suffering , had he declin'd his mediatory undertaking ; yet supposing him to mediate , the violated law immediately seizeth on him , and obliges him to suffer . to which we answer , 1. the violated law did indeed oblige the sinner himself to suffer ; but that it did or cou'd oblige any one else , is what ( how oft soever it be said ) has never yet been prov'd . 2. nor does christ's meerly entring into the office of a mediator , necessarily ( and in the nature of the thing ) oblige him to suffer ; for it is conceivable , ( as a thing very possible ) that he might have mediated for a mitigation of our sufferings only . suppose ( for instance ) that instead of the torments of hell for ever , we might only endure those tortures for a determinate number of years . i would not be mistaken : i am not saying christ did so , being well assur'd he did otherwise ; nor am i devising a better method , or one equally good with that which took place : 't is not without inexpressible delight and gratitude , that i do own and adore the infinitely excelling wisdom and goodness , that is conspicuous in the gospel-way of mediation . all i say is , that in the nature of the thing 't was not impossible , there might have been a mediation set on foot to this purpose ; in which case i ask , how it does appear , that the mediator himself must needs suffer ? and this with a design to convince our accuser , his argument can have no force in it ; for that it must according to all rules of logick , proceed upon this indefinite and unlimitted proposition , whoever mediates for an obnoxious criminal , shall suffer . which proposition is not to be allow'd , unless every one that mediates ( in what way soever ) for such an one must needs suffer : an assertion so weak , that barely to mention it is sufficiently to expose it ; yet if he shou'd limit it to this , or any other special case , 't would there only be a naked assertion , and no argument . 3. but supposing christ was ( as i willingly grant he was ) upon his entring into the office of a mediator oblig'd to suffer for sin ; yet still , it appears not that he is so , immediately by vertue of the sanction of the law. that the sufferings of the mediator had a respect to the sanction of the law ( as before ) we grant ; but that he was properly oblig'd by that law to suffer ( whether mediately , or immediately ) is what we believe this accuser can never prove . the violated law never said , if christ mediate for sinners , he shall die ; but another law that was peculiar to himself , and which we therefore call the law of mediation . ( 3. ) but he proceeds , if christ's obligation to suffer did not result from this law ( i. e. the violated law ) our sins were not the impulsive cause of his sufferings , ibid. p. 25. and he adds , p. 41. it 's impossible sin shou'd be their meritorious cause . and again , p. 50. if christ's sufferings be not — by vertue of the penal sanction of a violated law , our sins cannot be their meritorious cause . the answer to this we must defer to the fourth chapter , where we shall have occasion to speak fully to it . again , ( 4. ) he does also suggest , in the last quoted pages , that christ's sufferings cou'd not otherwise be a proper punishment — the consideration whereof is also to be reserv'd for the fifth chapter of this discourse . moreover , ( 5. ) he does next intimate , that it was either by vertue of that sanction ( i. e. that of the violated law ) or by vertue of no sanction at all , that christ was oblig'd to suffer : for that according to us , the mediatorial law had no penal sanction ; and thereupon he challenges us to shew , by vertue of what sanction christ was oblig'd to suffer , vid. p. 26. in answer whereto , we distinguish betwixt a sanction in a more loose and general sense ; in a more strict and proper one . accordingly we say , 1. in the strictest sense , as it does import the threatning that is annex'd to a law , we see not how it can be said , that christ was oblig'd to suffer by vertue of any sanction ; for that we know no law that threatned him. but , 2. if we understand the word in a looser and more general sense , as signifying only an ordination at large ; we may say , sancitum fuit , it was ordain'd , enacted by the law of mediation , that he shou'd suffer for sin ; and so he was oblig'd to suffer by vertue of that sanction . 6. in the last place , he does advance a very formidable argument against us , viz. that ( upon the fore-mention'd principle ) we cannot hold christ's sufferings to have been in our place and stead , otherwise than as it signifies only for our benefit and advantage . this he inlarges upon , p. 29 , 30. to which we reply , first , and more generally , that all that make use of that distinction , are not agreed upon one and the same sense ; and therefore the sense of the terms shou'd be fix'd , before they can signifie any thing in an argument . 't is possible such a sense may be affix'd to one , or other of the terms , in which it may be true , that we cannot hold christ's sufferings to have been in our place and stead , or to have been otherwise so , than as it signifies for our good . who knows what secret sense this accuser may understand these phrases in , by which he may prove his charge against us . we shou'd therefore know , what it is he means , both by christ's suffering in our place and stead , and by his suffering for our benefit and advantage : for by knowing only his sense of one of these phrases , we cannot possibly conjecture , whether the other ( with him ) import less or more , or just the same thing . yet , 2. and more particularly , tho' we cannot ( in his declar'd sense ) hold that christ suffer'd in our place , yet it will not follow , that we do not ( or cannot ) hold that he suffer'd in our stead , otherwise than as it signifies for our good only . but what we do , ( and consistently with our selves can ) maintain his suffering in our stead , in such a sense in which the socinians ever deny'd it , shall ( thro' divine assistance ) be made appear in the second part of this discourse . chap. ii. that christ did not suffer in the person of sinners , but in the person of a mediator . § . 1. this also he would have to be accounted amongst our errors , as appears not only from several passages in his appeal , but also from his objecting this , amongst other faults , against the third paper ( in his report ) viz. that it was so worded as to be calculated to their meridian , who hold , that christ suffer'd only in the person of a mediator , not in the person of sinners . § . 2. that christ was a mediator , and did suffer as ( or in the person of ) a mediator , i will suppose is no part of the controversie betwixt the accuser and us : all that can then remain as questionable , is , whether he suffer'd as ( or in the person of ) a sinner — which being affirm'd , shou'd also have been prov'd by this accuser : we being only doubters or deniers in this point , have nothing to do but only to hear his proofs : no rules i have yet met with , oblige us to any thing more . § . 3. yet since he has not ( as might have been expected ) done his part ; or perhaps , could not do it ; we shall more than do our own ; that it may appear , what it is we do herein deny , and upon what reasons we do it . and § . 4. in order to a better understanding the state of the case , it should be considered , that the phrase it self is what the scriptures are utterly a stranger to : we no where read in those sacred oracles , either of christ's sustaining , or suffering in the person of sinners ; and 't is but reasonable for us , when articles of faith are propos'd to , nay press'd upon us , to hesitate about 'em ( can we be blam'd , if we also deny , renounce 'em ) unless scripture-evidence be produc'd for ' em . if their sense of this ( or any other ) phrase appear in the scriptures , we shall readily own that sense ; but the phrase it self cannot be thought necessary , while it is not there . § . 5. but besides , this is not only an humane phrase , but a very obscure and ambiguous one ; and 't is hard to conceive ( amongst the many senses it is capable of ) any one sense , in which it may be tolerably apply'd to the present case — we shall briefly mention some of the more remarkable notations of the word [ person : ] and passing by several others , i shall only take notice of the vastly differing sense in which the word is us'd by metaphysicians , and by civilians . § . 6. the word [ person ] as made use of by metaphysicians , is design'd to express an individual , compleat ; intelligent substance . thus every man , and every angel are distinct persons ; and christian philosophers transfer this account of the word [ person ] to christ as god-man ; yea , and to the god-head it self , when they use that term with reference to the sacred three , father , son and holy ghost . but in this sense 't is not to be admitted , that christ suffer'd in the person of sinners ; for that in order to his suffering in any person ( one or other ) it was first necessary he should assume that person ; now , however he did assume the nature of man , yet he did not , 't was not possible that he should , in this sense , assume the person of any sinner . surely this accuser himself will not dare to assert , that christ was the individual substance of peter , judas , &c. if not , he was not their person ; and if not their person , then he did not suffer as such . § . 7. or if they should refer us to civilians for the sense of the word , 't is amongst them a very perplex'd and un-agreed term. sometimes they do only in general contradistinguish persons to things , and make the word person to be aequivalent to the word man. thus zouch , res sunt de quibus homines agunt ; personae quae agunt in se ; i. e. viri & mulieres : qui hominis appellatione continentur . yet according to others , this term of person is not so extensive as that of man. so calvin tells us , personae appellatio cum hominis appellatione non est eadem ; haec enim quam illa est generalior — omnis persona est homo , sed non vicissim . inde persona definitur homo , qui caput habet civile . by caput civile habens . he does not ( as some apprehend ) mean one that has a civil head , or a superiour in the state ; then indeed ( as they infer ) a king would be no person ; but what he and other civilians intend by it , is one that has the liberties of a free-born subject in the state ; and so is design'd only to exclude prisoners of war , bond-slaves , &c. from being persons . thus he explains himself at large , qui in eum ( scil . liberorum ) ordinem cooptatur , caput jam habere dicitur : unde servus , qui pro lihertate pretium persolvit , pretium pro capite solvere dicitur , apud plautum & j. consultos frequentissime , i. e. ut liceat illi caput in ordinem libertorum habere : qui , si postea libertate mulctetur , capite minutus dicetur ; and thus also the learned pufendorf explains it : persona apud j. consultos praeprimis , illa dicitur , quae caput ( i. e. libertatem personalem ) habet . but this distinction is not to be admitted with reference to the sufferings of christ ; in dying he had a respect , not only to jews , but to gentiles ; and amongst them not only to the learned greeks , but also to the more uncultivated barbarians and scythians ; not only to such as were free among 'em , but also to the very bond slaves , rom. 10. 12. 1 cor. 12. 13. gal. 3. 28. col. 3. 11. § . 8. again , sometimes they do by the term [ person ] intimate ( not absolutely the man himself , but ) the man respectively consider'd , with reference to the quality , state or condition , in which he stands . so calvin , ubi supra . persona tam hominem , quam qualitatem hominis & conditionem significat . and more fully , pufendorf , personae morales — sunt homines — considerati cum statu suo aut munere , in quo in vita communi versantur . now will this accuser say , that in this sense christ did sustain , and suffer in the person of sinners ? was he every one of those very men for whom he died ? did he possess the place , state , condition , quality of every individual sinner . § . 9. but amongst political persons ( to omit other sub-divisions ) there is one special kind , which they call representative persons ; and this i suppose may be intended , when 't is said , that christ suffer'd in the person of sinners . under this rank the civilians do commonly reckon embassadors , plenipotentiaries , vice-roys , &c. as acting in the person of the prince that commissionates 'em : members of parliament , as personating or representing those that do elect 'em : advocates or attorneys , as pleading in the person of their clients : tutors and guardians , acting for , and in the name of the pupils and minors , with whom they are entrusted : a servant , or any other delegate , whom we authorise and appoint to pay money , or transact any other affair for us ; so far as any one does with authority manage any of our affairs , he may in some sense be said to represent us , or to do it in our person . now if in any tolerable sense it may be said , that christ suffer'd in the person of sinners , it must ( i conceive ) be in this , that he did suffer as their representative . § . 10. and therefore , that it may the better appear , how far he did , and wherein he did not represent , or personate us in his sufferings , we should carefully distinguish , 1. betwixt christ's representing us in his sufferings ; and representing us in his obedience . 2. betwixt his representing , or personating a sinner in his sufferings , and his representing or personating sinners therein . 3. betwixt his representing , or personating sinners when he suffer'd , only in some very limited and restrain'd sense ; and his representing 'em therein simply and absolutely . 4. we may also distinguish betwixt a representative , that is deputed and delegated thereto by us ; and one that is appointed and authoriz'd by god. § . 11. whereupon i add , i. he did not so far represent , or personate sinners in his holiness and obedience , as in his sufferings ; 't is ( as we shall immediately shew ) in some sense allowable to say , christ suffer'd in the person of a sinner , or sinners ; but i know no sense in which it may be said , that he obey'd in the person of a sinner , or sinners . he did not personate a sinner , much less sinners , in his sinless obedience ; this were as grosly absurd ( as mr. baxter himself hints ) as it would be to say , in the person of sinners he never sinned . now this we the rather take notice of , because this accuser extends christ's personating us indifferently , and equally , to both his obedience and his sufferings ; for thus he speaks in his late defence , p. 28. christ's thus suffering and obeying in the person of sinners , it is to all intents and purposes as effectual , as if they did it themselves . and what any libertine or antinomian wou'd say more than this , i know not ; or which way he will ●…can , make this consist with the necessity of faith and repentance , in order to our actual discharge from punishment ( which yet he largely asserts , appeal , p. 8. 9. ) i cannot imagine . § . 12. ii. it is more allowable to say , that christ suffer'd in the person of a sinner , than that he suffer'd in the person of sinners : for that the former of these signifies no more , than that he suffer'd as a sinner . now that may be suppos'd to intimate , either that christ , in the inflicting sufferings upon him , was dealt with like a sinner ; or also , that therein he was reputed and declar'd a sinner , suffer'd under that imputation and charge : and both these are true ; the former , whether we consider him as suffering under the hand of god or men ; and even the latter also , so far as men were concern'd in 'em ; he died by their sentence as a blasphemer . § . 13. iii. yet in a very limited and restrain'd sense it may be said , that christ suffer'd in the person of sinners ; that is , so far as that he suffer'd in our room and stead , he stood before god as an undertaker to suffer for our sins , and accordingly became a sacrifice for us : if any one will say he was our representative , or suffer'd in our person thus far , i shall not contend with him . nor would mr. baxter neither , as is plain from such passages as these — when we are agreed , that the person of the sponsor , and of every particular sinner , are diverse ; and that christ had not suffer'd if we had not sinn'd ; and that he , as a sponsor , suffer'd in our stead , and so bore the punishment which ( not he , but ) we deserv'd : if any will here , instead of a mediator or sponsor , call him our representative , and say that he suffer'd in all our persons reputatively , — not representing our persons simply , and in all respects , and to all ends ; but only so far as to be a sacrifice for our sins , and to suffer in our place and stead . we take this ( says he ) to be but lis de nomine — and will not oppose any man that thinks those words fittest , as long as we agree in the matter signify'd . again , christ suffer'd in our stead , and in a large sense , to certain uses , and in some respects , as the representer , or in the person of sinners . yet further , though the person of the mediator be not really , or reputatively the very person of each sinner , yet it does belong to the person of the mediator , so far ( limitedly ) to bear the person of a sinner , and to stand in the place of the persons of all sinners , as to bear the punishment they deserv'd , and to suffer for their sin. i 'll mention but one more , though there be several other passages to this purpose — it belongs to him ( christ ) as mediator , to undertake the sinner's punishment in his own person ; and if any will improperly call that , the personating and representing of the sinner , let 'em limit it , and confess that it is not simply , but in tantum , so far , and to such uses , and no other ; and that yet sinners did it not in and by christ , but only christ for them , to convey the benefits as he pleas'd ; and then we delight not to quarrel about meer words , though we like the phrase of scripture better . § . 14. iv. so far as he did represent , or personate us in his sufferings ; he did it not as our deputy , or delegate ; we did not order , nor could we authorize him thereunto ; not being capable either of obliging him to suffer , or of impowering him in such sufferings to represent us , and stand in our stead : but , he voluntarily consenting to suffer for us , god authoriz'd and appointed him thereunto ; and from that divine appointment his sufferings become efficacious for us ; and therefore from thence it is , from that appointment of god , that it must be adjusted how far , and to what ends and uses , he shou'd suffer as the representative , or in the person of sinners ; and in what way and method , and upon what terms his sufferings shou'd be of saving benefit and effect to ' em . christ did not represent us as far as we please ; or to what ends and uses we please ; nor will his sufferings be effectually saving to us in what way and method we please , upon any , or no terms , as we think fit ; but all this is ( according to divine pleasure ) unalterably determin'd and fix'd , by that appointment and law of god , by which it was also ordain'd , that christ our mediator shou'd be sacrific'd for us . he cou'd not personate us farther than he was allow'd and impower'd of god ; and how far therefore his commission did extend , or with what limitations it was attended , is only to be collected from the oracles of god ; so far then , as it shall appear by the sacred scriptures , that christ suffer'd in the person of sinners , or as their representative , we shall readily agree , and no farther . § . 15. v. and lastly , the veneration we have for those sacred oracles , will not admit us ( without any limitation ) to say , as this accuser does , that christ suffer'd as the representative , or in the person of sinners : the reasons whereof will the better appear , if it be first agreed what is the exact and proper notion of such a person , a representative person : and in this matter , i suppose , our accuser is not unwilling ( and for my part , i am most willing ) that the learned pufendorf shou'd be our instructer . this therefore is the account he gives us of it , peculiaris species personarum politicarum est , quas dicere possis representativas , ideo quod personam aliorum referant : quae scil . potestate & authoritate agendi ab aliquo instructae , hujus vice negotia expediunt eodem cum effectu , ac si ab illo ipso essent confecta . so that according to him ( and indeed according to the truth of the thing ) so far as any one is allow'd to represent another , they are both in law reputed one person ; and thereupon , whatever he has , does , or suffers as a representative , it is ( eodem cum effectu , i. e. as this accuser well enough englishes it ) to all intents and purposes the same thing , as if it were had , done , or suffer'd by that other whom he represents . § . 16. now , if it be the same thing , then 't is neither more or less , than if we had so suffer'd our selves ; there are therefore two things that we have to plead against christ's thus personating , or representing us ; and they are , that such a representation of us by christ , is in differing respects , both too much and too little to answer the exigencies of our case , and the scripture-account of this matter . § . 17. and ( 1. ) in some respects , such a representative personating of sinners in and by christ's sufferings , would render 'em too little to answer the exigencies of our case , and the account which the scriptures give of 'em : for if christ in his sufferings was look'd upon as properly , and most strictly our person or representative , his sufferings ( as has bin hinted ) would be but the same thing , and no more in value or vertue , than if we our selves had so suffered : but if we our selves had suffer'd as christ did , would it have been effectual to the great and necessary purposes of obtaining redemption , reconciliation , pardon , the holy spirit , and eternal salvation for us ! can any one think ? dare any one say , our own suffering what christ did , our own dying as he did , would ( by way of merit ) have procur'd such consequent blessings as the death and sufferings of christ did ! such as the mention'd blessings we needed , our case call'd for ; and these blessings we find attributed to the death of christ , as what did ( meritoriously , and by way of a price ) procure 'em for us — so the apostle tells us , we have redemption through his blood , eph. 1. 7. col. 1. 14. he obtain'd it for us by his own blood , heb. 9. 12. so 1 pet. 1. 18 , 19. so also our reconciliation is the purchase of his blood ; this account we have of it , rom. 5 10. when we were enemies we were reconciled to god by the death of his son. and having through several verses before spoken of this reconciliation , he at length tells us , that god made him to be sin , i. e. a sin-offering for us , to intimate to us which way that reconciliation was procur'd and brought about , 2 cor. 5. 21. he made him to be sin , &c. and in that , eph. 2. 16. we are said to be reconcil'd to god by the cross . and col. 1. 20. christ is said to have made peace through the blood of his cross ; but wou'd our death have avail'd to any such purpose ? if not , how can he herein be said strictly to have represented us — the same might be also pleaded in reference to the procurement of our pardon , mat. 26. 28. and the holy spirit , heb. 10. 10 , 14. — 13. 22. with eternal salvation , 1 thess . 5. 9. 10. these are blessissings that we cou'd not have procur'd by our own dying ( this , to christians surely , i shall not need to prove ) : now , if christ died strictly in our person , his death had signify'd no more than ours : a representative , so far as he represents another , is in law look'd upon no otherwise , than as that other whom he represents ; whatever excellencies he may otherwise have above that other , yet do they not come under consideration here ; as a representative , he does but personate that other man ; and what he does or suffers as a representative , is but the same thing , as if that other man had done or suffer'd . so far as there is any difference allow'd in law , 't is plain the law looks upon 'em to be two distinct persons ; so far the one does not , cannot represent the other . either therefore these benefits were not procur'd for us by the sufferings of christ , or he suffer'd otherwise than as our representative , or in our mean and vile person , viz. in the most highly dignify'd person of a mediator . to this sense mr. baxter had pleaded long since , in the forecited treatise of justifying righteousness , p. i. p. 96. if christ ( says he ) suffer'd but in the person of sinful man , his sufferings wou'd have been in vain , or no satisfaction to god , &c. see also baxter's life of faith , p. 322. thus therefore such a representation of us by christ , wou'd have been too little for us . § . 18. but again , ( 2. ) if the matter be consider'd under other respects , christ's strictly personating or representing us in his sufferings , would be too much for us . for ( as we have before observ'd ) betwixt a representative and that other whom he represents , the law makes no difference : whatever the representative does as a representative , in the sense of the law , that other does whom he represents . ( 1. ) if then christ suffer'd strictly and properly in the person of sinners , or as their representative , they did , in the account of the law , suffer themselves ; and whatever is the moral effect ( i. e. whatever the law under which christ suffer'd has annex'd , by promise , as a consequence ) of his suffering , it being the effect of our representative's sufferings , may be attributed to us whom he did therein represent ; whatever is in scripture ascrib'd to the sufferings of christ , as an effect of 'em , if he suffer'd in our person , wou'd be to be ascrib'd to us : so we shou'd be our own redeemers , our own saviours , we shou'd have merited our own peace , our own pardon , &c. as truly as i pay money , which one that in the strict sense of the law represents me , does pay in my name ; or purchase land , which my legal representative purchases for me . § . 19. ( 2. ) if christ had suffered strictly in our representative person , we shou'd have had an immediate and absolute right to all the proper results and benefits of his sufferings : indeed , if christ in his own person , as mediator , purchas'd these blessings by suffering for us , he may confer 'em on us at what time , in what measure , in what order , and upon what terms he pleases , as we find he does : but supposing him to have been our proper representative therein , our right in law , to all the benefits of his sufferings , wou'd have been absolute ( as his now is ) and have immediately resulted from his having so suffered ; so as that no place cou'd have been left for the introducing and imposing upon us any terms or conditions in order to our enjoying such benefits : there cou'd be no room for such a constitution afterwards , if thou [ sinner ] repent , believe in christ , &c. thou shalt be saved : for according to this principle , the sinner has purchas'd salvation by the sufferings of christ [ as his representative ] he has thereupon an absolute and present right to the salvation so purchas'd ; to deny or suspend his right , or with-hold him from possession , wou'd be injurious to him , as keeping him from that which is his own : how then will this consist with the justice of god , who does not give sinners immediately the full of what was purchas'd by the sufferings of christ ! god does not give 'em an immediate and absolute pardon , present freedom from all sin and sorrow , present possession of the heavenly inheritance — if sinners have an immediate absolute right to these blessings , it wou'd be a wrong done to 'em , for god to keep 'em out of possession as he does ; and such a right we shou'd have , if he suffer'd ( strictly ) as our representative — so that this way consider'd , it does as much exceed , as the other way it fell short of answering the exigencies of our case . § . 20. and we may add , as a farther consequent hereupon ( 3. ) if christ had suffer'd ( strictly ) as the representative person of sinners ( indefinitely , as 't is express'd ) it wou'd follow , that every sinner equally has a right to the fore-mention'd benefits of christ's sufferings ; why then have not all equally a pardon ? why are not the influences of the divine spirit equally diffus'd ? why are some ( yea , even of the truly sanctify'd ) more freed from sin and sorrow , than others ? some but babes , while others are strong men in christ ? nay , why are not all in heaven ( whom christ did represent ) as well as some there ? § . 21. moreover ( 4. ) if christ had thus suffer'd as our representative ( and we had thus satisfy'd and merited in him ) what room would there have been left for his holiness and obedience to bestead us , or be of any advantage to us . we are most expresly assur'd , that by the obedience of one ( i. e. of christ ) we are made righteous , rom. 5. 19. suppose his sufferings and death to be included , as it cannot be deny'd , yet 't is as they were instances of his obedience , phil. 2. 8. and ( according to that known rule , a quatenus , ad omne valet consequentia ) if his sufferings did meritoriously procure our pardon , peace , &c. as they were instances of his obedience to the law of mediation , then whatever was an instance of such obedience , had an influence upon the same effect . his habitual , active and passive obedience , are therefore to be consider'd as one entire meritorious cause , one entire purchasing price of such blessings . — but upon this principle , that christ in suffering did strictly personate , or represent us , where can his habitual holiness , and active obedience be taken in ! what room is there for ' em ! what need is there of ' em ! when we have merited a pardon , acceptance with god , eternal salvation already , by the sufferings of christ as our representative ; what further need can we have of his obeying for us ? or shall we say , that he was our representative , in his obeying , as well as in his suffering ? so indeed our accuser would have it , in his defence , p. 28. christ ( says he ) thus suffering and obeying in the person of sinners , it is , to all intents and purposes , as effectual , as if they did it themselves . but besides , that these two parts of the assertion are inconsistent with each other , had he obeyed in our person , he needed not to have suffer'd in our person ; or had he suffer'd in our person , he needed not so to have obey'd . i say , besides that , the notion carries a manifest inconsistence in it — if it were admitted , it would infer all those seven absurdities mention'd in the fore-going chapter , with many more , that i cannot now stay to mention . § . 22. in a word then , since his strict representing , or personating us , would intimate , that christ and we are , in the sense of the law , but one person ; and thereupon his suffering in our person ( our representative person , properly so call'd ) would intimate either that he ( in his sufferings ) was ( in the esteem of god and the law ) depress'd to the mean , and vile , and sinful state of us , whom he did represent ; or else that we are ( in the account of god and the law ) exalted to the dignity and perfection of his state who represented us : and neither of these are to be admitted . not the former , for that it would render christ's sufferings unavailable to the great purposes that were to be serv'd of 'em ; not the latter , for the reasons last mention'd : it follows , that he cannot ( otherwise than very improperly , and with great limitations ) be said to have suffer'd in the person ( the representative person ) of sinners . chap. iii. that christ's sufferings were only materially , not formally the same we were oblig'd to . § . i this our accuser charges also upon us , as a branch of that design , that plot he impeaches us of ; a socinian plot , a plot to introduce socinianism : that we have such a design , he once and again insinuates , and thereupon brands us as episcopians , socinianizing arminians , &c. he had signify'd his apprehensions , his fears of a design against the doctrine of a real , full , and proper satisfaction to god's justice for our sins , p. 4. but by that time we are got to the 12th . page , those surmizes are improv'd into clear evidence , he is now aware of the design ; nay , twice together we are told it , to intimate ( no doubt ) that he is throughly aware of it ; and to make proof of it , he does alledge , amongst other matters , that ( according to us ) christ's sufferings were the same we were oblig'd to , only materially , and not formally . now the design he suggests , is what we do from our souls abhorr ; and if this accuser were himself a socinian , he could no way more effectually serve their interests , than by persuading the world ( as he here endeavours ) that all must be socinians , at least socinianize , that are not antinomians . sect. 2. but for the principle he charges upon us , we are not asham'd to own it ; and cannot but wonder , that our accuser should never once attempt to prove the contrary ; it lying upon him here again , as being the affirmer , to produce his evidence : surely this , that christ's sufferings were formally the same we were oblig'd to , is not to be reckon'd amongst those propositions which carry their own light along with 'em , and engage our assent at the first hearing : why then has he only mention'd our denial of it , as if that alone , were sufficient to expose us to the severest censures . sect. 3. but we cannot satisfie our selves ( though we be on the negative part ) to deny , and dispute against words that have no meaning , or ( which is , in effect , the same thing ) words that have an unagreed and uncertain one : and therefore though he has not told us his meaning , we shall , with greatest plainness , tell him , and the world , ours ; that it may be understood what we intend , when we deny , that christ's sufferings were formally the same we were oblig'd to . sect. 4. now there are two things that ( we apprehend ) may be meant , when 't is asserted , that christ's sufferings were not only materially , but also formally the same we were oblig'd to , viz. either that they were not only in a more loose and general way of speaking , but strictly and fully the same kind of sufferings that we were oblig'd to : or , also it may intimate , that they were not only the same kind of sufferings , but even the very same thing in law , as if we our selves had suffer'd . and the former of these we dare not admit , much less the latter . sect. 5. 1. not the former , viz. that christ's sufferings were strictly and fully of the same kind with those we were oblig'd to . that they were not , could not be so , i think was sufficiently made appear , chap. i. sect. 5. of this discourse . and mr. baxter has yet more distinctly and fully clear'd it , by an enumeration of several particulars , in which his were not the same with ours , under these three heads ; i. christus nullas tulit penas , quae etiam peccata sunt . ii. nullas tales paenas dedit , quae sunt tantum naturalia peccandi consequentia . iii. nullas deus ipse paenas in christum inflixit , quae ex displicentia ( adversus christum scil . ) vel amoris diminutione aliqua proveniunt . vid. method . theol. p. iii. cap. 1. disp . 4. p. 36 , 37. sect. 6. 2. much less can we agree to it in the latter sense , as it intimates , that christ's sufferings were the idem , the very same thing in law , as if we our selves had suffer'd ; for that this it could not be , unless he suffer'd ( most strictly ) in our person ; and that too , by vertue of the law , which we had transgress'd : both which have been abundantly disprov'd by us in the fore-going chapters . what has been there alledg'd against the one , or the other of those errors , may also have place here again . to which i shall only add ; 1. the inconsistency hereof with the doctrine of christ's satisfaction . for if christ's sufferings should be allow'd to be strictly the same thing that the law oblig'd to , then they could not be a satisfaction for our non-payment , but would themselves have been the proper payment : now these two things are vastly differing , to pay a debt ; and to offer some-what instead of payment , that is accepted as satisfaction for non-payment . since the word [ satisfaction ] was borrow'd from the civilians , from them it is that the import of it may be best understood ; and they do carefully distinguish betwixt solution and satisfaction . solution is when the very same thing is paid , to which the law oblig'd . so vinnius , — solutio , specialiter accepta , denotat naturalem praestationem ejus quod debetur . which is agreeable to the account grotius gives us of it , with whom solutio stricte sumpta , is solutio rei plane ejusdem , quae erat in obligatione ; solutio rei ipsius debitae . now this , as the bishop of worcester tells us , in the sense of the law is never call'd satisfaction , but strict payment . this is what cannot be refus'd , when offer'd in payment . but christ's sufferings might have been refus'd : god was not oblig'd to accept of them , but might have insisted upon the sufferings of sinners themselves . therefore grotius tells of another sort of solution , cum aliud , quam quod in obligatione est , solvitur . when some-what else , and not strictly that which the law requir'd , is paid ; and this , if accepted , is peculiarly call'd satisfaction . talis autem solutio ( says he ) quae aut admitti , aut recusari potest , admissa ; in jure , speciale habet nomen satisfactionis ; quae interdum solutioni strictus sumptae opponitur . so that by a satisfaction , 't is plain they intend a valuable consideration offer'd instead of what was due , which the creditor in pecuniary ( and the rector in criminal ) cases , may accept or refuse at pleasure . under this notion do the greatest and best of our divines maintain the doctrine of christ's satisfaction , in opposition to the socinian adversaries ; nor can it be defended upon any other bottom . to make the controversie betwixt the socinians and us ( in the point of satisfaction ) to be not ( as it has been wont to be stated ) whether christ's sufferings were an equivalent ( a valuable consideration ) offer'd and accepted , instead of what was due from us to divine justice ; so far as that upon account thereof , we have reconciliation , pardon , and eternal salvation , in the order , and upon the terms of the gospel ? i say , to make the question in difference , not to be what is above-said , but whether christ's sufferings be the very same thing , the all , that the law requir'd , oblig'd to , the very execution of its threatning ? how plainly is this to betray the cause into their hands ! if the bishop of worcester has any judgment in this controversie ( and while the learned world has so universally approv'd what he has wrote in it , they cann't themselves be thought to have much , that deny , or doubt his thorow acquaintance with it ; and of all men living , our accuser , who has appeal'd to him , surely does not suspect it ; i say , if that right reverend person has any insight into this matter ) the socinian cause can scarcely any way be more effectually befriended , than by such as pretending to be their adversaries , do thus state our controversie with 'em : for with these remarkable words does he close up his most convincing reasonings against christ's sufferings having been the very same thing which the law requir'd : when ( says he ) our adversaries ( meaning the socinians ) dispute against this opinion , no wonder if they do it successfully ; but this whole opinion is built upon a mistake , that satisfaction must be the payment of the very same ; which while they contend for , they give our enemies too great an advantage , and make 'em think they triumph over the faith of the church , when they do it only over the mistake of some particular persons . 2. neither could the sufferings of christ be strictly ( and individually ) the same thing that the law threatned ; for it threatned the death of the offenders themselves : in the day thou eatest , thou shalt die , gen. 2. 17. the same individual that sinneth , shall die : thus does the prophet express it , the soul that sinneth , it ( that very soul ) shall die . ezek. 18. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very sinning soul it self , that very soul shall die . the sense of the holy ghost could not have been more fully expressed to this purpose . and so also the apostle , gal. 3. 10. cursed is every one that continues not , &c. 't is denounc'd against no one but the sinner himself ? since then the law mentions no surety or substitute ; the sufferings of christ could not be the execution of its threatning , unless he was the very soul that sinned , that very individual soul. and hence we may be assisted in that only difficulty , with which our accuser ( at the second hand ) does seem to press us : for in the passage he quotes from his brother ferguson , ( p. 5. ) amongst other attributes of god that were to influence the grand affair of our redemption , he mentions the divine veracity : god's truth ( as that gentleman says ) and his immutability must be evidenc'd in proceeding according to the penal law he had at first enacted . and this being presuppos'd , he would naturally enough iufer , that man ( having sinn'd ) could not be receiv'd into favour , but in such a way as might evidence that truth of god , &c. now indeed , if the truth and immutability of god did require , that he should proceed ( exactly ) according to the penal law he had enacted , it must be granted then , that christ's sufferings could not otherwise bestead us , then as being the very execution of that penal law , the very penalty therein threatned . and this objection i shall the rather take notice of , because ( whatever character our accuser , and this brother of his deserv'd ) i find some of greatest name ( and deservedly too ) both for learning and piety , speak as if they did apprehend , that the truth of god did engage him to execute the threatned penalty ; that unless the punishment due by that law had been inflicted , his veracity could not have been justified . but ( how much soever i reverence the names of some that speak thus ) i dare not agree , out of respect to any man , so far to expose the veracity of the holy god , as to suspend it upon any thing that is not certainly true , much less upon what is evidently untrue . 1. supposing it only to be uncertain , whether he was oblig'd formally to execute the threatning of that law , 't is no way fit the veracity of god should be suspended upon an uncertainty : may i not be sure that god is true , though i were not sure , that his threatning must needs be executed ! 2. and especially , when we have full and clear evidence , that he has not executed that threatning ; we should surely be afraid to say , his truth oblig'd him to execute it ; he has falsify'd his word in not-executing it . though we could not see which way god's veracity could be reconcil'd with the non-execution of his threatning ; yet when he has relax'd or dispens'd with his threatning ( as in this case he manifestly has ) we may be assur'd , it is not inconsistent with his truth . the law threatned the delinquent himself , and every delinquent ; another ( who was no delinquent ) dies for us : here is not then an execution of the threatning ; is the truth of god therefore violated ? god forbid . yet had his truth oblig'd him to inflict the threatned penalty at all , it would as well have oblig'd him to inflict it on the offenders themselves . that god has inflicted death for sin , is not therefore because of his truth , but for other reasons that have been already hinted . and this is that which does difference threatnings from predictions : that threatnings do only constitute the dueness of punishment , and make the offender obnoxious , without determing certainly whether ( eventually ) it shall be inflicted , or not ; but predictions do primarily respect a certain event . so that the truth of god is indeed concern'd to accomplish a prediction ; but not to execute a threatning ; a meer threatning does only render the transgressor liable to suffer , but god is afterwards at liberty to inflict , or not inflict the penalty incurr'd , as his wisdom shall see fit ; indeed if a prediction should also be added to the threatning , god's word is then past for its execution , and his truth obliges him accordingly — they that are otherwise opinionated in this matter , may do well to consider , which way the veracity of god ( upon their hypothesis ) can possibly be maintain'd : when the law was at first given to adam ( as our accuser himself expresly owns ) christ was not in its obligation ; it did not run [ thou , or thy surety for thee . ] hereupon the afteradmission of a surety , and the transferring our punishment upon him ( supposing he had undergone , as far as was possible , the same that we should ) was an act of soveraign-dispensing-power : the threatning was so far relax'd , or dispens'd with ; not executed . but if god had engag'd his word ( by an absolute prediction ) to punish the offender , there had been no place for a dispensation ; in that case , as indeed in every case where the divine truth is concern'd , the event will infallibly , and in every respect be answerable to what god has fore-declared . since therefore the event did not answer in this case , the very sinning soul it self did not die , but christ for him , it must be concluded , that this was not a prediction of what eventually should be , but a meer threatning of what legally might be inflicted ; importing only what the sinner was oblig'd to undergo , not what god was oblig'd to lay upon him . and therefore his truth was no way violated , though christ's sufferings were not strictly the same thing that the law threatned . to which i might add , 3. that if christ's sufferings had been the very same thing that the law requir'd , we must thereupon , ipso facto , have enjoy'd present and perfect deliverance ; if the idem , the all ( and that it must needs be , if it was the same ) that the law threatned , was endur'd in the sufferings of christ , what further penalty could remain upon us ? justice it self could require no more than the idem quod debetur . to this purpose the learned grotius speaks , ipso facto liberat , solutio rei plane ejusdem , quae erat in obligatione . upon which account he does determine , that the death of christ was not solutio rei ipsius debitae . and so also that very judicious and right reverend person ( the bishop of worcester ) to whom this accuser has appeal'd , does not only deny , but does also very largely and nervously disprove , christ's sufferings to have been the very same that the law requir'd ; we shall only transcribe what he offers to the purpose we are arguing upon — if ( says he ) the very same had been paid in the strict sense , there would have follow'd a deliverance ipso facto ; for the release immediately follows the payment of the same ; and it had been injustice to have requir'd any thing further , in order to the discharge of the offender , when strict and full payment had been made of what was in the obligation . but we see that faith and repentance , and the consequences of those two , are made conditions on our parts , in order to the enjoying the benefit of what christ has procur'd ; so that the release is not immediate upon the payment , but depends on a new contract , made in consideration of what christ has done and suffer'd for us . this is but a small part of his most clear and invincible arguings against christ's paying ( in his sufferings ) the very same that we were to have paid . and therefore we add , 4. had christ's sufferings been the very same thing that the law threatned , there had been , there cou'd have been no such thing as pardon ; we must have been discharg'd , set at liberty as before ; but we could not afterwards have been said to be pardon'd . to remit a debt or penalty , is a phrase that is never us'd but in reference to such from whom the one or other was due ; and does import a gracious discharge of a person ( either in whole , or in part ) from what in justice might have been requir'd . the civilians therefore explain it by relaxatio , indulgentia , &c. and this is most manifestly the import of the greek term [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] . proper remission that cannot be , that is not an act of grace and favour , but what in strict justice we are oblig'd to . therefore grotius does accurately distinguish betwixt liberation and remission ; allowing ( as he needs must ) that all remission is a liberation , or discharge ; but not that every discharge is or may be so call'd , remission : the law it self does of course acquit and discharge a person ( debtor or criminal ) that fully answers its obligation ; but when a discharge is granted , by the rector or creditor , out of meer pleasure , to one that according to the rigour of the law could not lay claim to it , here is proper remission . ubi idem solvitur ( scil . quod debetur ) aut a debitore , aut ab alio , nomine debitoris , nulla contingit remissio — si quis poenam pertulerit quam debet , liberatio hic erit ; remissio non erit . remitti aliquid recte dicitur , etiam ubi solutio accedit , sed talis quae sine actu voluntatis vim non habeat pariendae liberationis . where there is a payment of what was owing , there is no remission , no place for forgiveness ; the quondam debtor or criminal now neeeds it not , nor can the creditor or rector be said to have granted it ; the same debt cannot be both paid and forgiven . it is impossible ( as the bishop of worcester further urges ) to reconcile the freeness of remission , with the full payment of the very same , which was in the obligation . sect. 7. for the close therefore of this head , let it be consider'd , that mr. baxter ( in that very book to which our accuser refers us ) thus explains the question before us : it is not ( says he ) de materia debiti that we enquire , but de forma ; whether it was the same formally which we ow'd , and the obligation requir'd ? or , only the value , and not the same full debt ? also , you must know , that though we may well use the word [ debt ] in this case , because the scripture does , yet we must acknowledge it but a metaphor , and the proper terms are , whether christ's sufferings are the same thing that the law in its threatning requir'd , i. e. oblig'd to , and made due ; and so a fulfilling of that threatning ? and this with great aversness he does ( and very justly sure ) deny . now therefore if our accuser will not own christ's sufferings to be formally the same we were oblig'd to , in the sense in which mr. baxter denied it , why does he quarrel with him ? if he will , 't is but reasonable to expect , he should either disown and disprove the doctrine of satisfaction , of pardon of sin , &c. or , else make it appear , we have not justly charg'd these consequences upon him . chap. iv. that though our sins were the impulsive , meritorious cause of christ's sufferings , yet it was only more remotely that they were so ; and not so nearly and immediately as they would have been of our own . § . 1. since our accuser bears so hard upon this point , and seems most plausibly from hence to insinuate his spiteful and unchristian surmizes of us , i shall endeavour with all the freedom and plainness possible , to deliver our thoughts about this matter ; that it may appear what we deny , and what we own ; and that herein we do not in the least vary from the common faith of christians , or make the least approaches towards the socinian tents . sect. 2. we do therefore distinguish ( in reference to the controversie , whether our sins were the meritorious cause of christ's sufferings ) betwixt the name , and the thing intended by it ; as every one surely will do , that does not prefer strife before truth . if we can agree in this , or other controversies , in sense , words are not worthy of a contention on either side : 't is strange that what the apostle has said of such contentions , that just account he has given of their so base original , and sad effects , should not awe the spirits of all ( at least ) that make any pretensions to the christian name , 1 tim. 6. 4. for ( according to the order in which the apostle has plac'd it ) this doting about questions , that are but a strife of words , a [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] does presuppose the person to be proud , puff'd up with arrogance and self-conceit , as the word imports ; and withal extreamly ignorant , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , one that knows nothing , that has no skill , no judgment , one that has never penetrated into things , that has look'd no further than their outside ; and therefore is he so exceeding sollicitous about words , for that he is acquainted with nothing more valuable about which to be concern'd ; he is sick , nay , he does insanire , if his word may not be allow'd [ such a sense the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems to carry in it ] . neither are the effects of this logomachy less fruitful ; thereof ( as the apostle adds ) cometh envy , strife , railings , evil-surmizings , perverse disputings , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such as are nothing to the purpose , that can serve no good end. i wou'd requite all this accuser's hard speeches of us , with a serious admonition that he wou'd carefully look into the text last mention'd , and if to that he adds , what does occur , in the carnality of religious contentions , p. 39 , 40 , 41 , 42. ( a tract well worthy of its most excellent author . ) perhaps , it may minister towards the cure of his so sickly mind ; and he may not hereafter so far dote upon an unscriptural word or phrase , or turn it to our reproach , that we are not alike fond of ' em . sect. 3. but to proceed , we challenge this accuser to instance any one particular thing plainly intended by the orthodox ( grotius , the bishop of worcester , &c. ) that use this phrase against the socinians ; i say , let him instance ( if he be able ) any one thing they intend by it , that is not readily agreed to by us . we have reason to suppose , that he himself may intend some-what more by it , than we are willing to allow ( and which in due place may be taken notice of ) : but we cannot find that they thereby design ( in general ) to express any thing more , than that the sufferings of christ had a respect to sin , to our sins , as the ground or reason of 'em ; they were the assumed cause of 'em ; he suffer'd for , or on the account of our sins . now , whereas it may be difficult to conceive how , or which way our sins cou'd influence his sufferings in such sort , as that he shou'd be said to suffer for our sins , to die for our sins : what they say for the clearing this relation that our sins had to the sufferings of christ , as an antecedent , procuring cause ( for we meddle not now with the other respect they bear to 'em as a final cause ; though he also suffer'd for our sins , so as in a proper sense to expiate , and make atonement for 'em ) i say , the whole of what they offer , for the clearing the relation our sins had to christ's sufferings , as their antecedent procuring cause , may ( so far as i have yet observ'd ) be reduc'd to the following particulars , viz. sect. 4. i. our sins , both in the nature of the thing , and according to the constitution of the divine law , deserv'd death , eternal death , rom. 1. 32. this was what they had render'd our due ; they were ( in the strictest and most proper sense ) meritorious of our own sufferings . had we lain eternally under the avenging wrath of god , it cou'd not have been said , with truth , that he had done us any wrong ; it wou'd have been but the wages we had earn'd , rom. 6. 23. and what apostate angels do actually undergo . ii. hereupon ( death being the demerit of our sin ) it follows , that we must of necessity suffer , unless we be forgiven ; for no one ( surely ) will , or can imagine , that it might be avoided by our own power or policy ( whether alone , or in conjunction with any other creature , or creatures ) : is it possible we shou'd either hide from god's all-seeing eye , or prevail against his all-powerful hand ! we cannot therefore escape against , or without the divine pleasure . now , a liberation , a deliverance from deserved wrath , that does depend upon , and derive from the divine will and pleasure , is most proper remission , as has been before said . and , how is to be conceiv'd , that the miseries which the law threatned , and we had deserv'd by our sins , cou'd otherwise possibly be avoided , than by vertue of such an intervening act of the divine will , whereby the penalty is graciously remitted . iii. several things concurr'd to render it unmeet , that god should meerly pardon ; that he should so forgive the sinner , as not to leave ( one way or other ) any severe marks of his displeasure upon sin . he did retain ( in the heighth of his displeasure ) such a love of benevolence , as did incline him to commiserate the case of lapsed , sinful man ; and ( in some befitting way ) to re-admit him into favour . but it was highly fit and necessary , it shou'd be in such a way as shou'd both duly provide for the honour of god , and be most apt to deter and affright men from sinning . due regard must be had to both these ; the sinner cou'd not be forgiven , unless ( consistently therewith ) the honour of god cou'd be secur'd , and sin render'd frightful , and to be dreaded by us . now in reference to the former ; the honour of god did require , that if he pardon sinners , it shou'd be in such a way , as shou'd manifestly vindicate and acquit him , from the reflections that are not uncommon upon such occasions . 't is a very usual and known case , in humane governments , that the soveraign's reputation suffers by too easie pardons : in the case before us , it is exceeding plain , that the honour of god's power and wisdom , but specially of his holiness and justice , were to be provided for ; whilst he magnify'd his mercy in our forgiveness . 1. whereas nothing is more common , than for too easie pardons to be imputed to a governour , as an evidence of his weakness and want of power ; it was a most condecent and becoming thing , that god should pardon in such a way , as yet shou'd manifest his power ; that it might appear , he was not afraid , or unable to vindicate his injur'd law ; that he did not forgive , through a meer want of power to punish . 2. it was equally fit and necessary , that he should also vindicate the honour of his wisdom , and not by a light and easie pardon tempt the world to impeach him of levity and folly ; as if he had rashly and unadvisedly made a law , of the consequences whereof he was not aware ; and therefore was afterwards oblig'd to change his mind , and indemnifie the transgressors , without any compensation . 3. yea , a meer pardon would also have reflected upon his holiness ; it was therefore necessary that god ( for the vindication of his essential purity ) shou'd make it appear , that he hated sin , though he lov'd the sinner ; that men might not look upon him to be a god that has pleasure in iniquity ( the direct contrary to what he has declar'd of himself , psal . 5. 4. ) neither yet , as if he was indifferently affected towards it . he is ( as we are assur'd ) of purer eyes than to behold iniquity , i. e. so as to allow , or not to be displeas'd at it , hab. 1. 13. this holiness of his , is that which gives a most adorable and conspicuous beauty and lustre to all his other perfections , he is glorious in holiness , exod. 15. 11. and therefore it cou'd be no way meet , that the honour of this attribute should be neglected , or post-pon'd to our safety : 't were better that ten thousand worlds should perish , than that the glory of god's holiness be stain'd : but how shall it be vindicated , if sin be absolutely remitted ! that connexion we find betwixt his holiness , and his not forgiving sin , josh . 24. 19. does very plainly intimate , that the holiness of god is a bar that lies in the way of pardon , that does ( as it were ) oblige god not to give out pardons too easily ; not to pardon absolutely , or without due provision made for the demonstrating his antipathy against sin ; that in his eye ( as well as in its own nature ) 't is an abominable thing , what his soul hates , jer. 44. 4. 4. it was further necessary , that the reputation of his governing justice , shou'd also be consulted . god ( consider'd as a governour ) is necessarily just , cannot but be so : how monstrous a sound wou'd these two words conjoyn'd carry in 'em [ an unjust god ! ] they do mutually destroy and subvert each other ; he that is god cannot be unjust ; and that being that is unjust , for that very reason cannot possibly be god. now this justice of god , not only has place in the conferring promised rewards , but also in the executing threatned penalties : of the former , no one makes a doubt ; 't is the latter therefore that only needs to be clear'd : and how plain is it that even the punishment of sin is still mention'd as an act of justice , rom. 3. 8. — 2. 5. 2 thess . 1. 6. heb. 2. 2. rev. 16. 5. 7. — 19. 2. but though in the nature of the thing , and from these texts it is most evident , that when god punishes sin , he does it justly ; it may yet be a doubtful case with some , whether , or how far his justice obliges him to punish it ? and that it does oblige him in some cases , surely shou'd be agreed ; for that we cannot form a notion of rectoral justice , that does not import and carry in it a difference betwixt the righteous and the wicked in its distributions ; it will not admit , that all be alike treated : the wise man therefore complains of this , as one of the great evils of our world , that there be righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked , and wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous , eccles . 8. 14. but is certain it shall not ( at last ) be well with 'em , v. 13. god has declar'd this justifying the wicked in humane judicatures , to be an abomination to him , prov. 17. 15. and has accordingly denounc'd a woe against it , isa . 5. 23. and therefore surely it can have no place with him. besides that in reference to himself , we are assur'd , that he is no respecter of persons in judgment , rom. 2. 11. which text is the more considerable , for that the apostle does there alledge this as an argument to evince , that god will render to every man according to his works , and thereby manifest his judgment to be righteous , v. 5. 6. intimating that his justice does consist therein , viz. in rendring to every one according to his works ; his justice obliges him thereto : now , that we may not mistakingly imagine , that he intends it only of the good that is their due , he carefully distinguishes betwixt good and bad , and applies this exercise of justice to both — not only will he ( as justice obliges him ) render glory , honour , and peace to every man that worketh good , but also ( as the same justice obliges ) tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that does evil , ver . 9. 10. not upon one , or two , but every one ; for there is no respect of persons with god. and ( to give this yet the greater force ) we find it conjoyn'd with the denial of any iniquity in god , 2 chron. 19. 7. there is no iniquity with the lord our god , nor respect of persons . signifying thereby , that shou'd god ( as a ruler ) deal unequally with persons , whose cases are the same ; or deal alike with persons , whose cases are differing ( either of which ways there wou'd be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a respect of persons ) he wou'd be chargeable with iniquity : 't is as certain therefore that god cannot but severely animadvert upon sin , as that there can be no iniquity in him. but what need we further proof , while crellius himself owns it , that the justice of god in some cases oblige him to punish . nec illud negamus , rectitudinem ac justitiam dei , nonnunquam eum ad peccata punienda movere ; eorum nempe , &c. — quales sunt homines non-resipiscentes , atque in peccatis contumaciter perseverantes , &c. — maxime , si ipsum peccati genus in quo persistunt , insignem animi malitiam , aut apertum divinae majestatis contemptum spiret . and he not only grants this ( which yet , as we may hereafter make appear , does plainly infer the whole of what he had been pleading against ) but he does also nervously prove it in the immediately following words , si enim hujusmodi hominibus venia concederetur , facile supremi rectoris majestas ( ex qua ordo universitatis pendet ; ) & legum , ab ipso latarum , authoritas evilesceret ; & gloria ipsius , quae praecipuus operum ejus finis est , minueretur . to the same purpose he speaks again : non resipiscentes paena non liber are — positis quibusdam finibus quos deus sibi in regendis hominibus prefixit , factu necessarium , &c. now upon these concessions of crellius , it may be inferr'd , that supposing god to rule us by his laws , we must conceive of him as necessarily oblig'd to punish the impenitent ; but , why is he so necessitated to punish ? that the honour of his majesty , and the authority of his law may be maintain'd : and that principle ( as we may call it ) that in god which obliges him for these ends to punish the impenitent , the contumacious , he allows to be his justice . now therefore if crellius will consist with himself , i think he needs must own , that unless god govern the world so , as to attain the great ends of government , he would not be just ; and that those ends cannot be attain'd , unless sin be punish'd , will easily be made appear , if any one shou'd make a doubt of it ; but the further consideration of this , is more properly to be reserv'd , till we meet with it in the second part of this discourse . in the mean time , let it be observ'd , how far we have proceeded ; and these things seem to be very plain , viz. that god is ( in a most proper sense ) the governour of intelligent creatures ; that ( as such ) he is most necessarily just ; that his justice does respect the distribution of rewards and punishments , and that however in reference either to rewards or punishments , it may not always oblige him to execute strictly what the very letter of the law imports ; yet will it not admit , either in reference to the one or other , of any such relaxation or change , as wou'd not well consist with , and secure the great ends of threatnings or promises . this governing justice therefore was a further bar in the way of a meer pardon ; god could not ( consistently herewith ) absolutely pardon : if the very penalty threatned be not inflicted , justice it self requir'd that an equivalent should , i. e. such sufferings as should as well attain the ends of the law , as the threatned penalty it self should . thus , in respect of god , his honour , the honour of his power , wisdom , holiness , and governing justice , did necessarily require , that if god pardon the sinner , he should yet ( one way or other ) leave such marks of his displeasure upon sin , as shou'd as effectually support the authority , and secure the ends of his government , as if the sinner himself had suffer'd according to the utmost rigour of the law. and in reference also , to the latter thing mention'd , i. e. that we be discourag'd and affrighted from sinning ; in order thereto , it was alike necessary , that sin shou'd with great severity be animadverted on ; if no punishment was inflicted , or none proportion'd to the offence , what shou'd keep the world in awe , or make 'em afraid of sinning yet again ? crimes unpunish'd are too much countenanc'd at least , if they be not thereby authoriz'd . we see the meer delay of punishment is very frequently abus'd to this purpose , eccles . 8. 11. because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily , therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in 'em to do evil . and if meer forbearance have this effect , what ( may we suppose ) wou'd have been the consequence of absolute forgiveness ? so that we conclude god cou'd not ( consistently with either his own honour , or our safety ) pardon sin without a satisfaction ; it was necessary that sufferings shou'd be insisted on ; and such sufferings as shou'd be equivalent to what was threatned , sufferings that were adapted to answer the ends of the law and government , as well , or better than the sufferings of sinners themselves . hereupon , iv. in order to our remission , the sufferings of christ were insisted on by the father , and agreed to by the son ; by his sufferings it was effected , brought to pass , that sin might be remitted , without either reflecting any dishonour upon god , or ( in the least ) encouraging any to sin. his sufferings did fully answer all the exigencies of our case ; and therefore this constitution is mention'd by the apostle as a very condecent and becoming one , heb. 2. 10. supposing so gracious an intendment towards us , that god design'd to put us into the hand of christ , that he might bring us to glory , it was what well became god , to make the captain of our salvation perfect through sufferings . but what condecency or becomingness wou'd there have been in it ; if sin might have been pardon'd , and the sinner sav'd as well without it ? nay , the death of christ was therefore insisted on , that thereby god's justice might be demonstrated , rom. 3. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; 't is doubled to give it the greater emphasis . god would have been just , and sufficiently have demonstrated himself to be so , if he had infficted upon us the vengeance that was threatned ; but supposing that he pardon us , that he justifie sinners ( though penitent believers ) his justice might well be call'd in question , unless satisfaction be first made for our sins ; therefore does the apostle so industriously urge and inculcate this over and over , as what he would not , by any means , have overlook'd — christ therefore was a propitiatory-sacrifice , that god's justice might be demonstrated , that it might clearly be demonstrated to the world ; and the next words rise yet higher , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that he might be ( and not only that he might appear to be the ) just , as if , upon the supposal of his justifying sinners , he cou'd not otherwise be just . so that though meer remission wou'd have well consisted with mercy alone ; or the damnation of all apostate sinners with justice alone ; yet if god wou'd be merciful to sinners , he must also be just ; and that he cou'd not be , unless he so far , and in such a way punish sin , as will suffice to keep up his own honour and authority , and effectually to discourage sin : and hence it was that christ became the propitiation for our sins . — wherefore , v. and in the last place , the sufferings of christ being thus insisted on , in order to his being a successful mediator with god for sinners , he is therefore said to have died for us , and for our sins . our sins render'd suffering necessary : god thereupon insists on suffering , without shedding of blood he will allow no remission : hereupon christ consents to die , and accordingly dies a sacrifice for us , bears our sins , carries our griefs , &c. sect. 5. and this is that relation betwixt our sins and the sufferings of christ , which is intended to be express'd by grotius , and others , when they say , our sins were the meritorious cause of his sufferings , i. e. they deserv'd death , and so bound us over to it , as that we cou'd not be exempted from it , without a satisfaction , without some-what equivalent to our dying ; in which exigency christ dies for us . i cannot find that they ( or , which with every christian surely shou'd yet be of greater weight , that the scriptures themselves ) do mean any thing more . thus grotius , causa altera , quae deum movit sunt peccata nostra paenam commerentia . he does not mean that they deserv'd christ shou'd be punished ; but they so bound us over to punishment , that unless christ die for 'em , we cou'd not salva divinae justitiae demonstratione , a paena mortis aeternae liberari , as he had a few lines before expressed himself . and therefore having mention'd that text a few pages forward , gal. 2. 21. if righteousness be by the law , then christ died 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , without a cause , he adds , locus ipse pauli , de quo agimus , aliam ( quam antecedentem ) causam intelligi non patitur — and a little further adds ; causam propriam , cur se tradiderit christus , mortuusque sit , hanc esse , quod nos per legem justi non essemus , sed rei paenae ; nostra ergo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 causa est antecedens mortis christi . to which he adds , p. 36. non potest alicujus actionis causa impellens esse meritoria , nisi & finis sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and cap. 5. p. 113 , 114. merebantur peccata nostra ut paena exigeretur : quod vero paena in christum collata fuerit , hoc ita ad dei & christi voluntatem referimus , ut ea quoque voluntas causas suas habeat , non in merito christi ( qui peccatum cum non nosset , a deo peccatum factus est ) sed in summa christi aptitudine ad statuendum insigne exemplum , &c. so that whoever allows , that our sins deserv'd punishment , and so bound us over to eternal death , as that we cou'd not be exempted from it , with safety to the divine justice , unless satisfaction be made ; that christ died for this end , by satisfying divine justice to procure our remission ; and that his death therefore was antecedently thus caused by our sin , and was inflicted for an example , to deterr us from sin ; i say , whoever agrees to this ( so far as i can find ) admits of all that grotius ever design'd , when he calls our sins the meritorious cause of christ's sufferings . and so also the bishop of worcester ; our sins , as an impulsive cause , are to be consider'd , as they are so displeasing to god ; that it was necessary for the vindication of his honour , and the deterring the world from sin , that no less a sacrifice of atonement shou'd be offer'd , than the blood of the son of god. sect. 6. and to all this we do readily agree ; yea , how fully has mr. baxter spoken to this sense , particularly in his reasons of the christian religion , part i. cap. 15. sect. 9. p. 161 , 162 , 163. so also part ii. c. 4. § . 6. p. 232. and c. 5. § . 10. p. 253 , 254. the passages are too large to transcribe . but he has there very plainly intimated , that god neither has , nor cou'd pardon sinners without such a sacrifice , or substitute-means , as might preserve the honour of his law and government , and the future innoceney of his subjects , as well as their punishment in the full sense of the law wou'd have done . sect. 7. now when the whole matter or thing is agreed to , all that the orthodox intend by that phrase , 't is a very insipid thing for any one vehemently to contend what word or name to call it by : what if one call our sins the meritorious cause , another the promeritorious cause , another the occasion of christ's sufferings ; whilst they are all agreed as to the reference they had to 'em : but if any one by a meritorious cause intend more than what is abovesaid , or by an occasion intend less , it may with just reason be concluded , they are mistaken with the antinomians in the one , or with the socinians in the other extream . sect. 8. we blame no one therefore meerly for calling our sins the meritorious cause of christ's sufferings ; nay , mr. baxter himself sometimes calls 'em so , the meritorious , or pro-meritorious cause . confession of faith , p. 153. the remote , or assum'd cause . life of faith , p. 311. and p. 321. he allows , that our sins lay on christ as the assum'd meritorious cause of his sufferings . so in his methodus theologiae — ad peccatum relationem habent ( speaking of the sufferings of christ ) ut ad occasionem , & ut ad causam meritoriam remotam , & si non proximam . p. iii. c. 1. determ . 5. p. 38. and in that other book to which our accuser refers us , he thus expresses his sense , at his very entring upon this point ? when he ( christ ) is said to die [ for our sins ] it may be understood — for our sins as the pro-meritorious procuring cause of his suffering , through his own undertaking to bear what they deserv'd : or , if any think it fitter to call 'em the occasion , than the meritorious cause , they may . universal redempt . p. 5. and the very last words that i have observ'd him to use of this matter ( in that last-mention'd tract ) are these : the strictest sense in which he ( christ ) is said to die for men , is , to die in their stead ; or to die for their sins as the procuring cause , on his own undertaking : yield this once , and we shall much easiler agree , &c. ibid. p. 91. which two passages do so inclose and explicate all the rest , that for a person to represent any of the intermediate passages to adiffering and disadvantageous sense , is what deserves a censure so severe , as we did not think fit to express , otherwise than by a significant silence . sect. 9. but though we allow others their liberty , yet ( accurately speaking ) it must be said , that all that reference that our sins had to the sufferings of christ , does not amount to a proper meritorious cause : nor did grotius ever think it did ; whatever our accuser may imagine ; for though he does affirm ( as is intimated , appeal , p. 6. ) that praeter dei & christi voluntatem , datur causa antecedens legitima mortis christi : yet he distinguishes once and again , betwixt punishment taken personally , and taken impersonally : by punishment taken personally , he intends the sufferings of christ , consider'd as his ; by punishment taken impersonally , he means the sufferings of christ consider'd only as sufferings : and he expresly tells us , that our sins were only the meritorious cause of the sufferings of christ in this latter sense . for thus he speaks , illud quoque reprehensione indiget quod dicit socinus , praeter dei , & ipsius christi voluntatem non posse ullam legitimam causam reddi mortis christi , nisi dicamus christum meritum fuisse ut moreretur : nam inest quidem in antecedente causa meritum , ut supra diximus , sed impersonaliter ; merebantur enim peccata nostra ut paena exigeretur , &c. cap. 5. p. 113. our sins only did deserve sufferings , and those of such a value , and cou'd not be remitted , unless such a compensation was made to divine justice for 'em ; but they never did deserve that christ should die ; they made it necessary , supposing we be redeem'd , that it be by such a price ; but they did not deserve that we shou'd be redeem'd with his precious blood : all that grotius asserts is , that death was deserv'd , he no where says that christ's death was so . § . 10. and this is the true reason why we are not fond of the phrase [ a meritorious cause ] because it wou'd intimate , christ's sufferings were deserv'd : now if they were deserv'd , it must either be allow'd , that they were the very thing that the law threatned , or we ( by our sins ) deserv'd god shou'd save and ransom us by such sufferings . if either of these be true , our sins may then be said to be the meritorious , the proper meritorious cause of christ's sufferings , as our accuser wou'd have 'em ; but cannot be strictly and truly so , otherwise than upon the one , or the other of these principles . in that they deserv'd such sufferings for weight , and cou'd not be remitted without such sufferings , and christ hereupon consented to suffer for 'em , they may be call'd the meritorious cause of his sufferings , or , much more fitly , the ground , the reason , the assum'd cause , the pro-meritorious , or quasi-meritorious cause of his sufferings : but the real , proper meritorious cause of 'em they cou'd not be , unless they in a strict and proper sense deserv'd that christ shou'd die . now the death of christ is considerable under a two-fold notion , either as a curse or blessing . as inflicted upon him , 't was a most dreadful curse : as it was our ransom , the price of our redemption , it was and is a most invaluable blessing . if our sins therefore deserv'd the death of christ , it must be either in the one , or the other of these respects : but no one surely will dare to say , that our sins deserv'd such a ransom ; that god in giving his son to be the saviour of the world , gave us no more than we deserv'd ; this were egregious blasphemy , against the brightest and most amazing instance of love , with which god ever bless'd the world. § . 11. it remains then , that ( supposing our sins the proper meritorious cause of christ's death ) they did deserve it as a curse to be inflicted upon him , tho' not as a blessing influential upon us . and 't is not conceivable how our sins cou'd so deserve the death of christ , unless this be suppos'd to be the very thing threatned in the law ; [ if thou sinnest , christ shall die ] : and this our accuser sometimes seems to intend ; what else can he possibly mean , when he tells us , appeal , p. 25. if christ's obligation to suffer did not result from this law ( i. e. the law which we had violated ) our sins were not the impulsive cause of his sufferings : or , if it did not immediately , our sins were but the remote cause , or occasion ; not a meer impulsive , or proper meritorious cause of ' em . and p. 50. if christs sufferings be not ex obligatione legis ( we suppose he means the same law as before ) our sins cannot be their meritorious cause . and p. 41. whence its impossible ( i. e. if christ's sufferings arise not from the violated law , but from the mediatorial law , it s impossible ) sin shou'd be their meritorious cause . so that his sense shou'd be , that christ's sufferings were not , could not be , 't were impossible they shou'd be from our sins , as the proper meritorious cause , unless they did result , and immediately result from the violated law. and this is what we also say ; and therefore while he pleads for our sins being so properly , so immediately , the meritorious cause of christ's sufferings ; he must needs mean , that they did result , immediately result from the law when violated ; i. e. so soon as ever the law was violated , so soon as we had sinn'd , the law immediately lays hold on christ , binds him over to death ; and that it cou'd not do , unless he was threatned by it . here therefore i wou'd have manifested that the death of christ was not threatned by that law , but that i have already largely done it , both in the first and third chapters of this discourse : and our accuser himself has render'd it the less needful , by giving it as his true sense , that when the law was at first given to adam , christ was not in the obligation : it did not run [ thou , or thy surety for thee ] p. 5. of this very appeal . we shall therefore ( instead of perusing the matter further ) allow him leisure to bethink himself how these things will be made to consist together , that christ's obligation to suffer did immediately result from the law , and that yet the law did not include a surety : humanity it self ( and much more christianity ) obliging us to shew some pity , and not to press too hard a person that labours under the hardships of self-contradiction . § . 12. to sum up this head then , orthodoxness does not consist in words and phrases ; 't would be egregious weakness to imagine , that the controversies betwixt us and the socinians are only whether this , or the other word , or form of speaking , be most apt and expressive of that truth about which there is no difference : that which the bishop of worcester has observ'd , with a more particular respect to a change of persons , will admit a much more extensive application . it is not ( says he ) the use of the words , but the sense of 'em is to be enquir'd into . see his lordship's letter to mr. w. inserted in the answer to the report , p. 57. 't is not the bare word [ trinity ] that divides betwixt them and us in that point , or the term [ person ] or [ satisfaction ] or [ meritorious cause ] &c. but 't is the sense design'd to be express'd by those terms , in which they will not agree with us ; wou'd they allow the truth we plead for , that is wont to be express'd by those words ; they wou'd no longer be socinians ; nor wou'd any wise man perpetuate the contention with 'em , tho' they shou'd yet be unsatisfy'd as to the foremention'd phrases . our accuser therefore does not ( to use that right reverend persons words again ) discover his profound knowledge in these matters , if he think , as he says , ap. p. 39. that the heart of the controversie lies in asserting or denying our sins to be the properly meritorious cause of christ's sufferings : and if he know otherwise , and to design to impose upon those that do not , where is his ingenuity . 't is so far from being true , that the heart of the controversie lies here , that so far as i have yet observ'd , this very man is the first that ever asserted , our sins were the properly meritorious cause , &c. grotius , vossius , and the bishop of worcester , do indeed speak of 'em as the meritorious cause ; but how they explain themselves we have before manifested as to two of ' em . nor does vossius intend any thing more , than only that they are truly meritorious of sufferings , that they cou'd not be remitted without 'em ; and that in this exigency , christ consents to suffer for us ; whereupon he calls 'em the meritorious cause of his sufferings ; though he ( as grotius ) means it only of the sufferings he underwent , not of those sufferings as undergone by him. to this purpose we find him explaining himself ; punitio omnis qua talis , sive impersonaliter spectata , causam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habet justitiam dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 procatarctica vero causa sunt peccata , itidem impersonaliter , & in genere spectata , sine determinatione , &c. punitio vero , quae pro alio est , plane misericordiae divinae opus est : procatarctica vero causa sunt peccata nostra satisfactionem exigentia . vossi responsum ad judicium ravensperg . chap. 12. so that though they call 'em the meritorious cause of christ's sufferings , yet they plainly manifest , that they intend only they were meritorious of the sufferings he underwent ( abstractly consider'd ) and therefore may improperly be said to be meritorious of his sufferings ; but i no where find 'em asserting our sins to be the properly meritorious cause of christ's sufferings , much less fixing that as the point in controversie betwixt the orthodox and the socinians , whether they be to be so call'd , or not . nay , 't is not only not needful to use the phrase our accuser wou'd impose upon us , but ( unless carefully explain'd ) 't is very unsafe ; for that if the words be taken as they sound , they wou'd import that ( in a strict and proper sense ) our sins deserv'd that christ shou'd die : an assertion , that in a sense very obvious does amount to blasphemy , and ( without a manifest force put upon the words ) cannot possibly be a truth . chap. v. that though christ's sufferings may not unaptly be call'd a punishment , yet not in the full and proper sense in which the sufferings of the sinner himself might have been so calld . § . 1. in this point also , our accuser is as clamourous , as in the former ; and what has been said in the fore-going chapter will furnish out a just answer to all his cavils upon this head. he represents us , as if we did allow the sufferings of christ to be the punishment of sin , only so far , and in the same sense as crellius does , appeal , p. 27. but deny'd 'em to be a proper punishment ; and that therefore we are against the doctrine of christ's satisfaction , ap. p. 4. 10. and lest this shou'd not be enough to leave us under the reproach of socinianism , he represents this as the very parting point betwixt the orthodox and the socinians ; the heart of the controversie ( according to him ) lies in the asserting or denying — christ's sufferings to be properly penal , p. 39. and ( if he be not mistaken ) grotius , vossius , and the b. of worcester , are of the same mind . § . 2. but after all , what if it should appear , that the phrase is ambiguous ; that in one sense ( and which is plainly the sense of that very judicious and learned bishop , and others , that use the phrase ) it is true , that the sufferings of christ are a proper punishment ; and yet in another sense ( which shall appear to be the sense of mr. baxter , and those whose sentiments agree with his in this matter ) it is as true , that christ's sufferings are not a proper punishment , but analogically only to be so call'd : that the bishop never own'd it , nor any person of note , in the sense in which we deny it ; and that we do not , mr. baxter never did deny it , in the sense in which the bishop , ( and other famous defenders of the catholick faith against socinianism ) assert and plead for it . § . 3. to evince this , there needs nothing more than a just representation of their sense ; what the one and the other intend by a proper punishment , and this they themselves were best able to express : now then to constitute a proper punishment in the bishop's sense , there is no more needful , than that there be sufferings inflicted on the account of sin , to deter men from sinning , and to assert god's rights as a sovereign , and vindicate his honour to the world. whatsoever sufferings do answer all these ends of divine punishments , and are inflicted on the account of sin , have the proper notion of punishments in ' em . and again , whatever is inflicted on the account of sin , and with a design to shew god's severity against it , and thereby to deter others from the practice of it , has the proper notion of punishment in it . this is plainly the sense of that right reverend person , he means no more when he calls the sufferings of christ a proper punishment , than what is abovesaid . and to all this we cheerfully consent . § . 4. but mr. baxter , when he denies the sufferings of christ to have been a proper punishment , 't is plain , he takes punishment in the strictest sense , as it does connote the suffering person to have sinned ; and intends no more by it than that christ was not himself a sinner . poena in sensu primo & famosissimo est ipsius delinquentis malum naturale . — concludendum est . christus non-fuit rever a peccator ; ideoque ; poenam sensu primo & famosissimo sic dictam non dedit . and this is no more than what every one must agree to ; that supposing it be taken into the notion of punishment , that the snffering be inflicted upon one that has sinned , christ's sufferings were not a proper punishment . nor was mr. baxter the only person that apprehended this to be the most strict and proper notion of punishment , the learned pufendorf ( after grotius , and other civilians ) does upon this very principle assert , that however one man may suffer , yet he cannot ( properly speaking ) be punish'd for another's sin. paenae vocari nequit dolor ille aut damnum , qui in illos redundat , qui nihil deliquerunt — & qui in altero paenae rationem habiturus est dolor aut damnum , delictum proprium tanquam causam respicere debet . unde paena non est dolor ille , quem quis ex paenae propinqui aut amici sui capit , nisi ipse fo rs ad istius delictum concurrerit , &c. to the same purpose he also speaks in his larger tract ; illos quidem , qui revera de reatu delicti participant , pro ratione influxus ad facinus aliquod puniri posse , extra dubium est ; cum iidem non alienum , sed proprium delictum luant . de jure naturae & gent. lib. viii . c. 3. § . 28. p. 831. but § . 30. p. 834. he adds , de coetero firmum manet istud , in foro humano , ob delictum alienum , de quo nulla ratione quis participavit , recte aliquem puniri non posse , &c. and the famous dr. ames includes it expresly in the notion of punishment , not only that it be some evil inflicted for or on the account of sin , but also that it be inflicted upon the sinner himself . paenae est malum peccatori propter peccatum inflictum . amesii medulla theol. lib. 1. c. 12. § . 10. p. ( mihi ) 56. and therefore he adds , § . 14. paena igitur proprie dicta non habet locum , nisi in creaturis intelligentibus , in quibus etiam peccatum reperitur . § . 5. this therefore is the only question that can lie betwixt us and our accuser , whether christ was really a sinner , or not ? if not ( which we hope our accuser himself will not scruple to say with us ) then his sufferings were not a punishment , in that most full and proper sense , in which the sufferings inflicted on sinnners themselves are so call'd . we willingly allow , that they were as properly punishments , as it was possible the sufferings of one , who was himself no sinner , cou'd be ; but we dare not say , that christ was a sinner : and therefore , though he suffer'd for sin , yet the sin ( since it was not his own ) did not so nearly and immediately render christ liable to suffering , as it did the sinner himself . death was not due to christ immediately upon our having sinn'd ; the law did not threaten christ [ if men sin , thou shalt die ] : after we had sinned , there was no one obnoxious to suffering for it besides our selves , 'till christ voluntarily undertook to suffer ; he was not antecedently oblig'd , but ( when he might have refus'd ) he freely chose to die for us , he gave himself for our sins , gal. 1. 4. he gave himself a ransom for us , 1 tim. 2. 6. § . 6. so that here is a vast difference betwixt the sufferings of christ , and the sufferings of a sinner . the sinner , and christ do indeed each suffer on the account of sin , so far they agree ; but the sinner suffers for his own sin , christ for the sins of others ; the sinner suffers deservedly , he receives the due reward of his deeds , luk. 23. 41. but christ's sufferings were undeserv'd , he having done nothing amiss : the sinners sufferings were threatned by the law ; but where do we find any threatning against christ : the sinners sufferings are inflicted without and against his consent ; but christ's were the matter of his free choice , what he might have refus'd , &c. § . 7. upon which , and other like grounds , how plain is it , that the sufferings of christ are not in all respects commensurate to the sufferings of sinners ; and that however they have such a respect to sin , on account whereof they may not unaptly be call'd punishments ( as mr. baxter himself asserts , method . theol. part iii. p. 38. ) yet they have not altogether the same respect to sin , as the sinners own sufferings have , or would have had ( as appears before ) and therefore when we call 'em punishments , we must not take so much into the notion of punishment as when we call the sinners own sufferings by that name . § . 8. so that when the sufferings of christ are compar'd with those of sinners , we say , they are less properly and analogically call'd punishments not in that primary and most famous sense in which the sinners own sufferings are so call'd : and yet when we compare the same sufferings with meer calamities , that have no relation to sin , or guilt ; we say , they are not unaptly , but properly enough to be call'd punishments , for that they had such a respect to sin , as has been before-said . in this mr. baxter is plain : and therefore elsewhere asserts , that his ( i. e. christs ) sufferings were truly punishments because for sin , though not for his own ; yet not punishments , in so full and strict a sense as ours , who suffer for our own sins . § . 9. and hence it appears , that our accuser has with no just reason , represented mr. baxter as agreeing with crellius in this matter : crellius ( says he ) says the same , only with this explication , viz. that it must be taken materially and improperly which is the sense in which mr. baxter — takes it . appeal , p. 27. but besides that mr. baxter ( so far as yet appears ) no where says , that the sufferings of christ are punishments materially only , ( as this accuser intimates ) nay , on the contrary , he argues from their participating in the formal reason of punishment , that they may properly enough be so call'd , quoad nomen vero , non inepte poena dicuntur , dum ad peccatum habent , relationem &c. baxter ubi supra . i say , besides this , any considering and unprejudic'd reader will easily see , cannot but observe , that if at any time they happen both to use one and the same term , they yet intend it in a vastly differing sense . so if crellius allow christ's sufferings to be punishments improperly so call'd ; it is most evident he thereby excludes that respect they had to sin , to our sin , which we have in the fore-going chapter asserted and clear'd , and in reference to which mr. baxter with the bishop of worcester , and all the orthodox are agreed : and so also when he calls our sins the occasion of christ's sufferings , he means it not as mr. baxter does , of such an occasion as was ( so far as the nature of the thing will admit ) a meritorious cause of 'em also . and it may as well be said that crellius says the same with grotius , and the bishop , because he sometimes calls our sins the impulsive cause of christ's sufferings ; and that his sense is the same with their's , because sometimes his words are so ; and therefore also , that their sense is the same with his , and thereupon that they are socinians : i say , there is the same reason why they might also , as well as mr. baxter , be thus represented by our accuser , for that they also sometimes use crellius's words without any scruple . § . 10. nor is it any uncommon thing , for several persons , to use the same words in differing senses : our accuser himself affords us a most convincing instance to this purpose , in reference to the very matter before us . the sufferings of christ are to be consider'd as a punishment of sin , a proper punishment . in the expression the bishop of worcester , and our accuser are agreed ; but that notwithstanding , the sense intended by the one , and the other is not the same . he pretends indeed p. 38. that it is not the words and phrases , but his lordship 's sound sence , that he contends for ; but if that were all he would have , there was no occasion for him to contend at all ; that having never ( by those he accuses ) been call'd in question : where he apprehended a difference betwixt his lordship and mr. baxter at the most , it could be but a verbal one , that their sence , when they explain themselves , does well agree , has been already manifested ; and since mr. baxter did , and we do most entirely agree , that christ's suffeings were a proper punishment , according to the notion his lordship , gives us of such a punishment , we may surely hope for an end of this contention . § . 11. only for a close , i would remark it to our accuser , that whilst ( either through prejudice , or inadvertency ) he groundlesly charges us as differing from that judicious and right reverend person ; he does himself give occasion , for any one to return back the charge , with greatest justice , upon him . for under the pretence , that christ's sufferings were a proper punishment ( for which he alledges the bishop of worcester ) he wou'd have 'em to be the very punishment we had deserv'd , the very punishment the law threatned , punishment inflicted by vertue of the sanction of the violated law. v. p. 23 , 26 , 28 , 29 , &c. this notion almost runs throughout his appeal . but this is so far from being the sound sense , in which his lordship has us'd this expression , that 't is what he does most directly dispute against . § . 12. and whereas he does once and again insinuate , that 't is necessary christ's sufferings should be truly and properly penal ( we must suppose he means it in his own , not in the bishop's sense ) in order to their being a proper satisfaction to god's justice for our sins : 't is ( as has bin already , in some measure , manifested ) utterly subversive of the true , and universally own'd doctrine of christ's satisfaction , to assert his sufferings to have been penal , in any such sense , as would inferr or include their having been inflicted by vertue of the violated law , undergone in the proper person of sinners , their having been formally the same we were oblig'd to , and most immediately and properly deserv'd by our sins ; while yet this is what he every where pleads for : but of this point of satisfaction we design ( god assisting ) to treat more distinctly and at large hereafter . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a55108-e3830 of the sufferings of christ , last edition , p. 14. dr. owen , on psal . cxxx . p. 48. elementa jurisprud . p. 1. §. 7 , 8. lexic . jurid . sub tit. personae . sub tit. caput . elementa jurisprud . p. 19. de jure naturae & gentium , lib. 1. cap. 1 §. 12. to the same purpose he also speaks . elem , jurisp . lib. 1 , def. 4. treatise of justif . righteous . part i. p. 58. treat . of justifying righteous . page 56. ibid. p. 58. ibid , p. 56. de jure nat. & gent. lib. 1 , cap. 1. §. 12. the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the greek , as also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the hebrew , do admit of two very differing senses ; they signifie either sin it self , or a sin-offering , a sacrifice for sin ; as cannot be unknown to any that are conversant with the scriptures of the old testament and the new , in the languages in which they were endited by the inspir'd penmen ; the instances to that purpose are too numerous to be over-look'd ; i 'll name a few , isa . 53. 10. when he shall make his soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an offering for sin ; so we read it there , and in lev. 7. this is the law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( not of the sin , but ) of the sin-offering , verse 1. so verse 2. they shall kill , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sin-offering , the blood thereof shall he sprinkle , &c. so verse 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a sin-offering . once more , 1 sam. 6. 3 , 4. if ye send away the ark of the god of israel , send it not empty , but in any wise return him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( not sin but ) a sin-offering — then said they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what shall be the sin-offering ; which you find afterwards specified in that verse . so for the other word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how promiscuously is it us'd in that one chapter , lev. 4. if any one of the common people , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there it is commit a sin , verse 27. and so again , ver . 28. if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his sin which he hath sinned , come to his knowledge , then he shall bring his offering [ a kid , &c. ] for his sin which he hath sinn'd ; there you have the same word again . yet in the very next verse the sense of the word is chang'd , and that very kid which is offer'd , is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 — so verse 29. and he shall lay his hand upon the head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( 't is not now to be read of the sin , but ) of the sin-offering : and slay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sin-offering : the very word that , but the verse before , signify'd sin it self . the same word you have again twice for a sin-offering , ver . 33. and again , the priest shall take of the blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the sin-offering , ver . 34. it wou'd be endless to refer you to the many other places of scripture , where the same observation would occur ; i 'll therefore only mention one text more ( which may help to evince the usefulness hereof in interpreting several difficult texts of scripture ) and that is , hos . 4. 8. they eat up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sin of my people ; so we read it ; but it were scarce possible , to devise any tolerable sense that the words cou'd be capable of , according to that reading ; yet what we have observ'd , renders 'em exceeding easie and plain ; all the difficulty dis-appears when you read , they eat up the sin-offering of my people ; and by this reading of the words , the latter part of the verse may be also most satisfactorily accounted for ; they set their heart on their iniquity ; i. e. they rejoicé at , or are pleas'd with it . thus does the very ingenious and reverend bishop of salisbury comment upon the words : that corrupt race of priests ( says he ) attended still upon the temple , and offer'd up the sin-offering , and feasted upon their portion : — and because of the advantage this brought 'em , they were glad at the abounding of sin , &c. discourse of the pastoral care , p. 23. ( a tract so very valuable and useful , that having mention'd it , i cou'd not forbear to recommend it , though i cou'd wish what is said of praying by the spirit , p. 199 , 200. were re-view'd by the very reverend author , and some-what more distinctly explain'd ; that he might not seem to reflect upon praying by the spirit it self , when ( i suppose ) he only intends to animadvert upon some persons mistaken apprehensions of it ; the same i cou'd also wish in reference to one or two passages in that book which i may not now stay to mention . now the words that the lxx . use in those places , are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 — but we shall only take notice of the second of those words , [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] and sometimes indeed by a reduplicated article , or by a preposition , they plainly refer to some or other word that is understood . so we read in that 4th chap. of leviticus , sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and chap. 6. ver . 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 — where the word immediately fore-going is most probably referr'd to , i. e. in one place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the she-goat , in another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the be-goat ; and in the third , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the burnt-offering ; sometimes the phrase is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for sin , where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sacrifice , is plainly enough intimated , though not express'd : yet sometimes again there is nothing more than the bare word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sin , express'd , where yet a sin-offering must needs be meant ; for instance , lev. 4. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it is ( not a sin , but ) a sin-offering for the congregation . and lev. 6. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , this is the law ( surely not that they should sin by , but that they should sacrifice according to ) the law of the sin-offering . so also in that mention'd hos . 4. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , they eat ( not the sins , for how cou'd that be done , but ) the sin-offering of the people . and the new testament stile is generally conform'd to the septuagint : thus you read here also , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , heb. 10. 6. in burnt-offerings , and for sin ( i. e. and in sacrifices for sin , as we render it ) thou hast had no pleasure . and rom. 8. 3. we are told , that god condemn'd sin in the flesh of christ ; but how , which way ? by sending him in our likeness , to die a sacrifice for sin. and since the word will as well signifie a sacrifice for sin , as sin it self , it should surely be readily agreed to intend only a sacrifice for sin , in that 2 cor. 5. 20. he made him to be a sin-offering for us , &c. nor does any thing in the context discountenance this reading — he that knew no sin , was not a sinner , what should hinder but he might be ( nay , for that very reason was he the fitter to be ) made a sin-offering for us : i cou'd not therefore read mr. cross's objection , without a smile , when he alledges against our thus interpreting sin for a sin-offering ; that then sin wou'd be us'd equivocally in differing senses ; and suppose it be , what would the ill consequence be ? why , he tells you , the apostle then would bring a sophism instead of an argument . he knew no sin properly , ergo , he was made sin. cross 's two sermons on justification and imputed righteousness , p. 32. now what if this text be a naked assertion , and not design'd for an argument , what sophistry would there be in it , if the apostle barely tell us , he that was no sinner himself , was yet made a sacrifice for our sin. but if he will have no argument of it , 't will be as weak and impertinent , though the words should be interpreted according to his mind : he knew no sin properly , ergo , he was made sin ; i see no consequence in it , whether the phrase bare his sense or ours . as to what he next alledges , p. 33. from its opposition to righteousness , it signifies as little ; for that the apostle is not here ( there is no appearing proof that he is ) critically contradistinguishing christ's being made sin , and our being made righteousness ; nay , the contrary is plain , for that he uses differing words in reference to christ and us to intimate that he did not intend , christ was made sin , in the same way , or sense , that we are made righteousness ; nor can he for that alteration , be justly charg'd again as sophisticating , whilst he only designs to acquaint us , that our being made righteousness ( take it in one sense or other ) did pre-require , and derive from christ's having been made a sacrifice for us . as to his third allegation against us , i cann't guess what he produc'd it for . and for his fourth , that the word made is sometimes us'd for imputed , if that shou'd be granted him , yet still it must be added , that 't is where other words are found in the greek text ; for i remember not ( nor do i think our opposer can produce ) one single instance where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which is made use of in the text ) does carry that sense : it does most plainly intimate the work of an effective agent ; and therefore does strongly argue for our sense of the text , that he was made a sacrifice for sin , made sin in such a sense as that god might be the author and efficient , without being chargeable as the author of sin. and for his fifth and last objection , that criticks distinguish betwixt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and say the latter is us'd for a sacrifice , not the former : i think we have already made the contrary sufficiently appear from the lxx . to whom he refers us . so that i see not what further can be pleaded against this interpretation of the text. in notis ad justini . instit . tit. 30. p. ( mihi ) 494. de satisf . p. 123 , 126 p. 13. ib. p. 124. discourse of the sufferings of christ , p. 17. interest of reason in religion , p. 536. grotius de satisfact . cap. 6. p. ( mihi ) 123 p. 126. discourse of the sufferings of christ , p. 15. ib. p. 123. ib. p. 133. ib. p. 16. baxt. of universal redempt . p. 79. crell . resp . ad grot. cap. 1. §. 78. p. ( mihi ) 98. c. 2. §. 29. p. 198. de satisf . cap. 1. p. 9 , 10. discourse of christ's suff. p. 69. discour . of the suff. of christ . p. 59. ib. p. 73. meth. the. p. iii. c. 1. determ . 5. p. 38. pufendorf . element . jurisp . univers . lib. 1. def . 21. §. 7. p. 237. baxt. two disputat . of original sin , p. 156. cain and abel malignity that is, enmity to serious godliness, that is, to an holy and heavenly state of heart and life : lamented, described, detected, and unananswerably [sic] proved to be the devilish nature, and the militia of the devil against god and christ and the church and kingdoms, and the surest sign of a state of damnation / by richard baxter, or, gildas salvianus ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1689 approx. 220 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 82 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26871 wing b1195 estc r2643 13442834 ocm 13442834 99576 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26871) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 99576) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 834:9) cain and abel malignity that is, enmity to serious godliness, that is, to an holy and heavenly state of heart and life : lamented, described, detected, and unananswerably [sic] proved to be the devilish nature, and the militia of the devil against god and christ and the church and kingdoms, and the surest sign of a state of damnation / by richard baxter, or, gildas salvianus ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [14], 146, [2] p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1689. advertisement on p. [1-2] at end. reproduction of original in the university of illinois (urbana-champaign campus). library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng christian life -early works to 1800. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-04 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-04 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion cain and abel malignity , that is enmity to serious godliness , that is , to an holy and heavenly state of heart and life : lamented , described , detected , and unananswerably proved , to be the devilish nature , and the militia of the devil against god , and christ , and the church and kingdoms , and the surest sign of a state of damnation . by richard baxter , or gildas salvianus , who earnestly beseecheth all enemies , scorners , opposers and persecutors of serious obedience to god , not to refuse so small a matter as the reading this short undeniable evidence , to save their souls , while yet there is hope , from so damnable a state of sin and diabolism . especially magistrates and clergy-men , who are sacrilegious and blasphemous , if in the name of christ's ministers , they turn those sacred offices against him . london , printed for tho parkhurst at the bible and three crowns , at the lower end of cheapside , near mercers chapel . 1689. reader , this reprehensive lamentation of english malignity , or hatred , and scorn , and persecution of serious godliness , by them who profess to believe in god , and to be christians , was written in prison ( but without any provoking sense of my suffering ) in anno 1685. or 1686. and by one that was not wholly ignorant , how much of the papists counsel and power , was causal in our change since the return of k. ch. 2. 1660. and therefore it grateth so much upon the papists , though they were professed protestants who were the open agents . it was written by one who can remember , at least since 1627. that the serious practice of godliness was the common scorn of the vulgar rabble ; and he that did but read the scripture , and books of piety , and pray in his family , and catechize children or servants , or hear a sermon at the next parish church from a godly conformist , when he had none at home ; yea that did but seriously talk of christ or scripture , or the life to come , or preparation for death and iudgment , went under the name of a puritane , which was a reproach in the mouth of drunkards , swearers , fornicators , and all the sensual , worldly sort , both high and low . and that conformable ministers ( yea and gentlemen ) that were but seriously religious , no more scap't this scorn than nonconformists ( who were then so few , that they were in most places unknown . ) he sadly remembreth how greatly this malignant rabble triumphed in the bishops visitation articles , and in the preaching and talk of many priests , who sharpened their sermons with invectives against puritans as dangerous hypocrites , though they had not a nonconformist within many miles . he heard the godly conformable ministers lament , that the bishops and ecclesiastical courts by their jealousie and heat against the nonconformable puritans , became the strength and encouragement of this malignant vitious rabble ; and that the young worldly ministers took it for the way to preferment , to preach against puritans , while they treated the multitude of prophane prayerless families that had no savour of serious religion , as their good and peaceable flocks . he lived to see the godly learned conformists , so grieved for this , that they long'd for a reformation ; and many conformists ( as bishop robert abbot , bishop downame , & divers others published their reproof and lamentation for it : and good robert bolton ( in his directions for walking with god ) thinks that since malice entred into the heart of man , there was never a word tossed with more malice in the mouths of drunkards and prophane men , than the word [ puritan . ] hundreds and thousands of these wicked scorners of religion , were either admitted ( or driven ) to the sacrament , or lived quietly in great parishes while they despised it , while these poor puritans were strictly hunted after ! and if they fasted and prayed with a dying or sick friend , without getting a license for it from the bishop , the church-warden must enter them into their inquisition , or be forsworn . these puritans having the greatest averseness to popery , in some things were too suspicious of all that they thought smell'd of it : and when they heard that in ireland the papists had most barbarously murdered the protestants ( two hundred thousand ) and that they boasted that they rose by the king's commission , and threatned to invade england , and that the english papists were against the parliament ; this made them think that the protestant religion was not safe , but in the parliaments part and care : upon which the next year when our odious civil war began , many of them went into the parliaments armies : but the generality would fain have lived quietly at home , but the debauched rabble and their patrons would not suffer them : but they turned the name puritan into [ roundhead ] and [ down with the roundheads , ] was the common cry. i have my self by the cry been in present danger , in passing through a city where no man knew me , because i wore not long hair. if their neighbours did but pray , and sing a psalm in their houses , the rabble would ( like the sodomites at the door of lot ) set up a cry against them in the streets , and say , [ down with the roundheads ] the rebels , a gowry , a conspiracy , &c. ] even where i lived they assembled with weapons , and sought my life , and knockt down ( mortally by the issue ) even strangers in the streets that medled not with them , because they were accounted friends to the puritans . by this means the parliaments garrisons and armies were fill'd with religious men , that were forced to flie from their houses by the malignant , ignorant drunkards , to save their lives : and this , even this was the ruine of k. charles , and his army , and of the persecuting bishops and clergy . necessity made thousands to be souldiers that could not live at home : and most were moved by an argument , that was not cogent , still saying , [ we cannot believe that god would suffer the generality of the most religious to chuse the wrong side , and the generality of the papists and ignorant drunkards and malignants to be in the right . ] o what shame and pity is it that the antipuritan clergy no better remembred from 1660. till now , by what means they fell ; and that they no more understood , nor yet understand , what a torrent of sin , of danger , and of shame , is come upon them , by their strengthning themselves by sheltring ( to say no worse ) the sensual irreligious malignant rabble ( rich and poor ) that they may tread down the puritans , that by their own doings are brought into a dislike of them . will god ever bless a prophane rabble ( or gentry ) to be the honour and strength of the church , against the religious that desire a reformation ? it is not their new foolish names and scorns , ( as whigs , trimmers , presbyterians , &c. ) that will prove that it is not serious piety that they hate : as long as the most filthy wicked livers are the enemies and accusers , and in their own party and companions , the vilest debauchery passeth for sufferable , and a small disgrace , and thousands of such live at ease , when preaching the gospel , and praying without their fetters or book , must cost men ruine , and imprisonment , and scorn . and sulpitius severus his sharp invective against ithacius , idacius , and the rest of the bishops in their synod was , that in prosecuting the priscillian gnosticks , they brought the matter to that pass , that if godly men did but fast , and pray , and read scripture , the bishops made them suspected as priscillianists ( even st. martin himself . ) woe to them that turn the sacred offices of magistracy and ministry against god that did ordain them , to be used as in his name , and in some representation of himself , sacrilegiously blaspheming him as an enemy to himself . shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with god , that frameth mischief by a law , to make sin common and allowed ? by this the reader may see that there is a double history needful to the full understanding of this book ; and of the nature and causes of malignity ; that is , 1. the history of adam's fall , and the great depravation of humane nature thence arising ; and the true meaning of the enmity thence put between the womans and the serpents seed , exemplified in the two first brothers born into the world ; as also in ishmael and isaac , esau and jacob ; and frequently mentioned by christ and his apostles . 2. the history of the advantages that malignity hath got in england since the reformation ; and especially since the return of charles the second . this must contain the sad differences begun at frankford in q. marys days ; the errours and extreams of both the differing parties ; the by assing determinations of q. elizabeth ; the difference between the first bishops that had been exiles , and their successors ; the presbyterians provocations by over-opposing episcopacy , and the bishops design to root them out ; and the making of the canons to that end : the rise of a new sort of bishops , begun in laud , neile , howson , corbet and buckeridge , with mountague , and their growth under buckingham against the old churchmen : the design of a coalition with rome , and the french and english attempts thereto : the interruption of this design by the first long parliament , and the wars : the scots forcing the parliament ( that in their straits asked their help ) to take their covenant : the imposing that covenant on the whole ministry , and making it a dividing engine on pretence of unity ▪ the parliaments casting out ( with a multitude of flagitious ministers ) some doctors , for being against them , for the king , contrary to the desires of peace-makers : the presbyterians under monk restoring king charles the second : the return and preferment of his doctors , and their revengeful resolutions : their design to get all church-power and preferment , and academick rule into the hands of them that most hated puritans , or would endeavour their extirpation , and would educate youth in bitter prejudice and hatred of them : the vulgar hatred of serious godliness in conformists and nonconformists , under the name of puritans : the power that a few returned doctors had with the king and chancellor in the dispose of preferments , and thereby to over-rule the parliament , and to procure the acts of uniformity , corporation oaths , vestry and militia oaths , and the acts for banishments , confinements , imprisonments , fining , ejecting , silencing and ruining such whose consciences pleaded gods law and authority against any of their oaths , impositions , and silencing prohibitions to preach the gospel : the great difference in the wars ( i meddle not with the cause ) between the adherents and souldiers of the k. ( ch. i. ) and the parliaments in point of piety and sobriety : the animosity and implacable heat , by which the before conquered , and now ruling party , proceeded towards the ruine of those that they took for enemies to the cause civil or ecclesiastick , which they had owned : the unhappiness of the then present ministry , that being young then , had never medled with wars , that they must equally suffer as enemies , for fearing the imposed oaths , subscriptions , covenants and practices : the rejoycing of the common sort of the luxurious , drunkards , whoremongers and infidels , that they had got so many of the religious into contempt , and scorn , and ruine : the woful increase of whoredom , luxury , and impiety and sadducism hereupon : the great numbers of religious people , who before hoped for peace and a pious prelacy , that fell hereupon into an hatred of prelacy , and a great disesteem of the conforming ministry ; and so our divisions are grown to a fixed factious enmity ; and malice and worldly interest will hear no motions or petitions for peace ; and yet madly plead all for love and peace , while they implacably fight against them , and accuse those as the enemies of peace , who beg peace of them , and cannot obtain it . this is the sum of the doleful history which this book presupposeth : but should i write it , the rage would be increased . the foregoing narrative is as much as is fit for this brief discourse , which , if you will , you may style acris correptio , with gildas ; or planctus ecclesiae , with alv. pelag. or the groans of the church , with a late conformable divine . it hath been cast by four years , at first because it would not be endured , and after in a vain hope that our church reformation would make such a complaint less necessary . but now i perceive the devil will be the devil , and mankind will be born blind , sensual and malignant , till there be a new heaven and earth in which dwelleth righteousness . come lord iesus . august 24. ( 1689. ) the fatal day of silencing in england in 1662. chap. i. a lamentation for the case of the deluded , malignant , militant world. § 1. the depraved and miserable condition of mankind , hath long been the astonishing wonder of the sober and inquisitive part of the world : philosophers were puzzled with the difficult questions , whence it first came ? and why it is no more remedied ? christians are taught by the sacred scriptures how to answer both , by laying it on mans misusing of his free will , supposing gods permission of his tryal and temptations ; and on his resistance and rejection of remedying grace , in the degree that it is vouchsaft or offered . but still there are difficulties , and our understandings are dark , and hardly satisfied . and whence ever it comes , the case is doleful , and we cannot but think of it with astonishment and lamentation . when we saw an hundred thousand made dead corps by the london plague 1665. it did not take off the terrour to know how it begun . and when we saw the city on a dreadful flame , which none could stop , it cured not the general astonishment to conjecture how it was kindled or carried on : no doubt but hell it self proclaimeth that god is holy , wise and iust , and devils and men are the cause of their own everlasting punishment . but yet if we had a sight of it , amazement and dread would overwhelm us . and , alas ! what a map of hell is the greatest part of earth ? hell is a place of lying , malignant and murderous , hurtful spirits , miserable by and for their wickedness : and is not this in a lower degree , a true description of most of the earth ? § 2. nineteen parts in thirty of the earth are idolaters and heathens : and do i need to say , how ignorant , wicked and miserable they are ? many of them publickly worship the devil , as witches do with us ; and he deludeth them , and appeareth in divers shapes to them , and ruleth them as he doth witches . and those that are more civil are strangers or enemies to christ : six parts of the thirty are ignorant mahometans , destroyers indeed of heathenish idolatry , and such as take christ for a great and true prophet , but know him not as a saviour , but equal or prefer a gross deceiver , and live under barbarous tyrants who by violence keep them in the dark . the other five parts that are called christians , alas ! consist most of people bred up in lamentable ignorance , mostly barbarous or debased by the oppression of tyrants ; such as the moscovites , most of the greeks , the abassines , armenians , and many eastern sects and nations . what ignorance the vulgar papists are bred in , in italy , spain , germany , poland , france , and other countreys , and what enmity to true reformation prevaileth in princes , priests and people ; and by what lying and cruelty they fight against truth , and what inquisitions , murders and inhumane massacres have been their powerful means , i need not use many words to tell . and are the protestant reformed churches free from fleshly , worldly , wicked men ? from ignorant malignant cruel enemies to truth , and piety , and peace ? § 3. our kings dominions are the best and happiest nations on earth . here is most knowledge of the truth , and most proportionably that truly love it , and live in a holy obedience thereto , and fain would live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness , honesty and sobriety : but , alas ! they must be contented with their own personal uprightness and reward , and the peace of their consciences in gods acceptance . but with men there seemeth to be no hopes of common wisdom , piety , love and peace . we are all baptised with one baptism ; we all profess to be the servants of one god , and the faithful followers of one christ , and to believe in one holy sanctifying spirit , and to believe the same canonical scriptures as the word of god , indited by that spirit ; and to be of one holy catholick church , which is all the members of christ on earth ; and to hold the communion of saints : we mostly in england and scotland agree in the protestant reformed doctrine , and sacraments ; our concord in profession is so great , that if some men had not devised some oaths , professions , covenants , practices and knacks , and engines of their own ( which they dare not say , god made ) to become the matter of our unavoidable dissent , they could hardly have known how to pretend any difference in religion among us , and hell would scarce have found any cloak for malicious accusations , enmity and discord . you shall scarce meet with a man that will not speak well of love and peace , and say that we must love god above all , and our neighbours as our selves , and do as we would have others do to us . and yet is there any enmity or disagreement ? alas how great , and how uncureable ? § 4. who would think that knew us not by our profession , but only by our actions , but that the three kingdoms consisted of the deadliest enemies to each other ? of turks and christians ; of wolves and sheep , that i say not of devils and men ? yea turks and christians can live together in hungary and all the eastern countreys ; orthodox and hereticks can live together , in poland , helvetia ▪ holland , &c. but protestants and protestants cannot live together in britain . cities and corporations , countreys and churches , i● not families also , are distracted in enmity and more than mental feuds and war. guelphes and gibelines , party against party , studying accusations against each other , as if they were scholars daily exercised in the school of him that is the accuser of the brethren . all their learning and wit is called up , and poured out , to render others as odious as they are able . all their power , interest , friends and diligence are used to ruine and destroy each other . no lies or perjury with some seem unlawful to accomplish so desired an effect . in all companies , the discourse and converse that should be to edifie each other in love , and comfort each other by the hopes of dwelling together in heaven , is taken up with slanders , backbitings , scorning , railing and plotting the overthrow of the best of their neighbours . innocency never wants odious or scornful names : as if they were acting their part that called christ and his apostles , and the ancient christians , deceivers , blasphemers , enemies to caesar , ring-leaders of sedition , that taught men to worship god contrary to the law. every drunkard and wicked liver can as easily make his conscionable neighbour a rogue , or a traitor , or a schismatick , or an hypocrite , as he can open his mouth and speak . and to justifie all this malice is become a virtue ; hating the most religious , is zeal for government and order ; destroying christs members , is standing up for the church ; hunting them as dogs do hares , or as hawks do the lesser birds , is a meritorious work , of supererogation no doubt , and will not finally lose its reward : god is served by hating and scorning them that are serious in his service . it is religion to make religion odious , and call it hypocrisie , and to be for that which is uppermost , and befriends their worldly interest , and to make him suspected of disloyalty , who is for obedience to god. conscience , and fear of sinning , and of damnation , is the mortal enemy to be conquered or driven out of the land ; as if there were no quietness to be expected in mens minds , no concord in the church , no obedience to the clergy , or the laws , no safety from sedition , till conscience be silenced or banished , and men give over fearing god ; or as if christ and caesar could not both reign , but god or princes must be dethroned . and o that the sacred tribe were innocent , and none of them were the leaders in such hypocritical malignity ! their canons ipso facto excommunicate all ( not excepting princes , parliaments or judges ) that do but say , that any of their ceremonies , liturgy , or officers in church government , ( not excepting the lowest or lay-mens power of the church keys by decreeing excommunications and absolutions ) are repugnant to the word of god : and when they have ipso facto excommunicated them all , they call them separatists for not coming to their communion : think not the contradiction and hypocrisy incredible : read but the 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8. canons , and judge . they have a law , and by their law he is cut off from the church or christ , that doth but call any of these the inventions of prelates , sinful , or say that god forbids them ; and the jail must be his dwelling till he die there , who in ten cases remaineth excommunicate , and doth not openly profess that he repenteth , and judgeth that to be sinless , which he is utterly unable so to judge . when we have preached seven and seven years , to perswade a drunkard , a liar , and prophane swearer , an atheist , to repent , he liveth quietly out of the jail though he repent not : but if a man repent not ( when he cannot ) of judging that god forbids such humane inventions and impositions in religion , take him jaylor ; he that will not be for our humane offices , ceremonies and impositions , shall not be of our church ; and when we have cast him out , we 'll say , he separateth : and if he be not of our church , he shall be in jail ; as if the church and the jail , would hold all the land , except his sin be such a peccadillo as atheism , sadduceism , bestiality , hobbism , popery , man-slaughter , adultery , drunkenness , swearing , &c. not aggravated by the crimes of breaking the canons in point of conformity ; or if many thousands cannot or will not come within the doors of the parish church , so they will go to no unlicensed preacher , nor worship god in house or church at all , they live quietly out of prison . but if the mote of an oath or ceremony scrupled be in their eye , that eye must be pulled out ( if the mote cannot ) or else the whole body be cast into their hell. and if the preacher be but a candidate of domination , his way is oft to call to the magistrate to execute the law upon such as dare presume to worship god openly , till they hold all such imposed oaths , covenants , professions and practices to be lawful : he is to make his auditory believe that such men are dangerous , intolerable persons , and that their meeting to worship god and learn their duty , is to cherish sedition , heresy and schism , and that rebellion is in their hearts ; and that the preachers that even to a thing indifferent are not of their mind and obedience , are deceivers , and factious , and it is no sacriledge , but a duty to forbid them to preach the gospel . if the people dare not trust the parson , vicar or curate of the parish , ( be he what he will , whom a — patron chooseth for them ) with the pastoral ordinary conduct of their souls , or if he preach not at all , if they go to the next parochial conformist for the sacrament , he is to be driven home , and used as disobedient . through the great mercy of god while the bible is licensed , a preacher in england knoweth not how to spend his hour , if he say not somewhat for faith and godliness , love and peace : and when they come down , none are so hated by some of them , as those that believe and do to their utmost what they for fashion sake perswaded them to believe and do . their neighbours who have not a word with the priest of any thing but this world , nor read a chapter or put up a prayer in their families , these are good and quiet neighbours ; but if any seriously prepare for their everlasting state , and mind their salvation above the world , especially if he pray without-book , and dislike the ignorance and scandalous lives of sorry priests , these are the dangerous troublers of the land , away with them , and give us those that trouble us not with the talk of god and of death , and heaven or hell , of scripture or of conscience , and that scruple nothing that we would have them say or do . if such pray , it is but in hypocrisy ; if they go to hear any other preacher , it is in faction . if they speak any words to god which are not written down for them to read , they sawcily prate to god and speak but nonsence ; if they be earnest as knowing what they pray for , they do but whine and cut faces , and speak through the nose , or are a pack of groaning hypocrites . it is confest that the spirit of adoption and supplication is gods gift ; and that this spirit taught the bishops and convocation in what words to pray to god : but if the most holy or learned man besides them pretend to it , and think that any may pray by the spirits help but the convocation , there are reverend men that will deride that spirit or that prayer . i would at least they would let men pray by reason and the sense of their souls necessities ( as a child will beg pardon of an offended father , ) if they will not give them leave to pray by that spirit ( which all must live by that will be saved . ) physicians use their patients with some humanity , and will not say to him that saith , [ my stomach cannot take down this potion ; i shall cast it up ] you shall take it or die , or go to prison : or if one say , [ this pill is bigger than my throat can swallow , ] they will rather say , it shall be made less than they will cut his throat wider to get it down . and sure the reason is because the law doth make them physicians to none but volunteers , and give them no compelling power : if it did , i know not what inhumanity they might come to : for i will not believe that there is any thing in divinity which tendeth to make men more inhumane than physicians . i have seen iews and others that will eat no swines flesh ; and i have known many that a tast of cheese would cast into a swound near death : and i never knew any say , you shall eat this , or die : nor that ever motioned the making of a law that all men should be imprisoned , or forbidden all other meat ▪ who refused to eat swines-flesh , for fear of tolerating jews . but we have priests too many , that will say , take every oath , promise or ceremony required of you , or preach not , nor worship god openly at all : take me for your pastor , or you shall have none : hear me , or hear no man : receive the communion from me , or from none : deny not the lawfulness of a ceremony , or be excommunicate . § 4. and is it now any wonder that the people say as they are taught ? and these are lessons easilier learnt than a catechism , or the creed , or the meaning of baptism . how quickly can a man learn to call his neighbour whig , or tory ! or to hate a godly man , or in a tavern or ale-house to scorn them , or drink and curse to their confusion , and to say , i hope to see them all hang'd or banished out of the land : as a priest that knows not what divinity or the priestly office is , may before he taketh many degrees , attain the ability learnedly to call his godly neighbours , schismaticks , or hypocrites or worse ; so no doubt a few such sermons , if not a tavern , can quickly teach them that never knew what religion is , yea that can scarce speak sense , to revile the wisest and best men , as if they were sinners against the true religion , if they will be serious in any true religion at all . § 5. o sinful ! o miserable land ! who kindled all the hellish flames of thy malignity and mad divisions ? and who continueth them , and for what ? what cloven foot hath entred , and expelled concord ? what spirit ruleth thee ? were it the spirit of christ , it would be for healing , love and concord ; it would set men on studying to promote love to all , even unto enemies , but much more to the most holy . it would make men zealous of good works , and if it were possible as much as in them lieth to live peacebly with all men , to bless those that curse them , to pray for those that hate and persecute them , forbearing and forgiving one another , even as god for christs sake forgiveth us . it would teach them while they have time to do good to all men , but especially to them of the houshold of faith ; mens hearts would be constituted of love : it would become a nature in them . their speech and converse would be the savoury breath of love : their dealings towards all men would be the works of love : their sharpest reproofs would be but to do the sinner good . but alas another spirit hath possessed thee which rageth and teareth thee ; and is blind and deaf ; it calleth for fire from heaven , and it kindleth a fire of hell : and sure his name is legion ; for there are many . it passeth under the names of wisdom , and hatred of some evil : but it must needs be earthly , sensual and devilish , for it is neither pure , nor peaceable , gentle , or merciful and impartial , but foameth with bitter envy and strife , unto confusion and every evil work : and yet thou knowest not what manner of spirit thou art of . is it god that setteth rulers and people against each other . doth he divide his own kingdom , against it self , when he tells us that the devil will not do so by his . is it god that sets the parts of the same body in a hatred and war against each other ? as if it were the interest of the nobler and the servile parts to weaken or destroy each other ? and it were an addition to the health and welfare of the one , which is gotten by conquest from the other ? is it god that maketh people despise or dishonour their lawful governours , or any rulers to hate the best subjects , and desire more to be feared than to be loved , and rather to have power to do hurt , than actually to do good ? is it god that sets corporations , and churches and neighbours and families , in a state of malice , vexation , strife , and a kind of war against each other ? doth the spirit of god indite the malicious pamphlets , which exercise the utmost of wit and hatred , to destroy ▪ love , and to call the nation into the devils camp , by mutual hatred to live as enemies , and fight against the lord and the ways of peace . and if any endeavour a reconciling healing of our wounds , it 's turned into scorn , and his healing motions are represented as the grand causes of division ; and to beg for peace is heinous schism , and next rebellion against the church , and a crime sufficient to forfeit that mans peace and reputation : and he that tells men of the only possible terms of concord , is made the chiefest cause of discord . to serve and worship god no otherwise than peter and paul did , and than god prescribeth is enough to render us unworthy to live on english earth ? and if england may not suffer such , why should any other nation suffer them ? there are men that keep holy days for st. peter , and st. paul , and dedicate churches to them , and their bellies are maintained at dives rates , and their wealth and revenues and grandure held up , by that which is dedicated to these churches , ( and to alienate any of this superfluity from their flesh were worse sacriledge than to cast out and silence a thousand faithful preachers ; ) and yet if st. paul were a preacher now in france , spain , italy or england , and would worship god but as he did when he was on earth , and would not swear , say and do as much more as the bishops canons bid him , i think we should again hear those words , acts 22. 22. away with such a fellow from the earth , for it is not fit that he should live ( here : ) unless he wrought miracles to convince men : and whether those would prevail is a doubtful case ; or whether he would not pass for a deceiver and fanatick . § 6. as in times of war , all broken , beggarly and idle fellows , turn souldiers , as the easiest trade to live by , and are never after good for any other trade , but to kill and rob men ; so the love-killing regiments , have forsaken other trades , and this is like to put down all . booksellers complain that they can fell few books but news and scorning or invective libels . and what is the subject of our ( formerly weekly and now daily ) news books ? why , they tell us that such a city or corporation are altogether by the ears as enemies , some choosing one mayor and some another ; some called whigs , and others tories ; some seeking the ruine and blood of others , and some hardly escaping the power of false witnesses and oaths ! one jury acquitting a man whose life is sought , and another condemning him ▪ in such a town or city so many find , and so many distreined on , and so many crowded into jails , and such and such preachers cast into prison , and such a one dead there , for praying to god and openly worshipping him without-book , or by no book but his own . in such and such a country the people prosecuting each other on such accounts , and some flying into other parts , and some into america to seek that peace among savages and wolves , and serpents , in wildernesses , which they could not have under sacred protestant prelates and their clergy . in france the poor protestants hunted like hares , neither suffered to live at home , nor to flie naked to beg their bread in other lands ; and all this for the concord and peace of the holy catholick church ; a pattern so worthy of imitation , that even such excellent men as grotius think , that it 's worth all hazards , labour and cost , to reduce england and the lutherans to the french-church-consistence , and to silence and ruine all as calvinists that are against it . from hungary we must read , how the persecuted protestants , after their utmost suffering and patience , are fain to call in turks to save them from the cruelties of christians . and that those parts that are under the turks have far more prosperity and freedom in religion , than those that are under the emperor & papists . and protestants under them are kept in co●●●●al fear , as knowing that it is their law and doctrine that princes are bound to do their best to exterminate or destroy them , on pain of excommunication , deposition and damnation● and remembring the inquisitions , the piedmont , french , dutch , irish , &c. massacres : so that they are brought to this hard dilemma , chuse whether you will be dead men , or be proclaimed rebels . if whole countreys will not lie down and die patiently without self-defence , they are odious rebels . these and such other are the subjects of our news-books , which have broken the poor booksellers , who were wont to live by selling books of learning , and of practical divinity . and too many preachers are fain to be short as well as formal in their sermons for christian love , because they spend so much time in preaching up hatred and destruction . were there but any art that could devise any engine that could reach the heart , and turn it into the hatred of those that never did them wrong ( as they say some philters and charms will make men mad with love ; ) or if any apothecary had an effectual medicine against brotherly love ▪ i doubt these would become the most accustomed shops and prosperous trades in all the city : but for want of such , some pulpits , printers booksellers , clubs , drinking-houses , and play-houses ( to pass by fouler ) must serve the turn . but if god have not mercy on the land by restraining them , gunpowder-makers , gun-smiths , sword-sellers , souldiers , swearers and executioners , will swallow up most other trades in the land. it 's worth enquiry whether in foresight of this , they set not their sons to such trades as these , or apprentices to such lawyers as are best at preparative accusations , and have learnt tertullus's art : or to such schools and tutors as can teach them the learning of zedekiah , and the four hundred prophets , 1 king. 22. § 7. and all this is the more unexcusable and lamentable , because they came but lately out of the fire , which this same malignant spirit kindled ; the very same causes cast the three kingdoms into dreadful flames and blood. the histories of the bloody murder of many hundred thousands called albigenses , waldenses and bohemians , in piedmont , germany and elsewhere , and of the netherland cruelties , the spanish inquisition and invasions , the murder of thirty or forty thousand at once in france , and of two of their kings , the powder plot here , as well as the bonefires in q marys days , and much more their councils and doctors defending and commanding such usage of protestants , did set all our parliaments one after another into a vehement unwillingness to be so used , and to fall into their hands that will do it if they can : and when the evil spirit had raised cross interests and distrusts between king and parliament , the papists seeming to be for the war and king , and suddenly murdering in ireland no fewer than two hundred thousand , and pretending the kings commission , and threatning the like in england , affrightned the people into the army , after raised by the parliament . and though i think all that war in england kill'd not the fourth part so many as the papists had murdered in ireland ; yet so dismal and odious was it , and had so direful an end , as loudly told us how bad the causes and beginnings were . few parts of the land were free from spoil , plunder and poverty ; yea or from terrible sieges and fields of blood : english-men labouring to destroy each other , and some hiring forreigners to help them : and lads running from their parents to be as apprentices to the man-killing trade . counties were against counties , cities against cities , neighbours against neighbours , single persons flying from men as from bears and tygers , as after in the plague-time , afraid of almost all that they met . and at last the very armies falling out among themselves : the first raised for the parliament , were mastered by a second party , that brought in ( as auxiliaries ) a new imposition ; and that party after mastered and cast down by a third that brought in a new cause ; and that prevailing , pulling down their masters , an usurper odiously destroying the king , and setting up himself with another title , and subduing and ruining those that were against it , even both the parties that began the war : and yet when he was dead , to shew the world what divisions can do , that same victorious , rebellious army , fell all into pieces by its own discord , and was totally dissolved as by a miracle , without one drop of blood that ever i could hear of ; and the victorious leaders many of them hang'd , drawn and quartered , and their heads and quarters hang'd up on the city gates . and would not one think that a nation of men in their wits , should after so long and sad experience of the mischiefs of hatred and division , be willing of the reviving of love and concord , and hate all motions of dividing any more ? but alas , they hate them that would heal our wounds ; and if any one lay on a healing plaister , there are hands too many both lay and clergy , ready with rage to pull it off , and yet it 's all on pretence of healing us , that they will not suffer us to be healed ; for the way of peace they have not known . unhappy surgeons , that know no balsom but corrosives and distilled vinegar , yea no way of healing but by dismembring , even the usefullest members of the body . having learned of the romish leeches that live on blood , when they are for exhausting the vital stock , and cast the kingdom into a palsy or marasmus , they tell you it was all but corrupt or haemorrhoidal blood , and the loss of it necessary to cure the madness of the land. the beginning of some reconciliation between the first contending parties , began to flatter us with the hopes of restored love and quietness : secret consultations prepared the way : lords , knights and gentlemen , print their protestations for oblivion and reconciliation , and against revenge . hereupon those that by land and sea , in the three kingdoms had fought against the king , restore him : the land rejoyceth in the smiling hopes of reviving charity and concord : the king chiefly causeth these hopes by his declarations and act of oblivion , and specially his healing gracious declaration about ecclesiastical affairs . the house of commons and the city ministers give him thanks for it : who would have thought now but such experience , such protestations , such obligations , such authorities should have put the whole kingdom into a longing desire to perfect the work of love and peace ? but it proved clean contrary : some had other things in their heads and hearts ; outlandish fashions , especially french , have long been the badge of english folly ! there are men in spain that trade much in the fire , and queen mary brought the trade into england : there are men in many other forreign lands , who are so devout that their canons and religion rule their appetites ; and they love no meat like a carbonado'd protestant , nor are pleased with any perfume or incense so much as with the smell of a rosted saint , first call'd a heretick or schismatick : like the roman tyrant that gloried in the sweetness of the smell when he smelt the stink of the carcasses which he had laid to dung the field . and there were men abroad that learnt these fashions , and contracted such a familiarity and love to forreigners , as that for obtaining union with them , all the divisions , distractions and calamities of england and scotland , are not thought too dear a sacrifice : and as some sons of nonconformists must be doubly virulent to expiate the guilt of their original sin ; so some english men must like sampson and david , bring double testimony of their real enmity to the philistines , from their skins , before they can be trusted abroad as real reconcilers : and they say that there are some things that will be closely united , by no cement so well as by humane blood . doubtless the gospel as used in english , and preached by true protestants , ( such as the pseudo-bellamie in philanax anglicus hatefully calleth protestants off sincerity , ) goeth not with many beyond sea , for the same gospel which they believe . and therefore no wonder if the preachers of it be unpleasing to them ; and he that will please them , and unite with them , must silence or oppose those that they would have to be silenced and disgraced . and some think that union with many kingdoms of christians , which call themselves the catholick church , is much to be preferred before the love and concord of a hated party in our island . and as dr. saywell ( the master of a colledge and bishop gunnings chaplain ) saith ( to prove that there is a universal legislative and judicial power in the clergy , over kingdoms as well persons ; ) [ if more persons or particular churches give offence by heresy , schism , &c. the church universal , or the rest of the bishops may reprove them for it , and then there is no reason why one man should be censured and many should go free , and consequently our saviour hath established the authority of his church over all christians as well particular churches as private men : churches of kingdoms and nations have a soveraignty over them to which they must yield obedience , isa. 60. 12. the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee , shall perish : yea those nations shall be utterly wasted , pag. 343. though kings have no civil universal soveraign over them but christ , yet it seems all the world both kings and kingdoms have an ecclesiastical soveraignty over them all : communion of equalls and christian counsel and reproof is not enough , such as all neighbour princes may use towards one another ; nor the denial of such communion to the uncapable ! but all kings and kingdoms must be under one church soveraignty , which hath a legislative & judicial power over them all , to excommunicate , absolve them , &c. and how much more in ordine ad spiritua●ia the common exposition of ecclesiastical power tells you : as experience long told many kingdoms what the excommunicating of a king , and interdicting a kingdom the worship of god , do signify towards their dethroning or invasion . and all this must be done , not as for the pope , but under the name of a general council , and the poor pope shall have no power but , say some , to call that council , and call it general when there is no such thing , and preside in it , and rule us as chief patriarch and st. peters successor , in the intervals of general councils ( that is , continually ) and that not arbitrarily , but by the laws of the church or councils , ( and no mortal man can tell which those authorized legislative councils are , among the hundreds of erroneous or contradicting ones . ) so that popery in england is an abhorred thing ; for it is nothing with some but the popes absolute government of the whole church , as without or above laws and ecclesiastick parliaments . and can you reconcile all this to our oath of supremacy , and the canons that establish it , renouncing all forreign iurisdiction ? yes easily , we have been told it meaneth only forreign civil iurisdiction which belongs to the king , and not forreign ecclesiastical iurisdiction , ( which is all that the sober popes do claim , save indirectly in ordine ad spiritualia ) to command a nation on pain of excommunication and damnation ( according to divers councils ) to renounce their allegiance to their excommunicate prince , and to depose him and set up another , is no act of civil , but of ecclesiastical jurisdiction , which yet hath dethroned emperours and overthrown dominions . and saith a. bishop laud ( in dr. stillingfleet's defence of him , p. 540. [ it doth not follow , because the church may err , therefore she may not govern. for the church hath not only a pastoral power , to teach and direct , but a pretorian also , to controul and censure , &c. and for external obedience to general councils when they err , [ consider whether it be not fit to allow a general council that honour and priviledge which all other great courts have : stillingfleet , p. 534. ] so that instead of a council of equals for concord ( as princes use for peace with their neighbours , ) we have an vniversal soveraign court set up with pretorian power , to make binding laws , and pass iudgment to all the christian world , and ( say some ) they are schismaticks that obey not these vniversal laws , and obedience to them , and suppressing all forbidden assemblies for gods worship is the only way to christian concord . and where this forreign jurisdiction is made of such absolute necessity , that without subjection to it by kings and kingdoms , there is no concord to be had , nor any avoiding of the guilt of schism , what wonder if some can wish that silencings , reproaches , ruines , and confusions may be thought no dear price to obtain an universal union ; for which christ and his law are insufficient . they that have read grotius , cassander , baldwin , hoffmeister , erasmus , a. bishop laud , dr. heylin of his life , bishop sparrow , a. bishop bromhal and the prefacer bishop parker , thorndike , bishop gunning and his chaplain dr. saywell , and such others , and against them all have read dr. isaac barrow of the supremacy against thorndike , &c. may understand where our difference and danger lyeth . § 8. and is englands self destroying disease uncureable ! god hath in wonderful mercy given us peace from forreign enemies ? and is there no hope of prevailing with english men to live together in peace ? must that of isa. 49. 36. be our case , to eat our own flesh , and be drunken with our own blood as with sweet wine ? alas , no counsel , no petitions , no tears , no experience , no judgments of god by plagues and flames , have hitherto one jot prevailed ; but the ulcer of mens minds grows more and more putrid and malignant ! two ways are by some proposed : first that all the consciencious worshippers of god in the kingdom , should bring their judgments to a full conformity , in every particular to their rulers : whenas first they cannot tell us who these must be : some say to the king or law ? some say to the bishops in a national convocation : others say , to the foresaid forreign universal soveraignty of general councils , ( with the patriarchs . ) if the first be the way , what kingdoms must it be in ? is it no where but in britain ? or also in france , spain , italy , germany , poland ? and must there be as many religions as kings and laws will make ? and how far must this go ? and where must we stop ? must kings choose us a god ? or chuse whether we shall have any god , any christ , any bible , any worship of god , and so any heaven ? if it be the bishops that must be the common rule of our religion , what countreys and ages doth this rule serve for ? was it the rule where princes and prelates were arians , or nestorians , or eutychians , or monothelites , or papists ? is it the rule now in france , spain , italy , &c. or was it so in the popes catholick church , from an. 700 till the reformation . if it be general councils , i am weary of repeating the proofs that there never was one , nor ever is like to be one , or ought to be . if it be an european council , who shall call them , and who shall judge whether it be equal , and so far general ? and are not the greater number of european bishops known papists ? and will they not then be the major vote ? and so we must be as bad as they ? and if the rest of the christian world be not bound by them ( in greece , ethiopia , armenia , syria , &c. ) why are we ? is it the council of ariminum , sirmium , milane , &c. or of ephesus 2 , nice 2d many at constantinople , at the laterane , at lyons , at florence , at constance , at basil , at trent , that are our rule ! must all that will be catholicks and saved , hold all the heresies , contradictions , and corruptions that councils have held , and obey all their load of canons ? if the italians , french , english , &c. are all disagreed , how many and which councils we must obey , can all poor people know which is in the right ? and hath christ left religion so uncertain a thing ? or so mutable that general councils of prelates may be still increasing it ? if he was the the maker of it , by himself and his apostles , we may know more certainly where to find it : most christians may say , christ we know , and peter and paul , &c. we know : but your councils are too many , too voluminous , too uncertain , for us to know . but if they are such an absolutely necessary rule as you pretend , why do not teachers preach them to us daily as they do the sacred scriptures ? if any would come down to confine these universal laws only to things indifferent , alas , must the world be confounded and divided about things indifferent ? are not things indifferent variable as countreys and ages are ? and must the world have one soveraignty to make laws for them ? cannot we have life , liberty , peace and love without things indifferent ? or without agreeing in them . are there any two in the whole world , that are not ignorant , and that differ not about many greater matters than things indifferent ? doth he know himself , or know what a man is , that thinks all tolerated christians must be so skill'd in all things indifferent , which men may impose , as to know them to be such ? when it is so hard to teach the people things necessary , few and plain ? alas , lord , why must the churches be left in such hands ? § 9. but some have found out another remedy for our divisions ; and that is , that only the bishops shall be engaged to a forreign jurisdiction , or profess the necessity of obeying them , ( under the name of a general council , and in the intervals , of a colledge of the bishops of the whole world , as one aristocracy ; ) and that this shall not be imposed on any lay-communicants , but their consciences shall be left at liberty ; nor at the first on the inferior clergy , till they are prepared to receive it : but only that the people obey the priests and prelates , and the priests obey the prelates and all their governing officers , and the prelates only profess obedience to the pretorian court called , the catholick church . bishop gunnings chaplain tells us that the laity are not required in order to communion to declare for general councils . whether they use the like moderation in france , spain , germany , i know not , viz. for the bishops only to profess obedience to the pope , and the priests to the bishops , and the people to the priests and bishops . i hear they go further . and if conventicles ( as they will call them ) are also suppressed , we need not fear religious violence , murder and ruine , ( upon a feared roman successour . ) for saith the same bishops chaplain , pag 283. [ for matters may be so ordered , that all officers , ecclesiastical , civil and military , and all that are employed in power or authority of any kind , be persons both of known loyalty to the crown , and yet faithful sons of the church , and firm to the established religion , and the laws that they act by may be so explained in the favour of those that conform to the publick worship , and the discouragement of all dissenters , that we must reasonably be secure from all violence that the papists can offer to force our submission : for when all our bishops and clergy are under strict obligations and oaths , and the people are guided by them ; and all officers civil and military are firm to the same interest , and under severe penalties if they act any thing to the contrary ; then what probable danger can there be of any violence or disturbance to force us out of our religion , when all things are thus secured , and the power of external execution is generally in the hands of men of our own perswasion . ] ans. the dr. says well : i am of his mind in this : when they have subdued and cast out all dissenters ( as they do in france ) and the bishops and clergy are setled under a forreign church-jurisdiction , and the people setled in obedience to them , and all offices civil , military and ecclesiastick in their hands , i do not think they need to fear that the papists will use violence to change their religion , whoever reigneth . but the question is , whether this suppose an vnion with all in england that are now against a forreign jurisdiction , or only the destruction of them , or else the forcing them to these terms ? as to a destruction of them , or forcing them to such terms , surely violence must do this . and what though the subjects of forreign power fear no violence , are all the rest ( that is , the protestants ) of the kingdom inconsiderable ? we suppose the old church of england , and all our parliaments since the reformation , were against a forreign jurisdiction : and will it be no loss to england to destroy so many , that is , the body of the land ? but the question is , whether they may not be thus brought to concord by consent ? i answer , no , unless you suppose them to be men that indeed have no religion , and therefore can easily part with the bare name . for they are sworn by the oath of supremacy against all forreign iurisdiction : and put the case that the pope and a council , or the king of france would bring the emperours or the kings army to serve him , and be at his command , and he would only desire that the general officers and colonels may be engaged to obey him , and the captains and lower officers to obey them , and the souldiers to obey the officers ; but the common souldiers shall be bound to no more , than this obedience to their officers . query , whether all these souldiers be not traitors to the king or emperour ? cromwells common souldiers took no commissions against king or parliament ; they did but obey their officers that pulled down both ! and were they therefore guiltless . protestants will not thus follow such prelates , against their oaths , and against the known truth , and against their duty to god and the king. § 10. but though it be notorious that domination and jurisdiction be the things which cause the papal clergy to trouble and tear the christian world , what is it that makes the laity so mad , & getteth this clergy such a militant crowd against their own tranquillity and salvation ? it 's as visible as any moral thing , that the churches divisions and wars , and miseries have about a thousand years risen , from satans thrusting such worldly , fleshly , unholy men into holy offices , who seek them but to serve their pride and covetousness , and fleshly appetites , and ease , and who are enemies at the heart to the serious obedience to christ , which formally they preach . christs own apostles in their time of ignorance , began to strive which of them should be greatest ; of which we have recorded his sharp rebuke ; which st. peter himself did after second , in 1 pet. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. in words so plain , that if his pretended successours had not first claimed a power ( as the church ) to be the determining expounders of all the bible , they had lain under the condemnation of christ and peter , naked , without a defence or cloak : but this church-expounding authority sets them above all the word of god , which is now but what they please to make it , and an instrument to execute their wills : and indeed it is now rather the pope and his prelates and councils than christ , that are the law-makers to the church : for it is not he that maketh the words only that makes the law , but he that giveth them their sense . the words are but as the body , and the sense is the soul of the law. the ministerial church now scorn the name of ministers , and being become pretorian and magisterial , they give christ and his spirit in the apostles leave to make the words and body of the scripture or divine law , as god formed adams body of the dust , so that they may give it the breath of life , and also may make far more voluminous laws of their own , and cut off and condemn all the children of god , that cannot believe that it 's lawful to obey them . and though the ignorant think that the claim of universal legislation and judgment , in the universal church and general councils , be no service to the domination of particular clergy men , no nor to any , seeing there will never be a general council , ] they understand not the mystery of iniquity , and mistake . we have english writers that have told them , 1. that indeed power is first given to the body , ( fine doctrine for royalists ) but by the body it is given to the prelates to use for them . 2. that as a general council hath the supream power , so the prelates under them have the inferior ruling power , and the executive in the intervals of councils : 3. that as councils represent the church in soveraignty , so every bishop is by his office , the true representative of the clergy of his diocess , and every metropolitan the representative of his province , and every patriarch of his patriarchate ; and then are not the patriarchs ( at least with the metropolitans , ) universal rulers in such intervals ? 4. and the pope is the patriarch of the west , and hath a primacy in the church universal , and must be confest to be principium unitatis catholicae , and say some , to be the president of councils . 5. to which others add , that it belongs only to the president to call councils , and to iudg which are lawful , without whose call they are so far from binding us , that they are themselves but unlawful routs . and what would you have more ? but what 's all this to the poor priests ? what ? why , 7. the people know not what the volumes of councils say , and it is the priests ( or no body ) that must tell it them , ( both what their exposition of scripture is , and what their own additional laws are ) without which they cannot be obeyed : so that indeed the peoples faith is ultimately resolvedly into the authority of the priest , who tells them what the bishop saith , who tells them what the metropolitan and his synod saith , who tells them what the patriarch and his synod saith , who tells them what the chief patriarch and a general council saith , who tell them determinatively what christ and the scripture saith and meaneth . but what 's this to councils when there are none ? yes , 8. those that are past and gone , have left all those binding laws by which the present bishops as an aristocracy must govern all the christian world. but are not they for monarchy in the state ? how come they then to plead for a soveraign aristocracy over the catholick church , and how come even the french clergy to be for the power of a church parliament above the pope ? i cannot answer that ; let the pope and they debate it . but i wonder that a. bishop laud should be for the derivation of all power from the body , as richard hooker is : see dr. stillingfleets defence of him p. 544. 545. &c. [ no body collective , whensoever it assembled it self , did ever give more power to the representing body of it , than a binding power upon it self and all particulars ; nor ever did it give this power , otherwise , than with this reservation in nature , that it would call again and reform , and if need were , abrogate any law or ordinances upon just cause made evident , that the representing body had failed in trust or truth . and this power no body collective , ecclesiastical or civil , can put out of it self , or give away to a parliament or council , or call it what you will , that represents it — the power which a council hath to order , settle and define differences arising concerning faith , it hath not by any immediate institution of christ , but it was prudently taken up by the church from the apostles example . ] see dr. stillingfleets defence . i confess that the generality of politicians and lawyers , heathens , papists and protestants go much this way , as to civil government , and say that the majestas personalis is in the king or senate , but the majestas realis in the body which giveth the organical power , and on just cause may take it away . it is no honour to be singular in politicks , and i have said enough of this elsewhere ( christ. direct . p. 1. ) but if it be the body of the whole church on earth that must give church officers and councils their power , and recal it when there is cause , if ever the whole christian world meet together to vote it , when it cometh to poling , we will give both the monarchical and the aristocratical conciliar papists three for one , to try who hath the power given by the body . but while two or three parts do already disown almost all their councils , the case is decided . but if an old councils heresies , errours or tyranny can be invalidated only by a new one that is truly general , or a new one as papal as the last , we confess that trent canons are like to be the law , to the end of the world. § 11. but again , what is it that maketh so many of the laity serve the popish prelates universal claim , or keep up the destructive enmity and divisions of the christian world ? a stranger would think that it were chiefly caused by some great contrariety of real interests , or that one party adhered to some principles or practices , which were really hurtful to the others rights ? while both were serious for christianity . but it is become by long experience notorious , that all the christian worlds calamitous divisions are principally from the old enmity between the womans and the serpents seed , and that all is but the prosecution of that which their first patriarch cain began : exemplified after in the discrimination of the children of men and the sons of god , and in esau and iacob , ishmael and isaac , and so down to the days of the apostles : and , saith paul , as he that was born after the flesh , persecuted him that was born after the spirit ; even so it is now . among us it is notorious , that if we knew how to cure men of the radical enmity of the flesh against the spirit , and of a carnal minds averseness to god and serious godliness , the rest of our differences were never like to continue our wounds and cruel factions . in families you may hear that this is the fundamental difference . husband and wife , parents and children , master and servants , upon the meer account of serious godliness , do live like enemies , that are impatient of each other . if the husband be ungodly , the wife , children or servants that have but a care of their salvation , are still under his restraints , or frowns , or scorns : this praying ( especially if it be without book ) so much preaching and hearing ; yea any serious talk of god , or heaven , or scripture , is a troublesom weariness to him ; and he tells them , it is but hypocrisie , or more ado than needs : if any compassionately tell him of the evil of his swearing , or tipling , or prophaneness , he tells them they are precise puritanes or fanaticks , and worse than he . if they will needs hear sermons , he will have them go but to some cold or ignorant preacher , or one that will please him with a calumny or scorn at puritans , or that will say as he doth , that this stir for salvation , and medling so much with scripture and religion , is but proud , self-conceited fanaticism . in a word , it is serious preaching , and hearing , and reading gods word , serious praying , and preparation for the sacrament , serious discourse of the state of their souls , and preparation for death , judgment and eternity , serious fearing and avoiding sin , and speaking against the sin of others , that is the common eye-sore and trouble of the world , which they secretly hate , and cannot bear with in their families , in their neighbours , in magistrates , in ministers or people . and because it easeth their minds by vent , and by keeping up some hopes that they may be saved without this serious godliness themselves , they cherish a conceit that the persons that herein differ from them are as bad , if not much worse than others ; and gladly hear those that slander and deride them : such company , such pamphlets , such sermons please them . and to make them odious , they have for them some contemptuous , scornful nickname ; which , though it be of no signification , is as effectual as the truest charge . among the roman sects , do but call a man a heretick , or schismatick , a lutheran , a calvinist , a zwinglian ; and elsewhere do but call him a sectary , a schismatick , a puritan , a calvinist , a nonconformist , an independant , a presbyterian , a round-head , a fanatick , a whig , and it serveth the turn as well as if you had proved him a proud hypocrite , or a rebel . and there be among the real schismaticks also some persons , that if you do but call a man episcopal , a conformist , an arminian , a church of england man , that goeth to the common-prayer , they think that he must needs be a temporizer , graceless or dangerously unsound . and thus the miseries of the land are continued and increased . but because the spirit of cain is the grand incendiary , and the enmity against serious holiness throughout all the world , is the principal cause of divisions , hatred , wars and blood-shed , i will here annex many reasons which , with men that have any reason left them , should cure this malignant enmity to holiness , if men will but soberly consider them . i have said so much to such already , especially in my saints rest ; now or never ; my family book ; and a saint or a brute , that i cannot do this work again without repeating much that 's said . but seeing all that doth not serve , and the ulcer breaketh out more dangerously than ever , till it come to a noli me tangere , we must continue some hope and use of means ; and if we lay on fresh plaisters of the old materials , while only new books are by such regarded , we are bound to do our best : it is but so much labour lost ; and it is not utterly lost to our selves , while we have peace of conscience in gods acceptance . but being sure to be misreported when i have done my best to be understood , that i be not guilty of it , i will first shew what i mean by serious godliness , and next what i mean by malignity or enmity to serious godliness . chap. ii. whom i mean by godly persons , and whom by malignant enemies to godliness . § 1. by godliness i do not mean , 1. any superstition , or making religions , or religious duties which god never made , and extolling these , and the party that are for them . god hath made us religious work enough : could we do that well , we need no more . religion , so far as it is made by men , is no religion , but a contradiction or equivocation ; for religion is our obligation and duty to god , and conscience of it . could i be for superstition , or more religion than god hath made us , i might be for all the new religions of rome , franciscans , dominicans , carthusians , jesuits , oratorians , and all the rest : and i might be for their works of supererogation , their massings , worshiping bread , angels , dead saints , images , their pilgrimages , relicks , and all their pretended traditions and councils , their new made church-laws ; and i should know no end . § 2. and 2. by godliness i mean not any singular , odd opinion differing from the scripture , and making a sect , or any errour whatsoever ; nor any opinion which is contrary to any thing which the whole church on earth did ever hold as necessary to salvation or communion . § 3. nor 3. do i mean any truth or duty of inferiour moment , which only makes to the well-being of a christian , though this be an inferiour part of godliness ; at least not that which a godly willing person knows not to be his duty . § 4. much less 4. do i mean any proud false conceit of a mans own godliness , and becoming one of an unwarrantable sect , that he may be conspicuous to others , or cherish this presumption in himself ; and say to others , stand by , i am holier than thou : or as the pharisee , i thank thee lord that i am not as this publican : ( though yet all that will be saved must greatly differ from the ungodly , and must with thankfulness own gods grace . ) § 5. nor 5. do i mean any unlawful practice , which on the pretence of godliness may be done , whether unjust censures , backbiting , unwarrantable separations from others , divisions , disobedience to authority , sedition , rebellion , &c. these are all contrary to godliness and true religion . christ is the strictest condemner of them , and godliness the best cure . if any godly or religious person , be guilty of any one of these , 1. it cannot be as known and in a predominant degree ; 2. and it is his disease ( as a leprosie to a man ) and not his godliness . § 6. but by godliness i mean only the serious consent to , and performance of the covenant which we made with god in our baptism : that we seriously believe that there is one only god , of most perfect power , knowledge and goodness , our creator , maintainer , governour and end ; whom we must obey , and serve , and love above all creatures whatsoever ; and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him , and will give everlasting blessedness to the faithful , and everlastingly punish the ungodly . that we seriously believe that iesus christ is the redeemer and saviour , who teacheth , ruleth , pardoneth , sanctifieth and saveth all true penitent believers ; who is our intercessor , head and iudge . that we seriously believe that the holy ghost indited and sealed by his gifts and miracles the doctrine and writings of the prophets and apostles , now recorded in the scriptures , and that he is sent from the father and the son to regenerate , sanctifie , comfort and strengthen those that shall be saved . and that we seriously consent to love and obey god our father , saviour and sanctifier as his creatures , subjects and children in these relations , that we may be pardoned and saved by him . and that we be willing to forsake the devil and his works , and the world and flesh , so far as they would tempt us to break this covenant against god , and our obedience and salvation . and lastly , that we seriously or sincerely ( though not perfectly ) endeavour in our lives to keep this covenant , preferring god in our love and obedience , and our hopes of life everlasting before all the pleasures and treasures of this world , and resisting the temptations of the devil , world and flesh , which would turn us from him , and from our obedience and hope : and that we truly ( though not perfectly ) trust god and our redeemer for the heavenly glory which he hath promised . this is plainly , distinctly and fully what i mean by godliness or holiness : and such are the persons ( though all imperfect , and of divers degrees ) which i call saints or godly : he that feigneth me to mean any thing else , doth but abuse himself and me : if there be none such , there are no christians , and all the word of god is vain . but every duty commanded by god is a part of the matter of our obedience and religion , viz. as according to the first commandment to take god for our god , to be absolutely obeyed , loved and trusted , and to renounce all idols , and neither to obey , love or trust our selves or any creature before him ; so also according to the second commandment , to renounce all scandalous symbolizing with idolaters , in the outward worship of god in their sinful way ; especially by images , and other apearances of idolatry : and that we worship god , according to his word . and according to the third commandment , that we avoid all prophanation of holy things ; all perjury , false vows , and fathering falshoods upon god or his words , and rash swearing and unreverent using of gods name , and turning his worship into a lifeless form . and according to the fourth commandment , that we worship god publickly in solemn assemblies , and devote the lords day to holy exercises ; that we search the scriptures , pray for what god hath promised , or commanded ; meditate and confer of holy things , and celebrate the sacraments in the communion of saints . and so according to the second table that we honour and obey our parents , and ( as far as their right of government reacheth ) all other that god sets over us : and dishonour them not , nor obey civil , ecclesiastical or domestical usurpers against them . that we do our best to save our neighbours life and bodily welfare , against murderers or usurpers ; and hurt no mans life or health either violently or by iezabels pretence of justice . that we keep our senses , thoughs , affections , passions and actions , from all unchastity and immodest lasciviousness . that we wrong no man in his estate , but to our power help them . that we avoid all injustice , lying , false witness , false judgment and oppressive , unrighteous government ; and promote truth and justice to our power . and lastly that we love our neighbour as our selves , and take his welfare and his sufferings as our own , and do as we would have others do by us , and covet not to draw from him to our selves . so that he that pretendeth to love god and godliness , and obedience to christ , and yet loveth not such a life as this , he lieth , or says he knows not what . and he that hateth men or opposeth them , for any one of all these duties , ( for reading or hearing gods word , for praying for things promised , for holy conference and meditation , for sanctifying the lords day , for desiring a shepherd and not a wolf ; for abhorring prophaneness , and other great sins ) doth thereby declare that it is so much of godliness or obedience which he abhorreth ; and it is through ignorance doubtless if he seriously love and practise the rest of gods commands . § 7. ii. by malignant enemies of godliness , 1. i do not mean every one that hath any backwardness to any duty , which he overcometh in the practice : nor every one that is guilty of some omissions : the spirit is willing , and the flesh is weak . § 8. 2. i mean not those that are godly in the main so far as they can know , but through education or otherwise are ignorant of some integral truths or duties , and have an opposing contentious zeal against them by mistake ; and by factious company are taught therefore to speak evil falsly of those from whom they differ . i hear some revile all even with terms of enmity and unchristian threatnings , yea seeking their ruine , who do not swear , say and practise all that is required to english conformity . i do not conclude them therefore malignant enemies of godliness , if they live soberly , righteously and godlily in their way , and prefer god before men , heaven before earth , the soul before the body , and a holy life before the pleasures and profits of the flesh . if they are uncharitable against all that are not for diocesans , lay-chancellours excommunications , symbolical crossing of children as a covenanting sign of christianity , and all the rest ; i wish them more charity , but i call them not malignant enemies . i find bishop gunnings chaplain thinks that he doth say well , when he saith , that [ not only murderers , adulterers , drunkards , but such schismaticks as disturb the peace , and weaken the authority of the churches discipline ( their 's ) are to be excommunicated and reckoned among heathens and publicans ; and enemies to the gospel of christ ( if they preach it without a diocesanes license . ) p. 214. and that it is already our case , that it 's a very difficult matter to find a iury and witnesses especially among the dissenters , upon whose credit we may rely . ) all this signifieth how little blind faction is to be believed , and how far it conquereth even humane modesty and veracity : but yet i difference it from the enmity to godliness which i speak of . and that you may see that he is no papist , though for a forreign iurisdiction , he tells you of cromwell that [ there is too great , reason to suspect that he intended to settle popery in the nation , when matters had been ripe to go through with it . ] i confess this is news to me : i have roundly told him to his face of his disloyalty in deposing our english monarchy , and told the world then of his treacherous usurpation , but it never came into my thoughts that he intended to settle popery in the nation . but if these words come from clergy truth and modesty , they are very considerable . i hope the old royalists will be against popery the more if cromwel was for it : and the papists i hope will be no more angry with dr. moulin that answereth philanax anglicus , for making the kings death to be caused and concluded by the papists , if cromwel was for them . but faction will face men down , that snow is black . so on the other side , i hear some that are against infant baptism , sharply censure all that are not of their mind ; and some over-sharply censure the prelatists and conformists ; and almost all the christian world is divided into parties , that too little stick at the injurious censuring of others ; the papists , greeks , abassines , armenians , nestorians , jacobites , &c. and among the papists , the dominicans and molinists , and jansenians , &c. and among the protestants , too many . this is no small sin , but it is not that enmity to godliness it self which i mean. § 9. 3. and i mean not by malignity , mens differences in civil and political controversies . though i take popery to be half a civil controversy , and to be unsufferable by such princes and people whom they bind themselves to depose and destroy : and that to subject all the christian world to the legislative , judicial and executive government of one pope , or one pretorian court , is no better than to proclaim such a pope or court , to be publick enemies and usurpers to all christian princes and states . but yet abundance of political differences may consist with serious piety : my reason is , because god hath not made political controversies so clear as that all good christians can resolve them . neither the light of nature , nor the bible ▪ nor tradition endeth them . nor hath he put them into our creed or the ten commandments , nor laid mens salvation on them , as he hath done on the essentials of religion : nor commanded all men to be so well skill'd in statute books and common law as to be able to know which party is in the right . and therefore i joyn not with those clergy or lay-gentlemen , who damn all that are not of their mind and side , in differences of that nature . i often hear some say that kings and states do all receive their authority from the body of the nation who are the chief seat of it . so hooker , so laud , and indeed as aforesaid , so heathen , papist and protestant politicks ordinarily hold : i call not all these malignants , though i am fully satisfied , 1. that god is the instituter of magistracy in genere . 2. and that he hath so far specified it as to determine of its unchangeable essentials ( that they shall as his officers promote obedience to the ten commandments . ) 3. and that he never gave this governing power to the people . 4. but that all that the people do is , 1. to specify it as to the number of persons ( a monarchy , aristocracy or , mixt of these and some democracy . ) 2. to limit it by determining of the degrees of power , about property and liberty , and all things which gods law hath left undetermined , and mutable . 3. and to determine of the persons and families that shall receive the immutable power from god and the mutable from men . i often hear some most magnify democracy , and some aristocracy , and some monarchy , and some a mixture ; and some english clergy men are for a civil monarchy subject to a catholick clergy-aristocracy : i call none malignants for any such differences . i find some papists and protestants politick writers saying that when it proveth hurtful to the common-wealth , the people may retract the power given the prince , and change the government , and hooker saith , no doubt in such a case a prince will part with it : and a. bishop laud , before cited , saith of the like , and abrogating laws , this power no body collective ecclesiastical or civil , can put out of it self and give away , and i find many that extol hooker and laud , call this a principle of rebellion . it is neither of them that i call malignants . i find most writers of politicks agreed that the law of nature alloweth and commandeth kingdoms and commonwealths self-defence against any publick enemies that seek to destroy them . and that no man on pretence of right to a crown hath any right to destroy the body of the people , or the bonum publicum which is the essentiating end of government , nor can be simul rex & publicus hostis . i hear others take this for an unchristian doctrine of rebellion , and say , that if a king would destroy all the people of a kingdom ( in revenge , or in siding with another kingdom of his own or anothers , ) they ought not to resist him , or any that he commissioneth to do it : and that if he should commission a few men to kill all the parliament as they sit , or to burn the city , it is rebellion to resist by self-defence . i hear lawyers themselves at great difference on such matters , some for more power , and some for less : i find the great defenders of monarchy , such as barclay and grotius de iure belli , naming many cases in which kings may be resisted , yea and forfeit all : and i find others among us of a contrary mind . yea i find the conformable and diocesane pillars quite differ in such cases , bishop bilson naming many cases in which resistance is no rebellion , ( to subject his kingdom to a forreign realm , or to change the form of the common-wealth from impery to tyranny , or neglect the laws established by common consent of prince and people , to execute his own pleasure ; in these and other such cases which might be named , if the nobles and commons joyn together to defend their ancient and accustomed liberty , regiment & laws , they may not well be counted rebels , saith he , of obedience , pag. 520. ) but i hear many now say the contrary , and condemn such doctrine as disloyal . i find some joyn with the papists in accusing the reformation as caused by rebellions , in germany , geneva , france , belgium , &c. and i find bishop iewel , bilson , and other bishops defending the french defence , and dr. peter moulin of canterbury in his answer to philanax anglicus , contradicting their accusers , as false in point of history . abundance of such political controversies are now lately agitated , some charging their adversaries with rebellion , and some with tyranny : some saying , they are guilty of treason against the king ; and others , they are traitors against the kingdom : and too ordinarily damning one another ; as if these matters were articles of our creed . what a dismal difference is there now about those words in the declaration in the corporation act ; [ there is no obligation on me or any other person , from the oath called the solemn league and covenant : some say there are none but rebels will refuse it ; and that if any obligation had been granted to things lawful or necessary some would have extended it to rebellion or schism . and therefore all obligation is to be renounced . others say , that national perjury is a forerunner of national calamity or ruine ; and that where oaths bind not , there can be no trust ; and no trust , no commerce : and they think as dr. sanderson , and casuists , papists and protestants do , that though an oath or vow be unlawfully imposed and sinfully taken , and part of the matter of it be unlawful , and the imposers and takers are bound to repent , and no one is bound by it to the unlawful part , yet the taker is bound to that part of the matter which is lawful or necessary : and they take it to be lawful and necessary to repent of sin , to oppose prophaneness , schisms , heresy and popery , to defend the king , and therefore that it obligeth them to these . i meddle not with the roman opinion that it is the henrician heresy to say that kings have a power of investing bishops , and disobeying the popes excommunication ; and of such as cardinal perron that dare not question or deny the power of the pope and councils to excommunicate and depose kings , because then they must condemn approved general councils , which are their religion itself , and ( saith he ) must grant that the pope is antichrist , and the church erroneous that hath so long used this . i name all these political controversies , 1. to tell you that it is not factious and passionate enmity to each other on such accounts , which i mean by enmity to religion . 2. and to remember men , that if in so many and great points of politicks and government , the learned and christian world , have so great difference , what reason is there that we should damn or excommunicate , or hate each other about a hard opinion in religion , or a ceremony . 3. and to tell the popish church , that if it were a good argument that there must be one pretorian court or church , to oblige all the world by an universal determination in what sence to expound the scripture , because it is abused to errour by mens mistake , and there must be an end of controversies ; by the same reason there must be an universal pretorian court to expound all human laws , and end the controversies of lawyers ; yea and to master all mens reason ; for scripture is no more commonly controverted and abused than law is ; and not half so much as reason is , which is pleaded for almost all the falshood and wickedness in the world. § 10. moreover it is not personal feuds between man and man that i mean by enmity to godliness : no though any such be against an innocent and godly man , where it is not for his godliness , but some other difference . § 11. i will say more though some dislike it , it is not a papist as such that i mean by a malignant enemy of godliness ; i know that education , and temptation , and want of hearing the confutation of their errours judiciously made , may cause godly persons to think that the universal church must be united in some humane head or soveraign power ; and that there is no other way to end controversies and schisms , and that ( as dr. saywell saith ) there must be some over kingdoms or national churches , as well as over particular persons , that many may not escape while a few are punished : it is easy to be deceived by the pretences of unity and concord , while men see the divisions and discords of others : and the false pretences of antiquity are so confidently uttered by their clergy , that men unacquainted with the history may verily believe them : and the plea for an uninterrupted succession of ministerial ordination , and that a superior must give power to the inferiors , deceiveth many . if there must be a diocesane to ordain and rule all presbyters , and a metropolitan to ordain or rule the diocesanes , and a patriarch to rule them , from whom shall the patriarchs receive their power , or commands , but from a pope ? the poor reasoning which the french now use with the protestants puzleth unskilful persons ; viz. was there any church before your reformation ? if yea , where was it ? and had not you your ministerial power from it ? it was rome or none : and if it was the true church then , it is so now . we answer them , there was and is one only catholick church : of this christ only is the head or universal governour , and no man or men ; of this all lawful pastors are his official guides in their several provinces , as many justices and mayors of corporations under one king : that all these having one king ( jesus ) and one law ( of christ ) and one spirit , and one faith and hope , are to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace , and to use synods when needful to that end , but not as a pretorian or regent aristocracy or court. that the church before luther was all over the world where ever there were christians : in ethiopia , egypt , syria , armenia , georgia , circassia , asia , and where ever the greek christianity is , in moscovy , and in all europe where there were true christians . that the envious man having sowed tares , this church is unhappily fallen into many corruptions , diseases , and factious sects , almost all censuring one another : no part of it is perfect : that the papal part is in doctrine , worship and government one of the most corrupted parts ! yet so far as their diseases or errours nullify not their profession of christianity , they are parts , though leprous . and therefore though they are the most uncharitable and schismatical part , as they cut off or unchurch all the christian world save themselves , yet being as christians united to the rest in the common faith , their baptism & ordinations are not nullities as they invest men in the christian society and christian ministry ; though that part of them is a nullity which engageth men in a schism and in sin . that the ministerial power is not the gift of man , but only of christ , who by the charter of his recorded word , giveth the power and the obligation to that person who is duely chosen and called thereto : as the kings charter giveth the power to the mayor of a corporation duly qualified and chosen : that the ordainers are but partly judges of due qualification , and partly ministerial investers , and not at all the donors of the power : that ordination is for order sake needful , when it may be had to keep men from being judgers of their own sufficiency : but order being only for the thing ordered , ( as the sabbath was made for man , and not man for the sabbath ) is not necessary against the end . that there is no necessity that a superior must ordain : but as the colledge of physicians , philosophers , &c. make physicians , philosophers as approved , so may equals in the ministry : do not bishops make or consecrate bishops . if this were not so , who makes the pope ? if he did not pretend that his power is given him immediately from christ , he must grant that there are some men above him to give it him , and so he is not the soveraign . if they say that the power of popes ( and kings ) is given by the whole body ( the church ) he is then no pope : for it 's known that three parts of the christian world are against him . if he will say , none are the church but those that are his party , any sect or rebels may say the like , and appropriate authority to themselves . nothing more cheateth the ignorant , than ambiguous words , and confusion : and explaining those words , and needful plain distinction , would save the writing of many volumes , and would make truth easily meet the seeker , and unravel all the spider webs of deceivers . do but well use these few distinctions and all popery vanisheth into smoak . 1. distinguish between a catholick church as headed by christ ; ( this we are all members of ; ) and a pretended catholick church , headed by the pope or any men : this is another church as to the denominating form , having another informing , unifying head : and this is it which we deny . 2. distinguish visibility : christs church is so far visible as to have a head who was visible on earth , is visible in heaven , and will visibly come to judgment , and visibly reign for ever . it hath visible laws , protection and officers ; the subjects bodies and their profession are visible ; and it is no farther visible ; no not as to the souls or real faith of the subjects . the papists church hath an usurping visible humane head on earth . 3. distinguish of baptism and ordination as into christs catholick church , and done by papists as christians ; and as into the popes catholick church and done by papists as papists . 4. distinguish of subjection , and communion : we owe communion when we owe no subjection , and where men have no right to be our governours . 5. distinguish between communion in christianity , and that in essentials , integrals or accidents ; and communion in errours and corruptions , or defects . we have communion with papists and all christians in christianity , ( if they be christians indeed : ) but we renounce communion in the errours and sins of them and all others , as far as we are able to avoid them . all christians have union and communion in the essentials of christianity : no christians have union and communion in all the integrals ( on earth ) all being imperfect : but the more such union and communion , the better . no christians have , or ought to have communion in all the accidents . all should avoid communion in sin . 6. distinguish between communion of hearts , communion of profession , and communion in local presence : we have heart communion in one essential faith , hope and love with all true christians on earth . we profess all one faith in the essentials : we have nearer communion , or fuller with the reformed churches which are soundest in the integrals , than we have with the more faulty and corrupt . but we have local presence but in one place at once ; and we ought to avoid local presence where we cannot have it without sin , though we have communion in faith , love and profession with the same men . if a reformed church will not admit our local presence without subscribing some one untruth , we must be absent , when we may be present with a worse church which excludeth us not by any such imposition . 7. accordingly distinguish of separation : we separate not at all from union or communion with papists as they are christians , or as they hold any truth : but 1. we separate from subjection and obedience to them , which we never owed them , or any other church . 2. we separate from communion with their church , as it is a policy informed by an usurping humane king or head. 3. we separate from all their sins so far as we know them . 4. we deny local presence in their mass-worship , because of the sin imposed on us , both before it , and in it . 5. we are uncapable of communion in all accidents , or mutable indifferent things . understand and use well these few plain distinctions , and you need little more to answer all the papists . and i fear not to add , that were the papists in my power ( as i never did ) i never would use any inhumanity or cruelty towards them ; yea , i would use no offensive , but only defensive force against them ; nor hurt one of them , further than they made it necessary for the defence of the land , or those whom they would hurt . i knew not till a book called the liberties of england lately told me , how many very severe laws are against them . i am no judge of the times that they were made in , nor of their occasions : but i think that of late they have done more hurt than good : for 1. some of them seem too severe . 2. some i cannot prove to be justifiable ; viz. those which would compel them to come to our sacramental communion , when many a good minister would not receive them if they came : and that which excommunicateth them that never were of our communion : and that which layeth the excommunicate as such in prison , &c. 3. it greatly tendeth to misinform forreigners , who seeing these laws , think they are all put in execution ; and so believe those that tell them , that the catholicks here are under constant cruelties , and frequent martyrdoms ; whenas i never in all my life knew of one papist that suffered so much for his religion , as i have done my self , within these few years past , though my sufferings are so small as to be no meet matter of very great complaint . 4. these laws being a continual danger to them ( should there be governours that would execute them ) doth put them on continual plotting and striving against them . sufferings , or great dangers , put men by fear upon self-defence , and the utmost endeavours for deliverance , who would be more quiet if they found themselves in safety ; and though their clergy would be still plotting the recovery of the papal power , to subject king and kingdom to the sacred king of rome , yet the laity would be less against the common peace , when they found that it was their own peace . § 12. i have told you what i mean not by malignant enmity to godliness ; i tell you now what i mean by it ; viz. when the blindness and ungodliness of corrupted nature , increased by practice into serpentine enmity , and turning mens hearts by unbelief and disaffection from god and heaven , doth possess them with a deep dislike of a holy , heavenly and spiritual life ; first as to their own practices , and then as it is in others ; and because it is against their worldly hopes and fleshly lusts , they hate it , and reject it themselves , and then hate and maliciously oppose it in others ; yea though law , custom , and worldly interest draw them formally to profess christianity and obedience to gods laws , and to vow that in baptism , they hate the serious performance of their own profession and vows ; and would be glad to drive it out of the world , and to set up hypocrisie and ceremony , or a stage religion and mummery , or the toothless mass and formalities in its stead : and if custom or shame hinder them from persecuting or scorning truth and godliness in its proper name , they will shew their mind by these things following . 1. they will set up some worldly , fleshly interest ( like the papal kingdom ) which is contrary to the christian and holy interest ; and then they will persecute christians not as christians , nor as godly in name , but as such indeed by pleading conscience and obedience to god , against their inconsistent interest and ways . 2. among all that are against their carnal false interest , they will cull out the more serious godly persons to afflict . 3. among all the faithful , they will cull out those who do christ most service in the world ; because christs service is it that is their disservice , and opposite to their sin . 4. they will make a scorn of their very religious duties , and take up mimical derisions , to make them seem ridiculous or contemptible . 5. when they can charge them with no crimes , they will purposely make nets to catch them , as the enemies of daniel did by him , dan. 6. and as the spider makes her curious webs to catch and kill the flies . 6. yea they will make faults by slander , and lies , if not by perjuries , if they can find none . 7. yea their virtue , piety and innocency shall be all called hypocrisie ; and when they cannot accuse their actions , they will accuse their hearts and secret thoughts , and judge them as if they had a casement into their breasts . 8. yea if their innocency cannot be so stained , they will hate them so much the more , because they cannot tread down their reputation . 9. they will search after , and aggravate all the failings of religious people , and turn them into crimes . 10. if any one of them , or an hypocrite , that 's like them , be guilty of any notable fall , they will perswade men that all the rest of their lives is like that crime ; yea and that all that profess much seriousness in godliness , are as bad as they ; that all the rest of the life of noah , lot , david , solomon , &c. were as bad as the criminal part ; and that all the servants of christ are peter's , or iudas's . 11. that it is not their sins , but their piety which they hate , you will see in that they live in far greater sin themselves , and take it to be no great harm , but hate those that reprove them . 12. and they make light of the common crimes of others . they can bear with an atheist , an infidel , a drunkard , a prophane swearer , a derider of godliness , yea a persecutor , a fornicator , a man of no religion , if he will but be for them , and serve their interest , and will not scruple communion with such : but men never so sober , just and godly , that cross their wills and carnal ways , they cannot endure : and if they be such clergy-men , as the world hath too many , such serious godly men , for disliking their ungodliness , are made the common objects of their pulpit and discoursing scorn or accusations , and perhaps are excommunicate ipso facto , for dissenting from their opinions or wills. 13. such usually in former ages have been the chief instigators of princes and rulers , to hate men of serious religion , and to stir up persecution against them , and to render such odious to the world as hereticks or intolerable villains . o what difference is there between the true narratives of the lives of luther , calvin , beza , and abundance such , and the odious lies and defamations written of them by some others . yea , those who commend melancthon , bucer , and many such for learning and moderation , hate their doctrine of reformation and serious piety . 14. and you may note , that in any slander of a godly man , they will sooner believe one or two ignorant malicious drunkards against them , that never knew them , than the testimonies of hundreds of most faithful persons who praise and vindicate them , though they better knew them . 15. they seldom give the accused leave to speak for themselves before they believe accusations against them ; but conclude that they are as bad as back-biting malice reporteth them behind their backs . 16. they are glad to hear of any infamy of religious persons , and loth to hear them praised without contradiction ; and are glad to hear of any suffering which befals them . 17. if there be any publick differences in a church , city or land , they are usually against that side , which most favoureth serious godliness , be they who they will. if the king , parliament , and bishops will be for the persons and ways of soberness , justice and serious godliness , they would be on the other side . and they will cry up any that will cry them down , or would oppress them . 18. lastly , the quality of the enemies may help with the rest to tell what it is that they are against : when it is the generality of worldlings , proud , ambitious men , sensual drunkards , gluttons , fornicators , prophane and irreligious , who hate godliness so far , as to drive it from themselves and families , and rather venture on hell fire , than be truly godly ; it 's easie to know what these hate in others . i have told you who i mean by malignant enemies of godliness , that the mistakers and slanderers of my words may have no excuse . could we now but prevail against this cainism , or devilism , it would do much to recover the peace of many nations of the earth : but christ hath told us , that this enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent , of which cain and abel were the first specimen since the fall , will never cease till christ come , as is terribly described , 2 thes. 1. 6 , 10 , 11 , 12. and matth. 25. but yet some sauls may become pauls , and for the hope of the recovery of such , i will adjoyn such reasons as should convince any that have the use of reason left . chap. iii. undeniable reasons against malignant enmity to serious godliness . 1. to deny that there is a god who is the supreme governour of man , is to be mad in despight of the whole world which proveth it : and it deposeth all kings , who claim their authority as given them by god , and as his officers ; for if there be no god , there 's none to give them authority : and to grant that there is a god , and yet deny him our love , honour and obedience , is to speak gross contradiction , or else profess open malice against god himself . if he be god , he is perfectly wise ; and should not perfect wisdom govern us ? if he be god , he is perfectly good , and mans chief benefactor ; and should he not then have our chiefest love ? if he be god , he is of absolute power ; and should he not then be obeyed ? if he be god , he made us , and still maintaineth us , and we live continually by his will , and have all that we have of his bounty ; and we , and all we have are wholly his own ; and is not then all our thanks and service due to him ? if he be god , he is our judge , and will be just in punishing and rewarding ; and should we not then serve him with the greatest fear , and with the highest hopes ? these things are undeniable . dare any man that believeth there is a god , say , that man can love him too much ? or too much honour him , or obey him ? can we return him more than his due ? it is therefore no less than practical atheism , or else a rebellious defiance of god , to blame or hate men , for loving , honouring and serving him to the very utmost of their power . and to deny god , or defie him , is a thousand fold more damnable sin and treason , than to deny and defie the king , or your own parents . 2. god hath himself commanded man , to love him with all his heart , and soul , and might ; and to obey him with his greatest fidelity and diligence , and to fear him more than any creature , and to place our chiefest hopes on his promised rewards , and to seek first his kingdom and righteousness , and not to sin wilfully to save our lives , or gain all the world , deut. 6. 5 , 6 , 7. & 10. 12. & 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. mat. 22. 37. heb. 11. 6. 1 cor. 15. 58. luke 12. 4. heb. 12. 28 , 29. mat. 10. 39 , 42. & 16. 25 , 26. & 6. 33. luke 14. 26 , 33. mat. 5. 19 , 20. and the law of nature speaks no less . and if god command it , and you condemn it , do you not condemn god ? if you command your son , or servant , or subject any thing , he that blames him for obeying you , blames you more than him . if it be a fault of folly to love and serve god with all our heart , and mind , and might , the fault or folly would be gods that requireth it , and not ours . and , is such a blasphemer meet for humane society , who will accuse his maker ? if god be blame-worthy , he is not perfect : and if he be not perfect , he is not god : and so to be against our utmost obedience , doth amount to no less than blasphemy or atheism . 3. do you think that man is a creature that needs to be blamed for loving or obeying god too much ? do you not know that nature is vitiated by sin , and man is now backward to god , and all that 's good and holy ? you may as well blame a lame man for running too fast , as a sinful man for obeying god too much . it 's more foolish than to blame a sick man for working or eating too much that can do neither ? or to hold a man in a consumption from going up the hill too fast ? do you find your own hearts so forward to a holy life , as that you need pulling back or hinderance , when no exhortation or necessity will perswade you to it ? and if you need no such reproof or stop , why should you think others need it ? do you not use to say that all men are sinners ? and do sinners need to be blamed for obedience ? do you not daily confess that you have done the things which you ought not to have done , and left undone the things that you ought to have done , and there is no health in you ; and yet will you blame men for too much obedience ? it seems then that your confessions of sin are professions of it ; and while you tell what you have done , you do but tell what you mean to do , and what you would have all others do : or else you blame your selves for sinning , and hate your neighbours for not sinning . 4. if you hate men for holiness and avoiding sin , you hate jesus christ most : for he was most holy , and free from all sin : and you hate the angels and all in heaven , for they are holy and void of all transgression . 5. have you any better master to serve than god ? or any better work to do than he commandeth , or any better thing to seek and hope for than he hath promised ? if not , should not the best be preferred . what do you love and seek your selves ? is money or fleshly pleasure better than god and heaven ? is sin and sensuality a better employment than his service ? is your flesh and lust a better master ? compare them , and we are content that the best be preferred . 6. why do you take on you to believe in christ , if you be against holiness , and for sin ? christ came into the world to die for sin , to shew gods hatred of it : and would you have us wilfully to commit it , and to despise his blood ? he came to destroy the works of the devil ; and will you plead for them ? he came by his doctrine , example and grace to bring man to holy obedience : and do you hate men for the same , and yet call your selves christians ? 7. how dangerously do you draw towards the sin against the holy-ghost , if you hate or blame men for being holy , or seeking to be such ; when it is all the work of the holy-ghost on mens souls to make them holy ? it 's a dangerous thing to hate the work of the holy-ghost ; and as it were defy him , and do despite to him . 8. are you not your selves in your baptism vowed and devoted to god the father , son and holy ghost , renouncing the world , the flesh and the devil ? and do you hate men for being such as you have vowed to be your selves ? and do you think that god will not severely reckon with you for such perjury and base perfidiousness . 9. do you not in your daily hypocritical devotions condemn your selves by your own tongues ? do you not pray that the rest of your lives may be pure and holy ? and at the same time hate purity and holiness ? do you not pray that gods will may be done on earth as it is done in heaven ? and can we have a higher , purer pattern ? do you know any that doth gods will better than it 's done in heaven ? or is it not damnable hypocrisy to pray for that which you hate , and hate all men that desire and endeavour it ? when you say or hear all the ten commandments , you pray , [ lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this law : ] and do you hate men for endeavouring to keep it ? if you come to the lords table , you confess your sins , and bind your selves in covenant to forsake them , and to live a holy life , and you take the sacrament upon it ; and the liturgy warneth you to take heed that you dissemble not , nor be hinderers of gods holy word , lest the devil enter into you as he did into judas , and fill you with all unrighteousness . and if you hate or oppose that holy obedience to god which you profess , after all this , what must be the portion of such hypocrites ? and in your creed you profess to believe in god , the father , son and holy-ghost , and to hold a holy catholick church , and the communion of saints ; and yet do you hate saints that obey the father , son and holy-ghost , and hate their communion ? 10. hath not god printed on mans nature such a sense of the difference between good and evil , as that all laws and government are founded in that sense ? and no man loveth to be counted or called a bad or ungodly , or unconscionable man : a lyar , a knave , a perjured man or a wicked man : and yet do you hate men for avoiding wickedness ? 11. do not you use to accuse religious men of some sin or other . ( truly or falsly ) and think by that to make them odious ? and yet do you accuse them , and hate them most for not sinning ? to be sober , just and godly is but to avoid sins of omission and commission . and do you at once accuse them as sinners and hate them for obeying god , and sinning no more ? 12. doth it never affright you to find the devils nature in you , as hating the divine or holy nature which is in faithful godly men ? and to think how openly you serve the devil , and do his work ? no man that believeth there are devils can doubt , but that the hatred of god , as holy , and the hatred of his holy word , and work , and servants , is the devils malignity , and the opposing of them his work . if he were to write you his commandments , they would be contrary to gods , and the chief of them should be , [ thou shalt not love god , nor serve him with all thy heart , and soul , and might , nor love those that do so ; but hate , deride , oppose and persecute them . and is it honourable openly to serve the devil ? christ tells such men , ioh. 8. that the devil is their father , because they have his nature , and that his work they do , for he was from the beginning a lyar , and a malignant murderer , and turned man from obeying god. and can you think that he loveth you , or that his service against god is better than gods ; or his reward better ? 13. doth it never touch your consciences to consider that you are the children and followers of cursed cain ; and how punctually his case against abel , and yours against gods servants is the same ? by faith abel offered to god a more excellent sacrifice than cain , by which he obtained witness that he was righteous , god testifying of his gifts ; and by it he being dead , yet speaketh , heb. 11. 4. cain hated him because god more accepted him and his offering ; 1 ioh. 3. 10 , 11 , 12. in this the children of god are manifest , and the children of the devil : whoever doth not righteousness is not of god , nor he that loveth not his brother : for this is the message that ye heard from the beginning , that we should love one another : not as cain , who was of that wicked one , and slew his brother : and wherefore slew he him ? because his own works were evil and his brothers righteous . 14. is it possible that any man can unfeignedly believe a heaven as the reward of holy obedience , and yet think we can do too much to obtain it , or be too careful to make it sure ? is not everlasting glory worth the cost of a holy life ? or can it be too dearly bought ? 15. or is it possible to believe gods judgment , and hells punishment , and yet to hate those that do their best according to gods own counsel to escape it ? 16. what monstrous cruelty is it in you to wish poor souls to do that which god hath told us they shall be damned for ? god saith , without holiness none shall see god , heb. 12. 14. except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 5. 20. blessed are the pure in heart , for they shall see god , mat. 5. if ye live after the flesh ye shall die , but if by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the body , ye shall live , rom. 8. 7 , 8. 13. what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness ? 2 pet. 3. 11. we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved , let us serve god acceptably , with reverence and godly fear , for our god is a consuming fire , heb. 12. 28 , 29. be stedfast , unmoveable always abounding in the work of the lord , for asmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the lord , 1 cor. 15. 58. this is the very tenor of the gospel : and would you wish men to damn their souls for nothing ? to lose heaven , and suffer hell for ever , and all to avoid a pure and holy life ? what a bloody motion is this ? worse than if you intreated us all to cut our own throats . let us try first whether you will do far less at our request ? will you give the poor all your lands and estates ? will you run into fire or water , or set your own houses on fire when any will but desire it ? it 's like you have heard of the woman who being tempted to adultery , desired the tempter first to hold his finger in the fire for her ; which when he refused , she told him , it was less reason she should burn in hell to satisfy his lust . if you will not part with your life or estate when another desires you , why should we part with heaven for ever , and choose hell at your desire ? yea we see that you will not leave an ill-gotten gain , or a sport , or a whore , or a drunken cup , for all the love of god , the blood of christ , and the hope of heaven ; and shall we part with god , and heaven , and christ to humour you ? and what is it that you offer us instead of all that we must part with ? and to ease the pain which we must undergo ? nothing , or worse than nothing . if we should renounce god and our hope of heaven , you cannot give us health or wealth for it : much less can you secure these or life to us till to morrow . and will any thing that you can give us , be better than heaven to us ? or will it make hell tollerable ? will you undertake to answer for it at the bar of god , if we are charged with an ungodly , fleshly life , or omitting our necessary duty ? you cannot answer for your selves but by trembling confession : you cannot save your selves ; nor will all your wealth and honour get you one drop of water to cool your tongues . and shall we trust that you can answer for us , or save us ? when you would have any man wilfully to neglect that holy life which god enjoyneth , you would have him to be madder than one that would burn his house , and kill himself , if you did but require it . and what horrid cruelty is this ? you are worse than man-eating cannibals ? but the best is you cannot force us to it ; and if you think to hire or flatter us into hell , you must have somewhat more to say , and to offer us than we yet ever heard of ; much less are we so much below bedlams , as to forsake our salvation , lest you should call us precisians , or puritans , or any such nick-name or word of scorn , as doth but shew the folly and misery of the speaker . you will not be laught or mockt out of your estates , or lives ; nor we out of our salvation . in short , nature is not willing to lie in hell , and grace maketh us desire heaven ; and we never yet found that any thing else was more desireable . 17. and what is there amiss in the word or work of god , and in a serious godly life , that should make us be against it ? doth god make bad laws ? are your wills and lusts and appetites a better law ? or could you have taught god to amend the bible , or to govern better ? god needs us not : his laws are all made for our good ? all his ways are pleasantness , and all his paths are peace . speak true reason . is it a better life to love a whore , or to please lust and appetite , than to love god ? what is there in love and obedience to god that should make it detestable , or make us miserable ? is it a greater trouble to live in hope of heavenly glory , than to live in the despair either of a sadducee or a rebel ? you may wiselier tempt us to fall out with our food , or friends , or health . we know that faith and godliness , are not only mans duty , but his interest , much more than health is to our bodies , food to our natures , and the converse of dearest friends to our delight . 18. we have had experience of both ways , and would you have us mad against our experience ? we tryed the world and sin too long , and found nothing in it but brutish pleasure and luscious poyson : nothing that will save soul , life or health : and some tryal god in mercy hath given us of his love , and the life of obedient faith and hope : and the more we try it , the better we find it : only we can reach to so small a degree as doth but tell us how good it is , and make us long for more . and whether the devil would perswade , scorn or affright us from it , by his own mouth or by yours , we hope it shall be all in vain . 19. and who or what are you that would reason , mock or affright us from a life of obedience to god ? are you wiser than god , and dare you give him the lie , that we should believe you before him ? or are you better than god , that you can make a better choice for your selves and us ? are you more merciful than god , and would save us from some hurt that he would do us ? are you truer than god , and more to be believed ? are you greater than god , and more to be feared ? or are you not the most foolish , ignorant and damnably your selves deluded by the devil : and shall the words or mocks of such , drive us to forsake our souls and god ? should we obey you and lie in hell for it for ever , it would be no small part of the torment of our consciences , to think that we came thither by regarding the threats or scorns of worms and fools before all the word , and love of god and our redeemer . 20. and before we change our obedience to god for another course , let us know what we shall change it for , and whether it be for something better : hath your course made you better or happier than the faithful are ? do we not see and feel with sorrow , that the worldly , fleshly , ungodly sort , are in all nations the plagues of the earth , and worse to mankind than wolves and serpents ? they will not let the world live in peace ; striving and fighting for dominion and mastership , and more of the world , they are like dogs about their carrion , worrying and tearing one another : they turn man into a more odious creature than swine or toads , by filthy lusts , and horrid prophaneness : they make their countreys worse than bedlam , raving against that which the god of heaven hath commanded and made necessary to salvation . and are these such good and pleasant fruits as should entice us to change our master , work and hopes , for this , and worse that followeth it ? and who shall be our rule , if we forsake god and his word ? if princes , how many minds are they of through the world ? and are they all in the right ? or how shall we know which is right but by the word of god ? or must all men be for the god and religion of his king ? if it were prelates , of how many minds are they through the world , and how bitter in condemning one another ? if it must be the major part , how shall obscure men know who those be that can have no just cognisance of the state of the earth , whether papists , greeks , jacobites , nestorians , &c. be the major part ? and how shall we know that the major part of the clergy are the best and soundest , when we see that the major part of the laity is usually the worst ? or is it certain that the papists bishops are sounder than our protestant bishops , because they are more ? if we forsake our concord in god and his word , we can have none . 21. what mean you to do with conscience , your own , and ours , and other mens ? conscience is gods officer in us , and judgeth of men and actions as they stand subject to god and his judgment . to drive conscience out of the world , and to drive all reverence and obedience to god out of the world , is all one . to subject conscience to lust or man , is to subject god to lust or man in our estimation and practice . and is god so easily deposed ? and will he give up his scepter to a scorner , a drunkard , or a persecutor ? and what shift will you make at home to quiet conscience in your selves ? you little know how deep it biteth , and how hardly it is quieted , when it is awaked , as shortly and certainly it will be : then iudas will bring back his price , and say , i have sinned in betraying innocent blood ; and all the comfort his companions will give him is , see thou to that : what 's that to us ? and hanging or precipitating himself is next . it 's like he before thought as you do , that he could have better mastered his conscience : but you may as wisely think to conquer pain and death . but whatever you do with your own , if we should leave our obedience to god , to obey you , or any men , we know not what we should do with our own consciences , nor how to quiet them . god hath brought us out of that darkness and lethargy which quieted them in sin heretofore : and we cannot now be ignorant of that duty to god , that self-interest , that danger to wilful sinners , and that evil of sin , which would begin hell in us here : and are not your scorns and threatnings easier than this ? 22. do not most men at death see the madness not only of enmity , but of neglect of a holy life , and wish that they might die the death of the righteous , and that their last end might be like his ? had you rather die a dives or a herod , or a lazarus or a paul ? is it not a shame to your devilish cause and you , to see men live in one mind and die in another ? and scorn , hate and persecute serious godliness till the sentence of death is past upon them , and then to wish they were such themselves . or if you be more hardened to the last , you are the more hopeless : but how quickly did such another change his note , and cry , father abraham , send one to my five brethren to warn them , that they come not to this place of torment ? if you mock at these words , you mock at christ that spake them , and sure you look not to be saved by a derided christ. and it 's base hypocrisy to deride him , and yet call your selves christians , and go to church as if you served him . live as you would die and be judged , for you shall be judged as you live and die . either hold to the mind that you will never change , or change it quickly before it be too late . 23. if you know what a man is , you know that his soul is better than his corruptible flesh ; and if you think your throats and guts and fancies worth all the cost and care and labour which you bestow on them in the world , shall not we think our souls worth more ? what godly man that you think makes too much a do for heaven , doth bestow more time , and words , and labour for it , than you do for the flesh and world ? do we not see how men will labour at land , and venture through dangerous seas , and fight in wars , and plot against all that stand in their way ▪ and this all day , from year to year , and all for provision for flesh and fancy . and do those that you accuse do more for their salvation ? if you know not now , you will shortly know , which makes the better choice and bargain . 24 what harm doth godliness and conscience do you in other men ? had you not rather have a son that takes disobedience , whoredom , gaming and drunkenness for sin , than one that makes no conscience of them ? had you not rather have a wife whose conscience restrains her from scolding and adultery , and a servant that makes conscience of robbing or deceiving you , than one that doth not ? sure unconscionable servants and debtors are more troublesom than they that fear god and believe that injustice is a damning sin ? but the truth is , most wicked men are for so much conscience and religion in others , as restrains them from wronging or hurting them ; but no more , nor for that much in themselves which may restrain them from hurting others . but if you resolve rather to be damned than to be sober , just and godly , and obey god against the flesh ; why cannot you bear with other men that make a wiser choice ? what hurt doth their praying do you ; or their preaching , while they are responsible for any ill doctrine ? what if they be reading the scripture , or hearing directions for a holy life , while you are drinking , or gaming , or reading a romance , or railing libel , doth their piety hurt you ? what if they dare not swear and drink as you do , doth this do you any harm ? what is it but the serpentine enmity that maketh you hate those that never hurt you ? 25. if you will believe god , it is for the sake of godly men that god preserves the world from ruine : he would have saved sodom had there been but ten such persons in it : he will not destroy the world , till he hath gathered all his chosen out of it : and do they deserve to be most hated ? 26. how exceeding dear a love hath god and our redeemer exprest , to all holy , obedient believers ? god calls them his jewels , his treasure , in whom he delighteth ; he gave christ specially for them : he sealeth them to salvation by his spirit : he justifieth them , and will glorify them in heaven : christ calls them flesh of his flesh , his friends , his spouse , they are united to him , he washeth them in his blood , and feedeth them with his flesh , and will make them equal to the angels , and will condemn their enemies : and are not you devilish enemies to god and christ , who cull out those for your malice and enmity , whom god chooseth out to magnify the wonders of his love on them for ever ? 27. the angels of heaven rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner , luke 15. 10. and rejoyce to be christ servants for their defence continually : and is it not devils then and their servants and souldiers that are against them ? take heed ; gods angels that smote a herod , may do execution on you ere long . 28. the holy ghost saith , 1 cor. 6. that the saints shall judge the world , and even the angels , that is , the evil ones : did you believe this , you would be afraid to hate and persecute them now . 29. even heathens are for much honouring and worshiping their gods ; yea many offer them too costly sacrifice : what praises doth iulian give to the sun , and what strictness of life doth he command his priests ? what great contempt of the body and the world , did the platonists , the stoicks and the cynicks profess ? and shall profest christians hate those that are obedient to the true god yea to shew that the war between good and evil goeth on in all the world ; even among heathens those that were for true virtue were despised and hated by the sensual . 30. and is it not a self-condemning thing in those that accuse gods servants as making too much adoe in obeying the law of god , and yet make ( as the church of rome doth ) abundance more laws or canons of their own , and require precise obedience to them all ? yea will burn men at a stake for breaking their laws ; doth god make too much work in the judgment of them that think it not enough without much more , as if gods law were too narrow and insufficient ? yea learn by the church of england , whose canons ( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. ) ipso facto excommunicate them that do but affirm any thing to be repugnant to gods word in their liturgy , ceremonies or church governing offices : and can you think that obeying god deserveth hatred , when disobeying men deserveth excommunication ? learn of our late laws , which account all the ministers of england worthy to be cast out and silenced if they dare not take the imposed declarations , oaths and subscriptions , and do what the act of uniformity imposeth ; and do you think it worthy of reproach to be as strict in obeying gods known laws , as is required to the act of uniformity and the canons ? 31. even the church of rome applaudeth great rigor and strictness of life , in such as will obey the pope ; and they have allowed orders of fryars whose rules tye them to great abstinence , to much praying , and some to much preaching , so that religion is all their calling . and shall the strict obeying of gods known laws render men odious among professed protestants ? yea the papists honour the very bones and relicks of their dead saints ? and you your selves keep holy days for many saints : and will you at the same time hate and hurt those that endeavour to imitate them ? will you imitate those pharisees whom christ pronounceth woe against , who at once honoured the dead prophets with building them monuments or tombs , and murdered the living that succeeded them ? 32. you can never come to heaven , or be saved from hell your selves , without serious holiness , justice and sobriety : and will you hate that without which you cannot be saved ? 33. scarce any sin doth more certainly prove you to be ungodly , than hating godliness : what ever hope there may be of those that sin against conscience , and wish to be better , and purpose repentance , that man cannot be a truly godly man , that is an enemy to godliness , so that this is a dreadful deaths mark on you . 34. you would extirpate the principle of self-love , which god hath made inseparable from us . there is somewhat in our nature which we cannot lay by , which makes us unwilling to be damned . if you that believe no hell , dare venture into it , we cannot do so , who do believe it . if you say , that it is our folly to believe that none shall be saved without holiness , and mortifying the deeds of the body by the spirit , bear with that folly which doth you no harm : it is not men or devils that we had it from , but the holy ghost in scripture . if it be your wisdom to give god the lie , and believe a drunken sot , or the devil , before him , it shall be none of ours : speed as you choose , and let us speed as we choose : we shall meet your souls shortly in another mind and tune . strive not to make us choose damnation now our eyes are open : we were once too easily befool'd : but cannot now so hate our selves . 35. moreover , he that would not have a man live a life of holy obedience to god , would have him lay by that which he was made for , and that which god continueth his life for , and that which he hath his reason and all his daily mercies for . what else have we to do in the world ? have men going to the grave and eternity , nothing to do but eat and drink , and laugh , and play , and run up and down like ants with sticks and straws , and then die , and call all vanity and vexation too late ? if we may not spend our time in making sure of a better world , we had rather we had never been born , or had died in infancy , or that we had a dose of opium that would make us sleep out the rest of our lives in quietness , rather than spend it as you do , and then give a sad ac●ount of all : we had rather we had been birds or beasts , dogs or swine than men , were it not for that life which you hate , and the hopes which depend on it . it had been a greater kindness to us to have murdered us at the birth , than to tempt us to live for our damnation . 36. what do you think it is that is gods image on mans soul , you know that it 's said in scripture that god made man at first in his own image , and that christ by his spirit reneweth them to that image . what is it think you , god hath not hands and feet , and bodily parts as we have ? it is the soul that hath his image . and do you think it is the love of money , and lust , and sport , or gluttony , or drunkenness that is his image ? scripture saith eph. 4. 23 , 24. colos. 3. 10. it is holiness : and this is called the divine nature , as coming from god , and inclining nature unto god. either holiness , wisdom and righteousness is gods image , or else there is none such on man ; and then you make gods word to be false . and if this be it , and this it which you hate , are you not haters of god ? and is not that to be devilish and hated by god ? 37. while you are angry at them that say few are saved , or that none but saints or serious godly obedient men are saved , you would sink all the world into utter despair , and make none or next none to be saved . one part of the haters of godliness believe no life to come ; and these would have all men despair . for if there be none , there is none to be hoped for : and they that think men die but as dogs & swine do , must be expected to live like dogs & swine . the other part of you , labour by all means to make themselves and others believe that the profession of more godliness than worldly carnal men have , is but hypocrisy , and that such are at the heart as bad as others : and if this be so , what is the consequence , but that none are saved ? for unless you will give god the lie , or be saved in spite of him , you must believe that none are saved that are not sanctified by the spirit of christ , and live not after the spirit , mortifying the flesh , ioh. 3 3 , 5. heb. 12. 14. rom. 8. 6 , 7. 8 , 9 , 13. 2 cor. 5. 17. and that no man can be saved that loveth the world more than god and heaven , and fleshly pleasure more than holiness . and therefore if there be none such , then none are saved . hypocrisy will not save men : god tells us that drunkards , fornicators , covetous , thieves , extortioners , revilers , effeminate , idolaters , cannot enter into the kingdom of god , 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. eph. 5. 5. and if any man love the world ( best ) the love of the father is not in him , 1 ioh. 2. 5. and if all that pretend to be better are hypocrites , than none at all are saved . it may be you have the kindness to except some few . but if those few be all that be not either carnal men ( described rom. 8. 5 , 6 , 7 , 9. ) or hypocrites , how few then do you make to be saved , if god be true ? 38. who do you think it is that christ meaneth , when he saith , i send you as lambs among wolves ? ye shall be hated of all men for my names sakes ; blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness sake ? when they say all manner of evil of you falsly for my sake : the world will hate you as it hated me , because you are not of the world , but i have chosen you out of the world : marvel not if the world hate you ? as many as will live godly in christ iesus shall suffer persecution , &c. who do you think all this is spoken of ? it is not of you , that are fleshly , worldly , ungodly men ; who persecuteth you for righteousness sake ? who hateth , revileth or imprisoneth , or fineth you , for living godly in christ jesus ? do you suffer as much for reviling preachers , as we have done for preaching ? what suffer you for all the oaths that be sworn daily in streets and taverns , and the horrid prophaneness , atheism , sadduceism , infidelity that men are guilty or ? if you did suffer for whoredom , drunkenness , blasphemy is that for christ or righteousness ? when the holy ghost saith , as he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit , even so it is now , is it such as you that he meaneth ? when peter saith , [ they speak evil of you , and falsly accuse your good conversation in christ , 1 pet. 3. 16. whom meaneth he ? when he saith , 1 pet. 4. they think it strange that you run not with them to all excess of ryot ( lasciviousness , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , banquetings and abominable idolatry ) who do you think he meaneth ? and when he saith , 1. pet. 2. 9. ye are a chosen generation , a royal priest-hood , a holy nation , a peculiar people , that ye should shew forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light ; who is it that he meaneth ? you 'll say , it is christians : true : but is it hypocrites ? is it those that will say at last , lord we have prophesied in thy name , and eat and drunk in thy presence , to whom christ will say , depart from me , ye workers of iniquity , i know you not ? sure false christians are worse than heathens . 39. the way which you take against religious persons doth shew who it is that sets you on work , and what it is that is the root of your enmity . as gods image is in the understanding , will and executive power of man , so is satans ; and he is accordingly described by christ , to be 1. a liar and deceiver ; 2. a malignant , hater of goodness , or holiness ; and a cause of sin ; 3. a hurtful murderer or destroyer . and these are the three ways by which godly people are prosecuted in the world . 1. belying them is grown so common with their enemies , that there is nothing scarcely so notoriously false which they will not affirm of them , and it 's well if some will not preach it , print it , or swear it : and they make one another easily believe it . till experience proved it , i did not think that humane nature had been liable to such impudent , monstrous lying . 2. the daily business of many is , by wit and diligence to draw men to hate religious men on false pretences : as plainly as christ preacheth and urgeth love , as his great commandment ; so plainly do these press and urge men to hatred : but of this before . 3. and hatred tends to hurtfulness : what plotting and labouring is there in the world , to ruine and destroy each other ? the malignant spirit is blood-thirsty . it 's strange how the unclean devils thirst to draw or suck some blood from witches . nothing more alienates me from the papal kingdom , than that it lives like leeches upon blood . to read over the history of the inquisition , and of their massacres , would make men take toads , and adders , and mad dogs , and wolves , for harmless things in comparison of some men. if any would requite them ( or others ) with the like , i hate it in protestant or papist . the turks conquered the greek empire , partly by the mutinous divisions of the christians , and partly by promising them liberty of religion : and when the christians thought they should have that , they yielded up the empire with the less resistance . and that which was so advantageous to the infidels , might , well used and limited , be more advantageous to the christian truth and church . but though good things may be used in an ill cause , it is a sign of a bad cause which needeth bad means . that cause which is carried on by lying , perjury and deceit , by malignant love-killing , endeavours , and by cruelty , and hurtfulness , and blood , is thereby made suspicious to all wise men . it is a wonder of impudency in baronius , binnius and other papists , to justifie martin , a canonized saint , for renouncing communion to the death with the synods and bishops who perswaded the emperor to draw the sword against the gnostick priscillianists ; and themselves to defend a thousand-fold greater cruelties and murders in their own church on the account of religion : but sin is mad self-contradiction . 4. i conclude with this great truth : they that hate and oppose godly mens obedience to god , do seek to silence the chief witness of christ , and to cast out christianity from the earth . christianity cannot be proved to be true , but by the spirit , which is its seal and witness . this witness of the spirit was not only extraordinary in languages and numerous miracles , but also ordinary in the work of sanctification . this seal is set on all that shall be saved in all times and places . the lord knoweth who are his : and let him that nameth the name of christ depart from iniquity . he redeemed us to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works : teaching us , that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts , we should live soberly , righteously and godly in this present world : looking for that blessed hope , and the glorious appearing of the great god and our saviour iesus christ , tit. 2. 12 , 13 , 14. by this healing work christ is known to be indeed our physician , the real saviour that saveth his people from their sins . as man generateth man , and the father is known by the similitude of the child ; and as he is known to be a good artist that can make others such . this is christs standing witness in all times and places . and when you would turn this into scorn , and cloud it with slanders , or the charge of hypocrisie , and would have such judged an odious people , and have them driven out of the world , what do you in effect but spit in the face of christ , and crown him with thorns , and call him a deceiver , and crucifie him afresh , and seek to expel christianity from the earth ? what reasonable man could believe christ to be christ , the saviour of the world , if he did not sanctifie men , and make them much better and fitter for heaven than other men ? so that in this you directly militate for the devil , the world and the flesh , against god the father , son and holy ghost , against the holy catholick church , and the communion of saints , and the hope of resurrection and life everlasting ; which if you did openly under the name of infidels or heathens , or rather as the profest souldiers of the devil , it were less disingenuous and hypocritical , than to do it in the church , and under christs colours , and in the christian name . and you must be sure that you are stronger than god and our saviour , if you will prevail to the last . god hath undertaken the defence of the just : christ hath undertaken to present them triumphant before his father , and cast their enemies into hell. are you sure you can overcome him ? vile worms that cannot fetch a breath without him ! when began you to be stronger than god ? was it in the womb ? or in infancy when you could not go ? or was it when the devil and the flesh made you mad or drunken in ignorant malice ? if so , the drunken fit will soon be over , and god will awake a tormenting wit. if you can conquer god , try your strength first on his works : stop the sun : change night and day : turn the tide of the sea : live without meat or air : resolve that you will never die : save all your friends from death . can you do none of this , and yet will you venture a war against god ? or do you think to fight against his servants , and bribe him to be on your side , and forsake them to your rage ? did christ take mans nature , and die to save them , and will he now turn on satans side against them ? he overcame the devils temptation on earth ; yea called peter satan , mat. 16. when he would have tempted him not to die for his chosen . let men or devils go try him in his glory , whether he will change his mind , and take your part against his own holy truth and servants . chap. iv. objections and false accusations answered . but i know that as christ and his apostles were not hated , nor killed without pretended cause and reason , nor the martyrs murdered without accusation ; so none will now justifie the scorning or persecuting an innocent person , or a saint as such , but they will first make them odious , and seem worthy of all that is done against them . they will say , it is not godly men , but wicked hypocrites that we hate and prosecute ; a false and odious sort of persons , who are unruly , and set up their own wit and will against the laws and governours of the several kingdoms where they live : they are the very worst of men . ans. if they are so indeed , they are none of the men that i am pleading for , nor you the men that i reprove . but before we come to particular accusations , it is your wisdom to answer these few questions . 1. have you particular matter against them to make good this charge ? or is it only a general malicious accusation ? 2. is it individual persons that you mean , by whom it 's proved ? or do you thus accuse whole companies of men ? what if one said of papists , jews or turks , they are murderers , adulterers , perjured , &c. do you think he were not an odious slanderer , to speak that of all or most , or the whole party , which he can prove but by some few ? 3. do you know all the persons whom you accuse ? and have you heard it proved ? or do you not say this of whole congregations assembled to worship god , of whom you know not one of many ? if this be so , it 's inhumane calumny . 4. have the particular persons been heard speak for themselves , and give the reason of their actions ? and were they proved insufficient ? or were they condemned unheard ? or was gods word derided and taken for no reason ? 5. do you not know that the devil is the great accuser of the brethren ? and that he hath malice and craft enough to say as bad as you can say , by the best of men ? and must he be believed ? 6. are you sure you can make god believe you , that these men are as bad as you affirm ? if not , and if he find a man in prison for obeying his word , and ask who laid him there , will you undertake to prove that he was laid there for some crime ? if god own him , and say , he is my servant , will you confute him , and say , no , but he is a schismatick , god knoweth a saint from a schismatick better than you do . sheep-steelers use to sheer the sheep and cut out the mark : but they have to do with men : gods mark is where man cannot take it away ; and the foundation of god standeth sure . the lord knoweth who are his . 7. know you not that christ , and his apostles and all the martyrs were as deeply charged , and put to death as malefactors ? we must then have better proof than accusation . 8. if they prove faithful christians whom you thus accuse , christ hath undertaken their justification : it is his office . and do you think to baffle him ? can he not answer you ? rom. 8. 32 , 33 , 35. who shall lay any thing to the charge of gods elect ? it is god that justifieth : who is he that will condemn them ? 9. have you not greater sins your selves than those whom you accuse ? if so , you condemn your selves . would you have god judge of them as you do ? if so , do you not tell him how to judge of you , and even crave him to condemn you ? 10. doubtless you know that you are sinners : and how think you to be justified at the bar of god ? is there any but christ to judge and justify you ? and do you think he will justifie his enemies , that hated , accused and condemned his servants ? 11. those that dwell near godly christians and should know them , are more unexcusable for their malice and slanders than forreigners and strangers are . men of another land or age may be deceived by lying fame or history . but you that are their neighbours are without excuse . i speak for none but persons fearing and obeying god : and you might easily have known that they are neither fornicators , drunkards , perjur'd , swearers , liars , oppressors , thieves , nor suffer for any such crimes as these . 12. and if they are as wicked as you say , why do you not prosecute them for such wickedness ? what are the french protestants now prosecuted and ruin'd for ? have any judicatures proved them guilty of any such crimes against god or man ? or is it not only for worshiping god contrary to the kings and prelates laws ? and how is that ? as christs apostles did : they refuse nothing in gods worship which god commanded , or any of christs apostles used , or any churches in their days or long after . and did the apostles offer god so odious a worship as deserved hatred and destruction ? when daniels enemies designed his ruine , they said , dan. 6. we shall find no matter against this daniel except it be concerning the law of his god ; and so they got a law made against praying to any god but the king for a certain time . daniel must be cast to the lions for breaking the kings law : the poor flies deserve death for coming into the spiders web : but did not the venomous worm spin it of purpose out of her own bowels , or condensate air , to take and kill the flies by craft ? in england there are many that worship god as the french protestants do , and no better than christs apostles did : if this be their horrid wickedness that makes them unworthy to live out of prison , say so , and pretend no other . but if it be heresie , false doctrine , perjury , fornication , robbing , treason , sedition or any other crime , why are they not accused of these before the judges ? and why are those charged with them that never were so accused and proved guilty ? will not all wise men take those persons for malicious liars , who by their published accusations thus odiously charge multitudes , and never offer to prove it against them at the judicatures ? their accusation shews they want not will , therefore their not prosecuting them for any such sort of crimes , shews that it is truth that is wanting . 13. and if they be such wicked persons , whence is it , that they are charged meerly with hypocrisy , by such as say , that they live soberly and justly and demurely , but they are at the heart as bad as others . their accusers commonly confess that they are most free from all immoralities , and have an outward shew of righteousness , but these heart-searchers see that their hearts are bad . and do they not by this confute their own accusations ? 14. and why is it that they that know them best can see none of the wickedness which you accuse them of , ( beyond those humane infirmities of which they most accuse themselves ) . as i have oft done , i again solemnly profess , as one that cannot be far from my account before the judge of all the the world , that having now lived to the 68th year of my age , and been most familiar since the age of sixteen or seventeen , with that sort of men whom the vulgar then called puritans ( described by mr. bolton and such other conformists ) though i have met with many that had their mistakes and frailties , and troublesome differences in lesser things , and some hypocrites intruded among them , yet i never knew any other sort of men comparable to them in christian knowledge , faith , obedience to god , hatred of sin , care of their duty to god and man , sobriety , temperance , chastity , truth , heavenly desires , endeavours and hopes : and that they so far excelled the rest of my acquaintance , as made their grace amiable to me , and confirmed my belief of the sacred scripture : yea more , if i had not had the happiness of knowing such a sort of men that in holiness , justice and love excelled the rest of my acquaintance , or at least credibly heard of such , i could not have believed in christ , as a saviour of men whom he made no better than turks and infidels ; nor could i have believed a heaven for men no better prepared for it . and that now near my end , i see so great a difference in holiness , justice and charity , between those commonly reviled for worshiping god but as the apostles did , and those that hate and persecute them , as greatly helps me in believing that there is a saviour and sanctifier , and heaven for the faithful , and a devil that deceives the rest , and a hell that will receive them ; which is even visibly begun on earth . accus . but ( say they ) it is not for their godliness or sobriety that we accuse them , but for their sin , and wickedness . ans. still this is but general , and signifieth nothing . but , 1. what is that odious sin ? 2. it 's gods merciful providence that keeps sin in general under such shame , as that the actors of it speak against it , even in their slanders . 3. but if this be the true cause why do you cull out those that have least sin to fasten your accusations of sin upon ? if there be a conformable minister that is more holy , charitable , and zealous against sin than the rest , he is one of those that is called a puritan and accused of sin ? why do we hear none of your furious charges against the common drunkards revellers , gamesters , whoremongers , persecutors , profane blasphemers , lyars , and the families that call not upon god , shew no serious regard of any religion at all ? you can live among these , and swear and drink , and play with them , and never cry out against them as bad men . accus . but religion , being the best thing , the corrupters of that are worse than drunkards , and swearers , and adulterers . ans. such corrupters there may be as are worse indeed : but what is it that they corrupt religion in ? they subscribe to all the bible , and the ancient creeds ? and if need be to the english articles of religion . is not all that enough ? their many large published writings tell the world their judgment in religion ; such as mr. arthur hildershams , mr. perkins , mr. greenhams , dods , anthony burges , richard alleins , and abundance such : what errors are in these ? 2. why are they not these twenty years accused of preaching false doctrine , and proved guilty and punisht for it , if they are such ? 3. if it be not in doctrine what is it ? accus . they worship god contrary to the law ; in not using the common-prayer book . ans. 1. those that constantly joyn in the parish churches in the common-prayer are as much hated , reviled and prosecuted as the rest . therefore this charge is but hypocrisy . 2. what do they that for matter or manner is positively contrary to law in gods worship : they read scripture , pray , preach , praise god with psalms , communicate in the lords supper : doth the law forbid any of this ? 3. not using the rest of the liturgy is a negation , and no act at all , and therefore no act of worship , and therefore no unlawful act , no more than silence is : he that is silent , and he that omits the rest of the liturgy , worships not god by using it ; but he doth nothing contrary to it , or forbidden by it . 4. if peter and paul were unknown in england , and worshipt god but as they did on earth , would you therefore call them rogues or rebels , or lay them in the jail ? did they worship god in an odious , intolerable manner ? did the holy-ghost by them write an infallible rule for all things necessary in religion ? and yet are they unsufferable rogues that worship god but according to that rule ? 5. are they wiser men than they that have made us another rule or worship ? or have they more of gods spirit , and more authority in religion ? 6. do not the imposers say that all which they add is no part of religion , but things indifferent ? and are they odious corrupters of religion , who omit no part of religion , but only humane indifferent things ? 7. do you not reverence the church for some hundred years after christ , which imposed no liturgies , but left every pastor to use his own prayers ? 8. do you not harden the papists that call our religion new , and ask where it was two hundred years ago , if you make the liturgy as now formed and imposed , our religion , when it is not two hundred years old . 9. the godly bishops of england have ever owned the other protestant churches , and their communion , who have none of our liturgies , nor any like it . 10. if this be the odious crime , why do you never revile or prosecute the atheists , infidels , sadduces , hobbists , and those many thousands that seldom if ever go to any church , or worship god publickly at all ? is the worship that peter and paul used worse than irreligiousness and infidelity ? 11. who can believe that you are sincerely zealous against misworshiping god , when you can ordinarily your selves be in a drinking house or playing house , at the time of publick worship ? and when so few of you ever so much as worship god in your families , by prayer , or read the scripture , or catechise your families ? 12. is it not a strange thing to hear men accuse others for not using the liturgy in gods worship , and at the same time would have them that refuse it , to be forbidden all publick worshiping of god at all ? doth this signify any dislike of their omitting gods worship ? which is the more ungodly omission ? to omit all worship of god and live like atheists , or to omit only so much of the liturgy as the apostles used not ? i have known many that could not eat cheese , as is said before ( nor scarce smell it without danger of death : ) if you would have a law made that such shall eat no other meat , few wisemen will believe that it is their health and life that you desire . if a man fail in paying his landlord some odd act of service , will you make a law that he shall pay nothing at all ? if a subject neglect paying some excise , or using bow and arrows , will you forbid him paying any thing , or serving the king at all ? sure they that forbid men all publick worship , be offended at somewhat else than that men do not rightly worship god , unless they think that not to worship him at all is better than doing it without their book . obj. but he shall be compelled to better worship . ans. how ? when he lieth in jail he cannot publickly worship god at all . is that better worship ? i know it is banishment which some would have executed . and will men worship god any better among heathens or infidels , or others ? or why should other countries endure them , if they be not to be endured in their own ? are not english-men that worship god only by their own book , as much nonconformists when they are in other lands , france , spain , italy , germany , holland , &c. as those are here that do not use it : and are they there intolerable and worthy of ruine ? did the apostles or first churches banish any on such accounts ? will christ banish them from his kingdom ? hath he made any such laws ? and is not he the absolute soveraign ? hath he left his servants to the will of man , to use them how they will , or cast out of his church whom they will ? are you sure these are none of the number of whom christ saith , i was hungry and ye fed me not , &c. in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these my brethren , you did it not to me , mat. 25. accus . but they are schismaticks , and separate from the church ; and is not that a damnable sin ? ans. 1. being speaking only to malignant enemies of serious godliness , i say ; it is not only separatists that you hate , but godly conformists yea perhaps most of all , because you are more restrained from hurting them . how oft hear we curses and revilings against conforming puritanes , or as some call them [ church whigs . ] if they are not haters of their brethren , but friends to love and peace , you nickname them [ trimmers . ] and cursing those whom christ blesseth , when he saith , [ blessed be the peace-makers , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ] you say , [ cursed be the trimmers , and would the kingdom were rid of them . ] it is any that are for a holy life , and obedience to god , that you abhor . 2. as i said before , you spare those that come to the parish churches no more than others : the old nonconformists wrote more against separation than any else in england did . and yet were hated as intolerable . the reconcilers who are since made nonconformists , did publickly offer to be subject to arch-bishops and bishops , to use the liturgy themselves if reformed , and if it were not , yet never pleaded for separation : and yet are never the more endured . 2. but who is it that they separate from ? do they not profess union and communion with the whole catholick church on earth ? what separation do you mean ? is it their local absence ? and are not you such separatists from all the world , saving the assembly where you meet ? one cannot be in two places at once . or is it that they dislike somewhat in your forms of worship ? so they may in others forms , with whom yet they profess communion : and in what is it that they shew dislike or separation ? they hold communion with you as christians , and as reformed from popery : they separate not from papists as christians : and from you it is only for that which you say is no part of your worship or religion , but things indifferent ; which they think to be sin . and are those separatists from your church , who only separate from that which is no part of your church or worship ? 3. are the french and dutch churches in london schismaticks or separatists , who profess communion with our churches , though they use not our oaths , subscriptions or liturgy ? liking their own mode better , and preferring it , is no separation . if i like your liturgy better than any in the bibliotheca patrum , is that separating from all churches that use the rest ? 4. who are the schismaticks in france , italy , poland , &c. those that are called so , and persecuted as such ; or those that impose on them the things which they judge sinful ? what if you were in a presbyterian land , where the liturgy and prelacy are forbidden , and another form set up by law ; and you should contrary to that law use the liturgy and ceremonies ; or at least refuse subscribing against prelacy , and for lay elders ? if they excommunicated or ruined you for this , who do you think were guilty of the schism ? 5. do they forsake the assemblies before they are excommunicated ? or is it not an odd thing for to excommunicate men first , and then accuse them for not coming to church ? i have known ministers stop in the midst of publick worship , and refuse to go on , till an excommunicate person went out . the whole representative church of england do in their 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8 canons ipso facto , without tryal or sentence , excommunicate all in england , who affirm any thing to be sinful or repugnant to gods word , in the church governing offices whatsoever , in the liturgy , ceremonies or articles . and shall they after this be called separatists for not coming in ? doth not the canon shew that the church would not have them come in , when they cast them out ? obj. but the church and canon bid them repent of that their wicked errour , and publickly confess it , and so come in . ans. 1. is a mans judgment absolutely in his power ? can a man believe a thing to be a wicked errour meerly because the canon saith so ? he that can believe what his list , believeth nothing truly . if this belief be necessary to church communion , and to escape damning schism , it is necessary to salvation : why then is it not in the creed , ten commandments or bible ? do you call them the things indifferent , and then call it a wicked errour to hold them sinful ? is not this to make it necessary to salvation or communion , to have so much learning or knowledge , as to know all indifferent words and things in the world to be indifferent , which men will impose ? i would all church-members with your and others knew all necessary things . do you believe in your heart that all , or half the parishioners do know these things to be lawful , or understand any more of them than those that think otherwise ? when thousands cannot answer a necessary question of the creed or catechism ; nor know who christ is , and how he saveth us ? why is there not a catechism made containing the sound proof that lay-chancellors power of the keys , and diocesan bishops that have no bishops under them , and our present court-church discipline , and all the rubrick , ceremonies and forms are lawful , if all must be excommunicate that think and say otherwise ? obj. if they are so ignorant that they cannot know church orders to be lawful , they are not fit to communicate with the church . ans. make no church orders necessary to communion , but what christ and his apostles have made necessary to it ; and then cast out and spare not all as ignorant that refuse them . 2. but again , do you believe that most , or all that you keep in , are wiser and more knowing than those that you cast out ? how shall such as i believe you , who know that in all the parishes which my cohabitation allowed me to know , it is the most knowing and religious part that most dissent , and the generality of the grosly ignorant that understand few articles of the creed , do conform . as ignorant as i am , and hundreds of my calling and mind , i would i were not only silenced and imprisoned , but put to death , on condition that all that you now receive as members of the church , had no more ignorance than we have . but it 's our lot , to tire our selves with teaching poor people to understand their baptism , christianity , creed , lords prayer , and ten commandments , and leave most ignorant when all 's done , and yet our selves after our hardest and longest study , to be judged so ignorant about some indifferent things , as to be unfit for ministry or communion . accus . if men will not obey church governours and laws , they are rebels , and unfit for christian society . if every man shall follow his own fancy , what order will there be ? do not all churches require obedience to their orders ? ans. 1. the church hath one universal king , who hath made universal laws for all ; which must be first obeyed , and against which no man hath power . and yet his own laws have things necessary to all , in which they must unite , and integrals and accidents which all know not , in which they must bear with one another . no man understandeth all the bible : and are many laws and books more necessary than gods ? 2. whoever depraveth the necessary points of religion by his own fancies , should be rejected . but all men living err in many lesser things . 3. in what countreys is it that your rule holds , that rulers must be thus far obeyed in religion ? is it in china , or pegu , or indostan , or turky ? or is it in italy , spain , poland , silesia , bavaria , or france ? or is it at geneva , holland , or the presbyterian countreys ? or is it only in england , scotland and ireland ? and was it so here before henry the 8th . or only since ? and how shall any know where it is , unless he try and judge his rulers commands by the laws of god ? will you follow this rule in france or spain ? or shall all subjects judge of kings capacities ? accus . but , they hold unlawful assemblies of their own , and worship god contrary to law , and yield not so much as passive obedience . ans. 1. you know the ministers are forbidden their office , unless they will take those oaths , subscriptions , professions and practices , which they dare not take , for fear of sin and damnation : and they would be thankful if their reasons may be heard , and if any will instruct them better : and they are confirmed in their opinion by the answers , or no answers rather , made to the reasons already given in . and they are devoted or vowed to the sacred ministry in their ordination : and if there be such a sin as sacriledge in the world , they are confident it were sacriledge in them to alienate themselves from the office which they have undertaken . as it is apostacy from christianity to violate our baptismal vow , though men should command it , they doubt not but it is perfidious apostacy from the sacred ministry , to violate the ordination vow , though bishops silence them : as it is adultery to violate the conjugal contract , though a bishop should require it ; seeing he that married them hath no power to unmarry them , unless they do it first themselves , and prove desertors or adulterers . 2. and the people that are excommunicate , or forbidden to worship god publickly , unless they will do that which they think is sin , are still under gods command to worship him , and not to forsake church-assembling for his worship . what would you have these ministers and people do ? they study and pray to god to convince them , if they take these oaths , subscriptions , professions and practices to be sin , and they be no sin : they resolve to be ruled by gods word : they are willing to hear any thing that may better inform them : they wonder that men accuse them that have no more to say to change them . if they desert the ministry , they fear gods vengeance : if these poor people give over all gods publick worship , and live like atheists , conscience living or dying will torment them . if they do that which they are perswaded is sin , when the imposers call it but indifferent , paul hath antidated their sentence ; he that doubteth is damned if he eat , because he eateth not of faith : for whatsoever is not of faith is sin , rom. 14. change their judgment they cannot : sin they dare not : to give over worshiping god , is to renounce salvation : change the law or canon , men will not . it seems to me a strange penalty to forbid men to worship god at all , because they think some subscriptions or forms to be sin : more strange than to say , all that will not wear crape shall go naked : or , all that will not eat anchovies shall eat nothing . if a man think the use of a crucifix in worship sinful , sure to give over all worship is more sinful : but men have their ways . 3. what worship is it that they offer god contrary to law ? they are willing to do all required in scripture by christ and his apostles : and were they rebels and rogues ? or is their worship intolerable ? 4. what harm will it do their neighbours , or any , if they only read the scripture , and praise god with psalms , and preach and pray as god prescribeth , without subscriptions or ceremonies ? are any hurt by this ? doth the same liberty to the dutch here hurt any body , or break peace ? doth the difference of cathedral and parish worship break peace ; or of those churches that have organs and altars , and those that have none ? the papists are the greatest pretenders to unity , and most cry down schism ; and yet if all will but be servants to the pope , he will license multitudes of orders that more differ from one another than we from you : jesuits , benedictines , dominicans , carthusians , and abundance more . 5. dare any man of self-knowledge and conscience say , that all your worship is not more faulty , than is the omission of a form or ceremony ? will not all the world be forbidden to worship god , if all as bad as this be forbidden ? and how many worshippers of god , think you , will be left in england , if all must give over that have greater faults than the omission of a thing called but indifferent ? 6. as to what you talk of passive obedience , though the phrase be a contradiction , yet the thing meant is a meer cheat of one that hath devised that absurd phrase : and calls omissive obedience by the name of passive ; omitting an action is not suffering . daniel was forbid to pray , and the apostles to preach : they would not yield this omissive obedience , but they yielded that which is commonly called passive . they patiently suffered . 7. do you not know that about two hundred thousand in and near london cannot come within the doors of the parish-churches , ( nor hundreds hear that can croud in ; ) shall all these be made atheists , or taken for rebels if they will not forbear to worship god ? 8. i suppose you know that many thousands stay at home in their houses , shops , taverns , in sin or idleness : are these thought worthy of a jail or banishment ? or is their course better than to worship god as peter and paul did ? o the difference between gods judgment and some mens ! but gods judgment shall determine all . 9. are there no unfaithful and unskilful ministers ? will no patrons chuse such ? is not the ministers skill and faithfulness of great importance to mens salvation ? what if bishops or laws imposed an unskilful or untrusty physician on you , and forbad you to chuse a better , would you die obediently , or rather say , no one hath power so to betray my life ? no nor your soul neither . 10. if you have the hearts of christians consider this undeniable consequence : if you will have no union or concord among christians till they agree in all things that are of no greater weight and evidence , than your forms and ceremonies are , you would have no concord in the world , no not between any two persons : and you may as well say , none shall be endured that are not just of the same visage and complexion : and then all the doubt will be , who is the man that will be the strongest and longest liver , to possess all england himself alone . accus . but they shew that they are perjured , false , unconscionable rogues , that took on them to scruple oaths and our church communion till now , and now can do all rather than be out of places of trust . ans. 1. as to your church communion , can you blind mens eyes , that they shall not read , what the old nonconformists have written to perswade men to it ? see mr. hildersham , bradshaw , gifford , paget , ball , and abundance more . and did not the present nonconformists shew the same judgment 1660 and 1661 in their treaty ? and do not many come to your assemblies ? and would they not all that are ministers preach there if they could have leave ? and have you not , as is afore proved , excommunicated them by your canons 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. and is the oxford act ( which imprisoneth them all six months if they be seen within five miles of a corporation or any place where they have preached within 20 years ) an invisible thing ? do you lay men in jail by it , and yet think it must be unknown ? and he that knows it knows that it sentences all such to jail if they be seen in your churches ? and is it the course of humane converse , to say , if you come into any church within five miles &c. you shall lie in iail six months ; and if you do not , you are rogues and shall lie in iail for not coming ? just when the ministers agreed to come more frequently than before , this act came out , and drove them back . you 'll say , they can appear in their own assemblies . ans. 1. his majesty encouraged them by granting them liberty by his declaration . 2. they have more hope there of escaping out of your hands , than they have in your own churches . and do you not see in print what mr. tombes the anabaptist wrote long ago to perswade his followers to your communion ? and what mr. nye wrote to perswade the independants to come to your churches ? what great change is here of their judgments ? obj. but why did not the people do so all this while ? ans. because their own teachers did , as they thought , more profit them . many a man thinks it lawful to wear rags that yet had rather wear whole and comely cloaths ; and lawful to eat brown bread , and drink water , that will fare better when they can , and yet take these when they cannot . the people that had good houses before the fire , did without any change of their judgments , get into any poor rooms or cottages after it . 2. but suppose they lately change their judgments , ( as many no doubt have ) you that think it is for the better are strange christians that reproach men for repenting and amending . do you call them to church and reproach them for not coming , and seek to ruin them for it , and now accuse them for coming ? doth not this shew that some men desired the present impositions , not for concord of all , but to drive some away , lest they should come in , and the land have concord ? and doth not this shew what men we have to do with ; and that it is somewhat else than non-conformity which such men hate ? your justice is [ come to church , or lie in iail as schismaticks : and if you come you are perfidious rogues . ] whether they do or do not , all 's one to such judges : who have some other hateful matter in their eye . obj. but their doing it just now to keep their charter , and keep from suffering , proveth that they are perfidious rogues . ans. 1. i pray tell men of brains and sense , for what it is that you would have men excommunicated , and laid in jail or fined , if they conform not ? do you do all this without any purpose or hope to drive them to conformity ? and do you do it only to make them perfidious rogues . if suffering may not alter them , why do you use it on them ? 2. but who knows not that some things are lawful to avoid suffering which else would not be lawful . it is lawful to cast your goods into the sea to save the ship and mens lives ; which else were a sin : it 's lawful to give a thief your purse to save your life , which else were unlawful : it 's lawful to blow up neighbours houses to stop a fire ; christ proved it lawful to break the sabbath in cases of necessity ; he withdrew into the wilderness and far from ierusalem , to avoid the pharisees persecution . and paul was let down by the wall in a basket ; which without danger of suffering , had not been lawful : though no sin must be done to avoid suffering , yet that may and must be done , which self-preservation makes no sin , but a duty ; to kill a man that assaults you in your own defence is not the same crime as unnecessarily to kill him . but as to the other case of taking the corporation oath and declaration , if you know the case ( as you should do before you accuse men ) you know that it is the true sence of them that is all the controversy : no body scruples swearing loyalty , and renouncing rebellion and sedition , and all unlawful means of reformation : that which makes it difficult is that on one side , the proper universal sence of the words seems to them unlawful , and oaths must be taken in the usual sence , unless our rulers give another , yet on the other side , learned , sober conformists profess that they take such words in the limited sence , or else they would not take them ; and they argue subtilly to prove that to be the true sence ; and our law-makers to whom it belongs will not end the controversy by an exposition . and can you wonder here if men fluctuate in uncertainty ? and a late writer having given subtiler arguments for the limited sence than were published before , did perswade many : and in that limited sence twenty nonconformist ministers took the oath long ago in london at one time . but i justify none that mistake in so great a matter . and doubtless if they sinned god will not bless it to their good ; it will prove their snare : and i am glad that we are agreed that perjury is a heinous sin : i beseech you then to consider , 1. whether those men are fit to accuse them who drive them to it , and say to ministers , swear or lye in iail : 2. or those who are of the mind of grotius , bishop taylor and such others , that lying is lawful when it saves our selves , and wrongs no other : and of those divines that say , it 's as lawful to defend my self from pernicious imposers with my tongue as with my hands . 3. let us all with fear ( who believe there is a god ) avoid the dreadful crime of perjuring the whole land . this whole kingdom is sworn against all forreign iurisdiction in the oath of supremacy ; and against all endeavours to alter the government of church or state , by 1. the corporation act , 2. the vestry act , 3. the militia act , 4. the oxford of confinement . 5. and obliged by the act of uniformity . is it not perjury than to endeavour any alteration of it ? 1. what shall we then think of them that would bring in popery ? would they not perjure the kingdom ? 2. what shall we say of them that write for a forreign church jurisdiction , under the name of general councils , or a colledge of bishops , or of forreign patriarchs , of whom the pope is chief , and the principium unitatis , to the universal church . is it no change of our church government to bring us under a forreign jurisdiction ? is it no change of state government to make the king and kingdom , subject to that forreign jurisdiction , who may excommunicate him , and so bring on him all the evil which excommunication inferreth ? and what man in his wits knoweth not that prelates and priests are much at the will and power of the princes under whom they live ? doth not our king expect that his bishops obey him ? and those that must have this universal jurisdiction over our king and us , are the subjects of other princes , of which the far greatest part are papists , mahometans , infidels , heathens , or such as are called hereticks ; and if our king and we be made subject to the subjects of the turk , the pope , the kings of spain , france , poland , the emperor , the moscovite , the dukes of bavaria , tuscany , and such like , is he not made a subject to their lords and masters , and much worse ? will not this project perjure england ? 3. whether it be any alteration of government by them that would change the power and use of parliaments , i leave to lawyers . 4. but i would fain be satisfied of another case . these kingdoms of england and scotland took a covenant and vow , some voluntarily , some at their compositions , who had been sequestred for the king : this vow contained divers matters , of which some are notorious duties , as to repent of their sins , to oppose popery , schism , and prophaneness , to defend the king , &c. it 's not denied by most that i meet with , that this oath or vow was unlawfully imposed , and unlawfully taken , and many think some of the matter was unlawful , viz. to oppose prelacy , &c. but seeing casuists are agreed , that an oath unlawfully both imposed and taken , bindeth to that part of the matter which is lawful and necessary , notwithstanding the conjunction of the rest . and the corporations of england are all formed by a declaration taken by all in power and trust , that [ there is no obligation , ( without the least exception ) on me or any other person from the oath called the solemn league and covenant ; the doubt is whether every man may declare that , of all the thousands of three kingdoms ( whom he never knew , ) no one is bound by that oath , or vow , to repent of his sins , or in his place and calling to oppose schism , popery , or prophaneness , or to defend the king ? and whether all may declare that the londoners and ministers , and the restored old parliament , and general monks army who restored the king , as supposing they were bound to it by that oath , were all deceived , and were under no such obligation thence ? and whether i am not bound in charity to think that the sequestred royalists put a good sence on it , when they took it ? and so whether all the corporations of england are free from — and for what it is that god hath singled them out for judgment ? if you be agreed with us ( and with manking ) against so great a sin as perjury , especially national , let us help one another with love and patience to resolve such doubts . accus . but they have been guilty of rebellion in a civil war , and therefore are justly suspected to preach or hold rebellious doctrine . ans. 1 are those men lovers of love and concord who purposely make use of pardoned acts to keep the kingdoms wounds still open ? did not the king tell you in his declarations and act of oblivion , that the putting up of all ( save to the excepted persons ) and closing for the future in mutual love , was the only way to the nations peace ? you would tempt men to think that you desire to see such days again , by trying whether destroying men will tempt nature to a self-defence . 2. but you have oft had it proved ( by henry fowlis , bishop barlow and abundance more ) that no protestants come near the principles and practices of the papists , as to king-killing and rebellion . and if yet you know not that the war began between two parties of episcopal conformists , here among the english , you are unfit to judge of that which you know not : and by reading rushworth , whitlock or any true histories of such times and matters , you may be better informed : as you may of their different principles if you read iewel , bishop bilson , and richard hooker on one side , and mainwarning and sibthorp on the other . 3. but how few men are alive that had any hand in those miserable wars ? you have oft been offered a thousand thanks if you will silence and hunt no other that are as innocent as you , and more than many of of their accusers . and shall thousands suffer for other mens deeds ? 3. what will wise men think of such a sort of men , as charge multitudes in general with rebellious and seditious doctrine , and have accused so few of any such these twenty years , that i know not of one publickly accused , tryed and proved guilty , of all called presbyterians in all this land ? if they are guilty prove it , and let the guilty suffer , and not the innocent : only had i my wish i would bar perjury , and condemning men unheard . accus . they are an unpeaceable sort of people . ans. that 's soon said . who hath these 22 two years manifested most desires of peace ? they that have beg'd for it again and again : pleaded and written for it : offered their oaths that they would obey any lawful commands for it , and do any thing which they did not believe that god forbids ? or those bishops that would not have one form or ceremony , or needless subscription forborn , to save thousands of ministers from being silenced and laid in common jails , nor to save many thousand of the people from suffering , and to heal the divisions of the church . one would think this should be as easie a controversy , as when soldiers are plundering the country , and the people on their knees intreating for their goods and lives , to determine which of them is most against war. accus . but what need they make such a stir with their religion : what need they any more than go to church and live obediently and be quiet ? why will they be righteous over much ; will not less ado bring men to heaven ? why do they differ from their neighbours , and judge all carnal that be not as scrupulous as they ? god is merciful ; and will he save none but puritans , or precise zealots ? ans. now you come to the real matter of your distast : i did not meddle with the case of nonconformity as it is a controversy between godly men , but only as you make a pretence of it , to exercise your enmity against serious godliness , and a handle to lay hold on many whom christ will justify and save . to all before said i add , 1. if you think they do too much , search the scriptures , and see whether it be not less than god commandeth ? and if so , is it not god whom you accuse and reproach ? 2. if they do too much in obeying god , why do canon-makers impose such abundance on them , as if god had not imposed enough ? 3. why do you never find fault with men for being too strong , too healthful , too rich , too great , but only for being too obedient to god ? when christ saith ; if we did all that god commandeth we must say , we are unprofitable servants , we have done no more than was our duty , and the best on earth come short of duty . but this which is the core i answered before . and conclude , that all that be in their right wits can easilier bear all your accusations and persecutions of us , as if we did too much in obedience to god , than the accusation of conscience and the displeasure of god for doing too little : which alas when we have done our best would sink us into despair , had we not the merits of christs suffering and perfect righteousness to trust to . chap. v. an humble expostulation with the english papists who by information and prosecution seek our ruine . though it be not popery as such that i am here reasoning against , the course that many papists take in seeking our destruction , giveth me cause of this humble expostulation : and i speak now of no other , but of them . i mean , 1. those that write so hotly and ragingly to provoke superiors to ruine us . 2. those that make a trade of being delators against us for worshiping god as we do . 3. those of them that break in upon us with greatest haughtiness and fury , to take away all our goods , and seek our imprisonment . 4. those that seek to ruine us by those laws which were made against themselves . 5. those that would make superiors believe that our doctrine is more rebellious than theirs . to these i offer a few modest questions . qu. 1. there are some among you that profess great spirituality and strictness in religion : serenus cressy wrote to me ( commending baker's book which he published ) that he forsook the church of england because he found no spiritual contemplation and devotion among us . such as nerius , sales , kempis , gerson borromaeus , renti , &c. are really the chief honour of your church . much of that for which i am hated by the enemies of serious godliness , i acknowledge to gods praise , i was first chiefly awakened to by a book written by one whom watson , and others of your party grievously accuse , i mean parsons book of resolution corrected by bunny . true christianity and godliness is the same thing in all that have it . your priest mr. hutchinson , alias berry , writeth that the most of serious godliness among protestants is found among those called puritans : so that i was fain to defend the conformists against his charge : all this being so , is it the spirit of god that engageth and enrageth you with the most destructive bitterness against those men whom you confess to be the most religious , meerly because they are stiffest against your church government and way of worship ? and do you not know that it tendeth more sensibly than disputes , to perswade the people whom you thus hate and prosecute , that your religion is malignant , and enmity to real godliness ? qu. 2. do you think it is prudent for you , as soon as ever you get up and before you dare openly own your name and cause , to begin with malice , rage and cruelty , and that against the most religious ( as you say ? ) will not this perswade the people that all is true that is said of your intended cruelty , and make them fear you , as so many leopards or wolves ? will they not say , if the young serpents can so easily sting , what will the old ones do ? and if your infancy here begin with such destructive zeal , what will you do when you are at full growth ? qu. 3. you cannot be ignorant what cause to accuse your church with cruelty and blood , hath been given the world by your church laws and practices : by the council at the laterane under innocent 3d the council for damning henrician hereticks , even kings that claim investiture of bishops , and those that decree the burning of all that you call hereticks : by the murder of so many thousand albigenses , waldenses , bohemians , &c. by the inquisitions more inhumane cruelties in belgium and spain , &c. by the massacres in france , and the murder of henry iii. and iv. by queen maries flames ; by the two hundred thousand murdered in ireland : and there be many among you who disown all this , and say it is not from the principles of your religion ( when yet general councils approved are your religion it self . ) this being copiously opened ( as i said before by henry fowlis , bishop barlow , &c. ) had it not been more prudent for you to have begun with lenity and love , to have drawn men to think that you are better minded , than to perswade them that you are of your rulers and forefathers mind , and mean to imitate them ? qu. 4. have you not observed that all parties have faln by forcing multitudes to be their enemies by seeking to destroy or hurt them ? most men love quietness , and will live in peace , if others will give them leave : but when they see that they must offend others , or not defend themselves , it sets all their wit and power on work against their intolerable enemies : there are few creatures in the world that have not some power and inclination to hurt others for their own defence . the bee hath a sting to defend her hive and honey . and do you not remember that your sufferings in england came most by queen maries flames , and the spanish invasion , and the many treasons against queen elizabeth and by the powder plot ? and how the french massacre and murders of kings , and the horrid inquisition set all our parliaments against you ? and how the murder of 200000 in ireland drove many thousands into the parliaments army that else would not have gone ? and will you yet stir up all the land to fear and hate you ? qu. 5. is it not both imprudent and unrighteous for you of all men to turn those laws against us , which were made against you , and have so much slept , and little troubled you ? you will by this call people to take notice of them , that did not before . for my own part , as i never hurt any of you , so i know not that any of the ministers did , whose ruine you endeavour . we hear of none of your sufferings by any such . indeed these late years many have died as for the plot so much talkt of . but by whom did they die ? was it not by the accusation and witness of papists ? were not oats , bedlow , dugdale , turbervile , prance , dangerfield , ienison , smith , alias barry , the york-shire witnesses , and the rest besides the irish , all men of your selves , that came out of your own bosoms ? whether the men died justly or unjustly i leave to god ; but sure it was men of your own selves that did it . and will you be revenged for this on such protestants that medled not in it ? and you should remember that you and we have a protestant king , who hath sworn all his kingdom against all forreign jurisdiction , and all endeavour of any alteration of government in church or state , and so much abhors popery that he hath made a law severely to punish all that shall but raise any suspicion that he is a papist . and you must in reason take heed of dishonouring and defaming him , by defaming protestants in general . and sure since queen elizabeths days we have had no kings whom you can justly accuse of cruelty towards you . no not king iames when the powder plot had provoked him ; if half be true that the bishop of ambrun saith of his conference with him , or that rushworth and others say of the oath of the king , prince and council for toleration , you are disingenuous if you accuse them of cruelty or rigorous severity . in you philanax anglicus ( as formerly in the image of both churches ) you make all called protestants of sincerity , to be of rebellious principles , and their religion introduced by it ; and yet profess that you honour the king , as if you would have men doubt whether he be a protestant of sincerity , or else were as bad as you describe . had the severe laws been executed against you , especially for meer religion , no one could wonder if you desired relief : but while you live quietly , and words and paper hurt you not ( that i hear of ) to begin with so much hurtfulness to them that medled not with you , will disserve your cause . qu. 6. and is it consistent with reasonable modesty to go about to make the world believe that the protestant doctrine is less loyal than yours ? do you think your books are invisible , & all your practices forgotten : it is none of the business of this writing to accuse you herein , of any thing but falsly accusing others , and seeking to destroy us on such accusation . though you may thus deceive the ignorant that know no more of you than what you tell them , that will but turn to your dishonour at last . are not your foresaid council canons which are your religion , visible ? have not the forecited writers truly cited them and multitudes of your doctors which may better inform men ? are all the wars of italy , germany , &c. against princes and emperors , for the pope , forgotten ? was it not a council of your bishops that decreed that all the carcasses of those bishops that were for the henrician heresy ( that is , for the emperors power of investing bishops and his exemption from being excommunicated and deposed by the pope ) should be digged out of their graves , and burnt ? was it not a council that deposed ludovicus pius ? how many more such acts have they done ? and are not your most learned doctors allowed to publish the justification of the popes power to excommunicate & depose kings if they deserve it ( in his judgment ? ) do not your politick writers , casuists and divines ordinarily hold that the people give kings , their power , and may take it away when they forfeit it , and that tyranny is such a forfeiture ? and that the people should not suffer a heretick to reign ? and that subjects may be absolved from their oaths of allegiance , according to the foresaid laterane and greg. 7. roman councils ? but too much is said of this by many , and the case is past a modest denial . even those protestants that were in arms for the parliament , and restored the king , were so far from thinking that their oaths of allegiance may be dispensed with , that if i knew any thing of those men and times , it was principally the conscience of two oaths ( the oath of allegeance , and the oath called the covenant ) that by them overcame the opposition of the other army , and brought home the king. it was this that engaged the ministers of england against both cromwel and a common-wealth : and the ministers were followed by most of the religious people of the land , which broke the adversaries strength : it was this that engaged the excluded members of the ( then ) long parliament : it was this that engaged the city of london : it seems it was this that engaged gen. monk's army , when they say in their address to him , ( see it , in englands triumph for k. charles the 2d p. 85. ) [ we hope to evince to his majesty and all the world , that we and all those that have been engaged in the parliaments cause , are his majesties best and most real subjects ; and that your excellency and the armies under your command , have complied with the obligations for which they were first raised , for the preservation of the true protestant religion , the honour and dignity of the king , the priviledges of parliament , the liberty and property of the subjects , and the fundamental laws of the land . ] i am not justifying all that i recite ; i doubt not but they were much mistaken . but if they had then been told that shortly all the corporation offices and trusts in england shall be constituted by a personal declaration of every one , that [ there is no obligation on any person from the oath called the solemn covenant ] to restore the king , oppose schism , or to any thing whatever , the effect would have been such , as makes me wonder that the royalists ( as then called ) should be very eager to make all such declare , that all these souldiers , ministers , parliament and citizens that restored the king as bound to it by that oath , were therein mistaken , and no such obligation thence was on them . qu. 7. i need not name to you the sorry fellows out of the jails , where they lay for inhuman villanies that have been our zealous , ranting , tearing , prosecuters ? and do you think such actors are an honour to your cause ? if it be good , use good men in it . qu. 8. why do you play your game under board , and behind the curtain ? if you are not ashamed of your cause , openly own it . is falshood , lying and dissembling beseeming them that say they are of a church out of which none can be saved ? i remember when terret , alias iohnson , had seduced the eldest daughter of the countess of balcarres ( whom they stole away and made a nun in france , ) and she was after askt , why she did so long go to our churches , join in family worship , read protestant books , and talk against the papists , and deride them , after she was a papist her self , she answered that they had leave to do all that as long as they did not openly profess their religion , and were not detected . but when once they were discovered and openly professed themselves roman catholicks , they must then suffer any thing rather than conform to us . gods cause needeth not such jugling and lying . qu. 9. why do you not ingenuously plead your cause against us , so as may satisfy an understanding conscience , before you seek our destruction ? 1. your arguings are commonly fitted only to cheat the ignorant by ambiguities , and confusion , and equivocal terms ; your queries or methods to the french sufferers , are only a formed cheat , by confounding , 1. subjection to governours , and communion with neighbour churches . 2. communion with your church in christianity and communion with its sins . 3. a catholick church informed only by the soveraignty of christ , and a pretended universal church informed by the soveraignty of man ( a monarch or a church-parliament . ) 4. the office of keeping , delivering and teaching men gods laws , and an absolute power to judge of their sence , and to make more as a supplement to their defects , obliging all the world on pain of excommunication and death : and more such . 2. any writings which undeniably open your frauds , you take no notice of , nor vouchsafe to answer upon the importunity of mr. iohnson , and divers others ; i have lately written ; 1. a reply to iohnson . 2. a small book in answer to one of your papers , to prove that we have a certainty of christianity without popery . 3. in answer to another , a small book called , full and easy satisfaction which is the true religion . none of them will you answer , nor those before written : but instead of a sober investigation of the truth , some of you raise odious slanders of my life , and threaten and seek my destruction . i never hurt any of you , as i said before , nor ever perswaded any to severity against you . i have long ago publickly proposed terms on which we might live together as neighbours in peace . but destruction and misery are in your way ( that i have observed ) and the way of peace you have not known . there are three things which alienate common christians from you more than all other disputes . 1. that you can go so openly against the plainest words of god ( as in blotting out the second commandment , in notorious contradicting 1 cor. 12. and rom. 14 , and 15. about the terms of church union and communion ; about latin prayers and worship to the ignorant , denying the cup to the laity , denying sense in transubstantiation ) . 2. that you befriend ignorance so much , by the said latin worship , forbidding most to read the scripture translated , and accuse gods spirit of writing obscurely , to cover this . 3. that your religion liveth by cruelty and blood , and cannot stand without it : which at least in prudence you should hide as long as you can ; or at least not design to make the ignorant and vicious protestants , your proselytes and agents conjunctly to ruin those whom your consciences know to be the most consciencious and seriously religious . by which already the flock of christ do ( under your sheeps cloathings ) so judge of you by your fruites , that if any man that is called a protestant ▪ clergy-man , do but write and preach for cruelty and ruin towards serious conscionable christians , people by this very mark do presently suspect that he is either a papist or so near them as that he is ready to pass over to them , whom he so assisteth in destructive work . qu. what must be the cure of malignity ? ans. when the heel of the holy seed is sufficiently bruised , the serpents head must be broken . 1. the war in heaven which formerly cast down the dragon , must break the supream serpentine head. ii. then his heads military on earth will be broken . i. the usurping universal head called ecclesiastical : ii. the national serpentine heads . i. exterior ; mahometan and heathen . ii. interior ; called falsly christian : i. serpentine monarchs , that war against christ. ii. serpentine prelates and their patrons , that fight against christ as in his own name , and by his pretended commission . and all this by christ , and not by sinful means . reformation is begun à minoritis at the lowest , for personal salvation of the elect : but a majoritis , at the heads for publick welfare : and god must raise reforming princes and pastors to that end . finis . a catalogue of books printed for , and sold by tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , near mercers chapel . mr. baxter's catholick theology . folio . a third volume of sermons preached by the late reverend and learned tho. manton d. d. in two parts . folio . a hundred select sermons on several texts , of fifty on the old testament , and fifty on the new. folio . choice and practical expositions on four select psalms . folio . both by the reverend and learned tho. horton d. d. late minister of st. hellens , london . the true prophecies and prognostications of michael nostrodamus , physician to henry the second , francis the second , and charles the ninth , kings of france , and one of the best astronomers that ever were . folio . sixty one sermons , preached mostly on publick occasions , whereof five formerly printed by adam littleton d. d. rector of chelsea in middlesex . folio . the saints everlasting rest , or a treatise of the blessed state of the saints in their enjoyment of god in glory . 4to . the english nonconformity , as under king charles ii. and king iames ii. truly stated and argued , by richard baxter . 4to . a discourse concerning liturgies . by the late learned and judicious divine , mr. david clarkson . 8vo . a discourse of the saving grace of god. by the late reverend and learned david clarkson minister of the gospel . 8vo . the vision of the wheels seen by the prophet ezekiel ; opened and applyed : partly at the merchants lecture in broad-street , and partly at stepney , on ianuary 31. 1689. being the day of solemn thanksgiving to god for the great deliverance of this kingdom from popery and slavery , by his then highness the most illustrious prince of orange . whom god raised up to be the glorious instrument thereof . by matthew mead pastor of a church of christ at stepney . 4to . the life of faith in every state. by rich. baxter . 4to . alderman ashurst's funeral sermon . 4to . a key for catholicks to open the juglings of the jesuits : the first part of answering all their common sophisms : the second against the soveraignty and necessity of general councils . 4to . full and easy satisfaction , which is the true religion : transubstantiation shamed . 8vo . naked popery : answering mr. hutchinson . 4to . finis . the glorious kingdom of christ, described and clearly vindicated against the bold asserters of a future calling and reign of the jews, and 1000 years before the conflagration and the asserters of the 1000 years kingdom after the conflagration : opening the promise of the new heaven and earth and the everlastingness of christ's kingdom against their debasing it, who confine it to 1000 years ... : answering mr. tho. beverley ... in his twelve principles and catechisms, &c. / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1691 approx. 188 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 48 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26934 wing b1277 estc r5007 12318058 ocm 12318058 59413 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26934) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59413) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:3) the glorious kingdom of christ, described and clearly vindicated against the bold asserters of a future calling and reign of the jews, and 1000 years before the conflagration and the asserters of the 1000 years kingdom after the conflagration : opening the promise of the new heaven and earth and the everlastingness of christ's kingdom against their debasing it, who confine it to 1000 years ... : answering mr. tho. beverley ... in his twelve principles and catechisms, &c. / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [6], 73, [1] p. printed by t. snowden, for thomas parkhurst ..., london : 1691. dedication: to mr. increase mather, the learned and pious rector of the new-england college (now in london). advertisement: p. 73 and p. [1] at end. reproduction of original in british library. marginal notes. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng beverley, thomas. -catechism of the kingdom of our lord jesus christ, in the thousand years. eschatology -early works to 1800. millennium. jews -restoration. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2006-01 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the glorious kingdom of christ , described and clearly vindicated , against the bold asserters of a future calling and reign of the jews , and 1000 years before the conflagration . and the asserters of the 1000 years kingdom after the conflagration . opening the promise of the new heaven and earth , and the everlastingness of christ's kingdom , against their debasing it , who confine it to 1000 years , which with the lord is but as one day . answering mr. tho. beverley , who imposed this task , by his oft and earnest challenges of all the doctors and pastors , and his censure of dissenters as semi-sadduces of the apostasie , in his twelve principles and catechisms , &c. by richard baxter , whose comfort is only the hope of that kingdom . 2 peter 3. 13. we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness . ( after the conflagration . ) london , printed by t. snowden , for thomas parkhurst at the bible and three crowns , the lower end of cheapside . 1691. to mr. increase mather , the learned and pious rector of the new-england colledge ( now in london . ) worthy sir , when it befalleth me to differ from men more judicious , it is not because i have a greater esteem of my intellect than of theirs , but because that which to me seemeth evidence constraineth me . and when i publish that seeming evidence , it is not in expectation that any receive it , save those that by impartial deliberate thoughts , discerning it , are convinced by it . i therefore craved your censure of these papers , because i found that you had long and laboriously studied the controversie , and were confident of much of that which i write against : i have read no man that hath handled it with so much learning and moderation as you have done : and therefore i knew no man fitter , if i err , to detect my errours . and as your candour is rather for my publishing , than suppressing these papers ; so truly i am so far from disliking a true confutation of this ( or any errour that i shall publish ) that i therefore direct these lines to you , to intreat you , to write ( whether i be alive or dead ) your reasons against any momentous or dangerous errour which you shall here find : that as we thus friendly consent to such a collision , or rather communication , as may kindle some further sparks of light , the readers may be helpt by comparing all , the better to find out the truth . seeing the chief writers for the millennium are conformists , ( and men of greatest learning and piety among them ) as jos . mede , dr. more , dr. twisse , ( then conformable ) dr. cressoner , mr. beverley , mr. j. m. &c. i hope they will not take it for scandalous in you and me herein to differ . you have partly relieved me against some accusations of singularity , when you tell your readers ( in the preface to your english mystery ) that so many think the thousand years past already , viz. that aretius , bilney , wickleffe , walter brute , benno cardin , &c. thought that the time began at the birth of christ . that viegas , pererius , augustine , primasius , beda , andreas , thought it began at the passion of christ : that junius , pareus , dent , broughton , bibliander , usher , thought it began at the destruction of the jewish state : and that even brightman , majer , forbes , willet , gerhard , guild , cartwright , as well as alcaser castiglius , begin it at constantines inthronization ; which is as the same with john fox ( acts and mon. vol. 1. p. 111. ) grotius , hamond , and many others that begin it at the fall of maxentius , or licinius , or at constantines edict for christians , from whence to the ottoman empire say they was just a thousand years : and that the conversion of the jews will not be till the present state of this world be near its end , you hold with beda , estius , acosta , stella , zanchy , perkins , vossius , finnus . and page 20. you believe that the 1290 years in dan. are past long ago , as you say , arnold . de villa nova , the author of the problem mr. stevens , mede , alsted , lud. capellus , dr. twisse ( to whom i may add many more . ) though you are plain , that the thousand years are not before the conflagration , and that antichrist shall not be finally destroyed till then ( though rome shall ) and that a thousand years will be but a part , a morning of the last great day , in which the just only shall rise , and that the evening will be the time of the rising of the unjust to destruction , and the space that is till christ give up the kingdom , &c. ] yet because oft-times you joyn the jews earthly monarchy so obscurely with the resurrection , without mentioning the intervening conflagration , i intreat you in your next to make your self therein more intelligible : and give some proof that the wicked shall not be raised nor judged till after the thousand years , ( neither those dead before , nor those found alive at the conflagration : seeing many words of christ and paul seem plainly to assert a common judgment , of sheep and goats , just and unjust , at the same time of christs coming . as to my opinion , that pagan rome was babylon , i have so much to say for it , as must not here be repeated : if that cast away my reputation with any or many , let it go : he is unworthy of reputation that cannot give it up for truth . the revelation hath much plain and easie to them that read it without prejudice ( who i doubt are few . ) i only fix on so much , and leave the rest to wiser men , without dishonouring of their judgments , so be it they give not up our cause to the papists , by laying it upon things doubtful or untrue , while we have sure and plain proof enough against them . your unworthy fellow-servant , rich. baxter . london , decemb. 19. 1690. the contents . chap. i. the kingdom of christ as described in the scripture . chap. ii. an answer to mr. tho. beverleys twelve principles , and much of his catechism of the millennium , necessitated by his many provocations , and challenge to all the doctors and pastors of the church , and his censure of dissenters as semi-sadduces of the apostasie . his first principle examined . of delivering up the kingdom to the father . christs kingdom began before the ( disputed ) thousand years , proved . his enemies much subdued before . what is meant by giving up the kingdom ? the longer continuance of christs kingdom , proved . of christs being subject to the father . and god all in all. whether it be true that christ was eternally a man , having an eternal kingdom as man ; but not as the son of man after the millennium ? whether out union with god and christ , joh. 17. be that then god shall be all in all as before the world began ? whether we were in god before the world began , and how ? the tendency of this doctrine . of mr. t. b's ambiguous language . his 2d , 3d , 4th , 5th and 6th principles . the 7th principle . that those found on earth shall be presently caught up at the lords coming , and not stay a thousand years after ; proved fully : and the limitation of a thousand years confuted . the 8th principle . the thousand years further confuted . the 9th principle more of the giving up the kingdom . the 10th , 11th and 12th principles . of the fifth monarchy , &c. more of mr. b's . ambiguities . chap. iii. of those millenaries that place the thousand years reign before the conflagration . chap. iv. that the ten tribes will never be found and called , if they never were so heretofore . chap. v. the ten tribes were not lost nor extinct , proved . chap. vi. what conversion the twelve tribes have already had ? chap. vii . whether there be any jerusalem monarchy of jews , or any further conversion of them , more than of other men promised by god ? the pretended proofs examined . chap. viii . reasons for the negative humbly offered to tryal . and some objections answered . chap. ix . of the new earth ; what is certain , and what uncertain ? chap. i. the kingdom of christ , as described by the s. scriptures . being by mr. t. beverleys importunate requests and challenges , and his heavy accusation of dissenters from him as semi-sadduces of the apostasie , urged to give an account of the reasons of my dissent from him and others of the millenary judgment , it is meet that i first tell him what i take for the true scripture doctrine of the kingdom of christ , which i am to defend . premising my desire to the reader , that he will first read as presupposed truth , the judicious treatise of my dear brother mr. john corbet , of the kingdom of god with men : and cluverus his arguments against the millennium . i. god made man in his own image ( natural , moral , and of supereminence ) in wisdom , righteousness , and true holiness ; to know , love , and obey his creator : therefore they err that say , adam had no spiritual holiness , and did no act of holiness and obedience before his fall : for else he had lived in great and constant sin : for it could be no better for him , not to esteem god to be the chief good , and amiable object ; or not to love him whom he knew to be the best ; or not to serve and obey him whom he knew to be his creator . in this state god was to govern him as a righteous subject , by the law which obliged him to personal , perfect , perpetual obedience ; revealed partly by the creation , and partly by express prohibitions and commands . ii. upon mans fall and forfeiture , god first pronouncing part of the penalty which he would inflict , declared his decree so far to forgive the rest of the penalty , as to reprieve and yet continue his faln creature ; and to give them a redeemer that should overcome the serpent that had overcome man , and to make him the captain of salvation , and to put faln man , and all things , and power into his hand , for the accomplishing of this recovering work , for the glorifying of his love and mercy thereby . the eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the second person in the trinity , being designed to this great undertaking . iii. whether this eternal word , did first unite it self to the prime being of the creation ? and whether that prime being was the universal soul of the world , or there were any such universal soul , save god that is more than a soul , or it be not universal , but yet of the highest created species , and had any causality in the creation or production of the rest of the world ? and whether it ( and the world , as aristotle thought ) was ( except revolutions and alterations ) an eternal effect of an eternal first cause , and many such cases about the original of souls , are questions that god having not clearly decided by natural or scripture light , i cannot peremptorily decide , but am lost in difficulties when i attempt it . iv. till the incarnation of christ , the world was governed by god , as the god of mercy and redemption ; by a regiment of grace ; which may be called the kingdom of christ , as christ was the undertaker of future redemption : and the world being all under a pardoning law of grace , that alloweth repentance on hope of mercy ; god dealt with none upon the meer terms of the law of perfection or innocence ; which ceased cessante capacitate subditorum : be innocent and live , or sin and die , is not the law that any are judged by . v. god that first made this law of grace to faln mankind in adam and eve , renewed it to all in noah . vi. abraham pleasing god above others by faith and full obedience , god chose him to be the father of a peculiar people , promising him that his seed should be multiplied into an eminent policy , and that the saviour incarnate should be of his seed , in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed : not ending the law of grace to the rest of the world , but priviledging abrahams seed with the state of peculiarity . vi. by moses god brought abrahams seed into the promised political state , and gave them a law to be a rule to their political governours , when to punish , and in what sort and degree : and god being their absolute soveraign , and their government a theocracy , he reserved to himself the power of legislation in all the necessary parts , and the choice of their chief rulers under him . and what the magistrate failed to punish according to his law , he would punish himself . this law was but the rule of their obedience , supposing them believers of the promise to abraham , justified by faith : but the carnal jews were so taken up with the outward ceremonies and works , that they lost the understanding of that justifying promise , and the very use of all the types and ceremonies , and thought to be justified by the bare works or doing of what the law required of them as their duty . and because god had not done so by any other nation , they were proud of their law , and yet only outwardly obeyed it . viii . in the fulness of time the messiah came incarnate ( after 4000 years ) and then that which before was only in decree , became a law of mediation or redemption , or a covenant between the father and the son in flesh ; christ being obliged in habit , act and suffering , to do all imposed for the recovery of man , and for this was to be king and lord of all , and having finished his undertaken work , to reign for ever as god-man with the glorified recovered society as his reward in heaven for ever . and all power to this end was given to him , and all judgment or government committed to him , to be exercised on lapsed man for recovery , the father judging no man , as meer creator of innocent man , till this work is done . ix . when christ incarnate came the king came from heaven , and therefore john preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand , and christ first preached that it was come and was among them ; that is , the king promised from heaven to rule the world for their salvation . and when he had first wrought miracles enough to prove it , that faith might not be precarious , and built upon his bare affirmation , he openly claimed first the kingdom of judea , as of the line of david , and caused the people to applaud him with hosanna's . but being to redeem us as a sacrifice by his blood , and to conquer death , and confirm his gospel , by dying and rising again , he oft foretold all this to his disciples , and the rejecting of him by the jews , and their nations , cities and temples ruin for it , and his purpose to cease the mosaical politie , and to make his church more great and catholick by the calling of the gentiles ; especially the roman empire . x. at his resurrection he took more solemn possession of his kingly government . and first commissioned the twelve apostles whom he had before made preachers to the jews , to continue their ministry to them ( in a number related to the twelve tribes ) till persecution should expel them , and then to do their best to make all nations ( as such ) his disciples , baptizing them ( as the entrance into his kingdom ) into the name of the father , the son , and the holy ghost , and there teaching them to observe all his commands delivered to those apostles , and promising to be with them to the end of the world. xi . by this and more it appeareth that a great triumphant kingdom on earth , and national churches , which are nothing but christian kingdoms , was at first in christs intention , though the embrio and infancy anteceding , it was to be first in execution : for he commanded the discipling of nations , and would have gathered jerusalem , and not cut them off , nor taken the kingdom of god from them , but for their unbelief . and the number of twelve was by matthias to be made up , to shew their relation to the jews national church state , till persecution drove them to the gentiles , and then paul and barnabas were added . the apostles have successors in all the parts of their office , which is to be continued to the end , but not in the parts that were extraordinary , peculiar and temporary . xii . christ by the holy ghost ( which he promised to send to be his powerful agent ) propagated a holy generation , and by his messengers preaching ( his resurrection and kingdom especially ) and the miracles which they wrought , he confirmed his gospel ; and converted quickly many myriads of the jews , and after far greater numbers of the gentiles : thus preparing materials or subjects for his more visible kingdom of power on earth ; himself reigning over all in heaven . xiii . that his subjects might know the nature and terms of his covenant and government ( which was to bring them to a heavenly kingdom ) he not only required their covenant-consent to forsake the flesh and this world , and the devil , for that eternal life which he had promised them , but he was pleased to put them on the actual exercise of this agreement , and to try their sincerity , by putting them often upon sufferings and martyrdom : and therein he exercised his heavenly power , in strengthening them , and making them more than conquerors , while they went as sheep to the slaughter ; to the honour of their lord and faith , and the confusion of their persecutors . xiv . yet did he so over-power the spirits of the pagan persecutors , that of forty emperors , there were at most but ten that persecuted them ; so that in this captivity and wilderness state by their liberty their numbers so increased that they became a considerable party in their dominions and armies . xv. of all these persecutors , the cruellest were nero , domitian , maximinus and decius , but far above all , the last , who were seven together ( dioclesian , max. herculius , max. galerius , max. daya , severus , licinius , maxentius , ( and constantius not wholly innocent ) the cruelty of their tormentors , and the great numbers tormented and martyred , is frightful even to read : by all which christ shewed his heavenly power , in the terrible punishment of all their persecutors : first in the dreadful destruction of the cursed part of the jews ; who were by vespasian and titus so destroyed that 110000 of them were killed , and about 700000 captivated : and their state , city and temple overthrown , and saith origen and chrysostom , it is certain that they shall never ( that is , the infidels ) return to that land. and afterwards by trajan and adrian , in revenge of the murders of barcocheba an antichrist , near as many more were killed ; which must needs leave the infidels few in so small a land , when london is supposed not to have near one million of inhabitants . and as to the great pagan empire , ( the greatest that ever the world had ) christ rode on the white horse against them conquering , and executed on them all the plagues gradually numbered in the apocalypse , the seals , the trumpets , the vials , till he had utterly overcome them and all their confederates : he dealt so severely with them , that of forty emperors there were scarce ten or seven that died without murder a natural death : but they were still in bloody wars with other nations , and with one another , so that [ the beast that was , and is not , and yet is , ] became a fit description of their state : as notably suited to domitian at first , and to dioclesian , herculius , and their fellows at last , so all along to the ordinary succession : to day there was an emperor ; the next day he was kill'd , and there was none ; and yet another presently succeeded him , and so there is one again ; the soldiers selling the empire to him that would give most for it , or was likest to advance them . how dreadful a destruction did christ by one constantine bring on the seven heads and ten horns at last , in a very little time . so that heaven and earth triumphed with joyful praise that babylon was fallen , and the kingdoms of the world were become the kingdoms of the lord and of his christ , and he had taken to himself his great power and had reigned , and was setting up the new jerusalem ( as a fifth monarchy ) the embrio of the coelestial jerusalem in its visible reigning power . i am none of those that will secure papal rome from an answerable name , and guilt , and fate : but he that will convince me that pagan rome was not the babylon there meant , or that it is not fallen , must first convince me that he is of more credible authority than the apocalypse . xvi . o how great a change was it for poor christians throughout all the empire , to be brought from scorn and torments , and the martyrdom of many thousands , after 294 years captivity , to be suddenly made freemen , to celebrate christs worship in the most solemn assemblies , and to be made lords of their persecuting , captivating , idolatrous enemies , lately so great that no nations could stand before them . who did the godly desire should be in power , rather their bishops that came newly out of the furnace of tryal ? o what a change ! o what a joyful day ! and shall the success of the devil , that quickly sowed the tares of covetousness , pride and contention among the clergy and laity , tempt us to undervalue gods great mercy to his church which angels and saints gave him so much praise for . emperours also had their odious crimes ; even constantine killed his eldest son crispus , and after his step-mother for accusing him , and banished athanasius : shall we therefore be unthankful for a christian empire , which was christs own visible kingdom ? theodosius killed the thessalonians : arcadius banished holy chrysostom-theodosius the second , a saint , was called an eutychian , and so of others . david committed murder and adultery : solomon was a monster of lust and voluptuousness , and at last of revolt to favour idols ; yet were they the peculiar kings of gods peculiar people ; and few better followed them . all this sheweth that christ all this while reigned , and left it not wholly to the resurrection , to make his enemies his footstool . xvii . it is not unlikely that this delivered , exalted state of the church ( though after corrupted by temptation to pride ) was the new jerusalem in the embrio , of which constantinople was the capital seat , as the porch or infancy of the heavenly city of god , and that one as the infant heir , and the other as the possessor of the inheritance , is described in rev. 20. 21. 22. but of this more fully elsewhere . xviii . the dragon being bound up a thousand years from the churches deliverance ( from constantines edict to the ottoman empire ) the church after grew corrupted : and papal rome imitated pagan rome , though under more plausible names and pretences , and exceeded them in cruelty . and mahomet the eastern antichrist , compassed and conquered constantinople the holy city ; and christs revenge on gog and magog , the turk and tartarian ( with the rest of the infidel world ) are yet to come , and therefore dark . xix . at the end of this world , which shall be burnt with fire , god will make a new heaven and earth ; in which shall dwell righteousness without sin . and all things shall be restored , and the creature delivered from the bondage of corruption , into the glorious liberty of the sons of god. how god will people this new earth , he hath not told us ; whether by creation , as by adam , or by transmigration : nor yet how long it shall continue , unless for ever as part of the endless kingdom . scripture giveth us no confinement of it to a thousand years , but the contrary . xx. christs glorious appearance and judgment , will be both the triumphant concluding parts of the kingdom of redemption , and grace , which he will deliver up when his recovering work is done : and the beginning of the kingdom of glory : in which , as his reward , he will for ever in humane nature be glorified , as the mediator of fruition , as he was of acquisition ; and that in the heavens . his coming in the air is not there to reign a thousand years , but presently to judge the world , as in matth. 25. he describeth it : and to confine his kingdom in humane nature , and ours with him to a thousand years , and confine it to the air , and the survivers on earth , is a fiction full of contradictions , dishonourable to christ and his kingdom , uncomfortable to his church . xxi . there is but one thousand years mentioned in scripture , from whence they can fetch the least shew for their limitation ; and that is only in rev. 20. but it is most evident that the thousand years there mentioned was to be before the conflagration , and new earth , and the resurrection : for it was to be before satan was loosed , and before gog and magog , and their numberless armies assaulted the holy city ; and before the fire from god came on them . and the paradise restored state of the new earth , in which dwelleth righteousness , is not consistent with so much wickedness of the inhabitants , and satans power over the nations : nor with a laodicean lukewarmness , and danger of being spued out . they therefore that well expect a thousand years reign before the resurrection , have no pretence to expect another millennium after . xxii . to expect a thousand years , and that after the fall of papal rome , before the resurrection , is a supposition that this world will endure a far longer time than christians have hitherto believed : and that the great sabbatism is to be before the new earth : and what a sabbatism that will be , the description of gog and magog , and of their laodicea , may tell you : far unlike a paradise state , when all things shall be restored , and the groaning creation be delivered from the bondage of corruption , into the glorious liberty of the sons of god. xxiii . they that assign this thousand years on this side the conflagration and resurrection , for the setting up a fifth monarchy of the converted jews at jerusalem , are the grossest feigners of all the rest . well did jerom say , that the millenaries fetch their errour from the jews , and would set up judaism by it . ( he that dwelt so long at bethlehem knew the jews opinions . ) for ( to pass by what else is after to be said ) their very fiction is a contradiction . were our jews converted , they would in less than a hundred years be no longer a jewish nation : for their state of peculiarity with the mosaical policy is abolished by christ , and must never be restored : and they must and would marry with gentile christians , and fall into the catholick church as rivers into the sea , and lose the name of jews : so did their converted predecessors . xxiv . and seeing it is not like that our now infidel jews are one to a hundred of the posterity of the first believing jews that have been propagated these sixteen hundred years , why should a glorious monarchy be set up of this self-cursed remnant , excluding all the first-fruits , both the sealed , rev. 7. and all since ? but if the posterity of all those old holy jews were now sought for , to be sent to jerusalem , not one man of them would be found and known ; ( of which more after . ) xxv . it is a marvel that the great disagreement of the millenaries among themselves , yet hindereth not their seeming concord , while they can but cry up the thousand years reign , though most of them know not what the words mean. some of them say , the thousand years are on earth ; and some say , they are only of the souls of the martyrs and confessors in heaven : some say , they are both in heaven , or in the air , and on earth at once . some say , that they shall be a jewish monarchy at jerusalem ; and some , that it shall be of the godly all over the world. some say , christ will reign there visibly in his humane nature : others , that he will only sometime appear , as he did after his resurrection : and some , that he will rule there only by reforming christian princes . some hold but one thousand years , and some two , ( one being after the other . ) some hold two new jerusalems , and some but one . some say , that the day of judgment is the thousand years ( and yet that scripture hath not told us how long christ will be judging us . ) and some , that it is only the beginning and the end of the thousand years , that the judgment will take up , and the rest will be in other government . some think that execution on men and devils will be but that thousand years ; which some decry . some think that the first resurrection , is from an aereal vehicle or body into an ethereal ; and others that it is from earthly dust to a heavenly body by transmutation of elements : and others that it is to be a paradise body , like adams before he sinned . other differences seem almost reconciled to some , by the bare name of a thousand years reign . xxvi . it is a far more glorious christian monarchy which christ by constantine set up , than most of the millenaries give any probability of . 1. it was a deliverance from the cruellest persecution . 2. and from the dragons most potent empire . 3. a deliverance of all christians as well as of jews . 4. without confinement to the narrow land of israel . 5. a setting up of a national-provincial church in judea . 6. with the great charges of promoting it , by new churches , monasteries , bibles , bishops ! what could he do more ? the knowledge of what hath been done long ago , would have prevented many mens expectation of the same . xxvii . if it prove that their millennial doctrine , and the calling of the jews , prove a meer mistake , it will not be so small as should suspend our detection of it . because it is an adding to gods word , and fathering on him many untruths , and so a taking of his name in vain ; and a corrupting of his worship while we preach , write and pray for that which we ought not ( further than we must pray for the conversion of all sorts of men ) and a turning of mens zeal to promote untruths , and corrupt mens minds . xxviii . we find it so easie to possess men with a fervent zeal for the millenary opinion , and so hard to make them zealous in holy love to god and man , and in a heavenly conversation , as may make us suspicious that both sorts of zeal have not the same original : i am not willing to name some tremendous instances of men nearly known to me , hereabout . xxix . our worthy brother that hath more learnedly opened that cause than any else that ever i read , by moderation hath brought the difference into so narrow a compass ( in his diatriba de signo filii hominis ) that except , 1. the calling of the jews , 2. and the extending of the day of judgment to a thousand years , and that the general resurrection and judgment of the wicked , shall begin after the thousand years are expired , there remaineth to great and weighty disagreement of such with the judgment of the churches . xxx . seeing we ascribe to christs kingdom so much more than they that we oppose , why should they be thought to extol his kingdom more than we ? 1. is not eternity longer than a thousand years ? 2. and heaven a more glorious state than the air ? 3. and a new earth inhabited only by the righteous , better than one that is laodicean , or that hath such enemies of saints as gog and magog ? 4. and this new earth either everlasting , or of undetermined time , better than one but of a thousand years duration , which is but with the lord as one day , and about a sixth part as durable as this corrupted world , that is under sin and curse ? is this doctrine , or the other , more honourable to christ , and more comfortable to believers , and more evident in the word of god ? chap. ii. an unwilling answer to mr. tho. beverleys twelve principles , and his catechism of the millennium ; necessitated by his many provocations of many ministers , and me by name , and his challenge of all the doctors and pastors of the church , and his censure of the denyers of that millenary reign , as semisadduces of the apostasie . § 1. reverend and truly beloved brother , i take it for no wonder that great and many disagreements in matters of religion are among us , while in professions of less mystery ( law , policy , physicks , medicine , &c. ) there are so many ; that [ so many men , so many minds ] hath so long been a proverb : and in such tolerable cases as much endanger not church and souls , few men are more for mutual forbearance and charitable construction than i am : therefore the millennial opinion i have never been a censorious opposer of , while men kept up peace and charity with it . but the case lately is altered , and is made a matter of necessary zeal , as part of the creed and the lords prayer , if not essential to the gospel and christianity : and very many of the antinomian , and separating opinion , that least understand it , lay much of their religion on it : and the just honour of many conformists , of the most peaceable principles otherwise promoteth it ; such as mr. jos . mede . dr. h. more , dr. cressoner , your self , mr. m. author of the midnight cry , mr. r. m. the publisher ( most pious men both ) and many others . and we must not now be suffered to be silent , but must answer your provocations , or be grosly guilty of the evil that will follow your success . § 2. the millenary opinion was indeed early received by some followers of papias : but the universal opposition of the christian church that hath exploded it ever since , tells us that it was a singular opinion : and is he a humble man that now calleth the christian church for sixteen hundred years , and all those learned and holy divines of england , and other reformed churches , that differ from your conceit , by the name of [ semi-saddvces of the apostasie . ] bear with my freedom . is it humility that so loudly challengeth all the pastors and doctors of the churches to answer you ? have you answered all them ? or so much as one cluverus alone , or james calvert whom you promised me to answer ? was it humility that cast a glove for an answer to two or three trifling fallacies about the pagan babylon , when i had given you an answer to them long before , and you modestly sent it back without a confutation ? i have had long by me , as a learner , some humble queries to you , and no bookseller will print them , because they say men look on you as diseased with prophesying self conceit , and will not read a confutation . your leader dr. more saith , that the papists not answering my books against them , is , because they despise them , as unworthy of an answer . may not your case be much the same ? men have greater matters to mind , than to trouble themselves with you and me , or answering our challenges . § 3. but i come to your chain of principles : and 1. it 's a half and fallacious description of christs kingdom , to say it is his as the son of man. there be millions of sons of men that have no such kingdom . it is his kingdom as god-man , the redeemer and recovering mediator . this kingdom is to him as the eternal word , and the son of man in one person of a redeemer . and because you confessed to me , that if you err , the misunderstanding of the delivering up the kingdom to the father , that god may be all in all ] is your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i will first prove that you grosly err in this your foundation . § 4. 2. you say oft , that christs kingdom begins at the millennium , as if he had none before : and you distinguish not the several gradations of his kingdom , as from the conception and embryo to its maturity : as it began in the promise to adam , and renewed to noah , and proceeded to the covenant of peculiarity , made to abraham and his seed , settled in a common-wealth by moses , renewed to david : and as it came from heaven in the person of the incarnate messiah , shewing his kingly power by his miracles and doctrines , and in his transfiguration , and acknowledged by hosanna's , and owned to the death before the roman judge . nor his entrance on the more open exercise of it , by his resurrection , ascension , and sending down his paraclete the holy spirit , and by it in his commissioned apostles and witnesses , convincing and converting the world. you take little notice of his going forth conquering on the white horse , as king of kings , and lord of lords , and calling all the fowls of the air to eat the flesh of kings and captains , and his utter subversion of pagan babylon , taking to himself his great power and reigning , when heaven and earth triumphed , with joy , that the kingdoms of the world were made the kingdoms of the lord , and of his christ , and christ set up christian princes as his officers representing him to rule as in his name ( as his ministers do in preaching in his name . ) if you say that these things were not done , your unthankful slander of providence and the revelation , is confuted by the whole stream of the roman and church history : what more will be done hereafter is a further question . the fulness of the gentiles then came in . and is all this no kingdom and reign of christ ? § 5. compare christs words of his kingdom and yours , matth. 12. 28. the kingdom of god is come unto you . matth. 21. 43. the kingdom of god shall be taken from you , and given to a nation that will bring forth the fruit thereof . luk. 11. 20. no doubt the kingdom of god is come upon you . luk. 9. 27. there are some here that shall not taste of death , till they see the kingdom of god come in power . luk. 17. 21. the kingdom of god is among you ( or within you . ) matth. 13. likeneth the kingdom of heaven to a sower , to a grain of mustard-seed , to a treasure hid , to rich pearls sought , to a little leaven , to a fishers net , to a field of corn and tares , luk. 19. 12 , 15. when christ ascended , he then received for himself a kingdom , before he came to judgment , joh. 5. 22. the father judgeth no man , but hath committed all judgment to the son. matth. 28. 19. all power in heaven and earth is given me . joh. 17. 2 , 3. all things are delivered to him . luk. 23. 42. he that prayed christ to remember him when he came in his kingdom , was told that he should be in paradise with him that day . § 6. abraham , isaac and jacob , are now in the kingdom of god , and others shall sit down there with them . god is not the god of the dead , but of the living . lazarus was in abraham's bosom : moses and elias appeared with christ on the mount of glory : and enoch was translated . christ is not in heaven alone without any company but angels : and if moses and elias be there , more are there , to make the superiour part of his kingdom . he hath there a nobler reign now , than is exercised in this dark , distracted world , that is drowned in wickedness , and torn by mutual enmity and malice . it would not else have been better for paul to be dissolved and to be with christ . those that follow him , shall be where he is , joh. 12. 26. we live , because he liveth , as branches in him the vine . § 7. either this world is governed now by god , or not : if not , he is not a god to it ; or kings are more to it than god : if yea , it is by christ that he governeth it . are there any divine laws , or not ? if there be , they are christs laws , and the execution is christs execution of them . and sure the exercise of legislation , judgment , protection , rewards and punishments , are the exercise of kingly government . you deny christ , if you deny him to be king : will you not obey him as king , till the trumpet sound , and he come to the final judgment ? § 8. but where is the present kingdom of christ , more gloriously described than in the prophecies which you call your self the humble reader of ? and especially in the apocalypse ( if it be not you only that understand it ? ) it would swell this writing to name all the texts that expresly assert it . isa . 9. 6 , 7. to us a child is born , to us a son is given , and the government shall be upon his shoulder , and his name shall be called wonderful , counsellor , the mighty god , the everlasting father , the prince of peace ; of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end ; upon the throne of david , and upon his kingdom , to order it , and to stablish it with judgment and with justice , from henceforth even for ever . is this only at the millennium . he is a prince and a saviour to give repentance and remission of sin . god hath made him lord and christ , acts 2. 16. to be lord is to be king : to deny this is to say that we owe him no obedience , and is apostacy indeed . how could he make us kings and priests to god , if he were not king himself ? even a priest after the order of melchizedeck , and a prophet raised up like moses that was king in jeshurun . but enough of this to real christians . § . 9. but what is all this to you ? do you deny it ? 1. if you do not , it is not christs kingdom , but the consummation of his kingdom , and his glorious appearing in it that is to begin at judgment after the conflagration . 2. but it is your words and not your thoughts that are published in print , and if you have written contrary to your heart , recant it , and pity them that you deceived . in your catechism of the millennium you say , pag 5. q. when doth christs kingdom begin ? ans . it begins at the coming and appearance of christ , and at the resurrection of his saints at his coming and appearance . ] and page 6. the apostle without any other mention of his kingdom saith , he must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet . now when did this reign begin but at his coming ? or where did the apostle give any intimation of his reigning but at his coming ? and when he comes and descends , and no longer sits at the right hand of god , then god first maketh his enemies his footstool : not when he sits , but when he comes : and then he begins to reign . — his kingdom and the resurrection of his saints begin together . ] § 10. i confess this doctrine well agreeth with doctor more 's life of tryal in the air , and mr. mede's conclusion that our salvation is not ascertained to us till the resurrection : indeed it maketh all our preaching , and religion in this life of little moment , in comparison of that which is after both death and resurrection : for if christ reign not till then , he maketh no laws till then ; he bindeth us to no obedience to him till then ; he punisheth no sin till then ; he setteth up no magistrates till then , to be governing officers in his kingdom : he executeth no discipline in the churches as king ▪ o how have independents and presbyterians been deceived then , who have lamented the neglect or suppression of christs kingly government in the church ! it is then under his thousand years government that men must obey to secure their salvation . § 11. but the contrary is fully evident by the effects . 1. what new laws he will make in the air , you must prove : but we can prove that he made laws for government on earth : 2. else the world hath had no king or government of god : 3. nor no authorized prince or pastor . 4. all saints can say that he giveth rewards on earth to believers . 5. and he is the protector of his church . 6. he here is known by the judgments which he executeth , and maketh his enemies his footstool , though their final fall be at the last . did he not in that kingly glory described by john , execute all those plagues on pagan rome , and its beast , which are gradually described in the seals , the trumpets and the vials till it fell ? if you say that all this is meant of papal rome , sure i am , it was done first on pagan rome : and you that tell us how shortly turk and pope shall fall , sure take it to be before the resurrection ! and doth not christ then make his enemies his footstool by his kingly power ? 12. what it is for christ to subdue his enemies , must be known by his office and undertaking , which is to overcome satan , and to save his people from their sins . and did he not conquer satan as a tempter , and triumph even on the cross ? and doth he not conquer the dominion of sin in all his members ? is he not mortifying them in us day by day ? and is not this treading down his enemies ? and is he not taking off the curse , the fruit of sin ? these are christs enemies , because they are ours ; even the diseases which he came to cure ? § 13. is it not unreconcileable self-contradiction , for you to extol the doctrine of dr. crisp , who saith , that we are so fully saved by christ , even before conversion , that we have no sin , it being none of ours , but his ; nor can any sin hurt us ( much less other mens ) nor any penalty befal us , nor any place left for any duty to do us the least good ; and yet that christ our saviour , subdueth not his enemies before the resurrection ? yea your self assert , that we are righteous by gods essential righteousness , and that as our only justification and holiness : and yet doth not christ tread down his enemies ? hath he trod down in you , no pride , no lust , no errour , no injustice ? doth he not tread down greater enemies than turkish swords , or papal inquisitions in every soul that he converteth ? when we fight not against flesh and blood , but against principalities and powers , and spiritual wickedness in high places ? and when we are but killed , and counted as sheep to the slaughter , in all this we are more than conquerours , and need not fear them that kill the body . § 14. rev. 5. 12 , 13. the numberless host of heaven cry , worthy is the lamb that was slain , to receive power and riches , and wisdom and strength , and honour and glory , and blessing , ( and is not that a kingdom ? and is it not till the resurrection ? ) and every creature which is in heaven , and on the earth , and under the earth , and such as are in the sea , and all that are in them , heard i saying , blessing , and honour , and glory , and power be to him that sitteth on the throne , and to the lamb for ever and ever . ] this is before the resurrection . § 15. rev. 12. 7. if michael be not christ , he is christs servant . and there was war in heaven , and michael and his angels fought against the dragon , and the dragon fought and his angels , and prevailed not ; neither was there place found any more in heaven . and the great dragon was cast out , that old serpent called , the devil and satan , who deceiveth the whole world : he was cast out into the earth , and his angels were cast out with him . and i heard a voice saying in heaven , now is come salvation and strength , and the kingdom of our god , and the power of his christ , for the accuser of our brethren is cast down , who accused them before our god day and night : and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb , and by the word of their testimony , and they loved not their lives unto the death : therefore rejoice ye heavens , and ye that dwell in them : woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea ; for the devil is come down to you , having great wrath , because he knoweth that he hath but a short time . ] he may make his own faith , that will affirm , that this describeth no kingdom of christ , or no conquest of his enemies ; or that all this is after the resurrection , or yet to come , and none of it yet fulfilled . § 16. rev. 14. 7 , 8. fear god , and give glory to him , for the hour of his judgment is come . — babylon is faln , is faln , ] this is a judgment and a treading down enemies before the final judgment : and so is the reaping and the wine-press mentioned , ver . 13. to the end . § 17. were all the seven vials poured out after the resurrection ? c. 16. or were there no treading down of the enemies of king jesus ? ch. 17. 12 , 14. the beast and his ten kings make war with the lamb , and the lamb shall overcome them ; for he is lord of lords , and king of kings , and they that are with him are called , and chosen , and faithful . ] this is a conquest before the resurrection . ch. 18. is yet more full herein , about all the fall and plagues of babylon : over whom heaven and earth are called to rejoyce . and it was certainly before the resurrection , that the kingdoms of the world are said to become the kingdoms of christ . and the three last chapters describing the glory of the delivered church on earth , as representing the heavenly glory , is yet the fullest proof of all . § 18. by all this it is evident , that you call that christs kingdom as begun , which is but his kingdom in triumph and maturity , as if a man were no man till he is at full age. but it is your not distinguishing the kingdom of mediatorial redemption , recovery and acquisition , from the kingdom of mediatorial glory and fruition , that is , the errour that corrupteth all your confident discourses . the office of our redeemer is to recover sinful man to god , and restore him to purity , from sin , and all the curse or punishment for sin ; yea and to advance him to a more perfect and confirmed state . and christs reward for this , is the everlasting joy that was set before him , in the fruition of the divine complacency , and in the perfect and glorious headship to his perfected glorified church for ever . let us consider , 1. which of these is given up to the father ; and 2. what giving up to the father is ; and 3. when it is done . § 19. 1. the first all grant is to be given up : the kingdom of recovery ; but not the kingdom of fruition : that of grace , not that of glory . as a prince commissioned to be general for the reduction of revolted rebels , brings them down by degrees , and having slain some , and reduced the rest , he giveth up his commission , and is general no more ; for his work is done . but he hath after the promised reward and honour , and may under the king , rule them as recovered . or as a physician that hath an hospital or infected city to cure , giveth up that work when it is perfectly finished : so christ giveth up the kingdom of redemption when he hath done that work . 2. but this giving up is no deposing of christ , nor is he less , but more gloriously king than before . nor is god the father any more king than before . it 's no diminution to christs royalty , nor any addition to the fathers . i shall prove this before i go further . § 20. 1. by comparing this text with joh. 5. 22. the father judgeth no man , but hath committed all judgment to the son : ] and yet the father governeth no less than he did before , and is not deposed by giving up all government to the son : only the quality of the subject , and the terms of his government are altered . creation is in scripture eminently ascribed to the father , and redemption to the son. the father as creator governed man in his integrity , to preserve and perfect him : man being faln into sin and misery , the son as redeemer governeth man as a physician his patients , in order to his cure . the father now judgeth no man as sinless according to the law of innocency , but hath committed the government of all to the son as his administrator and physician , in order to their cure . this is but altering the way of government . and it is the subjects of the kingdom that are called the kingdom , who are now restored , and delivered up to the father , without blemish , spot or wrinkle , that he may henceforth govern them as a perfectly healed people , according to the law of perfection . the father now judgeth no less by the son , than before in another way . § 21. 2. i prove the continuance of the kingdom of the son , in the way of fruition and glory , by the promise hereof made to him by the father . the covenant of mediation , hath obligations laid on the son , and promises of a glorious kingdom , as merited by his performance of his part . and doth his performance dispossess him of his promised reward , when it was the condition of his title to it ? it 's tedious to cite all texts that prove it . § 22. 3. the promises are made to christ , that his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom , and have no end : and therefore ceaseth not by the delivery mentioned . and though the hebrew word commonly translated [ for ever ] oft signifie but a long time , or many generations ; yet in the texts intimated , there is no reason for such a limitation . if god say , that of his kingdom there shall be no end , let the deniers prove their denial . § 23. 4. christ hath promised to make them that overcome , pillars in his temple , and they shall go out no more ; which he could not perform if he go out himself , or lose his kingly power . and he saith , that the children of god and the resurrection are equal to the angels , and die no more : and sure he can make their state no more durable than his own . and it is called life eternal which we shall possess : and shall christ have less than we ? § 24. 5. christs humane nature will be perpetuated , and therefore so will his glorious kingdom . no text speaketh of his ceasing to be man ; but many contrary . and who should then presume to assert it ? i know smeckfeldius held , that christ ceased to be man as soon as he entred heaven : but the church called it a heresie . as on earth he was to be man like us in flesh , so in heaven where flesh and blood cannot enter ; yet he will make our vile bodies like to his glorious body . § 25. 6. the state of reward is an advancement , and not a diminution , as to us , so to christ , phil. 2. 9 , 10. wherefore god also hath highly exalted him , and given him a name which is above every name , that at the name of jesus every knee shall bow , of things in heaven , and things on earth , and things under the earth , and that every tongue should confess that jesus is lord , to the glory of god the father . § 26. 7. christ hath promised us that we shall be with him where he is , and prayed that we may there behold his glory ; which is plainly to say , that when he hath been the mediator of redemption , he will be the mediator of fruition ; that is , that we shall see gods glory as shining to us in the glorified humanity of christ : for as we shall have bodies in heaven as well as souls ; so our bodies will have a suitable medium of communion with god. § 27. 8. if christs humane nature should cease its glory , ours by the same reason would do so too . but that is contrary to the hopes of faith. § 28. 9. angels glory and being is perpetuated : and therefore christs humane kingdom and glory , who is above them , will not cease . § 29. 10. there is executive government by christ to be exercised after the supposed thousand years : therefore he shall reign after to perform it . the redeemed believers must be rewarded to eternity , and he must save to the utmost all that come to god by him : he must continue and perpetuate their reward and happiness : for they must live as his members , because he liveth : and i doubt not but if you are for ending christs kingdom after a thousand years , you will be for the ending of ours . and he hath his enemies to punish longer than a thousand years , luk. 19. 27. and i believe that you are for ending their punishment then , if you would end christs kingdom then , rev. 6. 16. it is the wrath of the lamb that is to be executed on the enemies of the lamb : it was against him and his grace that they sinned ; and it is he that cometh in flaming fire to execute judgment on all that know not god , and obey not the gospel . and doth punishment end with your thousand years ? the very nature of the glory of the glorified body of christ , is to live as branches in him the vine : our life is hid with christ in god : and if his kingdom be given up , all our life and security is also given up . the same cause must continue that began , the reward of believers ( in whom christ will be admired more than a thousand years ) and the punishment of unbelievers . the kingdom of glory therefore continueth when the restoring kingdom hath done its work . § 30. 11. the devil hath reigned by gods penal permission , over this sinful world as to the far greatest part , about 6000 years within 314 , and shall christ reign but one thousand ? prove it before you affirm it . § 31. 12. how frivolous is your reason from gods being all in all ? what do you think those words do mean ? it 's neither any addition to god , nor any exclusion of christ : but gods governing mankind as fully recovered according to the law of his perfect nature , and without any more medicinal recovering grace ; and his filling them with the grace and joy of his inhabiting complacence . 1. it cannot mean that god in essence is nearer the creature than before . for in him we live and move , and be. he is all in all now as the god of nature . 2. it cannot mean that god will be more the cause of grace or glory , for christs ceasing to be a cause . for god is no less a cause when he useth second causes , than if he used none . 3. it can no more be an exclusion of christ from being a cause of our heavenly communion with god , than an exclusion of all second causes from their office : and if all second causes be excluded , and there be no cause but god , there will be no being but god , and this is but to reduce the world into god or nothing ; which you must not feign unproved . § 32. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being plural cannot mean that god will end all things , and so be nothing in any thing , but himself : all things in all signifieth the existence of those all things . and shall not christ and his kingdom then exist ? not in its paradise or heavenly state ? § 33. can it possibly mean any more than of him , and through him , and to him are all things ? and so they are now , rom. 11. 36. or that he is above all , and through all , and in us all : and so he is now , eph. 4. 6. and that he worketh all in all : and so he doth still , 1 cor. 12. 6. and that he filleth all in all : and so he doth still , eph. 1. 23. even christ is said to be all in all , col. 3. 11. and shall he cease to be so . he is appointed heir of all things , he upholdeth all things by the word of his power . for whom are all things , and by whom are all things ? heb. 1. 1 , 3. & 2. 10. and why must he be deposed ? by him are all things , 1 cor. 8. 6. god gathereth all things in one in christ , eph. 1. 10. who filleth all things , eph. 4. 10. till we come to the unity of the faith , and of the knowledge of the son of god , unto a perfect man , to the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ , ver . 13. we are growing toward this before the resurrection . and if then we attain it , must it endure but a thousand years ? the perfection of the church of christ , is not like that of fleshly bodies , that when they are at the top of age , go downwards again ; nor apples and pears , that when they are mellow soon rot . § 34. obj. but christ must then be subject to the father . ans . and was he not always subject to him ( in his humanity ? ) he tells us oft that he doth not his own will , but the will of him that sent him . the father worketh , and he worketh . he were not the true christ if , as man , he were not subject to god : but paul saith not that then he begins to be subject to the father : but that he shall still be so . when his war is over , and he hath done his work as general , or conquering redeemer , he shall be still as man , a subject to god , and glorified as the reward of his redemption , and be the glorified head and king of his glorified redeemed kingdom . § 35. i suppose you will say that christ and his saints shall not die , nor be deposed , but have such a glory in which god shall be all in all. ans . very good ; who denyeth that god is or will be all in all ? but the doubt is , whether christ shall be ever the less christ , or king ? or the church ever the less his kingdom at the end of a thousand years ? i forget not your distinction of christ as man , and as the son of man. you confess that christ shall be man for ever , but not as the son of man : that is , as dr. more , and you , and john turner say , he is an eternal man , or life , and hath say you , and dr. m. an eternal body , flesh and blood , from whence you plead for transubstantiation . ans . you could scarce speak to a man that hath been more tempted to follow you in such intimations , as embolden reason to be too presumptuous ; and i confess that the insinuated opinions of peter sterry , dr. more , and j. turner , and you , do strongly flatter emboldened reason : but i take it but for a temptation , while scripture is against it , as well as the judgment of the universal church . when paul tells us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of god , i must in charity suppose that by flesh and blood eternal , dr. more and others , mean ( not properly but catachristically ) the natura mentalis , or the intellectual nature , which they suppose to be the same in christ , angels and men. it is not improbable that the highest of creatures , is in order of nature , a prior effect of the divine production before the lower . whether this shall be called an emanation or a creation you are not agreed . nor whether this prime created nature , be vniversal life , and vniversal matter , and so be the soul and body of the world , considered as before modal mutations ; or whether it be only some nobler sort of spirit and matter that is made before the more ignoble , and perhaps maketh the rest . but it is concluded that christ is the life or spirit and second person in the trinity , and the holy ghost the matter , and so the third person : and that christ , the soul , and the holy ghost the matter , are one ; which some call a creature , and some call god , and some both . peter sterry's is the plainest way , that the divine nature first produceth and uniteth it self to the universal intellectual nature , which is christ the first creature , including the holy ghost : and that this first intellectual nature , uniteth it self at the incarnation to the humane nature : and so that christ hath three natures . 1. divine . 2. superangelical created . 3. humane . but still it is unresolved whether the prime created nature , be a soul to the incarnate body , or christ took both soul and body of man , besides the first mental nature . apollinarius was for the godhead being instead of a soul. now you come and tell us that [ the eternal word in humane nature hath a kingdom throughout eternity , but not as the son of man , but as the eternal word : the glory in which christ is seen with his saints , being the glory which he had with the father before the world began : of the same nature wherein he is now at the right hand of god till he appears : and the union in that eternal state is by god to god , by the word to the father ; so the son as man is subject , and god all in all. catech. p. 21. it seems by the high expressions of god , who is purest spirit , being all in all , and by the lake of the second death , and even the new heaven and new earth after the thousand years flying away , there is no bodily or material nature continued , no not of the sons glorious body , who is then subject , nor of the saints . ans . scripture having declared no such thing , no such thing can be supposed , but that christ and his saints shall be in bodies . so high expressions can fit no state but of god all in all ; even as he was before the foundation of the world all in all , and to which state our lords words so much refer , joh. 17. when all the saints are thus one with god in christ , then he is thus all in all , as before the world began . though this kingdom of christ be so holy , so heavenly , so pure , so much of god in it — yet because it is the kingdom of the man christ jesus , and of his saints in a visible created glory , and not the highest union to god all in all , christ gives this last declaration of the name , that is , of the nature and glory of god ; he freely delivereth up this his kingdom , and the son as in humane nature suffers most willingly that glory of himself , and of his saints , to be swallowed up by god all in all , and unites them with himself to the father , as he is the eternal word , and so they are with him for ever , beholding the glory which he had with the father before the world was , which is the highest instance of self-denial of all created glory , and giving up all to god all in all that could be given , joh. 17. 5. § 36. here you do but confound mens minds with many things at the best unproved . 1. that christ was an eternal man ; ( of which your transubstantiation-book hath more . ) 2. that his eternal manhood is so distinct from his being the son of man , that he hath a twofold manhood ; one from eternity , and one at his incarnation . 3. that christs kingdom as the son of man , that is , in his manhood which he had by incarnation , endureth but a thousand years . 4. that the manhood of his saints which they had by generation , also ceaseth after the thousand years . 5. yet christ and they shall have material bodies after , even in christs eternal body . 6. that this giving up of the kingdom after a thousand years , is the greatest self-denial in the world , as if it were a loss or diminution of the glory of christ and saints . 7. that when all the saints are thus one in christ with god , then god is all in all , as before the foundation of the world. 8. that this is the unity meant in joh. 17. 24. 9. that this is glorifying christ with the glory he had before the world began , joh. 17. 5. and not that god would glorifie him as the son of man , by advancing his humane nature , to its participation in the glory which the divine nature had from eternity . 10. yet you tell me by word of mouth , that you believe the individuation of the saints in this united state . the metaphor of [ swallowing up in god ] you may make true or false as you shall expound it , which till then signifieth nothing . § 37. short-sighted men may reverence this the more , by how much the less they understand it : but they that will make sense of it must see , that it is to lead us to heathen philosophy as a higher light than christ and scripture , and to introduce the pythagorean opinion of the transmigration of souls , and the platonists and stoicks revolution , and averrhois his universal soul , and to make god or christ divisible , and with origen , to make the future rewards and punishments temporary . § 38. 1. if christ as a man , or life , or spirit , was eternal , it was as god , or as a creature . as god he was not man , nor body . if you say that he was the second hypostasis as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and the holy ghost the third as matter , ( as dr. more and j. turner ) then either you mean vniversal , or particular life and matter : if universal , you make the world to be god , and make him divisible : if particular , you make god a part of the world : and so you do if you make him but the soul of the world. § 39. 2. if the saints were in god before the world began , accordingly all things were eternally in god ; and that will bring in aristotles eternity of the world , which indeed meer reason might take for probable . § 40. either you mean that we were in god only as in potentia creatoris , and that is not to be in him , but only to say that he was able to make us : for existere est esse extra causas efficientes . or else that we did actually exist : ( which those hold that are for souls prae existence , or worse . ) and we did exist in god , either as being god himself , or creatures , or effects of god. if we were god from eternity , we are god still : if as effects or creatures , then either as parts of one common soul and body of the world ( or of the humane species , ) or as so many individuals . if it be said that we were but parts of one soul or body , it will infer that we are so still , and that these parts are as the rivers and springs from the sea in continual revolution : or if we are fixed individuals , god kept us not idle from eternity ( or prae-existent . ) none can think that god from all eternity ( or since ) kept all the souls that are to be embodied to the end of the world , in a sleepy state till bodies were generated for them . if you say that they lived in god as pure spirits without bodies , what then did the prime matter , which some of you call the third hypostasis in the trinity ? we see that god put souls into bodies in this world : and can you prove that he never did so before from all eternity ? and when you have said , that christ and saints shall be swallowed up in god , and have no more kingdom as sons of men , but be in god as before the world began , do you mean that they shall continue so to all eternity , and never revolve into bodies more ? when god hath shewed us that he hath delighted in embodied souls these five thousand six hundred ninety years , will you feign that he never did so before , nor ever will do so again ? § 41. i conclude , 1. that there is no rational issue of your doctrine to be expected , but a pythagorean , or platonick revolution or transmigration of souls , from one universal soul into many particulars , as the sea floweth into springs , and they into rivers , and they into the sea again , and so round : or as one sun illuminating the air , lighteth many candles , ( by a burning-glass or by flames , ) being individuated only by the oily matter , but not divided from the common element of fire . 2. and that all this is but to confound men partly with falshoods , and partly with uncertainties ; when the plain doctrine of christ is a more quieting way . god hath kept us so dark about the beginning or prae-existence , and the manner of his producing souls , yea and of the manner of their operation in their separated state , that to be confident beyond his scripture-revelation , is but to be ignorant of our ignorance , and to venture to take gods name in vain . but we know that god breathed into man that breath of life , and so made him a living soul , and said , increase and multiply ; and that the spirit goeth to god that gave it , and we shall be with christ in paradise , and that he will receive our departing spirits , and that it 's best to be with him . § 42. and now i see not what you can make of gods being all-in-all , more that at this day he is , and more than that he shall govern man again as sinless and fully restored , without any further redemption or recovering government ; but that you pervert the text to countenance your pretended abbreviation of christs reign to a thousand years . all things are now in him , and of him , and to him . nothing can be added to all. but i am not able to discern why you speak so much in equivocals and generals , that cannot possibly afford the reader a determined sense . if you are unwilling to be understood , your opinions are not of the light. if you understand not your own words , how should others understand them ? no man can tell whether you infer from gods being all in all , the deification of all things , or their annihilation , or the dissolving of all bodies compound , and the deifying only of the spiritual part . you say catech. p. 14. [ it is the ultimate end , and last result of all things . and ( creatures below being capable of this vnion , as all which have no understanding are annihilated . and creatures of understanding , angels and men , can be no other than miserable in the loss of this vnion . ] but are christ the son of man and his saints miserable till the end of the thousand years ? so p. 15. [ in order to the vnion of all created beings of vnderstanding , to god all in all . ] ( what , devils and all damned men ! ) the eternal word far above angels became lower than angels by becoming man , and so comprehended the whole created intellectual nature , that he might be the head of the whole in their vnion to god : and that in him they might all be reconciled to god with the whole inferiour creation : which having served the glory of the creator by jesus christ , they fly back into their former state of nothing in themselves , but indeed are returned into the divine immensity , and angels and men be vnited to god for ever . eph. 1. 10. col. 1. 20. here we have anihilation and nothingness in themselves , and yet [ indeed are returned into the divine immensity . and so that which is nothing in it self hath a being in god! what can this mean but that the creatures were once all god himself , till he gave them a self-being , which he taketh away , and then they are god again , not only their individuation , but their creature-being ceasing . all things are still in god , and his immensity : but if they have no being in themselves there will be nothing but god : but will they so continue ? and will god from eternity to eternity have no created being save for seven thousand years ( or days ? ) and indeed is the whole understanding ( and inferiour ) nature , devils and men , thus reconciled ? and is god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when there is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing but himself in unity : is he in that which is not ? i have been so long on your first proposition as being your foundation : there is a kingdom of recovering grace of christ incarnate , and glorified , delivered up when he hath done that work , which the kingdom of glory succeedeth , where god as all in all shall be glorified in the perfection of christ god-man and his glorified saints . this is agreed and granted you . principle ii. answered . § 1. no text of scripture saith that the kingdom of grace or redemption begins at christs coming to judgment : but that then it endeth in the triumph of the redeemer , and his entering upon his kingdom of fruition in the full glorified church , 2 tim. 4. 1. saith no more : his appearing there is for judgment , which presupposeth mans final keeping or breaking of christs precedent ruling laws . it is his triumphant ending of the kingdom which he had , and the entrance of that of glory . principle iii. answered . § 1. no doubt but christ will reign with and in his saints . § 2. but that the full number shall be made up then is your own word . at his coming you hold the number will not be full : for you say catech. pag. 4. they shall propagate a holy seed in such abundance , as to recompence with a much more to the glory of the second adam , rom. 5. for the few that are saved within the world of the first adam . ] and all these were not in being at christs coming . nor can you prove that the new earth , and all generation shall end with a thousand years . principle iv. answered . § 1. your supposition that they are not presently caught up ( yea till the end of a thousand years ) is your forgery . 2. the equality of christs love and grace to all his saints ] is also your own doctrine , not christs . for tho ex parte dei who operateth per essentiam , there is no inequality or difference , yet in the effects and the relative extrinsick denominations of god from those effects , there is great difference . all have not equal grace , nor equally improve their talents , nor are rulers of ten cities , nor as the apostles sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of israel . though you say catech. p. 3. [ none of the saints can be perfected , the one without the other . ] if that be true , either those on earth that you liken to adam in paradise are as perfect as those in the new heaven , or those in heaven as imperfect as those on earth . ( and no wonder , when you place them but in the air where evil spirits dwell now , catech. p. 12. ) but christ saith the children of the resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage , but are like the angels ; and you say on earth they shall be getting children abundantly a thousand years ; if you take that for no note of imperfection , it seems christ did . principle v. answered . § 1. what could you have said more strongly against your self ? death is subdued or swallowed up in victory when the redeemed die no more . none of them die after christs first day of judgment at his appearing ? are they dying all the thousand years ? i cannot imagine what reasonable answer you can give to this text and argument ! if you say that there are devils and wicked men to be put to death all the thousand years , can you prove that they were the redeemed that christ came to deliver from death ? or yet that some of them are damned in the beginning , and some not till the end of the thousand years ? or if their death shall endure no longer than the thousand years ? if you say that the saints on earth , have natures mortal , though they shall not die ; i answer , you have written that they are in the kingdom of glory , and equal in love and grace , and perfect , as those above . and if death be not subdued when men are secured from it by christ and the possession of promised immortality , it s a doubt whether it be overcome at all : for none are above a posse mori but god , because the being of all creatures dependeth meerly on his will : the suspension of his support would end all created being : in which sense it is that arnobius cont . gentes asserteth the souls mortality . if christ must be the conqueror of death , when will he conquer , if not when men die no more ? is it after he hath given up his power and kingdom ? principle vi. answered . § 1. this is but your further owning your own full confutation . principle vii . answered . § 1. this poor shift is answered above : do you not say , those alive are in the same glorious kingdom ? and that none are perfect till all are perfect ? and have those in the air any more assurance that they shall not die , than gods love , and will , and promise , and their union in christ ? 2. but why is not at least the heavenly , or airy kingdom given up at first ? 3. was not death conquered to the person of christ , after his resurrection , though he was at his ascension to be taken up ? and is not death conquered to those on earth that have the foresaid security to ascend and never to die ? this shifting is meer violence to the text. 4. but i will prove that the apostle tells us that the catching up will be presently ; and your words of [ christ first , and then those that sleep in him ] have no more strength than this inference [ if paul telling us of the difference in order of time between christs resurrection and the end of the world , be signified by that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , after , then we may suppose that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth no sudden change of the living at the coming of christ . ] ans . i deny the consequence : the matter of fact tells us of a sixteen hundred years distance in one , and the text proveth a suddenness in the other . the distance between christs rising and his coming to judgment are so notoriously revealed , that paul need not say , it will not be the same moment . but here ( if you believe not your self instead of gods word ) the contrary is so plain as confuteth all your devised frame . § 2. i. ( supposing that i need not confute to you the two false readings reproved by jerom , augustine , &c. ) 1 cor. 15. 51. saith , [ we shall all be changed [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] what could be spoken plainer ? at the change joyned with the resurrection , it will be in a moment , in the twinkling of an eye , and ( which is unanswerable ) at the last trumpet . that the said trumpets sound is at christs coming is evident , matth. 24. 30 , 31. they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven , with power and great glory : and he shall send his angels , with a great sound of a trumpet , and they shall gather together his elect , from the four winds , from one end of heaven to the other . and 1 thes . 4. 16. the lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout , with the voice of the archangel , and with the trump of god , &c. ] if you will feign two trumps , one at the beginning and the other at the end of the thousand years , you will do it by so gross an addition and contradiction of gods word , as that i hope few will believe you : nor yet if you feign that the trumpet will not sound till the end of the thousand years : for the trumpet soundeth at the same time that christ cometh with his angels , and that the dead are raised , and the elect gathered . at this sound will be the change in a moment . § 3. ii. the text saith expresly that we shall be caught up together with them . ] and that none may feign it to speak but of a simultas of company and not of time , the words are placed so as to confute it . [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] we shall with them be caught up : not a thousand years after them . § 4. iii. the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] rapiemur , suddenly caught up as by force , seemeth purposely put to signifie the simultaneous speed . § 5. iv. the end of this rapture is , not at a thousand years end to go dwell in the air , or with the lord , but to meet the lord in the air , which is supposed to be at his coming , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . the whole context , 1 thes . 4. and 1 cor. 15. implyeth this meeting him to be at his coming . § 6. v. it is said to be to meet him in the air. but no bible but yours doth say that christ shall dwell a thousand years in the air. and you your self say that at the end of the thousand years he shall give up his airy humane kingdom : and when he hath removed his dwelling the inhabitants of the earthly paradise will come too late . § 7. vi. it is said that when we meet him we shall for ever be with the lord : that is , the same lord , that we meet , which is christ god and man , and in the state and kingdom where we meet him ; and not only come to him at a thousand years end , when he hath changed his humanity , kingdom and place . § 8. vii . ver. 15. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are left as reserved to the coming of the lord ] plainly imply that we are kept for that time to meet him at his coming , and not only a thousand years after . § 9. viii . 1 cor. 15. 52. again expresly joineth the sound of the trumpet , the resurrection , and our change together , [ for the trumpet shall sound , and the dead shall be raised incorruptible , and we shall be changed , that is , when the trumpet soundeth , and the dead are raised . § 10. ix . matth 24. christ tells us that he will gather his elect from the four winds , when he cometh with his angels , and the trumpet soundeth : but those found alive on earth , cannot be excluded from the number of the elect that are at or under the four winds : therefore they shall then be gathered to him . § 11. x. the living shall be caught up when death the last enemy is subdued : but that will be at christs triumphant coming , and the resurrection : for after that there will be no more death as an enemy . if you would deny this ( as aforesaid ) because in the new earth the blessed are mortal in possibility of nature , i answer , that paradise possibility ( were it true ) is none of the curse for sin , and therefore not the enemy to be subdued . § 12. xi . the saints shall be caught up when the day and work of judgment cometh : but that will be at christs coming , and the resurrection : as he himself and many a plain text of scripture tell us , ( too much to cite . ) and whereas you feign a judgment day of a thousand years , taking judgment for government , christ otherwise expoundeth himself , and tells how the judgment will proceed by exploration and sentence , mat. 25. &c. and government in general containeth legislation , judgment and execution : you tell us not a word what legislation will be in the air the thousand years . and for judgment in special , will christ be a thousand years in exploration and sentence ? will the wicked so long be untryed and uncondemned , or the faithful so long unjustified , or by sentence judged to salvation ? doth not christ mat. 25. contradict this ? vviil their case be so long undecided ? if you mean that execution will be that thousand years , can you prove that the damned shall suffer no longer ? nor the blessed any longer reign with christ ? o make not a new gospel , heaven and hell ! § 13. xii . the saints will be taken up when the kingdom is delivered up to the father , and god is all in all : but that will be at christ triumphant coming and judgment at the resurrection . for it signifieth no more but that sin and curse shall all be cast out , and all that rebelled against god be conquered , and all christs recovering work performed , and god again rule man as innocent according to the law of his perfect nature : this will be then finished . you say that those on earth shall be in a paradise state , and those in the air will not be worse : and then christs coming in triumph delivereth up the kingdom to the father , that his and christs kingdom of glory and fruition may succeed . § 14. xiii . when paul was opening to them the mystery of christs kingdom , if he had talkt thus of being caught up in a moment of time , at the last trump to meet the lord , and never told them a word of a thousand years between the trumpet and being caught up , it must be because he knew it not , or was not willing that we should know it : but neither of these could be true in a matter of so great moment , when it was that coming of christ that he was satisfying them about . and i will learn from you , nothing that paul knew not . § 15. xiv . i have proved before how copiously christ openeth the nature of his own kingdom in many parables ; and how he maketh his enemies his footstool , conquering satan , sin and enemies , and how the revelation openeth his conquest of the roman empire : and he shall destroy the man of sin with the breath of his mouth , and the brightness of his coming . therefore he hath not left this to be done the thousand years after his coming . § 16. xv. peter tells us that [ the day of the lord will come as a thief in the night : in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise , and the elements melt with fervent heat . ] but a thousand years is not such a sudden surprize : nor will heaven and earth be a thousand years burning . § 17. xvi . the earth and the works therein shall be burnt up ; and all these things be dissolved . 2 pet. 3. 10 , 11 , 12. therefore the bodies of those then alive would be burnt and dissolved were they not first taken up . to say as you do , that god would keep them in the fire unburnt as he did the three , dan. 3. is to make and obtrude on us a gospel of your own . § 18. xvii . you think gog and magog shall live after the conflagration , who shall cover the earth : and shall all their bodies too be unburnt in the fire , that dissolveth all these things on earth ? is this any word of god ? § 19. xviii . you that think men live each one the whole thousand years , and generate so abundantly as to recompense with a much more for the few that were saved under the first adam , can by no reasonable imagination find room on earth , for the numberless off-spring of a thousand years , to dwell all at once here : and the numberless followers of gog and magog also to dwell with them . they must not be so unrighteous as to dispossess the wicked of their dwellings ; and for one year after all is burnt up , they may be in want . § 20. xix . it is incredible that your description of earth for the thousand years can leave gog and magog in their hostility unconvinced : for to see men live a thousand years in the sight of christ and all the saints in the air , one would think should convince them : or if men are changed before at the common age of men , to see so many millions caught up to heaven without death or burial , sure would make them afraid of fighting against such . § 21. xx. there is not one word of god that confineth christs kingdom to a thousand years ; and what are you that you should presume to do it ? it hath continued much above a thousand years already . if you alledge 2 pet. 3. one day with the lord is as a thousand years , and a thousand as one day , which speaketh only against doubting , because of the delay of christs coming , as if this told us how long he should reign when he is come , this would but confirm us that your doctrine is meerly of your self . the thousand years in rev. 20. is the same with that of the womans being in the wilderness , and the dragons being bound , which is plainly on this side the conflagration . and indeed is presently after the fall of pagan rome . for that pagan rome was not babylon , or that it is not faln , i will not believe though you should swear it , or cast the glove in challenge to dispute it . § 22. xxi . gog and magog , and all their hosts are to be in the end of the thousand years : but they are to be before the conflagration and coming of christ : therefore the conflagration and coming of christ is to be after the thousand years . in the new earth will dwell righteousness , that is , only righteousness , and in a paradise state : but that is inconsistent with a numberless power of malignant enemies that shall compass the holy city . § 23. xxii . you make a strange exposition of john , as if he wrote to five of the asian churches as in one world , and to laodicea the seventh in another when this is burnt up and christ come . § 24. xxiii . when you have almost equalled the new earth with heaven , you debase it by making it a laodicean church , which for lukewarmness god threatneth to spew out , and to take away their candlestick ? is this the paradise world of righteousness ? § 25. xxiv . you make two new jerusalem's when scripture speaketh but of one after christs coming : one you take to be in the air , and the other on earth : though one society may be in both , one vrbs or material city cannot ; such as is described rev. 21. and 22. § 26. xxv . you feign two conflagrations : one to burn the world , and another after to burn gog and magog and their followers over the earth . § 27. xxvi . you groundlesly dishonour the kingdom of christ by confining it to a thousand years , which god hath promised shall have no end. § 28. xxvii . you dishonour christ and his kingdom by bringing him from his fathers right hand in heaven , and placing him and his saints a thousand years in the air , where you say wicked spirits now dwell , and where dr. h. more saith , good and bad dwell in an aerial vehicle till they are advanced to an etherial : yea where you say devils and damned men now dwell with christ ; and where christ must exercise the greatest self-denial in leaving that lower station . § 29. xxviii . you make christs kingdom to be a humbling loss to the saints above , while you take them down into the air for a thousand years , from the heavenly state where you say they were in god , where christ is at his right hand , as they shall be at last ; or else you will make that everlasting union their loss . § 30. xxix . either you also bring down the angels from their glory to dwell in the air , or else you separate them from christ and the saints in the air with him . § 31. xxx . when god hath already continued the old sinful world under the curse almost six thousand years , you by fiction confine the new purified world wherein dwelleth righteousness to a thousand years , and call this the sabbatism . as if our rest must be so much shorter than sin and labour ? when yet there will be no sin to provoke god to destroy the new world. principle viii . answered . § 1. how frivolous is your arguing from the name of a monarchy : god is ever the absolute monarch : but if you mean a humane visible monarchy , and suppose he must so visibly rule the earth , you do but beg the question . a monarch of all the world , none ever was , and therefore four such never were . but if by a monarchy you meant , the greatest visible empire on earth , so the fifth monarchy was set up by constantinople , which differs far more from the pagan roman monarchy , than that did from the grecian or assyrian : and it was christs visible monarchy reigning by his vice-roys , the kingdoms being now said to be his kingdoms . this was the true visible fifth monarchy : and the turks are the sixth monarchy , the renewed reign of the captivated dragon , let loose after a thousand years . § 2. but your fiction that the scripture assigns a thousand years to christs reign after the resurrection is worse than frivolous ; a meer forgery ; i answered it before . if peter quiet mens over-hasty expectation of christs coming , by telling them that a thousand years time is as nothing to the eternal infinite god ; shall a man pretend skill in prophecy , and tell us , that he meaneth that christs reign after the resurrection is measured and meant by this thousand years , and is as nothing to the eternal god. and i have proved to you that the thousand years in the revelation , speaketh of no such thing , but of what is done before the resurrection . for 1. those thousand years are most likely to signifie an undetermined time , and mean no more than a long time ; as mr. durham and cluverus most incline to think ( and many others . ) but 2. granting the contrary , it plainly speaketh of a time presently following the feasting of the fowls of heaven with the flesh of kings and captains , and the fall of the pagan babylon . and not only grotius , but john fox and many others tell us , that it is the just time between the fall of pagan rome , and the beginning of the ottoman empire ; which was about 1300 years . 3. and this thousand years is before the suppression of wickedness in the world , while gog and magog are in the four quarters of the earth , in number as the sand of the sea ; that shall go upon the breadth of the earth , and compass the camp of the saints , the beloved city : and before the fire that cometh down to devour them . and most certainly all this is not in the new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness : so that this thousand years seemeth to signifie but 1. that apostles and martyrs go to heaven , 2. and leave their names and doctrine honourable on earth ; 3. and that the surviving confessors shall rise from their persecuted state , to triumph with christ in their deliverance and superiority on earth ; 4. and that this sudden exaltation is a fit representation of the glory that they shall have perpetually in heaven . let any sober man judge whether this one only mention of a thousand years in a hard prophecy , rev. 20. under the expository circumstances now named , will warrant a man to preach a new gospel and kingdom of christ to the world , without any proof from all the plain words of christ himself and his apostles , and directly against them . he that well considereth prophetical language , will think that articles of faith should be founded on plainer words . when we read in ezekiel , that egypt shall have no inhabitant for forty years , that tyrus shall be no more inhabited , that babylon , and the land of babylon shall be no more inhabited , and abundance the like , we shall the better understand the apocalypse , whose very words are much taken out of the prophets . 5. the devil and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire after the destruction of gog and magog , and after the thousand years : but sure they are cast into the lake at the resurrection : for if they stay uncondemned a thousand years after that , i know not what christs coming to judgment signifieth : sure it is not the date of their execution ; for they are to be tormented for ever and ever : and must they be unsentenced a thousand years ? 6. and the resurrection is described as coming after all this : the earth and sea giving up their dead , and the dead judged out of the books , &c. 7. and ch. 21. the new heaven and new earth cometh after this thousand years , and the destruction of the enemies ; and the new jerusalem coming down from god : and there are yet kings of the earth that are to bring their glory into it : and there are nations to be healed with the leaves of the tree of life ; which made mr. potter and many others conclude , that it is the glory of the church on earth , that the 21 , and 22 chapters describe : though it is most probable that it is but as a representation of the heavenly glory : but the thousand years is plainly ended before the resurrection . 8. the plain meaning that ( though the old serpent will still be a tempting deceiver , both without the church and within , yet ) as a dragon or babylonish conqueror and captivater , he shall be bound up for a thousand years after the churches delivery from the pagan captivity : and so he was . and yet the text tells us , that all that while the earth had nations of enemies that at last were by that dragon drawn to assault the church again . here is not a word of a thousand years new earth in which dwelleth righteousness , and that after the conflagration and resurrection . the new earth is mentioned with no such limitation : that 's all the device of presuming imagination . principle ix . answered . § 1. the recovering victorious gracious kingdom , is ended in the glorions triumph of his appearing and judgment , and his glorious kingdom of fruition then beginneth : that all his kingdom then beginneth , is a falshood largely confuted by christs own mouth . and as false is it that the kingdom of recovery or grace , is not given up till a thousand years after the resurrection . that this is before the kingdom of eternity , is false in any proper sense . if you mean a kingdom from eternity without beginning , you should prove that ever there was such : your bare naming it so is no proof . if there were no men from eternity , then there was no kingdom of men . if you mean that which shall endure to eternity , so will christs glorious kingdom as man over men. for many and many scriptures tell us , it hath no end , and is everlasting : and he that accuseth others of semi-sadduceism of the apostasie , should consider , whether denying the kingdom of christ and his saints in glorified humanity , as soon as a thousand years ( as one day ) are ended , be not liker sadduceism and apostasie , than our believing the everlastingness of it . § 2. when your own presumption hath defined it to be a thousand years , you may as boldly assign its time and place . but i have proved that the scripture confuteth your time , and that a moment , and the twinkling of an eye , and the last trump , sounding , is not a thousand years : and therefore no such space as the whole kingdoms duration , between the resurrection and the living caught up . § 3. paul saith , phil. 3. 19 , 20. that the saviour that we look for from heaven , shall change our vile bodies , and make them like to his glorious body : he speaketh not as you of four bodies and three changes . 1. a natural sinful body turned into a paradise body . 2. and that ( called vile ) turned into a glorious body . 3. and that ceasing left to a divine eternal body . 3. i have oft told you that the paradise body or mortality , is none of the curse or enemy to be subdued . principle x. answered . § 1. we have better thoughts of the new heaven and earth than you have ; we expect both to be of longer continuance than a thousand years . § 2. that it is the saints remaining that dwell on the new earth a thousand years before they are caught up , is your word , and not gods , that i can find . god can replenish that new earth as he did this , or how else he please . principle xi . answered . § 1. whatever they are called you confess that the wicked rise : and that they are not cast into the lake of fire till the last of the thousand years , is only your word . if they have a thousand years life of further tryal , why may they not repent and scape . principle xii . answered . § 1. the fifth monarchy is christs whole kingdom , 1. as he preparatorily governed by the word , miracles and spirit . 2. as he visibly set up and ruled by the christian emperours and kings . 3. as he at last entereth on the kingdom of glory and fruition . your fiction of another is but your own word . and now i have done what in the enterance and conclusion you provokingly challenge all persons believing the scriptures to do , and shew that while you say you boast in the word of god , and not in your self , it is by giving us your own word , not only for gods word , but against it . the lord heal and forgive our weakness , and the ignorance of our ignorance . it greatly hindereth the edification of your readers , that you so much use terms general and equivocal , that unexplained signifie nothing : and so every book needeth another to expound it , and that may as much need another . some think this is because you would not be understood , your doctrine being not able to bear the light. others think it is because you understand not your self , and therefore cannot speak intelligibly , confused notions having but confused expressions . the instances are more than i will recite . as e. g. you place christs kingdom so often in his and his saints appearance , as no reader can discern , but you mean such appearance to mans visive faculty in these fleshly bodies , as if now in heaven christ and angels , and the spirits of the just did not appear to one another , because they appear not to us : as if the intuition of spirits and spiritual bodies , were not a more eminent discerning than our eye-sight : sure there is a more noble sight , than that of mortals . so no man can tell by your phrase of [ swallowing up in god ] and that christ was from eternity , and shall be to eternity , the word and man imbodied , whether you mean that he was an individual man distinct from any others , or the universal soul of the world imbodied in matter : and by your talk of our being one in god , as we were before the world began , none can tell whether you mean that we were existent , or only in potentia creatoris ? and if existent whether we were god or parts of god , or individual souls made from eternity for future bodies , and kept till those bodies were made : and whether kept in revolution from body to body ? or how ? and whether we shall have a future revolution . so your doctrine of the hell of the devils and the damned , can tell no man whether you think that after the thousand years they shall not be as dead , under meer privation , since you say , catech. p. 5. and 22. it is a state of deprivation of glory , and casting into the lake of fire , signifieth , final and utter cessation of all action ; and that they shall not appear but be unseen , &c. and if they have no action , they have no sinful action , no self-accusation , no intellection , no malice nor revenge , nor hatred of god and goodness . so your doctrine of the kingdom of christ ; i cannot believe you so notorious an infidel , as to deny christs kingdom in heaven and earth , till the resurrection : and yet your words expresly say , that his kingdom then beginneth : and that this apostle mentioneth none till then . and in your late great revolution , epist . in the end , you say , [ his monarchy shall then ( 1697 ) begin its succession , though the glorious investiture shall not be till seventy five years after . ] can any but a prophet that is inspired to expound you , tell what you mean by abundance such passages ? what is the difference between the beginning of the succession and the glorious investiture ? what is the succession ? doth it begin the thousand years or not ? doth the succession begin seventy five years before the investiture ? is not the investiture christs glorious appearance ? your writings make it plain , that you are a good man of deep thoughts , faln into a fond esteem of your new unripe conceptions , and rapt up thereby into a diseased conceitedness , and how you will be able to bear it when providence and experience have confuted you in 1697 i know not : but i am the more bold to foretel your failing , by my perswasion that your exposition of the revelation which you take for granted , is a meer mistake from the beginning almost to the end. and wonder not that no body writeth to confute you for men love not to trouble themselves with convincing every single man of his errours . and the reasons why i do attempt it is because by the seduction of some of my friends , and the general inclination of the antinomian , anabaptist and separating party , to this conceit of the thousand years kingdom , and by the midnight cry published by mr. r. m. and preached by mr. j. m. men of very great piety , whom i highly value as any conformists i know , i understand that your opinion that formerly was tolerable as confined to a few conceited good men , is now becoming a great article of their faith and religion : especially since i see that in all your professed extraordinary humility , you brand all that dissent from you as semi-sadducees of the apostacy , and earnestly challenge and provoke all pastors and doctors to answer you ; and maintain ( though you conform ) that gods word knoweth not a clergy . chap. iii. of the other sect of the millenaries that place the thousand years reign before the conflagration . § . 1. this was the elder sect : but dr. more , and mr. beverley , and dr. cressoner , and other late writers , being more searching , did perceive that this way would not hold , nor by it could they countenance their doctrine from rev. 20. the only text that mentioneth a thousand years reign ( misunderstood . ) § 2. they agree that , 1. there will be a thousand years reign on earth : 2. that the jews shall be called , and make a glorious part of this kingdom : 3. that the ten tribes now lost , shall be found , and be part of the kingdom : 4. that turk and pope shall fall before this : 5. that at last gog and magog shall gather in war against this new jerusalem : 6. that fire from heaven shall consume these enemies . § 3. but they agree not , 1. of the state of the church with christ above all this time . 2. nor whether there be one or two new jerusalems ( one above , and one below . ) 3. nor whether christ shall reign on earth visibly in his humane nature , or only by a holy magistracy and ministry ? 4. nor whether all or most of the jews shall go dwell at the old jerusalem , or judea , or stay in the several countries where they live ? 5. nor how far the princes and nations among whom they live shall be converted with them ? 6. nor by what means the jews shall be converted ? 7. nor how long it will be in doing ? 8. nor how the princes under whom they live will dismiss or use them ? 9. nor how they shall after all become a laodicea , and fuel fit for the conflagration ? 10. nor whether that fire that burneth the earth and heaven , and that which burneth gog and magog , make one or two conflagrations ? 11. nor how far christs kingdom ceaseth at the end of the thousand years ? § 4. as to both sects , i know no more that i have further to do for their full confutation , but i. to give a better paraphrase of the revelation than their feigned suppositions contain : and that i have done in a book not yet printed . ii. to prove that the ten tribes were but part of them carried away by salmanasser , and that they were in cyrus dominions , and had leave as well as the two tribes to return if they were willing : and that galilee and other parts of israel as much owned christ as the two tribes , at least : and the twelve tribes made up the converts that were the rudiments of the christian churches : and that it was to the twelve that james , peter , and paul to the hebrews wrote : and it was the twelve that the 144000 rev. 7. were sealed out of , so expresly distinguished from the innumerable gentile christians , as may confute the expositors , that make them to signifie the gentile ministry . iii. to prove that at the fall of the pagan empire , the fulness of the gentiles came in , as meant rom. 11. and all israel saved : that near three millions of the jews that were cursed infidels , being killed and ruined by titus , trajan and adrian ( out of a countrey not so big as half england ) and the christians escaping , the christian part remained the main body of the nation : and marrying with gentile christians , and forsaking moses law , lost the name of jews , which remained only with the off-spring of the scattered infidels . that constantine made judea one of the most famous national-provincial churches in the world , for honours , temples , monasteries and bishops , no jews being forbidden there to dwell . and that god hath promised no further conversion of the cursed remnant of the infidel jews , than of any other infidel nations : and therefore all christians should not in ignorance of all this , corrupt their prayers , and sermons , and religion , with fathering on god such promises of the jews conversion as he never made , lest they be found guilty of adding to his word , and taking his name in vain , and scandalous depraving the christian faith. nor should they by ignorance unthankfully deny the performance of gods promises , of the fall of the pagan empire and babylon , and so much of the fifth monarchy , and new jerusalem , and conversion of the jews , as certain history puts us past doubt is already past . the performance of this , to avoid prolixity , i shall but briefly give you as followeth . chap. iv. that the ten tribes of israel , will never be found and called , if they never were so heretofore . § 1. those that are for a jewish monarchy , or their general conversion , commonly hold that the ten tribes carried away by salmanasser , are lost , and never yet restored . whether this be true , we shall see anon . but if it were true , it would follow , that they never will be found and called , and consequently that they will be no part of the converted jews . § 2. the proof is evident : because the accident supposeth a subject : that which is not , hath no accident . there are no such ten tribes unknown and uncalled existent in the world. none will say that any such are known : and that 's enough to prove them unknown , and if unknown , not in being . for 1. if the infidel part of the two tribes be as many as such think , how much more numerous must all the posterity of the ten tribes be ? 2. and navigations , travelling , and merchandize , and embassies , have acquainted men with so much of the earth , as tells us that they are not known in any known part of the world : and were they existent they could not be unknown . benjamin's itinerary that feigneth a discovery of them , proveth it self fabulous , and is so accounted commonly by sober learned men. and dreaming that they are in america is no proof . § 3. learned mr. sam. lee , well describeth many of the places to which they were transplanted , and very learnedly stretcheth his wit to conjecture that they are in tartary : but 1. there is not any probability given us by him that ever they were thither removed , [ at least any notable number . ] 2. and though tartary be large , and not all fully known to us , yet so much is discovered by historians and travellers , as may acquaint us that there is extant no society of known and professed jews ; they being all heathens and mahometans , save an inconsiderable sprinkling of christians : and scythia hath been so anciently peopled , that even to the potent roman empire , they were the most invincible enemies ; and the wars of tamerlane made them known to much of the world. and if they were there , and marrying with scythians have lost the name of jews , they are unrecoverably extinct . and so cannot be called as jews , being now no jews . it is become a natural impossiblity . chap. v. that the ten tribes were not lost , or extinct . § 1. 1. this is so clear by abundance of prophesies in isaiah , jeremiah , and ezekiel , hosea , that it would be tedious to recite them ; viz. that judah and israel were to be again made one kingdom , as two sticks made one stick , and david their king to reign over them : if this was not fulfilled , the prophesie would fail , which must not be imagined : for ( as is aforesaid ) if it be not fulfilled , they being now extinct , and not existent , it never can be fulfilled . § 2. 2. there is no probability ( as mr. mather hath well noted in his diatriba ) that all or most of the common people were transplanted ; but only the rulers , and rich , and military and leading men. for 1. considering how many millions that small land maintained , it is improbable that so great a multitude could be so far ruled by an army , or that they should soon find vacant habitations , and victuals for them . 2. and it is more unlikely that salmanasser should find so many of his subjects to send into their places , and that all those should be willing of a removal into so small a land. 3. and it is known that no such thing hath been done by conquerours in any other land. nebuchadnezzar took from jerusalem none but the princes , nobles , priests , rich men , souldiers , and men fit for his militia , and smiths , and carpenters , &c. but he left the common people to manure the land : otherwise they would lose all their tribute , and the fruit of the ground . in all the conquests made by the persians , the greeks , the romans , the egyptians , the saracens , the turks , the tartarians by tamerlane , there hath no such thing been done , as the transplanting of the most of the common inhabitants . indeed the beggarly goths , and vandals , ostrogaths and hemli , &c. came with their wives and children sometimes , resolving to possess or die : but what was a hundred thousand of such to all italy when they possest it ; or to all spain , or all france , or africk , in comparison of the inhabitants whom they subdued and mastered ? in england how few were the romans , yea or the saxons , or the danes , or the normans , in comparison of the britains that were brought in subjection unto them ? it was but the great men , and rich , and military , and some fearful people that fled from their armies , that fled into wales . as mr. tho. jones in his hearts soveraignty hath truly proved , the main body of this nation called english , is of the brittish bllod ( it's like many hundred to one ) though the language followed the ruling part . § 3. 3. it is evident that all the twelve tribes were in the dominion of cyrus , when he sent the jews to repair the temple and city : the two tribes at babylon where he made darius king , and the ten in his hereditary dominions and his conquests , as mr. calvet in his naphthali hath shewed ; and as will appear by the topography of the places named in scripture , to which they were carried , learnedly opened by mr. lee , abating his conceit of tartary . and it is evident that cyrus meant not to confine the grant of his free return to the two tribes : but those that were not willing to return he did not compel : and most had possession by that time of wider and fatter habitations . ezra 1. cyrus made no question of their liberty to dwell in judea : but it was gods house at jerusalem that god charged him to build , for which end he saith , ver . 3. [ who is among you of all his people , his god be with him , and let him go up to jerusalem which is in judah , and build the house of the lord god of israel ( he is the god ) which is at jerusalem . and whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth , let the men of his place lift him up with silver , and with gold , and with goods , and with beasts , &c. were the ten tribes none of the people of the god of israel ? i must not swell this book too big : let the reader that is willing to understand , peruse ezra , nehemiah , esther , and daniel , with haggai , and zechariah , and consider the grants of darius , and artaxerxes , and the vast number of jews still remaining abroad in the persecution of haman , and he will find that it was not for want of liberty to return that so many stayed behind , but because the avoided returning as a suffering : and multitudes that had a zeal for jerusalem , settled in egypt at alexandria , that thence they might three times a year come to the temple , without too much loss and cost . § 4. 4. in christs time the habitations of the ten tribes was of the same religion with those at jerusalem : and went thither to the feasts ; and submitted to their priests and ceremonies ; christ lived from his childhood still in galilee : at nazareth and capernaum , where peter , andrew , james and john lived : that is , close by the ford of jordan , by which is the passage to egypt : there he had far more followers than about jerusalem : thence went his supposed father , and brethren ordinarily to the feasts at jerusalem : zechary and elizabeth , many levites , scribes and pharisees dwell in the countrey of the ten tribes : though samaria about the place of worship , by customs kept up some animosity against jerusalem , yet the woman , john 4. could say , when the messiah cometh he will tell us all things : and is not this the christ : and what place so generally received the gospel when philip preached to them ? it was not for nothing that the christians were so long called galileans . but this and more shall next be proved . chap. vi. what conversion the twelve tribes have already had ? § 2. 1. as is aforesaid , the saviour himself ( and his apostles ) chose his abode on earth among them ; and calleth them the lost sheep of the house of israel ; and the children whose bread must not be given to dogs : they were the circumcision to whom he was a minister : he ordinarily preached in their synagogues , and there wrought most of his miracles : it was they that cryed him as king with hosanna's : it was they that followed him to the cross ; and it was in galilee where on a mountain he appointed them to meet him after his resurrection . § 2. 2. he appointed ( not two , but ) twelve apostles , and 70 disciples , as suited to the twelve tribes and their sanedrim , to shew what form of government he assigned them , and for whom , and he sent his apostles to the twelve tribes of israel . § 3. 3. the chief success of their preaching was on the samaritans and others of the ten tribes ; and such of them as came up to the feasts . § 4. 4. there were three thousand at once converted of the jews ; after made five thousand ; and soon after many myriads of jews believed ( at least many thousands . ) § 5. 5. these became the mother-church , and the law went out of zion , and so all nations were blest in abrahams seed , and christ became a light to the gentiles , and the glory of his people israel : the scattered jews of the twelve tribes through much of the empire , were the stamina or rudiments of the gentile churches : the apostles first preached in their synagogues , and the converted gentiles were added to their converts . § 6. 6. the epistle to the hebr●●● was written to all the hebrew christians , and not to two tribes only ; and implieth the great success of the gospel on them . § 7. 7. peter directeth his epistle to all the strangers scattered through pontus , asia , galatia , phrygia , &c. and magnifieth their grace . § 8. 8. james directeth his epistle to the twelve tribes , that are scatter'd abroad : and it is evident that he writeth to them as christians . § 9. 9. the seventh chapter of the revelations expresly nameth the twelve tribes , of which one hundred and forty four thousand were sealed , twelve thousand of each tribe ( meaning a great number ) that were to be preserved from the destruction that was to be executed on their enemies . the boldness of those expositors who give us their own revelation instead of christs , is palpable : who tell us that by these one hundred and forty four thousand is meant all the reformed that are saved from the destruction to be executed on the papists ? what words can we desire god to use more plain , that men may not pervert ? 1. god speaketh of jews , and they say he meaneth gentiles . 2. god nameth the tribes , and they exclude them . 3. they are called [ the first fruits ] of the church : and they say , it meaneth the last . 4. the numberless gentile christians that with them partaked of the preservation , are by way of distinction mentioned in the next words : yet these commentators say , that the gentiles are meant by the twelve tribes . 5. the prophesie is put in the beginning before the trumpets or vials , even before all the judgments that were to come on infidel jews and romans ; yet do they bring it down towards the end of the world , or after the fall of pagan rome . § 10. 10. it was some considerable time before the jewish christians could be satisfied to let go their priviledge of peculiarity and mosaick policy , and to embody on equal terms with the gentiles in the catholick church , and to marry with gentile christians : and all that time dr. hammond , and grotius , and others say , they had in the great cities one church of jews and one of gentiles ; which also difference of language would require ; and so had two bishops in a city : and peter for the circumcision , and paul for the uncircumcision , were the roots of the jewish and gentile miracle-working ministry , which i suppose were the two witnesses mentioned in the revelation ; for whoever they were they may be known by the promise , mark 16. 17 , 18. in my name shall they cast out devils , they shall speak with new tongues , they shall take up serpents , and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them , they shall lay hands on the sick , and they shall recover . ] our reformers pretended not to miracles . § 11. 11. at the wars of vespasian and titus against the jews , one million and one hundred thousand were kill'd , and seven hundred thousand carried into captivity ; and the christians fore-warned by christ , got out of the city and escaped . and in trajan's days a madness seized on the infidel jews , and they rose up and murdered many score thousands of the roman subjects : and after barchocheba proclaimed himself the messiah , murdered so many more as amounted to an hundred thousands : vvhereupon trajan and adrian in revenge kill'd between one and two millions of these rebel jews , still sparing the christians . after all this , the infidel jews could have but a small number left : all london hath not near a million . by which it appeareth that the main body of the jews preserved , were the christians , to whom the cursed part were few . § 12. 12. the converted jews fell into the catholick church , and married with gentile christians , and so ere long lost the name of jews , and became unknown . so that the scattered relicks now called jews are but the off-spring of the self-cursed rabble that were scattered after the aforesaid slaughter of them . § 13. 13. in constantine's reign the jews had as much liberty and invitation to be christians as any others : and judea was not only made a national-provincial church , but was more honoured for christs sake than any nation no greater , save the imperial seat. there were more churches built , and more monasteries , and more bishops , than elsewhere , in so small a compass : no jew was forbidden there to live . no countrey so honoured : the devout people from rome and many countreys went thither , some on pilgrimage , and some to dwell : thence they fetcht what relicks they could get in remembrance of christ . there at bethlehem jerom lived while he wrote and studied much of his works . § 14. 14. since then in all ages some of the infidel relicks have been converted : whether the history of the dispute between gregentius and herbanus , and the miraculous conversion of them by christs appearance be true or no , ( which few judicious men believe ) in all ages many jews have been baptized , and some proved excellent divines . § 15. 15. when all the ten kingdoms that had been tributary or subject to the pagan empire , so quickly followed the success of constantine and the christian arms , and turned against the pagan idolatry , it is utterly incredible that multitudes of the infidel jews did not the same . no one nation turned all at once : and no one national church under heaven were all ( that i say not the most ) sincerely holy christians : the visible church still consisted mostly of temporizing men , that came in to christianity for worldly interest , over-awed by christian power : till it came to this , the christians were a persecuted party , and no national church . and the unbelieving jews were not like to be so free from the love of the flesh and vvorld , as not to do as others did . christ riding victoriously on the vvhite horse , and conquering his enemies , brought the nations to submission , after he had by the word and martyrdom purified to himself a holy generation . as all the revelation fully telleth us . therefore if judea was not made a national church , no other nation was made such . zonaras saith that many hired by money turned christians , two hundred thousand turned christians for fear in their troubles at toledo in spain ( whither they were long before sent . ) and forty fryars were sent to instruct them . after that ferrerius converted many . read but the chronological tables of my worthy friend mr. fr. tallents , and you shall find , how they were hated , hunted and destroyed , in spain , france , and almost all christians nations , except rome , and how many turned seeming christians for fear . chap , vii . whether there be any jerusalem monarchy of jews , or any further conversion of them , more than of other men , promised by god ? § 1. i know of no such promise in gods word , but i find it in many books of men , and i hear of it in the prayers and sermons of many men , so good , and of so good repute , that divers of my friends disswade me from so much as giving my reasons against it , lest i lose my reputation with such men , and lest i occasion a division by contradicting them . and is it come to that ? must our concord be held on such humane , loose and unsound terms ? is this savouring the things of god , or of men ? if it be proved an errour , taking gods name in vain , polluting sacred worship , and adding to the word of god , must we by silence promote a concord in it ? i only humbly propose the reasons of my dissent to the tryal of wiser men. § 2. 1. it belongeth to the affirmers to produce their proofs : but i can find no text cited by them , that to a sober search hath any such proof . 1. as to the many texts of the prophets of the uniting of judah and israel under david their king , and the jews repossessing their own land , and the subjection of their enemies , and the neighbour nations to them , and the great slaughters of gog and magog in their land , &c. 1. let the grandeur of prophetical stile he allowed for , and this compared with the prophecies against babylon , tyre , sion , moab , edom , &c. 2. read the whole text , and you will find most express passages , that cannot be applyed to any such time and use as this in question , but plainly speak of their return from captivity , and their following state . it would too much swell my book to try and vindicate all the particular texts mr. james calvert , having already done it in his naphthali , yet unanswered . 3. confound not the immediate sense of the prophesie , with the remote , and set not one against the other , the several parts and degrees that make up the whole . many prophesies in the psalms are spoken immediately of david , but as he was a type of christ , in whom they were though remotely yet chiefly fulfilled . the prophesies of the honour of the jews , and their restoration , had divers degrees of fulfilling . 1. they were primarily fulfilled in the return from captivity , and the power that followed under zorubbabel and the maccabees . 2. they were further fulfilled by the coming of the messiah , of the seed of abraham and david , in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed . 3. they were further fulfilled at christs resurrection , ascension , and effusion of the holy ghost , and the many thousands of them converted ; and their spreading the gospel over the gentile world. 4. it was yet more fulfilled when dominion was given to christians , and the fulness of the gentiles brought in all israel , and settled a national church in judea , and put all their enemies in subjection to the catholick church of jewish and gentile christians , reconciled in one body , the partition wall being broken down 5. it will be yet more fulfilled in the new heaven and earth ; under the gospel there is neither circumcision not uncircumcision , but christ is all and in all : how much more in the new world ? he that would promise to redeem christians from turkish captivity , and restore them to their own land , and prosper and honour them there if they will obey him , must not be thought to confound the several benefits and degrees of this promise : he that will lead you into an upper chamber , includeth every step of the stairs that you ascend ; and the promise of helping you up the first step , includeth not the last , but tendeth to it , and if you obey will lead you further . 4. read the book of the maccabees , and other history , that you may not be ignorant of what is already done : for instance , how the great ruine of gog and magog ( so hyperbolically set out ) was fulfilled on the syrian and graecian armies , ( of which see the assembly mens annotations . ) § 3. ii. their next seeming proof is from rom. 11. of which i have proved how much is fulfilled already ; besides which i find no more there promised , than to all the church in the new world. 1. god cast not away the fore-known elect , v. 1 , 2 , to 11. 2. through their fall and infidelity , persecuting the christians from among them , the gospel came to the gentiles , v. 12. 3. it was but some of the branches that were broken off , v. 17. 4. as the casting away of them was the converting and reconciling of the pagan world ; so their receiving was as a resurrection of life from the dead , v. 15. 5. the converted gentiles were but grafted in among them , and partakers with them , ( and not without them ) of the fatness of the olive , v. 17. 6. not the root , but the some branches that were broken off , was that we might be grafted in , v. 19. it was chiefly the priests , and rulers , and the self-cursed rabble that followed them , and yet some priests and pharisees were converted . 7. if they continue not in gods goodness , the gentiles also shall be broken off , v. 22. so much of conditionality is in the promise : and yet there is more scripture to expect that the gentiles shall not be broken off , than that there shall be any more national conversion of the jews . 8. the promise of restoring the broken branches is , if they continue not in unbelief , v. 23. 9. yet here is a prophecy that the jews shall be eminently replanted , v. 24. and not for ever left in general unbelief . 10. it was but blindness in part that happened to those some , till the fulness of the gentiles came in : which must either mean , till the empire of the roman world fell into the christians hands : or else till all the gentiles were converted that ever shall be : this last cannot be the meaning , for then it would not be till the end of the world ; therefore it must be the former , which is long fulfilled , v. 25. 11. so all israel were saved , that is , 1. all the israel of god , the believing children of abraham ( for all are not israel that are of israel , ) gathered into one catholick body . 2. and so many of natural israel as to make not only one of the two witnesses and olive trees , but also a formed national honoured church-society . 12. when to drive away the gospel to the gentiles some were left in unbelief : the elect part were they that were beloved for their father abrahams sake , ( much more for christs sake , ) v. 28. 13. as it was from them that the gentiles had the gospel ; so it was from the gentiles mercy that the restored body of the jews obtained mercy , being by the christian emperors and princes restored and honoured , v. 29 , 30. 14. god left the rulers and many others in unbelief , that he might recover ( not each single person , but ) a political body and power to the nation as he did , v. 32. as alexander severus gave the infidel jews power to chuse them a governour of their own ( under him ) the christian emperors did for the christian jews much more . 15. thus is gods goodness and severity glorified : and what word in that chapter proper to the jews is not fulfilled ? § 4. as to the texts that mention the restitution of all things , the creatures groaning to be delivered from the bondage of corruption , drinking the fruit of the vine new , and such like ; what word is in all this that respecteth the jews more than the gentiles , or that may not be performed in the new world , unlimited to jews , or to a thousand years ? § 5. the same i say of the lords prayer , let thy kingdom come , &c. which long made me hope for better days on this same earth : but this saith nothing more of the jews than of the heathens . and who can here find any limitation of this kingdom to a thousand years ? all the word that tells us what to pray for , doth not tell us what in this world we shall obtain . i doubt not but we may pray for jews and all men , but that proveth not all shall be converted and saved : we may have hope of many individual jews , when we have no promise of a national further restitution of the many more than of any others . chap. viii . reasons for the negative humbly offered to tryal . § 1. i. that which is done already according to promise , we must not take for undone , or expect to be done again . but the calling of the jews is done already according to promise : ergo , &c. i hinted this oft before ; i will not shun repetition where the cause requireth it . 1. it is granted that the catholick church is called the new jerusalem , so far as it is short of the other world : but the catholick church , and therein the jewish nation , was more gloriously set up by the christian empire , than the millenaries , can reasonably expect or plead for : 1. what are a few rabble jews , such as are among us , to the great , rich , victorious roman empire , the greatest that ever was on earth , which turned christian in the regent part , and shortly in the commonest profession ? what an empire would the jews of england , spain , portugal , turky , &c. make ? 2. constantinople was then called not only new-rome , but new-sion : and how greatly did it excel jerusalem in spaciousness , riches , power and glory ? 3. how small and barren a spot was judea , ( like our wales ) in comparison of the roman christian empire , in europe , asia , and africa ? like the isle of man to england . 4. how great a protection had the jews under constantine , and following emperours , above what they had even after their restoration from captivity , from zorobabel and the maccabees to the end of their policy . 5. what could they now desire for their return more than they then had ? what greater liberty , or encouragement , or help ? an excess of honour was put on their countrey , and on all that would come into the christian church . 6. what better plantation of religion can be expected in judea , than was when the emperours built them temples , and devout people travelled thither , and dwelt there , and bought them bibles , and built them religious houses , and set over them pastors , and bishops , and a. bishops , and a patriarch , one of the five in the empire ? and their national church honourably united to the catholick ? what outward honour can they expect more ? all protestants note it as the wicked superstition of the popes , that they were so set on the honouring of jerusalem and judea , called the holy land , that they forced emperours , and kings ( of france and england , &c. ) at vast charges to go fight for it , to the loss of 100000 men . § 2. obj. but judea was not all planted with jews , but with a mixt people . ans . 1. and must all that now possess it be robbed of their habitations and estates , to make room for our jews ? 2. there were no jews restrained from going thither that desired it : and would you have them forced , or sent thither with a pass ? 3. those that would not go thither had better encouragement where they dwelt . § 3. obj. but it was not the main body of the nation that was converted and restored . ans . 1. i have given great probability that it was the far greatest part , so many of the rebels had been before destroyed . 2. there was no heathen nation where the greater number presently turned christians , till power and interest prevailed with them : even till the days of alaricus and theodorick thousands were heathens in christian rome . and holy chrysostom in his days in the glory of constantinople , reckoned but of a hundred thousand christians , besides separatists and hereticks , the rest being heathens and jews ; shall we therefore say that such were no national churches , that is , christian kingdoms ? § 4. obj. but while their governours were set over them by others , and not chosen by themselves , they could not be called jewish national churches . ans . 1. their pastors were chosen by themselves , whatever the souldiers and magistrates were . the inhabitant christians jews and gentiles chose them . 2. their submission and consent might make them churches of jews . 3. but i confess they were not , nor ever must be , churches of jews separate from the gentiles , or otherwise than as parts of the catholick united church . it seems you take not the jews for converted , till they become separated from the catholick church , and claim their old peculiarity . of which more anon . § 5. ii. the doctrine of the jews conversion as inferring a policy or monarchy of jews as such , is a contradiction , and therefore impossible . is there any room then for any further dispute of it ? when there are no jews , there cannot possibly be any kingdom or common-wealth of jews : but were the self-cursed progeny converted , they would be no jews immediately in a religious sense , nor within sixty or eighty years in a natural sense . 1. a converted jew joyneth himself to the catholick church , and knoweth that this is his advancement , above the old separate state of peculiarity , and knoweth that moses law and policy is ended ; and that if he turn to that law , he falls from grace , and if he be ( jewishly ) circumcised , christ shall profit him nothing : therefore he is no more a jew in religion . 2. and being a catholick christian , he will marry with gentile catholicks , and not confine marriage to those of his own nation , to keep up the separation . and so within a short time there would be no natural jews . for instance ; if a marry b , a gentile christian , their children will be but half jews : if their children marry gentile christians , their children will be but a quarter jews : and if those marry gentile christians , their children will be but an eighth part of jewish race ; that is , no jews at all : thus it is faln out with the progeny of all their converted ancestors . i have since i was twenty four years old , lived in the house with the mother of the grandmother of the grandfather of some now living . and if i have seen between 24 and 76 so many generations , in how short a time would converted jews be no jews ? § 6. iii. and the desire of such a jewish conversion , state and kingdom , or church , as should continue them in a jewish line and peculiarity , distinct from the catholick mixed church , is a wickedness , and contrary to the very nature of christianity , and the kingdom and design of christ : for christ came to take down the partition wall , middle wall , and make of two one new man , even both one , ( no longer two : ) here is neither greek nor jew , circumcision nor uncircumcision , barbarian , scythian , bond or free , but christ is all , and in all , of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named , and will have all to grow up to one perfect man , eph. 2. & 3. & 4. col. 3. will christ now turn against his own uniting design and kingdom , and set up moses again and his policy ? § 7. obj. but we do not hold that he shall set up moses ceremonial law , or worship . answ . nor if you are christians , should you say , that he will turn again the one united body into two , and by restoring the carnal peculiarity , to set up again the wall of separation ? § 8. obj. but if english , french , spaniards , &c. may be still distinct , why may not jews and gentiles ? ans . because one is but accidentally and mutably , from the difference of countreys and habitation , and of language , and trading , and government , which christ came not to unite : but the other is on pretence of a religious trust on a divine gift of peculiarity , setting them up above the rest of the church , which christ came to take down , and tendeth to church divisions . § 9. iv. so hardly were the first converted jews taken off their conceit of peculiarity , and acknowledging catholick equality of the gentiles , and such doleful heresies and breaches were made by this pride , that it is not safe tempting them to it again . § 10. v. it seemeth a carnal imputation of the most holy god ; as if he made under the gospel so great an account of one sort of people by their peculiar birth-priviledge , above all the rest of the world. when paul tells us that all believers are abrahams children , and that he is not a jew that is one outwardly , nor that circumcision which is of the flesh . and the jews are so far from being of any better nature or desert than other men , that the infidel part have ever since their self-cursing and obdurateness in unbelief , been found in all nations to be the most covetous , treacherous , and sottish sort of people : much unprepared for so great a change . § 11. vi. either all the off-spring of the jews shall be partakers of this pretended priviledge and monarchy , or only the off-spring of those that continued infidels till the change . but neither of these can be true . 1. the off-spring of all that have been converted for fourteen hundred years after christ , cannot possibly now be made any parts of a jewish monarchy or state : because they are all unknown , and are now no jews : and so that it is impossible . 2. and to advance only the present profligate generation , to a separate monarchy , excluding all the off-spring of the converts of all former ages , looks so strangely , that the affirmers had need to bring good proof of it , considering the difference of quality and number , that the least and worst part shall be chiefly advanced . § 12. vii . either in this jewish advancement , all the rest of the godly through the world shall be as much advanced , or the jews alone . if all the godly , they being i hope a thousand to one jew , why should it be called a jewish jerusalem or monarchy ? then sure , this new jerusalem must be setled in all kingdoms , where the godly dwell : and shall they every where be lords ? if it be only for the jews , can any but a jew believe it ? that the off-spring of the scattered , cursed , sottish enemies of christ , shall be so much preferred before all the godly through the world ? § 13. viii . either all the nations of heathens , mahometans , papists , and ungodly-ones , shall be converted , with the jews , or not : if yea , it will be a new and happy world indeed : a blessed change will be made on kings , and parliaments , and lords , and rich men , and poor : and there will be as many miracles as men , when all those shall be made wise and holy , that we cannot now with twenty years preaching prevail with to be men , and to cease malignity , and bestial lusts : sure god will not burn such a blessed world , and bury so many millions of miracles in the flames . but if it be only the jews , that are miraculously converted , it must be a miracle that must cause the malignant princes and people , heathens , mahometans , greeks , papists and carnal protestants , either to become subjects to these poor jews where they dwell , or to help or permit their transportation to jerusalem , and then to be subject to them there : if this must be their fate , why do we not acquaint our selves with those few cursed enemies of christ , that live in london , in wapping , or elsewhere near us , and honour them , and beg their favour against the time of their reign . oliver cromwell appointed a solemn dispute before him , whether the jews ( for money ) should have a toleration , and when that good man dr. tho. goodwin , and some other godly independents had spoken much for it , matthew newcomen ( that holy man ) so opened the wickedness of turning loose a cursed generation to tempt a nation to infidelity , that is already too much inclined thereto , as turned the scales , and put an end to that deliberation . §14 . ix . either the feigned conversion of these jews will be before the burning of the world , or after : but neither before nor after : therefore not at all . 1. if it be before , either it will be the thousand years reign , or some part of the thousand years reign , or beffore it all . if it be the thousand years reign , then 1. the world must last yet a thousand year after the jews conversion : which few believe . 2. and then there will be no thousand years reign after the conflagration , which our chief millenaries will not endure : for there is but one thousand years reign looked for by them . 3. and then the new jerusalem state shall have the numberless enemies of the armies of gog and magog : and shall fall to a laodicean lukewarmness : what! after so many millions of miracles ? 2. but if they say it will be after the burning of the world , that is before disproved : for the thousand years are past before that conflagration . gog and magog , and the numberless enemies will not survive the burning , nor live in the new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness . 3. and if they say that it will be but some part of the thousand years , or a short time before the conflagration . 1. the thousand years will not be divided , part before the burning , and part in the next world. 2. and so short a reign of the jews , as shall end before the thousand years , and burning , will not answer the glorious preparation of so many millions of miracles , nor the doctrine of their so speedy apostasie after , as to prepare for the incendium . §15 . x. the miracles must be so many and great , that must go to the feigned conversion and exaltation of these jews , that it will be a great and heinous crime to impose them on god by presumptuous fiction , if the truth of them be not proved ; 1. as to the number of converts . 2. their present unfitness . 3. their scattered distance . 4. their servitude in all nations . 5. the feigned way of their conversion . 6. the state of their feigned exaltation . all these must be so full of miracles , that will a thousand-fold exceed all the miracles that ever christ did on earth , or his apostles after him . and god keepeth so constant a tenor in his established order of working by means and subordinate causes , as that we must have good proof before we say that he will do all this . tell us not what god can do , when our question is , what he will do . god can enlighten the world without the sun , or make all the frame of heaven and earth to change their course : god can convert turk and pope , and all the heathens in the world , and all the bloody princes and souldiers , to morrow . but do not therefore say that he will do it . when the devil tempted christ to shew his power by a miracle , he saith , it is written , thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god. god hath appointed a quite contrary way for mens conversion , rom. 10. how shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard ? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? and how shall they preach unless they be sent ? christ ascended on high to give gifts and offices to men , for this end , apostles , prophets , teachers , to gather and edifie his church . christ tells us of no way but the lord of the harvest to send forth labourers , and the messengers to go into the high-ways and hedges , and compel them to come in : and the sowers to go forth to sow that word , which is the regenerating seed . though christ would speak to paul from heaven , it was to send him to ananias . and though an angel appear to cornelius , it is to send him to peter to be taught . though miracles affright the jailor , act. 16. it is to ask paul and silas , what he must do to be saved . and by what warrant shall we say that christ will for millions quite change this his appointed way ? § 16. 1. as to the number , it must be ten thousands of miracles that a number so great should be thus changed all at once , or near it , throughout the world : and yet that a number so small in comparison of all others , should become a monarchy , and gog and magog be so friendly to them , as to permit and help them , as cyrus did the jews , in their removal , and afterward be subject to them . § 17. 2. they are now a more sottish generation , full of malice against christ , and cruelty to christians where they dare shew it ; sordidly worldly and covetous : they live among christians , and all our endeavours , converse and examples scarce converteth in this kingdom , three in an age. bear with me you that talk so zealously for the jews conversion and kingdom , while i ask you , how many in london have you converted in your lives ? yea ▪ how many have you laboured with by instruction and argument to convert them , while you have prayed for their conversion , and censoriously disputed against us that doubted of your opinion ? § 18. 3. they are scattered over the most of the earth , being every where a hated and despised people . and shall preachers be sent to them in all lands at once ? shall preachers so quickly be made , when no countrey have enough for their needful work at home ? and shall they quickly learn and speak all the languages of the countreys where the jews are ? ( for hebrew alone will not do the work . ) and shall all jews on earth , get together to jerusalem ? will they be rich enough to bear the charge of their transplantation ? or enough cured of the love of riches , to leave their trades and wealth behind them ? § 19. obj. we hold not that they shall all be converted or dignified , but enough to possess jerusalem and reign there : say some , the tartarians may do it . ans . it seems then it is but the popes old zeal , to recover the holy land : but what 's this to the conversion of the jews ? were they converted when godfrey and others recovered it ? the tartarians taking jerusalem , will not prove the conversion of one jew , that now is taken for a tartarian . § 20 ▪ 4. they are in such servitude in all nations , and so contemned a people among them , as must prove it a miracle for them to remove so far , to power . § 21. 5. the feigned means of their conversion is millions of miracles . 1. the new opinion is , that christ shall do it by appearing in the air as he did to saul . o take heed what you impose on christ ! that appearance of christ was seen but by a very few in one place : and the words heard by none but saul himself . shall christ in the air be seen at once in persia , greece , rome , portugal , and all nations where there be jews ? ( and yet these good men are against the lutheran vbiquitarians ! ) and shall christ preach to them in the air , and his voice be heard throughout the world , a thousand times further than the thunder ? and how will they know that it is christ ? when on earth they would not know him ; but imputed his miracles to beelzebub ? and will the bare sight of christ , make millions of ignorant sots presently understand all the essentials of religion , yea and become eminently wise and holy , when we can scarce teach an ignorant one now to understand the catechism or creed in many years ? i doubt many millenaries have some such servants and children in their own houses . 2. some say that elias shall come and convert them ? a jewish dream : and how will they know that he is elias ? as they knew john baptist to be elias ! if you say , as peter did on the mount , i say , that was by inspiration , or by christs telling him that it was elias . shall they have either of these ? and where shall elias preach to them ? is he also ubiquitary ? if he preach in spain , shall they hear him in portugal ? or if in holland , or rome , shall they hear him in england ? if he preach at stepney , shall they bear him at westminster , at tarmouth , at norwich , and all over the land , and over all the world at once ? or must he stay long enough to go over all the earth ? if one man can do so much why have many thousands done so little on the jews to this day ? 3. if you say , god will raise up and send forth ministers enough , that will be yet a greater miracle : to give so many skill , vvill and zeal ? to cause them to speak with all the languages of the nations ? when the jesuits at japan , congo , and china , after many years learning their tongues , do but set the nations in a laughter , to hear their mispronunciation , as maffeius , varenlus , and others tell us . and who will furnish so many thousand new inspired preachers , with money to carry them through all the vvorld ? and procure them free passage through enemies lands ? 4. but the last answer i expect is , that nothing is difficult where god will work , and grace shall make one sight of christ , to convert them all . i answer , if you lay all on the miraculous inspirations of god , that can do it without seeing christ , and without preaching ; as god made the world with a word : he can so make every infant a doctor , that they not stay as christ , to encrease in stature and wisdom . but if you feign him to purpose or promise this , take heed lest he will not hold you guiltless for taking his name in vain . this creating inspiration of sudden wisdom , faith and holiness , into so many thousands over the world at once , will be a greater miracle , yea millions of miracles , than ever christ did : and is quite contrary to the word of god. § 22. 6. the feigned exaltation of them by a jerusalem monarchy is also a devised miracle : that these scattered people by such means , should get to jerusalem , and become a grand monarchy , and that in a place so uncapable , and that never was such , no not in david's days . § 23. xi . another reason against this jewish monarchy at jerusalem is , that instead of an exaltation , it would be a banishment to the jews . judea being like our wales , or not so big as half england , and a countrey ( though flowing with milk and honey in comparison of the arabian wilderness , yet ) very full of mountains , rocks , and deserts , and oft infested with famines . so that could they bear their charges thither , i believe that the jews in portugal , constantinople , rome , and thessalonica alone , would take it for as sad a banishment to be sent to judea , as all england would do to be sent to jamaica , yea or barbadoes . if you say that god can feed them by manna , or by angels , or ravens , or make all the neighbours countreys , ( egypt , mesopotamia , &c. ) feed them ; take heed of imposing upon god. § 24. xii . god in scripture hath given us another description of the two new jerusalems , the infantile and the perfect , that on earth , and that on heaven , more glorious and desireable than the jewish feigned one : therefore we should not obscure the glory of them by such a fiction . as satan fighteth against the spirit by a false spirit , and against the church by a false church , and against the ministry by a false ministry , and against unity by false unity , so doth he against the kingdom of christ , and the new jerusalem by a counterfeit . 1. as the assyrian , persian , grecian , and roman monarchies were the four mentioned in daniel ; so there have been since a fifth and a sixth . by a monarchy now is meant only the greatest on earth known to the church . the fifth was the christian empire , whose chief seat was constantinople , called new rome , and new sion . i am not ignorant what is said against this by heddeggerus and many others : that is not to be disputed in this narrow room . the sixth monarchy visibly is the turks , with the tartarian unity , gog and magog . the seventh , the sabbatical and perfect monarchy is that of christ in the new heaven , and new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness , after the burning of this world : by debasing fiction confined to a thousand years , and christs own kingdom also so confined , whereas this wicked world hath already lasted six thousand years within three hundred and ten. this vilifying of christs glorious kingdom is by blind zeal now made the exalting of it , by many deceived and deceiving men. chap. ix . of the new earth . § 25. concerning the new earth we must content our selves with what god hath revealed , and not search into the unrevealed things . 1. it is revealed that it will be the restitution of all things ; that in it shall dwell righteousness ; that the whole creation groaneth to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of god ; that it will be a paradise state ; that christ shall reign over it ; that no glorified saints shall lose any of their part in heaven by it ; that there will be no death , nor misery : therefore there will be no gog and magog , and numberless armies of the wicked : for there entereth nothing that is defiled : it will be a state of communion with heaven . angels and men will have familiar converse : christ shall be joyfully known among them as their saviour and king : neither christ nor the saints will lay by the humane nature or body , but their bodies will be so far refined as shall be suitable to the condition of the new refined world : this much is certain . but these things following are uncertain . 1. how much of the old earth god will use in the constitution of the new. whether only the surface of the earth shall be burnt , and the things and works thereon , or also the interiour parts dissolved into a chaos : as it is uncertain to us whether the chaos at the present earths creation , was the relicks of a former world : we are not certain whether there was any former world ; though to conjecturing reason it seems improbable that god who delighteth in his works , and will continue a vvorld to eternity , should from all eternity have nothing but himself , till six days ago ( six thousand years . ) but this will infer aristotle's eternity of the universe ( except mutations of alterable compositions ) that the vvorld is an eternal effect of an eternal cause ; and gassendus his indefiniteness ( he meaneth infiniteness ) of the vvorld , and the old opinion that god and the vvorld are but one , as soul and body : by which they resolve the grand difficulties that god is not pars entitatis , which were to be imperfect and so no god , the entity of the world and god being more than of either alone , if the vvorld have any real entity . 2. it is uncertain how god will people this new earth : some think as he did this earth by adam and eve. some think , by a creation of many at once . some think by a transplantation from some other orb : some think as dr. h. more , that except a few rare saints or martyrs , all go hence but into an aerial vehicle , and may thence without loss be made inhabitants of the new earth . and some think that those that are found alive , shall live in the fire and after , and some that they shall be caught up from the fire , and judg'd , and sent hither again . 3. it is uncertain whether there shall be any generation on the new earth : mr. beverley saith , they shall multiply so as to compensate with a [ much more ] for the jewness of the saved ▪ under the first adam ] and each shall live the thousand years : but christ saith that the children of the resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage , but are like the angels , and die no more . the doubt is then , whether he call only those in heaven , and not those on the new earth , the children of the resurrection . 4. it is uncertain whether there shall be any stated visible presence of christ here , or that only he shall appear as in heaven , as the sun doth by its light ; or only sometimes be seen as he was after his resurrection . and so of the angels . 5. it●s uncertain whether the new earth shall have any end or change , or shall be everlasting . it 's certain that the thousand years rev. 20. are before it in this life , but of its duration god hath said nothing to us . 6. it 's uncertain how much of the old heaven shall be burnt : though it's likely it will be only so much as was cursed for sin. 7. it 's uncertain whether there will be any removal to a higher vvorld , and each person live his thousand years , and then as henoch and elias be translated , and so on to following generations ; or each person continue here for ever . 8. it 's uncertain whether devils shall be permitted here to be tempters , or all temptations be cast out . § 26. it will be no disparagement to christ to rule the restored earth as well as heaven . nor to saints or angels to be governours under him . vvere the sun intellectual it would be no grief to it to be a benefactor by its influence to earth : for it is no dishonour to god himself , to communicate all to the creature that it hath . there may be here such subjects as god promised apostles and saints that they shall judge . if by faith in christ god dwell in us by love , and we in him , and we have in us that kingdom of grace , we shall have our part in the future kingdom , though we understand not many difficulties about it . for christ is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him . decemb. 10. 1690. a catalogue of books printed for , and sold by tho. parkburst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , near mercers chapel . catholick theology . folio . the saints everlasting rest ; or a treatise of the blessed state of the saints in their enjoyment of god in glory 4to . the english nonconformity , as under king charles ii. and king james ii. truly stated and argued . 4to . the life of faith in every state. 4to . alderman 〈◊〉 funeral sermon . 4to . a key for catholicks to open the juglings of the jesuits . the first part of answering all their common sophisms : the second against the soveraignty and necessity of general councils . 4to . naked popery : answering mr. hutchinson . 4to . which is the true church ▪ a full answer to his reply ; proving that the general councils and the popes primacy were but in one empire . 4to . the history of bishops and their councils abridged , and of the popes . 4to . a full treatise of episcopacy , shewing what episcopacy we own and what is in the english diocesan frame , for which we dare not swear never to endeavour any alteration of it , in our places . 4to . a search for the english schismatick ; comparing the canoneers and nonconformists . 4to an answer to mr. dodwell and dr. sherlock , consisting an vniversal-humane church soveraignty , aristocratical and monarchical , as church-tyranny and popery ; and defending dr. iz. barrows excellent treatise . 4to . catholick communion defended against both extremes . moral prognostications , what shall befal the church till their concord , &c. full and easie satisfaction , which is the true religion : transubstantiation shamed . 8vo . all 〈◊〉 by mr. r. baxter . a hundred select sermons on several texts , of fifty on the old testament , and fifty on the new. folio . the true prophecies and prognostications of michael nostrodamus , physician to henry the second , francis the second , and charles the ninth , kings of france , and one of the best astronomers that ever were . folio . sixty one sermons , preached mostly on publick occasions , whereof five formerly printed by adam littleton , d. d. rector of chelsea in middlesex , folio . a discourse of the saving grace of god by the late reverend and learned david clarkson , minister of the gospel . 8vo . the vision of the wheels seen by the prophet ezekiel ; opened and applied : partly at the merchants lecture in broadstreet , and partly at stepney , on january 31. 1689 being the day of solemn thanksgiving to god for the great deliverance of this kingdom from popery and slavery , by his then highness the most illustrious prince of orange : whom god raised up to be the glorious instrument thereof . by matth. mead pastor of a church of christ at stepney . 8vo . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26934-e1160 gen. 1. 26 , 27. & 9. 6. 1 cor. 11. 7. col. 3. 10. gen. 3. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. eccles . 7. 29. hos . 13. 9. exod. 34. 7. psal . 86. 5. mat. 28. 19. deut. 29. 29. joh. 3. 5 6 , 7. this is written with relation to the writings of mr. sterry , dr. more . mr. ● . turner , mr. beverley , &c. which i would not be too peremptory in my opposing . rom. 11. 33. jo● 5. 9. & 40 & 41. & 42. 〈…〉 of the world. exod. 34. 6 , 7 , 8. gen. 3. 15. prov. 1. & 3. & 8. rom. 2. 4 , 7. heb. 11. 26. gen. 9. gen. 22. 15. & 26. 5 , 24. rom. 4. 3 , 9. gal. 3. 8 , 24. heb. 11. 8 , 17. jam. 2. 23. moses , the prophets and christ mat. 5. attest all this . mat. 3. 15. & 5. 17. gal. 4. 4 , 5. heb. 4. 15. & 9. 14. 1 pet. 1. 19. phil. 2. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. mat. 28. 19. john 17. 3 , 4. john 5. 22 , 23 , 26 , 27. luke 19. 34. jo. 18. 37. rev. 17. 14. jo. 1. 49. col. 1. 13. mat. 12. 28. & 21. 43. mar. 1. 15. luke 7. 28. & 9. 27. & 10. 9. & 11. 20. & 13. 18 , 19 , &c. & 17. 20 , 21. & 21. 31. 22. 16 , 18. rom. 14. 17 , 18. rev. 12. 10. mat. 10. 7. mat. 28. 19. mark 16. 16 , 17. mat. 23. 37. rom. 11. 20 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26. rev. 11. 15. rev. 11. 17. & 19. 6. acts 1. 25. mar. 28. 20. john 14. 16 , 26. & 15. 26. & 16. 17. acts 2. 37 , 38. & 21. 20. rev. 7. luke 14. rom. 8. 29. rom. 8. 17. 1 thes . 2. 5. & 2 thes . 1. 6. 11. 2 tim. 2. 12. & 3. 12. rev. 2. 10. the roman history is the full proof of this . the revelation and the roman history compared , prove this , and expound each other . read eusibius eccl. hist . l. 8. & rev. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , & 19. and the prophets that proclaim it a great deliverance to the israelites , to have their mountains again inhabited , and their cities built . mr. potter , and many protestant expositors 〈◊〉 rev. 20. 21 , 22. to speak of the church on earth . rev. 20. 5 , 6 , 7 , 9. 2 pet. 3. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11. rom. 8. 19 , 20 , 21. fully proved after , mat. 25. notes for div a26934-e11130 rev. 14. ● . the quakers catechism, or, the quakers questioned, their questions answered, and both published for the sake of those of them that have not yet sinned unto death and of those ungrounded novices that are most in danger of their seduction / by r[i]chard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a27001 of text r28362 in the english short title catalog (wing b1363). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 119 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 29 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a27001 wing b1363 estc r28362 10547786 ocm 10547786 45242 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27001) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 45242) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1395:29) the quakers catechism, or, the quakers questioned, their questions answered, and both published for the sake of those of them that have not yet sinned unto death and of those ungrounded novices that are most in danger of their seduction / by r[i]chard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [22], 30 [i.e. 32] p. printed by a.m. for thomas underhill and francis tyton, london : 1655. reproduction of original in the harvard university library. eng society of friends -controversial literature. a27001 r28362 (wing b1363). civilwar no the quakers catchism, [sic] or, the quakers questioned, their questions answered, and both published, for the sake of those of them that hav baxter, richard 1655 22593 11 30 0 0 0 0 18 c the rate of 18 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2006-01 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the quakers catchism , or , the quakers questioned , their questions answered , and both published , for the sake of those of them that have not yet sinned unto death ; and of those ungrounded novices that are most in danger of their seduction . by rchard baxter london , printed by a. m. for thomas underhill at the anchor and bible in pauls churchyard , and francis tyton at the three daggers in fleetstreet . 1655. to the reader . reader , i suppose thou wilt marvell that i trouble my self with so wilde a generation as the people called quakers are ; or that i trouble thee with a few hasty lines which i wrote on such an occasion ; i 'le truly tell thee the cause of both : 1. they sent me five severall papers , one of them containing the queries which i answer , and others of them almost nothing but abundle of filthy railing words , [ thou serpent , thou liar , thou deceiver , thou childe of the devil , thou cursed hypocrite , thou dumb dogge ] with much more of the like . they chose out one day , when it pleased god to confine me to my chamber by sicknesse , to come into our assembly , and after morning sermon to fall a questioning the preacher , my assistant ; and because he avoided publike disputing with them at that season , as not taking it for a profitable spending of the lords day , they call him the hireling that flieth , it seems referring to joh. 10. 12. and so confessing themselves to be the wolves . i finde that they do so challenge , and brag , and triumph , if we say nothing to them , and that too many simple people expect that we should answer them , that ( after an unprofitable verball discourse with an unreasonable railing fellow ) i resolved to send them this brief answer to their questions : and because they abhorre syllogismes and disputings , i was fain to deale further with them in their own questioning way : i had before offered to come and answer all their queries in their assembly , if they would consent that i might do it without disturbance ; but instead of permitting that , they denied it , and sent me a letter of reviling , calling me ever and over serpent and hypocrite , and the like names , and commanding me in the name of the most high god to answer their questions in writing , that they might print them with their reply ; so that if i say nothing they will insult ; if i write to them they will print it : being therefore so far called to speak , i chose rather to print my own papers , how mean soever , then let them do it . two objestions i foresee will be raised against me ; one is , that the persons are so contemptible and the errours so grosse , that it 's a needlesse work to strive against them ; to which i say , let sad experience witnesse , whether it be needlesse ; when they so much multiply , and so many where they come are presently infected . the salvation of the poorest christian is so far from being contemptible , that it is worth much more then our greatest diligence . 2. it will be said , it is but the churches of the separatists and anabaptists that are emptied by these seducers ; and it 's best even let them alone to keep their own flocks , and secure their churches , or if they fall off it may shew others the tendency of their waies , and so pervent their turning aside ; to which i answer : 1. though the stream of apostates be such as first were anabaptists or separatists , yet here and there one of the young unsetled sort do fall into that stream that were not before of them , but perhaps inclining to them , and so do some few that had no religiousness . 2. i had farre rather that men continued separatists and anabaptists , then turned quakers or plain apostates ; and therefore would do all that i can to hinder such an emptying of their churches as tendeth to the more certain filling of hell ; it 's better to stop them in a condition where we may have some hope of their salvation , then to let them run into certaine perdition ; i did therefore take it to be my duty when these poor neighbours who had before been anabaptists , separatists , and some seekers , had turned quakers , to offer them a verbal answer to all their vain questions , that i might have had so much opportunity to undeceive them ; when they refused that , and said , they would not be drawn into a serpents snare , i thought best to send them my answer in writting , committing it to some of their neighbours , that they might desire leave to reade it in their assembly ; and when i heard that they would not grant that neither ( for all their insulting adjuring of us to answer them ) but talkt of printing something against me , i chose rather to tell the world of these passages between us , then leave them to their reports ; especially hearing how they encrease in london and other parts , and that the ignorant have need of some plain information to prevent their apostacy and perdition in this temptation . april 20. 1655. r. b. to the separatists and anabaptists in england . though gods minde be most plainly revealed to us in his written word , yet are his providences also teaching , and it is the duty of his servants to reade and study them , especially the poenall withdrawing or withholding of his grace , and giving men up to beleeve lies , and to vile affections , to a reprobate sence , and to an abominable conversation , these are such discoveries of the sore displeasure of the most high , as should make even the beholders to fear , and all that stand but near to this heavy judgement to fly away from it , as the israelites did at the cries of the rebellious followers of corah , num. 16. lest the earth should have swallowed them up also : i am not of their minde that make light of the strange providences in our military affairs and changes of state , though i think every carnal admirer of them doth not understand them : but it 's a matter of very sad consideration , that many of vhose same men that seem so much to magnifie these , do no more observe , understand , and lay to heart the more remarkable providence of our heavy spirituall judgements ! the overlooking of these providences makes many fear lest it be but their own interest which they study in the other , and lest by reading themselves and their own names where they should reade god , they turn this light into darknesse or seduction , and by surfetting on this feast do contract those diseases that are like to be their bane ; what is gods word for but to make himself and our duty known to us ? and so he doth very much by his works , where we may see his nature , and something of his approbation or dislike , especially as they are read by the help of the word . certainly god is known by the judgement which he executeth : ( specially when ) the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands , psa. 9. 16. the hand of god is apparently gone out against your waies of separation and anabaptism : it is your duty to observe it : you may see you do but prepare too many for a further progresse , seekers , ranters , familists , and now quakers , and too many professed infidels , do spring up from among you , as if this were your journeys end , and the perfection of your revolt . and it is your churches and those that lean toward you that presently receive the doctrines of the deceiver , and are the stream in which some others with them are carried away . you may see you cannot hold your followers when you have them ; your work is blasted , you labour in vain , nay , worse then in vain ; you do but prepare men for flat heresie and apostacy ; i have heard yet from the severall parts of the land , but of very few that have drunk in this venome of the ranters or quakers , but such as have first been of your opinions , and gone out at that door ; the rest are but here and there a young person that was not noted for any great matter of religiousnesse , or only liked it and inclined to your waies ; and if any others be seduced , the evil ariseth from among you , and from your graduats do they receive their taint , as yours do from the papists and the great deceiver . is it your ministry or ours that they bend their force against ? is it not part of their present businesse to do your work , and cry down infant-baptism ? one of the queres which they here put to me is [ what expresse scripture i have for infant baptism ? which i must shew without consequences or else confesse my self a false prophet : ] and another tendeth to prove us no true churches : the quakers then are separatists and antipaedobaptists , though more : i speak not this to reproach you , but to minde you of the tendency of all your endeavours , that you may seriously as before the lord consider , whether he do not witnesse from heaven against you and your waies , by giving up your followers to such abominations as since the daies of the nicolaitans and the rest of the gnosticks , the sun hath not seen , at least so openly and commonly owned . have you well considered into what your societies were resolved in germany and other parts ? and do you well consider what fruits they here bring forth , and now likely they are to be shortly quite corrupted , if a speedy stop be not made ? and what it is that you have done to the church of god , and how much it is beholden to you for the prosperity of truth and piety . is it like to be gods way which so ordinarily leadeth to end endeth in such desperate evils ? i make not this my first or chief argument against you , but it 's a considerable second , and should make wise men at least suspicious of such a course : nor would i thus argue from the apostacy of a few , or upon some unusuall accident ; but when such hath been the fate of the stream of your party , from the very first rising of them in the world to this day , i think it not inconsiderable . nor would i thus argue from any temporall judgement or oppression by a persecuting enemy ; for i know that is no such signe of gods displeasure : but if i suspect whether those persons are in a way pleasing to god , whom i see him so usually deliver up to satan , i hope i may be excused . certainly gods churches are the places of his blessing and his delight : and certainly such spirituall plagues as our eyes now behold , are as evident notes of gods heavy displeasure as men can expect to see on earth . and we have the more reason yet to be suspicious that this is gods disowning of your way , and testimony from heaven against it , in that he followed the first hereticks , the simonians and their followers , with the same kinde of judgements , and by such fearful desertions , did then witnesse his detestation of those that withdraw from the unity of his church . and it is very remarkable , that it is a pretence of our impurity and of a greater purity with you , that is pleaded by those that first turn over to you , and that this height of all impieties should be the usuall issue of a way pretended so exact and clean : doubtlesse it is none of gods minde by this to discourage any from purity and true reformation , but to shew his detestation of that spirituall pride which makes men have too high thoughts of themselves , and too much to contemn others , and to desire to be further separated from them then god in the day of grace doth allow of ; where the tares ( of ungodly men ) are such as cannot be pulled up and cast out of the church , without danger of pulling up and casting out some of the wheat , even the weakest true believers with them , there god would ; have us let both grow together till the time of harvest but these proud men will stand at a further distance , and will dislike gods gracious cealings with sinners , and their eye is evil because he is good ; and they will not grow in the same field ( or church ) where such tares do grow , but will transplant themselves and remove from the field because god will not pluck up the tares , ( especially if any ministerial neglect of discipline be conjoyned as too commonly it is : ) and in stead of blaming their own pride , and misunderstanding of gods merciful dealings with sinners , they lay the blame on the corruption of the church , and call it a field of tares and not of wheat : in one word , it is most evident that spiritual pride doth turn most men from us to you , and that this is the very sinne that undoes such a multitude of professors of religiousness , and which hath let in all gods judgements upon us , and the sinne which he is now witnessing against from heaven . as none more like to christ then the humble that are mean in their own eyes and compassionate to others ; so none are more like to the devil then the proud , that think highly of themselves and contemptuously of others ; and the better the thing is that they are proud of , the worse is their pride in this respect , that it is the setting up of gods pretious mercies against him , and the building of satans house with christs materials : the pharisees liturgy is of too frequent use in the separated congregations [ i thank thee o god that i am not as other men are , &c. nor even as this publicane . ] he that maketh us to differ from other men , and expecteth thanks for his differencing grace , doth yet abhorre a proud ostentaiton of it , and a diminutive esteem of his smallest mercies unto others , and all proud desires that they should be thrust below us further then he hath appointed : it is the good of sinners , and the honour of god that is the end of discipline , and not that we might personally be extolled and judged of above what is meet . i beseech you take this plain admonition in good part from a desirer of your recovery and salvation . richard baxter , an answer to a young unsetled friend , who before inclining strongly to anabaptistry , at last fell in with the quakers , and desired my thoughts of them and their waies , which seemed to him agreeable to the scriptures . i have perused your request , and am glad that you are not so confirmed in your misery , but that you will yet ask advice of your friend ; i pray god you be so ingenious and happy as to take it : it is a very sad thing to me and should be so much more to you , to think that after so much pains as you have taken in duty , and so much zeal as you have professed for god , you should yet be so unacquainted with the will and word of god , and christ should have so little interest in your heart , as that such horrid unchristian doctrines and practices should be so easily entertained by you , and so far approved of : i marvell why you took it for so great a work of grace to convert you from prophanesse , and now will take it for a greater work to convert you to it again , or to much worse ? was it not the same ordinances that you despised before conversion , which you now much more desp●se ? was it not the same ministers that thou you scorn'd whom ye now reproach with far greater bitternesse ( if you do as those whom you pleade for do ? ) is it not the same christians whom you then derided , and now revile at , and condemn as children of the devil : o miserable man ! is all your hearing and praying come to this ? dare you meet the messengers of christ in the face , and tell them they are liars and deceivers ? dare you cast out the holy worship of christ as false worship , and seek to draw people into the contempt of it ? dare you damn those churches and millions of saints that christ hath bought with his precious bloud ? dare you seek to draw men to hate their teachers whom christ hath set over them , and to hate his people as if they were the children of the devil , and to hate his worship and holy waies ? alas that ever a man in his wits should look upon such abominations as amiable , and much more that any man should be so mad as to do this under the name and profession of a christian ! that you can imagine that the furious opposition to the whole army of christ , his officers , church and ordinances , can yet be a work that christ accepteth : that you should no better know christs work from satans , nor know that it is the dragon whose warfare these men do manage ? i must needs professe that it is a very grievous thing in mine eyes , that after all our pains with mens souls , and after the rejoycings which we had in their seeming conversion , and zealous lives , we should yet see so much ignorance , levity , and giddinesse of professors , as that they are ready to entertain the most horrid abominations ! that the devil can no sooner bait his hook , but they greedily catch at it , and swallow it without chewing ; yea , nothing seems too grosse for them , but so it seems novelty all goes down . i am afraid if they go a little further , they will beleeve him that shall say , the devil is god , and to be worshiped and obeyed . shall i freely tell you whence all this comes ? even from h●llish pride of heart : you see it not ( it 's like ) in your self or in them , but i shall endeavour to make you see it both in your selves and them . for your selves you confesse to me that you have long thought that infant-baptism was an errour , and that now you think the quakers are in the right ; and yet you neither did once reade any one of those books which we have written to prove infant-baptism to be a duty , nor did once scriously and impartially lay open your doubts to your teacher , nor ask his advice , as if you were even then too good to enquire , and would venture your soul to save you a little labour , yet are you now confident that you are in the right , and he and all of his minde are in the wrong . you know you are a young man , and have had little opportunity to be acquainted with the word of god , in comparison of what your teacher hath had : if you presume that you are so much more beloved of god then he , that god will reveal that to you without seeking and study , which upon the greatest diligence he will not reveal to him ; what can this conceit proveed from but pride ? god commandeth study and meditating day and night in his laws ; your teacher hath spent twenty , if not an hundred hours in such meditation where you have spent one : he hath spent twenty if not an hundred hours in praier to god for his spirit of truth and grace , where you have spent one : his prayers are as earnest as yours : his life is much more holy and heavenly then yours ; his office is to teach , and therefore god is as it were more engaged to be his teacher , and to make known his truth to him th●n to you ; is it not then apparent pride for you to be confident that you are so much wiser then he , and that you are so much more lovely in gods eyes , that he will admit you more in to the knowledge of his mysteries , then those that have better used his own appointed means to know them ? and for you , in ignorance to run about with the shell on your head , exclaiming to the world of the ignorance of your late teachers ? i say not that you do so ; but the quakers whom you approve of do so , and much more . i pray you tell me , did you ever study well what paul meant . ● tim. 3. 5. where he requireth that he that is ordained should [ not be a novice , lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil ; ] the word translated a novice signifieth a new plant , a late convert , or new or young christian ; you see here that such are in most danger of being lifted up with pride , and why so ? but because 1. they have not yet knowledge enough to acquaint them with their ignorance and great weaknesses . 2. nor have they yet grown to a just degree of humility and other establishing preserving graces ; you see also that to fall into pride , is to fall into the condemnation of the devil . you know sure that it is no wrong to you to say that you are but a novice or raw christian , for it is but a few years since you came out of utter ignorance and carnality ; and therefore that you have reason to be very watchfull against this sin , yea , by the evidence that you give in against your selves , you might see that you are too farre ensnared in it already . and for the quakers , you are blinde if you see not their horrible pride ; you 'le perhaps think it strange that pride should be the very master-sinne in them that go in so poor a garb , and cry out against pride so zealously as they do ; and go up and down the world , as if they were sent from heaven to perswade men to wear no lace , or cuffs , or points , and that down so many ministers for being called masters . but alas do you not know that pride of inward qualifications commonly called spiritual pride , is the most killing and abominable ! the better the thing is that you are proud of , the worse is your pride . o what a brave thing doth it seem in these mens eyes , that they should seem to be possessed with such an excellent spirit as can trample upon worldly glory , and can boisterously contemn all that are not of their sect , and that can despise dignities , and be equall with the greatest : yea , that only they should have this admirable spirit , and all o-others are the children of the devil , and under their feet : though other men should never so much sl●eght them , yet do they wonderfully please themselves with these high thoughts of themselves ; for pride is first an overvaluing of a mans self , and thinking of himself above what is meet , and then a desire that others should do so by him too . if yet you see not the pride of these men , i will shew it you in these four particular evidences , and that so plainly , that if you know the difference between the language of heaven and of hell , you may easily perceive the devil speaking by their mouths . 1. they affirm themselves to be perfect without sin ( yea , some of them say they are christ and god . ) and is it possible that any man in this life , that is not mad with spiritual pride , can indeed believe that he hath no sin ? what ? that he transgresseth no law ? that he doth love god in the highest degree that he is bound to do ? that he never hath a thought or word that is sinful , nor sinfully loseth one minute of his time ? yea , and this when in the eyes and ears of the wisest , they foam out their own shame , as the raging sea doth cast out the dirt . the devil himself hath either lesse pride or lesse ignorance , then to think himself to be perfect without sin ; if they have no sin , what need they pray , forgive us our sins , or what further need have they of the bloud of christ or his intercession to procure them any further forgiveness ? if you can see no pride in this , i fear you are blinded with them to destruction . 2. and is it not apparent pride in them to set up themselves so far above all the people of god on earth ? yea , to vilifie the most holy and eminent servants of god , and condemn all the churches in the world , as if heaven were made for them alone ( if it were so well , that all of them did beleeve a heaven besides that within them , which i suppose is but a sorry heaven . 3. and yet more unmatchable pride and impious infidelity is it , to damn all the church and people of god for this 1600 years at least . indeed god had never a people on earth of these mens way : but ( to let passe the scripture ages which condemn them ) tell me , had christ any church since the apostles daies till now , or not ? if he had not , then he was no head of the church , and so no christ : for there is no head without a body : if he had a church tell us , where it was , and when ? do you not know ( if you know any thing of the state of the church for 1600 years ) that christ had no church on earth of the quakers minde , and that all his ministers have been such as they condemn , and have been called by as honourable titles as they are now ? and is not that man either an infidel and enemy to christ , or stark mad with pride , that can believe that christ had no church till now , and that all the ministers of the gospel for 1600 years were the ministers of the devil ( as they say of us that tread in their steps ) and that all the christians of that 1600 years are damned ( at now they dare denounce against those that succeed them , ) and that god made the world , and christ died for it , with a purpose to save none but a few quakers that the world never knew till a few years agoe ; or at least a few hereticks that were their predecessors of old . 4. and i should suppose that their proud , scornful , railing language should put it out of doubt what spirit they are of , to any that are acquainted with the language of christs spirit , and of satan , and are able to judge of spirits by the most palpable effects , and to know darknesse from light . but you say , it is scripture-language which they speak : i answer , the greater is their presumptuous sin in making so ill a use of scripture-language , as to serve satan by it , and use it to reviling ; what if christ call judas a devil ? is it therefore lawfull to call perer so , or any faithfull servants of christ ? but i perceive you think they justly condemn us , because we are called masters of men , contrary to matth. 23. alas that a christian should be so ignorant , as not to know that even calling master and lord too , is commonly allowed of in scripture , and that it is not the title but 1. the proud affecting of the title . 2. and the lording it over mens faith as masters of that ( as if others must be of their minde right or wrong ) which christ there condemneth ; even as in the same place he forbiddeth being called fathers , in the very same sense , when yet it is frequently allowed in a better sense . but for the fuller answering of these scruples of yours , and the rest about tithes , and such like : i send you herewith , an answer to the questions of some quakers near us in the parish of bromsgrove , and refer you to my defence of the worcester shire petition printed some years agoe . to your question , what i think of these men ? i will tell you what i think and am past all doubt of . there are in england a company of young raw professors that have more zeal then knowledge ; and there are a companie of carnal hypocrites that place all their religion in holding certain opinions , and using certain externall worship , and siding with a religious partie . it is no hard matter to misleade all these if they be not better guided by others then by themselves : while they have due regard to the judgements of their teachers that know more then themselves , and so live in a learning way till they have attained to better understanding , they may escape deceivers ; but if they are once brought to be wise enough in their own eyes , and to despise their teachers , then they are like a man that hath lost his way in a dark night , or that hath lost his guide in an unknown wildernesse , or like a dog that hath lost his master , and therefore will be ready to follow any body that first whistleth to him . the papists and the devil know this well enough , and therefore their first endeavour is to unsettle these people , by taking them off all dependance on their guides , and that must be by bringing the ministers into contempt with them ; for if they could once accomplish this fully , and separate the people from their pastors , and so assault the people alone , or with weak , and unlearned teachers only , they might then easily bear down all before them ; and one popish friar or jesuite would non-plus five hundred of our most famous sectmasters ; they remember yet that it was the disgracing of the popish clergy , partly by their own notorious ignorance and vitiousness , and partly by our perswading men that the pope is antichrist , which was the main advantage which the reformers had for the ruining of the papall kingdom ; and therefore they would , partly in policy , and partly in revenge , attempt the destruction of our churches by the same means . these papists seeing the temper of our foresaid unsetled professors do creep in among them , and use their utmost skill to unsettle them more , and bring them into dislike of their teachers , without which they have no hope of succeeding ; their first waies are by reproaching the setled government of the church , and by drawing men to separation and anabaptism ; and then perswading them that these are glorious truths of god , which their former teachers are unable to receive , and that they are but a blinde , self-seeking , proud sort of men that would enthrall all men to their judgements , when they are in utter darkness themselves : when they have gotten them but thus farre once , to despise their guides , then do they proceed further with them , and perswade them that they that were blinde in the points of baptism and church-order , are so in other things as well as that , and that this light which they have seen already , is but a spark , and that these being daies of glorious discoveries , there are yet more and greater matters to be revealed . hereupon they put a handsome dresse upon many of the grossest points of popery , and recommend these as the new and rare discoveries . but this they do not in the name and garb of papists , but ( as the popish jew at new-castle ) they turn anabaptists , and then rise a step higher , and leade others after them ; so that the silly people shall never know that it is papists that are their leaders ; yea , they will cry out of the pope , and call all that differs from them antichristian purposly to divert suspicions , and blinde mens eyes . thus these papists have begotten this present sect of quakers ; first pretending to strange revelations , visions and trances , such as are commonly mentioned in the lives of their saints in the legends : and so you have here and there a papist lurking to be the chief speaker among them , and these have fashioned many others to their turns , to supplie their rooms , who yet know not their own fathers . and so the quakers among us are [ the ignorant , proud , giddie sort of professors , first made separatists or anabaptists , and perhaps more ( for the most part of them ) and then drawn futher by popish subtlety , and now headed with some secret dissembling friars , and by them , and by the devil , enraged against the ministers of christ , and set upon the propagating of the substance of popery . if you ask me , how i know that it is papists who thus seduce them ? i answer , 1. because they do the papists work , and maintain their cause , as far as yet they dare venture to bring it forth ; i could tell you of abundance of popery that the quakers and behmenists maintain ; as that the pope is not antichrist ( which is at least to their advantage whether popery or not ) and the disgracing and secret undermining the sufficiency of the scripture , the decrying of the ministry , the unchurching of our churches , the slieghting of justification by imputed righteousnesse , and drawing men to the admiration of their inherent righteousnesse , and of their works , the crying up the light within us , and the sufficiency of common revelation , the setting up the strength of mans free-will , the asserting the necessity of a judge of controversie above scripture ( which they are content should be the spirit of revelations a while , till they can boldlier exchange that for the pope ) the extolling of monasticall community and virginity , and alienation from worldly emploiments , the doctrine of perfection without sinne in this life , with many more of the like nature : all this the papists have taught the quakers . if you say , they might learn it without them ; i would ask you whether in all these great points you think the papists are righter then the reformed churches ? if you say they be , speak out , and confess your self a papist ; if you say they be not , then who think you should reveal all this poperie to the quakers ; not the spirit of god , for he is not the authour of poperie or any falshood ; if it were the devil , then it seems that poperie and the quakers faith is hatched by the prince of darknesse ; and whether it were frias or devils , or both , that make quakers , it 's not worth the while to dispute , as long as we know that it is poperie that they hold , and the devil befriendeth it . perhaps you will say , that they hold many certain truths , they cry down pride and drunkennesse , and worldlinesse , and cry up mortification , and charitie , and humilitie . i answer . and do not we do so as well as they ? these are points where we are agreed with the papists : do you think that god would extraordinarily send these men to preach down the very same sinnes which are commonly preacht down alreadie , better then they can do it , by those men whom they reproach ? all that is good among them , is only that which is as common among us , and i hope a little better maintained and managed ; and all that wherein they differ from us is their popish and heretical errours . 2. but to give you further satisfaction , it is known by certain proof , that it is the papists that do seduce and head them : many of themselves have confest such things , and their present industrie among us is well known ( which that they may proceed in with lesse impediment , they are the zealous defendors of universall toleration , or libertie for propagating soul-poysoning doctrines , for all the torments of the inquisition in other countreys . ) have you not seen a sheet of paper published by m. prin , containing an oath of a citizen of bristol taken before the magistrates of that citie ? i will transcribe you the deposstion lest you have not seen it . the information of george cowlishaw of the city of bristol ironmonger , taken the 22. day of januarie . 1654. who informeth on his oath , that in the moneth of september last , this informant had some discourse in bristol with one m. coppinger ; an irish man , formerly a schoolfellow of his , that came thither purposely for his passage into ireland , who told this informant , that he had lived in rome and italy eight or nine years , and had taken upon him the order of a friar of the franciscan company ; and he told this informant , that he had been at london lately for some moneths , and whilest he was there , he had been at all the churches and meetings , publike and private that he could hear of , and that none came so near him as the quakers : and being at a meeting of the quakers he here met with two of his acquaintance in rome ( the which two persons were of the same franciscan order and company ) that were now become chief speakers among the quakers , and he himself had spoken among the quakers in london about thirty times , and was well approved of amongst them . and this informant further saith , that the said m. coppinger asked him , what kinde of opinions in religion there were in bristol ? and this informant told him there were severall opinions and judgements , and not naming any opinions of the quakers , the said m. coppinger asked him , whether there had been any quakers in bristol ? and the said informant answered him , no ; whereupon the said m. coppinger told him the said informant two or three times , that if he did love his religion and his soul , he should not hear them , whereupon this informant told him , that he thought none of them would come to bristol , who expresly replied , that if this informant would give him 5 pound he would make it 500 pounds if some quakers did not come to bristol within three weeks or a moneth then following . and on the morrow following the said coppinger departed from this city for ireland his native place , and about 18 daies after , there came to this city two persons that bare the name of quakers . this is a true copy of the original information taken upon oath jan. 22. last at bristol , before the town-clerk and magistrates of the city . if you further ask me , why the papists are so diligent in these kinde of works ? i answer , their tyranicall faction and schism is maintained by works of darknesse and unconscionable deceits ; and they know in such works as these they are not like to lose their labour , they have so many severall ends which they hope to attain ; some they may bring directly to popery it self , some they bring to a great part of popery before they know where they are ; all of them they procure to do their work in disgracing the ministry , and many of them in disparaging the scripture : at lest they know when men are loosened from all former grounds , they are readier to receive a new impression ; also by this meanes they think to make the multitudes of sects , and the madnesse of them to be a shame to our religion ; and by this argument they turn many others to their side : they use from hence to assault our common ungrounded protestants , and say , you may see now what it is to depart from the unity of the romane catholike church ( for so they will needs call their trancendant schism . ) and when they talk among their own followers in france , italy , and other countreys , they mightily frem hence confirm them in their errours , and do so aggravate the hiresiies and sects among us which themselves have cherished , that they make the world abroad believe that the protestants or reformers in england are almost all running stark mad , and even given over to the devil to possess and move and shake their bodies , and that we are broken into so many shreds and pieces , that we are almost so many men so many mindes , and have now no face of a church among us , especially having the advantage of the suffrages of some few over-angry divines among our selves , who ( on another ground ) comply with the separatists , affirming that we have no true churches , where there is not the episcopal preheminence ; you see then what game the papists play in their fomenting of their sects , and what use they make of them at home and abroad . to conclude , i entreat you to consider well of the sense of these passages in the holy scriptures , eph 4. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. where you may see that christs officers or ministers are setled by him in his church for the edification , unity , and ( at last ) the perfecting of the body , and the preserving of the poor people from the snares of such seducers [ that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro , and carried about with every winde of doctrine by the sleight of men , and cunning craftinesse , whereby they lie in wait to deceive . ] young unsetled novices and proud self-conceited professors and opinionists are like a bundle of feathers tost up and down , and carried that way as the winde of temptation driveth them . 1 cor. 11. 18 , 19. [ when ye come together in the church , i here that there be divisions among you , and i partly beleeve it ; for there must be also heresies among you , that they which are approved may be made manifest among you : ] i pray you mark here what gods end is in permitting these divisions and heresies among us ? they are the winde that must sift us and shew us which was the wheat and which the chaff . this triall is to prove you and all of us , and see whether we are light or solid , approved and sound in the faith , or hypocrites ; if this triall turn you quite over to the division of separation and anabaptism , and to the heresie of the quakers , we shall know that you were before a proud , giddy , unsetled novice , not approved of god nor sound at the heart . and it 's an exellent work of god , thus to prepare for the great iudgement , and make such an open discovery of superficial , proud , unsanctified men ; for as it 's said 1 joh. 2. 19. [ they went out from us but they were not of us ; for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us , but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us . ] the lord open your eyes , and humble your heart , and acquaint you with your great darknesse and imperfections , and with the sufficiency of holy scriptures , and the necessity of his order and ministry , and the need that you have of those guides whom you despise , and the obedience and submission that you owe them , and the excellency of the churches unity , and the mischief of all divisions and heresies , and recover you from their snares . your true friend , richard baxter , an answer to the quakers queries miserable creatures , before the last i wrote to you , i had received three severall papers , with the names of three severall persons of you inscribed , viz. one iane hicks , one thomas chaundler , and edward neway . these i have yet to shew , though the spirit that possesseth you did since prevail with you to call me false lyar and serpent in folio , but for telling you that i had received them from you : forsooth , because i named not the woman before , and because neway wrote not : but might not i receive them as from them , and having their names and only theirs inscribed for all that ? since that time i have received two more , one subscribed by richard farnworth and thomas goodier , and another without any subscribed name . i shewed tho. goodier that with his name , and asked him whether he owned it , who told me , he neither read it nor mine which it replied to , and yet so farre belived those that bad , that he owned his name at it . having received in your first letters , almost nothing but some sheets of [ thou serpent , viper , thou childe of the devil , thou son of perdition , thou dumb dog , thou false hireling , thou false liar deceiver , greedy dog , thou ravening wolf , thou cursed hypocrite , ] with much more of the like ; i returned you no reply , as confessing my self not so well skilled in that language and learning as you are ; and for the dunghil-heaps of false accusations annexed , i passe them by , as being well known to be impudent slanders ; such as my [ upholding acoursed , prelatical government , false worship , &c. ] for which you dare say [ the vengance of the lord is against me , ] while you instance only one word of a paper of mine , wherein i moved that men be restrained [ from preaching against the essentials or foundamentals of christianity , ] which one of you tels me is a restraining men from [ speaking any more in christs name ] and a persecuting christs ministers : ] we may see what christianity and christs ministers are in your account , who take it for such damnable enmity to christ , for a man to be restrained from preaching that there is no christ , or from reproaching him : i doe not think if i had desired that men should be restrained from calling you damnable hereticks , or the bastards of the papists , that you would have been so froward as to have said that herein i was your enemy ; nor do i think you would have taken it for any dangerous restraint to the liberty of their consciences ; but christ will deal justly with you though you deal unjustly with him and his . when your praters were here , i desired to know the further ground of all these heavy accusations ; that must prove me a childe of the devil , a greedy dumb dog , a son of perdition , with all the rest . and i could have no proof of all but this ; that i was called master , that i stood in a high place to preach , and that i studied , and that i preached by an hour-glasse , and so would limit the spirit if i had it ; and that i took money , for tythes : false doctrine and worship i was charged with in general , but not one word of instance in any particular that i can remember : to these charges i shall give you some account anon . when i had received your 24 queries , i sent you my answer , that if you would but subscribe your consent that i should come to your meeting , and answer them all by word of mouth without disturbance , and you would receive what was made plain to your selves to be the truth ; i was willing to come over to that end : this motion you detest and reject with a sheet of further revilings in the same-language as the first were : i hope you will not take it ill if i reply not in that grinning or barking rhetorick ; for if i be a dumb dog , you cannot expect that i should equal you in snarling , or barking , or howling . but have you not bewraied your deceitfulnesse in refusing to consent that i should come and answer your questions ? do not you shew by this , that you are children of the darkenesse , and the works of darknesse you are carrying on ? when you hate the light because your deeds are evil ? why would you send me queries which you would not give me leave to answer by speech ? what was it that you feared ? but in stead of this , you [ charge and command me in the name of the most high god to answer them in writing ] that you may [ publish them with your reply if need be . ] but when i desired to see the commission by which you claim this authority , you shew me none , but tell me , it is invisible . and may not all the world command me on these terms as well as you ? in stead of admitting me to answer in your congregation , some of you came over ( taking a time when the lord had shut me up by sicknesse , and could not go to the publique meeting ) to make a disturbance in our assembly , mar. 25. and to try your rhetorick on the mindes of people in this place : whereupon it pleased the magistrate to binde one of you to the good behaviour , for the publique disturbance , and railing at the magistrate : and upon this you send another paper with an outcry against us as persecutors : when you might know , that i was not concerned in the businesse ; and when indeed no man did so much as once ask my advice in it . but as for them that did it , i dare no more accuse them of persecution , then i dare accuse them for persecution who shall burn a thief in the hand . alas , what impatient soules are you , to cry out so much of persecution , when many a poor-scold is duck in the gumble-stool for words more incomparably sweet and lamb-like then yours ? i shall now come to say somewhat to your papers ; and first give you a word of my reason , why i may not answer them so punctually in order , and word by word , as you command me to do : 1. because i dare not be guilty of losing so much precious time : 2. because i have much more profitable work to do , though you accuse me for idlenesse , because i do not dig or thresh : when yet your praters when they were here , did neither dig nor thresh any more then i : nor do i hear that they do elsewhere , as they follow their seducing imployment . 3. because you have heapt up non-sence , vain repetitions and confusions , so as to answer you accordingly would be of small use to any , and would but prove me to be like your selves . many more reasons i overpasse . there is not a scold in all the countrey , but may as honestly and reasonably command me in the name of god to come and scold with them in the market-place , as you may command me thus to answer your scurrilous scolding papers . yet you shall have no cause to complain that i have overpassed any thing that 's worthy to be regarded . your first query is , [ what 's the first principle of the pure religion ? ] to which i answer , 1. [ that god is ] and next [ that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him ] heb. 11. 6. 2. do you ask this as learners ? no that you renounce . or as teachers ? why then do you not shew your commission to teach ? and why do you not plainly teach , but ask questions ? or do you ask it for matter to feed your prating and slandring ? your second query is [ whether they are a church of christ that beat and persecute them that witnesse forth the truth in his name ? &c. ] answ. doubtlesse it 's possible for a true church to be guilty of injuries . but you have as little cause to put this question , as the turk hath . what would you answer if a iew or a turk , or a witch , should put this question ? [ is it a true church that persecuteth them that witnesse the truth ] surely it 's nothing to you , who witnesse abominable falshoods and dreames . 2. but i 'll tell you what do . when you come home , go to some of your gossips , the friers or other papists , and ask them this question : whether it be a true church which set up the spanish irquisition ? and caused the french massacre ? and hath by flames and sword drawn out the bloud of so many hundred thousand true christians ? ask them , whether the butcheries of the waldenses , and the irish murders were done by a true church ? it may be they will give you a most satisfactory answer then i can , because you will sooner hear them . your third question is about infant-baptism . of that i have already written a whole book , which in modesty you should peruse , before you call to me for more . have you soberly read what i have there wrote already ? if not , to what purpose should i write more to you of the same subject . only to your query , i will adde this query to your founders the anabaptists : whether by this time they do not feel gods plagues upon their party ? and whether god do not visibly testifie against them from heaven , in giving up their disciples to all kinde of abominations ? and whether the plague of pharaoh be not on those hearts , and of the blinded sodomites on their eyes , that in all this can see no reason at least to be very suspicious of their way ? and whether they are yet resolved to wink on to destruction , or to stay till all turn quakers , ranters or infidels ? and how much england yet feels it self beholden to separation and anabaptistry ? and whether it be not the seperated and anapaptists churches that are emptied by the quakers ? your fourth , fifth , sixth , seventh , eight and ninth queries are all about tythes : the substance of which i had answered long ago to some of your leading bretheren , in a book called , the worcestershier petition defended ; to which book i referre you , to spare the labour of speaking one thing twice ; and modestly should have taught you to take notice of that which i have done already , before you call for the same things again . only let me now adde these queries also to you . qu. 1. whether have you read any of those books that are written long ago , to prove that tythes are still of divine right ? if you have not , were it not well beseeming a tender conscience to hear all that can be said , before men adventure to rail against that which they do not understand . qu. 2. whether there be not sufficient scripture to warrant a man to dedicate part of his lands to god , for the service of his church , and promoting of his worship ? yea , whether they did not in the primitive times , so dedicate all ? selling it , and laying down the price at the apostles feet . qu 3. is it not lawfull to take and use that which is so dedicated ? and if the apostles and first church officers might take all , may not we take the tenths , when they are thus devoted ? qu. 4. if our ancestours , many an age ago have given the tenths to the church for the ministry , are not those sacrilegious church-robbers that should now take them away , having nothing to do with them ? and do not you counsel men to the sin of iudas or of ananias and sephira ? qu. 5. if one that bears the bag prove a iudas and thief , or one nicolas a deacon should lead a sect of nicolaitans , your predecessours , whether are all the apostles therefore thieves , or all the churches and pastors greedy dogs , for taking much more then the tenths , even mens whole estates that gave them to that use ? qu. 6. whether i , or other ministers do ask the people so much for preaching as the quakers receive themselves ? do not you receive meat and drink , to sustain your lives ? but we ask not meat and drink of any , nor any thing else , that is theirs : the tythes is none of theirs , nor ever was , nor their fathers before them ; but they bought or took leases of their lands , with the condition of paying the tenths as none of their own . we ask them not for a peny , but only to divide between theirs and ours , and give us our own . qu. 7. if it be not a wrong to the people more then to the ministers to have the standing church-maintenance taken away , why then do people petition so hard for augmentations where means is wanting ? or else do worse . qu. 8. if the supream rulers of the commonwealth may lay an excise or tax on the nation , and pay souldiers with one part of it , what forbids but that they may pay ministers of the gospel with the other part ? and if they may lay a tax for them , why may they not fix a setled maintenance in tenths for them , much more , why may they not let them possesse that which is theirs already by their fore-fathers gift ? qu. 9. where doth any scripture forbid paying or taking tythes ? i have shewed you in my other book , where it commandeth allowing sufficient maintenance ? shew where it condemneth the tenth part any more then the ninth , or the eleventh , or twelfth ? qu. 10. when god hath commanded a sufficient maintenance in general , and left it to humane prudence to judge what is sufficient ( before they give it ; ) if then a man shall say [ where doth the scripture require the tenths ? and you are no true ministers who take the tenths ; ] is not this as wise as to say , [ though christ and his apostles did wear clothes , yet shew where any of them preacht in doublet , or breeches , or stockings , or else you are false prophets for wearing these ; ] is not this as wise arguing as the other , and to the same purpose ? and where you ask us so oft whether the apostles took the tenths , i tell you again , they took more , that is , men sold all and laid down the money at their feet . it 's true that then the poor also were maintained out of it ; and if you will shew a commission to examine us , we will give you an account how far we maintain the poor out of our meer tenth part . in the mean time it 's unreasonable , that you demand , that we should so maintain them as to suffer no beggars ; for if all that a minister hath will not maintain twenty poor people if he give it them all , how should he then maintain a hundred with it ? your 10th qu. is , [ whether christ enlighteneth every one that cometh into the world ? ] to which i answer , yea , he doth so ; all that come into the world of nature , he enlighteneth with the light of nature ( so called because that it is a knowledge gotten by the book of the creatures and natural means , without supernatural revelation though it be of grace also as it is freely given after a forfeiture ; ) and all that come into the world of grace he enlighteneth with the light of supernatural revelation . having said as much to this query as you require , i will gratis adde something that i may please you by supererrogation : i lately saw another paper of your queries which you have disperst in other places , which speaks almost only of this inward light ; in which i perceived 1. that you falsly intimate that we deny the necessity of an inward light , when as we maintain that the external light of the word alone is not sufficient without the inward light of the spirit . 2. you there intimate to us a supposed sufficiency of the inward light that every man in the world hath . concerning which i shall say more anon , and now only demand of you . 1. whether you mean it is sufficient to leave men without excuse , ( that we maintain as well as you ) or is every mans light sufficient to his salvation ? if so q. 2. was it sufficient before christ preached the gospel and sent his apostles ? or is it now sufficient to all that never heard the gospel ; if so , is not the gospel a vain and needlesse thing ? or are you christians that dare so affirm ? q. 3. if the world have sufficient light , what need they your teaching , or discourse , or conviction ? q. 4. if all have sufficient light within them , what need there any converting grace ? q. 5. then why did christ send paul to open mens eyes , and to turn them from darknesse to light , if they had sufficient light before , act. 26. 18. q 6. i pray you do not disdain to tell me when you have rub'd your eyes , if all men have sufficient light within them , why you got up into the judgement seat , and pronounced me so oft to be in darknesse , and to be void of the light , and to have none of the spirit . if all have it , why may not i have it ? but let me tell you further in your ear , that we that you so frantickly bawl against , have read bellarmine and other papists so oft , that we cannot be ignorant who are your teachers , though your selves are ignorant ; we know how earnestly the jesuites would perswade us that there is a light in every mans conscience , which if he improve and husband well , god is bound to give such additions as shall make it become saving , and that by the good use of natural light men may certainly get supernatural ; and that it is in mens own power , what light soever they have to improve it to salvation . your 11th query is , [ whether we have seen gods face ? ] ans. whether these be learning , or teaching , or quarrelling , or doting questions , i leave to your consideration : but what call you had to propound them to such serpents , dogs , and children of the devil , as you call us , i know not : but however i 'le answer you truly . 1. by the eye of reason i have seen that there is a god , and that he is infinite , incomprehensible , most great and most good , &c. 2. the same i have seen more cleerly by the eyes of faith . 3. but i never saw god by the eye of flesh , for none can so see god and live , nor hath any man seen god at any time , saving the only begotten son who is in the bosome of his father , he hath declared him . 4. nor have i seen him in glory intuitively , or as the glorified in heaven do . if you say you have seen more , i shall not be very forward to beleeve you , till i see better fruits of it . i also therefore demand of you , whether he that hath seen god do not abhor himself ( as iob did ) in dust and ashes ? and whether the true knowledge of god do not ever abase the soul , and make a man very mean in his own eyes ? and then is it likely that ever those men had the true knowledge of god , who make it their businesse to exalt themselves as having the spirit , and beign perfect without sin , and to revile and bedung other men with their reproaches , as being all the children of the devil , and of darknesse , that be not of their strain , and rave not as they do ? the pharisee that thanked god he was not as other men , nor as the publicane , spoke humbly and modestly in comparison of you , and yet was he counted a proud self-justifier : if ever you come to the least saving sight of god , it will mightily change the proud strain of your spirits , and make you abhor the thoughts of your present evil waies . your 12. query is . [ whether we have the same infallible spirit as the holy men of god had that spoke forth the scriptures ? ] ans. why must you know this ? are all dogs and serpents with you that have not that infallible spirit ? but we hear the croakings of your papist guides in that word [ infallible ; ] that's the : pillar of their kingdom , and the master-point of their new religion , that their church is infallible ; for denying which , knot the jesuite against chillingworth , and a late ●otable gawdy orator s. w. against dr hammond , and others of them , would fain perswade us that we subvert christianity , and are little better then infidels , because we are not infallible : but i will answer you and your masters together in a word . 1. the prophets and apostles had infallible inspirations of new matters of divine verity , not before revealed , because they were to be gods penmen and messengers of such new revelations , i have none such that i know of . 2. the prophets and apostles were guided infallibly in the manner as well as the matter , so that every word that they wrote to the churches was infallibly true ; i have no such infallibility , nor your grandfather the pope neither : he may erre while he pretendeth to the greatest infallibility in deciding controversies . 3. what man soever he be in the world that beleeves any truth , he doth infallibly believe it ; for he that is in the right is not deceived so far , and he that is not mistaken is so farre infallible , which is no more then non fallitur . 4. but if by [ infallibility ] you should mean the clearnesse and subjective certainty , as distinct from the objective and the bare truth of our conceptions , then i say , that 's another thing then infallibility , and not to be so called , and of that certainty men have different degrees : all true christians are certain of their fundamentals , yet sometime with some doubting , so that they may finde cause to say with the apostles , lord , increase our faith ; or , we beleeve , help thou our unbelief ; but in lesser controverted points which salvation dependeth not on , the best man on earth may erre , much more be uncertain ; so that in a word , every church in sensu composite , while a church is infallible in the essentials of christianity ; and so is every true christian : and also they know infallibly every other truth that indeed they know ; because truth is truth whether they know it or not , and when they do know it they are not deceived ; but in many things we all erre , because we know but in part , and so farre are deceived . well , i say still , fair fall the honest humble christian that will confesse with paul that we know but in part ; for i shall never like pretenders to un-erring infallibility more ; i know but two such pretenders , and they are both the most abominable deceivers and deceived , one is the pope and his clergy , and who more erroneous ? the other is your selves , even distracted with errour . the pope venteth abundance of falshoods in doctrine , and corruptions in discipline and worship , and with all these errors in his hands , protesteth he is infallible . the quakers ( all that yet have wrote to me or spoke to me ) pour out the greatest abundance of most impudent lies , and spue their filthy railings in the faces of almost all they come near , so that i know not whether ever the sun saw a more hardened , shamelesse , abominable generation then they ( with their brethren the ranters ) are ; and yet with all this filth upon their lips , they confidently professe that they are infallible and without sin ; you may well excuse us that we be not hasty in beleeving you till we see more reason for it . your 13th qu. is , [ what is hels month that the wicked go in at , &c. ] i answer . 1. you are liker to know ere long then i ; if a miracle of grace save you not , you 'le be better able to answer this query then yet your unbelief will give you leave . 2. it sufficeth me to know that hell is a state of endlesse misery , where such as you shall everlastingly bear the effects of gods wrath and justice with the devils and his angels that now seduce you , if timely recovery prevent it not . your 14th qu. is , [ whether the bible be the word of god ? and matthew , mark , luke and john be the gospel , and whether there were any gospel before them , and whether they be the light ? ] to which i answer , 1. only jesus christ is the co-essentiall , co-eternal word of the father , being one with the father . 2. but the holy scriptures are the temporal expressed word , that is , the signs of gods minde to man , so that christ and the scriptures are nor called the word in the same sense , no more then is the word of a mans minde , and the word of his mouth or pen . this signifying word was preached before it was written , and then was the gospel , but it was written after it was so preached at first , that it might be a standing rule , and might be kept intire and sure to the church to the worlds end ; for the bare memories of men would not have kept them for us with such certainty as they have been kept in scripture and delivered unto us , this word therefore is the light , but not as christ is the light , or as the spirit is the light , for there are many lights that must concurre to give us light . it is a wise question of him that shall ask , whether the light by which a man sees be the visive faculty of his eyes , or the light of a candle , or the light in the air , or the sun ? why it may be all these , there must be 1. a sun . 2. a light from that sun in the air . 3. an inward light in the eyes . 4. and that outward received by the inward , before you can see ; so god in christ is the sun , mans reason is the eye , the gospel or word of god is the external light flowing to us from the sun , the spirit closeth these two together , even the gospel and our reason , and by its powerful work in that closure , breedeth a special illumination in the soul which the word alone could not produce . i shall adde some queries to you . 1. do you beleeve the scriptures to be true or not ? if you do , then you must beleeve what they say of themselves ; but they call themselves the word of god , mar. 7. 13. rom. 10. 8. 2 cor. 2. 17. & 4. 2. 1 thes. 4. 15. 1 pet. 1. 25. and often they are called the laws of god , his testimonies , his statutes , his precepts , his promises , gospel , covenants , &c. all scripture is written by divine inspiration , 2 tim. 3. 16. the word of prophecy is a sure word , 2 pet. 1. 19. 2. will you give us leave to smell the pope in your endeavours to disgrace the scriptures , though your own noses be stopt ? for we have been used to deal with him at this weapon , and know that this is the main point of his new religion , your 15th qu. is , [ whether we own revelations or no ? ] ans. i own all divine revelations , and disown all diabolicall ones , so farre as i know them . i own all those blessed revelations contained in the holy scriptures ; for they were infallibly sealed by multitudes of uncontrolled miracles and a spirit of holinesse ; i believe that the scriptures or laws of christ being finished and sealed , we must hold these till the coming of christ , 1 tim. 6. 13 , 14. and that christ will be with the preachers of this same doctrine to the end of the world , mat. 28. 20 , 21. and that these are able to make men wise to salvation without any more additions , and therefore no more is to be expected . but yet i beleeve 1. that god hath not tied himself from revealing particular matters in subservierty to scripture extraordinarily , as divers murders have been revealed , and the like matters of fact . 2. and i beleeve that all true christians have the illuminating , sanctifying spirit of christ to help them to know all the meaning of the scripture which is of flat necessity to salvation , and more , according to their several measures of the spirit with other helps . your 16. qu. is about singing davids psalms ; ] to which i say , till you have considered what is already written on that question by mr cotton and mr foard , i know not why i should adde any more : if all scripture be written for our use and learning , why may not we speak to god in the words of davids psalms as well as any other scripture ? tell me if you can ? and further , qu. 2. they being used by the church till the apostles times , where do you finde that they did ever forbid or abolish that use ? qu. 3. whether is it more lawful for us to speak gods praises in the words of holy scripture , and particularly of davids psalms , or for you to rake together all the threatnings and sharp reproofs in scripture , to serve your turn to rail and slander me with ? your 17. qu. is , [ what 's the soul of man which the ministers of the gospel are to watch for as they that must give an account to god , and what is it that captivates the soul , and what death is it that hath passed over all , &c. and what is the serpents head that must be bruised . ] ans. seeing i am fallen under your catechizing , i will readily obey . 1. the soul is that spiritual substance which causeth by its lower power , your life , growth , and nourishment , by its next power your feeling , and by its highest power ( proper to man of all inferiour creatures ) your reasoning , intellective knowledge and rationall willing and affections ; which together with the body constituteth the whole man , supposing that you look not for a definition , because you so abhorre logick , i think this in brief may serve your turns . 2. the whole man is oft called the soul in scripture , because the soul is the most noble part of him . 3. i pray mark the text that you alledge , heb. 13. 17. obey them that rule over you , for they watch for your souls as those that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief , for that is unprofitable for you : ] because you have put this text into my hand , i will mix my answer with these few queries to you ; ( for i suppose you expect no great exactnesse of order from me . ) qu. 1. whether many words in scripture translated [ masters {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} &c. ) be not of as low and humble an importance as [ rulers ? ] and therefore seeing god calleth ministers the rulers of the church , are they not so far masters as the word master signifieth a guide or teacher ? and why else are they oft called teachers ? qu. 2. if god bid the people obey them as rulers , and the quakers perswade them to abhorre and reject them as dogs , serpents , and sons of perdition , which is to be obeyed , god or the quakers ? and whether is it the spirit of god or of the devil and antichrist that the quakers speak by ? qu. 3. is it the ministers or the quakers that watch for the good of souls , and have the rule over them ? q. 4. if the present pastors of the churches be not true ministers , speak out and tell us who are , and where we shall finde them , and where they have been from christs time till now ? or whether christ hath been so carelesse of his church , and so unfaithfull of his promise , as to leave his church without pastors from the apostles daies till now ; and to leave all the world without true pastors even till now , except the congregations of the quakers in england ? q 5. according to this text , whether will it be to the peoples profit or disprofit to despise and discourage their teachers and guides , and make them do their office with sighing and grief ? and will they have in the end a better bargain of it to hearken to their rulers or to the despisers of them ? consider well of these things . 4. i proceed in my answer to your qu. that which hath captivated your souls is the devil by sin , the understanding by blindenesse and errour , your hearts by pride and hardnesse , your wils by transporting passions and perversenesse ; and so your lives by open wickednesse ; imitating your leader , and going up and down like raging beasts night and day seeking whom you may deceive and devour : and against all your rage it is our duty to wait patiently , in meeknesse instructing such as oppose themselves , if god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth , and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil , who are taken captive by him at his will , 2 tim. 2. 24 , 25 , 26. 5. the death that passed on all is , the separation of the foul from the body , and of gods special favour or grace from both , and the guilt of everlasting misery for sin . 6. the serpents head is the devils power and policy , when such as you are vanquished by the light , and your folly made known to all , and when the kingdom of satan in sin and darknesse is overthrown , then his head is bruised , as christ in his own person gave it the great bruise on earth , in the vanquishing of satans temptations , in the perfect holinesse of his life , in his miracles , casting out devils , and in his triumphant death and resurrection , and afterward in the successe of his doctrine . your 18. qu. is , [ what is the flaming sword that keeps the tree of life , and what the cherubims ? ] ans. 2 tim. 2. 2. [ but foolish and unlearned questions avoid , knowing that they do gender strifes , and the servant of the lord must not strive . ] you intrude into those things which you have not seen , vainly puft up by your fleshly minde , col. 2. 18. it shall suffice me to know that the flaming sword is gods terrible restraint , and the cherubims are angelical executioners of his will : wisedom hath two gates , the gate of grace and the gate of glory ; these things are seen by faith now , and by intuitive intellection in the life to come . your 19. qu. is , [ whether they that stand praying in the synagogues or idols temples , and love greetings in the markets , and bindes heavy burthens on the people , and are called of men master , be not out of christs doctrine ? ] ans. because this is all that you go about to prove me a false prophet by , i shall say the more to your satisfaction . 1. if our temples be christs temples , do they not blasphemously make christ an idoll , that call them idols temples . 2. if you are not wilfully blinde , you may perceive that it is not all the external actions mentioned mat. 23. that christ condemneth , but the pride and hypocrisie which the pharisees manifested in them . mark first that he bids men even hear the hypocriticall scribes and pharisees , and observe and do what they bid men observe and do , because they sate in moses chair . it is not therefore all the faults there charged on them that will acquit men from observation of their doctrine . is this agreeable to your practise who damn men that despise not and reject not christs most upright and faithful ministers ? their sin is laid down in the 5ht verse ] all their works they do to be seen of men . ] prove this of us if you can ? because they were proud [ they loved the uppermost rooms at feasts , and chief seats in the synagogues ] prove this by us if you can : i had rather have a lower room at a feast then a higher , and ordinarily rather none then either ; i use not the chief seats in synagogues ; i sit in the midst of the assembly , and so i may conveniently be heard when i am to speak , i care not where i stand . greetings in the market-place when did i desire ? or to be called rabbi ? but i pray you mark that it is not [ using ] but [ loving the uppermost rooms that christ condemneth , else no man must sit uppermost , and then we must have none but round tables or not fit at all : so consequently it is not being called rabbi or master that christ intendeth , but a proud desire of and love to those titles : as a man may accept of the highest room for order , that loveth it not in pride ; so may he accept of the title of master from those that owe him respect , though he love it not in pride . besides i pray you note , that christ forbiddeth the name of master no further then he forbiddeth the name of [ father ] vers 9. [ call no man your father upon earth ; ] and yet do you not know how oft the word [ father ] is owned in scripture , and children commanded to love and obey their fathers , and honour them : i know the highest of your sect do forbid the owning of any such relations , or names , as fathers , children , husband , wife , master , servant , magistrate , subject ; and they forbid all affections to such relations , or honour or respect : but if you were not hypocrites , you would plainly speak this out , and then people would better understand you when you tail as ministers for-being called masters . but for the sake of those among you that are not past recovery , i will tell you that which it seemeth you know not ; the pharisees had their severall schools , sects , as the philosohpers had , and every one gloried in his disciples , and those disciples in their own sect-masters ; one cried up such a man , and another such a man , insomuch as sometimes the followers of these several sect-masters would fall together by the ears and kill each other in the temple , and in the streets , while they contended for their masters honours ; and look what faith the master was of , the scholars must all be of his faith ; they must take their belief on trust from him ; these leading men that were the masters of their schools and sects , whom none must contradict , were called by the jews rabbi's and fathers , as the papists now call their bishop the pope , which signifieth a father , because as children must be wholly ruled by the fathers , so would the pharisees have their disciples to be by them , be the matter right or wrong . just thus do the papists require , that the people beleeve as the church beleeves , that is , the pope and his consistory whatever it be , and tell us , that they are infallible , as being guided by the infallible spirit , and therefore we must believe them by an implicit faith . now the lord jesus meeteth with these pharisees , and commandeth his disciples ; that they call no man on earth father , or rabbi , or master , as the pharisees were called , that is , to have no such absolute master of your religion , or lord of your faith , because we have all one such absolute father which is god , and one such absolute master which is christ ; this is the very same thing that paul meant when he chides them for saying , i am of paul , and i am of apollo , as if christ were divided , or paul had been crucified for them , 1 cor. 1. 13. and it 's the same thing that peter means , 1 pet. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. where he giveth ministers the honourable title of elders and overseers , and pastors , and bids them oversee and feed the flock of god ; but yet forbids them doing it as lords over gods heritage , because the heritage is gods , and christ is the chief shepherd . paul cals a bishop the steward of god , tit. 1. 7. one that must rule the church 1 tim. 1. 4 , 5. and 5. 17. and saith , he that desires the office of a bishop desires a good work , 1 tim. 3. 1. but yet he would not have them taken for absolute masters of christs school , but as christs ushers and as stewards in his house ; [ let a man so account of us as the ministers of christ , and stewards of the mysteries of god , ] 1 cor. 4. 1. neither more nor lesse . there are divers words in the greek tongue which the gospel was wrote in , which we translate by one word [ master ; ] but if our language be more scarce of words then the greek , it doth not follow that christs words are all one . the word here used in matthew is {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , and elsewhere {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} which is as much as the chief leader of the way or the sect-master ; what if this , be forbidden , is all mastership therefore forbidden because this one is ? the word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} is translated [ master ] too , and sometime [ a teacher . ] i pray you consider here your most ignorant and sottish dealing ; the gospel was not written by the apostles in english but in greek : because one word signifieth a teacher and a master ( such as a schoolmaster is ) and our translators sometime translate it a teacher and sometime a master , you impudently cry out that one of them is not scripture , and yet yield that the other is ; when in the greek they are the same word , as you may see it used in eph. 4. 11. luk. 2. 46. 1 tim. 2. 7. 2 tim. 1. 11. acts 13. 1. 1 cor. 12. 28. mat. 10. 24. luk. 6. 40. heb. 5. 12. iam. 3. 1. in all which places the holy ghost useth the word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} though we english it sometime masters , sometime teachers , and sometime doctors , yet it is all one word in the language that the scripture was written in ; and therefore scripture alloweth one as much as another . and if you will stick to the english , you may finde the word [ master ] used oft enough : and if it be lawfull for another man why not for a minister ? tit. 2. 9. 1 pet. 2 , 18. 1 tim. 6. 1 , 2. col. 3. 22. and 4. 1. eph. 6. 5 , 9. though the word {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} signifieth such a mastership as ministers of christ will not own as ministers , though over their hired servants they may own it . it may be you think paul crossed christs rule and was a false prophet because he cals himself [ a wise master-builder ] 1 cor. 3. 10. or do you think that the holy ghost did erre when he called teachers [ the masters of the assemblies , ] eccl. 12. 11. that the spirit is no enemy to titles of honour , you may see in 1 pet. 3. 6. where sarah is commended for obeying abraham and calling him lord . and act. 26. 25. paul calleth festus , most noble festus , and calleth agrippa , king agrippa , act. 26. 2 , 26 , 27. and rom. 12. 10. we are commanded [ in honour to prefer one another , ] so that it 's one mans duty to give those titles which another may not ambitiously seek . for my part i will gladly make this agreement with you , i will never wish any man to call me master , nor be displeased with any that doth not ( on that account ) if this will satisfie you . but then i confesse i dare not condemn them that use so much civility or respect , because gods word is of more esteem with me then your most confident fancies and reproaches . by this time me thinks i may well take leave to salute you with this query , whether that man be not void of the fear of god , and given over to a seared conscience , that dare go up and down to rail against the most faithfull and painfull ministers of christ , whom they are not able to charge with any crime but humane frailties , and that because they are called masters ? and all this upon meer sottish ignorance of the scripture that so commonly useth and alloweth the title . all that i could get to all this from your prater tho. goodier that was here , was but this , [ i deny thy greek and hebrew if the scripture be truly translated ; ] which is but to say , i deny the words of christ and the apostles : for ●●e translating , there are many words in the original language which have not so many and apt in english to expresse them by ? translating excludeth not the necessity of explicating ; and who knows not that one english word hath many significations ? there is a beast called a wolf , and a fish called a wolf , and an eating disease called a wolf ; are these therefore all one , because they have one name ; so a sect-master is called a master , one that would be the lord of mens faith is called a master , and a teacher of the church of christ is called a master : doth it follow that all these are forbidden because one is ? your prater also made a stirre with me for calling the sacred languages the originall , because forsooth the spirit of god is the original . and is not that a wise man to go cry down the ministry , that cannot discern the difference between the original cause and the original language . he charged me also to be empty of the spirit because i studied , and told me , he did not study , no not in speaking what to say , i the lesse marvell at his non-sence : but i pray god forgive me that i study no more ; do you think we cannot talk without study as well as you , and i hope a little better ; and when the lazy fit overtaketh ministers , they are ready to preach without study as well as you do : i can bring you a woman fit for the gumblestool , that shall without any study talk it out with the best of you : we do not so despise god , his word or our hearers , as to speak before we consider what to say . reade 2 tim. 2. 15. psa. 1. 2. 1 tim. 4. 15. psal. 119. 15 , 23 , 48 , 78 , 97 , 99 , 148. and see whether it be not our duty to study and meditate continually day and night . and whereas you call us to thresh and dig , i professe if god would give me leave , i should take it for a great recreation and refreshment to my body ; and should think it incomparably a more easie life then that which i endure ; solomon knew , and i know to my sorrow , that much study is a wearinesse to the flesh ; and might i but plough and dig i should yet hope to live in some competent health , who now spend my daies in continuall pain and languishing . but then how shall i fulfill gods command , 1 tim. 4. 15. [ meditate on these things ; give thy self wholly to them ( mark wholly ) that thy profiting may appear to all . ] how should i [ watch over the church day and night ] act. 20. 31. yet whereas your prater feared not before god to affirm , that if i had no pay i would not preach : i do here professe before the same god that he is a liar , and i prove it , because i have long preached already without pay , and been glad of liberty , and i would labour with my hands , as far as my languishing body would bear , to supply my necessities , as paul did to stop the mouths of your predecessors rather then i would give over preaching the gospel . judge therefore whether your lying spirit be the spirit of god or the meet authour of reformation , or whether indeed you are perfect without sin ? your 20. qu. is , [ did ever the lord of heaven and earth , or jesus christ bid thee , or any of you , go , and preach to a people , or was any of the apostles or ministers of christ made minister , by the will of man ? ans. 1. i offered your prater here to shew him my comission from god , if he would shew me his , and he told me that it was invisible ; and why may not you take the answer that you give ? 2. the lord called his first apostles by his own voice , and appointed them to call others , and to establish an order for the succeeding of others in that office of the ministry to the end of the world , matth. 28. 21. and till the saints be one perfect man , eph. 4. 11 , 14. that they that should ever after be called , might not expect a voice from heaven to their ears , but might be called in christs appointed way ? and in this way i have been called by christ . the signs of his call are , 1. my comperent qualifications . 2. my thirst after the good of souls and the building of that house of god . 3. the ordination of authorized church-officers . 4. the call and consent of the people of christ , over whom he hath set me . 5. and afterwards the successe of my labours . 6. and some daily assistance of the spirit in those labours . 7. and some testimony of the spirit to my conscience of gods acceptance . these seven set together are my evidence of mission , shew you the like if you can . 2. neither paul not any true minister is called by the meer will of man , nor are we the servants of men ; nor were the apostles called by men at all , but immediatly by christ . but all afterwards were to be called by christ , through the ordnation of men . tit. 1. 5. for this end left i thee in crete , that thou shouldest ordain elders in every city : ] act 14. 23. [ when they had ordained them elders in every church , &c. ] the gift was given timothy by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery , ] 1 tim. 4. 14. paul directeth him whom to make bishops , 1 tim. 3. will not all this suffice you ? your 21. qu. is , [ whether had any ministers of christan hour-glasse to preach by , or took a text , and raised doctrines , reasons , uses , motives , or a carnall bell to call people together by , prove these things by scripture , or else be silent , and never professe your selves to be ministers of christ more ] ans. by your patience , i must tell you , that the conclusion is but your lordly ignorant command ( such as is joyned to many of the other queries ; ) scripture is gods laws , and fa sufficient rule for doctrines , and worship it self : but was never intended to name to you every circumstance that is lawull about that worship . hath scripture told you at what place you shall meet , or at what hour ? i tell you again , you speak with no more wisedom then if you should say thus [ prove that ever man read the bible with a pair of spectacles , or that ever christ or his apostles used a printed bible ( when printing was invented but a while ago ) or that ever they used an english bible ( when they wrote in greek ) or that ever they preached in doublet , breeches , or stockings , or else call your selves ministers of christ no more ? ] and why so ? because you command us , and yet tell us your commission is invisible . these circumstances are purposely left by christ to the determination of humane prudence , as occasions shall require ; and therefore he bids us do all things to edification , and decently , and in order , 1 cor. 14. 26. 4. and therefore sure we must discern what is edifying , decent and orderly ; this is plain to them that will see : what , came the word of god out from you , or came it unto you only ? if any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual , let him acknowledge that the things that i write are the commandments of the lord ; but if any be ignorant let him be ignorant , 1 cor. 14. 36 , 37 , 38. but i pray you if an hourglasse be unlawful , tell us whether a clock be lawful , or a diall , or a watch ? or whether it be lawful to observe by the sun how the time passeth ? and why one is more unlawful then another ? but your prater told me , it was a limiting of the spirit of god ; as if i cannot limit my self and not limit the spirit ? or as if the spirit excluded reason and prudence , and set a mans tongue a going , so that he cannot stop it . did the apostles stint the spirit because they appointed their meetings on the lords day , and did not stay two or three daies together ? why then may not we resolve upon an hour as well as they did on a day , for one is limiting as well as the other . i think if i had your spirit to liquor my tongue , i should be angry at the hourglasse , and preach the people of out the place . and for a text : 1. know you not that christ himself took a text , luk. 4. and applied it ? know you not that it was then the common practice of the church to reade , expound , and apply the scriptures , as ezra did ? know you not that there is doctrine , reason , and use in all the sermons and epistles of the apostles ? know you not that we are commanded rightly to divide the word of truth , as workmen that need not be ashamed , and to study thereto , 2 tim. 2. 15. ah wretched souls that dare so blindely cavill with the work of god . for what you say of [ a carnall bell ] it is like the rest which i before answered , not fit for the mouth of a reasonable creature to have mentioned . but i must tell you that our bels are not carnall , if they were , they would scarce sound so well or last so long . if your meaning be , that you would have us baptize our bels to make them spirituall as your ghostly fathers of rome do , we will keep our carnall bels till we know more reason for that practice . the 23. qu. is this , [ whether are not they that bear rule by their means , and seeks for their gain from their quarter , and seeks for the sleece , and makes a prey upon the people , and are hirelings , be not false prophets , yea or nay , and whether such be not to be cried out against now as they were then ? ] answ. to this i have sufficiently answered already to your brethren in my other book . only let me tell you , 1. it is a most certain thing that god allowed the priests the tythes , and much more , when he thus cried out against them , dare you deny that ? if you dare not , confesse then that it was not the meer taking of tyches that caused god so to rebuke them . reade but mal. 2d & the 3d without spectacles and then judge . it 's most evident then that the thing that god condemneth was not taking tythes , but covetous greedy desires after gain , and neglecting the good of souls and the work of god : and are not we as willing to cast such out as you are to reproach them ? whether we seek theirs or them , and whether we are not willing to spend and be spent for the salvation of our people , we must be tried by a more righteous judge then you . your 23. qu. is , [ whether do you own trembling and quaking which the scripture witnesseth ? ] ans. i own the fear of the lord which is the beginning of wisedom , and think him blessed that feareth alwaies , and that he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief ; but i think that the great quaking that was in the army of the philistines was no vertue or blessing to them , nor any sign of god among them , 1 sam. 14. 15. and i think that perfect love costeth out fear , and that those shakings and quakings that come not from the humble sence of sin or judgement , or the like , but in violent motions of the body affectedly , are either papisticall tricks of deceit , or effects of phantastical conceit , or the motions of the great deceiver within you . i read of it as one of gods curses , that [ the lord should give them a trembling heart , ] deut. 28. 65. and i am of opinion that the curse is fallen upon you which is written , psa. 69. 23. [ let their eyes be darkened that they see not , and make their loins continually to shake . ] gods kingdom is righteousnesse , peace , and joy in the holy ghost . your 24. and last qu. is , [ whether do you say you shall be free from the body of sin while you are on the earth , and whether shall any be perfect yea or nay ? ] ans. i beleeve that all true converts are free from the dominion of sinne , but not from the remnants of it ; and that our grace is of a perfect kinde , as a small candle is of a perfect kinde of fire , which yet will not enlighten all the town or house , nor scatter away all the darknesse as the sun will do ; i beleeve also that in the instant of death when we part with the flesh , we part with all the remnants of sinne . and for the doctrine of personal sinlesse perfection here , i beleeve the devil , the greatest sinner bred it ; the pharisee received the foretastes and preparatives to it , the hereticks and papists first entertained and cherished it , christ detesteth it , and never man that knew himself , or had one spark of true grace and christian experience , did to this day heartily believe it of himself . and i think that it is a part of the papists dung which they have taught you to feed upon . christs kingdom is an hospitall , he hath no subjects in it but diseased ones . the fathers kingdom before had perfect subjects , and so shall it have again when christ hath perfected us : for when he hath perfected us by healing all our diseases and subduing all our enemies , even the last enemy death ( at the resurrection ) then will he give up the kingdom to the father . but now , in many things we offend all , jam. 3. 2. and there is no man on earth that doth good and sinneth not ; and if we say we have no sin , we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us , therefore the truth is not in you quakers . i conclude my answer with this question to you ; if you think you are perfect without sin , whether do you also think that you are already in heaven or perfect glory ? for what can keep the soul from the perfect enjoyment of god , but sinne . and to enjoy god perfectly is to be glorified perfectly : but i forgot that your brethren think heaven and hell is only within men . perhaps you look for no more heaven then you have : and i wonder not at it : for if you did , in the way you are in , you are no more likely ever to finde it then darknesse is to have communion with light , or belial with christ . the lord give repentance unto life , to those of you that have not sinned unto death , and shew you another heaven before you are out of reach of it , and a further hell before you are in it . though i look for no thanks from you for my charitable desires , yet you shall have them whether you will or not . having been at this labour at your command to answer your queries , may i not in reason expect that you should answer some of mine , which i do but request and not command : but i desire of you that you will not put me by with gumblestool rhetorick in stead of answers , but speak considerately , truly , and to the point in question . i mean first that you will answer all those queries which i have before put to you among my answers to yours , and then that you will answer also these twenty queries following . qu. 1. are they not the very same ministers which you rail at , and which all the drunkards , swearers , whoremongers , and sensuall wretches in the countrey do hate and rail at as well as you ? are you not then on their side and possest with the same spirit ? they despise the preachers of the gospel , and would have them down , and so would you , even the very fame men as they would ; when they had opportunity they raged against them with swords , and so do you with filthy tongues : would not all the covetous , malignant , ungodly enemies of piety , have tythes down as well as you ? what think you ? i can witnesse it of most of my acquaintance that are such ? moreover , were they not the same sort of ministers which the late bishops silenced , suspended , and otherwise troubled , and which you revile at ? is it not then the same spirit by which you and all these were or are acted ? consider and judge . qu. 2. whether it be not the same spirit which moveth in you and in the papists ? when the papists say , that we are no true ministers of christ but deceivers , and teach the divination of our own brain , and delude souls , and so say you ; the papists say , our congregations are no true churches , who own us as their pastors , and so say the quakers ; the papists know that the great thing that must be done before they can feduce the people among us , is first to make them despise and reject their teachers , and therefore they bend all their wits and endeavours to vilifie them and draw the hearts of the people from them ; and so do the quakers . the papists main errour lieth in the contempt of the scriptures ; they say , they will not take it for the word of god but on the authority of the church , and that it is but part of his word ; the quakers say , it is not the word of god . the papists say , it is but a dead letter , and so do the quakers : the papists say , it is not fit to be the judge of controversies , and so say the quakers : the papists preferre the vulgar translation before the same words in hebrew and greek which the spirit did indite the scriptures in and so do the quakers in english . could the papists but get down the regulating authority of scripture , they would think they had won the field ; for they will not endure that all spirits should be tried by the written word , no more will the quakers . the papists maintain mans free-will hath power before conversion to repent and believe , and turn to god , and that it is not only the fruit of the spirit in the elect , and so do the quakers . the papists tell men of the sufficiency of the common-light that is within them , and so do the quakers . the papists say that a man may be perfect without sin in this life , and may fulfill all gods commandments , and so do the quakers . the papists make this their perfection to lie in casting off worldly callings , emploiments , relations after the flesh , and propriety , as their nuns , monks , and hermites do ; yea , and in casting off their old names , as their pope doth when he is made pope : and so do many of the quakers , and much worse , as i have seen in papers under their own hands . the papists place their righteousnesse in their own works and perfection , while they slieght the imputed righteousnesse of christ , and so do the quakers . the papists place this righteousnesse of their own pharisaically in externals , and things that have a shew of wisedom , and humility , and neglecting of the body , not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh , as touch not , taste not , handle not , which all are to perish with the using , col. 2. 18 , 20 , 23. so do the quakers in stead of preaching the righteousnesse of christ , call out for a formal righteousnesse and perfection of our own , consisting in such things as these following , to wit that we wear no points , nor cuffs , nor lace nor any such like , that we preach on the lower places and not ( as ezra did ) in a pulpit ; that we use not an hourglasse to discern how the time passeth ( whether a clock or watch be as dangerous i know not : ) that we say [ thou ] and not [ you ] to him we speak to ( when the word that christ used signifieth you as well as thou : that we call not men masters or women mistresses , when the scripture frequently useth and alloweth it , and much more : ( though christ forbid us to have any sect-masters or masters of our faiths ; ) in such like as these doth the quakers righteousnesse lie , while they are ignorant of christs righteousnesse ; and just is it with god that they who set up their own righteousnesse against christs should be given up to that hellish delusion , as to take the most satanical slanders , lies , heresies , and railings , to be their righteousnesse : were it not tedious and not much necessary , i could shew in many more particulars how the papists and quakets do so conspire that we may well know whence their doctrines and delusions came . qu. 3. whether there were ever greater monsters of ingratitude upon the face of the earth then these are , who set their hearts and tongues against those ministers of christ that lay out themselves for the saving of souls , through all the scorns and opposition of all sorts of wicked men , with whom these wretches joyn against them ? yea , and make their very study and labour their crime , when it were much easier for us to preach without study , and that i hope with somewhat more truth , sense , and order then they that so boast of the spirit . qu. 4. were not those faithful servants of god that suffered martyrdom under heathen and arian persecutors , just such ministers as these men do now vilifie ; or wherein was the difference ? and do not these wretches justifie their murderers ? qu. 5. are not the ministers whom these men despise , of the same calling and practice as those were that suffered death in the flames in q. maries daies ? such as bradford , hooper , latimer , ridly , cranmer , saunders , philpot , and the rest ; were not these called masters ? did they not preach in pulpits , and take tythes or money for preaching as their due maintenance , and the other things that the quakers accuse us for ? and do not these men justifie the bloudy opposers of them , and condemn gods saints afresh ? qu. 6. whether ever the earth bore men that did more proudly despise others in comparison of themselves ? and whether their language savour of the spirit of the lamb of god ? or can he have any taste of that spirit of christ in himself that doth not even feel that their proud and railing language is of the devil ? qu. 7. was there ever a generation known on the earth , that did more arrogantly step up into the throne of god , and censure his servants , whose faces they never saw , and whom they can charge with nothing but being preachers of the gospel , and that in a pulpit , having an hourglasse , taking tythes , &c. to be ministers of the devil , sons of perdition , with much of the like . though christ hath said , iudge not that ye be not judged , and who art thou that judgest another mans servant ? to his own master he stands or fals . qu. 8. was there ever a generation of men on whom the image of the devil was more visible then on these ? he is the prince of darknesse , pride and malice ; and the depth of ignorance and height of pride and malice breaks out so abundantly in their carriage and discourse , that all not utterly blinded may see it . it is the work of the devil to be the accuser of the brethren ; and so it is the very religion and businesse of these wretches to accuse ministers and godly people to be hypocrites , liars , children of the devil , serpents , vipers , with much the like . qu. 9 is it no kin to the blaspheming of the holy ghost for such wretches , when they have powred out the most horrid lies , slanders , railings , and false doctrines , to professe solemnly that all this is from the spirit of christ within them , and make god and his holy spirit the author and patron of all . qu. 10. can that man that hath one spark of grace believe that he hath no sin ? can he have so little knowledge of himself ? and consequently of the need he hath of the physician ? dare you say to christ , we will not be beholden to thee for thy bloud to wash us any more , or to thy intercession to pard on us any more ? do you not believe that in many things we offend all , jam. 3. 2. if we say that we have no sinne we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us ? if we confesse our sinnes , he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes , and to clense us from all unrighteousnesse : if we say that we have not sinned , we make hem a lyar , and his word is not in us , 1 joh. 1. 8 , 9. 10. are not all christs disciples taught daily to pray [ forgive us our trespasses . ] for my part , i am one that is sick and have need of the physician , and dare not tell god that i will ask him pardon for no more sins , nor be beholden to him for any more . but o what a power hath the deceiver with these wretches , that in the midst of their horrid railing , flandring , and other wickednesse , will stand to it that they have no sin ; just like the swearer that will swear he never swore an oath ; or the drunkard that will swear he was never drunk , when he lieth drunk in the channell . solomon saith , there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not , eccles. 7. 20. and these quakers that pharisaically and papistically justifie themselves do give him the lie . qu. 11. whether those that deny scripture to be gods word as these quakers do , and deny that there is any such person as jesus christ who suffered at ierusalem ; now glorified in heaven in the humane nature , and only call somewhat within themselves by the name of christ , i say , whether these are not abominable infidels , having nothing to do with the name of christians ? q. 12. is it not damnable hypocrisie in these wretches , to prate so much of scripture , and call for scripture , while they thus deny it to be gods word ? qu. 13. is it not damnable hypocrisie in them to call themselves christians , when they are infidels , and deny the person of jesus christ crucified to be in heaven ? qu. 14. is not he a pagan and no christian that thinks that the light which is in all the indians , americans , and other pagans on earth , is sufficient without scripture ? qu. 15. was that light in paul which perswaded him that he ought to do many things against the name of jesus , sufficient to convert him to the faith of jesus ? or did christ give him needlesly a light from heaven , and by ananias his doctrine ? o● had con●lius sufficient light within him before peter preached to him ? or had all the world sufficient light within them before christ sent abroad his apostles to preach the gospel to them ? or did christ send them a needlesse light by his apostles ? have those persecutors sufficient light within them to cause them to believe in christ , who think they do god service in killing or reproaching his ministers and people ? qu. 16. if all have sufficient light within them , what need you go up and down to teach or perswade them ? is it needless light that you bring then , or is i● hellish darknesse ? qu. 17. is it not a most sottish trick of you to go up and down prating and commanding , and yet refuse to shew your commission from god ? and to call ministers to shew theirs , and refuse to shew your own , but say it is invisible within you : are you so mad as to expect any should belive an invisible and indemonstrable commssion . and might not we as well tell you ours is invisible ( but that indeeed it is not ; ) or should we beleeve every one that prates of a commission within him or no ; if not , why should we belive you more then others that say the like ? qu. 18. seeing you cry down our ministry and churches , tell us which is the true ministry and church , and when yours begun , and where it hath been since christs abode on earth till now ? speak plainly and let us know whether you are indeed papists or pagans ? qu. 19. is not that man an infidell and a scorner of christ , that date say , he came into the world and shed his bloud , to gather onely a few raging quakers in england 1652 years after his incarnation ? if christ have no subjects but these he is a poor king ; if christ have been till now without subjects , he was no king ; if without a body , he was no head ; if without a spouse , he was no husband ; therefore shew us what church christ hath had , or confesse your selves infidels . qu. 20. did not the spirit of the quakers speak in num. 16. 3. just as you do now against magistrates and ministers ? and is not god very patient that causeth not the earth to open and swallow you up quick as it did them ? do you understand that the simonians ( or disciples of simon magus ) and the nicolaitans , whose doctrine and deeds christ hateth , rev. 2. and other gnostick hereticks in the apostles daies , did deal by them , and the church then as you do by us now ? and that the second epistle of peter , the epistle of iude , much of 1 iohn and 2 iohn were written purposly against them ; besides many other scriptures ? and have you well considered those scriptures , and applied them to your selves . when you have answered these questions , i require you to have no more to do with me nor any of this church . for we renounce you as hereticks after a first and second admonition , a●d will have no fellowship with such self-condemned persons , nor receive you into our houses , or bid you god speed , lest we partake of your wicked deeds , tit. 3. 10. 2 ioh. 10 , 11. kederminster . march 28. 1655. richard baxter . finis . whether parish congregations be true christian churches and the capable consenting incumbents, be truly their pastors, or bishops over their flocks ... : written by richard baxter as an explication of some passages in his former writings, especially his treatise of episcopacy, misunderstood and misapplied by some, and answering the strongest objections of some of them, especially a book called, mr. baxters judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies, as by law required, and another called, a theological dialogue, or, catholick communion once more defended, upon mens necessitating importunity / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1684 approx. 237 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 71 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27068 wing b1452 estc r16512 12545784 ocm 12545784 63048 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27068) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 63048) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:13) whether parish congregations be true christian churches and the capable consenting incumbents, be truly their pastors, or bishops over their flocks ... : written by richard baxter as an explication of some passages in his former writings, especially his treatise of episcopacy, misunderstood and misapplied by some, and answering the strongest objections of some of them, especially a book called, mr. baxters judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies, as by law required, and another called, a theological dialogue, or, catholick communion once more defended, upon mens necessitating importunity / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 44, 32 p. printed for thomas parkhurst ..., london : 1684. "a short answer to the chief objections in a book entituled a theological dialogue, &c." has separate paging. part 2, page 32 has faded print in the filmed copy. part 2, pages 1-32 photographed from the yale university library copy and inserted at the end. reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng baxter, richard, 1615-1691. -treatise of episcopacy. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. -mr. baxter's judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies. chauncy, isaac, 1632-1712. -theological dialogue. brownists. protestantism. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-01 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-03 john latta sampled and proofread 2006-03 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion whet●er parish c●●gregations be true christian churches , ●●d the capable consenting incumbents , be truly their pastors , or bishops over their flocks . 〈◊〉 whether the old protestants , conformists , and noncon●●rmists , or the brownists , were in the right herein . and how 〈…〉 our present case is the same . 〈◊〉 by richard baxter , as an explication of some passages in his for●●● writings , especially , his treatise of episcopacy , misunderstood and misapplied by some ; and answering the strongest objections of some of them , especially a book called , r. baxters judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies , as by law required . and another called , a theological dialogue . catholick communion once more defended , upon ●●ns necessitating importunity . by richard baxter london : 〈◊〉 in parkhurst , at the bible and three 〈◊〉 , near mercers chappel . 1684. communion with parish churches vindicated , in answer to a book entituled , the judgment of mr. baxter , against communicating , &c. mistaking my writings . a church is not formally , quid physi●um , but quid morale politicum relativum , a political relative being . ii. the same name signifieth both the genus and species , that are divers by use . iii. the same is true of the name [ pastor . ] iv. diocesan churches are of three sorts . 1. such as have at present but one fixed assembly , but design to gather more hereafter : such , dr. hammond thought they were in scripture times . 2. such as have one diocesan governour , or superintendent over many inferior churches , and their pastors . 3. such as have one only bishop or pastor , having no other true pastor , elder , church-ruler , or presbyter of christs institution under him ; but chappels which have no such ruler or pastor . v. the first sort of diocesans we have now nothing to do with . the second sort is controverible , some holding it sinful , some lawful , and some ( and very many ) to be of divine institution , as successors of the apostles , not in the extraordinaries , but in the ordinary parts of their office : christ having made an imparity ( or a superiority of some over others ) they think that to say without proof , that he changed that order in one age , is 1. to charge him with mutability and levity . 2. and to diminish from his law ( which hath a curse . ) the third sort of diocesans , is either 1. of a diocess ( like a great parish with chappels ) so small that one pastor may possibly oversee it . ( this is tollerable , when more cannot be had ; and when they can , it hurts only ●he well-being of the church ) : or 2. it is of a diocess so great as that one man cannot do what is essential to a pastor , and so it is undone : this nullifieth that species of churches which is of christs institution . vi. a particular church of christs institution of the lowest political order , is , [ a competent number of neighbour-christians , who by christs appointment , and their own exprest consent , are associated with one or more past●● for the right worshipping of god in publick , and the edification of the members , by the exercise of the said pastoral office , and their mutual duties to god , to their pastors , and each others , for the welfare of the society , and the pleasing and glorifying of god. ] vii . the pastoral office as over this first or lowest church , and as it is in unfixed ministers , related yet to no one church more than another , differeth but as the subject matter ( or object ) of their charge doth differ , and not in the fundamental power or order . viii . this pastoral office is essentially ministerial to christ as the prophet , priest , and king of his church . 1. a power to teach . 2. to lead in worship . 3. to guide by the keys of reception , admonition , exclusion and restoration . ix . it is not inconsistent with this pastoral office to be governed by superiors , whether magistrates , or ecclesiasticks ( as others were by apostles , and by timothy , titus , &c. ) therefore every limitation , restraint , rebuke , or punishment , for mal-administration , nullifieth not the office , nor yet allowing an appeal to superiors . x. to hinder a pastor from forcible excluding men from church or sacrament , and allow him only to do it by application of gods word , is agreeable to his office. xi . it is power and obligation to exercise , and not the present actual exercise , that is essential to the office in the fundamental relation : but should the non-exercise be total and stated , it would not make up a church in act ; no more than a mere power to teach , will make a school in act . xii . he that hath the entire power , and statedly exerciseth but one part of it , statedly omitting an essential part , may be in order an empowred minister ; but his society is but a half church : but if it be only an integral part that he omits , it may be a true church , tho faulty ; or if it be an essential part , and not statedly , but only by some present impedition . xiii . the name of church pastor and diocesan , being formally relative in signification , are really divers things , as the fundamentum , relate , correlate , and terminus , are divers . they are therefore considerable . i. as instituted and described by christ . ii. as understood , described and consented to by sound orthodox pastors and people . iii. as described by laws and canons . iv. as esteemed and described by many mistaking bishops , clergy and people , some super-conformists , and some misjudging , that the law saith as they : the word as to these senses is equivocal . xiv . christs institution went before mens corruption ; and is to be held to by all christians , who own him to be the maker and ruler of his own church : and no man hath power to null his institution , nor to warrant 〈◊〉 to make his church another thing . xv. by christs institution every ministerial elder and pastor hath power . 1. to teach the people . 2. to lead them in worship . 3. to receive by baptism , and to communion , or to refuse on just cause ( tho under government ) as aforesaid : ( the whole office i have copiously described in my universal concord , 24. years ago . ) xvi . the parishes that have capable christians and ministers consented to by their sumbmission , are such true churches ; their neighbourhood and christianity making them capable matter . not that a man is of the church , because he is in the parish ( atheists , infidels , sadduces , hereticks and refusers , may dwell there , ( its thought that of 60000. that dwell in one london parish , 10000 communicate not , and so 40000 or 50000 , are not of that church ) but those that are capable consenters , and communicants . xvii . this sort of churches we were in possession of 166● , and till august 24. 1662. and of 9000 ministers , then 2000 only were put out , the other 7000 continuing in . and of those that were put out , some few gathered part of their old flock into private churches , renouncing , and disswading them from the publick : most gathered no such churches , but help their old people as they could , not drawing them from the parish churches , till the time of the kings licences for more open ministry . many led them to the parish churches , and took themselves for fellow pastors , with the publick ministers , and lived in love and communion with them . the people were not by the new law cast out with the ministers . most of the people in the 2000 parishes of the ejected , and almost all in the other 7000 ▪ who before communicated , or were ca●able of it , continuing the parish communion . and so are churches , if they were so before . xviii . the generality of the former protestant bishops , and clergy , took the parish rectors to be true pastors of the parish churche● , as bishop usher proved them : the church of england is confessed to be of this mind , before the wars . it is not certain that arch-bishop laud thought otherwise : if he did , hey●n names but five that joyned with him in his main cause , of whom mountague , if not more , were for the contrary cause in this point . xix . they then took a curate to be a pastor , and to have all that is essential to the presbyters office ; and to be a presbyter and no pastor , is a contradi●tion in the sense of protestants and papists , except what is said for lay-e●ders . in france they call all their parish-pastors , curates ; the word sig●ifieth the curam animarum . xx. no law since 166● . hath changed any essentials of the parish-pastors o●●nce ( and so none hath nulled it ) from what it was in 1640. they that affirm the contrary , must prove it . the law before , subjected parish-pastors to diocesans : it imposed the oath of canonical obedience , and a promise of the same in ordination ; it was the same to the ecclesiastical courts as now . if any pretend to such singular skill in law , as to say that there was no law for the book of ordination , which made the ordained to covenant to obey their ordinaries , nor any law for the canons , i hope he will have more reason than to lay the controversie about separation on his odd conceit , when all the people in england have in the days of the four last soveraigns , been forced to submit to these as legal ; and no such pretender could at any time deliver them . books have been written , and pleas used against submitting to the courts that declared not that they held their authority from the king ; but the judges still over-ruled it against them and they that profest to hold it from the king , did many , if not most , mean but the liberty of publick exercising it , as the ministry is held under him , or the adjunct cogent power , or the circa sacra . xxi . the law enableth the parish-minister to receive into the church by baptism , ( tho under canonical prescripts , which dissenters much dislike ) , and to catechize youth , and certifie their fi●ness for confirmation , before they communicate : it bindeth them to reject all from communion , who are not confirmed , or at least are not ready and desirous of it ; it tells us who is to be taken for ready , those that have learnt the catechism , and solemnly own their baptismal covenant . the pastor hereby hath power to try all the unconfirmed , whether they are thus ready or not . the canon requireth him to deny communion to all that live in any scandalous sin : the law and canon bid him to instruct the congregation , to lead them in publick worship , and in the name of christ to reprove , admonish , comfort , administer the lord supper , visit the sick with instruction and prayers . all which , with the aforesaid power of judging who shall be communicants , is full as much as is essential to a parish-pastor . solemnly to pronounce them excommunicate , beside refusing communion , is not essential . if it were , they have power to do it , after the bishops sentence . if it were essential to do it as ungoverned , or finally , or without appeal , then apostolick , yea and magistrates government would null the pastors office. xxii . the altering some words in ordination , and putting out the name [ pastors ] from most places in the litturgy , where they were applied to parish-ministers , is no change at all of the office , much less of its essence . it takes no power from them , which they had : but it was done by the interest of some men , who thought that presbyters , who swore the three kingdoms against bishops , had taken too much upon them , and in opposition they endeavoured to keep them under , and so would diminish their pretences for parity . but this changeth not the species of the office. and it s known who these men were : and tho some of them are of opinion , that diocesan bishops only may regularly confer ordination , and exercise jurisdiction over the clergy , and that meer presbyter ordination with us is null . 1. these same men had a chief hand in debating and wording the kings declarations october , 1661. concerning ecclesiastical affairs , and therein the king after debates with lords and bishops , distinguisheth the meer pastoral preswasive power , from the episcopal ( which is cogent ) and alloweth the rural deans with the presbyters of his deanry , to exercise the said pastoral perswasive power , and the other pastors also to joyn with the bishops . and the law still calls them rectors : the liturgy yet calls them past●rs ; the word pastors , being a metaphor , they take to be general , bish●ps and priests being with them two orders of pastors . therefore because it doth not distinguish them , they usually leave it out , and put sometime bishops and curates , and sometime bishops , priests and deacons : the common description of a bishop by them , is , that he hath the sole power of presiding and determining in ordination , and jurisdiction , s●ne quo non , oft alledging jeroms , quid facit episcopus , quod non facit presbyter excepta ordinatione . and yet the law still binds them , not to ordain without presbyters imposition of hands with them . and arch-deacons and presbyters , surrogates , &c. excommunicate . and in the ember-week , they are every day to pray by the liturgy . [ so guide and govern the minds of thy servants , the bishops and pastors of thy fl●ck , that they may lay hands suddenly on no man. ] where bishops and pastors cannot be taken for synonyma , whilst they speak of all that lay on hands . and they distinguish not [ pastors and curates ] where they change the words , but [ bishops and curates . ] but nothing more proveth what i say , than that the law yet bindeth all priests to all that is essential to an episcopus gregis , a pastor of a particular church ; see the exhort . in ord. of priests , [ we exhort you in the name of our lord jesus christ , that you have in remembrance , into how high a dignity , and to how weighty an office and charge ye are called ; that is to say , to be messengers , watchmen , and stewards of the l●rd , to teach and to premonish , to feed and provide for the lords family , to seek for christs sheep , that are dispersed abroad , and for his children , who are in the midst of this naughty world , that they may be saved by christ for ever ; have always therefore printed in your remembrance , how great a treasure is committed to your charge , for they are the sheep of christ , which he bought , &c. the church and congregation whom you must serve is his spouse and his body ; and if it shall happen , the same church , or any member thereof to take any hurt or hindrance by reason of your negligence , ye know the greatness of the fault , and the h●rrible punishment that will ensue : wherefore consider with your selves the end of your ministry towards the children of god , towards the spouse and body of christ , and see that you never cease your labour , your care and dilig●nce , till you have done all that lieth in you according to your bounden duty , to bring all such as are or shall be committed to your charge , to that agreement in the fai●h and knowledg of god , and that ripeness and perfectness of age in christ , that there be no place left among you , either for error in religion , or viciousness of life : forasmuch then as your office is both of so great excellency , and of so great difficulty , ye see with how great care and study ye ought to a●ply your selves , as well that ye may shew your selves dutiful and thankful to the lord , who hath placed you in so high a dignity , as also to beware that neither you your selves offend , nor be occasions that others offend . and after their covenant to preach according to the scripture , they promise [ to give faithful diligence , to administer the doctrine , sacraments , and discipline of christ as the lord hath commanded , and as this church and realm hath received the same , according to the commandments of god : so that you may teach the people committed to your care and charge with all diligence to keep and observe the same . here doctrine , sacraments , and discipline , are their office-works : gods commandments are their rule , tho on supposition that this realm hath received them according to his commandments . next they covenant with all faithful diligence to banish all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to gods word , and to use both publick and private monitions and exhortations , as well to the sick as to the whole , within your cures , as need shall require , and occasion shall be given : and [ to keep quietness , peace and love among all christian people , and especially among them that are or shall be committed to their charge . all this is setled by law , and all ministers subscribe to it : and is not this enough to the essence of a pastors office ? what is the reason ? the next promise is [ reverently to obey their ordinary , and other chief ministers , to whom is committed the charge and government of them , following with a glad mind and will , their godly admonitions , and submitting themselves to their godly judgments . this shews that , 1. it is not a strict divine right that is meant over them ; for all ordinaries , and other chief ministers , pretend not to such right . 2. if others superiority null their office , then none is in office but the king : was di●trep●es no minister , because john threatned him as his superior ? it 's liker he had been none for resisting john , of the two : were all degraded that obeyed the apostles ? if it should be an error , that a parochial bishop is a governor over his junior-presbyters , or a diocesan over both ; that nulleth not the presbyters office : the presbyterians give a classis or synod as much power over particular churches , as the episcopal give to diocesans ; ( or near ) : and yet few separatists have thence concluded that they have no particular churches , or that this nulleth them ; contrarily , ab est tertii adjecti ad est secundi valet argumentum ; parish churches are govern'd churches subject to superiors ; ergo , they are churches . and the law calls them churches , 〈◊〉 , it taketh them for churches , ( while it taketh no essential from them ) . xxiii . there are some particular drs. in england indeed , who say that there is no church without a bishop of its own , and 〈◊〉 epi●c●pus , ibi ecclesia , and that ecclesia est pl●●s ep●s●●● adu●ata , and that our parish ministers are no bishops , and that their sole ordinations are nullities ; and consequently it would follow , that their parish churches are truly but parts of a church infimae specie● : and because these men speak against reordination , and yet require those to be ordained again , who were here ordained by mere presbyters , therefore it seemeth plain , that they take the former for no true ordination : these men i have oft confuted , especially in my treatise of episcopacy : and hence some gather , that i charge this error on all the church of england , and take the law and clergy to nullifie the parish-ministry and churches : therefore i am specially obliged to answer such misconcluders , lest they make my writings a means of deceit against my sence , and against my will : for so unhappy is the controversal world , even of men of worth and name , that if i do but say that two is less than three , and that four is more than three , they fear not to say , that i contradict my self , and r. is against b. and sometimes i speak for , and sometimes against the same cause ; and these being ordinary disputers and church-guides , what hope have the christian flocks of unity and peace , but by such mens ceasing their disputes ? here therefore it must be noted , 1. that the men of this opinion are not to be called , the church of england . the most of the bishops and clergy formerly were against them , dr. hammond , and bishop gunning , and a few more , were almost the first that seemed to go so far . 2. and yet even these few do usually except the case of necessity , and of the forreign churches , ( as dr. sherlock hath lately done at large ) so that then they cannot take their episcopal ordination received , to be essential to the priesthood . 3. and these men themselves call our parish societies , parish churches , and deny not the presbyters to be episcopi gregis , and to have a pastoral care of the peoples souls , for they own the liturgy , ordination , and other writings of the church , which assert it . 4. their opposition to presbytery hath carried them to appropriate the name bis●op to the diocesans , but by it they mean only a bishop over presbyters , having the power to ordain and depose them , and to ●● be chief in governing all the flocks ; but the controversie de nomine , and de re are not the same : this denieth not all pastoral episcopacy in presbyters over the flocks under them : that these men by running into extreams do ill , many have written to prove : but maiming the parish ministry , or too much limiting it , is not nullifying it . 5. let it be considered , that even the separatists say not that the power of ordination is essential to pastors : some of them take pastors unordained , only elected and received with prayer : some take men ordained by n●ighbour pastors , that have no power over them : some take men ordained by bishops , some by magistrates : and jurisdiction over n●ighbour pastors i am sure the separatists will say belongs neither to the being or well being of a pastor . if then it be the power of ordaining , and of jurisdiction over other pastors , which the diocesans deny the parish pastors , the● deny them nothing hereby essential to thei● office . all that can with any colour be said , is , that the law now seems to be on these mens side , by requiring reordination . but , 1. the law-makers profess to establish the church , and not to change it to another thing . 2. the law-makers were not all of one mind in the reasons of their laws ; nor had all studied these kind of controversies : many of them , and of the clergy to this day , say that it is not a proper ordination that they require , but the giving them authority to exercise their ministry in england , and the decision of a doubtful case : part of the church taketh them for true ministers that were ordained by presbyters , and part do not ; and that the congregations may not divide , they say they require this like baptizing after a doubtful baptism [ if thou art not baptized , i baptize thee . ] i am against this : but this proveth not that they take a presbyter for no pastor : yea tho they should take his ordaining others to be a nullity ; ordaining not being essential to him . xxiv . the act of uniformity , or the like law , cannot make the church no church , or of another species , than 1. as it is esteemed by god and his law. 2. or as it is esteemed by the greater part of the christian clergy and laity : tho the law should speak as the foresaid odd innovators do . for , 1. all christians profess that christ is the only just institutor of the essentials of his own churches : all christians profess communion with them as churches of christs making by his law : the present church of england professeth this in many books ; it bindeth all ministers to hold to scripture sufficiency , and use discipiine as well as doctrine and worship , as christ commandeth : it openly holdeth all laws and canons about church essentials , yea and integrals , to be void and null that are against the sacred scriptures , and law of god : there is no power but of god : god hath given no power to nullifie his institutions . 2. all true christians who consent to a parish minister , and attend on his ministry , and join in the assemblies , openly profess to own him first as a minister of christ , and to join in worship and communion of the church as prescibed by christ , which no man hath power to overthrow . 3. the parliament and convocations , and bishops and clergy , all confess that they have no power to overthrow the church essentials or offices of christs institution : they have not revoked the church writings in which all this is oft professed : they confess that if their laws mistake and do contrary , they bind us not : they never openly professed a war against god or jesus christ : what if one dr. s. parker , make christ subject to the king in his kingdom ; he is not the kingdom , nor the church of england : for all his words they never made any law to command christ , or to punish him : they never cited him to appear before them , nor did any penal execution on his person , which government implieth . they bow at his name , and profess subjection to him . therefore if the law had by error said any thing inconsistent with the essence of churches and ministry , it had not been obligatory to pastors or people ▪ but they ought still to take churches and pastors to be what christ hath made them , and described them to be . xxv . suppose a law should say , all families shall be so under diocesans as to have no power but from them , and all shall subscribe to this . this doth not null family-power and society as instituted by god , nor make it a sin to live in families , nor dissolve them all ; but all must continue in families as inst●tuted by god : and if any subscribe to this , it will not make it a sin in all wives , children and servants to live in those families . if the law had said , all schools in england shall be essentially subject to diocesans , must we therefore have had no more schools ? or if the school-master subscribe to them , is it a sin to be his scholar ? if the law should say , all christians shall choose their own pastors , and meet and pray and preach as they please , but only in essential subjection to diocesans , must all therefore give over church communion ? if the law had said , all the parish-assemblies in england shall henceforth be essentially subject to the pope , or a forreign council , we must not therefore have forborn all such assembling , but have kept to the state and duty appointed us by christ . xxvi . here the mistaking opponents say , 1. that indeed de jure none can change the essence of christs ministry and churches , but de facto they may , and have done . ans . what is meant by [ changing it , de facto ? ] have they de facto , nulled christs power , law ▪ or offices and churches ? what ? nulled it by a nullity of pretended authority , and overcome his power without power ? de jure and de facto , to be a true church or pastor , is all one christ made true ones : de facto they cannot unmake them , but by destroying matter or form , because they cannot do it de jure : they have destroyed neither matter or form of such parish churches as i plead for , and which christ instituted ; for they had not power to do it : indeed they may de facto make other sort of churches and ministers to themselves , ( tho not de jure ) but not to us ▪ who stick to christs institutions . xxvii . but say they , we confess , if the law did bid all assemblies in england meet in dependance on diocesans , private and publick ; this would not alter the species of our separate churches , because man hath not power , and we consent not . ans . very good . and i pray you what alters the case , as to the parish-churches ? is it that they have steeples and bells , or that they have tythes ? it 's the calamity of dissenters , that they either cannot consider , or can feel no strength in the plainest truth that is said against them ; but thoughts and sense run all one way , which they think right . xxviii . obj. but say they , constitutive and declaritive laws must be distinguished . they can but declare our meetings to be diocesan , which is false ▪ 〈…〉 the parish-meetings such . ans . 1. remember that declaring the parish-churches to be such , doth no more constitute them such , than yours : why then talk you so much of the words of bishops , and clergy , and books , as if their declarations made them such ? 2. but how doth a law constitute one ( the parochial ) to be diocesan , ( or null ) , more than your separate meetings , if by a law of toleration it should say the same of them ? the truth is , they are such to consenters that judg them such : but they constitute them not such to any that consent not to such a constitution , but hold to christs . xxix . but it is said , that our thoughts alter not constitutions , they are our own immanent acts , that nihil ponunt in esse ; and therefore the pastors and churches will be what law maketh them , whatever we think . ans . are not churches formally relative societies ; what maketh them such , but thoughts and wills of men expressed ? gods mind exprest in his institutions is his premised consent ; our consequent obedient consent maketh christians , pastors , and churches : if a law cannot make the parish consent to null christs officers and churches , it doth not null them to them . if a law say , all marriages shall be void unless the bishop remarry them : this maketh them not void to any that consent not , but say , we stand to the valid marriage we had what doth another mans consent do to constitute me a christian or church-member ( except parents for infants ) ? and if my thoughts and consent put nothng in esse , then the thoughts and consents of the conforming clergy alters not their churches ; and what then is that constituting cause you talk of ? is it only the law ? for shame say not so ; gods own law as commanding us to be christians , pastors or churches , maketh us not such , without consent : and can mans law both null gods law , and make us of what species it doth but bid us be , without our consent ? xxx . but here our disputants think they expose me to derision : what ? do i intimate that one and the same congregation , may be two churches of different species ? ans . i think to be such by open profession , is disorderly and unusual : but i think he that denieth this , is unfit to deride the ignorance of another . 1. if the people in one kingdom may be , in specie , two kingdoms , the people of one assembly may be two churches ; but bishop bedle in his printed letter said , that ireland was then two kingdoms , the king being sovereign to some , and the pope to other : and i think hungary is so now , between the emperor and turks . 2. when paul ordinarily held his assemblies in the jewish synagogues , where half were infidels , and half christians , ( before he separated his christians from them ) i think they were two churches . 3. if independents had leave to meet in the parish churches , where the parish minister , and their own minister should preach by turns , and the parish only heard theirs as a lay preacher , or none of their pastor , and so they heard the parish preachers ; i doubt not , but they would be distinct church ▪ if one parish church have two pastors , and one of them be professedly for an essential subjection to the pope , and the other against it , and half the people of one mind , and half of the other , i think they are two churches in one place . if those anabaptists who take none but the re-baptized for church-members , should with their pastors join with independents in worship , tho esteeming them no churches , i suppose you think they would be distinct churches in one place . but i think none of this is the case of the churches that i join with ; for i suppose they null not christs species of ministers to themselves or me . but if they did it to themselves , that would not do it to me . xxxi . obj. but one and the same minister cannot be of two species , and therefore relation to him cannot constitute distinct churches . ans . 1. one and the same man cannot be a minister of christ , and no minister of christ ; so much is true , nor of any two inconsistent species : but if you will call any circumstantial difference a distinct species , that will no● hinder the consistence : the same man may be christs minister , and the kings chaplain , or a dean , or pre●endary , or a diocesan bishop , or subject to a diocesan , such bishops as chrysostom , augustine , ambrose , 〈◊〉 , parke● , grindal , ush●r , davenant , &c and their chaplains did not cease to be christs ministers . 2 relation to one of these men may make two sorts of consistent churche● , if the same man have a parish and a diocess , as the german superintendents have , and many other bishops ; the warrantableness we are not now disputing . 3. yea , one and the same parish minister may be pastor of two churches in one assembly : if he openly profess himself orthodox , the people that so own him are a church ; and if he secretly to a party of them profess himself an anabaptist , or a papist , and they unite with him as such , they are another church , such as it is ; vespae habent favos , & marcionitae ecclesias : tertul. xxxii . obj. but the grand objection is , no man can be a pastor of christ against his will : the parish ministers have all by conforming , renounced the essence of the christian ministry , and subscribed and sworn this renunciat●● by subjecting themselves to diocesans , and swearing never to endeavour any alteration of the diocesan government , and the vestries who represent the churches , have sworn the same ; and you have of●en said that the diocesan form of government , 1. deposeth the parish bishops , and maimeth the ministry . 2. dep●seth the parish churches . 3. and maketh parish discipline impossible . ans . it is impossible to write that , which no man can misunderstand , and make an ill use of . i have oft told you , 1. that i am in doubt , whether arch-bishops as successors of the apostles , only in the ordinary continued part of their office , be jure divino , or not . 2. that congrational bishops over presbyters , being ejusdem ordinis , are an old venerable and lawful humane institution . 3. that congregational bishops , only over the laity , are all presbyters as such , and of christs institution . 4. hereupon i have oft distinguished diocesans into two sorts . 1. those that are but the governors of true particular churches , that depose them not , but rule them by the word perswasively : these are called bishops , being really arch-bishops : these i never charged of the consequents forenamed : and if the king make them cogent magistrates also , i will obey them . i take the judgment of the church of england manifest in ordination , liturgy , articles , &c. to be for such diocesans only , tho i vastly dissent from many things in the canons by which , and the mode in which some exercise their government . 2. the other sort is the innovators form of diocesan government , which hold that there is no church without a bishop , and no bishop but diocesans , ( either bishop of laity or presbyters ) and so that the parish churches are no churches , but part of the lowest sort of true political churches : these i take to be super-conformists , yea nonconformists , and dissenters from the church of england , tho they may strive to get the name of the church to themselves . now , what i say of these innovating nonconformists , and their designs and attempts , our mistaking separatists say , i speak of the laegal church frame , and so of all the bishops and parish-churches . and i see no hope of delivering the church of god from the trouble of incogitant confident erroneous dissenters , that are not able to distinguish . xxxiii . i further answer this great objection ( being concerned in consc●ence to do it , when men father their mistakes and separation on me . ) 1. the parish-ministers that i joyn with , ( and i think the most that ever i knew ) have not ( that i know of ) renounced any thing essential to a parish-pastor : i before said , ordination and jurisdiction over presbyters or other churches , is no part of its essence . to be obedient to a diocesan , is no such renunciation . therefore it is no such renunciation to promise to obey them in lawful things , subordinate to obeying christ . if it prove a mistake in them , and that they owe no such obedience , every such mistake doth not degrade them . he that said , that ( he that will be greatest , shall be servant of all ) thought not that to obey an equal , did null the ministry . nor he that said , be su●ject one to another . christ and peter paid tribute to avoid offence , tho the children be free . but what if a man be in doubt , whether such obedience be not his duty : is it not the safer side much more if he verily think it his duty ? 2. to take diocesans to be jure divino , is said by some to be destructive of the pastoral office , and churches , and a change of the english church-government . but it 's error . for 1. it is not the destructive diocesan government , which acknowledg no church and pastor under them , that those in question consent to ; but the governing diocesan , who ruleth subject pastors and churches . 2. this question of divine right , is threefold . 1. of that which by d●●ire right is necessary , ad esse . 2. of that which is by divine right , best and m●st elegible , or needful , ad melius esse . 3. that which is by right of divine concession lawful , but not necessary . the church of england never determined , which of these was the diocesans case : all conformists judged it lawful ; multitudes judged it better than other forms : many judged it necessary when it might be had . but no law determined for any of these alone . unless you will say , the preface to the book of ordination doth it , by saying [ it is evident to all men diligently reading holy scripture , and ancient authors , that from the apostles time , there have been these orders of ministers in christs church , bishops , priests , and deacons . which offices were evermore had in such reverend estimation , &c. ] here some say , that the church of england took not these for three distinct orders before 1640 , but now : therefore by the word [ these orders ] is meant only two . ans . at this rate , he must have the bette● , whom the hearer best trusteth , whatever he say : if [ these orders of ministers , bishops , priests , and deacons , ] speak not three orders , i cannot understand them . here note partiality ; the same that refuse to subscribe them , because they speak three orders ; yet say , they speak but two ] when they argue that church-government is changed 1662 , from what it was 1640. indeed aelfricks laws in spelman , make bishops and priests the same order , and so do a great part of schoolmen and other papists ; but the english bishops and clergy were some of one mind , and some of another about it , and determined it not . unless this preface be a determination , the name [ order and office ] being both used . and ( to instance in no other ) saravia ( tho no english man , yet of the church of england ) wrote more strongly almost than any that i ever read , for diocesan episcopacy ( against beza , &c. ) and that upon this ground of divine right , that they succeeded the apostles , and such as timothy , titus , &c. in the government of many churches . ( and the kings divines at the isle of white went all on that ground ) . to say then , that to plead a divine right for them , is new , is to contradict large historical evidences . and were it true , that this had been never before imposed or subscribed ; surely it is not an opinion of the divine right of governing of many churches , that renounceth the being of those churches ; it asserteth them to be by divine right . for that which is not , is not governable . non entis , non sunt accidentia . but where and how hath the law or church altered the case since 1640. these words were in the book of ordination before , and i know of none plainer that way since . it s destructive diocesan government , which renounceth the government of any subject churches , but of one only , and of any pastors that i argue against , and not governours of such churches . xxxiv . but it 's objected , that they swear [ not to endeavour any alteration of church-government ; therefore they renounce the pastoral office , because the present government excludeth it . ans . 1. this is to dictate , and not to prove : the diocesan government hampered and fettered it by the canons in the time of whitgift and bancroft , but null'd it not : he that reads the canons , or knows the church , and thinks that it's government hath no need of amendment , is far from my mind : but governing is not nullifying . 2. it is not true ( that ever i heard ) that they swear what this objection saith : the ministers do not swear , but subscribe it , and swear obedience in licitis & honestis : ( and i could never learn what law commands that oath ) . and if it should extend to obey all the canons , it 's that which i would be full loath to swear ; but i know no canon that utterly nulleth the parish-churches and ministers ▪ and a justice that sweareth to execute the laws , is not supposed thereby to justifie every law , nor to execute any , if it should be against gods law , that exception being still supposed . 3. their subscription never to endeavour alteration , engageth them never to endeavour to destroy the parish churches and ministry , and so is for them : for that would be a great alteration indeed . 4. if you should think otherwise ; yet if the subscriber , or swearer think himself , that it is not destructive , but governing diocesans , that he subscribeth to ; it is not your opinion or exposition , that bindeth him against his own ; no , tho you were in the right , as to the imposers sense : for , ignorantis non est consensus . it 's unjust to face them down that they mean what they profess they do not . ask forty conformists , whether they think the government which they promise not to alter , be that diocesan form which ruleth parish churches and pastors , or that which denieth their being , and i think few will profess the latter sense . 5. and suppose the worst , that any parish-priest were of that mind ; yea , and were really no true pastor , as to his own acceptance with god ; he may yet be a pastor so far true , as is necessary to the essence of the church , if the people know it not : for the innocent suffer not for the guilties sin . if a man be a secret atheist , or heretick , or do counter●eit ordination and election , and really had none , and the people be deceived by him , and know it not while he possesseth the place , and doth the work ; his baptisms and administrations are valid to the church , as a church , tho not to himself and his ministry . the jews church was not null , when the high priests had no lawful call , but bought the office of r●man heathens . xxxv . obj. but the vestry swears never to endeavour any alteration . ans . 1. the vestry was never empowred to give the sense of the church herein . 2. i never lived where any such things as vestries were , but in london ; unless you will call the ministers and church-wardens the vestry . and what 's london to all england ? 3. if they are so sworn , it is as a new thing since 1661. but then they are sworn , ( whoever is for it ) never to end 〈…〉 in popery , nor destroying dioce●ans , but only not to alter 〈…〉 i doubt with m●re officers than we wish continued ) 4. and whereas those that i now deal with , say , that indeed before 1640. 〈…〉 churches and pastors , but now it doth by 〈…〉 ; let it be considered , that the lawmakers are so far from professing any 〈◊〉 al●●rat●n , that it is only the long-parliament , and the 〈◊〉 alterati●● , that they complain'd of ; and therefore swea● corporations , vestries , militia , nonconformists ( by the oxford oath ) and engage all conformists never to endeavour any alteration so that they thought that it was the old government that they setled . and now all this great part of the whole kingdom is sworn , as i said , against popery and foreign jurisdiction , against patriarchs , and against putting down parish churches and pastors , that they will never endeavour it ( by consent or execution of any mens commands ) . the alterations made before these oaths , were not essential . xxxi . i add one more argument , that owning subjection to governing diocesans , as such , nulleth not the su●ject churches and pastors ; else by parity of reason , subjection● to arch-bishops would null the diocesan churches and bishops , which it doth not do ; nor do you think it doth ; yea , tho all diocesans solemnly promise to obey their arch-bishops in their consecration . xxxii . if you do know of any minister that is for destructive diocesans , that will not nullifie the offices of all the rest , that never were of that mind or consent : yea , if the law so meant ( as you say , but prove not ) you know how commonly conformists say , that the meaning of the subscription and oaths , is only against [ seditious or unlawful sorts of endeavour to alter . ] be this true or false , it proveth that those men consent not contrary to their sense of the subscription , and so renounce not their churches . xxxiii . indeed the new laws have made ministerial conformity much harder than it was before 164● . and also lay conformity with u● the church-do●rs , by the aforesaid oaths ; and also lay conformity within the church seemeth very hard in some particular offices , especially baptismal circumstances . but i think the ordinary communion in the liturgy , is better than it was before : for 1. the ●pistles and gospels are used after the new translation , which were used after the old . 2. divers collects have some mistakes changed [ as on this day ] at easter , whitsuntide , when it was not on that day . 3. the minister is newly enabled and required to keep all from the sacrament , who are not ready to be confirmed , ( that is , that are not catechized , and ready understandingly , to renew their baptismal covenant ) which is a very great addition of power : and if any practise it not , that 's his fault , and a neglect of execution of his power ; and when he puts scandalous sinners from the sacrament , he may say , [ as a minister of christ and rector of this church , i judg you unmeet for its communion , and forbid it you . ] and no more is essential to his church discipline in excommunication . it 's too true , that the exercise of this it clog'd with further prosecution by him , in the chancellors court , which i think few will undertake . and it 's true , that such ministers are required to publish the excommunications of lay-men , past in the bishops names , tho it be according to such canons , as the 6 th , 7 th , 8 th , &c. but a man in fetters , is a man : it changed not the pastoral office , when heathen emperors persecuted it , and when such christian emperors , as anastasius , zeno , basilicus , theodosius 2d . constantius , valens , &c. vexed or cast out those that were not of their opinions . it nulleth not the office in switzerland to have none but the magistrates discipline . xxxiv . the objectors grant , that , if any parish-church shall by minister and people consenting , be formed according to the rules of the gospel , they are true churches , tho the law should be against them , or command the contrary . ans . 1. much more then , if the law be for all that is essential . 2. and doth not this say as much as i am pleading for ? name me , if you can , any thing essential , which all ministers promise not at ordination ? if any after renounce it , the crime is personal : prove it before you say it , and forsake him , and charge not his fault on others . i think you are not of their minds , that say , [ the law bindeth every subscriber and swearer to the sense of the imposers , when he took it through mistake in another sense , because they refused to explain it ; especially , if he declared his sense : much less doth it bind him to your sense , against his own . xxxv . but then ( say the objectors ) such churches are dissenters ; as such you joyn with them , and not as setled by law , and so it is but a conventicle , and is excommunicated by the canon , or you excommunicated for saying it is a church , and joyning with it . ans . 1. what if all this be true ? doth it follow , that i must separate from it ? are not your private churches more unquestionably excommunicate , &c. by the canon , and yet you separate not from them ? can you see but on one side ? 2. but your affirmation proveth not that the law nulleth such ministers , or churches , as use the liturgy , and subscribe in the favourable sence , tho it should prove a mistake . it must first be tryed and judged to be a mistaken sense , and even where they ( strangely ) excommunicate , ipso facto , the fact must be proved and declared by the judg , before priest and people are bound to execution , ( tho the law be loco sententiae ; the 〈◊〉 being proved and declared ) , no man is bound to do execution on himself . 3. i would seriously advise these brethren to think , whether all good christian men and women are bound to study the laws of england , before they may resolve what church to ●●mmuni●ate with ? yea , whether they must be all so well skill'd in law , as to decide these law-controversies , that you and i are not agreed in , and lawyers themselves do ordinarily differ in ; that is , whether by law the parish-churches and pastors be changed and n●lled , and diocesses be made the only churches , ●●simae species ? must all forbear communion till they are so good lawyers ? why may it not suffice to know christs law , and to profess to obey it , and to do nothing against it willingly ? he that will promise to communicate with th● church , but as it is established by law , should have more skill in the law than i have to know , how it is established ; and every communicant hath not so much more than i. xxxvi . but ( say they ) then you are bound to av●●d s●andal , by professing openly that you communicate 〈◊〉 a dissenter , and not with the church as established by law. ans . 1. then i should falsly say that which i either think is otherwise , or am not resolved in . i tell you , few can truly say this , if any . 2. what need this , when the open profession of all christians is , that it is a church and worship of christs making , which they own and intend , and none that is against them ? and when the articles of the church of england , and the ordination covenant own scripture-sufficiency , and disclaim all that is against gods word : must we be supposed to renounce religion , when we meet to profess it ? and surely for disowning any thing which the nonconformists judg unlawful , all the books written by them , and all the notorious sufferings in twenty two years , ejection and prosecution , are no obscure notification of their judgments , without speaking it at the church ●oors , or before the assemblies : must i openly protest against independency , anabaptistry , or presbytery , ( if i dissent ) before the face of their congregations , if i will communicate with them ? 3. but to stop your demand bef●re i communicated in the parish ●hurch , where i now am ; i went to the incumbent , and told him that i would not draw him into danger , or intrude against his will : i had been ●●iled by the kings commission , and after by the lord keeper , to debate about alteration in the liturgy and worship , and discipline ; and i thought that thereby i wa● by 〈◊〉 6 , 7 , 8. ipso facto excommunicate , but not bound to do execution on my self ; and therefore if i were separated , it should not be my act ; but i left it to his will : he took time , and upon advice admitted me . obj. but you must tell them that the parish church hath no dependance on the bishops , but as the kings officers ; and that it is independent , and then you fall not under our opposition . ans . 1. how many lawyers and civilians do openly say ( as crompton before cosins tables ) that all church government floweth from the king. and doth that satisfie you ? 2. and why must the parish church and pastor needs be independent ? will you have no communion with presbyterians ? 3. and what if it be dependent on the diocesan , as governour ( tho not as destroyer ) ? is it any more destructive of its essence , than to be governed by a classis or council ? xxxvii . as for your telling us , w●●m the canons e●c●mmunicate , or 〈◊〉 lay-chancellors , officials , surrogates , archdeac●ns , &c. exc●mmunicate , what oaths they imp●se , &c. tell them of it , and not us , who are not responsible for other mens deeds . it no more concerneth our cause of parochial lay-communion , than to tell us how bad men some ministers are , nor so much neither : for i that willingly joyn in the liturgy , will not willingly , if i know it , so much as seem to own the ministry of any man that is notoriously insufficient , atheistical , heretical , or so malignant , or wicked , as to do more hurt than good ▪ avoid such , and spare not . xxxviii . obj. they want the peoples c●nsent , and so are no past●rs . ans . the people shew their consent by ordinary submission and communion . obj. the people must be supposed to consent to the law , which maketh them no pastors , but the bishops curates . ans . both the suppositions are before confuted ; both that the people are supposed to consent to any law against gods , and that the law maketh curates to be no pastors . xxxix . to conclude the objections about the essence of parish churches . 1. the question is not . whether there be not a sort of diocesan prelacy , which nulleth them ? 2. nor wh●ther there be not some men in england that write and plead for such diocesan churches as have no true episcop●s pregis , much less episcopus 〈◊〉 under them , but are 〈◊〉 bishops in that diocess ? nor of what number , power , or interest these men are of ( against whom i have oft written ) ? 3. but whether the law be on their side , or against them ? for the old diocesan government of subordinate pastors and churches , is to me n●w uncertain : i did once incline most to the fi●●t sense of the law ; but on sec●nd thoughts hope better of it , and am not lawyer good enough to be certain 4. but if it should be so , i verily think ●●e main 〈◊〉 , of the 〈…〉 , and therefore 〈◊〉 not to renounce their p●rish ●overnment , ●ut only to use it in subordination to the bishop . 5. and i am p●st doubt that all the communicants of england , are neither ●ound to decide this law-doubt , nor to understand it , nor to believe that the law hath altered the government . 6. and if they did believe it , they ought to keep on in church assemblies ▪ according to christs law , taking all that 's against it , as void , as long as they are put ●n no sin themselves , nor the church notoriously renounceth its ●ssentials . 7. and if they were stated members of other churches ( e.g. the gre●k , the dutch , the french ) ; they might ●ccasionally communicate in our parishes transiently ( without examining the pastors call and discipline , but judging by possession and practice ) . 8. and if they should prove no lawfully called ministers , their office would be valid to those that blamelesly were deceived and knew it not . 9. and if they were sure that they were no true ministers , they may joyn with them in all worship belonging to lay-christians . 10. but if they prove able , godly ministers of christ ( tho faulty ) setled by law to the advantage of religion in a christian kingdom , where all are commanded thus to maintain national concord ; and the upholding those churches , is the very national possession of the protestant religion , and it goeth for publick disobedience and scandal to forsake them , and that at a time when many forsake them too for unjust grounds , and by suffering for it , stand to unwarrantable accusations of them , and sharply censure those that do not as they , and oppugne peacemakers , and all this after the old nonconformists full confutation of the separatists unwarrantable way , and the doleful experience of subversion of all sorts of government ; by the prosecution of such mistakes , i say , if all this should be the case , it is deeply to be considered . xl. but the most effectual hindrance , is the opinion of unlawfulness in j●yning in the liturgy ; yet my last objectors confess that [ it is lawful to some , and that it is n●t communion in it , much less in all forms , which they call unlawful t● all : and the sober sort are loth to say t●at the millions of christians in england , and scotland , who live where they can be in no other churches , should rather like atheists live without all church-worship and local communion . and in gaining this , i have gained the better half of what i pleaded for . and they confess , and so do i , that publick communion may be one mens duty , and anot●●rs sin , as circumstances vary . i confess one man may possibly live under so intollerable a minister , as is not to be owned . and even some of the high adversaries of nonconformists seem of this mind , and break the canon ; and having pastors , who they think do not heartily conf●rm , ●ut plead for peace and moderation ; they revile them as trimmers , and will not communicate wi●h them , but go out of their own parishes ( and thousands seldom any where . other circumstances also may vary mens cases . ●ut some objectors at last t●ll us , that the great difference which they mean , is differe●t light : t●e ●ld martyrs , reformers and nonconformists , had not so much light as we , and so it w●s not th●●r sin ; but greater light being now m●r● common , it will be a common sin to j●yn in the liturgy ▪ ans . 1. it is ordinary and easie for men to magnifie their own understandings ; but gods law was then the same as now ; and they were bound to know it ; their ignorance might make sin less ( and stripes fewer ) but could not make it none . 2. i have many reasons to think that it is your light that is l●ss , and the old nonconformists and conformists ( in this ) that was greater . 1. that is the greater light that most agreeth with gods word , and th● universal churches practice accordingly . 2. the writings of the old nonconformists yet extant , give better reas●ns than the seperatists did , and therefore had clearer light . what vast difference is there in the writings of ball , hildersham , am●sius , ( manuductions ) gifford , paget , bradshaw , &c. on that part , and johnsons , cans , penrys , &c. on the other ? 3. the theological writings and labours of the nonconformists in all other points shewed , that they were men of incomparable more light than the separatists ; and is it like that god would give men such rare light only in church ▪ communion , that had so little comparatively in the rest of divinity ; except ainsworth's skill in hebrew , ( in other things by paget laid too naked ) how few old separatists have left any considerable fruits of great light unto the church ? read the writings of cartwright , dudley fenner , hildersham , john reignolds , dod , perkins , bai● , parker , ames , bradshaw , &c. besides scots ▪ and all foreigners , such as calvin , beza , zanchy , sadeel , and hundreds more ; and compare these with the writings of the separatists , and judg who had greater light . 4. since 1660. all the london ministers , and others with them t●at offered the king to set up in the parish churches the old liturgy with some alterations , were men ( except my self ) who shewed in their writings and preaching ▪ as much light as the separatists have shewed , even brown , or john goodwin himself , ( that wrote prelatical preachers are no teachers of christ ) : where do they now shew greater light than others ? this boast to me deserveth pity more than confutation : anabaptists , and others say the same , but i find much less light in them both , when i read and hear them ; tho i truly love and honour all that is good in them : if you have so much more light than we and all the reformed churches , shew it us in other excellencies . xli . but i must more particularly consider of this authors allegation of my own words against me , especially my treatise of episcopacy : and i do heartily thank him for calling me to review it . for , 1. i profess to write nothing which may not be amended . and 2. if mens misunderstanding turn my writings to a snare and scandal , it greatly concerneth me to remove it by explication , or by retractation of any thing that needeth it . and 1. i do find that i have incautelously given some occasion to the mistake ; for thol entituled my book , not against diocesan episcopacy , but against that sort of diocesan churches , prelacy and government , which casteth out the primitive church sp●cies of ●piscopacy , ministry , and discipline ] ; and tho to avoi● mistake , i said in the preface , i ●ere give notice to the reader , that whenever 〈…〉 me speak as against the english diocesan prelacy , i mean it as described by cosins and dr. zouch , and as relating to the et c●tera oaths and 〈◊〉 ▪ and not in opposition to the laws of the land ; yet all this was not enough to avoid misunderstanding ! indeed i took the church government to be described and judged of by the churches own sentence , more than by the ●●w ; and i had read the said et cetera oath and canons with the words that so it ●ught to stand , which i think could mean nothing less , than that so by gods law it ought to stand ; and i had read the old canons , 6 th , 7 th , and 8 th . which ex●ommunicate , ipso facto , all men , with●ut excepting l●rds or parliament m●n , who affirm that any thing in the church government , by arch-bishops , bishops , deans , arch-deacons , and the rest that bear office therein , is repugnant to the word of god : and i read the canons that forbid ordained ministers to preach till they are further licensed by bishops ; yea , and in the church or elsewhere so much as to expound any doctrine or matter , but only to r●ad scripture and homilies , &c. with much more like this . 3. and then i took the stated restraint of the ministry , with lay-chancellors , and officials decre●ive power of excommunication , and absolution , and the foresaid civilians denying all g●venment to presbyters , to have been quoad exercitium quantum 〈◊〉 ; at least an overthrow of parish churches , rectors and discipline . 4. and i thought that the bishops and chancellors could never have so long done all this , and ruled by these canons , if the law had not been on their side . 5. and i thought that the authors of the canons of 1640 being a c●nvo●a●i●n , it was to be called the church of england : and specially when i found the most highly honoured doctors pleading , there was no bishop but d●●cesan , and no church without its proper bishop . by all these inducements ( with long sad experience ) i oft speak so incautelously calling this , the english d●●●●san frame , that the reader might easily think that i meant it was that frame that was setled by law ; whereas having read ●ryn , h●ntley , leigh●●● , and others that deny the law to be for it , and being my self a stranger to that case of law , i should have more fully separated the law case from the new convocation case , and much more from the destructive innovators case , who nullified the foreign churches , with whom it was that i disputed ; and specially considering that the canons and oath of 1640. were a●ter cashier'd by parliament , and never since restor'd , no not by the parliament of 1662. upon all this , 1. i retract all words that seem to determine the case in law , ( if any such be there ) or that by darkness tend so to the readers error . 2. and all words that make the writings of superconformists and subver●ers , or chang●rs of the church government , or the canons of the convocation 1640 to be the sense of the church of england , when it is said , that before its sence was otherwise and alteration is now abjured , or disowned by most of the land ; and conformists usually profess another sense : upon this very reason i write this short debate to avoid the injuring of the re●ders of my writings , about the english diocesan frame . xlii . the book i animadvert on , is called , mr. baxters judgment and reasons against c●mmunicating with the parish assemblies as by law r●qu●red . ans . i am for communicating with them in the essentials of christianity , and communion , as the law requireth , if i understand it , because the law of christ requireth it : but in whatever circumstances any law shall ●e against christs law , i communicate not according to such a law. xliii . all that he citeth out of my writings , p. 2 , 3 ▪ is against his cause , which he thought was for it , as i have proved . what he citeth § ● . the first is unproved , the second i own , and is nothing for him . xliv . p. 5. and oft throughout , he alledgeth , that i make the par●shes not compleat particular churches . ans . no wonder ; those may be true churches , that are not compleat in integrity or degree ; will you separate from all churches that are not so compleat ? i know not of any strictly compleat on earth : many true churches are incompleat as to integrals , much more as to ornament , order , and strength : and all particular churches are less compleat than the universal ; and that on earth , alas how far from compleat : believe him not reader , that r.b. is against your joining with all churches , which he proveth to be not compleat , yea , or to be very faulty and defective in point of ●oliness , love , or order of ministers or people : but they are true churches in essentiality , tho parts of a diocess , as that is of a nation ; not meer parts of the lowest single church . p. 6. § 2. what i say of suspending the power , is not nulling it in the office ; and what i say of practice by canons , and visitation articles , is not said of law ; much less of all the churches and pastors consent to them ; and what i say of misgoverning in exercise , is not said of a national profession , that so it ought to b● . p. 7. he citeth my words further against restraint of the ministers power . but 1. that nulleth not christs institution of it . 2. more power is given . as 1. to deny the sacrament , as is said , to all that are not ready to be confirmed . 2. to deny absolution to all the sick , who do not humbly and earnestly desire it , &c. and the power of doing it by ministerial application of gods word , is all that is properly ministerial , though they take all cogent power from us : mans taking away our power , is but hindring the exercise quantum in se , but the power is of christ , which they cannot take away . p. 8. they cannot suspend our commanded act , ( but only our doing it with liberty and advantage ) : i can refuse the sacrament to the unfit , tho it be to my trouble . p. 9. i say there are many additions to the old conformity ▪ that make the case harder to clergy and laity than of old : but i there maintain that none of these additions do make parochial communion now pleaded for , unl●wful . xlv . p. 10. he saith , if we might not endeavour to restore the old prelacy , then not to give strength to it being restored : and ( say others ) , lest we be perjured , having sworn and covenanted against it . ans . this needeth impartial consideration : they say , that our covenant engagement maketh that unlawful to us , which was lawful to the old nonconformists . but 1. did not gods law make it unlawful to them , or to us before ? then you think we covenanted to do somewhat th●t ●ods law bound us not to ; if so , it was superstition ; and is not adding our self-made vows and duties , as bad as adding ceremonies ? 2. yea , they then thought brownism a sin ; and if they mistook not , we cannot by covenanting turn sin into duty . 3. ad hominem , the author professeth independency : and i suppose he knoweth , that the chief of that way , did some write , to prove that the covenant bound not ( at last ) , and some likened it to an almanack out of date ; and some said , it was a league which was dissolved , and so bound not ; and how great a party thought that it bound them not from pulling down both king , and many parliaments , and conquering scotland , res ips● loqunta ●st : and even king and parliament , lord spiritual , temporal and commons , have declared it their judgment in the corporation act and declaration , which bindeth all the corporation officers to declare without exception , that there is no obligation on them , or any other from the oath , called the solemn league and covenant : it 's true indeed , that the presbyterian ministers , and soldiers ▪ and people , thought that this covenant bound them to restore the king ; and said , let us keep our covenant , and trust god with the issue ; and g. monks army officers in their address to him , glory in it , not doubting but the king would find such his best subjects ; but the law that bindeth men to declare that there is no obligation on them or any other , tells them they did err when they thought it bound them to restore the king : whether this be true or not , i meddle not with ; but by this you see , that there are few in the land of any party , save presbyterians , that can charge us with covenant breaking ( herein ) for going to the parish churches , without contradicting themselves or guides ; but this is but ad hominem . 4. but what words be they in the covenant that we violate ? did it mean , if power restore the liturgy , and bishops , and will suffer no other churches , we will rather all give over all worship of god in churches , than we will join with them ? this were a wicked oath , and could no more oblige us , than to give over all family worship ; i hope few sober men ever so sware . 5. i so little consent to the corporation declaration , that i do believe that i was bound by that vow to do as i have done in going to the parish churches . for 1. i am bound by it against prophaneness , and all that 's c●ntrary to sound doctrine and godliness : but to forsake all publick worship of god without necessity , is prophaneness , and c●ntrary to godliness . 2. i am bound in my place and calling to oppose popery ; but to tell all the protestants in england , that they sin if they forsake not all the parish churches , is to pre●are them for the reception of popery , seeing that will be the national religion which possesseth those parish churches : by deserting our garisons we shall deliver them up . 3. i am bound by it against schism ; and i am not able to excuse it from being schism , if under all the obligations that now lye upon us , i should by my constant avoiding the parish churches , even unto sufferings declare , that i take their communion for absolutely unlawful , and so slander so many churches of christ , and seduce others with me into the same error and sin : this would be schism and covenant-breaking in me ; whatever it is in others . xlvi . obj. but you swore against prelacy and liturgy , and now you strengthen them . ans . 1. as the covenant was made the terms or test of national church union , excluding all the episcopal , who were half the kingdom and more , i think it was a rash sinful engine of unavoidable division : but when i took it , it was not so imposed , but offered to them that were of that mind , and i saw not then that snare . 2. i never swore against the common-prayer , nor against the englsh frame of prelacy , ( much less , all episcopacy ( any further , than in my place and calling to endeavour reformation according to the word of god , and the example of the best reformed churches : and this i have endeavoured to the utmost of my power , perhaps more than my accusers . and 3. there is much good in the liturgy , parish order , and government : i never did covenant against that ; and therefore the ministers who laboured for reformation and concord 1660 and 1661 , thought they kept their covenant by craving some amendments , and not an abolition ; and if we did think any thing to be bad that was good , we must not be obstinate in that error ; forsaking the good which is our duty , is not the way to amend any sin or error ; avoiding gods publick worship , and living like atheists ( save in private ) is not the way to amend the faults of publick worship or government : praying to god for what we want , and owning the scriptures , and christian religion , and communicating with christians on lawful terms , is not encouraging any sin in church priests or prelates , unless men by our duty will be encouraged to sin ; and we must not forsake duty to avoid such mens encouragement : the sons of the coal are most angry with those that come nearest to them in all things save their sin and error ; and say , those that stand afar off cannot hurt them : i do not just●fie all that is in every assembly that i join with ; must i needs renounce local communion with every independent , presbyterian , or anabaptist church , that i dissent from , for fear of strengthning them : i covenanted as much against schism as faulty prelacy ; and yet if i must join with no church that is guilty of schism , alas whither shall i go ? 4. i humbly desire you to examine , whether your way be not a breach of the covenant you plead ; not only as it advantageth prophaneness , popery , and schism , but as it strengtheneth that which you say i strengthen ; he knoweth not england , who knoweth not that perceiving the error of unwarrantable separation , and the unjust accusations of the liturgy and churches , used by very many ( besides some failings in some private churches ) hath been , and is a grand cause of encouraging too great a number , even to superconformity , and to the fierce opposition of us , and to the utmost confidence in their own way : and as you charge me more than others as drawing more to the communion of godly protestant parish ministers ( that is , to christian catholick love , peace , and communion ) : so do the sons of the coal , the superconformists more fiercely revile me as stopping more , than you have done from their extremities . gods word is a sufficient rule , keep to that , and fear not breaking any self-made laws . xlvii . obj. but by this latitude you may join with papists , and say , you judg of them according to christs description . ans . i answered this in the former book : when i joyn with any church as a church , i join with them as meeting to profess and practice christian faith and worship , their by faults i own not : but if they openly profess idolatry or heresie , instead of worship and faith , or if they meet to practice any sin which renders the whole church or worship rejected by god , i must not assemble with them , but avoid them ; which i must not do for tolerable failings , lest i avoid all the world : i say again , i will cast away my wine or broth for poyson in it , which i will not do for a fly : if the church renounce christs description in the essentials , notoriously , i will not call it a church against their own consent : but if they do it only in some accident or integrals , i will only disown those faults . xlviii . obj. but , say they , ( p. 13.14 . ) it is impossible there should be two national churches , at least in one nation ; therefore by joining with a parish you can be no part of the national church ; tho we confess that if you join with a parish assembly that forms it self into a compleat single church , and the people ●onsent to take the parish minister for their pastor , and the minister should exercise the whole power of a pastor in this parish church , mr. b. may hold communion with this parish church , and not own the diocesan constitution . ans . of two churches in one assembly i spake before . 1. doth this author think that exercise of power is as essential to a minister as power : yea , that it must be the whole power that is exercised ; and so that no one is a true pastor among the presbyterians , when the classis exerciseth the highest part of the power ; nor in helvetia , where discipline is unexercised ; nor in england from the first reformation : were all the conformists that submitted to diocesans no church-pastors ? nor no independents , whose churches having many pastors and elders , no one exerciseth ( no nor hath ) more than part of the power ? integrity and essentiality , office and exercise , are not all one . 2. all good ministers that i know in the parish assemblies , do consent to the pastoral office , and the people love them , and shew their consent by ordinary communion ; and they exercise all essential to the office , tho under the restraints of government , not owning ( in consent ) destructive , but governing diocesans , some as de jure divino , lawful ; some as best , some as necessary , many as merely impowered to a cogent government by the king ; and doth not your concession imply , that these are true churches ? of intolerable men i speak not . 3. what you confidently deny , is certainly true : there may be two national churches in one nation , if not three ; that is , the word is equivocal , and hath divers sences ; and it is not called national , because all persons in the nation are of it , but because that the diffused parts of the nation own it formally in a publick national relation . 1. a christian kingdom as such , is by many called a national church ; thus england is such . 2. a coalition of the most , or all the publick ministers in a nation in synodical agreements for communion as such , is called a national church ; such also is england . 3. the subjection of the most of the clergy in a nation by consent to some ecclesiastical primate , patriarch , or other constitutive , governing head ( as a bishop is in his diocess ) may make a national church in another sence . the same men may be of divers of these equivocal churches ; or if part be for one form , and part for another , yet agreeing in the same ordinary , external communion ; one part may be called national as well as the other . the question is de ●omine , the name equivocal from diversity of relations : i own , 1. a christian kingdom . 2. i own a national association of parish churches and pastors . 3. tho these submit to diocesan superiority , and be parts of a diocess , but true single churches , i do not therefore separate from them . 4 ▪ a national church , headed by one constitutive , pastoral head , i disown ; call which you will the national church . but ( saith he of his approved parish church ) , p. 14. such a church a●●i●meth to it self all that past●ral p●wer that in pursuance of canon and statute law , is fixed in the bishop . ans . incogitantly spoken ; do all independents assume the power of ordination , jurisdiction over others , citations , licencing , subspendings , degradings , silencings , instituting , inducting , &c. which are so fixed on the bishop : if none of this be pastoral power , then the appropriating it is no depriving parish ministers of pastoral power ; and to be under magistrates power nulls not the pastors . xlix . what he saith about unlawful terms of communion , p 21. &c. in the instances of kneeling , putting off the hat , standing up , &c. i answer , 1. the author all along seemeth to forget , that i am not accusing him , not telling every man his duty , but only giving the reasons of my own and such others practice : so they make a long ado , to vindicate him whose manuscript i answered , and say , his question was only , whether it be lawful to communicate with the churches as setled by law , and not in other respects ? when i ever told them , i meddle with none of their questions , but my own , viz , 1. whether i and such other do well or ill in that communion we hold with the parish churches ? 2. whether all protestants in england are bound in conscience to renounce and avoid communion in the liturgy with all parish churches and chappels , and rather to give over all church worship ? i only gave my reasons , why that manuscript ( divulged and boasted of as unanswerable ) changed not my judgment ; and i answered that in his arguments , which went further than the question put by them , and assaulted my own assertions ; having before in my christian directory , and cure of church divisions ( without naming him ) fully answered his printed reasons , to prove it unlawful to use an imposed form or liturgy , especially because ministers must use their own gifts . but if any man believe that it is a sin to communicate kneeling , or standing , or sitting , unless he lye down as christ did ; or at any time , save at a feast or supper ; or any where save in an inn or an upper room , or with any women , or more than twelve , or if they think it sin to kneel at prayer , or be uncovered , or to sing psalms in our metre and tunes , whether these men should separate from all the churches that will not receive them in their own way , or how far they do well or ill that will not let every man do what he will , is none of the case that i have before me : it will not follow , that i must separate from a church that bids me kneel , and be uncovered , &c. because you take it to be sin : put not your measures on all others . and here because same maketh mr. faldo the author of the vindication , which i answered , that i may so far vindicate him , as to shew , that it 's ●earce likely ; i ask , whether if mr. faldo did well as a pastor to keep up a church at barn●● many years , which would not endure the singing of a psalm of praise to god , but constantly forbore it , tho his judgment was against them ▪ ( besides that many of them were not only against infant baptism , but f●rther differ'd in other things ) ? was this communion more lawful or laudable than with honest parish ministers in the liturgy ? did he the whole office of a pastor : what if the bishop had forbid him to sing ●salms ? is not the church state more concerned in the whole congregation ▪ than in an absent bishop ? what greater omission or defect is there in many parish-churches ? i again say , that i am so far of the judgment of hildersham , john ball , &c. that i had rather joyn ( caeteris paribus ) in a church that useth the psalms , chapters , and all the lords-day prayers in the liturgy , before sermon , than one that only giveth us one psalm ( or none ) and a pulpit-prayer and a sermon without all the rest of church worship . l. i will conclude all with repeating a little of the explication of my misused writings ▪ i. the pastoral oversight of the laity by the elders , or bishops of the several flocks , is of christs institution , and belongs to all true presbyters : and tho in necessity it may be done by divers transient ministers , pro tempore , most regularly , every church should have it s stated pastors . ii. where such churches are large , the work requireth many ministers , where each one hath but part of the charge . iii. reason and church-consent among these , made one a president over the rest , and called him the bishop pecularly , ( if it were in marks days , as hierom saith , it was in john's ) . and tho this be not essential to a church , it is lawful , and fit ; and at last it grew to so great a reputation and opinion of necessity , that all churches had such bishops , and gave them a negative voice , and ordained not without them , and defined churches as essentiated by relation to them , ecclesia est plebs episcopo adunata . if now such men as j.o. mr. nye , dr. goodwin , &c. should have in one church six or seven young men of their own training up to be their assistant-presbyters , i do not think an independent church would take it for any crime that he should have a negative voice in acts of order and discipline , or that they should ordain ministers therein without his consent . iv. by degrees single congregations increased to as many as our great parishes that have chappels , and tho still they communicated in the chief church at some special times of the year ; they ordinarily met in divers places , and the presbyters officiated some in one meeting , and some in another ; at first , whosoever the bishop daily sent ; but after their particular tyths or chappels were assigned to each ; yet all together were esteemed but one church , governed by one bishop , and his colledg of presbyters . v. when they increased yet more and more , fixed chappels were assigned to fixed presbyters ; but not as distinct churches , but parts of the diocesan church , tho at last they were larger than one bishop and colledg could guide , according to the first institution . vi. yet long every christian city had a bishop and church , and every incorporate big town , like our corporations or market-towns , was called a city ( not because it had a market , as a reverend slanderer seigneth me to lay , but because custom the master of language , called all corporations and great towns by that name● : but at last the bishops being loath to diminish their jurisdiction , decreed that very small cities should have no bishops , ne vi●c●eat nomen episc●pi . and in process of time in some countries , the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or city , was appropriated at the princes pleasure to some very few corporations , peculiarly priviledged above the rest : so that a king that would have had but one bishop in his kingdom ( as it 's said that all the aba●●ian empire hath had but one ) might have done it by calling but one town a city . vii . yet the people and bishops being sensible that there was more work for a bishop in a city-diocess , than one could do ; in many countries they had rural bishops set over p●pul●ns country churches : and tho these were subject to the diocesans , yet hereby the churches were multiplied : but the bishops soon grew jealous and weary of these rural-bishops , and most places put them down , and set up instead of them a kind of itinerant visiting presbyters , empowring all arch-bishops and ach ▪ deacons , till at last to save themselves the labour , and yet not diminish their dominion , they set up the courts of lay-chancellors , officials , and many such offices , besides the arch-deacons , surrogates , &c. viii , ▪ in england ( as is agreed by most historians ▪ ) at first one bishop had but one church or temple . ( and at luindisfarne saith bede , it was so po●● a thing , that it was a house thatcht with reeds . ) the pastor of this one church was to convert as many as he could in all the countrey about him . the heathen country might be his diocess , but not his church . the converted christians got into several monasteries , and not into parish-churches . these monasteries were partly for society in religious exercise , and partly for studies , like schools to educate youth for the ministry ▪ so that long a diocess was only the bishops church with divers monasteries . at last , gentlemen for their convenience built and endowed parish-churches ; the bishops old single churches being called the cathedrals : and finally , by the help of princes , all the land was divided into parishes , subject to the cathedral-bishops , to whom deans and chapters were added in imitation of the old bishops colledg of presbyters in every single church . ix . when the rural-bishops were put down , the presbyters power in their several parishes was somewhat enlarged : and the diocesses at last became so great , that the bishops were sain to commit more of the oversight to the presbyters : tho they kept them under by severe canons , lay-deputies , and the cogent sword. x. it grew then a controversie among the papists themselves , whether the parish incumbents were proper pastors , and had any power of government , and how much . and my objectors confess , that they were reputed pastors among the papists , and that linwood calleth them pastors , and the laity oves : i have cited in treat of epis . ●ilesa●us , and many more that prove it . ant. de dom. spalatensis , is large and full in it . sp●lman in r. a●l●ricks law , shews that the bishop and presbyter made but one of their seven orders : a great sort of the schoolmen say the same . most drs. say , that the presbyters essentially as sacredetes , have the power of the keys , inf●ro interi●re ; by which they mean not , a power that must be kept secret , but that which consisteth in the perswas●v● use of gods word on c●nfer●n●e , privately or publickly , as distinct from magisterial and c●gent power . and if they ●e of one order , then if one be a past●r , the other is so also . that they are taken , but in partem curae , is nothing against it , but for it . for equal presbyters in one church , have each but partem curae . the reformation finding th●ngs in this case , determined none of the disputes , de nomine , whether parish rectors shall be called ●pis●op●s gregis , or pastors , or rectors , or i●cumb●nts ; but use these names promiscuously . nor did they dispute whether the parishes are political churches . but the definition , and not the name , is the thing now before us in debate . god hath given every such minister the essence of a pastoral oversight of his flock : men may hinder the exercise , but can no more alter the christian office power , than they can deprive a husband of the power over his wife . and the diocesans at last have been necessitated to permit the essential pastoral power ( by the word ) to the incumbents , having none else to use it by . but lawyers have taught many to call nothing government , that is not cogent on the unwilling ; and so to say , that government is not in the presbyters , but the bishops ; and that all is derived from the king ; which is all true , of cogent government by the sword , in f●ro exteriore ; but not as to pastoral government of the flock by gods w●rd . as bishop bilson of obedience hath distinguished , and applied well at large . xi . now to come nearer our case , diocesan bishops have put down the ranks of bishops which of old was setled as presidents over the presbyters in every church , in cities , and of the lowest order ( described by ignatius , and cyprian , and others ) : every lowest church hath not now a bishop over the presbyters , as it had for divers hundred years . and by this they have unchurched all the old sort of churches in the sense of them that say , there is no church where there is no bishop over pre●byters : and they have set up a diocesan church and bishop , only w●●re should be many churches and bishops ; and thus , 〈◊〉 hom●●●m , i argued with them , &c. but indeed this parochial episcopacy , or pr●sid●ncy being wrongfully said to be essential to the church ( being at most b●t useful to peace , ad melius esse ) and the epicopacy or pastoral care of the laity without any power over the clergy ; being it that is essential to single church pastors , in truth no man can alter this . in consent and ●●putati●n , it is altered by those that think parish curates no pastors , and deny any essential power over their flocks . but it is not in consent and reputation destroyed by them that acknowledg their essential power , and subject only themselves as pastors to the oversight of diocesans and magistrates . they do but destroy the 〈…〉 of episcopacy of humane institution ( which was over presbyters in 〈◊〉 ch●rch●● ▪ but not the episcopacy over the flock which is of christs ins●i●utio● ▪ xii . 〈◊〉 whether most in england are of this opinion , or of that , for 〈◊〉 or for meer g●verning episcopacy , and which way the laws go , and 〈◊〉 may be called the sense of the church , when convocations and bishops seem to differ , and men change their opinions with the age and interest , it is impossible for me to be sure . but i know how they govern , by what canons , and by what courts ; and as all their cogent power is from the king , it is no wonder if they be chosen by him : but the old sort of bishops that had no forcing power , was so constantly otherwise chosen , that their canons nulled the magistrates choice . and our present canons since 1604 , tho they null not the parochial pastorship , do so far restrain it , as i hope my conscience shall never approve . but yet , for that i will not forsake what is of god , nor make mans failings a pretence against my duty to god and man , to the violation of love , unity and peace . yet i will try by distinct speaking to make both the case and my meaining plainer , if i can : and thereby to shew , that our case differeth but gradually from the old nonconformists , as to lay-mens parochial communion , where there are honest ministers . and that the old nonconformists had better evidence , scripture and reason on their side , than either those innovators , who make parish-pastors to be but de specie , of humane institution , made by bishops , and changeable by them , having just so much power as they please to give them ; or the brownists , that are so much of the same principles , as to think that mens laws or canons can change the form of the office , or that judg it nullified by tollerable imperfections , and communion made unlawful by such faults , as are found in almost all the churches on earth . qu. whether according to the description of the scripture , and the exposition of dr. hammond himself , all qualified parish ministers be not true pastors and bishops of the flocks , and with their consenting christian communicants , true particular churches ; and de facto all be not in the power given them by god , which is essential hereto , and in the power generally acknowledged by the legal church ? ans . i have spoken to this so largely in my treatise of episcopacy , ( and there added the testimonies of writers , old and new , protestants and papists ( that i will give but a breviate of it here . the essence of the church ministry consisteth in power and obligation from christ , to teach , to guide in worship , and to oversee and guide the conversation and communion of the flocks ; if it were not of christ , they were but officers of men , de specie , even of an office of mans making . dr. hammond saith , that christ gave the keys only to the apostles , and they only to their successors : that there is no evidence that there were any of a second order of presbyters in scripture time ; that this order was after made by man , mr. dodwell sheweth how and why ; and more fully than dr. hammond , asserteth , that such presbyters have no more power than the ordaining bishops intended to give them : or saith dr. h. if they have a first power , it is such as may not be exercised without a second ; so that it is indeed no true power to act : and the dr. plainly tells the london ministers p. 80 , 81. there is no manner of incongruity in assigning of one bishop to one church , and so one bishop in the church of jerusalem , because it is a. church , not churches : being forced to acknowledg that where there were more churches , there were more bishops . and he denied our presbyters , that were not diocesans , to be bishops ( both city and country presbyters ) : and consequently that our parishes were no churches . and on these grounds he and bishop gunning , and such others , judged presbyters ordination null , because they were no bishops . and the said dr. ( tho i thought he had been next petavius , one of the first that had expounded the new testament elders , to be all bishops of several diocesses ) yet tells us that he thought most of his brethren were of his mind herein : and when we in worcestershire formed a pacificatory association of the epicopal , presbyterians , indep●ndents , and peace-makers , agreeing lovingly to practice so much in doctrine , worship and discipline as we were for , according to our several principles , forbearing each other in the rest , and dr. warmst●●● , and dr. tho. good , being for bishops , subscribed to it , dr. peter gunn●●g wro●e largely against so doing to dr. warmstrie , and took him off , upon these aforesaid principles ; and they then called their judgment , the judgment of the church of england , and wrote as if the church had been of their mind , and gone their way . i wrote ●large answer to dr gunning's paper , ( not printed ) and proved that the old protestant bishops and doctors were of another mind , largely citing their testimonies in my christian c●nc●rd , and plainly warned english protest●nts to take heed of these innovators , and that the name of the church and episcopacy deceive them not against the church and protestant cau●e ; many ●ose against me for this with great indign●tion , especially arch-bishop bramhall , and two or three learned writers , and would make the world believe , that it was the church of england which i sought to defame and bring under suspition , and which owned gr●tius and his way of reconciliation with rome , when as it was for departing from the professed principles of the reformed bishops and doctors , and from the book of ordination , and other writings of the church that i blamed them : yet would they needs claim the name of the church of england . and it is not here seasonable for me to tell , how many and how great men in 1661 , and 1662 seemed by their w●rds and doings to be full ( at least ) as high as they , nor how they expressed it , nor how many strongly conceited by the act th●● requireth reordination of men ordained by presbyters , and by the number rejected who refused it , that the parliament had been of th●ir mind , and much more the ●●nv●cation called the church-repr●sentative ; especi●lly when they heard men call the old bishops and arch-bishops ( such as ●sher , downame , 〈◊〉 , &c. in i●eland , and g. abbot , rob. a●b●t , grindal , and many such in england ) puritans and presbyterians : and when p●● . h●l●● maketh arch bishop abbot . and the bishops and clergy in his days to ●e of one mind ( vilified by him ) and arch-bishop laud and his clergy after , of another : in this case i gave the name of the present diocesans , to those that thus claimed it , and pretended so confidently to the present possession of it ; but i thought not their claim just : and when i sometimes used the name of english di●cesans , for this sort who nullifie the parish churches and pastorship , it was but to notifie them that so claimed it , supposing i had oft sufficiently opened my sense , and usually added that they nullifie them not effectively , but quantum in se , and by their consequences . but i again now tell the reader , that i think the judgment of the church of england , considered as humanely constituted by publick professions , and by law , ( much less as divinely constituted ) is not to be measured or named from any innovators , or any that most confidently claim it , or think they are uppermost at the present , and thereby have that right ; but ( as divine ) by gods word , whose sufficiency we all profess ; and as humane , by the published church professions ; that is , the liturgy , the book of ordination , the 39 articles of religion , the apology of the church of england , the defence of that apology set in all churches , the book of h●milies , nowels catechism , the r●f●rmatio legum ec●les ▪ the canons , and the licenced books of the protestant bishops and doctors , such as arch-bp . cranmers , bp. h●●pers , arch-bp . ●arkers , arch-bp . grin●als , arch-bp . abbots , arch-bp . edward sandys , arch-bp . whitgift , bp. pilk●nton , bp. jewel , bp. ally , bp. babingt●n , bp. m●rt●n , ●p . hall , bp. davenant , bp. ●rideaux , bp. br●wn●ig , b. ●otter , bp. miles smith , bp. carl●on , bp bayly , bp. parry , bp. c●wper , and many more such , ( besides those in ir●land aforesaid ) : and such ●rs as dr. wh●taker , dr field , dr. crakenth●●pe , dr. sutlive , dr. mas●n , dr. vvhite , dr. ●i●y , dr. chaloner , dr. vvard , dr. vvillet , dr. holland ▪ and abundance more ; besides all other old licenced writers : i think that all these do fitlier notify and denominate the church of englands judgment , than the writings of one irish arch-bp . and dr. hammond , and dr. gunning ( since bp. ) and a few more such in the points wherein they differ from the rest , ( tho grotius and their chaplains be added to the number . ) and now i will add this further evidence in the conclusion , ( besides that as i said before ) the present laws put us to abjure alterations , and therefore sure they never thought that they so altered the government themselves , that even while they say that the parishes are no churches , but parcels of churches , and the priests are no bps. of the flock , most really acknowledg them the thing , that deny the name . and the argument from the definition is stronger than from the name . and here i will but name first , the scripture descriptions of a bp. and 2. dr. hammonds exposition of those texts . 3. and the matter of fact among us . the first part of the bps. office is teaching the flock . under this teaching part , 1. the bishops office is to preach to them , 1 pet. 5.2 , 3. feed the flock of god which is among you , taking the oversight ( or episcopacy ) thereof , &c. dr. hammond : the bps. of your several churches i exhort . — take care of your several churches , and govern them , &c. qust . whom doth the law require to do more in feeding and guiding the flock ? the incubment that preacheth daily , or the bp. that never seeth the most , nor ever preacheth to one flock of many ? who are they [ that are among the flock ] the incumbent that dwells with them , or the bp. that is a stranger to them ? 1 thes . 5.12 . we beseech you brethren to know them that labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you , and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake , and be at peace among your selves . dr. hammond . pay your bps. as great a respect as is possible , for the pains they have taken among you . qust . who laboureth among them most in the several parishes , publickly and privately ? the bp. that never saw them , or the incumbent that layeth out all his study and time on them ? who are most among them ? who most admonisheth them ? what is meant by [ among themselves ? ] is it that lincoln shire , leicester-shire , northamton-shire , buckingham-shire , be at peace among themselves , from gainsborough to oxford-shire ? or is it not rather that neighbour christians that see each other , so live in peace ? 1 tim. 5.17 . the elders that rule well , are worthy of double honour ; especially they tha● labour in the word and doctrine . dr. hammond : let the bps. that have discharged that function well , receive for their reward twice as much as others have ; especially those that preach the gospel , to whom it was news , and continue to instruct congregatons of christians in setled churches . quest . on whom doth the law impose most preaching ? on bps. or on parish priests ? and who doth most of that work ? heb. 13. remember them who have the rule over you , who have spoken to you the word of god. dr. hammond : set before your eyes the bps. and governours , who have been in your church , and preached the gospel to you . quest . ask the parishes who those be ? 2 tim. 4.2 . i charge thee before god , and the lord jesus christ , who shall judg the qui●k and the dead at his appearing , and his kingdom , preach the word , be instant in season , out of season , reprove , rebuke , exhort , with all long suffering and d●●●rine . not only dr. hammond , but all that are for prelacy expound this of a bps office . quest . ask the people who most performs it . 2. the bps office is also to watch over all the flock , personally , by conference , instruction ▪ counsel , admonition , exhortation , reproof , comfort , as every one shall need saith bp. jer. tayl●r pref. to treat of rep. no man can give account of th●se that he knoweth not . acts 20.10 , 28 , 31. i taught you publickly , and from house to house . — take heed t● your selves , and to all the flock over which the holy ghost hath made you bps , to ●eed the church of god which he hath purchased with his own blood. — therefore watch , and remember that by the space of three years i ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears . dr. hammond . instructing both in the synagogues , and the private schools , and in your several houses whither i also came . — wherefore ye that are bps. or governors of the several churches . — look to your selves , and the churches committed to your trust , to rule and order all the faithful under you . quest . is this done more by the diocesans , or by the incumbents ? do diocesans teach from house to house , from southwark to christ-church , from n●wark to alesbury or tame ? who doth the law appoint to warn every one in the church , from house to house , and night and day , & c. ? col. 1.28 . whom we preach , warning every man , and teaching every man in all wisdom , that we may present every man perfect in christ jesus ; heb. 13.17 . obey them that have the rule over you , and submit your selves , for they watch for your souls , as those that must give account . dr. hamm●nd : obey those that are set to rule over your several churches , the bps. whose whole care is spent among you , as being to give account of your proficiency in the gospel . q●st . is it the diocesan or the incumbent that the law requireth to preach to , and warn every man , & c. ? and that watch for their souls as those that must give account ? is not the incumbent of this or that parish fitter to watch and give account of each soul , than the diocesan for a whole country , or many counties , who never saw them ? can he do as ignatius's bishops , that must take notice of all the church , even servants and maids ? 3. the bishops office is to be a visible example to all the flock , of humility , meekness , patience , holiness , charity and good works . heb. 13.7 . remember them who have the rule over you , who have spoken to you the word of god , whose faith follow , considering the end of their conversations . dr. hammond : set before your eyes the bishops — observe their manner of living . quest . vvho can observe his example whom he never saw nor know ? or who can make an unknown man his pattern ? do the fl●cks see more the incumbents example , or the diocesans ? it is their example that sak to them thword of god , that the apostle sets before them : and who be those ? perhaps it will be said , that fame may tell the di●cess of the example of their diocesan , tho they see him n●t . i answer , 1. but the text speaketh of those that preach to them . fame may as well tell us of the good works of any other bishop , as of the diocesan : many bishops in london live near us ; it may tell us of any other good mans life . what is this to the text ? 1 pet. 5.3 . neither as being lords over gods heritage , but being examples to the flock . dr. hammond : vvalking christianly and exemplary before them . q. vvhat ? before them that never knew them , nor could do ? doth the diocesan or the incumbent more walk as a known example before the parish flock , for their imitation ? 4. it is part of a bishops office as a general minister , not only to teach the church , but to preach to those that are yet no members of the church , matth 28.19 . go and disciple me all nations . 1 tim. 5.17 . they that 〈◊〉 in the word and doctrine . dr. hammond : to preach the gospel to whom it was n●ws . acts 26.17 , 18. to whom i send thee , to ●p●n their eyes , and turn them from darkness to light , and from the p●wer of satan unto god , &c. not that fixed pastors must wander to do this , as un●ixed missionaries ; but within their reach . hence dr. hammond noteth out of clemens r●m . that they are made bishops over the infidels that should after believe● : and bishop d●wname saith , that the city and territories are their diocesses , when the christians were but few ; and as dr. h. saith , but one congregation , whic● one bishop only with a deacon or two served : so that either a diocess was no church , or it was a diocesan church of heathens save that congregation . our great parishes , that have 70000 , or 60000 , or 40000 , or 20000 souls , have not the sixth part ( that i say not the tenth ) so many communicants . who is it that preacheth most for the conversion of the rest , atheists , sadduces , infidels , hereticks , bruitists , and impious ones ? is it the diocesan or the incumbent ? who doth the law most require it of ? 5. it is part of the boshops office to catechize or teach the novices that have need of milk , and are as children in danger of being tost up and down and carried to and fro with every wind of doctrine . see eph 4.14 , 15 , 16 ▪ heb. 5.11 , 12. with dr. hammonds paraphrase . quest . doth the law and church lay more of this on diocesans ▪ or parish pastors ? 6. it is the bishops work to defend the truth against gainsayers , and confute adversaries , and stop the mouths of hereticks , infidels , and other enemies ; as is confest by dr. hammond , on many texts to timothy and titus , as 2 tim. 2.24 , 25 , &c. not by force , but by evidence of truth . and doth not the law and church lay more of this on the incumbents , than the diocesans ( who are not u●iquitaries ) ? ii. the second part of the bps. office , is guidance , and officiating before the church in publick worship ; in subordination to christs priesthood . 1. by confessing sin , and to be the subintercessor , or the mouth of the church in publick prayer , thanksgiving , and praise to god. 2. in consecrating , and distributing , and giving in christs name , the sacrament of communion . 3. to bless the congregation in the name of the lord , &c. all these dr. hammond maketh the bps. office , and so doth the scripture , and so did justin martyr , tertullian , &c. citations in a confessed case would but be tedious . quest. and who doth this most in all the churches ? who confesseth sin , prayeth for mercy , praiseth god , administreth the lords supper , blesseth the people , &c. the bp ▪ to many hundred churches , or each incumbent to each church ? and on whom doth the law most impose it ? and what doth the diocesan in it , more than any one of the rest ? 2. dr hanmond , on acts 2. and acts 4.33 , 34 , 35. sheweth that it was the bps. part , to receive all the offerings of the communicants , and all the tythes and first fruits , &c. who doth this most ? the diocesan in all the parishes of his diocesse , or the incumbents ? 3. dr hammond , ( and many old canons before him ) tells us , that the bp. was out of the church flock , to take care of all the poor , orphans , widows , strangers ; deacons were herein but servants under them ▪ dr. hammond , on 1 cor 12.28 . the supreme trust and charge was reserved to the apostles and bps. of the church . but the poor will starve if the incumbent with his assistance do not more in this than the diocesan . 4. it is the bps. office to visit the sick . jam ▪ 5. call for the elders of the church , and let them pray over him , &c. dr. hammond , in v. 14. because there is no evidence , whereby these may appear to have been so early brought into the church ( that is subpresbyters ) and because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the plural doth as way conclude that th●re were m●re of these elders than one in each particular church , and because elders of the church was both in the scriptures style , and in the first writers the title of bps. and lastly , because the visiting of the sick is anciently mentioned as one branch of the office of bps. therefore it may very reasonably be resolved that the bps. of the church , one in each particular church , are here meant . quest . is it the diocesan ( perhaps 50 miles off ) that the sick must send for , or that the law and church impose this on , ( to visit the sick , and pray over them , &c. ) ? or is it the incumbents ? iii. but the great doubt is , who hath the power of government , and who actually governs , ( not by the sword ) but with the ministerial pastoral government ? and here it must still be remembred . 1. that this particular power of the keys or government , is only by the word of god opened and applied ; as bp. bilson hath proved , and is commonly confessed ; some call it perswasive , some directive , some doctrinial ; but it is not such meer direction or perswasion as any man may use to another ; but such as is the part of one commissioned to it as his office ; an authoritative perswasion , and a judicial decision , as by an intrusted steward of christ : but only on conscience , and on voluntiers , and not by any power to exercise force on body or purse . 2. that governing , and unjust restraining this power , is not taking it away from the pastor ; and laying penalties on men for exercising some part of that which christ hath given , doth but bind men to bear that penalty when the exercise is necessary . now let us consider wherein the governing power doth consist . 1. it primarily consisteth in judging who is capable of baptisme and so baptizing them . this is the first and great exercise of the keys , and that 〈◊〉 foro exteriore . to judge who shall be taken publ●ckly for a christian , and in christs name to invest him solemnly in the number of the faithful , delivering him a sealed pardon of all his sins , and a grant of right to grace and glory . can there be a higher exercise of the keys ? matth. 28.19 , 20. it is the apostles work [ disciple me all nations , baptizing them , &c. ] and dr. hamm●nd thinketh that in scripture-time there were no baptizing presbyters , but bishops ; and indeed it is so great a use of the keys , that this chiefly condemneth laymens and womens baptizing ; at least the trying the catechized , and judging of their capacities must needs be the prime great act of church-power , whatever be said of the execut●●n . now papists and protestants generally place this power in parochial incumbents , yea , and in all other ●resbyters : even those that convert countreys of infidels , and are under no particular bishop , must baptize and judg of the catechumens capacity for baptism ; and are parish incumbents denied this office ▪ power of the keys ? and is it the diocesan or they that use it by baptizing ? obj. the canon requireth them to baptize all infants brought according to law , and so not to be the judges . ans . you should say , and so command● them how to judge . the magistrate may command men how to do their office-work , and yet neither be the maker nor unmaker of the office , ( tho he mistake : ) if rulers misgovern , that 's their sin , but the office of pastors is still the same , and we must not misobey , but suffer , and as b●shop bilson saith , go on with our work as long as we can . 2. and to bid them do more than they would , is not to null their power of doing less . and to punish a man for his duty , is not to di●oblige him from it , till it truly disable him . 2. a second great exercise of the church keys , is ministerially as from christ to declare his laws ▪ and charge men to obey them , both the church together , and particular persons singly . as legislation is the first and great part of christs government [ before judicature ] so the ministerial declaring christs commands , and demanding obedience , is the great act of government . the same word therefore comprehendeth feeding and ruling , 1 pet 5.2 , 3. &c. matth. 24.45 , 46. who then is a faithful and wise servant , whom his lord hath made ruler over his houshold , to give them meat in due sea●●n ? it is ruling by seasonable feeding . 1 thes . 5.12 . to be over them , is exercised by labouring amongst them , and admonishing them , 1 tim. 5.17 . ruling well , is nothing greater than labouring in the word and d●ctrine , 1 tim. 3.2 . a bish●p must be apt to teach : dr. hammond , one that is able and ready to communicate to others the knowledg that he him●elf hath . heb. 13.7 , ●7 , 24. ruling the fl●ck is by teaching and watching over th●m . to be the greatest is to be most serviceable to all ; to be ruled by them , is to know them , to esteem them highly in love for their works sake , to obey gods word delivered by them , and their conduct in mutable circumstances , heb. 13.7 . 1 thes . 5.12 and to imitate their good examples , 1 pet. 5.3 . and what law forbids incumbents to promulgate christs commands , and charge men to obey them ? or to go to any negligent person of his flock with the same charge ? or to go to any drunkard , fornicator , railer , and to tell him from god of h●s sin and danger , and exhort and command him to repent and amend ? and who most doth this work among us ? 3. another part of government is to judg professing christians capable of sacramental communi●● , and admit them , and deliver it them as christs ministers , b● his com●●●si●● , an● from him ; and therein to renew their publick abso●ution , and the●r co●enant p●i●●ledg , and their delivered part in christ , and right to life : no●e dare d●●y that this is a high part of the power of the keys , and proper governme●t , to judg who is capable of church communion , and receive them , and deliver them from christ , the pledg of life . and all papists and protestants almost , judg this power essential to the priesthood , and common to all parochial incumbents : and the church of england ( as i said before ) , 1. delivereth it to them in ordination . 2. requireth them to catechize and cert●fie for such as shall be confi●med ; and methinks the diocesan here useth less of the judicial power than the incumbent , for he doth but lay his hands on them and say a prayer over such as come to him ; for no man can dream that he can examine all the people in his diocess so far as to judg whether they are fit for communion : therefore he is supposed but to execute the judgment of the certifying incumbent ( if he take all at a venture , without a certificate , or knowledg , or if the incumbent be unfaithful , i cannot help or excuse that ) . 3. they are required to keep away all that be not confirmed , or ready , and desirous of it . 4. they may hear any just accusation of the scandalous . 5. they may admonish him , ( if he will speak with them ) . 6. they may refuse him if obstinate and impenitent . 7. they may declare the reason why they do so , as christs ministers by his authority , and tell the church their duty to avoid the communion of such . 8. they may bind him over to answer his contumacy at the bar of god ; and what of this is denied by the church , to belong to the incumbents office ? and who else is capable of doing this in parishes that have multitudes of ungodly persons ? if all this should be made so difficult by the multitude and badness of delinquents , or by bad canons , or bad government of the church by diocesans , officials , &c. and thereby be almost all left undone , i cannot help that , nor excuse it ; but what i have said against such doing is too little : and if priests be so bad , that they will ( any where ) sooner scorn it than practice it , at the rate that it must cost them , i am as much against such priests as others are : but i will not therefore make the office of christ● ministers , the creature of man , and mutable at his will ▪ nor will i forsake faithful ministers for the sake of the perfidious ; no nor for their own tolerable faults or imperfections . and now consider seriously , 1. whether there be any essential part of the office of a pastor , denied by that which may justly be called the church of england , to the parish incumbents . 2. and whether incomparably more of it , even of the government of the flocks , by the k●ys of christs institution , be not by law and canon required , and in fact performed by the said incumbents , than by the diocesans . and whether any use it , if they do not . if it be alledged , that i have in my treatise of episcopacy , named many instances in which they are deprived of the exercise of the very essentials ; i still answer , that if any shall by misgoverning canons or practise lay penalties on them that will perform their office , these do their part to destroy it ; but their sin may consist with the true office that is hindred : if we cannot pray without penalty , we are yet bound to pray : and if any such penalties should prevail with any ministers to cast off so much of discipline as is indeed their duty , their office is so far destroyed as to its exercise : but it is not every ill council , canon , bishop or priest of old when they began to be corrupted , that changed and nullified the pastoral power and office as from christ . i have repeated things over and over here , because i would not be misunderstood , nor leave a snare behind me to mislead men . the sum again is , 1. the pastoral office in specie is instituted by christ and his spirit , therefore the essence of it is unchangeably fixed by him ; and no bishops or churches may change it , by pretending they may give presbyters as their servants what degree or kind of power they please ; or make the office another thing . ii. the said office in mutable accidents or circumstances may be altered by princes laws , or the several churches agreements , and thus far it is humane . of the divine sort was the apostolick and other extraordinary prophetick offices : and the ordinary presbytery , commonly called priesthood , and elders setled over particular churches , were episc●pi gregis ; bishops , over the flock . and of the humane sort is the presidency of one in every single church over the rest of the presbyters , who was the episcopus presbyterorum , a bishop over the presbyters of one single church as well as over the people : this was the old episcopacy of the first three centuries ; this is it which i say our diocesans have put down ; and we that would have them restored , and would have such a bishop and assistant , elders in every church , are by the heighth of impudency , said to be against bishops , because we would have them restored to each church ( tho not as essential to it , as hath been thought of old ) yet as a way of peace , to comply with ant●quity , and avoid singularity ; and they that put down many score or hundred bishops and instead of them would have but one , call themselves episcopal . iii. whether arch-bps . ( diocesans . ) as successors of the apostles in the ministerial care of many churches ( by the word and not the sword ) be of divine or human institution , i am in doubt . iv. the cogent power by the sword is only the magistrates ; and if diocesans appropriate this only , they are magistrates ; and thereby take none of our office from us . v. the ●ssence of the parish ministerial oversight being of god , de specie , and the accidents that are mutable from man , the existence of the office in individual persons , is not without consent of the pastors ; so that no man can be a pastor against or without his will ; ( nor yet without a capacity in qualifi●ati●n ; so that if you prove any person to be uncapabl● , or else to have truly disclaimed and renounced the essentials of his office : i am not about to perswade you , that such a man is a true pastor . vi. but then we must know , that indeed it is such an incapacity , or renunciation , and not a tollerable defect ; nor subscriptions and oaths , which by unseen consequences may seem to renounce it , when the man took them in a sense which renounced it not : for tho such a man may greatly sin by taking oaths or subscriptions in a forced sense , which plainly taken would infer worse , yet his sin is not a renunciation of the office , if he declare that he meant it in a better sence , and took it on such mistake ; for we must not for bare words against mens meaning , quibble or dispute our selves into unwarrantable separations out of christian communion , especially when it is specially necessary . vii . and if any lay-men , or men unauthorized will usurp the keys , or any councils will make hurtful canons , and hinder men in the work appointed by god , we must be faithful and patient , and god in due time will judg and decide all causes justly . viii . the office-power is essentially related to the work ; so far as parochial incumbents are allowed the work as of christ , they are acknowledged to be pastors and bishops of the flocks , tho the name were denied them ; and so far as the bishops office may be delegated to lay-men , or to clergy-men of another order ; so far it is humane , and not proper to them by gods institution . they therefore that say , all diocesans jurisdiction may be so delegated to them that are no bishops , but that the pastoral rectorship by word , sacraments and keys cannot be delegated to any men that are not of the same office ; do thereby say as much , as that the diocesan government is of men ( and may be changed by men ) but the pastoral incumbency is of christ , and cannot be changed . the lord that instituted it , protect it ; and save it from satans most dangerous assault , which is by getting his own servants into it by error , and malignity , and strife , and cruelty , to do his work as the ministers of righteousness , and as by christs authority , and in his name . london aug. 13. 1684. postscript aug. 25. 1684. he that gave me notice of this book which i answer , did withall send me a manuscript to be privately answered , containing the very same things , but somewhat enlarged : his displeasure against my former mention of his private writings to me , and the contents , made me confident that he would not have any thing published which i should answer to his last : by which i found my self in a notable strait : for if he at once privately sent me his reasons , and also in another book printed them , if i should answer his private papers ( which reason forbad me doing in my condition , for his use alone ) i should judg my self forestalled from answering the printed book , because the matter being the very same ( and 't is likely by the same man ) i should be supposed to have broken the laws of civility , to have answered his private papers . but ( having no amanuensis , or scribe to take any copy of his papers , or my own ) i thought it the best way to return his unanswered ( they being written for my use , which reading will as fully serve as answering them ) but supposing the printed papers must be answered , i inserted also an answer to the strength of all his additionals in the manuscript . and at last he giveth me some notice of his thoughts of publishing the manuscript , or a vindication of it . which falls well for the readers use , that i have answered that manuscript before it is published , without taking notice of it , and s● avoiding wordy altercations . the author professeth himself my great acquaintance . who he is , i know not ; but he seemeth to be a very rational sober man. god forbid that i should ever contribute ( unless duty do it accidentally ) to the grievance of such men . i doubt not but he speaketh as he thinketh . and i doubt i have given him occasions by some uncautelous words in my writings . i truly thank god and him , that i am called to review them , and to clear my sence before i die . and i adjure the tearing persecuting sect , to think no more strangely and odiously of our differences in this case , than of the sharp contention of paul and barnabas ; or that men should scramble if gold and pearls were scattered in the streets , where dogs and swine would never strive about them . gods servants would please him : we are all of weak understandings : the wisest best know their weakness : the rest are nearest the state of the fool , who rageth and is confident . it is impossible but offence must come , luke 17.1 . but wo , wo , wo , to any who will make canons so extreme hard for men to agree in as terms of their union and communion , and excommunicate all that say a word against any word , ceremony , circumstances or office of their train ; and when they have done , cry out against men for not agreeing to every syllable , which a thousand to one are uncapable of understanding , and the better men understand them , the more they dislike them . a short answer to the chief objections in a book entituled : a theological dialogue , &c. the chief matter of this book is already answered by the holy ghost , 1 cor. 1.10 . 1 cor. 3. rom. 16.16 , 17. eph. 4.4 . to the 17. phil. 2.1 , 2 , 3. 1 thes . 5.12 , 13. john 17.22 , 23 , 24. and 1 cor. 12. and acts 20.30 . the spirit and stile of it is answered in the third chapter of james throughout . i have nothing then to do but to answer the pretended argumentation of it : for the author shall not draw me from my defensive part , to play the part of a plaintif against others , or to wast my time in altercations , and spend many sheets to tell the world that another man hath not skill to speak sence , and that he seduceth others by ambiguous words , and by confusions . obj. 1. to prove us sinful for being members of the church of england , he saith pag. 15. [ is he not by communion in the sacarment of baptisme made a member ? page 13. is not baptisme ( according to the liturgy ) a symbol of incorporation into the church of england ? confirmation another ? receiving the lords supper another symbol ? &c. ans . 1. baptism as such incorporateth no man into any particular church , but only into the universal , as it did the eunuch , acts 8. 2. the ceremonies or circumstantials of baptism , only shew what men submit to , rather than to be unbaptized , and not what particular church they are of . 3. this objection would insinuate that all that are baptized in the publick manner in england , were thereby incorporated into an unlawful church , which they must by being rebaptized , or by open renunciation disclaim , and so that it is not lawful to communicate with any that were baptized in the parish church , till they have repented it , or are rebaptized , or penitent openly . and if you must have all in england renounce their baptism before you will take their communion for lawful , the same reason will hold against your communion with all the rest of the churches on earth . and when you cut off your self from all , saving a shred , are you a member of the undivided body of christ ? 4. if our baptism in england doth incorporate into their church ( which you suppose is no church , being a false church ) , doth not baptism into your church incorporate persons into yours ? and what then , if your schism prove a sin ? what if rebaptizing prove a sin ? what if the covenant descri●ed by your client , ( to obey none but christ , in matters belonging to worship ) prove a sin ? are they all guilty of all these , and such others ? obj. ii. all that are liable to a church excommunication when they have offended , are declared members of the church . but all communicants and native inhabitants are so . therefore the law hath excepted none . — how comes it to pass , that the church hath power of excommunicating any person , but by vertue of incorporation , which she hath by the same law ? he that is not in the church , how comes he to be cast out ? — is he not by communion in the sacrament of baptism made a member ? ans . 1. doth their esteeming you a member , prove that you are so ? 2. you know that they excommunicate papists , and atheists , who deride them for it and say , it 's a strange church that will cast us out , because they cannot compel us to come in . 3. if this be a good ▪ argument , that all are of their church that are excommunicate , then you are either safe from excommunication ; or of their church , whether you will or not : if to make good your argument , you will aver that no separatist , independent , presbyterian , anabaptist , or quaker , was ever ▪ excommunicate , or imprisoned as such , you will change the current of intelligence , and comfort many that can believe you , and teach them how to escape a prison for the time to come . but if not , you make your self and all these parties , incorporate members of the church of england , as well as me . 4. do you think a lay civilian by excommunicating , can prove or make a man a member of any church against his will ? then mens argument against parish churches , for want of consent , is void . they may be made such against their wills . 5. but tho few men d●sl●ke the lay-excommunicators and absolvers more than i do ( nor grudge more at the bishops and deans who use them , and let them put their names to the excommunications ; especially of the poor church-wardens for not swearing , &c. ) yet let us not render them causelesly ridiculou● . i imagine that they excommunicate not known papists , anabaptists , and such like , out of their church ( who they know were never in it ) but out of the universal church : if this be not their sense , let them give it you themselves , for i am not bound to be their interpreter . and yet to moderate our censures of them , i 'le tell you a wonder : within this hour i received a letter of credible intelligence , of a chancellor who hearing of a conventicle not presented by the church-wardens , and being told that they met to repeat the publick sermon , said , god forbid that they should be hindered . obj. iii. page 8. a church in a sense is a christian kingdom , that is , a royal nation under christ their king. but there is no such gospel-church in your sense ; for there was neither christian kingdom nor king in the ap●stl●s days . ans . the institution may be in the gospel before the existence : christian kings and kingdoms are neither unlawful , nor needless , because there were none then . the prophets not only foretel that nations shall come in to christ and serve him , but that all nations that do it not , shall perish . and christs commission to his apostles was , to go and disciple all nations ( as much as in them lay ) baptizing them . nations as such , were , first to be discipled , and then baptized , ( infants are part of nations ) . and matth. 23. christ would have gathered jerusalems children ( all the jewish nation ) into his church , as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings . and rom. 11. only their own unbelief broke them off from being a national church , ( including infants ) . and it is part of the saints triumph , that the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of the lord , and of his christ . if you will read mr. beverlys book , called the whole duty of nations , it will give you full proof of this . where hath the gospel extensively much prospered where princes and rulers were not christians ? the turks give liberty of religion . and yet the sometime famous greek churches , ( corinth , philippi , coloss , ephesus , laodicea , philadelphia , and more than all the west , are apostatized , or withered to a few ignorant vicious scandalous christians . obj. iv. 8. if such a confederation in lawful circumstantials , as well as integrals , will make a church , i know not why we may not have a catholick visible church organized , if this be a due acception of a church . ans . this is as much as to say , if the name church may be used equivocally ( as all words must ) of several sorts , then all those sorts may be the same . i deny it . if you dislike the use of the name , you have your liberty as a grammarian to forbear it . but sure the name and the thing are not all one , nor the controversies about them . 2. but we have a catholick visible church organized , as i have oft proved against the papists , viz. under one , christ the head , and his ministers as his subordinate officers . obj. v. page 3. if you touch a mans finger , you touch the man : we have communion with an integrum perpartes ; and with a genus by the species ; and with both by individuals : nay as every part of the scripture , one verse or sentence of it makes up sence ; so every part of the liturgy as in form and manner therein contrived , is liturgy ; and worship thereafter is according to the liturgy , tho it be but part of the w●rship . page 20. as for the falseness in integrals , it gives the denomination to the whole ; for an integral part is an essential part of the whole . much more there is to the same purpose , making him guilty of all that useth a part . ans . 1. you have the freedom of using words at your pleasure , but not imposing them on mankind ; when necessity hath taught the world to distinguish essential and integral parts , you have no authority to confound their language , by the quibble of calling integrals essential causes of the whole : a totum per aggregationem ▪ as a heap of sand , or a field of grass , is not constituted of a proper essentiating form , and so homogeneous matter aggregate is all the being it hath . and if you make contiguity an essential cause , or how else you will , you have liberty of speech : but we will not be cheated by it to believe that it causeth any more than totality or integrality , and the absence of it is a privation of no more . and all mens graces , obedience , and worship , are defective in point of integrality and degree , and i hope you will not say that they need no favour , or pardon , or amendment . 2. all human actions have their faults : must we therefore do nothing , or converse with no men ? england is one kingdom ; if there be one or many faults in its laws or officers , may we therefore obey none that are faultless ? the laws are the rule of national justice ; may a judg , justice , officer or subject use none of them , because some are faulty ? doth that make him guilty of all ? bonum est ex causis integris : the fault of a part may indeed denominate the whole faulty so far . but the whole law or liturgy may be called faulty for a part , and yet he that useth either , not be guilty of any of the bad part , for using the good . the law and liturgy are one thing , and the use is another : its faults are no further his , than he owneth them ; your bread or meat may be called bad , if part only be bad , and yet if you eat none but the good part , it will not hurt you . 2. but if it must be otherwise , no man may hear you , or joyn with your churches : and do you think ( as aforesaid ) that mr. faldo , and all his church at barnet , lived not in a sinful communion very many years , that omitted at least an integral part of publick worship , the singing of gods praise ? christ with his disciples sung a hymn after the sacrament . the jews church made it the chief part of their worship . james prescribeth it us in all our holy mirth , such as the lords day is appointed for , 1 cor. 14.26 . every one had a psalm , and with them no one had a psalm , tho his judgment was for it ; the question was , whether he should forsake them for refusing it : i thought not , because it was better that they had something that was good , than nothing . but your argument would not only unchurch them , but make all sinners that communicated with them : for omissions of great duties are faults , and greater faults than tolerable failings in performance : he that prayeth not at all , doth worse than he that prayeth by a book ; and he that preacheth or teacheth not at all , doth worse than he that readeth a sermon ; so that their total stated omission and opposition to singing , by your false rule , denominated them no worshippers of god , if the whole must be denominated from a part . how many private meetings in london , never sing a psalm for fear of being discovered ? yea , how many seldom read a chapter , but only preach and pray , and sometime administer the sacrament ? must we needs say therefore that they omit all worship ? vi. on such occasions i argued , that if we must not communicate with any parish church because of the faults of the liturgy , it will follow , that we must not communicate with any church on earth that hath as great faults ; and that by this we must renounce communion with all christs body on earth : all the armenians , nestorians , eutychians , copties , abassines , georgians , greeks , russians , papists , yea lutherans , have a more faulty liturgie , or manner of worship , than the english . yea the churches called calvinists have their liturgies and faults : and i instanced in switzerland , because as god hath of late most preserved their peace , so they are taken to be the honestest sort of protestants , that in poverty serve god with soundest doctrine , and least scandal of life , but yet have no proper discipline but the magistrates ? is it a sin to have confederacy or communion with their churches ? to this he plainly saith page 11. it is : that is , all that confederate with them , as churches , are guilty of their error , called erastian : for subjection t● such discipline is the condition of their communion . ans . subjection is an equivocal word : if it were by profession or subscription of consent it were indeed to be guilty of that error ( tho not by a fau●t of the part denominating the whole , to make their worship unlawful , or their churches none ) but if by subjection you mean but joyning in their churches as christian and protestant for doctrine and worship , notwithstanding the defect which they cannot help , yea which they disclaim , bare accusation will not prove this a sin ; but by this we see how much of christs church you are for separating from . 2. for my part i have oft published , that it is not the least part of my charge against popery , that they unchurch almost all the christian world save themselves : but yet they are about a 4th or 3d part of professed christians themselves ; and divers of them do not unchurch the greeks ; but to unchurch or forbid communion with all that are as faulty , as the helvetians and all other protestant churches that have liturgies or partial faults , is that which i dare not be guilty of : i think that to say , that a thousand parts to one of christs church , are none of his churches , is next to deposing him from his kingdom : much like as it would be to say , no part of london is the kings but amen corner , nor any part of england but barnet or brentford . 3. and is it not one of our just accusations of the papists , that they say all the protestant churches are no true churches , and the ministers no true pastors ; and that communion with them is unlawful ? and shall we now justifie them and say as they ( tho not on the same reason , but for a far smaller difference ) ? is this our running from popery ? 4. yea , is it not the great thing that we accuse the superconformists for ? that they make us to be no true ministers or churches ? and are we indeed of the same mind ? one side saith , we are no true ministers for want of bps. ordination , &c. another side saith , you are no true ministers for having communion with the bishops and churches , &c. vii . i mentioned the judgment and practise of the old nonconformists and presbyterians , not as a rule , but as a comparative example . to this he saith , p. 11. you and they might as well own the church of england in the form and constitution as it is established as the parish churches to be particular gospel churches , &c. — p. 12. to say you join with a quatenus , and own not the very constitution and standing of the church , with which you join in the sense the church asserts it , is the greatest equivocation in practice that is : the old nonconformists nor you are to be no presidents to us in this case — so far as the old nonconformists , and the old reforming conformists went forward with reformation to bring the church out of the wilderness , we honour them ; but when they turn back again , and entice the people so to do , we are afraid to tempt god in that manner — p. 14. those ●ld nonconformists that did so , are no presidents to 〈◊〉 ; if they halted and were lame , must we be so ? such communicants are not acceptable to any church , and i know what church would never admit them , were it not to punish and expose them and their profession , as ridiculous and inconsistent with its self : and as for french and dutch , what are they to us , &c. — p. 16 ▪ he calls mr. fenns joining in the liturgy with exception of some part [ the sul●en practice of a half-paced doting nonc●nformist . ans . first to the cause , and secondly to the persons . 1. to call any practice , equivocation , or by any ill name ▪ is no proof that it is so ; nor is here a word of true proof given us : i ask the considerate ; is it in the power of a law-maker , to make all worship and duty to god unlawful by commanding to do it for an unlawful end , or upon false principles ? what if a law said , all people shall worship god , not because the scripture commandeth it , but because the state commands it ? would this make it unlawful to worship god ? i would disown the principle , and go on . what if the law should say , the pastoral office is not of divine right , but humane , must the office therefore be renounced ? and why can such a law any more bind me to judg of church-constitutions by the lawmakers words , rather than by gods word ? suppose that the anabaptists say , that rebaptizing is the true way of church-gathering : is it a sin to communicate with them , if they will receive me when i profess the contrary . i am against the covenant which you defend , as making an independent church : is it therefore a sin to communicate with them , because it is not as constituted by that covenant ? what do parties more differ in of late , than forms , orders , modes and circumstances of church government ; and if they be of many contrary minds , were it twenty , there can be but one of them in the right : and is it unlawful to join with all the rest ? must we needs be sure which of these is in the right ? almost all the churches that i hear of in the world , have their agreed professions published ; the protestants are gathered in the corpus confessionum ; the english church principles and orders are expressed in the book of canons , the liturgy , ordination , the 39 articles , the homilies , the apology , &c. must every one stay from their churches , till he hath read and understood all these books , and be sure that there is no fault or error in them ? what if it be poor men or women that cannot buy all these books ? and what if they cannot read ? whom shall they get to read them all ? and how shall they have time to study them , or capacity to understand them , when we can hardly get them to learn a catechism and anderstand it ? you will say , that is their crime that make all these confessions and books : they will answer , but that 's none of our fault : we made them not , and yet must we not communicate with any church that maketh such ? the old separatists , called brownists , published their confession , and therein owned many parish churches in england , and communion with them : i recited their words in my reasons , &c. but you are gone beyond them : the new ▪ england churches printed their confession , and all there agreed not to it : the english independents published their principles and confessions : and the presbyterians and they agreed in the westminster synods confession , catechism and directory : is every poor man and woman bound to stay from all their churches , ( when for 14 years they had no other ) till they understand all these , and know that they are faultless ? or if there be any fault in any one of all these books , is every one guilty of them that cometh to the churches ? the anabaptists published their confession : the dutch have theirs : many churches agreed with them in the synod of dort. the french have theirs ; the saxons , the helvetians , geneva , the bohemians , the protestants in general had the augustane , and many more have theirs . reader , see with whom these writers will hold communion , who make it unlawful to join with any church that have any fault in their constitutions , or agreed doctrines or orders . let us rise upward , till we come to the apostles days : none of all these churches named , dare profess all their agreements and confession to be without fault , that ever i heard of , except the english , who bind ministers to assent and consent to all things commanded and prescribed in three books and excommunicate those that say their books or ceremonies and government hath any thing contrary to the word of god ; but no lay-man is bound to believe them ; wickliffe , and john h●s , the waldenses , and the bohemians confessions , are not faultless : of the papist , and the s●cinians , we will make no question ; the forenamed churches of greeks , russians , armenians , abassines , nestorians , jacobites , &c. are , alas , past question faulty : the general councils upward from that of trent , basil , constance , &c. to the six first , yea , the four first , which some equal to the four gospels , are far from ▪ being faultless in the judgment of these objectors , and of my self : the arrian and other heretical councils are past question ; even that of nice , the first and best , i suppose he and i think did not well in setling church-power as they did , and forbidding all kneeling on the lords days , in adoration , and other the like : the donatists and the novatians , called the puritans of those times , had faulty agreements ; were it but for bps. and arch-bps . ●e will think them so : this writer can name no one church on the face of the earth orthodox or heretical ( tho aerius called presbyters equal with bps. ) that was not for bishops over presbyters from the year 100 after christ , t●ll the reformation , that ever i could read of : yea , consider whether they were not in the apostles days , when jerome , who most depresseth this degree , saith , that there were such at alexandria chosen by the presbyters from the days of mark : and mark died long before john the apostle : but episcopacy is not all : not only epiphanius but all church history that speaketh of such matters , agreeth , that ( besides the croud of latter ceremonies ) there were certain ceremonies called the customes of the universal church , which all the known churches agreed in , ( even those that differ'd about easter-day , and other such ) that is , 1. cloathing the baptized in white garments . 2. giving them milk and hony to tast . 3. anointing them with oyl . 4. not kneeling in adoration on any lords day , or any other day between easter and whitsunday . there is no notice when these began , so ancient were they , nor of any one church or christian that refused them ; but they were commonly called the traditions apostolical , or customes of the universal church . now i agree with this author , that these things were indeed a deviation from the apostles practice , and ought not to have been thus used : but the question is , whether every christian was guilty of the fault that had communion with any of these churches ? and whether had he then lived , he should have separated from all the churches on earth ? by this you see , that this opinion must needs make men seekers , who say , that the church was in the wilderness , and lost all true ministry , ( and , say they , particular churches , and scripture ) after the first ( or at most the second ) century : and so that for fourteen hundred years christ had no visible kingdom on earth : and consequently , that we have no wiser answer to the papist [ where was your church before luther ] than to say that it was invisible ; that is , that we cannot prove that there was any such thing on earth ; and consequently , that we cannot prove that christ had any kingdom on earth , and was its king ; that is , whether there was any christ in actual church-administration ? and doth separating from the whole visible church-communion agree with the prophecies and precepts of union ? was this church like a grain of mustard seed in its growth ? was all the wonderful works of redemption wrought for no visible society after one or two hundred years , in which a few persecuted ones were visible ? is not this the next step ( and a temptation ) to utter infidelity ? if christ have now no visible church on earth , but the people called brownists or separatists , doth it answer the scripture description of him and his church ? and is it not exposing christianity to the scorn of infidels , so to say ? would not almost all rather turn papists , than believe this ? and be rather of their church , than of none . 2. but let us next speak of the persons . i may speak my thoughts without imposing on you . i think that the major vote is no rule to the minor , nor always is in the right . if a hundred men that understand not greek or hebrew , translate a text one way , and a good linguist another way , i will more suspect their judgment than his . and so in the like case . but if i hear a few odd persons condemn the judgment of the generality that are far better acquainted with matters of the same nature , [ as if school-boys that are but in their accidence , should oppose all the upper forms in expounding horace , or hesiod , or homer ] , which , think you , should i most suspect ? — i say again to you , compare the writings of bucer , peter martyr , calvin , beza , melancthon , chami●r , blondel , dailee , and a bundance such ; and also greenhams , perkins , dr. j●●n r●ignolds , cartwrights ▪ dods , hildershams , hieroms amesius's , payne● , r●l●e●ks , and many such , yea with such conformists as jewels , bp. downames , john downames , davenants , bp. halls , arch-bp . ushers , bp. rob. abbots , dr field● , dr. challoners , dr. airys , &c. i say , compare these with the theological writings , of mr. penry , mr. can , and all other called separat●sts or brownists in their times , and tell me whether these later did manifest more holy wisdom in heavenly things , more skill in all other points of divinity , than the former : if their writings ( giving mr. ainsworth his due honour in hebrew and piety ) were as far below the other , as the lower forms of school-boys are beneath the highest , which should we most suspect to have had the greater or the lesser light , specially when the lower condemn and cut off themselves from communion with all christs known churches on earth for thirteen hundread years . when mr. smith ( and lately a very good man here ) thought none fit to baptize him again , but baptized himself ; was not that singularity a just cause of suspicion ? yet i make not the old nonconformists your rule . viii . i argued also , from the common frailties of us all , that it will be unlawful to communicate with any church on earth , even with those of the objectors mind , if we are guilty of the sins in doctrine , worship and discipline , of all churches that we communicate with . i will aggravate none , nor render that odious which god accepteth : my work is to confute those that do so . but i say , that 1. we have all many errors ; and men use to put their errors into their prayers and preaching 2. do not men use to deliberate more , and study what to write , than what to preach ? and have men reason to be confident that our preaching will be more sounder than our writing ? this author exclaims against me , as popish , arminian , for justification by works , for merit , &c. may it not be expected that i preach as bad as i write ? and is it not then a sin to be my hearer ? can i think that he will not preach as ill as he writeth in this book ? and are all sinners therefore for hearing him ? i promise him that if i know of any parish minister that will usually preach with as much error , reflexion and gall as he here writeth , i will be none of that mans hearers , or usual communicants . but to this he saith , p. 19. we distinguish between the rule of worship , and the administration and performance : — 1. it is not sins of ordinary infirmity . 2. nor sins not foreknown , so as to prevent joining with them , but them that worship god by a false rule , &c. ans . 1. this is the great strength of all his book , that we sin by a false rule , but they sin only against a true rule ; but i think nothing is sin indeed , but that which is against a true rule , even gods word ; making and using a false rule , is therefore sin , because it is against the true rule . most hypocrites are supposed to own a true rule while they are false to it , and sin against it . to sin against knowledge , and an acknowledged rule , is an aggravation of the sin , and such shall be beaten with many stripes : paul opens it to the jews , rom. 2. at large , therefore this will not excuse our communion with such . 2. this reason crosseth the business of the opponent ; for whereas the greatest reason against communion with parish churches is the badness of the communicants , and ministers lives ; these are not the obeying of the law or canons , but disobeying them : the law , called the rule , bids no man swear rashly , lye , be drunk , unclean , slander , rail , &c. nay it commandeth the minister to deny the sacrament to such : ignorance , unbelief , hypocrisie , are not commanded , but forbidden by that rule : ministers break the rule , i● they preach error , or heresie , or against love and peace , and promote not godliness , and mens salvation , with all holy diligence , by doctrine and life ; so that no sins against this is cause of separation , if it be only using a false rule that is , just cause . 3. but what is the false rule ? the word rule maketh all this excuse and accusation of his a meer equivocation : in general , a rule is any thing to which we purposely conform our actions , that they may be right : of this there are divers sorts . 1. the primary rule is the absolute law of god , to which all mens actions should be conformed . 2. subord●nate humane rules : these are of divers sorts . 1. the obliging commands of authority . 1. of magistrates . 2. pastors . 3. parents and masters of families . 4. school-masters and tutors of youth , &c. 2. contracts or agreements of men for concord . 1. gods law is never a false rule , but an erring expositor may make the words the matter of a false rule by putting on them a false sense . 2. just subordinate rules are not false , justly used . 1. magistrates rule either by common laws , or temporary and particular mandates , both being obligatory to duty , and indeed but several sorts of laws , while they use but that authority which god gave them . laws or mandates are just rules . 2. pastors can make duty by ruling-authority for none but the flocks committed to them : they may command what god authorizeth them to command ; whether it be by word or writing , is all one : and whether you will call it a law or not , the name altereth not the case : tho indeed in the general notion , all is true law , which authoritatively by command maketh a subjects duty . it s a true rule when the ruler goeth not beyond his authority ▪ heb. 13.7 , 17 , 24. 1 thes . 5.12 , 17 , &c. 3. the same must be said of parents , masters , tutors , &c. 4. agreements or contracts are rules made for concord by the self-governing power that all men have over themselves : and they are just rules when justly used . 5. besides all these , most make a mans own reason , judgment or conscience , the immediate subordinate rule of his actions . indeed it is more fitly called the discerner of his rule and duty , as the eye is to the body : for it maketh not duty , but discerneth it made : but if any will call the understanding a rule to the will , instead of a guide , we may bear with the impropriety . all this is clear truth . now the question is , how any of these subordinate rules are just or false ? 1. two things god hath not only allowed , but commanded them all to do about religion . 1. to command subjects as gods officers to obey gods laws , and in just cases to punish the breakers of them , in matters within their jurisdiction . and to do this by laws , mandates , judgment and execution . 2. to make subordinate mandates or laws for determining such circumstances as god hath commanded them to determine , by the general law of governing or ruling , and of doing all to unity concord , edification , peace , order , and decency . these things christian-magistrates may do nationally . pastors to their flocks , masters to their families and scholars ; and equals ( pastors and people ) may make fit agreements where they are free : and these rules may be called false or true , in several degrees . 1. it 's gross falsood and usurpation , to set up an office forbidden of god , and false in its very nature . 2. it 's next in degree false , for men of an office of gods institution , to command things utterly out of their calling and jurisdiction , in which they have no power from god mediately or immediately . conscience binds none to formal obedience ( propter authoritatem imperantis ) to either of these ; tho material obedience , and non-resistance , may be duties . the lower degree , is when the office is of god , and the matter is in their power , and not only belonging ad alienum forum ; but they mis-determine it in the manner , not usurping anothers office , but doing their own amiss : tho herein conscience is not bound to obedience ; gratia materiae sub ratione indebiti modi ; yet if the matter be not forbidden of god , obedience may be a duty herein , sub ratione medii , necessary to several ends ; that is , to concord , to honour the governor , to avoid off●nce , and to avoid greater hurt to the church , others , or our selves . but if the thing commanded be forbidden of god , no man must do it . but divers things commanded unlawfully in the manner , may become duties by that command , because they be made thereby needful means of unity , peace , honour to rulers , &c. as aforesaid , which else would have been sin ( as to meet at an inconvenient time or place , to use a translation , metre , &c. less fit . ) now all these being subordinate rules , they bind only subordinately by virtue of gods supreme rule , who made them rulers ( and he is no ruler that can give no rule ) ; even as corporation by laws bind only by vertue of the soveraigns higher law. and tho this author would be the ruler of language so far , as to say that all sinful worship is not false worship , they that use words , as greater masters have long stated the sence , do know , that the falseness is the disconformity to gods supream rule , and that may be in all the degrees forementioned : and rules or worship are both false so far as they are disconform to the law of god. and now wherein is our rule , false and theirs true ? 1. we own no rule of direct immediate obedience to god , nor of any universal or unchangeable duty to god , but what his law ( of nature , or supernatural ) doth make us . we hold that no man hath power to alter gods word , to command any thing against it , nor any thing which god hath appropriated to himself , as to make new conditions of salvation , new sacraments , new laws , as gods , or new duties for themselves , necessary to salvation ; no , nor any thing but what gods own general law doth command or allow them to determine , being left by him undetermined , to their power and rule . we hold that if any ruler go contrary to , and beyond those rules of god , it is their sin , and not ours , and we openly disown it : and so do our rulers in general themselves most expresly in the books of articles , ordination , homilies , apology , &c. binding all ministers to the scripture for the rule of their preaching and living , only infallible , sufficient in all things necessary to salvation ; and that if councils , or any men err or disagree with scripture , they are not to be followed . we openly renounce all false rules , and canons ; but if for such sin against their own profession of scripture-sufficiency , we must renounce communion with all that are guilty , we scarce know the church on earth which we must not renounce . and the opponents in particular . 2. for let us try now whether you have no rule which you call false , as well as false or sinful practice . but i will first take in his fuller explication , left i mistake him . ix . page 37. i roundly assert against you , that tho every church of christ hath the liberty aad priviledge to act prudentially , or make prudential determinations concerning the present use of indifferent things pro hic & nunc , yet to make any standing or binding determination and laws for themselves or other , is altogether unlawful , as highly derogatory to the kingly office of christ , and robbing themselves or others of their granted priviledge , and so a forfeiture of their charter : and so all your by-standing laws and subordinate laws for worship which you talk of , are unwarrantable additions to the word of god. ans . 1. this indeed is round assreting ; but your word is no proof , and here is no better . contraily , 1. those whom christ maketh rulers of his church , and commandeth to do all things , not particularly determined by him , as shall conduce to peace , concord , order , decency , and edification , may rule accordingly by such determinations . but some such there are whom christ maketh rulers of his church &c. ergo , &c. maj. prob. matth. 24. who then is a faithful and wise servant , whom the lord hath made ruler over his houshold to give them meat in due season , &c. 1 thes . 5.12 . know them who are among you , and are over you in the lord , &c. 1 cor. 4.12 . let a man so account of us , as of the ministers of christ , and stewards of the mysteries of god , &c. heb. 13.7 , 17.24 . remember them who have the rule over you , &c. obey them that have the rule over you , and submit your selves , for they watch for your souls , as they that must give account , &c. salute all that have the rule over you , &c. 1 tim. 5.17 . the elders that rule well are worthy of double honour : 1 cor. 14.26 . let all things be done to edifying . 4. let all things be done decently and in order . 33. god is not the author of confusion , but of peace , as in all the churches of the saints . by all this , it is evident that church rulers there must be ; and such successors of the apostles in the ordinary parts of their office as christ will be with to the end of the world , matth. 28.20 . and also in what their rule consisteth . now to the question of imposing : ( i premise , that tho this usurper of a magistry in language will have imposing taken still in an ill sense ; i leave that to him , it is enough for me to tell him that i take it according to the prime signification [ to put a thing on others ] without respect to well or ill doing it . ) 1. i know not whether by every church , he intend a meer voting body of people and pastors by consent , or the pastors alone as the rulers of a voluntary people . 2. i know not whether he take [ prudential determinations ] as distinct from governing obligations , or not . 3. i know not whether by [ present use ] he mean it only for one present meeting , or for more , and for how many and how long : and [ by standing ] how long he meaneth . i grant to him that no man may make universal or unchangeable laws , but temporal and mutable , and only for his own subjects . but i maintain , 1. that pastors may by word or writing make binding commands or determinations to their flocks of the foresaid modes and circumstances of religion and worship . for 1. they are such as are necessary in genere , and the determination to this or that sort disjunctively necessary : somebody must determine them ( and that for more than the present meeting , even statedly ) : and it belongs to the rulers office to do it : none else is fit or hath any other power , than by contract . i have oft enough instanced in particulars . it is not meet that every meeting the people be put to vote where to meet next : and there is no certainty that they will agree ; but some be for one place , and some for another : an ordinary capacious place is necessary : it is the rulers office to appoint it . it 's no sin against christ for him to require them to come to the same place , from year to year , while it is fit . 2. the same i say for a commanding determination of the lecture-days , or times of meeting , which the pastor may prescribe statedly by his office , without the peoples votes . or if all such things were imposed by a major vote on the minor , their vote would be a governing rule to the minor part . 3. while praying with the hatt on , is by the custom of the country a sign of unreverence , the pastors ( or elders that rule well ) may command the flocks by their authority , ordinarily , and not at the present only , to be uncovered at prayer and sacrament in the assembly , without wronging christs power , unless obeying it be wronging it . the same i say of usual kneeling at prayer . 5. if the congregation be called to confess their faith , or renew their covenant with god , the rulers may command all that consent , to signifie it by such a sign , as standing , or lifting up the hand , or subscribing , &c. and they are bound to obey them . 6. i have oft enough instanced in translations , metres , tunes , utensils , ornaments , and many such like . obj. the pastors make no laws . ans . dally not with names : any thing is a law which ruling authority maketh duty : if writing it , maketh a law , they may write it : but a verbal-mandate is one species of a law : and imposeth and determineth , and obligeth to obedience ; and it is sin to disobey , because god commandeth them to obey , heb. 13.17 . and even by the 5th commandment . it doth as truly limit , and oblige when pastors command , as when magistrates do it , tho they force not by the sword. obj. but these are but natural circumstances , and belong no more to worship , than to any other things . ans . it 's a sad thought to me to think how many seem satisfied with such an answer as this . all substances have their accidents , quality , time , place , &c. but yet the accident of one substance is not the accident of another ; the quantity and quality of a man is not the quantity and quality of a toad , &c. when these accidents are adjoyned to worship , they be not accidents of other things . is speaking no part nor accident of worship , because speaking is used in common things ? kneeling is used in other cases : but kneeling in prayer to express reverence , is not common to other things . putting off the hat sheweth reverence to a prince : but to be uncovered at prayer or sacrament is the accident at least of that worship , and not of other things : metre and tunes belong to ballads : but the metre and tune of psalms doth not , but is appropriate to those psalms . time and place belong to all natural actions : but the time and place separated to gods worship is an accident only of that . it is not the natural specification of an act or circumstance , or the generical nature that we speak of ; but the individual accident or circumstance as appropriate to a religious work . is love to god no worship , because love is a natural act ? is praying no act of religion , because we may pray to men ? is eating and drinking no part of the sacrament , because we use them as natural acts for our daily sustenance ? is washing no part of baptism , because we wash at other times : thinking is a natural act , but holy thinking is more : were davids sorts of musick no part or accident of worship , because musick is natural or artificial ? it magnifieth these acts to be applied to worship , and it is a commendation of worship-ordinances that they are suited to nature , and advance and sanctifie it . now at last i come closer to my question : have you no church rulers among you ? no elders that rule well ? is it unlawful to communicate with you , if those elders by mandates which are obligatory to the flock do prescribe days , and hours , temples , or publick places for ordinary worship , and if they command you to use the new translation rather than the geneva , publickly , or prescribe the same metre and tunes , rather than your congregation shall sing , some one psalm , and some another : or if they command them to be uncovered at sacrament and prayer , or to kneel at prayer ? &c. if you take this power from the pastors , and will separate from them for such obliging laws or mandates , you do that very thing which you fiercely talk against ; you destroy or resist christs kingly government by his officers oh what is man ! what are the best of men ! what doth the church and world suffer by them ! the same men that cry up christs kingdom , call it rebellion against him to obey his officers : as if we must depose or disobey the king , unless we disobey all his judges , justices and officers . all the obligatory decisions that the apostles made about their love feasts , anointing the sick , the kiss of love , long hair , covering or uncovering , order of prophecying , and of collections , &c. were not standing laws to us ; nor done by uncommunicable power ; but were temporary laws , and local , and such as their successors , when fit , may make . if you have no such rulers in your churches , you should queston whether your churches have the true order of pastors , as well as you question the parish ministers : do they not want ruling power , as well as theirs ; specially if you deny the very power , and they be but hindred in the exercise . obj. but some may be forced to say , our pastors do nothing , but by the peoples consent . ans . they are their pastors by consent , and rule them as voluntary , and not by force : but their rule and precepts are never less obligatory on conscience by vertue of gods command to obey them : must they prescribe none of the things forementioned , till all have voted it , or consented ? they must command them to consent , and they sin if they disobey , tho they can force none to obey . object . but some may be driven to say , we allow such prescribing power to pastors , but not to magistrates . ans . 1. what power the kings of judah used in worship , david , solomon , asa , jehosaphet , hezekiah , josiah , i need not tell . 2. christ came not to put down kings , but to sanctifie their office : all power is given him : by him kings reign : the kingdoms of the world are his by right : rulers are his ministers for our good : they must punish evil doers , and promote well doing : he commands us to honour and obey them ; they are keepers of both tables : they may drive ministers to their duty , and punish them for mal-administration : tho they may usurp nothing proper to the pastoral office , nor forbid them any such thing , yet such circumstances as belong to the nation , or to many churches , and not to this or that in peculiar , the magistrates may determine : it is of great use , that all the approved churches in a nation , signifie their consent in the same confession of faith ▪ the same anniversary days of humiliation and thanksgiving ( as is done about the powder plot ) and the same translation of the scripture , if not also the same psalm books ; god strictly commandeth concord , and to serve him with one mind and mouth , and to avoid confusion , and division , and discord : what reason can any man give why christs officers appointed to rule by the sword , may not thus discharge their trust ? shall we sin if the law impose a translation , psalm book , or reverent gesture , unless we separate ? is commanded obedience become a sin ? and yet not if a pastor or a ruling majority of people injoin it , or unless we leave all to confusion ? x. here therefore i utterly renounce the opinion that shall hold that such things being lawful when uncommanded , become unlawful when commanded by such as in ministry , magistracy , or families , or schools , are rulers : yea , if the ruler misdo his work , the sin is his ; i must not separate from every kingdom , church , or family that is ill governed : nor am i discharged from obedience in lawful things by the addition of some unlawful commands that destroy not acceptable worship , and turn not our food to poyson : i tell those ministers that publickly charge this on nonconformists , that they must not charge any doctrine of seekers or anabaptists , or such separatists , to be the nonconformists doctrine : i know not one meer nonconformist of that mind : what we of this age thought of ep●scopacy , liturgy , and magistracy , all that would come in and own that cause openly with us , have told the world in our published proposals of 1660 and 1661 : to which we refer them that would know their minds . xi . but when i oft alledged the example of christ and the apostles , this objector and answerer saith , p. 19. we make not christ and his apostles hypocrites ; for we have proved , that christ never joined with false worship , so much as with his presence at the place of it , unless with this intent , to bear witn●ss against it ; nor did he ever advise his disciples so to d● : as for moses chair , it was then christs own institution , and he had th●n no other church or institution on earth . ans . it was cautelously done to pass by the instances of the apostles that neither separated , nor commanded one man to separate from all the faulty churches , rev. 2.3 . notwithstanding the woman jezab●●s doctrine , and that of the nicolaitans , which god hated , and the evil practices ; nor from the church of corinth , where were carnal schisms , defraudings , lawsuits before heathens , incest unlamented , sacrament disorders , even to excess of drink , disorder in church worship , &c. nor from any other faulty churches . meth●n●s th●y that are so strict against any additions in modes of worship , should not so much add or alter scripture , or accuse it of de●●ctiveness , as to suppose the apostles to have culpably communicated with such churches , as co●inth , coloss , ephesus , sardis , laodicea , smy●na , &c. yea and with the jews , who by falsifying the rules , called it unlawful to eat with the gentiles , or to eat what moses law fo●bad , and not to keep their days : pauls accomplishing of his vow in the t●mple , and becoming a jew to the jews , was fully contrary to the opponents d●ctrine . and as to christs practice ; we said before you , that he conformed not to any evil , nor should you but did he not send the lepers to a false ill-called corrupt sort of priests , to do by , and with them , what the law required ? did he not ord●narily joyn in the synagogues in their worsh●p ? could he have leave constantly to teach there , if he had there used to cry down their ordinary worship ? had the ceremonious pharisees no ill forms nor ceremonies in their worship ? again , i say , their long prayers which were the cloak of their oppression , were either ●xt●mporate , or forms of liturgy . if extemporate , then the worst of hypocrites may constantly use long extemporate prayers , and it had been no injury to the spirit in them , to have perswaded them to use christs form instead of them . if they were liturgies ▪ then christ did not separate from such ; no nor reprove them at all , when he reproveth the hypocritical abuse of them : yea , seemeth to commend them , while he nameth them , as a cloak to cover evil , which nothing is fit for , that is not good . obj. he had no oth●r church ? ans 1. then most in england m●y go to the parish churches , where they have no other church to go to . 2. but christ had twelve apostles , and 70 , or 72 other teachers , and many more disciples ; were these no church , nor matter for a church ? xii . obj. page 4. god hath not left it in our power to communicate with any society , when they make that the condition of my communion , which i am convinced of to be sin to me , that i question whether it be lawful or no , &c. ans . how oft have i answered this , without any reply ? 1. if they make your consent to any sin , the condition of your communion , you must avoid it : but if they put no sin on you , to be present when they sin , is a condition to all church communion , and to your own praying , who sin in all your self ; you before excepted sins of ordinary infirmity , as not warranting separation : and when did you ever prove that the composing and imposing of the liturgy , ( much more the obedient use of the lords-day part ) is not a sin of infirmity , as much as slandering it and the churches , and writing such books as yours ? accusing is not proving . 2. if your taking it for sin be true , you must forbear it : if you mistake it for sin , which is duty , ( per se or per accidens ) you sin against god , and truth , by your mistake , and by your omission . god bindeth you to alter your judgment ; and so he doth , if you take an indifferent thing for sin , tho here it is safest to forbear . an erring conscience is no lawmaker ( less then a magistrate ) , but a misconceiver , and doth , ligare non obligare . xiii . obj. but none of the things are indeed worship , which you say men may command ? ans . that man shall be none of my guide , that makes questions of bare names to seem to the people , as if they were about the matter named . [ they are such accidents of the worship , which god himself commandeth , as are done in the outward expression of reverence and honour to god , and the more decent and edifying performance of his own institutions . ] this is the description of them , ( kneeling , being uncovered , swearing with outward signs , singing in tunes , metre , &c. ) . agree to the thing , and call these worship or no worship , as you please . you say , false worship is no worship ; if so , it is no bad worship ; but all faulty worship is not null . xiv . as for his general talk of me , how much i have promoted popery , and being for justification by works , and merit , &c. i give him leave to ease his stomach without an answer , and all those to be deceived by him that will take his word , and not read mine ; especially , my treatise of imputed righteousness . page 9. he saith , when the scripture speaks of justification by faith : doth any sound divine or christians understand it of the act of believing , but that its the obj●ct of faith that justifieth ? ans . see how strictly these men stick to scripture , that will have it the sole law of circumstances , and yet can deny it , as expositors , at their pleasure ; when paul over and over so often saith , that we are justified by faith , and faith is imputed for righteousness ; and christ saith , thy faith hath saved thee . it is not faith that they mean , but christ . it is faith in christ . there is no faith , but the act or habit of believing , rom. 3.21 . the righteousness of god , which is by faith of jesus christ , on all that believe . 25. through faith in his blood . 26. the justifier of him which believeth in jesus : many ways such will be odiously perverted , if you put christ instead of faith ; we are justified by no meritorious cause , but christs righteousness : but that righteousness justifieth not infidels , nor any but qualified receivers ; and faith is that qualification . is not this true ? and is it not enough ? if you would preach or write censurious disputes , whether it be the physitian , or the medicine , or the patients taking it , that cureth him ; or the meat , or the giver , or the eating it , that feedeth men , take your course : i had rather answer that , and most of your books w●th groans and tears , than with disputing . xv. as for his threatning to open my faults as fast as i discover them . i may save him the labour , and lament them my self . two i will confess now , besides all heretofore . 1. i fear i did sometime by connivence , and by too oft preaching against the faults of the bishops about 1640 , encourage some that were set upon accusing and separating , over much . tho i ever disliked and opposed that spirit , and fore●●w what divisions and sins attended . 2. tho , when i took the league and cov●nant , it was not imposed , but offered to volunteers , ( and i never gave i● but to one , and kept the countrie from taking it ) ; yet seeing now , what i saw not then , i repent that i took it . ( tho being taken , i dare not say that it bindeth not as a secondary self-obligation to that which god bound me to before . ) my reasons are ; 1. because , as after imposed , no knowing man can believe that the thousands of ignorant people that took it , who never understood the controversies of prelacy , could take it in truth , judgment , and righteousness , and so must sin . 2. because it cut the nation in two parts , on pretence of union , and engaged us against such excellent persons , as vsher , davenant , and against the greatest half of the land , when we should have united on the terms of the b●ptismal covenant . 3. because , being before by god and our allegiance sufficiently ●lliged to the king , by a further vow of mens own making against his will , they entangled the consciences of the people about the meaning and the obligation of it ; some thinking it bound them not to him ; and other , that it bound them to fight for him , and yet to oppose the prelacy that he was for . and now the law for corporations binds men to declare that there is no ob●igation at all from that o●th ( either for the king , or against any sin ) . xvi . there are also more than one of my opponents , who tell me , that because i live in prosperity my self , and suffer not , therefore i am insensible of the case of suffer●rs , and add affliction to the afflicted , and have not due compassion on them . ans . if this be true , it is a great sin . but 1. why do the same men accuse me for perswading men to avoid sufferings , as they think , by ill means ? it is indeed to save men from suffering by mistake for that which was their duty , to the injury of others , and to reserve their patience for better uses , being like enough to have need of it all . 2. i thank god i am so far from being insensible of the sufferings of the church of christ throughout the world , that i may say with paul , rom. 9.1 . i have continual sorrow in my heart for the wars , blood , c●uelties exercised on them , and much more for their own sin . and sure all the wrath that is agai●st me for labouring to save this land from division , self-destroying and suffering , 1661. and since , might have been avoided , had i been so self-saving as the accusers feign me . 3. i thank god my suff●rings have been far less than i expected or deserved of god , and not worthy to be called sufferings in comparison of thousands in foreign lands . and i humbly thank the king that they have been no greater ; but if they had , all had been now almost at an end . i am not willing to name them , lest it seem to savour of impatience , but remembring pauls example to such accusers ( to the corinthians ) i will briefly say , 1. from 1639. to 1660. i suffered more assaults and oppositi●n than some of them , by divers penalties for divers duties against iniquity . 2. i think i was the first silenced since the bishops return . and the hot displeasure against me for my pac●ficatory labour 1660. and 1661. is not unknown . 3. enquire whether there be more virulent and voluminous accusations printed against me , or any one of them . 4 i have had no p●storal maintenance these 23 years , and no church to maintain me , nor any stipendary lecture ; and for about 15. years i received no gift of money from any , but one man , which i could not without incivility refuse . 5. when i went twice a day to their church at acton , i was sent to the common gaol ( accused for a sermon for meekness and obedience , and submission to government ) and when i built a chappel , it cost me about 20 l. to get a minister out of the prison ( that had formerly been imprisoned for the kings service ) for preaching but one sermon there , when i was twenty miles off . 6. all that i had , was distrained on , and taken from me , all my books , and the very bed i lay on , for preaching after ( though , bona fide , they had been on just considerations given , or made over to another , and were not mine , but the present use of them only reserved to me ) and this by many warrants , as convict by the oaths of i know not whom , nor when , nor could ever know my accuser or witness , nor was ever summoned to speak for my self , much less to examine the witnesses . 7. i have been put in city and countrey to remove my habitation about twelve times , and my person twenty , in the midst of my pains , to my great cost and trouble . 8. how many thousand pounds my conscience hath cost me in the loss of a bishoprick ( by the lord chancellor offered ) since 1661. besides all other losses and charges , i leave you to compute , and ask you which of you hath lost more ? tho i acknowledg with thankfulness to god that i never wanted food or raiment . 9. and while i am now writing for parochial churches and communion , and know no law of the land that i break , i am hated ; and while i keep my bed in pain , or my couch , there are new assaults which i think not fit to publish . 10. and all this is but as a flea-biting in comparison of the sufferings which i carry about me by continual pain or langour through age and many uncurable diseases : and under the expectations of death , how small a matter is it to me , whether i dye in a gaol for my duty to god , or in my hired house , out of which i have very few times gone these two years , but it hath been a prison to me . what difference but conceit and consent ? if our rulers think it for the interest of any cause or party that i dye in prison , i shall acknowledg gods will in the effect of theirs , and it shall not be in their power to make me suffer for any thing but my duty to god ( besides faults long ago pardoned , and common humane infirmities ) . and it is not mens calling duty by the name of the most odious sins , that depriveth martyrs of their reward with god. the false imputation of sin by men , was not the least part of the sufferings of christ and his apostles , and the martyrs in all ages . xvii . and because others as well as i , have need of such admonition , i will tell my brethren , that our chief work is ( the same with j●bs ) to frustrate the tempter , and see that in all this we sin not , nor charge god foolishly : and he that only triumpheth in suffering in conscience of his innocency , and doth not know that suffering hath its proper temptations , and studyeth not wisely how to escape them , will suffer more by himself than by all his enemies . i will therefore tell you what are the temptations here which i fear and watch against . 1. lest the injuries of men should destroy my due charity to them : tho its true that the setled study and labour of some , for factious or carnal ends , be to destroy christian love , and serious godliness , and the souls , bodies , and estates of the most innocent who they think stand in their way , ( and falsehood , hatred and destruction are the devils work and image ) and no man must extenuate such crimes , john 8.41 , 42. yet diabolisme is not to be imputed to all that men suffer by ; much less to our govornours , whom we must honour : paul himself persecuted in ignorance ; and christ said , they know not what they do ? much less must we blame others , if truly the cause be only in our selves . 2. much more must we watch against desires of revenge , or call for fire from heaven , or imitate any that injure us , by requiring evil with evil , but see that we forgive as we would be forgiven . if they be impenitent , and god forgive them not , their suffering will be heavy enough . 3. we must watch against blinding passions , that it carry us not into contrary extremes , that we may be far enough from sin ; and so lest we fall into sin on the other side . too few can keep to the line of truth ; most reel like drunkards from side to side . 4. we are much in danger of biassed study ; never studying impartially what may be said against us , and for our opposers , but only all that may be said for us against them . 5. men that have a good cause are too apt to betray and spoil it by an ill manner of defending it , by mixt errors , ill arguments or passions , to the hardening of the adversaries and afflictors . 6. we must take heed that we fear not suffering wrong , more than doing wrong . he that doth the wro●g is a far greater sufferer or loser , than he that is wronged . our study must be , that we neither think , wish , speak , or do any wrong to our adversaries and afflictors . 7. we must watch lest the great wickedness of any adversaries should be so much in our eye , as to tempt us to make light of our own sin , because it is not so great as theirs . 8. and we must watch lest the conscience of our good cause or innocency to man , should make us foget our many sins against god , for which he may permit men by injury to afflict us . 9. we must watch lest we judge of the cause by the person , and should take truth to be falshood , and good to be evil , because bad men or adversaries own it ; or lest we take falshood to be truth , and evil to be good , because good men hold it ; and lest in love or pity we justifie the s●n of any sufferers . 10 but we must specially take heed lest fleshly interest and love of r●ches , liberty or life , should bias and blind our judgments , to take any thing to be lawful which we think is necessary to our quietness and safety , and to use sinful means to avoid danger and sufferings . these are my studies , and i think them necessary to all . and the rather when ( it grieveth my heart to see , so ) many carryed by suffering so far from unity , charity , and moderation , that they even joyn with those whom they sharpliest accuse , ( tho by other reasons ) to do their very work , and to destroy that which they think they are promoting . for instance , 1. they blame the papists and such conformists for saying that the ministers of the reformed churches are no true ministers : and they say the same . 2. they blame them for saying their churches are no true churches . and they say the same . 3. they blame them for recusancy , and saying it is unlawful to communicate with them ; and they say the same . 4. they blame them that silence ministers , and forbid and hinder them from worshipping god. and they themselves disswade all the land from all publick church-worship , where none but with those that use the liturgy can be had . 5. they justly blame love-killing reproachful sermons . and they write love-killing reproachful books . 6. they justly blame false accusers of particular persons , and they ●●lsely accuse almost all the churches on earth , as no true churches . 7. they are justly for mutual forbearance , and against cruelty ; and they unjustly aggravate the faults of almost all church-worshippers on earth , as so odious that it must be separated from ; and in a sort excommunicate them 8. they fear popery is ready to take possession of the land and church , and they exhort all protestants to forsake all the publick churches , which are the garison of the protestant cause , that so the gates may be set open , and the adversaries may find the houses ready swept and garnished , or the garison emptied for their coming . 9. they are against the ejecting of the ministers 1662. and yet crying down a comprehension , they would not have them restored , unless it were on terms that will take in them also ( and who knoweth whom ? ) 10. yea , the very top of popery is to appropriate all power of church-government and worship to the clergy , and to make magistrates therein but the clergies executioners , saying they are only for civil government , for the body , but the pope and clergy only for religious government of the church , and for the souls . and some called by dividing names among us , say , that christ only and his ministers have power in such matter● , and that princes sin if they command but a translation , a reverent gesture , a church-ornament , and such circumstances ; and that it 's a sin to obey them . when i see that exasperation by afflicters hath cast some sufferers into such self-contradicting ways , i will set on my heart and judgment a double watch in sufferings and abuse . and now reader i again say , that tho i was dragg'd to this sort of work as against my will , i thank god ( and my sober sort of opponents ) for calling me to it , that before i dye i might explain my writings , and not by writing only against one extreme , leave them behind me as snares to tempt men to the other extreme . and i here leave my testimony again against all malignity that would charge these errors on the innocent for a cloak of hatred , and cruelty , and oppression , that i know not one meer nonconformist that holdeth any of these errors ; and i verily believe that the independents that i am acquainted with , are true servants of christ ; and many called anabaptists , sober , godly christians ; and that some called separatists retain christian charity , and meerly for fear of sinning , flye too far from others . and as for all the rest , it is not mens calling them all dissenters , nor their suffering together , that can make the innocent responsible for the faulty , who perhaps do more against their mistakes , than ever such accusers did ( to cure them ) . and i must tell the abaddons , that the opposition that hath been raised against them among those that i was acquainted with before 1641 , and 1642 , was caused chiefly by the badness of those that made it their trade to preach against strict and serious obedience to god , as puritanism , and hypocrisie , and made it the ladder of their aspiring ambition to make such odious , and to hunt with jealous severity those that used for mutual help in the ways of salvation , to pray together ( especially if they fasted ) or consulted how to obey gods law : justacting over the part of the bps that martin separated from , described by sulpitius severus , rendering all suspected of priscillianism that were more than others in reading the scripture , fasting and praying ) and clapping on the back with encouragement the drunkards and prophane ignorant rabble , who in every town were the haters of the godly conformists and nonconformists ; and making these the instruments of their malice , and praising them , and the multitude of ignorant , reading priests , as more worthy subjects , than men fearing god. ri. hooker in his preface describeth these ; and he that readeth his europae speculum , may know that it was no better conformists that his most beloved pup●l , sir edwin sandys was against , while he was one of the zealous parliamentarians . it 's true that many were very hot against bishop laud and the arminians , and against dr. heylin , and dr. pockington , for proving sunday no sabbath , and calling the table an altar , and the ministers , priests , and the sacrament a sacrifice . blame not men that had read of their principles and practice , how rome is a leech that must live on blood , and cannot stand without it , if they were afraid of coming thither again , or drawing too near it . upon my knowledg , the debauchery and malignity of many that hunted them , and would not let them stay at home in peace , and the terror of two hundred thousand murdered in ireland , was it that drove most that ever i knew into the parliaments army : and fear doth often drive men to seek for self-defence to that which seemeth next at hand . had those whom they feared been such as their functions obliged them to be , men of holiness , love and peace , they would have been less prejudiced against the rest ; they bore easily with dr. chappel , mr. may●en , and some other godly charitable men that were reputed arminians . i here adjoin it to my confessions : 1. that i thought worse of that called arminianism than i should have done : ( and have proved in my catholick theology , ( not yet writ against by any that i know of ) that the difference is not in any great and intolerable error on either side ) . 2. that the practice of them that prophaned the lords day , and the malignity of their abettors , made me too much offended at the books that called the lords day no sabbath , and the ministers , priests , and the table , an altar , and the sacrament , a sacrifice : for i now know that these allegorical names were usual with the best of the ancient churches without contradiction : and that the lords day is indeed never called the sabbath in the new testament ; and that the word sabbath in the bible signifieth a day of ceremonial rest , which was a jewish ceremony ; and that all such are by paul said to be put down , and that the lords day is a day of holy assemblies and rejoicing in spiritual , evangelical worship . ignorance and prejudice in these controversies prevailed , not from argument , but from the experience of the quality of too many that opposed them : they thought it a most improbable thing , that god should illuminate vicious , worldly haters of godliness , and desert those that most desired to please him . and of late times , what abundance have been driven from the publick churches , by those that rail at them when they come there , and would get the birds into their net by throwing stones and bawling at them ; and would get the fish to take the bait , by beating the waters . the bishop of worcesters silencing me , and preaching as he did , and the imprisonment of many of the people after , affected my old hearers with so much distast of that sort of men , that all the writings and perswasions i could use , would not reconcile them , nor scarce keep them from falling out with me for my perswasions : and now they have a worthy , pious , preaching bishop , a man of love and peace , and a good minister , they all crowd the church , and are like to fall in love with such bishops . and i must testifie , that with the generality of the nonconforming laity , i never found , but it was good preaching and good living that won their love : and they will honour and follow such men , whether bishops , conformists , or nonconformists . xv. since the writing of this , i understand that some timerous persons have been afraid to communicate in publick , or joyn with the liturgy , by hearing that some that have done it , have been so troubled in conscience , that they have fallen into despair , and a doleful state of trouble . to this i answer , 1. you shall never prove that i have perswaded any minister , to give christs body and blood as a drench to the unwilling , or to make the sacrament of love , the instrument of malice or cruelty , or a snare to strangle souls . it must be that offence must come , but wo to them by whom it cometh . the old church made men beg for church-communion ; if any withdraw from it , and excommunicate themselves , they did not send them to goal for their conversion , to force them to say , that they repent , and to force them to communion . 2. but i must say , that these ministers or people that have so ill taught these troubled souls ( by doctrine or example ) as to tempt them to take their duty ( or a lawful thing ) for so deadly a sin , are far from being guiltless of their trouble , distraction or destruction . if any should make them believe that it were such a dangerous thing to pray by a book , to sing davids psalms , to communicatie with presbyterians , not to be rebaptized , not to keep the saturday sabbath , &c. and then , when he hath affrighted one to make away himself in melancholy despair , should use this instance as an argument to affright away others also from their duty ; i should think that he were too blame : this were not by good words and fair speeches , but by bad words and deeds , to deceive the hearts of the simple , in causing divisions and offences . 3. i believe i have had with me in my time many scores that have had such melancholly terrors , without any such cause ; and must the matter of their trouble therefore be proved faulty ? i have known those that for many years could have no peace of mind , while they continued orthodox and religious ; and at last hearing irreligious sadduces , turned ●ilthy , and ranters , and were never under trouble more ( that could be perceived ) but boasted of their peace . who knoweth not that melancholly maketh many of the most sound and blameless persons , like spira , a weary of their lives , thorough desparation . 4. i can tell these objectors of eminent ancient godly men , that long forbore publick communion , and at last used it , and have had more comfort and edification , than ever they had before ; and the more for breaking through all the sharp censures of their former company , in obedience to their consciences herein : and when they have seen a scandalous person with them at the sacrament , have gone with humility , love , and tears , and told him of his sin and danger , and had such success as hath comforted them more than avoiding that communion ever did : yea , i know those that being threatned by violent pastors , that use dissenters with rigor , have humbly and submissively so pleaded with them from scripture and experience , against that spirit and way , as hath overcome them , and melted them into a more tender and peaceable mind and course . a postscript on a book of mr. j. f's . since the writing of all foregoing , i have received another book sent me by j.f. whether he will be angry if i expound this j. faldo , i cannot tell ; i read it over to see if there were any thing in it that should change my judgment : but i will not promise to do so by any more such . nor will i so much as tell the reader what my judgment said of it in the reading ; much less write down the answers which readily offered themselves to my understanding as i went on ; for it would but more provoke him , i see , and do the reader little good , unless by helping him to lament the churches case through the infirmities of such as i and he are ; and the more patiently to bear all our present sufferings , by considering how unable we are to agree what to chuse for our selves , if we had our wills , and how far we should be from desired concord . i will not write a book to contend on the question , whether mr. faldo or i be the wiser or better man : i am conscious of so much ignorance and badness , that if it may edifie the reader , let him think of me as ill , as mr. faldo and all such men would have him : if he have a good cause , i wish the reader may be of his mind : if not , i find not my self obliged to talk on against such writers any further , for his rescue ; nor do i think i can say any thing herein , which at his rate mr. faldo cannot answer . i only say , that he and such other have satisfied me , that the liturgy-vvorship in the common lords day office is comparatively purer than the vvorship of many is like to be , who oppose it . his counsel is good , to know what the vvorship is before i consent to it : i have tried what is in the liturgy ; i concurred with many better men , 1661 in telling the vvorld , how far we could approve or use it . i find in it much good , and in the ordinary lords day common service , no fault that should alienate me from conjunction with the church therein . to talk of faults in baptizing , burial , marrying , &c ▪ is to say nothing to this point ; i never saw any of these used since i joined with the church in the lords-day vvorship : but how to try mr. f. his vvorship before-hand , i know not he saith , that if we will be at the cost of it , we may have better worship . and tho he seem displeased for being called a consenter to my catholick communion , either he consented that the parish-church-worship should rather be used than none , or else ( which i suspect ▪ ) when i have read his book , i cannot understand so much as what he is for or against ; what he meaneth by a meeting of four , whether he take it for a church , i know not : i take it not for a church , that hath no minister or sacrament : and if he know of so many score , or hundred thousand nonconformable ministers as may guide all the people in england , as such churches of four , i do not : and if communion in the liturgy be simply unlawful , it is so to all the land. i think there are millions in the kings dominions , that can have no other church-worship than with the liturgy , at what rate soever they would purchase it . if his conceits of my self contradictions were as true as they are false , i will tell him other reasons of what he counteth unaccountable , than that i wrote one book in 1659 , and another in 1684. i am now 25 years elder than i was then ; and it s a shame to learn nothing in so many years : i am more above all worldly hopes than he is : i am past all capacity of them . i have less cause of fear than he : they will hardly confine me to a prison narrower than my bed and couch . my glass is almost run : if i be not more apprehensive of my speedy account , and it awe me not to own nothing but the truth , without dawbing with one extream or other , i am much to blame . and i have seen some more of the experience of both extremes ( tho alas i saw too much before ) . and after all , comparing all together , i leave posterity my thoughts . 1. that i had rather the church had a liturgy ( to make all foreknow what worship they meet for ) with free prayer also in its place , than to have either alone . 2. if they must be separated when the minister is of tryed soundness and ability ; i had rather have his free prayer alone . but for many others , i had rather have the liturgy alone . and for instance , mr. faldo hath oft told me , that his church at barnet ( as i twice said before ) not only omitted , but renounced or opposed all singing of psalms for many years ; that many of them were of such ill opinions , that he was put to much work to save them from being quakers ( and at what cost they can now have church-meetings when he hath left them , i know not ) . for mr. faldo to hold up such a church even to suffering , and to write against communion with the liturgy , where there are able godly ministers , is either erroneous partiality in him , or i am blind in my unwilling ignorance . to which i further add again , that i cannot expect that men preach sounder doctrine than they studiously write ; nor that they pray more soundly than they preach ; and if mr. faldo , and all such writers , so pray , and so preach , and so live , ( much more if also their churches have such maimed worship as aforesaid , and some of them unordained ministers , and many churches men of many contrary doctrines ) i take the common-prayer book worship and communion , to be much purer than theirs . the lord make our successors wiser , better , and more peaceable than we are . finis notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a27068-e15820 § 1. invisibles, realities, demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of mr. john janeway, fellow of king's collegde in cambridge. by james janeway, minister of the gospel janeway, james, 1636?-1674. 1674 approx. 228 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 80 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a46661 wing j471 estc r217020 99828722 99828722 33153 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a46661) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 33153) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1967:18) invisibles, realities, demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of mr. john janeway, fellow of king's collegde in cambridge. by james janeway, minister of the gospel janeway, james, 1636?-1674. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. borset, samuel. [32], 120, [10] p. : ill., port. printed for tho. parkhurst, and are to be sold at the bible and three crowns in cheapside neer mercers chappel, and at the bible on london bridge under the gate, london : 1674. frontis. = ill. "christian reader" is signed: richard baxter. "to the relations of mr. james janeway," is signed: samuel borset. caption title on p.1 reads: invisible realities, demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of master john janeway, sometimes fellow of kings-colledge, cambridge. with four final advertisement leaves, signed n1-4. text ends on i4. signatures: a a-h i⁴ n⁴. reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng janeway, john, 1633-1657 -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-12 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2005-12 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion time made no furrowes in the face you see he died young : yet few did more then he , he spent himselfe for god : and now is blesst after hard labour ; with eternal rest . invisibles , realities , demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of m r. john janeway , fellow of kings collegde in cambridge . by james janeway minister of the gospel . london , printed for tho. parkhurst , and are to be sold at the bible and three crowns in cheapside neer mercers chappel , and at the bible on london bridge under the gate . 1674. christian reader , the love of christ in his holy ones , and the great usefulness of such history , command me to take it as a pleasing office to commend this real description of a saint , to thy serious perusal and imitation . the good acceptance and success of the late published life and death of mr. joseph alleine , the more encourageth me to serve thee in this . as to the credit of the narrative , let it be enough to tell thee , that his worthy brother mr. james janeway ( intimately acquainted with his most secret life ) is the writer of it ( i have no hand in it my self ) and if thou live in or neer london , where he is now well known . i will not be beholden to thee to believe it ; especially , if you also know the other most credible attestors . i know that many such histories shew more what the writer could say , than what the person was or did : but here both he and his relations , and those whom he lived with , were all so neer us , and are many of them yet so intimately known to me , and others , that there is no place for doubting left us . i confess such instances are very sad to my thoughts , while i am desiring the welfare of mankind on earth . to hear of the death of an infant , who might have proved we know not what ; or of an useless person , or of an aged christian , who hath profitably run out the course of nature , is nothing so sad to me , as to hear of the removal of such excellent young men , when they are prepared for their work , and just beginning it ! but god is infinitely wise , and just , and more merciful too than we can be . he knoweth what he doth and why ; and is accountable to none about the measure of his benefits , nor the reasons of his various disposals . but the great judgments which since his death have befallen these kingdomss do partly tell us that it is no wonder , if such men were taken from the evil to come , of whom the world hath so notoriously declared it self unworthy . it is fitter for such lights to shine in heaven , than to be put under a bushel here on earth . and for himself , he hath run long enough who hath toucht the prize : he hath sailed long enough who is come safe to the harbour : and he hath lived long enough , who is readiest to die ? though i wonder at the lengthning of my own life , which hath been threatned by god and man these thirty three years or more , yet , alas , how much less have i lived than this man did , who am yet far short of his heavenly preparations ? i am ashamed to read that any thing of mine was a help to his attainments , and to find that at almost sixty years of age , i am much below what he was raised to at twenty three . o that god would give my frozen age , such warm reflections from these his remains , that ( according to my need ) i may receive more from him that is dead , than ever he did from me alive ! if his own reverend father received so much from him , why may not i also have some quickning even by the dead , through the fruits of the spirit left behind him , and the same spirits quickning influx upon me ? and may i but so die , how harmless , how welcome will death be ? we think it great pity , that he lived to preach but two sermons in the world ! that same poor ignorant dull congregation , had not been instructed and awakened by his doctrine ; and his spiritual servour had not by dispersed writings , enflamed the souls of thousands with the same heavenly love and zeal . but who knoweth yet but that this one narrative of his holy exemplary life and death , may do as much as more numerous or voluminous writings ? the many volumes of holy lives , of antient docters , martyrs , and later divines , philosophers and others in germany , england and other lands , have done much good , and are still very useful , and a pleasant and profittable recreation , ( o how much better than play-books and romances ) ? but experience tells us , that god still poureth forth as large measures of his spirit , as heretofore he did . if holy augustines life , after so much pollution , and holy hieroms life , qui fatetur se non fuisse virginem , were so laudible and examplary ; o how much praise do i owe to god , for his grace upon his servants , who am yet acquainted with so great a number of holy laborious faithful ministers , who i have great reason to believe , not only to have all their lives been free from all gross heynous sins , but also to have laid out their zeal , their time , their labours , so sincerely and self-denyingly for god , and the good of souls , as that i cannot but hope that , if those who are against their preaching of the gospel , were but as well acquainted with them as i am , they would be their friend and forward to promote their work . i know one temptation the reader is like to meet with , to hinder his profiting by this example : even to think that mr. alleine and mr. janeway by overdoing did but cut short their own lives ; and that their excessive lobours in meditation , prayer and other duties did deprive the church of the benefit of much more , which they might have lived to do : and therefore that such examples are not to be imitated , but stand as warnings to us , not to over do and destroy our bodies as they did . to which i answer , 1. i am one my self , that wish both of them had done somewhot less , in that part of duty which hurt the body , and overmatched their strength . and i am not perswading you , that every man must needs preach as oft as mr. allen , or study aud meditate as long as mr. janeway and he did : men have their various capacities and oportunities , and works . 2. but yet i dare not charge either of them with sin , because i know not their particular motives . 3. and perhaps their lives had been as short if they had done less ; as are the lives of many hundred students , who favour themselves more than any wise men would wish . and it was gods mercy that they who had but a short life to live , should do more than any that live to the period of natures course . and methusalems life and theirs is equalled now . whom have you known that by longer living , hath got more holy readiness to die ? 4. but i beseech you distinguish well , between that part of their work , which was really like to overthrow their natures , and the rest which had no such tendency ; and do not make the avoiding of the former a pretence , against your imitating of the latter . it is not studying , meditating , praying , preaching , according to the measures of natures strength , that much shortnerh life . i think that learned man wrote not foolishly , who maintaineth that studies tend to long life ? for my own part i was seeble before i was a hard student : and studies have been a constant pleasure to me ; and let any man judge whether constant pleasure tend to shorten any mans life ? indeed , that which destroyeth the health of students is , 1. the sedentariness of their lives , 2. and want of temperance or due care of their diet , 3. and want of sufficient cheerfulness , 4. and taking colds . could students but more imitate the labouring-man , and take just hours and opportunities for bodily labour ( not playful walks and exercises , that never warm and purge the blood , ) and did they eat and drink wisely , and live joyfully , and avoid colds , they might bestow the rest of their time in the hardest studies , with little hurt ; ( except here and there a melanchly or diseased man. ) i doubt not but such narratives as this , will tempt many a slothful sensual scholar , to indulge his sensuality as the wiser way ; but at a dying hour he will find the difference . o what a comfort then is the review of a holy , heavenly well-spent life ! i have oft thought what the reason is that among the papists , if the lives of their saints be described in the highest strain , or their books have even unreasonable pretensions of devotion , even to the laying by of our understandings , or to a kind of deification , ( like barbansons , benedictus , de benedictis , and divers others ) it doth not offend men , but the vulger themselves do glory in the sancity of them . whereas if with us a man rise higher in holiness , and in devote contemplation , yea or action , than others , he is presently the great eye-sore and obloquy of the world , i mean of the envious and ungodly part , which is too great . but the reason i perceive is , that among the papists , to be a religious man is to be a perfectest who doth more than is commanded him or is neccesary to salvation ; and so the people being taught that they may be saved without being such themselves , their spleen is not stirred up against them , as the troubles of their consciences peace ; but they are intressed in their honour , and being the honour of their way and church : but with us men are taught that they must be religious themselves in sincerity if ever they will be saved , and that without holiness none shall see god , and that they are not sincere if they desire not to be perfect : and so they that will not be godly themselves , do think that the lives of the godly do condemn them . i write not this to cast any disgrace on the true history of any holy mens lives : nor shall it ever be my employment to reproach or hide gods graces in any , nor to make men believe that they are worse than they are . whoever revile me for it , i will magnifie and love that of god which appeareth in any of his servants , of any sect or party whatsover . when i read such writings as old gerson , guil. parisinesies , and divers others , and such as jos . accosta and some other jesuits , and such lives as nerius's and mr. de reuti's , &c. i cannot but think that they had the spirit of god , and the more do i hate all those mischievous engines , additions and singularities , which divide so many christians in the world , who have the same spirit , and will not suffer us to hold the unity of the spirit in the bond of of peace . o unhappy pretended wisdom , and oxthodoxness in the holding of our several opinions , is the knowledge that puffeth up , and hath bred the pernicious tympanite of the church , when it is charity that edifieth it ; and the more men glory in their dogmatical knowledge , to the contempt and hurt of such as differ from them , the less they know as they ought to know . and if any man have knowledge enough to kindle in his soul the love of god , the same is known and loved of god , and then he will prove that wise man indeed , at death and to eternity , 1 cor. 8. 1 , 2 , 3. reader , learn by this history to place thy religion in love and praise , and a heavenly life . learn to keep such communion with god , and to find such employment with thy heart by meditation , as thy strength , and opertunity , and other duties will allow thee : ( for i urge thee to no more ) learn hence to thirst after the good of souls , and to fill up thy hours with fruitful duty ! and o that we could here learn the hardest lesson , to get above the love of life , and to overcome the fears of death , and to long to see the glory of christ , and triumphantly to pass by joy to joy. o blessed world of holy spirits ! whose nature , and work , and happiness is love : not love of carnal-self , and interest , and parties , which here maketh those seek our destruction most , who have the highest esteem of our knowledge and sincerity ( as thinking our dissent will most effectually cross their partial interest : ) but the love of god in himself and in his saints , checked by no sin ; hindred by no distance , darkness , deadness or disaffection : diverted by no carnal worldly baits ; tempted by no persecutions or afflictions ; damped by no fears of death , nor of any decaies or cessation through eternity . to teach me better how to live and die , in faith , hope ane love , is that for which i read this narrarive ; and that thou maist learn the same is the end of my commending it to thee ! the lord teach it effectual to thee and me . amen . richard baxter . august 28. 1672. to the relations of mr. james janeway , and the survivors of his associates in kings colledge in cambridge . beloved friends , my own mean esteem of the single weight of that testimony expected from me concerning my dear brother on the account of my intimacy with him in kings colledge ( the known me . morable passages of whose exemplary life and death are now happily compiled and published for your special perusal ) moves me to call in a twofold recommendation thereof from you to those that knew him not , who being confirmed in the truth of this narrative , may thereby be won to believe , admire and emulate the signal grace of god in him . 1. that remembring so much thereof your selves , and what opportnity i had of knowing the certainty of all : you would assure those who may enquire of you ; that the impartial compiler hath kept within the bounds of truth and sobriety in prosecution of his honest aims , to advance the glory of gods rich mercy to this chosen vessel , and by reviving what remains he could collect of this burning as well as shining light ( alass how soon extinct ! ) to awaken and quicken the formal professors , if he may not induce the profane scoffers of this age , to a more serious study and improvement of those invisible realities , the clear evidence and powerful influence whereof , our good friend did so abundantly experience . the truth is , the transcriber ( though best accomplished , and most inwardly acquainted with what , might conduce thereto ) doth and could not but fall short of declaring the transcendent excelencies of this sublime soul and precious saint , which till toward his end , when his heart was too full to hold in what could be uttered ) were much concealed even to those who knew him best , by reason of his great humility and modesty . these disposed him rather to receive than communicate ; except where he had no expectations of the former , and either familiar intercourse ingaged , or the apprehended exigency of those his heart was drawn out to in christian love and compassion , constrained to the latter . yet many of those precious streams that did flow from him we must lament the loss of , through default of careful rececivers or faithful retainers . he was of clear intellectuals and a large heart both for craving and comprehending what was worthy his persuit : which being happily improved by his education , and timely seasoned with a spiritual savour of gospel mysteries ( for obtaining of which he had then with others , choise advantages ) was a great help to his proficiency in acquaintance with the vital exercises and soul satisfying enjoyment of the divine life , above not only his equals , but seniors and instructors . he was much dissatisfied with himself under any decays or abatements , till he could ( if not alone , by imploring the assistance of christian friends ) recover what he sometime had had such sweet experience of . and not content with any attainments , was still pressing on to what his prospect in the promises , encouraged by his happy praelibations , assured him was attainable . he was to this end a chearful embracer and diligent improver of spiritual opportunities , exact in his christian watch , much wrestling , ( and very prevalent ) with god in prayer , and with himself in his solitudes , striving to disentangle his heart from what might diveri his holy ambition , and to raise it to the highest activity and capacity for glorifying and enjoying god in christ , for the excellency of the knowledge of whom he accounted all inferiour attainments but loss . what he had tasted and seen , he was grieved to see others neglect , desirous to bring others to experience , by earnest commending them to god , designing with himself , and contriving with his spiritual confidence what might conduce thereto . he had a true sympathy with those that were bound with him heaven-ward . their pressures and conflicts , were his burdens : his prayers and counsels , their ready assistants : their refreshments , his revivings : and their spiritual proficiency , his joy . he was a secret and compassionate mourner ; as in general for the worlds ▪ degeneracy , pretended christians unthankfulness for the gospel , the hazards run by innumerable precious souls ; so especially for the dreadful apostacies of some ; the then threatning decay amd growing formality of others : sometime seemingly forward ; which brought him nigher to god , and more inflamed his holy zeal . but this chiefly was carried out to advance the power of religion in the family and persons he was peculiarly related to : apprehending there to lie his best opportunities as well as strongest obligations . and his success was very encouraging . this is part of what i knew of him in cambridge , who refer you for farther reviewing your remembrance to the narrative . but both his spiritual receipts and expences were much increased the two last years of his life , when i had not opportunity of personal converse with him : and by reason of our distance ( and at that time ignorance of his weak condition ) i was not so happy as to share in the priviledge of those who had the conveniencie of receiving his last and sweetest breath . though i soon after had the account ( while things were fresh in their memories , and warm on their hearts ) from the eye and ear witnesses , that some of them have now been induced to make more publick . but next and chiefly , 2. i intreat you to recommend the truth of this narrative , by your faithful adhering to , and diligent promoting of what some of you learned from him , and others professed with him . that by imitating his good example , and improving his experiences with your longer opportunities , you may be such proficients in christianity , as shining like lights your selves to hold forth the word of life for convincing the incredulous : that the mysteries of regeneration , a life of faith in christ , the fruitful emprovement of union and communion with him to a prospicuous conformity to him , crucifixion to the world by his cross , and a conversation with him in heaven while on earth ( therein proposed , herein exemplified ) be no figments , but great realities ; no slight matters , but of greatest consequence : not such singularities , but that others according to their measure , taking the like course , may be experimentally acquainted with the surpassing sweetness of an interest therein . and the rather am i bold to intreat this of you , because i was privy to his souls concern , for the concernments of your souls . how passionatly he desired to see christ formed in you , and rejoyced at any evidence thereof . how earnestly he would pray for you all ; and especially for those he had more occasion to deal with , or cause to be jealous of . how affected he was with your dangers and snares . and what a desire he had you might out-strip himself , who could not take up his rest on this side heaven . the good lord help every one of us to shew the same diligence to the full assureance of hope to the end , that we may not be slothful , but followers of them who by faith and patience inherit the promises . i have one farther request , that you would pursue by your most earnest supplications the design of publishing this narrative , that god would make it prosperous to the pious ends therein proposed , and for which i hope in his providence it is reserved now for publick view . especially that it may provoke to holy emulation ; not only those who were more peculiarly endeared to our pretious friend by natural or spiritual bonds ; ( and that if any of these be fallen from their first love , they may be excited to repent , do their first works , and strengthen the things that remain ; lest having begun in the spirit , they wretchedly end in the flesh , and draw back to perdition ) but also , some at least of them that sueceed in the chambers and studies , which sometime were sanctified with the word and prayer , by those that singly and joyntly ( as bhamber fellows and colleagues ) earnestly implored the divine benediction on those two royal foundations he was member of : that the god of the spirits of all flesh would make them fruitful nurseries of such as might be eminent instruments of gods glory here , and turning many to righteousness , might shine as the stars for ever and ever . wherein you may expect the hearty concurrence of your real friend , samuel borfet . the testimony of mr. marmaduke tennant sometimes minister of tharfield in hartfordshire , an intimate acquaintance of mr. john janeways , and one that was a constant visitor of him in his sickness , and an eye and ear witness of the most substantial things in this insuing narrative . christian reader , i can assure thee from my own knowledge , that this mr. john janeway was an excellent person , in respect of his natural parts , acquired gifts , and divine graces , wherewith his heavenly father adorned him ( considering his age ) even far above the ordinary rate of the best sort of scholars and christians : all which he exceedingly improved for the good of others ( especially in his neer relations ) both in health and sickness , even to the last hour of his life . and when the immediate forerunners of death was upon him , he so acted faith and composedly , ( without the least shew of humane frailty ) as if with bodily eyes he saw the holy angels standing before him , ready to receive and carry his pretious soul into his fathers glory . verily he was most lovely in his life , and yet more lovely at his death , the like i never beheld neither before nor since . and i doubt not but the serious consideration of this narrative of his life and death , will ( through gods blessing ) beget a zealous imitation of this saint indeed , in every good christian which reads the same ; which that it may do , is the hearty prayer of thy friend in the lord jesus , marmaduke tennant , minister of the gospel . christian reader , when i seriously consider how much atheism , and impiety abounds ; and see how sensual delights are pursued , and religion in its power is rejected , as a dull sad aud unpleasant thing ; when i see zeal decried as unnecessary , and few acting in the things of god , as if they were indeed matters of the highest consequence , reality and substance , the greatest profit , and sweetest pleasure : i could not but do what in me lies to rectifie these dismal mistakes , and justifie wisdom from the imputation of folly : and demonstrate even to sense the transcendent excellency and reality of invisibles . the prosecution of which design i could not more effectnally manage , than by the presenting this insuing narrative to the world . as for the truth of it , if the solemn testimony of several ministers ( which were eye and ear witnesses of the most substantial things here presented ) may be credited ; here thou hast three of them . as for my self i think i had as great an advantage to acquaint my self with the secret practices of this pretious saint , as any one could well have ; besides my dearest intimacy , and special observation and perusal of his papers , i had a long account from his own mouth upon his death-bed of his secret and constant practice and his experiences . and let me tell you , the half is not told you . for the treachery of my memory hath not a little injured thee and him . had this work been done exactly , i am perswaded it might have been so singular use to the world . in some places i could not justly word it in his phrase ; but i assure thee thou hast the matter and substance . the weakness of the relator is no small disadvantage to the subject ; but i might a little excuse this , by telling thee that i think that none living had the same opportunity in all things to do this work as i had . i might also tell you that some reverend , learned and holy men , whose authority and request i could not deny , put me upon it . and i was not altogether without some hopes of drawing some , to the love and liking of religion , that had not only been strangers to the life and power of it , but it may be had entertained deep prejudices against it . and of quickning of others that had lost their former vigour ; and encouraging some that were too ready to go on heavily and disponding . if i may succeed in this , i shall adore the goodness of god , and praise him with the strength of my soul , that i may be snbservient to the lord in promoting the true intrest of religion : i beg thy fervant and constant prayers ; and that every one that readeth may imitate and experience all , and so be filled with grace and peace , is the prayer of yours in his dearest lord , james janeway . the contents . chap. 1. an account of him from his childhood to the seventeenth year of his age. pag. 1. chap. 2. of his conversion , with visible proofs thereof . p. 6. chap. 3. his carriage when fellow of the colledge , at twenty years of age. p. 16. chap. 4. his particular addresses to his brethren , for their souls good , and the success thereof . p. 21. chap. 5. his great love to , and frequency in the duty of prayers : with rmarkable success . p. 24. chap. 6. his care of his mother , and other relations after his fathers death . p. 29. chap. 7. his return to kings colledge after his fathers death . his holy projects for christ and souls . p. 37. chap. 8. his departure from the colledge , to live in dr. cox's family p. 38. chap. 9. his retire into the country ; and his first sickness . p. 39. chap. 10. his exhortations to some of his friends . p. 43. chap. 11. his temptations from satan . p. 45. chap. 12. ministers not to carry on low designs . p. 60. chap. 13. his love and compassion to souls . p. 67. chap. 14. his trouble at the barrenness of christians . p. 71. chap. 15. two letters to cement differences , and cause love among christians . p. 74. chap. 16. an account of the latter part of his life . p. 91. chap. 17. his last sickness and death . p. 98. if the chapters appear not to be well divided , nor their contents well collected , let the reader know , that a friend of mr. janeway's , not himself made the division of them . t. p. invisible realities , demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of master john janeway , sometimes fellow of kings-colledge , cambridge . chap. i. an account of him from his childhood to the seventeenth year of his age. mr. john janeway was born anno 1633. octob. 27. of religious parents , in lylly , in the county of hertford . he soon gave his parents the hope of much comfort , and the symptoms of something more than ordinary quickly appeared in him , fo that some which saw this child much feared that , his life would be but short , others hoped that god had some rare piece of work to do by or for this child before he died ; he shewed that neither of them were much mistaken in their conjecture concerning him . he soon out-ran his superiours for age in learning . and it was thought by no incompetent judges that for pregnacy of wit , solidity of judgment , the vastness of his intellectuals , and the greatness of his memory , that he had no superiours , few equals considering his age and education . he was initiated in the latine tongue by his own father ; afterward he was brought up for some time at pauls school in london , where he made a considerable proficiencie in latine and greek under the care of mr. langly when he was about eleven years old he took a great fancy to arithmetick and the hebrew tongue . about this time his parents removing into a little village called aspoden , had the opportunity of having this their son instructed , by a learned neighbour who was pleased to count it a pleasant diversion , to read mathematicks to him , being then about twelve years old ; and he made such progress in those profound studies ; that he read oughthred with understanding , before he was thirteen years old . a person of quality , hearing of the admirable proficiency of this boy , sent for him up to london , and kept him with him for some time , to read mathematicks to him ; that which made him the more to be admired was , that he did what he did with the greatest facility . he had no small skill in musick , and other concomitants of mathematicks . in the year 1646. he was chosen by that learned gentleman , mr. rous , the provost of eton colledge one of the foundation of that shool being examined by provost and posiers in the hebrew tongue , which was thought was beyond president . where he gave no unsuitable returns to the high expectations that were conceived of him . after a little continuance at eton he obtained leave of his master to go to oxford to perfect himself in the study of mathematicks , where being owned by that great scholar dr. ward , one of the professors of the university , he attained to a strange exactness in that study , nothing being within the reach of a man , but he would undertake and grasp . that great doctor gave him great help and incouragement , and looked upon him as one of the wonders of his age , loved him dearly , and could for some time after his death scarce mention his name without tears . when he had spent about a quarter of a year with dr. ward at oxford , he was commanded to return again to eton , where he soon gave proof of his great improvement of his time while he was absent ; by making an almanack , and calculating of the eclipses for many years before hand ; so that by this time he had many eyes upon him as the glory of the school . that which put an accent upon his real worth was that he did not discover the least affectation or self-conceit , neither did any discernable pride attend these excelencies . so that every one took more notice of his parts than himself . at about seventeen years old he was chosen to kings colledge in camebridge , at which time the electioners did even contend for the patronage of this scholar . he was chosed first that year , and an elder brother of his in the sixth place ; but he was very willing to change places with his elder brother ; letting him have the first , and thankfully accepting of the sixth place . besides his great learning , and many other ornaments of nature , his deportment was so sweet and lovely , his demeanour so courteous and obliging , even when he seemed unconverted , that he must be vile with a witness that did not love him . yea many of them which had little kindness for morality , much less for grace ; could not but speak well of him . his great wisdom and learning did even command respect , where they did not find it : he had an excellent power over his passions , and was in a great measure free from the vices which usually attend such an age and place . but all this while it is to be feared , that he understood little of the worth of christ , and his own soul ; he studied indeed the heavens , and knew the motion of the sun , moon , and stars , but that was his highest ; he thought yet but little of god , which made all these things , he pried but little into the motions of his own heart ; he did not as yet much busie himself , in the serious observation of the wandring of his spirit ; the creature had not yet led him to the creator ; but he was still too ready to take up with meer speculation ; but god , who from all eternity , had chosen him to be one of those , who should shine as the sun in the firmament for ever in glory ; did when he was about eighteen years old , shine in upon his soul with power ; and did convince him what a poor thing it was to know so much of the heavens and , never come there . and that the greatest knowledge in the world without christ , was but an empty dry business . he now thought mr. bolten had some reason on his side , when he said ; give me the most magnificent glorious worldling , that ever trod upon earthly mould , richly crowned with all the ornaments and excellencies of nature , art , policy , preferment , or what heart can wish besides ; yet without the life of grace , to animate and ennoble them ; he were to the eye of heavenly wisdom , but as a rotten carcase , stuck over with flowers ; magnified dung , guilded rottenness , golden damnation . he began now to be of anaxagoras's mind , that his work upon earth , it was to study heaven and to get thither , and that except a man might be admitted to greater preferment than this world can bestow upon her favorites , it were scarce worth while to be born . chap. ii. of his conversion , with visible proofs thereof . the great work of conversion , it was not carried on upon his soul , in that dreadful manner that it is upon some , that god intends to communicate much to , and make great use of ; but the lord was pleased , sweetly to unlock his heart , by the exemplary life , and heavenly and powerful discourse , of a young man in the colledge , whose heart god had inflamed with love to his soul , he quickly made an attempt upon this hopeful young man , and the spirit of god did set home his counsels with such power , that they proved effectual , for his awakening ; being accompanied with the preaching of these two famous worthies , dr. hill , and dr. arrowsmith , together with the reading several parts of mr. baxters saints everlasting rest . now a mighty alteration might easily be descerned in him , he quickly looks quite like another man. he is now so much taken up with things above the moon and stars , that he had little leisure to think of these things , only as they pointed higher . he began now not to tast so much sweetness in those kind of studies , which he did so greedily imploy himself in formerly . he now began to pity them which were curious in their inquiries after every thing but that which is most needful to be known , christ and themselves , and that which sometimes was his gain , he now counted loss for christ , yea doubtless he esteemed all things but as dung and dross in comparison of christ , and desired to know nothing but christ and him crucified . not that he looked upon humane learning as useless : but when fixed below christ , and not improved for christ ; he looked upon wisdom as folly , and learning as madness , and that which would make one more like the devil , more fit for his service , and put a greater accent upon their misery in another world . mr. janeway now begins to cast about how he might best improve what he did already know , and turn all his studies into the right chanel ; grace did not take him off from , but made him more diligent and spiritual in his study . and now christ was at the end and bottom of every thing ; how did he plot and contrive how he might most express his love and thankfulness to him who had brought him out of darkness into his marvellous light ; to this end he sent up and down packets of divine letters , in which he did discourse so substantially and experimentally of the great things of god , that it would not at all have unbecome some gray head to have owned what he did write . he was not in a little like young elihu , whose words he used to excuse his freedom with persons of years , whose souls he did dearly pity . he said days should speak , and multitude of years should teach wisdom , but there is a spirit in a man , and the inspiration of the almighty giveth them understanding ; i am full of matter , the spirit within me , constraineth me , behold my belly is as wine which hath no vent , it is ready to burst like new bottles , i will speak that i may be refreshed , &c. o then how sweet was the favour of his graces ! he could not but speak the things which he had seen and heard , and even invite all the world to taste and see how good the lord was . he began first with his relations , begging and wooing of them to think of their precious and immortal souls , and to lay in speedy provisions for a death-bed , and eternity . o with what compassion did he plead the cause of christ with their souls ! what pathetical expressions did he use , what vehement expostulations , how frequent , how particular in his applications , to them ? o with what gravity and majesty would he speak of the mysteries of the gospel ! read what his language was ( when he was between eighteen and nineteen years old ) in a letter to an antient minister that he stood related to , who at that time walked very heavily . his letter . reverend sir , there are two things , the want of which , i have had xperience of in your family , though not in every degree ; yet in that intenseness of degree wherein they ought to be ; which are the real power of godliness and religion ; and then that which is the fruit of the former , that chearfulness , delight , spiritual joy and serenety of mind which is to be had in religion and no where else ; and that not in religion in its weakest degrees , but in a real vigor , power and life , and in a more close constant walking with god ; from a tender sense of the worth of souls , especially those of your family ; and knowing the duty which my relation to it doth lay upon me , and having confidence of their will acceptance of it ; i have undertaken to open my thoughts unto them . in most families in england i fear there is neither the form nor the power of godliness , where there is no fear of god , no regard of him , no acting under him or in reference to him . these are in my opinion twice dead , nay not so much as having the dead carcase of religion : objects of pity they are , and o how few are there that spend one passionate thought upon them . others there are who some way or other , it may be from tradition from good parents , it may be from knowing the fashion of those in their rank ; it may be from the frequent inculcating of good instructions from christian friends , or godly ministers ; or some strugling eruptions of conscience ; have gotten the outward husk or shell of religion ; without any kernel , or solidity at all : and this generation doth usually trust to this their religion ; that it will bring them to a place like a sleeping place in heaven , or keep them out of hell ; though they live without god in the world. these are poor creatures too ; making haste to their own destruction , and know it not , yea thinking that they are in a fair way for heaven . o that there were never a family to which we are related which gave too sad cause of fear , that it were in such a case , or neer such a case as this is . a third sort of people there are ( and but few of these neither ) which have the reality of religion ; but yet in much weakness , coldness , faintnefs , dimness and intermission ; like nilus's brood above half mud still ; beginning to have some life in their head , a little in their heart , but the feet of their affections and actions have little or no motion . and where shall we find a christian that is got any higher than this , yea that doth in good earnest strive to get any higher ! now there are higher attainments to be reached after ; there is a having our conversation in heaven while we are upon earth , neither doth this consist in some weak disconrses about god , heaven and the things of religion , it consists not in the meer praying twice a day , and in keeping the sabbath in an usual manner ▪ in its order , it consists not in a few thoughts of religious objects comeing into the mind in a common way and as easily got as lost . but true religion raiseth the soul to longings , hungrings and thirstings not without some enjoyments . religion in power is to act for god with strength , vigor , earnestness , intenseness , delight , cheerfulness , serenety and calmness of mind . the fruits of the spirit are joy in the holy ghost and peace : fear , disquiet and terrors are usually the introduction to a better state , but they are not of the essentials of religion ; yea the contrary frame of spirit is to be striven for . to speak yet more plainly and to tell you , honoured sir , what fears and jealousies are , with reverence to your self , and tender affection to all your family , i fear that you your self are subject to too many desponding melancholy thoughts . the causes whereof give me leave with submission to guess at . the first i think may be your reflecting on your entring upon the ministry without that reverence , care , holy zeal for god , love to christ and compassion to souls , which is required of every one that undertakes that holy office ; it may be there was rather a respect to your own living in the world than of living to god in the world , be it thus , be it not as bad , or be it worse ; the remedy is the same . these have a wondring power in them , which will be felt to be grievous , when felt as they are in themselves , but continual sorrow and sad thoughts do keep this wound open too long , and are not available to the having of it cured . wounds indeed must be first opened that they may be cleansed , they must be opened , that their filth may be discovered in reference to a purging and healing ; but no longer than the balm of gilead is to be applyed , that they may be healed . and when christ is made use of aright he leaveth joy and comfort , yet a constant humility of spirit is no way inconsistent with this peace of god. a second cause of your heaviness may be a sense of the state of the people which god hath committed to you , and indeed who can but mourn over people in such a condition , objects of pity they are , and the more because they pity not themselves . i have often wrestled with god that he would direct you in what is your duty concerning them , which i perswade my self is your earnest request . now if after your serious examining of your self what your conscience doth conclude to be your duty , you do it , and see you do it ; you are then to rest upon god for his effectual working . let not any think to be nore merciful than god , for wherein he doth , he goes beyond his bounds : and this is no more cause of heaviness to you than the opposition that the apostles found at any time was , who notwithstanding rejoyced in tribulation . another cause of heaviness may be what divisions are between your self and some of your relations . o that a spirit of meekness and wisdom might remove all cause of sorrow for that . but were the power of godliness more in hearts and families , all the causes of such trouble would soon be removed , there would be less that would deserve reprehension , and there would be a fittedness of spirit to give and bear reproof ; to give in meekness and tenderness , and to bear in humility , patience and thankfulness . some cares and thoughts you may have concerning your family when you are gone . but let faith and former experience teach you to drive away all such thoughts . your constitution and solitaryness may also be some cause of melancholy ; but there is a duty which if it were exercised would dispel all ; which is heavenly meditation , and contemplation of the things which true christian religion tends to . if we did but walk closely with god one hour in a day in this duty , o what influence would it have into the whole day besides , and duly performed into the whole life . this duty with the usefulness , manner and direction , &c. i knew in seme measure before , but had it more pressed upon me by mr. baxters saints everlasting rest , that can scarce be overvalued , for which i have cause for ever to bless god. as for your dear wife , i fear the cares and troubles of the world take off her mind too much from walking with god so closely as she ought to do , and from that earnest indeavour after higher degrees of grace . i commend therefore to her all this excellent duty of meditation ; it is a bitter sweet duty , bitter to corrupt nature , but sweet to the regenerate part , if performed . i intreat her and your self , yea i charge it upon you with humility and tenderness , that god have at least half an hour allowed him in a day for this exercise : o this most precious soul-raising , soul-ravishing , soul-perfecting duty ! take this from your dear friend , as spoke with reverence , and real love , and faithfulness . my fear and jealousie left i should speak in vain , maketh me say again ; i , or god by me , doth charge this upon you . one more direction let me give , that none in your family satisfie themselves in family prayer . but let every one twice a day , if it may be possible , draw near to god in secret duty . here secret wants may be laid open ; here great mercies may be begged with great earnestness ; here what wandrings and coldness was in family-duty may be repented of and mended . this is the way to get seriousness , reality , sincerity , chearfulness in religion : and thus the joy of the lord may be your strength . let those which know their duty do it ; if any think it not a necessary duty , let them fear lest they lose the most excellent help for a holy , useful , joyful life under the assistance of gods spirit , whilst they neglect that which they think unnecessary . take some of these directions from sincere affection , some from my own experience , and all from a real and compassionate desire of your joy and comfort : the lord teach you in this , and in the rest . i intreat you never to rest labouring till you have attained to true spiritual joy , and peace in the lord. the god of peace give you his direction , and the foretasts of his comforts in this life , and perfection in eternal life , in the enjoying of infinite holiness , purity , and excellencie through christ . thus praying , i rest — in another letter to a reverend friend that had the care of many children , he thus adviseth . sir ; yovr charge is great upon a temporal account , but greater upon a spiritual ; many souls being committed to your charge : out of an earnest desire of the good of souls , and your own joy and peace , i importunately request , that you would have a great care of your children , and be often dropping in some wholesome admonitions ; and this i humbly , with submission to your judgment in it , commend to you ; not to admonish them always altogether , but likewise privately one by one , not letting the rest know of it . wherein you may please to press upon them their natural corruption , their necessity of regeneration , the excellency of christ , and how unspeakably lovely it is to see young ones setting out for heaven . this way i think may do most good , having had experience of it my self in some small measure ; god grant that all may work for the edifying of those which are committed to you . i leave you under the protection of him that hath loved us , and given himself for us . — thus you see how he seemed swallowed up with the affairs of another world . chap. iii. his carriage , when fellow of the colledge , at twenty years of age. when he was about twenty years old , he was made fellow of the colledge , which did not a little advance those noble projects which he had in his head for the promoting of the interest of the lord christ . then how sweetly would he insinuate into the young ones , desiring to carry as many of them as possibly he could along with him to heaven : many attempts he made upon some of the same house , that he might season them with grace , and animate and incourage those which were looking towards heaven . and as for his own relations , never was there a more compassionate and tender-hearted brother . how many pathetical letters did he send to them ? and how did he follow them with prayers and tears that they might prove successful ! how frequently would he address himself to them in private ! and how ready to improve providences and visits that he might set them home upon them ? how excellent would he set forth the beauty of christ ! he earnestly would perswade them to inquire into the state of their souls . how would he indeavour to bring them off from sandy foundations , and resting upon their own righteousness ! in a word , he was scarce content to go to heaven without , and through mercy he was very successful among his own relations , and the whole family soon savoured of his spirit ; how were the children put upon getting choice scripture and their catechisms , and ingaged in secret prayer and meditation . father , mother , brethren , sisters , boarders were the better for his excellent example and holy exhortations . he was a good nurse if not a spiritual father to his natural father , as you may read afterwards ; and some of his brethren have cause to bless god for ever , that ever they saw his face , and heard his words , and observed his conversation , which had so much of loveliness and beauty in it , that it could not but commend religion to any that did take notice of it . he could speak in st. pauls words , brethren , my hearts desire , and prayer to god for you all is , that you may be saved . read what his heart was in these following lines . distance of place cannot at all lessen that natural bond whereby we are conjoyned in blood , neither ought to lessen that of love . nay , where true love is it cannot ; for love towards you i can only say this , that i feel it better than i can express it ; as it is wont to be with all affections : but love felt , and not expressed , is little worth : i therefore desire to make my love manifest in the best way i can . let us look upon one another not as brethren only , but as members of the same body whereof christ is the head. happy day will that be wherein the lord will discover that union ; let us therefore breathe and hunger after this , so that our closest knot may meet in christ : if we are in christ , and christ in us , then we shall be one with one another . this i know , you cannot complain for want of instruction , god hath not been to us a dry wilderness , or a barren heath ; you have had line upon line , and precept upon precept ; he hath planted you by the rivers of water ; it is the lord alone indeed who maketh fruitful , but yet we are not to stand still , and do nothing . there is a crown worth seeking for ; seek therefore , and that earnestly . o seek by continual prayer , keep your soul in a praying frame ; this is a great and necessary duty , nay , a high and precious priviledge . if thou canst say nothing , come and lay thy self in an humble manner before the lord. you may believe me , for i have through mercy experienced what i say . there is more sweetness to be got in one glimpse of gods love , than in all that the world can afford . o do but try ; o taste and see how good the lord is . get into a corner , and throw your self down before the lord , and beg of god to make you sensible of your lost undone state by nature , and of the excellency and necessity of christ . say , lord , give me a broken heart , soften , melt me : any thing in the world , so i may be but inabled to value christ , and be perswaded to accept of him , as he is tendred in the gospel . o that i may be delivered from the wrath to come ; o a blessing for me , even for me , and resolve not to be content till the lord have in some measure answered you . o my bowels yern towards you , my heart works : o that you did but know with what affection i write now to you , and what prayers and tears have been mingled with these lines ! the lord set these things home , and give you an heart to apply them to your self ; the lord bless all the means that you enjoy , for his blessing is all in all . give me leave to deal plainly , and to come yet a little closer to you , for i love your soul so well , that i cannot bear the thoughts of the loss of it . know this , that there is such a thing as the new birth , and except a man be born again , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven ; gods favour is not to be recovered without it . this new birth hath its foundation laid in a sense of sin , and a godly sorrow for it , and a heart set against it ; without this there can be no salvation . look well about you , and see into your self , and thou wilt see that thou art at hells mouth without this first step , and nothing but free grace , and pure mercy is between you and the state of the devils . the lord deliver us from a secure careless heart ! here you see a natural mans condition ; how darest thou then lye down in security ? o look about for your souls sake . what shall i say , what shall i do to awaken your poor soul ! i say again , without repentance there is no remission ; and repentance it self may lose its labour if it be not in the right manner . then tears , and groans , and prayers will not do without christ ; most when they are convinced of sin , and are under fears of hell , run to duty , and reform something ; and thus the wound is healed , and by this thousands fall short of heaven . for if we be not brought off from our selves , and our righteousness , as well as our sins , we are never like to be saved . we must see an absolute need of a christ , and give our selves up to him , and count all but dung and dross in comparison of christs righteousness . look therefore for mercy only in christ , for his sake relye upon gods mercy . the terms of the gospel are repent and believe , gracious terms ! mercy for fetching , nay mercy for desiring , nay for nothing but receiving . dost thou desire mercy and grace , i know thou dost ; even this is the gift of god to desire , hunger after christ ; let desires put you upon endeavour , the work it self is sweet ; yea , repentance and mourning it self hath more sweetness in it , than all the worlds comforts . vpon repentance and believing comes justification , after this sanctification , by the spirit dwelling in us . by this we come to be the children of god , to be made partakers of the divine nature , to lead new lives , to have a suitableness to god. it 's unworthy of a christian to have such a narrow spirit , as not to act for christ with all ones heart , and soul , and strength , and might . be not ashamed of christ , be not afraid of the frowns and jeers of the wicked . be sure to keep a conscience void of offence , and yield by no means to any known sin ; be much in prayer , in secret prayer , and in reading the scriptures : therein are laid up the glorious mysteries which are hid from many eyes . my greatest desire is , that god would work his own great work in you . i desire to see you not as formerly , but that the lord would make me an instrument of your souls good , for which i greatly long . chap. iv. his particular addresses to his brethren , for their souls good , and the success thereof . he wrote many letters of this nature , and desired oftentimes to be visiting his brethren , that he might particularly address himself to them , and see what became of his letters , prayers , and tears ; and he was very watchful over them , ready to reprove and convince them of sin , and ready to incourage any beginnings of a good work in them . to instance in a particular or two . one time perceiving one of his brothers asleep at prayer in the family , he presently took occasion to show him what a high contempt it was of god , what a little sense such a man must have of his own danger , what dreadful hypocrisie , what a miracle of patience that he was not awakened in flames . after he had been a while affectionately pleading with him , it pleased the lord to strike in with some power , and to melt and soften his brothers heart when he was about eleven years old ; so that it was to be hoped , that then the lord began savingly to work upon the heart of that child : for from that time forward a considerable alteration might be discerned in him . when he perceived it , he was not a little pleased . this put him upon carrying on the work , that conviction might not wear off till it ended in conversion . to this end he wrote to him , to put him in mind of what god had done for his soul , begging of him not to rest satisfied till he knew what a thorow change and effectual calling meant . i hope , said he , that god hath a good work to do in you , for you , and by you ; yea , i hope he hath already begun it . but o take not up with some beginnings , faint desires , lazy seekings ; o remember your former tears ; one may weep a little for sin , and yet go to hell for sin ; many that are under some such work , shake of the sense of sin , murder their convictions , and return again to folly . o! take heed ! if any draw back , the lord will take no pleasure in them ; but i hope better things of you . he would also observe how his brethren carried it after duty , whether they seemed to run presently to the world with greediness , as if duty were a task , or whether there seemed to be an abiding impression of god , and the things of god , upon them . his vehement love and compassion to souls may be further judged of by these following expressions , which he used to one of his relations . after he had been speaking how infinitely it was below a christian to pursue with greediness the things which will be but as gravel in the teeth , if we mind not the rich provision which is in our fathers house . o what folly is it to trifle in the things of god! but i hope better things of you ; did i not hope , why should i not mourn in secret for you , as one cast out among the dead ? o what should i do for you , but pour out my soul like water , and give my god no rest till he should graciously visit you with his salvation ; till he cast you down , and raise you up ; till he wound you , and heal you again . thus , what with his holy example , warm and wise exhortations , prayers , tears , and secret groans , somewhat of the beauty of religion was to be seen in the family where he lived . chap. v. his great love to , and frequency in the duty of prayers : with remarkable success . he was mighty in prayer , and his spirit was oftentimes so transported in it , that he forgot the weakness of his own body , and of others spirits : indeed the acquaintance that he had with god was so sweet , and his converse with him so frequent , that when he was ingaged in duty , he scarce knew how to leave that which was so delightful and suited to his spirit . his constant course for some years was this : he prayed at least three times a day in secret , sometimes seven times ; twice a day in the family , or colledge : and he found the sweetness of it beyond imagination , and enjoyed wonderful communion with god , and tasted much of the pleasantness of a heavenly life : and he could say by experience , that the ways of wisdom were ways of pleasantness , and all her paths peace . he knew what it was to wrestle with god , and was come to that pass , that he could scarce come off his knees without his fathers blessing . he was used to converse with god with a holy familiarity as a friend , and would upon all occasions run to him for advice , and had many strange and immediate answers of prayer . one of which i think it not altogether impertinent to give the world an account of . his honoured father , mr. william janeway , minister of kelshall in hartfordshire , being sick , and being under somewhat dark apprehensions as to the state of his soul , he would often say to his son john : o son ! this passing upon eternity is a great thing , this dying is a solemn business , and enough to make any ones heart ake that hath not his pardon sealed , and his evidences for heaven clear . and truly son , i am under no small fears , as to my own estate , for another world . o that god would clear his love ! o that i could say chearfully i can die , and upon good grounds be able to look death in the face , and venture upon eternity with well-grounded peace and comfort ! his sweet and dutiful son made a suitable reply at present ; but seeing his dear father continuing under despondings of spirit ( though no christians that knew him but had a high esteem of him for his uprightness ) he got by himself , and spent some time in wrestling with god upon his fathers account , earnestly begging of god , that he would fill him with joy unspeakable in believing , and that he would speedily give him some token for good , that he might joyfully and honourably leave this world to go to a better . after he was risen from his knees , he came down to his sick father , and asked him how he felt himself . his father made no answer for some time , but wept exceedingly ( a passion that he was not subject to ) and continued for some considerable time in an extraordinary passion of weeping , so that he was not able to speak . but at last having recovered himself , with unspeakable joy he burst out into such expressions as these : o son ! now it is come , it is come , it is come . i bless god i can die : the spirit of god hath witnessed with my spirit , that i am his child : now i can look up to god as my dear father , and christ as my redeemer ; i can now say this is my friend , and this is my beloved . my heart is full , it is brim full , i can hold no more : i know now what that sentence means , the peace of god which passeth understanding ; i know now what that white stone is wherein a new name is written , which none know but they which have it . and that fit of weeping which you saw me in , was a fit of over-powring love and joy , so great , that i could not for my heart contain my self ; neither can i express what glorious discoveries god hath made of himself unto me : and had that joy been greater , i question whether i could have born it , and whether it would not have separated soul and body . bless the lord , o my soul , and all that is within me bless his holy name that hath pardoned all my sins , and sealed the pardon . he hath healed my wounds , and caused the bones which he had broken to rejoyce . o help me to bless the lord ! he hath put a new song into my mouth : o bless the lord for his infinite goodness and rich mercy ! o now i can die ! it is nothing , i bless god i can die : i desire to be dissolved , and to be with christ . you may well think that his sons heart was not a little refreshed to hear such words , and see such a sight , and to meet the messenger that he had sent to heaven returned back again so speedily . he counted himself a sharer with his father in this mercy , and it was upon a double account welcome , as it did so wonderfully satisfie his father , and as it was so immediate and clear an answer of his own prayers , as if god had from heaven said unto him , thy tears and prayers are heard for thy father : thou hast like a prince prevailed with god ; thou hast got the blessing ; thy fervent prayers have been effectual ; go down and see else . upon this , this precious young man broke forth into praises , and even into another extasie of joy , that god should deal so familiarly with him ; and the father and son together were so full of joy , light , life , love and praise , that there was a little heaven in the place . he could not then but express himself in this manner : o blessed , and for ever blessed be god for his infinite grace ! o who would not pray unto god! verily he is a god that heareth prayers , and that my soul knows right well ! and then he told his joyful father how much he was affected with his former despondings , and what he had been praying for just before with all the earnestness he could for his soul , and how the lord had immediately answered him . his father hearing this , and perceiving that his former comforts came in in a way of prayer , and his own childs prayer too , was the more refreshed , and was the more confirmed that it was from the spirit of god , and no delusion . and immediately , his son standing by , he fell into another fit of triumphing joy , his weak body being almost ready to sink under that great weight of glory that did shine in so powerfully upon his soul. he could then say , now let thy servant depart in peace , for mine eyes have seen thy salvation . he could now walk through the valley of the shadow of death , and fear no evil . o how sweet a thing is it to have ones interest in christ cleared , how comfortable to have our calling and election made sure ! how lovely is the sight of a smiling jesus when one is dying ! how refreshing is it , when heart , and flesh , and all are failing , to have god for the strength of our heart and our portion for ever ! o did the foolish unexperienced world but know what these things mean , did they but understand what it is to be solaced with the believing views of glory , to have their senses spiritually exercised , could they but taste and see how good the lord is , it would soon cause them to disrelish their low and bruitish pleasures , and look upon all worldly joys as infinitely short of one glimpse of gods love ! after this , his reverent father had a sweet calm upon his spirits , and went in the strength of that provision , that rich grace laid in , till he came within the gates of the new jerusalem : having all his graces greatly improved , and shewed so much humility , love to , and admiring of god , contempt of the world , such prizing of christ , such patienee as few christians arrive to , especially his faith , by which with extraordinary confidence he cast his widow and eleven fatherless children upon the care of that god who had fed them with this manna in his wilderness state : the benefit of which faith all his children ( none of which were in his life-time provided for ) have since to admiration experienced . and it is scarce to be imagined how helpful this his precious son john janeway was to his father by his heavenly discourse , humble advice , and prayers . after a four moneths conflict with a gainful consumption , and hectick fever , his honoured father sweetly slept in jesus . chap. vi. his care of mother , and other relations , after his fathers death . after the death of his father , he did what he could to supply his absence , doing the part of husband , son , brother : so that he was no small comfort to his poor mother in her disconsolate state , and all the rest of his relations that had any sense of god upon their spirits . to one of which he thus addressed himself upon the death of a sweet child . daily observations , and every mans experience , gives sufficient testimony to it , that afflictions of what kind soever , by how much the seldomer they are , the more grievous they seem . we have of a long time sailed in the rivers of blessings which god hath plentifully poured forth among us ; now if we come where the waves of affliction do but a little more than ordinarily arise , we begin to have our souls almost carried down with fears and griefs ; yea , the natural man , if not counter-powred by the spirit of god , will be ready to entertain murmuring and repining thoughts against god himself . whereas , if all our life had been a pilgrimage full of sorrows and afflictions ( as we deserved ) and had but rarely been intermingled with comforts , we should have been more fitted to bear afflictions . thus it is naturally : but we ought to counter-work against the stream of nature by a new principle wrought in us ; and whatsoever nature doth err in , grace is to rectifie : and they upon whom grace is bestowed , ought to set grace on work . for wherefore is grace bestowed , unless that it should act in us : it hath pleased the lord to make a breach in your family . there where the knot is fast tyed , when it is disunited , the change becomes greater , and the grief is the more inlarged . so that herein you who are most moved , are most to be excused and comforted : the strength of a mothers affections i believe none but mothers know , and greatest affections , when they are disturbed , breed the greatest grief : but when afflictions come upon us , what will be our duty ? shall we then give our selves up to be carried away with the grieving passions ? shall we , because of one affliction , cause our souls to walk in sadness all our days , and drive away all the light of comfort from our eyes , by causing our souls to be obscured under the shades of melancholy ? shall we quarrel with our maker , and call the wise righteous judge to our bar ? doth he not punish us less than we deserve ? is there not mercy and truth in all his dispensations ? shall we by continual sorrow add affliction to affliction , and so become our own tormentors ? are we not rather under afflictions , to see if any way we may find a glimpse of gods love shining in towards us , and so to raise up our souls nearer god ? is there not enough in god , and the holy scriptures , to bear up our spirits under any afflictions , let them be never so great ? what do you say to that word , who is there among you that feareth the lord , and that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkness , and seeth no light , let him trust in the name of the lord , and stay himself upon his god ? though all earthly comforts were fled away , and though you could see no light from any of these things below ; yet if you look upward to god in christ , there there is comfort to be found , there is light to be espied ; yea , a great and glorious light ; which if we can rightly discern , it would put out the light of all lower comforts , and cause them to be vilely accounted of . but alas ! alas ! those heavenly comforts , though they are in themselves so precious , and if really and sensibly felt , able to raise a mans soul from earth , yea from hell , to the foretaste of heaven it self ; yet for want of a spiritual sense , they are by most of the world undervalued , slighted , and thought to be but fancies . nay , let me speak freely , christians themselves , and those that we have cause to hope are men of another world , and truly born again , yet for want of a spiritual quickness in this spiritual sight and sense , these comforts are too lowly and meanly esteemed of . it is a spiritual sense that inableth a christian to behold a glorious lustre and beauty in invisibles , and raiseth the soul up to the gate of heaven it self ; and when he is there , how can he chuse but look down with a holy slighting and contempt upon the sweetest of all earthly enjoyments ? how can he chuse but think all creature-comforts but small , compared with one look of love from christ ? this heavenly comfort was that which david did so much desire : lord , lift up the light of thy countenance upon me , was the language of his soul , and when this was come , how was his heart inlarged ? thou hast put joy and gladness in my heart more than in the time when their corn and wine increased . he then that in afflictions would find comfort must strive to see spiritual comforts , to be the greatest , even that comfort which is from god , in the face of jesus christ ; this , this will be a cordial , this will be as marrow and fatness to the soul . they that have interest in christ , what need they be moved and discomfited with any worldly trouble ? is not christ better than ten children ? is not his loving-kindness better than life ? is not all the world a shadow , compared with one quarter of an hours injoyment of him , even on this side of glory in some of his own ordinances ? o therefore strive to get your interest in this comfort secured , and then all 's well . he that hath christ , hath all things . if god be reconciled to you through him , then he will withhold no good thing from you . we poor foolish creatures do scarce know what is good for our selves , but it 's no small incouragement to the people of god that wisdom it self takes care of them , and one that loves them better than they love themselves , looks after them : and he hath given his promise for it , that all shall work together for their good . and what better foundation of comfort can there be in the whole world than this ! why may you not then say with the psasmist , why art thou cast down , o my soul ? and why art thou disquieted within me ? hope in god. let not your soul sink under afflictions , for what reason have you to be discomfited under them ? can you gather from thence that the lord doth not love you ? no surely , but rather the contrary , for whom the lord loveth he chasteneth , and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth : what son is he whom the father chasteneth not ? wherefore lift up the hands which hang down , and the feeble knees . let this serve as a remedy against excessive grief . get your love to god increased , which if you do , the love of all other things will wax cold . and if you have given god your heart , you will give him leave to take what he will that is yours , and what he hath you will judge rather well kept than lost . remember that scripture , and let it have its due impression upon your spirit ; he that loves father or mother , brother or sister , yea or children more than me , is not worthy of me . o labour to have your affections therefore more raised up to him who is most worthy of them , let him have the uppermost & greatest room in your heart , and let your love to all other things be placed in subjection to your love of god , be ruled by it , and directed to it . be our earthly afflictions never so great , yet let this love to god poise our souls so that they may not be overweighed with grief on the one side , or stupidness on the other side . again let our souls be awed by that glorious power and omnipotency of god , who is able to do any thing , and who will do whatsoever pleaseth him both in heaven and in earth ; at whose word and for whose glory all things that are were made . and what are we poor creatures that we should dare to entertain any hard thought of this god! 't is dangerous contending with god! let us learn that great lesson of resigning up our selves and all we have to god ; let us put our selves as instruments into the hands of the lord to do what he pleaseth with us , and let us remember that it was our promise and covenant with god to yield our selves up to him , and to be wholly at his disposal . the soul is then in a sweet frame when it can cordially say , it is the lord , let him do what seemeth good in his eyes . not my will , but thine be done . again , let us know that though we cannot alwaies see into the reasonableness of the ways of god , ( for his ways are often in the thick cloud , and our weak eyes cannot look into those depths in which he walketh ) yet all the ways of god are just , holy and good . let us therefore have a care of so much as moving , much more of entertaining any unworthy thoughts against god. but let us submit willingly to the yoak which he is pleased to lay upon us , lest he break us with his terrible judgments . and now it hath seemed good to god to lay this stroak upon you , i pray labour rightly to improve it , and let this trial prepare you for greater . and seeing the uncertainty of all worldy things , indeavour with all your might to get your heart above them ; and i beseech the lord , who is the great physitian of souls , and knows how to apply a salve to every sore of his , to comfort you with his spiritual comforts , that he would favourably shine upon you , and receive you into a nearer union and communion with himself . into his hands i commit you , with him i leave you , praying that he would make up all in himself . he was an excellent example to his younger brethren ; and his wise instructions , and holy practices , did not a little influence them . he was a prudent counsellor , and an assistant that could not well be spared to his eldest brother ; who was not a little sensible of that personal worth that was in his younger brother ; whom he would prefer before himself , as one whom he judged , god had honoured with far greater parts , graces , and experiences , than himself . the younger also , did as humbly and heartily respect and honour him ; as , a serious christian , a minister , and his elder brother , who had obliged him with more than ordinary kindness ! when he was but young , yet he began to be taken notice of by antient ministers , and christians ; though his modesty was so great , that his huge parts were not a little obscured thereby ; and his vast worth was so ballasted with humility , that he made no great noise in the world , and most were ignorant of his singular worth . a wise man that was intimately acquainted with him , would say of him that he was like deep waters , that were most still ; a man of hidden excellency . there were few that knew , how close he walked with god , and at what a high rate he lived , and how great a trade he drave for the riches of that other world : all which he laboured , as much as might be , to conceal . chap. vii . his return to kings colledge after his fathers death . his holy projects for christ and souls . when his father was dead , he returned again to kings colledge , and was a member of a secret cabal , which began to carry on notable projects for christ and souls , and to plot how they might best improve their gifts and graces so as that they might be most serviceable to god and their generation . their custom was frequently to meet together , to pray and to communicate studies and experiences , and to handle some question of divinity , or , in some scholastick way , to exercise the gifts which god had given them . some of this company did degenerate , but others lived to let the world understand , that , what they did was from a vital principal : amongst whom , this young man was none of the least : who had a design upon some of the juniors to ingage them if possible before they were insnared by wicked company , when they came fresh from school . after some time , most of his dear companions were transplanted either into gentlemens families or livings ; and this mr. janeway , being one of the youngest , was , for a while , left alone in the colledge . but he wanting the comfortable diversion of suitable godly society , fixed so intensely upon his studies , that he soon gave such a wound to his bodily-constitution that it could never be throughly healed . chap. viii . his departure from the colledge , to live in dr. cox's family . after a while , dr. cox wanting a tutor for his son in his house sent to the provost of the colledge , to make choi●e of a man of true worth for him : in answer to whose request , the provost was pleased to send mr. janeway , who did neither shame him that preferred him , nor disappointed the expectations of him that entertained him : but , by his diligence , profound learning , and success in his undertakeing , did not a little oblig● the relations of his pupil . but his pains were so great , and his body so weak , that it could not long bear up under such work ; so that he was forced to ask leave of the doctor , to try whether the change of the air might not contribute somewhat to the mending the temper of his body , which now began sensibly to decay . whilest he was in that family , his carriage was so sweet and obliging , and his conversation so spiritual ; that it did not a little endear his presence to them : so that i question not but some of that family will carry a sweet remembrance of him along with them to their graves , and i oft heard him owning the goodness of god to him , in the benefit that he got by the graces and experiences of some christians , in , and relating to that family , whose tender love to him he did gratefully resent upon his death-bed . chap. ix . his retire into the country ; and his first sickness . he now leaves the doctors house , and retires himself into the country , to his mother and eldest brother ; who did not spare to use their utmost diligence and tenderness to recruit the decays of nature : but hard study , frequent and earnest prayers , and long , and intense meditations , had so ruinated this frail tabernacle , that it could not be fully repaired : yet , by gods blessing upon care , and art , it was under-propped for some time . whilst he was in this declining condition , in which he could have little hopes of life ; he was so far from being affrighted , that he received the sentence of death in himself with great joy ; and wrote to his dearest relations , to dispose them to a patient compliance with such a dispensation , as might separate him and them for a while : and to wean their affections from him , he solemnly professed , that as for himself , he was ashamed to desire and pray for life . o , saith he , is there any thing here , more desirable than the injoyment of christ ? can i expect any thing below , comparable to that blessed vision ! o , that crown ! that rest which remains for the people of god! and ( blessed be god ) i can say , i know it is mine . i know that when this tabernacle of clay shall be dissolved , that i have a house , not made with hands ; and therefore i groan , not to be uncloathed , but to be cloathed upon with christ . to me to live is christ , and to die is gain . i can now , through infinite mercy , speak in the apostles language , [ i have fought the good fight , henceforth there is laid up for me a crown incorruptible that fadeth not away . ] when he perceived one of his nearest relations distressed at the apprehensions of his death ; he charged him , not to pray for his life , except it were purely with a respect to the glory of god. i wish ( said he ) i beg you , to keep your minds in a submissive frame to the will of god concerning me . the lord take you nearer to himself , that you may walk with him ; to whom if i go before , i hope you will follow after . yet after this , he was through mercy finely recovered , and his friends were not without some hopes of his living to be eminently instrumental for gods glory , in his generation . after he was recovered in some measure , he fell again to his former practice of ingaging deeply in the secret & great duties of religion , which he constantly practised ( except when god discharged him by sickness : ) secret prayer , at least three times a day somtimes seven times , yeamore ; besides family , and colledge-duties , which were before hinted , he set a part an hour every day for set and solemn meditation ; which duty he found unspeakably to improve his graces , & to make no small addition to his comforts : his time for that duty was most commonly in the evening , when he usually walked into the field , if the weather would permit ; if not , he retired into the church , or any empty solitary room . where ( observing his constant practice , that , if possible , i might be acquainted with the reason of his retiredness ) i once hid my self that i might take the more exact notice of the intercourse , that , i judged , was kept up between him & god. but , o what a spectacle did i see ! surely , a man walking with god , conversing intimately with his maker , and maintaining a holy familiarity with the great jehovah . me-thought , i saw one talking with god ; me-thoughts , i saw a spiritual merchant in an heavenly exchange , driving a rich trade for the treasures of the other world . o what a glorious sight it was ! me-thinks , i see him still ; how sweetly , did his face shine ! o , with what a lovely countenance did he walk up and down , his lips going ; his body oft reaching up , as if he would have taken his flight into heaven ! his looks , smiles , and every motion spake him to be upon the very confines of glory . o , had one but known what he was then feeding on ! sure , he had meat to eat which the world knew not of ! did we but know how welcome god made him when he brought him into his banqueting-house ! that which one might easily perceive his heart to be most fixed upon , was , the infinite love of god in christ , to the poor lost sons and daughters of adam . what else meant his high expressions ? what else did his own words to a dear friend signifie , but an extraordinary sense of the freeness , fulness , and duration of that love ? to use his own words , god ( saith he ) holds mine eyes most upon his goodness , his unmeasurable-goodness , and the promises which are most sure , and firm in christ . his love to us is greater , surer , fuller than ours to our selves . for when we loved our selves so as to destroy our selves , he loved us so as to save us . chap. x. his exhortations to some of his friends . and that he might ingage others in more ardent affections to god , he put words into their mouths ; let us then ( saith he ) behold him , till our hearts desire , till our very souls are drawn out after him , till we are brought to acquaintance , intimacy , delight in him ! o that he would love me ! o that i might love him ! o blessed are they that know him , and are known of him ! it is good for me , to draw near to god. a day in his court is better than a thousand elsewhere ; my soul longeth , yea fainteth for the courts of the lord , my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living god. oh that i were received into converse with him , that i might hear his voice and see his countenance ! for , his voice is sweet and his countenance is comly ! oh that i might communicate my self to god , and that he would give himself to me ! o that i might love him ! that i were sick of love , that i might die in love ! that i might lose my self in his love , as a small drop in the unfathomable depth of his love ! that i might dwell in his eternal love ! o ( saith he to a dear friend under some fears as to his state ) stand still and wonder , behold his love and admire ; now , if never yet , consider what thou canst discover in this precious jesus . canst thou not see so much till thou canst see no more , not because of its shortness , but because of thy darkness ? here 's a sea : fling thy self into it , and thou shalt be compassed with the height , and depth , and breadth , and length of love , and be filled with all the fulness of god. is not this enough ! vvhat wouldst thou have more ? fling away all besides god , god is portion enough , and the only proper portion of the soul. hast thou not tasted , hast thou not known , that his love is better than wine ? hast thou not smelt the savour of his precious ointments , for which the virgins love him ? this , this is he who is altogether lovely . and , while i write , my heart doth burn , my soul is on fire , i am sick of love . dear soul , come near and look upon his face , and see whether thou canst choose but love him . fall upon him , imbrace him , give him thy dearest choicest love : all 's too little for him ; let saith and love kiss him : you shall be no more bold than welcome . fix thine eyes again and again upon him , & look upon his lovely sweet and royal face ; till thou art taken with this beautiful person , who hath not his fellow upon the earth , his equal among the angels . come near , still contemplate his excellency , review each part , and thou wilt find him to be made up of love ; winde thy affections about him ; bind thy soul to him , with the cords of love . thus shalt thou find a new life to animate thy soul ; thou shall then feel a new warmth to melt thy heart ; a divine fire to burn up corruption , and to break forth into a flame of heavenly love ; dwell in this love , and thou shalt dwell in god , and god in thee . but now , me-thinks , i see you almost all in tears because thou feelest not such workings of love towards god. weep on still ; for , love hath tears as well as grief : and tears of love shall be kept in his bottle , as well as they ; yea , they shall be as pretious jewels , and as an excellent ornament . hast thou felt such meltings of loving-grief ? know , that they are no other than the streams of christs love flowing to you , and through you and from you to him again . and thus is christ delighted in beholding of his own beauties , in his spouses eye . i have prayed for a blessing for you , and on these related to you , and if they prove of any power by the spirit of god to you , it will be matter of joy and praise , by your dear friend , john janeway . chap. xi . his temptations from satan . thus , you have a tast of his spirit , and may perceive , what it was that he had his heart most set upon ; and what kept his graces in such vigor and activity ; and how desirous he was that others should be sharers with him in this mercy : yet , for all this , he had his gloomy days , and the sun was sometimes overcast , his sweets were sometimes imbittered with dreadful , and horrid temptations . the devil shot his poisonous arrows at him ; yet , through the captain of his salvation , he came more than a conqueror , out of the field . he was , with paul , many times lifted up into the third heavens , and saw and heard things unutterable : but , lest he should be exalted above measure , there was a messenger of satan sent to buffet him . it would make a christians heart even ake to hear and read what strange temptations this gratious soul was exercised with . but he was well armed for such a conflict , having on the shield of faith whereby he quenched the fiery darts of that wicked-one : yet , this fight cost him the sweating of his very body for agonies of spirit ; and tears and strong cries to heaven , for fresh help . as for himself , he was wont to take an arrow out of gods quiver , and discharge it by faith and prayer , for the discomfiture of his violent enemy , who at last was sain to fly . these temptations and conflicts with satan did not a little help him afterwards in his dealing with one that was sorely afflicted with temptations of the like nature . and because i judge it of singular use to tempted-ones , and find very many of late to be exercised in this kind , i shall insert a letter of his suitable to all christians in the like case . a letter of mr. john janeway . dear friend , your letters are bitter in the mouth , but sweet in the belly ; they contain matter of joy , under a dismal aspect : they are good news , brought by a messenger in mourning : i had rather hear of that which is matter of substantial real joy , though mixed with many sighs , and interrupted with many groans and sobs ; than of that laughter , in the midst of which the heart is sad . you say that you are troubled with blasphemous thoughts : so then , though they are blasphemous , yet they are your trouble ; and thoughts they are too , and that neither sent for , nor welcome ; and so are not assented to in your mind . what then shall we think of them ? if they were of your own production , your heart would be delighted in its own issue : but you do nothing less . sure then , they are the injections of that wicked one , who is the accuser of the brethren , and the disturber of the peace of the people of god. but , doth satan use to imploy those weapons but against those that he is in some fear of losing ? he is not wont to assault and fight against his surest friends , in this manner . those that he hath fast in his own possession , he leads on , as softlyand quietly as he can ; fearing lest such disturbance should make them look about them , and so they should awake , and see their danger . but as for those , that have , in some measure , escaped his snares ; he follows them hard , with all the discouragements he can . surely , these things can be no other but a bitter relish of those things which you know to be bitter after that you have tasted the hony and the hony-comb ; after you have seen , how good the lord is . what then shall i call these motions of your mind ? they are the souls loathing the morsels which satan would have it to swallow down : yea , they are the souls striving with satan , whilst he would ravish the spouse of jesus : and let the enemy of all goodness know , that he shall e're long pay dearly for such attempts . but you will say , if these horrible thoughts be not your sin , yet they are your trouble and misery , and you desire to be freed from them ; and the most loyal and loving spouse , had rather be delivered from those assaults ; but you will ask ; how shall i get free from them ? first , see that you possess your soul in patience ; and know this , that god hath an over-ruling hand in all this : and wait upon him ; for he can , and will bring forth good out of all this seeming evil . at present , you are in the dark and see no light : yet , trust in the lord , and stay your self upon your god. can christ forget the purchase of his own blood , the price of his soul , those whom he hath so intimately indeared to himself ? can a mother forget her sucking child ? yet , god cannot forget his . god hath loving and gratious intents in all this , and his bowels yearn towards his . yes , our saviour suffers with us , through his ardent love by sympathy , as well as he hath suffered for us . but , for your being berid of these thoughts , you know who hath all power in his hand who doth imploy this power in a way of love towards his . this power is made yours through the prayer of faith : but , for your own work , do this . first , let not such thoughts have any time of abode in your mind ; but turn them out , with all the loathing and abhorrence you can ; but , not with so much trouble and disturbance of mind , as , i believe , you do . for , by this the devil is pleased , and he makes you your own tormentor . secondly , always then divert your thoughts to some good thing , and let those very injections be constantly the occasion of your more spiritual meditation . think the quite contrary , or fall a praying with earnestness : and the devil will be weary if he find his designs thus broken , and that those sparks of hell ( which he struck into the soul , to kindle and inflame corruption ) do put warmth into grace , and set faith and prayer a working , when he perceives , that , what he intended as water to cool your love to god , proves like oyl to make it flame the more vehemently he will be discouraged . thus resist him , and he will flee from you . thirdly , consider that this is no new thing : for , we are not in this ignorant of satans wiles , that , if any soul hath escaped out of the chains of darkness , if he will have heaven he shall have it with as much trouble , as the devil can lay on ; and if he and his had their wills , no good man should have one peaceable hour : but , blessed be god for his everlasting and unchangeable love to his that the devil cannot pluck us out of those almighty arms , with which he doth imbrace his dear children . dear heart , my prayer for thee , is , that god would give thee the peaceable fruit of righteousness , after all thy afflictions ; and that thou maist come out of these trials , refin'd and purified and more fit for thy masters use ; having this the end of all , to purge away thy dross , and take away thy sin . thus hoping that , as the length , god will turn thy mourning into joy , thy trouble into triumph , and all thy sorrows into a sure and stable peace ; i leave you with him , and rest , yours in our dear lord , john janeway . he was much afraid of any decays in grace , of apostacy , yea , of flatness of spirit , either in himself or others : and if he suspected any thing of this nature in his nearest relations , he would do what he could possibly , to recover them out of the snares of satan , and to quicken them to higher & more noble vigorous spiritual acts of religion . he laboured to maintain a constant tenderness and sensibility upon his heart , and to take notice of the least departure of his soul from god , or gods absenting of himself from the soul , ( which was an expression that was much in his mouth ) . he had a godly jealousie over his brother : one of which , was awakened by his serious and particular application of himself to him , when he was about eleven years old : but he knew , that conviction and conversion are two things , and that many are somewhat affected by a warm exhortation , who quickly wear off those impressions , and return to their former trifling with god , and neglect of their souls . wherefore , he desired to carry on the work that he had some hopes was well begun : he laboured to build sure , and build up ; that he might be rooted and grounded in the faith stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the lord. wherefore he followed him , not only with private warnings , and frequent patheticall counsels and directions ; but with letters , one of which spoke in this language . another of his letters , of private warning and pathetical counsel . you live in a place where strict and close walking with god , hath few or no examples , and most are apt to be 〈◊〉 their company ; and gods own children are too apt to forget their first love : our hearts are apt to be careless ▪ and to neglect our watch ; we are ready to grow formal in duty or less spiritual , and then , it may be , less frequent : and conscience is put off with some poor excuse : and thus religion withers , and one that seemed once a zealot may come to be laodicean ; and some that looked once as if they were eminent saints , may fall to just nothing . it 's too common , to have a name to be alive and yet to be dead : read this , and tremble lest it should be your case . when we are lazy and asleep , our adversary is awake : when we are sloathful and negligent , then he is diligent . i consider your age , i know where you dwell , i am not unacquainted with your temptations . wherefore , i cannot but be afraid of you , lest , by both inward and outward fire , the bush be singed : though , if god be in it , it cannot be burnt up . give me leave to be in some measure fearful of you , and jealous over you , and to mind you of what you know already . principles of civility will be but as broken reeds , to stay our souls upon ; without those higher principles , which are planted in the soul , by the working of the spirit of god. o , remember what meltings sometimes you have had : remember , how solicitously you did inquire after christ , how earnestly you seemed to ask the way to zion with your face thitherward . oh , take heed of losing those impressions you once had , take not up with a sleight work . true conversion is a great thing , and another kind of business , than most of the world take it to be . o therefore , be not satisfied with some convictions , taking them for conversion ; much less , with resting in a formal lifeless profession . there is such a thing as being almost a christian ; nay , as drawing back unto perdition : and some , that are not far from the kingdom of heaven , may never come there . beware lest you lose the reward ; the promise is made to him that holdeth fast , and holdeth out , unto the end and overcometh . labour to forget what is behind , and to press forward towards things that are before . he that is contented with just grace enough to get to heaven and escape hell , and desires no more ; may be sure , he hath none at all : & is far from being made partaker of the divine nature . labour to know what it is , to converse with god ; strive to do every thing as in his presence ; design him in all ; act , as one that stands within sight of the grave and eternity . i say again , do what you do , as if you were sure god stood by and looked upon you , and exactly observed and recorded every thought word and action ; and you may very well suppose that , which cannot be otherwise . let 's awake , and fall to our work in good earnest : heaven or hell are before us , and death behind us . what do we mean to sleep ! dulness in gods service is very uncomfortable , and at the best will cost us dear : and , to be contented with such a frame , is a certain symptom of a hypocrite . o , how will such tremble , when god shall call them to give an account of their stewardship ; and tell them , they may no longer be stewards . should they fall sick , and the devil , and conscience fall upon them , what inconceivable perplexity would they then be in ! o , live more upon invisibles and let the thoughts of their excellency put life into your performances . you must be contented to be laughed at for preciseness and singularity . a christians walking is not with men but with god ; and , he hath great cause to suspect his love to god , who doth not delight more in conversing with god and being conformed to him than in conversing with the world , and being conformed to it . how can the love of god dwell in that man , who liveth without god in the world ? without both continual vvalking vvith him in his whole conversation , and those more peculiar visits of him in prayer , meditation , spiritual ejaculations , and other duties of religion ; and the workings of faith , love , holy desires , delight , joy and spiritual sorrow in them ! think not , that our vvalking vvith god cannot consist vvith vvorldly business : yes , but religion makes us spiritual in common actions , and there is not any action in a mans life , in vvhich a man is not to labour to make it a religious act , by a looking to the rule in it , and eying of gods glory ; and thus , he may be said to vvalk vvith god. to this vve must indeavour to rise , and never be content , till vve reach to it , and if this seem tedious ( as to degenerate nature it vvill ) vve must know that vve have so much of enmity against god still remaining , and are under depravation and darkness & know not our true happiness : such a soul is sick and it hath lost its taste , vvhich doth not perceive an incomparable sweetness in vvalking vvith god , without whom all things else under heaven are gall and bitterness , and to be little valued by very true christian . but , we are all apt even at the worst , to say , that we prefer god above all things ; but we must know that we have very deceitful hearts : and those who , being inlightned , know for vvhat high ends they should act , and vvhat a fearful condition even a hazard in our case , is ; these i say , will not believe their own hearts without diligent search and good grounds . rest not in any condition in which your security is not founded upon that sure bottom , the lord jesus christ . labour to attain to this , to love god for himself , and to have your heart naturalized & suited to spiritual things . o for a heart to rejoyce and work righteousness ! o , that we could do the will of god , with more activity , delight and constancy ! if we did know more of god , we should love him more ; and then god would still reveal more of himself to us , and then we should see more and more cause to love him , and wonder that we love him no more . o this this , is our happiness , to have a fuller sight of god , to be wrapped up , and filled with the love of christ ; o , let my soul for ever be thus imployed ! lord , whom have i in heaven but thee , and there is none in earth , that i can desire in comparison of thee . you hear what kind of language he spake ; and you may easily perceive what it was that swallowed up his heart , and where his delight , treasure , and life was . o , how much do most of us , who go for christians , fall short of these things : and , how vast a distance between his experience , and ours ; and , what reason have we , to read these lines with blushing , and to blot the paper with tears ? and to lay aside this book a while , and to fall upon our faces before the lord , & bemoan the cursed unsuitableness of our hearts unto god ; and to bewail , that we do so little understand what this walking with god , & living by faith means ! o , at what a rate do some christians live ! and how low , flat and dull , are others . his love to christ , and souls , made him very desirous to spend , and be spent in the work of the ministry , accordingly , he did comply with the first loud and clear call to preach the everlasting gospel ; and , though he was but about two and twenty years old , yet he came to that work like one that understood what kind of employment , preaching was . he was a workman that needed not to be ashamed , that was throughly furnished for every good word and work ; one that was able to answer gainsayers , one in whom the word of god dwelt richly ; one full of the spirit and power ; one , that hated sin with a perfect hatred , and loved holiness with all his soul ; in whom religion in its beauty did shine : one , that knew the terrors of the lord , and knew how to beseech sinners , in christs stead , to be reconciled unto god : one that was a son of thunder , and a son of consolation : in a word , i may speak that of him which paul spake of timothy , that , i know none like-minded , that did naturally care for souls . and , had he lived to have preached often , o what use might such a man have been of , in his generation ! one , in whom learning and holiness did as it were strive which should excel . he never preached publickly but twice , and then he came to it as if he had been used to that work forty years ; delivering the word of god with that power and majesty , with that tenderness and compassion , with that readiness and freedom , that it made his hearers almost amazed : he was led into the mysterie of the gospel , and he spoke nothing to others but what was the language of his heart , and the fruit of great experience , and which one might easily perceive had no small impression first upon his own spirit . his first and last sermons they were upon communion and intimate converse with god , out of job 22. 21. a subject that few christians under heaven were better able to manage than himself , and that scarce any could handle so feelingly as he ; for , he did for some considerable time maintain such an intimate familiarity with god , that he seemed to converse with him , as one friend doth converse with another . this text he made some entrance into , whilst he was here : but , the perfecting of his acquaintance with god was a work fitter for another world . he was one that kept an exact watch over his thoughts , words and actions , and made a review of all that passed him , at least once a day , in a solemn manner . he kept a diary , in which he did write down every evening what the frame of his spirit had been all the day long , especially in every duty . he took notice what incomes and profit he received , in his spiritual traffique ; what returns from that far-country , what answers of prayer , what deadness and flatness , and what observable providences did present themselves , and the substance of what he had been doing ; and any wandrings of thoughts , inordinancy in any passion ; which , though the world could not discern he could . it cannot be conceived by them which do not practise the same , to what a good account did this return ! this , made him to retain a grateful remembrance of mercy , and to live in a constant admiring & adoring of divine goodness ; this , brought him to a very intimate acquaintance with his own heart ; this , kept his spirit low and fitted him for freer communications from god ; this , made him more lively and active ; this , helped him to walk humbly with god , this made him speak more affectionately & experimentally to others of the things of god : and , in a word , this left a sweet calm upon his spirits , because he every night made even his accounts , and if his sheets should prove his widing-sheet , it had been all one : for , he could say his work was done , so that death could not surprize him . could this book [ of his experiences , and register of his actions ] have been read , it might have contributed much to the compleating of this discourse , & the quickning of some , and the comforting of others . but these things being written in characters , the world hath lost that jewel . he studied the scriptures much , and they were sweeter to him than his food ; and he had an excellent faculty in opening the mind of god in dark places . in the latter part of his life he seemed quite swallowed up with the thoughts of christ , heaven , and eternity , and the neerer he came to this the more swift his motion was to it , and the more unmixed his designs for it ; and he would much perswade others to an universal free respect to the glory of god , in all things ; and making religion ones business , and not to mind these great things by the by . chap. xii . ministers are not to carry on low designs . he was not a little concerned about ministers ; that , above all men , they should take heed , lest they carried on poor low designs , instead of wholly-eying of the interest of god , and souls . he judged , that , to take up preaching as a trade , was altogether inconsistent with the high spirit of a true gospel-minister : he desired , that those which seemed to be devoted to the ministry , would be such , first , heartily to devote their all to god , and then that they should indeavour to have a dear love to immortal souls . he was very ready to debase himself ; and humbly to acknowledge , what he found amiss in himself , and laboured to amend himself and others . this , saith he , i must seriously confess , that i must needs reproach my self for deficiency in a christian spiritual remembrance of you ( speaking to a dear friend ) ; and for a decay in a quick tender touch , as of other things , so of what relates to your self in the spirituality of it . not that i think not of you or of god ; but , that my thoughts of you , and spiritual things , are not so frequent , savoury and affectionate , as they ought to be . by this reflection you may easily perceive that i see further in duty than i do in practice . the truth of it is , i grudge that thoughts and affections should run out any whither freely , but to god. and what i now desire for my self , i desire for you likewise , that god would sweeten the fountain , our natures i mean , that every drop flowing from thence may savour of something of god within . thoughts are pretious , affections are more pretious , the best that we are worth ; and , when they flow in a wrong chanel , all go●s pretious dispensations towards us are lost ; all that god hath spent upon us , is lost , and spent in vanity . i speak this , out of a dear respect to your soul , and gods honour ▪ whom , i am loth , should be a loser by his kindnesses . i know , you have many objects , upon which you may be too apt to let out your dear affections . i say again my jealousie , is lest ( there being so many chanels , wherein they may run ) god lose his due . i desire therefore , in humility and tenderness , that this may be as a hint to you from the spirit of god , to look inwards to the frame and disposition of your soul , and to make trial thereof , by the natural out-goings of your affections ; and then , expostulate the case with your own soul . if christ have my warmest love , why is it thus with me ? if god have my heart , why am i so thoughtful about the world ? if i indeed love him best , how cometh it to pass , that i find more strong delightful constant acting of my affections towards my relations , my self , or any worldly thing than , i do after him ? o , the depth of the hearts deceitfulness ! dear and honoured friend , trust not a surmisal , trust not to a slight view of your heart , or the first apprehensions you may have of your self ; but , go down into the secrets of your heart , try and fear , fear and try . an evidence is abundantly more worth than all the trouble that you can be at , in the acquiring of it : and the trouble , that there is good ground for , in an unevidenced state ; is far greater than that which may seem to be in searching for it . yea , to an awakened soul , what is the trouble in clearing its evidences , but their sense or fear of their not being clear , and of the deceitfulness of their hearts . the reality of that evil , which tender soules so dread , doth lie in its full weight , ( though not felt ) , upon the drousie ungroundedly secure sinner . i speak in love ; give me leave , to remember you of some touches that you had formerly upon your spirit under the means of grace ; remember , how much you were sometimes affected under preaching . did you never say , that these sermons upon hardness of heart , softned yours ? inquire i pray , whether those convictions which were then upon your heart , are not worn off , by the incumbrances of the world : if , upon inquity , you find that they are , it 's high time for you to look about you , and repent , and not only to do your first works , but to strive to outgo them . i have vvith grief , taken a review of the frame of my ovvn spirit , vvhen i vvas at your house ; and i have no small sense of the distemper of my soul , vvhereby i vvas betrayed to too great an indifference in the things of god : and , finding by sad experience , that i vvas more apt ( amongst those carnal comforts and affairs ) to lose that rellish , and savour of divine things that i vvas vvont to have ; and those delightful appearances of god vvhich i vvas through rich grace , acquainted with , while i was more sequestred from the world and earthly delights [ not , but that i find my heart at the best , under the highest advantages of closest communion too unwilling to endeavour after , and maintain that gratious sense and acknowledgement of god which i would fain obtain unto ] : i say , observing mine own experiences , and knowing that your heart was something akin to mine , fearing lest multiplicity of business , should expose you also , to the same hazard ; christian compassion could not but put me upon arming of you against those temptations , to which your occasions make you subject . the desire of my soul for you is , that you may travel safely through a dangerous wilderness , to a blessed canaan ; that you may quit your self like a christian in the opposing and conquering all your enemies ; and , at last , come triumphing out of the field , and that you may behave your self like a pilgrim and stranger in a far country , who are looking for a city that hath foundations ; and that we may meet together with joy at our fathers house , and sit down with him in eternal glory . o that word glory is so weighty , if we did believe it , that it would make the greatest diligence we can use to secure it seem light . o that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ! o for more faith ! lord , increase our faith and then there would be no thing wanting to make us put forth the utmost strength of our soul , and to improve every moment of time , to catch hold of all advantages and to make use of all means possible for the attainment of such glorious ends . but , o these unbelieving hearts ! let us join our complaints and let us all break forth into bitter lamentations over them . may not we with as good reason , as that distressed father over his possessed child , bring our hearts into the presence of our saviour , and cry out with tears , and say that it is these unbelieving hearts , which sometimes cast us into the fire , and sometimes into the water : yea , worse , every time we forsake god , and prefer any thing before him , we part with life for death , with heaven for hell. give me leave to come yet a little nearer to you : what an advantage would a full perswasion of the truth and excellency of gospel discoveries , bring to your soul , if you would but seriously , and with all your strength , drive on true spiritual designs . o , how easily might you then go under all your burdens . if your care for the things of this world were but rightly subordinate to the things of eternity how chearfully might you go on with your business ! if you sought first the kingdom of heaven and the righteousness thereof : then all other things would be added ( so far as they are necessary or good for you ) , let me therefore at this time put you upon that duty of raising your mind from earth to heaven , from the creature to the creator , from the vvorld to god. indeed , it is a matter of no small difficulty , to discover that disorder that is in our souls , when we are solicitous about temporary objects and imployments : but , there are but few surer discoveries of it , than insensibility and not complaining of it . for , when the soul is indeed raised to spiritual objects , and to understand clearly its eternal interest ; when it doth in good earnest , take god for its portion , and prefer him above all , then it will quickly be sensible of the souls outgoings after other objects , and even grudge that any time should be taken up in the pursuit of the creature , and that any below god should be followed with earnest pleasure and constancy . it would have god have the best , and it would do nothing else but love , serve and injoy god. for my own part i cannot but wonder that god will give us leave to love him . o blessed goodness , o infinite condescension ! those that believingly seek him he is not ashamed to be called their god. i am sensible in some measure of your burdens , and indeed that must needs be a burden that keeps the soul from pursuing its chiefest good . my prayers for you are that you may have such teachings from god as may make you understand how far heavenly things are more pretious than earthly , and that you may with all your might seek , mind and love that which hath most of true excellency in it , which hath the only ground of real comfort here and of eternal happiness hereafter . chap. xiii . his love and compassion to souls . he was full of pity and compassion to souls , and yet greatly grieved and ashamed that he did no more to express his sense of the worth of souls and that his bowels did no more sensibly yern over them , who he had just cause to fear , were in a christless state . though there were few of his kindred and relations , nay of his neighbours and acquaintance but he did make a personal application to , either by letters or conference : yet for all this , who more ready to cry out of want of love to souls , and unprofitableness to others in his generation , that he was no more full of compassion , and that he made no better improvement of all the visits that he made ; in which , we should not make carnal pleasure and recreation our end ; but the imparting & receiving of some spiritual gift . this made him , after a considerable absence from a dear friend , to groan out these complaints . god by his providence hath off brought us together ; but , to how little purpose , god and our consciences know . as for my part , i may justly bewail my barreness . oh , that i should be of so little use where i come ! oh , that my tongue and heart should be still so unfruitful ! i am ready to hope sometimes , that , if it should please god in his providence to bring us again together , we may be more profitable one to another . and this indeed makes me more desirous of coming to you again , than any thing else . that i may do some good among you . oh , how few study to advance the interest of christ and the benefit of one anothers souls in their visits , as they should and might do ! i am not able , at present , to order my affairs so as to come comfortably over to you , but i hope , e're long , the lord will give me leave to see you , and be refreshed by you , i desire to supply my absence by this sure token of my remembrance of you , and also that i might have an opportunity for that which we ought to eye most in the injoyment of one anothers society . but i have found , that partly because of the narrowness of my heart , not being inlarged to bring forth into act what i have greatly desired , partly because of the malice of the enemy of our souls , who indeavours all that possible he can , to lay stumbling blocks in our way to real union and nearer acquaintance with god and christian communion : from these , and other causes , it is , that i have been too little beneficial to you for mercy . it may be , i may write that with freedom , which in presence i should not have spoken . i shall take occasion from your desire of my presence with you to look higher to the desires of our souls to be in conjunction and communion with the highest good , who fills up all relations to our souls ; who is our father , our husband , our friend , our god ; yea our all in all . but , when i say , he is all in all ; i mean more than that which we count all ; for every one doth confess , that it is god alone , that doth bless all other things to us , and that it is not out of the nature of those things that we injoy , that they are blessings ; but it is god , which makes them comforts to us . and thus god is to be acknowledged all in all common injoyment ! but , besides this , god is something to the soul , which he is by himself and not in the mediation of the creatures , where god is as a portion , and lived upon as our true happiness ; he is , not only the complement of other things , but he himself is the souls sufficiency . i am a little obscure , i desire to be plainer , i mean , that through the dispensation of the gospel , god is to be lived upon , delighted in , and chosen before all , for , for this very end , hath christ appeared , that he might make god approachable by man , and that we who are a far off , may be mad nigh . there is a nearness to god which we are not only allowed but called to in the loving dispensations of the gospel , so that now we are not to be strangers any longer , but friends ; we are to have fellowship and communion with god. why do not our hearts even leap for joy , why do not our souls triumph in these discoveries of love ? even because , we know not the greatness of our priviledges , the highness of our calling , the excellency of our advancement , the blessedness of this life , the sweetness of these imployments , the satisfaction of these injoyments , the comfort of this heavenly life , the delights of this communion with god. we know not the things which belong to our peace : and thus when god calls us to that which he sent his son for , when christ offers us , that which cost him so dear ; we with the greatest unworthiness , the vilest ingratitude , refuse , slight and contemn it . what think we ! doth it not go even to the heart of christ ; and ( to speak after the manner of men ) doth it not grieve him to the soul to behold his greatest love scorned , & the end of his agony to be more vilely accounted of than the basest of our lusts ? let us therefore according to that high calling wherewith we are called , enter into a more intimate acquaintance with god , and as we find our souls acting naturally towards those things , which are naturally dear to us ; so let us strive to highten our spiritual affections . we are very apt to look upon duties as burdens rather than priviledges and seasons of injoying the greatest refreshments ; but these apprehensions are very low and earthly . o that we could at length set our selves to live a spiritual life , to walk with god , and out of a new nature , to savour and rellish those things which are above ! could we but really , intensely , believingly desire that which is real happiness , and the heaven of heaven , union and communion with god ; these desires would bring in some comfort . as for me , you must give me allowance to get my affections more emptied into god ; though it be with a diminution of love to you ; and blessed will that day be , when all love will be fully swallowed up into god. but spiritual love doth not destroy natural affections , or relative obligations , but perfect and rectifie them ; and so i may , giving up my self to god be still yours . chap. xiv . his trouble at the barrenness of christians . he was not a little troubled at the barrenness of christians in their discourse , and their not improving their society for the quickning and warming of their hearts ; the expence of pretious time unaccountably , the ill management of visits , and the impertinency of their talk , he oft reflected upon with a holy indignation . it vext him to the soul , to see what prizes sometimes , were put into the hands of christians and how little skill and will they had to improve them , for the building up one another in the most holy faith : and that they who should be incouraging of one another in the way to zion , communicating of experiences , and talking of their country , and of the glory of that kingdom which the saints are heirs of , could satisfie themselves with empty common vain stuff ; as if christ , heaven and eternity were not things of as great worth as any thing else , that usually sounds in the ears and comes from the lips of professors . that the folly of common discourse among christians might appear more , and that he might discover how little such language did become those that profess themselves israelites , and that say , they are jews ; he once sate down silent and took out his pen and ink , and wrote down in short-hand the discourses that passed for some time together , amongst those which pretended to more than common understanding in the things of god : and after a while he took his paper and read it to them , and asked them whether such talk was such as they would be willing god should record . this he did , that he might shame them out of that usual unobserved & unlamented unprofitable communication and fruitless squandring away that inestimable jewel , opportunity . oh , to spend an hour or two together , and to hear scarce a word for christ or that speaks peoples hearts in love with holiness ; is not this writing a brave rational divine discourse ? fie fie . where 's our love to god and souls all this while , where 's our sense of the pretiousness of time , of the greatness of our account ? should we talk thus , if we believed that we should hear of this again at the day of judgement ? and do we not know that we must give an account of every idle word ? is this like those that understand the language of canaan ? did saints in former times use their tongues to no better purpose ? would enoch , david , or paul , have talked thus ! is this the sweetest communion of saints upon earth ! how shall we do to spend eternity in speaking the praises of god , if we cannot find matter for an hours discourse . doth not this speak aloud our hearts to be very empty of grace , and that we have little sense of those spiritual and eternal concerns upon us ? as the barrenness and empty converse of christians was a sin that he greatly bewailed , so the want of love amongst christians , and their divisions , did cost him many tears and groans ; & he did what he could to heal all the breaches that he could , by his tender prudent and christian advice and counsel ; and if prayers , tears & intreaties & counsels would prevail & cement differences , they should not long be open . nay if his letters would signifie any thing to make an amicable and christian correspondencie , it should not be wanting . and because , the wounds of division are yet bleeding , i shall insert two healing letters of his , which speak what spirit he was of : which take as follows . chap. xv. two letters to cement differences , and cause love among christians . it cannot be expected that wounds should be healed till their cause is removed ; that which moveth me to write to you at present , and puts me upon intentions of writing again , is , that i may do my utmost , by mouth and pen , for the removal of that which is the cause of the inward grief and trouble of my soul , and , i am perswaded , of others also as well as mine , viz. those divisions , that i could not but observe to be between your self and another christian friend . i hope , after my asking counsel not only of my own heart , but of god also ; he hath directed me to that which may be to his own glory , and the good of your soul ; and not only for the removing of grief , but the rejoycing of the hearts of them upon whom former divisions had any effect . i therefore desire you to entertain these following lines , as the issues of deep affection to your soul , and the honour of religion : and i beseech you read them , not only as from me who desire your good with the strength of my soul , but as from god himself of whose love your good improvement will be a token . that that end which i propose to my self , i cannot but perswade my self , you your self design , commend and desire ; which is , christian charity & that sweet meek gospel spirit , which is so highly and frequently commended by our saviour to the practice of his disciples . o that , where there hath been any breaches , there might be the nearer union ; and that ye might be joyned together in the same spirit , might keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace . and for this end that you would remove all old hindrances : watch continually lest you give , and be careful not to take occasion of offence . the necessity , usefulness , sweetness of true spiritual love appears by the word of gods frequent urging of it , by the sense of christians , the uncomfortableness and deformity of the contrary . now , that you may in an unintermitted constancy injoy peace within and without and rejoyce my soul ; i desire you to joyn your own indeavours with the consideration of those things which i shall now and hereafter send to you . first , consider that it is a christians duty to go out of himself , to lay down his own ends and interests , and wholly to take upon him gods cause ; to do all for god , and to act as under god , to be gods instruments in our souls and bodies which are gods : thus did god create man for his own glory , and not that man should seek himself . and when man fell , he fell out of god into himself ; out of that divine order and composure of mind in which god had made him , into confusion ; from a love of god , into a corrupt self-love and self-seeking . now if we do but descend into our souls , & observe the actings , intents and contrivances of them , we cannot but observe how confusedly and abominably all work together for the pampering , pleasing and advancing of self . we are not to think that if we do not presently discover this in our selves , that it is not so with us : for , in some degree it is in every one , even in the truly regenerate ; as far as they have the relicks of corruption in them , so far they have in their souls this self-love . now this disorder in our minds whereby they are taken off from their right ends is that very natural corruption and depravedness which we received from adam , and it is , and , to a spiritual sense , ought to be , worse than hell it self ; in as much as the cause doth eminently contain all and more evil than the effect . this is the spiritual death , whereby we are dead in sin , the fruit of the first curse , thou shalt die the death . the souls life in this world , is its being in god and living to god , and injoyment of god ; and the souls eternal life will be , so to know god as to be formed into his likeness , and to be received into a full participation of , and communion with god. the souls death here , is its being fallen off from god , and its being carried into its self ; and its eternal death will be , an utter separation from him . now mankind being thus fallen from god , christ is sent for this very end , to bring man back again to god ; and then man is brought unto god , when he is brought out of that state of self-love into that state whereby he gives up himself wholly to god. thus the soul being quickened by the spirit of god , leaveth off living to its self , which was its death ; and lives to god , which is its life . here comes in the great duty of denying of our selves for christs sake ; which indeed were no duty , if there were nothing in us contrary to god. this then is our duty not to seek our own things , before the things of god ; to lay gods glory as the foundation of all our actions , and if there be any thing in us contrary to that , to give it no leave to stand in competition with god. now , were this deeply rooted in our hearts , how would contention , anger , wrath and heart-burning and all things of this nature cease ? such influence would the taking gods part against self have , into the quiet and peace of men , that it cannot be without it . we see , how wisely god hath ordered things , that the very act of mans being off from god , should be the cause of confusion , war and misery : and what can be more just and equal than this , that god , who is the author of our being , should be the end of our being ? o then , that once our minds were again reduced to this frame , to live wholly to god! o that we were wrought into a through prejudice against self which stands between us and true peace ! i beg of you to spare some time from the world , and retire into privacie , where you may apply this to your own soul . my prayer to god for you , out of the strong yearnings of my soul towards you is , that he would make this effectual to its intended end , for the inward peace of your soul , for your comfortable walking with god , in this life , and that condition wherein the wisdom of god hath placed you . i writ these lines with the strength of affection ; i feel fear , grief , compassion , working strongly . o pity me in the midst of all these , whilest i cannot call to remembrance the cause of these without a flood of tears . fulfill therefore my joy in being of one mind : yea , if there be any consolation in christ , if any comfort in love , if any-fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels of mercy ; fulfill ye my joy , and be like-minded , having the same love , being of one accord , of one mind , phil. 2. 1 , 2. i leave you to the love and mercy of god , and to the working of his spirit , which alone is able to put life and power into these words . which that he would do , is the earnest request and servent prayer of yours , john janeway . now upon a faithful perusal of this letter , it pleased the lord to give a meek and more complying spirit , and in a great measure it wrought its intended effect . the noble design of this sweet peace-maker , took so far as to produce an ingenious acknowledgement , and sorrowful bewailing of the want of that self-denial , humility , meekness , and love , which doth so much become our sacred profession . upon the hearing of this good news , how strangely was this good man transported ! upon the receipt of a letter from the former friend , which gave no small satisfaction & hopes that his former indeavours were not in vain . and , that he might drive the nail to the head , he speedily backs his for former letter with a second ; which speaks these words . dear friend , my soul is inlarged towards you and my affections work within me ; and yet give me leave now to lay aside those weak flames of natural affection , and to kindle my soul with divine love . here there is no fear of running out too far while all is in christ , and for christ . o that now i could let out the strength of my soul , not as to your self but as to god! o that my heart were more inlarged , that it may be comprehensive of a more full true christian love ! god is altogether lovely , and to be loved for himself , and we are so far dark , ignorant and blind , as we do not see and account him most amiable . o let me have such discoveries of his excellency , that my heart may pant , thirst and break for its earnest longings after the richest participations of him ; that i may for ever be swallowed up of his love ! o that i may love him a thousand times more than i do ! that i may rejoyce in him , and take the sweetest complacencie , & delight in him alone ; & that i could let out my affections most , where i see any thing of himself , any beams of the image of his holiness , and that beareth the impression of his spirit . had you visited me from the dead , could my affections have moved more strongly , or my rejoycings have been greater than they were at the receipt of those lines which i had from you , wherein so much of christ in you , and the goodness of christ to me did appear . fulfil my joy in the lord , refresh my bowels , and let not my rejoycing be in vain . if it hath pleased the lord to make the imperfect & weak indeavours of his unworthy servant , any way subservient to his own glory in you , it is that which i account my self unworthy of , & desire to receive it from him as a manifestation of the riches of his free goodness to my self ; knowing my self to be unworthy to be his instrument in the meanest service , much more in so great a one as this is . hoping and perswading my self of the effectual vvork of my former letter , i am incouraged to write again both because of my promise , and your expectation and the vveighty nature of the subject that i vvas then upon , vvhich vvas love. true christian love , which is a thing so comly , so beautiful and sweet , and of such vveighty power in all actions to make them divine & excellent , that there is no labour lost in indeavouring to get more of it , even in those in vvhom it most aboundeth . the apostle , 1 thes . 4. 9 , 10. though he knew that they vvere taught of god to love one another , and that they did it towards all the brethren , yet , even them he beseeched to abound more and more in that grace of love . the former principal out of which this love doth arise , ( as i informed you in my former letter ) was the putting off our own interests and putting on gods. now i shall proceed in minding you of another christian duty , which is effectual to the knitting us together in a firm operative love , and that is this ; that a christian is to walk as one that is a member of christ jesus . into what near and close union are those that are given him by the father received ▪ how hath the holy-ghost chosen out all the nearest natural relations to express and shadow out the closeness of that spiritual relation that is between christ and his ! christ is our king and we his people , he is our master and we are his servants , he is our shepherd and we the sheep of his pasture , he is our friend and we his , he is our husband and we are his spouse ; he is the vine we the branches , he our head and we are his members ; he is in us and we in him , he is our life . this duty will have influence upon our affections these ways . first , as christ is our head and we are his members , so he hath an absolute command over us . and where this relation is real , obedience to the commands of christ is sweet and without constraint and force ; now this is christs command that we should love one another ; by this saith he shall all men know you are my disciples if you love one another . those relations into which christ , receiveth his , speak and hold forth a willing cheerful full submission to the commands of christ , and what duty is there in all the gospel which is more frequently and earnestly pressed than this . a new commandment give i unto you that you love one another as i have loved you , so love one another . so full is the whole scripture of obligations , both upon conscience and ingenuity to this duty , that the whole stream of it seems to run into this chanel of love. but christs command is such an obligation as one that hath any spiritual sense to feel the strength of it , cannot break . it is christ hath commanded , and shall not we obey ? shall not the love of christ constrain us ? shall we be so unkind to him who hath been so kind to us , as to stand it out with him in so equal a command ? shall not the sweetness of christ overcome us ; that seeing his love was so great , as not to spare his life for us , yea , and suffer more for us i believe than we think he did , nay , i may say than we can conceive he did , and that which commends his love to us is , that he should do and suffer so much for us , that of his creatures we were become his enemies ? why should we not then cheerfully submit to him in this one command , love one another ? doth not the very word love carry in it at the first hearing abundance of alluring violence ? this is christs yoak , and here we may well say , his yoak is easie and his burthen is light . what is there in a life of divine love that we need be afraid of ? what is there is this command that is grievous ? how can this yoak be uneasly ? what reason to be loath to take it on ? but such is the base degeneracy and unreasonableness of corrupted nature , that when any thing comes in competition with self-love , then all bonds must be broken , all yoaks must be cast off , and nothing will then keep us in , but we must and will take our own part though never so bad . and our own part in the heart of passion must seem best , though it be contrary to infinite righteousness , which is god himself . o that we could once learn to lay aside this natural prejudice , which we have against vvhatsoever doth thwart our humours , though it be never so just , holy and rational . o that we could look more narrowly , and search more exactly into our selves vvith a spiritual eye , and then vve could not but see that vvhich would make us loath our selves , and to become abominable in our own eyes , and rather take any part than our own , vve should see so much deceitfulness in our selves , as that vve should think our case bad though it seem never so good to our natural self , till we apply it to the rule . rule , nature vvould have none but it self ; and though in our better composure of mind , vve may receive some other rule ; yet in our passions vve cannot spare time to go to any other rule , but we take that vvhich is next to hand , and self vvill be sure to be that . but we must , if vve vvill be true christians , learn to deny self , and vvholly to submit our selves to the command of christ , as our only rule . o , let the power of christs love , and command , make us obedient to this command of love . secondly , if vve are to walk as members of christ , vvho is our head ; this hath influence upon our affections to oblige us to love one another , as , from the command vvhich the head hath over the members , so , from the conformity that is to be in the members to the head. the head and the members are not of two several natures ; but , the same nature passeth from the head through all the members : now , if vve be ingrafted into christ , vve must become of the same nature vvith him ; let us be followers of christ as dear children , and walk in love , as christ also hath loved us . paul bids us to be followers of himself , as he vvas follower of christ ; christ then is to be our great pattern : he commands us to learn of him , for he was meek . for us to think to attain unto a perfect conformity to him , is in vain ; but , as much as our natures are capable of vve are to strive for it . christs love to us , hath breadth , and length , and depth , and heighth , vvhich passeth knowledge . greater love hath no man than this , that a man should lay down his life for his friend , but herein christ commended his love to us , in that vvhile vve vvere enemies , christ died for us . behold what manner of love is this , that christ hath bestowed on us ! hereby perceive vve the love of god ( that is christ ) because he laid down his life for us , 1 joh. 3. 16. his inference is there the same with mine , and that in a higher degree ; we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren . if life , then sin ; then passion and vvrath ; then a base proud self-pleasing and contradicting humour . do vve see any loveliness or beauty in christ jesus ? is there no excellency in his sweetness pity , and patience ? is not his loving-kindness amiable ? and would not somthing like this in us , be desirable ? had he more reason to love us than we have to love one another ? o , let our souls be overcome with the thoughts of this love of christ : let our hearts be kindled and blown up into a flame of love , by it . o , when shall this dear , precious , pure , eternal love of his , over-power our souls ? when shall it have its proper effect upon us , to make us to desire earnestly to be like our beloved ! when shall we put on his beauty ! o how lovely should we then look ! let us put off that deformity that is upon our souls , which makes us so unlike to christ ; yea , which makes us loathsome in his eyes , pride , passions , worldliness , are those soul-deformities , which keep christ at such a distance from us , and which hinder his more sweet frequent and intimate converse with us . it is only that of himself which christ seeth in us , which he delighteth in . for , in him is the perfection of all beauty and excellency , and whatsoever loveliness is in any thing else , comes from him , is like him , and leads to him . would we know , how much we are beloved of him , let us see how much we are like him ; for , he cannot but love that which is like himself , and if we would be like him , we must put on love , for god is love , and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in god and god in him , 1 joh. 4. 16. thirdly , if we ought to walk towards one another as members of the same body , whereof christ is the head , what can speak a closer union than commembership ? no man ever yet hated his own flesh , but nourisheth and cherisheth it . but we do not feel the power of this oneness , as we ought to do . we are many ; and where there is division , there will be dissention ; that we may therefore , be more one , let us be more in putting off our self , and going into christ . here , let us look into the loathsomness of our natures , whilest off from god ; which is the cause of all this confusion , and if we cannot see its deformity in its self , let us see it in reflection in its bitter effects ; and when we see our own deformity , we shall see less cause to love our selves , and more cause to love others . let us look upon our oneness in christ , and see if we can thence become one in affections . christ saith , i and the children which thou hast given me ; we have one spiritual father , we are brethren ; let us love as brethren . the cause of this union is our being made partakers of christs nature , and baptized into the same spirit with him : and , if we have at any time experienced the more lively and full incomes of this spirit of christ , how did it set the heart on fire ! the soul is then too narrow to contain its own affections ; how dearly then could we look upon a saint ! how did pride and wrath vanish and melt down into meekness , humility and love ! did we never experience what this meaneth ? then , let the remembrance of the sweetness of it , renew it in us . o , a life of spiritual love is a life indeed , a heaven upon earth ! this is a good rule ; when vve find our selves in a spiritual temper , let us examine our selves then , and inquire how vve like such a frame : let us remember the voice of the spirit in us , and labour to have our judgment and affections always after , so ballanced . fourthly , are vve members of christ , vve do not say , vve do not love christ . if vve do indeed love christ , let us love him vvherever vve find him. christ is in all those , that are his. let us fear offending christ in his , for vvhat is done to them , he vvill take as done to himself . it vvill be said in that great day , in as much as ye did it unto these , ye did it unto me . let us think vvhat vve vvill of it at present , the vvorld vvill find this true to their cost . and if vve act as in christ , vve shall find our selves as much concerned for him as for our selves , and more too . oh the vvrongs that are done to him , vve shall reckon done to us . if vve are christs , christs interest vvill be ours , and his injuries ours . if vve are christs , vve vvill be as fearful of offending of any of his , as of vvronging of our selves . christ himself is above the reach of our vvrongs , to be touched by them in himself ; but , in his members he suffers to this very day . if then christ and vve are one , and christ and all his are one ; let us love christ in his , let us rejoice in christ in his members , let us indeavour to requite christ in his members : let us fear grieving the spirit of christ , in grieving the spirits of any of his dear ones . wound not christ in vvounding the heart of his beloved . o the pretiousness , pleasure and profit of this love , i beg of god to give you a full injoyment of that sweetness and the joyful fruits of it , the lord refresh you vvith a quick and constant sence and sight of his eternal love towards your soul ; to vvhich the assurance of true christian love by the effectual vvork of the comforter , may bring you . by this vve know , that vve are passed from death to life , because vve love the brethren . if it shall please the lord to give me leave to see you again , i shall come vvith strong expectations , and earnest desires of seeing a sweet alteration for the better in you , in your deportment , and carriage towards one that did deserve better at your hands . and vvhat an effect hopes of this nature frustrated , vvill produce ; i beseech you to judge . i pray god fill you vvith peace and joy . my hand is vveary vvith vvriting , but my mind still runs forth in desires and prayers for you . i hope the lord vvill take away all cause of vvriting any more of this subject unto you . your letter gave me hopes of a good beginning : i beseech the lord to carry on vvhat he hath begun to the glory of his goodness , that i may at every sight of you , see more of the image of christ in you , and more of the power and beauty of this grace of love , and that i may find you drawn nearer to heaven , and see you vvith christ in heaven vvhen time shall be no more . i leave you in the arms of love. john janeway . by all this you may easily perceive what spirit acted him , and how much he was troubled for any divisions amongst the people of god. indeed , he was of so loving , and lovely a disposition , that he even commanded the affections of most that knew him ; and so humble he was , that he was ashamed to be loved for his own sake . i can never forget a strang expression , that i have heard from him , concerning one that had a very ardent love for him . i know this ( saith he ) that i love no love but what is purely for christs sake , would christ might have all the love , he alone deserves it : for my part , i am afraid and ashamed of the love and respects of christians . he saw so much pride , peevishness and division amongst professors , that it did not a little vex his righteous soul , and made him think long , to be in a sweeter air , where there should be nothing but union , joy and love . he could not indure to hear christians speak reproachfully one of another , because they were of different judgments and perswasions . there where he saw most holiness , humility and love , there he let out most of his affections . and he was of that holy mans mind , that it were pity that the very name of division were not buried ; and that the time would come , that we might all dearly pay for our unbrotherly nay unchristian animosities . chap. xvi . an account of the latter part of his life . for the latter part of his life ; he lived liked a man that was quite weary of the world , and that looked upon himself as a stranger here , and that lived in the constant sight of a better world . he plainly declared himself but a pilgrim that looked for a better country , a city that had foundations , whose builder and maker was god. his habit , his language , his deportment , all spoke him one of another world . his meditations were so intense , long and frequent , that they ripened him apace for heaven ; but , somewhat weakned his body . few christians attain to such a holy contempt of the world , and to such clear believing , joyful , constant apprehensions of the transcendent glories of the unseen world . he made it his whole business to keep up sensible communion with god , and to grow into a humble familiarity with god , and to maintain it . and if by reason of company or any necessary diversions , this was in any measure interrupted ; he would complain , like one out of his element , till his spirit was recovered into a delightful more unmixed free intercourse with god. he was never so well satisfied , as when he was more immediately ingaged in what brought him nearer to god ; and by this he injoyed those comforts frequently , which other christians rarely meet with . his graces and experiences , toward his end grew to astonishment . his faith got up to a full assurance ; his desires into a kind of injoyment and delight . he was oft brought into the banqueting house , and there christs banner over him was love ; and he sate down under his shadow with great delight , and his fruit was pleasant unto his tast . his eyes beheld the king in his beauty , and while he sate at his table , his spicknard did spend forth its pleasant smell : he had frequent visions of glory , and this john lay in the bosom of his master , and was sure a very beloved disciple , and highly favored . his lord oft called him up to the mount to him , and let him see his excellent glory , o the sweet foretasts that he had of those pleasures that are at the right hand of god. how oft was he feasted with the feast of fat things those wines on the lees well refined ; and sometimes he was like a giant refresht with new wine , rejoycing to run the race that was set before him , whether of doing or of suffering . he was even sick of love and he could say to the poor unexperienced world , o tast and see ! and to christians come and i well tell you what god hath done for my soul. o what do christians mean that they do no more labour to get their sences spiritually exercised ? o , why do they not make religion the very business of their lives ? o , why is the soul , christ and glory thus dispised ? is there nothing in communion with god ? are all those comforts of christians , that follow hard after him , worth nothing ? is it not worth the while to make ones calling and election sure . o , why do men and women jest , and dally in the great matters of eternity ? little do people think , what they slight , when they are seldom and formal in secret duties , and when they neglect that great duty of meditation , which i have through rich mercy , found so sweet and refreshing : o , what do christians mean , that they keep at such a distance from christ ? did they but know the thousandth part of that sweetness that is in him , they could not choose but follow him hard ; they would run and not be weary , and walk and not be faint . he could sensibly and experimentally , commend the ways of god to the poor unexperienced world , and say , his ways are pleasantness ; and justifie wisdom and say , her paths were peace . he could take off those aspersions which the devil , and the atheistical frantick sots , do cast upon godliness in the power of it . here is one that could challenge all the atheists in the world to dispute ; here is one could bring sensible demonstrations to prove a deity , & the reality and excellency of invisibles ; which these ignorant fools and mad men , make the subject of their scorn : here is one that would not change delights with the greatest epicures living , and vie pleasure with all the sensual rich gallants of the world . which of them all could in the midst of their jollity say , this is the pleasure , that shall last for ever ? which of them can say , among their cups and whores , i can now look death in the face , and , this very moment i can be content , yea glad , to leave these delights , as knowing , i shall injoy better . and this he could do , when he fared deliciously in spiritual banquets every day : he could , upon better reason than he did , say , soul , thou hast goods laid up for many years ; he knew full well , that what he did here injoy , was but a little to what he should have shortly . in his presence there is fulness of joy ; at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore . where is the belshazzar , that would not quake in the midst of his cups , whilst he is quaffing and carouzing in bowls of the richest wine , if he should see a hand upon the wall , writing bitter things against him ; telling him that his joys are at an end , and that this night his soul must be required of him ; that now , he must come away , and give an account of all his ungodly pleasures , before the mighty god. where is the sinner , that could be contented to hear the lord roaring out of zion , whilest he is roaring in the tavern ? which of them would be glad to hear the trumpet sound , and to hear that voice , arise you dead and come to judgment ? which of them would rejoyce to see the mountains quaking , the elements melting with fervent heat , and the earth consumed with flames ; & the lord christ whom they despised , coming in the clouds with millions of his saints and angels , to be avenged upon those that knew not god and obeyed not his gospel . is not that a blessed state , when a man can lift up his head with joy , when others tremble with fear , and sink with sorrow ? and this was the condition of this holy young man. in the midst of all worldly comforts he longed for death : & the thought of the day of judgment , made all his injoyments sweeter . o , how did he long for the coming of christ ! whilst some have been discoursing by him of that great and terrible day of the lord , he would smile , and humbly express his delight in the forethought of that approaching hour . i remember , once there was a great talk that one had foretold that doomsday should be upon such a day : although he blamed their daring folly , that would pretend to know that which was hid from the angels themselves , and that the devil could not acquaint them with ; yet granting their supposition to be true , what then said he ? what if the day of judgmennt were come , as it will most certainly come shortly ? if i were sure , the day of judgment were to begin within an hour , i should be glad with all my heart . if at this very instant , i should hear such thunderings , and see such lightnings , as israel did at mount sinai ; i am perswaded , my very heart would leap for joy . but this i am confident of , through infinite mercy , that the very meditation of that day hath even ravished my soul , and the thought of the certainty and nearness of it , is more refreshing to me than the comforts of the whole world . surely , nothing can more revive my spirits , than to behold the blessed jesus ; the joy , life , and beauty of my soul . would it not more rejoyce me , than josephs wagons did old jacob ? i lately dreamed that the day of judgment was come : methought , i heard terrible cracks of thunder , and saw dreadful lightnings ; the foundations of the earth did shake , and the heavens were roled together as a garment ; yea , all things visible were in a flame ; methought , i saw the graves opened , and the earth and sea giving up their dead ; methought , i saw millions of angels , and christ comming in the clouds . methought , i beheld the antient of days sitting upon his throne , and all other thrones cast down : methought , i beheld him whose garments were white as snow , and the hair of his head like pure wool : his throne was like the firely flame , and his wheels as burning fire ; a firey stream issued and came forth from him ; thousands of thousands ministred unto him ; and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him ; and the judgment was set and the books were opened . o , but with what an extasie of joy was i surprized ! methought , it was the most heart-raising , and soul-ravishing sight , that ever my eyes beheld : and then i cried out , i have waited for thy salvation , o god ; and so i mounted into the air , to meet my lord in the clouds . this i record , only to shew , how far he was from being daunted at the thoughts of death or judgement : and to let other christians know , what is attainable in this life ; and what folly it is , for us to take up with so little , when our lord is pleased to make such noble provisions for us , and by a wise and diligent improvement of those means which god hath offered us , we may have an entrance administred to us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and saviour jesus christ . o how comfortable , how honourable , and how profitable is this state ! these are your men that quit themselves like christians this is true gallantry , noble manhood , real valour ! this was the condition of mr. janeway for about three years before he died ; i will not deny but that he had some clouds ; but , he usually walked in a sweet , even , humble serenity of spirit , and his refreshing joys were more considerable than his dispondings ; and though he daily questioned many actions ; yet , did not question his state , but had his heart fixed upon that rock that neither waves nor winds could shake . his senses were still so spiritually exercised , as that he could look up to heaven as his country and inheritance , and to god as his father , and to christ as his redeemer ; and ( that which is scarce to be heard of ) he counted it the highest act of patience to be willing to die , and a very great pitch of self-denial to be contented to be in this world , and to dwell on this side a full and eternal injoyment of that royal glorious one whom his soul was so much in love with . in a word , he had the most earnest desires to be dissolved and to be with christ that i ever saw , read , or heard of , since the apostles times . chap. xvii . his last sickness , and death . and now the time draws nigh , wherein his longings shall be satisfied ; he is called to his last work ; and truly , his deportment in it , was honourable ; his carriage so eminently gracious , so meek , patient , fruitful , joyful and thankful , that it made all his friends stand and wonder as being abundantly above their experience and reading ; and those christians that saw him , could not but admire god in him , & look upon him as one of the most singular instances of rich grace , and even bless god that their eyes ever saw , or their ears ever heard , such things ; and had such a sensible demonstration of the reality of invisibles . he falls into a deep consumption . his body is now shaken again , and he falls into a deep consumption ; but , this messenger of god did not in the least damp him . spitting of blood , was no ghastly thing to one that had his eye upon the blood of jesus ; faint sweats did not daunt him that had always such reviving cordials at hand . it 's matter of joy to him , that he was now in some hopes of having his earnest desires satisfied . after he had been a while sick , a sudden dimness seized upon his eyes ; by and by his sight quite failed ; and there was such a visible alteration in him , that he and others judged these things to be the symptoms of death approaching . but when he was thus taken , he was not in the least surprized ; but was lifted up with joy to think , what a life he was going to , looking upon death it self as one of his fathers servants , and his friend that was sent as a messenger to conduct him safely to his glorious palace . when he felt his body ready to faint , he called to his mother and said , dear mother i am dying , but i beseech you be not troubled ; for , i am through mercy , quite above the fears of death , it 's no great matter , i have nothing troubles me but the apprehensions of your grief . i am going to him , whom i love above life . but it pleased the lord to raise him again a little out of this fainting fit , for his master had yet more work for him to do before he must receive his wages . although his outward man decayed apace , yet he is renewed in the inward man day by day : his graces were never more active , and his experiences were never greater . when one would have thought , he should have been taken up with his distemper , and that it had been enough for him to grapple with his pains , then he quite forgets his weakness ; and is so swallowed up of the life to come , that he had scarce leisure to think of his sickness . for several weeks together , i never heard the least word that savoured of any complaint or weariness under the hand of god ; except , his eager desire to be with christ , be counted complaining , and his haste to be in heaven be called impatience . now 's the time when one might have seen heaven and the glory of anothee world realized to sense . his faith grew exceedingly and his love was proportionable , and his joys were equal to both . o the rare attainments ! the high and divine expressions , that dropped from his mouth ! i have not words to express what a strange , triumphant , angelical frame , he was in , for some considerable time together . it was a very heaven upon earth , to see and hear a man admiring god at such a rate , as i never heard any , nor ever expect to hear or see more , till i come to heaven . those that did not see cannot well conceive , what a sweet frame he was in , for at least six weeks before he died . his soul was almost alwaies filled with those joys unspeakable and full of glory . how oft vvould he cry out ; o , that i could but let you know what i now feel ! o , that i could show you what i see : o , that i could express the thousandth part of that sweetness that i now find in christ ! you would all then think it well worth the while to make it your business to be religious . o my dear friends , we little think what a christ is worth upon a death-bed . i would not for a world , nay for millions of worlds , be now without a christ and a pardon . i would not for a world be to live any longer : the very thoughts of a possibility of recovery , makes me even tremble . when one came to visit him , and told him , that he hoped it might please god to raise him again , and that he had seen many a weaker man restored to health , and that lived many a good year after : and do you think to please me ( said he ) by such discourse as this ? no , friend , you are much mistaken in me , if you think that the thoughts of life , and health , and the world , are pleasing to me . the world hath quite lost its excellency in my judgement . o how poor and contemptible a thing is it in all its glory , compared with the glory of that invisible world which i now live in the sight of ! and as for life , christ is my life , health and strength ; and i know , i shall have another kind of life , when i leave this . i tell you it would incomparably more please me , if you should say to me , [ you are no man of this world ; you cannot possibly hold out long ; before to morrow you will be in eternity ] . i till you i do so long to be with christ , that i could be contented to be cut apeices , & to be put to the most exquisite torments , so i might but die , and be with christ . o , how sweet is jesus ! come , lord jesus , come quickly . death do thy worst ! death hath lost his terribleness . death it is nothing . i say , death is nothing ( through grace ) to me . i can as easily die as shut my eyes , or turn my head and sleep : i long to be with christ ; i long to die ; that was still his note . his mother and brethen standing by him he said ; dear mother , i beseech you as earnestly as ever i desired any thing of you in my life , that you would cheerfully give me up to christ ; i beseech you , do not hinder me , now i am going to rest and glory . i am afraid of your prayers , lest they pull one way and mine another . and then turning to his brethren he spake thus to them , i charge you all , do not pray for my life any more : you do me wrong , if you do ! o that glory , the unspeakable glory that i behold . my heart is full , my heart is full . christ smiles , and i cannot chose but smile : can you find in your heart , to stop me who am now going to the compleat and eternal injoyment of christ ? would you keep me from my crown ? the arms of my blessed saviour are open to imbrace me ; the angels stand ready to carry my soul into his bosom . o , did you but see what i see : you would all cry out with me , how long , dear lord , come lord jesus come quickly ! o , why are his chariot-wheels so long a coming ! and all this while he lay like a triumphing conqueror , smiling and rejoicing in spirit . there was never a day towards his end but ( as weak as he was ) he did some special piece of service in , for his great master . yea , almost every hour did produce fresh wonders . a reverend , judicious and holy minister came often to visit him , and discoursed with him of the excellency of christ , and the glory of the invisible world . sir , said he , i feel something of it ; my heart is as full as it can hold in this lower state ; i can hold no more here . o that i could but let you know what i feel ! this holy minister praying with him his soul was ravished with the abundant incomes of light , life and love ; so that he could scarce bear it , nor the thought of staying any longer in the world , but longed to be in such a condition , wherein he should have yet more grace and more comfort , and be better able to bear that weight of glory ; some manifestations whereof did even almost sink his weak body , & had he not been sustained by a great power , his very joys would have overwhelmed him ; and whilst he was in these extasies of joy and love , he was wont to cry out , who am i lord , who am i , that thou shouldst be mindful of me ! why me lord , why me , and pass by thousands & look upon such a wretch as me , o , what shall i say unto thee , o thou preserver of men ? o , why me lord , why me ? o blessed , and for ever blessed , be free grace ! how is it , lord , that thou shouldst manifest thy self unto me , and not unto others , even so father , because it seemeth good in thy eyes , thou wilt have mercy because thou wilt have mercy . and if thou wilt look upon such a poor worm who can hinder ! who would not love thee ! o blessed father ! o how sweet and gratious hast thou been unto me ? o , that he should have me in his thoughts of love , before the foundations of the world . and thus he went on , admiring and adoring of god , in a more high and heavenly manner than i can clothe with words . suppose what you can on this side heaven , and i am perswaded you might have seen it in him . he was wonderfully taken with the goodness of god to him in sending that aged experienced minister to help him in his last great work upon earth . who am i , said he , that god should send to me a messenger one among a thousand ( meaning that minister who had been praying with him with tears of joy ) . though he was towards his end , most commonly ●n a triumphant joyful frame ; yet , sometimes even then he had some small intermissions , in which he would cry out , hold out faith and 〈◊〉 ; et a little while , and your work is , done . and when he found not his heart wound up to the highest pitch of thankfulness , admiration and love ; he would with great sorrow bemoan himself , and cry out in this language , and vvhat 's the matter now , o my soul , vvhat vvilt thou , canst thou thus unworthily sleight this admirable and astonishing condescention of god to thee ? seems it a small matter , that the great jehovah should deal thus familiarly with his worm ; and wilt thou pass this over , as a common mercy ? what meanest thou , o my soul , that thou dost not constantly adore and praise this rare , strong , and unspeakable love ! is it true , o my soul , doth god deal familiarly with man , and are his humble , zealous , and constant love , praise , and service too good for god ? why art not thou o my soul , swallowed up every moment with this free unparalell'd everlasting love. and then he breaks out again into another triumphant extasie of praise and joy ; and expressed a little of that which was unexpressible in some such words as these , stand astonished ye heavens , and wonder o ye angels , at this infinite grace ! was ever any under heaven more beholding to free grace than i ? doth god use to do thus , with his creatures ? admire him for over and ever , o ye redeemed ones ! o those joys , the tast of which i have ! those everlasting joys , which are at his right hand for evermore ! eternity , eternity it self , is too short to praise this god in . o bless the lord with me , come let us shout for joy and boast in the god of our salvation . o , help me to praise the lord for his mercy indureth for ever ! one of his brethren ( that had formerly been wrought upon by his holy exhortations and example ) praying with him , and seeing of him , ( as he apprehended ) near his dissolution , desired , that the lord would be pleased to continue those astonishing and soul supporting comforts to the last moment of his breath , and that he might go from one heaven to another , from grace and joy imperfect , to perfect grace and glory ; and when his work was done here , give him , if it were his will , the most easie and triumphant passage to rest ; and that he might have an abundant entrance administred into the everlasting kingdom of our lord and saviour jesus christ . at the end of the duty he burst out into a wonderful passion of joy . ( sure that was joy unspeakable and full of glory ! ) o what an amen did he speak , amen , amen , amen , hallelujah . it would have made any christians heart to leap , to have seen and heard , what some saw and heard , at that time ; and i question not , but that it will somewhat affect them to hear and read it ; though it be scarce possible to speak the half of what was admirable in him : for , it being so much beyond president , it did even astonish and amaze those of us that were about him , that our relation must fall hugely short of what was real . i verily believe that it exceeds the highest rhetorick , to set out to the life , what this heavenly creature did then deliver . i say again , i want words to speak , and so did he ; for , he saw things unutterable : but yet , so much he spake as justly drew the admiration of all that saw him ; and i heard an old experienced christian and minister say it again and again , that he never saw , nor read , nor heard the like : neither could we ever expect to see the glories of heaven more demonstrated to sense , in this world. he talked as if he had been in the third heavens , and broke out into such words as these , o , he is come ! he is come ! o how sweet ! how glorious is the blessed jesus ! how shall i do to speak the thousandth part of his praises ! o for words , to set out a little of that excellency ! but it is unexpressible ! o how excellent , glorious , and lovely is the precious jesus ! he is sweet , he is altogether lovely ! and now i am sick of love , he hath ravished my soul with his beauty ! i shall die sick of love. o my friends stand by and wonder , come look upon a dying man , and wonder ; i cannot my self but stand and wonder ! was there ever a greater kindness , was there ever sensibler manifestations of rich grace ! o , why me , lord , why me ! sure this is akin to heaven , and if i were never to enjoy any more than this ; it were well worth all the torments that men and devils could invent ; to come thorow yea even a hell to such transcendent joys as these . if this be dying , dying is sweet : let no true christian ever be afraid of dying . o death is sweet to me . this bed is soft . christs arms and kisses , his smiles and visits , sure they would turn hell into heaven . o that you did but see and feel what i do ! come and behold a dying man more chearful than you ever saw any healthful man in the midst of his sweetest enjoyments ? o sirs , worldly pleasures are pitiful poor sorry things , compared with one glimps of this glory , which shines in so strongly into my soul ! o why should any of you be so sad , when i am so glad ? this , this is the hour that i have waited for ! about eight and forty hours before his death , his eyes were dim , and his sight much failed ; his jaws shook and trembled , and his feet were cold , and all the symtoms of death were upon him , and his extream parts were already almost dead and senseless , and yet , even then , his joys were ( if possible ) greater still : he had so many fits of joy unspeakable , that he seemed to be in one continued act of seraphick love , and praise . he spake like one that was just entring into the gates of the new jerusalem : the greatest part of him was now in heaven ; not a word drop'd from his mouth but it breathed christ and heaven . o what incouments did he give to them which did stand by , to follow hard after god , and to follow christ in a humble , believing , zealous course of life , and adding one degree of grace to another , and using all diligence to make their calling and ele●●ion sure ; and that then , they also should find , that they should have a glorious passage into a blessed eternity . but most of his work vvas praise , a hundred times admiring of the bottomless love of god to him ▪ o , vvhy me , lord , vvhy me ! and then he vvould give instructions to them that 〈◊〉 to see him . he vvas scarce ever silent , because the love of christ and souls , did constrain him . there vvas so much work done for christ in his last hours , that i am ready to think , he did as much in an hour as some do in a year . every particular person had a faithful affectionate vvarning . and that good minister , that vvas so much vvith him , used this as an argument to perswade him to be vvilling to live a little longer , and to be patient to tarry gods leisure ; sure god hath somthing for thee to do that is yet undone ; some vvord of exhortation to some poor soul , that you have forgot . the truth of it is , he vvas so filled vvith the love of christ , that he could scarce bear absence from him a moment . he knew that he should be capable of bearing of greater glory above , than he could hear . it was the judgment of some that were with him , that his heart was not only habitual , but actually set on god all the day long ; and nothing of humane frailty , that could be thought a sin , did appear for some time ; except it vvere his passionate desire to die , and difficulty to bring himself to be vvilling to stay below heaven . he vvas wont every evening to take his leave of his friends , hoping not to see them , till the morning of the resurrection ; and he desired that they would be sure to make sure of a comfortable meeting at our fathers house , in that other world. i cannot relate the twentieth part of that vvhich deserved to be vvritten in letters of gold. and one that vvas one of the vveakest , said , that he did verily believe , that if we had been exact in our taking his sentences , and observing his daily experiences , he could not imagine , a book could be published of greater use to the world , next the bible it self . one rare passage i can't omit , vvhich vvas this , that vvhen ministers or christians came to him , he would beg of them , to spend all the time that they had vvith him in praise . o help me to praise god , i have now nothing else to do from this time to eternity , but to praise and love god. i have what my soul desires upon earth , i can't tell what to pray for but what i have gratiously given in . the wants that are capable of supplying in this world , are supplyed . i want but one thing , and that is , aspeedy life to heaven . i expect no more here , i can't desire more , i can't hear more . o praise , praise , praise that infinite boundless love that hath , to a wonder , looked upon my soul , and done more for me than thousands of his dear children . o bless the lord , o my soul , and all that is within me bless his holy name . o help me , help me , o my friends , to praise and admire him that hath done such astonishing wonders for my soul ; he hath pardoned all my sins , he hath filled me with his goodness ; he hath given me grace and glory , and no good thing hath he withheld from me . come , help me with praises , all 's too little : come , help me , o ye glorious and mighty angels , who are so well skilled in this heavenly work of praise . praise him , all ye creatures upon the earth , let every thing that hath being , help me to praise him . hallelujah , hallelujah , hallelujah : praise is now my work , and i shall be engaged in this sweet imployment for ever . bring the bible , turn to davids psalms , and let us sing a psalm of praise ; come let 's lift up our voice in the praise of the most high , i will sing with you as long as my breath doth last ; and when i have none , i shall do it better . and then turning to some of his friends that were weeping , he desired them , rather to rejoyce than weep upon his account . it may justly seem a wonder , how he could speak so much as he did , when he was so weak ; but the joy of the lord did strengthen him . in his sickness , the scriptures that he took much delight in , were the fourteenth , fifteenth , sixteenth , and seventeenth of john. the fifty fourth of isay was very refreshing also to him ; he would repeat that word [ with everlasting mercies will i gather ] with abundance of joy . he commended the study of the promises to believers , and desired that they would be sure to make good their claim to them , and then they might come to the wells of consolation , and drink thereof , their fill . according to his desire most of the time that was spent with him , was spent in praise ; and he would still be calling out , more praise still . o , help me to praise him : i have now nothing else to do ; i have done with prayer , and all other ordinances ; i have almost done conversing with mortals . i shall presently be beholding christ hinself , that dyed for me , and loved me , and washed me in his blood. i shall before a few hours are over , be in eternity singing the song of moses , and the song of the lamb. i shall presently stand upon mount zion , with an innumerable company of angels , and the spirits of the just made perfect , and jesus the mediator of the new covenant , i shall hear the voice of much people , and be one amongst them , which shall say hallelujah , salvation ▪ glory , honour , and power unto the lord our god ; and again , we shall say hallelujah . and yet a very little while , and i shall sing unto the lamb , a song of praise , saying , worthy art thou to receive praise who wert slain , and hast redeemed us to god by thy blood , out of every kindred , and tongue , and people , and nation , and hast made us unto our god , kings and priests , and we shall reign with thee for ever and ever . methinks i stand , as it were , with one foot in heaven , and the other upon earth ; methinks , i here the melody of heaven , and by faith , i see the angels waiting to carry my soul to the bosom of jesus , and i shall be for ever with the lord in glory . and who can choose but rejoyce in all this . in several times , he spake in this language , and repeated many of these words often , over , and over again , with far greater affection , than can be well worded . and i solemnly profess , that what is here written , is no hyperbole , and that the twentieth part of what was observable in him is not recorded , and though we can't word it exactly as he did , yet you have the substance , and many things in his own words with little or no variation . the day before his death , he looked somewhat earnestly upon his brother james , who stood by him very sad ; of whom he judged that he was putting up some ejaculations to god upon his account , i thank thee , dear brother for thy love , said he , thou art now praying for me , and i know thou lovest me dearly : but christ loveth me ten thousand times more than thou dost ; come , and kiss me , dear brother , before i die ; and so with his cold dying lips , he kissed him , and said , i shall go before , and i hope thou shalt follow after to glory . though he was almost always praising god , and exhorting them that were about him to mind their everlasting concerns , and secure an interest in christ ; and though he slept but very little for some nights ; yet he was not in the least impaired in his intellectuals , but his actions were all decent , and becoming a man ; and his discourse to a spiritual understanding , highly rational , solid , divine . and so he continued to the last minute of his breath . a few hours before his death , he called all his relations and brethren together ; that he might give them one solemn warning more , and bless them , and pray for them , as his breath and strength would give him leave . which he did with abundance of authority , affection , and spirituallity : which take briefly as it follows . first , he thanked his dear mother , for her tender love to him , and desired that she might be in travail to see christ formed in the souls of the rest of her children , and see of the travail of her soul , and meet them with joy in that great day . then , he charged all his brethren and sisters in general , as they would answer it before god , that they should carry it dutiful to their dear mother . as for his eldest brother william , ( at whose house he lay sick ) his prayer vvas , that he might be swallowed up of christ , and love to souls ; and be more and more exemplary in his life , and successful in his ministry , and finish his course vvith joy . his next brothers name vvas andrew , a citizen of london , who was with him and saw him in this triumphing state ; but ( his necessary business calling him away ) he could not then be by ; yet , he vvas not forgot , but he was thus blessed , the god of heaven remember my poor brother at london ! the lord make him truly rich in giving him the pearl of great price , and make him a fellow-citizen with the saints , and of the house-hold of god ; the lord deliver him from the sins of that city , may the world be kept out of his heart , and christ dwell there . o that he may be as his name is , a strong man , and that i may meet him with joy. then he called his next brother , whose name was james ( whom he hoped god had made him a spiritual father to ) to whom he thus addressed himself ; brother james , i hope the lord hath given thee a goodly heritage , the lines are fallen to thee in pleasant places ; the lord is thy portion . i hope the lord hath shewed thee the worth of a christ : hold on dear brother ; christ , heaven and glory , are worth striving for : the lord give thee more abundance of his grace . then , his next brother abraham was called ; to whom he spake to this purpose , the blessing of the god of abraham rest upon thee , the lord make thee a father of many spiritual children . his fifth brother , was joseph , whom he blessed in this manner , let him bless thee , o joseph , that blessed him that was separated from his brothren . o that his everlasting arms may take hold on thee ! it is enough , if yet thou mayest live in his sight . my heart hath been working towards thee , poor joseph ; and i am not without hopes , that the arms of the almighty will mbrace thee . the god of thy father , bless thee with the blessings of heaven above . the next , was his sister mary , to whom he spoke thus , poor sister mary , thy body is weak and thy daies will be filled with bitterness ; thy name is marah , the lord sweeten all with his grace and peace , and give thee health in thy soul. be patient , and make sure of christ , and all is well . then , his other sister , whose name was sarah , was called ; whom he thus blessed , sister sarah , thy body is strong , and healthful ; o that thy soul may be so too ! the lord make thee first a wise virgin , and then a mother in israel ; a pattren of modesty , humility , and holiness . then another brother , jacob was called ; whom he blessed after this manner , the lord make thee an israelite indeed in whom there in no guile ! o that thou maist learn to wrestle with god , and like a prince , maist prevail , and not go without the blessing ! then he prayed for his youngest brother benjamin , who was then but an infant ; poor little benjamin , o that the father of the fatherless , would take care of thee poor child , that thou , which never sawest thy father upon earth , maiest see him with joy in heaven ; the lord be thy father , and portion ; maist thou prove the son of thy mothers right hand , and the joy of her age ! o that none of us all , may be found amongst the unconverted in the day of judgment ! o that every one of us may appear ( with our honoured father , and dear mother ) before christ with joy that they may say lord here are we , and the children which thou hast gratiously given us . o that we may live to god here , and live with him hereafter . and now , my dear mother , brethren , and sisters , farewel ; i leave you for a while , and i commend you to god , and to the word of his grace , which is able to build you up , and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified , and now , dear lord , my work is done , i have finished my course , i have fought the good fight , and henceforth there remaineth for me a crown of righteousness ! now come dear lord jesus , come quickly . then that godly minister came to give him his last visit , and to do the office of an inferiour angel , to help to convey this blessed soul to glory who was now even upon mount pisga , and had a full sight of that goodly land at a little distance . when this minister spake to him , his heart was in a mighty flame of love and joy , which drew tears of joy from that pretious minister , being almost amazed to hear a man just a dying , talk as if he had been with jesus , and came from the immediate presence of god ; ` o the smiles that were then in his face , and the unspeakable joy that was in his heart ; one might have read grace , and glory , in such a mans countenance . o the praise , the triumphant praises , that he put up ! and every one must speak praise about him , or else they did make some jar in his harmony . and indeed most did , as well as they could help him in praise . so that i never heard , nor knew more praises given to god in one room , than in his chamber . a little before he died , in the prayer , or rather praises , he was so wrapped up with admiration and joy , that he could scarce forbear shouting for joy . in the conclusion of the duty , with abundance of faith , and fervency , he said aloud , amen , amen! and now his desires shall soon be satisfied . he seeth death coming apace to do his office , his jaws are loosened more and more , and quiver greatly ; his hands and feet are as cold as clay , and a cold sweat is upon him : but , o how glad was he when he felt his spirit just agoing ! never was death more welcom to any mortal , i think . though the pangs of death where strong : yet , that far-more-exceeding and eternal weight of glory , made him indure those bitter paines , with much patience and courage . in the extremity of his pains , he desired his eldest brother to lay him a little lower , and to take away one pillow from him , that he might die with the more ease ; his brother replied , that he durst not for a world , do any thing that might hasten his death a moment . then he was vvell satisfied , and did sweetly resign himself up vvholly to gods disposal ; and after a few minutes , vvith a sudden motion gathering up all his strength , he gave himself a little turne on one side ; and in the twinkling of an eye , departed to the lord , sleeping in jesus . and now blessed soul , thy longings are satisfied , and thou seest and feelest a thousand times more than thou didst upon earth , and yet thou canst bear it vvith delight , thou art now vvelcomed to thy fathers house by christ , the beloved of thy soul ; now thou hast heard him say , come , thou blessed of my father , and , well done good and faithful servant , enter thou into the joy of the lord , and vvear that crown vvhich vvas prepared for thee , before the foundation of the world. o that all the relations vvhich thou hast left behind thee , may live thy life , and die thy death , and live vvith christ , and thee , for ever and ever . amen , amen . he dyed june 1657. aged 23. / 24. and was buried in kelshall church , in hartfordshire . finis . books printed for , and are to be sold by tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside . sermons on the whole epistle of saint paul to the colossians , by mr. j. daille , translated into english by f. s. with dr. tho. goodwin's , and dr. john owens epistles recommendatory . an exposition of christs temptation on matth. 4. and peters sermon to cornelius ; and circumspect walking . by dr. tho. taylor . a practical exposition on the 3d chapter of the first epistle of saint paul to the corinthians , with the godly mans choice , on psalm 4. v. 6 , 7 , 8. by anthony burgess . christianographia , or a description of the multitudes and sundry sorts of christians in the world not subject to the pope , by eph. pagit . dr. donns 4 to sermons , being his 3 volumes . pareus exposition on the revelations . choice and practical expositions on 4 select psalms : viz. the fourth psalm in eight sermons . the forty second psalm in ten sermons . the fifty first psalm in twenty sermons . the sixty third psalm in seven sermons . forty six sermons npon the whole eighth chapter of the epistle of the apostle paul to the romans . both by tho. horton , d. d. late minister of saint hellens . an analytical exposition of genesis , and of twenty three chapters of exodus , by george hughes , d. d. books 4to . the door of salvation opened by the key of regeneration , by george swinnock , m. a. an antidote against quakerism , by steph. scandret . an exposition on the five first chapters of ezekiel , with useful observations thereupon , by william greenhil . the gospel covenant opened , by pet. bulkley . gods holy-mind touching matters moral , which he uttered in ten commandments : also , an exposition on the lords prayer , by edward eston , b. d. the fiery-jesuit , or an historical-collection of the rise , encrease , doctrines and deeds of the jesuits , exposed to view for the sake of , london . horologiographia optica ; dyaling , universal and particular , speculative and practical ; together with a description of the court of arts , by a new method , by sylvanus morgan . regimen sanitatis salemi , or the regiment of health ; containing directions and instructions for the guide and government of mans life . a seasonable apology for religion , by matthew pool . separation no schism , in answer to a sermon preached before the lord mayor , by j. s. the practical divinity of the papist discovered to be destructive to true religion , and mens souls , by j. clarkson an exercitation on a question in divinity , and case of conscience , viz. whether it be lawful for any person to act contrary to the opinion of his own conscience , formed from arguments that to him appears very probable , though not necessary or demonstrative . the creatures goodness as they came out of gods hand , and the good-mans mercy to the bruit-creatures , in two sermons , by tho. hodges , b. d ▪ certain considerations tending to promote peace and unity amongst protestants . mediocria , or the most plain and natural apprehensions which the scripture offers , concerning the great doctrines of the christian religion : of election , redemption , the covenant , the law and gospel ▪ and perfection . the saints triumph over the last enemy , in a sermon at the funeral of mr. james janeway , by nath. vincent . the vanity of man in his best estate , in a discourse on psal 39. 5. at the funeral of the lady susanna keate , by richard kidder , m. a. the morning-lecture against popery , or the principal errors of the church of rome detected and confuted in a morning-lecture , preached by several ministers of the gospel in or near london . four useful discourses : ( 1 ) the art of improving a full and prosperous condition for the glory of god ; being an appendix to the art of contentment in three sermons , on philip. 4. 12. ( 2 ) christian submission , on 1 sam. 3. 18. ( 3 ) christ a christians life and death is gain , on philip. 1. 21. ( 4 ) the gospel of peace sent to the sons of peace , in six sermons , on luke 10. 5 , 6. by jeremiah barroughs . dr. wilds letter of thanks and poems . a new copy-book of all sorts of useful hands . the saints priviledg by dying , by mr. scot. the new world ; or new-reformed church , by doctor homes . the vertuous daughter , a funeral-sermon , by mr. brian . the miracle of miracles , or christ in our nature : by dr. rich. sibbs . the unity and essence of the catholick church-visible , by mr. hudson . dr. prideaux ' s fasciculus controversiarum theologicum . brightman on revelations , canticles and daniel . seamans-companion . canaans calamity . the intercourse of divine love between christ and the church , or the particular believing soul : in several lectures on the whole second chap. of cant. by john collins , d. d. large 8vo . heart-treasure : or a treatise tending to fill and furnish the head and heart of every christian with soul-enriching-treasure of truths , graces , experiences , and comforts . the sure mercies of david ; or a second part of heart-treasure . heaven or hell here in a good or bad conscience , by nath. vincent . closet-prayer a christians duty ; all three by o. h●yword . a practical discourse of prayer ; wherein is handled the nature and duty of prayer , by tho. cobbet . of quenching the spirit ; the evil of it , in respect both of its causes and effects , discovered ; by theophilus polwheile . the re-building of london encouraged and improved in everal meditations : by samuel rolls . the sure way to salvation ; or a treatise of the saints mystical union with christ ; by richard stedman . m. a. sober singularity , by the same author . heaven taken by storm . the mischief of sin : both by tho. watson . the childs delight ; together with an english grammar . reading and spelling made easie ; both by tho. lye. aesop's fables , with morals thereupon in english-verse . the young-mans instructor , and the old-mans remembrancer ; being an explanation of the assemblies catechism . captives bound in chains , made free by christ their surety ; both by tho. doolittle . eighteen sermons preached upon several texts of scripture , by william whitaker . the saints care for church-communion ; declared in sundry sermons , preached at st. james dukes-place , by zech. crofton . the life and death of edmund stanton d. d. to which is added a treatise of christian-conference ; and a dialogue between a minister and a stranger . sin the plague of plagues , or sinful sin the worst of evils ; by ralph venning . m. a. cases of conscience practically resolved ; by j. norman . the faithfulness of god considered and cleared in the great events of his word ; or a second part of the fulfilling of the scripture . the immortality of the soul explained and proved by scripture and reason ; to which is added faiths-triumph over the fears of death ; by tho. wadsworth . a treatise of the incomparableness of god , in his being , attributes , works , and word ; by george swinnock , m. a. a discourse of the original , &c. of the cossacks . the generation of seekers ; or the right manner of the saints addresses to the throne of grace , with an exposition on the lords-prayer . the administration of cardinal ximones . a discourse of family-instruction , by owen stockton ; with directions for those that have suffered by the fire . an essay to facilltate the education of youth , by bringing down the rudiments of grammar to the sense of seeing , which ought to be improved by syncresis ; by m. lewis of totenham . an artificial vestibulum ; wherein the sense of janua linguarum is contained , compiled into plain and short sentences in english , for the great case of masters , and expeditious progress of scholars , by m. lewis . speculum sherlockianum , ot a looking glass , in which the admirers of mr. sherlock , may behold the man , as to his acuracy , judgment , orthodoxy . a discourse of sins of omission ; wherein is discovered their nature , causes , and cure ; by george swinnock . mr. baxter's reformed pastor . his majesties propriety in the british seas vindicated . quakerism no christianity ; or a through-quaker no christian , proved by their principles , and confirmed by scripture ; by j. faldo . differences about water-baptism no bar to communion ; by jo. bunian . the dutch-dispensatory ; shewing the vertues , qualities and properties of simples ; the vertue and use of compounds ; whereto is added the compleat herbalist . judg dodaridge's laws of nobility and peerage . dinglys spiritual fast . solitude improved by divine meditation ; by matth. ranew . a murderer punished and pardoned , or tho. savage his life and death ; with his funeral sermon . small 8vo . a defence against the fear of death ; by zach. crofton . gods soveraignty displayed ; by william gearing . the godly mans ark , or a city of refuge in the day of his distress , in five sermons ; with mrs. moors evidences for heaven : by edmund calamy . the almost-christian discovered , or the false-professor tried and cast , by m. mead. the true bounds of christian-freedom : or a discourse shewing the extent and restraints of christian-liberty , by s. bolton . , d. d. the sinfulness of sin and fulness of christ , in two sermons ; by will. bridg. a plea for the godly , or the righteous mans excellency . the holy eucharist , or the sacrament of the lords supper . a treatise of self-denial . all three by tho. watson . the life and death of tho. wilson of maidstone in kent . the life and death of doctor samuel winter . a covert from the storm , or the fearful encouraged in the day of trouble . worthy-walking press'd upon all that have heard the call of the gospel . the spirit of prayer . all three by nath. vincent . the inseparable union between christ and a believer , by tho. peck . a discourse of excuses ; setting forth the variety and vanity of them : the sin and misery brought in by them , by john sheffield . invisible reality , demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of mr. j. janeway . the saints encouragement to diligence in christs service : both by mr. james janeway . a discourse concerning the education of children . convivium coeleste ; a plain and familiar discourse concerning the lords supper ; both by r. kidder . the saints perseverance asserted in its positive-ground against mr. ives , by tho. danson . a wedding-ring fit for the finger ; by will. secker . the young-mans call and duty ; by nich. lockyer . an explanation of the shorter-catechism of the assembly of divines ; by tho. lye. the childs delight with pictures ; by tho. lye. the life and death of tho hall. a plea for the non-conformists , tending to vindicate them from schism , by a doctor in divinity . the flat opposition of poperty to scripture ; by j. n. chaplain to a person of honour . the weavers pocket-book , or weaving spiritualiz'd by j. c. d. d. two disputations of original-sin ; by richard baxter . the history of moderation . the welcome cominunicant . the ready way to prevent sin ; by william bagshaw . the little-peace-maker , discovering foolish pride , the make-bate . philadelphia ; or a treatise of brotherly-love ; by mr. gearing . reformation or ruine , being certain sermons on levit. 26. 23 , 24. by tho. hotchkis . the riches of grace displayed ; to which is added the priviledg of passive obedience ; and 52 proposals in order to help on heart-humiliation ; by will. bagshaw . the parable of the great supper opened in 17 sermons , by jo. crump . a present for teeming-women , by j. oliver . non-conformity without controversie ; by benj. baxter . the christians daily monitor ; by josh . church . a treatise of closet-prayer ; by richard mayo . the religious family ; by philip lamb. a sober inquiry , or christs reign with saints a thousand years . a discourse of the prodigious abstinence of martha taylor . a memento to young and old ; by john maynard . the priviledg of the saints on earth above those in heaven ; by william hook. index biblicus multijugus , or a table of the holy scripture ; wherein each of its books , chapters , and particular matters are distinguished and epitomized . the day of grace , with the conversion of a sinner ; by nath. vencent . the greek testament in 8 vo . an easie and useful grammar for the learning of the french tongue , by mr. gosthead , gentleman . mr. raworths work and reward of a christian . the miners monitor , or advice to those that are employed about the mines . a protestant catechism for little children . a scripture catechism ; by samuel petto . a catechism according to the church of england . grotius catechism . brief of the bibles-history . the fountain sealed ; by dr. sibbs . nero ▪ tragidea . cottons none but christ . cornelianum dolium . the christians earnest longing for christs appearing , preached at the funeral of mr. noah webb ; by dan. burgess . wilsons catechism . elenchus motuum nuperorum in anglia . cocains poems . poor robins jests . croftons foelix scelus ; or prospering-prophaneness provoking holy conference ; by zech. crofton . gramaticus analyticus , by the same author . alexanders advice to his son. artificial embelishments . h. excellency of christ set forth . gods soveraignty displayed ; by mr. william gearing . in small 12 s. the duty of parents towards their children . a little book for little children . a method and instruction for the art of divine meditation . all three by tho. white . the considerations of drexelius on eternity . the shadow of the tree of life , by m. m. the psalms of david newly translated : more plain , smooth and agreeable to the text than any heretofore . the prisoners prayers . mr. henry lakin's life of faith. awakening call to sinners . crumbs of comfort , or the lord bacons prayers . finis . one come from the dead, to awaken drunkards and whoremongers being a sober and severe testimony against the sins and the sinners, in an exact description of the nature and danger of these two soul-destroying evils : together with proper and sovereign remedies / by richard garbut ... ; with epistles to the reader, by mr. r. baxter, and mr. william jenkins. garbutt, richard. 1675 approx. 233 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 102 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-05 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a42198 wing g208 estc r9286 12418211 ocm 12418211 61780 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a42198) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 61780) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 939:3) one come from the dead, to awaken drunkards and whoremongers being a sober and severe testimony against the sins and the sinners, in an exact description of the nature and danger of these two soul-destroying evils : together with proper and sovereign remedies / by richard garbut ... ; with epistles to the reader, by mr. r. baxter, and mr. william jenkins. garbutt, richard. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. jenkyn, william, 1613-1685. [48], 154, [1] p. printed for francis smith ..., london : [1675?] reproduction of original in cambridge university library. "the epistle to the reader" by richard baxter is dated london, august 23, 1675. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin -early works to 1800. drinking of alcoholic beverages -great britain -controversial literature. 2003-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-02 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-03 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2003-03 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion one come from the dead , to awaken drunkards and whoremongers . being a sober and severe testimony against the sins and the sinners ; in an exact description of the nature and danger of these two soul-destroying evils . together with proper and sovereign remedies . by richard garbut , b. d. who being dead , yet speaketh . with epistles to the reader , by mr. r. baxter , and mr. william jenkins . eph. 5. 6. because of these things cometh the wrath of god. london , printed for francis smith , at the elephant and castle near the royal exchange in cornhill . price bound 1 s. imprimatur , c. smith . to the truly honourable , and good lady , the lady barwick , of toulston in york-shire . good madam , though your many former favours merit an acknowledgment from me beyond what i am capable any way to express ; and though nothing more usual than to take the opportunity of dedications , to l●…nch out into obsequious encomiums , and sometimes deserved praises of obliging great persons , yet without the consideration of your gre●…t averseness to any thing that looks like ●…ttery ( if but the modest and just mention os real worth , ) i had this onely design and ●…ope , in ●…utting this treatise into your wardship and ●…atronage ( the author being long since dead ) that your eminency in degree , together with your great eminency in piety and known enmity to vice , together with your true countenancing os vertues , and exemplary strictness , in family order and discipline might encourage many to the reading of this most useful and seasonable treatise ; and so through the grace of god may prove of great advantage to them , who otherwise would scarce give a look through the title-page : if i am blame-worthy in thus doing , it can be no reslection upon your honour , since i have done it without consulting you , or asking your consent . i shall add no more but the recognition of my inward assectiona●…e esteem of your ladyship , and fervent prayers for a blessing from the great god and our saviour , upon your person and right honourable off-spring , that you may grow in all graces , together with that approved faithsulness to god and man which runs in your veins ; and is the genius of the truly good family , ( the ancient family of the s●…ricklands , of boynton-house , where the sob●…r and learned sir thomas strickland now resi●…eth , nephew to your ladyship , and eldest son to that worthy patriot sir william strickland , whose well known piety and prudence will eternize his memory ; ) i subscribe my self ( good madam ) your honours truly devoted servant in the lord jesus , thomas hardcastle . a prefatory epistle to the reader , especially to the inhabitants of the town of leeds , in yorkshire , with some few remarques of the authors life . beloved friends and countrymen , these sermons were preached to your fathers , and the printing of them may prove good preventing physick to your children ; the wisdom of god by solomon , hath thought it meet to spend some scriptures in precautions , and particular descriptions of pit-falls , that they may be the better avoid●…d , prov. 22. ●…4 . & 23. 27. prov. 20. ●… . & 23. 21. of this nature are th●… fol●…owing treatises , which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…ublished many ●…ars ago , ●…d ●…or that end the manuscrip●… ( being left in the ●…ands of ●…r . mans●…ield h●…sle aster mr. 〈◊〉 death ) were delivered to * mr. na. jackson and my self : after mr. j●…ckson's death the thing lay buried , and almost qui●…e forgotten , till lately the lord brought it fresh upon my spirit , that something was to be done by me in order to the fulfilling the will of the dead , that the desires and intentions of the persons above-mentioned might be answered ; besides , i was the more willingly drawn to it upon this ground , that i have been told by some that lived in those days , that such a warning and testimony as this is as necessary , and may be as prositable now as it was then ; perhaps , also one rising from the dead may strike some terror into a sensual generation , and the fingers of a mans hand writing , dan. 5 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. when it comes to be seen and read , may cause more change of countenances , and procure more troubled thoughts than any the loudest reproofs of the tongue preaching . this for the publication : as for the author , i never knew him , i was not come into the world when he went out of it ; onely this true and brief account of some passages of his life , noted by his intimate friends and observers , which because the genius of the present age renders emphatically seasonable , i shall communicate . that during his abode in sidney-colledge he approved himself an exemplary student , a great proficient , a ●…areful tutor , and for conversation unblameable ; so●… hi●… eminent worth he was so valued by dr. ward , the master of that colledge , that he singled him out to go with him when he went to the synod of dort ; after his return thence , when the colledge-statutes so required , he commenced batchelor in divinity , and in the year 1624. he made solemn vows in writing ( found since his death , in his study ) to this effect ; never to take upon him any higher degree than what he already had , to yield up his fellowship , and never to have any commodity of it after december the same year ; to leave the colledge and university by such a time , never to give money directly or indirectly for any benefice , never to have two benefices at once , never to be properly a non-resident , that is ( as his words were ) to absent himself from his proper cure , and live ordi●…arily else where upon pleasure sor inter●…st , ambition , or 〈◊〉 like . according to his vow he 〈◊〉 up his fellowship , and left 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , being not then pro●… 〈◊〉 ●…y place of employment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yield him a livelihood : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was first bound to go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 country , york-shire , and hav●…ng been tutor to a grand-child of tobit matthews , then arch-bishop of york , he found entertainment with him , till he was recommended by him as an assistant to mr. alex. cook , vicar of leeds , who was grown aged , and not able 〈◊〉 p●…each ●…wice a day ; mr. cook having made tryal of mr. garbutt's abilities , found him every way to his liking , and told him , if he would be content with fifty pounds per annu●… , he might come to his assistance ; to whom mr. garbutt replyed , it is ●…nough : he came to leeds about the beginning of 1625. where till near the time of his marriage he was entertained by mr. john harrison , a person very rich in good works . the matter of his preaching ( as also of his conversation ) was very pious and strict . the manner of his preaching at his first coming was too academical for the community of his auditors , whereupon divers of them requested him to preach in the method they had been used to , and conceived might be most useful ; namely , by doctrine , reason , and use ; to which he readily condescended , as aiming at their profiting more than his own praise : he was observed to be very temperate in his diet , and sparing in his recreation ; he was a hard student , early and late at it , where the bible was the centre of his library , out of which his sermons were well studied , and penn'd almost verbatim before he offered them in the pulpit . at one time , upon an apprehension that his ministry was slighted , and likewise unsuccessful , and that he did no good among them , he resolved to leave them , and go preach else-where ; upon which some of the meaner and poorer sort came to him , and one of them spoke these words to him : if you will indeed go , i will give you one word , which is this ; if you have been an instrument to begin any good work of grace in the heart of any one of the congregation , and that one soul miscarry through your departure , the blood of that soul god will require at your hands , i charge you therefore not to go : whereupon he resolved to stay till his dying day , and after this the fruit of his ministry appeared to him more and more . the year before his death he said to some that he doubted his ministry had not that effect he would have it , and he feared the cause was because some paid towards his maintenance by way of collection for him ; i am resolved therefore i will not have a penny collected for me , but will depend upon god , for i know that thos●… that get good by my pains will not see me want nec●…ssaries ; and for the rest that get no good , i will have none of their mon●…es : for the manner of his delivery , he was painful in it , his matter came from him with much gravity , earnestness , seriousness , and weigh●…iness of spirit ( as some yet alive can witness , who retain the savour of his good doctrine ) for with the vehemency of s●…tting on his matter , he at length broke a vein within his breast , and spitted blood in such abundance , th●…t it brought him to a hasty consumption ; he being in this condition , was advis●…d by his physitians not to come into the pulpit any more , yet again venturing ( remembring that a minister should die preaching ) it set him on fresh a bleeding , wh●…reof he soon after died , in the year 1630. a little before his death he did in the pr●…nce of divers with thankfulness to god , acknowledge the sweet refreshment which he received from gods bearing witness to his industry , and to his fidelity , in that to the best of his knowledge and judgment he had never delivered any thing but the councel of god. the reader in these sermons will meet with some uncouth expressions and words , which he is desired to ascribe to the dialect of his countrey , where they have their proper use and full significancy . and now , beloved friends , having this fair opportunity , give me leave in pure love and faithfulness to you , to recommend a few plain , but weighty and necessary things to your serious consid●…tion and practice . first , look upon the saving knowledge of a cruci●…ied christ to be the best , the most needful , and most excellent knowledge ; study to believe in him , to be found in him , let him be your propitiation and advocate , learn what union with him , engrafting into him , growing up in him , and living upon him , mean. secondly , maintain a conversation sutable to the gospel , make it appear that the word is your rule , the spirit your leading-principle , that grace commands you , that you live under the power of things future and invisible ; and that you are not conformed to the world , nor led by its customs , nor captivated with present things , nor guided by the stirrings and motions of prevailing and inordinate desires . thirdly , be f●…ithful to your own consciences , the most upright christian is he who walks up most to his light , and is most tender of oss●…nding here ; because some have set them in the place of christ , others have run into an extr●…am of not allowing them their ●…eputy-ship and vice-gerency , not su●…ring them to be a rule ruled . the debauchery of some hath giv●…n too much occasion to the delu●…on of o●…hers ; the best way to confute an error , is not to run into the contrar●… extream , but to make good all the good ground that li●…●…ar it as much as may be . oh , 〈◊〉 very observant of , and 〈◊〉 to ●…our scripturally enlightned cons●…iences , every sin against the light of conscience wounds terribly ; sew erre for want of light , all are guilty more or less of o●…fending against light. fourthly , be 〈◊〉 to one a●…other●… consciences ; they are the lords peculiar , the most excellent and tender part of men , and most severely guarded by the lord , by his precepts , promises , threatnings , and providences , from all manner of persecution , imposition , judging , despising , and all injurious in●…ursions whatsoever . fifthly , recoll●…ct the sabbaths and serm●…ns you have enjoyed ; it 's good to bring out of your treasuri●…s things ●…w and old , a word ●…own 〈◊〉 or thirty years ago may b●…ing ●…orth fruit now ; you have had faithful and painful * mi●… , some of which have spent moneths in premonitions about * perillous tim●…s , do not think that any thing s●…ould be forgotten , which 〈◊〉 of ●…ecessity be ac●…●…or . sixthly , walk expediently , 1 cor. 10. 23. many things may be lawful which gospel-expediency allows not : he that will go as far as he may , will sometimes go further than he should ; an upright heart still sets his watch upon his own ground of lawfuls , and not on the disputable borders of unlawfuls . the gospel is a kind of chancery to the summum jus of the law , as in respect of the life and righteousness it discovers : so , in regard of the laws it doth declare and enjoyn . there are three special rules of gospel-chancery and expediency that i would intreat your careful keeping of . ( 1. ) do all to the glory of god , 1 cor. 10. 31. will the lord get honour by this action ? will his name and religion be better thought of ? ( 2. ) do all to edisic●…ion , rom. 14. 19. will this be a stumbling-block and an o●…fence to others , or does it tend to edi●…ie , confirm and build up others ? will this be a conviction or an hardning to the enemy ? will this draw and sweeten the spiri●…s of men to religion , or comfort them in it ? ( 3. ) do as you would be done by : see m●…t . 7. 12. it seems this is the law and the prophets , and our saviours command makes it gospel too ; there is more religion in gospel-morals than most professors are aware of . seventhly , be very careful about your spe●…ch and words ; let them be few , true , savoury , charitable , and seasonable : i think the third of james hath much gospel in it , and i know not how to get over that james 1. 26. if any man among you seem to be religious , and bridleth not his tongue , but deceiveth his own heart , this mans religion i●… vain ; better any thing we meddle with prove vain than our religion ; there are many in hell that are tormented because of their tongues : consult scripture-rules and reproofs about the tongue , which are many , and know , that specious professors may be damned for errors and defects herein ; how many have cause to mourn over the liberty and lashes of that unruly member ! eightly , love not the world ; i have sometimes looked upon some texts with amazement : how many die of receiving their consolation ! what pity is it that any that are for purity of worship should go to hell for covetousness , which is idolatry ! how many are overgrown with this disease and do not know it ? this so deep and dangerous an evil , so hard to discover , that hath such plausible pr●…tences and covers , and can carry it with so much respect to , and allowance of every thing that belongs to the form of godliness ; let it be yo●…r constant prayer , from inordinate d●…sires aft●…r , secret delight , and conceited con●…idence in any of the things of this world , good lord deliver us . ninthly , be even and propor●…ionable christians , have respect to all the parts of godliness , be good at all times , and in all places , do not live as if christ and religion were divided , and the weightier and lesser matters of the law fallen out ; god has joyned all the parts of duty together , and made them subservient each to other : let your heart bear proportion to your profession , to your present outward conditions , and to your future and glorious expectations , titus 2. 13. 1 cor. 15. 19. do not think that you can do enough in religion , so as you need not do more ; the reality of grace cannot better be proved , than by its growth , he that thinks he cannot be better , was never truly good ; not to go forward is to go backward ; let your returns bear some proportion to your receivings , and manifold means of being made better ; every sermon mercy and correction call loudly upon you for an increase in true sanctification and full conformity to gods will to believe , ●…e , and walk as he would have you . tenthly , be stedfast and unmovable in your christian 〈◊〉 , 1 cor. 15. 58. ●…eb . 10. 38. be not you of them that draw back unto perdition ; i often think of that word , will ye also go away ? take heed of that s●…ar of man that brings a snare ; a back ▪ sliding 〈◊〉 is a monster in religion ; 〈◊〉 gospel never yields so much swe●…ness as when it is 〈◊〉 for , pr●…pare for speedy and sharp tryals ; let not carnal and slavish fear o●… outward losses make you lose all you have done in the service of god : your wisdom will be manifested , and your salvation met with by your enduring to the end , gal. 1. mat. 10. 22. and now , dearly beloved , if you are pleased to accept these few hints with the same candor and affection they are offered to you , i hope there may be a mutual cause of blessing the lord , and i shall reap the benesit of your prayers , which are the chief things i aim at in this under●…aking ; i subscribe my self a true well-willer to , and sincere endeavourer of the real welfare of you all , t. h. the epistle to the reader . reader , i judge these sermons worthy to be made publick . 1. because ●…hey speak against sins which we can hardly say too much against . as they are exceeding pernitious , so the inclination to them is born so commonly in humane nature , that as they have been the sins of former ages , so they are like to continue to the end . were sin but in mens opinions , reason might change them ; but when it is rooted in sensitive inclination , the temptation is strong , and almost constant , and reason it self is born down by the violence of appeti●…e and lust. most councils called general , have been occasioned by some heresies , but augustine would have had one called for the suppression of drunkenness : and though heresies be numbred with the fruits of the flesh , bestiality kills its ten thousands for the thousands that meer 〈◊〉 kills . though the papal cler●…y , who prefer carnal interest before hon●…sty , can b●…r with ●…en drunkards or fornicators easilier than with one that is but publickly named a heretick or a schismatick , for being against ●…heir schism , pride , and tyranny ; yet alas , it is sensuality , sensuality , that in all ages finds the greatest work for the admonitions , and the tears of faithful teachers ; and which carrieth away the a●…ultitude to perdition , and often is the spring of real heresie it self , while it must have a palliate of a carnal kind of religion to keep conscience from tormenting them before the time. even the children of pious ●…rents are born with a flesh that loveth pleasant meats and drinks , and idleness , and sports , and fil●… lusts : and if wise and godly education , and gods powerful grace do not mortisie these fleshly desires , and bring the appetite under the true government of god and conscience , beasts will spring out of the families of lords , and knights , and gentlemen ; yea , and of the most religious ●…arents and ministers themselves . the great warfare in the world , which heaven or hell must be the end of , is between the flesh and the spirit . and it is to please some beastly lusts , and that flesh which must shortly turn to ugly loathsome rottenness , and then to dust , that most sinners sell ( though they are loath to believe it ) their god , their redeemer , their souls , and their everlasting hopes . o mad and miserable bargain ! the re-view of which must be their endless torment . o that i had ●…ound no more resistance of my ministry by drunkenness , gluttony , lust●…ulness ▪ and other fleshly pleasures , and the love of pride , and plenty to maintain them , than i have found from simple here●…e ! i take it for granted , that treatises of this nature will not be like some books which i have written against some ●…alse opinions , which are up this year and down the next , and then the books are like almanacks out of date ; but they are like physick books , written for the cure of such diseases as will trouble and kill men to the end of the world , and therefore never grow out of usefulness . 2. and i would i had not another motive , viz. that the age and air that we live in , doth cry loud for such remedies . men use to write most of such diseases as the country and mens present danger maketh them most liable to ; as of the pes●…ilence and raging plagues , of the s●…urvy or fever in countries most infested with them , and of the ven●…real po●… a●…ng the worse than brutish letch●…rs : and by the same reason an admonition against drunkenness and w●…redom is seasonable , when mens increased abominable wickedness doth make it more than ordinarily necessary . and the rather , because as this learned author truly tells us , these sins do engage men in an enmity to the contrary truths and practices , and consequently to the preachers and practicers of piety , temperance , and sobriety ; and they that are first made so mad as to sell their own souls for an unlawful cup or lust , are not like to be very tender of the souls , or lives , or estates ▪ or names of other men. and a wicked life , as it cometh from a blinded judgment , doth blind it more , and betray more to the sottishest delusions ; and from beastiality to enmity or malignity is the ordinary stage . though yet it must be confest with shame and sorrow , that a pharisaic●…l , papal , worldly clergy , are usually made crueller persecutors by their carnal interest and superstitious zeal , than atheists or insidels do usually prove , exc●…pt when instigated by them . 3. and i must add , that since i read an excellent small treatise of this authors , on christ's resurrection , i the more value any thing that is his . and though these sermons are fitted to the vulgar , and have many homely phrases proper to those countries where he lived , yet are th●…y not the words of an unskilful weakness , by one that knew not how to speak exactly ( such as now the world is much troubled with ; ) but like some of dr. harris ( as his drunkards cup , &c. ) mr. william fenner's , and some others , who purposely laid by the use of their great learning , and forbore that accurateness of style , which is sutable to that matter , but not to the readers or auditors , and denyed themselves in preferring a popular style when the peoples good required it . for as we say , that is good which doth good : and augustine tells his readers , that he taketh that as not yet spoken , which is not understood . that sober readers may lend this book to drunkards and fornicators , and perswade them to read it , or read it to them , who else would take no notice of it , is the end of this recommendation , by a servant of christ for mens repentance and salvation , ri. baxter . london , august 23. 1675. to the reader . as a pernicious wickedness when it becomes audacious , justly provokes holy zeal to oppose it , so that zealous opposition as duly deserves our highest commendations to encourage and increase it . the edge of these following discourses tends to cut down those two spreading boughs of sensuality , namely , drunkenness and adultery , that so hurt●…ully both drop upon the strength , and darken the glory of this english nation . the penurious praises therefore of a single epistle reflect too sl●…nder a respect upon this usefu●… e●…deavour , for which the great●…st grat●…tude and acknowledgments of all that love either co●…cience or countrey , are no more than sufficient . nor is it easie to determine whether the subjects of these ensuing discourses are more seasonable and useful , or the manner of handling them by the reverend author be more accurate and convincing . some few years since there was publish'd an excellent treatise , written by this author , to demonstrate the resurrection of christ ; the great acceptance which that treatise , tending to the advancement of christ , found among the learned , makes me confident , that this discourse , which tends to the depression of sin , will be as grateful as the former , to all intelligent and pious perusers . but instead of any further commendation of this authors worth and abilities , shewn in this excellent performance , i shall onely commend this his holy design , by joyning with him in opposing those sensual and c●…nal wickednesses , against which he so seasonably sets himself in these ensuing treatises . and i shall propound these two following directions for helping us to res●…t and subdue ●…leshly wickednesses . the first whereof is , the duty of consideration . the second is , the duty of carriage . for the first , the duty of consideration . 1. consider carnal ●…usts as deceitful , eph. 4. 22. when they promise pleasure , they perform nothi●… less . they betray when they ●…iss . they c●…tice ●…y baiting over a catching killing hook . if it be hard to forbear the bait , 't is m●…ch harder to endure the hook. can a short imaginary delight countervail for the wounds o●… body , estate , name , conscience , and the 〈◊〉 soul. 't is good to consider the 〈◊〉 sens●…al pleasures in their bitter farewel ; and to b●…hold their back side and departures , as well as their painted face , and deccit●…ul approaches . in a scripture glass they will appear to be but poysoned delights ; i●… their trappings be turned up , they onely discover desormity . their pleasure , which is onely in their seeds-time , produceth a crop of pain to an hundred-fold increase . they ●…nter with a pleasant perfume , but go out in a disturbing , destructive stink . 2. consider them as most uningenuous to divine grace and goodness . grace is the great inducement which god useth to draw us to deny worldly lusts , titus 2. 14. the grace of god ( saith the apostle ) teacheth us to deny them , even that grace which brings salvation . a grace that denies us nothing but what would damn us . it gr●…nts us the pacifying blood of christ , the ravishing joys of heaven ; yea , all the delights of this life , so far as they hinder not from that which is infinitely better . what greater un-ingenuousness than to despise a paradice of all delights , for one forbidden apple ? to contemn everlasting joy and sweetness ●…or a meer now , a moment of painted pleasure ? to forget that grace , which onely requires the lives of those lusts , that ( if spared ) will damn and undo us ; when justice might have required ev●…n our own lives as ●… due and deserved homage ? 3. sensual lusts , though carnal , are yet spiritual soul enemies , 1 pet. 3. 11. warring against the soul ; they dead , dull , damp us in holy duties ; they over ▪ charge the soul , weigh it down , and make it heavy , luke 21. 34. in spiritual perform●…nces , service to the body is the greatest disservice to the soul. the body bei●…g much attended , the soul is often as much neglected . how unfit is a full belly ●…or praying , preaching , hearing . 't is our duty indeed to eat and drink ( as isaac did ) to be fitted for prophecy and holy ▪ duties , gen. 27. 3 , 4. but the contrary is frequently seen : fasting is the usual means to dis-entangle the wings of the soul from sensual impediments . lead tied to the birds leggs hinders it from ●…lying upwards ; sensi●…ive enjoyments damp our endeavours for heaven . 4. sensual lusts are tyrannical and domine●…ring . lusts are made the stronger by seeding and gratisying them . the more you obey these tyrants , the more authority do they claim : we do but add oyl to the flames . in being drunk with wine there 's excess , eph. 5. 18. lusts always cry , give , give . if a strange dog be fed he 'le come again , if beat away he re●…rains . i●… lusts be cher●…sh'd , they 'l be bold and return with increase . 5. sensual lusts are perishing and corruptible . all the pleasures of sin and sins are but for a season . meats for the belly , and the belly for meats are both to be destroyed , 1 cor. 6. 13. all sensual objects perish in the using , col. 2. 22. the world passeth away , and the lusts thereof , 1 john 2. 17. their pleas●…re slies away , when the pain and sting continues . 6. sensual lu●…ts are de●…iling and corrupt , eph. 4. 22. they defile the body with noysome diseases ; the swines mud and the drunkards vomit are both unclean . the soul of a glutton or drunk●…rd is as a taper in a greasie lanthorn . these lusts make the soul dirty and unclean , and insect it with an impure nastiness : as the covetous wallows in the dust , so the voluptuous in a sink or slough . 7. sensual lusts are debasing . the sp●…nding of our time in filling and emptying the belly , is as base an employment as to fill and empty a jakes . he serves but a dung-hill-god , who serves his belly , and makes a god of it . it degrades a man from angelical to swinish : the mortifying of sensual lusts is our great honour ; it much more honours us not to lust for , than to have many comforts . the highest of earthly potentates is not so high in being absolute from men , as is a christian in being absolute from things : he is angelus in carne ( as it were ) an angel incarnate , who in the midst of earthly com●…orts , living above those dung-hill-delights , lives on god. 8. sensual lusts pursued , discover that sensual comforts are our portion . 't is poor pay when god gives it us in outward pleasures . that which is our pleasure is our portion . present pay in pleasures for a season is miserable and penurious ; when we are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with them , but se●…k bett●…r , 't is a sig●… god puts us not ●…f w●…th them , god ne●…er giving a princ●…ple of in●…lination to the b●…t enjoyme●…s to disappoint , but to s●…tisfie it . 9. consider sensual lusts hinder from drawing others to heaven and heavenly enjoyments . the 〈◊〉 will never make ano●…her heavenly : we on●…ly bring others to look after what we our selves regard : paul had never drawn so many to christ & heaven , had he not been above the world , had he not been dead to the world , he had not been so lively in the pulpit , and done so much good to souls . had he been lively in the world he would have been but a dead preacher , and very insuccessful . he will most benefit the world , who lets it see he can despise what it admires . 10. sensual lusts discover an unchanged heart . they are most opposite to godliness . grace puts us upon lusting against the flesh. religion ties the heart to god. if we love the world , the love of the father is not in us , 1 john 2. 15. the loving o●… god and pleasures are inconsi●…tent . sensuality opposeth the common nature 〈◊〉 godliness , and not one grace alone , but all graces . the common nature of religion is to be divine . and heavenly spiritual ●…njoyments are of ●… 〈◊〉 ki●…d from thos●… of sense , and so the very k●…nds of 〈◊〉 and sensuality di●…fer . ●…race is a spiritu●…l ●…lessing , ●…ut sensuali●…y 〈◊〉 to the e●…rth , and bows us down to i●… . a heart taken off ●…rom sensual 〈◊〉 discovers a character of renovati●… . t●…e old man stoops earth ward : t●…e spiritual principle looks after a spiri●…al portion . we are born again to a lively hope of a heavenly inh●…ritance , 1 pet. 3 , 4. none go to heavenly delights with the love of sensual . conversion to god puts us upon a conversation in heaven . 't is a sign we have tasted the sweetness of spiritual , when sensual joys are insipid and untoothsome ; an earthly principle never taught any to deny earthly pleasures . naturally we walk by sense , and when we do not so , 't is a sign of more than nature . as 't is given to a saint to bear the pains , so to sorbear the pleasures of the vvorld . 't is a distinguishing mercy to be above common delights ▪ it was a sign that el●…jah's mantle had touch'd el●…sha when he was withdrawn from ●…is vvorldly employments , and ran a●…ter him , 1 kings 19. 19. 11. sensual lusts are commonly the inlets to apostacy . the mortifying of these , countermines s●…tans temptations . the flying bird is hardly shot by the fowlers , nor is the soul upon the wing of heavenl●… aff●…ction so much endangered by the devils offers . this , this is the soul that most disappoints the tempter : he who counts nothing better than the comforts of sense , will easily be seduced by them ●…rom holiness and faith. 't is not the enjoyment , but the loving of sensual com●…orts that takes us o●…f from god ; the s●…rongest rope could never draw us , if it were not ●…or the knot whereby it is tied to us , nor would the devils strongest temptations by sensual o●…ers withdraw us from god , were it not for the knot of our lov●… to them . a●…l these things will i give thee would then but seem a poor offer . a weaned chi●…d is not allured by the breast , the 〈◊〉 banquet provokes not appetite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ●…or do the sweetest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a s●…ul dead to the world , from 〈◊〉 . our hands easily p●…rt with t●…at 〈◊〉 our hearts have parted with before ; 〈◊〉 no pain to have that pluckt ●…rom us 〈◊〉 cleaves not : morti●…ied paul took pleasure in necessi●…ies , 2 cor. 10. a morti●…ied saint can spend more for god in an hour than a sensualist can in a year . the lark sings sweetest when farthest from the earth , the place of her food , and so doth a soul in her heavenly enjoyments , though stript of the comsorts of sense . the morti●…ied to these com●…orts ●…inds that welcome , which is unavoidable death . 't is the empty traveller that alone can sing when he meets with a thie●… : a soul tak●…n o●…f from enjoym●…nts , is on●…ly will●…ngly 〈◊〉 ●…rom them , he that lodg●… in an 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , c●…n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as e●…rly in the 〈◊〉 ▪ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleas●… , w●…ch is not 〈◊〉 t●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we lodge in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our 〈◊〉 . . 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 satis●…ying o●… 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 privil●…dges of 〈◊〉 . th●…y that are c●…rists have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wi●… the lusts thereof ; by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t●…at cross that s●…ved 〈◊〉 ; the pro●…cution o●… lusts confutes the true 〈◊〉 of li●… by the cross. 't is vain to t●…lk of chri●…s d●…th for thee , if it have not been 〈◊〉 in thee , if the cross merits thy p●…ace , it will be thy mo●…ive to pu●…ty . secondly , as to ●…y carri●…ge toward sensual lu●…s . 1. in t●…e motions of lusts study thy profession : a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be a sen●… , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , no●…n 〈◊〉 ▪ a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bet●…r th●…ngs th●… the obj●…cts of 〈◊〉 , an●…●…st look over 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 look , 〈◊〉 ; thou , o m●…n of 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ●… tim. 6. 11. t●…y 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c●…lling , phil. 3. 14. a conv●…sation in ●…eaven agrees not with s●…nsuality . 2. rest not in ext●…rnal 〈◊〉 to act the motions of l●…st , but advance to an intern●…l real 〈◊〉 . outward forbear●…nces are good , but not good enough ; the b●…rd that ge●…s ▪ loose 〈◊〉 a stone to whic●… it was t●…ed by a 〈◊〉 , ●…ying with the string about its leg is hamper'd in the next bough , and so will a man be overcome by lusts , who ●…orsakes the present pleasure , but crucifies not the inward af●…ection . pl●…ce not religion in parting with the object , but in rectifying the faculty . if a mole spoil a curious garden by casting up hills in it , the gardiner thinks it not enough to le●…el the mole-hills with the ground , by patting them down with hi●… sp●…de , unless he kills the mole in the earth . external abstentions avail not without inward renovation . 3. stifle sensual lusts in their conceptio●… , let them not gather head ; 't was the councel ( good in its kind ) of achitop●…el , to set upon david before he could gath●…r strength . crush lust in its first risings and motions ; the thickest ice that 〈◊〉 bear a cart begins with a thin ●…ilm that will not bear a pebble . c●…st out the fir●…t thoughts of a lustful temptation with indignation , let not an impudent begg●…r get over thy threshold if thou would●…t d●…y him an alms. 4. let moderat●…on be one dish in the richest banquet of sensual enjoyments ; go not so far as thou maist , for then 't is hard not to go further than thou shouldst : s●…tan lies in ambush behind our lawfuls , the more pleasant any thing is , ●…he more suspected let it be : put a kn●… to ●…hy throat when abundance entiseth 〈◊〉 ; in the midst of sensual enjoyments keep thy self like the bee , which inhabit●… , even her waxen cell with unsmeared wings ; the moderate use makes us ●…njoy the most and sw●…etest of the creatures : if we go deep in sensual d●…lights we draw dreggs . 5. pray for a rectisied judgment , a renewed understanding , rom. 12. 2. a c●…rnal eye se●…s onely an excellency in c●…rnal obje●…ts . a 〈◊〉 prefers a lock of hay before a b●…g of gold , a child an hal●…-penny picture before a conveyance of a thousand pounds per annum . a skil●…ul ●…ye onely discernes the wo●…th of art ; nature discernes not th●…ngs that disser ; p●…ul had a renewed estim●…te before he accounted all dung for christ : pray for the spirit of wisdom . 6. labour for a sanctified improvement of the removal of all the comforts of sense , look upon it as gods breaking down thy bridges to hinder thee in thy march after the fulfilling of thy lusts , and as the flight of joseph from his mistr●…ss to damp thy adulterous loves , oft●…n 〈◊〉 t●…y lusts with thy loss●… , think 〈◊〉 god thought the company of com●…orts wou●… have ensn●…red th●… assection●… . 7. lastly , in all sens●…l 〈◊〉 wisely draw o●… thy soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 objects . compare the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… sensual pleasures with t●…e cry●… 〈◊〉 of eternal joys ; oh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…lights were more 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… 〈◊〉 spi●…t more than the excesses of wine : h●… w●…o ▪ lives at the table of a king , despiseth scraps ; and such are all s●…nsual plea●…ures ●…teemed by him who hat●… t●…sted how sweet the lord i●… , this glorious sun puts o●… the kitchin-fire of sensuality : in undue lusting after m●…ats and drinks , think whose flesh and blo●…d is me●…t and drink indeed . i●… lusting after be●…uty consider c●…rist as white and ruddy , the fairest of ten thousand . if immoderately thou 〈◊〉 after re●…t and ease , study the sweet quietness that 's in god's bosom , and peace of conscience ; the fare of a sensualist is gross to that of a saint , and yet 't is obtained at a far dearer rate . but , reader , i suspect thee d●…tained too long in the porch , enter therefore the house ; view it within , observe both its strength and excellent contrivance in all the parts and rooms of every argument and instruction ; nor enter onely to contemplate the artifice of the authors house , but mo●…e to feed upon the bounty of his house-keeping : fall to with an holy hunger . in such ch●…st delights there 's no excess : and because i would not clog , but quicken thy stomach , ●…'le offer thee no more ; only that god would give thee both an appetite to feed , and nourishment by feeding , is the prayer of that unworthy servant of christ , but true friend to thy soul , w. jenkyn . one come from the dead : or , a sober and severe testimony against drunkenness and whoredom . 1 sam . i. 16. count not thine handmaid a daughter of belial . chrysostom giving some reasons why he still used prefaces or introductions to his text , among others gives this for one , sc. because there were a great many of his auditors still little acquainted with the story of the bible , and theresore when his text was not an entire absolute thing of it self , but onely a parcel of some story or passage , he that should be all to all that he might gain the more , must of necessity use some presace sor the sakes o●… the ●…gnoranter sort , to explain the coherence ; otherwise , blun●…ly to propound such a text , and not to shew the coherence , how it depended upon the former matter , were ( sayes he ) all one as to bring a man upon the stage all covered and hooded over , that none could know who or what he was ; so they , ignorant of the story of the bible , have but an hood-man set before them , who have such a text propounded to them , without shewing the coherence , that unhoods and uncovers the text , that a man may ken it somewhat , who it is as 't were , and what it means , that you therefore , even the most ig●…orant , ( for to the wise and unwise also are we who speak out of this place debtors ; and it were hard conscience , if a man owed a debt to wise and unwise , to seem to make conscience of paying the wise men their debt , and none of paying the unwise theirs , ) that even you therefore the most ignorant may prosit as well as others , take this-briefly for coherence and making way to the text , that the hooded thing may be unhooded and uncovered to you , and that you may know the plain meaning of it ; there was a man , one elkanah a levite , who had two wives , hannah and peninnah : hannah was the ●…etter beloved of her husband , but barren ; peninnah the less beloved , but fruitful ; hannah being the better beloved , and at their yearly going up before the lord , her husband giving her therefore at that feast a worthy or double portion , better than to peninnah , peninnah envied her , and went about to anger and frett her , casting her in the teeth still with her barrenness ; the good poor soul had no other rem●…dy than to pour out her soul to god in prayer , that he would take away her reproach , and give her a man-child , and she would give him back again all the dayes of his life to the lord : and as she continued praying before the lord , in the bitterness of her soul , eli the priest marking her odd gesture , and the going of her lips without any voyce heard from her , thought she had been some drunken woman , overseen now at the feast with wine , and therefore said to her , how long wilt thou be drunken , &c. and thus by the dependance , you see partly the meaning of the text ; you see who this handmaid is , hannah ; who she speaks to , eli the priest ; and what it is she would not be accounted by him , under the phrase of a daughter of belial ; sc. not accounted a drunkard by him : a drunkard were a son or daughter of belial indeed . but what is this , to be a son or daughter of belial ? in few and plain words , to be a very child of the devil , to be so wicked , that one may seem to be begotten of no other than of the very wicked one : what concord hath christ with belial ? sc. the devil . a son or daughter of belial therefore in scripture-phrase , is one egregiously , notoriously , diabolically naught ; so naught as he may seem to be a very child of the devil , spit out of hi●… very mouth as 't were , bred of his very spawn , begot of his very seed , carrying the very image and picture of the father in the face as 't were , because as the father is , so is he : the ●…ather wicked , egregiously wicked , so the child wicked , egregiously wicked . thus a son of ●…elial is used 1 sam. 2. 12. ch . 10. 27. and 25 17. and judg. 19. 22. now for the observations : in that godly hannah counts that thing , sc. drunkenness , such a gross and grievous sin , that it is enough to denote and call one a daughter of belial , a very child of the devil , which the world ( if it count it a sin at all ) counts it but a very venial sin , a very pardonable sin , a very very peccadillo , a sin just and no more ; observe hence , that the judgement of the saint , and the judgement of the world , the judgement of the godly religious heart , and the judgement of the prophane heart , there is a great deal of difference between them in the matter of juding about good and evil , vertue and vice. that which the one accounts a very very little sin , if a sin at all , the other may count ( as having a little better eyes in his head than the bleer eyed world ) a very gross , a very grievous , a very hainous sin , a sin enough to make one a very son or daughter of belial . so adultery , a sin which i doubt the world accounts no such great sin ; yet josephs godly heart , what a great sin made he of it ! how can i commit this great wickedness , and sin against god ? so single fornication , a sin much more made nothing of in the world , yet how does the apostle pauls godly heart aggravate and set it forth for a most grievous sin ? being highly injurious to our own body , to a member of christ , to a temple of the holy ghost , &c. so covetousness , meer and bare and single covetousness , so it be not attended with injustice , &c. not so much as taken notice of to be a sin in the world ; and yet what a great sin the same apostles godly heart took it for , you may know by this , in that he can scarce mention it without setting this upon the head of it ; covetousness which is idolatry . so contentious wrangling and going to law one with another , and not rather ( if possible ) labouring to end things by friendly arbitration of honest men , that the world takes this for no sin , full terms and crouded courts shew : and yet what a scandalous and ungodly thing the apostles godly heart took this kind of lawing for , you may know by his earnest reasoning against it for almost half a chapter together , and then concluding thus ; now therefore there is utterly a fault , &c. neither can any man say , that he spake onely against the christians contentious lawing before unjust and unbelieving judges , for that is but onely a circumstance aggravating their law and wrangling , not the whole thing condemned by him , as appears vers . 6 , 7. so swearing , vain ordinary swearing , what fault is it counted ? and yet if the apostle james his godly heart had not taken it for a great sin , would he in such strange precise manner have forbid it ? but above all things , my brethren , swear not , &c. so ecclesiasticus , ( though no inspired man , yet no doubt an holy man , ) what a great matter does his holy heart make of it , chap. 23. 9 , &c. and 27. 14. so a little pride of heart , to be lifted up for any thing that we have , above what is meet , and to proceed perhaps to some outward act expressing it , who counts of it as any great sin , or matter much to be repented of ? yet what a great sin davids godly heart when it awakened and came to it self , made of it , you may know by his confession , and setting these two upon the head of it , i have sinned greatly , i have done very foolishly . an ordinary heart would not have found any such great sin in a little numbering the people , out of a little pride and conceitedness of heart for the greatness of their number ; but davids godly heart thinks otherwise . so what a great sin did the apostle paul think bribery and corruption to be , who rather than bribe felix to procure liberty to preach the gospel , ( for it cannot be said , it was because he was not able ; for had he been but willing , the christians no doubt , ( sayes calvin ) would have made a purse for him , and found him money , ) he would lie two full years in prison to the prejudice of the gospel : and yet what great sin is bribery and corruption made now adayes , though not to procure liberty to preach the gospel , ( that they may do gratis if they will , ) but more basely to procure the means and maintenance of the gospel . so what a great sin did a●…stin make that which ordinarily would be counted but a boyes trick ; sc. robbing of an orchard , onely out of an humour and to do an ill turn , not so much ●…or any love to the fruit , for if a bit enter into his mouth , the prettiness of the prank gave the taste and relish to it : austins cons●…ss . 2 , 4. &c. thus for scripture-proof of the point , great differ●…nce there is between the judgement of the saint and of the worldling , and the reason hereof ( if we would know ) may be double . first , because the me●…r worldling or unregenerate man sees not sin and vice in its own proper colour , and true nativeness of it , but onely in the picture and representation of it as 't were , and therefore cannot know and acknowledge the true ugliness and loathsomness of it , so as he who sees it in the own proper colour and true nativeness of it : as he that sees the picture of a toad , cannot know and conceit the ugliness of that creature so as he that sees the living thing crawling before his eyes . no marvel therefore if in this regard the judgement of a saint for a sin and the true ugliness thereof , be far otherwise from the judgement of a worldling , because the one hath enlightened eyes to see the sin in some sort in the own proper colour and true nativeness of it , the other glimmers but upon the picture . whereof ye are now ashamed . now that ye have enlightened eyes to see the filthiness of them in the own proper colour , now ashamed of them . secondly , the meer worldling or unregenerate man , that which he sees of the filt●…iness of sin , he barely sees it , but he hath not within him an antipathy and spirit of hatred and enmity against the sin , but the saint hath this antipathy also , a spirit of hatred within him against the sin , and therefore thereby knowes more of the filthiness , true filthiness of sin : as he knowes more of the ugliness and filthiness of the forenamed creature that hath ●… rising antipathy or spirit of hatred against her , than he ( if you can suppose any s●…ch ) that hath no natural antipathy , or rising hatred against that creature . in morals nothing helps judgement more than affection ; love and sympathy will make a man see far into the beauty and amiableness of a thing truely amiable , and hatred and antipathy will likewise make a man see far into the contrary hatefulness and loathsomness of a thing truely hatefull : nothing so amiable as vertue , and there is nothing can see so f●…r into this amiableness of vertue , as the true love of vertue ; and nothing so hatefull as vice , and nothing there is that can see so far into this hatefulness of vice , as the true hatre●… of vice. use 1. is there such a broad difference often times between the judgement of the saint and the judgement of the world in the matter of good and evil , vertue and vice , then , first , for caution , beware how the course and practice of the world prescribe too much upon us in the matter of what is to be done or left undone : the course and practice of the world even going in crowds and droves together , is but an ill ground to bear our selves upon ; nay , rather , argumentum pessimum turba : it is an argument the thing is worse , when all are for it . the best things do not please the most people : there is not su●…h an happiness allotted to humane matters ; therefore , beware how the course and practice of the world prescribe too much upon us : for why ? the world practiseth as it judgeth , and the world judgeth according to the power and principle of judging that is in it ; but what other power or principle in it hath the world to judge by , but that which is called the spirit of the world ? now the spirit of the world is but an unfit thing to judge of the things of god by : what can blind men judge of colours ? but the world for many things of god is stark blind ; and for other thi●…gs very s●…nded at least , and but a meer porer . now who would be any whit embo●…dened to goe such a way because he sees a multitude of blind men , or extream weak sighted , to go stalking on confidently that way ; to find out any thing , it matters not how many blind men there are ; so to find out the truth , or right way in any thing , it matters not how many blind porers there be about it . use 2. is there such a broad difference , &c. then for direction this may let us see who it is safest to resort to for ghostly counsel and advice , in matter of true doubt and case of conscience ; not unto those that may seem yet to be men of the world , men unregenerate and unsanctified , though they be great clerks , but rather unto the saints , and those that may seem to have the spirit of the holy one within them , and to be taught with that teaching which is called the unction of the holy one ; ye have received an unction from the holy one , &c. the judgment of one of these in matter of true scruple and doubt of conscience what is to be done or not done , especially if it be an experienced saint that through longer use hath his senses exercised to disc●…rn between good and evil. the judgement of such an one in matter of true doubt and scruple of conscience , is worth the judgement of a whole colledge of divines , bare speculative divines , that know deep mysteries in the theory , but are strangers from the life and power of godliness , and want the unction of the holy one. a man of no good conscience himself can hardly ever give good counsel for a good conscience , especially in more scrupulous and nice matters : indeed in more general and gross matters they may hit it , but how souly they may erre in more scrupulous and nice matters , the fifth of matthew shews ; where the scribes and pharisees , ( learned enough no doubt , but such as knew little of that unction and teaching of the holy one ▪ ) for general matters they hit it , but for more ni●…e matters see verses ●…1 , 27 , 31 , 33 , 38 , 43. use 3. is there su●…h a broad difference , &c. then this may let us see a reason why they think so strange , and wonder so at one anoth●…rs courses : the worldling thinks it strange that the saint in many things does as he does , that he is so s●…rait-laced , and can give hims●…lf no more liberty in many things than he do●…s : for example , they count it str●…nge ( sayes the apostle ) that ye run not with th●…m to ●…he same ●…xcess of riot . and the saint on the contrary thinks it as strange , that the worldling does in many things as he does , that he is so loose laced , and gives himself that scope and liberty in many things as he does ; that he can run , 〈◊〉 run into that excess of riot , in 〈◊〉 , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , ●…anquettings , &c. thus the saint and the worldling think ●…trange at one another●… courses ; and no marvel , for they are of two di●…ferent judg●…ments , th●…y walk by two dissrent 〈◊〉 , they mind two disserent ends , they heed two 〈◊〉 kind of dangers . is it any wonder if one walking on in a green smoo●…h path not knowing of any danger in it , wonder at another that he shall see turn out of tha●… green , smooth , easie path , and see goe scrambling with much toil and pains in another , rugged , un●…ven ▪ uneasie way ? or is it any wonder if this other that goes scrambling in the rugged , uneven , une●…sie way , because he knowes the danger th●…t i●… in the other way , wonder at him whom he sees stalk so considently on in the smoot●… and green way , wherein he knowes he wi●…l at last meet with such danger ? they have ●…wo different informed judgements , and therefore think strange one at anothers courses . 2 doct. in that instead of saying , count not thine handm●…id a drunk●…rd , 〈◊〉 barely sayes not so , but points and paints , and paraphraseth the drunkard out with this description , sc. to be a very child of belial ; count not thin●… hand-maid a 〈◊〉 of b●…lial . our observation hence is ●…his : that a drunk●…d , he or she , is a 〈◊〉 s●…n or daught●…r ●…f b●…lial ; i. e. of ●…he d●…vil . before we come to shew this , we will first of all explain the phrase . secondly , enquire who he is whom we may conceive to be a drunkard ; for if to be a drunkard be enough to denominate and make one a very child of the devil , pi●…y it were to wrong any wi●…h that nam●… who deserve it not , and m●…re pity not to l●…t that man know his name who deserves it , and who ( if he kn●…w ) happily would be somewhat afraid to contin●…e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…hat state which denominates an●… mak●…s 〈◊〉 a ve●…y i hil of the devil . ●…or the first , what it is to be a son or d●…ughter or child of beli●…l , i. ●… . of the devil , you may know by considering the contrary , s●… . what it is to be a child of god ; to be a childe os god , is in all conformable ●…oliness , 〈◊〉 and goodness so to resemble god himself , th●…t we may seem to be begot o●… no other than of god himself ; born o●… his very seed , and bearing therefore his very image , so that as the father is , so are we : that this is to be a child of god , you may know by these places , mat. 5. 9 , 45. luke 6. 35. phil. 2. 15. 1 joh. 2. 29. and 3. 9. and so on the contrary , to be a child of the devil therefore i●… in all like conformable wick●…dness and ungodlin●…ss so to 〈◊〉 the devil himself , that for 〈◊〉 m●…n m●…y seem to be begot of no o●…her than of the very wicke●… one , bred of his very spawn , beg●…t of his very seed , bearing the very image and picture of the fath●…r in the face , so that as the father is , so in ●… great resemblenc●… are they : see for this joh. 8. 44. acts 13. 10. 1 joh. 3. 8. now though all that in any gre●…t 〈◊〉 resemble for wickedness the very wicked one , may be said to be the v●…ry children of th●…t wicked one the devil ; yet the drunkard of all other , ( especially the true true drun●…ard indeed ) is one even of his chopping children , one of his very first-born o●…es , one of his white sons , that he may stroke on the head as his best darlings . for the second thing , who he is whom we may conceive to be a drunkard . first , distinguish between a drunken man , and a drunkard ; ebrius is he who once perhaps , or twice , or very rarely may trensgress in drink , as noah , let , &c. but ebriosus is he who ordinarily and usually does this : now it is this latter who is properly called the child o●… the devil , and not the former ; as he who by a fall or other accident should get a great coule in his forehead , whi●…h should stay with him only for a while ; or as he who upon a sudden fit of the conv●…lsion should for a whil●… writhe his mouth awry : as neither of these could be said , because the one resembles him who naturally and constantly hath a great bunch of flesh grow in his forehead , and the other him who 〈◊〉 and constantly hath a wry mouth , to be upon this resemblance as ' twe●…e their very childr●…n ; but only he who naturally and constantly should have that bunch of flesh or wry mouth , only he might be said indeed in some sort to be as 't were that or that man ; very child : so he is not properly thereupon to be said to be the child of that wicked one , who wi●…-kedly , perhaps once or twice , or the like , may through accident transgress in wine ; but he who ordinarily and usually does this , in an ordinary and usual course of wickedness resembling the wicked one : he that committeth sin is of the devil . that is habitually , and in a constant course . secondly , further , wc must not only distinguish between a drunken man and a drunkard , but also distinguish of drunkards themselves ; sor drunkards are not only they which are such sots that they would lie in the way till an iron-bound wain or cart were driven over them , or the like , this is but the statute-drunkard : but if we will weigh this point by scripture and good reason , we shall see that there are many others , who i doubt before god ( who is the author of all scripture and good reason , ) shall never be able to claw it off , but that before him they are drunkards , even true proper drunkards . consider ther●…fore wh●…ther that which i shall now say in this point , s●…em according to scripture and good reason ; and i●… it do not , the servants mi●…ake can do you no harm , if you be sure you be clear in t●…e masters books . but if it do seem to be accor●…ing to scripture and good reason , think whether it be not ●…itter to clear the books , than to quarrel only at him that shews the debt . the drunkard therefore i distinguish thus : there is the drunkard drye , and the drunkard wet . the drunk●…rd drye is he who because of his body perhaps , or because of his credit or the like , drinks it may be himself but very very little , so that there is no sensible change or a●…teration of the man , but yet he sits it out with good fellowes , as they call them , approving and delighting in their drunkenish good fellowship and excess : now see whether the books of god , sc. the scripture and good reason will quit this man from being a very drunkard . does not the scripture make him to be in any thing as bad , ( ●…y worse too ) that takes pleasure in others that d●…e a sin , than him th●…t do●…s the 〈◊〉 himself ? they do n●…t onely do such 〈◊〉 , b●…t take pleasure in them th●…t do th●…m . it seems to be made a greater ●…in to del●…ht and take pleasure in others doing wickedly , than in some sort to do wi●…kedly ones s●…lf : and the ground 〈◊〉 is pl●…in ; because for th●…m that do 〈◊〉 themselves , commonly they have some strong lust tempting them thereto : but they who delight onely and take pleasure in other mens wickedness , not acting the same themselves ; commonly it is because they have not the same strength of lust tempting them thereto , but onely delight more simply in wickedness even for wickedness sake it self , without the pleasure attending it , which is the far greater degree of sin . and not by this ground of scripture onely , but by another of good reason also may it appear that this drunkard drye in gods account shall goe for a true drunkard ; for that in gods account shall every man goe for , which his will and mind is fully for , though one way or other he be held from the acting of it . god , as in good , so in evil accounts the will for the deed ; and therefore must needs account him for a tr●… drunkard , who what his will is he shew●… plainly enough , by his taking pleasure in them that act that wickedness , t●…ough himsel●… because of his body , or his credit , or the like , be held o●…f from the acting o●… it . thus the old bawd , whose body is spent , and is no more s●…r the acting of it herself , yet is in gods account as very a whore all her life long , by her procuring , approving , and delighting in others uncleanness , as in a manner the p●…rties themselves . thus the devil because he is a spirit , and no body , he cannot act bodily uncleanness it self ; yet uncleanness and all other sin is truly his in this regard , in regard of his procuring , delighting , and approving it in others : and thus the drunkard drye , though he may come perhaps as sober almost from the ale-bench , as any true workman from his work-bench , as sober from the cellar as the student from his cell , yet in gods account he may be a true drunkard , and therefore a true child of belial . secondly , for the drunkard wet , he is of two sorts : 1. either the throughly steept : or , 2. the lightly d●…pt . ( 1 ) the throughly steep'd , is the gross , the beastly , the very statute drunkard ; he that has so steept and soaked himself in liquor , that he is bec●…me a very sot and sodden head , and hath none or very little rule and government of himself : this drunkard is he whom the prophet ●…y calls the stagg●…ring dr●… , staggering in his own vomit ; the recling drunkard , the drunkard overcome with wine , swallowed up with wine , filling all tables with vomit and filthiness , &c. this is that drunkard that hath so lost limbs and senses , that basil likens him to those idols of the heathens that have eyes and see not , ears and hear not , feet and walk not : this is that drunkard that hath so intoxicated his brain , so outed his wits , so lost for a time his reason , that one well calls the fit and mood that now he is in , a little voluntary madness ; let that mood last but a few dayes , and you wo●…ld not doubt but the man was mad : at present he is no l●… than mad , only it continues not so l●…ng now this is of all drunkards the 〈◊〉 chil●… of 〈◊〉 , one of his best 〈◊〉 ▪ one so just the fathers son for universal resemblance of wickedness , that should the devil choose a body wherein to act that universal wickedness which is in him , a body he could not choose ●…itter than this drunkards body : this drunkard who but that he wants the devil●… cloven foot and his horns , might seem not to be one of the devils elves only , but a grand devil himself . but besides this kind of drunkard who is so throughly steept , so soaked in liquor , that he sweats wine , he rifts wine , touch and squeeze him never so little , you squeeze out wine . ( 2 ) besides this , there is of drunkards wet another drunkard , sc. he that is not so throughly steept , but lightlier dipt , he that is not so full in the midst of the clout as the former , but he is about the clout ; aye , perhaps in a little nook and out-corner of it ; and this is he who though he do not ordinarily drink till he be forth right intoxicated , till he reel , till he stagger , till he be overcome of wine , till he be swallowed up of wine , till he fill and ●…ile all with vomit and filth , till in a word he be statute-drunk ; yet he is continually bibbing , continually sucking , continually tipling and tipling , till he be ( as they say ) somewhat ●…ine , somewhat brave , somewhat tipt , somewhat toucht , ●…omewhat pratty , and many other such pratty n●…mes , that the world calls these pratty c●…eatures by , r●…ther than by the name of drunkards : but yet that they that ordinarily and continually almost are bibbing , and lapping , and drinking , and dudling more than is meet , though it be not to the outing of wits and losing of sence , that these in gods and the s●…ripture account also are the true drunkards , c●…nsider hence ▪ fir●…t , the drunkard and the bibber , the 〈◊〉 uses indisserently and synonymously , the one for the other . jo●…l 1. 5. awake ye drunkards , howl all ye w●…-bibbers . secondly , because all sinfull excess in scripture , condemned by scripture , is referred to drunkenness , that therefore which is sinfull excess if habitually practised , makes a true drunkard , though a qualified one somewhat , and not of the debauched and beastlier sort ; but there is much sinfull excess in drinking condemned in scripture , which is not to the overturning of the brain and depriving of the sences ; see esay 5. 11 , 12. 1 pet. 4. 3. 1 tim. 3. 8. tit. 2. 3. given to much wine . thirdly , because that liberal use of vvine or other strong drink , even unto some plain alteration , though not alienation of mind , to cheer up and alter , and exhilerate 〈◊〉 the mind , though not to alienate an●… besott it , such liberal use of vvine , which at some times may be very lawfull , yet if it be used unseasonably and ordinarily , for ordinary sensual pleasure and delight , it is nothing in scripture-account but meer drunkenness : joseph to welcom his brethren made them a feast , an●… they drank and were merry with him . were m●…rry with him ; were drunk with him , saith the hebrew ; sc. drunk with him so largely till their minds were very much cheared , and altered , and exhilerated up , till they were very merry with him , till indeed they were somewhat pratty : so give strong dri●…k to him that is ready to perish , &c. see neh 8. 10. now this liberal use of vvine and strong drink , which in these cases are lawfull enough , yet if it should be unseasonably and ord●…arily used for ordinary sensual pleasure and delight , it would be nothing but meer drunkenness ; as appears by these texts . blessed art thou , o land when thy princes eat in due season , for st●…ength and not for drunkenness . see is. 〈◊〉 . 5. 11. & 56. 12. 〈◊〉 1. 5. amos 6. 6. fourthly , it appears from the ●…se of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joh. 2. 10. compared wi●…h eph. 5. 17. w●…en m●…n have well drank , and be not drunk with wine ; so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 cor. 11. 21. one is drunken ; 1 t●…es . 5. 7. th●…y that are drunk are drunk in the night . also it appears à pari , because that which was lawful for the rich glutton to have done wi●…hout imputation of gluttony at some time , because he made an ordinary epicurish practice of it to fare deliciously every day ; that makes him generally to be termed ( though not in the text , yet in all interpreters ) the rich glutton : not that he glu●…ted h●…mself with that which was not lawfull at any day , but which was not lawful on every d●…y . now th●…se things being thus cleared , let us proceed to explain and shew the truth of the point , sc : that the true and proper drunkard in any of the so●…enamed kinds , is ( though in regard of some of them more , in regard of some of them less ) a true chil●… of the devil ; and because to be a child of the devil was in such conformableness of sin and wickedness to resemble t●…e very wicked one , he might seem to be begot of no other than of him : bred of his very spawn , begot of his very seed , bearing the very image and picture of the father , ill looking father in the face as 't were , and being the right fathers son in all conformableness almost unto him up and down ; because this was to be a child of the devil , therefore in regard of this great conformableness or likeness unto the devil , let u●… demonstrate the drunkard to be the devils very child , the elfe resembling the ouncell up and down . first therefore th●…t ouncell is a creature or miscreant rather , composed of all wickedness , and therefore called wickedness it self , and t●…e wicked one , eph. 6. 12 , 16. because of that mass of universal wickedness that is in him . so the ouncels elfe , the drunkard , is a creature or miscreant rather composed also almost of all wickedness , no sin or wickedness almost but his miscreant nature is for it . and therefore first in this regard , he is the right ouncels elfe , the devi●…s child , because of this resembling him in the mass of universall wickedness almost . secondly , we say in a more especiall manner , that such an one is right the fathers son , because of resembling him not only in a general likeness of his nature , but also and more especially in some more speciall markes and properties ; as that he hath just the fathers wrangling humour and proud spirit , &c. that he hath just the fathers stuttering speech , ju●…t his wry-mouth , the bunch of ●…lesh just in the forehead , the long stroak on the left cheek , the wart just under the chin , &c. we say in a more speciall manner , that such an one is right the fat●…ers son , because of more special resembling him in some such more special markes and properties as t●…ese . and so we shall see in the second place t●…at in a more special manner the drunkard is right the devils child , because of more special resembling him in some more special marks and properties of the devil . but first , that he is right the devils child , the ouncels elfe , because of resembling his nature in an universall mass almost of wickedness , that look as the devil is a creature or miscreant rather ( for not his creation , but his fall and mis-creation rather g●…ve him that ) a miscreant composed of all wickedness , so the drunkard , &c. and this we will shew by considering how manifoldly the drunkard by reason of his drunkenness sins against both tables ; for drunkenness ( as some think ) is not specially forbid in any one of the ten command●…ents , beca●…se it is not the single breach o●… any one , but in 〈◊〉 the viol●…tion of all , being the 〈◊〉 't were and inlet to all other sins , so that drunkenness comprizes in it all sins ; t●…erefore against the sirst t●…ble consider these sins of the 〈◊〉 by re●…son of his drunkennesses ( for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s●…ill the plural , to note the habit . 1. by reason ther●…of , a gen●…ral pros●…neness and 〈◊〉 creeps up●…n his heart , to grow sottish of religion and senseless , aye a very scorner and contemner of it ; they have l●…ft osf to tak●… heed unto the lord , i. e. they are grown generally profane and irreligious ; and what is rendered immediately as the reason ? hos. 4. 10. 11. whoredome and wine , and new wine ta●…e away the heart ; i. e. makes them sots and senseless ones , prof●…nishly insensible of relig on . nay thi●… wine and n●…w wine , this drinking of liquor upon liquor , it carrie●… the parties in time even unto the profaneness of scorning and contemning of religion . in the day of our ki●…g , the princes have m●…de ●…im si●…k wi●…h bottles of wine , with vessel after vessel , cup aster cup , and what then followes ? ●…e stretched out ●…is hand wi●…h 〈◊〉 . he becam●… as one of them that made a mock and jest of all religion , the word being the same us●…d psal. 1. 1. and those mockers jude 18. are they that walk aft●…r their own ungo●…ly lusts , th●…t is , in the pleasures of the slesh and epicurish eating and drinking . and m●…rk abroad in the world , who especially are they that prophanishly m●…ke a mock of religion and the professors thereof ; nick-naming them precisians , puritans , separatists , and many o●…her such nam●…s of scorn , ( which neither godliness wo●…ld object , nor wisdom cares for maintaining being objected ; ) who i say are these especially that thus do , but only these sensu●…l men carried after their sensual pleasures and delights ? jude 19. these are they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who s●…parate not themselves , but rather o●…hers in scornsully calling and accoun●…ing others separatists , puritans , and precisians , and many oth●…r such odd names of separatisme and singularity . these are the hard speeches , jude 15. secondly , another sin against the first table that drunkenness ( i. e. ordinary and habitual drinkings ) are apt to breed in the parties , is atheisme and infidelity ; not to believ●… verily an●… indeed the truth of christian faith , as the resurrection of the body , the d●…y of j●…dgement , ●…he after-state of the d●…mned or 〈◊〉 so●…ls , &c. nothing so apt to breed this atheisme and infidelity as 〈◊〉 : i. e. givin●… a mans self over to these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and delights . for 〈◊〉 a man l●…ves thus by sense , he is 〈◊〉 and pr●…judiced against faith ; and nothing ag●…in so ap●… to increase this sensu●…lity as 〈◊〉 . s●…nsuality breeds atheism , and 〈◊〉 it then increaseth 〈◊〉 . see both these from ground●… of s●…ripture . for the fir●…t , that t●…is sensuali●…y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is not that sor it in a●…s 17. 18. ●…n that when paul preached 〈◊〉 an●… 〈◊〉 resurrection , w●…o are they that 〈◊〉 h●…m ? then 〈◊〉 philosoph●… of the 〈◊〉 , and of th●… stoi●…ks , 〈◊〉 him , &c. the 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 sens●…al epicureans , given over to th●…se 〈◊〉 pleasures , were the fir●…t that oppos●…d t●…e doctrine of jesus and the 〈◊〉 . so the apostle brings ●…n 〈◊〉 sensual me●… walking in 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 ▪ excess ●…f wine , revellings , d●…inkings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p●… . 4 3 4. brings in them thinking it 〈◊〉 that believe●…s run not with them to the same excess of riot . and why think they it strange that b●…lievers run not with them , to the same sensuality ? sc. because their sensuality will not let ●…hem see th●…t ●…hich the 〈◊〉 sees ; sc. that for those 〈◊〉 they sh●…ll on●… day give account to 〈◊〉 w●…o is 〈◊〉 to judge ●…oth q●…ick and dead . s●… tho●…e 〈◊〉 walk●…ng aster their own 〈◊〉 , sensual lusts , are those w●…o a●…e brought in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prom●…se of his 〈◊〉 , 2 pet. 3. 4. a●…d though some th●…t 〈◊〉 up 〈◊〉 in a sensual 〈◊〉 of riotou●… 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 , may retain yet the 〈◊〉 of fai●… , yet how parlous this sensu●…l epicurishness is , to rob and be●…eave them of the pow●…r of faith , t●…at 〈◊〉 epicu●…es c●…se she wes luke 16. who living in such s●…nsuality , co●…nted those sensual good things to be his chief good thing●… ; ver . 25. he had no thoughts of ●…eaven or ●…ell : a secret heartathiest he wa●… , see ver . 30. 31. this sensuality how apt is it to breed atheisme ! 2. atheism is then apt to increase s●…nsuality , let us eat and drink for to 〈◊〉 we shall dye , 1 cor. 15. 32. sc. 〈◊〉 so as we look sor no resurrection , for it is spoken in the n●…me of those who believed not the resurrection ; and therefore no marvel , if they sho●…ld give themselves over to sensuality of all intempera●…e and riotous eating and drinking . so they , wisd. 2. we are born at all adventure , &c. come on 〈◊〉 let ●…s enjoy the good things that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. third●…y , 〈◊〉 sin ag●…nst the first ta●…le is gross 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or contempt of gods word . ●…hom shall he teach knowled●… ? &c. isa. ●…8 . 8 , 9. having begun the chapter with an invective ag●…inst pride and drunkenness , and the verse next before , all tables are full of vomit , &c. whom shall ●…e teach know edge ? such unc●…pable sots were not fit for it ; new wea●…d children will under●…and as much as 〈◊〉 so they go into captivity , because th●…y h●…e no knowledge , isa. 5. 11 , 12 , 13. and th●…t they are such sots without knowledge , t●… former verses seem to intimate , that it arises from th●…ir drunkenish humour . fourthly , another sin against the 〈◊〉 table is great security , and inconsider●…ion or contempt of gods ju●…gements . and in that day , sc. in that day that god as an offended god began to reveal his judgements from heaven ag●…inst them ; isa. 22. 12. in that d●…y did the lord god of hosts call to weeping , &c. but behold drinking wine , &c. and what a great sin this gross inconsideration and contempt of gods judgements is , the next verse shewes : surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you ●…ll you dye . so what but drinking wine in bowles , and other such like sensuality reckoned up there , is intim●…ted that made them put far from them the evil day ; i.e. made them never reckon and consider ( or which is worse ) contemn gods ju●…gements . and in particular this makes m●…n senseless and inconsiderate of the l●…t judgement ; so that servant who shall begin to eat and d●…ink with the drunken , the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him , &c. his drunkenishness shall cast him into a deep sleep , and inconsideration of the day of j●…dgement , so that it sh●…ll take him tard●… , coming upon him never lookt for , luk. 21. 34. fifthly , another sin again●…t the fir●…t table is idolatry , either that idol●…try to make ones belly ones god ; whose god is their belly whose glory is in their sham●… &c. ph●…l . 3. 19. what but a very god does the glutton and the drunk●…rd m●…ke their bellies ? continually serving this god with continual meat-off●…rings and drink 〈◊〉 , and that of the best , of the 〈◊〉 of the one , and of the sweetest of the oth●…r ; either dr●…k and ros●… up to play ; s●… . in honour of th●…t idol the go●…den c●…ls , to si●…g and dance before it , as david before the ark ; so , who look to oth●…r cods and love slagons of 〈◊〉 , ●…os . 3. 1. and they drank win●… , i. e. healthed and c●…roused it ap●…ce : and what th●…n sollow●… ? and pr●…ised the gols of gold. and what is that which ushers in , and m●…kes way for all those abominable 〈◊〉 ? what but lacivionsness , lusts , excess of wine , &c. 1 p●…t . 4. 3. the sensual man that once hath made his belly his god , will soon be apt to make a stock or a stone his god , and to fall into all abominable idolatries ; and the prophet hosea gives us to guess at the reason , when he sayes wine , and new wine take away the heart , makes men sots : and then pres●…ntly adds , my people ask councel at their stocks , and their staff declareth unto them , hos. 4. 11 , 12. and if this sin guide or rather misguide so into idolatry , being so apt to m●…ke way for it ; what do we think of this age , this voluptuou●… sensual age ? if some son of neb●…t should set up the golden calf ag●…in , which the zealous moses's heretofore have stamped to powder ; would not many of them think we be ready to sit down to eat and drink and rise up to play ? be ready to cry , great is diana , not of ephes●… but of rome ; w●…n wine and new wine have taken away their hearts . sixthly , another sin against the first table is dishonouring god in the p●…osanation of his n●…me . holy and 〈◊〉 ( 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 ) is thy name , but how unholily and irreverently these men use gods name , in all horrible and a●…ominable swearing ; i appeal unto t●…em who more ordinarily may be in the company of this hellish crue than i thank god i my self am ; speak if every third word almost that these stutterers , these 〈◊〉 can g●…t forth be not an oath , a bloody oath ; surely if the talk of him that 〈◊〉 much , maketh the hair stand upright ; it is especially the talk of the pot-swearer , that swears in the midst of his pots and cups . what voll●…s of oath●… , thumping oaths does he then discharge and let fly against the face of heaven ? what peals and ch●…nges of oaths does he ring , in the eares of god and man ? what creatures of god are there , what attributes of god , what titles of god , what parts of god , body , blood , wounds , heart , &c. but he swears them almost over and over again ? surely such a notable swearer is this pot-swearer , that were i to choose a villain to swear for my life , 〈◊〉 would choose no other than this pot●… ; ●…his p●…t-●…wearer , whose oathes , bloody o●…the , are so great and many , 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 of his pots and cups , 〈◊〉 we●…e 〈◊〉 but by with pen and ink to note them down and present th●…m to him agai●… in his sober 〈◊〉 , i am perswaded there are not many of ●…hese villaines but in the●…r sober moods they would be somewhat ●…eared and ●…alf afraid to read over the note of the fearful o●…thes that they swore in their unsober and drunkenish moods . and the reason why this vice of drunkenness drawes unto such prosanation of gods name , in all irrevere●…t intemperate swearing , is , because it first makes the heart sotti●…h an●… senseless of god and the awful majesty of god , and no marvel if when the he●…rt is grown prophane , the tongue grow prophane too ; no marvel if when the heart is not awed with any due reverence of god , the tongue want this due reverence too . sevently , another sin against the first table is dishonouring god in the prophanation of his sabbath and worship . who are such prophaners of gods sabbaths , and 〈◊〉 or irreverent performers of of his worship as these sons of 〈◊〉 this needs not be proved out of pulpits , church-wardens and constables and other officers if they wo●…ld ●…ut now and then see a search made into bli●…d ale-houses , would make this plain eno●…gh . how many do we think they might find , 〈◊〉 of learning sobriety in the church of god , practising intemperance in those s●…ies and chappels of the devil ! how many instead of coming hither to wisdomes house , to eat of the bread and drink of the wine that she hath mingled ; come ●…at of my bread , &c. prov. 9. 5. sit there in those h●…uses of folly and madness , with no other text than that in their mouthes ; isa. 56. 12. come let us fetch wine , let us fill our selves with strong drink , and to morrow shall be as this day , and much more abundant ! but if church-wardens and officers will not by their pains help to prove this truth , these men they bewray themselves . they that are in authority know , or may know and observe , that of all brables almost that for meer matter of peace come before them , two parts of three arise from drink ; and of those , more than two parts in three from that excess in drink , which is either on market ▪ dayes or sabbath-dayes . who greater profaners therefore of gods sabbaths and neglecters of his worship than these kind of men ? or if they seem not altogether to neglect it , yet who more irreverent performers of it when they come to church ? either they come somewhat touch't and half pratty to the church , and so are fitter for two houres ●…leep than one hours sermon ; fitter for a pillow to lay their ear to tha●… , than a preacher to lend an ear to him : or if for a preacher , it must be some of those that sowe pillows under all elbowes , ez●…k . 13. 18. or else if they come sober to church , yet as the sow dreams of her drasfe , so they of their drink ; and they think all time tedious till they be removed from the church-bench to the ale-bench ; and till gods door is shut , that the devils blind wickets may the more freely open ; and so if sabbatum come of sabbas a name of bacchus , they are the best sabbatizers . eightly , another sin against the fir●…t table , is dishonouring god in the abuse of his creatures . judge but in your selves whether ye can think that god hath made his creatures to be vainly , and contemptuously used to riot and excess . will not a wise father when he sees his son play the vain wanton with his meat , stuffing and cramming himself unnecessarily with it ; or when he sees him playing the like vain wanton with his drink , bibbing unnecessarily , or only to squirt or sputter it out again , will he not be offended ? and pluck the good meat out of his mouth , and the good drink from his nose , as knowing they are too good to be so vainly abused by him ? will not a wise father do this ? and will not the wise god , the father of all living much more ●…e offended ; and take it ill then that his good creatures should be so abused unto such vanity and excess ? his good c●…eatures that how many hungry and thirsty s●…ints souls might be refreshed , by that which their intemperancies vainly and contemptuously abuse ? does not the guests abusing of their entertainment , as if after they had eaten a while so much as was sufficient , and drank a while so much as was needful , they should cast the rest of their meat to dogs , or trample it under foot ; and give the rest of their drink to the swine , or pour it down channel : does not this redound to the hosts or inviters dishonour ? well , better were it that men should cast the superfluity of their basket and store to the very dogs or trample it under foot ; better also they should give the superfluity of their vessel and cup runing over , to the very swine , or pour it down channel , than vainly and unecessarily abuse the same unto surseiting and drunkenness , the former way it did not that good it 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 way it did harme ; must not the●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gods entertainment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and vanity of riot an●… 〈◊〉 ▪ must it not highly redonnd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or entertainers dishono●…r ? 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against the sirst table is 〈◊〉 our selves and our own bodies , and that these t●…ree wayes . 1. as we are th●… image of god. 2. as our bodies are the members of christ. 3. as they are the temple of the ●…oly ghost . first , as we are the image of god. man is the image of god many wayes . 1. in regard of a divine majesty and stateliness above all other creatures , even of body and outward person ; a kind of divine majesty above all other ●…reatures , and awsull to all other creatures , being ev●…n enstamped upon the body and outward person of man ; but wh●…n the drunkard swine-like lies wallowing in his own filth , or sprawling in his own vomit , or by his continual drinkings hath deformedhi●…s body , and made it more like a monster through deformities than like a man ; where is then any of this divine stateliness ●…nd majesty , even in his body and outward person above all other creatures ? 2. man is the image of god in regard of soveraignty , of rule and dominion ; that as god is simply soveraign in regard of rule and dominion over all things , so he made man as it were a petty god , putting all things in subjection under his feet : but when the drunkard is laid under foot himself , sor all the creatures that wil●… to trample upon him , when he cannot well rule one member of his own body , or passion os his own mind , wheredoes any soveraignty o●… this divine-like rule and dominion appear ? if i would see the very image , not of the lord , but of a very vassal and abject slave , not fit to govern the veriest dumb creature , even the silliest of them that goes on all four ; i could not see it more lively than in the drunkard . 3. man is the im●…ge of god in regard of a divine like reason and understanding wherein he excels all other creatures ; but when the drink is in and wit out , as they say , when that intoxicating thing hath bereaved him of wit and understanding , ( as young cyrus thought it was plain toxicum poison , it bereaved them so of sense and understanding ; ) when it is thus with man wh●…re is any divine l●…ke reason and understanding in him ? how is he in this 〈◊〉 the image of god , and not rat●…er the image of an ass , a blo●…kish ass ? 4. man is the image of god in rega●…d of a divine-like holy and pure nature ; but when such a deal of impu●…ity and 〈◊〉 doth appear even in the outward man , much more when the drunkards heart by reason of drunkenn●…ss is nothing but a cage of unclean and 〈◊〉 thoughts , where is 〈◊〉 ●…his divine-l●…ke holy and pure natur●… ? ●…nd how is he then the image o●… god , that 〈◊〉 ●…nd holy spirit ; and not rather t●…e 〈◊〉 o●… him who is that un●…lean and 〈◊〉 spirit ? 〈◊〉 , by drunk●…nness we dishon●…ur god , in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…odies whi●…h are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… chri●…t . kn●…w ye not ( 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 of one speci●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sc. forn●…cation ) that o●…r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 ●… shall i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 christ , &c. so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another special sin o●… t●…e 〈◊〉 we may say ; know ye not , &c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…ke the members of chri●… , the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…ll 〈◊〉 , and make them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… 〈◊〉 that drunken 〈◊〉 ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sow , those swilling 〈◊〉 ? sur●…ly god sorbid . would not the king take it indignly as a dishonour to him , if one of you should hang out his 〈◊〉 , one part whereo●… should have t●…e 〈◊〉 o●… 〈◊〉 mon●…r , another of that ? s●…ll not 〈◊〉 much more take it indignly as a d●…shonour to him , if they that would go ●…or members of christ , appear 〈◊〉 to be memb●…rs os hog and sow thos●… swilling and drunken creatures ? who cou●…d well endure it that christs very picture should be so di●…honourably paint●…d ? how should he then well end●…re it that his v●…ry body should be thought to ●…e made up o●…●…uch dishonourable members ? thirdl●… , ●…y drunkenness we dishonour god in abusing our bodies ●…s they are the temples o●… the holy gho●…t ; kn●…w ye not ( say●…s the apostle , speaking again●…t the ●…ore-named vice of the body , sc. fornicati●…n ) that ●…our bodies are the temples of the ●…oly-ghost , and there●…ore as he intim●…tes should be kept in a●…l honour and holin●…ss , ●…ree from such a silthy de●…iling sin as fornication . so for drunkenness , know ye not th●…t our bodi●…s are temples , & c ? were it not an odious thing if the drunkard should come and lay his filthy stomach in the temple of god ? filthiness and nas●…iness does not become the very material temples of god , how much more odious and dishonourabl●… a ●…ing is it th●…t by his b●…tly 〈◊〉 he so 〈◊〉 th●… living temple of god ? for not that whi●…h comes out ( that i may invert our saviours speech ) does so defile t●…e m●…terial temple , as that which goes into the drunkards belly defiles the living temple ; and what sayes the apostle ? if any m●…n desile the temple of god , him shall god 〈◊〉 : for the t●…mple of god is holy , whi●…h templ●… ye are . 1 cor. 3. 16 , 17. for fins against the second table , whi●…h the drunkard by reason of his drunke●…ness is subject and very incident unto ; consider these . first , against the fi●…th commandement , honour thy father , &c. wherein are set down the duties of children to parents , and parents to children , and in g●…nerall of all inferiours to superiours , and superiours to inferiours , against this commandement how the drunkard by reason of his drunkennesses sins it is plain . 1. how disobedient , incorrigibly disobedient does this make children to parents , that they will not be admonished , nor hear the voice of father , or voice of mother which , what a dishonour is it to them ? in deut. 21. 20. the disobedient son is brought in , or rather brought ●…orth to be stoned for his incorrigi●…le 〈◊〉 , a●…d what is alledged for me ground of his d●…sobedience ? he is a 〈◊〉 and a drunkard : for this is not added as a part for which he was ●…oned , that was his contumacy and 〈◊〉 . v. 18. if a man have a stubbo●…n and rebellious son , &c. perhaps also the wise man would intimate this , when presently after he had said be not among wine-bibbers , &c , he addes . hearken unto thy father that begat thee , and despise not thy mother when she is old , prov. 23. 20 , 21 , 22. as if he would intimate thus much , that if he should ordinarily be among wine-bibbers and so turn drunkard , he would soon grow heedless of hearkening to his father that begat him , or of despising his mother when she is old ; and to say no more of this , how dis-obedient this vice makes children to parents , many a parents bleeding heart will witness it without any further proof ; who to no small gries of their hearts know how heady and unruly this heady and unruly drink have made their own children unto them . not accused of riot ; and what immediately followes ? not unruly , tit. 1. 6. secondly , t●…is vice m●…kes parents wrong their ch●…ldren too ; wrong them 1. in transfusi●…g and propagating oftentimes unto them this drunken vice . there are two sins , sc. drunkenness and whoredome , which being more properly sins of the body , are by bodily propagation derived from parents to their children . the drunken father seldom begets a sober son , nor the drabbing mother a chast daughter ; but as the mother is , so is the daughter , as is the father so is the son. this the philosopher intimated whe●… he saw a young man much in drink ; thy father surely ( sayes he ) begot thee being in drink . and perhaps also ( besides a mystical reason ) this natural reason may be aimed at by the angel , why he would not have manoah ( being to bear sampson ) drink all that time either wine or strong drink , judg. 13. 7. behold thou shalt conceive and bear a son , but drink no wine or strong drink , &c. 2. ag●…in this vice makes parents exceedingly wrong their children by their drunken example . example easily smites , but especially domestick and house-example , and especially of parents ; how can they ever rightly hate and abhor that vice when from the v●…ry 〈◊〉 they see it in those whom they must needs love so dearly ? how ●…hould they ever p●…ove patterns of sobriety abroad , wh●…n they are before corrupted so with su●…h ill patterns and examples of drunkenn●…ss at home . 3. again this vice o●…tentimes makes parents exceedingly wrong their children in ●…he point of good education and providing for them , how wi●…kedly careless and improvident does this make many how their children are brought up and how provided ●…or . indeed i will not d●…ny but some kind of drunkards there are ( sc. the mungrell or compounded drunkards , who are not pure drunkards , but make their drunkenness serve their covetuousness ; th●…y make the best bargains and strike up the best matches in their pots ) i will not deny but these mungrell compounded d●…unkards may be provident enough for their children ; but the pure drunkard how careless commonly is he , how children are brought up and how provided for ? so he may have drink he cares not though they want bread ; so he may sing and whistle on the ale-bench , he cares not though they cry and go and whistle it on the beggars-bench . and as drunkenness thus is apt to overturn the duties of children to parents , ●… c contra , so likewise o●… all inseriours to superiours , &c contra ; of subjects to mag●…rates who are civill fathers ; of people to ministers , who are ghostly fathers , &c c●…ntra . of subjects to magi●…trates . the men of sechem having gathered their vineyards , and trod their grapes , and making merry judg. 9. they ●…at and drank ; and what then ? and cursed abimelech . so he that wrote that wine is the strongest , 1 esdr●…s 3. 21. among other reasons to prove it , this is one , it ma●…th ●…very heart rich , i.e. brave , brisk , fl●…sh , gallant , &c. and what then ? so that a man remembereth neither king nor governour , and causeth to speak all things by talents ; that is , huge and mighty and big swelling words , words os great contempt and dis-●…espect ; vilifying and making clouts of men in authority : so on the contrary this makes magi●…trates fail in their duties , it makes him that bears the sword that he can sometimes put no great difference between the innoceat and the offender , and so makes him erre in judgement . it is not for kings , o lemuel , to drink wine , nor for princes strong drink , least they drink and forget the law , and pervert the judgement of any of the 〈◊〉 , prov. 31. 4 , 5. and hereupon is that wo , and that blessing , eccl. 16. 17. wo to th●… o land when thy king is a child , and thy princes eat in the m●…rning ; blessed art thou o land , &c. and after the p●…ophct 〈◊〉 had said , wo unto them that are mighty to drink wine , is●… . 5. 22. 23. what immediately sollows ? which justisic the wicked for a reward , &c. it makes magistrates fail in their duties . and whereas one special thing of a magistrate is to resorm abuses , and one special abuse , the ground and make-way for many others is drunkenness ; if the magistrate himself be much guilty this way , how shall he ever be hoped to do any great good in reforming this abuse ? will not his own conscio●…s self-condemning heart shut his eye that he will not see , stop his mouth that he dares not say , and dry up and wither his hand , that hand that should execute justice , that he dares not do or act much against osfenders this way ? is not that a very natural ground to take off any from proceeding in judgement against another ; that which took off ●…udah from proceeding in judgement against tamar , to burn her with ●…ire as a whore , she is more righteous than i ? but if an osfending magistrate should notwithstanding proceed to punish osfenders in the same kind , what hope th●…t he should 〈◊〉 , that he 〈◊〉 do any g●…od ther●…by ? ●…s it ●…ot n●…tural for eve●…y one wi●…h great ind●…gnation and ●…ising 〈◊〉 to sa●… , 〈◊〉 , sir●… heal thy self , 〈◊〉 searc●… 〈◊〉 me own wound , 〈◊〉 thine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and wh●… 〈◊〉 thou that judg●…st 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 th●… 〈◊〉 ●…hings ? rom. 2. 1. and thou that sa●… 〈◊〉 a m●…n 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 thou ●…teal ? thou th●…t 〈◊〉 anoth●…r , 〈◊〉 thou 〈◊〉 ? thou th●…t sor 〈◊〉 s●…ttest 〈◊〉 by the heels , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through 〈◊〉 trip up thy own he●…ls ? and therefore though such an one should 〈◊〉 to pun●…sh 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 h●…pe he should 〈◊〉 ? and 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 wise emp●…rour sa●…d in th●… 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 , when they 〈◊〉 have b●…gun reforma●…ion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 po●…r ●…rancisc 〈◊〉 a●…d minorit●…s , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will never do good , ( sayes he ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be begun a majoritis . so ●…or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 , unl●…ss 〈◊〉 be begun a m●…joritis , from may●…rs , ●…dermen , burgesses , mea in anthorit●… , & ●… . th●…re c●…n n●…ver be ●…xpected any kindly reformation in the minorites and ●…aseriours . ag●…in for them that are 〈◊〉 superiours and inseriours , pastors and people , this sin m●…kes them sail in their duties one to another , it is a great indangering occasion to m●…ke t●…e pas●…ours 〈◊〉 in th●…ir duty . d●…es 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of god 〈◊〉 th●…s ●…y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g●…ven to aaron ? levit. 10. 9. do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 w●…ne ●…r 〈◊〉 dri●…k . ●…nd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of pa●…tors and pro●…hets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and duty ? 〈◊〉 28. th●…y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 throu●…h wine , th●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have erred through st●…ong ●…rink , &c. a●…d what especially but this , does the 〈◊〉 aim at , in requiring so expresly that a bishop or mini●…ter should not be given to much wine ? 1 tim. 3. 3. one that uses to be overseen in drink , tit. 1. 3. he th●…t uses t●… be overse●…n this way ▪ will never be a good overseer in the 〈◊〉 pau●…s sence . and for the peopl●… , 〈◊〉 of their honouring their go●…ly and p●…insull minis●…ers ( or hold suc●…●…n 〈◊〉 ) what contempt doe●… thi●… c●…use tow●…rds their p●…rsons ? phil. 2. 19. it is the mo●…t ●…ikely t●…at those contem●…ers o●… the apo●…tle 〈◊〉 , ●…or a meer b●…bler , what wi●…l this babl●…r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 17. 18. that they we●…e ●…f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 seas●…al epicur●…ans who pl●…ce their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in sensu●…l 〈◊〉 ●…nd drinking , 〈◊〉 in the s●…me ver●…e . and the 〈◊〉 scossing butcher o●… 〈◊〉 fl●…ld go●…s not ●… doubt alone , w●…o hav●…ng ●…rd the minister inveigh again●…t 〈◊〉 , asterwards at his cups fe●…l a 〈◊〉 and scos●…ing at the purita●… m●…r and his s●…rmon ▪ s ; i doubt i say he goes not a●… , but hath butchers , and better men too , too many , sharing with him in his sin , tho●…gh perhaps they partake not with him presently in the same temporal judgement : for as that pro●…ane , scoffing wretch ( s●…yes my author ) was drinking , the drink or somewhat in it qu●…ckled him , and stuck so in his thro●…t that it would neither up nor down but presently strangled him . secondly , ag●…inst the next commandement , thou shalt not kill . wherein is commanded all things that make for the lise , safety , and bodi●…y welfare of our neighbour . against this the drunkard by reason of his drunkenness sins these wayes . 1. directly , by falling into quarrels and bloody frayes oftentimes by reason of this sin. wine is a mo●…r ( sayes the wise man ) prov. 20. 1. i. e. makes them that are given to it mo●…k and ab●…se one another ; and what then thereupon fol●…owes ? strong drink is raging ; s●… . breeds tumults and from off the poor , &c. micah 3. 3. the p●…ophet s●…ms to ●…imate that they w●…re sensual , voluptuous m●…n , given to wine and strong drink , ch●…p . 2. 11. s●… 〈◊〉 her that is filthy , or g●…s ; m●… only for s●…y and ep●…cu is●…e of e●…ing and dri●… , like t●…e craw , the birds craw : and what th●…n follow●…s ? to the op●…ssing city , zeph. 3. 1. & 2. 11. t●…us a second wa●… . 3. again●…t this , thou shalt not kill , the drunkards dr●… causeth him to ossend , ●…cause it dis●…oseth a●…d hardeneth his bowels to gre●…t unmerci●…ness towards the poor , le●…ing them almost rath●…r p●…ish then r●…ving him in his wants ; there are none commonly so unsensible of the em●…ty and ye●…rning ●…owels of others , as they that have th●…ir own ●…owels oppressed and surcharged still with surpluffage and a●…undance of meats and drinkes ; do not the●…e examples m●…ke this good . 1. of n●…bal , who bei●…g as ap●…ears v. 36. a sensual man , given to 〈◊〉 of meat and drink , was insensible of d●…vids and his companions mis●…ries , rating his servants with soul wo●…ds , who is d●…vid ? &c. 1 samuel 25. 10 sent them away empty . 2. the examp●…e of sodom , ezek. 16. 49. where 〈◊〉 ▪ o●… b●…d ( wh●…by f●…lness of d●…ink also is 〈◊〉 under●…tood ) is intimat●…d a●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 why she did not as it followes , i. e s●…n the hands of the poor and 〈◊〉 . 3. the example of him who faring deli●…sly everyd●…y , he and his servants living in su●…h sensua●…ity w●…re 〈◊〉 of p●…or 〈◊〉 his m●…sery lying at his g●…te and ready to dye o●… hunger as it is likely he afterwards did , luke 16. 19. 4. ag●… this , thou shalt n●…t 〈◊〉 , the drunkards drunkenn●…sse causeth him to osfend ; because it taketh away brothe●…ly compassions and fellow-feeling of others mis●…ries . others that are perhaps in bondage , in captivities , in hard usage under the enemy , whose cause lies a ●…leeding , whose souls a languishing , and whose necks on the very block ; and to want compassions and fellow-seeling in this kind , is a kind of bloodiness and killing cr●…lty ; but drunkenness and sensuality , nothing apter than it to 〈◊〉 the same . the king and h●…man sate down to drink , but the city shushan was p●…rplexed , esther 3. this sitting down to drink , to drink sensually and voluptuously made the king and haman 5. 〈◊〉 this , t●… shalt 〈◊〉 kill ; t●… dr●…ds drunkenness●… c●…h him 〈◊〉 oss●…d , 〈◊〉 it is ●…pt to breed 〈◊〉 killing cr●…lty , sc. wick●…d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 po●…r so●…t in 〈◊〉 ; which w●…oso do●…s is a man os blood , and ther●…by h●…th his hands in blood ; ye h●…ve condemned and killed the just , sc. he whose cause was just , him have ye in wrong judgement condemned , and so killed ; hi●… , not in p●…rson but in estate , undoing him by wrong judgment , and he does not resist you , james 5. 5 , 6. and who are they that thus do ? ye have lived in pleasure on earth . so for a parall●…l place ; amos 2. 8. they drink the wine of the condemned in the ho●…se of their god. i. e. they condemned not ●…n their persons but their e●…ates , by wrong judgement . and b●…sides this killing of others thus by drunkenness , i might shew also how the drunkard hath of o●…n h●…nds ( by reason of that vice ) in his own b●…ood ; and that not only in reg●…rd of bre●…k-necks , and other fatal mishaps that befall him often in his drunk●…n mood ; but al●…o in regard of filling his body commonly with deathhasting sicknesses and diseases , through his intemperances and disorders . these men though they pretend he●…lths , heal●…hs , yet who commonly a●…ter a while ( except it be in some special iron-sides ) hath such diseased bodies , and so ●…ull of in●…irmities as they ? and those ver●… iron sides that last a reasonable time not withstanding all their di●…lempers , h●…d they lived 〈◊〉 l●…ke other men , might in all l●…kelihood h●…ve survive●… and f●…r 〈◊〉 o●…her men , and 〈◊〉 th●…t 〈◊〉 ●…he 〈◊〉 s●… . th●…t the ●…ly ●…n sh●…●…t live 〈◊〉 half ●…s ●…s , 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s●…d o●… h●…m th●…t sn●…ks th●… 〈◊〉 of t●…e v●… , as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thirsts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vein , that neither of the●… com●…only shall live out th●…ir full dayes . thirdl●… . 〈◊〉 the next c●…mmandement , thou sh●…lt not commit 〈◊〉 ; wherein is for●…idden all l●… of unc●…nnes ; and poss●…ssing our vessels in s●…nctisication an●… hono●…r required at our hands : 〈◊〉 this how the dr●…nkard by reason of his drunk●…nnesses is apt , and very apt to sin , there n●…eds no proving of it . 1. experience is for it . where almo●…t is the p●…rty who is noted for one of these vices , that is not noted sor the other als●… ? where the p●…rty th●…t is 〈◊〉 for a m●…n of lu●…t , but he is no●…ed for a m●…n of drink too ? a●…d it will go pr●…tily the other way too , where 〈◊〉 i●… t●…e ●…rty that is noted os 〈◊〉 in drink , ●…ut he is noted of 〈◊〉 in l●… too ? an●… 〈◊〉 marvel , f●…r 2. r●… 〈◊〉 t●… . re●…son that intemper●…nce in drink 〈◊〉 br●…d ●…rance in 〈◊〉 too , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and seek soon 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spum●…e lust. and t●…re i am m●…re th●…n 〈◊〉 ●…f th●…t ●…s mind ; i will never think a 〈◊〉 to be a 〈◊〉 m●…n for t●…ough he ma●… 〈◊〉 sometimes 〈◊〉 ●…om the act ▪ yet he hath alwa●…es wi●…h him the inc●…tive , the ma●…ter , 〈◊〉 provocation to lu●…t . and as experi●…nce and reason , so 3. s●…ipture ; h●…w plain is it for this same truth too ; a●…ter 〈◊〉 upon the wine wh●…n it is red , ●…ollows next ●…erse but one , looking ●…pon the strange wo●…an , prov. 23. 31 , 33. and what does the a●…ostle make to u●…her in chambering and wantonness , but rioting and drunkenness ? if rioting and drunkenness go before , in all likelihood chambering and wantonness will follow . and therefore david , what art or trick did he use , the likeliest as in his judgement to make uriah go and lie with his wife ? why he made him drunk , 2 sam. 11. 13. and lots d●…ughters that they might preserve s●…ed of their father , made their father dru●…k . they remembred what the sodomites practised , a people of all unbridled lust and uncleanness ; sc. fulness of bread , whereby fulness of drink is understood also ; and therefore they doubted not if the sodomites drunkenness went before , the sodomites lust would follow after . fourthly , against the next commandement , thou shalt not steal ; the drunk●…rd by reason of his drunkennesses sins , 1. by stealing from the state and common-wealth . for the glutton and the d●…unkard are very state-robbers , impoverishing the state , and robbing as it were from the common store , and causing ( through their riots and excess ) dearths and famines ; but for these state-robbers the common-wealth would commonly have wealth and store enough for supply and nourishment of all ; these are like the drone bees that getting into the hive over-eat themselves , and st●…rve the other b●…s before the winter be over : but for these over-eaters , these belly-bu●…sten d●…ones that steal from the rest , there would be meat enough for the whole hive . 2. they steal from the poor . that which their intemp●…rance and belly bur●…tenship drinks and devours , how many hungry and thirsty souls of the needy would it h●…ve refreshed , aye and by due ought it also to have refreshed ! for , withhold not good from whom it is due , when it is in the power of thine hand to do it , prov. 3. 27. and therefore in their intemperance they are but very stealers from the poor ; thy superstuous things are but the poor mans 〈◊〉 things . 3. they steal , and most wickedly of all steal , from wi●…e and children , suffering her , whom if they had but two bits in the world they should seed with one ; and them whom if they had but one bit in the world they should give them half of it , su●…ering both her and them to ●…amish at home , whilst they lavish and mis-spend it abroad ; and this is the worst stealth and robbery of all , to steal thus from wise and children ; and if any high-way robber deserve a rope , there is none of these that steal from wife and children but they deserve two ; for as the wiseman hath it , whoso robbeth his father and mother and saith it is no transgression , the same is the companion of a destroyer . he is the worst robber , the worst offender of all , so he that robbeth wi●…e and children . it is well observed by aristotle , that it is the worst the●…t of all , which takes from the seed , because it is a the●…t that robs us not only of so much quantity , but whatsoever by multiplication would come of that seed . so the drunkard that robs from his child in prejudicing his education , and hindering the ground-work laying then of a 〈◊〉 means of li●…ing is the worst the●…t of all , because he deprives him not only of so much good as here is in quantity , but whatsoever also might come of that good . and thus by the drunkards sinning so mani●…oldly against both tables by reason of his drunkenn●…sses , does not the first part of the demonstration sufficiently appear , that is , that the drunkard is right the devils child , the ouncels else , b●…cause of resembling him in an universal mass of wickedness almost ? now , secondly , because we say in a more especial manner , that such an one is right the fathers son because of resembling him , not only in a general likenes of his nature , bu●… also , and more especially , in some more special markes and properties ; as that he hat●… just the fathers ●…uttering speech , &c. so let us now demon●…rate how the drunkard in this more sp●…cial manner is right the devils child because of more special resembling him in some more sp●…cial markes and properties of the devil . and 1. in this special property , that as the devil is obstinately and incorrigibly naught , hardned and habituated in evil ; ( for the devil sins from the beg●…nning ) that is , obstinately and incorrigibly as hardened and habituated in sin , without any hope of reclaiming him ; so among the most hopeless and unreclaimable sinners of all is the habituate drunkard . when belials and belzebubs and wicked spirits turn holy angels , then almost and not before , may it be expected that these sons of belial , these habituated drunkards should turn saints . does not the spirit of god that knowes well enough their spirits , bring the habituated drunkards in , saying thus ? they have stricken me , i. e. they have used all reproof , admonition and counsell to him , such as might fetch blood and make him sensible , if he had not a very seared , a very cauterized flesh , but he remaines senseless of all , 〈◊〉 i●… not 〈◊〉 nor tro●…bled upon any of tho●…e reproo●…s , ●…e seels none of th●… 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 ●… 〈◊〉 ; but a●… all , what s●…yes th●…s in●…orrigible drunkard ? when ●…ll i a●…e ? i will seek it yet 〈◊〉 : to it ●…ain , and that so soon as he is awak●… ; ●…ay 〈◊〉 t●…inks i●…●…g ●…ill ●…xt morning , wh●…n 〈◊〉 i 〈◊〉 ? l●… here is all the amend●… , ●…o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me ●…n ●…s to d●…y , ●…y wo●…●…o ; so great hope i●… there of any 〈◊〉 m●…ing . come ( ●…ayes they ) i w●…ll 〈◊〉 wi●… , and we will ●…ll our s●…lves with s●…rong drink , and to morrow shall be as t●…is d●… and much more abun●…nt . if we ●…ve d●…unk s●…oopes to day , we will drink whole ●…andes to morrow . if we have whi●…d it a little to day , we will ●…sh it to morrow . if we have drunk ●…lly-●…lls to d●…y , we will drink skin 〈◊〉 to morrow ; till the u●… par●… , the ve●…y 〈◊〉 ends be 〈◊〉 to cr●…ck with 〈◊〉 : to morrow s●… as this d●…y , an●… 〈◊〉 ●…re abun●…t . ●…o here is all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of ●…e drunkard , to morrow t●… 〈◊〉 man as to day , and w●…●…o . obj. ay●… but m●…y not some drunk●…ds ●…ven 〈◊〉 drunkards turn and repent ? and 〈◊〉 w●…re so●…e of you , b●… ye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. theref●…re may not ●…e by the grace of god turn and repent ? a●…s . it is not denied but some may turn and 〈◊〉 , but as david sayes , i have been 〈◊〉 ●…nd now am old , &c. so for those that ●…ve been young and now are old , let 〈◊〉 consider how many they can remem●…r in all their lives , t●…at of drunkards , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drunk●…ds have afterwards 〈◊〉 proved sober and temperate men , live 〈◊〉 in health , and in su●…iciency of m●…ns , and out of pure conscience , not by ends , ●…ing an●… breaking o●…f that vice ; of such m●…n i would know how many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can remember . o●…en have i been asked , and often have i enquired but never could i meet with an insta●…ce of t●…is kind but one or two at the most . s●…ndly , consider therefore that so rare are these ex●…mples , that well may we apply the word●…●…f the psalmist to such an example : this is the lords doing , his strong and mighty doing , and it is m●…rvellous in our eyes . so marvellous , that is saul among the prophets , was no such marvel , as is such and such a drunkard now among the saints ? so marvellous , that the father had good reason to say what he said , when hearing of his sons gaming , of his prodigality , yea of ●…is very whoring , said , yet there was hope ; but heari●…g afterwards of his 〈◊〉 ●…rned 〈◊〉 , he gave him ov●…r ●…r d●…d , for desperate , for one that ●…e 〈◊〉 as good as no hope at all thereof . 〈◊〉 that for my own part , of all sins ( 〈◊〉 i should know ●…e to have sinned the v●…ry sin 〈◊〉 th●… holy ghost ) of all that i 〈◊〉 have least hope to work up●…n , t●…e drunk●…rd , the old ha●…ituate 〈◊〉 i●…●…e man , the ●…tane ague f●…r the in●…ness of it ●…y any physick is said to be 〈◊〉 ●…hame of the physit●…n . the quoti●…ian dru●…kard may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to ●…e t●…e shame of the divine , 〈◊〉 of all moral 〈◊〉 , sc. counsel , r. proof , admonition , &c. thirdly , the qu●…on is not what the gr●… of god may do upon a dru●…rd , but what the justice of god upon dru●…kards useth to do . the ju●…ice of god which useth to give over some kind of sinners , ●…rious sinners to ●…inal 〈◊〉 ; where can it find a sinner composed so of all notoriousness almost , and all transgression against both tables to shew this judgment upon , as t●…e old inured habitua●…e dru●… ? more over besides this judgment o●… god to make the drunkard 〈◊〉 , there is that ; wine and new wine t●…e away the heart . make them sots , uncapable , morally uncap●…le of any right consideration ; al●…o 〈◊〉 cause inherent in the temper and body , that is , through conti●… dri●… to ●…ve the state and temper of the ●…y so 〈◊〉 and corrupted that it 〈◊〉 propends and inclincs to the same 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 a drunkennish droopish humor upon it ●…r strong 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , j●…t 〈◊〉 t●…e natural dropsie for ordin●…ry and weaker drinkes . by reason of all which , it comes sometimes to pass , that a m●…n ●…ll meet sometimes with some kind of drunk●…rd who may be●… his case , cry o●… o●… the 〈◊〉 of this 〈◊〉 , inveigh 〈◊〉 company , melt under the perswasion of friends , protest and serio●…y ●…ow against the sin ●…r afterwards , and yet this hold good no longer than till he meet his companion , and fall into the next temptation . fourthly , for the more full satisfying the two instances made in the objection , consider , that for some hope of turning and repenting there is a great difference between the night drunkard and the day drunkard ; the night drunkard is he who in the night of paganish ignorance and unbelief , not knowing the v●…leness of the sin , nor the richness of the grace of god , cont●…nues in this sin ; and of this night d●…runkard there is more hope than of t●…e other , of which kind it is most likely those mentioned by austin were , and it is plain those men io●…ed by the apostle paul were , 1 cor. 6. but sor the day drunkard , who agai●…st a plain knowledge of the vileness of the sin ; and of the grace of god , continues in the s●…n ; for this day drunkard , there maybe some possibility os his tuining , but hope none at all ; the power os the grace of god may do much , but the ju●…tness of gods judgements us●…th to do little , very little in this case . how desperate and in the case of utter perishing does the scripture leave those day drunkards , these that count it pleasure to riot in the day time ; these as naturall brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed ; and indeed of all sinners any whereof does attain to he●…ven there are i am perswaded the fewest of these drunkards , especially these day drunkards there . 2. another specially property of the devil is to be a satan , i. e. a very enemy and utter adversary to all goodness and all good men ; and they that so are , in special manner are his children . o thou child of the devil , thou enemy to all righteousness . and they that are enemies to all good men , are not they therefore called the seed of the serpent ? gen. 3. but who such s●…tans , such enemi●…s unto all goodness and all good men as the ord●…nary ●…abituate drunk●…rds are ; who could sooner wish that all religion , all civility , all good honest lawes were tr●…mpled down and laid under soot than these irreligious uncivil lawless creatures ? who sooner wish there were no preaching but only preaching over a pot ; no meetof a paul but only where they met him acts 28. 15. sc. at the three taverns ; so for their satanship and utter enemi●…ship to all good men , is not that of the second of wisdom for it ? come say the drunkards , let us enjoy the good things that are present ; and then what go they on unto ? let us oppress the poor righteous man. and who but the drunkards were they that made songs , spightsul songs of good david ? the d●…unkards make songs ●…f me . psal. 69. 12. and indeed who are they that could even eat the godly with salt , but they that are still drinking the sack with the sugar ? who are they that are ready if they could to drink the v●…y destruction of the godly , but they who are drinking still the healthes the drunken healthes of others . 3. another special property of the devil , is to be a tempter , to tempt others unto sin and wickedness , and therefore called the temp●…er ; and in this property this piece of the devils cloven●…footship how just is the drunkard the fathers son. other sinners can be content most of them to be sinners alone ; the covetous to be covetous alone , he cares not though all his neighbours else were spend-thrifts . the proud and ambitious , to be ambitious alone ; he cares not though all the rest of his neighbours were such humble creatures that they wou●…d be content to lie in the way for meer stepping-stones for his greatness to step upon ; but the drunkard devil-like is a sinner who cannot be content to be wicked alone ; but he must needs tempt others unto the same wickedness also . do not healths and whole ones , and putting the cup to the nose , and down the throat or down the neck , look for it , and will you not do me right ? and what no mettal , no manhood ? and drink or a challenge ; do not these and many such tempting provocations witness this ? thus was not this the humour of that drunk●…rd , h●…b . 2. 5. his own drunkenness is there spoken of , and in verse the 15 his tempting others , and putting his bottle to their nose . wo unto him that giveth ●…is neighbour drink . so this is the humour also os t●…ose drunk●…rds , amos 2. 8. their own drunkenish ship , and in ver 11. their tempting others , aye even the very nazarites thereunto is set sorth ; ye gave the naz ●…rites wine to drink . 4. another special property of the devil is to be a rejoycer in evil : to jeer , and sucer , and laugh with himself as 't were , when he hath prevailed with any in tempting them to evil. as the good a●…gels rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner , so the bad angels at the perversion of any . and how just is the drunkard the devils child in this property , in rejoyeing in evil , and at the perversion if he can work it of any ? what a joy and triumph is it to him if his man-hood , or devil-hood rather can but lay others under●…foot ; how he sneers and laughs with himself if he can but tempt and toll on others to be some-what overseen in this vice , especially if it be a saint and one that makes prosession , if he can but prevail with such an one , this fats and pleafeth him as much as it does the devil when he can but overcome a monk , as they were wont to say of old ; this devillish rejoycing of the drunkards in anothers evil , when they can see or make others drunk also , to look on their nakedness , i. e. their weakness and shame ; is not this ma●…e th●… humour of the 〈◊〉 ed 〈◊〉 , hab. 2. that puttest 〈◊〉 bottic t●… him ▪ an●… 〈◊〉 him drunk 〈◊〉 that thou m●…yest look ( rejoyeingly and with heart ▪ content look ) on his 〈◊〉 . ness . 5. another special property of the devil is to be a sl●…nderer , a traducer , a false accuser , a lyar and 〈◊〉 of all ; j●…h . 8. 44. rev. 12. 10. now the d●…unkard how just the fat●…er ; son is he in this respect ? who such a devil as he , i. e. a sl●…nderer , a traducer , false accuser , a lyar and belier of all ; being apt in his drink when that u●…ruly thing his tongue runs wild , apt then to lay sl●…nders and false c●…lumnies , and imputations and lying reviling speeches upon all ; well does the apostle couple the drunkard and the railer or evil speaker ; in the sir●…t place naming th●… fruit first and then the stalke , in the second the stalke and then the fruit , 1 cor. 5. 11. & 6 10. b●…t howsoever intimating that if there be such fruit , it com●…s osten of such a stalk ; and if such a stalk , it brings oftentimes forth such fruit. so 1 tim. 3. 11. not slanderers . and what presently addes he ? sober . the unsober ones are commonly sl●…nderers ; and 〈◊〉 2. 3. not false accusers . and wh●…t 〈◊〉 addes he ? not given to much wine . ) they that are given to much wine , odds is it they will be devils , slanderers , false accusers . and as the drunkard is a slanderer , so especially upon the saints , like the beast that spoke great blasphemies against the name of god , and his tabernacle , and them that dwelt in heaven , rev. 13. 6. they that walked in lasciviousness , lusts , excess of wine , revellings , drinkings , were they that slandered and spake ill of the saints that would not so do 1 pet. 4. 4. 6. another special property of the devil is to be a lucifer ; a proud and big and high conceited creature ; this pride and bigness of conceit is the devils proper sin ; now how proud and big and high conceited ones the drunkards in their drink are , 1 tim. 3. 6. 1. the common phrase shews , do not we say of such when they are prettily tipt ●…nd touched with drink , that they are brave and fine , and g●…llant ? 2. experience shews it , for how brave , and fine , and gallant people , do those in that condition think themselves to be ? some drunkards we may see , who otherwise may secm to be but of base and abject s●…irits ; who yet in drink how will the●… stand upon it , what brags and vaunts will they make ? what hee s and some-bodies and great magnificoes will they take themselves to be , vilifying and scorning all others with their heels , when the drink is in their head ? 3. that text shews it ; yea also because he transgresseth by wine , he is a proud man , hab. 2. 5. the fu●…nace proveth the edge in the tempering ; so doth wine the hearts of the proud by drunkenness . 7. another special property of the devil is , that he is an impure unclean spirit ; called the unclean spirit a●…d belzebnb the god of dung as some read 〈◊〉 . now w●…o such an impure , unclean , dirty , ●…asty sinner , as the drunk●…rd ? wh●…t n●…stiness in his very outwards ? nastiness of person , nastiness of speech , speaking such impure words , as if his mouth were a very sink-hole ; nastiness of ●…ehaviour , in filling and filing all things with filth and vomit ? what nastiness and much more , if they could be peeped into , in his inwards ; such impure unclean and beastly though●…s lodging there : in a word , such an impure unclean nasty creature that no presenter remedy almost to make a sound man a●…er that vice for ever , than well to 〈◊〉 the nastiness of it . as the lacedemonian●… made their servants drunk , and then shewed them their children to make them abhor that filthy and nasty vice for ever . and so by these special markes and properties of the devil , does it not appear in the second place , how just the drunkard is the devils child , because of such just and jump resembling of him in these more special markes and properties , as if it were in his very cloven feet , and horns ? use 1. is the drunkard , ( he or she ) no other than a very son or daughter of belial , a very child of the devil ? then how great reason have we to be dehorted from this vice , which makes us no other than the very children of the devil ? and what worse thing had the scripture to call those wicked inhabitants of gibeah by , that committed such villany with the levites concubine , & would have committed wor●…e with himself : what worse thing to call them by , than children of belial ? judg. 19. 22. what worse thing had our saviour to say of those wicked jews that would have murdered him then this , ye are of your father the devil ? joh. 8. 44. what worse thing had the apostle paul to call that wicked elimas by , one full of all mischief and enemy of all righteousness , than this ? thou child of the devil , acts 13. 13. and if any know not what a fearful thing it is to be , and be called a child of the devil , let him know that it casheers him quite from being the child of god. 1 joh. 3. 10. in this the children of god are manif●…st and the children of the devil . the children of god you see , and the children of the devil are made so opposite , that as contradistinct members they cannot stand together ; how great reason have they th●…n that can tremble at being a child os the devil , to shun and avoid drunkenness that makes all that are given to it the very sons and daughters of the devil . but because in things to be done it is good to shew , not only what we are to do , but also the way how we may do it , sc. how to avoid drunkenness , let us consider . and first , that we may avoid drunkenness , that is good counsel which in this case the father gives the son , prov. 23. 20. be not among wine bibbers . he that is still among wine bibbers , a bibber himself is soon like to prove ; the old gand●…r they say , soon teaches the young gos●…in to drink . and so the old soaker will soon teach the young beginner the way for the cup to the nose ; and he that would see the bottom were there a mile to it , will soon teach the towardly beginner to leave but a little snuffe in the cup. the phrase of the gospel is remarkable , where to eat and drink with the drunken is put for an undoubted presumption that that party proves intemperate hims●…lf . mat. 24. 49. company in any kind is a tempter ; augustine confessing his former sins , speaks of one sin that he would never have done alone but sor company ; company in any kind therefore is a tempter , but especially in this vice of drunk●…nness , which is even it self called sociableness or good fellowship ; and scarce ( i am perswaded ) one of a thousand that prove drunkards , wo●…ld ever prove drunk●…rds alone but that good fellowship tempts , and not many more also i am perswaded than one of a thousand that cas●… : them selves much upon this temptation , but drunkards , pratty drunkards in good time they prove . all have not the resolution of the rechabites , to stand firm against being overcome , when pots full of wine and cups are set before them , and when it is said unto them , and much said ; drink ye wine , jeremiah 35. 5. this is a temptation that all have not a resolution to withstand . secondly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider another remedy in the forenamed prov. 23. 31. not to look upon the wine when it is red , when it giveth the colour in the cup , when it moveth it self aright . not to please a mans self and his appetite to much in his fancying , and conceiting the nobleness , the sparkness , the pleasantness of the liquor ; and how merrily such noble and sparke and pleasant liquor will go down . he whose fancy workes thus , whose mouth waters thus , will not long be a temperate man ; he will soon prove sor the wet , what eve proved for the dry ; when she let but her appetite once begin to work , and her mouth to wa●…er in fa●…cying the forbidden fruit , how go●…d it was to the tast , and how pleasant to the ey●…s , it was not long out of her mouth , but she took thereof , and she did ●…at , gen. 3. 6. so they that sor their liquor let their app●…tites begin thus to work , it will not be long out of their mouthes , but they will take thereof and they will drink ; look not upon the wine , &c. but rather consider that go it down never so merrily , how long will that pleasure last ? surely were it a cup the most deliciously tempered that the world could afford , yet the pleasure in the merry going down therof would last no longer than a man could hold his breath , & how short a time is that ? surely so short a time , that were it a cup of nepenthe that dainty drink of the gods , nay were it a cup out of those rivers of pleasure at gods right hand ; yet to last no longer than a man could hold his breath , what so great 〈◊〉 in it ? how much more when it is but a draught of that which let it be best that grape or barley can afford , yet to a cup of those rivers of pleasures it is but swill and swash ! thirdly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider yet another good remedy out of prov. 23. 32. sc. to consider the latter end or farwell of this merry-go-down ; the latter end of it , ( or farwell ) is , that at the last it bites like a serpent , and stingeth like an adder . that thing which gives his colour in the cup , and moves it it self aright , that sparke , and pleasant and noble thing may have a merry-go-down , but at last it bites like an adder ▪ some of this adders stinging , and some of this serpents venemous biting is pointed at ver . 29. who hath wo , who hath redness of eyes , &c. we use to say of a drunkard in drink , that he is well bit ; and it is true indeed , he is serpent-bit , he is b●…t with that biting that bites wealth out of his purse , for the drunkard and the glut●…on shall come to poverty , proverbs 23. 21. which bites health out of his body , for who within a while have commonly less health , than they that still are drinking healths ? which bites wit and naturall parts out of the head ; for wine is a mocker , and whoever is deceived thereby sh●…ll not be wise , prov. 20. 1. which bites grace and gods spirit out of the heart ; be not drunk with wine but be filled with the spirit , eph. 5. 18. to be filled with the spirit of wine and with the holy spirit are made opposites , & such as cannot stand together ; he is therefore bit indeed , serpent-bit in this manner as you have heard ; and therefore what holdest thou in thy hand , thou drunkard , what holdest thou in thy hand ? is not the glass often-times thou drinkest in born up with a couple , and sometimes with a cluster of snakes or serpents ? let the serpent on the out-side put thee in mind of the serpent within ; the serpents without are toothless serpents , and cannot bite ; but the serpent within is a toothed , and a venom-toothed serpent , bites , and bites deadly , deriving poyson to the state of thy wealth , to the state of thy health , to the s●…ate of thy naturals , impairing wit and endowments natural ; and to the state most of all of thy supernat●…rals , leaving thy heart as empty of grace as thou the cup of liquor , or at most but some very snusss in it . fourthly , that we may avoid drunkenness , let us avoid drinkings , srequent and needless drinkings , though moderately enough at first , and to no great excess ; these frequent and needless drinkings , it is great danger , they will bring on drunkenness at last : all mischief commonly begins modestly , and from very minnims and least matters ; but then afterwards that commonly proves true ; he that despiseth small things , shall fall by little and little : what says augustine of his mother monica ? how this drunkenish humour stole upon her ; her parents taking her sor a very sober girle , caused her still to draw their wine , and she in wantonness , no●… h●…ving any desire to the wine , used still as she drew for h●…r parents , to sip a little , or touch it even with her lips ; but this sipping an●… touching a little with her lips , what afterwards proved it to ? by sipping a little continually , and every day more and mo●…e , she was brought to that custome , that she would even drink off whole cups : the greatest drunkard , what commonly was he at first , but only a frequent needless drinker ? at first he did but sip i●…t , and afterwards he turned to sup , and now he swoops it ; at first he was but for kissing the cup , after he learned to settle it half way , but now he can sink it , and see the bottom of it , were there a mile to it : at first by his continual drinkings , he did but learn the cup the way to the nose , but now he cannot learn his nose the way from the cup , but it dwells there ; and as ducks and water-fowl pull not up their bills from dudling there in the water , till their breath give over , and then they pull up bill a while , but e're long down again ; not his nose from the cup , till beer ath give over , and after breathing a nose is where it was again , as the ill in the water again . fifthly , that we may avoid drunkenness , let us look upon two cups : first , the cup of the lord , and then think what fellowship hath this cup of blessing with the other cup of cursing ; cup of cursing i call it , ●…ecause who but cursed ones use it , and wh●…t but cursings are used over it ? think what s●…llowship hath the cup of the s●…n of god wi●…h the cup of the sons of b●…lial ? one of you is hungry , and another is drunk , said the apostle , counting it absurd , and a great abuse of the cup of the lord , that they who partook of the cup of the lord , should partake of the cup of drunkenness ; either therefore tremble to meddle with the cup of the sons of belial , or dar not to meddle with t●…e cup of the son of god ; let the one cup shake the other out of the hand , let the right use of the blood of christ , the cup of 〈◊〉 ▪ correct the abuse of the blood of the grape in the cup of cursing . secondly , ●…ook upon another cup , the cup of gods fury and judgment due unto sinners ; in the hand of the lord there is a cup , as for the dregs thereof , all the ungodly of the earth shall drink them , and suck them out ; the wine is red , and it is full of mixture , psal. 75. 8. let th●…m that are still sucking the other cup , think of sucking the dregs of this cup : in the 13th . of jeremiah , there are bottles of wine , and bottles of wine ; v. 12. but the one is the vvine of fury and astonishment ; let them that think so of those bottles of wine , that wine that makes glad the heart of man , think also of those other bottles of wine , that wine that is the wine of fury and astonishment , dashing them together , v. 14. and let them , whose custome it is to drink and be drunken , and spue , and fall , and rise , perhaps , again , think of that , jer. 25. 27. drink ye , and be drunken , and spue , and fall , and never rise more . see hab. 2. 15 , 16. sixthly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider the apostle's remedy , or means against it ; sc. to put on the lord jesus christ ; but put ye on the lord jesus christ , and make not provision for the fl●…sh , to fulfill it in the lust thereof , rom. 13. 14. sc. in the things immediately fore-named , as rioting and drunkenness ; as if he should say , if you would but consider that you christians have in part put on , and should still more and more put on the lord jesus christ , he who was a pattern of all sobriety and temperance , and made no such provision for the flesh , to pamper any ways and fulfill the lusts thereof ; how could ye but shake off rioting and drunkenness , considering that ye had put on him that was the pattern of all soberness and temperance : why should any that have put on christ , the sober god , so live as if they had put on bacchus the drunken god ? why should any that have put on christ , who made no such provision for the flesh , so live as if they had put on epicurus , or him in the gospel , whose whole purveying and provision was about eat and drink , and take thine ease : what an indecorum and unseemliness were it , if he that should act and personate a king , should live and behave himself altogether as a scullion ? what an indecorum & unseem●…iness much more , if they that should act christ , should live as meer hogs and sows , those drunken and swilling creatures ? seventhly , that we may avoid drunkenness , consider another remedy of the apostle , sc. eph. 5. 18. to be filled with the spirit : and be not drunk with wine , wherein is excess , but be si●…led with the spirit : as if he should say , take heed of this beastly sin of drunkenness , and that you may avoid it , that you may not be drunk with wine , labour to be filled and drunk with the spirit : why do men commonly give themselves to wine and strong drink , but only that they may be merry , that they may be jovial , that they may drive away sorrow , and dumps , and discontents ? well , to do that , be ye filled with the spirit , and the spirit of comfort shall assord more comfort , and help better to drive out dumps than all the spirit of wine can . one drop o●… it makes l●…ghter hearts th●…n the ●…ull presses , and whole vintages of the other can ; therefore , as augustine hath it , let no man be drunk , yea , rather let every man be drunk ; but let him s●…e with what it is , sc. that is , with the spirit : this will make you break forth more into singing and rejoycing , in psalms , and hymns , and spiritual songs , ( as it follows ) than wine , and all the spirits of wine can make the drunkards break forth into their singing and rejoycing in their foolish and profane songs : therefore be ye filled , be ye drunk , but see with what ; with the spirit , with that inebriating cup , eat , o friends , drink , yea , drink abundant●…y , o beloved , cant. 5. 1. secondly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then drunkards look to it , the devil ( and there is good right and reason ●…or it ) will have his own , will one day go away with those that are his : will not every beggar contend for their own brats , and not lose one of them , but hosse and be gone ? will not the devil also , think you , contend for his brats , and not lose one of them , but hosse and be gone ? hosse and be gone with them to their fathers house , to the devils place of abode , and judge where it is : drunkards look to it , you are the devils children , and the devil certainly will one day have his own , nor will god ever go about to hinder him of his right , to hinder him of any one that is his ; nay , he will never suffer any one of the devils children to be laid at his door , to step within his threshold ; see how he thrusts and packs them out of his house and kingdom . be not deceived , neither fornicators nor drunkards , 1 cor. 6. 9. the drunkards are among those that shall never come into gods house , never inherit his kingdom : drunkards ( i say it the third time ) look to it , as surely as the devil shall never go away with any of gods children , so ●…either will god be troubled with any one of his ; shall i take the childrens bread and cast it unto dogs ? much more shall god take the childrens inheritance , and give it unto devils , and children of devils , such as drunkards , you drunkards are . thirdly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then magistrates look to it , how ye may suppress and hinder this breed ; these children o●… bclial , they breed as laban's flocks did at the watering-troughs when they came thither to drink , gen. 30. 38. so these , they breed and gender at the watering troughs , at the drinking places , at blind , supersluous , by-corner ale-houses , that are in by-obscure corners , there this brood breeds , as serpents , and dragons , and hurtful beasts they breed still in holes and dens , and by-coverts , that they may be the freest and most out of the way , not to be hindred in their breed ; if the breed therefore of these so hurtful creatures , these sons and daughters of belial would be hindred , their holes , their dens , their by-coverts where they breed , sc. blind , superfluous by-corner ale-houses must be looked into . these are the devils very nurseries , and breeding-places for his brats to be nursed and brought up in ; and ●…o long as he hath such convenient nurseries , and breeding-places allowed him , no marvel if the world ( as it is ) be full of his brats ; therefore they that are in place , i would they would be pleased to let enquiry be made into such blind by-corner ale-houses , the very nurseries and seminaries for the devil to breed and bring up his brats there : they talk of dutch mens draining our english fens and overslown grounds , and how commodious it would be to the countrey ; but is by these and o●…her good means the english would seek to dram the dutch drinking that overslows all among us , how much more commod●…ous a thing would that be to the countrey ? is it not better to have a little ground drowned among us , than our selves ? and therefore is it not better to drain that overflowing that overflows our selves , than that which overflows our ground ? fourthly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then hostesses and good ale-wives had need look to it , how they skink and draw too much out to them that they see ready to run into intemperance and excess ; for why , they help to the begetting of sons and daughters to the devil ; and if the devil be the father of these , the hostess , in a manner , is the mother , and he begets them of her ; at least if some other thing , sc. their own intemperance and drunkenish lu●…t be the mother , yet the hostess is the midwife , and without her h●…lp they could never be brought forth ; but it is not good either to be mother or midwife to the devils brats , fifthly , are drunkards the very children of the devil ? then you that are ●…ons and daughters of god , look ye to it , how ye have too much fellowship and commumunion with these sons and daughters of belial , especially how ye make matches and marriages with them ; if we knew any that were bodily begot of the devil , as they talk that some have been , who would endure to match with such an one ? well , if there were any that were even bodily begot of the devil , yet were they not so properly his sons and daughters , as they that are begot of his spirit and spiritual generation ; because in that generation he does but beget th●…m , d●… alieno , i. e. ●…umano semine rep●…rto & s●…rvato ; but in this he ●…egets , de proprio . it is condemned as a fault , and reckoned up as a thing of great incongruity , that the sons of god should marry with the daught●…rs of m●…n , gen. 6. 2. b●…t how far more incongruous and unfitting , that the sons and daughters of god should marry with the sons and daughters of b●…lial ? ezra 9. 2. & 1 cor. 6. 14. heb. xiii . 4. but whoremongers and adulterers god will judge . in the former part of this verse is set down the honour of marriage , with an implied invitation thereto of those who naturally and justly do find themselves to stand in need thereof ; as likewise the purity and undefiledness that should be in that state : marriage is honourable in all , and the bed und●…siled . in this latter part is set down gods judgments upon those , who either in single life , when god hath provided marriage an holy and honourable remedy against incontinency , do rather chuse , because of the cares and incumbrances , and many pre-conceived irksomnesses in marriage , rather chose to be made one flesh with a whore , the devil being the priest to couple together , than one with a lawful espoused vvife , god being he that ties the knot : ei●…her thu●… in single life or m●…rried 〈◊〉 , when they might d●…ink 〈◊〉 o●…t o●… t●…eir own c●…stern , thirst and se●…k ●…r ●…ollen w●…ters , ●…or 〈◊〉 a●…d un ●…th 〈◊〉 like some ●…rangely dist●…mpered and diso●…dered throat , that no 〈◊〉 out of their own cell●…r will please and quen●…h th●…ir thirst , but onely forreign drinks sought for from house to house from others g●…ile-sats ; f●…r th●…se , the one being the vvhoremonger , w●…rein th●… vvhore or drab also i●… implied ; and the oth●…r the ad●…lterer , where●…n the 〈◊〉 ●…lso is implied , for thes●… ; but 〈◊〉 , says the l●…tter p●…t of the vers●… , and adulter●…rs god will 〈◊〉 . and goo●… reason , says chrysostome , for wh●…n g●…d hath s●…nctified and indulged m●…rriage unto them ●…or a reme●…y of all incontinency , well may he judge the vvhoremong●…r and adul●…erer , who will needs be m●…dling with ●…orbidden fruit , when there is permitted fruit ●…nough to taste of ; will needs be ranging and casting up nose abroad , and scenting after forbidden bits , when he might cut bread off his own trencher : it was that whereby the spirit of god , under the parable o●… the rich man , who had many flocks of his own , and y●…t spared to kill of his own flock ●…or the traveller ●…hen he came , and took and dressed the poor mans only ew-lamb for the traveller ; that whereby the spirit of god aggravated david's adultery , that having vvives enough o●… his own , ●…ike the rich m●…n that had his flocks , none but the poor mans only ewe-lamb , uriab's bathsheba , would serve the t●…rn to satisfie his lust , when that traveller came ; well therefore may the close of that verse be , but whoremongers and adulterers , &c. the beginning whereof is , marriage is honourable . vvell may the punishment be severe , where the remedy is easie and o●…fered a●… hand : so for context . for text it self , there needs no great expounding it ; the difference between vvhoredom or fornication and adultery , appears by what is already spoken , sc. that the first properly is between single couples , when both the parties are single folk ; the second , when either one , or both the par●…ies are married people , and so make either single or double adultery ; this properly , although the use of the word is sometimes extended to comprehend adultery also under it , as mat. 5. 32. whosoever shall put away , saving for the cause of fornication . aye , and 〈◊〉 adu●…tery too , 1 cor. 5. 1. now for the handling of the word●… , the drift of them is b●… proposing god a severe 〈◊〉 against these two 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 , whoredom and adul●…ry , thereby to deterre and 〈◊〉 there●…rom , and therefore the dri●…t of my speech sh●…ll be the same , sc. by argum●…nts included in these words , to d●…terre and ●…isswade from these two abomina●…ions ; and the a●…guments may be three . first , from consideration of the judge , who shall take the scanning , examining , ●…nd adjudging of these two sins into his own hands , being no other than god himself . secondly , from consideration of the judgments which he shall , what here , what hereafter inflict upon offenders in them , implied indefinitely in the word judicabit , he will judge . thirdly , from ●…onsideration of the grievousness of the sins themselves , impli●…d also in the judgment ; for the grievousness of judgments imply grievousness of sins ; god he proportions judgment to s●…n ; he doe●… not l●…t them feel the weight of his full 〈◊〉 who are but less 〈◊〉 , nor them t●… tip of his li●…tle finger onely , that are gross 〈◊〉 . now , according ●…o the●…e three arguments , we will h●…ndle th●…ee propositions . proposition the f●…st . that whoredom and adul●…ry is to be avoid●…d , b●…cause god will be ●…he judge of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 . god , with ●…hom there is no 〈◊〉 it out with 〈◊〉 and concealment ; god , with whom 〈◊〉 is no buyi●…g it out with bribery and corruption ; go●… , with whom there is no ●…aring it out with po●…er and greatness ; for what thinks the f●…rnicator or adul●…erer to animate them to their un●… ? but ●…ither they sh●…ll carry that wo●…k of darkness in such darkness and concealment , th●…t who shall know them ? or if their filthiness ●…e d●…scovered , they will lay on such load , ( and they half know the corr●…ption and commut●…ments of the co●…rt ) that they will bribe o●…f all shame and punishment : or pe●…haps , they are such great ones , such noli-me-tangere's , that they think who dare meddle with them ; well , but let them consider whether they be such great ones , that god dare not meddle with them ; whether they can lay on such load , as to bribe off his justice ; whe●…her they c●…n c●…rry it in such a cloud and clos●…ness as to bleer his eyes : whoredom and adultery is to be avoided , because god will be the judge . god , with whom , first , there is no boulstering it out with closeness and concealment , this is a sin of any other that hates the light , that walks in dark●…ess , that creeps in corners , that makes many doubles and squats , fits as close as it can ; and then they think all i●… well , if they can , with the adulterous woman , eat , and wipe th●…ir mouths , and say , they have done no wickedness , prov. 30. 20. if they can in such secrecy comm●…t their lewdness , as not to be suspected o●… the world ; the phrase being taken from those that munch it in private , or wi●…h head in the amry , and then wipe all clean , and come simpering forth , as though they had not eaten at all . but do they consider that for all their clean wiping of their mouths , there is one that sees all their munching in private , and with head in the amry , all their eating of their bread of secrecies , as adultery is called , prov. 9. 17. one that sees all this and will judge them ●…or it . the psalmist ( psal. 50. 18 , &c. ) reckons up some close-carried sins , and and among them adultery , and brings in the lord the k●…ower and avenger of them ; when thou s●…west a thief , thou consentedst with him , and hast been partaker with adulterers , &c. but i will reprove thee , and set before thee the things which thou hast done , ver . 21 , 22. o consider this , sc. that i see wel●… enough , and will avenge such secret , close-carried sins , sins with such a veil and curtain drawn between them and the 〈◊〉 eye ; and among the secreter and cunninger carried sins too that the lord threatens that he will come a swift witn●…ss against them for , mal. 3. 5. adultery is one . the world cannot , perhaps , much witness against them for these secreter , and cunninger carried sins , but i will come near you in judgment . and hence when the m●…n was jealous of his wife , and no manifest conviction could be had of it , the judgment was devolved and turned over to the lord , and the bitter water then was to try her , numb . 5. she might deceive her husband , but this bitter water would find her out , would make her thigh to rot , and her belly swell ; ●…f this trial were yet a foot , and some such trial ●…or us men also , may it not be doubted what would become of some thighs and some bellies ? well , beloved , he that tried and judged the guilty by the bitter water , then he knows as well the guilty now , and will surely judge them one day by the fire , that he judgeth not now by the wat●…r : christ told the samaritan woman all her p●…anks and tricks , john 4. use 1. of correction : will god , with whom there is no bolstering out with closeness , be the judge of all who●…mongers and adulterers ? then wha●… profits it any to eat and wipe their mouths , and say , they have done no wickedness ? what profits the adulterer to wait for the twi-light ? job 24. what profits the whorish woman or her guests to call them in thus unto her , s●…olen wat●…rs are swe●…t , prov. 9. 17. it is said by some , that that which our saviour writ on the ground , when the scrib●…s and pharis●…es were accusing the woman tak●…n in adul●…ery , be●…ore him , that it was their own sins , their own gros●… adulteries , and that they ashamed and convicted in conscience , went sliving and slinki●…g away th●…eat one by one : well ; beloved , if he that writ their sins then on the ground , should send forth the fingers of an hand , to write over the like sins ( if any of us be guilty ) on the next pillar over against us , for all to stare and g●…ze on , how would we i●…k and be ashamed , and slive and slink ●…ut as soon as we could ! wel●… , consider there●…ore what ●…t will be when he that now f●…es and says nothing , shall reprove u●… , a●…d set be●…ore us and all the world one day the things , the hidden things of dishones●…y th●…t we have done , and shall bring us ●…orth upon the stage , wi●…h b●…hold the man and his work●… . secondly , of i●…struction : will god be the judge , & c ? then hearken to solomon's instruction , why wilt th●…u , my son , ●…e ravished with a strange woman , prov. 5 ? thus joseph , wh●…n his mistress tempted him to lie with her , how can ●… , says he , commit this great wickedness , and so sin against god ? gen. 39. 10. against god , who , though i may wipe my mouth , and stand before my mister as an hone●…t man , yet god ●…nows how mealy mo●…thed i am . and thus job upon this ground he made a co●… with his eyes , that he would not look , dishonestly look upon a maid ; d●…th not he see my ways ? job 31. 4. 2. a second branch of the 〈◊〉 , that wh●…redom and adult●…ry is to be avoided , because god wi●…l be the judge , with whom there is no buying it out with bribery and corruption . if in ●…eed we were onely to be judged by mans judgment , then that which 〈◊〉 s●…w in h●…s days ●…or corruption of courts , i saw ●…nder the sun the place of judgment , that 〈◊〉 was there , eccl. 3. 16. that perhaps , might be found in our days , but 〈◊〉 and adulter●…rs god will judge ; god , of whom the psalmist says , righteousness and salvation is the habitation of thy seat , psal. 97. 2. god , of whom the psalmist says again , the heavens shall declare his righteousness , for god is judge himself , psal. 50. 6. and therefore though thou mayest buy out thy white sheet , and escape thy penance here , yet there will be no buying out thy black she●…t , i mean , that blackness of outward da●…kness to envelop and enclose thee , nor escaping thy punishment there ; though thou may●…st buy out that weeping that should be in the penitents place , the seat where penance is done ; yet thou shalt not buy ou●… that w●…ping and wailing and gnashing of teeth , that will be in the damneds place , where the impenitents be ; consider therefore , that whoremongers and adulterers god will judge ; god , that righteousness and judgment is the habitation o●… his seat ; god , that hath pronounced a woe to the corrupt judges , incorrupt therefore himself surely will be . woe unto th●…m that call evil good , isa. 5. god , who when he begins to lay judgment to the rule , and righteousness to the b●…lance , then a great 〈◊〉 sh●…ll not re●…eem thee ; will h●… esteem thy riches ? no , not gold , job 36. 19. for the third branch , god will be judge , w●…th whom there is no be●…ring it out with p●…wer and greatness . i may be such a powerful and awous m●…n in the pl●…ce wh●…re i live , of so gre●…t might , and so great authority , and such a p●…rlous nolime-tang●…re , th●…t few d●…re meddle with me , few dare s●…y unto me so much as bl●…ck is mine eye ; but consider how he that spake out of the whirle-wind derided all power and greatness , when it should cope and have to do with him ; gird up thy loyns now like a m●…n , h●…st thou an arm like god ? job 40. 1 , &c. the mountains quake at him , nahum 1. this is that god th●…t will judge whore-mongers and adulterers . hence abimelech , though a king , was so awed with that , b●…hold , thou art but a dead man , for the woman which thou h●…st taken , for she is a mans wife , gen. 20. 3. that he forth with restored her , and untouched : abraham he was but a poor stranger , un●…ble to revenge the wrong , but abimelech knew the dread and terror of him who had s●…id , behold , thou art but a dead man. hence david also the king , who had committed adultery with the wif●… of uriah , he , though a king , was smit , and humbled full low , when he understood the prophet nathan's parable i●… the lords name , and it got that from him in his penitential psalm , against thee , thee onely have i sinned , psal. 51. 4. and hence , when paul , though but a prisoner , disputed before felix the governour , about righteousness , and temp●…rance , and the judgment to come , f●…lix tremb●…d . act. 24. 26. for why , he was a corrupt m●…n for justice , as appears by his exp●…cting a bribe ; and an 〈◊〉 man of body , his wife drus●…lla being anot●…er mans wife , one azizus , king of 〈◊〉 , whom he had enveigled and 〈◊〉 away from her former husband ; and therefore though he were a governour , and paul but a prisoner before him , yet this judgment to come , or the power of my text , made my intempe●…ate , adult●…rous felix to tremble . and hence , lastly , 〈◊〉 baptist , though but in camels hair , snub●…ed king herod in his s●…lks and soft garments , snubbed him with , it is not lawful for thee to have thy brothers wife . all one , as if he had said , whoremong●…rs and 〈◊〉 god will judge . and hence , to add one more , holy la●…imer presented to king henry the eight , whose fault with wom●…n was well known , presented to him the new testament with this inscription embossed upon the cov●…r ; for●…catores & adulteros judicabit d●…us ; he knew not how better to deal with a great prince , but greatly , though subject to his lust. well , if abimeleches , if davides , if faelixes , if h●…rodes , if heneryes have been awed with this text , how should this awe and terrify such s●…ly sneakes as the best of us are ! think therefore wh●…n thou goest over thine own th●…eshold about such a wickedness as this , that thou 〈◊〉 there written upon the door posts wi●…hin , whormong●…rs &c. think when thy foot is entering into the house of the strange woman , that thou seest there also written upon the door-posts without , whormong●…rs and adulterers , &c. think when she that hunts after the precious life of a man hath brought thee into her chamber of folly , think that walls , and window , and curtain , and canopy , and the very face and forehead of her or him thou shouldst be naught with , all have this written upon them , fornicatores & adulteros judicabit deus . finally think whiles thou meditatest & goest about that wicked act , that every whisper , every murmur , every least noise sounds nothing in thy fearfull eares , but whor●…mongers and adulterers god will judge . think thus and if this will not serve to re●…rain thee , and make thee chast for the kingdom of ●…eaven , it were not a bad word , nor i think an ●…dle word , to say , lord h●…ve m●…rcy on thee , more than three p●…rts of four of thee are 〈◊〉 hell. and god , that works wond●…s , can indeed , if he would , pull thee back by a very hair ; but he or she is m●…re th●…n desperate , that put their salvation so to a very hair , and to odds more ( on my c●…nscience ) than a thousand to one . s●…cond p●…oposition . that whoredome and adultery is to be avoided , consid●…ring the judgments , th●…t what h●…re , what hereaf●…r shall be 〈◊〉 upon offenders after th●…se abominations . the judgments that the just providence inflicts , or le ts come upon them here , are partly spiritual , upon the soul ; p●…rtly temporal , upon th●…ir body , upon their goods , upon their good n●…me , upon their childr●…n or posterity ; spiritual upon th●…ir soul , god gives them over , first , to a spiritu●…l coecity and sottishness , not to be capable , not to be sensible of any councel , of any consideration that might reclaim them ; whoredom and w●…e , and new wine take away the heart , hos. 4. 11. these two sins make very sots ; make them that are any wh●…t sar gone in ●…hem , insensible of the vil●…ness of the sins , of the fearfulness and undoubt●…dness of the judgments , of any considerations that should reclaim them from those sins ; they consider not in their hearts , that i remember all their wickedness , hos. 7. 2. who are those sots that are so inconsiderate●… why , the whorish and adulterous sots , v. 4 , 5. th●…y are all adulterers , &c. who being past f●…ling ( says the apostle ) have given 〈◊〉 over to lasciviousness , eph. 4. 19. a sign they are past fe●…ling , when they give themselves over to lasciviousness , and giving themselves over to lasciviousness , a means to make thems●…lves more past feeling : a●…d therefore well might ecclesiasticus , speaking of an old adulterer , one that has got a haunt and habit in his adultery , add this epithet , an old adulterer that dote●… , eccles. 25. 2. secondly , which sollows upon the former , god gives th●…m commonly over to final impenitency and perishing in their sins without ever being reclaimed : th●…t which z●…phar says , job 20. his bones are ful●… of the sins of his youth , which shall lie down wi●…h him in the dust. this sin of youth , whi●…h in gods ju●…t judgment lies down with a man in the dust , i. e. which he dies in , unrepented of , this ●…n most likelihood is the sin of incontinency , the sin of uncleanness , which begins in younger and 〈◊〉 years , and holds so long as there is any m●…rrow in their bones , and th●…n when m●…rrow and moisture is spent , and nothing but rottenness in his bones , his bones are full of the sin of his youth . solomon also is express for this judgment of final impenitency , none that go in to her return again , neither take they bold of the paths of life , prov. 2. 19. and therefore in his disswasions from this sin , he leaves them that are once taken with it as meer perdues and lo●…t men , and lodging in the chambers of death , and the guests of the depths of hell , prov. 5. 22 , 23. & 7. 27. 9. 18. a●…d therefore also in his such plenty of 〈◊〉 in this m●…tter he directs none to the ent●…ngled , to them that are in the snare already , to rid and reclaim them out of it ( little hope he hath of that ) but to the supposed free to keep them out of i●… ; no more have i any great hope to work upon any that are old in adulteries , old in h●…rlotry and whoredom , ezek. 23. 43. few of these ever return ag●…in , but prove th●… g●…ests of the depths of hell : but my aim and hope only is by this and oth●…r arguments to do some good upon them that are free from debauchedness in that sin , from whence commonly , as from hell , there is no redemption . ecclesiasticu●… , though not out of special inspira●…on , yet out of special experience and observation he spake it ; all bread is sw●…et to an whoremonger , he will not leave off till he die , eccles. 23. and no marvel , for the very state of the body is so poysoned and co●…rupted with the habit of this sin , that naturally it propends and inclines to the like ; b●…ing nothing but a very seminary of lust , and the state of the mind also so poysoned , that the fancy and imagination works nothing but impure thoughts , aye , ev●…n when the body is d●…cayed and impotent , the mind yet most lustful and libidinous , as may appear by the bawdry speeches ( able to make modest ears to glow ) of old writhen 〈◊〉 , and old worn out fornicators ; th●…ir filthy speech●…s nothing but the boyling and bubling up of the poyson and puddle at heart ; what hope therefore of their recovery , that have such poysoned bodies and minds ? object . aye , but are there not divers as rahab the harlot , the woman a sinner , sc. a common w●…ore , luke 7. the prodigal son that wasted all his substance among harlots , luke 15. the woman taken in adultery , john 8. those , such were some of you , 1 cor. 6. augustine and ambrose his , ego non sum ego , that have recovered ? answ. it is not denied that some of these the extraordinary grace of god may recover , as some some of them that have the plague ( but oh how few ) extraordinarily recover ; but for all that , some some extraordinarily recover of the plague ; would it not scare any wise man from entring into a pest-house , where he should be sure to take the plague ? god he sometimes , though it be but seldom , works a miracle in nature , so sometimes too , but it is but seldom , he works a miracle in grace ; as i count this , to conv●…rt one haunted , and old in fornications and adulteries , as far above the ordinary course of grace i count it to convert such , and cure them of th●…ir flux , as above the ordinary course of nature it was to cure the woman in the gospel of her flux , her bloody-flux ; and therefore for the woman the sinner , for her taken in adultery , sor the samaritan woman , sor them , 1 cor. 6 , &c. no marvel , if when miracles in nature then were so srequent , miracles in grace also to conve●…t such as th●…se were so srequent . again , ●…or the obj●…cted in●…tances , consi●…er how great means was used to their conversion , they had the ben●…fit either of extraordinary miracles , miracles wrought by christ and his apostles ; m●…racles , such , as if he that speaks the word now a days could work the works , perhaps , he might strike some of our verie●…t harlots and whoremasters ; or the benefit of extraordinary humiliation and a●…ction , as the prodigal brought so low , that he desired the swines husks , and could not have them ; or the ben●…sit of a most powerful , prepotent , importunate grace , as a●…gustine ; and yet oh what a long and hard scuffle , and conflict with his corruption before over●…me , as his own miserable complaint shews : how long , ●…ow long ? to morr●…w , an●… to morrow , why n●…t now , why not this hour should there be an end of my uncle●…nness ? thirdly , god give●… them over also to an universal profaneness , and irreligiousness , and wretchlesness in all naughtiness , to grow ●…ark naught every way ; so that un●…versal profaneness and naughtiness of the o●…d world , for which the flood was brought upon it , what begun it in , but in inordinate unruly lust ? they took themselv●…s wives , ( many wives that were before god no better than whores ) of all which they choose , gen. 6. 3. and then what follows ? v. 5. god saw that the 〈◊〉 of man was great . so it is not for naught that in that universal unrighteousness that the wi●…ked world was given over to , fornication leads the van ; being filled with all unrighteousness , fornication , rom. 1. and in reckoning up the works of the flesh , adultery , for●…ication , and such uncleanness , leads the rank too , gal. 5. and the profane person presently sollows the fornicator , heb. 12. 16. as all profaneness being next at hand , when the sin of uncleanness goes before : give me but a man or woman once given over to that sin , and a p●…osane he or she , i will write them in their foreheads ; that makes no great conscience of of any duty , either to god or man , except so far as some outward publick shame , and publi●…k law may , perhaps , work upon them . the heathen moral man could ob●…rve , that voluptuousness and intemperate lust cracks the practick judgment for any good moral duty to be done ; so that once a voluptuous man , an universal evil m●…n also : and these are the spiritual judgments whi●…h the just providence of god in●…icts upon offenders in this kind ; and if these be fearful judgments ( i speak to them that have not as yet through debauchedness in these sins lost all sense and spiritual feeling ) as for them that are gone in debauchedness in these sins , i look but ●…or a privy sneer from them in scorn , or a privy grin in anger : but for the other ▪ if whoredom and wine , and new wine take away the heart , make very sots , which is the first : i●… none commonly of them that go unto her return again , nor take hold of the paths of life , which is the second : if they be given over also by little and little to an universal profaneness , &c. th●…n upon peril take heed of that which gives over to a spiritual caecity , &c ▪ which draws final impenitency , which plunges into an universal profaneness . a second sort of judgments upon 〈◊〉 here in this life , a●…e temporal ; and , 〈◊〉 , upon t●…eir 〈◊〉 , god 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sin with m●…ny , and 〈◊〉 , a●…d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diseas●…s 〈◊〉 , a●… p●…x a●…d 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and unnatural , 〈◊〉 go●…ts ( t●…e ●…ssue ost●…ntimes , s●…y the learned , os i 〈◊〉 in vvi●…e and vvomen ) together 〈◊〉 w●…th shortness of days , ●…ing untimely cut osf by reason of those dis●…ases got by th●…s inte●…perance ; or if they live any time , with hudles of insirmities in their old age ; no body such a very spittle of infirmities in elder years , as the intemperate luxurious body ; and therefore some think that solomon's l●…st chapt●…r of ecclesiastes , wherein he describes a most weak i●… firm state of old age , that the keep●…rs of the 〈◊〉 tr●…ble , and the strong m●…n b●…w 〈◊〉 , &c. that that hath 〈◊〉 to his own s●…ls , and the ●…uddle ●…s insirmities , that his great intemperance with wom●…n brought his old crazed body in●…o : and 〈◊〉 's spee●…h hits upon this ; ●…is 〈◊〉 are full of the sin ●…f his youth . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , prov. 5. lest thou mourn when thy fl●…sh and bo●…y are 〈◊〉 . mo●…s , or rottenness and worm●… shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…o heritage , 〈◊〉 19. 〈◊〉 ●…fore wouldest thou hav●… 〈◊〉 to t●…y ●…vil , and m●…rrow to thy 〈◊〉 , p●…v 3. and wouldst thou live long , and see good days ? then avoid that sin that will be lang●…shing to thy navil , and rottenness to thy bones , and which will either make thy old body to be but a diseased spittle , or untimely make thee but a heritage for moth and worms . secondly , upon their goods ; god judges this sin with letting it bring a consumption often-times , and wasting of the estate . how many goodly estates have our own eyes ( if we would observe ) see consumed , especially by this sin ; what through the costliness of it ( for no such drainer and soaker of an estate as the whorish woman ) and what through gods curse following upon this sin ; by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread , prov. 6. aye , lower too , for the prodigal he spent all his substance so upon harlots , that as the parable sets him forth , he longed for the very swines husks , and could not have them ; and most just with god it is that they who through fulness of bread ( for that commonly is the occasion ) fall upon that sin , through that sin should be brought to a piece of bread : they that through riotous intemperate living , as did the prodigal , fall upon harlots , through harlots should be ●…rought to penurious a●…d miserable living 〈◊〉 ; 〈◊〉 , in purging himsels , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had not b●…en 〈◊〉 with a woman , and th●…t 〈◊〉 had n●…t 〈◊〉 wait at his 〈◊〉 door , sc. to have been naught with 〈◊〉 neighbours wife , he useth this argument ; that h●…d ●…e done thus , he 〈◊〉 w●…ll 〈◊〉 , th●…s , as gods just 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 have be●…n ●… fire , to have 〈◊〉 ●…o 〈◊〉 ( sc. his estate ) and to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out all his increas●… , job 31. 12. a●…d 〈◊〉 love ye your goods ? love ye th●…m ? aye , that is to be fea●…d too well ; and would ye leave a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…pon th●…m ? then take h●…d o●… that sin 〈◊〉 will bring to a mors●…l os br●…ad , and will 〈◊〉 a fire from god , p●…aps , 〈◊〉 a slack fire , but a sur●… , to 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 , and roo●… out all 〈◊〉 incr●…ase . 〈◊〉 , u●…n 〈◊〉 good name ; god brands this si●… 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ●…rand of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reproach ; what a●…e t●…y and their 〈◊〉 , though musks and swe●…t-ball●… t●…y may carry about with them , what 〈◊〉 ●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the nostrils of all 〈◊〉 m●…n 〈◊〉 women ? a bywo●…d and common talk , more than they thi●…k ( excep●… t●…eir ears glow very 〈◊〉 ) in every ones mouth ? and ju●…t it is with god , that they who dishonour ●…nd m●…ke themselves vile in this 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 t●…ey should again be dishonour●…d 〈◊〉 held but vile in the repute os the world ; a wound ( sc. to his name ) and dishono●…r shall he ( or she ) g●…t , and his reproa●…h sh●…ll not be wiped away , prov. 1. 6. a●…d what reproach this sin is , 〈◊〉 's 〈◊〉 shews , let her take it ( sc. his s●…gnet an●… bracelets ) to her , lest we be ashamed , gen. 38. and what but to hide th●… common ●…hame , was that which made david , after he had committed adulte●…y with uriah's wise , made him send , first , for uriah home out os the c●…mp , to lie with his wife ; and when that would not do it , made him drunk the second night , that he might go and lie with his wi●…e , and so father the child ; and when that neither would do it , made him write to joab , to place uriah in such a place of the battel where he might be stain , and so david might ma●…ry 〈◊〉 , and so save his credit , in being hone●…tly reputed the father of the child ; and to fay no more , what a brand of in●…amy god hath set upon this sin , see it but hence , know ye any ( for i know them not ) that are too too presumed osfenders in this , o●…ely they have had a little better hap , than to be taken as she , john 8. in the very fact ; look but now full in their faces , stare on them , point towards them , and see if these very impudent ones blush not for shame , and hang down heads ; and therefore have ye any respect to your credits , would you not be vile in the eyes of all m●…n , would you not have your names to be a very stink in mens nostrils ? but rather like j●…siah's ; the remembrance of josiah is like the composition of the perfume made by the art of the apoth●…ary , ecclesiasticus 49. take heed of that sin , which who so commits , a wound and dishonour shall he get , and his reproach shall not be wiped away . fourthly , god punisheth them in regard of children and posterity , and that two ways ; sometimes in depriving them of posterity , sometimes in laying a curse upon posterity : 1. in depriving them ; so upon abimelech's 〈◊〉 s●…rah , ab●…aham's wife unto him ; god fa●…t closed up the wombs of all the house of abime●…ch , that they conceived not , nor bear him any children , till sarah being restored , abraham prayed for him , gen. 20. and so , they shall commit whoredom , and shall not increase , hos. 4. the latter being the judgment upon the ●…ormer ; their not incre●…sing , s●… . their being without po●…rity , the ju●…gment upon their committing w●…dom ; and a just judgment that th●…ir own field should be barren , that marre oth●…rs fi●…lds with ●…owing strange seed in them ; a just judgment that their own 〈◊〉 should put forth no plants , that set others stocks with bastard-slips , wisd. 4. 3. 2. in laying a curse commonly upon posterity , if they have any ; the common saying is , the sin of the seed shall be punished in the seed ; and most just it is , that the sin of the body should be punished in the fruit of the b●…dy ; the s●… of propagation in the posterity it sel●… , or propagation , the sin of the vvomb in the child of the vvomb ; i will not have m●…rcy upon h●…r childr●…n , ●…r th●…y be the children of whoredoms , 〈◊〉 . 2. a whore and a harlot their mother wa●… , and 〈◊〉 no mercy will i have o●… her c●…n ; it is spoken indeed directly of spiritual vvhoredom , sc. idolat●… ; ●…t it bea●… it self upon the suppos●…d truth , as 〈◊〉 known of god●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvhor●… in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to 〈◊〉 the child 〈◊〉 ju●…t th●… 〈◊〉 son , ●…r the mothers 〈◊〉 , i. e. to follow their steps in vileness and uncle●…nness , to hunt the fle●…h the father loved , and to h●…nt the oven the mother was hid in ; thou art thy mothers daughter , s●…id the lord to her that was so by kind , ezek. 16. and i will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom , ho●… . 4. 14. vvho 〈◊〉 therefore that desires the blessing of c●…ldren , and blessed children , which is more ? let them take heed of that sin which caused all the vvombs in abimelech's house to be fast closed up ; or which , if the fruit of the vvomb be granted , m●…y cause that denunciation to be he●…rd , i will not have mercy upon their children , for they be the children of whoredoms . fifthly , god often punisheth this sin if it be in a married party , by sending a great deal of uncomfortablenes●… in the marriage-state , through j●… and jealousies of the contrary p●…rty , and 〈◊〉 it is , that they who sin against the 〈◊〉 state , should be punished by the marriage-state ; just , that she th●…t fors●…kes the guide of her youth , prov. 2. or he th●…t de●…ls treacherously against the wife of his youth , mal. 2. that they should ●…d the punishment there , and at that p●…rty's hand , against whom the trespass is committed : thus if it be in a married party , by sending uncomsortableness ; or else by punishing the sa●…ltiness of the one party with letting the other party p●…y him or her in their own coin ; le●…g the vvoman prove a quean where the man is once a knave ; or ●… contra , because thou hast taken the wife of uriah , i will take thy wives , and give them to thy neighbour , 2 sam. 12. and if my heart hath been deceived with a woman , then let 〈◊〉 wife grind unto another , job 31. job's imprecation is but according to the ordinary t●…nor of gods judgment , that where the husband lays wait at the neighbour●… ▪ door , there the vvife commonly grinds unto another : and in the ●…ore-named hosca 4. y●…ur daughters shall commit whoredom , and your spouses shall commit adultery . d●…sire ye therefore to find com●…ort in a married estate ? or d●…sire ye faithfulness in consort or yoak-fellow , forsaking all others to keep onely to your selves , so long as you both shall live ? then take heed of that sin which god punisheth oftentimes with great uncom●…ortableness in marriage-state , sowing bitter dissent●…on there where com●…ortable love and con●…ord should be , or punish●…th with letting the vvi●…e grind to another , whose husband waiteth at his neighbours doors . sixt●…ly , this also may be considered , that god appointed death to be the doom and j●…dgment of adulterers at the civil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; the man that commits adultery with another mans wife , the adulterer and a●…ss shall die the death , exod. 20. 10. and indeed if the thief deserve a rope , there is no adulterer but he deserves two , nor adulteress ; for judge but in yo●…r selves , and put it your own cases ; if the wrong be not more two to one , to be wronged and robbed o●… your body , whereof the apostle , the wife hath not 〈◊〉 ow●…r over her body , but the husband , &c. than to be wronged and robbed of the best goods and chattels you have ●…esides ; men do not despise a thief , if he steal to 〈◊〉 his soul , because he is h●…ngry , prov. 6. 30. and it is not for nought , but to shew the great di●…ference between the sin and sin , that naturally the rage of a man is far more against him that wrongs him in his vvi●…e , in that ewe-lamb that ●…ats of his own meat , and lies in his own bo●…om , 2 sam. 12. than in all the flocks and herds besides that feed and lie on mountains and valleys ; neither let any body s●…y , that this was mosaical , and special to the jews onely for special reasons , to have adultery punished with death ; for ●…oth be●…ore mos●…s , and out of the jewish common-wealth , where moses's law was not on foot , even by the law and light of n●…ture they thought adul●…ery worthy to be punished with death ; as that speech of judah's abo●…t his daughter-in-law tamar , espoused to his so●… shelah , and so accounted hi●… wi●…e 〈◊〉 espousals , his speech about her being sound with child before the solemnizing of the marriage , shews , ●…ng her ●…orth , 〈◊〉 l●…t her be burnt , gen. 38. and job's speech , this is an hainous crime , and an iniquity to be punished by the judges , job 31. and further , the judgment of the king of babylon upon two adulterers , zedekiah and ahab , roasting them in the fire , is alledged by some , jer. 29. 22. further , in 〈◊〉 's time adultery by christian laws was punished with death , as may appear by that which he saith , that for all that daily some were put to death for adultery , yet adultery ceased not . and at geneva yet adultery is punished with death : and what more equal than bishop l●…timer's motion in a sermon before king edward ; that adultery the ●…irst time , if the innocent party would speak for the nocent , should be par●…oned , but the second time the adulterer or adultress should to the pot : well , it being plain by a man 's own reason , by the law of moses , by the law of nature before moses , that the right doom of adultery is death ( aye , if a thief deserve a rope , no adulterer but deserves two ) let them know there●…ore that please themselves with the impunity of this sin , that where the law of man is remiss , the law of god will be severe ; and they scape the roasting in the king of babylon's fire , yet there is another fire they shall not escape , a fire that ●…hall nev●…r be quenched , and they themselves nev●…r consumed : and so i come to the third sort of judgments . the third sort of judgments upon whoremongers and adulterers are hereafter , and , first , th●…y sha●…l be sure to have no part in the k●…ngdom o●… god , such uncle●… creatures shall never put foot over thre●…ld there , where no unclean thing 〈◊〉 in ; and be●… they are apt to think , and ●…o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dreams , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a be not 〈◊〉 ; 〈◊〉 not deceived , neither fornicators nor adulterers . fornicators and adulterers , these with the first , and these with a be not deceived , are sure not to inherit the kingdom of god , gal. 5. 21. and if one single asservation will not serve the turn , he tells them once and again , that they shall reckon of it as a truth ; of the which i tell you before as i have told you in times past : and because this onely to be deprived of the kingdom of god , might seem no such great matter to men blinde●… and violently carried away with their lusts and pleasures , if so be there were no sensible punishment to follow ; therefore unto the loss of the kingdom of god , the sustaining the wrath of god for such sinners is ●…dded , eph. 5. 5 , 6. and among them that are to be 〈◊〉 into the lake burning with fire and brimstone , vvhoremongers are not forgot , to be sure they shall be of the number , rev. 21. 8. vvell therefore if vvhoremongers and adulterers be sure to have no part in the kingdom of god , and be sure to have a part , a peppering part in the wrath of god , and in the boyling lake ; then let us so long as we cannot blot out these texts , ( be not deceived , and let no man deceive you with vain words ) out of the book of god ; let us take heed of those sins which will blot out our names out of the book of life , and give us our portions in the boyling lake , which is the second death ; the proverb is , he poyseth ill that counterpoiseth not , that sets not one thing against 〈◊〉 , that puts all in one seak , and counterpoiseth not by putting some weight in the other scale ; will not light wares , and a very feather almost , weigh down scales where one is empty ? thou theresore that do est upon thy brutish carnal pleasure , p●…ise not so as not to counterpoise , consider what thou gettest , and what thou losest ; thou gettest a little brutes pleasure , but thou losest angels joy and pleasure , for they never marry . thou drinkest a li●…le of those stollen waters which seem sweet , prov. 9. and thou losest those rivers of pleasures at gods right hand for evermore ; thou solacest thy self in the bosom of a strange woman , and thou losest the solace and comfort that is in abraham's bosom ; thou feedest thine eye with the beauty of her that e●…re while shall fall into dust and ashes , an●… thou losest the glorious and blessed vision of him who is eternity of days ; thou art made one with her that is but a very fiend in the shape of flesh and blood , and thou losest thy being made partaker of that divine nature which he that hath escaped the corruption th●…t is in the world through lust shall be made partaker of , 2 pet. 2. 20. and theresore basil being asked , what might be a sovereign remedy of lu●… ? answered , desires and thoughts upon better things ; so think but pausingly and soberly of these better things , and how canst thou then let a brutes pleasure deprive thee of angels pleasure ? let the solace in the bosom of a strange woman , &c. let the base slavery in the thraldom of lust deprive thee of the blessed liberty in the kingdom of god ? here is juster place for an , i will not buy repentance at so dear a rate ; than it was when demosthenes said it upon the corinthian 〈◊〉 asking him ten thousand drachmes for one nig●…t : ten thousand drachmes ! aye , ten t●…ousand world●… to be lo●…t for the purchasing of this pleasure will not cause such bitter r●…pentance , as , be not deceived , neither fornicators nor adulterers , &c. b●…t if the punishment of loss will not wo●…k upon the sottishness of this sin , the punishment of smart and sense let ●…t be consi●…ered , ●…nd let one sire be a remedy again●…t another sire , the fire of hell against the sire of lust ; as when one hath scorched or burnt his finger 〈◊〉 the fire , he holds it again to the fire , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take o●…t ●…re ; so the fire of lust if it 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 , let us set our selves a little nearer , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 within the scorch of the fire of hell , and sire will take out fire : some w●… read ( a●… ●…dict ) for the subduing of their lu●…t , tumbled their naked bodies amo●…g 〈◊〉 thorns and briars : some ( as francis ) run naked into freezing pon●… , some have used one remedy , and some another ; but no such remedy , if there be but even as much faith as a grain of mustard-seed to believe it , as that of our saviours , mat. 5. vvhere sp●…aking even against so much as looking upon a vvoman to lust aster her in his h●…rt , this is his argument , if thy right eye oss●…nd , &c. better that one of thy memb●…rs p●…sh , than that thy whole body be cast ●…to h●…ll , v. 29 , 30. thus that chast matron , when she was sollicited to folly by a young man , called for a chafing dish of coals , and requested the young man first to hold his hand in that fire for a quarter os an hour sor her sake , which he refusing as an unkind request ; his ( replyed the m●…ron ) was far unkinder , who requir●…d that at her hands , for which not hands , but whole body should , not for a short ●…uarter of an hour , but for long and long eternity burn and broil in a far worse fire ; and so another , one of the old hermits being tempted to this sin , said to himself , that they who do such things go into everlasting sire ; prove thy self by this , if thou canst endure eternal fire , he put his fingers to the candle , and burnt all his fingers ; and when that proved so exream and unsufferable to him , have to do with that sin he durst not , which would put him to a far more extream and unsufferable torment : therefore if either depriving of the kingdom of god , or sustaining the wrath of god ; if either throwing out of the palace , or throwing into the dungeon ; if either the loss of the singing and rejoycing of the saints in heaven , or the cross of the weeping and wailing of the damned in hell will move , then let us avoid this sin ▪ third proposition . that whoredom and adultery is to be avoided , considering the grievousness of the sins themselves : when abimelech , by abraham's dissembling , as if sarah , who was his wife , had been but his sister , had like to have lien with another mans wife , what said abimelech a king , abimelech a philistine ? vvhat have i offended thee , that thou hast brought on me , and on my kingdom a great sin ? not a venial sin , a pidling peccadillo , but a grand sin ; and how can i commit this great wickedness and sin against god ? and so great and grievous a sin did the saints of old count this sin , that the villainy of the persecuting tyrants choosed rather to condemn some to the tempting bawd , rather than to the devouring lion ; as knowing that the holy saints had rather have their bodies ravined and defiled by the foaming teeth of wild and s●…vage beasts , than ravished and desiled by the silthy foamy lust of savage men : now , the greatness and grievousness of the sin , we may hence take a scantling of it , because it is a great sin , 1. against god. 2. against our selves , 3. against others , first , a great sin against god , in dishonouring the image of god in us , in dishonouring the member of christ , in dishonouring the temple of the holy ghost : we dishonour by this sin the image of god in us as it consists in ruledom and dominion , and a glorious divine-like majesty , to be a servant to nothing under god hims●…ls ; we dishonour this part os gods image in us by this sin , because by this s●… of all others we become the basest slaves to the basest lust ; there are two kinds of siavish sinners , the covetous , and the libidinous ; of which a man can hardly tell whether is the verier slave ; but a man may easily tell which is the baser slave , sc. the baser slave is he that serves the baser lust ; for though two ye know be equal slaves , in regard of hardness of servitude , yet he is the base slave that serves the same hard service to the baser master ; now , the baser master is carnal lust above covetous lust , as the more sneaking ashamedness to be espied going about , or taken in the service of the one rather than the other , shews , thus we dishonour this part of gods image in us ; as , what a dishonour were it if the king should make a vice-roy in principality and royal majesty to be next unto himself , and give him ensigns of his vice-roy-ship , a coronet on his head , and a robe of majesty on his back ; what a dishonour this to the king , if he bearing the kings image with a coronet on the head , and robe on the back , should basely subject himself to all scu●… and varletry , and basest of men ? again , the im●…ge of god as it consi●…ts in a right re●…son , ●…d a divine-like understanding to ●…now for practicks , what is to be d●…ne , and w●…t not to be done : we disho our this part of gods image in us , by this sin of all other sins we blind and bore out the eye of reason , and disable our selves from all soundness of practick judgment ; judgment we may have , though debauched , and drowned in all intemperance , for mechan●…cks , m●…thematicks , physicks , &c. but soundness of practical judgment for morals , this sin quite depraves it ; as the foggy smoak that came out of the bottomless pit obscured and darkned the sun and air ; or as the foggy breath cast upon the glass obscures the face and image that appeared in it ; so does this foggy sin to the image of god , and the sun and light of right reason , it quite obscures and darkens it ; so that by this sin we dishonour god much , what as he that should take a bright burning light lightned by and from the sun to shine in a dark place as the image of it self in heaven , much what , i say , as he should dishonour the sun ( supposing the sun to be a reasonable living creature work●…ng upon counsel ) who should take that light and run it up to the head in a filthy dung-hill or dirty puddle , and so quench that light kindled for the nonce from and by the sun , to be a represent and image of it self on earth ; lastly the image of god as it consists in holiness and purity and sanctity both of body and spirit ; we dishonour this part of gods image in us by this sin , because this is the most defiling contaminat●…ng sin , called theresore signanter the sin of unc●…eanness , and they that commit it in our language , filihs ; and that most rightly : and so opposite to purity and 〈◊〉 that the prime and singular thing 〈◊〉 singularly opposite to 〈◊〉 is immediately fornication 1 thess. 4 ▪ 3. fo●… 〈◊〉 is the will of god even your 〈◊〉 , that ye should abstain f●…om fornication . and keeping the body pu●…e and 〈◊〉 is called poss●…ssing ones 〈◊〉 in sanc●…ion ver . 4. this is a great sin 〈◊〉 god in dishono●…ng the image of god in us , wh●…ch how i●…dignely god will t●…ke , judge but by that emperours sact ●…ho made a law for ●…vere punishing them whosoever should ●…rry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o●… im●…e , 〈◊〉 but in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ring , into 〈◊〉 places , as 〈◊〉 , &c. and bv 〈◊〉 fact os that other emperour theodosius , who threatned to race the whole city of antioch , for their rasing and defacing or marring his image or statue there . 2. a gre●…t sin in dishonouring the member of c●…rist , this is one of the arguments w●…th great indignation used by the apostle to set out the 〈◊〉 abominable , abhorrefull nature of ●…his sin , 1 cor. 6. 15. know ye not that your bodies are the members of c●…rist ? 〈◊〉 i then take the members of 〈◊〉 a●…d m●…ke them the m●…mbers of an 〈◊〉 ? god fo●…bid : spoken with great ind●…tion . it is not so odious , ( and yet w●…o can hear it without some horrour and ha●…f spitting at it ) not so odious , so abominable , so abhorfull , to see a kings daughter carnally coupled with a dog , as a m●…mber of christ with an harlot ; and therefore well might the apostle say , know ye not ? as if he should s●…y , you forget surely what you are , consider not that you are the members of christ ; did ye , how co●…ld you take the members os c●…rist ●…nd m●…ke them the members of an harlot ? and though some be far enough from being any members of christ truly spiritually and mystically ; yet by outward profession they are the members of christ ; they partake of that profession which makes them in outward denomination and account within the compass of that , now ye are the body of christ , and members in particular , 1 cor. 12. and themselves would go for the very members of christ , and how hainously would they take it , the worst of them , if one should tell them they are no members of christ , but limb●… of satan ? well therefore all one in a manner for the indignity offered to christ , whether they that make themselves one body with an harlot , be ●…ruly spiritually and mystically the v●…ry members of christ or no ; they reckon themselves members os christ , and so would do no less were they indeed very members , and in outward profession and denomination go for members of chri●…t ; all one , i say , as such an one supposed is indeed not such an ones son , being of his own very flesh & blood , but he is a by-chop ; yet he goes for his son , he calls him father ; any indign dishonourable carriage of such a supposed son , would it not redound to the dishonour of the supposed father , as if he were his true son indeed , of his very flesh and blood ? thus the children of isra●…l , when indeed they had made themselves none of gods children , of gods people , yet usually in scripture he aggravates their sin as the sin of his children , of his people . thirdly , a great sin against god , in dishonouring the temple of the holy gho●…t : this is one of the special arguments too wherewith the apostle sets out with great earnestness , ( as his interrogatory form shews ) the indignity and vileness of this sin ; what , know ye not that your ●…ody is the temple of the holy ghost , which is in you ? 1 cor. 6. 19. and what a vile indignity to conspur●…ate and defile , and make nothing but a bea●…tly sty of that sanctum sanctorum , which should be an habitation of so holy a m●…jesty ? you have made my fath●…rs house an house of merchandize , said our saviour in great zeal against their desiling gods material temple with buying and selling in it ; they that defile gods living temples , which themselves should be , by m●…king gods house a brothel-house and as stews , is not their sin far greater ? not a whip of small cords shall serve their turn , an iron whip that shall bite to the bone , and make yethers like furrows let them look sor ; who so d●…fileth the temple of god , him shall god destroy , 1 cor. 3. 17. take heed therefore of this sin which is so great a sin against god himself , &c. secondly , a great sin against our selves , philosophy and glimmering twi-light reason says , that a man cannot injure or sin against himself ; but divinity , and noon-day light of scripture teacheth otherwise , teacheth that god hath not given us body and goods , &c. to be used and abused as we list without any sin against our selves , therefore whoredom and adultery ar●… great sins , in regard of our b●…dy , of our goods , of our good name : in regard of our body , so the apostle teacheth , every sin that a man does is without the body , but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body , 1 cor. 6. 18. against his own body , sc. against the health of his body , bringing often many , and grievous , and loa●…hsom diseases upon it , with shortness of days ; again●…t the honour of his body , dishonouring thereby th●…t otherwise most sweet and gracious , and noblest cre●…ture that ever was made of mold , dishonouring it , as if you should tie a sweet and gracious , and sound excellent body with a stinki●…g , loathsom , leprous , dis●…ased body ; no sin sets that note of dishonour upon the very body as this sin of uncleanness ; the note and brand that the hot iron sets upon the malesactors body is not so infamous , as the note and brand of dishonour that this sin sets upon the fornicators body ; god gave them up to uncleanness , through the lusts of their ow●… hearts to dishonour their own bodies , ro. 1. and that every one kn●…w how to possess his vessel in 〈◊〉 and honour , 1 thes. 4. 4 again , in regard of our goods ; what a waste and dilapidation does this sin often make of great estates ? he that keeps company with harlots spendeth his substance , prov. 29. 3. thus the prodigal quickly spent all his patrimony among harlots , and the wickeder is the waste the worst creatures it is bestowed upon , bestowed upon them that deserve less than the doggs under our table ; the doggs better deserve the manchet than they the brown-breadcrust ; this might have been sold for much , and giv●…n to the poor , m●…t . 26. 8. said they in the gospel , concerning an imagin●…d was●…e , and too much cost , as they thought , bes●…owed by that pious woman upon our 〈◊〉 ▪ own body . but that which is bes●…owed upon the commo●… 〈◊〉 bodies of whor●…s and 〈◊〉 , how much might tha●… be sold sor , ●…nd how much better to 〈◊〉 given ●…o ●…he poor , those prec●…ou 〈◊〉 that are the very members o●… christ ; they 〈◊〉 ▪ says plutarch , like those wild fig-trees that grow upon high and inaccessi●…e rocks and clisss , whose fruit filthy ravens and vultures onely seed upon , but cannot be at●…ained to by man. ag●…in , in regard of our good name , what a wrong and injury do we to that ? jos●…ph knew this , who would not therefore make her a publick example , he saw nothing in her in the general but modest and honest carriage , what frailty and temptation might draw her ●…o , for one single slip , though otherwise a vertuous maid he could not tell , and theresore m●…ke her a publick example he would not , a●… knowing that then she were shamed sor ever ; and the text is plain , a wound and dishonour shall he get , prov. 6. and if any think what gr●…at sin in this to neglect our own names , and not care how we are spoken os ; these , let them know , that paul made a conscience of it , how he should 〈◊〉 spoke●… of , or thought of ; providing for honest things , not onely in the sight of the lord , but in the sight of men , 2 cor. 8. 21. & 5. 11. and he gave it in precept to the philippians , that whatsoever things are os good report , &c. ph●…l . 4. 〈◊〉 . and to timothy , 1 tim. 4. 12. and to 〈◊〉 , l●…t no m●…n despise thee , titus 2. 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 ●…ndeed there is none but either the fool or the knave , that is regard●…ess of credit : the fool , because he wants wit to know the worth of a good name ; the knave , beca●…se he wants honesty , and will not buy it at the rate . thirdly , a great sin against others ; against ( 1. ) the child to be ●…orn , against the life of it sometimes , again●… the g●…od name of it , against the education ; again●…t the lise of it , to kill it sometimes by 〈◊〉 drugs in the conception ; sometimes to cause abortion after conception , sometimes even after birth it self , to be barbarously cruel to it , pre●…nding to be a still born , whereas it cry●…d , perhaps , so lou●… , that heaven 〈◊〉 the cry of it , and will all in good time revenge the blood of it ; and because the 〈◊〉 the child in the conception , or aster conception by abortion is the sr●…quentest , and scarce made any reckoning at all of sor a sin , th●…refore hear what the fath●…rs of old e●…teemed of it ; 〈◊〉 , says a●…henagoras , in his apology for christians , we that ●…ake it ho●…icidy to distu●…b conception , h●…w should we kill infants born and brought sorth into the world ? answering a slander again●…t ch●…istians arising especially upon the sacrament . and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same slander of the christians , to hind●…r the birth is a h●…stning of man-slaughter . and minutius , sp●…aking os this ha●…tened ●…omicid ; they commit murd●…r b●…fore th●…y ●…ring forth . and the 〈◊〉 os the ancyran council ( anno 314. ) ●…hought ti so h●…inous a sin , that they ●…ppointed t●…n years penance sor such as did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . cod. univ. 41. and how vehement is chrysostome against this sin ; hom. ad rom. 25 ! what great disf●…rence were it between 〈◊〉 yo●…r tree , by striking down all the fruit , or striking it down onely in the bloom and blossom , or newly set ; they may consider this , who think it no such pi●…cular crime to keep a q●…ean , and then to get a knave to minister drugs either to disturb and hinder conception , or to make abortion after conception when it is but an embrio : what do they but onely kill the fruit when it is newly set , or in the bud and blossom ? and what is this but hastened homicid ? and yet what more common in prosessed harlotry than this ? so that hence vatablus thinks that those two that strove before solomon about the live child were not harlots , but hoslesses , as the word also signifies , because 〈◊〉 use not to bear children , but to corrupt the fruit in the womb. again , a sin ag●…st the child , in regard of the good name of it , even god ●…mself , that p●…rents might know what wrong they do their children this way , would have the child , though no sault of it●… , carry a mark of reproach upon it , even to the tenth g●…neration , for being begot of unlawful bed , deut. 23. 2. and indeed be it that the child som●…times proves fathers better , yet how irks it , how ha●…gs it down the head , how is it discountenanced at the objecting the reproach of the birth ? and how would it purchase , were it a thing possible to be born again , pur●…hase legitimation and honest birth , as he did his freedom , acts 22. with a great summe of money ? jepthah was a mighty man of valour , the son ( but the son ) of an harlot , judg●…s 11. 1. as naaman was a mighty man of valour , but a leper , 2 kings 5. 1. it puts a but and blemish , does baseness of birth to other no●…lest qualities in any . again , in regard of education and providing ●…or ; children of unlawful beds how are they neglected for any education and providing for , what r●…gard is had os them ? that which is spoken in a good sence of levi , that he knew not his own children , deut. 33. in a wicked sence is true of parents of children unlawfully begot , they will not know their own children ; aye , if one were in their very bosoms , should not a man find that secret wish there ? why died they not in the womb , or why did not they give up the ghost when they came out of the b●…lly ? why did the knees 〈◊〉 them , or the breast that they should 〈◊〉 ? job 3. 11 , 12. but seeing this , they did not die in the womb , &c. therefore own them they will not , to have any care of them for education and providing for them , for why , they are ashamed of them ; they are walking arguments of their par●…nts incontinency , they are witness●…s of wickedness against their parents ; and their own brethren will be ready to deal with them , as j●…pthah's ●…rethren with him ; they thr●…st out jepthah , saying , thou sh●…lt no●… i●…herit in our fathers hous●… , for thou art the son of a strange woman . secondly , a gre●…t sin against the consort , or other m●…rried p●…rty ; a greater ●…ong spare lise it self , 〈◊〉 ●…e done to the consort than to break the marriag●…-ring , i. e. the vow and cov●…nt of tro●…h and fidelity one to the other , whereof ( says the book ) the ring g●…ven and received is a token and pledge . t●… break the m●…rriage-ring is a wrong of all wrongs , and how great a wrong the vehemency and unappeaseableness of that affection of jealousie shews ; jealousie is the rage of a man , prov. 6. aye , so great a wrong this , that the jealous m●…n who had some presumptions , but no manifest proof ; god in the old law afforded him a miraculous trial , that trial by the bitter water , num. 5. and though god afforded not the jealous woman the like tryal for her suspected husband , yet the equity you know is the like , and the sin therefore on the one and the other p●…rt alike ; and this case may the r●…ther be observed , because we may here see what an high wrong ( even in the judgmen●… of god himself ) presumptio●…s to breed j●…lousie are , though the p●…rty happily in●…d may be innocent : god would never h●…ve offered such an extr●…ordinary miraculou●… tryal to free from the spirit of jealousie , if it were n●…t a mo●…t vexing tormenting thing , n●…ing but a slow fire in the very bones , and therefore an high wrong to put matter to this fire to make it burn , to minister occasion to thi●… spirit of jealousie , to make it rise ; does not the apostle paul say , spe●…king not on●…ly of what is done in the m●…rried-state , but what should be done , that he who is married cares how to please his wife , &c. but to 〈◊〉 ju●…t occasion of jealousi●… , than which what more displeasing and discontenting thing in the world ! is this to care how to please the wise ? &c. god , who was a jealous god was 〈◊〉 , and could not endure that those whom he had espo●… to himself in a spirit●…l wedlock should come into th●… harlots house , as the scripture calls the temple of ido●…s . should not cast up their eyes , amorous eyes to those fair decked h●…rlots . beauteous idol●… ; should not dandle upon the knees , as 't were , and toy , and play , and sport , an●… use any spiritual dalliance towards them : this the jealousie of god was offended at , and could not endure , though they committed no actual spiritual fornication with them in very worshipping and adoring them ; so a pari , there is the like reason with respect to corporal fornication , to go into harlots houses , &c. thirdly , a great sin against the very kingdom and place where we live ; because this sin of adultery growing common and unpunished , is one of the special sins for which god brings fe●…rful publick judgments upon a place ; when i fed them to the sull , th●…n they committed adultery ; sh●…ll i not visit for th●…se things , and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? jer. 5. 7 , 8 , 9. and they are all adulterers , as an oven heated by the baker , ezek. 22. 11. is one of the chief sins sor which god denouncing judgm●…nt against them , says , that he remembers all their wickedness , hos. 7. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , &c. and abimelech's speech is for this , what have i offended thee , that thou hast brought on me , and on my kingdom a great sin ? gen. 20. 9. and david's prayer , praying in the latter end of that 51 psalm , a penitential psalm for his adultery , praying that god would do good to sion , shews no less , sion and jerusalem , the church and the kingdom ( sion being the place where the temple was built , and jerusalem the chief city of the kingdom ) may feel heavy judgments for adulterers and adultery : and i pray god this be not a sin with some others among our selves at this day , that may make the patience of god at this day break out against us , with a shall i not visit for these things ? if confession were now a foot , it may be erasmus his confessor might be so blabbish , and so foolish , as to say it in some publick invective sermon against adultery , that were now stoning to death a law against adulterers , the rocky mountain hard by would soon be spent , adultery , said he , that knew it by confession , was grown so common . whoredom and adu●…tery therefore are to be avoided , considering the grievousness of the sin it self . use 1. are whoredom and adultery such grievous sins , and such judgments also attending them ? then this m●…y let us see the full meaning and evident reason of those two texts , the mouth of the strange woman is a deep pit , he that is abhorred of the lord shall fall th●…rein , prov. 22. 14. and i find more bitter than death a woman whose heart is snares and nets , and her hands as bands , who so 〈◊〉 god shall escape from her , but the sinner shall be taken by her , eccles. 7. 26. secondly , this may teach mothers to imitate that good mother , prov. 31. sc. to be careful to teach their children that which she , imprimis , and first of all was careful to teach her son lemuel . what ( sc. what shall i say ) my son , and what the son of my womb , &c. give not thy strength to women , nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings . and so the wise man intimates that parents care and instructi●… about their children , one point chiefly should be about discipline and instruction against this sin ; my son , keep thy fath●…rs commandment , sor the commandment is a lamp , and the law is light , and reprooss of instruction are the way of life ; to k●…p th●…e from the strange woman , from the flattery of the tongue of the evil woman , prov. 6. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , &c. thirdly , this may let us see that it was material and main divinity enough , and so would go sor no less among the papists , but that fornication is counted for so slight and venial a sin among them ; material and main divinity enough , i say , which the apostle paul taught , 1 cor. 7. 2. nevertheless , to avoid fornication , let every man have his own wife , and let every woman h●…ve her own husband . if fornication w●…re counted the sin , which it is , this ghostly couns●…l of his would not be counted such a poor rag of divinity , but material and main divinity enough ; and it may be considerable that there is not such a particular , punctual passage again in all the scripture , where the holy ghost is so particular , and so punctual in applying it to ev●…ry m●…n , and every woman ; and to th●… hus●…d , and to the wife , & vice vers●… the holy ghost knew a natural modesty and ashamedness towards this remedy of fornication , even in them , perhaps , who stand in need of it , and therefore , perhaps , was so particular and punctual therein . fourthly , let it make us more circumspect and watchsul against these sins , if they be such great sins , and such great judgments att●…nding th●…m ; and that we may watch against them , l●…t us know there are some things w●…ich dispose thereunto in gods judgment , and some in the nature of the things , again●… both whereof heed and watchfulness must be had , a●… we desire the avoiding the sins themselves ; in gods judgment . first , pride disposeth unto these sins , for just it is with god , that they who are so possessed with pride , that they think all honour too little for them , that would be half gods upon earth , and not m●…n , and not have their names mentioned without admiration , and half-worshipping of them , just that god should let these men fall into thi●… sin , that is the most dishonou●…ing sin , abasing and aviling them in the sight of all , and bringing them into open contempt and disgrace ; thu●… pride was one of the things that led so●… to that dishonouring sin of unnatural uncleanness ; this was the iniquity of sodom , pri●… , &c. ez●…k 16. 49. not that these were the great sins of sodom , but the make-ways for that great sin of unnatural uncleanness ; and more especially in gods just judgment , their pride ; they were haughty , and committed abomination . and thus for them that have a secret spiritual pride in them to be vainly puffed up by reason of spiritual excellencies . and they that think the apostle paul's thorn in the flesh ( 2 cor. 12. ) was some molestful strivings with temptations of the flesh , they agree hereunto , for that thorn in the flesh was given him , lest he should be extolled above measure by reason of his so many revelations ; and no presenter remedy of being sick with spiritual pride , than to be humbled and buffetted with molestations from this dishonouring sin . secondly , profaning gods honour by spiritual fornication disposeth unto corporal fornication ; for just it is that god should let them dishonour themselves corporally , who dishonour him spiritually : thus having related in the 17 and 18 of judges , when things were all out of order in israel ; having related examples of spiritual fornication or idolatry , in the 19th . chapter he relates an example of abominable corporal uncle●…nness with the l●…vites concubine , and aimed to have be●…n at himself too , v. 22. 1 kings 14. 23 , 24. and 2 kings 23. 7. and 〈◊〉 th●…y changed th●… glory of the incorruptible god , &c. ther●…fore ●…od also gave them up unto uncleanness , rom. 1. and that great whore , the mother of harlots , 〈◊〉 babylon , that commits fornication , spiritual fornication with every stock and stone ; what abominable filthiness and uncleanness , ( corporal also ) god hath given her over to , the stink of th●…ir publick t●…lerated stews , to help his unholy holiness's coffers ; the stink os their impure cloysters , of their impure clergies caelibate , ( which made the world long ag●… cry foh at these things ) shews , thirdly , depressing and disparaging too much the honour of marriage , and tyrannical rash imposing necessity of single life upon some conditions of men , without considerations had os our saviours equity , he that c●…n receive it , l●…t him receive it ▪ thi●… , in gods j●…st j●…dgment , disposeth unto the sin o●… 〈◊〉 ; for just it is with god to let th●…m ●…ll into 〈◊〉 sin which shall dishonour 〈◊〉 , who go about to dishonour his 〈◊〉 ; jus●… to let their own frailties shame and confute them , who are so rigid and inconsiderate of ot●…ers ●…railties . thus hierom , who spake so hardly o●… marriage , that he did every where at rome , malè audire for it ; none , even by his own confession , more tempted with lust than he , none that felt more of the apostle paul's u●…ion or burning . thus the story of cardinal cremensis is not un●…nown . he in a synod 〈◊〉 london called the wives of the priests concubines , after the popes late begun urging of single ●…fe upon them , hence asserting it to be the highest crime , to rise from the side of a concubine to make and consecrate the body of christ ; but he himself the night after he had been employed in the priests work of consecr●…tion , was taken in the committing of uncleanness ; the thing was notoriously evident , and did turn , as good reason it should , to his great disgrace and pepetual infamy . thus the notorious uncleanness that the popish constrained single life in gods just judgment occasioned ; every pasquil and pamphlet in our fore-fathers days spoke of it ; and the french have their proverb , that he that would have a clean house , let him neither have priest nor pigeon in it , both were such defiling creatures : aye , unto what , not onely reprobate practice , but r●…probate judgment also hath god given over the severe caelibate-mongers ? as some of them to wri●…e , that it is better to have an hundred whores than one wife ; according to b. bonner's answer , i pray god it be no worse ; when a priest accused for having secretly a wife ; no , said he , she is not my wife , she is but my concubine : some others , ( as johannes à casa archiepisc. reneventamus ) in an italian poem to desc●…ibe the praises of sodom ; aye some ( says erasmus , prefat . in milit . christ. ) publickly to a●…irm , that it is a less sin for a woman to have to do with a brute ●…east than with a priest. secondly , in the nature of the things themselves , these dispose unto the sin of uncleanness . first , that which the prophet calls fulness of bread , under which also by a figure , fulness of drink is implyed ; the iniquity of sodom was pride , fulness of bread. when i had ●…ed them to the full , then th●…y committed adult●…ry , ezek. 16. 49. th●…y w●…re as ●…d horses in the morning , jer. 5. 7 , 8. ●…nd alter rioting and drunk●…nness , what sollows present●…y but 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 ? rom. 13. and eyes ●…ull of ●…dultery ●…ollows pres●…ntly , 2 pet. 2. 13 , 14. having spok●…n of some t●…at co●…nt it pleasure to riot ; and after looking upon the wine w●…en it is red , sollows looking upon strange women , prov. 23. naturally fulness o●… bread and drink makes the body rank and proud , and prone to lust , filling it full of super ●…luous spirits and humours . 2. that which immediatly follows in the next place , in that ezek ▪ 16. sc. abundance of idlen●…ss ; why was egisthus an adulterer ? the reason is apparent , he was a person addicted to idleness and laziness . so it is demand●…d , why david fell upon adultery , 2 s●…m . 11. 2. and it came to pass ●…n an evening-tide that david arose from o●…f ●…is bed. whereby the holy ghost purposely would intimate the occasion of his falling into adultery ; he 〈◊〉 idle at home while israel and joab was in the field ; aye , he had been newly snorting and stretching hims●…lf idle upon his bed ; labour and exercise help ●…o wast rank superfluous humours , whereas idleness ●…ets them grow into nothing ●…ut matter and seminary of lust ; as a standing slank that wants motion , genders nothing because of the abundance of moisture , but silthy slimy matter and toad-stools , and the like ; so nothing but sliminess of lust , and such filthiness from idleness , from a standing slanking body . thirdly , the immediate next occasions , as too much familiar company and converse , foolish dalliance , light talk , wantonness of eye , &c. these immediately dispose unto this sin ; and they that say they will use these things , and yet be safe , they are more bold than wise ; there is none long safe , that will not keep aloof off , but still stand too neer a danger ; odds there is of slipping in for him that will needs be treading still too near the pits brink ; and danger there is of being pulled over ( for childrens sports may sometimes be grave and sage mens lessons ) sor him that will needs be as ●…ar as he may go ; and therefore observa●…le it is , that o●… joseph it is 〈◊〉 he hearkened not unto her to 〈◊〉 by h●…r or to be with her , gen. 39. 11. and the wi●…e m●…ns counsel in this case , remove thy way far from her , and come not n●…r the door of her house , prov. 5. he that will needs be walking too n●…ar the beasts den , may haply become the beasts prey , as that young man void of understanding , who passing through the street near her corner , near the beasts den , behold there m●…t him a woman in the attire of an harlot ( out comes the beast ) and she caught him , prov. 7. how much more he who will needs venture into the den it self to play with the beast ; and for other occasions also , job he made a covenant with his eyes , job 31. and good reason , for death comes by the windows in this sence : see gen. 6. 2. 2 sam. 11. 2. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a42198-e340 * who p●…inted the autho●…s 〈◊〉 of th●… 〈◊〉 , & 〈◊〉 more if h●… had liv●…d . 1 cor. 2. 2. phil. 3. 8. 〈◊〉 . john 6. 29. 1 j●…hn 3. 23. & 5. 13. 1 john 2. 1 ▪ 2. eph. 4. 15. m●… . 4. 4. rom. 1. 17. phil. 1. 27. & 3. 16. rom. 8. 14. col. 4. 6. 2 pet. ●… . 11. 1 cor. 2. 9. rom. 12. 2. j●…r . 10. 3. 1 john 2. 16. 2 cor. 2. 12. prov. 20 21. z●…h . 12. 1. ep●… . 4. 32 james 4. 12. rom. 14. 4. * . * . luke 6. 24. & 18. 25. james 4. 4. 1 john 2. 15. 1 tim. 6. 9 , 10. psal. 119. 6. 1 cor. 1. 13. luke 11. 12. notes for div a42198-e1440 venenatae deliciae . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . notes for div a42198-e2680 2 cor. 6. 15. 2 sam. 24. 10. condimentum ibi saci●…us er at . rom. 6. 21. non tam bene cum rebus humanis geritur ut mel●…ora pluril us ●…laceant . sen. 1 cor. 2. 12. eph. 4 17 , 18 , 19. ad aliquid invenien●…um non pr●…dest mul●…itudo caeco●…um : aug. heb. 5. 14. 1 p●…t . 4 4. e●…rius & ebriojus . 〈◊〉 & ex 〈◊〉 ten●…re . 1 joh. 3. 8. r●…m . 1. 32. is●… . 19. 14. & 24. 20. & 28. 7 , 8. nunquid de sure●… dubitabis , 〈◊〉 : qu●… n●…n 〈◊〉 minor , sed 〈◊〉 . sen. 〈◊〉 . 83. b●…sil . prov. 23. 20. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . gen. 43. 3. 4. et in●…h 〈◊〉 s●…t cum eo . vulg. pr. 31. 6 , 7. eccles. 10. 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in se cul●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . dur●… verba plutar●…h . 〈◊〉 ▪ ism . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heb. craw. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . . eph. 5. 18. jer. 5. 7. ezek. 16. 49. 2 pet. 2. 13. 14. tua super s●…ua pauper is necessaria . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deus stercoris . in saciendis non quò eundum sed quà . s●…us eg●… illud ●…on facerem , non facerem omnino solus , sed cum dicitur e●…nus , faciamus , pudet non esse impudenten . conf. 1. q. omne malum à minimis . the three ou ts ; drink out of the pot , wit out of the pate , wealth out of the purse . n●…n p●…terat amplius sensu recusan●…e . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . vesti●…ia nulla ●…etrorsum . q●…amdiu , quamdiu ? cras & cras , quare non modo , quare non hac 〈◊〉 sinis 〈◊〉 meae , consess . q. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . e●…hic . nicom . 6. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . in 〈◊〉 v●…ry 〈◊〉 . p●…atum seminis punietur in semine . de muliere sep●…es ict●… . h●…on . ep. qu●… p●…ssit illi●… esse 〈◊〉 ubi ●…ibunalia , ubi accusation●…s , ubi 〈◊〉 i●… a , ubi gladius &c. 〈◊〉 , &c. eph. 5. 6. n 〈◊〉 errare . 1 cor. 6 9. n●… emo tanti penitere . peccatum grande . gen : 20. 9. & 39. 10. ingens flagitium , ad lenonem qu●…m ad leonem . tertul. au●…ust . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●…st 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 quae ad pue●…ram 〈◊〉 data est , ad re●…is 〈◊〉 instru●… , chrys. see 〈◊〉 . 21. 22. ignominiosus ●…n d●…mo , i●…nominiosus in 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 in ●…ro , &c. chrys. nonnunquam d●…jicit d●…s hanc occultam me●…is super●…iam per manifestam carnis luxuriam . aug. ep. u●…i de ●…ncubinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse 〈◊〉 de l●…tere sur●…re 〈◊〉 is ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c●…m 〈◊〉 ill●… 〈◊〉 , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fuit in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ●…es 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 n●…n pet●…it , dam 〈◊〉 d●…us in su●…mum dede●…us 〈◊〉 . matt. 〈◊〉 . anno. 1125. publicitus asseverare leviorem esse culpam , si mulier habeat rem cùm bruta pecude quàm cum sacerdote . sine cerere & 〈◊〉 friget venus . 〈◊〉 egisthus quare sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ? in 〈◊〉 ratio est , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . nemo diu tutus est 〈◊〉 pro●…imus , cypr. ep. 62. a treatise of death, the last enemy to be destroyed shewing wherein its enmity consisteth and how it is destroyed : part of it was preached at the funerals [sic] of elizabeth, the late wife of mr. joseph baker ... / by rich. baxter ; with some few passages of the life of the said mrs. baker observed. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1660 approx. 266 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 162 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27048 wing b1425 estc r18115 12395485 ocm 12395485 61147 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27048) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 61147) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 270:1) a treatise of death, the last enemy to be destroyed shewing wherein its enmity consisteth and how it is destroyed : part of it was preached at the funerals [sic] of elizabeth, the late wife of mr. joseph baker ... / by rich. baxter ; with some few passages of the life of the said mrs. baker observed. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 49, [7], 250, [15] p. printed by r.w. for nev. simmons ... and are to be sold by him ... and by tho. johnson ..., london : 1660. errata on p. [7] at end of section 1. advertisements on p. [3]-[14] at end of section 2. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng baker, elizabeth, 1634-1659. death -sermons. funeral sermons. sermons, english. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-10 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-05 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-05 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a treatise of death ; the last enemy to be destroyed . shewing wherein its enmity consisteth , and how it is destroyed . part of it was preached at the funerals of elizabeth the late wife of mr. joseph baker , pastor of the church at saint andrews in worcester . by rich. baxter . with some few passages of the life of the said mrs. baker , observed . psal 15.4 . in whose eyes a vile person is contemned : but he honoureth them that fear the lord. ] 1 cor. 15 ▪ 55 , 56 , 57. o death , where is thy sting ! o grave , where is thy victory ? the sting of death is sin ; and the strength of sin is the law. but thanks be to god which giveth us the victory , through our lord j●sus christ . ] lond●n printed by r.w. for nev simmons book-sel●er in kederminster , and are to be sold by him there , and by tho. johnson at the golden key in pauls church-yard . 1660. at 1● . bound . to the worshipfull the major , aldermen and sheriff of the city of worcester , with the rest of the inhabitants , especially those of the parishes of andrews and hellens . worshipfull , and the rest beloved , the chief part of this following discourse , being preached among you , and that upon an occasion which you are obliged to consider , ( isa . 57.1 . ) being called to publish it , i thought it meet to direct it first to your hands , and to take this opportunity , plainly and seriously to exhort you in some matte●s that your present and everlasting peace is much concerned in . credible fame reporteth you to be a people not all of one mind , or temper in the matters of god : but that 1. some of you are godly , sober and peaceable : 2. some well-meaning and zealous , but addicted to divisions : 3. some papists : 4. some hiders , seduced by your late deceased neighbour clement writer , ( to whom the quakers do approach in many opinions . ) 5. and too many prophane and obstinate persons , that are heartily and seriously of no religion , but take occasion from the divisions of the rest , to despise or neglect the ordinances of god , and joyn themselves to no assemblies . 1. to the first sort ( having least need of my exhortation , ) i say no more , but , as you have received christ jesus the lord , so walk ye in him : rooted and built up in him , and stablished in the faith , as ye have been taught , abounding therein with thanskgiving : and beware lest any man spoil you by deceit , &c. ] col. 2.6 , 7 , 8. walk as a chosen g●neration , a royal priest-hood , a holy nation , a peculiar people , to shew forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light ; having your conversation honest among the ungodly , that whereas they are apt to speak against you as evil doers , they may by your good works which they shall behold , glorifie god in the day of visitation : for so is the will of god , that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men , 1 pet. 2.9 , 11 , 12 , 15. your labour and patience is known to the lord ; and how ye cannot bear them which are evil , but have tried them which say they speak from the lord , and are apostles , and are not , and have found them lyars ; even the woman jezabel , that is suffered to teach and seduce the people , calling her self a prophetess , who shall be cast into a bed of tribulation , and all that commit adultery with her , except they repent ; and her children shall be killed with death ; and all the churches shall know that christ is he which searcheth the reins and hearts ; and will give to every one according to their work . as for your selves , we put upon you no other burden , but that which you have already , hold fast till the lord come , rev. 2. be watchfull , that ye fall not from your first love : and if any have declined and grown remiss , remember how you have received and heard , and hold fast , and repent , and strengthen the things that remain , which are ready to die , lest your candlestick should be removed , rev. 3.2 , 3 , &c. ] and beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked , fall from your own stedfastness ; but grow in grace , and in the knowledge of our lord and saviour jesus christ , 2 pet. 3.17 , 18. and i beseech you brethren , do all things without murmurings and disputings , that ye may be blameless , and harmless , the sons of god without rebuke , and in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation , among whom you ( and your brethren ) shine as lights in the world , phil. 2.14 , 15. and if in weldoing yo● suffer , think it not strange , but rejoyce that ye are partakers of the sufferings of christ , that when his glory shall be revealed , ye may be glad also with exceeding joy : if ye be reproached for the name of christ , ye are happy , for the spirit of glory and of god resteth upon you , being glorified on your part , while he is evill spoken of on theirs , 1 pet. 4.12 , 13 , 14. 2. to the second sort ( inclinable to divisions ) let me tender the counsell of the holy ghost , jam. 3.1 . my brethren , be not many masters ( or teachers ) knowing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation . the wisdom that is from above , is first pure , and then peaceable , gentle and easie to be intreated , full of mercy and good fruits , without partiality , and without hypocrisie : and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace , of them that make peace . who then is the wise and knowing man amongst you ? let him shew out of a good conversation , his works with meekness of wisdom : but if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts , glory not ; and lye not against the truth : this wisdom descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensuall , devilish : for where envying and strife is , there is confusion , and every evil work . ] look on those assemblies , where the people professing the fear of god , are of one heart and mind , and walk together in love and holy order , and people give due honour and obedience to their faithfull guides ; and compare them with the congregations where professors are self-conceited , unruly , proud , and addicted to ostentation of themselves , and to divisions ; and see which is likest to the primitive pattern , and in which it is that the power of godliness prospereth best , and the beauty of religion most appears , and christians walk as christians indeed . if pride had not brought the heavy judgement of infatuation or insensibility on many , the too clear discoveries of the fruits of divisions in the numerous and sad experiences of this age , would have caused them to be abhorred as odious and destructive , by those that now think they do but transcend their lower brethren in holiness and zeal . [ i beseech you therefore brethren , by the name of the lord jesus christ , that you all speak the same thing , and that there be no divisions among you , but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same mind , and in the same judgement , 1 cor. 1.10 . ] the god of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another , according to christ jesus ; that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie god , ] rom. 15.5 , 6. and i beseech you brethren , to know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you : and esteem them very highly in love for their works sake , and be at peace among your selves , 1. thes . 5.12 , 13. and mark those that cause divisions and offences , contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned , and avoid them , rom. 16.17 . and if there be any consolation in christ , if any comfort of love , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies , fulfill ye our joy , that ye may be like minded , having the same love , being of one accord , of one mind : let nothing be done through strife or vain glory , but in lowliness of mind , let each esteem other better then themselves . look not every man on his own things , ( his own gifts and graces ) but every man also on the things ( the graces and gifts ) of others ; let this mind be in you which was in christ jesus ; who being in the form of god , thought it not robbery to be equall with god ; but made himself of no reputation ( or , emptied himself of all worldly glory : as isa . 53.2 , 3 , 4. as if he had had no form or comeliness , and no beauty to the eye for which we should desire him : but was despised and rejected of men , and not esteemed , ) phil. 2.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. it is not ( as you imagine ) your extraordinary knowledge , zeal and holiness , that inclineth you to divisions ; and to censuring of your brethren ; but it is pride , and ignorance , and want of love : and if you grow to any ripeness in knowledge , humility , self-denyall and charity , you will bewail your dividing inclinations and courses , and reckon them among the greater and grievous of your sins , and cry out against them as much as your more charitable and experienced brethren do . 3. to the third sort , ( the papist ) i shall say nothing here , because i cannot expect they should read it and consider it : and because we are so far disagreed in our principles that we cannot treat with them on those rationall terms as we may do with the rest of the inhabitants of the world , whether christians , infidels or heathens . as long as they build their faith and salvation on the supposition that the eyes , and taste , and feeling of all the sound men in the world , are deceived in judging of bread and wine ; and as long as they deny the certain experience of true believers ( telling us that we are void of charity and unjustified , because we are not of their church , ) and as long as they fly from the judgement and tradition of the ancient and the present church ( unless their small part may be taken for the whole , or the major vote , ) and as long as they reject our appeal to the holy scriptures , i know not well what we can say to them , which we can expect they should regard , any more then musick is regarded by the deaf , or light by the blind , or argument by the distracted . if they had the moderation and charity impartially to peruse our writings , i durst confidently promise the recovery of multitudes of them , by the three writings which i have already published , and the more that others have said against them . 4. and for the fourth sort , ( the hiders , and the quakers ) i have said enough to them already ( in my book against infidelity , and those against popery and quakers : ) but in vain to those that have sinned unto death . 5. it is the fifth sort therefore that i shall chiefly address my speech to ; who , i fear , are not the smallest part . it is an astonishing consideration to men that are awake , to observe the unreasonableness and stupidity of the ignorant , careless , sensual part of men ; how little they love or fear the god , whom their tongues confess ; how little they value , or mind , or seek the everlasting glory , which they take on them to believe ; how little they fear and shun those flames which must feed for ever on the impenitent and unholy ; how little they care or labour for their immortall souls , as if they were of the religion of their beasts : how bitterly many of them hate the holy wayes commanded by the lord : while yet they pretend to be themselves his servants , and to take the scriptures to be his word : how sottishly and contemptuously they neglect and slight the holiness without which there is no salvation ; heb. 12.14 . how eagerly they desire and seek the pleasing of their flesh , and the matters of this transitory life , while they call them vanity and vexation ; how madly they will fall out with their own salvation , and from the errors and sins of hypocrites or others , will pick quarrels against the doctrine , and ordinances , and wayes of god ; as if other mens faults should be exceeded by you , while you pretend to loath them . if it be a sin to crack our faith by some particular error , what is it to dash it all to pieces ? if it be odious in your eyes , to deny some particular ordinance of god , what is it to neglect or prophane them all ? if it be their sin that quarrel in the way to heaven , and walk not in company as love requireth them ; what is it in you to run towards hell , and turn your backs on the holy laws and wayes of god ? if it be so lamentable to the nation and themselves , that so many have faln into schism and disorder ; what is it then that so many are ungodly , sensual and worldly , and have no true religion at all , in sincerity , life and power ? ungodliness is all heresie transcendently in the lump , and that in practice . a man that is so foolish as to plead that arsenick is better then bread , may yet live himself if he do not take it : but so cannot he that eateth it instead of bread . hereticks only in speculation may be saved : but practicall hereticks cannot . you think it haynous to deny with the mouth that there is a god , who made us , and is our only lord and happiness ( and so it is . ) and is it not haynous then to deny him with the heart and life ; and to deny him the love and obedience that is properly due to god ? it is odious idolatry to bow to a creature as to god ; and is it not odious to love , and honour , and obey a creature before him , and to seek it more eagerly , and mind it more seriously then god ? if it be damnable infidelity to deny christ to be the redeemer , it is not much less to turn away from him , and make light of him and refuse his grace , while you seem to honour him . if it be damnable blasphemy to deny the holy ghost ; what is it to resist and refuse him when he would ●anctifie you , and perhaps to make a scorn of holiness ? if ●t be heresie to deny the holy catholick church , and the communion of saints ; what is it to hate the holy members of the church , and to avoid , if not deride , the communion of saints ? be not deceived , god is not mocked : a mock-religion , and the name of christianity will never save you . do you know how near you are to judgement , and will you fearlesly thus heap up wrath , and lay in fewell for the everlasting flames ? do you know how speedily you shall wish in the bitterness of your souls , that you had heard , and prayed , and laboured as for your lives , and redeemed your time , and obeyed your teachers ; and yet will you now stand loytering , and quarrelling , and jeasting , and dallying in the matters of salvation ? ●nd will you live as if you had nothing but the world to mind , when you are even ready to step into the endless world ? o sirs , do you know what you are doing ? you are abusing the living god , and wronging the lord jesus , and trampling upon that mercy which would comfort you in your extremity , a drop of which you would then be glad of : you are grieving your poor friends , and teachers , and preparing for your endless grief . a●as , what should a faithfull minister do , for the saving of your souls ? he seeth you befooled in your security , and carelesly passing on towards hell , and cannot help it : he sees you posting to your misery , where you will be out of the reach of all our exhortations , and where mercy will not follow you to be accepted or rejected : and though he see you almost past remedy he cannot help you . he knoweth not when he speaks to you , whether ever he shall speak unto you more , and whether ever you shall have another call and offer ; and therefore he would fain speak effectually if he could ; but it is not in his power . he knows that the matter sticks all at your own wills , and that if he could but procure your own consent , to the most reasonable and necessary business in the world , the work were done , and you might scape the everlasting flames : and yet this is it that he cannot procure ! o wonderfull , that any man should be damned ; yea that many men , and most men should be damned , when they might be saved if they would , and will not ! yea that no saying will serve to procure their consent , and make them willing ! that we must look on our poor miserable neighbours in hell , and say , they might have been saved once , but would not ! they had time , and leave to turn to god , and to be holy and happy as well as others , but we could never prevail with them to consent , and know the day of their visitation ! o what should we do for the saving of careless , senseless souls ? must we let them go ? is there no remedy ? shall ministers study to meet with their necessities , and tell them with all possible plainness and compassion , of the evil that is a little before them , and teach them how they may escape it ? why , this they do from day to day , and some will not hear them , but are tipling , or idling or making a jeast of the preacher at home , and others are hearing with prejudice and contempt , and most are hardned into a senseless deadness , and all seems to them but as an empty sound : and they are so used to hear of heaven and hell , that they make as light of them as it there were no such states ! alas , that while millions are weeping & wailing in utter desperation , for the neglecting of their day of grace , and turning away from him that called them , our poor hearers at the same time should wilfully follow them , when they are told from god what others suffer ! alas , that you should be sleepy and dead under those means , that should waken you to prevent eternall death ! and that ever you should make merry so near damnation , and be sporting your selves with the same kind of sins that others at the same hour are tormented for ? and is such madness as this remediless , in people that seem as wise as others for worldly things ! alas , for any thing that we can do , experience tells us that with the most it is remediless ! could we remedy it , our poor people should not wilfully run from christ , and lie in the flames of hell for ever . could our perswasions and entreaties help it , they should not for ever be shut out of heaven , when it s offered to them as well as others . we bewail it from our hearts before the lord , that we can entreat them no more earnestly , and beg not of them as for our lives to look before them , and hearken to the voice of grace that they may be saved . and a thousand times in secret we call our selves hard-hearted , unmercifull , and unfaithfull , ( in too great a measure ) that speak no more importunately for the saving of mens souls , when we know not whether we shall ever speak to them any more . is this all that we can say or do in so terrible a case , and in a matter of such weight as mens salvation ! the lord forgive our great insensibility , and awaken us , that we may be fit to waken others ; but yet for all this , with grief we must complain , that our people feel not when we feel , and that they are senseless or asleep when we speak to them as seriously as we can , and that tears and moans do not prevail ; but they go home and live as stupidly in an unconverted sta●e , as if all were well with them , and they w●re not the m●n we speak to . o tha● you knew wha●● fearfull judgement it is , to be forsaken of god because you would have none of him , and to be given up to your hearts lust● , ●o walk in your o●● counsells , be●●s● you wo●ld not hearken to his voice , ps●l . 81.11 , 12 , 13. and to have god say , let those wretches be ignorant , and careless , and fleshly , and worldly , and filthy still , rev. 22.11 . o that you knew ( but not by experience ) what a heavy plague it is to be so forsaken , as to have eyes that see not , or seeing do not perceive , and to have ears that hear not , or to hear and not understand , and so to be unconverted and unhealed , mark 4.12 . and to be hardened and condemned by the word , and patience , and mercies that do soften and save others , and should have saved you ! take heed lest christ say , [ i have lent them my messengers long enough in vain ; from henceforth never fruit grow on them ? because they would not be converted , they shall not . ] take heed lest he take you away from means , and quickly put an end to your opportunities . you see how fast men pass away , but little do you know how many are lamenting that they made no better use of time , and helps , and mercies while they had them . o hear while you may hear , for it will not be long : read while you may read , and pray while you may pray , and turn while you may turn , and go to your christian friends an● teachers , and enquire of them , what you must do to be saved , before enqui●ing be too late . spend the lords day , and what other time you can redeem , in holy preparations for your endless rest , while you have such a happy day to spend . o sleep no longer in your sins , while god stands over you , lest before you a●e aware you awake in hell. patience and mercy have their appointed time , and will not alway wait and be despised . o let not your teachers be forced to say , [ we would have taught them publikely and privately , but they would not : we would have catechized the ignorant , and exhorted the negligent , but some of them would not come near us , and others of them gave us but the hearing , and went away such as they came . ] if once by forefeiting the gospell the teachers whom you slight be taken from you , you may then sin on , and take your course , till time , and help and hope are past . the providence that called me to this work , was so●e warning to you . though it was not the calling away your teacher , it was a removing of his helper , a pattern of meekness , and godliness , and charity , and he is left the more disconsolate in the prosecution of his work . god hath made him faithfull to your souls , and carefull for your happiness . he walks before you in humility and self-denyall , and patience , and peaceableness , and in an upright inoffensive life : he is willing to teach you publikely and privately , in season and out of season : he manageth the work of god with prudence and moderation , and yet with zeal , carefully avoiding both ungodliness and schism , or the countenancing of either of them : were he not of eminent wisdom and integrity , his name would not be so unspotted in a place where dividers , and disputers , papists , and quakers , and so many bitter enemies of godliness , do watch for matter of accusation and reproach against the faithfull ministers of christ . as you love the safety and happiness of your city , and of your souls , undervalue not such mercies , nor think it enough to put them off with your commendations and good word : it is not that which they live , and preach , and labour for ; but for the conversion , edification and salvation of your souls . let them have this , or they have nothing , if you should give them all you have . the enemies of the gospel have no wiser cavill against the painfull labourers of th● lord , then to call them ●●●elings , and blame them for looking after tythes , and great matters in the world . b●t as among all the faithfull ministers of this countrey through the great mer●y of god th●se adversaries are now almost ashamed to open their mouths with an accusation of covetousness ? so this your reverend , faithfull teacher , hath stopt the mouth of all such calumnie , as to him . when i invited him from a place of less work , and a competent maintenance , to accept of less then half that maintenance , with a far greater burden of work among you , he never stuck at it , as thinking he might be more servic●able to god , and win that which is better then the rich●s of this world . and if now you will frustrate his expectations , and disappoint his labours and hopes of your salvation , it will be easier for sodom in the day of judgement then for you . alas how sad is it to see a faithfull minister longing and labouring for mens salvation , and many of them neglecting him , and others picking groundless quarrels , and the proud unruly selfish part , rebelling and turning their backs upo● their teachers , when ever they will not humour them in their own wayes , or when they deal but faithfully with their souls ! some ( even of those that speak against disobedience , conventicles and schism , ) turn away in disdain , if their children may not be needlesly baptized in private houses , and if that solemn ordinance may not be celebrated in a parlour conventicle . how many refuse to come to the minister in private to be instructed or catechised , or to confer with him about their necessary preparation for death and judgement ! is not this the case of many among you ? must not your teacher say , he sent to you , and was willing to have done his part , and you refused ? little will you now believe how heavy this will lie upon you one day , and how dear you shall pay for the causless grieving and disappointment of your guides . it is not your surliness and passions that will then serve turn to answer god. nor shall it save you to say , that ministers were of so many minds and wayes , that you knew not which of them to regard : for it was but one way , that god in the holy scripture did prescribe you : and all faithfull ministers were agreed in the things which you reject , and in which you practically differ from them all . what ? are we not all agreed , that god is to be preferred before the world ? and that you must first seek the kingdom of god and his righteousness ? and that no man can be saved except he be converted and born again ? and that he that hath not the spirit of christ is none of his ? mat. 6.33 . john 3.3 , 5. mat. 18.3 . rom. 8.9 . and that you & your housholds should serve the lord , josh . 24.15 . are we not all agreed that the law of the lord must be your delight , and that you must meditate disable death to terrifie and discourage us ; and raiseth us above our natural fears , and sheweth us ( though but in a glass ) the exceeding eternal weight of glory which churlish death shall help us to . so that when the eye of the unb●liever looketh no further then the grave , believing souls can enter into heaven , and see their glorified lord , and thence fetch love , and hope , and joy , notwithstanding the terrors of interposing death . the eye of faith foreseeth the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time , and causeth us therein greatly to rejoyce , though now for a season ( if need be ) we are in heaviness through manifold temptations . and so vic●orious is this faith against all the storms that do assault us , that the tryal of it , though with fire , doth but discover that it is much more precious then gold that perisheth , and it shall be found unto praise and honour , and glory at the appearing of jesus christ ; whom having never seen in the flesh we love , and though now we see him not , yet believing we rejoyce with unspeakable glorious joy , 1 pet. 1.5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. and shall shortly receive the end of our faith , the salvation of our souls . thus faith , though it destroy not death it self , destroyeth the malignity and enmi●y of death : while it seeth the things that are beyond it , and the time when death shall be destroyed , and the life where death shall be no more . faith is like davids three mighty men , that brake through the host of the philistines , to fetch him the waters of bethlehem , for which he longed , 2 sam. 23.15 , 16. when the thirsty soul saith , o that one would give me drink of the waters of salvation ! faith breaks through death which standeth in the way , and fetcheth these living waters ●o the soul . we may ever , psal . 15.4 . and have contemned the ungodly as vile persons , though they had been of your side . the catholick church is one , and containeth all that heartily and practically believe in god the father , son and holy ghost , the creator , redeemer , and sanctifier , and live a holy heavenly life . leave off your siding , and keep this blessed simple unity , and you will then be wiser then in a passion to cast your selves into hell , because some fall out in the way to heaven . nor will it serve your turn at the bar of god , to talk of the miscarriages or scandalls of some , that took on them to be godly , no more then to run out of the ark for the sake of cham , or out of christs family for the sake of judas . what ever men are , god is just , and will do you no wrong ; and you are called to believe in god , and to serve him , and not to believe in men . nothing but wickedness could so far blind men , as to make them think they may cast off their love and service to the lord , because some others have dishonoured him : or that they may cast away their souls by carelesness , because some others have wounded their souls by particular sins . do you dislike the sins of the professors af godliness ? so much the better : we desire you not to agree with them in sinning : joyn with them in a holy life , and imitate them so far as they obey the lord ; and go as far beyond them in avoiding the sins that you are offended at , as you can ; and this is it that we desire . suppose they were covetous , or lyars , or schismaticall : imitate them in holy duties , and fly as far from covetousness , lying and schism , as you will. you have had learned and godly bishops of this city : search the writings of those of them that have left any of their labours to posterity , and see whether they speak not for the same substantials of faith and godliness , which are now preacht to you , by those that you set so light by . bishop latimer , parrey , babington , &c. while they were bishops ; and rob. abbot , hall , &c. ●efore they were bishops , all excellent , learned , godly ●en , have here been preachers ●o your ancestors : read their ●ooks , and you will find that ●hey call men to that strictness ●nd holiness of life , which you cannot abide . read your bi●hop babington on the commandments , and see there how zealously he condemneth the prophaners of the lords day , and those that make it a day of idleness or sports . and what if one man think that one bishop should have hundreds of churches under his sole jurisdiction , and another man think that every full parish church should have a bishop of their own , and that one parish will find him work enough , be he what he will be , ( which is the difference now among us , ) is this so heinous a disagreement , as should frighten you from a holy life which all agree for ? to conclude , remember this is the day of your salvation : ministers are your helpers : christ and holiness are your way : scripture is your rule : the godly must be your company , and the communion of saints must be your desire : if now any scandals , divisions , displeasures , or any seducements of secret or open adversaries of the truth , or temptations of satan , the world , or flesh whatsoever , shall prevail with you to lose your day , to refuse your mercies , and to neglect christ and your immortal souls , you are conquered and undone , and your enemy hath his will ; and the more confidently and fearlesly you brave it out , the more is your misery ; for the harder are your hearts , and the harder is your cure ; and the sure● and sorer will be your damnation . i have purposely avoided the enticing words of worldly wisdom , and a stile that tends to claw your ears , and gain applause with aery wits , and have chosen these familiar words , and dealt thus plainly and freely with you , because the greatness of the cause perswaded me , i could not be too serious . whether many of you will read it , or how those that read it will take it , and what success it shall have upon them , i cannot tell : but i know that i intended it for your good , and that whether you will hear , or whether you will forbear , the ministers of christ must not forbear to do their duty , nor be rebellious themselves : but our labours shall be acceptable with our lord , and you shall know , that his ministers were among you , ezek. 2.3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. [ yet a little while is the light with you : walk while ye have the light , lest darkness come upon you ; for he that walketh in darkness , knoweth not whither he goeth . ] john 12.35 . o take this warning from christ , and from an earnest desirer of your everlasting peace , rich. baxter . the contents . the introduction , p. 1 what is meant by [ an enemy , ] and how death is an enemy to nature , p. 6 , 7 how death is an enemy to grace , and to our salvation : discovered in ten particulars , p. 15 how christ conquereth this enemy , p. 35 four antidotes given us against the enmity of death , at our conversion , p. 39. how death is made a destruction of it self , p. 56 the full destruction at the resurrection , p. 60 the first use , to resolve the doubt , whether death be a punis●ment to believers , p. 63 use 2. to shew us the malignity of sin , and how we should esteem and use it . p. 66 use 3. to teach us that man hath now a need of grace for difficulties which were not before him in his state of innocency , p. 72 use 4. to inform us of the reasons of the sufferings and death of christ , p. 77 use 5. to rectifie the mistakes of some true believers , that think they have no saving grace , because the fears of death deter them from desiring to be with christ , p. 83 ●se 6. to teach us to study and magnifi● our redeemers conquering grace , that overcometh death , and makes it our advantage , p. 96 use 7. to direct us how to prepare for death , and overcome the en●ity , and fear of it , p. 110 direct . 1. make sure that conversion be sound , p. 115 direct . 2. live by faith , on christ the conquerour , p. 116 direct 3. live also by faith on the heavenly glory , p. 120 direct . 4. labour to encrease and exercise divine love , p. 124 direct . 5. keep conscience clear : or if it be wounded , prese●tly seek the cure , p. 127 direct . 6. redeem and improve your pretious time , p. 130 direct . 7. crucifie the flesh , and die to the world , p. 132 direct . 8. a conformity to god in the hatred of sin , and love of holiness : and especially in the point of justice , p. 134 direct . 9. the due consideration of the restlesness , and troubles of this life , and of the manifold ●vils that end at death , p. 13 direct . 10. resign your wills entirely to the will of god , and acquiesce in it , as your safety , felicity and rest . p. 159 use 8. great comfort to believers , that they have no enemy b●t what they are sure shall be conquered at last . p. 165 object . but what comfort is all this to me that know not whether i have part in christ or no ? answered , to satisfie the doubts , and further the assurance of the tr●ubled christian , p. 173 use 9. what a mercy the resurrection of christ was to the world , and how we should use it to strengthen our faith , p. 199 the lords day honourable , p. 201 use 10. how earnestly we should pray for the second coming of christ , though death be terrible p. 207 some imitable passages of the life of elizabeth , late wife of mr. joseph baker , whose funerals occasioned this discourse , p. 225 errata . 1 cor. 15.26 . the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death . death is the occasion of this dayes meeting : and death must be the subject of our present meditations . i must speak of that which will shortly silence me ; and you must hear of that which speedily will stop your eares : and we must spend this hour on that which waits to cut our thred , and take down our glass , and end our time , and tell us we have spent our last ▪ but as it hath now done good by doing hurt ; so are we co consider , of the accidental benefits , as well as of the natural evil , from which the heavenly wisdom doth extract them . death hath now bereaved a body of its soul ; but thereby it hath sent that soul to christ ; where it hath now experience how good it is to be absent from the body and present with the lord , 2 cor. 5.8 . it hath separated a faithful wife from a beloved husband : but it hath sent her to a husband dearlyer beloved ; and taught her now by experience to say , that to be with christ is best of all , phil 1.23 . it hath deprived a sorrowful husband of a wife , and deprived us all of a faithful friend : but it hath thereby brought us to the house of mourning , which is better for us then the house of feasting , ( a paradox to the flesh , but an undoubted truth : ) for h●re we may see the end of all men , and we that are yet living may lay it to our hearts , eccl. 7.2 , 3. yea it hath brough us to the house of god , and occasioned this serious address unto his holiness , that we may be instructed by his word , as we are warned by his works , and that we may be wise to understand , and to consider our latter end , deut. 32.29 . it s like you 'l think that to tell men of the evil or enmity of death , is as needless a ●iscourse as any could be chosen : for who is there that is not naturally too sensible of this ? and who doth not dread the name , or at least the face of death ? but there is accidentally a greater evil in it , then that which nature teacheth men to fear : and while it is the king of terrors to the world , the most are ignorant of the great●st hurt that it doth them , or can do them ; or at least it is but little thought on ; which hath made me think it a needfull work , to tell you yet of much more evil , in that which you abhor as the greatest evil : but so as withall to magnifie our redeemer , that overshooteth death in its own bow ; and causeth it , when it hits the mark , to miss it : and that causeth health by loathsome medicines ; and by the dung of our bodily corruption manureth his church to the greater felicity . such excellent skil of our wise physician , we find exprest and exercised in this chapter : where an unhappy error against the resurrection , hath happily occasioned an excellent discou●se on that weighty subject , which may stablish many a thousand souls , and serve to shame and destroy such heresies , ●ill the resurrection come , and prove it self . the great argument which the apostle most insisteth on , to prove the resurrection , is christs own resurrection : where he entereth into a comparison between christ and adam ; shewing that as adam first brought death upon himself , and then upon his posterity ; so christ ( that was made a quickening spirit ) did first rise himself as the first-fruits , and th●n at his coming will raise his own : and as in adam all die , so in christ shall all be made alive . and this christ will do , as our victorious king , and the captain of our salvation , who when he hath subdued every enemy , will then deliver up the kingdom to the father : and the last enemy which he will subdue , is death , and therefore our resurrection is his final conquest . the terms of the text have no difficulty in them . the d●ctrin● which they express , must be thus unfolded . 1. i must shew you that death is an enemy , and what is meant by this expression , and wherein its enemy doth consist . 2. i shall shew you that it is an enemy to be d●stroyed , though l●st , and how and by what degrees it is destroyed . and then we shall make application of it to your further instruction and edification . 1. that you may know what is meant by an en●my here , you must observe , that man being fallen into sin and misery , and christ having undertaken the work of our redemption , the scripture oft speaketh of our misery and recovery metaphorically in military terms : and so satan is said to take us captive , and we to be his slaves , and christ to be the captain of our salvation , and to redeem us from our bondage : and thus our sin and misery , and all that hindereth the blessed ends of his undertaking , are called enemies . death therefore is called an enemy to be destr●yed , that is , a penal evil to be removed by the redeemer in order to our recovery and the glory of his grace . 1. it is an evil. 2. a punishment procured by our sin , and executed by gods justice . 3. it is an evil that hindereth our felicity . these three things are included in the enmity . that death is an enemy to nature , is a thing that all understand : but all consider not how it is an enemy to our souls , to the exercise of grace , and consequently to the attainment of glory . i shall therefore having first spoken briefly of the former , insist a little longer upon the latter . 1. how great an enemy death is unto nature doth easily appear , in that 1. it is the dissolution of the man : it maketh a man to become no man ; by separating the soul from the body , and dissolving the body into its principles . it puls down in a moment a curious frame , that nature was long building , and tenderly cherishing and preserving . the mother long nourisheth it in her bowels , and painfully brings it forth , and carefully brings it up ; what labour doth it cost our parents , and our selves to make provision for this life ? and death in a moment cuts it off . how carefull are we to keep in these lamps , and to maintain the oyl ? and death extinguisheth th●m at a blast . how noble a creature doth it destroy ? to day our parts are all in order , and busie about their several tasks ; our hearts are moving , our lungs are breathing , our stomacks are digesting , our blood and spirits by assimilation making more : and to morrow death takes off the poise , and all stands still ; or draws the pins , and all the frame doth fall to pieces . we shall breath no more ; nor speak , nor think , nor walk no more : our pulse will beat no more : our eyes shall s●e the light no more : our ears shall hear the voice of man , delightful sounds and melodie , no more : we shall taste no more our meat or drink : our appetite is gone : our strength is gone : our natural warmth is turned into an earthly cold : our comelyness and beauty is turned into a ghastly loathsome deformity : our white and red doth soon turn into horrid blackness : our tender flesh hath lost its feeling ; and is become a s●nseless lump , that feeleth not whith●r it is carryed , nor how it is use● : that must be hidden in the earth , lest it annoy the living : that quickly turns to loathsome putrefaction ; and after that to common earth . were all the once-comely bodies that now are rotting in one church-yard , uncovered , and here presented to your view , the sight would tell you more effectually then my words do , what an enemy death is to our nature . when corruption hath finished its work , you see the earth that once was flesh : you see the bones ; you see the skuls ; you see the holes where once were brains and eyes and mouth : this change death makes : and that universally and unavoidably . the prince cannot resist it by his majesty : for he hath sin'd against the highest majesty : the strong cannot resist it by their strength : for it is the messenger of the allmighty . the commanders must obey it : the conquerours must be conquered by it . the rich cannot bribe it . the learned orator cannot perswade it to pass him by . the skilful physician cannot save himself from the mortal stroak . neither fields nor gardens , earth or sea affordeth any medicine to prevent it . all have sinned , and all must die : dust we are , and to dust we must return , gen 3.19 . and thus should we remain , if the lord of life should not revive us . 2. and it is not only to the body , but to the soul also that death is naturally an enemy . the soul hath naturally a love and inclination to its body : and therefore it feareth a separation before , and desireth a restauration afterward . abstracting joy and torment , heaven and hell , in our consideration , the state of separation as such , is a natural evil : even to the humane soul of christ it was so , while his body remained in the grave : which separated state is the hades , that our english calleth hell , that christ is said to have gone into . and though ( the soul of christ , and ) the souls of those that die in him , do pass into a far more happy state , then they had in flesh , yet that is accidentally , from rewarding justice , and the bounty of the lord , and not at all from death as death : the separation as such is still an evil . and therefore the soul is still desirous of the bodies resurrection ; and knoweth that its felicity will then be greater , when the re-union , and glorification hath perfected the whole man. so that death as death is unwelcome to the soul it self , though death as accidentally gainfull may be desired . 3. and to the unpardoned unrenewed soul , death is the passage to everlasting misery , and in this regard is far more terrible , then in all that hitherto hath been spoken . o could the guilty soul be sure that there is no justice to take hold on it after death , and no more pain and sorrow to be felt , but that man dyeth as a beast , that hath no more to feel or lose , then death would seem a tolerable evil . but it s the living death , the dying life , the endless woe , to which death leads the guilty soul , that makes it to be unspeakably terrible . the utter darkness , the unquenchable fire , the worm that dyeth not , the everlasting flames of the wrath of god , these are the chief horror and sting of death , to the ungodly . o were it but to be turned into trees , or stones , or earth , or nothing , it were nothing in comparison of this . but i pass by this , because it is not ( directly ) intended in my text. 4. the saints themselves being sanctified but in part , are but imperfectly assured of their salvation ; and therefore in that measure as they remain in doubt , or unassured , death may be a double terror to them . they believe the threatenings , and know more then unbelievers do , what an unsufferable loss it is to be deprived of the celelestial glory ! and what an unspeakable misery it is , to bear the endless wrath of god. and therefore so far as they have such fears , it must needs make death a terror to them . 5. but if there were nothing but death it self to be our enemy , the foreknowledge of it would increase the misery . a beast that knoweth not that he must die , is not tormented with the fears of death ( though nature hath possessed them with a self-preserving fear , for the avoiding of an invading evil . ) but man foreknoweth , that he must die : he hath still occasion to anticipate his terrors : that which will be , and certainly and shortly will be , is in a manner as if it were already . and therefore fore-knowledge makes us as if we were alway dying : we see our graves , our weeping friends , our fore-described corruption and dismal state , and so our life is a continual death . and thus death is an enemy to nature . 2. but this is not all , nor the greatest enmity that death hath to the godly . it is a lamentable hinderance to the work of grace , as i shall shew you next in ten particulars . i. the fears of death do much abate our desires after god , as he is to be enjoyed by the separated soul . though every believing holy soul , do love god above all , and take heaven for his home , and therefore sincerely longeth after it ; yet when we know that death stands in the way , and that there is no coming thither , but through this dreadfull narrow passage , this stoppeth and lamentably dulleth our desires : and so the natural enmity , turneth to a spiritual sorer enmity . for let a man be never so much a saint , he will be still a man ; and therefore as death will still be death , so nature will still be nature : and therefore death as death will be abhorred . and we are such timerous sluggards , that we are easily discouraged by this lyon in the way . the ugly porter affrighteth us from those grateful thoughts of the new jerusalem , the city of god , the heavenly inheritance , which otherwise the blessed object would produce . our sanctified affections would be mounting upwards , and holy love would be working towards its blessed object : but death standing in the way , suppresseth our desires , and turns us back , and frighteneth us from our fathers presence . we look up to christ and the holy city , as to a precious pearl in the bottom of the sea , or as to a dear and faithfull friend , that is beyond some dreadfull gulf : fain we would enjoy him , but we dare not venture ; we fear this dismal enemy in the way . he that can recover his health by a pleasant medicine , doth take it without any great reluctancy : but if a leg or an arm must be cut off , or a stone cut out by a painful dangerous incision , what a striving doth it cause between the contrary passions ? the love of life , and the love of ease ; the fear of death , and the fear of suffering ? could we but come to heaven as easily as innocent adam might have done if he had conquered , what wings would it add to our desires ? might we be translated as henoch , or conveyed thither in the chariot of elias , what saint is there that would not long to see the face and glory of the lord ? were it but to go to the top of a mountain , and there see christ with moses and elias , in a glimpse of glory , as did the three disciples , who would not make haste , and say , it is good for us to be here , matth. 17.1 , 4. but to travell so chearfully with abraham to the mount of m●riah , to sacrifice an only son , or with a martyr to the flames , is a harder task . this is the principal enmity of death ; it deterreth our desires and thoughts from heaven : and maketh it a far harder matter to us , to long after god , then otherwise it would be : yea it causeth us to fly from him , even when we truly love him : and where faith and love do work so strongly as to overcome these fears , yet do they meet with them as an enemy , and must fight before they overcome . 2. and as this enemy dulleth our desires , so doth it consequently cool our love , as to the exercise , and it hindereth our hope , & much abateth the complacency and joy , that we should have in the believing thoughts of heaven : when we should be rejoycing in hope of the glory of god ( rom. 5.2 . ) the face of death appearing to our thoughts , is naturally an enemy to our joy ! when we think of the grave , and of dissolution and corruption , and of our long abode in the places of darkness , of our contemned dust and scattered bones , this damps our joyfull thoughts of heaven , if supernatural grace do not make us conquerors . but if we might pass from earth to heaven , as from one room to another , what haste should we make in our desires ? how joyfully should we think and speak of heaven ? then we might live in the joy of the holy ghost , and easily delight our selves in god , and comfort would be our daily food . 3. moreover , as our natural enemy doth thus occasion the abatement of desire , and love , and joy , so also of our thankfulness for the glory that is promised us . god would have more praise from us , if we had more pleasing joyfull thoughts of our inheritance . we should magnifie him from day to day , when we remember how we shall magnifie him for ever . our hearts would be turned into thankfulness , and our tongues would be extolling our dear redeemer , & sounding forth his praise whom we must praise for ever , if dreadful death did not draw a veil , to hide the heavenly glory from us . 4. and thus the dismall face of death , doth hinder the heavenliness of our conversation . our thoughts will be diverted , when our complacency and desire is abated : our minds will be willinger to grow strange to heaven , when death still mingleth terror in our meditations : whereas if we could have come to god in the way that was first appointed us , and could be cloathed with glory , without being stript of our present cloathing , by this terrible hand , how familiarly should we then converse above ? how readily would our thoughts run out to christ ? meditation of that glory would not be then so hard a work : our hearts would not be so backward to it , as now they are . 5. faith is much hindered , and infidelity much advantaged by death : look either to the state of soul or body , and you will easily perceive the truth of this . the state of a soul incorporated , we know , by long experience : what kind of apprehensions , volitions , and affections belong to a soul while it acteth in the body , we feel or understand : but what manner of knowledg , will or love , what joy , what sorrow , belong to souls that are separated from the bodies , it is not possible for us now distinctly and formally to conceive . and when men find themselves at a loss about the manner , they are tempted to doubt of the thing it self . the swarms of irreligious infidels , that have denied the immortality and separated existence of the soul , are too full a proof of this : and good men have been haunted with this horrible temptation . had there been no death , we had not been liable to this dangerous assault . the opinion of the sleeping of the soul , till the resurrection , is but a step to flat infidelity ; and both of them hence receive their life , because a soul in flesh , when it cannot conceive to its satisfaction , of the being , state , or action of a separated soul , is the easier drawn to question or deny it . and in regard of the body the difficulty and tryal is as great : that a corps resolved into dust ; and perhaps first devoured by some other body , and turned into its substance , should be reunited to its soul , and so become a glorified body , is a point not easie for unsanctified nature to believe . when paul preached of the resurrection , to the learned athenians , some mocked , and others turn'd off that discourse , acts 17.32 . it is no easier to believe the resurrection of the body , then the immortality or separated existence of the soul. most of the world , even heathens and infidels do confess the later , but few of them comparatively believe the former . and if sin had not let in death upon our nature , this perillous difficulty had been prevented : then we should not have bin puzzled with the thoughts of either a corrupted body , or a separated soul. 6. and consequently by all this already mentioned , our endeavors meet with a great impediment . if death weaken faith , desire , and hope , it must needs dull our endeavors . the deterred , discouraged soul moves slowly in the way of life : whereas if death were not in our way , how chearfully should we run towards heaven ? our thoughts of it would be still sweet , and these would be a powerfull spring to action ? when the will goes with full sails , the commanded faculty will the more easily follow . we should long so earnestly to be in heaven , if death were not in the way , that nothing could easily stop us in our course ? how earnestly should we pray ? how seriously should we meditate and conser of heaven ? and part with any thing to attain it ? but that wh●ch dulls our desires of the end , must needs be an enemy to holy diligence , and dull us in the use of means . 7. this enemy also doth dangerously tempt us to fall in love with present things , and to take up the miserable portion of the worldling : when it hath weakened faith , and cooled our desires to the life to come , we shall be tempted to think that its best take such pleasure as may here be had , and feed on that where a sensual mind hath less discouragement . whereas , if death did not stand in the way , and darken heaven to us , and turn back our desires , how easily should we get above thes● trifles , and perceive the vanity of all below , and how unworthy they are to be once regarded ! 8. moreover it is much long of this last enemy , that god is so dishonoured by the fears and droopings of believers . they are but imperfectly yet freed from this bondage : and accordingly they walk . whereas if the king of terrors were removed , we should have less of fear , and more of love , as living more in the sight and sense of love : and then we should glorifie the god of love , and appear to the world as men of another world , and shew them the faith and hope of saints , in the heavenly chearfulness of our lives ; and no more dishonour the lord and our profession , by our uncomfortable despondencies as we do . 9. moreover it is much long of this last enemy that many true christians cannot perceive their own sincerity , but are overwhelmd with doubts and troublesome fears , lest they have not the faith and hope of saints , and lest the love of god abide not in them , and lest their hearts are more on earth then heaven . when they find themselves afraid of dying , and to have dark amazing thoughts about eternity , and to think with less trouble and fear of earth then of the life to come , this makes them think that they are yet but worldlings , and have not placed their happiness with god : when perhaps it is but the fear of death that causeth these unjust : conclusions . christian , i shall tell thee more anon , that god may be truly loved and desired by thee , and heaven may be much more valued then earth , and yet the natural fears of death that standeth in thy way may much perplex thee , & make thee think that thou art averse from god , when indeed thou art but averse from death , because yet this enemy is not overcome . 10. lastly , this enemy is not the smallest cause of many of our particular sins , and of the apostacie of many hypocrit●s . indeeed it is one of the strongest of our temptations . before man sinned , none could take away his life but god , and god would not have done it for any thing but sin . so that man had no temptation from the malice of enemies , or the pride of conquerours , or the fury of the passionate , or the power of tyrants to be afraid of death , and to use any unlawfull means to scape it . an avoidable d●ath from the hand of god , he was obliged moderately to fear ; that is , to be afraid of sinning lest he die ( else god would not have threatened him , if he would not have had him make use of a preventing fear . ) but now we have an unavoidable death to fear , and also an untimely death from the hand of man by gods permission : and the fear of these is a powerfull temptation . otherwise abraham would not have distrustfully equivocated as he did to save his life , gen. 20.11 . and isaac after him do the same , when he sojourned in the same place , gen. 26.7 . if the fear of death were not a strong temptation , peter would not have thrice denyed christ , and that after so late a warning and engagement : nor would all his disciples have forsaken him and fled , matth. 26.56 . nor would martyrs have a special reward , nor would christ have been put to call upon his disciples , that they fear not them that can kill the body , luke 12.4 . and to declare to men the necessity of self-deniall in this point of life , and that none can be his disciple , that loves his life before him , matth. 16.39 . luke 14.26 . he is a christian indeed that so loveth god , that he will not sin to save his life . but what is it that an hypocrite will not do to escape death ? he will equivocate and forswear himself with the jesuite and familist : he will forsake not only his dearest friend , but christ also and his conscience . what a multitude of the most haynous sins are daily committed through the fears of death ? thousands where the inquisition ruleth are kept in popery by it : and thousands are kept in mahometanism by it : thousands are drawn by it to betray their countries ; to deny the truth ; to betray the church and cause of christ ; and finally to betray their souls unto perdition : some of them presume to deny christ wilfully , because that peter had pardon that denyed him through surprize , and through infirmity : but they will not repent with peter , and die for him after their repentance . he that hath the power of an hypocrites life , may prescribe him what he shall b●lieve and do ; may write him down the rule of his religion , and tell him what changes he shall make , what oaths he shall take , what party he shall side with , and command h●m so many sins a day , as you make your horse go so many miles . satan , no doubt , had much experience of the power of this temptation , when he boasted so confidently of it against : job ( 2.4 . ) skin for skin , and all that a man hath he will give for his life : and its true , no doubt , of those that love nothing better then their lives . satan thought that the fear of death would make a man do any thing ; and of too many he may boldly make this boast [ let me but have power of their lives , and i will make them say any thing , and swear any thing , and be for any cause or party , and do any thing against god or man. ] when less●r matters can do so much , as common sad experience sheweth us , no wonder if the fear of death can do it . in brief , you may see by what is said , that death is become an enemy to our souls , by being first the enemy of our natures : the interest of our bodies works much on our souls , much more the interest of the whole man. the principle of self-love was planted in nature in order to self-preservation , and the government of the world : nature doth necessarily abhor its own destruction . and therefore this destruction standing in the way , is become an exceeding great hindrance to our affections , which tak●s them off from the life to come . 1. it is a very great hindrance to the conversion of those that are yet carnal , imprisoned in their unbelief . it is hard to win their hearts to such a state of hap●in●ss , that cannot be obtained but by yielding unto death ? 2. and to the truly godly it is naturally an impediment , and a great temptation in the points before expressed : and though it prevail not against them , it exceedingly hindereth them . and thus i have shewed you , that death is an enemy , further then , i doubt , the most consider of . if the unbeliever shall here tell me , that death is not the fruit of sin , but natural to man , though he had never sinned , and therefore that i lay all this on god : i answer him , that mortality , as it signifyeth a posse mori , a natural capacity of dying , was naturall to us in our innocency : or else death could not be threatened as a penalty : and if i grant as much of a naturall disposition in the body to a dissolution , if not prevented by a glorifying change , it will no whit advantage their impious cause . but withall man was then so far immortall , as that he had a posse non mori , a naturall capacity of not dying ; and the morietur vel non morietur , the actuall event of life or death , was laid by the lord of life and death , upon his obedience or disobedience . and man having sinned , justice must be done , and so we came under a non posse non mori , an impossibility of escaping death ( ordinarily , ) because of the peremptory sentence of our judge : but the day of our deliverance is at hand , when we shall attain a non posse mori , a certain consummate immortality , when the last enemy death shall be destroyed : and how that is done i shall next enquire . sect . ii. you have seen the ugly face of death ; you are next to see a little of the love of our great redeemer . you have heard what sin hath done : you are next to hear what grace hath done , and what it will do . you have seen the strength of the enemy : you are now to take notice of the victory of the redeemer , and see how he conquereth all this strength . 1. the beginning of the conquest is in this world : 2. the perfection will not be till the day of resurrection , when this last enemy shall be destroyed . 1. meritoriously death is conquered by death . the death of sinners , by the mediators death . not that he intended in his meritorious work , to save us from the stroke of death by a prevention ; but to deliver us from it after by a resurrection . for since by man came death , by man also came the resurrection from the dead , i cor. 15.21 . forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood , he also hims●lf likewise took part with them ; that he might destroy him through death , that had the power of death , that is the devil ; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject unto bondage , heb. 2.14 , 15. satan as gods executioner , and as the prosperous tempter , is said to have had the power of death : the fears of this dreadfull executioner are a continuall bondage , which we are lyable to through all our lives , till we perceive the deliverance which the death of the lord of life hath purchased us . 1. by death christ hath satisfied the justice that was armed by sin against us . 2. by death he hath shewed us , that death is a tolerable evil , and to be yielded to in hope of following life . 2. actually he conquered death by his resurrection . this was the day of grace's triumph : this day he shewed to heaven , to hell , and to earth , that death was conquerable ; yea that his personal death was actually overcome . the blessed souls beheld it to their joy , beholding in the resurrection of their head , a virtual resurrection of their own bodies . the devils saw it , and therefore saw that they had no hopes of holding the bodies of the saints in the power of the grave . the damned souls were acquainted with it , and therefore knew that their sinfull bodies must be restored to bear their part in suffering . the believing saints on earth perceive it , and therefore see that their bonds are broken , and that to the righteous there is hope in death ; and that our head being actually risen , assureth us that we shall also rise . for if we believe that jesus dyed and rose again ; even so them also which steep in jesus , will god bring with him , 1 thes . 4.14 . and as christ being raised from the dead , dyeth no more , death hath no more dominion over him : so shall we rise and die no more . this was the beginning of the churches triumph . this is the day that the lord hath made ( even the day which the church on earth must celebrate , with joy and praise , till the day of our resurrection ) we will be glad and rejoyce therein , psam 118.24 . the resurrection of our lord hath 1. assured us of the consummation of his satisfaction . 2. of the truth of all his word , and so of his promises of our resurrection . 3. that death is actually conquered , and a resurrection possible . 4. that believers shall certainly rise , when their head and saviour is risen , to prepare them an everlasting kingdom , and to assure them , that thus he will raise them at the last . a bare promise would not have been so strong a help to faith , as the actual rising of christ , as a pledge of the performance : but now christ is risen and become the first fruits of them that sleep . 1. cor. 15.20 . for because he liveth , we shall live also , john 14.19 . 3. the next degree of destruction to this enemy , was by the gift of his justifying and sanctifying grace . four special benefits were then bestowed on us , which are antidotes against the enmity of death . 1. one is , the gift of saving faith , by which we look beyond the grave , as far as to eternity . and this doth most powerfully disable death to terrifie and discourage us ; and raiseth us above our natural fears , and sheweth us ( though but in a glass ) the exceeding eternal weight of glory which churlish death shall help us to . so that when the eye of the unb●liever looketh no further then the grave , believing souls can enter into heaven , and see their glorified lord , and thence fetch love , and hope , and joy , notwithstanding the terrors of interposing death . the eye of faith foreseeth the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time , and causeth us therein greatly to rejoyce , though now for a season ( if need be ) we are in heaviness through manifold temptations . and so vic●orious is this faith against all the storms that do assault us , that the tryal of it , though with fire , doth but discover that it is much more precious then gold that perisheth , and it shall be found unto praise and hoour , and glory at the appearing of jesus christ ; whom having never seen in the flesh we love , and though now we see him not , yet believing we rejoyce with unspeakable glorious joy , 1 pet. 1.5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. and shall shortly receive the end of our faith , the salvation of our souls . thus faith , though it destroy not . death it self , destroyeth the malignity and enmity of death : while it seeth the things that are beyond it , and the time when death shall be destroyed , and the life where death shall be no more . faith is like davids three mighty men , that brake through the host of the philistines , to fetch him the waters of bethlehem , for which he longed , 2 sam. 23.15 , 16. when the thirsty soul saith , 0 that one would give me drink of the waters of salvation ! faith breaks through death which standeth in the way , and fetcheth these living waters to the soul . we may say of death , as it is said of the world , 1. john 5.4 , 5. whatsoever is born of god overcometh the world : and this is the victory that overcometh the world , even our faith : who is he that overcometh , but he that believeth ? &c. for greater is he that is in us , then he that is in the world : 1 john 4.4 . the believing soul foreseeing the day when death shall be swallowed up in victory , may sing beforehand the triumphing song , o death , where is thy sting ? o grave where is thy victory ? 1 cor. 15.54 , 55. for this cause we faint not ; though our outward man perish , our inward man is renewed day by day : for our light affliction ( though it reach to death ) which is but for a moment , worketh for us a far more exceeding eternall weight of glory ; while we look not at the things that are seen , but at the things which are not seen : for the things which are seen are temporall ( and therefore not worthy to be looked at ) but the things that are not seen are eternal , and therefore more prevalent with a believing soul , then either the enticing pleasures of sin for a season , or the light and short afflictions , or the death that standeth in our way , 2 cor. 5.16 , 17 , 18. heb. 11.24 , 25 , 26. 2. a second antidote against the enmity of death , that is given us at the time of our conversion , is , the pardon of our sins , and justification of our persons , by the blood and merits of jesus christ . when once we are forgiven , we are out of the reach of the greatest terror , being saved from the second death ; though we must feel the killing stroke , we are delivered from the damning stroke . yea more then so , it shall save us by d●stroying us : it shall let us into the glorious presence of our lord , by taking us from the presence of our mortal friends : it shall help us into eternity , by cutting off our time. for in the hour that we were justified , and made the adopted s●ns of god , we were also made the heirs of heaven , even coheirs with christ , and shall be glorified with him , when we have suffered with him , rom. 8.17 . as death was promoting the life of the world , when it was killing the lord of life himself : so is it hastening the deliverance of believers , when it seems to be undoing them . no wonder if death be that mans terror , that must be conveyed by it into hell , or that imagineth that he shall perish as the beast : but to him that knows it will be his passage into rest , and that angels shall convey his soul to christ , what an antidote is there ready for his faith to use against the enmity and excess of fears ? hence faith proceedeth in its triumph , 1 cor. 15.56 , 57. the sting of death is sin , and the strength of sin is the law : but thanks be to god that giveth us the victory through our lord jesus christ . let him inordinately fear death , that is loth to be with christ , or that is yet the heir of death eternall : let him fear that is yet in the bondage of his sin , and in the power of the prince of darkness , and is not by justification delivered from the curse : but joy and holy triumph are more seemly for the justified . 3. a third antidote against the enmity of death , is the holiness of the soul : by this the power of sin is mortified ; and therefore the fears of death cannot actuate and use it , as in others they may do : by this the interest of the flesh is cast aside as nothing , and the flesh it self is crucified with christ : and therefore the destruction of the flesh will seem the more tolerable , and the fears of it will be a less temptation to the soul. by this we are already crucified to the world , and the world to us : and therefore we can more easily leave the world : we now live by another life then we did before ; being dead in our selves , our life is hid with christ in god ; and being crucified with christ , we now so live , as that it is not we , but christ liveth in us : the life which we live in the flesh is by the faith of the son of god that hath loved us , gal. 2.20 . the things that made this life too dear to us , are now as it were annihilated to us ; and when we see they are nothing , they can do nothing with us . sanctification also maketh us so weary of sin , as being our hated enemy , that we are the more willing to die , that it may die that causeth us to die . and especially , the holy ghost , which we then receive , is in us a divine and heavenly nature , and so inclineth us to god and heaven . this nature principally consisteth in the superlative love of god. and love carryeth out the soul to the beloved . as the nature of a prisoner in a dungeon carryeth him to desire liberty and light ; so the nature of a holy soul in flesh , inclineth it to desire to be with christ . as love maketh husband and wife , and dearest friends to think the time long while they are asunder ; so doth the love of the soul to god. how fain would the holy loving soul behold the pleased face of god , and be glorified in the beholding of his glory , and live under the fullest influences of his love ! this is our conquest over the enmity of death . as strong as death is , love is stronger , eccles . 8.6 , 7. love is strong as death — the coales thereof are coales of fire , a most vehement flame ( which will not by the terrible face of death be hindered from ascending up to god. ) many waters cannot quench love , neither can the floods drown it : if a man would give all the substance of his house for love ( that is , to bribe it and divert it from its object ) it would utterly be contemned . if the love of david could carry jonathan to hazzard his life and deny a kingdom for him , and the love of david to absalom made him wish that he had dyed for him , and the love of friends , ( yea lustfull love ) hath carryed many to cast away their lives ; no wonder if the love of god in his saints prevail against the fear of death . the power of holy love made moses say , else let my name be blotted out of the book of life . and it made paul say , that he could wish that he were accursed from christ , for his brethren and kindred according to the flesh . ] rom. 9.3 . and doubtless he felt the fire burning in his breast , when he broke out into that triumphant challenge , rom. 8.35 , 36. to the end [ who shall separate us from the love of god ? shall tribulation , or distress , or persecution , or famine , or nakedness , or peril , or sword ? ( as it is written , for thy sake we are killed all the day long ; we are counted as sheep to the slaughter . ) nay in all this we are more then conquerours through him that loved us : for i am perswaded that neither death , nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come , nor height , nor depth , nor any other creature , shall be able to separate us from the love of god ; which is in chr●st jesus our lord. ] you see here what it is that conquereth the enmity of death , in our sanctification ; even that powerfull love of god that is then given us , which will go to him through the most cruel death . 4. a fourth antidote that is given us by christ , against the enmity of death , is the holy ghost , as he is the comforter of the saints . he made it his work to corroborate and confirm them : as sin hath woven calamities into our lives , and filled us with troubles , and griefs , and fears ; so christ doth send his spirit to undo these works of satan , and to be a comforter as well as a sanctifier to his members . as the sanctifying spirit striveth against the enticing sinfull flesh , so the comforting spirit striveth against the troubling flesh ; as also against the persecuting , as well as the tempting world , and the vexing as well as the tempting devil . and greater is he that is in us , then he that is in the world , 1 john 4.4 . the spirit of christ overcomes the disquieting as well as the tempting spirit : but with some difference ; because our comforts are not in this life so necessary to us as our holiness : joy being part of our reward , is not to be expected certainly or constantly , in any high degree , till we come to the state of our reward : and therefore though the holy ghost will carry on the work of sanctification , universally , constantly and certainly in the elect ; yet in many of them his comforting work is more obscure , and interrupted : and yet he is a conquerour here . for his works must be judged of in reference to their ends : and our comfort on earth is given us for our encouragement in holy wayes , that we be not stopt or diverted by the fear of enemies ; and also to help on ou● love to god , and to quicken us in thanks , and praise , and draw up our hearts to the life to come , and make us more serviceable to others : and such a measure of comfort , we shall have as conduceth to these ends , and is suitable to our present state , and the employment god hath for us in the world , if we do not wilfully grieve our comforter , and quench our joyes . so that when death and the grave appear before , and our flesh is terrified with the sight of these anakims , and saith , [ we are not able to overcome them ] and so brings up an evil report upon the promised land , and casts us sometime into murmuring , lamentation and weakning-discouragements , yet doth the holy ghost cause faith and hope ( as caleb and joshua ) to still the soul , ( numb . 13. ) and causeth us to contemn these gyants , and say [ let us go up and possess it , for we are well able to overcome it . ] ver. 30. the comforting spirit sheweth us his death that conquered death , ( heb. 2.14 , 15. ) even the cross on which he triumphed openly , when he seemed to be conquered , col. 2.15 . he sheweth us the glorious resurrection of our head , and his promise of our own resurrection : he sheweth us our glorified lord , to whom we may boldly and confidently commend our departing souls , acts 7.59 . and he sheweth us the angels that are ready to be their convoy : and he maketh all these considerations effectual , and inwardly exciteth our love and heavenly desires , and giveth us a triumphing courage and consolation : so that death doth not encounter us alone , and in our own strength , but finds us armed and led on by the lord of life , who helps us by a sling and stone to conquer this goliah . if a draught of wine , or some spiritfull reviving liquor can take off fears and make men bold ; what then may the spirit of christ do by his powerfull encouragements and comforts on the soul ? did we but see christ or an angel standing by our sick-beds , and saying [ fear not : i will convey thy soul to god : this day shalt thou be with me in paradise . ] what an unspeakable comfort would this be to a dying man ? why , the spirit is christs agent here on earth : and what the spirit speaks , christ speaks : and therefore we may take its comforting words , as spoken to us by christ himself ; who spoke the like to the penitent thief , to shew believers the virtue of his cross , and what they also may expect from him in their extremity . and our phisitian is most wise , and keeps his cordials for a fainting time : the spirit useth to sustain and comfort us most , in our greatest necessities . we need not comforts against death , so much in the time of prosperity and health , as when death draws near . in health we have ordinarily more need of quickning then of comforting : and more need to be awakened from security to a due preparation for death , then to be freed from the terrible fore-thoughts of it : though inordinate fears of death be hurtfull to us , security and deadness hurt us more . and therefore the spirit worketh according to our necessities : and when death is neerest , and like to be most dreadfull , he usually giveth the liveliest sense of the joyes beyond it , to abate the enmity , and encourage the departing soul . and if the comfort be but small , it is precious , because it is most pure , as being then mixed with no carnal joyes ; and because it is most seasonable in so great a strait . if we have no more but meer support , it will be yet a pretious mercy . and thus i have done with the third degree of the destruction of deaths enmity , by these four antidotes , which we receive at our conversion , and the consequents thereof . 4. the fourth degree of this enemies destruction is , by it self , or rather by christ at the time , and by the means of death , which contrary to its nature , shall advantage our felicity . when death hath done its worst , it hath half killed it self in killing us : it hath then dismissed our imprisoned souls , and ended even our fears of death , and our fears of all the evils of this life . it hath ended our cares , and griefs , and groans . it hath finished our work , and ended all our weariness and trouble . and more then this , it ends our sinning , and so destroyeth that which caused it , and that which the inordinate fears of it self , had caused in us . it is the time when sin shall gasp its last , and so far our physitian will perfect the cure ; and our greatest enemy shall follow us no further . it is the door by which the soul must pass to christ in paradise . if any papist shall hence plead that therefore all men must be perfect without sin before death , or else go to purgatory to be cleansed , because as we die , so christ will find us : or if they ask , how death can perfect us ? i answer them : it is christ our physitian that finisheth the cure , and death is the time in which he doth it . and if he undertake then to do it , it concerns not us to be too inquisitive , how he doth it . what if the patient understand not how blood letting cureth the infected blood that is left behind ? must he therefore plead against his physitian , and say , it will not be done , because he knoweth not how it s done ? we feel that here we have our sinfull imperfections : we have for all that a promise that we shall be with christ , when death hath made its separation ; and we are assured that no sin doth enter there . and is not this enough for us to know ? but yet i see not why the difficulty of the objection should trouble us at all . death doth remove us from this sinfull flesh , and admits the soul into the sight of god. and in the very instant of its remove , it must needs be perfected , even by that remove , and by the first appearance of his blessed face . if you bring a candle into a dark room , the access of the light expelleth the darkness , at the same instant : and you cannot say that they consist together one moment of time . so cold is expelled by the approach of heat . and thus when death hath opened the door , and let us into the immortal light , neither before nor after , but in that instant all the darkness & sinful imperfections of our souls are dissipated . throw an empty bottle into the sea , and the emptiness ceaseth by the filling of the water ; neither before nor after , but in that instant . if this should not satisfie any , let it satisfie them , that the holy ghost in the instant of death can perfect his work . so that we need not assert a perfection on earth , ( which on their grounds , must be the case of all that will escape hell and purgatory ; ) nor yet any purgatory torments after death , for the deliverance of the soul from the relicts of sin ; seeing at the instant of death , by the the spirit , or by the deposition of the flesh , or by the sight of god , or by the sight of our glorified redeemer , or by all , this work will be easily and infallibly accomplished . 5. the last degree and perfect conquest will be at the resurrection . and this is the victory that is mentioned in my text. all that is fore-mentioned doth abate the enmity , and conquer death in some degree : but the enmity , and the enemy it self is conquered at the resurrection , and not till then . and therefore death is the last enemy to be destroyed . the body lieth under the penal effects of sin , till the resurrection . and it is penal to the soul to be in a state of separation from the body , though it be a state of glory that its in with christ : for it is deprived of the fulness of glory , which it shall attain at the resurrection , when the whole man shall be perfected and glorified together . then it is that the mediators work will be accomplished ; and all things shall be restored ; all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the son of god and shall come forth , john 5.28 . for this is the fathers will that sent him , that of all that he hath given him ; he should lose nothing , but should raise it up at the last day ; john 6.39 , 40. we have hope towards god , that there shall be a resurrection of the dead , both of the just and unjust , acts 24.15 . as by man came death , so by man came also the resurrection from the dead , i cor. 15.21 . then shall there be no more death , nor sorrow , nor crying , nor pain , rev. 21.4 . no more diseases , or fears of death , or grave , or of corruption . no terrible enemy shall stand betwixt us and our lord , to frighten our hearts from looking towards him . o what a birth-day will that be ! when graves shall bring forth so many millions of sons for glory ! how joyfully will the soul & body meet , that were separated so long ? then sin hath done its worst and can do no more ! then christ hath done all , and hath no more to do , as our redeemer , but to justifie us in judgement , and give us possession of the joy that he is preparing . and then he will deliver up the kingdom to the father . if you expect now that i should give you reasons why death is the last enemy to be destroyed , though much might be said from the nature of the matter , the wisdom and will of god shall be to me instead of all other reasons , being the fountain and the sum of all . he knows best the order that is agreeable to his works and ends , to his honour , and to our good : and therefore to his wisdom we submit , in the patient expectance of the accomplishment of his promises . sect . iii. vse 1. i now come to shew you the usefulness of this doctrine for the further information of our understandings , the well ordering of our hearts , and the reforming of our lives . and first , you may hence be easily resolved , whether death be truly penal to the godly ? which some have been pleased to make ● controversie of late : though i am past doubt ; but the hearts of those men do apprehend it as a punishment , whose tongues and pens do plead for the contrary . dust thou art , and to dust shalt thou return , was part of the sentence past on adam and all his posterity ; which then proved it a punishment , and it was not remitted to adam , that at the same time had the promise of a redeemer , nor is it remitted to any of us all . were it not for sin , god would not inflict it ; who hath sworn that he takes no pleasure in the death of sinners ; and that he afflicts not willingly , nor grieves the sons of men . but my text it self decides the controversie : sin and punishment are the evils that christ removeth ; and if death were no punishment ( as it is no sin , ) how could it be an enemy , and the last enemy to be destroyed by the redeemer ? when we feel the enmity before described against our souls , and also know its enmity to our bodies , we cannot think that god would do all this , were it not for sin : esp●cially when we read , that death passeth upon all , for that all have sinned , rom. 5.11 , 12. and that death is the wages of sin , rom. 6.23 . though christ do us good by it , that proveth it not to be no punishment : for castigatory punishments are purposely to do good to the chastised . indeed we may say , o death , where is thy sting ? because that the mortal evil to the soul is taken out ; and because we foresee the resurrection by faith , when we shall have the victory by christ . but thence to conclude that death hath no sting now to a believer , is not only besides , but against the text ; which telling us that the sting of death is sin , and that the strength of sin is the law , doth inform us , that death could not kill us , and be death to us , if sin gave it not a sting to do it with : as sin could not oblige us to this punishment , if the threatening of the law were not its strength . but christ hath begun the conquest , and will finish it . sect . iv. vse 2. from all this enmity in death , we may see what it is that sin hath done : and consequently how vile and odious it is , and how we should esteem and use it . sin hath not only forfeited our happiness , but laid those impediments in the way of our recovery , which will find us work , and cause our danger and sorrow while we live . and death is not the least of these impediments . o foolish man , that still will love such a mortal enemy ! if another would rob them but of a groat , or defame them , or deprive them of any accommodation , how easily can they hate them , and how hardly are they reconciled to them ? but sin depriveth them of their lives , and separates the soul and body asunder , and forfeiteth their everlasting happiness , and sets death betwixt them and the glory that is purchased by christ , and yet they love it , and will not leave it . though god have made them , and do sustain them , and provide for them , and all their hope and help is in him , they are not so easily drawn to love him ; and yet they can love the sin that would undo them . though christ would deliver them , and bring them to everlasting blessedness , and hath assumed flesh , and laid down his life , to testifie his love to them , yet are they not easily brought to love him ; but the sin that made them enemies to god , and hath brought them so near to everlasting misery , this they can love , that deserves no love . a minister or other friend that would draw them from their sin to god , and help to save them , they quarrell against , as if he were their enemy : but their foolish companions , that can laugh and jest with them at the door of hell , and clap them on the back , and drive away the care of their salvation , and harden them against the fear of god , these are the only acceptable men to them . o christians , leave this folly to the world , and do you judge of sin by its sad effects . you feel ( if you have any feeling in you ) in some measure , what it hath done against your souls ! the weakness of your faith and love ; the distance of your hearts from god ; your doubts and troubles tell you that it is not your friend : you must shortly know what it will do to your bodies . as it keeps them in pain , and weariness , and weakness , so it will ere long deliver them up to the jaws of death ; which will spare them no more then the beasts that perish . had it not been for sin , we should have had no cause to fear a dissolution ; nor have had any use for a coffin or a winding-sheet , nor been beholden to a grave , to hide our carkesses from the sight and smell of the living . but as henoch and elias were translated when they had walked with god , even so should we : as those shall that are alive and remain at the coming of christ , shall be caught up together in the clouds , to meet the lord in the air ; and so shall they ever be with the lord , 1 thes . 4.17 . use sin therefore as it will use you . spare it not , for it will not spare you . it is your murderer , and the murderer of the world : use it therefore as a murderer should be used . kill it before it kills you ; and then though it kill your bodies , it shall not be able to kill your souls ; and though it bring you to the grave , as it did your head , it shall not be able to keep you there . if the thoughts of death , and the grave , and rottenness be not pleasant to you , let not the thoughts of sin be pleasant . hearken to every temptation to sin , as you would hearken to a temptation to self-murder : and as you would do if the devill brought you a knife , and tempted you to cut your throat with it ; so do when he offereth you the bait of sin . you love not death : love not the cause of death . be ashamed to stand weeping over a buried friend , and never to weep over a sinning or ungodly friend , nor once to give them a compassionate earnest exhortation , to save their souls . is it nothing to be dead in sins and trespasses ? ephes . 2.1 , 5. col. 2.13 . yea , it is a worse death then this , that is , the wages of sin , and the fruit which it brings forth , rom. 6.21 , 23. & 7.5 . surely god would never thus use mens bodies , and forsake them soul and body for ever , if sin were not a most odious thing ; what a poyson is this that kils so many millions , and damneth so many millions , and cannot be cured but by the blood of christ ! that killed our physitian that never casted it , because he came so near to us ! 〈◊〉 o unbelieving stupid so●ls , that smart and sin , and groan and sin , and weep and lament our bodily sufferings , and yet sin still ! that fear a grave and fear not sin ! that have heard , and seen , and felt so much of the sad effects , and yet sin still , psalm 78.32 . alas that murderers should be so common , and that we should be no wiser , when we have paid so dear a price for wisdom ! sect . v. vse 3. from the enmity of death we may further learn , that man hath now a need of grace for such exceeding difficulties , which were not before him in his state of innocency . though adam was able to have obeyed perfectly , without sin , and had grace sufficient to have upheld him , and conquered temptations , if he had done his part , which by that grace he might have done ; yet whether that grace was sufficient to the works that we are called to , is a doubt that many have been much troubled with . it is certain that he was able to have done any thing that was suitable to his present state , if it were commanded him : and it is certain tha● much that is now our duty , would have been unsuitable to his state . but whether it belonged to his perfection , to be able and fit for such duties ( that were then unsuitable to him ) or supposition they had been suitable and duties , this is the difficulty : which some make use of to prove that such works cannot now be required of us , without suitable help , because we lost no such grace in adam . but this need not trouble us : for 1. though adam was put on no such difficulty in particular , as to encounter death : yet the perfect obedience to the whole law , required a great degree of internall habituall holiness : and to determine the case , whether our particular difficulties , or his sinless perfect ob●dience , required greater s●rength and help , is a matter of more difficulty then use . for 2. it is but about the degrees of holiness in him and us , and not about the kind , that the difficulty lieth . for it is the same end that he was created for and disposed to by nature , and that we are redeemed for and disposed to supernaturally . but yet it is worthy our observation , what a difficulty sin hath cast before us in the way of life , which adam was unacquainted with ▪ that so we may see the nature of our works , and the excellency of the redeemers grace . adam was but to seek the continuance of his life , and a translation to glory , without the terrors of interposing death : he was never called to prepare to die ; nor to think of the state of a separated soul ; nor to mind , and love , and seek a glory to which there is no ( ordinary ) passage but by death . this is the difficulty that sin hath caused , against which we have need of the special assistance , of the example , and doctrine , and promise , and spirit of the redeemer . adam was never put to study how to get over this dreadfull gulf . the threatning of death was to raise such a fear in him as was necessary to prevent it : but those fears did rather hold him closer to the way of life , then stand between him and life to his discouragement . but we have a death to fear that must be suffered , that cannot be avoided . the strange condition of a separated soul ( so unlike to its state while resident in the body ) doth require in us , a special faith to apprehend it , and a special revelation to discover it . to desire , and love , and long for , and labour after such a time as this , when one part of us must lie rotting in the grave , and the separated soul must be with christ alone till the resurrection , and to believe and hope for that resurrection , and to deny our selves , and forsake all the world , and lay down our lives when christ requireth it , by the power of this faith and hope , this is a work that innocent adam never knew : this is the high employment of a christian . to have our hearts and conversations in heaven , ( matth. 6.21 phil. 3.20 . ) when death must first dissolve us , before we can possess it , here is the noble work of faith . sect . vi. vse 4. moreover this enmity of death may help us to understand the rea●on of the sufferings and death of christ . that he gave his life a ransome for us , and a sacrifice for sin , and so to make satisfaction to the offended majesty , is a truth that every christian doth believe . but there was another reason of his death , that all of us do not duely consider of , and improve to the promoting of our sanctification as we ought . death is so great an enemy , as you have heard , and so powerfull to deter our hearts from god , and dull our desires to the heavenly felicity , that christ was fain to go before us , to embolden the hearts of believers to follow him : he suffered death ( with the rest of his afflictions ) to shew us that it is a tolerable evil : had he not gone before and overcome it , it would have detained us its captives : had he not me●ited and purchased us a blessed resurrection , and opened heaven to all bel●evers , and by death overcome him that had the power of death ( as gods executioner ) ●hat is , the devil , we should all our life time have been still subjected unto bondage by the fears of death , heb. 2.14 . but when we see that christ hath led the way , as the victorious captain of our salvation , and that he is made perfect by sufferings ( in his advancement unto glory ) and that for the sufferings of death ( which by the grace of god he tasted for every man ) he is crowned with glory ad honour , heb. 2.9 , 10. this puts a holy valour into the soul , and causeth us cheerfully to follow him . had we gone first , and the task of conquering dea●h been ours , we had been overcome . but he that hath led us on , hath hew'd down the enemy before him , and first prepared us the way , and then called us to follow him , & to pass the way that he hath first made safe , and also shewed us by his example that it is now made passable . for it was one in our nature , that calleth us his brethren , that took not the nature of angels , but of the seed of abrah●m , that is one with us , as the sanctifier and the sanctified are , and to whom as children we are given , who hath passed through death and the grave before us , and therefore we may the boldlier follow him , heb. 2.11 , 12 , 13.16 . being found in fashion as a man , he humbled himself , and became obedient unto death , even the death of the cross , and therefore god h●th highly exalted him , and given him a name above every name , phil. 2. 8 , 9. hereby ●e hath shewed us that death is not so dreadfull a thing , but that voluntary obedience may and must submit unto it . as abrahams faith and obedience was tryed , in the offering up his son to death , at gods command : so the children of abraham and the heirs of the promise , must follow him in offering up themselves , if god require it , and in submitting to our natural death ( for that he doth require of all . ) examples work more then bare precepts : and the experiments of others , do take more with us then meer directions . it satisfieth a s●ck man more to read a book of medicinal observations , where he meets with many that were in his own case , and finds what cured them , then to read the praxis of medicinall receipts alone . it encourageth the patient much , when the physitian tells him , [ i have cured many of your disease , by such a medicine , nay i was cured thus of the same my s●lf . ] so doth it embolden a believer to lay down his life , when he hath not only a promise of a better life , but seeth that the promiser went that way to heaven before him . o therefore let us learn and use this choice remedy , against the immoderate fear of death ! let faith take a view of him that was dead and is alive , that was buried and is risen , that was humbled and is now exalted ! think with your selves , when you must think of dying , that you are but following your conquering lord , and going the way that he hath gone before you , and suffering what he underwent and conquered : and therefore though you walk through the valley of the shaddow of death , resolve that you will fear no evil , psal . 23.4 . and if he call you after him , follow him with a christian boldness ; as peter cast himself into the sea , and walkt on the waters , when he saw christ walk there , and had his command ; so let us venture on the jawes of death , while we trace his steps , and hear his encouraging commands and promises , john 21.7 . mat. 14.28 , 29. sect . vii . vse 5. moreover from this doctrine we may be informed , of the mistakes of many christians , that think they have no saving grace , because they are afraid of dying , and because these fears deterr their soul● from desiring to be with christ : and hence they may perceive that there is another cause of these distempers , even the enmity of death that standeth in the way . you think that if you had any love to christ , you should more desire to be with him ; and that if your treasure were in heaven , your hearts wou●d be more there ; and that if you truly took it for your felicity , you could not be so unwilling to be removed to it ; for no man is unwilling to be happy , or to attain his end . but stay a little , and better consider of your case . is it christ that your heart is thus averse to , or is it only death that standeth in the way ? you are not , i hope , unwilling to see the face of god , nor unwilling to be translated from earth to heaven , but unwilling to die . it is not because you love the creature better then the creator , but because you are afraid of death . you may love god , and long to be perfected in holiness , and to see his glory , and to have the most near communion with him , and yet at the same time you may fear this enemy that standeth in your way : i mean not only the pain of death , but principally the dissolution of our natures , and the separation of the soul from the body , and its abode in a separated state , and the bodies abode in dust and darkness . grace it self is not given us to reconcile us to corruption , and make death as death to seem desirable , but to cause us patiently to bear the evil , because of the good that is beyond it . it is not our duty to love death as death . had it not been naturally an evil to be dreaded and avoided , god would not have made it the matter of his threatning ; nor would it have been a fit means to restrain men from transgression . to threaten a man with a benefit as such , is a contradiction . enquire therefore into your hearts , whether there be not a belief of heaven , a love to god , a desire to enjoy and please him , even while you draw back and seem to be averse ? and whether it be not only lothness to die , and not a lothness to be with christ ? for the fuller discovery of this , ( because i find that our comfort much dependeth on it ) i shall try you by these following questions . quest . 1. what is it that is ungrateful to you in your meditations of your change ? is it god and heaven , or is it death ? if it be only death , it seems it is not the want of love to god , and heaven , that causeth your aversness : if it be god himself that is ungratefull to your thoughts , is it because you desire not his nearer presence , or communion with him in the state of glory ? or is it only because you fear lest you have no interest in his love , and shall not attain the blessedness which you desire ? if it be the first , i must confess it proves a graceless soul , and signifieth the want of love to god. but if it be the latter only , it may stand with grace : for desire is a true signification of love , though there be doubts and fears lest we shall miss the attainment of those desires . quest . 2. would you not gladly hear the news of your removal , if you might be changed without death ; and translated to heaven as henoch and elias were , and as christ at his ascension ? had you not far rather be thus changed then abide on earth ? if so , then it seems it is not god and heaven that you are against , but death . nay if you could reach heaven by travelling a thousand miles , would you not gladly take t●e journey as soon as you had got assurance of your title to it , and done the work of god on earth ? if it were but as peter , james and john , to go with christ into an exceeding high mountain , and there to see him in glory , ( mat. 17.12 . ) would you not gadly do it ? it seems then that thou desirest to see the lord , and thy love is to him , though thou be afraid of death . quest . 3. consider of the nature of the heavenly felicity , and try whether thou love it in the several parts . one part is our personal perfection ; that our souls shall be free from ignorance , and error , and sin , and sorrow , and enlarged for the perfect love of god ; and our bodies at the resurrection , made like the glorious body of our lord , phil. 3.21 . and wouldst thou not be thus perfected in soul and body ? another part is , that we shall live with the heavenly society of angels and glorified saints : and wouldst thou not have such company ; rather then the company of sinners , and enemies , and imperfect saints on earth ? another part is , that we shall see our glorified head , and be with him where he is , that we may behold his glory . and doth not thy heart desire this ? but the perfection of our happiness is , that we shall see the face of the glory of god , which is the light of that world , as truly as the sun is the light of this : and that we shall be filled up with the feeling of his love , and abound with love to him again , and perfectly delighted in this communion of love , and express it in the praises of the lord , and thus make up the new jerusalem , where god will place his glorious presence , and in which he will for evermore take pleasure . and is there any thing in this that thy soul is against , and which thou dost not value above this wor●d ? if thou find that all the parts are sweet , and the description of heaven is most gratefull to thee , and that this is the state that thou wouldst be in , it seems then it is not heaven but death that thou art averse from , and that maketh thee so loth to hear the tydings of thy change . quest . 4. couldst thou not joyfully see the coming of christ , if it were this day ( if thou have done thy work , and art assured of his love ? ) the apostle hath told us by the word of the lord , that the lord himself shall des●end from heaven with a shout , with the voice of the archangel , and with the trump of god ; and the dead in christ , shall rise first : and then they which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds , to meet the lord in the air ; and so shall we ever be with the lord , ] 1 thes . 4. 15 , 16 , 17. and this is the doctrine that comforteth believers , verse 18. would it not rejoyce your hearts , if you were sure to live , to see the coming of the lord , and to see his glorious appearing and retinue ? if you were not to die , but to be caught up thus to meet the lord , and to be changed immediately into an immortal , incorruptible , glorious state , would you be averse to this ? would it not be the greatest joy that you could desire ? for my own part , i must confess to you , that death as death appeareth to me as an enemy , and my nature doth abhor and fear it : but the thoughts of the coming of the lord are most swe●t and joyfull to me , so that if i were but sure that i should live to see it , and that the trumpet should sound , and the dead should rise , and the lord appear before the period of my age , it would be the joyfullest tidings to me in the world . o that i might see his kingdom come ! it is the character of his saints to love his appearing , 2 tim. 4.8 . and to look for the blessed hope , and the glorious appearing of the great god , and our saviour jesus christ , tit. 2.13 . the spirit and the bride say come : come lord jesus , come quickly . ] is the voice of faith , and hope , and love , rev. 22.17 , 20. but i find not that his servants are thus characterized , by their desires to die . it is therefore the presence of their lord that they desire : but it is death that they abhor : and therefore ( though they can submit to death ) it is the coming of christ that they love and long for ; and it is interposing death that causeth them to draw back . let not christians be discouraged by mistakes , and think that they love not god and glory , because they love not this enemy in the way ; nor think that they are graceless or unbelieving worldlings , because they are afraid of death as death . but perhaps you will say , that if grace prevail not against the fears of death , then fear is predominant , and we are not sincer● . to which i answer , that you must distinguish between such a prevailing as maintaineth our sincerity , and such a prevailing as also procureth our fortitude and joy . if grace prevail not to keep us upright in a holy life , renouncing the world , and crucifying the flesh , and devoting our selves entirely to god , though the fear of death would draw us from it , then it is a sign that we are not sincere . but if grace do this much , and yet prevail not against all fears and unwillingness to die , but leave us under uncomfortable hideous thoughts of death , this proves us not to be unsound . for the soul may savingly love god , that is afraid of death : and he may truly love the end , that fears this dark and di●mall way , yet must there be so much to prove our uprightness , as that in our deliberate choice , we will rather voluntarily pass through death ( either naturall or violent ) then lose the happiness beyond it : though we love not death , yet we love god and heaven so well , that we will submit to it : and though we fear it and abhor it , yet not so much as we fear and abhor the loss of heaven . let not poor christians therefore wrong themselves , and deny the graces of the spirit , as if they had more mind of earth then heaven , and of things temporal then of things eternal , because they are afraid to die . all suffering is grievous , and not joyous to our nature , paul himself desired not to be unclothed , but clothed upon with our house which is from heaven , that mortality might be swallowed up of life , 2 cor. 5.2 , 4. it ●eing better to be absent from the body , and present with the lord. even christ himself had a will that desired that the cup might have passed from him , if it had been agreeable to his fathers will , and the ends of his undertaken office , mathew 26.41 , 42. raise therefore no unjust conclusions from these natural fears , nor from the imperfection of our conquest : but praise him that relieveth us , and abateth the enmity of death , and furnisheth us with his antidotes , and will destroy this enemy at last . sect . viii . vse 6. from the enmity of death we may further learn to study and magnifie the victorious grace of our redeemer : which overcometh the enemy , and turneth our hurt into our benefit , and maketh death a door of life . though death be the enemy that seemeth to conquer us , and to destroy and utterly undo us , yet being conquered it self by christ , it is used by him to our great advantage , and sanctified to be a very great help to our salvation . the suffering of christ himself was in the hour of his enemies , and the power of darkness , luke 22.53 . which seemed to have prevailed against him ; when yet it was but a destroying of death by death , and the purchasing of life and salvation for the world . so also in our death , though sin and satan seem to conquer , it is they that are conquered , and not we , who are supervictors through him that hath loved us , rom. 8.37 . they destroy themselves when they seem to have destroyed us . as the serpent bruised but the heel of christ , who bruised his head ; so doth he bruise but our heel , who in that conflict , and by the means of his own execution , through the strength of christ , do bruise his head , gen. 3.15 . and this is upshot of all his enmity , against the womans holy seed . though death was unsuitable to innocent man , and is still a natural enemy to us all , yet unto sinners it is an evil that is suitable and fit to destroy the greater evil that did cause it , and to prevent the everlasting evil . the fore-knowledge of our certain death , is a very great help to keep us humble , and disgrace all the seducing pleasures of the flesh , and all the profits and honours of the world , and so to enervate all temptations . it is a singular help to quicken a stupid careless sinner , and to waken men to prepare for the life to come , and to excite them to seek first the kingdom of god , and to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure ; & to consider , seeing all these things must be dissolved , what manner of persons they ought to be , in all holy conversation & godliness , looking for , and hastening to the coming of the day of god , 2 pet. 3.11 , 12. when we drop asleep , the remembrance of death may quickly awake us ; when we grow slack , it is our spur to put us on , to mend our pace . who is so mad as wilfully to sin with death in his eye ? or who so dead as with death in h●s eye , to refuse to live a godly life , if he have any spiritual light and feeling ? experience te●leth us , that when health and folly cause us to promise our selves long life , and think that death is a great way off , it lamentably cools our zeal , and strentheneth our temptations , and duls our souls to holy operations : and the approach of death pu●s life into all our apprehensions and affections . it is a wonderfull hard thing to maintain our lively apprehensions , and str●ng affections , and tenderness of conscience , and self-denyal , and easie contempt of earthly things , when we put far from us the day of death . we see what a stir men make for the profits and honours of this world , and how fast they hold their fleshly pleasures , while they are in health , and how contemptuously they speak of all , and bitterly complain of the vanity and vexation , when they come to die . and if our lives and the world be brought hereby into such disorders , when men live so short a time on earth , what monsters of ambition , and covetousness , and luxury would men be , if they lived as long as before the flood , even to eight hundred , or nine hundred years of age ? doubtless long life was so great a temptation then to man , ( in his corrupted state ) that it is no wonder if his wickedness was great upon ●he earth , and if it prepared for that great destruction of the universal deluge . should men live now but to the age of three hundred , or four hundred years , i fear it would so tempt them to overvalue the world , and so embolden them to delay repentance , that one would be as wolf to another , and the weak but be a prey to the strong , and wickedness would overwhelm the world , despising the reins , and bearing down religious and civil opposition . but when we stand over the grave , and see our friends laid in the dust , how mortified do we seem ? how do we even shake the head at the folly of ambitious and covetous worldlings , and are ashamed to think of fleshly lusts ! so far are men from owning their vanities , when that silent teacher standeth by . it is death that helps to humble the proud , and abate the arrogan●y and obstinacy of the wicked , and make them regard the messengers of christ , that b●fore despised them and their message . it is death that allayeth the ebullition of distracting thoughts and passions , and helpeth to bring men to themselves , and fixeth giddy discomposed minds , and helps to settle the light and the unsettled ; and to restrain the worst . as we are beholden to the gallows for our purses and our lives ; so are we to the grave and hell , for much of the order that is in the world , and our peace and freedom procured thereby . but it is a greater good that it procureth to believers . if you ask , how is all this to be ascribed to christ ? i answer , many wayes : 1. it is he that hath now the keyes or power of death and hell , even he that liveth and was dead , and that liveth for evermore , rev. 1.18 . and therefore is to be feared by the world . 2. it is he that hath by his blood & covenant brought us the hope of everlasting life ; which is it that gives the efficacy to death . without this men would be but desperate , and think that it is better have a little pleasure then none at all , and so would give up themselves to sin , and desperately gratifie their flesh by all the wickedness they could devise . 3. and it is christ that teacheth men the right use of death , by his holy doctrine , having brought life and immortality to light by his gospel . 4. and it is christ that sendeth forth the holy spirit , which only doth so illuminate the mind , and quicken and dispose the heart , that death may be savingly improved . the poyson is our own : but it is his skill and love that hath made a soveraign antidote of it . and let our bodies die , so our sin may die . if the foresight of death destroy our sin , and further our sanctification , and the hour of death doth end our fears and enter us into the state of glory , though we will love death as death never the better for this , much less the sin that caused it ; yet must we admire the love of our redeemer . and it is not only the peril but also the terrors of death that we are in part delivered from . though christ himself was in a bloody sweat , in his agony before his death , and cryed out on the cross , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ; because he bore the sins of the world ; yet death is welcome to many of his followers , that drink of his cup , and are baptized with his baptism : for they taste not of these dregs which he drunk up , and they are strengthened by his supporting grace . he that doth comfort them against sin and hell , doth also comfort them against death . so great is the glory that he hath promised them , and so great is his comforting , confirming grace , that dreadfull ●eath is not great enough to prevail against them . as it was too weak to conquer christ , so is it too weak to conquer his spirit in his peoples souls . without christ we could not live , and we durst not die : but through him we can do and suffer all things , and can boldly pass through this dark and shady vale of death ; yea we can desire to depart and to be with christ as best f●r us : for to live is christ , and to die is gain , phil. 1.21 , 23. for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved ; we h●ve a building of god , an house not made with h●nds , eternal in the heavens . and therefore sometimes we can earnestly groan , d●siring to be clothed up●n with our house which is from heaven . and we are alwayes confident , knowing that whilest we are at home in the body , we are absent from the lord : we are confident , i say , and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the lord : and therefore labour , that whether present or absent , we may be accepted of him : for we walk by faith and not by sight : and it is god that hath wrought us for the self same thing , who also hath given us the earnest of the spirit , 2 cor. 5.1 . to 10. though we long not to die , yet we long to see the face of god. and though we lay down our bod●●s with natural unwillingness , yet we lay down our sin and sorrows with gladness and spiritual delight . and though our hearts are ready to faint , as peters when he walked to christ upon the waters , yet christ puts forth his hand of love , and soon recovereth us from our fear and danger . melancholly and impatience may make men weary of their lives , and rush upon death with a false conceit that it will end their sorrows : but this is not to conquer death , but to be conquered by a lesser evil : and it is not an effect of fortitude , but of an imbecillity & impotency of mind . and if a brutus , a cato , or a seneca be his own executioner , th●● do but choose a lesser evil , ( in their conceits ) even a death which they accounted honourable , before a more ignominious death , or a life of shame , and scorn , and misery . but the true believer is raised above the fears of death , by the love of god , and the hopes of glory ; and death ( though ungratefull in it self ) is welcome to him , as the way to his felicity . le● tyrants and souldiers take it for their glory , that they can take away mens liver , ( that is , they have the power of a serpent , or of rats-bane ) as if it were their honour to be their countreys pestilence : and a ruler and a dose of poyson , were things of equal strength and use : but it is the glory of christ to enable h●s disciples to conquer death , & bear the fury of the most cruel persecutors . the martyrs have been more joyfull in their sufferings , then the judges that condemned them in their pomp and glory . when we are pressed above strength , and despair of life , and have the sentence of death in our selves ; we are then taught to trust in the living god that raiseth the dead , 2 cor. 1.8 , 9 , 10. the saints by faith have been tortured , not accepting deliverance , that they might obtain a better resurrection : they have had tryall of cruel mockings & scourgings , yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment ; they were stoned , they were sawn asunder , were tempted , were slain with the sword , heb. 11.35 , 36 , 37. thanks be to god which giveth us the victory through our lord jesus christ , 1 cor. 15.57 . they overcome by the blood of the lamb — and love not their lives unto the death , rev. 12.11 . they fear not them that kill the body , and after th●t have no more that they can do , luke 12.4 . they trust upon his promise that ha●h said , [ i will ransome them from the power of the grave ; i will redeem them from death . o death , i will be thy plagues ! o grave , i will be thy destruction , hos . 13.14 . precious in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints , psal , 116.15 . blessed are the dead which die in the lord , from henceforth , yea saith the spirit , that they may rest from their labours , and their works do follow them , rev. 14.13 . sect . ix . vse 7. moreover from the enmity of death , we may be directed which way to bend our cares ; and seeing where our difficulty most lieth , we may see which way our most diligent preparations must be turned . death cannot be prevented : but the malignant influence of it on our souls may be much abated . if you let it work without an antidote , it will make you live like unbelieving worldlings : it will deter your hearts from heaven , and dull your love to god himself , and make your meditations of him , and of your everlasting rest , to be seldom and ungratefull to you ; and it will make you say , it s good to be here ; and have sweeter thoughts of this present life , then of your inheritance . it will rob you of much of your heavenly delights , and fill you with slavish fears of death , and subject you unto bondage all your lives , and make you die with agony and horror , so that your lives and deaths will be dishonourable to your holy faith , and to your lord. if it were meerly our own suffering by fears and horrors ; or meerly our loss of spiritual delights , the matter were ( great , but ) not so great : but it is more then this . for when our joyes are overwhelmed with the fears of death , and turned into sorrows , our love to god will be abated , and we shall deny him the thanks and cheerfull praises , which should be much of the employment of our lives : and we shall be much discomposed and unfitted for his service , and shall much dishonour him in the world , and shall strengthen our temptations to the overvaluing of earthly things . think it not therefore a small or an indifferent matter , to fortifie your souls against these malignant fears of death . make this your daily care and work ; your peace , your safety ; your innocency , and usefulness , and the honour of god , do much lie on it . and it is a work of such exceeding difficulty , that it requireth the best of your skill and diligence ; and when all is done , it must be the illuminating quickning beams of grace , and the shining face of the eternal love , that must do the work ; though yet your diligence is necessary , to attend the spirit , and use the means , in subserviency to grace , and in expectation of these celestiall rayes . and above all take heed lest you should think , that carnal mirth , or meer security , and casting away the thoughts of death will serve to overcome these fears ; or that it is enough that you resolve against them . for it is your safety that must be lookt to , as well as your present ease and peace : and fear must be so overcome , as that a greater misery may not follow : presumption and security will be of very short continuance . to die without fear , and pass into endless desperation , which fear should have wakened you to prevent , is no desirable kind of dying . and besides , resolving against the terrors of death , will not prevent them . when death draws neer , it will amaze you , in despight of all your resolutions , if you are not furnished with a better antidote . the more jocund you have been in carnal mirth , and the more you have presumptuously slighted death , its likely your horror will be the greater when it comes . and therefore see that you make a wise and safe preparation ; and that you groundedly and methodically cure these fears , and not securely cast them away . though i have given you to this end , some directions in other writings ( in the saints rest , and in the treatise of self-denyal , and that of crucifying the world , ) yet i shall add here these following helps , which faithfully observed and practised , will much promote your victory over death , which conquereth all the strength of flesh , and glory of this world . direction i. if you would overcome the danger and the fears of death , make sure of your conversion , that it is sound ; and see that you be absolutely devoted unto god , without reserves . should you be deceived in your foundations , your life , and hopes , and joyes would all be delusory things . till sin be mortified , and your souls reconciled to god in christ , you are still in danger of worse then death : and it is but the senslesness of your dead condition , that keepeth you from the terrors of damnation . but if you are sure that you are quick●ed by renewing grace , and possessed by the sanctifying spirit , and made partakers of the divine nature , you have then the earnest of your inheritance , eph. 1.14 . 2 cor. 1.22 . & 5.5 . and the fire is kindled in your breast , that in despight of death , will mount you up to god. direction ii. to conquer the enmity of death , you must live by faith in jesus christ : as men that are emptied of themselves , and ransomed from his hands that had the power of death , and as men that are redeemed from the curse , and are now made heirs of the grace of life , being made his members who is ●he lord of life , even the second adam , who is a quickning spirit . the serious believing study of his design and office , ( to destroy sin and death , and to bring many sons to glory , ) and also of his voluntary suffering , and his obedience to the death of the cross , may raise us above the fears of death . when we live by faith as branches of this blessed vine , & are righteous with his righteousness , justified by his blood and merits , & sanctified by his word and spirit , and find that we are united to him , we may then be sure that death cannot conquer us , & nothing can take us out of his hands : for our life being hid with christ in god , we know that we shall live , because he liveth , col. 3.3 . john 14.19 . and that when christ who is our life appeareth , we shall also appear with him in glory , col. 3.4 . and that he will change our vile bodies , and make them like to his glorious body , by his mighty power , by which he is able to subdue all things to himself , phil. 3.20 , 21. in our own stren●th we dare not stand the charge of death , and with it the charge of the law , and of our consciences : how dreadfully should we then be foiled and non-plust , if we must be found in no other righteousness , but what we have received from the first adam , and have wrought by the strength received from him ! but being gathered under the wings of christ , as the chickens under the wings of the hen ( mat. 23.37 . ) and being found then in him , having the righteousness which is through the faith of christ , the righteousness which is of god by faith , we may boldly answer to all that can be charged on us to our terrour ! if we know him and the power of his resurrection , and the fellowship of his sufferings , and are made conformall● to his death , ( phil. 3.9 , 10. ) if ●e are dead with him to the world , and risen with him to a holy life ; if we have believingly traced him in his sufferings and conquest , and perceive by faith how we participate in his victories , we shall then be able to grapple with the hands of death ; and though we know the grave must be for a while the prison of our flesh we can by faith foresee the opening of our prison doors , and the loosing of our bonds , and the day of our last and full redemption . it strengtheneth us exceedingly to look unto jesus , the author and finisher of our faith , who for the joy that was set before him , endured the cross , despising the shame , and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god. ] when we consider what he endured against himself , we shall not be weary : nor faint in our minds , heb. 12.2 , 3. direction iii. live also by faith on the heavenly gl●ry . as one eye of faith must be on an humbled crucified christ , so must the other be on heaven , on a glorified christ , and on the glory and everlasting love of god , which we shall there en●oy . this is it that conquereth the fears of death , when we believe that we shall pass through it into everlasting life . if a man for health will take the most ungratefull potion , ( the bitterness being short , and the benefit long ; ) and if he will suffer the surgeon to let out his blood , and in case of necessity to out off a member ; how light should we make of death , that have the assured hopes of glory to encourage us ! what door so streight that we would not pass through if we could , to our dearest friend ! what way so ●owl that we would not travail , to our beloved home ? and shall death seem intolerable to us , that letteth in our souls to christ ? well might paul say [ to die is gain , ] phil. 1.21 . when we gain deliverance from all those sins that did here beset us , and all those sorrows that sin had bred : we gain the accomplishment of our desires , and the end of our faith , the salvati●n of our souls : we gain the crown that fadeth not away ; a place before the throne of christ , in the temple of god , in the city of god , the new jerusalem ; to eat of the hidden manna , and of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of god , rev. 2. & 3. we gain the place prepared for us by christ , in his fathers house , john 14.1 , 2. for we shall be with him where he is , that we may behold his glory , john 17.24 . we shall gain the sight of the glory of god , and the feeling of his most precious love , and the fulness of joy that is in his presence , and the everlasting pleasures at his right hand , psal . 16.11 . and shall we think much to die for such a gain ? we will put off our cloaths , and welcome sleep , which is the image of death , that our bodies may have rest , and refuse not thus to die every night , that we may rise more refreshed for our employments in the morning . and shall we stick at the uncloathing of our souls , in order to their everlasting rest ? set but the eye of faith to the prospective of the promise , and take a serious frequent view of the promised land , and this if any thing will make death more welcome , then physick to the sick , then uncloathing to a beggar , that puts on new or better cloaths . shall a poor man cheerfully ply his labour all day in hope of a little wages at night ; and shall not a believer cheerfully yie●d to death , in hope of everlasting glory ? so far as heaven is foundly be●ieved , and our conversations , and hearts are there , the fears of death will be asswaged , and nothing else will well asswage them . direction . iv. moreover , if you will conquer the enmity of death , do all that you can to encrease and exercise the love of god in you . for love will so incline you to the blessed object of it , that death will not be able to keep down the flame . were god set as a seal upon our hearts , we should find that love is as strong as death , and the coals thereof are coals of fire , ●nd the flame is vehement : many waters cannot quench it , nor can the fl●ods drown it , cant. 8.6 , 7. if carnal love have made the amorous to choose death that they might passionately express it , especially when they have heard of the death of their beloved ; and if naturall fortitude and love to their countrey , have made many valient men , though heathens , to contemn death , and readily lay down their lives ; and if the love of fame and vain glory in a surviving name , have caused many to die through pride : how much more will the powerfull love of god , put on the soul to leave this flesh , and pass through death , that we may see his face , and fully enjoy the object of our love ? so much as you love god , so much will you be above the terrors of the grave , and pass through death for the enjoyment of your beloved . perf●ct love casteth out fear : and h●●h●t feareth is not made perfect in l●ve : in death and judgement , we shall have boldness , if our love be perfect , 1 john 4.17 , 18. this makeeth the martyrs cheerfully lay down their lives for christ ; and love is glad of so precious an opportunity for its exercise and manifestation . love is a restless working thing , that will give you no rest , till your desires are attained , and you be with god. nothing is so valiant as love ! it rejoyceth when it meeteth with difficulties which it may encounter for the sake of our beloved ! it contemneth dangers : it glorieth in sufferings : though it be humble , and layeth by all thoughts of merit , yet it rejoyceth in sufferings for christ , and glorieth in the cross , and in the participation of his sufferings , and in the honourable wounds and scars ▪ which we receive for him that died for us . direction . v. to overcome the terrors and enmity of death , it is necessary that we keep the conscience clear from the guilt of wilfull sin , and of impenitency . if it may be , see that you wound it not ; if you have wounded it , presently seek a cure : and live not in a wounded state . the face of death will waken conscience , and cause it to speak much lowder then it did in health and in prosperity : and then sin will seem another thing , and wrath more terrible then it did in your security . conscience will do much to make your burden light or heavy . if conscience groundedly speak peace , and all be sound and well at home , death will be less terrible , the heart being fortified against its enmity . but to have a pained body , and a pained soul , a dying body , and a scorched conscience that is afraid of everlasting death , this is a terrible case indeed . speedily therefore get rid of sin , and get your consciences throughly cleansed , by sound repentance and the blood of christ : for so much sin as you bring to your death-bed , so much bitterness will there be in death . away then with that sin that conscience tells you of , and touch the forbidden fruit 〈◊〉 more , and kindle not the spar●s of hell in your souls , to make the sting of death more venemous . as it will quiet a believing soul through chr●st , when he can say with hezekiah , isa , 38.3 . remember now o lord i beseech thee , how i have walked before thee in truth , and with a perfect heart , and have done that which is good in thy sight : ] and it will be our rejoycing if we have the testimony of our consciences , that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world , 2 cor. 1.12 . so will it be most terrible to die in the fears of unpardoned sin , and to have conscience scourging us with the remembrance of our folly , when god is afflicting us , and we have need of a well composed mind , to bear the troubles of our fl●sh . a little from without is grievous , when any thing is amiss within : get home therefore to christ without delay , and cease not till you have peace in him , that death may find your consciences whole . direction vi. redeeming time , is another means to prevent the hurtfull fears of death . when we foreknow that it will shortly end our time , let us make the best of time while we have it . and then when we find that our work is done , and that we did not loyter nor lose the time that god vouchsafed us , the end of it will be less grievous to us . a man that studieth his duty , and spareth for no cost or pains , and is as loath to lose an hours time , as a covetous man is to lose an hundred pound , will look back on his life , and look before him to his death , with greater peace and less perplexity , then another man. but the thoughts of death must needs be terrible , to a man that hath trifled away his life , and been an unthrift of his time . to think when you must die , that now you are at your last day or hour , and withall to think , how many hours you vainly lost , and that you knew not the worth of time till it was gone , will make death more bitter then now you can imagine . what else is death but the ending of our time ? and what can be more necessary to a comfortable end , then faithfully to use it while we have it ? direction vii . another help against the enmity of death , is the crucifying of the flesh , with its affections and lusts : and the conquest of the world by the life of faith , and crucifying it by the cross of christ ; and dying daily by the patient suffering of the cross our selves . when we are loose from all things under the sun , and there is nothing that entangleth our affections on earth , a great part of the difficulty is then removed . but death will tear the heart that is glued to any thing in this world . possess therefore as if you possessed not , and rejoyce as if you rejoyced not , and use the world as not abusing it : for the fashion of this world doth pass away , i cor. 7.29 , 30 , 31. it is much for the sake of our flesh that must perish , that death doth seem so bitter to us : if therefore we can throughly sudue the flesh , and live above its pleasure and desires , we shall the more esily bear its dissolution . shut up your senses then a little more , and let your hearts grow stranger to this world ; and if you have known any persons , relations , accomodations after the flesh , from henceforth know them so no more . how terrible is death to an earthly-minded man that had neglected his soul for a treasure here , which must then be dissipated in a moment ? how easie is death to a heavenly-mind , that is throughly weaned from this world , and taketh it but for his pilgrimage or passage unto life , and hath made it the business of his dayes , to lay up for himself a treasure in heaven ? he that hath unfeignedly made heaven his end in the course of his life , will most readily pass to it on the hardest terms : for every man is willing to attain his end . direction viii . it will much help us against the enmity of death , to be duly conformed to the image of god , in the hatred of sin , and love of holiness , and in special in the point of justice . when we hate sin throughly , and find it so incorporated into our flesh , that they must live and die together , it will make death the more easie to us ▪ because it will be the death of sin , even of that sin which we most hate , and that god hateth , and that hath cost us so dear as it hath done . when we are in love with holiness , and know that we shall never be perfect in it , till after death ; it will make death the more welcome , as the passage to our desired life . when the justice , even the castigatory and vindictive justice of god , is more amiable in our eyes , and we are not blinded by self-love , to judge of god and of his wayes , according to the interest of our flesh , we shall then consent to his dissolving stroke , and see that the bitterness of death proceedeth from that which is good in god , though from that which is evil in our selves . doubtless as justice is one of the blessed attributes of god , so should it be amiable to man , there being nothing in god but what is lovely . it is the prevalency of self-love that makes men so insensible of the excellency of divine justice , while they speak so respectfully of his mercy . so far as men are carnall and selfish , they cannot love that by which they smart , or of which they are in danger . but the soul that is got above it self , and is united unto god in christ , and hath that image of god , which containeth the impress and effect of all his attributes , hath such an habit of impartial justice in himself , and such a hatred of sin , and such a desire that the honour of god should be vindicateed and maintained , and such an approbation of the justice of god , that he can the more easily consent or submit to the dissolving stroke of death : he hateth his own sin , and loatheth himself for all his abominations , and is possessed with that justice that provoketh him to self-revenge in an ordinate sort , and therefore doth love and honour that justice that inflicteth on him the penalty of death ; ( especially since mercy hath made it a usefull castigation . ) as some penitent malefactors have been so sensible of their crimes , that they have not deprecated death , but consented to it as a needfull work of justice , ( as it s written of the penitent murderer lately hanged at london . ) so holiness doth contain such a hatred of our own sins , and such impartial justice on gods behalf ; that it will cause us to subscribe to the righteousness of his sentence , and the more quietly to yield to the stroke of death . direction ix . it will somewhat abate the fears of death , to consider the restlesness and troubles of this life , and the manifold evills that end at death . and because this consideration is little available with men in prosperity , it pleaseth god to exercise us with adversity , that when we find there is no hope of rest on earth , we may look after it where it is , and venture on death by the impulse of necessity . here we are continually burdened with our selves , annoyed by our corruptions , and pained by the diseases of our souls , or endangered most when pained least . and would we be thus still ? we live in the continual smart of the fruit of our own folly , and the hurts that we catch by our careless or inconsiderate walking , like children that often fall and cry ; and would we still live such a life as this ? the weakness of our faith , the darkness of our minds , the distance and strangeness of our souls to god , are a continuall languishing and trouble to our hearts . how grievous is it to us that we can love him no more , nor be more assured of his love to us ? that we find continually so much of the creature , and so little of god upon our hearts ? that carnal affections are so easily kindled in us , and the love of god will scarce be kept in any life , by the richest mercies , the most powerfull means , and by our greatest diligence ? o what a death is it to our hearts , that so many odious temptations should have such free access , such ready entertainment , such small resistance , and so great success ? that such horrid thoughts of unbelief should look into our minds , and stay so long , and be so familiar with us ? that the blessed mysteries of the gospel , and the state of separated souls , and the happiness of the life to come , are known so slightly , and believ●d so weakly and imperfectly , and meet with so many carnall questionings and doubts ? that when we should be solacing our souls in the fore-thoughts of heaven , we look toward it with such strangeness and amazement , as if we staggered at the promise of god through unbelief ; and there is so much atheism in our affections , god being almost as no god to them sometime , and heaven almost as no heaven to them , that it shews there is too much in our understandings . o what a death is it to our minds , that when we should live in the love of infinite goodness , we find such a remnant of carnal enmity , and god hath such resistance , and so narrow , so sh●●● , so cold , so unkind entertainment in those hearts that were made to love him , and that should know and own no love but his ? what a bondage is it , that our souls are so entangled with the creatures ? and so detained from the love of god ? and that we draggle on this earth , and can reach no higher , and the delightfull communion with god , and a conversation in heaven , are things that we have so small experience of ? alas , that we that are made for god , and should live to him , and be still upon his work , and know no other , should be so byased by t●e flesh , and captivated by self-love , and lost at home , that our affections and intentions do hardly get above our selves , but there we are too prone to terminate them all ; and lose our god , even in a seeming religiousness , while we will be gods to our selves ! how grievous is it , that such wonders and glorious appearances of god , as are contained in the incarnation , life and death of christ , and in all the parts of the work of our redemption , should no more affect us then they do , nor take up our souls in more thankfull admiration , nor ravish us into higher joyes ! alas , that heaven commands our souls no more from earth ! that such an infinite glory is so near us , and we enjoy so little of it , and have no more savour of it upon our souls ! that in the hands of god , and before his face we do no more regard him ! that the great and wonderfull matters of our faith , do so little affect us , that we are tempted thereby to question the sincerity of our faith , if not the reality of the things believed : and that so little of these great and wondrous things appeareth in our lives , that we tempt the world , to think our faith is but a fancy . is not all this grievous to an honest heart ? and should we not be so far weary of such a life as this , as to be willing to depart and be with christ ? if it would so much rejoyce a gracious soul , to have a stronger faith , a more lively hope , a more tender conscience , a more humble self-abhorring heart , to be more fervent in prayer , more resolute against temptations , and more successfully to fight against them ; with what desire and joy then should we look towards heaven , where we shall be above our strongest faith and hope , and have no more need of the healing graces , or the healing ordinances , nor be put upon self-afflicting work , nor troubled with the temptations , nor terrified by the face of any enemy . now if we will vigorously appear for god , against a sinfull generation , how many will appear against us ? how bitterly will they reproach us ? how falsly will they slander us , and say all manner of evil against us ? and it is well if we scape the violence of their hands ! and what should be our joy in all these sufferings , but that great is our reward in heaven , mat. 11 , 12. alas , how we are continually here annoyed , by the presence , and the motions , and the succ●ss of sin in our selves and others ! it dwelleth in us night and day ; we cannot get it stay behind , no not when we address our selves to god , not in our publike worship , or our secret prayers : not for the space of one lords day , or one sermon , or one sacrament , in ordinary or extraordinary duty . o what a blessed day and duty would it be , in which we could leave our sin behind us , and converse with god in spotless innocency , and worship and adore him without the darkness , and strangeness and unbelief , and dulness , and doubtings , and distractions , that are now our daily , miseries ? can we have grace and not be weary of these corruptions ? can we have life , and not be pained with these diseases ? and can we live in daily pain and weariness , and not be willing of release ? is there a gracious soul , that groaneth not under the burden of these miseries ? yea , in every prayer , what do we else but confess them , and lament them , and groan for help , and for deliverance ? and yet shall we fear our day of freedom , and be loth that death should bring us news , that our prayers are heard , and our groans have reached up to heaven and that the bonds of flesh and sin shall be dissolved , and we shall have need to watch , and strive , and fear , and complain , and sigh , and weep no more ? shall the face of death discourage us from desiring such a bessed day ? when we have so full assurance , that at last this enemy also shall be destroyed ? the lord heal and pardon the hypocrisie of our complaints , together with the unbelief and cowardliness of our souls ! do we speak so much , and hear so much , and seem to do so much against sin , and yet had we rather keep it still , then be stript of it , together with the rags of our mortality ? and yet had we rather dwell with sin , in tempting , troubling , corruptible flesh , then lay them by , and dwell with christ ? o lord how lamentably have we lost our wisdom , and drowned our minds in flesh and folly , by forsaking thee our light and life ! how come our reasonable souls to be so bewitched , as after all our convictions , complaints and prayers , to be still more willing of our sickness then of the remedy , and more afraid of this bitter cup , then of the poyson that lodgeth in our bowels , which it would expell ! and that after all the labour we have us●d , we had yet rather dwell with our greatest enemy , then by a less to be transmitted to our dearest friend ! and had rather continue in a troublesome , weary , restless life , then by the sleep of death to pass to rest . and this sin in others also is our trouble , though not so much as in our selves . it maketh those our bitter enemies , whose good we most desire and endeavour , and causeth the unthankfull world to requite us with malicious usage , for telling them the ungratefull truth , and seeking their salvation . it makes our friends to be but half-friends ; and some of them too like our enemies . it puts a sting into the sweetest friendship , and mixeth smart with all our pleasures ; it worketh us grief from precious mercies ; and abateth the comfort of our near relations ; so that our smart by the pricks , is often greater then our pleasure in the sweetness of the rose . no friend is so smoothed , and squared to the temper and interest of another , but that some in equality and unevenness doth remain , which makes the closure to be less near and stedfast . even family relations , are usually so imperfectly jointed and cemented , that when the winds of tryal are any thing high , they shake the frame ; and though they are but low , they find an entrance , and cause such a coldness of affections , as is contrary to the nature and duty of the relations . either a contrariety of opinions , or of natural temperature and humours , or else of the dispositions of the mind ; sometime cross interests , and sometime passions and cross words , do cause such discontents and sowrness , such frowns or jealousies , or distances , that our nearest friends are but as sackloth on our skins , and as a shoo too strait for us , or as a garment that is unmeet , which pinch and trouble us in their use , and those that should be to us as the apple of our eyes , are as the dust or smoak to them , that vex or blind them . and the more we love them , the more it greiveth us to be crossed in our love . there is scarce any friend so wise , so good , so suitable to us , or so near , that we can alwayes please . and the displeasure of a friend is as gravell in our shoos , or as nettles in our bed , oft-times more grievous then the malice of an enemy . there is no such doing as this in heaven : because there is no such guest as sin . we shall love each other far more then we do here ; and yet that love shall never be inordinate , nor in the least divert our love from god , but every saint and angel in the society , shall be loved with most chaste and pure affections , in a perfect subordination to the love of god ; and so as that god himself in them , shall be the chiefest object of that love . it is there that our friends being freed from all their imperfections , do neither tempt us to a carnal love , nor have any thing in them to discourage the love that is spirituall and pure . we have here our passionate friends , our self-conceited friends , our unkind , unthankfull selfish friends ; our mutable and unfaithfull friends ; our contentious friends that are like to enemies : and who have used us more hardly then our friends ? but when we come to god , we shall have friends that are like god , that are wholly good , and are participatively turned into love ; and haveing left behind them all that was unclean and noysome , and troublesome to themselves , they have also cast off all that could be troublesome to us . our love will be there without suspicions , without interruptions , unkindnesses and discontents , without disappointments , frustrations and dissatisfactions : for god himself will fully satisfie us ; and we shall love his goodness and glory in his saints , as well as immediately in himself . our friends are now lost at the turning of a straw : the change of their interest , their company , their opinions , the slanders of back-biters , and mis-representations of malicious men , can cool their love , and kill their friendship . but heaven is a place of constant love : the love of saints , as all things else , is there eternal : and yet it decline●h not with age . it is a world of love that we are hasting to : it is a life of love that we must there live , and a work of love , and perfect love that we must be there employed in for ever . if here we have a pure , a dear , a faithful friend , that is without false-heartedness and deceit , that loveth us as his own soul , how quickly is he snatcht away by death ? and leaves us melted into tears , and mourning over his earthly relicts , and looking upward with grieved hearts , as the disciples did after their ascending lord , acts 1. 9 , 10 , 11. we are left almost as lifeless by such friends , as the body is left by the departed soul : we have nothing but grief to tell us that we live , and that our souls are not departed with them : we are left in greater lamentation , then if we had never known a faithfull friend . and alas , how quickly are they gone , when once god sees them ripe for heaven ? when droans and dullards live much longer . if we see a saint that 's clear of judgement , and low in humility , and naked-hearted in sincerity , and that abounds in love to god and man , that 's faithfull and constant to their friend , and is above the pride and vanities of this world , and doth converse by a life of faith above , and is usefull and exemplary in their generation ; alas how soon are they snacht away ! and we are left in our temptations , repining and murmuring at god , as jonah , when his gourd was withered , as if the lord had destinated this world to be the dwelling of unfaithfull , worthless men , and envied us the presence of one eminent saint , one faithfull friend , and one that ( as moses when he had talkt with god ) hath a face that shineth with the reflected raies of the heavenly glory : when inde●d it is because this world is unworthy of them , ( heb. 11.38 . ) not knowing their worth , nor how to use them , nor how to make use of them for their good : and because when they are ripe and mellow for eternity , it is fit that god be served before us , and that heaven have the best , and that be left on earth that is earthly : must heaven be deprived of its inhabitants ? must a saint that is ripe be kept from christ , and so long kept from his inheritance , from the company of angels , and the face of god , and all lest we should be displeased , and grudge at god for glorifying those , whom he destinated to glory before the foundations of the world ; and whom he purchased and prepared for glory ? must there a place be empty , and a voice be wanting in the heavenly chore , lest we should miss our friends on earth ? are we not hasting after them at the heels , and do we not hope to live with them for ever ? and shall we grudge that they are gone a day , or week , or year before us ? o foolish unbelieving souls ! we mourn for them that are past mourning : and lament for our friends that are gone to rest , when we are left our selves in a vexatious , restless , howling wilderness ! as if it were better to be here ! we mourn and weep for the souls that are triumphing in their masters joy ! and yet we say , we believe , and hope , and labour , and wait for the same felicity ● shall the happiness of our friends be our sorrow and lamentation ? o did we but see these blessed souls , and where they are , and what they are enjoying , and what they are doing , we should be ashamed to mourn thus for their change ! do you think they would wish themselves again on earth ? or would they take it kindly of you , if you could bring them down again into this world , though it were to reign in wealth and honour ? o how would they disdain or abhorr the motion , unless the commanding will of god did make it a part of their obedience ! and shall we grieve that they are not here , when to be here , would be their grief ? but thus our lives are filled with griefs . thus smiles and frowns , desires and denyals , hopes and frustrations , endeavours and disappointments , do make a quotidian ague of our lives . the persons and the things we love , do contribute to our sorrows , as well as those we hate . if our friends are bad , or prove unkind , they gall and grieve us while they live : if they excell in holiness , fidelity and suitableness , the dart that kills them , deeply woundeth us ; and the sweeter they were to us in their lives , the bitterer to us is their death ▪ we cannot keep a mercy , but sin is ready to take it from us , or else to marr it , and turn it into vinegar and gall. and doth not death ( accidentally ) befriend us , that puts an end to all these troubles , and lands us safe on the celestiall shore , and puts us into the bosome of perpetual rest , where all is calm , and the storms and billows that tost us here , shall fear or trouble us no more ? and thus death shall make us some recompence at last , for the wrong it did us ; and the mortal blow shall hurt us less then did the dreadfull apparition of it in our fore-thoughts . let not our fears then exceed the cause ; though we fear the pangs & throws of travel , let us withall remember , that we shall presently rejoyce , and all the holy angels with us , that a soul is born into the world of glory : and death shall gain us much more then it deprived us of . direction x. the last direction that i shall give you , to conquer the enmity of death , is this : give up your wills entirely to the will of god , as knowing that his will is your beginning and your end , your safety , your felicity and rest , in which you should gladly acquiesce . when you think of death , remember who it is that sends it ; it is our fathers messenger , and is sent but to execute his will. and can there be any thing in the will of god , that his servants should inordinately fear ? doubtless his will is much safer and better for us then our own . and if in generall it were offered to our choice , whether all particulars of our lives should be disposed of by gods will or by ours , common reason might teach us to desire , to be rather in gods hands then our own . the fulfilling of his will , is the care and business of our lives : and therefore it should be a support and satisfaction to us at our death , that it is but the fulfilling of his will. his justice and punishing will is good , though selfishness maketh it ungratefull to the offender . but his children that are dear to him , and taste no evil but that which worketh for their good , have no cause to quarrell at his will : whatsoever our surest dearest friends would have us take , or do , or suffer , we are ready to submit to , as being confident they will do nothing for our hurt , ( if they do but know what is for our good . ) and shall we not more boldly trust the will of god then of our dearest friend ? he knows what he hath to do with us , and how he will dispose of us , and whether he will bring us ; and his interest in us is more then ours in our selves ; and shall we then distrust him , as if we had to do with an enemy , or one that were evil , and not with love and infinite goodness ? it is the will of god that must be the everlasting rest , the heaven , the pleasure of our souls : and shall we now so fear it , and fly from it , as if it were our ruine ? look which way you will through all the world , your souls will never find repose , nor satisfying quietness and content but in the will of god. let us therefore commit our souls to him , as to a faithfull creator ; and desire unfeignedly the fulfilling of his will , and believe that there is no ground of confidence more firm . abraham may boldly trust his son , his only son , on the will of god : and christ himself when he was to drink the bitter cup , submitteth his own naturall love of life to his fathers will , saying , not my will , but thine be done . it is a most unworthy abuse of god , that we could be quiet and rejoyce , if our own wills , or our dearest friends might dispose of our lives , and yet are distress●d when they are at the dispose of the will god. but perhaps you will say , it is the error of my own will that hath procured my death : if it had been meerly the fruit of the will of god , it could be easily satisfied . answ . wo to us , if we had not ground of comfort against the errors of our own wills . when our destruction is of our selves , our help is of god. so much as is of our selves in it is evil : but so much as is of god is good . i do not say that you should rest in your own wills , nor in your own wayes , but in the will and wayes of god. the rod is good , though the fault that makes it necessary , be bad . the chastising will is good , though the sinning will be evil : and it is good that is intended to us , and shall be performed in the event . object . but how can we rest in the angry afflicting will of god , when it is this that we must be humbled under : and it is the will of god that is the condemnation of the wicked . answ . the effect being from a twofold cause ( the sinning will of man , and the punishing will of god ) is accordingly good as from the latter , and so far should be loved and consented to by all ; and evil as from the former , and so may be abhorred : but to the saints there is yet greater consolation : though affliction is their grief , as it signifieth gods displeasure , and causeth the smart or destruction of the flesh ; yet it is their mercy , as as it proceedeth from the love of god , and prepareth them for the greatest mercies . and therefore seeing god never bringeth evil on them that love him , but what is preparatory to a● far greater good , we may well take comfort in our death , that it is our fathers will it should be so . vse 8. if death shall be conquered as the last enemy , from hence christians may receive exceeding consolation , as knowing that they have no enemy to their happiness , but such as shall be conquered by christ ; sooner or later he will overcome them all . let faith therefore foresee the conquest in the conflict ; and let us not with too much despondency hang down our heads before any enemy that we know shall be trodden down at last . we have burdensome corruptions , that exercise our graces , and grieve the spirit , and wrong our lord ; but all these shall be overcome . though we have heard , and read , and prayed , and meditated , and yet our sins remain alive , they shall be conquered at last . our love , and joy , and praise shall be everlasting ; but our ignorance , and unbelief , and pride , and passion shall not be everlasting : our holiness shall be perfected and have no end : but our sin shall be abolished , have an end . our friends shall abide with us for ever , and the holy love and communion of saints shall be perfected in heaven : but our enemies shall not abide with us for ever , nor malice follow us to our , rest . the wicked have no comforts but what will have an end ; and the fore-thought of that is sufficient to imbitter even the present sweetness . and the godly have no sorrows but such as are of short continuance : and me thinks the fore-sight of their end , should sweeten the present bitter cup , and make our sorrows next to none : we sit weeping now in the midst of manifold afflictions : but we foresee the day when we shall weep no more , but all tears shall be wiped from our eyes , by the tende● hand of our mercifull redeemer . we are now afraid of love it self , even of our dear and blessed father , lest he should hate us , or be angry with us fo● ever . but heaven will banish all these fears , when the perfect fruition of the eternal love hath perfected our love. our doubtings and perplexities of mind are many and grievous , but they will be but short . when we have full possession , we shall be past our doubts . our work is now to pour out . our grieved souls into the bosome of some faithfull friend ; or ease our troubled minds by complaining of our miseries to our faithfull pastors , that from them we may , have some words of direction and consolation : but o how different a work is it that we shall have in heaven ? where no more complainings shall be heard from our mouths , for no more sorrow shall possess our hearts ; and we shall have no need of men to comfort us ; but shall have comfort as naturally from the face of god , as we have light and heat in the summer from the sun. when we all make one celestial chore , to sing the praises of the king of saints , how unlike will that melody be to the broken musick of sighs , and groans , and lamentations , which we now take to be almost our best ! we are now glad when we can find but words , and groans , and tears , to lament our sin and misery : but then our joy shall know no sorrow , nor our voice any sad and mournfall tune . and may we not bear a while the sorrows that shall have so good an end ? we shall shortly have laid by the hard , unprofitable , barren hearts , that are now our continuall burden and disease . love not your corruptions , christians ; but yet be patient under the unavoidable relicts that offend you ; remembring that your conflict will end in conquest , and your faith , and watchfulness , and patience will be put to it but a little while . who would not enter willingly into the fight , when he may before hand be assured , that the field shall be cleared of every enemy ? all this must be ascribed to our dear redeemer . had not he wrought the conquest , the enemies that vex us would have destroyed us , and the serpent that now doth but bruise our heel , would have bruised our head : and the sorrows that are wholesome , sanctified and short , would have been mortall , venemous and endless . what suffering then can be so great , in which a believer should not rejoyce , when he is before hand promised a gracious end ? what though at the present it be not joyous , but grievous ( in it self ? ) we should bear it with patience , when we know that at last it shall bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to all them that are exercised thereby , heb. 12.11 . if we should be alwayes abused , and alwayes unthankfully and unkindly dealt with , or alwayes under the scorns , or slanders , or persecutions of unreasonable men , or alwayes under our poverty , and toilsome labours , o● alwayes under our pains and pining sicknesses , we might then indeed dismiss our comforts : but when we know that it will be but a little while , and that all will end in rest and joy , and that our sorrows are but preparing for those joyes , even reason it self is taught by faith , to bid us rejoyce in all our tribulations , and to lift up the hands that hang down , and the feeble knees , heb. 12.12 . we make nothing to endure a sudden prick , that by blood-letting we may prevent a long disease . the short pain of pulling out a tooth , is ordinarily endured , to prevent a longer . a woman doth bear the pains of her travail , because it is short , and tends to the bringing of a child into the world . who would not submit to any labour or toyl for a day , that he might win a life of plenty and delight by it ? who would not be spit upon , and made the scorn of the world for a day , if he might have his will for it as long as he liveth on earth ? and should we not then cheerfully submit to our momentany afflictions , and the troubles of a few dayes , ( which are light , and mixt with a world of mercies , ) when we know that they are working for us , a far more exceeding eternall weight of glory ? 2 cor. 4.17 . our clamorous and malicious enemies , our quarlelsome brethren , our peevish friends , our burdensome corruptions and imperfections will shortly trouble us no more . as our life is short , and but a dream and shadow , and therefore the pleasures of this world are no better ; so our troubles also will be no longer , and are but sad dreams , and dark shadows , that quickly pass away : our lord that hath begun and gone on so far , will finish his victories , and the last enemy shall shortly be destroyed . and if the fearful doubting soul shall say , i know this is comfort to them that are in christ ; but what is it to me , that know not whether i have any part in him ? i answer , 1. the foundation of god still standeth sure : the lord knoweth his own , even when some of them know not that they are his own . he knoweth his mark upon his sheep , when they know it not themselves . god doubteth not of his interest in thee , though thou doubt of thy interest in him : and thou art faster in the arms of his love , then by the arms of thy own faith : as the child is surer in the mothers arms , then by its holding of the mother . and moreover your doubts and fears are part of the evil that shall be removed , and your bitterest sorrows that hence proceed , shall with the rest of the enemies be destroyed . 2. but yet take heed that you unthankfully plead not against the mercies which you have received , and be not friends to those doubts and fears which are your enemies , and that you take not part with the enemy of your comforts . why dost thou doubt ( poor humbled soul ) of thy interest in christ , that must make the conquest ? answer me but these few questions from thy heart . 1. did christ ever shew himself unkind to thee ? or unwilling to receive thee , and have mercy on thee ? did he ever give thee cause to think so poorly of his love and grace , as thy doubts do intimate thou dost ? hast thou not found him kind when thou wast unkind , and that he thought on thee when thou didst not think on him ? and will he now forget thee , and end in wrath that begun in love ? he desired thee when thou didst not desire him , and give thee all thy desires after him : and will he now cross and deny the desires which he hath caused ? he was found of thee , ( or rather found thee ) when thou soughtest not after him : and can be reject thee now thou criest and callest for his grace ? o think not hardly of his wonderous grace , till he give thee cause . let thy sweet experiences be remembred , to the shame of thy causeless doubts and fears ; and let him that hath loved thee to the death , be thought on as he is , and not as the unbelieving flesh would misrepresent him . quest . 2. if thou say that it is not his unkindness , but thy own that feeds thy doubts ; i further ask thee , is he not kind to the unkind ? especially when they lament their own unkindness ? thou art not so unkind to him as thou wast in thy unconverted state : and yet he then exprest his love in thy conversion : he then sought thee when thou wentest astray , and brought thee carefully home into his fold ; and there he hath kept thee ever since : and is he less kind , now when thou art returned home ? dost thou not know that all his children have their frowardness , and are guilty of their unkindnesses to him ? and yet he doth not therefore disown them , and turn them out of his family ; but is tender of them in their froward weakness , because they are his own ? how dealt he with the peevish prophet jonah , that was [ exceedingly displeased and very angry , ] that god spared nineve , lest it should be a dishonour to his prophesie ; in so much that he wisht that he might die and not live : and after repined at the withering of his gourd , and the scorching of the sun that beat upon him ? the lord doth gently question with him [ dost thou well to be angry ? ] and after hence convince him that the mercy which he valued to himself , he should not envy to so many , jonah 4. how dealt he with the disciples , that fell asleep , when they should have watcht with christ in the night of his great agony ? he doth not tell them , [ you are none of mine , because you could not watch with me one hour ; ] but tenderly excuseth that which they durst not excuse themselves , [ the spirit is willing , but the flesh is weak , ] when he was on the cross , though they all forsook him and fled , he was then so far from forsaking them , that he was manifesting to admiration that exceeding love , that never would forsake them ; and knowest thou not poor complaining soul , that the kindness of christ overcometh all the unkindness of his children ? and that his blood and grace is sufficient to save thee , from greater sins then those that trouble thee ? if thou hadst no sin , what use hadst thou of a saviour ? will thy physitian therefore cast thee off , because thou art sick ? quest . 3. yea hath not christ already subdued so many of thy enemies , as may assure thee he will subdue the rest ? and begun that life in thee , which may assure thee of eternal life ? once thou wast a despiser of god and his holy wayes : but now it is far otherwise with thee ? hath he not broken the heart of thy pride and worldliness , and sensuality and made thee a new creature ? and is not this a pledge that he will do the rest ? tell me plainly , hadst thou rather keep thy sin , or leave it ? hadst thou rather have liberty to commit it , or be delivered from it ? dost thou not hate it , and set thy self against it as thy enemy ? art thou not delivered from the reign and tyranny of it , which thou wast once under ? and will not he perfect the conquest which he hath begun ? he that hath thus far delivered thee from sin , thy greatest enemy , will deliver thee from all the sad effects of it . the blessed work of the spirit in thy conversion , did deliver thee from the bondage of the devil , from the power of darkness , and translated thee into the kingdom of jesus christ ; then didst thou enter the holy warfare , under his banners that was never overcome , in the victorious army that shall shortly begin their everlasting triumph . the sin which thou hatest and longest to be delivered from , and art willing to use gods means against it , is the conquered enemy , which may assure thee of a full and finall conquest , supposing that thy hatred is against all known sin , & that there is none so sweet or profitable in thy account . which thou hadst not far rather leave then keep . quest . 4. moreover art thou not truly willing to yield to all the terms of grace ? thou hast heard of the yoak and burden of christ , and of the conditions of the gospel , on which peace is offered to the sinfull world : and what christ requireth of such as will be his disciples . what saith thy heart now to those terms ? do they seem so hard and grievous to thee , that thou wilt venture thy soul in thy state of sin , rather then accept of them ? if this were so , thou hadst yet no part in christ indeed . but if there be nothing that christ requireth of thee , that is not desirable in thy eyes : or which thou dost not stick at , so far as to turn away from him , and forsake him , and refuse his covenant and grace rather then submit to such conditions , thou art then in covenant with him , and the blessings of the covenant belong to thee . canst thou think that christ hath purchased , and offered , and promised that which he will not give ? hath he sent forth his ministers , and commanded them to make the motion in his name , and to invite and and compell men to come in , and to beseech them to be reconciled to god , and that yet he is unwilling to accept thee when thou dost consent ? if christ had been unwilling , he had not so dearly made the way , nor begun as a suitor to thy soul , nor so diligently sought thee as he hath done . if the blessings of the covenant are thine , then heaven is thine , which is the chiefest blessing : and if they be not thine , it is not because christ is unwilling , but because thou art unwilling of his blessings on his terms : nothing can deprive thee of them but thy refusal : know therefore assuredly , whether thou dost consent thy self to the terms of christ , and whether thou art truly willing that he be thy saviour ; and if thy conscience bear thee faithfull witness , that it is so , dishonour not christ then so far as to question , whether he be willing , who hath done so much to put it out of doubt . the stop is at thy will , & not at his . if thou know that thou art willing , thou maist know that christ & his benefits are thine . and if thou be not willing , what makes thee wish , and groan , and pray , and labour in the use of means ? is it not for christ and his benefits that thy heart thus worketh , and thou dost all this ? fear not then if thy own hand be to the covenant , it is most certain that the hand of christ is at it . quest . 5. moreover , i would ask thee , whether thou see not a beauty in holiness , which is the image of christ , and whether thy soul do not desire it even in perfection ? so that thou hadst rather , if thou hadst thy choice , be more holy , then more rich or honourable inm the world ! if so , be assured that it is not without holiness , that thou choosest and preferrest holiness ? hadst thou not rather have more faith , and hope , and love to god , and patience and contentment , and communion with christ , then have more of the favour and applause of many , or of the riches or pleasures of this world ? if so , i would know of thee , whether this be not from the spirit of christ within thee ? and be not his image it self upon thee ? and the motions of the new and heavenly nature , which is begotten in thee by the holy ghost ? undoubtedly it is . and the spirit of christ thus dwelling in thee , is the earnest of thy inheritance . dost thou find the spirit of christ thus working in thee , causing thee to love holiness , and hate all sin , and yet canst thou doubt of thy part in christ ? quest . 6. moreover canst thou not truly say , that christs friends , so far as thou knowest them , are thy friends , and that which is against him , thou takest as against thy self ? if so , undoubtedly , thy enemies also are to him as his enemies , and he will lay them at thy feet . thy troubles are as his troubles , and in all thy afflictions he is as carefull of thy good , as if he himself were thereby afflicted . fear not those enemies that christ takes as his own . it is he that is engaged to overcome them . and now when conscience it self beareth witness , that thus it is with thy soul , and that thou wouldst fain be what god would have thee be , and desirest nothing more then to be more like him , and nearer to him , and desirest no kind of life so much , as that in which thou maist be most serviceable to him : consider what a wrong it is then to christ , and to the honour of his covenant and grace , & to thy poor dejected soul , that thou shouldst lie questioning his love and thy part in him , and looking about for matter of accusation or causeless suspicion against his spirit working in thee ? and that thou shouldst cast away the joy of the lord which is thy strength , and gratifie the enemy of thy peace ? when sickness is upon thee , and death draws nigh , thou shouldst then with joy lift up thy head , because thy warfare is almost accomplished , and thy saviour ready to deliver thee the crown . is this a time to fear and mourn , when thou art entring into endless joy ? is it a time of lamentation , when thou art almost most at thy journeyes end , and ready to see thy saviours face , and to take thy place in the heavenl● jerusalem , amongst those millions of holy souls that are gone before thee ? is it seemly for thee to lament thus at the door , when they are feasted with such unconceivable joys within ? dost thou know what thy brethren are now enjoying , & what the heavenly host are doing ? how full they are of god , and how they are ravished with his light and love ? and canst thou think it seemly to be so unlike them , that art passing to them ? i know there is such difference between imperfection and perfection , and between earth and heaven , that it justifieth our moderate sorrows , and commandeth us to take up infinitely short of their delights , till we are with them . but yet let there not be too great a disproportion between the members of jesus christ . we have the same lord : and the same spirit ; and all that is theirs in possession is in right and title ours . they are our elder brethren , and being at age , have possession of the inheritance : but we that are yet in the lap of the church on earth , our mother , and in the arms of our fathers grace , are of the same family , and have the same nature in our low degree . they were once on earth as low as we : and we shall be shortly in heaven , as high as they : am i now in flesh , in fears , in griefs ? so was david , and paul , and all the saints , awhile ago : yea and christ himself . am i beset with sin , and compassed with infirmities , and racked by my own distempered passion ? so were the many saints now glorified , but the other day . elias was a man subject ( saith james , ) to like passions as we are , jam. 5.17 . am i maliced by dissenting adversaries ? do they privily lay snares for me , and watch my halting , and seek advantage against my name , and liberty and life ? so did they by david , and many other now with christ ? but now these enemies are overcome . art thou under pains , and consuming sicknesses ? are thine eyes held waking , and doth trouble and sorrow waste thy spirit ? doth they flesh in thy heart fail thee , and thy friends prove silly comforters to thee ? so was it with those thousands that are now in heaven , where the night of calamities is past , and the just have dominion in the morning , and glory hath banished all their griefs , and joyes have made them forget their sorrows , unless as the remembrance of them doth promote those joyes . are thy friends lamenting thee , and grieved to see the signs of thy approaching death ? do they weep when they see thy pale face , and consumed body , and when they hear the sighs and groans ? why thus it was once with the millions that are now triumphing with their lord ? they lay in sickness , and underwent the pains , and were lamented by their friends , as thou art now . even christ himself was once in his agony , and some shakt the head at him , and other pittied him , who should rather have wept for themselves , then for him : this is but the passage from the womb of mortality , into the life of immortality , which all the saints have past before thee , that are now with christ . dost thou fear the dreadfull : face of death ? must thy tender flesh be turned t● rotness and dust ? and must thou lie in darkness till the resurrection , and thy body remain as the common earth ? and is not this the case of all those millions , whose souls now see face of christ ? did they not lie as thou dost , and die as thou must , and pass by death to the life which they have now attained ? o then commit thy soul to christ , and be quiet and comforted in his care and love . trust him as the mid-wife of thy departing soul , who will bring it safe into the light and life , which thou art yet such a stranger to . but it is not strange to him , though it be strange to thee . what was it that rejoyced thee all thy life , in thy prayers , and sufferings , and labours ? was it not the hopes of heaven ? and was heaven the spring and motive of thy obedience , and the comfort of thy life ? and yet wilt thou pass into it with heaviness ? and shall thy approaches to it be thy sorrows ? didst thou pray for that which thou wouldst not have ? hast thou laboured for it , and denyed thy self the pleasures of the world for it ? and now art thou afraid to enter in ? fear not poor soul ! thy lord is there ; thy husband , and thy head , and life is there . thou hast more there , a thousand fold more then thou hast here . here thou must leave poor mourning friends , that languish in their own infirmities , and troubled thee as well as comforted thee , while thou wast with them , and that are hasting after thee , and will shortly overtake thee . but there thou shalt find the souls of all the blessed saints , that have lived since the creation till this age : that are all uncloathed of the rags of their mortality , and have laid by their frailties with their flesh , and are made up of holiness , and prepared for joy , and will be suitable companions for thee in thy joyes . wy shouldst thou be afraid to go the way that all the saints have gone before thee ? where there is one on earth , how many are there in heaven ? and one of them is worth many of us . art thou better then noah , and abraham , and david ? then peter & paul and all the saints ? or dost thou not love their names , and wouldst thou not be with them ? art thou loath to leave thy friends on earth ? and hast thou not far better and more in heaven ? why then art thou not as loth to stay from them ? suppose that i , and such as i , were the friends that thou art loth to leave : what if we had dyed long before thee ? if it be our company that thou lovest , thou shouldst then be willing to die , that thou maist be with us . and if so , why then shouldst thou not be more willing to die , and be with christ and all his holy ones , that are so much more excellent then we ? wouldst thou have our company ? remove then willingly to that place , where thou shalt have it to everlasting : and be not so loth to go from hence , where neither thou nor we can stay . hadst thou rather travail with us , then dwell with us ? and rather here suffer with us then reign in heaven with christ and us ? o what a brutish thing is flesh ? what an unreasonable thing is unbelief ? shall we believe , and fly from the end of our belief ? shall we hope , and be loth to enjoy our hopes ? shall we desire and pray , and be afraid of attaining our desires , and lest our prayers should be heard ? shall we spend our lives in labour and travail , and be affraid of coming to our journeys end ? do you love l●fe , or do you not ? if not , why are you afraid of death ? if you do , why then are you loth to pass into everlasting life ? you know there is no hope of immortality on earth : hence you must pass whether you will or not , as all your fathers have done before you , it is therefore in heaven or nowhere , that endless life is to be had . if you can live here for ever , do . hope for it , if any have done so before you go to some man of a thousand years old , and ask him how he made shift to draw out his life so long : but if you know that man walketh here in a vain shew , and that his life is as a shadow , a dream , a post , and that all these things shall be d●ssolved , and the fashion of them passeth away , is it not more reasonable that we should set our hearts on the place where there is hopes of our continuance , then where there is none ●● and where we must live for ever , then where we must be but for so short a time ? alas , poor darkned , troubled soul ! is the presence of christ less desirable in thy eyes , then the presence of such sinfull worms as we , whom thou art loth to part with ? is it more grievous to thee to be absent from us , then from thy lord ; from earth then from heaven ; from sinners , then from blessed saints : from trouble and frailty , then from glory ? hast thou any thing here that thou shalt want in heaven , alas , that we should thus draw back from happiness , and follow christ so heavily and sadly into life ! but all this is long of the enemies that now molest our peace : indwelling sin , and a flattering world , and a brutish flesh , and interposing death , are our discouragments that drive us back . but all these enemies shall shortly be overcome . fear not death then , let it do its worst . it can give thee but one deadly gripe that shall kill it self , and prove thy life : as the wasp that leaves its sting behind , and can sting no more . it shall but snuff the candle of thy life , and make it shine brighter when it seems to be put out . it is but an undressing , and a gentle sleep . that which thou couldst not here attain , by all our preaching , and all thy prayers , and cares , and pains , thou shalt speedily attain by the help of death . it is but the messenger of thy gracious lord , and calleth thee to him , to the place that he hath prepared . hearken not now to the great deceiver , that would draw thee to unbelief , and cause thee to stagger at the promises of god , when thou hast followed him so far , and they are near to the full performance . believe it as sure as thou believest that the sun doth shine upon thee , that god cannot lie ; he is no deceiver : it was his meer love and bounty that caused him to make the promises , when he had no need for himself to make them : and shall he be then unfaithfull , and not fulfill the promises which he hath freely made ? believe it , faith is no delusion : it may be folly to trust man ; but it is worse then folly not to trust god. believe it , heaven is not a shadow , nor the life of faith and holiness a dream . these sensible things have least reality : these grosser substances , are most drossy , delusory and base . god is a spirit , who is the prime being , and the cause of all created beings . and the angels amd other celestiall inhabitants , that are nearest to him , are furthest from corporeity ; and are spirits likest unto god. the further any thing is from spirituality , the further from that excellency and perfection , which the creatures nearest god partake of . the earth is baser then the air and fire : the drossy flesh is baser then the soul . and this lumpish , dirty visible world , is incomparably below that spiritual world , which we believe and wait for : and though thy conceptions of spirits and the spiritual world , are low , and dark , and much unsatisfying ; remember still that thy head is there ; and it belongeth to him to know what thou shalt be , till thou art fit to know it , which will not be till thou art fit to enjoy it . be satisfied that thy father is in heaven , and that thy lord is there , and that the spirit that hath been so long at work within thee , preparing thee for it , dwelleth there : and let it suffice thee that christ knoweth what he will do with thee , and how he wilt employ thee to all eternity . and thou shalt very shortly see his face , and in his light thou shalt b●hold that light that shall fully satisfie thee , and shame all thy present doubts and fears , and if there were shame in heaven , would shame thee for them . vse 9. from the enmity of death , and the necessity of a conquest , we may see what a wonderfull mercy the resurrection of christ himself was to the church , and what use we should make of it for the strengthening of our faith . it was not only impossible to man to conquer death by his own strength , and therefore it must be conquered by christ ; but it was also beyond our power to believe it , that ever the dead should rise to life , if christ had not risen as the first fruits , and convinced man , by eye-sight , or certain testimony , that the thing is possible and already done . but now what a pillar is here for faith ? what a word of hope and joy is this , that [ christ is risen ? ] with this we will answer a thousand cavils of the tempter , and stop the mouth of the enemies of our faith , and profligate our infidelity . as unlikely as it seems to flesh and blood , shall we ever doubt whether we shall rise again , when the lord came down in flesh among us , that he might die and rise again himself , to shew us as to our faces that we shall rise ? this is the very gospel which we preach , and by which we must be saved ; that christ died for our sins according to the scriptures , and was buryed , and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures ; and that he was seem of cephas , then of the twelve , and after that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once , of wh●m the greater part remained alive , when paul wrote this , who was the last that saw him , 1 cor. 15.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. read over this chapter again and again , where our resurection is proved by the resurrection of christ . no wonder therefore that the chruch in all ages ever since the very day of christs resurrection , hath kept the first day of the week as a holy festivall , in remembrance of it : wherein though they commemorated the whole work of our redemption , yet was it from the resurrection as the most glorious part , that the spirit of christ did choose the day , this hath been the joyfull day to the church this 1625. years , or thereabouts : in which the ancicient christians would assemble themselves together , saluting one another with this joyfull word , [ the lord is risen . ] and this is the day that the lord hath blessed , with the new birth and resurrection of millions of souls . so that it is most probable that all the six dayes of the week have not begot half so many souls for heaven , as this blessed day of the lords resurrection hath done . let infidels then despise it , that believe not christs resurrection ; but let it still be the churches joyfull day . this was the lords doing , and it is marvelous in our eyes : this is the day which the lord hath made : we will be glad and rejoyc● there in , psal . 118.23 , 24. in it , let us sing unto the lord ; let us make a joyfull noise to the rock of our salvation . let us come before his pres●nce with thanksgiving , and make a joyfull noise to him with psalms , psal . 95.1 , 2. every day let us remember the lords resurrection : but on this day let the joyfull commemoration of it be our work . we may see by the witness of the apostles , and their frequent preaching the resurrection of christ , as if it were the sum of all the gospell , that this is a point that faith must especially build and feed upon , and that we must make the matter of our most frequent meditations ▪ o what vigor it addeth to our faith , when we are encountred by the sight of death , and of a grave , to remember seriously that [ christ is risen . ] did he take flesh purpose●y that he might die and rise , and shew us how he will raise his members ? and will he after all this break his promise , and leave us in the dust for ever ? it cannot be . hath he conquered death for himself alone , and not for us ? hath he taken our nature into heaven , to be there alone and will he not have all his members with him ? remember then christian , when thou lookest on thy grave , that christ was buried , and hath made the grave a bed of rest , that shall give up her trust , when his trumpet sounds : and that his resurrection is the pledge of ours . keep therefore thy rising and glorified lord continually in the eye . if christ were not risen , our preaching were vain , and your faith were vain , and all men were miserable , but we most miserable , that suffer so much for a life which we had no ground to hope for , 1 cor. 15.14 , 17 , 19. but now we have an argument that infidelity it self is ashamed to encounter with ; that hath been the means of the conversion of the nations unto christ ; by which we may put even death it self to a defiance ; as knowing it is now a conquered thing . if it could have held christ captive , it might also have held us . but he being risen , we shall surely rise . write it therefore christians upon your hearts ; mention it more in your conference for the encouragement of your faith ; write it on the grave-stones of your friends , that [ christ is risen , ] and that [ because he liveth we shall live also , ] and that [ our life is hid with christ in god ] though we are dead ; and when he shall appear who is our life , we shall also appear with him in glory , ] john 14.19 . col. 3.3 , 4. though we must be sown in corruption , in weakness , and dishonour , we shall be raised in incorruption , strength , and honour , 1 cor. 15.42 , 43. while our souls behold the lord in glory , we may bear with the winter that befalls our flesh , till the spring of resurrection come . [ knowing that he that raised up the lord jesus , shall also raise us up by jesus . — for which cause we faint not ; but though our outward man perish , yet the inner man is renewed day by day , — while we look not at the things whic are seen , but at the things which are not seen : for the things which are seen are temporal , but the things which are not seen are eternall , 2 cor 4.14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. ] as we are risen with christ to newness of life , so well shall rise with him to glory . vse 10. lastly , if death be the last enemy to be destroyed at the resurrection , we may learn hence , how earnestly believers should long and pray for the second coming of christ , when this full and finall conquest shall be made . death shall do much for us ; but the resurrection shall do more . death sends the separated soul to christ : but at his coming , both soul and body shall be glorified . there is somewhat in death that is penal , even to believers : but in the coming of christ , and their resurrection , there is nothing but glorifying grace . death is the effect of sin , and of the first sentence passed upon sinners : but the resurrection of the just is the finall destruction of the effects of sin . and therefore though the fears of death may perplex us , me thinks we should long for the coming of christ , there being nothing in that , but what tends to the deliverance and glory of the saints . whether he will come before the general resurrection , and reign on earth a thousand years , which some expect , i shall not presume to pass my determination . but sure i am , it is the work of faith , and character of his people to love his appearance , 2 tim. 4.8 and to wait for the son of god from heaven , whom be raised from the dead , even jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come , 1 thes . 1.10 . and to wait for the coming of our lord jesus christ , 1 cor. 1.7 . and t● wait for the adoption , the redemption of our bodies , with inward gr●anings , rom. 8.23 . o therefore let us pray more earnestly for the coming of our lord ! and that [ the lord would direct our hearts into the love of god , and into the patient waiting for christ , ] 2 thes . 3.5 . o blessed day , when the glorious appearing of our lord shall put away all his servants shame , and shall communicate glory to his members , even to the bodies that had lain so long in dust , that to the eye of flesh there seemed to be no hope ! though the majesty and glory will cause our reverence , yet it will not be our terror , to the diminution of our joy . it is his enemies that would not have him rule over them , whom he cometh to destroy , luke 19.27 . [ behold the lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints , to execute judgement upon all , and to convince all that are ungodly among them , of all their ungodly deeds , which they have ungodly committed , and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him , as henoch the seventh from noah prophesied , jud. 14.15 . but the precious faith of the saints , shall be found , to praise , and honour , and glory at the appearing of jesus christ , 1 pet. 1.7 . when the chief shepherd shall appear , we shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth ●ot away , 1. pet. 5.4 . he that was once ●ffered to bear the sins of many , ( and n●w appeareth for us in the presence of god ) shall unto them that look for him appear the second time , without sin , to salvation . ] heb. 9.24 , 28. and when christ who is our life shall appear , then shall we also appear with him in glory , col. 3.4 . the lord shall then come to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that believe in that day , 2 thes . 1.10 . this is the day that all believers should long , and hope , and wait for , as being the accomplishment of all the work of their redemption , and all the desires and endeavours of their souls . it is the hope of this day that animateth the holy diligence of our lives , and makes us turn from the carelesness and sensuality of the world : [ for the grace of god that bringeth salvation , hath appeared unto all men ; teaching us , that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts , we should live soberly , righteously , and godly in this present world : looking for that blessed hope , and the glorious appearing of our great god , and our saviour jesus christ , ] tit. 2.11 , 12 , 13. the heavens and the earth that are now , are kept in store by the word of god , reserved unto fire , against the day of judgement , and perdition of ungodly men . and though the lord seem to delay , he is not slack of his promise ( as some men count slackness : ) for a day is with him as a thousand years , and a thousand years but a● a day . but the day of the lord will come as a thief in the night , in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise , and the elements shall melt wth fervent heat : the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up . seeing then all these things shall be diss●lved , what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness ; looking for , and hasting unto the coming of the day of god , wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved , and the elements melt with fervent heat ! but we according to his promise , look for new heavens ; and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness , ] 2 pet. 3.7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. beza marvelleth at tertullia● for saying that the christians in their holy assemblies prayed pro mora finis ( apologet. c. 39. ) and so he might well enough , if it were not that to christians the glory of god is dearer then their own felicity , and the salvation of millions more precious then the meer hastening of their own ; and the glory of the church more desirable then our personall glory ; and the hallowing of gods name were not to be prayed for before the coming of his kingdom ; and the kingdom of grace must not necessarily go before the kingdom of glory . but as much as we long for the coming of our lord , we are content to wait till the elect be gathered ; and can pray that he will delay it , till the universal body be made up , and all are called that shall be glorified . but to our selves , that are brought out of aegypt into the wilderness , how desirable is the promised land ? when we think on our own interest , we cry [ come lord jesus , come quickly : ] the sooner the better . then shall our eyes behold him , in whom we have believed : not as he was beheld on earth in his despised state ; but as the glorious king of saints , accompanied with the celestial host , coming in flaming fire to render vengeance to the rebellious , and rest and joy to believing souls , that waited for this day of his appearance . then faith and patience shall give up their work ▪ and sight , and fruition , and perfect love , shall everlastingly succeed them . the rage of persecutors shall no more affright us : the folly of the multitude shall no more annoy us : the falseness of our seeming selfish friends shall no more betray us : the pride of self-conceited men shall no more distu●b us : the turbulency of men distracted by ambition shall cast us no more into confusions . the kingdom that we shall possess shall not be lyable to mutations , nor be tossed with pride and faction as are these below . there is no monethly ( or annual ) change of governours and laws , as is in lunatick common-wealths : but there will be the same lord and king , and the same laws and government , and the same subjects and obedience , without any mutinies , rebellions , or discontents , to all eternity . the church of which we shall then be members , shall not be divided into parties , and factions , nor the members look strangely at each other , because of difference of opinions , or distance of affections , as now we find it , to our daily grief , in the militant church . we shall then need no tedious debates to reconcile us : unity will be then quickly and easily procured . there will be no falling out in the presence of our lord. there will be none of that darkness , uncharitableness , selfishness , or passion left , that now causeth our dissentions . when we have perfect light , and perfect love , the perfect peace will be easily attained , which here we labour for in vain . now there is no peace in church or state , in cities or countreys , in families , or scarce in our own souls . but when the glorious king of peace hath put all his enemies under his feet , what then is left to make disturbance ? our enemies can injure us no more , for it is then their portion to suffer for all their former injuries to christ and us : our friends will not injure us ( as here they do ; ) because their corruption and weakness is put off , and the relicts of sin , that caused the trouble , are left behind . o that is the sight that saith prepareth for , that is the day , the blessed day , that all our dayes are spent in seeking , and waiting , and praying for ; then shall the glory of holiness appear , and the wisdom of the saints be justified by all , that now is justified by her childre● ! then it shall be known , whether faith or unbelief , whether a heavenly or earthly mind and life , was the wiser and more justifiable course : then shall all the world discern between the righteous and the wicked , between them that serve god , and them that serve him not , mal. 3.18 . then sin ( that is now so obstinately defended , and justified by such foolish cu●ning ) shall never more find a tongue to plead for it , or a patron to defend it more . then where is the man that will stand forth and break a jest at godliness , or make a scorn of the holy diligence of believers ? how pale then will those faces look , that here were wont to jear at piety ▪ what terror will seize upon those hearts , that here were wont to make themselves sport at the weaknesses of the upright servants of the lord ? that is t●● day that shall rectifie all judgements , and cure the errors and contemptuous thoughts of an holy life , which no perswasions now can cure ; that is the day that shall set all straight , that now seems crooked ; and shall satisfie us to the full , that god was just , even when he prospered his enemies , and afflicted the souls that loved him ▪ and walkt in their integrity before him . we shall then see that which shall fully satisfie us of the reason and equity of all our sufferings , which here we underwent ; we shall marvail no more that god lets us weep , and groan , and pray , and turns away his face , and seems not to regard us . we shall then find that all our groans were heard , & all our tears and prayers did succeed , which we suspect●d had been lost . we shall then find that a duty performed in sincerity , through all our lives , was never lost ; no nor a holy thought ; nor a cup of cold water that from holy love we gave to a disciple . we shall then see that our murmurings , and discontents , and jealous unbelieving thoughts of god , which sickness , or poverty , or crosses did occasion , were all injurious to the lord , and the fruit of infirmity ; and that when we questioned his love on such accounts , we knew not what we said . we shall then see that death , and grave , and devils , were all but matter for the glorifying of grace , and for the triumph of our lord and us . up then my soul , and shake off thy unbelief and dulness ; look up , and long , and meet thy lord. the more thou art afraid of death , the more desire that blessed day , when mortality shall be swallowed up of life , and the name of death shall be terrible no more . though death be thy enemy , there is nothing but friendly in the coming of thy lord. though death dissolve thy nature , the resurrection shall restore it , and make thee full reparation with advantage . how glad would i have been to have seen christ , but with the wise men in the manger ! or to have seen him disputing with the doctors in his child-hood in the temple , or to have seen him do his miracles , or heard him preach ; much more to have seen him as the three disciples , in his transfiguration ; or to have seen him after his resurrection , and when he ascended up to heaven . but how far is all this below the sight that we shall have of him when he comes in glory ! when the brightness of his shining face shall make us think the sun was darkness : and the glory of his attendance shall make us think what a sordid thing , and childish foolery was all the glory of this world ! the face of love shall be then unvailed , and ravish us into the highest love and joy , that our natures are capable of . then doubt , and fear , and grieve if thou canst ! what then wilt thou think of all these disquieting distrustfull thoughts that now so wrong thy lord and thee ? if going into the sanctuary , and fore-seeing the end , can cure our brutish misapprehensions of gods providences , ( psal . 73.17 . ) how perfectly will they be cured , when we see the glorious face o● christ , and behold the new jerusalem in its glory , and when we are numbred with the saints that judge the world ? we shall never more be tempted then , to condemn the generation of the just , nor to think it vain to serve the lord , nor to envy the prosperity of the wicked , nor to stagg●r at the promise through unbelief ; nor to think that our sickness , death and grave , were any signs of unkindness or unmercifulness in god. we shall then be convinced that sight and flesh were unfit to censure the wayes of god , or to be our guides . hasten o lord , this blessed day ! stay not till faith have left the earth ; and infidelity , and impiety , and tyranny have conquered the rest of thine inheritanc● ! stay not till selfish uncharitable pride hath vanquished love and self-denyal , and planted its colonies of heresie , confusion and cruelty in thy dominions : and earth and hell be turned into one . stay not till the eyes of thy servants fail , and their hearts and hopes do faint and languish with look●ng and waiting for thy salvation . but if yet the day be not at hand , o keep up faith , and hope , and love , till the sun of perfect love arise , and time hath prepared us for eternity , and grace for glory . finis . some imitable passages of the life of elizabeth , late wife of mr. joseph baker . though i spoke so little as was next to n●thing , of our de●r deceased friend , it was not because i w●nted ma●ter , or thought it unmeet : but i use it but seldom , lest i raise expectations of the like , where i cannot conscionably perform it . but he that hath promised to honour those that serve and honour him , ( john 12.26 . 1 sam. 2.30 . ) and will come at l●st to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that do believe , ( 2 thes . 1.10 ) i know , will take it as a great and acceptable act of service , to proclaim the honour of his grace , and to give his servants their due on earth , whose souls are glorified with christ in heaven ; though serpentine enmity will repine and play the envious accuser . it is not the history of the life of this precious servant of the lord which i intend to give you : ( for i was not m●ny years acquainted with her : ) but only some passages , which either upon my certain knowledge , or her own diurnall of her course , or the most credible rest imony of her most intimate judicious godly friends , i may boldly publish as true , and imitable in this untoward distempered generation . she was born novemb. 1634. in southwark neer london : the only child of mr. john godeschalk , alias , godscall . her father dying in her child-hood , she was left an orphane to the chamber of london . her mother after married mr. isaac barton , with whom she had the benefit of religious education . but between sixteen and seventeen years of age , by the serious reading of the book called the saints everlasting rest , she was more throughly awakened , and brought to set her heart o● god , and to seek salvation with her chiefest care : from that time forward she was a more const●nt , diligent , serious hearer of the ablest minist●rs in london ▪ rising early , and going far to hear them on the week-dayes , waiting on god for his confirming grace in the use of those ordinanees , which empty unexperienced hypocrites are easily tempted to despise : the sermons which she constantly wrote , she diligently repeated at home for the benefit of others ; and every week read over some of those that she had heard long before , that the fruit of them might be retained and renewed : it being not novelty that she minded . in the year 1654. being near one and twenty years of age , after seeking god , and waiting for his resolving satisfying directions , she consented to be joyned in marriage to mr. joseph baker , by the approbation of her nearest friends : god having taken away her mother the year before . with him she approved her self indeed such a wife as paul ( no papist ) describeth as meet for a bishop or pastor of the church , 1 tim. 3.11 . [ even so must their wives be grave , not slanderers , sober , faithfull in all things . ] some instances i shall give , for the imitation of others . 1. she was very exemplary in self-denyal and humility : and having said this much , what abundance have i comprehended ? o what a beauty doth self-denyal and humility put on souls ! nay what a treasure of everlasting consequence , do these two words express ? i shall give you a few of the discoveries . 1. it appeared in her accompanying in london with the holiest , how mean soever , avoiding them that were proud , and vain , and carnal : she desired most to be acquainted with those that she perceived were best acquainted with god , neglecting the pomp and vain glory of the world . 2. when she was called to a married state , though her portion and other advantages invited persons of greater estates in the world , she chose rather to marry a minister of known integrity , that might be a near , and constant guide , and stay and comfort to her , in the matters which she valued more then riches . and she missed not of her expectations , for the few years that she lived with him . even in this age whe● the serpent is hissing in every corner at faithfull ministers , and they are contemned both by prophane and hereticall malignants , she preferred a mean life with such ● one , for her spirituall safety and solace , before the grandeur of the world . 3. when some inhabitants of the city of worcester were earnest with me to help them to an able minister , mr. baker then living in kent had about an hundred pound per annum : and when at my motion he was readily willing to take a great charge in worcester , upon a promise from two men to make the maintenance fifty pounds a year by a voluntary contribution , of the continuance of which he had no security ; his wife was a promoter , and no discourager of his self-denyall , and never tempte● him to l●●k after greater things . and afterward , when i was afraid lest the smalness and uncertainty of the means , together with his discour●gements from some of his people , might have occasioned his remove ; and have heard of richer places mentioned to him , as he still answ●red that he had enough , and minded not removing without necessity ; so was she ever of the same mind , and still seconded and confirmed him in such resolutions , even to follow gods work while they had a competency of their own , and to mind no more . 4. her very speech and behaviour did so manifest meek●ess , and humility , that in a little converse with her it might e●sily be discerned . 5. she thought nothing too mean for her , that bel●nged to her in her family and r●lation , no employment , food , &c. saying often , that [ what god had made her duty , was not too low a work for her . ] and indeed , when we kn●w ●nce that it is a work that god sets us upon , it signifieth much forgetfulness of him and our selves , if we think it too base , or think our s●lves too good to stoop to it . 6. no neighbour did seem too mean or poor for her familiar converse , if they were but willing . 7. she had a true esteem , and cheerfull love for the mean●st of her husbands relations , and much rejoyced in her comfort in his kindred , recording it among her experienced mercies . 2. she was very constant and diligent in doing her part of family duties : teaching all the inferiours of her family , ●nd labouring to season them wi●h principles of holiness , and admonishing them of their sin and danger : never failing on the l●rds day at night to hear them read the scriptures , and recite their catechisms , when publike duty , and all other family duty was ended : and in her husbands absence praying with them . how much the imitation of such examples would conduce to the sanctifying of families , is easie to be apprehended ? 3. in secret duty she was very constant , and lived much in those two great soul-advancing works , meditation and prayer : in which she would not admit of interruptions . this inward holy diligence was it that maintained spirituall life within , which is the spring ●f outward acceptable works . when communion with god , and daily labour upon our own hearts is laid a●ide , or negligently and remisly followed , grace languisheth first within , and then unfruitfulness , if not disorders and scandalls appear without . 4. her love to the lord jesus was evidenced by her great affection to his ordinances , and wayes , and ser●ants : a very hearty love she manifested to those on whom the image of god did appear , even the poorest and meanest , as well as the rich or eminent in the world : nor did a difference in lesser matters , or any tolerable mistakes , alienate her affections from them . 5. she was a christian of much plainness , simplicity and singleness of heart : far from a subtile crafty dissembling frame , and also from loquacity or ostentation . and the world was very low in her eyes , to which she was long crucified , ●nd on which she looked as a lifeles● thing : sensuality and pampering the flesh , she much loathed : whe● she was invited to feasts , she w●uld oft complain , that they occasioned a difficulty in maintaining a sense of the presence of god , whose company in all her company she preferred . 6. she was a very carefull esteemer and redeemer of her time : at home in her family , the works of her generall and particular calling took her up : when necessary business and greater duties gave way , she was seldom without a book in her hand , or some edifying disc●urse in her mouth , if there were opportunity . and abroad she was very weary of barren company that spent the time in common chatt and dry discourses . 7. she used good company practically and profitably , making use of what she heard for her own spirituall advantage . when i understood out of her diary , that she wrote down some of my familiar discourses , with serious application to her self , it struck exceeding deep to my heart , how much i have sinned all my dayes , ( since i undertook the person of a minister of christ ) by the slightness and unprofitableness of my discourse ; and how exceeding carefull ministers should be of th●ir words , and how deliberately , wisely and seriously they should speak ab●ut the things of god , and how diligently they should take all fit opportunities to that end , when we know not how silent ●earers are affected with what we say : for ought we know there may be some that will write down what we say in their books , or hearts , or both : and god an conscience write down all . 8. in her course of reading she was still laying in for use and practice . her course was , when she read the scriptures , to gather out passages , and sort and refer them to their several uses , as some that were fit subjects for her meditations : some for encouragement to prayer , and other duties : promises suited to various conditions and wants : as her papers shew . and for other books , she would meddle with none but the sound and practicall , and had no itch after the empty books , which make ostentation of novelty , and which opinionists are now so taken with ; not did she like writing or preaching in envy and strife . and of good books , she chose to read but few , and those very often over , that all might be well digested . which is a course ( for pr●vate christians ) that tends to avoid luxuriancy , and make them sincere , and solid , and established . 9 she had the great blessing of a tender conscience . she did not slightly pass over small sins without penitent observation . her diary records her trouble , when causelesly she had neglected any ordinance ; ●r was hindered by rain or small occasions : or if she had overslept her self , and lost a morning-exercise in london , or came to late , ●r if she were distracted in secret duty : and if she mist of a fast through misinformation & disappointments , and f●und not her heart duly s●nsible of the loss , that also she recorded . so did she her stirrings of anger , and her very angry look● ; res●lving to take more heed against them . though all ought not to spend so much time in writing down their failings , yet all should watch , and renew repentance . 10. she was very solicitous for the souls of her friends : as for instance , h●r brothers in law ; over whom she exercised a motherly care , instructing them , and watching ●ver them , and telling them of misc●rria●es , ●nd counselling them : causing them to keep a constant course of reading the holy scriptures , and meditating on it ( as far as she could : ) causing them to learn many chapters without book : and to read other good books in season : e●rnestly praying for them in particular : much desiring one or both should be ministers : and when her father-in-law appointed the eldest to go to france , she was much troubled for fear of his miscarriage among strangers , especially those of the romish way . 11. she was a serious mourner for the sins of the time and place she lived in . 12. in summ , for strict , close , watchfull , holy walking with god , ●ven her hu●band professeth that she was a p●ttern to him . as i hi●ted before , she kept a daily account in writing , ( which is now to be see● from the beginning of the year 1654. ) especially of these particulars . 1. of the frame of her heart in every dayes duty , in meditation , prayer , hearing , reading , &c. whether lively , or dull , &c. 2. of those sins which she h●d especially to repent of , and watch against . 3. of h●r resolutions and promises , and how she kept them . 4. of all special providences to her self , husband , brothers , and others , and the improvement of them . as at the death of her son , who died with great sighs and groans , she recorded her sense of the speciall nec●ssity of holy armour , and great preparation for that encounter when her turn should come to be so removed to the everlasting habitation . 5. of her returns of prayer , what answers , and grant of them she found . 6. of the state of her soul upon examination : how she found it , and what was the issue of each examination ; and in this it seems she was very exact and punctual . in which though many times fears and doubtings did arise , yet hath she frequent records of the discovery of evidences , and comfortable assurance of sincerity . sometime when she hath heard sermons in london , that helped her in her search : and sometime when she ●ad been reading writings that tended that way , she recordeth what evidences she found , and in what degree the discovery was : if imperfect , resolving to take it up and follow the search further : and if she had much joy , she received it with jealousie and expectation of some humbling consequent . when any grace languished , she presently turned to some apt remedy . a● for instance , it s one of her notes , novemb. 1658. [ i found thoughts of eternity slight and strange , and ordinary imployments very desirable : at which i read mr. bs. crucifixion , and was awakened to mortification and humiliation , &c. ] the last time that she had opportunity for this work , was two or t●ree dayes before her delivery in child-bearing ; where she finally recorded the apprehensions she had both of her bodily and spiritual state , in these words , [ drawing near the time of my delivery , i am faln into such weakness , that my life is in great hazzard . i find some fears of death , but not very great , hoping ( through grace ) i die in the lord. ] i only mention these hints , to shew the method she used in her daily accounts . to those christians that have full leisure this course is good : but i urge i● not all , upon those that have so great dutie● to t●ke up that time ▪ that they cannot spare so muc● to record their ordinary passages ; such must remember what others record , and daily renew re●entance for their daily failings , and record only the extraordinary , observable , and more remarkable and memorable passages of their lives , lest they lose time from works of greater moment . but this exc●llent work of watchfulness must be performed by all . and i think it was a considerable expression of her true wisdom , and care of her immortal soul , that when any extraordinary necessity required it , and she found such doubts as of her self she was not ●ble to deal with , she would go to some able experienced minister , to open her case , and seek assistance ( as she did more then on●e to my dear and ancient friend , mr. cross , who in a full age is since gone after her to christ . ) and therefore chose a minister in marriage , that he might be a ready assistant in such cases of necessity , as well as a continual help . at last came that death to summon her soul away to christ , for which she had so seriously been preparing , and which she oft called a dark entry to her fathers palace . after the death of her children , when she seemed to be some what repaired after her last delivery , a violent convulsion suddenly surprized her , which in a few dayes brought her to her end . her understanding by the fits being at last debilitated , she finding it somewhat hard to speak sensibly , excused it , and said , [ i shall ere long speak another language , ] which were the last words which she spake with a tongue of flesh , and lying speechless eighteen hours after , she departed , august 17. 1659. blessed are the dead that die in the lord , from henceforth , yea saith the spirit , that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them . our turn is coming : shortly we shall also lay by flesh : this is our day of preparation : there is no preparing time but this . did men but know the difference between the death of the holy and the unholy , which doth not appear to fleshly eyes , how speedily would they turn ? how seriously would they meditate ? how fervently would they pray ? how carefully would they live ? how constantly , painfully and resolvedly w●uld they labour ? did they well consider the difference between dying prepared and unprepared , and of what difficulty and yet everlasting consequence it is to die well ; o then what manner of persons would men be , in all manner of holy conversation and godliness ? and all their lives would then be a continued preparation for death ; as all their life is a hasting towards it . and now i shall only desire you , for the right understanding of all that i have here said , and to prevent the cavils of blinded malice , to observe these three or four p●rticulars . 1. that though i knew so much ●f her as easily maketh me believe the rest , upon so sure a testimony , and saw her diary ; yet the most of this history of her life , is the collection and observation of such faithfull witness , as had much better opportunity then i , to know th● secrets of her soul and life . 2. that it is no wonder if many that knew her , perceived not all this by her , that is here expressed : for that knowledge of our outward carriage at a distance , will not tell our neighbours what we do in our closets , where god hath commanded us to shut our door upon us , that our father which seeth in secret , may reward us openly . and many of the most humble and sincere servants of the lord are so afraid of hypocrisie , and hate ostentation , that their justification and glory is only to be expected from the searcher of hearts , ( and a few of their more intimate acquaintance : ) though this was not the case before us ; the example described being more conspicuous . 3. that i overpass the large expressions of her charity , which you may hear from the poor and her intimate acquaintance , as i have done ; that i may not grate upon the modesty of her surviving friends , who must participate in the commendations . 4. that it is the benefit of the living that is my principall end ; scripture it self is written much in history , that we may have matter of imitation before our eyes . 5. if any say that here is no m●ntion of her faults , i answer , though i had acquaintance with her , i knew them not , nor ever heard from any other so m●ch as might enable me to accuse her , if i were her enemy . yet i doubt not but she was imperfect , and had faults , though unknown to me : the example of holi●ess i have briefly proposed : they that would see examples of iniquity , may look abroad in the world , and find enough : i need not be the accuser of the saints to furnish them . and i think if they enquire here of any thing ●etable , they will be hard put to it to find eno●gh to cover the acc●sers shame . 6. it is the honour of christ and grace in his members , more the● the honour of his servant that i seek . 7. and i would not speak that in commendation of the living , which i do of the dead , who are out of the reach of all temptations , of being lifted up with pride thereby : vnless it be such whose reputation the interest of christ and the gospel commandeth me to vindicate . 8. lastly , i am so far from lifting up one above the rest of the members of christ , by these commendations , and from abasing others whose names i mention not , that i intend the honour of all in one , and think that in the substance i describe all saints , in describing one . i am not about a popish work , of making a wonder of a saint , as of a phaenix or some rare unusual thing . saints with them must b● canonized , and their names put in the calendar : and yet their blind malice tells the world , that there are no such things as saints among us . but i rejoyce in the many that i have communion with , and the many that have lately stept before me into heaven , and are safe there out of the reach of malice , and of sin , and all the enemies of their peace ; and have left me mourning and yet rejoycing , fearing and yet hoping , and with some desires , looking after them here behind : and the faster christ calls away his chosen ones , whose graces were amiable in mine eyes , the more willing he maketh me to follow them , and to leave this world of darkness , confusion , wickedness , danger , vanity and vexation , and to meet these precious souls in life , where we shall rejoyce that we are past this howling wilderness , and shall for ever be with the lord. finis . baxters treatise of death . a catalogue of books written and published by the same author . these next following are to be sold by nevil simmons bookseller in kederminster . 1 true christiantiy , or christs absolute dominion , and mans necessary self-resignation and subjection , in two assize sermons preacht at worcester , in 12o. 2 a sermon of judgement preached at pauls , before the honorable lord major and aldermen of the city of london , decem. 17. 1654. and now enlarged , in 12o. 3 making light of christ and salvation too oft the issue of gospel invitations , manifest in a sermon preached at lawrence jury , in london , in 8o. 4 the agreement of divers ministers of christ in the county of worcester for catechizing or personal instructing all in their several parishes that will consent thereunto ; containing 1. the articles of our agreement . 2. an exhortation to the people to submit to this necessary work . 3. the profession of faith and catechism , in 8o. 5 guildas salvianus , the reformed pastor , shewing the nature of the pastoral work , especially in private instruction and catechizing , in 8o. 6 certain disputations of right to sacraments , and the true nature of visible christianity , in 4o. 7 of justification : four disputations clearing and amicably defending the truth , against the unnecessary oppositions of divers learned and reverend brethren , in 4o. 8 a treatise of conversion , preached and now published for the use of those that are strangers to a true conversion , especially the grosly ignorant and ungodly , in 4o. 9 one sheet for the ministry against the malignants of all sorts . 10 a winding-sheet for popery . 11 one sheet against the quakers . 12 a second sheet for the ministry , justifying our calling against quakers , seekers , and papists , and all that deny us to be t●e ministers of christ . 13 d●rections to justices of peace , especially in corporations , to the discharge of their duty to god ; written at the request of a magistrate , and published for the use of others ●hat need it . an open street . 14 the crucifying of the world , by the cross of christ : with a preface to the nobles , gentlemen , and all the rich , directing them how they may be richer , in 4o. 15 a call to the unconverted to turn and live , and accept of mercy , while mercy may be had , as ever they would find mercy in the day of their extremity : from the living god : to be read in families where any are unconverted , in 12o. 16 of saving faith : that it is not only gradually , but specifically distinct from all common faith. the agreement of richard baxter with that very learned consenting adversary , that hath maintained his assertion by a pretended confutation in the end of serjeant shepherds book of sincerity and hypocrisie : with the reasons of his dissent in some passages that came in on the by , in 4o. 17 directions and perswasions to a sound conversion . for prevention of that deceit and damnation of souls , and of those scandals , heresies , and desperate apostasies , that are the consequents of a counterfeit or superficial change , in 8o. 18 the grotian religion discovered , at the invitation of mr. thomas pierce in his vindication : with a preface , vindicating the synod of dort from the calumnies of the new tilenus ; and david , peter , &c. and the puritans , and sequestrations , &c. from the censures of mr. pierce , in 8o. confirmation and restauration , the necessary means of reformation , and reconcil●ation ; for the healing of the corruptions and divisions of the churches ; submissively , but earnestly tendered t● the consideration of the sover●ign powers , magistrates , ministers , and people , that they may awake , and be up and doing in the execution of so much as appeareth to be necessary , as they are true to christ , his church and gospel , and to their own and others souls , and to the peace and welfare of ●he nations ; and as they will answer the neglect to christ , at their peril , in 8o. 19 five disputations of church-government , in 4o. 20 a key for ca●holicks , to open the jugling of the jesuites , and satisfie all that are but truly willing to understand , whether the cause of the roman or reformed churches be of god ; and to leave the reader utterly unexcusable that after this will be a papist . the first part , containing some arguments by which the meanest may see the vanity of popery ; and 40. detections of their fraud ; with directions , and materials sufficient for the confutation of their voluminous deceits : particularly refelling b●verius , richlieu , h. t. manual , some manuscripts , &c. with some proposals for a ( hopeless ) peace . the second part sheweth ( especially against the french , and grotians ) that the catholick church is not united in any meerly humane head , either pope or council , in 4o. 21 a treatise of self-denia● , in 4o. these books following are to be sold by thomas underhill , at the bible and anchor in pauls church-yard , and by francis tyton , at the three daggers in fleetstreet . 22 the saints everlasting rest : or , a treatise of the bl●ssed state of the saints in their enjoyment of god in glory , in 4o. 23 his apology , against the exceptions of mr. blake . and the digression of mr. kendall . animadversions on a late dissertation of ludiomaeus colvinus , alias , ludovicus molina●us . an admonition to mr. eyres : with mr. crand●ns anatomy , in 4o. 24 the unreasonableness of infidelity , in four parts . 1. the spirits intrinsick witness to the truth of christianity , with a determination of this question , whether the miracles of christ and his apostles do oblige those to believe , who never saw them ? 2. the spirits internal witness of the truth of christianity . 3. a treatise of the sin against the holy ghost . 4. the arrogancy of reason against divine revelation , repressed , in 8o. 25 the worcestershire petition to the parliament , for the ministry of england , defended , &c. in 4o. 26 his holy common-wealth , or political aphorisms , opening the true principles of government , &c. in 8o. 27 the right method for a setled peace of conscience and spiritual comfort , in thirty two directions , in 8o. 28 his confession of faith , especially concerning the interest of repentance and si●cere obedience to christ , in our justification and salvation , in 4o. 29 christian concord ; or the agreement of the associated pastors and churches of worcestershire , with his explication and desence of it , and his exhortation to unity , in 4o. 30 his humble advice : or the heads of those things which were offered to many honourable members of parliament , in 4o. 31 the quakers catechism , or the quakers questioned , their questions answered , and both published for the sake of those of them that have not sinned unto death ; and of those ungrounded novices that are most in danger of their seduction , in 4o. 32 an account of his present thoughts concerning the controversies about the perseverance of the saints , in 4o. 33 his letter to mr. drury for pacification , in 4o. 34 plain scripture proof of infant church-membership and baptism : being the arguments prepared for ( and partly managed in ) the publike dispute with mr. tombes at bewdly , jan. 1. 1649 , &c. in 4o. 35 the sa●e religion ; or three disputations for the reformed catholick religion , against popery : proving that popery is against the holy scriptures , the unity of the catholick church , the consent of the ancient doctors , the plainest reason and common judgement of sense it self , in 8o. 36 catholick unity : or , the only way to bring us all to be of one religion ; to be read by such as are offended at the differences in religion , and are willing to do their part to heal them , in 12o. 37 the true catholick , and catholick church described : and the vanity of the papists , and all other schismaticks that confine the catholick church to their sect , discovered and shamed : with an apologetical postcript against the factious principles and writings of mr. t. malpas , mr. t. pierce , philo-tilenus , and such others , in 12o. besides his aphorisms of justifitation ( suspended . ) the ready way of confuting mr. baxter a specimen of the present mode of controversie in england. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 19 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-11 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27003 wing b1366 estc r28364 10547820 ocm 10547820 45244 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27003) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 45244) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1395:31) the ready way of confuting mr. baxter a specimen of the present mode of controversie in england. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. allestree, richard, 1619-1681. 8 p. printed for r. janeway, london : 1682. caption title. imprint from colophon. letter signed: richard allestry. "baxter's answer to certain slanderous stories"--nuc pre-1956 imprints. reproduction of original in the university of illinois (urbana-champaign campus). library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -controversial literature. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-05 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-07 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2004-07 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the ready way of confuting mr. baxter , a specimen of the present mode of controversie in england . ioh. 8. 44. 1 king. 22. 22. prov. 29. 12. & 19. 5 , 9. rev. 21. 8. & 22. 15. in 1662. dr. boreman of trinity-colledge in cambridge , published a book against me , as having written to dr. hill against physical-predetermination to sin ; and in it saith , that it is reported , that i kill'd a man with my own hand in cold blood ; and if it be not true , i am not the first that have been wronged . the man , though promoted to the charge of this parish , st. giles in the fields , was accounted so weak , ( for bearing his ministry , and saying he was suspended some years before he died ) that i thought it vain to take publick notice of his words ; neither imagining whence he had them , nor ever hearing of them before . but a few weeks before the late plot was reported , one mr. p. came to me , and told me , that at the coffee-house in fullers-rents , where papists and protectants used familiarly to meet ; he provoking the papists to answer my books , or to dispute with me , was answered by a gentleman of this parish , said to be of the church of england , that [ mr. baxter had kill'd a man in cold blood with his own hand . ] mr. p. provoked him by a wager to make it good . ●e refusing the wager , was told , he should hear of it publickly , unless he would ask me forgiveness , after some time , the gentleman came to me with mr. tasborough , ( since imprisoned , as is known ) and with great civility , ask't me forgiveness . he was the son of a knight , and judge , of my acquaintance ; and had an aunt , that had been my very dear friend . i told him , that slandering is so common , and asking forgiveness so rare , that i took it for a note of great ingenuity in him ; and , as i must forgive all men as a christian , so i could easily forgive any wrong to one related to such a friend of mine . he told me , he was resolved openly to confess his fault , and to vindicate me on all occasions . accordingly , at the same coffee-house , he openly declared his repentance . upon which , mr. p. tells me , that mr. g. an aged lawyer , brother to the lady ab. was displeased , and said , he would prove the thing true by many witnesses : ( and , saith mr. p. the story among some of them was , that a tinker did beat his kettle at my door , and being disturbed by him , i pistoll'd him , and was tryed for my life at worcester . ) mr. p. said , he provoked mr. g. to lay a wager on it : and he refusing , was told , [ then he should hear of it in westminster-hall . ] upon this , saith mr. p. his fellow catholicks ingenuously resolved to disown him , unless he would ask forgiveness ; which he being unwilling to come to me to do , mr. p. saith , he at last performed before him , and capt. edmund hampden . all this being done without my knowledge ( till after , ) i was relating it to mr. iohn humfrey : why ( saith he ) i did twelve years ago hear dr. allestry , now regius-professor in oxford , say the like , ●hat he could not think well of that man , that had kill'd a man in cold blood with his own hand . i little regarded all the rest : but dr. allestry had many years been my old school fellow ; many a time i had taught him ; and he was the best at learning , and of the honestest disposition of any boy that eve● i knew ; and i thought , if parties could draw such as he into such guilt , there was little account to be made of the reports or history of men , if once they fell into different factions . wherefore i wrote to him what mr. humfrey told me , and received from him this honest ingenuous letter , which i here annex . and as to all this story , i do here solemnly profess , that i never killed , wounded , or hurt any man in my life , ( save one man , whose leg i hurt with playful wrestling , when i was a boy , and once or twice boxing with school-boys , and correcting lads when i was one year a school-master . ) nor in all the wars , or in my life , did i ever see any other kill any man , save one ; and that was at the same bickering , ( about forty of a side ) when iennings was wounded : while they were fighting with him in one great field , i being in another near the house , saw the souldiers offering quarter to a foot-souldier , and promising him safety , if he would lay down his musket ; which he did not , but struck at them ; and captain holdich shot him dead : and it proved after to be a welsh-man , that understood not english ; which grieved them when they knew it . i have gone the next day where fights have been , and seen many dead , when i had nothing to do with the armies of either part. but i never saw any , to my knowledge , kill or hurt any man , but this one . dr. allestry's letter : ( which i should not publish , but that even in oxford , and elsewhere among the clergy , the report yet goeth on . ) sir , i must profess sincerely , that i cannot recollect i ever said such words of you to mr. humfrey , as it seems he does affirm i did : but yet i cannot but acknowledge , it is very possible , that i related , ( and may be , to him ) that i had heard , you kill'd a man in cold blood : since i very well remember , that above thirty years since , at the end of the war , i heard that publickly spoken before company ; and with this farther circumstance , that it was a souldier , who had been a prisoner some hours . now this report relating to the wars , in which ( i fear ) such things were no great rarities , and from my very tender youth , i having not had the least converse with you , nor likely-of any for the future , did not therefore apprehend , at present , any concern or occasion of inquiring , whether it were true ; of which , upon that confident asseveration , i did make no doubt . and i took so little thought of laying up the relation , that i protest to you , as in the presence of almighty god , it is impossible for me to recover , who made up that company in which i heard it , or from whom i heard it : and i wonder , how it came into my mind , to say that i had heard it , so long after . but however , though it be some ease to me , to believe the late discourses of it , do not come from my relating so long since that i heard it , neither are likely to receive any confirmation from it , unless it be made more publick than i have made it ; yet i do profess , it is a great affliction to me , to have spoken that , though but as a report , which ( it seems ) was a slander , ( for so i believe it , upon your asseveration ) and not having endeavoured to know whether it were true . and , as i have beg'd god's forgiveness of it ; so i heartily desire , you will forgive me : and if i could direct my self to any other way of satisfaction , i would give it . this is the whole account i can give of this matter ; to which i shall only add , that i am , sir , your very affectionate servant , richard allestry . eaton-coll . dec. 13. 1679. ii. in the preface to the life of dr. heylin are these words . mr. baxter may be pleased to call to mind , what was done to one major jennings , the last war , in that fight that was between lyndsel and longford , in the county of salop ; where the kings party , having unfortunately the worst of the day , the poor man was stript almost naked , and left for dead in the field : but mr. baxter , and one lieutenant hurdman , taking their walk among the wounded and dead bodies , perceived some life left in the major , and hurdman run him through the body in cold blood ; mr. baxter all the while looking on , and taking off with his own hand , the kings picture from about his neck ; telling him , as he was swiming in his goar , that he was a popish rogue , and that was his crucifix : which picture was kept by mr. baxter for many years , till it was got from him ( but not without much difficulty ) by one mr. somerfield , who then lived with sir thomas rous , and generously restored it to the poor man , now alive at wick near pershore in worcestershire , although at the fight supposed to be dead : being , after the wounds given him , drag'd up and down the field by the merciless souldiers ; mr. baxter approving of the inhumanity , by feeding his eyes with so bloody , and so barbarous a spectacle . i thomas jennings , subscribe to the truth of this narrative abovementioned ; and have hereunto put my hand and seal this second day of march 1682. thomas jennings . signed and sealed , march 2. 1682. in the presence of john clark , minister of wick , thomas dacke . published by george vernon , minister . the like was before published by roger l'strange . answ. i do not think major iennings knowingly made this lye , but was directed by some bodies report , and my sending him the medal . i do solemnly protest , 1. that , to my knowledge , i never saw major iennings : 2. that i never saw man wound , hurt , strip , or touch him : 3. that i never spake a word to him , much less any word here affirmed : 4. that i neither took the picture from about his neck , nor saw who did it : 5. that i was not in the field , when it was done : 6. that i walked not among any wounded or dead ; nor heard of any kild , but the one man before-mentioned . 7. that the picture was never got from me with difficulty . but that this is the truth : the parliament had a few men in longford house , and the king at lyndsel , about a mile and a half a-sunder ; who used oft to skirmish , and dare each other in the fields between : my innocent father being prisoner at lyndsel , and i being at longford , resolved not to go thence till he was delivered . i saw the souldiers go out , as they oft did , and in another field discerned them to meet and fight : i knew not , that they had seen iennings ; but , being in the house , a souldier shewed a small medal of guilt silver , bigger than a shilling ; and told us , that he wounded iennings , and took his coat , and took that medal from about his neck : i bought it of him for 18. d. no one offering him more . and some years after ( the first time that i heard where he was , freely desired mr. somerfield to give it him from me , that had never seen him ; supposing it was a mark of honour , which might be useful to him . and now all these lies , are all the thanks that ever i had . iii. the observator , n. 96. saith , [ tor. who saith , they ( the presbyterians ) brought in the king , besides your self ? wh. mr. hunt , the author of the conformists plea , mr. baxter and who not ? tor. prethee ask mr. baxter , if he knows who it was , that went with five or six more of his own cloth and character , to general monk , upon his coming up to london , in 1659 ; and finding a great deal of company with him , told his excellency , that he found his time was precious , and so would not trouble him with many words : but as they were of great weight , so he hoped , they would make an answerable impression on him : i hear a report , sir , ( saith he ) that you have some thoughts of calling back the king ; but it is my sense , and the sense of these gentlemen here with me , that it is a thing you ought not to do on any termes : for prophanness is so inseparable from the royal party , that if ever you bring the king back the power of godliness will most certainly depart from this land. answ. dr. manton ( and whether any other , i remember not ) went once with me to general monk , and it was to congratulate him ; but with this request , that he would take care , that debauchery and contempt of religion might not be let loose , upon any mens pretence of being for the king , as it already began with some to be . but there was not one word by me spoken , ( or by any one , to my remembrance ) against his calling back the king , nor any of the rest here adjoyned ; but as to me , it is a meer fiction . and the king was so sensible of the same that i said , that he sent over a proclamation against such men , as while they called themselves the kings party , did live in debauchery and prophanness ; which proclamation so rejoyced them that were after nonconformists , that they read it publickly in the churches . such gross falshoods as these , are part of the evil deprecated . as to his question , whether the presbyterians brought in the king ? who can affirm or deny any thing of equivocal words ? a presbyterian is , who these men will call such . they that in the face of the world deny the publick acts of three kingdoms , in the age , they were done in , no wonder if they multiply the grossest lies of such as i. the parties that restored the king , were these ; 1. the excluded members of the long parliament , the ministers that were since silenced ; and the frustrated endeavours of the scotch armies , and sir george booth , sir thomas middleton , joyning with some of the kings souldiers , prepared mens minds to it . 2. general monke , and his army , who were fighting against the king a little before , repres● cromwels army . 3. the long-parliament members restored , agreed to dissolve themselves , and set up a council to call home the king. 4. sir thomas allen , lord mayor , and the aldermen , invited general monk into the city , who joyning with him , turned the scales . 5. the city ministers ( called presbyterians ) perswaded the lord mayor to this , and wrote to monks colonels ( called presbyterians ) to be for the king : ( specially mr. ash , by mr. calamy's counsel . ) 6. the lord mazarine , lord broghil , and others of the same party in ireland , contributed their help ; and colonel bridges , with others , surprized dublin castle . 7. many of the old parliament men openly provoked gen ' monk , and secretly perswaded and treated with him , to bring in the king ( whom the earl of anglesey , the earl of shaftsbury , and others yet living , can name to you . ) 8. the parliament called by general monk , ( by agreement with the long-parliament , ) accounted mostly of the same party , voted the kings return : which no doubt also , the old royalists most earnestly desired , and endeavoured . this is the historical truth ; which if in this age , men will deny , i will bear any lies that they shall say or swear of me . now , either the foresaid armies , parliament men , ministers , &c. were presbyterians , or not . if they were not ; then , 1. say no more , that it was presbyterians that raised war against the king ; but that it was the episcopal men , if these were such . 2. why then have you called them presbyterians so long , and do so still ? but if they were presbyterians , then it was such that restored the king. but alas , how contemptible , yea , how odious is truth grown to this generation ! iv. there is yet a more famous historian , than any of these , though unnamed ; who pretending to militate after dr. stillingfleet , as in a 2d . part against separation , takes on him to give you the history of my life . partly making it my reproach , that when i grew to understanding , i remembred how many drunken or ignorant readers had been my teachers : partly raking up retracted and obliterated passages of old writings ; while at once they perswade me to reviews and retractations : partly heaping up abundance of down right falshoods : partly clipping sentences , and leaving out the part that should make them understood , and turning true words , by perversion , into falshoods : and partly by mixing this known truth , [ that i was on the parliaments side , and openly declared it . ] but when at the new model , i saw that they changed their cause , i changed my practice , & was from the day that i went into the army , a resolved opposer of all that they did , to the changing of the government , & their vsurpation ; & was sent among them to that end ; which was immediately after naseby fight : and continued openly disowning the usurpation , and the means that set it up . and though i was preaching and writing against the said usurpers , when an army was fighting for them , against the king , and the king knew how to forgive and honour them , that did so much to his restoration ; yet are the accusers so far from forgiving those that never personally hurt a man , that they forbear not multiplying false accusations ; yea , and accusing those ministers , and private men that never had to do with wars : yea , the same men that then wrote against me for the changers and usurpers , have since been the fierce accusers of us , that opposed them . and if these men be unsatisfyed of my present judgment , i have no hope of giving them satisfaction , if all will not do it , which i have largely written in my second plea for peace , for loyalty , and against rebellion ; and all my confutation of hcoker's politicks , in the last part of my christian directory ; with much more . but this book must have ( if any ) a peculiar answer . v. lately , when i taught my hearers , that we must not make the world believe , that we are under greater sufferings , than we are , nor be unthankful for our peace , and that we must when any hurt us , love and forgive them , and see that we fail not of our duty to them ; but not forsake the owning , and just defending by scripture-evidence the truth opposed . they printed , that i bid the people resist , and not stand still , and dye like dogs . and i was put the next day to appeal to many hundred hearers , who all knew , that the accusation was most impudent lies . this is our present case . vi. the players , i hope , expect no answer to their part. london , printed for r. ianeway , in queens-head-alley , in pater-noster-row , 1682. one sheet against the quakers by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a26979 of text r13573 in the english short title catalog (wing b1334). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 40 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a26979 wing b1334 estc r13573 12389489 ocm 12389489 60961 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26979) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60961) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:16) one sheet against the quakers by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 13 p. printed by robert white for nevil simmons ..., london : 1657. reproduction of original in british library. eng society of friends -controversial literature. a26979 r13573 (wing b1334). civilwar no one sheet against the quakers· by richard baxter. baxter, richard 1657 7677 7 0 0 0 0 0 9 b the rate of 9 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-09 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion one sheet against the quakers . by richard baxter . london , printed by robert white , for nevil simmons , book-seller , in kederminster , anno dom. 1657. one sheet against the quakers . the lamentable ignorance and ungodliness of too many of the common people , and the pride and self-conceitedness of many professors of godlyness , and the weakness , unsettledness and giddiness of others , doth give advantage to all sorts of hereticks and deceivers to make their attempts with hope of success . and to our wonder , grief , and shame we see , that scarce any of them are so grosly unreasonable and vile , but they get some followers in most places where they come : and when this wind ariseth to try our congregations , and neighbours , the light , unstable , chassie professors are carried away . and though one sect have carried away some of them , and another hath risen and condemned that , and carried away more ; and another and another have done the like by them ; yet still the next sect that riseth up , is as confident that they are in the right , and as zealously vent their own conceits , and condemn all others , as if they had never been warned by the examples of so many before them , whose confidence hath left them in contempt , like prognosticators , wizards and false prophets , that will be bold to prophesie of uncertain events , though so many of their predecessors have lest their names to the derision of posterity ; we cannot wonder therefore , if among other sects , the quakers ( with their german brethren , the paracelsians , behmenists , and seekers ) do step in and take their turns in the game ; who will come down with greater shame then most that have gone before them , when they have plaid their part . the man that will stand safe , and look on the folly and misery of all these sects , with prudence to his own advantage , must be a sincere catho●●ck christian , saved from infidelity and impiety : having one god , one mediator between god and man , one holy spirit ; being a member of that one catholick church , which is not confined to the sect of papists , or the sect of anabaptists , or any sect , but containeth all the true christians in the world , though some parts of it be reformed and pure , and others more deformed and corrupt : having one catholick rule , the word of god ; and a catholick love to all christians in the world , with a care and desire of their welfare , proportionable to their several degrees of loveliness , being my self a member of this catholick church , and finding my self on the rock which the gates of hell shall not prevail against , the security of my station encourageth me the more boldly to do my part in defending the cause of god , against the assaults of all these deluded ones ; and particularly the quakers . and if any man find in himself the least temptation to like of their way , i shall here give him those reasons in a little room that move me to conceive , that no christian , or reasonable man , should be a quaker , or approve of , or excuse their way . reason 1. the quakers ( with the seekers ) deny and revile the church and ministers of christ , and yet cannot tell us of any church or ministry which is indeed the right , and to be preferred before these that they do despise . if the quakers are of no church themselves , they are no christians ; and then they are infidels , atheists or heathens . if they be of the church , let them tell us which is the church that they are of . they renounce the church that we are of : and that is the only church on earth , containing all true believers in christ . they have not told us of any sect but their own , which they take to be the true church : and he that takes the quakers to be the only catholick church , must deny the church and christ himself , if he understand what he saith . for the quakers are but of a few years standing : they rose from among the papists , seekers , ranters , and anabaptists but a while ago . and if christ had not a catholick church before then , and ever since his ascension , he ceased to be christ in office , the head and saviour of the church : for no church , no saviour ; no body , no head : no school , no teacher : no kingdom , no king : no wife , no husband . so that its all one to say , that the quakers have made a new catholick church , when there was none before ; and to say , they have made a new christ , where was no christ before . this argument the papists abuse upon false suppositions ; but it is only the catholick that can make just advantage of it , and may better ask the papists , [ where was your roman catholick church before 400. or 500. or 600. years after christ ? ] then they can ask us , [ where was your church before luther : ] where there were visible societies of christians , there was a visible church . i dare not be of so narrow a catholick church as the papal is , much less as the quakers or any upstart sect ; i profess my self a member of a far wider catholick church then all of them set together ; in which i hope to live and die . reason 2. no wise man can be a quaker , because their religion is an uncertain thing ; and so is not that religion that must save us . the things that they agree in , besides the furious opposition of others , are but a few broken scraps of doctrine , which they never yet set together , as making the substance of their faith : i never met with man that heard of any sum or body of their divinity , faith or religion , which they have published : no not so much as in catechism , or short confession : nor did i ever hear that one of their speakers did ever recite the substance of their belief . if they know not yet the contents of their own religion , they are too blame to be so zealous for it , and thrust that upon others , which they know not themselves : and well may we stay till they know it better , before we become their followers for we know not what . the christian faith is known long ago , even this 1600 years , and more . if they say that they wait till the spirit revealeth it ; i answer , the spirit hath revealed and sealed the christian faith long ago : though it must transcribe it out of the scripture into the heart of every believer . the spirit is not given now to make us a new religion , or new gospel , gal. 1. 8 , 9. but to cause us to believe and receive the old one . i abhor any gospel or religion that was not made 1600. years ago at least . if they look for a spirit to make them a new religion or belief , they have not , and expect not the christian religion or belief . well , and will any but a mad man let go his christian faith , before he know where to have a better ? or for he knows not what ? shall we turn quakers meerly because they bark and bawl at our religion , ministry and church , before they once tell us where to find a better , or give us so much as a catechism , or confession to tell us what their own religion is , which they would have us to receive ? we know not but the fag-end of it that is yet out of sight , may be so abominable as to shame all the rest ; i am resolved to be of no religion that is kept in the pockets of men , and must not be all made known to the church , as the papists keep things undetermined , to make us new articles of saith ( quoad nos , as they speak ) when they please . reason 3. no man of reason should be a quaker , considering that among those scraps of their religion which is made known , there is so much notorious falshood and ungodliness . it s like to have a good end that hath such a beginning . this falshood and wickedness , cannot soder with saving truth . the very person of jesus christ many of them blaspheme , and speak allegorically and equivocally when they mention his name and nature , and so shew that indeed they are not christians . one of them lately spoke to a christian in these words , [ i deny the god that thou worshippest . ] the scriptures , many of them in my hearing and in others , have denyed to be the rule of faith and life , and the hebrew and greek text they expresly said , they do deny . they reproach the catholick church , and the ministers : they deny many of gods ordinances ; not only the baptism of infants , but of any ; and use not the lords supper : they deprave the doctrine of justification , denying the imputed righteousness of christ , and trusting to that which is in them only : many more such abominations they maintain , which certainly tell us they are not of god . if any man say that all of them are not of these opinions : i answer , what a fair distracted company are they already then , when they are of so many minds , and we are never the nearer knowing what they hold by hearing and reading the sayings of so many ! reason 4. besides their false pernicious doctrines , their practical religion doth much consist in notorious wickedness , injustice and uncharitableness . i shall here instance but in three parts of it . 1. their very preaching and zealous talk is much , if not most of it , malicious prating against gods servants , ( 3 joh. 10. ) and railing accusations and reviling words ; yea lyes and slanders ; impudently charging that upon the ministers of christ , which they have not so much as a reasonable pretence to accuse them of . there is scarce a scold heard among us in seven years time , that useth so many railing words to the basest that they quarrel with , as these people will use familiarly in their religious exercises against the faithful servants of christ . nay i have had more railing language from one of them in one letter , then i ever heard from all the scolds in the countrey to my remembrance this twenty years . and no servant of christ who hath learnt of him to be meek and lowly , can believe ( if he be well in his wits ) that this is the language of the spirit of christ . he that being himself reviled , reviled not again , 1 pet. 2. 23. and hath commanded us not to eat with a railer , 1 cor. 5. 11. and hath given such an odious character of such , 2 pet. 2. 10 , 11 , 12. jude 8 , 9 , 10 , &c. will hardly own them for his best servants . if we may judge what countrey men are of by their language , these are not of heaven , nor fellow-citizens with the saints , that so reproach and rail at saints . and it is the more impious in that they entitle god to it , and think they do him service , by reviling his servants : yea , and abuse the phrases of scriptures to it ; as if they might call such by any names which god hath called the worst of men by ; even dogs , wolves , greedy dogs and hirelings , children of the devil , and enemies of all righteousness , hypocrites , devils , with abundance such . 2. they break the fifth commandment by open dishonouring of magistrates and ministers , and impenitently justifie themselves in all . they will not only deny civil honour to the magistrate , but revile him if he displease them . their language is like the rebellious followers of corah , numb. 16. 3. ye take too much upon you — wherefore list ye up your selves above the congregation of the lord ? ] 3. many of them live idly and disorderly , going up and down the countrey , and living on the bread of others , and not working with their hands , contrary to 2 thes. 3. 6 , 11. reason 5. the worst of all is , that they behave themselves like malignant enemies to the very cause , and church , and gospel , and servants of jesus christ . and if they be of the serpentine brood , they cannot be the only servants of christ sure . most of them that i have seen , have an altered countenance , looking upon every man that they suspect to be a minister or a friend to the ministry , with such detestation and hatred , as if malice it self had chosen their faces to demonstrate its complexion in . their very design , religion and work , is , to make the people hate the ministers and revile them as they do , as if this were a mark of a converted man . and besides this ministry ( as much as they revile them ) who have we to carry on the work of the gospel ? a mean wit may easily see what would come of the gospel , and of the church , and the souls of men , if the ministry were hated , rejected or cast out . doth it go well with any nation on earth without them ? name me the place . will the gospel be propagated without preachers ? or have you better enough if all these were down ? where be they ? that we may see and know them . he that would destroy the commanders , and magistrates , is like to be an enemy to the army and the common-wealth . they take the same course against the church and cause of god , as the malicious enemies in all ages have done ; even to oppose the best and painfullest ministers . such as the heathens tormented , and the papists burnt , and others silenced , these men choose out to vilifie and oppose . mark when they come to any town , whether they do not ten times more oppose the ministers that spend themselves in private and publick labours against sin , then they do the most ignorant or vicious men . cannot we see whose servants they are , when we see who they fight against , even the choicest servants of christ ! it is a wonderful thing that even malignant enemies shall be thought to be christs only servants by any that know what it is to serve him , or what an enemy differeth from a friend . reason 6. moreover that part of the quakers peculiar religion , which consisteth not in errour and malignant impiety , is very much of it made up of childish unreasonable fopperies . when they have called me dog and devil , and abundance of such names , and i have asked them what was my fault ? forsooth , it was that i was called master , that i stood above the people in a pulpit , that i preached by an hour-glass , that i preacht by doctrine , and use , and such like . and doth the christian religion consist in such ridiculous accusations as these ? doth god lay mens salvation upon an hour-glass , or a pulpit , or being called master ? little do i care what they call me , or where i stand , so i may but be heard : or whether i have glass or clock . as for the grounds of these silly cavils , i have shewed in [ the quakers catechism ] how weak they are . christ doth no more forbid the title of [ master ] then of [ father ] or then [ sitting in the uppermost seat ] as you may see in mat. 23. and seriously would these wise men have no man called father , or sit uppermost ? it is the proud affectation of honour , and the abuse of it that christ doth forbid , and not the thing ; when he hath made it the first commandment with promise , that children ( and so all subjects and inferiours ) must honour their parents and superious in the lord . see what a difference there is between this sort of prophetical people , and the antient prophets and apostles of christ . the apostles of christ did preach up faith , and hope , and love , and a kingdom consisting in righteousness and peace , and joy in the holy ghost , and not in meats or drinks , circumcision or uncircumcision . but see now a new generation of preachers ; and what is their message ? i am ashamed to mention it . they go about the world to preach down hour-glasses , and pulpits , and tithes , and the title of master ; do you think that the salvation of the world doth lie upon this doctrine ? they come to preach down ribbons , and lace , and points , and cuffs : o glorious and excellent doctrine , for children to make sport with ! reason 7. moreover their malignity doth blind them to make that the principal cause of their rage and revilings against the ministry , which is plainly agreeable to the will of god , and necessary to the churches good . the principal sin which we must be hated , reproached and cast out for , is , that we take either tithes or other set maintenance . and where is this forbidden ? they liken us to the covetous priests among the jews who neglected the work of the lord , and looked every one for his gain from his quarters : and do they believe that god was then against paying tithes , or that this was the sin of those priests that they took tithes ? let them read mal. 3. 8 , 9 , 10. and judge , and be ashamed [ will a man rob god ? yet ye have robbed me . but ye say , wherein have we robbed thee ? in tithes and offerings . ye are cursed with a curse , for ye have robbed me , even this whole nation . bring ye all the tithes into the store-house , that there may be meat in my house , and prove me now herewith , saith the lord , if i will not open the windows of heaven , and pour you out a blessing . ] and christ himself saith of them that ●ithed mint and annise , [ these things ought ye to have done , and not to leave the other undone , mat. 23. 23. ] and paul saith , 1 cor. 9. 6 , 7 , 11 , 12 , 13. [ have not we power to forbear working ? who goeth a warfare any time at his own charge ? who planteth a vineyard , and eateth not of the fruit thereof ? or who feedeth a flock , and eateth not of the milk of the flock ? say i these things as a man ? or , saith not the law the same also ? — if we have sown to you spiritual things , is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things ? do ye not know that they which minister about holy things , live of the things of the temple ; and they which wait at the altar , are partakers with the altar ? even so hath the lord ordained , that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel . ] god ordaineth it , and the quakers make a new religion of railing at it . the law of the land ordaineth it : and god bids every soul be subject to the higher powers , and saith , the resisters receive to themselves damnation , rom. 13. and yet the quakers expect salvation by resisting . the tenths are the churches , and not the peoples : and god saith , thou shalt not steal : and yet the quakers make a religion of teaching the people to steal or defraud others of the tenths . in the apostles daies men sold all and devoted it to god , and laid it down at the apostles feet ; but now we ask not men for a penny , they are taught by the quakers to deny those tenths which be none of their own ; forgetting that a●anias and sapphira were struck dead , for retaining half their own , when they had devoted it to god and the church . but i have said enough of this to them in two books already , viz. the defence of the worcestershire petition , and the quakers catechism . reason 8. the quakers way is too cruel and uncharitable to be the way of god . they damn the most humble , holy , faithful servants of god ; to whom god hath promised salvation . all the ministers and churches of christ that adhere to the ministry , they pronounce them , children of the devil : and as soon as they do but hear a man speak for the ministry , though they know nothing of his life , they can presently tell that he is an hypocrite and child of the devil ; so quick and sagacious they are in damning men , as if they were as forward to it as christ to save , and pleased as much in cursing , as good men in blessing . yea they must venture into the throne of god , and ordinarily take on them to know mens hearts , to judge them hypocrites . those that dwell and walk with god , and have lain longer at his feet in prayers and tears , then any of them , and walk in uprightness in the midst of a malicious world , and spend themselves in the work of god ; even these must be damned at a word by a boy or wench that 's but a quaker , as confidently as if god had bid them speak it . and thus they repeal the gospel it self , the ground of our salvation , which saith , that whosoever believeth shall not perish . reason 9. after all their sins , they most impudently pretend to a sinless perfection . they are not content that we allow of a perfection in kind , which is our sincerity , or a perfection of parts , which is our integrity , or a perfection of eminency or high degree : all these we do allow of ; and we desire an absolute sinless perfection , and confess it is our commanded duty . but they maintain that many of them are without sin altogether . though james saith , in many things we offend all , james 3. 2. and john saith [ if we say that we have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us : if we say that we have not sinned , we make him a lyar , and his word is not in us , 1 john 1. 8 , 10. and christ saith , that the whole have no need of the physitian , but the sick , mat. 9. 12. so that by this you may see that the quakers suppose themselves to have no need of christ , and so the word and truth is not in them . they dare say it seems , to god or to the redeemer , we will not be beholden to thee for the patdon of any more sin , or for the blood of christ to that end . they will not say , forgive us our trespasses : for what need they a christ and pardon that have no sin ? and thus they suppose themselves to be in heaven already ! for if they are perfect and sinless , what 's that but a great part of heaven ? and how is it that they have not the beatifical vision , and be not with the angels ! for what can hinder them but sin ? nay it seems , they take themselves to be as perfect as christ himself . for what can they have more then a sinless perfection ? and see here what an unhumbled people these are that dare think so highly of themselves ; and how shameless , to boast of finless perfection , even with railing and other sin in their mouths , or open in their practices and doctrine . reason 10. and in this and many other doctrines , they do so openly comply with the papists , that we may plainly see that the jesuites and fryers are their leaders . this hath been proved by many confessions , as i have shewed elsewhere . the papists make the scripture a dead letter , no sufficient rule of faith , or judge of controversies ; and so do they . the papists cry down our church and ministry , and so do they . the jesuites cry up free-will and sufficient grace to all , and a common sufficient light , and so do they . the papists do extenuate imputed righteousness , in setting up inherent : and so do they . the papists place most in external abstinence , and observances , and seeming austerity ; and so do they . the papists say the pope is not the antichrist ; and so do they . the papists say that they can keep all gods commandments , and have a sinless perfection ; and so do they . many other of their doctrines they maintain . so that you may easily conjecture , that quakers do but prepare you to be either papists or open infidels , at last . reason 11. their doctrines are self-contradictory , and therefore they cannot be of god . they say that all men have a sufficient light within them . and yet they go up and down preaching with great zeal and violence . and what do they preach ? is it light or darkness ? if darkness , who would have such preachers ? if light , what needless labour is this , when all men have sufficient light already ? and they will revile the ministers as blind guides , and tell their people they are all in darkness , and the way to damnation ? and yet all have sufficient light within them ? if all , why not the ministers , and their people ? are not they men ? reason 12. consider also how suitable their doctrine is to the interest and pleasure both of the papists and the devil ? when they damn all the ministers and churches of christ , how can they please the devil better ? o what would he give them that this were but true ? now the kings of france and spain are striving for part of italy or flanders ; if you say , this countrey is all the king of spains , and none of it the kings of france , is not this for the interest of spain ? so christ and the devil are striving about the souls of men , and you step in and say of almost all the church of christ , yea of the most eminent godly christians , [ all these are hypocrites , and the children of the devil ] is not this for the devils interest , and are you not the patrons of his cause against christ ? and if you do but unchurch all the reformed churches , the papists will give you a see . reason 13. the doctrine and practice of the quakers is contrary to the experience and holy nature of the saints . they have found a renewing light and life by this scripture and ministry which the quakers make so light of . they tell our people , that our ministry doth no good , and none are the better for it : which the experience of many thousands doth confute , who can say as the man in john 9. 25. one thing i know , that whereas i was blind , now i see . ] moreover , the christians nature containeth in it a catholick love to all the saints , and they honour them that fear the lord , psal. 15. 4. and therefore it is quite against their holy nature to damn and reproach the saints , and call them the children of the devil ; and to dishonour and spit in the faces of them that are their fathers or guides in christ , that watch for their souls as men that must give an account , 1 thes. 5. 12. heb. 13. 17. they cannot be so barbarously ungrateful , and so rebellious . reason 14. the quakers are unlikely to be better then other men , seeing they are so notoriously proud . pride is an high esteem of our selves , with a desire to be highly esteemed by others . and this they manifest openly without all shame : some may take them to be humble that judge by their cloaths and crying down high titles . but alas it is a childish pride to be proud of fine cloathes . this is too low a game for them to play . the greater the matter is that men are proud of , usually the greater is their pride : it is the supposed spirit of god , and extraordinary holiness and inspiration and abilities that they are proud of . do you need any proof ? how could the devil himself shew pride more notoriously ? when they proclaim themselves perfect without sin ; can they yet think highlier of themselves , or speak highlier of themselves , then this ? what is proud boasting if this be not ? and when they pretend to know mens hearts , which is the prerogative of god ; and to speak by inspiration : when they condemn almost all the church of god , and vilifie the holyest of his people ; as if they should say , [ stand by ; we are more holy then you ; you are all ungodly in comparison of us ] when they revile the ablest godly ministers , as if they said , [ come down thou deceiver ; thou ignorant man , thou hypocrite , thou dog ; and let us be the speakers that can do it far better then thou ; that are more understanding , holy , self-denying and sincere . ] is not one half of this their ordinary speech , and the other half their practice , when they set up themselves to speak in the stead of ministers , yea and proclaim their own goodness to the world ? i confess i never saw greater appearance of pride in men . reason 15. they plainly discover a persenting spirit . for what man can in reason think but that they that run up and down the world to bring the ministry into hatred , and call them greedy dogs and devils , and judge them to damnation , and call on the magistrates and people to cast them out as dung , would quickly use them thus themselves , if it were in their power ? will they perswade others with such exceeding pains and zeal to that which they would not do themselves ? and they that so damn our godly hearers , would not they persecute them also : i confess i make no doubt of it , but if they had power , many of them would do more then silence the ministry , even persecute them to death as their ancestors have done . reason 16. what reasonable man would turn quaker that seeth the common fruit of their doctrine ? what good do they where they come ? but make people hare both godly teachers and people whom they loved ? and doubtless love is christs work and sheep-mark ; and envy , strife and hatred is the devils . they break people into divisions , and set them a reviling , and cast their spirite into a malicious mould and tincture of bitterness , and bring in confusion and abominable error : and to say that this wisdom is from above is to glory and lye against the truth : no , it it earthly , sensual , devilish . for the wisdom from above is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , easie to be entreated , &c. jam. 3. 13 , 14 , 15 , 17. the fruit of their labour is to make some silly professors turn malignant enemies of the church , and to shew themselves humble , to cast off some points or lace , and wander about the country , and at last many of them fall into distraction . reason 17. and it s no great encouragement to us to turn qua●ers , when we consider who are their followers and society that make all this ado in the world . very few experienced , humble , so●er christians , that ever i heard of that turn to them ? but its the young raw professors , and women , and ignorant ungrounded people that were but novices and learners in the principles , and such as are notorious for self-conceitedness and pride , being wise in their own eyes . and most of all these that ever i heard of , were anabaptists or the members of some such sect , that by their division and errour were prepared before . reason 18. so that t is an evident judgement of god upon those people that turn quakers ; and a punishment for their former sin . because they received not the truth in the love of it , that they might be saved , god giveth them up to believe a lye , 2 thes. 2. 10 , 11. because they were false to the light revealed , and unprofitable under precious helps , and proudly disobeyed and slighted their faithful guides , god giveth them up as a prey to these devourers : and who would choose that for his religion , which is nothing but a dreadful judgement of god upon proud , dividing , self-conceited , ignorant men , especially of the anabaptists ? reason 19. they are already in divisions among themselves , as few as they are : as the contention between naylor and his followers , and fox and his followers , and others of them shew . reason 20. and to make all their delusion a more odious wickedness , they father it upon the holy ghost , and would perswade the world that they speak all their most wicked speeches by his inspiration or command : and say [ thus saith the lord : ] and [ the spirit of god within me saith thus or thus . ] o horrible impiety ! when they dishonour the very word of god , the righteousness , yea the ●erson of christ , they say , god bids them do it , and indite all as from the spirit of the lord , when they speak against the doctrine of the spirit . they cry down the union and love of the saints , and the ministers and ordinances of christ , and say , the spirit bids them do it . when they pronounce damnation against gods church or holy servants to whom christ hath promised salvation , and the spirit sealed it , yet do they prophanely make the holy ghost the author of their wickedness . i think there 's not a whore or thief , or swearer in the town or country , but might as justly say , the holy ghost commandeth them to whore , or steal , or swear . yea when some of them preach another gospel , they father it on the spirit : when paul saith , if an angel from heaven preach other gospel then had been preached , he should be accursed , gal. 18. reason 21. the quakers themselves renounce ( in words ) the ranters and the papists , as a deluded sort : but the ranters and papists hold the substance or greatest part of the quakers doctrine , in which they differ from us . yea the ranters did fall into trances as they do ; and spoke just as they against the ministry and scripture : yea the drunkards and all prophane ungodly malignants cry out against the same ministers , and same exercises and ordinances , and same churches and godly people as the quakers do . now let any man judge that hath not forsworn all wit and reason , whether it be likely that the holy ghost would inspire a generation of new prophets , to acquaint them with the same points , which ranters , papists , and drunkards knew before , and could have taught them without the spirit ? or whether the same point be heavenly in a quaker , and hellish in a ranter , papist or drunkard ? and whether the quakers have not condemned themselves in condemning these sects that hold their opinions ? and whether it be likelyer that ranters , drunkards and all malignants , or the holy and faithful ministers and people of christ should in these points be in the right ? reason 22. and if i had any cause to be weary of the christian catholick reformed religion , what reason have i to turn quaker any more then to any other sect ? why not to the sect of papists as well ? or to the anabaptists , or the antinomians , or libertines , or familists , or socinians , or such like ? how do they prove that they are more in the right then all these ? what do they bring to satisfie a wise man that they only among all these and many other sects are in the right ? reason 23. moreover , the way by which they prevail , is not by producing any evidence : for they renounce that , and offer you all on the authority of the spirit within them ; and therefore they must prove that authority , and their revelations and divine mission by miracles , or such supernatural means , before any reasonable man can believe them : unless you will believe every man that saith , he is sent of god . i have askt them to shew their commission from god , or prove that he sent them , and not one of them would ever do it , but tell me i was blind , and he had the witness in himself : but why must i believe him that saith this more then other men ? can i see the witness in him ? he must be a witness to me if he will have credit . the ministers of christ do not call you to receive their doctrine upon the authority of themselves or their own mission , but of the apostles and their mission , from whom they prove they had it , and who sealed it with miracles long ago : and therefore whether we were ministers or no , you have reason to believe us , when we prove our doctrine to be from god , as delivered by apostles in scripture , and sealed by the spirit : but quakers that give us their doctrine on a new authority within them ( and so behmenists , paraceisians and all enthusiasts ) and papists that give it us on their own authority as above or before the scripture authority , these are bound to prove their pretended authority by miracles , if they will be believed by wise men that love their salvation . and we see that it is by the novelty , and the seriousness and earnestness of speech , and threatning hell to poor people , that frightneth-in their followers to them , and not by evidence of truth . i have urged many of them to name one truth which the quakers held , but what we hold as well as they : and i could never yet hear of any one . reason 24. lastly , they teach but such like doctrines , and take the like course as many of the antient hereticks did ( of whom epiphanius , irenaeus , and other antients will give you a full account . ) presently after the apostles daies just such hereticks as these arose and troubled the church : and they brought themselves to shame by their wickedness , folly and division , and god was still against them , and brought them to confusion ! and so all along through most ages have they sped , even down to the david-georgians , wegelians , familists , aad the like of late . and shall we play an old game as if it were a new one , where all have sped so ill before ? and shall we run our selves into the fire , which hath consumed such heresies through former ages ? to conclude , as i am sure it is not an unwillingness to be informed , but the knowledge of their gross deceits , that hath caused me to oppose the quakers ; so i beseech all young and raw professors , to consider impartially of these 24 reasons ; and withall to bethink themselves , 1. what a doleful case it is that professors of religion should be so ignorant , loose and unstable ; and god and his word should have no more hold of them , but that any confident sect that riseth up shall presently carry them away , even with non-sense , or that which a child might see through ? o what a shame is this to your profession ? 2. what an heavy judgement is it to your selves to be self-condemned and self-divided from the church , tit. 3. 10 , 11. and carried away as chaff with every wind of doctrine , ephes. 4. 14. and to prove rotten in a day of tryal ! know you not that heresies must arise , that those that are approved may be made manifest ? 1 cor. 11. 19. 3. would you not turn jews and infidels , and renounce christ himself , if you had but some body to ●ry you ? it s most likely that you would . for an infidel can put a far greater shew of reason upon his cause , in opposing christ , then these quakers have yet put on theirs ! well sirs , as ever you would stand fast and be saved , 1. see that you be serious christians , and true to the light received ; and prepare not by unholy hearts and lives , to be forsaken of god . 2. stick close to the word of god . 3. and to a faithful ministry ; and obey their doctrine . 4. and to the unity and catholick peace of the church . 5. and to the communion of saints . 6. and to the spirit which still concur's with these . sept. 5. 1657. finis . the judgment and advice of the assembly of the associated ministers of vvorcester-shire held at worcester, aug. 6th 1658 concerning the endeavours of ecclesiasticall peace, and the waies and meanes of christian unity, which mr. john durey doth present, sent unto him in the name, and by the appointment of the aforesaid assembly / by richard baxter ... associated ministers of worcester-shire. assembly (1658 : worcester, worcestershire) this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a26942 of text r5355 in the english short title catalog (wing b1288). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 27 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a26942 wing b1288 estc r5355 12318930 ocm 12318930 59433 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26942) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59433) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:5) the judgment and advice of the assembly of the associated ministers of vvorcester-shire held at worcester, aug. 6th 1658 concerning the endeavours of ecclesiasticall peace, and the waies and meanes of christian unity, which mr. john durey doth present, sent unto him in the name, and by the appointment of the aforesaid assembly / by richard baxter ... associated ministers of worcester-shire. assembly (1658 : worcester, worcestershire) baxter, richard, 1615-1691. dury, john, 1596-1680. [8] p. printed for t. underhill ... and f. tyton ..., london : 1658. signed by richard baxter and 5 others. reproduction of original in harvard university libraries. eng concord -early works to 1800. a26942 r5355 (wing b1288). civilwar no the judgment and advice of the assembly of the associated ministers of vvorcester-shire, held at vvorcester aug. 6th 1658. concerning the en associated ministers of worcester-shire. assembly 1658 4880 6 0 0 0 0 0 12 c the rate of 12 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the judgment and advice of the assembly of the associated ministers of vvorcester-shire , held at worcester aug. 6th 1658. concerning the endeavours of ecclesiasticall peace , and the waies and meanes of christian unity , which mr john durey doth present ; sent unto him in the name , and by the appointment of the aforesaid assembly . by richard baxter pastor of the church at kederminster . london . printed for t. vnderhill at the anchor and bible in pauls church-yard , and f. tyton at the three daggers in fleet-street , 1658. the judgement and advice of the assembly of the associated ministers of worcester-shire . our deare and reverend brother . vpon the receipt of your papers and consideration of the subject , as our hearts were moved with thankfulness to god , that hath given you so great a desire after the peace of the churches , and so much patience in the labours and travels of so many years , for the obtaining of it ; so we must needs resent it ; as a thing that should melt our hearts within us , that ever there should need so much adoe , and that among christians , yea the leaders of christs flock , to bring them to so clear and great a duty ; much more that after all such labours , there is no more done . for our selves , as far as we can understand your desires , we conceive that it is in three particulars , that our return must answer theirs . first , in giving you our thoughts of the designe in generall . secondly , in telling you our thoughts of the disease and cure more particularly . and lastly , in offering you our correspondence for the time to come , for the contributing our utmost assistance to the work . x. and for the first , there 's little needfull to be said . the designe doth so evidently bear the name of the prince of peace , and answer the precepts of his gospell , and the workings of his spirit in all his saints , and is so happily suited to his interest and to the wellfare of his church , that it pleads sufficiently for it self , and needeth not the testimony of such as we . so blessed a thing is peace , and a holy peace among the members of the body of christ , that the enemies and vioators of it do pretend to it , and none are found that oppose it professedly for it self ; they all flatter it while they fight against it , and betray it with a kisse , and sm●le upon it while they are wounding of it , and extoll it with the highest praises while they destroy it ; condemning themselves by all that they say in its justification : we scarce think that there is a man of all those , where your great unwearied labours have least succeeded , and that are obstinately unpeaceable after all , but will joyn with you in extolling the concord of the churches , and professe their great desires after it , so that they are all fain from their several pretensions to truth to fetch their weapons for the wounding of our peace . for christ hath left it an undeniable principle , that all his members are one body , into which by one spirit we are all baptized , in which even the more feeble and less comely and less honourable parts have their place , receiving a comeliness and honour from the whole , that there may be no schisme in the body , but the members should have the same care one for another , suffering with that which suffereth , and rejoycing with that which is honoured , 1 cor. 12.12 , 13 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26. and the holy ghost hath left it as a certain truth , that of all these members the most charitable is the best , 1 cor. 12.31 . & 13.13 . and that all men must know us to be christs disciples by our loving one another , joh. 13.35 . & 15.17 . that we must thus be followers of god as deare children , and walk in love as christ hath loved us , eph. 5.1 , 2. and ●●●ainly he that loveth god , doth love his brother also , 1 joh. 4.21 . and he is a lyar if he say he loveth god , when he hateth his brother , vers . 20. peace must be followed ( and not only accepted of when offered ) as well as holiness , heb. 12.14 . and that with all men if it be possible , and as much as lieth in us , rom. 12.18 . 1 thes. 5.13 . the weak in faith must be received , but not to doubtfull disputations , rom. 14.1 . and the strong must tolerate their infirmities , not pleasing themselves , but their neighbours for their edification , rom. 15.1 , 2. the light of a multitude of such passages of scripture doth shine so bright in the faces of the unpeaceable , that they were not able to stand before them , if they drew not the veyle of a zeal for some pretended truth over the face of their most unchartiable practices . but the self-appropiated title of orthodox , and the straining of heterodox odious consequents , from their brethrens words , will prove but insufficient fig-leaves to cover the nakedness of uncharitable dividers when the lord of peace shall search and judge them . go on deare brother , and if satan should have leave to hinder your success , yet live and dye in this blessed work , and if you have not more comfort at last , in the revenue of these your pacificatory labours , then self-conceited dividers shall have in their uncharitable waies , then must we confess that we were strangers to the will and waies of christ . the wisdome that is from above is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , easie to be intreated : and the fruite of righteousness is by peace-makers sown in peace : but the wisdome that cherisheth envying and strife descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensuall , ( or naturall ) and devillish : for where envying and strife is , ( though piety and othodox doctrine may be pretended ) yet there is confusion ( or tumultuousness ) and every evill work ; and therefore in pretending to befriend the truth , they do but glory in vain and lye against the truth , and indeed know not what spirit they are of , jam. 3.17 , 18. & 16.15 , 14. xx . and for the second point , the healing of our wounds ! oh that we could as surely accomplish it , as we can all tell what means are necessary thereunto . our work is not to procure a communion between the visible members of christ and of satan , nor a syncretisme with any that hold not all that is essentiall to christianity , or that deny any point of absolute necessity to salvation ; nor yet to draw any to participate with the truest church or saint in any of their sins : nor yet is it our present business to change mens minds from infidelity or heresie to the faith , that so they may be capable of our communion ; nor to change the differing opinions of the churches , which is a thing that we cannot expect at present : but our work is in these three particulars . first , to bring the true churches of christ to understand each other to be true churches . secondly , to procure that internall charity which true christians should have to one another . thirdly , to procure that externall manifestation of this charity , which is their duty , or so much at least as is necessary to our common safety , and the propagation of that truth which all profess . and for the first of these ( which the rest depend upon ) what can we require more of one another , then a profession of the christian faith ; that which we require to prove a single person fit to be a member of the church , i● it that we must require of whole churches , and with which we must be satisfied ; which can be nothing but a profession of christianity , not nullified by contradictory professions or practices . and i hope we are before this agreed what christianity is , and what are the essentials of the faith . all these essentials we do all profess . we all profess to believe the articles of faith contained in the creeds and confessions of the churches , by what test soever a christian or a church was known for man●●undred years after christ , ( till papists and hereticks enlarged or depraved the creeds , ) by the same do we all offer our selves to be tryed , and may easily be known to be professed christians , and ( being united with our pastors for holy communion , ) to be true churches of christ . we all take the holy scriptures for the rule of our faith and lives , and believe it to be the infallible word of god . in this scripture all the essentials of christianity , ( and the integrals too , ) are plainly expressed . this rule is divine , and so our faith is divine . had we but a humane rule , we could have but a humane faith ; if any would know our religion , it is hither that we send them . our confessions are but to satisfie men , of our understanding the sense of passages of scripture : and they are written according to the occasions of their writing , and therefore with diversity ( though not contrariety in any neccessary point , at least ) speaking most to the points that contentions call us to speak most to , we make none of our confessions the rule of our faith . nor do we take any thing in them to be infallible and unalterable , further then it agreeth with the scripture , which is our rule . it hath been the running design of the papists ( vt in conventu thorumi & saepissime ) to draw us to own some other test of our religion : and then they think they may freely dispute against it , and charge it with falsity , novelty , &c. which they dare not charge on the word of god : and they think by this to set us altogether by the ears , while one is for one confession and others for another ; whereas in the scripture we are united . the great cause of our uncharitable censures and divisions , hath been our departing from the antient simplicity of faith , and also from the sufficiency of the holy scriptures to be the rule and test of our faith : and till we return to this scripture sufficiency , and antient simplicity , there is no hope of the antient christian unity and charity , while proud men must thrust their own opinions into the churches creed , or un-church all that hold not such opinions ; our peace with them must be by calming them , and bringing them to themselves , and bearing as far as may be with their infirmity , but not by doing as they do , in lacerating the churches . we know it is here objected by the papists and too many more , that many hereticks will subscribe to all that is in the scriptures , while they misinterpret them , and what 's the consequent . [ therefore a plainer confession is necessary for men to own that will be accounted orthodox . ] we deny the consequence . the scripture is a rule both plain and perfect . a heretick may misinterpret the words of any other confession as well as the words of scripture . the sense of the counsell of trent is not yet agreed on among the papists . the remedy for heresie is not to impose another rule of faith then scripture , ( as if this were insufficient and we could mend it ) but to exercise church government carefully , and if any be proved to teach any doctrine contrary to the scripture , that magistrates and that pastors do their parts to correct such and restrain them . we might not make new confessions or laws when ever wicked men will misinterpret or violate the old ones ; the perfectest law may be broken , and the perfectest confessions misinterpreted . we conclude therefore , that all that subscribe to the holy scriptures , and particularly to all contained in the antient creeds of the church , and in the lords prayer and decalogue , do make so full a profession of christianity , that none may reject them , till they prove by some inconsistent contradiction that indeed they hold not what they do profess . and yet we deny not , but to teach the people , to direct young ministers , to stop the mouths of slanderous adversaries , the confessions of the churches are usefull and to be approved . and ex abundanti to cure the jealousies of disseased mindes , we are all ready in every protestant church to give men a full account of our faith , in plain confessions : but with this protestation , that only the holy scripture is the rule of our faith , and the test of our religion , and that all that is contained in our severall confessions is not essentiall to a christian or a church ; nor will we justifie every term or method of these confessions , as perfect and inculpable ; but as we are certain in the essentials and other points that are plain in scripture , so for the lesser dark points , we are ready to alter any thing of them that can be proved contrary to the scripture which is our rule . the 39 articles were lately the confession of our churches here in england , but now because of too or three articles for ceremonies and prelacy , this confession is laid by ; and not imposed upon any . and what ! have we therefore changed our religion , or are the churches in england , other things and of another faith . no such matter . who will affirm it , that knows what christianity is ? we have the same christ , and the same rule of faith and test of our religion still , and hold the same doctrine which those articles express , though we be not all of a mind in ceremonies . a papist , polydore virgill , truly saith of the protestants , that they are therefore called , evangelici quod haud ullam asseverent recipiendam esse legem , quae ad animarum salutem pertineat , nisi quam christus aut apostoli dedissent . de invent . rer. l. 8. c. 4. p. 410. by the great mercy of god we are all agreed in the authority and verity of the scriptures , and that 's enough in point of profession , to prove us to be of a sound belief : but if we think to centre in any confessions that are not plainly thence extracted , we attempt a difficult and needless work . nothing thefore can be pretended against our faith , ( the rule being so perfect and unquestioned ) unless it be that we nullisie this profession by contradictions , and believe not the scripture while we think we do believe it ; but they that will condemn any church on such an accusation , must first produce their proose , which must not be from the words of a single person , which none are responsable for but himself , but it must be the words of the church it selfe , which they condemn , and it must not be from forced , feigned , or undiscernd consequences , while the church doth expresly assert those truths , which the accusers pretend they do by consequence subvert . such a connexion is there between· theologicall verities , that if no man were a true believer that holdeth any thing consequentially inconsistent with an article of faith , it would be hard to find a believer in the world . secondly , they must in reason admonish the accused church , and hear them speak for themselves , and not reject them till after the first and second admonition , ordinarily ; but if all the enemies of the protestant churches at rome , or hell , should bring forth their evidence to prove them void of the christian belief : ( for we are loath to suppose that there are any such accusers among themselves , ) they would all shame themselves , and leave the churches in possession of their faith ; we can as easily prove that we are christians , as the romanists can that they are papists . 2. and for our second work ( to procure mutuall charity among the churches , ) this is the work of grace which we may and must perswade men to , and leave the blessing to the lord . but we must needs say , that one of the greatest causes of our divisions , is the admitting of graceless unsanctified men into the sacred ministry ; who being meer opinionists in religion , and void of that tender love to the brethren , which is the character of true christians , are easily carried for the sake of their opinions , to condemn and vilifie their brethren , and tear and tread down the churches of christ : whereas if they had ever known themselves , they would have been more compassionate to others ; and would be so jealous of their frail understandings as to be afraid least they condemn themselves , by the terms on which they condemn their brethren : and if ever they had been possessed of the spirit of christ , they would have been taught of god to love the brethren : and withall they would have understood , that denying them to be brethren , will prove a poor excuse for their uncharitableness . and for the third point ( of externall manifestation of this charity ) we conceive that in these severall waies , it s to be done . first , if persons of different judgments in lesser controversies , do live neare together in the same towns or countries ; that they should lovingly joyn together in the same holy assemblies for the worshiping of god . secondly , that if any professing the substance of christianity ; dare not joyn for fear of sin , in the use of any ceremony or doctrine which they are against , they should not thereupon be used uncharitably , but have such liberty as is consistent with the peace and welfare of the churches and commonwealth where they live . thirdly , that the churches of severall nations ( that have not oportunity of locall communion ) do cheerfully acknowledg one another for the true churches of christ , and profess christian love to one another , and a readiness to assist each other to their power , in the common cause . in some , deare brother , we conceive that the means most usefull for the expeditious atteynment of these ends are these two . first , that the churches in every nation do in their synods recognize their own confessions , and also receive the confessions of other churches ; and having considered of both , do send to those churches , whose communion and friendship they desire , a double message : that is , both an acknowledgment of the truth of those churches , with a profession of our brotherly love to them , &c. and also our desire of the like brotherly charity from them to us . to which end we send them the confession of our faith . in order to this it were to be desired , that our common confessions , be in generall the holy scriptures , and more particularly the ancient creeds of the church ; ( if this satisfie not ) a fuller collection of all , and only the essentials , and neer adjoyning points of christianity , and that as much as may be , in the very words of scripture : if this cannot be done for want of time , or concord , then let the present confession of such churches be sent as it is ; but with this profession , that only the word of god is our rule , and if any thing in our confession be found disagreeable to that rule , we are ready when we understand so much , to disown it and correct it . if you get but the churches thus to own each other , and profess their brotherly love and concord , your work is done : some such acknowledgment we should all subscribe . e.g. [ we the servants of jesus christ , representing the churches of christ in england , in our assembly at w. having considered of the confession of the churches of christ in ( e.g. ) saxonie , and heard of their stability in the christian faith , do heartily own them as the true churches of christ , and love them as our dear brethren in the lord , and take it for our duty to pray for them , and praise god on their behalf , and assist them in the common cause , according to our severall capacities and opportunities ; and we earnestly desire the like brotherly love and communion from them , having sent them our confession of faith , and this profession of brotherly love to that end . ] this much of the work is with one side actually , or virtually done already . for we perceive by the papers you sent us , and by the frequent professions of many reformed churches , that they are generally resolved to own the churches called lutherans ; and for our parts we take it as a thing that charity alloweth us not to question ( though in every point we be not of their mindes ) so that on one part the work is done already , and nothing is wanting but a solemn manifestation of it , and an invitation of them to the like charity and communion . secondly , the second part of the work to be done is , that those churches which upon these brotherly invitations , shall reject any neighbour churches , and refuse to own them as brethren , in communion , may be desired ( as we must do with particular members ) to set down in terms , out of their confessions the heresie or other sin that they charge them with , as the cause of their rejection , and hear them speak for themselves , before they judge them ; which if they refuse , we can proceed no further , but commit our cause to god , as we would do against the accusations of any unreasonable men . but if they performe it , we shall , it is like , correct some phrases that offend them , and explaine others , and give them satisfaction ; which one would think none should need : when the question is not [ whether we have any errors ] ( for so have the accusers , and all men on earth ) but , [ whether we are true christians , and churches of christ , ] which nothing but lamentable darkness , or frowardness can cause brethren to deny . the two chiefest expedients to satisfie , or silence all accusations would be first , to reduce our confessions as aforesaid , to scripture and the antient creeds , and to scripture phrase . secondly , and to cause some judicious moderate men to draw up a discourse containing our mutuall agreements , and contracting our differences , and explicating the mistaken points , and shewing how much of the difference is but seeming , how much but verball , and that the reall are but in lesser points , where a difference is tollerable and consistent with christianity and holy communion . some of us think it no hard matter to manifest the disagreements that are most odiously exagitated , to be farre smaller then many on both sides apprehend them . and much is done towards this already , by severall learned pacificators whom , you have excited . xxx . having thus shewed you our thoughts of our work in generall , and in particular , what remains but that we return you our hearty thanks for your great labours and patience for the churches sake , and for communicating your endeavours to us ; who profess that our hearts are much upon this work ; and if at any time you can informe us which way we may be any whit serviceable to the accomplishment of it , we shall very thankfully accept your intimations , and devote our interests and abilities to so blessed a work . in the mean time it shall have our hearty desires and prayers for success ; and so shall all the friends of peace : and you especially ; whose name is hereby made honourable in the churches , and very honourable to your brethren in the faith and patience of the gospell . subscribed in the name , and by the appointment of the assembly of the associated ministers of worcest●r-shire , held at worcester , august . 6th 1658. by us richard baxter , pastor of the church at kederminster . john boraston , pastor of the church at bewdly . thomas wright , pastor of the church at hartlebury . giles collyer , pastor of the church at blockley . george hopkins , pastor of the church at evesham . joseph trebell , pastor of the church at church-lench . deare brother . though our particular associations meet once a moneth , yet our general meeting being but once a quarter , i could no sooner dispatch an answer to your letters . our brethren are thankfull for your great respect in communicating of your papers concerning so sweet and desirable a thing as the concord of the churches . i conceive the way that we have here expressed will be by farre the most expeditious , namely for the most peaceable churches to begin and send to the rest . first , a confession of their faith ▪ ( as much as may be in scripture phrase , that it may make no quarrels , ) and secondly , with it such a profession of brotherhood and communion , as in the formula we have expressed ; and if this be accepted , that we desire a return of the like from them . when this is done , the work is done , ( save only that the recording this by their synods , and improving it by their princes and divines must help forth the fruits of it ) if they deny this , they must be desired to set down in their accusation the reasons on which they deny us their communion : which when we have received , its two to one but we shall , partly by correcting our expressions which offend , and partly by explaining them , and partly by manifesting their mistakes , give some satisfaction . if this way will not do , i think no way will , but princes correction of intemperate divines . we may calmlier thus satisfie them by writings then by confused debates in great assemblies , and you , or i may not hope to live to see an assembly of all or most of the churches for this work . the lord direct , strengthen and prosper you in this blessed work , i rest your unworthy brother richard baxter . august 18th 1658. inscription . to my reverend and much honoured brother mr john durey , preacher of the gospell in london , this deliver . finis . a sermon of iudgement preached at pauls before the honourable lord maior and aldermen of the city of london, dec. 17, 1654 and now enlarged / rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a27038 of text r13294 in the english short title catalog (wing b1408). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 256 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 157 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a27038 wing b1408 estc r13294 13586420 ocm 13586420 100550 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27038) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 100550) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 783:7) a sermon of iudgement preached at pauls before the honourable lord maior and aldermen of the city of london, dec. 17, 1654 and now enlarged / rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [24], 286 p. printed by r.w. for nevil simmons ..., london : 1655. reproduction of original in cambridge university library. eng bible. -n.t. -corinthians, 2nd. -sermons. judgment day -sermons. judgment day -early works to 1800. a27038 r13294 (wing b1408). civilwar no a sermon of iudgement, preached at pauls before the honorable lord maior and aldermen of the city of london, dec. 17. 1654. and now enlarged baxter, richard 1655 49191 219 0 0 0 0 0 45 d the rate of 45 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the d category of texts with between 35 and 100 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-01 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-03 john latta sampled and proofread 2006-03 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a sermon of iudgement , preached at pauls before the honorable lord maior and aldermen of the city of london , dec. 17. 1654. and now enlarged by rich. baxter . rom. 14.12 . every one of you shall give account of himself to god . iohn 5.28 , 29. the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice , and shall come forth : they that have done good , to the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil , to the resurrection of damnation . london , printed by r.w. for nevil simmons bookseller in kidderminster , 1655 to the right honorable christopher pack , lord maior of london ; with the right worshipful aldermen . right honorable beeing desired to preach before you at pauls , i was fain to preach a sermon , which i had preached once before to a poor ignorant congregation in the countrey , having little leisure for study in london . i was glad to see that the more curious stomacks of the citizens did not nauseate our plain countrey doctrine , which i seemed to discern in the diligent attention of the greatest congregation that ever i saw met for such a work : but i little expected that you should have so far esteemed that discours , as to have thought it meet for the view of the world , as i understood by a message from you , desiring it may be printed . i readily obey your will , when it gives me the least intimation of the will of god . it s possible some others may afford it the like favourable acceptance and entertainment . i am sure the subject is as necessa●y as common ; and the plainness makes it the fitter for the ignorant , who are the far greatest number , and have the greatest need . i have added the 9 , 10 , 11 , and 12. heads or common-places , which i did not deliver to you for want of time , and because the rest are too briefly touched ( as contrived for an hours work ) i have enlarged these ; though making them somewhat unsuitable to the rest , yet suitable to the use of those that they are now intended for : the directions also in the end are added . blessed be the father of lights , who hath set up so many burning and shining lights in your city , and hath watered you so plenteously with the rivers of his sanctuary , that you have frequent opportunities for the refreshment of your souls , to the joy of your friends , the grief of your enemies , and the glory of that providence which hath hitherto maintained them , in despight of persecution , heresies and hell ! it was not alwayes so in london : it is not so in all other places , or famous cities in the world : nor are you sure that it will be alway so with you . it doth me good to remember what blessed lights have shined among you , that now are more gloriously shining in a higher sphere : preston , sibbes , stoughton , tayl●r , stock , randal , gouge , gataker , with multitudes more that are now with christ ! it did me good to read in the preface to mr. gatakers funeral sermon , by one of your reverend and faithful guides , what a number of sound and unanimous labourers are yet close at work in that part of christs vineyard ! and it did me good in that short experience and observation while i was there , to hear and see so much of their prudence , unity and fidelity . believe it , it is the gospel of christ that is your glory : and if london be more honorable then other great and famous cities of the earth , it is the light of gods face , and the plenty and power of his ordinances and spirit that doth advance and honour it . o know then the day of you visitation ! three things i shall take leave to propound to your consideration , which i am certain god requireth at your hands . the first is , that you grow in knowledge , humility , heavenlyness and vnity , according to the blessed means that you enjoy . in my eyes ▪ it is the greatest shame to a people in the world , and a sign of barbarousness , or blockishness , when we can hear and read what famous , learned powerful minister such a place , or such a place had , and yet see as much ignorance , ungodlyness , unruliness , and sensuality , as if the gospel had scarce ever been there . i hope it is not thus with you : but i have found it so in too many places in england : we that never saw the faces of their ministers , but have only read their holy labors , have been ready to think , sure there are but few ignorant or ungodly ones in such a congregation ! sure they are a people rich in grace , and eminently qualified above their brethren , who have lived undersuch teaching as this ! at least , sure there can be none left that have an enmity to the fear of god! but when we have come to the towns where such men spent their lives , and laid out their labours , we have found ignorant , sott●sh worldlings , unprofitable or giddy unstable professors , and some haters of godliness among them . o what a shame is this to them in the eyes of wise men ! and what a confounding aggravation of the●r sin before god! thrive therefore and be fruitful in the vineyard of the lord , that it may not repent him that he hath planted and watered you . the second is this ; improve your interest to the utmost , for the continuance of a faithful ministery among you : and when any places are void , do what you can to get a supply of the most able men . your city is the heart of the nation : you cannot be sick but we shall all feel it . if you be infected with false doctrines , the countreys will ere long receive the contagion . you have a very great influence on all the land , for good or evil ! and do you think the undermining enemies of the church have not a special design upon you in this point ? and will not promote it as far as is in their power ? could they but get in popish or dividing teachers among you , they know how many advantages they should gain at once ! they would have some to grieve and trouble your faithful guides ▪ and hinder them in the work , and lessen that estimation which by their vnity they would obtain : and every deceiver will hope to catch some fish , that casteth his net among such store . we beseech you , if there be learned , holy , judicious men in england , that can be had for supply on such occasions , let them be yours ; that you may be fed with the best , and guided by the wisest , and we may have all recourse to you for advice : and where there are most opposers and seducers , there may be the most powerful , convincing helps at hand : let us in the countrey have the honest raw young preachers , and see that you have the chief fatherspunc ; and pillars in the church . i speak it not for your sakes alone , but because we have all dependance on you . the third thing which i humbly crave , is , that you will know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you , and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake ; and be at peace among your selves . 1 thes. 5.12 , 13. and that you will instead of grieving or rejecting your guides , obey them that have the rule over you , and submit yourselves ; for they watch for your souls as they that must give account , that they may do it with joy , and not with grief , for that is unprofitable for you . heb. 13.17.7 . encourage your teachers , for their work is great , their spirits are weak they are but frail men ; the enemy is more industrious against them then any men ; & their discouragements are very many , and the difficulties which they must encounter are very great . especially , obey , submit and encourage them in the work of government and exercise of christs discipline , and managing the keyes of the kingdom which he hath put into their hands . do you not perceive what a strait your teachers are in ! the lord iesus requireth them to exercise his discipline faithfully and impartially : he giveth them not empty titles of rule , but layes upon them the burden of ruling : it is his work , more then their honor that he intends : and if they will have the honor , it must be by the work . the work is , as to teach the ignorant , and convince the unbelieving and gainsaying , so to admonish the disorderly and scandalous , and to reject and cast out of the communion of the church the obstinate and impenitent ; and to set by the leprous , that they infect not the rest ; and to separate thus the pretious from the vile , by christs discipline , that dividing separations , and soul-destroying transgressions may be prevented or cured . this work christ hath charged upon them , and will have it done whoever is against it . if they obey him and do it , what a tumult , what clamours and discontents will they raise ! how many will be ready to rise up against them with hatred and scorn ! though it be the undoubted work of christ , which even under persecution was performed by the church-guides . when they do but keep a scandalous untractable sinner from the communion of the church in the lords supper , what repinings doth it raise ! but , alas , this is a small part of the discipline : if all the apparently obstinate and impenitent were cast out , what a stir would they make ! and if christ be not obeyed , what a stir will conscience make ? and it is not only between christ and men , but between men and men , that your guides are put upon such streights . the separatists reproach them for suffering the impenitent to continue members of their churches , and make it the pretence of their separation from them ; having little to say of any moment against the authorized way of government ; but only against our slackness in the execution . and if we should set to the close exercise of it , as is meet , how would city and countrey ring of it , and what indignation should we raise in the multitude against us ! o what need have your guides of your encouragement and best assistance in this streight ! god hath set them on a work so ungrateful and displeasing to flesh and blood , that they cannot be faithful in it , but twenty to one they will draw a world of hatred upon themselves , if not mens fists about their ears . festred sores will not be lancht and search with ease : corrupted members are unwilling to be cut off , and cast aside : especially if any of the great ones fall under the censure , who are big in the eyes of the world and in their own . and yet our soveraign lord must be obeyed ; and his house must be swept , and the filth cast out , by what names or titles soever it be dignified with men : he must be pleased , if all be displeased by it . vvithdraw not your help then from this needful work . it is by the word , spirit and ministery , that christ the king of his church doth govern it : not separatedly , but joyntly , by all three : to disobey these , is to disobey christ : and subjection to christ is essential to our christianity . this well thought on might do much to recover the unruly that are recoverable . you may conjecture by the strange opposition that church-government meets with from all sorts of carnal and corrupted minds , that there is somewhat in it that is eminently of god . i sha●l say no more but this , that it is an able , judicious , godly , faithful ministery , not barely heard and applauded , but humbly and piously submitted to , and obeyed in the lord , that musst be your truest present glory , and the means of your everlasting peace and joy . so testifieth from the lord , your servant in the faith of christ . rich. baxter . to the ignorant , or careless reader . seeing the providence of god hath commanded forth this plain discourse , i shall hope ( upon experience of his dealing in the like cases , with me ) that he hath some work for it to do in the world . who knows but it was intended for the saving of thy soul by opening thine eyes and awaking thee from thy sin , who art now in reading of it ! be it known to thee , it is the certain truth of god , and of high concernment to thy soul that it treateth of ; and therefore requireth thy most sober consideration . thou hast in it ( how weakly soever it is managed by me ) an advantage put into thy hand from god , to help thee in the greatest work in the world , even to prepare for the great approaching judgement . in the name of go● , i require thee , cast not away this advantage : turn no away thine ears or heart from this warning that is sent to thee from the living god! seeing all the world cannot keep thee from judgement , nor save thee in iudgement : let not all the world be able to keep thee from a speedy and serious prepartion for it . do it presently , lest god come before thou are ready ! do it seriously , lest the temepter over-reach thee , and thou shouldest be found among the foolish self-deceivers , when it is too late to do it bttter . i intreat this of thee on the behalf of thy soul , and as thou tendrest thy everlasting peace with god , that thou wouldest afford these matters thy deepest consideration . think on them , whether they are not true , and weighty : think of them lying down and rising up . and seeing this small book is faln into thy hands , all that i would beg of thee concerning it , is , that thou wouldest bestow now and then an hour to read it , and read it to thy family or friends as well as to thy self : and as you go ▪ consider what you read , and pray the lord to help it to thy heart , and to assist thee in the practise , that it may not rise up in judgement against thee . if thou have not leisure at other , take now and then an hour on the lords dayes , or at a night to that purpose , and if any passage through brevity ( specially neer the beginning ) seem dark to thee , read it again , and again , and ask the help of an instructer , that thou maiest unders●and it . may it but help thee out of the snares of sin , and promote the saving of thy immortal soul , and thy comfortable appearance at the great day of christ , i have the thing which i intended and desired . the lord open thy heart , and accompany his truth with the blessing of his spirit ! amen . a sermon of judgement , preached at pauls before the honourable lord maior and aldermen of the city london , dec. 17. 1654 2 cor. 5.10 , 11. for we must all appear before the judgement seat of christ , that every one may receive the things done in his body ; according to that he hath done , whether it be good or bad . knowing therefore the terrors of the lord we perswade men . it is not unlikely , that some of those wits that are taken more with things new then with things necessary , will marvel that i choose so common a subject , and tell me that they all know this already ▪ but i do it purposely upon these following considerations . 1. because i well know , that it is these common truths that are the great and necessary things which mens everlasting happiness or misery doth most depend upon . you may be ignorant of many controversies and inferiour points , without the danger of your souls , but so you cannot of these fundamentals . 2. because its apparent by the lives of men , that few know these common truths savingly , that think they know them . 3. because there are several degrees of knowing the same truths , and the best are imperfect in degree . the principal growth in knowledge that we should look af●er , is not to know more matters then we kne● before , but to know that better , and with a clearer light and firmer apprehension , which we darkly and sleightly knew before . you may more safely be without any knowledge at all of many lower truths , then without some further degree of the knowledge of those which you already know . 4. besides it is known by sad experience , that many perish who know the truth , for want of the consideration of it , and making use of what they know , and so their knowledge doth but condemn them . we have as much need therefore , to teach and help you to get these truths which you know into your hearts and lives , as to tell you more . 5. and indeed , it is the impression of these great and master-truths , wherein the vitals and essentials of gods image upon the soul of man doth consist : and it is these truths that are the very instruments of the great works that are to be done upon the heart , by the spirit and our selves . in the right use of these it is , that the principal part of the skill and holy wisdom of a christian doth consist : and in the diligent and constant use of these lyeth the life and trade of christianity . there is nothing amiss in mens hearts or lives , but it is for want of sound knowing and believing , or well using these fundamentals . 6. and moreover , me thinks , in this choice of my subject , i may expect this advantage with the hearers , that i may spare that labour that else would be necessary for the proof of my doctrine : and that i may also have easier access to your hearts , and have a fuller stroak at them , and with less resistance . if i came to tell you of any thing not common , i know not how far i might expect belief from you . you might say , these things are uncertain to us , or all men are not of this mind : but when every hearer confesseth the truth of my doctrine , & no man can deny it , without denying christianity it self , i hope i may expect that your hearts should the sooner receive the impression of this doctrine , and the sooner yield to the duties which it directs you to ; and the easier let go the sins which from so certain a truth shall be discovered . the words of my text , are the reason which the apostle giveth both of his perswading other men to the fear of god , and his care to approve to god his own heart and life . they contain the assertion and description of the great judgement , and one use which he makes of it . it assureth us , that judged we must be ; and who must be so judged , and by whom , and about what , and on what terms , and to what end . the meaning of the words , so far as is necessary , i shall give you briefly . we all , both we apostles that preach the gospel , and you that hear it , must , willing or unwilling , there is no avoiding it , appear , stand forth or make our appearance , and there have our hearts and wayes laid open , and appear as well as we . before the iudgement seat of christ ; i.e. before the redeemer of the world , to be judged by him as our rightful lord . that every one , even of all mankind which are , were , or shall be , without exception ; may receive , that is , may receive his sentence adjudging him to his due ; and then may receive the execution of the sentence ; and may go away from the barr with that reward or punishment that is his due according to the law by which he is judged . the things done in his body , that is , the due reward of the works done in his body : or as some copies read it , the things proper to the body , i.e. due to the man , even body as well as soul . according to what he hath done , whether it be good or bad : i ▪ e. this is the cause to be tried and judged , whether men have done well or ill whiles they were in the flesh , and what is due to them according to their deeds . knowing therefore , &c. i.e. being certain therefore that these things are so , and that such a terrible judgement of christ will come , we perswade men to become christians and live as such , that they may then speed well when others shall shall be destroyed : or as others , knowing the fear of the lord , that is , the true religion , we perswade men . doct. 1. there will be a judgement . doct. 2. christ will be the judge . doct. 3. all men shall there appear . doct. 4. men shall be then judged according to the works that they did in the flesh , whether good or evil . doct. 5. the end of judgement is , that men may receive their final due by sentence and execution . doct. 6. the knowledge and consideration of the terrible judgement of god , should move us to perswade , and men to be perswaded to careful preparation . the ordinary method for the handling of this subject of judgement should be this . 1. to shew you what judgement is in the general , and what it doth contain : and that is , 1. the persons . 2. the cause . 3. the actions . 1. the parties are , 1. the accuser . 2. the defendant . 3. somtime assistants . 4. the judge . 2. the cause contains , 1. the accusation . 2. the defence . 3. with the evidence of both . 4. and the merit . the merit of the cause is , as it agreeth with the law and equity . 3. the judicial actions are , i. introductory . 1. citation . 2. compulsion if need be . 3. appearance of the accused . ii. of the essence of judgement , 1. debate by ● the accuser , 2. defendant , called the disceptation of the cause . 2. by the judge . ● . ex : ploration . 2. sentence . 3. to see to the execution : but because the method is less suitable to your capacities ; and hath something humane , i will reduce all to these following heads . 1. i will shew what judgement is . 2. who is the judge ; and why . 3. who must be judged . 4. who is the accuser . 5. how the citation , constraint and appearance will be . 6. what is the law by which men shall be judged . 7. what will be the cause of the day : what the accusation , and what must be the just defence . 8. what will be the evidence . 9. what are those frivolous insufficient excuses by which the unrighteous may think to escape . 10. what will be the sentence : who shall dye and shall live ; and what the reward and punishment is . 11. what are the properties of the sentence . 12. what and by whom the execution will be . in these particular heads we contain the whole doctrine of this judgement , and in thi● more familiar method shall handle it . 1. for the first , judgement as taken largely , comprehendeth all the forementioned particulars ; as taken more strictly for the act of the judge , it is the tryal of a controverted case . in our case not these things following . 1. gods judgement is not intended for any discovery to himself of what he knows not already : he knoweth already what all men are ; and what they have done ; and what is their due . but it is to discover to others and to men themselves the ground of his sentence , that so his judgement may attain its end ; for the glorifying his grace on the righteous , and for the convincing the wicked of their sin and de●ert , and to shew to all the world the righteousness of the judge , and of his sentence and execution , rom. 3.4.26 . and rom. 2.2 . 2. it is not a controversie therefore undecided in the mind of god that is there to be decided ; but onely one that is undecided , as to the knowledge and mind of creatures . 3. yet is not this judgement a bare declaration , but a decision , and so a declaration thereupon : the cause will be then put out of controversie , and all further expectation of decision be at an end ; and with the justified there will be no more accusation , and with the condemned no more hope for ever . ii. for the second thing , who shall be the judge , i answer , the judge is god himself by iesus christ . 1. principally , god as creator . 2. as also , god as redeemer ; the humane nature of jesus christ having a derived subordinate power . god lost not his right to his creature either by mans fall , or the redemption by christ , but by the latter hath a new and further right : but it is in and by christ that god judgeth : for as meer creator of innocent man , god judgeth none , but hath committed all judgement to the son , who hath procured this right by the redeeming of fallen man , john 5.22 . but as the son only doth it in the neerest sense , so the father as creator doth it remotely and principally . 1. in that the power of the son is derived from the father , and so standeth in subordination to him as fountain or efficient . 2. in that the judgement of the son ( as also his whole mediatorship ) to bring men to god their maker as their ultimate end , and recover them to him from whom they are faln , and so as a means to that end , the judgement of the son is subordinate to the father . from hence you may see these following truths worthy your consideration . 1. that all men are gods creatures , and none are the workmanship of themselves or any other ; or else the creator should not judge them on that right . 2. that christ dyed for all , and is the redeemer of the world , and a sacrifice for all ; or else he should not judge them on that right . for he will not judge wicked men as he will do the devils , as the meer enemies of his redeemed ones , but as being themselves his subjects in the world , and being bought by him , and therefore become his own , who ought to have glorified him that bought them , 2 cor. 5.14 , 15. 2 pet. 2.1 . 1 cor. 6. ●9 , 20. 1 ioh. 2.2 . heb. 2.9 . 1 tim. 2.6 , 7. 3. hence it appeareth that all men were under some law of grace , and did partake of some of the redeemers mercy . though the gospel came not to all , yet all had that mercy which could come from no other fountain but his blood , and which should have brought them neerer to christ then they were , ( though it were not sufficient to bring them to believe : ) and which should have led them to repentance . rom. 2.4 . for the neglecting of which they justly perish ; and not meerly for sinning against the law that was given man in innocency : were that so , christ would not judge them as redeemer , and that for the abuse or not-improvement of his talents , as he tels us he will do , mat. 25. per totum . 4. if god will be the judge , then none can expect by any shifts or indirect means scape at that day . for how should it be ? 1. it is not possible that any should keep out of sight , or hide their sin and the evil of their actions , and so delude the judge : god will not be mocked now , nor deceived then , gal. 6.7 . they grossly deceive themselves that imagine any such thing : god must be omniscient and all-seeing , or he cannot be god . should you hide your cause from men and from devils , and be ignorant of it your selves , yet cannot you hide it from god . never did there a thought pass thy a heart , or a word pass thy mouth , which god was not acquainted with : and as he knows them , so he doth observe them . he is not as imperfect man , taken up with other business , so that he cannot mind all . as easie is it with him to observe every thought , or word , or action of thine , as if he had but that one in the world to observe : and as easie to observe each particular sinner , as if he had not another creature to look after in the world . he is a fool indeed that thinks now that god takes no notice of him , ezek. 8.12 . and 9.9 . or , that thinketh then to escape in the croud : he that found out one guest that had not on a wedding garment , mat. 22.12 . will then find out every unholy soul , and give him so sad a saluation as shall make him speechles , job 11.11 . for he knoweth vain man ; he seeth wickedness also , and will he not consider it ? 2. it is not possible that any should scape at that day by any tricks of with and false reasoning in their own defence . god knoweth a sound answer from an unsound , and a truth from a lye . righteousness may be perverted here on earth , by out-witting the judge ; but so will it not be then : to hope any of this , is to hope that god will not be god . it is in vain then for the unholy man to say he is holy ; or extenuate his sin : to bring forth the counterfeit of any grace , and plead with god any shells of hypocritical performances , and to think to prove a title to heaven by any thing short of gods condition ; all these will be vain attempts . 3. and as impossible will it prove by fraud or flattery , by perswasion or bribery , or by any other means , to pervert justice , by turning the mind of god who is the judge : fraud and flattery , bribery and importunity may do much with weak men ; but with god they will do nothing : were he changable and partial , he were not god . 4. if god be judge , you may see the cavils of infidels are foolish , when they ask , how long will god be in trying and judging so many persons , and taking an account of so many vvords , and thoughts , and deeds ? sure it will be a long time , and a difficult work . as if god were as man , that knoweth not things till he seek out their evidence by particular signs . let these fools understand , if they have any understanding , that the infinite god can shew to every man at once , all the thoughts , and words , and actions that ever he hath been guilty of . and in the twink of an eye , even at one view , can make all the world to see their wayes and their deservings . causing their consciences and memories to present them all before them in such a sort , as shall be equivalent to a verbal debate , psal. 50.21 , 22. he will set them in order before them . 5. if jesus christ be the judge , then what a comfort must it needs be to his members , that he shall be judge that loved them to the death , and whom they loved above their lives : and he who was their rock of hope and strength , and the desire and delight of their souls ! 6. and if iesus christ must be the iudge , what confusion will it bring to the faces of his enemies , and of all that set light by him in the day of their visitation ? to see mercy turned against them , and he that dyed for them , now ready to condemn them : and that blood and grace which did aggravate their sin , to be pleaded against them to the increase of their misery , how sad will this be ! 7. if the god of love , and grace , and truth be judge , then no man need to fear any wrong . no subtilty of the accuser , nor darkness of evidence : no prejudice , or partiality , or whatsoever else may be imagined , can there appear to the wrong of your cause . get a good cause and fear nothing ; and if your cause be bad , nothing can deliver you . iii. for the third point , who are they that must be judged ? answ. all the rational creatures in this lower world . and it seems , angels also , either all or some : but because their case is more darkly made known to us , and less concerns us , we will pass it by . every man that hath been made or born on earth ( except christ , who is god and man , and is the iudge ) must be judged . if any foolish infidel shall say , vvhere shall so great a number stand ? i answer him ; that he knoweth not the things invisible : either the nature of spirits , and spiritual bodies : nor what place containeth them , or how ; but easily he may know , that he that gave them all a being , can sustain them all , and have room for them all , and can at once disclose the thoughts of all , as i said before . the first in order to bejudged , are , the saints , mat. 25. and then with christ they shall judge the rest of the world , 1 cor. 6.2 , 3. not in an equal authority and commission with christ , but as the present approvers of his righteous iudgement . the princes of the earth shall stand then before christ , even as the peasants ; and the honourable as the base ; the rich and the poor shall meet together , and the lord shall judge them all , prov. 22.2 . no man shall be excused from standing at that barr , and giving up their account , and receiving their doom . learned and unlearned ; young and old ; godly and ungodly ; all must stand there . i know some have vainly imagined , that the righteous shall not have any of their sins mentioned , but their graces and duties only ; but they consider not , that things will not then be transacted by words as we do now but by clear discoveries by the infinite light ; and that if god should not discover to them their sins , he would not discover the riches of his grace in the pardon of all these sins : even then must they be humbled in themselves , that they may be glorified ; and for ever cry , not unto us lord , but unto thy name be the glory . iv. for the fourth particular ; vvho will be the accuser ? answ. 1. satan is called in scripture the accuser of the brethren , rev. 12.10 . and we find in iob 1. and other places , that now he doth practice it even before god , and therefore we judge it probable that he will do so then . but we would determine of nothing that scripture hath not clearly determined . 2. conscience will be an accuser , though especially of the wicked , yet in some sense of the righteous : for it will tell the truth to all : and therefore so far as men are faulty , it will tell them of their faults . the wicked it will accuse of unpardoned sin , and of sin unrepented of ; the godly only of sin repented of and pardoned . it will be a glass wherein every man may see the face of his heart and former life , rom. 1.15 . 3. the judge himself will be the principal accuser ; for it is he that is wronged , and he that prosecutes the cause , and will do iustice on the wicked ; god judgeth even the righteous themselves to be sinners , or else they could not be pardoned sinners ; but he judgeth the wicked to be impenitent , unbelieving , unconverted sinners . remember what i said before , that it is not a verbal accusation , but an opening of the truth of the cause to the view of our selves and others , that god will then perform . nor can any think it unworthy of god to be mens accuser by such a disclosure , it being no dishonour to the purest light to reveal a dung-hill , or to the greatest prince to accuse a traytor . nor is it unmeet that god should be both accuser and judge ; seeing he is both absolute lord , and so far beyond all suspition of injustice . his law also doth virtually accuse , iohn 5.45 . but of this by it self . v. for the fifth particular , how will the sinners be called to the barr ? answ. god will not stand to send them a citation , nor require him to make his voluntary appearance ; but willing or unwilling he will bring them in . 1. before each mans particular judgement , he sendeth death to call away his soul : a surly serjeant , that will have no nay ; how dear so ever this world may be to men , and how loth soever they are to depart , away they must , and come before the lord that made them ; death will not be bribed . every man that was set in the vineyard in the morning of their lives , must be called out at evening to receive according to what he hath done ; then must the naked soul alone appear before , its judge , and be accomptible for all that was done in the body ; and be sent before till the final judgement , to remain in happiness or misery , till the body be raised again and joyned to it . in this appearance of the soul before god , it seemeth by scripture , that there is some ministery of angels ; for luk. 16.22 . it is said , that the angels carried lazarus , that is , his soul , into abrahams bosom : what local motion there is , or situation of souls , is no fit matter for the enquiry of mortals ; and what it is in this that the angels will do , we cannot clearly understand as yet ; but most certain it is , that as soon as ever the soul is out of the body , it comes to its account before the god of spirits . 2. at the end of the world the bodies of all men sha●l be raised from the earth , and jo●ned again to their souls ; and the soul and body shall be judged to their endless state ; and this is the great and general judgement , where all men shal at once appear . the same power of god that made men of nothing , will as easily then new make them by a resurrection ; by which he will add much more perfection , even to the wicked in their naturals , which will make them capable of the greater misery ; even they shall have immortal and incorruptible bodies , which may be the subjects of immortal woe , 1 cor. 15.53 iohn 5.28 , 29. of this resurrection , and our appearance at judgement , the angels will be some way the ministers : as they shall come with christ to judgement , so they shall sound his trumpet , 1 thes. 4.16 . and they shall gather the wicked out of gods kingdom ; and they shall gather the tares to burn them , mat. 13.39 ▪ 40 , 41. in the end of the world the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just , and shall cast them into the furnace of fire , mat. 17.49 , 50. for the sixth particular , what law is it that men shall be iudged by ? answ. that which was given them to live by : gods law is but the sign of his will , to teach us what shall be due from us and to us : before we fell he gave us such a law as was suitable to our perfection : when we had sinned and turned from him , as we ceased not to be his creatures , nor he to be our lord , so he destroyed not his law , nor discharged or absolved us from the duty of our obedience . but because we stood condemned by that law , and could not be justified by it , having once transgressed it , he was pleased to make a law of grace , even a new remedying law , by which we might be saved from the deserved punishment of the old. so we shall be tryed at judgement upon both these laws , but ultimatly upon the last . the first law commanded perfect obedience , and threatned death to us if ever we disobeyed ; the second law finding us under the guilt of sin against the first , doth command us to repent and believe in christ , and so to return to god by him ▪ and promiseth us pardon of all our sins upon that condition , and also if we persevere , everlasting glory . so that in judgement , though it must first be evinced that we are sinners , and have deserved death according to the law of pure nature ; yet that is not the upshot of the judgement . for the enquiry will be next , whether we have accepted the remedy , and so obeyed the law of grace , and performed its condition for pardon and salvation ; and upon this our life or death will depend . it is both these laws that condemn the wicked , but it is only the law of grace that justifieth the righteous . obj. but how shall heathens be judged by the law of grace , that never did receive it ? answ. the express gospel some of them had not , and therefore shall not directly be judged by it ; but much of the redeemers mercy they did enjoy , which should have led them to repent and seek out after recovery from their misery , and to come neerer christ , and for the neglect and abuse of this , they shall be judged ; and not meerly for sinning against the law that was given us in pure innocency : so that christ as redeemer shall judge them as well as others : though they had but one talent , yet must they give an account of that to the redeemer , from whom they received it . but if any be unsatisfied in this , let them remember , that as god hath left the state of such more dark to us , and the terms on which he will iudge them ; so doth it much more concern us to look to the terms of our own iudgement . obj. but how shall infants be judged by the gospel , that were uncapable of it ? answ. for ought i find in scripture , they stand or fall with their parents , &c. on the same terms ; but i leav each to their own thoughts . vii . for the seventh head , vvhat will be the cause of the day to be enquired after ? vvhat the accusation , and what the defence ? answ. this may be gathered from what was last said . the great cause of the day will be to enquire and determine , who shall dye and who shall live ; who ought to go to heaven , and who to hell for ever , according to the law by which they must then be iudged . 1. as there is a twofold law by which they must be iudged , so will there then be a twofold accusation . the first will be , that they were sinners , and so having violated the law of god , they deserve everlasting death according to that law ; if no defence could be made , this one accusation would condemn all the wo●ld ; for it is most certain that all are sinners , and as certain that all sin deserveth death . the only defence against this accusation lyeth in this plea : confessing the charge , we must plead that christ hath satisfied for sins , and upon that consideration god hath forgiven us ; and therefore being forgiven , we ought not to be punished ; to prove this we must shew the pardon under gods hand in the gospel . but because this pardoning act of the gospel doth forgive none but those that repent and believe , and so return to god , and to sincere obedience for the time to come ; therefore the next accusation will be , that we did not perform these conditions of forgiveness ; and therefore being vnbelievers , impenitent and rebels against the redeemer we have no right to pardon , but by the sentence of the gospel , are lyable to a greater punishment , for this contempt of christ and grace . this accusation is either true or false ; where it is true , god and conscience who speak the truth may well be said to be the accusers : where it is false , it can be only the work of satan the malitious adversary ; who , as we may see in iobs case , will not stick to bring a false accusation . if any think that the accuser will not do so vain a work , at least they may see that potentially , this is the accusation that lyeth against us and which we must be justified against . for all iustification implyeth an actual or potential accusation . he that is truly accused of final impenitency , or unbelief , or rebellion , hath no other defence to make , but must needs be condemned . he that is falsly accused of such non-performance of the condition of grace ▪ must deny the accusation , and plead his own personal righteousness as against that accusation , and produce that faith , repentance and sincere obedience and perseverance by which he fulfilled that condition , and so is evangelically righteous in himself , and therefore hath part in the blood of christ which is instead of a legal righteousness to him ▪ in all things else , as having procured him a pardon of all his sin , and a right to everlasting glory . and thus we must then be justified by christs satisfaction only , against the accusation of being sinners in general , and of deserveing gods wrath for the breach of the law of works : but we must be justified by our faith , repentance and sincere obedience it self , against the accusation of being impenitent , vnbelievers , and rebels against christ , and having not performed the condition of the promise , and so having no part in christ and his benefits . so that in summ you see , that the cause of the day will be to enquire , whether being all known sinners , we have accepted of christ upon his terms , and so have right in him and his benefits , or not ? whether they have forsaken this vain world for him , and loved him so faithfully , that they have manifested it , in parting with these things at his command . and this is the meaning of mat. 25. where the enquiry is made to be , whether they have fed and visited him in his members , or not ? that is , whether they have so far loved him as their redeemer , and god by him , as that they have manifested this to his members according to opportunity ▪ though it cost them the hazard or loss of all : seeing danger , and labor , and cost , are fitter to express love by , then empty complements and bare professions . whether it be particularly enquired after , or only taken for granted that men are sinners , and have deserved death according to the law of works , and that christ hath satisfied by his death , is all one as to the matter in hand , seeing gods enquiry is but the discovery and conviction of us . but the last question which must decide the controversie will be , whether we have performed the condition of the gospel ? i have the rather also said all this , to shew you in what sense these words are taken in the text , that every man shall be judged according to what he hath done in the flesh , whether it be good or bad . though every man be judged worthy of death for sinning , yet every man shall not be judged to dye for it : and no man shall be judged worthy of life for his good works : it is therefore according to the gospel , as the rule of judgement , that this is meant . they that have repented and believed , and returned to true , though imperfect obedience , shall be iudged to everlasting life , according to these works ; not because these works deserve it , but because the free gift in the gospel , through the blood of christ , doth make these things the condition of our possessing it : they that have lived and dyed impenitent , unbelievers and rebels against christ , shall be judged to everlasting punishment , because they have deserved it , both by their sin in general against the law , and by these sins in special against the gospel . this is called the merit of the cause , that is , what is a mans due according to the true meaning of the law ; though the due may be by free gift . and thus you see what will be the cavil of the day , and the matter to be enquired after and decided , as to our life or death . viii . the next point in our method , is , to shew you , what will be the evidence of the cause ? answ. there is a five fold evidence among men ▪ 1. when the fact is notorious . 2. the knowledge of an unsuspected competent iudge . 3. the parties confession . 4. witness . 5. instruments and visible effects of the action . all these evidences will be at hand , and any one of them sufficient for the conviction of the guilty person at that day . 1. as the sins of all men ; so the impenitency and rebellion of the wicked was notorious , or at least will be then . for though some play the hypocrites and hide the matter from the world and themselves , yet god shall open their hearts and former lives to themselves , and to the view of all the world . he shall set their sins in order before them so , that it shall be utterly in vain to deny or excuse them ▪ if any men will then think to make their cause as good to god as they can now do to us , that are not able to see their hearts ▪ they will be foully mistaken . now they can say they have as good hearts as the best : then god will bring them out in the light ; and shew them to themselves and all the world , whether they were good or bad . now they will face us down that they do truly repent , and they obey god as well as they can , but god that knoweth the deceivers , will then undeceive them . we cannot now make men acquainted with their own unsanctified hearts , nor convince them that have not true faith , repentance or obedience ; but god will convince them of it ; they can find shifts and false answers to put off a minister with ; but god will not so be shifted off . let us preach as plainly to them as we can and do all that ever we are able to acquaint them with the impenitency and unholyness of their own heart , and the necessity of a new heart and life , yet we cannot do it ; but they will believe whether we will or not , that the old heart will serve the turn ; but how easily will god make them know the contrary ? we plead with them in the dark ; for though we have the candle of the gospel in our hands when we come to shew them their corruption , yet they shut their eyes , and are wilfully blind . but god will open their eyes whether they will or not , not by holy illumination , but by forced conviction ; and then he will plead with them as in the open light . see here thy own unholy soul , canst thou now say thou didst love me above all ? canst thou deny but thou didst love this world before me ? and serve thy flesh and lusts , though i told thee if thou didst so thou shouldst dye ? look upon thy own heart now , and see whether it be a holy or an unholy heart ; a spiritual or a fleshly heart ; a heavenly or an earthly heart ? look now upon all the course of thy life , and see whether thou didst live to me , or to the world and thy flesh ? oh how easily will god convince men then of the very sins of their thoughts , and in their secret closets , when they thought that no witness could have disclosed them ! therefore it s said , that the books shall be opened , and the dead iudged out of the books , rev. 20.12 . dan. 7.10 . the second evidence will be the knowledge of the judge . if the sinner would not be convinced , yet it is sufficient that the judge knoweth the cause ; god needeth no further witness ; he saw thee committing adultery in secret , lying , stealing , forswearing in secret . if thou do not know thy own heart to be unholy , it is enough that god knoweth it . if you have the face to say , lord , when did we see thee hungry ? &c. mat. 25.44 . yet god will make good the charge against thee , and there needeth no more testimony then his own . can foolish sinners think to lie hid or escape at that day , that will now sin wilfully before their judge ? that know every day that their judge is looking on them while they forget him , and give up themselves to the world , and yet go on even under his eye , as if to his face they dared him to punish them ? 3. the third evidence will be , the sinners confession . god will force their own consciences to witness against them , and their own tongues to confess the accusation . if they do at first excuse it , he will leave them speechless , yea and condemning themselves before they have done . oh what a difference between their language now and then ! now we cannot tell them of their sin and misery , but they either tell us of our own faults , or bid us look to our selves , or deny or excuse their fault , or make light of it ; but then their own tongues shall confess them , and cry out of the wilful folly that they committed , and lay a heavyer charge upon them then we can now do . now if we tell them that we are afraid they are unregenerate , and least their hearts are not truly set upon god ; they will tell us they hope to be saved with such hearts as they have ; but then , oh how they will confess the folly and falsness of their own hearts ! you may see a little of their case even in despairing sinners on earth , how far they are from denying or excusing their sins . judas crys out . i have sinned in betraying innocent blood , mat. 27.4 . out of their own mouth shall they be judged . that very tongue that now excuseth their sin , will in their torments be their great accuser . for god will have it so to be . 4. the fourth evididence will be the witness of others . oh how many thousand witnesses might there be produced , were there need , to convince the guilty soul at that day ! 1. all the ministers of christ that ever preached to them , or warned them , will be sufficient witnesses against them : we must needs testifie that we preached to them the truth of the gospel , and they would not believe it . we preached to them the goodness of god , yet they set not their hearts upon him ▪ we shewed them their sin , and they were not humbled . we told them of the danger of an unregenerate state , and they did not regard us : we acquainted them with the absolute necessity of holiness , but they made light of all : we let them know the deceitfulness of their hearts , and the need of a close and faithful examination , but they would not bestow an hour in such a work ; nor scarce once be afraid of being mistaken and miscarrying . we let them know the vanity of this world , and yet they would not forsake it , no not for christ and the hopes of glory : we told them of the everlasting felicity they might attain , but they would not set themselves to seek it . what we shall think of it then , the lord knows ; but surely it seemeth now to us a matter of very sad consideration , that we must be brought in as witnesses against the souls of our neighbors and friends in the flesh . those whom we now unfeignedly love , and would do any thing that we were able to do for their good , whose well fare is dearer to us then all worldly enjoyments : alas , that we must be forced to testifie to their faces for their condemnation ! ah lord , with what a heart must a poor minister study , when he considereth this , that all the words that he is studying must be brought in for a witness against many of his hearers ! with what a heart must a minister preach , when he remembreth that all the words that he is speaking must condemn many , if not most of his hearers ! do we desire this sad fruit of our labours ? no : we may say with the prophet , jer. 17.16 . i have not desired the woful day , thou knowest : no , if we desired it , we would not do so much to prevent it : we would not study , and preach , and pray , and intreat men , that if it were possible we might not be put on such a task ▪ and doubtless it should make every honest minister study hard , and pray hard , and intreat hard , and stoop low to men , and be earnest with men in season and out of season , that if it may be , they may not be the condemners of their peoples souls . but if men will not hear , and there be no remedy , who can help it ? christ himself came not into the world to condemn men , but to save them , and yet he will condemn those that will not yield to his saving work : ●od takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner , but rather that he repent , and return , and live , ezek. 18.23.32 . and yet he will rejoyce over those to do them hurt , and destroy them that will not return , deut. 28.63 . and if we must be put on such work , he will make us ; like-minded . the holy ghost tels us , that the saints shall judge the world , 1 cor. 6.2 , 3. and if they must judge , they will judge as god judgeth ; you cannot blame us for it sinners : we now warn you of it before hand , and if you wil not prevent it blame not us , but your selves . alas ! we are not our own masters . as we now speak not to you in our own names , so then we may not do what we list our selves , or if we might , our wills will be as gods will . god will make us judge you , & witness against you : can we absolve you , when the righteous god will condemn you ? when god is against you , whose side would you have us be of ? we must be either against god or you . and can you think that we should be for any one against our maker and redeemer ? we must either condemn the sentence of jesus christ , or condemn you : and is not there more reason to condemn you then him ? can we have any mercy on you , when he that made you will not save you , and he that formed you , will shew you no mercy ? isa. 27.11 . yea when he that dyed for you , will condemn you , shall we be more merciful then god ? but alas ▪ if we should be so foolish and unjust , what good would it do you ? if we would be false witnesses and partial judges , it would not save you ; we are not justified if we absolve our selves , 1 cor. 4.4 . how unable then shall we be against gods sentence to justifie you ? if all the world should say , you were holy and penitent , when god knows you were unholy and impenitent ; it will do you no good . you pray every day that his will may be done , and it will be done : it will be done upon you , because it was not done by you . what would you have us say , if god ask us , did you tell this sinner of the need of christ , of the glory of the world to come , and the vanity of this ? should we lie , and say we did not ? what should we say if he ask us , did not you tell them the misery of their natural state ; and what would become of them if they were not made new ? would you have us lye to god , and say we did not ? why if we did not , your blood will be required at our hands , ezek. 33.6 . and 3.18 . and would you have us bring your blood upon our own heads by a lye ? yea , and to do you no good , when we know that lyes will not prevail with god ? no , no , sinners ; we must unavoidably , testifie to the confusion of your faces . if ●od ask us , we must bear witness against you , and say ; lord , we did what we could according to our weak abilities , to reclaim them : indeed our own thoughts of everlasting things were so low , and our own hearts so dull ; that we must confess we did not follow them so close , nor speak so earnestly as we should have done : we did not cry so loud , nor lift up our voice as a trumpet to awaken them , ( isa 58.1 . ) we confess we did not speak to them with such melting compassion , and with such streams of tears beseech them to regard , as a matter of such great concernment should have been spoken with ; we did not fall on our knees to them , and so earnestly begg of them for the lords sake , to have mercy upon their own souls ▪ as we should have done . but yet we told them the message of god : and we studyed to speak it to them as plainly and as peircingly as we could . fain we would have convinced them of their sin and misery , but we could not : fain we would have drawn them to the admiration of christ , but they made light of it , mat. 22.5 . we would fain have brought them to the contempt of this vain world , and to set their mind on the world to come . but we could not : some compassion thou knowest lord we had to their souls ▪ many a weeping or groaning hour we have had in secret , because they would not hear & obey ; and some sad complaints we have made over them in publike : we told them that they must shortly dye and come to judgement , and that this world would deceive them , and leave them in the dust ; we told them that the time was at hand when nothing but christ would do them good , and nothing but the favour of god would he sufficient for their happiness ; but we could never get them to lay it to heart . many a time did we intreat them to think soberly of this life , and the life to come , and to compare them together with the faith ▪ of christians , and the reason of men ; but they would not do it : many a time did we intreat them , but to take now and then an hour in secret to consider who made them , and for what he made them , and why they were sent into this world ; and what their business here is ; and whether they are going , and how it wil go with them at their latter end ; but we could never get most of them to spend one hour in serious thoughts of these weighty matters . many a time did we intreat them to try whether they were regenerate or not ? whether christ and his spirit were in them , or not ? whether their souls were brought back to god by sanctification ? but they would not try : we did beseech them to make sure work ▪ and not leave such a matter as everlasting joy or torment to a bold and mad adventure : but we could not prevail : we intreated them to lay all other businesses aside a little while in the world , and to enquire by the direction of the word of god , what would become of them in the world to come ; and to judge themselves before god came to judge them , seeing they had the law and the rule of judgement before them : but their minds were blinded , and their hearts were hardned and the profit , and pleasure , and honour of this world did e●ther stop their ears , or quickly steal away their hearts , so that we could never get them to a sober consideration , nor ever win their hearts to god . this will be the witness that many a hundred ministers of the gospel must give in against the souls of their people at that day . alas , that ever you should cast this upon us ! for the lords sake , sirs , pitty your poor teachers , if you pitty not your selves . we had rather go a 1000. miles for you ; we had rather be scorned and abused for your sakes : we had rather lay our hands under your fe●t , and beseech you on our knees with tears were we able , then be put on such a work as this . it is you that will do it if it be done ▪ we had rather follow you from house to house , and teach and exhort you , if you will but hear us , and accept of our exhortation . your souls a●e precious in our eyes , for we know they were so in the eyes of christ , and therefore we are loth to see this day ; we were once in your case , and therefore know what it is to be blind , and careless ▪ and carnal as you are , and therefore would fain obtain your deliverance . but if you will not hear , but we must accuse you and we must condemn you ; the lord judge between you and us ; for he can witness that it was full sore against our wills . we have been ▪ faulty indeed in doing no more for you , and not following you with restless importunity ; ( the good lord forgive us ; ) but yet we have not betrayed you by silence . 2. all those that fear god , that have lived among ungodly men , will also be sufficient witnesses against them . alas ! they must be put upon that same work which is very unpleasant to their thoughts , as ministers are : they must witness before the lord , that they did as friends and neighbors admonish them : that they gave them a good example , and endeavoured to walk in holyness before them ; but alas ! the most did but mock them , and call them puritans and precise fools , and thought they made more ado then needs for their salvation : they must be forced to testifie , [ lord we would fain have drawn them with us to hear the word , and to read it , and to pray in their families , and to sanctifie thy holy day , and take such happy opportunities for their souls ; but we could not get them to it ; we did in our places what we were able , to give them the example of a godly conversation , and they did but deride us ; they were readier to mark every slip of our lives , and to observe all our infirmities , and catch at any accusation that was against us ▪ then to follow us in any work of holy obedience , or care for our everlasting peace ; ] the ●ord knows it is a most heavy thing to consider now , that poor neighbors must be fain to come in against those that they love so dearly and by their testimony to judge them to perdition ▪ oh heavy case to think of , that a master must witness against his own servant . yea a husband against his own wife , and a wife against her husband ; yea parents against their own children , and say , [ lord , i taught them thy word , but they would not learn . i told them what would come on it , if they returned not to thee ; i brought them to sermons , and i prayed with them and for them . i frequently ▪ minded them of these everlasting things ▪ and of this dreadful day ▪ which now they see . but youthful lusts and the temptations of the flesh and the devil led them away , and i could never get them throughly and soundly to lay it to their hearts ▪ ] oh you that are parents , and friends , and neighbors , in the fear of god bestir you now ▪ that you may not be put to this at the day of judgement ▪ oh give them no rest take no nay of them till you have perswaded their heart from this ▪ world to god , lest you be put to be their condemners : it must be now that you must prevent it , or else never ; now while you are with them , while you and they are in the flesh together , which will be but a little while : can you but now prevail with them , all will be well , and you may ▪ meet them joyfully before the lord . 3. another witness that will testifie against the ungodly at that day , will be their sinful companions ; those that drew them into sin , or were drawn by them , or joyned with them in it . oh little do poor drunkards think , when they sit merrily in an ale-house , that one of them must bear witness against another , and condemn one another ▪ if they thought of this , me thinks it should make them have less delight in that company : those that now joyn with you in wickedness , shall then be forced to witness , [ i confess lord i did hear him swear and curse ; i heard him deride those that feared the lord , and make a jest of a holy life : i saw him in the ale-house when he should be hearing the word of god , or reading , or calling upon god , and preparing for this day : i joyned with him in fleshly delights , in abusing thy creature and our own bodies . ] sinners ; look your companions in the face the next time you are with them , and remember this that i now say ; that those men shall give in evidence against you , that now are your associates in all your mirth : little thinketh the fornicator and lustful wanton , that their sinful mates must then bear witness of that which they thought the dark had concealed , and tell their shame before all the world . but this must be the fruit of sin . it s meet that they who encouraged one another in sin , should condemn one another for it . and marvail not at it ; for they shall be forced to it whether they will or no ; light will not then be hid : they may think to have some ease to their consciences , by accusing and condemning others . when adam is questioned for his sin , he presently accuseth the woman , gen. 3.12 . when judas his conscience was awakened , he runs to the pharisees with the money that drew him to it , and they cast it back in his own face , and say , see thou to it , what is that to us ? mat. ●7 . 4 , 5 , 6. oh the cold comfort that sinners will have in one another at that day ! and the little pleasure that they will find in remembring their evil waies ! now when a fornicator or a worldling , or a merry voluptuous man is grown old , and cannot act all his sin again , he takes pleasure in rem●mbring and telling others of his former folly ; what he once was ; and what he did ; and the merry hours that he had ; but then when sinners are come to themselves a little more , they will remember and tell one another of these things with another heart . oh that they did but know now how these things will then affect them ▪ 4. another witness that will then rise up against them , will be the very devils that tempted them : they that did purposely draw them to sin , that they might draw them to torment for sin : they can witness that you harkned to their temptations , when you would not harken to gods exhortations ; they can witness that you obeyed them in working iniquity . but because you may think the accusers testimony is not to be taken , i will not stand on this . though it is not nothing , where god knoweth it to be true . 5. the very angels of god also may be witnesses against the wicked : therefore are we advised in scripture , not to sin before them , eccl. 5.6 . 1 cor. 11.10 . 1 tim. 5.21 . i charge thee before the elect angels , &c. they can testifie that they would have been ministring spirits for their good , when the wicked rather chose to be slaves to the spirit of malitiousness . the holy angels of god do many a time stand by you when ▪ you are sinning ▪ they see you , when you see not them . they are employed by god in some sort for your good , as well as we : and as it is the grief of ministers , that their labors succeed not , so may we suppose that according to their state and nature it is theirs . for they that rejoyce in heaven at the conversion of one sinner , may be said to sorrow , or to lose those joyes , when you refuse to be converted . these noble spirits , these holy and glorious attendants of christ , that shall wait upon him to judgement , will be witnesses against rebellious sinners , to their confu●ion . sirs , you have all in you naturally a fear of spirits , and invisible powers : fear them aright : least hearkening to the deceiving spirits , and refusing the help of the angels of god , and wilfully sinning before their faces , you should cause them at that day , to the terrour of your souls , to stand forth as witnesses against you , to your condemnation . 6. conscience it self will be a most effectual witness against the wicked at that day . i before told you it will be a discerner , and force them to a confession : but a further office it hath , even to witness against them . if none else in the world had known of their secret sins , conscience will say , i was acquainted with them . 7. the spirit of christ can witness against the ungodly , that he oft moved them to repent and return , and they rejected his motions : that he spoke to their hearts in secret , and oft set in with the minister , and often minded them of their case , and perswaded them to god ; but they resisted , quenched and grieved the spirit , act. 7.51 . as the spirit witnesseth with the spirits of the righteous that they are the children of god , rom. 8.16 . so doth he witness with the conscience of the wicked , that they were children of rebellion , and therefore are justly children of wrath . this spirit will not alway strive with men ; at last being vexed , it will prove their enemy , and rise up against them , gen. 6.3 . isa. 63.10 . if you will needs grieve it now , it will grieve you then . were it not a spirit of grace , and were it not free mercy that it came to offer you , the repulse would not have been so condemning ▪ nor the witness of this spirit against you so heavy at the last . but it was the spirit of jesus , that came with recovering grace , which you resisted : and though the wages of every sin is death , yet you will find that it will cost you somewhat more to reject this salvation , than to break the creators law of works kindness , and such kindness , will not be rejected at easie rates . many a good motion is now made by the spirit to the heart of a sinner , which he doth not ●o much as once obse●ve ; and therefore doth not now remember them . but then they shall be brought to his remembrance with a witness . many a thousand secret motions to repentance , to faith , to a holy life , will be then set before the eyes of the poor , unpardoned , trembling sinner , which he had quite forgotten : and the spirit of god shall testifie to his confusion , [ at such a sermon i perswaded thy heart to repent , and thou wouldest not ; at such a time i shewed thee the evil of thy sin , and perswaded thee to have forsaken it , but thou wouldest not ; i minded thee in thy secret thoughts , of the neerness of judgement , and the certainty and vveight of everlasting things , of the need of christ , and faith , and holyness , and of the danger of sinning : but thou didst drown all my motions in the cares and pleasures of the world ▪ thou harkenedst rather to the devil than to me : the sensual inclinations of thy flesh did prevail against the strongest arguments that i used : though i shewed thee reasons , undenyable reasons , from thy creator , from thy redeemer , from nature , from grace , from heaven , and from hell , yet all would not so much as stop thee , much less turn thee , but thou wouldest go on ; thou wouldest follow thy flesh , and now let it pay thee the wages of thy folly ; thou wouldest be thy ovvn guide , and take thine ovvn course ▪ and novv take vvhat thou gettest by it . ] poor sinners , i beseech you in the fear of god , the next time you have any such motions from the spirit of god , to repent , and believe , and break off your sins , and the occasions of them , consider then what a mercy is set before you ; and how it will confound you at the day of judgement , to have all these motions brought in against you , and that the spirit of grace it self should be your condemner ! alas , that men should choose their own destruction , and wilfully choose it ! and that the foreknowledge of these things should not move them to relent . so much concerning the witness that will be brought in against the sinner . 5. the fifth evidence that will be given in against the sinner , will be , the instruments and effects . you know among men , if a man be found murthered by the high-way , and you are found standing by him with a bloody sword in your hand ; especially if there were a former dissention between you , it will be an evidence that will prove a strong presumption , that you were the murderer : but if the fact be certain by other evidence , then many such things may be brought for aggravation of the fault . so a twofold evidence will be brought against the sinner from these things . one to prove him guilty of the fact : the other to aggravate the fault , and prove that his sin was very great . for the former . 1. the very creatures which sinners abused to sin , may be brought in against them to their conviction and condemnation . for though these creatures shall be consumed with the last destroying fire , which shall consume all the world , yet they shall have a being in the memory of the sinner ( an esse cognitum . ) the very wine or ale , or other liquor which was abused to drunkenness , may witness aga●nst the drunkard . the sweet morsels by which the glutton did please his appetite , and all the good creatures of god which he luxuriously devou●ed , may witness against him , luke 16.19 , 25. he that fared deliciously every day in this life , was told by abrah●m when he was dead , and his soul in hell , [ remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things , and likewise lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented . ] though their sweet morsels and cups are past , and gone , yet must they be remembred at judgement and in hell . [ remember , son ] saith abraham : yea , and remember he must , whether he will or no : long was the glutton in sinning , and many a pleasant bit did he taste : and so many evidences of his sin will lie against him , and the sweetness will then be turned into gall . the very cloathing , and ornaments by which proud persons did manifest their pride , will be sufficient evidence against them ▪ as his being cloathed in purple and fine linnen , is mentioned , luk. 16.19 . the very lands , and goods and houses of worldlings , will be an evidence against them : their gold and silver , which the covetous do now prefer before the everlasting riches with christ , will be an evidence against them , jam. 5.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. go to now , ye rich men , weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you . your riches are corrupted , and your garments moath-eaten ; your gold and silver is cankered , and the rust of them shall be a witness against you , and shall eat your flesh , as it were fire ; ye have heaped treasure together for the last daies . behold the hire of the labourers , which have reaped down your fields , which is of you kept back by fraud , cryeth ; and the cryes of them which have reaped , are entred into the ears of the lord of sabaoth . ye have lived in pleasure on the earth , and been wanton ; ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter . oh that worldlings would well consid●r this one text ; and therein observe , whether a life of earthly pleasure , and fulness , of worldly glory , and gallantry , be as desirable as they imagine ▪ and to what time , and purpose they now lay up their treasures ; and how they must hear of these things hereafter ; and what effect the review of their jovial daies will have upon their miserable condemned souls . 2. the very circumstances of time , place , and the like , may evidence against a sinner to his condemnation . the drunkard shall remember , in such an ale-house i was so oft drunk , and in such a tavern i vvasted my time ; the adulterer and fornicator shall remember the very time , the place , the room , the bed , vvhere they committed vvickedness . the thief and deceiver vvill remember the time , place , the persons they wronged , and the things which they robbed or deceived them of . the worldling will remember the business which he preferred before the service of god ; the worldly matters which had more of his heart than his maker and redeemer had : the work which he was doing when he should have been praying , or reading , or catechizing his family , or thinking soberly of his latter end . a thousand of these will then come into his mind , and be as so many evidences against him to his condemnation . 3. the very effects also of mens sins will be an evidence against them . the wife and children of a drunkard are impoverished by his sin : his family and the neighborhod is disquieted by him . these will be so many evidences against him . so will the abuse of his own reason : the enticing of others to the same sin , and hardening them by his example . one covetous unmerciful landlord doth keep a hundred , or many hundred persons or families in so great necessities , and care and labour , that they are tempted by it to overpass the service of god , as having scarce time for it , or any room for it in their troubled thoughts ; all these miserable families , and persons , and all the souls that are undone by this temptation , will be so many evidences against such oppressors . yea , the poor whom they have neglected to relieve , when they might ; the sick whom they have neglected to visit , when they might , will all witness then against the unmerciful , matth. 25. the many ignorant , worldly , careless sinners ▪ , that have perished under an idle , unfaithful minister , will be so many witnesses against him to his condemnation ! they may then cry out against him to his face , [ i was ignorant lord , and he never did so much as teach me , catechize me , nor tell me of these things ; i was careless , and minded he world , and he let me go on quietly , and was as careless and worldly as i , and never plainly and faithfully warned me , to waken me from my security . ] and so their blood will be required at his hands , though themselves also shall perish in their sin , ezek. 33.7 , 8. 2. and as these evidences will convince men of sin , so there are many more which will convince them of the greatness of their sin . and these are so many that it would too much lengthen my discourse to stand on them . a few i shall briefly touch . 1. the very mercy of god in creating men , in giving and continuing their being to them , will be an evidence for the aggravation of their sin against him . what ? will you abuse him , by whom it is that you are men ? will you speak to his dishonor , that giveth you your speech ? will will you live to his dishonour who giveth you your lives ? will you wrong him by his own creatures ? and neglect him without whom you cannot subsist ? 2. the redemption of men by the lord jesus christ , will be an evidence to the exceeding aggravation of their sins . you sinned against the lord that bought you ▪ 2 pet. 2.1 . when the feast was prepared , and all things were ready , you made light of it , and found excuses , and would not come , mat. 22.4 , 5 , 6. luk. 14.17 , 18. must christ redeem you by so dear a price from sin and misery , and yet will you continue the servants of sin , and prefer your slavery before your freedom , and choose to be satans drudges , rather then to be the servants of god ? the sorrows and sufferings that christ underwent for you , will then prove the increase of your own sorrows . as a neglected redeemer , it is that he will condemn you . and then you would be glad that it were but true doctrine , that christ never d●ed for you , that you might not be condemned for refusing a redeemer , and sinning against him that shed his blood for you . how deeply will his wounds then wound your consciences ! you will then remember , that to this end he both d●ed , rose , and revived , that he might be lord both of the dead and the living ? and that he therefore dyed for all , that they which live , should not henceforth live to themselves , but to him that dyed for them , and rose again ; rom. 14.9 . 2 cor. 5.14 , 15. matth. 28.18 , 19 , 20. 1 pet. 1.17 , 18. you will then understand that you were not your own , but were bought with a price , and therefore should have glorified him that bought you , with your bodies and spirits , because they were his , 1 cor. 6.19 , 20. this one aggravation of your sin will make you doubly and remedilesly miserable , that you trod under foot the son of god , and counted the blood of the covenant , wherewith you were sanctified , an unholy thing , heb. 10.26 , 27 , 28 , 29. and crucified to your selves the son of god a fresh , and put him to open shame , heb. 6.5 , 6. 3. moreover ; all the personal mercies which they received , will be so many evidences for the condemnation of the ungodly . the very earth that bore them , and yielded them its fruits , while they themselves were unfruitful to god : the aire which they breathed in : the food which nourished them ▪ the cloaths which covered them , the houses which they dwelt in , the beasts that laboured for them , and all the creatures that dyed for their use : all these may rise up against them to their condemnation . and the judge may thus expostulate with them , [ did all these mercies deserve no more thanks ? should you not have served him that so liberally maintained you ? god thought not all these too good for you , and did you think your hearts and services too good for him ? he served you with the weary labours of your fellow-creatures : and should you have grudged to bear his easie yoak ? they were your slaves and drudges , and you refused to be his free servants and his sons ? they suffered death to feed your bodies , and you would not suffer the short forbearance of a little forbidden fleshly pleasure , for the sake of him that made you and redeemed you . ] oh how many thousand mercies of god will then be reviewed by those that neglected them to the horrour of their souls , when they shall be upbraided by the judge with their base requital ! all the deliverances from sickness and from danger ; all the honours , and priviledges , and other commodities , which so much contented them , will then be gods evidences to shame them and confound them . on this supposition doth the apostle reprove such , rom. 2.4 ▪ 5 , 6. despisest thou the riches of his goodness , and forbearance , and long suffering , not knowing that the goodness of god leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy hardness and impenitent heart , treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath , and revelation of the righteous judgement of god , who will render to every man according to his deeds . 4. moreover , all the means which god used for the recovery of sinners in the day of their visitation , will rise up against the impenitent souls , in judgement to their condemnation . you can hear sermons carelessly and sleepily now ; but o that you would consider , how the review of them will then awake you ! you now make light of the warnings of god and man , and of all the wholsom advice that is given you : but god will not then make light of your contempt . oh what cutting questions will they be to the hearts of the ungodly , when all the means that were used for their good , are brought to their remembrance on one side , and the temptations that drew them to sin on the other side , and the lord shall plead his cause with their consciences , and say , [ was i so hard a master , or was my work so unreasonable , or was my wages so contemptible , that no perswasions could draw you into my service ? was satan so good a master , or was his work so honest and profitable , or was his wages so desirable , that you would be so easily perswaded to do as he would have you ? was there more perswading reason in his allurements and deceits , then in all my holy words , and all the powerful sermons that you heard , or all the faithful admonitions you received , or all the good examples of the righteous , or in all the works of god which you beheld ? was not a reason fetcht from the love of god , from the evil of sin , the blood of christ , the judgement to come , the glory promised , the torments threatned , as forcible with you ; and as good in your eyes , to draw you to holiness , as a reason from a little fleshly delight , or worldly gain , to draw you to be unholy ? ] in the name of god , sinners , i intreat you to bethink your selves in time , how you will sufficiently answer such questions as these . you should have seen god in every creature that you beheld , and have read your duty in all his works ; what can you look upon above you , or below you , or round about you , which might not have shewed you so much of the wisdom , and goodness , and greatness of your maker , as should have convinced you that it was your duty to be devoted to his will ? and yet you have his written word that speaks plainer then all these ? and will you despise them all ? will you not see so great a light ? will you not hear so loud and constant calls ? shall god , and his ministers speak in vain ? and can you think that you shall not hear of this again , and pay for it one day ? you have the bible , and other good books by you : why do you not read them ? you have ministers at hand ▪ why do you not go to them ▪ and earnestly ask them ▪ sir , what must i do to be saved ? and entreate them to teach you the way to life ; you have some neighbors that fear god : why do you not go to them , and take their good advice , and imitate them in the fear of god , and in a holy diligence for your souls ? now is the time for you to bestir your selves ; life and death are are before you . you have gales of grace to further your voyage : there are more for you then against you . god will help you : his spirit will help you : his ministers will help you : every good christian will help you ; the angels themselves will help you , if you will but resolvedly set your selves to the work ; and yet will you not stir ? patience is waiting on you ; mercies are enticing you ; scourges are driving you ; judgement stayeth for you ; the lights of god stand burning by you to direct you ; and yet will you not stir , but lie in darkness ? and do you think you shall not hear of this ? do you think this will not one day cost you dear ? ix . the ninth part of our work , is to shew you , what are those frivolous excuses by which the unrighteous may then endeavour their defence ? having already shewed you what the defence must be , that must be sufficient to our justification . if any first demand , whether the evidence of their sin will not so overwhelm the sinner , that he will be speechless and past excuse ? i answ. before god hath done with him , he will be so ; but it seems , at first his dark understanding , and partial corrupted conscience will set him upon a vain defence . for mat. 7.22 , 23. christ telleth us , that [ many will say to me in that day , lord , lord , have we not prophesied in thy name , and in thy name have cast out devils , and in thy name have done many wonderful works ? and then will i profess to them , i never knew you , depart from me , ye workers of iniquity . ] and in mat. 25.11 . the foolish virgins cry , [ lord , lord , open to us . ] and vers. 44. [ then shall they also answer him , saying , lord when saw we thee an hungred , or thirst , or a stranger , or naked , or sick ▪ or in prison , and did not minister unto thee ? ] and vers. 24 , 25. they fear not to cast some of the cause of their neglect on god himself . [ then he which had received the one talent came and said , lord i knew thee that thou art an hard man , reaping where thou hast not sown , and gathering where thou hast not strawed ; and i was afraid , and went and hid thy talent in the earth ; lo , there thou hast that is thine . ] it is clear then , that excuses they will be ready to make , and their full conviction will be in order after these excuses ( at least as in their minds , if not in words ) ; but what the particular excuses will be , we may partly know by these ▪ scriptures which recite them , and partly by hearing what the ungodly do now say for themselves . and because it is for their present benefit that i now make mention of them , that they may see the vanity of all such excuses , i will mention them as i now meet with them in the mouths of sinners in our ordinary discourse . and these excuses are of several sorts ; some by which they would justifie their estate ; some excuses of particular actions ; and that either in whole , or in part ; some by which they would put by the penalty , though they confess the sin ; some by which they lay the blame on other men ; and in some they vvould cast it upon god himself . i must touch but some of them very briefly . the first excuse . i am not guilty of these things which i am accused of . i did love god above all , and my neighbor as my self ; i did use the world but for necessity , but god had my heart . answ. the all-seeing judge doth know the contrary ; and he will make thy conscience know it . look back man , upon thy heart and life hovv seldom and hovv neglectfully didst thou think of god ? hovv coldly didst thou vvorship him , or make any mention of him ? hovv carelessly didst thou serve him ? and think much of all that thou d●dst therein ? thou rather thoughtest that his service vvas making more ado than needs , and didst grudge at those that vvere more diligent than thy self ; but for the world , how heartily , and how constantly didst thou seek and serve it . and yet wouldst thou now perswade the judge that thou didst love god above all ? he will shew thee thy naked heart , and the course of thy former life , which shall convince thee of the contrary . the second excuse . i lived not in any gross sin , but only in small infirmities . i was no murderer , or adulterer , or fornicator , or thief ; nor did i deceive or wrong any , or take any thing by violence . answ. was it not a gross sin , to love the world above god , and to neglect christ that dyed for thee ? and never do him one hours hearty service , but meerly to seek thy carnal self , and live to thy flesh ? god will open thine eyes then , and shew thee a thousand gross sins , which thou now forgettest or makest light of . and it is not only gross sins , but all sin , great or small that deserveth the wrath of god , and will certainly bring thee under it for ever , if thou have not part in christ to relieve thee : wo to the man that ever he was born that must answer in his own name for his smallest offences . the third excuse . i did it ignorantly : i knew not that there was so much required to my salvation . i thought less ado might have served the turn : and that if i lookt to my body , god would take care of my soul : and that it was better to trust him what should become of me hereafter , then to trouble my mind so much about it . had i known better , i would have done better . answ. if you knew not better , who was it long of but your self ? did god hide these things from you ? did he not tell them you in his word as plainly as the tongue of man can speak , that except you were regenerate and born again , you should not enter into the kingdom of god ? john 3.3 , 5. that without holyness none should see god , heb. 12.14 . that you must strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for many shall seek to enter , and shall not be able , luke 13.24 . that if you lived after the flesh you should dye ; and if by the spirit you mortified the deeds of the body ▪ you should live , rom. 8.13 . that if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his , rom. 8.9 . and to be carnally minded is death : but to be spiritually minded is life and peace , rom. 8.9 . that you must not lay up for your selves a treasure on earth , where rust and moths do corrupt , and thieves break through and steal , but must lay up for your selves a rreasure in heaven , where rust and moths do not corrupt , and thieves do not break through and steal , mat. 6.19 , 20. that you must seek first the kingdom of god and the righteousness thereof , mat 6.23 . and not labour for the food that perisheth , but for the food that endureth to everlasting life , which christ would have given you , john 6.27 . that if you be risen with christ , you must seek those things which are above , where christ sitteth at the right hand of god ▪ and not the things that are on earth , col. 3.1 , 2 , 3. yea your very conversation should be in heaven , phil. 3.19.20 , 21. what say you , did not god tell you all this and much more ? and plainly tell it you ? turn to your bibles , and see the words , and let them witness against you . 2. and could you think with any reason , that your souls being so much more precious then your bodies , you should yet do so much more for your bodies then your souls ? could you think all the labour of your lives little enough for a frail body , that must he shortly in the dirt ; and that your immortal souls should be no more regarded ? could you think with any reason , that you should do so much for a life of a few years continuance and do no more for a life that shall have no end ? 3. and whereas you talk of trusting god with your souls , you did not trust him : you did but on that pretence , carelessly disregard them . if you trust god , shew any word of promise that ever he gave you to trust upon , that ever an impenitent , carnal , careless person shall be saved ? no : he hath told you enough to the contrary and could you think that it was the will of god , that you should mind your bodies more then your souls , and this life more then that to come ? why , he hath bid you strive , and run , and fight , and labour , and care , and seek , and use violence , and all diligence for the safety of your souls , and for the life to come : but where hath he bid you do so for your bodies ? no , he knew that you were prone to do too much for them ; and therefore he hath bid you , [ care not , and labour not ] that is , do it as if you did it not : and let your care and labour for earthly things be none in comparison of that for heavenly things . you know god can as well maintain your lives without your care and labour , as save your souls without it : and yet you see he will not , he doth not : you must plough , and sow , and reap , and thresh , for all gods love and care of you , and not say , i will let all alone and trust god . and must you not much more use diligence in much greater things ? if you will ●rust god , you must trust him in his own way , and in the use of his own means . the fourth excuse . i was never brought up to learning , i cannot so much as read : nor did my parents ever teach me any of these things , but only set me about my worldly business , and provide food and rayment for me : but never once told me that i had a soul to save or lose , and an everlasting life to provide and prepare for . and therefore i could not come to the knowledge of them . answ. the greater is their sin , who thus neglected you ▪ but this is no sufficient excuse for you . heaven is not prepared for the learned only : nor will christ ask you at judgement , whether you were good scholars , or not , no nor so much as whether you could write or read . but consider well ! was not gods word so plainly written , that the unlearned might understand it ? did he not put it into the most familiar stile , though he knew it would be offensive to the proud schollars of the world of purpose that he might fit it to the capacities of the ignorant ? and if you could not read , yet tell me , could not you have learned to read at 20 , or 30 years of age , if you had been but willing to bestow now and then an hour to that end ? or at least , did you not live neer some that could read ? and could you not have procured them to read to you , or to help you ? and did you not hear these things read to you in the congregation by the minister ? or might have done if you would ? and if your parents did neglect you in your youth , yet when you came to a fuller use of reason , and heard of the matters of salvation from gods word , did it not concern you to have looked to your selves ; and to have redeemed that time which you lost in your youth ▪ by doubling your diligence when you came to riper years ? the apostles gathered churches among heathens that never heard of christ before ; and converted many thousand souls that were never once told of a saviour , or the way to salvation , till they had past a great part of their lives . if you loitered till the latter part of the day , it behoved you then to have bestirred your selves the more : and not to say , through the fault of my parents , i lost the beginning of my life , and therefore i will lose all : they taught me not then , and therefore i will not learn now . have you not seen some of your neighbors , who were as ill educated as your selves , attain to much knowledge afterwards by their industry ? and why might not you have done so , if you had been as industrious as they ? may not god and conscience witness , that it was because you cared not for knowledge , and would not be at the pains to get it , that you knew no more ? speak truth , man , in the presence of thy judge , was thy heart and mind set upon it ? didst thou pray daily for it to god ? didst thou use all the means thou couldest to get it ? didst thou attend diligently on the word in publike , and think of what thou heardest when thou camest home ? didst thou go to the minister , or to others that could teach thee , and intreat them to tell thee the way to salvation ? or didst thou not rather carelesly neglect these matters ; and hear a sermon as a common tale , even when the minister was speaking of heaven or hell ? it was not then thine unavoidable ignorance , but thy negligence . yea further , answer as in the presence of god : didst thou obey so far as thou d●dst know ? or didst thou not rather sin against that knowledge which thou hadst . thou ●newest that the soul was better then the body , and everlasting life more to be regarded , then this transitory life ? but didst thou regard it accordingly ? thou sure knewest that god was better then the world , and heaven then earth ; at least , thou wast told of it ? but didst thou according●y value him , and love him more ? thou knewest sure that there was no salvation without faith , and repentance , and newness of life , and yet they were neglected . in a word , many a thousand sins which were committed , and duties that were omitted , against thy own knowledge and conscience , will marr this excuse . the fifth excuse . i lived not under a powerful minister to tell me of these things ; but where there was no preaching at all . answ. and might you not have gone where a powerful minister was with a little pains ? yea did not the very plain word which you heard read , tell you of these things ? and might you not have had a bible your ●elves , and found them there ? the sixth excuse . i was a servant , and had no time from my labour to mind these matters : i l●ved with a hard master , that required all his own work of me , but would allow me no time for the service of god . or else , i was a poor man , and had a great charge to look after , and with my hard labour had much ado to live , so that i had no time for heavenly things . answ. 1. who should be first served ? god or man ? what should be first sought after , heaven or earth ? did not christ tell thee , one thing is necessary , luke 10.41 , 42. was it not as needful to see that you escape damnation , and get safe to heaven when this life is ended , as to see that you had food and raiment for your selves , and yours ? 2. did you spend no time in recreation , nor idleness , nor vain talking ? why might not that at least have been spent about heavenly things ? 3. could you have taken no time from your rest , or eating or at other intermissions ? mans body will not endure so great labours as have no intermission ? and why then might not godlyness have been your ease and recreation ? 4. or might you not have minded these things , even when you were about your labour , if you had but a heart to them ? 5. at least you might have spent the lords own day in hearing , reading , and pondering of these matters , when you were forced to forbare your worldly labours , even by the wholsom law of the land : these therefore are all but vain excuses : and god will shortly make thee speak out , and plainly confess , it was not so much for want of time , or helps , or warning , as for want of a heart to use them well . i should have found some time , though it had been when i should have slept , if my heart had been but set upon it . the seventh excuse . little did i think to have seen this day : ● did not believe that ever god would be so severe : i thought his threatnings had been but to keep men in awe : and i suspected either that the scripture was not his word , or else i thought he would be better than his word . i thought all that i heard of another life had been uncertain ; and therefore was loth to let go a certainty for an uncertainty , and lose my present pleasures which i had in hand , for the hopes of that which i never did see . answ. he that will not know his misery by believing to prevent it , shall know it by feeling to endure it ▪ you were told and told again what your unbelief would bring you to . did gods word make heaven and earth ? doth it support them , and secure them ▪ and is not his word sufficient security for you to have trusted your souls upon ? did you know where was any better security to be had ? and where was any surer ground for your confidence ? and did you think so basely and blasphemously of god , that he would falsifie his word , lest such as you should suffer ? and that he was fain to rule the world by a lye ? did god make the world so easily ? and can he not govern it by true and righteous means ▪ what need god to say that which he will not do , to awe sinners ? can he not awe them by truth ? is it not just that those should eternally perish , that will entertain such despe●ate thoughts of god , and then by such wicked imaginations , encourage themselves in sin against him ? and for the truth of scripture , god did not bid you believe it without evidence . he stamped on it the image of his own purity and perfection , that you might know it by that image and superscription , if you had eyes to see them : he sealed it by uncontrouled multitudes of miracles : he delivered it down to your hands by infallible witnesses : so that he left you no room for rational doubting . and you knew that the matters of this world were not only uncertain , but certainly vain and transitory , and would shortly come to nothing and leave you in distress . if it had then been uncertain whether there were a glory and misery hereafter ▪ ( as it was not ) should not reason have taught you to prefer the least probabilities of an everlasting unspeakable happiness , before that which is certainly perishing and vain ? these vain excuses will but condemn you . the eighth excuse . i was so enticed and perswaded by sinners to do as they did , that i could not deny them . they would never let me rest . answ. 1. and were you not as earnestly perswaded by god to forsake sin and serve him , and yet that would not prevail with you ? you could not deny the devil and fools , but you could deny god and all his messengers . were not ministers as earnest with you every week to repent and amend ? what did men entice you with ? with a little deluding fleshly pleasure for a few daies ? and what did god entice you with ? with the promise of endless unconceivable felicity ! and if this were a smaller matter in your eyes then the other , then you have had your choice , be content with it , and thank your selves . in your life time you had the good things which you chose , and preferred before heaven , and therefore cannot expect to have heaven besides . the ninth excuse . i lived among ungodly persons , that derided all that feared god ; so that if i had not done as they did , but had made any more ado to be saved , i should have been the very scorn of the place where i lived . answ. and was not heaven worth the enduring of a scorn ? is not he worthy to go without it that thinks so basely of it ? d●d not christ tell you , that if you were ashamed of him before men , he would be ashamed of you before his father and the angels of heaven , mark 8.38 . he suffered more then scorns for you : and could not you suffer a scorn for him and your selves , seeing you chose rather to endure everlasting torment , than a little derision from ignorant men , take that which you made choice of . and seeing so small a matter would drive you from heaven , and part god and you as a mock , as the wind of a mans mouth , no wonder if you be commanded , to depart from him into everlasting fire . the tenth excuse . i had ungodly persons to my parents , or masters , or landlord , or governors , who threatned to undo me , if i had addicted my self to so strict a life , and if i would not believe and do as they did . answ. what if they threatned you with present death ? did not god also threaten you with everlasting death , if you were not ruled by him ? and whose threatning should you have chiefly feared ? is man more dreadful than god ? is death more terrible then hell ? did not christ bid you ▪ fear not them that can kill the body , and after that can do no more ; but fear him that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell fire ; yea i say unto you , fear him . mat. 10.28 . luke 12.4 , 5. and isa. 51.7 . fear ye not the reproach of men , neither be afraid of their revilings : for the moth shall eat them up like a garment , and the worm shall eat them like wool : but my righteousness shall be for ever , and my salvation from generation to generation . seeing therefore you have chosen rather to suffer from god for ever for your sin , then to suffer small matters for well-doing for a moment , you must even bear your own choice . christ told you before hand , that if you could not forsake all the world and your own lives for him , you could not be his disciples , matth. 10.37 , 38 , 39. and seeing you thought his terms too hard , and would needs seek you out a better service , even take what you have chosen and found . the eleventh excuse . i saw so many follow their pleasures and their worldly business , and never look after these higher things , and so few go the other way , that i thought ▪ sure god would not damn so great a part of the world ; and therefore i ventured to do as the most did . answ. god will make good his word upon many or few . did you doubt of his will , or of his power ? for his will , he hath told it you in his word . for his power , he is as able to punish many as one man . what is all the world to him , but as a drop of a bucket , as the dust of the ballance ; he told you before hand that the gate was strait , and the way to heaven was narrow , and few did find it , and the gate to destruction was wide , and the way was broad , and many did enter in at it , mat. 7.13 , 14. and if you would not believe him , you must bear what your unbelief hath brought you to . what if you had twenty children , or servants , or friends : and the greater part of them should prove false to you , and seek your destruction , or prove disobedient , and turn to your enemy ? would you think it a good excuse , if the rest should do the like , because of their example ? will you therefore wrong god , because you see others wrong him ? would you spit in the face of your own father , if you saw others do so ? god warned you , that you should not follow a multitude to do evil , exod. 23.2 . and if yet you will do as most do , you must even speed as most speed . you should not so much consider , who they be , as what they do , and whether they go , and who they forsake , and what they lose , and what strength is in the reasons that move them to do this . and then you would find , it is god they forsake , it is sin they choose , it is heaven they lose , it is hell they run into , and it is no true reason , but satans delusion , and sensual inclinations that lead them to it . and should men be imitated , be they many or be they few , in such a course as this ? the twelfth excuse . i saw so many faults in those that were accounted godly , and saw so much division among them , that i thought they were as bad as others ; and among so many opinions , i knew not what religion to be of . answ. 1. a spot is soonest seen in the fairest cloth . and the malicious world useth to make such far worse then they are . 2. but suppose all were true that malice saith of some , you could not say the like by others . 3. or if you could , yet it was gods law , and not mens faults , that was made the rule for you to live by : will it excuse you that others are bad ? 4. and for their diverse opinions , you should have taken counsel at gods word , which was right : did you first search the scripture impartially , as willing to know the truth , that you might obey it ? and did you pray daily that god would lead you into the truth ? and did you obey as much as you knew ? did you joyn with the godly so far as they are all agreed ? they are all agreed in the fundamental articles of christianity , and in all things absolutely necessary to a holy life , and to salvation : that all known sin is to be forsaken , and all known duty to be done . why did you not so far then agree with them ? alas , the imperfections of the godly , and the false accusations of the malicious world , will prove but a poor cover for your wilful ungodliness , and christ will convince you of the vanity of these excuses . the thirteenth excuse . the scriptures were so dark , that i could not understand them . and i saw the wisest men differ so much in the exposition of them , that i thought it was in vain for me to trouble my self about them . if god would have had us live according to the scriptures , he would sure have written them plainly , that men might understand them . answ. 1. it is all plainly written according to the nature of the subject : but a prejudiced , disaffected , yea or but untaught , disused soul cannot at first understand the plainest teaching . the plainest greek or hebrew grammer that can be written , will be utterly obscure to him that is but newly entred the english school : yea after many years time that he spends in learning . did you study hard , and pray for gods teaching , and enquire of others , and wait patiently in christs school , that you might come to further knowledge by degrees ? and were you willing to know , even those truths that called you out to self denyal , and that did put you on the hardest flesh displeasing duties ? had you done thus ▪ you would have admired the light of the holy scripture , and now have rejoyced that ever you saw them , and not have quarreled at its seeming darkness . this word might have made you wise to salvation , as it hath done others , act. 20.32 . 2 tim. 3.15 , 16 , 17. this law of the lord is perfect , converting the soul ; the testimony of the lord is sure , making wise the simple . the statutes of the lord are right , rejoycing the heart : the commandement of the lord is pure , enlightning the eyes , psal. 19.7 , 8. 2. so much as is of necessity to salvation , is as plain as you could desire . yet if you be judged by these , you will be condemned : for you did not obey that which was most plain . what darkness is in such words as these , except ye repent , ye shall all perish , luk. 13.3 , 5. love not the world , nor the things in the world : if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him , 1 john 2.15 . he that will come after me , let h●m deny himself , &c. matth. 16.24 . 3. if there had been nothing that seemed difficult to you , would you not have despised its simplicity , and have thought your selves wise enough at the first reading and needed no more ? the fourteenth excuse . there were so many seeming contradictions in the scripture , and so many strange improbable things , that i could not believe it . answ. the contradictions were in your fancy , that did not understand the word which you read . must the raw unexperienced learner despise his book or teacher , as oft as in his ignorance he thinks he meets with contradictions ? did you think god was no wiser then you , and understood not himself , because you understood him not ? nor could reconcile his own words , because you could not reconcile them ? you would needs be a judge of the law , instead of obeying it , and speak evil of it , rather then do it , jam. 4.11 . 2. and those things which you called improbable in the word , were the wonders of god , of purpose to confirm it . if it had not been confirmed by wonders , you would have thought it unproved : and yet now it is so confirmed , you will not believe the doctrine , because the witness seems incredible . and that is , because they are matters above the power of man : as if they were therefore above the power of god! you shall at last have your eyes so far opened , as to see those seeming contradictions reconciled , and the certainty of those things which you accounted improbable : that you may be forced to confess the folly of your arrogancy and unbelief : and then god will judge you in righteousness , who presumed unrighteously to judge him and his word . the fifteenth excuse . it seemed so unlikely a thing to me , that the merciful god should damn most of tht world to everlasting fire , that i could not believe it . answ. 1. and did it not seem as unlikely to you , that his word should be false ? 2. should it not have seemed as unlikely that the governor of the world should be unjust , and suffer his laws to be unexecuted , and the worst to speed as well as the best ! and to suffer vile sinful dust to despise his mercy , and abuse his patience , and turn all his creatures against him , without due punishment ? 3. did you not feel pain and misery begin in this life ? 4. you saw toads and serpents which had never sinned : and you would rather live in any tolerable suffering , then to be a toad . and is it not reason , that it should go worse with contemptuous sinners , then with those creatures that never sinned ? 5. could you expect that those should come to heaven , that would not believe there was such a state , but refused it , and preferred the world before it ? and to be out of heaven is to be out of all happiness ? and he that is so out of all happiness , and knows that he lost it by his own folly , must needs torment himself with such considerations , were there no other torments . and as man is capable of greater felicity than bruits , so must he needs be capable of more misery . the sixteenth excuse . the things which god promised in heaven , and threatned in hell , were all out of my sight : and therefore i could not heartily believe them . had i but once seen them , or spoke with one that had seen them , i should have been sati●fied , and have contemned the things , of the world . answ. w●ll you not believe till you see or feel ? was not gods word sufficient evidence ? would you have believed one from the dead that had told you he had seen such things ? and would you not believe stephen that saw them , act. 7 . 5● . or paul that heard and saw them , 2 cor. 12.3 , 4. nor christ that came purposely from heaven to reveal them ? why flesh and blood cannot see them . you see not god : will you not therefore believe that there is a god ? indeed , whatever you imagine , if you would not believe moses and the prophets , christ and his apostles , neither would you have bel●●ved though one had risen from the dead . for ●ods word is more credible then a dead mans : and christ did rise from the dead to attest it . blessed are they that have not seen , and yet believed . noah saw no rain when he was preparing the ark : but because he believed , he made ready and escaped , heb. 11.7 . when the world that would not bel●eve , did perish but seeing gods word was of no more weight with you , and no knowledge would serve ▪ your turn , but by seeing and feeling ; you shall see and feel everlastingly to your sorrow . the seventeenth excuse ▪ it was so strict a law that god would have ruled me by , and the way to heaven was so strait and difficult , that i could not endure it . i was not able to deny my flesh , and live such a life . answ. 1. you were not able , because you were not willing . what was there but your own wicked hearts that should make such a life seem grievous to you ? every thing is hard and grievous to him who loaths it , and whose heart is against it . the chief thing that god called you to , was to love him , and make him your delight . and are love and delight such grievous things ? it was not grievous to you to love your meat , or drink , or money : it was no hard matter to you to love a friend that loved you ▪ no nor to love your sin , which was your enemy : and what should make it seem hard to love god , but a wicked heart ? is not he better , and more lovely then all these ? and had you but loved him , all the rest of his service would have seemed easie to you . to think of him , to speak of him , to pray to him ▪ to praise him , yea , to deny all and suffer for him , would have been sweet and pleasant to you , so far as you had loved him . it was not god therefore , but your own naughty hearts , that made his work seem grievous to you , and the way to heaven seem hard . he told you truly ▪ that his yoak was easie , and his burden light , and his commandments were not grievous ▪ mat. 11.29 . 1 joh. 5.3 . they that tryed them , found them the very joy and delight of their souls , and why could not you do so ? 2. but what if the way to heaven had been harder then it was ? was not heaven worth your labor ? were you afraid of being a loser by it ? could not god requite your labour or sufferings ? doth any repent when they come to heaven ▪ that it cost them so dear to come thither ? and is not hell worse then the hardest way to heaven ? seeing you have chosen hell to save you a labour and suffering in this life , you must have your choice . and seeing you thought not everlasting life to be worth so much as god required , that is , the accepting thankfully , and minding , and seeking , and preferring it before this life , you have none to blame for the loss of it but your selves . the eighteenth excuse . it was god that made me of a sensual nature : he gave me an appetite to meat , and drink , and ease , and lust ; he gave me that flesh which ruled me : how then can he condemn me , for living according to the nature which he gave me ? answ. he gave that appetite to be exercised moderately under the rule of reason , for the preservation and propagation of mankind . but did he not also give you reason to govern that appetite ? and the revelation of his will to guide that reason ? he gave you your flesh , to be a servant , and not a master your beast hath fleshly appetite without reason ; and therefore god hath put him under you who have reason that you should rule him . will you let your beast do what he list ▪ and madly run upon whom he list , and say , you do but let him live according to his nature , which ●od hath given him ? why god that gave him such a nature did intend him to be ruled by a higher nature , even by the reason which he gave to you : and so he did also by your flesh , and sensual appetite . the ninteenth excuse . but i lived among so many baits , which enticed this flesh , that i could not resist them . my meat was a snare to me , my drink a snare , my cloaths , my house , my land a snare , every beauty that i saw was a snare : and the better all these were the stronger was my snare . if god would not have had my heart ensnared and drawn from him , he should not have put so many baits in my way . yea and they were so neer to me , and daily with me , that though i was resolved to forbeare them before , yet when they were brought to my hand , i could not forbeare . answ. is this the thanks that god hath for his mercies ? he s●nt you all these as favours from his own hand : he wrote his own name upon them , that in them you might see his power , and wisdom , and goodness , and so be led up to the consideration of him , that you might fall in love with himself , who was the fountain , the life , the end of all ▪ and do you overlook god in the creature , and live as without him in the world , and dote upon that which should have drawn you to himself ▪ and then lay the blame on god ? if he send a suitor to speak to you in his name , and write you a love letter with his own hand , will you fall in love with the messenger , or the letter , and neglect the sender , and then blame him that wrote his letter on so fair a paper , or in so neat a hand , or that sent it by such a comely messenger ? certainly , these excuses are too gross , to take with the wise and righteous god , or to seem suffi●ient to a well-informed conscience . 2. and whereas you speak of the power of these objects , was there not much more in god , in christ , in the promised glory , to have drawn your heart another way ? why then did not these take as much with you as the other ? you could not choose , forsooth , but be enticed with such baits as were fitted to your sensual appetite , and such things as a dog or a swine may enjoy as well as a man ▪ but you could choose , when christ and glory were offered you : yea you did choose to refuse the offer , and tread them under feet by your neglect ! when satan set your cups , and your harlots , and your profits before you , on one side ; did not god set his favour and everlasting happiness on the other side ? and was it wise or equal dealing to pref●rr your lusts before that glory ? 3. moreover , it was not in the power of any of those baits to force your will , or to necessitate you to chose them : they could be but baits to entice you ; and it was still in your own choice , whether you would yield to the enticement , and choose them or not . shall every man be false to god , that hath any bait to entice him from him ? will you excuse your child or friend , if he would be false to you , upon as great enticements as these ? if a cup of drink , or a where , or a little gain , could draw him more then all your love and interest , i do not think you would hold him excused . 4. and whereas you speak of the ne●rness and continuance of these allurements , i would fain know , was not god as neer you , and continually neer you , to draw you to himself ? faith might have seen him , though flesh and blood cannot . did he not stand by you when you were in your cups , and lustful pleasures ? did he not tell you of the danger , and offer you far better things , if you would obey him and despise those baits ? but you would hearken to none of this ; you should have remembred that he stood over you , and was looking on you ; and you should have said as joseph , gen. 39.9 . how can i do this great wickedness , and sin against god ? you had also scripture neer you , and reason neer you , and conscience neer you , as well as the bait was neer you . and therefore this is a vain excuse . the twentieth excuse . it was god that let loose the devil to tempt me ; and he was too subtile for me to deal with : and therefore what wonder if i sinned , and were overcome ? answ. 1. he did not let loose the devil to constrain you to sin . he could but entice , and you might choose whether you w●uld yield . the devil could neither make you sin against your will , nor yet necessitate you to be willing . 2. you were a sure friend to christ that while , that would forsake him as oft as you were tempted by the devil . is that a friend or a servant worthy to be regarded , that will disobey you , or betray you as oft as he is tempted to it ? 3. will you excuse your servant , if he leave your work undone , and follow cards , or dice , or the ale-house , and say , i was tempted to it by one that was cuninger then i ? shall every murderer or thief escape hanging , because the devil was too cunning for him in his temptations ? would you have the jury or the judge to take this for a good excuse ? 4. and why did you not hearken to god that ent●ced you the other way ? you forget what helps he afforded you to discover the wiles of satan , and to vanquish the temptation ? he told you it was an enemy that tempted you : and would you hearken to an enemy ? he told you it was a dream , a shadow , a painted pleasure , a guilded carkass , a lying promise , and deceitful vanity by which you were tempted ; and yet would you regard it before your god ? he told you that it was your god , your saviour , your hopes , your everlasting happiness that the tempter would begu●le you of ▪ and yet would you be beguiled ? he told you , and plainly , and often told you , that the tempter would lead you to eternal fire , and undo you everlastingly before you were aware ; and that a fatal hook was covered with that bait : and yet would you swallow it ? 5. it is plain by all th●s , that it was not your natural weakness of faculties that caused you to be overcome by the subtilties of the devil , as a silly child is deceived by a crafty fellow that overwits him : but it was your carelesness , inconsiderateness , your sensual inclinations , and vicious disposition , that drew you to a wilful obeying of the tempter , and rejecting the wholsom advice of christ . this therefore is a frivolous excuse of your sin . the one and twentieth excuse . but i hope you will not say that all men have free will ! and if my will were not free , ●ow could i choose but sin ? answ. your will was not free from gods rule and government ; nor was it free from its natural inclination to good in general ; for either of these were more properly slavery . 3. nor was it free from the influence of a dark understanding . 4. nor free from its own contracted vitious inclination . 5. nor freed from the temptations of the flesh , the world and the devil . but it was 1. free from any natural determination to evil , or to any thing that was doubtful . 2. and free from the coaction or violence of any . 3. and free from an irresistible determination of any exterior cause , at least , ordinarily . so that naturally , as men , you have the power or faculty of determining your own wills , and by your wills ▪ of ruling your inferiour faculties in a great measure ; yea of ruling the senses and the phantasie it self , which doth so much to dispose of our understanding . and if your wills which are naturally free , are yet so habitually vitious , that they encline you to do evil , that is not an excuse , but an aggravation of your sin . but of this more , under the next . the two and twentieth excuse . but i have not power of myself to do any thing that is good : what can the creature do ? without christ we can do nothing . it is god that must give me ability , or i can have none : and if he had given it me , i had not been an vnbeliever or impenitent . i can no more believe of my self , than i can fulfill the law of my self . answ. 1. these are the vain cavils of learned folly , which god will easily answer in a word . the word [ power ] is taken in several senses . sometime , and most commonly and fitly , for a faculty or strength by which a man can do his duty if he will . this physical power you have , and the worst of sinners have while they are men on earth . were they actually willing , they might acceptably perform sincere obedience ; and were they dispositively willing , they might actually believe and will . and thus the ungodly have power to believe . 2. sometime the word [ power ] is taken for authority , or leave ; for legal or civil power . and thus you have all not only power or liberty to believe ; but also a command , which makes it your duty , and a threatning adjoyned , which will condemn you if you do not . 3. sometime the word [ power ] is taken ethically and less properly , for a disposition , inclination , habit or freedom from the contrary habit or disposition . and in this sense , its true , that none but the effectually called have a power to believe . but then observe , 1. that this is but a moral less proper , and not a physical proper impotency : and therefore austin chuseth rather to say , that all men have power to believe , but all have not a will , or faith it self ; because we use to difference power from willingness ; and willingness actuateth the power which we had before . and therefore our divines choose rather to call grace a habit , when they speak exactly , then a power ; and dr. twiss derides the arminians for talking of a power subjected in a power . 2. note that this impotency is but the same thing with your unwillingness and wilful blindness , in another word . 3. note that this impotency is long of our selves as to the original , and much more as to the not-curing and removing of it . hath god given you no means towards the cure of this disability , which you have neglected ? 4. note that this impotency is no just excuse , but an aggravation of your sin . if you were willing to be the servant of christ , and yet were not able , either because he would not accept you , or because of a want of natural faculties , or because of some other natural difficulty which the willingest mind could not overcome ; this were some excuse : but to be habitually wilful in refusing grace , is worse then to be meerly actually unwilling . if a man have so accustomed himself to murder , drunkenness , stealing , or the like wickedness , so far that he cannot leave it , will you therefore forgive him , or will any judge or jury hold him excused ? or rather think him the more unfit for mercy ? 5. note also that the want of a supernatural habit , no nor the presence of the contrary habit , do not efficiently determine the will to particular acts : much less take away its natural freedom . 6. and that till habits attain an utter predominancy , ( at least ) there is a power remaining in the will to resist them , and use means against them . though eventually the perverse inclination may hinder the use of it . the three and twentieth excuse . i have heard from learned men , that god doth determine all actions natural and free , as the first efficient physical immediate cause ; or else nothing could act. and then it was not long of me that i choose forbidden objects , but of him that irresistibly moved me thereto , and whose instrument i was . answ. this is a trick of that wisdom which is foolishness with god , and to be deceived by vain philosophy . 1. the very principle it self is most likely to be false , and those that tell you this , to err . much more , i think , may be said against it then for it . 2. i am sure it is either false , or reconcileable with gods holiness , and mans liberty and culpability ; so that its a mad thing to deceive your selves with such philosophical uncertainties , when the truth which you oppose by it is infallibly certain . that god is not the author of sin , but man himself , who is justly condemned for it , is undoubtedly true : and would you obscure so clear a truth , by searching into points beyond humane reach , if not unsound , as you conclude them ? the four and twentieth excuse . but at least , those learned divines among us that doubt of this , do yet say that the will is necessarily and infallibly determined by the practical vnderstanding , and that is as much unresistibly necessitated by objects : and therefore whatever act was done by my understanding or will , was thus necessitated , and i could not help it . they say , liberty is but the acting of the faculty agreeably to its nature : and it was god as creator that gave adam his faculties : and god by providential dispose , that presented all objects to him , by which his understanding , and so his will were unavoidably necessitated . answ. this is of the same nature with the former ; uncertain , if not certainly false . were this true , for ought we can see , it would lay all the sin and misery of the world on god , as the unresistable necessitating cause ; which because we know infallibly to be false , we have no reason to take such principles to be true , which infer it . the understanding doth not by a necessary efficiency determine the will , but morally ; or rather is regularly a condition or necessary antecedent , without which it may not determine it self . yea the will by commanding the sense and phantasie , doth much to determine the understanding . as the eye is not necessary to my going , but to my going right , so is not the understandings guidance , necessary to my willing ( there the simple apprehension may suffice ) but to my right willing . there are other wayes of determining the will . or if the understanding did determine the will efficiently and necessarily , it is not every act of the understanding that must do it ▪ if it be so , when it saith , this must be don , & saith it importunatly ; yet not when it only saith , this may be done , or you may venture on it ; which is the common part which it hath in sin . i am not pleased that these curious objections fall in the way , nor do i delight to put them into vulgar heads ; but finding many young schollars and others that have conversed with them , assaulted with these temptations ; i thought meet to give a touch , and and but a touch , to take them out of their way ; as mr. fenner hath done more fully in the preface to his hidden manna , on this last point , to which i refer you . i only add this ; the will of man in its very dominion doth be are gods image . it is a self determining power , though it be byassed by habits , and needs a guide . as the heart and vital spirits by which it acteth , are to the rest of the body , so is it to the soul . the light of nature hath taught all the world , to carry the guilt of every crime to the will of man , and there to leave it ; upon this all laws and judgements are grounded . from ignorance and intellectual weakness , men commonly fetch . excuses for their faults ; but from the will they are aggravated . if we think it strange that mans will should be the first cause , so much as of a sinful mode , and cannot answer all occuring objections ; it may suffice that we are certain the holy majesty is not the author of sin ; and he is able to make all this as plain as the sun , and easily answer all these vain excuses , though we should be unable . and if we be much ignorant of the frame and motions of our own souls , and especially of that high self determining principle , free-will , the great spring of our actions , and the curious engine by which god doth sapientially govern the world , it is no wonder ; considering that the soul can know it self but by reflexion , and god gave us a soul to use , rather than to know it self ; and to know its qualities and operations , rather then its essence . the five and twentieth excuse . no man can be saved , nor avoid any sin , nor believe in christ , but those whom god hath predestinated thereto . i was under an irreversible sentence before i was born : & therefore i do nothing but what i was predestinated to do , & if god decreed not to save me , how could i help it . answ. 1. gods judgements are more plain , but his decrees ▪ or secret purposes are mysterious ; and to darken certainties , by having recourse to points obscure , is no part of christian wisdom . god told you your duty in his word , and on what terms you must be judged to life or death ; hither should you have recourse for direction , and not to the unsearchable mysteries of his mind . 2. god decreeth not to condemn any but for sin . sin , i say , as the cause of that condemnation , though not of his decree . 3. gods decrees are acts immanent in himself and make no change on you , and therefore do not necessitate you to sin , any more then his fore-knowledge doth . for both cause only a necessity of consequence , which is logical , as the divines on both sides do confess . and therefore this no more caused you to sin , then if there had been no such degree . and its a doubt whether that decree be not negative ; a willing suspending of the divine will , as to evil ; or at most ▪ a purpose to permit it . the six and twentieth excuse . if it be no more , yet doth it make my perdition unavoidable ; for even gods foreknowledge doth so ; for if he foreknow it , all the world cannot hinder it from coming to pass . answ. must god either be ignorant of what you will do , or else be the cause of it ? if you foreknow that the sun will rise tomorrow , that doth not cause it to rise . if you foreknow that one man will murder another , you are not the cause of it by foreknowing it . so is it here . the seven and twentieth excuse . god might have hindred my sin and damnation if he would ▪ answ. and will you wilfully sin , and think to scape because god doth not hinder you ? the prince that makes a law against murder , could lock you up , and keep you from being a murderer ! but are you excusable if he do not ? we are certain that god could have hindred all the sin and death , and confusion , and misery , that is in the world : and we are as certain that he doth not hinder it , ( but by forbidding it , and giving men means against it ) : and we are certain that he is just , and good , and wise in all ; and not bound to hinder it : and what his reasons are , you may better know hereafter : in the mean time , you had been better have looked to your own duty . the eight and twentieth excuse . how could i be saved if christ did not dye for me ? he dyed but for his elect : and none could be saved without his death . answ. he did dye for you , and for more than his elect , though he absolutely purposed only their salvation . your sins crucified him , and your debt lay upon him ; and he so far ransomed you , that nothing but your wilful refusal of the benefits could have condemned you . the nine and twentieth excuse . it was adams sin that brought me into this depravedness of will , which i can neither cure , nor could prevent . answ. 1. if adam cast away his holiness , he could no more convey that to us which he cast away , then a nobleman that is a traytor , can convey his lost inheritance or honours to his son . 2. you perish not only for your original sin , but for rejecting the recovering mercy of the redeemer : you might have had christ and life in him , for the accepting . the thirtieth excuse . god will require no more than ●e gives . he gave me not grace to repent and believe , and without his gifts i could not have it . answ. 1. god will justly require more than he giveth ; that is , the improvement of his g●fts , as mat. 25. shews . he gave adam but a power to persevere , and not actual perseverance : yet did he justly punish him for want of the act ; even for not using by his own will , the power which he had given him . 2. it is long of your self if god did not give you grace to believe : it was because you wilfully refused some preparatory grace . christ found you at a great distance from him , and he gave you grace sufficient , to have brought you neerer to him than you were ; you had grace sufficient to have made you better than you were , and restrained many sins , and brought you to the means when you turned your back on them : though this were n●t sufficient to cause you to believe , it , was sufficient to have brought you neerer to believing ; and through your own wilfulness , became not effectual : even as adam had sufficient grace to have stood , which was not effectual . so that you had not only christ offered to you , if you would but accept him ; but you had daily and precious helps and means , to have cured your wills , and caused you to accept him : for neglect of which , and so for not believing , and so for all your other sins , you justly perish . the one and thirtieth excuse . alas man is a worm , a dry leaf , job 13.25 a silly foolish creature : and therefore his actions be not regardable , nor deserve so great a punishment . answ. though he be a worm , and as nothing to god , and foolish by sin , yet is he naturally so noble a creature , that the image of god was on him , gen. 1.26 . and 5.1 . jam. 3.9 ▪ and the world made his servants , and angels his attendants heb. 1.14 . so noble , that christ dyed for him , god takes special care of him ; he is capable of knowing and enjoying god ; and heaven is not thought too good for him if he will obey . and he that is capable of so great good , must be capable of as great evil , and his waies not to be so overlooked by that god that hath undertaken to be his governor : when it tendeth to infidelity , the devil will teach you to debase man , even lower than god would do . the two and thirtieth excuse . sin is no being : and shall men be damned for that which is nothing ? answ. 1. it is such a mode as deformeth gods creature . it is a moral being , it is a relation of our actions and hearts to gods will and law . 2. they that say , sin is nothing , say pain and loss is nothing too . you shall therefore be paid with one nothing for another . make light of your misery , and say , it is nothing , as you did of your sin . 3. will you take this for a good excuse from your children or servants , if they abuse you ? or from a thief or murderer ? shall he escape by telling the judge that his sin was nothing ? or rather have death , which is nothing , as the just reward of it ? the three and thirtieth excuse . but sin is a transient thing . at least it doth god no harm , and therefore why should he do us so much harm for it . answ. 1. it hurts not god , because he is above hurt : no thanks to you , if he be out of your reach . 2. you may wrong him , when you cannot hurt him . and the wrong deserves as much as you can beare . if a traytor endeavour the death of the prince , in vain , his endeavour deserves death , though he never hurt him . you despise gods law and authority ; you cause the blaspheming of his name , rom. 2.24 . he calls it a pressing him as a cart is pressed with sheaves , amos 2.13 . and a grieving of him . 3. and you wrong his image , his church , the publike good , and the souls of others . the four and thirtieth excuse . but gods nature is so good and merciful , that sure he will not damn his own creature . answ. 1. a merciful judge will hang a man for a fault against man : by proportion then what is due for sin against god ? 2. all the death and calamity which you see in the world , comes from the anger of this merciful god : why then may not future misery come from it ? 3. god knoweth his own mercy better then you do ; and he hath told you how far it shall extend . 4. he is infinitly merciful ; but it is to the heirs of mercy : not to the final rejecters of his mercy . 5. hath not god been merciful to thee , in bearing with thee so long , and offering thee grace in the blood of christ , till thou didst wilfully reject it ? thou wilt confess to thy everlasting wo that ●od was merciful ; had he not been so merciful , thou wouldst not have been so miserable for rejecting it . the five and thirtieth excuse . i would not so torment mine enemy my self . answ. no reason you should . is it all one to wrong you , and to wrong the god of heaven ? god is the only judge of his own wrongs . the six and thirtieth excuse . all men are sinners ; and i was but a sinner . answ. all were not impenitent , unbelieving , rebellious sinners ; and therefore all are not unpardoned condemned sinners . all did not live after the flesh , and refuse to the last , to be converted , as you did . god will teach you better to difference between sinners and sinners . the seven and thirtieth excuse . but if christ have satisfied for my sins , and dyed for me , then how can i justly suffer for the same sins ? will god punish one sin twice ? answ. 1. christ suffered for man in the nature of man ; but not in your person , nor you in him : it was not you that provided the price , but god himself ; christ was not mans delegate in satisfying , and therefore received not his instructions from us , nor did it on our terms , but his own . it was not the same thing which the law threatned , that christ underwent : for that was the damnation of the sinner himself : and not the suffering of another for him , it cannot therefore be yours , but on christs own terms . he dyed for thy sin , but with this intent , that for all that , if thou refuse him , thou shalt dye thy self . it is therefore no wrong to thee to dye , for it was not thou that dyedst before : and christ will take it for no wrong to him : for he will judge thee to that death . it is for refusing a christ that dyed for thee , that thou must perish for ever . the eight and thirtieth excuse . but i did not refuse christ . i believed a●d trusted in him to the l●st ; and repented of my sins , though i sometime was overtaken with them . answ. had this been true , thy sin would not have condemned thee . but there is no mocking god . he will shew thee then thy naked heart , and convince thousands that thought they believed and repented , that indeed they did not . by thy works also will this be discovered , that is , by the main bent and scope of thy life , as matth. 25. throughout ; and jam. 2. the nine and thirtieth excuse . i did many good works ; and i hope god will set those against my evil works . answ. thy good works were thy sins , because indeed they were not good , being not done in sincerity of heart for god . the best mans works have some infirmity , which nothing can cleanse but the blood of christ , which thou hast made light of , and therefore hast no part in . if all thy life had been spent in perfect works except one day , they would not make satisfaction for the sins of that day ; for they are but part of thy duty . wo to him that hath no better a saviour at judgement , then his own good works . the fourtieth excuse . i lived in poverty and misery on earth , and therefore i hope i have had my suffering here , and shall not suffer in this world , and another too . answ. 1. by that rule all poor men , and murderers , and thieves that are tormented and hanged , should be saved . but as godlyness hath the promise of this life and that to come , so impenitency and wickedness hath the threatning of this life , and that to come . 2. the devils and the damned have suffered much more than you already : and yet they are never the neerer a deliverance . when thou hast , suffered ten thousand years , thy pain will be never the neerer an end . how then can a little misery on earth prevent it ? alas poor soul , these are but the foretasts and beginnings of thy sorrow . nothing but pardon through the blood of christ could have prevented thy condemnation , and that thou rejectedst by infidelity and impenitency : his sufferings would have saved thee , if thou hadst not refused him : but all thine own sufferings will yield thee no relief . so much for the answering of the vain excuses which poor sinners are ready to make for themselves . wherein i have been so large , as that this part i confess is disproportionable to the rest : but it was for these two reasons . 1. that poor careless souls might see the vanity of such defences ; and consider , if such a worm as i can easily confute them , how easily and how terribly will they be all answered by their judge ? 2. i did it the rather , that godly christians might the better understand how to deal with these vain excuses when they meet with them ; which will be daily , if they deal with men in this sad condition . x. we have done with that part of the judgement which consisteth in the exploration or tryal of the cause : we now come to that which is the conclusion and consummation of all : and that is , to shew you , what the sentence will be , and on whom ? and for this , we must go strait to the word of god for our light , it being impossible for any man to have any particular knowledge of it , if christ had not there revealed it unto us . indeed almost all the world do acknowledge a life after this , where it shall go well with the good , and ill with the bad . but who shall be then accounted righteous , and who vnrighteous , and on what terms and grounds , by whom they shall be judged , and to what condition , they know not . the sentence in judgement will be , 1. either on those that never had means to know christ . 2. or on those that had . 1. for the former , as it less concerneth us to enquire of their case , so is it more obscurely revealed to us in the scripture . ●t is certain that they shall be judged according to their use of the means which they had , rom. 2.11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. and the talents which they received , mat. 25. but that it ever falleth out that he that hath but the one talent of natural helps doth improve it to salvation , or that ever they who knew not christ , are justified and saved without that knowledge ( being at age and use of reason ) i find not in the scriptures . i find indeed , that [ as many as have sinned without law , shall also perish without law : and as many as have sinned in the law , shall be judged by the law , rom. 2.12 . but not that any are justified by the works of nature , such as are here said to be without law . i find also , that [ they have the work of the law written in their hearts , their conscience also bearing witness , and their thoughts the mean while accusing , or else excusing one another , in the day when god shall judge the secrets of men , by jesus christ , according to the gospel ] rom. 2.15 , 16. and i believe it is a just excuse , and not an unjust which is here meant . but it will be but an excuse so far as they were guiltless ▪ and that will be but in tanto , and not in toto , in part only ; and so not a full justification . a heathens conscience may excuse him from those sins which he was never guilty of ; but not from all . but no more of them . 2. the case of those that have had the gospel , is more plainly opened to us in gods word . their sentence is opened in many places of scripture , but most fully in matth. 25. whence we will now collect it . there we find that jesus christ the redeemer , as king of the world , shall sit in judgement on all men at the last ; and shall separate them one from another , as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats , and so shall pass the final sentence . this sentence is twofold , according to the different condition of them that are judged . to them on the right hand , there is a sentence of justification , and adjudication to everlasting glory ; to them on the left hand , here is a sentence of condemnation to everlasting punishment . the sentence on each of these containeth , both the state which they are judged to , and the reason or cause of the judgement to that state . for as god will not judge any to life or death , without just cause , so he will publish this cause in his sentence , as it is the manner of judges to do ; if you say , christ will not use a voice ; let it satisfie , that though we know not the manner , yet if he do it but by mental discovery , as he shews men what shall everlastingly befall them , so he will shew them why it shall so befall them . 1. the sentence on them on the right hand , will contain , 1. their justification and adjudication to blessedness , and that both as generally denominated , & as particularly determined and described . 2. and the cause of this judgement . 1. in general they shall be pronounced blessed . satan would have had them cursed and miserable ; the law did curse them to misery ; many a fearful thought hath possessed their own brests , lest they should prove at last accursed and miserable ; but now they hear the contrary from their judge . all the promises in the gospel could not perfectly overcome those their fears ; all the comfortable words of the ministers of the gospel could not perfectly subdue them ; all the tender mercies of god in christ did not perfectly subdue them ; but now they are vanquished all for ever . he that once hath heard his redeemer in judgement call him blessed , will never fear being cursed more . for he that christ blesseth , shall be blessed indeed . the description of their blessedness followeth , come inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . and also they are called blessed of the father . here is the fountain of their blessedness ; the father , and the state of their blessedness in being the fathers : for i suppose they are called the blessed of the father , both because the father blesseth them , that is , makes them happy , and because these blessed ones are the fathers own . and so christ will publish it to the world in judgement , that he came to glorifie the father , and will proclaim him the principal efficient and ultimate end of his work of redemption , and the blessedness of his saints , and that himself is ( as mediator ) but the way to the father . it is the father that prepared the kingdom for them , and from the foundation of the world , prepared it : both for [ them ] as chosen ones , and for them as future believers , and righteous ones . it is called a kingdom , partly in respect to god the king , in whose glory we shall partake in our places : and partly metaphorically from the dignity of our condition . for so it is that our selves are said to be made kings , rev. 1.6 . and 5.1 . 1 pet. 2.9 . and not that we are properly kings , for then we must have subjects who must be governed by us . thus we see their blessedness in the fountain , end and state of dignity : as to the receptive act on their part , it is expressed by two words ; one signifying their first entrance on it , come : the other their possession , inheritance : that is , possess it as given by the father , and redeemed by the son , and hold it in this tenure for ever . the true believer was convinced in this life , that indeed there was no true blessedness , but this enjoyment of god in the kingdom of heaven . the lord revealed this to his heart by his word and spirit : and therefore he contemned the seeming happiness on earth , and laid up for himself a treasure in heaven , and made him friends with the mammon of unrighteousness , and ventured all his hopes in this vessel . and now he findeth the wisdom of that choice in a rich return ▪ god made him so wise a merchant as to sell all for this pearl of greatest price : and therefore now he shall find the gain . as there is no other true happiness , but god in glory ; so is there nothing more suitable and welcome to the true believer . o how welcome will the face of that god be , whom he loved , whom he sought , whom he longed and waited for ! how welcome will that kingdom be which he lived in hope of ! which he parted with all for ! and suffered for ▪ in the flesh ! how glad will he be to see the blessed face of his redeemer , who by his manifold grace hath brought h●m unto this ! i leave the believing soul to think of it , and to make it the daily matter of his delightful meditation . what an unconceivable joy in one moment , this sentence of christ will fill his soul with . undoubtedly it is now quite past our comprehension : though our imperfect fore-thoughts of it may well make our lives a continual feast . were it but our justification from the accusations of satan , who would have us condemned either as sinners in general , or as impenitent , unbelieving rebels , against him that redeemed us , in special , it would lift up the heads of the saints in that day : after all the fears of our own hearts , and the slanderous accusations of satan and the world , that we were either impenitent infidels , or hypocrites , christ will then justifie us and pronounce us righteous . so much for the condition to which they are judged . 2. the reason or cause of this justification of the saints , is given us ▪ both 1. in a general denomination , and 2. in a particular description . 1. in general , it is because they were righteous , as is evident , mat. 25.46 . the righteous shall go into life everlasting . and indeed it is the business of every just judge , to justifie the righteous , and condemn the unrighteous . and shall not the judge of all the earth judge righteously ? gen. 18.25 . god makes men righteous , before he judges them so : and judgeth them righteous because they are so . he that abominateth that man who saith to the righteous , thou art wicked , or to the wicked , thou art righteous , who justifieth the wicked , and condemneth the righteous , will certainly never do so himself . indeed he will justifie them that are sinners , but not against the accusation they that are sinners : but against the accusation , that they are guilty of punishment for sin : but that is , because he first made them just ; and so justifiable , by pardoning their sin through the blood of christ . and its true also , that he will justifie those that were wicked , but not those that are wicked ; but judgement findeth them as death leaveth them : and he will not take them for wicked , that are sanctified and cleansed of their former wickedness . so that christ will first pardon them , before he justifie them against the charge of being sinners in general : and he will first give men faith , repentance and new obedience , before he will justifie them against the charge of being impenitent , infidels or hypocrites , and consequently unpardoned , and doubly guilty of damnation . this twofold righteousness , he will first give men , and so constitute them just ; before he will declare it , and sentence them just . 2. the reason of the sentence , particularly described , is from their faith and ●ove to christ , expressed in their obedience , self-denyal and forsaking all for him . for i was hungry and ye fed me ; i was thirsty and ye gave me drink ; i was a stranger and ye took me in : naked and ye cloa●hed me : i was sick and ye visited me ; i was in prison and ye came to me : verily i say unto you , inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren , ye have done it unto me , mat. 25.35 . to 41. here is 1. the causal conjunction for . 2. and the cause or reason it self . concerning both which , observe , 1. how it is that mans obedience and self-denyal is the reason and cause of his justification . 2. why it is that god will have the reason or cause thus declared in the sentence . for the first ; observe , that it s one thing to give a reason of the sentence , and another thing to express the cause of the benefit , given us by the promise , and judged to us by the sentence . mans obedience was no proper cause why god did in this life give pardon of sin to us , or a right to glory : much less , of his giving christ to dye for us . and therefore as to our constitutive justification at our conversion , we must not say or think that god doth justifie us , for or because of any works of our obedience , legal or evangelical . but when god hath so justified us , when he comes to give a reason of his sentence in judgement , he may and will fetch that reason , partly from our obedience , or our performance of the conditions of the new covenant . for as in this life , we had a righteousness consisting in free pardon of all sin through the blood of christ , and a righteousness consisting in our personal performance of the conditions of the promise which giveth that pardon , and continueth it to us : so at judgement we shall accordingly be justified and as our evangelical personal righteousness , commonly called inherent , was at first only in our faith and repentance , and disposition to obey : but afterward in our actual sincere obedience , in which sense we are constitutively justified or made righteous here by our works , in james his sense , jam. 2.24 . so accordingly a double reason will be assigned of our sentential justification ; one from our pardon by christs blood and merits ; which will prove our right to impunity and to glory . the other from our own faith and holy obedience , which will prove our right to that pardon through christ , and to the free gift of a right to glory : and so this last is to be pleaded in subordination to the former . for christ is become the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him , heb. 5 9. he therefore that will be saved , must have a christ to save him as the author , and an obedience to that christ , as the condition of that salvation ; and consequently both must be declared in the judgement . the reason why the judge doth mention our good works , rather then our believing , may be because those holy self-denying expressions of faith and love to christ , do contain or certainly imply faith in them , as the life of the tree is in the fruit : but faith doth contain our works of obedience but only as their cause . these works also are a part of the personal righteousness which is to be enquired after , that is , we shall not be judged righteous , meerly because we have believed , but also because we have added to our faith vertue ; and have improved our talents , and have loved christ to the hazard of all or his sake . for it is not only or principally for the goodness of the work considered in it self , or the good that is done by it to the poor : but it is as these works did express our faith and love to christ , by doing him the most costly and hazardous service ; that by faith we could see christ in a poor beggar or a prisoner ; and could love christ in these better then our worldly goods or liberties ; which we must part with or hazard by the works that are here mentioned . 2. the reasons why christ will so publikely declare the personal righteousness of men , to be the reason or cause of his justifying sentence , it is because it is the business of that day , not only to glorifie gods meer love and mercy , but eminently to glorifie his remunerative justice ; and not only to express his love to the elect as such , but to express his love to them as faithful and obedient , and such as have denyed all for christ , and loved god above all ; and to shew his justice to the men , and faithfulness in fulfilling all his promises , and also his holinss in the high estimation of the holiness of his people . i shall express this in the words of a learned divine ( dr twiss , against mr. cotton , pag. 40. ) was there no more in gods intention when he elected some , then the manifestation of the riches of his glorious grace ? did not god purpose also to manifest the glory of his remunerative justice ? is it not undenyable that god will bestow salvation on all his elect ( of ripe years ) by way of reward and crown of righteousness , which god the righteous judge will give ? 2 tim. 4. 2 thes. 1. it is great pitty this is not considered , as usually it is not : especially for the momentous consequence thereof in my judgement . so far he . so much of the sentence of justification which shall be passed by christ at judgement upon the righteous . 2. we are next to consider of the sentence of condemnation which shall then by christ be passed on the unrighteous . which is delivered to us by christ , mat. 25. in the same order as the former . this sentence containeth ; 1. the condemnation it self . 2. the reason or cause of it . the condemnation expresseth the misery which they are judged to . 1. generally , in the denomination , cursed . 2. particularly by description of their cursed state . to be cursed , is to be a people destinated and adjudged to utter unhappiness ; to all kind of misery without remedy . 2. their cursed condition is described in the next words , depart from me into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels . 1. depart ! from whom ? from the god that made them in his image . from the redeemer that bought them by the price of his blood , and offered to save them freely , for all their unworthyness , and many a time intreated them to accept his offer that their souls might live . from the holy ghost the sanctifier and comforter of the faithful , who strove with their hearts , till they quenched and expelled him . o sad departing ! who would not then choose rather to depart from all the friends he had in the world , and from any thing imaginable ; from his life , from himself , if it were possible , then from christ ? depart ! from what ? why , from the presence of the judge ; from all further hopes of salvation for ever : from all possibility of ever being saved , and living in the joyful inheritance of the righteous . depart ! not from gods essential presence , for that will be with them to their everlasting misery , but from the presence of his grace , in that measure as they enjoyed it . depart ! not from your fleshly pleasures , and honours , and profits of the world : these were all gone and past already : and there was no further need to bid them depart from these : houses and lands were gone ▪ mirth and recreations were gone . their sweet morsels and cups were gone : all the honor that men could give them was gone , before they were set at christs barr to be judged . but from all expectations of ever enjoying these again , or ever tasting their former delights ; from these they must depart : not from their sin , for that will go with them : but the liberty of committing that part of it which was sweet to them , as gluttony , drunkenness , whoredom , idleness , and all voluptuousness ; from these they must depart . but this is consequential : it is christ and the possibility of salvation , that they are sentenced to depart from . but whither must they depart ? 1. into fire . 2. into that fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels . 3. into everlasting fire . 1. not into a purifying , but a tormenting fire . whether elementary or not ; whether properly or metaphorically called sire , let us not vainly trouble our selves to enquire . it is enough to know , that as fire is one of the most grievous tormentors of the flesh , so grievous will be those infernal torments to the whole man , soul and body . such as is most fitly represented to us under the notion of fire , and of burning . it s easie for a secure unbelieving soul to read and hear of it ! but woe , and ten thousand woes to them that must endure it . in this life they had their good things , when it went harder as to the flesh with better men ; but now they are tormented , when the godly are comforted , as luke 16.25 . 2. but why is it called a fire prepared for the devil and his angels ? 1. what is this divel that hath angels ? 2. who are his angels ? 3. when was it prepared for them ? 4. was it not also prepared for wicked men ? to these in order . 1. it seems by many passages in scripture , that there is an order among spirits , both good and bad ; and that there is one devil that is the prince over the rest . 2. it seems therefore that its the rest of the evil spirits , that are called his angels . and some think that the wicked who served him in this life , shall be numbered with his angels in the life to come . indeed the apostle calls him , the god of this world , 2 cor. 4.4 . as is ordinarily judged by expositors : and the prince of the power of the aire , the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience , eph. 2.2 . and he calleth false seducing teachers , the ministers of satan , 2 cor. 11.15 . but that wicked men are here meant as part of his angels , is not clear . 3. if it be the preparation of gods purpose that is here meant , then it was from eternity ; but if it be any commination of god as ruler of the angels , than was this fire prepared for them conditionally , from the beginning of that commination , and was due to them at their fall . 4. it seems that the reason why here is no mention of preparing hell-fire for the wicked , but only for the devils , is not because indeed it was not prepared also for the wicked ; but to note , that it is the torment which was first prepared for , or assigned to the devils , thereby shewing the greatness of the misery of the wicked , that the devil and his angels must be their compan●ons . though some think , as is said before , that the reason why wicked men are not mentioned here , is because they are part of the angels of the devil , and so included . and some think it is purposely to manifest gods ●eneral love to mankind , that prepared not hell for them , but they cast themselves into the hell prepared for the devils . but the first seems to be the true sense . and how apparently righteous are the judgements of the lord ! that those men who would here entertain the devil into their hearts , and daily familiarity , should be then entertained by him into his place of torments , and there remain for ever in his society ! though few entertained him into visible familiarity with their bodies as witches do , who so make him their familiar ; yet all wicked men do entertain him into more full and constant familiarity with their souls , then these witches do with their bodies , how familiar is he in their thoughts , to fill them with vanity , lust , or revenge ▪ how familiar is he in their hearts to fill them with coveteousness , malice , pride or the like evils ? and to banish all thoughts of returning to god , and to quench every motion that tendeth to their recovery ? how familiar is he with them ▪ even when they seem to be worshipping god in the publike assemblies ; stealing the word out of their hearts , filling them with vain and wandering thoughts , blinding their minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them , and filling them with a proud rebellion against the direction of their teachers , and an obstinate refusal to be ruled by them , b● the matter never so necessary to their own salvation ? how familiar ar● these evil spirits in their houses , filling them with ignorance , worldliness , and ungodliness , and turning out ●ods service , so that they do not pray together once in a day , or perhaps at all ? how familiarly doth satan use their tongues , in cursing , swearing , lying , ribaldry , backbiting , or slandering ? and is it not just with god to make these friends their familiars in torment , with whom they entertained such familiarity in sin ? as christ with all the blessed angels and saints will make but one kingdom or family , and shall live altogether in perpetual delights : so the devil and all his he●●ish angels and wicked men shall make but one house-hold , and shall live altogether in perpetual misery . o poor sinners ! you are not troubled now at his presence ▪ and power your hearts , but will you not then be troubled at his presence , and tormenting power ? as long as you do not see him , let him do what he will with you , it grieves you little or nothing at all : but what will you say when you must see him , and abide with him for ever ? oh sirs , his name is easily heard , but his company will be terrible to the stoutest heart alive . he sheweth you a smiling face when he tempteth you , but he hath a grimmer face to shew you , when temptations have conquered you , and torments must succeed ! as those that write of witches , say ▪ he appeareth at first to them in some comely tempting shape , till he have them fast tyed to him ; and then he beats them , and affrights them , and seldom appears to them but in some ugly hew . believe it , poor sinners , you do not hear or see the worst of him , when you are merry about your sinful pleasures , and rejoycing in your hopes of the commodities or preferments of the world : he hath another kind of voice which you must hear , and another face to shew you , that will make you know a little better , whom you had to do with ! you would be afraid now to meet him in the dark ; what will you be to live with him in everlasting darkness ? then you will know who it was that you entertained and obeyed , and plaid with in your sins . 3. and as the text tells us , that it is a fire prepared for the devil and his angels . so it telleth us , that is an everlasting fire . it had a beginning : but it shall have no end . if these wretches would have chosen the service of god , they would have met with no difficulty or trouble , but what would have had a speedy end : poverty and injuries would have had an end : scorns and abuses would have had an end ; fasting , humiliation sorrow for sin , watching , and fighting against our spiritual enemies , would all have had an end . but to avoid these , they chose that ease ▪ that pleasure , which hath brought them to that torment which never will have end . i have said so much of these things already in my book called the saints rest , that i will now say but this much . it is one of the wonders of the world , how men that do believe , or think they do believe this word of christ to be true , that the wicked shall go into everlasting fire , can yet venture on sin so boldly ▪ and live in it so fearlessly , or sleep quietly till they are out of this unspeakable danger ! only the commonness of it , and the known wickedness of mans heart , doth make this less wonderful . and were there nothing else to convince us , that sinners are mad and dead as to spiritual things , this were enough ; that ever the greatest pleasures or profits of the world , or the most enticing baits that the devil can offer them , should once prevail with them to forget these endless things and draw them to reject an everlasting glory , and cast themselves desperately into everlasting fire ; yea , and all this under daily warnings and instructions ; and when it s told them before hand by the god of truth himself ! for the lords sake , sirs , and for your souls sakes , if you care not what ministers say , or what such as i say , yet will you soberly read now and then this 25. chapter of matthew , and regard what is told you by him that must be your judge ! and now and then bethink your selves soberly whether these are matters for wise men to make light of ? and what it is to be everlastingly in heaven or in hell fire . 2. we have seen what is the penalty contained in the sentence against the ungodly : the next thing that the text directs us to ▪ is the cause or reason of the sentence ▪ vers. 42 , for i was hungry , and ye gave me no meat , &c. the reason is not given expresly either for their sin against the law of works , that is , because they were sinners , and not perfectly innocent : nor yet from their unbelief , which is the great sin against the law of grace : but it is given from their not expressing their faith and love to christ in works of mercy and self-denyal . and why is this so ? 1. we must not suppose that these words of christ , do express the whole judicial process in every point ; but the chief parts . it is supposed that all men are convicted of being sinners against the perfect law of the creator , and that they are guilty of death for that sin : and that there is no way but by christ to obtain deliverance . but because all this must be acknowledged by the righteous themselves , as well as by the wicked , therefore christ doth not mention this , but that only which is the turning point or cause in the judgement . for it is not all sinners that shall be finally condemned ▪ but all impenitent , unbelieving sinners , who have rebelled finally against their redeemer . 2. and the reason why faith it self is not expressed , is , 1. because it is clearly implyed , and so is love to christ as redeemer : in that they should have relieved christ himself in his members : that is , as it s expressed , matth. 10.42 . they should have received a prophet in the name of a prophet ; and a disciple in the name of a disciple ; all should be done for christs sake : which could not be unless they believed in him , and loved h●m . 2. also because that the bare act of believing is not all that christ requireth to a mans final justification and salvation : but holy self-denying obedience must be added . and therefore this is given as the reason of their condemnation , that they did not so obey . we must observe also , that christ here putteth the special for the general : that is , one way of self ▪ denying obedience , and expression of love , instead of such obedience in general ! for all men have not ability to relieve those in misery , being perhaps some of them poor themselves . but all have that love and self-denyal , which will some way express it self . and all have hearts and a disposition to do thus , if they had ability ; without such a disposition , none can be saved . it is the fond conceit of some , that if they have any love to the godly or wish them well , it is enough to prove them happy . but christ here purposely lets us know , that whoever doth not love him at so high a rate , as that he can part with his substance or any thing in the world , to those uses which he shall require them , even to relieve his servants in want and sufferings for the masters sake , that man is none of christs disciple , nor will be owned by him at the last . xi . the next point that we come to , is to shew you the properties of this sentence at judgement . when man had broken the law of his creator at the first , he was lyable to the sentence of death , and god presently sate in judgement on him , and sentenced him to some part of the punishment which he had deserved : but upon the interposition of the son , he forbore the rest , resolving on a way that might tend to his recovery : and death is due yet to every sinner for every sin which he commits , till a pardon do acquit him . but this sentence which will pass on sinners at the last judgement , doth much differ from that which was passed on the first sin , or which is due according to the law of wor●s alone : for , 1. as to the penalty , called the pain of loss , the first judgement did deprive man of the favour of his ●reator ; but the second will deprive him of the favour both of the creator and redeemer : the first judgement deprived him of the benefits of innocency : the second deprived him of the benefits of redemption ; the loss of his hopes and possibility of a pardon , of the spirit , of justification and adoption , and of the benefits which conditionally were promised and offered him ; these are the punishments of the last judgement , which the law of work● did never threaten to the first man , or to any , as it stood alone . also the loss of glory as recovered , is the proper penalty of the viol●ted law of grace : which is more than the first loss . as if a man should lose his purse the second time , when another hath once found it for him : or rather as if a traytor redeemed by another , and having his life and honours offered him , if he will thankfully accept it and come in , should by his refusal and obstinacy , lose this recovered life , which is offered him : which is an addition to his former penalty . besides that the higher degree of glory will be lost , which christ would bestow on him , more then was lost at first . the very work of the saints in heaven ▪ will be to praise and glorifie him that redeemed them : and the father in him : which would not have been the work of man if he had been innocent . 2. as to the pain of sense , the last judgement by the redeemer ▪ will sentence them to a far sorer punishment then would have befaln them , if no saviour had been offered them , heb. 10.29 . the conscience of adam if he had not been redeemed , would never have tormented him for rejecting a redeemer , nor for refusing or abusing his gracious offers , and his mercies ; nor for the forfeiting of a recovered happiness ; nor for refusing the easie terms of the gospel , which would have given him christ and salvation for the accepting ; nor for neglecting any means that tended to recovery : no nor for refusing repentance unto life , nor for disobeying a redeemer that bought him by his blood . as all these are the penalties of the redeemers law and judgement , so is it a sorer penalty then conscience would have inflicted meerly for not being perfectly innocent ; and they will be far sorer gripings and gnawings of the never-dying worm for the abuse of these talents , than if we had been never trusted with any after our first forfeiture . yea and god himself will accordingly proportion his punishments . so that you see that privatively and positively , or as to their loss and their feeling , the redeemer will pass on them a heavyer doom then the creator did , or would have done according to the first law to perfect man . 3. another property of the judgement of christ , is , that it will be final , peremptory , and excluding all further hopes or possibilities of a remedy . so was not the first judgement of the creator upon faln man . though the law of pure nature knew no remedy , nor gave man any hope of a redeemer ; yet did it not exclude a remedy ; nor put in any barr against one ; but god was free to recover his creature if he p●eased . but in the law of grace he hath resolved , that there shall be no more sacrifice for sin , but a fearful looking for of judgement and fire which shall devoure the adversary , heb. 10. ●6 , 27. and that the fire shall be everlasting , the worm sha●l not dye , and the fire shall not be quenched , mat. 25. last , mat. 13.42 , 50. john 5.27 . mat. 5.26 . mat. 3.12 . and luke 3.17 . mark . 9 . 4● , 44 , 45 , 46 , 48. he that now breaketh that pure law that requir●th perfect innocency ( as we have all done ) may fly to the promise of grace in christ , and appeal to the law of liberty , or deliverance , to be judged by that . but he that falls under the penalty of that law which should have saved him , as all final unbelievers ; and impenitent , ungodly persons do , hath no other to appeal to . christ would have been a sanctuary and refuge to thee from the law of works , hadst thou but come in to him : but who shall be a refuge to thee from the wrath of christ ? the gospel would have freed thee from the curse of the law of works , if thou hadst but believed and obeyed it : but what shall free thee from the condemnation of the gospel ? had there no accusation lain against thee , but that thou wast in general a sinner , that is , that thou wast not perfectly innocent , christ would have answered that charge by his blood . but seeing thou art also guilty of those special sins which he never shed his blood for , who shall deliver thee from that accusation ? when christ gave himself a ransom for sinners , it was with this resolution both in the father and himself , that none should ever be pardoned , justified or saved by that ransom , that did not in the time of this life , sincerely return to god by faith in the redeemer , and live in sincere obedience to him and persevering herein . so that he plainly excepted final infidelity , impenitency and rebellion from pardon : he never dyed for the final non-performance of the conditions of the new covenant . so that his judgement for these will be peremptory and remediless . if you say , why cannot god find out a remedy for this sin , as well as he did for the first ? i say , god cannot lye , tit. 1.2 . he must be true and faithful , as necessarily as he must be god , because of the absolute perfection of his nature ; and he hath said and resolved that there shall be no more remedy . many other properties of gods judgement in general there are , as that righteousness , impartiality , inflexibility , and the like , which because i would not make my discourse too long , i will pass over , contenting my self with the mention of these which are proper to the judgement of the redeemer , according to his own laws in special . xii . the twelfth and last thing which i promised to unfold , is , the execution of this judgement . here i should shew you both the certainty of the execution , and by whom it will be , and how ; but having done all this already in the third part of the foresaid book of rest , i shall now only give this brief touch of it . no sooner is the dreadful sentence past , go ye cursed into everlasting fire , but away they must be gone : there is no delay ; much less any reprive to be expected : and yet much less is there any hope of an escape . if the judge once say , take him jaylor ; and if christ say , take him devils , you that ruled and deceived him , now torment him ; all the world cannot rescue one such soul . it will be in vain to look about for help ! alas , there is none but christ can help you , and he will not , because you refused his help : nay we may say , he cannot : not for want of power : but because he is true and just ; and therefore will make good that word which you believed not . it is in vain then to cry to hills to fall on you and the mountains to cover you from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne . it will be in vain now to repent , and wish you had not sleighted your salvation , nor sold it for a little pleasure to your flesh . it will be then in vain to cry lord , lord , open to us ; o spare us ; o pitty us ; o do not cast us into these hideous flames ! do not turn us among devils ! do not torment thy redeemed ones in this fire ! all this will be then too late . poor sinner , whoever thou art that readest or hearest these lines , i beseech thee in compassion to thy soul , consider , how fearful the case of that man will be , that is newly doomed to the everlasting fire ; and is haled to the execution without remedy ! and what mad men are those that now do no more to prevent such a misery , when they might do it on such easie terms , and now have so fair an opportunity in their hands ? the time was when repentance might have done thee good : but then all thy repentings will be in vain . now while the day of thy visitation lasteth , hadst thou but a heart to pray and cry for mercy , in faith and fervency , through christ thou mightest be heard . but then praying , and crying will do no good ! shouldst thou roar out in the extremity of thy horror and amazement , and beseech the lord jesus but to forgive thee one sin , or to send thee on earth once more , and to try thee once again in the flesh , whether thou wouldst not love him and lead a holy life , it would be all in vain . shouldst thou beseech him by all the mercifulness of his nature by all his sufferings and bloody death , by all the merciful promises of his gospel ; it would be all in vain ▪ nay , shouldst thou beg but one dayes reprival , or to stay one hour before thou were cast into those flames , it would not be heard ; it would do thee no good . how earnestly did a deceased gentleman , luk. 16.24 . beg of abraham for one drop of water from the tip of lazarus's finger , to cool his tongue , because he was tormented in the flame ! and what the better was he ? he was sent to remember that he had his good things in this life ; and that remembrance would torment him more . and do not wonder or think much at this , that christ will not then be intreated by the ungodly . you shall then have a remember too , from christ or conscience . he may soon stop thy mouth , and leave thee speechless , and say , remember , man , that i did one day send thee a message of peace , and thou wouldst not hear it . i once did stoop to beseech thee to return , and thou wouldst not hear . i besought thee by the tender mercies of god ; i besought thee by all the love that i had shewed thee ; by my holy life ; by my cursed death ; by the riches of my grace ; by the offers of my glory ; and i could not get thee to forsake the world , to deny thy flesh to leave one beloved sin , for all this ! i besought thee over and over again ! i sent many a minister to thee in my name : i waited on thee many a day , and year ; and all would not do ; thou wouldst not consider , return and live : and now it is too late : my sentence is past , and cannot be recalled : away from me , thou worker of iniquity , matth. 7.22 , 23. ah sirs , what a case then is the poor desperate sinner left in ! how can i write this , or how can you that read or hear it without trembling once think of the condition that such forlorn wretches will be in ! when they look above them , and see the god that hath forsaken them , because they forsook him first ; when they look about them , and see the saints on one hand whom they despised , now sentenced unto glory ; and the wicked on the other hand , whom they accompanied and imitated , now judged with them to everlasting misery ; when they look below them , and see the flames that they must abide in , even for evermore ; and when the devils begin to hale them to the execution ; oh poor souls ! now what would they give for a christ , for a promise , for a time of repentance , for a sermon of mercy , which once they slept under , or made no account of ! how is the case altered now with them ! who would think that these are the same men , that made light of all this on earth , that so stoutly scorned the reproofs of the word , that would be worldly , and fleshly , and drunk , and proud , let preachers say what they would ; and perhaps hated those that did give them warning . now they are of another mind ; but all too late . oh were there any place for resistance , how would they draw back , and lay hold of any thing , before they would be dragged away into those flames ! but there is no resisting ; satans temptations might have been resisted , but his executions cannot gods judgements might have been prevented by faith and prayer , repentance and a holy life ; but they cannot be resisted when they are not prevented . glad would the miserable sinner be , if he might but turn to nothing , and cease to be ; or that he might be any thing rather than a reasonable creature : but these wishes are all in vain . there is one time , and one way of a sinners deliverance ; if he fail in that one , he perisheth for ever : all the world cannot help him after that , 2 cor. 6 2. i have heard thee in a time accepted ; and in the day of salvation have i succoured thee : behold now is the accepted time : behold now is the day of salvation . now he saith , rev. 3.20 . behold , i stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear my voice and open the door , i will come in to him , and will sup with him , and he with me . but for the time to come hereafter , hear what he saith , prov. 1.24 , 25 , 26. because i have called , and ye refused , i have stretched out my hand , and no man regarded ; but ye have set at nought all my counsel , and would none of my reproof ; i also will laugh at your calamity ; i will mock when your fear cometh : when your fear cometh as desolation , and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon you ; then shall they call upon me , but i will not answer ; they shall seek me early , but they shall not find me ; for that they hated knowledge , and did not choose the fear of the lord ; they would none of my counsels ; they despised all my reproof ▪ therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way , and be filled with their own devices ; for the turning away of the simple shall slay them , and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them ; but who so hearkneth to me , shall dwel safely , and shall be quiet from fear of evil . i have recited all these words , that you may see and consider , whether i have spoke any other thing than god himself hath plainly told you of . having said this much of the certainty of the execution , i should next have spoke somewhat of the manner and the instruments , and have shewed how god will be for ever the principal cause , and satan and their own consciences the instruments , in part ; and in what manner conscience will do its part , and how impossible it will be to quiet or resist it . but having spoke so much of all this already elsewhere , as is said before , i will forbear here to repeat it , leaving the reader that desireth it , there to peruse it . the vses . vse 1. beloved hearers , it was not to fill your fancies with news that god sent me hither this day ; nor to tell you of matters that nothing concern you ; nor by some terrible words to bring you to an hours amazement and no more ; but it is to tell you of things that your eyes shall see , and to foretell you of your danger while it may be prevented ; that your precious souls may be saved at the last , and you may stand before god with comfort at that day ; but because this will not be every mans case , no nor the case of most , i must in the name of christ desire you to make this day an enquiry into your own souls , and as in the presence of god let your hearts make answer to these few questions which i shall propound and debate with you . qu. 1. do you soundly believe this doctrine which i have preached to you ? what say you sirs ? do you verily believe it as a most certain truth , that you and i , and all the world must stand at gods barr and be judged to everlasting joy or torment ? i hope you do all in some sort believe this : but blame me not if i be jealous whether you soundly believe it , while we see in the world so little of the effect of such a belief . i confess i am forced to think that there is more infidelity then faith among us , when i see more ungodliness then godliness among us : and i can hardly believe that man that will say or swear that he believeth these things , and yet liveth as carelesly and carnally as an infidel . i know that no man can love to be damned ; yea i know that every man that hath a reasonable soul , hath naturally some love to himself , and a fear of a danger which he verily apprehendeth ; he therefore that liveth without all fear ▪ i must think liveth without all apprehension of his danger . custom hath taught men to hold these things as the opinion of the country ; but if men soundly believed them , surely we should see stranger effects of such a faith , then in the most we do see . doth the sleepy soul that liveth in security , and followeth this world as eagerly as if he had no greater matters to mind ; that never once trembled at the thoughts of this great day ; nor once asked his own soul in good sadness , my soul , how dost thou think then to escape ? i say , doth this man believe that he is going to this judgement ? well , sirs , whether you believe it or not , you will find it true ; and believe it you must before you can be safe . for if you do not believe it , you will never make ready . let me therefore perswade you in the fear of god to consider , that it is a matter of undoubted truth . 1. consider that it is the express word of the god of truth ; revealed in scripture as plainly as you can desire . so that you cannot be unbelieving without denying gods word , or giving him the lye , mat. 13.38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 49 , 50. mat. 25. throughout ▪ rom. 2.5 ▪ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 16 , and 1.32 . john 5.28 , 29. the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice , and shall come forth : they that have done good , unto the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil , unto the resurrection of damnation . heb. 9.27 . it is appointed to all men once to dye , and after this , the judgement . rom. 14.9.12 . so then every one of us shall give account of himself to god . rev. 20.12 . and i saw the dead , small and great stand before god : and the books were opened : and another book was opened , which is the book of life : and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books , according to their works . mat. 12.36 , 37. but i say unto you , that every idle word that men shall speak , the shall give account thereof in the day of judgement : for by thy words thou shalt be justified , and by thy words thou shalt be condemned . many more most express texts of scripture do put the truth of this judgement out of all question , to all that believe the scripture , and will understand it . there is no place left for a controversie in the point : it is made as sure to us as the word of the living god can make it : and he that will question that , what will he believe ? what say you sirs ? dare you doubt of this which the god of heaven hath so positively affirmed ? i hope you dare not . 2. consider , it is a master-part of your faith , if you are christians , and a fundamental article of your creed , that christ shall come again to judge the quick and the dead . so that you must believe it , or renounce your christianity , and then you renounce christ and all the hopes of mercy that you have in him . it s impossible that you should soundly believe in christ ▪ and not believe his judgement and life everlasting ; because as he came to bring life and immortality to light in the gospel , 2 tim. 1.10 . so it was the end of his incarnation , death and resurrection , to bring you thither ; and its part of his honour and office which he purchased with his blood , to be the lord and judge of all the world , rom. 14.9 . joh. 5.22 ▪ if therefore you believe not heartily this judgement ; deal plainly and openly , and say you are infidels and cast away the hypocritical vizor of christianity , and let us know you , and take you as you are . 3. consider that it is a truth that is known by the very light of nature ; that there shall be a happiness for the righteous , and a misery for the wicked after this life : which is evident ▪ 1. in that we have undenyable natural reason for it . 1. god is the righteous governor of the world , and therefore must make a difference among his subjects , according to the nature of their waies ; which we see is not done here , where the wicked prosper , and the good are afflicted ; therefore it must be hereafter . 2. we see there is a necessity that god should make promises and threatnings of everlasting happiness or misery , for the right governing of the world ; for we certainly perceive that no lower things will keep men from destroying all humane society , and living worse then bruit beasts ; and if there be a necessity of making such threats and promises , then there is certainly a necessity of fulfilling them . for god needeth no lye or means of deceiving , to rule the world . 2. and as we see it by reason , so by certain experience , that this is discernable by the light of nature ; for all the world , or almost all do believe it . even those nations where the gospel never came , and have nothing but what they have by nature even the most barbarous indians acknowledge some life after this ▪ and a difference of men according as they are here : therefore you must believe thus much , or renounce your common reason and humanity , as well as your christianity . let me therefore perswade you all in the fear of god to confirm your souls in the belief of this , as if you had heard christ or an angel from heaven say to you , oh man thou art hasting to judgement . qu. 2. my next question is , whether you do ever soberly consider of this great day ? sirs , do you use when you are alone to think with your selves ▪ how certain and how dreadful it will be ? how fast it is coming on ? and what you shall do ? and what answer you mean to make at that day ? are your minds taken up with these considerations ? tell me , is it so , or not ? alas sirs ! is this a matter to be forgotten ? is not that man even worse then mad ▪ that is going to gods judgement and never thinks of it ? when if they were to be tryed for their lives at the next assize , they would think of it , and think again , and cast 100 times which way to escape . me thinks you should rather forget to go to bed at night , or to eat your meat , or do your work , then forget so great a matter as this . truly i have often in my serious thoughts been ready to wonder that men can think of almost any thing else , when they have so great a thing to think of . what! forget that which you must remember for ever ! forget that which should force remembrance , yea and doth force it with some , whether they will or not ! a poor despairing soul cannot forget it : he thinks which way ever he goes he is ready to be judged . oh therefore beloved , fix these thoughts as deep in your hearts as thoughts can go . oh be like that holy man , that thought which way ever he went , he heard the trumpet sound , and the voice of the angel calling to the world , arise ye dead , and come to judgement , you have warning of it from god and man , to cause you to remember it ; do not then forget it . it will be a cold excuse another day , lord , i forgate this day , or else i might have been ready : you dare not sure trust to such excuses . qu. 3. my next question to you , is ▪ how are you affected with the consideration of this day ? barely to think of it will not serve : to think of such a day as this with a dull and senseless heart , is a sign of fearful stupidity . did the knees of king belshazzar knock together with trembling , when he saw the hand-writing on the wall ? da● . 5.6 . how then should thy heart be affected that seeth the hand-writing of god as a summons to his barr ? when i began to preach of these things long ago , i confess the matters seemed to me so terrible , that i was afraid that people would have run out of their wits with fear ; but a little experience shewed me , that many are like a dog that is bred up in a forge or furnace ▪ that being used to it , can sleep though the hammers are beating , and the fire and hot iron flaming about him ▪ when another that had never seen it , would be amazed at the sight . when men have heard us 7 years together , yea 20 years , to talk of a day of judgement , and they see it not , nor feel any hurt ▪ they think it is but talk , and begin to make nothing of it . this is their thanks to god for his patience : because his sentence is not executed speedily therefore their hearts are set in them to do evil , eccl. 8.11 . as if god were slack of his promise , as some men account slackness , 2 pet. 3.9 . when one day with him is as a 1000. years , and a 1000. years as one day . what if we tell you 20 years together that you must dye , will you not believe us , because you have lived so long and seen no death coming ? three or four things there be should bring any matter to the heart . 1. if it be a matter of exceeding weight . 2. if it concern not others only , but our selves . 3. if it be certain . 4. if neer . all these things are here to be found , and therefore how should your hearts be moved at the consideration of this great day ! 1. what matter can be mentioned with the tongue of man of greater moment ? for the poor creature to stand before his maker and redeemer , to be judged to everlasting joy or torment ? alas ! all the matters of this world are playes , and toyes , and dreams to this : matters of profit or disprofit are nothing to it : matters of credit or discredit are unworthy to be named with it : matters of temporal life or death are nothing to it . we see the poor bruit beasts go every day to the slaughter , and we make no great matter of it , though their life be as dear to them as ours to us . to be judged to an everlasting death or torment ; this is the great danger , that one would think should shake the stoutest heart to consider it , and awake the dullest sinner to prevent it . 2. it s a matter that concerneth every one of your selves , and every man or woman that ever lived upon the earth , or ever shall do : i am not speaking to you of the affairs of some far countrey , that are nothing to you , but only to marvail at ; which you never saw , nor ever shall do : no ; it is thy own self man or woman that hearest me this day , that shalt as surely appear before the judgement-seat of christ , as the lord liveth , and as he is true and faithful ; and that is as sure as thou livest on this earth , or as the heaven is over thee . that man that heareth all this with the most careless blockish heart , shall be awakened and stand with the rest at that day ; that man that never thought of it , but spent his time in worldly matters , shall leave all , and there appear ; that man that will not believe these things to be true , but make a jest of them , shall see and feel what he would not believe , and he also shall be there : the godly that waited in hope for that day , as the day of their full deliverance and coronation , they shall be there . those that have lain in the dust these 5000. years , shall rise again and all stand there . hearer , whoever thou art , believe it , thou mayest better think to live without meat , to see without light , to escape death , and abide for ever on earth , then to keep away from that appearance . willing or unwilling , thou shalt be there . and should not a matter then that so concerneth thy self , go neer to thy heart , and awake thee from thy security ? 3. that it is a matter of unquestionable certainty , i have partly shewed you already , and more would do , if i were preaching to known infidels . if the careless world had any just reason to think it were uncertain , their carelesness were more excusable . me thinks a man should be affected with that which he is certain shall come to pass , in a manner as if it were now in doing . 1 thes. 5.2 . ye perfectly know that the day of the lord so cometh , &c. saith the apostle . 4. this day is not only certain , but it is neer ; and therefore should affect you the more . i confess , if it were never so far of , yet seeing it will come at last , it should be carefully regarded : but when the judge is at the door , jam. 5.9 . and we are almost at the barr , and it is so short a time to this assize , what soul that is not dead will be secure ? alas sirs ! what is a little time when it is gone ? how quickly shall you and i be all in another world , and our souls receive their particular judgement , and so wait till the body be raised and judged to the same condition ? it is not a 100. years in all likelyhood , till ▪ every soul of us shall be in heaven or hell : and its like , not half or a quarter of that time , but it will be so with the greater part of us : and what is a year or two , or a 100 ? how speedily is it come ? how many a soul that is now in heaven or hell , within a 1000 years dwelt in the places that you now dwell in , and sate in the seats you now sit in ? and now their time is past , what is it ? alas ; how quickly will it be so with us : you know not when you go to bed , but you may be judged by the next morning : or when you rise , but you may be ▪ judged before night : but certainly you know that shortly it will be ; and should not this then be laid to heart ? yea the general judgement will not be long : for certainly we live in the end of the world . qu. 4. my next question is , whether are you ready for this dreadful judgement when it comes , or not ? seeing it is your selves that must be tried , i ▪ think it concerns you to see that you be prepared . how often hath christ warned us in the gospel , that we be alwaies ready ; because we know not the day or hour of his coming , mat. 24.44.42 . and 25.13 . 1 thes. 5.6 . and told us how sad a time it will be to those that are unready , mat. 25.11 , 12. did men but well know what a meeting and greeting there will be between christ and an unready soul , it would sure startle them , and make them look about them . what say you beloved hearers , are you ready for judgement , or are you not ! me thinks a man that knoweth he shall be judged , should ask himself the question every day of his life ; am i ready to give up my account to god! do not you use to ask this of your own hearts ? unless you be careless whether you be saved or damned , me thinks you should ; and ask it seriously . qu. but who be they that are ready ? how shall i know whether i be ready or not ? answ. there is a twofold readiness . 1. when you are in a safe case . 2. when you are in a comfortable case , in regard of that day . the latter is very desirable , but the first is of absolute necessity : this therefore is it that you must principally enquire after . in general , all those , and only those are ready for judgement , who shall be justified and saved , and not condemned when judgement comes ; they that have a good cause in a gospel sense . it may be known before hand who these are ; for christ judgeth , as i told you , by his law . and therefore find out whom it is that the law of grace doth justifie or condemn , and you may certainly know whom the judge will justifie or condemn ; for he judgeth righteously . if you further ask me who these are ; remember that i told you before , that every man that is personally righteous by fulfilling the condition of salvation in the gospel , shall be saved , and he that is found unrighteous , as having not fulfilled them , shall perish at that day . q1 . who are these ? answ. i will tell you them in a few words , lest you should forget , because it is a matter that your salvation or damnation dependeth upon . 1. the soul that unfeignedly repenteth of his former sinful course , and turneth from it in heart and life , and loveth the way of godliness which he hated , and hateth the way of sin which he loved , and is become throughly a new creature , being born again and sanctified by the spirit of christ , shall be justified : but all others shall certainly be condemned . good news to repenting converted sinners , but sad to impenitent , and him that knows not what this means . 2. that soul that feeling his misery under sin , and the power of satan , and the wrath of god , doth believe what christ hath done and suffered for mans restauration and salvation , and thankfully accepteth him as his only saviour and lord , on the terms that he is offered in the gospel , and to those ends , even to justifie him , and sanctifie and guide him , and bring him at last to everlasting glory ; that soul shall be justified at judgement : and he that doth not , shall be condemned . or in short , in scripture phrase , he that believeth shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be condemned , mar. 16.16 . 3. the soul that hath had so much knowledge of the goodness of god , and his love to man in creation , redemption , and the following mercies , and hath had so much conviction of the vanity of all creatures , as thereupon to love god more then all things below , so that he hath the chiefest room in the heart , and is prefered before all creatures ordinarily in a time of tryal : that soul shall be justified at judgement , and all others shall be condemned . 4. that soul that is so apprehensive of the absolute soveraignty of god as creator and redeemer , and of the righteousness of his law , and the goodness of his holy way , as that he is firmly resolved to obey him before all others , and doth accordingly give up himself to study his will , of purpose that he may obey it , and doth walk in these holy waies , and hath so far mortified the flesh , and subdued the world and the devil , that the authority and word of god can do more with him , then any other ; and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh , so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for god ; and when he sinneth , he riseth again by true repentance ; i say , that soul , and that only , shall be justified in judgement , and be saved . 5. that soul that hath such believing thoughts of the life to come , that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion , and is resolved to venture all else upon it , and in hope of this glory , doth set light comparatively by all things in this world , and waiteth for it as the end of his life , choosing any suffering that god shall call him to , rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity , and thus persevereth to the end : i say that soul , and none but that , shall be justified in judgement , and escape damnation . in these five marks i have told you truly and briefly , who shall be justified and saved , and who shall be condemned at the day of judgement . and if you would have them all in five words , they are but the description of these five graces , repentance , faith , love , obedience , hope . but though i have laid these close together for your use , yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case i am too short in the proof of what i so determine of ▪ i will tell you in the express words of many scripture texts , who shall be justified , and who shall be condemned . [ john 3.3 . except a man be born again , he cannot enter into the kingdom of god , heb. 12.14 . without holiness none shall see god . luk. 13.3 , 5. except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish . acts 26.18 . i send thee to open their eyes , and turn them from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god , that they may receive forgiveness of sins , and an inheritance among the sanctified by faith that is in me . john 3.15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. whoever believeth in him shall not perish , but have everlasting life : he that believeth on him , is not condemned ; he that believeth not is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god : and this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather then light , because their deeds were evil , john 5.28 , 29. the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth , they that have done good to the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation . mat. 25.30 . cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness , there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth , luke 19.27 . but those mine enemies , which would not that i should raign over them , bring hither , and slay them before me . mat. 22.12 , 13. friend , how camest ▪ thou in hither , not having on a wedding garment ? and he was speechless . then said the king to the servants : bind him hand and foot , and take him away , and cast him into outer darkness , &c. mat. 5.20 . for i say unto you , that except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven . mat. 7.21 . not every one that saith , lord , lord ▪ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doth the w●ll of my father which is in heaven . heb. 5.9 . he is become the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him . rev. 22.14 . blessed are they that do his commandments , that they may have right to the tree of life , and may enter in by the gate into the city rom 8.1 , 13. there is then no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus , that walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . for if ye live after the flesh , ye shall dye : but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body , ye shall live . rom. 8.9 . if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his . gal. 5.18 . but if ye be led of the spirit , ye are not under the law . gal. 6.7 , 8. be not deceived : god is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the flesh , shall of the flesh reap corruption : but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit reap life everlasting . matth. 6.21 . for where your treasure is , there will your heart be also . ] read psal. 1. and many other texts to this purpose , of which some are cited in my directions for peace of conscience : dir. 11. p. 115 , 116. and thus i have told you from gods word , how you may know whether you are ready for judgement ; which is the fourth thing that i would advise you to enquire after . o sirs , what shift do you make to keep your souls from continual terrours , as long as you remain unready for judgement ? how do you keep the thoughts of it out of your mind , that they do not break your sleep , and meet you in your business , and haunt you every way you go , while judgement is so neer , and you are so unready ? but i shall proceed to my next question . qu. 5. and in the last place , to those of you that are not yet ready , nor in a condition wherein you may be safe at that day ; my question is , how are you resolved to prepare for judgement for the time to come ? will you do no more than you have done hitherto ? or will you now set your selves with all your might , to make preparation for so great a day ? me thinks you should be now past all demurrs , delays , or further doubtings about such a business ; and by the consideration of what i have said already , you should be fully resolved to lose no more time , but presently to awake , and set upon the work . me thinks you should all say , we will do any thing that the lord shall direct us to do , rather than we will be unready for the final doom ! o that there were but such hearts in you , that you were trully willing to follow the gracious guidance of the lord , and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his word , that you may be ready for that day ! alas , it is no hard matter for me to tell you , or my self , what it is that we must do , if we will be happy ; and it is no very hard matter to do it , so far as we are truly willing ; but the difficulty is , to be truly and throughly willing to this work . if i shall tell you what you must do for preparation , shall i not lose my labour ? will you resolve and promise in the strength of grace , that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it , whoever shall gainsay it ? upon hope of this i will set you down some brief directions , which you must follow , if ever you will with comfort look the lord jesus in the face at the hour of death , or in the day of judgement . the first direction is this , see that your souls be sincerely established in the belief of this judgement and everlasting life : for if you do not soundly believe it , you will not seriously prepare for it . if you have the judgement and belief of an infidel , you cannot have the heart or the life of a christian . unbelief shuts out the most of the world from heaven , see that it do not so by you ! if you say , you cannot believe what you would : i answer , feed not your unbelief by wilfulness , or unreasonableness ; use gods means to overcome it , and shut not your eyes against the light , and then try the issue , heb. 3.12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. the second direction . labour diligently to have a sound understanding of the nature of the laws and judgement of god . on what terms it is that he dealeth with mankind : and on what terms he will judge them to life or death : and what the reward and punishment is ▪ for if you know not the law by which you must be judged ▪ you cannot know how to prepare for the judgement . study the scripture therefore , and mark who they be that god promiseth to save , and who they be that he threateneth to condemn . for according to that word will the judgement pass . the third direction . see that you take it as the very business of your lives , to make ready for that day . understand that you have no other business in this world , but what doth necessarily depend on this . what else have you to do , but to provide for everlasting ? and to use means to sustain your own bodies and others , of purpose for this work , till it be happily done ? live therefore as men that make this the main scope and care of their lives : and let all things else come in but on the by . remember every morning when you awake , that you must spend that day in preparation for your account , and that god doth give it you for that end . when you go to bed , examine your hearts , what you have done that day in preparation for your last day : and take that time as lost which doth nothing to this end . the fourth direction . vse frequently to think of the certainty , neerness and dreadfulness of that day , to keep life in your affections and endeavours ; lest by inconsiderateness your souls grow stupid and negligent . otherwise , because it is out of sight , the heart will be apt to grow hardened and secure . and do not think of it sleightly as a common thing , but purposely set your selves to think of it , that it may rouze you up to such affections and endeavours as in some measure are answerable to the nature of the thing . the fifth direction . labour to have a lively feeling on thy heart , of the evil and weight of that sin which thou art guilty of , and of the misery into which it hath brought thee , and would further bring thee if thou be not delivered , and so to feel the need of a deliverer . this must prepare thee to partake of christ now : and if thou partake not of him now ▪ thou canst not be saved by him then . it is these souls that now make light of their sin and misery , that must then feel them so heavy , as to be pressed by them into the infernal flames . and those that now feel little need of a saviour , they shall then have none to save them , when they feel their need . the sixth direction . vnderstand and believe the sufficiency of that ransom and satisfaction to justice , which christ hath made for thy sins and for the world , and how freely and universally it is offered in the gospel . thy sin is not uncurable or unpardonable , nor thy misery remediless : god hath provided a remedy in his son christ , and brought it so neer thy hands , that nothing but thy neglecting , or willful refusing it , can deprive thee of the benefit . settle thy soul in this belief . the seventh direction . vnderstand and believe that for all christs satisfaction , there is an absolute necessity of sound faith and repentance to be in thy own self , before thou canst be a member of him , or be pardoned , adopted , or justified by his blood . he dyed not for final infidelity and impenitency as predominant in any soul . as the law of his father which occasioned his suffering , required perfect obedience , or suffering : so his own law , which he hath made for the conveyance of his benefits , doth require yet true faith and repentance of men themselves , before they shall be pardoned by him ; and sincere obedience and perseverance before they shall be glorified . the eighth direction . rest not therefore in an unrenewed , unsanctified state ; that is , till this faith and repentance be wrought on thy own soul , and thou be truly broken off from thy former sinful course , and from all things in this world : and art dedicated , devoted , and resigned unto god . seeing this change must be made , and these graces must be had , or thou must certainly perish : in the fear of god , see that thou give no ease to thy mind till thou art thus changed . be content with nothing till this be done . delay not another day . how canst thou live merrily , or sleep quietly in such a condition , as if thou shouldst dye in it , thou shouldst perish for ever ? especially when thou art every hour uncertain whether thou shalt see another hour , and not be presently snatch away by death ? me thinks while thou a●t in so sad a case , which way ever thou art going , or what ever thou art doing , it should still come into thy thoughts , oh what if i should dye , before i be regenerate , and have part in christ ! the ninth direction . let it be the daily care of thy soul , to mortifie thy fleshly desires , and overcome this world ; and live as in a continual conflict with satan , which will not be ended till thy life do end . if any thing destroy thee by drawing away thy heart from god , it will be thy carnal self , thy fleshly desires , and the allurements of this world , which is the matter that they fed upon . this therefore must be the earnest work of thy life , to subdue this flesh and set light by this world , and resist the devil , that by these would destroy thee . it is the common case of miserable hypocrites , that at first they list them selves under christ as for a fight , but they presently forget their state and work ; and when they are once in their own conceit regenerate , they think themselves so safe , that there is no further danger ; and thereupon do lay down their arms , and take that which they miscall their christian liberty , and indulge and please that flesh , which they promised to mortifie , and close with the world which they promised to contemn , and so give up themselves to the devil whom they promised to fight against . if once you apprehend that all your religion lyeth in meer believing that all shall go well with you , and that the bitterness of death is past , and in a forbearance of some disgraceful sins , and being much in the exercise of your gifts , and in external wayes of duty , and giving god a cheap and plausible obedience in those things only which the flesh can spare ; you are then faln into that deceitful hypocrisie , which will as surely condemn you , as open prophanness , if you get not out of it . you must live as in a fight , or you cannot overcome . you must live loose from all things in this world , if you will be ready for another . you must not live after the flesh , but mortifie it by the spirit , if you would not dye but live for ever . rom. 8.13 . these things are not indifferent , but of flat necessity . the tenth direction . do all your works as men that must be judged for them . it is not enough ( at least in point of duty and comfort ) that you judge this preparation in general to be the main business of your lives , but you should also order your particular actions by these thoughts , and measure them by their respects to this approaching day . before you venture on them , enquire whether they will bear weight in judgement , and be sweet or bitter when they are brought to tryal ? both for matter and manner , this must be observed . oh that you would remember this when temptations are upon you . when you are tempted to give up your minds to the world , and drown your selves in earthly cares , will you bethink you soberly whether you would hear of this at judgement ? and whether the world will be then as sweet as now ? and whether this be the best preparation for your tryal ? when you are tempted to be drunk or to spend your precious time in ale-houses , or vain unprofitable company , or at cards or dice , or any sinful or needless sports ; bethink you then , whether this will be comfortable at the reckoning ? and whether time be no more worth to one that is so neer eternity , and must make so strict an account of his hours ? and whether there be not many better works before you , in which you might spend your time to your greater advantage , and to your greater comfort when it comes to a review ? when you are tempted to wantonness , fornication , or any other fleshly intemperance , bethink you soberly , with what face these actions will appear at judgement , and whether they will be then pleasant or displeasant to you● ? so when you are tempted to neglect the daily worshipping of god in your families , and the catechizing and teaching of your children or servants , especially on the lords day , bethink your selves then , what account you will give of this to christ ? when he that entrusted you with the care of your children and servants , shall call you to a reckoning for the performance of that trust ? the like must be remembred in the very manner of our duties ; how diligently should a minister study ? how earnestly should he perswade ? how unwearyedly should he bear all oppositions and ungrateful returns ? and how carefully should he watch over each particular soul of his charge ( as far as is possible ) when he remembers that he must shortly be accountable for all in judgement ? and how importunate should we all be with sinners for their conversion , when we consider that themselves also must shortly be judged ? can a man be cold and dead in prayer , that hath any true apprehension of that judgement upon his mind , where he must be accountable for all his prayers and performances ? o remember , and seriously remember , when you stand before the minister to hear the word , and when you are on your knees to god in prayer , in what a manner that same person , even your selves must shortly stand at the barr of the dreadful god! did these thoughts get throughly to mens hearts , they would waken them out of their sleepy devotions , and acquaint them that it is a serious business to be a christian . how careful should we be of our thoughts and words ▪ if we believingly remembred that we must be accountable for them all ! how carefully should we consider what we do with our riches , and with all that god giveth us , and how much more largely should we expend it for his service , in works of piety and charity , if we believingly remembred that we must be judged according to what we have done , and give account of every talent that we receive ? certainly the believing consideration of judgement , might make us all better christians then we are , and keep our lives in a more innocent and profitable frame . the eleventh direction . as you will certainly renew your failings in this life , so be sure that you daily renew your repentance , and fly daily to christ for a renewed pardon , that no sin may leave its sting in your souls . it is not your first pardon that will serve the turn for your latter sins . not that you must purpose to sin , and purpose to repent when you have done as a remedy : for that is an hypocritical and wicked purpose of repenting , which is made a means to maintain us in our sins : but sin must be avoided as far as we can ; and repentance and faith in the blood of christ must remedy that which we could not avoid . the righteousness of pardon in christs ▪ blood , is useful to us only so far as we are sinners ; and cometh in where our imperfect inherent righteousness doth come short ; but must not be purposely chosen before innocency : i mean , we must rather choose as far as we can , to obey and be innocent , than to sin and be pardoned , if we were sure of pardon . the twelfth direction . in this vigilant , obedient , penitent course , with confidence upon god as a father , rest upon the promise of acceptance and remission through the merits and intercession of him that redeemed you : look up in hope to the glory that is before you , and believe that god will make good his word , and the patient expectation of the righteous shall not be in vain : cheerfully hold on in the work that you have begun : and as you serve a better master than you did before your change , so serve him with more willingness , gladness and delight . do not entertain hard thoughts of him or of his service , but rejoyce in your unspeakable happiness of being admitted into his family and favour through christ . do not serve him in drooping dejection and discouragement , but with love , and joy , and filial fear . keep in the communion of his saints , where he is cheerfully and faithfully praised and honoured , and where is the greatest visible similitude of heaven upon earth ; especially in the celebration of the sacrament of christs supper , where he seals up a renewed pardon in his blood , and where unanimously we keep the remembrance of his death until he come . do not cast your selves out of the communion of the saints , from whom to be cast out by just censure and exclusion , is a dreadful emblem and fore-runner of the judgement to come , where the ungodly shall be cast of the presence of christ and his saints for ever . i have now finished the directions , which i tender to you for your preparation for the day of the lord : and withal my whole discourse on this weighty point . what effect all this shall have upon your hearts , the lord knows ; it is not in my power to determine if you are so far blinded and hardened by sin and satan , as to make light of all this , or coldly to commend the doctrine , while you go on to the end in your carnal worldly condition as before ; i can say no more , but tell thee again , that judgement is ne●r , when thou wilt bitterly bewail all this too late . and among all the rest of the evidence that comes in against thee , this book will be one , which shall testifie to thy face before angels and men , that thou wast told of that day , and intreated to prepare . but if the lord shall shew thee so much mercy as to open thy eyes , and break in upon thy heart , and by sober consideration turn it to himself , and cause thee faithfully to take the warning that hath here been given thee , and to obey these directions , i dare assure thee from the word of the lord , that this judgement which will be so dreadful to the ungodly , and the beginning of their endless terror and misery , will be as joyful to thee , and the beginning of thy glory . the saviour that thou hast believed in and sincerly obeyed , will not condemn thee . psal. 1.5 , 6. rom. 8.1 . john 3.16 . it is part of his business to justifie thee before the world , and to glorifie his merits , his kingly power , his holyness , and his rewarding justice in thy absolution and salvation . he will account it a righteous thing to recompence tribulation to thy troublers , and rest to thy self ; when the lord jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels , in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord jesus christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power ; even then shall he come to be glorified in his saints , and to be admired in all them that believe , in that day ; even because his servants testimony , and his spirits among them was believed , 2 thes. 1.6 , 7 ▪ 8 , 9 , 10. that day will be the great marriage of the lamb , and the reception of thee and all the saints into the glory of thy beloved , to which they had a right at their first consent and contract upon earth : and when the bridegroom comes , thou who art ready shalt go in to the marriage : when the door shall be shut against the sleepy negligent world ; and though they cry , lord , lord , open to us , they shall be repulsed with a verily i know you not , mat. 25.10 , 11 , 12 , 13. for this day which others fear , maist thou long , and hope , and pray , and wait , and comfort thy self in all troubles with the remembrance of it . 1 cor. 15.55 , 56 , 57 , 58. 1 thes. 4.17 , 18. if thou were ready to be offered to death for christ , or when the time of thy departing is at hand , thou mais● look back on the good fight which thou ha●t fought , and on the course which thou hast finished , and on the faith which thou hast kept , and mai●t confidently conclude that henceforth there is laid up for thee a crown of righteousness , which the lord the righteous judge shall give thee at that day : and not to thee only , but unto all them also that love his appearing . 2 tim. 4.6 , 7 , 8. even so , come lord jesus . rev. 22.20 . finis . a petition for peace with the reformation of the liturgy, as it was presented to the right reverend bishops, by the divines appointed by his majesties commission to treat with them about the alteration of it. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1661 approx. 276 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 53 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26983 wing b1343 estc r39870 18524673 ocm 18524673 107960 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26983) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107960) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1646:16, 2973:18) a petition for peace with the reformation of the liturgy, as it was presented to the right reverend bishops, by the divines appointed by his majesties commission to treat with them about the alteration of it. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 101 p. [s.n.], london printed : mdclxi [1661] attributed to baxter by wing and nuc pre-1956 imprints. errors in paging: p. 64, 85, 90 misnumbered 46, 58, 91 respectively. reproductions of the originals in: harvard university library (1646:16) and folger shakespeare library (reel 2973:18). . created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -liturgy -controversial literature. dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-11 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a petition for peace : with the reformation of the liturgy . as it was presented to the right reverend bishops , by the divines appointed by his majesties commission to treat with them about the alteration of it . london , printed , anno dom. mdclxi . a petition for peace . to the most reverend archbishop and bishops , and the reverend their assistants commissioned by his majesty to treat about the alteration of the book of common-prayer . the humble and earnest petition of others in the same commission . most reverend fathers , and reverend brethren , the special providence of god , and his majesties tender regard of the peace and consciences of his subjects , and his desire of their concord in the things of god , hath put into our hands this opportunity of speaking to you as humble petitioners , as well as commissioners , on the behalf of these yet troubled and unhealed churches , and of many thousand souls that are dear to christ ; on whose behalf , wee are pressed in spirit in the sense of our duty , most earnestly to beseech you , as you tender the peace and prosperity of these churches , the comfort of his majesty in the union of his subjects , and the peace of your souls in the great day of your accounts , that laying by all former and present exasperating and alienating differences , you will not now deny us your consent and assistance to those means that shall bee proved honest and cheap , and needful to those great , desirable ends , for which wee all profess to have our offices , and our lives . the things which wee humbly beg of you are these . 1. that you will grant what wee have here proposed and craved of you in our preface ; even your charitable interpretation , acceptance of , and consent unto the alterations and additions to the liturgy now tendered unto you , that being inserted , as wee have expressed , it [ may bee left to the ministers choice to use one or other at his discretion ] upon his majesties approbation , according to his gracious declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs . and that ( seeing wee cannot obtain the form of episcopal government , described by the late reverend primate of ireland , and approved by many episcopal divines ) wee may at least enjoy those benefits of reformation in discipline , and that freedome from subscription , oaths and ceremonies , which are granted in the said declaration , by the means of your charitable mediation and request . 2. seeing some hundreds of able , holy , faithful ministers are of late cast out , and not onely very many of their families in great distress , but ( which is of far greater moment ) abundance of congregations in england , ireland and wales , are overspread with lamentable ignorance , and are destitute of able , faithful teachers : and seeing too many that are insufficient , negligent , or scandalous , are over the flocks ( not meaning this as an accusation of any that are not guilty , nor a dishonourable reflection on any party , much less on the whole church ) wee take this opportunity earnestly to beseech you , that you will contribute your indeavours to the removal of those that are the shame and burdens of the churches ; and to the restauration of such as may bee an honour and blessing to them . and to that end , that it bee not imputed to them as their unpardonable crime , that they were born in an age and country which required ordination by parochial pastors , without diocesans : and that re-ordination ( whether absolute or hypothetical ) bee not made necessary to the future exercise of their ministry . but that an universal confirmation may bee granted of those ordained as aforesaid , they being still responsible for any personal insufficiency or crime . were these two granted ( the confirmation of the grants in his majesties declaration , with the liberty of the reformed liturgy offered you , and the restoring of able , faithful ministers to a capacity to bee serviceable in the church of god , without forcing them against their consciences to bee re-ordained ) how great would bee the benefits to this unworthy nation ? how glad would you make the peoples hearts ? how thankful should wee bee ( for the cause of christ , and the souls of men ) to those that grant them , and procure them ; being conscious that wee seek not great things for our selves , or for our brethren ; that wee are ambitious of no greater wealth or honour , than our daily bread , with such freedome and advantage for the labours of our ministry , as may most conduce to the success , the increase of holiness and peace ; wee shall take the boldness to second these requests , with many of our reasons , which wee think should prevail for your consent , chusing rather to incur whatsoever censures or offence may by any bee taken against our necessary freedome of expression , than to bee silent at such a time as this , when thousands of the servants of the lord , that are either deprived of their faithful teachers , or in fears of losing them , together with the freedome of their consciences in gods worship , do cry day and night to heaven for help , and would cry also in your ears with more importunate requests , if they had but the opportunity as now wee have . and 1. wee beseech you bear with us while wee remember you , that you are pastors of the flock of christ , who are bound to feed them , and to preach in season , and out of season , and to bee laborious in the word and doctrine ; but are not bound to hinder all others from this blessed work , that dare not use a cross or surplice , or worship god in a form which they judge disorderly , defective , or corrupt , when they have better to offer him ( mal. 1. 13 , 14. ) is it not for matter and phrase at least as agreeable to the holy scriptures ? if so , wee beseech you suffer us to use it , who seek nothing by it , but to worship god as neer as wee can , according to his will , who is jealous in the matters of his worship . if indeed yours have more of strength , and ours of weakness , yet let not fathers cast the children from the house of god , because they are sick or weak , and need the more compassion ; let not our physicians resolve their patients shall all bee famished , or cast off , whose temperature and appetites cannot agree to feed on the same dish , with the same preparation and sauce . hee that thrice charged peter as hee loved him , to feed his lambs and sheep , did never think of charging him to deny them food or turn them out of his fold , or forbid all others to feed them , unless they could digest such forms and ceremonies , and superscriptions as ours . 2. may wee presume to minde you , that the lord of the harvest hath commanded us to pray that more labourers may bee sent into the harvest . ( for still proportionably the harvest is great , and the labourers are few ) mat. 9. 37. and that the lord hath not furnished them with his gifts in vain , nor lighted these candles to put under a bushel , but to bee set on a candlestick , that they may give light to all that are in the house , mat. 5. 15 : and that there are few nations under the heavens of god , as far as wee can learn , that have more able , holy , faithful , laborious and truly peaceable preachers of the gospel ( proprotionably ) than those are that are now cast out in england , and are like in england , scotland , and ireland , to bee cast out , if the old conformity bee urged . this witness is true , which in judgement wee bear , and must record against all the reproaches of uncharitableness , which the justifier of the righteous at his day will effectually confute . wee therefore beseech you , that when thousands of souls are ready to famish for want of the bread of life , and thousands more are grieved for the ejection of their faithful guides , the labourers may not bee kept our , upon the account of such forms or ceremonies , or re-ordination ; at least till you have enow as fit as they to supply their places , and then wee shall never petition you for them more . 3. and wee beseech you consider when you should promote the joy and thankfulness of his majesties subjects for his happy restauration , whether it bee equal and seasonable to bring upon so many of them so great calamities as the change of able , faithful ministers , for such as they cannot comfortably commit the conduct of their souls to , and the depriving them of the liberty of the publick worship ; calamities far greater than the meer loss of all their worldly substance can amount to : in a day of common joy to bring this causelesly on so many of his majesties subjects , and to force them to lye down in heart-breaking-sorrows , as being almost as far undone , as man can doe it ; this is not a due requital of the lord for so great deliverances : especially considering , that if it were never so certain , that it is the sin of the ministers that dare not bee re-ordained , or conform ; its hard that so many thousand innocent people should suffer even in their souls for the faults of others . 4. and if wee thought it would not bee mis-interpreted , wee would here remember you , how great and considerable a part of the three nations they are , that must either incur these sufferings , or condole them that undergo them ; and how great a grief it will be to his majesty , to see his grieved subjects ; and how great a joy it will bee to him , to have their hearty thanks and prayers , and see them live in prosperity , peace and comfort under his most happy government . 5. and wee may plead the nature of their cause , to move you to compassionate your poor afflicted brethren in their sufferings . it is , in your own account , but for refusing conformity to things indifferent , or at the most , of no necessity to salvation . it is in their account for the sake of christ , because they dare not consent to that which they judge to be an usurpation of his kingly power , and an accusation of his laws as insufficient , and because they dare not bee guilty of addition to , or diminution of his worship , or of worshipping him after any other law , than that by which they must bee judged , or such as is meerly subordinate to that . suppose they bee mistaken in thinking the things to bee so displeasing to god ; yet it is commendable in them to bee fearful of displeasing him , and careful to obey him ; a disposition necessary to all that will bee saved , and therefore to bee loved and cherished in them by the pastors of the church ; who should bee very tender of putting them to suffering , or casting them out of the church , because they dare not do that which they judge to bee so great a sin against the lord , deserving damnation to themselves . should not the love of christ command us to bee tender of those that are so tender of his honour , and to take heed what wee do to men for taking heed of sin , and being afraid to offend the lord ; and should not the special love of christians , and the common love of men , command us , to bee loath to drive men by penalties , upon that which they judge doth tend to their everlasting damnation , and which indeed doth tend to it , because they judge it so to do ; for hee that will do that which hee thinks to bee so great a sin as is before described , to please men , or to escape their punishment , no doubt deserveth the wrath of god , and should wee not bee loath to drive men upon sin and condemnation : though wee were sure that their own infirmity is the occasion . if it bee said , that by this rule nothing shall bee commanded , if men will but scruple it . wee answer , things in themselves necessary , or commanded by god , must bee commanded by man , because scruples make them not unnecessary , and make not void the laws of god , and it will bee a sin even to the scrupulous to disobey : but things dispensible , and of themselves unnecessary , should not bee rigorously urged upon him , to whom they would bee a sin , and cause of condemnation . it is in case of things indifferent in your own judgement , that wee now speak . if it bee said , that it is humour , pride , or singularity , or peevishness , or faction , and not true tenderness of conscience that causeth the doubts , or non-conformity of these men . wee answer , such crimes must bee fastened onely on the individuals , that are first proved guilty of them ; and not upon multitudes unnamed and unknown and without pro●● ; and you know it is the prerogative of god to search the heart , and that hee hath said , judge not that yee be not judged , for with what judgement yee judge , yee shall bee judged , and with what measure yee mete , it shall bee measured to you again . mat. 7. 1 , 2. and who art thou that judgest another mans servant , to his own master , hee standeth or falleth ; yea , hee shall bee holden up , for god is able to make him stand . rom. 14. 4. and who can pretend to bee better acquainted with their hearts , than they are themselves ! for what man knoweth the things of a man , save the spirit of a man , which is in him ; 1 cor. 2. 11. and they are ready to appeal to the dreadful god , the searcher of hearts , and the hater of hypocrisie , that if it were not for fear of sinning against him , and wounding their consciences , and hazarding , and hindering their salvation , they would readily obey you in all these things ; that it is their fear of sin and damnation that is their impediment , they are ready to give you all the assurance , that man can give by the solemnest professions , or by oath if justly called to it . and one would think that a little charity might suffice to enable you to beleeve them , when their non-compliance brings them under suffering , and their compliance , is the visible way to favour ; safety , and prosperity in the world . and if men that thus appeal to god concerning the intention of their own hearts , cannot bee beleeved , even when the state of their worldly interest bears witness to their professions , but another shall step into the throne of the heart-searching god , and say [ it is not as they say , or swear , it is not conscience , but obstinacy or singularity ] all humane converse upon these terms will bee overthrown : and what remedy have they , but patiently to wait , till god that they have appealed to , shall decide the doubt , and shew who were the assertours of truth or falshood . 6 and wee crave leave to represent to you the great disproportion , in necessity and worth , between the things in question , and the salvation of so many , as may bee obtained by the free and faithful exercise of the ministery , of those that now are , and that are yet like to bee laid aside ; do you think the lord that died for souls , and hath sent us to learn what that meaneth [ i will have mercy and not sacrifice , mat. 9. 13. ] is better pleased with re-ordination , subscription and ceremonies , than with the saving of souls , by the means of his own appointment : if it bee said that publick order and peace and concord do promote the salvation of many , and therefore are to bee preferred before the salvation of fewer . wee answer , concord in holy obedience to god doth indeed promote the salvation of all that entertain it ; but concord in ceremonies , or re-ordination , or oaths of obedience to diocesans , or in your questioned particular forms of prayer , do neither in their nature , or by vertue of any promise of god , so much conduce to mens salvation ; as the preaching of the gospel doth , by able faithful and laborious ministers . and how comes it to pass that unity , concord and order must bee placed in those things , which are no way necessary thereto ! will there not bee order and concord in holy obedience and acceptable worshiping of god , on the terms which wee now propose and crave , without the foresaid matter of offence ? wee here shew you that wee are no enemies to order , and our long importunity for the means of concord , doth shew that wee are not enemies to concord . if it bee said , that other men that will conform to the things in question may convert and save souls better than those that are factious and disobedient : wee first humbly crave that reproach may not bee added to affliction , and that none may bee called factious that are not proved such ; and that laws imposing things indifferent in your judgement , and sinfull in theirs , may not bee made the rule to judge of faction : but that men who live inoffensively under civill government , and in matters of faith and worship , subscribe to all contained in the holy scriptures ; and indeavour to promote universal peace and cha●…y on these termes , may not bee made offenders by the making of laws and canons , that must force them to bee such : consequently daniel was an offender that would not forbear praying openly by the space of thirty daies . but antecedently to that law , hee was confessed just , by them that said [ wee shall not finde any occasion against this daniel , except wee finde it against him concerning the law of his god ] dan 6. 5 , 7 , 10. the law which hee must break was made to make him a breaker of that law ; take away that law and take away his fault . wee accuse none of the like intentions , but wee must say , that it is easie to make any man an offender , by making laws which his conscience will not allow him to observe , and it s as easie to make that same man cease to seem disobedient , obstinate , or factious , without any change at all in him , by taking down such needless laws . wee may again remember you what christ a second time doth press , mat. 12. 7. [ but if yee had known what this meaneth , i will have mercy , and not sacrifice , yee would not have condemned the guiltless . ] and next , to the rest of the objection , wee answer ; that sad experience tells the world , that if the ministers that wee are pleading for , bee laid aside , there are not competent men enough to supplie their rooms , and equally to promote the salvation of the flocks : this is acknowldged by them who still give it as the reason why ministers are not to bee trusted with the expressing of their desires in their own words , nor so much as to chuse which chapter to read , as well as which text to preach on , to their auditours , because wee shall have ministers so weak , as to bee unfit for such a trust : and men that are not wise enough for so easie a part of their duty , as to chuse fit portions of scripture to read , are unlikely to afford an equal assistance to the salvation of the people instead of the labours of such as wee are speaking for . 7 and it must bee remembred that in our ordination , wee must profess that [ wee are perswaded that the holy scriptures contain sufficiently all doctrine , required of necessity for eternal salvation , &c. ] and that wee will teach or maintain nothing as required of necessity to eternal salvation , but that which wee are perswaded may bee concluded and proved by the same ] and that one of the articles of the church containeth the same doctrine of the scriptures sufficiency : and to these wee are called to subscribe ; and the persons that wee now speak for , are ready to subscribe to all contained in the holy scriptures , and willing to bee oblieged by the laws of men to practise it : and hee that hath all things necessary to salvation is received of god , and should therefore bee received by the church , if the apostles argument bee good , rom. 14. 1. 3. [ for god hath received him ] seeing then you do profess that none of your impositions that cannot bee concluded from the scripture , are necessary to salvation , let them not consequentially bee made necessary to it , and more necessary than that which is ordinarily necessary . if you say , that so many men shall bee forbidden to preach , unless they dare subscribe and use these things ; you will tempt them to infer , that preaching being ordinarily necessary to salvation , rom. 10. 14. and these things called indifferent being made necessary to preaching and preferred before it , therefore they are made necessary to salvation , and preferred before that which god hath made necessary ; if it bee said , that this will as much follow the making of any other indifferent thing to bee necessary to preaching , and so the church shall make no orders ; wee answer . 1. that smaller things must not bee imposed by unproportionable penalties . 2. that though the church may prefer a sober , peaceable preacher before one that is schismatical and unpeaceable ( which is not at all to exclude preaching ) yet the church may not make any thing necessary to preaching it self ; that is of it self unnecessary , and not antecedently necessary , at least by accident . 8. and if our religion be laid upon your particular liturgy , wee shall teach the papists further to insult , by asking us , where was our religion two hundred years ago ? the common-prayer-book as differing from the mass-book , being not so old , and that which might then bee the matter of a change , is not so unchangeable it self , but that those alterations may bee accepted for ends so desirable as are now before us . 9. and wee humbly crave that wee may not in this bee more rigorously dealt with , than the pastors and people of the antient churches were : if wee may not have the liberty of the primitive times , when for ought can bee proved , no liturgical forms were imposed upon any church , yet at least let us have the liberty of the following ages , when under the same prince there were diversity of liturgies , and particular pastors , had the power of making and altering them for their particular churches . 10. and if you should reject ( which god forbid ) the moderate proposals which now and formerly wee have made , wee humbly crave leave to offer it to your consideration , what judgement all the protestant churches are likely to pass on your proceedings , and how your cause and ours will stand represented to them , and to all succeeding ages . though wee earnestly desire the tolleration of those that are tollerable , and the peaceable liberties of all that agree on the catholick terms of primitive simplicity , in doctrine , worship and discipline , yet have wee our selves so far drawn neer you , as that the world will say , you reject those that are for episcopacy it self , and set forms of liturgy , and are not so much as charged by you at all , as disagreeing in any point of faith , if you shall reject us . if after our submission to his majesties declaration , and after our own proposals of the primitive episcopacy , and of such a liturgy as here wee tender , wee may not bee permitted to exercise our ministery , or enjoy the publick worship of god , the pens of those learned , moderate bishops will bear witness against you , that were once employed as the chief defenders of that cause ( wee mean such as reverend bishop hall , and usher ) who have published to the world , that much less than this might have served to our fraternal unity and peace . if you would not grant this liberty , and communion to others , with whom christ will hold communion in grace and glory ; yet it will appear more strange to the world , that you should cast out the episcopal also , that dare not go beyond the rule of holy scripture , and the example of primitive simplicity . and wee doubt not but you know , how new and strange a thing it is that you require in the point of re-ordination : when a canon amongst those called the apostles deposeth those that re-ordain , and that are re-ordained ; and when it is a thing that both papists and protestants condemn , when not onely the former bishops of england , that were more moderate were against it , but even the most servent adversaries of the presbyterian way ; such as bishop bancroft himself , how strange must it needs seem to the reformed churches to the whole christian world , and to future generations , that so many able , faithful ministers should bee laid by as broken vessels , because they dare not bee re-ordained ? and that so many have been put upon so new and so generally dis-relished a thing ? 11. and wee crave leave to remember you , that the holy ghost hath commanded you to over-see the flock , not by constraint , but willingly , not as being lords over gods heritage , but as ensamples to the flock : and that it is not onely more comfortable to your selves to bee loved as the fathers , than to be esteemed the afflicters of the church , but that it is needful to the ends of your ministry for the people● when you are loved , your doctrine will more easily bee received : but when men think that their souls or liberties are endangered by you , its easie to judge how much they are like to profit by you . 12. and you know if wee are not in point of ceremonies or forms in every thing of your mind ; it is no more strange to have variety of intellectual apprehensions in the same kingdome and church , than variety of temperatures and degrees of age and strength . if his majesty should expel all those from his dominions , that are not so wise , as solidly to judge , whether the liturgy as before , or as thus reformed , bee the best , yea whether this bee intollerable in comparison of yours , and whether god bee pleased or displeased with your ceremonies , it would bee too great a diminution of his subjects , and if you should turn all such out of the kingdome of christ , it would bee liker a dissipating , than a gathering , and a destroying , than an edifying of his church : and you have not your power to destruction , but to edification , 2 cor. 10. 8. & 13. 10. you must do all things for the peoples edifying , 2 cor. 12. 19. ephes . 4. 12. 13. and how christ will take it of you , to cast out from the ministry or communion of the church , or to grieve and punish all those that dare not conform to you in these matters ; for fear of displeasing the law-giver of the church , wee beseech you judge ( when your souls are most seriously thinking of the day of your accounts ) by such passages of holy scripture as may fully acquaint you with his mind . hee is himself a merciful high-priest , a gracious saviour , a tender governour . hee despiseth not the day of small things , zech. 4. 10. hee feedeth his flock like a shepherd , hee gathereth his lambs with his arm , and carrieth them in his bosome , and gently leadeth those that are with young , isa . 40. 11. a bruised reed will hee not break , and the smoaking flax will hee not quench , isa . 42. 3. matth. 12. 20. god doth instruct the plow-man to discretion , and teacheth him not to thresh the fetches with a threshing-instrument , nor to turn the cart-wheel upon the cummin , but the fetches are beaten out with a staff , and the cummin with a rod , isa . 28. 26 , 27. gods servants are his jewels , mal. 3. 17. hee will spare them as a man spareth his son that serves him , and hee that toucheth them , toucheth the apple of his eye , zech. 2. 8. remember the neer relation they stand in to god in christ , that they are the children of god , co-heirs with christ , rom. 8. 17. the members of his body , his flesh and bone , which hee cannot hate , who ever hate them , ephes . 5. 29 , 30. remember how dear they cost him , and to what honour hee will advance them ; and that these same persons that love him in sincerity , must be where hee is , to behold his glory , joh. 12. 26. & 17. 24. and shall be like the angels of god , luk. 20. 36. and shall judge the world , 1 cor. 6. 2 , 3. and that christ will come to bee glorified and admired in them , 2 thes . 1. 10. and they shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdome of their father , mat. 13. 43. remember with what tender usage hee treated his weak imperfect members upon earth , and when hee was ascending to prepare a place for them , that they might bee with him where hee is , how affectionately hee bespeaketh them , joh. 20. 17. go to my brethren , and say unto them , i ascend up to my father , and your father , and to my god , and your god. and lest you should say , that hee will not own those little ones , that ( whether for truths sake , or for their infirmities ) do bear disgraceful titles in the world ; remember that at the day of udgement hee will say , inasmuch as you did it not , or did it , to one of the least of these my brethren , you did it not , or did it unto mee , mat. 25. 40. 45. if his elect cry to him day and night , though hee bear long , hee will avenge them , and that speedily , luke 18. 7 , 8. bear with us while wee add this terrible passage , which wee once before made mention of , mat. 18. 5 , 6. [ who so shall receive one such little childe in my name , receiveth mee ; but whose shall offend one of these little ones that beleeve in mee , it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck , and that hee were drowned in the depth of the sea. ] undoubtedly if you consider duly by such passages , how christ will take it to have his servants not onely notvisited , not-relieved , but to bee afflicted , not onely in body , but in soul , with that great affliction to be cast out of the ministry , or church , for an unavoidable dissent in things indifferent , you will never joyn with those that shall stretch forth a hand against them for such a cause as this . if yet the old pretence be made , that they suffer as schismaticks , and disobedient ; wee must say again , if any shall make men disobedient by imposing things unnecessary , which they know are by learned , pious , peaceable men , esteemed sins against the lord , and then shall thus heavily afflict them for the disobedience which they may easily cure by the forbearance of those impositions ; let not our souls come into their secret , nor our honour be united to their assembly : if they shall smite or cast out a supposed schismatick , and christ shall finde an able , holy , peaceable minister , or other christian , wounded , or mourning , out of doors , let us not be found among the actors , nor stand among them in the day of their accounts , when tribulation shall be recompenced to the troublers of beleevers , 2 thes . 1. 6. 14. wee beseech you also to consider , that men have not their understandings at their own command , much less can they be commanded by others , if they were never so willing to beleeve all that is imposed on them to bee lawful , they cannot therefore beleeve it , because they would , the intellect being not free . and to dissemble , and say , and swear , and do , the things which they beleeve not , is such an aggravated hypocrisie ( being in the matters of god , and joyned with perfidiousness ) as wee may suppose cannot render them acceptable to any , that have not renounced religion and humanity , much less should they bee constrained to it . and when it is known that mens judgements are against the things imposed , and that penalties are no means adapted to the informing and changing of the judgement ; but to force men to do the things they know , wee conceive they should not bee used , and so used in the case of things indifferent , where they are not necessary to the common good , and where the sufferers , have never had sufficient means to change their judgements . if it be said , that it is their own sault , that their judgements are not changed , and that the means have been sufficient . wee answer , that it is their fault , is the point in question , which the sword can easilier take for granted , than the tongue or pen can prove : but if it be so , it is their fault , as it is that they are the sons of adam , partakers of the common corruption of humane nature ; and as it is their fault that they are not all of the highest form in the school of christ , above the common ignorance and frailties of beleevers , and that they are not all the most judicious divines of the most subtile wits , and had not the same education and society to advance your opinions , and represent things to their understandings , just as they are represented unto yours . and if men must be cast out of the church , or ministry , because they are not wiser than such learned men , as the pastors of the most of the reformed churches , and as hildersham , bar●e , parker , ames dod , ball , nichols , and many such others as have here taken this conformity to be a sin , how few , alas , how very few will there be left ! and if it be said , that men do willingly keep out the light . we must say , that few men are obstinate against the opinions that tend to their ease and advancement in the world , and to save them from being vi●ified as schismaticks , and undone ; and when men profess before the lord , that they do impartially study and pray for knowledge , and would gladly know the will of god at the dearest rate ; wee must again say , that those men must prove that they know the dissentors hearts , better than they are known to themselves , that expect to be beleeved by charitable christians , when they charge them with wilful ignorance , or obstinate resisting of the truth . 15. and wee crave leave to ask whether you do not your selves in some things mistake , or may not do so for ought you know ? and whether your understandings are not still imperfect , and all men differ not in some opinions or other ? and if you may mistake in any thing , may it not be in as great things as these ? can it be expected , that wee should all be past erring about the smallest ceremonies and circumstances of worship ? and then should not the consciousness of your own infirmity , provoke you rather to compassionate humane frailty , than to cast out your brethren , for as small failings as your own ? 16. and wee further offer to your consideration , whether this be doing as you would be done by , would you be cast out for every fault that is as bad as this ? and doth this shew that you love your neighbours as your selves ? put your selves in their case , and suppose that you had studied , conferred and prayed , and done your best to know whether god would have you to be re-ordained , to use these forms or ceremonies , or subscriptions , or not ? and having done all , you think that god would be displeased if you should use them , would you then be used your selves , as your dissenting brethren are now used , or are like to bee ; love them as your selves , and wee will crave no further favour for them . 17. but nothing more affecteth us , than to think of the lamentable divisions , that have been caused and are still like to bee , whilest things unnecessary are so imposed : and on the contrary , how blessed an unity and peace wee might injoy if these occasions of division were removed , and wee might but have leave to serve god as his apostles did . as in doctrinals , ten thousand will sooner agree in an explicite belief of the creed , than an hundred in an explicite belief of all that ockam or scotus have determined ; so in the matters of government and worship ; it is easier to agree upon few things , than upon many , upon great and certain and necessary things , than upon small uncertain and unnecessary things , and upon things that god himself hath revealed or appointed , than upon things that proceed from no surer an original , than the wit or will of man. the strict prohibition of adding to or diminishing from the things commanded by the law-giver of the church , deut. 12. 3● . doth put such a fear in the minds of multitudes of the loyal subjects of christ , lest by such additions or diminutions in the matters of his worship , they should provoke him to displeasure , as will bee a certain perpetual hindrance to any common unity or concord , in such humane impositions , of which many of the servants of the jealous god will have a continual jealousie . with grieved hearts wee now renew the lamentable divisions , occasioned already by these impositions , ever since the reformation in the daies of king edward 6th . and the grievous fruits of those divisions ! how they destroyed charity ( the character of christs disciples ) and exasperated mens minds against each other : how they corrupted mens prayers and other exercises of devotions , and made them pray and preach against one another : how their tongues were emboldned to the censuring of each other , one party calling the other , factious , schismatical , singular , and disobedient ; and the other calling them antichristian , proud , tirannical , superstitious , persecutors and formalists : and such language still increasing the uncharitableness and divisions ; till the increase of imposing rigour on the one side , and of impatience under sufferings on the other side , was too great a preparation to those greater calamities which are yet bitter to the remembrance of all whose interests or passions have not conquered their humanity . and the continuance of so much of the causes and effects , doth infallibly prove , that if the same impositions bee setled upon us , the same heart-divisions will bee still continued : brethren will disdain the name and love of brethren to each other ; which yet christ himself by condiscending and reproving love , vouchsafeth to them all . instead of loving one another with a pure heart , fervently , there will bee , if not hating , yet grudging at one another , censuring and despising one another ; which effects will still increase their cause , and make one side think , that they are necessitated to bee more rigorous in their coercions , and the other think that they are allowed to bee more censorious against those by whom they suffer . and how many thousands on both sides by such a stream of temptations , will undoubtedly bee carried on in a course of sin from day to day , and by heart sin , and tongue sin , by pulpit sins , or sins in other parts of worship , will dishonour god and provoke him to indignation against them and the land , wee may not without astonishment and grief of heart foresee or foretell . and its easie to foresee how the innocent will bee numbred with the faulty , and those that do but feel their sufferings ; and the sufferings of the church on these occasions , and do but groan and sigh to god , and pray for succour and deliverance , will bee thought to bee guilty of discontent and faction , and bringing the government of the church , and consequently of the kingdome into hatred or dislike , and so their sufferings will be increased : and hee that is commanded by the laws of humanity to be compassionately sensible of the calamities of others , shall bee thought an offender for being sensible of his own . it s easie to fore-see , how those expressions in mens sermons , or prayers , or familiar conference , which seem to any mis-understanding , or suspicious , or masicious hearers , to intimate any sense of sufferings , will be carried to the ears of rulers , and represented as a crime ? and nature having planted in all men an unwillingness to suffer , and denied to all men a love of calamity , and necessitated men to feel when they are hurt , and made the tongue and countenance the index of our sense ; these effects will be unavoidable , while such impositions are continued , and while a fear of sinning will not suffer men to swallow and digest them , and what wrong such divisions about religion will be to the kingdome ; and to his majesty , wee shall not mention , because our governours themselves may better understand it . on the other side , what universal ease , and peace , and joy would be the fruits of that happy unity and concord , which the reasonable forbearances which wee humbly petition for , would certainly produce ; how comfortable would our ministerial labours bee , when wee had no such temptations , burdens , or disquietments ? when wee lay not under the reproofs of conscience , nor the suspicions , or displeasure of our superiours , but might serve the lord without distraction , and bee among his servants without such fears , ( phil. 1. 14. 1 cor. 16. 10. ) how much would the hands of the builders be strengthened for the work of god , when they speak the same things , and there are no divisions among them , but they are perfectly joyned together in the same minde and judgement , 1 cor. 1. 10. when they are like-minded , having the same love , being of one accord , of one minde , doing nothing through strife or vain glory , which will never be while the one calls the other factious and schismatical , and the other calleth him superstitious and tyrannical ; but when christ hath taught us in lowliness of minde to esteem others better than our selves , and not to look every man on his own things ( his own gifts , and virtues , and worth , and interest ) but every man also on the things of others ; and till the same mind bee in us , that was in christ jesus , that humbled himself , and took upon him the form of a servant , and made himself of no reputation , phil. 1. 2 , to 9. how much should wee honour the body , the spirit , the hope , the lord , the faith , the baptism , the god and father of all beleevers , which are one , if wee were one among our selves , which will never be , till with lowliness , and meekness , and long-suffering , wee forbear one another in love , instead of hating , reviling and persecuting one another ; and till wee endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit ( though given in various degrees ) rather than an unity in unnecessary things ) in the bond of peace , ephes . 4. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. and till the well-joynted and compacted body do edifie it self in love , by a due contribution of mutual supply , and grow in christ the proper head , instead of contending with it self , and dis-joynting and tearing it self into peeces , because of our different measure of understanding , and our unavoidable differences about some small unnecessary things , vers . 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. how beautiful would our holy assemblies be , and how delightful the worship of god there celebrated , if wee had all laid by , the unchristian spirit of hatred , envy , emulation , murmuring , wrath , variance , strife , heresies , seditions , and all uncharitableness , and with one minde , and one mouth did glorifie god ( gal. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. rom. 15. 16. ) which will never be done , till those that are strong do bear the infirmities of the weak , and please not themselves , but every one of us please his neighbour , for his good to edification , instead of vilifying him , or undoing him ; and till instead of casting each others out of the church or ministry , on the account of things indifferent , wee received one another , as christ received us to the glory of god , rom. 15. 1 , 2 , 6 , 7. and till wee are thus like-minded one towards another ; according to christ jesus , vers . 5. instead of being selfishly minded as men , or maliciously as enemies ( 1 cor. 3. 3. 1 cor. 14. 20. col. 3. 8. titus 3. 3. ) if the very babes were fed with the sincere milk of the word , and all malice , and guile , and hypocrisie , and envies , and evil-speaking were laid aside , it would prove the best way to their growth , and a surer way to your present and eternal peace , than casting them out because they cannot bear your burdens , or digest some unnecessary things , 1 pet. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. how good and how happy a thing would it bee for brethren to dwell together in unity ? ( psal . 133. 1. ) and as those that by one spirit are baptized into one body , and know they have need of one another , to contribute honour to the parts that lack it ; yea to bestow more abundant honour upon those members which wee think to be less honourable , and more abundant comliness , on the uncomely parts , as knowing those members are necessary that seem to be more feeble . if indeed wee would have no schism in the body , the natural way is , for the members to have the same care one for another , as suffering all with one that suffereth , and rejoycing all with one that 's honoured , 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26. take their sufferings as your own , and you will not be hasty to bring them unto suffering . it must be the primitive simplicity of faith , worship , and discipline , that must restore the primitive charity , unity , and peace , and make the multitude of beleevers to bee of one heart , and of one soul , and to converse with gladness and singleness of heart , as having all things common , act. 4. 32. & 2. 46. no such things as our controverted impositions , were then made necessary to the unity and concord of the members of the church . 18. and wee humbly offer to your consideration , which way will most gratifie satan in his cause and servants , and which will most promote the work and interest of jesus christ . the ungodly that have an inbred enmity to holiness , and to the holy seed , will bee glad to see so many of them suffer , and glad under the shelter of your displeasure and afflictings , to finde opportunity to reproach them , and add affliction to affliction . the common adversaries of our religion , and of the king and kingdome will rejoyce to see us weakned by our divisions , and employed in afflicting or censuring one another , and to see so many able ministers laid aside , that might do much displeasure to satan , by the weakening of his kingdome , and by promoting the gospel and kingdome of the lord. and whether this will tend to the edification of the saints , and the pleasing of christ , wee have inquired before . 19. and if what you stand for , bee indeed of god , this course of unmerciful imposition , is the greatest wrong to it , that you can easily bee drawn to , unawars ; while somany truly fearing god , are cast out or trodden down , and tempted to think ill of that which themselves and the church thus suffer by , and when so many of the worst befriend this way because it gratifieth them , it tendeth to make your cause judged of , according to the quality of its friends and adversaries . and how great a hand this very thing hath had already in the dislike of that is befallen diocesans , ceremonies , and the liturgie , is a thing too generally known to need proof . 20. lastly wee repeat what formerly wee have said , that the holy ghost hath already so plainly decided the point in controversie , in the instance of meats and daies , rom 14. 15. that it seemeth strange to us that yet it should remain a controversie . a weak brother that maketh an unnecessary difference of meats and daies , is not to bee cast out , but so to bee received and not to bee troubled with such doubtful disputations : despising and judging the servants of the lord , whom hee receiveth and can make to stand , and that upon such small occasion is unbeseeming true beleevers , vers . 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. all should bee here left to the full perswasion of their own minde , vers . 5. both parties here acknowledgeth the soveraignty of christ , and in observing , or not observing such things , they do it all to him , vers . 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. his judgement should affright us from despising or judging one another , vers . 10 , 11 , 12. instead of judging others wee should judge it our duty , that none of us put a stumbling block , or occasion to fall in his brothers way ; vers . 13. if wee grieve those that esteem that unclean which we do not , wee walk not charitably ; destroy not the work of god , nor him for whom christ died , by your indifferent things ; vers . 14 , 15 , 20. it is evil to him that judgeth it to be evil . vers . 14 , 20. do you beleeve these things to bee indifferent , have this belief to your self before god , and condemn not your selves in that which you allow , vers . 22. your brother is damned if hee practise doubtingly , for whatsoever is not of faith is sin . vers . 23. and you drive him upon damnation ! wee may well conclude then , that it is good , even your selves to avoid such things unnecessary , by which your brother stumbleth , is offended , or made weak . vers . 21. much more to forbear the forcing them upon him , which those that the apostle reproveth did not attempt . it is the kingdome of god that wee must all promote ; and that kingdome consisteth not in meat or drink , but in righteousness , and peace , and joy in the holy ghost . and hee that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and should bee approved of men vers . 17 , 18. let us therefore follow after the things , which make for peace , and things wherewith one may edifie another . verse 19. if you say , rulers imposition maketh indifferent things cease to be indifferent ? wee answer , 1. they are not indifferent , in the judgement of dissenters , though they bee so in yours . 2. paul was a ruler of the church himself , and yet would deny his own liberty , rather than offend the weak , so far was hee from taking away the liberty of others : 1 cor. 8. 13. and it is to the church of rome and corinth , and so to the pastours as well as the rest , that paul thus writeth : wee beseech you therefore plead not law against us , when our request is that you will joyn with us in petitioning , to his majesty , and the parliament , that there may bee no such law. the apostles and elders act. 15. 28. declare unto the churches , that it seemed good to the holy ghost , and them , to lay upon them , no greater burden , than necessary things ; imposing them because antecedently necessary ( for that is given as the reason , of their selection , and imposition ) and not only making unnecessary things , necessary , by imposition , for then the imposition had been unnecessary , though it was not a simple , unchangeable necessity , yet it was a necessity by accident , pro tempore & loco ; antecedent to the imposition of that assembly . seeing then such things commend us not to god ; and if you use them , at least , you are not the better . sin not against christ , by sinning against your brethren , 1 cor. 8. 8 , 9 , 11 , 12. much more take heed of forcing them to sin . wee have presumed to bee thus plain and large , in shewing you some of our reasons , for your consent , to the necessary abatement , of things unnecessary to the consciences of your brethren . in the conclusion , wee beseech you to compare with these the reasons , that can move you to deny us these requests . if you will needs use such things your selves , will it gain you so much to force them upon others , as will answer all the foresaid inconveniences ? will it cost you as dear to grant this liberty , or abate these things , as the imposition will cost your brethren and you ? o how easily , how safely , how cheaply , yea , with what commodity and delight , may you now make this nation happy , in granting your brethren these requests ? if you say that others will bee still unsatisfied , and you shall never know when you have done : wee answer , 1. the cause of the non-conformists hath been long ago stated , at the troubles at frank-ford , and having continued still the same , you have no reason to suspect them of any considerable change . 2. grant us but the freedome that christ and his apostles left unto the churches ; use necessary things , as necessary , and unnecessary , as unnecessary , and charitably bear with the infirmities of the weak , and tolerate the tolerable , while they live peaceably , and then you will know when you have done . and for the intolerable , wee beg not your toleration : wee intercede for those that have christ for their intercessor in the highest : wee know when all 's done , there will bee heresies . 1 cor. 11. 19. there will bee self-lovers , covetous , bousters , proud , blasphemers , disobedient to parents , unthankful , unholy , without natural affection , truce breakers , false accusers , incontinent , fierce , despisers of those that are good , traytors , heady , high-minded , lovers of pleasures more than of god , having a form of godliness , while they deny the power . 2 tim. 3. 2 , 3 , 4. there will bee filthy dreamers , that defile the flesh , despise dominion , speak evil of dignities . jud. 8. and many will follow their pernicious ways , by reason of whom the way of truth will be evil spoken of . 2 pet. 2. 2. it is not these for whom wee are petitioners : but for those that are faithful to god and the king , that fear offending , that agree with you in all things necessary to salvation ; and the common union of beleevers , and that you are like to see at christs right hand , who will finally justifie them , and take them to his glory . if you suppose us in all this to have pleaded our own cause ; wee hope wee are not such as are intolerable in the ministry or communion of the church : if you suppose us to plead the cause of others , wee hope you will accept our desires as impartial , when it is supposed the persons differ from us as well as from you . wee have now faithfully , and not unnecessarily , or unreasonably , spread before you the case of thousands of the upright of the land : wee have proposed honest and safe remedies for our present distractions , and the preventing of the feared increase . wee humbly beg your favourable interpretation of our plain and earnest language , which the urgency of the cause commands , and your consent to these our necessary requests : which if you grant us , you will engage us to thankfulness to god and you , and to imploy our faculties and interests with alacrity to assist you for the common peace . but if you reject our suit ( which god forbid ) wee shall commit all to him that judgeth righteously , and wait in hope for the blessed day of universal judgement , when the lord of hosts their strong redeemer shall throughly plead his peoples cause , and execute judgement for them , and bring them forth into the light , and they shall behold his righteousness . in the mean time , wee will bear the indignation of the lord , because wee have sinned against him . come lord jesus ! come quickly ; amen . the reformation of the liturgy . presented to the right reverend bishops , by the divines appointed by his majesties commission to treat with them about the alteration of it . right reverend , having already given you our judgement of several things in the book of common-prayer , and our desires for the altering of some parts of it , leaving the rest unaltered ; wee here tender you some of the said alterations , which in our former paper wee shewed to bee needful , and some additional forms in scripture phrase ( as neer as wee well could ) suited to the nature of the several parts of worship . the texts are cited in the margin , to justifie partly the matter , and partly the phrase . if any be mis-applied ( which wee hope will not bee found ) wee shall be willing upon information , to retract such mis-application . if some of the prayers here offered seem of too great a length , the substance of them being allowed , wee shall upon conference and mutual consideration , endeavour to contract them . and whereas his majesties commission doth impower and authorize us : to take into our consideration the several directions , rules and forms of prayer , and things contained in the book of common-prayer ; and further addeth , when wee shall have drawn our consultations to any resolution and determination , which wee shall agree upon as needful or expedient to bee done for the altering , diminishing , or enlarging the book of common-prayer , or any part thereof , &c. wee have here accordingly added some rules or directions as requisite to give light to the whole , shewing when and how those several prayers shall bee used . but if any of those rules or directions upon debate shall bee judged by the commissioners unnecessary , or over long , wee shall bee very ready to submit either to the alteration , or omission of them . and since wee for our parts do so freely profess not to insist on any thing now or formerly proposed , which shall bee manifested to bee unmeet ; so wee humbly crave , and hope for your consent to all the rest ; and that these alterations and additions now offered , may finde your favourable interpretation and acceptance , and may by our joynt consent bee presented to his majesty , to the end they may obtain his gracious approbation ; and the several particulars thereof may bee inserted into the several respective places of the liturgy , to which they do belong , and left to the ministers choice to use the one or the other , according to his majecties gracious declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs . the ordinary publick-worship on the lords-day . the congregation being reverently composed , let the minister first crave gods assistance and acceptance of the worship , to bee performed in these or the like words , eternal , incomprehensible , and invisible god , infinite in power , wisdome and goodness , dwelling in the light which no man can approach , where thousand thousands minister unto thée , and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before thee , yet dwelling with the humble and contrite , and taking pleasure in thy people : thou hast consecrated for us●…a new and living way , that with boldness wée may enter into the holiest , by the blood of jesus , and hast bid us séek thée , while thou mayest be found ; wée come to thée at thy call , and worship at thy footstool . behold us in thy tender mercies . despise us not , though unworthy . thou art greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints , and to be had in reverence of all that are about thée . put thy fear into our hearts , that with reverence wée may serve thée ; sanctifie us , that thou mayest be sanctified of us , when wée draw nigh thée . give us the spirit of grace and supplication , to help our infirmities , that our prayers may be faithful , fervent , and effectual . let the desire of our souls bée to thée ; let us draw néer thée with our hearts , and not only with our lips , and worship thée , who art a spirit , in spirit and truth . let thy word be spoken and heard by us as the word of god ; give us attentive , hearing ears , and opened , beleeving , understanding hearts , that wee may no more refuse thy calls , nor disregardthy merciful , cut-stretched-hand , nor sleight thy counsels and reproofs ; but be more ready to hear , than to give the sacrifice of fools . put thy laws into our hearts , and write them in our minds , and let us bee all taught of god. let thy word bee unto us quick and powerful ; a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts ; mighty to pull down strong-holds , casting down imaginations and reasonings , and every high thing that advanceth it self against the knowledge of god ; and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of christ ; let us magnifie thée with thanksgiving , and triumph in thy praise . let us rejoyce in thy salvation , and glory in thy holy name . open thou our lips , o lord , and let our mouths shew forth thy praise . and let the words of our mouths , and the meditation of our hearts , bee acceptable in thy sight , through jesus christ our lord and onely saviour . amen . or thus , when brevity is necessary . o eternal , almighty , and most gracious god , heaven is thy throne , and earth is thy footstool , holy and reverend is thy name ; thou art praised by the heavenly hosts , and in the congregation of thy saints on earth , and wilt bee sanctified in all that come nigh unto thee . wée are sinful and unworthy dust , but being invited by thée , are bold , through our blessed mediator , to present our selves and our supplications before thée . receive us graciously , help us by thy spirit ; let thy fear bee upon us : let thy word come unto us in power , and bée received in love , with attentive , reverent , and obedient minds . make it to us the savour of life unto life . cause us to be fervent in prayer , and joyful in thy praises , and to serve thée this day without distraction , that wee may finde , that a day in thy courts , is better than a thousand , and that it is good for us to draw néer to god ; through jesus christ our lord and saviour . amen . next , let one of the creeds bee read by the minister , saying , in the profession of this holy christian faith wee are here assembled . i beleeve in god the father , &c. i beleeve in one god , &c. and sometimes athanasius creed . the ten commandements . god spake these words , and said , &c. for the right informing and affecting the people , and moveing them to a penitent beleeving confession , some of these sentences may bee read . god created man in his image . by one man , sin entred into the world , and death by sin : and so death passed upon all men , for that all have sinned . for all have sinned and come short of the glory of god. god so loved the world , that hee gave his only begotten son , that whosoever beleeveth in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . hee that beleeveth on him shall not bee condemned , but hee that beleeveth not , is condemned already , because hee hath not beleeved in the name of the only begotten son of god. and this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather than light , because their deeds were evil . for every one that doth evil hateth the light , neither cometh to the light , lest his deeds should bee reproved . christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law , beeing made a curse for us . except a man be born of water and of the spirit , hee cannot enter into the kingdome of god. that which is born of the flesh is fl●sh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit . verily i say unto you , except yee bee converted , and become as little children , yee shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven . say unto them , as i live saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turn from his way and live ; turn yee , turn yee from your evil waies ; for why will yee dye oh house of israel . i say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of god , over a sinner that repenteth . i will arise and go to my father , and say unto him , father , i have sinned against heaven and before thee , and am no more worthy to bee called thy son. the confession of sin , and prayer for pardon and sanctification . o most holy , righteous , and gracious god , who hatest all the workers of iniquity , and hast appointed death to bée the wages of sin , but yet for the glory of thy mercy hast sent thy son to be the saviour of the world , and hast promised forgiveness of sin through his blood , to all that beléeve in him , and by true repentance turn unto thée , and that whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sin , shall have mercy ; wée confess that wée are vile and miserable sinners , being conceived in sin ; by nature children of wrath , and transgressors from the womb . all wée like shéep have gone astray , and turned every one to his own way . thou madest us , and not wée our selves . thou boughtest us with a price , and wée are not our own ; and therefore wée should have wholly given up our selves unto thée , and have glorified thée with our souls and bodies , as being thine . what ever wée did should have been done to thy glory , and to please thée , in the obeying of thy will. but wee have displeased and dishonoured thée , and turned from thée , exalting , séeking and pleasing our selves . thou art the king of all the world , and thy laws are holy , iust and good . but wée have denied thée our due subjection and obedience , being unruly and self-willed , minding the things of the flesh , and making provision for its lusts ; wée have staggered at thy word through unbeléef , and have not fully placed our trust and hope in thée . wée have rather feared man that is dust , and can but kill the body , than thée ; that canst destroy both soul and body in hell. thou art infinitely good , and love it self , yet have wée not fully taken thée for our portion , nor loved thée with all our heart , and soul , and might , nor mads thée our full desire and delight . but wée have inordinately loved our selves , and the world , and the things of the world , and lived by sense when wée should have lived by faith , and cared and laboured for the food that perisheth ; when wée should have laboured for the one thing néedful , and that which indureth to everlasting life , wée have béen slothful servants , yéelding to temptations , ashamed of our duty , losing our precious time ; when wee should have béen fervent in spirit , serving the lord , cleaving to thée with full resolution , redéeming the time , and with diligence making sure our calling and election . wée have not with due holiness and reverence drawn neer thée , and used thy holy name , thy worship , and thy day : wée have dishonoured and disobeyed our superiours , and neglected our inferiours . wée have béen guilty of not loving our neighbours as our selves , and not doing to others , as wée would they should do to us , but have sought our own against their welfare , not forbearing , and forgiving , not loving our enemies , as wee ought , nor following peace , nor studying to do good to all according to our power . wee have sinned secretly and openly , in thought , word and déed , ignorantly and presumptuously , in passion , and upon deliberation , against thy precepts , promises , and threats ; against thy mercies and thy judgements , under thy patience , and in thy sight , against our consciences , our purposes , and our covenants ; when wée were hasting to death and judgement , for which , through all our lives wée should have prepared ; thou hast commended thy wonderful love towards us in giving thy son to dye for sinners , to reconcile us to thée while wée were enemies ; and all things being made ready , thou hast sent thy messengers to invite us to come in , preaching to us the glad tidings of salvation , and fréely offering us pardon and life in jesus christ , but wee have made light of it , and neglected this great salvation , and made excuses or too long delaies ; undervaluing our redeemer , his blood and merits , his offered grace , and endless glory , rejecting his holy doctrine and example , resisting his spirit , ministers , and wrod . wee have sinned , o lord , against thée , and against our own souls , and are not worthy to be called thy children : wée have deserved everlasting wrath ; to us belongeth confusion , but mercy and forgiveness unto thée . have mercy upon us , o god , according to the multitude of thy mercies . heal our souls that have sinned against thée , and enter not into judgement with thy servants . hide thy face from our sins , and blot out all our iniquities . cast us not away from thy presence , and avenge not upon us the quarrel of thy covenant . wash us in the blood of the lamb of god , who taketh away the sins of the world . accept us in thy beloved son , who was made a curse for us , and was wounded for our transgressions , that wée might bee healed by his stripes . turn us , o god of our salvation , and cause thy face to shine upon us . give us repentance unto life ; cause us to loathe our selves for all the evils that wée have committed . give us that broken contrite spirit , which thou wilt not despise . create in us a clean heart , o god , and renew a right spirit within us . take out of us the old and strong heart , and give us a new and tender heart . give us the spirit of thy son , and bee our god , and let us bée thy people . enlighten our understandings to know the wonderful things of thy law , the dimensions of thy love in christ , the mysteries of thy kingdome , and the riches of the glory of thy inheritance in the saints , and that wee may approve the things that are excellent , and may escape the snares of the devil , and may hate every false way . shed abroad thy love in our hearts by thy holy spirit , and cause us so to love thee , that nothing may separate us from thy love . put thy fear into our hearts , that wee may never depart from thee . cause us to seek first thy kingdome , and its righteousness , and ( as those that are risen with christ ) to seek the things that are above , and to lay up a treasure in heaven ; and let our hearts and conversations bee there ; mortifie our earthly inclinations and desires . crucifie the world to us , and us unto the world by the cross of christ . cause us to live by faith , and look at the things that are unseen ; and use the world , as not over-using it , seeing the fashion of it passeth away ; striving to enter in at the strait gate , and running so as to obtain ; let us no longer live the rest of our time to the lusts of men , but to the will of god , studying in all things to please thee , and to bee accepted of thee ; let us not seek our own wills , but the will of him that called us ; yea let us delight to do thy will , o god , let our delight bee in thy law , and let us meditate therein day and night ; cause us to deny ungodliness , and worldly lusts , and to live soverly , and righteously , and godly in this present world , as obedient children , not fashioning our selves to the former lusts of our ignorance ; but as hee that hath called us is holy , let us be holy in all manner of conversation . cause us to love one another with a pure heart , fervently , forbearing and forgiving one another , if any have a quarrel against other , even as christ forgave us . give us the wisdome which is first pure , and then peaceable . in our eyes let a vile person bee contemned , but let us honour them that fear the lord. cause us to walk circumspectly without offence , and to bee zealous of good works , to love our enemies , and not to give place to wrath ; and in patience to possess our souls . help us to deny our selves , and take up our cross , and follow christ ; esteeming his reproach to bee greater riches than the treasures of the world , that having suffered with him , wee may also bee glorified with him . though wee must bee tempted , help us to overcome , and bee faithful unto the death , and then let us receive that crown of life , through the merits and intercession of christ jesus our lord and onely saviour , in whose comprehensive words wee summ up our requests , saying as hee hath taught us , our father which art in heaven , hallowed bee thy name . thy kingdome come , &c. or thus when brevity is necessary . o most great , most iust and gracious god , thou art of purer eyes than eo behold iniquity , thou condemnest the ungodly , impenitent , and unbeleevers ; but hast promised mercy through jesus christ to all that repent and beleeve in him . wee confess that wee were conceived in sin , and are by nature children of wrath . and have all sinned and come short of the glory of god. in our baptisme thou tookest us into the bond of the holy covenant , but wee remembered not our creator , in the daies of our youth , with the fear , and love , and obedience which wee owed thee : not pleasing , and glorifying thee in all things , nor walking with thee , by faith in an heavenly conversation , nor serving thee fervently with all our might : but fulfilled the desires of the flesh , and of the carnal minde . wee have neglected and abused thy holy worship , thy holy name , and thy holy day . wee have dishonoured our superiours , and neglected our inferiours : wee have dealt unjustly , and uncharitably , with our neighbours , not loveing them as our selves , nor doing to others as wee would they should do to us , wee have not sought first thy kingdome , and righteousness , and been contented with our dayly bread , but have been careful ond troubled about many things , neglecting the one thing necessary . thou hast revealed thy wonderful love to us in christ , and offered us pardon and salvation in him : but wee made light of it and neglected so great salvation , and resisted thy spirit , word , and ministers , and turned not at thy reproof . wee have run into temptations ; and the sin which wee should have hated , wee have committed in thy sight , both secretly and openly , ignorantly and carelesly , rashly , and presumptuously , against thy precepes , thy promises , and threats , thy mercies and thy judgements ; our transgressions are multiplied before thee , and our sins testifie against us ; if thou deal with us as wee deserve , thou wilt cast us away from thy presence into hell , where the worm never dieth , and the fire is not quenched . but in thy mercy , thy son , and thy promises is our hope . have mercy upon us most merciful father . bee reconciled to us , and let the blood of jesus christ cleanse us from all our sins . take us for thy children , and give us the spirit of thy son. sanctifie us wholly , shed abroad thy love in our hearts , and cause us to love thee with all our hearts . o make thy face to shine upon thy servants ; save us from our sins , and from the wrath to come ; make us a peculiar people to thee , zealous of good works , that wee may please thee , and shew forth thy praise . help us to redeem the time , and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure . give us things necessary for thy service , and keep us from sinful discontent and cares . and seeing all these things must bee dissolved , let us consider what manner of persons wee ought to be , in all holy conversation and godliness . help us to watch against temptations , and resist and overcome the flesh , the devil , and the world ; and being delivered out of the hand of all our enemies ; let us serve thee without fear in holiness and righteousness before thee all the daies of our life . guide us by thy counsel , and after receive us into thy glory , through jesus christ our onely saviour . amen . [ here use the lords prayer as before . ] for the strengthening of faith , and raising the penitent , some of these sentences of the gospel , may bee here read . hear what the lord saith to the absolution and comfort of penitent beleevers . the lord your god is gracious and merciful , and will not turn away his face from you , if yee return unto hine . if any man sin , wee have an advocate with the father , jesus christ the righteous , and hee is the propitiation for our sins , and not for ours only , but also for the sins of the whole world. bee it known unto you men , and brethren , that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins , and by him , all that beleeve are justified , from all things , from which they could not bee justified by the law of moses . where sin abounded , grace did much more abound , that as sin reigned unto death , even so might grace reign through righteousness , unto eternal life through jesus christ our lord. if wee walk in the light as hee is in the light , w●● have fellowship one with another , and the blood of jesus christ his son , cleanseth us from all sin . if wee say , that wee have no sin ; wee deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us . if wee confess our sin , hee is faithful and just to forgive us our sin , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness . come unto mee all yee that labour , and are heavy laden , and i will give you rest . take my yoak upon you and learn of mee for i am meek and lowly in heart , and ye shall finde rest unto your souls for my yoak is easie , and my barden is light . whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely . all that the father hath given mee , shall come to mee , and him that cometh to mee , i will in no wise cast out . i will bee mercifull to their unrighteousness , and their sins , and iniquities i will remember no more . hear also what you must bee , and do for the time to come , if you would bee saved now if any man have not the spirit of christ , hee is none of his . if any man bee in christ , hee is a new creature , old things are passed away , behold all things are become new ? there is no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus , who walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . for they that are after the flesh , do minde the things of the flesh , but they that are after the spirit , the things of the spirit . for to bee carnally minded is death , but to bee spiritually minded is life and peace . for the carnal minde is enmity against god , for it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can bee . so then they that are in the flesh cannot please god. for if yee live after the flesh yee shall die , but if through the spirit yee mortifie the deeds of the body , you shall live . now the works of the flesh are manifest , which are these , adultery , fornication , uncleanness , lasciviousness , idolatry , witchcraft , hatred , variance , emulations , wrath , strife , seditions , heresies , envyings , murders , drunkenness , revellings , and such like , of the which i tell you before , as i have told you in time past , that they which do such things , shall not inherit the kingdome of god. but the fruit of the spirit is love , joy , peace , long suffering , gentleness , goodness , faith , meekness , temperance , against such there is no law. and they that are christs , have crucyfied the flesh with the affections , and lusts . let us walk honestly as in the day , not in rioting and drunkenness ; not in chambering and wanionness , not in strife and envying . but put yee on the lord jesus christ , and make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof . love not the world , neither the things that are in the world , if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him . for all that is in the world , the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eye , and the pride of life , is not of the father , but is of the world . enter yee in at the strait gate , for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction , and many there bee that go in thereat . because strait is the gate , and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life , and few there bee that finde it . for the grace of god that bringeth salvation , hath appeared unto all men , teaching us , that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts , wee should live soberly , and righteously , and godly in this present world , looking for the blessed hope , and the glorious appearing of the great god , and our saviour jesus christ . who gave himself for us , that hee might redeeme us from all iniquity , and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works . blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly , nor standeth in the way of sinners , nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful . but his delight is in the law of the lord , and in his law hee doth meditate day and night . the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement , nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous . wherefore wee , receiving a kingdome which cannot bee moved , let us have grace , whereby wee may serve god acceptably , with reverence and godly fear , for our god is a consuming fire . seeing then that these things shall bee dissolved , what manner of persons ought yee to bee , in all holy conversation and godliness , looking for and hasting to the comming of the day of god. therefore my beloved brethren , bee yee stedfast , unmovable , alwaies abounding in the work of the lord , for as much as yee know , that your labour is not in vain in the lord then may bee said the 95. or the 100. psalm , or the 84. and next the psalms in order for the day ; and next shall be read a chapter of the old testament , such as the minister findeth most seasonable ; or with the liberty expressed in the admonition before the second book of homilies . after which may be sung a psalm , or the te deum said , then shall bee read a chapter of the new testament , and then the prayer for the king and magistrates . and after that the 67. or 98. or some other psalm , may bee sung or said , or the benedictus , or magnificat . and the same order to bee observed at the evening worship , if time allow it . next after the psalm the minister shall ( in the pulpit ) first reverently , prudently , and servently pray , according to the state and necessities of the church , and those especially that are present , and according to the subject that hee is to preach on . and after prayer , hee shall preach upon some text of holy scripture suiting his matter to the necessities of the hearers , and the manner of delivery to their quality and benefit . alwaies speaking from faith and holy experience in himself , with plainness , and perspicuity , with reverence and gravity , with convincing evidence , and authority , with prudence , caution , faithfulness , and impartiality , with tender love and melting compassion , with servent zeal , and perswading importunity , and with frequency and unwearied patience , waiting on god for the success . after sermon hee shall pray for a blessing on the word of instruction and exhortation , which was delivered ; and in his prayers ( before or after sermon ) ordinarily hee shall pray for the conversion of heathens , jews , and other infidels ; the subversion of idolatry , infidelity , mahometanisme , heresie , papal tiranny and superstition , schisme and prophaneness , and for the free progress of the gospel , and the increase of faith and godliness , the honouring of gods name , the enlargement of the kingdome of christ , and the obedience of his saints through the nations of the earth . and in special for these nations , for the kings majestie , and the rest of the royal family , for the lords of his majesties counsel , the judges and other magistrates of the land , for the pastors of the church , and all congregations committed to their care , and government . alwaies taking heed that no mixtures of imp●●dent , disorderly expressions , of private discontent and passion , of unreverent , disobedient , seditious , or factious intimations , tending to corrupt , and not to edifie the peoples minds , do turn either prayer or preaching into sin . and ordinarily in church communion , especially on the lords day ( which is purposely separated for the joyful commemoration of the blessed work of mans redemption ) a considerable proportion of the publick worship must consist of thanksgiving and praises to god , especially for jesus christ , and his benefits ; still leaving it to the ministers discretion to abbreviate some parts of worship , when hee seeth it needful to bee longer , or some other . the sermon and prayer being ended , let the minister dismiss the congregation with a benediction , in these or the like words . blessed are they that hear the word of god , and keep it . the lord bless you , and keep you ; the lord make his face to shine on you , and bee gracious unto you ; the lord lift up his countenance upon you , and give you peace . the grace of our lord jesus christ , and the love of god the father , and the communion of the holy ghost , bee with you all . amen . except there bee a communion in the sacrament of the lords supper to bee celebrated , or any further worship to be performed , and then the minister may delay the benediction till the end. and because when there is leisure , the prayers of the church should bee as full as the rule and our necessities require ; let the following general prayer bee used , when the ministers findeth it convenient instead of the letany and collects . here are also adjoyned a thanksgiving for christ and his benefits , and a hymn to bee used at the discretion of the minister either after sermon , or at the communion , or on other daies . a prayer for the king , the royal family , and magistrates . almighty god , by whom kings reign , and princes decree justice , who rulest in all the kingdomes of men , and givest them to whomsoever thou wilt , who by thy special providente hast set over us thy servant charls our king : crown him with thy blessings , and satisfie him with thy goodness . save him by thy right hand , and defend him against such as rise up against him ; prolong his life in peace and righteousness , grant him the spirit of wisdome and counsel , the spirit of holiness , and the fear of the lord , that he may know how to go in and out before this great people over whom thou hast fet him . let not thy law depart out of his mind , or mouth , but let him meditate in it day and night . make him as an angel of god to discera between good and evil , that in his eyes a vile person may be contemned , due hee may honour them that fear the lord ; that his eyes may bee upon the faithful of the land , that they may dwell with him , and they that are perfect in the way serve him ; remove the wicked from before him , that his throne may bee established in righteousness , and grant that under him wee may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty . and when hee hath finished his course on earth , let him inherit a crown of righteousness , and reign with christ for ever . bless the queen mother , the illustrious prince james duke of york , and the rest of the royal family , endue them with thy holy spirit , inrich them with thy heavenly grace , and make them blessings in their generation . endue the lords of his majesties counsel , and all the nobility , the judges , and all the magistrates of the land with wisdome from above , that they may rule as in thy fear , and iudge righteous judgement , and may take heed what they do , as iudging not for man , but for the lord , that justice may run down as water and righteousness , as a mighty stream ; let all his maiesties subiects duly submit to him and obey him , not only for wrath , 〈◊〉 for conscience sake ; let all his kingd●mes bee the kingd●mes of the lord , and of his son christ , that god may dwell amongst us , and if it may bee said of them , the lord bless thee , o habitation of justice , and mountain of holiness . for thine o father , with the son and holy ghost , is the kingdome , and power , and glory for ever . amen . the general prayer . omost holy ▪ blessed and glorious trinity , father , son , and holy ghost , three persons , and one god , our creator , redeemer , and sanctifier , our lord● our governour and father , hear us , and have mercy upon 〈◊〉 , miserable sinners . o lord our saviour god and man 〈◊〉 who having assum●… our nature by thy sufferings , and death , and burial , wast made 〈◊〉 ransome to take away the sins of the world ; who being raises from the dead , ascended and glorified , art made head over all things to the church , which thou gatherest , justifiest , sanctifiest , rulest , and preservest , and which at thy coming thou wilt raise and judge to endless glory . wee beseech thee to hear us , miserable sinners , make sure to us our calling and election , our unfeigned faith and repentance , that being justified , and made the sons of god , wee may have peace with him , as our reconciled god and father . let thy holy spirit sanctifie us , and dwell in us , and cause us to deny our selves , and to give up our selves entirely to thee , as being not our own , but thine . as the world was created for thy glory , let thy name bee glorified throughout the world ; let self-love , and pride , and uain-glory bee destroyed , cause us to love thee , fear thee , and trust in thee with all our hearts , and to live to thee : let all the earth subject themselves to thee their king. let the kingdomes of the world become the kingdomes of the lord , and of his christ . let the atheists , idolaters , mahometans , jews , and other infidels , and ungodly people bee converted . send forth meet labourers into the harvest , and let the gospel bee preached throughout all the world. preserve and bless them in thy work. sustain in patience , and seasonably deliver the churches that are oppressed by idolaters , infidels , mahometans , or other enemies , or by the roman papal 〈◊〉 . unite all christians in jesus christ , the true and onely universal head , in the true christian and catholick faith and love , cast out heresies and corruptions , heal divisions , let the strong receive the weak , and bear their infirmities , restrain the spirit of pride and cruelty , and let nothing bee done in strife , or vain-glory . keep us from atheism , idolatry , and rebellion against thee , from infidelity , ungodliness and sensuality from security , presumption and despair . let us delight to please thee , and let thy word bee the rule of our faith and lives ; let us love it , and understand i● , and meditate in it day and night . let us not corrupt or neglect thy worship ; nor take thy holy name in vain , keep us from blasphemy , perjury , prophane swearing , lying , contempt of thy ordinances , and from false , unworthy , and unreverent thoughts and speeches of god , or holy things , and from the neglect and prophanation of thy holy day . put it into the hearts of the kings and rulers of the world , to submit to christ , and rule for him as nursing-fathers to his church , and save them from the temptations that would drown them in sensuality , or would break them upon christ , as a rock of offence , by engaging them against his holy doctrine , waies , and servants . have mercy on thy servant charls our king , protect his person , illuminate and sanctifie him by thy spirit , that above all things hee may seek thine honour , the encrease of faith , and holy obedience to thy laws ; and may govern us , as thy minister , appointed by thee for the terrour of evil doers , and the praise of them that do well , that under him wee may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty . have mercy upon all the royal family , upon the lords of the counsel , and all the nobility , the judges , and other magistrates of these lands . let them fear thee , and hee ensamples of piety and temperance , haters of injustice , covetousness , and pride , and defenders of the innocent : in their eyes let a vile person bee contemned , but let them honour them that fear the lord. let every soul bee subject to the higher powers , and not resist ; let them obey the king , and all in authority , not only for wrath , but for conscience sake . give all the churches able , holy , faithful pastors , that may soundly and diligently preach thy word , and guide the flocks in waies of holiness and peace , over-seeing and ruling them not by constraint , but willingly , not for filthy lucre , but of a ready minde : not as being lords over thy heritage , but the servants of all , and ensamples to the flock , that when the chief pastor shall appear , they may receive the crown of glory . let the people know those that are over them in the lord , and labour among them , preaching to them the word of god ; let them highly esteem them in love for their works sake , account them worthy of double honour , and obey them in the lord. let parents bring up their children , in holy nurture , that they may remember their creatour in the daies of their youth , and let children , love , honour and obey them . let husbands love their wives and guide them in knowledge , and holiness ; and let wives love and obey their husbands . let masters rule their servants in thy fear , and servants obey their masters in the lord. kéep us from murders and violence , and injurious passionate words and actions . kéep us from fornication and all uncleanness , from chambering and wantonness , from lustful thoughts , and filthy communication , and all unchaste behaviour . kéep us from stealing or wronging our neighbour in his propriety , from perverting justice , from false witnessing and deceit , from slandering , backbiting , uncharitable censuring , or other wrong to the reputation of our neighbours . kéep us from coveting any thing that is . our neighbours , let us love our neighbours as our selves , and do to others as wee would they should do to us . cause us to love christ in his members with a pure and fervent love , and to love our enemies , and do good to all , as wée are able ; but especially to the houshold of faith. give us our necessary sustentation and provision for thy service , and contentedness therewith ; bless our labours , and the fruits of the earth in their season , and give us such temperate weather as tendeth hereunto ; deliver us and all thy servants from such sickness , wants , and other distresses , as may unseasonably take us off thy service . kéep us from gluttony , and drunkenness , slothfulness , unlawful gain , and from making provision for the flesh , to satisfie its lusts . when wée sui , restore us by true repentance and faith in christ : let us loath our selves for our transgressions ; forgive them all and accept us in thy well beloved son ; save us from the curse and punishment which they deserve , and teach us heartily to forgive others , convert our enemies , peri●culors and slanderers and forgive them . cause us to watch against temptations , to resist and overcome the flesh , the devil and the world , and by no allurements of pleasure , profit or honour , to bee drawn from thée , to sin , let us patiently suffer with christ that wée may reign with him . deliver us and all thy people from the enmity and rage of satan and all his wicked instruments ; and preserve us to thy heavenly kingdome . for thou only art the universal king : all power is thine in heaven and earth : of thee , and through thee , and to thee are all things , and the glory shall bée thine for ever , amen . concerning the psalms for publick use . wee desire that instead of the imperfect version of the psalms in meeter now in use , mr. william bartons version , and that perused and approved by the church of scotland there in use ( being the best that we have seen ) may bee received and corrected by some skilful men , and both allowed ( for grateful variety ) to bee printed together on several columnes or pages , and publickly used ; at least until a better than either of them shall bee made . a thanksgiving for christ , and his gracious benefits . most glorious god , accept , through thy beloved son , though from the hands of sinners , of thanksgiving , which thy unspeakable love and mercies , as well as thy command do binde us to offer up unto thée . thou art the father of mercies , and the god of all consolation , full of compassion , gracious , long suffering , plenteous in goodness and truth , keeping mercy for thousands , forgiving iniquitie , transgression and sin. for thy glory thou didst create us after thine image ; thou madest us a little lower than the angels , and crownedst us with glory and honour , giving us dominion over the works of thy hands , and putting all these things under our feet . and when wee fors●●k thée , and broke thy covenant , and rebelled against thée , and corrupted our selves , and turned our glory into shame ; thou didst not leave us in the hands of death , nor cast us out into utter desperation ; but thou didst so love the sinful world , as to give thy son to bee our saviour . hée took nor upon him the nature of angels , but of man , the word was made flesh and dwelt among us . this is the unsearchable mystery of love which the angels desire to pryints , hee was tempted that hee might succour them that are tempted , and conquered the tempter , that had conquered us ▪ hee became poor that was lord of all ; to make us rich . hée did not sin , but fulfilled all righteousness , to save us from our unrighteousness . hée made himself of no reputation , but was reviled , scorned , and spit upon , enduring the cross , and despising the shame , to cover our shame , and to bring us unto glory , thou laidst upon him the iniquity of us all . hée was bruised and wounded for our transgressious , that wée might bée healed by his stripes . hée gave himself a ransome for us , and died for our sins . and rose again for our justification . wée thank thée for his death that saveth us from death , and that hée bore the curse , to redeem us from the curse , and for his life which opened us the way to life . thou hast given him to bée head over all things to the church , and hast given the heathen to bée his inheritance , and given him a name above every name , and given all power , and judgement unto him . wée thank thée for the new and better covenant , for thy great and precious promises ; that thou hast given us eternal life in christ . that wée have the clear and sure revelation of thy will in the holy scriptures . that thou foundedst thy church upon apostles and prophets , jesus christ himself being the head corner stone . and hast committed to thy ministers the word of reconciliation , that as embassadours speaking in the stead of christ they might beseech us to bee reconciled unto thee . wée thank thée that by them thou hast opened our eyes , and turned us from darkness unto light , and from the power of satan unto god. wée were sometimes foolish , disobedient , deceived , serving divers lusts and pleasures , taken captive by satan at his will ; but thy mercy saved us by the washing of regeneration , and renewing of the holy ghost . thou mightest justly have left us to the blindness of our mindes , and to the hardness of our hearts , to seared consciences , to bee past feeling , to our own hearts lusts , to walk in our own counsels , and to work uncleanness with greediness , when we so oft refused to come to christ , that wee might have life , and would not have him to reign over us . but thy patience waited on us in our sin ; and all the day long didst thou stretch forth thy hand to a disobedient and gain-saying people . when wee turned from thee , thou calledst after us , to turn and live . thou drewest us to thy son , and openedst our hearts to attend unto thy calls : thou lovedst us first , and was found of them that sought thee not . thou hast pardoned our great and manifold transgressions , and iustified us by faith in christ , and given us repentance unto life : thou hast adopted us to bee thy sons , and joynt heirs with christ ; and made us his members , and given us his spirit : wee are no more strangers but fellow citizens with the saints , and of thy houshold ; blessed bee the god and father of our lord jesus-christ , who of his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope , by the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead , to an inheritance incorruptible , undefiled , that fadeth not away , reserved in heaven for us . thou keepest us by thy mighty power through faith unto salvation , ready at last to bee revealed , though ( when they are needful ) wee must for a season bee in heavyness under tribulations ; thou hast promised , that all things shall work together for our good ; in all our straits thou grantest us access to the throne of grace , bidding us call upon thee , in the time of trouble , and promising to deliver us , that wee may glorifie thee , every where wee have leave to lift up unto thée holy hands , especially in the house of prayer , and the assembly of the saints . thou hast heard the voice of our supplications when wee have cried unto thee ; great is thy mercy towards us , o lord. thou hast delivered our souls from the lowest hell ; thou hast sent forth from heaven thy mercy and truth ; and saved us from the reproach of him that would swallow us up : thou art our hiding place ; in the secrets of thy presence thou preservest us from trouble , from the pride of men , and from the strife of tongues . thou doest compass us about with songs of deliverance . o love the lord all yee his saints ! for the lord preserveth the faithful , and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer . hee dealeth not with us after our sins , his anger is but for a moment , but in his favour is life . in his wrath hee remembereth mercy ; all thy paths o lord are mercy and truth to such as keep thy covenant . wee come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercies , o give thanks unto the lord for hee is good , for his mercy endureth for ever . glory yee in his holy name , let the hearts of them rejoyce that seek him . blessed are the people that know the joyful sound : they shall walk o lord in the light of thy countenance . in thy name shall they rejoyce all the day , and in thy righteousness and favour shall they bee axalted ; blessed are they that dwell in thy house , they will be still praysing thee . o satisfie us early with thy mercy , that wee may rejoyce and bee glad in thee all our daies . guide us by thy counsel , and afterwards receive us unto thy glory ; where with all the blessed host of heaven , wee may behold , admire , and perfectly and joyfully praise thee . our most glorious creator , redeemer and sanctifier , for ever and for ever . amen . the hymn . the first part. bless the lord o my soul ! and all that is within mee bless his holy name , bless the lord o my soul , and forget not all his benefits : who forgiveth all thine iniquities , and healeth all thy diseases ! who redeemed thy life from destruction , and crowneth thee with loving kindeness and tender mercies . as far as the east is from the west , so far hath hee removed our transgressions from us ; behold what love the father hath bestowed on us , that wee should bee called the sons of god ; because thy loving kindeness is better than life , my lips shall praise thee . thus will i bless thee while i live , i will lift up my hands in thy name . my soul shall bee satisfied as with marrow and fatness , and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips . whom have i in heaven but thee , and there is none on earth that i desire besides thee . my flesh and my heart faileth , but god is the strength of my heart , and my portion for ever . for , lo , all that are far from thee shall perish , but it is good for mee to draw near to god. i am continually with thee . thou hast holden mee by my right hand , in the multitude of my thoughts within mee , thy comforts delight my soul. thou shalt guide me with thy counsel , and afterward receive mee to glory . the second part. how excellent is thy loving kindeness o god , therefore do the sons of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings . they shall bee abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house , and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures , for with thee is the fountain of life . in thy sight we shall see light ; therefore my heart is glad , and my glory rejoyceth . my flesh also shall rest in hope . thou wilt shew mee the path of life . in thy presence is fulness of joy , and at thy right hand are pleasures for ever more . surely goodness and mercy shall follow mee all the daies of my life . and i shall dwell in the house of the lord for ever . o continue thy loving kindeness to them that know thee , and thy righteousness to the upright in heart . to the end that my glory may sing praise unto thee , and not bée silent , o lord my god , i will give thanks to thée for ever . the third part. glory to god in the highest : on earth peace ; good will towards men ! praise yée the lord , sing to the lord a new song ; his praise is in the congregation of saints . for the lord taketh pleasure in his people , he will beautify the meek with salvation . let the saints be joyful in glory . let the high praises of god bée in their mouths . all thy works praise thée o lord , and thy saints shall bless thée . they shall speak of the glory of thy kingdome , and talk of thy power ; to make known to the sons of men thy mighty acts , and the glorious majestie of thy kingdome . thy kingdome is an everlasting kingdome , and thy dominions is through all generations . the elders and saints about thy throne , rest not night nor day , saying holy , holy , holy , lord god almighty , which was , and is , and is to come . thou art worthy o lord , to receive glory , and honour , and power , for thou hast created all things , and for thy pleasure they are and were created . they sing unto thée the song of moses , and of the lamb , saying great and marvellous are thy works . lord god almighty , just and true are thy waies thou king of saints . who shall not fear thée , o lord , and glorifie thy name ! for thou only art holy : for all nations shall come and worship before thee , for thy judgements are made manifest . worthy is the lamb that was slain , to receive power , and riches , and wisdome , and strength , and honour , and glory . for thou hast redeemed us to god by thy blood , and made us kings and priests to god. the fourth part. o that men would praise the lord for his goodness , and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving , and declare his works with rejoycing . sing unto the lord , bless his name , shew forth his salvation from day to day . worship the lord in the beauty of holiness , fear before him all the earth . let the heavens rejoyce , and the earth bee glad before the lord ; for hee cometh , for hee cometh to judge the earth . with righteousness shall hée judge the world , and the people with equity . bless the lord yée his angels that excel in strength , that do his commandements , hearkening to the voice of his word . bless yée the lord all yée his hosts , yee ministers of his that do his pleasure ; bless the lord all his works in all places of his dominions . bless the lord , o my soul , my mouth shall speak the praises of the lord , and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever . let every thing that hath breath praise the lord. praise yee the lord. the order of celebrating the sacrament of the body and blood of christ . this or the like explication of the nature , use , and benefits of this sacrament , may bee used at the discretion of the minister , when hee seeth it needful to the instruction of the communicants . that you may discern the lords body , and understand the nature , use and benefits of this sacrament , you must know that god created man in his own image , to know , and love , and serve his maker ; that man fell under the guilt of sin and condemnation , and left his holy fitness for the work for which hee was created . that hereupon the wonderful love and wisdome of god provided us a remedy in our redeemer , to the end hee might not lose the glory of his creation , that hee might pardon and save us upon terms . securing the honour of his justice , and attaining the ends of his law and government , and recover us to his love and service , by appearing to the world , in the greatest demonstrations of goodness , love , and mercy ; by the greatest miracle of condiscension , hee first promised , and then gave his onely son the eternal word , to take mans nature into personal union with his god-head ; that being god and man , hee might bee a fit mediator between god and man , to restore us , and reconcile us to himself . thus jesus christ , conceived by the holy ghost , and born of the virgin mary , became the second adam , the physician and saviour of undone sinners , the captain of our salvation , to bee the glorious king and head of all that are sanctified and saved . hee revealed the holiness , the goodness , and the love of god , by the perfect holiness , goodness , and love of his blessed person , doctrine , and conversation , and by suffering for us all the afflictions of this life , and at last the cursed death of the cross , as a sacrifice and ransome for us . that all this might be effectual to our recovery , hee made for us a new and better covenant , and preached it himself , undertaking the pardon , justification , and sanctification of all that by unfeigned faith do take him for their saviour , repenting of their sins , and consenting to be sanctified by his word and spirit ( by which also hee inviteth , and draweth men to himself , and giveth them to beleeve ) into this blessed , pardoning , saving covenant , wee are first solemnly entred by baptism . and when christ was ready to leave the world , and to give up himself a sacrifice for us , and intercede and exercise the fulness of his kingly power , as the churches head ; and by his grace to draw men to himself , and prepare them for his glory ; hee did himself institute this sacrament of his body and blood at his last supper , to bee a continued representation and remembrance of his death , and therein of his own and his fathers love until his coming ; appointing his ministers by the preaching of the gospel , and administration of these sacraments to bee his agents without , and his spirit within , effectually to communicate his grace . the lords supper then [ is a holy sacrament instituted by christ , wherein bread and wine being first by consecration made sacramentally or representatively the body and blood of christ , are used by breaking and pouring out to represent , and commemorate the sacrifice of christs body and blood , upon the cross once offered up to god for sin ; and are given in the name of christ unto the church , to signifie & solemnize the renewal of his holy covenant with them , and the giving of himself unto them , to expiate their sins by his sacrifice , and sanctifie them further by his spirit , and confirm their right to everlasting life : and they are received , eaten , and drunk by the church , to profess that they willingly receive christ himself to the ends aforesaid ( their justification , sanctification , and glorification ) and to signifie and solemnize the renewal of their covenant with him , and their holy communion with him , and with one another . ] it being the renewing of a mutual covenant that is here solemnized , as wee commemorate christs sacrifice , and receive him and his saving benefits , so wee offer and deliver to him our selves , as his redeemed , sanctified people , to bee a living acceptable sacrifice , thankfully and obediently to live unto his praise . before the receiving of this holy sacrament , wee must examine our selves , and come preparedly : in the receiving of it , wee must exercise holy affections suited to the work ; and after the receiving of it , wee must by consideration of it , indeavour to revive the same affections , and perform our covenant there renewed . the holy qualifications to bee before provided , and in receiving exercised , and after receiving , are these . 1. a true beleef of the articles of the christian faith , concerning the father , son , and holy ghost ; the person , offices , works , and sufferings , and benefits of christ . 2. the sense of our sinful and undone condition , as in our selves , and of our need of christ : so as humbly to loath our selves for our transgressions : with the sense of our present weaknesses to bee strengthened , and sins to bee forgiven . 3. a true desire after christ for pardon , and spiritual nourishment and salvation . 4. a thankful sense of the wonderful love of god , declared in our redemption , and in the present offers of christ , and life . 5. the exercise of holy love and joy in the sense of this unspeakable love , ( if these two bee not felt before wee come , yet in , and after the sacrament ) we must strive to exercise them . 6. a love to one another and forgiving wrongs to one another , with a desire after the communion of saints . 7. the giving up our selves in covenant to god , with resolution of renewed obedience . 8. a patient hope for the coming of christ himself , and of the everlasting kingdome where wee shall bee perfectly united in him , and glorified with him . those onely are to bee invited to the lords table , and to come , that truly repent and beleeve , and unfeignedly consent to the terms of the covenant ( though all are not to bee invited thus to beleeve and repent , and so to come ) but those are to be admitted , by the pastors , if they come , who , having the use of reason to understand what they do , and examine themselves , have made a personal profession of faith , repentance and obedience ; and are members of the church , and not justly for heresie , or scandalous sin removed from its present communion . the benefit of the sacrament is not to be judged of onely by present experience and feeling , but by faith. god having appointed us to use it , and promised his blessing , wee may and must beleeve , that hee will make good his promise , and what ever wee feel at present , that wee sincerely wait not on him in vain . the exhortation . you are invited hither , dear brethren , to bee guests at this holy table , by the lords command , to receive the greatest mercy , and to perform the greatest duty . on christs part , all things are made ready . the feast is prepared for you , even for you that by sin have deserved to bee cast out of the presence of the lord ; for you that have so oft neglected and abused mercy . a feast of the body and blood of christ , free to you , but dear to him . you were lost , and in the way to bee lost for ever , when by the greatest miracle of condiscending-love , hee sought and saved you : you were dead in sin , condemned by the law , the slaves of satan ; there wanted nothing but the executing-stroak of justice , to have sent you into endless misery : when our dear redeemer pitied you in your blood , and shed his own to wash and heal you . hee suffered , that was offended that the offender might not suffer . hee cried out on the cross , my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken mee , that wee who had deserved it , might not bee everlastingly forsaken . hee died , that wee might live : o how would the mercy of redemption have affected you , if you had first lyen one year , or month , or day in hell ; had you but seen your dying lord , or seen the damned in their misery , how do you think you should have valued the salvation that is now revealed and tendred to you ; see here christ dying in this holy representation . behold the sacrifized lamb of god , that taketh away the sins of the world . it is his will to be thus frequently crucified before your eyes . o how should wee bee covered with shame , and loath our selves , that have both procured the death of christ by sin , and sinned against it ? and how should wee all bee filled with joy , that have such mysteries of mercy opened , and so great . salvation freely offered to us ! o hate sin , o love this saviour ; see that you come not hither without a desire to bee more holy , nor with a purpose to go on in wilful sin ; bee not deceived ; god is not mocked , but if you heartily repent and consent to the covenant , come and welcome ; wee have commission from christ to tell you , that you are welcome . let no trembling , contrite soul draw back , that is willing to bee christs upon his covenant-terms , but beleeve that christ is much more willing to bee yours . hee was first willing , and therefore died for you , and made the covenant of grace , and sent to invite and importune you to consent , and stayed for you so long , and gave you your repentance , your willingness and desire . question not then his willingness , if you are willing . it is satan and unbeleef that would have you question it , to the injury both of christ and you . come neer , observe , beleeve and wonder at the riches of his love and grace . for hee hath himself invited you , to see and taste , that you may wonder . you are sinners , but hee inviteth you to receive a renewed , sealed pardon of your sins , and to give you more of his spirit to overcome them . see here his broken body and his blood , the testimonies of his willingness . thus hath hee sealed the covenant , which pardoneth all your sins , and secureth you of your reconciliation with god , and your adoption , and your right to everlasting blessedness . deny not your consent , but heartily give up your selves to christ , and then doubt not , but your scarlet , crimson-sins shall bee made as white as wooll , or snow . object not the number or greatness of them against his grace . there is none too great for him to pardon to penitent beleevers . great sins shall bring great glory to his blood and grace . but strive you then for great loathing of your sins , and greater love to such a god , and greater thanks to such a saviour . unfeignedly say , i am willing lord to bee wholly thine , and then beleevingly take christ , and pardon , and life , as given you by his own appointment in the sealed covenant . and remember that hee is a coming . hee is coming with thousands of his mighty angels , to execute judgement on the ungodly , but to bee glorified in his saints , and admired in all that do beleeve . and then wee shall have greater things than these . then shall you see all the promises fulfilled , which now are sealed to you , on which hee causeth you to trust ; revive now your love to one another , and forgive those that have wronged you , and delight in the communion of the saints : and then you shall bee admitted into the church triumphant , where with perfect saints you shall perfectly rejoyce and love , and praise the lord for ever . receive now a crucified christ here represented , and bee contented to take up your cross , and follow him . and then you shall reign with a glorified christ in the blessed vision and fruition of that god , to whom , by christ , you are now reconciled . let faith and love bee working upon these things , while you are at this holy table . then shall the minister use this or the like prayer . most holy god , wée are as stubble before thée , the consuming fire , how shall wée stand before thy holiness , for wée are a sinful people , laden with iniquity , that have gone backward and provoked the holy one of israel , when wée were lost , thy son did séek and save us , when wée were dead in sin , thou madest us alive . thou sawest us polluted in our blood , and saidst unto us live . in that time of love thou coveredst our nakedness , and enteredst into a covenant with us , and wée became thine own . thou didst deliver us from the power of darkness , and translate us into the kingdome of thy dear son ; and gavest us remission of sin , through his blood . but wée are grievous revolters , wée have forgotten the covenant of the lord our god ; wée were engaged to love thee with all our hearts , and to hate iniquity , and serve thée diligently , and thankfully to set forth thy praise . but wée have departed from thée , and corrupted our selves by self love , and by loving the world , and the things that are in the world , and have fulfilled the desires of the flesh , which wée should have crucified . wée have neglected our duty to thée , and to our neighbour , and the necessary care of our own salvation . wée have béen unprofitable servants , and have hid thy talents , and have dishonoured thée , whom in all things wée should have pleased and glorified . wée have béen negligent in hearing and reading thy holy word , and in meditating and conferring of it , in publick and private prayer , and thanksgiving , and in our preparation to this holy sacrament , in the examining of our selves , and repenting of our sins , and stirring up our hearts to a beleeving and thankfull receiving of thy grace , and to love and joyfulness , in our communion with thée and with one another . wée have not duely discerned the lords body , but have prophaned thy holy name and ordinance , as if the table of the lord had been contemptible . and when thou hast spoken peace to us , wée returned again to folly , wée have deserved o lord to bée cast out of thy presence . and to bée forsaken , as wée have forsaken thée , and to hear to our confusion , depart from mée , i know you not , yée workers of iniquity . thou mayest justly tell us , thou hast no pleasure in us , nor wilt receive an offering at our hand . but with thée there is abundant mercy . and our advocate jesus christ the righteous , is the propitiation for our sins : who bare them in his body on the cross , and made himself an offering for them , that hée might put them away by the sacrifice of himself ; have mercy upon us and wash us in his blood , cloath us with his righteousness , take away our iniquities , and let them not bée our ruine , forgive them and remember them no more : o thou that delightest not in the death of sinners , heal our backslidings love us freely , and say unto our souls , that thou art our salvation . thou wilt in no wise cast out them that come unto thée , receive us graciously to the feast thou hast prepared for us , cause us to hunger , and thirst after christ , and his righteousness , that wée may bée satisfied , let his flesh , and blood bee to us meat and drink indéed , and his spirit bée in us , a well of living water , springing up to everlasting life . give us to know thy love in christ , which passeth knowledge . though wée have not séen him let us love him . and though now wée see him not , yet beleeving let us rejoyce with joy unspeakable , and full of glory ; though wée are unworthy of the crums that fall from thy table , yet féed us with the bread of life , and speak and seal up peace to our sinful wounded souls . soften our hearts that are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin ; mortifie the flesh , and strengthen us with might in the inward man ; that wee may live and glorifie thy grace , through jesus christ our onely saviour . amen . here let the bread he brought to the minister , and received by him and set upon the table , and then the wine in like manner ( or if they be set there before ) however let him bless them , praying in these or the like words . almighty god , thou art the creator , and the lord of all things . thou art the soveraign majesty whom wée have offended ; thou art our most loving and merciful father , who hast given thy son to reconcile us to thy self , who hath ratified the new testament and covenant of grace with his most precious blood ; and hath instituted this holy sacrament to bee celebrated in remembrance of him till his coming . sanctifie these thy creatures of bread and wine , which according to thy institution and command , wee set apart to this holy use , that they may bee sacramentally , the body and blood of thy son jesus christ . amen . then ( or immediately before this prayer ) let the minister read the words of the institution , saying ; hear what the apostle paul saith , 1 cor. 11. [ for i have received of the lord , that which also i deliver unto you ; that the lord jesus the same night , in which hee was betrayed , took bread , and when hee had given thanks , hee brake it , and said , take , eat , this is my body which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of mee : after the same manner also , hee took the cup , when hee had supped , saying , this cup is the new testament in my blood , this do yee , as oft as yee drink it in remembrance of mee ; for as often as yee eat this bread , and drink this cup , yee do shew the lords death till hee come . ] then let the minister say . this bread and wine , being set apart , and consecrated to this holy use by gods appointment , are not now common bread and wine , but sacramentally the body and blood of christ . then let him thus pray . most merciful saviour , as thou hast loved us to the death , and suffered for our sins , the just for the unjust , and hast instituted this holy sacrament to bee used in remembrance of thée till thy coming ; wée beséech thée , by thine intercession with the father , through the sacrifice of thy body and blood , give us the pardon of our sins , and thy quickening spirit , without which the flesh will profit us nothing . reconcile us to the father ; nourish us as thy members to everlasting life , amen . then let the minister take the bread , and break it in the sight of the people , saying . the body of christ was broken for us , and offered once for all to sanctifie us ; behold the sacrificed lamb of god , that taketh away the sins of the world. in like manner let him take the cup , and pour out the wine in the sight of the congregation , saying ; wee were redeemed with the precious blood of christ , as of a lamb without blemish , and without spot . then let him thus pray . most holy spirit proceeding from the father and the son , by whom christ was conceived ; by whom the prophets and apostles were inspired , and the ministers of christ are qualified and called , that dwellest and workest in all the members of christ , whom hou sanctifiest to the image , and for the service of their head , and comfortest them , that they may shew forth his praise ; illuminate us , that by faith wée may sée him that is here represented to us . soften our hearts , and humble us for our sins . sanctifie and quicken us , that wée may rellish the spiritual food , and feed on it to our nourishment and growth in grace . shed abroad the love of god upon our hearts , and draw them out in love to him . fill us with thankfulness , and holy joy , and with love to one another ; comfort us by witnessing that wée are the children of god. confirm us for new obedience . bée the earnest of our inheritance , and seal us up to everlasting life . amen . then let the minister deliver the bread thus consecrated and broken to the communicants , first taking and eating it himself as one of them , when hee hath said ; take yée , eat yée , this is the body of christ which is broken for you , do this in remembrance of him . in like manner hee shall deliver them the cup , first drinking of it himself , when hee hath said , this cup is the new testament in christs blood , or christs blood of the new testament which is shed for you for the remission of sins , drink yee all of it in remembrance of him . let it be left to the ministers choice , whether hee will consecrate the bread and wine together , and break the bread , and pour out the wine immediately ; or whether hee will consecrate and pour out the wine , when the communicants have eaten the bread. if hee do the latter , hee must use the fore-going prayers and expressions twice accordingly , and let it bee left to his discretion , whether hee will use any words at the breaking of the bread , and pouring out the wine , or not ; and if the minister chuse to pray but once , at the consecration , commemoration , and delivery ; let him pray as followeth , or to this sense . almighty god , thou art the creator , and the lord of all . thou art the soveraign majesty whom wee have offended . thou art our merciful father , who hast given us thy son to reconcile us to thy self ; who hath ratified the new testament and covenant of grace with his most precious blood , and hath instituted this holy sacrament to bée celebrated in memorial of him , till his coming . sanctifie these thy creatures of bread and wine , which according to thy will , wée set apart to this holy use , that they may bée sacramentally , the body and blood of thy son jesus christ . and through his sacrifice and intercession give us the pardon of all our sins and bée reconciled to us , and nourish us by the body and blood of christ to everlasting life . and to that end give us thy quickning spirit to shewchrist to our beléeving souls , that is here represented to our senses . let him soften our hearts and humble us for our sins , and cause us to féed on christ by faith ; let him shed abroad thy love upon our hearts , and draw them on in love to thée , and fill us with holy joy and thankfulness , and fervent love to one another , let him comfort us by witnessing that wée are thy children , and confirm us for new obedience , and bée the earnest of our inheritance , and seal us up to life everlasting , through jesus christ our lord and saviour , amen . let it bee left to the ministers discretion , whether to deliver the bread and wine to the people ( at the table ) onely in general , each one taking it , and applying it to themselves ; or to deliver it in general to so many as are in each particular form ; or to put it into every persons hand : as also at what season to take the contribution for the poor . and let none of the people be forced to sit , stand , or kneel in the act of receiving , whose judgement is against it . the participation being ended , let the minister pray thus , or to this sense . most glorious god , how wonderful is thy power , and wisdome , thy holiness and justice , thy love and mercy in this work of our redemption , by the incarnation , life , death , resurrection , intercession , and dominion of thy son ! no power or wisdome in heaven or earth , could have delivered us but thine . the angels desire to pry into this mystery , the heavenly host do celebrate it with praises , saying , glory bée to god in the highest ; on earth peace ; good will towards men . the whole creation shall proclaim thy praises , blessing , honour , glorie and power bée unto him that sitteth upon the throne , and unto the lamb for ever and ever . worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power , and honour , and glory , for hée hath redeemed us to god by his blood , and made us kings , and priests unto our god. where sin abounded , grace hath abounded much more . and hast thou indéed forgiven us so great a debt , by so precious a ransome ? wilt thou indéed give us to reign with christ in glory , and sée thy face , and love thée , and bée beloved of thée for ever ? yea , lord thou hast forgiven us , and thou wilt glorifie us , for thou art faithful that hast promised . with the blood of thy son , with the sacrament , and with thy spirit , thou hast sealed up to us these precious promises . and shall wée not love thée , that hast thus loved us ? shall wée not love thy servants , and forgive our neighbours their little debt ? after all this shall wée again forsake thée , and deal falsly in thy covenant ? god forbid ; o set our affections on the things above , where christ sitteth at thy right hand , let us no more minde earthly things , but let our conversation bée in heaven , from whence wée expect our saviour to come and change us into the likeness of his glory . teach us to do thy will , o god , and to follow him , who is the author of eternal salvation , to all them that do obey him . order our steps by thy word , and let not any iniquity have dominion over us . let us not henceforth live unto our selves , but unto him who died for us and rose again . let us have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness , but reprove them . and let our light so shine before men , that they may glorifie thée . in simplicity , and godly sincerity , and not in fleshly wisdome , let us have our conversation in the world . o that our waies were so directed that wée might kéep thy statutes ! though satan will bée desirous again to sift us , and séek as a roaring lion to devour , strengthen us to stand against his wiles , and shortly bruise him under our féet . accept us , o lord , who resign our selves unto thée , as thine own ; and with our thanks and praise , present our selves , a living sacrifice to bée acceptable through christ . useful for thine honour . being made frée from sin , and become thy servants , let us have our fruit unto holiness , and the end everlasting life . through jesus christ our lord and saviour . amen . next add this , or some such exhortation , if there bee time . dear brethren , wee have been here feasted with the son of god at his table , upon his flesh and blood , in preparation for the feast of endless glory . you have seen here represented , what sin deserveth , what christ suffered , what wonderful love the god of infinite goodness hath expressed to us . you have had communion with the saints , you have renewed your covenant of faith , and thankful obedience unto christ ; you have received his renewed covenant of pardon , grace and glory unto you . o carry hence the lively sense of these great and excellent things upon your hearts : you came not onely to receive the mercy of an hour onely , but that which may spring up to endless joy : you came not onely to do the duty of an hour , but to promise that which you must perform , while you live on earth . remember daily , especially when temptations to unbeleef , and sinful heaviness assault you , what pledges of love you here received ; remember daily , especially when the flesh , the devil , or the world , would draw your hearts again from god , and temptations to sin are laid before you ; what bonds god , and your own consent have laid upon you . if you are penitent beleevers , you are now forgiven , and washed in the blood of christ . o go your way , and sin no more . no more through wilfulness , and strive against you sins of weaknesse . wallow no more in the mire , and return not to your vomit . let the exceeding love of christ constrain you , having such promises , to cleanse your selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , perfecting holiness in the fear of god : and as a chosen generation , a royal priesthood , an holy nation , a peculiar people , to bee zealous of good works , and shew forth the praises of him that hath called you . next sing some part of the hymn in meeter , or some other sit psalm of praise ( as the 23. 116. or 103. or 100 , &c. ) and conclude with this or the like blessing . now the god of peace , which brought again from the dead our lord jesus christ , that great shepherd of the shéep , through the blood of the everlasting covenant , make you perfect in every good work , to do his will , working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight , through jesus christ , to whom bée glory for ever and ever , amen . the celebration of the sacrament of baptism . let no minister , that is therein unsatisfied , be forced against his judgement , to baptize the childe of open atheists , idolaters , or infidels , or that are unbaptized themselves , or of such as do not competently understand the essentials of christianity ( what it is to be a christian ) and the essentials of baptism , nor of such as never since they were baptized did personally own their baptismal covenant , by a credible profession of faith and obedience , received and approved by some pastor of the church , as before confirmation is required , and in his majesties declaration . nor yet the childe of parents justly excommunicate , or that live in any notorious , scandalous sin , or have lately committed such a sin ( as if the childe be gotten in adultery or fornication ) and being justly convict of it , refuseth penitently to confess it , and promise reformation . but if either of the parents bee duly qualified , and present the childe to bee baptized ( or another for them in case they cannot bee present ) the childe is to bee received unto baptism . and if both the natural parents are infidels , excommunicate , or otherwise unqualified , yet if any become the pro-parents and owners of the childe , and undertake to educate it in the faith of christ , and fear of god , and so present it to bee baptized ; let it bee done by a minister , whose judgement doth approve it , but let no minister be forced to it against his judgement . let the parents or owners come to the minister at some convenient time the week before , and acquaint him when they intend to offer their childe to baptism , and give an account of their fore-said capacity , and receive his further ministerial assistance for the fuller understanding of the use and benefits of the sacrament , and their own duty ; the font is to bee placed to the greatest conveniency of the minister and people . the childe , or children being there presented , the minister may begin with this or the like speech directed to the parent , or parents ( that presenteth it . ) that you may perform this service to god with understanding , you must know , that god having made man in his own image , to love , and serve him , our first parents wilfully corrupted themselves by sin , and became the children of death , and the captives of satan , who had overcome them by his temptation ; and as by one man sin entred into the world , and death by sin , so death passed upon all , for that all have sinned , and come short of the glory of god. wee are conceived in sin , and are by nature children of wrath . for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean . by the offence of one , judgement came upon all men to condemnation . but the infinite wisdome and love of the father hath sent his son to bee the saviour of the world. the word was made flesh , and dwelt on earth , and overcame the devil and the world ; fulfilled all righteousness , and suffered for our sins upon the cross , and rose again , and reigneth in glory , and will come again , and judge the world in righteousness ; in him god hath made and offered to the world a covenant of grace , and in it the pardon of sin to all true penitent beleevers ; and power to bee the sons of god , and heirs of heaven ; this covenant is extended to the seed also of the faithful , to give them the benefits suitable to their age , the parents dedicating them unto god , and entring them into the covenant , and so god in christ will bee their god , and number them with his people . this covenant is to be solemnly entred into by baptism ( which is a holy sacrament instituted by christ , in which a person professing the christian faith ( or the infant of such ) is baptized in water into the name of the father , the son , and holy ghost , in signification and solemnization of the holy covenant , in which as a penitent beleever ( or the seed of such ) hee giveth up himself , ( or is by the parent given up ) to god the father , son , and holy ghost , from henceforth ( or from the time of natural capacity ) to beleeve in , love , and fear this blessed trinity , against the flesh , the devil , and the world ; and this especially on the account of redemption , and is solemnly entred a visible member of christ , and his church ; a childe of god , and an heir of heaven ] how great now is the mercy , and how great the duty that is before you ? is it a small mercy for this childe to bee accepted into the covenant of god , and washed from its original sin , in the blood of christ , which is signified and sealed by this sacramental washing in water , to be accepted as a member of christ , and of his church , where hee vouchsafeth his protection and provision , and the means and spirit of grace , and the renewed pardon of sin upon repentance , and for you to see this happiness of your childe ! the duty on your part , is , first to see that you are stedfast in the faith and covenant of christ , that you perish not your self , and that your childe is indeed the childe of a beleever ; and then you are beleevingly and thankfully to dedicate your childe to god , and to enter it into the covenant in which you stand . and you must know , that your faith , and consent , and dedication will suffice for your children no longer than till they come to age themselves , and then they must own their baptismal covenant , and personally renew it , and consent , and give up themselves to god , or else they will not bee owned by christ . you must therefore acquaint them with the doctrine of the gospel , as they grow up , and with the covenant now made , and bring them up in the fear of the lord. and when they are actually penitent beleevers , they must present themselves to the pastors of the church to bee approved , and received into the communion of the adult beleevers . if the persons bee before well instructed in the nature of baptism , and time require brevity ; the minister may omit the first part of this speech , and begin at the description of baptism , or after it . if there bee need of satisfying the people of the duty of baptizing infants , the minister may here do it ; otherwise let the questions here immediately follow . the minister shall here say to the parent , and the parent answer as followeth . it being the faithful , and their seed , to whom the promises are made ; and no man will sincerely dedicate his childe to that god that hee beleeveth not in himself ; i therefore require you to make profession of your own faith. quest . do you beleeve in god the father almighty , & c ? answ . all this i do unfeignedly beleeve . quest . do you repent of your sins , and renounce the flesh , the devil , and the world , and consent to the covenant of grace , giving up your self to god the father , son , and holy ghost , as your creator , and reconciled father , your redeemer , and your sanctifier ? ans . i do . [ or thus rather , if the parent bee fit to utter his own faith. ] quest . do you remain stedfast in the covenant , which you made in baptism your self ? ans . repenting of my sins , i do renounce the flesh , the devil , and the world , and i give up my self to god the father , son , and holy ghost , my creator , and reconciled father , my redeemer , and my sanctifier . ] quest . do you present and dedicate this childe unto god , to bee baptized into this faith , and solemnly ingaged in this covenant unto god the father , son , and holy ghost , against the flesh , the devil , and the world ? ans . it is my desire ( or ) i do present and dedicate him for this end . quest . do you here solemnly promise , that if god continue it with you , till it bee capable of instructions , you will faithfully indeavour to acquaint this childe with the covenant in which hee was here by you ingaged and to instruct and exhort him to perform this covenant , as ever hee looks for the blessings of it , or to escape the curses and wrath of god : that is , that hee renounce the flesh , the world , and the devil , and live not after them ; and that hee beleeve in this one god , in three persons , the father , son , and holy ghost , his creator , redeemer , and sanctifier ; that hee resign himself to him as his absolute owner , and obey h●m as his supream governour , and love him as his most gracious father , hoping to injoy him as his felicity in endless glory . ans . i will faithfully indeavour it . quest . will you to this end faithfully endeavour to cause him to learn the articles of the christian faith , the lords prayer , and the ten commandements , and to read , or hear the holy scriptures , and to attend on the publick preaching of gods word ? will you endeavour by your own teaching , and example , and restraint , to keep him from wickedness , and train him up in a holy life ? answ . i will faithfully endeavour it by the help of god. then let the minister pray thus , or to this sense . o most merciful father , by the first adam , sin entred into the world , and death by sin , and wée are all by nature children of wrath ; but thou hast given thy only son to bée the séed of the woman , the saviour of the world , the captain of our salvation , to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself , and to wash us in his blood , and reconcile us unto thée , and to renew us by the holy ghost , and to bruise satan under our féet : in him thou hast established the covenant of grace , and hast appointed this holy sacrament of baptism for our solemn entrance into the bonds of the covenants , and stating us in the blessings of it , which thou extendest to the faithful and their séed . wée dedicate and offer this childe to thée , to bée received into thy covenant and church . wée beséech thée to accept him as a member of thy son , and wash him in his blood from the guilt of sin , as the flesh is washed by this water . bée reconciled to him , and take him for thy childe , renew him to the image of thy son , make him a fellow citizen with the saints , and one of thy houshold . protect him and provide for him as thy own , and finally preserve him to thy heavenly kingdome , through jesus christ our lord and saviour . amen . then the minister shall ask of the parent the name of the childe to bee baptized , and naming him , shall either dip him under the water , or else pour water upon his face , if hee cannot be safely or conveniently dipt , and shall use these words without alteration . i baptise thée in the name of the father , and of the son , and of the holy ghost . and hee shall thus declare . this childe is now received by christs appointment into his church , and solemnly entred into the holy covenant , and engaged if he● lives to the use of reason , to rise with christ to newness of life , as being buried with him by baptism , and to bear his cross , and confess christ crucified , and faithfully to fight under his banner against the flesh , the devil , and the world , and to continue his faithful souldier and servant to the death , that hee may receive the crown of life . then hee shall give thanks and pray . wee thank thée , most merciful father , that when wée had broken thy law , and were condemned by it , thou hast given us a saviour and life in him , and hast extended thy covenant of grace to beleevers , and to their ●éed , and hast now received this childe into thy covenant , and church as a member of christ by this sacrament of regeneration . wée beséech thée , let him grow up in holiness , and when hee comes to years of discretion , let thy spirit reveal unto him , the mysteries of the gospel , and the riches of thy love in jesus christ , and cause him to renew and perform the covenant that hée hath now made , and to resign himself , and all that hée hath entirely unto thée his lord , to bée subject and obedient to thée his governour , and to love thée his father with all his heart , and soul , and might , and adhere unto thée and delight in thée as the portion of his soul , desiring and hoping to enjoy thée in everlasting glory . save him from the lusts and allurements of the flesh , the temptations of the devil , and the baits of the pleasure , profit and honour of the world , and from all the corruptions of his own heart , and all the hurtful violence of his enemies . kéep him in communion with the saints in the love and use of thy word and worship . let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow christ the captain of his salvation , and bée faithful unto the death , and then receive the crown of life , through jesus christ our saviour . amen . then use this exhortation , or the like , to the parents . you that have devoted this childe to god , and ingaged it in covenant to him , must bee thankful for so great a mercy to the childe , and must be faithful in performing what you have promised on your parts , in instructing and educating this childe in the faith and fear of god , that hee may own and perform the covenant now made , and receive all the blessings which god hath promised . hear what god hath made your duty , ephes . 6. 4. fathers provoke not your children to wrath , but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the lord. prov. 22. 6. train up a childe in the way hee should go , and when he is old he will not depart from it . prov. 19. 15. the rod and reproof give wisdome , but a childe left to himself bringeth his mother to shame . deut. 6. 5 , 6 , 7. thou shalt love thy lord thy god with all thy heart , and with all thy soul , and with all thy might , and these words which i command thee this day , shall bee in thy heart , and thou shalt reach them diligently unto thy children , and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in the house , and when thou walkest by the way , and when thou lyest down , and when thou risest up . joshuah saith , josh . 24. 15. as for mee and my house , wee will serve the lord. and paul saith of timothy , 2 tim. 3. 15. from a childe thou hast known the holy scriptures , which are able to make thee wise unto salvation , through faith which is in christ jesus . then say to the people thus , or to this sense . you have heard beloved , how great a dignity we were advanced to in our baptism , to how great duty wee are all ingaged . o search and try , whether you have kept or broken the convenant which you made , and have lived according to the dignity of your calling . and if any of you bee atheists , unbeleevers , or ungodly , and love not god above all , and neglect christ and his salvation , and are yet unsanctified , and live after the flesh , the devil , and the world , which you here renounced ; as you love your souls , bewail your perfidious convenant-breaking with god. trust not the water of baptism alone ; if you are not born again of the spirit also , you cannot enter into the kingdome of god , joh. 3. 5 , 6. baptism will not save you , if you have not the answer of a good conscience unto god , 1 pet. 3. 21. if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his , rom. 8. 9. much less those wretches that hate sanctification , and despise and scorn a holy life , when they were by baptism engaged to the holy ghost the sanctifier ; can you think to bee saved by the covenant , which you keep not ? o no! your perfidiousness aggravateth your sin and misery , eccles . 5. 4 , 5. when thou vowest a vow to god , defer not to pay it , for hee hath no pleasure in fools : pay that which thou hast vowed ; better it is that thou shouldest not vow , than that thou shouldest vow and not pay . o bless the lord , that it is a covenant of such grace which is tendred to you , that yet upon true repentance and coversion , even your covenant-breaking shall bee forgiven ; and therefore penitently cast down your selves before the lord , and beleevingly cast your selves on christ , and yeeld to the teachings , and sanctifying operations of the holy ghost , yet know the day of your visitation , and forsake the flesh , the devil , and the world , and turn to god with all your hearts , and give up your selves intirely to your creator , redeemer , and sanctifier , and hee will have mercy upon you , and will abundantly pardon you . but if you still live after the flesh , you shall dye : and if you continue to neglect this great salvation , there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin , but a certain fearful looking for of judgement , and fire , which shall devour the adversaries . let no children bee privately baptized , nor any minister forced to baptize them any where , besides in the publick assembly , unless upon some special weighty cause , if there be occasion for baptizing the adult , let the minister accordingly sute his expressions . of catechizing , and the approbation of those that are to bee admitted to the lords supper . seeing none can bee saved at years of discretion , that do not actually beleeve , and personally give up themselves in covenant to god the father , son , and holy ghost ; therefore as parents must do their parts , so ministers must catechize the ignorant ; and diligently labour to cause them both to learn the form of wholsome words ( even the lords prayer , and the ten commandements , and some brief , yet full and sound catechism ) and to understand the meaning of them , and to engage their hearts into the love of god , and a holy obedience to his laws . to this end let the minister either every lords day , before the evening prayers , or at some convenient hour , or on some other day of the week , as oft as hee can , examine publickly such as are not admitted to the lords supper , and take an account of their learning , and understanding the creed , the ten commandements , the lords prayer , and the catechism . and let him by questioning and explication , help them to understand them ; and let such of the several families of the parish come in their turns , when they are called by the minister to bee thus catechized . also let the minister either go to their houses , or rather appoint the persons aforesaid in their courses at a certain hour and place ( in the church or any other fit place ) to come to him for personal instructions , where hee may confer with those that are unmeet to bee catechized publickly , or unwilling to submit to it , and there with humble , prudent , serious instruction and exhortation , let him indeavour to acquaint them with the substance of christian-faith and duty , and to help them to make sure their calling and election , and to prepare for death and judgement , and exhort them to love , and to good works , and warn them lest they bee hardened through the deceltfulness of sin . but let him not in publick or private meddle with impertinencies , or spend the time about smaller matters , or singular opinions , nor sift people to know things unfit , or unnecessary to bee disclosed , nor meddle with matters that do not concern him , as a minister , to inquire after ; but help them to learn , and understand , and practise the christian religion expressed in the catechism . the catechism , let none be admitted by the minister to the sacrament of the lords supper , till they have at years of discretion understood the meaning of their baptismal covenant , and with their own mouths , and their own consent openly before the church , ratified and confirmed , and also promised , that by the grace of god they will evermore endeavour themselves faithfully to observe , and keep such things as by their own mouth and confession they have assented to ; and so being instructed in the christian religion , do openly make a credible profession of their own faith , and promise to bee obedientt o the will of god. a profession is credible , when it is made understandingly , seriously , voluntarily , deliberately , and not nullified by contradiction in word or deed and that profession is incredible , that is made ignorantly , ludicrously , forcedly , rashly , or that is nullified by verbal or practical contradiction . and it must bee practice first , that must make words credible , when the person by perfidiousness hath forfeited his credit . it is not private persons onely , but the pastors of the church that must approve of this profession . therefore before any are admitted to the lords supper , they shall give a good account of their knowledge , faith and christian conversation , conformable thereunto unto the pastors of their respective congregations , or else shall produce a certificate , that they have been approved or admitted to the lords supper in another congregation , of which they were members , and that by an allowed minister , upon such approved profession as aforesaid . if the person bee able and willing , let him before the congregation give the foresaid account at large of his knowledge , faith and obedience ; but if through backwardness or disability for publick speech , hee shall refuse it , let him make the same profession privately to the minister , and own it in the assembly , when the minister shall declare it , and ask him whether hee owns it ; but unless it bee in case of some extraordinary natural imperfection , and disability of utterance , let him at least openly recite the creed , and profess his consent to the covenant with god the father , son , and holy ghost . let the minister of every parish keep a double register ; one of the names of all that are there baptized , another of the names of all that are approved upon their foresaid credible profession , and so admitted into the number of communicants , or that have a certificate of such approbation , regularly , elsewhere performed . and if confirmation bee continued , let his majesties declaration bee observed , requiring [ that confirmation bee rightly and solemnly performed by the information , and with the consent of the minister of the place . ] let no minister bee inforced to admit any himself to the lords supper , who hath been clancularly and irregularly approved . those that after this approbation , prove scandalous offenders , shall not by the minister be suffered to partake of the lords table , until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented , and amended their former naughty lives . of the celebration of matrimony . before the solemnizing of marriage between any persons , their purpose of marriage shall bee published by the minister , three several lords daies in the congregation , at the place or places of their most usual abode respectively . and of this publication , the minister who is to joyn them in marriage , shall have sufficient testimony before hee proceed to solemnize the marriage ; the parents consent being first sufficiently made known . at the celebration the minister shall either by a sermon ; or other exhortation , open to them the institution , ends , and use of marriage , with the conjugal duties which they are faithfully to perform to each other . and then shall demand of them whether it bee their desire and purpose to bee joyned together in the bond of the marriage-covenant , and if they answer affirmatively , hee shall say to them . i require and charge you as you will answer at the dreadful day of judgement ( when the secrets of all hearts shall bee disclosed ) that if either of you do know any impediment by precon●ract or otherwise , why you may not law●ully bee joyned together in marriage , you discover it and proceed not . if no impediment bee discovered by them or others , hee shall proceed to pray . most merciful father , who hast ordained marriage for mutual help , and for the increase of mankinde ▪ with a legitimate issue , and of the church with a holy séed , and for prevention of uncleanness : bless thy own ordinance to these persons , that entring this state of marriage in thy fear , they may there ●●tirely devote themselves unto thée , and bée faithful in all con●…gal affections , and duties unto each other [ and if thou bless them with children ] let them bee devoted unto thée , and accepted as thine own , and blessed with thy grace , and educated in thy fear . subdue those corruptioins that would make their lives unholy or uncomfortable , and deliver them from temptations to impiety , worldlyness , unquietness , discontent or disaffection to each other , or to any unfaithfulness to thée or to each other ; make them meet helps to each other in thy fear , and in the lawful management of the affairs of this world. let them not hinder , but provoke one another to love , and good to works , and foreséeing the day of their separation by death , let them spend their daies in a holy preparation ; and live here together as the heirs of life , that must re●oyce at the great marriage day of the lamb , and live for ever with christ and all the holy angels and saints in the presence of thy glory . amen . the woman if sh●e b●e under parents or governours , being by one of them , or some deputed by them given to b●e married , the man with his right hand shall take the woman by the right hand , and shall say . i. a. do take thée b. to bée my married wife , and do promise and covenant in the presence of god , and before this congregation , to bée a loving and faithful husband to thée , till god shall separate us by death . then the woman shall take the man by the right hand , with her right hand , and say . i. b. do take thée a. to bée my married husband , and i do promise and covenant in the presence of god , and before this congregation to bée a loving , obedient , and faithful wife unto thée , till god shall separate us by death , then let the minister say . these two persons a. and b. being lawfully married according to gods ordinance , i do pronounce them , husband and wife . and those , whom god hath conjoyned , let no man put asunder . next hee may read the duty of husbands and wives out of e●hes . 5. 2. coll. 4. 2. 1 pet. 3. and psalm . 128. or some other pertinent psalm may bee said or sung ; and let the minister exhort them to their several duties , and then pray . most merciful father , let thy blessings rest upon these persons , now joyned in lawful marriage , sanctify them and their conversations , their family , estates , and 〈◊〉 unto thy glory . furnish them with love to thée and to each other , with méekness , patience , and contentedness . let them not live unto the flesh , but unto the spirit , that of the spirit they may reap everlasting life , through jesus christ our lord and saviour . amen . then let him conclude with a benediction . god almighty , the creator , redéemer , and sanctifier , bless you in your souls and bodies , family and affairs , and preserve you to his heavenly kingdome . amen . the visitation of the sick , and their communion . the visitation of the sick being a private duty , and no part of the pub●ick liturgy of the church , and the case of the sick being so exceeding various , as to soul and body , and it being requisite that ministers bee able to sui● their exhortations and prayers to the condition of the sick , let the words of such exhortations and prayers bee left to their prudence . so urgent is the necessity of the sick , and so seasonable and advantagious the opportunity , that ministers may not negligently over-pass them , but in love and tenderness instruct them according to their several conditions ; endeavouring the conversion of the ungodly , the strengthening of the weak , and comforting such as need consolation , directing them how to improve their afflictions , and helping them to bee sensible of the evil of sin , the negligences and miscarriages of their lives , the vanity of the world , their necessity of a saviour , the sufficiency of christ , the certainty and excellency of the everlasting glory ; exhorting them to repentance and to faith in christ , and to set their affections on the things above ; and ( if they are penitent beleevers ) comfortably to hope for the kingdome which god hath promised to them that love him , committing their souls to their redeemer , and quietly resting in the will , and love , and promises of god ; resolving if god shall recover them to health , to redeem the time , and live the rest of their lives unto his glory . and being willing , if it bee their appointed time , to depart and bee with christ ; and they must bee exhorted to forgive such as have wronged them , and to bee reconciled to those with whom they have been at variance , and to make a pious , just , and charitable disposal of their worldly estates . the order for solemnizing the burial of the dead . it is agreeable to nature and religion , that the burial of christians bee solemnly and decently performed , as to the cases ; whether the corps shall bee carried first into the church , that is to bee buried in the churchyard ? and whether it shall bee buried before the sermon , reading , or prayer , or after , or in the midst of the reading , or whether any prayer shall bee made at the grave , for the living , let no christians uncharitably judge one another about these things , let no people keep up groundless usages , that being suspicio●s , grieve their minister and offend their brethren . let no minister that scrupleth the satisfying of peoples ungrounded desires in such things , bee forced to do it against his conscience , and let ministers that do use any of these customes or ceremonies , have liberty , when they suspect that the people desire them upon some error , to profess against that error , and teach the people better . whether the minister come with the company that brings the corps from the house : or whether hee meet them , or receive them at the burial place , is to bee left to his own discretion . but while hee is with them , let him gravely discourse of mans mortality , and the useful truths and duties thence to bee inferred : and either at the grave , or in the reading place , or pulpit , by way of sermon , according to his discretion . let him ( at least if it bee desired ) instruct and exhort the people concerning death , and the life to come , and their necessary preparation . seeing the spectacle of mortality , and the season of mourning , do tend to prepare men for a sober considerate entertainment of such instructions , and hee may read such scriptures as may minde them of death , resurrection , and eternal life , as 1 cor. 15. or from vers . 10. to the end , and job 1. 21. & 19. 25 , 26 , 27. john 11. 25 , 26. & 5. 28 , 29. and his prayer shall bee suited to the occasion . when ever the rain , snow , or coldness of the season , make it unhealthful to the minister or people to stand out of doors , at least then , let the reading , exhortation , and prayers , bee used within the church . of extraordinary daies of humiliation , and thanksgiving , and anniversary festivals . when great afflictions lye upon the church , or any special part or members of it , or when any great sins have been committed among them , it is meet that in publick , by fasting and prayer , wee humble our selves before the lord , for the averting of his displeasure ; and on such occasions it is the pastors duty to confess his own , and the peoples sins , with penitence , and tenderness of heart , and by his doctrine and exhortation , to endeavour effectually to bring the people to the sight and sense of their sin , and the deserts of it , and to a firm resolution of better obedience for the time to come , being importunate with god in prayer for pardon and renewed grace . upon the receipt of great and extraordinary mercies , the church ( having opportunity ) is to assemble for publick thanksgiving unto god , and the minister to stirre up the people to a lively sense of the greatness of those mercies , and joyfully to celebrate the praises of god , the author of them . and it is not unmeet in these daies to express our joy in feasting and outward signes of mirth , provided they bee used moderately , spiritually , and inoffensively , and not to gratifie oursensual desires , and that wee releeve the poor in their necessities ( which also on daies of humiliation and other seasons . wee must not forget . ) the occasions of such daies of humiliation and thanksgiving being so various , as cannot bee well suited by any standing forms , the minister is to apply himself to the respective duties , suitable to the particular occasions . though it bee not unlawful or unmeet to keep anniversary commemoration by festivals , of some great and notable mercies , to the church or state , the memory whereof should bee transmitted to posterity ; nor to give any persons their due honour who have been the instruments thereof ; yet because the festivals of the churches institution now observed , are much abused , and many sober godly persons , ministers , and others , are unsatisfied of the lawfulness of the celebrating them as holy daies , let the abuse bee restrained , and let not the religious observation of those daies by publick worship , bee forced upon any that are thus unsatisfied , provided they forbear all offensive behaviour thereupon . of prayer and thanksgiving , for particular members of the church besides the petitions that are put up for all in such distresses , in the general prayer , it is meet that persons in dangerous sickness , or other great affliction of body or minde ; and women that are neer the time of childe-bearing , when they desire it , shall bee particularly recommended to god in the publick prayers of the church . because all the members constitute one body , and must have the same care one for another , as suffering all with one that suffereth , and rejoycing all with one that is honoured . and the effectual servent prayer of the righteous , especially of the whole congregation , availeth much with god. but because diseases , distresses , and greif of minde , are so various that no forms that are particular can suit them all ; and because every minister should bee able to suit his prayers to such various necessities of the people : wee desire , that it may bee left to his discretion to pray for such according to their several cases , before or after sermon . but wee desire that except in case of sudden necessity , they may send in their bills of request to him , the night before , that hee may consider of their cases , and may publish only such , & in such expressions , as in prudence hee shall judge meet for the ears of the assembly . in the more ordinary cases of persons in sickness , danger , and distress , and that are delivered from them , these following prayers may bee used , or such like . a prayer for the sick , that is in hopes of recovery . most merciful father , though our sin doth finde us out , and wée are justly afflicted for our transgressions , yet are wée not consumed in thy wrath , but thou punishest us less than our iniquities do deserve , though thou causest grief , yet wilt thou have compassion according to the multitude of thy mercies , for thou dost not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men ; thou revivest the spirit of the humble , and the heart of the contrite ones , for thou wilt not contend for ever , neither wilt thou bee alwaies wroth , for the spirit would fail before thée , and the soul which thou hast made . look down in tender mercy on the affliction of this thy servant ; o lord rebuke him not in thy wrath , neither chasten him in thy hot displeasure . all his desire is before thée , and his groaning is not hid from thée ; have mercy upon him o lord for hée is weak . o lord heal him , whose boues and soul is vered . in death there is no remembrance of thée , in the grave who shall give thée thanks . remember that wée are but flesh , a wind that passeth away and cometh not again , wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro , and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble ? remember not the iniquities of his youth , or his transgressions : look upon his afffiction , and his pain , and forgive all his sins . though the sorrows of death do compass him about , yet if it bée for thy glory and his good recover him , and let him live and praise thy name . rebuke his sickness , direct unto such means as thou wilt bless . in the time of his trouble wée call upon thée , do thou deliver him , and let him glorifie thée , however shew him the sin that doth offend thée , let him search and try his waies , and confess and turn from his inquity , and let it bée good for him that hée was afflicted . let this bée the fruit of it to purge and take away his sin , that being chastened of the lord , hée may not bée condemned with the world . and though chastisement for the present séemeth not to bée joyous , but grievous , yet afterwards let it yéeld the peaceable fruit of righteousness to this thy servant , that is exercised therein . in the mean time o lord bée thou his portion who art good to the soul that séeketh thée , and waiteth for thée . let him patiently and silently bear thy yoak , let him hope and quietly wait for thy salvation : considering that thou wilt not cast off for ever , that thy anger is but for a moment , but in thy favour is life . wéeping may endure for a night , but joy cometh in the morning : and that whom thou lovest , thou chastenest , and scourgest every son whom thou receivest ; and that if hée indure chastening thou dealest with him as a son. if hée bée recovered , let him devote himself entirely to thy glory : that when thou hast put off his sackcloath and mourning , and girded him with gladness , hee may speak thy praise , and give thée thanks . if hée receive the sentence of death in himself , let it cause him to trust in thée that raisest the dead , knowing that as thou didst raise up the lord jesus , thou wilt raise him up also by jesus : therefore suffer not his hope to faint : but though his outward man perish , yet let his inwardman bée renewed from day to day and let him live by faith and look at the things which are not séen , even at the excéeding eternal weight of glory ; let him bée found in christ , not having his own righteousness , but that which is of god by faith . restrain the tempter , and deliver thy servant from the sinful fears of death , by christ , who through death , destroyed the devil that had the power of death ; that hée may finde that death hath lost his sting , and triumph over it by faith in him , through whom wée are made more than conquerers . that by faith and love , his soul may now ascend with christ , that ascended unto his father and our father , and to his god and our god , and is gone to prepare a place for us , and hath promised , that where hée is , there his servants shall bée also ; that they may behold the glory which thou hast given him . magnifie thy self in his body whether by life or death , and safely bring him into thy glorious presence where is fulness of joy , and everlasting pleasures , through jesus christ our life and righteousness . amen . a prayer for women drawing neer the time of childe-bearing . most merciful father , who hast justly sentenced woman that was first in the transgression , to great and multiplyed sorrows , and particularly in sorrow to bring forth children ; yet grantest preservation and reliefe , for the propagation of mankinde . bée merciful to this thy servant , bée néer her with thy present help , in the néedful time of trouble , and though in travel shée hath sorrow , give her strength to bring forth . being delivered , let her remember no more the anguish , for ioy that a childe is born into the world. bless her in the fruit of her body and being safely delivered , let her return thée hearty thanks , and devote it and the rest of her life to thy service , through jesus christ our saviour . amen . a thanksgiving for those that are restored , from dangerous sickness . wee thank thée o most gracious god , that thou hast heard us when wée cryed unto thée , for thy servant in his weakness and distress , that thou hast not turned away our prayer ; nor thy mercy from him , wée cryed to thée and thou hast delivered and healed him , thou hast brought him from the grave , thou hast kept him alive , that hée should not go down into the pit , thou hast forgiven his iniquity , and healed his diseases thou hast redéemed his life from destruction , and hast crowned him with loving kindeness , and tender mercies , thou hast not deprived him of the residue of his years , thou hast repented thée of the evil : his age is nor departed ; thou hast renewed his youth , and given him to sée man , with the inhabitants of the world ; and to sée the goodness of the lord , in the land of the living , day and night thy hand was heavy upon him , but thou hast turned away thy wrath , and hast forgiven the iniquity of his sin , for this every one that is godly shall pray unto thée in a time of trouble ; 〈◊〉 thou art a hiding place , thou preservest us from trouble , when our flesh and our heart faileth us , thou art the strength of our heart , and our portion for ever ; indéed lord thou art good unto thine israel ; even to such as are clean of heart ; many are the afflictions of the righteous , but thou deliverest them out of all ; though all the day long they bée afflicted , and chastened every morning , yet are they continually with thée ; thou holdest them by the right hand , thou art a present help in trouble ; when all the help of man is vain . let thy servant love thée , because thou hast heard his voice and supplication , let him offer unto thée , the sacrifice of thanksgiving ; and pay his vowes to the most high ; and take the cup of salvation , and call upon thée all his daies , let him bée wholly devoted to thy praise , and glorifie thée in soul and body , as being thine , and seasonably depart in peace unto thy glory ? through jesus christ our life , and righteousness . amen . a thanksgiving , for the deliverance of women , in childe-bearing . wee return thée thanks , most gracious god , that thou hast heard our prayers for this thy hand-maid ; and hast béen her helpin the time of her necessity , and delivered her from her fears and sorrows death and life are in thy power , thou killest and thou makest alive , thou bringest down to the grave , and thou bringest up ; thou makest the barren to keep house , to bée a ioyful mother of children . wée thank thée , that thou hast given thy servant , to see the fruit of her womb , and that thou hast brought her again to thy holy assembly , to go with the multitude to thy house , and worship thee with the voyce of ioy and praise , that shée may enter into thy gates with thanksgiving , and into thy court with praise , and wée may all bée thankful to thée on her behalf , and speak good of thy name ; thou art good o lord to all , and thy tender mercies are over all thy works , thou preserveit them that love thée ; thou raisest up them that are vowed down ; thou fulfillest the desire of them that fear thée , thou also dost hear their cry , and save them , command thy blessing yet upon thy servant and her off-spring ; let her not forget thée and thy mercies , but let her devote the life which thou hast given her to thy service , and educate her off-spring as a holy séed , in the nurture and admonition of the lord , and as thou hast said , that thy scurse is in the house of the wicked , but thou blessest the habitation of the just ; let her , and her house serve thée , and let holiness to the lord bée written upon all wherewith thou blessest her ; let her make thée her refuge and habitation ; give her the ornament of a méek and quiet spirit , which in thy sight is of great price , let her not love the world , nor minde earthly things , but use the world as not abusing of it ; seeing the time is short , and the fashion of this world passeth away ; restore her soul , and lead her in the paths of righteousness ; though shée must walk through the valley of the shaddow of death , let her fear no evil ; let thy goodness and mercy follow her all the daies of her life , and let her dwell for ever in thy glorious presence ; through jesus christ our lord and saviour . amen . if the childe bee dead , those passage which imply its living must be omitted , and if the woman bee such as the church hath cause to judge ungodly , the thanksgiving must bee in words more agreeable to her condition , if any bee used . of pastoral discipline , publick confession , absolution , and exclusion from the holy communion of the church . the recital of the curses are said in the book of common prayer , to bee instead of the godly discipline of the primitive church , till it can bee restored again , which is much to bee wished , which is the putting of notorious sinners to open penitence ; his majesties declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs , determineth that all publick diligence bee used for the instruction , and reformation of scandalous offenders , whom the minister shall not suffer to partake of the lords table , until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty lives , provided there bee place for due appeals to superiour powers . and the law of christ commandeth , if thy brother trespass against thee , go and tell him his faults between him and thee alone , if hee shall hear thee , thou hast gained thy brother , but if hee will not hear thee , then take to thee one or two more , that in the mouth of two or three witnesses ; every word may bee established , and if hee shall neglect to hear them , tell it unto the church , but if hee shall neglect to hear the church ; let him bee unto thee as a heathen man , or as a publican . mat. 18. 15 , 16 , 17. and it is the office of the pastors of the several congregations , not only to teach the people in general , and guide them in the celebration of the publick worship , but also to over-see them , and watch over each member of their flock particularly , to preserve them from errours , heresies , divisions , and other sins , defending the truth , confuting gain-sayers , and seducers , instructing the ignorant , exciting the negligent , incourageing the despondent , comforting the afflicted , confirming the weak , rebuking and admonishing the disorderly and scandalous , and directing all according to their needs in the matters of their salvation , and the people in such needs should have ordinary recourse to them , as the officers of christ , for guidance , and resolution of their doubts , and for assistance in making their salvation sure ; and in proving , maintaining , or restoring the peace of their consciences , and spiritual comfort . if therefore any member of the church bee a scandalous sinner , and the crime bee either notorious or fully proved , let the pastor admonish him , and set before him the particular command of god which hee transgresseth , the supream authority of god which hee despiseth , the promises and mercies , which hee treadeth under foot , and the curse and dreadful condemnation , which hee draweth upon himself , let this bee done with great compassion and tender love to the offenders soul , and with gravity , reverent , and serious importunity , as beseemeth men imployed on the behalf of god , for the saving of a soul , and yet with judgement , and cautelous prudence , not taking that for sin which is no sin , nor that for a gross and scandalous sin , which is but an ordinary humane frailty , not dealing as unreverently with a superiour as with an inferiour , nor making that publick , which should bee concealed , nor reproving before others , when it should bee done more secretly , nor speaking unseasonably , to those who through drink or passion are incapable of the benefit , nor yet offending by bashfulness or the fear of man , or lukewarmness , negligence , or slighting over great offences , on the other extream . prudence also requireth them to bee cautelous of over-medling , where the magistrates honour , or concernment , or the churches unity , or peace , or the reputation of others , or the interest of their ministry requireth them to forbear . these cautions observed , if the scandalous offenders continue impe●itent , or unreformed , after due admonitions and patience , let the pastor in the congregation when hee is present rebuke him before all , that the church may sufficiently disown the crime , and others may see the odiousness & danger of the sin . but let this also bee with the love , and seriousness , and prudence , before mentioned . if the offender in obstinacy will not bee there , the pastor may open the crime before the congregation ; and present or absent ( in case hee remain impenitent ) if the case will bear so long delay , it is convenient , that the pastor publickly pray for his conviction , and repentance , that hee may bee saved . and this hee may do one , or two , or three , or more daies , as the nature of the case , and prudence shall direct him . if during these means for his recovery ( after the proof of the crime ) there bee a communion of the church in the lords supper , let the pastor require him to forbear and not suffer him to partake of the lords table . if yet the offender remain impenitent , let the pastor openly declare him ●●meet for the communion of the church , and require him to abstain from it , and require the church to avoid communion with him . and let him binde him by the denounciations of the threatings of god , against the impenitent . but before this is done , let no necessary consultation , with other pastors , or concurrence , of the church bee neglected , and after let there bee place for due appeals , and let ministers consent to give account when they are accused of mal-administration . but if after private admonition ( while the offence is such , as requireth not publick confession ) the sinner bee penitent , let the minister privately apply to his consolation the promises of the gospel , with such cautelous prudence as is most suitable to his condition . and if hee repent not till after publick admonition , or that the scandall bee so great and notorious , as that a publick confession is necessary , let him at a seasonable time appointed by the pastor , with remorse of conscience , and true contrition , confels his sin before the congregation , and heartily lament it , and clear the honour of his christian profession , which hee had stayned , and crave the prayers of the church to god for pardon , and reconciliation through christ , and also crave the ministerial absolution and restauration , to the communion of the church , and profess his resolution to do so no more ; but to live in new obedience to god , desiring also their prayers for corroborating and preserving grace . it is only a credible profession of repentance , that is to bee accepted by the church . the foregoing cautious must bee carefully observed in such confessions , that they bee not made to the injuring of the magistrate , or of the church , or of the reputation of others , or of the life , estate , or liberty of the offender , or to any other shame than is necessary to the manifesting of his repentance , and the clearing of his profession , and the righting of any that hee hath wronged , and the honour , and preservation of the church . when hee hath made a credible profession of repentance , it is the pastors duty , ministerially to declare him pardoned by christ , but in conditional terms [ if his repentance be sincere ] and to absolve him from the censureof non communion with the church , if he was under such a censure before his penitence , and to declare him meet for their communion , and to encourage him to come , and require the church to entertain him into their communion with gladness , and not upbraid him with his fall , but rejoyce in his recovery , and endeavour his confirmation and preservation for the time to come : and it is his duty accordingly to admit him to communion , and theirs to have loving communion with him : all which the penitent person , must beleevingly , lovingly , & joyfully receive . but if any , by notorious perfidiousness , or frequent covenant breaking have forfeited the credit of their words , or have long continued in the sin which they do confess , so that their forsaking it hath no proof ; the church then must have testimony of the actual reformation of such as these , before they may take their professions and promises as credible ; yet here the difference of persons and offences is so great ; that this is to bee much left to the prudence of pastors , that are present , and acquainted with the persons , & circumstances of the case . in the transacting of all this , these following forms , to bee varied as the variety of cases do require , may bee made use of . a form of publick admonition to the impenitent . a. b. you are convict of gross and scandalous sin , you have been admonished and intreated , to repent . the promises of mercies to the penitent ; and the threatnings of god against the impenitent , have not been concealed from you ; wee have waited in hope for your repentance , as having compassion on your soul ; and desiring your salvation ; but wee must say with grief , you have hitherto disappointed us ; wee are certain from the word of god , that you must bee penitent , if ever you will bee pardoned , and that except you repent , you shall everlastingly perish . luke . 13. 3 , 5. act. 5. 31. luke 12. 47. to acquaint you publickly with this , and yet here to offer you mercy from the lord , is the next duty laid upon us for your recovery . o! blame us not , if knowing the terrours of the lord , wee thus perswade you , and are loath to leave you in the power of satan , and loath to see you cast out into perdition , and that your blood should bee required at our hands , as not having discharged our duty to prevent it . bee it known unto you therefore , that it is the god of heaven and earth , the great , the jealous , and the terrible god , whose lawes you have broken , and whose authority you dispise ; you refuse his government , who is coming with ten thousands of his saints , to execute judgement upon all , and to convince all that are ungodly of their ungodly deeds , and speeches , who hath told us that [ evil shall not dwell with him ] the foolish shall not stand in his sight ; hee hateth all workers of iniquity ( jude 14 , 15. psalm . 5. 4 , 5. ) the ungodly shall not stand in judgement , nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous ( psalm . 1. 5 , 6. ) god hath not made his lawes in vain . though the wicked contemn god , and say in their hearts , hee will not require it . ( psalm . 10. 13. ) yet their damnation slumbereth not , they are reserved to the day of judgement , to bee punnished ( 2 pet. 2. 3 , 9. ) and hee seeth that their day is coming ; ( psalm . 37. 13. ) if men cut off the lives of those that break their laws , will god bee out-faced by the pride , and stubborness of sinners ? hee will not ; you shall know hee will not ; hee threatneth not in jest . who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered ( job . 9. 4. ) are you not as chaffe and stubble , and is not our god a consuming fire ( psalm . 1. 4. isa . 5. 24. heb. 12. 19. ) if briers and thorns bee set against him in battel , will hee not go through them , and burn them up together ( isa . 27. 4. ) can your heart endure , or your hands bee strong in the day when god shall deal with you ? it is the lord that hath spoken it , and hee will do it . ezek. 22. 14. what will you do , when you must bear wich the pains of hell from god , that now , can scarce endure to bee thus openly & plainly warned of it ; if wee to please you should bee silent and betray you , do you think the god of heaven , will fear , or flatter you , or bee unjust to please a worm . do you provoke the lord to jealousie , are you stronger than hee . ( 1 cor. 10. 22. ) o man ! for your souls sake , let not satan abuse your understanding , and sin befool you , must you not die ? and doth not judgement follow , when all secrets shall bee opened , and god will no more intreat you to confess . ( heb. 9. 7. matth. 10. 26. ) behold the judge standeth at the door ; ( jam. 5. 9. ) will sin goe then with you for as light a matter as it doth now ? will you then deny it , or will you stand to all the reasonings , or excuses , by which you would now extenuate or cover it ? will you defend it as your friend ? and bee angry with ministers and reprovers , as your enemies . or will you not mourn at last ( with weeping and gnashing of teeth ) and say ; how have i hated instruction , and my heart despised reproof ? and have not obeyed the voyce of my teachers , nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed mee . ( pro. 5. 11 , 12 , 13. mat. 13. 4● . 50. ) o that you were wise , that you understood this , and that you would consider your latter end. ( deut. 32. 29. ) beleeve gods wrath before you feel it : bee convinced by the word and servants of the lord , before you are confounded by the dreadfulness of his majesty ; yet there is hope , but shortly there will be none , if you now neglect it ; yet if you consess and forsake your sins , you shall have mercy , but if you cover them , you shall not prosper . ( prov. 28. 13. ) and if being oft reproved , you harden your neck : you shall suddenly bee destroyed , and that without remedy . ( pro. 29. 1. ) bee not deceived , god is not mocked : whatsoever you sow , that shall you also reap . ( gal. 6. 7. ) o man ! you know not what it is to deal with an offended , and revenging god. nor what it is to hear . christ say , depart from mee yee workers of iniquity ; i never knew you , depart from mee yee wicked into everlasting fire ( matth. 7. 23. and 25. 41. ) you know not what it is to bee shut out of heaven , and concluded under utter desperation , and in hell to look back upon this obstinate impenitence ; and rejecting of the mercy that would have saved you ; and there to have conscience telling you for ever , what it is that you have done ; did you not know what this is , could you think a penitent confessing , and forsaking your sin , to be a condition too hard for the preventing of such a doleful state ? o no! you know not what a case you are casting your immortal soul into . the lord give you repentance . that you may never know it by experience . to prevent this , is our business with you : wee delight not to displease or shame you . but god hath told us , [ that if any do err from the truth , and one convert him , let him know , that hee which converteth the sinner from the errour of his way , shall save a soul from death , and shall hide a multitude of sins . jam. 5. 20. ] i do therefore by the command , and in the name of jesus christ , require , and beseech you , that you do without any more delay , confess your sins and heartily bewail them ; and beg pardon of them , and resolve and promise by the help of god to do so no more , and bless god that you have an advocate with the father jesus christ the righteous , whose blood will cleanse you from your sins ; if you penitently confess them ( 1 john 1. 7 , 9. and 2. 1 , 2. ) and that mercy may bee yet had on so easie terms . if you had any sense of your sin and misery , or any sense of the dishonour done to god , or of the wrong that you have done to others , and of the usefulness of your penitent confession , and amendment , to the reparation of all these , you would cast your self in the dust in shame and grief before the lord , and before the church : to day therefore , if you will hear his voyce , harden not your heart , least god forsake you , and give you over unto your own hearts lust , to walk in your own counsels , and resolve in his wrath , you shall never enter into his rest ; ( psalm . 95. 8. 12. and 81. 11. 12. ) and then god and this congregation will bee witnesses that you were warned , and your blood will bee upon your own head . but if in penitent confession , you fly to christ , and loath your self for your iniquities , and heartily forsake them , i have authority to promise you free forgiveness , and that your iniquitie shall not bee your ruine ( luke 24. 4. 7. ezek. 18. 30 , 31 , 32. ) a form of confession , to bee made beeore the congregation i do confess before god , and this congregation , that i have greatly sinned , * i have offended , and dishonoured god , wronged the church , and the souls of others , i have deserved to bée forsaken of the lord , and cast out of his presence and the communion of saints , into desperation , and remediless misery in hell , i am no more worthy to bée called thy son , or to have a name or place among thy servants : i do here declare mine iniquitys , and am sorry for my sins ; they are gone over my head as a heavy burden , they are too heavy for mée , they take hold upon mée , i am ashamed , as unworthy to look up towards heaven , but my hope is in the blood & grace of christ , who made his life a sacrifice for sin , and came to séek and save that which was lost ; whose grace aboundeth , where sin hath abounded . the lord bée merciful to mée a sinner : i humbly beg of the congregation , that they will earnestly pray , that god will wash mée throughly from mine iniquity , and cleanse mée from my sin , that hée will forgive them , and blot them out , and hide his face from them , and remember them no more , that hée will not cast mée away from his presence , nor forsake mée as i have forsaken him , nor deal with mée according to my deserts : but that hée will create in mée a clean heart , and renew a right spirit in mée , and grant mée the joy of his salvation ; and i beg pardon of the church , and all that i have wronged : and resolve by the grace of god to do so no more ; but to walk more watchfully as before the lord , and i desire all that are ungodly , that they think never the worse of the laws , or waies , or servants of the lord , for my misdoings ; for if i had béen ruled by god , and by his servants , i had never done , as i have done ? there is nothing in religion that befriendeth sin , there is nothing so contrary to it , as god and his holy laws , which i should have obeyed . rather let all take warning by mée , and avoid temptations , and live not carelesly , and hearken not to the inclinatious , or reasonings of the flesh , nor trust not their weak and sinful hearts , but live in godly fear , and watchfulness , and kéep under the flesh , and kéep close to god , and hearken to the faithful counsel of his servants , and intreat your prayers to god , that i may bée strengthened by his grace , that i may sin thus no more , least worse befal mée . a form of prayer for a sinner impenitent , after publick admonition . most gracious god , according to thy command wée have warned this sinner , and told him of thy threatenings , and foretold him of thy certain terrible judgements , that hée might sly from the wrath to come , but , alas , wée perceive not that hée repenteth , or resenteth , but hardeneth his heart against reproof , as if hée were able to contend with thée , and overcome thy power ; o let us prevail with thée for grace , that wée may prevail with him for penitent confession and reformation , o pitty a miserable sinner ! miserable , as that hée laieth not to heart his misery , nor pittieth himself . o save him from the gall of bitterness , and from the bonds of his iniquity ? give him ●…tance unto life ; that hee may recover himself out of the snare of the devil , who is taken captive by him at his will. give him not up to a blinde minde , to a seared conscience , a heart that is past feeling , nor to walk in his own counsels , and after his own lusts ; let him no longer despise the riches of thy goodness , and forbearance and long-suffering , nor with a hardened impenitent heart , treasure up wrath , against the day of wrath and revelation of thy righteous judgement , who wist render to every man according to his déeds , even to them that are contentious and obey not the truth , but obey unrighteousness , indignation , and wrath , tribulation and anguish , upon every soul of man that doeth evil . let him bée sure that the judgement of god is according to truth , against them that commit such things , and let him not think in his impenitency to escape thy judgement ; o suffer him not , when hée heareth the threatnings of thy word , to bless himself in his heart , and say , i shall have peace , though i walk in the imaginations of my heart , and add sin to sin , lest thy anger and jealousie smoke against him , and thou wilt not spare him , but blot out his name from under heaven , and all thy curses lye upon him , and thou separate him to evil , even to the worm that dyeth not , and to the fire that is not quenched . o save him from his sins , from his impenitency , and the pride and stubborn . ness of his heart ; o save him from the everlasting flames , and from thy wrath , which hée is the more in danger off ; because hée féeleth not , and feareth not his danger ; let him know how hard it is for him to kick against the pricks , and how woful to strive against his maker , lay him at thy footstool in sackcloath , and ashes , in tears , and lamentation , crying out , woe unto mée that i have sinned , and humbling his soul in true contrition , and loathing himself , and begging thy pardoning and healing grace , and begging the prayers and communion of thy church , and resolving to sin wilfully no more , but to live before thée in uprightness , and obedience all his daies ; o let us prevail with thée for the conversion of this impenitent sinner , and so for the saving of his soul from death , and the hiding , and pardoning of his sins ; that hée that is lost may bée found , and hée that is dead may bée alive , and the angels of heaven , and wée thy unworthy servants here on earth may rejoyce at his repenting , let us sée him restored by thy grace , that wée may joyfully receive him into our communion , and thou mayest receive him at last into thy heavenly kingdome , and satan may bée disappointed of his prey ; for thy mercy sake , through jesus christ our lord and only saviour , amen . a form of rejection from the communion , of the church iesus christ , the king and law giver of the church hath commanded that [ if a brother trespass against us , wee go and tell him his fault between him and us alone , and if hee will not hear us , wee shall then take with us , one or two more , that in the mouth of two or three witnesses , every word may bee established ; and if hee shall neglect to hear them , that hee tell it to the church , and if hee neglect to hear the church , that hee bee to us a heathen man , and a publican . matth. 18. 15 , 16 , 17. ] and that wee keep not company ; if any that is called a brother , bee a fornicator , or covaious , or an idolater , or a raylor , or a drunkard , or an extortioner , with such a one , no not to eat . 1 cor 5. 11. and that wee withdraw our selves from every brother , that walketh disorderly , and note him , and have no company with him , that hee may bee ashamed : 2 thess . 3. 6. 14. according to these laws of christ , wee have admonished this offending brother , who hath greatly sinned against god ; and grieved and injured the church , wee have earnestly prayed , and patiently waited for his repentance , but wee have not prevailed . but after all , hee continueth impenitent , and will not be perswaded to confess and forsake his sin : wee do therefore according to these laws of christ declare him unmeet , for the communion of the church , and reject him from it ; requiring him to forbear it , and requiring you to avoid him , and wee leave him bound to the judgement of the lord , unless his true repentance shall prevent it . a form of absolution , and reception of the penitent . though you have greatly sinned against the lord , and against his church , and your own soul , yet seeing you humble your self before him , and penitently fly to christ for mercy , resolving to do so no more : hear now the glad tidings of salvation , which i am commanded to declare unto you ? 1 john 2. 1 , 2. if any man sin , wee have an advocate with the father , jesus christ the righteous ; and hee is the propitiation for our sins . 1 john 1. 9. if wee confess our sins , hee is faithful , to forgive us our sin , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness . isa . 55 , 6 , 7. seek the lord while hee may bee found , call upon him while hee is near : let the wicked forsake his way , and the unrighteous man his thoughts , and let him return unto the lord , and hee will have mercy upon him , and to our god , for hee will abundantly pardon . prov. 28. 13. hee that covereth his sin shall not prosper , but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy . gal. 6. 1. brethren , if a man bee overtaken in a fault , restore such a one in the spirit of meckness , considering thy self least thou also bee tempted . according to this word of grace * do loose the bonds here laid upon you , and receive you again into the communion of the church ] requiring them to receive you , and not upbraid you with your sin , but rejoyce in your recovery . and i do declare to you the pardon of all your sins in the blood of christ , if your repentance bee sincere . and i exhort & charge you , that you beleevingly and thankfully accept this great , unspeakable mercy , and that you watch more carefully for the time to come , and avoid temptations , and subdue the flesh , and accept reproofes , and see that you return not to your vomit , or to wallow again in the mire , when you are washed , but obey the spirit and keep close to god in the means of your preservation . a form of thanksgiving , and prayer , for the restored penitent . omost merciful father , wée thank thée , that thou hast brought us under so gracious a covenant , as not only to pardon the suis of our unregenerate state , but also upon our penitent confession , and return , to cleanse us , from all our unrighteousness , and pardon our falls by the blood of christ , and to restore our souls , and lead us again in the paths of righteousness , and command thy servants to receive us . wée thank thée that thou hast thus restored this thy servant , giving him repentance and remissian of sin * and returning him to the communion , of thy church ! wée beséech thée comfort him , with the beleeving apprehensions of thy forgiveness and reconciliation through jesus christ . restore unto him the joy of thy salvation , and uphold him by thy frée spirit , stablish , strengththen , settle him , that with full purpose of heart , he may cleave unto thée , and now thou hast spoken peace to him , hée may not return again to folly , as hée nameth the name of christ , let him depart from iniquity , and never more dishonour thée , thy church or truth , nor his holy profession , but save him from temptation , let him watch and stand fast , and sin no more , least worse befal him . let him not receive this grace in vain , nor turn it into wantonness , nor continue in sin , that grace may abound . but let this old man bée crucified with christ , and the body of sin be destroyed ; that henceforth hée may no more serve sin , remembring what fruit hée had in those things , whereof hée is now ashamed , and that the eud and waies of sin is death , and let us all take warning by the falls of others , and bee not high minded but fear ; and let him that thinketh hée standeth , take héed least hée fall . let us watch and pray that wee enter not into temptation remembring that the flesh is weak ; and our adversary the devil , walketh about séeking whom hée may devour . and let none of us hate our brother in our hearts , but in any wise rebuke our neighbour , and not suffer sin upon him , and confirm us unto the end , that wée may bée blameless , in the day of our lord jesus christ , to whom with thée , o father ! and thy holy spirit , bée kingdome , and power , and glory for ever . amen . appendix a larger letany , or general prayer , to bee used at discretion . o most holy , blessed , and glorious trinity , father son , and holy ghost , thrée persons , and one god , infinite in power , wisdome , and goodness , our creator , redeemer , and sanctifier ; our owner , governour , and father ; hear our prayers , and have mercy upon us , miserable sinners . o lord our saviour , whose jucarnation , nativity , subjection , fasting , temptation , poverty , reproaches , agony , and bloody sweat , scourging , desertion , crucifying , death , and burial , were all undergone to take away the sins of the world ? who being risen , ascended , and glorified , art the great priest , and prophet , and king of thy universal church , for which thou makest intercession , which thou doest gather , teach , and guide by thy spirit , word , and ministers , which thou dost justifie and wilt glorifie with thyself , who wilt come again , and raise the dead , and judge the world in righteousness ; wée beséech thée hear us miserable sinners : cast us not out that come unto thée : make sure to us our calling , and election , our unfeigned faith and repentance , that being justified , and made the sons of god , wee may have peace with him as our reconciled god and father . let our hearts bee right with thee our god , and stedfast in thy covenant , cause us to deny our selves , and give up our selves entirely unto thee , our creatour , redeemer , and sanctifier , as being not our own but thine . let thy holy spirit dwell in us , and sanctifie us throughout , that wee may bee new creatures , and holy as thou art holy , let it bee in us the spirit of adoption , and supplication , and the seal and earnest of our glorious inheritance , and let us know that wee are thine , and thou abidest in us by the spirit which thou hast given us . as thy name o lord is holy , and thy glory covereth the heavens , so let the earth bee filled with thy praises : let our souls ever magnifie thee , o lord , and our tongues extoll thée . let us speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty , of thy greatness , thy power , thy glorious kingdome , thy wisdome , holiness , truth and righteousness , thy goodness , thy mercy , and thy wonderous works ? let all flesh , bless thy holy name . let the desire of our souls bee to thy name : cause us to love thee with all our hearts , to fear thee , trust in thee , and to delight in thee , and bee satisfied in thee as our portion , and what ever wee do , to do it to thy glory . kéep us from inordinate self love , from pride , and vain glory , and self séeking , and from dishonouring thée , thy word , or service in the world. let the world acknowledge thee , the universal king. give thy son the heathen for his inheritance , and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession : let the kingdomes of the world become his kingdomes : convert the atheistical , idolatrous , infidel , mahomitan , and ungodly nations of thè earth , that every knée may bow to christ , and every tongue confess him , the king of kings , and lord of lords ; to the glory of god the father . let the word of thy kingdome and salvation be preached to all the world , let it have frée course and be glorified ; and by the power of thy spirit , convert many unto christ , and let him be thy salvation to the ends of the earth . send forth more labourers into the harvest , which is great , and fit them for so great a work ; and deliver them from unreasonable and wicked men , that ( to fill up their sins ) forbid them to speak to the people , that they might be saved . deliver the churches that are oppressed by idolaters , mahomitans , or other infidels and enemies . give all thy servants , prudence , patience and innocency , that suffering as christians , and not as evil-doers , they may not be ashamed , but may glorifie thée , and wait for thy salvation , committing the kéeping of their souls unto thée , in hope of a reward in heaven . deliver the church from the roman papal usurpations and corruptions , dispel the deceits of heresies , and false worship , by the light of thy prevailing truth ; unite all christians in christ jesus , the true and onely universal head : that by the true christian catholick faith and love , they may grow up in him , and may kéep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace ; the strong receiving and bearing the infirmities of the weak ; heal the divisions that are among beléevers ; let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory , but in lowliness of mind ; let each estéem other better than himself , and let all men know that wée are christs disciples , by our fervent love to one another . let us be heartily and entirely thy subjects , beléeving that thou art just , and the rewarder of them that diligently séek thée , kéep us from atheism , idolatry , and disobedience , from infidelity , ungodliness , and sensuality , from security , presumption and despair . let us study to please thée in all things : let thy law bée written in our hearts , and let us delight to do thy will ; let our faith and lives be ruled by thy word , which is able to make us wise unto salvation ; let us love it , search it , and understand it , and meditate in it day and night . let us not please our selves or other men against thee , nor be led by the wisdome or desires of the world and flesh , nor regard lying vanities , nor through carelesness , rashness , or presumption , offend thée . as all nations must be judged by thée ; let them be ruled by thy laws , and not make them void by mens traditions , nor worship thée in vain , teaching for doctrine the commandments of men . but what ever thou commandest , let them take héed to do it ! let them add nothing thereto , nor take ought therefrom . let us not take thy holy name in vain , but use it in truth and reverence . kéep us from all blasphemy , perjury , prophane swearing , from lying before the god of truth , and from contempt and forgetfulness of thy presence , from false , unworthy , unreverent thoughts or spéeches of god , and holy things , and from neglecting , or abusing thy holy word and worship . help us to kéep holy thy day , in remembrance of the blessed work of our redemption , and reverently to attend thée in publick worship ; and obediently to receive thy word , and fervently to call upon thy name ; and to delight our selves in thanksgiving , and joyful praises to thy holiness in the communion of thy saints ; and let us carefully sée that our housholds , and all within our gates do serve thée , and not abuse thy holy day . have mercy on the kings and rulers of the earth , that they may escape the temptations of worldly greatness , honours , and prosperity , which would captivate them to the flesh , and draw their hearts from thée , thy laws and waies , and would engage them against thée , and thy servants ; and as they are thy ministers , and magistracy is thine ordinance , sanctifie and dispose them to be nursing fathers to thy church , to own thy interest , and rule for thée . especially have mercy on thy servant charls our king , illuminate and sanctifie him by thy holy spirit , that above all things hée may séek thy glory , the increase of faith and obedience to thy laws , and may rule us as being thy minister for good , not to be a terrour to good works , but to evil ; that under him wée may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty . have mercy upon all the royal family , the lords of the counsel , and all the nobility , the judges and magistrates of these lands . cause them to fear thee , and to be eminent in sobriety , righteousness and godliness , to protect the innocent , and be a terrour to the wicked , hating injustice , covetousness and pride . let every soul be subject to the higher powers , and not resist . let them obey the king , and all that are in authority under him , not onely for wrath , but for conscience sake , as knowing , that they rule by thée , and for thée . give all the churches able , holy , faithful pastors , and cause them laboriously to preach , and rightly to divide the word of truth , to féed thy people with knowledge , and lead them in the way of faith and love , of holiness and peace , and to watch for their souls as those that must give account ; over-seeing and ruling them , not by constraint , but willingly , not for filthy lucre , but of a ready mind , not as being lords over thy heritage , but as the servants of all , and ensamples to the flock : that when the chief pastor shall appear , they may receive a crown of glory . let the congregations know those that have the ruling of them , and are over them in the lord , that labour among them , preaching to them the word of god. let them submissively , and obediently hear and esteem them very highly in love for their works sake , and account them worthy of double honour . let parents bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the lord , diligently teaching them thy word , talking of it when they are in their house , and when they walk by the way , when they lye down , and when they rise up , that they may know their creator . redeemer , and sanctifier in the daies of their youth : and cause children to hear , love , honour , and obey their parents , that they may have the blessing of thine especial promise unto such . let husbands love their wives , and prudently guide them in knowledge and holiness ; and let wives love , honour , and obey their husbands , as méet helpers to them . let masters rule their servants in holiness , and mercy , remembring they have a master in heaven , and let servants reverently , singly , and willingly bée obedient , and do service to their masters . as to the lord ; from him expecting their reward . kéep us from murder , uiolence and all injury to our neighbours life , or health , from malice , cursing , reviling , and unadvised anger : let us not resist evil with evil , but forbear one another , and not give place to wrath . kéep us from adultery , fornication and all uncleanness , and the occasions and appearances thereof . let us take care as becometh saints , that they bée not immodestly named among us ; and that no corrupt communication , procéed out of our mouths , kéep us from chambering and wantonness , from lustfull thoughts , and all immodest attire , behaviour , looks , and actions . kéep us from theft , and oppression , and any way wronging our nieghbour in his propriety and estate . kéep us from false witness-bearing , lying , and deceiving from slandering , backbiting , unjust , uncharitable censuring or reproaching , from all perverting of justice , and wronging the reputation of our neighbour , and from all consent or desire of such wrongs , kéep us from envy , and from coveting any thing that is our neighbours , to his wrong , and from séeking our own , or drawing to our selves , to the injury of his welfare ; but let us love our neighbours , as our selves , and do to others as wée would they should do to us . teach us to love christ and his holy image in his members , with a dear and special love , and to love our enemies , and pray for them that hate and persecute us , and to do good to all as wée are able , but especially to them of the houshold of faith . cause us with patience to submit to all the disposals of thy will , and wait thy end , and to love the demonstrations of thy holiness , and iustice though grievous to the flesh , and kéep us from impatient murmurings , and discontent , and arrogant reasoning against thy will. give us our daily bread , our necessary sustentation , and provision for thy service , and let us use it for thée , and not to satisfie the flesh ; let us depend on thée , and trust thée for it in the lawful use of means ; and bless thou our labours , and give us the fruits of the earth in season , and such temperate weather as tendeth thereunto . deliver us and all thy servants from such wants , distresses , griefes , and sicknesses , as will unseasonably take us off thy service , and from untimely death : and teach us to value and redéem our time , and work while it is day . kéep us from gluttony , drunkenness , and all intemperance ; from sloth and idleness , from inordinate desires of pleasures , or abundance ; but having food , and rayment let us bée therewith contented . of thy abundant mercy , through the sacrifice and merits of thy son according to thy promise , forgive us all our sins , and save us from thy deserved wrath , and condemnation . remember not o lord our offences , nor the offences of our fore-fathers , but though our iniquities testifie against us ; spare us and save us for thy mercy sake ▪ o let not our sin deprive us of thy spirit , or of access unto thée , or communion with thée , or of thy favour or comfort , or the light of thy countenance , or of everlasting life . cause us to forgive from our hearts , the injuries done against us , as wée expect to bée forgiven by thée the greatest debt . kéep us from all revengfull desires and attempts . and do thou convert and pardon our enemies , slanderers , oppressors , persecutors and others that have done us wrong . keep us from running upon temptations , suffer not the tempter by subtilty or importunity to corrupt our judgements , wills , affections , or conversations . cause us to maintain a diligent and constant watch over our thoughts and hearts our senses and appetites , our words and actions , and as faithful souldiers by the conduct , and strength of the captain of our salvation with the whole armour of god , to resist and overcome the world , the devil , and the flesh unto the end. save us from the temptations of prosperity , and adversity , let us not bée drawn from thée to sin by the pleasures , profits or honours , of the world , strengthen us for sufferings , let us not forsake thee or fall in time of tryal , help us to deny our selves , and take up our cross and follow christ , accounting the sufferings of this present time , unworthy to bée compared with the glory to bée revealed . deliver us from the enmity and rage of satan , and his instruments and give not up thy servants , their souls or bodies ; their peace or liberties , estates or names to their malicious wills : but save us and preserve us to thy heavenly kingdome . wée ask all this of thée , o lord ! for thou art the universal king , holy and just , to whom it belongeth in righteousness to judge the world , and save thy people ; all power is thine to execute wrath upon thine enemies , and to deliver and glorifie thy flock ; and none is able to resist thée : of thée and through thée , and to thée , are all things , and the glory shall bée thine , for ever . amen . the churches praise , for our redemption , to bee used at discretion . our souls do magnifie thée o lord ! our spirits rejoyce in god our saviour , who remembred us in our low , and lost estates , for his mercy endureth for ever . by one man sin entred into the world , and death by sin : wée kept not the covenant of god , and refused to walk in his law : for all have sinned and come short of the glory of god , and judgement came upon all men to condemnation . but blessed bée the lord god of israel , that hath visited and redéemed his people , and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us in the house of his servant david : as hée spake by the mouth of his holy prophets : which have béen since the world began : a uirgin hath conceived and brought forth : the holy ghost did come upon her ; the power of the highest did over-shadow her , therefore the holy one that is born of her , is called ; the son of god : his name is called jesus , for hée saveth his people from their sins : to us is born a saviour , which is christ the lord. hée is the image of the invisible god : the first born of every creature , for by him all things are created that are in heaven and in earth , visible and invisible ; whether thrones or dominions , or principalities or powers ; all things were created by him and for him , and hée is before all things , and by him all things do consist . hée is the power of god , and the wisdome of god : the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world ; the word was made flesh , and dwelt among us , and men beheld his glory , as the glory of the onely begotten of the father , full of grace and truth : for it pleased the father that in him should all fulness dwell . when the fulness of time was come , god sent his son made of a woman , made under the law , to redéem them that are under the law. this is the beloved son , in whom the father is well pleased . for such a high priest became us , who is holy , harmless , undefiled , separate from sinners , hée did no sin , neither was there any guile found in his mouth , when hée was reviled , hée reviled not again , leaving us an ensample ; who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the trée . for god layed on him the iniquity of us all , and by his stripes wée are healed . when wée were without strength , in due time christ died for the ungodly , the just for the unjust , in this was manifest the love of god towards us , that god sent his only begotten son into the world , that wée might live by him . forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood , hée himself likewise took part with them , that hée might destroy through death , him that had the power of death , that is the devil , and might deliver them , who through fear of death , were all their life time subject to bondage . having spoiled principalities and powers , hée made shew of them openly triumphing over them in his cross . hée was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures . for god raised him having loosed the pains of death , because it was not possible that hée should bée holden of it , hée hath abolished death , and brought life and immortality to light by the gospel . o death ! where is thy sting ; o grave ! where is thy uictory . all power is given him in heaven and earth ; when hée asscended up on high , hée led captivity captive , and gave gifts to men : and hee gave some apostles , and some prophets , and some evangelists , and some pastors , and some teachers , for the perfecting of the saints , for the work of the ministry , for the edifying of the body of christ , till wee all come in the unity of the faith of the knowledge of the son of god , to a perfect man ; hee is set at gods right hand in the celestials , far above all principalities , and powers , and might , and dominion , and every name that is named , not only in this world , but in that to come : god hath put all things under his feet , and gave him to bee head over all things , to the church which is his body , the fulness of him that filleth all in all . without controversie great is the mystery of godliness ; god manifested in the flesh , justified in the spirit , seen of angels , preached to the gentiles , beleeved on in the world , received up into glory . this is the record , that god hath given us eternal life , and this life is in his son ; hee that hath the son hath life , and hee that hath not the son hath not life . hee was in the world , and the world was made by him , and the world knew him not ; hee came to his own and his own received him not ; this is the condemnation that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather than light , because their deeds are evil. but as many as receive him , to them gives hee power to become the sons of god , even to them that beleeve in his name ; there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in christ jesus , who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit . he forgiveth our iniquities , and will remember our sins no more ; who shall lay any thing to charge of gods elect ? it is god that justifieth , who is hee that condemneth ? it is christ that died ; yea , rather that is risen again , who is even at the right hand of god ; who also maketh intercession for us . who gave himself for us , that hee might redéem us from all iniquity ; & purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works . if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his . hee that nameth the name of christ must depart from iniquity . if wee regard iniquity in our hearts , god will not hear our prayers . but wee are washed , wee are sanctified , wee are justified in the name of the lord jesus and by the spirit of our god. not by works of righteousness which wee have done , but according to his mercy hee saved us by the washing of regeneration , and renewing of the holy ghost . and being justified by faith , wee have peace with god through our lord jesus christ ; by whom also wee have access by faith into this grace wherein wee stand , and rejoyce in hope of the glory of god ; and hope maketh not ashamed , because the love of god is shed abroad in our hearts , by the holy ghost which is given to us . for if when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to god by the death of his son , much more being reconciled , wee shall bee saved by his life ? hee that spared not his own son , but gave him up for us all , how shall hee not with him also freely give us all things ? hee that is gone to prepare a place for us , will come again and receive us to himself , that where hee is , there wee may bee also . it is his will that they that , the father hath given him bee with him where hee is , that they may behold the glory that is given him , because hee liveth wee shall live also ; for wee are dead , and our life is hid with christ in god : when christ who is our life , shall appear , then shall wee also appear with him in glory ; when hee shall come to bee glorified in his saints , and to bee admired in all them that do beleeve . then shall men discern between the righteous and the wicked , between those that serve god , and those that serve him not . then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdome of their father , hee that overcometh shall inherit all things . hee shall enter into the joy of his lord : hee shall bee a pillar in the temple of god ; and shall go out no more . christ will grant him to fit with him in his throne , even as hee overcame , and is set down with his father in his throne , hee will rejoyce ever as with joy , hee will test in his love : even in the holy city , the new jerusalem , prepared as a bride adorned for her 〈◊〉 , where the tabernacle of god will bee with men , and hee will dwell with them , and they shall bee his people , and god himself shall bee with them , their god , and shall wipe away all tears from their eyes , and there shall bee no more death , nor sorrow , nor crying , nor pain , for the former things are passed away . and the city needeth not the sun , or the moon to shine in it , for the glory of god doth lighten it , and the lamb is the light thereof . the throne of god and of the lamb shall bee in it , and his servants shall serve him , and shall see his face , who is the blessed and only potentate the king of kings , and lord of lords ; of him , through him , and to him are all things : to him bee glory for ever . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26983-e1610 1 tim. 1. 17. psal . 147. 5. mat. 19. 17. 1 tim. 6. 16. dan. 7. 10. isa . 57. 15. psal . 149. 4. heb. 10. 19 , 20. isa . 55. 6. psa . 95. 6. 1 , 2. & 99. 5. & 51. 1 , 17. & 89. 7. jer. 32. 40. heb. 12. 28. 1 thes . 5. 23. levit. 10. 3. zech. 12. 10. rom. 8. 26. jam. 5. 16. & 1. 6. isa . 26. 8. matth. 15. 18. joh. 4. 23 , 24. 1 thes . 2. 13. act. 16. 14. mark 4. 12. phil. 1. 29. prov. 1. 24 , 25. eccles . 5. 1. joh. 6. 45. heb. 4. 12 , 13. 2 cor. 10. 4 , 6. psal . 69. 30. psal . 106. 46. psal . 9. 14. psal . 105. 3. psal . 51. 15. psal . 19. 14. heb. 13. 21. isa . 66. 1. psa . 111. 9. luke 2. 13. psa . 103. 20. heb. 1. 6. psa . 149. 1. lev. 10. 3. gen 18 27. 2 tim. 2. 5. dan. 9. 18. hos . 14. 2. rom. 8. 26. heb. 12. 28. 〈◊〉 thes . 2. 10. luke 19. 48. isa . 1. 19. 2 cor. 2. 16. james 5 16. psal . 63. 5. 1 cor. 7. 35. psal . 84. 10. & 73. 28. gen. 1. 27. rom. 5. 12. rom. 3. 23. joh. 3. 16. 18 19 20. gal. 3. 13. joh. 3. 5. 6. mat. 18. 3. eze. 33. 11. luk. 15. 10 18 , 19. psal . 5. 5. rom. 6. 23. ephes . 1. 6. 12. john 4. 42. rom. 3. 25. ephes . 1. 5. luk. 24. 47. act. 5. 37. prov. 28. 13. rev. 3. 17. psal . 51. 5. ephes . 2. 3. isa . 48. 8. isa . 53. 6. psal . 100. 3. 1 corinth . 6. 20. 2 cor. 8. 5. 1 cor. 10. 31. & 7. 32. 1 thes . 4. 1. 1 joh. 3. 22. rom. 2. 23. 1 chron. 21. 7. phil. 2. 21. luke 18. 14. rom. 15. 1. psal . 47. 7. rom. 7. 12. dan. 9. 9. 10. tit. 1. 7 , 10. rom 8. 5. & 13. 14. & 4 20. psal . 78. 7. 22. isa . 51. 7 , 8. luke 12. 4 , 5. psal . 100. 5. 1 joh. 4. 16. psal . 16. 5. mat. 22. 37. psal . 37. 4. 1. john 2. 15 2 tim. 5. 7. joh. 6. 27. luke 10. 21 , 22. mat. 25. 26. rom. 12. 11. eph. 6. 11 , 13 , 14. mark 8. 38. 2 tim. 1. 8. ephes . 5. 16 rom. 12. 11 9. act. 11. 23. 2 pet. 1. 10. luke 1. 71. heb. 12. 28. psal . 111. 9. 2 tim. 2. 1. 9. phil. 3. 3. psal . 29. 2. rev. 1. 10. rom. ●3 . 37. tit. 3. 1. ephes . 6. mat. 29. 39. & 7. 12. 1 cor. 10. 24. ephes . 4. 2. 32. mat. 5. 44. heb. 12. 14. gal. 6. 10. psal . 19. 12 , 13. rom. 2. 4. psal . 51. 4. rom. 2. 15. psal . 78. 32 , 37 , 4● . luke 12. 35 , 36 , 4● . rom. 5. 6 , 8 , 10. luke 14. 17. & 8 , 1. act. 13. 26. rev. 22. 17. 1 joh. 5. 11 , 12. matth. 22. 5. heb. 2. 3. psal . 119. 60. john 12. 48. heb. 12. 25. act. 7. 51. 2 tim. 3. 8. luk. 15. 18. numb . 16. 38. rom. 1. 18. ephes . 5. 6. dan. 9. 7 , 8. psal . 51. 1. psal . 41. 1. & 143. 2. psal . 51. 9 , 11. lev. 26. 25. rev. 1. 5. joh. 1. 29. ephes . 1. 6. mat. 12. 18. gal. 3. 13. isa . 53. 5. psa . 85. 4. & 67. 1. act 11. 18. ezek. 20. 43. psa . 51. 17. ezek. 36. 26. gal. 4. 6. 2 co● . 6. 16. jer. 13. 13. ezek. 11. 20. psal . 119. 18. ephes . 3. 18. mat. 13. 11. eph. 1. 18. rom. 2. 18. 2 tim. 2. 26. psal 119. 104. rom. 5. 5. & 8. 35 , 39. jer. 32. 40. mat. 6. 33. col. 3. 1. matth. 6. 20 , 21. phil. 3. 20. coloss . 3. 5. gal. 6. 14. rom. 1. 17. heb. 11. 1. 1 cor. 4. 1 pet. 3. 11. luke 13. 14. 1 cor. 9. 24. 1 pet. 4. 2. col. 1. 10. 2 cor 5. 9. john 6. 38. psal . 40. 8. psal . 1. 2. tit. 2. 12. 1 pet. 1. 14 , 15. 1 pet. 1. 2● . ephes . 4. 2 , 32. james 3. 17. psal . 15. 4. ephes . 5. 15. phil. 1. 10. titus 2. 14. mat. 5. 44. rom. 12. 19. luke 21. 19. mark 8. 34. heb. 11. 26. rom. 8. 17. rev. 2. 10 , 11. hab. 1. 13. jud. 15. luk. 13. 3. mar. 16 16. psa . 51. 5. eph. 2. 3 ▪ rom. 3. 23. ez● . 20. 37. mat. 28 19. ecc. 12. 1. deut. 11. 1. col. 1. 10. 1 cor. 10. 31. gen. 5 22. 2 cor. 5. 7. phi. 3. 20. rom. 12. 11. deut. 6. 5. eph. 2. 3. rom. 8. 7. exod. 20. 4 , 7 , 8 , 11 , 12 , &c. 2 per. 2. 9. rom. 13. 8. 9. mat. 7. 12. mat. 6. 33. 1 tim. 6. 8. luk. 10. 41 , 42. rom. 5 8. luk. 24. 47. rom. 3. 25. mat 22. 4 , 5. heb. 2. 3. act. 7. 51. p 〈◊〉 . 1. 23. jam. 47. 1 p●t . 5. 9. psa . 51. 4. psa . 19. 12 , 13 isa . 59. 12. psa . 103 10. & 50. 11. mar. 9. 44 psa . 52. 8 eph. 1. 12 , 13. psa . 71. 5. & 78. 7. & 119. 81. & . 51. 1. 2 cor. 5. 18 , 19. 1 joh. 1. 7. gal. 4 : 6. 1 thes . 5. 23. rom. 5. 5. deut. 30. 6 psa . 31. 16 mat. 1. 21. 1 thes . 1. 10. t●t . 2. 14. col. 1. 10. 1 pet. 2. 9. ephes . 5. 16. 2 pet. 1. 10. mat. 6. 11. 1 tim. 6. 4. heb. 13. 5. mat. 6. 25. &c. 2 pet. 3. 1● . mat. 26. 41. james 4. 8. gal. 5. 17. 1 john 5. 4 , 5. revel . 2. 17 , &c. 2 pet. 2. 19 , luke 1. 17. psal . 73. 24. 2 chron. 30. 9. 1 john 2. 2. acts 13. 38 , 39. rom. 5. 20. 21. 1 joh. 1. 7. 8 , 9. mat. 11. 28 , 29 , 30. rev. 22. 17. joh. 6. 27. heb. 8. 12. rom. 8. 9. 2 cor. 5. 17 rom. 8. 1. 5. 6. 〈◊〉 8. 13. gal. 5. 1● . 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. rom. 13. 13. 14. 1 joh. 2. 15. 16. mat. 7. 13. 14. tit. 2. 11. 12. 13. 14. psa . 1. 1. 2. 5. heb. 〈◊〉 . 28. 29. 2 pet. 3. ●1 . 12. 2 cor. 15. 58. luk. 4. 16 , 17. 18. act. 13 27. & 15. 24. neh. 8. 4. 6. & 9. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. 10 38. act. 12. 12. 1 tim. 4. 5. act. 1. 14. & 16. 13 16. 1 tim. 2. 8. 1 cor. 14 , 15 , 16. luk. 4. 16 , 18. neh. 8. 8. act. 20. 7 , 9. 2 tim. 4. 1 , 2. act. 4. 20. 2 cor. 4. 13. joh. ●6 . 29. 1 cor. 2. 7. 13. mat. 7. 29. t●… 2. 15. mar. 21. 45. mar. 12. 12 , 13 , 17. eph. 6. 19 , 20. jude 22. 23. act. 18. 25. 2 tim. 2. 24. 25. 1 tim. 5. 17. act. 2● 36. psa . 2. rev. 11. 15. 1 tim. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. 2 thes . 3. 1 , 2. & 2. ● 1 thes . 2. 16. rev. 18. 19. mat. 6. 9. &c & 9. 37 , 38. 1 tim. 2. 2. eph. 6. 19. 1 thes . 5. 25. joh. 17. 20. 1 sam. 12. 2● 2 cor. 4. 5. phi. 1. 15. 16. jam 3. 1. 15 , 16 , 17. luk. 9. 55. cor. 14. 26. 2 cor. 10. ● . psa . 92. 1. rev. 1. 10 act. 20. 7. col. 3. 16 , 17. psal . 118. 1 cor. 4. 1 , 2. 1 tim. 3. 5. & 3. 15. 2 tim. 2. 2 , 15. act. 20. 7 , 9. luke 11. 28. levit. 6. 24 , 25 , 26. 2 cor. 13. 14. p●or . 8. 15. dan. 4. 32. heb. 2. 9. psal . 65. 11. & 90. 14. & 65. 4. & 60. 5. & 80. 13. & 59. 1. & 61. 6. isa . 45. 1● . mat. 〈◊〉 . 3. isa . 59. 8. & 11. 2. 1 k●n. 1. 3 , 7 , 9. josh . 1. 8. z●oh . 12. 8. 2 sam. 14. 17. psal . 15. 4. & 101. 6. pro. 25. 5. 1 tim. 2. 2. 2 tim. 〈◊〉 . 7 , 8. rev. 21. 5. zec● 8. 13. isa . 60. 15. jam. 3. 17. 2 sam. 23. 3. joh. 7. 27. 2 chron. 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 . amos 5. 24. rom. 13. 1 , 2 , 3. rev. 11. 15. psal . 68. 18. jer. 31. 23. matth. 6. 13. mat. 28. 19. john 5. 7. 1 co. 8. 4. 6. 1 tim. 1. 17. mal. 1. 10. he● . 1. 2 , 3 , 5 , 8. 1 pet. 2. 8. psal . 22. 28. 1 cor. 12. 4 , 5 , 6. 〈◊〉 . 10● . 19. l●k . 11. 2. act. 7. 59. heb. 2. 14. 9. 1 cor. 15. 4. 1 tim. 3. 6. john 1. 29. ephes . 1. 20 , 22. rom. 8. 30. 33 , 34. eph. 5. 1 thes . 4. 16 , 17. 2 pet. 1. 10. 2 tim. 1. 5. rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 10. 2 cor. 6. 18. gal. 4. 6. 1 pet. 1. 2. rom. 8. 11. mat. 8. 34 , 35. 2 cor. 8. 5. 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. rev. 4. 11. joh : 1● . 28. mat. 5. 16. psal . 22. 23 , 27 , 28. 2 tim. 3. 2. mat. 7. 22. gal. 5. 26. gal. 2. 19. ps . 2. & 47. 7. rev. 11. 15. 2 tim. 2. 26. act. 26. 18. rom. 11. 25. mat. 9. 38. & 24. 14. 2 thes . 3. 1 , 2. rev. 〈◊〉 . 3 , 19. & 3. 10. luke 18. 7. rev. ●8 . & 19. eph. 4. 3 , 5 , 13 , 15 , 16. tites 3. 10. 2 cor. 2. 17. 1 ●o . 1. 10. rom. 14. 1. & 15. 1. 3 john 9. rom. 1. 31. luk. 9. 55. psal . 77. 10. phil. 〈◊〉 . 3. psa . 14. eph. 2. 3. 12. 2 tim. 3. 2 , 3 , 4. 1 cor. 6. 9. 2 ●e . 2. 10. rom. 8. 24. psa . 40. 8. & 1. 2. isa . 8. 20. psa . 119. 97. 27. mat. 15. 9. exod. 20. 4 , 7 , 8. mark 7. 21 , 22. jam. 5. 12. eccl. 5. 1 , 6. ezek. 22. 26. neh. 13. 17. rev. 1. 10. pro. 21. 1. psa . 2. 10 , 11 , 12. isa . 49. 23. 2 chro. 19. 6. rom. 1. 11. 1 tim. 6. 9. mat. 21. 44. john 11. 48. psa . 〈◊〉 . 2 , 3 , 4. 1 tim. 〈◊〉 . 2. psal . 5● . 1. 2 chron. 1. 10. & 29. 3. & 15. 12 , 13. rom. 13. 3 , 4. 1 pet. 2. 14. 1 tim. 2. 2. psal . 72. 1. p●ov . 8. 16. exod. 18. 21. job 29. isa . 1. 17. 23. psal . 15. 4. rom. 13. 1 , 2 , 5. 1 tim. 2. 2. 1 pet. 2. 13. 2 cor. 3. 6. jer. 3. 15. 2 tim. 4. 2. eph. 4. 11. 13. jam. 3. 17. ezek. 34. 1 pet. 5. 1 2 , 3 , 4. mat. 20. 25 , 26. 27. heb. 13. 17. 7. 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. 1 tim. 5. 17. eph. 6. 4. eccl. 12. 1. exo. 20. 12. ep● . 6. 1 2. & 5. 25. 22. 1 pet. 3 7. 1. col. 4. 1. & 3. 22 , 23 , 24. 1 joh. 3. 15. luk. 3 14. 2 cor. 7. 2. pro. 29. 22. mat. 5 22. mat. 5. 27 , 38. ●or . 6 9. rom. 13. 13. eph. 5. 3 , 4. 12. eph. 4. 28. 1 thes . 4. 〈◊〉 . psa . 82. 2. pro. 19. 5. & 10. 18 psa . 15. 3. mat. 7. ●●2 . exo. 20. 17 mat. 22 39. mat. 7. 12. mat. 25. 40. 1 pet. 1. 22. mat. 5. 4● . gal. 6. 10 luk. 11. 3. 1 tim. 6. 8. deut 28. 3 , 4. psa . 112. & 128. deut. 11 14. phi 2. 27. rom. 13. 13 , 14. & 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 mar. 8. 36. 1 joh. 2. 1 , 2. gal. 6. 1 jam. 5. 19 , 20. eze. 6. 9. eph. 1. 6●… heb. 7 25. mat , 6. 12 14 , 15 & 5. 44. luk. 23. 34. mat. 26. 41. jam. 4. 〈◊〉 7. 1 〈◊〉 . 2. 13. & 5. 4 rom 8. 13. gal. 5. 17. 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 16. ●7 . 2 〈◊〉 . 2. 18. rom 8. 17. 1 pet. 5. 8 psa . 140. 1 , 2 , 3 , 1 tim. 4 ●8 . 〈◊〉 tim. 〈◊〉 . 17. m●t. 〈◊〉 . 13. rom. 1● . 36. psa 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. 6. psal . 116. 17. co● 9. 15. ●sa . 109 22. 2 cor 1. 3. ●s 86. 15. exo. 34 6 , 7. isa . 43. 7 rev. 4. 11. gen. 1. 27. psa 8 〈◊〉 6 d●… . 31. ●6 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ●sa 〈◊〉 . 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 14 g●… . 4. ●4 ioh. 3 16. h●b 2. 16. ioh. 1. 14 〈◊〉 . 3. 〈◊〉 1 tim. 3. 16. 1 pet. 1. 12. heb. 2. 〈◊〉 . mat 〈◊〉 2 co● . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 . m●● . 〈…〉 1. 〈…〉 2. 23. 〈◊〉 ●2 . 2. h●… . 6. 〈…〉 15. 3. rom. 〈◊〉 5. heb. 2. 14. gal. 3. 13. mat. 11. 28. rev. 22. 14. eph. 1. 22. psa . 2. 8 phil. 2. 9. mat 28 19. ioh. 5. 22. heb. 8 6. 2 pet. 1. 4. 1 ioh. 5. 11. 2. pet 1. ●9 . psa . 119. 130. eph. 2 20 2 cor. 5. 19. 20. act. 26 17 , 18 tit 3. 3 , 4 , 5 〈◊〉 2 tim. 2 25. eph 4. 18. joh. 12. 40 1 tim. 4. 〈◊〉 psa . 81 11 , 12 joh 5. 4. luk. 19. ●7 . 1 pet. 3. 20. rom. 10. 21 heb. 12. 25. ezek. 33. 11. pro. 1. 22 , 23. ioh. 6 44. act. 16. 14. 1 ioh. 4 19. rom. 10. 20. amos 5. 12. rom. 5. 1. act. ●1 . 18. rom. 8. 14 , 15 , 16. 17. eph. 5. 30. gal. 46. eph. 2. 19. 1 pet. 1. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 rom 8 28. eph. 3. 12. heb. 4. 16. psa . 50. 15. 1 tim. 2. 8. m●t 21. 13. ps● . 89. 7. & 28. 6. & 31. 22. psa . 86 〈◊〉 . psal . 57. 3 & 31. 20. & 32. 7. & 31. 33. & 103 10. & 30. 5. hab. 3. 2. psal . 32. 6. psal . 25. 10. psal 5. 7. psal . 107. 1. psal 105. 3. psal . 89. 15. 16 psal . 84 4. psal . 90 14. psal . 73. 24. iohn 17. 24. rev. 22. 4. psal . 103 1 , 2. 3 , 4. 12. 1 joh 3. 1. psal . 63. 3 , 4. psal . 7● . 25. 26 , 27. 23. psal . 94. 19 psal . 73 , 24. psal . 36. 7 , 8. 9. psal . 16 9. 11. psa . 23. 6 , psal . 36. 10. psa . 20. 12. luk. 2. 14. psal 149. 1 , 4 , 5 , 6. psa 145. 10. 11 12 , 13. rev 4 8. 11. & 15. 3 , 4. & 5 11. 13. 9. 10. psa . 107. 8. 21 2● . psal . 96. 2. psal . 29. 2. psal . 96. 9 , 11. 13. psal . 103. 20. 22. psal . 145. 21. psal . 150. 6. notes for div a26983-e5590 mal. 4 〈◊〉 . heb 12. 29. 1 sa● . 6. 20. mal. 3. 2. isa . 4. luk. 19. ●0 . eph. 2. 5 luk. 15. 32. eze. 16. 6 , 8 , 9. col. 1. 13. jer. 6. 28. deut. 4. 23. deut. 6. 5 , 6. & 11 , 22. psa . 100. 3. 4. heb. 12. 25. deut. 9 12. & 32. 5. 2 tim. 3. 2. 1 joh. 2. 15. eph. 2. 3. gal. 5. 24. mat 22. 37 , 40. luk. 10. 42. mat. 25. 30 rom. 2. 23. 1 cor. 10. 31. 1 thes . 4. 1. luk. 8. 1● . mat 24. 15. psa . 1. ● . deut 6. 6. phil. ● 6. 1 cor 11. 27 28. isa 64. 7. col. 27. act. 2. 42 , 45 , 46 , 47. 1 cor. 11. 29. mal 1. 7 , 10. 1● . & 2. 10. 1● . psal . 85. 8. gen. 4 16. psa 51. 11. 2 chron. 15. 2. mat. 22. 12. ma● . 7 25. mal. 1. 10. 1 pet. 2 24. isa . 53. 10. psal . 51. rev. 1. 5. hos . 14. 2. eze. 18. 38. heb. 8. 12 , eze. 33 11. hos 14. 4. psa . 35. 3. ioh 6. 37. hos. 14 2. mat. 22. 4. mat. 5. 6. joh. 6 , 55. & 4. 14. eph. 3. 18 , 19. 1 pet. 1. 8. mat. 15. 27. ioh. 6. 35. 51. psal . 85. 8. ephes . 4. 30. heb. 3. 13. col. 3. 5. ephes . 3. 16. psal . 119. 175. psa . 100 3. rev. 4. 11. 1 tim. 1. 17. psa . 51. 4. deut. 32. 6. 1 ioh. 3. 1. ioh. 3. 16. luk. 22. 20. heb. 9. 17. luk. 22. 19. 1 cor. 11. 23. 24. 25. 26. act. 7. 59 , 60. rev. 1. 5. 1 pet. 3. 18. luk. 22 , 19 , 20. 1 cor. 11. 26. heb. 7. 25 , 27. & 9. 26. john 4. 10. & 6. 63. rom. 8. 9. 11. heb. 2. 17. col. 2. 19. john 6. 27. mat. 26. 26. heb. 10. 10. john 1. 29. mat. 28. 19. joh. 15. 26. matth. 1. 20. 2 pet. 1. 21. act. 20. 23. rom. 8. 9. 1 cor. 12. 11. 1 pet. 1. 2. 15. & 2. 9. joh. 14. 16. ephes . 1. 17 , 18. luke 24. 31. ezek. 36. 26. zech. 12. 10. rom. 8. 5. joh. 6. 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57. rom. 5. 5. cant. 1. 4. ephes . 5. 18 , 20. rom. 14. 17. 1 thes . 4. 9. rom. 8. 16. 1 cor. 1. 8. ephes . 1. 13 , 14. 1 cor. 11. 24. mat. 26. 27 , 28. 1 cor. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . rom. 14. 1 cor. 1. 24. eph. 3. 10 rom. 3. 22. 26. tit. 3. 4. rom. 5. 6. act. 4. 12. 1 pet. 1. 12. luk. 2. 13 , 14. rev. 5. 12 , 13. 9. 10. rom. 5. 20. 1 pet. 1 , 19. mat. 18. 32. 33. rev. 3. 21. & 22. 4. rom. 8. 38 , 39. heb. 10. 23. 2 pet. 1. 4. heb. 9. 15. eph. 4. 30. luk. 7. 47. mat. 18. 33. 1 joh. 4. 11. ezr. 9. 13 , 14. psa . 44. 17. rom. 6. 1 , 2. col. 3. ● . phil. 3. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. psa . 143. 10. heb. 5. 9. psa . 119. 133. 2 cor. 5. 15. eph. 1. 11. mat. 5. 16. 2 cor. 1. 12. psa . 119. 5. luk. 22. 31. 1 pet. 5. 8 , 10 eph. 6 , 11. rom. 16. 20. 1 cor. 6. 20. rom. 12. 1. 2 tim. 2. 21 rom. 6. 22. notes for div a26983-e6800 rom. 5. 12. eph. 2. 3. joh. 3. 16. gen. 3. 15. joh. 4. 42. heb. 9. 26. rev. 1. 15. rom. 5. 10. tit. 3. 5. rom 16. 20. heb 8. 6. mat 28. 19 , 20. gen. 17. 10 , 11. ezek. 20 37. rom. 6. 3 , 4. tit. 3. 5. 1 cor. 12. 12. gen. 17. rom. 9. 8. act. 239. mat. 23. 37. deut. 39. 10 11 , 12. mat. 19. 13 , 14. 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13. rev. 1. 5. eph 5. 26. joh. 11. 52. heb. 2. 13. eph. 2. 19. & 3. 15. zech. 9. 11 , 15. 16. 1 pet 5. 7. 2 tim. 4. 18. rom. 5. 12 , 18. gal. 3. 13. 1 joh. 5. 11. act. 2. 39. 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13. psal . 44. 3 , 4. 2 cor. 8 5. psa . 119. 94. eph. 5. 24. mat. 22. 37. deut. 10 20 , 21. & 11. 22 & 30. psal . 16. 5 & 37. 4. tit. 1. 2. & tit. 2. 13. & 3. 7. 1 joh. 2. 5 , 6 , 17 gal. 5. 24. mat. 6. 13. psal 81. 12 jam. 1. 14 〈◊〉 . 1. 71 ▪ 1 cor. 10. 16. 1 joh. 1. 7. 〈◊〉 cor. 6 14 psa 1. 1 , 2. joh. 9 3● luk. 9. 23. 〈◊〉 . 2. 10. rev. 2. 10. notes for div a26983-e7630 see the rubrick for catechism , and confirmation in the common-prayer , and also his majesties declaration concerning ecclesiastical assa●●s . notes for div a26983-e7740 ●●n 2. 18. & 〈◊〉 . 28. mal 2. 15. 1 cor. 7. 14. 9. heb. 13. 4. luk. 1. 6. ephe. 5. 22 &c. mal 〈◊〉 . 15 , 16. p●al . 127. 3. mat. 19. 13 , 14. d●ut . 29. 11 , 12 ●zek . 16. 8. pro. 20. 7. eph. 6. 4. 1 pet. 3. 1 , 7. 1 tim. 3. 11. & 5. 13 , 14. 1 co● . 7. 5 , 29. gen. 2. 18. p●o. 5. 18. heb. 10. 26 1 cor. 7. 29. luk. 12. 40. 1 pet. 3. 7. rev. 19. 7. joh. 17. 24. if they bee young , it may ●ee said , bless them with ●hildren , and l●t them b●● de●…ed , &c. gen. 28. 3. tit. 1. 15. 1 tim. 4. 5. 1 cor. 10. 31. 1 thes . 3. 12. eph. 5. 25. gal. 5. 22. rom. 〈◊〉 . 1. 13. gal. 6. 〈◊〉 . notes for div a26983-e8350 num. 32. 23. luk. 23. 41. lam. 3. 22. ezra . 9. 13. lam. 3. 32. 33. isa . 57. 15 , 16 , 17. psal . 25. 18. & 6. 1. & 38. 9. & . 6. 2 , 3 , 5. & 78. 39. joh. 23. 25. psal . 25. 7 , 18. & 116. 3. isa . 38. 16 , 19. psal . 119. 175. luke 4. 39. isa . 38. 21. psa . 50. 15. job . 10. 2. psal . 139. 23. lam. 3. 40. psa . 119. 71. 67. isa . 27. 9. 1 cor. 11. 32. heb. 12. 11. lam. 3. 24 , 25 , 26. 27 , 31. psa . 30. 5. heb. 12. 6 , 7. isa . 38. 19 , 20. psa . 116. 9. 12. &c. psal . 30. 11. 12. 2 cor. 1. 9. & 4. 16. & 5. 8. heb. 10 38. 2 cor. 4. 14 , 18 17. phil. 3. 9. 1 cor. 10. 3. heb. 2. 14. 1 cor. 15. 55. rom. 8. 37. col. 3. 1. ioh. 29 17. & 14. 13. & 17. 26. & 17. 24. phil. 1. 2. psal . 16. 11. 1 tim. 2. 14. gen. 3. 16. 1 tim. 2. 15. psal . 46. 1. psa . 37. 3. ioh. 16. 12 d●… 28. 4. 2 col. 1. 10 , 11. 1 sam. 2. & 1. ●8 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 2. & 3 , 4. & 66. 10. & 30. 3. & 103. 3 , 4. ●sa . 38. 10 , 12. jer. 26. 3. 13. psal . 103. 5. isa . 38. 11. ●sa . 27. 13. psa . 3● . 4 , 5 , & 106. 23. & 32. 6 , 7. & , 73 , 26. & 73. 1. & 34 19. & 73. 19 , 23 psa . 60. 11. & 46 1. psa . 116. 1 , 12 , 18 , 13 , 14. isa . 38. 20. 1 cor. 6. 20. luke 2. 29. 1 cor. 1. 30. notes for div a26983-e8960 psa . 34. 3. 4. rev. 1. 18. 1 sam. 2. 6. psa . 113. 9. & 117 3. & 42. 4. & 100. 4. & 145. 9. 20 , 14. 19. deut. 28. 8. psa . 133. 3. isa . 44. 3. deut. 8. 11. 14. psal . 116. isa . 33. 20. mal. 2. 15. 1 cor. 7. 14. eph. 6. 4. deut 6. 6. prov. 3. 33. josh . 24. 15. zech. 14. 20 , 21 psa . 91. 4. 1 joh. 2. 15. phil. 3. 1. 18. 1 cor. 7. 31 , 29 , 30. psa . 23. 3 , 4 , 6. jude 24 , notes for div a26983-e9260 the sin may be named and aggravated when it is convenient . notes for div a26983-e9530 jos . 7. 19. pro. 28. 13. psal . 32. 5. exo. 10. 16. gal. 1. 13. 2 chro. 15. 2. gen. 4. 16. psa . 51. 11. mat. 27. 5. luk. 15. 21. mat. 22. 8. psal . 38 18. 4 & 40. 12. luk. 13. 13. 1 tim. 1. 1. heb. 9. 26. luk. 19. 10. rom. 5. 10. jam. 5. 16. psa . 51. 2 1. 9. heb. 8. 12. 〈◊〉 . 51. 11 , 27. & 9. & 103. 10. psal . 51. 10 , 12. 2 cor. 2 , 7 , 10. john 8. 11. mat. 13 37. psal . 73. 1 , 15 eccle. 8. 12. 2 chron. 20. 20. jam. 1. 13 , 14. psal . 5. 5. 1 joh. 3. 4. gal. 6. 1. * here the sin must bee named and aggravated , when by the pastor it is judged requisite . 1 cor. 10. 11. 12. 2 sam. 11. 2. gen. 3. 6. mat. 26. 41 75. heb. 12. 28. 1 cor. 9. 25 , 26 , 27. 2 chron. 25. 16. eph. 3. 16. john 5. 14. notes for div a26983-e9590 2 cor. 5. 11. mat. 3. 7. prov. ●9 . 1. 1 cor. 10. 22. luke 23. 24. act. 8. 22. 23. act. 11. 18. 2 tim. 2. 25 , 26. joh. 12. 40. ● tim. 4. 2. eph. 4. 19. psal . 81. 12. rom. 2. 4 , & 5 , 6. 8 , 9. 2 , 3. deut. 29. 19. 20 21. mark 9. 44. math. 1. 21. deut 9. 17. 2 cor. 6. 2. luk. 19. 41. 42. prov. 28. 14. act. 9 5. isa . 45. 9. joel . 2 1. 2. 3 lam. 5. 16. psal . 51. jam. 5. 20. luk. 32. 10 gal 6. 1. luke 15. 27. ezek. 33. 14 , 16 2 tim. 2. 26. notes for div a26983-e9860 luke 19. 37. mic. 4. 2. mat. 18. 15 , 16. 1 cor. 5. 11. t it 3. 10. 2 thes . 3. 6 , 14 , 15. 2 sam. 12. 14. act. 8. 24. 2 tim. 2. 25 26. 1 cor. 5. 13. matth. 18. 18. notes for div a26983-e10190 2 sam. 12. 13. 2 ch 10. 33. 12 , 13. rom. 10. 15. 1 joh. 2. 1. 2. 1. john 1. ● . isa . 55. 6 , 7. pro. 28 13. gal. 6. 1. mat. 18. ●8 . * this must bee omitted if the person was not first rejected . luke 15. 2 cor. 2. 7. 10. act. 13. 38. act. 8. 8. luke 15. 25. 27. mat. 26. 41 psal 85. 8. 1 cor. 9. 25 , 26 , 27. psal . 141. 〈◊〉 . 2 pet. 2. 22. notes for div a26983-e10560 rom 3. 25. 1 john. 1. 9. & 2. 1. 2. psal . 23. & 103. 3. mal 9. 3. * leave out this if hee was not rejected . rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , psa . 51. 12. 1 pet. 5. 10. act. 11. 23. psa . 85. 8. 2 tim , 2. 19 rom. 2. 23. mar. 6. 13. 2 cor. 16. 13. john 5. 14. 2 cor. 6. 1. jude 4. notes for div a26983-e10780 mat. 28. 19. 1 john 5. 7. 1 cor. 8. 4. 6. 1 tin 1. 17. ps . 139. 7 , 8 , 9. & 14. 7. 4 isa . 40. 17. nehe. 9. ● . rev. 4. 8. & 15. 〈◊〉 eze. 18. 4. psa . ●7 . 7. & 119. 68. & 147. 9 mal. 2. 10. deut. 32. 6. luke 11 , 2. 〈◊〉 act. 7. 59 , 60. heb. 2. 11. phi. 2. 7 , 8 , 9. luk. 2. 51. mat. 41 , 2. 2 cor. 8. 9. mat 12 24. luk. 22. 44. mat. 27. 26 , 28. 30. mark 14. 50. & 15. 34. 1 cor. 15 3 , 4 ioh. 1. 29. heb. 1. 3. & 2. 9. & 3. 1. & 4. 14. act. 3 22. 23. heb. 7. 25. ioh. 12. 32. mat. 28. 19 , 10. 1 cor. 12. eph. 4 & 5. 26. 17. ioh. 17 4. 1 the. 4. 14 , 15 , 16 ioh. 5. 22. act. 17 31 ioh. 6. 37. 2 pet. 1. 10 1 tim 1. 5. act. 5. 31 ioh. 1. 12. rom. 5. 10 2 cor. 6. 18. psa . 78. 37. mar. 8. 34. 1 cor. 8. 5. 1 cor. 6. 19. 20 , rom. 8. 9. 1 thes . 5. 23. 1 cor. 5 17. 1 pet. 1. 16. rom. 8. 15. zech. 12. 10. eph. 1. 13 , 14. 1 ioh. 3 24. luk. 1. 49. hab. 3. luk. 1. 46. psa 66. 17 & 145. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 11 , 12. &c. 21. isa . 26. 8. deut. 11. 22. & 10 12 , 20 , 21. psa . 4. 5. & 37. 4. & 16. 5. & 63. 5 , 1 cor. 10. 31. 2 tim. 3. 2. 4. phi. 2. 3. 21. rom. 2. 23 , 24 mat. 5. 16. psa . 47. 2. 7. & 2. 8. 12. rev. 11. 15. 1 tim. 2. 1. 4. joh. 11. 52. 12. 32. phil. 2. 10. 11. matth. ●4 . 14. 2 thes . 3. 1. dan. 12. 3. isa . 49. 6. matth. 9. 38. eph. 6. 19. 2 thes . 3. 2. 1 thes . 2. 16. luk. 18. 7. matth. 10. 16. luke 21. 19. 1 pet. 2. 15. & 3. 14 17. & 4. 15 16 , 19. micah 7. 7. mat. 5. 11 , 12. psa . 119. 1●4 . mat 15. 9 1. r v. 12. & 19. 3. john 9. 10. luk. 22. 25. 6. 2 pet. 2. jude 2 tim. 3. 9. ephes 4. 15 , 16. & 3. 5. rom. 14 1. & 15. 1. jer. 32. 39. 1 cor. 1. 10. phil. 2. 3. john 13. 35. ephes . 5. 2 , 4. rom. 3. 26. heb. 11. 6. ephes . 2. 2 , 3. 2 thes . 2. 1● . rom. 8. 13. psa . 19. 13. rom. 8. 24. col. 1. 10. heb. 8. 10. psal . 40. 8. isa . 8. 20. act. 28. 32. 2 tim. 3. 15. 2 thes . 2. 10. joh. 5. 39. lu. 24 , 25. ps . 1. 2 rom. 15. 1 , 2. gal. 1. 10. 1 cor. 3. 19. 2 cor. 1 12. rom. 8. 13. joh. 2. 8. 〈◊〉 19. 11 , 12 , 13. rom. 2. 16. micah 4. 1. matth. 1. 〈◊〉 . 6 , 9 , 12. deut. 3● . exod. 20. 7. psal . 89. 7. ier. 4. 2. mat. 15. 19. iames 5. 12. rev. 22. 15 , ier. 5. 12 act. 5. 3. & 8. 20. mal. 1. 6 , 7 12. & 2. 2 , 7 , 8 , 9. rev. 1. 10. act. 20. 7. 1 cor. 16. 2. isa . 58. 13. heb. 10. 25. 1 cor. 14. act. 3. 42. 46. psa . 98 , &c. 149. 1. iosh . 24 15. exod. 20. 10. 1 tim. 2. 2. psa . 2. ier. 5. 5 , 6. luk. 18. 24 , 25. 1 cor. 〈◊〉 . 26. luk. 21. 12. ioh. 7. 48. ezra 4. 12 , &c. rom. 13. 2 , 4. isa . 49. 23. 2 chron. 19. 6. lam. 4. 20. 1 king. 3. 19. 1● . psa . 51. 10. 1 sam. 10. 9. 2 kings 18. 3 , 4. 6. rom. 13. 4 , 5. 1 tim. 2. 2. psal . 72. 1. prov. 8. 16. exod. 18. 17. job 29. isa . 1. 17. 23. luke 1. 51 , 52 , 53. rom. 13. 1. 6. 1 pet. 2. 13. 1 tim. 2. 2. 1 cor. 3. 6. 1 tim. 5. 17. 2 tim. 2. 15. ier. 3. 15. 2 tim. 4. 2. & 2. 22. and 1. 13. heb. 13. 17. 1 pet. 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. heb. 13. 17. 1 tim. 5. 17. ephes . 6. 4. deut. 6. 6 , 7. eccles . 12. 1. ephes . 6. 1 , 2 , 3. ephes . 5. 25. 22. 1 pet. 3. 1. 7. gen. 2. 22. eph. 6. 9. 5. 1 joh. 3. 15. luk. 3. 14. 2 cor. 7 2. mat. 5. 23 , 39. rom. 12. 17. eph. 4. 2. rom. 12. 19. mat. 5. 27 , 28. 1 cor. 6. 9. rom. 13. 13. 1 th. 5. 22. eph. 5. 3. & 4. 29. 1 pet. 3. 2 , 3. job 31. 1. eph. 4. 28. psa . 61. 10. & 73 8. 1 thes . 4. 6. pro. 19. 5. & 12. 17. & 10. 10. mat. 7. ● , 1. psa . 15. 3. & 82. 2. lev. 19. 17. prov. 23 gal. 5. 21. 26. exo. 20. 17. phi. 2. 21. mat. 22 39. & 7. 12. mat. 15. 40. 1 pet. 1. 22. mat. 5. 44 , 45. 〈◊〉 46. gal. 6. 10. psal 39. 9. mat. 26. 30. act. 21. 14. jam. 5. 7 , 8 , 11. 2 king 20. 10. mal. 3. 13 , 14. luk. ●1 . 13. deut. 28. 45. rom. 13. 14. luk. 12. 20. ephe. 5. 16. joh. 9. 4. deut. 28. 6 , 8. &c. phi. 2. 27. psa . 102. 24. luk. 12. 20. eph. 5. 16. joh. 9. 4. rom. 13. 13. 1 cor. 9. 25. and 1. iam. 5. 6 , 13. eph. 4. 28. 〈◊〉 . 21. 17. and 13. 4 1 tim. 6. 8 9. psa . 51. 1. 1 joh. 1. 2 p●… . 8. 12. dan. 9. 6. 16. jer 14. 7 psa . 3● . 16. psa . 51. 11 , 11. 19. rom. 18. 1. mat. 6. 12. 14. 15. rom. 12. 19. luk. 6. 28 , 29. luk. 34. act. 7. 60. mat ●6 . 41. jam. 4. 7. p●o. 4. 23. job 31. 1. mat. 12. 36. heb. 2. 10. 2 tim. ● . 3. 1 joh. 2. 13. and 5. 4. rom. 8. 13. 2 tim. 2. 8. pro. 30 8 , 9. 1 john 2. 15 , 16. rom. 8. 17 mat. 13. 21. 22. mat. 8. 24. rom. 8. 18. mat 6. 13. rom. 16. 20. psa . 140. 1 , 2 , 3. and 3● . 8. and 17. 2 , 12. 2 tim. 4. 18. 1 tim. 1. 17. ps . 145. 17. act. 17. 31. psal . 72. 4. 13. jude 14 , 15. 2 thes . 1. 10. psa . 62. ●1 . and 147. 5. job . 9. 4. rom. 11. 36. notes for div a26983-e11670 luke 1. 46. psa . 136. 23. rom. 5. 12. psa . 78. 10. rom. 3. 23. and 5. 18. luke 1. 68. 69. 70. isa . 7 14. luke 1. 35. mat. 1. 21. luke 2. 12. col. 1. 15 , 16. 17. 2 cor. 1 , 24. joh. 1. 9. 14 , col. 1. 19. gal. 4. 4. mat. 17. 5. heb 7. 26. 1 pet. 2. 22 , 23 , 24. isa . 53. 5 , 6. rom. 5. 6 1 pet. 3. 18. 1 john 4. 4. heb. 2. 14 , 15. col 2. 15. 1 cor. 15. 4. act. 2. 24 2 tim. 1. 10. 1 cor. 15. 55. mat. 28. 18. ephes . 4. 8. 11. 12 , 13. ephes . 1. 20 , 21 22 , 23. 1 tim. 3. 16. 1 john. 5. 10. john. 1. 10. 11. 11 , 12 , rom. 8. 1. heb. 8. 12. psa . 103. 3. rom. 8 33 , 34. tit. 2. 13 , 14. rom. 8. 9. 2 tim. 2. 19. psalm . 66. 18 1 cor. 6. 11. titus 3. 5. rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 5. 10. rom. 8. 32. john 14. 2 , 3. john 17. 24. iohn 14. 19. collos . 3. 3 , 4. 2 thes . 1. 10. mal. 3. 18. matth. 13. 43. rev. 21. 7. matth. 25. 21. rev. 3. 12. 21. zeph. 8. 17. rev. 21. 2. 3. 4. 23. rev. 22. 3. 4. 1 tim. 6. 15. rom. 11. 36. gods goodness vindicated for the help of such (especially in melancholy) as are tempted to deny it, and think him cruel, because of the present and future misery of mankind, with respect to the doctrine of reprobation and damnation / by richard baxter ... ; published and prefaced by a friend at whose desire it was written, and to whom it was committed. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1671 approx. 65 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 55 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26935 wing b1278 estc r5256 12318712 ocm 12318712 59428 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26935) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59428) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:4) gods goodness vindicated for the help of such (especially in melancholy) as are tempted to deny it, and think him cruel, because of the present and future misery of mankind, with respect to the doctrine of reprobation and damnation / by richard baxter ... ; published and prefaced by a friend at whose desire it was written, and to whom it was committed. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [7], 99 p. printed for n. simmons ..., london : 1671. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng god -love. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-11 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion gods goodness , vindicated for the help of such ( especially in melancholy ) as are tempted to deny it , and think him cruel , because of the present and future misery of mankind ; with respect to the doctrine of reprobation and damnation . by richard baxter . published and prefaced by a friend at whose desire it was written , and to whom it was committed . 1 joh. 4.16 . god is love , and he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god , and god in him. london , printed for n. simmons , at the three crowns near holborn conduit . 1671. the publisher to the reader . how much the glory of god and the salvation of men is concerned in the right understanding of his goodness in all his wayes and counsels towards them , is evidently seen by all that have any true notion of the divine excellency and mans felicity . gods goodness is his most solemnly proclaimed name and glory . it is his goodness duly known that leads sinners to repentance , and unites their hearts to fear his name , and excites and for ever terminates that love which is our holiness and happiness to eternity . it is also too well known how much this amiable divine goodness is denyed or doubted of . what cavils are raised against it by men of corrupt minds ! what secret prejudice lyes against it and how deeply rooted in our depraved nature ! yea with how fearful suggestions and apprehensions are some godly christians ( especially those that lye in the darkness of melancholy ) sometimes perplexed about it ! and even such as are grounded and setled in it , are liable to be assaulted , and may sometimes stagger and stumble at it . and indeed though the kindness of god towards men hath appeared in the world as visible as the sun in the firmament ; yet mans darkned understanding and his connate sensuality and selfishness taking occasion from the more mysterious parts of providence , and those especially that most contradict the wisdom and interest of the flesh , hath caused disputes and raised doubts against the truth of that which is in it self as clear and sure as that there is a god or a world , or anything existent . whereupon this author was earnestly desired by a friend to collect some principles in a narrow compass , that might silence cavillers , succour the tempted , and confirm the sound mind . and for these ends they are with his permission by his friend made publike . hos . 14.9 . who is wise ? and he shall understand these things ; prudent ? and he shall know them . for the wayes of the lord are right and the just shall walk in them , but the transgressors shall fall therein . april . 27. 1671. gods goodness vindicated , for the help of such , ( especially in melancholy ) as are tempted to deny it , and think him cruel , because of the present and future misery of mankind with respect to the doctrine of reprobation and damnation . to help all such persons out of the snare of this dangerous and troublesome temptation , as are described in the propounded case , we must have respect . i. to the special case of the melancholy , who are more lyable than others to such disturbances ▪ ii. to the common cause of their trouble and perplexity , as it consisteth in such opinions as you describe . i. with the melancholy , the greatest difficulty lyeth , in making them capable to receive plain truths . for it will work , not as it is , but as it i● received . and melancholy doth breed and seed such kind of thoughts , as naturally as a dead carkass feedeth vermine : of forty or fifty melancholy persons that i have to deal with , there is scarce four that are not burried with suggestions to blasphemous thoughts , against god or the sacred scriptures ; and scarce two that are not under dismal apprehensions that they are miserable , undone creatures , ( except only some that are all carryed to conceits of prophecies , revelations , and some rare exalting communications of light unto themselves . ) this unhappy disease of melancholy is first seated in the organs of imagination and passion both , that is in the spirits , and thereby in the very imagining faculty it self : though the natural parts being without pain or sickness , they will not believe that it is a disease at all . it inclineth them usually to solitariness , to musing and to dismal thoughts , that they are undone , graceless , hopeless , &c. which because they passionately seem to feel , no words , which silence them , will satisfie them ; or if you seem a little to satisfie them to day , it s all gone to morrow : for a melancholy man is like the eye that looketh on all things through a coloured glass , or in an ophthalmie , and seeth them according to the medium . the disease in some few beginneth with overstretching thoughts and troubles about things spiritual ; but in most that i have met with ( ten to one ) it beginneth with some worldly cross , loss or trouble , which grieveth them and casteth them into troublesome anxieties and cares ; and then when by these the spirits are diseased , it presently turneth upon conscience ; first against themselves aggravating sin and misery , apprehending calamity from every thing which they see , hear , or think of , and next against god and scripture ; perplexed in every thing that cometh before them , and quarrelling with all ; and offended in all ; and usually they are importuned , as if it were by something else within them , to say some blasphemous word against god , or do some mischief against themselves . no doubt through satans special instigation , who can work on men according to the advantage of their bodily and sensitive distempers , and can do that on a melancholy●man ( though a godly man ) which he cannot do on another ; as he can also work on the chollerick , flegmatick , &c. according to their temper . 1. the cure of this must be by these means , ( 1. ) you must not suffer them to be much alone . ( 2. ) you must divert them from all musing , and turn it to discourse . ( 3. ) you must keep from them displeasing things and persons , and help them to suitable pleasing company and converse . ( 4. ) you must change their aire and company sometimes , that strange objects may change their imagination . ( 5. ) above all , if they have strength , you must not suffer them to be idle , to lie in bed longer than they sleep in the day ; nor to sit musing , but must get them upon the work of a lawful calling , and drive them on to so much diligence , that body and mind may be closely employed . this will be more than all other ordinary means . ( 6. ) in most , meet physick also will do very much , which must be ordered by an experienced physician that is with them , or well knoweth them . ( 7. ) lastly , their false thoughts also must be confuted , and their minds have due satisfaction . and if you cannot have all , or most of these done , you can hardly expect a cure , unless time wear it off , which is doubtful . ii. the falshood and vexation of such mens thoughts , whether the melancholy or others are brought to pass , 1. by a false method of reasoning , 2. by false opinions which they have before received : ( i. ) it is a grosly deluding and subverting way of reasoning , to begin at dark and doubtful consequents , thence to argue against certain , clear fundamental principles : as if from some doubts about the position and motion of the starrs , or of the nature of light heat and motion , men should argue that there is no sun , or moon , or starrs at all : or that they have no power of light , heat or motion : or as if from the many difficulties in anatomy , about the circulation of the blood , the oleum nervosum , the lympha , and its vessels , the passages and succus of the panereas and gall , the transcolation through the intestines into the venae lacteae , the chylie glandules , and such like , one should arise to a conclusion that there is no blood , no chyle , no veines , no glandules , no head no body : or from the controversie , whether the heart be a meer muscle without any proper paronchymae , one should grow to conclude that there is no heart : so such persons from points beyond mans reach , about gods decrees and intentions and the mysteries of providence , conclude or doubt against gods goodness ; that is , whether indeed there be a god : i have spoken so fully to this case in my reasons of the christ . rel. p. 95. and in that whole chapter , that i would desire you to peruse it . i shall now only give you twenty questions which the tempted person may challenge all the subtilty and malice of hell to answer ; for it is easie to justifie the goodness of god. quest . 1. is it not certain that there is a world , in which is abundance of created goodness ? the earth is but a point as to all the world : there is a sun , and moon , and multitudes of glorious starrs , which are many of them manifold greater than the earth . there are angels , there are men , there are variety of creatures in this low part of the creation , which have all their excellency ; all the men on earth cannot by any contribution of their counsels , discern the ten thousandth part of the excellency of this little parcel of gods works : and as to the whole , it is next to nothing which we comprehend : every worme , every plant , excelleth the highest human apprehension : is there no physical goodness in all this unmeasurable , this harmonious , this glorious frame ? look about you , look upwards , and deny it if you can : and is there no moral goodness in holy men and angels : and is there no felicity and glorious goodness in all the heavens ? what mind can be so black , as to deny all created goodness ? quest . 2. is not all the goodness of the whole creation communicated from god ? did it make it self ? or who else made it ? are not all effects from their causes ? and is he not the first cause ? see what i have said to prove this fully in the aforesaid treatise . quest . 3. hath god made a world that is better than himself ? could he give more goodness than he had to give ? must not he needs be better than all his works ? quest . 4. is he fit to be quarrelled with for want of goodness , who hath infinitely , more goodness than the whole world besides : more than sun and starrs , heaven and earth , angels and men , all set together in all their single and their united , harmonious worth ? if he be better than all , is he not most beyond accusation or exception ? quest . 5. must not god necessarily excell his works ? must he needs make every worm a god ? or must he make any god , or equal to himself ? is not that a contradiction ? and is there not necessarily an imperfection in all that is not god ? nothing can be so great , so wise , so good , so holy , so immutable , so self-sufficient , so blessed , as god. quest . 6. is not gods creation a harmonious vniverse , of which individuals are but the parts : are not the parts for the whole , and their worth to be valued for the whole , or for the common ends ; must every pin in a watch or every stitch in your garment or every part of your house , or every member of your body and every humour or excrement in it , have that excellency which may simply dignifie it self in a compared or separated sense ? or rather must it not have that excellency with belongeth to it as a part of the whole , for the common end of all together ? is not that best , that is best to the order , beauty , and usefulness of the universal frame ? quest . 7. is it necessary to ●his end , or to prove gods goodness that all individuals , or species of creatures must be of the highest rank or excellency ? is god wanting in goodness , if every man be not an angel , or every angel made unchangeable , or every unlearned man a doctor , or every star a sun , or every cloud or clod a star , or every beast a man , or every worm an elephant , or every weed a rose , or every member a heart or head , or every excrement , blood and spirits : will you think that a man doth reason like a man who thus disputeth , [ he that doth not do that which is best when he can do it , is not perfectly good , and therefor● is not god. but he tha● maketh toads and serpents and maketh the guts the passage of filthy excrement when he could have mad● them equal with the heart doth not do that which i● best when he can do it therefore he is not perfectly good , therefore he is no● god : therefore there is no god : therefore there i● no creator , therefore th● world hath no cause , o● made it self and preserveth it self : therefore i made my self , and must rule and preserve my self ▪ ] conclude next , [ therefore i will never suffer , nor die , ●nd thus prove the wisdom of such reasoning , if you can . quest . 8. if god made man and all things , did he not make them for himself , for the pleasure of his own will ? must be not needs in reason be the end of all , who is the beginning and cause of all ? and is not that means the best , which is aptest to the end ? and doth not the proper goodness of a means consist in its aptitude to promote the end ? and then is not that the goodness of all creatures , ( partly to be what the creatour efficiently maketh them , and partly ) to fulfil his will , and what creature hath not this goodness a●… to the absolute will of his decrees which all fulfill . quest . 10. are not now both these conclusions of infallible certainty , and therefore not at all contradictory , 1. that god is most good , because he is the cause of all the good in the whole creation , 2. and yet that there are toads , serpents , darkness , death , sickness , pains , &c. which therefore are no whit inconsistent with his goodness ? neither of them being capable of a denyal , or of a sober doubt . quest . 10. is not an angel , and man , endued with reason and free-will , and left to choose or refuse his own rectitude and felicity ( or misery , ) capable of knowing , loving , serving and enjoying god , if he will ; and instructed by a perfect holy law ( with rewards and punishments ) to choose aright , i say , is not such a creature as noble and as meet for god to make as a stone or a toad or worm , or serpent ? if god choose to please his own holy will , by making a world of such intellectual free agents , whom he will ( ordinarily ) rule by the way of moral lawes and motives , is this any disparagement to his wisdome and goodness ? it is true , that such a mutable free-will is below a confirmed immutable will. but it is as true , that a toad is below a man. and that infinite wisdome thought not meet to make all his creatures of one rank or size , not to make all faces alike , nor all the stones in the street alike , but in wonderful variety . it is not then unbeseeming god to make a world of rational free agents ; under such a moral government by laws . quest . 11. if all these free agents have abused their liberty and undone themselves , if he so far shew mercy to them all , as that they may be all happy if they will , and none of them shall perish but for wilfull and final refusing of the saving means and mercy which is offered to them ; and if they will , they may live with god himself , and christ and angels in endless glory ; and none shall lose this free-given felicity but for final refusal and contempt , preferring certain vanity and dung before it , and if officers be commissioned and means provided , to acquaint all , in several measures with the reasons why they should choose heaven and holiness before the dirty pleasures of sin , and to importune them daily to such a choice ; and if a life of mercies be granted to allure them , and afflictions to drive them , and examples to invite them to choose aright . i say after all this , have any of these persons cause to complain , that god dealeth not mercifully with them ? shall they , that will not accept of life and mercy offered them , accuse him as cruel that importuneth them to accept it ? quest . 12. is the goodness of a king to be judged of by the interest of murderers in the goal ? when he restrained them by laws , when he warned them by legal penalties , when he encourageth and protecteth all the good , when the lives of the innocent need this severity against the wicked ; when the common wealth would take him to be bad , that would not restrain thieves and murderers by penalties : yea though this king could if he would , have set a constant guard on these men to have kept these men from murdering , but he thinketh meet only to govern them by laws : will you rather argue , ( that the goal is a place of misery , therefore the king is cruel ) then ( the rest of the kingdom flourish in prosperity and peace : therefore the king is wise and gratious . ) and is not this little dirty spot of earth , the next door to hell , a place defiled by wilful sin , and unfit to be the index of gods benignity , from whence we should take an estimate of it ? quest . 13. do not all men in the world confess gods goodness first or last ? do not all true believers ( that are themselves ) acknowledge , that he is infinitely good , and good to them , and that his mercy is over all his works , and endureth for ever ? and do not the consciences of the damned grind and tear them for the contempt of goodness , and setting against mercy , even mercy to themselves ? this is the fewel that feedeth hell not by way of delusion , but experimental conviction . if the man that doubteth of gods goodness and mercy to him , do despair , or fear damnation , he foolishly contradicteth himself . for hell and damnation is a state of misery and torment , in the loss , and in the conscience and sense of refused and abused mercy . if therefore god be not merciful to you , then you need not fear being damned , for sinning against and refusing mercy : for that which is not , cannot be sinned against , or abused : if god be merciful , you may be saved if you will accept this mercy : if he be not , you cannot in justice be damned for rejecting that mercy which was none . and if god be not merciful and just , he is not god. and if there be no god , there is none to damn you . but all confess in heaven and in hell , some with joy and some with self-tormenting anguish that god was unconceiveably good and merciful . quest . 14. what if it were but one or two in a whole kingdom that were damned , and that only for obstinate unperswadable final refusal of grace and salvation , and all the rest of the world should be saved ; tell me , would you then still suspect god of cruelty , or deny his goodness ? if not , i further ask you ; quest . 15. have you so good acquaintance with the extent of the universe , the superiour world ▪ the number of angels and blessed spirits , as that you are sure that it is proportionably more in the whole universe , that are miserable ? though some pievish men have wrangled at what i have said of this in my forecited books , i am so far from flattering their self conceited wisdom that i will say it over again , that it is agreed on by philosophers that the earth as to the universe , is no bigger than a point or inch is to the whole earth ; we see over our heads , a wonderful sun , a multitude of fixed and unfixed stars , of wonderful magnitude , divers of them many times bigger than all the earth ; besides the vast ethereal interspaces ; we see in a tube or telescope a marvellous likeness of the moon to this earth , with shades , inequalities , &c. multitudes of starrs in the galaxie and elsewhere , are discernable in the telescope , which without it no eye can see ; little know we how far the world extendeth it self , beyond all these starrs and sun which we can see : or whether there be millions of the like beyond our sight : the scripture telleth us of innumerable angels , holy and glorious spirits that attend christ in the service of this lower world. no scripture telleth us whether all the glorious or blessed spirits be thus imployed as angels for mankind , or whether ten thousand thousand fold more be otherwise employed . no scripture or reason telleth us whether sun or moon , starrs and intermediate aether , be inhabited or not ? it is temerity to affirm that they are . and it is as great temerity to say that they are not : it is lawful to doubt : and it is lawful to conjecture that it is most probable they are , considering , 1. that l●fe is the excellency of the creation , and the deadest parts are the basest , 2. that the earth , and water , and aire are full of men , beasts , fishes , birds , worms , flies , &c. 3. that it is incredible to him that looketh upward , that sun , moon , starrs and aether , are baser regions than this dirty earth ; and consequently that they are baser as to their use and inhabitants : these thoughts of an uncertain thing , are lawful , to him that will go no further than he hath evidence , and not make an uncertain thing seem certain ; and certain it is , that spirits are innumerable . and though some of these are fallen to be devils , god hath not told us how many : nor can we know that it is one to a million of happier creatures . and can that man then , who is offended with god , not for damning a very few , but for the proportion of the damned in comparison of others , tell what he saith : can he say , if god had cast off all this earth ; that it had been more than one of a million of millions as to the whole creation . it s true i cannot tell the number : but it is as true that when our foundation is sure ; that god is infinitely wise and good , it is madness to accuse him as unwise , or evil , or cruel , for that which we must confess we do not know ; and to talk against him in the dark . stay till you see who dwelleth in all the superiour regions and then take your selves for fitter discerners of your makers wayes . quest . 16. are you well acquainted with the nature and degrees of the future miseries which tempt you to think that god is cruel ? they are not all of one degree ; what if much of them be still voluntary to the miserable souls ? the devils who are now tormented in hell , are yet inhabitants of the air , and exercised in voluntary acts of malice . i take it to be no small degree of hell which the ungodly choose and love and possess among us here on earth , and will not be disswaded from ; they are without all holy communion with god , and they would be so , they are out of heaven and they would be so ; they are debased and confined to sensual pleasures , and wordly vanities and they will be so ; they are the drudges of the devil and the servants of the flesh , and the slaves of men , and they would be so ; they are defiled with sin , and imprisoned in their own concupiscence and they would be so : they are corrupted and tantalized , and vexed , and tossed up and down by their irregular desires ; in a word , they have the plague of sin and have neither holiness nor true happiness , and so they will have it to be and will not be cured ; now these tempted persons can see a misery in pain ; but can see no such evil in sin , for which such pain should be inflicted : when as sin it self and that which they are willing of , is so great a part of their misery , as that in this life , the rest is as nothing to it . and though , no doubt , much will be involuntary hereafter , we know not what the proportion will be between the voluntary and involuntary part . and what makes these men that they do not pitty a drunkard , a fornicator , a worldling , a sensual lord or gentleman that hath no better than the shadows which he chooseth ? neither the tempted , nor they themselves would call god cruel if he would let them so live in health for ever ; even a healthful beggar would call god merciful if he might never die , nor be more miserable . but princes or lords would call him cruel if he should put them into the beggars or labourers case : you accuse not god as cruel for making toads and serpents , worms and vermine , because they are not troubled with their own condition ; but if you could imagine them to have the knowledge how much happier man is , the case would alter : or if god should change men into toads and serpents , you would call him unmerciful ; when yet he is no more bound antecedently ●o man than unto them : thus because these tempted persons have as adam , when his eyes were opened , 〈◊〉 disquieting knowledge , to know good and evil penally ; their own apprehensions ( as adams of his nakedness ) maketh that seem cruelty , which seemed a fruit of goodness before . the summ is , when you come into another world , and see what manner of punishment it is that god exerciseth on the damned , ( as well as on how many ) you will then be perfectly satisfied , that there is nothing but that amiable justice , which is the fruit of holiness , goodness and wisdom in it all ; and you shall see nothing in the punishment of the miserable which you shall either blame or wish were otherwise , if you come to heaven . to which let me adde , when you come to see the heavenly glory and how the god of infinite goodness hath advanced such innumerable hosts ( if not worlds ) of men and angels into such wonderful felicity , and compare this with the sufferings of the devils and of his damned followers , instead then of quarrelling with the goodness of god , you will be wrapt up in the admirations and praises of it with ful● delights , to all eternity . quest . 17. and tell me , is he fit to entertain suspicions and quarrels with god ▪ who knoweth god to be god ▪ and knoweth himself to be but a man ; i speak not only in respect of our inferiority , as the potsheard should not quarrel with the potter : but in respect of our great and certain ignorance : are we not puzzled about the poorest worm and pile of grass ( whose manifold mysteries no mortal man can yet discover ) are we not grosly ignorant about every thing ( even visible and palpable ) which we see , and touch and have to do with : do we not know that we know but little , even of our selves , or of any thing about us in the world ? and shall the darkened soul , while it must operate in such a puddle of brains and humours , be so madly proud , as to presume of a knowledge , which findeth out errours and badness in god , who is infinitely wise and good ? nothing is more sure than that god is most wise and good ; and nothing should be easilier known to us , than that we are very blind and bad : and if such wretches then cannot reconcile their thoughts about gods works , should they not rather suspect themselves than him ? suspect , did i say ? should they not take it as the surest verity , that it is , god , that is not only justifiable , but infinitely amiable and laudable , and that it is worse than bruitishness , for such moles to be his accusers ? quest . 18. yea is this accusing god , a fit employment for that person , who liveth in a land of mercies ; who hath been bred up in mercy , preserved by mercy , 〈◊〉 differenced by saving mercy from the ungodly ; who hath been called from blindness , carnality and prophaneness , and entertained many a time in holy worship with god ; who hath been washed in christs blood and justified from so many and grievous sins , and made of an enemy an adopted child , and of an heir of hell , an heir of heaven , and all this by the tender mercies of a provoked god , a gratious redeemer , and a holy sanctifier ? shall this person ? i say , this , be one that instead of praising god with the raptures of continual joy , shall turn his accuser ? o let the guilty that readeth this , stop here , and fall down on his knees to god , and melt into tears in the sense of such unkindness . quest . but can a child of god be possibly guilty of so great a sin as this ? answ . i speak not now of the malignant atheist : but of the melancholy tempted person : alas , it is the melancholy disease , and the devil , more than he : god pittyeth his childrens frowardness , especially when necessitated naturally by diseases : and he that pardoned pievish jonas , that said , i do well to be angry to the death ; and complaining job ; and excused his sleepy disciples with [ the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak , ] will not condemn an upright soul , for the effect of a feaverish deliration , or a melancholy that overcomes his natural power of resistance . quest . 19. would you thus argue or quarrel against gods greatness and wisdom , as you do against his goodness ? you suspect him to be unmerciful , because he cureth not mens sins , and preventeth not their damnation . and have you not the like occasion to argue against his other perfections ? do you think he reasoneth soberly that saith , [ he that maketh asses when he might have made them men , or maketh ideots , or maketh stones that know nothing ; he that is the governour of such a foolish , distracted , confused world as mankind is , is foolish himself or unskilful in government or wanteth wisdome : but god doth thus ] is he not worse than a fool that will accuse his god of folly ? doth not the admirable harmony of all the world , and his wonderful work in every creature , prove his incomprehensible wisdom ? and what would you say to him that should thus reason [ he that maketh impotent wormes , that suffereth the good to die , that suffereth the tyrants of the earth to persecute his church and cause , is impotent , and not almighty : but so doth god ] would you not say , [ i have the wonderful frame of heaven , and earth , the sun and staars , the sea and land to prove to me that he is almighty . this therefore is a proved foundation truth , to which all doubts must be reduced : ] and if you dare not be so impudent as to deny his omniscience or omnipotence , when you think there is errour or impotency in his works : why will you any more deny his goodness , when you dream that there is badness in his works ? do you not know that power , wisdom and goodness are gods three essential principles of operation , virtues , or properties ? and that they are none of them greater or less than other ? and that his goodness ( though not as to be measured by humane interest ) is equal to his wisdom and his greatness ? and do you not know that to deny any one of the three , yea to deny the perfection of any one of them , is to deny that there is any god ? and is he sober that will argue [ there are frogs and toads there are wormes and asses there are fools and miserable sinners , therefore there is no god. ] when as there could neither be any of these , nor any world or being , if there were no god ? quest . 20. lastly , now consider , whether evidently , the root of all this sin be not ( besides melancholy and satan ) the power of selfishness and sensual or fleshly interest . alas , poor men , that were made for their god , to rejoyce wholly in pleasing him and to shew forth the lustre of his glory , are fallen unto themselves and flesh ; and now they that should wholly devote and referr themselves to god , do strive to make god a servant to themselves , and measure his goodness by the standard of their fleshly sence and interest ; and god shall be with them no longer good , that is no longer god , than he will give them their wills , and serve their flesh , and keep them from crosses , and losses , and pains , and govern the world according to their fancies ; and when they are committing this odious self-exalting idolatry , and abasing god , even then will they judge themselves both wiser , and more merciful than he : yea , when a melancholy man despaireth in the sense of his own sin and badness , at that very time he thinketh himself more merciful than the god of infinite goodness , and accuseth his god for being crueller than he himself . o man into what distraction and confusion art thou faln , when thou departest from thy god and sinkest into that blind and wretched self ? and tell me , what if but the wills of all the poor , the pained , the dying , &c. were but reconciled to their suffering-state ? would that which pleaseth the will be matter of any complaint ? you may see then that it is not gods providence , &c. but the wills and waies of sinners that are the diseased causes of all their wranglings . and if our wills were cured and reduced to gods will , we should find no fault with him ; if i can but be truly willing of imprisonment , poverty , or death , how can i feel any thing in it to complain of ? when even sinners ( as aforesaid ) do obstinately here take their misery for their happiness , and are contented with it so farr as it is voluntary . by that time these twenty questions are answered , the accusations of god as wanting goodness , will all turn to the accusers shame . ii. i am next briefly to detect the false opinions , which do ordinarily cause these persons errours , 1. it is false doctrine to affirm that god condemneth the greater part of his intectual creatures ( as i have shewed ) though he condemn never so many of this ungodly world . 2. it is not true that god decreeth to condemn any man but for sin ( for sin , i say , as the cause of his damnation . ) 3. god decreeth to condemn none at age ( which i add but to exclude foolish cavils ) for adam 's sin only ; nor for any other sin only that is not conjoyned with an obstinate final impenitencie , and rejecting offered mercy , and neglecting means appointed for their salvation . 4. gods decrees do cause no mans sin , ( nor his damnation any further than as as supposing sin : ) for dr. twisse himself still professeth , 1. that reprobation is an immanent act , and nihil ponit in objecto , putteth nothing at all into the person . 2. and that reprobation inferreth no necessity of sin or misery , but that which is called necessitas consequentiae , and not any necessitas consequentis ; and arminius and all confess that gods bare foreknowledge causeth or inferreth a necessity consequentiae ; which truly is but a logical necessity in order of argumentation , when one thing is proved by another ; and not by physical necessity in order of causation , as one thing is caused by another . and whereas they say [ then man might have frustrated gods decree ] i ask them , whether man can frustrate gods fore-knowledge ; suppose god to foreknow sin without decreeing it ( of which more anon ) is not this a good argument ( all that god foreknoweth will certainly come to pass . but god foreknoweth , e. g. judas sin , therefore it will certainly come to pass ) and what of all this ? it doth not come to pass because god foreknoweth it , no more than the sun will rise to morrow , because you foreknow it . and if you say , that no power can frustrate gods foreknowledge , i answer , they are delusory words of one that knoweth not what he saith : for it is one thing to have power to make god ignorant , and another thing to have power to do otherwise than that which he foreknoweth you will do . no man hath power to make god ignorant : but all sinners may have power to do otherwise than that which god foreknoweth we will do . for god doth not foreknow that e. g. gehezi , shall not have power to forbear a lye ; but only that he will not forbear it : yea more , gods foreknowledge doth prove that sinners have power to do otherwise ; for that which god foreknoweth will be . but god foreknoweth that men will abuse their power to sin , or will sin when they had power to do otherwise , therefore it will be so in the event . now if you will call their power to do otherwise , a power to frustrate gods foreknowledge , you will but speak foolishly : for the power it self is foreknown : and the object of knowledge in esse cognito , is not after the act of knowledge : and if the person will not actually sin , god could not foreknow that he will sin : so that foreknowledge is here ( when it is not causal ) but a medium in a syllogisme , and inferreth only the necessity of the consequence in arguing and doth not cause the thing foreknown . now when dr. twisse saith that all the schoolmen agree that no necessity consequentis or of causation , but only consequentiae , doth follow the decree of reprobation , see how far he and arminius are in this agreed , ( though i know some give another fence of necessitas consequentiae : ) but i come closer to the matter yet . 4. god decreeth no mans sin : neither adams nor any others . he may decree the effect which sinners accomplish ( as the death of christ ) and he may over-rule men in their sin , and bring good out of it , &c. but sin is not a thing that he can will or cause , and so not decree , which signifieth a volition . 5. god cannot be proved to decree , or will the permission of mans sin : for to permit is nothing . it is but , not to hinder ; which is no act : and to decree and will is a positive act : and if you fain god to have a positive volition or nolition , of every nothing , or negative ; then he must have positive decrees of every meer possible atome , sand , worm , name , word , thought of man , &c. that such and such a nothing shall never be : whereas there needeth no more to keep any thing from being ( in this case ) than gods not causing it , not willing it , not decreeing it . the creatures active nature , disposition , objects , and circumstances , are here presupposed : and the impedition necessary , is by act , ( or substraction of these aforesaid ) and gods non-agere needs no positive decree ; i must tell the learned reader that this room will not serve to answer his foreseen objections : but i hope i have done it sufficiently elsewhere . 6. god hath not only decreed to give , but actually given a great deal of mercy to them that perish , which had a natural tendency to their salvation . christ hath so far dyed for all , as that none shall perish for want of a sufficiency in the satisfaction made ; he hath purchased and given for all , a grant or gift of himself , with pardon , justification , adoption and right to glory , on condition of acceptance ( where the gospel cometh . ) in a word , so that none of them shall perish , that do not finally refuse the grace and salvation offered them . 7. men are not impenitent and vnbelievers for want of that called natural faculty , or power to choose and refuse aright ; but for want of a right disposition of their own wills : and by such a moral impotency which is indeed their viciousness , and the wickedness of their wills , and doth not excuse but aggravate the sin ( see mr. truman of natural and moral impotency . ) 8. to rectifie mens wicked wills and dispositions , god giveth them a world of means ; the whole creation , and documents of providence ; all the precepts , promises , threats , of scripture ; preaching , example , mercies , judgements , patience , and inward motions of the spirit : all which might do much to mens conversion and salvation , if they would but do what they could on their own part . 9. adam could have stood when he fell , without any more grace than that which he abused and neglected . gods grace which was not effectual to him , was as much as was necessary to his standing , if he would have done his best : and it was left to his free-will , to have made that help effectual by improvement : he fell ; not because he could not stand , but because he would not . 10. for ought any can prove , multitudes that believe not , now , but perish , may have rejected a help as sufficient to their believing , as adams was to his standing . 11. all men have power to do more good , and avoid more evil than they do ; and he that will not do what he can do , justly suffereth . 12. heathens and infidels are not left unredeemed under the remediless curse , and covenant of innocency which we broke in adam ; but are all brought by the redemption wrought by christ , under a law or termes of grace . 1. god made a covenant of grace with all mankind in adam , gen. 3.15 . who was by tradition to acquaint his posterity with it , as he did to cain and abel the ordinances of oblation and sacrifice . 2. this covenant was renewed with all mankind in noah . 3. this covenant is not repealed , otherwise than by a perfecter edition to them that have the plenary gospel . 4. the full gospel covenant is made for all , as to the tenor of it , and the command of preaching and offering it to all . 5. they that have not this edition may yet be under the first edition . 6. the jewes under the first edition were saved without believing in this determinate person of jesus , or that he should die for sin , and rise again , and send down the spirit : for the apostles believed it not before hand , luk. 18.34 . joh. 12.16 . luke 9.45 . mark 9.34 . luk. 24.21 , 25 , 26. act. 1.6 , 7 , 8. yet were they then in a state of saving grace as appeareth by joh. 14. & 15. & 16. & 17. throughout . 7. the rest of the world that had not the same supernatural revelation were not then bound to believe so much as the jewes were , about the messiah . 8. god himself told them all , that they were not under the unremedyed curse of the covenant of innocency , by giving them a life full of those mercies which they had forfeited , which all did tend to lead them to repentance , and to seek after god , rom. 2.4 act. 17.27 . and find him yea the left not himself without witness , for that which may be known of him , and his invisible things are manifested and clearly seen in his works , so that the wicked are without excuse , rom. 1.19.20 . act. 14.17 . so that all heathens are bound to believe that god is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him , heb. 11.6 . and are all under the duty of using certain means in order to their own recovery and salvation , and to believe that they are not commanded to do this in vain : so that gods own providence by a course of such mercies , which cannot stand with the execution of the unremedyed violated law of innocency , together with his obliging all men to repentance , and to the use of a certain course of means , in order to their salvation , is a promulgation of a law of grace , according to the first edition , and distinguisheth man from unredeemed devils . and they that say that all the infidel world have all this mercy , duty , means , and hope , without any redemption or satisfaction of christ as the procureing cause , are in the way to say next , that the churches mercies too , might have been given without christ . 9. of a truth , god is no respecter of persons , but in every nation he that feareth god and worketh righteousness is accepted with him ; act. 10.34 , 35. for god will render to every man according to his deeds : to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory , and honour and incorruptibility , eternal life , rom. 2.6 , 7. glory , honour and peace to every man that worketh good , to the jew first and also to the greek , v. 10. for there is no respect of persons with god. v. 11. for when the gentiles which have not the law , do by nature the things conained in the law , these having not the law are a law unto themselves . which shew the work of the law written in their hearts , their consciences also bearing witness , and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another , v. 14 , 15. and they shall be judged according to that law which they were under , ( natural or mosaical , ) even by jesus christ , v. 12.16 . ( and it is the work of the spirit promised , to believers , to write the law of god in their hearts . ) 10. though a special promise was made to abraham , as an eminent believer , and the jewish nation were the peculiar people of god , advanced to greater priviledges than any others in the world ; yet were they not the whole kingdom of god the redeemer , nor the only people that were in a covenant of grace , or in a state of salvation : for sem was alive after abrahams death , who was not like to be less than a king , and to have a kingdom or people governed according to his fidelity . and melchizedock was a king of righteousness and peace ( not like to be sem by the scituation of his countrey . ) and a righteous king would govern in righteousness : job and his friends are evidences of the same truth . and we have no proof or probability that all abrahams seed by ishmael and esau , and keturah , were apostates ( for they continued circumcision . ) and what all the rest of the world was , we know not save that in general most grew idolatrous , and the canaanites in special . but that they all apostatized from the covenant of grace made with adam and noah there is no proof : we have not the history of any of their countreys fully , so as to determine of such cases . in nineve god ruled by that law of grace , which called them to repent , and spared them upon their belief and repentance ; because he was a gracious god and merciful , slow to anger , and of great kindness , and repenteth of the evil , jonah . 4.2 . and that god dealeth not with mankind now as the meer judge of the violated law of innocency , he declareth not only by the full testimony of his providence or mercies given to the sinful world , but also by the very name which he proclaimeth unto moses ( which signifieth his nature , and his mind towards others , and not what he is to the jewes alone , ] exod. 34.6 , 7. [ the lord , the lord god , merciful and gracious , long suffering , and abundant in goodness and truth , keeping mercy for thousands , forgiving iniquity , and transgression , and sin , ] ( all which is inconsistent with the relation of god as a judge of a people only under the curse of an unremedied violated law , and unredeemed , though he add , [ and that will by no means clear the guilty , &c. ] that is , will neither judge them innocent that are guilty of the crime , nor judge them to life , that are guilty of death , according to the tenour of the law which they are under ; [ purificando non purificabit ] as the literal version ; that is , will not judge unjustly by acquitting him that is to be condemned , or , as the chaldee paraphrase hath it , [ not justifying those that are not converted . ] it is enough for us therefore to know that the visible chruch hath manifold priviledges above all others , rom. 3.1 , 2 , 3. &c. and that salvation is more easie , sure and plenteous where the gospel cometh than with any others , and that we have therefore great cause to rejoice with thankfulness for our lot , and that the poor world lyeth in wickedness and must be pittyed , prayed for , and helped to our power , and that god is the saviour of all men , but especially of them that believe , and that he is good to all and his mercies are over all his works , and that he will never damn one soul , that loveth him as god. but what is in the hearts of all men in the world , and consequently how they shall be used at last , he only that searcheth the heart can tell , and it is neither our duty nor our interest nor possible to us , to know it of all particulars ; much less to conclude that none among them have such love , who believe him to be infinitely good , and to be to them a merciful pardoning god. and we know withall , that all they that know not jesus christ as this determinate person that was born of the virgin mary , suffered under pontius pilate , was crucified , dead , bu●ied , rose again , &c. do yet receive all the foresaid mercies by him , and not by any other name or mediation , nor yet without his purchasing mediation . 13. and if besides all the mercy that god sheweth to others , he do antecedently and positively elect certain persons , by an absolute decree , to overcome all their resistances of his spirit , and to draw them to christ , and by christ to himself , by such a power and way as shall infallibly convert and save them , and not leave the success of his mercy , and his sons preparations to the bare uncertainty of the mutable will of depraved man , what is there in this that is injurious to any others ? or that representeth god unmerciful to any , but such whose eye is evil , because he is good , and as a free benefactour may give more mercy to some than others of equal demerits ? if they that hold no grace but what is universal , and left , as to the success , to the will of man , as the determining cause , do think that this is well consistent with the mercifulness of god ; surely they that hold as much universal grace as the former ; and that indeed all have so much as bringeth and leaveth the success to mans will , and deny to no man any thing which the other give , do make god no less merciful tha● they , but more , if they moreover assert a special decree and grace of god , which with a chosen number shall antecedently infallibly secure his ends in their repentance , faith , perseverance and salvation ; is this any detraction from , or diminution of , his universal grace ? or rather a higher demonstration of his godness ? as it is no wrong to man that god maketh angels , more holy immutable and happy . 14. and what if men cannot here tell how to resolve the question , whether any , or how many are ever converted and saved , by that meer grace which we call sufficient , or rather necessary , and common to those that are not converted ; and whether mans will ever make a saving determining improvement of it ; must plain truth be denyed , because difficulties cannot easily be solved ? and yet in due place i doubt not but i have shewed , that this question it self is formed upon false suppositions , and is capable of a satisfactory solution . 15. i conclude in general , that nothing is more sure than that god is most powerful , wise and good , and that , all his works , to those that truly know them , do manifest all these in conjunction , and perfect harmony , and that as to his decrees and providences , he is the cause of all good , and of no sin in act or habit , and that our sin and destruction is of our selves , and of him is our holiness and salvation : and that he attaineth all his ends as certainly as if mans will had no liberty , but were acted by physical necessitation : and yet that mans will hath as much natural liberty , as if god had not gone before it with any decree of the event , and as much moral liberty as we have moral virtue or holiness . and these principles i have laid down in a little room that tempted persons may see , that it is our dark and puzzled braines , and our selfish diseased hearts that are the cause of our quarreling with god , his decrees , and providences , and as soon as we come to our selves and are cured , these odious apprehensions vanish , and god appeareth , as the unclouded sun , in the lustre of his amiable goodness ; and when we come to heaven we shall see to our joy and his glory , that heaven , earth , and hell declare him to be all perfectly good , without any mixture of evil in himself , or in any of his word or works . and we shall find all our sinful suspicions and murmurings turned into a joyful consent to the angelical praises ; psal . 136.1.2 , 26 , &c. o give thanks unto the lord for he is good , for his mercy is for ever . o give thanks unto the god of heaven , for his mercy is for ever . rom. 4.8 , 11. holy , holy , holy lord god almighty , which was , and is , and is to come — thou art worthy o lord to receive glory , and honour , and power : for thou hast created all things ; and for thy pleasure they are , and were created . — rev. 7.12 . amen , blessing and glory and wisdome and thanksgiving , and honour , and power , and might , unto our god for ever and ever amen . the lord is good to all , and his tender mercies are over all his works . the lord is gracious and full of compassion , slow to anger and of great mercy . psal . 145.8 , 9. the word of the lord is right , and all his works are done in truth : he loveth righteousness and judgements ; the earth is full of the goodness of the lord. psal . 33.4.5 . o how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee ; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men . psal . 31.19 . o therefore that men ( instead of quarrelling with his unknown mysteries ) would praise the lord for his goodness , and for his wonderful works to the children of men , psal . 107.8 , 15 , 21 , 31. in the conclusion , i take it to be wholsome advise to those that are under this temptation : 1. that they will oft read over the psalms of praise ; and think when they read them , whether david and the ancient church , were not like to know what they said , than a self-conceited , or a melancholy tempted sinner ? 2. that they would consider who it is that is the grand enemy of the glory of gods goodness ; and they shall soon find that it is no other than the devil : none but he that is most evil , can most envy infinite goodness his honour : and is the devil fit to be believed against god ? and that after the warning of our first parents ruine , which befell them for believing satan when he slandered , both gods wisdome , truth and goodness to them ? 3. that they would bethink them to what end it is that the tempter and the enemy of god doth thus deny his goodness . is it not a plain act of malice against god and us ? is it not that he may disgrace god as evil , and rob him of his glory ; and also that he may hinder man from loving him , and so destroy all piety , and virtue , and goodness in the world ? who can love him whom he believeth to be bad , and so unlovely ? and what grace or happiness can there be without the love of god ? 4. that they would think what horrid wickedness this sin containeth ( where melancholy and involuntariness doth not extenuate it . ) is it any better than a denying that there is any god ? as is said before ; to be god is to be perfectly powerful , wise and good : and if be none such , there can be no god : and then who made the world , and all that is good in it by derivative goodness ? yea is it not to represent the most amiable blessed god , in satans image ( who is most evil and a murderer from the beginning joh. 8.44 . ) that so men may hate him and fly from him as they do from devils ? and can you tell how great a crime this is ? 5. that they would consider , how this impious conceit is calculated for the licensing of all manner of villany in the world , and to root out all the relicts of goodness from among mankind . for who can expect that any man should be better than his maker ; and that he should have any good , which denyeth god to be good ? 6. that they would labour hard to be better themselves . for he that hath a true created goodness , is thereby prepared to relish and admire gods primitive uncreated goodness . whereas a wicked or a guilty sinner , cannot much value that which he is so unsuitable to , and which he thinks will be to him a consuming fire . truly god is good to israel , and to such as are of a clean heart , psal . 73.1 . but he that liveth in the love of sin , will be doubting of the love of god , and fearful of his wrath , and unfit to relish and delightfully perceive his goodness . psal . 34.8 . taste and see that the lord is good ▪ blessed is the man that trusteth in him . 7. study gods love as manifested in christ : then you shall see what man on earth may see . but think not falsly , narrowly , basely of his office , his performance or his covenant . 8. dwell in the believing foresight of the celestial glory : the reflections of which may wrap up a believing soul on earth , into extasies of gratitude and delight . 9. remember what goodness there is in the holiness of god , which is demonstrated in his severest justice ; yea what mercy it is to forewarn men of the punishment of sin , that they may want no necessary means to scape it . 10. remember how unfit the selfish interest of obstinate despisers of grace and salvation , is , to be the measure or index of the goodness of god : and how much more credible the concordant testimony of the heavenly host is , who live in the love of love it self , and are everlastingly delighted in the praises of the infinite , greatness , wisdom and goodness of the most perfect , blessed , glorious god. finis . a reply to mr. tho. beverley's answer to my reasons against his doctrine of the thousand years middle kingdom, and of the conversion of the jews by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1691 approx. 59 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 12 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27007 wing b1371 estc r39871 18524744 ocm 18524744 107961 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27007) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107961) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1646:17) a reply to mr. tho. beverley's answer to my reasons against his doctrine of the thousand years middle kingdom, and of the conversion of the jews by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 21 p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1691. reproduction of the original in the union theological seminary library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng beverley, thomas. -thousand years kingdom of christ in its full scripture-state. millenium -early works to 1800. second advent -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2005-09 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a reply to mr. tho. beverley's answer to my reasons against his doctrine of the thousand years middle kingdom , and of the conversion of the jews . by richard baxter , passing to that world where we shall see face to face . feb. 20. 1691. london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , near mercers chapel . 1690 / 1. ad pag. 1. you say very well against catching at words , and surmising strange opinions : but if an excellent divine will speak strange and dangerous words , the reader must have an antidote , and it is time enough to forgive the writer when he confesseth the errour of his words . he that speaketh ill , and meaneth well , should keep his meaning to himself till he can and will intelligibly express it . to your pag 2. he were malignant that would not acknowledge your candour : and it is an encouragement to us that differ from you , that you believe our part in that kingdom which it is not given us yet to see . and as you profess your patient bearing of contradictions , we should love each other the more for our likeness . though i am noted to have too sharp a reproving style , i do profess that i can bear more than i use ; yea , that i love reproof and my reprovers . to your pag. 3. and your confidence of your right interpretation of prophecies , and of the blessed 1697 year , i say but 1. as jeremiah to the prophets of his time — amen . my wishes accompany you further than my belief ( but not to the unhappy end of your new earth . ) 2. and i know how natural it is for every man to be over-confident of his conceptions , and his way to be right in his own eyes . to your pag. 4. the description of your conformity , and recesses from it , is very modest and discreet . i named you not among conformists as an accuser , but as excusing the nonconformists , to whom your millenary opinion is by unrighteous men imputed , whiles it is conformists that are its strongest pillars . but if it be not the sacred office that you disclaim , but the bare name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , are not those officers christ's more special 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , though the laity also are his common lot. you love not , i hope , controversies about meer names and words : but if you do , let acts 1. 17. silence you , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , yet judas was not chosen by lot as matthias was . tho' i know not what you mean by [ setting up that in kingdom counterfeit ] nor how men should understand that by [ semi-sadduces of the apostacy ] you meant no body , but an abstract thing ; yet i understand and accept your retractation . page 5. your [ bold avouching ] speaketh your confidence , but is no help to convince another , that a kingdom of one day ( 1000 years ) ascribed to christ , doth honour him more than an endless kingdom of glory after two thousand ( or six thousand ) years kingdom of grace . 2. i thank you for disclaiming the doctrines which your words did favour : and intreat you that are so accurate in prophecy , hereafter to be more accurate in your words , and to speak as you think , and as you would have others think , that understand words according to common usage . pag. 6. of your commendations of dr. crispe's book , i think soill , that i have written a proper answer to you about it , but stop the publishing of it , because i find you so ready to retract . but i confess your commending to the world , a book so contrary to christianity it self , doth much abate my reverence to your confidence in prophecy . if such as dr. crispe and you have no safer and sounder words to preach justification and grace by , than to tell men how bad it is to think that sin can possibly do them any hurt , or duty , or any thing they can do ( faith , hope , love , obedience ) do them any good , and to tell them that christ is the greatest hater of god , murderer , adulterer , &c. in the world , and that not only the punishment ( and guilt of punishment ) but the very sins themselves of all the elect are christ's own sins ; and that if men commit murder , adultery , perjury , treason , it is none of their sin but christ's , for it cannot be christ's and theirs too ; they are for all the acts , no murderers , no adulterers , no traitors , no haters of god , &c. i say , if this be your excellent preaching of christ and his kingdom , i shall not admire your doctrine of the kingdom ; nor wonder if more of this doctor 's disciples be like that one , that would come drunk and kneel to prayer in in his family , and cry , [ lord , all our righteousness is not worth two-pence , no , lord , it is not worth a half-penny . ] and i hope hereafter you will speak more intelligibly of our justification only by god's essential righteousness . to pag. 7 , 8. the kingdom of grace , which you confess in not another , but the same that extendeth to the endless kingdom of glory , by degrees destroying sin and curse , and putting down enemies , and by the triumphant appearing of christ at the resurrection finishing the reign of deliverance , conquest and acquisition , and entring on the reign of his reward and glorious fruition : there being in scripture no mention that i can find of any thousand years between these two . i come to your four professed differences . i. that there is , besides all the kingly state of christ wherein we are agreed , a distinct kingdom of jesus christ as the great son of man , to the highest noon tide glory of which god hath assigned a thousand years : and when it hath utterly subdued all enemies , it is to be delivered up to god , and the father , and the son , to be subject in that very sense . ans . i have recited all your words , that i may be sure that i leave not out the specifick difference : but what it is i am never the wiser , nor know by these words . i had the unhappiness from my youth to be inclined to strict definition and distinction , and accurate logical explications , and to abhor confused harangues ; and therefore the ( now despised ) schoolmen were my pleasant study , next to the bible and practical divinity . but now i have lived to see that kind of study and disputing derided , ( which is far easier than learned ) and to hear disputes about terms unexplained ; and the question debated in the beginning , and scarce stated in the end . which of these words specifie the middle kingdom from the former and the latter ? or must it be none of the particulars , but all connext ? 1. is it the word [ distinct ? ] that 's but to beg the question , which is , whether there be any middle distinct kingdom ? and it tells us not what it is . a distinction in the exercise of administration between the beginning and resignation we are agreed of . 2. is the difference in the word [ the great son of man ? ] is he not the great son of man before and after ? 3. is it in [ the highest noontide glory ? ] will it be greater than the glory after the thousand years ? 4. is it in the time of [ 1000 years ? ] is the time the species of the kingdom ? and is a thousand years better than everlasting ? 5. is it in [ the subduing of all enemies ] mean you in fieri , or in facto esse ? if the first , is he not subduing them now ? doth he not subdue them in every sanctisied soul ? and did he not subdue the grand pagan roman empire , &c. if you mean in facto esse , as consummate , then what needs a thousand years to do it , when the resurrection is the finishing of it ? 6. is the delivering up to the father , the specifying form ? then it is not in being till it is past being . how can it be delivered up before it is in being ? and then the previous kingdom of acquisition and conquest is the same , for that is delivered to the father . 7. is it [ the son 's being subject in that very sense ? ] little know i what you mean by [ that very sense ] but i know that the son as man was , and will be subject : in the former and the everlasting kingdom . and so here is not one syllable of the specifick difference , but a harangue of words . as to the taking of god's name in vain , i beseech you to fear it . to father a falshood on god is dangerous . suspension is safer , where you say that to diminish is equally dangerous . ] therefore i do it not : i do not say , that god tells us that there is no such millenary kingdom ; but only that i can find no proof of any such , and therefore tell you what hindereth me from your confident opinion . to pag. 10. it 's very true that you say , that there is needful a comprehensive knowledge of the whole frame of prophecy and chronology to a clear judgment of many hard points : but not to the suspension of judgment , nor to the confutation of every errour . and i believe that you have studied chronology , and daniel and ezekiel more than i have done : but should i enter into a dispute with your pretended scripture chronology , and object against you , all that i find in usher , helvicus , petavius , beroaldus , jos . scaliger , carion , bucholzer , functius , gutberleth , micrelius , mr. talents , &c. how endless would be the dispute ? and yet must your chronology and all its consequents be taken for granted truths ? 3. you truly say , that our infancy , that needs to be fed with milk , maketh us less capable of these mysteries . the lord pity and teach us . but i must say , that the ministers and people that have most need of milk , ( but least feel their need ) are most inclined to your opinion in this point ; excepting a few learned men ( mr. mead , and dr. twisse , and dr. moore , &c. ) whom he overcame . ad pag. 11. 1. call it a distinct kingdom , or a distinct part of the administration , as you please , we grant that the glorious appearance of christ to judgment is distinct from his invisible reign in heaven . as the assizes is a distinct exercise of judicature , and as triumph is distinct from conquest . as it is the triumphant end of christ's conquests , and the beginning of his rewarding kingdom of glory , it is oft spoken of in scripture . but of what more i expect your proof . but here you pretend a description of this kingdom ; but no other than before , sine differentid specificd . 1. it is a supreme oeconomy ; and was not that before and after supreme ? 2. it was towards the family in heaven and earth . ] so was that before and after . 3. it was in the fulness of all times . ] sure then it was after your thousand years . 4. it was by the great son of man and lamb. ] so it was before and will be after . 5. the humanity shall have a glory singular to it self , as it had a humiliation . ] true , but not divided from the godhead ; and so it had before , and will have to eternity , as you confess . is this elucidation , or an informing way of an instructor ? but you say , the rain-bow is a symbol of it . this is obscure information , i like not your name of [ it's glory distinct and distant from the sun. ] the glory of christ's humanity is distinct , but not distant from the deity ; and it is as near before and after , and as glorious as you can justly imagine it to be in the thousand years . pag. 12. a kingdom confined to a thousand years you affirm indeed , but without a word of proof . 2. you add seventy five years and some time after the thousand , i would you had deigned to tell us what you mean by its [ succession ] and what by its [ investiture ] whether the succession be before or after the conflagration , and any part of the kingdom : or if only a preparation what that church-state of preparation is ? pag. 13. gog and magog you say , [ are satan and all the wicked , that had been raised to lie at the footstool of christ from the very beginning of the thousand years ] being loosed , take to make a bold attempt on the holy city to draw it to defection . ] is this christ's gospel or yours ? qu. 1. are these dead raised men invisible bodies , or only as devils invisible spirits , or in bodies invisible ? qu. 2. rev. 20. saith , that satan deceiveth the nations , to gather them against the holy city : but if they were devils themselves that do it as other devils in malice , what need they a satan to deceive them ? qu. 3. rev. 20. saith , they were the nations that were in the earth : were all the dead wicked raised , dwellers on earth in the thousand years ? qu. 4. if they had bodies , where will there be room on earth for all the wicked since cain till the end , to dwell there all at once ? qu. 5. and would there be room for them all so near the holy city ? qu. 6. when the text saith , satan deceived them to gather them to battle ; why turn you [ battle ] to [ drawing the city to defection ? ] q. 7. where were all these dead raised men when the earth was on fire ? if , in another world , how come they after to be dwellers in the new paradise earth ? if they were on earth , were they raised before , or in , or after the burning ? and how scap't their new bodies ? the paradise saints have bodies of flesh , passible , and such as must have food : sure all the raised wicked have not bodies less sensible , patible , or that need less food . qu. 8. is not the new city and earth after a thousand years experience , worse than weak christians are now ? if by known devils , and condemned wicked ones of all ages raised , they will be drawn from christ , after a thousand years miracles ? q. 9. what becometh of the bodies of all the wicked that are found alive at the conflagration ? do they scape out of the fire also as the saints do ? and doth the new earth at once hold all the saints that were alive , and all the wicked alive , and all the wicked dead from cain's time ? qu. 10. and is that the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness , that hath so many wicked ? qu. 11. if grace cannot now be lost , will not christ then keep his paradise saints ? qu. 12. or if the new earth fall away , did not the holy city consist most of hypocrites ? and is that the glory of it ? we are now in surer keeping than adam and the faln angels were . none shall take us out of christ's hands . qu. 13. doth not this leave us to fear that those in the new heaven also may fall away as the angels did ? qu. 14. for will there not ( after the seventy five years preparation ) be as good people found on earth , as those that died before ? why then think you that those alive shall be set so far below the rest , as to have but an earthly generating life , when the rest are in heaven ? and christ saith , the last shall be first , and the first last . qu. 15. why say you that the laodicean apostasie is no greater a wonder than adams and the angels ? is the new world in no better a state ? then the new jerusalem may become devils . qu. 16. you say , christ being to put an end to a church-state on earth , may suffer so just an occasion for spewing out of his mouth . ] but do you honour or dishonour the glorious kingdom , to feign it to have such an end ? that lasting but one day ( a thousand years ) it should end in being spewed out for ever ? qu. 17. what word of god have you for your opinion , that there shall never more be an earth , or a church on earth ? and that god who is delighted in his wondrous works , will have none of these worlds , from eternity to eternity , but only for seven days ( seven thousand years ? ) qu. 18. peter tells us of the burning of the earth , but not of the ending of it : how come you to know so much more than he ever intimated or seemed to know ? qu. 19. to say that heaven and earth have so unhappy an end , doth it not tempt men to manicheising , to think that an ill god made this world ? qu. 20. did not something within you reluctate when you cited 2 pet. 3. for the thousand years duration of the kingdom ? . as if you argued [ peter tells the unbelievers , delay of christ's coming should not make you think that he will not come : for a thousand years delay is with god but as a year : ergo his kingdom will be but a thousand years . ] is this to expound prophecy ? qu. 21. is it more faulty in a plato , zeno , or other pagans to conjecture at transmigrations of souls , revolutions of worlds , or with aristotle , to think the world was an eternal effect of an eternal cause : or for a christian to say , thus saith the lord , and pawn god's word for his erroneous conjectures . your arguments are too long and loose for any mood , and figure , or reason . arg. i. king of kings is a title fit for a great kingdom , &c. what then ? ergo it proveth a middle kingdom between that of recovering grace , and resurrection glory . ) i deny the consequence ; no kingdom is fitter for those titles than that of grace and final glory . this is not proving . it 's false that christ hath not yet been an universal monarch . pag. 15. your 2d argument ( as the rest ) is but a repeating of your own formally confuted opinions , without any reply to the confutation , as if you had nothing to do , but assert again what you think . 1 cor. 15. 24. is your proof , then cometh the end ? and is the thousand years the end , and not the glorious kingdom of fruition ? judgment will end by triumph the kingdom of acquisition : but the eternal kingdom will be the last . 2. your denial of a distinct glory of christ's humanity before and after the thousand years , is certainly untrue . if the divine and humane nature be distinct , the glory of each must needs be distinct , tho' not divided . vvhy obtrude you gross things unproved ? 3. your intimation that [ god doth then begin to be all in all , and christ to be subject , in some special sense , hath no proof from the text , nor if proved is it any thing for your purpose . 1. the text speaks of no such beginning : but that though christ hath done his conquering work , yet still god shall be all in all things , as he was . 2. yet we grant that it speaks of christ's ending his kingdom of conquest and acquisition , and the deity now governing man as restored , not needing any more recovery . i oft tell you , as the king's son made general to reduce rebels , giveth up his generalship when he hath reduced them , but hath after the promised honour and reward , but as a subject still , & not a captain . pag. 16. you say , that our exposition chargeth on the apostle [ impropriety of speech ] but you do but say so , and we deny it . is it not proper speech to say , that a general giveth up his office , and yet remaineth an honoured , rewarded subject ruler ? ] indeed , had it been as you feign it , said [ to become subject ] it would have seemed to signifie , that he then began to be subject : but that 's your addition ; & yet you before confest that he was subject before . 2. i told you distinguishing is not separating . and i told you wherein the difference consisteth , which you confute not . 3. to your 2d reason , i find no such scripture as you talk of , that mentioneth any middle kingdom , but a triumphant judgment perfecting the kingdom of grace , and beginning that of endless glory . the admirable agreement which you mention seemeth to me to be but an agreement of your conceit . your 3d argument from luk. 22. 29 , 30. saith nothing of a third kingdom : all that is there said seemeth to me fulfilled without a third . pag. 17. is not that you plead for [ of the humane nature as united to the eternal word ? ] how can it else be any kingdom of christ ? but both that of grace and glory are such ; but not without the relation of mediatorship . by [ constituted ] i suppose you mean , not essential to the nature or person , without respect to the office as the product of god's vvill : and such is the everlasting kingdom . it is the reign of the man jesus united to the godhead , as mediator of acquisition first , and then of fruition , and this over creatures . i fear it is dangerously untrue therefore that you say , that the kingdom of the humane nature is united to the eternal word , and communicating with it , is an essential , and not a constitutive kingdom . essential to what ? is the humane nature , and a world of creatures essential to god ? it is essential to it self ; that is , it is what it is . but can you prove that the humane nature was , or shall ever be united to the deity , without its relation of mediator ? it is christ's will , that those given him be with him , and see his glory : and that sight is of the mediator of fruition ; and did he limit that sight to a thousand years ? to your 2d . 1. you have not proved that the apostles yet sit not on thrones of judgment : they are equal with angels . 2. if yet they do not , may it not be at judgment , and in the kingdom of glory ? 3. the title of [ his kingdom , and eating and drinking ] are as fully answered without the middle kingdom as with it ; unless you can prove that those apostles with christ , shall dwell , and eat and drink a thousand years on earth , in their spiritual bodies , or have a middle sort of bodies for that middle kingdom ; and had they not better before , and must they lay those by for worse ? arg. 4. you know we deny not that christ's throne is distinguished from his fathers : you cite the text , rev. 3. 21. [ he overcame and is set down ] and expounded it [ he knew he should sit , but was not yet set down ] not indeed in the throne of triumph and of glory , till he overcame . ] you say , [ it cannot be a throne he hath yet ] what ! when it is said , he is set down on it ? ] but saints must sit with him , you say : and may not he sit down before them ? must he stay till every saint be with him ? you say again , it cannot be the throne of eternity , because the son is subject , and hath not a distinct throne , &c. ans . if you mean by the throne of eternity ] a kingdom from eternity : there could be no such thing , unless there were eternal subjects . if you mean only [ to eternity ] the son will have a distinct , but not a separate throne , tho' not distinct subjects . for he shall subordinately have all power in heaven and earth . p. 18. arg. 5. mat. 20. 20. you say , this is not the kingdom of the eternal word . ans . then it can be no kingdom of christ . you say , [ there is no sitting on the right hand or left . ] ans . nor no subjects from eternity , unless the vvorld be eternal . but to eternity there is . you say , he that sits on the left hand , must sit next the father . ans . this is your way of arguing by allegories ? you are not an anthropomorphite : you know that by god's right hand , is but to be next him in power , subordinate . and may not others be next to christ ? arg. 6. you say is from innumerable scriptures : mat. 19. 27. is before spoken to ; who doubteth but the throne of his glory was future . mat. 25. 31. confuteth you . you say , it 's not to be till all be gathered before hi● to judgment . ans . therefore not a thousand years before those alive be gathered before him to judgment . christ speaketh of coming to judge all ( not some ) to everlasting life or punishment ; but nothing of a thousand years . pag. 19. 2 tim. 4. 1. vve doubt not of his judgment or kingdom : but what word is here for a middle kingdom ? luke 19. 11. christ went to receive a kingdom ; and did he receive none till his return at the resurrection ? what can be plainer against you : he ascended to be presently possest of a greater possession of power : all power in heaven and earth was given him before his return . you say , this is not the state of the kingdom where god shall be all in all. ans . these are but your own words often answered and confuted . from mat. 16. 26 , 27. one would think that it should be a good argument that christ shall have one kingdom , that was first obscured by flesh's weakness , after come in visible power to judgment , and pass into glory , because some then alive should see the pledge and appearance of it . but you hence gather , that because men shall see the appearance of his heavenly glorious reign , therefore he shall have none of that reign in the kingdom of grace or endless glory , but in a third and middle kingdom ; such collections expound your self , more than the text. as soon as christ ascended to heaven , he was possest of the kingdom of power , seen in the mount , and not only at the millennium . p. 20. arg. 6. you fetch your most conclusive argument from the one single note by which the spirit of god hath fixed the beginning of this kingdom , that is , the subduing of enemies ] where your fantasie maketh two degrees . 1. the making of christ's enemies his footstool . and 2. putting them low under his feet . as if his footstool were not low and under his feet . can you prove that scripture meaneth this as two states , and that at 1000 years distance ? yes , you say the second is to bring them to the state of no motion or action : and yet are they haters of god , and have they a self-tormenting conscience , and when loosed are gog and magog ; and assault the holy city ; and yet have no motion or action ? i suppose that in your next you will say you meant well , and not that they were made dead blocks or annihilated ; but you should speak as you think , or say that you think as you speak . it will comfort the wicked to hope that they shall have only the punishment of loss as dead insensible carkasses . you have many passages of this sound . pag. 21. you grosly pervert psal . 110. 1. god saith not , sit thou without reigning at my right hand , till i all at once , or at the last make thine enemies thy footstool . he saith not , sit without reigning , and reign only at thy last coming : but sit next me in ruling dignity while i am making thine enemies thy footstool , which at last shall be perfected : what word saith as you ; i intend thee a great and distinct kingdom ( of one days length ) the date of its beginning shall not be at thy ascension , & c ? ] did not god make the pagan empire his footstool , and subdue sin and satan , till the day of judgment ? it is enough that all will be then finished and the kingdom of glory begun . [ he sits and doth not reign ] is your fiction against full scripture . heb. 2. 5. we see them not put under him ] can mean but [ we see not that subjection perfected . ] but we do see them put under him in a great degree . the lord reigneth ; let the people rejoice . the kingdoms of the world are made the kingdoms of the lord and of his christ before the day of judgment . if we see not all things put under him , do we see nothing so put ? when judgment puts all things under him , what need a thousand years do it ? the pag. 22d is but the repetition of what is oft answered . p. 23. it 's a great disparagement to your cause , to lay your chief stress on this text : as if it were not fulfilled by christ many 100 or 1000 years treading down sin , satan , and empire of enemies , and triumphing over them at his glorious appearing , and reigning for ever for that conquest in glory , unless he be a thousand years more between in coquering them . as to 2 pet. 3. 7. i askt you before whether you feel no reluctancy in so gross an abuse of that text that speaketh of 1000 delay being before christ's coming , as if it spake of 1000 years after . pardon the question : the cause requireth it . p. 34. you have but one text in all the bible that speaks of 1000 years to give you the least shew of countenance ; and that in prophetick language : and can you not stay on the mentioning of it ? what else should all your book have been , but your clearing of this one text ? you promise to prove abundantly that it cannot possibly be understood of any time past : but i see no hope of your performance . i once more intreat the reader to read john fox his oath of what god from heaven revealed to him to the contrary martyrol . vol. i. p. 111. and in his lat. expos . of the revelations , even that john fox who was no papist , and thought prophetical , when . he told mrs. honiwood despairing in melancholy how she should recover and live to be old , when in unbelief she threw a glass to the wall or ground , and took it up whole , and fulfilled his prophesie . but you have fitted the rest of your exposition of the revelations to your exposition of the 1000 years , and then you think that fitness proveth all your point but if i shew that all these texts were performed on pagan rome , it is not your finding papal rome to be like it , that will justifie your sense . it were an impertinent work to shew here that the revelation hath a far different sense , from what you give it . pag. 27. your 2d point therefore is of another controversie , which this in hand depends not on ; unless you confess that you have no other proof of the thousand years kingdom , but rev. 20. and that it was not fulfilled heretofore . i am past doubt that pagan rome was babylon mentioned in rev. but whether papal rome be another babylon , i leave to enquiry : but if all your cause lie on that one text , i think it hath no good foundation . many expositors think those thousand years long ago past , as well as john fox , grotius and hammond . i am sure they are before the war of gog and magog , and you must say more yet before you can make me believe that this is another world , by all the wicked dead and raised . i have by me an answer to all your arguments on this subject , and more , not here to be repeated . tho' your confidence by the advantage of prejudice , may seem to many to justifie all your heavy charges on the ( true ) opinion , that the thousand years there mentioned are past . pag. 38. i find all assertive , and the repetition of what you have formerly said , without true argument or answer . arg. 1. is it not the eternal word in our nature , mediator , that is the son of man , and christ our lord ? what a distinction is here ! arg. 2. isa . 66 speaks of the carkasses of the syrians . the saints shall to eternity be united to christ in our nature . arg. 3. i am sorry that a third time you so abuse peter's thousand years against the plain text. pag. 39. arg. 4. the new heaven and earth is chap. 21. mentioned as after gog and magog's destruction , and the time of judgment : and you make it 1000 years before . if it was before , it rather seemeth to mean the new state of the church as prefiguring the heavenly glory . assert . 2. arg. 1. the kingdom of christ shall never cease as glorious in fruition , but only as victorious in acquisition . arg. 2. 1. the text speaketh of the old earth and heaven flying away , and you feign it to speak of the new. 2. new and old , and all things are in the divine immensity : how then doth that make the difference ? 3. that no other shall succeed , is but your word , if you had proved that it is the new that flie away . arg. 3. is but repetition . i believe you not that there shall be no use of a material heaven and earth : nor that the humane nature of christ shall not be the object that saints shall look upon , and yet shall be the medium of conveyance . doth not christ say , it is his will that we shall be with him to see his glory ? shall it not be an object , if a medium ? let us not feign our selves higher than god hath promised . if we be not the bighest creatures , why should we think that we have not need of higher ? is all our promised comfort in communion with the angels , saints , and christ's humanity objectively confined to a thousand years ? pag. 41. obs . 1. how prove you that god's everlasting communication to humane nature is not as free as the rest , seeing he freely created and continueth humane nature ? 2. is not all time in eternity ? and doth all time end before all temporary creatures end ? you may as well call one an oeconomy as the other . pag. 42. is there no glory to eternity but what is from eternity ? then either christ's humane nature , and all his saints were from eternity , or else they will not be to eternity . arg. 4. that there shall be no use of the new heaven or earth for saints of the first resurrection above , seemeth contrary to the whole scope of scriptures . christ's humane nature and ours , had no glory with the father before any world began . for that which existed not had no glory . pag. 43. propos . 3. the spiritual heavenly bodies will be apparent for ever ; shall they not know and be known even as face to face ? prop. 4. you answer not what is said to prove that there is no thousand years between the changing and the taking up . your reasons are formerly answered . pag. 44. prop. 5. lot was carried out of sodom , but you hold that the living shall be in the fire , and not caught out : that they shall be in it unburnt , you do not prove . peter doth not speak of keeping them in the fire unburnt . pag. 45. if the saints changed are to be numbred with the children of the resurrection , they neither marry , nor are given in marriage . and you say , they both make but one new jerusalem . prop. 7. tell us your proof of three or four sorts of our bodies : that the earthly body shall be turned into a paradise body , and that into a spiritual body , if not that also into a supercelestial . prop. 8. i have proved that the taking up is at the sound of the trumpet , which is the time of the resurrection . pag. 46. if all be one resurrection , then those in paradise are children of the resurrection , and marry not . point 4. of the jews restauration , you are pleased to leave almost all unanswered that i brought against you , and so discharge me from any reply : though you say , that your words answer all material objections , being themselves what i did before invalidate . in the conclusion to all my former questions , i desire your answer to these few more added ; q. 1. seeing pag. 5. tou dare not think of any world before that , gen. 1. nor after the kingdom given up , &c. what mean you by the eternal kingdom , when there are no eternal subjects ? q. 2. if it be all the wicked that died before the trumpet , that are raised , and after assault the new jerusalem , have they not mostly been bound many thousand years already , in that they assault us no more , unless you take them to be the devils that tempt us ? q. 3. will their punishment all the thousand years be so easie as to allow them to cover the earth & sight against the saints ? and will it no more convince them ? q. 4. what became of their bodies in the conflagration ? q. 5. and of the bodies of all the living wicked ? q. 6. and of their souls that lived then in wickedness ? q. 7. seeing you take philadelphia to be the new earth in its purity , before its fall , can you believe that in that world , there is but a little strength , and that there is a synagogue of satan called jews , that must come and worship before their feet ? and that philadelphia after the fire , is yet to be kept from an hour of temptation that shall come on all the world , to try them that dwell on the earth ? q 8. doth the new paradise world hear , behold i come quickly hold fast , &c after christ is come ? q. 9. seeing laodicea is also with you the new earth and paradise state , is that indeed a changed state , and world of righteousness in which the new jerusalem is neither hot nor cold , and to be spewed out , and is wretched , and miserable , and poor , and blind , and naked , and knoweth it not , but saith , i want nothing , and is yet counselled to buy , and cover her shame , &c. is that world no better than so ? q. 10. doth god reward all men according to their works , if the best saints found alive are for a thousand years in no better a world , and the worst saints that were dead since abel till christ's coming , are in a spiritual higher body and region all that thousand years ? is this god's word ? q. 11. did any of the asian churches , or any christians for 1300 years at least ( or 1500 ) believe that the five first epistles were written to men of this world , and the two last to the men of the world to come after the earth ( and bibles ) are burnt ? q. 12. consider whether you that so zealously cry down the papal antichrist and babylon , do not ignorantly maintain the papal state which you call antichristian ? what is the essence of papacy , but the claim of an universal power over the church , in the pope , or his counsel , he being the head. and do not you maintain that the seven churches are seven states of the church universal ? and almost all expositors agree that by the angel is meant the bishop , at least , as biza saith , the proestos with his elders : and have even the two churches of the world to come such an universal government ? sure then it is of divine institution that such there be : and who claimeth it but the pope and councils ? this is the effect of over-doing zeal . for my part , if i believed that by god's institution the church catholick must have one universal humane angel or government , monarchical or aristocratical , or mixt , i would presently be a papist . sir ; if any words in this paper are displeasing to you for their freedom , be assured it is to your words and cause , and not for want of love and great esteem of your person ; who as you are by birth above me ( the son of a godly knight ) so from my heart i believe that you are a far better man than my self . and though i think you over-confident of your apprehensions , i love you the better while i think , how strong a faith hath that good man of god's word in general , who is so confident in every hard particular . i beg your prayers for me , who look from day to day , when sight resolveth me of all these controversies . postscript . § 1. i understand that on further thoughts , some men that are further from me , than mr. beverly , are like by his book , to be much confirmed against christianity . their judgment of christ is much like the turks , that there is one god , and jesus is one of his three great legislator-prophets , and to be called his son , because of his miraculous generation : but that as incarnate and the son of man he hath but a temporal kingdom , and that humanity shall at the end of the thousand years be put off , and with the kingdom delivered up to the father , shall cease ; and that god's being all in all implieth this cessation . because mr. beverley taketh himself not accountable for other mens errours , and seemeth himself to renounce all such , i will speak to them my self , ( and to him on the by , ) first , desiring him to have so much charity to such men , as to undeceive them by explaining these few particulars of his . § 2. 1. to tell them what he meaneth by his distinction of christ's nature and kingdom as man in our nature , and his nature and kingdom as the son of man , which he thinks ends with the millennium . to tell them what he meaneth by christ's humane nature before the incarnation . if it be the natura mentalis in genere , is it not as much an angelical nature as a humane ? and he was not jesus christ the anointed saviour from eternity , nor before he was here incarnate of mary . if his body and humane soul then received , die or cease , then jesus christ dieth or ceaseth , though the mental nature humane or angelical cease not : leave us not to the equivocal of a continued [ humane or our nature ] while you distinguish [ christ man ] from [ christ the son of man ] but tell us whether it be only a spiritual mentality , superangelical , or the soul and body of a man at his incarnation . if it be the anima mundi , is it not the common nature of all things ? 2. to tell them yet what he meaneth by the kingdom of eternity as distinct from the thousand years kingdom ; seeing he denieth that there were any subjects , or creatures from eternity , what is that kingdom that hath no subjects , nor government ? if he mean only [ to eternity , ] of that anon . 3. to tell us also how it can be that christ should continue in our nature , and yet be no object of our souls , but only a conveying medium . § 3. now i desire both him and these others that misuse him , to consider as followeth . i. is there any scripture that saith , that christ had two humane natures ? ii. cessation is no less than death , or transmutation into some other nature . if christ's incarnate humanity die , how is he called immortal , eternal , and said to bring life and immortality to light , his kingdom to have no end , as the slain lamb , to be dead and alive for evermore ; to have the power or keys of life , and death , and hell , &c. if it be transmutation , it is either of his humane , specifick form : and then into what other form , nature or being is he changed ? it is but the perfecting of the humane form which he had , by turning corruptible flesh and blood into a spiritual glorious body : and this was done before at his ascension . and this we deny not , to be eternal as to come . if this be your swallowing up . ] iii. if we shall have the same humane nature [ in specie spiritualized and glorified after the thousand years that we had before , so shall christ ; for he will make our vile bodies like to his glorious body . but many promises assure us of such a continuance : else we shall be no men , but nothing , or some thing of another species . and christ calleth us brethren and coheirs . iv. if christ will be the head of the glorified church after the thousand years , then certainly there will be a unity of humane nature , and an everlasting communion both as with a cause efficient , objective and final . and it cannot be true which you say ( and the infidels will take hold of ) that christ as man in our nature will not be an object ( even of fruition . for we shall still be individual members of a political body : and shall we have a head , and king , and not know him , and not love him , and not praise or honour him ? shall the saints praises of the lamb , that redeemed them , cease then for ever ? shall we all then cease to be kings and priests , and to sit with him on his throne , and to sing the song of the lamb , and to see him as he is , and face to face , and to behold his glory given him as man ? is he in all this no object ? and how oft doth scripture make him the final object under the finis ultimatè ultimus , as he is to be glorified ? shall an intelligent head and members live together , and neither know , nor love , nor rejoice in each other ? v. shall the whole heavenly city , society and chore , be dissolved for ever ? if so , do not the mahometans hope for a better felicity than such , who think mahomet will for longer time than a thousand years give them their desires , and that his kingdom shall not end by being spewed out finally in everlasting disgrace ? but if the body and city continue , so will the head and king. and will christ's incarnate humanity spiritualized be for ever useless ? will he live for nothing ? heaven and angels will not be useless : god shall shine in them , and we shall see that light . shall it be our joy to sit with abraham , isaac and jacob , and to enter into the joy of our lord , and this all cease , and the deity only be an object after a thousand years ? o short everlastingness ! vi. open your eyes , and see your contradiction , that think christ's kingdom ( as the son of man ) shall for ever cease , and yet that christ shall be subject to the father . shall he be subject as god , or as man ? not as god , for god is not subject to himself : if as the son of man , then that manhood continueth in being : and doubtless in a glorious objective and effective being . vii . but speaking to men inclined to believe that christ shall be no christ after the thousand years , i will deal with them according to their principles ; and argue from natural order , and from oeconomical or instituted . do you not believe that god hath creatures of divers ranks , some above others in excellency and causality ? no wonder that he that believeth not any creatures continuance , believeth not christ's : or he that believeth not that one is above others in operation , believeth not the continuance of christ's power . do you think that god worketh by any second causes ( though he be himself never the further from the effect , nor less in the causality ? ) doth he not enlighten , warm and quicken earthly creatures by the sun ? and govern men by angels , and subjects by princes , and beasts by men ? certainly if the world cease not , this natural order of creatures and causes will not cease . none but mad-men , i think , will doubt that angels and devils have rule and inferiority . and if so , after the thousand years some prime creature must be a superior cause of operation to the rest , and that according to the nature of each , and therefore to man , that is , intellectual , volitive , affectionate and active . and what creature is this ? why may you not grant it to christ , as well as to any other ? will you say with aristotle , it is the first or highest orb ? that orb then must be a spirit : and what spirit before christ the first and last ? if his humanity cease , shall angels cease too ? or shall they be advanced so far above christ as a creature , as to reign under god for ever when christ is deposed or extinct ? obj. he is not deposed , but his created nature will be swallowed up in the deity . ans . intelligible sense is swallowed up in such insignificant metaphors . is the humane nature turned into the divine , and a creature made the godhead it self ? if not , what can you mean but extinction or annihilation ? obj. but there was no use for a mediator before the fall , and and there will be none after . ans . there was no use for his recovering government ; and there will be none in perfect glory : but there will be use for christ's and his body's glorious fruition , and felicitating work , as the state of reward : there was no use for us before we had our being ; and yet we may have everlasting life . obj. but the kingdom it self , and not only the modus regendi , will be given up , and christ subject and god all in all . and you say , the kingdom continueth , and make two kingdoms , when scripture maketh but one . answ . is the question de nomine , or de re ? if de nomine only , take your liberty to call it one , or two , or three : if de re , are not these real differences ? 1. between the genus or species superior , and the species inferior or specialissima : for in each sense is the word [ the kingdom of god , christ's heaven ] oft taken in scripture . 2. between the governing of men as an army , a school , a hospital , the governing them as meer subjects ( healed , taught , subdued . ) 1. the state of the subjects is not the same 2. the relation of the ruler is not the same ( a captain , a physician , and a viceroy . ) 3. the finis relationis is not the same . 4. all the persons are not the same ( for conquest destroyeth some rebels . ) 5. the laws are not the same . 6. the execution is not the same . what is it then that you would have ? is it that christ as a creature shall cease ? or that he shall have no power under the deity ? who shall have it then ? doth not scripture set him above angels ? are they not his ministers ? what creature shall be over christ ? to say , there shall be no kingdom , is to say , there shall be no god. to say , there shall be no government under god as second causes , is to say , there shall be no world. obj. but why call you it two kingdoms ? ans . because scripture and all divines do so . the kingdom is taken from the jews , and given to another nation . the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of christ ] and many such texts , speak not of the kingdom of endless glory . obj. but after the resurrection and thousand years there will be no legislation , no judgment , no execution ; therefore no kingdom of christ . ans . you may as well say , [ no kingdom of god , ] for you infer that or nothing . but a law is nothing but the notification of the rulers will to the subject : and will not god make it our duty to love and praise him ? his face , yea and the face of christ , will be a law , or notification of our duty . cannot god govern us by a perfect law of nature and intuition ? shall we see god , and not know his will ? yea , have angels now so much work to do , rejoyce over men , and saints shall judge the world , and shall we for ever have no work of obedience , love , joy or praise ? and there will be executive judgment of rewards and punishments for ever . the rebels will not be annihilated : their worm dieth not . and it is christ the lamb that is said to destroy them , and to bless the just . and this as believers in christ or unbelievers , 2 thes . 1. 6 , 9 , 10 , 11. it is the sad case of the church , that even studious ministers must have new books written , to answer every doubt that ariseth to them , and cannot answer them themselves . i conclude , that 1. these men teach the mahometans to vilifie christ's kingdom , and consequently the king himself , as if when the sinful kingdom lasteth about six thousand years , christ's glorious sabbatical kingdom shall last but one , and then for ever be spewed out with loathing as neither hot nor cold , but naked and miserable . 2. that they tempt men to paganism , and to take either the stoicks revolutions , or aristotle's eternity of the world as an eternal body and effect of an eternal cause , to be better than the gospel . and did i expound [ delivering up the kingdom ] as grosly as they ; i would rather fall into peter sterry's way , that christ hath three natures , the divine uniting it self to the first and noblest creature ; and that prime created nature assuming the humanity , and so ex ordine naturae as superangelical , and ex ordine liberae institutionis , retaining the humanity glorified by way of reward , ruling the world as the highest subordinate created cause . i confess this would seem to accommodate us in expounding heb. 1. col. 2. &c. and to reconcile the arrians to the orthodox , if not to reconcile us to aristotle , and them that think it unlikely , that god who now delighteth in his creatures , should have none from and to eternity , but himself ? if christ had a middle created superangelical nature from . but we must not make doctrines to accommodate us in our difficulties , especially such as the church never commonly received . ( though i will not undertake to confute it . ) but if i should grant this doctrine ( that the divine eternal word , produced creatures in different order , and produced the highest creature so as to unite it self to it eminently as that by which he would make , or at least operate on the inferiour ; and that this prime creature at least was god's eternal effect , and that this is either the natura mentalis in genere , comprehending that of angels and men , or some higher nature above both , and that the word in this nature united was it that appeared to abraham , moses , &c. and after to redeem man assumed the soul and body of man as a third nature , by such an hypostatical union , as i have described , cap. 3. in end of controversies . ] i say , should i grant them all this , i would never grant them against plain scripture , that christ's third nature here received , dieth or ceaseth after the thousand years , or that he continueth it glorified to no use active or objective , and that he will not still be the mediator of fruition . nor shall i believe that we men ( no nor angels ) shall have no existent nature to eternity , but what we had from eternity in duration . or if their last argument would hold , that [ eternal , and everlasting , and for ever and without end ] in the promise , did mean but [ a long time ] as it doth oft in the old testament , i should leave this long time as known only to god ( and all that should follow ; ) and not confine it , and all christ's humane reign in glory , to a thousand years , upon so unconcluding an evidence , as one only obscure text , rev. 20. which may clearly be proved to have no such sense . the lord inlighten us . finis . the arrogancy of reason against divine revelations, repressed, or, proud ignorance the cause of infidelity, and of mens quarrelling with the word of god baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a26869 of text r17483 in the english short title catalog (wing b1192). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 116 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 39 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a26869 wing b1192 estc r17483 12256276 ocm 12256276 57536 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26869) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 57536) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 166:7) the arrogancy of reason against divine revelations, repressed, or, proud ignorance the cause of infidelity, and of mens quarrelling with the word of god baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 77 p. printed by t.n. for tho. underhil, london : 1655. written by richard baxter. cf. bm. reproduction of original in yale university library. eng bible -evidences, authority, etc. revelation. a26869 r17483 (wing b1192). civilwar no the arrogancy of reason against divine revelations, repressed. or, proud ignorance the cause of infidelity, and of mens quarrelling with the baxter, richard 1655 23658 539 0 0 0 0 0 228 f the rate of 228 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the f category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-06 melanie sanders sampled and proofread 2004-06 melanie sanders text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the arrogancy of reason against divine revelations , repressed . or , proud ignorance the cause of infidelity , and of mens quarrelling with the word of god . london : printed by t. n. for tho. underhil . 1655. rom. 11. 33 , 34. o the depth of the riches ▪ both of the wisdom and knowledge of god! how unsearchable are his judgments , and his ways past finding out ! for who hath known the minde of the lord , or who hath been his counsellor ? rom. 9. 20. nay but , o man , who art thou that repliest against god ? shall the thing formed say to him that formed it , why hast thou made me thus ? job 37 : 23. touching the almighty , we cannot finde him out , he is excellent in power , and in judgment , and in plenty of justice . job 40. 8 ▪ wilt thou also disannul my judgments , wilt thou condemn me , that thou maist be righteous ? psal. 73. 16 , 17. when i thought to know this , it was too painful for me ; until i went into the sanctuary of god , then i understood their end . job 42. 2 , 3. i know that thou canst do everything , and that no thought can be with-holden from thee : who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge ; therefore have i uttered that i understood not , things too wonderful for me which i knew not . 1 cor. 3. 18 , 19. let no man deceive himself ; if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world , let him become a fool , that he may be wise . for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with god . 1 cor. 1. 25 : the foolishness of god is wiser then men , and the weakness of god is stronger then men . read isai. 40. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. the arrogancy of reason against divine relations , repressed . john 3. 9. nicodemus answered and said unto him ; how can these things be ? in the beginning of this chapter you have a lecture read by the great teacher of the church , to a scholar that was newly entring into his school he is yet but a catechumenus in preparation to be a christian , rather then one indeed ; having good thoughts of christ , but not believing in him as the messiah , nor engaged by baptism to be one of his disciples : and accordingly doth christ suit his doctrine to his condition , and teach him first the great principle of christianity . what success it had at first , we finde in the text , but not what was the issue at last : though by other texts we may probably conjecture . first , the schollar is by name , nicodemus ; by sect , a pharisee ; by place , a ruler of the jews , or one of their great council . for the frame of his minde , the degree of his preparatory knowledge or belief , you may discern it ; 1. by the season of his coming ; 2. by the motive that prevailed with him to come ; and 3. by the confession that he makes of his belief . from all which you may see , first , that he believed that there was a god , and that it belonged to god to teach mankinde ; and that it was his way to teach by men ; and that it was mans duty to seek after gods teaching from his messengers , and come to them and request it ; and that who ever could give sufficient evidence of his mission from god , should be heard by men ; and that jesus christ did truly and undoubtedly work miracles ; and that such miracles as christ wrought , were an undoubted proof , that god was with him . all these things it is apparent he did believe by these words , vers. 2. [ rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come from god ; for no man can do th●se miracles that thou dost , except god be with him . ] secondly , from hence also you see , that it was the evidence of christs miracles , that had thus far convinced him , and drove him to christ , as a teacher come from god , and consequently one that was to be credited : but that he was the messiah , here is yet no confession . thirdly , and as his belief was but preparatory , so this change upon his heart doth appear to be no better : for he hath ●●t yet learned the lesson of self-denial , and preferring the known truth and duty ( of seeking after the minde of god from his messengers ) before the credit of the world , or his life ; and therefore he comes to jesus but by night , as being afraid to own him in the face of his enemies . yet doth not christ cast this cowardize in his teeth to his discouragement , but fitteth his medicine to the strength of the patient , as well as to the disease : for there was more malice and raging zeal against the truth , among the jews , then among the gentiles ; and so more dangers and sufferings , which a novice might not be so fit to encounter with . and therefore paul when he went up to jerusalem , did preach the gospel privately to them of worldly reputation , which among the gentiles , and inferior jews , he preacheth publickly ; lest through the prevalency of mens pride or cowardize , his physick should not do its work , but he should run or labor in vain , gal. 2. 2. the first and great thing that christ presently falls upon , is to let this man know , that this much will not serve his turn ( to confess the miracles , and so the divine mission of christ ; ) but that he must also truly believe the office that he is sent upon , even to be the messiah , the mediator ; and the redeemer of the world , and must openly be engaged to him as such a one by baptism , and so own him and confess him before the world , and receive his renewing spirit , for the illumination of his understanding , the purifying and quickening of his heart , and th●reforming , and afterguidance of his life . this work christ calleth by the name of the new-birth or regeneration , and tells nicodemus , [ that except he be born again of water , and of the spirit , he cannot enter into the kingdom of god . ] not that there is the same necessity of the washing by water , and the purifying by the spirit . for by [ water ] is principally meant that covenant which baptism did sign ; even the confession of christ , and dedication to him in the relation of redeemed ones , children , disciples , and subjects , on our part ; and his re-engagement and relation to us : yet [ water ] it self is the thing nearly signified in the word , and the use of it is of divine appointment , and not to be neglected where it may be used ; but the necessity to salvation is placed in the relation or thing signified . as its common to say to a souldier of the enemies , [ if thou wilt change thy general , and take the princes colours and fight for him , th●● maist have pardon for thy rebellion . ] where [ taking colours ] is a duty ; but the necessity is placed in the change of his relation and practice ; for if there were no colours at hand to give him , yet if he be listed as a soldier ( or if not listed , yet if by open profession and action , joyned to them ) it will be accepted ; or else as gr●tius expoundeth it , by [ water and the spirit ] is meant , a washing , clensing spirit ; of which , see him in lo● . this change that is here called the [ new birth ] is not the new creation of a substance , or destruction of our former substance , or faculties : for we have still the same natural powers of understanding and willing ; but it is the change of the disposition , habits , and acts of those faculties : and ( with submission to the contrary minded , i conceive that ) it is not onely our real qualitative change that is here called the new-birth ; but that the word is more comprehensive ( as i before exprest ) including our new relation to god in christ , as sons and disciples to christ , and servants , subjects , or soldiers under him ; with a removal from our former relations which we were in by corruption , and are inconsistent with these : so that it comprehendeth both our new relations to god , to the redeemer , and to his church ; where we have a new father , husband , lord , and fellow-servants ; new brothers , and sisters , and inheritance ( though yet we renounce not our natural brethren , parents , and inheritance , as the popish monastical votaries conceive , any further then as they are contrary to the interest of christ . ) the reasons that perswade me to take regeneration in this extent ▪ are , first , because it is the entrance into our whole new state that is here so called , without any limiting expression . secondly , because we are said to be born of [ water ] as well as the spirit : and certainly baptism doth as nearly and truly signifie our justification , and relative change , and new covenant engagements , and adoption , and church membership , as it doth our qualitative renovation . nor do i see how any fair exposition can be given of that saying [ except a man be born of water ] which shall not include the change of our relations , as well as of our dispositions . and the like i may say of other texts , which mention regeneration , which i will not now so far digress as to recite . having seen what christ teacheth nicodemus first , let us next see the success of his doctrine . nicodemus fastening too much upon the metaphorical term of being [ born again , ] and withal not understanding the meaning of it , nor the scope of christ , he presently expresseth his ignorance and unbelief by this question , [ how can a man be born when he is old ? can he enter the second time into his mothers womb , and be born ? ] hereupon christ returning an explicatory answer , telling him not onely the nature of the new birth , but also the mysteriousness of its causes in the effecting of it , and shewing a plain reason from natural agents , why the mysteriousness of this should not make it seem incredible ; yet doth nicodemus return a second answer like the first [ how can these things be ? ] which words do import not an absolute unbelief of the truth of what christ had said , but a great ignorance of his meaning , and a not discerning of that evidence fully , which should have caused full belief ; but a strong apprehension of the improbability of the thing affirmed , and thereupon a great doubting of the truth of the affirmation . and note here the aggravations of nicodemus his fault , first , they were the words of one that he himself confessed to be a teacher come from god , and that sealed his doctrine by such miracles as none could do , except god were with him . and doth god send any messenger with a lie ? or any teacher that knoweth not what he teacheth ? or will he seal untruths , or senseless absurdities , with such unquestionable miracles ? sure a man that was once convinced , that god sent the messenger , and sealed the message , should be confident , that the matter of it is divine , and should never once suspect it of untruth ! secondly , though christ did with frequent asseverations , aver the truth of his doctrine , yet did nicodemus stagger through unbelief . thirdly , it was the very catechism and rudiments of piety , and christianity which was so strange to him . fourthly , the term by which christ expresseth spiritual things , he understandeth all in a carnal sense ; yea , and after that christ had told him plainly what birth he means , not carnal , producing a fleshly creature , but of water and the spirit , producing a spiritual creature , yet doth not nicodemus understand him for all this . fifthly , yet was this man a ruler of the jews , even one of the great sanedrim , and one reputed skilful in the law ; one that professed himself a guide of the blinde , a light of them which are in darkness , an instructer of the foolish , a teacher of babes , which had the form of knowledge , and of the truth in the law ; one of those that boasted of god , and of the law , rom. 2. 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. yet he that should teach others , had not learnt these rudiments himself . sixthly , and when christ used a familiar instance , to shew him that things are not therefore incredible , because invisible , or because we know not the nature , cause , and end of them . we may know that it is , when we cannot know what is it , or whence , or why it is , or whether it tends , as in the blowing of the wind is evident ; yet doth not nicodemus cease his doubting , on this account , but asketh , [ how can these things be ? ] the spirituality , and mysteriousness of the thing , made it seem improbable to his uninformed intellect ; and the seeming improbability made him doubt of the verity . because it was past his apprehension to conceive , how it should be , therefore he doubted , whether it were true , or not : he had not so much rational consciousness of his own ignorance , or so much confidence in a teacher sent from god , and sealing his doctrine by miracles , as to acquiesce as a learner in his teachers credit , concerning the verity of the thing , while he was seeking to get a clearer discovery of its nature , rise , and ends . so that here were all these sins together manifested in this answer , great ignorance , even in a ruler , unbelief , doubting of the conclusion , when he had acknowledged the premises ; an unteachableness ( in part ) when he professed himself to come to learn ; an arrogant conceit of the capaciousness of his understanding , as if christs words , or the plain truth should be sooner suspected , then his shallow capacity . from this picture we may well conclude what is the ordinary shape of mans corrupted disposition ; and we may all know our selves by knowing nicodemus . and from hence i may raise this observation of us all . doct. the corrupt nature of man is more pron● to question the truth of gods word , then to se● and confess their own ignorance and incapacity ; and ready to doubt , whether the things that christ revealeth are true , when they themselves do not know the nature , cause , and reason of them . they will make every thing which they understand not , to seem improbable ; and all such improbabilities will make it seem incredible ; and the incredibility of a part , makes the whole seem incredible : and thus men will be infidels , or seed their infidelity by every thing that themselves are ignorant of ; and make it the chief reason why they will not believe or learn , because they do not already know , and fully understand the things to be learnt and believed . and so god must be accused in every thing that moles and worms are ignorant of . when the jews acknowledged the prophets to be of god , and sometime would profess to receive and obey any message that god should send by them ; yet when they heard what it was in particular which he sent , then if it did not suit with their interest and carnal reason , they would not believe it , or obey it , but rather persecute the messenger , and think that , sure such a message could never come from god . so that they must like the particular matter , before they would believe that it was of god . and so gods word shall not be gods word , unless it please the blinde and carnal reason of man . so you may finde they used the prophet jeremy , jere. 42. they intreat the prophet to go for them to god , by prayer , and for advice , and binde themselves with seeming resolution to obey , saying , [ the lord be a true and faithful witness between us , if we do not even according to all things , for the which the lord thy god shall send thee to us : whether it be good , or whether it be evil , we will obey the voice of the lord our god , to whom we send thee , that it may be well with us when we obey , &c. ] one would have thought that these men would have believed , and obeyed any thing that god should send to them , after such a vow as this : and yet when they heard that the message was contrary to their own mindes and opinions , chap. 43. 1 , 2. its said , that [ all the proud men ] gave this answer [ thou speakest falsly , the lord our god hath not sent thee to say this . ] a full instance you have of the like corrupt disposition , in john 6. when christ doth but tell them that he is the bread that came down from heaven , the jews murmur , vers. 41. but when he insisted on it , that [ he was the living-bread , and that he would give his flesh for the life of the world , and that he that eateth him , should live for ever . ] these spiritual things they did not understand , but understood him carnally ; and thereupon reject the truth , because they understood it not . so that vers. 52. they fall a striving among themselves against christs words , saying , [ how can this man give us his flesh to eat ? ] even like nicodemus [ how can these things be ? ] they will not believe it is true , or that it can be , till they know themselves , how it can be ? and when christ yet pressed home the same mystery further , even some of his own [ disciples when they heard this , said , this is an hard saying , who can hear it . ] vers. 60. and though christ proceed to open the mystery to them , and speak that more plainly which he had spoken allegorically ; yet it s said , vers. 66. that [ from that time many of his disciples went back , and walked no more with him ; ] insomuch , as he asketh the twelve , whether they would go also ? intimating the greatness of the number of revolters , upon this sleight occasion ; forsooth , because he spake that which they understood not , and would have taught them what they had not , humility and patience enough to learn ; and because they did not reach it at the first hearing , therefore they thought it improbable and incredible : many more such instances we might give you from scripture , but alas , it is a truth that needs no further proof ; there are as many living witnesses of it , as there are men on earth ; the unregenerate being conquered by this corruption , and the regenerate weakned , and hindered much by the remnants of it . for the further improvement of this observation , i shall , first , open further the nature and workings of this corruption ; secondly , and then shew the reasons of it ; and lastly , make some application of all . 1. sometime the weak intellect of man , is stalled at the quiddity or nature of things ; and then being arrogant , as well as ignorant , it will not believe that there is such a thing , because he cannot reach to know what it is . on this account some question , whether man have an immortal soul , because they cannot reach to know ( as they expect ) what that soul is . and some will not believe , that there is such a thing as the spirit of god dwelling in his people , because they know not what that spirit is : and some think that there is no such thing as inheren● sanctifying grace , or the image of god renewed upon the souls of the regenerate ; but that all talk of these spiritual supernatural changes , are meer fancies and conceits ; and all , because they know not what this sanctity and gracious inclination is . they think there is no such thing as communion with god , because they know not what it is ; nor any such thing as a spirit of prayer , because they know not what it is . and indeed , if this were a wise and right reasoning , then there should be nothing in being , but what we know the formal nature of ; which is as gross a conceit , as most in the world . what if you know not what an angel or spirit is ? doth it follow that there is none ? what if you know not what is beyond the visible creatures out of sight ? doth it follow , that there is nothing beyond our sight ? by this rule , you may say , that there is no god ; nay , all the world must needs say so , if this were right reasoning ; for no man hath a true formal knowledge of gods essence ; and therefore must say , there is no god , because they know not what god is : nay , it s a great question , whether such men must not deny the being of almost all gods creation . for it is but little that we know of the forms of things , in comparison of what we are ignorant of . you know not what the fire is , nor what the light is , nor what the air and wind is ; for all the great pretences of the world , men are ignorant of the formal nature of these . and will you therefore say , that there is no such thing as fire , or light , or air or wind ? you know not the formal nature of the sun or moon ; is there therefore no sun or moon . alas , there is not a pile of grass , nor the smallest creeping thing , that you throughly know , and yet you know that such things there are . a beast knows not what a man is , and yet he apprehendeth that there is such a creature : and no man throughly knoweth what he is himself , and yet he knoweth that he is . and for the soul it self , it is a most easie and obvious truth , that we have such a soul ; but it is not so easie to give a definition of it . a● the way to know that you have eyes in your head , and eye-sight , is not by seeing those eyes or eye sight ; but by seeing other things by them . for the eye was not made to see it self , nor do we see the sight of the eye ; but by that eye and sight we see other things , and thereby know that we have eyes and sight . for he that hath not eyes and eye-sight , can see nothing at all ; so the intellective soul was not made directly to understand it self , and it● own intellection ; but to understand other things , and thereby to know that we have an intellectual soul . for he that understandeth , doth understand something , and thereby he understandeth that he doth understand , and so , that he hath an intellectual faculty : for he that hath not an intellectual soul , can understand nothing at all ; ( yet i will not presume to determine the controversie , whether the intellect do know its own , and the wills elicit acts , by direct intuition of the act it self ? ) it s as unreasonable a thing then , to doubt whether we have such intellectual souls , because they know not themselves directly o● fully ; as long as they know other things , as it i● to doubt , whether we have eyes , because they s●● not themselves , as long as they see external objects . 2. moreover , this corruption doth often di●cover it self , in that men will not believe the tru●● of the thing revealed , because they cannot rea●● to understand the causes of it ; so many w 〈…〉 question gods decrees of predestination and p 〈…〉 terition , because they cannot reach the cau 〈…〉 and many will deny the very work of creatio 〈…〉 because they cannot know the way of creatio 〈…〉 they will question , whether they have immor 〈…〉 souls , because they cannot tell how they ●●● caused ; whether by seminal traduction and p 〈…〉 ▪ pagation , or by immediate creation ? they 〈◊〉 deny the work of gods differencing effect 〈…〉 grace , because they know not how it is given o 〈…〉 or wrought in the soul . and as well might they deny , that they have flesh or bones , till they better know how they were caused in the womb : and they may as well deny , that they have any blood in their bodies , any nutrition or augmentation , till they better know the mystery of sanguification , and other n●tri●ive works : and as well may they say , that the sun doth not shine , or warm us , till they know how it is that these are caused by the sun . they know not how the plants are animated , and specified , nor how they suck their nutriment from the earth , and yet they know that such things are : they know not how the silly snail doth form her shell , or nature for her ; nor how the fe●thers of the peacock are so beautified ; and the several sorts of birds , beasts , plants , fruits , are so diversified and adorned ; and yet they know that such things are : or as christ telleth nicodemus here , [ the wind ▪ bloweth where it listeth , and you hear the sound thereof , but know not whence it cometh &c. ] and do we therefore say , that there is no win● , because we know not whence it cometh , or what is the inferior cause of it ? will you say , that the sea doth not ebbe and flow , or there are no earthquake , thunder , and lightning , because men do so little know the causes of them . faelix qui potuit &c. it is not every mans lot to reach such causes ; nor any mans on earth to know the causes of all things which he knoweth to be ; nor fully the causes of any one . 3. moreover , this folly of mans heart doth discover it self thus : in , that men will not believe the truths revealed by god , because they cannot see gods ends and reasons , and the use of the things . many an evident truth is rejected by the proud wit of foolish man , because god hath not told them why he hath so determined and ordered the business ; or if he have told it , yet they understand it not : so many infidels and socinians do deny christs satisfaction as a ransom , and sacrifice for sin , because they cannot see any reason for it , or necessity of it : they cannot see , but god may pardon sin without satisfaction . and then , what need of all this ado ? or , what likelihood , that god would lay so much on his son , or make so great a business of this work , for our good , and his glory , if all was needless ? and thus many deny the universal extent of his satisfaction , as being for all mankinde , because they are not able to see the reason and use of it . they thrust in their dead quorsum as a sufficient answer to the most express words of god : and ask , what good will it do men to be ransomed , and not saved ? they fear not to say , that this is a thing unbeseeming god , and such a weakness , as men would not be guilty of : so that if we can prove that such a thing there is ▪ they will not fear to charge it on god as his unreasonable weakness . the like we might shew in many other points . and must god unlock to us the reasons , ends ▪ and uses , of his truths and works , before we will believe that such things are ? we will allo● parents to conceal the reasons and ends of many precepts from their children ; and a prince to conceal the reasons of many laws , and to kee● to himself the a●cana imperii , the mysteries of state ; and must god open all before he can be believed ? is not the wisdom , and the will of god , the most satisfying reason in the world ? must you have proper reasonings and intentions in god ? or will you have a cause of the first cause , or an end of the ultimate end of all ? al●s , how little do the wisest men know of the use and ends of many a creature , over their heads , and under their feet , which their eyes behold ? yea , how little know they of the use and ends of many a part of their own bodies ? and yet they know that such things there are . what abundance of why's hath an arrogant infidel , upon the reading of scripture , from the beginning of gene●●s to the end of the revelation ; which must all be satisfied before he will believe ? of all which , god will one day satisfie them ; but not in the manner as they would have prescribed him . 4. another expression of this arrogant ignorance , is , when men will not believe the several truths of god , because they are not able to reconcile them , and place each one in its own order , and see the method and body of truth in its true locations and proportion : nay , perhaps they will believe none , because they cannot discern the harmony . what abundance of seeming contradictions in scripture do rise up in the eyes of an ignorant infidel ? as strange apparitions do to a distracted man ; or as many colours do before the inflamed or distempered eye . these self-conceited ignorant s●uls , do imagine all to be impossible which exceedeth their knowledge ; and because they cannot s●e the sweet consent of scripture , and how those places do suit , and fortifie ●●ch other , which to them seemed to contradict each other , therefore they think that no one ●ls● can see it ; no not ●od himself they are like an ignor●nt fellow in ● watch-makers sh●p , that thinks no body can ●●● all the loose ●eeces together , and make a wat●h of them , because he cannot . when he hath tryed many ways , and c●●●ot hit it , he casts all by , and concludeth , that its impossible . and upon this account many cast away particular truths ▪ though they will not c●st aw●y all . some cannot reconcile the efficiency of the ●p●●i● , with that of the word , in the conversion and confirmation of sinners ; and therefore s●me exclude one , and some the other , or own but the empty names ; some cannot reconc●le the law , and the gospel : and too great a part of the teachers , in the christian world , have been so troubled to reconcile gods grace , with mans ●reewill , that of old , many did too much exclude grace ; and of late too many exclude the natural liberty of the will , upon a supposition of the inconsistency ; onely the names of both were still owned . many cannot reconci●e the sufficiency of christs satisfaction , with the necessity of mans endeavors , and inherent righteousness ; and therefore one must be straitned or denied . many cannot reconcile common love and grace , with that which is special and proper to the elect ; and therefore some deny one , and some another . the like might be said of many other cases , wherein the arrogancy of mans wit hath cast out gods truth : if both parts be never so express , yet they are upon this unbelieving questioning strain , [ how can these things be ? ] how can these agree together ? how can both be true ? when yet its evident , that god hath owned both . it is certain , that the truths of gods word are one perfect well joynted body ; and the perfect symmetry or proportion , is much of its beauty : it is certain , that method is an excellent help in knowing divine things : and that no man can know gods truths perfectly , till he see them all as in one scheam or body , with one view , as it were , and so sees the location of each truth , and the respect that it hath to all the rest ; not onely to see that there is no contradiction , but how every truth doth fortifie the rest . all this therefore is exceeding desirable , but it is not every mans lot to attain it , nor any mans in this world perfectly , or near to a perfection : it is true , that the sight of all gods frame of the creation , uno intuitu , in all its parts , with all their respects to each other , would acquaint us with abundance more of the glory of it , then by looking on the members peace-meal we can attain : but who can see them thus , but god ? at least , what mortal eye can do it ? and we shall never in this life attain to see the full body of divine revealed-truths , in that method and due proportion , as is necessary to the knowledge of its ful● beauty . it is a most perfectly melodious instrument ; but every man cannot set it in tu●e , so as to pe●ce●ve the delectable harmony . what then ? because we cannot know all , shall we know nothing , or deny all ? because we cannot see the whose frame of the world , in its junctures and proportion , shall we say , that there is no world , or , that the parts are not rightly situated ▪ or ●e●gn one to be inconsistent with the rest ? we must rather receive first ▪ that which is most clear , and labor by degrees to see through the obscurities that beset the rest . and if we first finde from god , that both are truths , let us receive them , and learn how to reconcile them after , as we can : and if we cannot reach it , its arrogancy therefore to think that it is not to be done , and to be so highly conceited of our own understandings . 5. another way by which this arrogant i●sidel●ty worketh , is this , when men will not believe any revealed ●ruth of god , unless they can see a possibility of accomplishing the matter by natural means . and therefore , when ever in reading the scripture , they come to a work that ●ass●th the power of the creature , the n●●●dem●tes stagger at it through unbelief , and s●y , [ how can these things be ? ] and the fixed infidels with julian deride it : when they read of the scripture miracles ; they cannot believe them because they are miracles . is this a likely matter , say th●● that such and such things should be ? and why is it unlikely ? because it is too hard for god ? what i doth his creature know his infinite power ? and can you set him his bounds , and say , thus far god can go , and no further ? thus much god can do , and no more ? is it ever the more difficult to god , because it is impossible to such as we ? will you say , that a horse cannot carry you on his back , because a flie cannot ? creatures may be compared to creatures ; but between the creator ; and the creature , there is no comparison . have you read how god posed job in point of power and knowledge ? ( job 38. 39 , 40 , 41. ) but who is he that hath posed god ? what is that work that should be difficult to him , that by his word or will did make all the worlds ? are they greater works then those which he hath certainly done , that you speak of so incredulously ? if you had never seen the sun , or moon , or stars , or earth , or sea , and had meerly found it written , that god made such a world , it is like you would as doubtingly have said , [ how can these things be ? ] if you had no more seen the light or sun , then you have seen the angels , or souls of men its like you would have as little believed , that there is such a thing as light or a sun , as you now do , that there are angels and immortal souls . but i hope you are satisfied in the things you see ; and may not they shame your incredulity of the things you do not see ? you see there is a sun , and moon , and firmament , and earth ; you know these had either a maker and cause ▪ or else were eternal ▪ and as an eternal cause to themselves . if they were eternal , or made themselves , then they are the first being and cause , and so are gods . and is it not more reasonable to believe one god , then so many ? and to believe that god is a perfect incomprehensible , superin-tellectual being , then to believe , that the s●nseless earth is a god ? is it not more ●easonable to conclude , that this one perfect eternal god made all things , then that every stone did make it self ? or , that the sun or moon , or any creature made it self , and the rest ? if you believe , that all things are the works of god , then you see that with your eyes that may shame your foolish dark-incre●ulity . do you see a greater work , and think it unlikely , that the same power should do a lesser ? do you see so much of the world that was m●d● by a word , and do you ask , [ how can these things be ? ] when you read of any miracle or unusual work ? if it were your self , or such as you , that had been the doer of such works , you might well say , [ how can these things be ? ] but god is not as man in his works , or word . 6. yea , many times when men do but hear , read , or think of some objection against the truth of gods revelations , which they cannot tell how to answer themselves , they presently begin to stagger at the whole truth , and question it on every such slight occasion . if any new difficulty arise in their way , they are in the case of nicodemus , saying , [ how can these things be ? ] though they have heard never so many arguments to confirm them , and have been long receiving them , and seen an evidence of truth in them , yet every new cavil or hard objection doth seem to enervate all this evidence . if men were as foolish and incredulous in the matters of the world , their folly would easily appear to all men : when a man hath studied physick seven years , or twenty years , he shall meet with many new difficulties , and doubtful c●ses ; and many old difficulties will never be ov●rco●e : and yet he will not therefore throw away all , and forsake his study or profession . w●●l a student in law give over all his study , upon e●ery occurring difficulty , or seeming contradiction in the laws ? if any students in the universities should follow this example , and doubt of al that they have learned , upon every objection which they are unable to answer , they would be bu 〈…〉 proficie●●s : or if every apprentice that is learning his trade , will forsake it every time that he is sta●led , and at a loss ▪ he would be long before he set up shop : on this course all men should lose all their time lives , and labor , by doing all in v●i● , and undoing again , by going forward and backward , and so know nothing , nor resolve of any thing . it is most certain , that all men are very imperfect in knowledge , and especially in the highest mysteries ; and there is none so high as those in theology , about god , and mans soul , and our redemption , and our everlasting state . and doubtless where men are so defective in knowledge , there must still be difficulties in their way , and many knots which they cannot untie ▪ can you expect till you are perfect in knowledge , to see the whole frame of truth so clearly , as to be able to answer every objection that is made against it ? why do you not lay together the evidences on both sides , and consider which of the two is the clearer case ? what if you cannot answer all that is brought by the devil and cavillers , against the truth ? can you answer all that christ and his servants say for it ? i dare say you cannot , unless you take every impertinent vanity or falshood for an answer . god needs not you to be the defenders of his truth : he is able to vindicate it himself against all the enemies in the world ? otherwise , if he had called you chiefly to this work , he would have furnished you for it . but he first calleth you to be schollars to learn that truth , that he may help you over all difficulties in his time and way . we are next to shew the causes of this unhappy distemper ; why it is , or whence it comes to pa●s , that men are so prone to doubt of gods truth , upon every difficulty or mysterie ▪ that is in their way ? and to question all , when they are stalled in any thing ; and to deny the very things that are certain , when they are puzzled , and at a loss , but about the manner , cause , reason , or ends of them . and among others , the causes of this great sin , are these following . 1. man is naturally desirous of knowledge , and to see things in their own evidence and therefore , he is oft an unmannerly impatient suiter to be presently admitted into the presence chamber of truth ▪ and to see her naked without delay . nature will hardly be satisfied with believing ; which is a receiving of truth upon trust from another , no , though he give us the most convincing arguments of his veracity ; no , though it be god himself : nothing will satisfie nature , but se●ing . i● the wisest men in the world tell them , that they see it , or know it ; if the workers of miracles , christ and his apostles , tell them that they see it ; if god himself tells them that he sees it ; yet all this doth not satisfie them , unless they may see it themselves . they think this is but to be kept at a distance , without door , and what may be within , they cannot tell : every man hath an understanding of his own , and therefore would have a sight of the evidence himself ; and so have a nee●er knowledge of the thing , and not onely a knowledge of the truth of the thing by the testimony of another , how infallible soever . and therefore we are all prone , when difficulties seem great , to say with thomas , [ except i see , i will not believe . ] john 20. 25. bu● [ blessed are they that have not seen , and yet have believed . ] v. 29. how far this desire of knowledge is in nature as from . god , and how far it is in nature , as corrupted , i will not stand to debate ; but that it is in us we feel : and this is a preparative reason of our doubting and dis-satisfaction , if not a proper cause . 2. this nature of man is yet so much more desirous to know , that though it do see things in their own proper evidence , yet is it not satisfied , unless it also see the whole , and comprehend all things with all their reasons , causes , and modes . man affecteth a certain infiniteness in knowledge ; he would know all that is knowable ; and so would be as god in knowing . and if he be ignorant of any part , he remaineth unsatisfied , and so is ready to quarrel with all ; and like froward children that throw away their meat or cloaths , or what else they have , because they cannot have what more they would have . every little childe will be asking you , not onely what is this ? or , what is that ? but also , why is this so or so ? and , to what use is it . and so do men in the matters of god : and if you satisfie them not in all , they will scarce be satisfied in any thing . thirdly , besides this , there is indeed a great dependance of one truth upon another ; and they are ( in morality ) as a well framed building , or as a clock or watch , or the like engine , where no one part can be missing without g●e●t wrong to the whole . now when these men cannot see all , they do indeed want those helps that are necessary to the perfect seeing of any part ; and then they have not the skill of making use of an imperfect knowledge , but are ready to take it for none , till they conceit it full and perfect ; and thus are still detained in unbelief , and quarrelling with that which they did , or might know , because of that which they did not , or could not know . fourthly , moreover , it is most certain that when god calls us at first to the knowledge of his truth , he findeth us in darkness ; and though he bring us thence into a marvellous light ( acts 26. 18. 1 pet. 2. 9. ) yet he doth this by degrees , and not into the fullest light or measure of knowledge at the first ; so that we are at the beginning but babes in knowledge . it cannot be expected , that a man that was born blinde , with an indisposition of understanding to spiritual things , and that hath lived in blindness long ▪ should presently know all things , as soon as he is converted : they do not so come to knowledge in earthly things , which they are more disposed to know , and which are nearer to them , much less in heavenly things . the disp●sitive blindness of the best convert , is cured but in part , much less his actual blindness . for ( as i have said before ) if a man have his eyes never so perfectly opened , who before was blinde , yet he will not see any more then is near him , within sight : if he will see other countries , places , or persons , he must be at the pains and p●tience of travelling to them . and so in this case , when god hath opened the eyes of the blinde , they must yet expect to know , but by degrees : o what abundance of things are yong converts ignorant of , that are fit to be known ? they are but entred into christs school to learn ; and can they think to know all the first day or year : but alas , many that are nominally entered , bring not with them the true disposition of disciples , and therefore quarrel with their master and his teaching , in stead of diligent seeking after knowledge . men have not the patience to stay at school , and wait on christs teaching till they have got so much knowledge , as might dispel their doubts . they must be taught all at once , though they are uncapable of it , and must know all presently , or in a little time , and with little pains ; or else ; they will not believe that christ can teach them . and so they run away from him , like foolish , impatient schollars , because he did not bring them to more knowledge , and will not stay the time that their own ignorance doth naturally require , for so great a work . fifthly , and there is also much diligence necessary , as well as time and patience , before men ca● come to so much understanding in the heavenly mysteries , as to be able to resolve the difficulties that occur . if you stay never so long in christs school , and yet be truants and loyterers , and will not take pains ; no wonder if you remain ignorant . and yet these men will expect , that they should know all things , and be satisfied in the answer of every objection , or else they will suspect the truths of christ . will sitting still in christs school , help you to learning ? do you look that he should teach you , when you will not take pains to learn what he teacheth ? you know in law , in physick , in the knowledge of any of the sciences or languages , no man can come to understand them , much less to defend them against all opposers , and to resolve all objections , without so long diligence and pains taking in his studies , as the greatness of the work requires . and shall every yong lazy student in theology , or every dull , unlearned professor , think to see through all scripture difficulties so easily ? or else will he suspect the truth which he should learn ? it may be you have been professors of christianity long ; but have you studied the scriptures day and night , and consulted with men of judgment in such things , and diligently read the writings that should unfold them to you , and held on in this way , till you came to a ripeness of understanding , and ability to defend the truth against gain-sayers ? if not , what wonder , if every difficulty do puzzle you , after all your unprofitable duties and profession . 6. moreover , there is a great deal of other knowledge necessary to the through-knowing of the sence of scriptures . though the unlearned may know so much as is of absolute necessity to salvation , ( and will save , if it be heartily believed and improved ; ) yet there is much learning necessary to the fuller understanding of them , and to the resolving of all doubts and difficulties that may occur . and this is not because christ hath delighted to speak obscurely ; but because our distance and imperfection , and the nature of the thing , doth make such learning to be necessary . for if christ speak in the syriack tongue , and if the scriptures be written in hebrew and greek , ( which were then fittest to divulge it ; ) how can it be expected , that englishmen , frenchmen , germans , or any that understand not those languages , should understand them so fully as those that do ? for no bare translation , though never so exact , can give us the full sence of the original words . besides this , all countreys have their peculiar proverbial speeches , which are familiar with them , but would seem non-sence , or of a ●ontrary sence to others , that were unacquainted with them : and scripture must and doth contain ●uch proverbs , as were usual with those , to whom ●t was wrote , or the matter spoken . they had also many peculiar customs of their countries , which a●e supposed in scriptures which if we understand not , the pl●in text will seem dark to us . the like we may say o● matters o● geography , about the sc●●●uation of plac●s ; and of chronology , for the due computation o● times ; and of other history , to know the sta●e of church and commonwealth , and many other part● of learning , which the v●ry nature of the matter proclaimeth to be necessary for the res●lving of scripture-difficulties . now when unle●rned men , or yong raw schollars , that want all or most of these necessaries , will yet expect that they must understand all and see through all diffi●ulties , and be able to answer every cavi● ; what wonder if they be frequently stalled , and temp●●d to unbelief , and say , [ how can these things be ? ] if you s●y , that ●hen it seems none but learned men must be able to resolve these doubts , and d●fend the scriptures against opposers ; and we must take all upon their words : i answer , you must explicitely know all that is of flat necessity to salvation , and learn as much of the rest as you can : but if it be undeniable , that you do not know more , that is , enough for the resolving of the foresaid doubts ; why should you be offended that we tell you so ? ei●her you do indeed see through all difficulties , or you do not ; if you do , then you are established , you are none of those that i speak of ; you will not suspect the truth , nor say , [ how can these things be ? ] but you are able to confute all that would seduce you . but if you do not see through these difficulties ; should ●ou not humbly confess it , and not quarrel with those that tell you so ? and for taking it on others words , you must in reason do it , if you have no other way , and if you have reason to think that they know that which you do not know : but if you th●nk that the learnedst men do know no more then your selves , and are as unable to resolve ●hese doubts , as you are ; you go against the full lig●t of the who●e worlds experience . let their writings bear witness , wherein they do indeed resolve them : and do you call them to a tryal , and see whether they are able or not ? and let any that understandeth the matter , and is competent , be the judge . 7. yea , some men are so far from having all the forement●oned qualifica●ions for knowledge , that they have not a natural strength of understanding , or capacity to conceive of difficult things ; and yet they will expect that all should be made plain to them , who cannot understand a plain case in law , physick , or any other profession , that they are not versed in , no , nor any great difficulties in the thing , that they are more conversant with . 8. besides this , it is most certain , that when the best men have done all that they can , they will here know but in p●rt : perfection of knowledge is reserved for the time of our perfect blessedness ; and he that knows but in part , is not like to see through every difficulty . and this imperfection joyned with the corruptions , which we shall anon mention ▪ doth cause these suspectings of the truth that should be entertained . 9. there are some truths also which are not well understood without exper●e●ce : and it is onely sanctification that giveth that experience . and therefore the unsanctified take them but for fancies and suspect the truth of that word which doth assert them . 10. but one of the greatest causes of this sin , is the pride of mens heart , which makes them forget their great ignorance , shallowness , and incapacity : men have such arrogant understandings , that be they never so empty , they think themselves immediatly capable of receiving any truth that shall be delivered to them . and if they understand not what they read or hear , they never suspect their own wit , but the writer or speaker : because they a●e at age , and are now past childhood , they think they need no more to make them capable . little know they the nature of that knowl●dge which they want ; and how it must be attained : they know not that there is a certain order ▪ among truths ; and that one presupposeth another ; and all the lower are prerequisite to the higher : they know not how m●ny hundreds of the lower preparatory truths , must be known before some of the higher can be well understood : they would go to the top of the stairs , without going up the lower steps : it would make a sober man wonder to see the impudent pride and arrogancy of some ignor●nt men ; that when they have need to sit many a year at the feet of some teacher , and humbly learn that which they know not , they will as confidently pass a present censure on the things that they understand not , as if they were as throughly acquainted with them as the best : and if they see not the evidence of a truth , they will as confidently and scornfully call it an error , as if they were indeed most capable of judging of it : when men of true understanding do see that truth as clear as the light . if they hear a confident seducer , that hath a glozing tongue , and plausible cavils against a truth , these arrogant w●●s will presently conclude , that he is in the right , and cannot be answered ; as if no body can do it , because they cannot : when , alas , men of understanding may presently discern gross ignorance , and absurdity , in that which sh●llow brains are so confident of . we can scarce meet with the man so grosly ignorant , but he is confident of his own understanding , and wise in his own conceit : so that when we may expect that they should say , [ what ignorant foolish wretchet are we , that cannot understand the word of god : ] they are ready to accuse or suspect the word , and say , [ how can these things be ? ] 11. and this arrogancy is much increased by the very nature of ignorance , which is , to be even ignorant of it self . he that never saw the light knows not what light is , not what darkness is as differing from light . a dead man knows not what death is : a bruit knows not what bruitishness is , because he knows not what reason is . there is a good measure of knowledge necessary to make some men to know their ignorance . what can shew a man his error , but the contrary truth ? this is it therefore that hinders mens conviction , and makes them confident in their most false conceits ; seeing they want both that light , and that humdity which should take down their confidence . we have as much ado to make some men know , that they do not know , as to make them know , that which they know not , when once they will believe that they do not know it : especially , if men have but any plausible , natural wit , or a little taste of lea●ning , or a little illomination in some greater matters , which in gross-ignorance they do not understand , they presently think that all things should be now plain to them . it is the ruine ( or dangerous ●erverting , at least ) of many yong zealous professors , that formerly lived in gre●t ignorance and ungodliness ; that when god hath shewed them their error , and brought them to see the excellency of a holy life ; the new light seems so glorious to them , that they think they know all things , and need but little more : and now they are illuminated by the spirit of god , they think they should understand all truths at the first hearing , and see through all difficulties at the first consideration : little knowing how much lamer table ignorance doth yet remain in them ; and how much more glorious a light is yet before them ; and how little they know yet , in comparison of that which they do not know : so that it is the nature of the ignorant , especially half-witted men , that have some little knowledge which may puff them up , to think they have that which indeed they have not ; and so to have this ar●ogancy of understanding , and speak against the darknes● of truth , when they should lament the darkness of their own understandings ; and to think the candle is put out , o● the su● is darkned , because this web is grown over their eyes . 12. moreover , i fid●l●●y is a natural , deep-rooted , obs●●●●ate sin ; and therefore ▪ no wonder if it be har●l● overcome , and will be striving in us to the l●●● . the first sin of man , in be●●eving the servent before god , ha●h ●●f ▪ a vicious h●● it in ou● n●tu●e . m●● is now so e●●ranged ●rom god , that ●e ●● the ●e●s acqua●n●ed with ●is voice , and the more dist●ustful of hi● . we are so m●ch in the dark , that we are t●e more ●iffident . when a man kn●ws not where he is , or w●o is near him , he ●s st●ll fear●ul ; when he knows not what ground he stands on , wh●ther firm , or quick a●ds , he ●s naturally apt to distrust it : a● unknown god will not be well believe● . were t● si● to cure infidelity , all other si●s woul● be of much more easie cu●e . he is a conquero● indee● , that throughly conquers his unbelief ▪ but the most are captivated by it to their perdition . 13. and it somew●at addeth to this disease , that man is conscious of de●e●tfulness in himself , and from thence ●s apt to suspect all others . b●cause he findes himself both fallible and fallacious , he is ready to think that god himself is so too : for corrupt man is prone to question , whe●her there be any higher vertue , then he hath experience of in himself . 14. also it is a great occasion of this sin of infidelity and arrogancy , and questioning all that men do not understand , that they know not the true nature of the christian state and life , and build not in the order that christ hath prescribed them . christs method is this , that they should first understand and believe those essentials of christianity , without which there is no salvation ; and then engage themselves to learn of him as his disciples ; and so to set themselves to school to him , and live under his teaching , that they may know by degrees , the rest of his will . and his teaching is joyntly by his word , ministers , and spirit . men must first lay the foundation in an explicite faith , and hold to those fundamentals as of in●allible certainty , and not expect to know the rest in a moment , nor without much diligence and patience , but wait on christ in the condition of disciples , to learn all the rest . all this is expressed in christs commission to his apostles , matth. 28. 19. ●0 . 21. where he first bids them disciple the nations ( which contains the convincing them ( at age ) of the fundamentals , and procuring their consent ▪ and then to baptize them , that they may be solemnly engaged ; and then teach them to observe all things whatsoever ▪ he commanded them ; and this must be the work of all their lives . now here are two gross errors , contrary to this stablished order of christ , which professors do oft run into , to their own perdition . the one is , when they do not first lay the fundamentals as ●ertain●ie● , but hold them loosly , and are ready on all occasions to reduce them to doubtful and uncertain points ; or to question them , though their evidence be never so full , because of some defect of evidence in other points . a most foolish and perverse course , which will hinder any man that useth it , from the true understanding of any science in the world . for in all sciences there are some undoubted principles which must be first laid , and it must not be expected , that all points else should be of equal necessity or evidence as they : but if we should meet with never so much doubtfulness in any of the superstructure , yet these principles must still be held fast . for he that will be still plu●king up his foundation , upon every error in the building , is never like to perfect his work . the second common error , is , that as professors do not lay the foundation as certain , so they do not unseignedly s●t themselves in the true posture of disciples or schollars to learn the ●est , but think themselves past schollars when they have gone to school , and engaged themselves to christ , their teacher . this is the undoing of the greatest part of the visible church . if they come to the congregation , it is not as schollars to school , but as judges to pass sentence of the doctrine of their teachers , before they understand it : and if they reade the scripture , it is in the same sort . when they are at a loss , through any occurrent difficulty , they do not go to their teachers as humble schollars , to learn the true sence of the word , and the solution of their doubts : but they go as confident cen●urers , and as boys that will go to school to dispute with their master , and not to learn ; and therefore , no w●nder if they turn self-conceited h●r●t●ck● or ●nfid●l● : for christ hath resolved , that the most learned and worldl●-w●se , if they will come to sc●o●l to ●im as his disciples , mu 〈…〉 come ●s little children ▪ cons●ious o● their ignorance , and humble enough to submit to his instructions , and not proudly conceited , that they are wise enough already : and they must wait upon his teaching ▪ year after year , and not think , that they are capable of a present understanding of each revealed truth . 15. lastly , besides all the former causes of this sin , some men are judicially deserted , and left to the power of their arrogancy and infidelity . when god hath shewed men the light of fundamental verities , and instead of hearty entertaining and obeying them , they will imprison them in unrighteousness , and receive not the truth in the love of it , that they may be saved : god oft gives them over to believe a lie , and to reject that truth which would have saved them , if they had received it . i have noted many professors that have lived in pride , flesh-pleasing , or secret filthiness , or unrighteousness , or worldliness , and would not see , nor forsake their sin , but hold on in their profession , and their lusts together ; that these are most commonly given over to gross heresies , or infidelity : for when they are once captivated to their fleshly lust , and in●erest , and yet reade and know the dam●ableness of such a sta●● , they have no way left to quiet the●r conscience , but either to believe that scripture is false ( and then they need not fear its threatnings , ) or else to leave ▪ their sins with confession and contrition ; which their carnal hearts and interest will not permit . from what hath been said already in the opening of this point , we may see what a corrupt and froward heart is in man , as to the matters of god , and his own salvation : three notable corruptions are together comprehended in the diste●pe● which we have here described , and ex●●●ss●d in the common incr●dulous questioning , [ how can these things be ? ] first , you may hear in this question , the voice of ignorance . men have lost the true knowledge of god , and of his works especially in spirituals . the natural man discerneth them not ; for they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2. 14. we are as blind men g●oaping in the dark at a loss upon every difficulty that occurs . evidence or truth is no evidence to us , because our understandings are unprepared to receive it , and be shut against it . when we should love the ●ruth , we cannot finde it ; when we should glorifie the god of truth , we know him no● , but in our hearts say as pilate ▪ what is truth ? and as pharaoh , who is the lord ? we are grown strangers to the way that we should go home in ; and strang●r● to the voice that should tell us the way , and to the hand that should guide us in it ; and strangers to the everlasting home that we should go to . so that instead of a chearful following our guide , we are crying out at every turning , [ how can these things be ? ] 2. and here is comprehended and manifested also , the perverseness of mans understanding ▪ that will needs begin at the wrong end of his b●ok , and read backward● : and when he should be first inquiring , [ whether these things be so or not ? ] he will needs be first resolved , [ how they can be so ? ] and he will not believe , that they can be so , till he knows , how they can be so . whereas common reason would teach us in other things to know first , whether it be so o●n● , before we come to the how can it be so we may easily be certain of the being of a thousand things , when we cannot be certain , how they be . 3. and lastly , here is manifested also the unreverent arrogancy of man , that will presume to call his maker to account , and to know of him the reasons of his works , and how they can be , before he will believe them ; and so he will needs question the very power of god . for to say , how can it be ? is as much as to say , how can god do it ? as if we were fit judges of his ways ▪ and able to comprehend his infinite power , and the several paths of his unsearchable counsels . he is great in counsel , and mighty in work , jer. 32. 19. he made the heaven , and the earth by his great power , and nothing is too hard for him , vers. 17. the prophet isaiah's answer should suffice : to all such incredulous questions , isai. 28. 29. this cometh from the lord of hosts , who is wonderful in counsel , and excellent in working . hence also we see what unteachable schollars christ hath in his school , and consequently , how patient , and gratious a master he is . when we should be submissively enquiring , we are incredulously disputing ; and we will needs be wiser then our master , and question , whether he teach us right or wrong . it is a wonder of mercy , that he should pardon so great dulness , and unprofitableness in us ; and shall we after this be so insensible of that sin of ours , and of that grace of his , as to fall a questioning him , and his truth , and lay the ●lame on him from our selves ? object . but we must not believe all things ; and therefore we must enquire , and try the spirits , whether they be of god , or not , even the spirit of christ himself ? answ. the spirit of christ fears not a just tryal : had not christ brought sufficient evidence of his truth , he would not have condemned the unbelieving world for not receiving it . i have shewed you already how fully he hath sealed ●is testament , and with what attestations he hath delivered his doctrine to the world . but why do you not acquie●ce in these confirmed verities ? when once christ hath given sufficient proof of his doctrine , must it be questioned again , because it is wonderful ? and because , that the manner of it is beyond your reach ? inquire first , whether it be a rev●lation from god , or not : and if it had no divine attestation , or evident that it is of god , then you might reject it without sin or danger , when you finde it to contein things so far beyond your reach : but when god hath put his seal to it , and proved it to be h●● own ; if after this you will be questioning it , because of the seeming cont●adictions or improbabilities , you do but question the wisdom and power of the lord : as if he had no more wisdom , then you can reach and fathom ; yea , the● you can censure and reprove ? or , as if he could do no more , then you can see the way and reason of , and are fit to take an account of . i do therefore exhort al● that fear the great name of god , and love their own souls , that they take special heed against this da●gerous sin : think not the proved-sealed . word of god , is ever the more to be suspected , because that the matters in it do seem strange , and unlikely to your reason . and think not that you should comprehend the mysterious counsels and ways of god . let your understandings meditate on scriptu●e ▪ difficulties , that you may learn to resolve them ; but suffer not the apprehension of those d●fficulties to make you once question the truth of god ; but abhor such a thought as soon as it ariseth , and cast it with detestation out of your hearts . to perswade you the more effectually , i beseech you do but weigh impartially , besides what is said before , these following consideratio●s 1. consider , who that god is whose ways thou dost so presumptuously pass thy censure of , and whose word thou callest to the b●r o● thy judgment ●● is infinite wisdom fit to be examined by thee ? or t●e works of infinite power to be tryed by thee ? if there were nothing wonderful in his word or works , they would not believe the m●jesty of god ; nor the saviour of the world , whose name is wonderful , counsellor , the mighty g●d isai. ● 6. gods name mu●t be written upon his word and works , and all must bear some part of his image ; and therefore have somewhat in them that is incomprehensible . shall the infinite god have no word or work , but what may be comprehended by such as we ? i seriously profess , that it oft am●●eth me , to think that we should know so muc● of god , his will , and ways , as we do ? when i consider the infinite distance between him and us , i must admire that we are made so much acquainted with his minde , and that he hath told us so much of his mysteries as he hath done , and must say [ what is man that thou art mindful of him , and the son of man that thou so vi test and regardest him . ] psal. 8 4. job 7. 17. when i consid●r how little a poor worm , or b●rd , or ●east , knows of me th●t am made of the same fl●sh with him ; and how much man knows of the minde of god , who is infinitely distant from him , it makes me admire at the provi●ence that hath so ordered it . if a beast could so far consider , and discou●se , would it not be f●lly in him to call my writings , words , and ways , to the bar , and to suspect those as false that are beyond his reach ! and to say ▪ [ how can these things be ? ] why , alas , they are ten thousand thousand times neerer to us , then we are unt● god . o then let us thankfully open his books and look upon his words and works , and bless him that hath condescended so far to man , and lifted up man so neer to himself in knowledge , in comparison of other inferior creatures ; and make much of that measure of knowledge which we have : but do not think to measure the creation of god , not to comprehend his secrets ; much less himself . methinks the reading of those four chapters in job before cited , containing gods expostulation with him , might do much to humble an arrogant wit , and to make it submit to infinite wisdom . alas , the very angels cannot comprehend god , and whether a●● creature can immediately see his essence , we cannot now affirm : admirations do better beseem the highest of his creatures , then bold expostulations . the flaming mount might not be touched . you cannot endure to gaze upon the sun , which is gods creature : should you approach too near it , you would be consumed by its heat . and dare you be so bold with the highest majesty ? it were not greater folly to imagine that you can span the earth in your hand , or that you can reach the sun with your finger , then to imagine that you are meet to expo●●ulate with god ▪ and that all must be unreasonable in his word or works , where your wit is not able to discern the reason . surely , [ his thoughts are not as our thoughts , nor his ways as our ways ; but as far as the heaven is above the earth , so far are his thoughts and ways above ours , isai. 55. 7 , 8 , 9 ] and as you cannot comprehend the thoughts and ways of god , so you are surely unfit to contradict them . the childe will submit to the wisdom of his father , and the schollar of his master , and will believe them when they cannot re●ch the reason of their sayings : they will not set their wits against them , thought they be reasonable creatures , as well as they . it was the humble expression of men of old , when they would contemn themselves , in comparison of their superiors , to call themselves [ a dead dog ] or [ a flea ▪ ] 1 sam 24. 14. and ●0 . 20. david himself doth so to saul . what may we then call our selves , in comparison with the lord , but even nothing and less then nothing , and lighter then vanity ? and should nothing contend with immensity and eternity ? should a flea dispute with a learned man and say [ how can these things be ] how much less should we s● dispute with god ? if a man do but look up to the height of the visible heaven , or look down into some exceeding depth , it will make him be ready to tremble : with what dread and submissive reverence then should our mindes look to the height and depth of the counsels of the lord ? d●re not therefore any more ●o quarrel with his wisdom ▪ but say as job when god had non-plus'● him , job 42. 2 , 3. [ i know that thou canst do every thing , and that no thought can be withholden from thee , who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge ? therefore have i uttered that i understood not ; things too wonderful for me , which i know not . 2. consider also what we are our selves , as well as what that god is with whom we do expostulate . the lord knows we are silly creatures for such an undertaking ! can s●ch breathing lumps of earth , such walking dust , such bags of filth , be fit to enter a dispute with god ? and though they are noble souls that are thus meanly housed , yet never endowed or fitted for such a task . a spoon or shell may as well contain the whole ocean , as our narrow understandings comprehend the counsels of god . are our understandings infinite , that we should think to comprehend the reasons of the words and ways of the lord , any further then he hath condescended to reveal them ? our eyes may as well expect an unlimited vision , and think to see beyond the sun ●s our understandings expect such a boundless intellection . it 's a wonder that so much knowledge as we have , should be found in a soul that'● housed in clay : and shall we presume that we have so much more then we have ? it was the sinful arrogancy of our first parents to desire to be as gods in knowledge : and shall we go so far beyond them in our arrogancy , as to presume that we are actually such indeed ? and its observable what contradictions there be among s●●ful principles , and how proud infidelity doth condemn it self : these unbelievers have such low thoughts of mens soul , that they think it doth but gradually differ in its rational power from the soul of a bruit ; and therefore think it cannot be immortal : and yet the very same men that think not the soul so noble as to be immortal , do think it so capable of disputing with god , and compre●ending the reasons of his truths and ways , that they are ready to deny the most confirmed truth , if they do not reach the maner and end● and reasons of it , and god shall not be believed , unless their reasons be satisfyed in all these , and unless they are able to take so full a view of the whole body of truth , as to answer all gain-sayers , and reconcile all seeming contradictions , they will not take gods word to be his word ▪ yea with the wretched atheist god shall not be god , because he cannot comprehended him : he shall not be infinite , in immensity and eternity , because that he cannot comprehend this immensity and eternity . and so with the infidel , christ shall be no christ , and the trinity no trinity , because his shallow brain cannot compre●end the mysteries of the incarnation , the hypostatical union and the trinity so that the same man will have his soul to be but as the soul of a dog fo● kind , and yet will have it more comprehensive then the very angels in heaven , and think it so competent a judge of gods counsels , that he will presume to condemn them , if he see not the reasons of them . 3. consider , doth not certain experience tell you that you are utterly unable fully to understand the nature and reasons of those works of god , that are daily visible before your eys ? i will not say , onely of the greater and more distant , but even of the least , or of any one of them . i am confident that there is not the least flie or worm or pile of grass ( much more the sun and other planets ) but that which we know of them , is much less then that which no man knows . and should such poor understandings then be so arrogant as to think to fathom the counsels of god , and reject his plain revealed truths , because they see not , how such things can be . 4. consider , what a stream of experience do you sin against in this arrogancy . doth not every study that you fall upon , and every days business that you are engaged in , most plainly discover the weakness of your understandings ? why else do you learn no faster , and know no more ? why are you not yet absolnte masters in all sciences and arts ? yea why are you so defective in all ? and yet will you presume to dispute with god , and reject his truths as unreasonable , after all this experience of your own infirmity , and of your unfitness for works that are so much lower ? 5. consider , whether by this sinful ar●ogancy you do not equal your understandings with gods ? for if you must be able to see the reason of all his truths and ways , and will control them because you see not the reason of them , doth not this imply that you suppose your self to equal him in understanding ? and what greater madness can you be guilty of , then such a conceit ? so also when you quarrel with the word as if it contained things that are unrighteous , and strengthen your unbelief by such conceits , what do you but say , that you are more righteous then god ? oh think not that the fool●shness of man is wiser then god , or that our darkness is comparable to his incomprehensible light , or our unrighteousness to his perfect justice ; or that we are fit judges of these his perfections . hear that voice that eli●haz heard , from the spirit that passed before him in the visions of the night , job 4. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. [ shall mortal man be more just then god ? shall a man be more pure then his maker ? behold he put u● trust in his servants , and his angels he charged with folly : how much less on them that dwell in houses of clay , whose foundation is in the dust , which are crushed before the moth : they are destroyed from morning to evening : they p●rish for ever without any regarding it : doth not their excellency which is in them go away ? they die , even wi●hout wisd●m . ] 6. consider further , that it is the very nature of faith to believe the thing revealed or testifyed , upon the meer credit of the testifyer or revealer , if therefore you will have no such implicite belief in god , you will have no faith at all . to see a thing in its own evidence , is not to believe . the formal object of faith is the veracity of god : reason assures us first that god cannot lye : and next it discerneth by evidence , that [ this is gods word , or a divine revelation ] : and then we may well build upon this foundation , that each particular of this revelation is true . so that it is no true belief , if the credit of the testifyer be not the reason of your assent . if therefore you must see the reason of gods revealed truths , and the very manner and end of all his works , before you will believe , this is as much as openly to proclaim , that you will be no believers at all . you will assent to the words of the false●t lyar , as long as you see the evidence of truth in the things themselves which they report . and will you give no more credit to god then to such a one ? will you believe god no further then you see a cogent evidence in the thing asserted , which shews that he cannot deceive you therein if he would ? why , thus far you will believe the worst of men : for indeed this is no beli●ving at all . if you do not first believe that god cannot lye , and so that all that he saith is true , you have no belief in him at all . 7. if you are christians , you are christs disciples , and therefore must wait on him in the humble posture of learners . and he that will no w●it credit this teacher is not like to learn . if you will not believe him , but assent onely to that which is evident of it self without his word , then how are you his scholars ? 8. will you allow your own children or scholars to do so by you ? if they should dispute with you instead of believing you , and so should reject all that you tell them as false , that is beyond their capacity as to the reasons and manner ; you would not think that they did their duty when a schoolmaster is teaching his scholars their lesson , shall they instead of learning , dispute it with their master , and in every difficulty or seeming contradiction , unbelievingly say , [ how can these things be ] ? be not guilty of that towards god , which you would not have a child be guilty of to a man . 9. consider aso , if this course be taken , whether ever you be like to come to knowledge . for the knowledge of things whose evidence is all in the revelation , and the credit of the testifyer , can be no other way attained but by believing . all things seem strange and difficult at first , to those that have not learned them . if you understand all things already , what need you to learn any more ? if you do not , then all that you understand will appear to you at first as darkness or contradiction . if now you will be so confident of your own understandings , as to cast away all that you understand not already , because it seems contradictory or unlikely , how are you like to know any more ? if you will conclude that all is false which you understand not already , you are like to make but unprofitable scholars . well therefore saith solomon , prov. 6. 12. [ seest thou a man wise in his own conceit ? there is more hope of a fool then of him ] for certainly it is a double degree of folly , for a man not onely to be ignorant of the things of god , but also to be so ignorant of his own ignorance . and we must be at more pains to make such proud men know that they do not know , then to make the humble to know the truths themselves , which they perceive that they yet know not . and therefore paul doth not only bid us [ be not wise in your own conceits ] rom. 12 16 but also , intimates that ignorance is the cause of such conceits of wisdom , rom. 11. 25. [ for i would not brethren , that ye should be ignorant of this mystery , lest ye should be wise in your own conceits ] as solomon saith of the foolish sluggard , that [ he is wiser in his own conceit then seven men that can render a reason ] pro. 26 16. 10. consider , whether in this case you joyn not impudency and inhumane ingratitude to your arrogancy ? when christ condescendeth to become your teacher , and you are loyterers and dullards and will not learn , but have lost the most of your time in his schoole , is it not a great mercy now , that he will yet entertain you and instruct you , and doth not turn you out of his schoole ? and will you , instead of being thankful for this mercy , fall a quarrelling with his truth , and take on you to be wiser then he , when you have so provoked him by your ignorance and unprofitableness ! will you flye in his face , with audacious unbelieving questions , and say [ how can these things be . ] as if it were he that knew not what he said , and not you that did not understand him ? 11. consider , how easily can god evince the verity of those passages which you so confidently reject , and open your eyes to see that as plain as the high-way , which now seems to you so contradictory or improbable ? and then what will you have to say for your unbelief and arrogancy , but to confess your folly and sit down in shame ? you know when any difficult case is propounded to you in any other matter , which you can see no probable way to resolve , yet when another hath resolved it to your hands in a few words , it is presently all plain to you , and you wonder that you could not see it before . you are as one that wearyeth himself with studying to unfold a riddle , and when he hath given it over as impossible , another openeth it to him in a word . or as i have seen boys at play with a ●a●r of tarrying irons , when one hath spent many hours in trying to undo them , and casts them away , as if it could not be done , another presently and easily opens them before his face . so when you have puzzelled your brains in searching out the reasons of gods ways , and seeking to reconcile the seeming contradictions of his word , and say [ how can these things be ] in a moment can god shew you how they can be , and make all plain to you , and make you even wonder that you saw it not sooner , and ashamed that you opened your mouth in unbelief . how plain is that to a man of knowledge , which to the ignorant seems impossible ? if the certain event did not convince them , you should never perswade the ignorant vulgar , that learned men know so much of the motions of the planets , and can so long before tell the eclipse of sun or moon , to a minute . but when they see it come to pass , they are convinced . thus can god convince thee of the verity of his word , either by a merciful illumination , or by a terrible execution for there is not a soul in hell but doth believe the truth of the threatnings of god . and the devils themselves believe , that would draw thee to unbelief . 12. lastly , take heed of the very beginnings of this sin ; for it is the ordinary way to total apostasy ; when men have once so far lost their humility and modesty , and forgot that they are men , or what a man is , as to make their shallow reason the censurer of gods word , because of certain seeming improbabilities ; and when they will not rest satisfyed in the bare word of god , that thus it is ; but they must needs know [ why , an● how it can be ] , this opens the flood-gate of temptations upon them ; for the envious serpent wil● quickly shew them more difficulties then their shallow brains can answer ; and will cull out all those passages of scripture , which are hard to be understood , which the unlearned and unstable d● wrest to their own destruction , 2 pet. 3. 18. he will shew them all the knots , but never shew them how to untye them . such arrogant questioners & censurers of gods word , do oft run on to utter infidelity ; while they are incompetent judges , and do not know it , what can be expected from them but a false judgement ? for though the light shineth in darkness , yet the darkness comprehendeth it no : joh 1. 5. and therefore presumeth to condemn the light . o therefore let all young , raw students , and unsetled wits take heed in the fear of god , that they exalt not themselves , and that they think not their weak understandings to be capable of comprehending the counsels of god , and passing a censure upon his word , upon the nature of the matter as appearing unto them . nay let the sharpest wits , and greatest scholars stoop down before the wisdom of god , and be have themselves as humble learners , and enter as little children into his schoole and kingdom , and submissively put their mouths in the dust , and take heed of setting their wits against heaven , or challenging the infinite wisdom to a disputation . if they love themselves let them take this advice , and remember that god delighteth to scatter the proud in the imagination of their own hearts , luke 1. 51. and to pull down ●spiring sinners to the dust . as they that would set their power against god , would soon be con●inced of their madness by their ruine ; so they that will set their wisdom against him , are like to escape no better . [ let no man deceive himself : if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world ; let him become a fool ▪ that he may be wise ; for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with god : for it is written , he taketh the wise in their own craftiness : and again . the lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain ] 1 cor. 3 18 , 19 , 20. object . but would you not have men satisfyed of the reasonableness of what they believe ? shall men believe that which is unreasonable ? this were to make us mad , and not christians . answ. you must believe nothing but what you have sufficient reason to believe . but then you must know what is sufficient reason for belief . prove but the thing to be the testimony of god , and then you have sufficient reason to believe it , whatsoever it be for faith proceedeth by this argumentation [ whatsoever god testifyeth is true : but this god testifyeth ; therefore it is true . ] you have as good reason to believe the major , as that there is a god : and he that acknowledgeth not a god , is unworthy to be a man : all that you have to look after therefore is to prove the minor , that [ this or that is the word of god ] and as concerning the scripture in general , it carryeth sufficient reason to warrant and oblige any man that readeth or heareth it , to believe it , in the forehead of it . it shineth by it shineth by its own light , and it beareth the certain seal of heaven . so that we have goo● reason to believe the scripture , or doctrine o● christ to be the word of god : and then we hav● as good reason to believe it , and every part of ●● to be true . and then what ground is there for any further exceptions or objections ? when yo● have seen the seal of god affixed , and perceive● sufficient evidence of the verity of the whole , what room is left for cavils against any par● of it ? object . but it is certain that god never spok● contradictions . therefore if i finde contradictions in the scriptures , may i not rationally argue that they are not the word of god ? answ. yes , if you could certainly and infallibly prove your minor , that scripture hath such contradictions . but that 's not a thing that a sober man can be confident of proving : because all things that men understand not , may seem to them to have contradictions . and you have far more reason to suspect your own shallow understanding , then the word . for those things as i have shewed , may be easily reconcileable by others that understand , which seem most unreconcileable to you . are you sure there can be no way of reconciliation , but you must know it ? it 's easie therefore to see that your minor cannot possibly be proved . yea it may be easily and certainly disproved , even by him that cannot reconcile those seeming contradictions : for [ god attesteth no contradictions : but god attesteth the holy scripture . therefore the holy scriptures have no contradictions . ] the major is most evident to the light of nature , and granted by your selfe . the minor ●s proved at large , before and elsewhere : gods attestation is discernable to reason . it is therefore a preposterous course to begin ●t the quality of the word , and to argue thence , that god revealed it not , when you should begin at the attestation or seal of god , and argue thence that he did reveal it : ( and indeed the very quality beareth or containeth his image and seal . ) for you are more capable of discerning the seale of god attesting it ( in the spirit of miracles , and holiness , &c. ) then you are of discerning presently the sense of all those passages that seem contradictory to you . you may easily be ignorant of the true interpretation , for want of acquaintance with some one of those many things that are necessary thereto : but i can be certain that god hath astested the scripture to be his word . and indeed common reason tells us that we must first have a general proof that scripture is gods word , and argue thence to the verity of the parts , & not begin with a particular proof of each part : it seems you would argue thus : [ this and that text of scripture are true : therefore they are gods word ] but reason telleth you , you should argue thus [ this is gods word : therfore it is true ] if you set a boy at school to learn his grammar , will you allow him to be so foolish , as to stay till he can reconcile every seeming contradiction in it , before he believe it to be a grammar , or submit to learn , and use its rules ? or will you not ●pect , that he first know it to be a grammar , ●● then make it his business to learn to understa●● it , and therein to learn to reconcile all s●em 〈…〉 contradictions ? and should he not in modes● and reason , think that his master can recon●● that which may seem unreconcileable to him , a● such unlearned novices , as he is ? for my part i am fully resolved , that if 〈…〉 reason could reach to none of the matters ●●vealed in scriptures , so as to see them in the ev●dence of the thing , yet if i once see the eviden●● of divine revelation , i may well be assured ▪ th●● it i● wholly true ; how far soever it m●y transcen●● my reason . for i have reason to believe all the god revealeth and assert●th ; and i have re●so● to acknowledge the imbe●illity of my reaso● and its incompetency to censure the wisdom o● god . and thus i abhor both the doctrine of then that say , we have no reason to be christians ▪ and that the truth of scripture is an indemonstrable principle , that must be believed without reasons , and not proved by them : and also the arrogant infidelity of them that will believe nothing to be a divine revelation , unless their reason can comprehend the thing it self , or at least , if there be any thing in it that seems contradictory to their reason ; and so will begin at the wrong end , and examine the particular matters , by the test of their blinde reason , when they should first examine the attestations of the whole , where the evidences are more fitted for the reason , even of the yonger christians to discern . i easily confess that no man should ground●esly believe any thing to be a divine testimony , or believe any man that saith , he speaks from god : but when god hath given them sufficient reason to believe , that the testimony and revelation is indeed from himself , if after that men will still be doubting , because their reason is stalled about the manner , and the causes , and ends , and will believe no more then is within the reach of their reason in these respects , nor confess that it is gods word , unless they can vindicate it from all objections , and know why and how it is , as well as that it is ; this is a meer unreasonable unbelief . it is ordinary with princes and other law-givers , in wisdom to conceal the reason of their laws : shall subjects therefore presume to censure them as defective in wisdom or justice , because that they know not the reason of them ? i say again , if there were nothing in scripture , but what the reason of man could comprehend , it were not so like to be the product of the infinite wisdom of god . let reason therefore stoop to the wisdom of our maker , and when he hath , let us know that it is he that speaketh ; let us humbly learn , and not proudly expostulate with him about the rest . though i shall not undertake to set upon the resolution of all the questions of incredulous men , which they commonly raise against the word of god ; ( for that would take up many large volumns of it self ; ) yet as i have disswaded them from this arrogancy of wit , so i sh 〈…〉 make tryal of a few of their commonest a 〈…〉 greatest objections , to shew them that their i●fidelity is capable of a confutation , as well 〈…〉 of a dehortation . object . 1. you tell us out of scripture , that ther● are devils , most wicked malicious spirits addict 〈…〉 to do evil : who made these devils , or , how can they to be so bad : certainly , god is good , and therefore made nothing but what was good ; and ever● thing must have a first cause : if they made themselves evil , then they were the first cause of thei● own evil : and then you deifie the will of the devil in making it to be absolutely a first cause . ●● you say as some , that sin is but a privation , and therefore hath no efficient cause , but a deficient 〈…〉 then either that deficiency must be first from go● ( and then he should be the first cause of all sin ) or from the will of the devil ; and then either he wa● before bound non-deficere , or not . if not , it was no sin ; if he were , then first , he could primo deficere , though god did all that belonged to him to prevent it ; secondly , and he could have stood without any more help then he had when he fell , and so quoad determinationem propriae voluntatis , should have been the first determining cause of his own perseverance , or non-deficiency : for if he could not stand , it was no sin to fall , being before innocent . moreover , their sin was not a meer privation , but materially an act ( whether velle or nolle ) and formally a relation of disconformity to the law . answ. 1 : the devil himself was the first cause of his own pravity . god made him not evil , but he made himself so . god gave him free-wil to be a self-determining principle ; by this he was enabled to stand or fall , and left in the hands of his own counsel . by a sinful act he averted himself from the chiefest good , and became disposed to a further aversion , which might quickly habituate him to all evil . nor is it any deifying of the creatures will , to say it is such a self-determining principle , and so far a first cause , while it had the power of self-determination from god , and so absolutely is no first cause . it was the excellency of the creature , as being to be governed , to have freewil , or a self-determining power to good or evil : though it be a higher perfection to be determined or determinable onely to good , which in patriâ may be enjoyed , yet in viâ for one under government in the use of means in order to the end , it is most suitable to their condition to have a liberty of self-determination : and therefore this was part of the beauty of the frame of nature , and therefore not derogatory from the workman . as god intended sapientially , or per potentiam sapientiae , to govern the rational creature by laws and objects : so did he sapientially frame him in a capacity for such a sapiential government ; and that was by giving ●im a free , that is , a self-determining will . indeed , the angelical nature , and soul of man , is so exquisit and subtile , and sublime a ●hing , that no man can exactly perceive and com●rehend the manner of its self-determination : ●ut the thing it self is not to be doubted of , though the manner of it be yet past our reach . we may certainly conclu●e , therefore , that god made angels and men g●o● ; but some of those angels , and man , by ●heir inducement , made themselves evil : for god made them free agents to determin● themselves to good or evil . and the ignorance of the nature of re 〈…〉 il , doth cause such infidels to rise up against god with their impious quarrels . 2. and see whether these blinde wretches do not wilfully put out their own eyes , and reason against most certain sense and experience . for i would ask any of them whether there be indeed any sin , or bad me● in the world , or not ? if they say , no ; then i would wish them not to blame any man as an evil doer , that shall rob them , o● slander them , or beat them . t●e likeliest cure fo● this error , is to beat them black and blew , til● they believe that he that doth it , doth ill . and why should not any man do it daily if there be no ill in it ? is not he mad with infidel●ty , tha● thinks there is no bad man in all the world , when there are so many , and so desperately wicked , and when he is so bad himself ? or is ●e fit to be tolerated in any society , that thinks there is no evil ? sure he will think , that he may ●o any thing , and not do ev●●●● ▪ but if he confess , tha● any man i● evil , or do●h evil , let him ask himself who mad● him evil ? did god that is good ? or did he himself ? and if he can finde out how man came to be evil , he may finde a satisfactory answer to his question , how angels came to be evil . bu● what if we could not tell how this evil did firs● come ? shall we therefore say , that there is no such thing ? shall we deny that which we see and hear , and feel , because we know not how or whence it came ? what folly is this ? then let every murderer , thief , or other ●ff●ndor at the assizes , come off with this argument , and say , that he hath done no evil ; for all things are of god , and god doth no evil . as mad as this reasoning is , yet have i known them that have openly prof●ss●d , that they longed to see the devil ▪ and would ride a hundred mile to see him , in m●er confidence , that there is no devil ; and that upon such vain imaginations as these . object . 2 . the scripture saith , that god made all things of nothing ; when of nothing , nothing can be made . how then can these things be ? answ. cannot god do it , unless such worms can tell how he should do it ? doth the infant know how he is formed in the womb ? but why should it seem improbable , that the first infinite being should create a finite being ? he that give all creatures their forms , can as well cause the first matter . what if it were granted . that earth , or water , or air , were from eternity ? is it not as hard to make the sun and heavens of one of these , as to make one of these of nothing ? but me thinks these infidels should consider , that either god made all things of nothing , or else , that something of which he made them , must be eternal , and without any cause . if so , then it is god ; and if god , then either the one true god himself , or some other god . if god himself , then all creatures should be his substance , and s● be god ; and so they would make every ●●one to be god . if any other god , then they will in●ur the sa●●●● conv●●iences ; besides , the feigning of many gods , ●●cause they will not con●ess the omnipoten●y of one . is it not more reasonable to ●el●ev● , th●● god made a stone , or earth o● no●●ing , then to believe that it made it self ? but thus will mo●tals ens●are and bewilder themselves ▪ while they will g● about to comprehend and question omnipotency , and ask their maker , how he can so make them . object . 3. moses saith , that god made the light , and day , and darkness , and night , before the sun : when the light is the effect , and the sun the cause ; and the darkness is but a privation of the light of the sun . how then can these things be ? answ. 1. whatsoever god can produce mediately by the sun , or other instruments , that he can produce as easily , immediately himself without an instrument . is it not as easie to him , to cause light without a sun , as to make the sun it self , with its light ? 2. are not philosophers yet unresolved , whether light be not a substance ? and then why might it not be first created alone ? 3. however , it might be the effect of the element of fi●e , disposed of by god for differencing day and night , without a sun , till the sun was made . and is it not agreeable to the rest of his works , that he should first make the elements and general matter before he form particular creatures h●●e●f ? as he made the water , before he con●in●d it in its banks , and made it a sea : so might he make the light or fire , be●ore he contracted so much of it into a sun : and if he can distinguish day and night by the 〈…〉 un afterward , he might as easily do it by the element o● fire or light before . you ma● see a pr●tence of fu●ther satisfaction to reason in this point , in tho. white his appendix , the●l . ad institut . peripat . cap. ● . & 4. which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 recite . object 4. m●s●● saith gen. 1 16. that god made two great lights , the sun and moon ; whereas it is certain ▪ th 〈…〉 many 〈◊〉 plan●●s are greater then the mo●● , therefore he speaketh ignoran●ly . answ. but though they a●e greater then the moon , they ●●e n●● g 〈…〉 li●h●s to the earth , then t●e mo●n , w●i●h is the thing that moses affirmeth . object . 5. m●s●s makes the garden of eden to have a riv●● arising i● it , which ●ivideth it self into four parts . but there is no such place now known in the world , where four such rivers as he describeth are so near . answ. moses saith not , that this river had its rise in eden , much less in the garden ; nor that the f●ur divisions or branches of it were in the garden , but in eden . it was not all eden that was this garden , nor the garden called eden : but eden was the name of the country ( at that time when moses wrote ) in which the garden was . and this land of eden was in telassar , that is , in the upper part of chaldaea , where babylon is scituate ; and there the river euphrates divideth it self into those four st●e●ms which moses here d●scribe●h ; which river goeth through and out of eden ▪ though the pring or head be elswhere : the four particular branches you may s●e described by junius on the text at large ; and the most pro●●bl● conjecture of the scituation of the garden , is , ●ha● it was in o● ve●y near the place where babylon now stands , and from whence came the jews suffering , as well as our first sin . object . 6. is it a likely thing that a serpent should speak to eve ? or the subtilty of the serpent be a reason of the temptation ? or , that eve that was then perfect , should not know that serpents cannot speak of themselves ; and if she knew that it was the devil that spak● by the serpent , it would have affrighted and astonished her , rather then have been such a temptation to her ? answ. 1. though eve was perfect as to her natural powers , and capacity , yet not as to her actual knowledge ? she that was n●wly then created , might be ignorant of the serpents nature . 2. but suppose that she knew that it was the devil that spake by the serpent ( which seems to me most likely ) yet doth it not follow , that she should then dread or abhor him : for ●ow know you that eve was acquainted with the diabolical pravity or malice ? how know you when the angels fell to be devils ? whether long before ? or whether they were but newly faln , ( as zanchy conceiveth by their unbelief ) but most certain it is , that they were then no such hateful or dreadful creatures in the apprehension of man , as now they are : for it was upon mans fall , that god put that enmity between them and us , from which our hatred and dread of them doth proceed . when the devil had shewed his malice to us so far ; then d●d god put that fixed enmity in our natures which we all since perceive . this was not in eve , and therefore it is no wonder if she had no more dread of this evil spirit , then we have of one another , especially when it is most likely that she well knew that there were good angels , but knew not of their fall , and of their malice unto her self . and for the subtilty of the instrumental serpent , it was the likelier to be the instrument of the subtil deceiver : and it is most likely , that god would not suffer satan to use any other instrument , that so the quality of the instrument might be fitter to exci●e a due cautelousness in the woman , satan himself being a spirit , is invisible to us ; and therefore ▪ when he will appear , it must be in s●me borrowed shape ; and he usually fitteth that shape to the ends of his apparition : if it be to terrifie , it is commonly in a dreadful shape ; and for the most part , god will not suffer him to appear in any other , that man may the better know that it is the enemy that he hath to deal with . and so before our fall , when he would deceive , he speaketh by a subtile creature , and is permitted to do it by no other , that man might have the more reason to suspect that he came in way of deceit . we are incompetent judges of the full of these things , unless we better knew the a●quaintance that man then had with the angelical nature , and what familia●i●y was between them , or what alteration is since made in the nature of the instrumen●al serpent by the ●●●●e . why then should we unbelievingly ask , how these things can be ? which god revealeth , when we m●y easily know that we are such incompetent judges . many more of these objections might be mentioned , and easily co●futed , that are raised by infidels about the creation , and fall ; but because junius hath confu●ed 22 of them alre●dy , after his prelections on g●● . ●3 p. 9● . against an antinomian that then urged them from simplicius the heathen philo●●p●●r i sh●ll ref●r them that need it th●the for 〈◊〉 . obj. — . how could a●n f●ye into the land of nod , or build a city , g●● . 4. 6 , 17. when there was no more man ●●●●●th ▪ ans. 1. at ●●● it ●● l●d the land of nod not because it was ●●●alled in gains time , but in the time when mo●●●●●●●e . ● . it is supposed to be between t●e 〈◊〉 &c. ●wo hundr●●h yeer of ●is age , that ●a●● bu●● this ●●●● , and by some the 3 , ●● 400. for it is not ●●id tha he did it presently after ●●● curs● , though these things are laid close togeth●r in the concise narration . and why might not ●●●●● posterity be easily m●le plyed , in all that time to such a number as might build and replenish ● city , ●ea many cities . o●● . 8. is it ● likely thing that the red-sea should 〈…〉 for the israelites to pass through ? or that 〈…〉 should stand still in joshuahs time : and not 〈…〉 be over tu●ned by it ? or that jonas should live without ayre in the belly of a whale ? or ●ot be digested in his belly as other food is ? how ●an these things be ? answ and what , must god do none but like●y things ? is it not as easie with him to do all ●his , as for you to move a finger , and much more ? ●s it not as easie to make the water stand still as ●ove ; or to gather it on heaps in the sea , as to gather it into the sea from the rest of the earth , ●nd to keep its course in ebbing and flowing ? and ●s it not as easie to cause the sun to stand still as to move ? and so to move as it is supposed to do ? ●f the sun had used to stand still , would you not have taken it for as incredible a matter that it should move ? and have said as unbelievingly , how can this be ? and for the disordering of nature , it was sun and moon with all the moveable frame that stood still together ; and not the sun alone : and so made no such alteration as is imagined , it must have done . and for jonas , that god that made him and all the wo●ld , and sustaineth it by his power , could easily do this . perhaps these infidels will next say that an infant cannot live in the mothers womb for want of ayr or breath . 2. are they not as great works which we every day see , in the being and course of sun , moon and other creatures , as any of these ? 3. is it likely that moses would have wrote of such a thing as the standing and opening of the red sea ▪ and the israelites passing through it , to those same israelites , and that he would so oft have used that as an argument to move them to obedience , and deliver them his law to be kep● upon such an obligation or motive , if no such thing at all had been done : would so many thousand people have believed such a man that told them they were led through the red sea as on dry land ? and would they have followed him forty years through a wilderness , and so zealously have maintained his law which was backed with such motives , if they had all known these things to be false ? or was it possible they should be false , and they not know them ? but i 'le stand no more in confuting these cavils against the old-testament but speak to 2 , or 3 which they bring against the gospel of christ . obj. 9. is it a lik●ly thing that a virgin should conceive and have a child ? how can this be ? answ. is it not as easie for god to cause conception by the holy ghost immediately , as medidiately by man ? doth god inable a ( reature to do that which he cannot do himself , without that creature ? what madness were it to dream that this exceeds the power of god ? obj. 10. is it a likely thing that god should become a man , or that god and man should be one person , which is more condescen●ion then for a prince to become a flye to save flyes ●●om being killed ? answ. it 's one thing to ask whether this be possible ? and another , whether it were done ? it is indeed the greatest wonder of all the works of god , but there is no contradiction in it to prove it impossible . the god head was no whit really abased or changed by this union , but at the utmost ) relatively and reputatively onely . god did not become man , by ceasing to be god , ●r commi●ing the humane nature with the divine . but one●y assumed a humane nature to the divine . it is not therefore as if a prince should become an inferior creature , but onely as if he should assume such a creature into so neer a relation to him . 2. and that god hath indeed done this , his evident testimonies have proved to the world : is it likely or possible that one should assert such a thing , and seal it in the face of the world with miracles , and rise himself from the dead , and send forth a spirit of miracles and of holiness on his church , to confirm his affirmation , if all this were not true which he affirmeth ? 3 is this the thanks that god shall have for his wonderful condes●ension , that though he prove it to be true , yet we will not believe the mercy that he shews us , unless it seem likely to us in the way of us accomplishment ? obj 11. is it not a contradiction to say that there are three per●ons , and but one god ? answ no : because to be a person or subsistence in the godhead , and to be a god is not all one . it is no contradiction that the vegetative , sensitive and rational in man , should be three , and distinct one from another , and yet not be three souls but one . and that power , understanding , and will , should be three , and distinct ; and yet not three souls but one : and that power , light , and heat , should be distinct in the sun ; and yet not be three suns , but one . why then should the divine trinity of subsistences seem a contradiction ? object . 12. there are many contradictions in t● scripture ; and therefore it is incredible . for e●ample ; mark . 14. 30. [ before the cock cro● twice ] mat. and luke say [ before the cock crow● and many the like . answ. 1. it is meer ignorance of the sense 〈…〉 scripture , that causeth this conceit of contrad●ction . expositors themselve● are imperfect in the understanding of them ; yet if you will well rea● them , you shall see how easily and cleerly they reconcile many things that s●en unreconcileable to the ignorant . read among others , scharpius hi● symphonia to that end . 2. as to the text instanced . the second c●●●● crowing was then specially and eminently c●lle● [ the cocks crowing ] and therefore matt●●● an●luke do name no more but [ the crowing ●● the cock ] meaning that second cock , which was specially so called ; ( of which see grotius on the text ) wheras mark doth more pr●cisely express the same in suller words : what a vain mind is it that will pick quarrels with such expressions ? i give but a brief touch of these few common exceptions , leaving them to seek the resolution of such doubts , from commentators that have performed it , or from their judicious teachers , who are at hand , and ready to do it . the lord acquaint unbelieving sinners with the greatness of their ignorance , and the shallowness of their capacities that they may know how unfit they are to expostulate with their maker , and what need they have to wait upon him as humble learners . for the meek will he teach his way . psal 25. 9. and unto babes doth he reveal ●●e mysteries of his will . for though the lord ● high , yet hath he respect unto the lowly : but ●e proud he knoweth a far off , psal. 138. 6. ●nd the mysteries of the gospel which now seem ●credible , he will one day open to the comfort ●● his saints , and the confusion of unbelievers ; ●●en at the appearing of our lord jesus christ , ●hich in his times he shall shew , who is the blessed ●●d onely potentate , the king of kings , and lord ●● lords : who onely hath immortality , dwelling ●● the light which no man can approach unto , ●hom no man hath seen or can see : to whom be ho●or and power everlasting . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26869e-330 use . the grand question resolved, what we must do to be saved instructions for a holy life / by the late reverend divine, mr. richard baxter ; recommended to the bookseller a few days before his death to be immediately printed for the good of souls. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1692 approx. 100 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 25 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26936 wing b1279 estc r14371 12390784 ocm 12390784 60991 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26936) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60991) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:10) the grand question resolved, what we must do to be saved instructions for a holy life / by the late reverend divine, mr. richard baxter ; recommended to the bookseller a few days before his death to be immediately printed for the good of souls. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 46 p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1692. later published as: what we must do to be saved. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng salvation -early works to 1800. christian life -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-10 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the grand question resolved , what we must do to be saved . instructions for a holy life : by the late reverend divine , mr. richard baxter . recommended to the bookseller a few days before his death , to be immediately printed for the good of souls . acts 16. 30. sirs , what must i do to be saved . london : printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheap-side , 1692. the great case resolved , how to be certainly saved . instructions for a holy life . i. the necessity , reason and means of holiness . ii. the parts and practice of a holy life . for personal direction , and for family instruction . with two short catechisms , and prayers . reader , ignorant persons cannot remember long and many words , nor understand a brief stile and few words . this maketh it impossible to write a catechism , that shall not be unsuitable either to the understanding or the memory of such . i must therefore desire the teacher to make up this unavoidable defect , by opening the 〈◊〉 ( especially of the catechisms ) to the children and servants , when they have learned and say the words : read the instructions often to them , and press all as you go on their affections . for the bare words without a present guide , may ●●e be all lost . i. the necessity , reason , and means of holiness . 1. to keep up the resolutions of the converted . and , 2. to instruct those in families that need them . though the a saving of souls be a matter of unexpressible importance , yet ( the lord have mercy upon them ; ) what abundance are there that think it not worthy of their serious enquiry , nor the reading of a good book , one hour in a week ? for the sake of these careless slothful sinners , i have here spoken much in a little room , that they may not refuse to read and consider so short a lesson , unless they think their souls worth nothing . sinner , as thou wilt shortly answer it before god , deny not to god , to thy self , and me , the sober pondering , and faithful practising these few directions . i. begin at home and know thy self : consider what it is to be a b man. thou art made a nobler creature than the brutes . they serve thee , and are governed by thee ; and death ends all their pains and pleasures . but thou hast reason to rule thy self and them ; to know thy god , and ●oresee thy end , and know thy way , and do thy duty . thy reason and free-will , and executive power , are part of the image of god upon thy nature ; so is thy dominion over the brutes , as ( under him ) thou art their owner , their ruler , and their end. but thy holy wisdom , and goodness , and ability , is the chief part of his image , on which thy happiness depends . thou hast a soul that cannot be satisfied in knowing , till thy c knowledge reach to god himself : nor can it be disposed by any other : nor can it ( or the societies of the world ) be well governed according to its nature , without regard to his soveraign authority , and without the hopes and d fears of joy and misery hereafter : nor can it be e happy in any thing , but seeing , and loving , and delighting in this god , as he is revealed in the other world. and is this nature given thee in vain ? if the nature of all things be fitted to its f vse and end , then it must be so with thine . ii. by knowing thy self then , thou must needs know ▪ that there is a g god ; and that he is thy maker , and infinite in all perfections ; and that he is thy owner , thy ruler , and thy felicity or end. he is mad that seeth not , that such creatures have a cause or maker ; and that all the power , and wisdom , and goodness of the world , is caused by a power , and wisdom , and goodness , which is greater than that of all the world. and who can be our owner , but he that made us ? and who can be our highest governour , but our owner ? whose infinite power , wisdom , and goodness , maketh him only fit thereto . and if he be our governour , he must needs have laws , with rewards for the good , and punishments for the bad ; and must judge and execute accordingly . and if he be our chiefest benefactor , and all that we have is from him , and all our hope and happiness is in him , nothing can be more clear than that the very nature of man doth prove , that in hope of future happiness , he should absolutely resign himself to the will and disposal of this god , and that he should h absolutely obey him , and that he should love and serve him with all his power . it being impossible to love , obey , and please that god too much , who is thus our cause , our end , our all. iii. by knowing thus thy self and god , it is easie to know what primitive holiness and godliness is . even this hearty , entire and absolute resignation of the soul to god , as the infinite power , wisdom , and goodness ; as our creator , our owner , governour , and felicity or end ; fully submiting to his disposals ; obeying his laws , in hope of his promised rewards , and fear of his threatned punishments : and loving and delighting in himself , and all his appearances in the world ; and desiring and seeking the endless sight and enjoyment of him in heavenly glory , and expressing these affections in daily prayer , thanksgiving and praise . this is the vse of all thy faculties ; the end and business of thy life ; the health and happiness of thy soul : this is that holiness or godliness which god doth so much call for . iv. and by this it is easie to know , what a k state of sin and ungodliness is . even the want of all this holiness , and the setting of carnal self instead of god. when men are proudly great , and wise , and good in their own eyes ; and would dispose of themselves , and all their concernments , and would rule themselves , and please themselves , according to the fleshly appetite and fancy ; and therefore love most the pleasures , and profits , and honours of the world , as the provision to satisfie the desires of the flesh ; and god shall be no ●urther loved , obeyed or pleased , than the love of fleshly pleasure will give leave ; nor shall have any thing but what the flesh can spare . this is a wicked , a carnal , an ungodly state ; though it break forth in various ways of sinning . v. by this , experience it self may tell you , that most men l ( yea all , till grace renew them ) are in this ungodly miserable state : ( though only the scripture tells us how this came to pass ) though all are not fornicators , nor drunkards , no● extortioners , nor persecu●ors , nor live not in the same way of sinning ; yet selfishness , and pride , and sensuality , and the love of worldly things , ignorance and ungodliness are plainly become the common corruption of the nature of man ; so that their hearts are turned to the world from god , and filled with impiety , filthiness , and injustice ; and their reason is but a servant to their senses ; and their m mind , and love and life , is carnal ; and this carnal mind is enmity to the holiness of god , and cannot be subject to his law. this corruption is hereditary , and is become , as it were , a nature to us , being the mortal malady of all our natures . and it is easie to know that such an unholy wicked nature must needs be loathsome to god , and n unfit for the happy enjoyment of his love , either here , or in the life to come : for what communion hath light with darkness ? vi. hence then it is easie to see , what grace is needful to a man's salvation . so odious a creature , such an unthankful rebel , that is turned away from god , and set against him , and defiled with all this filth of sin , must needs be both o renewed and reconciled , sanctified and pardoned , if ever he will be saved . to love god , and be beloved by him , and to be delighted herein , in the sight of his glory , is the heaven and happiness of souls ; and all this is contrary to an unholy state. till men have new and holy hearts , they can neither see god , nor love him , nor delight in him , nor take him for their chief content ; for the flesh and world have their delight and love. and till sin be p pardoned , and god reconciled to the soul , what joy or peace can it expect from him , whose nature and justice engageth him to loath and punish it ? vii . and experience will tell you , how q insufficient you are , for either of these two works your selves ; to renew your souls , or to reconcile them unto god. will a nature that is carnal resist and overcome the flesh , and abhor the sin which it most dearly loveth ? will a worldly mind overcome the world ? when custom hath rooted your natural corruptions , are they easily rooted up ? o how great and hard a work is it , to cause a blind unbelieving sinner to set his heart on another world , and lay up all his hopes in heaven , and to cast off all the things he seeth , for that god and glory which he never saw ! and for a hardned , worldly , fleshly heart to become wise , and tender , and holy , and heavenly , and abhor the sin which it most fondly loveth ! and what can we do to satisfie justice , and reconcile such a rebel soul to god ? viii . nature and experience having thus acquainted you with your sin and misery , and what you want , will further tell you that god r doth not yet deal with you according to your deserts . he giveth you life , and time , and mercies , when your sins had forfeited all these : he obligeth you to repent and turn unto him . and therefore experience telling you , that there is some hope , and that god hath found out some way of shewing mercy to the children of wrath , reason will command you to enquire of all that are fit to teach you , what way of remedy god hath made known . and , as you may soon discover , that the religion of heathens and mahometans , is so far from shewing the true remedy , that they are part of the disease it self : so you may learn , that a (ſ) wonderful person , the lord jesus christ , hath undertaken the office of being the redeemer and saviour of the world ; and that he , who is the eternal word and wisdom of the father , hath wonderfully appeared in the nature of man , which he took from the virgin mary , being conceived by the holy ghost ; and that we might have a teacher sent from † heaven infallably and easily to acquaint the world with the will of god , and the unseen things of life eternal : how god t bare witness of his truth , by abundant , open , and uncontrouled miracles : u how he conquered satan , and the world , and w gave us an example of perfect righteousness , and underwent the scorn and cruelty of sinners , and suffered the death of the cross , as a sacrifice for our sins to reconcile us unto god : how he rose again the third day , and conquered death , and lived forty days longer on earth , instructing his apostles , and giving them commission to preach the gospel to all the world ; and then ascended bodily into heaven , while they gazed after him : how he is now in heaven both god and man in one person , the teacher , and king , and high-priest of his church . of him must we learn the way of life ; by him must we be ruled as the physician of souls . all power is given him in heaven and in earth . by his sacrifice , and merits , and intercession must we be pardoned and accepted with the father ; and only by him must we come to god. he hath procured and established a covenant of grace , which baptism is the seal of : even [ that god will in him be our god and reconciled father , and christ will be our saviour , and the holy ghost will be our sanctifier , if we will unfeignedly consent ; that is , if penitently and believingly we give up our selves to god the father , son , and holy ghost , in those resolutions . ] this covenant in the tenor of it , is a deed of gift , of christ , and pardon , and salvation to all the world : ●f by the true faith and repentance they will turn to god. and this shall be the law according to which he will judge all that hear it at the last ; for he is made the judge of all , and will raise all the dead , and will justify his saints , and judge them unto endless joy and glory , and condemn the unbelievers , impenitent and x ungodly , unto endless misery . the soul alone is judged at death , and body and soul at the resurrection . this gospel the apostles preached to the world ; and that it might be effectual to mens salvation , the y holy ghost was first given to inspire the preachers of it , and enable them to speak in various languages , and infallibly to agree in one , and to work many great and open miracles to prove their word to those they preached to : and by this means they z planted the church ; which ordinary ministers must increase , and teach , and oversee , to the end of the world , till all the elect be gathered in . and the same a holy spirit hath undertaken it , as his work , to accompany this gospel , and by it to convert mens souls , illuminating and sanctifying them ; and by a secret b regeneration to renew their natures , and bring them to that knowledge , and obedience , and love of god , which is the primitive holiness , for which we were created , and from which we fell . and thus by a saviour and a sanctifier must all be reconciled and renewed , that will be glorified with god in heaven . all this you may learn from the sacred scriptures , which were c written by the inspiration of the holy spirit , and sealed by multitudes of open d miracles , and contain the very image and superscription of god , and have been received and preserved by the church , as the certain oracles of god , and blessed by him through all generations , to the sanctifying of many souls . ix . when you understand all this , it is time for you to e look home , and understand now what state your souls are in . that you were made capable of holiness and happiness , you know : that you and all men are fallen from god , and holiness , and happiness , unto self , and sin , and misery , you know : that you are so far redeemed by christ , you know , as to have a pardoning and saving covenant tendered you , and christ and mercy offered to your choice . but whether you are truly penitent believers , and renewed by the holy ghost , and so united unto christ , this is the question yet unresolved ; this is the work that is yet to do , without which there is no salvation ; and if thou die before it is done , wo to thee that ever thou wast a man. except a man be f regenerate by the spirit , and converted , and made a new creature , and of car●al be made spiritual , and of earthly be made heavenly , and of selfish and sinful be made holy and obedient to god , he can never be saved , no more than the devil himself can be saved . and if this be so , ( as nothing is more sure ) i require thee now , who readest these words , as thou regardest thy salvation , as thou wouldest escape hell fire , and stand with comfort before christ and his angels , at the last , that thou soberly consider whether reason command thee not to try thy state ; whether thou art thus g renewed by the spirit of christ or not ? and to h call for help to those that can advise thee , and follow on the search till thou know thy case . and if thy soul be a stranger to this sanctifying work , whether reason command thee not , without any delay , to make out to christ , and beg his spirit , and cast away thy sins , and give up thy self entirely to thy god , thy saviour and sanctifier , and enter into his covenant , with a full resolution never to forsake him ; to deny thy self , and the desires of the flesh , and this deceitful transitory world , and lay out all thy hopes on heaven , and speedily , whatever it cost thee , to make sure of the felicity which hath no end ? and darest thou refuse this when god and conscience do command it ? and further i advise you , x. understand how it is that satan hindreth souls from being sanctified : that you may know how much to resist his wiles . some he deceiveth by i malicious suggestions , that holiness is nothing but fancy or hypocrisie ! ( and if god and death , and heaven , and hell , were fancies , this might be believed . ) some he debaucheth by the power of fleshly appetite and lust , so that their sins will not let their reason speak : some he keepeth in utter ignorance , by the evil education of ignorant parents , and the negligence of k ungodly soul-murdering teachers : some he deceiveth by worldly hopes , and keepeth their minds so taken up with worldly things , that the matters of eternity can have but some loose and uneffectual thoughts , or as bad as none : some are entangled in l ill company , who make a scorn of a holy life , and seed them with continual diversions and vain delights : and some are so m hardened in their sin , that they are even past feeling , and neither fear god's wrath , nor care for their salvation , but hear these things as men asleep , and nothing will awake them : some are discouraged with a conceit that godliness is a life so n grievous , sad , and melancholy , that rather than endure it , they will venture their souls , come on it what will ; ( as if it were a grievous life to love god , and hope for endless joys , and a pleasant life to love the world and sin , and live within a step of hell ! ) some that are convinced , do o put off their coversion with delays , and think it's time enough hereafter ; and are purposing and promising till it be too late , and life , and time , and hope be ended . and some that see there is is a necessity of holiness ▪ are p cheated by some dead opinion , or names , or shews and images of holiness ; either because they hold a strict opinion , or because they joyn with a religious party , or because they are of that which they think is the true church , or because they are baptized with water , and observe the outward parts of worship ; and perhaps because they offer god a great deal of lip-service , and lifeless ceremony , which never savoured of a holy soul. thus deadness , sensuality , worldliness and hypocrisie , do hinder millions from sanctification and salvation . xi . if ever thou wouldest be saved , oppress not reason by sensuality or diversions : but sometimes q retire for sober consideration , distracted and sleepy reason is unuseful : god and conscience have a great deal to say to thee : which in a crowd of company and business thou art not fit to hear . it is a r dolesul case that a man who hath a god , a christ , a soul , a heaven , a hell to think of , will allow them none but running thoughts , and not once in a week bestow one hour in man-like serious s consideration of them ! sure thou hast no greater things to mind . resolve then sometimes to spend half an hour in the deepest thoughts of thy everlasting state. xii . look t upon this world , and all its pleasures , as a man of reason , who foreseeth the end , and not as a beast , that liveth but by sense or present objects , do i need to to tell thee , man , that thou must die ? cannot carcases and dust instruct thee to see the end of earthly glory , and all the pleasures of the flesh ? is it a controversie , whether thy flesh must shortly perish ? and wilt thou yet provide for it before thy soul ? what a sad farewel must thou shortly take , of all that worldlings sell their souls for ! and o how quickly will this be ! alass , man , the day is even at hand ; a few days more , and thou art gone ! and darest thou live unready , and part with heaven for such a world as this ? xiii . and then think soberly of the u life to come , what it is for a soul to appear before the living god , and be judged to endless joy or misery ! if the devil tempt thee to doubt of such a life , remember that nature , and scripture , and the worlds consent , and his own temptations are witnesses against him . o man , canst thou pass one day in company , or alone in business or in idleness , without some sober thoughts of everlastingness ? nothing more sheweth that the hearts of men are asleep or dead , than that the thoughts of endless joy or pain , so near at hand , constrain them not to be holy , and overcome not all the temptations of the flesh , as toys and inconsiderable things . xiv . mark well what mind most men are of when they come to x die ! unless it be some desperate forsaken wretch do they not all speak well of a holy life ? and wish that their lives had been spent in the most fervent love of god , and strictest obedience to his laws ? do they then speak well of lust and pleasures and magnifie the wealth and honours of the world ? had they not rather die as the most mortified saints , then as careless , fleshly , worldly sinners ? and dost thou see and know this , and yet wilt thou not be instructed , and be wise in time ? xv. think well what manner of men these were , whose y names are now honoured for their holiness ! what manner of life did st. peter , and st. paul , st. cyprian , st. augustine , and all other saints and martyrs live ; was it a life of fleshly sports and pleasures ? did they deride or persecute a holy life ? were they not more strictly holy than any that thou knowest ? and is he not self-condemned , that honoureth the names of saints , and will not imitate them ? xvi . think what the difference is between a christian and an z heathen . you are loath to be heathens or infidels : but do you think a christian excelleth them but in opinion ? he that is not holier than they , ●s worse , and shall suffer more than they . xvii . think what the difference is between a a godly christian and an ungodly . do not all the opposers of holiness among us , yet speak for the same god , and christ , and scripture ; and profess the same creed and religion with those whom they oppose ? and is not this christ the author of our holiness , and this scripture the commander of it ? search and see , whether the difference be not this , that the godly are serious in their profession , and the ungodly are hypocrites , who hate and oppose the practise of the very things which themselves profess ; whose religion serveth but to condemn them , while their lives are contrary to their tongues . xviii . understand what the devil's policy is , by raising so many b sects and factions and controversies about religion in the world : even to make some think that they are religious , because they can prare for their opinions , or because they think their party is the best , because their faction is the greatest , or the least ; the uppermost , or the suffering side . and to turn holy edifying conference into vain jangling ; and to make men a●heists , suspecting all religion , and true to none ; because of mens diversity of minds . but remember that christian religion is but one ; and a thing easily known by its ancient rule ; and the universal church , containing all christians , is but one. and if carnal interest or opinions so distract men , that one party saith , we are all the church ; and another saith , it is we , ( as if the kitchin were all the house , o● one town or village , all the kingdom ; ) wilt thou b●● mad with seeing this distraction ? hearken , sinner , all these sects in the day of judgment shall concur 〈◊〉 witnesses against thee , if thou be unholy ; because however else they differed , c all of them that are christians , professed the necessity of holiness , and subscribed to that scripture which requireth it . though thou canst not easily resolve every controversie , thou mayst easily know-the true religion ; it is that which christ and his apostles taught , which all christians have professed , which scripture requireth ; which is first d pure , and then peaceable ; most spiritual , heavenly , charitable and just . xix . away from that e company which is sensual , and an enemy to reason , sobriety , and holiness ; and consequently to god , themselves and thee . can they be wise for thee , that are foolish for themselves ? or friends to thee , that are undoing themselves ? or have any pity on thy soul , when they make a jest of their own damnation ? will they help thee to heaven , who are running so furiously to hell ? chuse better familiars , if thou wouldest be better . xx. judge not of a holy life by hearsay , for it cannot so be known . f try it a while , and then judge as thou findest it . speak not against the things thou knowest not . hadst thou but lived in the love of god , and the lively belief of endless glory , and the delights of holiness , and the fears of hell , but for one month or day ; and with such a heart , hadst g cast away thy sin , and called upon god , and ordered thy family in 〈◊〉 holy manner , especially on the lord's day ; i dare boldly say , experience would constrain thee to h justifie a holy life . but yet i must tell thee , it is not ●rue holiness , if thou do but try it with i exceptions and reserves : if therefore god hath convinced thee that this is his will and way , i adjure thee , as in his dreadful presence , that thou k delay no longer , but resolve , and absolutely give up thy self to god as thy heavenly father , thy saviour , and thy sanctifier , and ●ake an everlasting covenant with him , and then he and 〈◊〉 his mercies will be thine ; his grace will help thee , ●nd his mercy pardon thee ; his ministers will instruct ●hee , and his people pray for thee , and assist thee ; his angels will guard thee , and his spirit comfort thee : and when flesh must fail , and thou must leave this world , thy saviour will then receive thy soul , and bring ●t into the participation of his glory ; and he will raise ●hy body , and justifie thee before the world , and make ●hee equal to the angels ; and thou shalt live in the ●ight and love of god , and in the everlasting pleasures ●f his glory : this is the end of faith and holiness . but 〈◊〉 thou harden thy heart , and refusest mercy , l everlasting wo will be thy portion , and then there will be no remedy . and now , reader , i beg of thee , and i beg of god on my bended knees , that these few words may sink into thy heart , and that thou wouldest read them over and over again , and bethink thee as a man that must shortly die . whether any deserve thy love and obedience more than god ? and thy thankful remembrance more then christ , and thy care and diligence more than thy salvation ? is there any felicity more desirable than heaven ? or any misery more terrible than hell ? or any thing so regardable as that which is everlasting ? will a few days fleshly pleasures pay for the loss of heaven and thy immortal soul ? or will thy sin and thy prosperity be sweet at death , and in the day of judgment ? as thou art a man , and as ever thou believest that there is a god , and a world to come , and as thou carest for thy soul , whether it be saved or damned , i beseech thee , i charge thee , think of these things ! think of them once a day at least ! think of them with thy most sober serious thoughts ! heaven is not a may-game , and hell is not a flea-biting ! make not a jest of salvation or damnation ! i know thou livest in a distracted world , where thou mayest hear some laughing at such things as these , and scorning at a holy life , and fastning odious reproaches on the godly , and merrily drinking , and playing , and prating away their time , and then saying , that they will trust god with their souls , and hope to be saved without so much ado ! but if all these men do not change their minds , and be not shortly down in the mouth , and would not be glad to eat their words , and wished that they had lived a holy life , though it had cost them scorn and suffering in the world , let me bear the shame of a deceiver for ever : but if god and thy conscience bear witness against thy sin , and tell thee that a holy life is best , regard not the gain-sayings of a bediam world , which is drunk with the delusions of the flesh : but give up thy soul and life to god by jesus christ in a faithful covenant ! delay no longer , man , but resolve ; resolve immediately , resolve unchangeably ; and god will he thine , and thou shalt be his for ever . amen . lord have mercy on this sinner , and to let it be resolved by thee in him . ii. the parts and practice of a holy life for personal and family instructions . all is not not a done when men have begun a religious life : all trees that blossom prove not fruitful ; and all fruit comes not to perfection . many fall off , who seemed to have good beginnings : and many dishonour the name of christ , by their scandals and infirmities : many do grieve their teachers hearts , and lamentably disturb the church of christ , by their ignorance , errors , self-conceitedness , unruliness , headiness , contentiousness , sidings and divisions : insomuch that the b scandals and the feuds of christians are the great impediments of the conversion of the infidel and heathen world , by the exposing christianity to their contempt and scorn , as if it were but the error of men , as unholy and worldly , and proud as others , that can never agree among themselves : and many by their passions and selfishness are a trouble to the families and neighbours where they live : and more by their weaknesses and great distempers , are snares , vexations , and burdens to themselves . whereas christianity in its true constitution , is a life of such holy c light and love , such purity and peace , such fruitfulness and heavenliness , as if it were accordingly shewed forth in the lives of christians , would command admiration and reverence from the world , and do more to their conversion , than swords or words alone can do : and it would make christians useful and amiable to each other : and their lives a feast and pleasure to themselves . i hope it may prove some help to these excellent ends , and to the securing mens salvation , if in a few sound experienced directions i open to you the duties of a christian life , i. keep still the true d form of christian doctrine , desire and duty , orderly printed on your minds : that is , understand it clearly and distinctly , and remember it , i mean the great points of religion contained in catechisms . you may still grow in the clearer understanding of your catechisms , if you live an hundred years : let not the words only , but the matter , be as familiar in your minds , as the rooms of your house are . such e solid knowledge will establish you against seduction and unbelief , and will be still within you a ready help for every grace , and every duty ; as the skill of an artificer is for his work : and for want of this , when you come among infidels or hereticks , their reasonings may seem unanswerable to you , and shake , if not overthrow your faith ; and you will easily err in lesser points , and trouble the church with your dreams and wranglings . this is the calamity of many professors ; that while they will be most censorious judges in every controversie about church-matters , they know not well the doctrine of the catechism . ii. live daily by faith on f jesus christ , as the mediator between god and you . being well-grounded in the belief of the gospel , and understanding christ's office , make use of him still in all your wants . think on the fatherly love of god , as coming to you through him alone : and of the spirit , as given by him your head , and of the covenant of grace as enacted and sealed by him ; and of the ministry as sent by him ; and of all times and helps , and hopes as procured and given by him . when you think of sin , and infirmity , and temptations , think also of his sufficient , pardonin● , justifying and victorious grace . when thou thinkest of the world , the flesh , and the devil , think how he overcometh them . let his doctrine and the pattern of his most perfect life , be always before you as your rule . in all your doubts , and fears , and wants , go to him in the spirit , and to the father by him , and him alone . take him as the root of your life and mercies , and live as upon him and by his life ; and when you die , resign your souls to him , that they may be with him where he is , and see his glory . to live on christ and use him in every want , and address to god , is more than a general confused believing in him . iii. so believe in the holy ghost , as to g live and work by him , as the body doth by the soul. you are not h baptized into his name in vain ; ( but too few understand the sense and reason of it . ) the spirit is sent by christ for two great works . 1. to the apostles and prophets , to i inspire them infallibly to preach the gospel , and confirm it by miracles , and leave it on record for following ages , in the holy scriptures . 2. to all his k members , to illuminate and sanctifie them , to believe and obey this sacred doctrine ( beside his common gift to many to understand and preach it . ) the spirit having first indicted the gospel , doth by it first regenerate , and after govern all true believers . he is not now given ●s for the revealing of new doctrines , but to understand and obey the l doctrine revealed and sealed by him long ago . as the sun doth by its sweet and discreet influence , both give and cherish the natural life of things sensitive and vegetative ; so doth christ by his m spirit our spiritual life . as you do no work but by your natural life , you should do none but by your spiritual life : you must not only believe , and love and pray by it , but manage all your calling by it ; for holiness to the lord must be written upon all ; all things are sanctified to you , because you being sanctified to god , devote all to him , and use all for him ; and therefore must do all in the strength and conduct of the spirit . iv. n live wholly upon god , as all in all : as the first efficient , principal dirigent , and final cause of all things . let faith , hope , and love , be daily feeding on him . let our father which art in heaven , be first inscribed on your hearts , that he may seem most amiable to you , and you may boldly trust him , and filial love may be the spring of duty . make use of the son and spirit to lead you to the father ; and of faith in christ to kindle and keep alive the love of god. god's love is our primitive holiness , and especially called , with its fruits , [ our sanctification , ] which faith in christ is but a means to . let it be your principal end , in studying christ , to see the goodness , love , and amiableness of god in him : a condemning god is not so easily loved , as a gracious reconciled god. you have so much of the spirit , as you have love to god : this is the proper gift of the spirit to all the adopted sons of god , to cause them , with filial affection and dependance , to cry , abba , father . know not , desire not , love not any creature , but purely as subordinate to god! without him , let it be nothing to you , but as the glass without the face , or scattered letters without the sense ; or as the corps without the soul. o call nothing prosperity or pleasure , but his love ; and nothing adversity or misery , but his displeasure , and the cause and the fruits of it . when any thing would seem lovely and desirable which is against him , call it p dung ! and hear that man , as q satan , or the serpent , that would entice you from him ; and count him but vanity , a worm , and dust , that would affright you from your duty to him . fear him much , but love him more ! let r love be the soul and end of every other duty : it is the end and reason of all the rest ; but it hath no end or reason , but its object . think of no other heaven , and end , and happiness of man , but love , the final act , and god the final object : place not your religion in any thing but the love of god , with its means and fruits . own no grief , desire , or joy , but a mourning , a seeking , and a rejoycing love. v. live in the belief and hopes of heaven , and s seek it as your part and end ; and daily delight your souls in the sore-thoughts of the endless sight and love of god. as god is seen on earth but as in a glass , so is he proportionably enjoyed . but when mourning , seeking love hath done , and sin and enemies are overcome , and we behold the glory of god in heaven , the delights of love will then be perfect . you may desire more on earth than you may hope for . look not for a kingdom of this world , nor for mount zion in the wilderness . christ reigneth on earth , as moses in the camp , to guide us to the 〈◊〉 and of the promise : our perfect blessedness will be , where the kingdom is delivered up to the father , and god is all in all. a doubt , or a strange heartless thought of heaven , is water cast on the sacred fire , to quench your holiness and your joy. can you travel one whole day to such an end , and never think of the place that you are going to ? which must be intended in every righteous act ( either notedly , or by the ready unobserved act of a potent habit. ) when earth is at the best , it will not be heaven . you live no further by faith , like christians , than you either live for heaven in seeking it , or else upon heaven in hope and joy. vi. labour to make religion your pleasure and t delight . look oft to god , to heaven , to christ , to the spirit , to the promises , to all your mercies . call over your experiences , and think what matter of high delight is still before you , and how unseemly it is , and how injurious to your profession , for one that saith he hopeth for heaven , to live as sadly as those that have no higher hopes than earth . how should that man be filled with joy , who must live in the joys of heaven for ever ? especially rejoyce when the messengers of death do tell you , that your endless joy is near . if god , and heaven , with all our mercies in the way , be not reason enough for a joyful life , there can be none at all . abhor all suggestions which would make religion seem a tedious irksome life . and take heed that you represent it not so to others ; for you will never make them in love with that which you make the● not perceive to be delectable and lovely . not as the hypocrite , by forcing and framing his religion to his carnal mind and pleasure ; but bringing up the heart to a holy suitableness to the pleasures of religion . vii watch as for your souls , against this flattering tempting u world ; especially when it is represented as more sweet and delectable , than god , and holiness , and heaven . this world with its pleasures , wealth , and honours , is it that is put in the ballance by satan , against god , and holiness , and heaven : and no man shall have better than he chooseth and preferreth . the bait taketh advantage of the brutish part , when reason is asleep ; and if by the help of sense it get the throne , the beast will ride and rule the man ; and reason become a slave to sensuality . when you hear the serpent , see his sting , and see death attending the forbidden fruit : when you are rising , look down and see how far you have to fall ! his reason , as well as faith , is weak , who for such fools-gawds , as the pomp and vanitles of this world , can forget god and his soul , and death , and judgment , heaven and hell , yea and deliberately command them to stand by . what knowledge or experience can do good on that man , who will venture so much for such a world , which all , that have tried it , call vanity at the last ? how deplorable then is a world●ings case ? oh fear the world when it smileth , or seems sweet and amiable . love it not , if you love your god and your salvation . viii . fly from temptations , and crucify the x flesh , and keep a constant government over your appetite and se●●●es . many , who had no designed stated vice , or worldly interest , have shamefully fallen by the sudden surprize of appetite or lust . when custom hath taught these to be greedy and violent , like a hungry dog , or a lusting b●ar , it is not a sluggish wish or purpose , that will mortify or rule them ! how dangerous a case is that man in , who hath so greedy a beast continually to restrain ? that if he do but neglect his watch one hour , is ready to run him headlong into hell ? who can be safe that standeth long on so terrible a precipice ? the tears and sorrows of many years , may perhaps not repair the loss which one hour or act may bring . the ●ase of david , and many others , are dreadful warnings . know what it is that you are most in danger of ; whether lust and idleness , or excess in meats , or drinks or play ; and there set your strongest watch for your preservation . make it your daily business to mortify that ●ust , and scorn that your brutish sense or appetite should conquer reason . yet trust not purposes alone ; but away from the temptation ; touch not , yea look not on the tempting bait : keep far enough off , if you ●esire to be safe . what miseries come from small beginnings ? temptation leads to sin , and small sins to greater , and those to hell ! and sin and hell are not to be played with ! open your sin or temptation to some friend , that shame may save you from danger . ix . keep up a constant skilful government over your y passions and your tongues . to this end , keep a tender conscience , which will smart when in any of these you sin . let holy passions be well ordered , and selfish carnal passions be restrained . let your z tongues know their duties to god and man , and labour to be skilful and resolute in performing them . know all the sins of the tongue , that you may avoid them ; for your innocency and peace do much depend on the prudent government of your tongues . x. govern your a thoughts with constant skilful diligence . in this , right habits and affections will do most , by inclining them unto good. it 's easy to think on that which we love . be not unfurnished of matter for your thoughts to work upon : and often retire your selves for serious meditation . be not so solitary and deep in musings , as to over-stretch your thoughts , and confound your minds , or take you off from necessary converse with others ! but be sure that you be considerate , and dwell much at home , and converse most with your consciences and your god! with whom you have the greatest business ! leave not your thoughts unimployed , or ungoverned : scatter them not abroad upon impertinent vanities . o that you knew what daily business you have for them ! most men are wicked , deceived , and undone , because they are inconsiderate , and dare not , or will not , retiredly and soberly use their reason ; or use it but as a slave in chains in the service of their passion , lust and interest . he was never wise , or good , or happy , who was not soberly and impartially considerate , how to be good , to do good , and finally enjoy good , must be the sum of all your thoughts . keep them first holy , then charitable , clean and chaste . and quickly check them when they look towards sin . xi . let b time be exceeding precious in your eyes , and carefully and diligently redeem it . what haste doth it make ? and how quickly will it be gone ? and then how highly will it be valued ; when a minute of it can never be recalled ? o what important business have we , for every moment of our time , if we should live a thousand years ! take not that man to be well in his wits , or to know his god , his end , his work , or his danger , who hath time to spare . redeem it , not only from needless sports , and plays , and idleness , and curiosity , and complement , and excess of sleep , and chat , and worldliness ; but also from the entanglements of lesser good , which would hinder you from greater . spend time , as men that are ready to pass into another world , where every minute must be accounted for ; and it must go with us for ever as we lived here let not health deceive you into the expectation of living long , and so into a sensless negligence . see your glass running , and keep a reckoning of the expence of time : and spend it just as you would review it when it is gone . xii . let the c love of all in their several capacities become as it were your very nature : and doing them all the good you can , be very much of the business of your lives . god must be loved in all his creatures , his natural image on all men , and his spiritual image on his saints . our neighbour must be loved as our natural selves ▪ that is , our natural neighbour as our natural self , with a love of benevolence ; and our spiritual neighbour as our spiritual self , with a love of complacence . in opposition to complacence , we may hate our sinful neighbour , as we must our selves ( much more : ) but in opposition to benevolence we must neither hate our selves , our neighbour , or our enemy . o that men knew how much of christianity doth consist in love , and doing good ! with what eyes do they read the gospel , who see not this in every page ? abhor all that selfishness , pride and passion which are the enemies of love ; and those opinions , and factions , and censurings , and back-biting , which would destroy it . take him that speaketh evil of another to you , without a just cause and call , to be satan's messenger , intreating you to hate your brother , or to abate your love. for to perswade you that a man is bad , is directly to perswade you so far to hate him . not that the good and bad must be confounded : but love will call none bad without constraining evidence . rebuke back ▪ biters . hurt no man , and speak evil of no man ; unless it be not only just , but necessarily to some greater good. love is lovely : they that love shall be beloved . hating and hurting makes men hateful . love thy neighbour as thy self ; and do as thou wouldst be done by , are the golden rules of our duty to men ; which must be deeply written on your hearts . for want of this , there is nothing so false , so bad , so cruel , which you may not be drawn to think , or say , or do against your brethren . selfishness and want of love , do as naturally tend to ambition and covetousness , and thence to cruelty against all that 〈◊〉 in the way of their desires , as the nature of a 〈◊〉 to kill the lambs . all factions , and contentions , and persecutions in the world , proceed from selfishness , and want of charity . devouring malice is the devilish nature . be as zealous in doing gòod to all , as satan's servants are in hurting . take it as the use of all your talents , and use them as you would hear of it at last . let it be your business and not a matter on , the by : especially for publick good , and mens salvation . and what you cannot do your selves , perswade other to . give them good books : and draw them to the means , which are most like to profit them . xiii . understand the right terms of church-communion : especially the unity of the universal church , and the universal communion , which you must hold with all the parts ; and the difference between the church as visible and invisible . for want of these , how woful are our divisions ? read oft , 1 cor. 12. & eph. 4. 1. to 17. job . 17. 21 , 22 , 23. act. 4. 32. & 2. 42. 1 cor. 1. 10 , 11 , 13. & 3. 3. rom. 16. 17. phil. 2. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. act. 20. 30. 1 cor. 11. 19. titus . 3. 10. james . 3. col. 1. 4. heb. 10. 25. acts 8. 12 , 13 , 37. 1 cor. 1. 2 , 13. & 3. 3 , 4. & 11. 18 , 21. study these well . you must have union and communion in faith and love , with all the christians in the world. and refuse not local communion when you have a just call , so far as they put you not on sinning . let your usual meeting be with the purest church , if you lawfully may , ( and still respect the publick good ; ) but sometimes occasionally communicate even with defective faulty churches , so be it they are true christians , and put you not on sin : that so you may shew that you own them as christians , though you disown their corruptions . think not your presence maketh all the faults of ministry , worship , or people to be yours ( for then i would join with no church in the world. ) know that as the mystical church consisteth of heart-covenanters , so doth the church as visible consist of verbal-covenanters , which make a credible profession of consent : and that nature and scripture teacheth us to take every man's word as credible , till perfidiousness forfeit his credit ; which forfeiture must be proved , before any sober profession can be taken for an insufficient title . d grudge not then at the communion of any professed christian in the church visible : ( though we must do our part to cast out the obstinately impenitent by discipline ; which if we cannot do , the fault is not ours . ) the presence of hypocrites is no hurt , but oft a mercy to the sincere . how small else would the church seem in the world ? outward privileges belong to outward covenanters ; and inward mercies to the sincere . e division is wounding , and tends to death . abhor it as you love the churches welfare or your own : the wisdom from above is first pure , and then peaceable . never separate what god conjoineth . it is the earthly , sensual , devilish wisdom , which causeth bitter envying , and strife , and confusion , and every evil work. blessed are the peace-makers . xiv . take heed of f pride and self-conceitedness in religion : if once you over-value your own understandings , your crude conceptions and gross mistakes will delight you as some supernatural light : and instead of having compassion on the weak , you will be unruly and despisers of your guides , and censorious contemners of all that differ from you ; and persecutors of them if you have power ; and will think all intolerable , that take you not as oracles , and your words as law. forget not that the church hath always suffered by censorious , unruly professors on the one hand , ( and o what divisions and scandals have they caused ! ) as well as by the prophane and persecucutors on the other . take need of both : and when contentions are afoot , be quiet and silent , and not too forward ; and keep up a zeal for love and peace . xv. be faithful and conscionable in all your g relations . honour and obey your parents , and other superiors : despise not , and resist not government : if you suffer unjustly by them , be humbled for those sins , which cause god to turn your protectors into afflictors : and instead of murmuring and rebelling against them , reform your selves , and then commit your selves to god ▪ princes and pastors i will not speak to : subjects , and servants , and children , must obey their superiors , as the officers of god. xvi . keep up the government of god in your h families . holy families must be the chief preservers of the interest of religion in the world. let not the world turn god's service into a customary lifeless form. read the scripture , and edifying books to them ▪ talk with them seriously about the state of their souls , and everlasting life ; pray with them fervently ; watch over them diligently ; be angry against sin , and meek in your own cause ; be examples of wisdom , holiness and patience ; and see that the lord's day be spent in holy preparation for eternity . xvii . let your i callings be managed in holiness and laboriousness . live not in idleness ; be not slothful in your work , whether you be bound or free ; in the sweat of your brows you must eat your bread , and labour the six days , that you may have to give to him that needeth ; slothfulness is sensuality as well as filthier sins . the body ( that is able ) must have fit employments as well as the soul , or else body and soul will fare the worse ; but let all be but as the labour of a traveller , and aim at god and heaven in all . xviii . deprive not your selves of the benefit of an able faithful k pastor , to whom you may open your case in secret ; or at least of a holy l faithful friend : and be not m displeased at their free reproofs . wo to him that is alone ! how blind and partial are we in our own cause● and how hard is it to know our selves without an able faithful helper ! you forfeit this great mercy , when you love a flatterer , and angrily defend your sin. xix . n prepare for sickness , sufferings , and death . overvalue not prosperity , nor the favour of man. if selfish men prove false and cruel to you , even those of whom you have deserved best , marvel not at it , but pray for your enemies , persecutors , and slanderers , that god would turn their hearts and pardon them . what a mercy is it to be driven from the world to god , when the love of the world is the greatest danger of the soul ? be ready to die , and you are ready for any thing . ask your hearts seriously , what is it that i shall need at a dying hour ? and let it speedily be got ready , and not be to seek in the time of your extremity . xx. understand the true method of peace of conscience , and judge not of the state of your souls upon deceitful grounds . as presumptuous hopes do keep men from conversion , and embolden them to sin ; so causless fears do hinder our love and praise of god , by obscuring his loveliness : and they destroy our thankfulness , and our delight in god , and make us a burden to our selves , and a grievous stumbling block to others . the general grounds of all your comfort , are . 1. the o gracious nature of god. 2. the p sufficiency of christ . and. 3. the truth and q universality of the promise , which giveth christ and life to all ▪ if they will accept him . but this acceptance is the proof of your particular title , without which these do but aggravate your sin. consent to god's covenant is the true condition and proof of your title to god as your father , saviour , and sanctifier , and so to the saving blessings of the covenant : which consent , if you survive , must produce the duties which you consent to . he that heartily consenteth that god be his god , his saviour and sanctifier , is in a state of life . but this includeth th●● ) rejection of the vvorld ; much knowledge , and memory , and utterance , and lively affections , are all very desirable : but you must judge your state by none of these , for they are all uncertain . but , 1. if god , and holiness , and heaven , have the highest estimation of your practical judgment , as being esteemed best for you : 2. and be preferred in the choice and resolution of your wills , and that habitually before all the pleasures of the vvorld : 3. and be first and chiefly sought in your endeavours ; this is the infallible proof of your sanctification . christian , upon long and serious study and experience , i dare boldly commend these directions to thee , as the vvay of god , which will end in blessedness . the lord resolve and strengthen thee to obey them . this is the true constitution of christianity : this is true godliness ; and this is to be religious indeed : and all this is no more than to be seriously such , as all among us in general vvords profess to be . this is the religion which must difference you from hypocrites ; which must settle you in peace , and make you an honour to your profession , and a blessing to those that dwell about you . happy is the land , the church , the family , which doth consist of such as these ! these are not they that either persecute or divide the church , or that make their religion a servant to their policy , to their ambitious designs , or fleshl● lusts ; nor that make it the bellows of sedition or rebellion , or of an envious hurtful zeal , or a snare for the innocent , or a pistol to shoot at the upright in heart : these are not they that have been the shame of their profession , the hardning of ungodly men and infidels and that have caused the enemies of the lord to blaspheme . if any man will make a religion of , or for his lusts ; of papal r tyranny , or pharisaical formality , or of his private opinions , or of proud censoriousness , and contempt of others , and of faction , and 〈◊〉 warr●ntable separations and divisions , and of standing at a more observable distance from common professors of christianity , than god would have them ; or yet of pulling up the hedg of discipline , and laying christ's vineyard common to the wilderness ; the storm is coming , when this religion founded on the sand will fall , and great will be the fall thereof . when the religion which consisteth in faith and love to god and man , in mortifying the flesh , and crucifying the world , in self-denyal , humility and patience , in sincere obedience , and faithfulness in all relations , in watchful self-government , in doing good , and in a divine and heavenly life , tho' it will be hated by the ungodly world , shall never be a dishonour to your lord , nor deceive or disappoint your souls . a short catechism . quest . 1. what is the christian religion ? answ . the christian religion is the baptismal covenant made and kept ; wherein god the father , son and holy ghost , doth give himself to be ou● reconciled god and father , our saviour and sanctifier and we believingly give up our selves accordingly to him , renouncing the flesh , the world , and the devil . which covenant is to be oft renewed , specially in the sacrament of the lord's supper . quest . 2. where is our covenant-part and duty fullier opened ? answ . 1. in the creed , as the sum of our belief . 2. in the lord's prayer , as the sum of our desires . 3. and in the ten commandments ( as given us by christ , with the gospel-explications ) as the sum of our practice . which are as followeth . the creed . i believe in god the father almighty , creator of heaven and earth : and in jesus christ his only son our lord , which was conceived by the holy ghost , born of the virgin mary , suffered under pontius pilate , was crucified , dead and buried , he descended into hell : the third day he arose again from the dead , he ascended into heaven , and sitteth on the right hand of god the father almighty , from thence he shall come to judg ▪ the quick and the dead . i believe in the holy ghost , the holy catholick church , the communion of saints , the forgiveness of sins , the resurrection of the body , and the life everlasting . amen . the lord's prayer . our father which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name . thy kingdom come . thy will be done on earth , as it is in heaven . give us this day our daily bread. and forgive us our trespasses , as we forgive them that trespass against us : and lead us not into temptation , but deliver us from evil ; for thine is the kingdom , and the power , and the glory for ever . amen . the ten commandments . i. i am the lord thy god which have brought thee out of the land of egypt , out of the house of bondage : thou shalt have no other gods before me . ii. thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image , or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above , or that is in the earth beneath , or that is in the water under the earth ; thou shalt not bow down thy self to them , nor serve them : for i the lord thy god am a jealous god , visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me , and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments . iii. thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain ; for the lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain . iv. remember the sabbath day to keep it holy ; six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work ; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the lord thy god , in it thou shalt not do any work ; thou , nor thy son , nor thy daughter , thy man-servant , nor thy maid-servant , nor thy cattel , nor the stranger that is within thy gates . for in six days the lord made heaven and earth , the sea , and all that in them is ; and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the lord blessed the sabbath-day , and hallowed it . v. honour thy father and thy mother , that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy god giveth thee . vi. thou shalt not kill . vii . thou shalt not commit adultery . viii . thou shalt not steal . ix . thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour . x. thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house thou shalt not cover thy neighbour's wife , nor his man-servant , nor his maid-servant , nor his ox , nor his ass , nor any thing that is thy neighbour's . quest . 3. where is the christian religion most fully opened , and entirely contained ? answ . in the holy scriptures , especially of the new testament : where , by christ , and his apostles and evangelists , inspired by his spirit , the history of christ and his apostles is ●ufficiently delivered , the promises and doctrine of faith are perfected , the covenant of grace most clearly opened , and church-offices , worship , and discipline established ; in the understanding whereof , the strongest christians may increase whilst they live on earth . the explained profession of the christian religion . i. i believe that there is one god , an infinite spirit of life , understanding and will ; perfectly powerful , wise and good ; the father , the word , and the spirit , the creator , governour , and end of all things ; our absolute owner , our most just ruler ▪ and our most gracious benefactor , and most amiable good. ii. i believe that man being made in the image of god , an imbodied spirit of life ▪ understanding and will , with holy vi●acity , wisdom and love , to know , and love , and serve his creator , here and for ever , did by wilful finning fall from his god , his holiness , and innocency , under the wrath of god , the condemnation of his law , and the slavery of the flesh , the world , and the devil . and that god so loved the world , that he gave his only son to be their redeemer , who being god ▪ and one ●ith the father , took our nature , and became man : being conceived by the holy ghost , born of the virgin mary , called jesus christ , who was perfectly holy , sinless , fulfilling all ▪ righteousness ▪ over came the devil and the world , and gave himself a sacrifice for our sins , by suffering a cursed death on the cross , to ransom us , and reconcile us unto god ▪ ●nd was buried , and went among the dead ; the ●hird day he rose again , having conquered death . and he fully established the covenant of grace , that ●ll that truly repent and believe , shall-have the love of the father , the grace of the son , and the com●union of the holy spirit ; and if they love god , and ●bey him sincerely to the death , they shall be glori●●ed with him in heaven for ever : and the unbelievers , impenitent , and ungodly shall go to ever●●sting punishment . and having commanded his apostles to preach the gospel to all the world ▪ and promised his spirit , he ascended into heaven where he is the glorified , head over all things to the church , and our prevailing intercessor with the father : who will there receive the departed souls of th● justified : and at the end of this vvorld will come again and raise all the dead , and will judge all according to their vvorks , and justly execute his judgment . iii. i believe that god , the holy spirit , was given 〈◊〉 the father and the son , to the prophets , apostles , 〈◊〉 evangelists , to be their infallible guide in preach●●● and recording the doctrine of salvation ; and the witness of its certain truth , by his manifold divine operations ; and to quicken , illuminate , and sanctifie all true believers , that they may overcome the flesh , th● vvorld , and the devil . and all that are thus sanctified , are one holy catholick church of christ , and m●●● live in holy c●mmunion , and have the pardon 〈◊〉 their sins , and shall have everlasting life . believing in god the father son and holy spirit , do presently , absolutely , and resolved 〈◊〉 give up my self to him , my creator and reconciled god and father , my saviour and sanctifier : and repenting of my sins ▪ i renounce the devil , the world , and the sinful desire● of the flesh : and denying my self , and taking up m● cross , i consent to follow christ the captain 〈◊〉 my salvation , in hope of his promised grace and glory . a short catechism for those that hav●● learned the first . quest . 1. what do you believe concerning god ? 1 assent . answ . there is one onely god ; a● infinite spirit of life , understanding and will , m●●● perfectly powerful , wise and good ; the father , the word , and the spirit : the creator , governour and end of all things ; our absolute owner , our most just ruler , and our most gracious and most ami●ble father . quest . 2. what believe you of the creation , and the nature of man , and the law which was given to him ? answ . god created all the world : and made man in his own image , an imbodied spirit of life , understanding and will , with holy liveliness . wisdom and love ; to know , and love , and serve has maker , here and for ever : and gave him the inferiour creatures for his use : but forbad him to eat of the tree of knowledge , upon pain of death . qu. what believe you of man's fall into sin and misery ? ans . man being tempted by satan ▪ did by wilful sinning fall from his holiness , his innocency , and his happiness , under the justice of god , the condemnation of his law , and the slavery of the flesh , the world , and the devil ; whence sinful , guilty and miserable natures are propagated to all mankind : and no meer creature is able to deliver us . quest . 4. what believe you of man's redemption by jesus christ ? answ . god so loved the world , that he gave his only son to be their saviour : who being god , and one with the father , took our nature , and became man ; being conceived by the holy ghost ; born of the virgin mary ; and called jesus christ : who was perfectly holy , without sin , fulfilling all righteousness ; and overcame the devil and the world ; and gave himself a sacrifice for our sins , by suffering a cursed death on the cross to ransom us , and reconcile us unto god ; and was buried , and went among the dead : the third day he rose again , having conquered death ; and having sealed the new covenant with his blood , he commanded his apostles and other ministers , to preach the gospel to all the world ; and promised the holy ghost : and then ascended into heaven , where he is god and man , the glorified head over all things to his church , and our prevailing intercessor with god the father . quest . 5. what is the new testament , or covenant , 〈◊〉 law of grace ? answ . god through jesus christ , doth freely give to all mankind , himself , to be their reconciled god and father , his son to be their saviour , and his holy spirit to be their sanctifier , if they will believe and accept the gift , and will give up themselves to him accordingly ▪ repenting of their sins , and consenting to forsake th● devil , the world , and the flesh , and sincerely ▪ ( though not perfectly ) to obey christ ▪ and his spirit to the end , according to the law of nature , and his gospel institutions , that they may be glorified in heaven for ever . quest . 6. what believe you of the holy ghost ? answ . god the holy spirit was given by the father and the son to the prophets , apostles , and evangelists ; to be their infallible guide in preaching and recording , the doctrine of salvation ; and the witness of its certain truth by his manifold divine operations ▪ and he is given , to quicken , illuminate , and sanctifie all true believers , and to save them from the devil , the world , and the flesh . quest . 7. what believe you of the holy catholick church , the communion of saints , and the forgiveness of sins ? answ . all that truely consent to the baptismal covenant , are one sanctified church or body of christ , and have communion in the same spirit of faith and love , and have the forgiveness of all their sins ; and all that by baptism visibly covenant , and that continue to profess christianity and holiness , are the universal visible church on earth ; and must keep holy communion with love and peace in the particular churches ; in the doctrine , vvorship , and order instituted by christ . quest . 8. what believe you of the resurrection and everlasting life ? answ . at death the souls of the justified go to happiness with christ , and the souls of the wicked ●o misery : and at the end of this world , christ will ●ome in glory , and will raise the bodies of all men ●rom death , and will judge all according to their works : and the righteous shall go into everlasting life , where being made perfect themselves , they shall 〈◊〉 god , and perfectly love and praise him with christ● and all the glorified church ; and the rest into ever●asting punishment . quest . 9. you have told me what you . il. consent . believe : tell me now what is the full resolution and desire of your will , concerning all this which you believe ? answ . believing in god the father , son , and holy ●pirit , i do presently , absolutely and resolvedly give up my self to him , my creator and reconciled god and father , my saviour , and my sanctifier . and repenting of my sins i renounce the devil , the world , and the sinful desires of the flesh . and denying my self , and taking up my cross , i consent to follow christ the captain of my salvation ; in hope of the grace and glory promised . which i daily desire and ●eg as he hath taught me , saying , [ our father which 〈◊〉 in heaven , &c. ] quest . 10. what is that practice which by this covenant , 〈◊〉 are obliged to ? answ . according to the law of nature , and christs ●nstitutions i must ( desiring perfection ) sincerely obey him in a life of faith , and hope , and love● loving god as god , for himself above all , and loving my self as his servant , especially my soul ; and seeking 〈◊〉 holiness and salvation ; and loving my neighbour 〈◊〉 my self . i must avoid all idolatry of mind or body , ●nd must worship god according to his word , by ●earning and meditating on his word ; by prayer , thanksgiving , praise , and use of his sacrament : i must not profane , but holily use his holy name ▪ i must keep holy the lord's day , especially in communion with the church assemblies : i must honour and obey my parents , magistrates , pastors , and other ●●lers : i must not wrong my neighbour in thought , word , or deed , in his soul , his body , his chastity , estate , right o● propriety ; but do him all the good i can ▪ and do as i would be done by ; which is summed up in the ten commandments , [ god spake these words , saying , &c. a prayer for families in the method of the lords prayer , being ●ut an exposition of it . most glorious god , who art power , and wisdom , and goodness it self , the creator 〈◊〉 all things ; the owner , the ruler , and the benefactor of the world , but especially of thy church and chosen ones : though by sin original and actual we were thy enemies , the slaves of satan and our flesh , and under thy displeasure , and the condemnation of thy law ; yet thy children redeemed by jesus christ thy son , and regenerated by thy holy spirit , have leave to call thee their reconciled father : for by thy covenant of grace thou hast given them thy son to be their head ▪ their teacher , and their saviour : and in him thou ha●t pardoned , adopted , and sanctified them ; sealing and preparing them by thy holy spirit , for thy c●●lestial kingdom , and beginning in them that holy life , and light , and love , which shall be perfected with thee in everlasting glory . o with what wondrous love hast thou loved us , that of rebels we should be made the sons of god! thou hast advanced us to this dignity , that we might be devoted wholly to thee as thine own , and might delightfully obey thee , and entirely love thee with all our heart ; and so might glorifie thee here and for ever . o cause both us , and all thy churches , and all the world , to hallow thy great and holy name ! and to 〈◊〉 to thee as our ultimate end ; that thy shining 〈◊〉 on holy souls may glorifie thy divine perfection . and cause both us and all the earth , to cast off the tyranny of satan and the flesh , and to acknowledge thy supream authority , and to become the kingdom● of thee and thy son jesus , by a willing and absolute subjection . o perfect thy kingdom of grace in our selves and in the world , and hasten the kingdom of glory . and cause us and thy churches , and all people of the earth , no more to be ruled by the lu●●s of the flesh , and their erroneous conceits , and by self-will , which is the idol of the wicked ; but by thy perfect wisdom and holy will revealed in thy laws : make known thy word to all the world , and send them the messengers of grace and peace ; and cause men to understand , believe and obey the gospel of salvation and that with such holiness , unity , and love , that the earth , which is now too like to hell , may 〈◊〉 made liker unto heaven ; and not only thy scattered imperfect flock , but those also , who in their carnal and ungodly minds do now refuse a holy life , and think thy word and ways too strict , may desire to imitate even the heavenly church ; where thou art obeyed , and loved , and praised , with high delight , in harmony and perfection . and because our being is the subject of our well-being , maintain us in the life which thou hast here given us , until the work of life be finished ; and give us such health of mind and body , and such protection and supply of all our wants , as shall best 〈…〉 our duty ; and make us contented with our daily bread , and patient if we want it ; and save us from the love of the riches , and honours , and pleasures of this world , and the pride , and idleness , and sensuality which they cherish ; and cause us to serve thy providence by our diligent labours , and to serve thee faithfully with all that thou givest us ; and let us not make provision for the flesh , to satisfie its desires and lusts . and we beseech thee of thy mercy , through the sacrifice and propitiation of thy beloved son , forgive us all our sins , original and actual , from our birth to this hour ; our omissions of duty , and committing of what thou didst forbid : our sins of heart , and word , and deed ; our sinful thoughts and affections , our sinful passions and discontents ; our secret and our open sins ; our sins of negligence , and ignorance , and rashness ; but especially our sins against knowledge and conscience , which have made the deepest guilt and wounds . spare us , o lord , and let not our sins so find us out as to be our ruin ; but let us so find them out , as truely to repent and turn to thee ! especially punish us not with the loss of thy grace ! take not thy holy spirit from us , and deny us not his assistance and holy operations . seal to us by that spirit the pardon of our sins , and lift up the light of thy countenance upon us , and give us the joy of thy favour and salvation . and let thy love and mercy so fill us not only with thankfulness to thee , but with love and mercy to our brethren and our enemies ; that we may heartily forgive them that do us wrong , as through thy grace we hope we do . and for the time to come suffer us not to cast our selves wilfully into temptations ; but carefully to avoid them , and resolutely to resist and conquer what we cannot avoid ; and o mortifie those inward sins and lusts , which are our constant and most dangerous temptations : and let us not be tempted by satan or the world , or tryed by thy judgments , above the strength which thy grace shall give us . save us from a fearless confidence in our own strength . and let us not dally with the snare , nor taste the bait , nor play with the fire of thy wrath ; but cause us to fear and depart from evil ; lest before we are aware , we be entangled and overcome , and wounded with our guilt and with thy wrath , and our end should be worse than our beginning . especially save us from those radical sins of error , and unbelief , pride , hypocrisie , hardheartedness , sensuality , slothfulness , and the love of this present world , and the loss of our love to thee , to thy kingdom and thy ways . and save us from the malice of satan and of wicked men , and from the evils which our sins would bring upon us . and as we crave all this from thee , we humbly render our praises with our future service to thee ! thou art the king of all the world , and more than the life of all the living ! thy kingdom is everlasting : wise ▪ and just , and merciful is thy government . blessed are they that are thy faithful subjects ; but who hath hardened himself against thee , and hath prospered ? the whole creation proclaimeth thy perfection ▪ but it is heaven where the blessed see thy glory , and the glory of our redeemer , where the angels and saints behold thee , admire thee , adore thee , love thee , and praise thee with triumphant joyful songs , the holy , holy , holy god , the father , son and holy ghost , who was and is , and is to come ; of thee , and through thee , and to thee are all things : to thee , be glory for ever , amen . a short prayer for families . most glorious , ever-living god , father , son and holy ghost , infinite in thy power , wisdom and goodness ; thou art the creator of all the world , the redeemer of lost mankind , and the sanctifier of thine elect. thou hast made us living reasonable soul● , placed a while on earth in flesh , to seek , and know , and love , and serve thee , which we should have done with all our soul and might : for we and all things are thine own , and thou art more to us than all the world. this should have been the greatest busines● , care and pleasure of our lives : we were bound to 〈◊〉 by thy law , and invited by thy love and mercy , and the promise of a reward in heaven : and in our baptism we were devoted to this christian life of faith and holiness , by a solemn covenant and vow . but with grief and shame we do confess , that we have been too unfaithful to that covenant , and too much neglected the lord our father , our saviour and our sanctifier , to whom we were devoted ; and have too much served the flesh and the world , and the devil which we renounced . we have added to our original sin , the guilt of unthankfulness for a saviour , and resisting his spirit and grace that should have renewed , governed and saved us . we have spent much of our lives , in fleshly and worldly vanity , and finfully neglected the greatest work , of making a sure preparation for death and judgment , and our endless state. in a custom of sinning we have hardened our hearts against thy word and warnings , and the reproofs of thy ministers , and of our consciences that have oft told us of our sin and danger , and called us to repent . and now , o lord , our convinced souls confess that we deserve to be forsaken by thee , and left to our own lust and folly , and to the deceits of satan , and untoendless misery . but seeing thou hast given a saviour to lost man , and a pardoning covenant , through the merits of christ , promising forgiveness and salvation to every true penitent believer ; we thankfully accept thy offered mercy , and penitently bewail our sin , and cast our miserable souls upon thy grace , and the sacrifice , merits and intercession of our redeemer . forgive all the sins of our hearts and lives ; and as a reconciled father take us as thy adopted children in christ . o give us thy renewing spirit , to be in us a powerful and constant author of holy light , and love and life , to fit us for all our duty , and for communion with thee , and for everlasting life : and to dwell in us as thy witness and seal of our adoption . let him be better to our souls than our souls are to our bodies , teaching us thy word and will , and bringing all our love and will to a joyful compliance with thy will : and quickening our dull 〈◊〉 drowsie hearts to a holy and heavenly conversation . let him turn all our sinful pleasures and desires , into the delightful love of thee and of thy ways and servants . save us from the great sins of selfishness , pride , and worldliness , and give us self-denial , humility , and a heavenly mind . that while we are on earth our hearts may be in heaven , where we hope to live in thy joyfull love and praise with christ and all his holy ones for even ▪ let us never forget that this life is short , and that the life to come is endless : that our souls are precious and our bodies vile , and must shortly turn to rottenness and dust ; that sin is odio●s , and temptation● dangerous , and judgment dreadful to unprepaved guilty souls ; and that without a saviour and his grace and spirit , there is no salvation : cause us to live as we would die , and let no temptation , company or business , draw us to forget our god and our everlasting state . lord bless the world , and specially these kingdoms , ●ith wise , godly , just and peaceable princes , and ●nferiour judges and magistrates ; and guide , protect ●nd prosper them for the common good , and the pro●oting of godliness and suppressing of sin : and bles●●ll churches with able , godly , faithful pastors , that are ●ealous lovers of god , and goodness , and the peoples ●ouls . and save the nations and churches from op●essing tyrants and deceivers , and from melignan● enemies to serious piety . and cause subjects to live in just obedience , and in love and peace . bless families with wise religious governours , who will carefully instruct their children and servants , and restrain them from sin , and keep them from temptation , teach children and servants to fear god , and honour and obey their governours . o our father which art in heaven , let thy name b● hallowed . let thy kingdom com● . let thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven . 〈◊〉 in this day our daily bre●d ; forgive us our trespasses , as 〈◊〉 forgive them that trespass against us . lead us not into temptation , but deliver us from evil : for thine is the kingdom , the power and the glory , for ever . amen . before meat . most gracious god who hast given 〈◊〉 christ , and with him all that is necessary to life and godliness : we thankfully take this our food as the gift of thy bounty , procured by his merits : bless it to the nourishment and strength of our frail bodies , to fi● us for thy chearful service : and save us from the abuse of thy mercies by glu●tony drunkennes● , idleness or sinful fleshly lusts , for the sake of jesus christ our only saviour and lord. amen . after meat . most merciful father , accept of our thanks for these and all thy mercies : and give us yet more thankful hearts : o give us more of the great mercies proper to thy children , even by sanctifying and comforting spir●● assu●●nce of thy love thr●ugh christ , and a ●reasure , and 〈◊〉 conversation in heaven : and bring and keep 〈◊〉 in a constant readiness for a safe and comfortable death ▪ for the sake of jesus christ our lord and only saviour . amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26936-e170 a mar. 8. 36. mat. 6. 33. job . 21. 14. and 22. 17. psal . 1. 2 , 3. psal . 14. and 12. b psal . 8. 4 , 5 , 6. gen. 1. 26 , 27 , gen. 9. 6. col. 3. 10. c joh. 17. 3. 1 joh. 4. 6 , 7. jer. 9. 24. d luk. 12. 4 , 5. e psal . 16. 5 , to 11. f isa . 45. 18. g psal . 14. 1. gen. 1. 1. rev. 1. 8. rom. 1. 19. 20. psal . 46. 10. psal . 9. 10. psal . 100. and 23. psal . 19. 1 , 2 , 3. psal . 47. 7. ezek. 18. 4. gen. 18. 25. mal. 1. 6. h matth. 22. 37. jer. 5. 22. 2 cor. 5. 8 , 9. titus 2. 14. 2 cor. 8. 5. & 6. 16 , 17 , 18 , 1 p●t . 2. 9. psal . 10. psal . 37. 4. psal . 40. 8. col. 3. 1. 2. mar. 6. 20. 21. 2 cor. 4. 17 , 18. k psal . 14. & 1. heb. 12. 14. rom. 8. 12 , 13. joh. 3. 34. 5. 6. 1 joh. 2. 15 , 16. rom. 13. 14 , 15. rom. 6. 16. luk. 18. 23 & 14. 26 , 33. l rom. 3. psal . 14. ephes . 2. 2 , 3. rom. 5. 12. 17. 19. joh. 3. 6. m rom. 8. 5 , 6 , 7. n psal . 4. 3. 2 cor. 6. 14. 17. o psal . 32. 1 , 2. 1 cor. 6. 11. tit. 2. 14. tit. 3. 5 , 6 , 7. heb. 14. 14. mat. 5. 8. p rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. q psal . 97. 7 , 8 , 15. 1 cor. 2. 11 , 21. heb. 14. 12. 2 pet. 1. 3. r act. 14. 27. & 17. 24 , 27 , 28. rom. 1. 19. 20. rom. 2. 4. job 33. 14. to 25. mat. 12. 42 , 43. (ſ) isa . 9. 6 , 7. & 53. joh. 3. 16. 19. & 1. 1 , 3 , 4. & 3. 2. ●●ohn 1. 18. t acts 2. 22. heb. 2. 3 , 4. u mat. 4. 〈◊〉 w ●●pet . 2. 22 , 23 , 24 , 25. mat. 26. 27 , 28. act. 1. heb. 4. eph. ● . ● . ●2 . 3. rom. 5. 1 , 3 , 9. heb. 8 , 9 , 13. & 8. 6 , 7. heb. 7. 25. 1 john 5. 10 , 12. john 5. 22. & 3. 18 , 19. mat. 25. x luke 16. y acts 2. john 17. 23. z mat. 28. 19 , 〈◊〉 acts 14. 23. act. 20. act. 26. 17 , 18. a rom. 8. 9. b tit. 3. 5 , 6. joh. 13. 5 , 6. c 2 tim. 3. 16. d heb. 2. 3 , 4. e 2 cor. 13. 5. psal . 4. 4. 2 pet. 1. 10. f john 3. 5. 2 cor. 5. 17. rom. 8. 7 , 9. phil. 3. 18 , 20. g acts 16. 14. h acts 2. 37. & 16. 30. & 11. 23. 2 cor. 6. 1 , 2. rev. 2. 7. i acts 24. 14. & 28. 22. & 24. 5 , 6. k mal. 2. 7 , 9. hos . 4. 9. l prov. 13. 20. m ephes . 4. 18 , 19. n mal. 1. 13. o mat. 25. 3. 8. 12. & 24. 43 , 44. p john 8. 39 , 42 , 44. rom. 3. 1 , 2. gal. 4. 29. mat. 13. 19 , 20 , 21 , 22. & 15. 2 , 3 , 6. gal. 1. 1. q psal . 4. 4. hag. 1. 5. deut. 32. 7 , 29. r isa . 1. 3. s job 34. 27. jer. 23. 20. psal . 119. 59. t 2 cor. 4. 8. deut. 32. 29. 1 john 2. 17. 1 cor. 7. 31. luke 12. 19 , 20. john 14. 1 , 2. 1 thes . 5. 13. u luke 12. 4. eccl. 12. 7. 2 pet. 3. 11. 2 cor. 4. 18. phil. 3. 18 , 20. x numb . 23. 10. mat. 25. 8 & 7. 21 , 22. prov. ●● . 28 , 29. y matth. 23. 29 , 30 , 31 , 33. heb. 11. 38. john 8. 39. z matth. 10. 15. rom. 2. acts 10. 34 , 35. a rom. 2. 28 , 29. matth. 25. 28. luke 19. 22. acts 24. 15. gal. 4. 29. b eph. 4. 14. act 20. 30. 1 cor. 11. 19. 2 tim. 4. 3 & 2. 14. 16. 1 tim. 1. 5 , 6. tit. 3. 9. ephes . 4. 3. &c. 1 cor. 12. matth. 12. 25. rom. 2. 12 , 27 , 28 , 29. c gal. 1. 7 , 8. matth. 28. 20. d james 3. 17. e eph. 5. 11. prov. 23. 20. 2 cor. 6. 17 , 18. psal . 15. 4. deut. 13. 3. f john 5. 40. luke 14. 29 , 30. john 6. 35 , 37 , 45. g isa . 55. 6 , 7. h matth. 11. 19. i luke 14. 33. k rev. 22. 17. john 1. 12. rev. 2. & 3. 1 john 5. 12 , 13. psal . 34. 7. psal . 73. 26. matth. 25. luke 20. 39. heb. 2. 3. 〈◊〉 thes . 2. 12. l 〈…〉 19. 27. prov. 29. 1. & 1. 25. a 1 cor. 1. 25. heb. 4. 1. 2 pet. 2. 22. 1 cor. 3. gal. 3. & 4. matth. 13. 41. & 18. 7. b phil. 3. 18 , 19. acts 20. 30. c matth. 5. 16. 1 pet. 3. 1. 1 pet. 2. 15. & 1. 8. 2 cor. 1. 21. d 2 tim. 1. 13. & 3. 7. heb. 5. 12. phil. 1. 9. rom. 15. 14. e eph. 4. 13 , 14. col. 1. 9. & 2. 2. & 3. 10. 1 tim. 6. 4. f john 17. 3. ephes . 3. 17 , 18. mat. 28. 19. ephes . 1. 22 , 23. & 4. 6 , 16. rom. 5. 2 cor. 12. 9. john 16. 33. 1 john 5. 4. 〈◊〉 4. 14 , 16. col. 3. 3 , 4. acts 7. 59. g gal. 5. 16 , 25. h matth. 28. 19. i john 16. 13. heb. 2. 34. k 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13. rom. 8. 9. 13. joh. 3. 5 , 6. l 2 tim. 3. 15 , 16. jude 19. 20. m ezek. 36. 27. isa . 44. 3. rom. 8. 1 , 5. 1 cor. 6. 11. zech. 14. 20. n 1 cor. 10. 31. rom. 11. 36. 2 cor. 5. 7 , 8. 1 john 3. 1● rom. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. mat. 22. 37. ephes . 1. 6. 2 cor. 5. 19. gal. 4. 4 , 5 , 6. o psal . 30. 5. & 63. 3. p phil. 3. 7 , 8. q mat. 16. 13. r 2 thess . 3. 5. 2 cor. 13. 14. s col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. mat. 6. 19 , 20 , 21 , 33. 2 cor. 4. 17 , 18. & 7. luk. 12. 20. heb. 6. 20. 1 cor. 15. 28. ephes . 4. 6. & 1. 23. phil. 3. 18 , 20. psal . 73. 25 , 26. joh. 18. 36. t psal . 1. 2 , 3. & 84. 2 , 10. & 63. 3 , 5. & 37. 4. & 91. 19. & 119. 47 , 70. isa . 58. 14. psal . 112. 1. rom. 14. 17. & 5. 1 , 3 , 5. 1 pet. 1. 8. mat. 5. 11 , 12. psal . 32. 11. u gal. 6. 14. 1. joh. 2. 15 , 16. jam. 1. 27. & 4. 4 , 5. 1 joh. 5. 4 , 5. rom. 12. 2. gal. 1. 4. tit. 2. 12. mat. 19. 24. luk. 12. 16. 21. & 16. 25. james 1. 11. & 5. 1 , 2 , 4. luke 8. 14. heb. 11. 26. x rom. 8. 1 , 13. gal 5. 24. rom. 13. 14. gal. 5. 17. ●ude 8. 23. 2 pet. 2. 10. ephes . 2. 3. 1 pet. 2. 11. mat. 〈◊〉 . 13. & 26. 41. luke 8. 13. y jam. 1. 19. & 3. 13 , 17. 1 pet. 3. 4. mat. 5. 5. eph. 4. 2 , 3. col. 3. 12. z jam. 1. 26. & 3. 5 , 6. psal . 34. 13. pro. 18. 21. a deut. 15. 9. 2 cor. 10. 5. gen. 6. 5. psal . 10. 4 & 94. 19. & 119. 113. prov. 12. 5. & 15. 26. psal . 119. 59. prov. 30. 32. jer. 4. 14. deut. 32. 29. b ephes . 5. 16. joh. 14. 1 , 2. act. 17. 21. 1 cor. 7. 29. 2 cor. 6. 2. joh. 9. 4. luk. 19. 42 , 44. psal . 39. 4. mat. 25. 10 , 1●● . c 1 tim. 1. 5 , 6. mat. 19 , 19. rom. 13. 10. 1 john 1. 16. ephes . 4. 12 , 15 , 16. col. 2. 2. & 1. 4. 1 tim. 6. 11. jam. 3. 17. phil. 2. 1 , 2. 1 thes . 4. 93. john 13. 35. mat. 5. 44 , 45. 1 cor. 13. jam. 4. 11. gal. 6. 10. tit. 2. 14. phil. 2. 20 , 21. rom. 15. 1 , 3. d mat. 13. 29 , 41. e john 16. 2. 1 cor. 1. 10. rom. 16. 17. jam. 3. 14. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. f 1 tim. 3. 6. col. 〈◊〉 18. 1 cor. 8. 1. 1 cor. 4. 6. 1 tim. 6. 4. 1 pet. 5. 5. jam. 3. 1 , 17. g eph. 5 , & 6. col. 3 , & 4. rom. 13. 1 , 7. 1 pet. 2. 13 , 15. h command . 4. josh . 24. 15. deut. 6. 6 , 7 , 8. dan. 6. i heb. 13. 5. command . 4. 2 thess . 3. 10 , 12. 1 thess . 4. 7. 1 tim. 5. 13. prov. 31. 1 cor. 7. 29. k mal. 2. 7. l eccles . 4. 10 , 11. m prov. 12. 1. & 15. 5 , 10 , 31. heb. 3. 13. n luk. 12. 40. 2 pet. 1. 10. phil. 1. 21 , 23. jer. 9. 4 , 5. mat. 7. 4 , 5. 2 cor. 5. 1 , 2 , 4 , 〈◊〉 o exod. 34. 6. p heb. 7. 25. q joh. 4. 42. joh. 3. 16. 1 tim. 4. 10. & 2. 4. mat. 28. 19 , 20. rev. 22. 17. isa . 55. 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 7. r luke 14. 26 , 33. 1 john 2. 15. mat. 6. 19 , 20 , 21 , 33. col. 3. 1 , 2. rom. 8. 1 , 13. notes for div a26936-e4760 the assent . the consent , or covenant . notes for div a26936-e5060 the lord's supper , and other church-ordinances , are opened in the viiith , days conference , and more fully in my universal concord . richard baxter's penitent confession and his necessary vindication in answer to a book called the second part of the mischiefs of separation, written by an unnamed author with a preface to mr. cantianus d. minimis, in answer to his letter which extorted this publication. penitent confession and his necessary vindication in answer to a book called the second part of the mischiefs of separation. 1691 baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1691 approx. 310 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 54 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26982 wing b1341 estc r13470 12389394 ocm 12389394 60957 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26982) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60957) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:18) richard baxter's penitent confession and his necessary vindication in answer to a book called the second part of the mischiefs of separation, written by an unnamed author with a preface to mr. cantianus d. minimis, in answer to his letter which extorted this publication. penitent confession and his necessary vindication in answer to a book called the second part of the mischiefs of separation. 1691 baxter, richard, 1615-1691. minimis, cantianus d. [12], 89 p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1691. thomas long is the author of the second part of the mischiefs of separation. cf. bm. advertisement on p. [1]-[3] at end. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng long, thomas, 1621-1707. -mischiefs of separation. -part 2. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-10 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion richard baxter's penitent confession , and his necessary vindication , in answer to a book , called , the second part of the mischiefs of separation , written by an unnamed author . with a preface to mr. cantianus d minimis , in answer to his letter which extorted this publication . psal . 32. 5. i said , i will confess my transgressions to the lord , and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin . psal . 19. 12 , 13. who can understand his errours ? cleanse thou me from secret faults . keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over me : then shall i be upright , and i shall be innocent from the great transgression . john 8. 44 , 45. ye are of your father the devil , and the lusts of your father you will do : he was a murderer from the beginning , and abode not in the truth , because there is no truth in him : when he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar and the father of it . and because i tell you the truth ye believe me not . isa . 5. 20. woe to them that call evil good , and good evil : that put darkness for light , and light for darkness , that put bitter for sweet , and sweet for bitter . prov. 24. 24. he that saith to the wicked , thou art righteous , him shall the people curse , nations shall abhor him . ( sharp words . ) london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside near mercers chapel . 1691. for the very reverend dr. edward stilling fleet , lord bishop of the diocess of worcester . reverend sir , supposing the book which i answer as injurious to you , as to me , i judge it meet to propose to you this opportunity of your own vindication : or if i be herein mistaken , to crave your help for my own conviction . your former accusation of such as i , of the heinous sin of schism , or separation , i confess i answered in a manner that required your patience : if it was too free , and provoking , i beg your pardon , and do not justifie it . my reasons were , 1. that i thought , that to take such as i for schismaticks , or separatists , was a great hardening and strengthening of the real separatists , when my character , and such others , should seem to be theirs ; and if we were falsly accused , they should seem to be so too . 2. because i knew how much your authority , and just reputation , would add , as a whet-stone , to the keenness of their zeal who thought us unmeet to live out of the common goals . 3. because i knew ( whatever is said against it ) how great a loss it would be to souls , to have all silenced ministers give over preaching to any more than four ; and what sacrilege we should be guilty of , to give over our ministery , which we were vowed to , and to be banished five miles from all corporations , or there to avoid all publick worshiping of god. and your pacificatory accommodation , so earnestly restraining parents ( without excepting the nobility ) from chusing school-masters for their own children , seemed to one to be an unsufferable overthrow of that family government which is of divine institution , antecedent to regal , and most literally required in the fifth commandment . these reasons carrying me to earnestness , i perceive the conceit or suspition is too common , that your exasperation was the spring both of dr. morrice's defence of you , and of this book , which is commonly famed to be written by mr. long of exeter , a member of the representative church of england , ( of whom i will not say , as bishop morley of me , ex uno omnes . ) this concest is increased by the title of his book , the same with yours , as the second part ; and by your collocutor's title , [ the army-chaplain ; ] and such other circumstances . for my part , i take it for my duty to believe , that you abhor such a fardel of malicious , impudent lyes : and that he that hath written so many excellent books ( of which , i thankfully acknowledge the receipt of many , as your gift ) will by no temptation be poysoned to the approbation of so venomous a label . but if i should be in any part mistaken , and while you own not the manner of his writing , you should own the main cause , or accusation , i humbly and earnestly beg , that before i dye ( if it may be ) you will afford me that help of conviction and repentance which may be expected from a man of learning , piety and truth , and the now bishop of that diocess where the surviving part of my only flock ( that ever i had ) remain ; among whom you may learn more of the falshood of this man's accusations . and as i cannot but think , that the present necessity ( brought about by god's providence , without us ) will engage a man of your knowledge and temper to use your interest and parts to the uttermost , both in parliament and convocation , for the strengthening of this nation and church by concord and necessary amendment , and unlocking the ●oors of the parish-churches to the lovers of unity and peace . so acquaintance enableth me to be confident ( that though such as i are past having our part in such a blessing on earth , yet ) a great number of young preachers will be ready , joyfully to accept of any lawful terms for so good an end , who now serve god on terms of s●lfdenial , and are men of greater orthodoxness , piety , learning , and skilful , powerful preaching , than you would have believed our nonconformists schools would have brought forth . and if that blessed day may hasten , i doubt not but those of the suffering ministers that have overlived their long silencing , imprisonments , and distresses , will gladly do as joseph , forgive the envy and injuries of their brethren and afflicters ; observing how much of the hand of god was in the over-ruling of all , and making use of that sin which he did neither cause nor justifie . sir , as the importunity of cantianus , with many others , drew me to publish this writing , which i once cast by , as never to have been seen ; so the opportune occasion of my desiring your own vindication , or your help for my conviction , hath caused this address to you , from jun. 13. 1691. a willing learner , and penitent , ri. baxter . a letter to mr. baxter . reverend sir , i am a stranger to your person , but not to your excellent writings , for which i praise god , and give you my hearty thanks ; i have many , i have read many , i have given away , and recommended many to others to read , and i bless god have received much light and warmth from many of them , whereby i am engaged to pray for you , and to take all occasions to speak , write , and act , whatsoever may tend to your good here , and hereafter . and to that end , i cannot be at peace with my self until i have desir'd you to take into your serious dying thoughts how you have walk'd towards the church of england , in your practice and your writings , that , before you appear at gods tribunal , you may foresee your sentence what it will be , and whether your writings , and practice have done , or are likely after your death , to do more good , or evil to the professors of the christian religion ; for this is generally said by many of your friends concerning your writings , ubi benè nemo melius ; ubi malè nemo pejus . and for your enemies , they are generally so prejudiced with your malè , that they are not able to read , or think , or speak well of your benè , but discourage many good souls from reading , or minding your most profitable discourses . now my humble suit to you is to consider , whether , as st. augustine that great light , and voluminous writer crowned all his works with his retractations of what was amiss , mr. baxter might not do the same to gods glory , the establishing of good christians in the truth , bringing the misled out of their errors ; stopping the mouths of your enemies , and causing your person and good works to be had in everlasting remembrance , and the preventing the ill consequences of what has been acted and writ by you , which may attend the church of god for many ages after your death . sir , i doubt not but you have heard , and read the dreadful things that you are charged withal , i have been amazed at them , and heartily sorry for them . i beseech you consult some religious , wise , faithful person whom you know to be a true son of the church of england , ( as no doubt there are some among so many learned bishops and pastors ) and desire them freely to deal with you in helping you to see the great errata's of your sarcastical writings against the bishops and clergy of the church of england ; or take but that one book call'd , the unreasonableness of separation , the second part , &c. with special remarks on the life and actions of mr. r. baxter , 1681. and let god and men see that you cannot only write well of humility , repentance , and self-denial , but you can act them also . where a cross in time of plagues is upon the door , every man that passes by is ready to pray , lord have mercy on that family : sir , if you with your own hand would please to acknowledge which of your works is infectious and may hurt souls , all men that read it , would bless god for you , and heartily send up their prayers to heaven ( if they be but persons that ever frequent the throne of grace ) with a domine miserere r. b. wherefore i beseech you think of the advice of a mean brother of yours in the work of the ministry , who in real gratitude for the benefit he has received by your works , and for your own comfort , honour , and happiness , and gods glory above all , presumes , before he goes to his grave , to express his love and duty to you before you go to yours , for he finds that you and we both entred into the church of christ , march 12. 1614 and therefore cannot be long from appearing before almighty god to receive a sentence to an eternal state . liberavi animam meam . deus omnipotens dirigat te in omnibus viis tuis . many years past i met with an expression in a preface to another mans writing , with your name to it , which much troubled me that it should fall from that pen which had writ such excellent helps to follow christ jesus his rules and example . it was this ; you was speaking of hell , and the government and order among devils , and clapt in that common pulpit-prayer expression concerning the ministry of the church of england , viz. by what names or titles soever dignified or distinguished , which i thought one of the bitterest unchristian reflections i ever read ; and i was heartily troubled to read it , because i thought it impossible for hell to have crouded it in where there was so much of heaven . sir , you have the best prayers i can put up to god for you , and humbly beg your prayers that i may follow paul's advice to timothy , in taking heed to my self and doctrine , and continue therein , that ( thorough gods mercy and christs merits ) my own soul may be saved and theirs that hear me . so , i hope we shall meet in heaven , for we have an advocate with the father . feb. 169● cantianus d minimis . the preface to mr. cantianus d minimis salutem . sir , § 1. i unfeignedly thank you for your invitation to repentance . o pray for me that neither ignorance , nor prepossession and prejudice , keep me in impenitency , so near my death ▪ i daily wait for my last day on earth , and it is dreadful to die in the guilt of impenitence : but who knoweth all his secret faults ? i hope god will accept my willingness to know them , and openly to confess them what party or person soever be displeased with it . upon your letter i began to practise it , and finding the book which you refer me to , begin with my childhood and youth in his accusations , i thought my answer must follow him , and begin there also . but shewing it to a friend more prudent than my self , he disliked it , that i should tell the world of my childish sins , when it is schism and rebellion that are my charge by the accuser . and i have oft heard , bis pueri senes , as if such passages were the effects of aged weakness , which better remembereth the passages of youth , than of later years . i suspect that this is true : and yet a dying man is afraid of such prudence as would stifle penitent confession , when i am so loudly called to it by you and the accuser : i will therefore satisfie him , and you , and such other , and my conscience , though i bear the derision of prudent dislikers : it wrongeth no man ; and to be accounted weak and simple i can easily bear . § 2. but i doubt it is confessing too little and not too much that you will blame me for : and i cannot remedy that neither . your liturgy denieth christian burial , to all that kill themselves ; and it is no virtue to belie our selves , i am sure it is sin to belie a neighbour , whom i must love but as my self : yea or not ( seasonably ) to vindicate his reputation against malignant slanderers . i have many years left the book unanswered , to which you refer me for the confession of my sins , though many told me , it was my duty to answer it . it is you now that have call'd me to it . would you have me confess all that he falsly accuseth me of ? then you would make your self guilty of all his lies , by presuming that they are true , and judging before you ever heard the defence of the accused : you write too honestly to allow me to judge so hardly of you . but truely i durst not put by your call to my necessary defence . the chief reason is , that as you doubt whether my books will do more good or hurt , and your author thinks it would be good that they were all burnt , and the papists are of the same mind ; so i am fully perswaded is the devil : and till he can get the conquering papists or tories to do it , he will endeavour to make them as useless as if they were burnt , by rendering them odious for their own faults and for mine . and you tell me that my enemies will not read them . now till my opinion of them be the same with theirs , you cannot expect that i that have spent so great a part of above seventy five years in writing above an hundred and twenty books , should be content to lose my labour and end , and that all men lose the benefit of them , rather than i shall confute a most impudent liar . if you say , i over-value them , why do you speak the over-valuing of many of them . that is good that doth good : about twelve of them are translated into the german tongue ; and the lutherans say they have done good . some are translated into french : one into the language of the new-england americans by mr. eliots . multitudes say , they have been the means of their conversion , and more of their information , confirmation and consolation . and the chief benefit that i expect by them to the world is when i am dead and gone . and can you expect that after so much labour for the church and souls , i should so far despise both it and them , as not to think all worthy of a just defence ? § 3. but you think that the way of confessing his accusations will better do it , and will make men write on the doors , a domine miserere for my soul. but have you known me better than i have known my self ? or did he know me better , who i suppose never spake with me , but hath lived two hundred ( and lately and hundred ) miles from me ? or is there no way to win the love of your party , but by my known confessing such a multitude of shameless lies , as an irish tory or a pagan would abhor ? i think it enough that i have , to satisfie my conscience and such as you , exposed my self to the censure of imprudent weakness by my confessions . § 4. but as to my account of my opinion about the wars , i must intreat you to take it as it is given you : not as a peremptory justification of all that i did , but as the reasons which yet i see not answered , desiring that where i erre god will better inform me ; that i may neither , condemn the just , nor justifie any sin . § 5. but besides your authors accusations , you have added two heinous ones of your own . 1. that before some book of anothers , speaking of order among devils i clapt in that expression , by what names or titles soever dignified or distinguished : and you did not think hell could have done the like ; because it is a common pulpit expression . ] i fear that you are over-tender of your parties honour , to some degree of melancholy suspiciousness , that could find so much of hell in those words . i think i have not heard those words in the pulpit thrice ( to my remembrance ) in forty years . our preachers that i have heard , mention only archbishops , bishops , and the inferiour clergy . i hope you pray for more than england : but what obligation you have to pray for the three patriarchs of antioch , the two patriarchs of alexandria , or him of constantinople , or the catholick of armenia , or the abuna of abassia , or him of moscovy , or the pope , or the cardinals , priests and deacons , or the archbishop of rhemes quâ tales , as so dignified and distinguished , i know not . is not a general prayer for them enough ? did paul speak the language of hell , in calling devils principalities and powers , and spiritual wickedness in high places ; no nor in calling satan the god of this world ? and is any name more tenderly to be used than gods ? is it a wrong to princes that beelzebub is called the prince of the devils , and the prince that ruleth in the air ? doth scripture use hellish language , in calling wicked rulers gods ? but i gave you not the least cause to think that i meant that devils were bishops , or bishops devils : i i spake not of bishops : and do you not know that devils are dignified and distinguished in superiority by names and titles ? why did you not name the book which i prefaced , that i might examine it ? do you think that i can remember all that i have written before mens books ? seneca saith truly , that he that hath a sore or ulcer , thinks that you hurt him when you touch him not , if he do but think you touch him . however , dignities , dominions , and titles , being words of political common use , if when we talk of spiritual , heavenly or hellish policy , we must not use the same terms as of humane policy , we must devise new languages and lexicons , and correct the bible . your second accusation of me being my writings against the bishops and church of england , i must suppose you mean truly , not bishops as bishops , nor the true church of england as such , or as heretofore : but those changers that since laud have called themselves the church . if you speak truth this is your meaning . § 6. and i cannot but think that as your honest and kind admonition obligeth me to be truly thankful to you , and to renew the tryal of my ways ; so i am obliged by the same principle of love and fidelity , humbly to intreat you , to consider ( if possible ) without partiality , 1. how you can answer the owning of such a volume of a lying slanderers accusations , before you hear the defence of the accused . 2. but much more , how you can so far countenance the heinous sins of those that you call the church , as not at all to blame them , and to take it for so great a crime to name them , and call men to repentance for them ? can you find so much of hell , in the mention of the dignities and distinctions of devils , and yet see nothing but blamelesness , in the silencings of about two thousand such ministers , seizing on the goods , and books , and beds of so many as were so used ; laying many so long in common `fails with rogues ; even divers to their death ; ruining so many hundred godly families ; shutting the church doors against so many scholars that were educated and devoted to the ministry ; causing and continuing the woful divisions of the land , to the great weakning of the church , and hinderances of piety and love , and the great advantage of popery and forrein enemies ? o how much more of such work have some to answer for ? is repentance for feeling and bewailing all this , so great a duty , as you suppose ? and is committing it and preaching it up , a virtue not to be repented of ? doth god require us to mourn and cry for the common evils , if we will escape our selves ? ezek. 9. 4. and to mourn for the reproach of the solemn assembly , as a burden ? zeph. 3. 17. and is it now a heinous crime ? hath satan got so much right to his possession , that if he use but the name of the church for it , they must repent as of hellish evil , that so much as blame it , and call men to repentance ? o how hard is it to be impartial ? § 7. and when you look back on the wars , why do you not call them to repentance ( if living ) who drew the king from his parliament to defend delinquents by an army from the due course of legal justice , and to be ruled by such men of guilt before and against his supream council ? § 8. i received once a letter almost like yours from serenus cressy ; if you were of his religion , i should less wonder at your partiality for the church , and its crimes , than at the like in a protestant . o how little would it have cost your church-men in 1660 and 1661 , to have prevented the calamitous and dangerous divisions of this land , and our common dangers thereby , and the hurt that many hundred thousand souls have received by it ? and how little would it cost them yet to prevent the continuance of it ? § 9. but i that here obey your call to repentance , am past doubt that by the true and just defence which you have forced or called me to , i shall seem to the guilty , and to men of your tenderness and partiality , to add yet much more to my offence . for you have referred me to an accuser of such a temper , stile and guilt , as can bear no true answer adapted to the matter , but what will seem uncivil and too sharp . it was ill counsel that was given to one that askt , how he should have the better of any adversary that blamed him ; viz. speak and do things that are most odious , as perjury , lying , persecution , &c. and cover them with sacred pretences , and then all that accuse thee will be taken for uncharitable railers . ] if we will defend our selves against slanderers and impudent lyars , and churchconfounders , and oppressing persecutors , we must find some other than the common names , for such mens sins , yea names that are not disgraceful , and provoke them not to repentance , especially if they are listed in an army of crusado's , where those by the honour and power of their company , take themselves as fortified , that would be afraid were they assaulted in their singular state . every delinquent thinks all his crimes are secured and garrisoned by the honour of the army or body that he is listed in . they can bear it if we call a common lay drunkard , or whoremonger by his name ; yea if one call a godly man an hypocrite , or a peace-maker a schismatick . but he is a railer that calleth a clergy liar , or persecutor , or schismatick , or a betrayer of souls by his proper name . they know not how to preach , without calling other men to repentance , but to motion themselves to repent of sins that destroy souls , confound churches , and endanger the land , is to enrage them by dishonouring them , and deserveth the bitterest reproaches , and revenge . § 10. i think your author hath greatly wronged dr. stillingfleet now lord bishop of worcester , by pretending as his second to be the vindicater of his cause ; for he hath thereby occasioned a common conceit , that dr. stillingfleet in revenge for my defence against his accusations of schism , did instigate ( mr. morice and ) this ( supposed ) mr. long to do that which he was loth to own himself ; but i take my self bound to believe that this report is false , while there is no proof of it ( no not in his dialogue with the army chaplain , ) and while his irenicon , his origines sacrae , his treatise of satisfaction , &c. his church history , and other writings deserve so well , and his known parts and worth are an honour to the church : charity believeth not unproved evil . far be it from me to think that he approveth of this mans lies , ( no nor of mr. morice's mistakes , yet undefended since my reply , though it was ( by one ) said that book deserved a bishoprick ) . he hath truly said in a late sermon , may 1. page 9. the government of passions is tyrannical and boisterous , uncertain and troublesom , never free from doing mischief to it self or others : the greatest pleasure of passion is revenge ; and yet that is so unnatural , so full of anxiety and fear of the consequents of it ; that he that can subdue this unruly passion hath more real pleasure and satisfaction in his mind , than he who seeks to gratifie it most . and page 5. if it be intended for an affront though never so little , the brisker mens spirits are , and the higher opinion they have of themselves , so much deeper impression is presently made on the mind , and that inflameth the heart , and puts the blood and spirits in motion in order to the returning the affront to him that gave it . § 11. to conclude , i desire those that have censured me for leaving such a book as the accusers so many years unanswered , to accept of such reasons as these of the drs. for my excuse : and those that are glad that i have answered it at last , to thank mr. cantianus and not me ; and those that are offended that i answer it now , and in words suitable to it , to fear lest they make his sin their own , and to consider that truth of words lyeth in their agreement to the matter and the speakers mind , and that wilful disagreement to the matter , is a degree of falshood or deceit . and them that blame me for confessing my youthful and private sins , i desire to allow me the excuse that they allow to a greater man , st. augustine , who gave me his example of the like , and more : and to imitate whom you here invite me . and i hereby according to your desire earnestly intreat the reverend clergy men who judge of my faults as you do , that in charity they will help to convince me of them ( but not as bishop morley , and the author of the mischiefs have done by multiplied untruths in matter of fact . ) but it must be speedily , or death will make it come too late . § 12. and as to retractations , i have here and oft already search'd after and retracted all that i can find amiss in my writings as to the matter or doctrine : but as for the manner i dare not wholly justifie any one leaf that ever i wrote ; nor undertake to correct all that is amiss : i never did any thing that might not have been better done : sometime there is disorder : and sometime omissions , and oft uncomely repetitions , and always too much dulness and frigidity about high and holy things : and about lesser and personal matters , i am conscious that i am oft too sharp and provoking : but about the heinous sins of church corrupters , confounders , dividers , silencers , persecutors and betrayers to a forreign jurisdiction , i fear lest i have said too little , though the guilty hate me for saying so much . of my sins known and unknown i daily and earnestly beg pardon of god , by the sacrifice , merits and intercession of my saviour . god be merciful to me a sinner . rich. baxters confession and vindication . chap. i. the reasons of the necessity of repentance . § 1. repentance is a subject so ordinarily preached or written of , that i will presuppose the reader acquainted with the meaning of the word : only here telling you , 1. that it is not meer sorrow for having sinned when the pleasure is past , that i mean. 2. nor a bare wish that it had not been done . 3. nor every slight resolution to do so no more , which time or temptation will soon wear off . 4. nor the actual forsaking of this or that particular sin . 5. and yet it is not so high a degree as a perfection in sorrowing , hating or forsaking sin . but it is such a self-humbling and self-loathing sense of the inward badness of our souls , original and further contracted , privative and postive , and of the sinfulness of our lives by omissions and actions , against god , our selves and others , as proceedeth from a rooted belief of gods law , and gospel , which christ by his holy spirit maketh effectual , to turn the soul to the predominant love and choice of god as our god , and christ as our saviour , and the holy ghost as our sanctifier , and of heavenly perfection as our highest end and hope , and the revealed will of god as our rule , holy obedience as our practice , and the communion of saints as our desired society ; with so prevalent a hatred and enmity to sin , that it reigneth not in us , nor live we in any that is inconsistent with the sald predominant love of god and goodness . ] this is the repentance which i here treat of , though lower degrees that bring men but to a common humiliation , confession and amendment be better than none , and may tend to prevent some judgments of god , and prepare men for better . § 2. there is great reason that without repentance , we should not expect deliverance and salvation : for , 1. without repentance we continue in the sin that we should repent of : we have the same sinning mind , and will , and affections , which we had in the acting of the sin ; and therefore are under the same criminal guilt : what should else fit us for deliverance and salvation , more than any wicked men ! he that repenteth not would do the same again and a ain , if he had the same temptations . the man is not changed : he may as wisely expect to be saved by the change of the weather , or the restraint of a prison , or a watchman , or by his decay of age , or by want of money , or by pain and sickness , all which may restrain him from some sins , as by an impenitent unchanged heart . and god hateth all the workers of iniquity . § 3. 2. repentance is much of the essential cure of a depraved sinful soul : and to be saved without repentance , is to be cured and not cured : to be well without health : to be saved , and not saved . § 4. 3. to be saved without repentance , is to reconcile the most holy god ( not to the sinner but ) to the sin : light to darkness ; christ and belial : contrary to the divine perfection ; and the glory of his holiness . § 5. 4. and it is a denying or reproach to the wisdom and justice of his government : what worse can be said of the most unrighteous kings and judges , than that they equal not only the just and the unjust , the good and bad , but even the penitent and the obstinately impenitent ? and what an odious state is such a governed kingdom in ? § 6. 5. it is clean contrary to the design of mans redemption , and the office , undertaking and honour of our redeemer : he came to destroy the works of the devil , and to save his people from their sins : and how are they saved from them that are not converted from them ? § 7. 6. how reasonable a condition is this to make a miserable sinner free from all his guilt or danger of destructive punishment , without any purchase , price or compensation of his own , by the meer merits , and love , and bounty of a saviour , and a merciful god ; and this after long and aggravated sinning , as soon as ever he is but converted by faith and true repentance . what would you think of such terms of pardon offered by man , in his lesser injuries ? if one abuse you , rob you , slander you , and you tell him , do but repent and give over , and i will forgive thee , because an intercessor hath purchased thy forgiveness ] would you think him fit for pardon that refused such an offer ? can you for shame say to god , i will not repent and amend , but yet forgive me . it is an absurd errour of the libertines that take repentance in order to forgiveness to be a legal burden , and the preaching of it to be no gospel preaching ? what law is it but the gospel or law of grace that giveth pardon on such gentle terms ? the first law of innocency gave no forgiveness : the law of moses as political gave temporal pardon , but only for some lesser sins , and on costly burdensome terms : the law of grace made to lapsed man ( adam , noe , abraham , and fully by christ incarnate ) is it that calleth for faith and repentance as the condition of everlasting pardon and life : christ is a prince and a saviour , to give repentance and remission of sins . § 8. 7. what would it do but equal devils and men , to save the impenitent ? and even feign god to allow his rational creatures to live in a professed vvar against himself , his son and spirit , his word and promises , and mercies , and against themselves and one another . he that professeth impenitency for belying or wronging me , bids me look to my self , for he will do it again if he have opportunity and provocation . § 9. 8. how contrary is it to thankfulness and ingenuity , to wish to be spared in impenitency , after the purchase and tenders of so great mercy ? what! dare you ask leave to sin again and again , when the pardon of every sin , is the pardon of the punishment in hell fire ? § 10. how unmeet then are they for pardon and salvation that hate conviction and reproof , and rail at him as a railer at them , that doth but call them to repentance ? that think he heinously injureth them that sheweth them by the clearest light of evidence , that they need repentance ? what is repentance but the actual healing of a sinful soul ? the returning prodigal when he repenteth cometh to himself , and then cometh home to his father : he that was lost is then found ; and he that was dead is made alive : and is he meet for a physicians help , that would not be cured , but hateth health ? is this a reasonable and thankful requital for all the wonders of love and mercy manifested to lost and miserable sinners , in the great work of mans redemption ? shall we put christ to be our accuser , and to say , i came from heaven , and condescended to deepest humiliation , to heal these sinners , and they would not be healed ? without their consent i was incarnate , obeyed , suffered , died , and conquered death by my resurrection : before they desired it i gave them the gospel , and the offers of free grace , and sent them messengers to beseech them to be reconciled to god : but it was not meet that i should be theirs , that would not be mine , and save them that would not consent to be saved : to make them willing , which is a moral change , i used most undeniable reasons , and means as moral causes : i set heaven before them in my promises , and hell in threatnings : i convinced them of the evil of sin , and of the misery of unconverted sinners , and of the vanity of all that can be set against the mercies and hopes which i set before them , and of all other remedies without my grace : and yet unless i would by omnipotency heal them , they would not be healed . however god use the way of unresistible omnipotency on some ▪ and will not be frustrate in his design of the saving of his elect , nor leave the event of his grace to the uncertain determination of the will of man , yet those will be found unexcuseable that wilfully go on and perish , after all the sapiential moral methods , reasons , perswasions , mercies and patience , warning and corrections , that were used as tending to their cure. chap. ii. sect. 1. the author's profession of his own repentance . § 1. he is unfit to profess himself to be called of god , to call others to repentance , who is impenitent himself . and what man hath a louder call to repent from god and man than i my self ? and should i not be truly willing to know my sin that i may repent of it , and to confess it , bewail it , and forsake it when i know it ; conscience would tell me that hereby i should aggravate it , beyond all just excuse . alas , it hath not been so sweet , so profitable , or friendly to me , that i should take its part , or be loth to leave it . it hath been worse to me every day of my life , than all the enemies that ever i had in the world : and since god taught me effectually to know what sin is , and what god , and christ , and grace , and the hope of heaven is , and to know my self , all the sufferings that ever i have had from men , from malice , from envy , from persecutors , from slanderers , have been next to nothing to me , in comparison of what in soul and body , i suffer daily for and by my self and sin. § 2. therefore i humbly and earnestly beg of that god that is the hater of sin and the father of lights , that he will not deny me that illuminating convincing grace , which is needful to make me know the truth of my own condition , nor that uprightness and tenderness of heart , which is necessary to my true humiliation , and that i may not forbear any true confession , which is necessary to my exercise of repentance , and to my forgiveness . it is no time for me to deny or extenuate my sin , when i am waiting daily in pain and languishing for my final doom , at my approaching change , when i shall quit this transitory world , and all its vanities for ever . if i knew nothing ( of dangerous and doubtful consequence ) by my self , yet am i not thereby justified : and how small a matter should it be to me , to be judged and acquit or praised by men ; when there is one that judgeth me ( by the final sentence ) even the lord. the false applause and praise of men ( the miserable hypocrites reward ) addeth no joy to those in heaven , nor abateth the misery of those in hell. whether they praise or dispraise me , they are all dying as well as i , and in that day their thoughts perish : and who that seeth a skull cast up , doth much care what that man thought of him while he was alive . verily , every man at his best estate is altogether vanity : cease therefore , o my soul from man. — § 3. but what ! must i , or may i therefore repent of all that men of divers minds call me to repent of ? how impossible is that ? how foolish , and how wicked ? there are above sixty books written against me , in part or in the main scope : and i have written above a hundred and twenty which must needs make work for many mens censure . and are all , or most wise and judicious that read and censure them ? i. the sadduces censure me for asserting the life to come , and the resurrection . ii. the somatists censure me for the asserting of the difference of spirits from bodies . iii. the antitrinitarians censure me for shewing what evidence of trinity in unity god hath imprinted on the whole frame of nature and morality . iv. the church-distracting hereticators censure me , for taking the old controversies with the nestorians , eutychians and monothelites , to be capable of easier reconciliation , and gentler handling , than it hath found by such fierce dividers . v. the arrians and socinians say i judge too hardly of them that deny the godhead of christ . vi. the arminians censure me for holding special election and differencing grace . vii . the hot anti-arminians censure me for holding any such free will and universal redemption , as usher , davenant , preston , and such other knowing men have defended . viii . the anabaptists call me to repentance for writing so much for infants baptism . ix . the antinomians deeply censure me as being against christ and free grace , and ascribing too much to man , to faith , to work and our own righteousness , and for detecting their errours . x. the separatists call me to repentance for separating no further from the conformists than they force us from them , and separate themselves from necessary truth : and for perswading men to communion with the parish assemblies . xi . the conforming separatists call me to repentance for not separating from all save themselves , and for knowing and owning those to be true members of the church of england , and faithful servants of christ , whom they eject . xii . clement writer and the seekers censure me , for asserting the certainty of scripture verity , as sealed by the spirit by miracles and sanctification ; and for maintaining that there is yet continued a true ministry and true churches . xiii . mr. liford and some others censure me for taking the blasphemy of the holy ghost , to be fixed infidels judging christs miracles to be by the devil . xiv . mr. henry dodwell censureth me for not taking the office of presbyters to be specified or measured and varied by the will of the bishop or ordainer , and not determined by the institution of christ ; and for not denying the presbyters and bishops of all the reformed churches to be really ministers , and their churches true churches ) who have not an uninterrupted succession of canonical ordination by diocesans as from the days of the apostles , and that they commit not the sin against the holy ghost by administring sacraments as being but lay-men ; while he holdeth such as the french to be true ministers . xv. the erastians censure me for vindicating the power of the keys and the necessity of ministerial church discipline . xvi . the independents blame me for being for a national church ; and some of them for being against their unnecessary covenanting terms of communion , and their giving too much power to popular votes . xvii . the scots presbyterians blame me for blaming the imposition of their covenant ; and for being so much for a superior sort of bishops or archbishops . xviii . the english diocesan enemies to episcopacy , who are for setting up but one sole bishop and church , instead of a thousand , or many hundred or many score , do fiercely accuse me , as if it were not they but i that am an enemy to episcopacy and the church ; for desiring that thousands may not be ejected or kept out , and one only undertake in each diocess an impossible task . xix . the factious sectarian part of the conformists , most fiercely and implacably accuse me , for telling them ( after many years patient silence ) what are the reasons that i conform not to their imposed oaths , covenants , subscriptions , declanations and practices : taking this for an accusation of those that do , what i dare not do : and because i give not over preaching . and some of their writers expect that i falsly accuse my self of a multitude of heinous crimes , of which they by palpable lying accuse me : as if lying against my self were an act of repentance , and a means of pardon , and were not a sin as well as to bely another . xx. the magistrates and judges who have oft imprisoned me , and seized on all my goods and books , and driven me out of the county ( with the bishop that forbad my preaching ) accuse me for not ceasing to preach ( when i have unanswerably proved that so to do would be persidious sacriledge against my ordination vow and calling ) . and when i blamed the herodians , priests and pharisees for seeking to destroy christ , and forbidding his apostles to preach , they said , i meant the bishops that silenced such as i , and for this sent me to prison , with a fine of five hundred marks : but from the justices of the sessions i had the fairest dealing : for when they kept me under many hundred pounds bonds to the good behaviour ( that i might be at their will to take me up as soon as they could find any pretence for an accusation ) they openly professed that they did it not as a penalty , and had nothing against me , but took me to be innocent ; but the times being dangerous , they were to do it for prevention ( that is , by the order of judge jeffreys and the king. ) now if you can tell me what confession and repentance that must be , which must satisfie all these accusers , or else which of all these parties it is that i must satisfie , and how i shall know that i shall not be guilty of a multitude of gross lyes , by the confessions which they require and expect , you will perform a work which to me seemeth impossible . therefore all that i can do is , to search my heart and life with a sincere willingness to know the truth , and to confess to god and man , so much as i can find to be truly sinful , as far as men are concerned to know it . xxi . the italian and spanish sort of papists yet deeplier accuse me than most aforesaid , for denying their pretended vice-christ , and confuting their heretical and schismatical errors , and proving that by their conciliar religion , they profess open hostility to christian kings and magistrates . one of them 1661. wrote me a challenge to make this good ( having said somewhat of it in my sermon to the parliament ) which i fully performed : but it hath ever since lain unprinted , for want of license from our clergy , and security from the court. xxii . the english diocesan sort who are for an universal or foreign ecclesiastical jurisdiction , under the name of general councils , and a collegium pastorum in the intervals governing per literas format as , the pope being principium unitatis , and patriarch of the west , are deep accusers of me for denying all such universal and foreign jurisdiction , as that which is worse than the italian sort popery , and would perjure this land which is oft sworn against it : and for taking the principles urged by grotius ( after his revolt ) to be the french sort of popery , and for being against that coalition with such on these terms ; which said foreign jurisdiction is pleaded for , by archbishop laud , archbishop bromhall , bishop peter guning , bishop sparrow , bishop sam. parker , dr. heylin , mr. thorndike , dr. saywell , dr. beveridge , and worse by some others : all which by their own express words , with a full confutation of their opinion , i have written ready for the press , ( and disputed it at large three days with bishop guning in the presence of his chosen witnesses dr. saywell and dr. beveridge . but dr. isaac barrow against thorndike hath irrefragably confuted all their pretensions , notwithstanding bishop parker's vain contradiction . xxiii . but the great load of the most bloody accusations , is heapt up against me , by the exasperated clergy and laity , for my calling them to repentance for the sins which i shall after mention ; and they fetch most of their charges from my actions in the wars , of which the multitude of untruths in matter of fact which they virulently write and report , i had rather think come from the rash belief of one another in their exasperated faction , than from the rupture of tumifying knownlying malice and rage . but though this vented by dr. stillingfleett's nameless second , in the book called , the second part of the mischief of separation , be that which cantianus maketh my charge , i think it not seasonable here to deal with it , till i have first confest my real faults . section 2. though i have more than once published the confession of many of my youthful and later sins , the renewed loud call of accusers and of approaching death , provoketh me to do it again , before i call others to repentance . and i will mention the sins of my childhood for a warning to children to avoid the like : and because the seeds of following sins are usually then sown . i. though from the first of my remembrance i liked religious goodness , and feared sinning since my father had talkt to me of god and sin and the world to come , yet it was many years before i was humbled for my original sin , or felt much of the need of a saviour , or understood the doctrine of the scripture , but only delighted in the historical part : and though my conscience troubled me for a lie to scape danger , it did not always keep me from it . ii. if the most pleasing sin be the greatest , the delight in feigned histories called romances , was my great , because my most delightful sin. iii. though my appetite inclined only to the coursest and poorest diet , yet therein i pleased it foolishly and sinfully to the utter ruine of my health : which i the rather mention to bid parents look to their childrens health in the quality and quantity of their food , as they love their life and comforts . my delightful diet was so much in apples , and pears , and plumbs , and cheese that possest my stomach early with an uncurable excessive flatulency , and my veins with remediless obstructions , and bred so long and violent a cough , as that brought me into present danger of a phthysis : to cure which ( after three years ) taking excessively garlick and flos sulphuris , inclined me to such a great long continued bleeding , as exhausted my natural heat ▪ and strength . iv. though we had great plenty of such fruit at home , sometime with a grudging conscience , i ventured over the hedge to a neighbours fruit. a sin that austin himself confesseth . v. i was in a school where one or two lads corrupted many , by obscene talk , and immodest actions : in which i did not sufficiently disown them or rebuke them ▪ but oft too much countenanced them in it : as also in fighting and abusing the weaker , though i was unable thereto my self . vi. though i was bred under many meer readers , and tipling or drunken schoolmasters and curates , and scarcely heard a sermon in a long time , till i was about fourteen years of age , or then and after none that i felt any profit by , i was not troubled at the loss , nor at my ignorance and unprofitableness . vii when it pleased god by reading some good books , and by my danger of sickness , about fifteen years of age to waken my conscience , i was not so obedient to that awakening call as i should have been : but was oft tempted to my old sin of pleasing my appetite , and had almost been drawn away to a covetous love of gaming at cards : but god quickly check'd it by an unusual providence . viii . i was strongly possest ( i think by pride joyned with a love of learning ) to have setled at the university till i had attained some eminency of learning and titles ; but god in great mercy by sickness and other hinderances saved me from that danger , and loss of time , and bred me up in a more humbling way , and gave me some little help of safe and pious countrey tutors . ix . weakness keeping me in expectation of death , and god then having given me a greater sence of mans everlasting state , and of the differences between faith and hypocrisie , holiness and a worldly state , i thirsted to win others to the same sense and state ; and to that end offered my self to ordination when i was too low for so high a work , both in learning , and in a methodical knowledge of theology . and though i was naturally inclined to logical and metaphysical accurateness and method , i was too ignorant in languages and mathematicks , and divers parts of knowledge ; had i not been a continual learner ( by books ) while i was a teacher , i had been a dishonour to the sacred office and work , and do repent that i made such haste . x. i too rashly in this ignorance took the judgment of the countrey ministers that had been my helpers , and told me of the lawfulness of conformity , and believed the books for conformity which they perswaded me to read , for the english frame of government and subscriptions , before i had read impartially what was against it , or heard any speak on the other side , or had well studied the case : and so i subscribed sinfully because temerariously : and though i was so rash that i cannot say , that i am sure that i took the oath of canonical obedience ( it is so long since ) yet i think i did , because else i had not been ordained . of this i repent , and beg forgiveness for the merits of christ . ( though i had never been like to have been a minister without it , but had turned to some other calling . ) xi . though i know not that ever i broke the oath of canonical obedience ▪ or ever disobeyed my ordinary , yet i changed my judgment , of the canons , of which i cannot repent : while i lived a year as a schoolmaster my ordinary commanded me nothing which i disobeyed : when i removed to a priviledged place ( bridgnorth ) i was only a lecturer , and my ordinary commanded me nothing which i did not : i did read most of the liturgy , and kneel at the sacrament : and my ordinary himself baptized without crossing , and never commanded me to use it , or the surplice . vvhen i came to kidderminster bishop thornbury died , and bishop prideaux never gave me any command or prohibition , i being a meer lecturer that never had presentation , and the vicar using the liturgy and ceremonies . but yet i repent ●●at i did think worse of that sort of diocesane government , which puts not down the parochial pastors and churches than i now do , and these forty years have done : for i think that a general episcopacy over many churches and bishops , is jure divino an order succeeding apostles and evangelists in that part of their office which as ordinary must continue . but i repent not that i renounced that sort of diocesanes who put or keep down all the parochial pastors or bishops , and churches , making them but as chappels , parts of a diocess as the lowest church , and taking on them the sole episcopacy of many score or hundred churches . nor do i repent of my unanswered treatise of episcopacy written against this sort . xii . though i ever disliked the censorious and separating spirit , that run into extreams against conformity , yet i repent that i did no more sharply reprove it : but because almost all the people where i came to preach that were not meer vvorldlings , but seemed to be seriously religious , were either against conformity , or wish'd it removed for the divisions which it caused , i overmuch valued their esteem and love , because i loved their serious piety ; and having sometimes ( but very seldom ) spoken against the corruptions of the church government , specially the silencing of ministers ▪ i can scarce tell to this day , whether i did well or ill ; more good by telling men what to lament and pray against , or more hurt by heartening those that were apt overmuch to censure government and the orders of the church . but i beg god to forgive what was amiss . xiii . though i desired such a frame of episcopal government as sir edward deering offered , or as since archbishop usher hath described as primitive , yet out of the sense of the evil that silencers and persecutors had done , i too much rejoiced when the tidings came that the prelacy was voted down , not knowing then what would be set up , nor well what to desire : for neither presbytery nor independency had been then debated , or were well understood . xiv . vvhen i heard of the scots covenanting and arming , and entering england , though i had not so much knowledge of their cause , as should be a just satisfaction in so great a matter , yet i was in heart glad of it , for the appearance that it shewed , of enabling the lords and commons of england , to appear more boldly to plead for their liberties and laws . but i now think that a suspension of my thoughts , as wanting evidence , had been better . xv. vvhen i heard of the tumultuous manner of the apprentices in london , petitioning against bishops , i disliked it , and the means that encouraged them , and the publick reproach that was cast by the rabble on those called straffordians ( such learned men as the lord faulkland ▪ lord digby , &c. ) yea , and the urging the king so much for his execution : but i too much silenced my dislike . xvi . vvhen i saw mr. burton's protestation protested , and the forwardness of many religious unlearned persons , to run toward extreams against liturgies and forms , and their kindness to the principles of separation ▪ i greatly disliked it and contradicted them , and concurred in judgment with excellent john ball ▪ who foresaw the danger and betimes wrote against it . but i opposed it with far less zeal than i had done , if i had then foreseen what followed . xvii . vvhen the news came of the irish insurrection and murdering 200000 it possest us with such a pannick fear of them and other papists as scarce left our judgments free to calm deliberate determination : but we could scarce sleep for fear of sudden assaults , when calm reason might have told us , that the danger could not be so sudden and near . xviii . vvhen there appeared a probability of a civil vvar , i read the observator * , and some such others , that made the king to be singulis major at universis minor ; and i did not for some weeks at least discern the error of that assertion , as i shortly after did ; and when i found ri. hooker lib. 1. going as far , and making legislation to be the proper work of the whole body , and bishop bilson telling us in how many cases the king might by arms be resisted , and grotius de jure belli , and w. barkley enumerates many , and speaking yet higher , i was much the more quieted in receiving some such principles . but consideration soon taught me to say that the people had the meliority , but not the majority ; that is , they were to be preferred to the king in genere causae finalis ▪ but not in point of governing authority : and so i forsook hooker's politicks ▪ but not bilson's , jewel's , grotius's &c. but i repent of that error , though it was but short . xix . no town in worcester-shire was so famous for pageants , and pompous shews and revels , and debauchery at such times as kidderminster : and at the times of those revels , the drunkards raged in malignant fury against the religious party : but by gods great mercy the religious party there were of so loving , meek and harmless a temper , inclined humbly to stoop to the meanest , and to do good to all , that there was no one single person that the rabble had any thing against , but only in general , that they used to repeat sermons , sing psalms , and pray , and not be drunk nor swear . but the parliament ( before the king parted from them ) sent an order to be published by the ministers for the defacing of all images of any of the trinity in church windows , or in chruch-yards : and for publishing this order the drunken rabble ( animated by the probability of the approaching war ) rose up against me , and sought in a tumult with clubs to kill the church-warden and me , ( before the order was executed ) whereupon ( and upon an accusation to the sessions , the articles of which i could never see or hear , or know , ) i was forced for a month to fly to glocester ; where i preached so much for reformation , ( in my sence of the common malignant rage of the rabble ) as i have oft since feared was too keen , and i since wish'd that i had rather at such a time of dangerous division , preached more for peace , and to abate exasperations , than to provoke them , though by truth . xx. i had not been long at home after my return , but the war began in that countrey , by the kings and parliaments contending for the militia ; and quickly after the first soldiers that ever i saw raised , was a troop from herefordshire raised by sir w. crofts , under his brother james , dr. herbert crofts the other brother ( now bishop of hereford ) being chaplain , and the dr. desiring my pulpit , i heard him preach an eloquent sermon against the parliament , as enemies to the king and peace : and sir william crofts and sir francis nethersoke a little before meeting there for consultation , sir francis spoke to me to avoid all war against the king , ( seeming himself to be against the war on both sides , ) telling me by his observations in the palatinate wars how little they that begin fore-know of the end : i had no thoughts of medling with war , and so only gave him the hearing . but i have oft since repented that i had not drawn out more of his reasons , to have help'd my judgment to a resolution ; especially since i read ( in dr. w. bates's vitae virorum illustrium ) his words in his laudatio fenebris of prince henry's death , when he was orator of cambridge ; in which he seemeth to have been prophetical , as england felt by sad experience : i will transcribe part of his prophesie , page 412. nec illa modo vulnera jam olim obducta , bujus letho recruduerunt , sed alia etiam quae nec dum sentimus , & majora nobis inflicta sunt . ah , ne hoc funus mille producat funera ! nec sit dies ille cum intempestivum hujus principis fatum , acerbiore luctu quàm hodierno deflebimus , caecisque in malis deprensi principem henricum , magna voce principem henricum nequicquam clamabimus ! inanis forte est his metus , academici , & si meaecum vestris quid valeant preces , inanis erit . utinam etiam & stultus esset . vivit quidem priamus , & diu vivat & diu precor . firma siet ejus domus , nec unquam nutet : post satum tamen hectoris , ejusque supremum diem cui decem annos spes nostrae innixae sunt , trojae timere , cum nolim , reluctante licet animo , invitus cogor . ] read the rest ; who would think but that he foresaw king charles reign , and our calamitous wars in the death of prince henry ? xxi . the declarations , and trumpets that proclaimed the wars , so enraged the rabble of drunkards and haters of piety , that the most peaceable religious men that did but pray and sing psalms , and repeat the publick sermons , were forced to fly and save their lives and goods from their own neighbours , and the kings militia : if a man had short hair , and were suspected to be a puritane ( as such were called ) the rabble would cry , [ down with the roundheads , ] and he was in present danger . in this state of affairs , i went to worcester for safety when the earl of essex's army was there , and for curiosity , going to see those that lay at poike-bridge , was a witness of the flight of the parliaments soldiers at wikefield . but i repented quickly of that curiosity , and going out of my proper way . xxii . when the first great fight was at edgehill , i was at allcester , and for curiosity went with mr. sam. clerke the day after the fight , to see the place , and the relicts of the unburied slain . but i had no call to so sad a sight . xxiii . to return home i could not with safety of my life : to maintain my self one week i had not money enough with me , nor elsewhere . in this strait i went to coventree , and obtruded my self on mr. king one of the ministers , and my old acquaintance , not paying him a groat for a months diet or more : and at the months end , the committee of coventree invited me to take my diet and lodging at the governours house ( col. john barker ) where i was offered to be chaplain to the garrison regiment , which i refused , but undertook to preach once a week to the soldiers , but without pay . in which place god shewed me for about two years so great mercy as i can never be sufficiently thankful for : in a quiet , and safe habitation in the midst of a kingdom , torn by war , and in pious converse with a great number of excellent learned ministers , that retired thither for safety from the rage of soldiers ; and the company of as pious understanding gentlemen of the committee as i knew living ( sir rich. sheffington , mr. george abbot , godfrey bossevile , and many more ) but because it was here that i declared my self for the parliament , i am here put to open the case as it stood with me , in order to my request to them that think i sinned , yet better to help me by their counsel and prayers , that god would convince me if i erred , and pardon my known and unknown sin. section 3. 1. i did and do believe that the legislative power is the chief flower of the summa potestas , or true soveraignty : in this bishop morley himself fully confirmeth me . 2. i did believe that the legislative power was by the constitution of this kingdom , in the king and parliament , and not in the king alone this i believed because the words of the laws say that they are made by the consent and authority of the parliament ; and the king granted it in his answer to the 19 propositions ( in sence . ) and not only hooker and bilson , but all the old bishops and the old parliaments , judges and lawyers commonly held it : and i was not wiser in law than all they i know few but bishop morley that deny that the parliament have part in the power of legislation : and even he granteth that they are authors of the matter , to which the king puts the form : and so he makes the controversie like that of aristotle and galen , about generation , whether the form be only à semine ma●is vel utriusque : as if the very matter cum dispositione receptiva were not an essential constitutive part . but now king and parliament have by a law of the rights and liberties of the subjects , determined the case . 3. i did and do believe that it is commonly agreed that parliaments have five eminent relations . 1. they are part of the i egislative power by the constitution of the kingdoms . 2. they are the kings supream council . 3. they are the kings supream court of judicature ( by the lords . ) 4. they represent the nation as subject to the king. 5. they are the nations representatives so far as they are free : for had they not liberties and properties they were meer slaves . 1. as subjects they are to obey . 2. as supream council they are to be the chief advisers . 3. as the supream court , the king is finally to exercise judicature by them . 4. as they represent the people as far as they are freemen and not slaves , they are to secure their reserved and natural liberties and properties ( in their lives , limbs , wives , children and acquisitions , ) which are not to be taken from them . but by consent or forseiture . 5. their legislative power they have not ( as hooker and many others think by nature , but by that fundamental contract which made the form of government : for though government be of god in the genus , and as empowered and obliged primarily to promote obedience to gods own laws ; yet it is of man by contract , that the persons or families , or number and order of rulers be constituted , and restraint put on the invasion of propriety . 4. i did and do believe grotius , lawson , and other writers of politicks , who agree , that the bare title of supream given to a king , is no proof that the whole soveraignty ( summa potestas ) or legislation in particular , is in him alone , and not at all in the senate or parliament ; for it is for unity sake , honourary , not excluding , but implying the parliaments part , and also that he is to exercise his judicatures by the legal way of his courts , judges and magistrates . 5. i did and do believe that the king is singulis & universis subditis major quoad fus regendi : and that the people quâ talis have no power of publick government , but that he is not universis melior : and that meliority maketh the final cause : and that salus populi , or bonum publicum is the essentiating end or terminus of humane government : and it is no government ( save equivocally ) which is destructive of this end. 6. i believe that the same god that instituted political government , did also make , 1. self-government . 2. paternal government . 3. marital government . 4. and pastoral church government : and that no king hath any right to null any of these , or alter them in essentials or integrals ; but only to over rule them . 7. i believe that all power is of god , and no king hath any but what god hath given him : and that god hath given none against himself , or any of his own laws : and all laws are nullities that are against them . and are not acts of authority but usurpation , ( as hooker saith . ) 8. but yet he that acteth in one thing without and against authority , is to be obeyed in other things where he hath authority , and not resisted by arms in every usurpation , yea the honour of his office and true power is to be preserved , while we refuse obedience to his sinful usurpation . 9. grotius and common reason convinced me that where the summa potestas is in king and senate , each part hath right to defend its own true part therein : it can be no part in soveraignty which is meerly at the will and mercy of the other part . 10. i did and do believe that the constitution fixing the chief power in king and parliament united as one politick person ; it supposeth that they must not be divided : and that neither part hath power against the other as such : ( the king hath power over them as subjects , but not as legislators or exempted proprietors . ) so that separating them by fixed opposition is dissolving the constitution : as separating soul and body , husband and wife , dissolve man and matrimony . 11. therefore i did and do believe that neither king nor parliament had any right , to raise an offensive war against each other ! none but unavoidably defensive could be lawful . therefore the first assailant was the culpable beginner . 12. i did believe that neither the king nor the parliament as such are questionable by law , having no superior judicature to try them . and that the person of the king is inviolable , there being no power or law to punish him , and therefore the law saith , the king can do no wrong , but it layeth all the blame on the subjects , who are responsible for their actions . 13. i did and do believe that as every man hath a power of private self-defence against a murderer or thief , so every kingdom hath a power or right of publick self-defence , against forreign or home bred enemies . 14. but i believe that this power belongeth not to a wronged or persecuted party , but only to the body of the kingdom : because their good is not the bonum publicum , and a civil war would do more hurt than their death or ruin . nor may a kingdom defend all its rights , or revenge all its injuries by a civil war , which will do more hurt than their wrongs : but where the destruction of the kingdom is apparently endeavoured , or the change of their constitution , or a hurt greater than a civil war , a self-defence is lawful and necessary . 15. i believe grotius and all politicks , that regere & perdere rempublicam are inconsistent , and that whoever declareth his purpose to destroy the kingdom , can be no king of it : for the terminus is essential to his relation . if it be murder not to defend the life of a brother against the assault of a murdering robber , it is far worse not to do our duty to save a kingdom against publick murderers , and destroyers . 16. if a king profess himself a papist according to the true definition , he taketh approved general councils for the rule of his religion : and the laterane council sub innoc. 3. bindeth all temporal lords on pain of excommunication , and deposition to exterminate all that deny transubstantiation and others called hereticks from their dominions , if they are able ; and other counsels and popes have the like . and it must be supposed that he that professeth himself so bound in conscience , is resolved as soon as he can to do it . and he that imposeth on them a false religion , and faith , turn or die , professeth to destroy or damn them . yet may he be endured if he disclaim such councils , or promise liberty , till evidence of perilous attempts nullifie that promise : but if he put the nation under the power of souldiers judges , magistrates of the same profession , it must be supposed that he cannot save the kingdom from them , or that all they will be neglecters of their own religion : or if he put himself into the power of an army of that religion , he puts the nation into their power , though he were a protestant himself : for he is utterly unable to resist their power when religion engageth their deluded consciences to destroy us : and though causless fears will not warrant defensive arms , rational well-grounded fears will : for when men are dead it is too late . 17. but it followeth not that therefore a papist may be resisted in france , spain , portugal , or any papist kingdom ; nor yet a heathen by persecuted christians , as in the roman empire . because their religion bindeth none of these to exterminate or destroy their own kingdoms , as being of the same religion as themselves . and the christians then , and protestants there now are not the kingdom , but a party : therefore king and parliament have here newly enacted for the setling of this crown , that no papist may be here king or regent queen : for though ( as in the pond judge hale tells us ) two pikes devoured all the other great store of fish , and survived only themselves ) god never authorized one man to damn or murder a whole kingdom . 18. the interest of the king ( his honour , safety and power ) and the interest of the people ( their common safety and welfare ) are distinct , but must not be opposite . the king is for the kingdom finaliter under god's glory , though the people are as subjects to obey the king , it is to that end , the common good . 19. in application , i did believe that both king and parliament sinfully began and managed this war. for if either or both were wronged , so much was by them to be endured , as was not worse than a civil war. i believe that the parliament did very ill , in being emboldened by the scots army to provoke the king beyond the degree of meer necessity . and that it was ill done of those that secretly or openly encouraged the apprentices tumultuous way of petitioning , to move any parliament men from following their judgments ; and in permitting the gross scorns and abuse of the bishops and liturgy . and i believe that after they did yet worse , in taking and imposing the scots covenant to procure their help . 20. i did and do believe that yet they did but their duty , in seeking to redress the dangerous abuses of ministerial governours , and bringing the instruments by legal tryal to punishment : for what purpose else are they a judicature ? subjects are all under the law. and the common judges are sworn to do justice , though the king's seal should be sent to prohibit them . 21. i did believe that the king did ill to forsake them , and on pretence of the tumults to gather an army in yorkshire , nottingham and shrewsbury , and that whose commissions soever were first dated , his armed collection of men was first raised : but yet that the beginning was by such degrees of mutual provocation , that to this day it is hard to say , who began . 22. i had read the king's letter in spain to the pope , promising to venture crown and life for the union of the christian churches , including the roman : which is recorded in mr. chesne the king of france his geographer , and in prin and rushworth . and whether it be true or not that the scots say in a book called truths manifest , that k. charles then in scotland had possession of their broad seal , and put that seal to a commission for the irish insurrection , i am past doubt that k. ch. ii. granted a commission to monk , manchester and others , to try the marquis of antrim's plea , by which it was proved and determined that he had the k. ch. i's commission . though i believe that the king that caused them to rise , allowed them not to murder all the protestants : put whom else were they to rise against but the protestants ? and must they rise against them and not kill them ? and was not the murderous temper and use of the irish well known ? 23. i know that the irish a year before edgehill fight , on that day oct. 23. 1641. were to have surprized dublin : and by the full account of dr. henry jones since bishop , and sir john temple , and the earl of orery , murdered two hundred thousand , and boasted that they did it by the king's commission : and that when they had done there , they would come hither . though i believed them not , i knew that two hundred thousand men dead are past pleading their own cause or defending their country : it is easie to plead the justness of their cause against dead men that cannot contradict them . solitudinem faciunt , & pacem vocant . there is no resisting murderers in the grave : and i thought that if the king put in arms and power , the english papists of the same religion , bound to destroy us , his own good meaning could not preserve himself or us . and i knew that the king stopt the carriage-horses that were sent by the parliament to relieve ireland , and took them for his own service , and many ways delayed their relief . though he offered to go over himself , the parliament fearing he would go to head the irish . 24. the king had before assaulted the parliament-house in person , with armed men , to have surprized five members and the lord kimbolton whom he accused : and after frustration confest it a breach of their privileges . 25. the money sent dolbier to buy german horses , and other actions , and the confessions of sir jacob astley , sir john conniers , sir fulke haukes ( my mother-in-laws brother ) chidley , and the other commanders of the english army that were to have been drawn up to london , together with the king 's putting a guarding regiment on them , did put me past all doubt that they were devoted to violence , had they not defended themselves : and no vain talk to the contrary can make me doubt of it to this day . so that though i think they had done more prudently to avoid war , had they spared strafford and laud to please the king , yet i am fully satisfied that afterward they were necessitated to save themselves from designed force . 26. i am certain that two things filled the parliaments armies . and both of grand importance . 1. that all over the kingdom , save here and there a sober gentleman , and a formal clergyman , the religious party and all that loved them , were generally for the parliament ( alienated from the persecutors and silencers ) : and the profane party in all countries ( debaucht gentlemen , malignant haters of piety , the rabble of drunkards , blasphemers ) were generally against the parliament . and religious people were loth to herd with such : and could hardly believe that in so great a cause god would reveal the truth to all his enemies , the sensual rabble , and hide it from the generality of them that fear him : and especially that in most countries the malignants forced away the religious , and either rose against them themselves , or set the king's soldiers to plunder and destroy them . my own father living 18 miles from me was plundered by the king's soldiers , though he never scrupled conformity , nor ever medled against the king , and was thrice laid in prison , and had still lain there , had not sir fulke haukes his brother in law been by prince rupert made governour of shrewsbury , and this for nothing . and after laid in again till the town was taken . this last was only because when they made him collector for the king , he refused to distrein of those that paid not ( fearing lest he should be put to repay it ) . and almost all the religious people of kederminster were forced to fly and leave their houses and trades to their undoing , to save their lives , though they had never medled with wars . and the men that had no maintenance of their own , were forced to become garison-soldiers in coventry , to avoid famine . the second thing , and the main that drove men to the parliament garisons and armies , was the irish murders , with the papists power with the king : they thought that it must be an unusual war , that should kill two hundred thousand : as dreadful as it was , i do believe that all the wars of england kill'd not fifty thousand , nor near it . and though fear which is a tyrant , overcame partly their discretion , yet this joyned with the experience of that which forced them from home , was too strong a tryal for most to overcome . and it confirmed their suspition when the queen brought in a popish army under general king , and the earl of newcastle's army had so great a number of papists , and after the earl of glamorgan was authorized to have brought over an army of irish papists , and the english regiments that fought there against them , had been called hither to fight against the parliament , and were routed at nantwich . no wonder if men thought that england would have been made too like to ireland whether the king would or not , had such armies conquered . 27. the parliament protested to be for the king , and not against his person , or legal power or prerogative , but only against his illegal will , to defend themselves and the kingdom , from an unlawful army , and to bring delinquents to legal tryal and punishment : and they accordingly gave out all their commissions ; till the cause was changed by fairfax's commission , that left out the king. and the soldiers of the garison where i was , commonly believed this to be their obligation , and the true case of the war , viz. offensive against armed delinquents as the sheriff may raise the posse comitatus ) , and defensive against the kings illegal will , and way . 28. i did believe that if the king by such an army as he had , should conquer the parliament , the legal and all probable security of the nation , for life property , liberty and religion , was in all likelihood gone ; if it should lye on the king's will only , thereby it were gone : for what then were our constitution , or parliaments for ; and what differ we from slaves ? and were he willing ( and those with him that meant well ) he would not be able to master such an army . 29. i did believe that if the parliament were certainly more faulty than they were , the kingdoms security was not therefore to be forsaken by the subjects ; nor all parliaments and government to be left to the will of the king , who had for so many years interrupted parliaments , and dissolved them still in displeasure , and had raised taxes called ship-money by himself without them , and on the same account might command all the rest : therefore i owned not any of the discerned miscarriages of the parliament , but only thought i was bound to defend the common good and safety , as it was the end of government . my judgment yet is , that if the king of england wrongfully begin a war against france , the subjects ought by arms to help him , not owning his wrong cause , but to save the kingdom , which would be lost and enslaved if he were conquered . so the fault of the parliament could not disoblige the people from labouring to secure the constitution of the kingdom , and therein their posterities , properties , liberties and safety . and the bare promise of a king is no such security . 30. i did believe that if there were a controversie in these cases , the supream council and judicature of the kingdom , had the most satisfying power of determination to particular persons : as the judgment of a general council is preferable to any lower judges , and the judgment of the college of physicions is more authoritative than of a single dr. and the judgment of the university is more than of the vice-chancellors or one man. and tho yet it may fall out that the dissenter may be in the right , the unlearned that cannot confidently judge , are more excuseable for not resisting the higher judges . 31. obj. by this rule , whatever wrong a parliament shall do to the king , we must all take their part against him : and if they betray their trust , we must bear them out in their treachery . ans . 1. distinguish between a wrong to the king , and the betraying of the bonum publicum , the common safety and the constitution . 2. and between a case controvertible , and a case clear and certain . and so i answer , 1. if a parliament wrong the king , we must not joyn with them in wronging him ; nor own their wrong ; nor defend the persons from legal justice . he might have dissolved them and called another , had he not past a law to the contrary . he may impeach any members at their own bar : but at what judicature shall he try the highest judicature it self . 2. and if the representative would treacherously destroy the constitution , and yield to enslave them , or to give up the kingdom to the pope or any foreign power , the case being past controversie , the people have not thereby lost the natural power of self-defence : but may as lawfully choose more trusty representatives , and fight for self defence against such traitors , as against a tyrant . 3. but the species of the constitution , ( in king and parliament ) must still be maintained , and the salus populi without respect to which there is no government . and no personal faults can forfeit that . 32. therefore i ever thought , as it was a dissolution of the constitution for the king to put down parliaments , and pretend ( as bishop morley blindly pleadeth ) to the sole power of legislation ; so it is treason for a parliament to put down monarchy , and to assume the sole legislative power ; as the rump did when they pretended to settle a government without a king or house of lords . if either king or parliament personal should forfeit their power , the kingdom doth not thereby forfeit their right in the constituted form of government , by a king and parliament . section 4. i have interposed this account of the principles on which i acted ; i will next add an account of my actions hereupon , and then return to the confession of my own sins as far as i know them . 1. refusing a chaplain's commission , i continued about two years or more in coventry , as a lecturer to the garison and city , in quietness , save that we daily heard of all the dismal wars abroad . only twice i went out with them , 1. to take in tamworth castle that cost no blood , 2. and to besiege banbury castle , whose soldiers rob'd warwickshire , and the travellers and carriers on london road. but thence we were raised and driven home with some loss . also for two or three months the care of my native countrey and of my father drew me into shropshire , with some that went to settle a garison at wem : there and at longford house i staid till my father was delivered from imprisonment by exchange , for a short time . 2. all that ever i converst with , did all this while protess to own the king , and only to separate him from an army of delinquents , and to reunite him and his parliament : and we thought all the armies had intended no worse . but when naseby fight was past , having heard that the king was left out of the new commissions , i went to see the field where the fight was , and the army : and there accosted me some sober honest captains , and told me that their army was corrupted by the fault of the ministers , that had all forsaken them , being weary of the labour , and impatient of the sectaries in the army , and so they were all left to the preaching of their own officers and souldiers , and a few chaplains of their own mind and choice . and that the bold leaders began already to say , that god hath committed the safety of the nation to their trust ; and what were the lords and knights in william the conqueror's time , but his colonels and captains ? in a word , i understood by them that they had a purpose to set up themselves , and to overturn the government of church and 〈◊〉 . this so surprized me , that whereas these captains intreated 〈◊〉 among them , and got col. whalley ( who then seemed of their 〈◊〉 ) to invite me to his regiment , i took but one days time to answer them . and i opened the sad case that we were all like to be in , to an assembly of ministers in coventry , whom i gathered to counsel me , and told them what i found , and that the land was now like to fall into their hands : and that though i thought it was too late , i was inclined to venture my life among them in seeking to reclaim them . the ministers ( dr. bryan , dr. grew , mr. king , mr. brumskill , mr. morton , and others seeing my inclination gave their consent : but the committee ( after consent ) refusing , i was forced to tell them what i saw and heard in the army , and what danger the kingdom was in , and so to go away against their will : but col. w. puresoy a confident of cromwell's , threatened me for such words , and i imagine sent cromwell word that night : for the next morning i was met with scorn , and i suppose all known to cromwell that i had said : and cromwell would never after allow me any opportunity , beyond the regiment that i joyned to : and there i spent near two years in labours and disputings against well-meaning perverted sectaries , if it had been possible to have turned them from what they after did . but my capacity was narrow ( though there i prevailed with most ) . and i got mr. cook ( since of chester , that suffered much for the king , and after by the king ) a great enemy to sects and sedition , to come and help me ; but they wearied him away : and besides mr. bowles , i know none but perverse sectaries , ( part arminians , but most antinomians or worse ) left to be their teachers . i told the parliament men what the army would do , and warned them to prepare : but it was too late : cromwell and his confederates did all , and made a stale of fairfax's name ; and vane and haslerigge and their friends in parliament , disbanded all the sober souldiers in garisons and bragades that would have resisted them ; and so put the power of king , parliament and kingdom into their hands , and some of them repented when it was too late . in feb. 1656 / 7. they began their conspiracy against the parliament in a meeting at nottingham , and that very day god separated me from them by bleeding 120 ounces at the nose ( at milborne in derbyshire ) when else i had ( in vain ) hazarded my life against them at triploe heath , by drawing from them as many as i could . but sir edward hatley and other officers that did it , and drew off about five thousand did but strengthen them . for cromwell fill'd up their places with sectaries and soldiers that had served the king before , and was stronger than before , as having none to distrust . to tell what they did after against the eleven members , and then against the majority of the parliament , and then against the king , and then against the rump , and then against the ministry , and how cromwell contrived himself into the supremacy , would be to write the history of that time , and to epitomize whitlock . this much i thought necessary to premise to my own review of my actions , and for them that call me to repentance , who while they falsly judge of the history , can be no true judges of the application . i proceed therefore to the exercise of repentance as far as i can know . section 5. xxiv . i greatly repent that i at coventry took the scots covenant , for the many reasons which i shall hereafter rehearse . and that once i gave it to one man , a papist physition who pretended to be converted , and desired me to give it him : but suspecting his hypocrisie , i never gave it more , but kept i think thousands from taking it in worcestershire and elsewhere . i thought at first that it was intended only as a test to the garisons and armies , and knew not that it would after be made a dividing test for the magistracy , and ministry through the land : which yet by the tenour of it , i might have understood . but i repent not that i neither sware nor subscribed that no man that ever took it , is obliged by it to that part which is good and necessary : perjury is no jesting matter . xxv . i more repent that i once publickly defended it against a writing of sir francis nethersole , which he wrote against mr. vines , who had preached for it . and that i did not more impartially consult with sir francis , and hear all that he had to say against it : for he was near us , and i preacht to him once at kenelworth-castle , where as a prisoner he was liker the master of that pleasant seat ( under colonel needham ) for he seemed purposely to force the committee to imprison him , by constant provoking them , who would fain have let him alone : but by that means he saved house-keeping , and scaped both plundering and sequestring on both sides , and secured his estate , and his person in a place of freedom and delight by water and land. xxvi . and though i thought that a parliament's judgment was above all lawyers , yet i repent that i had not more diligently consulted lawyers on the other side : though indeed i knew not well where to find them , the lawyers of my acquaintance being for the parliament . xxvii . and whereas i then thought that neutrality was a heinous sin , to stand by in the danger of the land ; i now repent of that opinion ; considering that in a case of blood , men should very clearly be resolved before they venture on either side . xxviii . and i repent that i was by ignorance , in too much fear of religion by the danger of arminianism ; and thought too hardly of the laudian party on that account : for though i am no arminian , i have fully proved in my catholick theology , that the difference is more verbal and small , than the zealots of either side do imagine : which book is yet answered by none . xxix . accordingly , i at coventry engaged in a dispute against mr. cradock , and mr. diamond , to prove remission of sin ( not only conditional but actual ) to be an immediate effect of christ's death , and pleaded for it , heb. 1. 3. and rom. 8 32. ( and against universal redemption ) which i since perceive i misunderstood and abused . xxx . i repent that i sooner enquired not into the danger that the land was in by cromwell and his sectaries : and i repent that when his fundamental troop at cambridge ( which after made commanders headed his army ) wrote to me with subscribed names to be their pastor , i refused and rejected the offer to their offence , telling them that i was neither for a military church nor an independent popular church ; had i gone to them then , what might i have prevented ? xxxi . though i am not able to see , that i did not my duty ( my most self-denying and costly duty ) in taking the defence of the nation , religion , king and parliament ( to be reduced to unity ) to be my necessary employment ( while i owned not their miscarriages ) yet knowing the frailty of my understanding , i daily beg of god , that if i was mistaken he will make me know it ( for which i have long prayed ) ; and that he will pardon my sins , which i would fain know , and fain repent of , and publickly confess if i could know them ; but dare not take the greatest duty of my life to be my sin. xxxii . i am in great doubt how far i did well or ill in my opposition to cromwell and his army at last . i am satisfied that it was my duty to disown , and as i did , to oppose their rebellion and other sin : but there were many honest pious men among them : and when god chooseth the executioners of his justice as he pleaseth , i am oft in doubt whether i should not have been more passive and silent than i was ; though not as jeremy to nebuchadnezzar , to perswade men to submit : yet to have forborn some sharp publick preaching and writing against them , too late , when they set themselves to promote piety to ingratiate their usurpation . to disturb possessors needeth a clear call , when for what end soever they do that good , which men of better title will destroy . xxxiii . when they commanded days of prayer and thanksgiving for their wars in scotland , &c. and when they imposed the engagement to be true to the commonwealth as it was established without a king , and house of lords , i repent not that i refused it , and wrote and preach'd against it : but i doubt whether i did well in overdoing herein : and had not waited more silently on god's providence , till he had cleared my way . xxxiv . i repented oft that i wrote the book called aphorisms of justification and the covenant : not but that i think it sound doctrine and useful : but it being my first , is defective in method and in some words which should have been more clearly and cautelously exprest : and in my personal opposition to dr. owen's errours , i should have considered what a temptation it would prove to the passions of such a man ( who yet grew more humble and orthodox before he died ) . xxxv . though my conscience telleth me that the very many books which i after wrote , were for the propagating and defending of needful truth , and that i never trusted to any thing but truth and evidence for victory , yet i fear lest in many of them there be the faultiness of some imprudent provoking words , and that i did not always sufficiently consider what mistaking men cannot bear , as well as what is congruous to the matter and cause . i still found it difficult to avoid too much keenness , and yet not to wrong the cause by dull pretence of lenity . xxxvi . two things concurred to cause me to write my political aphorisms or holy common-wealth , of which i afterward repented . 1. james harrington wrote his oceana for a loose popular government , and sir h. vane was contriving another for a military and phanatick democracy ; both which i saw were utterly inconsistent with the obligations , peace and safety of the land. 2. sir francis nethersole sent purposely to me a messenger to desire me to go to london to cromwell , and perswade him to resign the government to king ch. ii. i answered him that cromwell had been tryed therein by many , but would not so easily resign what he had got . he once admitted me to his discourse , and before the lord broghil , lambert and thurloe , i urged him to tell us , what the people of england had done to forfeit their right to the enjoyment of their ancient constituted government , which they professed to be for and still desired ? and all the answer that i could have was , that god had changed it by his providence , the passages of which he talkt over near two hours , till lambert took on him to be asleep : for we must not interrupt him . then sir francis sent me his printed books and some papers , to have disputed over all the case of the war : and not knowing how many such i might be put to answer , i thought best , in print to tell him on what grounds and principles i had gone , not undertaking that i had not mistaken , but to desire him if i had erred to shew it by answering my reasons there given . but before i could have his answer , the distracted armies had overturned all the present government . i repented writing that book , 1. because it came out unseasonably too late . 2. because in opposition to harrington , i had pleaded for monarchy , with some excess , and i wisht that i had not medled with government , but left all to the providence of god. 3. because it did occasion more hurt than good : so that it became the common theme of ambitious young preachers , especially at court , before k. ch. ii. as the way to preferment , to talk against the holy commonwealth , falsly perswading men that by a commonwealth i meant democracy or popular government , which the book was purposely written against . so that when the oxford university burnt that book ( with dr. whitby's excellent reconciler , and some others ) though i expostulated with the vice-chancellor concerning its principles , i told them i consented that the book was burnt : though i told them not why , as now i do . xxxvii . though both nature and grace inclined me to hate lying , and specially in writers and preachers , and i honoured jul. caes . scaliger the more , because his son joseph tells us how vehemently he hated a lie , so that he could not be reconciled to a liar , yet i confess that my impatience herein was faulty . it was long before i well perceived that the father of lies , doth govern his kingdom ( most of the world ) by meer lying : call it errour , or mistake , or falshood , or what you will , all signifieth the same thing : it is delivering falshood for truth . christ had told us that the devil is the father of lies , and when he speaketh a lie , he speaketh his own . deceit is by lying , and by this he ruleth his world. as god's image consisteth in life , light and love , the devil's image is hatred . falshood and hurtfulness or murder , joh. 8 but alas to take this for some strange thing , and to be over-impatient with liars , was my fault , when now i find it is but the very state of corrupt unreneved nature : and pride the father , and ignorance the mother , make kingdoms , cities and persons like a rotting carkass that swarms with maggots . you that read histories , read with judgment and due suspicion ; for the common corrupt nature is a lying nature : and it is not about religion only ; but the fool rageth and is confident in all his errours . o what abundance of lying books are shops and libraries fill'd with , even in history and theology ! what abundance of false counsels do physicians give ! what abundance of false accusations doth envy and malice vend ? what abundance of false doctrines and censures doth ignorant sectarian zeal foment ? how many lies for one truth is carried for news , or for slander about the streets ? and how few scruple receiving and reporting them , & how fewer rebuke them ? it 's useful for the world to know how common this malady is , but it was almost in despair that i lately wrote a book against it , of pretended knowledge and love ) i blame not my self for hating it , but being too impatient with it ; especially in books and preachers , as if it had been a strange thing . xxxviii . when i wrote my five disputations of church government , i too hastily mis translated some words of ignatius , and though i then owned apostolick successors in the continued part of their work , i did not so fully as now understand , how christ by institution then founded a national church , nor what a national church was ; nor how that which was ultimum in executione ( a christian soveraignty ) was primum in intentione , to which bare preaching was preparatory . xxxix . when i wrote my treatise of episcopacy , i calculated it to the laudian faction then prevalent , that called it self , the church of england ; and though i distinguished them that put down all the parochial pastors and churches , and turned them all into meer curates and chappels ( or partes ecclesiarum infimarum ) and so put down hundreds of bishops and churches under pretence of magnifying one ; from the old reformed church of england that put not down these , but only sinfully fettered them , yet i did not so largely open the difference as i ought , which gave mr. lobb occasion to write confidently for separation . xl. when my books against conformity had irritated dr. stillingfleet to make me an instance of mischievous separation ( who had constantly heard and communicated with my parish churches , and for my private or occasional preaching had the bishops licence approved under the hands of two the greatest lawyers of england ( the lord chief justice sanders , and the now lord chief justice polix●en ) i doubt that i too provokingly took the advantage of his temerity , and confuted him in too provoking terms , not considering enough that a man of great learning , labour , and merit , and name , hath a great interest of reputation which he would not be insensible of : and if it were true as many without proof report , that his exasperation engaged first mr. morrice , and after the second author of the mischief of separation ( whose writing against me is the transcript of the character given by christ , john 8. 44. ) yet i honour the reading , learning , labour and great worth of dr. stillingfleet , now bishop of worcester , and what ever hand he had in it , i unfeignedly forgive him . xli . and in defence of the nonconformists against the false accusation of shism laid on them by the imposing schismaticks , i doubt , i was too keen in confuting mr. sherlocke ; i found it hard to discern whether the defence of truth and slandered suffering servants of christ , or not exasperating false accusers should command my style . xlii . what other errors there are or have been in my life or writings , i daily beg of god to discover to me and pardon : for i never did any thing which might not and ought not to have been done better . particularly i beg pardon for too frequent hastiness and harshness of speech , to my nearest domesticks , from whom i never differed one moment in point of interest or love ; but had too often sour over-hasty provoking words on trifling occasions . xliii . but all forementioned set together lye not half so heavy on my soul , as my inward deficience and omission ; that having had so many convictions of the truth of scripture , and the certainty of the life to come , and can scarce think of any thing but death and the future state , it is so sure and near , and have read , and heard , and written so much of the love of god and of heaven as i have done , it shameth , it grieveth me , it maketh me even abhor and loath my self , that i usually reach little higher than pacifick , quieting dull affections , and that faith , and hope , and love , do not keep me in more delightful thoughts of god and my redeemer , and in a more joyful longing to be with christ and all the blessed ; and that ever i should have a cold and common thought of god and things so high and holy , and that the prospect of my change , and the coming of christ , is not a continual feast to my soul , and setteth me not more above the concerns of this vile and corruptible flesh , and above all impatience of pain , and above the fears of death and corruption . o what a contradiction is there between that head and tongue that professeth to believe what i profess , of god , of christ , of endless glory , and that heart that no more rejoiceth in that belief and hope , but by languor and decay of nature , ( and doubtless great imperfection of faith ) is kept from that joy that such believing in reason should produce , and goeth towards heaven with so many pawses of fear or dulness , and so little of that heavenly delight , which i have long been seeking of god , and which my low and weak condition needeth . lord , all my sins are known to thee , let me never be unwilling to know them , nor let them be so unknown to me as to invalidate my repentance , or frustrate my hope of pardon through christ . chap. iii. the reasons why i cannot without known gross lying , profess such repentance as dr. stillingfleet's anonymus second , and many such others call for , or expect . § 1. as it is no less sin to murder ones self , than to murder another , so it is no less to belie ones self than to belie another . yea it is the greater in that it is like to be more against knowledge , we being better acquainted with our own thoughts and deeds than with other mens : and it would be the greater sin in me , because that the father of lies purposely designeth his calumnies , to cause hatred in many , and to frustrate all my writings both to the church and to particular souls . § 2. why i cannot repent of my writings against the sadduers or brutists , the antitrinitarians , the somatists , the quakers , the anabaptists , the antinominians , the papists , the separating dividers , and the rest before-mentioned , the books that i have written against them express my reasons . but no men call me to it by such an agreeing number of voices as the late protestant conformists of that fiercer sort who appropriate to themselves the name of the episcopal church of england , especially those that are for a forreign or universal ecclesiastical jurisdiction . and no man hath done it with such virulent malice as the anonymus author of the book called , the second part of the unreasonableness of separation as seconding dr. stillingfleet . whose libel i shall now peruse , and return the reasons why i cannot repent of all that he reciteth by way of accusation . § 3. i. in his preface , that my opinions and practices have been condemned by the generality of christians from the most primitive and purest times of the church . ans . to which i appeal , and can get no answer . § 4. ii. i must first tell the reader that should i stay to confute all the falsification of my words which he pretendeth to recite , it would make an unsavoury , tedious , unprofitable volume . a word put in , or left out , or altered , will serve our grand accuser to do much of his works with the sons of ignorance and malice . he seemeth to expect that i should repent of saying that our civil war between king and parliament was begun in england between two parties of episcopal protestants : and must i repent that i lived in england ? and that i know what it was naturally impossible for me not to know ? why doth he not also make me a liar for saying that i then dwelt in england ; and both sides were english men , and spake english ? had i been a mushroom sprung up as lately as our fiery tories , 〈◊〉 had malice enough to make me mad , i might have needed none of his imposed repentance . i have in another writing named the commanders of the army , and the parliaments lords lieutenants , and all the major generals , besides the chaplains , and challenged them to find among all these one presbyterian or two independants for ten , if not twenty episcopal protestants . a wise and credible parliament man yet living , hath oft told me that when the war begun he knew but one presbyterian in all the house of commons , ( which was worthy mr. tate of northampton ) it being not then known among them . the earl of warwick who commanded at sea i knew to be for communion with the patish and episcopal churches . in the army let them enquire of the communion and religion of the general and all his commanders , and i believe they will find among all the colonels but two independants ( the lord say and the lord brooke ) and one moderate puritane yet living ( the lord wharton ) and that all the rest were moderate episcopal conformists ( what the old scots souldiers browne and urrey that turn'd to the king were i know not , supposing their pay was their religion . ) we knew this to be true of the earl of essex general ; the earl of bedford general of the horse is yet living and well known : sir john merrike major general , colonel dolbiere , the earl of peterborough general of the ordnance , lionell copley scout-master , the earl of stampford , the lord roberts lately president of the kings privy council ; the lord hollis , the lord kimbolton , ( after earl of manchester and lord chamberlain that chose the kings preachers , and constantly heard them , the lord hastings ( earl of huntington ) the lord rochford ( after earl of dover ) the lord fielding ( after earl of denbigh ) the lord st. john son to the earl of bullingbrook kill'd at edghill ) col. goodwin , col. lssex , col. grantham , col. sir henry cholmley , col. bampfield , sir william constable , ( after turn'd independant ) yea col. hampden was no separatist from the parish churches ; but a sober protestant . i have named the rest elsewhere . i heard enough of col. sandyes before he was mortally wounded to tell me that he was no puritane . and as for the major generals of the several counties , the lord ferdinando fairfax , the lord willoughby of parham , the earl of stampford , sir john gell , sir tho. middleton , col. mitton , col. morgan , col. massey , sir william waller , the earl of denbigh , col. langhorne , and col. poyer , were all conformable to episcopacy and parochial worship ; and some of them so zealous for the liturgy and diocesanes that they would not hear a man as a minister that had not episcopal ordination . the archbishop of york williams was one of them , and was not he for episcopacy ? § 5. but the accuser confuteth all this by telling us , that it began in king james days between the regians and the republicans , between prerogative and priviledge , by a party that would have perswaded the king , to war for the palatinate , &c. and why began he it not in queen elizabeth's reign , who more overtopt parliaments than king james did ? i perceive by this man , that none must pass for conformable and episcopal , that are not of sibthorp and mainwaring's mind , and renounce not parliamentary priviledges , and give not up property and liberty to the meer will of the king called prerogative . and so all our parliaments till the dividing and tearing long one , were not of the church of england : and what then was that church ? was it a christian kingdom , and yet was the kingdom representative no part of it ? are none but leeches , sangutsugi's , men of blood , ( that must have all lye and die in goals among rogues , that will not swear , and subscribe , and declare and covenant , and practise , all that they impose ) of the church of england ? what a reproach is this to such a church ? if i must repent that i take not all the old parliaments , and all the bishops in queen elizabeths days to be no church protestants ; if i must repent for taking jewel , bishop bilson , ri. hooker , and his friend sir edwin sandyes for church protestants , and repent for believing all rushworth's collections , all whitlock's memoirs , all sir simon dewes , and dr. fuller's church history , and the volumes of m. s. parliament speeches , if i must take this king and parliament , and all the bishops and clergy that conform to them , to be no protestants of the church of england , because they have made a law declaring it to be the rights and liberties of the people , to be governed by law , and not by arbitrary prerogative , and have asserted what the old parliaments claimed , i must then heinously dishonour the church of england , and repent that i am a man. § 6. he falsly feigneth me to say that the bishops began the war , because i said it began between the two episcopal parties , those that were of archbishop abbot's and the old reformers way , and those that were for land's innovations and persecutions : and i should justly be noted for vain and tedious if i would stand to answer all his talk about the provocations : he that will read whitlock may have full satisfaction ; and particularly find that the parliament voted a diocesane in every county , when they began to reform : and were they not then for episcopacy ? § 7. page 10. he saith , [ from the year 1660 it hath been my chief work to pour out the like contempt , malice , and violence , as was begun 1640. ] ans . not a word proved or true ; till i was silenced 1662 , aug. 24. i was never accused for any word then preached , writ and published . which was not for want of enemies or power . of many years after i neither preach'd nor printed . and what i printed since the world may be judge of . § 8. page 12. he saith that the numerous fry of sectaries agree to own me as their champion . ] ans . when the grand accuser can hope to make such stuff as this believed , and that in a land , city and time ; where the clean contrary is more commonly known than i am , what can be devised so impudently false which he may not by his stamp make current as truth . are not above sixty books of sectaries written ( more or less ) against me ; an evidence to prove that they take me not for their champion ? are not above sixscore books of my own writing , ( many at large , and all in part ) against sectaries and errors , a visible evidence of this mans falshood ? is not the common cry of city and countrey a sufficient witness that the sectaries take me not for their champion , but their adversary . indeed they have shewed it but by words ; it being but the two master sects , papists and tory prelatists , that shew it by fining , silencing , prison , and taking all for their prey . § 9. the accuser tells me , that it is no new thing for hereticks to have many admirers , and to pretend to purity that they may deceive . ans . which is very true , and i will add , that which is far worse : it is no new thing even for them that do not so much as seem to have either purity , conscience or common honesty , no nor to scruple the grossest lying and perjury , to have more followers than christ himself had while he was on earth , notwithstanding his purity and all his miracles : such men find corrupted nature , as disposed to believe and follow them , as a dunghil to breed weeds , or a carcase maggots : even those that openly militate under satan as deadly enemies to serious godliness , if they will but cloak their malignity with the name of a sacred function , and call piety and conscience by their own titles ( hypocrisie and schism ) shall convert more souls to diabolism in a little time , than all the preachers that they silence could have converted to piety , and serious christianity : and the french prelacy and dragoon discipline , will cleanse a nation quickly , from protestant heresie and schism . we hope not for the honour of having more followers than such men. this man and his sect would comfort me if i were in fear of that threatening of christ , mat. 5. woe to you when all men speak well of you . § 10. ibid. he saith , that under a form of godliness i would destroy the power of it . ] ans . hem ! what is the power of godliness with this sect of men ! if it be the power of silencing the most godly , and practical , and blameless preachers , and of beggering , and murdering by long imprisonment in common goals both preachers and hearers that will not give over all publick worship of god like atheists , till they dare venture to lie and be perjured , and own all that such men bid them say is faultless : if it be the power of godliness to have an ignorant , worldly , scandalous priest , who driveth men from him by his naughtiness , to hate , threaten and ruine them if they will hear any but him , or use any trustier pastor for their souls , and that would turn churches into prisons , and sacraments into forced drenches , to be given by him that can get a patent for the trade ( which some patrons and prelates chosen by a papist king can easily help him to ) then i am against the power of godliness . where gain is godliness i have long been against the power of it . § 11. page 13. he saith , [ our nation would be less in danger of new flames if all ( my books practical and polemical ) were consumed to ashes . ] ans . how came i to escape till now my self ? not at all by your clemency : your patron judge jeffreys on the bench said , he was sorry that the act of indempnity disabled him from hanging me : and your mouth roger le strange foretold the reason : never was so wicked a book written as my paraphrase on the new testament . were i at his ear i would whisper to him , do you not take the new testament it self to be far worse ? but what is the deadly evil ? why i say with paul , that if an angel from heaven preach another gospel let him be accursed ? but did i make those words ? or find them made : the judge by the help of our great clergy-men and their curates , found out eight paraphrases that deserved this death . the sum of which was that i accuse the pharisees , and herodians , and priests , for malicious hating and murdering christ , for doing good and working miracles ; and for urging men to be informers against him , and for forbidding the apostles to preach : and they said that by an innuendo i meant all this of the church of england . and when a famous ( but exasperated dr. ) gathered some passages as seditious against government to have hanged me , even our judges and prosecutors searching the books , and particularly on rom. 13. cast by those accusations , and never mentioned them . and when they burnt my political aphorisms , and i wrote my judgment thereof to the vice-chancellor , i had not a word of contradiction . but there are deeper reasons that cause both papists and cainites to wish that all that i have written were burnt to ashes . and they tell me what to expect from them , if god restrain them not , for then i believe that it is more than my writings , and than the nonconformists that they will burn . they that cannot now endure that any but they should be heard , will not endure that they be read . § 12. page 13. he adds , [ that neither men nor books are properly good that are not so ex causis integris . ] ans . so none is good but god only , and the perfect . i confess that i am not so good : if i say that i have no sin , or that i ever did any thing that is sinless and omnimodo bonum and might not have been done better , i am a liar . and is this the exposition of the declaration for want of which we are ( if we preach ) used like rogues in goals , viz. that we assent and consent to all things contained in and prescribed by , the book of common prayer , ordination and articles , and that there is nothing in it contrary to the word of god ? is it integrally perfect : or must i wish it burnt else ? i am not for so hard usage of it , though i cannot justifie the prescribing two easter days in it , and far worse matters . but what is the fault that deserveth burning ? § 13. ibid. [ his own practice demonstrates that his writings for peace and unity are but so many pleas for schism and division . they need an ignis expurgatorius . ans . an easie purgatory ! your excommunication ipso facto , of all that affirm any thing in your ceremonies . ordinations , liturgies or church government to be contrary to the word of god , threateneth hell which is worse than purgatory . but reader , seeing all my books must be burnt as a sacrifice to the accusers of my conversation as for schism and division , i owe the world a particular account of such an accused practice . 1. when i first forbore practical conformity it was but in a scrupled part : i read most of the common prayer , and i received the sacrament kneeling . 2. i never disobeyed my ordinary's command , but got me to a place where the ordinary thought as i did . 3. i ever disswaded people from separation , and reprehended those nonconformists that inclined towards it . 4. it was i confess a dividing practice that i took the scots covenant before i foresaw it would be used to division . but i quickly repented , and kept my flock and thousands from taking it . 5. i had not the last or least hand in suppressing the promoters of schism where i lived . 6. i purposely hazarded my life , and spent time and labour a year and half in fairfax's army , in hope ( too late ) to have healed and prevented the foreseen ecclesiastical and civil divisions . 7. i got the ministers of worcestershire and the neighbour counties , episcopal , presbyterians and moderate independants to subscribe an agreement in practice so far as they agreed in principles : which dr. warmstree and dr. good consented to till dr. guning drew them off again . and westmoreland , cumberland , dorsetshire , wiltshire , hampshire , essex , and dublin all imitated us , so that we were ready to have had a common concord . 8. by letters i treated for union with dr. hammond , bishop brownrig , archbishop usher , and such others , before king charles the second's return . 9. i preach'd for peace to the parliament and city in publick sermons . 10. i got divers meetings before the king came in , with many peaceable drs. ( dr. gauden , dr. bernard , dr. allen , dr. gulston , &c. ) with whom dr. morley would be one that he might frustrate all ) who seemed to be all for unity . 11. i was the first ( with mr. calamy , dr. reynolds , and mr. ash ) that sought to the king to help us to this desired unity by his commission ; who seemed forward to it , and promised that he would draw them to meet us half way . 12. we never offered any form of church government , but archbishop usher's primitive episcopacy , and gave publick thanks for a seeming grant of much less ; never once speaking against the bishops parliament powers , baronies , revenues or pomp. 13. when chancellor hide as from the king offered me a bishoprick i refused it on terms ( in a letter ) that pleased him , viz. that if the king continued what he had granted in his declaration , i should take it for my great duty to do all that i could by writing and preaching to perswade all to conformity and unity ; and therefore would not be a bishop , lest i should frustrate that labour by making men think that i did it for my self . but if no such liberty was intended to be continued ( which i easily foresaw ) why should i be a bishop to be quickly cast out ? 14. had my life lain on it i could have done no more to have prevented our divisions and foreseen confusions , that i did in the treaties at worcester-house , and at the savoy , by reason , and by earnest and humble petition and true prediction . but all did but enrage , and instead of abatements according to the kings commission , far more was after imposed than before . 15. i went voluntarily to bishop sheldon for his license , when i could have had it by the kings declaration without any subscription , and i subscribed what might shew that i was for peace , that i would not preach against the liturgy or ceremonies , but live peaceably . 16. when bishop morley forbad me preaching in his diocess , i asked him leave but to preach to some small village among the ignorant where there was no maintenance for a minister : and he old me , they were better have none than me . mr. baldwin yet living was present . 17. when lying same accused me for almost every sermon that i preached in london after , bishop sheldon told me plainly that he had some to hear me , and could they have got any thing against me i had soon heard from him . 18. when we were all silenced on aug. 24. 1662. i forbore both preaching and privater meetings , till after the great plague 1665. to see whether our obedience would mollifie mens exasperated minds : all that while and after constantly i went to my parish church morning and evening , and staid from the beginning of common prayer to the end , and after the plague i only taught such neighbours as came into my house between the publick exercises , and led all the people into the church to common prayer . in so much that my excellent neighbour judge hale countenanced me therein by his carriage , and thought i did great service to the church of england . i remember not two of all that heard me that went not with me to the publick church : and that one that would not , refused , because the dr. ( rieves ) would swear in his common talk : but i told her that he did not swear in the pulpit . 19. when in his sermon he told them that it was because we could not be bishops that we conformed not , the people look'd at me , as a confutation : but i forbore not ever the more to hear him . 20. when he was no longer able to bear the peoples coming to my house , ( though he converst with me placidly , and never spake to me against it ) he went to the king and got his order to the bishop hinchman , and by him to justice rosse and auditor philips for my imprisonment . and when these justices at brainford examined me , they shut the doors against all witnesses , and would let none in but their clerk , though alderman ashhurst , captain yarrington , and many others at the door claimed open audience as a legal priviledge : and after they raised false reports of my words to them , when i was allowed no one witness . 21. i lay quietly in new prison , though kept waking by the constant noise of rude prisoners , and knocking under me at the gate . and upon my habeas corpus all the four judges of the common pleas were for my deliverance . 22. when i was delivered the parliament making a new act against conventicles added three new clauses which drove me to dwell in another county : where also i went constantly morning and evening to the publick church and common prayer , and gave 2 l. per annum to increase the ministers maintenance . 23. when ministers had some time forborn publick sacraments in the parish churches , i got many of the most eminent in london together , and in writing gave them so many reasons for such communion as they approved . but the oxford parliament having by an act banished us five miles from all corporations , forc'd them from the london churches when in conscience they durst not leave london service ; when 100000 had died of the plague , and the ministers fled and left the dying without their help , many nonconformists ventured their lives among them , beg'd money for them , and relieved them , and found the dying persons so much inclined to hear , repent and pray , that this brake the bonds of the acts of uniformity and banishment , so that they resolved rather to die than to cease preaching while they were out of prison and could speak . and the city being burnt the next year , confirmed their resolution , the conformists ceasing to preach long for want of churches . but all this time , had a nonconformist minister been seen in a parish church , he must for six months have lain in goal with rogues : so that the sum of their imposed obedience was , [ either inhumanely desert the deserted city after plagues and flames left desolate ; or go to the parish ministers when they return and communicate with them , and go six months to goal ; or else be excommunicate and lye in goal for not communicating with them . ] of these three they had their choice . but in all this time i was driven far off and kept constantly to the publick church ( at toteridge . ) 24. i never became the pastor of any church since i was expelled from kiderminster : i offered when i refused a bishoprick to preach there for nothing under the ignorant reader that was vicar : but the lord chancellor hyde wrote to sir ralph clare that his majesty thought himself not well dealt with that mr. baxter that had deserved so well of him had not the vicaridge , and he promised to pay the vicar the worth of it by his own steward mr. clutterbuke , out of his own rents : but durst not give a prebend much less a pastoral charge to the vicar , lest it disgrace the ministry : i was not so ignorant as not to know what the king and chancellor meant by all this ( and by the gracious declaration . ) but he gave me unsealed the copy of his letter to send : and the vicar answered as he was taught that he would not quit his place for an uncertainty ( nor would bishop morley let me preach for nothing under him . ) 25. when the king sent out his declaration that gave us leave to preach , i returned to london , and chose only st. martins parish to preach in , because there were said to be above sixty thousand souls more than could hear in the church ; and hiring a room over the market-house at st. james's ( where we were all delivered by almost a miracle from a crack in the floor ) i published to the hearers ( and left to them in writing ) that i came not thither to gather or preach to any new church , or as separating from the parish church , but ( being vowed to the ministry ) in necessary compassion pro tempore to help part of the many thousands that could not come into the parish church : for which some separatists censured me : and we used the scripture , part of the liturgy and more . 26. being driven from that room by the breach of the main-beam , i built a room and leased the ground at too dear rates in oxenden-street near . but had preached but one sermon , but secretary henry coventree with two justices more came with a warrant to apprehend me , and i being twenty miles distant , they seized on mr. sedden a stranger that preached for me : and though he had by the cromwellians suffered imprisonment for seeking to bring in king charles the second , they sent him to the goal , where it cost me twenty pound for his charges , but my wisest and most over-valuing friend judge hale proved the mittimus void , and released him by the sentence of all the court. 27. when i could not be suffered there i hired a room to preach in for nothing in swallow-street , and ask'd the bishops leave , who gave some hope of his favour : but after a few days many constables , church-wardens , and other officers were set at the door to take me had i come , and so continued about three months , till another came . 28. i then ( that the people might not be untaught ) offered dr. william loyd now bishop of st. asaph my chappel for the parish use ; and , i thank him he accepted it , and it is so used by dr. tennison to this day . 29. in the country i preach'd in rickaursworth , chaferne , amersham , chesham , langley , surra● in the parish churches to shew that i was not for separation , and went to the beginning of common-prayer . 30. i was in law-sence no nonconformist i think ) but only in conscience : for i had the bishop of london's license and i was in no benefice or lecture after may 1. 1662. and hereupon sir edmond sanders lord chief justice , and sir henry polixfen , now lord chief justice , gave it me under their hands that my license was still valid , and gave me authority to preach occasional sermons in london diocess . yet did i never use that power in any parish here , to avoid offence . 31. i sent my license with these lawyers judgment , to the present bishop dr. compton , craving his consent to use it in the country . of which he being unwilling , i forbore , though the law allowed it . 32. an irish informer ( keting a gold-worker ) thought to set up that trade for gain : but was cross'd , and long waited at my door to ask me forgiveness ; and i being loth to trust him , he wrote to me his repentance , and shortly after being imprisoned for debt ( saying that god never after prospered him ) i got him some money and help'd him out . 33. three or four more informers setting up the trade accused me to sir tho davis lord mayor : i could not make him believe that he was judge of my faults , but that the informers were the judges , and that he must execute what they sware against me : nor could i prevail with him to let me see any one of them , nor hear their accusations , nor examine or consute them : and when i was fined unheard , shortly after the chief of the informers met me in the street , confest his fault , askt me forgiveness , and left his trade . 34. dr. manton and i were invited by the lord keeper bridgman ( with dr. bates after ) to accept the kings offer for a comprehension for us , and a toleration for others : dr. wilkins and dr. hez . burton were appointed to treat with us of the terms : we came to an agreement to a word : we gave it judge hale to draw up in form of an act to be offered to the parliament . and was that like to be so wicked an agreement as to be worse than all our divisions , which such wise and excellent men as judge hale and bishop wilkins , and dr. burton approved : but we refused to meddle with the toleration , leaving his own work to the king and the concerned : and so the parliament was taught to reject all . 35. after this at another session , many being set on our concord , dr. tillotson and dr. stillingfleet were moved by morley and some lords to treat with us for union : i got many excellent peaceable ministers together , and we drew in one sheet a form of concord : the two drs. seemed to consent , so be it the bishops liked it : but morley purposely seemed to be for the end , that he might frustrate the means , and so we never heard more of it . 36. all this while to this day , i never gathered a church , nor was pastor or teacher of a church , nor took any salary , but preach'd without pay as an occasional helper to another , lest i should seem to be for separation : i thank god that left me not to necessities . 37. i perswaded the people to hear the parish ministers and communicate with them , and not to come to us without the want of needful helps at home ; and i gave the sacrament to none of them , till lately to a few in my own house for a short time , which the liturgy alloweth . 38. i was suddenly assaulted by violence on my doors , by two or three informers ( hilton and bucke ) and rutland a vintner constable , and other officers , by a warrant from sir james butler sent him by sir james smith , to be executed , who had judged me to be distrained on for 90 l. ( or more ) for five sermons as preached by me against law ; and i never to this day was summon'd to answer , nor heard who were my accusers or witnesses , or what proof . but they seized on all my goods , bed , cloaths , library , and praised it , and sold it , ( i got a friend to buy it and paid him . ) when had i been heard i had shewed them sir edm. sa●●rs hand that they ought not to imprison me unsummoned and unheard ; and i had shewed them my valid licence , and proved that i did nothing contrary to law. and that i was twenty miles off at the pretended time of one of the sermons . but i never sought remedy nor noised any accusation against these justices . 39. at the same time they brought a warrant from justice parry and lame philips to have sent me six months to goal for dwelling in london : but as i was going towards them , some stopt me till the king suspended it , and said , let him die in his bed. 40. upon this to avoid this imprisonment i was forced to abscond in poor strange houses ( in languor and constant pain ) while i paid also great rent for my own empty house : which i bore without complaining noise . 41. the independants and separatists said that i was justly used , and had drawn more to the publick churches than all the ministers in london : and some of them said i had done more harm by it than ever i did good . 42. i wrote many books against schism and separation ( against bagshaw , danvers , mr. lob , and many others ) to prove the lay communion lawful . 43. roger le strange traduced me in his observations most bitterly and causlesly ( to foretel me what was purposed against me : ) even my book of patience ▪ and my paraphrase he virulently reviled . 44. when i was designed for the goal ( before king charles died ) the duke of york foretold it : and to secure me till they could find matter of accusation , they bound me to the good behaviour under deep bonds of me and my sureties . openly declaring , that they took me for innocent , and had nothing against me , and did it not as a penalty , but for prevention ; intimating that the court required it ( or jefferies . ) 45. when they were prepared jefferies accused my paraphrase as aforesaid ; and sent me to prison . coming out by a habeas corpus i was fain to abscond in the countrey ( in constant pain ) till the term. then my oft waitings at the bar ( when i could not stand ) and there to be ragingly reviled by jefferies and withins , and called rogue and knave , and not suffered to speak one word of answer for my self , and my council reviled that offered to speak for me , was far harder than my imprisonment . and when ( going from the bar ) i only said , that his predecessor thought otherwise of me . ] he said , there was not an honest man in england that took me not for a knave ; ] not excepting the king that had given me another testimony ( in words . ) 46. thence i went quietly to a costly prison , where i continued in pain and languor near two years : enjoying more quietness in that confinement than i had done of many years before : because they had no further to hunt me . and god there healed my bloody urine that had continued two years . 47. being fined 500 marks , and to give bond for the behaviour , when they saw that i did neither pay the fine nor petition , the king and papists , who all this while did their work by men called protestants , resolved to have the thanks for my release ; and offered me deliverance by the marquess of powis his endeavour : but they would not abate my bonds to the behaviour . 48. when i was released the protestant justices at the sessions that declared they had nothing against me , would not take up my former bonds , but made me long wait with counsel at hicks hall , and i know not that they have given up my bonds to this day : but patience is my remedy . 49. before while i lived in st. giles's parish i went morning and evening to the parish church to common prayer and sermon : and i communicated kneeling at the rails . but i first told dr sharp now dean of canterbury , that i am ipso facto excommunicate by canon 7 , 8 , 9. and left it to his consideration : but after consultation he admitted me , because the canon bound him not before prosecution or declaration . 50. in prison and since my release i have written divers books for communion with the publick churches : and one of government , and one against schism , and others pacificatory that are not printed . and i have continued to preach only as a helper to another , not related to any gathered church as their teacher , though licensed by law to have gathered such a church as well as others . 51. the reason why i have not these four years gone to any parish church , is because prisons and utter disability of body hindered me , being scarce able to creep once a day to our assembly but the fourth door from my house . 52. to conclude , whoever after reading my many great and small writings for concord and peace , and for the church , especially my cure of church divisions , my treatise of the way of unity , my catholick theology , my christian directory , my methodus theologiae , and the numerous volumes of controversie , written all to end controversies , and shall know that it hath been my chief study and labour these forty four years to promote unity , peace , and concord , and what i have suffered for it , and yet will accuse my heart and life , as quite contrary to all this , must bring to any sober impartial man , very clear evidence to prove me so mad and deadly an enemy to so long and painful labours . § 14. i am next therefore further to enquire what this evidence is . but his words do seem to forbid an answer , for they are capable of none but what will sound harshly , even to name them as they are most impudent lies , meer forgeries , or the most unquestionable duties made most odious sins ; and most of the pretence fetcht from some words of my writings and confessions depraved and impudently falsified . the general accusation is page 14. [ i dare challenge any historian that hath observed or read the tragedies of the late times , to shew a parallel in any one person ( i say not only among the apostate clergy , but the laity , and the worst of them ) that may equal mr. b. accus . i. particularly : who is there among the living that entertained more early prejudices against the bishops ? ] ans . mendac . i. i thought them to be of divine institution , till after i was ordained . and since then i have proved it of the primitive episcopacy : and opposed none but that sort of diocesans who put down all the bishops and churches that should be under them , and will be the sole bishops of many hundred or score parishes , making true episcopal discipline impossible , and substituting a delusion . § 15. accus . ii. [ that left his calling as a minister of peace , and entred with the first into a war against the king. ] mendac . ii. i never left my calling , nor ever took command or office , or so much as a chaplains relation to any souldiers , nor pay for it : save that when naseby fight almost ended the war , i went a chaplain to have tryed to save the land from rebellion . i always was for king and parliament , and never against the kings person , power or prerogative , but only for his return to his parliament , and against his will and instruments : when hen. vi. was carried about by his enemies , his friends fought for him that fought against the army where his person was . i was so far from going into a war with the first , that i only fled to coventry for a private refuge , when i was forced from home ( of which enough before . ) § 16. accus . iii. [ and for four years space , which was the heat of the wars , was an agent as well as an eye-witness of most of the terrible battles that were fought in england . ] mendac . iv. i never so much as saw one of those terrible battles . the first that ever i saw was that at langport , when the field war ended : and there i saw not the killing of one man. because i said that i saw some fields and dead , he forgeth me to have seen the fights . i never saw the fight at edgehill , but being at alcester , i went to see the ground and some unburied bodies the following day . i never saw either of the two newberry fights , nor the countrey ; i never saw the fight at horncastle , at allford , or any in the east , south , west , or north. i never saw the greatest fight at york , nor ever was in or near the county : i saw not that at mongomery , nor that at nampwich , nor any fight in england , save that aforesaid at langport , and the flight of our coventry men from banbury : and i went to see the ground at naseby when the armies were gone a day or two before : and i once saw at a distance about thirty men of a side fight between linsell and longford , where one was kill'd . some sieges i was not far off , while i was with the armies on the accounts at large before recited . § 17. accus . iv. who ever boasted of drawing thousands to that war ? ] ans . he falsly calleth a confession , a boasting . to convince cromwell's soulders that pull'd down the government , i that had drawn thousands into the parliaments defensive war , could not have denied the heinousness of my crime , if i had done as they did , or been against king and parliament united , or for the changing of the government . i said by aggravation that i had drawn in thousands , because at coventry and wem i had publickly preach'd against the accusations of the cause that i then thought just . § 18. accus . v. who hath said more to justifie , not the war only , but the death of the royal martyr ? ] ans . mendac . v. what can a reader say of such men , that shall find , 1. that i never wrote a word to justifie his death ; but only once told the papists that they were unmeet accusers , as being guilty of more ? 2. i preach'd against it . 3. i wrote against it , over and over . 4. it cost me the dear labour and sufferings of almost two years in the army , to have kept them in loyal obedience . 4. i called them oft and long to repentance . whence then did this man find matter or occasion for such a shameless forgery ? as for the notion of martyrdom , i leave canonizing to the righteous judge . § 19. accus . vi. who more opposed the return of our present soveraign ? ] ans . mendac . vi. 1. ask for his proof of this . 2. the king testified the contrary . 3. see my sermon before the parliament the day before he was voted home . 4. and my sermon to the city on their thanksgiving called , right rejoicing . 5. would the king have made such an enemy his chaplain and a bishop ? the truth is this , there were two seasons that called to me for my endeavours for the king. the first was at worcester fight , and at sir george booth's fight : at that time i openly declared the army to be in a state of rebellion , in which none should own them : but i durst not meddle on either side : not for the cromwellians , their cause being sinful : not to restore the king , because i foresaw all the divisions , silencings , persecutions and calamity to the kingdom which his bishops and other revengeful instruments would bring in : nor was i deceived in expecting most that hath befallen us of twenty nine years since , save that i thought that popery and cruelty would have made a speedier progress than they did : not knowing by what methods god would stop them . and i durst not hasten gods judgments on the land , till i knew that he required it . 2. but afterward when i saw that the army cast all into utter confusion , and that gods providence had resolved the doubt , how much i did towards a due subjection to the king , is not a thing that wanteth evidence . i cannot repent that i was not one that brought into england that tribe of revengeful destructive prelates and their agents , that corrupted and divided the church of england . § 20. accus . vii . [ or hath been as active in making the government uneasie . ] ans . 1. uneasie ? to whom ? to the king ? i have his testimony to the contrary : he sent d. lauderdale to me purposely to invite me to receive the testification of his favour and acceptance ? read his character of us in his gracious declaration . read mr. gaches letter to me for the king , translated and published by the means of duke lauderdale . i know nothing that i did to make his government uneasie , unless all my labour to have united his subjects made it uneasie : or unless his confessor huddleston was in the right , that he was before for the roman religion , and it was uneasie to him to be stopt in promoting it : of which confess i was oft guilty . but if he mean the prelates government , i believe i did much to make it uneasie to them . i laboured by such reasons to have prevented their ejecting 2000 godly ministers at once , and all the cruelties and miseries that have followed , that it must needs be uneasie to their consciences and credit , while they could make no answer to the proof of their iniquity . i gave such reasons against their lay excommunicaters , and their cursing canons , and their causless and obstinate dividing of the national church by their frivolous , tearing impositions , as must make cruelty the more uneasie . but ( if i be not blind and mad ) the government of church and state had been more easie , if they would have heard our pacificatory requests . § 21. accus . viii . [ or who hath or can do more than mr. b. to renew all our troubles and confusions ? ] ans . by what ? by studying , praying , preaching , writing , and speaking , and exemplary living for unity and peace ; which god knoweth hath been my chief or second study and labour these forty four years ; valuing the supernal wisdom , which is first pure and then peaceable . but methinks i hear the legion that are his army who was a liar and murderer from the beginning , say , what have we to do with thee ? art thou come to torment us before the time ? but they have had leave to enter into the swine : and o that their suffocation in the sea of confusion , occasion not christ to be driven out of our coasts , by them that love their swine better than christ . § 22. accus . ix . [ so that i could not devise to give a better epitome of the late rebellion and schism , than this account of mr. b's actions and writings , which is an abstract of the rise and progress of both in whom they yet both live , and with whom i wish they may both die . ] ans . to the same purpose saith morley of me , ex uno disce omnes . and though i unfeignedly think my self worse than the most nonconforming ministers that i know , yet i intreat all forreigners and natives of future ages to think no worse of the parliament and nonconformists , than this accusation alloweth them to do . they were at least no worse than i ; which i say because the accusers seem to allow you this much : and all the rest have not wrote above sixscore books to make themselves known , as i have done ; and so by me you may know the worst of them ex uno omnes . the sum of my wickedness is the wars . but , 1. what 's this to all the rest of the ejected silenced ministers , of whom i think there is not living one of fifty or a hundred that ever medled with the wars ? ( though one archbishop did , and many that conform . ) and why would they never grant my earnest request that they would silence only me , and all others that had any hand in the war ( except the conformists ) and no more ? 2. i thought i had been a rebel , if i had been against the parliament , the representative kingdom , and the salus populi , or bonum publicum ; and i thought the legislative power was the supream , and that this power was in king and parliament conjunct , and that neither of them had power against the other , but that their union was the constituted summa potestas , which i was bound to endeavour , and their division was the dissolution of the government : and i thought that all subjects were under the law , and that the king might not protect them from his courts of judicature . 3. i knew that points of humane policy and laws , are not in our creed , nor such controversies so clearly decided in scripture , as that salvation should lye on them . though rich. hooker's opinion was for more popular power than mine , i find not that our clergy place him in hell for it or call him the most bloody instrument of rebellion . 4. i have elsewhere shewed , that the chief stream of the writers of policy , laws , history , heathens , and christians , papists and protestants , lawyers and divines , doth give so much more power to the people than i do that i have been put oft to confute them . yet how is hooker extolled by them ? while i that have confuted his popular principles am a rebel : king charles ii. verbally by a declaration diso ned his fathers wars ; he honoured many generals , and colonels of the parliaments army with the highest offices ; one of them general monk by a parliament presbyterian army restored him ; yet i that never was a commander or soldier , nor ever stroke or hurt man , or drew a drop of blood in war , am the great instance of the rebellion : who did what i did to avoid the guilt of rebellion ; and to save england from being made like ireland ; where i thought it was rebellion that murdered two hundred thousand : and we were then so ignorant of war , that we commonly thought that one battel would have ended all , and setled peace . as for the charge of schism , i verily think that the irish may as modestly transfer on the protestants the charge of rebellion , as king charles ii. his prelates can lay on such as i the charge of schism , which they have so powerfully caused , and continued : he that will read my search for the schismatick , needeth no further proof : and he that will not , may keep his beloved errour . § 23. accus . x. answered : i said that i was bred up under eight reading school masters , of whom divers were beggar'd by drinking . must i repent of that ? or of disliking such churchmen ? o i should have said nothing ill of the dead ! no nor of their living successors ; for hence is the rage : o how intolerable to these men is reproof and repentance in comparison of sin ! i must repent for telling , that one of my reading masters , ( that only officiated in the church ) never preach'd but once , and that with the notorious signs of being drunk in eyes and tongue , on that terrible text , mat. 25. go ye cursed , &c. what enmity to the church is it to complain of such men ? but we were so often whipt when he came in drunk , that made us as weary of him as the fined and imprisoned ministers are of the persecuting bishops . § 24 page 17. accus . xi . [ at nineteen years of age he had a distaste against bishops as persecutors . ] ans . but not as bishops ; i cannot repent of distasting persecutors : it was born in me , and new born : may not one be a christian that loveth not persecution ? § 25. accus xii [ whether mr. b. made his father a rebel , or his father him , he tells us his father was twice a prisoner . ] ans . by this proof all the imprisoned nonconformists are rebels : how easily can such prelates and their agents make thousands of rebels : my father lived in the kings quarters , and never was nonconformist , nor medled with wars : but being plundered , was made collector of the kings taxes , and brought in all that was paid , but would not distrain , and for that was imprisoned . and at last fled for safety to worcester , a garrison of the kings . who can escape the charge of rebellion from such accusers ? § 26. accus . xiii . [ his first adventure was to seize the person of a neighbour in exchange for his father ; but quo warranto i find not . ] ans . by the law of god in nature and the fifth commandment , and ●ege talionis , the party being obnoxious and suffering no hurt nor loss by it . yet from these false conjectures about my father he saith , [ you see how early mr. b's spirit was fermented with principles of faction and sedition . ans . readers , you see what faction and sedition signifie in this mans mouth . § 27. accus . xiv . here accusing me for telling how bishop morton confirmed me and many more , ( saying a short collect without a word of examination or instruction ) he heapeth up divers falshoods . 1. that my master was a minister ( i think ) is false . 2. he querieth , did not your master examine you ? ans . he was the best of all my masters , and heard us say the catechism , but never told us any thing of the sence , nor ever examined whether we understood any of it . 3. he asketh , how know you but your master certified of you ? ans . if he certified that i understood what baptismal covenantings or confirmation was , or much of the rest , or what consent i gave to that covenant , i doubt he certified too much : and i being the head scholar , all the rest were liker to be ignorant than i : ( except richard allestree , who though two or three years younger , had been diligently catechized by a nonconforming minister . ) he saith , [ this was mr. b's fault , not the bishops . ] ans . i confess i was faulty in not understanding as much at fourteen years , as i understood many years after . i cannot say that a child of seven years old is sinless in not understanding all the articles of faith. but though it be the fault of the ordained , if they seek it unqualified in gross ignorance or wickedness , the ordainers will not long believe such deceivers , that it is not their fault to ordain such . he that believeth dr. hammond and mr. eldersfield ( two the learnedst conformists of this age ) of the grand importance of the solemn understanding and serious owning of the baptismal covenant in confirmation , when young men pass into the rank of communicants , should shed streams of tears , to think how contrary common practice is hereto , and how this ordinance is not only frustrate , but turned to a deluding ceremony . § 28. accus . xv. [ he was a controuler of bishops at fourteen . ] ans . a meer forgery : i liked the sport : it was too long after that i disliked it . § 29. accus . xvi . page 19. i am reproached that the grave neighbour conforming ministers , that kept me from nonconformity , were such as had rather have had the church rid of such dividing things ] whence he slanderously concludeth that [ they waited an opportunity to be active in ruining the church . because when conformity was forbidden by the parliament , they forsook not their flock : what can escape satanical reproach when a great part of the county had scarce any able and pious ministers but four or five such as these , and they shall be falsly branded by such as never knew them . § 30. accus . xvii . ( his charge of my ignorant subscribing at my ordination , i confess and lament ; and beg of god to forgive . ) but the report of raining manna at bridgnorth , at my coming thither , is the forgery of his trade : a grain like dryed rie rained there almost a year before my coming thither , ( which i kept some of long , and the like at shrewsbury about two years ago . ) and he forgeth that there were six parishes at bridgnorth , because i said there were six under the ordinaries power . § 31. accus . xviii . he accuseth me for being against the et caetera oath , and canons , and yet saith not a word to prove it lawful , but through me condemneth not only the parliament that condemned it before the division , but even the long parliament that made all their cruel laws , that never would own that oath , or authorize those canons ; nor any parliament to this day . § 32. accus . xix . [ he was acquainted forty years ago with many aged nonconforming ministers , ( and probably confederate with them , &c. ] ans . yes ; in the baptismal covenant , renouncing the world , the flesh , and the devil : i repent not of that : nor take it for a sin to have known them . § 33. accus . xx. prejudices against conformity possest him from his youth . ] ans . not unless cainism be conformity , or twenty four years old be my youth , such as your writings , and doings , are an ill cure of prejudice . § 34. accus . xxi . is , that i broke my oaths to the king and ecclesiastical superiors whom i was bound to obey ] ans . i thought verily that i broke neither , i swore not to obey the convocation , much less against the parliament , in unlawful canons and imposed oaths , never yet authorized : i took the oaths of allegiance and supremacy , and thought that defending the land against armed delinquents , and irish , and papists insurrections , had been no breach of it . if i was mistaken the lord convince me and forgive me : but your way is unapt to it . let the reader peruse but sir edward deering's speeches in parliament , proving that this et caetera oath was sinfully imposed without authority , by them that were neither a convocation , a synod or commissioners ; the same man that spake so much for liturgy and episcopacy , against presbytery and independency : and i doubt not but it was flat perjury that by it we were required to swear , viz. [ that the described et caetera government of the church ought so to stand . ] and was i perjured for refusing perjury ? as a summary confutation of a multitude of his lies , i at once tell the reader , that i neither was nor am for the way called presbytery , independency , or the english diocesane way : but for the mixture described excellently by grotius de imper. sum. pot. and bishop usher , and sir edward deering , whose counsel i wish'd that the parliament had followed . and that i was and am far from defending the irregular actions of the parliament , or any members of it : tho' they thought that the delinquents had put a necessity on them to overgo their own judgments to please the scots , and the indiscreet and schismatical part of the nonconformists , i doubt not but they did ill herein , and should have trusted god in the use of none but lawful means : i believe that a few men by craft and unwearied industry over-reach'd many that knew not what they did : sir edward deering nameth some of them , especially sir h. v. sir a. h. and o. c. that over-reach'd his own upholders and all the rest : i believe they did ill to excite and encourage disorder and tumults on pretence of petitioning , and of scurrilous defamations of such men as the lord falkland , the lord digby , sir edward dering , and some other worthy men , and so many good bishops as they abused . and yet that i durst not for these miscarriages , consent to give up the kingdoms parliamentary security for its present and future safety and liberties , i still think is consonant to the most common principles of lawyers , politick writers , historians , divines , protestants , papists and heathens . even the late great lord chancellor hide sat chairman of the committee of parliament that received the petitions against episcopacy , root and branch , and made such speeches against the delinquents as i dare not justifie . but he forsook them when they quite over-went him . if the king of england had a war with the french , and i knew that his cause were bad , i would not defend his bad cause , but i would in his army defend the kingdom , against those that would captivate it by conquest : for the kingdom doth not forfeit its safety by the kings misdoing : and if any say , [ then the king shall be defended in all his injuries how bad soever , ] i would answer , [ that is by accident , it is the kingdom that i defend , and him as a means to defend the kingdom , and not to justifie his sin : i leave that to god : what a case is a kingdom in if it must fight against it self , and its representing security , as oft as its representatives miscarry by any sinister means ? and that all that are to be judged by the chief judicature , shall fight to conquer them , if the king do but bid them ? if the safety of this kingdom be once put into the trust of the king alone , the constitution is changed , and all enslaved . § 35. accus . xxii . he saith that [ in 1640. i entred into a war against the king. ] ans . whereas the war in england began not till 1642. and i never medled in war but as aforementioned long after . § 36. accus . xxiii . he saith by [ the treatise of diocesane episcopacy meditated 1640. i broached faction in the church , my pen disdaining to be less active than my sword. ] ans . 1. i never struck with a sword in war or peace . 2. did meditating broach a book that was not published nor written till thirty years after ? 3. is it faction to give reasons why i swore not to faction , even that antiepiscopal sort of diocesanes that put down many hundred churches and bishops to set up the name and image of one ? 4. why is not that book answered to this day , when so many nonconformists have challenged , called and beg'd for an answer to it ? will a lying scorn satisfie any conscionable nonconformist ? 5. that book owneth so much of bishops , and diocesanes , and archbishops , ( which sir edward dering condemned ) that these men now shew that it is not such as i only , but such as grotius , spalatensis , usher , hall , yea most of the great writers for episcopacy ( of whose judgment i have there given a particular account ) whom he condemneth for faction and enmity to the church . i have written against the pope too : and is not that as bad ? i am sure many papists write more against episcopacy than i. § 37. accus . xxiv . [ it 's probable his church history had its conception at the same time . ] ans about forty years after 1640. forty years breaks no square with this sort of men : i would this lort of history were not too common with them . § 38. accus . xxv . page 23 [ he feigneth me in my church history to commend all the hereticks , and omit what is good of the fathers and martyrs , and write only their faults . ] ans . it seems he thought that without reading the book that disproveth him , his faction would take his word that he saith true . § 39 accus . xxvi the like he saith of my reproaching councils , because i shew the miscarriages of many , and our bishops that plead for a forreign jurisdiction , dare yet own but six or eight general councils . § 40. accus . xxvii page 25. he reciteth my mention of the former courses , of undoing men for hearing a sermon ( of a godly conformist ) at the next parish when they had none at home , ( and for fasting and praying , &c. ) and he taketh it for my crime , to call these ungodly persecutions crimes : so that he that is not for them , while they are tearing the church , and extirpating serious piety , is against them . so do the papists accuse them that blame their murders and inquisitions . § 41. accus . xxviii . because i said , the war was begun in our streets by the ungodly drunken rabble , seeking our lives , he saith , [ in plain english mr. b. with other reformers put themselves into arms , seizing on the kings forts , and making them garrisons against the king , ( and this before king or parliament had any armies . ] ans . in plain english this lie is shameless . unless a poor hired chamber was the kings fort , i seized on none . the first time the drunken rabble rose up against me , was for preaching original sin : they said that i slandered their children . the next was for reading the parliaments order to deface the pictures of the trinity : the third was by bringing in souldiers , that drove me away . and it was long after this ere i had a private lodging in coventry . § 42. accus . xxix . page 26. he maketh the repetition of his forgery a proof that i was guilty of perjury . 1. because i was prejudiced against the bishops at nineteen , and yet at ordination took the oath ( to obey my ordinary in licitis & honestis . ) ans . 1. i did not swear an approbation of persecution . i was not then prejudiced against episcopacy , but against the sin of bishops . may not a man disown such shameless liars as some ministers are , without disowning the ministry ? 2. ( i was prejudiced against bishop morton at fourteen . ) ans . utterly false : i honoured him to his death . but when i came to better understanding i disliked turning confirmation to a meer ceremony . ( for the right use of which i have written a treatise agreeing to dr. hammond . ) 3. he nameth [ my omitting the cross and surplice . ] ans . i never sware nor promised to use them ; being in no station that obliged me to it : and was under an ordinary that required it not . and i have confest my sin in rath subscribing to their lawfulness . § 43. accus . xxx . page 27. he tragically reciteth the reasons i alledged why i was for the parliament : but his confutation is only by an exclamation how bad i was , as worse than cook and bradshaw , as if i had been for the death of the king. when he knoweth that the parliament was broken up by cromwell for being for the kings restoration and their union : and that a faction called the rump did this as cromwell's confederates . i believe i did more against that faction than many such as he . § 44. accus . xxxi . page 27 , 28. [ with what heart could he be an eye-witness of the inhumane butcheries that had been made in almost every fight from the beginning of the wars ? ans . a lie so gross that it feigneth me to see far off where i never was . i have answered it before : i was an eye-witness of many of gods provident disposals , and an ear-witness of more . i saw the field where they fought near worcester , and edgehill , and nantwich , and i saw many garrisons ( wem , leicester , shrewsbury , exeter , sherburne , bristol , winchester , ) that had been taken : but i saw not the fights at any one of these : but that at langport that ended the field war i saw afar off , but saw none kill'd , for they fled i think before a man was kill'd . § 45. accus . xxxii . i repent not of saying that i was rescued from many dangers : nor that i had many tedious nights and days , ( in that army which after naseby fight i hazarded my life and spent my labour to have undeceived ) [ and had many doleful sights and tidings . ] i saw the graves and some of the corps in ditches near edgehill , of the parliaments souldiers there kill'd , and many that lay unburied : when after i lived in peace at coventry , how oft were souldiers of that garrison brought home mortally wounded , and many slain : few weeks past in which we heard not of fights in fields or garrisons : which i thought it lawful to call doleful tidings . § 46. accus . xxxiii . because i named the doleful fights at worcester , edgehill . newberry , nantwich , montgomery , horncastle , naseby , ( york , ) langport , &c. he addeth , [ it seems he was present in these fights . ] ans . not at any one of them ▪ save langport . i said , [ my eyes shalt no more see the earth covered with the carkasses of the slain . ] which was at edgehill the next day after , where i had no more to do than any other that would see the place . § 47. accus . xxxiv . [ he had travelled over the most of england ( to pursue the war. ] ans . it was [ much ] and not [ most ] and it was to have prevented the change of government , and not to pursue the war that i went § 48. accus xxxv . page 29. he feigneth me accordingly to see many noble lords and gentry perish in their integrity , some perhaps by his own hand . ] ans . all meer forgery : i never saw any such hurt , nor ever hurt any : but at coventrey i did encourage the garrison , and at wem . § 49. accus . xxxvi . his next is a common accusation of me by his party , that i speak of brook , prin , hambden and white as of men in heaven . ] ans . i think so still : prin and white were never souldiers : our creed containeth not any article that decideth controversies about the various forms of government : christ never told us how much of the supremacy was in caesar , and how much in the senate and people , and which of them had the legislative power : nor whether england be an absolute or a limited monarchy ; nor whether the parliament have part of the legislative and self-defending power . and those that best knew these men ( especially hambden and white ] took them for men in all other respects of great wisdom , piety and honesty : if among the old romans all the civil wars between the senate and the emperors , and one emperor and another , ( when of forty scarce ten died a natural death , but were murdered ) had inferred the destruction and damnation of all that were against the censuring side , how few would have escaped ? when setting up emperors and killing them was so common , that souldiers set the crown to sale. i never heard that brutus , or cato , or cicero , or seneca , or lucan and such others might not have their virtues praised , and that above their enemies , though they died as esteemed rebels . i am sure these men that reproach me for this charity , have a law to turn me and all nonconformists out of the ministry , if we were to bury such a man and would not profess our hope of his salvation : for they bind us to do it of every individual person buried in the land , except the unbaptized , excommunicate and self-murderers . and exceptio firmat regulam in non exceptis . and because the sum of his accusations is the war , the war , i will once more give him a summary answer . if he mean the war before the new modelled army , and new commission which left out [ for the king ] after naseby fight , i did more against that new cause and war than he , and perhaps many such as he : if he mean the first war stated by the parliament commissions [ for the king and parliament ] i was in it and for it : because , 1. he that is for the highest power in a civil war , is of the righter side ( caeteris paribus ) than he that is against it ; but they that were for king and parliament were for the highest power in our civil war. proved : they that were for them that have the legislative power , were for them that had the highest power ( as morley confesseth and almost all others . ) but they that were for king and parliament were for them that had the legislative power . ergo , &c. obj. what hypocrisie is it to shoot at the king and say you fight for him ? ans . 1. the king protested to be for the parilament ( as his shrewsbury half crowns shew ) while he fought against their armies and persons : ergo the parliament might more clearly be for the king while they fought against his army and not his person , though in the field . 2. they knew that the king had discretion enough to keep his person out of the reach of danger : and so he did : at edgehill he stood on the hill ( as i heard ) and look'd down on the fight in the field . at naseby where he was nearest he was safe ( but that was after the first cause and war. ) i never heard else that he came near . 3. else any traytor , that could possess the kings person , and carry him about ( as they did henry vi. ) should be for the king and all against him that would rescue him . obj. he was willingly with his army . ] ans . he may fight for the king that doth it against his will , while he doth it not to hurt his person , prerogative or rights . we sware not to be for all the will of the king. if in a passion he would kill himself , his son , his lords , his parliament , yea , or would but ravish a woman , he may be held and resisted . arg. 2. they that were to bring king and parliament again to union , fought for the king and kingdom , and the highest power ; ( for it is the constitution . but the first wars commissions were to bring the king and parliament to unity . ergo , &c. arg. 3. they that were really for the common safety , and salus populi and the very constituted form of government in a case of notorious danger , and only against an army of subjects that fled from the justice of the supream judicature , were righter than those that were against their wars . but , &c. ergo , &c. arg. 4. they that were for a defensive war according to law and constitution , were righter than they that raised war against them contrary to law and constitution — but , &c. ergo , &c. the parliament to the last were against all violence to the person of the king , and were cast out by cromwell for voting to receive him . as it was easie for bradshaw and ●ook to charge all the bloodshed on the king , so is it fo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accuser to charge it according to his judgment . but all of us must be willing of conviction , and deep repentance , so far as we shall be proved guilty . arg 5. the present king and parliament have by practice and by law declared the right of more than arming and resisting a king in several cases . arg. 6. in a doubtful case under god there is no judge that hath a deciding power above the supream judicature . § 50. accus . xxxvii . he next accuseth me as falsly charging the peaceable reign of king charles the first with persecution , wherein there was no such thing , but peace , save against the seditious : and he appealeth to the canons . ans . 1. see the preface to my book called cain and abel for an answer to this . 2. we appeal to the canons too , and to the bishops visitation articles , and to the experience of all england , that delight not in the destruction of the true servants of christ . 3. but alas how far are leeches from feeling the smart of the persons whose blood they feast upon ? the papists say none were punished in queen mary's days but the hereticks and seditious . so saith the king of france . and so said the irish when they murdered 200000. 4. q. 1. was there nothing but amiable peace , when laud and others wrote for a forreign jurisdiction , under the name of our obeying the pretorian power of forreign councils ? q. 2. was it sedition not to read the book for sunday sports and dancing , which exempted children and servants from the government of their parents , and masters ? for which many ministers suffered . q. 3. was it sedition for religious people to go hear a conformable preacher at the next parish , when they had no preaching at home ? q. 4. was it sedition for religious people to pray with their sick friends , and fast and humble themselves to god , without travelling to the bishop for a license ? q. 5. was it sedition for a man vowed to the ministry by episcopal ordination , to preach or expound any matter in the church or elsewhere , without a new license from the bishop ? q. 6. was it sedition for any man , noble or ignoble to affirm that any thing was repugnant to the word of god , in the ceremonies , liturgy , ordinations , or the et caetera government of the church ? q. 7. was it sedition to refuse the false et caetera oath of 1640 ? q. 8. was it sedition to say that other societies in england were true churches besides the episcopal churches ? at least the french and dutch ? q. 9 was it for sedition that men were punished for not receiving the sacrament , when the conscience of their ignorance and unfitness deterred them ? q. 10. were the many thousand families that were put to fly the land to holland and america punished for nothing but sedition ? were new england and barmudas planted without any persecution ? or was it no punishment to be driven from house , land , goods , kindred and native countrey into an unplanted wilderness among vvoods and wild men and beasts ? q. 11. was it no persecution to be excommunicate ipso facto by canons 6 , 7 , 8 , &c. without being admonished or heard ? q. 12. was it nothing but amiable peace , that laid all the ten sorts of the excommunicate named in the statute , in the common goal during life , depriving them there of their estates , unless they lied by a feigned repentance ? q. 13. yea , was it only harmless that made seriousness in religion such a common scorn , as the word puritane then signified , if mr. robert bolton , bishop abbot , bishop downame , and other conformists may be believed ? but say these accusers , all this was but justice , and was well done . but the casting out of two hundred accused on oath for gross scandal , and utter insufficiency , by the parliament , was persecution and was not well done . § 51. accus . xxxviii . next i am accused because other men exploded the lords prayer . ans . 1. and what is that to me , that constantly used it ? 2. and who may not see that the use of it was prescribed in the directory ? 3. and the presbyterian ( and episcopal nonconformists that now are ) commonly used it . but he hath found out one independent dr. john owen , who when he was vice-chancellor at oxford was against the common use of it as necessary . § 52. accus . xxxix . he feigneth also that the creed and ten commandments were also cast out , and scarce a chapter read in many churches . ans . 1. was he that hated them , more oft in their churches than i ? i knew not one such presbyterian congregation in england . 2. read the directory whether it were for them or against them , and judge of this mans words . § 53. accus . xl. his exclamation against the scots covenant and cromwell's doings , i before shewed to be just : and i think i opposed both more than he did . § 54. accus . xli . page 39. whereas i before said how i went into the army after naseby fight by the consent of an assembly of loyal ministers in coventry , to try whether there was any hope to save the church and state from the corrupted army : he feigneth that this was the westminster assembly , or some rebellious branch of them : all falsly as the rest . § 55. accus . xlii . that i went to col. whalley . ] ans . who then profest himself a lamenter of the armies corruption , and a desirer of their reformation , and so continued while i was with him : but was after overcome by his kinsman cromwell and worldly interest , to hold on with them for his preferment . § 56. accus . xliii . his page 41. is made of meer forged lies . as , 1. that i promised my self great things , ( much what as i did from king charles the second , when instead of a bishoprick i craved leave ( in vain ) to have been for nothing the curate of an ignorant reading vicar . ) 2. that i was disappointed of my hopes . ( by whom ? and how ? and for what ? ) 3. that i thought my self capable of advancement , but they did not : as if i sought that which i refused . 4. that i was well promised for my pains . ] who never ask'd them any thing , nor was promised any thing . 5. that i was content with the pleasing work of drawing blood gratis . ] because i that never drew a drop of any mans blood , did labour to prevent the papists , and malignant other leeches from bursting with the blood of king , parliament and kingdom . 6. that i hoped they would have advanced me to some military preferment . ] who never was so much as a souldier , and could have had military preferment long before thus the mans brain ( from what cause let others judge ) breeds lies as a carkass breedeth maggots : they swarm by heaps . is this the credit of our church history ? § 57. accus . xliv . page 42. [ against his will he is forced to leave the army . ] ans . yes ; just the day that they consulted at nottingham to rebel , and i had else at triploe-heath ventured my life against them : but it had been in vain , as it was to those that drew off about 5000 from them ; whose places they fill'd up with king charles the first 's souldiers that had come to them , and with fanaticks that would be true to their interest . § 58. accus . xlv . [ that ever since it hath been my business to destroy the best established church in the world. ans . by desiring them not to set up a forreign jurisdiction which the kingdom is sworn against . and by humble petitioning them not to silence all the ministers of england conditionally , and two thousand of the most faithful actually in one day : by striving for concord as for life , upon terms once granted by the king in his gracious declaration , and after on lower terms consented to by bishop wilkins , dr. burton , judge hale , and i think by dr. tillotson , and dr. stillingfleet : i never motioned the alienation of one farthing of the revenues of the bishops or deans ; nor spake against their baronies , parliament place and power , 〈◊〉 nor against their vast diocesses , so they would not put down the inferiour pastoral office and churches , and make lay civilians usurpers of the keys : thus i sought to destroy the best church in the world. locusts are famished if they may not destroy our trees and fruit , and pikes if they may not devour all the lesser fish : all human's wealth and honour is nothing to him if mordecai be not hanged . this envy consumeth them , if we lye not still with rogues in goals . § 59. accus . xlvi . [ he will not affirm that i was given to plunder : but it is a suspicious sign when i would take up a man to exchange for my father . ] ans . this hath a little modesty ; though even natural affection be a crime with tories , even when exercised without hurting any . here also he repeateth his forgery of raining manna . § 60. accus . xlvii . page 43 [ that i sate down on the sequestred living of mr. dance at kiderminster . ] ans . this is cautelously said : not that i had a hand in sequestring him , not that i took his living : but that i sate down on it : and bishop morley saith , [ that he was a man of an unblameable life . ] but , i. he shall not hereby draw me to recite the articles sworn against him by as credible men as any of his neighbours . 2. i think that it is not a blameless life to undertake the pastoral care of souls , and neither preach to them , nor be able to expound the creed ; and to keep one as ignorant but much more vicious ( turner at mitton ) under him . 3. i yet believe that such a mans possession , doth not oblige the people to venture their souls upon his pastoral care ; and own him for their teacher , and seek no other : nor make it a sin for any other to teach them ? no more than the king's ships or armies must wilfully cast away ships and lives , for want of conduct , because a man that hath no tolerable skill is in possession . how cheap are souls , or how contemptible is ministerial knowledge and preaching with these men. you see here what is the best church in the world in their account , and what it is to destroy it . 4. almost two years before the wars , the vicar conscious of his obnoxiousness , entred into bond with the chief magistrates and others of the town and parish , to pay 60 l. per annum to a lecturer of their choice , he keeping his vicaridge and officiating as reader : and so he put out mr. jo. dide his preaching curate , in whose place i came , being before in another county : which mr. dide though more offensive before than the vicar to the religious people , being after on my testimony for him , received into a benefice of his own , was so reconciled to the people of kiderminster that he bequeathed much of his estate to them . 5. in my absence some years mr. dance by bond owed me about 120 l. of which i never desired or ask'd for a penny : and if mr. dance when forced out had right to his benefice i that was forced away had right to my salary : which yet i think was no good title in him or me . but he was sequestred when i was in another countrey not like to live : and the sequestration put into the hands of divers of the inhabitants to maintain one to officiate . they offered it me , and i refused it : and told them that i would take neither sequestration nor pastoral cure , but my former lecture ; but if they would get a competent pastor , let them take care to pay him : for i would have out of the vicaridge but the 60 l. that the vicar was bound to pay : and because i refused a living of 400 l. or 500 l. to be with them i would try other ways to make my stipend 100 l. by getting for mitton chappel , which had but ten pound a year , an augmentation of forty pound from the parliament aliunde ; and in sum while i was there , the maintenance of the vicaridge was thus paid ; viz. forty pound a year to mr. dance , about twenty pound to the crown and poor , and taxes ; ten pound to the old curate of mitton , which was all he had before : sixty pound to me , and the rest to a truly faithful minister that preached once a day at kiderminster and once at mitton , and did the rest of the offices . and the augmentation added from the parliament made up my sixty pound to be eighty pound , and the rent of a few rooms in the top of another mans old house . and i had no more : nor did ever set my foot in the vicaridge house , much less offer to put out mr. dance ; nor had we any disagreement . and when he was restored , he freely gave me a full discharge for all between him and me . but the sequestrators had notice that another was like to be put in against their will if i were not : and thereupon without me they got the committee to pass an order as to me ; and they kept this order for their own indempnity , till king charles the second's army came to worcester , and then they brought it me , and desired me if i were put to it , not to disclaim it . and to make all sure when i came to them after my return from the army , i got all the magistrates and chief of the town , to subscribe their names , that they received me only as their lecturer , that refused the pastoral charge and sequestration . § 61. accus . xlviii . to aggravate the rebellion of cromwell's army , i wrote that [ they had pull'd down the best governours that they could name in the world , and therefore to pretend their faults for their rebellion , was to profess that they would be subject to none . here he saith i meant the parliament . i answer , it was both king and parliament that they put down : and he hath nothing but my own words to accuse me of . 2. why did he not venture to name better than they put down ? i know not what nation then had better ; notwithstanding all that both cromwell and this accuser hath said against them . § 62. accus . xlix he next accuseth me for praising richard cromwell's government . ] ans . i spake nothing but truth . he was never in any war : the royalists reported that he would restore the king. he was not for sectaries , but for uniting pious counsels : he presently gave up his government , because it should cost no mans blood. and this was enough to aggravate their sin that had set him up when he sought it not , and then cast him out ( to their own destruction . ) § 63. accus . l. he saith , that i never so much complained of arbitrary government and persecution as since the king and church were restored . ans . notoriously false : my political aphorisms witness my complaints then , and let him tell if he can , where or when i complained of arbitrary government since king charles the second came in . i knew he did what was done against us by parliaments . i knew the bishops got laws for their purpose . but if i complain more of persecution , it is because i think it no sin to feel , nor a duty to love the silencing of faithful ministers , and laying them in goals for nothing but preaching the gospel , nor was i of the mind that undoing thousands of sincere godly christians was no persecution , i dare not rail at christ's judgment , matth. 25. that reckoneth that as done for or against him that is done for or against the least of those whom he calleth brethren while pharisees call them accursed . till cruel persecution be sanctity , it will be no sin to hate it . § 64. accus . li. but that which followeth is a most notorious out-facing the most publick notice of the land , page 47. did not the secluded members upon their readmission reinforce the engagement to be true and faithful to the common-wealth without a king or house or lords . ] ans . so far were they from this , that they were cast out immediately for voting the satisfactoriness of the kings commissions , and his return to london : and upon their readmission they voted their own dissolution that a free parliament might be called , and were never for the engagement , but abhorred it , though the royalists at their compositions ordinarily took it ( when i wrote against it . ) but he asketh , [ did not some of them provide an oath of abjuration , &c. ] ans . we can better tell what parliaments do , than what [ some of them do . ] how know i what odd or secret act of any particular persons this man might know of ? but i suspect this [ some ] was some one or more of the excluded rump . but had he no pretence for this notorious lie against the secluded members ? none visible but that which hath filled his book with falshood ; wrath and blind prejudice , and inconsiderate haste : that which was done by the restored rump he falsly saith was done by the secluded members , when it was done before their restoring . but they justified their first war against the delinquent army you may find him punctually confuted in whitlock's memorials . when things so notoriously false are thus confidently vented , which the publick notice of the kingdom confuteth , what credit doth his accusation deserve of me and my unknown actions , and my thoughts , whom i suppose he never saw , if the author be long of exeter , as fame reporteth . indeed when cromwell's proud rebellious army came and mastered parliament and city , and about 150 of their members forbore coming to the house , they past divers slavish votes , among which was that of [ no more addresses to the king , ] when he refused their four acts : but they recalled that vote , and were cast out for recalling it , and voting consent to the kings concession . and when after richard's government the army had confounded themselves , they were forced to call the excluded members of the long parliament again : but what members were they ? only the rump or party that cut off the king , and put down the house of lords , expresly confining it to them that staid in till april 20. 1653. the day that cromwell cast out the last . so that the first excluded members were never restored till monk and his presbyterian army restored them . they abhorr'd the common-wealth engagement : and so did all the ministers of my acquaintance save independants § 65. accus . lii . page 47. [ having told what a few rumpers said to monk he saith , [ and because they did this , and might justifie it by mr. b's theses in his holy commonwealth , they are the supream power the best governours in all the world. ans . how pregnant is malice of falshood ? 1. it is false that the parliament in question did what he saith ; which was done by their adversaries : such as scot , robinson and haseldrigge that flattered monk till he had them in his net. 2. it is false that my th●ses justifie them , which are written against them . 3 it is false that it was for this that i call them the supream power or the best governours : it 's king and parliament that i call supream : it was king , parliament , the rump and richard that the men whom i wrote against pull'd down : and i only tell them that if the errours of all these rulers will justifie an army for deposing them , there is no power on earth that might not be so deposed , there being none better than all these deposed by them . § 66. once more , i tell this accuser and the world , that i am so far from justifying king or parliament , from the beginning , progress , or ending of this war , that i think both sides deeply guilty of very heinous sin : and i cannot tell whether i know a man living that hateth war more than i hate it : while i medled in it , it was far a more sad and hateful life to me , than my abode in prison was when the church defenders laid me there with an unsolvable fine . the truth is , both sides began they knew not what : i knew not a man but sir francis nethersole that knew what war was , or foresaw what was like to come of it . both sides thought it would be prevented by the countreys forsaking the other side , or that one fight would end it . and no man can tell just where , and when , and by whom it was begun : no more than just when a chronical disease begins in man. only i am sure that virtually and dispositively it began in that division of minds , hearts and lives , which is common in the world between them that love a life of serious godliness , and cannot love wickedness , and them that hate a godly life because it 's against their lust and carnal interest . not that every adversary to the parliament was a cainite , but that through the land an enmity between the seriously godly , and the prophane encouraged by pharisaical ceremonious formalists , was a war in our bowels , ready to break forth upon the first advantages . and the religious party ( as in all former ages ) had many young ignorant novices , that by pride ran into extreams , being self-conceited , and unruly , and ready by schism or petulant censoriousness to vilifie all that be not of their sects , and to pretend fanatick inspirations for their errours . as the contrary party was prone to be so jealous of their beloved dominion , wealth , and ease , and honour , as to take such for intolerable enemies that flattered them not in their worldly pomp. long did heart-burnings continue between these discordant parties , one side blaming , and the other side ruining those that were against them : till laud's attempts for innovation , stirred up such opposition in scotland , and distaste in england , as i cannot justifie . the parliament encouraged by the scots went higher in provoking the king than they ought : and the king too much occasioned their jealousie that he intended to have invaded property and liberty , and to subdue them by force if they restrained or punished the executioners of his illegal will. but this brake out by such degrees , that no man can name the beginning . as a small breach in a pond of water groweth wider till it let out the whole : and as personal duels begin in a word , or a suspicion , and proceed to wrath , and then to reproach , and thence to revenge . when division was the death of the constituted form of government , both sides should have hated and feared it more than either did . but the parliament thought the king would soon return as deserted : and the devil among us all was as if he had cast among boys red hot pieces of brass or iron , and they scrambled for it , thinking by the colour that it was gold , till it stuck to their fingers and burnt them to the bone. and the dread of 200000 murdered in ireland put such a pannick fear in the antipapists in england , as darkened their wits . and yet if the captain and mariners fall out by folly , the ship may be preserved by the innocent . if the citizens could not agree about quenching the fire in 1666. the inhabitants may endeavour it , and pull down houses to that end without the guilt of injury to the owners . i think that king and parliament grievously sinned ( but not equally ) in doing so much to cause and no more to prevent a civil war : i would they had hearkened to whitlock's speech , and other mens healing motions 1641. but who in the beginning fore-knows the end ? and when once the breach is made , usually there is no hope left of any better end than one of the two parties ruin . true is the old saying , he that draweth his sword against his king must throw away the scabbard . when all mutual trust is gone , all hope of reconciliation is gone . the present state of england is a lively exposition of the beginning of that miserable war. we were thus in fear of popery and slavery here of late . the murder of 200000 in ireland , and the papists coming in to the king in england was as loud an alarm , as king james his liberty of conscience here . the archbishop and bishops , and the lay church lords and patrons here had sworn or promised against taking arms against the king on any pretence what soever . they did not all own king william's title to the crown : yet they thought it lawful to save the kingdom from a misgoverning king , and the kings own kindred , lords , army and clergy forsook him , and joyned with him that came in against him : they meant it not as owning then the invaders right to the crown , nor as disowning king james , but to save the kingdom ; and it proved contrary to their expectation that without blood the turn of the nation turned the government . just so the first beginners of the resistance of king charles the first his army intended no change of the government , and they thought that the war would have been as soon almost ended as begun , as king william's was here ; but when it was once begun reconciliation became impossible : and one or others must be ruined : yet we that owned not the miscarriages of either side , but thought king and parliament greatly sinful , thought it an absolute duty to do our best to save the kingdom , from the most threatning danger . and we thought that the massacre of ireland , the papists in england , the malignity of most of the kings adherents , and the prospect of such an army of delinquents conquering a parliament , and putting all the land into the sole power of the king , who was himself in the power of papists and delinquents , did clearly tell us where the present danger of the kingdom lay . but future changes we could not foresee . 〈…〉 part , i was a young novice , and knew not what war was ; 〈…〉 considerable interest in any , to have prevented it : but 〈…〉 that i more repent of than that i feared it so little , and that i did not speak more earnestly for the preventing of it by mutual pacificatory means , and that i said any thing towards unpeaceable irritations . who could have forethought that all those doleful events would follow , which make up whitlock's impartial memorials ? § 67. yet i must truely say ( though it displease the guilty ) that the effects were quite different on the land , from what the malignants commonly report : they would falsly perswade the world , that all ancient piety was despised , the creed , lords prayer and decalogue , and all sober ministers cast out , and tub preachers set up to vent their nonsence . the truth is , among 10000 of the clergy about 300 or more were turn'd out as ignorant and scandalous , and with them unjustly some for being for the king against the parliament : the number i know not , but conjecture that there might be an hundred such at least . in the places of these the most seriously religious young men that the universities would afford , with some few old nonconformists , and but few ) such as the parishioners chose were set up : most of these young men were such as had no hand in the wars , but were lads or young students while the war continued . it pleased god , that very many of them , became such fervent , able preachers , that a great change followed among their hearers , and multitudes of the ignorant , debauch'd and worldlings became serious , godly , christians . and the younger sort grew up accordingly . for instance , in the county of worcester where i lived , where before there was one family that minded piety , or the life to come , or prayed , or read the scripture , there were many after that did it . in the town where i lived , where there was before one or two houses in a street that worshipped god by prayer in their families , and avoided profaneness , and minded the concerns of their souls , at last there was scarce more than two houses on a street-side , that did not learn the catechism read the scripture , pray and live soberly , and this in great love and peace , and humility towards others ; commonly disowning the cromwellians , and sectarians disloyalties , rebellions and schisins . but indeed when the sectaries got dominion , many anabaptists and self conceited novices set up themselves for preachers where they could get hearers ; but the sober godly people kept so much concord and integrity , that these others were but here and there , and that as a disgraced broken sect , as the quakers be among us now . but harrison took the advantage of the ignorance and badness of the parish ministers in wales , to set up itinerant anabaptists and separatists in many places . this is the truth of the consequents about religion : and it fell out that the cromwellians and anabaptists professing more zeal for godliness than ordinary , did much of their work by suppressing sin and profaneness , and countenancing godliness : which hath taught us to wish that of two evils , rather hypocrisie than malignity may be in power . it 's better godliness be promoted for evil ends , than hated and persecuted . 68. whereas therefore the diocesane church of england exclusive of all nonconformists , and such as these men accuse , is so oft called , the best church in the world : it must mean that it is best in constitution and laws , or in the men that are ministers and members . if the first be their meaning , 1. the best laws without the best men never make the best church . 2. is one sole bishop over a thousand or many hundred parishes without any bishop or pastoral church under him a better form of government , than the contrary that was continued for many hundred years ? * and described by archbishop usher and others . 2. is a church governed by lay civilians decretive use of the keys so much better than that which is governed by the keys in the hands of the clergy only ? 3. is a church governed by canons that ipso facto excommunicate all that affirm any of their offices , ceremonies or forms , to have any thing sinful , better than those that unite in things necessary , and bear with such as these ? 4. are bishops and deans chosen by kings ( perhaps papists ) and incumbents chosen by any that can buy a presentation , better than those that are chosen by the clergy and people , and invested by the prince and patron . 5. is a church where the ignorant , sinful and unwilling are forced to communicate , unless they will lye beggar'd in goals , better than those that receive none to communion but the desirers ? 2. but if it be the best church in the world for men , they should let others praise them rather than their own mouths . are they so much better men than the nonconformists ? do their lives shew it ? doth credible fame speak it ? though mr. white was blamed for publishing the names of such as by credible oaths were ejected for drunkenness , or other scandal , this was no proof that they were the best men in the world ? nor yet that of 10000 that conformed 8000 of them had conformed before to the directory , and declared their assent and consent to the altered common prayer book before ever they saw it ( as i have proved ) whereas i remember not that ever i heard of one nonconformist these twenty eight years that was accused and punished for any such crime , unless preaching christs gospel be a crime , even when power and malice watcht for advantages against them , and crouded them into goals for preaching and praying . nor do i remember more than two single instances of im norality by credible accusations of fame , ( which was of fornication lamented ) in all these years . but alas how different is the common fame of too many of the publick clergy ! and are these the best men in all the world ? § 69. you may partly judge by their works , their writings and their lives . compare the writings and ministerial labours of the conformists and nonconformists , these thirty years , or since the new impositions . some pious conformists have done extraordinarily well : especially dr. barrow . dr. tillotson , dr. patrick , dr. stillingfleet , dr. tennison , &c. and is there not the same spirit of wisdom , piety and peace in the writings of anthony burgesse , mr. charnock , dr. manton , dr. bates , mr h●w , richard alleine , joseph alleine , tho. gouge , mr. swinnock , dr g●lpin , many volumes of the morning lectures , mr. flavel's , mr. steel's , mr. ambrose's , and many more such . this man singleth out me for one of the worst men living , and bishop morley bid men judge of all the rest by me ; [ ab uno disce omnes . ] and he was accounted one of the most eminent of the clergy for parts and orthodoxness : one book against me called his letter , is most shameless for untruths in publick matters of fact : his last and greatest is to prove against me that the parliament hath no part in legislative power , nor the whole kingdoms any right of self defence against any commissioned by the king on any pretence whatsoever . this accuser is an eminent member of the best church in the world : is this bundle of his gross untruths a proof that he is one of the best men in the world. he saith that the good that i wrote was for mischievous ends. and what should move a man in pain and expectation of speedy death to write above sixscore books great and small , that are contrary to the bent of his own heart ? and for that which he mischievously would overthrow ? to spend his life against his own affections ? § 70. accus . liii . his next charge is that [ i was employed in assisting the commissioners for sequestration . ] ans. a downright lie : i never had any thing to do for them or with them . another sort called commissioners for approbation that were to judge of men for institution upon presentations , would have had me to assist them , and i utterly refused it : but at last they got a trick , that when a man was presented that they would not approve , and yet would not incur the blame of rejecting him , they named three countrey ministers near him , and said , if those approved him they would accept him : three or four times they named me , and i refused to meddle in it : till three ministers that were episcopal and royalists , against the parliament told me , they should lose their livings if i refused them ; and only for them did i deny my self to do this office. and now this man makes it my crime to help his party to benefices : i never put out or rejected one of his party . he dealeth with me just as dr. pearce did : when i desired to reconcile the religious sort to the ignorant multitude whom the conformists had made their church , i was still met with the objection , ( that they had nothing but the name and accidents of christians ; that they scarce ever spake of god , or christ , or the life to come , unless in jest , or at the saying of their service ; that they never prayed in their families ; that multitudes of them were common swearers , lyars , drunkards , &c. to keep them from censuring the conformists and their churches over-much , and separating groundlesly . i told them how some foul sins that have got advantage by custom may stand with some degrees of grace . and what doth this doctor but turn this to my own reproach , as if i was for vicious looseness , and had described not theirs , but my own communicants ; whenas , without this charitable lenitive , i doubt it is above half the conformable laity that we must have turned from the sacrament , and so have maimed the church of england . just so doth this man accuse me for keeping in three prelatists . § 71. accus . liv. he maketh a long accusation again , of my taking the sequestration ; full of gross falshoods : principally , that the augmentation came out of the tythes of the vicaridge . a lye merely forged by him , without the least appearance of proof . it was granted aliunde , i know not whence , by the parliament , and paid by them . 2. that the vicar then had little , and he talks of desolate wives and children : whereas the vicar had no child , and had 40 l. a year for doing nothing . his debauch'd , sottish curate at mitton had all his old pay , without any abatement ; and was connived at by us to read common prayer once a day , and the other half of the day they had a worthy preacher . 3. and as for the 60 l. before and after paid me as lecturer , the vicar's bond for it was procured by his own friends importunity before the wars . oh what a rate do these accusers set on souls , that would leave so many to two such men , whom many plow-men and weavers in that congregation farther excelled in knowledge , and the exercise of it , than i will now express . § 72. accus . lv. he saith that i think my self wronged that i had not the fifth part still paid me , and expected to have it offered as my due . ] ans . a mere lye : 't is capable of no better name and answer . § 73. accus . lvi . because i said that the papists doctrine of deposing and destroying kings was worse , or had less excuse , than their act that here had fought against him , ] while i published my abhorrence of both sorts of regicides , he feigneth me to plead for them , and that more than others . § 74. accus . lvii . pag. 57. he saith it is men of my persuasion that say , that the representatives of the people in parliament have the supream power ; and whatever is enacted and declared for law by the commons in parliament , hath the form of a law. ] ans . impudently false : whereas in my christian directory i have fully confuted this , and such like , in ri. hooker , the man of their persuasion that they boast of . had he said that i hold that they have part of the supream legislative power , he had said true . § 75. accus . lviii . after a deal of impertinent talk of the army 's ill usage of the king ( which 't is like i did more against , than many such as he , ) he saith , [ that i plead for the obligation of the solemn covenant contumaciously , against the authority of the whole nation . ] ans . if the reader will find truth in this man's writings , he must first separate it from all the chaff of untruths that covereth it . i distinguish between 1. the imposing of that covenant . 2. and the taking of it . 3. and the keeping of the unlawful parts of it . 4. and the keeping of the lawful and necessary parts . the three first i speak against ; the fourth is all the matter of our dispute . that covenant is also a vow to god : therein men vowed to be against popery , profaneness , heresie and schism , and all that is against sound doctrine and godliness ; and to repent of sin , and amend ; and to defend the person and rights of the king. king charles the second took this covenant , and so did his lords and knights , and others , at their composition ; and many that imposed and took it were then , and some are yet alive . the question is whether i. and all england , can and must be certain that this vow bindeth neither king , parliament-men , or any one living , to renounce popery , schism and profaneness , and to repent of sin , and to defend the king. all the corporations of england are constituted by a new oath , that there is no obligation from this covenant , on me or any other person . ] i gave the reasons why i durst not swear this , leaving other men's consciences to their judge . now either there is some such obligation , or there is not . if there is , and i should venture , by an oath , or a subscription , to justifie king , parliament , and all the corporations in england , in publick , national perjury , what greater wickedness could i commit ? would this be a character of the best church in the world , to have such ministers ? but if there be no obligation from that vow , to the things aforesaid , 1. dr. sanderson , and most sober casuists are mistaken : who say , that though a vow be unlawfully imposed , and unlawfully taken , and part of the matter be unlawful to be kept , it bindeth us nevertheless to keep the necessary part . and what am i , that i should swear or say that i am wiser than all these doctors , and sure that they are mistaken ? 2 and then i must swear or say , that neither king , nor lords , nor any one took it in a lawful sense ; which else would oblige them . and must i become a voucher for thousands whom i never knew ? 3 and then i must swear or say , that the king was brought in by errour and deceit . monk's presbyterian army , and the presbyterian gentry and ministry of england brought in the king , as bound to it by this covenant , ( as they declared : ) and must i say , it did not bind them to it ? but our accusers are no self-accusers ; but god will difference between him that sweareth , and him that feareth an oath , and dare not take god's name in vain . § 76 accus . lix . he dipped his pen , not in gall and vinegar , but in the very poyson of asps , to keep open the wounds of the expiring church : to which end , he endeavours to draw his neighbour-ministers into an association , and procures the worcestershire agreement ; the design of which you may see in his gildas salvianus ] ans . i have here some help to understand christ , [ they that kill you , shall think they do god service . ] what duty so great , that some will not say is a crime that deserveth death ? the agreement accused is printed in a book called christian concord : the terms of it were , that episcopal , and presbyterians and independents , should agree in the practice of so much of the ministry and church-discipline as they were agreed about in their judgments or principles , and be left in the rest to their several liberties . was this a crime ? is an attempt of voluntary concord and peace the poyson of asps ? or is not the poyson of asps under their lips , that are haters of it , and have not known the way of peace ? i have had thanks from helvetia , and other parts of germany , for that gildas salvianus , and that pacificatory attempt ; which is to these men the poyson of asps . § 77. accus . lx. [ but there was then a petition , that scandalous and insufficient ministers might not administer sacraments ; on which , the loyal party were restrained . ] ans . and is it a crime to be against a scandalous , insufficient ministry , and a duty to be for them , that we may be the best church in the world ? reader , the truth is this ; there was a petition by some , that those , of what side soever , for king or parliament , whose insufficiency and scandal was so great , as to render them utterly uncapable of ministry , might not be allowed it : and i petitioned withal , that no man might be cast out , or restrained , for being for the king , against the parliament , and their cause . is this so poysonous ? doth not this man more disgrace his church than me , that taketh it for the poyson of asps to cast out only the uncapable , and keep in the rest ? § 78. accus . lxi . he accuseth me for telling the world truly how the english prelates had encouraged the enemies of serious godliness in the land , and at how much cheaper a rate a man might be a swearer , a drunkard , a whoremonger , an open scorner of godliness , than to fast and pray , or to hear a conformist in the next parish , when there was no sermon at home . ans . what doth the man mean by rendering this odious ? if he mean that all this was well done ; and that , as in armies , he hath most honour that killeth most ; so in their church , he is the best man that doth most against serious piety ; this is to profess themselves the devil's militia . but if he mean that i mis-report the matter of fact , and this was not so , he may as well persuade us that we lived not then in england , or that we knew not our neighbours , or that men spake not english . can we chuse but know that which every corner in all the land did speak ? doth he say a word to confute all this ? and it was a meritorious work to silence and imprison with rogues all that obeyed not their ungodly canons ; but it must go for a heinous crime to feel their malice , or blame their cruelty . § 79. accus . lxii . pag 66 , &c. he accuseth me , as accusing king charles the first of too much favouring the grotian design of union with the papists . but , 1. doth he say a word so much as to deny his letter to the pope , to venture crown and all for union ? 2. or to deny his sworn articles for toleration , mentioned in rushworth's collections , and others ? 3. or to deny the papists murders in ireland , and their power in the king's armies in england ? 4. or that he set up such bishops as laud , bromhall , and others ? but if accusing these men be my crime , ( when i would have saved england from them , ) reader , peruse but a full treatise , which i have long ago written , and hope to get speedily printed , with the very words of laud , bromhall , gunning , saywell , thorndike , heylin , pierce , parker , sparrow , beveridge , &c. for our subjection to a foreign jurisdiction , ( which the kingdom is sworn against , ) and then judge whether i accuse them wrongfully . must we be brought under aristocratical popery , or french church-government , merely by saying it is not popery ? and must the land so tamely be perjured and enslaved ? § 80 accus . lxiii . pag. 67. [ he hath been made use of as one of the most keen and catholick tools , that ever the papacy did employ . ] ans . 1. 't is an unrighteous honour to popery to call it catholick , while they are a sect contrary to catholicism . but why then do not these men love and cherish me , while they are striving for a foreign jurisdiction , if i be so much for them ? § 81. accus . lxiv . pag. 68. [ that i am for a mixture of episcopal , presbyterian and independent government . ] ans . and what harm is that ? i am for that which is good in all , and for the faults of none : but these men must needs be faultless , and curse all others , that they may bless themselves . but am i episcopal , and yet the greatest enemy to episcopacy ? are they for episcopacy that put down hundreds , to set up one in their stead ? § 82. accus . lxv . the next accusation is , that my five disputations of church-government came out to keep out episcopacy , and justifie our ordination . ] ans . 1. it was to bring in a threefold episcopacy , which our diocesans kept out , viz. episcopos gregis , episcopos praesides , and archbishops over these . 2. chancellor hide and morley produced that book before the king , lords and bishops , at the great meeting at worcester-house ; and morley said , no man hath written better than mr. b. of these things . and now it is all intolerable . 3. that disputation of ordination was never yet answered , ( that i could hear of , ) and yet men were forced to be re-ordained . i never had a hand in ordaining any one . § 83. accus . lxvi . his accusations of my holy commonwealth are so slippery and trifling , that they call not for an answer , unless it be that he taketh it for criminal , 1. that i told cromwell's army , that it was treason to take arms against the highest power , as they did ; and that if the highest legislative power was in the king alone , and not in king and parliament conjunct , i must confess that i was guilty of death . 2. or that i said , i honoured all the providences of god that made our changes , though i abhorred the deeds of men that were guilty . and is it a crime to honour god , and his works ? 3. or that i desired richard cromwell to govern well , and called my self his subject , though i never owned his right to the government ; thinking that christ directed me so far to submit to the possessor , when he paid tribute to caesar , and sent lepers , and others , to the high priests , that were usurpers . and this very man , and his best church in the world ( except seven or eight bishops ) do now practise that which he so condemned me for ; yea , and much more , while they swear obedience to the present king william , publishing that it is as to a king de facto only . § 84. accus lxvii . is , that i say , i had been a traytor had i taken arms against the parliament . ] ans . yes , or the king either , if the legislative power be in them conjunct . the king protested that he took not arms against the parliament , and the parliament protested that they took not arms against the king. this man makes mr. udal guilty of sedition against the queen , because it was against the bishops , her ministers : and is it not as criminal to be against the parliament ? are they so much lower than the bishops ? here he wonders that any christian can still take me for a saint , and the guide of the party ; and recites some applauding words of mr. john humfreys , ( no sectary . ) but i take my self for a very great sinner , and know no party that take me for their guide ; and am so conscious of my ignorance , that i know it to be far greater than my knowledge , and yet my affections come short of what i know . the rest of his invectives , to the end of his first chapter , are nothing but a rabble of intimated , congested lyes , upon the occasion of the wars , and perverted words , unworthy of a confutation . they are all built on the supposition that all that they did against the parliament and kingdom was not only just , but necessary ; and all the ignorance , drunkenness , ungodliness and cainism of the vicious part of their clergy were not to be blamed ; but the reproof of them , and endeavours to reform them was heinous wickedness . what a charm is the name of the diocesan clergy , that can turn the most scandalous treachery into sanctity , and make the best church in the world of the haters of ferious godliness , and make a desire of their reformation to be the badge of intolerable rebels ? § 85. accus . lxviii . he begins his second chapter with a recital of my profession , that 't is treason to fight against the king ; and with this oft repeated lye , that [ i had the confidence to meet the old king and his armies in the field . ] this is his diocesan history . i never met the king in the field , nor ever saw an army where he was , nor ever saw one of his armies , till that of goring's at langport-fight , where the field war ended . indeed , i came into the quarters where they had gone before me , and i was so guilty of opposing them , as to be ashamed of the fame they left behind them . at south-●ederton the gentleman where i quartered told me , that in his house they prick'd their fingers , and made the blood run into the cup , and drunk a health to the devil . at the catherine-wheel in salisbury , the neighbours reported , that some of them drinking a health to the devil , one of them was carried away , and never seen more : i went into the room , and saw a new standard and glass where the window was broken ; but the woman said , she was not in the room , and knew not how it was done , whatever the neighbours said of it , from the soldiers that were frighted . but 't is none of my purpose to intimate that they were all such , or most . § 86. accus . lxix . his next accusation is , [ our offering our consent to archbishop usher ' s reduction of the primitive episcopacy , as a means of concord . ] against this he saith , the bishops knew whence it came ; not from the archbishop , but from the presbyterian forge . ans . still this is english church-history : the archbishop usher owned it to his death , as his chaplains . dr. bernard and dr. parre testifie : he owned it to me himself , and told me , king charles the first refused it at first , but after would have accepted it . but he exclaimeth against it , as that which would have pulled down the bishops , or cut their throats . so that if one bishop may not be said to govern many hundred churches , when a lay-chancellor doth it , without any subordinate bishop or presbyters , their throats are cut . and even the two agents of our misery , sheldon and morley ; ( who were intrusted by the king to word this declaration , ) are by this man made their own cut-throats , by granting some part of pastoral power to the rural deans and synods . this is the church that must not be amended . he saith , that by this model [ they would have robbed the bishops of all their power , and taken it to themselves . ] and was archbishop usher such a robber of himself , and all the bishops ? did he motion any thing but the primitive episcopacy , with the edditions of their large diocess , wealth and honour ? what was the power that they would have taken to themselves ? was it to be diocesans , to rule a diocess as the smallest church that had none under it ? would each man have had this diocesan power , or only all , as one political body ? if each man , sure england had not diocesses enough for so many thousands : if all , as an aristocracy , could they desire more than convocations have ? or did they desire so much to all the ministers of a diocess , in conjunction with the bishop , as his councils , as every single lay-chancellor hath without the bishop ? this is just like the papists accusation of parish-pastors , that every man would be a pope in his own parish : and their saying of masters that are for governing their families , that every one would be a pope to his own house : and against self-governing [ of our words and actions . ] that every one would be a pope to himself : and idiots perceive not the contradiction . to be a pope is to be one that claimeth the government of all the world , ( or church . ) and is governing a family , or my self , governing all the world ? and is governing a parish-church under an archbishop , the governing of many hundred parishes that are no churches , but parts of a diocesan church ? i mentioned mr. stanley gower's words to me of archbishop usher , that he told him , that a bishop and presbyter differed not ordine , but gradu ; and that he took his primacy and lordship , not as his church-office , but as a collateral dignity given by the king : ] ( and one would think no man that believes the scripture should think otherwise . ) but this accuser saith , that he will not believe mr. stanley ( as he calls him ) or me : ( but must we therefore both disbelieve our own ears ? ) for he thinks the bishop should then act against his judgment and conscience . ( what act may that be ? ) and he citeth dr. bernard's testimony , as against my report ; whereas the very cited words of dr. bernard say the same , that a bishop hath superiority in degree above a presbyter . ] and the accuser putteth these words that are against himself in capital letters , it seemeth , not knowing what he did , or what ordo and gradus signifie . § 87. accus . lxx . he saith , i injuriously mention king charles the first his answer to the nineteen propositions , because he there gave away his right for peace . ] ans . i mention only his own description of the constitution by king , lords and commons , and their several powers : and would he persuade men that the king falsly described it , or that his historical description was his guilt . and he falsly saith , that i am a dissenter from bishop usher ' s judgment about the king's tribute in ireland . his uuntruths come so thick , that i am weary of naming them . as , pag. 88. 1. that i was for the extirpation of episcopacy , root and branch . 2. and yet , that the archbishop's model ( which we desired ) preserveth that species of diocesan bishops , which mr. b. would destroy . would we destroy that which we desired ? 3. and [ that under which mr. b. maketh christ's true discipline unpraecticable . ] ans . palpably false : for , therefore we desired it , because it maketh that discipline practicable by the help of parish-pastors , which without them is impossible . 4. that no government will please me , as long as the liturgy is established : when he should have said , that professing assent and consent to all in it will not please me , till i can do it without lying . 5. he saith , [ conformity is to me impossible , as long as any of those which i account heinous sins , are retained . ] ans . yes , if lying be conformity , to me one lye is unlawful . 6. that i was always opposing the party that was uppermost . ans . if that were true , it seemeth i sought not for preferment . 7. that i would have the new liturgy , or nothing . ans . and yet we offered to use the old , if amended , so we might not profess it less liable to exception , than our translation of the scripture it self ; and left it to the bishops to joyn so much of the additional forms as they saw good ; but the book was never debated by them . § 88. accus . lxxi . [ i have heard it credibly reported by some reverend persons there present that that treaty might have had the desired effect of concord had not mr. b. so obstinately resisted . ] ans . that is , either those reverend persons would have amended their impositions , if i had not petitioned them to do it , and told them the necessity of it ; or else that all the rest of the commissioned nonconformists would have conformed to all the old faults which they protested that they judged sinful , and to all the worse that should after be added , if i had not been against it . these reverend persons were as credible and reverend as you are ; as our present state in england tells us . then he tells us what the bishop of chester told mr. walton ( morley's steward ) what bishop sanderson said against me , ] which is half false : bishop sanderson taking the chair . i being by a multitude of arguments from the words of the text , proving against dr. gunning that paul in rom. 14 , and 15. requireth us to receive to communion such as differed in as great matters as those do that scruple kneeling at the sacrament ( which i told them i scruple not . ) i once told dr. gunning that he did petere principium in a case wherein dr. sanderson said that word was not in the common logical sence applicable to his words : and the old learned peevish man added that i was perverse for saying it : and this was the heavy charge . and he addeth what bishop morley said of my eagerness to dispute , when my prethren were unwilling . ] ans . bishop morley's words of me were much what as credible as yours or roger le strange's . why then did they consent if they were unwilling ? and if neither reasoning nor petitioning them might be used , what were we commissioned for ? the truth is , many of our brethren , when the bishops told them they would say nothing to us , till we brought in writing to them all the faults that we found with the liturgy , and also all the forms in terminis , which we desired as amendments or additions , did say , [ it was not this , but an amicable consulation that the king commissioned us for ; and seeing that this was a meer fraudulent pretence for our frustration , they motioned our departing , as being denied all that we were called to : ] but i told them , that the bishops would report behind our backs where we could not be heard , that we had nothing to say against their impositions , nor any other terms to offer , ( thinking we would never have agreed on any other . ) therefore i satisfied divers of them that though we were prejudged , it were better let the world see our cause stated in writing , than leave them to accuse us so , when we should never have leave to declare the truth , and deny their misreports . § 89. accus . lxxii . page 91. he saith [ his petition for peace then was like his pleas now , meer threatening and reviling : take heed ( saith he ) how you drive men by penalties on that which they judge would tend to their damnation : the denial of these desires would renew all our troubles . ans . and indeed is both damnation and the renewing of our troubles and divisions a matter of jest ? or so indifferent , as that it is threatening and reviling humbly to petition drs to take heed of them ? they rejected this reviling petition : and hath england or hell gained more by their rejection ? doth it not tend to mens damnation to swear , subscribe , profess or practise all those words and things as good and lawful , which they think sinful , and the imposers only call indifferent . have not the divisions been these thirty years a trouble to this land , which these men might have prevented and cost them nothing ? he addeth , [ they tell the bishops of unmerciful impositions . ] ans . and is it mercy to drive men to sin and hell , or a crime to beg for so cheap mercy for the souls of men , even of bishops ? he that doubteth is condemned if he eat , saith paul. england yet feeleth such mens mercy . there is , i think , but one of their commissioners now surviving ( nor on our side but few , ) even dr. tho. pierce dean of salisbury : and he moved for leave by disputation there to prove , that it is a work of mercy to all that think it unlawful to receive the sacrament kneeling , to deny it them , and the communion of the church , ( though the prohibition of all kneeling in adoration on any lords day , was one of the ancient ceremonies of the church , setled also at the great council of nice , and continued near a thousand years , saith dr. heylin . ) but morley had the wit to take him off that dispute . § 90. accus . lxxiii . page 96. after other harangues he alledgeth false causes of my refusing a bishoprick : i satisfied the lord chancellor hide by a letter , with truer reasons , too long here to repeat . § 91. accus . lxxiv . he next accuseth my moral prognostication . ans . let it answer for it self to the impartial reader . § 92. accus . lxxv . he threateneth me for blaming the laws . ans . and do not many bishops now blame the laws ? if laws be made engines of schism and persecution , let them justifie them that can , and that love them . david saith , shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee that frameth mischief by a law ? how many german divines blamed the interim imposed by the emperor as for peace ? § 93. accus . lxxvi . he next reciteth bishop morley's accusations in his printed letter . ans . which i have proved to abound with falshood , in a full answer , which for want of printing hath lain by me these six and twenty years . mr. baldwin is yet living who was present when he forbad me to preach . and dr. william bates is yet living who joyned with me in the savoy disputation which he misreported . § 94. accus . lxxvii . he accuseth my book called , the cure of church divisions , and yet saith , it is the only book that mr. b. hath written that hath any thing of moderation . ans . must the world have a confutation of so gross a liar , after the visibility of above sixscore books that are an evidence against him ; and after the testimony that the lord chancellor hide and morley gave of me ( producing one of these books ) before the king , lords and drs. at worcester-house : if i understand them , above a hundred books have been written by me , with a special design for moderation , unity and concord . § 95. accus . lxxviii . page 101. [ he is not ashamed to be a procurer of the indulgence for popery ▪ 1. because i said , [ i would have papists used like men. 2. i would have no man put to death for being a priest . 3. i would have no writ de excommunicato capiendo , or any law to compel them to our communion and sacraments . ] ans . this man is for moderation : do you think he or i is more for popery , or hath written more against it ? would he not have them used like men ? nor suffered to live ? and must they be cast out of a church that they were never in : it seems he would receive them all to his sacramental communion , if they will but chuse his church before the goal . § 96. accus . lxxix . page 102. because i hold that if a bishop or their church party would lay us in goal , for our duty to god , it is lawful to accept deliverance from a papist that is in authority . ] he feigneth that , if they will not come to us , i would go to them . and if a protestant did hang this man himself , would he take it for popery or sin , to consent that a papist cut the rope ? you see what kind of crimes we nonconformists are guilty of : a willingness to live out of goals , against the churchmens will ? nay it is yet more , our crime is that we will not damn our selves , by subscribing or swearing falsly , and breaking our ordination vow , by giving over our ministry . the proof that these men are against popery is , that they would have the nonconformists die in goals , and have no papist seek to deliver them . § 97. accus . lxxx . accusing my book against sacrilegious desertion of the ministry , he asketh me , why i baptize not , nor administer the lords supper , and so seem to desert christianity ? ans . because i was called to preach , and not to baptize , and administer the lords supper ; by the necessities of the people where i lived : there were in martins parish about 60000 more than could come into the church to hear : but they had curates enough to baptize , and they were compelled to the lords supper , or might have come , and neither minister nor people desired my help . and if these men believe it not , i do , that we may and must preach to many that yet are not capable of sacraments : and to many whose pastors and judges herein we are not . shall every minister that preacheth occasionally for him , presume to congregate his flock , and give them the sacrament ? or is he displeased that i gathered not a separated church ? § 98. accus . lxxxi . as to his accusation of the book , i leave it to the readers judgment that will impartially peruse it : but i am not yet convinced by him that it is a crime to name the heinous sins that have torn this poor nation , and no crime to commit them . most of his accusations are that i tell them of their sin , and perswade them to repent . § 99. accus . lxxxii . he accuseth my plea for peace , and my book called , the true and only way of the churches concord , as being utterly against peace . ans . read them and judge . § 100. accus . lxxxiii . he accuseth my history of turbulent bishops and councils and their anathematizing , as if it were false , and almost all was done by presbyters , ans . let him that hath read it , and the proof i cite , freely judge who is the falsifier . as to his talk about nestorius , had he read david derodon and what i have said in my reply to the defender of dr. stillingfleet ( mr. morrice ) it might have acquainted him with more than he seemeth to know , about the nestorians , eutychians and monothelites . as to his talk against the arrians , i am as much against them as he , but not so much against peace ; dr. henry more a learned conformist , saith that those after the council of nice , were to be numbered with the catholicks , and not with the antichristians . though a presbyter began their sect , it was bishops and persecuting emperors that upheld it . as to my words of many writers mistakes therein before the council of nice , he may find them with abundance more in petavius de trinitate . as to his words of the controversies and councils de tribus capitulis , he that excuses the said councils and bishops as faultless as to all the doleful divisions that followed , hath not a due love to peace and prudence . the same i say of the monothelites . § 101. accus . lxxxiv . his great accusation , page 126. is that [ if i had any fear of god , or reverence of man , i would not reproach the government and defame their laws , as if they were a strange parliament that made so many laws , that a man fearing god cannot obey . ] ans . 1. and must we go on such suppositions that our law-makers must not be said to make sinful laws ? where and in what ages doth this principle hold ? not in jeroboam's days , nor in ahab's , nor in any age after christ , till constantine , and athanasius had exceptions then . not in the days of constantius or of valens , no nor of theodosius the second , zeno , basiliscus , anastasius , philippicus , or of few christian emperors . nor now in rome , spain , france , poland , portugal , germany , &c. the lutherans under calvinists believe it not , nor the calvinists under lutherans ; nor the prelatists under presbyterians : nor those english bishops and clergy that now here refuse the oath to king william imposed by the parliament . if this man think that we have not fully shamed that worse than brutish conceit that we must not plead conscience against mens laws ( though as good men as any rulers we know ) he should have said more to confute us , than that [ we fear not god ] because we fear him more than man. this easie disputant confuteth my many volumes of reasons against obeying their impositions of oaths , subscriptions , professions and practices , by telling men that [ i may be ashamed to call them reasons . ] a short and cheap confutation : cannot the french say as much for dragooning the protestants : and that [ the laws were made upon deliberation , and for our peace . ] that is , for the peaceable success of silencers , and persecutors of gods faithful servants : and were not the six articles in henry the eighth's days made on deliberation ? and the french edicts against the protestants ? he referreth us to a book of church unity written in defence of dr. stillingfleet : and i refer him to my answer to that book , which was never answered , and confuteth much of this mans charge . as to his talk , [ that men of blood may be no bishops . ] i answer , 1. i never drew a drop of blood. 2. i refused their bishoprick . 3. i preach'd for the defence of kings and the nation against men of blood , irish , papists and delinquents . 4. were not the military clergy men of blood who complain of the parliament for ejecting them , for promoting the war against them ? was not dr. mew now bishop of winchester , dr. crofts now bishop of hereford , dr. compton now bishop of london , men of war when they went as chaplains or officers in the kings army ? and yet are bishops . § 102. page 127. he nameth [ the act for uniformity . ] as if naming it were a defence of it for silencing 2000 ministers for not lying and sinning . he nameth [ renouncing the covenant . ] and is that a justification against perjury , to them that own not the imposing or taking it , nor obligation to keep any but the moral necessary parts ? he nameth the [ declaration that it is not lawful on any pretence whatsoever , ( to take arms against any commissioned by the king. ) and is that a confutation of bilson , and other bishops ; and doth he not make his own church and party now perjured , who have taken arms against king james , or those that were commissioned by him ; and have set up another king ? if king james commission a french and irish army to invade england , are all bound not to resist them ? § 103. accus . lxxxv . he chargeth me with a scandalum magnatum , for saying , [ the parliament was drawn by the clergy to make those acts. ] ans . and did any man doubt of it , that then lived with his reason awake ? if it were not good , why did they do it , and why do you justifie it ? if it were good , why is it a scandalum magnatum to say you did it ? is your merit and praise a scandal ? § 104. accus . lxxxvi . because i tell how hypocrites tempted christ about paying tribute to caesar , ] he feigneth that i make christ [ do what he never intended , or really approved , and complied with hypocrites ; ] and saith , it is near to blasphemy . ans . i find too little in this accuser that is near to truth . how easily ▪ by such fictions , may he turn much of the gospel into blasphemies ? § 105. accus . lxxxvii . he addeth , [ and who can wonder , if he that speaks thus of the master , should not stick to revile his disciples ; making the conformists so many deliberately perjured persons ? ] ans . 1. must we not refuse perjury , for fear of your supposition that we accuse you ? we professed not to accuse you , but to prove that it would be perjury in us . 2. but if you are guilty , is not that more to be feared by you , than our saying why we dare not imitate you ? § 106. accus . lxxxviii . he addeth , [ and which is — mendacium magnum , that about six thousand persons that had gone the other way , did declare their assent and consent to a book which they never saw . ] ans . oh , what a mortal wound do this sort of men give to the credit of all history of the proud , factious , worldly part of the clergy ! when this man dare call this a lye , in the same land and age in which , 1. it is known that there are near ten thousand parish-churches , besides hundreds of chapels and curacies , and chaplains . 2. the land knoweth that these were in possession , 1662. 3. the land knoweth that the generality of them that were in 1659. conformed to the directory ; or else the prelatists belye the usurpers , that , they say , turned out all that did not . 4. the land knoweth ( or at least it is here commonly known ) that the new altered liturgy came not out of the press , till about bartholomew ▪ even . 5. the land knoweth that all were , by the law , to be turned out , that declared not assent and consent to all things contained in , and prescribed by that book , by bartholomew ▪ day . 6. the world knoweth , that all over england , the books could not be sent down and seen in a day . 7. the conformists confess the matter of fact , save to a few in london , that could go to the press . 8. the land knoweth , that it was but about two thousand that conformed not : must there not be then far more than six thousand that declared assent , &c. to the book that they saw not ? some of them now say , that in universities , and the chaplains and all set together , there are about thirty thousand ordained ministers in england : and what are two thousand to such a clergy ? § 107. accus . lxxxix . he noteth , that i say , that before i was turned out , i could keep no man-servant , nor any but one old woman , in a hired room ; and yet , in st. martin ' s , i could build a tabernacle for worship . from whence he gathereth , 1. that i hoped to gain the centurion's reputation among the factious . 2. that i had got well by nonconformity , that could lay out so much . ] ans . is there any thing pious or charitable , that these men cannot turn into odious crimes , by malignant calumny ? 1. was it faction to offer to teach freely in a parish , where were fifty thousand that could not come within the church ? 2. did he know my heart , that i did it for reputation ? and may he not say the like by any man that doth good ? 3. did i gain by nonconformity , that from the day that i was silenced , had never taken a groat for preaching , nor ever had a church to maintain me , and had commonly refused even friends gratuities ( save 10l from one man , that i could not refuse ) for many years after this , and save from few to this day ? who by refusing a bishoprick , and other emoluments , have lost , i think , above twenty thousand pounds by nonconformity ? what answer do these men deserve ? * and i preached but one sermon in that chapel , when i had built it to have preached freely . and when they persecuted me away , i resigned it to the parish-minister , for their publick worship , which is used there to this day , ( near sixteen years . ) but must i tell this man , how i got the money that did it ? how much others gave towards it , and how much i borrowed , or else be so guilty as this spirit maketh me . if it were a crime to be rich , fame reporteth him extraordinarily guilty : but if it be building chapels that is the crime , i never heard of his guilt . § 108. accus . xc . he saith , i am guilty of pride , malice and uncharitableness , for telling men that the wheel is turning , and bidding them remember which side will be down at last ; whether i mean of a change by providence , or of the day of judgment . ] ans . alas , poor men ! how soon will you know , that such counsel once signified better than pride , malice and uncharitableness , ( unless all preaching be such ) § 109. accus . xci . he accuseth me for saying , in mr. corbet's funeral-sermon , how sad a prognostick the death of such men was . ans . had this man known the great wisdom , sincere piety , eminent charity and peaceableness of that excellent man , as well as i did , or as glocester , chichester and london did , and his writings testifie , he would not have turned my lamentation into a reproach , nor seemed to intimate his contrary disposition . § 110. accus . xcii . because some other men say , that the time of the episcopal persecution will be but short , ] he gathers , that [ we are engaged in some plot against the government . ] ans . who he meaneth , i know not ; but if the time of life , and this world be short , certainly persecution will be short . every one that saith , your life is short , is not in a plot to murder you . all , save one man , that were commissioned as against us in 1661. have found already by death , that their time of revenge and wrath was short . his talk of dr. owen , and his surmizing that some would have had a toleration for popery , is like the rest ; when our main fears have been lest this sort of men were studying , from the time of laud , a coalition with the french papists , and so many of them have written for a foreign jurisdiction : but if we would not be ruined , silenced , and dye in goals by them , they will say we are for popery . § 111. accus . xciii . he accuseth me as most unchristian , in my answer to mr. cheyny , for what i say of his books , and accounting him melancholy . mr. cheyny is a man better known to me , than to him ; and i think , much better loved by me . he calls himself a nonconforming conformist , and a conforming nonconformist . i have motioned him to friends , for publick employment , for his serious piety : but these men that seem now to be for him , have depressed him , and driven him up and down , and disown his books , i think , more than i do : but any one that will allow them to use his name for them , shall be so far praised , while they cannot well endure him . but he glorieth of mr. cheyny's success in pleading the direction , in some dubious cases to go to the bishop for resolution , ( in the preface to the liturgy . ) and i wonder not at their valuing of that clause , for it is worth to many some hundreds a year ; and 't is hard to imagine what else could quiet many men's consciences . but if i should say , this is a frivolous ●alliate , though i prove it , he will say i am criminal , or confuted , by so denominating it . but , 1. the words limit the decision of the bishop only to that which is not contrary to any thing in the book ; and i am very tractable in such a case : but it is none of the cases that i am concerned in . 2. if it were in the bishop's power to put what sense he please on all the words , he were the law maker ; for the sense is the law. 3. i have gone to divers bishops , and asked their sense , and found it as unsatisfactory as the book it self . for instance , i asked the bishops at the savoy-debate , [ if i have two in my parish that declare they believe not in christ , but are deists ; and yet will send their child to be baptized , with godfathers and godmothers of their own fraternity , who declare that , whatever they say , they never mean to own or educate the child , ] what right that child hath both to baptism , and certain salvation ? and dr. sanderson ( in the chair ) answered that as long as he brought such godfathers as the church of england requireth , i must not doubt of his right . i long after asked bishop cunning , what proof he had from god's word , of the certain , undoubted salvation of all such baptized infants , if the parents were heathens or jews , or atheists , and resolved to educate their own children ? and he answered , that as any one had right to take up an exposed child in the street , and take him in charity into his house , so any one had power , as an act of charity , to take up any heathen's or infidel's child , and being him to baptism ; and then it was certain ( by the word of god ) that he was in a present state of salvation . these bishops judgments are not that undoubted word of god which they boast of , but will not shew us . and other bishops think otherwise . and so under several bishops , we must be of several religions . § 112. accus . xciv . he accuseth me for speaking of the tediousness of mr. r. hooker's argumentation , ( when their bishop sam. parler speaketh much more ) and the case is undeniable . ) and that i say , [ if hooker , bilson and usher were alive , they would be nonconformises . ] ans . have i not fully proved it ? they were honest men , and would not subscribe and practise contrary to their own writings ; but their writings are downright against much of conformity . how large is hooker for the popular legislative power ; and that the king useth not power , but usurpation , when he useth more than the law giveth him ? how large is bishop bilson for resisting the king in divers cases ? doth not conformity renounce and forswear this ? mark the renowned bilson in this : honest men would not go against their judgments . § 113. accus . xcv . pag. 134 , 135. he maketh it my shameful heinous sin , to beg of the bishops not to be guilty of one of the most heinous sins in the world , even the silencing faithful ministers causlesly , and famishing many thousand souls , and laying them in goals that have charity to relieve them . saith he , [ doth not the reader blush for mr. b. to read such arrogant censures of a dying man , concerning his betters ? ] ans . were i not a dying man , the world might more powerfully have tempted me to be like you ; and to call evil good , and good evil ; and to regard as little the interest of souls , and of serious godliness . and are my betters better than he that bid us pray the lord of the harvest to send forth more labourers ; and that said of such as offend one of his little ones , it had been better for them that a mill-stone had been hanged about their necks , and they cast into the sea ? were they better than he that told james and john , that they knew not what manner of spirit they were of , when they shewed their natural inclination to that prelacy which is now your glory ? 1. by desiring to be greatest , and to sit at his right hand and left. 2. by silencing a man that used christ's name against devils , because he followed not with them . 3. by desiring a fiery punishment upon those that received not christ and them . are my betters better than peter and the apostles , that were for obeying god before men ? or than paul , that charged timothy so dreadfully , as before god and christ , to preach the word , and be instant , in season , and out of season ? &c. are my betters so good at alchimy , that they can transform the most heinous crimes into sacred vertues , and the greatest duties into odious sins ? reader ; oh , who governeth that part of the world , where the greater the sin is , the more heinous is his crime that blameth it ? and where repentance , and persuading men to repent , goeth for the most intolerable evil ? were it not that fleshly and worldly interest were against it , i should fear that at last murderers , thieves , traytors , adulterers , perjured , and all such , should accuse all those that either accuse them , or dissent from them ; and demand against them the same punishment for calling them faulty , that their own crimes deserve ? but though those that have died in goals for preaching ( nothing but the gospel ) are out of the reach of these that would kill them again , if they did but say , you killed us ; yet one that is better than these persecuting betters , will say , in as much as you did it to one of these , you did it to me . and to accuse us as the priests and sadduces did the apostles , [ you would bring this man's blood in us , ] will not transferr the guilt or punishment , from the blood-guilty , to the reprover . § 114. accus . xcvi . because i say that ancient christians disobeyed lawful magistrates , in preaching and worship , he saith , [ as if christian magistrates were to be reputed as heathen persecuters . ] ans . i. and indeed , were ( not only constantius and valens , but also ) theodosius ii. arcadius , zeno , basiliscus , anastasius , and many such , heathen persecutors ? and did not the bishops of alexandria , antioch , jerusalem , rome , constantinople , and many hundred other bishops , disobey them , and many by arms resist them ? and is it not as bad to resist christian emperors , as heathens ? i think it was not well done . what historical proof can convince this sort of men ? 2. but see what their obedience amounteth to . who is to be judge whether their rulers be so bad , as that the bishops and people may disobey them ? must the rulers themselves be judges , or every subject for himself ? they dare not answer it without fraud and confusion . but he saith , [ if one read the preamble to the late acts , you may see that the cause of making them , was not only the late dreadful experience that the nation had of the confusions caused by the preaching of such men , but their present endeavours to reduce us to the like again ] ans . 1. he doth not tell you how fully i have answered this , in the apology which he accuseth . and every boy and woman cannot disprove him . 2. who is to be judge who the preachers were that caused our confusions ? the old parliament said , it was such as laud , sibth●rp , mainwaring , and those that drew the king from his parliament . if i knew this man to be wiser or greater than the parliament , i might prefer his judgment , and prefer the hundreds cast out for scandal , before those that are imprisoned for preaching . 3. why would they never grant our frequent petitions , to silence only those that never medled with war , or had no accusation against them for any such confusions , and spare not those that had been guilty ? were all the thousands guilty of the wars , that were children or school-boys ? 4. why were not the eight thousand that after conformed , guilty of those confusions as much as the rest ? yea , many of them had been in arms against the king's army . 5. was declaring assent and consent to all things contained and prescribed in your books a means to prevent wars or confusions , when such impositions caused them ? is silencing , ruining , and keeping in goals all that own not so much of your infallibility , the means to avoid confusions ? 6. what were the present endeavours to reduce you to the like ? was it the presbyterians bringing home the king , who they doubted not would set up the revengeful clergy ? why were they not accused for false or seditious doctrine , if they were guilty , or forbidden only to preach such , but forbidden to preach at all , and accused meerly for preaching ? his long invective , to pag. 148. is partly a false report of my words , and partly a justification of all their persecutions , and an outcry against a persuasive to repentance . let the reader but peruse the books accused , and i desire him but to judge as he seeth cause . § 115. accus . xcvii . if the reader will himself read my treatise of episcopacy , which he accuseth , i will make no other defence of it than what it maketh for it self . but his words convince me not , that reproving persecutors is worse than persecuting . § 116. accus xcviii . he maketh it my pride to print mr. glanvile ' s letter to me , though i disowned harshly his excessive praise , ) while dr. stillingfleet had called me to it , by printing foreigners letters against us . and i must be yet more proud , for telling bishop morley and gunning , that i offered them a way if christian concord , more sure and harmless than that which they had tried , because it was more divine , being only to unite in what christ hath instituted . ] ans . 1. it is no pride to say , that christ is greater and wiser than those bishops ; and that to unite in his own instituted terms of union , issurer than the terms of their canons , or act of uniformity . is it pride in all the protestants , that to the papists prefer scripture-sufficiency to their canons . § 117. accus . xcix . he falsly alledgeth the reason of my unsatisfiedness with dr. stillingfleet ' s concessions . one of the chief was , that he would have parents disabled to chuse schools and tutors for their own children . but whether such men as this were not far more against dr. stillingfleet's concessions than i was , let my old friend , mr. samuel thomas , now of chard , his invective against dr. whitby and dr. stillingfleet , be judge ; and dr. stillingfleet himself , who seemed once to yield to terms of concord , which many of us offered to him and others . and judge of the peaceableness of that tribe of clergy-men , by the university of oxford's burning dr. whitby , a conformist's excellent book , called the reconciler , and his being forced to seem to retract it . § 118. accus . c. his intimations , pag. 156. of my desiring to be a parish bishop , and also motioned with dr. owen to be an archbishop , are meerly impudent : when i never was either parish-bishop , or sought it at least , since cast out of the ministry , 1662. nor so much as the pastor of any church , and have refused a diocesan bishoprick many years before any one now in england was a bishop . how can a man be n nocent before such impudent accusers and judges ? § 119. accus . ci. as to his accusation of my self-contradictions , and l'estrange ' s proof , i think no distinguishing reader will need a confutation of so false a charge , which confused heads do feign , that understand not things that differ . and for his charge against my third plea for peace , about the principles of government , i only refer the reader to the book . § 120. i have not thought his mere general clamours worthy of a particular answer , lest i tire the reader , as i have tired my self with so unsavoury an employment . but i will here tell the reader , how i that these eight years have never thought this accuser worthy of an answer , have been brought to change my judgment and to be at this unpleasing labour , when other thoughts are more suitable to my condition . i. a letter from some ancient conformist , that calls himself cantianus de minimis , ( of my age , seventy five , ) so earnestly calleth me to repentance and retractation before i dye , referring me to this book for the notice of my sins , that i thought not meet to resist his importunity . ii. i read so much of the horrid reports of many papists , of the crimes and deaths of luther , zuinglius , oecolampadius , calvin , bucer , phagius , beza , and many such , and how confidently they are commonly believed in the roman church , and how greatly it hardeneth many against the reformation , that i was loth to contribute to their deceit . and i find that the same sect accuseth the generality of dissenters , that do but affirm that there is and thing in their books of liturgy or articles , or in their ceremonies or ordination , or in their government by archbishops , bishops , deans , archdeacons , and the rest that bear office therein , unlawful or repugnant to the word of god , ) who are my accusers , and cry , as morley , ex uno disce omnes ; and when they have render'd me as one of the worst on earth , they make the rest as bad ; when i take them to be ( for the most ) the best ministry that i ever knew . and no wonder that their writers and preachers thus report them , when their canons ipso facto excommunicate them ( unheard , ) not excepting lords , knights , ministers , or any . and lying is now grown so common a sin in england , ( confessed by all , ) that few know what reports to believe , or to reject : so that to betray my own cause to these accusers and canoneers , is to betray the innocency of many thousands . iii. i have long thought it my duty to call this sinful , divided , selftearing , bleeding nation to repentance , in a treatise called , repent o england , ( bradford's dying words , ) though experience telleth me , that such men as this will take the motion for a greater crime , than all the sins that i call them to repent of ; so odious a thing is repentance and confession to the proud and impenitent . and before i call others to repentance , ( several sorts , ) i take it for my first duty to exercise my own : to which end , i unfeignedly resolved to confess what i could by any means find to be my sin ; and being referred to this accuser for my conviction , i found the falshoods and calumnies so many , and so gross , that i took it for my duty not to seem by silence to give credit to them ; but having confessed what sins i found , to do my part to save others from the temptations to hatred , and lying , and persecution , which such men lay before them . iv. and having laboured most of forty two years , by writing to profit posterity , as well as the present age ; and written above a hundred and twenty books to that end , and god having prospered them far beyond my expectation , ( in germany , and other foreign lands , as well as in britain , ) i thought it treachery to suffer the devil and his agents to blast them all , ( with those that know me not , ) without any contradiction and confutation of the slanderers . sure if they were worth so many years labour , 't is worth a little to take them out of the fire or water where diabolism casteth them : which i am the more moved to , because while i have the thanks of thousands that have read them , common fame , and mr. cantianus , that called me to this work ▪ and others , do tell me , that the generality now known by the name of tories ( or malignant haters of serious piety ) in england , especially among the universities and clergy , do so much hate my name , that they will read no book which they see my name prefixed to , ( unless as the adversary against whom it is written . ) and as i have small hope of curing that malignant prejudice , ( which is more the hurt of the envious than of me , ) so i must not by sloth or silence contribute to its increse , and men's guilt . § 121. i will conclude with these three farther notices to all readers , for the true understanding of all these controversies with the men who so implacably hate and accuse me . i. that they grosly cheat their sequacious believers with this great lye , that i am against bishops ; whereas i am for a divine right of three sorts of bishops , ( two by direct institution , and the other by consequence , ) viz. i. general bishops , ( call them archbishops , or diocesans , or apostolicks , or evangelists , ) that in every nation are over many churches . ii. episcopi gregis , or ruling pastors of single churches , which are all true presbyters . iii. episcopi praesides , or pro-estotes , which are the presidents of the presbyters in particular churches . and that i am of the judgment of grotius , de imperio summarum potestatum circa sacra , and highly value bishop overall's convocation-book in the main , but abhor all foreign jurisdiction , yet desiring the most extensive foreign communion . § 122. ii. that they grosly cheat their believers , in telling them that i am against forms and liturgies , when they know that we offered to use theirs , upon the amendment of some faults , and severe cruel impositions ; and by their demand were put to draw up additional forms , which we did in the very words of scripture : and though some called it the reformed liturgy , because it seemeth an entire frame , yet it is falsely said , that we would have that or none ; ] for we only offered it to the bishop's examination , which they would never do : and even this accuser hath nothing that i find against it , but that i confess it was hastily drawn up in eight days , and therefore must needs be imperfect , and deserve a review . and so it is our crime , that we take not their three books to be all such effects of infallibility , as to have no one fault contrary to god's word ; and yet to confess our own ( though in the words of scripture ) to be the work of defectible , imperfect men , and therefore needing a perfecting review . humility , and not subscribing to an arrogant claim of their indefectibility , is our great crime . § 123. iii. they yet more dangerously deceive their believers , persuading them , that we appropriate godliness and serious religion to our extemporate praying , and to the opposition to bishops , liturgy , and conformity ; and that we falsely dishonour their church , by representing their candidates and clergy to be more unable preachers , or more ungodly livers , than the nonconforming ministers and candidates ; and their parish-flocks to be more unqualified for church-communion , and a more irregular church , than such as we have desired in our motions for reforming-concord : whereas ( say they ) we have the best clergy and church in all the world. to which i say , 1. that we have largely enough , in folio , oft told the world what it is we account and call godliness , even the making and keeping the baptismal covenant ; believing , willing and living according to the creed , lord's prayer , and law of christ . we offered them a liturgy ; we owned all that was good in theirs : we know that prayers from a book , as from a habit , are accepted , if they come from a penitent , believing and obedient soul ; and that the prayers of ungodly hypocrites are unacceptable to god , whether with a book , or without . 2. and we love and honour conformable ministers and people that are christians indeed , and shew it by serious practice of christianity : and we are very thankful to god , that england hath had so many such , that were conformable long ago ; and we doubt not , hath many such yet , even under the new ( and much worse ) conformity . we know not that nation that hath more excellent men than many of the bishops were in queen elizabeth's time , and than many divines since have been ; such as robert bolton , dr. presion , dr. sibs , mr. scudder , mr. wheatley , mr. dyke , dr. taylor , mr. downham , dr. stoughton , dr. gouge , mr. gataker , dr willet , dr. whitaker , dr. field , archbishop usher , bishop downam , bishop beadle , &c. oh , how many of such excellent men hath this land been blessed with ! ( and the pious nonconformists were of the same spirit , though not in all things of the same opinions . i have lately told you in a small book , called can and abel , what are the things that make the difference , which hath my chief regard . but such conformists as i have named have , since laud's ●ays , with many gone under the name of conformable puritans , and by this accuser are reproached by the name of [ passive conformists , ] because they had rather the ceremonies and needless subscriptions were forborn , than able , faithful preachers silenced . the prejudice that he saith i had from my youth against the bishops and clergy , was only against ungodliness and malignity . is it like that i was against the pious conformists , when i was tutored by them , heard them , and was of their judgment ? but can we not , even among conformists , distinguish the malicious , ungodly , worldly , from holy men of love and peace ? § 124. if posterity and strangers must be deluded by such false historians as this , that tell them the serious godly ministers and people were schismaticks and rogues , and the haters of serious religion were the most religious , who can help it ? they talk so now to those that live among both parties . and the debauched , sensual youth , and the covetous and ambitious worldlings , seem ( partly ) to believe them : but so do not the sober sort , that daily see the confutation of their malice . § 125. for my own part , i will conclude , that if i had not known that sort of serious godly men , whom the present malignants now render odious by their calumnies , i fear i should not have sincerely believed in jesus christ , and that his gospel is true . for the rest , both ministers and laity , whom i ever knew , shewed no serious ●elief of that christian faith which they professed . here and there there was a civil person by temper and education ; but commonly , not a serious word could i hear from their mouths about god , or our redeemer , and the spirit 's sanctifying works ; or of death and judgment , and the life to come , ( save in the pulpit ; ) nor did they love to hear any such from others , but their talk and whole conversation was about the world , or common worldly things , and ( as mr. bolton largely describeth them ) any godly serious discourse did but disgust them , and marr their mirth , and make them revile the speakers as puritaus , hypocrites , or some such names . few did i know of them that excelled cicero , sencca ; or equalled ant●nine , epictetus , plutarch . and if christ made christians no better than the philosophers , how could i think better of him , than of them ? or trust that physician that cureth none ? i thank god that i have found more of the effects of his saving grace than the ordinary sort , and members of the described church-party , which these men extol , did ever shew me . note , the words in the epistle , and pag. 84. about school . masters , are thse , and no otherwise to be understood ; [ that no indulged persons , under severe penalties , to breed up scholars , or to teach gentlemen's sons university-learning ; because this may be justly looked on as a design to propagate schism to posterity , and to lay a foundation for the disturbance of future generations . ] dr. stillingfleet ' s unreasonableness of separation , preface , pag. 88. how many excellent preachers hath god raised by this way , which he would have hinder'd by severe penalties ? and how many souls converted and confirmed by them ? a catalogue of mr. richard baxter's books , sold by tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns , near mercers chapel , at the lower end of cheapside . folio . 1. mr. baxter's christian directory : or , cases of conscience . 2. — catholick theology . 3. — methodus theologiae . quarto . 4. — saints everlasting rest . 5. — — church-history . 6. — — history of councils , second part. 7. — his treatise of episcopacy . 8. — — annotations on the new testament . 9. — — life of faith. 10. — naked popery . 11. — apology for nonconformists . 12. — answer to dodwell , and dr. sherlock . 13. — second defence of nonconformists , against dr. stillingfleet . 14. — catholick communion : in six several controversies . 15. — which is the true church . 16. — moral prognostication . 17. — search for english schismaticks . 18. — farewell-sermon . 19. — alderman ashurst's funeral-sermon . 20. — mr. john corbet's funeral-sermon . octavo . 21. — treatise of self-denial . 22. — his catechism for families : or , teacher of householders . 23. — spiritual comfort . in thirty two directions . 24. — directions for weak , distemper'd christians . 25. mr. baxter's treatise of justification , imputation of righteousness , and imputation of our parents sins ; against the accusations of dr. tully . 26. — a full and easie satisfaction , which is the true and safe religion . 27. — — the cure of church-divisions . 28. — — the certainty of christianity , without popery . 29. — a key for catholicks , to open the jugling of the jesuite . 30 , 31. — two treatises of death and judgment . 32. — the defence of the nonconformists plea for peace : or , an account of the matter of their nonconformity . against mr. j. cheyny's answer . 33. — a defence of the principles of love. 34. — more reasons for infants church-membership . in answer to mr. tombs . 35. — immortality of the soul. 36. — more reasons for the christian religion . 37 , 38. — two disputations of original sin. 39. — mr. stubbs his funeral-sermon . these under-written are lately printed . quarto . 1. mr. baxter's english nonconformity sa under king charles ii. and king james ii. truly stated and argued . 2. — a treatise of knowledge and love compared . in two parts . i. of falsly pretended knowledge . ii. of true saving knowledge and love. 3. — the glorious kingdom of christ described , and clearly vindicated . 4. — a reply to mr. thomas beverly's answer to my reasons against his doctrine of the thousand years middle kingdom , and conversion of the jews . 5. — of national churches , their description , institution , use , preservation , danger , maladies , and cure , partly applied to england . 6. — church-concord : containing , i. a dissuasive from unnecessary divisions and separation ; and the real concord of the moderate independents with the presbyterians , instanced in ten seeming differences . ii. the terms necessary for concord amongst all true churches and christians . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26982-e2800 * said to be one parker a lawyer . ☞ notes for div a26982-e8240 ☞ * see mr. clarksons proofs . see dr. sherlock's defence . hath not bishop stillingfleet himself taken k. william's oath . * so dr. ashton prosessed , as before god , that it is 〈…〉 covetousness that we conform not . the humble petition of many thousands, gentlemen, free-holders, and others, of the county of worcester, to the parliament of the common-wealth of england. in behalf of the able, faithful, godly ministry of this nation. delivered by colonel jeff bridges, and mr. thomas foly, december 22. 1652. vvith the parliaments answer thereunto. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a76181 of text r15906 in the english short title catalog (thomason e684_13). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 16 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a76181 wing b1285 thomason e684_13 estc r15906 99859942 99859942 112046 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a76181) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 112046) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 105:e684[13]) the humble petition of many thousands, gentlemen, free-holders, and others, of the county of worcester, to the parliament of the common-wealth of england. in behalf of the able, faithful, godly ministry of this nation. delivered by colonel jeff bridges, and mr. thomas foly, december 22. 1652. vvith the parliaments answer thereunto. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. bridges, john, colonel. foley, thomas, 1617-1677. england and wales. parliament. 8 p. printed by robert white, for francis tyton, and thomas underhill, and are to be sold at their shops, the three daggers in fleetstreet, and the bible and anchor in pauls church-yard, london, : 1652. attributed to richard baxter. annotation on thomason copy: "decemb. 28.". reproduction of the original the british library. eng church and state -england -early works to 1800. a76181 r15906 (thomason e684_13). civilwar no the humble petition of many thousands, gentlemen, free-holders, and others, of the county of worcester, to the parliament of the common-weal baxter, richard 1652 2867 2 0 0 0 0 0 7 b the rate of 7 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the b category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-04 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-05 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2007-05 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the humble petition of many thousands , gentlemen , free-holders , and others , of the county of worcester , to the parliament of the common-wealth of england . in behalf of the able , faithful , godly ministry of this nation . delivered by colonel john bridges , and mr. thomas foly , december 22. 1652. vvith the parliaments answer thereunto . london , printed by robert white , for francis tyton , and thomas vnderhill , and are to be sold at their shops , the three daggers in fleetstreet , and the bible and anchor in pauls church-yard . 1652. to the honourable the parliament of the common-wealth of england . the humble petition of us gentlemen , free-holders , and others inhabiting the county of worcester . shevveth , that your petitioners having with grief observed both the language of many pamphlets and persons of late times , against the ministers of christ among us , and petitions preferred to you against their present maintenance , without any regard to the substitution of a fitter : and these pretending to the relief of the impoverished nation , as if they were the very sense and language of the body of this commonwealth : we cannot but suspect , yea discern that there is a party that desire and endeavour the subversion of the ministrie ; yet have we hitherto remained silent , partly in hopes that they were so few and inconsiderable , as not to deserve to be publikely taken notice of , and mentioned , to the dishonour of our nation : partly that we might not interrupt your weighty consultations , but chiefly lest we should be mis-interpreted to suspect your fidelitie to the ministrie , and consequently to christianity and christ himself : which we know you must needs resent as an uncharitable censoriousness , considering how evident you have seen , and how often acknowledged with greatest solemnity , the lord jesus in your preservations ; and how deeply you are engaged to him above most men on earth , and how sensibly you vindicated a persecuted ministrie in the very beginning of this parliament , and how strongly you have obliged your selves , not only to preserve the reformed religion in doctrine , worship , discipline , and government ; but also to promote in all these a further reformation where it is wanting ; as also considering what a tender respect to a faithful ministrie you have all along to this day professed , and are still consulting for the propagation of the gospel , and have done justice on some opposers so near you ; besides the augmentations you have allowed to many places where means was wanting . we disclaim therefore all such ungrateful censoriousness , and thankfully acknowledge all your favors to the ministrie and gospel of the lord jesus , who is easily able to reward you , and see that you be no losers by him and his cause . but yet least our continued silence should seem to signifie our consent to those that would undo us , under pretence of releiving us ; and lest they be thought to speak our sense , lest their audaciousness encrease while none contradict them : and lest we dishonour our nation in the eyes of the christian world , whilest they think that the voice of these few is the common voice ; and lest your own hearts should be overwhelmed with grief , not only to see such a degenerated people living under your government ; but also that so few gain say them , as if the nation had lost their love to the gospel : and that after such light , profession and engagements ; and consequently you may think they will prove an ungrateful people to you , who prove so ungrateful to the lord their saviour ; we have therefore adventured on this bold enterpellation , and crave your patience , while we do with more then ordinary importunity bespeak you , seeing it is in the zeal of the lord , for his glory , his church , his gospel , and the souls of our selves and posterity . we know it was by ministers of the gospel , that the lord jesus did set up his kingdom on earth , and hath subdued so much of the world to himself , destroying the kingdom of darkness , paganism , idolatry , and wickedness : we know he granted their commission upon the reception of his plenipotencie , and upon his ascending he gave them for the perfecting of the saints , and the edifying of his body , till they come to his fulness , and that as a means to preserve them from seducers , and being tossed and carryed about as children with every wind of doctrine , eph. 49. to 15. and hath promised to be with them to the end of the world : which promise he hath hitherto eminently accomplished . it is the ministrie by which christ hath continued his church to this day : nor do we know , or have heard of that place on earth where christianity was ever maintained in splendor and vigor ( if at all continued ) without a ministrie . it was the ministers by whom christ did waken the superstitious world , and discover to them the romish delusions ; and by whom he begun and carryed on the work of reformation , by them exciting a zealous magistracie ; and after all their labours , multitudes of them did sacrifice their lives in the flames . it is the writings of a learned able ministrie which yet stand up in the face of heathenish , mahometan , and romish adversaries , to their vexation and confusion , which they may sooner reproach or burn , then answer : by which after-ages are , and still may be stablished in the truth , against all the subtill endeavours of seducers . it is a learned , able , faithful ministrie , which yet is the daunting and discouragement of the jesuits and other deceivers , who well know , if these were but taken out of their way , how boldly they might dare us , how insultingly they might challenge us to dispute for our religion , and how easily they might silence and shame us , and thereby carry away the multitude after them . for who should strengthen the peoples hearts and defend the cause of the lord against them , if such a ministry were down ? it was a faithfull ministry who revealed gods mercy , and the precious truths of the gospel to our own souls , and whom god by the cooperation of his spirit hath blessed to be the means of converting , or confirming , or both , the souls of all those of us who have attained to any saving knowledge of himself . when we remember how often and how happily our souls have been revived and refreshed by their ministry , we are ashamed of the remisness of our zeal in this cause ; when we think that they are our fathers , and confirmers in christ , and how they must present us to him at his appearing as their joy and crown , phil. 2. 19 , 20. and that when we have escaped the flames of hell , and meet them in glory , we must acknowledge them instruments of so unvaluable a blessing ; we had rather there were no tongues in our mouths , then that ever we should joyn with their reproachers , and had rather suffer greater wants then ever we yet suffered , then ungratefully deny them their necessary maintenance , seeing our lord himself said , when he set them upon his work , the labourer is worthy of his hire ; and the holy ghost saith , who goeth to warfare at his own charge ? they that minister about holy things , live of the things of the temple ; even so hath the lord ordained , that they which preach the gospel , should live of the gospel , 1 cor. 9. 7. to 15. considering also that they are not forreigners , but englishmen , our own brethren , and sons that receive it from us , even that which by law is not ours but theirs ; and considering also how much more liberal papists are to their mass-priests and seducing jesuits then we are to a faithfull ministry of christ . and when we consider , that if england do excell other nations in the light of knowledge , and power of godliness , it is the ministry that are herein our glory , and the means of what the people do enjoy , we cannot be so ungratefull to them as to starve them , and cast them off ; nor yet such enemies to englands happiness and honour : yea when we consider how the dreadfull , omnipotent king of saints doth call them his co-workers , and hath sent them in subserviency to his own blood shed , and spirit , and said , he that despiseth you , despiseth me ; we had rather endure any corporal calamities , then stand charged with such a sin at the bar of our lord : yea ▪ and when we consider how he hath owned and stood by them , and rebuked kings for their sakes and his churches , charging them to do his prophets no harm ; and how well those rulers have sped , that have most obeyed , and encouraged them in the work of the lord ; and how god hath broken those powers that have disobeyed and abused them , 2 chron. 36. 15 , 16 , 17. and how severely he hath dealt in england before our eyes with that generation of men that silenced , reproached , and persecuted them ; we tremble at gods judgements , and dare not venter into the same consuming fire , whose flames are yet so fresh in our memory . your petitioners having as in the presence of the lord made this necessary and solemn profession of their judgements , affections , and resolutions , to acquaint you how far they are from approving or consenting to any opposers or underminers of the ministry and gospel of the lord jesus , do humbly address themselves , with these earnest requests , to this honourable assembly . first , that you will be pleased , not only to continue your owning of , and tenderest care for the upholding or an able , godly , faithfull ministry ( of which we dare not doubt ) but also that you will so far countenance and encourage them in the lords work , and discountenance all that oppose them directly or indirectly , that all the world , and especially the people of this common-wealth , may still see , and acknowledge your open and resolved adhering to the reformed christian religion , and interest of the lord jesus : and seeing all the ungodly ( besides misguided distempered christians ) are ever discouragers of them , god having sent them on a work so unpleasing to flesh and blood , you will the more sedulously encourage them , as nursing fathers of the church . secondly , that you will be pleased to this end , to take special care of their competent maintenance , that we may not have an ignorant ministry , while they are forced to be labouring for food and raiment , while they should be in their studies , or watching over their flocks ; and that through disability or unpreparedness , they disgrace not the work of christ , nor make it and their office contemptible , thereby rejoycing the enemy , and hindring the saving of souls ; specially seeing it is expected that they credit their doctrine with works of charity : and seeing that a dependant and beggarly ministry will lose so much of their authority with the souls that most need them , and themselves will be laid open to the sore temptation of man-pleasing ; besides the probability of the suffering of their children , when they are dead : and if the ministers of this age be never so resolved to continue their work through all necessities , yet in the next age the church is like to be destitute and desolate , because men will set their sons to other studies and imployments : we therefore humbly crave , that this honorable assembly will not take down the present maintenance by tythes ( though we have as much reason to be sensible of those inconveniences that it is charged with , as others ) or at least , not till they , instead of it , establish as sure , and full , and fit a maintenance . thirdly , that you will be pleased to take into your compassionate thoughts , both the dark places in england and wales which want able godly teachers ; and the state of great cities , and populous towns , where through the exceeding number of souls , one minister hath more work then can possibly be done by many : whereby while they are confined to the publike work alone , all private ministerial instruction , admonition , and other oversight , must needs be neglected : that therefore to such very numerous congregations , you would allow a maintenance , if not to ministers proportionable to the number of souls , and greatness of the work ; yet at least more then in smaller places : we offer but the same request to you , in your places , which christ hath commanded us to offer to god himself , that where the harvest is great , and the labourers are few , more labourers may be sent into the harvest . fourthly , that you will be pleased to continue your care of the universities , and schools of learning , and tenderly preserve their maintenance and necessary priviledges , that there may be a meet supply of labourers for the continuation of the gospel , and the glory of england to our posterity . fifthly , and because our sad divisions in matter of religion , especially about church-government , have been such a hinderance to the propagation of the gospel , that you will be pleased speedily to imploy your utmost wisdom and power for the healing of them : and to that end would call together some of the most godly , prudent , peaceable divines of each party , that differs in points of church-government , and lay upon them your commands and adjuration , that they cease not amicable consulting and seeking god ▪ till they have found out a meet way for accommodation and unity , and acquainted you therewith : and if through gods heavy displeasure against us he shall suffer the spirit of division and prejudice so far to prevail , as to frustrate their consultations ( the contrary whereto we should strongly hope ) that you would be pleased to advise with those divines that are most judicious and peaceable , and least addicted to parties ; and thereupon to recommend at least to the people , so much of church-order and government , as you finde to be clearly required by jesus christ , and vouchsafe it your publique countenance and encouragement , though you scruple an enforcement . these things we humbly and earnestly request of this honorable assembly , in the behalf of jesus christ ( to whom we doubt not but you are daily petitioners ) and of this commonwealth , and the souls of men : beseeching you to let the interest of the gospel have the most speedy and resolute dispatch in your consultations , and at least to equal it with our most necessary defence , whereby you will the more engage christ to defend both you and us , whom you have so often found to be the surest defence : so shall you be called the repairers of our breaches ; and shall oblige us to pray , &c. [ subscribed by above six thousand . ] col : iohn bridges , and mr. thomas foly being called in to the house , master speaker told them , the house had read and considered the petition brought up out of the county of worcester , and the house had commanded him to give them thanks on the behalf of those of the county of worcester that sent it , for their good affections expressed therein : and accordingly he did give them the thanks of the house , and that they would take their petition into serious consideration in due time . finis . two treatises tending to awaken secure sinners viz., 1. the terror of the day of judgment, from 2 cor. 5. 10, 2. the danger of slighting christ and his gospel, from matth. 22. 5 / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1696 approx. 328 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 133 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27062 wing b1443 estc r16419 12545681 ocm 12545681 63044 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27062) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 63044) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:12) two treatises tending to awaken secure sinners viz., 1. the terror of the day of judgment, from 2 cor. 5. 10, 2. the danger of slighting christ and his gospel, from matth. 22. 5 / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. terror of the day of judgment. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. danger of slighting christ and his gospel. [5], 151 p. printed for jonas luntley ..., london : 1696. pages, 25, 37, 43-76, 90-97, and 119-126 are tightly bound in the filmed copy. pages 20-131 photographed from princeton theological seminary library copy and inserted at the end. advertisement: p. 151. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng judgment day -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-11 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion two treatises tending to awaken secure sinners . viz. 1. the terror of the day of judgment , from 2 cor. 5. 10. 2. the danger of slighting christ and his gospel , from matth. 22. 5. by richard baxter . the gift of the author . london , printed for jonas luntley at the three bibles in little lincolns-inn-fields . 1696. to the ignorant or careless reader . seeing the providence of god hath commanded forth these plain discourses , i shall hope ( upon experience of his dealing in the like cases with me ) that he hath some work for them to do in the world. who knows but they were intended for the saving of thy soul , by opening thine eyes , and awaking thee from thy sin , who art now in reading of them ! be it known to thee it is the certain truth of god , and of high concernment to thy soul that they treat of , and therefore require thy most sober consideration . thou hast in them ( how weakly soever managed by me ) an advantage put into thy hand from god , to help thee in the greatest work in the world , even to prepare for the great approaching judgment , and not to slight christ and his gospel . in the name of god , i require thee cast not away this advantage : turn not away thine ears or heart from this warning that is sent to thee from the living god! seeing all the world cannot keep thee from judgment , let not all the world be able to keep thee from a speedy and serious preparation for it . do it presently , lest god come before thou art ready . do it seriously , lest the tempter over-reach thee , and thou shouldst found among the foolish self-deceivers when it is too late to do it better . i intreat this of thee on the behalf of thy soul , and as th● und●●●st thy everlasting peace with god , that 〈◊〉 wouldest afford these matters thy deepest consideràtion . think on them , whether they are not true and weighty : think of them lying down and rising up . and seeing this small book is faln into thy hands , all that i would beg of thee concerning it , is , that thou wouldst bestow now and then an hour to read it , and read it to thy family or friends as well as to thy self : and as you go , consider what you read , and pray to the lord to help it to thy heart , and to assist thee in the practice , that it may not rise up in judgment against thee . if thou have not leisure at other , take now and then an hour on the lord's days , or at night to that purpose : and if any passage through brevity ( specially near th● beginning ) seem dark to thee , read it again and again , and ask the help of an instructer , that thou mayest understand it . may it but help thee out of the snares of sin , and promote the saving of thy immortal soul , and thy comfortable appearance at the great day of christ , i have the thing which i intended and desired . the lord open thy heart , and accompany his truth with the blessing of his spirit . amen . a discourse of the terror of the day of judgment . 2 cor. 5. 10 , 11. for we must all appear before the judgment-seat of christ , that every one may receive the things done in his body , according to that he hath done , whether it be good or bad . knowing therefore the terrors of the lord , we perswade men. it is not unlikely that some of those wits that are taken more with things new than with things necessary , will marvel that i choose so common a subject , and tell me that they all know this already . but i do it purposely upon these following considerations . 1. because i well know it is these common truths that are the great and necessary things which mens everlasting happiness or misery doth most depend upon . you may be ignorant of many controversies and in●eriour points , without the danger of your ●ouls , but so you cannot of these fundamentals . ● . because it 's apparent by the lives of men , that few know these common truths savingly , that think they know them . 3. because there are several degrees of knowing the same truths , and the best are imperfect in degree ; the principal growth in knowledg that we should look after , is not to know more matters than : 〈◊〉 knew before , but to know that better and with a clearer light and firmer apprehension , which we da●kly and slightly knew before . you may more safely be without any knowledg at all of many lower truths , than without some ●arther degree of the knowledg of those which you already know . 4. besides , it is known by sad experience , that many perish who know the truth , for want of the consideration of it , and making use of what they know , and so their knowledg doth but condemn them . we have as much need therefore to teach and help you to get these truths which you know , into your hearts and lives , as to tell you more . 5. and indeed , it is the impression of these great and master-truths , wherein the vitals and essentials of god's image upon the soul of man doth consist : and it is these truths that are the very instruments of the great works that are to be done upon the heart by the spirit and our selves . in the right use of these it is that the principal part of the skill and holy wisdom of a christian doth consist ; and in the diligent and constant use of these lieth the life and trade of christianity . there is nothing amiss in mens hearts or lives , but is for want of sound knowing and believing , or well using these fundamentals . 6. and moreover , methinks in this choice of my subject , i may expect this advantage with the hearers , that i may spare that labour that else would be necessary for the proof of my doctrine : and that i may also have easier access to your hearts , and have a suller stroak at them , and with less resistance . if i came to tell you of any thing not common , i know not how far i might expect belief from you . you might say , these things are uncertain to us , or all men are not of this mind . but when every hearer confesseth the truth of my doctrine , and no man can deny it , without denying christianity it self ; i hope i may expect that your hearts should the sooner receive the impression of this doctrine , and the sooner yield to the duties it directs you to , and the easier let go the sins which from so certain a truth shall be discovered . the words of my text , are the reason which the apostle giveth both of his perswading other men to the fear of god , and his care to approve to god his own heart and life . they contain the assertion and description of the great judgment , and one use which he makes of it . it assureth us that judged we must be , and who must be so judged , and by whom , and about what , and on what terms , and to what end. the meaning of the words , so far as is necessary , i shall give you briefly . we all , both we apostles that preach the gospel , and you that hear it , must , willing or unwilling , there is no avoiding it , appear , stand forth , or make your appearance , and there have your hearts and ways laid open , and appear as well as we . before the judgment-seat of christ , i. e. before the redeemer of the world , to be judged by him as our rightful lord. that every one , even of all mankind , which are , were , or shall be , without exception ; may receive , that is , may receive his sentence , adjudging him to his due ; and then may receive the execution of the sentence , and may go from the bar with that reward or punishment that is his due according to the law by which he is judged . the things done in his body , that is , the due reward of the works done in his body ; or as some copies read it , the things proper to the body , i. e. due to the man , even body as well as soul , according to what he hath done , whether it be good or bad ; i. e. this is the cause to be tried and judged , whether men have done well or ill , whilst they were in the flesh , and what is due to them according to their deeds . knowing therefore , &c. i. e. being certain therefore that these things are so , and that such a terrible judgment of christ will come , we perswade men to become christians and live as such , that they may then speed well , when others shall be destroyed ; or as others , knowing the fear of the lord , that is , the true religion , we perswade men. doct. 1. there will be a judgment . doct. 2. christ will be the judg. doct. 3. all men shall there appear . doct. 4. men shall be then judged according to the works that they did in the flesh , whether good or evil. doct. 5. the end of judgment is , that men may receive their final due by sentence and execution . doct. 6. the knowledg and consideration of the terrible judgment of god , should move us to perswade , and men to be perswaded to careful preparation . the ordinary method for the handling of this subject of judgment should be this . 1 st . to shew you what judgment is in the general , and what it doth contain : and that is , 1. the persons . 2. the cause . 3. the actions . 1. the parties are , ( 1. ) the accuser . ( 2. ) the defendant . ( 3. ) sometime assistants . ( 4. ) the judg. 2. the cause contains , ( 1. ) the accusation . ( 2. ) the defence . ( 3. ) with the evidence of both . ( 4. ) and the merit . the merit of the cause is as it agreeth with the law and equity . 3. the judicial actions are , i. introductory , 1. citation . 2. compulsion , if need be . 3. appearance of the accused . ii. of the essence of judgment , 1. debate by , ( 1. ) the accuser . ( 2. ) defendant , called the disceptation of the cause . 2. by the judg. 1. exploration . 2. sentence . 3. to see to the execution : but because this method is less sutable to your capacities , and hath something humane , i will reduce all to these following heads . 1. i will shew what judgment is . 2. who is the judg : and why . 3. who must be judg'd . 4. who is the accuser . 5. how the citation , constraint and appearance will be . 6. what is the law by which men shall be judged . 7. what will be the cause of the day , what the accusation , and what must be the just defence . 8. what will be the evidence . 9. what are thos● frivolous insufficient excuses by which the unrighteous may think to escape . 10. what will be the sentence , who shall die , and who shall live , and what the reward and punishment ●s . 11. what are the properties of the sentence . 12. what and by whom the execution will be . in ●hese particular heads we contain the whole doctrine of ●his judgment , and in this more familiar method shall ●andle it . i. for the first judgment , as taken largely , comprehendeth all the sorementioned particulars ; as taken more strictly for the act of the judg , it is the trial of a controverted case . in our case note these things following . 1. god's judgment is not intended for any discovery to himself of what he knows not already , he knows already that all men are , and what they have done , and what is their due : but it is to discover to others and to men themselves the ground of his sentence , that so his judgment may attain its end , for the glorifying ●his grace on the righteous , and for the convincing the wicked of their sin and desert , and to shew to all the world the righteousness of the judg , and of his sentence and execution . rom. 3. 4 , 26. and rom. 2. 2. 2. it is not a controversy therefore undecided ●in the mind of god , that is there to be decided ; but only one that is undecided , as to the knowledg and mind of creatures . 3. yet i● not this judgment a bare declaration , but a decision , and so a declaration thereupon : the cause will be then put out of controversy , and all farther expectation of decision be at an end ; and with the justified there will be no more accusation , and with the condemned no more hope for ever . ii. for the second thing , who shall be the judg ; i answer , the judg is god himself by jesus christ . 1. principally , god as creator . 2. as also , god as redeemer ; the humane nature of jesus christ having a derived subordinate power . god lost not his right to his creature either by man's fall , or the redemption by christ , but by the latter hath a new farther right : but it is in and by christ that god judgeth : for as meer creator of innocent man , god judgeth none , but hath committed all judgment to the son , who hath procured this right by the redeeming of fallen man , joh. 5. 22. but as the son only doth it in the nearest sense , so the father as creator doth it remotely and principally . 1. in that the power of the son is derived from the father , and so standeth in subordination to him as fountain or efficient . 2. in that the judgment of the son ( as also his whole mediatorship ) is to bring men to god their maker as their ultimate end , and recover them to him from whom they are faln ; and so as a means to that end , the judgment of the son is subordinate to the father . from hence you may see these following truths worthy your consideration . 1. that all men are god's creatures , and none are the workmanship of themselves or any other ; or else the creator should not judg them on that right . 2. that christ died for all , and is the redeemer of the world , and a sacrifice for all , or else he should not judg them on that right . for he will not judg wicked men as he will do the devils , as the meer enemies of his redeemed ones , but as being themselves his subjects in the world , and being bought by him , and therefore become his own , who ought to have glorified him that bought them , 2 cor. 5. 14 , 15. 2 pet. 2. 1. 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. 1 john 2. 2. heb. 2. 9. 1 tim. 2. 6 , 7. 3. hence it appeareth that all men were under some law of grace , and did partake of some of the redeemer's mercy . tho the gospel came not to all , yet all ●ad that mercy which could come from no other foun●in but his blood , and which should have brought them ●●arer to christ than they were , ( though it were not ●fficient to bring them to belief ) and which should ●ave led them to repentance , romans 2. 4. for ●e neglecting of which they justsy perish , and not ●eerly for sinning against the law that was given man in ●nnocency : were that so , christ would not judg them 〈◊〉 redeemer , and that for the abuse or not improvement of his talents , as he tells us he will do , mat. ●5 . per to●um . 4. if god will be the judg , then none can expect ●y any shifts or indirect means to escape at that day . for how should it be ? 1. it is not possible that any should keep out of sight , or hide their sin and the evil of their actions , and so delude the judg : god will not be mocked now , nor deceived then , gal. 6. 7. they grosly deceive themselves that imagine any such thing : god must be omni●cient and all-seeing , or he cannot be god. should you ●ide your cause from men and from devils , and be ignorant of it your selves , yet cannot you hide it from god. never did there a thought pass thy heart , or a word pass thy mouth , which god was not acquainted with : and as he knows them , so doth he observe them . he ●s not as impersect man , taken up with other business , so that he cannot mind all. as easy is it with him t● observe every thought , or word , or action of thine , as if he had but that one in the world to observe ; and ●s easy to observe each particular sinner , as if he had not another creature to look after in the world. he is a fool indeed that thinks now that god takes no notice of him , ezek. 8. 12. and 9. 9. or that thinketh then to escape in the croud : he that found out one guest that had not on a wedding-garment , mat. 22. 12. will then find out every unholy soul , and give him so sad a salutation as shall make him speechless . joh. 11. 11. for he knoweth vain man ; be seech wickedness also , and will be not consider it ? 2. it is not possible that any should escape at that day by any tricks of wit and false reasoning in their own defence . god knoweth a sound answer from an unsound , and a truth from a lie. righteousness may be perverted here on earth , by out-witting the judg ; but so will it not be then . to hope any of this , is to hope that god will not be god. it is in vain then for the unholy man to say he is holy ; or for any sinner to deny , or excuse , or extenuate his sin ; to bring forth the counterfeit of any grace , and plead with god any shells of hypocritical performances , and to think to prove a title to heaven ▪ by any thing short of god's condition : all these will be vain attempts . 3. and as impossible will it prove by fraud or flattery , by perswasion or bribery , or by any other means , to pervert justice by turning the mind of god who is the judg : fraud and flattery , bribery and importunity may do much with weak men , but with god they will do nothing . were he changeable and partial , he were not god. 4. if god be judg , you may see the cavils of infidels are foolish , when they ask , how long will god be in trying and judging so many persons , and taking an account of so many words , and thoughts , and deeds ? sure it will be a long time , and a difficult work. as if god were as man that knoweth not things till he seek out their evidence by particular signs . let these foo●s understand , if they have any understanding , that the infinite god can shew to every man at once , all the thoughts , and words , and actions that ever he hath been guilty of . and in the twink of an eye , even at one view , can make all the world to see their ways and their deservings , causing their consciences and memories to present them all before them in such a sort , as shall be equivalent to a verbal debate , psal . 50. 21 , 22. he will set them in order before them . 5. if jesus christ be the judg , then what a comfort must it needs be to his members , that he shall be judg that loved them to the death , and whom they loved above their lives , and he who was their rock of hope and strength , and the desire and delight of their souls ! 6. and if jesus christ must be the judg , what confusion will it bring to the faces of his enemies , and of all that set light by him in the day of their visitation ? to see mercy turned against them , and he that died for them now ready to condemn them , and that blood and grace which did aggravate their sin , to be pleaded against them to the increase of their misery : how sad will this be ? 7. if the god of love , and grace , and truth , be judg , then no man need to fear any wrong . no subtlety of the accuser , nor darkness of evidence ; no prejudice or partiality , or whatsoever else may be imagined , can there appear to the wrong of your cause . get a good cause and fear nothing : and if your cause be bad , nothing can deliver you . iii. for the third point , who are they that must be judged ? answ . all the rational creatures in this lower world. and it seems angels also , either all or some : but because their case is more darkly made known to us , and less concerns us , we will pass it by . every man that hath been made or born on earth ( except christ , who is god and man , and is the judg ) must be judged . if any foolish infidels shall say , where shall so great a number stand ? i answer him , that he knoweth not the things invisible ; either the nature of spirits and spiritual bodies , nor what place containeth them , or how ; but easily he may know that he that gave them all a being , can sustain them all , and have room for them all , and can at once disclose the thoughts of all , as i said before . the first in order to be judged are the saints , mat. 25. and then with christ they shall judg the rest of the world , 1 cor. 6. 2 , 3. not in an equal authority and commission with christ , but as the present approvers of his righteous judgment . the princes of the earth shall stand then before christ even as the peasants , and the honourable as the base ; the rich and the poor shall meet together , and the lord shall judg them all , prov. 22. 2. no men shall be excused from standing at that bar , and giving up their account , and receiving their doom . learned and unlearned , young and old , godly and ungodly , all must stand there . i know some have vainly imagined that the righteous shall not have any of their sins mentioned , but their graces and duties only ; but they consider not that things will not then be transacted by words as we do now , but by clear discoveries by the infinite light ; and that if god should not discover to them their sins , he would not discover the riches of his grace in the pardon of all these sins : even then they must be humbled in themselves that they may be glorified , and for ever cry , not unto us lord , but unto thy name be the glory . iv. for the fourth particular , who will be the accuser ? answ . 1. satan is called in scripture the accuser of the prethren , revel . 12. 10. and we find in joh ▪ 1. and other places , that now he doth practise it even before god : and therefore we judg it probable that he will do so then . but we would determine of nothing that scripture hath not clearly determined . 2. conscience will be an accuser , though especially of the wicked , yet in some sense of the righte●us , for it will tell the truth to all ; and therefore so far as men are faulty , it will tell them of their faults . the wicked it will accuse of unpardoned sin , and of sin unrepented of ; the godly only of sin repented of and pardoned . it will be a glass wherein every man : may see the face of his heart and former life , rom. 1. 15. 3. the judg himself will be the principal accuser ; for it is he that is wronged , and he that prosecutes the cause , and will do justice on the wicked . god judgeth even the righteous themselves to be sinners , or else they could not be pardoned sinners . but he judgeth the wicked to be impenitent , unbelieving , unconverted sinners . remember what i said before , that it is not a verbal accusation , but an opening of the truth of the cause to the view of our selves and others , that god will then perform . nor can any think it unworthy of god to be mens accuser by such a disclosure , it being no dishonour to the purest light to reveal a dunghil , or to the greatest prince to accuse a traitor . nor is it unmeet that god should be both accuser and judg , seeing he is both absolute lord , and perfectly just , and so far beyond all suspition of injustice . his law also doth virtually accuse , joh. 5. 45. but of this by it self . v. for the fifth particular , how will the sinners be called to the bar ? answ . god will not stand to send them a citation , nor require them to make their voluntary appearance : but willing or unwilling he will bring them in . 1. before each man's particular judgment , he sendeth death to call away his soul , a surly serjeant that will have no nay : how dear soever this world may be to men , and how loth soever they are to depart , away they must , and come before the lord that made them ; death will not be bribed . every man that was set in the vineyard in the morning of their lives , must be called out at evening to receive according to what he hath done : then must the naked soul alone appear before its judg , and be accountable for all that was done in the body , and be sent before till the final judgment to remain in happiness or misery , till the body be raised again and joined to it . in this appearance of the soul before god , it . seemeth by scripture , that there is some ministry of angels ; for luke 16. 22. it is said that the angels carried lazarus , that is , his soul , into abraham's bosom . what local motion there is , or situation of souls , is no fit matter for the enquiry of mortals ; and what it is in this that the angels will do , we cannot clearly understand as yet ; but most certain it is , that as soon as ever the soul is out of the body , it comes to its account before the god of spirits . 2. at the end of the world the bodies of all men shall be raised from the earth , and joined again to their souls , and the soul and body shall be judged to their endless state ; and this is the great and general judgment where all men shall at once appear . the same power of god that made men of nothing , will as easily then new-make them by a resurrection , by which he will add much more perfection , even to the wicked in their naturals , which will make them capable of the greater misery ; even they shall have immortal and incorruptible bodies , which may be the subjects of immortal wo , 1 cor. 15. 53. john 5. 28 , 29. of this resurrection and our appearance at judgment , the angels will be someway the ministers : as they shall come with christ to judgment , so they shall sound his trumpet , 1 thess . 4. 16. and they shall gather the wicked out of god's kingdom , and they shall gather the tares to burn them , matth. 13. 39 , 40 , 41. in the end of the world the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just , and shall cast them into the furnace of fire , matth. 17. 49 , 50. vi. for the sixth particular , what law is it that men shall be judged by ? answ . that which was given them to live by : god's law is but the sign of his will to teach us what shall be due from us and to us : before we fell he gave us such a law as was sutable to our perfection ; when we had sinned and turned from him , as we ceased not to be his creatures , nor he to be our lord , so he destroyed not his law , nor discharged or absolved us from the duty of our obedience . but because we stood condemned by that law , and could not be justified by it , having once transgressed it , he was pleased to make a law of grace , even a new , a remedying law , by which we might be saved from the deserved punishment of the old. so we shall be tried at judgment upon both these laws , but ultimately upon the last . the first law commanded perfect obedience , and threatned death to us if ever we disobeyed ; the second law finding us under the guilt of sin against the first , doth command us to repent and believe in christ , and so return to god by him , and promiseth us pardon of all our sins upon that condition , and also if we persevere , everlasting glory . so that in judgment though it must be first evinced that we are sinners , and have deserved death according to the law of pure nature ; yet that is not the upshot of the judgment . for the enquiry will be next , whether we have accepted the remedy , and so obeyed the law of grace , and performed its condition for pardon and salvation , and upon this our life or death will depend . it is both these laws that condemn the wicked , but it is only the law of grace that justifieth the righteous . obj. but how shall heathens be judged by the law of grace , that never did receive it ? answ . the express gospel some of them had not , and therefore shall not directly be judged by it ; but much of the redeemer's mercy they did enjoy , which should have led them to repent and seek out after recovery from their misery , and to come nearer christ ; and for the neglect and abuse of this they shall be judged , and not meerly for sinning against the law that was given us in pure innocency : so that christ as redeemer shall judg them as well as others ; though they had but one talent , yet must they give an account of that to the redeemer from whom they received it . but if any be unsatisfied in this , let them remember that as god hath left the state of such more dark to us , and the terms on which he will judg them ; so doth it much more concern us to look to the terms of our own judgment . obj. but how shall insants be judged by the gospel , that were uncapable of it ? answ . for ought i find in scripture , they stand or fall with their parents , and on the same terms ; but i leave each to their own thoughts . vii . for the seventh head , what will be the cause of the day to be enqu●ed after ? what the accusation , and what the defence ? answ . this may be gathered from what was last said , the great cause of the day will be to enquire and determine who shall die and who shall live , who ought to go to heaven , and who to hell for ever , according to the law by which they must then be judged . 1. as there is a twofold law by which they must be judged , so will there then be a twofold accusation . the first will be that they were sinners , and so having violated the law of god , they deserve everlasting death according to that law : if no defence could be made , this one accusation would condemn all the world ; for it is most certain that all are sinners , and as certain that all sin deserveth death . the only defence against this accusation ●ieth in this plea ; confessing the charge , we must plead that christ hath satisfied for sins , and upon that consideration god hath forgiven us ; and therefore being forgiven , we ought not to be punished : to prove this we must shew the pardon under god's hand in the gospel . but because this pardoning doning act of the gospel doth forgive none but those that repent and believe , and so return to god , and to sincere obedience for the time to come ; therefore the next accusation will be , that we did not perform these conditions of forgiveness ; and therefore being vnbelievers , impenitent and rebels against the redeemer , we have no right to pardon , but by the sentence of the gospel are liable to a greater punishment for this contempt of christ and grace . this accusation is either true or false : where it is true , god and conscience , who speak the truth , may well be said to be the accusers : where it is false , it can be only the work of satan the malicious adversary , who , as we may see in job's case , will not stick to bring a false accusation . if any think that the accuser will not do so vain a work , at least they may see that potentially this is the accusation that lieth against us , and which we must be justified against . for all justification implieth an actual or potential accusation . he that is truly accused of final impenitency , or unbelief , or rebellion , hath no other defence to make , but must needs be condemned . he that is falsly accused of such non-performance of the condition of grace , must deny the accusation , and plead his own personal righteousness as against that accusation , and produce that faith , repentance and sincere obedience and perseverance , by which he fulfilled that condition , and so is evangilically righteous in himself , and therefore hath part in the blood of christ , which is instead of a legal righteousness to him in all things else , as having procured him a pardon of all his sins , and a right to everlasting glory . and thus we must then be justified by christ's satisfaction only against the accusation of being sinners in general , and of deserving god's wrath for the breach of the law of works ; but we must be justified by our faith , repentance and sincere obedience it self , against the accusation of being impenitent , vnbelievers and rebels against christ , and having not performed the condition of the promise , and so having no part in christ and his benefits . so that in sum you see that the cause of the day will be to enquire , whether being all known sinners , we have accepted of christ upon his terms , and so have right in him and his benefits or not ? whether they have forsaken this vain world for him , and loved him so faithfully , that they have manifested it , in parting with these things at his command ? and this is the meaning of mat. 25. where the enquiry is made to be , whether they have sed and visited him in his members or not ? that is , whether they have so far loved him as their redeemer , and god by him , as that they have manifested this to his members according to opportunity , though it cost them the hazard or loss of all ; seeing danger , and labour , and cost are fitter to express love by than empty compliments and bare professions . whether it be particularly enquired after , or only taken for granted that men are sinners , and have deserved death according to the law of works , and that christ hath satisfied by his death , is all one as to the matter in hand , seeing god's enquiry is but the discovery and conviction of us . but the last question which must decide the controversy will be , whether we have performed the condition of the gospel ? i have the rather also said all this , to shew you in what sense these words are taken in the text , that every man shall be judged according to what he hath done in the flesh , whether it be good or bad . though every man be judged worthy of death for sinning , yet every man shall not be judged to die for it , and no man shall be judged worthy of life for his good works : it is therefore according to the gospel , as the rule of judgment , that this is meant . they that have repented and believed , and returned to true , though imperfect obedience , shall be judged to everlasting life , according to these works ; not because these works deserve it , but because the free gift in the gospel through the blood of christ , doth make these things the condition of our possessing it . they that have lived and died impenitent , unbelievers and rebels against christ , shall be judged to everlasting punishment , because they have deserved it both by their sin in general against the the law , and by these sins in special against the gospel . this is called the merit of the cause , that is , what is a man's due according to the true meaning of the law , though the due may be by free gift . and thus you see what will be the cause of the day , and the matter to be enquired after and decided as to our life or death . viii . the next point in our method is , to shew you , what will be the evidence of the cause ? answ . there is a fivefold evidence among men. 1. when the fact is notorious . 2. the knowledg of an unsuspected competent judg. 3. the parties confession . 4. witness . 5. instruments and visible effects of the action . all these evidences will be at hand , and any one of them sufficient for the conviction of the guilty person at that day . 1. as the sins of all men , so the impenitency and rebellion of the wicked was notorious , or at least will be then . for though some play the hypocrites , and hide the matter from the world and themselves , yet god shall open their hearts and former lives to themselves , and to the view of all the world. he shall set their sins in order before them , so that it shall be utterly in vain to deny or excuse them . if any man will then think to make their cause as good to god as they can now do to us , that are not able to see their hearts , they will be foully mistaken . now they can say they have as good hearts as the best : then god will bring them out in the light , and shew them to themselves and all the world , whether they were good or bad . now they will face us down that they do truly repent , and they obey god as well as they can ; but god that knoweth the deceivers will then undeceive them . we cannot now make men acquainted with their own unsanctified hearts , nor convince them that have not true faith , repentance or obedience , but god will convince them of it ; they can find shifts and false answers to put off a minister with , but god will not so be shifted off . let us preach as plainly to them as we can , and do all that ever we are able to acquaint them with the impenitency and unholiness of their own heart , and the necessity of a new heart and life , yet we cannot do it , but they will believe whether we will or not , that the old heart will serve the turn . but how easily will god make them know the contrary ? we plead with them in the dark , for though we have the candle of the gospel in our hands when we come to shew them their corruption , yet they shut their eyes and are wilfully blind ; but god will open their eyes whether they will or not , not by holy illumination , but by forced conviction ; and then he will plead with them as in the open light. see here thy own unholy soul ; canst thou now say thou didst love me above all ? canst thou deny but thou didst love this world before me , and serve thy flesh and lusts , though i told thee if thou ●idst so thou shouldst die ? look upon thy own heart now , and see whether it be an holy or an unholy heart , a spiritual or a fleshly heart , a heavenly or an earthly heart . look now upon all the course of thy life , and see whether thou didst live to me , or to the world and thy flesh . o how easily will god convince men then of the very sins of their thoughts , and in their secret close●s , when they thought that no witness could have disclosed them ! therefore it 's said that the books shall be opened , and the dead judged out of the books , rev. 20. 12. dan. 7. 10. the second evidence will be the knowledg of the judg. if the sinner would not be convinced , yet it is sufficient that the judg knoweth the cause ; god needeth no farther witness , he saw thee committing adultery in secret , lying , stealing , forswearing in secret . if thou do not know thine own heart to be unholy , 't is enough that god knoweth it . if you have the face to say , lord , when did we see thee hungry ? &c. mat. 25. 44. yet god will make good the charge against thee , and there needeth no more testimony than his own . can foolish sinners think to lie hid or escape at that day , that will now sin wilfully before their judg ? that know every day that their judg is looking on them , while they forget him , and give up themselves to the world , and yet go on even under his eye , as if to his face they dared him to punish them ? 3. the third evidence will be , the sinners confession god will force their own consciences to witness against them , and their own tongues to confess the accusation . if they do at first excuse it , he will leave them speechless , yea and condemning themselves before they have done . o what a difference between their language now and then ! now we cannot tell them of their sin and misery , but they either tell us of our own faults , or bid us look to our selves , or deny or excuse their fault , or make light of it : but then their own tongues shall confess them , and cry out of the wilful folly that they committed , and lay a heavier charge upon them than we can now do . now if we tell them that we are afraid they are unregenerate , and lest their hearts are not truly set upon god , they will tell us they hope to be saved with such hearts as they have : but t●en , o how they will confess the folly and falseness of their own hearts ! you may see a little of their case even in despairing sinners on earth , how far they are from denying or excusing their sins . judas cries out , i have sinned in betraying innocent blood , mat. 27. 4. out of their own mouth shall they be judged . that very tongue that now excuseth their sin , will in their torments be their great accuser . for god will have it so to be . 4. the fourth evidence will be the witness of others . o how many thousand witnesses might there be produced , were there need , to convince the guilty soul at that day ! 1. all the ministers of christ that ever preached to them , or warned them , will be sufficient witnesses against them ; we must needs testify that we preached to them the truth of the gospel , and they would not believe it . we preached to them the goodness of god , yet they set not their hearts upon him ; we shewed them their sin , and they were not humbled : we told them of the danger of an unregenerate state , and they did not regard us : we acquainted them with the absolute necessity of holiness , but they made light of all : we let them know the deceitfulness of their hearts , and the need of a close and faithful examination , but they would not bestow an hour in such a work , nor scarce once be afraid of being mistaken and miscarrying . we let them know the vanity of this world , and yet they would not forsake it , no not for christ and the hopes of glory : we told them of the everlasting felicity they might attain , but they would not set themselves to seek it . what we shall think of it then the lord knows , but surely it seemeth now to us a matter of very sad consideration , that we must be brought in as witnesses against the souls of our neighbours and friends in the flesh . those whom we now unfeignedly love , and would do any thing that we were able to do for their good , whose welfare is dearer to us than all worldly enjoyments . alas , that we must be forced to testify to their faces for their condemnation ! ah lord , with what a heart must a poor minister study , when he considereth this , that all the words that he is studying must be brought in for a witness against many of his hearers ! with what an heart must a minister preach when he remembreth that all the words that he is speaking must condemn many , if not most of his hearers ? do we desire this sad fruit of our labours ? no , we may say with the prophet , jer. 17. 16. i have not desired the woful day thou knowest : no , if we desired it , we would not do so much to prevent it , we would not study , and preach , and pray , and intreat men , that if it were possible we might not be put on such a task . and doubtless it should make every honest minister study hard , and pray hard , and intreat hard , and stoop low to men , and be earnest with men in season and out of season , that if it may be they may not be the condemners of their peoples souls . but if men will not hear , and there be no remedy , who can help it ? christ himself came not into the world to condemn men , but to save them , and yet he will condemn those that will not yield to his saving work : god takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner , but rather that he repent and return and live , ezek. 18. 23 , 32. and yet he will rejoice over those to do them hurt , and destroy them that will not return , deut. 28. 63. and if we must be put on such a work , he will make us like-minded . the holy ghost tells us that the saints shall judg the world , 1 cor. 6. 2 , 3. and if they must judg , they will judg as god judgeth ; you cannot blame us for it , sinners : we now warn you of it before-hand , and if you will not prevent it , blame not us but your selves . alas , we are not our own masters ! as we now speak not to you in our own names , so then we may not do what we list our selves , or if we might , our wills will be as god's will. god will make us judg you and witness against you . can we absolve you when the righteous god will condemn you ? when god is against you , whose side would you have us be of ? we must be either against god or you ; and can you think that we should be for any one against our maker and redeemer ? we must either condemn the sentence of jesus christ or condemn you : and is not there more reason to condemn you than him ? can we have any mercy on you , when he that made you will not save you , and he that formed you will shew you no mercy ? isa . 27. 11. yea when he that died for you will condemn you , shall we be more merciful than god ? but alas ! if we should be so foolish and unjust , what good would it do you ? if we would be false-witnesses and partial judges , it would not save you ; we are not justified if we absolve our selves , 1 cor. 4. 4. how unable then shall we be against god's sentence to justify you ? if all the world should say you were holy and penitent , when god knows you were unholy and impenitent , it will do you no good . you pray every day that his will may be done , and it will be done : it will be done upon you , because it was not done by you . what would you have us say , if god ask us , did you tell this sinner of the need of christ , of the glory of the world to come , and the vanity of this ? should we lie and say we did not ? what should we say if he ask us , did not you tell them the misery of their natural state , and what would become of them if they were not made new ? would you have us lie to god , and say we did not ? why if we did not , your blood will be required at our hands , ezek. 33. 6. and 3. 18. and would you have us bring your blood upon our own heads by a ●ie ? yea , and to do you no good , when we know that lies will not prevail with god ? no , no , sinners ; we must unavoidably testify to the confusion of your faces ; if god ask us , we must bear witness against you and say , lord , we did what we could according to our weak abilities to reclaim them : indeed our own thoughts of everlasting things were so low , and our hearts so dull , that we must confess we did not follow them so close , nor speak so earnestly as we should have done : we did not cry so loud , or lift up our voice as a trumpet to awaken them ( isa . 58. 1. ) we confess we did not speak to them with such melting compassion , and with such streams of tears beseech them to regard , as a matter of such great concernment should have been spoken with ; we did not fall on our knees to them , and so earnestly beg of them for the lord's sake , to have mercy upon their own souls as we should have done . but yet we told them the message of god , and we studied to speak it to them as plainly and as piercingly as we could . fain we would have convinced them of their sin and misery , but we could not : fain we would have drawn them to the admiration of christ , but they made light of it , mat. 22. 5. we would fain have brought them to the contempt of this vain world , and to set their mind on the world to come , but we could not . some compassion thou knowest , lord , we had to their souls , many a weeping and groaning hour we have had in secret , because they would not hear and obey , and some sad complain●s we have made over them in publick : we to●d them that they must shortly die and come to judgment , and that this world would deceive them and leave them in the dust : we told them that the time was at hand when nothing but christ would do them good , and nothing but the favour of god would be sufficient for their happiness , but we could never get them to lay it to heart . many a time did we intreat them to think soberly of this life and the life to come , and to compare them together with the faith of christians and the reason of men , but they would not do it : many a time did we intreat them but to take now and then an hour in secret to consider who made them , and for what he had made them , and why they were sent into this world , and what their business here is , and whither they are going , and bow it will go with them at their latter end : but we could never get most of them to spend one hour in serious thoughts of these weighty matters . many a time did we intreat them to try whether they were regenerate or not , whether christ and his spirit were in them or not , whether their souls were brought back to god by sanctification ; but they would not try : we did beseech them to make sure work , and not leave such a matter as everlasting joy or torment to a bold and mad adventure , but we could not prevail . we intreated them to lay all other businesses aside a little while in the world , and to enquire by the direction of the word of god , what would become of them in the world to come , and judg themselves before god came to judg them , seeing they had the law and rule of judgment before them ; but their minds were blinded , and their hearts were hardned , and the profit , and pleasure , and honour of th● world did either stop their ears , for quickly steal away the hearts , so that we could never get them to a sober consideration , nor ever win their hearts to god. this will be the witness that many a hundred ministers of the gospel must give in against the souls o● their people at that day . alas , that ever you shoul● cast this upon us ! for the lord's sake , sirs , pity you● poor teachers if you pity not your selves . we ha● rather go 1000 miles for you , we had rather be scorne● and abused for your sakes , we had rather lay our hands under your feet , and beseech you on our knees with tears were we able , than be put on such work as this . it i● you that will do it if it be done . we had rather follow you from house to house , and teach and exhort you● if you will but hear us and accept of our exhortation your souls are pretious in our eyes , for we know they were so in the eyes of christ , and therefore we ar● loth to see this day ; we were once in your case ▪ and therefore know what it is to be blind , and careless ▪ and carnal as you are , and therefore would fain obtain your deliverance . but if you will not hear , but we must accuse you , and we must condemn you , the lord judg between you and us . for we can witness that i● was full sore against our wills. we have been faulty indeed in doing no more for you , and not following you with restless importunity , ( the good lord forgive us ) but yet we have not betrayed you by silence . 2. all those that fear god , that have lived among●● ungodly men , will also be sufficient witnesses against them . alas , they must be put upon the same work ▪ which is very unpleasant to their thoughts , as minister● are ! they must witness before the lord that they did as friends and neighbours admonish them ; tha● they gave them a good example , and endeavoured to walk in holiness before them . but alas , the most did but mock them , and call them puritans and precise fools , and they made more ado than needs for thei● ●●lvation : they must be forced to restify , [ lord , we ●ould fain have drawn them with us to hear the word ●nd to read it , and to pray in their families , and to ●●nctify the holy day , and take such happy opportu●ities for their souls ; but we could not get them to 〈◊〉 : we did in our places what we were able to ●●ve them the example of a godly conversati●n , and they did but deride us , they were rea●●er to mark every slip of our lives , and to observe ●ll our infirmities , and catch at any accusation that was against us , than to follow us in any work of holy ●bedience , or care for their everlasting peace . ] the ●ord knows it is a most heavy thing to consider now that ●oor neighbours must be fain to come in against those ●hey love so dearly , and by their testimony to judg ●hem to perdition . o heavy case to think of , that master must witness against his own servant ! yea , husband against his own wife , and a wife against ●er husband ; yea , parents against their own children , ●nd say , [ lord i taught them thy word , but they would ●ot learn ; i told them what would come on it if they ●eturned not to thee , i brought them to sermons , and 〈◊〉 prayed with them and for them . i frequently ●inded them of these everlasting things , and of ●his dreadful day which they now see . but youth●ul lusts and the temptations of the flesh and the devil led them away , and i could never get them ●hroughly and soundly to lay it to their hearts . ] o ●ou that are parents , and friends , and neighbours , ●n the fear of god bestir you now , that you may not ●e put to this at that day of judgment . o give them ●o rest , take no nay of them till you have perswaded ●heir hearts from this world to god , lest you be put ●o be their condemners : it must be now that you must prevent it , or else never ; now while you are with them , while you and they are in the flesh together , which will be but a little while : can you but now prevail with them , all will be well , and you may meet them ●oyfully before the lord. 3. another witness that will testify against the ungodly at that day , will be their sinful companions , those that drew them into sin , or were drawn by them , or joined with them in it . o little do poor drunkards think , when they sit merrily in an ale-house , that one of them must bear witness against another , and condemn one another ! if they thought of this , methinks it should make them have less delight in that company : those that now join with you in wickedness , shall then be forced to witness , [ i confess , lord , i did hear him sweat and curse , i heard him deride those that feared the lord , and make a jest of a holy life : i saw him in the ale-house when he should be hearing the word of god , or reading , or calling upon god , and preparing for this day : i joined with him in fleshly delights , in abusing thy creature and our own bodies . ] sinners , look your companions in the face the next time you are with them , and remember this that i now say ; that those men shall give in evidence against you , that now are your associates in all your mirth . little thinketh the fornicator and lustful wanton , that their sinful mates must then bear witness of that which they thought the dark had concealed , and tell their shame before all the world. but this must be the fruit of sin. it 's meet that they who encouraged one another in sin , should condemn one another for it . and marvel not at it , for they shall be forced to it whether they will or no ; light will not then be hid : they may think to have some case to their consciences , by accusing and condemning others . when adam is questioned for his sin , he presently accuseth the woman , gen. 3. 12. when judas his conscience was awakned , he runs to the pharisees with the money that drew him to it , and they cast it back in his own face , see thou to il , what is that to us ? mat. 27. 4 , 5 , 6. o the cold comfort that sinners will have at that day , and the little i leasure that they will find in remembring their evil ways ! now when a foruicator or a worldling , or a merry voluptuous man is grown old , and cannot act all his sin again , he takes pleasure in remembring and telling others of his former folly ; what he once was , and what he did , and the merry hours that he had : but then when sinners are come to themselves a little more , they will remember and tell one another of these things with another heart . o that they did but know now how these things will then affect them ! 4. another witness that will then rise up against them , will be the very devils that tempted them : they that did purposely draw them to sin , that they might draw them to torment for sin : they can witness that you hearkned to their temptations , when you would not hearken to god's exhortations : they can witness that you obeyed them in working iniquity . but because you may think the accuser's testimony is not to be taken , i will not stand on this . though it is not nothing where god knoweth it to be true . 5. the very angels of god also may be witnesses against the wicked ; therefore are we advised in scripture not to sin before them , eccl. 5. 6. 1 cor. 11. 10. 1 tim. 5. 21. i charge thee before the elect angels , &c. they can testify that they would have been ministring spirits for their good , when the wicked rather chose to be slaves to the spirit of maliciousness . the holy angels of god do many a time stand by you when you are sinning : they see you when you see not them ; they are imployed by god in some sort for your good , as well as we . and as it is the grief of ministers that their labours succeed not , so may we suppose that according to their state and nature it is theirs . for they that rejoice in heaven at the conversion of one sinner , may be said to sorrow , or to lose those joys when you refuse to be converted . these noble spirits , these holy and glorious attendants of christ that shall wait upon him to judgment , will be witnesses against rebellious sinners to their confusion . sirs , you have all in you naturally a fear of spirits and invisible powers : fear them aright , lest hearkning to the deceiving spirits , and refusing the help of the angels of god , and wilfully sinning before their faces , you should cause them at that day , to the terror of your souls , to stand forth as witnesses against you to your condemnation . 6. conscience it self will be a most effectual witness against the wicked at that day . i before told you it will be a discerner , and force them to a confession : but a farther office it hath , even to witness against them . if none else in the world had known of their secret sins , conscience will say , i was acquainted with them . 7. the spirit of christ can witness against the ungodly that he oft moved them to repent and return , and they rejected his motions ; that he spoke to their hearts in secret , and oft set in with the minister , and often minded them of their case , and perswaded them to god ; but they resisted , quenched and grieved the spirit , acts 7. 51. as the spirit witnesseth with the spirits of the righteous that they are the children of god , rom. 8. 16. so doth he witness with the conscience of the wicked that they were children of rebellion , and therefore are justly children of wrath. this spirit will not alway st●ive with men : at last being vexed , it will prove their enemy , and rise up against them , gen. 6. 3. isa . 63. 10. if you will needs grieve it now , it will grieve you then . were it not a spirit of grace , and were it not free mercy that it came to offer you , the repulse would not have been so condemning , nor the witness of this spirit so heavy at the last . but it was the spirit of jesu● , that came with recovering grace , which you resisted : and though the wages of every sin is death , yet you will find that it will cost you somewhat more to reject this salvation , than to break the creator's law of works . kindness , such kindness will not be rejected at easy rates . many a good motion is now made by the spirit to the heart of a sinner , which he doth not so much as once observe ; and therefore doth not now remember them . but then they shall be brought to his remembrance with a witness . many a thousand secret motions to repentance , to faith , to a holy life , will be then set before the eyes of the poor , unpardoned , trembling sinner , which he had quite forgotten : and the spirit of god shall testify to his confusion . [ at such a sermon i perswaded thy heart to repent , and thou wouldst not ; at soch a time i shewed thee the evil of thy sin , and perswaded thee to have forsaken it , but thou wouldst not ; i minded thee in thy secret thoughts , of the nearness of judgment , and the certai●ty and weight of everlasting things , the need of christ , and faith , and holiness , and of the danger of sinning ; but thou didst drown all my motions in the cares and pleasures of the world. thou harkenedst rather to the devil than to me ; the sensual incl●nations of thy flesh did prevail against the strongest arguments that i used : though i shewed reasons , undeniable reasons , from thy creator , from thy redeemer , from nature , from grace , from heaven and from hell ; yet all would not so much as stop thee , much less turn thee , but thou wouldest go on ; thou wouldest follow thy flesh , and now let it pay thee the wages of thy folly ; thou wouldest be thy own guide , and take thine own course , and now take what thou gettest by it . ] poor sinners , i beseech you in the fear of god , the next time you have any such motions from the spirit of god , to repent , and believe , and break off your sins , and the occasions of them : consider then what a mercy is set before you , and how it will confound you at the day of judgment , to have all these motions brought in against you , and that the spirit of grace it self should be your condemner ! alas , that men should choose their own destruction , and wilfully choose it ! and that the foreknowledg of these things should not move them to relent . so much concerning the witness that will be brought in against the sinner . 5. the fifth evidence that will be given against the sinner will be , the instruments and effects . you know among men , if a man be found murdered by the high-way , and you are found standing by with a bloody sword in your hand ; especially if there were a former dissension between you , it will be an evidence that will prove a strong presumption that you were the murderer ; but if the fact be certain by other evidence , then many such things may be brought for aggravation of the fault . so a twofold evidence will be brought against the sinner from these things . one to prove him guilty of the fact , the other to aggravate the fault , and prove that his sin was very great . for the former . 1. the very creatures which sinners abused to sin , may be brought in against them to their conviction and condemnation . for though these creatures shall be consumed with the last destroying fire , which shall consume all the world ; yet shall they have a being in the memory of the sinner , ( an esse cognitum ; ) the very wine or ale , or other liquor which was abused to drunkenness , may witness against the drunkard . the sweet morsels by which the glutton did please his appetite , and all the good creatures of god which he luxuriously devoured , may witness against him , luke 16. 19 , 25. he that fared deliciously every day in this life , was told by abraham when he was dead , and his soul in hell , [ remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things , and likewise lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented . ] though their sweet morsels and cups are past and gone , yet must they be remembred at judgment and in hell. [ remember son ] saith abraham ; yea , and remember he must whether he will or no ; long was the glutton in sinning , and many a pleasant bit did he taste : and so many evidences of his sin will lie against him , and the sweetness will then be turned into gall. the very clothing and ornaments by which proud persons did manifest their pride , will be sufficient evidence against them ; as his being clothed with purple and fine linen , is mentioned luke 16. 19. the very lands , and goods , and houses of worldlings will be an evidence against them : their gold and silver , which the covetous do now prefer before the everlasting riches with christ , will be an evidence against them : james 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. go to now , ye rich men , weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you . your riches are corrupted , and your garments mothtaten ; your gold and your silver is cankered , and the rust of them shall be a witness against you , and shall eat your flesh as it were fire ; ye have heaped treasure together for the last days . behold , the hire of the labourers , which have reaped down your fields , which is of you kept back by fraud , crieth ; and the cries of them which have reaped , are entred into the ears of the lord of sabbath . ye have lived in pleasure on the earth , and been wanton ; ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter . o that worldlings would well consider this one text ; and therein observe whether a life of earthly pleasure and fulness of worldly glory and gallantry , be as desirable as they imagine , and to what time and purpose they now lay up their treasures ; and how they must hear of these things hereafter ; and what effect the review of their jovial days will have upon their miserable condemned souls . 2. the very circumstances of time , place , and the like , may evidence against his condemnation . the drunkard shall remember in such an ale-house , i was so oft drunk , and in such a tavern i wasted my time . the adulterer and fornicator shall remember the very time , the place , the room , the bed , where they committed wickedness . the thief and deceiver will remember the time , place , and the persons they wronged , and the things which they robbed or deceived them of . the worldling will remember the business which he preferred before the service of god ; the worldly matters which had more of his heart than his maker and redeemer had ; the work which he was doing when he should have been praying or reading , or catechising his family , or thinking soberly of his latter end. a thousand of these will then come into his mind , and be as so many evidences against him to his condemnation . 3. the very effects also of mens sins will be an evidence against them . the wife and children of a drunkard are impoverished by his sin ; his family and the neighbourhood is disquieted by him . these will be so many evidences against him . so will the abuse of his own reason , the enticing of others to the same sin , and hardning them by his example . one covetous unmerciful landlord doth keep an hundred , or many hundred persons or families in so great necessities , and care and labour , that they are tempted by it to overpass the service of god , as having scarce time for it , or any room for it in their troubled thoughts ; all these miserable families and persons , and all the souls that are undone by this temptation , will be so many evidences against such oppressors . yea , the poor whom they have neglected to relieve when they might ; the sick whom they have neglected to visit when they might , will all witness then against the unmerciful , mat. 25. the many ignorant , worldly , careless sinners , that have perished under an idle and unfaithful minister , will be so many witnesses against him to his condemnation ! they may then cry out against him to his face , [ i was ignorant , lord , and he never did so much as teach me , catechise me , nor tell me of these things ; i was careless , and minded the world , and he let me go on quietly , and was as careless as i , had never plainly and faithfully warned me , to waken me from my security . ] and so their blood will be required at his hands , though themselves also shall perish in their sins , ezek. 33. 7 , 8. 2. and as these evidences will convince men of sin , so there are many more which will convince them of the greatness of their sin. and these are so many , that it would too much lengthen my discourse to stand on them . a few i shall briefly touch . 1. they very mercy of god in creating men , in giving and continuing their being to them , will be an evidence for the aggravation of their sin against him . what , will you abuse him by whom it is that you are men ? will you speak to his dishonour that giveth you your speech ? will you live to his dishonour who giveth you your lives ? will you wrong him by his own creatures ? and neglect him without whom you cannot subsist ? 2. the redemption of men by the lord jesus christ , will be an evidence to the exceeding aggravation of their sins . you sinned against the lord that bought you , 2 pet. 2. 1. when the feast was prepared , and all things were ready , you made light of it , and found excuses and would not come , mat. 22. 4 , 5 , 6. luke 14. 17 , 18. must christ redeem you by so dear a price from sin and misery , and yet will you continue the servants of sin , and prefer your slavery before your freedom , and choose to be satan's drudges , rather than to be the servants of god ? the sorrows and sufferings that christ underwent for you , will then prove the increase of your own sorrows . as a neglected redeemer it is that he will condemn you . and then you would be glad that it were but true doctrine , that christ never died for you , that you might not be condemned for refusing a redeemer , and sinning against him that shed his blood for you . how deeply will his wounds then wound your consciences ! you will then remember that to this end he both died , rose and revived , that he might be lord both of the dead and the living : and that he therefore died for all , that they which live , should not henceforth live to themselves , but to him that died for them and rose again ; rom. 14. 9. 2 cor. 5. 14 , 15. mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. 1 pet. 1. 17 , 18. you will then understand that you were not your own , but were bought with a price ; and therefore should have glorified him that bought you with your bodies and spirits , because they were his , 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. this one aggravation of your sin will make you doubly and remedilesly miserable , that you trod under foot the son of god , and counted the blood of the covenant , wherewith you were sanctified , an unholy thing , heb. 10. 26 , 27 , 28 , 29. and crucified to your selves the son of god afresh , and put him to open shame , heb. 6. 5 , 6. 3. moreover , all the personal mercies which they received , will be so many evidences for the condemnation of the ungodly . the very earth that bore them , and yielded them its fruits , while they themselves are unfruitful to god. the air which they breathed in , the food which nourish'd them , the clothes which cover'd them , the houses which they dwelt in , the beasts that laboured for them , and all the creatures that died for their use : all these may rise up against them to their condemnation . and the judg may thus expostulate with them , [ did all these mercies deserve no more thanks ? should you not have served him that so liberally maintained you ? god thought not all these too good for you , and did you think your hearts and services too good for him ? he served yours with the weary labours of your fellow-creatures ; and should you have grudged to bear his easy yoak ? they were your slaves and drudges , and you refused to be his free servants and his sons : they suffered death to feed your bodies , and you would not suffer the short forbearance of a little forbidden fleshly pleasure , for the sake of him that made you and redeemed you . ] o how many thousand mercies of god will then be reviewed by those that neglected them , to the horror of their souls , when they shall be upbraided by the judg with their base requital ! all the deliverances from sickness and from danger ; all the honours , and privileges , and other commodities which so much contented them , will then be god's evidences to shame them and confound them . on this supposition doth the apostle reprove such , rom. 2. 4 , 5 , 6. despisest thou the riches of his goodness , and forbearance , and long-suffering , not knowing that the goodness of god leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy hardness and impenitent heart , treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath , and revelation of the righteous judgment of god , who will render to every man according to his deeds . 4. moreover , all the means which god used for the recovery of sinners in the day of their visitation , will rise up against impenitent souls in judgment , to their condemnation . you can hear sermons carelesly and sleepily now : but o that you would consider how the review of them will then awake you ! you now make light of the warnings of god and man , and of all the wholesom advice that is given you , but god will not then make light of your contempt . o what cutting questions will they be to the hearts of the ungodly , when all the means that were used for their good , are brought to their remembrance on one side , and the temprations that drew them to sin on the other side , and the lord shall plead his cause with their consciences , and say , [ was i so hard a master , or was my work so unreasonable , or was my wages so contemptible that no perswasions could draw you into my service ? was satan so good a master , or was his work so honest and profitable , or was his wages so desirable , that you would be so easily perswaded to do as he would have you ? was there more perswading reason in his allurements and deceits , than in all my holy words , and all the powerful sermons that you heard , or all the faithful admonitions you received ; or all the good examples of the righteous , or in all the works of god which you beheld ? was not a reason fetch'd from the love of god , from the evil of sin , the blood of christ , the judgment to come , the glory promised , the torments threatned , as forcible with you , and as good in your eyes to draw you to holiness , as a reason from a little fleshly delight or worldly gain , to draw you to be unholy ? ] in the name of god , sinners , i intreat you to bethink your selves in time , how you will sufficiently answer such questions as these . you should have seen god in every creature that you beheld , and have read your duty in all his works ; what can you look upon above you , or below you , or round about you , which might not have shewed you so much of the wisdom , and goodness , and greatness of your maker , as should have convinced you that it was your duty to be devoted to his will ? and yet you have his written word that speaks plainer than all these ; and will you despise them all ? will you not see so great a light ? will you not hear so loud and constant calls ? shall god and his ministers speak in vain ? and can you think that you shall not hear of this again , and pay for it one day ? you have the bible and other good books by you ; why do you not read them ? you have ministers at hand ; why do you not go to them , and earnestly ask them , sirs , what must i do to be saved ? and intreat them to teach you the way to life : you have some neighbours that fear god ; why do you not go to them , and take their good advice , and imitate them in the fear of god , and in a holy diligence for your souls ? now is the time for you to bestir your selves ; life and death are before you . you have gales of grace to further your voyage : there are more for you than against you . god will help you : his spirit will help you : his ministers will help you : every good christian will help you : the angels themselves will help you , if you will resolvedly set your selves to the work ; and yet will you not stir ? patience is waiting on you : mercies are enticing you : scourges are driving you : judgment stayeth for you : the lights of god stand burning by you to direct you : and yet will you not stir , but lie in ●●arkness ? and do you think you shall not hear of this ? do you think this will not one day cost you dear ? ix . the ninth part of our work is to shew you , ●hat are those frivolous excuses by which the vnrighteous may then indeavour their defence ? having already shewed you what the defence must be , that must be sufficient to our justification ; if any first demand , whether the evidence of their sin will not so overwhelm the sinner , that he will be speechless and past excuse ? i answer , before god hath done with him , he will be so ; but it seems at first his clark understanding , and partial corrupted conscience will set him upon a vain defence . for mat. 7. 22 , 23. christ telleth us , that [ many will say to me in that day , lord , lord , have we not prophesied in thy name , and in thy name have cast out devils , and in thy name have ●lone many wonderful works ? and then will i profess to them , i never knew you , depart from me ye workers of iniquity . ] and in mat. 25. 11. the foolish virgins cry , [ lord , lord , open to us . ] and ver . 44. [ then shall they also answer him , saying , lord , when ●aw we thee an hungred , or thirst , or a stranger , or naked , or sick , or in prison , and did not minister unto thee ? ] and vers . 24 , 25. they fear not to cast some of the causes of their neglect on god himself , [ then he which had received the one talent came and said , lord , i knew thou art an hard man , reaping where thou hast not sown , and gathering where thou hast not strawed ; and i was afraid , and went and hid thy talent in the earth ; lo , there thou hast that is thine . ] it is clear then , that excuses they will be ready to make , and their full conviction will be in order after these excuses , ( at least as in their minds , if not in words ) but what the particular excuses will be , we may partly know by these scriptures which recite them , and partly by hearing what the ungodly do now say for themselves . and because it is for their present benefit that i now make mention of them , that they may see the vanity of all such excuses , i will mention them as i now meet with them in the mouths of sinners in our ordinary discourse : and these excuses are of several sorts ; some by which they would justify their estate ; some excuses of particular actions ; and that either in whole , or in part ; some by which they would put by the penalty , though they confess the sin ; some by which they lay the blame on other men ; and in ●ome they would cast it upon god himself . i must touch but some of them very briefly . the first excuse . i am not guilty of these things which i am accused of . i did love god above all , and my neighbour as my self . i did use the world but for necessity , but god had my heart . answ . the all-seeing judg doth know the contrary , and he will make thy conscience know it : look back , man , upon thy heart and life : how seldom and how neglectfully didst thou think of god ? how coldly didst thou worship him , or make any mention of him ? how carelesly didst thou serve him , and think much of all that thou didst therein ? thou rather thoughtest that his service was making more ado than needs , and didst grudg at those that were more diligent than thy self ; but for the world , how heartily and how constantly didst thou seek and serve it ? and yet wouldst thou now perswade the judg that thou didst love god above all ? he will shew thee thy naked heart , and the course of thy former life , which shall convince thee of the contrary . the second excuse . i lived not in any gross sin , but only in small infirmities ; i was no murderer , or adulterer , or fornicator , or thief , nor did i deceive or wrong any , or take any thing by violence . answ . was it not a gross sin to love the world above god , and to neglect christ that died for thee , and never to do him one hour's hearty service , but meerly to seek thy carnal self , and to live to thy flesh ? god will open thine eyes then , and shew thee a thousand gross sins , which thou now forgettest or makest light of ; and it is not only gross sin , but all sin , great or small , that deserveth the wrath of god , and will certainly bring thee under it for ever , if thou have not part in christ to relieve thee . wo to the man that ever he was born that must answer in his own name for his smallest offences ! the third excuse . i did it ignorantly ; i knew not that there was so much required to my salvation . i thought less ado might have served the turn : and that if i look'd to my body , god would take care of my soul ; and that it was better to trust him what would become of me hereafter , than to trouble my mind so much about it . had i known better , i would have done better . answ . if you knew not better , who was it long of but your self ? did god hide these things from you ? did he not tell them you in his word as plainly as the tongue of man can speak , that except you were regenerate and born again , you should not enter into the kingdom of god ? john 3. 3 , 5. that without holiness none should see god , heb. 12. 14. that you must strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for many shall seek to enter , and shall not be able , luke 13. 24. that if you lived after the flesh , you should die : and if by the spirit you mortified the deeds of the body , you should live , rom. 8. 13. that if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his , rom. 8. 9. and to be carnally minded is death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace , rom. 8. 9. that you must not lay up for your selves a treasure on earth , where rust and moths do corrupt , and thieves break through and steal , but must lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven , where rust and moths do not corrupt , nor thieves break through and steal , mat. 6. 19 , 20. that you must seek first the kingdom of god and the righteousness thereof , mat. 6. 23. and not labour for the food that perisheth , but for the food that endureth to everlasting life , which christ would have given you , john 6. 27. that if you be risen with christ , you must seek those things which are above , where christ sitteth at the right hand of god , and not the things that are on earth , col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. yea your very conversation should be in heaven , phil. 3. 19 , 20 , 21. what say you ? did not god tell you all this and much more ; and plainly tell it you ? turn to your bibles and see the words , and let them witness against you . 2. and could you think with any reason , that your souls being so much more precious than your bodies , you should yet do so much more for your bodies than your souls ? could you think all the labour of your lives little enough for a frail body that must lie shortly in the dirt ; and that your immortal souls should be no more regarded ? could you think with any reason , that your souls should do so much for a life of a few years continuance , and do no more for a life that shall have no end ? 3. and whereas you talk of trusting god with your souls , you did not trust him : you did but on that pretence , carelesly disregard them . if you trust god , shew any word of promise that ever he gave you to trust upon , that ever an impenitent , carnal , careless person shall be saved : no ; he hath told you enough to the contrary . and could you think that it was the will of god that you should mind your bodies more than your souls , and this life more than that to come ? why , he hath bid you strive , and run , and fight , and labour , and care , and seek , and use violence , and all diligence for the safety of your souls , and for the life to come : but where hath he bid you do so for your bodies ? no , he knew that you were prone to do too much for them ; and therefore he hath bid you [ care not , and labour not ] that is , do it as if you did it not : and let your care and labour for earthly things be none in comparison of that for heavenly things . you know god can as well maintain your lives without your care and labour , as save your souls without it : and yet you see he will not , he doth not : you must plough , and sow , and reap , and thresh , for all god's love and care of you , and not say , i will let all alone and trust god. and must you not much more use diligence in much greater things ? if you will trust god , you must trust him in his own way , and in the use of his own means . the fourth excuse . i was never brought up to learning , i cannot so much as read : nor did my parents ever teach me any of these things , but only set me about my worldly business , and provide food and raiment for me : but never once told me that i had a soul to save or lose , and an everlasting life to provide and prepare for , and therefore i could not come to the knowledg of them . answ . the greater is their sin who thus neglected you . but this is no sufficient excuse for you . heaven is not prepared for the learned only ; nor will christ ask you at judgment whether you are good scholars or not , no nor so much as whether you could write or read . but consider well , was not god's word so plainly written , that the unlearned might understand it ? did he not put it into the most familiar stile , though he knew it would be offensive to the proud scholars of the world , of purpose that he might fit it to the capacities of the ignorant ? and if you could not read , yet tell me , could not you have learned to read at 20 or 30 years of age , if you had been but willing to bestow now and then an hour to that end ? or at least , did you not live near some that could read ? and could you not have procured them to read to you , or to help you ? and did you not hear these things read to you in the congregation by the minister , or might have done if you would ? and if your parents did neglect you in your youth , yet when you came to a fuller use of reason , and heard of the matters of salvation from god's word , did it not concern you to have looked to your selves , and to have redeemed that time which you lost in your youth , by doubling your diligence when you came to riper years ? the apostles gathered churches among heathens that never heard of christ before ; and converted many thousand souls that were never once told of a saviour , or the way to salvation , till they had past a great part of their lives . if you loitered till the latter part of the day , it behoved you then to have bestirred your selves the more ; and not to say , through the fault of my parents , i lost the beginning of my life , and therefore i will lose all ; they taught me not then , and therefore i will not learn now : have you not seen some of your neighbours who were as ill educated as your selves , attain to much knowledg afterwards by their industry ? and why might not you have done so , if you had been as industrious as they ? may not god and conscience witness , that it was because you cared not for knowledg , and would not be at pains to get it , that you knew no more ? speak truth , man , in the presence of thy judg ; was thy heart and mind set upon it ? didst thou pray daily for it to god ? didst thou use all the means thou couldst to get it ? didst thou attend diligently on the word in publick , and think of what thou heardst when thou camest home ? didst thou go to the minister , or to others that could teach thee , and intreat them to tell thee the way to salvation ? or didst thou not rather carelesly neglect these matters , and hear a sermon as a common tale , even when the minister was speaking of heaven or of hell ? it was not then thine unavoidable ignorance , but thy negligence . yea further , answer as in the presence of god ; didst tou obey so far as thou didst know ? or didst thou not rather sin against that knowledg which thou hadst ? thou knewest that the soul was better than the body , and everlasting life more to be regarded than this transitory life ; but didst thou regard it accordingly ? thou sure knewest that god was better than the world , and heaven than earth : at least thou wast told of it , but didst thou accordingly value him , and love him more ? thou knewest sure that there was no salvation without faith , and repentance , and newness of life , and yet they were neglected . in a word , many a thousand sins which were committed , and duties that were omitted against thy own knowledg and conscience , will marr this excuse . the fifth excuse . i lived not under a powerful minister to tell me of these things ; but where there was no preaching at all . answ . and might you not have gone where a pow●●ful minister was , with a little pains ? yea , did not the very plain word that you heard read , tell you of these things ? and might you not have had a bible your selves , and found them there ? the sixth excuse . i was a servant , and had no time from my labour to mind these matters ; i lived with an hard master that required all his own work of me , but would allow me no time for the service of god. or else , i was a poor man , and had a great charge to look after , and with my hard labour had much ado to live , so that i had no time for heavenly things . answ . 1. who should be first served , god or man ? what should be first sought after , heaven or earth ? did not christ tell thee , one thing is necessary ? luke 10. 41 , 42. was it not as needful to see that you escape damnation , and get safe to heaven when this life is ended , as to see that you had food and raiment for your selves and yours ? 2. did you spend no time in recreation , nor idleness , nor vain talking ? why might not that at least have been spent about heavenly things ? 3. could you have taken no time from your rest , or eating , or at other intermissions ? man's body will not endure so great labours as have no intermission . and why then might not godliness have been your ease and recreation ? 4. or might you not have minded these things ever when you were about your labour , if you had but a heart to them ? 5. at least you might have spent the lord 's own day in hearing , reading and pondering of these matters , when you were forced to forbear your worldly labours , even by the wholesom law of the land. these therefore are all but vain excuses ; and god will shortly make thee speak out and plainly confess , it w● not so much for want of time or helps , or warning as for want of a heart to use them well . i should have found some time , though it had been when i should have slept , if my heart had been but set upon it . the seventh excuse . little did i think to have sen● this day : i did not believe that ever god would be so severe . i thought his threatnings had been but to keep men in awe● and i suspected either that the scripture was not his word , 〈◊〉 else i thought he would be better than his word . i thought all that i heard of another life had been uncertain ; and therefore was loth to let go a certainty for an vncertainty , and lose my present pleasures which i had in hand for the hopes o● that which i never did see . answ . he that will not know his misery by believing ▪ to prevent it , shall know it by feeling to endure it . you were told and told again what your unbelief would bring you to . did god's word make heaven and earth ? doth it support them , and secure them ? and 〈◊〉 not his word sufficient security for you to have ●usted your souls upon ? did you know where was ●y better security to be had ? and where was any ●rer ground for your confidence ? and did you think 〈◊〉 basely and blasphemously of god , that he would ●sify his word , lest such as you should suffer ? and ●at he was fain to rule the world by a lie ? did god ●ake the world so easily ? and can he not govern it by ●●e and righteous means ? what need god to say that ●hich he will not do , to awe sinners ? can he not awe ●em by truth ? is it not just that those should eter●lly perish , that will entertain such desperate thoughts ●f god , and then by such wicked imaginations encou●ge themselves in sin against him ? and for the truth of scripture , god did not bid ●ou believe it without evidence . he stamped on it ●e image of his own purity and perfection , that you ●ight know it by that image and superscription , if ●ou had eyes to see them : he sealed it by uncontrouled multitudes of miracles : he delivered it down to your ●ands by infallible witnesses , so that he left you no ●oom for rational doubting . and you knew that the matters of this world were ●ot only uncertain , but certainly vain and transitory , ●nd would shortly come to nothing , and leave you in ●istress . if it had then been uncertain whether there ●ere a glory and misery hereafter , ( as it was not ) ●hould not reason have taught you to prefer the least probabilities of an everlasting unspeakable happiness , ●efore that which is certainly perishing and vain ? these vain excuses will but condemn you . the eighth excuse . i was so enticed and perswaded by ●inners to do as they did , that i could not deny them : they would never let me rest . answ . and were you not as earnestly perswaded by god to forsake sin and serve him , and yet that would not prevail with you ? you could not deny the devils and fools , but you could deny god and all his messengers were not ministers as earnest with you even week to repent and amend ? what did men entice you with ? with a little deluding fleshly pleasure for a few days ? and what did god entice you with ? with the promise of endless unconceivable felicity ! and if this were a smaller matter in your eyes than the other , then you have had your choice ; be content with it , and thank your selves . in your life-time you had the good things which you chose , and preferred before heaven , and therefore cannot expect to have heaven besides . the ninth excuse . i lived among ungodly persons , that derided all that feared god ; so that if i had not done as they did , but had made any more ado to be saved , i should have been the very scorn of the place where i lived . answ . and was not heaven worth the enduring of a scorn ? is not he worthy to go without it that thinks so basely of it ? did not christ tell you that if you were ashamed of him before men , he would be ashamed of you before his father and the angels of heaven ? mark 8. 38. he suffered more than scorns for you : and could not you suffer a scorn for him and yourselves ? seeing you chose rather to endure everlasting torment , than a little derision from ignorant men , take that which you made choice of . and seeing so small a matter would drive you from heaven , and part god and you , as a mock , as the wind of a man's mouth , no wonder if you be commanded to depart from him into everlasting fire . the tenth excuse . i had ungodly persons to my parents , or masters , or landlord , or governours , who threatned to undo me , if i had addicted my self to so strict a life , and if i would not believe and do as they did . answ . what if they threatned you with present death ? did not god also threaten you with everlasting death , if you were not ruled by him ? and whose threatning should you have chiefly feared ? is man more dreadful than god ? is death more terrible than hell ? did not christ bid you fear not them that can kill the body , and after that can do no more ; but fear him that is able to ●estroy both body and soul in hell-fire ; yea i say unto you , fear him ? mat. 10. 28. luke 12. 4 , 5. and isa . 51. 7. fear ye not the reproach of men , neither be afraid of their revilings . for the moth shall eat them up like a garment , and the worm shall eat them like wool : but my righteousness shall be for ever , and my salvation from generation to gene●tion . seeing therefore you have chosen rather to suffer from god for ever for your sin , than to suffer small matters for well-doing for a moment , you must ever bear your own choice . christ told you before-and , that if you could not forsake all the world and your own lives for him , you could not be his disciples , mat. 10. 37 , 38 , 39. and seeing you thought his terms too hard , and would needs seek you out a better service , even take what you have chosen and found . the eleventh excuse . i saw so many follow their pleasure and their worldly business , and never look after these higher things , and so few go the other way , that i thought sure god would not damn so great a part of the world , and therefore i ventured to do as the most did . answ . god will make good his word upon many or few . did you doubt of his will , or of his power ? for his will he hath told it you in his word . for his power he is as able to punish many as one man. what is all the world to him , but as the drop of a bucket , as ●e dust of the ballance ? he told you before-hand that the gate was strait , and the way to heaven was narrow , and few did find it ; and the gate to destruction was wide , and the way was broad , and many did enter in at it , mat. 7. 13 , 14. and if you would not believe him , you must bear what your unbelief hath brought you to . what if you had twenty children , or servants , or friends , and the greater part of them should prove false to you and seek your destruction , or prove disobedient , and turn to your enemy ? would you think it a good excuse if the rest should do the like because of their example ? will you therefore wrong god because you see others wrong him ? would you spit in the face of your own father if you saw others do so ? god warned you , that you should not follow a multitude to do evil , exod. 23. 2. and if yet you will do as most do , you must even speed as most speed . you should not so much consider who they be , as what they do , and whither they go , and wh● they forsake , and what they lose , and what strength is in the reasons that move them to do this . and then you would find , it is god they forsake , it is sin they choose ; it is heaven they lose , it is hell they run into and it is no true reason , but satan's delusion and sensual inclination that lead them to it . and should men be imitated , be they many , or be they few , in such a course as this ? the twelfth excuse . i saw so many faults in those that were accounted godly , and saw so much division among them , that i thought they were as bad as others ; and among so many opinions , i knew not what religion to be of . answ . 1. a spot is soonest seen in the fairest cloth : and the malicious world useth to make such far work than they are . 2. but suppose all were true that malice saith of some , you could not say the like by others . 3. or if you could , yet it was god's law , and not mens faults that was made the rule for you to live by ▪ will it excuse you that others are bad ? 4. and from their diverse opinions , you should have taken counsel at god's word , which was right : did you first search the scripture impartially , as willing to know the truth , that you might obey it ? and did you pray daily that god would lead you into the truth ▪ and did you obey as much as you knew ? did you joi● with the godly so far as they are all agreed ? they an● all agreed in the fundamental articles of christianit● and in all things absolutely necessary to a holy life , and to salvation : that all known sin is to be forsaken , and all known duty to be done . why did you not ●o far then agree with them ? alas , the imperfections of the godly , and the false accusations of the malicious world , will prove but a poor cover for your wilful ungodliness , and christ will convince you of the vanity of these excuses . the thirteenth excuse . the scriptures were so dark that i could not understand them . and i saw the wisest men differ so much in the exposition of them , that i thought it was in vain for me to trouble my self about then . if god would have had us live according to the scriptures , he would sure have written them plainly , that men might understand them . answ . 1. it is all plainly written according to the nature of the subject : but a prejudiced , disaffected , ●ea or but untaught , disused soul cannot at first under●and the plainest teaching . the plainest greek or hebrew grammar that can be written , will be utterly ●bscure to him that is but newly entred the english ●chool ; yea after many years time that he spends in ●earning . did you study hard , and pray for god's ●eaching , and enquire of others , and wait patiently in christ's school , that you might come to farther know●dg by degrees ? and were you willing to know even ●hose truths that called you out to self-denial , and that ●id put you on the hardest flesh-displeasing duties ? ●ad you done thus , you would have admired the light 〈◊〉 the holy scripture , and now have rejoiced that ever you saw them , and not have quarrelled at its seeming darkness . this word might have made you wise to salvation , as it hath done others , act. 20. 32. 2 tim. 3. ● 5 , 16 , 17. this law of the lord is perfect , converting ●he soul ; the testimony of the lord is sure , making wise the simple ; the statutes of the lord are right , rejoicing the heart ; the commandment of the lord is pure , enlightning the eyes . psal . 19. 7 , 8. 2. so much as is of necessity to salvation , is as plain as you could desire . yet if you be judged by these , you will be condemned : for you did not obey that which was most plain . what darkness is in such words as these , except ye repent , ye shall all perish , luke 13. 3 , 5. love not the world , nor the things in the world : if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him , 1 john 2. 15. he that will come after me , let him deny himself ? &c. mat. 16. 24. 3. if there had been nothing that seemed difficult to you , would you not have despised its simplicity , and have thought your selves wise enough at the first reading , and needed no more ? the fourteenth excuse . there were so many seeming contradictions in the scripture , and so many strange improbable things , that i could not believe it . answ . the contradictions were in your fancy , that did not understand the word which you read . must the raw unexperienced learner despise his book or teacher , as oft as in his ignorance he thinks he meets with contradictions ? did you think god was no wiser than you , and understood not himself , because you understood him not ? nor could reconcile his own words , because you could not reconcile them ? you would needs be a judg of the law , instead of obeying it , and speak evil of it rather than do it , jam. 4. 11. 2. and those things which you called improbable in the word , were the wonders of god , of purpose to confirm it . if it had not been confirmed by wonders , you would have thought it unproved ; and yet now it is so confirmed , you will not believe the doctrine , because the witness seems incredible . and that is , because they are matters above the power of man : as if they were therefore above the power of god! you shall at last have your eyes so far opened , as to see those seeming contradictions reconciled , and the certa●nty of those things which you accounted improbable : that you may be forced to confess the folly of your arrogancy and unbelief : and then god will judg you in righteousness , who presumed unrighteously to judg him and his word . the fifteenth excuse . it seemed so unlikely a thing to me , that the merciful god should damn most of the world to everlasting fire , that i could not believe it . answ . 1. and did it not seem as unlikely to you , that his word should be false ? 2. should it not have seemed as unlikely that the governour of the world should be unjust , and suffer his law to be unexecuted , and the worst to speed as well as the best , and to suffer vile sinful dust to despise his mercy , and abuse his patience , and turn all his creatures against him without due punishment ? 3. did you not feel pain and misery begin in this life ? 4. you saw toads and serpents which had never sinned : and you would rather live in any tolerable suffering than be a toad . and is it not reason that it should go worse with contemptuous sinners , than with those creatures that never sinned ? 5. could you expect that those should come to heaven , that would not believe there was such a state , but refused it ; and preferred the world before ●it ? and to be out of heaven , is to be out of all happiness : and he that is so out of all happiness , and knows that he lost it by his own folly , must needs torment himself with such considerations , were there no other torments . and as man is capable of greater felicity than brutes , so must he needs be capable of more misery . the sixteenth excuse . the things which god promised in heaven , and threatned in hell , were all out of my sight : and therefore i could not heartily believe them . had i but once seen them , or spoke with one that had seen them , i should have been satisfied , and have contemned the things of the world. answ . will you not believe till you see or feel ? wa● not god's word sufficient evidence ? would you have believed one from the dead that had told you he ha● seen such things ? and would you not believe stephe● that saw them ? act. 7. 56. or paul that heard and saw them ? 2 cor. 12. 3 , 4. nor christ that came purposely from heaven to reveal them ? why flesh and blood cannot see them : you see not god : will you not therefore believe that there is a god ? indeed , whatever you imagine , if you would not believe moses and the prophets , christ and his apostles , neither would you have believed though one had risen from the dead : for god's word is more credible than a dead man's : and christ did rise from the dead to attest it . blessed are they that have not seen , and yet believed . noah saw no rain when he was preparing the ark : but because he believed , he made ready and escaped , heb. 11. 7. when the world that would not believe did perish . but seeing god's word was of no more weight with you , and no knowledg would serve your turn but by seeing and feeling ; you shall see and feel everlastingly to your sorrow . the seventeenth excuse . it was so strict a law that god would have ruled me by , and the way to heaven was so strait and difficult , that i could not endure it . i was not able to deny my flesh , and live such a life . answ . 1. you were not able , because you were not willing . what was there but your own wicked hearts that should make such a life seem grievous to you ? every thing is hard and grievous to him who loaths it , and whose heart is against it . the chief thing that god called you to , was to love him , and make him your delight : and are love and delight such grievous things ? it was not grievous to you to love your meat , or drink , or money : it was no hard matter to you to love a friend that loved you ; no nor to love your sin , which was your enemy : and what should make it seem hard to love god , but a wicked heart ? is not he better and more lovely than all these ? and had you but ●oved him , all the rest of his service would have seem●d easy to you . to think of him , to speak of him , ●o pray to him , to praise him ; yea , to deny all and suffer for him , would have been sweet and pleasant to you , so far as you had loved him . it was not god ●herefore , but your own naughty hearts that made his work seem grievous to you , and the way to heaven ●●em hard . he told you truly , that his yoak was easy , ●nd his burden light , and his commandments were not grievous , mat. 11. 29. 1 john 5. 3. they that tried them found them the very joy and delight of their ●ouls ; and why could not you do so ? 2. but what if the way to heaven had been harder than it was ? was not heaven worth your labour ? were you afraid of being a loser by it ? could not god requite your labour or sufferings ? doth any repent when they come to heaven , that it cost them so ●●ear to come thither ? and is not hell worse than the ●●ardest way to heaven ? seeing you have chosen hell to save you a labour and suffering in this life , you must have your choice . and seeing you thought not everlasting life to be worth so much as god required , that is , the accepting thankfully , and minding , and seeking , and preferring it before this life , you have one to blame for the loss of it but your selves . the eighteenth excuse . it was god that made me of a sensual nature : he gave me an appetite to meat , and drink , and ease , and lust : he gave me that flesh which ●uled me ; how then can he condemn me , for living according to the nature which he gave me ? answ . he gave that appetite to be exercised moderately under the rule of reason , for the preservation and propagation of mankind : but did he not also give you reason to govern that appetite ? and the revelation of his will to guide that reason ? he gave you your flesh to be a servant , and not a master . your beast hath fleshly appetite without reason ; and therefore god hath put him under you , who have reason that you should rule him . will you let your beast do what he list , and madly run upon whom he list , and say , you do but let him live according to his nature which god hath given him ? why god that gave him such a nature , did intend him to be ruled by a higher nature , even by the reason which he gave to you : and so he did also by your flesh and sensual appetite . the nineteenth excuse . but i lived among so many baits which enticed this flesh , that i could not resist them . my meat was a snare to me , my drink a snare , my clothes , my house , my land a snare , every beauty that i saw was 〈◊〉 snare : and the better all these were , the stronger was my snare . if god would not have had my heart ensnared and drawn from him , he should not have put so many baits in my way . yea and they were so near to me , and daily with me , that though i was resolved to forbear them before , yet whe● they were brought to my hand , i could not forbear . answ . is this the thanks that god hath for his mercies ? he sent you all these as favours from his own hand : he wrote his own name upon them , that in them you might see his power , and wisdom , and goodness , and so be led up to the consideration of him , that you might fall in love with himself , who was the fountain , the life , the end of all . and do you overlook god in the creature , and live as without him in the world , and dote upon that which should have drawn you to himself , and then lay the blame on god ? if he send a sutor to speak to you in his name , and write you a love-letter with his own hand , will you fall in love with the messengers or the letter , and neglect the sender , and then blame him that wrote his letter on so fair a paper , or in so neat a hand , or that sent it by such a comely messenger ? certainly , these excuses are too gross , to take with the wise and righteous god , or to seem sufficient to a well informed conscience . 2. and whereas you speak of the power of these objects , was there not much more in god , in christ , ●n the promised glory , to have drawn your heart anoter way ? why then did not these take as much with you as the other ? you could not choose forsooth , but be enticed with such baits as were fitted to your sensual appetite , and such things as a dog , or a swine may enjoy as well as a man : but you could choose , when christ and glory were offered you : yea you did choose to refuse the offer , and tread them under feet by your neglect . when satan set your cups , and your harlots , and your profits before you on one side ; did not god set his favour and everlasting happiness on the other side ? and was it wise or equal dealing , to prefer your lusts before that glory ? 3. moreover , it was not in the power of any of those baits to force your will , or to necessitate you to choose them . they could be but baits to entice you , and it was still in your own choice , whether you would yield to the enticement , and choose them or not . shall every man be false to god that hath any bait to entice him from him ? will you excuse your child or friend , if he would be false to you , upon as great enticements as these ? if a cup of drink , or a whore , or a little gain , could draw him more than all your love and interest , i do not think you would hold him excused . and whereas you speak of the nearness and continuance of these allurements , i would fain know , was not god as near you , continually near you , to draw you to himself ? faith might have seen him , though flesh and blood cannot . did he not stand by you when you were in your cups and lustful pleasures ? did he not tell you of the danger , and offer you far better things , if you would obey him and despise those baits ? but you would hearken to none of this ; you should have remembred that he stood over you , and was looking on you , and you should have said as joseph , gen. 39. 9. how can i do this great wickedness , and 〈◊〉 against god ? you had also scripture near you , and reason near you , and conscience near you , as well as the bait was near you . and therefore this is a vain excuse . the twentieth excuse . it was god that let loose the devil to tempt me ; and he was too subtile for me to deal with ; and therefore what wonder if i sinned and were overcome ? answ . 1. he did nor let loose the devil to constrain you to sin. he could but entice , and you might choose whether you would yield . the devil could neither make you sin against your will , nor yet necessitate you to be willing . 2. you were a sure friend to christ that while , that would forsake him as oft as you were tempted by the devil . is that a friend or a servant worthy to be regarded , that will disobey you , or betray you as oft as he is tempted to it ? 3. will you excuse your servant if he leave your work undone , and follow cards , or dice , or the ale-house , and say i was tempted to it by one that was cunninger than i ? shall every murderer or thief escape hanging , because the devil was too cunning for him in his temptations ? would you have the jury or the judg to take this for a good excuse ? 4. and why did you not hearken to god that enticed you the other way ? you forget what helps he afforded you to discover the wiles of satan , and to vanquish the temptation ? he told you it was an enemy that tempted you : and would you hearken to an enemy ? he told you it was a dream , a shadow , a painted pleasure , a guilded carcass , a lying promise , and deceitful vanity by which you were tempted ; and yet would you regard it before your god ? he told you that it was your god , your saviour , your hope , your everlasting happiness that the tempter would beguile you of : and yet would you be beguiled ? he told you , and plainly , and often told you that the temper would ●ead you to eternal fire , and undo you everlastingly beore you were aware ; and that a fatal hook was cover●d with that bait : and yet would you swallow it ? 5. it is plain by all this that it was not your natural weakness of faculties that caused you to be over●●me by the subtilties of the devil , as a silly child 〈◊〉 deceived by a crafty fellow that overwits him : but it was your carelesness , inconsiderateness , your ●ensual inclinations , and vicious disposition , that drew you to a wilful obeying of the tempter , and rejecting the wholesom advice of christ . this therefore is a ●rivolous excuse of your sin. the one and twentieth excuse . but i hope you will not say that all men have free will ! and if my will were not free , how could i choose but sin ? answ . 1. your will was not free from god's rule and government . 2. nor was it free from its natural inclination to good in general ; for either of these were more properly slavery . 3. nor was it free from the influence of a dark understanding . 4. nor free from its own contracted vitious inclination . 5. nor freed from the temptations of the flesh , the world , and the devil . but it was , 1. free from any natural determination to evil , or to any thing that was doubtful . 2. and free from the coaction or violence of any . 3. and free from an irresistible determination of any exteriour cause , at least ordinarily . so that naturally , as men , you have the power or faculty of determining your own wills , and by your wills of ruling your inferiour faculties in a great measure ; yea , of ruling the s●nses and the phantasy it self , which doth so much to dispose of our understanding . and if your wills , which are naturally free , are yet so habitually vitious , that they encline you to do evil , that is not an excuse , but an aggravation of your sin. but of this more under the next . the two and twentieth excuse . but i have not power of my self to do any thing that is good : what can the creature do ? without christ we can do nothing . it is god that must give me ability , or i can have none : and if he had given it me , i had not been an vnbeliever or impenitent . i can no more believe of my self , than i can fulfil the law of my self . answ . 1. these are the vain cavils of learned folly , which god will easily answer in a word . the word [ power ] is taken in several senses . sometime , and most commonly and fitly , for a faculty or a strength by which a man can do his duty if he will. this physical power you have , and the worst of sinners have while they are men on earth . were they actually willing , they might acceptably perform sincere obedience ; and were they dispositively willing , they might actually believe and will. and thus the ungodly have power to believe . sometime the word [ power ] is taken for authority or leave , for legal or civil power . and thus you have all not only power or liberty to believe , but also a command which makes it your duty , and a threatning adjoined , which will condemn you if you do not . sometime the word [ power ] is taken ethically , and less properly , for a disposition , inclination , habit , or freedom from the contrary habit or disposition . and in this sense it 's true , that none but the effectually called have a power to believe . but then observe , 1. that this is but a moral , less proper , and not a physical proper impotency : and therefore austin chuseth rather to say that all men have power to believe , but all have not a will , or faith it self ; because we use to difference power from willingness ; and willingness actuateth the power which we had before . and therefore our divines choose rather to call grace a habit when they speak exactly , than a power ; and dr. twiss derides the arminians for talking of a power subjected in a power . 2. note that this impotency is but the same thing with your unwillingness and wilful blindness in another word . 3. note that this impotency is long of your selves as to the original , and much more as to the not curing and removing of it . hath god given you ●o means towards the cure of this disability , which you have neglected ? 4. note that this impotency is not a just excuse , but an aggravation of your sin. if you were willing to be the servant of christ , and yet were not able either because he would not accept you , or because of a want of natural faculties , or because of some other natural difficulty which the willingest mind could not overcome , this were some excuse : but to be habitually wilful in refusing grace , is worse than to be meerly actually unwilling . if a man have so accustomed himself to murder , drunkenness , stealing or the like wickedness , so far that he cannot leave it , will you therefore forgive him , or will any judg or jury hold him excused ? or rather think him the more unfit for mercy ? 5. note also that the want of a supernatural habit , no nor the presence of the contrary habit , do not efficiently determine the will to particular acts , much less take away its natural freedom . 6. and that till habits attain an utter predominancy , ( at least ) there is a power remaining in the will to resist them , and use means against them . though eventually the perverse inclination may hinder the use of it . the three and twentieth excuse . i have heard from learned men , that god doth determine all actions , natural and free , as the first efficient physical immediate cause : or else nothing could act . and then it was not long of me that i chose forbidden objects , but of him that irresistibly moved me thereto , and whose instrument i was . answ . this is a trick of that wisdom which is foolishness with god , and to be deceived by vain philosophy . 1. the very principle it self is most likely to be false , and those that tell you this do err . much more , i think , may be said against it than for it . 2. i am sure it is either false , or irreconcileable with god's holiness , and man's liberty and culpability ; so that its a mad thing to deceive your selves with such philosophical uncertainties , when the truth which you oppose by it is infallibly certain . that god is not the author of sin , but man himself , who is justly condemned for it , is undoubtedly true : and would you obscure so clear a truth , by searching into points beyond humane reach if not unsound , as you conclude them ? the four and twentieth excuse . but at least , those learned divines among us that doubt of this , do yet say that the will is necessarily and infallibly determined by the practical vnderstanding , and that is as much unresistibly necessitated by objects : and therefore whatever act was done by my vnderstanding or will , was this necessitated , and i could not help it . they say , liberty is but the acting of the faculty agreeably to its nature : and it was god as creator that gave adam his faculties , and god by providential dispose , that presented all objects to him , by which his vnderstanding , and so his will were unavoidably necessitated . answ . this is of the same nature with the former ; uncertain , if not certainly false . were this true , for ought we can see , it would lay all the sin and misery of this world on god , as the unresistible necessitating cause ; which because we know infallibly to be false , we have no reason to take such principles to be true which infer it . the understanding doth not by a necessary efficiency determine the will , but morally ; or rather , is regularly a condition or necessary antecedent , without which it may not determine it self . yea the will by commanding the sense and phantasy , doth much to determine the understanding . as the eye is not necessary to my going , but to my going right , so is not the understanding's guidance necessary to my willing , ( there the simple apprehension may suffice ) but to my right willing . there are other ways of determining the will. or if the understanding did determine the will efficiently and necessarily , it is not every act of the understanding that must do it . if it be so , when it saith , this must be done , and saith it importunately ; yet not when it only saith , this may be done , or you may venture on it , which is the common part which it hath in sin. i am not pleased that these curious objections fall in the way , nor do i delight to put them into vulgar heads ; but finding many young scholars and others that have conversed with them , assaulted with these temptations , i thought meet to give a touch , and but a touch , to take them out of their way : as mr. fenner hath done more fully in the preface to his hidden manna , on this last point , to which i refer you . i only add this . the will of man in its very dominion doth bear god's image . it is a self-determining power , though it be biassed by habits , and needs a guide . as the heart and vital spirits by which it acteth , are to the rest of the body , so is it to the soul. the light of nature hath taught all the world to carry the guilt of every crime to the will of man , and there to leave it . upon this all laws and judgments are grounded . from ignorance and intellectual weakness , men commonly fetch excuses for their faults ; but from the will they are aggravated . if we think it strange that man's will should be the first cause , so much as of a sinful mode , and answer all occurring objections : it may suffice that we are certain the holy majesty is not the author of sin ; and he is able to make all this as plain as the sun , and easily answer all these vain excuses , though we should be unable . and if we be much ignorant of the frame and motions of our own souls , and especially of that high self-determining principle , free-will , the great spring of our actions , and the curious engine by which god doth sapientially govern the world , it is no wonder , considering that the soul can know it self but by reflection , and god gave us a soul to use , rather than to know it self ; and to know its qualities and operations , rather than its essence . the five and twentieth excuse . no man can be saved , nor avoid any sin , nor believe in christ , but those whom god hath predestinated thereto . i was under an irreversible sentence before i was born : and therefore i do nothing but what i was predestinated to do ; and if god decreed not to save me , how could i help it ? answ . 1. god's judgments are more plain , but his decrees or secret purposes are mysterious : and to darken certainties , by having recourse to points obscure , is no part of christian wisdom . god told you your duty in his word , and on what terms you must be judged to life or death ; hither should you have recourse for direction , and not to the unsearchable mysteries of his mind . 2. god decreeth not to condemn any but for sin. sin , i say , is the cause of that condemnation , though not of his decree . 3. god's decrees are acts immanent in himself , and make no change on you , and therefore do not necessitate you to sin , any more than his fore-knowledg doth . for both cause only a necessity of consequence , which is logical , as the divines on both sides do confess . and therefore this no more caused you to sin , than if there had been no such decree . and it 's a doubt whether that decree be not negative ; a willing suspending of the divine will , as to evil ; or at most a purpose to permit it . the six and twentieth excuse . if it be no more , yet doth it make my perdition unavoidable ; for even god's fore knowledg doth so ; for if he foreknow it , all the world cannot hinder it from coming to pass . answ . must god either be ignorant of what you will do , or else be the cause of it ? if you foreknow that the sun will rise to morrow , that doth not cause it to rise . if you foreknow that one man will murder another , you are not the cause of it by foreknowing it . so is it here . the seven and twentieth excuse . god might have hindred my sin and damnation if he would . answ . and will you wilfully sin , and think to escape because god doth not hinder you ? the prince that makes a law against murder , could lock you up , and keep you from being a murderer . but are you excusable if he do not ? we are certain that god could have hindered all the sin and death , and confusion , and misery that is in the word : and we are as certain that he doth not hinder it ( but by forbidding it , and giving men means against it : ) and we are certain that he is just , and good , and wise in all , and not bound to hinder it : and what his reasons are , you may better know hereafter : in the mean time , you had been better have looked to your own duty . the eight and twentieth excuse . how could i be saved if christ did not die for me ? he died but for his elect ; and none could be saved without his death . answ . he did die for you , and for more than his elect , though he absolutely purposed only their salvation . your sins crucified him , and your debt lay upon him ; and he so far ransomed you , that nothing but your wilful refusal of the benefits could have condemned you . the nine and twentieth excuse . it was adam's sin that brought me into this depravedness of will , which i can neither cure , nor could prevent . answ . 1. if adam cast away his holiness , he could no more convey that to us which he cast away , than a nobleman that is a traitor , can convey his lost inheritance or honours to his son. 2. you perish not only for your original sin , but for rejecting the recovering mercy of the redeemer : you might have had christ and life in him for the accepting . the thirtieth excuse . god will require no more than 〈◊〉 gives . he gave me not grace to repeat and believe ; 〈◊〉 without his gift i could not have it . answ . 1. god will justly require more than he giveth ; that is , the improvement of his gifts , as mat. 25. shews . he gave adam but a power to persevert , and not actual perseverance : yet did he justly punish him for want of the act ; even for not using by his own wll the power which he had given him . 2. it is long of your self if god did not give you grace to believe : it was because you wilfully refused some preparatory grace . christ found you at a great distance from him , and he gave you grace sufficient to have brought you nearer to him than you were ; you had grace sufficient to have made you better than you were , and restrained many sins , and brought you to the means , when you turned your back on them : tho this were not sufficient to cause you to believe , it was sufficient to have brought you nearer to believing ; and through your own wilfulness , became not effectual ; even as adam had sufficient grace to have stood , which was not effectual . so that you had not only christ offered to you , if you would but accept him ; but you had daily and precious ▪ helps and means , to have cured your wills , and caused you to accept him ; for neglect of which , and so for not believing , and so for all your other sins , you justly perish . the one and thirtieth excuse . alas , m●● is a worn , a dry leaf ! job 13. 25. a silly foolish creature , and therefore his actions be not regardable , nor deserve so great a punishment . answ . though he be a worm , and as nothing to god , and 〈◊〉 by sin , yet he is naturally so noble a creatur● 〈◊〉 ●●age of god was on him , gen. 12. 26. 〈◊〉 1. james 3. 9. and the world made his serv●●● 〈◊〉 angels his atten●ants , heb. 1. 14. so noble 〈◊〉 christ died for him , god takes special care of him ; he is capable of knowing and enjoying god , 〈◊〉 heaven is not thought too good for him if he will ●ey . and he that is capable of so great good , must 〈◊〉 capable of as great evil , and his ways not to be so ●●erlooked by that god that hath undertaken to , be 〈◊〉 governour . when it tendeth to infidelity , the evil will teach you to debase man , even lower than 〈◊〉 would do . the two and thirtieth excuse . sin is no being : and ●ll men be damned for that which is nothing ? answ . 1. it is such a mode as deformeth god's create . it is a moral being . it is a relation of our ●●tions and hearts to god's will and law. 2. they that say , sin is nothing , say pain and loss 〈◊〉 nothing too . you shall therefore be paid with one ●●thing for another . make light of your misery , and 〈◊〉 , it is nothing , as you did of your sin. 3. will you take this for a good excuse from your ●hildren or servants , if they abuse you ? or from a ●hief or a murderer ? shall he escape by telling the ●dg that his sin was nothing ? or rather have death , ●ich is nothing , as the iust reward of it ? the three and thirtieth excuse : but sin is a transt● thing . at least it doth god no harm , and therefore why ●uld he do us so much harm for it ? answ . 1. it hurts not god , because he is above ●rt . no thanks to you if he be out of your reach . you may wrong him , when you cannot hurt him . ●nd the wrong deserves as much as you can bear . if a ●aitor endeavour the death of the prince in vain , 〈◊〉 endeavour deserves death , though he never hurt him . you despise god's law and authority ; you cause the blaspheming of his name , rom. 2. 24. he calls it a pressing him as a cart is pressed with sheaves , ●●os 2. 13. and a grieving of him . 3. and you wrong his image , his church , the pub●●ck good , and the souls of others . the four and thirtieth excuse . but god's nature is so ●●od and merciful , that sure he will not damn his own crea●●re . answ . 1. a merciful judg will hang a man for a fault against man : by proportion then what is due for sin against god ? 2. all the death and calamity which you see in the world , comes from the anger of this merciful god : why then may not future misery come from it ? 3. god knoweth his own mercy better than you do ; and he hath told you how far it shall extend . 4. he is infinitely merciful , but it is to the heirs of mercy , not to the final rejecters of his mercy . 5. hath not god been merciful to thee in bearing with thee so long , and offering thee grace in the blood of christ , till thou didst wilfully reject it ? thou wi●● confess to thy everlasting wo that god was merciful ; had he not been so merciful , thou wouldst not have been so miserable for rejecting it . the five and thirtieth excuse . i would not so torment mine enemy my self . answ . no reason you should . is it all one to wrong you , and to wrong the god of heaven ? god is the only judg of his own wrongs . the sixth and thirtieth excuse . all men are sinners ; and i was but a sinner . answ . all were not impenitent , unbelieving , rebelious sinners , and therefore all are not unpardoned , condemned sinners . all did not live after the flesh , and refuse to the last to be converted as you did . god will teach you better to difference between sinners and sinners . the seven and thirtieth excuse . but if christ have satisfied for my sins , and died for me , then how can i justly suffer for the same sins ? will god punish one sin twice ? answ . 1. christ suffered for man in the christ of man ; but not in your person , nor you in him . it was not you that provided the price , but god himself : christ was not man's delegate in satisfying , and therefore received not his instructions from us , nor did on our terms , but his own . it was not the same thing which the law threatned , that christ underwent : for that was the damnation of the sinner himself , and not the suffering of another for him ; it cannot therefore be yours but on christ's own terms . he died for thy sin , but with this intent , that for all that if thou refuse him , thou shalt die thy self . it is therefore no wrong to thee to die , for it was not thou that diedst before , and christ will take it for no wrong to him : for he will judg thee to that death . it is for refusing a christ that died for thee , that thou must perish for ever . the eight and thirtieth excuse . but i did not refuse christ . i believed and trusted in him to the last ; and repented of my sins , though i sometime was overtaken with them . answ . had this been true , thy sin would not have condemned thee . but there is no mocking god. he will shew thee then thy naked heart , and convince thousands that thought they believed and repented , that indeed they did not . by thy works also will this be discovered , that is , by the main bent and scope of thy life , as mat. 25. throughout , and jam. 2. the nine and thirtieth excuse . i did many good works ; and i hope god will set those against my evil works : answ . thy good works were thy sins , because indeed they were not good , being not done in sincerity of heart for god. the best man's works have some infirmity , which nothing can cleanse but the blood of christ , which thou hast made light of , and therefore hast no part in . if all thy life had been spent in perfect works except one day , they would not make satisfaction for the sins of that day . for they are but part of thy duty . wo to him that hath no better a saviour at judgment , than his own good works . the fortieth excuse . i lived in poverty and misery on earth , and therefore i hope i have had my suffering here , and shall not suffer in this world and another too . 1. by that rule all poor men and murderers , and thieves that are tormented and hanged , should be saved . but as godliness hath the promise of this life and that to come , so impenitency and wickedness hath the threatning of this life and that to come . 2. the devils and the damned have suffered much more than you already ; and yet they are never the nearer a deliverance . when thou hast suffered ten thousand years , thy pain will be never the nearer an end . how then can a little misery on earth prevent it ? alas , poor soul , these are but the foretasts and beginnings of thy sorrow . nothing but pardon through the blood of christ could have prevented thy condemnation ; and that thou rejectedst by infidelity and impenitency . his sufferings would have saved thee , if thou hadst not refused him ; but all thy own sufferings will yield thee no relief . so much for the answering of the vain excuses which poor sinners are ready to make for themselves ; wherein i have been so large , as that this part i confess is disproportionable to the rest : but it was for these two reasons . 1. that poor careless souls might see the vanity of such defences ; and consider if such a worm as i can easily confute them , how easily and how terribly will they be all answered by their judg ? 2. i did it the rather , that godly christians might the better understand how to deal with these vain excuses when they meet with them : which will be daily if they deal with men in this sad condition . x. we have done with that part of the judgment which consisteth in the exploration or trial of the cause : we now come to that which is the conclusion and consummation of all ; and that is , to shew you what the sentence will be , and on whom . and for this , we must go strait to the word of god for our light , it being impossible for any man to have any particular knowledg of it , if christ had not there revealed it unto us . indeed almost all the world do acknowledg a life after this , where it shall go well with the good , and ill with the bad . but who shall be then accounted righteous , and who unrighteous , and on what terms and grounds , by whom they shall be judged , and to what condition , they know not . the sentence in judgment will be , 1. either on those that never had means to know christ . 2. or on those that had . 1. for the former , as it less concerneth us to enquire of their case , so it is more obscurely revealed to us in the scripture . it is certain that they shall be judged according to their use of the means which they had , rom. 2. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. and the talents which they received , mat. 25. but that it ever falleth out that he that hath but the one talent of natural helps , doth improve it to salvation ; or that ever they who knew not christ , are justified and saved without that knowledg , ( being at age and use of reason ) i find not in the scriptures . i find indeed that [ as many as have sinned without law , shall also perish without law : and as many as have sinned in the law , shall be judged by the law rom. 2. 12. but not that any are justified by the works of nature , such as are here said to be without law. ] i find also , that [ they have the work of the law written in their hearts , their conscience also bearing witness , and their thoughts the mean while accusing , or else excusing one another , in the day when god shall jude the secrets of men by jesus christ , according to the gospel ] rom. 2. 15 , 16. and i believe it is a just excuse , and not an unjust which is here meant . but it will be but an excuse so far as they were guiltless : and that will be but in tanto , and not in toto , in part only ; and so not a full justification . a heathen's conscience may excuse him from those sins which he was never guilty of ; but not from all . but no more of them . 2. the case of those that have had the gospel , is more plainly opened to us in god's word . their sentence is opened in many places of scripture , but most fully in matth. 25. whence we will now collect it . there we find that jesus christ the redeemer , as king of the world , shall sit in judgment on all men at the last ; and shall separate them one from another , as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats , and so shall pass the final sentence . this sentence is twofold , according to the different condition of them that are judged . to them on the right hand , there is a sentence of justification , and adjudication to everlasting glory : to them on the left hand , there is a sentence of condemnation to everlasting punishment . the sentence on each of these containeth both the state which they are judged to , and the reason or cause of the judgment to that state. for as god will not judg any to life or death without just cause , so he will publish this cause in his sentence , as it is the manner of judges to do . if you say , christ will not use a voice ; let it satisfy , that though we know not the manner , yet if he do it but by mental discovery , as he shews men what shall everlastingly befal them , so he will shew them why it shall so befal them . 1. the sentence on them on the right hand , will contain , 1. their justification and adjudication to blessedness , and that both as generally denominated , and as particularly determined and described . 2. and the cause of this judgment . 1. in general they shall be pronounced blessed . satan would have had them cursed and miserable : the law did curse them to misery ; many a fearful though hath possessed their own breasts , lest they should prove at last accursed and miserable : but now they hear the contrary from their judg. all the promises in the gospel could not perfectly overcome those their fears ; all the comfortable words of the ministers of the gospel could not perfectly subdue them ; all the tender mercies of god in christ did not perfectly subdue them ▪ but now they are vanquished all for ever . he that once had heard his redeemer in judgment call him blessed , will never fear being cursed more . for he that christ blesseth , shall be blessed indeed . the description of their blessedness followeth , come inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. and also they are called blessed of the father . here is the fountain of their blessedness , the father ; and the state of their blessedness in being the father's : for i suppose they are called the blessed of are father , both because the father blesseth them , that is , makes them happy , and because these blessed ones are the father 's own . and so christ will publish it to the world in judgment , that he came to glorify the father , and will proclaim him the principal efficient , and ultimate end of his work of redemption , and the blessedness of his saints ; and that himself is ( as mediator ) but the way to the father . it is the father that prepared the kingdom for them , and from the foundation of the world prepared it ; both for [ them ] as chosen ones , and for them as future believers and righteous ones . it is called a kingdom , partly in respect to god the king , in whose glory we shall partake in our places ; and partly metapherically , from the dignity of our condition . for so it is that our selves are said to be made kings , rev. 1. 6. and 5. 1. 1 pet. 2. 9. and not that we are properly kings ; for then we must have subjects who must be governed by us . thus we see their blessedness in the fountain , end and state of dignity . as to the receptive act on their part , it is expressed by two words ; one signifying their first entrance on it , come : the other their possession , inherit : that is , possess it as given by the father , and redeemed by the son , and hold it in this tenure for ever . the true believer was convinced in this life , that indeed there was no true blessedness , but this enjoyment of god in the kingdom of heaven . the lord revealed this to his heart by his word and spirit . and therefore he contemned the seeming happiness on earth , and laid up for himself a treasure in heaven , and made him friends with the mammon of unrighteousness , and ventured all his hope in this vessel . and now he findeth the wisdom of that choice in a rich return . god made him so wise a merchant as to sell all for this pearl of greatest price : and therefore now he shall find the gain . as there is no other true happiness but god in glory ; so is there nothing more sutable and welcome to the true believer . o how welcome will the face of that god be , whom he loved , sought , longed and waited for ! how welcome will that kingdom be which he lived in hope of , which he parted with all for , and suffered for in the flesh ! how glad will he be to see the blessed face of his redeemer , who by his manifold grace hath brought him unto this i leave the believing soul to think of it , and to make it the daily matter of his delightful meditation ; what an unconceivable joy in one moment , will this sentence of christ will fill his soul with ? undoubtedly it is now quite past our comprehension ; though our imperfect forethoughts of it may well make our lives a continual feast . were it but our justification from the accusations of satan , who would have us condemned either as sinners in general , or as impenitent , unbelieving rebels , against him that redeemed us , in special , it would lift up the heads of the saints in that day : after all the fears of our own hearts , and the slanderous accusations of satan and the world , that we were either impenitent infidels or hypocrites , christ will then justify us and pronounce us righteous . so much for the condition to which they are judged . 2. the reason or cause of this justification of the saints , is given us both , 1. in a general denomination , and 2. in a particular description . 1. in general , it is because they were righteous , as is evident , mat. 25. 6. the righteous shall go into life everlasting . and indeed it is the business of every just judg to justify the righteous , and condemn the unrighteous . and shall not the judg of all the earth judg righteously ? gen. 18. 25. god makes men righteous before he judges them so : and judgeth them righteous because they are so . he that abominateth that man who saith to the righteous , thou art wicked ; or to the wicked , thou art righteous ; who justifieth the wicked and condemneth the righteous , will certainly never do so himself . indeed he will justify them that are sinners , but not against the accusation that they are sinners , but against the accusation , that they are guilty of punishment for sin : but that is , because he first made them just ; and so justifiable , by pardoning their sin , through the blood of christ . and it 's true also , that he will justify those that were wicked ; but not those that are wicked : but judgment findeth them as death leaveth them , and he will not take them for wicked , that are sanctified and cleansed of their former wickedness . so that christ will first pardon them before he justify them against the charge of being sinners in general ; and he will first give men faith , repentance and new obedience , before he will justify them against the charge of being impenitent , infidels or hypocrites , and consequently ●mpardoned , and doubly guilty of damnation . this twofold righteousness he will first give men , and so constiture them just , before he will declare it , and sentence them just . 2. the reason of the sentence , particularly described , is from their faith and love to christ , expressed in their obedience , self-denial , and forsaking all for him . for i was hungry and ye fed me ; i was thirsty and ye gave me daink ; i was a stranger and ye took me in ; naked and ye clothed me : i was sick and ye visited me : i was in prison and ye came to me . verily i say unto you , inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren , ye have done it unto me , mat. 25. 35 to 41. here is , 1. the causal conjuction for . 2. and the cause or reason it self . concerning both which , observe . 1. how it is that man's obedience and self-denial is the reason and cause of his justification . 2. why it is that god will have the reason or cause thus declared in the sentence . for the first , observe that it 's one thing to give a reason of the sentence , and another thing to express the cause of the benefit given us by the promise , and judged to us by the sentence . man's obedience was no proper cause why god did in this life give pardon of sin to us , or a right to glory , much less of his giving christ to die for us . and therefore as to our constitutive justification at our conversion , we must not say or think that god doth justify us , for , or because of any works of our obedience , legal or evangelical . but when god hath so justified us , when he comes to give a reason of his sentence in judgment , he may and will fetch that reason partly from our obedience , or our performance of the conditions of the new covenant . for as in this life , we had a righteousness consisting in free pardon of all sin through the blood of christ , and a righteousness consisting in our personal performance of the conditions of the promise , which giveth that pardon and continueth it to us ; so at judgment we shall accordingly be justified . and as our evangelical personal righteousness , commonly called inherent , was at first only in our faith and repentance , and disposition to obey , but afterward in our actual sincere obedience , in which sense we are constitutively justified or made righteous here by our works , in james his sense , james 2. 24. so accordingly a double reason will be assigned of our sentential justification ; one from our pardon by christ's blood and merits , which will prove our right to impunity and to glory ; the other from our own faith and holy obedience , which will prove our right to that pardon through christ , and to the free gift of a right to glory : and to this last is to be pleaded in subordination to the former . for christ is become the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him , heb. 5. 9. he therefore that will be saved , must have a christ to save him as the author , and an obedience to that christ as the condition of that salvation ; and consequently both must be declared in the judgment . the reason why the judg doth mention our good works rather than our believing , may be because those holy self-denying expressions of faith and love to christ do contain or certainly imply faith in them , as the life of the tree is in the fruit : but faith doth contain our works of obedience but only as their cause . the works also are a part of the personal righteousness which is to be enquired after , that is , we shall not be judged righteous , meerly because we have believed , but also because we have added to our faith vertue , and have improved our talents , and have loved christ to the hazard of all for his sake . for it is not only or principally for the goodness of the work considered in it self , or the good that is done by it to the poor ; but it is as those works did express our faith and love to christ by doing him the most costly and hazardous service ; that by faith we could see christ in a poor beggar or a prisoner , and could love christ in these better than our worldly goods or liberties , which we must part with , or hazard by the works that are here mentioned . 2. the reasons why christ will so publickly declare the personal righteousness of men , to be the reason or cause of his justifying sentence , is because it is the business of that day , not only to glorify god's meer love and mercy , but eminently to glorify his remunerative justice ; and not only to express his love to the elect , as such , but to express his love to them as faithful and obedient , and such as have denied all for christ , and loved god above all ; and to shew his justice to men , and faithfulness in fulfilling all his promises , and also his holiness , in the high estimation of the holiness of his people . i shall express this in the words of a learned divine ( dr. twiss against mr. cotton , pag. 40. ) was there no more in god's intention when he elected some , than the manifestation of the riches of his glorious grace ? did not god purpose also to manifest the glory of his remunerative justice ? is it no undeniable that god will bestow salvation on all his elect , ( of ripe years ) by way of reward , and crown of righteousness , which god the righteous judg will give ? 2 tim. 4. 2 thess . 1. it is great pity this is not considered , as usually it is not , especially for the momentous consequence thereof in my judgment . so far he . so much of the sentence of justification which shall be passed by christ at judgment upon the righteous . 2. we are next to consider of the sentence of condemnation which shall then by christ be passed on the unrighteous . which is delivered to us by christ , mat. 25. in the same order as the former . the sentence containeth , 1. the condemnation it self . 2. the reason or cause of it . the condemnation expresseth the misery which they are judged to . 1. generally in the denomination , cursed . 2. particularly by description of their cursed state. to be cursed , is to be a people destinated and adjudged to utter unhappiness , to all kind of misery without remedy . 2. their cursed condition is described in the next words , depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the 〈◊〉 and his angels . 1. depart : from whom ? from the god that made them in his image ; from the redeemer that bought them by the price of his blood , and offered to save them freely , for all their unworthiness , and many a time intreated them to accept his offer , that their souls might live : from the holy ghost , the sanctifier and comforter of the faithful , who strove with their hearts , till they quenched and expelled him . o sad departing ! who would not then choose rather to depart from all the friends he had in the world , and from any thing imaginable ; from his life , from himself , if it were possible , than from christ ? depart : from what ? why from the presence of the judg , from all farther hopes of salvation for ever , from all possibility of ever being saved , and living in the joyful inheritance of the righteous . depart : not from god's essential presence , for that will be with them to their everlasting misery , but from the presence of his grace in that measure as they enjoyed it . depart : not from your fleshly pleasures , and honours , and profits of the world ; these were all gone and past already : and there was no farther need to bid them depart from these : houses and lands were gone . mirth and recreations were gone . their sweet morsels and cups were gone . all the honour that men could give them was gone before they were set at christ's bar to be judged . but from all expectations of ever enjoying these again , or ever tasting their former delights ; from these they must depart : not from their sin , for that will go with them ; but the liberty of committing that part of it which was sweet to them , as gluttony , drunkenness , whoredom , idleness , and all voluptuousness ; from these they must depart . but this is consequential ; it is christ and the possibility of salvation , that they are sentenced to depart from . but whither must they depart ? 1. into fire . 2. into that fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels . 3. into everlasting fire . 1. not into a purifying , but a tormenting fire . whether elementary or not ; whether properly or metaphorically called fire , let us not vainly trouble our selves to enquire . it is enough to know , that as fire is one of the most grievous tormentors of the flesh , so grievous will be those infernal torments to the whole man , soul and body ; such as is most fitly represented to us under the notion of fire , and of burning . it is easy for a secure unbelieving soul to read and hear of it ; but wo and ten thousand woes to them that must endure it ! in this life they had their good things , when it went harder as to the flesh with better men ; but now they are tormented , when the godly are comforted , as luke 16. 25. 2. but why is it called a fire prepared for the devil and his angels ? 1. what is this devil that hath angels ? 2. who are his angels ? 3. when was it prepared for them ? 4. wat it not also prepared for wicked men ? to these in order . 1. it seems by many passages in scripture , that there is an order among spirits both good and bad ; and that there is one devil that is the prince over the rest . 2. it seems therefore that it 's the rest of the evil spirits , that are called his angels . and some think that the wicked who served him in this life , shall be numbred with his angels in the life to come . indeed the apostle calls him the god of this world , 2 cor. 4. 4. as is ordinarily judged by expositors ; and the prince of the power of the air , the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience , eph. 2. 2. and he calleth false seducing teachers the ministers of satan , 2 cor. 11. 15. but that wicked men are here meant as part of his angels , is not clear . 3. if it be the preparation of god's purpose that is here meant , then it was from eternity : but if it be any commination of god as ruler of the angels , then was this fire prepared for them conditionally , from the beginning of that commination , and was due to them at their fall. 4. it seems that the reason why here is no mention of preparing hell-fire for the wicked , but only for the devils , is not because indeed it was not prepared also for the wicked ; but to note that it is the torment which was first prepared for , or assigned to the devils , thereby shewing the greatness of the misery of the wicked , that the devil and his angels must be their companions : though some think , as is said before , that the reason why wicked men are not mentioned tere , is , because they are part of the angels of the devil , and so included . and some think it is purposely to manifest god's general love to mankind , that prepared not hell for them , but they cast themselves into the hell prepared for the devils . but the first seems to be the true sense . and how apparently righteous are the judgments of the lord ! that those men who would here entertain the devil into their hearts and daily familiarity , should be then entertained by him into his place of torments , and there remain for ever in his society ! though few entertained him into visible familiarity with their bodies as witches do , who so make him their familiar : yet all wicked men do entertain him into more full and constant familiarity with their souls than these witches do with their bodies ; how familiar is he in thoughts , to fill them with vanity , lust or revenge ! how familiar is he in their hearts , to fill them with covertousness , malice , pride , or the like evils ! and to banish all thoughts of returning to god , and to quench every motion that tendeth to their recovery ! how familiar is he with them , even when they seem to be worshipping god in the publick assemblies , stealing the word out of their hearts , filling them with vain and wandring thoughts , blinding their minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them , and filling them with a proud rebellion against the direction of their teachers , and an obstinate refusal to be ruled by them , be the matter never so necessary to their own salvation ? how familiar are these evil spirits in their houses , filling them with ignorance , worldliness and ungodliness , and turning out god's service , so that they do not pray together once in a day , or perhaps at all ! how familiarly doth satan use their tongues , in cursing , swearing , lying , ribaldry , backbiting or slandring ! and is it not just with god to make these fiends their familiars in torment , with whom they entertained such familiarity in sin ? as christ with all the blessed angels and saints will make but one kingdom or family , and shall live altogether in perpetual delights ; so the devil and all his hellish angels and wicked men shall make but one houshold , and shall live altogether in perpetual misery . o poor sinners , you are not troubled now at his presence and power in your hearts ! but will you not then be troubled at his presence and tormenting power ? as long as you do not see him , let him do what he will with you , it grieves you little or nothing at all ; but what will you say when you must see him , and abide with him for ever ? o sirs , his name is easily heard , but his company will be terrible to the stoutest heart alive . he sheweth you a smiling face when he tempteth you , but he hath a grimmer face to shew you , when temptations have conquered you , and torments must succeed . as those that write of witches , say , he appeareth at first to them in some comely tempting shape , till he have them fast tied to him ; and then he beats them , and affrights them , and seldom appears to them but in some ugly hew . believe it , poor sinners , you do not hear or see the worst of him , when you are merry about your sinful pleasures , and rejoicing in your hopes of the commodities or preferments of the world : he hath another kind of voice which you must hear , and another face to shew you , that will make you know a little better whom you had to do with ! you would be afraid now to meet him in the dark : what will you be to live with him in everlasting darkness ? then you will know who it was that you entertained and obeyed , and plaid with in your sins . 3. and as the text tells us , that it is a fire prepared for the devil and his angels : so it telleth us , that it is an everlasting fire . it had a beginning , but it shall have no end. if these wretches would have chosen the service of god , they would have met with no difficulty or trouble , but what would have had a speedy end. poverty and injuries would have had an end : scorns and abuses would have had an end : fasting , humiliation , sorrow for sin , watching and fighting against our spiritual enemies , would all have had an end. but to avoid these , they chose that ease , that pleasure , which hath brought them to that torment which never will have end . i have said so much of these things already in my book called the saints rest , that i will now say but this much . it is one of the wonders of the world , how men that do believe , or think they do believe this word of christ to be true , that the wicked shall go into everlasting fire , can yet venture on sin so boldly , and live in it so fearlesly , or sleep quietly till they are out of this unspeakable danger ! only the commonness of it , and the known wickedness of man's heart , doth make this less wonderful . and were there nothing else to convince us that sinners are mad and dead as to spiritual things , this were enough ; that ever the greatest pleasures or profits of the world , or the most enticing baits that the devil can offer them , should once prevail with them to forget these endless things , and draw them to reject an everlasting glory , and cast themselves desperately into everlasting fire : yea , and all this under daily warnings and instructions ; and when it 's told them beforehand by the god of truth himself ! for the lord's sake , sirs , and for your souls sakes , if you care not what ministers say , or what such as i say , yet will you soberly read now and then this 25 th chapter of matthew , and regard what is told you by him that must be your judg ! and now and then bethink yourselves soberly , whether these are matters for wise men to make light of ; and what it is to be everlastingly in heaven , or in hell-fire . 2. we have seen what is the penalty contained in the sentence against the ungodly : the next thing that the text directs us to , is the cause or reason of the sentence , ver . 42. for i was hungry , and ye gave me no meat , &c. the reason is not given expresly , either for their sin against the law of works , that is , because they were sinners , and not perfectly innocent nor yet from their unbelief , which is the great sin against the law of grace : but it is given from their not expressing their faith and love to christ in works of mercy and self-denial . and why is this so ? 1. we must not suppose that these words of christ do express the whole judicial process in every point ; but the chief parts . it is supposed that all men are convicted of being sinners against the perfect law of the creator , and that they are guilty of death for that sin ; and that there is no way but by christ to obtain deliverance . but because all this must be acknowledged by the righteous themselves , as well as by the wicked ; therefore christ doth not mention this , but that only which is the turning point or cause in the judgment . for it is not all sinners that shall be finally condemned , but all impenitent , unbelieving sinners , who have rebelled finally against their redeemer . 2. and the reason why faith itself is not expressed is , 1. because it is clearly implied , and so is love to christ as redeemer ; in that they should have relieved christ himself in his members : that is , as it 's expressed , mat. 10. 42. they should have received a prophet in the name of a prophet , and a disciple in the name of a disciple ; all should be done for christ's sake , which could not be , unless they believed in him , and loved him . 2. also because that the bare act of believing is not all that christ requireth to a man's final justification and salvation ; but holy self-denying obedience must be added . and therefore this is given as the reason of their condemnation that they did not so obey . we must observe also , that christ here putteth the special for the general ; that is , one way of self-denying obedience and expression of love , instead of such obedience in general : for all men have not ability to relieve those in misery , being perhaps some of them poor themselves . but all have that love and self-denial , which will some way express it self . and all have hearts and a disposition to do thus , if they had ability ; without such a disposition none can be saved . it is the fond conceit of some , that if they have any love to the godly , or wish them well , it is enough to prove them happy . but christ here purposely lets us know that whoever doth not love him at so high a rate , as that he can part with his substance or any thing in the world , to those uses which he shall require them , even to relieve his servants in want and sufferings for the master's sake , that man is none of christ's disciple , nor will be owned by him at the last . xi . the next point that we come to , is to shew you the properties of this sentence at judgment . when man had broken the law of his creator at the first , he was liable to the sentence of death , and god presently sat in judgment on him , and sentenced him to some part of the punishment which he had deserved ; but upon the interposition of the son , he before the rest , resolved on a way that might tend to his recovery ; and death is due yet to every sinner for every sin which he commits , till a pardon do acquit him . but this sentence which will pass on sinners at the last judgment , doth much differ from that which was passed on the first sin , or which is due according to the law of works alone . for , 1. as to the penalty , called the pain of loss , the first judgment did deprive man of the favour of his creator , but the second will deprive him of the favour both of the creator and redeemer : the first judgment deprived him of the benefits of innocency ; the second deprives him of the benefits of redemption , the loss of his hopes and possibility of pardon , of the spirit , of justification and adoption , and of the benefits which conditionally were promised and offered him ; these are the punishments of the last judgment , which the law of works did never threaten to the first man , or to any , as it stood alone . also the loss of glory as recovered , is the proper penalty of the violated law of grace , which is more than the first loss . as if a man should lose his purse the second time , when another hath once found it for him ; or rather as if a traitor redeemed by another , and having his life and honours offered him , if he will thankfully accept it and come in , should by his refusal and obstinacy , lose this recovered life , which is offered him ; which is an addition to his former penalty . besides that the higher degree of glory will be lost which christ would bestow on him , more than was lost at first . the very work of the saints in heaven , will to praise and glorify him that redeemed them , and the father in him ; which would not have been the work of man , if he had been innocent . 2. as to the pain of sense , the last judgment by the redeemer will sentence them to a far sorer punishment than would have befaln them , if no saviour had been offered them , heb. 10. 29. the conscience of adam if he had not been redeemed , would never have tormented him for rejecting a redeemer , nor for refusing or abusing his gracious offers , and his mercies ; nor for the forfeiting of a recovered happiness ; nor for refusing of the easy terms of the gospel , which would have given him christ and salvation for the accepting ; nor for neglecting any means that tended to recovery : no nor for refusing repentance unto life , nor for disobeying a redeemer that bought him by his blood. as all these are the penalties of the redeemer's law and judgment , so is it a sorer penalty than conscience would have inflicted meerly for not being perfectly innocent : and they will be far soarer gripings and gnawings of the never-dying worm for the abuse of these talents , than if we had been never trusted with any after our first forfeiture . yea and god himself will accordingly proportion his punishments . so that you see that privatively and positively , or as to their loss and their feeling , the redeemer will pass on them a heavier doom than the creator did , or would have done according to the first law to perfect man. 3. another property of the judgment of christ is , that it will be final , peremptory , and excluding all farther hopes or possibilities of a remedy . so was not the first judgment of the creator upon faln man. though the law of pure nature knew no remedy , nor gave man any hope of a redeemer , yet did it not exclude a remedy , nor put in any bar against one ; but god was free to recover his creature if he pleased . but in the law of grace he hath resolved , that there shall be no more sacrifice for sin , but a fearful looking for of judgment and fire which shall devour the adversary , heb. 10. 26 , 27. and that the fire shall be everlasting , the worm shall not die , and the fire shall not be quenched , mat. 25. ult . mat. 13. 42 , 50. john 5. 27. mat. 5. 26. mat. 3. 12. and luke 3. 17. mark 9. 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 48. he that now breaketh that pure law that requireth perfect innocency , ( as we have all done ) may fly to the promise of grace in christ , and appeal to the law of liberty or deliverance to be judged by that . but he that falls under the penalty of that law which should have saved him , as all final unbelievers and impenitent ungodly persons do , hath no other to appeal to . christ would have been a sanctuary and refuge to thee from the law of works , hadst thou but come into him : but who shall be a refuge to thee from the wrath of christ ? the gospel would have freed thee from the curse of the law of works , if thou hadst but believed and obeyed it : but what shall free thee from the condemnation of the gospel ? had there no accusation lain against thee , but that thou wast in general a sinner ; that is , that thou wast not perfectly innocent , christ would have answered that charge by his blood. but seeing thou art also guilty of those special sins which he never shed his blood for , who shall deliver thee from that accusation ? when christ gave himself a ransom for sinners , it was with this resolution both in the father and himself , that none should ever be pardoned , justified or saved by that ransom , that did not in the time of this life sincerely return to god by faith in the redeemer , and live in sincere obedience to him , and persevering herein . so that he plainly excepted final infidelity , impenitency and rebellion from pardon : he never died for the final non-performance of the conditions of the new covenant . so that his judgment for these will be peremptory and remediless . if you say , why cannot god find out a remedy for this sin , as well as he did for the first ? i say , god cannot lie , tit. 1. 2. he must be true and faithful , as necessarily as he must be god , because of the absolute perfection of his nature ; and he hath said and resolved , that there shall be no more remedy . many other properties of god's judgment general there are , as that righteousness , impartiality , inflexibility , and the like , which because i would not make my discourse too long , i will pass over , contenting my self with the mention of these which are proper to the judgment of the redeemer according to his own laws in special . xii . the twelfth and last thing which i promised to unfold , is , the execution of this judgment . here i should shew you both the certainty of the execution , and by whom it will be , and how : but having done all this already in the third part of the foresaid book of rest , i shall now only give this brief touch of it . no sooner is the dreadful sentence past , go ye cursed into everlasting fire , but away they must be gone : there is no delay , much less any reprieve to be expected ; and yet much less is there any hope of an escape . if the judg once say , take him jailor ; and if christ say , take him devils , you that ruled and deceived him , now torment him : all the world cannot rescue one such soul. it will be in vain to look about for help . alas , there is none but christ can help you ; and he will not , because you refused his help : nay , we may say , he cannot ; not for want of power , but because he is true and just , and therefore will make good that word which you believed not . it is in vain then to cry to hills to fall on you , and the mountains to cover you from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne . it will be in vain now to repent , and wish you had not slighted your salvation , nor sold it for a little pleasure to your flesh . it will be then in vain to cry , lord , lord , open to us ; o spare us ; o pity us ; o do not cast us into these hideous flames ! do not turn us among devils ! do not torment thy redeemed ones in this fire ! all this will be then too late . poor sinner , whoever thou art that readest or hearest these lines , i beseech thee in compassion to thy soul , consider how fearful the case of that man will be , that is newly doomed to the everlasting fire , and is haled to the execution without remedy ! and what mad men are those that now do no more to prevent such a misery , when they might do it on such easy terms ▪ and now have so fair an opportunity in their hands . the time was when repentance might have done thee good : but then all thy repentings be in vain . now while the day of thy visitation lasteth , hadst thou but a heart to pray and cry for mercy , in faith and fervency through christ , thou mightest be heard . but then praying and crying will do no good , shouldst thou roar out in the extremity of thy horror and amazement , and beseech the lord jesus but to forgive thee one sin , or to send thee on earth once more , and to try the● once again in the flesh , whether thou wouldst not love him , and lead a holy life , it would be all in vain nay , shouldst thou beg but one hour before you were cast into those flames , it would not be heard ; it would do thee no good . how earnestly did a deceased gentleman , luke 16. 24. beg of abraham for one drop of water from the tip of lazarus's finger to cool his tongue , because he was tormented in the flame : and what the better was he ? he was sent to remember that he had his good things in this life ; and that remembrance would torment him more . and do not wonder or think much at this , that christ will not then be entreated by the ungodly . you shall then have a remember too from christ or conscience . he may soon stop thy mouth , and leave thee speechless , and say , remember man , that i did one day send thee a message of peace , and thou wouldst not hear it . i once did stoop to beseech thee to return , and thou wouldst not hear . i besought thee by the tender mercies of god ; i besought thee by all the love that i had shewed these , by my holy life , by my cursed death , by the riches of my grace , by the offers of my glory ; and i could not get thee t● for sake the world , to deny the flesh , to leave one beloved sin for all this . i besought thee over and over again : i sent many a minister to thee in my name : i waited on thee many a day , and year , and all would not do : thou wouldst not consider , return and live : and ●ow it is too late , thy sentence is past , and cannot be re●alled : away from me thou worker of iniquity , mat. 7. 22 , 23. ah sirs , what a case then is the poor desperate sinner left in ! how can i write this , or how can you that read or hear it , without trembling , once think of the condition that such forlorn wretches will be in ! when they look above them , and see the god that hath forsaken them , because they forsook him first ; when ●hey look about them , and see the saints on one hand whom they despised , now sentenced unto glory ; and the wicked on the other hand whom they accompanied and imitated , now judged with them to everlasting misery : when they look below them , and see the flames that they must abide in , even for evermore : and when the devils begin to hale them to the execution : o poor souls ! now what would they give for a christ , for a promise , for a time of repentance , for a sermon of mercy , which once they slept under , or made no account of ! how is the case altered now with them ! who would think that these are the same men that made light of all this on earth , that so stoutly scorned the reproofs of the word , that would be worldly , and fleshly , and drunk , and proud , let preachers say what they would ; and perhaps hated those that did give them warning . now they are of another mind ; but all too late . o were there any place for resistance , now would they draw back , and lay hold of any thing , before they would be dragged away into those flames ! but there is no resisting ; satan's temptations might have been resisted , but his executions cannot : god's judgments might have been prevented by faith and prayer , repentance and a holy life ; but they cannot be resisted when they are not prevented . glad would the miserable sinner be , if he might but turn to nothing , and cease to be ; or that he might be any thing rather than a reasonable creature : but these wishes are all in vain . there is one time , and one way of a sinner's deliverance ; if he fail in that one , he perishth for ever : all the world cannot help him after that 2 cor. 6. 2. i have heard thee in a time accepted : and in the day of salvation have i succoured thee : behold now is the accepted time ; behold now is the day of salvation . now he saith , rev. 3. 20. behold , i stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear my voice and open the door , i will come in to him , and will sup with him , and he with me . but for the time to come hereafter , hear what he saith , prov. 1. 24 , 25 , 26. because i have called , and ye refused , i have stretched out my hand and no man regarded ; but ye have set at nought all my counsels , and would none of my reproof : i also will laugh at your calamity ; i will mock when your fear cometh ; when your fear cometh as a desolation , and your d●struction comueth as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon you : then shall they call upon me , but i will not answer ; they shall seek me early , but they shall not find me : for that they hated knowledg , and did not choose the fear of the lord ; they would none of my counsels : they despised all my reproofs ; therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way , and be filled with their own devices : for the turning away of the simple shall slay them , and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them ; but whoso hearkneth to me shall dwell safth and shall be quiet from fear of evil. i have recited all these words that you may see and consider , whether i have spoke any other thing than god himself had plainly told you of . having said this much of the certainty of the execution , i should next have spoke somewhat of the manner and the instruments , and have shewed how god will be for ever the principal cause , and satan and their own consciences the instruments in part ; and in what manner conscience will do its part , and how impossible it will be to quiet or resist it . but having spoke so much of all this already elsewhere , as is said before i will forbear here to repeat it , leaving the reader that desireth it , there to peruse it . the vses . vse 1. beloved hearers , it was not to fill your fancies with news that god sent me hither this day : nor to tell you of matters that nothing concern you : nor by some terrible words to bring you to an hour's amazement and no more : but it is to tell you of things that your eyes shall see , and to foretel you of your danger while it may be prevented , that your precious souls may be saved at the last , and you may stand before god with comfort at that day . but because this will not be every man's case , no nor the case of most , i must in the name of christ desire you to make this day an enquiry into your own souls , and as in the presence of god let your hearts make answer to these few questions which i shall propound and de●te with you . qu. 1. do you soundly believe this doctrine which i have ●ached to you ? what say you sirs ? do you verily be●ve it as a most certain truth , that you and i , and 〈◊〉 the world must stand at god's bar and be judged to everlasting joy or torment ? i hope you do all in some 〈◊〉 believe this : but blame me not if i be jealous whether you soundly believe it , while we see in the world so little of the effect of such a belief . i confess i am forced to think that there is more infidelity than ●ith among us , when i see more ungodliness than god●ess among us : and i can hardly believe that man ●at will say or swear that he believeth these things , ●d yet liveth as carelesly and carnally as an infidel . i ●ow that no man can love to be damned ; yea , i ●ow that every man that hath a reasonable soul , hath ●turally some love to himself , and a fear of a danger ●hich he verily apprehendeth : he therefore that liveth ●thout all fear , i must think liveth without all appre●nsion of his danger . custom hath taught men to hold these things as the opinion of the country ; but if men soundly believed them , surely we should see strange● effects of such a faith , than in the most we do see . doth the sleepy soul that liveth in security , a● followeth this world as eagerly as if he had no greater matters to mind ; that never once trembled at the thoughts of this great day , nor once asked his own soul in good sadness , my soul , how dost thou think then to escape ? i say , doth this man believe that he is going to this judgment ? well sirs , whether you believe it or not , you will find it true : and believe it you must before you can be safe . for if you do not believe it , you will never make ready . let me therefore perswade you in the fear of god to consider , that it is a matter of undoubted truth . 1. consider that it is the express word of the god of truth , revealed in scripture as plainly as you can desire . so that you cannot be unbelieving without denying god's word , or giving him the lie , mat. 13. 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 49 , 50. mat. 25. throughout , rom. 2. 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 16. and 1. 32. john 5. 28 , 29. the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice , and shall come forth : they that have done good , unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil , unto the resurrection of damnation . heb. 9. 27. it is appointed to all men once to die , and after this the judgment . rom. 14. 9 , 12. so then every one of us shall give account of himself to god. rev. 20. 12. and i saw the dead small and great stand before god : and the books were opened : and another book was opened , which is the book of life ; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works . mat. 12. 36 , 37. but i say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak , they shall give account thereof at the day of judgment for by thy words thou shalt be justified , and by thy words thou shalt be condemned . many more most express texts of scripture do put the truth of this judgment out of all question to all that believe the scripture , and will understand it . there is no place left for a controversy in the point : it is made as sure to us as the word of the living god can make it : and he that will question that , what will he believe ? what say you sirs ! dare you doubt of this which the god of heaven hath so positively affirmed ? i hope you dare not . 2. consider , it is a master-part of your faith , if you are christians , and a fundamental article of your creed , that christ shall come again to judg the quick ●nd the dead . so that you must believe it or renounce your christianity , and then you renounce christ and all the hopes of mercy that you have in him . it 's impossible that you should soundly believe in christ , and not believe his judgment and life everlasting : because as he came to bring life and immortality to light in the gospel , 2 tim. 1. 10. so it was the end of his incarnation , death and resurrection , to bring you thither ; and it 's part of his honour and office which he purchased with his blood , to be the lord and judg of all the world , rom. 14. 9. joh. 5. 22. if therefore you believe not heartily this judgment , deal plainly and openly , and say you are infidels , and cast away the hypocritical vizor of christianity , and le● us know you , and take you as you are . 3. consider that it is a truth that is known by the very light of nature , that there shall be a happiness for the righteous , and a misery for the wicked after this life : which is evident , 1. in that we have undeniable natural reason for it . ( 1. ) god is the righteous governour of the world , and therefore must make a difference among his subjcts , according to the nature of their ways : which ane see is not done here , where the wicked prosper , and we good are afflicted ; therefore it must be hereafter . ( 2. ) we see there is a necessity that god should make promises and threatnings of everlasting happiness or misery , for the right governing of the world : for we certainly perceive that no lower things will keep men from destroying all humane society , and living worse than brute beasts ; and if there be a necessity of making such threats and promises , then there is certainly a necessity of fulfilling them . for god needeth no lie or means of deceiving , to rule the world. 2. and as we see it by reason , so by certain expe●rience , that this is discernable by the light of nature for all the world , or almost all do believe it . ev● those nations where the gospel never came , and have nothing but what they have by nature , even the most barbarous indians acknowledg some life after this and a difference of men according as they are here therefore you must believe thus much , or renounc● your common reason and humanity , as well as your christianity . let me therefore perswade you al● in the fear of god to confirm your souls in the belief of this , as if you had heard christ or an angel from heaven say to you , o man , thou art hasting to judgment . qu. 2. my next question is , whether you do ever soberly consider of this great day ? sirs , do you use when you are alone to think with your selves , how certain and how dreadful it will be , how fast it is coming on , and what you shall do , and what answer you mean to make at that day ? are your minds taken up with these considerations ? tell me , is it so or not ? alas sirs ! is this a matter to be forgotten ? is not that man even worse than mad , that is going to god's judgment , and never thinks of it ? when if they were to be tried for their lives at the next assize , they would think of it , and think again , and cast 100 times which way to escape . methinks you should rather forget to go to bed at night , or to eat your meat , or do your work , than forget so great a matter as this . truly i have often in my serious thoughts been ready to wonder that men can think of almost any thing else , when they have so great a thing to think of . what , forget that which you must remember for ever ! forget that which should force remembrance , yea and doth force it with some , whether they will or not ! a poor despairing soul cannot forget it : he thinks which way ever he goes he is ready to be judged . o therefore beloved , fix these thoughts as deep in your hearts as thoughts can go . o be like that holy man , that thought which way ever he went , he heard the trumpet sound , and the voice of the angel calling to the world , arise ye dead , and come to judgment . you have warning of it from god and man , to cause you to remember it ; do not then forget it . it will be a cold excuse another day , lord , i forgat this day , or else i ●ight have been ready : you dare not sure trust to such excuses . qu. 3. my next question to you is , how are you ●ffected with the consideration of this day ? barely to think of it will not serve : to think of such a day as this with a dull and sensless heart , is a sign of fearful stupidity . did the knees of king belshazzar knock together with trembling , when he saw the hand-writing on the wall ? dan. 5. 6. how then should thy heart be afffected that seeth the hand-writing of god as a summons to his bar ? when i began to preach of these things long ago , confess the matters seemed to me so terrible , that i was afraid that people would have run out of their wits with fear ; but a little experience shewed me , that many are like a dog that is bred up in a forge or furnace , that being used to it , can sleep though the hmmers are beating , and the fire and hot iron flaming about him , when another that had never seen it , would be amazed at the sight . when men have heard us 7 years together , yea 20 years , to talk of a day of judgment , and they see it not , nor feel any hurt , they think it is but talk , and begin to make nothing of it . this is their thanks to god for his patience : because his sentence is not executed speedily , therefore their hearts are set in them to do evil , eccles . 8. 11. as if god were slack of his promise , as some men accoun● slackness , 2 pet. 3. 9. when one day with him is as 〈◊〉 1000 years , and a 1000 years as one day . what 〈◊〉 we tell you 20 years together that you must die , wi●● you not believe us , because you have lived so long , and seen no death coming ? three or four things there be that should bring any matter to the heart . 1. if it be a matter or exceeding weight . 2. if it concern not others only , but our selves . 3. if it be certain . 4. if near . all these things are here to be sound , and therefore how should your hearts be moved at the consideration of this great day ! 1. what matter can be mentioned with the tongue of man of greater moment ? for the poor creture to stand before his maker and redeemer , to be judged to everlasting joy or torment ? alas ! all the matters of this world are plays , and toys , and dreams to this ; matters of profit or disprofit are nothing to it , matter● of credit or discredit are unworthy to be named with it ; matters of temporal life or death are nothing to it . we may see the poor brute beasts go every day to the slaughter , and we make no great matter of it , though their life be as dear to them as ours to us . to be judged to an everlasting death or torment , this is the great danger that one would think should shake the stoutest heart to consider it , and awake the dullest sinner to prevent it . 2. it 's a matter the concerneth every one of your●selves , and every man or woman that ever lived upon the earth , or ever shall do ; i am not speaking to you 〈◊〉 the affairs of some far country that are nothing to you but only to marvel at ; which you never saw , not ever shall do : no , it is thy own self , man or woman that hearest me this day , that shalt as surely appear before the judgment-seat of christ , as the lord liveth , and as he is true and faithful ; and that is as sure as thou livest on this earth , or as the heaven is over thee . that man that heareth all this with the most careless blockish heart , shall be awakened and stand with the rest at that day ; that man that never thought of it , but spent his time in worldly matters , shall leave all and there appear ; that man that will not believe these things to be true , but make a jest ofthem , shall see and feel that he would not believe , and he also shall be there ; the godly that waited in hope for that day , as the day of their full deliverance and coronation , they shall be there ; those that have lain in the dust these 5000 years shall rise again , and all stand there . hearer , whoever thou art , believe it , thou maist better think to live without meat , to see without light , to escape death , and abide for ever on earth , than to keep away from that appearance . willing or unwilling thou shalt be there . and should not a matter then that so concerneth thy self , go near thy heart , and awake thee from thy security ? 3. that it is a matter of unquestionable certainty , i have partly shewed you already , and more would do if i were preaching to known infidels . if the careless world had any just reason to think it were uncertain , their carelesness were more excusable . methinks a man should be affected withthat which he is certain shall come to pass , in a manner as if it were now in doing , 1 thess . 5. 2. ye perfectly know that the day of the lord so cometh , &c. saith the apostle . 4. this day is not only certain , but it is near ; and therefore should affect you the more . i confess , if it were never so far off , yet seeing it will come at last , it should be carefully regarded : but when the judg is at the door , james 5. 9. and we are almost at the bar , and it is so short a time to this assize , what soul that is not dead will be secure ? alas sirs ! what is a little time when it is gone ? how quickly shall you and i be all in another world , and our souls receive their particular judgment , and so wait till the body be raised and judged to the same condition ? it is not 100 years in all likelihood , till every soul of us shall be in heaven or hell : and it 's like , not half or a quarter of that time , but it will be so with the greater part of us ; and what is a year or two or 100 ? how speedily is it come ? how many a soul that is now in heaven or hell , within 100 years dwelt in the places that you now dwell in , and sat in the seats you now sit in ? and now their time is past , what is it ? alas , how quickly will it be so with us ! you know not when you go to bed , but you may be judged by the next morning ; or when you rise , but you may be judged before night : but certainly you know that shortly it will be ; and should not this then be laid to heart ? yea the general judgment will not be long : for certainly we live in the end of the world. qu. 4. my next question is , whether are you ready for his dreadful judgment when it comes , or not ? seeing it your selves then must be tried , i think it concerns you to see that you be prepared . how often hath christ warned us in the gospel , that we be always ready , because we know not the day or hour of his coming ? matth. 24. 44 , 42. and 25. 13 1 thess . 5. 6. and told us hos sad a time it will be to those that are unready , mat. 25. 11 , 12. did men but well know what a meeting and greeting there will be between christ and an unready soul , it would sure startle them , and make them look about them . what say you , beloved hearers , are you ready for judgment , or are you not ? methinks a man that knoweth he shall be judged , should ask himself the question every day of his life ; am i ready to give up my account to god ? do not you use to ask this of your own hearts ? unless you be careless whether you be saved or damned , methinks you should , and ask it seriously . qu. but who be they that are ready ? how shall i know whether i be ready or not ? answ . there is a twofold readiness . 1. when you are in a safe cafe . 2. when you are in a comfortable cafe , in regard of that day . the latter is very desiraeble , but the frist is of absolute necessity : this therefore is it that you must principally enquire after . in general , all those , and only those are ready for judgment , who shall be justified and saved , and not condemned when judgment cor●es ; they that have a good cause in a gospel-sense . it may be known before hand who these are ; for christ judgeth , as i told you , by his law. and therefore find out whom it is that the law of grace doth justify or condemn , and you may certainly know whom the judg will justify or conemn ; for he judgeth righteously . if you further ask me who these are ; remember that i told you before that every man that is personally righteous by fulfilling the conditions of salvation in the gospel , shall be saved ; and he that is foun unrighteous , as having not fulfilled them , shall perish at that day . qu. who are those ? answ . i will tell you them in a few words , lest you should forget , because it is a matter that your salvation or damnation dependeth upon . 1. the soul that unfeignedly repenteth of his former sinful course , and turneth from it in heart and life , and loveth the way of godliness which he hated , and hateth the way of sin which he loved , and is become throughly a new creature , being born again and sanctified by the spirit of christ , shall be justified : but all others shall certainly be condemned . good news to repenting converted sinners : but sad to impenitent , and him that knows not what this means . 2. that soul that feeling his misery under sin , and the power of satan , and the wrath of god , doth believe what christ hath done and suffered for man's res●auration and salvation , and thankfully accepteth him as his only saviour and lord , on the terms that he is offered in the gospel , and to those ends , event to justify him , and sanctify and guide him , and bring him at last to everlasting glory ; that soul shall be justified at judgment : and he that doth not , shall be condemned . or in short , in scripture-phrase , he that believeth shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be condemmd , mar. 16. 16. 3. the soul that hath had so much knowledg of the goodness of god , and his love to man in creation , redemption , and the following mercies , and hath had so much conviction of the vanity of all creatures , as thereupon to love god more than all things below , so that he haththe chiefest room in the hearts , and is preferred before all creatures ordinarily in a time of trial ; that soul shall be justified at judgment , and all others shall be condemned . 4. that soul that is so apprehensive of the absolute soveraignty of god as creator and redeemer , and of the righteousness of his law and the goodness of his holy way , as that he is firmly resolved to obey him before all others , and doth accordingly give up himself to study his will , of purpose that he may obey it , and doth walk in these holy ways , and hath so far mortified the flesh , and subdued the world and the devil , that the authority and word of god can do more with him than any other , and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perwasion and interest of the flesh , so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for god ; and when he sinneth he riseth again by true repentance ; i say , that soul , and the only , shall be justified in judgment , and be saved . 5. that soul that hath such believing thoughts of the life to come , that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion , and is resolved to venture all else upon it , and in hope of this glory , doth set light comparatively by all things in this world , and waiteth for it as the end of the life , choosing any suffering that god shall call him to , rather than to lose his hopes of the felicity , and tus perservereth to the end : i say , that soul , and none but that shall be justified in judgand escape damnation . in these five marks i have told , you truly and briefly , who shall be justified and saved , and who shall be condemned at the day of judgment . and if you would have them all in five words , they are but the description of these five graces , repentance , faith , love , obedience , hope . but though i have laid these close together for your use , you left you should think that in so weighty a case i am too short in the proof of what i so determine of ; i will tell you in the express words of many scripture-texts , who shall be justified , and who shall be condemned . [ john 3. 3. except a man be born again , he cannot enter into the kingdom of god. heb. 12. 14. without holiness none shall see god. luke 13. 3 , 5. except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish . acts 26. 18. i send thee to open their eyes , and turn them from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god , that they may receive forgiveness of sins , and an inheritance among the sanctified by faith that is in me . john 3. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. whoever believeth in him shall not perish , but have everlasting life : he that believeth on him , is not condemned ; he that believeth not , is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god ; and this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather than light , because their deeds were evil . john. 5. 28 , 29. the hout is coming , in which that are in the graves shall hear his voice , and shall come forth ; they that have done good to the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation . mar. 25. 30. cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness , there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth . luke 19. 27. but those mine enemies which would not that i should reign over them , bring hither and slay them before me . mat. 22. 12 , 13. friend , how camest thou in hither , not having on a wedding-gar●ent ? and he was speechless . then said the king to the se●●ants , bind him hand and foot , and take him away , and cast him into outer darkness , &c. mat. 5. 20. for i say unto you , that except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven . mat. 7. 21. not every one that saith , lord , lord , shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven . heb. 5. 6. he is become the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him . rev. 22. 14. blessed are they that do his commandments , that they may have right to the tree of life , and may enter in by the gate into the city . rom. 8. 1 , 13. there is then no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus , that walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . for if ye live after the flesh , ye shall die : but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body , ye shall live . rom. 8. 9. if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his . gal. 5. 18. but if ye be led of the spirit , ye are not under the law. gal. 6. 7 , 8. be not deceived , god is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap : for he that soweth to the flesh , shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit reap life everlasting . mat. 6. 21. for where your treasure is , there will your heart be also . ] read psal . 1. and many other texts to this purpose , of which some are cited in my directions for peace of conscience : dir. 11. p. 115 , 116. and thus i have told you from god's word , how you may know whether you are ready for judgment , which is the fourth thing that i would advise you to enquire after . o sirs , what shift do you make to keep your souls from continual terrors , as long as you remain unready for judgment ? how do you keep the thoughts of it out of your mind , that they do not break your sleep , and meet you in your business , and haunt you every way you go , while judgment is so near , and you are so unready ? but i shall proceed to my next question . qu. 5. and in the last place , to those of you that are not yet ready , nor in a condition wherein you may be safe at that day ; my question is , how are you reslved to prepare for judgmet for the time to come ? will you do no more than you have done hitherto ? or will you now set your selves with all your might , to prepare for so great a day ? methinks you should be now past all demurs , delays , or farther doubtings about such a business ; aud by the consideration of what i have said already , you should be fully resolved to lose no more time , but presently awake , and set upon the work. methinks you should all say , we will do any thing that the lord shall direct us to do , rather then we will be unready for this final doom . o that there were but such hearts in you , that you were truly willing to follow the gracious guidance of the lord , and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his word , that you may be ready for that day ! alas , it is no hard matter for me to tell you , or my self , what it is that we must do if we will be happy ; and it is no very hard ▪ matter to do it so far as we are truly willing ; but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work. if i shall tell you what you must do for preparation , shall i not lose my labour ? will you resolve and promise in the strength of grace , that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it , whoever shall gainsay it ? upon hope of this , i will set you down some brief directions , which you must follow , if ever you will with comfort look the lord jesus in the face at the hour of death , or in the day of judgment . the first direction is this , see that your souls be sincrely established in the belief of this judgment and everlasting life : for if you do not soundly believe it , you will not seriously prepare for it . if you have the judgment and belief of an infidel , you cannot have the heart or the life of a christian . unbelief shuts out the most of the world from heaven : see that it do not so by you . if you say you cannot believe what you would : i answer , feed not your unbelief by wilfulness or unreasonableness ; use god's means to overcome it , and shut not your eyes against the light , and then try the issue , heb. 3. 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. the second direction . labour diligently to have a sound vnderstanding of the nature of the laws and judgment of god. on what terms it is that he dealeth with mankind : and on what terms he will judg them to life or death : and what the reward and punishment is . for if you know not the law by which you must be judged , you cannot know how to prepare for the judgment . study the scripture therefore , and mark who they be the god promiseth to save , and who they be that he threatneth to condemn . for according to that word will the judgment pass . the third direction . see that you take it as the very business of your lives , to make ready for that day . understand that you have no other business in the world , but what doth necessarily depend on this . what else have you to do , but to provide for everlasting , and to use means to sustain your own bodies and others , of purpose for this work , till it be happily done ? live therefore as men that make this the main scope and care of their lives ; and let all things else come in but on the by . remember every morning when you awake , that you must spend that day in preparation for your account , and that god doth give it you for that end . when you go to bed , examine your hearts , what you have done that day in the preparation for your last day : and take that time as lost which doth nothing to this end . the fourth direction . vse frequently to think of the certainty , nearness and dreadfulness of that day , to keep life in your affections and endeavours , lest by inconsiderateness your souls grow stupid and negligent . otherwise , because it is out of the sight , the heart will be apt to grow hardned and secure . and do not think of it slightly , as a common thing , but purposely set your selves to think of it , that it may rouze you up to such affections and endeavours as in some measure are answerable to the nature of the thing . the fifth direction . labour to have a lively feeling on thy heart , of the evil and weight of that sin which thou art guilty of , and of the misery into which it hath brought thee , and would further bring thee if thou be not delivered , and so to feel the need of a deliverer . this must prepare thee to partake of christ now ; and if thou partake not of him now , thou canst not be saved by him then . it is these souls that now make light of their sin and misery , that must then 〈◊〉 them so heavy , as to be pressed by them into the internal flames . and those that now feel little need of a saviour , they shall then have none to save them , when they feel their need. the sixth direction . vnderstand and believe the sufficiency of that ransom and satisfaction to justice , which christ hath made for thy sins and for the world , and how freely and universally it is offered in the gospel . thy sin is not uncurable or unpardonable , nor thy misery remediless ; god hath provided a remedy in his son christ , and brought it so near thy hands , that nothing but thy neglecting , or wilful refusing it , can deprive thee of the benefit . settle thy soul in this belief . the seventh direction . vnderstand and believe , that for all christ's satisfaction , there is an absolute necessity of ●ound faith and repentance to be in thy own self , before thou canst be a member of him , or be pardoned , adopted or justified by his blood. he died not for final infidelity and impenitency , as predominant in any-soul . as the law of his father which occasioned his suffering , required perfect obedience or suffering : so his own law , which he hath made for the conveyance of his benefits , doth require yet true faith and repentance of men themselves , before they shall be pardoned by him ; and sincere obedience and perseverance , before they shall be glorified . the eight direction . rest not therefore in an unrenewed , unsanctified state ; that is , till this faith and repentance be wrought on thy own soul , and thou be truly broken off from thy former sinsul course , and from all things in this world ; and art dedicated , devoted and resigned unto god. seeing this change must be made , and these graces must be had , or thou must certainly perish : in the fear of god , see that thou give no ease to thy mind till thou art thus changed . be content with nothing till this be done . delay not another day . how canst thou live merrily , or sleep quietly in such a condition , as if thou shouldst die in it , thou shouldst perish for ever ? especially when thou art every hour uncertain whether thou shalt see another hour , and not be presently snatch'd away by death . methinks while thou art in so sad a case , which way ever thou art going , or whatever thou art doing , it should still come into thy thoughts , o what if i should die before i be regenerate , and have part in christ ! the ninth direction . let it be the daily care of thy soul , to mortify thy fleshly desires , and overcome this world ; and live as in a continual conflict with satan , which will not be ended till thy life do end . if any thing destroy thee by drawing away thy heart from god , it will be thy carnal self , thy fleshly desires , and the allurements of this world , which is the matter that they feed upon . this therefore must be the earnest . work of thy life to subdue this flesh , and set light by this world , and resist the devil , that by these would destroy thee . it is the common case of miserable hypocrites , that at first they list themselves under christ as for a fight , but they presently forget their state and work ; and when they are once in their own conceit regenerate , they think themselves so safe , that there is no farther danger ; and thereupon they do lay down their arms , and take that which they miscall their christian liberty , and indulge and please that flesh whch they promised to mortify , and close with the world which they promised to contemn , and so give up themselves to the devil , whom they promised to fight against . if once you apprehend that all your religion lieth in meer believing , that all shall go well with you , and that the bitterness of death is past , and in a forbearance of some disgraceful sins , and being much in the exercise of your gifts , and in external ways of duty , and giving god a cheap and plausible obedience in those things only which the flesh can spare ; you are then faln into that deceitful hypocrisy , which will as surely condemn you , as open profaneness , if you get not out of it . you must live as in a fight , or you cannot overcome . you must live loose from all things in this world , if you will be ready for another . you must not live after the flesh , but mortify it by the spirit , if you would not die , but live for ever , rom. 8. 13. these things are not indifferent , but of flat necessity . the tenth direction . do all your works as men that must be judged for them . it is not enough ( at least in point of duty and comfort ) that you judg this preparation in general to be the main business of your lives , but you should also order your particular actions by these thoughts , and measure them by their respects to this approaching day . before you venture on them , enquire whether they will bear weight in judgment , and be sweet or bitter when they are brought to trial ; both for matter and manner , this must be observed . o that you would remember this when temptations are upon you , when you are tempted to give up your minds to the world , and drown your selves in earthly cares : will you bethink you soberly whether you would hear of this at judgment , and whether the world will be then as sweet as now , and whether this be the best preparation for your trial ? when you are tempted to be drunk , or to spend your precious time in ale-houses , or vain unprofitable company , or at cards or dice , or any sinful or needless sports ; bethink you then , whether this will be comfortable at the reckoning ? and whether time be no more worth to one that is so near eternity , and must make so strict an account of his hours ? and whether there be not many better works before you , in which you might spend your time to your greater advantage , and to your greater comfort when it comes to a review ? when you are tempted to wantonness , fernication , or any other fleshly intemperance , bethink you soberly , with what face these actions will appear at judgment , and whether they will be then pleasant or displeasant to you . so when you are tempted to neglect the daily worshipping of god in your families , and the catechising and teaching of your children or servants , especially on the lord's day , bethink your selves then , what account you will give of this to christ , when he that entrusted you with the care of your children and servants , shall call you to a reckoning for the performance of that trust ? the like must be remembred in the very manner of our duties . how diligently should a minister study ; how earnestly should he perswade ; how unweariedly should he bear all oppositions and ungrateful returns ; and how carefully should he watch over each particular soul of his charge ( as far as is possible ) when he remember that he must shortly be accountable for all in judgment ? and how importunate should we all be with sinners for their conversion , when we consider that we our selves also must shortly be judged ? can a man be cold and dead in prayer , that hath any true apprehension of that judgment upon his mind , where he must be accountable for all his prayers and performances ? o remember , and seriously remember , when you stand before the minister to hear the word , and when you are on your knees to god in prayer , in what a manner that same person , even your selves , must shortly stand at the bar of the dreadful god! did these thoughts get throughly to mens hearts , they would awaken them out of their sleepy devotions , and acquaint them that it is a serious business to be a christian . how careful should we be of our thoughts and words , if we believingly remembred that we must be accountable for them all ! how carefully should we consider what we do with our riches , and with all that god giveth us ? and how much more largely should we expend it for his service in works of piety and charity , if we believingly remembred that we must be judged according to what we have done , and give account of every talent that we receive ? certainly the believing consideration of judgment , might make us all better christians than we are , and keep our lives in a more innocent and profitable frame . the eleventh direction . as you will certainly renew your failings in this life , so be sure that you daily renew your repentance , and fly daily to christ for a renewed pardon , that no sin may leave its sting in your souls . it is not your first pardon that will serve the turn for your latter sins . not that you must purpose to sin , and purpose to repent when you have done , as a remedy : for that is an hypocritical and wicked purpose of repenting , which is made a means to maintain us in our sins ; but sin must be avoided as far as we can ; and repentance and faith in the blood of christ must remedy that which we could not avoid . the righteousness of pardon in christ's blood is useful to us only so far as we are sinners , and cometh in where our imperfect inherent righteousness doth come short ; but must not be purposely chosen before innocency : i mean , we must rather choose as far as we can , to obey and be innocent , than to sin and be pardoned , if we were sure of pardon . the twelfth direction . in this vigilant , obedient , penitent course , with confidence upon god as a father , rest upon the promise of acceptance and remission , through the merits and intercession of him that redeemed you : look up in hope to the glory that is before you , and believe that god will make good his word , and the patient expectation of the righteous shall not be in vain . chearfully hold on in the work that you have begun : and as you serve a better master than you did before your change , so serve him with more willingness , gladness and delight . do not entertain hard thoughts of him , or of his service , but rejoice in your unspeakable happiness of being admitted into his family and favour through christ . do not serve him in drooping dejection and discouragement , but with love , and ioy , and filial fear . keep in the communion of his saints , where he is chearfully and faithfully praised and honoured , and where is the greatest visible similitude of heaven upon earth ; especially in the celebration of the sacrament of christ's supper , where he seals up a renewed pardon in his blood , and where unanimously we keep the remembrance of his death until he come . do not cast your selves out of the communion of the saints , from whom to be cast out by just censure and exclusion , is a dreadful emblem and fore-runner of the judgment to come , where the ungodly shall be cast out of the presence of christ and his saints for ever . i have now finished the directions , which i tender to you for your preparation for the day of the lord ; and withal my whole discourse on this weighty point . what effect all this shall have upon your hearts , the lord knows ; it is not in my power to determine . if you are so far blinded and hardned by sin and satan , as to make light of all this , or coldly to commend the doctrine , while you go on to the end in your carnal worldly condition as before ; i can say no more , but tell thee again that judgment is near , when thou wilt bitterly bewail all this too late . and among all the rest of the evidence that comes in against thee , this book will be one which shall testify to thy face before angels and men , that thou wast told of that day , and intreated to prepare . but if the lord shall shew thee so much mercy as to open thy eyes , and break in upon thy heart , and by sober consideration turn it to himself , and cause thee faithfully to take the warning that hath been give thee , and to obey these directions , i dare assure thee from the word of the lord , that this judgment which will be so dreadful to the ungodly , and the beginning of their endless terrour and misery , will be as joyful to thee , and the beginning of thy glory . the saviour that thou hast believed in and sincerely obeyed , will not condemn thee , psal . 1. 5 , 6. rom. 8. 1. john 3. 16. it is part of his business to justify thee before the world , and to glorify his merits , his kingly power , his holiness , and his rewarding justice in thy absolution and salvation . he will account it a righteous thing to recompense tribulation to thy troublers , and rest to thy self ; when the lord jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels , in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord jesus christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power : even then shall he come to be glorified in his saints , and to be admired in all them that believe in that day ; even because his servants testimony , and his spirits among them was believed , 2 thess . 1. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. that day will be the great marriage of the lamb , and the reception of thee , and all the saints into the glory of thy beloved , to which they had a right at their first consent and contract upon earth : and when the bridegroom comes , thou who art ready shalt go into the marriage , when the door shall be shut against the sleepy negligent world ; and though they cry , lord , lord , open to us , they shall be repulsed with a verily i know you not , mat. 25. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. for this day which others fear , mayest thou long , and hope , and pray , and wait , and comfort thy self in all troubles with the remembrance of it , 1 cor. 15. 55 , 56 , 57 , 58. 1 thess . 4. 17 , 18. if thou wert ready to be offered to death for christ , or when the time of thy departing is at hand , thou mayest look back on the good fight which thou hast fought , and on the course which thou hast finished , and on the faith which then hast kept , and mayest confidently conclude , that henceforth there is laid up for thee a crown of righteousness , which the lord the righteous judg shall give thee at that day ; and not to thee only , but unto all them also that love his appearing , 2 tim. 4. 6 , 7 , 8. even so , come lord jesus , rev. 22. 20. finis . the danger of slighting christ and his gospel . mat. 22. 5. but they made light of it . the blessed son of god , that thought not enough to die for the world , but himself also be the preacher of grace and salvation , doth comprize in this parable the sum of his gospel . by the king that is here said to make the marriage , is meant god the father that sent his son into the world to cleanse them from their sins , and espouse them to himself . by his son for whom the marriage is made , is meant the lord jesus christ , the eternal son of god , who took to his god-head the nature of man , that he might be capable of being their redeemer when they had lost themselves in sin. by the marriage is meant the conjunction of christ to the soul of sinners , when he giveth up himself to them to be their saviour , and they give up themselves to him as his redeemed ones , to be saved and ruled by him ; the perfection of which marriage will be at the day of judgment , when the conjunction between the whole church and christ shall be solemnized . the word here translated marriage , rather signifieth the marriage-feast ; and the meaning is , that the world is invited by the gospel to come in and partake of christ and salvation , which comprehendeth both pardon , justification and right to salvation , and all other privileges of the members of christ . the invitation is god's offer of christ and salvation in the gospel ; the servants that invite them are the preachers of the gospel , who are sent forth by god to that end ; the preparation for the feast there mentioned , is the sacrifice of jesus christ , and the enacting of a law of grace , and opening 〈◊〉 way for revolting sinners to return to god. there is a mention of sending second messengers , because go● useth not to take the first denial , but to exercise his patience till sinners are obstinate . the first persons invited are the jews ; upon their obstinate refusal they are sentenced to punishment ; and the gentiles are invited , and not only invited , but by powerful preaching , and miracles , and effectual grace compelled , that is , infallibly prevailed with to come in . the number of them is so great , that the house is filled with the guests ; many come sincerely , not only looking at the pleasure of the feast , that is , at the pardon of sin , and deliverance from the wrath of god , but also at the honour of the marriage , that is , of the redeemer , and their profession by giving up themselves to an holy conversation : but some come in only for the feast , that is , justification by christ , having not the wedding-garment of sound resolution for obedience in their life , and looking only at themselves in believing , and not to the glory of their redeemer : and these are sentenced to everlasting misery , and speed as ill as those that came not in at all ; seeing a faith that will not work , is but like that of the devil ; and they that look to be pardoned and saved by it , are mistaken , as james sheweth , ch . 2. 24. the words of my text contain a narration of the ill entertainment that the gospel findeth with many to whom it is sent , even after a first and second invitation they make light of it , and are taken up with other things . though it be the jews that were first guilty they have too many followers among us gentiles to this day . doct. for all the wonderful love and mercy that god hath manifested in giving his son to be the redeemer of the world , and which the son hath manifested in redeeming them by his blood ; for all his full preparation , by being a sufficient sacrifice for the sins of all ; for all his personal excellencies , and that full and glorious salvation that he hath procured ; and for all his free offers of these , and frequent and earnest invitation of sinners : yet many do make light of all this , and prefer their worldly enjoyments before it . the ordinary entertainment of all is by contempt . not that all do so , or that all continue to do so who were once guilty of it : for god hath his chosen whom he will compel to come in . but till the spirit of grace overpower the dead and obstinate hearts of men , they hear the gospel as a common story , and the great matters contained in it go not to the heart . the method in which i shall handle this doctrine is this . 1. i shall shew you what it is that men make light of . 2. what this sin of making light of it is . 3. the cause of the sin. 4. the use of the doctrine . 1. the thing that carnal hearers make light of , is , 1. the doctrine of the gospel it self , which they hear regardlesly . 2. the benefits offered them therein : which are , 1. christ himself . 2. the benefits which he giveth . concerning christ himself , the gospel , 1. declareth his person and nature , and the great things that he hath done and suffered for man ; his redeeming him from the wrath of god by his blood , and procuring a grant of salvation with himself . furthermore , the same gospel maketh an offer of christ to sinners , that if they will accept him on his easy and reasonable terms , he will be their saviour , the physician of their souls , their husband and their head. 2. the benefits that he offereth them , are these . 1. that with these blessed relations to him , himself , and interest in him , they shall have the pardon of all their sins past , and be saved from god's wrath , and be set in a sure way of obtaining a pardon for all the sins that they shall commit hereafter , so they do but obey sincerely , and turn not again unto the rebellion of their unregeneracy . 2. they shall have the spirit to become their guide and sanctifier , and to dwell i● their souls , and help them against their enemies and conform them more and more to his image , and heal their diseases , and bring them back to god. 3. they shall have right to everlasting glory when this life is ended , and shall be raised up thereto at the last ; besides many excellent privileges in the way , in means , preservation and provision , and the foretaste of what they shall enjoy hereafter : all these benefits the gospel offereth to them that will have christ on his reasonable terms . the sum of all is in 1 john 5. 11 , 12. this is the record that god hath given us eternal life , and this life is in his son : he that hath the son hath life , and he that hath not the son hath not life . ii. what this sin of making light of the gospel is ? 1. to make light of the gospel , is to take no great heed to what is spoken , as if it were not a certain truth , or else were a matter that little concerned them , or as if god had not written these things for them . 2. when the gospel doth not affect men , or go to their hearts ▪ but though they seem to attend to what is said , yet men are not awakened by it from their security , nor doth it work in any measure such holy passion in their souls , as matters of such everlasting consequence should do ; this is making light of the gospel of salvation . when we tell men what christ hath done and suffered for their souls , and it scarce moveth them ▪ we tell them of keen and cutting truths , but nothing will pierce them ; we can make them hear , but we cannot make them feel ; our words take up in the porch of their ears and fancies , but will not enter into the inward parts ; as if we spake to men that had ●o hearts or feeling ; this is a making light of christ ●nd salvation . acts 28. 26 , 27. hearing ye shall hear , ●nd shall not understand ; seeing ye shall see , and shall not perceive : for the heart of this people is waxen gross , and their ears are dull of hearing , their eyes ●re closed , &c. 3. when men have no high estimation of christ and salvation , but whatsoever they may say with their tongues , or dreamingly and speculatively believe , yet ●n their serious and practical thoughts , they have a higher estimation of the matters of this world , than ●hey have of christ and the salvation that he hath purchased ; this is a making light of him . when men ●ccount the doctrine of christ to be but a matter of words and names , as gallio , acts 18. 4. or as festus , acts 25. 19. a superstitious matter about one jesus who was dead , and paul saith is alive : or ask the preachers of the gospel as the athenians , acts 17. 18. what will ●●is babler say ? this is a contempt of christ . 4. when men are informed of the truths of the gospel , and on what terms christ and his benefits may be had , and how it is the will of god that they should ●i●ve and accept the offer ; and that he commandeth them ●o do it upon pain of damnation ; and yet men will ●ot consent , unless they could have christ on terms of their own : they will not part with their worldly con●ents , nor lay down their pleasures and profits , and ho●our at his feet , as being content to take so much of ●hem only as he will give them back , and as is consistent with his will and interest , but think it is a hard ●aying , that they must forsake all in resolution for christ ; this is a making light of him and their salvation . when men might have part in him and all his benefits 〈◊〉 they would , and they will not unless they may keep ●he world too ; and are resolved to please their flesh , whatever comes of it ; this is a high contempt of christ and everlasting life . mat. 13. 21 , 22. luke 18. 23. you may find examples of such as i here describe . 5. when men will promise fair , and profess their willingness to have christ on his terms , and to forsake all for him ; but yet do stick to the world and their sinful courses ; and when it comes to practice , will not be removed by all that christ hath done and said : this is making light of christ and salvation . jer. 4● . 5. compared with 43. 2. iii. the causes of this sin are the next thing to be enquired after . it may seem a wonder that ever men that have the use of their reason , should be so sottish 〈◊〉 to make light of matters of such consequence . but the cause is ; 1. some men understand not the very sense of the words of the gospel when they hear it , and how 〈◊〉 they be taken with that which they understand not ? though we speak to them in plain english , and study to speak it as plain as we can ; yet people have so estranged themselves from god , and the matters of their own happiness , that they know not what we say ; as if we spoke in another language , and as if they were under that judgment , isa . 28. 11. with stammering lips , and with another tongue will he speak to th● people . 2. some that do understand the words that we speak ▪ yet because they are carnal , understand not the matt● for the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of god , neither can he know them , because they are spiritually discerned , 1 cor. 2. 14. they are earthly , and these things are heavenly , john 3. 12. th● things of the spirit are not well known by bare hearsay but by a spiritual taste , which none have but those th● are taught by the holy ghost , 1 cor. 2. 12. that we ma● know the things that are given us of god. 3. a carnal mind apprehendeth not a sutableness in these spiritual and heavenly things to his mind , and therefore he sets light by them , and hath no mind of them . when you tell him of everlasting glory , he ●eareth you as if you were perswading him to go play ●ith the sun : they are matters of another world , and ●ut of his element ; and therefore he hath no more de●ight in them than a fish would have to be in the fairest ●eadow , or than a swine hath in a jewel , or a dog ●n a piece of gold : they may be good to others , but ●e cannot apprehend them as sutable to him , because ●e hath a nature that is otherwise inclined : he savour●th not the things of the spirit , rom. 8. 5. 4. the main cause of the slighting of christ and ●alvation , is a secret root of vnbelief in mens hearts . whatsoever they may pretend , they do not soundly ●nd throughly believe the word of god : they are ●aught in general to say , the gospel is true ; but they ne●er saw the evidence of its truth so far as throughly to ●erswade them of it ; nor have they got their souls ●ttled on the infallibility of god's testimony , nor con●dered of the truth of the particular doctrines reveal●d in the scripture , so far as soundly to believe them . 〈◊〉 did you all but soundly believe the words of this gospel , ●f the evil of sin , of the need of christ , a●d what ●e hath done for you , and what you must be and do if ●ver you will be saved by him , and what will become of ●ou for ever if you do it not ; i dare say , it would ●re the contempt of christ , and you would not make 〈◊〉 light of the matters of your salvation . but men do ●t believe while they say they do , and would face us ●own that they do , and verily think that they do them●●lves . there is a root of bitterness , and an evil heart 〈◊〉 unbelief , that makes them depart from the living ●od , heb. 2. 12. and 4. 1 , 2 , 6. tell any man in this ●ngregation , that he shall have a gift of 10000 pounds , ●he will but go to london for it ; if he believe you , he ●ll go ; but if he believe not , he will not : and if he will not go , you may be sure he believeth not , supposing that he is able . i know a slight belief may stand with a wicked life : such as men have of the truth of a prognostication , it may be true and it may be false ; but a true and sound belief is not consistent with so great neglect of the things that are believed . 5. christ and salvation are made light of by the world because of their desperate hardness of hea●● . the heart is hard naturally , and by custom in sinning made more hard , especially by long abuse of mercy , and neglect of the means of grace , and resisting the spirit of god. hence it is that men are turned into such stones : and till god cure them of the stone of the heart , no wonder if they ●eel not what they know , or regard not what we say , but make light of all ; 〈◊〉 hard preaching a stone into tears , or making a rock to tremble . you may stand over a dead body long enough , and say to it , o thou carcase , when thou hast 〈◊〉 rotting and mouldred to dust till the resurrection , god will then call thee to account for thy sin , and cast thee into everlasting fire , before you can make it feel what you say ▪ or fear the misery that is never so truly threatned ▪ when mens hearts are like the high-way that is trodd●● to hardness by long custom in sinning , or like th● clay that is hardned to a stone by the heat of thos● mercies that should have melted them into repentance ▪ when they have consciences seared with an hot iro● as the apostle speaks , 2 tim. 4. 2. no wonder then 〈◊〉 they be past feeling , and working all uncleanness wi● greediness , do make light of christ and everlasting gl●●ry . o that this were not the case of too many of 〈◊〉 hearers ! had we but living souls to speak to , the● would hear , and feel , and not make light of what 〈◊〉 sa● . i know they are naturally alive , but they 〈◊〉 spiritually dead , as the scripture witnesseth , ephes . 2● o if there were but one spark of the life of grace them , the doctrine of salvation by jesus christ wo● appear to them to be the weightiest business in 〈◊〉 world. o how confident should i be methinks , to prevail with men , and to take them off this world , and bring them to mind the matter of another world , if i spake but to men that had life and sense and reason ; but when we speak to blocks and dead men , how should we be regarded ? o how sad a case are these souls in , that are fallen under this fearful judgment of s●iritual madness and deadness ! to have a blind 〈◊〉 , and an hard heart , to be sottish and sensless , 〈◊〉 ●4 . 12. john 12. 40. lest they should be converted , and their sins should be forgiven them . 6. christ and salvation are made light of ●y the world , because they are wholly enslaved to their sense , and taken up with lower things : the matters of another world are out of sight , and so far from their senses , that they cannot regard them ; but present things are nearer them , in their eyes , and in their hands : there must be a living faith to prevail over sense , before men can be so taken with things that are not seen , though they have the word of god for their security , as to neglect and let go things that are still before their eyes . sense works with great advantage , and therefore doth much in resisting faith where it is . no wonder then if it carry all before it , where there is no true and lively faith to resist , and to lead the soul to higher things : this cause of making light of christ and sal●ation , is expressed here in my text ; one went to his ●arm , and another to his merchandize : men have hou●es and lands to look after : they have wife and children to mind , they have their body and outward estate ●o regard ; therefore they forget that they have a god , 〈◊〉 redeemer , a soul to mind ; these matters of the world are still with them . they see these , but they 〈◊〉 not god , nor christ , nor their souls , nor everlasting glory . these things are near at hand , and therefore work ●aturally , and so work forcibly ; but the other are thought ●n as a great way off , and therefore too distant to work ●n their affections , or be at the present so much regarded by them . their body hath life and sense ; and therefore if they want meat , or drink , or clothes , will feel their want , and tell them of it , and give them no rest till their wants be supplied ; and therefore they cannot make light of their bodily necessities : but their souls in spiritual respects are dead , and therefore ●eel not their wants , but will let them alone in their greatest necessities ; and be as quiet when they are starved and languishing to destruction , as if all were well and nothing ailed them . and hereupon poor people are wholly taken up in providing for the body , as if they had nothing else to mind . they have their trades and callings to follow , and so much to do from morning to night , that they can find no time for matters of salvation . christ would teach them , but they have no leisure to hear him : the bible is before them , but they cannot have while to read it : a minister is in the town with them , but they cannot have while to go to enquire of him what they should do to be saved : and when they do hear , their hearts are so full of the world , and carried away with these lower matters , that they cannot mind the things which they hear . they are so full of the thoughts and desires , and cares of this world , that there is no room to pour into them the water of life : the cares of the world do choak the word , and make it become unfruitful , matth. 13. 22. men cannot serve two masters , god and mammon , but they will lean to the one , and despise the other , matth. 6. 24. he that loveth the world , the love of the father is not in him , 1 je●● 2. 15 , 16. men cannot choose but set light by christ and salvation , while they set so much by any thing on earth . it is that which is highly esteemed among men , is abominable in the sight of god , luke 16. 15. o this is the ruine of many thousand souls ! it would grieve the heart of any honest christian , to see how eagerly this vain world is followed everywhere , and how little men set by christ , and the world to come ; 〈◊〉 compare the care that men have for the world , ●ith the care of their souls ; and the time that they ●y out on the world , with that time they lay out ●r their salvation : to see how the world fills their ●ouths , their hands , their houses , their hearts ; ●●d christ hath little more than a bare title : to come 〈◊〉 their company , and hear no discourse but of the ●orld ; to come into their houses , and hear and see no●●ing but for the world , as if this world would last ●r ever , or would purchase them another . when i ●k sometime the ministers of the gospel how their ●●bours succeed , they tell me , people continue still the 〈◊〉 , and give up themselves wholly to the world , so that 〈◊〉 mind not what ministers say to them , nor will give any 〈◊〉 entertainment to the word , and all because of the delud●g world. and o that too many ministers themselves ●d not make light of that christ whom they preach , ●eing drawn away with the love of this world ! in a ●ord , men of a worldly disposition do judg of things , ●cording to worldly advantages ; therefore christ 〈◊〉 slighted , isa . 53. 3. he is despised and rejected of men ; 〈◊〉 hide their faces from him , and esteem him not , as see●g no beauty or comeliness in him , that they should desire , ●n . 7. christ and salvation are made light of , because ●en do not soberly consider of the truth and weight of ●ese necessary things . they suffer not their minds 〈◊〉 long to dwell upon them , till they procure a due ●steem , and deeply affect their heart ; did they be●●eve them , and not consider of them , how should they ●ork ? o when men have reason given them to think ●nd consider of the things that most concern them , ●nd yet they will not use it , this causeth their con●●mpt . 8. christ and salvation are made light of , because ●en were never sensible of their sin and misery , and ex●●am necessity of christ and his salvation : their eyes ●ere never opened to see themselves as they are ; nor their hearts soundly humbled in the sense of their condition : if this were done , they would soon be brough● to value a saviour . a truly broken heart can no mo● make light of christ and salvation , than a hungr● man of his food , or a sick man of the means th● would give him case : but till then , our wo●● cannot have access to their hearts . while 〈◊〉 and misery is made light of , christ and salvati●● will be made light of ; but when these are perceiv● an intolerable burden , then nothing will serve the 〈◊〉 but christ . till men be truly humbled , they 〈◊〉 venture christ and salvation for a lust , for a lit● worldly gain , even for less than nothing : but wh● god hath illuminated them , and broken their hea● then they would give a world for a christ ; then th● must have christ , or they die ; all things then are loss 〈◊〉 dung to them in regard of the excellent knowledg of 〈◊〉 phil. 3. 8. when they are once pricked in their hear● for sin and misery , then they cry out , men and breth● what shall we do ? acts 2. 37. when they are awake●●ed by god's judgments , as the poor jaylor , 〈◊〉 16. 29. then they cry out , sirs , what shall i do to 〈◊〉 saved ? this is the reason why god will bring men 〈◊〉 low by humiliation , before he bring them to salvat●●● . 9. men take occasion to make light of christ , 〈◊〉 the commonness of the gospel ; because they do hear 〈◊〉 it every day , the frequency is an occasion to dull th● affections ; i say , an occasion , for it is no just cau● were it a rarity , it might take more with them ; 〈◊〉 now , if they hear a minister preach nothing but th● saving truths , they say , we have these every day ; the make not light of their bread or drink , their hea● or life , because they possess them every day ; they ma● not light of the sun , because it shineth every day ; least they should not , for the mercy is the greater : 〈◊〉 christ and salvation are made light of , because th● hea● of them often ; this is , say they , a good plain 〈◊〉 se●mon : pea●ls are trod in the dirt where they are 〈◊〉 ; they loath this dry manna , prov. 27. 7. the ●ull soul loaths the hony-comb ; but to the hungry soul ●very bitter thing is sweet . 10. christ and salvation are made light of , because of this disjunctive presumption , either that he is sure enough theirs already , and god that is so merciful , and ●hrist that hath suff●red so much for them , is surely resolved to save them , or else it may easily be obtained at ●ny time , if it be not yet so . a conceited facility to ●ave a part in christ and salvation at any time , doth occasion men to make light of them . it is true , that grace is free , and the offer is universal , according to ●he extent of the preaching of the gospel ; and it is ●rue that men may have christ when they will ; that is , when they are willing to have him on his terms : but he that hath promised thee christ , if thou be willing , hath not promised to make thee willing ; and if thou art not willing now , how canst thou think thou shalt be willing hereafter ? if thou canst make thine own heart willing , why is it not done now ? can you do it better when sin hath more hardned it , and god may have given thee over to thy felf ? o sinners , you might do much , though you are not able of your selves to come in , if you would now subject your selves to the working of the spirit , and set in while the gales of grace continue ! but did you know what a hard and impossible thing it is to be so much as willing to have christ and grace , when the heart is given over to it self , and the spirit hath withdrawn its former invitations , you would not be so confident of your own strength to believe and repent ; nor would you make light of christ upon such foolish confidence . if indeed it be so easy a matter as you imagine for a sinner to believe and repent at any time ; how comes it to pass that it is done by so few , but most of the world do perish in their impenitency , when they have all the helps and means that we can afford them ? it is true , the thing is very reasonable and easy in it self to a pure nature ; but while man is blind and dead , these things are in a sort impossible to him , which are never so easy to others . it is the easiest and sweetest life in the world to a gracious soul to live in the love of god , and the delightful thoughts of the life to come , where all their hope and happiness lieth : but to worldly carnal hearts it is as easy to remove a mountain , as to bring them to this . however , these men are their own condemners : for 〈◊〉 they think it so easy a matter to repent and believe , and so to have christ and right to salvation , then have they no excuse for neglecting this which they thought so easy . o wretched impenitent soul ! what mean you to say , when god shall ask you , why did you not repent and love your redeemer above the world , when you thought it 〈◊〉 easy that you could do it at any time ? iv. vse 1. we come now to the application . and hence you may be informed of the blindness and folly of all carnal men : how contemptible are their judgments that think christ and salvation contemptible : and how littl● reason there is why any should be moved by them , or discouraged by any of their scorns or contradictions . how shall we sooner know a man to be a fool , than if he knows no difference between dung and gold ? is there such a thing as madness in the word , if that man be not mad , that sets light by christ and his own salvation , while he daily toils for the dung of the earth ▪ and yet what pity is it to see that a company of poor ignorant souls will be ashamed of godliness , if such men as these do but deride them ! or will think hardly of a holy life , if such as these do speak against it ! hearers , if you see any set light by christ and salvation , do you set light by that man's wit , and by his words , and hear the reproaches of a holy life , as you would hear the words of a mad-man ; not with regard , but with a compassion of his misery . vse 2. what wonder if we and our preaching be despised , and the best ministers complain of ill success , when the ministry of the apostles themselves did succeed no better ? what wonder if for all that we can say or do , our hearers still set light by christ and their own salvation , when the apostles hearers did the same ? they that did second their doctrines by miracles . if any men could have shaken and torn in pieces the hearts of sinners , they could have done it : if any could have laid them at their feet , and made them all cry out as some , what shall we do ? it would have been they . you may see then that it is not meerly for want of good preachers that men make light of christ and salvation : the first news of such a thing as the pardon of sin , and the hopes of glory , and the danger of everlasting misery , would turn the hearts of men within them , if they were as tractable in spiritual matters as in temporal : but alas , it is far otherwise . it must not seem any strange thing , nor must it too much discourage the preachers of the gospel , if when they have said all that they can devise to say to win the hearts of men to christ , the most do still slight him ; and while they bow the knee to him , and honour him with their lips , do yet set so light by him in their hearts , as to prefer every fleshly pleasure or commodity before him . it will be thus with many : let us be glad that it is not thus with all . vse 3. but for closer application . seeing this is the great condemning sin , before we enquire after it into the hearts of our hearers , it beseems us to begin at home , and see that we who are preachers of the gospel be not guilty of it our selves . the lord forbid that they that have undertaken the sacred office of revealing the excellencies of christ to the world , should make light of him themselves , and slight that salvation which they do daily preach . the lord knows we are all of us so low in our estimation of christ , and do this great work so negligently , that we have cause to be ashamed of our best sermons ; but should this sin prevail in us , we were the most miserable of all men. brethren , i love not censoriousness ; yet dare not befriend so vile a sin in my self or others under pretence of avoiding it , especially when there is so great necessity that it should be healed first in them that make it their work to heal it in others . o that there were no cause to complain that christ and salvation are made light of by the preachers of it ! but , 1. do not the negligent studies of some speak it out ? 2. doth not their dead and drowsy preaching declare it ? do not they make light of the doctrine they preach , that do it as if they were half asleep , and feel not what they speak themselves ? 3. doth not the carelesness of some mens private endeavours discover it ? what do they for souls ? how slightly do they reprove sin ? how little do they when they are out of the pulpit for the saving of mens souls ? 4. doth not the continued neglect of those things wherein the interest of christ consisteth discover it ? 1. the churches purity and reformation ; 2. it s unity . 5. doth not the covetous and worldly lives of too many discover it , losing advantages for mens souls for a little gain to themselves ? and most of this is because men are preachers before they are christians , and tell men of that which they never felt themselves . of all men on earth , there are few that are in so sad a condition as such ministers : and if indeed they do believe that scripture which they preach , methinks it should be terrible to them in their studying and preaching it . vse 4. beloved hearers ; the office that god hath called us to , is , by declaring the glory of his grace , to help under christ to the saving of mens souls . i hope you think not that i come hither to day on any other errand . the lord knows i had not set a foot out of doors , but in hope to succeed in this work for your souls . i have considered and often considered , what is the matter that so many thousands should perish when god hath done so much for their salvation ; and i find this that is mentioned in my text is the cause . it is one of the wonders of the world , that when god hathso loved the world as to send his son , aud christ hath made a satisfaction by his death sufficient for them all , and offereth the benefits of it so freely to them , even without money or price , that yet the most of the world should perish ; yea the most of those that are thus called by his word ! why here is the reason , when christ hath done all this , men make light of it . god hath shewed that he is not unwilling ; and christ hath shewed that he is not unwilling that men should be restored to god's favour and be saved ; but men are actually unwilling themselves . god takes not pleasure in the death of sinners , but rather that they return and live , ezek. 33. 11. but men take such pleasure in sin , that they will die before they will return . the lord jesus was content to be their physician , and hath provided them a sufficient plaister of his own blood : but if men make light of it , and will not apply it , what wonder if they perish after all ? this scripture giveth us the reason of their perdition . this sad experience tells us the most of the world is guilty of . it is a most lamentable thing to see how most men do spend their care , their time , their pains for known vanities , while god and glory are cast aside : that he who is all , should seem to them as nothing ; and that which is nothing , should seem to them as good as all ; that god should set mankind in such a race where heaven or hell is their certain end , and that they should sit down , and loiter , or run after the childish toys of the world , and so much forget the prize that they should run for . were it but possible for one of us to see the whole of this business , as the all-seeing god doth ; to see at one view both heaven and hell which men are so near , and see what most men in the world are minding , and what they are doing every day , it would be the saddest sight that could be imagined . o how should we marvel at their madness , and lament their self-delusion ! o poor distracted world ! what is it that you run after ? and what is it that you neglect ? if god had never told them what they were sent into the word to do , or whither they were going , or what was before them in another world , then they had been excusable ; but he hath told them over and over , till they were weary of it . had he left it doubtful , there had been some excuse ; but it is his sealed word , and they profess to believe it , and would take it ill of us if we should question whether they do believe it or not . beloved , i come not to accuse any of you particularly of this crime : but seeing it is the commonest cause of mens destruction , i suppose you will judg it the fittest matter for our enquiry , and deserving our greatest care for the cure. to which end i shall , 1. endeavour the conviction of the guilty . 2. shall give them such considerations as may tend to humble and reform them . 3. i shall conclude with such direction as may help them that are willing to escape the destroying power of this sin. and for the first , consider , 1. it is the case of most sinners to think themselves freest from those sins that they are most enslaved to ; and one reason why we cannot reform them , is , because we cannot convince them of their guilt . it is the nature of sin so far to blind and besool the sinner , that he knoweth not what he doth , but thinketh he is free from it when it reigneth in him , or when he is committing it : it bringeth men to be so much unacquainted with themselves , that they know not what they think , or what they mean and intend , nor what they love or hate , much less what they are habituated and disposed to . they are alive to sin , and dead to all the reason , consideration and resolution that should recover them , as if it were only by their sinning that we must know they are alive . may i hope that you that hear me to day , are but willing to know the truth of your case , and then i shall be encouraged to proceed to an enquiry . god will judg impartially ; why should not we do so ? let me therefore by these following questions , try whether none of you are slighters of christ and your own salvation . and follow me , i beseech you , by putting them close to your own hearts , and faithfully answering them . 1. things that men highly value will be remembred , they will be matter of their freest and sweetest thoughts ; this a known case . do not those then make light of christ and salvation , that think of them so seldom and coldly in comparison of other things ? follow thy own heart man , and observe what it daily runneth out after ; and then judg whether it make not light of christ . we cannot perswade men to one hour's sober consideration what they should do for an interest in christ , or in thankfulness for his love , and yet they will not believe that they make light of him . 2. things that we highly value will be matter of our discourse : the judgment and heart will command the tongue : freely and delightfully will our speech run after them : this also is a known case . do not those then make light of christ and salvation , that shun the mention of his name , unless it be in a vain or sinful use ? those that love not the company where christ and salvation is much talk'd of , but think it troublesom precise discourse ; that had rather hear some merry jests , or idle tales , or talk of their riches or business in the world : when you may follow them from morning to night , and scarce have a savoury word of christ , but perhaps some slight and weary mention of him sometimes ; judg whether these make not light of christ and salvation . how seriously do they talk of the world , psal . 144. 8 , 11. and speak vanity ! but how heartlesly do they make mention of christ and salvation ? 3. the things that we highly value , we would secure the possession of , and therefore would take any convenient course to have all doubts and fears about them well resolved . do not those men then make light of christ and salvation , that have lived 20 or 30 years in uncertainty whether they have any part in these or not , and yet never seek out for the right resolution of their doubts ? are all that hear me this day certain they shall be saved ? o that they were ! o had you not made light of salvation , you could not so easily bear such doubtings of it ; you could not rest till you had made it sure , or done your best to make it sure . have you no body to enquire of , that might help you in such a work ? why you have ministers that are purposely appointed to that office. have you gone to them , and told them the doubtfulness of your case , and asked their help in the judging of your condition ? alas , ministers may sit in their studies from one year to another , before ten persons among 1000 will come to them on such an errand ! do not these make light of christ and salvation ? when the gospel pierceth the heart indeed , they cry out , men and brethren , what shall we do to be saved ? acts 16. 30. and ● . 6. trembling and astonished paul cries out , lord , what wilt thou have me to do ? and so did the convinced jews to peter , acts 2. 37. but when hear we such questions ? 4. the things that we value , do deeply affect us , and some motions will be in the heart according to our estimation of them . o sirs , if men made not light of these things , what working would there be in the hearts of all our hearers ? what strange affections would it raise in them to hear of the matters of the world to come ! how would their hearts melt before the power of the gospel ! what sorrow would be wrought in the discovery of their sin ! what astonishment at the consideration of their misery ! what unspeakable joy at the glad tidings of salvation by the blood of christ ! what resolution would be raised in them upon the discovery of their duty ! o what hearers should we have if it were not for this sin ! whereas now we are liker to weary them , or preach them asleep with matters of this unspeakable moment . we talk to them of christ and salvation , till we make their heads ake : little would one think by their careless carriage , that they heard and regarded what we said , or thought we spoke at all to them . 5. our estimation of things will be seen in the diligence of our endeavours . that which we highliest value , we shall think no pains too great to obtain . do not those men then make light of christ and salvation , that think all too much that they do for them , that murmur at his service , and think it too grievous for them to endure ? that ask of his service , as judas of the ointment , what need this waste ? cannot men be saved without so much ado ? this is more ado than needs . for the world they will labour all the day , and all their lives ; but for christ and salvation they are afraid of doing too much . let us preach to them as long as we will , we cannot bring them to relish or resolve upon a life of holiness . follow them to their houses , and you shall not hear them read a chapter , nor call upon god with their families once a day ; nor will they allow him that one day in seven which he hath separated to his service . but pleasure , or worldly business , or idleness must have a part . and many of them are so far hardened , as to reproach them that will not be as mad as themselves . and is not christ worth the seeking ? is not everlasting salvation worth more than all this ? doth not that soul make light of all these , that thinks his ease more worth than they ? let but common sense judg . 6. that which we most highly value , we think we cannot buy too dear : christ and salvation are freely given , and yet the most of men go without them , because they cannot enjoy the world and them together . they are called but to part with that which would hinder them from christ , and they will not do it . they are called but to give god his own , and to resign all to his will , and let go the profits and pleasures of this world , when they must let go either christ or them ; and they will not . they think this too dear a bargain , and say they cannot spare these things ; they must hold their credit with men ; they must look to their estates , how shall they live else ? they must have their pleasure , whatsoever becomes of christ and salvation : as if they could live without christ better than without these : as if they were afraid of being losers by christ , or could make a saving match by losing their souls to gain the world. christ hath told us over and over , that if we will not forsake all for him , we cannot be his disciples , luke 14. 33. far are these men from forsaking all , and yet will needs think that they are his disciples indeed . 7. that which men highly esteem , they would help their friend 's to as well as themselves . do not those men make light of christ and salvation , that can take so much care to leave their children portions in the world , and do so little to help them to heaven ? that provide outward necessaries so carefully for their families , but do so little to the saving of their souls ? their neglected children and friends will witness , that either christ , or their childrens souls , or both were made light of . 8. that which men highly esteem , they will so diligently seek after , that you may see it in the success , if it be a matter within their reach . you may see how many make light of christ , by the little knowledg they have of him , and the little communion with him , and communication from him ; and the little , yea , none of his special graces in them . alas , how many ministers can speak it to the sorrow of their hearts , that many of their people know almost nothing of christ , though they hear of him daily , nor know they what they must do to be saved ! if we ask them an account of these things ; they answer as if they understood not what we say to them , and tell us they are no scholars , and therefore think they are excusable for their ignorance . o if these men had not made light of christ and their salvation , but had bestowed but half so much pains to know and enjoy him , as they have done to understand the matters of their trades and callings in the world , they would not have been so ignorant as they are : they make light of these things , and therefore will not be at the pains to study or learn them . when men that can learn the hardest trade in a few years , have not learned a catechism , nor how to understand their creed , under twenty or thirty years preaching , nor cannot abide to be questioned about such things ; doth not this shew that they have slighted them in their hearts ? how will these despisers of christ and salvation be able one day to look him in the face , and to give an account of these neglects ? thus much i have spoken in order to your conviction . do not some of your consciences by this time smite you , and say , i am the man that have made light of my salvation ? if they do not , it is because you make light of it still for all that is said to you . but because , if it be the will of the lord , i would fain have this damning distemper cured , and am loth to leave you in such a desperate condition , if i knew how to remedy ●it , i will give you some considerations , which may ●●move you , if you be men of reason and understanding , to look better about you ; and i beseech you weigh them , and make use of them as we go , and lay open your hearts to the work of grace , and sadly bethink you what a case you are in , if you prove such as make light of christ . consider , 1. thou makest light of him that made not light of thee who didst deserve it . thou was● worthy of nothing but contempt . as a man , what art thou but a worm to god ? as a sinner , thou art far viler than a toad : yet christ was so far from making light of thee and th● happiness , that he came down into the flesh , and lived a ●ife of suffering , and offered himself a sacrifice to the justice which thou hadst provoked , that thy miserable soul might have a remedy . it is no less than miracles of love and mercy that he hath shewed to us : and yet shall we slight them after all ? angels admire them , whom they less concern , 1 pet. 1. 12. and shall redeemed sinners make light of them ? what barbarous , yea devilish , yea worse than devilish ingratitude is this ? the devils never had a saviour offered them , but thou hast , and dost thou yet make light of him ? 2. consider the work of man's salvation by jesus christ is the master-piece of all the works of god , wherein he would have his love and mercy to be magnified . as the creation declareth his goodness and power , so doth redemption his goodness and mercy ; he hath contrived the very frame of his worship so , that it shall much consist in the magnifying of this work ; and after all this , will you make light of it ? his name is wonderful , isa . 9. 6. he did the work that none could do , john 15. 24. greater love could none shew than this , john 15. 13. how great was the evil and misery that he delivered us from ! the good procured for us ! all are wonders from his birth to his ascension ; from our new birth to our glorification , all are wonders of matchless mercy . and yet do you make light of them ! 3 you make light of matters of greatest excellency and moment in the world : you know not what it is that you slight ; had you well known , you could not have done it . as christ said to the woman of samaria , john 4. 10. hadst thou known who it is that speaketh to thee , thou wouldst have asked of him the waters of life : had they known , they would not have crucified the lord of glory , 1 cor. 2. 8. so had you known what christ is , you would not have made light of him ; had you been one day in heaven , and but seen what they possess , and seen also what miserable souls must endure that are shut out , you would never sure have made so light of christ again . o sirs , it is no trifles or jesting matters that the gospel speaks of . i must needs profess to you , that when i have the most serious thoughts of these things my self , i am ready to marvel that such amazing matters do not overwhelm the souls of men : that the greatness of the subject doth not so overmatch our understandings and affections , as even to drive men beside themselves , but that god hath always somewhat allayed it by the distance ; much more that men should be so blockish as to make light of them . o lord , that men did but know what everlasting glory , and everlasting torments are ; would they then hear us as they do ? would they read and think of these things as they do ? i profess i have been ready to wonder when i have heard such weighty things delivered , how people can forbear crying out in the congregation ; much more , how they can rest till they have gone to their ministers and learned what they should do to be saved , that this great business might be put out of doubt . o that heaven and hell should work no more on men ! o that everlastingness should work no more ! o how can you forbear when you are alone , to think with your selves what it is to be everlastingly in joy or in torment ! i wonder that such thoughts do not break your sleep ; and that they come not in your mind when you are about your labour ! i wonder how you can almost do any thing else ! how you can have any quietness in your minds ! how you can eat , or drink , or rest , till you have got some ground of everlasting consolations ! is that a man or a corps that is not affected with matters of this moment ? that can be readier to sleep , than to tremble , when he heareth how he must stand at the bar of god! is that a man , or a clod of clay , that can rise and lie down without being deeply affected with his everlasting estate ? that can follow his worldly business , and make nothing of the great business of salvation or damnation ; and that when they know it is hard at hand . truly sirs , when i think of the weight of the matter , i wonder at the very best of god's saints upon earth , that they are no better , and do no more in so weighty a case . i wonder at those whom the world accounteth more holy than needs , and scorns for making too much ado ; that they can put off christ and their souls with so little ; that they pour not out their souls in every supplication ; that they are not more taken up with god ; that their thoughts be not more serious in preparation for their account . i wonder that they be not an hundred times more strict in their lives , and more laborious and unwearied in striving for the crown , than they are . and for my self , as i am ashamed of my dull and careless heart , and of my slow and unprofitable course of life ; so the lord knows , i am ashamed of every sermon that i preach : when i think what i have been speaking of , and who sent me ; and that mens salvation or damnation is so much concerned in it . i am ready to tremble , lest god should judg me as a slighter of his truth , and the souls of men , and lest in the best sermon i should be guilty of their blood. methinks we should not speak a word to men in matters of such consequence , without tears , or the greatest earnestness that possibly we can : were not we too much guilty of the sin which we reprove , it would be so . whether we are alone , or in company , methinks our end , and such an end , should still be in our mind , and as before our eyes ; and we should sooner forget any thing , and set light by any thing , or by all things , than by this . consider , 4. who is it that sends this weighty message to you ? is it not god himself ? shall the god of heaven speak , and men make light of it ? you would not slight the voice of an angel or a prince . 5. whose salvation is it that you make light of ? is it not your own ? are you no more near or dear to your selves , than to make light of your own happiness or misery ? why sirs , do you not care whether you be saved or damned ? is self-love lost ? are you turned your own enemies ? as he that slighteth his meat doth slight his life ; so if you slight christ , whatsoever you may think , you will find it was your own salvation that you slighted . hear what he saith , prov. 8. 36. all they that hate me , love death . 6. your sin is greater , in that you profess to believe the gospel which you make so light of . for a professed infidel to do it , that believes not that ever christ died , or rose again , or doth not believe that there is an heaven or hell , this were no such marvel ; but for you that make it your creed , and your very religion , and call your selves christians , and have been baptized into this faith , and seemed to stand to it , this is the wonder , and hath no excuse . what! believe that you shall live in endless joy or torment , and yet make no more of it , to escape torment , and obtain that joy. what! believe that god will shortly judg you , and yet make no more preparation for it . either say plainly , i am no christian , i do not believe these wonderful things , i will believe nothing but what i see ; or else let your hearts be affected with your belief , and live as you say you do believe . what do you think when you repeat the creed , and mention christ's judgment , and everlasting life ? 7. what are these things you set so much by ▪ as to prefer them before christ , and the saving of your souls ? have you found a better friend , a greater and surer happiness than this ? good lord ! what dung is it that men make so much of , while they set so light by everlasting glory ! what toys are they that they are daily taken up with , while matters of life and death are neglected ! why sirs , if you had every one a kingdom in your hopes , what were it in comparison of the everlasting kingdom ? i cannot but look upon all the glory and dignity of this world , lands and lordships , crowns and kingdoms , even as on some brainsick beggarly fellow , that borroweth fine clothes , and plays the part of a king or a lord for an hour on a stage , and then comes down , and the sport is ended , and they are beggars again . were it not for god's interest in the authority of magistrates , or for the service they might do him , i should judg no better of them . for as to their own glory , it is but a smoak : what matter is it whether you live poor or rich , unless it were a greater matter to die rich than it is ? you know well enough that death levels all : what matter is it at judgment , whether you be to answer for the life of a rich man , or a poor man ? is dives then any better than lazarus ? o that men knew what a poor deceiving shadow they grasp at , while they let go the everlasting substance ! the strongest and richest , and most volup●uous sinners , do but lay in fuel for their sorrows , while they think they are gathering together a treasure . alas , they are asleep , and dream that they are happy ; but when they awake , what a change will they find ! their crown is made of thorns : their pleasure hath such a sting as will stick in the heart through all eternity , except unfeigned repentance do prevent it . o how sadly will these wretches be convinced ere long what a foolish bargain they made in ●elling christ and their salvation for these trifles ! let your farms and merchandize then save you if they can , and do that for you that christ would have done . cry then to thy baal to save thee . o what though●s have drunkards and adulterers , &c. of christ , that will not part with the basest lust for him ! for a piece of bread , saith solomon , such men do transgress , prov. 28. 21. 8. to set so light by christ and salvation is a certain mark that thou hast no part in them , and if thou so continue , that christ will set as light by thee : those that honour him he will honour , and those that despise him shall be lightly esteemed , 1 sam. 2. 30. thou wilt feel one day that thou canst not live without him . thou wilt confess then thy need of him : and then thou mayest go look for a saviour where thou wilt , for he will be no saviour for thee hereafter , that wouldst not value him , and submit to him here . then who will prove the loser by thy contempt ? o what a thing will it be for a poor miserable soul to cry to christ for help in the day of extremity , and to hear so sad an answer as this ! thou didst set light by me and my law in the day of thy prosperity , and i will now set as light by thee in thy adversity . read prov. 1. 24 to the end . thou that , as esau , didst sell thy birth-right for a mess of pottage , shalt then find no place for repentance , though thou seek it with tears , heb. 12. 17. do you think that christ shed his blood to save them that continue to make light of it ? and to save them that value a cup of drink , or a lust , before his salvation ? i tell you sirs , though you set so light by christ and salvation , god doth not so : he will not give them on such terms as these : he valueth the blood of his son , and the everlasting glory ; and he will make you value them , if ever you have them . nay , this will be thy condemnation , and leaveth no remedy . all the world cannot save him that sets light by christ , heb. 2. 3. luke 14. 24. none of them shall taste of his supper , mat. 10. 37. nor can you blame him to deny you what you made light of your selves . can you find fault if you miss of the salvation which you slighted ? 9. the time is near when christ and salvation will not be made light of , as now they are . when god hath shaken those careless souls out of their bodies , and you must answer for all your sins in your own name ; o then , what would you give for a saviour ! when a thousand bills shall be brought in against you , and none to relieve you , then you will consider , o christ would now have stood between me and the wrath of god : had i not despised him , he would have answered all . when you see the world hath left you , and your companions in sin have deceived themselves and you , and all your merry days are gone ; then what would you give for that christ and salvation that now you account not worth your labour ? do you think when you see the judgment set , and you are doomed to everlasting perdition for your wickedness , that you should then make as light of christ as now ? why will you not judg now , as you know you shall judg then ? will he then be worth ten thousand worlds , and is he not now worth your highest estimation , and dearest affection ? 10. god will not only deny thee that salvation thou madest light of , but he will take from thee all that which thou didst value before it : he that most highly esteems christ , shall have him and the creatures so far as they are good here , and him without the creature hereafter , because the creature is not useful ; and he that sets more by the creature than by christ , shall have some of the creature without christ here , and neither christ nor it hereafter . so much of these considerations , which may shew the true face of this heinous sin. what think you now , friends , of this business ? do you not see by this time what a case that soul is in that maketh light of christ and salvation ? what need then is there that you should take heed lest this should prove your own case ? the lord knows it is too common a case . whoever is found guilty at the last of this sin , it were better for that man he had never been born . it were better for him he had been a turk or indian , that never had heard the name of a saviour , and that never had salvation offered to him : for such men have no cloak for their sin , john 15. 22. besides all the rest of their sins , they have this killing sin to answer for , which will undo them . and this will aggravate their misery , that christ whom they set light by , must be their judg , and for this sin will he judg them . o that such would now consider how they will answer that question that christ puts to their predecessors , matth. 23. 33. how will ye escape the damnation of hell ? or heb. 2. 3. how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? can you escape without a christ ? or will a despised christ save you then ? if he be accursed that sets light by father or mother , deut. 27. 16. what then is he that sets light by christ ? it was the heinous sin of the jews , that among them were found such as set light by father and mother , ezek. 22. 7. but among us , men slight the father of spirits . in the name of god , brethren , i beseech you to consider how you will then bear his anger which you now make light of ? you that cannot make light of a little sickness or want , or of natural death , no not of a tooth-ach , but groan as if you were undone , how will you then make light of the fury of the lord , which will burn against the contemners of his grace ? doth it not behove you beforehand to think of these things ? hitherto i have been convincing you of the evil of the sin , and the danger that followeth : i come now to know your resolution for the time to come . what say you ? do you mean to set as light by christ and salvation as hitherto you have done ? and to be the same men after all this ? i hope not . o let not your ministers that would fain save you , be brought in as witnesses against you to condemn you . at least , i beseech you put not this upon me . why sirs , if the lord shall say to us at judgment , did you never tell these men what christ did for their souls , and what need they had of him , and how nearly it did concern them to look to their salvation , that they made not light of it ? we must needs say the truth : yea lord , we told them of it as plainly as we could ; we would have gone on our knees to them , if we had thought it would have prevailed ; we did intreat them as earnestly as we could to consider these things : they heard of these things every day ; but alas , we could never get 'em to their hearts : they gave us the hearing , but they made light of all that we could say to them . o sad will it prove on your side , if you force us to such an answer as this . but if the lord do move the hearts of any of you , and you resolve to make light of christ no more : or if any of you say , we do not make light of him ; let me tell you here in the conclusion , what you must do , or else you shall be judged as slighters of christ and salvation . and first , i will tell you what will not serve the turn . 1. you may have a notional knowledg of christ , and the necessity of his blood , and of the excellency of salvation , and yet perish as neglecters of him . this is too common among profest christians . you may say all that other men do of him . what gospel-passages had balaam ? jesus i know , and paul i know , the very devils could say , who believe and tremble , jam. 2. 19. 2. you may weep at the history of his passion , when you read how he was used by the jews ; and yet make light of him , and perish for so doing . 3. you may come desirously to his word and ordinances . herod heard gladly ; so do many that yet must perish as neglecters of salvation . 4. you may in a fit of fear have strong desires after a christ to ease you , and to save you from god's wrath , as saul had of david to play before him ; and yet you may perish for making light of christ . 5. you may obey him in many things , so far as will not ruine you in the world , and escape much of the pollutions of the world by his knowledg ; and yet neglect him . 6. you may suffer and lose much for him , so far as leaveth you an earthly felicity ; as ananias , the young man. some parcels of their pleasures and profits many will part with in hope of salvation , that shall perish everlastingly , for valuing it no more . 7. you may be esteemed by others a man zealous for christ , and loved and admired upon that account , and yet be one that shall perish for making light of him . 8. you may verily think you selves , that you set more by christ and salvation than any thing , and yet be mistaken , and be judged as contemners of him : christ iustifieth not all that justify themselves . 9. you may be zealous preachers of christ and salvation , and reprove others for this neglect , and lament the sin of the world in the like expression as i have done this day ; and yet if you or i have no better evidence to prove our hearty esteem of christ and salvation , we are undone for all this . you hear , brethren , what will not serve the turn ; will you now hear what persons you must be if you would not be condemned as slighters of christ ? o search whether it be thus with your souls or no. 1. your esteem of christ and salvation , must be greater than your esteem of all the honours , profits or pleasures of this world , or else you slight him : no less will be accounted sincere , nor accepted to your salvation : think not this hard , when there is no comparison in the matters esteemed . to esteem the greatest glory on earth before christ and everlasting glory , is a greater folly , and wrong to christ , than to esteem a dog before your prince , would be folly in you , 〈◊〉 a wrong to him . scripture is plain in this , matth. 10. 37. he that loveth father or mother , wife , c●ildren , house , land , or his own life more than me , is not worthy of me , and cannot be my disciple , as luke 14. 26. 2. you must manifest this esteem of christ and salvation in your daily endeavours and seeking after him , and in parting with any thing that he shall require of you . god is a spirit , and will not take an hypocritical profession instead of the heart and spiritual service which he commandeth . he will have the heart or nothing ; and the chief room in the heart too . these must be had . if you say that you do not make light of christ , or wil● not hereafter , let me try you in these few particulars● whether indeed you mean as you say , and do not dissem●ble . 1. will you for the time to come make christ and salvation the chiefest matter of your care and study 〈◊〉 thrust them not out of your thoughts , as a needless o● unprofitable subject ; nor allow it only some running sligh● thoughts , which will not affect you . but will yo● make it your business once a day to be think you soberly when you are alone , what christ hath done for you and what he will do if you do not make light of it and what it is to be everlastingly happy or miserable and what all things in this world are in comparison o● your salvation ? and how they will shortly leave you● and what mind you will be then of , and how you wil● esteem them ? will you promise me now and then 〈◊〉 make it your business to withdraw your selves from the world , and set your selves to such consideration as these ? if you will not , are not you slighters o● christ and salvation , that will not be perswaded soberly to think on them ? this is my first question to pu● you to the trial , whether you will value christ o● not . 2. will you for the time to come , set more by th● word of god , which contains the discovery of thes● excellent things , and is your charter for salvation , an● your guide thereunto ? you cannot set by christ , bu● you must set by his word : therefore the despisers o● it are threatned with destruction , prov. 13. 13. wi●● you therefore attend to the publick preaching of th●● word ? will you read it daily ? will you resolve t● obey it whatever it may cost you ? if you will not d● this , but make light of the word of god , you sha● be judged such as make light of christ and salvation , whatever you may fondly promise to you● selves . 3. will you for the time to come esteem more of the officers of christ , whom he hath purposely appointed to guide you to salvation ? and will you make ●se of them for that end ? ala● , it is not to give the ●●●ster a good word , and speak well of him , and pay 〈◊〉 his tithes duly , that will serve the turn : it is for 〈◊〉 necessity of your souls that god hath set them in 〈◊〉 church ; that they may be as physicians under christ , or his apothecaries to apply his remedies to ●our spiritual diseases , not only in publick , but also in ●●vate : that you may have some to go to for the re●●ving of your doubts , and for your instruction where you are ignorant , and for the help of their ex●●rtations and prayers . will you use hereafter to go 〈◊〉 your ministers privately , and solicite them for ad●ice ? and if you have not such of your own as are fit , 〈◊〉 advice from others ; and ask them what you shall do 〈◊〉 be saved ? how to prepare for death and judgment ? and ●ill you obey the word of god in their mouths ? if you will not do this much , nor so much as enquire of those that should teach you , nor use the means which christ hath established in his church for your help , ●our own consciences shall one day witness , that you ●ere such as made light of christ and salvation . if 〈◊〉 of you doubt whether it be your duty thus to ask ●ounsel of your teachers , as sick men do of their phy●●cians , let your own necessities resolve you ; let god's ●●press word resolve you : see what is said of th●●icst● of the lord , even before christ's coming , when ●uch of their work did lie in ceremonials ; mal. 2. 5 , 〈◊〉 . my covenant was with him of life and peace : and i 〈◊〉 them to him ( to levi ) for the fear wherewith he feared 〈◊〉 , and was afraid before my name . the law of truth was 〈◊〉 his mouth , and iniquity was not found in his lips ; he walked with me in peace and equity , and did turn many ●way from iniquity . for the priests lips should keep know●●dg , and they should seek the law at his mouth : for he is the messenger of the lord of hosts . nay , you must not only enquire , and submit to their advice , but also to their just reprehensions and church censures : and without proud repining submit to the discipline of christ in their hands , if it shall be used in the congregatio●s whereof you are members . 4. will you for the time to come make conscience of daily and earnest prayer to god , that you may have a part in christ and salvation ? do not go out of doors till you have breathed out these desires to god ; do not lie down to rest till you have breathed out these desires : say not , god knoweth my necessity without so often praying ; for though he do , yet he will have you to know them and feel them , and exercise your d●sires , and all the graces of his spirit in these duties : it is he that hath command●d to pray continually , though he know your 〈◊〉 without , 1 thess . 5. 17. christ himself spent whole nights in prayer , and encourageth us to this course , 〈◊〉 18. 1. if you will not be perswaded to this much , how can you say that you make not light of christ and salvation ? 5. will you for the time to come resolvedly cast away your known sins at the command of christ ? if you have been proud or contentious , or malicious and revengeful , be so no more . if you have been adulterers , or swearers , or cursers , be so no more . you cannot hold these , and yet set by christ and salvation . what say you ? are you resolved to let them go ? if not , when you know 't is the will of christ , and he hath told you such shall not enter into his kingdom , do not you make light of him ? 6. will you for the time to come serve god in the dearest as well as the cheapest part of his service ; not only with your tongues , but with your purses and your deeds ? shall the poor find that you see more by christ than this world ? shall it appear in any good uses that god calls you to be liberal in , according to your abilities ? pure religion and undefiled before god is this , to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction , jam. 1. ult . will you resolve to stick to christ , and make sure this work of salvation , though it cost you all that you have in the world ? if you think these terms too dear , you make light of christ , and will be judged accordingly . 7. will you for the time to come make much of all things that tend to your salvation ; and take every help that god offereth you , and gladly make use of all his ordinances ? attend upon his strengthening sacraments , spend the lord 's own day in these holy imployments . instruct your children and servants in these things , deut. 5. 6 , 7. get into good company that set their faces heaven-ward , and will teach you the way , and help you thither : and take heed of the company of wicked scorners , or foolish , voluptuous , fleshly men , or any that would hinder you in this work. will you do these things ? or will you shew that you are slighters of christ by neglecting them ? 8. will you do all this with delight , not as your toil , but as your pleasure ? and take it for your highest honour that you may be christ's disciples , and may be admitted to serve and worship him ; and rejoice with holy confidence in the sufficiency of that sacrifice by which you may have pardon of all your failings , and right to the inheritance of the saints in light ? if you will do these things sincerely , you will shew that you set by christ and salvation ; else not . dearly beloved in the lord , i have now done that work which i came upon ; what effect it hath , or will have upon your hearts , i know not , nor is it any further in my power to accomplish that which my soul desireth for you . were it the lord's will that i might have my wish herein , the words that you have this day heard should so stick by you , that the secure should be awakened by them , and none of you should perish by the slighting of your salvation . i cannot now follow you to your several habitations , to apply this word to your particular necessities : but o that i could make every man's conscience a preacher to himself , that it might do it , which is ever with you ; that the next time you go prayerless to bed , or about your business , conscience might cry out , dost thou set no more by christ and by salvation ? that the next time you are tempted to think hardly of an holy and diligent life , ( i will not say to deride it as more ado th●● needs ) conscience might cry out to thee , dost thou set so light by christ and thy salvation ? that the next time you are ready to rush upon known sin , and to please your fleshly desires against the command of god , conscience might cry out , is christ and salvation no more worth , than to cast them away , or venture them for thy lasts ? that when you are following the world with your most eager ●esires , forgetting the world to come and the change that is a little before you , conscience might ●ry ou● to you ▪ is christ and salvation no more worth than so ? that when you are next spending the lord's day in idleness or vain sp●rts , conscience might tell you what you are doing . in a word , that in all your neglects of duty , your sti●●ing at the supposed labour or cost of a godly life , yea in all your cold and lazy prayers and performances , conscience might tell you how unsutable such endeavours are to the reward ; and that christ and salvation should not be so slighted . i will say no more but this at t●is time , it is a thousand pities that when god hath provided a saviour for the world , and when christ hath suffered so much for their sins , and made so full a satisfaction to justice , and purchased so glorious a kingdom for his saints , and all this is offered so freely to sinners , to lost unworthy sinners , even for nothing , that yet so many millions should everlastingly perish because they make light of their saviour ▪ and salvation , and prefer the vain world an● their lusts b●fore them . i have delivered my message the lord open your hearts to receive it : i have perswa●ded you with the word of truth and soberness ; th● lord perswade you more effectually , or else all this i● lost . finis . advertisement . a scriptural and rational account of the christian religion ; particularly , concerning justification only by the propitiation and redemption of the lord jesus christ . by sir edward harley , knight of the bath . printed for j. luntley at the bibles in little lincolns inn-fields . confirmation and restauration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of the corruptions and divisions of the churches: submissively, but earnestly tendered to the consideration of the soveraigne powers, magistrates, ministers, and people, that they may awake, and be up and doing in the execution of so much, as appeareth to be necessary as they are true to christ, his church and gospel, and to their own and others souls, and to the peace and wellfare of the nations; and as they will answer the neglect to christ, at their peril. / by richard baxter, an unworthy minister of christ, that longeth to see the healing of the churches. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1658 approx. 536 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 206 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a76157 wing b1232 thomason e2111_1 estc r209487 99868363 99868363 120705 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a76157) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 120705) images scanned from microfilm: (thomason tracts ; 241:e2111[1]) confirmation and restauration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of the corruptions and divisions of the churches: submissively, but earnestly tendered to the consideration of the soveraigne powers, magistrates, ministers, and people, that they may awake, and be up and doing in the execution of so much, as appeareth to be necessary as they are true to christ, his church and gospel, and to their own and others souls, and to the peace and wellfare of the nations; and as they will answer the neglect to christ, at their peril. / by richard baxter, an unworthy minister of christ, that longeth to see the healing of the churches. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [30], 316, [68] p. printed by a.m. for nevil simmons book-seller in kederminster, and are to be sold by joseph cranford, at the kings-head in pauls church-yard, london : 1658. the first leaf is blank. running title reads: confirmation & restauration the necessary means of reformation and reconciliation. leaves x7-2b6 contain the postscript. with a final errata leaf; the last leaf is blank. annotation on thomason copy: "sept:". reproduction of the original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng reformation -england -early works to 1800. 2007-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2007-04 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-06 robyn anspach sampled and proofread 2007-06 robyn anspach text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion confirmation and restauration , the necessary means of reformation , and reconciliation ; for the healing of the corruptions and divisions of the churches : submissively , but earnestly tendered to the consideration of the soveraigne powers , magistrates , ministers , and people , that they may awake , and be up and doing in the execution of so much , as appeareth to be necessary as they are true to christ , his church and gospel , and to their own and others souls , and to the peace and wellfare of the nations ; and as they will answer the neglect to christ , at their peril . by richard baxter , an unworthy minister of christ , that longeth to see the healing of the churches . isa . 44. 3 , 4 , 5. for i will pour water on him that is thirsty , and floods upon the dry ground : i will pour my spirit on thy seed , and my blessing upon thine offspring , and they shall spring as among the grass , as willows by the water-courses . one shall say , i am the lords , and another shall call himself by the name of jacob ; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the lord , and surname himself by the name of israel . london , printed by a. m. for nevil simmons bookseller in kederminster , and are to be sold by joseph granford , at the kings-head in pauls church-yard , 1658. to the reader . christian reader ; having in divers writings , moved for the restitution of a solemn transition , of all that pass from an infant-state of church-membership , into the number of the adult , and are admitted to their priviledges , and the associated ministers of this county , having made it an article of their agreement , at last came forth an excellent exercitation on confirmation , written by mr. jonathan hanmer , very learnedly and piously , endeavouring the restoration of this practice . being very glad of so good a work , upon an invitation , i prefixed an epistle before it ; which hath occasioned this following disputation . for when the book was read , the designe was generally approved , ( as farre as i can learne ) and very acceptable to good men of all parties . but many of them called to me , to try whether some more scripture proofes might not be brought for it , that the preceptive , as well as the mediate necessity might appeare . at the desire of some reverend godly brethren , i hastily drew up this which is here offered you ; 1. partly to satisfie them in the point of scripture evidence ; 2. but principally to satisfie my own earnest desires , after the reformation , and healing of the churches , to which i do very confidently apprehend , this excellent work to have a singular tendencie . here is a medicine so effectual to heale our breaches , and set our disordered societies in joynt , ( being owned in whole by the episcopall , presbyterian , congregational , and erastian , and in half , by the anabaptists ) that nothing but our own self-conceitedness ; perversness , lazyness , or wilfull enmity to the peace of the churches , is able to deprive us of a blessed success . but alas , our minds are the subjects of the disease ; and are so alienated , exulcerated , and so selfishly partial and uncharitable , that when the plaster is offered us , and peace brought to our doors , i must needs expect that many should pievishly cast it away , and others betray it , by a lazy commendation , and so disable the few that would be faithfull , practical , and industrious , from that general success , which is so necessary and desirable . as for them that lay all our peace on episcopacy , and liturgie , i intend if god will , to send them after this , some healing motions on those subjects also . and if they have no better success , than presently to satisfy my own conscience , in the faithfull performance of so great a duty , and to awaken the desires , endeavours and praiers of the more moderate and impartial , i shall not think my labour lost . pray for the peace of jerusalem ; they shall prosper that love it . let 's seeke it of god , as well as men ; which is the daily , though too defective practise , of the most unworthy servant of the king of peace , r. baxter . april 7. 1658. if magistrates or others , who are obliged to promote the worke , which is here commended to them , do want leisure , or patience to read the whole , i desire them to peruse these following contents , and those parts of the work , in which they are most unsatisfied . the contents . question . whether those that were baptized in infancy , should be admitted to the priviledges proper to adult church-members , without confirmation , or restauration , by an approved profession of personal faith and repentance ? neg. a general rule to guide reformers . prop. i. it is supposed , that the infants of believers should be admitted by baptism into the church , and so be partakers of infant-priviledges . a breviate of reasons for this . prop. ii. there are many priviledges belonging to the adult-members of the church , which infant-members are not capable of . prop. iii. the continuation of priviledges received in infancy , is part of the priviledges of the adult : or the restoration of them , if they be lost . prop. iv. the title-condition of infant church-membership , and priviledges is not the same with the title-condition of the church-membership and priviledges of the adult ; so that if this new condition be not performed , when men come to age , their former title ceaseth , and there is no other , that ariseth in its stead : proved . prop. v. as a personal faith is the condition , before god , of title to the priviledges of the adult ; so the profession of this faith , is the condition of his title before the church , and without this profession , he is not to be taken as an adult-member , nor admitted to the priviledges of such . proved , and vindicated from their objections , that plead against the necessity of an express profession : with some application urging to the practice . prop. vi. it is not every kind of profession that is the condition , or necessary qualification of those , that are to be admitted to the priviledges of adult-amembers , but such a profession , as god hath made necessary by his express word , and by the nature of the object , and the uses and ends , to which he doth require it . it must be a profession of true christianity in all the essentials . what are the essentials , as to objects and acts : it must be a credible profession . 1. it must seeme to be understanding . 2. and serious . 3. and voluntary , upon deliberation . 4. not nullified by a contradiction in word or deed . 5. it must be practice first , that must make words credible , when the person by perfidiousness hath forfeited his credit . prop. vii . the profession of those that expect the church-state and priviledges of the adult , is to be tryed , judged and approved , by the pastours of the church , to whose office it is that it belongeth . 1. an untryed profession must not serve : proved . 2. pastours by office are the tryers and judges , of the prosession of such , as to these ends : proved by 14 undenyable arguments ; and objections answered . consent of the ancients . prop. viii . though it belong to the pastours office to judge of the profession of such expectants , yet are they bound up by the laws of christ what profession to accept , and what to refuse : and if by breaking these laws , they shall dangerously or grosly wrong the church , it belongeth to the magistrate to correct them , and to the people to admonish them , and disown their sin ; yea and in desperate cases to disown them . the positive title-condition to be produced , is the profession of true christianity . the minister that refuseth this profession , must prove it not credible . of tolerable ignorance . prop. ix . it is evident that magistrates , ministers and people , have each a power of judging : but different , as they have different works . how far ministers are judges . proved by ten reasons , against the popular claim , &c. how far the people must judge : how far the magistrate must judge ministers for these matters , and ministers obey them ? prop. x. to this ministerial approbation of the profession and qualifications of the expectant , there is to be adjoyned a ministerial investiture or delivery of the benefit expected . how many sacraments there are . 1. more than seaven in the largest sense . 2. five in a large sense ( not intollerable . ) 3. two only in the strictest sense , as we define them . prop. xi . the solemn ministerial investiture of professours into the right of the church-priviledges of the adult , is either 1. of the unbaptized , who are now first entred . 2. or of the baptized in infancy , that never proved ungodly , nor violated that first covenant . 3. or of those baptized ( whether in infancy or at age ) that have since proved wicked and broke the covenant . the first of these investitures is to be by baptism ; the second by confirmation , and the third by absolution . so that the solemn investiture that now i am pleading for , is by confirmation to one sort , ( that never proved ungodly since their baptism ) and by absolution to the other sort ( that broke their covenant ) which yet hath a certain confirmation in , or with it . prop. xii . this solemn investiture on personal profession , being thus proved the ordinance of god , for the solemn renewing the covenant of grace , between god and the adult-covenanter , it must needs follow that it is a corroborating ordinance , and that corroborating grace is to be expepected in it from god , by all that come to it in sincerity of heart : and so it hath the name of confirmation upon that account also . prop. xiii . ministerial imposition of hands , in confirmation and the foredescribed sort of absolution , is a lawfull and convenient action , or ceremony , and ordinarily to be used , as it hath been of old by the universal church . but yet it is not of such necessity , but that we must dispence in this ceremony with scrupulous consciences , that cannot be satisfied to submit to it : imposition of hands is allowed in scripture to be used generally by spiritual superiours , to signifie their desire , that the blessing , guift or power , may be conferred on the inferiour , for which they have a call to mediate . proved . particllarly , 1. we find in scripture a blessing of church-members , with laying on of hands . 2. and that the holy ghost is in a special manner promised to believers , over and above that measure of the spirit , which caused them to believe . 3. and that praier , with laying on of hands , was the outward means to be used by christs ministers , for procuring this , or investing them of it . 4. and that this was not a temporary , but fixed ordinance . all proved . how the holy ghost is given before faith , and after faith , and how sealed in baptism , and how not ? what hope of the success of imposition , with praier for the spirit . scripture and antiquity for it . reasons for the non-necessity of it to the the scrupulous . prop. xiv . though in receiving adult-persons out of infidelity by baptism into the church ; a sudden profession , without any stay to see their reformation , may serve turne , yet in receiving these that were baptized heretofore , into the number of adult-members , or to the priviledges of such , their lives must be enquired after , which must be such as do not confute their profession . prop. xv. it is not of flat necessity , that the profession of the expectant be made in the open congregation , or before many , in order to his confirmation or admittance . prop. xvi . when a person is admitted an adult-member of a particular church , as well as of the universal , his profession and admission must be either before the church , or satisfactorily made known to the church , at least , who must approve of it by a judgment of discretion , in order to their communion with him : and this among us is the ordinary case ; because it is the duty of all , that have opportunity to joyne themselves to some particu-church , and it is in such churches , that communion in publique worship and order must be had , either statedly , or transiently and temporarily . reasons to prove this interest of the people . cases of difference between pastours and people resolved . prop. xvii . it is convenient ( though not of necessity ) that every church do keep a register of all that are thus invested , or admitted into the number of adult-members . prop. xviii . those that were never thus ministerially and explicitly approved , confirmed , or absolved ( after an ungodly life ) but have been permitted without it , to joyne usually with the church in prayer and praises , and the lords supper , are approved and confirmed , eminently , though not formally , though in so doing , both the pastours and themselves might sinne against god , by the violation of his holy order . such therefore may be a true church , and are not to be called back to solemn confirmation , though in many cases they may be called to tryall by their overseers . prop. xix . so exceeding great and many are the mischiefs that have befallen us by the neglect of a solemn meet transition from an infant into the adult church-state , and which undoubtedly will continue till this be remedied , that all the magistrates , ministers & people , that dissemble not in professing themselves to be christians , should with speed and diligence attempt the cure . the state of our parishes anatomized . twenty intollerable mischiefs , that follow the taking all into our church-communion , and neglecting this confirmation : such as all christians should lay to heart . prop. xx. so many and great are the benefits that would follow the generall practice of this duty of trying , approving and confirming ( or absolving ) all those that enter into the number of adult-christians , that it should mightily provoke all christian magistrates , ministers , and people to joyne in a speedy and vigorous execution of it . twelve excellent benefits that will come by confirmation . it 's like to be an admirable increaser of knowledg , and holiness , and church-reformation . it 's a singular means of agreeing the episcopal , presbyterians , congregational , er●stians , and moderating the anabaptists : proved and urged . twenty objections against this approved profession and confirmation , answered . how little reason have princes , and parliaments to restraine most ministers here from overdoing . the duties that lie upon us all , for the execution of this work : and 1. on ministers . 1. we should agree upon an unanimous performance . 2. in those agreements , we must leave men to their liberty in all unnecessary modes , and circumstances . 3. in taking mens profession , we must avoid both extreams , viz. loose formality , and overmuch 4. what course must be taken with all our parishe , where some have without a personal approved profession already been admitted to the lords supper and some not particularly opened ? 5. we must require of all the notoriously ungodly , a penitent confession in order to absolution , as well as a profession of faith , and future obedience . 6. delegates to be chosen by particular churches , to meet with the pastours for those and other church-affaires . 7. the pastours and churches should be all associated , and the churches that we hold communion with , differenced from the rest : that those that are confirmed and received by them , may be capable of communion with all . 8. we must be diligent in publike and private teaching the catechumens , and walk inoffensively , condescendingly and vigilantly among them . 2. the duty of the people , especially the godly , in order to this work. 3. the magistrates duty hereto . 1. to cause those people that are unfit for church-communion , to live quietly in the state of expectants , and to submit to publique and personal instruction , and catechizing , to prepare them . 2. to compel ministers thus to teach and catechize them , and see that great parishes have so many teachers as may be able to do it . reasons for compelling us . 3. to lay some penalty on all pastors , that will not guide the church by discipline , as well as preach : not forbidding them to be preachers , but to be pastours and administer sacraments , that will not do it , as christ hath appointed . to these ends it may do well , for the magistrate to have his agent or church-justice to joyne in the church-meetings , and to inform the commissioners for ejection , who may be impowred hereunto . 4. to promote and command the associations and correspondencies of pastours and churches . with what limitations , and to what ends . 5. it would much further this work , if visitours were appointed in all parts to see it done , or put on ministers : not that any ministers should have a power of silencing , suspending , &c. but to let a civil visitor , and a visitor of the ministry be still joyned together , and let the minister have only a power to perswade , and the other as a magigistrate to compell , or to bring the causes , which are exempt from his power , to the superiour commissioners . 6. it 's the unquestionable duty of magistrates ( not to drive men to church-communion that are unmeet , but ) to restraine seducers , from taking advantage of their discontents and drawing them away , while they remaine expectants : ten reasons , that deserve the serious consideration of the magistrate , that shew the great necessity of this his moderate assistance , for keeping of deceivers , especially papists , and containing the prophane and ignorant people in quietness and submission to instruction in an expectant state till they are fit for church-communion . 7. to satisfie the magistrate that is afraid of persecution , certain regulations of toleration are propounded . 1. let all that pretend scruple of submitting to the personal or publique instruction of the teacher of the parish where he lives , be compelled to submit to some one else , who may give it under his hand that he takes that care of him . 2. let commissioners be appointed ( according to the laws given them ) to guard the door of toleration , as now they are to guard the door of publique allowance and maintenance : and let none be tolerated to preach or openly perswade ( though for nothing ) that have not an instrument of licence sealed by these commissioners : or else blasphemers and heathens may preach for all your laws against them . 3. let those that have a sealed toleration be as responsible to the commissioners , for their violating the laws of their toleration , as we are for breaking the laws that bind us : and let their toleration be forfeitable , as well as our maintenance . reasons for this . to conclude , if as before the daies of william the conquerour , magistrates and ministers might sit together , the ministers having no power but to perswade , and the magistrate the sole power of compulsion , and so 1. approvers keep the door of toleration . 2. a church justice , or agent of the magistrates keep the peace of every church , or parish . 3. and the civil and ministerial visiters aforesaid shall be appointed to take cognisance of the state of parishes . 4. and the commissioners for ejection of scandalous ministers , be equally enabled to eject the scandalous and blasphemous from their toleration ; the magistrate might assist us without danger of persecution . confirmation and restauration the necessary means of reformation and reconciliation . quest . whether those that were baptized in infancy , should be admitted to the priviledges proper to adult church-members , without confirmation , or restauration , by an approved profession of personal faith and repentance ? neg. though the distempers of the churches of christ in england , are not so great as the popish adversaries , or some discontented brethren do pretend , nor as some inconsiderate lamenters of our condition do imagine , who observe less our enjoyments then our wants , and that have not the faculty of discerning our true agreements , where there is any difference , but think that many things are wanting that are not , because they cannot find them : yet is our discomposure such as the wisest have cause to mourn for , and all of us should contribute our endeavours to redress . and for the accomplishment of this blessed work , two things must be done : the first is , to discover the principles that must reform and heal us , if ever we be healed ; and to acquaint the world with the necessary means . the second is , to concur for the execution , in the application and use of the remedie , when it is discovered . the first is a work , that is usually done best by a few at first : though the more receive and approve of the discovery , the better it will be brought into use . but it 's here , saith pemble , as in discerning a thing a farre off , where one clear eye will see further then many that are dimme , and the greatest conjunction of unfurnished intellects affords not so much assistance for the discovery , as the greater sight of a few may do . but in the executive , part , there must be many hands to the work . if the pastours and people do not consent , it cannot be accomplished ; and if they barely consent , and be not up and doing , discoveries will lie dead , and nothing will go on : and if the christian magistrate afford not his assistance , his guilt will be great , and the work will go the more heavily on . though all the body be not an eye , and therefore be not as good at discovering as the eye is ; yet must each member perform its own office , and none be idle , or withdraw its helpe , because it is not an eye ; but all must execute by the guidance of the eye . in order to the discovery of the healing meanes , among others , this rule is worthy our observation . if any church order , or administration seem offensive to you , before you wholly cast it out , consider whether there be not somewhat that is necessary and excellent either in the substance , or in the occasion and reason of it : and you will find , that reformation is to be accomplished more by restauration of ordinances and administrations to their primitive nature and vse , then by the utter abolition of them . satan found it easier to corrupt the ordinances of christ , and to cause them to degenerate into somewhat like them , then to introduce such of his own as were wholly new , and as christ had given no occasion of . i could give you very usefull instances in many of the popish administrations , which require a restauration , rather then an abolition , lest that which is christ's part , be cast out with that which is mans , and we should throw away the apple which should be but pared ; and lest we cast away our necessary food , and most precious jewels , because they have fallen into romish dirt . but my present business is to instance only in confirmation and penitence , so farre as is requisite to the decision of the question now before us . i know you will easily excuse me from the needless labour of explaining any terms in the question which you understand already : i think the best method to lay the matter naked before your understandings , will be by approaches and degrees in the opening and confirming of these propositions . prop. i. it is here supposed , that the infants of believers should by baptism be admitted into the church , and so be partakers of infant priv●ledges . their sinne and misery is come upon them without any actual consent of their own , by the will of others ; and the remedy must be applyed to them accordingly , not by any actual consent of their own ( which is as impossible ) but by the will of others , as the condition , and by the gift of god as the cause . in his dealing with mankind ; god is not so much more prone to wrath and vengeance then to mercy , as to put infants into the comminatory terrible part of the covenant , with their parents , and not into the remedying part ; and to condemn them for their first fathers covenant-breaking , and give them no help from their gracious parents covenant-keeping ; and to fetch weight from parents sinnes to weigh down the scale of vindictive justice , and to put nothing from the gracious parents into the other end . yet is it not to infants as the meer natural issue of godly parents , that god extendeth this grace . but 1. as they are naturally their own , the parents have a power of them to dispose of them for their good . 2. every man that is sanctified , hath devoted himself , and in generall , all that he hath to god ; according to the several capacities of what he hath , that every thing may be for god in its proper capacity . 3. virtually then the children of the godly , even in the wombe are thus devoted unto god. 4. it is the revealed will of god , that infants should be actually dedicated and devoted to him . 5. he that requireth us to make this dedication , doth imply therein a promise of his acceptance of what is dedicated to him by his command . for his precepts are not vain or delusory . 6. he hath also expressly signified this in scripture promises , extending his covenant to the seed of the faithfull , and telling us that his kingdom is of such . 7. this dedication is to be made by baptism , the ordinance which god hath appointed to that end ; and in which he is ready to signifie his acceptance , that so there may be a mutual solemn covenant . the servants of god before christ's coming were enabled and required to enter their infants into the covenant of god , sometime ( and ordinarily ) in circumcision , and sometime ( as in the wilderness , deut. 29 ) without it . and they have the same natural interest , and as large a discovery that it 's the w●ll of god , for the dedicating of their children , to god , and choosing for them , and entering them into the holy covenant , now as then . if then a child that had no exercise of its own will , might by the will of his parents choose the lord , and be entered into covenant with him , it is then so still . god hath no where reverst or abrogated that command , which obliged parents to enter their children into covenant with god , and devote them to him . nay christ chid those that would keep them from him , because his kingdom , that is , his church , is of such . a place that doth purposely and plainly express the continuance of his love to infants , and yet the gospel entertaineth them as readily as the law or promise before did . oft and again doth christ signifie to the jews that he would have gathered them wholly to his church , and not have broken them off , if they had not by unbelief been broken off , and in the same olive hath he engraffed the gentile church . infants are members of all commonwealths on the face of the earth , though they know not what a common-wealth is , nor yet what soveraignty or subjection mean. and he that should say they are no members , because they are imperfect members , would but be laughed at . and christ hath not cast them out of his family or commonwealth , nor shut the door against them . and that in this infant state they are capable of many priviledges is apparent . they have original sinne , which must be pardoned , or they are lost . most of the anabaptists that i hear of , do hold that all the infants in the world are pardoned by christ , and shall be saved if they die in infancy , and run in the downright pelagian road . but this is not only utterly unproved , but contrary to scripture , which telleth us , that sinne is not pardoned by the bloodshed of christ , till men be brought into union with him , and participation of him , and for all his bloodshed , no man shall have pardon by it , till it be given him by the act of pardon in the gospel . now the gospel no where gives out pardon to every infant in the world : nay it frequently and plainly makes a difference . the parents will doth accept the offer , and choose for them that cannot choose for themselves . for others , what ever god will do with them , doubtless they have no promise of mercy . and it 's strange that they should deny baptism to infants that deny not salvation to them , yea that think ( though ungroundedly ) that they are all in a state of salvation . for either infants have original sinne , or not : if they have none , then they need no saviour , and must be saved without a saviour ; for the whole need not the physician , but the sick . if they have original sinne , and that it is pardoned to them by christ , then how can men deny them the sign and seale of pardon , or the solemn investing means . if they are sure that they are washt with christ's blood , how can they deny to wash them with that water , that is appointed to signifie and invest ? moreover , infants are capable of many other priveledges ; and of being the adopted sonnes of god , the members of christ , the heirs of heaven , as having right thereto ; and being the members of the church , and being under the special protection and provision of god , and in a special sort partakers of the prayers of the church , with divers more . as in the commonwealth , an infant is capable of having honour and inheritance in right , though not actally to use them ; and of the protection of the laws for life , reputation and estate ; and of being tenant , and obliged to pay a certain rent and homage when he comes to age , and in the mean time to have provisions from the estate that he hath title to . but all this i have fuller exprest elsewhere : and i have altely read mr tombes's last and large reply , to part of my book , and many others ; and must needs say that it leaves me still perswaded that it is the will of christ that the infants of his servants should be dedicated to him in baptism , and members of his visible church ; and though upon the review of my arguments i find that i have used too many provoaking words , for which i am heartily sorry , and desire pardon of god and him , yet i must say , that i am left more confident then before , that the cause is gods which mr tombes opposeth : of which if god will , i intend yet to give some further account : in the mean time i deal with this but as a supposition that is already sufficiently proved , though all men , yea all good men see not the sufficiency of the proofe . prop. 2. there are many priveledges belonging to the adult members of the church , which infant members are not capable of . this is true both of natural and moral capacities : the priviledges which i mean are , the pardon of many actual sinnes , committed since they are adult ; the exercise of all holy graces ; knowing god ; loving him ; trusting him ; serving him ; the communion that we have with god herein ; as particularly in prayer , in holy praises and thanksgivings , in heavenly meditations ; the peace and joy that followeth believing , and the hopes of everlasting life ; the communion which we have with the church of christ in hearing , praying , praises , the sacrament of the body and blood of christ , in distribution by giving and receiving , and an endearing holy love within : these and many more priveledges are proper to the adult . that infants are not naturally capable of these , is as needless to prove , as that they are infants : and then that they are not morally capable , is an inseparable consequent . for though natural capacity may be without moral , yet moral cannot be without natural : in point of duty , infants are not bound to the work ; as to hear , pray , prayse , &c. beyond the natural capacity of their intellects and bodies : and so in point of benefit , we must have more sobriety , then to suppose god to make over any benefit to them which they are not capable of . all this is plain . prop. 3. the continuation of priveledges received in infancy , is part of the priveledges of the adult ; or the restoration of them if they be lost . if the cause discontinue , the effect will cease . adult priveledges comprehend the infant priviledges , partly as that which is perfect comprehendeth the imperfect , and partly as the whole comprehendeth the parts ; and partly as the thing continued is the same with the thing begun . infant priviledges would all cease with infancy , if the causes or conditions cease , and there be no other cause for their continuance . god never took infants into his church and covenant , with a purpose so to continue them , without any other condition then that upon which they were admitted . this is past denyal , and will be more cleared in the next . prop. 4. the title-condition of infant church-membership and priviledges , is not the same with the title-condition of the church-membership and priviledges of the adult ; so that if this new condition be not performed when men come to age , their former title ceaseth , and there is no other that ariseth in his stead . 1. we are agreed i think , that our title , ( which is fundamentum juris ) is gods covenant , graunt , or guift . as it is his precept that constituteth our duty , so it is his promise or deed of gift which is our title to the benefit . 2. and we are agreed i hope , that this promise , or grant from god is conditional , for if church-membership and priviledges he absolutly given , then it is to all , or but to some : not to all ; for then the church , and the world are all one ; and then it is not ecclesia , caetus evocatus ; and then heathens and infidels have right ; which are things that no christian , i think will grant : if it be but some that have title , then there must be some note to know them by : or else the some will be equal to all or to none . and if they be marked out , then it must be by name or by description : not by name ; for we find the contrary . scripture doth not name all that have title to church priviledges . if it be by description , it is either by meer physical , or by moral qualifications that they are described : the former , none doth imagine , that i hear of . if they are moral qualifications , then either they are such as are prerequisite to our right and priviledges , or not : that they are prerequisite all must confess that read the promise , and all do confess that they are prerequisite to all the following priviledges : and if prerequisite , then either as means or no means . the later none can affirm , without going against so much light , as ordinary christians have still ready at hand to confute them with : and if they are required as means , then either as causes or conditions : and i think you will sooner yield them to be conditions then causes , though either concession sufficeth to the end that is before us . but of this we need to say no more , both because it is commonly confessed , and because that the words of the promises are so plaine , and undenyable , being uttered in conditional terms . nor is this either inconsistent with , or any way unsuitable to an absolute decree : for as a threatning , so the conditionality of a promise , are instruments admirably suited to the accomplishment of an absolute purpose or decree . he that is fully resolved to save us , or to give us the priviledges of his church , will deal with us as men , in bringing us to the possession of the intended benefits ; and therefore will by threats and conditional promises excite us to a careful performance of the condition : and that grace which is resolved to effect the very condition in us , is also resolved to make a conditional promise , yea and a threatening the instrument of effecting it . 3. note , that the great question , whether all the infants of true believers are certainly justified , or whether some of them have but lower priviledges , is not here to be determined , but , in a fitter place : and therefore i determine not what priviledges they are that will cease , if our infant title cease . but that according to the tenour of the promise , the continuance of them , with the addition of the priviledges proper to the adult , are all laid upon a new condition . 4. note also , that when i call it another or different condition , i mean not that it is different in the nature of the act , but in the agent or subject . it is the same kind of faith which at first is required in the parent , for the childs behoof , and that afterward is required in our selves . but the condition of the infants title is but this , that he be the child of a believer . dedicated to god : but the condition of the title of persons at age is , that they be themselves believers , that have dedicated themselves to god. the faith of the parent , is the condition of infant title ; and the faith of the person himself , is the condition of the title of one at age. that their own faith is not the condition of an infants title , i think i need not prove : for 1. they are uncapable of believing without a miracle : 2. if they were not ( as some lutherans fondly think ) . yet it 's certain that we are uncapable of discerning by such a sign . i think no minister that i know will judge what infants do themselves believe , that he may baptise them . 3. and i think no man that looks on the command , or promise , and the person of an infant , will judge that he is either commanded then to believe , or that his believing is made the condition of his infant title . but that a personal believing is the condition of the title of them at age , is as farre past doubt : and it 's proved thus . arg. 1. the promise it self doth expresly require a faith of our own , of all the adult that will have part in the priviledges : therefore it is a faith of our own that is the condition of our title , mark 16 16. he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be damned , act. 8. 36 , 37. and the eunuch said , see here is water , what doth hinder me to be baptized ? and philip said , if thou believest with all thy heart , thou maist , act. 2. 38 , 41. repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of jesus christ for the remission of sinnes , &c. then they that gladly received his word were baptized , act. 10. 44 , 47 , 48. act. 16. 14 , 15. & 30. 32 , 33. rom. 10. 12 , 13 , 14. with many other texts , do put this out of doubt . argument 2. we were engaged in our infant baptismal covenant to believe and repent , when we came to age , as a means to our reception of the benefits of the covenant , proper to the adult : therefore we must perform our covenant , and use this means , if we will have the benefits . arg. 3. if another condition were not of necessity to the aged , beside the condition that was necessary to them in infancy , then turks , jews , and heathens , should have right to church-membership , and priviledges of the adult : but the consequent is notoriously false : therefore so is the antecedent . the reason of the consequent is evident . because a man that hath believing parents , may turn turk ( as is known in thousands of janizaries ) or jew , or pagan : and therefore if it were enough , that he was the child of a believer , his title to church priviledges would still continue . and so among professed christians , the child of a believer may turn heretick , or notoriously prophane and scandalous , and yet have title to church priviledges , if his first title still hold , and a personal faith be not a necessary condition of his right . adde to these the many arguments tending to confirm the point in hand , which i have laid down on another occasion in my d●sputations of right to sacraments . but i think i need not spend more words to perswade any christians , that our parents faith will not serve to give us title to the church priviledges of the adult , but we lose our right even to church-membership it self , if when we come to age , we adde not a personal faith ( or profession at least ) of our own . i only adde that this is a truth so farre past doubt , that even the papists and the greekshave put it into their canons . for the former , you may find it in the decrees , part. 3. dist . 3. pag. ( mihi ) 1241 cited out of augustinin these words parvulus qui baptizatur , fi●ad anne●s rationales veniens , non crediderit , nec ab illicitis abstinuerit , nihil ei prodest , quod parvulus accepit . that is , an infant that is baptized , if comming to years of discretion , he do not believe , nor abstain from things unlawfull , that which he received in infancy , doth profit him nothing . and for the greeks , that this is according to their mind , you may see in zonaras in comment . in epist . canon can. 45. cited ex basilii mag. epist . 2. ad amphiloch . thus , siquis acc●pto nomine christianismi , christum contumeliâ afficit , nulla est illi appellationis utilitas : that is ; if any one having received the name of christianity , shall repreach christ , he hath no profit by the name . on which zonaras addeth qui christo credidit , & christianus appellatus est , cum ex divinis praecept is vitam instituere oportet , ut hac ratione deus per ipsum glorificetur , quemadmodum illis verbis praecipitur , sic luceat lux vestra coram hominibus , &c. siquis autem nominatur quidem christianus , de● vero praecepta transgreditur , contumeliam irregat christo , cujus de nomine appellatur , nec quicquam ex eâ appellatione utilitatis trahit : that is , seeing he believed in christ , and is called a christian , ought to order his life by the commandements of god that so god may be glorified by him ; according to that [ let your light so shine before men , &c. ] if any one that is called a christian , shall transgress gods commands , he brings a reproach on christ , by whose name he is called ; and he shall not receive the least profit by that title , or name . this is somewhat higher then the point needs , that i bring it for . and indeed , it were a strange thing , if all other infidels should be shut out of the priviledges of the church , except only the treacherous covenant-breaking infidel ; ( for such are all that being baptized in infancy , prove no christians when they come to age. ) as if persidiousness would give him right . prop. 5. as a personal faith is the condition before god of title to the priviledges of the adult ; so the profession of this faith , is the condition of his right before the church ; and without this profession , he is not to be taken as an adult member , nor admitted to the priviledges of such . this proposition also , as the sunne , revealeth its self by its own light , and therefore commandeth me to say but little for the confirmation of it . arg. 1. the church cannot judge of things unknown : non entium , & non apparentium eadem est ratio : not to appear , and not to be , is all one as to the judgment of the church . we are not searchers of the heart ; and therefore we must judge by the discoveries of the heart , by outward signes . arg. 2. if profession of faith were not necessary coram ecclesiâ to mens church-membership and priviledges , then infidels and heathens would have right , as was said in the former case , and also the church and the world would be confounded , and the church would be no church : but these are consequents that i hope no christians will have a favourable thought of : and therefore they should reject the antecedent . arg. 3. it is a granted case among all christians , that profession is thus necessary : the apostles and ancient churches admitted none without it : nor no more must we . though all require not the same manner of profession , yet that profession it self is the least that can be required of any man , that layeth claim to church priviledges and ordinances proper to adult members : this we are all agreed in , and therefore i need not adde more proof , where i find no controversie . but yet as commonly as we are agreed on this , yet because it is the very point which most of the stress of our present disputation lieth on , it may not be amiss to foresee what may possibly be objected by any new comers hereafter . object . perhaps some may say , 1. that we find no mention of professions required in scripture : 2. it is not probable that peter received a profession from those thousands whom he so suddenly baptized . 3 our churches have been true churches without such a profession , personally and distinctly made : therefore it may be so still . to these briefly , yet satisfactorily . 1. the scripture gives us abundant proof that a plain profession was made in those times by such as were baptized at age , and so admitted ( by reason of their ripeness and capacity ) into the church , and to the speciall communion and priviledges of the adult at once . to say much of the times of the old testament , or before christ , would be but to interrupt you with less pertinent things : yet there it is apparent , that all the people were solemnly engaged in covenant with god , by moses , more then once : and that this was renewed by joshua , and other godly princes ; and that asa made the people not only enter into a covenant to seek the lord god of their fathers , with all their hearts , and with all their soul : but that whosoever would not seek him should be put to death , whether smal or great , man or woman : and they sware to the lord with a loud voice , and with shoutings , and with trumpets , and with cornets , 2 chron. 15. 12 , 13 , 14. so following princes called the people to this open covenanting . but this is not all : to take the lord only to be their god , ( with the rest of the law ) was the very essence of an isarelites religion , which they did not only openly profess , but excessively sometimes glory in . as circumcision sealed the covenant ( and therefore supposed the covenant ) to infants and aged whoever were circumcised ; so had they many sorts of sacrifice , and other worship , in which they all were openly to profess the same religion and covenant . many purifications also , and sanctifyings of the people they had : and many figures of the covenant . i am the lord thy god , &c. thou shalt have no other gods before me , &c. was the tenour of the covenant which every israelite expressly and by frequent acts professed to consent to : the law is called a covenant , which all were to own , and avouch the lord to be their god , and themselves his people . see deut. 26. 17 , 18. & chap. 29. 10 , 11 , 14 , &c. 2 king. 23. 3. 2 chron. 23. 3 , 16. & chap. 29. 10. ezr. 10. 3. neh. 9. 38. psal . 50. 5. ezek. 20. 37. jer. 50. 5. isa . 56. 4 , 5. exod. 34. 27. psal . 103. 18. & 25. 10. & 18. 10 , &c. and yet i hope no chhistian would wish that we should deal no more openly and clearly with god , the church , and our selves , in daies of gospel light and worship , then the jews were to do in their darker state , under obscure types and shadows . we find that when john baptist set up his ministry , he caused the people to cenfess their sinnes , matth. 3. 6. and if we confess our sinnes , god is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes , 1 joh. 1. 19. and whereas some say , that john baptized them , that he calleth a generation of vipers ; i answer , 1. we will believe that when they prove it . it seems rather that he put them back . 2. if he did baptize them , it was not till they confessed their sinnes ( before that all did , ) and it seems by his charge , till they promised to bring forth fruits meet for repentance , matth. 3. 8. christ would not have so instructed nicodemus in the nature and necessity of regeneration , before he was a disciple , if a professed or apparent preparation had not been necessary . nor would he ordinarily have taught men the necessity of denying themselves , and forsaking all for a treasure in heaven , with such like , if they would be his disciples , if the profession of so doing had not been necessary , to their visible discipleship . i grant that so full a profession was not made before christs resurrection as after : for many articles of our belief were afterward made necessary : and the apostles themselves were unacquainted with what the weakest christian did afterwards believe . but still the essentials of faith , then necessary in existence to mens justification , were necessary in profession ●● mens visible christianity or church-membership . as to those acts. 2. 37. &c. it is plain , that they made an open profession , if you consider 1. that they were openly told the doctrine which they must be baptized into , if they did consent : 2. it is said , they that gladly received that word , were baptized . 3. it is certain therefore that they first testified their glad reception of the word . 4. we may not imagine that peter was god , or knew the hearts of all those thousands , and therefore he must know it by their profession , that they gladly received the word . 5. their own mouths cry out for advice in order to their salvation . 6. it had been absurd for the apostles to attempt to baptize men , that had not first professed their consent . 7. the scripture gives us not the full historical narration of all that was said and done in such cases , but of so much as was necessary . 8. the institution and nature of the ordinance tells us , that baptism could not be administred without a profession , to the adult : for they were to be baptzed into the name of father , sonne , and holy ghost , and therefore were to profess that they believed in father , sonne , and holy ghost . yea the very receiving of baptism was an actuall profession . 9. the constant practice of the universal church , hath given us by infallible tradition , as full assurance of the order of baptism , and in particular of an exprss profession and covenant then made , as of any point that by the hands of the church can be received by us . 10. and it was in those daies a more notorious profession to be so baptized , and to joyn in the holy assemblies then now it is . when the profession of christianity did hazard mens liberties , estates , and lives , to be openly then baptized upon covenanting with god the father , sonne , and holy ghost , and openly joyn with a hated , persecuted sort of men , was an eminent sort of profession . it being also usually private in houses , as separated from the main body of the people , and not in publike places like ours , where men are ( justly ) driven to come as leaners for instruction . moreover , it 's said of all that were baptized ( being then at age ) that they first believed : and how could the baptizers know that they believed , but by their profession : yea , it 's said of simon magus , that he believed and was baptized ; which ( though he might really have some historical faith , yet ) implyeth , that he openly professed more then he indeed had , or else he had scarce been baptized . which hath caused interpreters to judge , that by faith is meant a profession of faith. and if so , then sure a profession was still necessary . yea , christ in his commission directeth his apostles to make disciples , and then baptize them ; promising , that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved . and who can tell whether a man be a disciple , a believer , or an infidel , but by his profession . how was it known but by their profession , that the samaritans believed philip , preaching the things concerning the kingdom of god , and the name of jesus christ , before they were baptized both men and women ? act. 8. 12. philip caused the eunuch to profess before he would baptise him , that he believed that jesus christ is the sonne of god ; which upon his teaching the rest , did import the rest , if it were not more fully ( as is likest ) professed , act. 8 37 , 38. saul had more then a bare profession before baptism , acts 9. 5 , 15 , 17. cornelius and his company had a profession and more , for they had the holy ghost powred on them , speaking with tongues , and magnifying god : ( that use of the gift of tongues imparting more then the gift it self , ) acts 10. 46. yea , the spirit bid peter , go and not doubt , acts 11. 12 and it was such a gift of the spirit , as caused the apostles to conclude , that god had granted the gentiles repentance unto life , acts 11. 18. how was it known but by their profession ? acts 11. 21. that that great number believed and turned to the lord , and the grace of god was such as barnabas saw , vers . 23. and when saul after his baptism assayed to joyn himself to the disciples at jerusalem , they so suspected him , that they would not receive him , till barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles , and declared to them , how god had dealt with him , and how boldly at damascus he had preached in the name of jesus ; which shews that they admitted not men to their communion , till their profession seemed credible to them . for no doubt but saul told them himself that he was a believer , before he was put to make use of the testimony of barnabas . the converted gentiles , acts 13. 48. shewed their belief and gladness , and openly glorified the word of the lord. how but by a profession did it come to pass , that the great multitude at iconium , both jews and greeks , were known to be believers , acts 14. 1. the same i may say of the jaylour , acts 16. who by works as well as words declared his conversion . and the bereans , acts 17. 12. and the athenians , acts 17. 34. and crispus with the corinthians , acts 18. 8. acts 19. 18. the believing ephesians , confessed and shewed their deeds , and many of them burnt as many of their books of ill arts as came to fifty thousand pieces of silver . in a word , it is the standing rule , that if thou confess with thy mouth the lord jesus , and believe in thy heart that god raised him from the dead , thou shalt be saved , for with the heart man believeth unto righteousnes : and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation . he that bids us receive him that is weak in the faith , but not to doubtfull disputations , implieth , that we must not receive them that profess not at least a weak faith. heb. 5. & 6. 1 , 2 , 3. shew that the principles of the doctrine of christ , were first laid as the foundation ; before baptism . and who received those principles could not be known but by a profession . to this let me adde , that poenitentiam age●e was judged by the ancient doctours , the repentance that was prerequisite to baptism : and that is , a manifested , professed repentance . gods order is ( to the adult ) first to send preachers to proclaim the gospel ; and when by that men are brought so farre , as to profess or manifest that their cies are opened , and that they are turned from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god , then must they be baptized , for the remission of their sinnes , and to receive the inheritance among the sanctified by faith in christ , acts 26. 17. 18. as their sinnes are not forgiven them till they are converted , mark 4. 12. so they must not be baptised for the forgiveness of sinnes , till they profess themselves converted : seeing to the church non esse , & non apparere is all one . repentance towards god , and faith towards our lord jesus christ , is the summe of that preaching that maketh disciples , acts 20. 21. and therefore both these must by profession seem to be received , before any at age are baptized . if as many as are baptized into christ , are baptized into his death ; and are buried with him by baptism into his death , that like as christ was raised from the dead , so we also should walk in newness of life , rom. 6. 4 , 5. then no doubt but such as were to be baptized , did first pro●ess this mortification , and a consent to be buried and revived with christ , and to live to him in newness of life . for paul was never so much for the opus operatum above the papsts , as to think that the baptizing of an infidel , might effect these high and excellent things . and he that professeth not faith , nor ever did , is to the church an infidel . in our baptism we put off the body of the sinnes of the flesh , by the circumcision of christ , being buried with him , and rising with him through faith — quickned with him , and having all our trespasses forgiven , col. 3. 11 , 12 , 13. and will any man , yea , will paul , ascribe all this to those that did not so much as profess the things signified , or the necessary condition ? will baptism , in the judgment of a wise man , do all this for an infidel , or one that professeth not to be a christian ? baptism is said to save us , 1 pet. 3. 21. and therefore they that will be baptized must profess the qualifications necessary to the saved . the key 's of the kingdom of heaven are put into the churches hands ; and they that are loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven ( if the key do not erre ) and therefore pastours of the church must absolve none ( by baptism ) that do not by profession seem to be absolvable in heaven : they must profess to have the old man crucified with christ , that the body of sinne might be destroyed , that henceforth they might not serve sinne , rom. 6. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. as many as have been baptized into christ , have put on christ , and are all one in christ jesus : and are abrahams seed , and heirs , according to promise , gal. 3. 27 , 28 , 29. this speaks the apostle of the probability grounded on a credible profession . and thereforeit is clear , that the profession was presupposed , that might support this charitable judgment . our baptism is the solemnizing of our marriage with christ . and it s a new and strang kind of marriage , where there is no profession of consent . the baptized are in scripture called men washed , sanctified , justified , &c. 1 cor. 6. 11. 1 cor. 14. 33. they are all called saints , and churches of saints , 1 cor. 1. 2. all christians are called sanctified ones , or saints ; therefore it s certaine that they professed themselves such . but why should i go any further in this , when the main substance of my dispute of right to the sacraments proves it ? i intreat the reader that would have more , to prove not only the necessity of a profession , but also of the profession of a saving faith , to peruse that book , or at least the second disputation , where are twenty arguments for it ; and the sence of all the ancient churches there cited out of mr gatakers collections . see also dr hammonds many testimonies to prove the use of the abrenuntiation , paraenes . pag. 18 , 19 , 20. i love not needlesly to recite whath others have already cited . but he that knows not , that the universal church from the daies of the apostles , hath baptized the adult , upon a personal profession of faith , and repentance , and vow , or promise , or covenant for obedience , knows little of what the church hath practised . and i hope few sober men will be found that will be so singular and self-conceited , as to contradict the practise of the universal church in such a case as this , and set up their own private judgment against it , and go about to perswade us to a new way of church enterance , and admission , now in the end of the world . blame me not to be confident with you , where i have so good ground as scripture , and so good company , as the primitive universal church . to this let me adde , that most , or too many , that we are to receive to the priviledges of adult members , have violated their baptism-covenant , and proved ungodly after baptism , and that by open , notorious scandals . now scripture , and the practice of the universal ancient church direct us , to require of these an open confession of sinne : for they need an absolution , and not a meer confirmation . it is past all controversie , that such have both an open confession and profession to make . yea , how scrupulous the ancient church was of receiving and absolving such violators of the baptismal covenant ; and on how severe terms they did it , is known to all , that know any thing of those times . i pray amongst others see what grotius ( discus . apol. rivet . pag. 221 , 222. ) citeth from irenaeus , tertullian , pacimus , hierom , &c. ad pag. 235. n. and as to the last objection ( that our churches were true churches , when we made no particular professions . ) i answer 1. without some profession of true christianity , our churches could not have been true churches . and therefore against those that would prove them no churches , we plead ( and justly ) that a profession was made by them . 2. but i pray you mark , that that will prove a church to be a true church , which will not prove every person in the parish , to be a true member of that church . 3. and he that thinks it enough , that our churches have a meer metaphysical verity , ( such as bishop hall , and multitudes of learned protestants allow the church of rome it self ) is as good a friend to it , as he is to his wife or child , that will let them go naked ; yea , and be contented , that they catch the plague , or leaprosie , yea , and plead for it too ; and all , because they have still the truth of humane nature . i know that any thing that may truly be called a profession , will ( in that point ) seem to prove the being of the church . but as it will not seem to prove the well-being ; so an obscure profession doth but obscurely prove the being of it : which an open , plain profession doth more clearly prove . let us not befriend either the kingdom of darkness , or the seperatists so much , as to leave our churches so open to their exceptions , and so apt to cherish and befriend their ignorance , and infidelity of the world . if coming to church , and sitting there be somewhat a probable argument , that men do implicitly believe , as that church believes ; yet , it 's a very dark proof , that they understand what the church believes : especially when experience hath acquainted us with the contray of many of them . but now i have said this much for a personal and plain profession , i would faine know what any man hath against it . the church through the great mercy of god , hath yet liberty to use it . and we see how many thousands make a blind kind of shew of christianity , going from one publike duty to another , and knowing not what they do . and is there not need that they should be brought out into the open light , and see their way ? if covenanting with god the father , son , and holy ghost , be the essence of our christianity ; in the name of god , i desire you to consider whether it be a thing to be hudled up in the dark ? unless it be mens design to hide the nature of christianity , and keep people in destructive ignorance , and delude their souls with a name and shew of a religion , which they understand not ; they will surely be willing that men should know the covenant that they make , and understand what they do , before they enter into a marriage bond with christ , ( if at age ) or own it , if they have been entered in infancy . why should we choose darkness rather then light ? why should an implicit covenant and profession be pleaded for ? when the being of a profession is palam fateri , openly to make known ; and when we know by sad experience , that when we have all done the best we can , to make our ignorant people understand , we shall find enough ado to accomplish it . ignorance hath no need of frendship : especially from ministers it deserveth none : especially in so great a point as the covenant that men make with christ . we have wares that deserve the light , and need not a dark shop . we have a master that we need not be affraid , or ashamed , explicitly and publickly to confess . it beseemes not so high and honourable a profession as that of a christian , to be lapt up in obscurity . such a glorious state as sonneship to god , to be an heir of heaven , &c. should be entered into with great solemnity , and owned accordingly at our first rationall acceptance and acknowledgment . kings are crowned more solemnly , then poor men take possession of their cottages . christ will be ashamed of them before the angels , that are ashamed of him before men , and will confess them before his father , that confess him before men . christianity is not a game to be plaid under board . why then should any be against an open professing , and covenanting with christ ? if it be needfull that we covenant , certainly the plainest and most explicite covenanting is the best . and what will be his portion , that hath a male in his flock , and offereth the worst , yea the halt and blind to god ? let us therefore deal as openly , and plainly , and understandingly in the covenant of god as we can , and not contrive it in the greatest darkness that is consistent with the essence of a church . nay let us not tempt men to unchurch us , or separate from us , by leaving our cause to such arguments as this : [ such a man sitteth among other hearers , in the congregation : therefore he maketh a profession of the christian faith ; ] lest they think it followeth not [ therefore he seemeth to understand the christian faith ; ] much less [ he professeth it : ] especially when it 's known that so many understand it not ; and that the papists in their writings , maintain it lawfull , for them to be present at our assemblies ; and infidels tell us , that they can hear any man , and do come thither . nehemiah caused the jewsto subscribe the covenant , and seal it , ( c. 9 . v . 38. ) even under the law it was the character of visible saints , to make a covenant with god by sacrifice , psal . 50. 5. at least now god hath caused us to pass under the rod. let us yield to be brought under the bond of the covenant , ezek. 20. 37. and let us as weeping israel and judah , seek the lord our god , and ask the way to zion , with our faces thitherward , saying ; come and let us joyne our selves to the lord , in a perpetual covenant , that shall not be forgotten , jer. 50 4 , 5. let us take hold of his covenant , and choose the things that please him , that he may bring us into his holy mountain , and make us joyfull in his house of prayer , and our sacrifices may be accepted on his altar , isa . 56. 4 , 6 , 7. are not these the daies of which it is said , isa . 44. 3 , 4 , 5. i will poure water on him that is thirsty , and floods upon the dry ground : i will poure my spirit on thy seed , and my blessing on thine offspring ; and they shall spring as among the grass , as willows by the water courses . one shall say , i am the lords ; and another shall call himself by the name of jacob , and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the lord ; and surname himself by the name of israel . i would have as little covenanting for doubtfull , or needless , or mutable things , in church or state , as is possible : but in the great things of our salvation , even the essence of christianity , we cannot be bound too fast , nor deal too understandingly , and openly with god. prop. 6. it is not every kind of profession , that is the condition , or necessary qualification of those that are to be admitted to the priviledges of adult members , but such a profession as god hath made necessaery , by his express word , and by the nature of the object , and the vses , and ends , to which be doth require it . the negative is not controverted among us . if any were so quarrelsom or ignorant , it 's easily proved . and i shall do it briefly , but satisfactorily , in the opening of the affirmative . i have proved in my first disputation of right to sacraments , ( which i desire the reader , that would have further satisfaction , to peruse ) the necessity of these following qualifications of this profession . 1. in general , as to the object of our faith , it must be a profession of true christianity , and no less . it must be a profession of our entertainment , both of the truth of the gospel , and of the good therein revealed and offered . more particularly , it must be a profession , that we believe in god the father , sonne , and holy ghost , as to the nature , persons , and works , which they have done or undertaken for us . yet more particularly , and explicitly : it must be a profession , 1. that we believe in god the father , and so the pure deity , as our creatour , soveraign , and chief good , who gave us the law of nature , by breaking of which , we have lost our selves , and all our part in everlasting life . 2. that we believe in jesus christ , god and man , that taking our nature , fulfilled the law , overcame the devil , dyed as a sacrifice for our sinnes , rose again , and conqured death , ascened into heaven , where he is lord of all , and the king , prophet , and priest of his church , in glory with the father : that he hath offered himself with pardon , and eternal life , to all that will accept him , on his terms : and that he will come again at last to raise us from death , and judge the world , and justifie his saints , and bring them to eternal glory , and cast the wicked into utter misery . 3. that we believe in god the holy ghost , that inspired the prophets and apostles , to deliver , and confirm the word of god , and who is the sanctifier of all that shall be saved , illuminating their understandings ; & changing their hearts and lives , humbling them for their sinne and misery , causing them to believe in christ , the remedie , and heartily and thankfully accept him ; possessing them with an hearty love of god , and a heavenly mind , and a hatred of sinne , and love of holiness , and turning the principal bent of their hearts and lives , to the pleasing of god , and the attaining of eternal life . this much must be believed , and the belief of this much , must be somehow professed . 2. as to the acts of the thing professed , it must be , not only the naked assent of the understanding ; but both this assent that the gospel is true , and a consent of the will , to take god the father , sonne , and holy ghost , to the forementioned ends , in the forementioned relations ; and to give up our selves unfeignedly to him , renouncing the flesh , the world , and the devil . 3. as to the nature of the profession it self . 1. it must in general be credible : for no man is bound to believe that which is incredible . the words are the signs of the mind , and as such they are to be uttered , and received . if they be contrary to the mind , they are false ; and if wilfully contrary , they are a lie : and god doth not make a lie to be the condition of church-membership , or priviledges ; nor doth he bind his ministers , or church , to believe a known lie : nothing but real , or seeming truth is to be believed . 2. more particularly , the profession which we speak of , must have these qualifications . 1. it must be , or seem to be vnderstanding . ignorant is non est consensus . if a parrat could say the creed , it were not a credible profession of faith. therefore the ancient church was wont by catechists , to prepare them to understand , the doctrine which they were to believe , and profess . this is past controversie . i think no minister would take that mans profession , that seemeth not to understand what he saith . 2. no profession is credible , but that which is , or seems to be serious . he that speaks in scorn , or jest , is not to be believed , as one that speaks his mind ; nor is it to pass for a profession . 3. no profession is credible or sufficient , but that which is , or seems to be free and voluntary . though some force , or outward urgencies in some cases may help to incline the will , yet willing it must be ; or it is not a credible profession . he that professeth himself a christian , when a sword or pistol is at his brest , is not to be credited , if he continue it not when he is free . and also that which is done in a meer passion without deliberation , is not to be taken as the act of the man , and a true expression of the bent of his mind ; unless he afterwards stand to it upon deliberation . 4. it must be a profession not nullified by a contradiction in word or deed . though their may an obscure contradiction , not understood , consist with it ; or a contradiction only in degree ; as lord i believe , help thou my unbelief : yet there must be no contradiction of the essentials of our profession , that nullifieth it , by shewing that we lie , or speak against the bent of our hearts . if a minister can by contrary words or deeds disprove the profession of the party , he is not to believe it , or accept it . for we are not to believe without evidence of credibility , much less against it . i have given instances of this in the foresaid disputation of sacracrament , pag. 10. 5. when by covenant-breaking , and perfidiousness , or often lying , a man is become come incredible , having forfeited the credit of his word , with wise and charitable men , this man must give us a practical , as well as verbal profession , before we can again admit him , to the priviledges of the church . for though we are not to be so strict , as some old fathers seem to have been , and the novations were , that would not admit such penitents again into the church at all , but leave them to gods own judgment ; yet must we not go against reason and scripture , and the nature of the thing , in believing that which is not to be believed ; nor to cast by all order and discipline , and prostitute gods ordinances to the lusts of men , and make them a scorn , or level the church of christ with the world . the testimonies cited by me on another occasion , in the foresaid disputations , shew the judgment of protestants in these points , and somewhat of the judgment of antiquity . i shall recite but those on the title page of the third disputation . tertullian apologet. cap. 16. sed dices etiam de n●stris , excedere quosdam à regulis disciplinae . desi●unt tum christiani haberi penes res : philosophi verò illi cum talibus factis , in nomine & honore sapientiae perseverant : that is , but you 'l say , that even of ours , some swarve from ( or forsake ) the rules of discipline . answ . they cease then to be counted christians with us : but your philosophers with such deeds , do keep the name and honour of wisdom . the judgment of the french professours at saumours , you have in these words , thes . salmuriens . vol. 3. pag. 39. thes . 39. sacramenta non conferuntur nisi iis , qui vel findem habent vel salt●m eam praese ferant , adeò ut nullis certis argumentis compertum esse possit , eam esse ●mentitam : that is , sacraments are conferred on none , but these that either have faith , or at least pretend ( or profess ) to have it , so that it cannot by any certain arguments be proved to be feigned . the judgment of the scottish divines , may be much discovered in these two testimonies following : gillespie , aaron's rod blossoming , pag. 514. [ i believe no consciencious minister would adventure to baptise one ; who hath manifest and infallible signs of unregeneration . sure we cannot be answerable to god , if we should minister baptism , to a man whose works and words , do manifestly declare him to be an unregenerated , unconverted person . and if we may not initiate such a one , how shall we bring him to the lords table . ] rutherford , due right of presbyteries , pag. 231. n. 2. but saith robinson , most of england , are ignorant of the first rudiments and foundations of religion ; and therefore cannot be a church . answ . such are materially not the visible church , and have not a profession ; and are to be taught ; and if they will fully remain in that darkness , are to be cast out . if you would have the testimonies of protestants , you may read above threescore of them , expressly maintaining that it is a profession of saving faith that is prerequisite to to our right of sacraments , cited in my forementioned disputation second . to which i adde 33. more , cited to a like purpose in my fift disputation of sacraments : and to these adde the large testimony of davenant , with his many arguments , on colos . 1. vers . 18. too large to recite . and for the later sort of episcopal divines , that they also agree in the same , i will satisfie you from an eminent man among them , mr herbert thorndike , in his discourse of the right of the church , pag. 31 , 32. where he saith [ and hereby we see how binding and loosing sinnes , is attributed to the keyes of the church : which being made a visible society , by the power of holding assemblies , to which no man is to be admitted , till there be just presumption , that he is of the heavenly jerusalem , that is above . ] i shall adde more from him anon . somewhat i have elswhere cited , of the fathers judgments in this point , and more anon i shall have occasion to produce . but in a point that we are agreed on ( that is not every profession , but only a credible profession of true christianity , even of faith and repentance , that must be taken as satisfactory by the church ) i hope i may spare any further proof . prop. 7. the profession of those that expect the church-sttate and priviledges of the adult is to be tried , judged , and approved by the pastours of the church , to whose office it is that this belongeth . this proposition hath two parts : 1. that it is not a profession untryed , and unapproved , that must serve the turn . 2. that the trying and approving of it , belongeth to the office of the pastours of the church . the first is grounded by almost all christians that i know of , and therefore need not may words . 1. if every man should be the sole judge of the soundness , and validity of his own profession , then hereticks , and heathens , and infidels may all croud into the church : for when there is any outward advantage , or other common motive to induce them to it , they would all joyn with the church : as if they were christians . and we see that it is the custom of hereticks to intrude : and who shall say to any of them , why do you so , if themselves are the only judges ? we meet daily among our own neighbours , with abundance that know not whether christ be god or man ; nor who he is , nor what he hath done for us , nor why he came into the world , and are ignorant of almost all the essentials of the christian faith ; and with abundance more that live in common drunkenness , scorning at holy duties , and at a godly life , and hating those that use it , and giving up themselves wholly to the flesh , and the world : and yet all these men are so confident of the soundness , and validity of their own profession , that they will hate that minister , that shall make any question of their right to the priviledges of the church . i speak not by hearsay , or conjecture , but by sad experience . and if they be their own judges , all these will be approved , and admitted ; and indeed , what man would not be admitted where christianity is in credit , or hath any worldly advantages ? so that it 's certain , that this would pluck up the hedg , and lay open the vineyard of christ unto the wilderness . for self-love is such a powerfull blinding thing , that it will make every man almost , especially of the worser sort , approve of that which is their own. 2. if every man should be the sole judge of his own , profession , and fitness for church priviledges , then there could be no communion of saints : for all the most ignorant and impious persons , would intrude into our communion ; and it would be a communion not only of actual , but of professed impious men . but the consequent is intollerable , as being contrary to an article of our belief , and a principal part of christian practice . 3. if each man , were the only judge of his own profession , then there could be no exercise of church discipline , nor keeping , or casting out the wicked : but the consequent is unsufferable : therefore . 4. if each man be the only judge of his own profession , then the church is an unguided , ungoverned society : but the consequent is false ; therefore so is the antecedent . 2. and now i prove that it belongeth to the office of the ministers to judge of , and approve , the profession of such as expect admission , or the priveledges of the church . 1. if persons are not the sole judges themselves , then it must belong to the minister to judge : but the antecedent is before proved : the consequence is proved thus : it must belong either to the pastours , or the magistrate only , or the people only ; or to all , or some of these conjunctly . not to the magistrate only : for 1. no man that i know of affirmeth it . 2. it is another mans office . not to the people only : for 1. none that i know of affirmeth this , they all include the pastours . 2. as i said , it is made part of the pastours office . if you say that it belongs to magistrates , people , and pastours jointly , then you include the pastours : and i grant that in some sort it belongs to them , but in a different sort , as i shall tell you under the next proposition . 2 it is to ministers as such that the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed : but to approve of the profession of such as are to be admitted into the church , or to its priviledges , is part of the exercise of the key 's of the kingdom : therefore it is ministers , to whom it belongeth thus to judge and approve . i have proved in another place , ( and so have many others , more at large ) that the key 's were not given to peter , or to the apostles , as to private men , for so they were not ; nor as to a church of private christians ; for so they were not , nor the representatives of any such : nor yet as to apostles only ; for then they should have belonged to none but themselves ; the contrary whereof is certain : nor as to fixed diocesan bishops ; for such they were not : and it 's generally granted that the key 's belong also to presbyters , either wholly , or the chief of them , and particularly , that in question : nor yet were the key 's given them only as a synod , or presbyterie ; for peter was not such : and this in question hath ever been exercised by such ministers . arg. 3. the rulers of the church are the lawful judges , or approvers of the profession of those that come into the church , or demand the priviledges of it : but it is the ministers of christ , that are the rulers of the church , as is exprest , 1 thes . 12. acts 2. 28. heb. 13. 7. & 17. 24. 1 tim. 5. 17. therefore . arg. 4. those that are by office the stewards of the mysteries of god , and rulers over his houshould , to give them meat in due season , which they must do as faithfull and wise servants , till their lord cometh ; are the men that must judge of , and approve the qualifications of those that come under their stewardship , government , and administration , of these mysteries . but such are the ministers of christ , 1 cor. 4. 1. matth. 24. 45 , 46 , 47. therefore . arg. 5. to whom it belongeth , to receive men at age into the church ; to restore by absolution , them that fell off , and to administer christ's ordinances to those that are within ; to them doth it belong to try , judge , and approve of them , that are to be thus received , absolved , or that expect the priviledges of the church : but it belongeth to christ's ministers to receive men , absolve them , and administer the ordinances to them : therefore . the antecedent is commonly granted , and plain in scripture . the consequence hath reason so evident , as needs no confirmation . arg. 6. if all that enter into the church , or that are restored by asolution , or are stated in a right to church priviledges of the adult , are therewithall engaged into a mutual , voluntary relation to christs ministers , then must their profession be judged of & approved by christs ministers : but the antecedent is certain : therefore so is the consequent . the antecedent is cleare , because 1. all that enter into the universal church , do enter under the hand of the ministerie , and thereby acknowledg their relation to them , and authority to admit them . 2. because all such do engage themselves to be christs disciples , and learn of him as their master , not as coming down from heaven , to teach them personally , but as teaching them by his word , spirit , and ministers conjunctly , saying ( luke 10 16 ) he that heareth you , heareth me , and he that despiseth you , despiseth me . 3. because they all engage themselves to take christ for their king , who ruleth them by his laws and officers ; and his ministers are his ruling officers , 1 tim. 5. 17. heb. 12. 7. & 17. 24. 1 thes . 5. 12. 4. because they are all engaged to take christ for the great high priest of the church , who hath appointed his ministers , to officiate under him , in leading them in publike worship of the church ; and in offering up the praises of god , and blessing the people , and praying for them and celeberating the commemoration , and representation of christs sacrifice on the cross . 5. because they that enter into a particular church , where only the constant stated use of holy ordinances , and priviledges , are to be had , ( though occasionally elswhere ) do enter into a relation to the pastours of that particular church ; as members of their flock and church ; whom they must oversee , and watch over : all this is past controversie . and then for the consequent of the major proposition ( that therefore ministers must approve of their profession ) i prove it thus . ministers are naturally free-men , as well as others : and therefore no man can become a member of their charge , and put them upon so great duty as the relation doth require , against their wils , without their consent , and contrary to their judgment , and consciences . it is an exceeding great burden that lieth on us , and a great deal of work that is required of us , to each particular soul : in our charge we must exhort , instruct , admonish , in season , and out of season , publikly , and privately , and watch over , and govern them , visit them in sickness , comfort , strengthen them , &c. o what a mountain lieth on me , and how should i bear it , if god did not support me ? and if every man that will , shall make me more work , and put himself under my care , without my consent , then i am so far from being a free-man , as all other are , that i am enslaved , and undone in slavery for 1. they may oppress me when they will with number ; and so many may flock in to my charge , in despight of me , as shall nullifie the particular church , and by the magnitude make it another thing , by making it uncapable of its ends , 2. and hereby they may force me to leave undone my duty , both to them and others , by oppressing me with work : for when i have ten times more then i can teach and oversee , i must needs neglect them ▪ all or most . 3. and they may abuse the church , and me with the evil qualities , as well as the excessive quantity of members ; and we shall be obliged to give that which is holy to dogs , and to use those as church members , that are enemies to the church ; and to administrate sacraments to any , that will have them , how unfit soever ; and to prophane all gods ordinances , and turn them to a lie . 4. and by this means , the church will be utterly ruined , and made a den of thieves , and a stie of swine : for besides that all the worst may at pleasure be members of it , all men that are faithfull , ( or most at least ) will runne away from the ministry , and sooner turn chimny sweepers then pastours . for what man dare venture his soul on so great a charge , for which he knows he must give an account , when he is certain to leave undone the work of his office , in so great a measure , and when he knows he may be thus opprest in soul and body , and so undone by wicked men , when ever they please : yea , if they purposely do it to despight him . arg. 7. that which belongeth to all other superiors , in voluntary relations , is , not to be denied to ministers in theirs : but a free consent , and approbation of them , that they are related to , belongs to all other superior , voluntary relations : therefore to us . a schoolmaster , is to approve the capacity of his schollars ; and a physician is to judge of the fitness of a person to be his patient , and his fitness for this or that medicine in particular . not only a master would take it ill , if he may not have the approbation of his own servants , but have as many , and as bad thrust on him , as shall please ; but a husband would think it hard , if he might not have the approbation , and choice of his own wife , but that any might force him to take them that they please . and are the pastour of christs church , the only slaves on earth ? how improbable a thing is this ? arg. 8. that relation which must be rationally , regularly , and faithfully managed , must be rationally , regularly , and freely entered ( for otherwise we cannot so manage it ) but the relation of a minister to each member of his charge must be thus managed : therefore . arg. 9. it is plainly exprest in the ministers commission , that he is to approve of the profession of disciples : therefore it belongeth to his office , matth. 28. 19. go disciple all nations , baptizing them — teaching them to observe all things — which plainly manifesteth , that it 's they that must judge , when a man is made a disciple , and when not , or else how can they either baptize them as such , or teach them the precepts of christ as such ? so when he giveth to his servants the key 's of the kingdom , matth. 18 , &c. it sheweth that they are to judge who is to be admitted , and who not , as is aforesaid : or else he would never have set them at the door , and made them the porters , and key-bearers of his church , to let men in . arg. 10. no man in the administration of holy ordinances , is ordinarily to renounce his own reason and conscience , and to act against them . but thus it would be if we have not the approving of the profession , or qualification of those that we must administer them to : therefore — he that is to execute here is to judge : for 1. else you will force ministers to go against their reason , and conscience in all administrations . 2. you will deny them so much as judicium discretionis , which you allow to every christian , much more judicium directionis , which belongeth to their office. every man must judge and understand what he doth , and why he doth it : you will not force the people to participate of sacraments , against their consciences . why then should ministers be forced to give them against their consciences ? administring is their work : and therefore they must know why they do it , and on what grounds : else you will make them but like hangmen , or worse , if they must do execution against their judgments , because it is anothers judgment . and whose judgment is it , that we must follow , when we go against our own ? arg. 11. if it belong to christ , to pass an open approbation , of the qualification of such as are to be admitted into his church , or to his special ordinances , or church priviledges , then doth it belong to the ministers of christ , as his instruments : but it doth belong to christ . 1. for all that enter either into an infant , or adult church-state , do joyn themselves into a neer relation to christ : and will christ have men married to him , and made his children , and members , and servants , without his approbation of them , or against his particular will ? 2. all that thus come into the church , or are restored , and claim church-priviledges , do expect , and claime the benefits of christ , and the greatest benifits in the world . and shall any man have christs great , and precious benefits against his will , and without his approbation ? it may be you 'l say , that he hath already expressed his consent in the free promise of the gospel , to all believers . i answer : he hath so to believers : but he hath done it only to believers , and he hath not said in the gospel that you are a believer . object . but it 's sufficient , that my own conscience beare me witnes . i answer , it is so , as to all matters of conscience , that are to be transacted only between god and you , as about your justification , and glorification , &c. ( and yet in this case , ministerial absolution is a great means to help the peace of your consciences . ) but where the minister hath to do with you , by administrations , and the church hath to do with you in the way of communion , there they must know what they do , and why , and must have some expression , of what you say your conscience testifieth to you . and the consequence of the major is plain , ( that if it belongs thus to christ to approve , then it belongs to his ministers , ) 1. because he appointeth not personally on earth , nor useth , or approveth any other way , to signifie his own approbation of you in particular , for a church-state , and priviledges . 2. because he hath expresly intrusted his ministers with this power , as to speak to men in christs stead , 2 cor. 5. 19. so to espouse them to christ their husband , that we may present them a chast virgin to christ , 2 cor. 11. 2. yea , and hereupon they are to give up themselves to the lord first , and to us by the will of god , 2 cor. 8. 5. christs ministers are his agents , or embassadours , as to solicite men in his name to be reconciled to him , so to approve them in his name , and tell them that he is reconciled to them . and therefore they are to deliver himself , his body , and blood , in his name to them in the lords supper ; and to bind , and loose in his name ; and whatsoever they loose on earth , ( according to his promise ) shall be loosed in heaven : so much of his work doth christ by his officers . and even mens first faith is a believing the preacher , and christ by them , acts 8. 12. they believed philip preaching , &c. arg. 12. to whomsoever the labour belongeth , to them the power of doing it belongeth : but it is to ministers that the labour of trying and judging of such professions , and qualifications , belongeth ; therefore it is to ministers , that the power belongeth . the major is undoubted : for else we must be bound by god , to do that which we have no power ( or authority ) to do , and others must have power to do it , and not be bound to it , which are both senseless . the minor i prove . 1. from the frequent commands of scripture , that lay this burden on the ministers , but not magistrates or people . ( in the way that 's now in question ) all the directions , and canons which paul giveth to timothy , titus ▪ to the elders of ephesus , acts 20. and other pastours , together with the exhortations to performance , and terrible charges given them to be faithfull , do shew that it 's they that must do the work . 2. from common consent : all would have the honour and power : but who besides the pastours would have the work , and care , and severe obligations to perform it ? will magistrates , or all the people undertake it , to try , and judge of the professions of every man that enters upon adult church-membership , or priviledges , of such as are to be restored ? they that will undertake this work must attend it , and give themselves wholly to it , and conferre with the persons , and do so much work as our people would be hardly brought to do ( if they were able ) it 's unexperienced rashness , and perversness , that makes them so jealous of the ministers power in such cases , and some of them to reproach us for it . ah blind unthankful souls ! do you know what the ministry and this power is ? it is a power to be the servants of all ; a power to spend and be spent , even for the unthankfull . it 's a power to do the most toylsome , and displeasing work to flesh and blood , one of them in the world ; such as flesh calls a very drudgery . i profess unfeignedly that i● god had left it to my choice , and i should consult with flesh and blood , i had rather preach twice or thrice a week for nothing , and do no more , then to have this power ( a duty of judging and governing this one parish , though i had for it many hundred pounds a year . nothing doth bring so much trouble upon us , as that power which unthankfull persons scorn at . i had rather , if i might consult with flesh and blood , be advanced to the power , of holding or driving plow for you , if not of sweeping your streets . ( though yet because of gods interest , and the ends of the work , i count it the happiest life in the world . ) and do you grudg us such a power as this ? would you grudg me the power of threshing your corn ? or will you grudg a physician the power of judging of your disease , and the remedy , to save your life ? or a school master the power of examining , and teaching your children ? do the work , and take the power , if you are able , and can go through with it , and spare not . arg. 13. it is only the ministers of christ , that are able and capable to receive the power , and do the work : and therefore it is they only that have authority thereto . nothing but the antecedent needs proofe . and that i prove by three several enablements , which ministers have , and others wa●t . 1. ministers only have ability of mind , for the work of this tryal , and approbation . here i speak of them ordinarily , and i have these grounds for it . 1. god hath commanded that the most knowing , able , faithfull , holy men , shall be destinated to this work , 1 tim. 3. tit. 1. &c. and therefore it is supposed that usually they are such , or else it 's the shame of the magistrate that should see to it . 2. it 's they only that set themselves a part to the work and study from their youth , for the accomplishments that are requisite , ( unless here and there one of other sorts ) and men are likeliest to be understanding in that , which they have all their daies set themselves to study . 3. we see by experience that they are the most able , unless it be ( alas how few ) here and there a godly studious gentleman , or other person : who are most of them too blame , that they become not ministers , i think . 2. it is only the ministers , who being separated to the gospel and work of god , do lay by all other business , and give themselves wholly to these things . gentlemen , ( much less all the people of the church , ) cannot lay by their callings to attend this business of trying , and judging of mens professions as ministers must do , if they will be faithfull . should private members have so mu●h church governing work as some cut out for them , and should they bear such a burden , as some would lay upon them , under the name of power and priviledges , it would undo them soul or body , or both : they would find time little enough for it in some places , if they all cast off their outward callings . and 3. the pastours only are capable , because of unity . for should the people have this work , as some would have it , the multitude would hinder execution , and they would turn all to wrangling . 1. such bodies move slowly . 2. multitude with that divesity of parts and minds that is among them , would set them by the eares ; and the church would be almost alway in a flame . if every man that is to make profession of his faith , on this or the like occasion , must be tryed and judged by all ; some would approve , and others would disapprove and reject , in most or very many cases . whereas the pastours being single , or not many , and more experienced , and able , and vacant for a full enquiry , have less reason to be partiall injurious , or disagreed . arg. 14. the practice of the apostles , evangelists , and the pastours of christ's church in all ages , doth put us quite out of doubt , that it is not only belonging to the ministerill office , to judge and approve of such professions , but that it is a very great part of that office. john baptist received , and judged of the profession of his penitents , before he did baptize them . the twelve apostles , mat. 10. 13 , 14. were to judge of the worthiness , or unworthiness , of those that they were to abide with , mark 6. 11. who were the judges or approvers of the profession of the 3000 converts , acts. 2. 41. but the apostles that baptized them , or judged them to be baptized ? who else approved of all the believers that were added , acts 5. 14. even multitudes both of men and women ? they that continued in the apostles doctrine and fellowship , ( acts 2. 42. ) and under their government , no doubt entered at first under their cond●ct . philip was the judge of the eunuch's profession , acts 8. 37 , 38. ananias was scrupulous of admitting paul , but as god himselfe approved of him to ananias ( acts 9. 13 , 14 , 15. ) so a●anias also must ministerially approve him ( vers . 17. ) who judged of lidia's profession , and the jaylours , ( acts 16 ) but the apostles , or other ministers of christ ? what need we instance any more , when we all know , that no convert entered at age into the church , but under the hand of some minister of christ , that did baptize him , or appoint him to be baptized . object . but this is not our case , for we were baptized in infancy , and are in the church already . answ . you entred not into the number of adult and more perfect members in your infancy ; nor did you make any personal profession in your infancy : that 's yet to be done . your parents profession will serve you no longer then your infant state . these being not in the gospel church before , were at once baptized , and entered thereby into the number of the adult members . so would we do if we converted those that were the seed of heathens or infidels . but though this be not your case in respect of baptism , and an insant church-state , yet this is your own case in regard of personal profession , and adult church-state . if the ministers of christ in scripture time , admitted none into an adult church-state , and to the priviledges of such , but upon a personal profession , approved by the said ministers , then neither must we do so now . but the antecedent is past doubt : therefore . — the reasons of the consequence is , because the scripture is our rule , and the reasons of the cases are the same . if you say with the anabaptists , that i may as well argue from the apostles example , for the baptizing of the aged : i answer so i will , when the case is the same : when they are converted from infidelity , or are not born and baptized into the gospel-church before : the apostles did not baptize at age , any person that was born of believing parents in the gospel-church , after baptism was instituted . as to them that say , that mary was a christian , and yet christ was not baptized till full age. i answer , 1. that mary was not a baptized person : 2. that baptism into the name of father , sonne , and holy ghost , was not instituted in christs infancy : how should he be baptized in infancy , when there was no such ordinance of god in the world , as gospel-baptism , or johns baptism ? if you think baptism , and profession , or church-membership so inseparable , that we must not require such a profession , but in order to baptism . 1. you speak without proof . 2. you speak even contrary to the experience of the jewish church : where in the wilderniss , circumcision was separated from profession , and church-membership , both of infants , and adult , the later being without the former . 3. if we may be baptized in infancy , without a personal profession , then they are separable : but the antecedent is proved in due place . 4. no man denieth that i know of , but that personal profession approved by the ministers , is necessary in several cases , after baptism . but all the examples of the baptized adult in the new testament , will fully prove , that all men should enter into the state and number of adult church-members , upon a personal profession approved by the ministers of christ : for so did all in the scripture terms , on reasons common to them and us : and no man can put by the obligation of the example , by any pretence of an imparity of reason , but what will be as strong to evacuate almost all scripture example , and much of the commands . but as to the baptizing persons at age , we will do the same , when the persons are such , as the apostles baptized : aud that they baptized none others , was never yet proved ; but more said for the affirmative . and ever since the apostles daies , it hath been the constant practice of the church , that the profession , and claim of the adult should be tried by the ministers of christ . 1. in case of infant baptism , the minister was to receive and approve the parents profession . 2. in case of the baptism of the aged , they alwaies entred under the tryal , approbation , or hand of the minister . 3. in case of the confirming of those at age , that were baptized in infancy , it was alwaies done under the hand and judgment of the minister . 4. in case of absolution of those that fell after either infant , or adult baptism , it was alwaies upon a profession approved by the minister . to prove these things is vaine , it being the subject of so many canons , and so commonly known , both by record and practice . mr herbert thorndike , in his forcited discourse of the right of the church , is full upon it , pag. 32. he saith , as the power of judging who is , and who is not thus qualified , presupposes a profession , so that an instruction , obliging the obedience of them ; which seek remission of sinnes , by the gospel , and therefore confidently assuring it to them , which conform themselves . in a word , because admitting to , and excluding from the church , is , or ought to be , a just and lawfull presumption of admitting to , or excluding from heaven , ( n. b. ) it is morally and legally the same act , that entitleth to heaven , and to the church ; that maketh an heir of life everlasting , and a c●ristian ; because he that obeyeth the church , in submitting to the gospel , is as certainly a member of the invisible , as of the visible church . you see here in his judgment , both what kind of profession it must be , and who is the judge of it ( of which he is more large . ) and surely they that see confirmation , and penance , or absolution , grown up to the reputation of proper sacraments , and understandeth how they came to it , will never question whether the universal church , hath still taken the pastours for the lawfull judges , and approvers of that confession , and profession , which in such cases was requisite . and that it was a profession , both of saving faith , and repentance , that was expected by the church ; which the pastours were to judge of : i mentioned some plain testimonies of antiquity . apol. pag. 95. to which i shall adde some more . justin martyr , apolog. 2. expressing how baptism was then admitted to the adult , saith , as many as being perswaded , do believe these things to be true which we teach , and do promise to live according to them , they first learn , by prayer and fasting , to beg pardon of god , for their former sinnes , our selves also joyning our prayer and fasting : then they are brought to the water , and born againe , in the same way as we our selves were born againe . and of the lords supper he saith , this food we call the eucharist , to which no man is admitted , but he that believeth the truth of our doctrine , being washed in the laver of regegeneration , for remission of sinne , and that so liveth as christ hath taught . nazianzen . orat. 40 vol. 1. pag. basil's words , and many more to the like purpose , there recited i forbeare . and that a man baptized , is not so much as to be taken for a christian , if by word or deed he nullifie that profession ( much more when he never made a personal profession , when he is at age ) the ancients commonmonly agree . some i cited before : tertullian again saith , apol. cap. 44. speaking of the jaylor ▪ nemo illic christianus , nisi plane tantum christianus ; aut se & aliud , jam nox christianus . athenagoras , in legat. pro christ . pag. 3. nullus christianus malus est nisi haut professionem simulaverit . damascene orthodox . fid . lib. 4. cap. 11. pag. 303. qui enim secundum traditionem catholicae ecclesiae credit , sed communicat operibus diabolo , infidelis est . salvian . de gubern . lib. 4. in the begining : nam cum hoc sit hominis christiani fides , fideliter christi mandata servare , fit absque dubio ut nec fidem habeat qui infidelis est , nec christum credat qui christi mandata conculcat . ac per hoc totum in id revolvitur , ut qui christiani nominis opus non agit , christianus non esse videa●ur . nomen enim sine actu atque officio suo nihil est . cyprian , de dupl . mart. frustra miscetur caetui sanctorum , in templo manufacto , si submotus est ab universo corpore mystico christi . august . de baptis . cont . donatist . lib. 4 . cap . etcap . 4. in corpore unica columbae , nec heretici , nec improbi nominantur . see the like passages of the ancient schoolmen , cited by davenant in colos . 1. 18. pag. 118. and thus i have shewed you the necessity of a profession , and of what sort of profession , and that the pastours of the church are by office appointed by christ , to try , approve , and receive it . prop. 8. though it belong to the pastours office to judge of the profession of such expectants , yet are they bound up by the laws of christ , what profession to accept , and what to refuse : and if by breaking these laws they shall dangerously , or grosly wrong the church : it belongeth to the magistrate to correct them , and to the people to admonish them , and disown their sinne . in summe , as is aforesaid , it is a credible profession of true christianity , which they must accept . and as that which seemeth not to be understanding , and serious , and voluntary , and deliberate , is not credible ; nor that which is nullified by verbal , or actual contradiction ; nor that which is made by one that hath forfeited the credit of his word ; so on the other side , a credible mans profession is his title-condition , in the judgment of the church , or that evidence of the condition that we must take up with : and if a man produce the positive evidence of his title , we must be able to disprove , and invalidate it , before we reject him : so that it is a profession of true christanity , which we cannot prove to be false , at least by a violent presumption , ( as the lawyers speak ) which we must accept . by this it appears , 1. that a grosly ignorant person , that knoweth not the essentials of christianity , is not to be taken for a professed christian . for tryal of such , the ordinance of parliament , of october 20. 1645. doth give us satisfaction ( recited in the form of church government , of march 29. 1648. ) 2. nor one that denieth any of the said essentials heretically . 3. nor one that speaketh ludicrously , and jestingly . 4. nor one that speaks in a passion , not deliberatly . 5. nor one that is manifestly forced and unwilling . 6. nor one that saith and unsaith . 7. nor one whose life doth prove his profession to be incredible . 8. nor one that hath perfidiously been a breaker of covenant with god already , till his reformed life shall recover the credit of his word . so that with a credible person , his bare profession is evidence fefore the church of his right ; and we must prove him a lyar , or false in his profession , before we can reject him . but a man that hath been wicked , after open covenanting with god , or profession of christianity , hath forfeited his credit , and therefore must shew us a new life , as well as a verbal profession , before he is to be restored to his priviledges . in the first case ( with a credible person ) we must prove his profession false , before we reject him : but in the second case ( with an incredible person ) he must evidence his profession to be true , by probable evidences , that shall make it credible . if i thought that the very light and law of nature , joyned with the known general rules of scripture , did not put this past controversie , with most judicious christians , i should stand to prove all this by parts . but on the other side , it is hence manifest , 1. that the pastours of the church , must refuse no man that hath the least degree of grace , or makes a credible profession of the least . 2. and that we must nor require as a matter of necessity , such ●ipe , or clear , and judicious expressions , from the ignorant , bashful , or such , as for want of use and good breeding , are unable to express their minds , as we may from others . if a man , or woman be unable in good sence to express their faith , in the very essentials , or to reveale the grace of god within them : yet if upon our interrogations , and helping them , they can do it in any intelligible manner , so that we do but perceive that it is a sound profession in the essentials , which they meane , though they cannot handsomly utter it , we may not reject any such as these . 3. note also , that defects in knowledg must be indeed exceeding gross . , where the person is willing to be taught , and ruled by christ , and use his means , and thus seems to love god , and holiness , before they will warrant us to reject them . should the judgments of such persons seem unacquainted with some fundamentals , about the trinity , and the like mysteries , i should search them better , and i should plainly tell them presently of the truth , and if they received information , i should not reject a willing soul. the very apostles of christ had the sacrament administred to them by himself , when they did not understand and believe , the death and resurrection of christ . i know that this will not warrant us to give such persons the eucharist now ; because that those great truths were not then of such great necessity , as after christs death and resurrection they did become ; as being not so fully revealed , nor the actual belief of them so peremptorily imposed . but yet it shews us this much , that even in persons admitted to the lords supper , if there be but a belief in god the father , sonne , and holy ghost , and the points of absolute necessity , ( though in rude and unperfect conception ) and a love to christ , and a willingness to learn of him , and obey him , a great deale of lamentable ignorance may be born with , in those that have wanted either means of knowledg , and clear discoveries of the truth , or natural ripeness of understanding to receive it . you see then that pastours are not arbitrary , nor meerly left to their own wills . prop. 9. it is most evident that ministers , people , and magistrates , have each a power of judging ; but different , as they have different works . 2. vvhen the question is , to whom the sacraments , and other ordinances , and church-relations , and priviledges are to be ministerially deliverd as from christ , and to whom not ? here the ministers of christ are the judges . and so are they , when the question is , whom must we teach , direct , and perswade , and in christs name command the people to avoid , or to hold communion with ? for those two are our own work in the execution . and if either magistrate , people , or any other must be judge , where ministers must execute and work ; then 1. we have not that common judicium discretionis to guide our own actions , which is allowed , and necessary to every christian . 2. then the rulers of the church , are not only degraded , and made no rulers , but are put into that slavery , and subjection to them , that are commanded to obey them , which no pastour must desire the people , or any one of them to be in . for we must not deny them a judgment of discretion , about their own actions . 3. and by this course , ministers that are the eies of the body , must not only be guided by other parts , but they must execute against their own knowledg , and conscience , when other men miss-judge . 4. and if so , either god commandeth us to sinne , when ever people , or magistrates bid us , ( which none dare say ) or else it is no sinne , when it doth but get their vote : and so we may warrantably do what the magistrate bids us , ( as hobbs thinks ) or what the people bids us , ( as others as unreasonably think ) as if it would be a sufficient excuse for me , to say , lord i did what the magistrate , or the major vote of the people bid me , though it was that which thou forbidest . 5. if the people have no such power over one another , then they have none over their rulers or guides : but they have none such over one another . indeed in order to unity , a major vote may ( not effectually oblige ) but occasion an obligation : but as to government , let them shew us if they can from scripture , where the major vote of a church hath the government of the lesser part , or that the lesser may go against their own judgment , and conscience , meerly because the greater part requireth it . this governing vote , is as strange a thing to the scripture as a pope is . 6. pastours , or general u●fixed ministers , may receive persons into the vniversal church sometime , without receiving them into any particular church : and what have any people there to do with the tryal , or approbation of their profession or qualifications ? one can lay no more claim to it then another . and sure all the world must not have the tryal of them . 7. what people did philip advise with before he baptized the eunuch ? or who but philip alone was judge of his profession ? what vote approved of the 3000 converts , acts 2 or of paul , acts 9. or of lydia , or the gaoler , acts 16. or any other that ever were admitted by the ministers of christ in scripture times . and what magistrates were the approvers for 300 years after christ ? no nor after . 8. if in this part of our office we must obey men , against god ( whether magistrate or people ) then in other parts : and so if the vote of the church , or magistrate , forbid me to pray or preach against pride , covetousness or drunkenness , i must obey them , that is , i must obey men before god , and please men , and be no longer the minister of christ . 9. what can be more plainly contrary to scripture , then for the people by a major vote , to rule those whom god commandeth to obey , as their rulers ? heb. 13. 7. & 17. 24. 1. tim. 5. 17. 1 thes . 5. 12. acts 20 , &c. object . pastours have but a ministerial ruling power . answ . who doubts of that ? but is a ministerial rule no rule ? no man on earth hath more then a ministerial power : for all are under god , and the redeemer . all judges , justices , and other officers in the commonwealth , have but a ministerial rule as officers : but is that no rule ? or shall the people therefore rule these rulers ? we are christs ministers for the people : we are their 's finally , but have our power from christ only efficiently . if the people are the rulers , who are the ruled ? it 's a strange society , when the ruling , and ruled part is the same ; where all the body is a head and an eye . 10. if people or magistrates will oblige the ministers by their power , whom they shall baptize , confirm , or absolve , and what profession they shall accept ; then must the people and magistrates undertake to answer it before god , and to bear all the blam , and punishment , if we miscarry in obedience to them . and truly if they dare undertake this , we should gladly accept of the condition , with a thousand thankes , if we could but be sure that god would give us leave , and thus acquit us , and accept of our service on these terms . o then how easy a thing were it to obey , rather then to rule . so much for the power of the ministers in this ( and other such like ) worke . 2. when the question is , whether such a professor be fit for our own communion or not , and whether it be our duty to avoid him or not , then the people have a judgment of discretion : not a governing judgment , as the pastours have ; but a judgment that must be the immediate guide of their actions . yet this is to be thus exercised : they are to look to gods word as the rule , and to trust that with a divine faith : they are also to look at the judgment and directions of the pastours , that are their authorized guides ; and to trust them as the officers of christ . for the word is their regulating guide ; the pastours are their authorized directing guides ; and their own understandings are their immediate discerning guides . so that they must not be wise in their own conceits , nor leane to their own understanding , without the use of scripture , and ministery ; but use their understandings for the improvement of these . so that if they know not that the postours of the church do mislead them , contrary to the word of god , they cannot deny them obedience ( for the command to obey them is unquestionable . ) or if they have not a grounded strong presumption , or probability of it , they may not suspend their obedience ; but must leave the pastours to the work of their office , and trust them in it , and avoid those whom they reject , and hold communion with those whom they accept , and introduce , confirm , or restore . but in case they know that a pastour leadeth them into sinne , they are not to follow him : and if they have just ground for a strong suspicion of it , they must suspend , and consult with other pastours , and get full information : for christian people are not to be ruled as beasts , but as the children of god ; and must understand what they are required to do , and why , as being free subjects , ( though subjects ) in the kingdom of christ , and to be governed accordingly . 3. when the question is , whether ministers are to be punished for abusing their power , receiving or rejecting men to the injurie of the church , and contrary to the word of god : here the magistrate is the judge . for as forcing , or punishing corporally is his work , so he must be the judge , where he is the executioner , or else he should be forced to go against his own judgment , and to be a meer servile executioner , which were to him an insufferable injury . but here , 1. the magistrate must not give the minister a law to govern the church by ; ( unless the determination of circumstantial appendants ) but must see that we govern it according to the word of god , our only and sufficient rule . 2. and he must not be over busy , nor unnecessarily intermeddle in the works of another office , nor be too confident of his own understanding in the matters of the pastours work , as if he knew better then they . 3. but he must correct or cast out those ministers that will not obey the word of god ; punishing us for breaking the old rule , and not making new rules for us , is their work , so be it , he can procure a better supply ; 4. in this case , if the magistrates judgment be right , he doth his duty , and ministers must obey him : if he erre , he may be guilty of persecution , in hindering good , under pretence of punishing evil . if his errour tend not to the destruction , or great and certain hurt of the church ; the ministers whom he casteth out , are bound to obey him , and give place to others , and bestow their labours , in some other country , or in some other kind at home : but if his errour lead him to destructive persecution , we must passively submit , but not actively , or negatively obey him , but must preach as long as we are able , and do our duty , till by prison , or death he stop us in the exercise . prop. 10. to this ministerial approbation of the profession , and qualification of the expectant , there is to be adjoyned a ministerial investiture , or delivery of the benefit expected . this is the proper work of the ministers of christ . he that is himself in the heavenly glory , hath left his spirit within to draw men to him , and his ministers without , to deliver up the counter-covenant on his part , in his name , and to espouse them to christ , and to accept them in his name , and stead . and this investiture is one of the principal parts of the nature and use of sacraments , which all have not fully considered of . the papists tell us of seven sacraments , baptism , confirmation , pennance , orders , the eucharist , matrimony , and extream unction . calvin sticks not to yield them three . the name sacrament being not in scripture , but of meer ecclesiastik use , and being a word that will stretch , i distinguish between three sorts of sacraments . 1. for any divine institution which notably signifieth spiritual grace : and so ( though i think extream unction none , as being now no duty , yet ) i doubt not but there 's more then seaven . 2. for any solemn investiture of a person by ministerial delivery , in a state of church-priviledges , or some special gospel-mercy . and so i grant that there are five sacraments : baptism , confirmation , absolution , the lords supper , and odination . as a man that delivereth possession of a house , doth deliver the key to him that enters ; and as we are invested in the possession of land , by the delivery of a twig and turfe ; and as ministers were wont to be invested , or have induction into the churches by giving them the books , and the bell-ropes ; and as women were wont to be married with a ring , and as a prince doth knight a man by a sword ; so christ by his ministers doth first by baptism invest us in our church-state , and infant-priviledges : and by confirmation , confirm us in our church-state , and invest us with a right to the priviledges of the adult : and by absolution reinvest us in the priviledges that we had forfeited : and by the lords supper deliver to us christ and his benefits , for our ordinary nourishment , and growth in grace : and by ordination he investeth the pardon ordained with ministerial power . 3. but taking the word sacrament in that strictest sence , as our divines define a sacrament , as it is an outward signe of christs institution , for the obsignation of the full covenant of grace , betwixt him and the covenanter , and a delivery , representation , and investiture of the grace , or benefits of that covenant ; thus we have only two sacraments , baptism , and the lords supper . but truly i would not quarrel with them for the meer name , as to the five which i mentioned . prop. 11. the solemn ministerial investiture of professours , into the right of the church priviledges of the adult , is either 1. of the unbaptized , who are now first entered . 2. or of the baptized in infancy , that never proved ungodly , nor violated that first covenant . 3. or of those baptized , whether in infancy or at age , that have since proved wicked , and broke that covenant . the first of these investitures is , to be by baptism ; the second by confirmation ; and the third by absolution . so that the solemn investiture that i am pleading for , is by confirmation to one sort ( that never proved ungodly since their baptism ) and by absolution to the other sort that broke their covenant . the baptism of the adult , we have not now to do with . of those that are baptized in infancy , some do betimes receive the secret seeds of grace , which by the blessing of a holy education , ( and some among the prophane ) is stirring within them , according to their capacity , and working them to god by actual desires , and working them from all known sinne , and entertaining further grace , and turning them into actual acquaintance with christ , as soone as they arrive at full natural capacity : so that they never were actual ungodly persons . to these their investiture in the state of adult-members upon their personal approved profession , is a confirmation of the mutuall covenant that it findeth them under , and of them in that covenant . but there are others ( i doubt the most ) that since their infant baptism , have proved actual wicked ungodly persons ; if not openly flagitious and scandalous , yet at least , unacquainted with any special sanctifying work , till after they attain to the full years of discretion . these break their covenant made with god in baptism , in which they were devoted to him , and engaged to live to him , forsaking the flesh , the world , and the devil . and therefore these must come in as penitents ( even as if they had proved wicked after an adult baptism , they must do : ) and therefore it is first an absolution which they must receive : not only a particular absolution from an act of haynous sinne ( which afterwards may be renewed upon particular penitence ) but a general absolution from a state of sinne . yet this doth consequently participate of the nature of the former , and hath a confirmation in it , or with it : not a confirmation in the wicked state that such have lived in , but a renewal , and solemn confirming of the covenant , between god and them , which in baptism was made . so that to such it is as an absolution and confirmation conjunct . prop. 12. this solemn investiture on personal profession , being thus proved the ordinance of god , for the solemn renewing of the covenant of grace , between god and the adult covenanter , it must needs f●llow , that it is a corroborating ordinance , and that corroborating grace is to be expected in it from god , by all that come to it in sincerity of heart : and so it hath the name of confirmation upon that account also . the papists quarrel with us , and curse us in the counsel of trent , for denying their ends of confirmation , and making it another thing . but they fasly describe our opinion : we do not take it to be a meer catechising , or receiving the catechized to the lords supper , or to a higher form : but we take it to be the approbation of the personal profession of them that claime a title to the church-state , and priviledg of the adult , and an investing them solemnly ther●in , upon the solemn renewal ( and personal adult enterance ) into covenant with god. now in this renewed covenant , as they give up themselves to christ afresh , and personally engage themselves to him , and renounce his enemies , owning their infant-baptism , when this was done by others in their names , so god is ready on his part to bless his own ordinance , with the collation of that corroborating grace , which the nature of the renewed covenant doth import . otherwise god should appoint us means in vain , and fail them in the use of his own ordinances , that use them as he hath appointed : which is not to be imagined : though the unsound h●pocritical receivers may miss of this blessing ; and though as the degrees of coroborating grace , god is free to give it out as he pleaseth . so that the papists shall have no cause to say , that we needlesly , or erroneously do deny either the name of confirmation , or the true use and ends of it , or the notional title of a sacrament to it in a larger ( yet not the largest ) sence . we affect not to fly further from them , then we needs must ; much less to fly from the ancient practice of the universal church : but we must crav● their pardon , if we introduce not their an●ointing ( though ancient ) seeing when i● was used of old but as an indifferent cere●monie , they have turned it now into a proper , necessary sacramental signe : and if we give not the confirmed a boxe on the eare , as they do for a holy signe , or abuse it not as they in many respects , and turne it not into a meer deceiving formality , in this also we must needs crave their pardon . so much of the name , and ends of confirmation . prop. 13. ministerial imposition of hands in confirmation , and the fore-described sort of absolution , is a lawfull , and convenient ceremony , and ordinarily to be used , as it hath been of old by the vniversall church . but yet it is not of such necessity , but that we must dispense in this ceremony with scrupulous consciences , that cannot be satisfied to submit to it . thus must we take heed of both extreams : either of rejecting a ceremony , that hath so much to be said for 〈◊〉 as this hath : or of making it more necessary then it is , to the wrong of tender consciences , that are not yet ripe enough , to be well informed of it , and to answer the objections that they have heard against it ; nor yet to receive your answers . i. for the first part of the proposition , i think it may suffice , 1. that imposition of hands was used in scripture times , and so used , as may invite us to imitation , but not deter us from it at all . 2. and that it hath been since of ordinary use in the universal church , in this very case , so that no other original of it can be found , but apostolical ; yea we have exceeding probable evidence , that the use of it was never interrupted , from the daies of the apostles , down to the reformation . 3. nor is it laid aside in many of the reformed churches . so that you will find that as it 's easie to prove lawful , so it 's more likely to be a divine institution , necessary necessitate praecepti , then to be unlawfull . i shall purposely say the less of it , because mr hanmer hath said so much already as to the judgment of the ancients ; and my intent is to pretermit that part ( or say less to it ) which he hath performed . but that it is lawfull and fit , if not of some necessity , i shall prove by the forementioned evidence . 1. imposition of hands , is allowed in scripture , to be used generally by spiritual superiours , to signifie their will and desire , that the blessing may fall on the inferiour , or the gift , or power be conferred on him , for which they have a call to mediate : so that it is not confined to any particular blessing , power , or ordinance . and therefore if there had been no example of the use of it , in this particular case ( of confirmation , or absolution ) yet hence it is proved to be lawfull and meet , because it hath this general use and allowance . the lifting up of hands in prayer was used to signifie from whom and whence they did expect the blessing ; even from our father which is in heaven : and the laying of hands on the head of the person , in or after prayer , was used as an applicatory signe , to signifie the terminus ad quem of the blessing desired , or the person , on whom they would have it bestowed . and as you will not cast away the use of lifting up of hands , though it be for such mercies , as you read no scripture instance , that hands were lift up for ; because the general warrant is sufficient ; so you have as little reason , to scruple or cast away the laying on of hands , though in such cases as you read not that the sign was used for in scripture ; because the unlimited generall use , is sufficient warrant , in such particular cases . god shewed that the very outward signe of lifting up of the hands , was not to be despised , when ameleck had the better when moses hands fell down , though but through weakness , so that aaron and hur were fain to underset them , exod. 17. and i think we have no reason to contemn the laying on of hands , which in grounds and nature is so neer kin to the other . and as spreading forth the hands , doth not cease to be good and meet , for all that god hath said he will not heare them that spread forth hands that are full of blood , isa . 1. 15. so the laying on of hands doth not cease to be good and meet , though in some cases the blessing do not follow it . still we must every where lift up holy hands in prayer , without wrath and doubting , 1 tim. 2. 8. though the signe be not of absolute necessity in every prayer , yet it is very meet , and too much neglected among us . and so i may say of the other . when solomon prayed in the temple he spread forth his hands towards heaven , 1 king 8. 22. and so he supposed all would do , that lookt to be heard by the god of heaven , when vers . 38. he prayeth for the people thus : what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man , or by all thy people israel , which shall know every man the plague of his own heart ( that was their prayer-book ) and spread forth his hands towards this house , then heare thou in heaven thy dwelling place , and forgive , and doe , &c. see vers . 54. 2 chron. 6. 12 , 13. we must lift up our hearts with our hands to god in the heavens , lam. 3. 41. we must prepare our hearts , and stretch out our hands towards him , job 11. 13. praying to a strange god , is signified by stretching out the hand to him , psal . 44. 20. even in praises the people were to lift up their hands towards heaven , neh. 8. 6. yea and in blessing , lifting up the hands was used to signifie whence the blessing came , luke 24. 50. now this being so commonly applied , the other that is so neer a kin to it , may without scruple be used in any case that that falls under the foredescribed general case . indeed every man must lift up hands , because every man must pray , ( and it is an engagment , that those hands that are lifted up to god , be not used in wicked works : ) but laying on of hands is ordinarily the act of a superiour , to the ends abovesaid . thus jacob , gen. 48. 14 , 15. laid his hands on the son●es of joseph in blessing them . moses laid his hands on joshua , when he ordained him his successour , num. 27. 18 , 23. & deut. 34. 9. yea even in the execution of evil they laid on hands , as an applicatory signe , as in sacrificeing ; as if they should say , not on me , but on this substitute let the evil of punishment be . see levit. 16. 21 , 22. exod. 29. 10 , 15. lev. 4. 15. & 8. 14 , 22. numb . 8. 12. yea in putting a blasphemer and curser to death , they first laid their hands on his head , as an applicatory signe , in whom the fault was , and to whom the punishment did belong , lev. 24. 14. in the ordination , or consecration of the levites , the people were to lay their hands on them , numb 8. 10. not to give them authority , but to consecrate and give them up to god. by laying on of the hands , as an applicatory signe , did christ and his disciples heale diseases , &c. mark 5. 23. where note , that the ruler of the synagogue jairus , took this as an ordinary signe of conferring blessings from a superiour , and therefore he mentioneth it with the blessing desired , mark 6. 5. & 8. 23 , 25. luke 13. 13. & 4. 40. so you may see also the apostles did ; yea , and other believers , as the promise runs , mark 16. 18. acts 28. 8. also by laying on of hands , as an applicatory signe , they invested the seaven deacons in their office , acts 6. 6. and the prophets , and teachers in the church of antioch , separated barnabas and paul , to the work that god appointed them , acts 13. 2 , 3. by fasting , and prayer , and imposition of hands . and timothy received his ministerial gift , by the laying on of pauls hands , and the hands of the presbitery , 1 tim. 4. 14. and 2 tim. 1 6. if this last text be understood of the ministerial ordination and gift , which i rather think is meant of the apostolical imposition of hands , after baptism , for giving of the holy ghost . so that this signe was used upon several occasions , and is not at all forbidden in this , directly , nor indirectly , and therefore it is undoubtedly lawful : seing that without doubt the less is blessed of the greater , heb. 7. 7. and the duty and power of the pastour to bless the person in this case is unquestionable , and this imposition of hands is an allowed signe in blessing , as lifting up the hands is , in praying ; here is scripture enough to prove it lawful , and very meet . 2. but let us enquire yet whether the scripture lay not some kind of obligation on us , to use this ceremony , in confirmation . to which end let these several things be well considered . 1. we find in scripture a blessing of c●urch-members , with laying on of hands . 2. we find in scripture , that the holy ghost is in a special manner promised to believers , over and above that measure of the spirit , which caused them to believe . 3. we find that prayer with laying on of hands , was the outward means to be used by christs ministers , for the procuring of this blessing . 4. we find that this was a fixed ordinance to the church , and not a temporary thing . lay all this together , and you will see as much as my proposition doth affirm . let 's try the proof of it . i. though the proof of the first be not necessary to the main point , yet it somewhat strengtheneth the cause , mark 10. 16. christ took the children up in his armes , put his hands upon them , and blessed them so , math. 19. 15. this is not i confess a confirmation upon personal profession , which i am now pleading for : but this is a benediction by laying on of hands : and the subjects of it were such children as were members at least of the jewish church , being before circumcized . ii. but to come neerer the matter ; let us enquire what this gift of the holy ghost was , that is promised to believers . whatsoever the pelagians say , the scripture assureth us that faith and repentance which go before baptism in the adult , are the gifts of the holy ghost : and yet for all that the holy ghost is to be given afterward . and though very often this after●gift is manifested by tongues , and prophesie , and miracles , yet that is not all that 's meant in the promise of the holy ghost . gad hath not tyed himself by that promise to any one sort of those extraordinary gifts , no nor constantly to give any of them : but he hath promised in general to give believers the spirit : and therefore there is some other standing gift , for which the spirit is promised to all such . and indeed the spirit promised is one , though the gifts are many ; and the many sorts of gifts make not many spirits . if any man therefore shall ask , whether by the promised spirit be meant sanctification , or miracles , or prophesie , &c. i answer with paul , there are diversities of gifts , but the same spirit , as there are differences of administrations , but the same lord , and diversities of operations , but the same god , 1 cor. 12. 4 , 5 , 6. it is therefore no wiser a question to ask , whether by the spirit be meant this gift , or that , when it is only the spirit in general that is promised , then to ask , whether by the lord be meant this or that administration ; and whether by god be meant this or that op●ration . to one is given the word of wisdom by the spir●t , and to another the word of knowledg , by the same spirit , to another faith by the same spirit , &c. vers 8 , 9 , 10. now i confess if any man can prove that this promise of the spirit to the faithfull , is meant only of the extraordinary gift of miracles , then he would weaken the argument that i am about . but i prove that contrary , 1. cor. 12. 12 , 13. it is the gift of the spirit , by which we are one body , which is called christs , by which we are all baptized into this one body ; and such members as have a lively fellow-feeling of each others state , vers . 26. 27. yea such as giveth to the elect , the excellent , durable grace of charity , vers . 31. and chap. 13. gal. 4. 6. and because ye are sonnes , god hath sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts , crying abba , father . note here , that it is not only the gift of miracles , but the spirit of adoption that is here mentioned ; and that it 's given to believers , because they are sonnes . and all the first part of rom. 8. to vers . 29. doth shew , that it is the spirit of adoption , supplication , and that by which we mortifie the flesh , that is given to believers . 2 cor. 1. 21 , 22 now he which stablisheth us with you in christ , and hath anointed us , is god who hath also sealed us , and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts . it is not the common gifts of the spirit only that are here spoken of , nor is it the first gift of faith , but it is confirmation , or inward establishment in christ , and that spirit , which is the fathers seal upon us , and the earnest of the inheritance . i believe not that it is outward anointing , or sealing with the signe of the cross , that is here mentioned , as many papists dreame ; but inward unction , seal , earnest , and confirmation by the spirit , are here exprest . so 2 cor. 5. 5. zach. 12. 10. it is the spirit of grace and supplication that is promised to the church . and see the pattern in christ our head , on whom after baptism the spirit descended , and to whom it is promised , matth. 12 18. ephes . 1. 13 , 14. in whom also after yee believed , yee were sealed with the holy spirit of promise , which is the earnest of our inheritance . here it 's evident that it 's such a gift of the spirit , which is an earnest of heaven that is given to men , after they believe . joh. 7. 39. for the holy ghost was not yet given them because that jesus was not yet glorisied . yet the apostles had faiththen . and that it is not meant only of the apostles extraordinary gifts of miracles , the foregoeing words shew : he that believeth on me , out of his belly shall flow living waeters : but this he spake of the spirit , which they that believe on him should receive . by all this it is evident , that there was an eminent gift of the holy ghost promised to them that had already the grace of faith , and repentance , and love to christ , wrought in them by the holy ghost ; and that though this eminent gift , did very much consist in gifts of languages , prophesie , and mighty works for the confirmation of christs doctrine which was then to be planted in the world : yet was it not only in those gifts ; but as some had only those common ( though extraordinary ) gifts , for the good of the church ; so some had an eminent addition of special gifts , to seal them up to the day of redemption , and be the earnest of the inheritance , to the saving of the soul. if you ask , wherein these special eminent gifts of the holy ghost do consist , i answer : 1. in a clearer knowledg of christ , and the rsteries of the gospel ; not an uneffectual , but a powerful , affecting , practical knowledge . 2. in a fuller measure of love , agreeable to this knowledg . 3. in joy and peace , and sweet consolation . 4. in establishment , and corroboration , and firmer resolution for christ , and everlasting life . for the understanding of which we must know , that as the doctrine is the means of conveying the spirit , so the spirit given is answerable to the doctrine , and administration that men are under . it 's a very great question whether adam in innocency had the spirit or not ? but as the administration according to the meer light , and law of nature , is eminently in scripture attributed to the father , so adam certainly may be well said to have had the spirit of the father , to enable him with gifts that were answerable to the law that he was under , and the state that he was in : but we cannot fitly say that he had that which the scripture calleth the spirit of the sonne , as not being under the administration of the sonne . but after the promise till the coming of christ , as the administration was mixt of law and promise , nature and grace , as the dawning of the day before sunne rising doth partake of darkness and of light , so the spirit that was then given , was answerable to the administration and doctrine . and therefore as there was somewhat of the gospel in those times , though yet god hath not thought it meet to call it ( at least usually ) by that name , but rather by the name of the promises , and prophecies of christ ; so there was somewhat of the spirit of christ , though it be not usually so called , but when it appeared in some eminent servants of christ , as the prophets were , in whom the spirit of christ is said to have been , 1 pet. 1. 11. now as it was part of that work ascribed to the father , to send and give the sonne , and to give men to the sonne ; so commonly those gifts are ascrbed to him which are cotained in these expressions , and are the accomplishment of this work ; and that not only in the old testament , but in the new : and therefore it is called the giving and the drawing of the father , by which we are brought to believe in the sonne ; though yet the grace of faith is a special saving grace , and not common to the wicked , as the papists dreame , because they find an uneffectual assent to be common . but now , as christ at his coming doth bring to the world a clearer light , and fuller revelation of himself , and the mysteries of redemption , and bring life and immortality to light in the gospel ; and as the rising sunne , dispelleth the remnants of legal darkness , and his doctrine is fully called the gospel , the testament of jesus christ , so answerably he doth by , and with this doctrine , give out such a measure of the spirit , to the church ; as is eminently called the spirit of jesus christ . which carryeth us higher then the first grace of faith and repentance , to those fuller degrees which were not ordinary , no not to the godly in the time of the law. and as this spirit of christ did extrinsecally shine in the glory of tongues and wonderous works , while those were necessary to the church , and christs service ; so both then , and ever after it doth work ( but in various degrees ) for the sanctifying of believers , and conforming their hearts and lives to christ ; in his humiliation , patience , self-denial , meekness , contempt of the world , obedience , &c. till at last we be conformed to him in his glory . iii. i have cleared the second point , ( that there is an eminent gift of the holy ghost to be expected after our first believing , even such as ceased not with miracles : i now come to the third point , which is , that ministerial prayer with laying on of hands , was the scripture-way for the giving of this eminent gift of the spirit . for the understanding of this , observe these things : 1. how sacraments , and investing signes , conferre grace . 2. how the spirit is given in baptisme 3. how far god hath , as it were , tyed himself to ordinances for conferring grace . 4. what proof the scripture yields us of the proposition . 5. what aptitude there is in ministerial confirmation , for the attainment of these ends . 1. we find in scripture , that sacraments are not appointed ( nor to be used , according to the intent of the instituter ) for the conferring of that grace which men have not in any degree already : but they are , 1. partly a solemn investiture in that which before we had a fundamental right to : as the listing of a souldiour , or the solemnization of marriage after a firm contract ; the crowning of a king ; the delivering possession by a key , a twig , or turf ; the knighting a man by a sword , &c. this is as to relative benefits , and right to phycal benefits . 2. and withal they are by actual excitation of grace , to increase the inherent grace received , and so to give us more . all this is evident in baptism it self , where we are to receive both remission of sinnes , with right to everlasting life , and also an increase of grace in the adult : and yet no man at age , is to come to baptism ( to require it ) that is not a penitent believer already , and consequently that hath not the beginning of special saving grace , and somewhat of christ , and the holy ghost ; and title to forgiveness , and everlasting life . for he is under the promise that whoesoever believeth , shall not perish , but have everlasting life : and a papist will grant , that the votum baptismi may serve to his sa●vation , if he die without it . and the case of infants is the same , as to these mercies which are necessary to their state of life . their parents must be believers , before they dedicate them to god , and consequently the child hath the covenant right before it is sealed . and it is ridiculous in the papists to damn all infants , for want of baptism , and not the aged ; and to make the votum to serve for the parent , and yet not for his child , when yet the parents faith must serve to prove his title to baptism it self . but to leave these corrupters , and innovatours ; we see now what is to be expected by confirmation : not that men that have no signes of corroborating grace , should come thither first to receive it ; but that such as appear initially resolved , confirmed , and corroborated , may be ( though not by a full and proper sacrament , yet ) ministerially ; 1. invested into the state of the confirmed , and their priviledges , which is a higher form in the schoole of christ . 2. and may receive yet further confirmation , and corroboration by gods approbation , and ordinance . 2. but hath not baptism done all this already , seeing we are baptized into the name of the holy ghost ? this is our second point to be resolved . i answer , it is a great errour , to think that adult persons that have nothing of the holy ghost , may demand baptism , and that baptism doth not give the holy ghost : but yet it 's one thing to give the holy ghost in relation , and fundamental right , and another thing to give the graces of the spirit ; and it 's one thing to seale and increase the initial , special grace of the spirit , and another thing to invest in a stablishing degree : and so it is evident that baptism , as such is appointed but for the two first : that is , 1. as we must have some faith and repentance , before a person at age may come to baptism , and so must have fundamental right by promise , to christ , and pardon , and life , so this is sealed in baptism , and we are solemnly invested in it , and our grace excited for increase : but it is not requisite that a man have a further degree of grace before he come . 2. in baptism , it is our very relation to god , as our father and god , to christ as our saviour , and to the holy ghost as our sanctifier , that is sealed to us , and we are invested with : which is the foundation of all that afterward from the spirit is given us . as in marriage , the persons in relation , are given to each other for marriage ends ; so in baptism , god the father , sonne , and holy ghost , one god in three persons , are solemnly given to us in relation to themselves , for christian , baptismal ends. but as after marriage , the man takes home his wife , and delivereth her a possession of his house first , and after admits her to bed and board , according to his covenant , so christ doth after baptism , take home the christian into his church , and admit him to the several priviledges of it , in the season , and manner as he seeth meet . so that as all the good that we do after baptism , is but the fulfilling of our baptismal covenant , and yet we did not the good when we covenanted to do it : so all the after-mercies , that god giveth us by promise ( at least ) on his part , are but the fulfilling , or fruits of his baptismal covenant ; and that he did not give them in our baptism . so that confirmation is no full , and proper gospel sacrament as baptism is , but a particular subsequent investiture , in some of the fruits of baptism it self , in the season of them . 3. but have we any certainty , that this ordinance shall prove effectually confirming to us ? if not it will be but an idle , empty ceremony . this is our third question : to which i answer : 1. ordinances are duties , which we must use , and in which we must wait on god for his blessing , if we will have it : and therefore in the way of duty , we must be found . 2. what if you have not a certainty that your prayer shall be granted , will you not therefore pray ? or if you are not certain that a sermon shall profit you , will you not hear it ? or that reading shall profit you , will you not read ? or that the lords supper shall increase your grace ; will you not use it ? 3. but i may say more : if you come prepared , you may be sure of a blessing in some degree : as it is not every one that prayeth , and heareth , and receiveth the lords supper , that shall certainly have the blessing , but the prepared soul that is the subject of the promise , which is annexed to that ordinance ; so it is not every one , that is externally confirmed by prayer , and imposition of lands , that shall be sure of the blessing , but the soul that is prepared , as aforedescribed . 4. but yet the several degrees of blessing , god hath kept in his own hand , and not affixed them by promise to any person , in any ordinance : he may bless the word , prayer , the lords supper , &c. to one true christian more then to another , and yet perform his promise to them all : and so he may this outward confirmation . 3. but what proofe is there in scripture of such an ordinance , or practice ? that 's our fourth question : to which i answer , 1. for the main point in question , it 's already proved , beyond all controversie , viz. the necessity of a personal profession , and covenant , before men be admitted to the church-priviledges of the adult , and that it belongeth to the office of christ's ministers to judge of , and approve this profession , &c. it is none of this that we have now to prove , but only the manner of admisson hereupon , whether it be to be done by prayer with benediction , and imposition of hands : and it is not the lawfulness of this ; for that 's proved before : but whether this manner and solemnity be a thing which ordinarily we should observe ? and that it is so , this seems to me to prove , 1. as beyond controversie it belongeth to spiritual superiours , even the ministers of christ , to pray for the people , and bless them , so this must be in a special manner exercised upon great and special occasion : but the admission of the adult upon their personal covenanting and profession , is a great and special occasion : this is as good an argument as we have for stated family-prayer , that i remember ; and it 's cleerly good for both . 1. i should but trouble you to prove the general part of the major , that it belongeth to the pastours to pray for , and bless the people ministerially . 2. and the application to this season is proved thus ; 1. all things are sanctified by the word and prayer : therefore this . 2. if the great and special works , and changes of our lives , be not thus to be sanctified , much less the smaller ; and so the whole command would be void . we agree , that at marriage , at our investiture in the ministerial office , &c. there must be ministerial prayer , and benediction , usually to sanctifie it to the faithful : but here there is as great , if not greater reason for it , the change and blessing being in some sort greater * . and as this is plain for ministerial prayer and benediction , so it seems that the weight and nature of the work , doth determin us to the signe of imposition of hands , seeing god hath not tyed it to any one or two particular cases , but made it a signe of general use , in spiritual benediction , and collations of authority , from a superiour , or great and special occasions . 2. but we have yet a more clear proof from scripture example , acts 8. 15 , 16 , 17. peter and john were sent to samaria , when they heard that they believed , and when they were come down , they prayed for them , that they might receive the holy ghost ; for as yet he was fallen on none of them : only they were baptized in the name of the lord jesus : then laid they their hands on them , and they received the holy ghost . so acts 19. 5 , 6. when they herad this , they were baptized in the name of the lord jesus : and when paul had laid his hands upon them , the holy ghost came on them , and they spake with tongues , and prophesied . and acts 9. 17. ananias laid his hands on saul ( before converted by a voice from heaven , though not baptized ) that he might receive his sight and the holy ghost at once . and this was the gift that simon magus would have bought with money . and it seemeth to me most probable , that this was the gift that timothy received by laying on of pauls hands ( which being for the service of the church , 1 cor. 12. 7. he was to stirre up , and exercise in his ministry ) 2 tim. 1. 6. and that the laying on of the hands of the presbytery , 1. tim. 4. 14. was at another time . that the holy ghost was then given by prayer , with imposition of hands , is thus evident . iv. but the last point remaineth , whether this were not temporary and now ceased : ( whether i shall take in the fifth particular , before named , about the aptitude of the means now . ) and 1. when i have proved it once appointed , it lyeth on the contrary minded , to prove it changed , or ceased : that 's the task of them that affirm it ceased , if i shew them an obligation once laid , they must prove it taken off . their only argument is , that the persons and occasion were only extraordinary , and are ceased , and therefore so is the signe or means . to which i answer , 1. by denying the antecedent ; both as to persons and occasion : they were not only extraordinary . 2. by the denying the consequence , as it is inferred from the persons : for extraordinary persons were our patterns for ordinary , durable works . but i prove the negative : 1. the use and ends of the ancient imposition of hands do still continue : therefore we are to judge that the signe and means is not to cease . for the proofe of the antecedent , remember that i have before proved , that it was not only ( though very eminently ) the gift of tongues and miracles , that was then meant by the holy ghost that was given , but also corroborating grace . and the necessity and actual collation , and use of this doth still continue . 2. there is still a discernable aptitude in the means to these necessary ends. the baptized believer may yet want the joy of the holy ghost , and boldness of access to god , and the shedding abroad of fuller love in the heart , rom. 5. 5 , and that consolation which is much of the work of the promised spirit , which therefore is called the comforter ; and that corroboration , and stability which he needeth . now to have a messenger of christ that hath received a binding and loosing power , in the name of christ to encourage us in our profession , and to put up solemn prayers for us , and as it were take us by the hand , and place us in the higher form ( at least , to place us at our first personal profession , among adult believers ) and make particular application of the promise to us , and bless us in the name of christ , by virtue of their ministerial office ; this must needs tend much to confirm , and comfort , and encourage the weak . though still further ministerial confirmation by praying , and exhortation will be necessary to the end , acts 14. 22. & 15. 31 , 32. 3. the scripture signifieth to us , that imposition of hands was of standing use in the church , and therefore not to cease with miracles . in heb. 6. 2. we find it named among the parts of the foundation , laying on of hands . now all the doubt is , what impositon of hands is there mentioned . 1. for them that think the apostle meaneth jewish imposition , when he mentioneth the christian foundation points , i think their opinion saveth me the labour of confuting it . 2. either then it is imposition of hands , in case of ordination , or in case of confirmation , or in case of absolution , or for working miraculous cures . the last alone it cannot be , because we find it among foundation points , and find it a continued thing ; and because there is no evidence , to lead us to such a restrained exposition . and if it be in the case of absolution , or ordination , that imposition is to continue , it will by consequence be proved , that it no more ceaseth here then there . and usually they that question the use of it in one case , question it in the rest . 3. for my part , i think that it is no one of these cases alone , that the scripture here speaketh of , but of the power and use of it in general , for the ministers of christ to be his instruments , in conferring evangelical gifts , and power , by imposition of hands . we must not limit , and restrain the sence of scripture , without evident cause . it is as if the apostle had said , you are long agoe taught the necessity of repenting , and forsaking the works of death , and of believing in the true god , and of being dedicated , and engaged to father , sonne , and holy ghost in the baptismal covenant , in which you your selves have been consecrated unto god , and received the remission of sinne ; and you have seen the power that is given to the ministers of christ , that by their prayers , and imposition of hands , miracles have been wrought to confirm their doctrine , and grace is given to confirm the soul , and absolution and peace is given to the penitent , and ministeriall power delivered to others , &c. but however you understand this imposition of hands , without apparent violence , you must confess either imposition in the case that we are speaking of , or that which will warrant it , and stands on the same ground , to be here meant . so 1 tim. 5. 22. lay hands suddenly on no man , neither be partaker of other mens sinnes . some think that here is meant imposition of hands in ordination , and some that it 's meant only of confirmation , and some of absolution ; but however , it will help us in the following argument . 4. scripture fully proveth that laying on of hands , is a thing to be continued to other vses , where the reason of continuance is the same : therefore we are not to judge it ceased as to this use . this text last named , shews that it is a standing , or continued thing ; and if for absolution , then for confirmation ; and if for ordination , then for both the other . so 1 tim. 4. 14. sheweth , that the presbytery did lay hands on timothy in ordination : and if it cease not to this , it ceaseth not to other continuing uses . this much from scripture , for imposition of hands , is more then nothing , though it may not be so full as you expected : but on the contrary , nothing is brought to prove it unlawfull , that 's worth the mentioning . the last thing that i have to do , is to argue from the practice of the church , as the exposition of these texts of scripture . if the universal church of christ have used confirmation by prayer , and laying on of hands , as a practice received from the apostles , and no other beginning of it can be found ; then have we no reason to think the ceremony to be ceased , or to interpret the forementioned scripture , contrary to this practice of the universal church : but the antecedent is true , as i now come briefly to prove , supposing what mr hanmer hath said . it is commonly known , that the ancientest canons of the church do speak of this as the unquestioned practice and duty of the church : so that to recite canons were loss of time in so known a case . and if any say that anointing and crossing were ancient ; i answer , 1. that they were as ancient in the popish use , as the matter of a sacrament , or as necessary signes , is not true , nor proved , but disproved by our writers , against the popish confirmation frequently . 2. nor can it be proved that they were as ancient as indifferent things . 3. we prove the contrary , because they were never used in scripture times , their being no mention of them . 4. so that we bring antiquity but to prove the continuance of a scripture practice , and so to clear the sence of it : but the papists plead the fathers , for that which scripture is a stranger to . if ignatius ad heronem diaconum be genuine , there 's this testimony , nihil sine episcopis operare . sacerdotes enim sunt : tu autem diaconus sacerdotum : illi baptizant , sacrificant , manus imponunt , tu autem ipsis ministra . i recite it out of vshers ' latin copy , as supposed the most pure . tertullian lib. de proscript . cap. 36. appealing to the practice of the apostle john , in the africane churches , mentioneth , as his faith that he taught ; one god the creatour , and jesus christ the sonne of god , and the resurrection of the body , and that he joyned the law and prophets , with the evangelical , and apostolik writings , and thence drunk this faith : and of his practice he saith , aquâ signat , sancto spiritu vestit ; euchristiâ pascit ; as three distinct ordinances . lib. de baptismo cap. 8. having mentioned baptism , ( and the unction joyned to that , and not then to confirmation ) he addeth , de hinc manus imponitur , per benedictionem advocans , & invitans spiritum sanctum . idem de resur . carn . cap. 8. sed & caro abluitur , ut anima emaculetur : caro unguitur , ut anima consecretur : caro signatur , ut & anima muaiatur : caro manus impositione adumbratur , ut & anima spiritu illuminetur . cyprian ad stephan . epist . 72. et ad jubaian , is too much for it . i will not trouble you in citing any writers , since general councels were in use , because their testimony is enough . he that would see such , may read barronius ad an. 35. at large . so much for the proof of the fitness of imposition of hands in confirmation . i come now to the second part of my proposition , viz. that this ceremony is not of such necessity , as that such as scruple it , should be denied liberty of forbearing the reception of it , if they submit to the ministerial tryal and approbation of their profession , and admission , and reception to church priviledges . for proof of this consider , 1. that we do not find that god any where instituted this signe , as a matter of necessity , still without interruption , to be used ; but only that by holy men it was applyed as a convenient signe , or gesture to the works , in which they used it . even as lifting up of hands in prayer was ordinarily used as a fit gesture , not wilfully to be neglected without cause , and yet not of flat necessity ; or as kneeling in prayer , is ordinarily meet , but not alway necessary . we find no more scripture for the one then for the other : which indeed sheweth on one side , how causeless it is to question the lawfullness of it , any more then of listing up the the hands , or kneeling ; and yet how little reason there is on the other side , to make it a matter of flat necessity . 2. as we find that kneeling in prayer , and lifting up the hands were oft omitted , so we find that sometime the holy ghost is given before baptism , or imposition of hands , acts 10. and we find not that the apostles used it to all ( though i confess the negative arguing is infirm , yet it seems not probable , that this was alwaies done . 3. it is somewhat suspicious to find in martyr's description , of the christian churches practices , no mention of this , nor any sacrament , but baptism , and the lords supper , nor any of the roman ceremonies : and irenaeus , and some other are silent in it . 4. god maketh no ceremonies under the gospel so necessary , ( except the two sacraments ) not layeth so great a stress on them as under the law : and therefore we are not to interpret the gospel as laying mens salvation , or the peace of the church on any cerimonies ; unless we find it clearly expressed . 5. for all that i have said from scripture for imposition of hands in confirmation , though the lawfulness of it is proved past doubt , yet the proofe of the duty of using it , is lyable to so many objections , as that i must needs conclude , that the gospel tenderness & the sense of our mutual infirmities , and our care of tender consciences and of the churches peace , should restrain all the sons of piety and peace , from making it a matter of flat necessity , and forcing them that scruple it , to submit to it . and now having said thus much of imposition of hands , and confirmation , as grounded on the apostles example ; i must againe and againe remember you , that this is in a manner but ex aebundanti , and that the cause that i am pleading , doth not at all need it ; but that i did before most clearly manifest the truth of my position upon other grounds , upon which i shall proceed : and having shewed the necessity of ministerial judging of mens profession , and the personal covenanting of the adult , and the lawfullness of imposing hands therein , i go on as to the manner . prop. 14. though in receiving adult persons out of infidelity by baptism into the church ; a sudden profession without any stay to see their reformation , may serve tu●n ; yet in the receiving those that were baptized heretofore , into the number of adult-members , or to the priviledges of such , their lives must be enquired after , which must be such as do not confute their profession . vve find in scripture , that the converted were suddenly baptized , and they stayed not for any reformation of life to go before . indeed the ancient chrches aferwards kept their catechumens long in expectation ; but that was not to see their lives first reformed , but that they might have time to teach them the doctrine of christ , which they must know before they could be converts indeed . the apostles did suddenly baptize , converted jews and proselites , because they had so much preparatory knowledg , as that a shorter teaching might acquaint them with the christian doctrine . but the heathens must belong in learning so much as the jews knew before conversion . yet if the catechumens did fall into gross sinne in time of their expectation and learning , they were so much the longer delayed , because it signifyed , that their first professed desires of entering into the church , upon christs terms , were not right . but the baptized stand upon other terms : for 1. they are already in covenant with god the father , sonne , and holy ghost ; and have renounced the flesh , the world , and the devil , and promised obedience to god , and to live according to their covenant . and this the church hath still required of them , as i shewed out of justin martyr , and others before * dionysius ( or whoever else ) in lib : de hierarch eccles . saith , ipse autem se omnino ea quae tradentur , sequuturum esse pollicetur : and ex eo praeterea quaerit , num ita instituat vivere , cum promisit asseverationibus , &c. upon which saith albaspinaeus , quia scilicet fidem christianam , christianumque vivendi genus , & mores , sese complexos persequnturisque jucabant , antequam baptizarentur . ( in tertul. de paenit . pag. 289. ) & postea . non accedebant ad baptismum nisi de rebus fidei plane instructi , id est , de dei magnitudine , & potestate rebusque quae in evangeliis continentur , uno excepto eucharistiae mysterio ; neque baptizabantur , nisi post quam ea omnia se credere jurassent , quorum fides a fide poenitentiae incipiebat , &c. et in sequ . jucabant in baptismo solennibus verbis , se nunquam * peccaturos ; deinde renunciabant diabolo & pompis ejus . denique censurâ , si peccarent post baptismum coercebantur . so that men that are engaged in covenant with god , must keep covenant , or manifest themselves penitent , for the violation of it , before they are admitted to further priviledges . there is a long time , in which they grow up from an infant-state to an adult ; and how they live in that time , must be enquired after . 2. otherwise the apostate would have equal acceptance and priviledges with the faithfull . 3. and so penitence and absolution would be excluded and confounded with meer confirmation . 4. moreover the baptized are obliged to be responsible for their lives , being under the government of christs ministers , and among his saints . 5. for the sake of their own souls , and of the church and ordinances , we must endeavour to preserve them from corruption , which lying professions would introduce ; and therefore must not overlook , or neglect such evidence as is within our reach . 6. else ministers that are by office to judg of their profession , would be unfaithfull judges , and forfeit their trust , if they shall wilfully neglect any evidence within their cognisance , by which they may be enabled to judge . but yet it is not the certainty of inward saving grace , that we must find out by mens lives ; for no man can have such certainty of another : but only that their lives be not such , as null and invalidate , and confute their profession , and they live not in the perfidious violation of their baptismal covenant . prop. 15. it is not of flat necessity that the profession of the expectant be made in the open congregation , or before many , in order to his confirmation and admittance . proved , 1. it is not of necessity , that converted infidels be admitted by baptism into the state of adult-members , upon a publique profession in a congregation : therefore it is not of necessity , that others be so admitted in confirmation . the antecedent is proved by the instance of the eunuch , acts 8. whom philip baptized in their way , and the jaylour and his houshold , acts 16. baptzed in the night at home . the consequence is proved by the propriety of reason and case . 2. if a man may by confirmation be admitted into the number of adult christians , in the church universal , without being admitted into a particular church , then his profession and admission need not ( in that case ) to be before the congregation : but the antecedent is true : as i prove thus . a man may by adult baptism , be admitted first into the universal church only : ( as was the eunuch , the jaylour , lydia , sergius paulus , and every first convert in any city , where the apostles came : ) therefore a man may by confirmation be admitted into the number of the adult , in the catholick church only : for the reason is the same , and the former admitteth them into the same number . the consequence of the major is plain . for no one congregation more then another , can claim the cognisance of the admission of a member into the universal church , or confirming them in it . 3. scripture hath no where made such publique admission to be of constant necessity : therefore it is not so . 4. else none could be admitted , or confirmed when persecution hindereth church assemblies . 5. the church is to believe and trust the pastours , to whom it doth by office belong to try and admit them . 6. general unfixed ministers may thus try , approve , and confirm , who are not pastours of any particular church : ( such as apostles , evangelists , and others were : ) therefore they are not alwaies to do it before a particular church : nor indeed did they alway do so . prop. 16. when a person is admitted among the adult-members af a particular church ; as well as the vniversal , his profession and admission must be either before the church , or satisfactorily made known to the church at least , who must approve of it by a judgment of discretion , in order to their communion with him : and this among us is the ordinary case ; because it is the duty of all that have opportunity , to joyn themselves to some particular church ; and it is in such churches , that communion in publique worship and order must be had , either statedly , or transiently and temporarily . 1. the solemnity it self of our transition into the number of adult-members , and their communion , is of very great advantage , as i shall manifest more anon . 2. we that are commonly against the private admission of infants ( at least except in some urgent case ) have less reason to be for the private transition and admission of men among the adult , and that into a particular governed church . 3. the whole society among whom such a person is entered , do owe him much duty and brotherly assistance : they must love him with a special love : they must live , though not in a levelling , yet in a charitable community with him , not shutting up the bowels of compassion from him , when they see him in want , but relieving him , as if they sufferd with him : they are not only to love him , and relieve him as a man ; but as one of christ's little ones , or friends ; yea as his brethren , yea as loving and relieving christ in them , matth. 25. 35. to the end . they must receive and relieve a disciple in the name of a disciple . besides this , they must have church-union and communion with him , as one body ; and must pray for him , and rejoice with him in gods praises , and the lords supper , and watch over him , and admonish and reprove him in sinne , for his recovery ; and avoid him if he walk disorderly , and be impenitent in scandalous sinne , &c. now 1. no man can perform all this duty , to a man that he knoweth not to be thus related to him : if he know not that he owes him this duty , any more then to any one else in the world , how shall he pay it him ? to say that we are bound to take all men , that converse with us , to be such ; is to say , that christians must renounce their witts , and turn the church into bedlam . 2. and as this proves , that the church-members must be made known to one another , so it proves that they must have a judgment of discretion in receiving them : ( though the pastours have the judgment of governing direction . ) for 1. god hath not left the pastours at liberty , to take in whom they please ; but hath described what profession they shall accept , or what persons they shall admit , and whom they shall reject . if therefore the pastours go against the word of god , then this following is the peoples duty : 1. if they know not the errour , or the case be doubtfull , they are to rest in obedience to their pastours , ( for that 's undoubtedly their duty ) the work being the pastours and not theirs . 2. but if the case be plainly contrary to the scripture , ( as if he would admit an impenitent drunkard , fornicatour , &c. ) they must disown his sinne , that it lie not upon them , and refuse private familiarity with that person ; but not withdraw from publick ordinances , because of his presence . for when they have done their duty , and rid themselves of the guilt by a dissent , the person is to them as morrally absent , though locally and physically present ; and the ordinance is not defiled to them by his corporal presence ; but the guilt will lie on the rulers of the church : otherwise , all churches should be broken in pieces , if the people must seperate , when every one that they are confident is unworthy is introduced : and the governed will become the governours . 3. but if it be not a few that the pastours thus introduce against the certain word of god ; but so many and such as will corrupt the substance of the church , and make it an uncapable matter for the form , and so to become another thing , and destroy the very ends of church-association , so that it is no longer a communion of saints ; then the people fearing god , are bound to stop this before it have quite corrupted the church , by admonishing the pastours , and advising with neighbour churches to admonish them ; and if that prevail not , by rejecting them : and if they cannot do so , by reason of a major vote of uncapable persons , they ought to withdraw themselves , and worship god in such a church as is truly capable of the name and ends : and this is a lawfull and necessary separation ; of which as it is a duty , god is the cause ; and as it is a forsaking of the rest , the culpable cause is only in themselves . i can easily prove all this , but that i think it needless tediousness . 4. and indeed it would be very hard measure , if at the corrupt administration of a carnal , or carless , or erroneous pastour , all the church must be under an obligation to give their estates by way of relief to every one , that he will put the name of a christian and church member upon unworthily : then may he force them to maintaine all the beggars and rogues about them , though they were infidels and impious men . i speak not of the common relief of the needy ; for that i know they owe to an infidel : but of the special community , which charity must make among the disciples of christ . it 's against all reason , that an erring or careless pastour , shall thus command all the peoples estates , by introducing such without their consent , whom they are bound thus to maintaine . 5. yea indeed , the spirit of god , is in the saints , a spirit of discerning ; so that it is not possible that all the church should in their affections obey such a corrupt administratour , by loving all the notorious , ungodly men , as saints , with the special love of brethren , whom he will carelesly , or erroneously put in the place of saints . i cannot possibly love that man as a saint , or disciple of christ , that i am certain is his enemy , and none such . i conclude therefore , that though the people be not church-governours by a vote ( that 's a great errour ) yet they have a judgment of discerning , according to which , they must obey , or reject their pastours administrations . and he that denyeth this , and would have them yield an absolute obedience , without trying , choosing and refusing , would not only make the pastours to be of a papal streine , but would give them a jesuitical obedience , above what the moderate papists give the pope . and therefore seeing that ad finem there is a necessity that the people consent , ( or else they cannot obey , nor hold communion with the person ) therefore there is also the same necesity ad finem that they have satisfaction offered them , and have either the cognisance of the profession , and admission of the person , or that they be satisfied in the fidelity of their pastours in administration , and that he seek their consent ; or ( which is best ) that some chosen persons do represent them , and be present at such professions with the pastours ; and the pastours , and their own delegates together , do acquaint the congregation of all that are admitted , and of their satisfactory prfession , that they may hold communion with them . this i speak of those ( which are very many ) that are fit for church-communion , and yet through bashfullness , or want of utterance , are unable to make a publike profession before all ( the choisest christians that i have known , have been such : ) but those that are able , should rather in publike make their own profession . object . but what if one part of the congregation approve of the person and profession , and the other disallow it ? answ . 1. they are to be governed by the pastours . 2. and consult with the pastours of neighbour church●● , in rules of great weight aed danger . 3. and the lesser part of the church , in doubtfull cases , and tollerable differences , is to yield to the greater part : not as if a major vote had the government of the rest ( much less of their governours ; ) but in order to vnity the fewer must submit . quest . but what if the people would have the pastour baptize , confirm , or introduce an open hereticke , or wicked person in his impenitency ? answ . the pastour must obey god , and refuse to obey them . quest . and what if the people think a man unfit , whom the pastour would approve and introduce ? answ . 1. he may admit him into the universal church : notwithstanding their unjust refusall . 2. he hath power to admit him into that particular church , against their unjust dissent , as he is the ruler of the church , and the administratour of the ordinances . 3. he hath authority to perswade and command them from christ , to hold communion with the person , and do their duty to him : which if they do not they commit a double sinne : one of unjustice and uncharitableness , in a causless rejecting of a member of christ ; and another of disobedience , against the fifth commandement . 4. but yet the pastours cannot force the people to obey their advice , and command , nor effectually procure it perhaps . 5. and therefore their forementioned power is not alwaies to be exercised . for it is in vaine to use a means , that will rather hinder the end then attain to it ; and so is at that time , no means . sometimes the pastour may see just cause to exercise all this power , and execute his part of church communion with the person , in administring the ordinances to him , and leave the people answerable to god , for refusing their part : but this is not an usual case : usually , if he see the people resolve against communion , with that person ( how fit soever , ) he is publickly to cleare himself by disallowing them in their sinne , and reproving them for it , and leaving the blame on them ; and then in prudence to forbear the intruding of the person ; because no duty is at all times a duty to be performed ; and especially when the hurt that will follow upon it , in the divisions of the church , is like to be far greater then the good , if it be done . 6. but if the church should be so corrupted , as that the major vote doth set against faith and godlines as such , and so will not admit a sound member to be added to them , the pastour with the minor part , may after due admonition and patience , as justly reject the guilty and obstinate , as if they were but one man , and not a major part . what is said of this case of admission , holds also of rejection by excommunication , and of other antecedent acts of discipline . 4. lastly , if excommunication must usually be done in publique , before the whole church , that they may know whom to avoid , and know the reason of it ; then admission must usually be done in publique ( the person or the pastour , opening the case to the people ) that they may know whom to have communion with ; and know the reason of of it : but the antecedent is confessed by almost all . and it s proved plainly by paul's practice and direction , 1 cor 5. throughout : and it was the custom of the christian churches in tertullians daies , apolog. cap. 39. there also ( in the christian meeting for worship ) are exercised exhortations , castigations and the divine censure : for judgment is passed with great deliberation , or weight , as with men that are assured of the presence , or sight of god : and it is the highest representation of the judgment to come , if any one so offend , as that he be discharged , or banished from communion of prayer , and of the assembly , and of all holy commerce , or fellowship . abundance more out of cyprian , and others might be easily produced , to prove that this which i have spoken , was the ancient interest of the people in these church-affaires : yea in the choise of their pastours , yea and in rejecting unworthy pastours , cyprian saith , they had a chief interest : not by ruling power , but by a prudent exercise of obedience , choosing the good , and refusing the evil . self-preservation is naturall to every body , where it is not by evil means , and to the hurt of the publike state. it 's hard if a natural body may not lawfully refuse , or cast up poison , if a governour should give it them . god bindeth none to the perdition of their souls ; nor any holy society to destroy it self , or suffer it self to be destroyed , or corrupted by others , without the use of all just means , to resist the bane . but of this i shall desire the reader , that would know the judgment and practice of the ancient church , to peruse dr blondel de jure plebis in regimine ecclesiast . adjoyned to that excellent piece of grotius de imperio summarum pot●statum circa sacra . this much may satisfie you , that it should not be usually a secret but a solemn transition from an infant-state of membership , into an adult-state ; and that by a publike profession or notification of it , the particular church should have satisfaction herein . prop 17. it is convenient , though not of necessity , that every church do keep a register , of all that are admitted thus into the number of the adult-members . as we were wont to keep a register of the infants baptized , so have we as much reason , of the adult , approved and confirmed or restored . corporations of old , were wont to keep a book of the names of their burgesses or citizens : in respect to which , god is said to have a book of life , wherein he writes mens names , and out of which he blots them , speaking after the manner of men . the church hath great reason for this practice , the business being of so great weight ; that we forget not who are of our communion : which without a register , in great congregations , must needs be done . if any be so vaine , as to demand a scripture proofe of this ; let him first bring me a scripture-proofe , that he may read with spectacles , or write a sermon from the preachers mouth , or use notes in the pulpit , or print , &c. and then i will give him proofe of this : in the mean time , if this do not satisfie him , he shall have liberty to disuse it . prop. 18. those that were never thus ministerially and explicitly approved , confirmed or absolved ( after an ungodly life , ) but have been permitted without it , to joyne ordinarily with the church in prayer and praises , and have been admitted to the communion of the church , in the lords supper , are approved and confirmed , eminently though not formally : though in so doing , both the pastours and themselves did sin against god , by the violation of his holy order . so that such may be a true church , though much corrupted or disordered . this i adde for two reasons : 1. to confute them that say our churches are no true churches , for want of an explicite profession . 2. and to acquaint you who it is among us , that are , or are not to be called to confirmation . 1. it is not the degree of clearness and openness in our profession , or in the ministerial approbation or admission , that is essential to a church-member . an obscure profession may be truly a profession . some obscure profession , hath been ordinarily made by our people in this land heretofore , by their ordinary hearing the word , and standing up at the recital of the creed ; and joyning with the church in prayer and praise , and confessing the scriptures to be the word of god , and acknowledging the ministry : and a further profession they made , by actual receiving the lords supper , which is a silent profession of their faith in christ . and though they were not solemnly approved and confirmed , ( except that one of many , had a cerimonious confirmation from the bishop in their childhood ) yet were they actually admitted to daily communion with the church , and the special part of communion in the lords supper . and though this profession and admission was lamentably defective , ( of which more anon ) yet it is such as may prove our ordinary assemblies to have been true churches . 2. and i do not think it fit , that any that have been already admitted to church-communion in the lords supper , should be now called out to confirmation , by imposition of hands ; though where there is just cause to question their knowledg , faith , or lives , they may by the postour be called to give an account of them ; and put upon a clearer profession then they have yet made : but sure when they have been admitted to the lords supper , by any regular ministry and church , they are to be taken for adult-members , till they are justly cast out , or do cast out themselves . for the more perfect doth include the less perfect in it : if a man be ordained a presbyter , that was never ordained deacon , he is not to be called back againe and made a deacon . if you make a man free of your trade , before he was ever bound prentice ; you cannot call him back againe , and bind him prentice after this . if the university give a man the degree of doctor of divinity , or master of arts , that never took degree of batchelour of divinity , or of arts , they cannot afterwards call him back to take his batchelours degree . if you have irregularly admitted the untryed , unapproved , unconfirmed to the lord supper , you have eminenter , though not formaliter confirmed and approved him though irregularly . of this more anon . prop. 19. so exceeding great and many are the mischiefs that have befallen us , by the neglect of a solemn meet transition from an infant , into the adult church state , and which undoubtedly will continue , till this be remedyed , that all magistrates , ministers , and people , that dissemble not , in professing themselves to be christians , should with speed and diligence attempt the cure. let us here take a view of the case of our nation , and congregations , and then consider of the effects and consequents . all the people of our parishes , ( except anabaptists ) do bring their children to be baptized ; which if it were faithfully done , were a happy means of an early engagement unto christ , and a happy enterance upon further mercy . ) multitudes of those know not what baptism is , nor to what use and end it is appointed , nor what benefit their children may receive by it : ( i speak upon too sure and large experience ) nor do they know what christianity is , nor who jesus christ is , nor what it is , that they are to do in baptism : but there they make a promise customarily , as they are bid , in words not understood , that they will acquaint their children at age with the covenant there made ( which they never understood themselves ) and that they will educate them in godliness , when they hate godliness at the heart . and when they come home , they performe their promise accordingly : they teach them nothing of the doctrine of christianity , and the life to come , but they give them up to the flesh and the world , which there in words they did renounce ; and they teach them by their daily examples to curse , and swear , and raile , and to be proud and covetuous , and voluptuous , serving their bellies in stead of god ; and hateful reproaching a godly life , instead of teaching it their children . these children are customarily brought to the assemblies , where they heare the plainest teaching , without understanding , or regarding it , and grow hardened under daily reproofs and exhortations ; living as their parents taught them , some in gross ignorance and worldlyness , without any signes of godlyness , further then to come to church ; some in drunkenness , some in whoredom , abundance in a malignant hatred of a holy life , making them that use it the common scorne , and taking them for the hatefullest persons in the parish , or country where they live : for custome sake , and to quiet their conscience in their sinne , they will come to the lords table , if they be admitted by the pastour , and may have it in their mode and way : and if a minister shall desire them to come to him first , that he may understand their knowledg and profession , they scorn it ; and ask him by what authority he would examine them , and what proof he hath that men must be examined , before they be admitted to the lords supper ? and some self-conceited , half-witted writers have taught them this lesson , and made ministerial tryal and approbation●odious to them . but because they were once baptized , and have since come to hear and joyne with us in the assembly , therefore they think that they have right to all ordinances , and are true christians and adult members of the church ; and also exempt from the government of the pastours , that require them to submit to the means of their own good . in the bishops daies , some few of them were confirmed : ( in the country where i lived , about one of ten or twenty ) and what that was , and how it was done i can tell you , but what i once made tryall of . when i was a schoole-boy , about 15 years of age , the bishop coming into the country , many went in to him to be confirmed : we that were boies , runne out to see the bishop among the rest , not knowing any thing of the meaning of the business : when we came thither , we met about thirty or fourty in all , of our own stature and temper , that had come for to be bishopt , as then it was called : the bishop examined us not at all in one article of the faith ; but in a church-yard , in hast , we were set in a rank , and he past hastily over us , laying his hands on our head , and saying a few words , which neither i nor any that i spoke with , understood ; so hastily were they uttered , and a very short prayer recited , and there was an end . but whethey we were christians or infidels , or knew so much as that there was a god , the bishop little knew , nor enquired . and yet he was one of the best bishops esteemed in england . and though the canons require , that the curate or minister send a certificate that children have learnt the catechism ; yet there was no such thing done , but we runne of our own accord to see the bishop only ; and almost all the rest of the county , had not this much : this was the old careless practice of this excellent duty of confirmation . some few ( perhaps halfe a parish in the best places ) will send their children to church , to be catechized yet ; but even those few that learn the words for the most part understand not what they say ▪ and are as ignorant of the matters , as if they never learnt the words . this is the common way , by which our parishes come to be churches , and our people to be christians ; supposing some to be mixt among them , that are more faithfully devoted to god in baptism , and better educated , in the feare of god. 2. now let us see what are the real , visible , undenyable fruits of this defective sinful course . because men build upon this fundamental falshood , that infant baptism upon the parents profession , doth give them right to the church-state and priviledges of the adult , without any personal profession and covenanting with god , when they come to the use of reason , which the church must have cognisance of ; and so they that entred somewhat more regularly into an infant church state , do become adult-members secretly , unobservedly , and no body well knows how : hereupon it followeth , 1. that our churches are lamentably corrupted and diseased , ( though they are true churches , and have life in them ) while they are made so like the unbelieving and ungodly world ; and the garden of christ is made too like the common wilderness for heathens , and impious persons , and all sorts of the unclean ( almost ) are the members of them , where parishes , or parish-meetings are made convertible with churches . i would make the case neither worse nor better then it is . till within these few years , i knew but very imperfectly how it is , and i thought the case had been better with some , and worse with others then i have found it upon tryall . and had i not set upon the duty of personal instruction , i should never have known the state of the people : but now we have dealt with them almost all in private personally , i shall truly tell you the state of this parish , by which you may conjecture at the rest of the nation . i know not a congregation in england that hath in it proportionably so many that fear god : and yet our whole parish consisteth of all these sorts following . 1. among eight hundred families , there are about five hundred persons , such as the vulgar call precise , that are rated to be serious professours of religion , ( or perhaps somewhat more ) these live in unity , and seem to me to seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness ; and are of as peaceable , harmless , humble spirits , and as unanimous without inclination to sects , or ostentation of their parts , as any people i know . 2. besides these there are some of competent knowledg and exterior performances , and lives so blameless , that we can gather from them no certain proofe , or violent presumption that they are ungodly , or that their profession is not sincere . so many of these joyning with the rest , as make about six hundred , do own their church-membership , and consent to live under so much of church-order and government , as unquestionably belongeth to presbyters to exercise , and to be my pastoral charge . 3. besides these , there are some that are tractable and of willing minds , that by their expressions seem to be ignorant of the very essentials of christanity ; which yet i find to have obscure conceptions of the truth , when i have condescendingly better searcht them , and helped them by my enquiries . these also ( as weak in the faith ) we receive . * 4. some there are that are of competent understandings , and of lives so blameless , that we durst not reject them ; but they hold off themselves , because they are taught to question , if not to disown our administrations ; for all that , we give liberty to all that in tollerable things do differ . 5. some there are , that are secret heathens , believing with aristotle , that the world was from eternity ; making a scorn of christ , and moses , and heaven , and hell , and scripture , and ministers , and all religion ; thinking that there is no devill , no immortality of the soul , or everlasting life : but this they reveale only in secret , to those that they find capable , by viciousness , unsetledness , or any malignity , or discontent against the godly , or the orders of the church : and yet for the hiding of their minds , they will hear and urge us to baptize their children , and openly make the most orthodox confessions , and secretly deride it when they have done , as i can prove . and this is the only differing party among us , in judgment and designe , that is in danger of leavening many , that god forsaketh . 6. many there are that have tollerable knowledg , and live in some notorious , scandalous sins : some in gross covetuousness , and these will not be convinced : some in common drunkenness , and those will confess their faults , and promise amendment a hundred times over , and be drunk within a few daies againe ; and thus have spent the most part of their lives : some in as constant ●ipling , drinking as great a quantity , but bearing it better away : some in ordinary swearing , cursing , ribaldry , whoredomes sometimes . many in neglect of all family-duties , and the lords day : and some in hatefull , bitter scorns at prayer , holy conference , church-order and holy living , and the people that use it ; sometimes rising up in tumults against the officers that endeavour to punish a drunkard , or sabboth breaker , and rescuing them , and seeking the ruine of the officers . 7. some there are that are of more tractable dispositions , but really know not what a christian is : that heare us from day to day , yea and some few of them learn the words of the catechism , and yet know not almost any more , then the veryest heathen in america . they all confess , that we must mend our lives , and serve god : but they know not that god is eternal , or that christ is god , or that he is man , but say , he is a spirit ; some say neither god nor man ; some say god and not man ; some say man and not god : abundance say , he was man on earth , but now he is not : abundance know not what he came to do in the world : nor that there is any satifaction made for sinne , but what we must make our selves ; and they tell me , they trust to nothing for pardon and salvation , but gods mercy , and their good serving him ( which is only saying every night and morning in bed , or as they undress them , the lords prayer ▪ and the creed for a prayer , and comming to church . ) they say openly , they do not know of any surety that we have , or any that hath borne the punishment of our sinne , or suffered for us : and when i repeat the history of the incarnation , life , death , and resurrection of christ to them , they stand wondering , and say , they never heard it before : what the holy ghost is , they know not : nor what sanctification , faith , or justification is : nor what baptism is ; nor the lords supper ; nor to what use , but in general , for our salvation . what a church is , they know not ; nor what is the office of pastour or people , save only to preach and hear , and give and receive the sacraments . if i ask them what christianity is , the best answer is , that it is a serving god as well as we can , or as god will give us leave . so that there is scarce an article of the creed , or very few that they tolerably understand . nay one of about fourescore yeares of age ( now dead ) thought christ was the sunne , that shineth in the firmament ; and the holy ghost was the moone . 8. many there be , that joyne this heathenish ignorance , and wicked obstinacy together ; hating to be instructed ; scorning to come neer me , to be taught , and to be told of their sinne , when they come . they will raile at us bitterly behind our backs , if we will not let them have their own will and way about the sacraments , and all church-affaires : but they will not submit to that teaching , that should bring them to know what christ or christianity is . 9. some there be that are of tollerable knowledg , and no drunkards , nor whoremongers that the world knoweth of , but of more plausible lives , and have some formes of prayer in their families : but yet live in idle or tipling company , or spend their lives in vanity , and hate more a diligent serving of god , and heavenly life , then the open drunkars do : these make it their work to possess people with a hatred of strict professours , and of our churches and administrations , and to that end get all the books that are written for admitting all to the lords table , that they can light of ; and contrary to the authors meanings , they make them engines to harden others in their impiety , and hatred of reformation : the like use they make of the writings of man●y dissenting divines , about church-governemnt ; or any from whence they may fetch matter of reproach against the pastours and ordinances among us . 10. another sort there are , that are deeply possest with a conceit , that god having determined before we are borne , whether we shall be saved or not , it is in vaine to strive ; for if we be predestinated , we shall be saved what ever we do ; and if we be not , we shall not , what ever we do ; and that we can do nothing of our selves , nor have a good thought , but by the grace of god , and if god will give it us , we shall have it ; and the devil cannot prevaile against him ; but if he will not give it us , it 's in vaine to seek it ; for it is not in him that willeth , nor in him that runneth , but in god that sheweth mercy ; and therefore they give up themselves to security and ungodliness , because they cannot do nothing of themselves . and thus by misunderstanding some texts of scripture , and abusing some truths of god , they are hardened in ungodliness , thinking that all is long of god : and they will not so much as promise reformation , nor promise to use the means , because they say , they cannot tell whether god will put it into their hearts : and it is all as he will. 11. besides these , there is one or two honest , ignorant professours , that are turned anabaptists , and joyne with the church of them in the next parish . 12. and some papists are among us ; and whether only those that stay from the assemblies , i cannot say . of these twelve sorts of people , this parish is composed ; which i therefore mention , that the state of our parishes may be truly known ; while others are compared with this : for every one hath not had the opportunities which i have had , to know all their people , or the most . and now if all these are fit to go for christians , then must we make a new kind of christianity ; and a new gospel , and a new christ . and if all these are fit to be church-members , then we must make a new kind of churches ? and why then may not those be christians and church-members , that never heard of the name of christ , as well as many of these ? 2. by this untried entrance of all sorts into our churches , we bring a dishonour on the very christian name , and so on the lord jesus himself , and on his gospel and holy waies . christianity is not a matter of meer opinion : christ came not into the world only to perswade men to have high thoughts of him , but to save his people from their sinnes , and to destroy the works of the devil . and when the church of christ shall be turned into a den of thieves , or a sty of swine , what a great dishonour is it to the lord ? as if we would perswade the world , that his servants are no holier then others , and differ but in an opinion from the world . christ needeth not disciples , and therefore will not take in all that refuse to come upon his terms ; but hath fixed his terms , and will have only those that will yield to them . though i abhorre the rigor of the contrary extreame , that would make the church narrower then it is , and pinne it up in so small a number , as would tempt men to doubt of christianity it self ; and teacheth men to exclude their bretheren , meerly because they are themselves uncharitable judges , when they are not able to disprove their profession ; yet must i also detest this horrible dishonouring of the lord , as if his body were no better than the army of the devil . 3. and by this means the heathens , jews , mahometans and all infidels are exceedingly hindred from believing in christ ; when they can say as the turks , when men question their fidelity ; what ? dost thou think i am a christian ? he that knows any thing of religious affaires , knoweth that commonly the first thing that draweth men to any party , is the liking of the persons and their practices ; from whence they grow to enquire with inclination into their doctrines . the ancient christians that lived before the daies of constantine , did bring christianity into reputation by their holiness , and god was then more eminently seen among them . but when the countenance of the emperour , and worldly advantages had drawn in all men to the church , and the bishops did set the door too wide open , christianity lookt like another thing , and that inundation of wickedness overspread the church , which salvian and so many more complaine of . our likeliest way to win the jews , and all infidels to the church , is by shewing them the true nature of christianity in the church-members . 4. hereby also we confound the ancient order of catechumens , or expectants with the true members of the church , and lay the church and the porch , yea and the church-yard , if not the commons , all together . by which also our preaching and administrations are confounded : so that whereas the ancient churches had their common sermons ( and some prayers ) which were fitted to the unconverted or expectants ; and had also both doctrine , praiers , praises , and other worship , proper to the church ( especially on the lords daies ) we must now speak to all , and joyn with all ; and the church , and the enemies of the church must sing the same praises , as if they were one body . and god is not the god of confusion but of order in the churches . he that put two sorts of preaching and doctrine into the apostles commission , matth. 28. 19 , 20. one for making disciples and another for the edifying and guidance of disciples , did never intend , that these should be confounded . 5. and then by this means , the souls of millions of poore people are deprived of the great benefits of the ordinances and administrations suitable to their state . the begetting word goeth before the feeding , strengthning word , even before the milk for babes . the laying of the foundation must go before our building thereon . every one will thrive best in his own element and place . a fish will not prosper on dry land , nor a man under water . the womb is the only place for the embrio and unborn child , though not for those that have seen the sun. if you will break the shell before the chicken be hatcht , that you may hasten its production , or honour it with a premature association with the rest that see the sunne , your foolish charity will be the death of it . and so deale abundance of mistaken zealots with the souls of men ; who cry out against the wisest and most conscionable ministers , as if they were unchristning the people , and undoing the world , because they would feed them with food convenient for them , and will not be such hasty midwives , as to cast the mother into her throws , if not rip her up , that shee may have the child at her breasts , which should yet be many daies or moneths in the womb . moreover they thus cause our people , to lose all that benefit of preparations , and solemn engagement to christ : of which more anon among the benefits . 6. by this means also the souls of our poor people are deluded , and they are made believe that they are christians when they are not , and in a state of salvation , when it 's no such thing . as mr thorndicke saith ( as aforecited ) no man is to be admitted to the assemblies ( or visible societies of christians ) till there be just presumption that he is of the heavenly jerusalem that is above : — and admitting to , and excluding from the church is , or ought to be a just and lawfull presumption , of admitting to , or excluding from heaven : it is morally and legally the same act that entitleth to heaven , and to the church , that maketh an heir of life everlasting and a christian : — and if so , then what greater mischief can we do the soul of an ungodly man , then so to delude him , by our admitting him into the church , and make him believe he is in a state of salvation , when it 's no such thing ? false faith , and false hopes , are the things that fill hell , and are the common undoing of the world : and all that ever we can do , is too little to cure it . when i bend all my studies and labours , but to make a wicked man know that he is wicked , i cannot procure it . i can make him believe that he is a sinner , but not that he is an unconverted , ungodly sinner , and in a state of condemnation . o the power of blinding self-love ! that will not suffer them to see themselves miserable , when they see themselves sinfull , and all because they would not have it so ; when yet it 's most visible to others . and shall we all joyne to strengthen this potent enemy ? and lay this share , and thrust men headlong into hell , that are running down-hill so fast already : and all under pretence of charity and compassion ? 7. we shall put them by this means into a way , not only of losing the fruit of ordinances , but of misapplying all to the increasing of their deceit : when we preach peace to the true believer , the wicked will misapply it , and say , it belongs to them : when we speak against the unbelievers and ungodly , they 'l think that this is not their part , but bless themselves because they are christians . in our praises they are tempted with the pharisee to thank god , and perhaps for mercies which they never had , as justification , adoption , sanctification , &c. the sacraments by misapplication will confirm them in presumption . and thus as they enter by deceit , among adult-believers , so will they turn all the ordinances of god , and the priviledges of the church to feed that deceit , more effectuall then among the expectants it would have been . 8. but the greatest mischief that troubleth me to think of , is this ; that by this hastening and admitting all the unprepared into the number of adult-christians , and members of the church ; we do either put a necessity upon our selves to throw away church-discipline , or else to be most probably the damnation of our peoples souls , and make them desperate , and almost past all hope , or remedy . i must confess , that what i am saying now , i was not sensible of , till lately that experience made me sensible : while i medled not with publike reproofs or censures , i disputed of these things , without that experience , which i now find is one of the greatest helps to resolve such doubts ; which makes me bold to tell the church , that the practice of so much discipline as we are agreed in , is a likelyer way , to bring us all to agreement in the rest , then all our disputings will do without it : and that i resolve hereafter , to take that man for an incompetent judge , and unmeet disputer about church-discipline , that never exercised it , or lived where it was exercised : and i shall hereafter suspect their judgments , and be almost as loath to follow such , as to follow a swimmer , that never was before in the water , or a pilote that was never before at sea ; or a souldiour that never saw warres before , but have only learned their skill by the book . our case stands thus : if we take all our parishes according to the old church-constitution , to be particular churches , and all the parishiones to be members , then either we must exercise the discipline which christ hath commanded , or not . if not , then we disobey our lord and master , and own such a church , as is utterly uncapable of church-ends , and consequently of the essence , seeing that it is a relative being . for it 's supposed that it is not for any unusual accident , that we cannot exercise this discipline , but from the very church constitution , or incapacity of the matter . and then 1. we shall be traitours to christ , under the name of pastours , if we will wilfully cast out his ministerial , kingly government . 2. we shall betray the church to licentiousness . and 3. we shall set up a new church-way , which is contrary , to that which hath been practised in all ages , from the apostles daies , till impiety had overspread the christian world . he that dare take on him to be an overseer and ruler of the church , and not to oversee and rule it , and dare settle on such a church-state , as is uncapable of discipline , is so perfidious to christ , and ventureth so boldly , to make the church another thing , that i am resolved not to be his follower . but if we shall exercise the discipline of christ upon all in our ordinary parishes , what work shall we make ? i will tell you what work , from so much experience , as that no reasonings can any more perswade me to believe the contrary , then that wormwood is not bitter , or snow not cold . 1. we shall have such a multitude to excommunicate , or reject that it will make the sentence grow almost contemptible by the commonness . 2. we shall so extreamly enrage the spirits of the people , that we shall go in continual danger of our lives : among so many that are publikly reproved , and cast out , it 's two to one , but some desperate villains will be studying revenge . but all this is nothing : but that which sticks upon my heart is this : 3. we shall be the cruellest enemies to the souls of our poor people in the world : and put them the very next step to hell. for as soon as ever we have rejected them , and cast them under publique shame , they hate us to the heart , and either will never heare us more , or heare us with so much harted and malice , or bitterness of spirit , that they are never like to profit by us . if you say that doubtless discipline will have better fruits , if it be an ordinance of god : i answer 1. it 's no time now in the end of the world , to question whether that be an ordinance of god , which scripture speaks for so fully , and so plainly ; and which the catholike church hath so long practised , and that with such severity as it hath done . 2. i know the discipline is of excellent use , and is likely to have excellent effects : but upon whom ? upon such as are fit to come under discipline , and with such i have seen the usefulness of it : but with the rest it makes them next to mad . they that before would patiently hear me , in the plainest , sharpest sermons that i could preach , and would quietly bear any private admonition , when once they are publikly admonished and cast out , are filled with the gall of malice and indignation , and never more likely to profit by a sermon . nay they set themselves with malice , to reproach and oppose , and stir up others ; and fall in to any party , that will receive them that are enemies to the ministry : so that i looke upon some of them , when once they are cast out , almost as if they were already in hell : for they are desperately hardened against any further means of their recovery . 3. yea i am perswaded , that if we exercise christs discipline according to the scripture rule , upon all in the parishes in england , it would endanger a rebellion ; and the rage of the people would make them ready , to take any opportunity to rise up against the soveraigne power , that doth maintaine and protect us ; and if we were not protected , we should soone have enough of it . object . perhaps you 'l say , that publike admonitions , and church censures are not to be easily exercised , nor upon any but notorious , scandalous sinners , and that in case of obstinate impenitency . answ . i am as much against a rash , unnecessary censure , or use of the severity of discipline , as another : i know that a fly must not be killed with a beetle . let it be exercised but according to the parliaments ordinance , called the form of church-government , to be used in the church of england and ireland , aug. 29. 1648. or let it be exercised but with one half , or the sixth part of the severity of the ancient canons of the church , and you shall certainly see the effects that i tell you of . do you think to use it but with few , when impenitent , scandalous sinners are so many ? but perhaps you think to use it only in terrorem or now and then one , and let others alone that are in the same case . but 1. that 's the same disobedience to god , as to use it upon none at all . he that hath commanded us to reject a heretick , to have no company with the disorderly livers , to turn away from scandalous , ungodly men , and not to enter with drunkards , railers , &c. hath not bid us do thus by some some but by all . god 2. condemneth partiality . 3. your partiality will presently be so noted by men , that it will turn to your reproach , and make both you and your discipline odious , when they can say , he cast out one , and forbeareth others in the same case . object . but were there not more offenders then the incestuous man at corinth ? and yet paul casteth out but him . answ . 1. how can you tell how many paul cast out ? 2. doth he not give the church a flat command to cast out and avoid the rest , 1 cor. 5. 11 , 12. when will you make us believe , that paul at that time commanded them to do that which he would not have them do ? 3. corinth had many offendours , whom paul in that epistle reprehendeth : but can you prove that any of them were obstinately impenitent , after admonition ? i know you cannot . bu● perhaps you 'l think that you should by the preparatory , private admonition so bow them , and work upon them , that few of them should be so obstinate as to fall under censure . i answer , you speak this because you never tried , and know not the world . i must presume to tell you ( though to tell you the reasons be unmeet ) that there 's but few men in england must expect more advantages for interest in their people , then i have in mine : and yet all 's nothing , when i come to exercise discipline , and cross their selfish , sensual inclinations . those that will tell me , they are beholden to me for their lives , yet will not heare me when i perswade them to any humbling confession . those that cannot hide their sinne , will confess it , and commit it over and over : will you accept of their private confession for satisfaction , that will publickly slander their neighbours , or be drunk openly every week or month , or swear every day . but many of them will not so much as confess before a few ministers or officers of the church , that they have sinned , but will stand impenitently in it to the last . let me intreat them withall the submissiveness and earnestness that i can , when one hath beat or slandred another , or in the like cases , if i would kneel to them , i cannot get many of them once ( hypocritically ) to say , i am sorry , or i did amiss : and those that do say so , in a cold , hypocritical , heartless manner , will joyne with it such bitter words , against the accuser or reprover , and shew such hatred to those that admonish them , that declareth their impenitency . if you have such extraordinary abilities , to melt and mollifie hardened sinners , more then we have , you are the more unexcusably unfaithful to god and man , that will not use them . and all are not so haypy as to have your conquering parts . for my part i can say in uprightness of heart , that i do what i can do , ( abating those neglects which are the consequents of any frailty ) and if i knew how to do more , i would , with study , preaching , conference , labour or estate ; and yet with abundance i am not able to prevaile , so much as to make them capable of discipline . so that i see plainly by unquestionable experience , that either we must have churches without the discipline of christ , and be rulers without ruling it ; or else we must utterly undo our people , body and soul for ever , and plunge them into a desperate state , and make all our following labous in vaine to multitudes of them : or else we must take another course , then to admit all our parishes to adult church-membership , as was formerly done , without preparation , and fitness for such a state . and yet in their blindness , gentlemen , ministers , and all that plead for common church-membership , pretend to be charitable to the peoples souls , when they are exercising this grievous cruelty . it is just as if in mercy to the schoole-boyes , you should set them , that cannot read english , in the highest form , where they must make orations in latine and greek● , or else be whipt : would they thank you for such advancement . it is as if you should put an ignorant unexercised , cowardly soldier , or one that is but learning to use his armes , into the front of the battaile , for his honour : or as if you should prefer a pupill to be a tutour , or put a freshman in the doctors chaire , or admit a new baptized novice to be a pastour of the church , where the blood of the people shall be required at his hands ; or as if to honour him , you should admit any common marriner to the pilots place , or any apothecary to play the physician to other mens ruine , and his owne shame . if you set such children on horsback , while you pretend their good , you will break their necks . no man is safe out of his own ranck and place : if the husbandman know that every sort of plants and graine , must have their proper soile and season , and the gardner knoweth that several herbs and flowers , must be variously manured , or else they will not prosper ; why should we be less wise in the work of god ? as countrey schooles are seminaries to the academies , so the state of catechumens or expectants is the seminary to the church , and the state of infant church-membership , the seminary to the state of the adult , into which they must be seasonably and solemnly transplanted , when they are ripe and ready , and not before . truly our mercifull hastlings do but yoake untamed bullocks , that are fitter to strive and tyre themselves then to plow ; and do but saddle such wild , unbroken colts , as are liker to break their own and their riders necks , then to go the journy which they are designed for . in the state of expectants , these men may profit by preparing ordinances , and the season may come , when they may fitly be transplanted : but if we put them inter fideles that are infideles , among actual believers , and adult church-members that are not such , nor prepared for the station , we bring them under a discipline which will exasperate them , and turn them to be malignant enemies , and undoe them for ever . the disposition of the matter , must go before the reception of the forme : for undisposed matter will not receive it . as the operation followeth the being , and the disposition , so we must employ every person and thing , in such operations only , as their being and qualification is capable of , and suited to . a due placing of all according to their qualifications , is the chiefest part of our government . misplace but one wheel in your watch , and try how it will go . if any person or thing be not good in his own place , he will be much worse out of in , it the place of his superiour . fire is better in the chimny then in your bed , or upon your table : a good cleark may make but a sorry counseller ; and a good subject may make but an ill magistrate : and many a man becomes the seat of a justice , that would not become the princes throne . if you would not undoe mens souls by a discipline , which they cannot bear ; let them stay in the seminary of expectants , till they are ripe for it . object . but how do the churches of france , holland , geneva and scotland , that have exercised discipline upon all ? answ . 1. must i be sent to another nation to know that which i have made tryall of , and attained the certain knowledg of , at home ? i was never in france , nor at geneva , and therefore i know not what number of obstinate , impenitent , scandalous persons are there , nor how many that know who jesus christ is , nor what a christian , or a church is : but i have been in england , and i partly know what store of these are there , and what usage they will bear , and what not . 2. either other churches have such materials as our parishes , or not . if not , their cause is none of ours : if they have , then either they exercise christs discipline on them faithfully , and impartially or not : if not , then they are not to be imitated by us in their negligence , unfaithfullness , or partiality . if they do , and yet do not undo the people , they have not such a people as ours , or else they have other means to further their ends . 3. the truth is , as in france they are but a people gathered from among the papists , whose church doth drink up most of the scumme ; so the other churches : 1. are too lamentably careless , partial , or defective , in executing their own discipline : and if i should come to think it lawfull , to forbear the execution of it upon nineteene , i should soone think it lawfull to forbear the twentieth : and then what should i think of scripture , and the canons of the universal church . 2. by this neglect it is , that reformed churches have contracted the greatest dishonour that is upon them , while they are sound in doctrine , and have learned pastours , able to confound the romish adversaries ; but alas , too many unmeet church-members . 3. they have ( and scotland had till lately ) the magistrates sword to drive men on , and force them to submit to discipline , which is not our case , nor was the case of the primitive church . it is not there the churches censure that doth the work , but the magistrates sword , no more then it was with our bishops in england . 4. and yet what work a little exercise of discipline made , may appear in the case of calvin , at geneva , when for suspending the sacrament , when the people were in enmity , he was banished geneva , and their dogs called by the name of calvin ; and when the suspending of one bertelerius could put them all into such a flame . object . but fiat justitia & ruat coelum : let us trust god with his owne ordinances : we must do our duty , what ever come of it ? answ . this doth but beg the question : gods ordinances are not for destruction , but edification ; at least as to the multitude of the ungodly , they tend to their conversion , and not to their perdition . is that likely to be gods ordinance , which certain experience telleth us , will put such multitu●es of men into a hopeless case , or next to hopeless ? ministers are appointed to make disciples , and gather men to christ , and further their conversion , and not plunge them into a remediless state , and to hurry them all unprepared into church-communion , that they may be thrust out againe , and brought t● hate the church . it 's anothers work to advance them to the pinacle of the temple , that he may cast them down headlong . and i yet never knew the man , nor saw his face , that practised what this objection pleads for ; and exercised discipline , faithfully on a whole parish . nor do i believe that any man can do it that would ; unless the magistrate do it for him . for he cannot do it without the peoples consent : and if he sentence such to be avoided by the people , they will despise his sentence , and hold communion with them the more , and do as our drunkards do , when one of their companions is put in the stocks , bring him ale and good cheare ▪ and eat , and drink , and make merry with him , if the magistrate restraine them not . object . but excommunication must not be used , till all other remedies will do no good : and when all will do no good , what good will it do such to be kept under other means ? answ . to do good , for the bringing a man out of that sinne , for which he is admonished , is one thing , and to do good , for his information and conversion in the maine , is another thing ; it is the use of discipline , to cure men of the particular sinnes that they are reproved for , rather then to convert them from a state of wickedness in general . 2. nor is excommunication to be deferred , as long as there is any hope by other meanes ; but only till we have used other means in vaine , for such a season as is meet ; that the ends of discipline be not frustrate . for else there should never man be excommunicated : for there is some hope that preaching against his sinne may do him good at last ; though he come drunk to the lords table twenty years together , you cannot say that his conversion is impossible : and yet we must not hereupon deferre the casting out of such a member . but in his expectant state , or among the catechumens , we may beare with him lawfully in his wickedness , without excluding him from among our hearers , and if he heare us seaven years and seaven in vaine , there is yet some hope of his conversion , while he waiteth in his own place and way . and yet i yield this much to the objectours freely , that when fit persons are taken into the church , ( yea or unfit , by negligence ) we must wait with all patience that is consistent with the ends of government , and cutting off must be the last remedie : and that when it is necessary , it must be used , though we see that it 's ten to one , it will plunge the person ( occasionally ) into a worse condition . for the publike ends of discipline , ( the credit of christianity , the preservation of the church , and abundance more ) are to be preferred before the good of that mans soul : and as paena debetur reipublicae , and we cut not off malefactours for their own good , so much as the common-wealths , which by their hurt must be promoted , so is it as to the church . but this must be done but upon a few , for example : and therefore but few that will need this severity , are supposed to be in our communion . and i cannot believe that way to be of god , that would bring such multitudes into this miserable state . object . your very keeping them from the communion of the church , and not approving or confirming them , would as much exasperate them . answ . it 's no such matter . much it may , but not neare so much , as i certainly know by experience : those not admitted heare with hope ; but to the rejected i speak as almost hopeless , except such as were fit to live under discipline , on whom it may have its due effect . 9. and by this admitting all men without tryal and confirmation , to come unobservedly into the state of adult-christians , we breed and feed continual heart burnings against the ministers of christ ; while we are necessitated to do our work upon such unprepared souls . and how much the hatred and contempt of ministers doth conduce to the destruction of the people , satan is not ignorant , that is the diligent promoter of it . 10. by this means also we frustrate our own studies , and ministerial labours , to abundance of our people . partly by deluding them actually , in the reception of them among christians , that really are no christians , and partly by this provocation of their hatred . 11. by this means also we breed and feed abundance of controversies in the church : for when once we displace any parts of the frame , we shall find almost all in pieces , and one errour draweth on so many , that controversies grow numerous , and will never be reconciled by meere words and writings , till we actually set the church in joynt againe . 12. by this course also we lay open the ordinances of god , to a continual prophanation , while abundance that know not who christ is , nor what christianity is , are admitted as christians , to our christian communion : and so themselves are involved in more sinne , and gods own worship turned into provocation ; so that we may feare lest god should frown upon our assemblies , and withdraw the tokens of his presence , and deny his blessing to those prophaned ordinances . though the innocent may still have their share in the blessing , yet may the pastours and the guilty majority , deeply suffer by this great abuse of holy things . 13. by this means also it is that so many scruples are cast in our way , about administrations , and reception of ordinances ; and the comfort of ministers and people in them , is much abated . 14. and i doubt it is a hinderance to the conversion of many sects about us , and of many ungodly ones among us , who if they saw the primitive holiness of churches might be drawn in . 15. and it much corrupteth the communion of saints , and turneth it to another thing ; when this holy communion is so much of our duty and our comfort , and such a representation of heaven it self . 16. and if it be not a practical denial of some of the articles of our faith , it 's well . we say there , that we believe the catholike church to be holy , and that it is a communion of saints , that is by the parts of it , to be exercised . and shall we deny this in our works , which in words we profess . 17. by this means also we dishonour the work of reformation , when we hinder the fruits of it , that should be visible to the world ; and make men believe that it lieth but in a change of bare opinions . they that see no great difference between the reformed and the romanists in their lives , will think it is no great matter , which side they are joyned to . it 's noted by some protestant writers , that when luther opposed popery in germany , abundance of the common licentious people , that were weary of popish confessions , and penances , did joyne with those that were truly conscientious , and dishonoured the reformation by their lives , though they increased the number , and did the service as erasmus his gospeller , that used to carry a bottle of wine , and erasmus new testament , with great brass bosses , and when he disputed with a papist , knockt him about the pate with the bible , and so confuted him . 18. and by this means we give the papists more roome then they should have , to reproach our churches , and glory comparatively of the holiness of theirs . though i know that their glory is exceeding unreasonable , and that our impurities are no more to theirs , then a few boiles to a leprosie ; yet we do ill to give them so much occasion , as we do , who are ready to make the worst of all . 19. by this means also we leave all sects , to quarrel with us , and dispute against us , even whether we be true churches of christ or not , because our adult-profession and covenant is no more express , and discernable , then it is . and though we have enough to prove our selves a church , yet do we leave them under their temptations , and our selves under the obloquy . and indeed we perversly maintain our own dishonour , while we think it a condition to be rested in , if we can but prove our selves true churches ; when our learned divines do give as much to the romanists themselves , though not as papal , yet as christian . a leper is a true man , and yet his cure is a thing to be desired . 20. lastly , by this means also we tempt many well meaning people among us , to a dangerour separation from us , and to fly from our churches , as if they would fall on their heads ; and we too much harden those that are already separated : and all because we will not yield to the healing of our own diseases , or will do little or nothing to procure it . i know these men have no just ground for their hard conclusions , and censures of us ; but we have little reason to give them this occasion , and cast a stumbling-block in the way of so many precious souls . to what is here briefly thrust together , if the reader will adde the twelve reasons , in my christian concord , pag. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. and what 's said in my book of right to sacraments , where these matters , or those that sustaine them , are handled more at large , i suppose he may easily be convinced , that the former church-governours , in england , have been lamentably negligent , and our churches by their means are much disordered , and that the present ministers should be more forward , and diligent , and unanimous for the cure , and that the magistrate , if he love the church of christ , and the souls of men , should speedily afford his help , and all too little to remedy these great and many evils , which we have let in , by suffering such a loose , unobserved transition from the state of infant church members , or from apostacy , into the number of adult-members , without approved profession and confirmation . prop. 20. so many and great are the benefits , that would follow the general practice of this duty , of trying , approving , and confirming ( or absolving ) all those that enter into the number of adult christians , that it should mightily provoke all christian magistrates , ministers , and people , to joyne in a speedy and vigorous execution of it . 1. one excellent fruit of this practice , will be the great increase of knowledge , and godliness , and the destruction of ignorance , and notorious impiety . this is an effect , most apparent in the causes . when men are made to understand , that by the law of god , seconded by the common consent of the church , and the most learned , godly pastours , and ( if it may be ) by the law of the land ; no man is to be accounted , or numbered with adult-christians , but those that make a sober , serious ; understanding profession of christianity , renouncing the flesh , the world , and the devil , and not contradicting , and nullifying this profession , by a wicked life ; this will engage parents , to teach their children , and children themselves to learn what christianity is , when they cannot have the name , or the honour , and the priviledges of christians , without some credible appearance of the thing . for doubtles while christianity is in credit , the same motives that now prevaile with the multitude to seeme christians , and to desire the baptism of their children , will continue then , to make them desire to be numbred with christians , when they are at age : and so will provoke them to do that , without which they know they connot be esteemed christians . and as it 's now a common thing to be baptized in infancy , so will it be then a common thing , for our young people to learn the principles of christianity , yea and to reform their lives , ( i hope with the most ) when they understand , that else they must be taken to be no christians . and if it were but the making of the understanding profession , and outside of christianity , to be commoner among us , it would be a most precious fruit of our endeavours . but much more , when true christianity it selfe , in the life and power of it , would also be more common . as no doubt but it would : for the knowledg of the letter , is the way to the receiving of the spirit : & among multitudes that have the outside of true religion , there will be far more , that have the life and soule of it , then among those that have not so much as the outside . any man in reason may foresee , that if we be openly agreed , and it be publikely enacted , or declared , that none be taken into the number of adult christians , nor admitted to their priviledges , till they have made an approved profession of christianity , and so be received by jesus christ himself , acting by his ministers , it will set all that care for the name , or hopes or privilidges of christians , to learn , and be , and do , that which they know will be so required of them . whereas , as things go now in most places , they may bring their children to baptism , without understanding what baptism is ; and those children may slide into the state of the adult-christians , and possess the name , and place , and outward communion , and other honours and priviledges of such , without knowing whether christ were a man or a woman , or who he is , or what business he came about into the world : and when no outward necessity is laid upon them by the church , to know more , or to seem better , no wonder if so many heathens do sit among christians , and if the multitude looke not much after knowledg or godliness . 2. and moreover it will be a very great helpe to their consciences , in order to the convincing them of their sinne and misery , and of the insufficiency of that condition which multitudes do now rest in ; and so to waken them to look after a safer state , and to be what they must seem to be , if they will be taken to be christians . it is a great help to the deceiving of the multitude of the ungodly , to be currantly esteemed christians , when they are not : and self-love is such a blinding thing , that a little help will go farre with it , in the promoting of such deceits . naturally men are very easily brought to think well of them selves , and hardly brought to confess their misery . every man almost will easily confess himself a sinner , and a very great sinner , so you will but allow him to be a christian , and a pardoned sinner . for this is a common confession , and brings no very terrible conclusion , and message to the soul. but when a man must confess himself , no true christian , but unsanctified , unpardoned , and a slave of satan , this is as much as to confess himself in a state of damnation , in which if he die he is lost for ever , and men are hardly drawn to believe so terrible a conclusion : when yet it is so necessary where it is true , that we can scarce imagine how a man can be saved without it . he that knoweth not himselfe to be out of his way , will hardly be perswaded to turne back : and he that knows not himself to be unpardoned , will hardly value or seek a pardon : and he that thinks he is sanctified , and a true christian already , will seek to be made what he takes himself already to be . and how much reputation doth , to help or hinder men , even in self-judging , is easily perceived . now here is a threefold reputation , of very great moment , to concurre , either for mens deception , or conversion . 1. the reputation of prince and parliament , and so of law-givers and rulers of the nation , who by their laws do manifest , whom they esteem good christians , and this the people very much look at . 2. the reputation of all the pastours of the church , which is to be manifested in their agreements , confessions , or declarations and practices . 3. the common consent of christian people , which is to be manifested by their actions , according to the laws of christ , and the direction of their guides . if magistrates , ministers and people do concurre , to repute all the infidels , and utterly ignorant , wicked men among us to be christians , how many thousand souls may this deceive , and undo for ever ? whereas , if magistrates , ministers , and people that feare god , would all agree accordng to the laws of christ , to esteem none adult-christians , but those that by a credible profession of christianity , do seem to be such , it would abundantly help to convince them of their misery , and the need of christ and grace , and the absolute necessity of a change . we see even among good men , in the case of a particular sinne , how much common reputation , doth help to hinder the work upon their consciences : among the reformed churches beyond the sea , what conscience is troubled for these actions , or omissions on the lords day , which in england would much trouble men of the same temper in other things . among several sects it troubleth them not , freely to revile the servants of christ that are against them , because they finde it rather go for commendable , then much condemnable , by those whom they most esteem . among the papists , the believing in a vice-christ , and the worshiping of his image and cross , with divine worship , and also the consecrated host , and the condemning all the churches of christ that do it not , do goe for virtues , and christian practices , though they are most haynous , odious sinnes ; and what is it but common reputation of prince and priests , and multitudes of people , that could make so many , yea and such persons as some of them are , to continue in such sinnes , as if they were a part , yea an essential part of holiness , and one generation to succeed another in them . were these sinnes but commonly reputed to be as odious as indeed they are , what a change would it make on millions of souls ? so that it 's strange to see the power of reputation . 3. moreover , this course would be an excellent help to the labours of the ministers of christ , for mens salvation . they would better understand and apply our sermons : whereas now , they lose the benefit by misapplying them . now we must labour all our lives , ( and with most , in vaine ) to make unbelievers , and ungodly persons understand what they are , and no means will serve to convince many people , that they are not truly christians , that know not what it is to be a christian , or that hate it and fight against it . when they all go together under the name of christians , what ever comforts they hear offered to believers , they take them to themselves , or mistake them as offered to them ; and all the threatnings that are uttered against unbelievers , they put by and think it is not they that they are spoken against . but if once we could but get men to stand in their own places , and to know themselves ; how easily then would our message work ? me thinks the devil should not be able , to keep one man of an hundred in his power , if they knew themselves to be in his power : nor one of an hundred , in a state of ungodliness and condemnation if they knew that they are in such a state . at least , i am sure men will not so numerously , nor easily runne into hell , when they know they are going into it , as when they are confident that they are good christians , and in the way to heaven . 4. if this foredescribed confirmation be practised , it will more powerfully oblige our people to christ , then a secret sliding into the number of adult-christians will do . and doubtless solemn engagements and obligations , have some force upon conscience , to hold men to christ , and restraine them from sinne : or else baptism it self would be much frustrate ; and the jews should not have been so often called by moses , joshua , asa , and other princes , to renew their covenant with god. but with us , men feel no such bonds upon them . and many question whether they are bound at all , by their parents promises for them in baptism . 5. the profiting of our people will be much greater in their own place : when those that are not yet fit for adult-membership , and priviledges , are kept in the place of catechumens or expectants . every thing doth thrive and prosper best in its own place : if you teare them not out of the churches wombe , till they are ready for the birth , they will prosper there , that else may perish . your corne will best prosper in the cold earth , where it seems to be dead and buried , till the springing time shall come . and you should not violently unhose the eares , till nature put them forth . the first digestion must be wrought , before the second , and nature must have time allowed it , and the stomack must not too hastily let go the food , if you would have good sanguification and nutrition follow . men think they do a great kindness to grosly ignorant , or impious men , to take them into the church before they are capable of such a station , and the work , or priviledges thereto belonging : but alas , they do but hurry them to perdition , by thrusting them out of the state , where they might have thriven in preparation to a church-state , into a state which will set them abundance of work , which they are utterly unfit for , and under the pretence of benefits and priviledges , will occasion abundance of aggravations of their sinnes . a boy in his a , b , c. will learne better in his own place , among his fellows , then in a higher form , where he hath work set him , which he is uncapable of doing . 6. by this means also church-discipline will attain its ends ; it will awe and preserve the church , and terrifie , and reduce offendours , and help them to repentance , and preserve the order of the church and gospel ; when it is exercised upon such as are capable of it ; that know the nature of it , and either are habitually diposed to profit by it , or at least understand , what it was that they were engaged to , and understandingly consent to live under such a discipline : and when it is exercised upon few , and we have not such multitudes to sweep out of the church . 7. by this means , both church-associations , and ordinances may attaine their ends ; and people will be capable of doing the duty of christians to one another , when others are capable of receiving it . church members are bound to exhort one another daily , while it is called to day , lest any be hardened by the deceitfullness of sinne , heb. 3. 13. and to teach and admonish one another , col. 3. 16. but before swine , we must not cast such pearls , nor give that which is holy to dogs , matth. 7. 6. therefore it necessarily followeth , that dogs and swine should be kept out of the church , and cast out if they be crept in . nothing hath more destroyed that charitable community , which should be among the members of the church , and that loving and relieving christ in church-members , then the crowding of such into the place , as indeed are satans members , and appeare not capable of that special love , nor are capable of returning it to others . 8. this will make easy the ministers work , and free him from abundance of hatred , trouble , and disadvantage , when like a workmans tooles in his shop , that all are in their place , and so at hand when he should use them , so his hearers are in order , and each one lookes but for his portion , and none are snatching at our fingers , for the childrens bread , that belongs not to them , and men be not drawn to hate and raile at ministers , for not fullfiling their desires . 9. by this means also , the ordinances will be more purely administred , agreeably to their nature , and the institution : and so god will bless them more to his church , and own his people , with the fuller discoveries of his presence , and take pleasure in the assemblies and services of his saints . 10. by this means also , the communion of the saints , ( and the holy ordinances of god ) will be abundantly more sweet to his servants , when we have it in the appointed way , and it is not imbittered to us , by the pollutions of infidels , and notorious ungodly men . though yet i know , that in a negligent polluted church , gods servants may have their share of comfort , in his ordinances , when they have done their own duty for reformation , without success . 11. by this means the church , and the christian religion will be more honorable in the eyes of the world , who judge by the members and professours lives , before they can judge of the thing as in it self : and as christ will be thus honoured , and the mouths of adversaries of all sorts stopped , so it will do much to further their conversion , when they have such a help to see the beauty of the church and christian faith. many more such benefits i would name , but that you may gather some of them , from what was said of the contrary incommodities : only i adde 13. lastly , it is a way that is admirably suited both to reformation , and reconciliation ; to unity , as well as purity : which removeth many of the impediments , that else would trouble us in the way . for as all wicked men will agree against it , as they will against any holy practice , so all parties considerable among us , do in their doctrine and professions owne it ; and it will suit the principles , or the ends of all that fear god , either wholly of very farre . i shall here distinctly shew you , 1. that the episcopal : 2. presbyterians : 3. independants : 4. anabaptists : 5. yea and i may put in , the papists themselves , have no reason to be against this practice ; but all of them have great reason to promote it , supposing them to be what they are . 1. that it is so far agreeable with the doctrine of the church of england , that our episcopal party have reason to be for it , appeareth : 1. by the rubricke , for confirmation , in the common-prayer book , which saith as followeth , the curate of every parish , or some other at his appointment , shall diligently upon sundaies and holydaies , halfe an houre before evening , prayer , openly in the church , instruct and examine so many children of his parish , sent unto him , as the time will serve , and as he shall think convenient , in some part of this catechism . and all fathers , mothers , masters , and dames , shall cause their children , servants , and prentices ( which have not learned their catechism ) come to the church at the time appointed , and obediently to hear , and be ordered by the curate , until such time as they have learned , all that is appointed here for them to learn. and whensoever the bishop shall give knowledg , for children to be brought before him , to any convenient place for their confirmation , then shall the curate of every parish , either bring , or send in writing , the names of all those children of his parish , which can say the articles of the faith , the lords prayer , and the ten commandements , and also how many of them can answer to the other questions , contained in this catechism . and there shall none be admitted to the holy communion , till such time as he can say the catechism , and be confirmed . so that you see we must not admit any , but the confirmed to the sacrament . and i suppose in common reason , they will extend this to the aged , as well as unto children , seing ignorance in them is more intollerable : and indeed the words themselves exclude the unconfirmed , and that cannot say the catechism , from the sacrament , of what age soever . 2. and i may take it for granted , that it is not bare saying the catechism , that they expect , but also a profession that they owne their baptismal covenant to god the father , sonne , and holy ghost : and also that it be a profession somewhat understood ; and not barely to say the words which they understand not , as a parot doth . and this i prove to be their meaning , ( yea and also that they live a christian life ) from the prayer in confirmation , adjoyned , which is this ; almighty and everlasting god , who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by water and the holy ghost , and hast given unto them forgiveness of all their sinnes ; strengthen them , we beseech thee o lord with the holy ghost the comforter , and daily increase in them the mani old gifts of grace , the spirit of wisdom and vnderstanding , the spirit of counsell , and ghostly strength , the spirit of knowledg and true godliness . so that here you see that the church of england supposeth all those that are to be confirmed , to have already the holy ghost , and the spirit of wisdom , understanding , counsell , knowledg , and true godliness : which they beg of god , as to an increase only for the confirmed . and sure they do not think that every notorious , ungodly man , hath the spirit of true godliness , if he can but say the catechism ; or that every ignorant person or infidel hath the spirit of knowledg , wisdom , &c. as soon as he can speak the words which he understands not . and in the following prayer they say , we have laid our hands on them , to certifie them ( by this signe ) of thy favour and gracious goodness towards them . and sure they will not think to certifie men that know not what christianity is , or that live not christian lives , for this favour of god towards them , meerly because they say the words which they do not understand . so that if they will but let men understand what they do , and make good what is here expressed , we are agreed with them that stand for common-prayer , that such as are unconfirmed be not admitted to the holy communion . and as for the person confirming , i shall speak to that anon . 2. i will next speake of the papists , because in their words i shall have opportunity to recite some more of our own , even those of the canons convocat . london , an. 1603. c. 60. i will pass by frans . de s. clara , and such reconcilers , lest you say , that is not the common judgment of the papists : and at this time it may suffice to instance in one , that most petulant , insolent jesuite , hen. fitz simon , in his britanomach . lib. 3. cap. 4. pag. 289 , 290 , 291. where he reciteth the words of our canon , that seing it was a solemn , ancient , laudable custom in the church of god , observed even from the daies of the apostles , that all bishops laying hands on those that were baptized in infancy , and are instructed in the catechism of the christian religion , should pray over them , and bless them , which we commonly call confirmation , — we will and ordaine that every bishop , or his suffragane , do in their proper person , diligently observe this right and custom , in their ordinary visitation . to which saith the jesuite , what do i heare ? — all this is very orthodox , very catholike , if uttered in good sadness — and citing the rubricke before-mentioned , he mentioneth the conference at hampton court , pag. 10 , 11 , 32 , 33. that the doctrine of confirmation was part of the apostles catechism , rashly rejected by some churches , but in calvins judgment to be taken up againe , and is ungrateful to the puritans only , because they may not themselves administer it . and pag. 64. he would perswade us , that most certainly the bishops borrowed this passage from the rhemists test . annot. in heb. 6. 2. against the puritans . more he adds from resp . oxon. ad libel . supplic . covell , &c. and concludes , all this the formalistes ( as he constantly calls that party ) do freely grant us , then which the catholikes themselves , as to the sound of the words , seem scarce able to thinke , or speak any thing more honourable of confirmation . and that you may see how farre he accepts also of calvins concession , he doth with ostentation cite the words of calvin , in act. 2. and instit . lib. 4. cap. 19. § . 28. that it's incredible that the apostles should use imposition of hands , but by chrsts command : and that it was not an empty signe , and that it is to be accounted for a sacrament . so that these two parties cannot be against us , in the matter of confirmation , though i know that the papists are against us , for laying by their ceremonies and abuse of it . 3. and as for the presbyterians , they cannot be against it : for 1. the most eminent divines of that judgment , have written for it , of whom i could cite abundance : but calvin , hyperius , and others , cited by mr. hanmer already , sufficiently declare their desires , after the restoring of confirmation : and chemnitius a lutheran is large for it , and others of that way . 2. and it is so clearly usefull and necessary to the reforming of distempers in the church , and the quiet of the ministry , and the safe and succesfull exercise of discipline , that i know they will heartily consent to it . 4. and for the congregational party , 1. some of them have declared their judgments for it , in the approving or promoting mr hanmer's book . 2. and i have spoke with some of the most eminent of that mind , that are for it . 3. and the solemn covenant or profession , which they require of all that enter among them , as church-members , doth shew that they are for it in the substance , though how far they like , or dislike the signe of imposition of hands i know not . it is the want of this , that they are so much offended with in our parish-church , and therefore doubtless they will consent . 5. and for anabaptists , though we cannot expect their full consent , because they admit not infants into the visible church , and therefore baptise those whom we confirme or restore , yet doubtless they will like this as next to that which they suppose to be the right : and because we come as neare to them as is fit and lawfull for us to do , it is the likeliest way to abate their censures , and procure with them so much peace , as in reason may be expected , with men that differ from us in the point of infant-baptism . three sorts of them , i suppose we may meet with : 1. some that grant that infants are christs disciples , christian , and vissible church-members , but yet think that baptism is not for their admission , but only for the adult . i confess i know of none so moderate , nor am i sure there are any such , but by hearsay , or conjecture : but if there be , our differences with these men would be most in the external signe . if they do but as much by infants , as the express words of the gospel do commend , and christ chid his disciples for opposing , that is , if they yield that they shall be offered unto christ , and that the minister of christ do in his name , receive them , lay his hands on them , and bless them , because of such is the kingdom of god ; and then baptize them , when at age they make a personal profession ; and if we on the other side offer them to christ , and the minister in his name accept them by baptism , and at age confirm them , upon their personal covenanting or profession , the difference here would be most , that they change the outward signe , and they use imposition of hands when we use baptism , and we use baptism when they use impsition . and with such it were easy for moderate men to hold brotherly love and peace . 2. some we shall meet with , that deny infants to be visible church-members , and yet think the infants of believers , to have some promises more then the rest of the world , or at least that they are candidati christianismi , expectants of a church-state , and are as soone as they understand any thing , to be bred up as catechumens in the church seminaries , and to be baptizd , as soone as they are actual believers . and as far as i understand them , some of them will consent that they be offered and dedicated to god in infancy , and solemnly received , by ministerial imposition of hands , into the state of expectants . if these men be of peaceable , moderate spirits , and agree with us in other matters of religion ( in the substance at least ) they must needs acknowledg , that in the foredescribed practice of confirmation , we come so neere them , that they cannot deny us brotherly love and peace . for i hope they will not think , that they may lawfully deny these ( yea or their communion ) to all that be not punctually of their opinion , against the church-membership and baptism of infants . 3 and as for all the rest of the anabaptists , that hold also the doctrine of pelagianism , or socinianism , or libertinism , or familism , or quakers , or heathenism , they are not in a capacity for us , to treat with about accomodation , or christian peace . but yet , as to all the intemperate , dividing , unpeaceable anabaptists , that will but reproach us for our drawing so neer them , at least we shall have this advantage against their reasonings , that we shall be far better able to manifest the variety of them , then otherwise we could do . for whereas their common argument against infant baptism is , that it defileth the church , by letting in all the children in the nation , which must be cast out againe , or the most will be openly vile ; and that it defraudeth the adult of the benefits of solemn engagement to christ ; all this will be taken off by confirmation , and will lie no more on us , then on themselves , seeing by this means , we can as faithfully hold the church door against the adult , that are unfit to enter into the number , as they can . and here i shall intreat the moderate , godly persons among us , that are of the episcopal , presbyterian , congregational , or erastian judgment , yea and the first and second sort of anabaptists , to consider how neerly we are all agreed , or how neer to an agreement , when we are not aware of it , or live at such a distance , as if we were not aware of it : and whether it be not our duty to close upon this practice , at least much nearer then we are ? it is a sad and fearfull case , when men professing godliness , and all pretending to a love of unity , peace and holiness , shall hate or oppose each other , and separate from each other , upon a pretence that we differ in things that we are agreed in ; and when such shall perswade the common enemies , and the ignorant people , that we differ where we do not : as if the enemy had not already matter enough of reproach against us , nor the ignorant matter enough of temptation and offence , but we must falsly give them more , by seeming to differ when there is no such thing . and if this becaused , by any mens hating their own principles , when they see them in anothers hand , or yet by hating the practice of their own principles , i leave it to the consideration of sober men , whether such are liker to the ministers of christ , or satan . give me leave here a little , by way of application , to review what i said concerning our accord . 1. how much many brethren of the episcopal judgment , do censure other mens attempts , for reforming their congregations , is too open to be hid . but how little cause they have to be offended with any moderate attempts , let their own forecited principles be judge . i know that it is the administration or government of the churches , that seems by the noise of opposition among us , to be the greatest point of differences : but as far as i can descern , it is not so . the constitution of our curches is the great difference : it 's a shame to speake it : we differ most where we are agreed . i have so much experience of the minds of godly ministers , and private men in england , that i dare boldly say , would we but all agree in practice , in the constituting our churches of due materials , where for ought i know , we are almost all agreed in principles , there were no probability , that all the rest of our disagreements , would keep us at a quarter of the distance as we are . truly the common , honest , godly people , stick not much on the difference in formalities , and extrinsick modes of government : if they heare a minister pray heartily , preach soundly , judiciously and powerfully , live holily and righteously , and charitably , and beate down sinne , and set himself to promote true piety , they are ( commonly where i am acquainted ) if not indifferent what form of government he is for , yet at least , can easily beare with him , though he differ from them . let us have the work of god well done , and we shall care the less who it is that doth it . the greatest offence , that commonly is taken against episcopacy is , 1. the former viciousness , negligence and persecution , that men of that way were guilty of ; and 2. because men know that a diocesan bishop hath so much work upon his hands , that he will certainly leave the far greatest part undone . so that the question is not so much who shall do the work , as whether it shall be done or not . but now if this principle were practised , in which we are agreed , about confirmation , or at least , a publicke profession , that so our churches might be constituted of fit materials , and not be pestered with so many infidels , or persons so ignorant as that they know not christ ; or persons so notoriously vicious , as that they are openly bruitish and prophane , and make a very scorne of honesty and godliness , this would do much to heale all the rest of our divisions . the country knows , that the reason why the multitude of ignorant , ungodly people are for episcopacy , is principally because they think that government will do as it did , and rather curbe the precisians ( as they call them ) then them , and will not trouble them with a differencing discipline or administrations , nor urge them so hard to labour for knowledg , and live a godly life . take away this conceit from them , by the faithfull practice of your own principles , and they will hate you as much as others . what great satisfaction would you give to all that fear god among us , if you would practise but that which the rubricke of the common-prayer book requireth of you , in this one point ? for it requireth not only a learning of the catechism but also a publike owning of their baptismal covenant in the face of the congregation , and a solemn promise to live a holy , obedient life : and this at full age ; and after this they must be confirmed , before they be admitted to the sacrament of the eucharist . that it may appeare how fully we are agreed in this point , i shall transcribe some more of the rubricke of confirmation , which is as followeth . the reasons given , why none shall be confirmed , till they can answer such questions of the catechism , as they shall be apposed in , are these , 1. because that when children come to the years of discretion , and have learned what their godfathers and godmothers promised for them in baptism , they may then themselves with their own mouth , and with their own consent , openly before the curch ratifie and confirme the same ; and also promise , that by the grace of god they will evermore endeavour themselves , faithfully to observe and keep such things as they by their own mouth and confession have assented unto . 2. forasmuch as confirmation is ministred to them that be baptised , that by imposition of hands and prayer they may receive strength and defence , against all temptations to sinne , and the assaults of the world and the devil , it is most meet to be admitted , when children come to that age , that partly by the frailty of their own flesh , partly by the assaults of the world and the devil , they begin to be in danger , to fall into sundry kinds of sinne . 3. for that it is agreeable with the usage of the church in times past : whereby it was ordained , that confirmation should be ministred to them that were of perfect age , that they being instructed in christs religion , should openly profess their own faith , and promise to be obedient to the will of god. this , with what was before cited shews , that in this main point we are agreed with the brethren of the episcopal judgment , and therefore may expect their concurrence : and to that end , we desire them to promote the practice of their own principles : and let us not leave the work of god undone , while we strive who shall do it or rather who shall not do it . if the canons allow the bishops suffragane to do it , you may beare with others of the same order to do it , rather then leave it undone . 2. and for the presbyterians , i intreat them to consider , 1. h●w much the faithfull practise of this duty , will put by all the offence and mistaking-reasons of the erastians , who ask them so earnestly , how they can prove that people must be examined by the minister , in order to the lords supper , any more then in order to a day of thanksgiving ? i know it is an easy matter , to prove that a pastour may call his people to private , personal instruction , at any fit season ; and therefore before a sacrament when he sees just cause : and they are bound to obey him , ordinarily , by virtue of the general precept , heb. 13. 17. obey them that rule over you , &c. but if you make this the season and use of your examination , to admit men out of a state either of catechumens , or infant-members , into the number of adult-members , and never trouble them afterward with examinations , unless upon some special occasion , or in your ordinary course of personal instruction , this would put by the opposition of gainlayers ; and i think , satisfie all of them that have any sober considerations and love to the prosperity of the church . 2. and consider also how much this way would facilitate your course of discipline : you would be much more clearly satisfied , who are your church-members , and of your special charge , and on whom you are specially bound to exercise discipline , and to whom you owe your special care and labour : and your people will be better satisfied then now they are , both of the quality , and regular reception of members , and who they be , to whom they owe the special duty of members , and whom they are more specially bound to communicate their worldly goods in their necessity . how much uncertainty , confusion , dissatisfiedness and neglect of duty , remaineth in those congregations , where this work is quite ommitted , is obvious to common observations . 3. and if any should have a jealousie of this designe , as seeming to set up the congregational way of covenanting , i intreat such to remember ; 1. what an enemy to the unity of the church , and how unbeseeming a charitable christian , a spirit of causeless jealousie is . 2. that it should be the more gratefull to you , because it is acceptable to your brethren : if you are lovers of unity and peace , you will be far from avoiding a practice , because those hold it with whom you would be united , that is , because it tends to unity ; but rather you will be glad of such a healing means . 3. consider that it is no more the congregational mens principle , then the episcopal , presbyterians and the erastians . it is our common principle , let us therefore make it our common practice ; an easy , a reasonable way of agreement . the not practising of this hath cast us into confusions ; and the practise of it must be it , that must restore our church order , and heale most of our divisions . i know it is agreeable to your judgments . i move you not to forsake your principles , but to practice them . do but enrol those only for your adult church-members , that are confirmed , or approve , upon a personal credible profession , of true christianity , and consent to live under your ministerial discipline ; and it will do more , then you can easily now apprehend , for an union with your brethren , and for the closing of the sad , and long-continued divisions of the churches . 3. and to the congregational brethren , i may boldly say , it is a practice so suitable to your own practice already , ( though i think it is a more regular performance of it that i propound , then most have used ) that in reason we may expect your approbation and concurrence . perhaps you 'l feare that some of your brethren may slubber over the work , and make but a ceremony of it : but so may some of your own mind , if they be personally remiss and negligent , as well as others . and perhaps others will feare lest you shonld use it over rigorously , and make it a pretence for excluding many that are not to be excluded . but this will be according to the prudence , and charity of particular pastours ; and is nothing to those principles , in which we are all agreed . only i beseech you in the feare of god , take heed of giving just occasion of this offence . be not righteous overmuch : remember how tender christ is of his litle ones : and how he is displeased with those that keep them from him : and will not break the bruised reed : if he carry the lambs in his armes , and gently drive those that are with-young , it beseemes not us to turn them out of the fold , or to disowne them . we are commanded to receive him that is weak in the faith , though not to doubtfull disputations , rom. 15. 1. it 's a conjunction of impiety , injustice and uncharitableness , to thrust back those that christ would have admitted . it 's impiety , to rob christ of his church-members , and diminish his visible flock , and wrong those whom he values as his jewels , and is tender of , as the apple of his eye . it is great injustice , to defraud men of their due , in so great a matter as his church-priviledges and helps to heaven . it 's greater injustice , then to turn them out of their houses and lands ; for the benefits are greater . it 's vncharitableness , to deale so cruelly with us , in matters of such consequence . and it 's the greater , 1. because it is none of our own , but our masters treasure which we deny them . 2. and because we are conscious , if we are christians indeed , of so much sinne and unworthyness our selves , as should provoke us to deale the more tenderly and compassionately with others . i would not have you blind under pretence of charity , nor to let in known swine , for feare of keeping out the sheep . but remember that when the case is but so doubtfull and difficult , that you cannot know certainly the tares from the wheat , or cannot make a separation without a danger of pulling up the wheate with the tares , it 's better let both alone till harvest . we will not be wilfully guilty of mens lying , or hypocritical professions : but if they be guilty of them , we may yet believe , that god hath much service for hypocrites in his church . and the number shall be some honour to him ; and some encouragement to some that are yet without , to draw neerer us . though it be the intention of christ in instituting his ordinances , and the intention of the church , that men be truly penitent believers before they are baptized ( at age ) or admitted into the number of adult church-members , and to the lords table ; and so never made the eucharist an ordinance which is primarily and directly intended for conversion of the unregenerate , and which known ungodly men may seeke , and be admitted to , in order to their conversion : ( bellarmin himself confessing that such come into the church praeter intentionem ecclesiae ) yet christ that knew abundance of unsound professours would thrust themselves into the church , hath provided those ordinances there , which conduce much to their regeneration : and even the lords supper , though instituted primarily for another use , may be a means of this , to those that yet unworthily drew neer it . however , if we be commanded to invite , yea and compel men to come in to the church , that the house of christ may be filled , we must not be too scrupulous in admitting them , nor to busy in keeping them back . if any where , it 's here that christ is like to say , odi servum nimis diligentem . if men make a credible profession , i dare not refuse them : nor dare i by my uncharitable incredulity , take that for incredible , which i cannot prove to be so . his profession is the evidence of his title with the church . if i will deny him when he seeks admittance , i must disprove that profession , and shew it to be invalid . truly much experience hath taught me , that many that were never commonly noted for godliness , and that through bashfulness , or want of expressions , or the hinderance of carnal friends , and worldly affaires , have lived as strangers to those that are eminent for the feare of cod , have yet at last , disclosed themselves to me , to have been humble , serious christians many years , as far as i was able to judge . especially take heed how you slight or reject people for want of parts , or gifts , or utterance . i have known excellent christians , that through bashfulness are not able to give an account of their knowledg of the very fundamentals of religion , to a person whom they much reverence , and are in awe of . and i meet with many ignorant people , that in answer to many of my questions do seem to be ignorant of christ himself , who yet shew the contrary , when by other words , i have caused them better to understand me . if people be but desirous , and willing and diligent , it must be very gross ignorance indeed , that must warrant us to refuse them . many thousands are guilty of wrong intruding into the church , when the ministers and church were not guilty of wrong admitting them , but had been culpable if they had refused them . i speak all this to the congregational brethren rather then the rest , because they are most suspected to be overstrict in their admissions ; and because i would intreate them , to avoid all just occasions of offence and disunion in their practise , when we are all so happily agreed in our principles , in this great point , of the necessity of an approved profession . 4. and for the erastians , as in the point of discipline , they commonly contend with us upon a meer mistake , thinking we claime a proper imperium , or magisterial power , when as we claime but the power of an embassadour , with such a kind of power , as a physician hath over his patients , or as plato or zeno had in their schooles , ( besides the ministerial power in worshiping ) so their principal quarrel with us , will be removed by the practice of confirmation . you talk much of the sacraments being converting ordinances , and against examining men in order to the lords supper , and keeping men away . but are you not agreed with us , that a personal understanding , serious profession of christianity , even of faith , and repentance ( which conteineth a renouncing the flesh , the world , and the devil ) is necessary to those that will ( either by baptism or confirmation ) be admitted into the number of adult-members of the church ? and do you not grant that the adult , whether before baptism or confirmation , are to be tried and approved by the pastours , before they baptize them , or confirm them ? grant us but this ( and that the ancient discipline should be exercised in the church , which the scriptures and all the church canons do record ) and wee shall be agreed with you in a moment . for baptism we are no stricter then the common-prayer book , that required that the party ( by him self or others ) did promise and vow 1. to forsake the devil and all his works , the pomps and vanities of the wicked world , and all the sinfull lusts of the flesh . 2. to believe all the articles of the christian faith. 3. to keep gods holy will and commandements , and walk in the same all the daies of his life . that so , it may be truly said of the baptized , that he is made a member of christ , a child of god , and an inheritour , ( or heir ) of the kingdom of heaven : and of the confirmed , we expect but that which is here said to be given and assured in baptism , viz. a death unto sinne , and a new birth unto righteousness ; that being by nature born in sinne , and the children of wrath , we are hereby made the children of grace : yea we expect but what is required of persons to be baptized ; viz. repentance whereby they forsake sinne ; and faith , whereby they stedfastly believe the promises of god made to them in that sacrament . all these are the words of the catechism in the common-prayer book . yea we expect but that open profession before the congregation , which the forecited rubricke of confirmation requireth : no nor alway so much as that . so that i may well suppose , that no godly , moderate man of the erastian way , can dissent from us in this point of confirmation : and a consent in this , will be next to a consent in all , between us and them . 5. and for the anabaptists themselves , though we evpect not their consent , yet we may well expect their moderation , and non-opposition , and that as we thus draw as neer them , as possibly ( in our present judgment ) we can , so they would lay by all bitterness and reproach , and divisive carriage , and come as neer us as they can . and as now with the more moderate of them , our difference appeareth less then many of them imagined , so it may appear , that the distance in affection and communion shall be no greater then there is cause . the odium of division , and unpeaceableness , hath so long laine upon their party , that methinks they should be willing to have it taken off . and there is no way to take it off , but their visible amendment : by becoming lovers and promoters of union , communion , and peace among the churches of christ . men will never take your opinion to be of god , while general experience shall shew them , that it will not stand with that love , union , and communion of the saints , but engageth almost all that receive it , in divisions , opposition , and reproach , of the servants of christ and his churches . though you think your own opinion right , let it not so farre dispossess you of charity , and reason , as to unchurch all the churches of christ , that thinke otherwise , or to cast off communion with the godly , that are not of your opinion ; as long as we come so near you , as to take none into the number of adult church-members , but those that are confirmed , or approved by christs ministers , upon their personal , credible profession of faith and holiness . lay all this together , and we may well conclude , that this practice of ministerial approbation , and confirmation , ( or restoration ) of all that are admitted into the number of adult-christians , or visible church-members , and to their priviledges , is so necessary , and so admirably fitted , both for reformation , and reconciliation , of the episcopal , presbyterian , independants , erastian and moderate anabaptists , and to stop the mouths of the intemperate , and of the papists , that all magistra●es , ministers and people , that love the churches purity and peace , and long to see it clensed and healed , should gladly embrace it , and vigorously promote it it . i have two things yet more to do upon this subject . 1. to answer some objections , and 2 to give some directions to all sorts , for the effectual putting it in execution . the objections are these . object . 1. you will tempt the anabaptists to say , that this is but a shift of our own devising , instead of baptism , lest we should yield to them , when we are convinced of the necesity of a personal covenanting by the adult . answ . there is no ordinance or truth of god , that will not be spoken against by mistaking men : and yet we must not therefore cast them away . nor is it the way to vindicate a truth or ordinance from reproach , to disclame it , and so to reproach it actually our selves . nor is it the way to get advantage of an adversary , to fly fom him too far into the contrary extreame , but rather to come as neare him as the truth will give us leave . and to the anabaptists objection , we shall give them our reasons against their way , in a fitter place , and have already done it . we are most certain that the servants of god of old ( both with circumsion and without it , deut. 29. ) did enter their children into covenant with god , as well as themselves . and if it be the express word of god , that both infants and aged should be entered and engaged to him in covenant , we will obey his word , and do both , though the anabaptists will do but the one . he must have a hard face , that will deny that it was once the duty of parents , to offer their children to god , and enter them into covenant with him : and when they have proved that this duty or power is recalled , ( which i never yet saw done , no not in mr. tombes his last voluminous review ) then we will forbeare it ; but till then it is not mens talk and confident words , that must make a tender conscience yield , to omit so great and plain a duty , or give up so great a mercy as this is . i am sure that infants were then no more able to believe themselves , nor enter themselves in covenant with god then now : and i am sure the parents by gods appointment , did it for them , offering and engageing them to god , and that god hereupon is called their god , and they his people : and that usually the signe of the covenant was annexed . and i am sure that parents have as much natural interest in their children now as then : and i never yet saw where god had acquit us of this duty , or withdrawn this mercy from us , and our seed . object . 2. the proof which you bring for this confirmation is so obscure , that it is not like to be generally received . answ . it was generally received in almost all the churches on earth , till lately : and as far as i plead for it , it is yet doctrinally at least owned and maintained , even by those churches that practically have disused it of all the christians on earth , i suppose there is a thousand if not ten thousand for it , ( doctrinally or dogmatically ) for one that is against it , if we judge by the laws , confessions , and writings of their guides . though the greeks i know do not own the popish confirmation , nor have it not so formally as they should , and the papists have corrupted it by their abuse ; yet the thing in substance is owned dogmatically by almost all the christian world : and they must be very singular persons that disowne it . 2. and i think the proofe that hath been given you is clearer , then you have for the morality of the lords day , for constant family prayer , for infant baptism , and many a holy duty , which yet we have sufficient proof for . what would you have plainer ? is there the least doubt of it , whether a presonal profession and covenanting with god , be necessary to him that will be taken into the number of adult christians , and possess their priviledges and communion ? or whether this profession must be approved by the pastour , of the church , and known to them that must hold communion with him ? prove if you can , that ever one man was admitted among adult-christians , to enjoy communion with them , without such a personal profession . you cannot prove it . if infant-covenanting were enough for the adult , then infidels are believers . 3. object ▪ but this will make ministers to be lords of the church : when no man can be taken into the church , or possess the priviledges of a christian , till he be approved by them this will put a tyrannical power into their hands . answ . 1. such a tyranical power as every physician hath , who may choose or refuse his patients ; or every school-master hath that may choose or refuse his schollars , if he engage not himself to the contrary , as plato , zeno , and every philosopher did in his schoole . 2. it is such a tyranny as christ hath unquestionably set up ; and to accuse him of setting up tyranny , is an unkind part of them that look to be saved by him . 3. it is a power that hath constantly been exercised by the officers of christ , and did not men smel out the tyranny of it till now ? what prince did govern the church doores , and judge who should be admitted , from the daies of christ , till constantines daies , when the church was at the purest ; yea or ever after for many a hundred yeares ? did not all the apostles , and every preacher of the gospel baptize those that they convetred , and judge of them whether they were baptizable ? and did not the bishops confirm the baptized , without consulting another power ? half that were admitted into the church by baptism , ( and more ) for some hundred yeares after christ , were the adult : and of these , the pastour required a personal covenant and profession . the other half were their infants : and for them they required the parents profession , and entering them into covenant : but still the pastours were the judges , who were the administers . 4. if you think it too much power for us , i beseech you think it too much work for us : and dreame not that we have a work , and not power to do it , or discern what we do . set others to do it , that you can better trust . 5. who would you have trusted with this power ? some body must have it . i have proved to you fully , that every man must not be the sole judge of his own fitness for baptism or church priviledges : and that the people or magistrates are not the sole or chief judges : and who should it be but they , to whom it is committed by christ in their call to the office of the ministry ? 6. ministers ( as i before shewed ) have no tyrannical or arbitrary power . for christ hath tied them by a law , who to admit , and whom to reject . and if they disobey this law , the magistrate may correct them : so that in the exercise of this tyrannical power , every minister is under the lash of the magistrates violence , ( if he grosly offend ) whereas none of the people are under any violence , or force from us to obey us ; but if all of them disobey us and rebel , it is their own loss , and we have no remedy . this is the tyranny . 7. lastly , if you think it ( as it is ) so great a power , for us to judge of mens profession and fitness for church priviledges , let it awaken you the more , to get the wisest , ablest men you can for the ministry , that are fit for so a great trust . if the best that are to be got , are not in the office , beshrew our governours , and the choosers . and if you do not cast us all out , if you can put fitter men into the place , that are meeter for the trust , beshrew you for your negligence : we give you no thanks for it . but if you have no fitter for this work and trust , will you cast it upon unfitter or on none ? it is a great trust for a physician to be trusted with your lives , and a school-master and tutour with your children ? but what of that ? will you therefore trust the good women , or common neighbours about you with them ; yea or the magistrate himself . or will you have no tutours or physicians ? or rather will you not be the more careful to keep our empiricks and unworthy persons , and get the ablest and faithfulest that you can . o unthankfull men , that grudge us the power of labouring and spending our selves for their salvation , and judging , where we must act ! 4. object . is it not the use of the lords supper to confirm us ; and do not men there renew their covenant and profession ? what need is there then of any more ? answ . 1. you would think much , if at the lords supper we should openly call each man to a personal , explicite profession of his faith , and covenanting with god : and indeed it would be a tedious , as well as unseasonable work . it is but a general or joynt profession of all together , that is there renewed : and notwithstanding that , there may for ought we know , be many a one there that is an infidel , and knoweth not what christianity is . 2. the lords supper is the food of the soul , confirming by way of nutrition and augmentation ; and therefore you must shew that you are alive , before you may partake of it . it is a feasting upon christ , and with him in his family , and at his table : it is a work of communion with christ and with his saints : it is one of the highest priviledges of the church : and therefore you must produce your little , before you can lay claim to it . if a man must be admitted to the lords supper , without any precedent , personal profession or covenanting with god , upon supposition , that by the act of receiving he doth all this ; then men that know not whether there be a christ , or what he is , may be admitted : for multitudes of such there are , that in infancy were baptized : and i know not by seeing him receive , whether he know or believe any thing of christianity . if a man converted at age from heathenism , may not be admitted to the lords table without a personal profession in baptism , then neither may such as are baptized in infancy , be admitted without a personal profession , in confirmation , or such as is without any other baptism . our parents profession will not serve our turn , in stead of our own when we come to age . and therefore this objection is vaine , unless infidels may be admitted to communion , and all be common . but i need not speak much of this , because i shall have few such objectours to deale with : even the papists themselves are many of them against promiscuous communion , though the jesuites of late , have fitted almost all their work , to their man pleasing designe : see joh. thauleri flores . cap. 23 , & 24 pag. 257 , &c. ( an old puritane , among the papists ) and they make confession also prerequisite . object . 5. according to our arguing , confirmation is not necessary to those that were baptized at full age ; and therefore it is not necessary to any , if not to all . answ . i have given some reasons why it should be used , with all that have opportunity after baptism ; but i have proved it more necessary to those that were baptized in infancy . and if it were necessary to no other , it would not follow , that it is not necessary at all , because not to all . 6. object . is it not better take up with an implicit profession and covenanting , then make so great a trouble to our selves , and disturbance among the people , as this will make ? answ . 1. me thinks , not only the face of the roman church , but of our own , might by this time have afforded us satisfying experience , what implicit faith , and implicit professions are , and to what they tend . peruse the forementioned evils of this course , and look upon the state of our people , where you may see them in existence , and then judge whether this objection be answered . 2. an implicit profession , is the lowest and least , that in any case of extremity or necessity can be thought tolerable , and accepted by god , and consistent with the life and being of a church . and shall we deliberately choose to offer god the worst , the least , the lowest that 's possible to find acceptance ? nay he will have the best , as he deserves the best , or he will not accept it , when we have it to give : shall we think that in a case of freedom , the same will be accepted , which necessity only can excuse ? or shall we be content that our churches have as many diseases as will consist with life and being ? 3. an implicit profession makes or proves men but implicit●ly christians . such dumbe uncertaine signes , do leave us in so great uncertainty of the thing signified , that it seems but a very mocking of god ( that will not be mocked ) when we have opportunity for an open intelligible profession , and will not use it , or require it . 4. it is against nature for a man that hath a tongue in his head , to refuse to utter his mind any other wise then by dumb shews , and yet expect to be understood and accepted . what is the tongue made for but to express the mind ? indeed if a man be dumb , and can neither speak not write , it is more tollerable to take an uncertaine signe from such a man ; then from another that hath the use of tongue or pen. 5. it is a very implicite denying of christ , which many call an implicite profession . if a man that hath a tongue in his mouth , shall refuse to profess the christian faith and quarrel with the minister that calls him to it , and say , we shall have no other profession from him then to come to church , and put the bread and wine into his mouth , and not to deny christ expresly , i leave it to any reasonable man , whether there be not so much of an implicite denying christ in this refusing to confess him , when they are called to it by their pastours , whom god hath commanded them to obey , and that in a case and season , when all the church hath required it , or taught it to be due . 6. it is contrary to the honour of christ , and the very nature of christianity , for men to take up with implicite , uncertaine professions , when we have opportunity of more open free professions . he is not a master to be ashamed of . and he will have no servants that will not confess him before men , even in the hazzard of life ; much more in daies of the freedom of the gospel : as with the heart men must believe to righteousness , so with the mouth confession is made unto salvation , rom. 10. 10. what reason have we to whisper or draw back , in a cause of such a nature and weight as this . 7. shall we thus teach our people to esteem christianity , as an unobservable thing , by no more observing it ? the solemnity of mens transition into the adult-state of actual believers , doth make it more observable in the eyes of men ; and they will see that there is more in it , then commonly is now esteemed . i find by experience that our people hate no preaching more , then differencing preaching , which leaves or shuts them out from the number of the sanctified , and sets them as one the left-hand , in the face of the congregation , and judgeth them before the time : but faine they would have ministry confound and jumble all together : and then you may make them as great sinners as you will , so you will make them no worse then the justified , that are forgiven , and shall be saved . and so in practice , they love no differencing waies : but shall we so far gratifie the devil and the flesh ? no : we must labour to make the difference between christs servants and the world , as conspicuous as we can ! that the consciences of poor sinners , may rather be wakened , then cheated by us : and therefore we should choose the most solemn transition , and record the names of the confirmed , and let the people be brought to a publike observation , of the necessity of faith and holiness , while the covenant and profession of it is made so necessary . 8. that is the best means , that is fittest to attain the end ; the end of a covenant is to oblige , and the end of a profession to declare the mind : and i pray you which is fittest for these ends : an express profession and covenant , or a dumbe uncertain signe , by coming to church ; paying tithes ? &c. 9. such dumb professions are less tolerable now , because we have many in our assemblies that we know to be no christians . i know of many that will heare , that believe no life to come , and secretly make a scorne of christ and scripture , and many more that know not what christianity is , as is aforesaid . now shall we take up with such signes of christianity , as we see and know are commonly used by infidels , when we may have better ? 10. it is essential to a profession to be in some measure explicit : for profiteri is but palàm vel publicè fateri ; it is no profession if it be not , or pretend not to be , an expression of the mind : and therefore to be implicite and not express , is so far to be against the very nature of the profession ; in that measure as your profession is implicite ( as it 's called ) and not express , in that measure it is no profession at all . object . 7. but when you have the most express covenant or profession , you are not sure that it is true , and that the man is a believer at the heart . answ . 1. i am sure that it 's truly a profession , that is , a pretended signe of the mind , tho●gh i am not sure that it 's true profession , that is , a true infallible signe of the mind : i can know the metaphysical , though not the morall truth of it . and then i can be sure that i do my duty , and take up according to the directions of christ . it is his work to judge the heart immediatly , as being his prerogative to know it : but it 's my work to judge of the credibility of the profession . 2. and what if i have no infallible certainty ? must i therefore throw up all , and make the pastoral church-government to be void , and cast open the vineyard of christ to the wilderness , and not so much as require a credibility , because we cannot have an infallibility ? this may not be . object . 8. but this will encourage tbe anabaptists and congregational , in their express covenantings , by our coming so neer them ? answ . 1. i may better say , you will make men anabaptists , and drive them too far , by your loosness , and willfully shunning plaine duty . how can weake professours be drawn to think well of that party , which they see do shun so needfull a work of god ? 2. love and peace will teach all christians to say , that it 's the best for unity and healing of our breaches , to come as neare dissenting brethren as we may , and no● to fly the further from them . at least we may not run from truth and duty , that we may be unlike our dissenting brethren . 3. and i take it to be my duty to tell this alowd to the christian world , that after long contest with the anabaptists , and opposition of their waies , i am grown ( as i confidently think ) to this discovery of the mind of god in suffering them among us ; that he had this great truth and duty , to which he saw it necessary to awake us ; the church having been so lamentably defiled , discipline made an impossible thing , and mens salvation grievously hindred , by the common secret , unobserved transition of all people into the name , and number , and priviledges of adult-christians ; therefore did god permit these men , to step too far on the other side , that the noise might be the greater , and his call the more observable ; so that they are his messengers , calling aloud to england , and all other christian churches in europe , to keep the doore , and repaire the hedge , and no more to take an infant-baptism , and profession of our parents , as a sufficient evidence of the title of the adult , to the name , or place , or priveledges of christians ; but to give them infant priviledges upon the parents profession ; but to require of them a sober , serious profession and covenanting by themselves , in owning their baptismal covenant , before we number them with adult-christians : and that god hath suffered the anabaptists to make such a stirre among us ▪ will prove a mercy to us in the end , if we have the wit and grace to learn this , upon this troublesome occasion ; and then the reformation will do us more good , then ever the anabaptists did us harm . but if we will not learne , nor obey gods call , we must yet looke to be molested by them more , or else to do and suffer worse . object . 9. but if you will not take a non-renouncing of christ , and infant baptism as sufficient , without a personal covenant and profession , you may on the same grounds call men every week to such a profession , because that the former profession shews not what they afterwards are , but what then they are . answ . 1. the case is quite another : in your instance , it is but the continuance of the same profession and condition that is requisite : and i am bound to take it as continued , while i have no evidence to question it , and see the performance of it , as far as belongeth to my cognisance . but in my case the conditions and the professions are not the same : a new condition of right ; is necessary to the adult , which they had not at all in their infant baptism . then they entered upon their parents faith or profession ; but at age they must necessarily have a faith , or profession of their own , or else they actually cease to be christians . 2. and yet let me adde , that frequent professions of faith , and renewing covenant with god , have ever been used in the church ; both before christs incarnation and since , and indeed , the lords supper doth import it : and for my part , i thinke it a very convenient , edifying course , to have the articles of our faith every day repeated , as the belief of that church , and the people to stand up at it , to signifie their consent ; so be it , you will not take up with this silent profession alone , and exclude a more explicite one , when it is requisite . but this fitly signifieth our standing to the first . object . 10. but this will cast you upon the same difficulties which you object to the anabaptists ; you will not know at what age to take men for adult-christians . answ . 1. we shall not accept them for their age , but for their profession : and we can easily tell when they offer themselves to tryal and profession , and desire the communion of the church : as the ancient churches could tell when their catechumens were to be baptized . 2. and for the time when we must judge their infant church-state to cease , if they own not the covenant personally , we cannot set a certaine yeare , nor is it necessary : but when their infancy ceaseth , then their infant-state ceaseth : that is , when they come to the full or competent use of reason : but then observe , 1. that if they be called at such a time to profess their faith , and own their covenant , and refuse it , then we must judge them refusers of christianity unless the reasons of the refusal allows another judgment . 2. or if they will fully neglect for a considerable space , to own their baptismal covenant , and to seeke a standing among the adult-christians , it 's a strong presumption that they are backsliders . 3. if they only suspend their personal profession at age , we must only suspend our judgment , till we have some light to discern the cause : and cannot be sure that there are deserters or apostates . 4. but we are sure that they are nor to be numbred by the church among adult christians , till they have produced the evidence of their title , which is no other then a credible , personal profession . so that it 's easy to know when any such person is to be admitted , and publikely owned as an actual believer , though it be not so easy to discern of all , before that time , whether they are to be reckoned as desertours or not . he that wilfully neglecteth to come among the adult christians , long after he hath the full use of reason ( which is not with all at the same age ) is to be much suspected , at least : and commonly about 16 , or 17 , or 18 , years of age , is the time when we have reason to expect that they should seek the communion and privilidges of the adult : for about that age , they have a competent use of reason . object . 11. but if you admit them into the church in infancy , say the anabaptists , you will be obliged to excommunicate them all , that prove ungodly when they come to age , and not to let them silently pass out of the church again . answ . excommunication is either an excluding them from all relation of members to the catholike church , or from the actual communion of the church , or from both . the former we can do but declaratively . in the latter we also adjoyne the charge of god , for the execution of the sentence . but those that were never personal professours of faith , nor admitted into the communion of adult-christians , are not fit to be cast out of it : and this is the common use of excommunication , to remove those , as unfit , from the communion of the adult , that once were in it , and forfeit that communion : which cannot belong to them that never were in it . and for our declaring them desertours or apostates , we may do it upon just occasion , but we are not bound to do it publikely by all that are guilty ; this being not the excommunication , that is so enjoyned in the scriptures . where do you find that the church in scripture-times or after , was wont to excommunicate apostates ? and yet apostates were formerly of the church . it is those that hang on , and pretend still to be of the church , and intrude into the actual communion of it , that we must cast out , when they deserve it . object . 12. but if they cease to be christians , you must baptize them againe , if you will receive them . answ . no such matter : the anabaptists themselves will not rebaptize an apostate , when he returneth to the church . he is to be received by confession and absolution , and not by baptism . if a christian turn turk , and afterward return , he is not to be rebaptized . object . 13. but by this means you will unchristen the people , and then they will be exasperated , and turn heathens , or hearken to any seducers that will mislead them answ . 1. no : we will unchristen no man : but do that honour to christianity , and that right to the church and the soules of men , as to make a difference between christians and infidels , and that somewhat wider then the bare names . he that is a christian shall be more encouraged by this course , and he that is not , cannot be unchristened by us . if men will not unchristen themselves , they need not fear lest the just trying and approving of their christianity should unchristen them . 2. how little honour it is to christ and the church , to have the number made up , by such as we would disallow ; i have shewed you before , and also what a mischief that is to themselves , which some would give them as a benefit . 3. if magistrates and ministers do their duty , ( yea or but ministers alone ) they will better be kept from heathenism , or other evils in the state of expectants and catechumens , then in the state of church-members , where discipline will make them mad . object . 14. but at least your designe lookes as if you would keep the children of all such unchristened ; and what work would that make ? answ . i medle not with that question , but leave every man to his own judgment . and if i did my self keep off such children , i think it would prove but very few . for 1. i would refuse none of the parents that had aliquid christi , that made but a credible profession of christianity . 2. i am perswaded that this practise would bring almost all the people to a tollerable profession , when they know it is expected , and what lieth on it . 3. upon experience now i find , that both the parents are seldom so bad as to be uncapable of offering their child to god , ( in the judgment of the church ) nay commonly here the more one of the persons is in scandalous sinne , the more the other hates it : and they are seldom both grosly ignorant . and those that were delayed on these terms , would receive no wrong by it . gods way is the best . the children of unbelievers must not be inchurched in waies of our devising , nor respected before the honour of christ , and the common good of the church of god. but of this i say againe , i interpose not my judgment , but leave each man to his own . object . 15. but though confirmation be a duty , yet none but bishops have power to do it : and therefore it is not a lawfull thing for presbyters to attempt it . answ . 1. what mean you by bishops ? it is a word that hath , by mens application , got so many significations , that we may well expect that you give us the definition of a bishop , before you make him the matter of your dispute . and yet i have read so many bookes that dispute for episcopy , and so few that tels us what they mean by it ; that i must needs say , that most of them lose their labour , with such as i. if by a bishop you mean , such as our english bishops were , or any fixed pastour of many particular churches , i deny that such were ever instituted by christ , much less have they the sole power of such administrations . 2. do you meane that it is by gods law , or the laws of men , that diocesan bishops only may confirm ? if by gods laws , prove it , and we shall quickly yield . but that it 's very unlikely you should do . if you say that only the apostles had this power , i answer , 1. that then fixed diocesan bishops had none of it : for the apostles were none such . 2. then timothy , titus , ●paphroditus , &c. when they pretend to have been bishops , had it not . 3. ananias was no apostle , that laid hands on paul , that he might receive the holy ghost : of this more anon . but if you say , that this power is given to the bishops meerly by the laws of men ; then either by the laws of magistrates , or of bishops . for the former , we know of none in force with us , to that purpose ; and if they were , it is a work without their line , which christ hath done before them , and not left to them , to describe the offices of his church . and for bishops canons , we know no power that any bishops ever had , to make standing laws for the universal church ; nor of any such laws that are obligatory to us : and the opponents themselves do violate the canons of general councils without scruple ( as the 20th of 1. con. nic. and abundance more ) and how can they oblige us more then them ? 3. presbyters have the keys of the kingdom : therefore they may takein , and confirm thereby . 4. presbyters may by baptism take in members into the vniversal church , and judge of their fitness in order thereto : therefore much more may they confirm them , and judge of their fitness in order thereto . 5. it s granted , that presbyters may absolve , ( which was ordinarily by imposition of hands ) yea , saith bishop vsher , the deacons were sometime allowed it : therefore presbyters may confirm : or if you yielded but absolution , you would yield much of what we contend for , seeing so many violate their baptismal covenant , that absolution for restoring of them will be as necessary as confirmation . 6. hierome , that makes presbyters and bishops by gods law to be the same , doth yet according to the custom of the church say , that what doth the bishop except ordination , which the presbyter doth not : therefore he supposed that presbyters might confirm . 7. the same hierome expresly saith , that imposition of hands was reserved to the bishop , for the honour of priesthood , rather then by divine ordinatlon : * therefore it is but a humane institution . 8. the episcopal divines , and other writers of their side , do commonly maintaine the validity of presbyters ordination , viz. that in case of necessity it is lawfull , and where there is no flat necessity , it is not a nullity where it is irregular . i cited ( christian concord , pag. 53 , 54 , &c. ) many bishops and their defenders , that thus justifie the protestant churches , that have no bishops ; as dr. field , bishop d●wname , bishop jewel , saravia , bishop alley , bishop pilkington , bishop bridges , bishop bilson , grotius , lord digby , mr. chisenhal , bishop davenant , bishop prideaux , nowel , bishop andrews , mr. chillingworth ; to whom i adde ( to make up twenty ) 17. bishop bramhal , of schism . 18. and dr. steward . in his answer to fountaines letter . 19. dr. ferne , 20. and bishop vsher , in his judgment lately published . abundance more might easily be added : but mr. mason's book in vindicacation of the ordination of the forraigne reformed churches , may serve instead of more . 9 we have no bishop to do it : and therefore it must be done by presbyters : or we have none that we know of , and non esse , & non apparere ; are to us all one . 10. presbyters may impose hands in ordination , and ever did here in england : therefore much more in absolution and confirmation . 11. king charles , by the advice of his doctours in the isle of wight , reserved only ordination , and not confirmation and absolution to the bishops . 12. presbyters are governours of the churches , which are their pastoral charge ; and are called rectors : ( see bishop vshers , reduction of episcopacy , &c. proving it ) therefore they may do this , which is an act of government or guidance of the particular church . 13. presbyters must teach and oversee the people as their charge , and deliver them the sacrament : therefore they must judge to whom they must do it . 14. a diocesane bishop is uncapable of doing it faithfully : could one man try , approve and confirm faithfully , all the souls in 200 or 300 churches ? it 's known that here they did not : and it 's plain they cannot . if they lay hands on them without tryal , upon the presbyters word , then 1. this yieldeth , all save the ceremony , which we require . 2. and it is a venturing their practises on the judgment and fidelity of other men ; who may send them infidels to be confirmed for ought they know . but if they try themselves , they are never able to do for so many , in season : some will be old men , before the bishop will have leisure to confirm them ; and many a hundred die without it . nor do they know the people as their pastours do . 15. the doctrine and practise of the church of england , under the bishops , is for the power of presbyters herein as far as we desire : for 1. the presbyters of curates , had by the rubrick , the tryal and approbation of those , that were sent to the bishop for confirmation . 2. the bishops accordingly tooke them on their words , with a certificate , and used not to try them themselves , but only to impose hands with prayer and blessing . 3. and this by the canon , their suffragane also might do ; which yieldeth that a presbyter may do it . 16. the pope himself doth yield that presbyters may do it . and gregories epist . to that end , is put into their canon law , dist . 95. 1 , part . baptizatos etiam chrismate eos tangere conceditur , and gregories epist . to januar. calaritan . is annexed : by which it appeareth that they took his former prohibition so ill , that he was faine to reverse it . and though c. 11. he be forbidden infantes signare , in the presence of the bishop , without his command , yet so he was forbidden also to administer the eucharist , yea and the rural presbyters , might not give the cup or bread , in presence of the city presbyters , c. 12. ex concil . neocaesar . 1. c. 13. but certainly this proveth neither the one nor the other , out of their power . 17. the papists commonly confess , that presbyters may ex dispensatione , confirm by imposition of hands : so bellarmine himself . and the shool-men ordinarily make it an act of the presbyters power . 18. if it be proper to bishops , then either because of their order or jurisdiction : not of order : for they are of the same order with presbyters , as is frequently confessed by bishops and papists themselves , and differ but in degree : not of jurisdiction : for it is no more an act of jurisdiction to confirm , then to baptize or give the eucharist . 19 protestant divines are commonly agreed , that confirmation is not proper to bishops , but may be used by presbyters . for 1. france , belgia , helvetia , denmarke , saxonie , sweden , the palatinate , the countries of the duke of brandenburge , of the duke of brunswike , the land-grave of hassia , with the rest of the protestant princes of germany , and also hungarie , transilvania , the protestants in poland , &c. besides scotland , and so many in england , are all without bishops , having put them down : and though three or foure of these countries have superintendents , yet they make not confirmation proper to them . 2. the english bishops , ordinarily maintaine against the papists , that presbyters may confirm , and therefore we have their concurrance , as in dr. field , bishop downam , mason , and many others is apparent . 20. if all this will not satisfie you , for peace sake , we will forbeare imposition of hands , which you suppose to be the bishops proragative ; and we will be content to do no more , then presbyters alwaies did in baptizing the adult ; even to judge and approve of the capacity of those whom they baptized : and so will we only judge of the profession and capacity of those that we take charge of , and own as adult-christians , and must administer the lords supper to : and this common reason cannot deny us . object . 16. but if presbyters may do it , yet so cannot you ; for you are no presbyters , as wanting episcopal ordination : or else schismatical , as having cast them off to whom you were sworn . answ . 1. in my second sheet for the ministry , and my christian concord , i have answered already : and for fuller answer , i referre you to the london ministers vindication , to mr. mason's vindication of the ordination of the protestant churches , &c. if bishop bancroft himself , as dr. bernard mentions , in bishop vsher's judgment , and the rest of the prelates , were against the reordaining the scots ministers , me thinks , few should be so much more intemperate , then that intemperate prelate , as to judge their ordination null . and if the papists in the canon law , do judge that in some cases an excommunicate mans ordination is valid , me thinks protestants should not be worse to the church then they : especially those that are for the necessity of an uninterrupted succession of justly ordained pastours ; who must ( i dare boldly say ) derive their succession from unmeeter , and more uncapable hands , then english pastours . 2. no more is necessary to the authority and just ordination of a pastour , but that he enter according to the laws of god ; which laws require us to submit to the tryal , of our rulers and brethren , magistrates ( in some cases ) and pastours ; and to come in according to the best means , for election and approbation , that are then to be had and used ; but they bind us not to come in by waies impossible , nor to see that our antecessours through all generations have been lawfully ordained . 3. i have shewed already , and god willing shall more fully do it , in a disputation on that subject , that our english episcopcay was not that which god established , but intollerably inconsident with it : and therefore neither are men the less ministers for being without their ordinations , nor are they schismaticks for consenting to their deposition . 4 as for breaking oathes of canonical obedience to them , i think but few among us did take any such oath , and therefore broke none . 5. many among us were ordained by bishops , and some that were ordained took not that oath : and others that did , yet obeyed them while they stood , and what could they do more . 6 the younger sort of ministers had no hand in taking down the bishops ; and therefore are not scismatical thereby : and that their ordination is no nullity , bshiop vsher and other twenty prelatical witnesses forecited will testifie . object . 17. but on the contrary side it will be said , that you would set up the popish sacrament of confirmation againe . answ . the papists have made another thing of it : they use it to infants , and so will not we : they make a proper sacrament of it : they make the visible signes to be anointing and crossing , in the name of the father , sonne and holy ghost ; and they make imposition of hands no part of it , but cast it off , ( though in words they own it ) they adjoyn a boxe of the eare , to signifie , the opposition that christs souldiers must expect : they make it to imprint i know not what indelible caracter , and to give grace ex opere operato : they make it to be an entering of us into christs militia abusing baptism , as being but an entering us into his family , and not his warfare : all this is nothing to that , which i am pleading for , and which the protestant writers do wish for . object . 18. at least you will revive the prelatical confirmation againe , which the old non-conformists were against . answ . we will revive nothing of it , but what was good : the corruption we shall omit . they did it but on a few , ( contrary to their own laws ) but we would have it used to all . they confirmed children that understood not what they said : but we shall expect an understanding profession of faith. they did it in a hurry as an idle ceremony : we would have it done deliberately and with great reverence . the bishop only did it with them , that knew not whom he did confirm , but ventured on other mens words , or without : but we would have the pastour do it , that knoweth the persons , and hath time to try them , having one parish and not two hundred to oversee . object . but , at least , the papists and prelats will be hardened or encouraged by your coming so neare them . answ . i will not cast off the work of god , because that any will make it an occasion of sinne . and i take it to be the more my duty and not the less , because it tends to peace with all . i take it not to be any part of my religion , to study how to cross my brethren , or forbeare a practice ( yea so necessary a duty ) because they like it . i detest that principle and spirit . i rather feare , lest their own selfconceitedness , interest , prejudice and discontent , will make them dislike it . object . 19. what have we to do with the signe , when the thing that occasioned the use of it is ceased ? imposition of hands was at first only for the gift of miracles . answ . 1. it was much for the gift of miracles , but not only . and if the giving of one sort of the gifts of the holy ghost be ceased ; yet the other , more excellent and necessary gifts continue ; and therefore no reason the signe should cease , because it was not appropriated to the gift of miracles . but 2. if any man scruple either the signe of imposing hands , or the name of confirmation , we desire him his liberty : these are not the things that we contend for : let him but yield us that which i have shewed to be most certaine , and most usefull to the church ; that is , a solemn transition out of an infant church-state into an adult , under approbation of the pastours , and the just cognisance of t●e church ; and let him call it what he will , i shall not much contend with him about the name , or signe of imposition . object . 20. abundance of ministers are raw , imprudent young men , and not fit to manage so great a trust : and so it will marre all ; while some are so strict , that they will refuse all that seem not godly to their censorious minds ; and some will be loose man-pleasers , and let in all , and turn it but to an unprofitable formality . answ . 1. while men are men , they will act as men . if we shall have no church-ordinances and administrations , till you are secured from humane abuse of them , you must shut up the church doors , and give up all ; and shut up your bibles , till papists and infidels can find no matter of cavelling at the translation . 2. as i said before , this indeed should provoke the magistrate to set a faithfull guard on the church doores , that seeing the pastours have so great a trust , and the danger of abusing it is so great , the worthiest should be chosen that can be had . and if it be not so , you reproach your selves , that are choosers and pastours , and have the rule . why choose you not better if you know where to find them ? 3. this objection , is as much against our judging of those that are to be baptized , which yet the ministers that did baptize , have ever done , and were you not baptized already , we must admit you , and judge who is to be admitted , as the ancient preachers of the gospel did . 4. the episcopal b●ethren had more wit , then to be against confirmation , because one man may use it too strictly , and another too loosely : the congregational men are not against church-●ovenants or professions , because one pastour or church may be too strict ; and another too loose in judging of mens piety : the presbyterians are not against trying men before admission to the lords supper , nor against discipline , because one eldership may be too strict , and another too loose . the anabaptists are not against rebaptizing men at age , because one minister may refuse the fit , and another may take in all that come . why then should a possibility of ministers miscarriage , cause you to be more against this , then all the rest ? 5. if ministers be associated , they will be accountable for such miscariages ; and the advise and admonition of their brethren , may do much to prevent or reform such abuses : and the faithfull people of their charge , will somewhat observe them , and bid archippus take heed to the ministry that he hath received in the lord , that he fulfill it , col. 4. 17. 6. as long as you are not forced into our charge , but have your liberty to choose your pastour , ( as now it is ) you have the less reason for this complaint . if the laws of zeno or plato be thought too strict in their schooles , as long as the schollars may choose to come there , and all volunteers , they may the better beare it . 7. as i said before , the trust must be put in some or other to judge : and where can it be fitter then in them , who by study are prepared , and by office appointed by christ hereunto . 8. if you will give a presbytery , or one eminent minister in every market-town , or visiters of your own appointment , a special care to oversee the rest in doing this , and such like works , i shall be no gainsayer , so the work be but done : the more inspection and circumspection the better . 9 if one minister refuse the fit , there be many more that will not . 10 your commissioners may have power moderately to correct the m●nisters abuses in their work . but because i perceive that rulers are unreasonably jealous , lest the pastours of the church will do too much , rather then left they do too little , and are more solicitous to use the bridle of restraint , then the spurre of instigation : i intreate them to consider these things : 1. that most certainly there is no part of all our ministry , that stirs up neer so much ill will , passion , malice , yea and persecutions against us , as this part , about taking in and casting out , and exercising the keyes of the kingdom ; in which you are so jealous of us . 2. and alas ministers are flesh and blood , as well as others : and all of them too tender of their interest , of profit , reputation , and ease : which are all contradicted notably by this work . do you think ministers will be so hot on it , to have their neighbours hate them and revile them , and to live as owles in the places where they live , and to put themselves on a great deal of trouble ? surely it is a very self-displeasing thing to the very nature of man , unless he be a monster , to displease his neighbours , and be hated and baited by them . and it will provoke them not only to forbeare all acts of kindness or bounty , but to deny them their due maintenance , as far as ever they can : and many , if not most ministers , have no great mind to be so used ; nay had rather lose it , then go to law for all their dues ; the trouble , and cost , and odium of it is so great . so that our parliaments have been too much afraid , lest ministers should cease to be men , or to be sinners , and to be manpleasers , and to indulge their flesh ; and lest we should runne into the fire , and lie down among the thorns , and choose a life of trouble and sufferings . 3. and me thinks experience should satisfie men of this . do you not see how backward ministers are to church-reformation , and discipline in the exercise , when they have been most forward for the power ? how little is yet done in it , for all our liberty , after all our prayers , and petitions , and writing for it ? do you find in most parishes that ministers are prone to overdo ? certainly you do not . 4. do you not know that all the work of god is so much against nature , and hath such abundance of enemies and difficulties in the way , that few men are like to be guilty of over-doing ? why be you not as carefull to hinder men from overdoing in sanctifying the lords day , in teaching and praying with their families , &c. but because you see that few need your curb . i am confident , should parliaments do their best to drive on ministers to such works as these , and make laws upon laws , to spur them to the practice , they would not be able to bring one half of us , nor the tenth man , to reach so farre , as christ hath bound us ; no nor one man of us , in all respects . and yet i againe say , that if any rash men are overrigid and abuse their trust ( which is likest to be those whose maintenance no whit cometh from the people ; for in the rest there is more danger of the contrary , ) we desire not that they should be exempted from the magistrates , ministers , or peoples due means for their amendment . but let the spurre be most used , seeing there is most need ; and let us see some severe laws , to drive us on to those duties , that flesh and blood , and all the world is so much against . i come now to the last part of m●●aske , which is to give some brief directions for the most effectual practice of this excellent , needfull work . and i shall first speake of the duty of ministers in order to it , and 2. of the peoples duty , and lastly of the magistrates . the duty of the pastours i judge to consist in these particulars . direct . 1. let the pastours in each country meet together , and agree as one man in faithfulness , and self-denial , to do their duty ; that the most conscionable may not be liable to the reproach of singularity , because the rest betray them , and the church and cause of christ , by withdrawing , and leaving the work undone : so long hath the church already suffered the neglect , even of godly ministers , that in such a time of leave and helpe , we still hold off , and dare not venture on a little displeasure of the people , when our ancestours ventered on the flames ; i grieve to think what a shame it will be to our names , and to the reformed churches , and what a confusion it may bring upon our faces , before our righteous judge . and it is a griefe to me , if i were sure of magistrates assistance , that all our enemies shall say , and that the histories of this age shall tell posterity , that the ministers of england , after fasting , prayers , warres and vowes pretended for reformation , would yet do little or nothing toward it , but preach ; even in times of liberty and encouragement , till the magistrate did it : and that it must be the work of the magistrate , after our unworthy , lazy , or treacherous desertion of it . had we no more help then we have , we might do much , were we willing and unanimous . direct . 2. let us take heed of extending these agreements to any unnecessary circumstances , so as to lay the stress of the business on them , or to make that necessary , which is unnecessary : but let us agree on the generall certain points , and leave particular men to their liberty , in modes and circumstances , not judging each other , if we differ herein : or if one be more or less strict then another in the execution . direct . 3. let us yet all be very carefull , that in point of tryall and judging mens profession , we avoid extreames : on one side let us not be righteous overmuch , by keeping out any , that make the most broken , intelligible profession of faith and repentance , and a godly life , that may be taken for credible : and remember that we are not searchers of the heart , and that charity judgeth not evil of any , that are capable of a better judgment . and certainly a humble soul that 's conscious of its own infirmities , and unworthiness will be very tender of condemning another , without very satisfying evidence . of this i referre you to my first dispute , of right to sacraments . on the other side , let us take heed of turning this duty into a meer formality , and making nothing of it , but mocking the church and god. let us not take up with a profession of any other kind of faith , but the true christian saving faith ; nor with any profession of this faith , which we are able to prove to be incredible . direct . 4. none of the aged that have already been admitted to the communion of the church in the lords supper , may be brought under confirmation by imposition of hands , as we have before shewed . but all that were yet never admitted to this special part of communion , nor have made any solemne approved profession , should yet be called to it , be they young or ould , when they demand church-communion . if you ask me what shall be done with the rest , seeing they were admitted irregularly , without any profession of the faith ? i answer , 1. acquaint them plainly with the nature of christianity , and what a church is , and what is the office of a pastour , and what the duty of the flock , to god , to him , and themselves , and one another . 2. then tell them , that you resolve to proceed according to these rules in the government of your flock ; and to exercise this discipline . tell them plainly ( that they be not deceived ) both what are the benefits of a church-state and discipline , and what are the difficulties that unprepared men are like to grudg at ; and how hardly they will take it to be followed , and not suffered to rest in sinne , and openly reproved , and cast out with shame , if they will not be penitent and reforme . and then tell them , that if there be any that have slipt into a church-state ( in shew ) and knew not what christianity was , or what they did , and finde themselves as yet unfit for it , if they do forbeare the priviledges of the church , till they are better prepared , and acquainted with them , and can use them to their profit , you shall in meane time be ready to teach them publikly and privatly , till they are prepared : and those that are fit to continue , and use such priviledges , advise not to forbeare them . but let them know , that you can neither take all the parish as such for members of the universal church , or of your charge , and therefore must have some better evidence , especially after such a confusion , that negligence hath brough into the church : and you cannot take any man to be of your charge against his will , and therefore you must know their minds . 3. give them notice , that all that own their church-membership , and will have communion with that church , under your ministry and pastoral oversight , are desired by you to signifie their desires , by giving in their names to the cleark of the parish , or some other fit person ; or if they refuse that , by coming to you . 4. when you have their names , keep them some time , while you get information of the persons lives . and then give notice to all ( if it may be , to avoid imputation of partiality ; or at least of all that you have reason to suspect , of gross ignorance or impiety ) by streets , villages , or houses , to come to speak with you , on some appointed daies : where you may discerne the fitness of some ; and such as you find to be grosly ignorant or scandalous , advise them to stay till they are prepared , offering them your help , because else you must do that in a way of discipline , that they are unfit to beare . 5. all that disown their own standing and church-membership , or present right to priviledges , and withdraw into the order of catechumens , as being ignorant in what they did before , you may safely teach them as catechumens , and are not bound to enrage them by church-discipline , which they consent not to , and are not capable of . 6. all those that you find tolerable , that have owned their churchmembership , and not withdrawne themselves , you ought to keep their names , in a church book for memory , and to call them solemnly ( at some day of humiliation , or other fit season ) to own their relation publikly , their names being-read , that all may know with whom they are to hold communion . and if there be need , you may justly require them there openly to renew their profession and covenant with god. 7. your flock being then reformed and known , you need not call them againe , to examination before particular sacraments , or other parts of church-communion . 8. when any members are after added , they should , if unconfirmed , and such as never did communicate , be received solemnly by prayer and benediction ; and if they be such as have been admitted to communion , let them be only approved upon renewing their profession . for the one sort are confirmed in their relation to both catholike and particular church ; but the other , only enter then into the particular church , being solemnly received into the catholick church before , and perhaps into some other particular church , or into that from which they departed . direct . 5. if any come in that hath violated his baptismal covenant , by a wicked life , he is before you receive him , to give some open testimony of his repentance , ( if his sinne were open ) that so he may be ministerially absolved , and the church receive him , not meerly as an adult-believer , but as a convert , with praiers and rejoicing . and the fuller confession he makes of his ungodly life , and of the way and love of god in his recovery , and the fuller warning he giveth others of the sinnes that he was guilty of , and the fuller he communicateth to them the satisfying reasons that caused him to turne , the better it is , and more suitable to the state of a penitent : as also the fullyer he professeth his resolution to stick close to christ , by the help of his grace , for the time to come . direct . 6. for the exeecution of this , because all the people cannot be still ready , nor attend , and because , it 's fit they have some cognisance of these things ; let some of the most sober , judicious persons , be chosen by the church ( not into office , but as their delegates , or trustees ) to meet with the pastours monthly in some convenient place , where all persons may first address themselves that seek the priviledges of the church ( and where matters of discipline may be first transacted , before we bring them to the assembly yet not forbidding any other of the church to be there present , that will. and either in that meeting may members after be admitted , and their names made publike at the next communion ; or else some meetings publikly appointed , foure times a veare , or more , for admitting such in publike , as shall be found fi●est : which may be at a fast before a s●crament . and let any of the church ( at that prep●rative meeting ) have leave to put in what exceptions they have , against the person for his profession or conversation . direct . 7. let the pastours and churches that live within the reach of any communion , be as many as is possible , associate , and meet for the maintaining of communion of churches : ( by their officers , and delegates ) and those that differ in such tollerable matters , as may not hinder their christian or church-communion , and yet are not satisfied to joyne in synods with the rest , let them agree upon such terms of communion and christian correspondence as their principles will admit . and let no stranger be admitted to our church-communion , that bringeth not a certificate ( called of old communicatorie letters , ) or some sufficient testimony from one of these sorts either the churches neerly associated , or those that we agree to take for brethren . and those that bring such certificates must be admitted by us , without any further tryal , or confirmation ; unless there be some notable cause of suspition . but for those that live in heretical , or impious societies , or such as refuse all church-order , and communion with neighbour churches , or are justly disowned by the associated churches , we should not admit them to our communion , without a particular tryal , or a better certificate then those churches can give them . and thus should all the churches be concatenated , and their communion setled . direct . 8. above all let every minister see that he wisely and diligently carry himself to the rest of his parish ; avoiding indeed the excommunicate as heathens : but for all that are willing to learne in an expectant-state , let us deale lovingly , gently and tenderly with them , denying them nothing that lawfully we can yield them , in matters of buryal , marrying , praying , preaching , or the like . and be sure to carry on the necessary duty of catechizing , and personal conference and instruction with them , family by family , by which you may the better know them and prepare them for church-communion , and have opportunity to quiet them , and answer their objections ; and they may see that you cast them not off as heathens , but only prepare them for the state and priviledges , which they are yet unfit for . and especially let us by all possible condescension , meekness , loving carriage , blameless lives , and charitable contribution to the utmost of our abilities , endeavour to win them and take off that offence , or at least abate it , or hinder the success of the reproaches of those , that will undoubtedly be offended , by our reformation and discipline . and let us have a vigilant eye upon any seducers , especially infidels and papists that may creep in among them , to take advantage of their discontents ; that we may prudently and effectually counterwork them . this much faithfully done by ministers , might be an admirable mercy to the church . 2. the peoples duty in order to this reformation before mentioned , is , 1. of the godly , and such as are fit for church-communion : 2. of the grosly ignorant and ungodly that are unfit . 1. the duty of the first sort lyeth in these particulars . 1. they must highly value the benefit of pastorall oversight and church-communion , and therefore be ready to promote any work of reformation that is necessary , to their more fruitfull and comfortable enjoyment of them . 2. they must so behave themselves as may honour and further the work , and take heed of that by which it may be hindered ; least they weaken our hands and be a stumbling block to others . for what can a minister do himself , if the church assist him not ? much less if they hinder him ? especially , 1. they must take heed of scandalous sinnes , which may be a shame to their profession , and open the mouthes of the enemies of the church . 2. they must take heed of sects and div●sions , and quarrellings among themselves , which will break them in pieces , or hinder their edification , and make them a stumbling block to the weak , and a laughing stock to the wicked . 3. they must take heed of sur●yness and pride , and domineering carriage towards those that are yet without : and must be as eminent in meekness , and humility , and patience , and forbearance , and self-denyal , as they are in the profession of religion . for a proud domineering spirit , or strangeness and unnecessary distance , doth lose the ungodly , whom you should be means to win . 4. they must study to do all the good they can to those without ; be as little as may be in executing penalties on them , and as much as may be possibly , in speaking kindly and familiarly to them , and relieving them in wants , and visiting them in sickness , and think it not much to purchase their love , in order to their salvation , with the loss of your right , or with the price of much of your worldly goods . for all men love those , or at least will less dislike them , that do no hurt to any , but do good to all , or as many as they can . to be the servants of all , is the highest christian dignity , and the way to winne them . 5. take heed of falling out , or contending with any of them , or of giving them any harsh , provoking words , to their faces , or behind their backs . but put up any wrong that is meerly your own , and is in your power to forgive , for the sake of peace , and your own neighbours good . 6. be not men of common spirits , or common speech , or a common conversation : but as we must make a difference between you and others in our communion and church-administrations , so let the rest see that it is not without cause . for if you be but like other men , we shall seeme to be partial in making a difference , between you and other men . let your light therefore shine before men to the glory of your heavenly father . let them see that you despise the world , and live above it , and can easily part with it ; that you can forgive and bear a wrong ; that your heart is in heaven , and your treasure there ; and that you are the heires of another world : let all men heare and see by you , that you have a higher designe in your eye , then the ungodly , and that you are driving on another trade , then the men that have their portion in this life . heaven is your reall glory : and to be heavenly is your true reputative glory , not only in the eies of the wi●e , but of the common earth-worms of the world . 7. set your selves in the most diligent and faithfull improvement of all your parts and interests to help on the work of god on mens souls . though you preach not , you have work enough in your own places to do , to further the preachers work . speake to poore people prudently , seasonably , and seriously about the state of their souls , and everlasting life : and consult with the ministers , how to deale with them : tell them in what state you find the people , and take their advice in further dealing with them . o if our neighbours would but helpe us in private , and do their parts , and not cast all the burden on the minister , there would much more be done then is ! nay , alas , to our grief and hindrance , some of our professing people are so hot , and self-conceited , and proud , that unless we will outrunne our own understandings , and be ruled by them , and shut out abundance that the word of god allows us not to shut out , and be righteous overmuch , and shut up the church of christ , as in a nut-shell ; they presently murmure and rebell , and separate , and must betake themselvel to a stricter congregation . and others of them , must have us cast off discipline , and cut up the hedge , and admit all to the communion and priviledges of the church , and all under a blind pretense of charity ; and some learned gentlemen by words and writings , do enrage our ignorant and ungodly ▪ neighbours against us , and make them believe , that we do them some grievous wrong , because we will not indeed deceive them and undo them , and set up new church-orders ( or disorders ) now in the end of the world , so contrary to all the ancient canons and orders of the church . i honour and deerly love the names of many of these studious , pious gentlemen : but seriously i must tell them , that they want humility , and in their good meanings do the church a world of wrong . and though they may be more learned even in theology , then we , yet it is a great matter to have or to want experience . they have not been so much in church-administrations as we , nor had so much to do with ignorant souls . and verily i must say againe , that the bare theory maketh but a bungler in this work : i must much suspect the judgment of that man in matters of church-government , or dealing with poor souls , that wants experience . let these gentlemen , but turn ministers , ( be it known to their faces , there 's none of them too good for it , nor too great ) and let them but try our life a little while , and i shall set more by their judgments , then now i do . i red many a physicians writings , before i was fit to attempt a cure. it 's a raw deceitful kind of knowledg in these practical affaires , that is not furthered by experience . 2. and as for the duty of the ignorant , ungodly people , i shall say little of it , because i suppose they are not like to read or regard what i say . only in general , it is their first duty , to become truly godly persons , and so to live in communion with the church . but upon supposition that they will not yet be such , their next choice should be to live in quiet submission to their teachers , and patiently stay among the catechumens , and expectants , till they are fit for a higher place and priviledges . and with the reasonableness of this motion , and how it conduceth to their good , we should labour to acquaint them , and make them sensible of it , that they may be patient in their station . 3. our last work is to tell you , what is the magistrates part , for the promoting of this work . and i shall urge them here to no great matters , because they shall not say , that we would either drive them in the darke upon questionable things , or put them upon that , which any reason can call persecution , or make them think , that we can do nothing but by their sword and therefore whether they should force people to be church-members , or christians , or to come under discipline , are questions that at this time i shall not meddle with ; but direct . 1. it is a great part of the magistrates duty to cause the people that are yet unfit for church-communion , to keep in their visible station , and to behave themselves as expectants , and submit to that instruction of their teachers , which is necessary to prepare them for the priviledges of the church : and to this end the magistrate should by laws and proclamations , own this ministerial reformation . alas how little knew they , what they did , that have so long been jealous of us , lest we would do too much , and under pretence of discipline enflame , or abuse them by severity ? when as it is a work that casteth us on so much rage and hatred , of rich and poor , and calls for such abundance of faith and zeale , and diligence and self-denial , when we have so little , and are commonly like other men addicted too much to man-pleasing , and to save our selves , that if we had all the help that magistrates can give us , it 's ten to one but we should leve the most of this work undone . preaching is a very cheap and easy work , in comparison of church-government . they have taken great pains to stop poor , lazy , short-winded men from runing up the steepest hill , and carrying the heaviest burden , and passing through the greatest sufferings , that in those prosperous times we can expect . and indeed i know it to be true , that for all the countenance of authority , he that will faithfully execute the pastoral oversight and discipline , shall live a persecuted life , which by meer preaching he might avoid . therefore the chief governours of the nation ought to make laws , and cause them to be executed , for the constraining of the grosly ignorant and ungodly , to heare the word preached publikly , and to submit to be privately catechised , and instructed by the ministers : and to command them patiently to waite , as learners in this condition , till they are fit to be approved members of the church . these carnal people look more at the sword , and will of the magistrate , in matters of religion , then others do ; because they understand no other argument , and can favour nothing but the things of the flesh . did but the rulers of the nation heare how they daily enquire what religion shall be owned and setled by them , they would sure think it their duty , to lend them a little more of their help . we desire you not to drive them to christianity , nor to sacraments , or church-communion : only drive them to heare , and learne , and be instructed , that the light of truth may do the rest . surely none can reasonably suspect , that this is against the liberty of their consciences , unless the slavery of satan be their liberty : and it be their liberty to be free from christ , and righteousness , and heaven . it 's hard to believe that governour to be a christian , that will not do this much to help his subjects to be christians . direct . 2. and as the magistrate should constraine such people to submit to be instructed , so should he constraine the ministers to instruct them , both by publike preaching , and by private conference and catechizing , if they be able : and if through the greatness of the place , one minister is not able to perform it , there should be so many maintained proportionably , to the number and necessities of souls , as may be able . the reason why ministers themselves should be compelled by penalties are , 1. first because some are so dull , that they need the spur . 2. because our performances will be the less resisted by the people , when they know we are forced by the magistrate . 3. because the magistrates judgment puts much authority and honour on the work , in the peoples eies : compel us therefore , as well as them . direct . 3. the magistrate should also impose a penalty upon all that undertake to be pastours of a church , and administer the lords supper , and yet will not make any necessary tryal of the knowledg , faith , and lives of those , to whom they do administer it , nor exercise any church discipline on the scandalous ; but utterly neglect that oversight and church-government , which is as much a part of the pastoral work , as publike preaching is . they that will undertake to be pastours , and meddle with sacraments , must be compelled to do the work of pastours , and to dispence the sacraments in a tollerable order . though yet we are not for compulsion in any doubtfull points , of lesser moment , where a difference among the godly may be tollerated : but that pastours should act as no pastours , and rectors of the churches be as no rectors , and should cherish all ignorance , infidelity , and impiety , and profane gods ordinances , and subvert the communion of saints , and lay the garden of christ open to the common wilderness , and thereby make all seeme singular to the people , that will not do as wickedly as these ; this is not to be tolerated ; but the commissioners for ejecting scandalous ministers , with the advice of the assistants , should have power to correct them , and in case of obstinate unreformedness to eject them : not to silence them from preaching to the catechumens or any ; but to prohibite them from the actions proper to church rulers or pastours , till they will performe them more agreeably to the scripture rule . and this compulsion also of the ministers , we desire especially for the peoples sake , who we are content should be excused themselves from any such penal laws , to restraine them from sacraments ; but when they know that ministers are under such penalties , they will beare it at their hands , and take it the better , when we deale with them , as the word of god requireth . i heare it with my eares , to the grief of my heart , how some of my neighbour ministers are spoken against , with bitterness by their people , because they give not the lords supper to all , even to the most ignorant and ungodly , that refuse to be instructed ; or so much as to take themselves for any members of the ministers charge : and that which they say is , that though bishops and common prayer be taken down , yet the giving of the sacrament to all the parish , is not taken down . and they that now submit so quietly to the disusing of many other things , because ministers are punishable if they use them , would also do the like in this case . and yet if you are jealous , that ministers will go as far on the other hand , in refusing the people that are not to be refused , ( though with one of an hundred , there 's little feare of that ) we are contented that you looke to us also in this : to which end these two things will be sufficient . 1. let the magistrate joyne with the pastours and delegates of the church in their meetings , where church-affaires are transacted , that he may see what we do . if there be no justice of peace in the parish , let every church have a church-magistrate purposely chosen by the chief magistrate ; or some agent on his behalf deputed hereunto . 2. and let the magistrates agent acquaint the commissioners how things are transacted , in cases of complaint , and let them by the advise of the assistant ministers , correct us as we deserve , if you should imagine this to be necessary . direct . 4. the magistrate should promote , encourage , countenance , yea command the pastours to associations and brotherly correspondencies , for the more cautelous , and vigorous , and effectual management of these works ; and for the concatenation and communion of churches , and the right understanding of each others affaires ; that he that hath communion in one church , may by communicatory letters , have communion in any of the rest ; and he that is cast or kept out of one , may not be received by the rest , till it be proved that he is excluded unjustly . and those that joyne not so fully as the rest , may yet be provoked to owne one another , as farre as they can ; that so we may maintaine brotherly love , with all that differ from us by tollerable defferences ; and may own them as churches , though we cannot own their different opinions or waies ; and may have such communion with them , as we may , and upon their letters may admit their members to our communion . this the magistrate should at least openly provoke , and encourage the churches and pastours to ; seeing no man can doubt whether it be for the edification of the church . direct . 5. for the better promoting of this necessary work , i conceive it would be a very ready and unquestionable way , for the magistrate to appoint an able , godly , moderate minister , to be a visiter in each county , or rather in each half or quarter of a county , to see the churches thus reformed , and prvoke the several pastours to their duty , and assist them in it , where there is need : but not to have any episcopal power to punish , or cast out any minister , or excommunicate them , suspend them , or the like : but let every visitor have an agent of the magistrate joyned with him , armed with authority to convent the ministers , and examine witnesses , and do what more the chief magistrate shall see meet , so that still these two visitors go together , but have not the same authority or work ; but let the minister only enquire , direct , exhort , and give account and advice to the civil visiter ; and let the civil visiter have all the coercive power : and let both of them transmit such causes as are exempt from their determination , to the commissioners for ejecting scandalous mininisters , who by the advise of the assistant ministers may determin them . these visiters did very much to the first and great reformation of scotland , when popery had overrun all : nor did they scruple the using of them , for all that they were against prelacy . direct . 6. it is one of the chief and unquestionable parts of the magistrats duty , in order to the reformation and peace of the churches , and the saving of mens souls , to see that dangerous seducers be restrained , from infecting and carrying away the ignorant , ungodly , discontented people , that are kept under ministerial teaching , as expectants . i do not move to have men driven into our churches : nor do i move to have an unnecessary restraint laid upon mens tongues or pens , in case of tollerable differences , among the servants of christ . in this case i only desire now , that the dissenting godly brethren , would agree together , to meddle with their differences no more then needs , and to manage their disagreements with such cautions , and in such manner , and season , and measure , as may least hinder their success in the common work , viz. the promoting of the common fundamental verities , and the converting and saving of the ignorant and ungodly , and getting down the reigning sinnes of the world . and then they will find , 1. that if there by any truth in the private opinions , which they would propagate , it will farre easier be received , when the minds of their brethren are sedate and peaceable , then when they are allarmed to the conflict , by unseasonable preaching for the said opinions . 2. and that the errours ( of this lower nature among brethren ) which some feare a tolleration of , will sooner die of themselves for want of fewel in such peaceable deportment , then when the bellowes of opposition , contradiction , reproach , and violence are blowing them up , and putting life continually into them . for most dividers are proud and selfish , and must needs be noted , for somewhat extraordinary : and you take the principal way to animate them , when you make so much ado with them : whereas a few yeares neglect , and not observing them , as if there were no such men in the world , ( unless when they impose a necessity on us ) would more happily extinguish them . i speak but what i have seen and tryed . this therefore is not the matter of my present request , that magistrates would use rigor and violence with godly men , about tollerable differences ; which the power of greater light and love in the contrary minded , is the principal means to reconcile . but the thing requested now of magistrates is , that they would keep out the wolves , while we are feeding the sheep ▪ or help us in it . that they suffer not damnable deceivers , or any that plainly go about to subvert mens souls , or the state of the church , to fall in with our ignorant , ungodly people , in the time of their learning and expectancy . and as i shall be ready against any libertine , infidel , or papist in the world , to prove this to be in the magistrates power , and his flat duty ( of which i hope no sober christian doubteth ) so i shall here lay before the magistrate , the reasons that shall evince the need of his help , in the present case . reason 1. the people that we now speak of , are so utterly ignorant , that it 's easy to deceive them . it 's no dishonour to truth , that a foole , or a child my be deluded : but such are not to be left to the malice and craft of jugling enemies . reason 2. so wicked are the hearts of those , that we now speak of ( or many of them ) that they are prepared for deceit , and willing of it materially , though not formally , as such . it 's easy drawing men from that which they hate , or their hearts are bent against , and to that which they love , and their hearts are set upon . such gunpowder will soon take fire . reason 3. our people by the foremencioned work of reformation , will undoubtedly be cast into discontents : they will be sorely displeased with their teachers ; which is a small matter , were it not that it hindreth their own salvation . they have so long been used to have their own will , and to be admitted even in heathenish ignorance and impiety to the communion of the saints , and all the outward priviledges , without any considerable exercise of discipline over them , that now it will be a strange provoking thing to them , when their custom shall be altered . so that in the discontent and hatred of their minds , if infidels , or papists , or any such malignant adversaries shall come among them , their own malignity and discontent , will drive them by multitudes into their nets ; and they will turn to the first that comes with any plausible though pernicious doctrine . with half an eie we may easily see this : and therefore , if the magistrate will not help us to quiet and secure the people , and keep off deceivers , while we are catechising , and instructing , and preparing the grosly ignorant and ungodly , it will be to the hazard of many thousand souls , and a temptation to many faint-hearted ministers , againe to cast open the hedge ▪ and lay the churches communion common , for feare of the ill consequence , that will follow to the people by displeasing them . and yet i may well conclude , that though still the church will have need of some of the magistrates help in this same way , yet nothing so much hereafter , as at first . 1 it is custom that most holdeth the people now , and enrageth them against the breakers of it . and when once the custom is broken and turned , they will be much more quiet . 2. we now find the churches in the rubbish , and have the harshest work at first to do , which will soone be over , and the churches and minds of men more setled . 3. a few yeares practise of confirmation , in the foredescribed way , i hope will introduce such abundance of knowledg , and so increase the face of godliness , that we shall have little need of the magistrates helpe , in this kind as now we have . but now at first our necessity is very great . reason 4. moreover , our doctrine and practice is most contrary to mens sinnes ▪ and carnall interest , and therefore though it be true , yet it is provoking , and seemeth to be against them ; as blood letting , fasting , and bitter medicines to a child , or a foolish patient . and therefore no wonder , if tolerated seducers can draw them from it , by sence or non-sence , in such a case . a little reason seemes to take men off from that , which seemes against them , or which they hate . reason 5. on the contrary , the doctrine and practice of deceivers , is suited to their nature , and purposely sugered for them by art. for instance : if papists fall in with them in the depth of their discontent , and first raile at us as no ministers , but lyars and hereticks ; and then revile us for receiving maintenance ( which is their way , though their clergie receive so exceedingly much more ) and then tell them of all their ancestours , and then set them upon an easy , outside piety , which ex opere operato , will certainly conferre grace , and shall take up at the strictest with an auricuar confession , instead of necessary humiliation and true church-discipline ; and shall make those veniall , and improper sinnes , which we make damnable ; and shall send many but to purgrtory , that according to scripture , we send to hell. in a word , when they shall comply with carnal hearts and interests , but as much , as montalte the jansenian sheweth us , that the jesuites do ; what wonder if our ignorant , discontented people , do greedily swallow such baits as these , and turn to such a kind of religiousness ? and this makes the jesuites glad of our reformation , and stand by us as the crows by sheep , that they may have our leavings , or all that we cut off : for it 's number that they regard ; and if they will but believe in the pope , they shall be welcom to them ; yea , be catholikes and be saved , though they believe not in christ and the holy ghost , nor know not what christianity is . he that thinks i wrong them : 1. let them look on millions , and millions in their churches . 2. let him but read * fr. a sancta clara , problem . 15 , & 16. reason 6. the adversaries also are very industrious , and have many advantages of us from without . in most churches they will meet , though with godly , yet with young , unexperienced disputers ; because our ministery is but reviving , and the young ones must have time to grow . and the jesuites , fryars and other missioners , have a pope and cardinals , and bishops , and princes , and lords , and revenews , and wealth , and seminaries , and trayned soldiers in abundance , at their backs beyond . sea , to furnish them with continual supply . and how eager and busy they are , the christian world hath had long experience : so that if such be let loose on ignorant souls , what wonder if they prevaile ? reason 7. and for the event , if the magistrates shall refuse us this reasonable and unquestionably lawfull aide , it may be the means of the damnation of many thousand souls . i suppose i speak to christians , that believe that sinne is the poyson of the soul , and believe that faith in christ is necessary , and that there is a heaven and a hell : and if so , they must needs understand , what it is , to suffer men to draw their subjects from christ , from scripture , from the meanes of grace , and a holy life ; and to draw them into sinne : that this is but to give men leave to do their worst , to undo and damne as many as they can ; and to take them at the greatest vantage in their ignorance and discontent to trip up their heels , and tise them into hell. how dreadfull a thing is this to a magistrate , once to think of , that hath but any belief of scripture , and pitty on the souls of men . and therefore ( as long as we do not now call upon them , so much as to force papists , or infidels either to be of our religion , or to profess that they are so , or joyne in communion with us , but only desire , that they may keep their venom to themselves , and may not be suffered to take the advantage of our peoples ignorance and discontent ) undoubtedly the rulers that are friends to christ , and the souls of men , will never find in their hearts , to deny this assistance . reason 8. and if they should deny it , in reason they must needs see , that they will fully give up the churches of christ , that are under their government , to distraction and confusion . they know well enough wh●t would come of it , if every man have but liberty to perswade their armies into mutinies and rebellion ; or to perswade the subjects against themselves , that rule them ; or to entice mens children , or servants to lewdness , or their wives to unchastity . and will they , under pretence of mercy or liberty , permit men to do that against christ , and the church , and the souls of many that are bad enough already , which they would not , they durst not permit against mens bodies , or against themselves , or against the peace of the common-wealth . and what a dishonour will it be to christ , to the church , and reformation , and religion ; and what a joy to all the enemies of these , to see that our reformation shall breed such confusion , and bring upon us such inconveniencies ? and all because the magistrate shall refuse his help . reason 9. and perhaps , the magistrates will quickly find , that the distractions of the church will breed , and feed such distractions in the common-wealth , as may make them wish they had quenched the fire , while it was yet quenchable . our unity is not only our strength , but their strength , especially if they promote it . our divisions weaken us as well as them . what will the magistrate do , if he help us not in this case ? ministers cannot in conscience alwaies forbeare their duty , but will set about it ? either the rulers will suffer us to do it , or not : if they suffer us and assist us , it will be our peace and theirs , and our peoples good : if they suffer us and assist us not , as is now desired , we shall exasperate so many of their sujects by our reformation , and shutting them from church communion , that will shake the peace of the common-wealth , and the odium will fly on the governours , for setting up a ministry that so provoketh them , and so the people will be still in discontents , and prepared for rebellion , or any violent change . and the fire that begun in the church , if it be let alone , may reach the court. but if to mend this , they will put down or hinder ministers , their persecution will bring gods judgments on them , and turn the hearts of honest , sober men against them . they have seen what deformation and persecution have done , before their eies . reason 10. lastly , it will bring a most heavy guilt on the magistrates soul , which he will never be able to stand under , before the king of all the world . to be guilty of the neglect of an office so divine , received from god , that it might be used for him ; and to be guilty of the frustrating of much of our ministerial work ; and of grieving the hearts of so many that feare god , and frustrating such hopes as we lately had , ( to say nothing of the prayers , teares , hazards , blood , and ruine of so many thousand , and the promises , oaths and covenants to god ) to be guilty of the sinnes of so many thousand , and of their everlasting condemnation ; to be guilty of the distractions , and betraying of the church , and cause , and people of the lord , and to be guilty of the insultings of so many enemies , all this and much more , that would certainly follow the denial of this moderate necessary help , would be a burden intollerable . direct . 7. but because both the magistrates , and many others are afraid , lest by going too far in such assistance , they may be guilty of persecution , by restraining men from preaching , or private peswasion , or by keeping the ignorant and wicked from church-communion , or by compelling them to come to heare ▪ and to be personally instructed , i humbly propound these following things , for such a regulation of their granted liberty , as may free them from all danger of persecuting , without depriving us of their principall help . 1. if you compel not the ignorant and ungodly to heare , and be pesonally instructed , by the minister of the parish where they live , yet at least compel them thus to submit to some minister : and let that minister certifie under his hand , that he takes care of him as a catechumene , or expectant , by publike and private instruction . 2. let not every man that will , be tolerated either to teach , perswade , or hold assemblies ; but let your toleration be regulated , as well as your approbation is . to which end 1. let such persons as are thought meet for such a worke , be appointed as comissioners , to approve , or judge of such as shall be tolerated through the land , as the commissioners now approved of such , as shall have the publike maintenance . for there is no reason , that the tollerated should not go under tryal , as well as the allowed . and indeed without some such course to keep the doore of toleration , as well as the doore of publike allowed teachers , you cannot put any reasonable laws for toleration in execution ; but any will come in , what ever your law say . 2. let these commissionets for trying the tolerated , have rules given them by the lawgivers , whom to licence , or tolerate , and whom not . 3. let all that will gather assemblies , or administer sacraments , or preach , have an instrument of toleration , under the hands and seale of these commissioners , and let them be hindered , that have no such instrument . otherwise if you stay till they are convict of blasphemie , they may do more mischief first , ( for who will persecute them ) then ever the magistrate can comfortably be accountable to god for suffering . 7. when a man hath a sealed toleration , to preach , or hold assemblies , let him yet be as liable to any just accusation , before the commissioners for ejection , as the approved , publike ministers are : that so if he be proved to be wicked and scandalous , or to preach any thing excepted from toleration , by the legislatours , the said commissioners may be authorized , to deprive them of their toleration , as they do others of their publique station and maintenance . and this is a most rersonable and necessary thing . 1. for else the publike ministers will be hardlier dealt with then they . it is supposed that there 's so much difference in the soundess of their doctrine , that one deserveth the publike encouragement , as well as the other deserveth a toleration : or else the law-givers , would make no difference . and that being supposed , if they shall not be questionable , as well as we , nor their right forfeitable as well as ours , they are more cherished proportionably then others . 2. and if you do not this , it 's as good do nothing , but openly license heathens , and papists , and all blaspheamers : for they will make a faire confession , till they have got their seald toleration , and then preach contrary to that profession . two sorts we know this to be true by : 1 ▪ papists , that are for equivocation , and mental reservation , in their professions and oathes : or for the popes to dispense with them . 2. heathens and infidels that believe not , that there is any sinne , or devil , or hell , or heaven , and therefore care not what they sweare . and indeed these are the two sects that now are up : and all other are like to fall into these . alas by sad experience i speake it : those that will openly , and to my face make an orthodoxe confession , do secretly harden many poor souls , by making a scorne of scripture , as a fable , and of the immortality of the soul , and of christ and the holy ghost , and heaven and hell , and say all these are nothing , but the inventions of men , and that the k●ave-priests do perswade men that there are devils , and hell , as a bugbeare to make them do what they would have them , and all religion is but deceit . such heathens , are the predominant sect in many places , and higher in england , then once i thought to have seen them . and if all such perfidious infidels and jesuites , shall have leave to b●aspheame god , christ , and scripture , because they once made an orthoeoxe profession , then let hell be turned loose upon our people , and the devil that was bound up from deceiving the nations , have a toleration from the magistrate to do his worst . thus i have shewed that magistrates , if they will , may helpe the church without any danger of persecuting the truth , if they take not popery , damnable heresie , and heathenism for truth . 1. if the approvers keep the doore of toleration , as well as of publike maintenance and ministry . 2. if a church justice , or civil agent , do keep the churches peace . 3. if the civil visiter do purposely take cognisance of the state of parishes , and see the laws put in execution . 4. if the commissioners for ejections , have power of judging all seducers , and blaspheamers , as well as the publike ministers . and if these only have the coercive power ; but some able , chosen , godly ministers be joyned with them for advice and exhortation : as magistrates and ministers sate together before the daies of william the conquerour . joh. 13. 17. if ye know these things , happy are ye if ye do them . luke 12. 47. and the servant which knew his lords will , and prepared not , nor did according to his will , shall be beaten much . finitur hebr. 13. 1648. postscript . reader , as great and needfull a duty as this is , that i have here proposed , and as clear as it is , and commonly agreed on by all the parties before mentioned , i am yet far from expecting , that all men should acknowledg it and obey it ; or that no person of contrary apprehensions or intentions , should rise up against it as an enemy , with all the strength that the measure of his wit and passions can prepare . we cannot speak for god himself , for christ , for scripture , for mens own salvation , but we meet with contradiction and resistance , even from them that we would save . and were it not for this , what blessed work would the gospel make ? and why might we not hope , that all our people should be saved ? no wonder then , if when ever we attempt reformation or reconciliation , we meet with learned , reverend brethen that come against us , armed with plausible cavils , and contempts , and cast away the medicine as dangerous , or ungratefull , and strenuously vindicate the disease that should be healed : and were it not that the church hath many , very many such , what should have kept us unhealed so long ? and who could have continued our deformities and divisions , and frustrated such means as have been used for our cure ? satan is not so poore a politician , as to be without his agents in our ecclesiastike armies , and councils , and pulpits to speak for his cause and do his work , and resist and frustrate that which would displease him ; and all this under pretence of enmity to satan , and friendship to christ , and a better doing of his work . as the names of the chiefest of christ servants , were not cast out as holy , but as evil , luk. 6. 22. so their doctrine was not cast out as truth , nor as saving , but as deceit . and his meanes will not be openly resisted , ( at least by those that are building with us ) as reforming or reconciling , but as groundless or unproved , or troublesome , or unseasonable , or as suspected of some ill designe , or event . some will say , it is meere prelacie , or a prelatical designe : and some that it is independancie , or an independant designe : and some that it is but presby●erian examination . whereas they might know , that it is proper to none of them , which is common to them all . if it be prelacie , how comes it to be found with independants ? if it be independancy , how comes it to be approved by prelates , and presbyterians ? is it not rather like christianity it self , and the truths and duties which we commonly own ; and therefore not to be appropriated to any . by all that i have heard and read of late , concerning this subject , i understand that the principal objections that are likely to be used against the doctrine of this treatise , are these following . object . we were all baptized in our infancy , and therefore are church-members , and have right to the priviledges of the adult , when we are adult , without any new title or condition : our first right continueth , though we never make profession of the christian faith , nor personally renewed the covenant with god that we made in baptism . and therefore though in some cases , such an approved profession be a duty , yet is not any more necessary to our church-state , and right to the communion of the adult , then that we were borne church-members , and so baptized . nothing but heresie , schisme , or apostacie can cut us ●ff . and therefore all that were baptized , and are not thus cut off , are still church-members , and have right to all the ordinances in the church . answ . 1. i have said enough to this already to satisfie the considerate impartial reader ; proving the necessity of a personall faith before god , and of some profession of it ecclesia judice , before the church , to the being of the said title of the adult , as its condition : and that all scripture-examples do make for the confirmation of this truth . moreover let me adde , to answer the new , or foreseen assaults , 1. if there be no word of promise in the scripture , that giveth the priviledge of adult-communion to any , upon their infant title-condition only , nor any example in the gospel , or the ancient church , that any possessed or used that priviledg upon that title-condition only , then are we not to imagine that the infant title-condition alone , is sufficient to the said priviledge : but the antecedent is true ; as hath in part been manifested , and will be more , when the dissenter shall bring forth his pretended evidences , by which his title should be proved . 2. the title-condition of infants is not sufficient to make any morally capable of the ends of adult . communion : therefore it is not sufficient to make them capable of a proper , plenary right to such communion . for the right and relation are for these ends ; if a natural incapacity may consist with a plenary title , so cannot a moral . no man can really possess and exercise the communion of the adult intrinsically without faith , or extrinsecall without profession of faith : therefore no man without faith or profession of faith , can have a plenary right to that communion . for a man to have a plenary right to praise god , and celeberate with the church the memorial of our redemption , and participate of the redeemer , and his benefits , that believeth not in him , is a palpable absurdity . 3. if the meer title-condition of infants will serve in foro ecclesiae , for the adult ▪ then it will serve also in foro dei : for the church looks but to the outward appearance , or visibility of that , whose reality and sincerity god expecteth . and it is gods covenant that giveth us our right : and therefore if the churh fin● us to have true right , it must find us receiving it from gods covenant ; and therefore find us the heires of takes prom●se : the reason why the church takes our birth priviledges for a sufficient title-condition , is because god is supposed so to take it . but that this will not serve the adult in foro dei is manifest ; because god will not own such infidels , as neither have faith , nor a profession of it . 4. if the litle-condition of infidels may serve them when adult , then is there no personal difference in acts , or qualities ; no not so much as in profession , required on our part , to distinguish christians from infidels and ath●ists : ( required i mean as necessary conditions ) but the consequent is absurd : therefore so is the antecedent . if no di●ferencing character between actual believers and infidels or atheists , be made thus necessary , then the church and the infidel world , are laid together ; and the body of christ , and consequently christ himself is dishonoured , and blaspheamed , as common and uncleane . but if any personal difference be necess●ry , it must be the personal profession of christianity , or nothing lesse then this can be it . for our birth-priviledge cannot be it . atheists and infidels are borne of christian parents . much of the turkish army of jani●aries , have their birth-priviledges to shew , as well as we it is a probable argument : such an infant is horne of christian parents : therefore he will be an actual believer . but it is not a probable argument , such a man at age , that professeth not christianity , had christian parents ; therefore he is a believer : much less ; therefore he had right to the benefits of the covenant , whether he be an actual believer or not . if christians have no visible note , by which they must be known from infidels , then either the church is not visible , or infidels may be the visible church , without so much as disowning their infidelity . 5. if the title-condition of infants may suffice the adult for church-right and communion , then hereticks and apostates have such right : but the consequent is denyed by them that i now dispute with . they confess that heresie and some schism , and apostacie , do cut off from the church , and so from this right . but it 's plaine that such hereticks and apostates have that which was their infant-condition : as they were the seed of believers in infancy , so they are since apostacy : they cease not to be the seed of believers , by their renouncing christ . if this therefore would prove a right in silent infidels , it will prove a right in profest apostates . object . the apostates cast away their right , and therefore have it not . answ . 1. either it dependeth on their own wi●● when they come to age , or not . if it do ●●t , then they cannot cast it away . they may refuse to use their right , but they cannot cast it away , or nullifie it : for they cannot make themselves not to be the children of christian parents . the foundation stands whether they will or no : and therefore so must the relation . but if the relation or right do now depend upon their own wills , then our cause is granted ; for from their wills then must the condition , or evidence be fe●cht . 2. yea such persons , ordinarily as we have now in question , are actual apostates , and are so to be taken by the church ; and therefore not to be taken as church-members , having right to sacraments . he that being engaged to god the father , sonne , and holy ghost in his infancy , doth make no profession of actual faith at full age , is ordinarily to be taken for an apostate : but such are the persons in question . i say ordinarily , because i except them that have been cast upon natural impossibilities or impotency , or wanted a call and opportunity : that is , all persons that prove ideo●s , or deafe and dumbe , or otherwise destitute of natural capacity ; such come not to the use of reason and free-will , and therefore are no● bound to actual beleif . such also as have their tongues cut out , are separated from humane society , or otherwise disabled from profession . but for the common case of mankind . 1. it is plaine that they have their tongues given them by nature of express their minds ; and 2. that christ commandeth confession with the tongue , and professing him before men . 3. that much of his worship lieth in holy profession , and all of it containeth answerable profession . 4. that we have constant calls from god , even to profess our christianity : the godly and the wicked that live among us call us to it : we have daily invitations to profess out christianity one way or other . and among all these occasions of profession , he that professeth not , is to be taken for an infidel and apostate . for the business is so exceeding great and weighty , and the object so glorious , and the duty so incumbent , and the very life of christianity so inconsistent with a non-profession , that we have just reason to conclude , that he that professeth not himself a christian , ordinarily is to be taken for none by the church . object . but though at the first admitting of a forrainer into a common-wealth , you require an oath of fidelity , or profession of subj●ction , yet when we are borne subjects , we must be supposed to continue such , till we rebel , and so declare the contrary ; and our fidelity is not to be qu●stioned . answ . 1. the case doth exceedingly differ from ours in hand . princes vary their commands as their affaires require . if you are borne in the midst of a peaceable republike , you may perhaps have no oath of fidelity imposed , because the peace of the commom-wealth requireth it not : for while there is no enemy neer you , to solicite you to rebellion or treason , or with whom you may conjoyn , it is supposed , that you have either no mind , or no power to it . and it is only the common peace that is concerned in the cause . but our case is otherwise : for we live among devils and wicked men , and are known to have hearts our selves , that are naturally treacherous , and at enmity to god. so that we are still among enemies , that would seduce us , and with whom we are enclined to take part . and besides that , our profession is not only necessary to the common safety , but to our personal performances , and daily communion with the saints , and worship of god. 2. if it be in a garison that 's neer the enemy , or in a country that is inclined to rebellion , or where rebellion is on foot , and the enemy hat a party , there princes use to cause all their subjects to take an oath of fidelity ; and ordinarily also in peaceable kingdoms this is practised : at such an age all persons are to take an oath of allegiance , or fidelity , or to make profession of their subjection , in many places : and in other places they do it , before they enter upon any office. and if you will come neerer the case , and suppose that men were borne in a schoole , or an army , as well as a republike , i think you would yield , that when they come to age , it is necessary that they have more then their birth-priviledg to shew , to prove them schollars , or soldiers . we are christs disciples and soldiers , as well as his subjects ; and one is as essential to our christianity as the other . we may be initiated into his school and army in our infancy , and so stand related to him : but sure we are apostates , if when we come to age , we have nothing to shew but our meer infant-condition ; and to more we must be called . 3. the case also differeth in this : princes do make known to all in their laws , that no man that is an enemy , yea or that is not ( pro tempore ) a subject , shall dwell on their soile , among their subjects : they suffer not subjects and enemies to live promiscuously together in their dominions : and therefore it is supposed that a mans very abode and residence in their land , is a profession of subj●ction : much more when they live in obedience to the laws , and hold their estates by them . but christ dealeth not thus : he suffereth believers and infidels to live together , and his flock to be but little in the world ; so that it cannot be the least presumption , that a man is a christian , because he liveth among christians . 4. at least let us not teach christ , what he should have done , when we find he hath done otherwise ; we find that he requireth personall faith and profession of all at age , that are naturally capable ; and therefore we must perform it , and not give reasons why we should not do it . no good subject that 's called to profess his fidelity will ref●se , and say , you have no reason to question me , and put such a tryall or obligation upon me . so that i may conclude , that an adult person not professing christianity is not a visible christian , notwithstanding his birth priviledges : and therefore not a visible church-member ; and therefore an apostate , seeing he was once engaged in covenant to christ , ( though not an apostate from actuall faith ) and therefore such as hath no proper right to church-communion and priviledges . object . if his infant title be cut off , it is either by ignorance , wickednesse , heresie , or schism , or apostacie : but ignorance and wickedness do not cut him off ; and heresie , schism , or apostacie he is not guilty of ; therefo●e , &c. answ . 1. his infant title will cease of it self without any other cutting off , if it be not continued by his personall actuall believing , when he comes to capable age . his birth-priviledges alone , or his parents dedicating him to god in baptism , will serve no longer of it self . it is therefore for want of personal faith coram deo , and of the profession of faith coram ecclesiâ , that his right doth cease . 2. ignorance , where it proveth infidelity , must needs prove a cessation of the infant title , when they come to a capable age , and ignorance is privative . he that knoweth not , that there is a god , a christ , or what he hath done for us , or what a christian is , can have no faith in god , or christ ; and therefore is an atheist , and an infidell privatively , if at a capable age , among meanes at least . it is not only he that denyeth christ , that is an infidell , but he that never heard of him , negatively at least ; and he that having heard of him , understood not what he heard , and therefore believeth not in him , because he knoweth not . and it is not only he that denyeth god , that is an atheist , but he that knoweth not that there is a god. and therefore if ingorance cut not off , then infidelity and atheism cut not off . and if neither of these cut off , then no particular heresie can : nor any such apostasie , as men are capable of , that had but an infant church-state : gross ignorance at a capable age , proveth gross ungodlinesse , and apostasie . for if mens hearts had been towards god , they would have sought to know him , and if they know him not , their hearts are atheisticall , and without him . 3. wickedness is either such as may consist with habituall adhering to god in christ ; or such as shews a separation or renunciation ; the one being ungodliness partiall , and quoad actum particularem , ( as peter's deniall ) and the other being ungodlinesse quoad statum . he that saith the former cutteth not off from the church , will scarcely say , that it doth not meritoriously suspend the offender from the communion of the church , till he appear penitent . and he that saith the latter cuts not off , from the church meritoriously , must say that nothing doth it . for this is apostacie , and comprehendeth the greatest heresie . such hereticks , hold that the pleasure of sin for a season , is to be chosen before a life of holiness with the hopes of everlasting life ; and the flesh to be pleased before the lord : and i think this is heresie . but whether these be cut off from the church or not , either they bring the person under the guilt of excommunication , or else there is no excommunication to be used . and if they be excommunicated , we shall not much contend with you about their rights . as long as you grant that they have no such right as that they may have the use of church communion , we are satisfied . and yet i must say , that it is a blind conclusion , that the excommunicate are church-members , without distinguishing of excommunication . if a man shall openly declare that he believeth not in jesus christ that dyed at jerusalem , nor that there is any life to come ; but yet he believeth in a christ within him , and a heaven and hell within men ; ( as the ranters , familists , &c. did ) and yet this man , that he may pervert the souls of others , will hold communion with the church , and declare , that he takes the scripture in his sense , i doubt not but this man , though a professed infidell and apostate , is yet to be excommunicated , while he pretendeth to communion ; and if this excommunicate man be not out of the catholike church , then no man is out of it , and you may next question whether the devill be not a member , that believeth much more then he . but when i say that infidelity , impiety , heresie , do cut off or cast out , i meane it but meritoriously . either these crimes are private and unknown , or provable if not provable , then they merit this , and more coram deo , but not ecclesiâ judice , that is , though there be guilt or demerits , yet we are no capable judges of it . but if the crime be provable , then it is either such , as needs a judgment or not ▪ if it need a judgement , the person is only de jur● cast out before the sentence ( which is terminus diminuens and is no● actuall casting out ) and he is actually cast out by the sentence , and the execution : so that his sin cast him out meritoriously , the law obligatorily , the paflors of the church sententially , and the whole church , pastors and people , executively in avoiding him . but if there need no judgement , then he is excommunicate actually ipso jure , by the law alone without a judge , which may be in many a cas●● a● if he be a notorious infidell , atheist , blaspheamer , or notoriously beyond all doubt and controversie one of those , that the law commands us to avoid ; we must execute this law , though there be no sentence pronounced . the want of a mans sentence will not excuse us from obeying gods laws . and where there is no controversie through the notoriousness of the case , there needs no judge . 6. if birth-priviledge will serve alone for the adult to prove their title to the church-state and priviledges of the adult , then no man that is born of christian paren●s can be obnoxious to excommunication , or justly excommunicate : for he is still a child of believing parents : and no sin will make them otherwise . and therefore if that were enough , he hath a good title still . nay it would follow that he cannot apostatize ; for he cannot fall away from this . but the consequence is absurd , therefore so is the antecedent . 7. if infant title only be sufficient to the adult , then no parent is necessarily oblieged to professe himself a christ●a● , or actuall believer , in order to prove the interest of his child to baptism ( nor any that offer him in the parents stead . ) for it is sufficient if the parents ( or susceptors ) say , we were infant-members and baptized , and therefore our child must be so : but whether we are actuall believers , now , it is not necessary that we tell you but the consequent is so absurd , that whoever should have offered a child to baptism on these terms in the a●cient church , ( or any church that i know of , till very lately ) would have been rejected . the acceptance and baptism of our infants , is one of the priviledges of believers : but no one hath right to this priviledg ( that his children be thus accepted into the church ) upon a bare infant-title , without the profession of a personall actuall ●aith . therefore , &c. 8. if the opposed doctrine should hold good , then all the world hath right to church-communion ▪ ( or m●llions of infidels , at least ) but the consequent is false : therefore so is the antecedent . the reason of the consequence is plain ; because noah was a church-member , and all the world came out of his loynes : and the men of thracia , bithynia , and most of asia , where mahomet is worshipped , may say , our ancestors were christians : therefore the birth-priviledges still going down from generation to generation even to the thousandth generation , it must follow , that the present generation of mahometans and other infidels , are church-member● still : for they lost not their naturall relation to their parents . 9. it will not prove a society of adult persons to be a christian church , if they have no more but their infant-condition : therefore it will not prove a single person to be a member of the church . that which is necessary to make a society , a christian society , is necessary to make a person , a christian person . but i hope none will deny , but that some kind of profession is necessary to make , or prove a company of men , to be a christian church : therefore some profession is necessary to make , or prove a man , to be a church-member . 10. if infant-conditions will suffice to the adult for church-membership , and common priviledges , then will they serve for justification , and salvation , that are speciall priviledges : but the consequent is false : therefore so is the antecedent . the reason of the consequence is , because though the benefits be various , yet the covenant and conditions are the same , by which we have right to one and to the other . it is the appearance of the same faith , by profession before men , that give title , coram ecclesiâ , whose inward sincerity giveth right coram deo , ( as was aforesaid ) and god giveth title to all the blessings of the covenant , coram deo on the same conditions . and there is also a parity of reason . for if it be enough to prove our right to adult communion ( to praise god , and have all his ordinances and helps in the church , &c. ) that we had christian parents , then must it be enough to prove our title in all the rest of our benefits . the ancient fathers and churches thought that baptism did as certainly give the infant rightly baptized , a right to pardon of originall sin , and eternall life , a● to outward church-priviledges . and if the same covenant give both on the same condition , then he that hath the condition of one , hath of both . i have proved in another disputation , that god hath not two covenants of grace on his part , one of spirituall or inward mercies , and another of outward ordinances ; and that he giveth not these inward benefits and the outward signes of them , upon various conditions , but on the same . 11. faith or the profession of it in the adult , is either necessary to church-communion , or unnecessary ; if unnecessary , then christians have no more to do in the church then heathens ; if necessary , then either as a meer duty , or as a condition , or other means not as a meer duty● for then still the infidels should be equally received , though not applauded : it must be therefore necessary as a meanes . and the very words of the promise tells us what sort of meanes it is , that makes faith to be its condition . 12. i would know of my adversary , what he would do with the son of a believer that were unbaptized at 40. or 50. years of age ? would be baptize him without a profession of actuall faith of his own , or not ? if he would , then he would make new fashioned christians and churches ; and might baptize all the posterity of the apostates , or the ancient christians in the world , that would consent . yea , he could not indeed baptize them ; for baptism essentially containeth a profession of consent unto the covenant ▪ which therefore others make for infants , that have the dispose of them . but if he would not baptize such , without profession , then it seems he takes not their birth-priviledges to be a sufficient condition of their title thereunto . 13. a covenant breaker can claim no right to the benefits of the covenant ( supposing him to violate the main conditions on which the benefits are suspended ) but all those at capable age that have nothing but their infant condition to shew , are covenant breakers : therefore they have no right to the benefits of the covenant they therefore were engaged personally to be●ieve in god the father , son , and holy ghost , when they came to the use of reason ; we have cause therefore to see whether they have broke , or kept this covenant ; and if they have broke it , they can at present claim no title to the benefits . 14. he that cometh to god must believe that god is , and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him : therefore those that profess not this belief , cannot come to god , and consequently not have communion with the church . without faith it is impossible to please god , heb. 11. 5 , 6. therefore without a profession of faith , it is impossible to have right to just communion ; which is purposely for the pleasing of god. object . but ( its said ) infants have faith ; that is , a relative faith , and a faderall faith , as well as a relative faederall holiness ▪ their right is not only in their parents , but in themselves ; and therefore their faith is in themselves : and this continueth with the aged , till heresie and schisme cut it off . answ . call any thing under heaven by the name of faith , so you will but explain your meaning , and we will quarrell as little as may be with you about words : but little know we what you mean by relative or faederall faith , unless it be plainly , to be semen fidelium , the seed of believers : that there is a relative and faederall holiness , is scripture doctrine , and good sense : for the formall nature of the thing is a relation which commonly is expressed by the name of holiness , and which in that phrase is implyed . but i remember not that scripture ever speaks of a relative or faederall faith : for i believe not that it was infants , that christ calls the little o●es that believe in him . and faith being an act or habit , you must mean some other species of faith , which consisteth in relation . i know it not , nor will i use your language ; though i think it more tolerable to call the infant relatively a believer , then to say he hath relative faith ; for in so saying , no more is meant , but that he is a disciple of christ , or belongs to him as he is the seed of a believer in covenant . but let this word of faederall relative faith be used by you as you please : if the thing signified by it be any more then i have expressed , you should tell us what you mean : if it be no more but to be the seed of a believer , then we doubt not but thi● continueth when they come to age : but it doth them no good at age , as to the continuing of their title to church-membership before god without a faith of their own , nor before the church without a profession of it . that the infant himself is the subject of h●s own right , is a thing that no man , that i know makes doubt of , that believeth him to have any right : but the active main condition of that right is not to be performed by himself but by the parent ; and only the passive condition is to be found in himself , that he be the seed of that parent : if he must be a believers seed , it s the parent that must believe : but that will not serve his turne at age , if he do not also believe himself . 15. it is granted by the dissenters , that the ignorant , for all their infant title , have no immediate right to the communion of the church . and we will not contend about names : this satisfieth us in the maine . it is not actuall right , if it be not immediate plenary right : that which they call a remote right , is properly no actuall right , but a term of diminution , as to it ; when right hath two conditions , you may call it right , when the first and greatest is performed : but actually it is none , till all be performed : for it is still but conditionall , while any part of the condition is unperformed , saith learned mr fullwood . page 274. the rule to give all their due , is of indispensable obligation : but seeing ignorant persons , have no such immediate right in the supper , what injury or wrong is there done them ? object but ignorance doth not wholly cut a man off from the church : for such a knowledge goeth not to the ●ssence of the church ; for ●●s fo●m is society or community . answer . 1. it s sufficient to our present purpose , that it excludeth men meritoriously from immediate right to the communion of the adult . 2. ignorance qua talis materially , is no sin ( as in ideots , paralyticks , &c. ) and therfore cuts not off . but ignorance in a subject , where knowledg should be found , is culpable , and complicate alwaies with infidelity , or not believing ; and therefore doth declare the person to be matter uncapable . if you choose to say , it cuts not off , i easily can prove , that it manifesteth that he is not in the invisible , and ought not to be esteemed of the visible church , by reason of his incapacity ; his former title ceasing , for want of the condition of its continuation . 3. knowledge in the capable adult , is an essentiall to the church , as a society . a church is a society of christians ; as it is a society , christianity is not essentiall to it , and so not knowledge : for there are societies of heathens , and infidels enow . but as it is a christian society , knowledge is essentiall to it ; and therefore , as it is a church . it 's essentiall to a field of wheat , that there be wheat in it : or to a heape of wheat , that it be of wheat . and yet not as a field , or as a heap : for there are heaps of dirt also . the aggregation of a number of individuals , makes it a community , and the form of the body aggregated , as to the mutuall relation of the parts , makes it a body politick or society . but the essentiall qualification of the individuals , viz christianity , is essentiall to that society in specie , as a christian church . and faith in the adult is essentiall to christianity , and knowledge is essentiall to faith , or inseparable from it . object . then one should not take another to be a church-member , till he is satisfied of his knowledge , which were a stranger thing . answ . not so strange as true : supposing him an adult person capable of knowledg . for he cannot be satisfied of his faith , without being satisfied of knowledg : nor of his christianity without his faith : for we are yet unacquainted with the christian infidels . but then consider , what must be satisfactory to other men concerning their brothers knowledg . it must satisfie them , that he is by the pastours of the church , who are to judge , approved and annumerated with believers : and that he professeth himself to be a believer , which cannot be without knowledge : this must satisfie them , till he nullifie this evidence , by a clean bewraying of his infidelity . object . but the scripture saith not that ignorant persons cannot be church-members , or so much as that they ought meerly for their ignorance to be excommunicate . answ . doth not the scripture exclude visible unbelievers , and take in only visible believers ( of the adult ) and make the church a society of believers separated from unbelievers ? such ignorance therefore as is essentiall to , or inseparable from infidelity , is in scripture made the very brand of them , that are without , excluded from the church . if our gospell be hid , it is hid to them that are lost , in whom the god of this world hath blinded the mindes of them that believe not , lest the light of the glorious gospell of christ , &c. 2 cor. 4. 3 , 4. that preaching which discipleth men , mat. 28. 19. doth give them knowledg , or else it could not give them faith. for it openeth their eyes and turneth them from darkness to light , &c. act. 26. 18. and surely we are translated out of the power of darknesse into the kingdome of christ , col. 1. 14. those that in time past were not a people , but now are the people of the living god , are called out of darknesse into his marvellous light , 1 pet. 2. 9 , 10. and what communion hath light with darknesse , righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse , christ with beliall , the believer with the infidell , 2 cor. 6. 14 , 15 , 16. object . if knowledg as such , were necessary to membership , then none could be a member without it : but that 's not so . answ . 1. knowledg as such is necessary no otherwise , then faith as such , and all one ; you may therefore as well plead thus against the necessity of faith. 2. and we grant that neither knowledg , nor faith , are necessary to uncapable subjects , that is , in themselves . you know faith in infants , ( such as we call faith ) is not necessary to their justification ; and yet will you say , it is not necessary to the adult ? the promise hath made it necessary to the capable . 3. and we grant that neither knowledg , nor faith ( justifying or dogmaticall ) are necessary to the being of a visible member , that is meerly such : god only seeth the heart . but yet the appearance or profession of faith , and so of knowledge , in the essentials of christianity , is of necessity . 4. but though a personall faith , or knowledg , in truth or in profession , be not necessary to an infant , either for membership or justification , yet their parents faith or profession is necessary : or else the promise is to more , then believers and their seed , quod restat probandum . object . but a negative consent is sufficient , to continue such in covenant , as before were admitted in infancy , or at age : and this negative consent , is but non-actuall dissent , or a non-renouncing of the gospell : and therefore , as posi●ive consent , so actuall faith and knowledge , are not necessary . answ . a dangerous doctrine ! a negative consent is no consent . why then should the ears of men be abused by the ●ame , when there is nothing to answer it ? a negative faith , in english is infidelity , or not believing . is not this a delusory teaching of the church , to call unbelief by the name of negative faith , or negative consent ? if a block , a bruit , or a subject otherwise naturally uncapable , be the subject ; then indeed it is inculpable , and your negative consent or faith , is properly but a negative dissent , or unbelief . but if a capable oblieged person be the subject ( which is our case ) then your negative consent is in english privative not consenting , and privative unbelief , or rejecting christ . what a meanness is here to convey flat infidels into the church , or continue them there , under the cloake of an abusive name ! even by calling a non-dissenting conjunct with their infidelity , or not consenting to the covenant of grace , by the name of negative consent . were it a person that had entered at age , yet if he have afterward but your negative consent , ( which is neither to consent or dissent ) he is an apostate : and if he refuse consent , when called to it , by his lawfull governours , he gives occasion to be suspected of apostacie , much more when he continueth to refuse consent , when so much of the life and practise of christianity consisteth in it , and in the manifestation of it . but especially when persons were baptized in infancy , and never yet professed a faith or consent of their own . if that man that had no faith but his parents , ( and his being a believers seed , which you call faederall faith ) shall be continued at age a member of the church , by a not-actuall dissenting or renouncing christ , by expresse words , then le ts talk no more of a church , nor abuse poor heathens and infidels so much as to question their salvation , or let them below us . but again , i answer you , that not consenting , is dissenting in the inward act ; it is undoubted , that he that for one year , or moneth doth not consent , doth certainly dissent . there 's no middle state between believers and infidels ; consenters , and refusers . how shall they escape that neglect of so great salvation ? neglecting , and not consenting in a capable invited subject is certain infidelity : and therefore in the externall profession , we must judge accordingly . he that will not confess christ , even in a christian church , and a peaceable age , deserves not to be called a christian : he that is not for him is against him . object . but gods covenant-people under the law , were not only admitted without their voluntary consent or knowledg , but commanded to renue their covenant in such a manner , as that they that were absent , and not in place to expresse consent , were included in those that were present . answ . 1. none but infants were admitted without consent : nor they without the consent of their parents , naturall or civill , that had the power of disposing of them . 2. those that were admitted upon others consent , were not continued at age without their own . 3. the covenant , deut. 29. 11 , 12 , 15. was no mutuall covenant to the absent or unborn there mentioned : but only a covenant offered to the nation , and conditionally made on gods part as a promise , to them and their posterity , even to many generations : but those unborn generations , were not in covenant on their parts , as promisers in the stipulation . object . wickedness it self doth not put a man out of the visible church . for a man is said to be cut off , but either de jure , or de facto ; meritoriously , or effectually : the former is improperly called cutting off , being but the desert of it : therefore if those baptized in infancy , prove afterward wicked , they are not thereby cut off . answ . 1. such persons as we have in question , lose their right and title by a cessation , for want of that personal condition , which the covenant made necessary to its continuance . so that we need not prove any other cutting off . 2. if he be but meritoriously cut off , it is the churches duty to do it sententially and executively ; it being of indispensable obligation , to give to all their due . 3. it 's granted that heresie cuts off : but how doth heresie cut off any otherwise then meritorio●sly ? if therefore wickedness do as much as heresie , then thus far they are equal . 4. either wickedness signifieth some actual crime like davids or peters , when the church knoweth not whether it be joyned with habitual impenitence , or else it signifieth habitual stated wickedness with impenitency . the first sort requireth but an exclusion from actual church-communion , ( called suspension by some ) as it is but actual sinne , that deserveth it . the second sort must have an exclusion from their state and church-relation , as it is a state of impenitency , that deserveth it . the first sort of excommunication , leaveth a man in the church , quoad statum & relationem , but out of it quoad actum & usum : the the second sort leaves him out of it , both in state and act. not that the excomunication puts him out of the church , as invisible : for that he did first himself meritoriously , and so efficiently ; even by the efficiency of his demerits ; as the law of christ did it , by its obligatory efficiency : but when he hath put himself out of the church invisible , and plainly declared this to the church by his imp●nitent courses , the church further declareth it by their sentence , and puts him out of the church visible executively , when he had before , put out himself meritoriously . 5. as i said before , the persons wickedness is either notorious and out of question , ( as if a man be an open persecutour of godliness , or daily blaspheame god in the open streets , or congregation , and many lower cases ) or else it is controvertible , needing proof , and not notorious . in the latter case a wicked man is not actually cast out of the communion of the visible church , or cut off from it , by his demerits , till his fault be proved , and sentence be passed . but in the former case he is excommmunicate ipso jure , which is more then de jure . we call him excommunicate de jure , who ought to be excommucatenicate de facto : but we call him excommuni ipso jure , which is actually excommunicated by the law , without any further sentence of a judge , the law it self sufficing to enable men to the execution : so the law of christ commanding us to avoid and have no company with drunkards , adulterers , hereticks , &c. if any be notoriously such , past doubt , every man is obliged by this l●w to avoid them in their several capacities , after the due admonitions given them , which the law requireth , whether the pastours censure them or no : but his censure layeth on them a double obligation . object . if wickedness cut off a man , excommunication cannot do it , because it is done already . answ . if wickedness being not notorious do only cut him off meritoriously and de jure only he be excommunicate , then actual excommunication must do that which was not actually done , but ought to be done . but if by the notoriety of the crime he be cut off ipso jure , the sentence yet may do the same thing , by adding a second obligation to the first . a traitour in actual prosecution of the soveraigne , seeking his life , is condemned ipso jure , and any subject may kill him without sentence : and yet he may be proclaimed or sentenced a traitour for all that . object . it is proved by some writers , that such persons as have neither grace indeed nor in shew , may yet have both a real and visible interest in the covenant and church : and the arguments for this are yet unanswered : therefore persons baptized in infancy are in the church and covenant at age , though they never by profession made so much as a shew of grace . answ . it was never proved by any writer , nor ever will be , that any person at age , and natural capacity ought to be a member of the church of christ , under the gospel ( no nor under the law neither ) without a shew of grace , even of faith , by his profession of consent to the holy covenant . it 's the arguments against them that remaine unanswered : but that all their arguments , that i remember , are sufficiently answered , i shall take for granted , till i see a reply . and for them that tell us of the church membership of the adult , considered without respect to saving grace , i shall regard them , when they have proved , either that faith and repentance are no saving graces ; or that profession of faith hath no respect to faith ; or that men may have title to church-membership , without respect to profession of faith ; even of their parents , if they are infants ; or their own if at age . all these three points are yet unproved . if any think the learned mr. fullwood to be of another mind , let them judg by his own words : of the visible church , cap. 28. pag. 180. saith he ; church-membe●ship&c . mark the parenthesis . and in his epist . propos . 3. & 4. from the pr●mises it seems at least probable to me , that the church is to have some kind of respect unto the saving condition of the person shee is about to admit into communion , &c. 4. yet i humbly conceive that more then a bare outward profession is requisite , to give real interest in the visible church , and the priviledges thereof , before god ; though no more is requisite to give visible interest before men , &c. and for immediate right to the communion of the church in the lords supper , he saith , pag. 270. where there is want of knowledg ( whether naturally or morally ) there , we are sure , the condition of right is wanting ; and consequently admission is to be denied , when all is done . and for the maine designe of this book , he saith , append. pag. 1 , 2. ( mentioning mr. hanmer's book ) some happily may be willing to surmise that our two propositions are irreconcileable , and interpret me an enemy to that most ancient , usefull , and desireable ordinance . wherefore , if i may possibly prevent so scandalous a censure , i shall not venture to hold my reader in so long suspence , till he come to the pages , where confirmation is considered in the book ; nor yet barely to acknowledg my allowance of it under my hand ; but after my humble thanks heartily tendered to our worthy author , for his excellent paines , in so seasonable a subject , i do also presume earnestly to beseech my reverend bretheren , that what mr. baxter hath so smartly pressed upon the ministry about it , may be speedily and seriously considered , and undertaken by us . and many pages after he addes 7. yea , though after all due paines and endeavoures used , we should not be able to reconcile our principles in every point , yet if we can m●et in the same practice about confi●mation , though on some smal differing grounds , why may not the church be happily ed●fied , and the peace thereof in a measure obtained , by such an v●ity , vniformity in practice , white the persons diff●ring but in lighter matters , may waite upon the lord in this good service , for the gre●t blessing of vnanimity , promised also ? object . but he addeth the proviso , that co●firmation be not thought to have any ingrediency into the nature or being of our membership : and that the temper of the people be found such , as will admit of such a change . answ . we shall easily grant , that confirmation , as it is a solemn reception of the person by imposition of hands , or without imposition in a purposed solemnity , commonly known by that name , is not of necessity to the being of our membership : and that all those that are received upon profession of faith may be church-members ; and that the ordinary use of christian assemblies , and exercises of worship , is a profession , though obscure ; and that a baptized person that never was called to a verball profession , may be taken for a christian , or church-member , upon such a practical sort of profession , joyned with a not denying of christ in word or life . but yet we are far from thinking that the infant-title-condition of such a one , serveth to prove his present church-state and title , now he is at capable age . the infant-title ceaseth , if he continue it not by a personal profession at age . and as there is no middle betweene believers and unbelievers , so there is no such thing in a capable subject , as non-dissenting , in a moral sense , but true consenting . it is not possible for the soul to be neuter , when the thing is offered to our consent , but we must either will or nill , consent or dissent ; though if it were , yet not willing , or not consenting , is infidelity and rebellion in such a subject . and accordingly we maintaine , and must maintaine that profession of some sort or other is a necessary condition of the title and church-state of the capable adult , and of right to the priviledges : and as an obscure kind of profession may serve ( when a man is called to no more ) to prove his right , so a clearer sort of profession is necessary to the clearer proof , and ad bene esse ecclesiae . and i have shewed what great and weighty reasons we have , to require an open , cleare , intelligible profession : and he that is justly called to for such , giveth cause to the church to question him of apostacy , if he refuse without cause . so that of the three conditions in question , the first ( which is our infant-condition ) is utterly insufficient to the capable adult : and the second ( which is an obscure signification of our mind , by our christian practises ) may serve ad esse , at least when no more is required : and the third ( which is an open approved profession by word or subscription ) is necessary ordinarily ad bene esse . thus farre we are agred : but what if we were not ? must we therefore refuse to agree in the practice of the aforesaid confirmation ? will any good and peaceable man refuse to joyne with those that think it necessary to adult church-membership ? if this opinion ( of the said non-necessity ) had been an article of faith , and among the necess●ry credenda of the church , we should have had it in some creed , or heard more of the necessity of it then we have done , from the ancient churches . if we meet about the agenda in our practice , let men take head how they divide from such as differ in the reasons of their practice , till they can prove that they deny some article of the faith , which is of necessity to be believed . and as for the peoples unfitness , or any disturbance that will follow thereupon : 1. if there be such a thing , it will be much long of the ministers : let them unanimously agree , and they may do well enough with the people , or much the better . but when ministers themselves are the bellows of faction , and think they can never sufficiently vilifie dissenters , and so have themselves taught the people to take such a practice for a prelaticall foppery , or formality , or for an independent rigidity and extreamity ; no wonder , if when they come to practice their duty , they meet with such reproaches from the people , as they have taught them . 2. but suppose that people would disturb us , that may in some cases excuse us , as to the mode of confirmation , or profession : but no unfitness of the people can excuse us , as to the substance of the duty ; the requiring and approving their profession . we are false to our trust , and the church of god , if to avoid disturbance , we will confound believers and infidels , and destroy the nature of the church and ordinances , under pretence of the peoples good . object . but it would be your only sure and happy course to exercise discipline upon all that are baptized in their infancy ; whether at age they consent or no : and finding them in the church , you must do so . answ . i have said enough to this before . have they that talk thus , tried this course , or have they not ? if they have not , we will beare with them as well meaning men , that talk of what they never tryed ; as we would do with a confident man , that would condemn the actions of souldiours and seamen , that himself was never in at warres , nor at sea. but if they have tryed it , what kind of discipline do they exercise ? would they make us believe , that they are able in a parish of 4000 , or 5000 , or 6000 souls , to exercise the discipline mentioned in scripture , and the canons of the ancient churches , and that upon such persons , as our parishes commonly consist of ? i know they cannot do it : i have had tryall to tell me what a man can do . with the help of divers ministers , and many hundred godly people , to watch over others , and promote this work , i am not able to do it on all this parish , if i might . there is so many offendours weekely to be dealt with , and so much time required to heare witnesses , and admonish them , that it 's more then i could p●ssibly do . how bishops deale with diocesses , let them see themselves . and if we could do it , yet the people will not consent if you send for them , they will not come neer you : if you admonish them in the congregation by name , they will have an action at law against you , if they can ? however , you will have such a multitude enraged by the exercise of discipline , if it be faithfully ( though never so tenderly done ) that the church will be in a flame , and your m●nistry hated , and the people undone , as i have before declared . so that it is but a name of discipline , to the destruction of discipline , that this objection pleadeth for ; or else it dishonoure●h it self and the authors . and as they do by discipline , so they do by christian charity , which is a greater thing . of old , the visible members of the church were the objects of brotherly christian love : and so as they seemed to them to be believers and penitent persons , the living members did love all the body with that special love , that was the matter of the new commandment , and proved them to be christ's disciples . no man knew the hearts of others , and therefore knew not whom to love as christians infallibly discerned . but the profession of saving faith and holiness , being then ( and ever ) the test of adult-members , they took all the members of the visible church as credibly of the invisible ; though with different degrees of credibility . and accordingly they loved them all , with a christian special love , of the same species , though with different degrees of that love. whereas this popish new found trick , of making a new common sort of faith , and visible membership , that hath no respect to saving faith , doth teach all christians , to love the members of the visible church , but with a common love ; and relieve and help them , but with a common charity . and so the device is to confine our special brotherly love and charity , to a corner of the visible church ; to a few , whom we will please to think to be godly . i have oft marvelled in observing some learned divines , that bend that way , that they think compassion , and christian charity is on their side . what charity can their doctrine glory of ? they will be so mercifull to infidels , that are uncapable of a church-state , as to plead them into the church ; and when they are there , they leave them under the curse , and in a state of damnation in their own judgments ; teaching us to judge uncharitably , of the visible church in general for their sakes ; and to look on them as without respect to any saving grace , and so without any special love. a cold comfort i to bring them into no more capacity of gods mercy , nor of our charity ; but into much more capacity of aggravated damnation : which they might better have prevented by being kept in their proper station , till they were capable of more . i confess ( though my belief of mens profession , have different degrees , as i see in them different degrees of credibility ) yet i have charitabler thoughts of the members of the visible church , then these that make so low and miserable a description of them . and though i know that there are abundance among them , that are hypocrites , and unsanctified , yet know i none but saints and hypocrites , that are tolerable in the church ; nor will i accuse particular persons of hypocrisie , till i have cause . neither in my secret , or open censures , will i pluck up the tares upon any such terms , as will not stand with the safety of the wheate , but rather let them grow together in my esteeme in the church , till the time of harvest . and that i may think charitably of the church , and walk charitably in , and towards it , therefore i would not have it consist of such notorious , ungodly , or heretical men , as are uncapable objects of christian , brotherly love. for heresie , the foresaid learned brother tells us , that it cuts men off from the church . i say so to ( meritoriously at least ) if by heresie be meant the exclusion of any essential article of the christian faith : but pag. 199 , where he saith , the controversie may be easily ended , by parting stakes : viz. that some heresie , which absolutely denyeth some particular fundamental truth , and taketh up some one , or few stones thereof , is consistent with church interest : and other heresie , which raiseth up the very foundation of religion , denying most , or the most chief , if not all of the articles of our christian faith , is inconsistent therewith . i must humbly , but very confidently say , that this answer will not serve the turne . if by fundamentals , be meant ( as commonly ) the essential articles of christian faith , then the absolute denying of any one article , doth prove that person to be no christian , nor capable of a church state : for the form is wanting , where any essential part is wanting . but if any thing else be meant by fundamentals , no man can decide the controvesie by it , till it be known what it is : and it will be hard to fasten it on any thing , where the absolute denyal of many points shall unchurch , and the absolute denial of one or two points of the same rank and kind not do it . saith he p. 198. the jews held that an heretical isralite , had no communion with the church of israel : and why ? but because communion supposeth union ; and union with israel , or the true church , is lost with faith : they also held , ( as selden noteth ) that an israelite turning an heretike i. e. denying any of the thirteene fundamental articles , to be as an heathen man. and a few lines before , he saith , that historical faith , which hath the doctrine of faith for its object , none do doubt to be an essential , requisite to a true church-member . yet that with me is a visible member , that hath not this much , which is said to be essential , no man doubting of it . if they profess true faith , though they are stark atheists at the heart , and have not so much as historical faith , i shall believe them , till they nullifie their own profession : but if they profess not also to consent to have christ to be their saviour , i shall not take it for a profession of christianity . certain i am , that the ancient doctours with one consent , did look on the baptized generally as pardoned , justified , and adopted ; and therefore thought that visible church-membership , did imply a credibility ( at least ) of a state of saving grace . saith cyprian , epist . 76. magn. in baptismo unicuique peccata sua remittuntur . and upon this supposition run the arguments of the councell of carthage , and firmilian , epist . ibid. saith augustine , de catechizandis rudibus , cap. 26. his dictis interrogandus est , an haec credat , atque observare desideret ? quod cum responderit , solemniter utique signandus est , & ecclesiae more tractandus . obedience it self was promised , and a consent to it professed before baptism then , and ever since christian baptism was known . idem epistol . 119. ad januar. cap. 2. secundum hanc fidem & spem & dilectionem , quâ caepimus esse sub gratia , jam commortui sumus cum christo , & consepulti per baptismum in morte , &c. baptism then supposeth credibly faith , hope and love. idem epist . 23. having shewed why parents faith profiteth infants , and yet their after-sins hurt them not , saith cum autem homo sapere caeperit , non illud sacramentum repetit , sed intelligit : ejusque veritati consonâ etiam voluntate coaptabitur . hoc quamdiu non potest ( n. b. ) valebit sacramentum ad ejus tutelam adversus contrarias potestates : & tantum valebit , utsi ante rationis usum ex hac vita emigraverit , per ipsum sacramentum ecclesiae charitate ab illa condemnatione , quae per unum hominem intravit in mundum , christiano adjutorio liberetur . hoc qui non credit , & fieri non posse arbitratur , profecto infidelis est , etsi habeat fidei sacramentum , longeque melior est ille parvulus , qui etiamsi fidem nondum habeat in cogitatione , non ei tamen obicem contrariae cogitationis opponit , undè sacramentum ejus salubriter percipit . and saith the synod of dort. artic. 1. 8. 17. quandoquidem de voluntate dei ex verbo ipsius nobis est judicandum , quod testatur liberos fidelium , esse sanctos , non quidem natura , sed benefici● faederis gratuiti , in quo illi cum parentibus comprehenduntur , pij parentes de electione & salute suorum liberorum , quos deus in infantia ex hac vita evocat , dubitare non debe●t . and if there be such certainty of the election and salvation of all such infants of the godly , as ought to exclude all doubting , surely the visible church-state of the adult also , hath some respect to saving grace , so farre as that its credible fide humanâ that such have saving faith. and saith mr fullwood , append. p. 6. i conceive that such an ones personall profession in his generall ow●ing the true faith , and usuall attending gods publick worship , doth superadde a kinde of new right , and mingle it with such a persons former right , had by his birth priviledge . and if the [ new right ] be not a necessary right , i think it will prove no right . i will contend with no man whether the approved profession which i have pleaded for in this book , be the very same thing with the ancients confirmation . i have given you my thoughts of it , and i am sure the thing in question is our duty , and the name not unfit , and that its the same with the confirmation owned by the divines of the reformed churches , and particularly with that established and recommended in the book of common-prayer , here in england , for the substance . i shall conclude with this serious request to my brethren , seconded with weighty reasons . even that they would take heed of both extreams in their judging of church-members , and managing the discipline and ordinances of christ . 1. should we be so loose as to cast out discipline , or settle the churches either with such materials for quality , or quantity , as that it shall be uncapable of discipline , we shall never be able to answer it to christ . and should we make a new qualification of adult church-members , even their infant-title-condition alone , or the profession of a faith that is not saving , we should come too neere the making of a new baptism , and church . and truly if we do but slubber over the business , and to avoid offence or trouble to our selves , should take up with a profession utterly incredible , especially in these times when we have so much liberty and countenance from the magistrate , for a fuller reformation , we shall be guilty of so much injury to the church , and the christian name , and our people souls ; as is little considered by many that have their eye only on the contrary extreame , as if there were no danger but on one side . 2. on the other side , if we go so rigidly and unrighteously to work , as some men are bent to do , we may accomplish those ends , that we are endeavouring to overthrow , and frustrate our own , which we think to attain . if we will reject the scripture-ancient-character or evidence of title to church-priviledges , even a credible profession of christianity , we shall confound our selves , and trouble the church , and be at a losse for a certain evidence , and never know what ground to rest upon . and we shall injure the souls of multitudes of true believers , and keep out those , that christ will entertain . for there are no other terms , besides taking mens profession by a humane faith , on which we can admit persons , without excluding multitudes , that should not be excluded . i doubt many ministers , that have had a more ingenuous education themselves , are not sufficiently sensible of the great disadvantage , that countrey people are under , by their want of such education . many that are bred where holy discourse is strange , and never were used to any thing of that nature , no nor to common urbanity of speech , or behaviour , may be brought to hearty sorrow for sinne , and desires after christ and grace , long before they can expresse their knowledg , or desires , in any such manner , as some men do expect . many gracious souls ( as farre as i can discerne ) i have met with , that never were noted for any thing extraordinary in religion , though they lived among such . i had rather let in many , that are unregenerate , into the church , then keep out one that 's a true believer , if there be no other remedy . the lord jesus that died for them , and sent the ministery for them , and will at last admit them into heaven , will give us little thanks , for excluding his weakest members from the church , and from the use of the sacrament and communion of saints , who have most need of them , of any that have right to them . for my part , i desire not , nor dare be guilty of that way of government in the church , as shall grieve those that christ would not have grieved , and exclude the weak , and turne or keep out the infants in grace , from the family of the lord. a compassionate minister is likest to christ , that will not break the bruised reed . how dealt he with the woman taken in adultery ? how tenderly excuseth he the sluggishnesse of his disciples , that could not watch and pray with him one houre , in his last extreamity , with the spirit is willing , but the flesh is weak ? when many now that think well of themselves would almost excommunicate men for as small a fault ; we know not in such cases , what spirit we are of . but this is not all : i must confesse brethren ( which i beseech you patiently to hear ) these three things very much stick upon my thoughts . 1. i cannot but observe , how many eminent professors of piety have miscarried , and grievously miscarried of late , when some of lower professions have stood fast . and i think god suffers the falls of many of his own , to let them know the frailty of our natures , and cause them to be compassionate to others . and some censorious mens hearts might smite them , if they had heard from their master , let him that is faultless , cast the first stone . 2. and it sticks very much upon my thoughts , how small a handfull the censorious way would reduce the catholike church of christ to . when it is but about the sixth part of the world that are at all baptized christians ; and scarce the sixth part of them , that are protestants ; and of the protestants , so few , except in england , that are so qualified for holiness , as in your admissions you exspect : and in england how small is the number that you would admit , i am deeply afraid lest you hainously injure the cause of christ , by your excessive rigor : and lest confining even the visible church into so exceeding small a compass , should tempt men to infidelity . for he that to day can believe , that christ died not for one of a hundred thousand in the world , may to morrow believe , that he died for none at all . i hope the little flock of the elect , is not so little , as some would have the visible church of the called . 3. we are deeply sensible of the increase of infidels here in england . they are too thick about us , under severall garbs , especially under the maske of seekers ; and are perswading people against the christian faith , and truth of scripture , and the life to come : and so much do these apostates now abound , that we have reason to be jealous of them . and if any of you should strike in with good men , that are of this censorious over rigorous way , consider how farre they may make use of such to accomplish their designs . if by you they can get almost all the world un-churched in estimation ; and fifty for one , if not an hundred for one in england , actually un-christened , and their children after them left unbaptized : what will follow ? i doubt this , if god should not save us from your miscarriages , when there is but one of an hundred in all the land , that is a christian , the rest will want neither malice , nor power , to put an end here to the christian name ; or at least to the liberty and glory of christianity . they may choose our parliaments for us , and in a word , do with us what they list , when they are exasperated to the greatest hatred of us ; and cut off our liberties , and set up infidelity or heathenism by a law. i trust god will never suffer this : but let us take ●eed of gratifying infidels , and casting all our safety upon miracles , lest we be found to be but foolish builders , and tempters of god : still you may find that over-doing is the most effectuall undoing . and if you would find out the most dangerous enemies of the gospell , look for them among those , that seem over zealous against the enemies of the gospell , and seem to over-doe in the work of the gospell , i desire to bring no party● of godly men into suspicion , or odium by this : but indeed i desire to counter-mine the apostates ; and it would be the most amazing consounding thing , that could befall us in this world , if we should see the church of god betraied into the hands of infidels , and the gospell lost , by the indiscreet and inconsiderate over-doing of those well-meaning men , that did the work of infidels , and ungodly men for them , while they thought that none were so much against them . if the neck of religion be broken among us , i am afraid the imprudent will be some cause , that would lead us above the top of the ladder . sure i am between you both , you have the easiest way to the flesh , that run into extreams . durst i cast off discipline , and only preach , and please all the parish in sacraments and other ordinances , how easie a life should i have to the flesh ? and if i durst take out one of a hundred , that are eminent in piety , that will scarce ever call me to any penall acts of discipline , i should have a much more easie life then the former . but they are both so easie , that i the more suspect them , to be the fruit of the wisdome of the flesh . indeed , both the extreames do cast off discipline , for the most part , whatever they pretend . one sort never meane to exercise it : and the other sort extoll it ; and when they have done , they separate a few of the best that are like to have no need of the troublesome part of it , and so sit down without the exercise of it ; pretending to be physicians , but refusing to receive the sick into their hospitals . brethren , i speake not as an accuser , but a monitour , and shall continue to pray for the churches purity and peace , while i am r. b. july , 30. 1658. dr h. hammond , in his view of the-direct . § . 41. p. 45 , 46. for confirmation , which being so long and so scandalously neglected in this kingdome ( though the rule have also been severe , and carefull in requiring it ) will now not so easily be digested , having those vulgar prejudices against it ; yet must i most solemny profess my opinion of it ; that it is a most ancient christian custome , tending very much to edification : which i shall make good by giving you this view of the manner of it . it is this ; that every rector of any parish , or curate of charge , should by a familiar way of chatechizing , instruct the youth of both sexes within his cure , in the principles of religion , so farre that every one of them before the usuall time of coming to the lords-supper , should be able to understand the particulars of that vow , made in baptism , for the credenda and facienda ; yea and fugienda also : what must be believed , what done , and what forsaken ; and be able to give an intelligent account of every one of these : which being done , every such childe so prepared , ought to be brought to the b p for confirmation . wherein the intent is , that every such child , attain'd to years of understanding , shall singly and solemnly before god , the b p , and the whole congregation , with his own consent , take upon himself the obligation to that , which his god-fathers and god-mothers in baptism , promised in his name ; and before all those reverend witnesses , make a firm , publick , renued promise , that by gods help he will faithfully endeavour , to discharge that obligation in every point of it , and persevere in it all the dayes of his life . which resolution and promise so heightned with all those solemnities , will in any reason have a mighty impression on the child , and an influence on his actions for ever after . and this being thus performed by him , the b p shall severally impose his hands on every such child ( a ceremony used to this purpose by christ himself ) and bless and pray for him , that now , that the temptations of sinne begin more strongly in respect of his age , to assault him , he may receive grace and strength against all such temptations or assaults , by way of prevention and speciall assistance ; without which , obtained by prayer from god , he will never be able to do it . this is the sum of confirmation ; and were it rightly observed ( and no man admitted to the lords-table , that had not thus taken the baptisme-bond from the sureties into his own name ; and no man after that , suffered to continue in the church , which brake it wilfully ; but turned out of those sacred courts by the power of the keys in excommunication ) it would certainly prove by the blessing of god , were it begun , a most effectuall meanes to keep men ( at least within some terms of christian civility , ( from fallings into open enormious sinnes ; and that the defaming and casting out of this so blamelesse gainfull order , would be necessary or usefull to any policy , save only to defend the devill from so great a blow , and to sustaine and uphold his kingdome , i never had yet any temptation or motive to suspect or imagine . instead of considering any objections of the adversary against this piece , whether of apostolicall or ecclesiasticall discipline ( which i never heard with any colour produced ) i shall rather express my most passionate wish unto my friends , those who sincerely wish the good of this nationall church , that they will endeavour their uttermost to revive these meanes of regaining of purity and exemplary lives of all its members , when god by restoring our peace shall open a doore for it . finis . errata . contents , p. 13. l. 9. r. [ overmuch rigour . ] p. 7. l. 8. for [ yet ] r. [ that . ] p. 12. l. 23. r. [ its stead . ] p. 19. l. 24. r. [ he that . ] p. 24. l. 22. for [ before ] r. [ because . ] p. 27. l. 5. r. [ learners . ] p. 34. l. 13. r. [ baptismall . ] p. 35. l. 25 , & 26. for [ seem ] r. [ serve . ] p. 36 l. 4. for [ their ] r. [ the. ] p. 37. marg. l. 13. r. [ nullo . ] p. 47. l. 11. r. [ ●dem . ] p. 49. l. 8. r. [ that it is . ] l. 25. for [ grounded ] r. [ granted . ] p. 55. l. 20. r. [ heb. 13. 7. 17. 24. p. 58. l. 28. r. [ pastours . ] p. 64 l. ult . r. [ and duty . ] p. 65. l. 1. for [ judging . ] r. [ guiding ] p. 75. l. 15. for [ termes ] r. [ times , ] p. 73 l. 24. for [ admitted ] r. [ administred . ] p. 75 l. 2. r. [ hanc . ] p. 78. l. 21. r. [ not . ] p. 79. l. 12. for [ them ] r. [ him . ] p. 63. l. 16. r. [ them to . ] p 89. l. 26. for [ pardon ] r. person . ] p. 94. l. 21. r. [ as to the ] p. 96. l. ulr . r. [ prove it . ] p. 105. l. 4. for [ that ] r. [ the. ] p. 111. l. 16. r. [ physicall . ] p. 114. l. 22. for [ that ] r. yet . l p. 119. l. 24. for [ whether ] r. [ where . ] p. 125. l. 27. r. [ prescript● p. 131. l. 27. r. [ persecuturosque jurabant . ] p. 132. l. 7. r. [ jurabant . ] p. 134. l. 15. for [ propriety ] r. [ parity . ] p. 144. l. 27. for [ intruding ] r. [ introducing . ] p. 177. l. 4. for [ or ] r. [ on . ] l. 11. for [ enter ] r. [ eate . ] p 179. marg. l. 26. r. [ partes . ] p. 180. l. 6. for [ any ] r. [ my . ] p. 183. l. 24. r. [ know not . ] p. 198. l. 17 r [ will not . ] p. 199. l. 21. r. [ help or . ] p. 209. l 3. for [ the ] r [ thy . ] l. 25. for [ for ] r. [ of . ] p. 216. l. 8. for [ variety ] r. [ vanity . ] p. 218. l. 6 r. [ difference . ] p. 220. l. 26. r. [ children . ] p. 221. l. 13. for [ admitted ] r. [ administred . ] p. 224. l. 21. r. [ approved . ] p. 241. l. 6. for [ little ] r. [ title . ] p 242. l. 10. for [ our ] r. [ your . ] p. 245. l. 21 r. [ on the. ] l. 24. r. [ ministers . ] p. 252. l. 11. r. [ they are . ] p. 257. l. 22. r. [ whom they . ] p. 262. l. 13. r. [ do it . ] p. 265. l. 16. r. [ answered this . ] p. 267. l. 13. r. [ and the. ] p. 272. l. 11. r. [ all are . ] p. 276. l. 7. r. [ too long ] l. 8. r. [ by the. ] p. 279. l. 13. r. [ in the. ] p 292. l. 22. for enflame ] r. [ enslave . ] p. 293. r. [ in these . ] p. 316. l. ult . r. [ febr. 13. ] postscript , p. 21. l. 23. for [ therefore ] r. [ then . ] p. 22. l. 9. r. [ church-communion . ] p. 30. l. 4. r. [ meane● . ] p. 31. l. 8. r. neglect so ] . p. 42 l. 17. r. [ in the warres ] p. 46. l. 2 r. [ and in the ] notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a76157-e1260 ☜ see the rubrick of the common prayer book before confirmation after cited . g. cassande● consult . de confirm . haejusm●di sa●e institutionem seu catechismi explicationem in pueris fieri debeere , & veteres praecipiunt , & recenciores quoque ex utraque parte consentiunt . vide august . serm. 116. in ramis palmarum , & wallafridum de rebus ecclesiast . cap. 26. & quae scripsit ruardus tappenus lovan . tom. 2. ad illud calvi●i instit . c. 17. albaspin . in tertul. de praescript . c. 43. p. 308. non nisi magna cum deliberatione quenquam in societatem & communionem ecclesiarum venire patiebantur — ait igitur diu multumque orthadoxos deliberare , quorum sententiis subscribere , quosve in societatem ejusdem ecclesiae & corporis recipore debeant : contra vero haereticos ullo discrimine cum omnibus haereticis pacem miscere . vid. thom. à jesu de convers . omn. gentium de hac quest . therefore it is to be made at years of understanding . the papists themselves say in their catechism , composed for the armenians , translated by peter paulus . pag 194. tum recipiendum est sacramentum hoc , quando ad usum rationis pervenit homo , fidemque profiteri incipit , & ut confirmetur , & stabiliatur in gratia opus habet . it s before proved , that men are not here their own judges . anabap. object . answ . de exhomologes . vide albespin . in tertul . de paenit . c. 10. pag. 297. & observ . passim . grotius epist . 154. p. 377 , 378. mihi legenda compertum est manuum impositionem caeremeniam fuisse juda●cam , usurpatam , non lege ullâ divinâ , sed moribus , ubicunque precandi pro aliquo causa quaedam emerserat . tunc enim judaei orabant ut sic dei efficacia esset super illum , sicut manus , efficaciae symbolum , ei imponebantur . hunc quemque morem ut synagogae pleraque secutus est christus , sive pueris benedicendum fuit , sive aegrotis adhibenda sanatio addita , ut semper honos patri haberetur , prece . eodem more non ex ullo praecepto , est quod apostoli manus imposuere iis , quibus ignoto ante hac jure dona conspicua sancti spiritus precando conferebant : quod presbyteri eundem ritum adhibuere non tantum in allegendis presbiteris , puta timotheo , 1 tim. 4. 15. sed & ipsis apostolis , ubi novi aliquid opis aggrederentur , act. 13. 2. ita ut si quotiens manus imponitur toties sacramentum est , jam nulla futura sit ad precandum pro aliquo occasio , quae non eo nomine veniat ; quod nec vocis origo , nec veterum in eâ usus repudiat . et ex una hâc non imperata sed usitâ judaeis christianisque caeremonia , exstiterê illa , quae dicuntur sacramenta confirmationis , ordinationis , paenitentiae , extremae unctionis immo & matrimonii . leg albaspin . observat . 31. lib. 2. p. 166 , 167 , 168. ☜ * as some doubt whether conversion , or building up be the greater work ( and give it to the later , that they may conclude the la●er only to be the work of pastours , and the former , but of gifted private men ( so the doubt in this case , is on the same ground , whether baptizing and confirming , be not as great as ordaining , ( and some give i● to the later , le●t ●resbyters be thought to have power to ordain . ) but i answer both as aquila in scotell . in sent . 4. des . 7. 8. & 2. pag. 816. in the case of confirmation : quando benefit comparatio harum gratiarum : haec potest fieri dupliciter . vno modo sine praecisione ; & sic omnino major est gratia confirmationis , quam baptismalis ; sicut bene & perfecte vivere , est melius quam vivere : si autem fiat comparatio harum gratiarum cum praecisione , sic major est gratia baptismalis quam confirmationis , quia majoris virtutis est mortuum vivificare , quam vivificatum fortificare . so i say between initiating a christian , and initiating a minister . greg. m. in epist . ad quirin . ( leg. inter usserii hybernie . epist . 2. p. 6. ) et quidem ab antiqua patrum institutione didicimus , ut qui apud haeresin in trinitatis nomine baptizantur , cum ad sanctam ecclesiam redeunt , aut unctione chrismatis , aut impositione manuum , aut solâ professione fidei , ad sinum matris ecclesiae revocentur . the ancient church also used it so variously , as that it is plain , they fixed it to no one case alone . of the divers cases , in which they imposed hands ( on the catechumens , and foure times on the penitents , and divers other , ) you may see in albaspinaeus observationes , obs . 31 , 32. & passim . grotius epist . 154. p. 379. manus impositas ▪ baptizatis , nisi ab iis , qui jus haberent conferendi caelestia illa dona , primis temporibus non apparet . serius id introductum est in episcoporum honorem , quo magis in apostolicum jus successisse crederentur . nec causa aberat , quam caeremoniae illi , velut naturalem diximus , praecandi scilicet deum , ut ei qui baptizatus jam fidem erat professus , ea largiri vellet , quae ad praestandum in fide , maximè in periculis gravibus , sunt necessaria . leg. quae habet grotius discus . apol. rivet . p. 235. cum antecedent●h . ex anti● . & de suis . * read the whole order of baptism in dionysius ibid. c. 4. * that is not to turn to an ungodly life , but to endeavour and perform sincere obedience . albaspin . in tertul. de paenintent . cap. 7. sexcent●● locis , non dicam hoc capite ; unam ait tantum a lavacro veniam superesse , neque ullam primis illis temporibus inter privatam aut publicam graviorum criminum discrimen invenient . vide caetera . read dr hammond's pract. catech. l. 5. §. 4. pag. 298 , 299. of the communion of saints . albaspinaeus in tērtul . de paenitent . cap. 8 , 9. pag. 291. cum pro foribus templi starent paenitentes , pretereuntibus sacerdotibus , caeterisque fidelibus omnibus , omnino dolentis animi signis paenitentiam suam testabantur , lacrymis non parcebant , precibus institebant , volvebantur , & si quae alia habet paenitentia , quae miserecordiam movere possint ; non omittebant , ut pacem recupearent . primum ante sacerdotes procumbebant , martyribus deinde adgeniculabantur , caeteris denique fratribus & viduis , ut ait paciamis , enixè supplicabant , ut à deo & ab ecclesiâ veniam pro se impetrarent . ☞ albaspin . ubi sup . animadvertendum est , paenitentes non solum haec & similia egisse , ut cum deo in grati●● redirent , verum etiam ut sacerdotes , & caeteros fratres aequiores haberent , in quorum arbitrio & judicio non-nunquam erat , eos in ecclesia revocare . i cit● this to shew what conisance the people were to have of such affairs . to recite more after all those of blondel , is but to do a needless work . there 's enough to satisfie all that are moderate for popular interest . ☞ * of this fourth sort i hope are many that truly fear god , that some on one pretence , and some on an other , forbear to ioyn with us in the communion of the church , in the lords supper : but yet heare , and live in love and peace with us . and some do joyn with us ( on the grounds as godly strangers may be admitted ) somtime in the lords supper ; that yet expresly own not a membership in the particular church . as i would not have mentioned the faults of any of my parishioners , but on this necessity of opening the state of the nation de facto , so they have no reason to take it ill of me . for 1. i accuse none by name , much less the generality . 2. the innocent do themselves know , and bewail the sinnes that i mention . 3. i am so far from making them worse then other parishes , that i un●eigne●iiy proses , that i do not know a●y other in england of so much godliness , and tractableness ; which testimony is true , and more to their honou● , then the mentioning of the remnants of ignorance and ungodlyness is to their dishonour . if it be thus , here , how much worse is it in most parts of the ●●nd ? i have but very few of these ; but i know neighbour parishes that have too many , to the grief of their godly ministers . this tenth sort , are some of them infected by the infidels ( who are all for hobs his necessity ) but most of them have got it , i know not how : but so many are possessed by these conceits , that i little thought , that neer so many of the ungodly vulgar , had so abused the doctrine of predestination and grace ; as if they had been hired to disgrace it . 12. our papists are but few ; but if the rest of them be such as ours , their church hath small reason to boast of its holiness . beside , if all these were fit to be members , yet we must know their own consent , which meer living in the parish , or comming to church doth not signifie . mr thorndicke , see dr hammond's practic . catech. lib. 2. §. 2. p. 103. & l. 6. §. 2. pag. 311 , 313 , 314 , 319 , 320 , 321 , 322 , 323 , &c. this is no dishonour to the discipline : for we find it hath great effect on such as are capable of it . i desire those that are overridgid and uncharitable in censuring others , not to extend these complaints to more then i extend them : nor to take it as an occasion for the unchurching of whole parishes , or any one particular person , without sufficient evidence . for i must profess that i meet with hundreds in my parish , that i can comfortably hold communion with , that some men of stricter principles , or more censorious dispositions would reject : yea , and i take abundance for truly goldy men , that are not noted for any eminency of religion , perhaps their parties , or callings , or opportunites , being such as keep them much from the knowledg of others . melancthon epist . ( impres . lugdun . 1647. ) ad dominicum schleupnerum , saith . 1. quia in tanta multitudine vix pauci sunt christiani , & apti qui sacramento fruantur , cavendum est ne vulgus invitetur ad prophanandum corpus domini . lege calvin . institut . lib. 4. cap. 12. §. 1 , 2. zanch. de ecclesia . vol. 3. fol. 123 , 124 , 134 , 135. and others cited in the preface of my reformed pastor . the rest of the rubricke see after . the first part of the rubricke anon cited , also proves this . de hoc dissidium nullum futurm sperem , &c. de tempore confirmationis , video bonis viris utriusque partis non displicere , si ejus usus ad aetatem paulio adultiorem differatur , — ut parentibus , susceptoribus , & ecclesiarum prefectis occasio detur , pueros de fide quam in baptismo professi sunt , diligentius instituendi & admonendi . georg. cassander , in consult . de confirmatione . some few also there are , that are antipaedobaptists ( against baptizing infants ) and yet not anabaptists ( as not judging it a nullity , nor to be iterated ) and these , one would think we might live at peace with . leg. grotii , epist . 162. ad bignon : p. 397. clem. roman . against a lower episcopacy , then ours . petav. him self saith , dissert . eccles . lib 1. cap. 3. pag. 35. ignorare non potuit hieronimus quibusdam in locis absente episcopo presbyteros idem illud sacramentum confirmationis dedisse ▪ quod de aegypto testatur commentarius , &c. and p. 36. he saith , constat olim solos episcopos ordinariò jure tam baptismum , quam paenitentium reconciliatione administrasse . so that they may then as well forbid presbyters to baptize . * hier. cont . lucifer . ad honorem potius sacerdotii , quam ad legis necessitatem . alioqui si ad eposcopi tantum imprecationem sp. sanctus de●luit , lugendi sunt , qui in vinculis aut castellis aut in remotioribus locis , per presbyteros & diacones baptizati , ante dormierunt , quam ab episcopis inviserentur . clem. alexand. pedag●g . 3. cui imponet presbyter manus . ambros . in eph. 4. apud aegyptum presbyteri consignant , si prae●en ; non sit episcopus . grotius epist . cordes . 154. pag. 382. si recte expendantur quae ipse aurelius , de rebus nec 〈◊〉 , nec prohibitis disserit , non mirum si in iis alibi atque alio tempore alii fuerint mores ; non erat cause satis , curtantis animis , tam odiosis illationibus sta quaestio tractaretur . nam etiamsi aut baptizatus nunquam ungeretur , aut ungeretur tantum baptismi tempore , baptizante etiam presbytero . adde etiamsi nulla subsequeretur manuum imp sitio , donis illis quae per manuum impositionem conferebant apostoli pridem ressantibus , non ideo periret honor praesidentiae ●piscopalis , quae tunc etiam in ecclesia fuit cum episcopi & presbyteri nomen indiscriminatim usurparetur , & cum praeji●entia illa , non electione , quae alexandris primum fieri 〈◊〉 , macco mortu● , sed participati consensus gradu deferretur . ☜ vid. chamier . l. 4. de sacra . cap. 10 , & 11. in tertullians daies , saith albaspinaeus in tert. de prescrip . c. 41. p. 306. the catechumeni being somewhat instructed at home , cum caeteris tandem in ecclesia primis concionibus , quae in gratiam catechumenorum habebantur , intererant ; quibus peractis rursus omnes iidem ipsi catechumeni ex templo discedere jubebantur , ne scilicet divina mysteria rudium conscientia polluerentur — so that it seemes they had then in the morning a sermon fitted for the catechumens , and all the after part of the worship was more eucharistical fitted to the communion of saints . in the ancient church the catechumeni were not suffered to sit with the church-members , but had a separated place by themselves ; and tertullian accuseth the hereticks for breaking this order , ut vid. albaspin . in tertul. de praescription . c. 41. p. 306. he blames them also that they suffered them to joyne with the church in praiers , and other holy worship ut albaspin . ibid. * in his deus , natura gratia : where abundance more are cited of his side . i humbly propound it to the consideration of the soveraigne rulers , whether it be not fit , that the testimonies of these two sorts of men , in any weighty case , against another be invalidate . and is it not a pittifull case that the lives of the godly people whom they hate , shall be at the mercy of any two of these wretches , that make no more of an oath then of another word . notes for div a76157-e21470 nunquam enim , ait lutherus periclitatur ecclesia nisi inter reverendissin●s . it is totall ignorance that the objection extendeth to , or ignorance of the christian faith. should a man never thinke of god , christ ▪ or heaven , and so never have actuall dissent , he were yet an atheist and infidell : much more when he heareth , and therefore must needs think of them : for then it is impossible , the will should neither dissent nor consent . faith is a positive being , and therefore must have a positive discovery : perhaps many a janizary never renounced christ in words , nor many another ch●lde of christians , that is carried away , where they never heard of christ . i would fully answer such kind of writings , but that judicious readers are awery of such contending , & think it not worth the readers time , or mine . i am sensible also how the arguments for both extreams do either drive or draw the reader to the anabaptists . the most experienced holy of my flock are very tender of the scandalous themselves , and would not have me to cast them out while there appeareth any present hope : remembring the condition that once they were themselves in , and their failings after convictions , and what had become of them if then they had been cast out . two disputations of original sin i. of original sin as from adam, ii. of original sin as from our neerer parents : written long ago for a more private use, and now published (with a preface) upon the invitation of dr. t. tullie / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1675 approx. 338 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 121 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27059 wing b1439 estc r5175 13083006 ocm 13083006 97269 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27059) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 97269) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 408:3) two disputations of original sin i. of original sin as from adam, ii. of original sin as from our neerer parents : written long ago for a more private use, and now published (with a preface) upon the invitation of dr. t. tullie / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 245 p. printed for robert gibbs ..., london : 1675. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sin, original -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-09 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion two disputations of original sin. i. of original sin , as from adam . ii. of original sin , as from our neerer parents . written long ago for a more private use ; and now published ( with a preface ) upon the invitation of dr. t. tvllie . by richard baxter . exod. 20. 5 , 6. and 34. 7. [ visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children , ( and upon the childrens children ) unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me . ] london , printed for robert gibbs , at the golden-ball in chancery-lane , 1675. to the impartial friends of sacred truth , who are above the dominion of carnal interest , faction and false prejudice , and are cured of the malady of prefidence and hasty jvdging before they have heard and weighed evidence , which is the corrupter , confounder , and disquieter of the church and world. sect. 1. it hath seemed good to a doctor of the vniversity of oxford , dr. i. tully , whose name is honoured for learning and moderation , ( i believe deservedly , though i know him not , ) newly to exercise his zeal , and pen , to save men from the danger of some doctrines which he taketh to be mine . of the rest i shall , god willing , give a distinct account elsewhere : that which i am here to consider of , is found , pag. 128. justif . paulin. in these words , [ vnum vero praetereundum non censeo , licet ab argumento magis alienum videtur , estque novum quoddam inter novissima : praefatorem scilicet ( nescio quo fortunante mercurio ) aliud invenisse peccatum originale , multo citerius quam quod ab adamo traductum est : o caecos ante theologos , quicunque unquam fuistis ! serio interim monendi sunt juniores , ne temere illius theologiae talia paradoxa parturienti fidem habeant . deus novit me nullo in personam viri rever . aut aestu , aut praejudicio , nedum odio ( cui ex animo sane fausta & foelicia precor omnia ) hoc monitum injicere ; sed amore veritatis uno , utque satis conscientiae fiat , ita liberasse animam . ] whereupon he next advertiseth me out of some words of my own , &c. sect. 2. i have great reason to love his love to truth , and the souls of men whom he would save from the danger of such errors as he supposeth me to be guilty of . and i have no reason to dislike his fidelity to his conscience : but rather to wish that true conscientious tenderness and fidelity were more common among the teachers of the people , and the teachers of those teachers . sect. 3. and far be it from me to judge him so uncharitable as to doubt whether we his ignorant brethren love not truth also , and the fouls of men , and search not after it with some impartiality and industry ; yea , and would buy it at as dear a rate as others , though through our sin and weakness we may not have had so good success . and it is a praise to our creator rather than to us , that we love that which by natural inclination we must needs love : being and truth are necessarily good ; and all evil is from good , and for good . our good intentions justify not our errors , nor the reasonings and considence by which we set them off as truth . and by our bold and hasty judging of those things which our reasonings shew we never well digested or understood , and our censures of those that perhaps better understand them , we should but call men to suspect those understandings , as not very like to know much more than others , which no better know themselves . instead therefore of calling out to the academical youth to take heed of the theology of those worthy eximious persons who are my censurers , i humbly entreat them , with candid impartiality , to search after truth , and to receive all that deserveth that name from the censurers , and to reject all that i or any other offereth them which is against it ; and proving all things , to hold fast that which is true and good : yea , and to help me to see my errors , that i may repent , and publish my retractation . which i shall not judge ( any more than augustine did ) to be in vain , though it should please others , as well as this learned dr. to cull out for his coufutation the first book that ever i wrote , about four and twenty years after i had publickly ( for the crudity and unfitness of many expressions in it ) retracted it , and to pass by about sixty others , since written ; and some , yea many , much more largely and distinctly than that which i retracted , on the same subject . sect. 4. but though i am more obliged than such knowing men as he , to suspect my own understanding , that suspition will not warrant me to resist the light , nor to reject that which seemeth to me to be evidence of truth , nor to forbear the rendering a reason of my judgment , that i may be better informed by a confutation if i erre , or if i do not , may not desert that which deserveth a just vindication . and though i am one of those who never was worthy of his honourable employment , to teach men to be teachers of the flocks of christ , and these fourteen years have been judged unworthy or unmeet to teach the most ignorant congregation in these lands ; yet i doubt not but i may have his leave and concurrence in bewailing the lamentable condition of the poor people , by reason of such ignorant and unhappy teachers , as i and others of my rank have long been ! alas , how great is their temptation ! and what perplexities must they needs be cast into ! when we that have studied night and day with our most earnest desire to know the truth whatever it cost us , and with our most searching , serious thoughts , and with our daily prayers for divine illumination , do yet remain not only ignorant , but so dangerously erroneous , that if some did not silence us , and others call out to the people to take heed of us , it seems we were like to be their deceivers , and to do them more hurt than good ! and if this were but i , and a few more such , or only the many hundreds that now are silenced , the case were less lamentable : but , alas , it is the case of almost all the christian world , for the people to be cast by their teachers weaknesses into such distracting perplexities as these ! the greeks call to their people to take heed of the romans ; and the romans to theirs to take heed of the greeks : as also to take heed of the protestants , and all ( as hereticks or schismaticks ) that are not the subjects of the king of rome : and the protestants requite them . the lutherans say , take heed of the calvinists ; and the calvinists say , take heed of the lutherans and arminians . the conformist saith , take heed of the non-conformist ; and some non-conformists say , take heed of the conformists : till the poor people know not when they are safe , but are tempted to live as we did in the great plague in 1665 , when each one fled from the face of others , lest every man that approached them should infect them . whom to fear they know , but whom to trust they know not : unless they must be of the side and religion which is uppermost , and think their rulers always in the right ; and so that there are as many right religions in the world , as there are rulers of different religions . and what now shall the poor people do ? can they hope to be wiser than all these teachers , to discern which of them is in the right ? what is their remedy ? sect. 5. in this streight i am ready ( yea resolved ) so far to abate my reverence to learned contenders , as to hope that we are more agreed than they seem willing that the people should believe , ( and therefore than they understand themselves . ) all true christians are agreed in that which made a christian when the name of christians was first known : and in that which was then thought necessary to their mutual love and communion . they are united in those many necessary things , which i long ago mentioned in a popular discourse called catholick vnity : and protestants are agreed in much more than absolutely necessary things . and as it is not the part of a good man to set the churches together by the ears , and to make people believe that they differ where they do not , or further than they do ; and thereby to tempt them to suspect , censure , reproach , or hate each other : so it is not the part of a wise teacher to think himself , that agreeing men are not agreed ; and that different terms , or orders of expression , make different or contrary doctrines or religions : and to be skilful in making one difference to seem many , and verbal ones to seem real , and small ones to seem great , instead of being skilful , by discussing ambiguity of words , in helping men better to understand one another . and for my part , i have so much experience of the commonness of the mistake , both of the matter , and of each others minds , by reason of the lamentable ambiguity of words , and the common weakness of mankind in the ordering , digesting , and expressing their conceptions , and also in the reception of other mens expressions , that i am resolved to be still suspitious of ambiguities , and not to be easily and negligently deceived by a word unexplained , though men of never so great name or self-esteem should deride me for it , as a troublesome distinguisher : and i am resolved to endeavour , to the utmost of my little skill and opportunity , to undeceive them that think a different name , or method , is a different or contrary doctrine ; and that all are hereticks that speak not in their language , and sing not in their tune , or pray not in their form of words , though for so doing the over-orthodox zeal do accuse me of tepidity , noxious syncretism , arminianism , yea , or of as much complyance with popery , or socinians , as this excellent doctor doth . sect. 6. though i know that heresy may ( as arianism once did ) creep in , and hide it self in the addition of one letter ; yet i know also , that the confusion of tongues hath made it hard to express our selves so as easily to be understood , unless by such with whom we have had long leisure to open our meaning , and hard to understand the mind of others : and that they who agree in all that christ , his apostles , and the ancient symbols of faith and concord made necessary to the agreement of believers , should not too hastily be condemned as heretical ; and that church-tyranny and schism , while they cry out against each other , are neerer kin in principles and effects than their owners are well aware of : and that over-doing as for orthodox concord , by introducing things arbitrary , difficult and numerous as the necessary terms , hath been satan's great engine to tear the churches : and had i been at jerome's elbow when he complained so much of them that accused him of heresy , for rejecting the term [ hypostasis , ] and when he spake himself so much against it , i might perhaps have ventured to say to that learned angry father , that it is possible that neither his adversaries nor he were hereticks , nor erroneous in the matter or sense at all ; but that they meant by [ hypostasis , ] the same that he did by [ persona ; ] and that he mistakingly accused an innocent word , and they mistakingly accused his innocent sense ; and that the time might come , when those that then contended were in the dust , that the churches should indifferently , without mutual condemnation , use either of the terms . sect. 7. melancholy is a suspicious humour : many a one have i known that could not be perswaded , but that their best and neerest friends did plot their death , or to poison them , or cut their throats ; and every thing and person that is neer them , seemeth against them , and a cause of fear : as a good woman ( yet living , ) caetera sana , dare let none come neer her till the spiders be brusht ▪ off them , which she thinks she seeth on them , having once been affrighted by a spider . and , some otherwise worthy men , do so causelesly and frequently cry out , this is popery , and that is arminianism , as if they were perswading the world that the contumelious saying is true , spiritus calvinianus est spiritus melancholicus , and that orthodox mens hearts must meditate terror , and fear where no fear is , and their charity must suspect all things , and hardly believe or hope of any good in others . and we have not been ( yea , yet are not ) without some sectaries , carried so swiftly in the the stream of prejudice , that before they can stay to weigh and understand it , they cry out , o antichristian , popish , arminian , of many an unquestionable truth of god ; as if they were perswading men that the prophane reproach is true , that a puritan is a protestant frightened out of his wits . sect. 8. but to come to my present business ; this worthy dr. and mr. danvers , the fervent defender of the anabaptists , having both newly published their suspicions and accusations of me , for my doctrine of original sin , and both called aloud to the world to take heed of me , i take my self obliged to give them both some account of the reasons of what i hold , and humbly to leave them to their leisurely judicious censure . and because god calleth me , by the messengers of death , to other kind of thoughts and works , than needless , tedious , ungrateful contending for my own vindication against the suspicions and words of others , i must take it as a sufficient discharge of this duty , to publish an old country disputation on that subject , used above twenty years ago in one of our ( by some derided ) meetings of those humble , peaceable , laborious , godly ministers neer kederminster in worcestershire , ( who have most of them been silenced these fourteen years . ) and though i am much to be blamed , if my maturer thoughts since then , have not helped me to clearer conceptions than i had so long ago : yet finding by a hasty perusal , that i am still of the same mind as then i was , i must crave the readers acceptance of it as it is , from one that hath not time to amend it : and i thought it not amiss to add to it another disputation ( then used ) of original sin as derived from adam ; and only to assist the reader 's understanding of them by these following notes : ( entreating his pardon if he meet with some things repeated in one which were in the other , seeing this twenty years silence may inform him that they were not intended to speak out to the world , though this extortion now will justifie their publication ) . sect. 9. i. i do hold that the state of an infant as a meer child of adam , is not the worst that an infant is capable of on earth : and that nature in such is not in the utmost degree of its depravation . custom in actual sin may make it worse in the adult ; ( for they are not so bad as those in hell ) : and parents sins may make it worse in some infants , than otherwise it would be . sect. 10. ii. therefore i hold with wickliffe ( trialog . li. 4. c. 11 , 12. ) which i cited to mr. danvers , that original sin is not equal in all as he inferreth from his assertion , that the penalty is not equal . sect. 11. iii. i do hold , that ( besides all said in the following disputation to prove the thing asserted ) the true nature and tenor of the law of grace , and the terms of life and death determined by it , will fully prove it . sect. 12. iv. and i may well here suppose that it is a law of grace that is now norma officii & judicii to all the world : which obligeth them as subjects , and by which they be judged . for , 1. were it not a digression , i would prove that no man is under the meer covenant or law of innocency ( which commandeth innocency as the condition of life ) ; it being now naturally impossible to the guilty . 2. and that the world is not under the jewish law of moses as such . 3. and that those are not under the gospel or law of grace in the last edition ( by christ incarnate ) who never had it , nor could have . 4. and that the world is not outlawed , or out of the relation of subjects to god. 5. nor yet are they as the damned , under a meer remediless sentence ; but are under an obligation to receive and improve mercies , and use some means which tend to their recovery , ( as such ) . 6. and therefore that all that never had or can have the law of grace in the last edition , are under the first edition of it , which was given to fallen mankind in adam first , and afterward in noah ; ( saving that since the messiah is come , none are bound to believe in him as yet to be incarnate , as if he were not come . ) but they are under the remaining part of the law of grace ; the tenor of which is plainly enough expressed in god's proclaimed name , exod. 34. 5 , 6 , 7. and in many other places of the scripture . 7. for we were ( and therefore are accordingly accounted ) as truly in adam when the law of grace ( or promise ) was made to him , as when the law of innocency was given him . 8. and that law is never since repealed , or nullified , ( saving by a more perfect edition to them that have the gospel . ) 9. and christ that came not to destroy or condemn the world , but to save them , came not to bring most of the world ( without their fault ) into a worse condition than he found them in ; yea , so much worse , as to nullifie the universal law of grace which was before in force , and to leave them remediless , as the devils and damned are . sect. 13. v. all things being delivered now into the hands of christ , and all power given him in heaven and earth ; and all men being his subjects as to obligation , though not as to consent ; and all being under the law of grace , ( of the first or second edition ) ( as made as truly with all mankind , as the law or covenant of innocency was , ) as that by which they must live , and be judged ; and so nature it self now being redeemed nature , ( and neither innocent , lawless , nor utterly desperate , ) accordingly all the world of sinners hath some sort and degree of grace ( or mercy contrary to merit ) from and by the redeemer : which grace or mercy in the natural tendency and usefulness of it , is apt to diminish and restrain their natural pravity ; and doth make them better by preparing them for saving regeneration , usually before they are so regenerated , ( if adult : ) and both adult and infants are capable of a commoner sort of grace , who have not special saving grace . besides , that even infants may have true saving grace it self . sect. 14. vi. and as thus it is evident , that even infants are not all in one state or degree of pravity , but may some be worse , and some better ; so it is evident that now under a law of grace , not to be better than adam maketh them , much more to become worse , ( which may be , and oft is , ) is not a meer penalty or fruit of the violated law of innocency , but a privation of that grace which they were capable of by christ , and so may be a penalty of the law of grace . now the world hath a physitian , not to be healed is a privation of grace , and not a meer negation only : for an infant now not to be regenerate , justified , saved , is not only a negation of that which he never had any hopes or possibility of , as it is to the damned : but it is a privation of that which he was made capable of by christ ; yea , which was conditionally given by a sealed law of grace to all mankind . and this privation is not causeless on his part : god doth not deprive infants of this mercy only as they are the seed of adam ; for then all the seed of adam should be so deprived of it . and to cast all upon meer secret election and reprobation , as if infants were no subjects under law , as the rule of their right , i have in a treatise now in the press , proved to be the inlet of anabaptistry , and an opinion in which we ought not to symbolize with the anabaptists . sect. 15. vii . it followeth therefore , that as god dealt with adam and his seed under the law or covenant of innocency , and we have our guilt of violating that law from him , as being in his loins : so god joyneth children with their parents ( variatis variandis ) under the covenant of grace , and we are in infancy de jure the better or worse for what our parents were , are , or did . and that not to be healed , not to be justified and saved , is not now to infants a penalty of adam's sin alone , but of those parents ( or pro-parents ) in whom the law of grace doth judge the infant to have been , or done , or not done what was necessary . sect. 16. viii . but no one was the universal head and father of all mankind but adam , ( as none is the universal head of the regenerate , but christ the second , adam . ) he was the first sinful man ; in him all mankind sinned : and so he was the original cause , and our participation of his guilt is our original sin in a double sense , 1. as he was the original of all mens sin ; 2. and as we are guilty of it from the original of our being . but of parents sin , not all the world is guilty , but their own posterity ; and that not as the first , but as a secondary or neerer cause . sect. 17. ix . that god hath made many promises to the seed of the faithful above all others , is notorious in scripture ; in the case of the blessed seed , and sons of god before the flood , and in the case of sem , japhet , abraham , isaac , jacob , and so on to the end : but were there no more than the second commandment , and exod. 34. 6 , 7 , 8. it would be justly past controversy . and i have largely proved it to mr. tombs , in two books ; my plain scripture-proof , and my more proof of infants church-membership . sect. 18. x. the apostle expresly saying , else were your children unclean , but now are they holy ; and this very supposition being the reason of our baptizing the children of some persons , but not of all the world , doth yet more exclude all reasonable do ubt , with those that are for infants baptism . sect. 19. xi . as to be baptized , and taken into the church , is not the right of any infant meerly as a child of adam redeemed , ( for then we could make no difference , ) nor meerly as they are elect , ( for that we know not ; ) but as they are children of believers dedicating them to god , ( which is the condition of their right : ) so not to have right to baptism and its benefits , is not the meer fruit of adam's sin , but of the parents privative not-believing , and not-dedicating them to god ; ( the controversies about pro-parents is not pertinent to our business , and need not stop us . ) here therefore is notorious a grand penalty of parents sin on children ; ( for a penal privation it is . ) sect. 20. xii . the true natural interest of parents in their children now , is as certain as adam's in his off-spring : we have our being as truly from them as from him , and were as truly naturally in them as in him . sect. 21. xiii . the promises to the children of believers are more numerous , and plain in scripture , than the promises to adam's seed , if he had stood . sect. 22. xiv . the penal comminations against the seed of the wicked are so numerous and notorious in scripture , that it is a thousand pities that any minister should not acknowledge them , and the effects . even from cain to cham , and the children of all the old world , and of sodom , and so to the end : and if there were no texts to prove it but the two before-mentioned , the second commandment , and exod. 34. with matth. 23. it 's sad that any christian should deny it . sect. 23. xv. it is notorious in scripture also , as to the execution , that god hath punished the children not only for adam's , but for the neerer parents sins : which is true of all those drowned in the deluge , ( as the assigned cause sheweth ; ) and of the seed of cham , and the sodomites , and the infants of the amalekites , and all the nations destroyed by the command of god ; of ishmael , esau , the egyptians , achan , gebezi , and abundance more named after in this dispute , and recorded throughout the scripture ; and the jews were not ignorant of it , when they said , his blood be on us and our children : nor the disciples , when they said , did this man sin , or his parents , that he was born blind ? job . 9. the matter of fact is past all doubt , and therefore the right . sect. 24. xvi . it is daily notorious among us , that the children of some wicked persons , ( adulterers , drunkards , gluttons , idle persons , &c. ) have their bodily temper vitiated by propagation from their parents , by reason that the parents had first by sin corrupted their own nature : some have the pox , some ideots , some decrepit , some otherwise diseased , &c. and to say that this is no punishment to the children , or that it is only for adam's sin , is that which i will not do , whatever any other may . sect. 24. xvii . and it is certain that the minds of some such persons children are extraordinarily depraved : some have natures extraordinarily lustful , some furious , some sensless and inconsiderate , some slothful , some false , versatile and untrusty , some mutable and unconstant ; some have appetites hardly to be restrained , &c. yea , and all the foresaid diseases of the body , much tend to the evil of the soul . and is all this no punishment ? or of none but adam's sin ? sect. 26. xviii . it is notorious that outward calamities in their estates , and other accidents , befall children for the parents sins : the sacrilegious , perjured , murderers , and despisers of parents seldom have a progeny that is not notably plagued for their sin . and divines should not teach atheists to deny such judgments of god. sect. 27. xix . he that saith that children have no guilt of the sins of any parents since adam , doth by consequence say that god neither ever did , or will do , or justly can punish any child in the least degree , positively or privatively , for any such parents sin : but he that dare so say , is bolder and blinder than i would have any wise and holy teachers of christ's flocks to be . sect. 28. xx. holy men in scripture were used in their sufferings to confess and lament the sins of their fore-fathers as the cause ; as i have after cited out of the psalms , ezra , nehem. daniel , &c. sect. 29. by this , and what followeth , i have rendred to the reader a true account and reason of my ( supposed dangerous ) opinion . but nothing maketh me more wonder at my learned and worthy accuser , than his , o caecos ante theologos , quicunque unquam fuistis ! i had almost said , it is more modest for me to say , that my unacquaintedness with grammar maketh me ( here ) not understand him , than to suspect that so learned an academical doctor , among so many learned men and libraries , can possibly mean as his words seem to import . but modesty must not blind us : and yet i am loth here to be tempted to waste so much of my little time to the wearying of my self and the reader , as the recital of the words of so many divines , as concurr with me in this opinion , would require : but a taste may serve to cure his admiration , and , vindicate divines from his reproach . sect. 30. 1. tertullian saith , ( advers . marcion . li. 2. c. 15. p. 467. c. 1. ) 1. justitiam ergo primo judicis despice , cujus si ratio constiterit , tunc & severitas , & per quae severitas decurrit , rationi & justitiae reputabuntur . ac ne pluribus immoremur , asserite causas , caeteras quoque ut sententias condemnetis : excusate delicta , ut judicia reprobetis . nolite reprehendere judicem , sed revincite malum judicem : nam etsi patrum delicta ex filiis exigebat , duritia populi talia remedia compulerat , ut vel posteritatibus suis prospicientes , legi divinae obedirent . quis enim non magis filiorum salutem , quam suam curet ? sed & si benedictio patrum semini quoque eorum destinabatur , sine ullo adhuc merito ejus , cur non & reatus patrum in filios quoque redundaret ? sicut gratia ita & offensa ; ut per totum genus & gratia decurreret , salvo eo quod postea decerni habebat , non dicturos acidam uvam patres manducasse , & filiorum dentes obstupuisse , id est , non sampturum patrem delictum filii , nec filium delictum patris , sed unumquemque delicti sui reum futurum ; ut post duritiam populi , duritia legis edomita , justitia jam non genus , sed persnas judicaret . quanquam si evangelium veritatis accipias , ad quos pertineat sententia reddentis in filios patrum delicta , cognosces : ad illos scilicet , qui hano ultro sibi sententiam fuerant irrogaturi , sanguis illius super capita nostra & filiorum nostrorum . hoc itaque omnis providentia dei censuit , quod jam audierat . bona igitur & severitas quia justa , si bonus judex , id est , justus . item caetera bona , per quae opus bonum currit bonae severitatis , sive ira , sive aemulatio , sive saevita . debita enim omnia haec sunt severitati , sicut severitas debitum est justitiae . vindicanda erit procacitas aetatis verecundiam debentis : atque ita non poterunt judici exprobrari quae judici accidunt , carentia & ipsa culpa , sicut & judex . sect. 31. ii. cyprian de lapsis , p. 279. ac nequid deesset ad criminis cumulum , infantes quoque parentum manibus vel impositi vel attracti , amiserunt parvuli quod in primo statim nativitatis exordio fuerant consecuti . nonne illi cum judicii dies venerit , dicent ; nos nihil fecimus , nec derelicto cibo & poculo domini ad profana contagia sponte properavimus ; perdidit nos aliena perfidia ; parentes sensimus patricidas : illi nobis ecclesiam matrem , illi patrem deum negaverunt , ut dum parvi & improvidi , & tanti facinoris ignari , per alios ad consortium criminum jungimur , aliena fraude caperemur . sect. 32. iii. leonis magni epist . decret . 86. p. 156. parentum quoque peccatis parvulos obligari , non solum primorum hominum , sed etiam suorum de quibus ipsi nati sunt , non improbabiliter dicitur . illa quippe sententia reddam peccata patrum in filios , tenet eos utique antequam per regenerationem ad testamentum novum incipiant pertinere : quod testamentum prophetabatur , cum diceretur per ezechielem , non accepturos filios peccata patrum suorum , nec ulterius futuram in israel parabolam illam , patres manducaverunt uvam acerbam , & dentes filiorum obstupescunt . ideo enim quisque renascitur , ut solvatur in eo , quicquid peccati est , cum quo nascitur . nam peccata quae male agendo postea committuntur , possunt & ponitendo sanari , sicut etiam post baptismum fieri videmus . ac per hoc non est instituta regeneratio , nisi quia vitiosa est generatio , usque adeo ut etiam de legitimo matrimonio procreatus dicat , in iniquitatibus conceptus sum , & in peccatis mater mea in utero me aluit . neque hic dixit , in iniquitate , vel in peccato , cum hoc recte dici posset ; sed iniquitates & peccata dicere maluit : quia & in illo uno , quod in omnes homines pertransivit , quodque tam magnum est , ut eo mutaretur & converteretur in necessitatem mortis humana natura ( sicut supra disserui , ) reperiuntur plura peccata , & alia parentum , quae licet non possunt mutare naturam , reatu tamen obligant filios , nisi gratuita gratia & misericordia divina subveniat . a parvulo enim recens nato , usque ad decrepitum senem quamlibet corporis aetatem gerant , sicut nullus prohibendus est a baptismo , ita nullus est , qui non peccato moriatur in baptismo : sed parvuli tantum originali , majores autem etiam his omnibus moriuntur peccatis , quaecunque male vivendo addiderunt ad illud quod nascendo traxerunt . sect. 33. iv. gregor . magni expos . mor. li. 15. p. 90. peccatum quippe originale a parentibus trahimus , & nisi per gratiam baptismatis solvamur , etiam parentum peccata portamus , quia unum adhuc videlicet cum illis sumus . reddit ergo peccata parentum in filios , dum pro culpa parentis , ex originali peccato anima polluitur prolis . et rursum non reddit parentum peccata in filios , quia cum ab originali culpa per baptismum liberamur , jam non parentum culpas , sed quas ipsi committimus , habemus . sect. 34. v. august . enchirid. ad laurent . cap. 46 , 47. pag. ( edit . paris ) 74. neque dixit in iniquitate , vel peccato , cum & hoc recte dici posset ; sed iniquitates & peccata dicere maluit : quia & in illo uno quod in omnes homines pertransiit reperiuntur plura peccata , & alia parentum , quae etsi non ita possunt mutare naturam , reatu tamen obligant filios nisi gratuita gratia , & misericordia divina subveniet . sed de peccatis aliorum parentum quibus ab ipso adam usque ad patrem suum , progeneratoribus suis quisque succedit , non immerito disceptari potest , vtrum omnium malis actibus & multiplicatis delictis originalibus , qui nascitur implicetur , ut tanto pejus quanto posterius quisque nascatur ? an propterea deus in tertiam & quartam generationem de peccatis parentum eorum posteris comminetur , quia iram suam quantum ad progeneratorum suorum culpas non extendit ulterius moderatione miserationis suae , ne illi quibus regenerationis gratia non confertur , nimia sarcina in ipsa aeterna damnatione premerentur , si cogerentur ab initio generis humani omnium precedentium parentum suorum originaliter peccata contrabere , & poenas pro eis debitas pendere ? an aliud aliquid de re tanta in scripturis sanctis diligentius perscrutatis atque tractatis valeat vel non valeat reperiri , temere non audeo affirmare . bellarmine speaking against this opinion , li. 4. de amiss . grat. c. 18. saith thus of some fathers , as speaking against him ; [ et quidem s. augustinus in enchiridio , ca. 46. sic ait parentum quoque peccatis parvulos obligari non solum primorum hominum , sed etiam suorum , &c. non improbabiliter dicitur . idem repetit in li. 6. adversus julianum , cap. 2. ejusque sententiani iisdem verbis tradit . s. leo in epist . 86. ad nicetam : sanctus etiam gregorius , li. 15. moral . cap. 22. ad eandem sententiam ut videtur accessit . ] and bellarmine ' s shift is a meer violence , [ quod sancti illi patres fortasse non de contagione culpae , sed de communicatione poenae loquuti sunt ; ] nor indeed can it be poena fine culpa . i would trouble my self and the reader with more of the ancients words , if i thought it worth the cost . sect. 35. vi. among the later writers that were papists , i will now give you only the words of guil. parisiensis , de vit , & peccat . c. 5. ( see more also , c. 6 , 7 , 8. ) who though he say that peccatum originale non est culpa , nec meritum poenae ; yet calling it malum morale & vitium , i hope meant but that it was not culpa in sensu famosiore : but however , what he thought of its original , judge . quia peccatum originale contrahitur & a carne , & a parentibus ingeneratur , his solis exceptis , qui privilegio gratiae a deo protecti sunt , contrahitur inquam originaliter ; si enim a divitiis , quae tam longae sunt ab animabus nostris , pervenit ad eas corruptio avaritiae & superbiae , ut supra tetigimus , quanto fortius ab ipsis corporibus passiones , quales inferre possunt corpora , eisdem adhaerebunt ? amplius : si a vino penetrat ad ipsos ebrietas , ut eas in majorem , quam sit brutalis , insaniam transvertat , quanto fortius corpus ipsum , quod eis adeo e vicino & immediate adhaeret , eas obtenebrare poterit a lumine suo , & pervertere a rectitudine sua . et quia toti animales efficiuntur in opere hujusmodi , sive toti caro ( ut dicit aug. ) non est mirum , si semen viri vim imprimendi animalitatem recipit ex hujusmodi dispositione ; habet autem & ex parte materiae propriae alias dispositiones , per quas non permittitur , ut ex eo generetur aliud quam homo . non enim totum habent ex imaginatione , vel sensu parentum generantium . hoc autem quod praediximus de transfusione corruptionis & similitudinis , aug. satis expresse dicere videtur , ubi dicit , quod originale peccatum in omnes illos transit , qui vitiosa lege nascendi nascuntur , & alibi dicit , in omnes concupiscentialiter genitos . in quo videtur attribuere vitiosae legi nascendi , sive concupiscentiali generationi contractionem , seu traductionem originalis peccati ; verum nos dicimus , quia si omne vitium nascendi , & tota concupiscentia etiam tolleretur a parentibus , corrupta tamen caro non nisi corruptam sibi similem generaret . sect. 36. vii . pet. martyr loc. com. p. 142 , 143. quod deus ait , se velle persequi peccata patrum in filios in tertiam & quartam generationem , quum alio loco dicat , filium non portaturum iniquitatem patris : si filius , inquit , non portat iniquitatem patris , sed suam , & tamen deus persequitur in eo peccatum patris , oportet ut filius ipse peccatum illud in se habeat : alioqui haec loca inter se non convenirent . peccatum itaque sua natura ita factum est , ut non tantum animum hominis vastet , verum etiam corpus , carnem & membra depravet . itaque paulus ad corinthios ait , corporae nostra templa esse spiritus sancti , & graviter comminatur , si quis templum dei destruat . si ergo deus puniat peccata parentum in siliis , & filius alienam iniquitatem non portat sed tantum suam : sequitur parvulos impiorum hominum , cum affliguntur ut patres in illis puniantur , aliquid in se habere paternae pravitatis . neque hic cuiquam conquerendum est de justitia dei ; nam si deus incorruptissima sua justitia potest eos qui peccant in reprobum sensum tradere , & peccata peccatis punire : cur non etiam juste velit , peccati corruptionem non tantum animum perdere , sed etiam ejus impuritatem in corpus quoque redundare ? vnde qui generantur ex peccatoribus , talem naturam ex illis contrahunt , qualem in illis reperiunt . atque hac sententia homines admonentur ut sancte vivant , neve & animos suos & corpora polluant , eademque opera filios quoque suos inficiant . si hoc ut jam diximus , constituatur , quaeret quispiam , quid discriminis sit inter peccatum originis , & illud quod a proximis parentibus contrabitur ? respondemus propagationem originalis peccati , esse perpetuam , quemadmodum sacrae literae docent : aliorum vero peccatorum continuationem non esse necessariam . aliquando enim a proximis parentibus nihil vitii transmittitur ad liberos , excepto peccato originis . videtur enim deus modum praefixisse , ne malum grassetur in immensum , & hanc mali propagationem suspendere . — quare quod ad hanc rem attinet , libenter assentior augustino , probabile esse & scripturis consentaneum , ( istamque sententiam martinus bucerus vir doctissimus juxtaque sanctissimus probavit , ) vitia privata in filios propagari a parentibus : sed notandum , hoc esse contingens , non necessarium . nam deus quandoque parentum peccata suspendit , & pro sua bonitate non patitur naturam hominum prorsus perdi . quando autem traducem istam peccatorum , aut reprimere velit , aut sinere locum habere , ipse solus novit . nobis tamen satis est , haec duo considerare : primum peccatum a parentibus diffundi in liberos : alterum id dei beneficio interdum prohiberi , quod tamen de peccato originis dici nullo modo potest . omnes enim eo infecti nascimur . atque bactenus ex epistol . ad roman . cap. 5. in haec verbi , quemadmodum per inobedientiam , &c. vide similem locum in gen. 8. ver . 21. sect. 37. viii . i forbear citing bucer's words , seeing here you have pet. martyr's testimony of his judgment , who was his intimate acquaintance . sect. 38. ix . anton. wallaeus respons . ad censuram corvini de peccati primi poen . p. 257. deinde quomodocunque tandem peccata parentum posteris imputentur , imputationem peccati parentum in posteros esse proprie ex severitate foederis operum , non ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foederis evangelici . nam maledictio foederis primi manifesta est , deut. 28. 15. maledictus erit fructus ventris tui , &c. quod discrimen utriusque foederis perspicue proponitur , jer. 31. 29 , &c. see further . and pag. 262 , 263 , 264. he reprehends corvinus for making our guilt of original sin to be meerly from god's will ; and the imputation of adam's sin , to be different from that of our other parents ; and shews that it is the same thing that god threatned in the second commandment , exod. 20. and proclaimed with his name , exod. 24. and largely cites the sayings of tertullian and augustin to the same purpose : all which is too large for me here to recite . sect. 39. x. ursin . catech. edit . parei de peccat . orig. pag. 45. [ obj. 6. in quos peccata omnium majorum transeunt , miseriores erunt illis , in quos tantum aliquorum peccata propagantur : at si peccatum in posteros transit , in postremos homines , omnia majorum , in priores eorum tantum qui precesserunt , peccata derivantur ; ergo posteriores erunt miseriores : hoc vero absurdum videtur , & eum justitia dei pugnans . respon . non foret absurdum , etiamsi deus posteriores magis desereret ac puniret : nam quanto plura peccata a genere humano cumulantur , tanto magis ira dei accenditur & exasperatur poena , juxta illud , nondum completae sunt iniquitates amorrhaeorum , &c. vt veniat super vos omnis sanguis justus , &c. sed & minor negatur : etsi enim deus propter justitiam suam , peccatum originis , hoc est vitium naturae & reatum in omnes posteros transire sinit , tamen simul ex misericordia metas figit peccato , ut non semper majorum peccata actualia imitentur & luant posteri , nec semper malorum parentum mali aut deteriores ac miseriores liberi existant . ] sect. 40. xi . mr. gataker ' s words mr. poole thus translateth in his synops . crit. in exod. 20. p. 403. punit deus sapenumero liberos propter peccata parentum ut constat exemplis & sanctionibus s. scripturae ; vid. exod. 4. 22 , 23. & 12. 29. & 34. 7. num. 14. 18. 2 sam. 12. 14. 1 reg. 13. 33. & 14. 1. 17. rationes , — 1. quod liberi sint res atque possessiones parentum , — 2. liberi praeterea sunt partes sive membra parentum & sunt quasi una persona cum parentibus ; ut recte althus . dicaeolog . l. 1. vid. gen. 20. 7. 18. mat. 15. 22. quod ad loca in contraria prolata , deut. 24. jer. 31. ezek. 18. 1. debent 〈◊〉 mortem deo , &c. 2. non sunt haec apud homines semper injusta , &c. where he instaneth in similitudes . — see his sermon it self on 1 kin. 14. 17. sect. 41. xii . if i thought it would be worth my own , and the readers trouble , i would undertake to produce abundance more of protestant writers ; and let but expositors on the second commandment be examined by him that doubteth of it , and he will be satisfied if he have store at hand . i only now say of many in general , that the ordinary saying of such expositors is , that temporal punishments , and some spiritual , are oft inflicted by god on children for their fathers sins : i will give you the sense of many in deodate's words on exod. 20. 5. [ visiting : ] that is , i enquire after it , and punish it . [ of the fathers ▪ ] as concerning eternal judgment upon the soul , every one dieth for his own iniquity , * jer. 31. 30. but for the fathers sins the children are often punished in body , in goods , and other things which they hold and derive from their parents , num. 14. 33. 2 sam. 12. 11. and 21. 5. 15. and besides , god oftentimes curseth the generation of the wicked , withdrawing his grace spirit from it , whereby imitating their parents wickedness , they are punished in the same manner , 1 sam. 15. 2. matth. 23. 32. 25. sect. 42. here note , 1. that there can be no punishment ( temporal or eternal ) where there is no imputed guilt . therefore all those divines who say that not only parents in their children , but children for their parents sins , have the least punishment , do thereby assert a guilt . 2. that there is no guilt of sin which deserveth not great , yea perpetual punishment , if not remitted . 3. that privation of grace , and the spirit here mentioned , is a most heavy punishment , tending to that which is perpetual . 4. that children are to derive from their parents ( or from god by them ) greater mercies than goods , health , &c. even church-membership , right to baptism , and so to pardon , and the other saving benefits of the covenant , ( as being holy ) : therefore by the same reason , as health , goods , &c. may be denied them , because they are derived from parents , ( as deodate speaks , ) baptism and its benefits may be denied them . 5. and hath not the universal church given us their judgment of the case , who have in all ages judged that baptism is to be denied to the children of heathens and infidels ? ( unless other mens owning them , make them no longer theirs . ) at least i may say , if as many be of my judgment concerning our guilt of parents sins , as hold that baptism and its fruits are to be denied to such children of infidels , the number will be so great and honourable , that i would wish this worthy dr. no more to make them seem as none . and , as i have before shewed , not to be baptized is to them a penalty : and that not only in the judgment of papists , who shut such out of heaven , but of the ancient doctors , who took baptism to be our solemn investiture in a state of life , and the seal of pardon and right to salvation ; ( as gataker against davenant de bapt. hath proved by citing a multitude of their testimonies , as an useful index to save readers much labour on that point . ) and i have elsewhere proved at large * that the scripture mentioneth no baptisme of christ's institution , which was not for the remission of sin . if any say that this is no new penalty , but a leaving them under the old , and that it is not for the parents unbelief , but the parents only do omit their duty needful to the childs liberation ; i again answer , that had there been no saviour , covenant , means , or hope , it had indeed been no penalty , because no privation , but a negation . and had not the child 's right and deliverance been laid on the parents faith and consent as a condition , they had but negatively left them under the penalty of adam's sin , and their corruption , ( with the guilt next to be mentioned . ) but remember that poena damni , the loss of heaven is vere poena , and so is the loss of pardon and grace , ( not to an uncapable , but to a capable subject ) : and that sins of omission are truly sins : and that as a father murders his child , if he feed him not , so he doth by omission do much to damn him , if he do not believingly dedicate him to christ ; ( for i speak not of unavoidable want of baptism , which austin himself thought not to be damning , however mistaken herein by many . ) a mans own not-believing is nothing ; but it is such a nothing as is punished with a non-salvation , which is another nothing ; yea , that and other omissions , with positive damnation , and the pain of sense . 6. but further note , that this great instance sheweth that it is not only the sins of parents before generation , and in it , but also after the child's birth , while the child is void of the use of reason and will for himself , that the child may be punished by and for , with this penal non-liberation . much more evident then is it that this , with his additional pravity and bodily distempers , all together , are a penalty for the parents former unbelief , and other sins , with this omission . 7. and again i say , that if the very guilt and corruption derived from adam , had not been my next parents first , it had never been mine , no more than my nature : for i had it not immediately from adam , but from them . and if i had that as theirs first , i must by the same reason have more of theirs : and who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? and david's mother is said to conceive him in sin , psal . 51. 8. let it be noted for answer to the objections , from ezek. 18. &c. 1. that there is by the covenant of grace , a pardon with right to christ and life , freely given to all the faithful and their infant-seed , as by them ( having full power thereto ) in covenant given up to christ : now , no one is damned for pardoned sins . the infant is at once guilty of adam's and his parents sin ; and at once his nature receiveth pravity from both , ( but immediately only by the immediate parents ; ) and at once both are pardoned to him , and this pardon solemnly sealed and delivered in baptism . therefore well may god say to the pardoned , to the penitent , and to the innocent , that he shall not die for his parents sins , ( no , not for adam's . ) 2. for the text speaketh to the adult , and to men that thought themselves innocent , and that they suffered for their parents sins , and not their own : and god assureth them , 1. that if they are innocent , they shall not die ; 2. yea , if they be repenting persons , and pardoned , and obedient evangelically , hating all the sins of their wicked parents , they shall live . 3. yea , this is true of their children also for their sakes . but this is not because the law never judged them guilty , and worthy of death ; but because the grace of christ forgiveth it : else the text would exempt all infants from the guilty of death , for adam's sin . but there is not a word in the text to prove , 1. that children need no pardon for their guilty of parents sins : 2. or that those that are not pardoned , being themselves unsanctified , ( or if adult , live wickedly as their parents did ) shall not die for them : 3. or that such sins of parents are not the cause of such guilt and pravity in the child , as that he is truly said to die for his own sin . sect. 43. xiii . yet further methinks , to a conformable doctor , the judgment of the church of england in her liturgy should not be insignificant ; [ remember not lord our offences , nor the offences of our fore-fathers ; neither take thou vengeance on our sins : ] in what sense do men subscribe this , and daily use it ? 1. do they think that the church meaneth only adam's sin , by our [ fore-fathers ] ? 2. or that by [ not-remembring , ] they mean [ not-pardoning , and not-punishing ] ? 3. or do they think that they pray for the dead , in purgatory , hell , or heaven ? or rather do they not imitate david , and the jewish church , and ezra , nehemiah , daniel , &c. who confessed that they were punished for their fathers sins ? sect. 44. i conclude this subject with a second request to the christian reader , to pity and pray for the poor distressed church of christ , which is distracted and distressed thus , even by such as are most devoted to its service , through the great weakness of our judgments , and the unhappy passions and strivings that thence follow . either i or this worthy person are mistaken , or else we differ not : when i look to the person only , and not to the evidence , nor to the consenters , i have far greatest reason to suspect that i am liker to erre than he : and if it prove so , the evidence yet seemeth to me so full for what i hold , that i am almost hopeless of being otherwise perswaded ; and my judgment is not at my command : how then shall i avoid the injury of souls ? but yet i think , that to hold our selves more guilty of our parents sins than we are , is no dangerous damning error : it may molest us , but not undo us ; and i never saw many much molested by it . but if either we differ not , when yet he giveth you so loud an alarm , or if it be he that erreth indeed ; alas ! what must the church expect from the too great number of ignorant and ungodly teachers , when it must be thus used by the learned and the godly ? my thoughts are , 1. that it deserveth tears from faithful ministers to observe , that so considerable a part of the common guilt and misery of all mankind , should by godly men be no more confessed and lamented ! 2. and that by those that for any denial or extenuation of our original sin as from adam , are so heinously ( and justly ) offended with the erroneous : yea , ready to vilifie men as arminians , if not socinians , that they think come near it ! 3. that ever the stream of a party , reputation , interest , example , or whatever else of that kind , should with so many good men , have so great a power , in making truth or error , duty or sin , good or evil , orthodox or heretical , in their conceits ; and so much faction he found in their religion ! 4. that ever so many millions should be taught impenitency in so plain a case , when repentance and confession have so considerable a place among the requisites to remission ! 5. that ever so many millions should by preachers be taught that they have no need of a saviour , nor of pardon , nor to pray for pardon , for so much of their guilty and punishment ! 6. that ever so much of the plain stream of scripture-evidence can be denied and made light of , by good men that cry up the scripture authority and sufficiency , even when they can lay a great stress , in some unprofitable hurtful controversie , upon some one text whose sense is not to be certainly understood ! 7. that ever good and learned teachers should be so conceited of their own conceptions , as in their confidence in such a cause to brand god's truth with the name of error , and their brethren as dangerous men for not erring as they do ! 8. and finally , that the poor people must be under such grievous perplexing temptations as i before mentioned ; and that the papists should be thus hardened in their opinion that we shall never be at peace and concord , unless we unite in their usurping , tyrannical peace-maker : and that poor scholars and young ministers must be thus frightned from truth , duty , charity and peace , and men made believe that the church is about to be set on fire , if we are told of that which is contrary to our former opinions ! this must be lamented , if it be not i , but others that here erre . sect. 45. but yet before i end , he calls me so loud to consider of another matter , that i must not deny his invitation . in my direct . for cure of church-divisions , dir. 42. i said , [ your belief of the necessary articles of faith must be made your own , and not taken meerly on the authority of any . and in all points of belief and practice , which are of necessity to salvation , you must ever keep company with the universal church , ( for it were not the church , if it erred in these . ) and in matters of peace and concord , the greater part must be your guide , ( that is , caeteris paribus . ) in matters of humane obedience , your governors must be your guides . and in matters of high and difficult speculation , the judgment of one man of extraordinary understanding and clearness , is to be preferred before both the rulers and the major vote . ] and i instanced on the by , [ q. what is the object of predestination , or the nature of the wills liberty , of the concurse of god , and determining way of grace , of the definition of justification , faith , &c. ] supposing the saving knowledge of the thing to differ from a logical skill of defining . upon this , the learned dr. here thus accosteth me , [ vnum duntaxat a me peramice ( deus novit ) rogandus est , ut serio apud deum & conscientiam suam se excuteret , quo ista scripserit consilio quae occurrunt reg. 42. supponit ( inter alia ) quaestionem nasci de definitione justificationis , fidei , &c. ( nec dubito quin imputatam quoque christi justitiam incluserit ; ) quos hic adsciscendos vult duces ? adverte lector : hic inquit , theologorum pauci qui bene docti & pollent judicio , authoritati & plurimum [ fo rs . plurimorum ] suffragiis anteponendi , quemadmodum vel unus aliquis , cui viget oculorum aciet ; melius , longinsque videt , quam mille quibus hebescit magis ; rogo , inquam , probe se excutiat , ut secum sciamus quem quibus in doctrina justificationis anteponat ; quis unus ille oculatus , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; qui mille myopes ; & quem tandem status five minorennis sive precarii finem habiturae sint magnae veritates dei , ut ab hominum suffragiis aliquando pendere desinant , deusque ( ut cum tertulliano loquar ) deus sit ? eum spero a papismi contagione tutum & immunem ; utinam vero diligentius apud se perponderet , quam belle sua operum justitia cum papali conveniat : certe , ut mihi saltem videtur , ( dijudicent alii , ) si facies non sit utrisque , eadem , nec diversa tamen quadem decet esse sororum . answ . worthy sir , i accept your admonition : when god is so solemnly appealed to , and i that am passing quickly to his judgment , am summoned so friendly to make my serious preparatory examination before him and my conscience , neglect would be my aggravated sin . but your call for [ diligence ] tells me that you know me not , who have little spared for labour these 37 years : and i am now unfit for increased diligence . 1. as to the matter of justification , ( i will not summon you before god or conscience , but ) what will the world think of your dealing , to bait ( and that by gross misreport ) a small book above twenty years retracted , ( after voluminous animadversions in ms. from many learned men ) and purposely explained in a larger book called the confession of my faith about justification , &c. and much fullier in my disputations about justification , with mr. burges , mr. blake , mr. tombes , mr. warner , &c. and the doctrine there vindicated , and in many other books , ( my apology , life of faith , &c. ) and to take no notice of any of these books , and yet call me before god and conscience to a diligent search ? if my diligence produced never so much more , are you bound to take any more notice of them than you did of all these ? 2. how come you to know the mind of a man , whom i suppose you never , saw , so well as to add your [ nec dubito quin imputatam christi justitiam incluserit ? ] am i not fittest to tell you what i include ? 3. why turn you a logical case of defining , into a theological de re ? justitia christi imputata is one thing , and the definition of justice , or imputation , is another . 4. are you in good sadness desirous to know whom i mean ? i must think so : but why did you not as earnestly ask of the rest , what rulers i mean , and what people i mean , &c. is it not enough to describe them , unless i name them ? but i will tell you as much of my meaning as i know my self . my meaning is , that if the question be , what is the signification of this or that hebrew , arabick , syriack , persian , greek word , in the text and versions of the scripture , or what such a proverbial speech doth signifie ? and so of topography , genealogy , chronology , &c. one excellent hebrician , &c. well seen in those studies , should be believed before the majority of all the boys , students , preachers , that never understood those things : must i name them ? is there no remedy ? why i mean such a one as pagnine , montanus , buxtorf , &c. for the hebrew : such a one as erpenius , dr. pocock , &c. for the arabick : such a one as scaliger , blondell , vsher , broughton , &c. for chronology , &c. if it be a controversy in geometry , i would believe dr. wallis , &c. if in anatomy , dr. willis , dr. lower , dr. needham , before a thousand that are therein unstudied : yea , if it were a magistrate , or bishop , that were of another mind . in metaphysicks , i will believe or regard one suarez , hurtado , meurisse , schiebler , dr. barlow , before a thousand that are therein ignorant : in physicks , i more regard one aristotle , scotus , honoratus faber , campanella , mr. boyle , &c. before all them that never studied them : and in logick , i regard one aristotle , ramus , dietericus , burgersdicius , hurtado , &c. before all that never studied logick , of what coat or calling soever . accordingly in method and defining , i prefer one such divine as sohnius , cluto , wendeline , amesius , dud fenner , dr. stoughton , mr. g. lawson , &c. before all those that are ignorant of method and definition : while i prefer the happiness of many a poor woman that hath a strong faith , and cannot define it , before some doctors that can define that which they have not . thus your loud call hath drawn out an exposition , which i once thought would have been vain . sect. 46. but it may be you would know what their names are whom i take to be better [ definers of justification , faith and imputation , ] than all the unskilful students , or others , that want their logical and theological sufficiency ? you that are an academical doctor , should be better acquainted with the best logicians and school-divines than i. i once thought you had been one of them : if there be no remedy , i will tell you who i think have delivered us far more judicious and digested thoughts of these things , ( both definitions , distinctions , and the matter it self , ) than i find in this your treatise : namely , vinc. le blanc , mr. will. bradshaw , and mr. anth. wotton , ( two old non-conformists , ) placeus , amyraldus , dallaeus , testardus , conrad , & johannes bergii , lud. crocius , mastrickt , matth. martinius , camero , grotius , mr. lawson , dr. hammond , mr. john ball , mr. gibbons , ( late of black-fryers , ) mr. truman , ( in his great propitiat . &c. ) ( three non-conformists , ) mr. gataker , &c. i name them but as i remember them . and now sir , was this a task worthy so solemn an invitation before god , and conscience , and the world ? if i should name mr. hotchkis of pardon , mr. benj. woodbridge , and many more such writers , i pray you say not that i send you to school to them : i do but answer your earnest request . sect. 47. but , 4. i also intreat you to tell me , whether you differ from me in the rule of counsel which i there gave the ignorant people , or not ? if you did not , you would never have given me such a summons . if you do ; deal openly with your scholars and the world , and tell them , whether your meaning be , that the major vote of those that never read logick , physicks , metaphysicks , law , medicine , &c. is to be believed before one aristotle , downame , gassendus , zabarell , grotius , cook , littleton , cujacius , fernelius , &c. tell your scholars that you are but one , and they are many , and must believe themselves before you , in defining justification , faith , &c. tell all the university , that thus they must use their tutors . should mr. ainsworth's church of separatists have judged of all his critical expositions by the major vote ? tell the world that all the criticks , and dr. walton's labours and all such mens , must stand or fall at the judgment of the majority of people or ministers that never studied those tongues . ( if you think i take my self for one of these judges , you are quite mistaken . ) and i may ask you , are you not herein a man singular even to admiration ? and yet will you plead thus , as if it were against singularity ? are not all protestants , papists , christians , learned heathens , agreed of the rule that i gave ? all your university , save your self , ( i hope in charity ) do think that your professors , and readers , and tutors , are to be believed in their several professions and readings , before all their unlearned pupils , or any others that are ignorant . what sort of men in the world are more faulty in tying up mens faith too much to men , than the papists are ? and yet i presume you know that they commonly acknowledge , that in dogmatical difficulties , especially such as depend on arts and sciences , ( such as defining for the most part is , ) the majority even in a council that are therein unlearned , learned , are not so much to be heard as one eminently learned in those things . one gabriel , ockam , greg. arim : one scotus , rada , lychetus : one pennous , vasqu●● , ruiz : or if you had rather , one bradwa●dine , bannes , alvarez , twisse , is more to be heard in telling us , what concurse , predetermination , natural free-will are , than many that never studied the point ; ( though yet perhaps the best of them may deserve little regard about unsearchable things . ) if you please but to read mr. femble his vind. grat. you will find somewhere almost the very words of the rule or saying of mine , which you exceptingly recite . sect. 48. 5. but what mean you to bring in the intimation , that thus [ the great truths of god will depend on humane suffrages , even whether god shall be god ? ] i beseech you consider , 1. whether you do well to number artificial , logical definitions controverted by the greatest divines , with [ the great truths of god ? ] how various are the definitions of justification , ( considered also variously , as constitutive , sentential , executive , in this life , at the last judgment , in fore dei , i● foro conscientiae , in foro humano , civili , ecclesiastico , &c ) which are given by great divines ? and how various the definitions of faith ( between that of camero , and such others as place it in the intellect amesius , and such others as place it in the will ; davenant , and such others as place it in both ; pemble , and such others as make them one faculty ? ) the differences about the act , the formal object , the material object , ( as whether with chamier we must hold , that the spirits inward testimony that you are justified , be verbum dei & fidei objectum , with abundance such ) are too too many , when yet perhaps most mean the same thing , and differ but in logical notions . and do you well to frighten men into suspicions and contentions , out of their charity and peace , by telling them that these are the great truths of god , and likening them to the question , whether god shall be god ? as if you knew not that by such melancholies and phantasms , the church hath been brought into the unhappy , military , distracted state that it is in . it is work fit for a divine and healer , to make the world believe that the great truths of god , and the godhead it self are at the stake , in such logical quarrels , and that men differ further than they do ? 6. but did you not see that i before expresly excepted all matters necessary to salvation from humane trust ? ( some will say , i doubt , too far , that see not other explications . ) 7. and i beseech you , is it all one for truth to depend on humane suffrages ( yea , god himself , ) and for an ignorant man or scholar to depend on his teacher , so far as fide humana to believe him before ten unlearned men ? is this fit doctrine for a doctor and master of a literate society ? say then in your lectures , [ hearers and scholars , this and that is the true definition of faith and justification , ( even of the various sorts of faith and justification ; ) but while i tell you so , regard and believe what i and many such others say to you , no more than you would do many unlearned men , or any dissenters that tell you that i erre , or speak heretically herein ; lest god and his truth depend on humane suffrages . ] and because i ( fain would , but ) cannot find any other meaning in your words , without taking you to be guilty of what i would not suspect , and consequently , that you expect no more regard or belief of this your treatise , as such , i cease from any further animadversions on it , as the less necessary . only adding , that your conclusion that soundeth loud with the name of popery , needeth no other answer than what i have formerly given mr. crandon , mr. eyres , mr. bagshaw , mr. danvers , and such others , who oft cry out [ antichristian ] ( a frightful word , ) when they needed but awakening to convince them that they were but frightned in a dream . errata . pag. 1. lin . antep . r. t. tully . p. 191. l. 12. r. god. p. 215. l. 16. r. integris . we quest . whether infants have original sin ? aff. ( and of original righteousness . ) that i may as briefly and yet as clearly as i can ( considering that necessary brevity ) dispatch this controversy , i must 1. tell you what original sin is ; and 2. assert & open the affirmative proposition ; and 3. give you some arguments for it . i. in order to the first , we must 1. enquire what sin is ; 2. what the word [ original ] here signifieth ; 3. what original righteousnes was . 1. sin is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , an irregularity , or a dissonancy or disconformity to the law of god , in a subject . it is any defect , inclination or action contrary to the rule of righteousness . the form of it is relative . disconformity is a true relation , as well as conformity ; as crooked is as well as straight , and dissimile as well as simile . 2. we now call it [ original ] sin , because it is in us ab origine , or by propagation , & not only because it is the original of all other sin . 3. concerning original righteousness ( which must first be understood ) we must enquire , 1. whether it was natural or supernatural ; 2. wherein it did consist . for the first , 1. it must be understood that the righteousness which we enquire after , is , 1. qualitative ; the holy inclinations of the soul , called the image of god : 2. and relative ; the innocency or justifiableness of man : but not , 3. the active righteousness : for that was , 1. after creation , 2. freely performed by man himself : and yet it may extend to that as it is denominated from the inclining principle . and for the question , 1. as [ natural ] signifieth , that which was created in us ; or which we had in the beginning , with our being , from god as our gracious creator , so original righteousness was natural : that is , 1. it was not given him at any time following his creation , 2. nor was it given at the same time , as a thing distinct from the soundness , and rectitude , and integrity of his nature : but was that rectitude it self , and as much concreated with man , as health and beauty with the body . 2. as [ natural ] signifieth that which belongeth to the essence of man , and is inseparable from him ; so original righteousness was not natural ; no more than health and beauty are to the body . 3. as [ natural ] signifieth that which is now propagated and born with us , and comes by generation to man in his lapst estate , so original righteousness is supernatural . 4. though as it signifieth that which would have been propagated to posterity , if the parents had not sin'd and lost it , so original righteousness is natural . 5. as [ natural ] signifieth that which may be recovered , or maintained by meer natural means ; so original righteousness is not natural : for though to adam it was as natural to the soul as health and beauty to the body , yet 1. he was commanded by supernatural revelation certain positive duties for the exercise and maintaining of it , and for the attainment of salvation , which was its end . 2. and now we are deprived of it , we cannot expect the restoration but by means supernatural : even by christ , and the spirit , and supernatural revelations . and that original righteousness is [ natural ] so far as i have said , that is , concreated , and should have been propagated to posterity , if not lost by parents , i shall here prove by several arguments ; because i find dr. taylor and others that deny original sin , do build on this supposition , that infants are deprived of this righteousness as some superadded thing ; and yet be in puris naturalibus without sin . but there is no such state , nor ever was , as a state of pure nature in a rational creature , without holiness or sin ; as i prove : arg. 1. man was naturally able and disposed to know god to be god , and his god : go . he was naturally able and disposed to love him as god , and his god : which is the sum of his original righteousness . by disposed , i mean morally inclined , and not void of that holy inclination to love god , which is the life of morality , and rectitude of the will. the antecedent is undoubted : if the rational nature had not been disposed to know god , it had been blind , deformed , and not fit for the ends of its creation . the consequence is proved thus . if the understanding had been disposed to know god , and not the will to love him as god , then the will would have been created lame , and deformed , and unfit for the ends of its creation ; and there would have been a disproportion , if not a conflict , between the faculties of the soul : but the consequent is not to be admitted : go . nor the antecedent . arg. 2. god made not man without all moral good : go . he made him with the inclination to god , ( which we call charity in habit , or disposition ) , which was his original righteousness . we speak not of active good ; for that was to follow his creation : but of inward virtue in habit or disposition . the antecedent is proved : 1. in that else he had been imperfect , as to his end ; 2. and not born the image of god's goodness : and by the other reasons hereafter following . and if god made man without all moral virtue and goodness , then could he lose and fall from none . the consequence is proved , because there can be no proper moral good , where the true principle and end are wanting : but where the love of god is wanting , the true principle and end is wanting : go . &c. god is the end : love is the adhesion to god : heathens and unregenerate men have no moral good , any further than they have some kind of love to god , and respect him as the end : which as it is in them but analogically called love to god , so have they but an analogical morality . arg. 3. man was created in the image of god : go . he was created in original righteousness , which consisted in the inclination of the soul to god , as god. the antecedent is exprest in gen. 1. 26 , 27. the consequence is proved from eph. 4. 24. with col. 3. 10. which shew that the image of god ( besides that which was in our essentials , in power , understanding , and will ) consisted in wisdom righteousness , and true holiness . it 's impossible that the moral image of god should be without original righteousness , and the love of god. arg. 4. god look'd on man when he had created him , and saw that he was very good , gen. 1. 31. go . he saw that he had an inclination to his maker , or habitual love to god : for the rational creature cannot be very good without it . arg. 5. if man was made for god as his ultimate end , then was he made with original righteousness ( or an holy inclination to love god ) : but man was made for god as his ultimate end : go . &c. the minor is certain : though it be doubtful whether naturally man could know that he might enjoy god by immediate vision of his glory ; and also whether it should be in heaven or on earth , or where ; and also whether he could obtain the beatifical vision without supernatural revelation and assistance ; yet it was plain , that he was made for god as his end , that is , to please him , and to love him , and be beloved by him , and enjoy him according to his capacity : 1. else it had been no duty of man by nature to intend god as his end , and to love him above all : 2. and it had been no part of his sin or misery to take up short of god : which are false , as shall be shewed . the major is proved thus : all the works of god are disposed for the attainment of their ends : go . so was man , and go . with original righteousness : for without charity , ( in the habit or inclination ) , and so without original righteousness , man had not been disposed to his end , but had been left in an unfitness , and indifferency , inclined no more to god than to any creature . moreover , man was created with an inclination to good , as good , so far as he perceived it ; and go . with the greatest inclination to the greatest good : but to man in his natural integrity god appeared as the greatest good ; otherwise the understanding could not have discerned that truth which the whole creation manifested : which is not to be imagined . moreover , man by nature was inclined to his own felicity formally , and objectively so far as he knew it : but by nature he knew god to be objectively his felicity ; ( though he might not know the immediate vision , he could not but know that it was his happiness to be accepted and beloved by his maker , and enjoy him according to his capacity ) ; go . &c. moreover , no creature can satisfie the mind of man , or fulfil his desire : go . man in his natural integrity was inclined to god , who only can satisfy . moreover , it is natural for the creature to desire the perfection of that which it had in imperfection : but it cannot be denied but adam had some knowledge of god , as god , and so as the chief good , and consequently some inclination to him , ( suppose it never so small ) : go . he naturally desired to know and love him perfectly ; and go . it must needs be that god was his end , and he had original righteousness . arg. 6. man was naturally obliged to love god above all , and serve and please him with all his powers : go . he was naturally disposed hereunto . the antecedent is plain ; in that god by meer resultancy having made man a rational free agent , was related to him as his creator , lord , and ruler , and benefactor ; and man related to him as his creature , as his own , as his subject , and as his beneficiary : and go . must needs be bound by virtue of this relation , to love god with all his heart , and be thankful to him , and devoted to his will and service . the consequence is proved ; in that god fitteth all his creatures to their use , not only by a naked power , but by a convenient inclination for the actuating of that power : go . he did so by man : he did not lay all this duty on him , without giving him an aptitude and disposition suitable thereto . arg. 7. the contrary doctrine too much favoureth infidelity , as to mans immortal happiness with god. for , 1. if mans nature , as compleated by the creator , was not made for , and suited and disposed to the fruition of god in immortality , super-added grace and redemption must be conceived to make man as it were another creature , and give him another nature ; and so that god should presently change the nature that he had newly made ; and that grace were to make man holy , as if it were to make a beast to be a man , and elevate him above the tendency of all his natural perfections : which will seen improbable . 2. it denieth all the arguments for the immortality of the soul , that are fetch'd from nature : which is not to be done . if the nature of the soul can prove its immortality , it must accordingly prove its immortal happiness , or misery ; for a neutral state cannot thence be proved : and go . it must prove that happiness to be in the love of god ; and so that the soul was inclined to it . arg. 8. there is no word of god , that mentioneth the super-adding of original righteousness , by any following gift of god , distinct from our creation : go . it cannot by divine faith be believed that such a following gift there was . arg. 9. regeneration is mans reparation and restoration to god : go . man fell from god ; and so from the love of god : and it is the reparation of that image of god in which he was created , col. 3. 10. eph. 4. 24. arg. 10. it is expresly said , eccl. 7. 29. that god made man upright : but his righteousness was his uprightness : go . he also made him righteous . so much of that question . 2. as to the next question , wherein original righteousness doth consist ; 1. it consisteth in the souls inclination to god as god ; that is in the habit or disposition , or propensity of the soul to love god for himself , as the infinite good , and also as our felicity . 2. in the understandings disposition to know god as one to be thus beloved . 3. in a holy vivacity godward . 4. in the ordination and subjection of all the inferior faculties to the understanding and will thus inclined . 5. and relatively , in the innocency hence resulting . and now we may hence see what original sin is . in adam himself the first sin was actual , and thence followed the habitual pravity : in us the first in order of nature is adam's sin imputed justly , because we were in him , and in our immediate parents , who derived it from him ; and herewith is conjoyned the pravity or corruption of our nature , which containeth these things following : 1. the privation of the true love of god , as our principal end , to be loved for himself , and as our felicity ; and herewith the privation of the love of holiness , his image : and so of the rectitude of the will. 2. the privation of the true and savoury knowledge of god and his image , and estimation of them . here note that it is the privation of the inclination , disposition or habit that i speak of , and not of the act . 3. in a deadness and inactivity godwards . 4. in the inordinate adhesion or inclination of the sensitive appetite to its objects . 5. in the inordinate inclination of the will to our selves , especially our carnal interest . the matter of original sin is in these . ii. for the explication of the thesis , i desire that these things may be noted , besides what is said . 1. it is original sin ( increased by our sinful acts ) that hindereth us from knowing original sin . as it is the ophthalmie , or gutta serena , or suffusion , that hindreth the eye , by the glass to see its own disease . original sin lieth very much in an inordinate self-love , or selfish inclination : and the more any man hath of that , the more unwilling and unapt he is to know it : and much more unapt to be truly humbled for it ; and go . unsanctified men that are strangers to true self-denial , are apt to plead against the being of original sin , and are hardly brought to know it in themselves . 2. sin is a word that 's usually and properly taken so largely as to contain all moral evil ; or all defects , inclinations and actions contrary to the rule of holiness and righteousness , and deserving any punishment : and thus we take it in the question . but sometimes sin is taken more narrowly , as signifying only the actual transgression of the law ; but we take it not so narrowly here ( for one kind of sin only ) . 3. some sins have a greater degree of sinfulness , or malignity in them than some others have : and so when we say that infants have original sin , we do not equal it in degree of malignity with the sins of the adult . materially there is more malignity or opposition to god , in original , than in ordinary actual sins : but formally there is more culpability in many actual sins , than in original sin , because they are more fully voluntary , and in our power . yet the confirmed sinful habits of the adult , where original sin is strengthened by actual , are worst of all : so that as accidens is said to be called ens but by analogy of attribution , as having a less participation of the kind ; and yet it is truly ens : so the original sin of infants is called sin by such an analogy , as having a less participation of the common nature of sin , in the form and culpability . 4. in such a degree as infants are subjects of christ's kingdom , in such a degree also their original pravity is properly sin . 5. in such a degree as their parents righteousness would have been imputable to them , if none of their ancestors from the creation had sinned ; and as their own inherent holiness is imputable to the sanctified infants as a moral good : in such a degree also is their progenitors sin imputed to them , and their original pravity imputed to them as a moral evil . 6. we do not assert that any of the adult are damned for original sin alone ; nor that their original sin is a remediless evil : but that a remedy is provided , and means appointed for men to use , in order to their deliverance from the guilt and pravity ; which if they refuse , they lie under a double guilt . 7. original sin , and the misery deserved and due to the subject , is a remediable evil in infants themselves : as their parents have propagated a sinful guilty nature to them , so if their parents will unfeignedly dedicate them to christ , and offer and engage them to god in the holy covenant , which baptisme is the sign and seal of , they shall be accepted by god , according to the tenor of his promise . 8. our question extendeth not to the degree of infants punishment , whether they shall have more or less ? whether pain of loss only , or of sense also , or how far ? 9. an ordinary occasion of seducing many into the denial of original sin , is , the equalling god's laws with the laws of man ; ( which yet afford much matter for their confutation ) . man's laws meddle not so much with the heart , and are not a rule for mens secret thoughts , dispositions and inclinations , as god's laws are ; for man knoweth not the heart , nor is made the judge of it , further than it is manifested by words or deeds : but the heart is as open to god as the actions , and the distempers of it as loathsome to him : and go . his laws condemn even vitious dispositions and habits as such . 10. the will is the first defiled faculty and seat of sin : and all the rest of the faculties are capable of sin , but secondarily , and by participation from the will : and there is a threefold voluntariness . 1. there is an actual voluntariness , or volition . 2. an habitual or dispositive voluntariness . 3. a moral , that is , a reputative voluntariness . this last may be in several cases distinct from the two former . 1. in case a man by contract engage himself to stand to what another doth : though that other do somewhat that is against his will in the thing , yet his consent to the general hath made him guilty , as being reputatively willing of it . 2. in case a man will the cause of a necessary effect , or any way promote that effect , when he should not , he is reputatively willing of the effect . 3. in case a man by consent be a member of a society , whose constitution engageth all the members in a participation of their acts , and the consequents ; so that what is done by a major vote , is taken as the act of all , as to the good or evil consequents : here every member is reputatively an offender when the society offendeth , so far as that constitution engaged them . 4. in case of a natural power that another hath to choose or refuse for us : and this is the case of parents and their infants , and ideot children , that having no capacity themselves to choose or refuse , their parents wills are reputatively their wills , in all cases wherein their parents have power to dispose of them ; as it is in cases of inheritance among us . so in baptism the parents have power to engage the child to christ , as all the jews had power ( and were bound ) to engage their children in covenant to god : where the child reputatively consenteth . so adam having power to retain or reject that righteousness of nature which then he was possessed of , and might have derived to his posterity , and to choose life or death for himself , and ( in some sort ) for his posterity , we reputatively refused life in his refusal or rejection . iii. i come now to the proof of the thesis , [ that infants have original sin ] . arg. 1. from rom. 5. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. if all have sinned , then infants have sinned ; ( and that can be only by original sin ) . but all have sinned : go . infants have sinned . whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be [ in whom ] or [ in that ] or [ forasmuch as ] i make no great matter of . ( though i see no reason but with the vulgar latin , and others , we should turn it [ in quo ] ) . if infants have sin , it is as much as i am proving . the minor is expresly affirmed in ver . 12. [ all have sinned ] ; which is rendred in other words , ver . 19. [ many were made sinners ] . the consequence of the major can have nothing said against it , but that by [ all ] is meant only [ all the adult ] , and infants are excluded . but this is such wilful violence to the text , as that all scripture may by such interpretation be eluded , and words shall signify nothing . 1. the express universal affirmation may not be expounded by restraining terms , without some cogent reason : but here is no cogent reason brought , nor can be : all the reason of the adversaries is but the point now in question , which if they may beg , they may thence deny all texts that be against them , because they are against them . 2. it is all men that die that the apostle speaketh of : but infants die : go . he speaks of infants . the major is plain , v. 12. [ death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men , for that all have sinned ] . here the sinners and dyers are made the same ; and more than so , death is the effect of their [ having sinned ] : it go . passeth upon all men , for that all have sinned ; go . not without their sin . and the next verses fullier prove it purposely . where death reigneth , there sin is imputed : but death reigneth on infants ; go . sin is imputed to infants : and also the [ all ] before mentioned includeth them ; for it is the same persons that the apostle speaks of in these verses , 12 , 13 , 14. the major is proved from the 13 and 14 verses , else the apostle's argument were vain ; for this is his medium to prove that sin was imputed before the law , viz. because death reigned before the law , even from adam to moses : go . the reign of death will prove the imputation of sin ; which is the same with [ having sinned ] , mentioned , ver . 12. it is the [ all that have sinned ] that are said to have sin imputed to them . 3. the all that have sinned , ver . 12. are the same all that are made righteous , and have the justification of life , and that shall reign in life by jesus christ , ver . 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. ( this is plain in the context , in the opposition ) : but infants are included in the latter all [ that shall reign in life by jesus christ , &c. ] go . infants are included in the former all [ that have sinned ] . he that denieth the minor , must deny not only the baptism , but the justification and salvation of all infants . 4. all old interpretations which the churches have used , ( that are now most known ) , do shew , that thus they understood the text. the syriack turns it by [ so death passed on all the sons of men , for that all have sinned ] . the arabick [ seeing all have now sinned ] referring to that past sin . the ethiopick thus , [ and as by the iniquity of one man sin entred into the world , and by that sin death came upon all men , because that sin is imputed to all men , even to them that knew not what that sin is ] . here is a paraphrase instead of a version , more fully to express this sense . the [ in quo ] makes the sense of the latin interpreter past doubt . this is the first argument from these verses . arg. 2. from the same verses , especially 18 : they that are under condemnation by adam's sin , have original sin ( at least the imputed part ) . but infants are under condemnation for adam's sin : go . infants have original sin . if i prove no more but that [ they are under condemnation ] for the minor it is enough : for the consequence is thence apparent . the major is plain , in that condemnation is only for sin , ( and infants have no sin but original ) : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as essentially related to culpa , as poena is . the minor is proved from ver . 18. [ by the offence of one judgment came on all men to condemnation ] : or as the syriack rendereth it , [ for the offence of one condemnation is on all ] : or as the ethiopick , [ all men are condemned ] ; so ver . 15. [ through the offence of one many are dead . ] that [ all men ] includeth infants here , the former arguments prove . this one 18 th . ver . of rom. 5. were there no more in all the scripture , is so plain for an imputation of adams sin on all to condemnation , that it might end the controversy . both major and minor i yet further confirm . 1. that it is a condemnation proving the condemned to be sinners by just imputation , is manifest , 1. in that ver . 13 , 14. sin is hence said to be imputed to the sufferers : 2. ver . 12. they are said to have sinned : 3. ver . 19. they are said to be made sinners . if any say that this signifieth but metonymically , [ to be used as sinners ] ; i answer , 1. he that would make what his list of god's plain words by pretended unproved metonymies , is not to be believed . 2. if it were true , yet it must mean such a using men as sinners , as implyeth them to be justly so reputed , and their being sinners must be connoted as the cause , as it is in all punishment . it is surely a penal evil to the adult , by the adversaries confession : and here 's no distinction . 3. to be [ made righteous ] , which is the opposite member , is more than to be [ used as righteous , though we have no sin at all inherent or imputed : go . to be [ made sinners ] is more than to be [ used as sinners , though we have no sin at all inherent , or imputed ] . 4. that evil interpretation doth but accuse god of injustice , of which anon . 2. and for the minor , it is sufficient to prove that infants are included ; 1. because infants die on this account . 2. because it is a [ being made sinners by one man's disobedience , ver . 19. ] and a being [ dead , and under condemnation through one man's offence ] , as ver . 15. 18. that is mentioned ; and those that are now adult , had their relation in infancy to adam's offence as well as after . it is not actual sin that brings them to be thus related to adam . it is both by one offence , ver . 18. and by the offence of one , ver . 17. and ver . 15. [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] , in or by the sin of one . it is not go . the effect of actual sins of the adult , that the apostle here principally speaks of , ( much less , only them ) : but it is the participation and imputation of that one mans offence , which he opposeth to the righteousness of one . arg. 3. from the punishment of infants . if infants are punished , they have original sin . but infants are punished , go . they have original sin ; ( for they have no other ) . the consequence is certain , because it is essential to punishment to be propter malum morale , the effect of sin as the meritorious cause . all that requireth proof is the minor , which i have proved at large in another disputation ( of the guilt of our immediate parents sins ) . to which i add ; 1. god doth not ( ordinarily at least ) afflict any rational creature with death , but for their sin . but god doth ordinarily afflict infants even with death : go . he doth it for their sin . the minor is too well known . the major i prove thus : 1. in the lamentations of jeremy , the pains of the sucking children are mentioned often among the rest : and of all it s said , ch . 3. 33. [ for he doth not afflict willingly , nor grieve the children of men ] ; that is , he doth it not till he be provoked by their sins . but if he afflict even unto death , all infants ( that so die ) in the world without their desert by sin , then he doth it willingly ; even because he will do it , without their demerit . but [ wherefore doth a living man complain ? a man for the punishment of his sin ? ver . 39. ] though it be the adult that principally complain , yet this intimateth that all suffer for their sin . ezek. 18. 23. [ have i any pleasure at all that the wicked should die , saith the lord god ? ] 32. [ for i have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth , saith the lord god ] . ezek. 33. 11. [ say unto them , as i live , saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked . much less hath he so much pleasure in the death of innocents , as to kill them ordinarily without their desert . rom. 6. 23. [ the wages of sin is death : ] scripture speaks of no other death to man , but what is the fruit of sin . 1 cor. 15. [ in adam all die ; ] and gen. 3. 19. [ dust thou art , and to dust thou shalt return , ] extends to all the posterity of adam ( ordinarily ) ; which shews some participation in the sin : or else why should we all participate so much of the suffering for it . 1 cor. 15. 26. [ the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death ] . by enemy is meant a penal evil , which christ was to remove as our redeemer : go . even to infants , death is a penal evil . 1 cor. 15. 56. [ the sting of death is sin , and the strength of sin is the law ] ; that is , as a serpent could not wound us without its sting , so neither could death have any power over us to kill us , but for sin : nor sin have any force to oblige us to this punishment , but by the law. this is spoken of the death of infants as well as others , ( unless you will deny their resurrection ) : go . sin is the sting , that is , the deserving cause , even of their death . mic. 1. 5. [ for the transgression of jacob is all this , and for the sins of the house of israel ] . hence satan is said to have the power of death , heb 2. 14. as the executioner of god's wrath for sin ; from whom christ delivereth us . 2. if the death of infants be an act of god's justice on them , then it is a punishment : ( for it is no act of remunerative justice , go . it must be of punitive justice , if of any ) . but it is an act of god's justice on them ; as i prove . 1. it is the execution of god's sentence , gen. 3. 19. go . it is an act of his justice on them that were sentenced : which was mankind . 2. it is their condemnation , rom. 5. 18. go . it is an act of justice on them . 3. subjects are ordinarily secured from being by their soveraigns put to death without any desert of theirs , even by the justice of the soveraign : but infants are god's subjects : go . ordinarily they are secured by his justice from being put to death by him without any desert of theirs . the major is proved , 1. from the very nature of government and justice . governing justice consisteth in giving to all the subjects according to their deserts , ut bonis bene sit , & malis male : go . to kill the innocent , and that ordinarily , is contrary to governing justice . 2. from the law of nature and scripture ; which constantly threatneth the sinner , and only the sinner , and promiseth good to them that sin not . now the contrary opinion , 1. either denieth god to be a king to infants , ( of which anon ) ; or , 2. denieth his justice , 3. and nullifieth the use of his law , which is to be norma judicii . 2. that infants are god's subjects , is proved , 1. in that they are of the number of reasonable creatures , ( though yet they have not the use of reason , and go . are not perfect members of his kingdom ) . 2. in that they are to be entred into the holy covenant with him , as his subjects , ( deut. 29. &c. ) 3. in that they have promises and threatnings in his laws . 4. they are subjects in all particular common-wealths , which are but parts of his universal kingdom . but this i have proved at large in my treatise of infants church-membership and baptism . obj. but god is an absolute lord as well as a king or ruler , and go . may do with his own as he list . answ . his dominion or propriety is in order of nature antecedent to his government or kingdom , and so in that antecedent instant he may do with his own what he will ; and so he may still : but then by becoming a governor to the rational nature , he thereby signifieth that he will give to all according to their works , or moral aptitude ; for god cannot be an unjust governor ; nor without justice . and his laws do signifie this yet more . moreover , the contrary opinion overthroweth all our consolation , and leaveth us uncertain whether god will not damn all the godly ; at least it denieth them any comfort from the light or law of nature , and the justice of god , though they had no sin of their own . for if god notwithstanding all his governing justice , may and do ordinarily kill the innocent because he is an absolute lord , then he may damn the innocent hereafter for ought we know notwithstanding his governing justice : for instance , the adversaries must on the same grounds say , that for ought they know all infants that die in infancy are damned . for god may , no question , torment his own , as he is an absolute owner of them , as well as kill them . and if his natural justice give no security from damnation to the innocent , then neither can his righteous laws , and then they can have no security at all : which is false and injurious to god and man. obj. bruits die without their desert . answ . god is not the rector of bruits , nor are they his subjects , and go . he is not engaged by any relation to deal with them in justice , nor are they capable of justice , remunerative or vindictive , nor are they under any law. arg. 4. infants are capable of moral good , ( and have such ) : go . infants are capable of moral evil , ( and have it ) . the capacity is the chief thing in controversy : for if we prove that they are capable of having virtue or vice in habit or disposition , without consent , then i find none that will deny the consequence , that de facto they have it . that infants have moral good , is proved thus : 1. else they could not be inwardly sanctified : 2. else they did not morally differ one from another : 3. and so one were no more amiable to god than another : 4. nor one any more fit for heaven than another : and so none should be saved that die in infancy , as being unqualified for salvation : or if holiness inherent be needless , then all might be saved as well as any . 5. and then baptism , nor any priviledges of holy birth , or dedication to god , could give no hope of any moral good upon them . 6. and thus they are made meer bruits that are capable of no moral good or evil . all which are most absurd , and disproved in my treatise of infant baptism . the consequence is undeniable . if they are capable of moral good , without actual moral volitions , so are they of moral evil : for there is eadem ratio . if a disposition to holy action be a moral good or virtue , then a disposition to evil actions is vice or moral evil . arg. 5. infants have a privation of moral good : but a privation of moral good is a moral evil : go . infants have a moral evil . the major is proved , in that adam's posterity should have been born in original righteousness , or moral goodness , if he had not sinned : go . it is a privation of a moral good to be born without it , and not a meer negation . the minor is undeniable ; privations belonging by reduction to the kind of that which they are a privation of : else a privation would be but a meer negation ; that is , no privation at all . arg. 6. all that are the members of jesus christ , and saved by him , or for whom he died as a redeemer , are ( when existent ) sinners : but infants are the members of christ , and saved by him ; he is their redeemer , and died for them : go . they are ( when existent ) sinners : go . they have original sin . the major i prove from matth. 1. 21. [ thou shalt call his name jesus , for he shall save his people from their sins ] . if it be the very reason of his denomination , ( why he is called a saviour ) , because he saveth his people from their sins , then he is a saviour to none but sinners : but the antecedent is true : go . &c. the antecedent is in the text most plain . the consequence is undeniable ; because the essence or formal reason denominateth : go . he can be called a saviour to none other . and to prevent all cavils , note that , 1. it is sin it self , and not meer suffering , much less undeserved suffering that connoteth not sin as the cause , that is here mentioned . 2. that it is [ their sin ] , and not other mens sin , that they are said to be saved from . nothing go . but violence can evade this evidence . matth. 9. 12. the whole need not a physitian , but the sick . to be sick is to be sinful : to be a physitian is to be the saviour : go . those that have no sin have no need of a saviour . eph. 5. 23 , 25 , 26 , 27. [ christ is the head of the church , and saviour of the body ] : and how doth he save them ? [ christ loved the church , and gave himself for it , that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word ; that he might present it to himself a glorious church , not having spot or wrinkle , or any such thing ] . so that to be a saviour to the body , is to sanctifie , cleanse , and wash it , that it may be without spot . those go . that have no spots or filth to be washed and cleansed from , cannot be of that body , or have christ for their saviour . rev. 1. 5 , 6. the apostle speaks in the name of the church , [ vnto him that hath loved us , and washed us from our sins in his own blood , — be glory , &c. ] if infants come to heaven , they must give this praise to christ for washing them from their sins , as well as others . his work on the cross was to purge , or make purgation of sin , heb. 1. 3. he died for our sins , 1 cor. 15. 3. he died for us while we were sinners and enemies , to reconcile us to god , rom. 5. 6 , 8 , 10. he came to give his life a ransome for many , matth. 20. 28. he gave himself a ransome for all , 1 tim. 2. 6. who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree , that we being dead to sin , should live to righteousness , by whose stripes we are bealed , 1 pet. 24 , 25. for christ also once suffered for sins , the just for the unjust , that he might bring us to god , 1 pet. 3. 18. christ our passover is sasacrificed for us , 1 cor. 5. 7. he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself , heb. 9. 26. he was once offered to bear the sins of many , ver . 28. by his own blood he entred into the holy place , having obtained eternal redemption . he offered himself without spot to god , to purge our consciences , &c. and for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament , that by means of death , for the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament , they that are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance , heb. 9. 12 , 14 , 15. he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world , 1 joh. 2. 2. if one died for all , then were all dead , 2 cor. 5. 14. that is , in sin , and for sin . joh. 1. 29 ; behold the lamb of god that taketh away the sins of the world. a multitude of such passages of scripture tell us , that christ's death was for sinners only ; and go . that he died for none but sinners : for what need had the innocent of a satisfaction to justice , and of a sacrifice , and ransome , and redemption ? no one text of scripture can be produced , in which christ is said to die for any that had no sin , or to be the redeemer or saviour of any such . and go . to say that he died for infants , to procure them supernatural grace , and heaven , and not to save them from their sin , is vain . scripture knows no such design of christ's death . and the very privation of that rectitude which they call supernatural grace , is sin ; as is manifested : nor can a rational creature be shut out of heaven , but penally for his sins ; it being a very grievous punishment . and for the minor , ( that christ died for infants , and is their saviour , &c. ) it 's proved : 1. in that he is oft said to die for all the world. 2. in that there is no other name under heaven given by which we can be saved . 3. in that he hath taken infants into his church and covenant , before and since his incarnation : and took them in his arms and blessed them , and said his kingdom was of such . 4. in that he would have gathered the jewish infants with their parents into his church , matth. 23. 37. 5. else they are not christians , ( no not imperfect ones ) , nor to be baptized . many more proofs i have given in the foresaid treatise of infant baptism . and few i think deny the minor . arg. 7. all that ought to be baptized with the christian baptism , are sinners . but some infants ought to be baptized with the christian baptism : go . they are sinners . the minor i shall suppose to be proved in the foresaid treatise . the major i have proved at large in my disput . of right to sacraments : especially pag. 79 , 80. where it 's proved that christ hath commanded or instituted no other baptism but what is [ for remission of sin : ] ( to p. 88. ) the sign it self ( the washing by water , and burying under it , and rising from under ) sheweth that this is essential in the signification : what else but sin are we to be washed from ? read over all the texts of scripture that speak of baptism , as instituted by christ ; and when you have found that no one of them intimateth such a thing as baptizing them that are no sinners , washing them that are not unclean , then tell us why we should believe that there is such a thing . nay it importeth a false dissimulation with god ; when we will assert infants to be washed by the blood of christ , when we believe that they have no sin , and need no such washing . arg. 8. if infants have no sin , they must either never come to judgment , or be justified by the law , or their meer innocency , without remission by a redeemer : but the consequent is false : go . so is the antecedent . the consequence is undeniable , in that no justice can condemn the innocent : the law will justify them that have no sin ; for its commination hath nothing against them : such go . need not pardon by a redeemer . the falshood of both parts of the consequent , is proved easily . 1. many scriptures shew that all men shall be judged , heb. 9. 27. all that die . rom. 14. 12. joh. 5. 28 , 29. all that are in the graves ; with many such places . 2. if infants be not judged , they would neither be justified nor condemned : but that 's not true , go . &c. 2. and that all infants ( nor any ) are not justified by the law , or their own innocency , is plain in the apostle's arguings , rom. 3. 4 , and 5. throughout : and in the epist . to galat. rom. 3. 20. by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight . rom. 4. proveth that even to abraham and his seed justification was by remission of sin through faith in christ , and not by the law , or their own innocency . and if it was so with abraham's seed , it is so still with our seed . arg. 9. rom. 3. 23. 9 , 10 , &c. all have sinned , and come short of the glory of god , being justified freely by his grace , through the redemption that is in jesus christ , whom god hath set forth to be a propitiation , &c. go . infants have sinned , and come short of the glory of god , and must be justified by this propitiation for sin . ver. 9. we have before proved that jews and gentiles are all under sin . ver. 19. that every mouth may be stopped , and all the world may become guilty before god. if men will groundlesly say that all these universals are to be limited to the adult , they do but say they will believe what they list , and words shall signifie what they will. obj. the text speaks of actors in sin . answ . true , because it speaks of all the world , among whom the adult ( actors ) were the principal part . obj. the word [ all ] is to be taken limitedly in many other texts . answ . 1. what of that ? shall we go . deny its properest signification , without a proved necessity ? and shall words be taken improperly by us at our pleasure , because they are so sometimes where we may prove it ? 2. will you allow this plea to them , that use it against the texts that speak for [ christ's dying for all ] : when yet they have as fair pretence ? 3. the scope of the apostle , and the oft repeated universals , plainly shew that it is the guilt and condemnation on one side , and the justification on the other side , of all simply , that are condemned or justified , even of all the world , that he speaks of . and he lays the strength of his argument upon the universality : for if any might have pleaded not-guilty before god , and justified by the law , or their innocency , it had spoil'd the apostle's argument . so many plain scriptures are not to be forced . arg. 10. if infants ( without a redeemer ) should have been all shut out of heaven , and denied everlasting happiness , then are they guilty of original sin . but the antecedent is true : go . so is the consequent . the minor is granted by those that do oppose us . if it were not , it 's easily proved , 1. from all those scriptures that appropriate salvation to the church , and to the members of christ , and to such as have it by his purchase and procurement , who hath the keys of the kingdom . 2. from those scriptures that tell us that if any have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his , rom. 8. 9. and that without holiness none shall see god , heb. 12. 14. and that except a man be regenerate , and new born , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven ; with many the like . 3. from the incapacity of an unholy soul to see and love god , and so to be happy ; it being a contradiction . and god hath given us no ground to believe that he will sanctify all infants after death : and that without any satisfaction for their sin by the death of christ . the consequence of the major proposition is proved thus : infants having souls made capable of immortality , either shall live immortally , or not : if not , that privation of everlasting life is an evil so great , that any rational man would choose a perpetual tolerable punishment to escape it : and god would not thus use so many subjects of his kingdom , to whom he hath undertaken to be a king , and judge them righteously , and all without any measure of sin in them . and i find not yet that the adversaries assert this : if they do , they make infants to be but meer bruits ; ( of which anon ) . if they live an immortal life , ( and rise with others ) , then either in heaven , or out of heaven , in happiness , or not : if not in happiness , ( which is before proved , and by them granted ) , then it must be in misery : 1. because the very privation of that happiness is half hell and more . 2. because there is no middle state to a living rational creature : they will have feeling and knowledge ; and go . they shall feel good or evil to them : and they cannot but know that they are deprived of heaven and happiness ; which knowledge must cause a positive grief . and thus god doth afflict them by the greatest privation , and some positive pain : which reason , or scripture , or his relation of a righteous king and judge , will not suffer us to think that he doth without any sin of theirs . for shall not the judge of all the world do righteously ? will he destroy the righteous with the wicked ? far be it from him , gen. 18. 23 , 24 , 25. had all the infants of the old world , of sodom , of amalek , of midian , been wholly free from participating in sin , they had not been destroyed by a righteous judge . arg. 11. if infants are under god's displeasure , or deprived of his acceptance and complacency , then are they guilty of original sin : but the antecedent is true : go . so is the consequent . if they were in the favour of god , they would be saved ; ( for all the subjects of his kingdom have the blessings and rewards of loyal subjects , that are in favour with him ) : but without christ and pardon through his blood , they would not be saved : go &c. if they were not under his displeasure , he would not deny them his sanctifying grace , and heavenly inheritance , which they are capable of , and which is the portion of his faithful ones . but these he doth deny to some , and would deny to more , or all , if it were not for their pardon and reconciliation through christ . nor would he torment them with pain , ( as he doth many in this life ) , and after kill them , ( and then shut them out of heaven ) , if he were well pleased with them . the consequence is proved , in that nothing but sin can make god displeased with a rational creature . only moral evil can deprive them of his favour . were original corruption but malum physicum , such a natural evil as blindness , lameness , sickness , madness , &c. god would not withdraw his favour for it . man hateth a serpent or a toad that have no sin , because their natures are contrary to ours : but no meer physical evil is evil to god , or contrary to his nature , and go . none such is hated by him a toad is no more contrary or odious to god than a lark : go . for such evil , infants could not fall under his displeasure . he loves the sick , the lame , the leprous , as well as the most sound . arg. 12. infants have a nature derived from their parents , who were corrupt and guilty : go . they cannot be uncorrupt and innocent . the antecedent is undeniable . the reason of the consequence is , because the cause can produce no effect that 's better than it self . what the effect receiveth , is from its cause : and the cause cannot give that which it hath not : go . adam could not convey to cain or abel by generation a nature that was innocent and holy , when he had none but a guilty sinful nature himself . as when adam had sinned , each part of his body did bear its part in the guilt ; and if a leg or an arm had been cut off from him , that cutting off would not make it become innocent ; but at the resurrection it shall bear its share of penalty , so the embrio , and the seed , blood , and spirits that caused it , were as real parts of the parents once , as a leg or arm ; and when they were parts , they could not be innocent : ( otherwise you may as well say that the hand or foot was innocent ) : and go . they could not meerly by birth become innocent . it is not the separation of the infant from the mother , that can put away the guilt that once it had . if any say that a leg or arm themselves have no sin or guilt , but all is in the will ; they must then make the body to be no part of the man , and must deny its pain , and its resurrection to everlasting pain or joy . it 's granted that the will is the first and chief seat of moral good or evil : but from thence the whole man doth participate thereof : and go . it is the man that is condemned or justified , punished or rewarded , and not the will only . obj. but the soul was no part of the parent , though the body were : no nor the body neither , for it is in a continual flux , and we have not the same body at seven years old , which we received from our parents . answ . 1. this argument ( as to the body ) is it by which our novel infidels do think to reason us out of the belief and hopes of a resurrection of these same numerical bodies : and by the same reason you may as effectually prove , that the body that committeth murder or adultery this year , and dies seven years after , shall not be condemned or punished for it ; because it is not the same body that committed the sin : but this ingenious folly will save none from punishment , nor prove them guiltless of original sin . so much is permanent , as doth essentially constitute and identify the body . and for the soul , 1. it is certain that it is essential to the man , and certain that man begets a man ; and go . certain that man begets the soul . and though it be not by partition of the parents soul , yet is it a true generation : and go . the man begotten can be no better than he that begat . obj. if you say that the soul is ex traduce you will make it material , and so mortal , and a compound of two communicated souls conjoyned , viz. the fathers and the mothers , &c. answ . if by materia , be meant substantia , quae potentia corpus est , or substantia incompleta in potentia ad omnes formas , which is aristotle's materia prima ; or if any element , or any body be hereby meant , so we deny that the soul is material , or that it is hence inferred to be such . but if material be extended as far as substantial , or so far as to comprehend spirits ( improperly ) , then it is granted on both sides , that the soul is material . but supposing it taken in the usual sense , i answer , that god can cause spiritual substances to propagate their kind : and go . such propagation proveth neither their materiality or mortality ; no more than the creation of the first animals proved their immortality : nor is it any inconvenience to grant , that two souls do joyn in the communicative generation of a third , as long as it is not by partition , or deperdition of any of their substance ; no more than that two candles conjoyned should light a third . but the large handling of this would require more time and words than we shall now spare . i refer the reader therefore to those that have handled this subject on purpose ; and particularly to micraelius in his ethnophronius . it is not a traduction e potentia materiae that we maintain . the materiale seminis is but as the oyle to the flame , to which the soul is conjunct . the semen containeth quid immateriale ; the soul is in it , not only in potentia , but in actu , as it is in the leg or arm of a man. if you object that then the soul is divided , and part of it dieth quum semen ejicitur & moritur : i answer ; not so ; no more than it is divided when a man is beheaded , or dieth when a leg or arm dieth that is cut off . in brief , we must not argue ab ignotiore ; nor deny a plain and certain truth , ( that man begets man ) , because we are uncertain of the manner of the propagation . as men do in the controversy about grace and free-will , so do they in this : they divide what are to be conjoyned , for fear of giving too much to the other side . as one denieth special ascertaining grace , and another denieth free-will , when that grace worketh by this free-will ; so some deny god's part in the causing of the soul , and some deny man's part , because they are unskilful in discerning the concourse . god doth as much in it , as if man did nothing : and is as fully the cause as if it were by a meer creation , and man were no cause : and yet he causeth it by man , even in the way of natural procreation , which by a stablished law he appointed in the beginning ; and then gave man a living soul that might propagate living souls . and more than so , it is the soul that is the principal in procreating and being procreated : and that spark of immortal life that is in semine , doth by due cherishing of the further causes , fabricate its own body : and the soul ( as scaliger saith , ex themistio ) , sui domicilii non inquilina tantum est , sed & architecta ( under god ) . and we are most certain that our knowledge of the way or manner of god's influx into , and concourse with second causes , is so much above our reach , that we are unfit from presumptions about such a mystery , to argue against a revealed truth . nay , when we have conjectured at the manner , it is our wisest course to confess we know it not . but as the wind bloweth where it listeth , and we hear the sound of it , but know not whence it cometh , or whither it goeth , so is it in the out-goings of the spirit of god for the new birth , and in like manner of his causation of the natural birth . but of these things we are certain ; 1. that the parents beget the child : man begets man ; by virtue of the nature , first given them , with the law or blessing annexed , increase and multiply ; and god's continued influence . 2. that man's soul is not debilitated in its vegetative and sensitive operations , by being rational : 3. that go . man begetteth not less than bruits . he that saith the soul , as vegetative and sensitive , is not begotten , makes man to beget less than bruits . 4. yea he makes him to beget nothing : for the body or meer matter is not begotten , but with the soul , nor would the semen inanimatum come to be an embrio . 5. we are sure that semen in corpore animatur anima illius cujus est corpus . 6. the conceit of two or three souls , ( which is the last refuge ) , and that the rational only is created , is at large confuted by many ; and it feigneth man not to procreate his kind , when bruits do theirs ; nor to beget children indeed , but something else that is irrational . and yet even this way , ( supposing god to have at the creation by a decree , annexed his creating act of the rational soul , to mans procreating of the sensitive ) , the propagation of original sin might be defended . obj. but by this doctrine still god is made the cause of the sin : for you say he is the total cause of the soul , even as much as if man were no cause . answ . god causeth it two waies : 1. at the first creation of man , he put a virtue into the souls of our first parents to propagate their like , on supposition of his requisite universal influx , to bring that cause or virtue into act . 2. as an universal cause he effectually procureth second causes to do their part , and draweth forth their virtue , and communicateth on his part all that belongeth to the universal cause to communicate . now if god be the author of original sin , it must be by one of these two acts , viz. by creation , or by his universal causation and influence : but it is by neither of these . not by creation , giving the generative specifying virtue to man : for he made man upright , and commanded him to continue so , and so it was an upright nature that he should have propagated , if he himself had not depraved it by sin . not by his universal concourse or causality ; for that causeth only the soul as such , and not as defective or corrupted : as the sun causeth the life of a toad as well as of a lion , and of a stinking weed as well as of a flower of the greatest beauty and sweetness ; but is no cause of the ugly venemous nature of the toad , or of the stinking nature of the weed , save only by accident ; nor is it any fault in the sun , that such creatures are generated by it : so though god is the cause of generation by his universal influx , yet is he not the cause of original sin : for the universal cause supposing the specifying virtue in the seed , doth work on all things according to their natures : and though god was and is the specifying cause by creating the procreating force in man , yea and by his constant creative emanation , yet he created not the vice , and go . is not the cause of that . obj. but a lame man doth not beget a lame child ; nor a blind man a blind child . why then should a sinner beget a sinner , and corrupted parents have a corrupted issue ? answ . the eye and leg are not the soul , which hath the generative power , nor yet essential parts of the body . but let any of the essentials of the body ( as the brain or heart ) be depraved , and it will appear in the issue , ( especially if it be so with both the parents ) : much more when the soul is depraved , by whose power the body it self is formed , and which is most essential to the man , the pravity must needs be communicated . lameness and blindness in the parents alter not the procreating seed , but consist with its integrity . but none can communicate that which he hath lost , and hath not either actually or virtually himself . obj. righteousness and holiness were not communicable by natural generation if adam had not fallen : go . by generation we have no privation of them . answ . 1. the antecedent is false : they would have been propagated to posterity as health and beauty to the body , as i proved in the beginning . 2. if generation as such had not conveyed them , yet if god had affixed , by a standing law , his supernatural gifts to natural procreation , it would have proved ( against the consequent ) that we are sinfully defective in being without them . obj. learning and wisdom are not now derived to posterity . answ . nor any thing that is acquired , and not natural . obj. godliness is not now conveyed by nature : go . it should not have been so then . answ . i deny the consequence : 1. because that holiness that was natural then , is supernatural now . you may propagate eye-sight to your children because it is natural : but you can neither restore your own , nor theirs , when it is put out , without a supernatural power . 2. because though adam was our natural head and root , and so had power to hold or lose the grace which he had received for himself and us , yet when it came to the work of our restoration , he being utterly insufficient to recover himself or us , the work is put into another hand , and jesus christ the second adam is now our root and head ; and as he purchased all , so all our mercies are at his disposal , and he giveth them out as he seeth meet : and go . as he gave adam pardon and holiness for himself , so will he give to all his members for themselves ; himself being still the treasury of his church , and keeping the keys of life in his own hands . 3. sanctification is imperfect in this life , and go . leaving some corruption , no wonder if that be propagated by the best . 4. but yet as adam should have conveyed an innocent holy nature to his children if he had not lost it ; even a legal righteousness , such as he had himself : so now ( though generation do it not , yet ) christ in his gospel covenant hath made over a gospel righteousness to the infants of the sanctified , ( who devote themselves and their children unto god in the baptismal covenant ) : so that as posterity is unhappy through their first parents sin , so children may recover happiness from christ by means of their parents faith and holiness , and dedicating them to god in christ . obj. foolish parents beget wise children : go . wicked parents may beget godly children . answ . 1. i grant that god may graciously sanctifie the seed of the ungodly : but that is not by their procreation . 2. i deny the consequence ; because that foolishness comes from the distemper of the organs , and the bodies ineptitude to serve the soul , and no alteration may be made by it upon the seed of generation . but when the soul is depraved by sin , there is no virtue left in nature to rectify that by generation , and hinder the propagation of the pravity . 3. and still as to guilt , all these objections say nothing . no man can convey the innocency which he had not . obj. adam when he was pardoned had no guilt : go . he could not convey what he had not . answ . 1. there is a threefold guilt : 1. reatus facti : 2. reatus culpae : 3. reatus ad poenam . to be guilty of the fact , is to be truly one that did commit it , or participated therein . to be guilty of the fault , is to be truly culpable by reason of that fact , it being really a fault . these two god taketh not away by pardon ; for it is impossible that which is done should be undone , or that which was a fault should be no fault . the third , which is the obligation to punishment , is it that is done away by pardon . now suppose this perfectly done away to adam , or any godly man , yet this pardon is but for himself , and he propagateth to his children the two former , ( reatum facti & culpae ) , which were never done away ; and then the third ( obligation to punishment ) will follow immediately per nudam resultantiam , as long as they have themselves no pardon . 2. christ is the quickening spirit , though adam was a living soul ; and christ is now the fountain of grace , and gives it out in the measure , and on the terms that he seeth meet : and as god past sentence on mankind , before he granted his pardon to adam , and promised the messiah ; so his pardon was no full remitting of that sentence , but such a personal remission to adam , as should consist with much punishment ( in his imperfection in grace , and his toyl , and labour , and death , &c. ) and with the guilt of his posterity , till each man received from christ the mediator his own remission . and so as he gave in the promise a pardon to adam , he hath on the same condition given it to all . adam had not power to cure himself when he had poisoned his nature : but christ being become the common physitian , hath prepared a remedy for him and us ; and if we take it as adam did , we shall be healed : and the infants are included in the covenant with their parents . so that notwithstanding all these objections , the 12th . argument standeth good . arg. 13. if natural corruption be in infants viciously disposing them to evil , and against good , then original sin is in them . but such corruption is in them : go . &c. the minor is proved by the common experience of the world. all infants shew their inclination to sin as soon as they can act it : yea so strong and obstinate doth it prove , that frequently it resisteth all the endeavours of the most prudent , diligent , godly parents that would root it up ; and of masters and teachers that apply both doctrine and discipline against it . and never is it conquered but by special grace ; and never is it so restrained in any that live to the use of reason , as not to break out into many actual sins . and if all men in all ages in all the world do sin , and frequently sin , it shews that there is some corrupt inclination in the nature of man to sin ; for the effect revealeth the cause : ( yea it is so great corruption as to lead into some kind of moral necessity of sinning , or moral impossibility of not sinning ; or else some one in the world would have escaped it : which none did but christ ; and the papists except but the virgin mary . ) obj. adam sinned , that yet had no corruption . answ . the fall of one or two may come from wilful carelesness , or inconsiderateness , where there is no corrupt inclination antecedent : but so cannot the fall of all the world ; especially their so frequent falls , and ordinary obstinacy in sin . if now and then a man only should die , we might impute it to some accident ; but when all mankind dieth , we are convinced that mortality ( even a disposedness to death in some sort necessitating it ) is become natural to him : so here . obj. infants have the use of sense as soon as they are born , and are long coming to the use of reason , and reason is long weak when sense is strong , and this by reason of infancy as such , and go . in all this time the prevalency of sense can be no sin : and so long a prevalency must needs breed a habit : and this is it which you take for original corruption . answ . 1. if sin had not made the appetite inordinate , infants might have lived till they had overgrown their infancy without transgressing : an ordinate appetite would have carried them to no inordinate acts . and they would not have been so liable to many of those evils that now provoke their passion : and to cry when they are hurt , would be no sin . and so as they had grown up , their temptations would have been but proportionable to their reason ; and go . they might well have overcome them . as children have not the reason of grown men , so neither have they their temptations . they have not worldly riches , or honours , or dignities to care for ; they are not tempted to the sins of lust . and as now the love of their parents keepeth them , even in childhood , from transgressing the commands of their parents , and maketh them desirous to please them , so would the love of god have made them desirous to please him , and keep his commands . 2. we see sin now break out in children , before custom can engage them to such a habit , and against that custom which parents engage them in against it , and with greater obstinacy than that meer custom could so soon produce . so much for the minor . the consequence of the major is proved , 1. from the purity of god's nature and of his law , and from the nature of this corruption . this corruption is a disconformity to the holy nature , will and law of god , and that in his subjects : go . it is sin . the inclinations contrary to his holy nature and image , in a rational creature , must needs be abhorred of god , because they are such . and the fleshly mind , the body of death , is contrary to the law. 2. these same corruptions which are born with us , remain in the unsanctified ( and partly in others ) till they come to age , and then they are sin , ( even the same degree that was born with us : for it is not only the degree that custom after superaddeth that is sin ) . certainly that absence of good , and backwardness to it , and proneness to evil , is sin in the adult : go . it was sin before . for it was the same thing , and in a true subject , capable of vice and virtue . 3. the only argument against it is vain ; viz. from the involuntariness , as shall be shewed . arg. 14. adam and eve had moral good before any actual volition : go . infants are capable of moral good before any actual volition : and consequently actual volition , or willing , is not of necessity to the morality of a habit or inclination ; and go . they are capable of moral evil . the antecedent is proved by the concession of all , that adam had ( whether naturally or supernaturally ) the image of god , and virtue or holiness ut principium , before he acted it : and so had original righteousness ( by creation or gift ) , which was bonum morale , and made him capable of the divine complacency and acceptance . the parity of reason proveth the consequences . or if there be any disparity , it makes against the adversary ; infants being virtually pre-existent in their parents . arg. 15. the doctrine that numbreth infants with bruits , in point of morality and felicity , is false : but such is that doctrine which denieth original sin : go . &c. the major is proved , 1. in that they have immortal souls , and virtually rational . 2. they are under many promises and threats that are mentioned in the scripture . 3. they are disciples of christ , and members of his church . the minor is plain : 1. in that they make infants uncapable of any moral evil eo nomine because they have no actual volition , or choice . 2. and thereby they conclude them uncapable of moral good . 3. and thereby they conclude them uncapable of judgment . 4. and of any rewards . 5. and of any punishments . 6. and they say they are under no law , or obligation . 7. and go . they can be no subjects of christ's kingdom , or members of his church . only , god may do with them what he will : and so he may with bruits . arg. 16. the infants of the unbelieving gentiles were sinners , and children of wrath : go . infants are capable of sin , and some ( at least ) are sinners , &c. the antecedent is proved from gal. 2. 15. [ we jews by nature , ( or birth ) and not sinners of the gentiles ] , i. e. by nature . 1 cor. 7. 14. [ else were your children unclean , but now are they holy ] . the anabaptists make this to speak but of legitimation . the papists by [ being unclean ] think nothing is meant but being not baptizable ; and to be holy , they think is but to be baptizable , and and that a posteriore , because it is presumed that such infants will be religiously educated : but christ hath instituted no baptism but what is for remission of sin : and he doth not actually remit sin to some more than to others , upon a presumption of the church that they will hereafter be educated as christians . there is some holiness mentioned by the apostle , which is the reason why those infants more than others are to be admitted to baptism , which supposeth and signifieth it : and that cannot be only a thing future and uncertain . divines commonly call it ( among protestants ) a federal holiness ; and that this supposeth infants capable of moral good and evil , i have shewed on this text in my treatise of infants baptism . eph. 2. 3. [ and were by nature the children of wrath , even as others ] . forasmuch as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth nature , birth , or natural disposition , properly , and signifieth custom only by a rare and improper acception ; go . it is not here to be interpreted by [ custom ] , without such cogent evidence , as none hath yet given us . those that attempt a collecting of testimonies for this improper use sometimes , do give us many that make against them . there is no necessity that will warrant our reception of such a tropical and unusual sense . job . 11. 12. [ for vain man would be wise ; though man be born as a wild asses colt ] , that is , of a rude , sottish , unruly disposition . ezek. 16. 2 , 3 , 4. [ son of man , cause jerusalem to know her abominations , and say , thus saith the lord god unto jerusalem , thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of canaan , thy father was an amorite , and thy mother an hittite ; and as for thy nativity , in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut , neither wast thou washed , &c. ] this allegory sheweth that part of jerusalem ' s abhomination was natural from the birth : and nothing but sin is abhomination before god. job 25. [ how then can man be justified with god ? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman ? ] 15. 14. [ what is man that he should be clean , and he that is born of a woman that he should be righteous ? ] the illustration that is fetch'd from the natural weakness and impurity of the heavens , the moon , the stars , doth not contradict the exposition of the former words , as of moral impurity ; for the impurity is according to the subject : and natural impurity is not unrighteousness . arg. 17. from the necessity of regeneration . joh. 3. 3 , 5 , 6. except a man be born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of god : — that which is born of the flesh , is flesh ; and that which is born of the spirit , is spirit . if there be a necessity of a new birth to make us spiritual , ( the first birth bringing forth but flesh ) , before we can enter into the kingdom of god , then by the first birth we are born in sin . but the antecedent is certain : go . so is the consequent . the minor is plain in the text , 1. that flesh begets not spirit , but flesh : 2. that regeneration is therefore of absolute necessity . at present , i will suppose that by flesh here is not meant sin , ( that the adversary may not think i beg any thing of him ) . the consequence of the major hath this double proof , 1. because flesh without spirit in a rational creature is sinful , or morally corrupt : for being deprived of the spirit , it is deprived of moral good . 2. because nothing but sin can keep a rational creature , and subject of god , out of heaven : for to be kept out of heaven , is one half ( at least ) of the damned's misery : and to live and know that loss , ( as immortal souls must do ) , will produce also positive punishment . arg. 18. that doctrine is untrue which maketh god the author of sin ; but so doth the denial of original sin : go . it is untrue . the major will be granted . the minor i prove . the doctrine which feigneth that innocent nature is under such a moral impossibility of not sinning , as that no one person in all the world , that hath the use of reason , shall escape it , doth feign god to be the author of sin . but so doth their doctrine that deny original sin : go . it feigneth god to be the author of sin . or , the doctrine which feigneth that innocent nature doth sin for want of necessary grace to escape it , doth make god the author of sin . but so doth the denial of original sin : go . &c. for the proof of the major of both arguments , consider , 1. that the adversaries suppose nature in infants to be innocent ; 2. that it is granted by them , that de facto all men that have the use of reason are sinners , except jesus christ : ( the papists except also the virgin mary ) . if they denied this , it 's easily proved , 1. by the common experience of the world , ( as to the generality ) . 2. by plain scripture . 1 joh. 1. 8. 10. if we say that we have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us . — if we say that we have not sinned , we make him a liar , and his word is not in us . jam. 3. 2. for in many things we offend all . eccl. 7. 20. for there is not a just man on earth , that doth good , and sinneth not . and that there is a moral impossibility to escape sin , appeareth , 1. by the universality of the event : that which no man in all the world in any age attaineth to , notwithstanding all the helps vouchsafed , is morally impossible . 2. and the scripture assertion proveth it , in that it alloweth us to conclude it of all that we know not , and of those that are yet unborn . and that the world sinneth for want of necessary grace ( to innocent nature , as the adversaries think ) is plain : for necessary grace hath some sufficiency to its ends : and go . it it is called sufficient grace by the adversaries commonly : but that which never attaineth its end in any one person in the world , in their own judgment is not sufficient . it is their common ( and last ) argument against our doctrine of special effectual grace given to all the elect , as distinct from that sufficient grace which ( say the dominicans ) is given to others ; that the grace is not sufficient that never proveth effectual in any . we may much more confidently say so here , when we speak of the whole world , that the grace is not sufficient that never is , was , or will be effectual in any . if it suffice to make the event naturally possible , yet not to remove the moral impossibility . 3. and that god is the author of the law that forbiddeth sin , and of innocent nature , is granted , and past doubt . the certainty of this universal event cannot come from a contingent cause as such . the will is naturally free that chooseth , but it is not morally free ; or else the world would not choose evil . so that it is certain that if there be no original sin , the cause of this universal event ( that all men sin ) must be resolved to be somewhat in nature , or something in providence , of which god is the cause . if god have so framed pure nature , and so order the affairs of the world , that no man on earth shall eventually escape the sin , which he so much prohibiteth and abhorreth , it must needs follow that he is the moral reputative cause at least . and yet it is one of the pretences against the doctrine of original sin , that it maketh god the author of it in infants , when it 's they that make him the author of it in all . seeing therefore that sin hath so overspread the world , that all men sin in all countries , in all ages , ( except christ ) , this must proceed either from mans natural principles , and so be chargeable upon god his maker , or it is the fruit of original sin , and to be charged on our first parents , and our selves . arg. 19. if infants have in their corrupted natures a virtual enmity to god and holiness , then have they original sin : but such an enmity they have , ( i mean in disposition , seed , or habit ) : go . they have original sin . the antecedent or minor i prove , 1. from the common experience of the world , that manifest such an enmity as soon as they come to the use of reason , and that maintain it so obstinately , till renewing grace do overcome it . how early do they shew an aversness to the work and ends for which they were created ? how little do the precepts of parents , or teachers , and all the means of grace themselves , to conquer it in the most ? and where it is most conquered , ( even in the godly ) , it is most confessed , because there is a troublesome remnant of it still : so that there is no man in the world that hath not more or less of it in him ; the wicked being under the power of it , and the godly under the trouble of these remainders . 2. from gen. 3. 15. joh. 3. 5 , 6. rom. 8. 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. rom. 7. 21 , 23 , 24 , 25 , compared . in joh. 3. 6. we find , that flesh begets but flesh , [ that which is born of the flesh ; is flesh ] , and that go . a new birth by the spirit is necessary to make us spiritual , ( of which before ) . in rom. 8. we find , that it was through the flesh that the law was weak , and that god sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh , ( not as sinful , but as flesh ) , and for sin condemned sin in the flesh : where it is undeniable that by [ flesh ] is not meant sin it self ; for then it had not been called sinful , nor the subject of sin , nor christ said to have taken the likeness of it : and go . the word [ flesh ] here is taken in no worse a sense than in joh. 3. 6. we find here also that all flesh is universally called sinful , which christ took the likeness of . and christ took the likeness of infants , and that first , only growing up to the likeness of the adult : infants go . have sinful flesh . and ver . 5 , 6. this flesh as the principle that prevaileth in some , is opposed to the spirit which prevaileth in others , and their fruits opposed : the one sort mind fleshly things , the other spiritual things ; and death belongs to one , and life and peace to the other . and ver . 7. [ the carnal mind is enmity against god ; for it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be ] . and ver . 8. they that are in the flesh cannot please god ; that is , they that have not the spirit to subdue and mortify the flesh , as it is explained ver . 9. and [ if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his ] . so that flesh without spirit ( which is now mans natural estate ) is a principle of enmity and rebellion , and proves men none of christ's , and in a state of death . and many expositors judge that in gen. 3. 15. such ( being none of christ's till they have the spirit ) are annumerated to the serpents seed , that hath the enmity against the spiritual seed : which so sheweth it self when they come to age , that as cain by abel , and ishmael by isaack , so still , [ he that is born after the flesh , persecuteth him that is born after the spirit ] , ( if not restrained ) , gal. 4. 29. and rom. 7. 18. [ i know that in me , that is , in my flesh , dwelleth no good thing ] , that is , in paul , so far as he was without the spirit . and as this innate universal enmity is thus proved , so it is proved to be sin ; 1. by the law of nature , which tells us that an habitual enmity of the rational creature against god and holiness , is sin , if any thing be sin . it is an inclination or disposition contrary to the primitive nature and moral image of god in man , and contrary to what our relation to god importeth ; and as it is commonly said of actual hatred of god , it may as truly , if not much more evidently be said of this dispositive virtual enmity , that it is an evil that cannot become good , and so naturally sin , that it can be no other . 2. it 's proved to be sin by the express assertion of the text. rom. 8. 3. 10. it is sinful flesh , and the subject of sin , till the spirit come . ver. 9. it proves them none of christ ' s. rom. 7. 14. 17. 20. 24 , 25. it is called [ in-dwelling sin ] , and [ a law of sin ] , and [ to be carnal ] , is [ to be sold under sin ] . 3. from the effects , which nothing can produce but sin . they cannot be subject to the law of god : they please not god : to be carnally minded is death , &c. rom. 8. so 1 cor. 2. 14. the natural ( meerly animal man now in his corrupt estate ) receiveth not the things of the spirit of god , for they are foolishness to him : nor can he know them , because they are spiritually discerned . and it can be no better than sin that maketh spiritual things seem foolishness . all the other texts of scripture commonly urged for original sin , i purposely pass over , because in commentaries and controversies they are so frequently handled . arg. 20. my last argument is from the universal consent of the church of god , if not of most of the philosophers also . in so great a point , it is not safe to go against the consent of the universal church , that hath so much in scripture to encourage and warrant it : but the deniers of original sin do go against the consent of the universal church , as is proved , 1. from the known confessions of all the churches that own original sin . 2. in that general councils have asserted it ; 3. and have condemned those as hereticks that denied it . and so did divers received provincial councils . i shall now recite only the words of the concil . 2. melevitan . arausican . and the popish council of trent . the first , can. 2. saith , item placuit ut quicunque parvulos recentes ab uteris matrum baptizandos negat , aut dicit in remissionem quidem peccatorum eos baptizari , sed nihil ex adam trahere originalis peccati quod regenerationis lavacro expietur , unde sit consequens ut in eis forma baptismatis in remissionem peceatorum non vera sed falsa intelligatur , anathema sit : quoniam non aliter intelligendum est quod ait apostolus [ per unum hominem peccatum intravit in mundum , & per peccatum mors , & ita in omnes homines pertransiit , in quo omnes peccaverunt ] nisi quemadmodum ecclesia catholica ubique diffusa semper intellexit : propter hanc enim regulam fidei , etiam parvuli qui nihil peccatorum in semetipsis adhuc committere potuerunt , ideo in peccatorum remissionem veraciter baptizantur , ut in eis regeneratione mundetur , quod generatione traxerunt . augustine was one in this general council . so arausican . 2. can. 1. and 2. siquis soli adae praevaricationem suam , non & ejus propagini asserit nocuisse , aut certe mortem tantum corporis , quae poena peccati est , non autem & peccatum , quod mors est animae , per unùm hominem in omne genus humanum transiisse testatur , injustitiam deo dabit , contradicens apostolo dicenti , per unum hominem peccatum intravit in mundum , & per peccatum mors in omnes homines pertransiit , in quo omnes peccaverunt . ( ita & concil . diospol . & alia . ) i shall add the council of trent , because the adversaries should be ashamed to be less oxthodox than papists , and that they may see the continuance of the tradition , ( which the concil . melevit . plead against pelagius ) . they use the words of the former councils . sess . 5. can. 2. and 4. siquis soli adae praevaricationem suam , non aliis etiam & ejus propagini asserit nocuisse ; acceptam a deo sanctitatem & justitiam quam perdidit , non nobis sed sibi soli perdidisse ; inquinatoque illo per inobedientiae peccatum , mortem & poenas corporis tantum , in omne genus humanum , & secundum communem legem transfudisse , non autem & peccatum , cui pro poena debebatur utraque mors , corporis , viz. & animae , anathema sit : cum contradicat apostolo dicenti , per unum hominem , &c. can. 4. siquis parvulos recentes ab uteris matrum baptizandos negat , etiamsi fuerint a baptizatis parentibus orti , aut dicit in remissionem quidem peccatorum eos baptizari , sed nihil ex adam trahere originalis peccati , quod regenerationis lavacro necesse sit expiari ad vitam aeternam consequendam , unde sit consequens ut in eis forma baptismatis in remissionem peccatorum non vera sed falsa intelligatur , anathema sit : quoniam non aliter intelligendum quod ait apostolus , per unum hominem , &c. nisi qu●madmodum ecclesia catholica ubique diffusa semper intelle●●it ; ( and so on as above , conc. mel. ) hanc fidei & sanctorum patrum normam imitand● , haec sancta synodus fatetur & declarat , in baptismate per jesu christi gratiam quam confert & continet , non modo remitti reatum originalis peccati , sed totum id auferri quod veram & propriam rationem peccati habet . ( these last words binnius leaves out , but they are in him and others repeated again in can. 5. so that they are their own . crabb also leaves them out ; and both of them leave out some other words , which caranza puts in : but the difference reacheth not to any thing material to our controversy . ) so that it 's apparent , that even the church of rome do anathematize those that hold not infants to have original sin , truly so called , before baptism . their assertion of the abolition of all that is truly sin by baptism , is more than they found in the concil . melevit . or any of the ancient ones . if to be anathematized by the council of trent be nothing , yet with those men that take general councils to be the supreme power in the church on earth , and separate from others for not obeying them in some ceremonies , or indifferent things , methinks the curses of the ancient councils , and that on the account of differences in points of faith , should seem considerable . the consent of the reformed churches is so well known , that i need not recite their words . and though the english articles mention only our pravity , and say nothing of adam's sin imputed , or made ours , ( whether by forgetfulness , or by moderation not imposing that which some deny ) , yet they deny it not ; and elsewhere the church of england seemeth to own it . obj. 1. that which is not voluntary is not sin : original corruption or guilt is not voluntary : go . it is not sin . answ . i deny the minor : i before answered that there is a threefold voluntariness : 1. actual ; 2. reputative or moral , by participation ; 3. habitual . original sin is voluntary in both the last senses . it was the act of his will that was virtually and reputa●ively ours : and the corruption is the habit of our wills , and the privation of good habits ; and that which is habitual , is more voluntary than that which is but some single act. obj. 2. that which never was in our power to prevent , is not sin : but , &c. go . &c. answ . it was in our power , as we were in adam : it was in his power , from whom by the established law or order of providence , we were to derive our nature . that habits are good or evil as well as acts , i hope few will deny . and whereas it is objected that only such habits as are the effects or consequents of our acts , are sinful : i further answer : 1. if it be so , it is eo nomine , because they are the consequents of our acts , that they are sinful , or else for some other formal reason . not because such , or as such : for it 's most certain that many effects of sin upon our selves , are but misery , and not properly sin . sin may make a man sick , or lame , or blind , or mad , and yet these be no sins , but the effects of sins . sin may kill us , and yet death be no sin . there must be therefore some other formal reason , which can be nothing but the disconformity to the rule . 2. adam ( as was said before ) had original righteousness , which was imputable to him as a moral good , before his actions : go . it is not necessary to the morality or imputability of a principle , that it be the consequent of our acts . 3. jesus christ had moral good before his humane action : go . the same will follow . 4. infants that are sanctified have moral good that is not the consequent of their acts : go . &c. 5. the dedication by believing parents , and entring the child into the covenant of god , is taken to all the ends thereof , as if it were the infants act . 6. among men , the will of the parents is in many cases reputatively the will of the child , and children receive good , or are deprived of it ( and oft-times penally ) , for the parents acts . obj. 3. no righteous judges do punish the children for the parents sin . answ . 1. it is not for the parents only imputed , but their own contracted , that god doth punish them . and he takes that cognisance of the heart that man doth not . 2. and he is more holy and just than man. 3. and yet all common-wealths are directed by the light of nature , to punish infants for their parents sins , as naturally participant . the laws do threaten the posterity of many offenders , for the parents sins ; and judges sentence them accordingly . as that traytors , or some other most odious offenders , shall be deprived of their honours and estates , and their children after them for ever . it cannot be said here that this is but an affliction to the posterity , and not a penalty ; or that it is a meer consequent of the parents sin , and not the effect : for it is expressed in the law , and judgment ; and is malum naturale propter malum civile vel morale ; and it 's on a subject : and it 's a privation of the good that he should else have possessed ; and many positive evils of mind and body ( care , sorrow , want , labour , &c. ) follow thereupon . obj. 4. but god hath told us , that the soul that sinneth shall die ; and the child shall not die for the parents sins . answ . 1. go . it followeth that children that do die , have sin of their own . 2. the text plainly speaketh of those children , that see the evil of their parents sins , and do not after them , but renounce them , and live in righteousness themselves : which is nothing to the present case . obj. 5. it seems to make god the author of sin , when he will cause us to be born of sinful parents , and infuse a soul into sinful flesh , when we cannot help it . answ . 1. i have proved that it is the denial of original sin , that makes god the author of sin , resolving it into his workmanship , or denial of sufficient or necessary grace , so that no man in the world avoideth sin . 2. but the true doctrine of original sin , doth manifest that it is not of god , as i have shewed . god as creator setled the nature of his creatures , and the course of propagating them , before man sinn'd : and he was no ways bound to change the course of nature , when man had corrupted it , to prevent our being born sinners . though we know not fully the manner of god's concourse in our generation , and how he causeth souls ; yet we are sure it is according to the first established course of nature , appointed in the creation , as much as the generation of any other creature is : and that 's enough . god was not the cause of adam's transgression ; and his law of propagation went before it : and his concourse with the parents maketh him no more the cause , than the sun is of the poison of a toad . obj. 6. but it seemeth cruelty to damn infants for that which they could not help . answ . the deniers of original sin do much more impute cruelty to god , as i shall prove . for , 1. they confess as much of the misery and sufferings of infants , as we assert . 2. and they maintain that god inflicts all this without the least desert of theirs . for the first , they confess that infants die : and they confess that god is not obliged to revive them ; and that without christ they should have no part in glory . if god may annihilate them , or deny them an immortal life , they cannot deny but he may cause their souls to live , and their bodies to revive , if he please : and if so , that he may inflict as much positive pain as shall be proportioned to the evil of annihilation . and it is a great deal of suffering that man would choose to prevent annihilation . they confess that god may make them to be toads , ( when such creatures are what they are without sin ) : and so continue them for ever . and who would not endure much misery as a man , rather than be a toad or serpent ? they confess that infants have immortal souls , ( at least capable of immortality ) , and that god is no ways bound to annihilate them , and that he may shut them out of happiness ; which is half damnation , and that in equality with the worst , ( it being the same heaven that all men lose ) : and if they are rational creatures , they must needs have the torment of positive grief in the despairing apprehension of their loss . and for our parts , we presume not to be so far acquainted with the secret judgments of the lord , as to determine whether infants shall have a greater degree of misery in their damnation , than all this which the adversaries grant . so that we differ not about the degree of suffering . 2. and then for the cause of it , there 's the difference . we say that god inflicteth not all this but for their own desert by original sin : and our adversaries say , that he doth it without the least fault or desert of theirs . and then i would know whether there be any reason why god doth all this against infants , but because he will do it ? if man had never sinned , he might have done it according to them . if it be said , that he punisheth the parents in the children : i answer , 1. what punishment to parents is the everlasting loss or suffering of the children ? 2. or what punishment is the present death of children , to harlots and unnatural persons , that desire to be rid of them ? 3. and how can he cause the subjects of his kingdom to suffer so much without their own desert ? 4. and if their natural interest make them not in some measure partakers of their parents sin , what reason , why they any more than other creatures , should be chosen to the suffering ? and here i would propound this question : what if god had left it in the beginning to adam's free will , whether he would beget a man , or a toad , or a serpent ? would you have thought this a cruelty , or injustice ? why might not god leave such a thing to his free will , as well as his own salvation or damnation ? and if he might leave it to a serpent necessarily to beget a serpent , why might he not leave it to the will of man to do it freely ? and if man had chosen such a generation , could his off-spring ( if capable ) have charged god with cruelty ? and if not , ( as nothing surer ) why might not god leave it to the will of man to remain righteous , and beget a righteous seed ; or to fall , and beget such as himself ? obj. 7. but the pains of hell consist in the torments of conscience : and the conscience of an infant will not torment him for that which he could not help . answ . 1. it is past our reach here to understand fully the nature of hell torments . 2. the loss of heaven is the greatest part of the misery . 3. the sense of that loss will be no small positive misery . 4. and all this ( which the adversaries grant ) will be confessed due for original pravity , and because they are the seed of sinners . obj. 8. no law forbiddeth us to be the seed of adam , or to draw corruption from our parents . answ . the law forbad adam , in whom we were , to sin ; and it requireth perfection of acts and habits , and condemneth sinful habits as well as sinful acts : and go . we are violaters of that law. obj. 9. if original sin were derived from adam to us , it would have been in the humane nature of christ ; at least adam's act would have been imputed to him , as being really the son of man. answ . the relation and corruption go together ; and both of them belong to them that derived their natures only from adam , according to the way of natural generation . but christ was conceived by the holy ghost , who by sanctifying the substance of the virgin , of which he had his humane nature , and by the miraculous way of procreation , prevented the derivation of guilt or sin . obj. 10. christ saith , except we become as little children we shall not enter into heaven . answ . he speaks not of their innocency , but of their beginning the world , and their lowliness : except we be little in our eyes , and begin the world a-new by conversion , we cannot enter into his kingdom . but this denieth not , but that infants may have corruption that unfits them for his kingdom , as you confess . obj. 11. 1 cor. 7. 14. the children of believers are holy . answ . 1. but not by nature , but by grace , and the faithful's interest in the covenant and dedication of them to christ in baptism . 2. they had no need of this hallowing , if they had not naturally some corruption . and , 3. the children of unbelievers are still unclean . 4. and the children of the faithful are not perfectly holy : for then they should be better than the parents . obj. 12. by the same reason you may say that we are guilty of our immediate parents sins : for we were in them more immediately than in adam . answ . we have the same natural interest in our nearest parents sin , and some participation ; which we must lament , and not excuse . but of that i have spoken by it self . the chief objections here omitted , i answered before , ( from adam's , or our nearer parents being themselves forgiven , and so having no guilt to derive to us ; and their being sanctified ; and from the creation of the soul , &c. ) and go . shall not again repeat the answers to them . it better beseems us to confess our sin and misery , and value the remedy , than to tell christ that we will not so much as pray for the pardon of original sin , nor be beholden to him to forgive it , nor to his spirit to cure it : which yet is really the thoughts of them that think they have no such thing . among others , read philip mornay lord du plessis , in his verity of christian religion , in the chapters of original sin . the vanity of dr. taylor 's opposition may be easily seen , by what is said ; his begging the question about the supernaturality of holiness to adam ; his frequent mistakes , and self-contradiction . whether posterity be guilty of death , by reason of the actual sins of their immediate parents ? as little as is said by divines on this question , it is no over-curious , or needless unprofitable subject ; but very weighty , and needful to be understood by all christians , that can reach to the understanding of it . for as it is useful for the opening of the cause and nature of original guilt , so , if it should prove true that we are guilty by the sins of our immediate parents , it would be necessary that we know it , for our due humiliation , and that we may in penitent confessions and deprecations prevail with god for the pardon thereof : as it is thought a dangerous thing to deny original sin , because they that so do , will not be humbled under it , and sensible of their misery by it , nor of the necessity of god's mercy , or christ's blood for the pardon of it , nor will apply themselves to god by christ in faith , confession , and prayer for pardon , and consequently are in danger of missing of pardon : so in the present case , the same reasons will prove it as well dangerous to deny our guilt of our parents sins , if indeed we are so guilty . which that we may enquire into , after a very brief explication of the terms of the question , i shall lay down a few necessary distinctions , and then assert what i judge to be the truth in certain propositions , and prove such of them as most require proof . 1. by [ immediate parents ] , we mean those that personally beget : by [ posterity ] , we mean their children so begotten . by reason of [ actual sin ] , we mean , by the merit of those sins which our parents themselves committed ; or by a resultancy from such sin compared with the rule . by guilt , we mean obligation to punishment , or duness of punishment . by death , we mean the destruction , or final misery of the creature ; either death temporal , or eternal . we must here distinguish , 1. between the seminal , causal , potential , and virtual being which we have in our parents , and the personal existence that we have in our selves . 2. between the guilt which immediately resulteth from actual sin , and the guilt which riseth but mediately from it , viz. by the means of some intervening corruption of our own . 3. between the sins of parents while we are seminally in them , and their sins after our birth : either , 1. in our infancy , or 2. in our riper age . 4. between guilt of fault , and guilt of punishment . 5. between the aggravation of voluntariness actual , and of voluntariness habitual , or dispositive . 6. between plenary proper guilt , and guilt so called by analogy of attribution , and guilt so called equivocally . 7. between punishment univocally , analogically , or equivocally so called . 8. between obligation to the pain of loss , and to the pain of sense . 9. and between the meer sense of that loss , and the sensible accusations of conscience for actual sin . 10. between the curable obligation of the law of nature , or works , and the peremptory and remediless obligation of the law of grace . though these distinctions reach further than to the terms of the question , yet are they all such as will be of necessary use in our determination . prop. 1. god doth not impute to us the sins either of our first or neerest parents , further than our true interest in such sins doth give sufficient ground for such imputation . as dr. twiss , among others , hath oft and well proved . prop. 2. god doth not esteem us to have personally committed the sins which our first or neerest progenitors did actually commit . for his judgment is true ; and therefore he judgeth of things as they are ; and therefore he judgeth us not to have done that personally , which we did not do . prop. 3. god doth not by any law oblige us to punishment , as the personal committers of such sins , which any progenitors of ours did commit , and not we : and therefore we are not guilty of punishment on that account . he never made such a covenant with adam , or any since , as some imagine , wherein he declareth that he will judge the posterity guilty of the parents sin further than their true desert or interest in it , meerly because god will so judge , or because he will impute the sins of one to another , without his desert : that were to make him the causer of such mens sins , or rather to mistake , and call that their sin which indeed is not so . prop. 4. it seems to me that in the same kind as we are guilty of adam's actual sin , we are also guilty of the sins of our neerest parents ; allowing for some accidental differences , and also our guilt having a remedy at hand , which his had not that he knew of , we being under a pardoning covenant . because this proposition is not agreeable to the commonest opinion , i shall speak to the proof of it , and of some that are near to it , anon towards the end . prop. 5. if it should prove true , which some of the reformed divines maintain , that original sin doth consist only in the real qualitative corruption of our nature , and not directly in any imputation of adam ' s actual sin to us ; and that there is no such direct imputation of his sin to us , but that it is only the cause of our proper original sin , and not our sin formally : then must it needs follow that the like must be said for the negative , of the sins of our immediate parents : for they can be no more our sins , than adam's was . if this opinion therefore stand good , then our controversy is at an end ; and we are not guilty either of adam's sin , or of our next parents , nor of death for them . i will not presume to make my self judge between the learned divines that disagree upon this point : camero and his followers go this way , against the imputation of adam's sin to us : of which see the sum of their arguments in jos . placaeus his disputat . de statu hominis lapsi ante gratiam in lib. 1. thesium salmuriens . pag. 206 , 207. and chamier is not only of the same mind , but confuteth the contrary among the popish errors , as you may see in tom. 3. lib. 1. cap. 7. against pighius sect . 20 , 21. but specially throughout chap. 8. contra salmeronem . so also peter martyr on rom. 5. but yet the far greater number of our writers go the other way , and so do the papists too . prop. 6. it seems not to be a guilt so plenary and perfect , which we lie under for any parents sin , ( if such a thing be proved ) , as that is which a man is under for his own personal sin . the difference will appear , if we consider that it is not a punishment in so full and perfect a sense , which we are obliged to : for the suffering is but the matter of the punishment ; its form lieth in the relation of that suffering to the fault : if the malum naturale be not propter malum morale , it is not punishment : and the punishment is his in the fullest sense , who suffereth for his own sin : now the sin of adam , or any parent , is not so fully our own as that is which we personally commit ; seeing as we were but seminally , causally , and potentially in our parents , and not by existence personally ; so it is not so much to be esteemed the son of a sinner , as to be esteemed the actual sinner himself . so that it seems our guilt of , and punishment for the actual sin of any parent , is so called by analogy of attribution as they speak , ( as accidens is called ens ) , being a more imperfect kind of guilt and punishment . prop. 7. it is past doubt that god may and doth punish parents in their children : in which case the sufferings of the children are materially ( though not as the next matter ) the punishment of the parent ; but the next matter is the parents own suffering ( real or reputative ) in the suffering of his children : but this god doth not without respect to some concurrent guilt in the child , unless as he will repair his hurt with a greater good . prop. 8. when the sufferings of a child are but the meer consequents of the parents sin or punishment , then are they no punishment themselves , unless equivocally so called : but when they are intended by the rector for the demonstration of justice for the parents fault , then it hath the nature of punishment , though the child were imagined innocent . for example ; if a traytor be sentenced to death , and his estate forfeited to the prince , his heirs will be deprived of all their hopes , though the judge never thought of them in his sentence , because the parent cannot convey to his posterity what he hath lost himself . and here the suffering of the heirs is not formally a punishment , but the meer consequent of a punishment . but if the rector do ordain that the heirs of a traytor shall be desinherited , and intend this as part of the penalty , to deter others from treason , then it is not a meer consequent , but a real punishment , though the heir be personally innocent . prop. 9. it seems to me that we are so far guilty both of adam's sin , and of our neerer parents , committed whilst we were seminally in them , as that god may , not only without injustice , but also in positive execution of vindictive justice , punish us with temporal death for such guilt , though it be but a more imperfect kind of guilt and punishment . prop. 10. if this interest in our parents sins deserve a temporal death , then also an everlasting death . for when the creature hath lost his life by the stroke of justice , god is not bound to restore it . prop. 11. it hence followeth that god may in justice deprive us of everlasting glory for such guilt ; which is one part of hell , viz. the poena damni : for the dead enjoy not glory . prop. 12. hence also it followeth that god may justly , for such guilt , leave man under some penalty of sense too , as well as of loss : 1. because he may , if he please , continue natural life to man , when he depriveth him of glory ; ( for he that may justly take away both , may take away one only ) : and then man being rational , must needs have a sense of the greatness of his loss . 2. and there is no man of reason , but would rather choose a tolerable degree of pain for ever , ( as a less evil ) than to be annihilated . and he that may inflict the greater , may inflict the lesser . prop. 13. those positive torments of conscience which follow the review of wilful actual sin , and which men must suffer for such in hell , cannot be the punishment of our guilt either of adam's or our neerest parents actual sin . because conscience hath no such matter to work upon ; it cannot charge us with choosing that evil by our own wills ; for so far this guilt was involuntary . prop. 14. god is the rector of the universe , of common-wealths , churches , and families , as well as of individual persons ; and therefore he may punish the world as such , and punish a common-wealth as such for their sins , or a sinful church , or a sinful family : and so some individual persons , not as such , but as parts of the society , may justly suffer the loss of those benefits , which as members of that society they did possess , though they committed not the sins for which the punishment is inflicted : in which case the nature of punishment is divided between the society , and that individual sufferer . it is the societies fundamentaliter , because they are the sinners ; it is the sufferers terminative , because he beareth it : and true punishment it is ; for it is [ suffering for sin ] , though not for his personal sin . and thus a child , a subject , a church-member may suffer for the sins of the heads or body of the society . nor can it well be said that this is but on occasion of their sin , and not for it , and so that it is but equivocally punishment , and not truly so : for it is an evil of suffering for the evil of sin , and inflicted for demonstration of justice on the whole , and so on each part . yea , and it seems that positive punishments , as well as losses , may be inflicted on this account . prop. 15. yet as god is rector of each particular person as well as of societies , so he dealeth justly with every person , and therefore in punishing societies , he still observeth his established laws concerning individuals : and therefore he punisheth no person beyond his due : for , 1. it is supposed that a man who by consent is a member of any society , doth consent to bear or venture on the common inconveniencies and infelicity of that society , so that he may be partaker of the felicity and benefits of it : and where nature makes a man a member of a society , it supplies the place of our personal consent . for in it self it is a necessary good to us to be in society with others , seeing no man can live happily by himself ; and it is supposed in nature , that no man will dissent from his own necessary good . it is therefore by their own consent fundamentally , that such persons , though innocent in themselves , are made liable to punishment ; and therefore in all wars , when the innocent do suffer with the guilty , in the besieging of a city , the punishing of a country , it is no injustice . obj. but that is because men are not able to discern between the righteous and the guilty , or to difference in the execution , as god can do . answ . it 's true that god can do this , and man cannot : but withal god doth not all that he can do . he ruleth the world by means in an established order , and it is he that hath given men authority to rule under him : and therefore whatsoever punishment they righteously execute , it is god that righteously doth it by them . so that as men do us no wrong in such cases , so neither doth god. 3. but yet god hath determined in his laws , that none shall bear the punishment of eternal damnation , for the sins of a society , but for his own sin : yea , he hath resolved that all shall tend to the everlasting felicity of the innocent . 4. it cannot be accounted any wrong to such , when god will repair their hurt or loss with far greater advantages , which he might have denied them . 5. but yet for all this , it is certain that de facto god doth not punish any man who is not guilty by personal sins ; for there is none such on earth to punish : but though god doth so sweetly , and in perfect order carry on the work of government , that none shall have cause to complain of injustice , and doth keep an harmonious consent between his more general and his particular punishing justice , so punishing societies , that he will make good all his promises to each individual : yet , 1. it seems to me that in one and the same penalty materially considered , god may punish us both as individual persons for our own sin , and as members of a society for the sins of the society , which are no otherwise ours , than by being such members of a sinful body , and so being liable to the justice which that body is liable to . 2. and it seems to me , that if we were supposed to be personally innocent , yet god might in justice punish us with such a society , so far as may stand with his covenant to individuals : and that that covenant doth not restrain him from inflicting the least penalty on us for any besides our own sins which we have personally committed : though still even the guilt of that common sin , is participative personally ours , as we communicate in it by being members of the society : as the hand is guilty of the sin of the tongue , because it is a member of the body that is guilty . obj. there is no sin , and so no punishment , where there is no willingness . answ . here is a willingness fundamentally , in that in hope of the good of the society , and benefit from it , we consent to share with them , and speed as they , though we consent not to the sin : so that the sin is reputatively ours , so far as that we should be obliged to punishment by it , though not in it self , nor so as that we should be accounted the actual offenders . even as our sins became christ's by his voluntary sponsion , so far as to bear the penalty , but not so far as to be accounted the committer of them : so that his sufferings were truly punishments , because for sin , though not for his own ; yet not punishments in so full and strict a sense as ours that suffer for our own sins ; but by analogy of attribution , or ob inaequalem generis attributionem : and such , as it seems to me , are those punishments which innocent persons suffer meerly for the sins of the societies that they are members of . prop. 16. it is not a meer reputative interest , ( as the last described ) , but a natural interest which we have in the guilt of adam's actual sin , and so in the guilt of the actual sins of our neerer parents , as to meer desert : for our nature was in him : our persons , though not existent , were seminally in him ; we come not from adam as our creator , that makes us of nothing , nor as our fabricator , that makes us of an extrinsick pre-existent matter ; but as our progenitor , who deriveth a being to us by communication , out of himself ; and therefore can give us no better than he had himself , either qualitatively or relatively ; and therefore being a son of death , he could not beget sons of life : being guilty , he could not beget persons that are innocent ; nor bring a clean thing from himself , who was unclean . prop. 17. this natural interest in the guilt of progenitors , is only from those sins which they committed while we were in their loins , or seminally in them , and not from any that they committed after we were born : but the reputative guilt which we have from the sins of societies ( whereof we are naturally or electively members ) may befall us as much ( and rather ) from the sins which they commit when we are at age , and have the fullest use of reason ; therefore all men should be careful what society they voluntarily joyn themselves to , or abide in , and should diligently endeavour the reformation of such societies : and when they are falling into ruine past hope of recovery , should foresee the fall , and save themselves . prop. 18. it is both these sorts of guilt which adhere to us in our infancy from our parents sins . 1. the guilt which followeth our natural interest , as we are seminally in them , adhereth to us all , as soon as we have our being . 2. the other is varied according to the several societies that we are members of . 1. as we are members of the great common-wealth of the world , whereof god is the soveraign , so we are guilty by reason of the sin which mankind in our first parents committed in the beginning . for god dealt with adam in his first laws , not only as an individual person , but also as whole mankind , he and his wife being then the whole world. and so as we are first guilty of death , because of our natural interest in adam's sin , as being his progeny , so next we are also guilty by reason of this civil or reputative interest , as being members of the sinful world , or of sinful mankind : which later yet supposeth the former as its ground , and doth not arise from any covenant or will of god to impute that to us which we were never guilty of , by any natural interest of our own . not that we were personally guilty before we were personally existent ; but that we were then seminally guilty as we had a seminal being in the nature and person of our progenitors ; and when our persons from that seed do first exist , they are guilty persons , as soon as persons . and therefore when man had first sinned , god , that had given him a law , as being all mankind , and the root of a posterity in course of nature to spring from him , did also in the same relation call him to judgment , and sentence him for his sin ; and therefore passed such a sentence which we see by experience is executed on all mankind ; and as the individuals multiply from the first condemned root , so doth the guilt and the sentenced punishment adhere to each individual . ( and in the same relation was the promise of a redeemer made to him . ) as it was not adam only , but all mankind that is meant by god's sentence , [ dust thou art , and to dust thou shalt return , &c. ] yet only adam as then personally existent and condemned , and all others as seminally in him , and the sentence makes its first seizure on their persons when their persons shall first exist , and not before ; even so is it by the guilt , as it is by the sentence : it was only adam's person that was at first guilty ; but not only as a particular private person , but as mankind , and as the root of all that should succeed ; and therefore we were seminally guilty in him , and are personally guilty from him , when we first personally exist . 2. and as we are thus guilty as members of sinful mankind , so also as members of sinful families ; and in that respect may for the sins of our neerest parents , lie under family punishments . 3. so are we also as members of wicked common-wealths , and particular subordinate societies in those common-wealths : and therefore it is so common for god to punish men for common abhominations , and provoking enormities , which yet themselves did not commit . 4. the like may be said of heretical , impure , and scandalous churches , whose members become liable to church-punishments , as those aforesaid to common-wealth-punishments . prop. 19. it is one thing to be so far guilty , or to deserve punishment , as that god may in the execution of vindictive justice , lay it on us as our due , ( unless remedied ) : and it 's another thing to be so far guilty , as that god must punish us , or else be unjust , or not attain the ends of right government , by ordinary means . it is the first guilt only which i say ariseth from the sins of our parents to us : the second i neither affirm nor deny , as not intending now to meddle with that controversy . prop. 20. though according to the strict rigor of the law of nature or works , considered alone , god might , for the sin of adam , or our neerer parents , adjudge us to everlasting death , as our due , because of our forementioned participation therein : yet hath he provided such a remedy in the gospel , that no man shall everlastingly perish for any such sin , who is made partaker of that remedy . and therefore though the gospel findeth men under such a guilt by nature , yet doth it not bind it on them , but free them from it , if they be in christ : therefore when god telleth men that if they repent and believe , it is not their fathers sins that shall damn them , yet bids them take heed lest they perish by their own , this doth not deny that we deserve death for adam's , or our other parents sins ; but only that if we repent , and be our selves evangelically righteous , the deserved evil shall not befall us . the remedy supposeth , and not denieth the malady . prop. 21. a further difference may yet appear between the guilt of adam's first sin , and our guilt of his following sins , or the sins of our neerer parents ; if we distinguish between the fundamentum and the terminus of guilt , and then observe , that the terminus is but one and the same , but the foundation is divers . the punishment which we are guilty of , or liable to , by adam's sin , is the privation of our whole felicity . the new guilt of our neerer parents sin , or adam's further sins , yea , or our own actual sin , can bring no new punishment on us according to the covenant of works , ( though according to the covenant of grace , which giveth new mercies , whose privation we are capable of , we may have new punishments , which the first sin did not bring us under ) . as to the pain of loss it is clear ; because when we have forfeited all , we can forfeit no more : but by the first sin we forfeited all . but this is not because the sin in its own nature hath not the same demerit as the first : but because man is capable of no greater privation than he hath incurred already ; nor of any greater torment , if the first sin deserved as much torment , as mans nature was capable of . so that terminative here is no new super-added punishment , according to the first law. but yet none may hence conclude that here is no new guilt ; because it is another fundamentaliter & formaliter . for divers relations may have the same terminus . we do by following sins incur a new and further obligation to the same penalty ; which would be to a greater penalty , were we capable of it naturally . when a felon is guilty of death on one crime , yet twenty bills may be brought in against him , which may charge him with a manifold guilt , though but of one death . as a man may have a manifold right to one good thing which he possesseth , and a right super-added to his first right , ( as god hath the right of redemption to us , super-added to the right of creation ) ; so may a sinner have super-added , and manifold obligations to the same punishment . yet here we see some difference between our first guilt of adam's sin , and all super-added guilt ; that the first having deprived us of all our felicity , none that follows can deprive us of any more , ( except of the mercies new given us by the gospel , which the meer sins of parents shall deprive no man of , that disowneth them ) . prop. 22. though it be but an imperfect analogical guilt , which the act of adam's , or other parents sin doth directly and immediately leave upon us ; yet the corruption or pravity of our own nature , inherent in each person , which by adam's sin was introduced , doth bring on us a further guilt . and so mediately the said actual sin doth bring it . which occasioneth so many protestant divines to place original sin ( as ours ) in this pravity alone . prop. 23. though this natural depravedness may seem to infer a lesser guilt , because it is not voluntary , as our actual sins are : yet , 1. we being seminally in him that voluntarily caused it ; and , 2. it being the habitual pravity of the will it self , and so far voluntary ; and , 3. therefore containing virtually all future actual voluntary sins ; 4. and being more contrary to god's holy nature and will , than one single actual sin would be ; it hath therefore many aggravations instead of that one , which it seemeth to have less of : and so must needs bring a true and proper obligation to punishment , ( till christ dissolve it ) , as well as actual sins . prop. 24. it seems to me that the sins of neerer parents may do much to the corrupting of our natures , as well as the sin of adam ; and to increase the pravity that from his only sin , would have been upon them . proved , 1. there is the same reason why the sins of immediate parents should deprave the nature of posterity , as there is that adam's sin should do it . some divines say that god took away his image from adam : some that he took away his spirit , and so the loss of his image followed : some that adam's sin did it self destroy , or blot out that image . as to the first ; i say , 1. it is not sound ; because it makes god the most proper immediate , ( if not the only true ) efficient cause of sin , and of the sinning sin , which is the worst of sins : also , because there is no word of god that saith any such thing . 2. if it were true , the sin of cain deserved the same , as well as the sin of adam . as to the second opinion , i say , 1. it is yet undetermined ( de nomine ) among divines , whether it be not the redeemer only that giveth the spirit , and whether it can properly be said that god gave his spirit to adam in innocency ? though i am for the affirmative . 2. but suppose that there be some conserving aid which god did withdraw , by what name soever it be called : yet thaat withdrawing was in order of nature consequential to mans sinning , and not before it : and that sin it self did deprave the soul . 3. the sin of cain deserveth the like desertion as well as the sin of adam : but man's nature is not now capable of it in the same sort as then it was , because then we were innocent , and had the perfect image of god upon us , and were capable of losing it : but now we have lost it already , our parents sins can but remove us further from god , and hinder our recovery . the third opinion seemeth most warrantable , that adam put away , or blotted out god's image , and so depraved his own soul : ( for which see capel of tempt , and thes . salmuriens . vol. 1. disp . de statu hominis lapsi ante gratiam ; sect . 19 , 20 , 21. ) but there is the same reason why cain's sin should deprive his posterity of god's image , save only that they had not the same to lose : for the destructive nature of the sin is the same , and so is the merit . and though they have not that perfect image of god now to lose , yet they have some remnants of moral virtue , assisted by the light and law of nature ; and the nature of man is capable of being made worse than yet it is : and there is the same reason why cain's sin may make it worse , as there is why adam's may make it bad . man's fall was a change of his end : he first took god for his ultimate end , and chief good : he was seduced to take him for one that envied his felicity , and for a liar , and to seek his felicity in the creature , against the command of god. the ultimate end of man's actions being thus changed , all moral good is so far perverted ; for all means and subordinate ends depend on it . and so the stream of mans actions are turned into a wrong channel ; the sensitive appetite is hereupon become the master-principle in the soul , as ruling the rest . for , as placaeus saith , ubi sup . cujus facultatis finis proximus est hominis ultimus , ea caeteris omnibus facultatibus , tanquam architectonica , imperat : that faculty whose neerest end is mans ultimate end , doth rule all the other faculties , as the master of the work . and thus man being turned finally to sensibles from god , his nature is depraved , and god's image defaced . yet is not the soul removed to the utmost distance from god ; for then he should be as bad as the devils , and all men should be equally evil ; and the sensitive appetite would so uncontrouledly reign , that man would be worse than bruitified , his reason serving only to purvey for the flesh , so that the light and law of nature would not restrain him , nor any thoughts of a god , and a life everlasting , once stop him in his sin . now it is apparent that there is the same natural ( and meritorious ) force in cain's sin to turn his nature further from god , as was in adam's to turn it so far away : or if man were at the worst , yet his following sins have the same power to fix him in that misery , as his first had to bring him into it . for they also are a wilful turning from god to the creature , as well as the first . arg. 2. it is past all doubt that the sinners own personal nature is made worse by his own actual sin : experience proves it too fully : scripture saith , that they that have been accustomed to do evil , can no more learn to do well , than a blackmoor can change his skin , or a leopard his spots . and there is no reason that i know of that can be given , why a more corrupt parent should not beget a child more corrupt , and deliver him the sinful improvement of his pravity , as well as that all sinful depraved parents should beget depraved children : and though this controversy be mixed with the great difficulties about the propagation of the soul , and the matter of its corruption , yet which way soever those be determined , it makes not against the thing that i assert . if the soul be ex traduce , and so corrupted , then the case is most easy . if man beget the sensitive soul corrupted , and god do then promove that to the excellency of being a rational soul , ( as some think the material species of the phantasy is raised by the active intellect to be the intelligible immaterial species ) ; still there is the same reason why the more corrupt parent should propagate a soul more corrupt , as that all should propagate a corrupt one . if the soul be depraved either by a taint from the body , or by a willing accommodation of it self to the body , through the force of the natural desire of union , ( de quo vide placaeum ubi supra , ) as water to the shape of the vessel that it is put into : still the reason holds the same for the degree of corruption , as for the thing it self . that god by way of penalty should create the soul sinful immediately , seems plainly to make him the author of sin : but if it were so , yet there is the same reason of demerit , to provoke him to create the soul of cain's son yet more sinful , as there is in adam's to provoke him to create it sinful at all . arg. 3. besides , experience assureth us , that all children bring not an equal degree of pravity into the world , if we may judge by their first exercise of reason , or use of passions . but if there were no difference made since , it should seem that all should be corrupted alike , ( further than god cureth any , and so maketh a difference . ) we see also that many of the children of the most vicious people are more vicious than the ordinary sort of men are . we see also that some mens bodies being distempered by their vices , they propagate those bodily distempers to their posterity ; which we evidently perceive do make a great alteration on the soul : from whence we see some persons very sottish and silly , yea some ideots , and some extreme talkative , some extreme passionate , some lustful , some malicious , some gluttonous , some drunkards , and this above the corrupt inclination which appeareth in the ordinary sort of men ; and plainly sed by the temper of the body . obj. 1. if our corruption were increased by the sins of immediate parents , then the world would grow worse and worse , and we should have been devils long before this age . answ . 1. most divines say that the first sin would have done all this , if god in mercy had not prevented or remedied it . 2. god still resolveth to keep the world in order under his government ; and therefore restraineth corruption , and will not suffer it to grow , as according to its nature it would . 3. this is one of the common benefits that the world receiveth by the grace of the redeemer , that they grow not as bad as else they would . 4. for the sake of the church god will restrain them . obj. 2. we see many of the worst men have good children . answ . no mans corruptions do put his children into a remediless condition : and therefore god may sanctifie whom and when he pleaseth . so may he do also by the parents themselves , for all their sins ; and yet those sins do make them worse . obj. 3. then you may say that grace is propagated by generation from our immediate parents , as well as sin : and yet experience telleth us the contrary . answ . 1. this makes as much against the propagation of original corruption from adam , as from our neerer parents . if it were of any force , it would be against both . 2. there is so great a difference between grace and sin , that quite alters the case . for , 1. grace is something extrinsecally adventitious , and now ( as to the cause of it , and manner of working it ) supernatural : but so is not sin . 2. grace is an adventitious perfecting quality : sin is a defect , ( as it is in the rational faculties ) . but defects are more easily propagated , than adventitious qualities : for one requireth nothing thereto but a defective nature ; ( for nothing can convey to another that which it hath not it self : ) but the other requireth more than nature to its propagation . no acquired knowledge or skill in languages , sciences , arts , or manufactures , are propagated to posterity by nature : but the ignorance of these is natural . 3. but above all , it 's considerable that original sin , so far as it containeth a positive inclination , seems to be radically in the inordination of the sensitive appetite , raging against the rule of reason , ( though the rational faculty be corrupted too , and gives up it self to the slavery of the sensitive ; yet the sensitive seems to be the root . ) now it is evident that nature doth much in propagation of the sensitive , ( or else man should do less in generation than a beast ) . but grace is radically subjected in the rational faculties , ( though by participation also it reach the sensitive : ) and here nature doth less in propagation . we see by experience that a natural gentleness and calmness of the passions , and such other lower common virtues as are subjected in the sensitive part , are born with some men ; and from the temperament of the body , one man is more mild , patient , temperate than another : but it is not so with the intellectual perfections , nor christian graces , faith , hope , or charity . i shall now proceed to prove so much of the affirmative , as i have here owned more than is now held , viz. that there ariseth to children from the sins of their neerest parents , such an imperfect guilt , so called by analogie of attribution , as that god may in vindictive justice inflict on them for the same , the penalty ( so called by the same analogy ) both of temporal death , and of eternal , at least as to the penalty of loss ; supposing that it be not pardoned through christ . and this i prove by these following arguments . arg. 1. if we are guilty of adam's first sin , on that account , because we were seminally in him , and are propagated from him , then are we guilty of our neerer parents sins on the same account . but the antecedent is true : go . so is the consequent . here i suppose it granted that adam's first sin is imputed to us , and we guilty of it : for i now deal not with those divines that deny it , but with those that maintain it : for as i said before , if we are not guilty of adam's sin , then i must give up my cause , and confess that we are not guilty of the sins of our neerer parents . supposing then the imputation of adam's sin to us , i must first prove that the reason of that imputation is , because we are propagated from him , and were seminally in him . 2. that on the same reason , we have the like guilt of neerer parents sins . 1. for the first , i may safely premise this , that as in all relations there must be a relate , correlate and foundation ; and as to the disconformity of a crooked line from the rule , there must be the crookedness of the line , and the straightness of the rule ; and is the rule will not give you ground to denominate the line disconform or crooked , unless it be truly so : even so there must be merit on mans part , consisting in performance , or some participation in the evil , before the law ( which is the rule ) will judge him guilty . the law is first the rule of duty , and then the rule of judgment . and it first shews them to be guilty of the sin ( reos culpae ) before it shew their obligation to punishment , ( reatum poenae . ) this being so , it seems clear that the doctrine ( of too many ) that lay the chief or only cause of man's guilt and punishment upon god's covenant , is not sound . they say god made a covenant with adam that he should stand or fall for all his posterity : that is , as some expound it , that his desert of life or death should be imputed theirs : and as others ; that if he sinned , he and his posterity should be guilty of death ; and if he did not sin that first sin of eating the forbidden fruit , both he and his posterity should be confirmed in their happiness , as the good angels , and never fall afterward : and this covenant , say they , makes us guilty of adam's sin , though we have not a natural interest to make us guilty ; and so god imputeth it to us , not because it was ours before the imputation , but because he is pleased to make it ours by that imputation , or by his covenant . that it is not the imputation or covenant that primarily makes us guilty , but determineth us guilty of the fault who are so in our selves , and consequently determineth us guilty of punishment ; i prove thus : 1. else it should be god only or primarily that should make us sinners , and not we our selves , nor our parents : but that 's most false : go . the consequence is most apparent . if a man be therefore a sinner , because god by his covenant or imputation saith he is one , and not because he is first made one by himself , or parents , then god is the principal , if not only cause of sin . 2. yea , then god should make a man a sinner by that law whose essential nature is to prohibit and hinder sin . 3. or else thus ; god's judgment ( by law or sentence ) is ever according to the truth of the thing : ( he judgeth or pronounceth things to be as they are , and not as they are not . ) but if he should determine or pronounce a man a sinner that is not , his judgment were not according to truth : but he should make that which is false become true by judging it true ; which is no tolerable conceit . 4. if it were without any antecedent ground in us , that god's covenant doth judge or make us guilty of adam's sin , ( or god impute it to us , ) but meerly because he will do it ; then on the same reason might god have made or judged the innocent angels , or the lord jesus christ guilty of adam's sin : yea , he might have imputed it to the sun , or moon , or any creature . for if real innocency secure not us from being made sinners by god , or reputed such , then it would not secure them : or if god's will to impute it be enough , without an antecedent interest to ground that imputation upon , then there is no difference , as to interest in that sin , between them and us : but that 's too gross a conceit to be defended . 5. there is no such covenant of god with adam mentioned in scripture , as lays the final standing of his posterity upon that first obedience , or disobedience of his , much less that determineth that they shall be judged guilty for his sake , of more than they are guilty of indeed , by natural interest . the foundation of the relation is in our selves . i conclude therefore that it is most certain that there is in man some sufficient ground or cause why god's law should denominate or judge him guilty before it do so . and this cause can be no other than one of these two : either because we were seminally in adam , and are his children ; or because god making his covenant as the rector of all mankind , did make it upon supposition of a virtual consent contained in the very nature of man , and so supposing that what we ought to do , we would do , and that if all men had then existed , we ought to have consented to venture our felicity upon adam's act , and to run the hazard● of perishing with him , on condition we might be saved with him if he stand ; and so such a supposed consent is the ground of our guilt . but , though i will not exclude this last ground , yet certainly it is upon a supposition of the former , or else it is none at all . for man was not to exist till the fall was past , and therefore could not be supposed to exist . and if god had decreed to create every individual person to the end of the world , of nothing , as he did adam , without any derivation from him ; what virtual consent can be supposed ? or on what ground should it be presupposed that we would all consent to live and die with him , any more than with the angels that fell ? or any more than the good angels might be supposed to consent to such a thing ? i conclude therefore that the first ground of our interest in adam's sin , or our guilt of it , is our being his off-spring , and then seminally in him ; and next , that god might make one law for him and all that should come of him , as supposing the equity of their consent : yet by that law , he hath not ( that i know of ) involved them in his first sin any more than in his second or third ; nor offered them happiness meerly on condition of his avoiding that first sin , whatsoever they should afterwards do themselves ; nor yet promised to make them impeccable , or prevent all after sin . 2. it being then our natural interest that is the first ground of our guilt of adam's actual sin , ( so far as we are guilty ) : and we being as truly the children of our neere parents , as of him , and seminally in them as well as in him , it follows that we have the same natural interest in their sins as in his ; and therefore the same guilt , and reason why god should impute them to us : unless the change of laws do make a difference , which if it do , it can be no more , than by adding the law of grace to that of nature to remedy its obligation : for the nature of things being still the same , the same law of nature still remains : and therefore children must now be naturally guilty of all parents sins , as well as then , before that guilt be dissolved by remission . though now god will not punish the adult meerly for parents sins imputed to us , yet he might do it if he would , supposing he had not by the law of grace determined the contrary , if it be proved that he might do it then . moreover , as then god might suppose a civil interest in adam's sin , ( as we were parts-future of the same world of mankind , ) on presupposition of our natural interest , ( as his off-spring ; ) so now ( though our parents be not the root of mankind as adam was ; and that 's the main difference , yet ) seeing our neerest parents may be the root of families , or other societies , whereof god is also the rector , he may suppose another sort of civil interest or guilt of their sins upon us . as he imputed adam's sin to us as he was rector of all mankind , so may he our neerer parents as he is ruler of a family , or of some more remote , as ruler of a common-wealth . obj. but that law which made us guilty of adam's sin , is abrogated , and instead of it is made the law of grace . god doth not now say to any , in the day thou sinnest thou shalt die . answ . i know that commination stands not alone , and unremedied ; and i yield that the promissory part is ceased : but still every sin doth leave upon us a guilt of death , till christ take it off ; or else what need could we have of the pardon of it ? obj. but that law was particular and positive , [ in the day thou eatest thou shalt die ] : go . it is ceased . answ . the particular prohibition of that act of eating is ceased , cessante objecto : but that particular was grounded on , and presupposed a general , and that which you call positive ( how fitly , i now enquire not ) was first natural , as to the duness of penalty for each particular sin . the law of nature first saith [ death is the due wages of sin ] . or [ every sin deserveth death ] : and this law doth still remain . so that though , as to the event , we have not that reason to expect eternal death now , for parents sins , ( nor for every sinful act of our own , ) as before the promise of christ we might have had ; yet that is not because the law is abrogated , which is the very standing law of nature , nor because now each sin deserveth not such death : but because we have now a remedy at hand to put away the guilt . i am sure , this is the commonest judgment of those divines that are most against arminianism ; for they maintain that all the unbelievers are still under the law of works it self , as to the cursing and punishing power . arg. 2. if we receive the guilt of one sin from our immediate parents , then may we as well receive the guilt of more : but we do receive the guilt of one from them : go . the antecedent is plain : for we receive from them the guilt of adam's sin . it is theirs before it can be ours . adam delivered it not immediately to us . as we received our nature and persons from our neerest parents , so did we therewith our guilt of that sin . the consequence is proved , in that there is the same reason of both . why did not our parents propagate us free from the guilt of adam's sin ? because they were not free from it themselves naturally ; and therefore cannot give us a better nature than they have themselves . and so on the same reason it must follow , that being themselves guilty of other sins , they cannot convey to us a nature not guilty of them . if one be therefore ours because it was first theirs , and our nature from them , the other must be so too . obj. the law makes the difference : for god hath not made us liable to justice for our neerer parents sins , as he did for the first . answ . this is already answered . the law indeed makes a difference as to the event and execution , and actual remaining obligation : but not as to the desert . the law declares and shews men to be as they are , and doth not judge unequally of men that are equal , or of equal actions . the same law , though remedied , is still so far in force . obj. our parents , if faithful , are pardoned and justified , and therefore cannot convey to us the guilt of any sin , because they have it not themselves . answ . it must be carefully understood , that pardon takes not away , 1. either the reatum culpae , so as that person should hereafter be judged not to have done what he did , or not to have sinned in so doing : 2. nor yet the natural merit of punishment , as if that sin , and the person for it , did cease to deserve death ; but only it remitteth the punishment deserved , and takes away the legal effectual obligation to punishment , or that duness of punishment which must bring it upon us . so that parents may nevertheless convey to their children that natural desert which was not removed from themselves . 2. and then remission being a free act of god , extendeth no further than he pleaseth : and therefore ( unless the covenant to the faithful and their seed , do pardon all their guilt to their seed as well as themselves ) the very effectual obligation to punishment will follow the natural desert of it , to those children that have not such a remission . and if this would prove any thing , it would prove us not guilty of adam's sin . arg. 3. if we are guilty of more of adam's sins than the first , or than the eating of the forbidden fruit , then on the same grounds we may be guilty of the sins of our neerer parents : but the antecedent is true ; go . so is the consequent . the antecedent is proved thus . if there were the same causes to make us guilty of adam's following sins , as of the first , then th●●e is the same guilt . but there were the same causes : go . 1. we were seminally in adam as well when he committed his second sin as his first . 2. the same law as to the precept and threatning was in force ( as de futuro ) when he committed his second sin , as when he committed the first . 1. it cannot be doubted but adam sinned oft between the time of his eating the fruit , and god's making the promise of a redeemer . for his soul being depraved , and turned into a wrong course of action , must needs act sinfully . 2. yea we could not be guilty of his eating the forbidden fruit , if we are guilty only of his first sin . for that was not the first . his unbelief of god , and believing the serpent , and others more , did go before it . 3. yea , the sins that adam committed after the promise , do in their nature deserve our sufferings as much as the first , though that desert had a remedy provided . if any still reduce all to god's meer will , and say that it was his will in his first actions to deal with adam as the root of mankind , but not in his later sins ; i must expect , till they bring some proof of such a will of god , or such a law ; and still say , that the will and law of god doth not make sinners of innocent men , nor make sinners no sinners any otherwise than by pardoning and sanctifying them ▪ so that 〈◊〉 were as much in adam after the promise as before , and his sin was of the same demerit naturally ; and therefore we are as well guilty of that as of the first . and then for the consequent , it is acknowledged by most of those whom we now oppose , that we are equally related to adam's later sins , and to those of our neerer parents , ( i mean , to all that adam committed before the propagation of his progeny . ) and there are the same causes , as is before manifested . though our neerer parents were not the root of all mankind as adam was , yet are they as much a cause of us and our nature , and of so much of mankind as spring from their loins , as adam was . and all the progeny of cain did spring as truly from him as from adam : and all the world since the flood were as truly in the loins of noah as of adam : and so naturally equally interessed in their sins . arg. 4. if our natures may be corrupted more by the sins of our neerer parents , then may they be guilty by them as well as by adam's . but the antecedent i have before proved : go . the consequence depends on the fameness of the reasons , that guilt and depravation should concur from our neerer parents as well as from our first : and it seems that participation in guilt is pre-requisite to the depravation of nature ; else it might seem some kind of injury to us , that another should have power to make us so miserable . sin is commonly called the punishment of sin . arg. 5. if god may without any injustice bring death both temporal and eternal on the son of a sinner , without intending it as a punishment to the son for the father's sin ; then may he also without injustice ( nay in justice ) inflict the same death as a penalty for the father's sin : but the antecedent is true ; as i prove thus . 1. that which all rulers may do without injustice , that god may do without injustice . but all rulers may without injustice deprive the children of a traytor , or other offender , of those enjoyments which the father hath forfeited himself , and which were to have been conveyed from the father to the child , if the father had not forfeited them . if a traytor forfeit his lands , and honours , his son is justly deprived of them , though the prince intend it not as a punishment to the son. because the father cannot convey to his son that which he hath not himself ; as having lost it on his forfeiture : and the son hath no right to it when the fathers right is gone . so if a wicked man do forfeit his right to all blessings in this life , or that to come , he cannot convey a right to his son which he had not himself . and what other way should that son have such a right , unless god should give it him ; which he is or was free to do or not . it 's true that god by a new covenant hath given this everlasting life to believers : but that 's not to all ; nor doth that deny them to be guilty of their parents sin before , nor yet that it deserveth death still as to its nature , and might bring it , were it not pardoned . 2. god hath no obligation on him according to the law of works , to give health , peace , or any blessing in this life , much less eternal glory to the son of a sinner . 2. and for the consequence , 1. it is evident from what is said , that god cannot be charged with hard or cruel dealing , in regard of any wrong that we should suffer , if he punish us ( thus by deprivation ) for our parents sins : for if it be no cruelty to do the same thing upon the meer occasion of their sins , ( which is unquestionable , ) then it is no cruelty to do it in respect to their sin , as the deserving cause . 2. and for the point of justice , as it is already proved to be non injustum , so it may be proved to be justum , thus . where there is a real participation in the sin , there it is just that there should be a participation in the punishment , because of that sin . but we did really participate in the sin , as of adam , so of our neerer parents : go . for the minor : they that were seminally in them , ( though not by personal existence ) did really participate with them in their sin . but we were seminally in them : go . this will be further confirmed in that which followeth . arg. 6. if we should have been guilty of the sin of our neerest parents , though adam had never sinned , then are we guilty of them now : but the antecedent is true : go . here i suppose that adam had not sinned , and our neerest parents had . if any say this is not to be supposed . i answer ; though it may not be affirmed to have so been , yet we may in dispute suppose it had been . nor have i yet seen it proved that god made any such promise to adam , as to confirm all his posterity , on condition that he did not commit that , or any sin . if adam had begot a posterity no better than himself was in his first created perfection , and under the same law , then they would have been peceable and mutable as he was , and liable to the same penalty upon their sin as he was . but adam would have begot a posterity no better than himself , for ought we can find by scripture , which no where promiseth him a better , that is , an immutable or indesectible posterity : and they would have been under the same law ; for it was suited to their perfect nature : go . from what is said , the antecedent is evident . for if we should have been as much in our neerest parents as we were in adam , and they have been under the same : law ▪ then their sin would have brought on us the same guilt and punishment . for example , if cain had been the first sinner , and seth had been innocent ; the posterity of cain would have been all guilty and corrupted , as adam's posterity now is . for the same causes would have produced the same effects . the consequence is clear , in that adam's sinning first can be no cause why we should not be guilty of the following sins of our neerer parents , which otherwise we should have been guilty of . arg. 7. none can be naturally the propagators of a nature better than their own , ( or a person better than themselves . ) but if parents who are manifoldly guilty of death did propagate a nature not guilty , then should they propagate a nature ( or person ) better than their own : go . here i must explain my meaning , by distinguishing of evil positive ( if such be ) and privative : between evils adhering to our nature or essence , and those that adhere but to some integral part : between a total privation and a partial : between a privation real or physical , and relative . and so i conclude that , 1. i speak not here of positive evil , as such , ( if such there be , ) but of privative . 2. i speak not of every evil that adhereth only to some part , and not to nature it self . for i know a lame man may beget a son not lame , and a sick man may beget a sound child . 3. nor do i speak of such a partial privation which may consist with the prevalency of the contrary ; and which nature may supply , or overcome . 4. nor yet of a privation of some physical good , ( though that be another part of our unhappiness , ) but of a relation or right . 5. nor of a privation accidentally accrewing to the person , and limited to himself alone by the will 〈◊〉 another ; but of one that is without any such limitation , naturally , or by necessary resultancy fallen upon him . furthermore it must be observed ; 1. that the guilt that we now speak of is no natural being , but a relative , and that not proper and compleat , but , as we may call it , a privative relation , participating of the nature of a proper relation but little more than a natural privation doth of natural being . a right to life is a true relation , which by sin we are deprived of : yet because there is not only the non debitum habendi , but the debitum non habendi , i will not deny but even in this privation there is a kind of relatio rationis . 2. observe that we are not now speaking of the duness of positive torments ; for i say nothing of that in this point of guilt of progenitors sins . 3. note that many learned philosophers and divines affirm that all evil is a privation of good formally ; ( see barlow's exercit. de natura mali. ) and if that hold , then it seems that our parents sins do bring upon us a guilt of all evil of punishment : for when they have forfeited all good , they can convey no right of any to us . 4. note also , that right to blessedness more or less , doth not adhere to the nature of man as man ; ( for then those in hell should have it : ) but it is a separable thing , depending on the will of god : and therefore our parents may convey our nature , without any right to such blessings . 5. when i say that it is naturally , and by necessary resultancy , that a sinner is thus guilty , i do not exclude god's free will as the antecedent cause in making nature it self , and the law : but the indifferency , or non-necessity of the effect when the causes are once in nature thus laid . gnd might have chosen to have made man such as he is , that is , man : and having so made him , whether he might have chosen to make him that law which we call the law of nature , i will not now dispute ; ( though i think not : because that law of nature is nothing but the very nature of man himself , considered as related to god , and withal the nature of the whole creation ; which all per modum signi do shew man the will of god concerning what shall be due from man , and to man. ) but this is clear , that god having freely made man in that relation , and under that law as he did , his breach of that law doth then by a natural necessity bring him under guilt : for if the subjectum , fundamentum & terminus be put in being , the relation cannot be avoided ; for that were a contradiction . having given this explication , i suppose little more need to be said for the proof of the premises . for the major , it seems now clear , that a person who hath lost his right totally to life , or any blessing , cannot convey to another person , of whom he is the root , a nature that hath right to that life or blessing . for nemo dat quod non habet . 2. and this seems plainly to be no meer negation of right , ( in the derived nature , ) but a privation . because if our progenitors had none of them sinned , we should have been born with that right which now we want ; and so we had seminally and virtually a right our selves : which being lost , it is a privation to us , and not a meer negation ; and so a punishment , and not a meer affliction : yet as the right of our parents themselves , ( as adam ) who were personally existent , was a more full and proper right than ours who were but seminally in them ; so our privation is not in so plenary and proper a sense called a privation , nor a punishment , as theirs is , or as our own is for our actual sins : and so our guilt is not so full and proper a guilt ; but analogically so called , as accidens is called ens. and this seems to me to be the true difference between our guilt of our parents sins , and of our own : and our punishment for theirs , ( original from adam , or others , ) and of our own actual sin . and perhaps zuinglius meant thus , when he denied original sin to be properly called sin . so far as such a seminal right or possibility which the seed hath through the parent , doth differ from the parents own right ; so far there is a difference in the formal nature of penalty and guilt , upon the loss of that right . it is doubtless some more loss that the son of a traytor hath , by his fathers forfeiture of his lands , than a stranger may be said to have by that forfeiture , who never was in a possibility of enjoying them . it is therefore no meer negation , but a privation , and consequently participateth of the nature of penalty , and the obligation thereto of the nature of guilt . and thus in the major proposition of this argument i place the very reason of original guilt , from adam , or any parents . the minor is plain : if adam should convey to abel a nature that hath right to life , or that is not deprived of the right it was in possibility of , or seminally had , then he should propagate a better nature than his own , and give that which he had not to give . and so if our neerest parents , who are by a manifold obligation deprived of that right , should convey to us a nature that is deprived of it but by a single obligation , they also should propagate a better nature than their own . but that cannot be . god by his grace may make us better than our parents : but they by natural procreation cannot . arg. 8. where punishment may justly follow , there guilt did go before : but punishment of children for their parents sin committed while they were in their loins , may justly follow : go . there guilt did go before . the major is proved , in that all punishment is for some fault , whereof the person punished was some way guilty . obj. it sufficeth that another were guilty of it : answ . one mans sin deserveth not another mans punishment , further than that other doth some way participate in the guilt . only we must distinguish between guilt by personal commission or omission , and guilt by moral and reputative , or by natural participation : only adam or other parents were guilty by personal commission or omission , as to those particular sins : but we are guilty by natural participation , in that we derive all our nature and personal being from persons so guilty : and we are guilty by reputative participation , of the sins of mankind , ( in adam , ) and of the societies that we are members of , ( quoad nudum meritum , still , ) in that we are justly reputed to consent to partake of the benefits or penalties of such societies , when we voluntarily become and continue members of them . obj. christ himself was justly punished , and yet was not guilty of our sin . answ . he was not guilty by commission , or by natural participation : but he had an analogical guilt by reputative participation ; that is , by his own voluntary sponsion , putting himself quoad poenam in the room of finners : but mark the limitation ; it was but quoad poenam , that he undertook this task , viz. that though he were not properly guilty , yet he consented to suffer as if he were guilty , for the sakes of them that were . so that his own consent was a just cause of the derivation of the penalty to his own person which did not commit the sin ; and so that analogical guilt was instead of proper guilt . it may well he said that christ was guilty ad poenam , as obliged to punishment , in that his own consent was sufficient to induce an obligation to punishment . obj. may not god's pleasure bring on us a reputative guilt of adam's sin , and not of our neerer parents ? seeing he hath absolute power over us , and therefore his will may serve instead of our consent , as the will of a parent may be instead of the infants will. answ . god bringeth not guilt on any by efficiency , or making them such as deserve punishment : but by imputation and adjudication . otherwise god should be the cause of sin , as sin : for so to make guilty , is to make a man really a sinner . our parents may will sin , and so may do it for us , because we are seminally in them : but god cannot will sin . our parents by willing it , do first become sinners themselves , and then convey the guilt to us : but so cannot god. it being therefore but by reputation and adjudication that he judgeth men so guilty of sin , it is apparent that his judgment must have some ground in the nature of the thing ; and the man must be guilty before god judge him so : for his judgment is according to truth . and therefore it must needs be that there must be some reason in our selves why adam's sin should be judged ours , or why we should be judged liable to punishment for it : and that must be , because we derive our natures from him : and then there is the same reason for our guilt of neerer parents sin , save only that god hath since more freed us from the danger of that suffering , which by such sins we might have undergone , ( as he pardoneth to us adam's imputed sin also . ) the minor of the argument will be anon cleared in the following arguments . obj. it is indeed a punishment that is due to children for their parents sins : but it is only to the parents that it is formally punishment ; and to themselves it is but materially so , and so but affliction , because the sin , and so the guilt , was only the parents , though the child be the subject of the suffering . answ . 1. if this were granted , it would still hold good , that god may justly lay that suffering which is materially punishment , upon children , for the sins of immediate parents . 2. if this were so , then it will equally follow that we may not be formally but materially punished for adam's sin , seeing the reason is manifested to be the same . 3. i have shewed that there must be some reason on the part of the sufferer , why he should suffer for another mans sin : now with us in the present case , it is evident that the reason is , because we are their seed , and have our natures from them : go . this is a less-perfect , or analogical guilt . obj. god doth inflict sufferings on the beasts for mans sin , without any cause on their part : go . he may do so by infants . answ . 1. god is not the rector of beasts in a moral proper sense ; but only in a natural improper sense , as a pilot ruleth a ship , or an herdsman cattel : and therefore he hath made no law for them , nor hath engaged his fidelity to them concerning the conditions of their happiness or misery , as he hath done to man : and therefore bruits are not capable of sin or punishment , though they be of suffering . so that childrens case and theirs do differ . 2. yet when the bruits suffer for mans sin , it is because of their relation to man : and therefore children must suffer because of their relation , which is natural , and so neer that it makes them truly capable of guilt . so that according to the subject , the same suffering receives a various form and denomination , and so doth the obligation . in the personal committers of the sin , there is guilt and punishment due to them , in the primary , fullest , and most proper sense : on the children that were then in their loins , it is guilt and punishment , more imperfectly , as by analogy of attribution : in the bruits , when sacrificed , or destroyed for their masters sin , it is but equivocally guilt and punishment . i shall proceed to some texts of scripture . arg. 9. deut. 28. 18. cursed shall be the fruit of thy body . children are cursed for the sins of immediate parents : go . punished . obj. it is only to the parents that it is a punishment . answ . true in the primary sense : but as the children participate of their nature , so also of the nature of guilt and punishment . it is a threatning of natural evil to a rational creature , because of a moral evil , which he hath some participation of : go , it is by participation a true punishment . obj. you may as well say that the bruits and inanimates are punished , for they are here cursed too . answ . this was answered even now . the same evil threatned against a bruit , is no punishment , which threatned against a reasonable creature , is a punishment , because of , their different capacities . obj. the meaning of the text is but this : thou shalt be denied the desired fruit of tby body ; i. e. your women shall be barren . answ . that may be part of the meaning : but as that is not the full proper sense of the words , so is there no reason from the text for limiting it to that only ; and many other texts of scripture tell us that it is , to be extended further . obj. this was the voice of the law of works , which god doth not now govern the world by . answ . 1. this is a law which was in force since adam , and the promise : and therefore not then abrogated . 2. it is as much as i plead for , that according to the law of nature , punishment is our due for our neerer parents sins or else it had not been put in this curse by moses : but that christ hath provided a remedy in the gospel , for that and original sin as from adam , and our actual sin it self , i thankfully acknowledge . i say not therefore that eventually any shall perish for the imputed act of his parents sin , to whom it is pardoned by the grace of christ . arg. 10. exod. 20. 5. it is expressed in the moral law it self , [ for i the lord thy god am a jealous god , visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me ; ] so deut. 5. 9. and so god proclaims his name to moses , exod. 34. 7. here then is a threatning determining punishment to be due to the children for their neerer parents sin : for god will visit ; that is , in justice punish it on them . the objections before answered , i pass by . obj. this is only against those children that do themselves tread in their fathers steps . answ . true , as to the adult . but it is the parents sins that are visited on them . those children are especially threatned , because it is they that lie under such guilt ununremedied : but it 's thence plain that it was the case of all , till they receive the remedy : for the childs actual sin doth not then begin to make him guilty of his parents sin , but only shews him to lie under that guilt . obj. yes ; it is by consenting to our parents sin when we come to age , that we become guilty of them . answ . that 's not the first guilt : and that consenting brings not on us the same formal numerical sin or guilt that was on our parents ; ( for one accident cannot pass from one subject to another , nor remain in two subjects : ) but it brings only a guilt of the like sort ; so that ours is but the guilt of consenting to their sin : but the text here saith expresly , that it is the sins of the fathers that are visited on the children . obj. it is meant of children in an ethical sense , that is , not natural , but the heirs of their vices . answ . it is plain in the text that it is to natural children , and therefore the third and fourth generation are mentioned : ( though it 's true , that it is not all those children that lie under that guilt , but only those that inherit their vices . ) otherwise the threatning should be equally to any other mans natural children , that imitate your sin : but that 's against the plain text : though it be true , that any other mans children that imitate your sin , are liable to punishment for such imitation : yet not for your sin . arg. 11. eph. 2. 3. 11 , 12. [ were by nature the children of wrath , even as others . — remember that ye being in time past gentiles in the flesh , — that at that time ye were without christ , being aliens from the common-wealth of israel , and strangers from the covenants of promise , having no hope , and without god in the world. ] the first words are commonly understood of a state of wrath derived from parents by natural generation . if that be not the meaning , then i confess it makes nothing to prove either the imputation of adam's sin , or other parents ; nor native corruption neither : but if that be the sense , as is commonly judged , then is there no intimation for a restriction of it to adam's sin , as the only cause of our desert of that wrath ; nay , the later verses , and the whole scope of the place gives it as a special reason ; that [ they were gentiles in the flesh ] . so that it seems to me some state of wrath which israel was not under , that is here meant ; or at least , some what more to them as the seed of the gentiles , than was common to israel . it appears also from the following verses , that when christ took away the enmity , so that the gentiles were no more strangers and foreigners , but fellow-citizens of the saints , and of the houshold of god , and no more without god , covenant , hope , &c. that christ did deliver the gentiles from a special punishment ( and consequently guilt ) which lay on them and their seed , more than on the jews . so gal. 2. 15. [ we who are jews by nature , and not sinners of the gentiles ] which intimates plainly that the gentiles were by nature in a worse state than the jews : and therefore had by nature some more guilt than they . obj. that is not because the gentiles were by nature guilty of any more than adam's sin , but because the jews were by nature freed from that guilt ; which made the difference . answ . i confess that may be much , taking the word [ nature ] but as the cause of the persons to whom the benefit is given , and not as the cause of the gift , or thing given . but yet that seems not all which is meant , when we are called [ sinners of the gentiles , and strangers and foreigners , &c. ] for these shew some further transgression of our parents that bound the sin of adam falier on us , and increased our guilt beyond that of the jews , i mean , increased it fundamentaliter quoad ●iusam meritoriam , though not terminative quoad poenam demeritam . and indeed , it was not all the jews that were freed from the guilt of adam's sin ; but only those of them that were within the special covenant of grace . arg. 12. matth. 23. 31 , 35 , 36. [ wherefore ye be witnesses to your selves that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets : fill ye up then the measure of your fathers . ye serpents ! ye generation of vipers ! how shall ye escape the damnation of hell ? — that upon you may come all the rightous blood shed on the earth , from the blood of righteous abel to the blood of zaccharias son of barachias , whom ye slew between the temple and the altar : verily i say unto you ; all these things shall come upon this generation . ] here , 1. that which they are brought in to witness against themselves , is something that may justly subject them to punishment : but that which they must so witness is , [ that they are the children of them that killed the prophets , ] ( and not of adam only : ) go . &c. 2. from hence christ concludeth , 1. [ fill up the measure of your fathers , &c. ] q. d. 1. having the same corrupt natures with your parents , no wonder if ye do the same deeds . 2. it is just with god to forsake you for their sakes , and permit you to follow the nature that you have from them . 2. he calls them a generation of vipers and serpents , not only because of their first father , but because of the murderers of the prophets . 3. he saith , that the righteous blood shed by their fathers shall come on them : so that it appeareth that it is not only their own imitation of their parents blood shed that comes on them , but even that very blood that was shed by their parents before they were born . 4. he gives the reason from their natural participation , [ whom ye slew : ] and [ ye are the children of them that killed , &c. ] q. d. in as much as your parents did it , and you have your nature from them , it 's just that all this be imputed to you , and that you suffer as the doers of it your selves ; which yet you might have remedied by leaving their sinful ways : but being your selves imitaters of them , you shall bear both the sins which they and which your selves have committed . arg. 13. psal . 109. 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. [ let his children be continually vagabonds , and beg : and let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places . — neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children : let his posterity be cut off , and in the generation following let their name be blotted out . let the iniquity of bis fathers be remembred with the lord , and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out . let them be before the lord continually , that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth . ] here seems to be as plain evidence , that we may be justly punished for the sins of our neerer parents , as any is in scripture to prove the imputation of adam's sin . 1. david desireth a curse upon this sinners posterity , even before they are born , or before he knows what they will prove . 2. and this is not because of adam's sin , though that also lay upon them ; but , as he expresseth it , ver . 16. [ because he remembred not to shew mercy , but persecuted the po● and needy man , &c. ] 3. yea , he desireth that god would remember the iniquity of his father , and not blot out the sin of his mother : which cannot be meant of any punishment that david would have god inflict on that father or mother . he is not of a spirit so cruel and contrary to the gospel , as to desire that god would not forgive them that are dead long ago , and either in joy or misery ; when he knew not whether they died penitently , or impenitently . if any say that he did know by the spirit of prophesie , or special vision , that they did die impenitently , and are in hell : 1. i desire them that affirm it , to prove it . 2. if so , what need he desire that god would not forgive them , or blot out their sin , which he knew was now beyond possibility . 3. but the next words in the text shew that he speaks only of the sin of the dead ancestors , as it lieth on the posterity , and not on themselves : for as it was not the dead , but the living , that david prayeth against , so he next saith , let them be before the lord continually , that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth . ] so that it is a penalty on him that then was living , and upon his posterity , that david prays for , even that his parents sin may be remembred against him , and his sin remembred against his children ; and not that any of them may be remembred against the dead , who , for ought he knew , might some of them be pardoned in heaven . obj. this might be an unlawful prayer . answ . then would it not be recorded among the sacred forms which were dictated by the holy ghost , without one word of check or reprehension . obj. it is but temporal judgments that david desires for the parents sin . answ . 1. it 's known that the judgments and blessings of god are mostly expressed in the old testament , as consisting in things temporal ; because it was not yet the fulness of time for grace , and the great fruits and concomitants of it to be revealed to the full . life and immortality are brought to light ( in a greater measure ) in the gospel . 2. i have proved in the beginning , that if god may inflict temporal death on children for parents sin , then also may he inflict eternal , as to the penalty of loss , and so much of the pain of sense as the apprehension of that loss must needs infer . he that depriveth man of life , depriveth him of all the comforts of it : and he that may do so , may leave him his life without those comforts , if he please . arg. 14. [ psal . 137. 9. happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones . ] here babylon's children are to be dashed against the stones , not only for adam's , but their neerer parents sins : as is plain , in that those are given as the reason , in the psalm . arg. 15. job . 21. 19. [ god layeth up his iniquity for his children , ] that is , a punishment for his very iniquity . so job 27. 14. if his children be multiplied , it is for the sword ; and his off-spring shall not be satisfied with bread : those that remain of him shall be buried in death . so job . 17. 5. even the eyes of his children shall fail . so job 5. 4. arg. 16. the infants were to be part of the fasting , mourning , repenting , sanctified assembly , joel . 2. 15 , 16. which was not to lament adam's sin only , but their later sins : go . the infants had some sort of participation in the guilt and danger of punishment . arg. 17. nahum . 3. 10. [ her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets . ] this mentioned as god's punishment for parents sins . the like is oft in the lament . so hos . 13. 16. samaria shall become desolate , for she hath rebelled against her god ; they shall fall by the sword , their infants shall be dashed in pieces , and their women with child shall be rip'd up . arg. 18. jer. 29. 32. [ thus saith the lord ; i will punish shemaiah the nehelamite and his seed , because he hath taught rebellion against the lord. ] mark here , it is called [ punishing his seed . ] so of jehoiakim , jer. 36. 31. i will punish him and his seed , &c. so jer. 22. 28 , 30. arg. 19. isa . 14. 20. [ the seed of evil doers shall never be renowned . ] isa . 1. 4. [ a people laden with iniquity ; a seed of evil doers . ] psal . 21. 10. [ their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth , and their seed from among the children of men . ] psal . 37. 28. [ the seed of the wicked shall be cut off . ] so psal . 106. 27. and it 's oft made a reproach , and a note of men liable to contempt ; as isa . 57. 3. [ ye sons of the sorceress , the seed of the adulterer and the whore : so oft . mal. 2. 15. may have somewhat to this sense ; [ and wherefore one ? that he might seek a godly seed : ] whereof one reason may be , when they contract no guilt of parents adultery . i might here also draw an argument not contemptible from the interest of the seed of the faithful in the benefits of free grace : but because i have been so long , i will add but one more , and in that sum up many more scriptures . arg. 20. from all the examples of god's actual execution of justice on children for the sins of neerer parents . 1. for that of cain's i mentioned it before , out of matth. 23. and the text shews that his seed suffered for his sake , and not only for adam's , when there was such a difference made between seth's and his , that his seed are called , the children of men ; and so far excommunicated , that the sons of god were not to joyn with them in marriage . 2. the infants of the whole world were drowned in the floud , not only because of adam's sin , but because their fathers were grown so wicked . and it seems by peter ; 1 pet. 3. 19 , 20. that they are part of the spirits in prison . when in the mean time , noah's whole family ( even wicked cham ) are saved for his sake . 3. when sodom is burnt , all the infants perish . and it seems by jude 7. that they suffer the vengeance of eternal fire ; and the reason is , because they gave themselves over to fornication , and strange flesh . ibid. 4. god destroyed all the first born of egypt for the princes and parents sin . 5. moses commandeth to kill every male of the midianites among the little ones , even after they had given them quarter , and brought them home , numb . 31. 17. 6. so did they , and more , to the subjects of sihon , deut. 2. 34. they utterly destroyed the men and the women , and the little ones of every city and left none to remain . 7. so did they by og the king of bashan , and his subjects , deut. 3. 6. besides the rest of the inhabitants , whom they drove out . 8. the like god denounceth against themselves for their rebellion , deut , 32. 25. 9. the like is executed on achan's family , judg. 7. 24 , 25. which indeed goes beyond the case in hand . 10. god commandeth saul to slay both man , woman , infants , and suckling of 〈◊〉 amalekites , 1 sam. 15. 3. 11. god killeth the child begotten by david in adultery , for his sin . 12. he threatens out of his own loins to raise up evil against david for that sin , and other evils . 13. he bringeth a curse on eli's house after him , for his and his sons sins . 14. he saith , for solomon's sin , he will afflict the seed of david , 1 kin. 11. 39. and so rendeth from him the ten tribes . 15. he cutteth off , and bringeth evil on ahab's posterity for his sake , 1 kin. 21. 21. 15. he rejected all the seed of israel , and afflicted them , and delivered them into the hand of the enemy for their parents sin , 2 kings 17. 20. 16. manasseh's sin god would not pardon to his posterity , when he was dead , and pardoned himself , 2 kin. 24. 3 , 4. 17. ezek. 9. 6. he gives the like command , [ slay utterly old and young , both maids and little children . ] 18. the children of babylon , shemaiah and others are mentioned before . 19. i will mention but two more , which shall be very remarkable . the first is , 2 sam. 21. where the plague of famine is inflicted for saul's sin , and healed by the sacrificing of seven of his posterity . 20. the last is the sad example of the jews , for killing christ ; who , being acquainted , it seems , with this doctrine that i maintain , did say to pilate , his blood be on us , and on our children : and so it hath been , and is to this day , to the terror of all the churches , who therein may behold the severity of the lord. so much cursorily for the proof of the assertion . in the next place we must answer some more of the chief objections , besides what are already answered on the by . and first i will answer those that make equally against the imputation of adam's or our neerer parents sin : and because learned and judicious placaeus hath said more to the matter ( in thes . salmuriens . vol. 1. de statu hom . lapsi ante grat. pag. 206 , 207. thes . 12 , 13 , 14 , &c. ) than any that i know of , i shall consider of his reasons ; as they are brought against the imputation of adam's actual sin , to his posterity ; and consequently make against our participation in the guilt of our neerer parents actual sins . 1. he saith it is not agreeable to that of ezek. the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father : for we should bear the iniquity of adam . answ . 1. this speaks of a son that disowneth his fathers iniquity , and hateth it , and goeth not in the same way ; as is plain , ezek. 18. 5 , 6. 14 , to 17. and of no other : such shall not die for parents sins . 2. but this is no proof that he never deserved death for them ; but only that through gracious indulgence , it shall not be inflicted . so that this is a passage of grace , and not of pure justice according to the meer law of works . obj. god speaks it to prove his righteousness , and not his grace : ver . 29. answ . it is his ordinate righteousness according to the promise of grace , which he must fulfil , and not according to the meer law of works or nature , which he vindicateth : it is his just and equal dealings with men compared one to another , supposing that they stand all upon terms of grace . 3. and this is yet more plain , in that the very same promise , on the same ground , is made to them that repent , and turn from their evil ways : ver . 21 , 22. certainly the promise of pardon of sin is a promise of grace , and not an effect of the pure law of nature or works . so that the reason here why that son , who himself doth that which is lawful and right , shall not die for the fathers sin , is the same as why a repenting sinner shall not die for his sin , ver . 21 , 22. which can be no other than pardoning grace ; which is so far from proving that there was no precedent guilt , that it undoubtedly proves that there was : for where there is no guilt , there can be no pardon . this answer shall serve also to those that confess the imputation of adam's sin , and yet from hence argue against the imputation of other parents sins . to which i shall add , as to them , that this text is no more against one than the other : go . if it be not against the former , it is not against the later . let them shew any intimated difference . 2. saith placaeus , it agreeth not with right reason . for , 1. if adam's sin be imputed , then his obedience ought to be imputed , if he had continued innocent . answ . the word imputation , as ambiguous , i purposely avoid , unless where i may explain it : but not the sense before explained . i grant that to be true , which he supposeth absurd : but i say withal , that yet adam's imputed righteousness alone would have saved none that had had the least personal unrighteousness of his own . because bonum est ex causis integris , we should have been innocent as we came into the world ; but yet the next sin of our own would have spoiled that innocency . 2. further , i shewed before that there is not the same reason for conveying accidental benefits to nature , as for conveying a nature deprived of them . in case of privation , the parents cannot convey what they have not : but though they had it , yet it followeth not that they should convey it , if it were a supervenient accident separable from nature : as for example , any right to a reward that adam might be supposed to attain by his obedience : this might be proper to himself . 3. he addeth , [ at least , all the sins which adam committed while we were in his loins , must be imputed to us . ] answ . i grant it , and say that so they are : yet with the fore-mentioned difference , that the first sin depriving us of all title to all god's benefits , the second could deprive us of no more ; and so could add no more guilt terminative , but only fundamentaliter . 4. he adds , [ so should all the sins of our intermediate parents , seeing when they committed them , we were as much in them as in adam . ] answ . i grant all , with the last mentioned difference : let those that go on other grounds answer the objector as well as they can . 5. he adds , [ yea the death of adam should be so imputed to us : for if he sinned as the head of mankind , why should he not also be punished in the same respect ? if we were not bound to obey that prohibition , but in his person , surely neither to be punished : for the commination belongs no otherwise to us than the prohibition . ] answ . but withal consider , that though god might have satisfied his justice with destroying adam , and so putting an end to humane race ; yet , 1. he was no way bound to do this : he that a little before bid man encrease and multiply , might let him enjoy his forfeited life : that was no injustice . 2. yea , when god had so lately made so glorious a structure for the demonstration and communication of his goodness , &c. it may seem in wisdom much fitter for him to let the sinning creature live , while he provideth , propoundeth , and applyeth a remedy , than presently to destroy the works that he had made , though man deserved it . 3. i pray you mark then the grounds that i go on : i say not that we personally were then guilty in adam ; but that we draw a guilt with our natures from adam . god having in just and merciful wisdom resolved that we shall survive , and so humane nature be propagated , it can be no other but a guilty nature that is so propagated , which god is not bound to hinder ; but rather in wisdom not to hinder it , if that might be called an obligation . 6. it is further objected , [ moreover , how did we sin in adam actually , who were never actually in him ? ] answ . 1. i say not that we then sinned in adam properly ; no more than that we did exist in adam . for , as i know that existere est esse extra causas , so i know that the act of sin , and the relation of guilt , are accidents that must have an existent subject , if they exist : and therefore we cannot be sinners , and guilty before we are . but i say , that when we first are , we have a nature received from a guilty progenitor , and therefore a guilty nature , because he cannot convey to us the right to felicity which he lost . 2. we were seminally in adam , and so sinned in him : though i know , as to personal actual existence , this is but terminus diminuens , yet is it more than meerly potential . 7. it 's objected , [ how could that act be voluntary as to us , which was long past before that we had any will ? ] answ . as we did not personally exist in adam , so did we not will that act in adam : but yet when we received a will from adam , it was quaedam natura , and guilty of what his will was guilty , though not by the guilt of actual commission , yet of derivation and participation : and thus it is reputatively voluntary . 8. it 's next replied to some of the common reasons on our part ; [ there was indeed humane nature in adam ; but singular , and divided from this of ours . and if the first act of sin were an act of nature , why not also the first act of generation ? yet no man will say that in adam we did beget cain or seth. ] answ . 1. this makes nothing against me , who say not that we then sinned in adam properly : but that we received a guilty nature from adam ; which then began to be a sinful or guilty nature or person , when it began to be a nature or person ; and before that was but a guilty seed . 2. faults and punishments being quid moral vel civile , a political thing , may be moraliter & reputative transferred : and therefore as a man may suffer as a membe● 〈◊〉 a sinful society , though personally innocent , so might we as branches of mankind . but generation being quid naturale , there is no such ground for such an imputation , or reputative translation of it . so that the case is not alike . 9. it follows ; [ and if adam did deserve to himself a punishment equal to that his sin ▪ that is , as great as god had threatned , shall we think that justice will require other punishments from innumerable other men for that same sin ? ] answ . adam did deserve a punishment as great as his personal nature was capable of , and also the same to all that should come from his loins . if god had destroyed him before he had any posterity , it would indeed have prevented the propagation of guilt , by preventing the being of a capable subject ; but yet there would have been in adam's sin a desert of such a propagated guilt , or a reason for it , on supposition that there were a nature from him propagated . i deny therefore the antecedent , on supposition that god would let the course of humane generation go on , according to the newly established law of nature : it was not only to his own person that adam deserved this punishment . or thus i may deny the consequence : though adam deserved punishment only to his person , yet it being to his whole person , and our persons being then seminally in his , and so after existing from his , it follows , that what he deserved to his person , is propagated to those to whom that person propagates a being ; seeing it is of himself , and out of himself , that we proceed , and not by a meer efficient causality , as in creation , or fabrication , but he affordeth us our matter . 10. it 's further objected , [ either that sin had but one adequate guilt , which was to be divided among all adam's posterity ; or as many guilts as men : if the first , then it is but a little of that sin that is imputed , or of the punishment that is due to each of us singularly . if the later ; then one sin should not have one guilt , nor one adequate punishment , but innumerable . ] answ . the fundamentum is sin ; and that is one : so the guilt is one fundamentaliter & subjective primario ; but more than one fundamentaliter & subjective per derivationem : on supposition , that according to the course of nature the one first guilty subject procreate more ; for thereby sin is propagated with , and in nature . if the law of this land do ordain , that a traytor and his posterity be all disinherited and banished ; you may here put your dilematical question , and as you answer it , so would we . if the law of god deprive rebellious man of all his felicity , and leave him his natural being , he will beget a posterity therefore deprived of it , because they are his posterity ; call this one guilt or two , as you please : i call it one fundamentally , and one subjectively while there was but one subject ; and many consequently by propagation , when that one subject is as it were multiplied into many . so that this is but about words , and not things . 11. it 's further argued ; [ lastly , if we are therefore guilty of adam's disobedience , because we are his sons ; so that neither the miraculous generation in respect of both parents , ( such as was isaack's and john baptist's , ) nor yet a divine creation of the soul without the operation of man , can exempt any man from it : what then shall we say of our lord ? for his miraculous conception by the holy ghost did not hinder him from being truly the son of adam , arising from the fruit of david's loins . ] answ . i confess this objection hath oft seemed more difficult to me than all the rest : but i see no reason that it should overthrow all our grounds . for it stands on the supposition of many uncertainties ; especially about the way of humane generation , and the natural interest of male and female comparatively therein , &c. but passing by all these , ( because the very naming of difficulties i find offendeth many , ) i stand on the common answer , though the part or interest of mary in christ's conception was so much as might prove him man of man , and give him the name of the son of man , of david , of adam ; yet that was but secundum quid , or in the smaller part : for the interest of the holy ghost in that conception was the predominant interest : and therefore he is said in our creed simply , [ to be conceived by the holy ghost , and born of the virgin mary ; ] and he is principally and more fully to be called the son of god , than of man , even according to his humanity , how much soever of his material substance might be of the virgin. this being so , he could not stand guilty of adam's , or any parents sin , because in the predominant sense , he was not one of their off-spring , but the son of god , conceived by the holy ghost . 2. and if the holy ghost's conception do free christ from the actual corruption of his nature , as your self confess ; why not as well from the foresaid guilt or imputation , supposing that such there is ? for why else should not natural pravity adhere to the substance which he received from the virgin ? to imagine that mary was born without original sin , is but to make the difficulty greater ; ( how she was free that was not conceived as christ , by the holy ghost ? ) or to run it i know not how far . it were more plausible to say , that she was perfectly sanctified by the holy ghost before christ's conception ; and therefore could convey no guilt to him : but what proof this would have , let them tell that know . 12. after these reasons , the judicious author concluds thus ; [ these things i thought good briefly to dispute , following the authority of most grave divines , ( who have disallowed this imputation either tacitly by their silence , as calvin . instit . tilen . thes . &c. or else openly , and in express words , as pet. martyr in rom. 5. chamier panstrat . ) first , that we may not take that for god's word which is not his word . 2. that we ascribe not that to god which becometh him not . and that we may free the christian religion from such unnecessary difficulties . and lastly , that we may the stronglier prove original sin as it is described , art 10. and 11. of the confession of our churches . ] answ . 1. we stick not on mens names ; though we have more divines against you . 2. whether it be god's word , let our foregoing proof manifest . 3. which if we have proved , then should not humane reason say , it becomes him not : especially when the same reason confesseth the like to become all princes and common-wealths . 4. i think i have done more to free the christian religion from difficulties , by asserting such an imputation of all parents sins , as aforesaid , than you have done by denying all . 5. and i think that we may far more rationally maintain original corruption , and the justness of punishment for original sin , if we maintain the said guilt , than if we deny it , as you do . so much to this excellent writer . having answered their objections , let me add this in the conclusion . arg. if we cannot be guilty of inherent original sin , without the derived guilt of adam's actual sin ; then we do derive a guilt of adam's actual sin . but the antecedent is true : therefore so is the consequent . that we are guilty of inherent original sin , is by them confessed . but this cannot be without a cause , or foundation . and the foundation or cause must be ours , or else the guilt cannot be ours . now this foundation is either meerly the inherent pravity it self , or somewhat antecedent . not meerly the inherent pravity it self : for , 1. it would prove against no law : for no law forbad us to be born as we 〈◊〉 laws are not made to prohibit that which 〈◊〉 not , to be what it cannot choose but be . the law against adultery prohibiteth the parents to commit it , but not the child●●● be born in it . there might 〈…〉 be a law to prohibit a child in the womb to come forth , as to prohibit the ●eed to become a man , and such a man. laws 〈◊〉 made to the intelligent 〈…〉 . yet i deny not , but original 〈…〉 is contrary to the law of god 〈…〉 : but that is only consequentially , 〈…〉 which it could not be , if we had not the guilt of the voluntary act , which is primarily against the law. 2. the esse of our inherent 〈◊〉 on p●●●●ations , is in order of nature before the 〈◊〉 or culpability . but we could not have had so much as the esse without an antecedent guilt . which i prove thus : either the being of our original dispositions is only a sin , or also a punishment . if it be only a sin , without any antecedent sin or guilt of ours , then either god or man is the author of it . not god ; for he is not the author of sin : and if he were , it would excuse of the guilt if man , either our selves , or our parents . not our selves ; for we made not our selves . if our parents ; then either their acts are imputable to us , or else that would make it never the more ours . so that our corruption would be miserie , at non peccatum ; no more sin than the venom of a toad is sin . but it 's certain that the very being of our natural qualities and privations , is a punishment . for god would not inflict so great an evil on us as that is , which shall subject us to eternal death , for nothing . and this is commonly confessed . well then , the esse corruptionis is in order before the culpability of it . that esse is truly poena , a punishment ; though not as caused by god , ( for god causeth it not , ) yet as permitted by god , and as the consequent of his just desertion . and omnis poena est peccati poena : punishment is essentially related to a fault deserving it . this fault was meerly our parents , or by participation and derivation ours . if meerly theirs , then our corruption is meerly their punishment . for god will not punish one for anothers fault , when there is no ground of imputation of it to themselves . but it 's certainly our punishment ; or else it could not make us inherently sinful , and so damnable therefore as the penalty is ours , some antecedent fault must be ours : which can be nothing but a derived guilt of parents sins . chamiers reasons also i shall briefly dissolve ; i mean those passages against salmeron and pigbius , paustrat . vol. 3. l. 1. c. 7 , 8. in which his strength lieth . c. 8. sect . 9. dico nullum peccatum unum numero posse esse commune omnibus hominibus , — actiones sunt suppositorum , — itaque nego peccatum illud adami esse peccatum originale . resp . 1. in the instant of committing it we were not persons distinct from adam , and so had not a distinct sin ; but we were seminally in him , having our essence after from his essence : and so far as we were in him , we were guilty of that act in him . and when we become persons from him , we becom guilty persons of that act : that is , not reputed to have done it as distinct persons , but justly reputed odious and punishable , as being then seminally in him , and as having our essence from him ; and therefore such as his essence was , as to the guilt : so that now we have numerically as many original sins as we are . persons , that is , individual guilty natures and persons , from that one sin , ( besides qualitative pravity . ) the same he hath oft , sect . 11 , 12 , &c. sect. 17. he saith , resp . constitui nos peccatores formaliter vel causaliter — and he saith that formally it is that which in nobis ipsis inest tanquam qualitas peccatrix , — ut albus paries per albedinem , — but by adam's act only causaliter . answ . 1. why is causaliter distinguished from formaliter ? as if forma non esset causa . 2. if by causaliter he mean efficienter only , he should tell us what sort of efficient it is . 3. if there be such a thing as actual sin , how doth that act make us sinners ? is it formaliter ? then we are sinners but in the instant of act : for our own acts are presently gone , and nothing , as well as adam's . if it be causaliter , then adam's act is confessed to make us sinners , as our own acts do when they are past . 4. the plain truth is , ( whether learned chamier saw it or not ) both acts and habits make us sinners in the same kind of cause , ( and so may adam's , ) viz. as the fundamentum relationis ; and the reatus culpae is that relation , or the formalis ratio peccati , ( though the reatus poenae be but a consequent . ) and therefore pet. martyr on rom. 5. doth ill to deny that reatus is sin it self , ( cont . pighium . ) now men call the fundamentum relationis in these morals , by the name both of causa meritoria efficiens , & materialis . meritorious acts or qualities are called causa efficiens quoad ipsam relationem inde resultantem : & causa materialis constitutiva , as the whole essence of sin is made up of them , ( as meritorious matter , ) and of the relation together . if we will be logical , we must be accurate , or we cheat men by words . reader , in conclusion , lament with me the common partiality of the best disputers . how little did this opinion dishonour great chamier , pet. martyr , &c. and why ? because it was against pighius and salmeron that they wrote it : opposition to whom i think verily drew them also to it . but when placaeus said the like , or less , with what a heap of authority doth rivet ( well ) overwhelm him ? for then it was not the papists that were concerned in the dispute . i shall next speak to those objections which are made only against the participation of guilt of the sins of neerer parents , by those that confess our guilt of adam's sin . supposing that of ezek. 18. and consequently , deut. 24. 16. answered before . and they are these following : obj. 1. if we are thus guilty of our neerest parents sins , then have we two sorts of original sin : when as we have hitherto acknowledged but one . answ . it is but one subjective in each person , and but one terminative ; that is , it is but one and the same punishment that one and the same person is obliged to : but it is manifold fundamentaliter , as arising from the desert of many sins . but , 2. if you take the word [ original , ] not as signifying all that adhereth to us ab origine , but as signifying only that sin which was the original or first in-let of all our misery ; then as there can be but one first , so is there but one original sin , even adam's . 3. as our natures are further polluted by some neerer parents sin , so may they be further guilty by them . i think i proved before , that the children of some ungodly parents have an additional pravity in their natures , at least as to the inclination to she creature the terminus ad quem of their apostacy , more than the generality of mankind have as meerly from adam's first sin . obj. 2. if we are guilty of the sins of our neerer parents , then this generation should be many hundred fold more guilty than the first was ; and so the last man or age should be the most sinful . answ . so they are fundamentaliter , but not terminative : they have forfeited but the same felicity which one sin may forfeit ; for there is no more to lose : but it is on a manifold desert or ground that they have forfeited that one felicity : and so incurred that one penalty . 2. but this i say but on supposition that the parents are none of them pardoned . for if the parents be pardoned themselves , it is the judgment of very learned and judicious divines , that by the same covenant all their infants are pardoned with them , as soon as they have their being : and also that pardoned parents cannot convey that guilt to their children which they have not on themselves . and consequently , that by the remedy , an interruption is made in the process of guilt . 3. but then it is still confessed , that the reatus simplex , as some call it , that is , the meer natural merit antecedent to the persons obligation ( which some call reatus redundens in personam ) is not taken off by pardon from the parent , and therefore not from posterity . but a great difficulty here ariseth in the way : how then can the guilt of adam's sin be conveyed to any of us , seeing it was pardoned to noah , from whom all the world proceedeth ; and how could noah convey the guilt which he had not ? answ . this objection was before answered in part . remember still that the meer merit of punishment , simply considered , is not taken away by pardon : nor the meer reatus facti vel culpe . it remaineth true to all eternity , that such a man did commit such a sin , and that that sin deserved death : ( but not that he is obliged to death for it . ) remember also that this is communicated to posterity with their nature : and that it is a voluntary act of god that remitteth the deserved punishment , and pardoneth the sin ; and therefore it can extend no further than he please . as also that this meer merit doth produce a proper guilt on every soul that hath it , which makes it capable of pardon ; though to infants that are pardoned , the guilt and the pardon are in the same moment of time , yet in order of nature the guilt goes first . these things premised , i further answer , that there are two opinions of divines about pardon of infants . some think-that only the elect are pardoned ; and some ( as davenant , ward , amyraldus , &c. ) think that all the infants of believers ( or that are baptized rightly ) are pardoned . according to the principles of the former it must be said , that when god pardoned noah ( or any godly parent ) and his elect seed , that pardon remaineth firm for ever : but a pardon it is to the seed as well as to the parent , and therefore supposeth guilt , which is by a necessary resultancy from the natural desert , till grace destroy it . but as for that seed ( as cham. e. g. ) which was not elect , god pardoned noah's original sin but limitedly , intending that it should not extend to the non-elect seed , but that they should have a guilt on their souls from that natural merit , as if god had never pardoned the progenitors . for the desert and imputability adhereth to nature , but the remission will go no further than free grace extendeth it . according to the principles of the later it must be said , that god pardoned to noah ( and every godly parent ) the sin of adam , and all other , and to his infants while infants ; but with this limitation , that if they themselves at years of discretion believed not , they should not continue pardoned , but perish , either by the return of the sin before so pardoned , as some think ; or only for the super-added sin , as others think . in a word , every parent begetteth a son of adam , and of himself a sinner , and thereby begets a nature that hath in it self compared with god's law , the fundamentum reatus , and this he doth never the less for being pardoned himself . unless his posterity be pardoned with himself , they will remain guilty : for the relaxation of the commination being but to his own person , makes only a change on himself . the disease is natural , and the cure is accidental ; and therefore though he be cured , yet will he convey the disease to posterity . to explain this by the like . suppose that by a standing law of the land , all the posterity of any traytor are to be disinherited , dishonoured and banished . it pleaseth the soveraign not to destroy this law , but to dispense with it as he shall see special reasons . whereupon he pardoneth some one of a traytorous line , with this limitation ; either that this pardon shall be but to his own person only , or at most but to his seed ( immediate ) till they forfeit the benefit by ungrateful rejection . in this case , all his posterity would be nevertheless born guilty of the foresaid punishment : only that guilt would be taken off according to the terms in the law , and no further . for the law is still in force , and universal ; and the children are naturally the posterity of a traytor , ( whether in one degree or many ; ) and the pardon is but a singular and supra-legal act , and limited as is expressed ; and is purposed for the removal of a guilt from the particular persons , and not for the preventing it in any one of them ; or if the pardon be universal-conditional , all is one . what i have said about adam's sin , will ( more easily ) answer the like objection , as to neerer parents sins . obj. 3. if we are so guilty of our parents sins , then christ's satisfaction , and god's pardon of sin is imperfect : for he pardoneth them upon christ's satisfaction to every believing parent : and if after this they must be punished again on their posterity , then were they not perfectly pardoned at the first . answ . the perfection of pardon , and christ's satisfaction , must be discerned by considering them in their own kind , and in their perfect sufficiency to those ends whereto god intendeth them , and not according to mistaking conceits of men . pardon is not simply and absolutely perfect in this life : manosseh's sins must be punished when he is dead , on his posterity . but it hath no imimperfection dishonourable to god , or to christ's satisfaction . 2. it is not the same numerical guilt that is pardoned to the father , and not pardoned to the son , or remaineth on him . from one sin there ariseth one single guilt to the first sinner , and that multiplyeth upon the multiplication of persons from his loins : and every person hath a several guilt , though from the same root . 3. note also that this objection makes as much against our guilt of adam's sin , as of our neerer parents , and more : for they may say , that sin hath been pardoned to many of our progenitors , between adam and us . but it holds not against either . obj. 4. god would not drown noah with the world ; nor destroy lot with sodom : and abraham saith , let it be far from the judge of all the earth to destroy the righteous with the wicked . answ . 1. god was not then dealing with the world , or with sodom , for such sins as noah or lot were guilty of . so that , though he might have found sin in them deserving his wrath , yet when he comes to execute an extraordinary judgment for an extraordinary sin , he will not deal with those , as with such extraordinary , or great , or impenitent sinners , who were not such . 2. it is justice evangelical therefore , or on terms of grace , and not pure legal justice , which abraham appeals to for the rescue of lot. it 's true , it is a personal righteousness of lot , which he pleadeth with god for his deliverance from judgment , even with the judge of all the earth ; as a necessary work of his justice : ( which those may note that will have no righteousness inherent in our selves pleaded with god , much less with justice , for freedom from his wrath : ) but it is but a righteousness consisting in a freedom from that impenitency and wickedness which god came to revenge ; and not in perfect obedience . this therefore shews not ▪ what god might do in strict justice ; but what he will do in that justice which is tempered with ( and prevailed over as it were ) by mercy . 3. the infants of the old world and sodom perish'd with them . obj. 5. parents sins are not voluntary as to us : go . not ours . answ . this is answered before . they are the sin of our wills , and so voluntary : and we come out of them that voluntarily committed them . we must not look on parents and children as on two distinct persons that have no derivation from , or dependance on each other : but consider that our very being is from them . and that god doth actually punish and destroy children for their parents sins , is proved already by a multitude of texts . and who dare say that he doth it unjustly , because we are not consenters ? to prove that god doth it , is enough to prove it just , because he can do nothing unjustly . as for the great question , whether any be damned for original , or parents sin , i answer ; whatever the degree of penalty is , none can be freed from it but by pardoning grace through christ : and therefore none but those that are the children of the pardoning promise . i shall conclude all with these following corollaries , containing some use of what hath been said and proved by us in this dispute . cor. 1. this doctrine of our liableness to punishment for our neerer parents sins , doth much clear up the reason of our original sin , ( as from adam , ) and consequently much confirm us in the belief of it , and enable us to answer most of the cavils against it . and i must confess for my part , that i am not able to maintain our guilt of adam's sin , without this . cor. 2. it hence appeareth that it is a duty of all christians to bewail , and beg pardon of their parents and ancestors sins , as to the punishment which themselves are liable to for them . they are not only to confess that they are the children of adam , but also the seed of idolaters , superstitious , ignorant , prophant , unbelieving ancestors ; that their father was an amorite , and their mother an hittite , ezek. 16. 3 , 4. and that he whose eyes are on all the sons of men , to give every one according to his waies and doings , doth recompence the iniquity of the fathers into the bosome of their children after them . jer. 32. 18 , 19. 2 kin. 22. 13. great is the wrath of the lord which is kind●●d against us , because our fathers have not hearkned to the words of this book , to do according to all that is written . so. 2 chron. 29. 6. 9. 2 chron. 34. 21. see a full example , nehem. 9. from 16 to the end : especially ver . 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37. psal . 106. 6 , 7. we have sinned with our fathers : our fathers understood not thy wonders in egypt ; they remembred not the multitude of thy mercies , but provoked , &c. see to the end . jer. 14. 20 , 21. we acknowledge , o lord , our wickednest , and the iniquity of our fathers ; for we have sinned against thee ▪ do not abhor us for thy name sake , &c. jer. 3. 25. we lie down in our shame , and our confusion covereth us : for we have sinned against the lord our god , we and our father , from our youth even to this day . lament . 5. 7. our fathers have sinned , and are not ; and we have born their iniquities . dan. 9. 16. i beseech thee let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city jerusalem , thy holy mountain ; because for our sins , and for the iniquities of our fathers , jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us . see the whole prayer . nehem. 9. 2. they stood and confessed their sins , and the iniquities of their fathers . isa . 14. 20 , 21. the seed of evil doers shall never be renowned : prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers . isa . 65. 6 , 7. behold it is written before me , i will not keep silence , but will recompence , even recompence into their bosoms ; your iniquities , and the iniquities of your fathers together , ( saith the lord , ) &c. jer. 16. 10 , 11. they shall say to thee , wherefore hath the lord pronounced all this great evil against us ? or what is our iniquity ? or what is our sin ? then shalt thou say unto them , because your fathers have forsaken me , saith the lord , and have walked after other gods , and have served them , and have worshipped them , &c. so , jer. 44. 10 , 11 , 21 , 22. the lord could no longer bear , but the land was made a curse , because he remembred the sins of their fathers . i fear lest many of us , yea most , have been guilty of not bewailing and praying for the pardon of our forefathers sins , and desire godly men to consider more of it for the time to come . cor. 3. from hence it appears , that it is a sad thing to be born of evil parents ; and a blessing to be born of those that fear god : and accordingly to be acknowledged . cor. 4. also it follows , that if god shew mercy to the children of wicked parents , it is a double blessing , and the freeness of such grace is accordingly to be magnified . cor. 5. though blessings be not merited , as curses be , yet seeing the natural interest of children in their parents , and parents in children is so great , you may hence discern , that even to reason it is very probable that god should deal better with the children of true believers than with others : and that they should have special benefit by their parents faith considering that god is as prone to mercy as to severity . cor. 6. may we not hence see some ground to justify god's severity against those infidel parts of the world , whose ancestors have refused the gospel , and the lord jesus ? and are not those infidels guilty of their fore-fathers sin , in the sense before-mentioned ? if christ died for them , and offered them himself , his grace and benefits , and they reject him , it is a just punishment to posterity , if for this sin of thier fathers , he leave their country in darkness , and seek out a people that shall give him better welcome . and if he do not so by us , who have so abused him , it is not because in justness be may not , but because in mercy he will not : and the greater and freer is that mercy . if he promulgate his laws to the fathers , and they reject them , he may take that as a sufficient promulgation for the obligation of posterity , and may judge them for rejecting that law or gospel : and if they say we never heard it ; it sufficeth to tell them , it was sent among you ; and your fathers would have none of it , but expelled it out of their countrey ; and refused to have him that redeemed them reign over them . aquinas handling this question , 1. 2. q. 81. art . 2. vtrum etiam alis pecata primi parentis , vel proximorum parentum traducantur in posteros ? denieth it ; but then he seems not to speak at all of the matter of meer guilt or imputation , but only of the traduction of inherent pravity : and therefore it is nothing to the matter that we have specially here to deal with ; and , 2. even in that his reasons seem not of weight . the summ is , that only adam's first sin did corrupt nature in specie , and others are but personal : the ground of this his assertion is that opinion wherein the papists differ from our divines ; viz. that grace was supernatural to adam ; and original sin being nothing but the privation of that grace or rectitude , and the first sin making a total privation of that to humane nature , there is nothing left for after sins to do of that kind : this seems his full sense , though he speak it not out in so many words . but to this i say , 1. this ( as is said ) doth not at all deny that we deserve punishment for our fathers sins , but only that we are not capable of this punishment in specie : and so the main thing is granted which we seek . 2. his sentence about the supernaturality of grace to adam ( which yet he affirmeth to be concreated with him ) is not proved ▪ the scotists do resist him in it , as well as the protestants . read an excellent dispute of it in rada's first controversy , shewing how far it is or is not supernatural . 3. his ground , viz. that [ naturals could not be lost ] is unproved : there be certain natural perfections of the mind which are so far under the power of exercised reason and free-will , that they may be depraved or much destroyed by the abuse of these . 4. the word of god , and the experience of the world doth fully prove that wicked men grow worse and worse , and are prone to apostatize and depart yet further from god ; and that the very light of nature may be extinguished in part , and some men by custome in sinning make themselves much worse than they were by nature : go . it is certain that men are not so bad by adam's first sin , but their nature is capable of being made worse : and they are not at the very worst till they come to hell : and in this life we see great variety in degrees of wickedness among wicked men . particularly as to his answers to the three arguments . to the first , ( drawn from scripture examples of punishing children for the fathers sin ) he saith it is only corporally , because the child is as it were a part of the father quoad corpus . answ . 1. corporal punishment proves that we deserve punishment , else god would not inflict it : for he will be no more unjust in the lesser than in the greater . 2. he that deserves corporal punishment for sin , deserves more . 3. the whole man , soul and body is as much from our neerer parents as from adam . to the second reason , ( which is drawn from parents traducing adam's sin to us , and therefore much more their own , ) he confesseth it would hold were their own sin traducible , which he saith , it is not ; but the reason is before disproved . the third reason is , that if we therefore contract sin from adam because we were in him , then may we do it from our other parents because we are in them , seeing the scripture shews we are capable of growing worse . to this he only saith , that the first sin corrupteth nature , the second only the person . but this is a bare denial , and no answer to the force of the reason . and unless he distinguish of common nature , and the persons nature , what sense hath it ? for to corrupt the person qualitatively , is so to corrupt his nature . what bellarmine saith , lib. 4. cap. 18. de amiss . grat. & statu pecc . being of less weight than this of aquinas , needeth no other reply . that we should have been corrupted by original sin , if cain and seth had sinned , and not adam , see aquin. de malo q. 5. a. 4. ad ult . ( of which saith bellarmine groundlesly , fortasse locus corrumpitur . ) finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a27059-e190 * original sin is their own . * disputat . of right to sacram . the protestant religion truely stated and justified by the late reverend mr. richard baxter ; prepared for the press some time before his death ; whereunto is added, by way of preface, some account of the learned author, by mr. danel williams and mr. matthew sylvester. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1692 approx. 262 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 114 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2008-09 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26998 wing b1359 estc r1422 12626719 ocm 12626719 64665 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26998) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 64665) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 344:4) the protestant religion truely stated and justified by the late reverend mr. richard baxter ; prepared for the press some time before his death ; whereunto is added, by way of preface, some account of the learned author, by mr. danel williams and mr. matthew sylvester. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. williams, daniel, 1643?-1716. sylvester, matthew, 1636 or 7-1708. [13], 185, [3] p. printed for john salusbury ..., london : 1692. an answer to: the touchstone of the reformed gospel / matthew kellison. first ed., edited by williams and sylvester. cf. nuc pre-1956. errata: p. 185. advertisements: p. [3] at end. reproduction of original in bodleian library. contents is lacking in filmed copy. pages 170-end photographed from union theological seminary library, new york copy and inserted at the end. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng kellison, matthew. -touchstone of the reformed gospel. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. protestantism -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-02 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2007-02 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2007-02 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the protestant religion truely stated and justified : by the late reverend mr. richard baxter , prepared for the press some time before his death . whereunto is added , by way of preface , some account of the learned author : by mr. danel williams , and mr. matthew sylvester . london , printed for john salusbury at the rising sun over against the royal exchange in cornhill , 1692. to the reader . the author of the following tract is the reverend mr. baxter , now enjoying that glory he so conversed with in his mortal state . among his many excellencies , his love to god , to peace , and truth , was not the least eminent . the last rendred him averse to logomachies and confusion ; well knowing , how vain all eristick debates be , if the question be not truly and plainly stated . this book will give thee a specimen of that peculiar accuracy in this kind , as even determineth the controversie before an argument be produced . it is not to be concealed , that some complain of the multitude of his distinctions ; but such may consider , that the comprehensiveness of his mind accommodated things to the most subtil , as well as the less intelligent reader ▪ and provided against future errours , as well as the mistakes he attends to in the particular points before him . indeed he was a man born for more lasting service than one age ; yea , his name will be greatest , when impartial inquisitiveness after truth shall render men painful ; and sad experience of the mischief of narrow and dividing principles hath forced the confident to mutual allowances , and well studied determinations . but how unhappy was he ( or rather such as mistake him ) that he is oft charged with deserting this or that truth , because he understood it in a consistency with it self , and such other truths wherewith it was connected . as if ort hodoxie must be sacrificed when-ever a doctrine is made intelligible ; or the choice of terms more apt to confute the erroneous , less obnoxious to mistakes , and most expressive of digested thoughts , ought to alarm all such , who seem capable to know little more of truth than the sound of oft repeated phrases . nay , as more convincing what treatment any man must expect , who sets himself to heal a blind depraved world ; the clearest representation of his mind will not silence the ignorant from charging him with those errours which he most expresly disowns . three of the most material are denied and confuted by mr. baxter in this very treatise , viz. the moral freedom of the will of an unregenerate man , conditional election , and the merit of good works as opposed to , or coordinate with the righteousness of christ . neither must it be over-look'd , that it was his concern in this book above any other , to speak as near to these points as his judgment could admit ; and in other treatises he more largely declares against them . 1. of free-will , p. 87. he tells us , he denies that mans will in his unregenerate state is free from vitious inclination , or from the conduct of an erring intellect , or from the biass of sensuality , &c. 2. he denies that the will thus vitiated , will ever deliver it self without gods spirit and grace , it being rather inclined to grow worse . 3 as that degree of common grace , which is in the unregenerate , is but such as consisteth with the predominant reign of sin ; so the will of every unregenerate man in that pravity , is as a slave to its own vitious dispositions , errour , and temptations . who can say more against free-will ? obj. but he affirms the natural freedom of the will. answ . he doth so , and explains it , p. 84 , 85 , 86 , 91. and it is no more than that a sinner is a man still , tho' he be depraved ; and he is a liberal , and not a forced agent in what he acteth . obj. but he saith , p. 88. that by common grace a man may do more good and less evil than he doth . answ . it 's true , he saith so . but , p. 85. he distinguisheth between common and special grace , and denies that we can do that by common grace , which is proper to special grace : and saith , men have but just so much , and no more moral liberty , and power , as they have of gods grace to relieve their vitiated wills. see p. 91. 2. of conditional election , p. 99. he condemns the notion called scientia media : p. 100. he saith , god decreeth not mens salvation , or sanctification , meerly on foresight of our faith : but decreeth our faith it self . sin he permitteth , but faith he effecteth , and decreeth to effect : and p. 101. he shews , how god decreeth both the means and end . and tho' god justly denieth his grace to many that forfeit it by wilful resistance and contempt ; yet he takes not the forfeiture of the elect. yea he adds , that he is deceived , and wrongeth god , that feigneth him to send his son to redeem the world , and his word to call them , and his spirit to renew them ; and all this at random , not knowing whether it may not all be lost ; or leaving it chiefly to the free-will of them , whose wills are contrarily inclined and vitiated ; whether christ and all his preparations shall be lost : p. 102. he approveth the plain christian who holds that our destruction is of our selves , but our help and salvation of god ; and god is the first and chief cause of all good , and men and devils of all evil . obj. but he will not say , that god hath by his will and decree ordained from eternity that men shall sin , or will and chuse evil , p. 100 , & 101. god doth not decree that men shall sin , that they may be damned ; for sin is no work of god , &c. answ . but yet he saith , p. 100. that , 1. god decreeth who shall de damned for sin . 2. that he foresaw mens sins , not as an idle spectator , but a willing suspender of his own acts , so far as to leave sinners to their self-determining wills. reader , if thou art a man of thought , thou seest mr. baxter is clear for absolute election , tho' he did not think it necessary for the vindication thereof to judge , that god absolutely decreed men to sin , that he might damn them : it 's enough , that it is from gods sovereign will , that many are not elected ; it would be an ease to the damned , that they could justly say , god decreed us to all our sins , that he might bring us under all this punishment , a non-election to efficacious grace , and a positive decree to damn such for sin , which themselves would choose , best suited with his conceptions of gods goodness , truth , and purity . 3. of the merit of good works : note , reader , that he is not fond of the word merit , but his adversary leads him to the use of it , as thou mayst see p. 96. but let us hear what his sence is of this point : p. 119. all saints are saved by the full sufficient merits of christ , and have none at all of their own , unless the amiableness of grace freely given them , be called their merit ; and , p. 95. we do with paul renounce all works of our own , that are thought to make the reward to be of debt , and not of grace ; and that are set in the least opposition , or competition with christs merits , or in any place , save commanded subordination to him : nay , he says he firmly holds , that works done with a conceit of obliging god by merit in commutative justice , or as conceited sufficient without a saviour , and the pardon of their failings , do more further their damnation , than salvation . yea , p. 97. none but christ merited of strict distributive justice , according to the law of innocency , nor by any works that will save from the charge of sin , and desert of death . and that thou mayest know what he ascribes to our graces , holiness , or works : he tells us , p. 119. we mean by merit but the moral aptitude for the reward of a free benefactor , who also is rector , when the ordering of a free gift suspended on official conditions , is sapientially made a means of procuring obedience . this one clause , if understood ( and he is a bold traducer of so great a man , that cannot understand words so plain ) will acquit mr. b. and inform thee of the place of all gospel conditions . 1. all gospel-blessings are the free gifts of christ as benefactor , they have their being without any regard to what we do , therefore nothing in man is a jot of the righteousness or merit for which they are bestowed . 2. christ is our rector or governor , he will rule us as well as be beneficent to us . 3. as a means to incline us to comply with him as rector , he suspends these blessings on terms of what he makes our duty ; and wisely orders them as motives to our obedience . 4. any act of our obedience is no more than a conformity to that order of his , and doth not hinder all we receive from him to be of free gift . obj. but he saith , that good works are necessary to salvation . answ . he doth so , and how few deny it ? but , 1. not if a man dye as soon as he be converted ; but if he have time , p. 94. 2. their rewardableness is by gods free grace , and promise , for the sake of christs meritorious righteousness , sacrifice , and intercession ; their imperfection being pardoned , and their holiness amiable through him : these are his words , p. 76. 3. he saith ; not without or as a supplement to the sacrifice , merits , and free grace of christ our saviour , and faith in him , p. 93 , 75. and we give our selves to christ , as our prophet , priest , and king , to be saved by his merits , p. 94.4 . he saith , our best works will not save a man from the charge of sin , and desert of death , p. 97. 5. he denies that external obedience is necessary to our admission into a justified state , as he shews in the thief on the cross . and when he saith , we are justified by our faith , godliness , and works ; justification is not taken by him for the pardon of sin , which he ascribes wholly to the merits of christ ; but he takes justification there for our acquittance against the accusation that we are infidels , ungodly , and hypocrites . and saith , that against the charge , that we are sinners , deserving hell , we are justified by christ believed in , p. 94. his meaning is plainly this , christ alone by his merits forgives our sins , and purchased eternal life for us . but seeing that christ hath promised to forgive none but the penitent believer , and declared he will destroy all impenitent , unbelieving , ungodly sinners : now he thinks , that we must be truly acquitted , that we are not such , or we shall not be saved by christ : yea , he thinks , that when god justifies a man for christs merits , he doth also declare a man to be a true believer ; because he will justifie no other , and will justifie all such ; and when god admits a man into glory , he doth even thereby adjudge him a believing , penitent , holy , and upright man ; and free from the charge of being an infidel , hypocritical , unholy enemy ; against whom the gospel denounceth vengeance and bars relief . let these things be weighed , and none will wonder that he should say on his sick bed , no works , i will leave out works , if he grant me the other : and truly , in health none spake more humbly of his own works than he used to do . but because some confident weak persons have inferred from that passage , that he changed his principles when he came to dye ; we shall inform thee , that after that passage was utter'd by him , even the night before his death , mr. baxter was asked , whether he was of the same sentiments , as formerly , about justification ? he answered , that he had told the world sufficiently his thoughts about it by several writings , and otherwise ; and thither he referr'd them . and after a little pause , with his eyes lifted up to heaven , he cryed , lord , pity , pity , pity the ignorance of this poor city . and in the time of his sickness he declared to us and others , that his thoughts in these things were the same as formerly . our regards to mr. b. force the publication of what we here insert ; tho' we would not be judged so happy , as to arrive at his light , to lead us to a full agreement with all his sentiments . as to this book , we wish there be not still great need of such helps against popery ; and we are assured it will give more light than some greater volumes on this subject : that god may render it useful , shall be the prayer of thy servants in the gospel , daniel williams . matthew sylvester . protestant religion truly stated , and justified , &c. the deceiver calleth his book the touchstone of the reformed gospel , as if he owned a gospel distinct from that of the reformed church . and he undertakes to name fifty two points , which the protestants affirm , but tells you not where , nor proveth his affirmation , but you must believe him as a touchstone of truth . dec. the first protestant affirmation feigned , is , that there is not in the church one , and that an infallible rule for understanding the holy scripture , and conserving of vnity in matters of faith. answ . a meer lye , if he mean that this is any part of protestant doctrine ; but he may find as crude confused words , in some ignorant person that is called a protestant . the reformed catholicks hold , that there is in the church one , and that an infallible rule for understanding the holy scripture , and conserving of vnity in matters of faith. ] and that rule is , [ the evidence of its own meaning as inherent in its self , discernible or intelligible by men prepared and instructed , by competent teaching and study , and the necessary help of gods grace and spirit . ] this is that rule . but the reformed believe not 1. that there is any rule by which ignorant , prejudiced , heretical , wilfully blind , wicked , uncapable men can understand such scripture , as they are hereby undisposed to understand , unless by a great change made on themselves . nor that any prince can make a statute , which on man can misunderstand , abuse or violate . 2. nor that men can understand it without teaching , and that sound teaching , nor by hearkening to erroneous deceivers . 3. nor that the slothfull , that will not meditate on it , can understand it , tho' they have the soundest teachers . 4. nor that novices can understand as much in a short time and small study , as aged long exercised students . 5. nor that wicked proud men , that forfeit gods help , can savingly understand it without his grace and spirit . 6. nor that any man , how holy soever , perfectly understandeth every word in the scriptures . 7. nor that a person may not be fallible , and deceived , that yet knoweth which is the infallible rule : it maketh not all infallible that know it . 8. nor that any church , or any number of christians on earth have such a vnity as consisteth in perfect knowledge and agreement in all matters of faith , that is , of scripture-record from god. 9. nor that god hath tyed this infallible regulation to the bishop of rome , or made him this rule ; seeing no such word of god is extant , and general councils have condemned popes of heresie , infidelity , ignorance , and most brutish lust and wickedness . 10. nor that the judgment of the major part of christians or bishops is the infallible rule ; for 1. the papal part are but a third part : and they will hardly believe that the other two or three parts ( abissines , egyptians , syrians , armenians , georgians , circassians , greeks , muscovites , protestants ) are the infallible rule . 2. and if they met in an equal council , they that are most out of the council , would be the most in it . and ephes . 2. and many others now condemned , have had the major part . and chrysostom that thought that [ few bishops or priests were saved , ] thought not the greater number to be the infallible rule . 11. and pope and councils agreeing are not that infallible rule ; for two fallibles makes not one infallible , nor two knaves one honest man. popes and councils have oft condemned one another ; yea , they have oft agreed in evil , as did that at laterane the 4th . under innocent the 3d. that decreed the deposition of princes , that exterminate not all that renounce not all senses and humanity ; for those that have led into the churches of the west all the horrid errors of rome , to pretend yet that they are the infallible rule of understanding scripture , is impudency quite beyond that of satan himself . 12. if this deceiver hold what is contrary to his accused protestant opinion , he must condemn the church of rome , that agreeth not of the sense of a thousand texts of scripture , horseloads of commentators , and cartloads of school-contenders , contradicting one another : and he that will say that all revealed in scripture is not matter of faith , reproacheth god , as revealing that which is not to be believed . all matters of faith are not essential to christianity , but some are only for the perfection of it : all is matter of faith that we are bound to believe as divine revelation . all the scripture is such , thô the ignorant must have time and help to understand it , and explicitely receive it . the popes themselves ( e. g. sixtus quintus , and clem. 8. ) have differed in many hundred texts about the very latine translation . many hundred volumes of controversies among them , tell us how far they are from ending controversies , and agreeing in all matters of faith : but in so much as is necessary to salvation , all serious believing protestants , or reformed catholicks , are agreed . now , to trouble the reader with the proof of any of these twelve particulars , would be but to abuse time and him ; as to prove that no man is perfect , and he that saith he hath no sin , is a lyar : and to prove that the grand deceivers of the church are not infallible , and that gods word is not unevident and unintelligible , and that such villains as their own councils and historians say many popes were , speaks not more intelligibly and wisely than god ; and that the volumes of canons and priests writings are not of more evident meaning than gods word ; these need proof to none but those that are uncapable of it . what rule is there for the infallible understanding the sence of all our statute laws ? none but what i mentioned . the intelligible evidence in the words , ( what else are words used for ) to men duely instructed and studyed . the judges govern by deciding particular causes by the law , but are not an infallible rule for all men to understand the true sence of the law by , ( while judges and parliaments differ from each other , as popes and councils did . ) the texts cited by the deceiver , are so vilely abused , as if he purposed but to make sport by taking gods word in vain . point 2. accused , [ that in matters of faith we must not rely on the judgment of the church , and of her pastors , but only on the written word . ans . the deceiver would cheat the ignorant by confusion ; and belying the reformed catholicks : for , 1. it 's false , that the reformed hold any of this undistinguishing assertion . they distinguish between humane faith and divine . ( and i hope , god and man may be distinguished . ) they say that it must be a divine faith ( that is , the belief of gods word for the infallible veracity of god ) that must save us , and not the belief of man alone : but that a humane faith is needful in subserviency to a divine . god hath appointed humane teachers to the flocks , and oportet discentem credere ; he will never learn , that will believe nothing on his teachers credit . but he must believe man but as man , an imperfect , fallible creature , yet as like to know more than he that chooseth him for his teacher ; and that which man is to teach us , is to see the evidence of gods own word , that we may believe it for that evidence , as our teachers themselves must do . for if the teachers do but believe one another , and not god , ( or god only for man's authority , ) this is not religion , nor divne faith , but humane , such as they had that believed pythagoras , plato , mahomet , &c. if boys learn of their school-master to understand the greek or latin testament , and believe them as to sence , this is not divine faith , but a help towards it . the word of god is infallible : and by the help of fallible men , ( such as disagreeing commentators be , ) we are furthered for understanding it . but false bloody usurpers are not the likest to teach us the truth , nor fittest to be trusted . his citations of scriptures , ( to mistated controversies , ) are so putidly impertinent , that i am ashamed to detect them by words , which every man may do . the third accused point . that the scriptures are easy to be understood , and therefore none are to be restrained from reading them . ans . meer cheat to the ignorant , by confusion and falshood . 1. we and all papists with us agree , ( the more is the guilt of the deceivers fraud , ) that some of the scripture is easy to be understood , and is actually understood by all true christians , even all that is essentsal to christianity , and necessary to salvation . bellarmine , castrus , and many others , tell us , that for all that , the scripture is plain and sufficient : yea , so it is , in many thousand particular texts : if this be not so , let this man tell us if he can , how it cometh to pass , that papists , greeks , and protestant commentators agree of the meaning of most of the scripture , ( perhaps of nineteen texts in twenty , ) if it be not plain . but do protestants say , that there is nothing in the scripture hard to be understood ? the father of lyes will scarce affirm this of them , lest their commentaries and controversies shame him . 2. but what ? must the people be forbidden to read gods word , because some passages are dark ? why not also forbidden to read statutes , canons , fathers , jesuits , fryars , and the loads of papists controversies ? is there nothing hard in all these volumes ? what not in all the canons ? in all chrysostom , austin , cyril , & c ? in all lombard , aquinas , bonaventure , scotus , ockam , cajetane , and all the tribe ? in all suarez , vasquez , huctado , albictine , & c ? in all cajacius , and his tribe ? why are not these forbidden ? do but rub your foreheads , and tell me , 1. whether the law was not darker than the gospel ? and yet god charged them , deut. 6. and 11. to teach the words to their children , and that lying down , and rising up , at home and abroad ; and to write them on ▪ the posts of their houses , and their gates : and every blessed man , ( psal . 1. ) was to delight in the law of the lord , and meditate in it day and night ? read psal . 119. 2. whether christ did not preach the words recorded in the gospel to the unlearned common people ; and peter and paul , and all the apostles , to all the vulgar jews and gentiles ? 3. whether they writ not their recorded epistles to the vulgar , even to all the churches ? 4. whether it is not gods word that we must all be ruled and judged by , and is the charter of our right to heaven ? and should we be forbid to read it ? 5. whether hierom , chrysostom , austin , and all the fathers , do not press men and women of all ranks , to read or learn , and study the scriptures ? 6. whether he be not like antichrist , that will forbid men to read that , which god sent his son from heaven to preach , and christ appointed apostles , pastors , and teachers , to communicate to all the world ? 7. whether the prince of darkness and pride himself , would not be ashamed openly to say , i have so much skill to speak intelligibly , and god so little , that you must read my books , and not read his ? and whether popes and priests volumes are not as unskilfully written , as gods , and as like to draw men to heresie and sin ? 8. whether he that thus condemneth god and his law , and extolleth man's , be like to make good his accusation at god's barr ? alas ! must such things as these be disputed by men that would be our infallible rule ? 9. either the knowledge of god's word is needful , or not . if not , why did god write part of it himself ? and send his son to preach it ? and his spirit in his prophets and apostles to write and record it ? are blind worms fit to accuse god of folly , and needless work ? can men obey god's law that know it not ? but if the knowledge of it be needful to our obedience and salvation , ask common reason , whether the difficulties should not rather oblige us to read and study it so much the more , ●till we understand it , rather than not to read it at all ? do their ductile followers that read it not , understand it better than those that study it day and night ? the less we know of needless things , the better and quieter we are : if god's law and gospel be such , what a god and governour have we ! can heathens and turks blaspheme him more , than to take him for so foolish a governour of the world , as to make a stir by his son from heaven , and by angels and prophets , to give them so needless , yea , pernicious a law and gospel , as that men must be kept from reading it , lest it poyson them with heresie ? 10. is it not essential to him that relatively we take for our god , to be the governour of the world , and to be our saviour , and the holy ghost to deliver and seal the gospel as glad tidings to all nations ? and is it not by his law that god governeth , and by his gospel that christ saveth , and the holy ghost doth illuminate and sanctifie ? and doth not that man or clergy then put down god the father , son and holy ghost , and set up themselves in the stead , who forbid the reading of god's law and gospel , and command the knowledge and observance of their own , canons and dictates instead of them , as more intelligible and safe ? and is not this ( as robert grosthead told innocent 4. ) next the sin of lucifer and antichrist , or rather plain antichristianism it self ? 11. is the stage manner of massing liker to make the people understand god's law and gospel , ( by multitudes of gestures , motions , crossings , ceremonies , that need long expositions , that overwhelm the strongest memories , ) than the reading and study of the plain and full words of god in scripture ? 12. did this deceiver ever hear protestants say , that the apocalypse , and daniel , and ezekiel , and the canticles , and the chronologies of scripture , are all easy to be understood ? for if he have heard such a fool , did he ever read this in the confessions of any church ? do not their commentaries tell the difficulty ? and ask this man or his fellow creature , whether the infallible pope , or councils , have overcome all these difficulties to the papists , and made all this easy to them ? or do not their valuminous disagreeing commentaries , and controversies , shew that they are still as hard to them as to us . 13. and ask them whether pope , or council , have ever yet written an infallible commentary on the bible , or all such difficult texts ? if not , is it because they cannot , or because they will not ? and what the better then is their church for their feigned skill and power , infallibly to decide difficult scripture controversies ? what can be more shameless than this pretence , in men that will not do it , nor ever did ? 14. and if still they tell you ; that the people were always bound to believe and obey the churches rites , without dispute or contradiction ; ask them whether it was not the church rulers that killed christ , and called him a blasphemer and deceiver , and that persecuted and accused the apostles ? and whether the people were bound to believe them , ( as jewish papists , ) and whether all the apostles and christians were rebels and hereticks , for not believing them ? and whether it was not for the sins of priests and princes , and the peoples complying with them , that god by his prophets reproved the israelites , and at last forsook them to captivity , 2 chron. last . jer. 5 last . 15. and if they tell you of the peoples need of teachers , tell them that that is none of the controversie . but whether their teachers must teach them to understand god's book , or to throw it away ? may not the teacher and the book , consist together ? must school-boys be forbid to learn their grammar , because they must have a teacher ? must he teach them the book , or teach them without book ? but all the craft is , to get all the world to take only such cheaters as this for their masters , and then bible or no bible may serve turn . 16. is it not the office of teachers to translate god's word into known tongues , that the people may understand it ? this is the first part of preaching it : if not , why do they use translations in the church of rome , the septuagint ▪ and the vulgar latin ? and why did sixtus 5th . and clem. 8. make such a stir to correct the latin ? and why do so many comment on them ? and the rhemists turn it into english ? but what is all this for , but to help men to understand the book ? 17. doth not all the word of god cry down ignorance , and cry up knowledge , from end to end ? and what knowledge is it , but divine , of the word and law of god ? what else is the scope of all the first nine chapters of solomons proverbs , and of psal . 1. 19. and 119 , &c. god saith , hos . 4. 6. my people perish for lack of knowledge : and isa . 27. 11. it is a people of no understanding , therefore he that made them will not save them . ignorance and blindness are made the common cause of errour , sin and misery . but we are so far from taking all parts of scripture to be equally necessary to be understood , that we are more than the papists for first and most diligently teaching them the essentials , the creed , lord's prayer , and commandments , and baptism , and church communion , and the lord's supper , and lesser parts as they grow up ; what they must learn first their teachers must instruct them . 18. if he say , as they still do , that the ignorant will misunderstand the scripture , and every one turn it to his own fancy , and heresie : i answer , the way to prevent this , is to teach it them diligently , ( what else is the ministry for ? ) and not to forbid it them . every knave may pervert the law of the land to maintain his own ill cause ; and must the law therefore be forbidden them ? reason is far more commonly abused than scripture : there is no heresie , or error , no villany , perjury , cruelty , persecution , oppression , or injustice , but reason is pleaded for it : must reason therefore be renounced ? heresies are for want of understanding god's word ; and must be cured by understanding it . 19. and if all the world must take the popes or priests words , instead of gods , or for their rule , how shall those in aethiopia , syria , america , or here , know what the popes word is ? that never see him , or any that hath seen him ? and how shall we know , when above twenty times there have been two popes at once , which of them is the right ? and when they contradict and damn each other , which of them must we believe ? and when general councils accuse them of errour , and condemn them , which is to be trusted with our souls ? or if it be councils that must be to us instead of scripture , when they damn each other , which must we believe ? ( and so abundance of them have done . ) when the pope and they agreed to depose christian princes , and give away their dominions , and disoblige their subjects from all their oaths of allegiance , is it as true as the word of god , that all subjects must believe and obey them ? but how shall all the poor people know what the pope and councils say and hold ? they can neither read their volumes , nor understand them , nor know which are authentick and true ? must they all believe their parish priest ? what if he be as very a deceiver as the writer of this touchstone , that doth but cheat from the beginning to the end ? yet must we take his word instead of gods ? or when other priests , or fryars contradict him , which of them must we believe ? what if his parishoners know him to be ignorant , or a common lyar ? yet must our salvation rest on his word ▪ and god's word be forbidden us . what if we obey him in error , and sin , will he undertake to be damned for us ? or will his undertaking or damnation save those whom he mislead , & c. ? as to his citation of scripture against scripture , it is so palpable a perversion , that i will leave any man that will but read the text , to his own ability , to answer him : rev. 5.1 . no man in heaven or earth , was worthy to open the sealed books that john saw in his vision : what then , must no man therefore open the bible ? or because the revelation is hard , must therefore the people be forbidden to read it , and the rest of god's word , which was written for them , as sufficient to make them wise to salvation , yea , to make the simple wise , psal . 19. and with as shameless a face doth he cite the fathers , against the drift of all their writings and labours , and the judgment of all the churches of christ , for many hundred years , of its purest foundest primitive times . the fourth accused point . that apostolical traditions , and ancient customs of the church , ( not founded in the written word , ) are not to be received , nor do oblige us . ans . this is but more deceit , by confusion and false report . the reformed catholicks hold , 1. that memory is not so sure a way to deliver any laws and doctrines to posterity , through many hundred years , as writing is . for it must lie on the memories of so many thousands , in so many ages , and so many parts of the world ; of so many languages , kingdoms , and cross interests and opinions in their quarrels ; and the things to be remembred are so many , that this needs no proof , with any but fools or mad-men : what a religion should we have had , if instead of the bible , it must have all been brought us down by the memories of all the rabble of ignorant and wicked popes ? yea , or of the best ? and by the memories of all the prelates and priests that have pretended to be the church ? why do they themselves write their pretended traditions , if writing them were not needful ? and why have we all our statutes , records , and law-books , if the lawyers and peoples memories would keep and deliver them without these ? when men's memories , wits , and honesty are so weak , that we can scarce get one story carried without falsifying through many hands . 2. we hold , that god in mercy hath therefore considered man's weakness , and necessity , and before the apostles died , inspired them to record so much of his law , and gospel , and will , as was universally necessary for all his subjects to know , in order to divine belief ; obedience , and salvation : and hath left nothing of this importance and necessity unrecorded in the law of nature , ( god's visible works , ) and scripture , knowing that after ages were not to have new universal legislators , to make such laws for all the world ; nor to have men miraculously enabled to do it , and give proof that it is divine . 3. we hold that god's written word and law , is perfect in its kind , psal . 19. and sufficient to its proper use and end : which bellarmine , cassinus , and the council of basil , and many school-men , in their prologues on the sentences , confess extendeth to all things commonly necessary to salvation , yea , and to be the divine rule of faith. 4. yet we deny not , that if god had seen meet to deliver any necessary part of law or gospel , faith or practice , as his will , by bare word and memory of man ; we had been bound to believe and obey it , when we had sound proof that it was indeed from god. 5. we hold , that for fullest certainty , we have possession of the bible it self , and of the essentials of christianity brought us by two means conjunct , that is , the scripture , and practical custom of the church . as the scripture or written word shineth to us by its own light , so tradition tells us which be the canonical books , and how the church received them as divine , and that there are no other such : and the practice , of baptismal profession and covenanting , and of the church assemblies , and reading scripture , and catechizing , and of eucharistical communion , and prayer , &c. tell us what in all ages hath been taken for true christianity . as we hold a humane belief , needful in subserviency , as a means to divine belief , so we hold humane tradition needful to the conveyance of god's word to us . but , by your leave , we will distinguish the messenger from the authour : if the king send me a law or mandate by a messenger , or by the penny-post , i will receive and obey it , and yet not take the post or messenger for king , or legislator , or infallible . 6. and the reformed catholicks do own all true tradition , but are for a far surer tradition than the roman sect. our tradition of scripture , and the great points of christianity , cometh to us by evidence infallible , that may be called natural , with the greatest advantage of moral evidence also ; and not on the boast and bare word of one proud sect , that pretendeth to fanatick inspiration and authority above all others . i call that natural evidence , which ariseth from such necessary causes that cannot be otherwise , nor can deceive : and i call that the best moral evidence , which cometh from mens testimony of greatest credit for skill and honesty , and we have both these . mans soul hath some necessary acts that cannot but be , and cannot be otherwise : such is sensation of sensible objects duely presented ; intellectual perception of things presented according to the evidence in which they appear : the love of our selves and our own known welfare , and any thing that is known to be an only and necessary means thereto , and hath omnimodam ratiomem boni : the love of truth as truth , and good as good : the hatred of misery , &c. these all men have as men , and that which dependeth on these dependeth not only on mens honesty . and our evidence of tradition is such as this . it is from the common consent of all capable witnesses , of various opinions , passions and interests , friends and foes ; whereas the tradition of sectarian papists , dependeth on the credit of one sect , that falsly pretend a peculiar trust with both scripture and tradition , tho' against the greater part of christians : and pretend fanatically that even ignorant popes and prelates in council , have a gift of infallible knowledge . for example : if there were a doubt raised , whether there be any such city in the world as rome , paris , vienna ? or whether there was ever such persons as k. james , k. charles , ludovicus 14 ▪ of france , & c. ? or whether the statutes in our books were really made by the kings and parliaments named in them , and be the same unchanged , &c. there is natural evidence of all this , because it ariseth from necessary acts : all sorts of men of contrary interests could never agree to lie and deceive men in such cases , no more than they could all agree to kill themselves : and if some would be falsifyers , the rest would presently detect and shame them : if any lawyers would falsyfie or change the statutes , others would presently manifest the deceit , they being commonly known , and the cross interests of so many depending on them ; yea , i say not only that this is natural infallible evidence , but that it is more than very much other physical evidence of many other things ; because we have better means to know mans natural necessary acts , than we have to know most other creatures of god. and then for moral evidence , we have all the godly's attestation of all ages , and nations , and sects of christians , and among the rest the papists also , agreeing that this bible , and this creed , and these essentials of christianity , were all certainly transmitted to us from christ and his spirit , in his apostles . and what 's the tradition of the papal sect to all this , who tell us falsely , you cannot know the scripture to be god's word , but by taking it on the belief of the pope and church of rome , as endowed with the power of judgment , and the gift of infallibility . alas ! what abundance of impossibilities must be proved true , before any man can by this method believe god's word ! 1. before they can believe the gospel , and that jesus is the true christ , they must believe that he hath a vicar . 2. and a church . 3. and the pope is this vicar , and his sect this church . and 4. that he hath the office , power and gift , of infallible judging , which the major number of christians or churches have not . 5. and that christ ( not yet believed in , ) gave him power and infallibility . 6. and that he that now reigneth , is the true pope by due election , consecration , qualification , &c. with many more such impossibilities : and what is it to give up the cause to the infidels , if this be not ? 7. but we judge that god's law in scripture , secured from the charge of pretended rememberers and vsurpers , is so sufficient to its proper use , that there needeth no supplemental tradition , as if it were but half god's law ; but only subservient historical tradition . and we challenge the papists to prove de facto , 1. that any such supplemental tradition is existent . 2. that they possess any other , but what the other churches know . 3. that they are more than other churches , authorized to be the keepers and judges of that tradition . and 4. we fully prove them innovators , and that popery is a meer novelty : it is copiously proved by peter moulin , de novitate papismi , david blondel de ecclesia , andrew rivet defence of morney against coffetean , and against silvester , and many others . can they without the most profligate impudence pretend apostolical tradition , for denying the laity the cup in the eucharist , and for their praying in an unknown tongue , and forbidding the scripture , and deposing princes , and dissolving oaths of allegiance , and for tormenting and killing all baptized persons that obey not the pope , with many such ? 8. if tradition tell us of any customs used in the apostles , or primitive times , that be not in scripture , and so be not made matters of necessity to all ; yea , or of any occasion all mutable customs that are mentioned in scripture , ( as washing the saints feet , the holy kiss , the womans vail , long or short hair , collections each lords day , preachers travelling on foot , &c. ) we quarrel not with the then use of such traditions , when they were seasonable , no more than with forbearing things strangled and blood : nor quarrel we with the churches after , that setled easter day , and made the 20th . canon of the nicene council , and used divers ceremonies at baptism . but traditions of things indifferent and mutable , we receive but as such , to be laid aside when the occasion ceaseth : and if any will turn them into a necessary common law , we disclaim such usurpers ; for they cross that very tradition . it was delivered as indifferent , and you feign and make it a necessary law , and so destroy it . 9. we maintain openly , that tradition is against the papacy and its corruptions . they are but a third or fourth part of christians : the other two or three parts of the christian world , profess that the tradition of their churches is against the popes universal sovereignty , and against all the corruptions of which they accuse him . none but the shameless will deny that the abassians , armenians , greeks , and others , plead that this is their tradition . and reader , tell us , why the tradition of two or three parts of the church should not rather be believed against a third part , than that which the third part boast of against all the rest . 10. ask them which way they know and keep their traditions ? whether they have any history , records , or any other way which we may not know as well as they ? if they pretend that it is a secret , kept by their church , it 's a strange secret that so many thousands know : but if it be a thing proveable , let them prove it . 11. is it not unmercifulness , to tell all the christian world , that as big and hard as the bible is , if they knew and obeyed it all , they cannot be saved , unless they believe and do more , kept by the pope , and called tradition ? when yet these deceivers can dispense with the knowledge and practice of god's own word , and think the bible a book too big and hard , ( and the prophane say , too strict , ) to be commonly understood and kept ; and yet all the bible is not enough , but we must be bound to as much more as they will call tradition , yea , volumes also of papal canon laws . 12. did not christ for this thing condemn the old pharisees , mat. 15 ? prove your traditions to be apostolical , and about things necessary , and not your forgeries , or about things mutable and indifferent , and we will obey all such apostolical traditions . but your novelties and usupations shall not pass with us for divine laws , because you can call them such . the fifth accused point . that a man by his own understanding and private spirit , may rightly judge and interpret scripture . ans . can any man unriddle what this deceiver meaneth ? 1. can a man judge without his own understanding ? 2. what meaneth he by a private spirit ? little know i. if he mean god's spirit , it is no contemptible nor private spirit , even in a private man : if he mean a man 's own spirit , soul or intellect , it is the same as [ his own understanding . ] if he mean any evil spirit , or fancy and erroneous self-conceit , we defie such spirits , and deceivers that use them . to understand without our own understandings , is a mystery fit for rome ; why may not a dog , or a sheep , be said so to understand the scripture , if it may be understood without our own understandings ? what a curse is on the ignorant nations , that will be led by such words as these ! but if he will say that he meant , [ by his own understanding alone without a teacher , ] why did he not say so , but say one thing and do another . but that had been too gross a lye , to have been believed , by them that see that we set up teachers in all our congregations . 3. therefore i can imagine nothing but absurdity in his words , unless he mean , that we hold that a man may rightly interpret scripture by his own understanding immediately , instructed by his teacher and god's spirit , without taking the sence only at the rebound , on the belief of the pope and his clergy . for we never thought that a man 's own natural wit without a teacher , and the help of god's spirit , can savingly understand and apply the scripture . and yet we would fain tell papists a better way to convert a philosopher , or a turk , than to preach to them thus : god hath written his law and gospel to the world , but you cannot tell what is the meaning of it , till you take that sence on trust from our pope and clergy , and know that christ authorized him to be judge ; and that before you believe in christ , or understand the word that so authorizeth him . were not corrupted nature very blind in things spiritual , plow-men , and tinkers , and coblers , would be able to confute such fopperies , and much more priests , and popes , and prelates . 4. but i pray you tell me , whether the pope and his prelates , do not interpret scripture by their own understandings ? whose understandings else do they judge by , in conclaves or councils ? 5. and tell me , whether he that judgeth that the pope is christs vice-christ and ruler , at the antipodes , and is infallible , tho' he be by councils condemned for a simonist , and infidel , an atheist , a seducer , or an ignorant sot ? doth not this man judge all this by his own understanding ? if a man take an ignorant sottish priest for the mouth of the catholick church , tho' he know no more what he talks against , than this roman deceiver , doth he not judge this by his own understanding ? if a sot will believe you , that your sect is the whole church , and all are damned , tho' they love god , and believe in christ , if they will not be ruled by the pope and every mass-priest , doth he not judge thus by his own understanding ? do you preach to men , or beasts , that have no understanding of god's law and will ? if a man must believe all the canons of popes and councils , in baronius , binnius , surius , nicolinus , caranza , &c. doth he not do it by his own understanding ? 6. oh! but the meaning is , you are all private ignorant men , and we are the clergy ; kings choose some of us , and popes choose others , and whether we are wise or fools , learned or vnlearned , infidels or christians , you are all damned if you will not follow us , and if we be damned , you must be content to be damned with us . and is it so ? hath god made man for no safer and better a condition , than to be damned when ever sottish drunken priests will tell him , [ you must believe us that are the mouth of the pope , and the pope , tho' you think that the word of god is against it ? ] speak out deceiver ; would you have all men be of their rulers religion , or not ? should the jews have believed the church , that christ was a blasphemer , deceiver and traytor , and the apostles seditious fellows ? must we be mahometans under turks , persians , and indians , and papists under papists ? and why not lutherans under lutherans also ? and so our king shall be our god , and our religion humane . or must men judge what is true or false , good or bad , by their own understandings ? do kings and prelates rule men , or dogs , and brutes ? if cromwell say , he is supream , and king charles say , he is supream , tell us whether we must not use our own understandings , to know which of them to believe and obey ? and must we not do so , if the world , the flesh , and the devil , say one thing , and christ another ? and i pray you tell us , whether that be religion that is not divine , and whether it be not our own understanding , that must distinguish between god and man ? did not vulgar folly fit slothful fools for hell , they would easily perceive that popery engaging them to renounce their own understandings , maketh us all voluntary brutes , to gratify the ambition of men , and puts down god from being our governour , and man from being a voluntary subject , and turns the kingdom of christ into the kingdom of beasts . the sixth point accused . that st. peters faith hath failed . ans . who could more ignorantly have stated a controversie ? 1. protestants are further from the opinion that peters faith failed , than the greatest papist doctors : some protestants hold that no man that hath true saving faith , doth ever totally lose it ; much less peter . others hold , that no elect person that hath true faith , doth totally lose it : and so thought augustine : others add , that though some , as calvin speaks , qualecunque semen sidei perderint , having no more immutable grace than adam had in innocency , yet all that have a confirmed radicated habit , persevere . and as to peters faith , all save those called arminians agree , ( as far as i know , ) that his faith was not totally lost , nor peter relapsed into a state of damnation : but will all the jesuits say as much ? we commonly hold that the habit of peters faith , must be distinguished from the acts , and the act of assent from the act that exciteth confession and conquereth opposition . and that peters faith did not totally fail as to the habit , nor the assent , that christ was the messiah : but that it actually failed as to the latter act , that should conquer fear : christ said to him and the rest before that , why are ye fearful , o ye of little faith : little faith , is faith failing in degree . this is our victory over the world , even our faith , saith st. john. and did not peters faith fail as to part of that victory , when he curst and swore that he knew not the man ? but by peters faith , this deceiver meaneth the popes faith : and he instanceth in the scribes and pharisees , that were to be heard because they sate in mose's chair , and in cajaphas the high-priest . reader , see what christians these slaves of christs pretended vicar are : doth he not plainly infer , that the people did well that believed the priests , and the scribes , and pharisees , that christ was a deceiver and workt miracles by the devil ; and was a blasphemer and a traytor , and deserved death ; and that cryed away with him : crucifie him ? and what wonder if they obey their high priest , when he commandeth them to murther thousands and hundred thousands saints nicknamed hereticks , when they justifie them that killed christ and the apostles , because the church commanded it , ( unless they will renounce their own plain consequence ? ) and must we indeed believe , that the popes faith never failed , because peters did not ? then we must believe that general councils that are their church , have been very false and slanderous . reader , i will give thee but an account of one or two , ( when their own most flattering historians have written of many a long time , that they were rather apostatict , than apostolici , and named but to keep the account of time . ) the great general council at constance , ( that burnt john hus and jerome of prague , for truth and honesty , ) finding three popes heading three churches called roman catholicks , had no way to return to unity , but by putting down all three : with much adoe they got down two of them : but pope john at rome had the fastest hold , and they had more adoe to get him down ; and had not the emperour resolved to back them , they had been foiled . hereupon he is accused in the council , first , by fifty four articles , of such monstrous villanies , as one would think humane nature were uncapable of . afterward many more are added , of poysoning pope alexander , of incest with his brothers wife , and the holy nuns , and ravishing maids , and adultery with men's wives , and much more ; and of simony , almost incredible : and amongst the rest , ( which i forbear to recite , lest i tire the reader , ) they say and prove , that he was a notorious simoniack , and a portinacious heretick ; that oft before divers prelates , and other honest men , by the devils perswasion he pertinaciously said , asserted , dogmatized , and maintained , that there is no life eternal , nor any after this : and he said and pertinaciously believed , that man's soul dieth with the body , and is extinct , as are the bruits : and he said , that the dead rise not , contrary to the articles of the resurrection , &c. these articles being shewed to the pope , he confest his sin , and consented to be deposed , and begged mercy , but all in hypocrisie , while he sought to get out of their hands and power . and now reader , dost thou think that it is the mark of a heretick , and deserveth burning and damnation , for a man to think that this popes faith failed ? were it not for tiring you , i would repeat such articles against many others of them , as would make you think , that not only the heathen philosophers , but even mahomet was a saint in comparison of these swinish and diabolical popes . after this , the great council at basil accused eugenius the 4th . of heresie and multitudes of horrid crimes , and deposed him : but he outfaced them , and standing it out to the last , got the better , and the succession is ever since continued from this pope , that was deposed by a grand general council . before these , pope john the 12th . was deposed by a council at rome , called by otho the emperour , for such horrid villanies , as no pagans that we read of ever matcht . read them but in baronius , and binnius : drinking healths in wine to the devil , and calling at dice upon jupiter and venus , besides murders , simony , incest and all wickedness , are all consistent with papal faith : and if this be no failing , i shall grant that the popes faith ( nor the devils , ) can never fail . the seventh accused point . that the church can err , and hath errors . ans . this is truly and honestly recited : all protestants hold it , and marvel that all the devils in hell can so befool any as to deny it . 1. no body can tell what it is that they call the church , till they tell us : but what ever it is , except confirmed angels and souls in heaven , if they cannot err , god and our saviour , and the apostles have erred . for they tell us that , [ we know but in part , ] and if any man say that he hath no sin , he is a lyar , 1 joh. 1. 1 cor. 13.12 . and in many things we offend all , jam. 2.2 . psal . 19.12 . who can understand his errours , cleanse thou me from secret faults . it was the church of which god complaineth , that they alway err in their hearts , and have not known god's ways , psal . 95.10 . heb. 3.10 . unless caleb and joshua were all the church , isa . 53.6 . all we like sheep have gone astray , &c. if by the church they mean the priests , how full of complaints against their errours are all the prophets , and history of the kings and chronicles ? isa . 3.12 . o my people , they that lead thee , cause thee to err , and destroy the way of thy paths . isa , 9.15 , 16. for the leaders of this people cause them to err , and they that are led of them are destroyed . mal. 2. the priests lips should keep knowledge , and they should seek the law at his mouth , for he is the messenger of the lord of hosts : but ye are departed out of the way , and ye have caused many to stumble at the law : ye have corrupted the covenant of levi , saith the lord of hosts : therefore have i also made you contemptible and base before all the people , according as ye have not kept my ways , &c. hos . 4.6 . my people are cut off for lack of knowledge : because thou hast rejected knowledge , i will olso reject thee , that thou shalt be no priest to me . jer. 53.31 . the prophets prophecy falsely , and the priests bear rule by their means , and my people love to have it so , and what will ye do in the end hereof ? 2 chron. 36.14 , 16 , 17. all the chief of the priests and the people transgressed very much after the abominations of the heathen : but they mocked the messengers of the lord , and despised his words , and misused his prophets , till the wrath of the lord arose against his people , and there was no healing ▪ so isa . 1.2 , 3 , 4. reader , is it not worse than infidelity that these men teach , if they say that the church hath not erred ? was it no error when aaron set them up the golden-calf ? nor when they went after the idols of the heathen , and worshipped in the high places ? was it no error to take christ for a deceiver and blasphemer , worthy to be crucified ? was it no error to reject the gospel , and persecute the apostles ? and had the apostles no error , when they believed not that christ must die for our sins , and rise again , and ascend to heaven , but thought he must then set up an earthly kingdom ? was it no error of peter , math. 16. to disswade christ from suffering , for which christ said , get thee behind me sathan , thou savourest not the things that be of god , but those that be of men ? and i think he erred , when paul openly rebuked his separation , gal. 2. if all the church on earth consist only of persons that have many errors , then the whole church hath many errors : but the antecedent is so true , that i take him that denyeth it , to be so far from knowing what the church is , or what a christian is , that he knoweth not what a man is , and a church of such are so unfit to be trusted as infallible , with all mens salvation , that they have not the wit of common illiterate men , or children : and if in all things else they were as mad as in these two opinions . 1. that the church never did nor can err. 2. and that all mens senses must be denyed for transubstantiation ; doubtless they should be kept in bedlam from humane converse . but for my part , i do not think that any man of them not stark mad , doth believe himself that there are any men in the world that have no error , ( that have any use of understanding . ) he is far from knowing what man is , that knoweth not that he swarmeth with errours : i oftner doubt whether the greater number of most mens thoughts , are true or false . but if by the church they mean only the pope , if he cannot err , then it is no errour to believe that there is no life but this , and that mans soul dieth as the beasts , and that it is lawful to murther gods servants by thousands , or hundred thousands ; if all the foresaid popes in the ages 800 , 900 , 1000 , 1100 , erred not , sure there is no such thing as errour in the world. but perhaps by the church is meant general councils . but 1. if they erred not in their decrees , doth it follow that therefore they had no errour ? 2. but did not the second council at ephesus err ? where they tell us that sola petri navicula , only the popes messengers escaped the heresie ? did not the council of calcedon err in their opinion , when it determined that the reason of romes primacy was because it was the imperial seat , & c. ? were all the councils free from errour that were for the arrians ? and those that were against them ? and all that were for the monothelites ? and those that were against them ? and all that were for images , and those that were against them , & c. ? but at last they come to this , that the pope may err , and councils may err , but when they agree , they cannot err : a happy meeting of erring persons , if they are both cured by it . but sure it is not the meeting : for the pope is at rome , when the council is at trent , ephesus , constantinople , &c. if a council may err , and the pope err , what proveth it impossible for them to agree in errour ? the pope and council at lateran 4th . agreed for the popes deposing princes that exterminate not all out of their dominions that deny transubstantiation , &c. was this no errour ? obj. but this was not a matter of faith. ans . is it no matter of faith with them , whether it be lawful or not , according to gods law , to kill men that believe their senses , and to depose princes ? and whether subjects may break their oaths of allegiance , and forsake their prince if the pope command them , and all because their prince will not be a murtherer or persecutor ? these are no matters of faith with them ? but sure they have made them articles of their religion . and either the rebels , and murtherers ▪ and pope and council err , or else gods law and gospel err. the judgment of the reformed catholicks is this , 1. that there is no man living without errour . 2. that the apostles of christ were commissioned to deliver his gospel to the world , by word and record , and had his promise of his spirit to lead them into all truth , and keep them from doing that work erroneously which they were commissioned to do : ( tho' not to make them absolutely free from sin or errour in all other things . ) and therefore the scripture written by them is free from errour , by virtue of the special promise and spirit . 3. that all true christians , ( really regenerate , ) are free from all errour , inconsistent with true saving faith , and title to salvation . 4. that therefore the church as it signifieth only the said regenerate true christians , hath no damning errour , or none but what is pardoned , as consistent with saving faith and holiness . 5. that the universal visible church , is the whole company of men on earth , that profess true saving faith , and are by covenant vow baptized into this profession : and that all this true visible church , professeth no errour , inconsistent with their profession of the foresaid saving faith : because the profession of saving faith is essential to visible christianity , and to the visible church . for mark , that i say not that they profess no errour inconsistent with sincere faith in themselves subjectively , nor yet that as to objective faith , may not by unseen consequence overthrow it : for there is such a concatenation of divine revealed truths , that it is a doubtful case , whether any one errour ( which all men have , ) do not by remote consequence subvert the very foundations . but no true visible church or christian , so professeth any one errour , as not to profess the essential points of faith and godliness , tho' they may think falsely that both are true . therefore protestants teach , that unseen consequences are not to be so charged on those that see them not , and hold fast the ( injured ) truth , as if it were a known or direct denyal of the truth . 6. but every church , and every man , being imperfect both in knowledge , faith and holiness , have all some errour : for to be objectively de fide , is to be of divine revelation : and all the scripture is divine revelation . and if the question be , whether any pope , council or church , understand all the scripture without any errour ? judge by commentators , and common experience . and now what saith the deceiver against all this ? 1. he citeth isa . 59.21 . god hath promised to preserve his word in the church : ergo , the church cannot err ? a forged consequence , no more followeth , but that the true church shall not lose or forsake gods word : for then it would cease to be the church : but 1. not that the best churches understand all that word without any errour . 2. nor that any particular church visible may not apostatize , or turn hereticks , or corrupt gods word , and forbid men to use it in a known tongue , as the papists do . next he citeth joh. 14.16 . as if all the church had the same promise of the spirit of infallibility , as the apostles had : if so , then , 1. papists are none of the true church , because they have many errours . 2. and if the major part be the church , rather than a minor sect , then all other christians that are against popery are free from errour , for they are twice or thrice as many as the papists . 3. and when the far greater part were arrians , they were free from errour : yea , the council of sirmium , to which pope liberius professed full consent . or did christ break his promise to all these ? 4. if the pope or all his prelates , have as full a promise of the spirit as the apostles , then they may write us a new bible , and word of god , as they did : no wonder then if the canons and decretals be as much gods word as the bible ? but why then do they not confirm their canons by miracles as the apostles did ? and why did so many popes contradict each other ? had both stephanus , formosus , nicholas , and the foresaid johns that denyed the life to come , &c. the same gift as the apostles ? surely we may well say to them as st. james , shew me thy faith by thy works ? they did shew it by most odious simony , gluttony , drunkenness , lying with maids and wives , even at the apostolick doors , murdering christs members by thousands , silencing faithful preachers , deposing emperours , commanding perjury and rebellion , even to sons against their own fathers : forbidding all church worship of god to whole kingdoms for many years , when a king will not obey the pope : by such works they shew their faith ! o the power of satan , and the horrid pravity of man , when such things are not only justified , but trusted to for justification , and made consistent with a church that never erred . indeed these errours crept in by degrees , which maketh it difficult to expositors of scripture prophesie , to know just the year when the mischief became so ripe as to prove rome to be babylon apostate to pagano-christianity , and the pope to be antichrist . but if i see a man raging mad in bedlam , i will not make it an article of my faith , that he is sanae mentis , because i know not just when his amentia & deliratio , or melancholly became a mania , or furor . the deceiver also citeth , mat. 18.17 . viz. because men must hear the church , where a sinner dwelleth , that calleth him to repentance after due proof and admonition , therefore the pope and his prelates cannot err. an argument liker a derision , than a serious proof : did not the pope then err , when bishops and councils have in vain called him to repent ? doth not the church err then most damnably , that commandeth murder , treason , and most heynous sin , and is the leader of the impenitent ? must we take such then as heathens and publicans ? but as the man thinketh , so the bell tinketh . do but fancy that by the [ church , ] is meant only the pope and his clergy ; and that all is such sin which the pope calleth so , tho' god command us , and then all such texts will seem to them to say what they would have them say . the man also citeth , eph. 5.27 . viz. christ will present his regenerate church , perfect and spotless in judgment . what then ? ergo , the visible church on earth hath no errour or spot : and ergo , the pope and his clergy are this visible perfect church . and why not as well constantinople , alexandria , antioch , or jerusalem , the mother church ? which part is it that is the whole , or indefectible ? what is profaining gods word , if this be not ? if any should be forbidden the scripture , it is these prophaning priests . the eighth accused point . that the church hath been hidden and invisible . ans . we do not think that the pope and his clergy-church have been hidden and invisible . their wars , even in italy and rome , for many ages made them visible : yea , and palpable too : the kings and emperours that they fought against or deposed knew them ; above 100000 waldenses and albigenses felt them to the death : quae regio in terris talis non plena laboris . whether this man knew not the protestants judgment herein , or whether he would not have his reader know it , i cannot tell ; but i shall tell you what it is . 1. protestants commonly hold , that as the word [ church ] signifieth the company of sincere christians , and heart-consenters to the baptismal covenant , so it is invisible to man that knoweth not the heart . inward faith and love which denominate them , are not seen by others , dare any deny this ? 2. but as the word [ church ] signifieth the vniversality of men baptized professing christianity in publick assemblies , so it was never invisible , since such publick profession and assemblies first began . 3. but when the pagan persecutors forced their meetings into woods and cells , and pits , called conventicles , and to night-meetings , they were hidden from the persecutors , as well as they could hide themselves : and so they were , when they hid themselves from the arrian persecution of valens , constantius , gensericus , hunnerichus , and from the persians : and so were those of tholouse , piedmont , bohemia , and others that hid themselves , and fled from the crusado's , under simon montford , and st. domonick , and others that murdered them . christ himself fled to egypt , and galilee , from persecutors . his disciples were met secretly for fear of the jews , when christ appeared to them ; when peter was in prison , many were assembled by night in a conventicle , at the house of marks mother , to pray for him . the papists themselves keep hidden meetings , where they cannot have more publick . 4. god hath not promised his church , such constant prosperity , as that in every age any nation shall have publick liberty without all persecution ; much less that they shall be still uppermost , and masters of the world , and have kings and emperours always for them . 5. but we cannot say , that yet the church hath been so low since the days of constantine , that all princes have disowned the essentials of christianity , and we hope it never will be so . 6. but all ages and parts of the church , have not been equally pure and sound : in some ages the arrians were most : in the reign of theodosius junior , anastasius , &c. the eutichians prevailed : in the days of philippicus the monothelites prevailed , so that at one of their councils binius saith , there were innumerable bishops : in one emperours time those prevailed that were against images ; in irene's and theodora's times , those that were for them : sometime the bishop of rome had most power , and sometime the bishop of constantinople , and alexandria : for an hundred years , even much of italy forsook him , and set up a patriarch at aquileia as their head : through many ages the citizens of rome themselves expelled him or fought against him . now in all these cases , the church , as professing christinanity , was still visible : but which of all the parts was the purest and soundest , was known to none but the sound parts themselves . and when and where the errours became so great as really to nullifie , or invalidate the profession of christianity this was known only to those near , that had opportunity to know the mind of the accused : for noxa caput sequitur : one man , tho' a prince or prelate , cannot make all his subjects hereticks by his errour . so that nothing hath been more visible , than that there have still been professed christians , and so an universal visible church on earth . but which parts of this church have de facto been sound , and which corrupt , and what errours have nullified their profession , and what only blemisht it , this hath never been visible to the erroneous ; ( for no man knoweth that he erreth ; ) but it hath been visible to the sound . and so , that the church of rome yet professeth christianity , we know : but whether their errours prove them babylon , or nullifie their christianity , must be known only by trying the guilty individuals . here the cheaters say to the ignorant , if the church hath been always visible , where was your church before luther ? ans . 1. where-ever there were men professing christianity and baptized , and not apostatizing . were there none such in the world , must we be put to prove where there were any christians before luther ? were not the hearers grosly ignorant , the cheaters would have no confidence in such fopperies as these . obj. but the church of rome profest christianity before luther . ans . it did so , and as christians we are of the same church with them , we know no universal church , but the christian as such , that is , all christians as only headed by christ if you cannot tell whether before luther there were any christians in the world , ( in abassia , egypt , syria , armenia , the greeks , muscovites , &c. ) it 's your gross ignorance of history . but whether papists , arrians , eutychians , nestorians , monothelites , phantasians , image-worshippers , do invalidate their profession of christianity , by their contrary errours and crimes , it much more concerneth themselves , than us to enquire and judge . but tho' those that nullify not their profession of christianity , are all of the same church universal that we are of , yet we profess that their new humane church , which is [ only the pope as head , and all that adhere to him as such , ] are no church of christ at all . all christians as such are parts of the christian church : but a policy consisting of a vice-christ and his subjects , is a rellellious usurpation , and no church , forma denominat : as christ is the head , all are of the church that truly cleave to him as head : as the pope is the pretended head , they are all a pack of rebels . and now what an ignorant cant is it to say , the church cannot apostatize ; ergo , it cannot err ; ergo , the pope of rome , and his hireling clergy cannot apostatize ; and ergo , they cannot err ! tell me , whether rome be all the world ? and whether the church of rome , and the christian world , be words of the same signification in any dictionary ? and whether an alexandrian catholick , or a c.p. are catholick , be not as good sence , as a roman catholick ? and whether the texts or fathers , that you name prophanely , will prove that the church of c.p. alexandria , antioch , or jerusalem , can never err , or apostatize , or be invisible ? and whether your own jesuits confess not that rome shall do so too , in the reign of antichrist ? in the mean time take this answer . 1. the church as intimately sanctified , and sincere , was ever invisible . 2. the church universal , as professing christianity , was ever visible , tho' oft hid by persecution . 3. whether rome , c.p. jerusalem be a true church or apostate , is invisible to those that knew them not . 4. that the papal church , as informed by a universal vice-christ , is a false church , is notorious . this is our judgment . the ninth accused point . that the church was not always to remain catholick or vniversal : and that the church of rome is not such a church . ans . the first part is a meer flat lye : we hold that the church is always to remain universal , till it be presented perfect in glory : if it remain not universal , what becomes of it ? is it a part of something else , or annihilated ? if christ have no church , he is no head of the church , and so no christ . what protestant church ever said any such thing , as you falsly charge them with ? that the church of rome is not such a church , that is , is not the vniversal church , indeed we not only say , but think the contrary , sitter for a man drunk than sober ? what ? is rome all the world ? is abassia , america , mesopotamia , muscovy , asia , thrace , england , scotland , sweden , denmark , no part of the world , yea , of the christian world ? and is not the christian world , the church vniversal ? reader , here is a controversy worthy the wits , learning and honesty of all the famous fathers , and doctors , and juglers of the roman catholick church . the question is , which of the rooms in the house is the whole house ? one saith that the kitchin , or the cole-house , or the house of office , is the whole house . we protestants say , that no one room is the whole , but hall , parlors , dining-room , and all the chambers , and closets , and kitchin , are the whole ; and if the cole-house , and house of office will needs be parts , we will not contend with them , but we will never grant that they are either the whole , or the best part : tho' by fire and stink , they think to force us to it . but the ancient writers distinguish between the catholick church , and a catholick church : by the first is meant the whole church : by the second is meant such a particular church , as is not schismatical , but a true and sound part of the whole . but what could these self-condemners say more against themselves , than thus openly to confess , that their sect claimeth to be the whole church , and so trayterously unchurcheth two or three parts of the church of christ , and damneth most christians , for not being traytors to christ , as they ? to confute his base abuse of scripture , is needless and irksome . the tenth point accused . that the churches vnity , is not necessary in al● p●i●ts of faith. ans . this we verily hold , for all that god hath revealed in scripture to be believed , are points of faith , ( if the word be used intelligibly by these men : ) but all the points of genealogies , topography , chronology , prophecy in scripture , are revealed to be believed , therefore they are points of faith ; and if unity in all these is necessary to the unity of the church , then no church on earth hath unity : certainly rome hath not , whose commentators and doctors disagree about many hundred texts of scripture , and sixtus 5th . and clemens 8th . popes , about the very translation of many hundred texts . these men must now say , that we are not bound to believe all gods word , or else they must confess that their church hath not unity . that which reformed catholicks hold is , 1. first points of faith , ( or revealed to be believed , ) are some of them essential to christianity , and of necessity to salvation , and some but intergrals , if not some accidents : the first all the true church agreeth in : the second not : as who is antichrist ? or babylon ? or the ten-horned , or two-horned beast in the revelations ? what is the time , times , and half a time , with an hundred such ? but in general , all believe that all gods word is true . it might convince these men , in that it was long before all the churches received all the canonical books of scripture , and yet all received not all their apocryphal books . and are these out of the church ? or are none of these books to be believed ? the eleventh point accused . that st. peter was not ordained by christ the first head or chief among the apostles ; and that among the twelve , none was greater or lesser than other . ans . meer falsehood , as undistinguisht . the word head is ambiguous ; this writer hath a head , such as it is , that other heads much differ from . reformed catholicks hold , that peter is called first in numbring them : that he was by christ in many instances , preferred before others : that he was an eminent speaker , and worker of miracles : that all the apostles were not equal in parts and worth ; but some herein greater than other . what , was judas no lesser than the rest , that was a thief and traytor ? john was eminently the disciple whom jesus loved . but we hold , 1. that as john was not made lord or ruler of the rest , by being loved more , so peter's preheminence made him no master or ruler of the rest : the twelve apostles were chosen relatively , to the twelve tribes . peter as reuben was the first , and denyed christ , and was called satan , with a get behind me , ( mat. 16. ) as reuben defiled his fathers bed. but as levi was the third , so was james the first sanctified apostle : and as juda the fourth , is called the law-giver , from whom the scepter should not depart , &c. so john the fourth is the disciple of eminent love ; and love is the everlasting grace , when faith and prophesie cease . but christ made no one of them ruler of the rest . proved , 1. no text speaketh any such thing : and the headship of governing power , would have been of such grand necessity to be known , that christ and his apostles must needs have plainly and oft inculcated it . 2. peter never exercised any such power ; what mention is there of any laws or mandates of his to the other apostles ? 3. the rest never sought to him for laws or orders . 4. the schism and controversies of christians were never decided by appealing to him as the judge . 5. when some at corinth would have made him their head , and said , i am of cephas , paul reproveth them as carnal , saying of all , what are they but ministers , by whom ye believed ? 6. paul reproveth him , gal. 2. 7. the jewish christians contend against him , for eating with gentiles , act. 11. whom he satisfieth by proof from god , and not by pleading his supremacy . 8. he never once claimed any such power . 9. paul , 1 cor. 12. tells us of none in the church greater than apostles . but the rest were apostles as well as he . 10. no such article was ever put into the churches creed . we grant that christ did in instituting the apostles office , institute a disparity of ministers in his church , and this to be continued in the ordinary continued part of their works , but not in the extraordinary . and we grant that in putting peter first , christ intimated , that among men of the same office , there may for order sake be a priority ; as the president of a synod or colledge , or the fore-man of a jury , or a chief-justice , or the speaker of a parliament : god is not the god of confusion , but of order , as in all the churches : if a parish or an independant church have one grave pastor , with divers young assistants , that were but his scholars , nature will give him some awing preheminence among them . we are not against such a primacy among bishops , or arch-bishops : but this is nothing to a governing office. and if peter had had such , what 's that to the pope of rome ? the twelfth point accused . that a woman may be head , or supreme governess of the church in all causes , as the late queen elizabeth was . ans . a cheat by confusion and equivocation . the church hath two sorts of government : one by the word of god , and the keys called ecclesiastical . the other by the sword , called princely or magistratical : we never had king or queen that claimed the former , and none but enemies of government deny the latter : queen elizabeth and all our kings since have publickly disclaimed the priest by office of words , keys and sacraments , which maketh the clergy tryers and judges what to preach , and whom to baptize and receive to church communion , absolve or excommunicate . but ask this deceiver , must the church have none to govern by the sword ? all christians are the church , and so all christian princes are deposed , because they are christians . or must the clergy have no such government over them ? yes , the pope , say the papal canons ; he is sword-bearer over the clergy : so you see what church-power is come to . but i trow , few papist kings will grant that they have no sword-government over the clergy , lest every priest be master of their houses , wives , and lives . the king is no physicain , or philosopher , no architect , shipwright , pilot , &c. but may he not be king and ruler of all these ? he is no clergy-man or priest , but the ruler of the clergy . but they say , it must not be in causes ecclesiastical . ans . causes ecclesiastical have two sorts of government , in order to two ends. as if one be accused for preaching against god or christ , or the life to come ; or for perjury , adultery , murder , &c. here the bishops are judges , ( and the church , ) whether this man be guilty in order to his communion or excommunication , or admonition . but the king and his judges are to judge , whether he be guilty , and so whether to be imprisoned , fined , banished , &c. so far as causes of religion or church , are to be punished by the sword , the king is head or governour , and judge : who would think that a sort of men that deny this , should have the face to say that they are loyal to kings , or any forcing government : must kings burn or kill , as many thousands at the popes command as the pope will call hereticks , and yet never have power to judge whether they are such , and do deserve it ? o! how much worse than hangmen , would such men make all kings and magistrates ! was not all the christian world in a sad case then , when the pope was under the arrian goths , and the subject of a foreign arian must rule all kings and kingdoms ? no man of brains can be ignorant that popedom or prelacy , do not always make men mortified saints , ( that oft have been scarce men , much less christians ; ) nor that the prince hath a great power , both in choosing and ruling the clergy that are his subjects . it fell out happily , that theodorick the arian , ( and divers spanish arian kings , ) were an honest sort of men ; but sure they were very mighty princes at rome , when one subject of an arrian goth , was ruler of all the kings and souls on earth , ( de jure , say our deceivers . ) and if the turk should possess rome , as he doth c.p. all kings and nations must be subject to his subject ? and what power he hath over the four patriarks of c.p. alexandria , antioch , and jerusalem , is too well known . and when baronius , binnius , &c. tell us of famous whores , ( marozia , and theodora , ) that made , and ruled and unmade popes , how was the world governed ? as it was said by a lord mayors child , that he ruled all london , saying , my father ruleth london , and my mother ruleth my father , and i rule my mother ; so might it be said , these whores ruled all the kings and nations of christians on earth ; ( if the roman claim be currant , for they made and ruled popes that claimed the rule of all the world. ) o! how much greater was a roman whore , ( marozia , theodora , &c. ) than pallas , venus , or the great diana of the ephesians ! but the mischief was , that they were mutable , and could unmake a pope , as well as make him , and set the city and country by the ears : as aequa venus teucris ; pallas iuiqua fuit . and if all kings must be subjects to the subject , ( or chaplains ) of him that can win rome , let us wish that he may not be a mahometan , pagan , or arian : and why said i an arian , when an anti-arian pope , can murder christians by thousands , when a theodorick would not have hurt them . the thirteenth point accused . that antichrist shall not be a particular man , and the pope is antichrist . ans . this is popish stating cases ; protestants find in the creed , the name of christ , but not the name of antichrist ; and therefore while they know and trust christ , they think it not necessary to salvation to know antichrist : but they believe christ , who said , that many should come in his name saying , i am christ and deceive many , even before the destruction of the jews ; and rhey believe st. john , that said , there are many antichrists already : the fathers and papists say , there is some one great antichrist to come towards the end of the world : most protestants think it is antichrist that is described , in 2 thes . 2. and rev. 12.13 , 17. to confute king james , bishop george downame , dr. henry more , ( above all ) mr. mede , cluverus , grasserus , &c. will require more than this writers impertinencies . there are many protestants that think it a meer mistake , that there will be any one antichrist so eminent as to obscure all the rest : and they pretend not to judge , of antichrist by the apocalyps , but by the ten commandments , and all the gospel : and they believe , that he is antichrist that usurpeth christs prerogative , and yet opposeth his kingdom : and such they think the eastern antichrist mahomet is the most notorious , and the western antichrist , the pope is his second ; in that he claimeth christs prerogative of governing all nations of the earth as vice-christ , and yet by lies , malice and blood , suppresseth his true gospel , grace and kingdom ; confute this if you can ; amending would be your best defence . we doubt not but antichrists past , have been individual men , such was barchocheba , and some say herod , and some dioclesian , but undoubtedly mahomet : and if the pope be the western antichrist , it is the individual popes that are such ; but many of those individuals may make a succession of antichristian policy . answer dr. more , and cluveru● of this , if you are able . we lay not our opposition to popery chiefly , on the dark revelation , prophecy , or on the question , who is the antichrist : but on the plain word of god : if we find a succession of men , claiming omnipotency and christs prerogative , to govern all kings and nations on earth , and this by bare and base vsurpation and novelty ; and find these men set up their numerous , false treasonable , inhumane canons , and forbid and revile gods law and word , and find them turning gods worship into unintelligible mummery and stage-shows , and ceremony , and find them living at leeches on blood , yea , on the blood of thousands of the best christians , and damning and separating from the far greater part of the christian world , because they refuse subjection to this usurping vice-christ , and judging all to fire and ruine that renounce not all humane senses , and worship not bread pretended to be deifyed by daily numerous miracles of the basest priests , and deposing kings that will not be such executioners , and justifying their subjects in perjury and rebellion : we will not differ with you for the name , whether you will call those that are such , antichrists , or diabolists : whether such a state be the babylon , or far worse , as sinning against more light , and by more horrid abuse of the name of christ against himself . the fourteenth accused point . that no man , nor any but god , can forgive or retain sins . ans . false as undistinguished . we hold , 1. that to forgive sin , being the forgiving of the punishment of sin , and the obligation thereto , 1. parents may on just cause forgive corrective punishment to their children , and masters to their servants . 2. magistrates may on just cause , forgive corporal punishment to subjects . 3. equals may forgive injuries to friends and enemies . 4. pastors may on just cause , forgive the church penalties , of excommunication , which they had power to inflict : and all the flock must forgive and receive the penitent accordingly . 5. when a sinner by faith and repentance , truly performeth the condition of gods pardon expressed in scripture , the ministers of christ are by office authorized to declare and pronounce him pardoned by god , and by the sacraments of baptism and the lords supper to invest him in a pardoned state , by delivering him a sealed pardon : but only suppositively , if his faith and repentance be sincere , else he hath not gods pardon of the divine punishment . this is all true and plain , and enough . but we detest their doctrine that say , 1. that men can pardon the spiritual and eternal punishment , any otherwise than consequently declaring and delivering gods pardon , which shall hold good , if the priest refuse to declare or deliver it . 2. or that popes or priests pardon , purgatory pains , and masses , and money , and the redundance of saints merits , and pleasing the pope , conduce thereto . but if you will speak so absurdly , as to say , that if the king send a pardon to a traytor or murderer , the messenger pardoned him ; we leave you to your phrases . none of the texts or fathers cited , speak for any more than what we hold . the pastors are to declare men pardoned , that god pardoneth : and while they so judge according to gods word , it is pardoned in heaven : but not if they pardon the wicked and impenitent . the fifteenth accused point . that we ought not to confess our sins to any man but to god only . ans . this is a mere impudent lie. 1. we ought to confess our sin , to the magistrate at his judicature , when we are justly accused of it . 2. and to those that we have injured , when it is needful to repair the wrong , or to procure their forgiveness . 3. and to those that we have tempted into sin , or encouraged in it , when it is needful to their repentance . 4. and to some faithful bosome friend , when it is needful that such know our faults , that they may watch over us , or advise us , or pray for our pardon and deliverance . 5. and when in sickness , danger of death , or other affliction , we get the pastors of the church to pray for us ; we should confess our sin to them , that they may know on what cause they speak to god for our forgiveness . 6. and in any case of guilt , trouble , fear , or difficulty , in which we need the pastors counsel for our safety , ease and peace of conscience , our selves and other friends being insufficient hereto , we should confess our sins to the pastors , whose advice we seek : as a patient must truly open his case to his physician , and a clyent to his councellor , if he will not be deceived , by deceiving them . is all this no confession ? but protestants believe not , 1. that we must go to a physician for every flea-biting , or scratch , or cut-finger , or to a lawyer to give him an account of all our actions , money , ot lands ; nor to priests in cases that our selves or ordinary friends can safely and satisfactorily resolve . 2. nor that our confessor must needs be a papist priest , or one chosen by the pope , or our enemies ; and not by our selves . 3. nor that we must open all our secrets to him ; or make any confession , which will do more hurt than good ; nor over far to trust the fidelity of a knave , nor a suspected or untryed person . 4. and we have reason to suspect them that are importunate to know our secrets . 5. and when confession is required , as in order to obtain a false forged pardon , and to set up the domination of usurpers over men's consciences , and over the world , it 's then unlawful : if protestants would force papists to confess all their secret sins to them , would not this same deceiver say , it were unlawful ? the sixteenth accused point . that pardons and indulgences were not in the apostles time . ans . another meer lie , as undistinguished . such pardons as i before owned were in the apostles times : but the popish feigned pardons were not . the seventeenth accused point . that the actions and passions of the saints do serve for nothing to the church . ans . most impudent calumny and falsehood . 1. we hold that the prayers of all the saints on earth , are of great importance for the churches welfare . 2. and that their doctrine , counsel , and reproof is so too , they being the lights of the world , and the salt of the earth . 3. and that their example is of grea● benefit to the church and world , whi●● their light so shineth before men , that the● may see their good works , and glorifie the●● father which is in heaven . 4. and their charitable works of themselves , sure are beneficial to the church : and so is their defence of the truth . 5. and their sufferings glorifie gods power , and his promises of reward ; and they encourage others to victorious constancy . do all these serve for nothing to the church ? 6. yea , we are so far from holding what he feigneth , that it is not the least cause of our hatred of popery , that it liveth by the defamations , slander , persecution , and cruel murder of saints . 7. yea , as abels blood cryed against cain , so the blood of martyrs , and dead saints , cryeth for vengeance against the persecutors of the church . 8. and seeing christ saith , that the children of the resurrection are like or equal to the angels , we have reason to believe that even now they are perfected spirits , heb. 12.24 . and knowing that angels are very serviceable and beneficial to the church on earth , we know not how far the spirits of the just are so too . but we have a sufficient mediator and advocate with the father , whose sacrifice , merits , and advocation are perfect , and need no supplement : and the spirits of the just do praise him as saved by his merits , and never boast that they have of their own a redundancy to save others . but we all with thankfulness confess , that god useth to bless the houses of the faithful ; the children for the parents sake , and hath exprest this in the decalogue , and by many promises : yea , that he would have spared sodom , had there been but ten righteous persons there : and a potiphars house , and a prison may be blest in part for josephs sake . and when parents are dead , this blessing may be on their children , through many generations . and god remembred abraham , when his posterity provoked him . david had a special promise for his seed . none of this is denyed by us . but , 1. there is no merit in any mans works , but their rewardableness by gods free grace and promise , for the sake of christs meritorious righteousness , sacrifice , and intercession , their imperfection being pardoned through him , and their holiness amiable to god. 2. no man shall be saved for anothers merit , or holiness , or works , that is not truly regenerate and holy himself . the eighteenth accused point . that no man can do works of supererrogation . ans . supererrogation is a sustian word of your own , by which you may mean what you please . 1. no man can perform to god , more duty than he oweth him : it 's a contradiction ; duty is quod debetur . 2. no man can profit god by any thing that he doth . 3. no man , save christ , lived wirhout all sin : and he that sinneth doth not all his duty , or keep all gods law perfectly . and he that doth not all , doth not all and more . 4. there is no moral good done by any man , which was not his duty , and gods law commanded not : for gods law is perfect , and therefore obligeth to all moral good : and as sin is the transgression of the law , so moral good is the conform obedience to the law. 5. god hath not counsels to moral action , which are not obliging laws , and make not our duty . for to keep them is moral good , and the law were imperfect if it obliged not to all such good . if the counsel oblige ut norma officii , it 's a law : if it oblige not , it 's vain . 6. but there are many actions that are neither commanded , nor counselled , nor forbidden : but those are not moral actions , as being no objects of our choosing or refusing by reasons conduct . the nictus oculorum , our breathing , our pulse , the circulation of the blood , &c. are no moral acts , commanded or forbidden , but necessitated : man maketh it no act of deliberation and choice , which foot he shall set forward first , or just how many steps he shall go in a day ; which of two equal eggs he shall eat , and an hundred such . these are neither duty nor sin , commanded , nor counselled , nor forbidden ; neither virtuous or vicious . 7. and there are innumerable actions , that are not the matter of any common-law or counsel , and so as such , are neither sin nor duty , which yet as circumstantiated and cloathed with accidents , are to this or that man either duty or sin. this not understood , maketh these ignorant casuists abuse the words of christ and paul , about chastity , and marriage . and because christ saith , every man cannot receive this saying , and paul , she hath not sinned : he that marrieth doth well , and he that doth not , doth better ; they gather that there are moral actions which are not best , and yet no sin. the true plain solution is from the two last considerations . 1. god hath made no law commanding or forbidding marriage , or celibate as such , or in common . to marry is no sin , considered meerly as marriage . 2. but god hath made laws against hurtful and injurious marriages , and to guide men to know , when marrying is a duty or a sin. 3. and if any ones case were so neutral , as that it could not be discerned , whether marrying were a hurt or benefit , it would be no moral , eligible or refuseable action . 4. but to some it is a great duty by accidents , and to some a great sin. therefore paul never meant that it was no mans duty , and no mans sin , but only that simply as marriage it was no mans duty or sin , or the matter of a commanding or forbidding law , but only by accident , it may be such to one more than to another . that this is pauls meaning , the papists must confess . for 1. do not they say that the marriage of priests , fryars and nuns are sin ? 2. if any one marry an infidel , or utterly unsuitable person , without necessity , against parents wills , or one that is impotent , or hath the pox , or that he cannot maintain , & c. ? is not this a hainous sin ? what else signifie gods law , and mans , against unlawful marriages . and if one cannot live chastly without marriage , and parents command it , it is not a sin to refuse ? the law saith , let all things be done to edification , and whether ye eat or drink , or whatever ye do , do all to the glory of god. and is it only counsel and no command , to marry or not marry , as it makes to gods glory or against it ? there are few actions of a mans life , that make so much to his hurt , and utter misery , as unwise and unmeet marrying . and is this on sin ? may they not see pauls meaning then , if they were but willing ? it is hard to imagine a case in which so important an action as marriage , can be neither sin nor duty . 2. but sometime men use the word [ sin , ] and [ sinners , ] for meer wickedness , and such sin as is inconsistent with a state of salvation . and we easily grant , that all sins are not such sins as these ; but gods law is perfect , tho' man be imperfect , and forbiddeth all sin , even the least . 3. but see the heresies of popery ? this man here saith , [ to do that which is counselled , is not necessary , because one may nevertheless be saved : but he who omitteth what is commanded , ( unless he do pennance , ) cannot escape eternal pains . ] 1. see here what a frivolous counseller they make christ , when it 's not necessary to follow his counsel . 2. see here how they make necessity to be only of that which a man cannot be saved without : when saul a persecutor , and blasphemer , an infidel , murderer , &c. may be saved , if he be truly convicted : obedience hath it's necessity , tho' we knew that god would forgive disobedience , to the convicted . 3. see here how they damn themselves and all mankind , every man living omitteth what is commanded many hundred times , for which he doth not that which they call pennance . he is a lyar , that saith he hath no sin , specially of omission . gods law bindeth us all to believe , to hope , to desire holiness and heaven , to love god and our neighbours , and our enemies , with a stronger degree of faith , hope , desire , and love , than we do : every prayer , and meditation is sinfully defective : every hour hath some omission of improvement : and all this is not remembred , nor all confest to a priest , nor all known or observed by any sinner : and some omission we are guilty of at our very death , by gradual defect of faith , hope , patience , love , content , and joy. and must all these go to hell ? 4. seeing by penance they mean not bare repentance , but making god satisfaction by a task , of penalty laid on them by a priest , ye see how they damn themselves , would be the masters of all others salvation , by their pennances . 5. but it 's like that purgatory is included by them in pennances ; or else no man should go to purgatory , but all to hell : for all have many omissions of commanded duty , which they did no pennance for in this life . 6. but you see of how little value they judge christs sacrifice and merit , that pardoneth no omission of a duty without pennance , and satisfaction truly . the nineteenth accused point . that by the fall of adam , we have all lest our free-will , and that it is not in our power to choose good , but only evil. ans . reader , i must desire thee not to judge of all the learned papists , by this deceiver : for if thou hast read the loads of voluminous controversies about grace and free-will among themselves , it will remain doubtful to thee , whether this mans stating the protestants doctrine , prove him ignorant of it , or a willing cheater . he tells you not , that this is as much a controversie among themselves , as with the prorestants . he tells you not , how augustine and palagius managed it , and that their pope celestine took augustines part : he tells you not , that the thomists , dominicans , oratorians , and most nominals , and scotists , say as much against free-will as we do , and we as much for it as they . he supposeth that you never read what lombaerd , aquinas , bradwardine , cajetane , ferrariensis , zumel , bannez , alvarez , aegedius romi , capreolus , and a multitude more , say as much , and many more , against free-will , than the protestants : he tells you , not that even the learned jesuits , suarez , vasquez , bellarmine , with penottus , and many such , are as much against free-will , as most learned protestants . the man takes you for a herd of silly animals , that know not but that he saith true , what falshood soever he shall tell you : but the truth of the controversie is this : 1. the protestants loath so silly a stating of controversies , as this chat of free-will without distinction : and so of power . 2. they know that physical , moral , and political freedom of will , are not all one thing . physical freedom or power , is that by which the natural faculty of the will , can determine it self to act , ( not without a superiour cause , but ) without any extrinsick or intrinsick coactor , or necessitating cause of evil. moral freedom and power , is that by which the will is from under the overstrong byas of a vicious disposition , or deceitful argument . 3. political freedom is , when no law of god or man obligeth him to any evil , but all to good . prothestants hold , 1. that physical liberty and power , is common to man , as man. that is , that he wants not natural faculties to choose aright , but a right inclination : and that he sinneth not for want of such faculties , but for want of their right disposition and action . 2. that all men have just so much , and no more moral liberty and power , as they have of gods grace , to relieve their vitiated wills and dispositions , and to help them in the act . no man is freed from vitious inclinations , further than gods grace freeth him , which is much more where there is special grace and strong , than where there is but common grace or weak . and that the thraldom or impotency of the vitious , is but the disease of their wills , and aggravation of their sin : e. g. where the drunkard or fornicator saith , i cannot forbear my sin : he is so much the worse and more unexcuseable . 3. every man hath not only political liberty to avoid sin , but much more , even gods urgent precepts , promises , and threats : god doth not only give us leave , but commandeth us not to sin. 1. it is the very essence of the will to be a natural power of faculty of willing good and nilling evil , as such , as so apprehended by the intellect , and commanding the inferior faculties , some politically , and some despotically , some difficultly , some easily , some perfectly , some imperfectly , according to it's resolution and their receptivity . 2. libertas hominis , when a man may have what he chooseth , is more than libertas voluntatis , which is but the mode of it's self determination ; as without constraint it is a self determining principle , of its own elicite acts , considered comparitively . which is , 1. liberty of contradiction , or exercise , viz , to will or not will , nill or not nill . 2. liberty of contrariety , or specification of the act , viz. to will this or nill it . 3. liberty of competition , to will this object or that : to nill this or that , ( of which see robert baronius his metaphysicks . ) the will hath such various sorts of liberty , and the word [ free-will ] is so ambiguous , that it is a shame , and irksome to read a pretended teacher , state a case thus indistinctly , whether we have free-will or power to choose good and refuse evil : he is no man that hath no such free-will and power . and no man hath all sorts of free-will and power . nay , as liberty is opposed to necessity ▪ every man is necessitated to will good as good , and nill evil as evil , and can do no otherwise : and whenever he willeth evil , it is sub ratione bon● , mistaking it for good : and who-ever nillleth good , doth it falsely , sub ratione malt . the will is free from constraint to sin : god will not so constrain it : men , devils , objects , cannot . he that had read but their pennattus and gibi●uf only , would see what a shame it is thus confusedly to talk for or against free-will . but that which protestants deny , is this . 1. they deny that mans will in his unregenerate state , is free from a vitious inclination , or from the conduct of an erring intellect , or from the byass and temptation of sensuality , or vitiated senses and imagination ; or from the temptations of satan and the world. 2. they deny that the will thus vitiated and tempted , will ever deliver it self without gods spirit and grace ; being rather inclined to grow worse . 3. they deny that this grace is perfect in any in this life , as without all defect in degree , or totally freeth any man from all sin : and therefore they deny that any mans will is perfectly and inculpably free from every degree of vice and danger . 4. and as that degree of common grace which is in the unregenerate , is but such as consisteth with the predominance or reign of sin , so that will of every unregenerate man in that pravity , is as a slave to it 's own , vitious disposition , and to errour , objects , and temptations ; being not delivered as to the predominance . 5. yet we believe that common grace is such , that these men are not utterly void of all good inclination , and knowledge ; and therefore that in moral sence , every man can do more good , and less evil than he doth : and that men perish , because not only they will not ( by pravity ) do what they have natural strength to do , but also because they will not choose and do what morally they might have chosen and done , as to the wills own power . 6. and we still say , that whenever a man sinneth , it was not because it was naturally impossible to do otherwise , ( as to touch the moon , to see without eyes , or through the earth , &c. ) nor for want of natural faculties , nor doth god by grace , give man other natural faculties , making him an animal of another species : but men sin because they will sin , and they will because they are tempted and now vitiously inclined ; from which their wills are made free only in that measure , that gods grace doth sanctifie them . if our priest would have told us , what there is in all this doctrine of free-will , that he dare accuse , ( and what dare he not cccuse , ) we should have seen cause to consider of his arguments : but now he citeth scripture as in a dream . the twentieth accused point . that it is impossible to keep the commandments of god , tho' assisted with all his grace and the holy ghost . ans . still meer confusion . protestants distinguish , 1. impossibility as natural or moral ; 2. of grace as perfect or imperfect , and as determitately operative , or only assisting and not determining . and they hold , 1. that no duty is impossible , ( or the performing of no commandment , ) by meer physical impossibility : the reason is , because god commandeth no physical impossibles : such as before named , to speak without a tongue , to see without light or object , to know things not knowable or revealed , to read without any teaching or learning , &c. if a man indeed disable himself , as put out his eyes that he may not read , or cut out his tongue that he may not preach ; the disabling act is vitiously aggravated , from all the good to which he disabled himself , as if it still had been his duty : but we cannot say that god still commandeth him when blind to read , or when dumb to speak , &c. indeed god changeth not his law ; but recipitur ad modum recipientis : the man hath changed his capacity , and is now no subject capable of such an obligation or command ; tho' he be capable of punishment for disabling himself , and non-performance : sin is no further sin than it is voluntary , by the wills omission or act , immediately or mediately . 2. but that it is morally by our pravity now impossible , for any man to keep all gods commandments and never sin ; what needs there more than sad experience of the matter of fact. 1. did he ever know the man himself , that from his first use of reason to his death , did spend every minute of his time as god commanded him , and did believe , and love god and man , and all good , with as great love as god commanded him ? and was as free from every fault , thought , passion , desire , fear , care , trouble , pleasure , word and deed as god commanded ? he would be no small sinner that were so self ignorant , proud , unhumbled , as to say that he is no sinner . 2. why else do these priests force all men to confess their sins to them , if men be such as never sinned ? 3. why do they compose all their liturgies and offices for their churches , with confessions of sin ; and prayers for forgiveness ? 4. why do they baptize all , if they have no sin ? and in what sence do they give them the eucharist ? 5. how little use do they feign such men to have of a pardoning saviour ? 6. in what sence shall such say the lords prayer , forgive us our sins or trespasses ? 7. doth not the text expresly call him a lyar that saith he hath no sin ; as aforesaid : and christ condemn the pharisee that justified himself , and justified the confessing publican ? but it 's like he will say that he did not mean , that any man doth keep all the commands , but that he can do it , tho' he do not . ans . i again say , 1. he can as to natural strength , if he were but perfectly and constantly willing : but it cannot be that he should be so willing without grace , and grace is not perfect in this life . 2. the more he boasteth of his power to keep all gods laws , the more he condemneth himself that can and will not . 3. and frustra fit potentia quae nunquam & a nemine reducitur in actum : if he confess that no man doth it , he must confess such a moral impossibility as the prophet meant , that said , can the leopard change his spots , or the blackmore his skin ? then may they that are accustomed to do evil , learn to do well . but perhaps he meant not that it is possible to keep all the commands , for all our lives , but for some short time ? i answer , 1. while a man hath the use of his reason , he doth not reach the commanded degree of faith , love , joy , heavenlyness , one moment of time : but indeed , when a man is asleep , in a swoun , an apoplexy , stark mad , &c. he may for that time break no command , nor keep any . but perhaps he speaketh but of sincere obedience , and not of absolute sinless perfection . ans . if so , he is a deceiver to feign that we deny it : but their doctrine of perfection and supererogation is contrary . obj. but he speaketh not what man can do without grace , but by it's assistance . ans . grace maketh no man absolutely sinless , and perfect in this life . let him know , that protestants do not only say that man by gods grace may keep gods commandments sincerely , ( tho' not sinlesly and perfectly , ) but that no man of age and reason shall be saved that doth not so . 2. and that tho' all our obedience be imperfect , the imperfections are pardoned , and our obedience accepted and rewarded , for the merits of the perfect obedience , sacrifice , and intercession of our saviour . the one and twentieth accused point . that faith only justifieth , and that good works are not absolutely necessary to salvation . ans . many wordy controversies are made about things , that in sence men are commonly agreed in . 1. we all believe gods word , that they were deceived that thought they could be justified either by the law of innocency or nature , or the law of moses , or any meritorious works of their own , without , or as a supplement to the sacrifice , merits and free grace of christ our saviour , and faith in him . 2. by faith is meant christianity : in the gospel it is all one to be a believer , a disciple of christ , and to be a christian. the christian faith is that which is exprest in the baptismal covenant , believing in and giving up our selves to , god the father , son , and holy ghost : to christ as our prophet , priest and king , to be saved by his merits and free grace : and this is put in opposition to the works of adam's or moses law , or any other that are conceited to suffice and merit , without the foresaid redemption by christ . and is not this the true doctrine of all true christians ? 2. these good works that are our obedience to the law of christ , are but the performance of our baptismal covenant , and the fruits of faith , without which it is dead hypocrisie , and are of absolute necessity to salvation , to all that have time to do them . against the charge , that we are sinners deserving hell , we are justified by christ believed in : against the accusation , that we are infidels , ungodly , hypocrites , we must be justified by our faith , godliness , and works , or perish . but we do also hold , 1. that if a man be convicted , as the theif on the cross , and should die suddenly , no outward good which he cannot do , is absolutely necessary to his salvation , but only his inward faith , love , and repentance , and confession if able . 2. we do firmly hold , that works done with a conceit of obliging god by merit , in commutative justice , or as conceited sufficient without a saviour , and the pardon of their failings , are such as more further damnation than salvation , at least in those that hear the gospel . 3. and we are no papists , and therefore believe not that ignorant words of prayer in a tongue not understood , and wearing reliques , and going on pilgrimages , and needless confessing to priests , and subjection to an universal vice-christ , and living upon the blood of saints , murdering the living , and praying to the dead , and the sons honouring their days , relicks and monuments , whom their fathers burnt or persecuted ; these are not good works necessary to salvation , as is plain , math. 23. and revel . 14.17 , 18 , &c. we do , with paul , renounce all works of our own , that are thought to make the reward to be of debt and not of grace , and that are set in the least opposition or competition with christs merits , or any place save commanded subordination to him . the two and twentieth accused point . that no good works are meritorious . ans . the word merit is ambiguous , and so abused by papists , that indeed the protestants are shyer of it than the fathers were , lest the use of it should cherish the abuse . 1. there is merit of man , and of god. 2. and this in commutative justice ( conceited , ) or only in governing distributive justice . 3. and this is either according to the law of innocency or moses , or according to the law of christ . now protestants hold , 1. as to the name , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , worthy and worthiness , are scripture words , and may be used ; and merit is but of the same signification , and we condemn not the ancients that so used it : but the worst sence must not be cherished . 2. do they hold , 1. that no creature can merit of god in commutative justice , that giveth quid pro quo to his benefit : god receiveth not from man or angels ; unless he will call acceptance and complacence receiving . 3. none but christ merited of strict governing justice , according to the law of senceless innocence , nor by any works that will save man from the charge of sin and desert of death . 3. all at age that will be saved , must have good works according to their capacity , for christ is the author of salvation , to all those that obey him . heb. 5.9 ▪ tho' they obey not an unknown priest at rome . but all these works are our obedience to christs own healing government , such as the laws of a physician to the sick. and we all agree , that he will judge ( that is , justifie or condemn in judgment ) all men according to their works , that is , according to the law and it's promulgation , by which in their several ages and nations he governed them . 4. your own doctors that know what they say , tell us , that by merit , they mean nothing but the rewardable quality of their acts , related to gods promise through christs merits . and doth any protestant church deny this ? the three and twentieth accused point . that faith once had , cannot possibly be lost . ans . still confused slander and deceit . protestants hold , 1. that the faith not rooted , prevalent and saving , is frequently lost , such as you call sides informis . 2. that even sincere faith may be lost , as to the act for some little time , that is , suspended in a deliquium , as peters and theirs , luk. 24. that said , we trusted this had been he , &c. 3. that many lose to the death some degree of their habitual faith. 4. but they differ in the rest , just as you do among your selves , dominicans and jesuits . 1. some think that no one ( at age at least ) in a state of such faith as at present would have saved him , doth ever totally lose it . 2. some think that many have but such loseable grace as adam had . 1. as being not elect to salvation , and therefore not in gods decree of preservation and perseverance , 2. as having a faith not rooted and confirmed : and that these may fall from a justified state : but that , 1. the elect. 2. nor the confirmed , never fall away . this was austins judgment , and his followers , of which see vossii theses . and is that jesuit honest that feigneth this proper to the protestants , where the controversie is the same among themselves ? the four and twentieth accused point . that god by his will and inevitable decree , hath ordained from all eternity , who shall be damned and who saved . ans . what a false deceiver is this , that would make us believe , that this is proper to the protestants , when it is the common doctrine not only of the dominicans , but of the very jesuits themselves , and all their church . 1. none of them dare say , that men are damned or saved without gods foreknowledge , nor against his absolute will , by overcoming his power . 2. none of them dare say , that this fore-knowledge of god was not from eternity , but that he knew one day what he knew not before . 3. all that the jesuits themselves say , is , that god decreed it upon this fore-knowledge , and that he hath a scientia media , what will come to pass , positis quibusdam , if such and such things be done by man ; and that this fore-knowledge in order of nature is before the decree , but both from eternity . but cardin cameracensis ( petrus de aliaco , ) hath irrefragably confuted this imposing priority and posteriority of act on god ; tho' i think some divine acts as denominated only relatively from the order of objects , may be so distinguished . 4. in all this , we say not , that god hath by his will and decree ordained from eternity , ( or in time ) that men shall sin , or will and choose evil , but only who shall be damned for sin , which god never willed or caused , but foresaw ; not as if he were an idle spectator , but a willing suspender of his own acts , so far as to leave sinners to their self-determining wills . 5. but god being the cause of good , and men and devils of evil , our salvation is of him , and our destruction of our selves ; and therefore god decreeth not men's salvation or sanctification , meerly on foresight of our faith , but decreeth our faith it self : sin he permitteth , but faith , he effecteth , and decreeth to effect . 6. as for them that feign that we say , that god decreeth that some shall be saved and others damned however they live ; it is but the dictates of the father of lies : we say that god at once decreeth the end , and the means ; as he doth not decree that men shall live though they neither eat nor drink , nor that they shall have corn , though they neither plow nor sow , but that they shall eat and drink , and live thereby ; and that they shall plow and sow , and mannure the soil , and so have corn. so god doth at once decree , [ that this and that man shall have the means of grace , ( especially a saviour and the gospel , ) and shall faithfully use them , and be sanctified by them , and sincerely obey god , and overcome the world , the flesh and the devil , and persevere to the end , and that for christs merits he will give them the grace of his spirit , and pardon their sins , and bring them to glory . ] all this is our decree of god. but he doth not decree that men shall sin , that they may be damned : for sin is no work of god , nor a means appointed by him for men's damnation , no more than a righteous king doth make men traytors or murderers , that he may hang them . but he justly denyeth his grace to many that forfeit it by willful resistance , disobedience , and contempt ; though he take not the forfeiture of his elect. he is deceived and wrongeth god that maketh him the author of men's sin : and so doth he that feigneth god to send his son to redeem the world , and his word and ministers to call them , and his spirit to renew them , and all this at random , not knowing whether it may not be all lost , or leaving it chiefly to the free-will of them , whose wills are contrarily inclined and vitiated ? whether christ and all his preparations shall be lost ? the plain christian that holdeth but to these two points , that our destruction is of our selves , but our help and salvation of god , and that god is the first and chief cause of all good , and men and devils of all evil , is liker to be wise with sobriety and safety , than the ignorant intruders into gods secrets , and the prating calumniators that speak evil of the things which they understand not ; and reproach those that speak not as rashly and ignorantly as themselves , even in some equivocal unexplained words methinks papists should be so kind to god , as seeing the pope can tell who is a damned heretick , and to be kill'd , ( even all that believe not in the pope , or are not his subjects , ) and who is in purgatory , and how long he shall stay there : or how many years torment the pope can shorten : they should allow god to know a little more , and that not as one whose power and grace is conquered by impotent worms , against his absolute will. the five and twentieth accused point . that every one ought infallibly to assure himself of his salvation , and to believe that he is of the number of the predestinate . ans . i would fain excuse the man as far as i can , and therefore i hope , that as the man was excusable that did eat snakes for snigs , ( or eels , ) so he read some pamphlet of an antimonian , either crisp or saltmarsh , or some other such , or talkt with some of their silly novices , and thought he had convers'd with the reformed catholicks , or read the confessions of the reformed churches . the first sentence is a fundamental truth , and a damnable falshood , as the equivocal words are variously understood . and is it not pity that the priests of the infallible church , should put things so different into the same words , and that in an accusation of so many churches and nations ; when yet god himself is feigned by them to write by his spirit so unintelligibly , that without these doctors skilful exposition , it is but like to make men hereticks , ( that is , adversaries to the pope and his clergy . ) to assure our selves of our salvation [ may mean , to give all diligence to make our salvation infallibly sure : this every one ought to do . ] or it may mean , that every man ought to believe it as an infallible truth , that he shall be saved . ] the next sentence seemeth to make this his meaning in the first : which if it be , he is a false calumniator of the reformed churches . but if the first be his meaning , and he deny it , he is an open enemy to man's salvation . what is all the scripture for , and all our religion , but to make sure of our salvation ? 2 pet. 1. 10. give all diligence to make your calling and election sure . and if no man can be sure , to what purpose hath god made so many promises of it , expressing the conditions , ( to them that believe , that love god , that forsake all for him , ) if no man can know whether he perform the condition , and that he is within this promise ? why doth god lay down so many signs to difference the children of god from the children of the devil , if they cannot be discerned ? sure heaven and hell be not like ; and yet are the heirs of heaven and hell undistinguishable ? is the image of god and the devil so like that none can know them asunder ? no , not the man that hath had them both ? and why doth god so aften call on believers to rejoyce , if they cannot know whether they shall be in heaven and hell for ever ? if you say , he is not sure to persevere , many papists grant that the confirmed may . and why may not bradford , hooper , sanders , and thousands else , that are dying by the sacred blood-thirsty church , be assured when they are dying , that they have forsaken life and all for christ . but oportet mendacem esse memorem still : why do you not tell men when the pope is selling them pardons , and saving them out of purgatory , that when all 's done they can have no assurance of salvation ? yea , that they ought not to endeavour to make it sure ? and whose now is the safe church and religion , if a papist can never be sure that he shall be saved in your church and religion ; nor sure that he is in a state of salvation ? that is , that he is a true christian , and hath charity , and is an honest man ? 2. a man that hath got true and clear evidence that he hath a confirmed faith , and hope , and loveth god , as god above all , ought consequently to take it for an infallible truth , that so dying , he shall be saved : else he must either give god the lie , that hath promised it , or he must be supposed to be deceived when he thinketh that he believeth and loveth god. but that every man must believe that he is of the number of the predestinate to salvation , is a damnable doctrine , because it requireth all the millions of ungodly men to believe a lie , yea to believe it as a divine truth , and to make god both the author of the lie , and of the deceit of our selves by this command . and when millions are not of the number of sanctified , and therefore not of the predestinate , if they so continue , what can more harden them in their impenitence , than to tell them that they must all believe that they shall be saved ? how many hundred protestant books , and thousand sermons tell the world that it is the preachers earnest drift , to save wicked men from such presumption , which makes men call them terrible preachers ? every man is bound to believe gods promise to be true , and that he himself shall be saved if he be a true penitent sanctified christian , and so continue , and that else he shall be damned ; and not to distrust god as unwilling to continue the grace he hath given him . the six and twentieth accused point . that every man hath not an angel guardian or keeper . ans . 1. we hold that every true christian , even the least , hath his angel who beholdeth the face of his father in heaven : and that angels are gods ministring spirits , for the good of his elect ; and that they guard us and pitch their tents about us , and bear us up in their hands , and keep us in and from danger , and rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner , and that we live in invisible communion with them , and shall be like them . 2. but whether every christian have one angel to himself alone , that guardeth no other , or one angel guard hundreds or thousands : or whether some ( as lower officers are set over a few , and others as general officers are over whole kingdoms , ) we leave to the determination of the infallible pope , who is bolder with gods secrets than we dare be . 3. but till now , i thought they had not been so presumptuous , as to assert that every man hath a guardian angel. where is there one word of god for this ? is every man an heir of salvation , or one of christs little ones , or under his promise ? had cain and judas such angels , and all the sodomites ? christ made it an argument of terrour to persecutors , that they offend such as had such angels with god : and dare you paint them as devils , and burn them , or murder them by the dragons dragoons , if you believe that every man hath such a guardian angel ? surely saints , tho' called hereticks , have such . the seven and twentieth accused point . that the holy angels pray not for us , nor know our thoughts and desires on earth . ans . a false accusation . we say not that they pray not for us , nor that they know not our desires , nor any of our thoughts . we say that angels are no such strangers to saints and sincere godliness , as not to know that all godly men desire the hallowing of gods name , the coming of his kingdom , and the doing of his will on earth as it is done in heaven : they that know what grace is , and what our prayers are , know much of our desires : and we do not think that angels know less of our thoughts than devils , who we feel to our trouble are not altogether unacquainted with them . and those angels that rejoyce at a sinners conversion , are not unacquainted with it . and as to their praying , we know not how it is that angels express their desires to god ; but we all agree that they desire our welfare , and therefore may be said to pray for it , if all notified desire be prayer . we suppose that they know and love us , far better than we know and love each other . but we read that the heretical gnosticks , or their like , did deceive men , [ by voluntary humility , and worshipping of angels , intruding into those things which they had not seen , vainly puft up by a fleshly mind , ] col. 2.18 , 19. therefore we dare not pretend to papal infallibility , nor boldly to conjecture , how far it is that our thoughts are known to angels , nor how much they are ignorant of them ; nor when , or how oft , or how far , or in what manner they pray for us : how far particularly , and how far only generally , &c. had this knowledge been needful to us , god would have revealed it : much less do we know what angel of what departed soul of a saint hath the care or charge of our sheep , and of our cattel , and who of our pigs and geese , and who of our fruits and corn ; abundance of these things we leave to the infallible church : as we do their acquaintance in purgatory , while our acquaintance and conversation in heaven , can reach no higher than the prospect which we have in and by the glass of scripture revelation . the eight and twentieth accused point . that we may not pray to them . ans . 1. we may desire living saints to pray for us , and this may be called praying to them : so a child prayeth to his father or master . but we pray not to dead saints nor angels : 1. because we have an hundred commands to pray to god , and not one to pray to them , and where there is no law , there is no transgression or sin. therefore while we are sure it is no sin to forbear it , and know not but it is sin to do it , we go the safe way : if they say , it is against the popes law or his clergy's , we say with paul , it is a small thing to us to be judged of man , ( who can but kill our bodies , ) we have one that judgeth us , even the lord. let the pope damn us if he can . 2. as the first commandment forbiddeth us to have any god but one , so the second forbiddeth us to worship so as the heathens did their idols , because it is bodily interpretative idolatry and scandal : but the heathens used to pray to their under deities , whom they judged to be much like that which the papists judge of angels , and praying to invisible spirits is to imitate them as scandalously as praying toward images : no wonder therefore that you so usually leave out the second commandment . 3. gods word is the rule of all acceptable religious worship , ( tho' but a general rule in many modes and circumstances , ) and therefore we fear swerving from it . 4. angels themselves never demanded it , nor christ bespake it for them , yea , they twice forbad it john : see thou do it not . 5. angels being more holy than we , are more for the glory of god , and the hatred of creature arrogance and idolatry ; and as god calleth himself specially jealous against bodily worship like the idolaters , in the second commandment , so angels are more jealous against it than we are . 6. as angels said , see thou do it not , so contrarily satan tempted christ , with the offer of the kingdoms and glory of the world , to fall down and worship him . therefore we had rather hearken to the angels than to devils : and fear , they that do otherwise , worship devils for angels , because only devils have sought such worship . and the devil oft turneth himself as into an angel of light to deceive , as his ministers do into ministers of righteousness . 7. we know not when angels hear us , and when they do not : and therefore know not when and how to pray to them . 8. as we are sure that god would have bid us do it , if he would have us do it , so we know that he is all sufficient to tell them what and when to doe for us ; and to pray to him is the way to secure their service . 9. and we know that there is one mediator between god and man , whose intercession is sufficient . 10. and we know that christians praying to angels and separated souls , greatly hardeneth the heathen world that pray to separated souls , and daemons that are their sub-deities . 11. and when these men say not , we must pray to angels , but we may do it ; what horrid murderers are they , that will burn , kill , and damn men , for not doing all that they think they may do , without any must or divine obligation ? why take they it not at best , as part of their works of supererrogation ? 12. the deceiver prophaning the scripture , 1. puts jacobs benediction desiring the angels guard on his son , to be a prayer to angels . yea , when the fathers say , that angel was christ himself . 2. and jacobs words to the angel that appeared to him , to be a reason for our praying to unseen spirits : if they appear to us , we shall the better know what and when to speak to them . the nine and twentieth accused point . that the angels cannot help us . ans . this is too gross stating of controversies for a collier or a cobler , tho' not for a doctor of infallible church . 1. we say , that not only an angel , but a man , an ass , ( as balaams , ) a blast of wind , flies , frogs , lice ( as in egypt , ) can help us , when god sendeth them to help us . 2. we believe that angels are specially empowred and willing for it . so that they are gods eminent ministring spirits for the good of his elect. 3. but we believe that they can do nothing for us , but what god empowreth and commissioneth them to do . he that curseth those that trust in man , and make flesh their arm , instead of trusting god , will so curse them that so trust in angels . but yet we may and must trust man and angels , according to their several measures of gods authorizing and enabling them . the great mercies of protection and assistance that god giveth us by angels , is the matter of much of our daily thanks to god : and i am daily thankful to angels themselves ; and i think i love them better than any friends on earth , because they are better , and love god better : and i am the willinger to die , because i shall go to the world of love , where as god and christ is love , so angels love god , and we for his sake , better than i love my self , while our papists that pray to angels , devour the blood of saints . the thirtieth accused point . that no saint deceased , hath after appeared to any on earth . ans . a meer false calumny . what protestant confessions have any such article ? how know we what hath been done of that kind in all the world to this day ? read but dr. more , and mr. glanvils books of apparitions , and mr. ambrose , and mr. lawrences books of our communion with angels . read zanchius , luther , melaucton , manlius , lavalu , &c. and you may see that this is no protestant assertion . we know that christ appeared to saul , and that many bodies of saints arose at christs death , and appeared to many : and what the witch of endor showed as samuel , we know not : we only say , 1. that it is much liker that apparitions are oftest made by devils or bad spirits that dwell in the lower regions , than that blessed spirits come from heaven . 2. but yet seeing angels thence appear , we cannot say that holy souls never do . 3. but that god will not have it to be any ordinary or trusty means for men's salvation : for we cannot know when it is a holy soul , and when a devil : and they that will not believe moses and the prophets , ( and christ , ) neither will they believe tho' one rose from the dead : it 's no article of our faith , that they ever did appear or not . and if these men think otherwise , why must this opinion more than ten thousand such , be obtruded as necessary on all others ? the one and thirtieth accused point . that the saints deceased , know not what passeth here on earth . ans . confusion and calumny . there is knowledge immediate by intention , and mediate by notification from others . and there is knowledge perfect , and in part . 1. we take not on us to know the extent of the knowledge of separated souls . and these proud infallible men know no more than we , but so much less , in that they know not their own ignorance : yet neither lilly , nor any astrologer , nor conjurer , that ever i heard of , that pretendeth the greatest acquaintance with spirits , did ever pretend to make their opinions of them necessary to salvation ; nor to kill all dissenters as hereticks , but the vice-christ and his church , we cannot know all that they pretend to know . and why must we needs know whether ever such souls appeared ? if they did , we will try what they are by the word of god , which is our rule . and why must we know how much they know ? we know that they are not omniscient , nor omnipresent . and how much they know by present intention , not one of these pretenders know . that they know more than we , and know much by the notices of angels or one another , and specially of the general state of christs kingdom on earth , we make no doubt : and what christ himself maketh known to them , we know not . o! what sort of men are these , that forbid us to read the word of god , and yet obtrude on us ( on dismal penalties , ) so many things more than all the bible doth contain ! the two and thirtieth accused point . that the saints pray not for us . ans . equivocal and false . 1. all saints on earth pray for us : it is part of the communion of saints . 2. we say of the prayer of departed souls , the same that we said before of the prayer of angels . their general requests for the church and against enemies , proveth not to us what extent their knowledge of particulars hath , nor what particulars they ask , nor that every christian can say that they pray for him , and that in his particular cases . the three and thirtieth accused point . that we ought not to beseech god , to grant our prayers in favour of the saints , or their merits : nor do we receive any benefit thereby . ans . this is before answered to the 17th . accusation . i told you that we hold , that god blesseth children for their holy parents sakes , their relation making the welfare of the one to be the others : and god blessed others for josephs sake , and sometimes preserveth whole countries for the sake of the godly there : and on what account , and how far , i will not again repeat . and the union and communion of saints in heaven and earth are so near , that i dare not say that god doth any good to any one faithful soul , that is not in some respect for the sake of all the rest ; as the cure of an aking tooth is for the sake of all the body : that is , 1. for the good of the whole . 2. and done out of love to the whole . but this will not satisfie confounding deceivers . no doubt it is dead saints that he meaneth : and what he meaneth by merits , i suppose he knoweth not himself ; or else he would have told us : how far we own , or abhor the pretence of merits , i shewed before . all saints are saved by the full sufficient merits of christ , and have none at all of their own , unless the amiableness of grace freely given them be called their merits , as a thankful child more deserveth his fathers love , ( that is , is more lovely ) than a rebel that scorneth him ; and a piece of gold deserveth to be esteemed above dirt ; and a nightingale above a toad . yea their own jesuit vasquez , not only denieth all merit of god in commutative justice , ( as all save romans and a few such sots do , ) but also in point of distributive justice , by which he seemeth to deny merit more than protestants do . for by merit we mean but moral aptitude , for the reward of a free benefactor who is also rector , when the ordering of a free gift suspended on official conditions , is sapientially made a means of procuring obedience . whatever god hath promised to give us for other men's sake , that he will so give . but our faith shall not go beyond his promise : if god have told us any where , who saint nicolas , and st. becket , and st. christopher , and st. joan , and st. jane , and st. winifrid are , and what they were to us more than others , and that they were real saints , and that he hath promised us mercy for their sakes , and bid us pray to him for their meriting for us ; let them shew us this in his word . but if it be only the popes command and promise , let his subjects obey and trust it . we are certain that none but saints are saved : and why then must i go to god , for the merits of st. nicholas , or st. bridget , any more than for the merits of all the rest , which are many millions ? as god is jealous of his honour against idols , so is he of christs honour against antichrists and false mediators , and we must do nothing that seemeth to ascribe any part of christs proper office of mediation to any creature : and doth it not seem so , if we pray , lord hear , pardon and save me for the merits of becket or bridget , &c. for what more can we say of the merits of christ ? but still mark , that these men say not that , we must pray thus for the merit of saints , but that we may : and must all be burnt or damned that will not do all that the pope thinks they maey do ? that we receive no benefit by them , is a forged calumny and not our doctrine : we believe that the jews had benefit by abraham , moses , david , when they were dead : and that the reformed churches have had benefit by the blood of the martyrs , shed by the blood-thirsty papists to this day ; and that the whole church hath benefit by the writings of chrysostom , nazianzene , augustine , &c. luther , calvin , &c. the four and thirtieth accused point . that we ought not expresly to pray them to pray or intercede to god for us . ans . there was enough said of this before , about praying to angels . when god bids us pray to dead men's souls , we will do it . till then your saying we may do it , proveth neither may nor must to us . why then cannot you keep your [ may ] to your selves ? never a conjurer in england can tell us , how far souls in heaven can hear , nor where and when they are present or within hearing ; nor which of them are so , whether all , or one , or which ; no nor whether those saints that understood not latin on earth , do understand latin prayers sent up from earth , wh●●● the speaker himself understandeth them not . alas ! christian reader , what a dark uncertain worship , like charming , would this infallible church compell men to offer the most holy god , while they accuse his word of ensnaring dangerous obscurity . we will pray to those alive , that we know do hear us , to pray to god for us , for the sake of christ : but it 's but profanation of the scripture , to say , that because luke 16 , a man in hell supposed to see and hear abraham , did pray him to send lazarus on earth ; therefore we that neither see nor hear the dead , should pray to them . but dives prayed in vain , and so may you . and what if those souls should prove to be in purgatory ? must we pray both to them that are in purgatory , and for them also ? and is it certain that the pope and all his church , are sure which saint is not in purgatory , when all are there or worse ( say they , ) that ever sinned and did not pennance for it ? the five and thirtieth accused point . that the bones or relicks of the saints are not to be kept or reserved ; no virtue proceeding from them after they be once dead . ans . 1. where hath god commanded us to keep them , for the virtue that proceedeth from them ? 2. we deny not but a man may keep a skeleton or skull , and if it be his fathers , we will accuse him no higher than of imprudence and passion . but what proof have you of virtue proceeding from bones , till you see it by experience ? is it any appointed means for god to work miracles by ? and how know you that all were saints that the pope calleth so ? had all the debauched popes of anno 800 , 900 , 1000 , skill infallible to know saints from hypocrites ? and hath god promised virtue to all their bones ? and are you sure that they are their bones ? alas ! what numerous tricks have men to trust to , to deceive themselves and others , that yet will not obey christs plain commands , and trust his promise ! the six and thirtieth accused point . that creatures cannot be sanctified , or made more holy than they are already of their own nature . ans . a down-right slander . 1. we believe that all men that shall be saved , are or shall be sanctified , and made more holy than they are of their own nature . 2. we believe that to the pure , all things are pure , and are sanctified by the word and prayer : and that whatever we do , we should do it to the glory of god : and when a christian devoteth and useth his food , estate , and all to gods service , it is sanctified . 3. we believe that a temple , a font , a table , and utensils , may well be separated from common uses to gods worship : and that separation is a sanctifying of them . to be sanctified or holy , is but to be separated from common use , to gods special service , according to the nature of the thing used . 1. godly men are sanctifyed and saints , because by soul-consent and devotion , and practice , they are sincerely separated to god , from the slavery of the world , the flesh and the devil ; being habitually and predominantly lovers of god and holiness , by the grace of christ and the holy ghost . 2. professed christians are sacramentally sanctifyed , when by outward baptism , they are devoted to god in christ . 3. even bad ministers are externally sanctifyed , as separated and consecrated to a holy office. 4. temples , and books , and church utensils are sanctifyed , when by men they are separated from common and unclean usage , to gods worship . so that tho' holiness in all be this separation to god , yet , as the persons and things are not the same , so neither is their holiness in specie , but only in genere . and there is a superstitious and an idolatrous mock-holiness , when men will devote that to god and holy uses which he abhorreth , or accepteth not , nor ever required of them : and say as the hypocrite pharisees , it is corban , who required this at their hands ? the hypocrites and idolaters have always been forward for this unrequired mock-holiness , to quiet their consciences , instead of real saving holiness . it 's cheaper and easier to have holy-water , holy-oil , holy-spittle , holy-images , holy-crosses , holy-vestments of many sorts , holy-altars , holy-shrines , and pilgrimages , holy-bones , and chips and places , than to have holy-hearts and lives , which love god , and grace , and heaven , above all this world and life it self , and by the spirit mortify all fleshly lusts . the seven and thirtieth accused point . that children may be saved by their parents faith , without the sacrament of holy baptism . ans . can you unriddle this charge ? whether the man mean that they may be saved by baptism without their parents faith ? or that both must be conjoyned as necessary to salvation ? he will not tell us that . 1. that god hath made abundance of promises to the seed of the faithful , and taketh them into the covenant of grace with their parents , and saith that they are holy , 1 cor. 7.14 ; protestants have copiously proved against anabaptists and papists . but it is gods mercy , and christs merit , grace , and covenant , that they are saved by : the parents faith is but that qualification and relation , which maketh them receptive and capable of this saving grace . the parenrs faith saveth themselves , but as the moral ▪ qualifying disposition and condition of gods saving gift : and to infants it is required , not that they be believers , but believers seed , devoted to god by parents or pro-parents , whose they are . 2. we doubt not , but regularly , where it may be had , this dedication should be solemnly made by baptismal covenanting : ask the anabaptists whether we hold not this . but we believe , that as private marriage maketh husband and wife before god , but solemn matrimony is necessary for publick order , without which they may be punished as fornicators : so if an infant be the child of one believing parent , dedicated to god , he is holy and in the same covenant with the parent , ( and were else unclean : ) but that before the church , he is not regularly to be judged in covenant till it be solemnized in christs appointed way by baptism . still excepting where baptism cannot be had ; and there even sober papists say , that the votum , the vow , or desire , will serve . and this necessity is manifold : 1. when the child dieth , before baptism could be had . 2. where there is no capable person to do it , or that will not utterly deprave it . 3. when the parent is an antipoedo-baptist , and omitteth it , thinking it a sin. if they think that the infant is not saved by the parents faith , why should they think , that believing parents children are damned because the parent erreth in such an external thing ? but papists , that turn other parts of holiness into form and ceremony , and make a religion of the carkass mortifyed , would here also perswade people that the very outward act of washing , is of so great moment with god , that though it were the holyest persons or their seed , a mistake , or a delay , or surprize of death , will damn them if they be not baptized , ( or martyred . ) this tendeth to subject all to the mercy and dominion of the priests , that they may seem more necessary to salvation than they are , or at least their external forms , by lay-men or women baptizers administred . constantine himself , the churches great deliverer , was not baptized till near his death : are they sure that he was till then in a state of damnation , and had been damned if he had so died ? methinks in gratitude , the church of rome , should have cast him no lower than the torments of purgatory . the eight and thirtieth accused point . that the sacrament of confirmation is not necessary , nor to be used . ans . you may so mean by the word [ sacrament ] and [ confirmation , ] as that we do deny them . and you may so mean , as that we are more for them than you are . 1. if by a sacrament , you mean one of gods institution , appointed by him to be his solemn delivery and investiture in a state of christianity or necessary grace ; and if by confirmation you mean arch-bishops anointing infants , or ignorant children , or persons , with hallowed oyl , compounded once a year , and his ceremonious boxing them , and such other formalities ; then we deny that such confirmation is any such sacrament , nor is necessary , or to be used ; because holy things are not to be mortyfied and profaned . 2. but if by a [ sacrament ] you mean , but a solemn renewal of our covenant with god in christ ; and by confirmation you must , that those baptized in infancy should at due age , understandingly , under the pastors hand or care , profess their serious personal consent to that covenant which by others they imputatively made in baptism ; we are so far from denying this , that we think till this solemn personal covenanting , and owning their baptism with understanding and seeming seriousness , be made , the entrance into the state of adult church communion , the woful corruption of the church is never to be well healed ; but while one side turn confirmation into a dead shadow and mockery , and the anabaptists scandalized heresie , are all for rebaptizing instead of confirmation , prophanation and schism will gratifie satan . you know , that the english bishops practise confirmation , and the liturgy describeth it as i here do : and are the church of england no protestants ? and divers protestant non-conformists here have about 29 and 30 years ago , written full treatises for confirmation . the nine and thirtieth accused point . that the bread of the supper of our lord was but a figure , or remembrance of the body of christ , received by faith , and not his true and very body . ans . 1. protestants hold , that as all words are to be taken according to the usage of the subject or science that they are used about , physical terms physically ; rhetorical rhetorically , geometrical , astronomical , arithemetical , accordingly , law terms according to law , and moral and theological terms morally and theologically ; so , if as naturalists , we ask what the matter of that sacrament is , we say bread and wine : if as moralists and theologues , we say , it is the body and blood of christ : as if you ask of a gold and silver coyn , what it is in a natural sence , we say , it is gold and silver : but if you ask in a civil , political and law-sence , we say , it is a 20 s. piece , a jacobus , a carolus piece , or it is a crown , or a shilling . so we say that sacramentally and morally , and relatively , that which is naturally true bread and wine , is yet also the true body and blood of christ : and we say not that it is only a figure and remembrance , but it is such a figure as is representatively his very flesh and blood : and it is to deliver to us , and invest us in a spiritual vnion with christ himself , and right to his saving grace . a proxy that as representative of a prince marrieth a foreign lady , is more than a remembrance ; and so is his image , if it be used in the marriage . a key , or a twig and turf , by which investiture in house and land is delivered , and a staff and ring , by which bishopricks were of old delivered by investiture , are all more than a bare remembrance . 2. as to your implied doctrine of transubstantiation , that after the words of consecration , there is left no real bread and wine , it is copiously and undenyably proved a novel doctrine , so monstrous , as if it had been formed to engage mankind in a renunciation of christianity , humanity , and common senses , and to be an obliging profession of this renunciation . it is enough for us to believe , that after the true consecration , it is no more meer bread and wine , ( as after the coyning a 20 s. piece , a crown , or a noble , or an angel , it is not meer gold , but the said named coyn. ) but if ever satan shewed himself a dragon , under the name of an angel of light , it was when he made the canons of the 4th . laterane general council under innocent the 3d. that set up transubstantiation , and the murdering of all that deny it , of deposing princes that will not exterminate them . this adjuncts and effects will shew the difference between this counterfeit sacrament and christ . christs sacrament was instituted to be a sacrament and covenant of dearest love between god and man , and one another : but as satan , when he covenanteth with witches , to sell him their souls , must have it sealed by his sucking their blood , so the seal that he set to the monster of transubstantiation , was that his church and it must live by the blood of those that own it not . but what will convince men , that by noise and worldly interest have conquered all that is proper to a man , yea , or a living sensible animal . 1. they pretend christs words , this is my body , when they know that it was his ordinary parabolical phrase , and they will take this physically and singularly as different from all the rest . tho' he say , i am the door , i am the vine , and ye are the branches , and my father is the husband-man , and the field is the world , and the tares are the children of the wicked one , and the harvest is the end of the world , and the reapers are the angels ; they that received the seed by the high-way , are they that , &c. and so he speaketh usually . 2. they know that in 1 cor. 11. paul calls it bread after the consecration , three times in the three next verses : and would they have burnt paul for a heretick ? what can they devise against these plain words ? 3. they sentence all to death and hell that will believe their eyes , taste , feeling or any sense of themselves , and all others , that perceiveth true bread and wine after consecration . 4. hereby they make god as creator , the grand deceiver of the world , by deluding all men's senses . 5. and hereby they overthrow all certainty of faith divine and humane . for sense and humanity are before faith and christianity , and their perception presupposed : and if sense be presupposed fallible , yea false , faith must needs be so : for we are not sure that ever we saw a book , or man , or light , or heard man speak , or what he saith : and how can he believe gods word or the popes , or priests , that is not sure that ever he heard or saw them ? 6. they feign every sottish filthy priest , to work more miracles at his pleasure , by his transubstantiating , than christ or his apostles did . 7. they enable a drunken priest to undoe bakers and vintners , by saying the words of consecration intentione consecrandi over all their bread and wine : and then they have none left . 8. they feign christ to have eaten his own body by his body , and either that the same body did eat it self , or that he had two bodies that did eat neither . 9. they feign that his whole body did eat his broken body , and that his disciples did eat it , before it was broken ; and drank his shed blood before it was shed . 10. when two general councils c.p. the 5th . and nice the 2d . tell us , that christs body in heaven now is not flesh and blood , and paul saith 1 cor. 15 , that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of god , yet they maintain that christ hath had these 1600 years a body of flesh and blood. 11. they feign abundance of accidents without subject substances , that are the accidents ( quantity , quality , &c. ) of nothing . 12. they feign a sottish priest to make his maker day by day . 13. when christ saith , he that eateth my flesh , and drinketh my blood , shall live for ever ; they feign the most wicked men to eat his flesh and drink his blood. 14. they feign mice to eat god. 15. they feign every wicked man to eat his god , and digest part of him into his own flesh and blood , and cast out the other part into the jakes . 16. they teach men to commit idolatry , by worshiping bread as god. 17. all this is enforced by fire and sword , against the blood of holy men . 18. all this is novel heresie , contrary to the doctrine of the universal church , for a thousand years after christ and more . 19. it 's contrary to paul's quere , 1 cor. 12. are all workers of miracles ? understood negatively . 20. it 's feigned a sufficient ground to depose princes , and destroy whole lands . but these things , and specially the forged miracles of the transubstantiation , are more largely confuted in many treatises . what hope of ending any controversies with papists , that agree not with us in the credit of senses as heathens do ? can we bring any controversie to a plainer issue , than to all men's common senses , about due objects and due mediums ? and is there any disputing where no principle is agreed on ? the fortieth accused point . that we ought to receive under both kinds , and that one alone is not sufficient . ans . it concerneth them that deny this , either to keep men from reading gods word , or to tell them it is false , and the pope's is true that contradicteth it : what is a flat defyance of god or his word , if this be not ? christ saith , math. 26.27 , 28. drink ye all of it : for this is my blood of the new-testament , which is shed for many , for the remission of sins . and st. paul saith , 1 cor. 11.23 . i have received of the lord that which i delivered to you : that the lord jesus , the night in which he was betrayed , took bread , &c. vers . 25. after the same manner also he took the cup , when he had supped , saying , this cup is the new-testament in my blood : this do ye as oft as you drink it , in remembrance of me : for as often as ye eat this bread , and drink this cup , ye do shew the lord's death 'till he come : wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread , and drink this cup of the lord unworthily , shall be guilty of the body and blood of the lord : but let a man examine himself , and so let him eat of that bread , and drink of that cup. these words do so plainly say , it is bread after the consecration , and do so plainly require all to drink of the cup , as well as to eat of the bread , that the infallible clergy are fain to accuse the light of darkness , the text of deceitful obscurity , till the pope and his prelates have expounded it , by giving it the lye : just like the knave in ignoramus's play , that proclaimed the man to be mad , from whom he intended to extort money , that is , for binding and abusing him . what is it to proclaim christ and paul to be fools , that could not speak sense , if this be not ? but the doctors have also contradictions to charge on christ , even that else-where he saith , [ he that eateth his flesh shall live for ever : ] ans . 1. that is , he that trusteth in a sacrificed christ as the means of his salvation , as bread is the means of natural life : he that would not understand , cannot understand the plainest words : but doth christ say , that any man eateth his flesh , that drinketh not his blood ? or that he shall have life , that doth the one without the other ? 2. and seeing they take every rogue that eateth their wafer to eat christs flesh , do they not here falsly say that all such shall have eternal life : o happy ( miserable ) church , that hath eternal life , how wicked soever , for eating the wafer , and calling it christs flesh ! and all this , that faith may not be thought to be meant by eating . 3. but seeing it must needs be eating by the teeth , or by flesh eating that is meant , they have found out a crafty literal way : christ saith that he loveth and cherisheth his church as his own flesh , and we are members of his body , of his flesh , and of his bones : and so they that murdered a million of the albigenses , &c. and massacred 40000 in france , and 200000 in ireland , and burnt them in england , germany , the low countries , and tormented and killed them in bohemia , and many other lands , did learn the literal way of eating christs flesh . and who doubts but the devil tells them that they shall thereby obtain everlasting life ? but why then are they against drinking his blood , when actually they draw it out by streams ? perhaps by burning his bones , ( as they did buce●s , phagius , wickliffes , and 1000 more ; ) they think that their teeth scape the trouble of gnawing them , and thus they feed on christs body , flesh and bones : for their masters beat witches if they bring him not account at every meeting , of some mischief that they have done . 3. and what but flat opposition to christ , should move these men to forbid one half of his sacrament , which he calls the new-testament in his blood ? one would wonder what should be their motive : it is no matter of pleasure , profit , or honour : this very deceiver had more wit than to pretend antiquity for it , or any one ancient doctor of the church . they dare not deny ( save to ignorants and fools , ) that it is a novelty contrary to unquestioned consent and practice of all christs church , for above a thousand years , or near at least . it is undenyably against christs institution and command , against his apostles doctrine , and scripture practice ; against all the judgment and practice of the ancient church , against the nature and integrity of the sacrament , against the concord of the church , that will never unite against all these , against the sense and comfort of believers . what then doth over-rule so many men to tear the church , to murder so many bohemians as they did , &c. for such a thing as this is ? reader i will tell thee all that i know : the devil is in constant war against christ and his kingdom , and the souls of men : as he thought he could have triumphed in making job curse god to his face ; so he would fain shew that he can make christs own pretended ministers oppose and despise the plainest of his commands , and defie his word and him to his face . to this he gets by the baits of worldly wealth , honour and dominion , a sort of fleshly worldly men to be bishops , whose very hearts are against the laws of christ : and puffing up these men by degrees , he tells them how they must be great , and arrogate power equal to christs apostles , and so domineer over the souls of men ; and all this on pretence of honouring christ : and having gotten a generation of gross ignorant debauched villains , into the papal elevated seat , and the ruling church power , when some poor woman once or twice shed some of the wine , or a priest chanced to spill it , their prophane holiness decreed that they should drink the wine no more ( save the clergy , ) but should eat christs blood , which they said was in his flesh , and a while they dipt the wafer in wine ; and then pretended infallibility being their vain glory , they must not change lest they should seem to be fallible , and should repent ; for repenting undoes satans kingdom . the one and fortieth accused point . that there is not in the church a true and proper sacrifice ; and that the mass is not a sacrifice . ans . true and proper , if the words are intelligible , are put against false and equivocal or figurative . and what man can tell us which sence of the word [ sacrifice ] must be taken for the only proper sence , when with heathens and christians the word is used in so many sences , and there are so many sorts of sacrifices ? this man would not tell you whether it be the thing or the name that he controverteth ; that would be to come into the light. if it be the thing , we never doubted but divers things are and must be in the church , which are called sacrifices , some in scripture , and some by papists : and some things by them called sacrifices , are in their church which god is against . if it be the name that is the question , we know that in a general sence it may be given to many things of different species , and equivocally yet to more ; but which sence to call proper among so many , let quibling grammarians tell him : we strive no further about names , than tendeth to preserve the due judgment of things . sometime a sacrifice signifieth a second thing offered to god by way of worship . sometime more strictly , somewhat supposed highly to gratifie or please him , offered to expiate some crime that displeaseth him , or by pleasing to procure some benefit from him . among heathens and jews , there were various sorts of sacrifices : some hilastical , some eucharistical : some of things lifeless , and some of living creatures ; where strictly part was burnt and so offered to god , and part given to the priest , and part eaten by the offerers . we hold , 1. that jesus christ offered his body on the cross a sacrifice to god for the expiation of sin , as a thing pleasing to god , in a sence which no other sacrifice ever ▪ was or is ; not that god delighted in his blood , pain or death as such ; but as finis gratiâ , it was the most excellent means to demonstrate his wisdom , love , justice , and mercy , and save a sinful race of men , with the honour of his law and government . 2. we hold that christ hath instituted his sacrament , to be a visible representation of this his sacrifice , both for commemoration and for actual investiture and collation of christ to be our saviour , and head in union , and of his grace and benefits , pardon , reconciliation , adoption , justification , sanctification , and title to glory . and we know that the ancient churches called this often a sacrifice : not in the same sence as christ was our sacrifice ; nor as the mosaical types were sacrifices ; but a representative sacrifice , representing christs own . but we are the shier to use the name sacrifice , where papists apply it to idolatry . 3. we know that all christians are bound to dedicate themselves to god , and even to lay down their lives when he requireth it ; and bound to offer him penitent confession , praise , thanksgiving , and to give alms to the poor , and serve and honour him with all their wealth and power . and all these are called sacrifices in scripture , because they are sacred oblations , acceptable to god through the merits of christs sacrifice . is not this man a calumniator then , that faith we hold , [ that there is not in the church a true and proper sacrifice , ] unless he call none true and proper but what no man can offer to god. but what say we to the sacrifice of the mass ? we say , that for the priest to pretend that after his words , bread is turned into christs flesh in a physical sence , and wine into his blood , and that this is our god , and that he sacrificeth this god to god , and eateth and drinketh him so sacrificed , and that all that so receive him have eternal life : this is a prophanation of holy things , a deceiving of souls , a blaspheming of christ , and idolatry against god. and all sacrificing in their mass , that is more than a representation of christs own sacrificing himself , for commemoration and communication of the gifts of his testament , and the expression of our gratitude , and devotedness to god by him , is their own prophane invention . how do they offer his broken body and blood shed , any otherwise than representatively , unless they kill him , and eat him when he is dead ? it was only a representation of his own sacrificed body and blood , which he made at the sacrament himself ; not then broken and shed , but to be broken , slain , and shed soon after , ( unless he had two bodies , one dead and one alive . ) the sacrament indeed was called a sacrifice by the ancient churches , to signifie that it is not christs body as now glorified in heaven that is there represented , but his body as once flesh and blood sacrificed on the cross : and how can it be that , but by representation , sacrificing it was killing it : do they kill christ a thousand thousand times over , yea , and kill his gloryfied body ? he hath no existent flesh and blood in heaven , speaking properly and formally ; but a spiritual glorified body , that was flesh and blood on earth : and doth every priest turn christs spiritual glorified body into flesh and blood again ? o what a mass of prophanation is their mass . tho two and fortieth accused point . that sacramental vnction , is not to be used to the sick. ans . in those hot-countries , anointing their bodies was used as a great refreshment for delight and health . and christ and his apostles applyed it to the miraculous use of healing , as christ did clay and spittle to a blind man : and while that miraculous use continued , st. james bids those that are sick as a punishment for some sin , to send for the elders of the church , that they may pray for the pardon of his sin , and for his recovery , and anoint him with oil , and if he have not sinned unto death , ( that is , a capital crime , which god would have magistrates punish with death , and will do so himself , ) his sin shall be forgiven , and he shall be healed . see now the malice of the prince of darkness . he that tempteth men to cast out half the substance of the lords supper , meerly to shew what they can and will , and dare do against his word , and tempteth men to forbid the very scripture it self , yet to undoe , he will overdoe , and draw men to be wise and righteous over much : who would think these men are against the sufficiency of scripture , that will turn its temporary occasional actions into perpetual sacraments ? they make conscience of washing feet , of bearing palms , of the holy-kiss ( but on the pax ) and a sacrament of anointing the sick : and why they make not a sacrament of anointing the blind with clay and spittle , of washing at jordan or siloam pools , and of the said kiss , and washing of feet , of bearing palms , of the popes riding on an ass , &c. i know not . but for the name of a sacrament , ( bring first a military , and then a church term , not used in scripture ) we will not quarrel with them : they may laxly extend it to almost any ceremony or sign religiously used , rightly or wrongly . but , 1. they use that to the dying , when they judge them past hope , which st. james spake of using for recovery . 2. they use that as an ordinary thing , which was to be used only for miraculous cures : and yet shew not that they have the faith or gift of miracles , nor cure any by it . 3. they force men to that feigned sacrament now ceased with that gift , which was used to none but such as voluntarily desired it . why are they not con●●●●ed to use it themselves , but they must force all others to it as necessary ? what man , woman , or child , do you read of in all the new-testament , that was anointed in order to death , save a woman that meant no such thing , that anointed christ in health ? where read you that dragoons or inquisitors inforced it , and draged naked the bodies through the streets , and buryed them in dunghils , or where dogs may eat them , if they refuse it ? whose sacraments can we think are these ? the three and fortieth accused point . that no interior grace is given by imposition of hands in holy orders : and that ordinary vocation and mission of pastors , is not necessary in the church . ans . contrarily the reformed catholicks hold , 1. that god often gave miraculous interior gifts to men , by the imposition of the apostles hands . 2. and if he please he may now bless ordination to the increase of men's mental fitness for the ministry ; and when he doth so , we know not . but we hold , 1. that men should be supposed by the ordinances to be true christians , and to have competent ministerial abilities before they ordain them . 2. that now miraculous gifts cease , no man can tell when any other inward grace is given by imposition of hands in ordination , than relative , which is obligation and authority for the work of the ministry . and durandus and other of their school-men , say that their indelible character is no other . and the rest know not what to make of it . 3. if we read of multitudes of debauched , ignorant , apostatical popes and prelates , and many ages of church barbarism , and bruitishness , ( even in baroni●s , genebrard , and the fiercest papists ; ) and if we see priests after ordination to be ignorant , drunkards , fornicators , unable and unapt to teach , haters of a godly life , we cannot tell what grace it is that these men are said to receive in ordination : whatever it is , it will not keep them out of hell , as it keeps them not from serving satan . 4. we take an ordinary calling and mission to be ordinarily needful to the church ministry . this calling consisteth , 1. in necessary abilities , without which god sendeth none . 2. in willingness and consent . 3. in the ordination by senior pastors , where it may be had . 4. and to fix them in relation to particular congregations , the mutual consent of themselves and the flocks . 5. but we know rules of meer order are for the things ordered , and the edification of the church , for which all church power is given , and god commandeth that all be done : and we know that god who will have mercy and not sacrifice , would not have us destroy the substance by pretence of a ceremony . and that in several cases , ministers may be lawfully called without imposition of hands , and canonical ordination . as , 1. in case men be cast into infidel countries , where no bishops or pastors can be had : as by shipwrack , or merchants factory , or embassadors , or when a bishop with them dyeth by the way : they must not be without all publick church worship , for want of an imposing bishop . 2. in case persecution drive all the bishops out of reach . 3. in case the persecuted bishops refuse to ordain for fear of suffering . 4. in case the bishops be hereticks , or intollerable usurpers and no true bishops , wanting the essentials of a qualification and a call. 5. in case the bishops impose any false oath , subscription , covenant , or profession , or any other sin , as the condition without which they will not ordain , ( which is the case of all the papists prelates ; ) their ordination in these cases is not necessary . 6. we know that in such cases the ministry faileth not , but there may be a true succession of pastors , though regular canonical ordination be interrupted . for there is nothing necessary after gods law , which specifieth the office by stated institution , but only the determining who the persons are that god would have in this office : which may be well known without canonical ordination , where that cannot lawfully be had . there are instances in the ancient churches , that when some elected to be bishops , fled or hid themselves ; the bishops ordained them absent , by writing , without imposition of hands . 7. yea , we know that if in any one church or nation , the succession were totally interrupted , for many years , god hath left means sufficient to restore it . 1. his word describeth the office , and giveth the authority and obligation to the person when determined of . 2. that determination may be made , 1. by the due qualification of the person : 2. the inviting necessities of the people and opportunity . 3. mutual consent ; and without these the ordination and mission of a bishop is vain . 8. the church of rome more needeth this doctrine than the protestants : for it is notoriously certain , that regular succession hath failed oft and long in the papacy , and consequently in its clergy . 1. there is no more notorious interruption than by the utter incapacity of the unqualified : and such have been those that were children or declared sots , beasts , simonists , filthy lechers , hereticks , infidels , schismaticks , by general council , and the most papal historians . their succession now is from eugenius the 4th . deposed as an heretick by a general council . 2. when there have been two or three popes above twenty times , no man knoweth which was the right . 3. either election is in the power of some in special , or not ; if not , the turks , or heathens , or hereticks , may choose a pope : if it be , then who have the power ? it s known that at first the bishop of rome was chosen by the people of one congregation : after by the clergy and people of the christians of the city : after that by the bishops of the diocess : sometimes by the emperors : or arrian kings ( with the clergy and people : ) sometimes by general councils : sometimes against general councils , by an armed faction : and of late times by things called a colledge of cardinals . if all these were lawful , no one sort have the electing power : if any was unlawful , the succession hath been interrupted . 4. either the ordination of a superior is necessary , or not : if yea , then the pope having no superior , was never truly ordained : if not , then a presbyter may be ordained without a bishop . rome is more concerned to answer these things than we . the four and fortieth accused point . that priests and other religious persons who have vowed their chastity to god , may freely marry notwithstanding their vow . ans . 1. must none keep vows but priests and religious people . 2. the known doctrine of the protestants about oaths and vows ( which you may see in sanderson de juramento , ) is , 1. that antecedently it is unlawful to ensnare our selves by unneecssary vows , of that which is out of our power , or so mutable , that it may hereafter be made our duty which now is not . 2. but having once vowed , we must distinguish of the imposing , the making of the vow , and the matter of it . and that , 1. though it was by parents , or others unlawfully imposed , 2. and by our selves , by temerity unlawfully made or sworn , 3. yet if the matter consideratis considerandis be necessary or lawful , the vow must be kept : but if it be sin that is vowed , it must not be done . because man's vows cannot abrogate or suspend gods laws . can any of your casuists deny this ? therefore , if boys or girls vow chastity , and it prove thar they cannot keep it without sin , the matter becometh to them unlawful , and they must break it : as for instance : 1. if they cannot keep it without apparent hurt to their souls by lust . 2. or if the heir of the crown , or some great estate , vow it , and if he keep it , the kingdom or church is like to suffer by it . 3. if parents or prince countermand the vow in youth . but if they can keep it , and that keeping become not sin by consequent accidents or changes , they ought to keep it ; though they must repent of their rash unlawful making it . gods law is perfect , and maketh duty enough for us , and we should not foolishly make more as law-givers to our selves , when we are conscious how far short we come of keeping gods own laws . the five and fortieth accused point . that fasting and abstinence from certain meats , is not grounded on holy scripture , nor causeth any spiritual good . ans . still deceitful confusion : protestants hold , 1. fasting is a needful duty to several persons in several cases . as , 1. to take down the flesh when it groweth too strong in lust . 2. for the cure of many diseases from fulness . 3. to exercise our humiliation in times of publick danger and calamity , or of personal repentance for some great sin , or under some affliction that calleth for great humiliation . 2. they hold that abstinence is needful in it's time and place , as fasting is in it's : and that all eating and drinking is unlawful , which gratifieth the appetite by quantity or quality against men's health , and the just rules by which we should judge what is healthful : yea , that bare eating and drinking to please the appetite , which doth not some way conduce to fit us for our duty , is sin. 3. we know that the same meat and drink for quality and quantity which is best for one , is hurtful and mortal to another : and we know that fasting is as physick , whether for health , or for the soul : and if we are fallen into the hands of such physicians , as will tye all the land and all the world to take the same physick , and on the same days , to take a purge or a vomit every wednesday , friday , and holy evens , we shall obey them when we are a-weary of our lives . i think our london colledges would deride such prescribers . 4. and if any will tell us that we shall merit of god , and save our selves by forbearing the coursest sort of flesh , and eating the more costly fish , junkets , sweet-meats , and drinking wine and strong-drink , we abhor such mock-fasts , for god will not be mocked : but hipocrites turn all religion into a mockery . i have heard those called strict precise protestants , accused as being against abstinence and fasting ; and upon enquiry i found that those of my acquaintance , eat and drink less all the year , than their accusers of my acquaintance do on their mock-fasting days . to such their diet would seem a strict fast , even calvin that macerated his body , with eating but a few bits once a day , is by some papists called a sensual glutton , ( though massonius saith the contrary . ) the six and fortieth accused point . that jesus christ descended not into hell , nor delivered thence the souls of the fathers . ans . 1. and do not these false accusers know that both the creed which we all profess , and the articles of the church of england , say expresly that christ descended into hell ? 2. and those ahat dislike the translation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into hell , yet grant christ went into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; and that 's all the scripture saith : so that all the doubt is but what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth ? whether the hell of torment , or more generally the unseen state of separate souls ! if you mean the last , what protestants deny it ? if you mean the first , what presumptuous cruelty is it , to believe that all the souls of the fathers were in hell , till the death of christ ? christ alleadging , i am the god of abraham , of isaac , and of jacob , sure meant not , that god was their god , because they were in hell : was lazarus in hell when abraham said , now he is comforted ? it was a hell of joy and comfort : were samuel , elisha , job , daniel , &c. in hell ? was moses in hell , that appeared in glory on the mount with elias ? but what is it that the infallible church cannot make good , when they have once presumed to affirm it ? the seven and fortieth accused point . that there is no purgatory fire , or other prison , wherein sin may be satisfied for after this life . ans . 1. which way this church came to be so much acquainted with hell , and purgatory , and prisons , and satisfying in them , in the other world , more than is revealed in the word of god , we know not , unless some have told them that come thence , or from heaven . but for our parts , we think gods word more trusty than dead men whom we know not : god sendeth us to the law , and to the testimony : if they speak not according to these , it is because there is no light in them , isa . 8.20 . abraham preferred moses and the prophets before one from the dead . the prophane citation of scripture by him for such a purgatory-prison , and satisfaction , needs no answer save the perusal of the texts . what mean these men by [ satisfying for sin ? ] 1. if they mean that satisfaction by the merits whereof god pardoneth sin without dishonour to his justice , government , or law : ] christ , and he only , hath thus fully satisfied for sin , already , and there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin ; for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified . 2. but if by satisfying for sin , they mean that all must suffer all the punishment that their sin deserveth , then god forgiveth no sin at all : for to forgive the sin , is to forgive the punishment : and then they renounce the office , sacrifice and blood of christ , which are for the pardon of sin : and they renounce baptism and the lords supper that give and seal it : and they cast away all hopes of salvation , and damn all mankind : for all sin deserveth some degree of damnation in hell. but if the pope can pardon , sure god doth pardon some : to deny pardon , is to deny all the scripture , and all humane hope and mercy . 3. but if by [ satisfying for sin , ] they mean that god when he forgiveth through christ the destructive everlasting punishment , will yet require some corrective temporal punishment , with which he is said to be satisfied , in that he requireth no more , we confess de re , that such a thing there is in this world ; death as death , and pain as pain are such ; and the curse on the earth , and the loss of some degrees of grace ; they are all corrective penalties : and if any say that a lower degree of glory for the loss of some degree of grace is such ; or that the separation of the soul from the body till the resurrection , hath some nature of penalty ; we strive with no man about such things : but de nomine we justly here dislike the word , [ satisfying , ] because in common sence , it soundeth as some compensation , and somewhat that is of the same nature with christs satisfaction ; and that is all that justice requireth to purchase our pardon . and it encourageth the ill use of it by papists , that make it meritorious . and de re we believe no such purgatory , ( much less the popes power to deliver men out of it , for masses or the like , ) because god tells us of no such thing . and the primitive churches never owned it : augustine first seemed to doubt of it : but i find none before that ever held it , unless you will call origens opinion such , that thought the devils and damned should have a time of deliverance , ( now called heresie . ) as to 1 cor. 3.13 , 15. is there no fiery tryall of mistaken doctrine , and of the erroneous in this life ? as to joh. 11.22 . what an expositor is this : i know ( saith martha , ) that whatever thou wilt ask of god , he will give it thee : ergo , lazarus was delivered out of purgatory . as well he may say , all saints shall have a resurrection : therefore all are in purgatory . or god denyeth christ nothing : therefore there is a purgatory . so acts 2.24 . whom god hath raised up , having loosed the pains of death , because it was not possible that he should be holden of it . here he noteth two things . 1. that where christ was , there was pains . ans . as if death it self were not a penalty : it was christs pains , or penal state of death , that peter mentioneth , and the man himself here confesseth that christ had no pain in that place . 2. but he saith that it was not christs , but others pain that is said to be loosed ; when the text plainly saith , 1. that it was christs pains of death . 2. loosed by his resurrection . 3. because it was impossible that he , ( not they ) should be held of it . so 1 cor. 15.24 . because there is no mention of baptizing for the dead , he feigneth a purgatory meant . and luk. 16.9 . that receiving at death into the everlasting habitations , proveth a purgatory : when yet they say that purgatory is to none an everlasting habitation : and luk. 23.42 . because the thief would be remembred by christ in his kingdom , souls may be holpen after death out of purgatory : as if it was purgatory that was the paradise with christ , where that thief was to be that day : is it not tedious but to read such prophanation of gods word ? the eight and fortieth accused point . that it is not lawful to make or to have images . ans . this lie hath conquered the blushing passion . 1. can such men believe that there are no protestant painters ? are there none of their shops in london , or holland ? do none but papists make or sell pictures ? are not the statues of kings at the exchange , the stocks-market , chaering-cross ? are there no images on our coyn ? nor our banners ? nor on the escutcheons of the nobility and gentry of this and other lands : are there no images at the sign-posts in all london , nor in all the cities , and market-towns in the kingdom ? nor in any of the church-windows ? but perhaps they will say , tho' we speak so universally ( to deceive the ignorant , ) yet we meant it of images of religious signification and use . ans . and do not all the lutherans keep them in their churches ? are they not continued in most church-windows in england ? obj. but at least it's true of the calvinists or puritans ? ans . 1. and will you therefore slander the rest ? 2. but we must not hastily believe any thing that false accusers say ? have not the holland calvinists multitudes of pictures ? did you never see beza and others , icones virorum illustrium , nor mr. samuel clerk's lives with images ? nor the puritans english geneva bible , with the images of the histories ? nor the dutch quarry-bricks for chimneys , on which most of the history of the bible is painted ? o! for truth or modesty . 2. but we confess that there are some images bawdy , some superstitious , idolatrous , or blasphemous , which we leave to such as choose them , they being not for our use , ( of which after . ) the nine and fortieth accused point . that it is not lawful to reverence images , nor to give any honour to insensible things . ans . methinks you should sometime speak truth , if it were but before you are aware . 1. protestants commonly hold , that they should give honour to all insensible things : they are all the work of god ; dishonouring or not honouring the creature , or work , is dishonouring or not honouring the creator and maker as such . the due praise and honour of a building , a book , &c. is necessary to the due praise and honour of the author ! do you think protestants condemn the 18th . psalm , the 104th . psalm , the 145 , and all the rest that magnifie the works of god ? is there any above a beast , that doth not honour and praise sun , moon , stars , heaven and earth , sea and land , as the works of god ? yea we honour every plant and flower , every vigetable and mineral , knowing that god is wonderful and unsearchable in all . what is physick , astronomy , geography , but the shell of knowing and honouring gods works , and god in them . 2. and the image of kings , of holy men , are purposely made and printed by protestants , in love , honour , and reverence to the persons living or dead , whom they represent : you may see many rooms adorned with the images of the fathers , and of late divines : for their relation they love with some sort of honour the pictures of those whom you have burnt as hereticks : see whether you find them not in john fox his acts and monuments . 3. but we are warned oft enough by god , and by the mischievous effects of it in the churches , against all idolatrous and scandalous , and ensnaring respect and use of images , which are either false representations , or are used contrary to the second commandment , to corporal idolatry though not mental , in such likeness to the heathen use of their demons images and deified heroes and emperours , as seemeth to be but a change of the object persons ; or may tempt others to unlawful usage of them : especially the use being not commanded us of god , while it is dangerous . and we abhor the papists omission of the second commandment , and turning the tenth into two , lest the people should perceive the evil of such imagery . no wonder that their proselytes must be kept in ignorance , and forbid the scriptures in a known tongue , without a special licence , when they must not ordinarily read or hear all the ten commandments , even these ten written by god himself in stone , are too much for them to be trusted with ; and yet all the mass of ceremonies , and ocean of canon laws , are not too much : and he that must be killed for not obeying these , must not know all gods own ten commands ; yea many have been burnt for having his word translated . 4. and to pray before the image of saints , and then to say , we do not pray to them , but to those that they represent , is but to do what the heathen idolaters promised to do to their demons : they usually said , we be not such fools as to think wood , and stone , and gold , and images , to be god. but as the first commandment forbids us to have any gods but the true god ; so the second forbids us to seem to have any more , tho' our minds despise them , or by their way of image-worship , to seem to be of their mind : for as a man that useth the common words of an oath , without any purpose to swear , is a prophane swearer with the tongue , ( which the mind should better rule , ) tho' his mind swear not ; so he that on his knees in religious prayer , looketh on images , as the mediate object of his worship , his act is bodily idolatry , and his mind is guilty by not better ruling it . where god affixeth the mention of his jealousie , even to the third and fourth generation , calling the bowers to images , those that hate him ; it is needful to us to be jealous of our actions : for our god is a consuming fire . and we are n●t ignorant of the doctrine of your st. thomas , who saith that the image is to be worshipped , with the same sort of worship as that which it representeth , and the image of the crucifix , with latria , called divine worship . the fiftieth accused point . that no man hath seen god in any form , and that therefore his picture or image cannot be made . ans . 1. but what if it were lawful to paint god ? is it necessary ? why may you not be contented to have a painted god your selves ? must all be burnt and damned as hereticks that are not of your mind ? will you be jealous against those that bow not to a painted god , as god is jealous against those that do it ? god saith thou shalt not bow down to them , nor worship them : where saith he , thou shalt bow down to them , and worship them ? or bow towards them , and say , it is not to them ? 2. god saith , thou shalt not make to thy self the likeness of any thing in heaven or earth , to bow down to them and worship them . bowing down purposely towards them , and before them , is interpretatively bowing down to them , worshipping them . and god would not be so worshipped : isa . 40.16 , 25. to whom will ye liken god ? or what likeness will ye compare unto him ? to whom will ye liken me , or shall i be equal , saith the holy one ? see lev. 26.1 . deut. 16.22 . hab. 18.2 . the molten image is a teacher of lies . it is blasphemy to make a picture or image of god , but what he maketh himself ; as if we said , god is like that image or creature . but this deceiver tells us , how god appeared to adam and others , in a humane or some certain shape . ans . 1. and yet he hath oft and earnestly forbid making images of him to worship . 2. anthopomorphits , that take god to have parts like man , are condemned as hereticks by the church of rome it self . every notifying sign of gods attributes , is not called his image ; and man is called his image , for the divine impressions on his soul , which cannot it self be seen and pictured . if god appear by an angel , and that angel appear in humane shape , we are nevertheless forbidden to worship god pictured as a man. sun , moon , stars , yea , every creature notifieth god to us ; yet may we not paint him like these , or any other creature . did not gods transcendency , and his express word plainly and frequently reprove this , popery had some small excuses . if they deny christs and his apostles words , that no man hath seen god at any time , save his son , they reproach him : to see his works , is only to se● that which notifieth him , and not himself : else every pagan and brute seeth god. we deny not but the sun , and fire , and a man may be pictured , and that god being partly notified to us by these , ( and every creature ) may be said so far to appear in them ? and when did he appear so wonderfully as in christ ▪ and yet it being not his essence in it sell that we see in them , but his attributes is part ; an image of a man , of the sun , moon , stars , of a horse , or a dog , or a toad , is not to be called an image of god , else god may have as many images as creatures . the one and fiftieth accused point . that blessing or signing with the sign of the cross , is not founded in holy scripture . ans . the man would not tell you whether he mean the lawfulness of the cross only , or also the necessity of using it . but what are his proofs ? 1. rev. 7.3 . hurt not the earth , nor the trees , till we have sealed , ( we read signed , ) the servants of our god in their foreheads . is here any mention of crossing or blessing with the cross ? an angel in prophetical vision , is bid to mark or seal the servants of god , as those that are not to be destroyed , when god commissioneth other angels to destroy the persecutors : therefore the priest must sign all christians with the cross . and i would they did not infer as one did from ezek. 9.4 , 5. [ and to the other he said , go ye after him through the city and smite ; let not your eye spare , neither have ye pity , stay utterly old and young , and little children and women ; but come not near any man on whom is the mark , and begin at my sanctuary . ] and thus whatever plague or death god bid angels execute on his uncurable enemies , idolaters , and persecutors , the devil will teach men , that priests and their hang-men may execute on all that are not marked in the forehead with a cross ? but as long as rome is so like to babylon , they were better teach men a truer exposition of the revelations . thus they can prove , that the scripture is but like a nose of wax , by using it as if it were so . it was idolatrous persecuting rome that was to be destroyed , and it was those that had gods mark , and not the beasts that were to be secured . and who is that idolatrous persecuting beast ? the next text is mark 10.16 . christ put his hands on children , and blessed them ▪ and would he make men believe , that we deny christs blessing them or others ? or that pastors may bless the people in his name ? is here ever a word of signing with the cross ? the other is luke 24.50 . he led them out as far as bethany , and he lift up his hands and blessed them . therefore the priest must cross men in the forehead : reader , this is the fashion of these men's confuting the reformed catholicks , and proving popery , and using scripture . and have they not reason to challenge the sole interpreting of it ? let but the pope and his priests expound it , and it shall all speak for them , and speak blood and fire against all that obey them not : but till then , they are it's enemies , because it is the greatest enemy to them . 2. but suppose christs blessing had been crossing : with what face do they feign protestants in england , to be against crossing in the forehead ? when the world knoweth that the church of england is not only for it , but ejecteth and silenceth all ministers that will baptize the child of the most godly christians without it . and they know that all the churches called lutheran use it . are none of these protestants ? 3. and though those called non-conformists , are not for the using of it as a dedicating symbol of christianity in baptismal covenanting , to bind the covenanter to that confession and holy warfare which is the promised duty of the covenant , nor for denying christendom to those that refuse this use of the cross , ( out of a fear lest this covenanting use make it a human sacrament added to baptism ; ) yet i meet with few of them that condemn the ancient christians , that lived among heathens , ( who scorned them as worshiping a crucified god , ) for their seasonable crossing themselves in those heathens sight , meerly to shew that they were not ashamed of such a crucified saviour ; ( not thinking what papists would bring it to at last . ) the two and fiftieth accused point . that the publick service of the church , ought not to be said , but in a language that all the people may understand . ans . the reformed catholicks indeed hold this , with these exceptions : 1. that by all be meant the ordinary congregation ; not meaning that if a french-man , or a dutch-man , come in among them , they must needs speak to him apart in his own tongue . 2. that if any rustick , illiterate , or novices , understand not many words in the translation of the bible , or some apt words of the minister , we must not therefore change the translation , nor forbear those apt words that are suited to the more intelligent ; but help to amend the understanding of the ignorant . but that in publick and private , the congregation should understand what they hear as the word of god , and what is said in confession , prayer and praise to god , this we hold as a matter of grand importance . 1. because it 's purposely , plainly , and copiously decided so by the holy ghost , in the apostle paul , 1 cor 14. do but read the chapter and judge . 2. because christ always preached to the people in a known tongue . 3. he prayed , joh 17. in a known tongue , and taught them so to pray . 4. the apostles where ever they came , preached and prayed in a known tongue . 5. they wrote the gospels , the acts , and all their epistles , to whole churches , in the tongue most commonly known to the reader , and so to be read to , or by all . 6. it was their standing rule ; let all be done to edification . 7. their preaching and writing was all for teaching : and it is no teaching to speak to men in a strange language , ( unless we be teaching them to understand it . ) 8. praying is the expressing of known desires to god : it 's no prayer that expresseth no desire , and ignoti nulla cupido : there is no desire , save sensitive appetite , that supposeth not knowledge that the thing is good and needful . the words of a parrot are not a prayer . and confession of sin is the act of a penitent soul , and it is no repentance or confession that is but words of they know not what : it 's no penitent confession to hear or speak words , not understood what sin they signifie . and to give god thanks , implyeth that we understand what mercies or benefits the words express . and to praise god is understandingly to magnifie his perfections or works . so that words without understanding them , are no more to be called prayer , praise , confession , thanksgiving , than the singing of a bird is , or the crowing of a cock. 9. no reasonable man would be thus served or conversed with : a parent indeed can understand an abba , or a look from an infant ; but it is on supposition , that the infant himself perceiveth what he would have : and if it be not by intellectual but sensitive perception , it is no more a petition to his father , than a dogs waiting for food , tho' the person deserves more pity . so god understandeth the meaning of spiritual groans , in one that wants words for large expression : but that supposeth that it is true inward desires after him which those groans signifie . but publick worship requireth a conjunction of soul and service , and therefore a conjunct understanding : else there is no true union and communion in the worship . for one sound of words with discord of desires , is no christian union and communion . it must be supposed that either the hearers are not praying at all , or else that every one is secretly praying after his own thoughts for various things , without any concord . what melody would it be for all the church to sing in as many tunes as persons ? what king or judge will take it for a petition , for a man to talk-gibberish to him , or say he knoweth not what ? 10. even papists deride quakers , for meeting to say nothing : and what difference is there , when they hear and say nothing understood , saving that the voice maketh it a more pompous mockery , than the quakers silence ? o! who would have thought that the primitive manner of publick worship , should ever have degenerated into such a prophane abuse of god and man , against plain scripture , universal practice , and humane reason ? and this as a part of a grand design to kill the life of all true religion ▪ and delude souls with the dead carkass of mortified formalities , and ceremonies ; and that men should think that souls are saved as wizards do pretend , to do cures by charms of words not understood ; they serve god with empty shells , when they have cast away the kernels : like the silly samaritan ▪ woman , that lookt for a christ to come to tell them , whether in this mountain or at jerusalem men ought to worship , little knowing what it was to worship god as a spirit , in spirit and truth , when it should be neither at that mountain , or at jerusalem . but hath this man no scripture , ( against scripture ? ) yes , luk. 1.8 . [ the people were praying without , while the priest was offering incense within . ] therefore the publick worship may be performed , so as the people understand not : that , 1. the priests action only out of their sight is the publick worship , and the peoples praying is not so . 2. the offering incense , is praying ; or because the people are not to do the priests office in incense and sacrificing , therefore ministers must pray and praise god alone , without the people , and all this publick worship . 3. if the levitical , sacrifices were offered by the priest alone , christs gospel worship must be performed by the priest alone , the people not knowing what he saith : and the precepts and examples of the new-testament , must all be reduced to the levitical order of incense and sacrificing . 4. and is he sure that all the people in the outer court , prayed they knew not what , or in an unknown tongue ? what use is scripture of to these men ? his next is , levit. 16.17 . none was to go in with the priest to make attonement for the congregation , &c. ans . you see that these men are judaizers , and set up the levitical law for the churches rule of service , as if christ had not changed the law. but our question is not now , whether their priest have any solitary attonement to make for the congregation ; but whether christ hath not instituted such publick worship , in which ministers and people must understandingly joyn ? doth their priest celebrate their mass alone , out of the peoples sight or hearing , in a sanctuary while they are in the outer court ? do not their people assemble to their mass ? will they stand to it , that their church renounceth all worship of god in holy assemblies , save by the priest alone ? and is this the holy catholick church ? and the man here professedly calls the priests solitary action , the publick service , which is for the people , and not by them , and therefore they need not understand ; and all the peoples prayers are private and should be understood ; so that ( the mystery opened , ) either the priest is all the church , or else they have no publick church service , if they must meet , that every one may have a secret prayer of his own , and may only see the priests service called publick . and by this he pretends that he answereth paul , 1 cor. 14. adding most shamelesly , 1. that it seemeth there by the text , that the common service of the church , was not then in a tongue commonly understood . 2. because there was one to supply the place of the ideots , to say amen , where he saith , that the geneva-men , most deceitfully and maliciously translated , [ he that is an ideot , how shall he say amen ? ] and raileth at them for putting [ so be it . ] o! what is man , and how incredible is the pretended infallible clergy , that can expect that all men trust their souls on such palpable deceit ! when st. paul spent a great part of the chapter to disswade those that by inspiration , could speak strange languages , that they should not use them in the church , as being unedifying , or at least not without an interpreter ; this man gathers , that the common service was in an unknown tongue ? as if this disswaded use of some prophets gift , were the common service . 2. and when he disswadeth them from praying in an unknown tongue , or giving thanks in it , saying , else how can he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say amen , this man feigneth , that yet they were to give thanks in an unknown tongue , and one was to supply the place of the ideot or unlearned , in saying amen , ( see vers . 23. ) paul would have all say amen , this man says one was to do it for them : paul argueth that therefore they must speak to the understanding of the unlearned : this man turneth his own words against him : doth his supplier of the ideots place himself , understand or not ? if not , paul saith , how can he say amen ? if he do , how doth he supply the place of the ideots , that are supposed should say amen , and cannot ? for the sake of this chapter and instance , i shall never think any words so plain , that papists cannot turn against their most evident sense . but what is the man's pretence for this erroneous confidence ? why , the vulgar latine translateth it , qui supplet locum , instead of qui implet locum : and that latin translator by supplet meant the same as implet , possidet vel tenet : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is well known to signifie to fill up : their own expositors are many of them for the sence which this doctor chargeth as deceitfully and maliciously given : cornelius a lapide saith that , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is denuo implere , vel simul & communiter omnes implere , to fill again , or all together , or in common to fill : it is not qui supplet vicem indocti , but qui locum occupat inter in ▪ doctos , or idiotae locum tenet . and so it is expounded by the ancients , chrysostom , occumenius , theophysact . and are not these roman priests notoriously perjured , that all swear to expound the scripture , according to the unanimous consent of the fathers , when as ( besides that the fathers have but few of them written commentaries on the scriptures , there are very few of them that unanimously agree , of the sence of the one half of the scripture texts , but either say nothing of them , or differ : and not only in this , but in most points named by this doctors touchstone , he and others go flat against them ? and what meaneth the man to rail at them , that say so be it , instead of amen ? is it not a true translation ? but he will prove that it should not be translated , and consequently that servict may be said in an unknown tongue , for amen is not greek but hebrew . ans . 1 . who can stand before these arguments , if they be but backt with guns and swords , or smithfield fires , which are too hot for any answer save patience . he may also prove it from christs words on the cross , eloi eloi lamasabacthani : for christ was now the most publick priest , and was offering the most publick service by his sacrifice : ergo , the publick service should be in an unknown tongue : and it may be , they may find some other untranslated word , that shall confute not only all the bible , but all the septuagint and vulgar latine translations . but seeing these men's arguments are too hot for me to answer , as they might know that the church of england refuseth not amen , so neither will i , ( though as i can prove , that the corinthian church were hebrews and gentiles mixt , and that amen was understood by both ; so protestants use it as a word understood . ) from the serpents seed , and his deceiving subtil lies : from cain and his successours , and the malignant and blood-thirsty enemies of abels faithful acceptable worship ; from such a worldly and fleshly sacred generation as take gain for godliness , and make their worldly carnal interest the standard of their religion , and their proud domination to pass for the kingdom of christ : from an vsurping vice-christ , whose ambition is so boundless , as to extend to the prophetical , priestly and kingly headship , over all the earth , even at the antipodes ; and to that which is proper to god himself , and our redeemer : from a leprous sect , which condemneth the far greatest part of all christs church on earth , and separateth from them , and calleth it self , the whole and only church : from that church that decreeth destruction , to all that renounce not all humane sense , by believing that bread is not bread , nor that wine is wine , but christs very flesh and blood , who now hath properly no flesh and blood , but a spiritual body ; and that decreeth the excommunication , deposition , and damnation , of all princes that will not exterminate all such ; and absolveth their subjects from their oaths of allegiance : from that beast whose mark is per perjury , perfidiousness , and persecution , and that think they do god acceptable service , by killing his servants , or tormenting them ; and that religion which feedeth on christs flesh , by sacrificing those that he calleth his flesh and bones , ephes . 5 . from the infernal dragon , the father of lies , malice , and murder , and all his ministers and kingdom of darkness : good lord make haste to deliver thy flock ; and confirm their faith , hope , patience , and their joyful desire , of the great , true , final , glorious deliverance , amen . amen , amen . finis . this book was delivered by mr. baxter himself to the bookseller , and not being seen by us the authours of the epistle to the reader , till the sheets were printed , these errata's must be corrected . page 76. line 24. read after god through him . page 81. l. 14. read converted for convicted . page 94. l. 24. read converted for convicted . page 96. l. 21. read they do hold , for do they hold . page 97. l. 1. read sinless for senceless . page 116. l. 9. read intuition for intention . page 119. l. 17. read reneus for romans . page 149. l. 4. r. ordainers for ordinances . page 150. l. 15 , 16. r. preference for pretence . page 152. l. 2● . r. councils for council . page 162. l. 10. r. there is mention . page 165. l. 3. r. vegetable . page 166. l. 27 , 28. r. professed for promised . books printed for john salusbury at the sun over against the royal exchange in cornhill . an end of doctrinal controversies , which have lately troubled the churches , by reconciling explication without much disputing : by richard baxter . the certainty of the world of spirits , fully evinced by unquestionable histories of apparitions and witchcrafts , proving the immortality of souls . by richard baxter .. the harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of mans redemption by our lord jesus christ , &c. by vvilliam bates , d.d. the duty and blessing of a tender conscience , plainly stated , and earnestly recommended to all that regard acceptance with god. by t. cruso . two sermons , opening the nature of participation with , and demonstrating the necessity of purification by christ . by the same author . five sermons on various occasions : by the same authour . the mirror of divine love unvailed : in a paraphrase of the high and mysterious song of solomon . tho countreys concurrence with the london united ministers . by s. chandler . a summary or abridgement of the whole bible , whereby children , and the younger sort , may learn the contents of it in a very short time , and give an account of the principal passages of it . a new examination of the accidence and grammer . a new discourse on the marriage of isaac and rebecka . 12o. the suffering christian . 12o. nostradamus's prophesies . the contents . 1 of the rule of faith p. 1 2 of the judge of controversies in matters of faith p. 6 3 of the scriptures difficulty p. 8 4 of traditions p. 19 5 of the private spirit p. ●9 6 if st. peters faith failed p. ●4 7 if the church can err p. 39 8 of the churches infallibility p. 50 9 of her vniversality p. 56 10 of her vnity p. 58 11 of st. peters headship p. 60 12 of a secular princes headship p. 63 13 of antichrist p. 67 14 whether none but god can forgive sin● p. 7● 15 whether we ought to confess to none but to god p. 7● 16 of pardons p. 7● 17 whether the actions and passions of 〈◊〉 saints are profitable to us p. 7● 18 of works of supererogation p. 18 19 of free-will p. 82 20 of keeping the commandments p. 89 21 of faith and good works p. 99 22 whether good works are meritorious p. 96 23 whether faith once had cannot be lost , p. 97 24 of gods inevitable decree , who shall be damned and who shall be saved p. 99 25 whether we ought to assure our selves of our salvation . p. 103 26 whether every one hath his angel-keeper p. 107 27 whether angels pray not for us p. 108 28 whether me may not pray to them p. 110 29 whether they can help us or no p. 113 30 of saints apparitions p. 114 31 whether they know what passeth on earth p. 117 32 whether they pray not for us ib. 33 whether we may alledge their merits in favour of our selves p. 118 34 whether we may not pray to them p. 121 35 of the relicts of saints p. 122 36 of hallowing of creatures p. 123 37 of the necessity of baptism p. 126 38 of confirmation p. 128 39 of the last supper p. 130 40 of r●●●ivers under one kind p. 136 41 of the sacrifice of the mass p. 14● 42 of extream vnction p. 14● 43 of holy orders p. 148 44 of religious vows p. 15● 45 of fasting and abstinence from meats p. 155 46 of limbus patrum p. 157 47 of purgatory p. 158 48 of making images p. 162 49 of worshipping images p. 164 50 of making the picture of god p. 168 51 of blessing with the sign of the cross p. 170 52 of service in an unknown tongue p. 173 there will in due time be published a large account of mr. baxters life , mostly written by himself . mr. thomas wadsworth's last warning to secure sinners being his two last sermons concerning the certainty and dreadfulness of the future misery of all impenitent ungodly sinners : to which is prefixed an epistle of mr. richard baxter's. wadsworth, thomas, 1630-1676. 1677 approx. 137 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 81 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a65821 wing w187 estc r27049 09626519 ocm 09626519 43855 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a65821) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 43855) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1345:6) mr. thomas wadsworth's last warning to secure sinners being his two last sermons concerning the certainty and dreadfulness of the future misery of all impenitent ungodly sinners : to which is prefixed an epistle of mr. richard baxter's. wadsworth, thomas, 1630-1676. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [49], 97, [7] p. printed for tho. parkhurst, london : 1677. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -n.t. -peter, 1st, iii, 18-20 -sermons. sin -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-01 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2006-01 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mr. thomas wadsworth's last warning to secure sinners : being his two last sermons concerning the certainty and dreadfulness of the future misery of all impenitent ungodly sinners . to which is prefixed an epistle of mr. richard baxter's london , printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , and at the bible on london-bridg 1677. to the reader . it is not so much for the sake of the departed author of these sermons , as for thy self , that this preface doth recommend them to thy acceptance and perusal : though in order hereunto it is meet that thou have some account both of the author , and of the reasons of their publication . the author was a person with whom i had long much communication by letters , before i ever saw his face . by many of which , and by the full testimony of his flock , i can assuredly give thee this true account of him : when he was placed for the exercise of the sacred ministry at newington-butts , near southwark , he addicted himself entirely to the winning and edifying of souls ; believing the great things of the unseen world , and life to come ; the obtaining of that happiness by faith and holiness , was the end and work of his ministry and life . he took heed to himself and to doctrine , and continued therein , that he might save himself , and those that heard him , 2 tim. 4.16 . unnecessary questions and controversies he avoided : in those that he was constrained to meddle with , he much lookt at the end , and adhered to the doctrine which is according to godliness ; carefully shunning contentions and extreams , and that manner of disputing or conversing which destroyeth christian love . in the common controversies about predestination , grace , and free-will , he held to the middle way of augustine , prosper , &c. contenting himself to prove and teach , that all evil is of our selves , and all good is of god ; that god is no author of sin , but yet is the governour of all the world , whose absolute will cannot be frustrate ; and that christ hath procured that universal conditional gift of pardon and life which is found in the gospel , and commanded his ministers to preach and offer it to all ; and so of the rest . but the errors which subvert faith , hope , or obedience , he would not make light of ; and therefore lately wrote that very considerable treatise of the immortality of the soul ; especially for the use of such as reject not scripture-proof , leaving out most of the philosophical reasons which infidels expect ; but adding some few of them which are of weight , though not a large performance of that part of the work . he was happily too young to be engaged in the military or uncivil quarrels of this age. he knew that christs ministers have work enough of their own , in preaching , promoting and practising the christian faith , and hope of glory , and keeping themselves and others in obedience , love and peace . when the changes had occasioned great contentions about church-worship , admiministrations , communion and discipline , the city of london where he lived attempting to set up the presbyterian government , but finding it very difficult , because of the number of episcopal and independent dissenters , and because the parliament would give presbytery no more than a toleration and recommendation , he resolved to join with no party in the division , but to look simply to gods word , and to do that which there he found past controversie , an unquestionable duty . at that time the ministers of worcestershire had entred into an association : 1. in their worship , administration and discipline , unanimously to practice so much as the then parties , episcopal , presbyterian and independents are agreed in ; believing that the faithful practice of so much , would better reconcile them , than strangeness and disputes . 2. to set up a regular course of personal conference by catechising & loving-instructions , and exhortations , to prepare them for death and eternity , with all the families in our parishes , in order , who would voluntarily submit to it . in the practice of these two , we had great experience of gods blessing . and mr. wadsworth desiring ( as many counties did ) to do the like , sent to me for the draught of our agreement : and because he would avoid temerity and needless singularity , he addrest himself to the classes of the london ministers , and asked their advice ; who told him to this purpose , that they were under many hinderances from doing it themselves , but they would not disswade nor discourage him from attempting it : which hereupon he presently did . to his constant publick preaching he added this work of personal and family instruction ; not only to visit the sick , but to teach and exhort his flock , in health , to prepare for death , and work out their salvation . to catechize them , and help them to understand the words , and to get down the sweetness and power of the matter upon their hearts : behaving himself with convincing light , with melting love , and quickning seriousness , to those that he conversed with ; that none might be left as dark , disaffected , or dead , as they were found . he also gave catechisms and testaments , and some other books most suited to their state , to the poor people of his parish , engaging them to read them , and taking an account of their performance and proficiency . if you ask where he had money to do all this , he lived frugally himself ? he took nothing to be so much his own , as to be laid out on himself any further than it maintained him in his masters work . the rest he took himself to be but a steward of , to distribute it prudently to others . what was not necessary to his personal maintenance and work , he gave to others , in the way and on the terms which might best further their salvation . and what he was unable to do himself , he beg'd from such as were more able . and as to the aforesaid manner of exercising his administrations , and church-discipline , he and the church chose many deacons , and certain of the ancientest and most prudent members , who should not be officers , as unordained elders , but only the churches delegates , to take such cognizance of the action , and give such assistance as the laity may do ; himself with these deacons and delegates of the people , met once a month to hear what causes required their open admonitions , when private reproofs had been rejected ; when offenders were to be humbly and compassionately admonished , and by moving-arguments perswaded to repent : and if they yet were obstinate , more earnestly perswaded by them all , and by clearest reasons convinced of the evil of their sin , and the great necessity of true repentance . and if yet they remained obstinate ( with us , they were summoned to hear the convincing reasons of an assembly of pastors that shortly after met , and their humble exhortations and prayers for their repentance ; but mr. wadsworth had not so much of that assistance ) the order was next to publish the crime and impenitence to the assembly , and there publickly beseech the sinner to repent , and the congregation to join in prayer for his repentance ( and this usually three days together ) . and if still he were impenitent , to declare him unfit for communion with the church , and require the people to avoid him , and binding him over to the judgment of god , who will not pardon the impenitent . i will recite part of a short writing which his hearers gave me now since his death , in their own words : at his first coming to newington-butts , which was about 1653 , he preached constantly twice every lords-day ; and had monthly meetings with us , where he prayed and preached : in the summer , for half a year , he preached a lecture : and in the winter , every day of the week , except saturdays , neither cold nor wet did keep him from his work ; which was praying and expounding , which he constantly performed at seven a clock in the morning : and on saturdays he spent the afternoon in catechizing : and finding much ignorance in the parish , he was the more laborious for their instruction ; and once every week in the winter , he would be-speak a house in the street at the end of an alley , and thither he would send for the poor people out of the alleys , and spend much time in instructing them , and praying with them : the next week he would do the same in another place ; and where he himself had been the former week , he would appoint one that could write well , to follow him , and repeat a sermon , and pray with the people in the same place , to keep on their hearts what had been wrought ; and such of the willing persons as could not repeat sufficiently , he appointed to read some fit book to the hearers , usually the book called , a call to the unconverted . and that against making light of christ , which in a great measure answered his ends . and finding by going thus through all his parish , that not only children , but servants , and ancient persons , were very ignorant ; and the more because they could not read : he sent to the vniversity for a young man ( who is now a minister in sussex ) and gave him his maintenance , to go three days a week , to teach people to read ; by which means aged persons , some of sixty years of age , and some more , did learn to read , to their great comfort : and to farther their understanding of the principles of religion , he printed a short catechism of twelve questions and answers , and gave them freely to all the parishioners that would come for them ; and for them that were poor , and old , he bought a great number of testaments , and gave them to the elder poor people and servants that could not buy them : and when he asked many poor people why they came not to the publick worship of god , and they would answer , because they had not cloaths ; he would stir up some friends which he had in london , to relieve them , and so got cloth , and clothed them . his health calling him to abide most in the country at theobalds , he got a grave minister mr. parsons to be his assistant in southwark ; and so divided his labours to two congregations , being one day with one , and the next with the other . and having a competency of his own , he never took any stipend or maintenance from either of them ; but lived as believing that it is more honourable to give than to receive : that very small proportion which was contributed , he left his assistant , who needed it , to receive . this faithful servant of christ did for many years perform these hard but pleasing labours , under that sore disease , the stone in the reins ( which some think was paul's prick in the flesh , though others rather take it for reproach or persecution ) . and though by the ordinary use of north-hall-waters he seemed long to keep it under ; yet leaving the country , & coming to abide again at london , after twice preaching with very great fervency , he fell into that extremity of pain , which in a short time brought him to his death ; which how peaceably and comfortably he underwent to the last , mr. brag hath told you in his funeral-sermon . his dissected body shewed that a stone in the bladder as well as his calculous and corrupted kidneys , was his death . the affection of his flock to their departed pastor , made them desirous that his last sermons might be published ; not because they excelled all the rest ( for in these you may see his ordinary fervency and familiarity in preaching ) ; but the last words of our friends affect us most ; and as we remember them best , so we are desirous to commemorate them to others . it will be thought by some an injury to the deceased author , that such popular and plain exhortations should be published , when no doubt had he lived to publish them himself , they would have appeared in a less homely dress . but i take it for no disgrace but a great and necessary duty , to speak the important matters of salvation ( not in a slovenly , but ) in as plain , and familiar , and fervent a manner , as ( its well known ) the common ignorance and dullness of most hearers do require . who can speak too plainly or too earnestly to such ? and writings must be suited to such readers capacity , as well as sermons to such hearers . two instances encourage me to this recommendation , viz. the works of mr. william fenner , and of mr. thomas hooker , which were popularly delivered and taken from their mouths in so broken and rude a manner as greatly injured the authors , ( and are not to pass as the notice of their judgments in points of controversie ) yet did more good by their plainness and familiar earnestness , than most books that i have known : but those that the same men published themselves in a closer stile , have far less profited the world of ordinary readers . that is good , which doth good . to shew the reasonableness that all ministers should deal thus faithfully and plainly with such as are under their ministry , i will lay open somewhat of the case before you , and then judg reasonably of it as you are men . the eternal god delighting in the wonderful diversity of his creatures , hath made man of a middle nature , between bruits and angels , giving him vital-power , reason and free will. he hath placed him in this world as for a race or warfare , resolving that as he behaveth himself , it shall go with him in another world for ever : for though his body be dust , and must to dust return , his soul is from above , and liveth in blessedness or misery for ever . by sin we have all forfeited our right to heaven : but eternal love hath given us a redeemer , who is god and man , who as our surety became a sacrifice for our sins , and by his merits hath purchased a conditional grant of free forgiveness , and of renewing grace , and endless glory . and being ascended into heaven , possesseth it in our nature , and intercedeth for us , being now as redeemer , lord of all . and as the sun above us sendeth down its beams on earth , so doth our glorified lord his spirit , to quicken , enlighten and sanctifie souls , who were dead and dark , and disaffected to god , to holiness and heavenly perfection . and he hath appointed the ministerial office , that men might be his messengers to men , to acquaint them with his grace , and with the glory which he prepareth for them , that they may truly believe it , soberly think of it , duly value it , heartily chuse it , and diligently seek it , and live and die in the joyful expectation of it . and as our souls converse not with our neighbours immediately , but in and by our bodies in which they work ; so the spirit of christ doth not ordinarily work on mens souls without any means , but by his word and works which his ministers must declare . man is not now put upon satisfying gods justice , or purchasing his salvation by a price . christ hath done these , and made a free gift of grace and glory to all that will but penitently and believingly accept it . under gods grace , mens everlasting salvation now lieth on their own wills ; no men or devils can damn or undo any one soul , but by his own consent to the cause of his damnation . no men or devils can keep our souls from the heavenly glory , but by tempting him to refuse it , undervalue and neglect it , and prefer the pleasures of sin before it , and by keeping him from loving , desiring and seeking it : for every one shall certainly have it , who had rather be a holy christian on earth , and live in perfect love and joy with god in heaven for ever , than for his filthly pleasure to enjoy the prosperity of this world . to acquaint men with this ▪ is our ministerial office ; we are charged to set before them the great salvation which christ hath procured , and importunately to beseech them to mind it , believe it , and accept it , that it may be theirs for ever : we believe god , and therefore we speak to men as he hath commanded us : we intreat them in his name , to turn from sinful enmity and folly , and to be reconciled to god , and be wise for their salvation : we tell them but what gods word sent from heaven , telleth us and them , that holiness is the love of god and goodness , and the hatred of sin ; that the pure in heart are blessed , for they shall see god. but without holiness none can see him : we tell them from god , that heaven is won or lost on earth ; and that none shall have it but such as hence learn to love a holy and heavenly life ; and that the dislike of holiness is the forfeiture of happiness , and the beginning , or forerunner of hell : we assure them , that god will never say , depart from me ye workers of iniquity , if they do not first by iniquity depart from god ; and that god will not damn them , except they damn themselves , by the obstinate final refusing and resisting of his mercy . we intreat men therefore but to live as men should do that love themselves , and that are not indifferent whether they live in heaven or hell for ever . we intreat them not to be worse to themselves , than the devil and all their enemies are , who cannot make them commit one sin against their wills : and yet after all this warning , intreaty , and importunity , there are thousands , and ten thousands that will not be perswaded , nor regard the warning given them from god ; some will not believe but that a man dies like a dog ( and what wonder if such live like dogs ) : and some will not believe but that they may be saved without regenerating-grace and holiness , though christs own mouth hath protested the contrary , and told us verily that it cannot be , john 3.3 , 5 , 18 , 19. mat. 18.3 . heb. 12.14 . rom. 8.6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 13 , &c. multitudes will not be brought to understand what we say ; but when we talk of redemption , sanctification , and salvation , they hear us as if we spake greek or hebrew to them , and under teaching , grow old in sottish grossest ignorance ; multitudes are taken up with the love of prosperity , & the love of this deceiving world : multitudes are carried away with aspiring ambition and foolish pride ; and more , with the love of fleshly pleasures , and satisfying their appetites and lusts . many poor people ( who every where are the most ) are so opprest with want , and wearied with their daily labour , and taken up with cares to pay their rents and debts , and maintain their families , that they think it excusable in them if they little mind the pleasing of god , and saving of their souls ; supposing that they have no leisure for it , and god requireth it not at their hands . and the same most servants think , who have time little enough for their masters work . multitudes have such dead and hardened hearts , that when we tell them that they must shortly be in heaven or hell , as they are here prepared , we speak almost as to blocks , or men asleep : they feel not what we say , as if they did not hear us . we are bid , cry aloud , and tell them of their sin and danger , isa . 58.1 , 2. and yet we cannot get them to regard and feel ; god saith , awake thou that sleepest , and christ shall give thee light ; and yet we cannot get them to awake , nor hear us like men that have the use of reason , and love themselves . alas , how many thousands are there whom we could never perswade to consider with deep and serious thoughts , what will become of their souls when they are dead , nor to seek to be resolved of it from the infallible word of god! that never set a part one hour in their lives to consider seriously , whether they have any title to salvation , which they can make good by the word of god by which they must be judged ! sirs , this , this is the case of multitudes of our neighbours ; and what would you have a minister to do in such a case ? should we flatter and smooth them up in an unholy life , what thanks would they give us for this ere long , when they find themselves in hell ? would you have us stand by in silence , and look on , while satan thus leadeth thousands to perdition ? would you have us let them quietly go to hell , for fear of displeasing them or others , or seeming to be unmannerly or uncivil with them ? would you have us whisper to men that must be awakened or undone for ever , whom thunder and lightening will not awake ? alas , we see men dying daily , and we are dying our selves , and daily look when we speak our last , and when they hear their last , even all that ever they shall hear more for their salvation : we see how time doth pass away ! much is lost already , the rest is short , and utterly uncertain● and the ignorance , unbelief , hard-heartedness , fleshliness , worldliness , pride , malignity and unholiness of sinners , are deep-rooted , strong and damnable evils . we see men when they are convinced , that they must repent or perish , luk. 13.3 , 5 , putting it off from day to day ; when they are certainly to be gone ere long , and never certain of one more hour : and alas , a long life is little enough for a willing awakened serious christian to work out his salvation , and make his calling and election sure . sirs , tell us as christians , or at least as men , what faith , and reason , and humane love command us to do in such a case ? shall we forbear , or speak to them in formality as on a stage , as if we were players , and not preachers , and would perswade them not to believe what we say ; should we let them alone , be damned , and take it for our excuse , that they or others were unwilling of our labours ? shall we pretend charity and hope that they have already enough to save them , while we see not so much as knowledg , or any love to holiness , nor forsaking of mortal sin , nor any serious care of their salvation ? is it the office of charity to further mens delusion and damnation ? if we believed not another life our selves , and that there is a god who will reward them ( and only them ) that diligently seek him , ( heb. 11.6 . ) we would quickly renounce this ungrateful ministry and work ; we would wish that all the preachers in the world were silenced , and that the people would better use their tythes , than to maintain such troublers of the world . but god hath shined into our minds with the heavenly convincing light . he hath given us the first fruits and pledg of glory : we believe a heaven and a hell , and the absolute necessity of a holy and heavenly mind and life ; and we know why we do believe it . here we have upon our sober consideration laid up all our hopes and comforts ; and what should we perswade our neighbours to chuse , but that which god hath taught us to chuse our selves ? and wo to him that ever he was born , that maketh not this choice , and taketh not the heavenly glory for his portion ! and now , reader , i have told thee why such ministers so live and labour , as our brother did , and why i commend to thee his example , and these sermons : the lord perswade you to use what is given thee . richard baxter . decemb. 18. 1676. to those who were hearers of these two sermons , especially such of them who yet continue in their security . i would hope ( if not the bare reading , yet ) the due considering the title prefixed to this little book , would cause at least this reflection : it is high time now to awake out of sleep : they are secure sinners indeed , who ( after a boanerges hath sounded his trumpet as loud as thunder , till his breath was stopt , especially considering his last breath was shrillest of all ) will not be awakened : god forbid the judgment threatned , isa . 29.10 , should be the sad fate of any that heard him : i will pour out , saith god , the spirit of a deep sleep upon them . every word of which threatning is terrible ; sleep , deep sleep , the spirit of a deep sleep , and then the pouring out the spirit of a deep sleep : it affected me to think that this holy man of god ( when he went up and took his farwel in the pulpit ) should , as it were , go to the top of lofty nebo , and ( though from thence as to his own particular , he had as clear a view as ●ny ever within my forty years observation had of the holy land , not that of caanan , which flowed with milk and honey ; but that which stephen saw , acts 7 , yet ) should be directed by his text , and assisted with such a mighty presence , with so great authority to warn sinners , as if he saw a flood coming upon them , that would drown them else suddenly in perdition : and when he had done , that he should come down , as moses did , and die as soon ( it may be ) as he did ; and ( without a may-be ) go to heaven as moses did . my friends whom i love , pity and pray for ; 't is true , we have now no new revelations , no infallible predictions ; but verba novissima , the last words of so well qualified a watchman , a man so solid , self-denying , so holy and heavenly , that it was even natural to him to be so : i say the words of such a dying minister methinks should be always sounding in your ears ; my friends , get you into the ark , for the flood is a coming ; repent quickly ; else , if you be not drowned , you may be burnt , you will be damned . read seriously these sermons , and give slumber to thine eyes before thou hast smote upon thy breast , and cried god be merciful to thee a sinner , if thou canst . the great wonder-working god , who of old smote the rock , to fetch water in abundance , reward thee , who ever thou art , that wilt seriously read over and over this warm discourse , with smiting thy rocky heart , till thou canst read no longer for weeping bitterly . i have called it a warm discourse , which is no impertinent or insignificant adjunct : when people are in bed , and the house the while a fire about their ears , i think he speaketh best who speaks loudest to awaken them . this servant of god now knows and feels whether speaking as he spake , to reach hearts , not tickle ears , or humour fancies , was not better than the rarest composure of any tertullus in the world. sinners , sinners , it is more than two months since this holy saint , ( who hath turn'd preaching to men into praising god with angels , and with the heavenly inhabitants ) preached these sermons . are you yet in your sins ? could you have thought you should live so long , and not be cut down like dead trees for the fire of tophet ? and do you presume still ? what , curse and swear , be drunk and debauched still ! what , is the spirit of the old world in you ! will ye take no warning ! you do not take your selves to be bruits , not to have immortal souls ; and yet you will not act like men ; reason , as well as the word of god , doth tell you , you are the worst and dearest purchasers in all the world ; to give a soul for sin , is the maddest bargain that ever was made ; the eternal happiness of the soul , for the dirty pleasure of sin for a season . o let not the devil jear and reproach you in hell for this folly . is there not a merciful god that would forgive and forget all that is past , if you would even now to day fully , without any hesitation , return to him ? would not his bosom be open to receive you ? should not you find a father that would fall upon your neck , and kiss you , as well as the prodigal did ? to you god crys , upon you god waits that he may be gracious to you . o ye simple ones , how long will ye love simplicity ! turn ye at my rebuke , and i will pour out my spirit upon you ; though your sins were as scarlet , i 'le make them as white as snow . turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? will you not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? what would you have god say more to encourage penitent sinners ? to perswade men to cease loving their lusts , which will else damn their souls ? but if you will be deceived by the devil , and will gratifie your lusts for a moment , though you die eternally for it : i must tell you , such a resolution is like theirs , who have made a covenant with hell , and with death , and cry a short life and a sweet ; who forget they have souls , while they thus speak , and resolve ; and will not believe there is a god , till they wish for rocks and , mountains to fall upon them , to hide them from him ; nor believe there is a hell , till they feel it . o what a deep sense had the apostle paul of the misery and immergent ruins of his country-men , rom. 10.1 , his hearts desire unto god for them was , that they might be saved ; he could wish himself accursed that they might escape . i know no man more like-minded to him than this servant of god , who is with the lord , who delighted in nothing , no work in the world , like plucking brands out of the fire , saving men from hell , and sending men and women before him to heaven , if he could . i hope the impression upon my heart from the consideration of that incomparable transport of his soul in the preaching the last sermon ( as if he had known his time was so short , and that sermon his last ) shall still remain fresh upon me . after sermon , i told him of it ; and he told me , his heart was carried out with zeal and pity , that he could not keep to method , but he could not help it . all that knew him , can bear him witness , that he was able to write or speak for matter and form gratefully to any ; but he studied plainness ; and therefore purposely declined great auditories , to my knowledg ; a clear proof of his meek and self-denying spirit : gain-say it who can . he sought not honour from men whilst alive ; and now he is dead , let his own works praise him in the gates . if any should enquire why , or who call'd me to interpose these few rude lines ? i only say , it is pia fraus , to steal an opportunity to testifie more publickly the great veneration i have for the name of this holy man , who indeed was one of the sons of davids worthies . as also to signifie my longing after the souls happiness of all that were his ordinary hearers : whom again i beseech to read , and afterwards to ponder , who and what moved him to speak his heart in these last words unto them , if peradventure god may give them repentance unto life by the ministry of him who not only saved himself , but shall then save also them that heard him . a.p. 1 peter iii. the later part of the 18 , the 19 , and part of the 20 verse . being put to death in the flesh , but quickned by the spirit . by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison , which sometimes were disobedient , when once the long-suffering of god waited in the days of noah , while the ark was a preparing . in the opening of this portion of scripture , we will , first , consider its scope ; and then we will consider the words themselves ; and give you a short explication thereof ; and then we shall draw that practical observation from them , which the lord bless unto your edification . as for the scope of them ( in the former part of the 18 verse ) , i have shewed you how the apostle was acquainting us with the great benefit that sinners do receive from the death of christ ; that i have ( already ) opened to you . christ hath once sufferd for sins , the just for the unjust , that he might bring us to god. now ( in the following verses ) the apostle passeth on from the death of christ , unto the life of christ ; and shews that we have not only benefit by a christ dying , but by a christ living : for , christ is our saviour both ways . we are saved by his death , meritoriously ; we are saved by his life , as he lives for to see the purchased-blessings of his death made good to us . now the apostle in these words ( i have already read ) considereth the life of christ two ways : first , with respect to the world before he came in the flesh ; with respect to the old world , above two thousand years before he came in the flesh ; jesus christ the eternal son of god was alive then : yea , before the world was , he was alive , and was god blessed for ever ; by him the world was made . to the old world , even that world that was destroyed by the flood , to that world he was a saviour by designation ; and he took care of them : the care of mankind , from the fall hath been deposited in the hands of christ , he hath taken care of sinners from the fall of man into sin . then , secondly , the apostle does speak of the advantages that the church hath by a living-christ , upon his resurrection from the dead ( as he speaks in the 21 v. ) the figure whereunto , even baptism , doth also now save us , ( then there comes in a parenthesis ) . how does baptism save us ? why , by the resurrection of jesus christ . when he was on earth he preached the gospel , promised pardon and salvation to the penitent believing sinner , and died for him when he had done preaching ; and arose from the dead , and is gone to heaven to make good every word . we are now upon the consideration of the benefits that the old world had from christ , above two thousand years before christ was born in the flesh . why , what was the benefit that the old world had ? why , christ by his spirit did send noah , a preacher of righteousness to preach repentance to the old word : the spirit of christ was in noah , by which spirit noah prophesied of the destruction of the world . by which spirit he was directed to build the ark , to prepare for himself and those that should repent , for that time that the floold should come upon the world . christ by his spirit preached then , to that world of sinners that were drowned then ; and not only drowned , but their spirits damn'd : which was for disobeying christ , for disobeying the spirit of christ in noah . having now given you the scope of the place , we shall proceed ( according to that light i have ) to give you the understanding of the words and phrases of this scripture : for it seemeth to be a scripture that is not without its difficulties . we will begin at the first : first , what it is to be put to death in the flesh ? ( that we must enquire into ) . secondly , what is it to be quickned by the spirit ? what does the apostle understand hereby ? thirdly , what is this preaching ? what are , fourthly , these spirits that are in prison ? and what 's the prison ? and so we shall take in what follows in its order . being put to death in the flesh : who put to death ? christ . by whom ? by the unbelieving wicked jews , they were his accusers . put to death in the flesh , by whom ? by pontius pilate as his judg. put to death in the flesh , by whom ? why , by those executioners that were employed by pontius pilate to see him crucified ; the jews , pontius pilate , and the soldiers put him to death . put to death in the flesh , what 's that ? that is after he was made flesh , he was put to death ; as he was man , he hung upon the cross : the loss of blood , and the anguish and pain , the nails in his feet , and in his hands kill'd him ; he died there , his soul separated from his body ; he cryed with a loud voice and gave up the ghost : so he was put to death in the flesh ; that is , as to his human nature . that is plain : the following words have more difficulty in them . but quickned by the spirit . what 's the meaning of quickned ? and what 's here meant by spirit ? ( that we must enquire into , because it will tend to open the difficulty that lies in the following words ) : quickned , ( as the greek hath it ) vivificatus autem spiritu , made alive , which is of the same import with quickned : he died as to his human nature , but he did not continue in a state of death , but was made alive again . christ that died for sinners , was made alive . what was made alive ? that which was dead . what was dead ? the man christ ; so that that which died for our sins , was made alive again ; that is , raised from the dead , that 's the meaning of it . there 's nothing can be made alive , but that which was dead . the apostle useth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , for to signifie the resurrection of the body ; and therefore in reason it may signifie so in this place , 1 cor. 15.22 , for as in adam all died , so in christ shall all be made alive : 't is the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , made alive : that is , they shall be raised from the grave . so here christ died as to the flesh , but he was made alive : that is , he was raised from the dead : raised , how was he raised ? ( it follows ) in or by the spirit . what spirit is here ? why it is that spirit that did efficiently raise him ; he was quickned in , or by the spirit . now by this spirit , say the papists , is meant the human soul of christ . for this reason it cannot be meant of the soul of christ , because that the soul of christ being a creature , could never quicken , could never raise the dead body of christ : for christ was perfect god and perfect man ; as he was man , he had a soul and body ; his soul and body were creatures ; and though the spirit or soul of christ was an excellent , pure , holy soul , without sin ; yet it was not god , and had not an almighty power . none but god could raise the dead : therefore the soul of christ could never raise the body of christ . what was it then ? it must then be the holy ghost , it must be the spirit of god , which is god , which is almighty , that can raise the dead , and did raise the dead christ . for what reason do i think that by spirit is here meant the holy ghost ? why , i will tell you : because all the miracles that christ , or his apostles did , whether they healed the sick , whether they raised the dead , or cast out devils , were all attributed to the spirit of god , to the holy spirit of christ . and therefore no wonder if the very resurrection of christ be given unto the spirit of god. and ( if i mistake not ) that is the meaning , or the import of the apostle , in rom. 1.3 , 4 , concerning his son jesus christ our lord , which was made of the seed of david according to the flesh : and declared to be the son of god , with power , according to the spirit of holiness : holiness in the abstract , that is by the greeks commonly used for the concrete , and you may read it thus , according to the holy ghost , he was declared to be the son of god , with power , with the power of the holy ghost , by the resurrection from the dead ; he was raised by the spirit of god , by which all works of miracles were wrought , or done by christ and his apostles ; he was raised from the dead by this spirit . and now , that which follows will be somewhat clear : for if by being made alive , is to be understood the resurrection of christs human nature , and by the spirit that raised that human nature , is to be meant the holy ghost ; then proceeds , by which , or in which , he went and preached . he went. who went ? christ went. by which spirit ? by which holy ghost he went and preached to the spirits in prison . why , did christ the son of god preach to the old world before he came in the flesh ? yes , how ? by his spirit . what immediately ? no , but by noah , for he was a preacher of righteousness : why all the prophets they had their prophetical gifts , and they had them all from the spirit of christ , 2 pet. 2.5 . — and spared not the old world , but saved noah the eighth person , a preacher of righteousness , bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly . you must know , all the preachers under the gospel have their gifts from the spirit ; the spirit is employed in sending them out : the spirit assisteth them ; the spirit said , seperate me barnabas and saul : it was the spirit which sent all the prophets out ; the spirit of christ sent out noah , made him his preacher . so then , by this spirit of christ noah preached , or christ preached in noah . to whom ? to the spirits in prison ; that is , to the souls of those wicked men that are now in prison ; that were in prison at the time when peter did write . when god drowned the world , that was not all ; their bodies lay floating upon the great sea , but their souls went down into hell. well ; but say you , did christ by his spirit preach to them after they went to hell ? no. they were preached to when they were sometime disobedient , in the times of noah ; as in the verse following ; the spirits in prison , that were sometime disobedient . disobedient to whom ? to the spirit . when ? in the time of noah ; for they disobeyed noah , regarded not his preaching , nor the building of the ark ; looked upon him as a mad-man , they took not the warning , and were swallowed up in the flood , and are now in prison for their disobedience ; they were disobedient to the spirit of christ in noah . the papists , by the spirits in prison , they would perswade you , is to be meant a limbus patrum , ( as they call it ) a middle state between heaven and hell , wherein the patriarchs were held until the time that jesus christ died ; and that when christ was dead , and his body in the grave ( for that three days and nights ) that christ in his soul did descend into this limbus , and there did preach himself unto the soul of abraham , of isaac , and jacob , and the rest of those good spirits that were alive in former days , and took them out of that state , and carried them to heaven . thus say the papists ; this is their interpretation . first , but this is not to be believed ; because the apostle speaks of such spirits that were disobedient , not of the spirits of the fathers : for the very papists themselves speak of no spirits in their limbus , but only good spirits ; but the apostle ( in this place speaks of none but disobedient spirits . secondly , 't is a vain interpretation ; because if that their limbus ( or middle state ) is only a receptacle of good spirits : why , they needed not to have preaching after their death to them ; because they believed while they were upon the earth : and if they believed whilst upon the earth , they were justified ; and if they were justified , their sins were taken away : and what then should keep them out of heaven ? 't is a very impertinent thing to think , that christ should go into their limbus , to preach faith to them that have believed already . thirdly , their interpretation dependeth much upon the interpreting the spirit by which he was quickned ; interpreting that to be meant of his soul . but if that cannot be meant of his soul , but of the holy-ghost , then their notion falls to the ground : for they read it thus , christ was dead in the body , but kept alive in his soul ; by which he went and preached unto these fathers in their limbo . lastly , the scripture is plain , that christ did not go down into any such middle-state ; for he said to the thief , this day shalt thou be with me in paradise . this can't be any middle-state , where paul said , he saw and heard things that were unutterable . well then , this is that the apostle meaneth , that those spirits that are now in prison , were sometime alive in the body as we , and they heard the preaching of the spirit of christ in noah ; but for their disobedience they were taken off by the flood , and their souls were laid up in hell , as in a prison . now the doctrine shall be this ; that the spirits or souls of wicked men , ( when they die ) they shall as prisoners of gods justice be dragged out of their bodies ; and by the righteous sentence of god , shall be laid up in the prison of hell , for their disobedience unto the spirit of christ , that preacheth in his ministers . all this is contained in the words . in the opening of it , there are these things i shall speak to ; first , what are these prisoners ? spirits . secondly , how are these prisoners carried away to their prison ? by death ( as those of the old world were by a death caused by the flood ) . thirdly , what 's this prison ? hell. fourthly , what 's the cause of their commitment ? disobedience , disobedience to the voice of the spirit of christ in his ministers . lastly , here is the justness of the sentence implied ; for inasmuch as they are gods prisoners , so they are prisoners that are justly imprisoned . i pray god by what you and i hear of it ( this day ) , it may never be any of our lots ; that you and i may never prove any of these dreadful prisoners ! first , what are these prisoners ? spirits , souls : those immortal souls that live and abide in you , while you are in this world . your bodies they are like houses that are made up of clay , of earth : but a house is not without its tenant . god hath made no body , but he hath made it for a tenant . every human body hath his tenant : what 's that ? the soul , the spirit . it is that immortal spirit that is in you , by which you live , move , act , reason ; by which you see , hear , walk : all the motions that are seen , or done by any part of you , come from the spirit , from the soul. and as it is with an old house , or any house , if it be pull'd down , the tenant goes out of doors ; if it be fir'd down , the tenant steps out of doors , and perhaps on the other side of the street , looking upon his house burning down : the house is burnt , but the tenant's alive : so it is with you , when these bodies of clay of yours fall , are they drowned ( with these of the old world ) ; should they be burnt , should they fall by a fever , or any other way ; your souls ( like tenants ) they come out : that living spirit in you comes out , you give up the ghost , give up the spirit . the body returns ( saith solomon ) to the earth , your spirit returns to god , to be judged . this is the prisoner . but , o what a sad prisoner is the soul of a wicked man , when stript of his body ! he is a naked prisoner , and a friendless prisoner ; which are two sad circumstances of a prisoner . when god sendeth the serjeant death , and seizeth upon the spirit of a wicked man , knocks at the door of his body ; the body is fast bolted , locked , no getting in . what does death do ? breaks down the body , pulls it about his ears : sometime death drowns him , sometime death hangs him , sometime stabs him , sometimes he goes to sea , and is cast away , sometimes a cart goes over him ; and so the poor soul of the wicked man is arrested ; death lays hold of him , and drags him away to the tribunal of god , and there is he in a naked condition : naked of the world , naked of his body : a poor thing ! when a wicked mans spirit is in the world , he hath a house , a body ; and out of his body he hath the casements of his eyes to look through , and hath some kind of enjoyment in his meats and drinks . but when death comes , he pulls down the house about his ears , and the soul 's drag'd away , and there is no more the light of the sun , no more eating and drinking , no more the delights of the flesh . he is like the malefactor that hath committed some great crime , and the prince sends the officers , and they surround the house , and break it open , and drag him away in his shirt , and won't give him time to put on his cloaths . this is a sad sight . just so will thy wicked soul , o thou wicked man , be dragged away without shirt , or hose , or shoe , out of the house of thy body . and when the poor prisoner , the spirit of a wicked man , is sent by death to the tribunal of god , he is in a friendless condition . if a man is arrested for debt , there may be some composition ; some good neighbours may come and say , pray have pity , he is a poor man , he cannot pay you , he will pay you when he can , i will lay down somewhat for him : you have such a thing as that is here , that saves the poor man from prison . but alas ! thou poor wicked soul that wouldest take no warning , but hast been disobedient to the gospel , when death comes with a commission from god , from christ the great judg of quick and dead , he seizeth upon thee , draggeth thee away ; and perhaps , when thou art dragging away , thou lookest about , what , can i have no friend to intercede for me ? o , for a little more time to repent in ! a little more time to pay my debts in ! what , will none lay down a ransome for me ? no , no. thou wicked man , while thou art in the body , jesus christ comes often in his ministers , saying to thee , thou wicked sinner , thou art ten thousand talents in debt ; come sinner , believe in me , repent of thy sins against me , and i will pay all thy debts ; i will discharge them all : but thou poor rebel wouldest not hearken to it , but thou wouldest go on , and run farther and farther . now says christ , i will have no more to do with him ; justice , seize upon him . serjeant of death , arrest him , drag him along with thee : bring him to my tribunal , and there to prison thou must go : and now poor soul , thou hast no body to pay thy debts for thee ; now thou must go , and pay them all thy self : but thou wilt never be able to pay the uttermost farthing ; nay , thou art not able to pay one farthing . well , but whether must i go ? to prison . what 's that prison ? hell ( man ) , that 's the prison : so it is called a prison , rev. 20.1 , 2 , and i saw an angel come down from heaven , having the key of the bottomless pit , and a great chain in his hand . and he laid hold on the dragon that old serpent , which is the devil and satan , and bound him : where ? why where he was loosed afterwards , for a time , vers . 7 , and when the thousand years are expired , satan shall be loosed out of his prison . this deep pit is here call'd a prison ; this deep pit where the devil is chained , is a prison , and thither must every arrested sinner be dragged into this pit , and laid in this prison , in chains , under darkness . why , say you , why is hell call'd a prison ( for these poor spirits to be laid in ) ? why , because of the resemblance that it hath to a prison . in these three respects hell is called a prison . first , it 's a place of punishment , as prisons are . secondly , it 's a place of restraint . thirdly , it 's a place of abode . 1. a prison is a place of punishment : alas , your prisons are full of the instruments of punishment : go into a prison , and there you shall see your dark dungeon , without any light ( or next to none ) , there you may see your press-yard , where the malefactors are sometimes press'd to death , and you may see the press , and the weights that are laid upon them : go into prisons , and there you shall see racks to torture men , to stretch them , to pull their limbs and members out of joynt ; there you shall see chains , chains for the feet , for the hands , to bind them , to load them , to pain them . prisons are places of punishment , torment , misery . hell is called a prison , because it is a place of pain and torment . why , what is there in hell that answers to these racks , presses , irons , chains ? why there is darkness , there 's your dungeon , utter darkness , extream darkness : for misery , there is weeping , wailing and gnashing of teeth . for torment , there is fire , everlasting fire that will never go out . there 's a rack for the spirit , there 's the worm that never dieth . for a jaylor , there 's the devil , that is in for his own fault , and to be tormented himself , and to torment others . o! 't is a sad prison ! to be under a cruel jaylor , in chains , and fire , with a worm gnawing at the very heart , under the wrath of god! this is a sad state , sinners ! a sad state ! the lord help you to believe it . but you are apt to hear this as a fable ; but believe it , you will find this true . the old world was as secure as you are . repent , faith god , or i will drown you all , and ( that which is more ) i will damn you too : i will send your bodies to rot in the ground , and your souls to the prison of hell. noah tells them so : says god to noah , prepare thy ark against the time : he did so . why what did the rest do ? they believed it not , they regarded it not : they thought noah must say something , and they look't upon him as a mad-man , and so you do us. sinners ! take heed that death does not come and drag you away before you have repented , and obeyed the voice of christ in his ministers . the old world because they did not repent , they were damn'd for not hearkning to noah ; and you shall be damn'd if you will not hearken to us. the lord awaken your sleepy souls , that you may not sleep the sleep of death ; that you may not go down with your bodies to the grave , and your souls to hell. but again , hell is called a prison , because it is a place of restraint ; you can't go out when you please . go to newgate , they will talk with you through the grates , but they can't go out of doors , neither can friends come to them , but must ask the jaylor leave : and if he hath commission to deny any , away you must go , though a wife , though a father or brother : so , poor soul , when god hath stript thee of thy body , and laid thee in this prison , thou shalt be restrained , and others restrained from coming to thee ; there 's no friend to come to thee then . noah preached to the old world in the body , and so we do to you ; but when you have by your disobedience provoked god to cut you off , and lay your souls in this prison , there 's no coming to you , no preacher then , no christ , and no spirit to offer salvation then : you are poor prisoners restrain'd and kept from all manner of comfort . o saith the rich man in hell , father abraham , o that some would come and give me but the refreshment of a drop of cold water to cool my tongue in this torment ! no , says he , there 's a gulf between us and you ; 't is a gaol , and the prisoner is bounded up by the justice of god ; and there is a charge , none shall come from us to you , nor from you to us . it 's a prison , you are restrained , poor sinners ! will you believe ? no , you don't believe . because you dont believe , you will be damn'd : this damn'd the old world , and this will damn you , if you don't believe . thirdly , hell is a prison , as it is a place of abode . when you are in prison , if it be for debt , how can you get out ? why these three ways you may get out of these prisons . 1. by breaking of them : but you can't break the gates of hell , no you can't ; you may clamber these walls , and come down by ropes : but there is a great gulf , that you may as well think of clambering the stars , as to get out of this prison . and again , 2. there is an other way , if you can't pay your debts , another may : but there is no paying for you out of hell. christ hath once done it , if you will repent he will pay all for you ; but if once clapt into that prison , christs blood will profit you nothing . or , lastly , by pardon . if no body will pay the debt , the creditor may forgive him : but believe it , sinner , you will never have such a pardon from god ; for here 's your time of pardon , if thou wilt repent , christ he will pardon thee , to day if ye will hear his voice , harden not your hearts : but if you die , no more pardon , no more offers of grace ; then thou art shut up for ever . 't is a prison . never man that was in hell , got out of hell more . so much for the third . fourthly , what 's the crime ( having discoursed of the prison ) ? wh●●'s the crime ? disobedience . that were sometimes disobedient in the days of noah . to whom ? to the spirit of christ . in whom ? noah where 〈◊〉 the old world . why , did the spirit appear in visible shape ? no , but in noah , a preacher of righteousness . they hearkned not to noah , and for that they perished : that is the great crime for which men have from the beginning of the world gone down into hell , for their disobedience to the spirit of christ in his prophets , and in his ministers . why , what were the sins that they were guilty of , that noah called them to repent of ? why you shall see in the 6 chap. of gen. and the 5 ver . ( they were a wicked sort of people , and made god repent that ever he made them , gen. 6.5 ) , and god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth , and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil continually . here were wicked spirits , wicked souls : they are the principals in sin , and they are the principals in punishment . the wickedness of their hearts . men are condemn'd for the wickedness of their thoughts , as well as for the wickedness of their lives , the 11 , 12 , 13 , verses , the earth also was corrupt before god , and the earth was filled with violence . and god looked upon the earth , and behold it was corrupt : for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth . and god said unto noah , the end of all flesh is come before me ; for the earth is filled with violence through them : and behold , i will destroy them with the earth . here are wicked hearts , and wicked lives ; wicked thoughts , and wicked deeds : when god does imprison souls in hell , it is for their wicked thoughts , as well as for their wicked lives ; and some of you perhaps never take account of the wickedness of your thoughts ; and yet god does take a a special account of your wicked thoughts . and in this state of sin they were a secure people , they feared nothing ; they went on in trading , and merry in their business , as the world is just now . as in mat. 24.38 , as in the days that were before the flood , they were eating and drinking , marrying and givîng in marriage , until the day that noah entred into the ark , and knew not until the flood came , and took them all away ; so shall also the coming of the son of man be . they were sinners , wicked rebellious sinners , and secure sinners , and noah was sent to awaken them out of this security , and called them to repentance , and threatned the wrath of god upon them if they did not repent . but ( says christ ) they regarded it not ; no , not to the very day that the flood came . and so it will be ( says he ) against the coming of the son of man. and is it not so now ? look about your streets , in the morning there you hear the clattering of your shop doors , and setting out of your wares , and buying and selling ; and when breakfast , or dinner , or supper comes , you set down , and eat and drink ; you lie down and rise again ; and sometimes you go to the change , and busie you are , like so many ants ; and here we ministers of the gospel come , like noah , we say , repent , repent , for god hath appointed a day wherein he will judg the world for sin , by the man christ jesus . yea , that he hath a prison to throw your souls in at death , where he hath darkness to affright you , and chains to bind you , and fire to burn you ; and you mind us no more than these people did in the days of noah ; no , not you : till sickness comes , or the day of your death ; and then you begin to bethink your selves , and cry , o that i had an ark now ! o that i had an interest in christ ! o that i had grace and a title to heaven ! now nothing but christ , nothing but grace , nothing but praying and sending for ministers to come and talk with you . here is a customer come in , o don't talk to me now ! o i must mind heaven ! but before that time , you are as careless as the old world was , until the flood came and swept them all away . o you poor fools ! what do you do ? you are busie for time , and regardless for eternity : death is at your doors , and you know not how soon you may hear the blows and clattering about your body , and your house fall , and your souls hurried away ; and yet do you mind nothing but eating and drinking , buying and selling , and the like . what will you do ? the lord awaken you ! here you sit and hear me , and you are stupified many of you , you gaze upon me , you do not know what to think of what i say ; and thou art questioning whether what i say be true ; and thou art thinking to escape , but assure thy self sinner , that as sure as god is in heaven , thou wilt not escape , if thou dost not believe now in this thy day , when god is calling upon thee , now hear his voice ; but if thou goest on secure , as the old world , say you had warning , and that i gave you warning this day : god knows but before seven days hence thou maist be in this prison . o come to christ that your debts may be discharged . but you go away , go to dinner , and come again , make it a hearing-business , and do no more , and think your selves secure : this will not serve thy turn , poor sinner , no , no ; no , this will not do . go into thy closet and down upon thy knees , tell god what a sinner thou art ; tell him how much thou hast provoked him , and promise him to obey him for the time to come ; and never give him rest till he hath given thee an interest in christ , and an assurance of an ark ; and then go comfortably , man , about thy business , when thou hast got an assurance of another world . noah might go and eat , and drink comfortably , he had an ark to go into when the flood came ; so thou poor soul if thou wouldst but repent and believe in jesus christ , thou maist comfortably eat and drink , and buy and sell as thou hast occasion , for thou hast an ark. but for thee to live in a wicked ungodly way , and take no thought for eternity : what wilt thou do sinner , when death comes and awakens thee ? o that the lord would awaken you this day ! how few of you have been a hammering upon this ark ? a making this ark ? i tell thee , ( i will be a prophet to thee , sinner ! ) thou wilt wish a thousand times that thou hadst taken this counsel . be wise now in time ; thou wilt repent that thou hast not prayed more , that thou hast not repented more . o do it now then , for the lords sake ; for when thou art once thrown into prison , thou art gone for ever . it is for the disobeying of the gospel ; and therefore the rich man in the gospel cried , father abraham , i have brethren upon earth , o that some would go and tell them : no , no , says abraham , they have moses and the prophets , if they will not believe them , neither will they believe , though one go from the dead . so then the rich man is in hell ; how so ? why i did not believe my sin would bring me there ? why , did not moses and the prophets tell thee so ? yes , but i did not believe ; o that some would come from the dead ! so sinners , you go on in sin , why do you so ? because you do not believe what will come of it . why , did not ministers tell you so ? and they are sent of christ to tell you so ? hath not moses and the prophets told you so ? yes , yes ; but you will not believe us , nor christ , nor his apostles , nor moses , nor the prophets . men will have their sins , and they will not fear being damned ; though all the whole cloud of witnesses warn them , they regard them not . but though you will not regard them now , they will all come in as witnesses against you at that day . had not you a bible ? yes , but i could not read . but did not you hear it read , and had it preached to you ? what can you say ? but say you , here 's a prisoner , and sent to prison too , for disobeying the gospel ; but is it justice for god to send men to prison for not hearkning to a company of prating preachers ? prating ! god will vindicate us from prating ; i tell you , we come with our commission from god to you , and christ speaks by me , and by every minister that cometh to you ; and if you reject us , you reject him ; if you reflect upon us for prating , you may as well say , it is a prating christ . we beseech you in christs stead to be reconciled to god. we come not with our own words , but the words of the lord we bring and preach . well , but is it just for god to damn me thus eternally in a prison , because i will not repent of my sin ? yes . why ? first , because god does it . secondly , because thou deserv'st it . god! why what is he ? a righteous god , a just god , just in his nature , righteous in all his ways ; and when he does pour out his plagues upon sinners , the heavens glorifie his justice , and cry hosanna's to him . see how god is applauded in his severe acts of justice upon men : rev. 15.1 , 3 , and i saw another sign in heaven , great and marvellous , seven angels , having the seven last plagues , for in them is filled up the wrath of god. ver. 3. and they sung the song of moses the servant of god , and the song of the lamb , saying , great and marvellous are thy works , lord god almighty ; just and true are thy ways , thou king of saints . go angels , pour out the plagues full of my wrath upon yonder rebellious sinners . and when the angels come upon this work , righteous , o lord god almighty art thou , thou loving king of saints : thou loving king of saints that hast mercy for thousands , and ten thousands of them that love thee : but for them that hate thee , just and righteous art thou , o god , in all thy ways of pouring out plagues full of thy wrath upon men . o sinner , the angels will shout up the justice of god for pouring down the wrath of god upon you . so sinner , do but think of it ; suppose thou drunkard wert to die to night , and to be dragged to the tribunal of christ , and to receive this sentence , go , get thee down to thy fellow-prisoners that have disobeyed the voice of my son. o poor drunkard ! for thee to hear thousands of angels ( presently ) shout , and say , righteous and just art thou , o lord god , for sending that drunkard to hell . o we knew with what a hard heart he persever'd in his sins , notwithstanding all the calls and warnings given him by the spirit of thee our god in thy ministers . rev. 16.5 , thou art righteous , o lord , which art , and wast , and shalt be , because thou hast judged thus . angels admire god for judging thus ; that is , for judging the spirits of wicked men to hell ; and afterwards for raising their bodies , and uniting spirit and body together , and throwing down both into hell . now , secondly , thou hast deserv'd it , sinner ; thy crime deserves it : what is the crime ? the crime is disobedience , rebellion , stubborness , obstinacy in sin ; men are damn'd for that . the wicked world had evil thoughts , were full of evil thoughts and imaginations continually , they were full of violence , full of oppression . were they damned for that ? yes ; but not only for that . what then ? why it was because they were told ( by the spirit of christ in noah ) the wickedness of these thoughts , how they angred god , and god repented that he made them ; but notwithstanding this , they would go on ; this is that which damns the sinner ; 't is not barely , because a sinner , but it is because when he is called upon ( by the ministers of christ ) to repent , he will not repent . you poor sinners , you have lived lives without god , without christ , prayerless lives , drunken lives , unclean lives , sabbath-breaking lives ; shall these damn me ? no sinner , if thou wilt now ( while christ speaks by his ministers ) hearken to his voice , and not harden thy heart against the call of the gospel ; these shall not damn thee , if thou wouldst but repent and confess them to god , and give thy self up to christ , to be ruled and governed by him : god for christs sake will then blot them all out , and they shall never rise up in judgment against thee . what is it damns me then ? why this , that thou art a drunkard , and wilt be so ; a swearer , and wilt be so ; an unclean person , and wilt be so ; a prayerless man , ( thirty or forty years ) and wilt not call upon god : thou art an obstinate sinner , a rebellious sinner ; though christ calls by one minister , and another , yet thou regardest it not : 't is for this that god will throw thee to hell ; and how just a thing is it for thee to be damned for stubbornness ? if a child hath committed a fault , and will be reclaim'd , the father will forgive him ; but if he will go on still in his stubbornness , the natural affections of the father will be turned to hardness . you see the prodigal when he came home crying , i have sinned against heaven and before thee : father let me be as one of thy hired servants : the father meets him , falls about his neck , and kisses him , takes him home , and says , my son was lost , and is found : he was dead , and is alive again ; and there was joy and rejoicing . but if this son now after he had spent all , and continued with his harlots , and never had thought of returning , he might have died & rotted there in that field with the swine . so sinner , if thou wilt still keep to thy swinish lusts , and there lie and die , and rot , and go to hell , god does not matter thee , christ will not regard thee . but if it comes into thy heart , lord i am in a starving condition , here i am , a rebel , an unclean person , a drunkard ; i am a weary , i see i am undone ; i come to thee , father . go now , and he will accept of thee , and receive thee . but if thou art stubborn and rebellious , and wilt go on , thou maist expect no other , but that god will inflict upon thee , hell to thy soul at death , and at the resurrection , hell to soul and body . but there are aggravations of this thy stubbornness , for thou art stubborn , first , against the tenders of mercy that are made to thee . secondly , against the long-suffering of god to thee . and , thirdly , thou art stubborn , notwithstanding thou hast had so much warning . and these things will justifie god , and lay a foundation for condemning thee in thine own conscience : as , first , mercy , mercy ! i will pardon their iniquities ; let a wicked man forsake his sins . what then ? i will have mercy upon him , and will abundantly pardon him . here are tenders of mercy offering strength to help thee to conquer thy lusts ( according to that of the prophet ) , o ye simple ones , how long will ye love simplicity ? are you blind ? i will teach you . are you weak ? i will strengthen you . how wilt thou do it ? i will pour out my spirit upon thee . hast thou a mind to have grace ? he will give it thee . hast thou a mind to have the spirit of grace and supplication ? he will bestow it upon thee . but for thee to go on in sin , and reject pardon when offered : what canst thou say for thy self ? again , these tenders of mercy are made with long-suffering . there are a great many sinners ( i am afraid some here are not yet converted ) , who all for a long time have heard sermons : god hath been calling upon you . as god said of the old world : here is a wicked people , what shall i do with them ? what ? why justice might have said , destroy them . no , saith god , they are a rash giddy-headed-people , i will give them warning . how long ? why almost one hundred and twenty years . so sinner , god saw thee drunk , heard thee swear : justice might have said , cut him off : no , saith god , i will try him with another month of sermons , another year of sermons ; i will try what my children , that are his friends , will say to him . o sinner ! the long-suffering of god waiteth upon thee . grace cries , repent , and i will pardon thee : repent , and i will give thee my spirit : though thou art a wicked rebel , i will not snatch thee away ; i will let thee live five years longer , ten years longer : o , if thou goest to hell , what will conscience say ? o thou art a stubborn sinner . thou must say , righteous art thou , o god , in all thy ways , and just in all thy judgments . i might have been in heaven , but i would not ; and now i am in hell , and that justly ; because i preferred my lusts before god. lastly , never say , 't is an unjust sentence ; because god gives you warning : there is the merit of the cause . if nothing will do , why then take notice god gives you warning . he does not let you go on , and say , let them alone , i will be even with them at length : he might have done so : no , but in pity to poor sinners , he gives them warning . sinner , repent , saith god , and be reconcil'd to me ; come and lay hold upon christ , for else i will damn thee . take notice of it , there is a tophet prepared , and everlasting burnings prepared , a worm that never dieth : and i tell thee before-hand what it will cost thee , and yet sinners will go on still . never complain that god hath done thee wrong , he hath offered to give thee his spirit to sanctifie thee , and save thee . but if thou wilt not , after all , thank thy self if thou goest to hell. o sinners , what will you do ? will you imitate the old world , or imitate noah ? why , if you imitate the old world , you see then what a desperate course you are running ; you are running your bodies to the grave , and your souls to hell : for when the flood came there was not one spared : the flood takes whole families ; they look gastly one at another : father , what shall i do ( saith the child ) ? and when the world was full of cries and scrieks , and they all drowned , one would have thought this was enough , yet god had no pity upon them ; for as soon as they were dead , their disobedient souls were laid in prison . well now , say you , what shall we do ? why , obey the gospel , this is your duty . obey christ jesus speaking by his spirit in us , poor men , that are the ministers of jesus christ ; for we are but as instruments to convey the mind of the great god to you ; for certainly , what i have preached to you , is no other than the word of jesus christ , and he will make it good . o get into some corner , and cry mightily to the lord , and pray christ to pay all your debts for you ; and that the blood of christ might take away all your iniquities , and that you might have an ark to save you from the fire that will burn the world ; as noah had an ark to save him and his house from the flood that did drown the world ; and then you are safe , and never safe till then . the lord awaken you , that you may take warning , and not go away and mind no more what you have heard , than they did , and so be lost as they were . 1 peter iii. the later part of the 20 ver. — while the ark was a preparing : wherein few , that is , eight souls were saved by water . in the former words you have an account given you of the destruction of the old world by the flood . they were all drowned , men , women , and children . god neither spared the grey-headed-sinner ; no , nor the sucking-infant ; children of wicked and rebellious parents , he drowned them all . the reason of this wrath of god that was poured out upon them , was their disobedience ; their disobedience to the spirit of christ , by which noah preached to them . what did he preach ? he preached to them repentance , called them to repent and reform their lives ; and if they would not , god would drown them all . why what were their sins ? why , the very thoughts and imaginations of their hearts were evil , and that continually . they were men of wicked hearts , they were devising nothing but mischief , they thought of nothing but the satisfaction of their lusts . i wish it be not the case of some here . i am sure it is the case of every unconverted sinner , the imaginations of his heart are evil , and that continually ; for he does defile even his good thoughts with unbelief . and their sin was likewise the sin of their lives . their hands were full of violence , they were oppressors , they were cruel , they were bloody ; and besides this , they were secure and wanton , and they minded nothing but eating and drinking , and marrying , and giving to marriage , their whole hearts were taken up in these things . no man enquired after god , no man regarded the voice of god in his servant noah . god waited upon them , ( after he had sent noah , and forewarn'd them ) above a hundred years ; ( and that while , was noah a building his ark ) , but they despised the long-suffering of god , which should have led them to repentance : and at length the threatned judgment came upon them , and they were drowned , all , but eight persons . this is not all , god did not only destroy their bodies , but likewise ( we read here in the apostle peter ) their spirits were laid in prison , in the infernal prison of hell for their disobedience to the voice of christ . having already spoken to this ; the doctrine that i raised from this was , that those wicked men ( while they are in their bodies ) that will not obey the voice of christ in his ministers , but live and die impenitently , their souls by the righteous judgment of god shall be condemned unto the prison of hell : for what is said of this old world , will be verified of every impenitent sinner here , that dieth in his impenitent state ; lord , who is it that does believe thy report ? few sinners ( the lord knows ) do regard it . god knows his word is little believed . we do as little believe these things now , as the old world did : and as the flood came upon them before they were aware , so the spirits of some here ( god knows , as jeremy said , i do not desire to see that evil day ) may be in these prisons before they believe them . death ( sinners ) is coming , which will drag you to the tribunal of christ ; and assuredly christ will do you justice : i say , he will do you justice . he that will be faithful to his promises that he makes to believers that obey the gospel , he will be faithful to do justice to those that are disobedient . he will give you all your mittimus's , he will lay you fast enough ; and when he hath laid the chains on , take them off if you can . i know ( through your unbelief ) what i say , seems to you but as a fable : so did the drowning of the world appear to be ; but they found it true , and so will you , if ye repent not . it amazeth me , my brethren ( when my faith at any time is but raised to the close of these truths of god ; it amazeth me ) to look upon your faces , to see how indifferently you look , how carelesly you look ; you look up-and-down this place as if these things did not concern you : but the reason of it is , you do not believe , your unbelief ruins you , and will ruin you for ever . what man that really was in his wits , and did believe a hell , would venture upon those sins that will certainly bring him thither ? but you slatter your selves in your unbelief , that there is no punishment to the wicked , nor reward to the godly ; and so you go on in sin : these things are true ( my brethren ) , your consciences must bear me witness they are true . no man or woman that are in their wits , and did really believe an eternal torment that is laid up for the disobedient to the gospel , but they would obey be-times , they would not go on hardening their hearts against god : but you do not believe . we shall presently make some enquiry into the reasons of it . we come now to the other part , wherein you have an account of a few that are saved . a few ! lord , what a few ! eight persons out of a world of men and women . i do not know but the world at that time was as full of men and women as it is now ; for the world was at that time about fifteen hundred years old , and they lived many years : so that it is likely that there was a very numerous company of people ; and that there were great cities , and great kingdoms upon the earth . what a strange thing is it , that of a world of people there should be found but eight persons that would believe a god! and yet 't is certainly so , there was but eight persons saved ; all the rest were drowned for their disobedience to the voice of the spirit of christ in noah . why were no more saved ? because there did no more believe . they did not believe that god was in good-earnest , they did not believe that god would send the flood , as noah threatned : they looked upon noah as a mad-man to build an ark they knew not for what . just so does the world now , they look upon poor , humble , believing christians , as a company of melancholy distracted persons , that look sadly , and pray much , and weep much , and hear much , and are afraid of sinning ; and all this while they are but busie about their ark : and they cry , what a stir is here that these people make ? i will tell you what the meaning of it is : why this world is to be burned , and these poor souls are providing against the burning of the world : the wicked must be turned into hell , and all the nations that forget god ; and these poor , praying , humble christians do believe , fear , and tremble ; and that is the reason that they live not as you live , but take that care that they do , to prepare against that great day of the lord. and were not you desperately blind and foolish , you would do so too ? there were eight persons ( saith peter ) saved . which were they ? all of one family , noah and his wife ; there was the three sons of noah , and their three wives , gen. 7.7 , eight persons in one family , they were saved , they were saved from the deluge , they were saved from being drowned . god knows whether all these were saved from hell ( too ) of these eight . for of these , shem , ham , and japhet , there was ( one of these sons ) ham , that did laugh at his fathers nakedness , and god afterwards cursed him ; so that whether he was eternally saved , is not a thing certain unto us . but this is sure , all these eight persons did believe the deluge would come , or else they would not have entred into the ark , for if any of them had looked upon it as a meer old doting fancy of their father , they would have been ashamed to have gone into the ark ; but at the set-time before it began to rain , they all went , therefore they all did believe the word of the lord , that the deluge would come . it 's true they received an encouragement by the miraculous bringing of all creatures into the ark to save them alive . wherein few , eight persons were saved by water . saved by water ! there may be a double sense : by water as an instrument ; for that very water that was the instrument of destruction to the enemies of god , became a means of salvation to these eight persons ; for it bore up that ark wherein the lives of these eight persons were . it may be rendered , thus again , but they were saved by , or through water , saved through the danger of water , carried in the ark through , or upon the water . the observation that i raise from it , is this , that though many have the means of salvation offered them , yet there are but few that make use of these means , and do obtain salvation by them . the old world had the means , as those eight persons had the same means ; they were told of it , they were a hundred years told of it , god waited long enough ; there were many had the means ; if they had repented , the flood had not come ; or if more had repented , they had been saved . but these eight did believe , and they were saved by water , the rest had as good means as they , but they did not repent upon it , they did not believe upon it . this should be an awakening consideration to us , that though god does afford the means of salvation to multitudes , yet there are a very few that do make use of those means , and are saved by them : i say 't is an awakening consideration . here is england , a great and populous country , here is london a great city , a city that hath some hundred thousands of souls in it , they have all the means as the old world had ; the gospel is preached up and down the city , and up and down the suburbs ; the voice is every where , throughout all your streets . repent , for the kingdom of god is at hand ; repent , for there is a day of judgment , and christ is made the judg of quick and dead , that will give to every man according to his works . you have all the means , but alas , how few of england , how few of london , or of southwark are like to be saved by these means ! for how few do believe what we preach ? how few do repent upon their seeming profession of repentance , and believing ? how few reform their lives ? how few are converted in southwark , in london , in england , so as to be healed by the grace of god! how few ! many are called ( as christ saith ) but few chosen . why here is perhaps three or four hundred people here , you have been called every one of you to repent , but when god that searcheth the heart , cometh for to examine the truth of our repentance , and of our faith , how few , how few in likelihood will there be found penitent ? how few ! alas , it was always so : many called , a whole world called to repent , but eight believed . but perhaps you will say , that was an notorious wicked world , that old world ; but surely the world is grown better since . truly , there is reason it should , because they have that judgment to awaken them ; but we will show you that the hearts of men have been desperately wicked , all along to this day ; yea , under the richest means that ever god hath afforded the world , from the beginning to this very day . and we will take the seed of abraham , and give you several instances thereof : god promised abraham , that he would give him a seed that should be as the stars of heaven , and would take that seed into a covenant with himself , and that he would be their god , and they should be his people . what a wonderful blessing was this , for the great god to marry himself to a people ? and he gave them the covenant of circumcision for a memorial of this covenant , of this betrothing ; he gave them the oracles , and the promises , and was with them , in the midst of them ; he was the king of them , he made war and peace for them , fought for them , and defended them . they had all the means of salvation , the best means that the world had in those days . but you will see how few of them made use of those means of grace that god afforded them . we will begin with this great people of jacob coming out of egypt . ( the lord help you to consider what i am speaking ; for many , because they are christians , and are baptized , they believe they shall be saved ; but you are deceived . just like the old world , they eat , and they drank , they married , and gave in marriage , and never dreamt that god was angry with them , and would drown them ; and so do these people of england , never think that god does intend to burn them . ) now you shall see what advantage they made of the means , and you may read as in a glass the condition of england , and the most parts of the world at this day , numb . 1.45 , 46 , so were all those that were numbred of the children of israel ▪ by the house of their fathers , from twenty years old and upward , all that were able to go forth to war in israel : even all they that were numbred were six hundred thousand , and three thousand five hundred and fifty . these were the people that god brought out of egypt into the wilderness , and afterwards led to canaan , the seed of jacob , six hundred thousand , all men , from twenty years old and upward : how vast must be the number of women and children , and young men also , that were below twenty years old ! above six hundred thousand fighting men ! an army of twenty thousand is a great army ; but a hundred thousand , that is much more : but here was an army of six hundred thousand fighting men , besides women and children . what had god done for this people ? i will tell you what god had done for them : why , they were in egypt under a cruel hard-hearted pharaoh , they were groaning under their burden , and god remembers his promise made to abraham , that he would visit his seed , and bring them into canaan . god cometh by moses , and commanded them to go ; they are my people saith god , let them go and serve me . i will not let them go , saith pharaoh ; why who is your god , that i should obey him ? god at length sends one plague upon him , and then another ; and then another , and then a fourth , a fifth , a sixth , a seventh , an eighth , a ninth , a tenth ; ten plagues god sent upon him before pharaoh would let them go . when they were gone , they came to a red sea , ( i am telling you , my brethren , the works of god for his people in the days of old , remember them , my brethren , they are written for your example , they came to a red sea ) now thinks pharaoh i have got them in a trap , i will follow them , i will pursue , i will overtake , i will destroy them ; but god makes the red-sea divide , and bringeth them all through ; but pharaoh and his host assayed to follow , and god makes the sea to close and drowned them all . well , god carries them from thence to mount sinai , and there was thundrings and lightnings , and gave them his law , and his covenants , and did as it were solemnly marry that people to himself , promisiing them if they did but do what he bid them , he would be their god , and fight their battels , and give them counsel in all their straits , and be a defence round about them . away he leads them then , and gives them a symbol of himself ; for if they marched by night , there was a pillar of fire ; if by day , there was a cloud went with them . a wonderful condescension , that god should do so with them ! they come into a wilderness , they want bread , they begin to murmur ; well , saith god , they shall see what it is to be my people ; he gives them bread from heaven , rains down manna : they want water ; well , saith god , they shall not want water ; he commandeth moses to strike a rock , and there came streams out of it , and those streams followed them where ever they went up and down the wilderness ; they wanted water no more . what now became of this people ? here is a good god , he lets them want nothing ; he works wonders for them , and delivers them with a mighty hand , and gives them angels food to eat , and water out of a rock to drink ; and here he numbreth them in the wilderness , six hundred thousand fighting men . what did these people do ? do ! surely they loved god , and were obedient to his law , and would never murmur against him more . but did they do so ? no , you shall see how that before forty years came about , god cut off all these six hundred thousand men , and left their carcases to rot in the wilderness , and swore in his wrath , they should never enter into his rest . notwithstanding he had done all this for them , they so provoked him to wrath , and so abused all the means of mercy , that god cut them all off : see also , numb . 14.28 , 29 , 30 , say unto them ( saith god ) , as truly as i live , saith the lord , as ye have spoken in mine ears , so will i do to you . what had they said in his ears ? they had murmured against god , and said , god hath brought us and our children into the wilderness to destroy us . well , saith he , i have heard your murmuring , and for your murmuring against me , your carcases shall fall in the wilderness ; and all that were numbred of you , according to your whole number , from twenty years old and upward , which you have murmured against me . doubtless ye shall not come into the land concerning which i sware to possess you of , save caleb the son of jephuneh , and joshuah the son of nun. there were six hundred thousand men , and amongst them there was but two men that did believe that promise that god made to abraham , that he would give them canaan for an inheritance . o read to day as in a glass here , the infidelity of england , and the world ; for as face answers to face in a glass , so does the face of the generality of the men of the world , answer to the faces of the unbelieving israelites , and old unbelieving world. but saith he , for your little ones , which ye say shall be a prey ; no , ( saith god ) your little ones shall go into the land , and shall possess it ; for they knew nothing of your murmuring . but as for you , there is not a man of you shall enter into the land. well , go a little farther , ( for the instances are many , ) i will pass by all the dealings of god with this very people under the judges , where you may read that they were as many times captivated ( for their rebellion against god ) as they had a judg raised up among them ; but we will pass by the time of this people under those judges ( because the time will be short for me to relate all the dealings of christ with this church ) and we will come to those twelve tribes , after they came into canaan , and were divided into two great kingdoms , ten tribes under jeroboam , and two tribes under the posterity of david , two mighty kingdoms ; all of them that had , or might have had the oracles , promises , and covenants , all of them had the bible , and might have used it . but what did they do with it ? they cri'd themselves up , ( just like england ) the church , the church ; the temple of the lord ; and boasted of their priviledges , that there was no people in the world like them ; and that if god should cut them off , he knew not where to find another people . see now what became of them ; we will consider the ten tribes first . in the first of kings , the 19 , and the 11 and 14 verses . and it was so , that when elijah heard it , he wrapped his face in a mantle , and went out , and stood in the entring in of the cave ; and behold , there came a voice unto him , and said , what dost thou here , elijah ? and he said , ( elijah said ) i have been very jealous for the lord god of hosts ; because the children of israel have forsaken thy covenant , thrown down thine altars , and slain thy prophets with the sword , and i , even i only am left , and they seek my life to take it away . here were ten tribes , a great kingdom , a people of the lord , that had the word of the lord , and the great prophet of the lord elijah among them , who called them to repentance , and told them god was angry with them for forsaking him , and his covenant . why , but how many of this kingdom did so ? why truly , for what elijah could see , he could not see one man , that did keep covenant with god. i only am left alone . why what did the rest do ? why they have all forsaken thee . this is strange ! what! the seed of abraham , all gone ! what they , whose fathers god delivered out of egypt ; and brought them through the red-sea , and fed them with manna , and gave them water out of a rock ! what , forget it all ! ai , forget it all . they have left the lord , and forsaken his covenant . what have they done with the prophets of the lord ? knockt them o' the head , slain them , kill'd them , thrown down his altars , and no worshipping of god ; and yet these were the men that were the seed of abraham , that had all the means of grace offered them ; god had given them many a call , they had the word to do it , and his prophets to do it , and yet we see they all left him . it is true ( as god said afterwards in reproving elijahs judgment in the case , i have a few more , my kingdom are not all gone ) saith god , i have reserved seven thousand , that keep covenant with me . ai , but ( my brethren ) what are seven thousand to a whole kingdom ? what if god may have seven thousand in england to keep covenant with god ? what if twenty thousand ? what are they to compare to those many hundred thousands that are in england ? here you see many are called , but few chosen ; many are taken visibly into a covenant , but there are few that are spiritually in covenant with god. well , what became of these ten tribes ? these that had the oracles , covenant , and promises among them ? what became of them ? why you shall see what became of them , ( no good , you may be sure , god pays them off their old scores at length ) god is a long time in reckoning , but be sure he will do them justice in the end . he will do it , 2 king. 17.18 , there you shall see the destruction of them ( in the 15 vers . and they rejected his statutes , and his covenants that he made with their fathers — and they followed vanity . ) therefore ( vers . 18. ) the lord was very angry with israel , and removed them out of his sight : there was none left but the tribe of judah only . 22. for the children of israel walked in the sins of jeroboam which he did , they departed not from them . 23 , vntil the lord removed israel out of his sight as he said by all his servants the prophets . ( the word of god spoken by his servants and ministers , ( though but men ) he will make it good ; here you have minister after minister come to you ; and believe it , when we speak his word in his name , he will take care of our honour , and of our word ; he made good the preachings of his servants the prophets . ) so was israel carried away out of their own land to assyria unto this day . there came the king of assyria upon them , and took them away , and spoiled them , and carried them away captive , and they never returned more into the land of canaan to this day . o wicked people ! they had the means of grace , but would not make use of them . you are told of heaven and hell , and bid to repent , but no body repents ; here you give us the hearing , and when you have done , you go away ; and when gone , you pass on in a carnal manner , and there is no reformation of your lives . but ( pray ) what became of the other tribes that were under the tutilage and government of the posterity of david ? why the truth is , they were sometimes better than the other . but see also what became of them for their revolts , 2 chron. 36.15 , 16. but what did they do ? ( these were the two tribes ) they mocked the messengers of god , and despised his words , and misused his prophets , until the wrath of the lord arose upon them , till there was no remedy . 17 , therefore he brought upon them the king of chaldees , who slew their young men with the sword , in the house of their sanctuary , and had no compassion upon young man or maiden , old man , or him that stooped for age ; he gave them all into his hand . and this was all for their general revolt that they made from god. follow it ( now ) to the time of christ ; when christ jesus came into the world , and preached the gospel himself , one would have thought now , that though they had abused all his prophets of old , yet now his son himself is come , sure they would hearken to him . when christ himself turns preacher , and works such miracles among them to confirm his doctrine , and to evidence himself to be sent from god , and all this to bring them to heaven : when christ came to preach the gospel , did they believe him ? no , he lifted them up to heaven by means ; he would as it were have drag'd them by force , he lifted up voice and cried , ho , every one that thirsteth , come unto me , and drink of the water of life freely . he cried and wept over them , o that she had known the things of her peace ! ( mighty earnest ! ) i would have gathered her , but she would not . and did they believe ? no. why , what do they do ? they conspire together , and lay hold of him as a malefactor , and crucified him ; they put him to death : & as being very well satisfied , when that innocent blood was shed , o say they , let his blood come upon us and our children : we are not afraid of his blood . of all that people of the jews , there was but a few that did believe in him : and that the apostle takes notice of , rom. 11.5 , i say then , ver. 1 , hath god cast off his people ? god forbid . for i am an israelite : god hath not cast away all israel , not every individual : for i am of the tribe of benjamin : and through gods mercy , i am not cast away ( saith he ) , for i do believe in christ , and there are some few with me that do believe also . but what became of the whole nation ? they are cut off , the curse of god is upon them , and they are a hissing and disgrace to this very day . i tell you , sirs , of these poor contemptible jews ; god offered them a christ before he offered him to you : christ came of the loyns of a jew , he was born ( after the flesh ) of a jew , he was first sent to the jews ; and offered grace first to the jews ; and you came in but in the second place . but for their infidelity , god hath cut them off , only a remnant , a little scattering flock , they hearkned , they believed , they embraced christ , and they were saved , and the rest were cut off . here are a great many instances , that many are called , but few chosen . here is a great deal of preaching to england , but few of england like to be saved : don't think it a hard censure . what a whole world drowned , and but eight saved ? what a whole kingdom of ten tribes , and but seven thousand saved ? what , that great kingdom of judah cut off , and but a few of them saved ? there were ( it is true ) a good seed in that kingdom of judah , but take the generality of them , they did provoke god as much as her sister samaria did . well , but what shall we say of our selves ? look in the glass of the christian church , and then tell me , how many among us are like to be saved ? 2 cor. 6.10 , know ye not , ( ver. 9 , ) that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god ? ( and if they do not , they shall never be saved ; for none are saved , but they inherit the kingdom of god ) who are they ? why god knows , some of you may read your own names here in your character . be not deceived , neither fornicators , or unclean persons : you know what it means : if there be any wanton persons here , the lord give you repentance . such as you are for the flood , and for the fire , and for hell. god hath set you a-part . the lord give you repentance . no idolater , no image-worshipper , no host-worshipper ; such as those popish idolater , worshipping saints and angels , and praying to a peice of bread , as unto god himself . these are idolaters . god will not give his honour to any other . and papists will know in the end , that they have wronged god , to give his honour to a peice of bread . god will not be wronged of his glory . be not deceived , many idolaters have been apt to flatter themselves , that it shall go well with them ; but they have deceived themselves , and so will these in the end . no adulterers , the lord help you to look into your hearts and lives : there is an adulterous heart , and an adulterous life : none such shall enter into the kingdom of god. these are all for the flood , these are set a-part for burning : assuredly , you shall be burned , if you repent not . believe it , it will be so , if you reform not ; you may laugh and mock at me , and paul , and the bible , as the old world did at noah . nor effeminate , not abusers of themselves with mankind . no thieves : that is , that repent not in their time . no drunkards ; mark , that you ale-house-haunters , and tavern-haunters ! none of these , not a man of them shall be saved , except , in time they repent and reform their lives . say you so ? none of them ? no , none of them shall inherit the kingdom of god. ah , but ( by your leave ) we won't believe you tho . i know there are but few will believe it . i knew it before i came to you before i read this text , lord who hath believed our report ! i have been a preacher ( up and down ) two and twenty years , and have had experience of the hardness of mens hearts . i can preach to them , and take them in a room , and sit an hour over a hard heart , and make it no more stir , than a rock : no , he does not believe , turns away , and laughs at ( perhaps ) all the counsel given him . but whether you believe , or believe not , this day know , god hath given you warning ; you are men as certainly set aside , and designed to be eternally burned , as the old wicked world was designed to be drowned . and if you say why do i give you this notice ? why , the lord in mercy gives it you , that in time you may repent . but if you repent not ; as the flood drowned the old world , so hell will burn and torment you . but truly i have not come to the half of that which i intended . the question will be , what is the reason that men will not believe ? what , but eight persons believe , in a whole world ? but one elijah in a whole ten tribes ? what , but one elijah ? no truly , for ought that he knew . what , but a remnant in the time of christ ? no , but a remnant . so but a few , a very few in england . what is the reason of all this ? why the general reason of it all , is this : neither would the old world believe , that god was in good earnest ; neither would israel believe , neither will england believe ; they don't believe what is said . no. what if god speaks by a noah , will you believe ? no. what if god speaks by a moses , will you believe ? no. vvhat if god appeareth upon a mount , and speaks signally , will you believe now ? yes , for a little while , but not long , as they did not . vvill you believe by a christ ? no. ( crucifie him . ) will you believe the apostles ? no. will you believe us that speak ? no , no , you will believe none ? what is the reason of it , why wont you believe ? vvhy , i think this is one reason : in very truth , saith the poor carnal wicked world , we do not believe that god is in good earnest ; none of them did , till they found the judgment upon them . but why , you poor sinners , why do not you believe that god is in good earnest now ? vvhy i will tell you , you flatter your selves thus ; surely god is a very good god , and he hath done us good all our days ; he hath been my god twenty , thirty , forty years ; he hath fed me when hungry ; and when naked he hath clothed me ; and when sick , he hath healed me and mine ; and when in danger he hath deliver'd ; and do you think that god will damn me , and burn me ( as you talk of ) at last ? ai , but sinner ! hath not god said he will ? ai , but say you , god is not in good earnest ; he threatens us , but as we threaten our children . we threaten our children sometimes what we will do ! and then lay down the rod again . ai , but sinner ! god is not like a man , that he should change . but say you , he is good . 't is true , or else he would never have stayed so long ; but for you to say he is good , and will not therefore be true to his word , that 's absurd . why should he not ( notwithstanding all his goodness ) damn such a rebel as thou art , as well as damn an angel ? thou art his creature ? so were the angels . does god give thee abundance of the glory of the earth ? so god gave him abundance of the glory of heaven , and yet notwithstanding all this , for sin he threw the angels down into hell , and now they are devils . why , if god spared not an angel , dost thou think he will spare a man or woman ? nay , when thou hast provoked him to wrath more than the devil , dost thou think he will spare thee , and not an angel ? god never offered a saviour to the devil , but he offered a saviour to thee , that if thou wilt repent and turn , he will save thee : and wilt thou abuse all , and go on in thy wickedness ? why certainly , as thou sinnest more in this respect than the devil , thou wilt as sure go to hell as he did ; 't is not your relation to god as creatures , that will save you . what , ( i pray ) was the old world ? did not god drown them all ? were not they men and women as you ? and had not they children as well as you ? and had not god bowels to them , as well as to you ? but was god loth to drown them ? why , first , it repenteth me , saith god , that i made them , i will drown them all ; tush , say they , god is so good he will not . but i will , says god. you say god hath done you good , and heal'd you of many diseases , and hath looked to you , and blessed you , and hath wrought wonders for you , and that therefore he will never damn you . o poor sinner ! how simply dost thou cheat thy self ? single me out any blind drunkard , or unclean person , or self-justiciary , i would single thee out , and reason with thee this day ; god hath wrought wonders for me , he will not damn me ( saist thou ) . alas ! that 's true , says a poor drunken water-man , i was at sea , and was in danger to be drown'd , and god saved me ; and do you think that he will damn me ! and saith another , such a time i was ready to fall off from a house , and god prevented me . why i tell thee now , that though god does give many signal mercies and tokens of his long suffering to sinners , he does not intend therefore to save them . when god brought israel out of egypt , did god ever work such miracles for you , as he did for them ? did god ever bring ten plagues upon your enemies to deliver you from them ? did god ever in a danger that you have been in , make a sea for you to pass through , and your life saved ? and when you were hungry , and had no bread , did god ever rain bread down from heaven to you ? when you were thirsty , did god ever bring water out of a rock to quench your thirst ? these , and such things as these did god do for israel . here now was some ground for them to plead , and yet though god did this ; did he love israel so , that he would not destroy them ? no. he laid their carcases as dung in the wilderness , and swore in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest . i 'le tell thee sinner , if thou livest for forty years together upon bread out of the clouds , yet if thou livest and diest in thy sins , thou wilt most certainly be damned . god can be good , ( man ! ) for all thou art damned ; for god is good to the angels that stand , though the rest that fell are in hell ; so he will be good in his mercy to saints and angels , when the wicked are thrust down into hell. god can be good , ( man ! ) and god can do thee good , and when he hath done , he can hang thee up in flames . alas , you see that commonly among your malefactors , princes do allow their prisoners to have meat and drink , while they are in prison , they should not be starved ; and when condemned to be hanged , there will be care taken , that they should be fed and clothed ; but when the day comes , away they are bound , and to the cart and gallows they go . thou prisoner ! ( for so thou art in the decree of god ) before thou come to that prison of hell , he will feed thee , and clothe thee , and yet all this while intends to destroy thee , if thou repent not . ai , but say you , there is another reason of our unbelief : why truly , god hath threatned such great things that they are incredible . vvhy , what are they ? god threatens prisons for spirits ; alas , we can't understand how this spirit should live after our bodies are dead , that when our bodies are rotting in the grave , our souls should be roaring in flames . and then again god tells us of the resurrection of our bodies ; how is it possible it should be so ? and then again , god threatens to throw our bodies and souls into hell , to be burned for ever ; an incredible thing ! who can believe this , when we can hardly live fifty or threescore years , how can we be alive for ever and ever ? and that christ should judg the world ; it is now sixteen hundred years ago ; wonderful things ! here has been a great deal of talking , but no performance . a company of fables ! we can't believe them ; and who would go and venture to make themselves sad and miserable in the world , with fear and repentance ; with fear of these things that are never like to come to pass . i know it , sinners , that these are the workings of thy heart , as well as if i was within thee . vvhy , do you think there are any such here , that are of such a mind ? why truly , it is likely , for there were such in the apostles days , and of this sort of people the apostle speaks in 2 pet. 3.2 , that in the latter days there should come scoffers , walking after their own lusts : one after the lust of uncleanness , another after the lust of drunkenness : vvhat are these walkers ? scoffers . vvhat do they scoff at ? why they scoffed at the burning of the world , and the day of judgment . vvhy do these men scoff at it ? why , i will tell you ; they scoff because the scripture does threaten the eternal burning of these sort of men that walk after their own lusts , and they cry , tush , we believe no such thing . vvell , and thus they argue , saying , where is the promise of his coming ? christ said , he would come , and he would come quickly . here is a talk of his coming , but here is no christ come ; when will this trumpet sound ? no , no , for since the fathers fell asleep , all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation : the sun rises as it did , and the moon observes its course , we have summer and vvinter , and we see all things just as they have been for these five thousand years , and we see no change . no ? ( saith the apostle ) don 't you ? but , saith he , if you are ignorant of this one thing ; you are wilfully ignorant : vvhat is that ? why saith he , that by the word of god , the heavens were of old , and the earth standing out of the water and in the water , whereby the world that then was , being overflowed with water , perished . but the heavens and the earth which are now , by the same word are kept in store , reserved unto fire against the day of judgment , and perdition of ungodly men . i 'le tell thee , thou scoffer , and walker after thy lusts , dost thou not know that god once drowned the world ? if thou art ignorant , 't is a wilful ignorance . and i pray you scoffers , is it not as easie a thing to conceive how god should burn the world , as drown the world ? he hath done one already ; the lord open your ears and hearts to understand it . you scoff now , as the old world scoffed at noah ; but they found that noah's words were true ; and you will find that our words are true too . the lord strike you with the authority of the vvord , that you may receive it as the oracle of god. this is the vvord of god , and do you oppose it , and rebel against it , and slight it if you dare . but i know you have that impudence to do it . but then i summon you to answer it at the day of judgment ; do you remember it then . there are several other workings of carnal hearts , by which they encourage themselves in their wicked lives . what are they ? come let me name them . o say you , we don't deny , but god will condemn men , and we don't deny but god can make good all his threatnings : but say you , we are in such a body , and our bodies are in such want ; you know we must not starve , and suffer our poor wives and children to famish for want of bread ; and truly we are poor , and must work for our livings ; and we are so taken up , that we have no leisure to hear what god says , or what christ says ; we have scarce leisure to read or hear the word of god : this is another thing . i know you would fain be gone , but i will tell you why i stay you so long ; i would fain ( before you go out of them doors ) have you to believe . if gods ministers do so compassionate you , you should compassionate your selves : ah , but say you , i can't attend it , i must be gone , my dinner waits for me ; no , nor to morrow neither . i have no time at all to think of these things . no ? have you no time to think of them ? do you think that they don't deserve your thoughts ? why , what are your poor bodies ( for which you labour so much ) , in a compare to your souls ? i tell thee ( man ) if it were put to thy choice , that thou shouldst either starve , or make use of the means of grace ; thou shouldst rather go and read , and kneel , and pray till thou art faint , and canst scarce rise up : if one must perish , soul or body ; let the body starve . thou poor creature ! thy soul is more worth than thy body ; 't is a thousand times better that thy body should starve , than that thy poor soul should be damned . but , starve ! thou poor unbeliever ! thy wretched heart of unbelief deceives thee . i tell thee ( man ) ! ( but that thou hast no faith to entertain what i say , i tell thee ) if thou wilt but set thy self , first to mind this great work of saving thy soul , and preparing thy ark ; if thou wilt set thy self to look upon thy ways , and confess thy sins , to turn to the lord , to cry mightily , and to pour out thy soul in secret to god , that he would pardon thee , and sanctifie thee , and reform thee , and give thee grace : i tell thee , i dare promise thee in the name of the lord , that thou shalt live more comfortably as to this world , than ever thou didst in all thy life . why , will you promise that we shall grow richer by it ? this i will promise thee in the name of the lord , ( and i am sure 't is true ) that either thou shalt thrive more in the world , or else thou shalt be better contented with what thou hast : and besides , it shall be blessed to thee , that thou wilt say , it is far better to thee than abundance . seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteousness , and all other things shall be added to you . do but set thy self to pray mightily to god , that whatever he does , he would save thy soul ; and then for thy care , thou mightest cast thy care upon him ; your care distracts you , it is gods setting in with you , that makes your care succesful . o poor sinners , if you were but acquainted with god and christ , you would have a god to cast your care upon . you masters of families ; begin your day with god , bring your families to god , make it your great business to serve god ; and then trust god for his blessing upon your endeavours . there is another reason . what is the reason that you do not believe ? that you believe not god that speaks by his son , and by his prophets ? why truly i dare not believe . for ( to speak plainly ) i am so in love with my sins , that i cannot think to part wirh them ; and i do profess , if i must be damn'd for them , i must run the hazard . such desperate slaves are satan's slaves , though they see hell before them , and in they must , if they repent not ; saith christ , light is come into the world , and men love darkness rather than light , why ? because their deeds are evil . they love their evil deeds , and love darkness , and hate the light of the gospel ; they hate my word , because my word threatens their deeds of darkness with hell ; they can't endure to see what is at the end of sinning . i have kept you a long while ; and so god kept them above a hundred years . i have spent one hour ( perhaps half an hour more ) , but if it were possible that i could preach an hundred years to an unbelieving heart , it would never work upon him , without gods grace : o therefore resist not crace : when i have done all , 't is god that singles out one at one time , and another at another time , and then another , and sometimes many at once , and opens their eyes and hearts , and makes such a sermon bear upon them , and commandeth their hearts to strike in with the word : and if the lord does but bless the word , to take hold of some poor youth , whether man or maid ; it is worth all my labour that i have spent in preaching : if the lord would but bring some poor soul to believe , that the word of god is true , and that it is as certain that they will be damn'd , if they repent not , as is was certain that the old world was drown'd : this might be the beginning of a new life . o 't is an hour well spent , and thou wilt bless god for it , if he will come in with light upon thee , and make thee believe the gospel , that christ is willing to save every penitent sinner that is brought thus to believe in him . o that god would be pleased to convince you that he is in good earnest to damn the wicked and impenitent sinner ; but to bless and crown with eternal life , every obedient soul . i am forced to cut off many things that i have to say ; but the lord in heaven bless this word unto you . finis . books printed for , and are to be sold by tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside . sermons on the whole epistle of st. paul to the colossians , by mr. j. daille , translated into english by f.s. with dr. tho. goodwin's , and dr. j. owens epistles recommendatory . an exposition of christs temptation on mat. 4. and peters sermon to cornelius ; and circumspect walking , by dr. tho. taylor . a practical exposition on the 3 d chap. of the 1 st epistle of st. paul to the corinthians , with the godly mans choice , on psal . 4.6 , 7 , 8. by anthony burgess . dr. donns 4to sermons , being his 3 vol. pareus exposition on the revelations . choice and practical expositions on 4 select psalms , viz. the fourth psalm in eight sermons . the forty second psalm in ten sermons . the fifty first psalm in twenty sermons . the sixty third psalm in seven sermons . books 4 to . the door of salvation opened by the key of regeneration , by george swinnock , m.a. an exposition on the five first chapters of ezekiel , with useful observations thereupon , by william greenhil . the gospel covenant opened , by peter bulkley . gods holy-mind touching matters moral , which he uttered in ten commandments : also , an exposition on the lords-prayer , by edward eston , b.d. the fiery jesuit , or an historical-collection of the rise , encrease , doctrines and deeds of the jesuits . horologiographia optica : dyaling , universal and particular , speculative and practical ; together with a description of the court of arts , by a new method , by sylvanus morgan . a seasonable apology for religion , by matthew pool . the practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive to true religion , and mens souls , by j. clarkson . the creatures goodness as they came out of gods hand , and the good-mans mercy to the bruit-creatures , in two sermons , by tho. hodges , b.d. certain considerations tending to promote peace and unity amongst protestants . the saints triumph over the last enemy , in a sermon at the funeral of mr. james janeway , by nath. vincent . the morning-lecture against popery , or the principal errors of the church of rome detected and confuted in a morning-lecture , preached by several ministers of the gospel in or near london . four useful discourses , by jeremiah burroughs . a new copy-book of all sorts of useful hands the saints priviledg by dying , by mr. scot. the vertuous daughter , a funeral-sermon , by mr. brian . the miracle of miracles , or christ in our nature , by dr. rich. sibbs . the unity and essence of the cartholick church-visible , by mr. hudson . the intercourse of divine love between christ and the church , or the particular believing soul : in several lectures on the whole second chap. of cant. by john collins , d.d. large 8 vo . the sure mercies of david ; or a second part of heart-treasure . heaven or hell here in a good or bad conscience , by nath. vincent . closet-prayere a christians duty ; by o. heyword . a practial discourse of prayer ; wherein is handled the nature and duty of prayer , by tho. cobbet . of quenching the spirit ; the evil of it by theophilus polwheile . the sure way to salvation ; or a treatise of the saints mystical union with christ ; by richard stedman . m.a. sober singularity , by the same author . heaven taken by storm . the mischeif of sin : both by tho. watson . the childs delight ; together with an english-grammar . reading and spelling made easie ; both by tho. lye. asop's fables , with morals thereupon in english-verse . the young-mans instructor , and the old-mans remembrancer . captives bourd in chains , made free by christ their surety ; both by tho. doolittle . eighteen sermons preached upon several texts of scripture by william whitaker . the saints care for church-communion ; declared in sundry sermons , preached at st. james dukes-place , by zach. crofton . the life and death of edmund stanton d.d. to which is added a treatise of christian conference ; and a d●alogue between a minister and a stranger . sin the plague of plagues , or sinful sin the worst of evils ; by ralph venning . m.a. cases of conscience practically resolved ; by j. norman . the immortality of the soul explained and proved by scripture and reason ; to which is added faiths-triumph over the fears of death , by tho. wadsworth . a treatise of the incomparableness of god , in his being , attributes , works , and word ; by george swinnock , m.a. the generation of seekers ; or the right manner of the saints addresses to the throne of grace , with an exposition on the lords-prayer . an essay to facilitate the education of youth , by bringing down the rudiments of grammar to the sense of seeing , which ought to be improved by syncresis ; by m. lewis of totenham . an artificial vestibulum ; wherein the sense of janua linguarum is contained , compiled into plain and short sentences in english , for the great ease of masters , and expeditious progress of scholars , by m. lewis . baptism no bar to communion ; by jo. bunnian . the dutch-dispensatory ; shewing the vertues , qualities and properties of simples ; the vertue and use of compounds ; whereto is added the compleat herbalist . small octavo . a defence against the fear of death ; by zach. crofton . gods soveraignty displayed ; by william gearing . the godly mans ark , or a city of refuge in the day of his distress , in five sermons ; with mrs. moors evidences for heaven ; by edmund calamy . the almost-christian discovered , or the false professor tried and cast ; by m. mead. a plea for the godly , or the righteous mans excellency . the holy eucharist , or the sacrament of the lords supper . a treatise of self-denial . all three by tho. watson . the life and death of tho. wilson of maidstone in kent . the life and death of doctor sam. winter . worthy-walking press'd upon all that have heard the call of the gospel . the spirit of prayer ; by nath. vincent . the inseparable union between christ and a believer ; by tho. peck . a discourse of excuses ; setting forth the variety and vanity of them : the sin and misery brought in by them ; by john sheffield . invisible realities , demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of mr. j. janeway . the saints encouragement to diligence in christs service ; by mr. james janeway . convivium caeleste ; a plain and familiar discourse concerning the lords supper ; by r. kidder . the saints perseverance asserted in its positive-ground against mr. ives . a wedding-ring fit for the finger ; by will. secker . an explanation of the shorter catechism of the assembly of divines ; by tho. lye. the childs delight with pictures ; by tho lye. the life and death of tho. hall. the flat opposition of popery to scripture ; by j.n. chaplain to a person of honour . the weavers pocket-book , or weaving spiritualiz'd ; by j.c.d.d. two disputations of original sin ; by richard baxter . the ready way to prevent sin ; by william bagshaw . the little-peace-maker , discovering foolish pride , the make-bate . philadelphia ; or a treatise of brotherly-love ; by mr. gearing . reformation or ruine , being certain sermons on levit. 26.23 , 24. by tho. hotchkis . finis . a second sheet for the ministry iustifying our calling against quakers, seekers, and papists and all that deny us to be the ministers of christ by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. this text is an enriched version of the tcp digital transcription a27034 of text r17263 in the english short title catalog (wing b1404). textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. the text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with morphadorner. the annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. this text has not been fully proofread approx. 58 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 9 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. earlyprint project evanston,il, notre dame, in, st. louis, mo 2017 a27034 wing b1404 estc r17263 12395029 ocm 12395029 61110 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27034) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 61110) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 269:7) a second sheet for the ministry iustifying our calling against quakers, seekers, and papists and all that deny us to be the ministers of christ by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 16 p. printed by r. white for nevil simmons ..., london : 1657. reproduction of original in british library. marginal notes. eng clergy -england. society of friends -controversial literature. a27034 r17263 (wing b1404). civilwar no a second sheet for the ministry iustifying our calling against quakers, seekers, and papists and all that deny us to be the ministers of chr baxter, richard 1657 11102 21 5 0 0 0 0 23 c the rate of 23 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the c category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-10 taryn hakala sampled and proofread 2006-10 taryn hakala text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a second sheet for the ministry iustifying our calling against quakers , seekers , and papists , and all that deny us to be the ministers of christ . by richard baxter . london , printed by r. white . for nevil simmons bookseller in kederminster , 1657. a second sheet for the ministry : justifying our calling against quakers , seekers and papists , and all that deny us to be the ministers of christ . the corruption of the romish church being most in the errors and vices of the priests , which made men abhor the offering of the lord ( 1 sam. 2.17 . ) the reproach which they brought upon themselves , did much prepare men to hearken to the reformers : the observing of this , and of the necessary dependance of the people on their pastors , hath caused the papists to bend their force against the ministers of the reformed churches , and to use all their wit to defame their persons , and callings , and make them seem ignorant , unworthy , or no ministers to the people . on this errand they send abroad their agents ; this is the saving gospel that the seekers , quakers , and their brethren preach ; that the scripture is not the gospel or word of god , and that we are no true ministers . whatever doctrine we are preaching , the opposers ▪ work is , to call us deceivers , and ask , how we prove our selves true ministers ? my work therefore at this time , for the sake of the ignorant in our assemblies , shall be , to acquaint them with our answer to this demand . and i shall give it you in order , in certain propositions . prop. 1. both in the old and new testament there is mention of two distinct sort of ministers , of gods appointment . first , such as received some new revelation ▪ ( either a law , or a particular message ) immediately from god ; so that the people could not be sure that their doctrine was true , till they were sure that the men were sent of god . these were called prophets , in the old testament , and apostles , prophets , &c. in the new . so moses received the law from god : and the following prophets their particular messages . so the apostles received the gospel from christ ; and so did the seventy ▪ and other disciples that conversed with him : and other prophets and evangelists had it by immediate inspiration . all these were necessarily by miracles , or some infallible evidence to prove their own call , before the hearers could receive their doctrine : for this was their message ; [ the lord hath commanded me to say thus or thus to you ] or [ the word which the lord spake to me is thus or thus ] this sort of ministers the papists and seekers do confess . but besides these , there is a second sort of true ministers , whose office is not to receive from god any new doctrine , law , or message ; but to proclaim the laws already delivered , and teach men the doctrine already revealed , and to oversee and govern the churches of christ according to his laws , and to go before the people in the worship of god : the prophets and apostles did both these ; both reveal the doctrine which they received from christ , and teach and guide the church by it when they had done : but the latter sort of ministers do but ▪ the later sort of the work . the papists and seekers cheat men by jumbling all together , as if there were no ministers of gods appointment but those of the former sort ; and therefore they call for miracles to prove our ministry . here therefore i shall first prove , that the second sort of ministers are of gods institution : 2. that such need not prove their calling by miracles ; though yet god may work miracles by them if he please . 3. that we are true ministers of christ , of this sort . 1. christ found such ministers under the law , that were to teach and rule by the law before received , and not to receive new laws or messages : i mean the ordinary priests and levites , as distinguished from prophets . these priests were to keep the law , and teach it the people , and the people were to seek it at their mouth , and by it they were to judge mens causes : and also they were to stand between the people and god in publique worship , as is exprest , deut. 31.26 . josh. 23.6 . neh. 8.1 , 2 , 3 , 8 , 18. & 9.3 . levit. 1. & 2. & 4. & 5. & 7. & 13. & 14. throughout , num. 5. & 6. deut. 17.12 . mal. 2.7 . ier. 18.18 . the prophet had visions : but the priest had the law , ezek. 7.26 . isa 8.16 , 20. hag. 2.11 , 12. num. 1.50 . 1 chron. 9.26 . & 16.4 . 2 chron. 19.11 . & 20.19 . & 30.17 , 22. he was called a teaching priest , 2 chron. 15.13 . lev. 10 10 , 11. deut. 24.8 . 2 chron. 17.7.9 . ezek. 44.23 ▪ 2 chron. 35.3 . and christ himself sends the cleansed to the priest , and commandeth them to hear the pharises that sat in moses chair , though they were no prophets : so that besides the prophets that had their message immediately from god , there were priests that were called the ministers of the lord , joel 1.9.2.17 . and levites that were not to bring new revelations , but to teach , and rule , and worship according to the old . for moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him , being read in the synagogues every sabbath day , acts 15.21 . the jews rejected christ because they knew him not , nor the voyce of the prophets which are read every sabbath day , acts 13.27 . and even unto this day , when moses is read the vail is on their heart , 2 cor. 3.15 . and they that would not believe moses and the prophets ( thus read and preached ) neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead , luke 16.29 , 31. 2. and as priests and levites were distinct from prophets before christ , so christ appointed besides the apostles and prophetical revealers of his gospel , a standing sort of ministers , to 1. teach , 2. rule , 3. and worship according to the gospel which the former had revealed , and attested , and proved to the world . these were called overseers , or bishops , presbyters , or elders , pastors and t●achers ; and also the deacons were joyned to assist them , acts 14.23 . they ordained them elders ( not prophets or apostles ) in every church , tit. 1.5 . titus was to ordain elders in every city . timothy hath full direction for the ordaining of bishops or elders and deacons , 1 tim. 3. that their work was not to bring new doctrine , but to teach , rule , and worship according to that received , i now prove , 2 tim. 2.2 . the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses , the same commit thou to faithful men , who shall be able to teach others also ] mark , that its the same , and not a new doctrine : and that as heard from paul among many witnesses , and not as received immediately from god : and others were thus to receive it down from timothy . and v. 15. study to shew thy self approved unto god , a workman that needeth not be ashamed , rightly dividing the word of truth , ] it is not to bring new truths , but rightly to divide the old . and 2 tim. 1.13 . hold fast the form of words which thou hast heard of me ( not which thou hadst immediately from god ) in faith and love which is in christ jesus ; that good thing which was committed unto thee , keep , by the holy ghost which dwelleth in us . the holy ghost is to help us in keeping that which is committed to us , and not to reveal more , 2 tim. 6.13 , 14. [ i give thee charge in the sight of god — that thou keep this commandment without spot , unrebukable , till the appearing of our lord jesus christ . there was a form of doctrine delivered to the church of rome , rom. 6.17 . and 1 tim. 5.17 . the elders that rule well are worthy of double honour , especially they that labour in the word and doctrine . you see their work was to rule and labour in the word and doctrine , 1 tim. 4.13 , 14 , 15 , 16. till i come , give attendance to reading , to exhortation , to doctrine ; meditate upon these things : give thy self wholly to them , that thy prof 〈…〉 ing may appear to all : take heed unto thy self , and unto thy doctrine : continue in them : for in doing this , thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee . ] 1. tim. 4.6 . [ if thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things , thou shall be a good minister of jesus christ , nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine whereunto thou hast attained : ] mark here the description of a good minister of christ ; one that 's nourished up in ▪ the words of faith and good doctrine , ( which is the use of schools and universities ) and having attained it , makes it his work to teach it , and put others in remembrance of it , tit. 1.7 , 9 , 10 , 11. for a bishop must be blameless , as the steward of god — holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught ( mark that ) that he may be able by sound doctrine , both to exhort and convince the gainsayers . for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers , whose mouths must be stopped , who subvert whole houses , teaching things which they ought not , &c. ] so 1 tim. 3.1 , 5. the office of a bishop is to rule and take care of the church of god : ] to take heed to themselves , and to all the flock , and feed the church of god : and to watch hereunto , according to the word of gods grace , which is fully and wholly delivered by his apostles , and is able to build us up , and give us an inheritance among the sanctified : as act. 20.28 , 20 , 27 , 35 , 32. 1 thess. 5.12 , 13. we beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you ( this is their office ) and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake ( and not revile them as the servants of satan do ) and be at peace among your selves , heb. 13.7 , 17 , 24. remember them which have the rule over you , which have spoken to you the word of god : obey them that have the rule over you , and submit your selves : for they watch for your souls , as they that must give account , that they may do it with joy , and not with grief : for that is unprofitable for you . salute all them that have the rule over you : the elders of the church are to pray with , and for the sick , jam. ● . 14 . they must feed the flock of god among them , taking the oversight of it , 1 pet. 5.1 , 2. thus you see their office and work . 2. and that they were not to bring any new doctrine , further appears , in that they have a charge to preach no other doctrine , 1 tim. 1.3 . nor to be tossed as children with every wind of doctrine , eph. 4.14 . nor carried about with divers and strange doctrines , heb. 13.9 . 3. yea , if any man bring not the doctrine of christ , we must not receive him into our houses , or bid him god speed , lest we be partakers of his evil deeds , for be that abideth not in this doctrine hath not god , 2 john 9.10 , 11. gal. 1.8 , 9. [ though we or an angel from heaven , preach any other gospel to you , then that which we have preached unto you , let him be accursed . as we said before , so say i now again : if any man preach any other gospel to you then that ye have received , let him be accursed . ] and rom. 16.17 , 18. now i beseech you brethren , mark them which cause divisions and offences , contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned , and avoid them . ] 1 tim. 6.3 . if any man teach otherwise , and consent not to wholsome words , the words of our lord jesus christ , and to the doctrine which is according to godliness , he is proud , knowing nothing , but do 〈…〉 ing . — ] 4. and if all ministers must be receivers of new doctrines , the church would never know when it hath all , but would be still obeying an imperfect law . 5. and it would be an oppression to the church instead of a direction , to be so overwhelmed with new doctrines and precepts . 6. and it would accuse christ the lawgiver of such mutability , as wise princes are not guilty of ; to be still changing or adding to his laws . 7. there was great occasion for the new testament or gospel , upon the great work of our redemption : but there is no such cause for alterations since . 8. the priests before christ were not to receive new laws , as is said . 9. the companions of the apostles that wrought miracles , had not all new revelations ; but did it to seal up this gospel . 10. what need we more then actual experience , that god doth not give new revelations to the world , and none since the scripture-times , have sealed any other by miracles . and thus i have proved to you the two sorts of ministers : as paul plain 〈…〉 distinguisheth them , 1 cor. 3.10 , 11 , 12. eph. 2.20 . there are planters and waterers , master builders that lay the foundation , and others that build thereon : 〈…〉 ther foundation can no man lay then that which is laid : but every man that 〈…〉 ildeth hay or stubble and loseth his work , doth not nullifie the ministry . we are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets , jesus christ being the head corner-stone : but we are not built on the foundation of every pastor , teacher , elder , bishop or deacon : though both in their places ( apostles , prophets , evangelists , pastors and teachers ) are given for the perfecting of the saints , for the work of the ministry , for the edifying of the body of christ , eph. 4.11 , 12. that we might be one united body , having one fixed standing doctrine , ver. 14 , 15 , 16. and how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ; which at the first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him : ( mark whence the church receiveth it ) god also bearing them witness ( but not every elder or teacher ) both with signs and wonders , and with divers miracles , and gifts of the holy ghost according to his own will , heb. 2.3 , 4. prop. 2. and now that these later ministers need not prove their calling by miracles , i prove thus : 1. god never imposed such a task upon them , nor commanded the people to require such a proof , & not to believe any but workers of miracles . 2. god gave not all the gift of miracles that were employed in his work even in the apostles daies : are all workers of miracles ? saith paul ; some had by the spirit , the word of wisdom , and of knowledge , and others tongues , and others interpretation , and others miracles , 1 cor. 12.29 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. 3. they that have the holy ghost are owned by christ ; and so have many without working miracles . see rom. 8.9 . 1 cor. 12.3 . gal. 5.18 , 22 , 23 , 24. 1 cor. 6.11 . eph. 3.16 . & 5.9 , 18. 1 pet. 1.2 , 22. rom. 15.13 , 16. tit. 3.5 . 4. the law of moses was kept and taught by priests and levites that wrought not miracles . 5. if the laws of all nations may be kept without miracles , so may the laws of christ . 6. if humane writings are kept without miracles , ( as homer , virgil , ovid , cicero , livy , &c. ) so may the laws of god much more , as being the daily subject of the belief , meditation , conference , preaching , controversies , devotions of christians through the world , and translated into so many tongues . 7. there is nothing in the nature of the thing that requireth ordinary miracles . cannot men sufficiently prove without miracles , that there have been such men as caesar , pompey , aristotle , or which be calvins or bellarmines writings , &c. much more evidently may they prove what doctrine is essential to christianity , and the scripture that contains the whole . 8. else parents could not teach their children , nor bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the lord , eph. 6.4 . nor teach them with timothy , from a child to know the scriptures , which are able to make men wise to salvation through faith in christ , 2 tim. 3.15 . must no parents teach their children to know christ , but such as can work miracles ? 9. the doctrine which we preach is fully confirmed by miracles already , by christ and his apostles : there needs no greater then christs own resurrection , nor more then were done ; which universal unquestionable history and tradition hath brought down to our hands . 10. it is a ridiculous expectation , that every person should see the miracles before they do believe . then if christ had done miracles before all jerusalem , save one man , that one man should not be bound to believe : or if i could do miracles in this town or countrey , none must believe me ever the more but those that see it . and so you may as well say , i should not believe that there is any sea or land , city or kingdom , france , spain , rome , &c. but what i see . are these men worthy to be talkt with ? that believe no body , and confess themselves such lyars that they would have no body believe them . it was not all that saw christs miracles or resurrection , or the apostles miracles ! it seems the rest were not bound to be christians ? even as clem. writer told me , that no man is bound to believe that christ did rise again , or the rest of christianity , that seeth not miracles himself to prove it : adding withall , that indeed antichrist may do miracles ; and so it seems for all the talk , miracles themselves would not serve if they saw them . 11. is it not to put a scorn on god almighty , to say that the glory of all his most miraculous works should be buried to all that saw them not ; and that parents should not tell them to their children , or children should not believe them if they do ? 12. it s injurious to posterity , that the knowledge of the most wonderful works of god shall be only for the good of them that see them ; and that all ages after shall be never the better . 13. it tends to make men mad and as ideots , that must know and believe no more then they see : what ▪ kind of folks must these be ? that know not that there is either prince or parliament , city or countrey , or any folks in the world but those they have seen ? this will not stand with trading , converse , subjection , societies ; and its doubtful whether such are capable of managing estates ; or should not be put under others as ideots ? 14. children cannot learn to read nor speak without some kind of belief of them that teach them : nor can they obey their parents nor learn any trade : nor obey physitians : so that this conceit of incredulity is against the nature , livelihood , and life of man . 15. and they would tie god to be at the beck of every unreasonable infidel that shall say , [ though all the town have seen thy miracles , yet i will see my self , or else i will not believe . ] 16. they expect that god should overturn the course of nature : for if miracles be as ordinary as the operations of nature , they are confounded . 17. and by this they would cross themselves , and make miracles uneffectual : for if they were ordinary , few would be moved by them as any proof of a divine testimony : were it as ordinary for the sun to go backward as forward , who would take it for a miracle ? to this clem. writer answers me , that [ miracles were convincing in the first age when they were common . ] answ. how common ? not as natural operations : nor so as for all countreys or persons to see them ; 500 saw christ at once after his resurrection : 5000. were once miraculously fed : but as this was not every days work , so what was this to others ? and in that it was but for an age , and rarely in after ages , shews that they were not for every mans eyes . 18. what need we more proof then actual experience , that god doth not often now work miracles ! and he that saith the gospel , and christian faith , and church , and ministry are therefore ceased , its like will not take it ill to be taken himself for an heathen or infidel . 19. and we have experience of millions that still do actually and stedfastly believe in christ without miracles : and many have laid down their lives on that belief : therefore without miracles men may believe . but to this clem. writer saith to me , [ these believers of all sorts condemn each other as hereticks . ] answ. but not as infidels . none but the ignorant or passionate condemn all other sorts as hereticks . the sober do not . and it is not enough to prove you a bastard , if an angry brother call you so . 20. because this sheet alloweth me not room , i intreat the reader to peruse these texts , which tell him aloud that the word and works of god must be believed by tradition , though without miracles , exod. 10.1 , 2. & 12.14 , 17 , 26 , 27 , 42. deut. 11.2 . to the 22. & 29.22 . to 28. josh. 4.6 , 7. & 22.24 . to 32. psalm 48.13 . & 78.1 . to 9. & 102.18 . & 145.4 . & 89.1 . joel 1.2 , 3 , 4. acts 1.8 . & 2.32 . & 5.30 , 31 , 32. & 10.38 . to 42. & 13.30 , 31. & 1.22 . & 4.33 . & 22.15 . & 26.16 . & 23.11 . 2 tim. 2.2 . john 20.29 . & 19.35 . & 15.27 . & 12.17 . & 5.33 . & 1.15 , 32 , 34. luke 4.22 . 1 pet. 5.1 . and that you would read my determination of this very question , in my book against infidelity , i proceed to the next . proposition 3. this ordinary ministry for teaching , ruling , and publike worship , was ordained by christ ▪ to continue till his coming , and doth yet continue , and did not cease when the extraordinary ministry ceased . i prove it , matth. 16.18 . vpon this rock will i build my church , and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it . ] the church never did nor can subsist without its officers , who are an essential part of it , as it is a political body , and the first and most eminent part , as it is a community . and therefore if the ministry be extinct , the gates of hell have prevailed against the church . and then christ is overcome , or hath broke his promise . and then he were not christ : so that if christ be christ , the church and ministry continue . so luke 1.33 . he shall reign over the house of jacob for ever , and of his kingdom there shall be no end ; isa. 9.6 , 7. of the encrease of his government and peace there shall be no end ; psalm 145.13 . thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom , and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations . christ ruleth by his officers in his church . if church or ministry had an end , his kingdom had an end , and he raigned nor for ever , matth. 28.20 . lo , i am with you alway , even to the end of the world . to this express promise , clem. writer hath no wiser an answer , but that , [ it is conditional . if they teach men to observe all things that christ hath commanded , then he will be with them , else not . ] repl. this is your forgery : here is no such words ; but an absolute promise . his being with them , is to support and help them in his work . and will you feign christ to promise them help on condition they do it without ? the further cavils against this text and others , the london ministers in their vindication have answered at large , eph. 4.11 , 12 , 13. the pastors and teachers are given to the church for the perfecting of the saints , for the work of the ministry , for the edifying of the body of christ , till we all come in the unity of the saith , and of the knowledge of the son of god to a perfect man , &c. ] extraordinary and ordinary officers are here conjoyned , who between them are to perfect the building , the first laying the foundation , and the others building thereon , 1 tim. 6.13 , 14. i give thee charge in the sight of god — that thou keep this commandment without spot , unrebukable , unto the appearing of our lord jesus christ ] which must needs extend to his successors . the faithful and wise stewards that give the children their meat in due season , will be found so doing by the lord at his coming , luke 12.42 , 43. and it is not till the last day that christ will give up the kingdom to the father , 1 cor. 15.25 . 2. the apostles actually setled an ordinary ministry in their time , as is proved . 3. there are commands for setling successors of these , as 2 tim. 2.2 . tit. 1.5 . as is proved . 4. these ministers are described , and the way of their ordination setled by canons , 1 tim. 3. tit. 1. 5. we find the several angels of the churches in their places , revel. 2. & 3. and promises to some of them for the future , with a command [ hold fast till i come , 2.23 . ] and 3.10 . [ i will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come on all the world : behold , i come quickly . ] 6. christ hath commanded the ministerial work to continue to the end : as the preaching of the word must be to all nations and every creature , matth. 28.19 . mark 16.15 . and these most cruel men would have all the preachers give over their work , and leave the world to perish in infidelity . so for the assembling of our selves together , and exhorting one another , we are commanded not to forsake it , as is the manner of some , and so much the more , as we see the day approaching , heb. 10.23 , 24 , 25. so that the nearer we are to christs coming , the closer must we stick to church-communion and holy assemblies : considering that it s but a little while , and he that comes will come , and shall not tarry : ver. 37. god doth on purpose forbear his coming because he is long suffering , and will continue the means to call men to repentance , and then the day of the lord will come suddenly , 2 pet. 3.9 , 10. [ the word of the lord endureth for ever : and this is the word which by the gospel is preached to you , 1 pet. 1.25 . the lords supper is instituted to be used to shew the lords death till he come , 1 cor. 11.26 . church-government or discipline is a fixed ordinance , mat. 18.15 , 16 , 17. and if the work continue , the workmen must continue . 7. the mercy of god , and the efficacy of christs blood , and the necessities of the church continue : we still need a teaching ministry , heb. 5.11 . and for our need it is instituted till the church be perfect , that we be not as children toss'd up and down , eph. 4.13 , 14. what enemies to us and to the love and mercy of god are they that would perswade men that he so quickly withdrew so great a mercy , when the gifts and calling of god are without repentance ? 8. the law and its priesthood was not removed but by the glory of a better law and ministry : and christ is the mediator of a better covenant and promises , heb. 7.22 . & 8.7 , 8. therefore he will not deal so much worse . 9. christ telleth us that a wise man will consider whether he can go through with it , before he build or make war ? therefore he would not himself begin to build his church , and enter himself the captain of our salvation , and presently let his enterprize fall . 10. if the ministry continue not , then the church continueth not ; for as the head , liver , and stomack , or lungs are to the body , so is the ministry to the church , 1 cor. 12.13 , 19 , 20 , 28 , 29. they plant and water it , 1 cor. 3.6 . and build it , ver. 10. for how shall we believe on him of whom we have not heard , and how shall we hear without a preacher ? and how shall they preach unless they be sent ? rom. 10.14 . but the church doth continue : for first , else christ were no longer the head of it , the king , prophet , or priest , and so not christ : but he is a priest for ever , abiding continually : he continueth ever , and hath an unchangeable priesthood ; he ever liveth to make intercession for those that come to god by him , heb. 7.3 , 22 , 24 , 25. 2. those that deny the church , must needs deny themselves christians and members of that church . 3. there is no salvation promised but to the church , eph. 5.23 , 25 , 26 , 27. mark 16.16 . 4. blindness is on the jews but till the fulness of the gentiles be come in , and so all israel shall be saved : therefore it is most evident that the gentile church shall not cease till the fulness have prepared for the re-ingrassing of the jews , rom. 11.25 , 26. 5. it is an everlasting kingdom , which cannot be moved , and the city of the living god , the heavenly jerusalem , whereof even the angels and perfected spirits of the just are a part , to which we come by faith : therefore it ceaseth not , heb. 12.22 , 23 , 28. 6. when that which is perfect is come , then that which is in part shall be done away , 1 cor. 13.10 but not before . 11. if nothing can separate us from the love of god , no not any distress or tribulation , then are not all the ministers and church cut off , rom. 8.34 . to 39. yea , those that in all ages suffer for his sake are not cut off from him : but so many faithful ministers do . 12. but what should i say any more against that assertion which carrieth stark heathenism or infidelity in its forehead , reproaching christ as no christ , and teaching men that they are not bound to be christians , and believe the gospel , and perswading the world to despise christs messengers and ordinances ; and ministers to cast off their masters work ; which in two words is , to turn infidels , or apostates . i must refer you for my fuller answer to such men , to my book against infidelity . prop. 4. god hath in his law appointed a standing way for the calling of these ordinary teaching , ruling , worshipping ministers , in all ages ; and doth himself call them in this way . 1. he instituteth the office . 2. he commandeth that fit persons be ordained to this office . 3. he describeth them by their necessary qualifications . all this is at large , 1 tim 3. tit. 1. act. 20. 1 pet. 5. &c. this is his work by his standing law . by which also he commandeth the people to choose , consent to , or accept the fit , and to hear and obey them , acts 14.23 . 2 thes. 5.12 . acts 6.3 , 5. heb. 13.7 , 17. and then by providence , 1. he giveth them those gifts of the spirit that may competently qualifie them for their office . 2. he assisteth the choosers and ordainers to discern those qualifications , and do their duties . 3. he causeth some special fitness of a minister to the special province or charge , which he is to undertake , and special inviting occasions and opportunities , and oft-times causeth necessity to make the choice . 4. he coweth the heart of the person called to consent , and usually to desire the work , ( for the right ends . ) 5. and if he be called to be the pastor of a particular church ; he moveth the people to consent or accept him . and thus god according to his appointed order doth call his ministers . besides which , he afterward 1. helps them in his work 2. and procureth them liberty , and often furtherance from christian magistrates . 3. and giveth them success . proposition 5. the faithful pastors of the reformed churches , are these ordinary ministers of christ , approved by him , and given in great mercy to his people , who are bound to know , honour and obey them in the lord . i exclude not all others , but i now prove that these are true ministers . argument 1. they that have all that is essential to true ministers , are true ministers : but such are these pastors of the reformed churches : as i prove thus : if the office it self be of gods institution , and their qualifications competent , and their entrance right in every point of flat necessity , then they have all that is essential to true ministers : but the former is true , as i shall prove in the three several parts . 1. that the office it self is of gods appointment , is proved fully before , and confessed by all christians that ever i knew , acts 14.23 . 1 tim. 3. tit. 1. 1 pet. 5.1 , 2. 1 thes. 5.12 . heb. 13.7 , 17 , 24. acts 20.28 . 2. for qualifications , they have 1. competent knowledge , 2. and vtterance , 3. and godliness : and these are the qualifications that god accepteth , 1 cor. 12.8 . 1 tim. 2.15 . 1 tim. 5.17 . mark the canons of the holy ghost , 2 tim. 2.2 . they must be 1. faithful men , 2. able to teach others : but such are those in question , 1 tim. 3. a bishop must be blameless ( that is , not scandalous ) the husband of one wife , vigilant , sober , of good behaviour , given to hospitality , apt to teach , not given to wine , no striker , not greedy of filthy lucre , but patient , not a brawler , not covetous , one that ruleth well his own house , having his children in subjection , with all gravity . ] to which is added , tit. 1.8 , 9. a lover of good men , sober , just , holy , temperate , holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught , that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort , and to convince the gainsayers . ] let all here note , 1. that here is not only the mention of the vertues necessary to the being , but to the well-being also of a minister : 2. and yet through the great mercy of god , all these are the qualifications of multitudes of the pastors of the reformed churches , as malice it self must be forced to confess . but if any deny it of any particular men , as that is nothing to the rest ; so an unproved accusation is not by honest men to be believed . the world knows that the act for rejecting scandalous , insufficient , negligent ministers is very strict , and commissioners in each county forward to execute it , and ministers have enemies enough to search out their faults , and yet none are more forward then ministers themselves to have the act put in execution , so that their standing justifies them before the world : or , if any will yet deny them the necessary qualifications , i here challenge and provoke them to accuse all that are guilty , and cast them out ; or else to confess themselves meer slanderers , and backbiters , and learn more truth and modesty hereafter . 3. and for the third point , their entrance into the office : they have all that god hath made necessary to a just entrance , as i prove : they that have a true ordination , and the peoples consent , and the magistrates allowance , have all that god hath made necessary to a just entrance , and more then all : but the said pastors of the reformed churches have true ordination , and the peoples consent , and the magistrates allowance : that they have true ordination , i shall shew anon in answering all that can be said against it . the peoples consent , by electing , or accepting is known by the fact : and so is the magistrates by law and fact : i put in all this ▪ though more then necessary , that all objections may be satisfied at once : so that the enumerations being unquestionable , the conclusion is so to . in short : all those are true ministers , that are in an office of gods own institution , and are competently fitted for that office by knowledge , godliness , and vtterance , and have all , and more then all that god hath made necessary to a right entrance or admission , even true ordination , consent of the flock , and the magistrates allowance . but such are the said pastors of the reformed churches , therefore they are true ministers of christ . argument 2. those that have not only the essentials , but excell all other ministers on earth ( that are known to the world ) are certainly the true ministers of christ . but such are the ministers before mentioned of the reformed churches , ergo . this will be proved at once with the next , which is , argument 3. either these pastors of the reformed churches , are the true ministers of christ , or else there are none such visible in the world : but there are such visibly and certainly in the world , as was proved : else there is no church , no ordinances , no christianity , no christ : for he can be no king without subjects and laws : no master without a school and scholars : no physitian without patients : no husband without his spouse : no head without a body : no intercessor without a church to intercede for . and to believe the holy catholick church , and the communion of saints , is part of our belief and therefore the christian faith is gone if these be gone . and that either we , or none are christs true ministers , i prove thus : 1. we challenge the adversary to name us the true church and ministry ; if these be none of them , where be they , and who are they ? speak out , or give up your wicked cause . if you know not who they be or where , then how know you that there are any such ? true ministers are like a light that shineth to all the house , even the lights of the world , and like a city on a hill that cannot be hid , matth. 5.14 , 15 , 16. 2. but let us try the particulars : 1. the seekers have no church or ministry . 2. the quakers have no ordination , that we know of , and are every way so unworthy , and had no being in the world till a few years ago , that he is either no christian , or of a crazed brain , that thinks christ hath no church or ministry but them . 3. the anabaptists , socinians , swenkfeldians , familists , paracelsians , weigelians , and such like , have no more to shew for their ministry and churches then we , but their errors ; and are so few and so lately sprung up , that of them also i may say , that he that takes them for the only church , or ministers , is either out of the faith , or much out of his wits . 4. the eastern and southern churches have no more to shew for their ministry and churches then we : but are incomparably more ignorant . , and erroneous : few of them doing more then read their liturgies and homilies , and so administer the sacraments . 5. all the controversie therefore lyeth between us and the papists . either they are true ministers and a church , or not . if not , then it s left to us . if they are , then we are so much more . for we have much more unquestionable evidence of our title . 1. the office of a t●aching , guiding , worshiping presbyter which we are in , is beyond all question , and yielded by themselves , to be of divine institution . but the office of a mass-priest , to make a god of a piece of bread , and turn bread into flesh , so that there shall be quantity , colour , taste , &c. without bread , or any subject ; and a mans eyes , tast , or feeling shall not know that its bread or wine , when we see , taste , and feel it ; as also to celebrate publike worship in an unknown tongue ; this office is more questionable then ours . 2. it remaineth a great doubt , whether the pope be not the antichrist : but of our ministry there 's no such doubt . 3. for knowledge , godliness and utterance , and all true ministerial abilities , as it s well known what an ignorant rabble their common secular mass-priests are , so those military fryers and jesuites that are chosen of purpose to play their game among us , and credit their cause : if they have any reliques of truth or modesty , will confess that the generality of our ministers are much beyond theirs for parts and piety ; or at least , that we cannot be denied to be true ministers for want of necessary abilities : we should rejoyce if their ministers , priests , or jesuites were neer of such piety as those of the reformed churches . some of their jesuites and fryers are learned men : in which also we have those that equal the best of them : but for the learning , ability , or piety of the common ministers on both sides , there is no comparison to be made . 4. all the question then is of the way of entrance . and there 1. the papists seek not the peoples consent so much as we do . 2. they despise the magistrates consent , in comparison of us . 3. and for ordination , which is it that all the stress must be laid on , we have it , and neerer the rule of god then they . are 〈◊〉 ordained with fasting , prayer , and imposition of hands ? so are we . m 〈…〉 it be by one of a superiour order ? who then shall ordain or consecrate the pope ? and yet a multitude of our ministers are ordained 〈◊〉 bishops , if that be necessary : but the great objection is , that we have not an uninterrupted succession from the apostles , and so those that ordained us had no power ; and therefore could not give it to us . proposition 6. the want of an uninterrupted succession , and so of power in the ordainers doth not disable our title to the ministry , or set us in a worse condition then the papists . for if it be only the succession of possession of the office , there is no man of brains can deny , but we have an uninterrupted succession down from the apostles . but if it be a succession of right ordination that is questioned , 1. the papists have none such themselves . 2. we have more of it then they . 3. it is not necessary that this be uninterrupted . all these i prove : 1. the popes themselves from whom their power flows , have been hereticks , denied the immortality of the soul , whoremongers , sodomites , simonists , murderers , so that for many of them successively the papists confess they were apostatical , and not apostolical : see in their own writers the lives of silve. . 2. alexand. 3 & 6. john 13. & 22. & : 23. greg. 7. vrban . 7. and abundance more . joh. 13. was proved in council to have ravished maids and wives at the apostolick doors , murdered many , drunk to the devil , askt help at dice of jupiter and venus : and was kill'd in the act of adultery . read the proofs in my book against popery , pag. 269 , 270 , 255 , 101. the council at pisa deposed two popes at once , called them hereticks departed from the faith . the council at constance deposed joh. 23. as holding that there was no eternal life , immortality of the soul or resurrection : the council at basil deposed eugenius 4. as a simonist and perjured wretch , a schismatick , and obstinate heretick . now these men are uncapable of the ministry , as an infidel is , for want of essential qualifications : as copper is no currant coyn , though the stamp of the prince against his will be put upon it : undisposed matter cannot receive the form . a fit man unordained is neerer the ministry , then such a man ordained . so that here was a nullity . 2. and all the following popes were the successors of eugenius , that was deposed and thus judged by a general council ; but by force brought them to submit and held the place . 3. either the election , ordination , or both is it that giveth them the essence of their papacy . if election , then there hath been a long interruption : for somewhile the people chose , and in other ages the emperors chose , and in these times the cardinals ; and therefore some of them had no lawful choyce : and for ordination , or consecration . 1. there have been three or four popes at once , and all were consecrated , that yet are now confessed to have been no true popes . 2. inferiours only consecrated . 3. and such as had no power themselves . besides that , the sea hath been very many years vacant , and some score years the pope hath been at avignion , and had but the name of p. of rome . and when three or four have been pope at once , bellarmine confesseth , learned men knew not which was the right , yea , general councils knew not . the council at basil thought faelix the fifth was the right pope , but it proved otherwise , so that many palpable intercisions have been made at rome . 2. our ordination hath been less interrupted then theirs . object . but you are not ordained by bishops . answ . 1. almost all in england are till of late , if that will serve . 2. presbyters may or●●●● in case of necessity , as the generality of the old episcopal men grant , and their ordination is not null . 3. presbyters have power to ordain , and were restrained only from the exercise by humane laws , as many of the schoolmen confess . 4. presbyters have still ordained with the bishop : therefore they had authority to it , and the work is not alien to their function . 5. our parish presbyters are bishops , having some of them assistants , and deacons under them . or as grotius notes , at least , they are so , as being the chief guides of that church : their own rule is , that every city should have a bishop : and every corporation is truly a city , {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} {non-roman} , and therefore must have a bishop . 6. the jus divinum of prelacy is lis sub judice . 7. bishop vsher maintaining to me the validity of the ordination of the presbyters without a bishop , told me how he answered king c. who askt him for an instance in church-history , viz. that hierom ad evag. tels us of more ; that the presbyters of alexandria , till the dayes of heroclas and dionysius took one from among themselves , and made him bishop : therefore they may make a presbyter , which is less . 8. it s at last confessed , that in scripture-times there were no presbyters under bishops , but the single churches had single pastors . 9. no man can prove ordination by fixed bishops over many churches ( now called diocesan ) in the first age : the fixed bishops had no more at first but single churches . object . but you never received power from the bishop to ordain : and therefore cannot have that which was never given you . answ . if they put men into that office , to which god hath affixed the power of ordination , then they do their part to convey the power . as if you marry a couple , and express not the mans authority over the woman , yet he hath it nevertheless by being made her husband . so he that is made a pastor in city or country , may do the work of a pastor , though each particular was not named . proposition 7. ordination is ordinarily necessary as a means of our right entrance , but not absolutely necessary to the being of our office or power . for 1. god , having already settled the office , duty , and power , and what qualifications shall be necessary , and giving these qualifications to men , he hath left nothing to man but mutual consent , and to judge of the person qualified , and solemnly introduce him . 2. god hath not tyed himself or us absolutely to the ●udgement of ordainers . if a bishop ordain a heathen , or any man void of essential qualifications , its null , as being against a flat command of god : and if bishops refuse to ordain us pastors , the people must take them without : because the command of preaching , hearing , sacraments , &c. is greater then that of ordination , and before it . positives yield to natural morals , and matters of order to the substance and end of the duty ordered . see my christian concord , pag. 82 , 83 , 84. 3. ordination is no more necessary to the ministry then baptism to christianity . as those that are first princes by title , must be crowned , and those that are souldiers by contract , must be listed and take colours , and those that are husband and wife by contract , must be solemnly married , which are celebrating , perfecting actions ; so they that are first heart-christians by believing , or by parents dedicating them to god , must be solemnly entred under the hand of the minister : and those that are by approbation and consent initially ministers , must by solemnization have the office publikely delivered them by the ministers of christ . so that as a man is a christian indeed before baptism initially , and is justified initially before , and in case of necessity may be saved without it ( the papists confessing that the vow will serve ) so is it in the case of ordination to the ministry . proposition 8. it is only christ and not the ordainers , people or magistrates that give us our office and power : only the people and approvers design the person which shall receive it from christ : and our own consent , and the peoples is of necessity thereto ( and our own much as theirs ) and the ordainers do instrumentally invest us in it : but the power and duty arise directly from gods institution , when the person is designed . now i proceed to prove our calling . argument 4. we have a far clearer call then the priests before christ had to the priesthood : for they were not of the true line : they bought the priesthood : they corrupted the doctrine and worship , and were of wicked lives . and yet christ commanded submission to their ministry , ergo . argument 5. if we have as clear a call to our office as any magistrates on earth have to theirs , then we are true ministers of christ . for they are true magistrates : and god is the fountain of their power too : and its impossible they should have any but from him . or from him but by his means . officers have no power but from the soveraign . the prince was at first chosen by god , immediately , as well as the apostles were by christ , yet no prince can plead an uninterrupted succession thence : and if they may reign without it , we may be pastors without it : and yet i cannot say that we are without it , though princes be . kings were formerly anointed by inspired prophets , and were prophets themselves . and as the continuance of this is not necessary to them , so neither to us . the differences between their power and ours , makes nothing against this argument : if conquest , or the peoples consent , or birth , or directing providences can prove their title , then consent , ordination , providence , with due qualifications , will sure prove ours : were it not for fear , they should soon hear the arguments more set home against themselves , that are now bent against the ministers . argument 6. if besides all this god own us by such a blessing on our labours , that he maketh us the means of propogating and continuing his gospel and church , and brings most of his chosen to vnion with christ , reconciliation , holiness , and to heaven by our ministry , then certainly we are his true ministers ; but experience assureth us of the former : therefore — so much for argument . proposition 9. if a minister be in quiet possession of the place , and fit for it , the people are bound to obey him as a minister , wi●hout knowing that he was justly ordained or called . argum. 1. we must obey a magistrate without assurance of his call and title , rom. 13. therefore a minister . 2. christ commanded hearing and obeying them that were not called as god appointed : because they were priests , or sat in moses chair , and taught the truth , luke 16.29 . matth. 23.2 . luke 5.14 . matth. 8.4 . mark 1.44 . 3. else the people are put upon impossibilities : can all the poor people tell before they submit to minister , what is essential to his call , and whether he have all that is so , and whether his orders be true or forged , and whether they that ordained him were truly ordained , or chosen themselves ? not one of twenty thousand knows all this by their pastors . proposition 10. the ordinances are valid to the people when the minister is uncalled and unordained , if they know it not : he that hath no just call , shall answer for what he doth as an intruder ; but the people shall have for all that the fruit of his ministration ; and preaching , and baptism , and other acts shall not be null to them . 1. the papists themselves confess this . 2. else scarce a man could tell whether he be baptized , or may use any ordinance because he cannot have an exact account of the ministers call , no nor know that he is indeed a christian , i knew divers in the bishops daies that forged themselves orders , and acted long before it was discovered . 3. it is the office which is gods ordinance , that is blest , and valid to the people , and not his call only . 4. it is he that sinneth that must suffer , and not the innocent ; therefore his sin depriveth them not of their due . 5. as an usurping magistrate oweth us protection , though he shall answer for his usurpation : so an usurping minister oweth us his labour ; so that the people are bound to hear and obey men , when they are uncertain of their due call , if they possess the place : and shall have the blessing of such administrations . for we are sure the office and work is of god . proposition 11. the truth of our doctrine depends not on our calling . were we no ministers , we can prove the gospel true which we deliver . and any man must be believed , that brings a truth that concerneth our peace . therefore let quakers , and seekers , and papists first disprove our doctrine if they can : and not cheat the people by perswading them that our calling must first be proved ; as a prophets must be . object . but you have your learning only from books , and vniversities : and so have not true ministers . answ . we have it from god in the use of his means , even by prayer , reading , study , & learning his works & word of our teachers , whether at universities or elswhere . and we are commanded to study and meditate on these things , and give our selves wholly to them , and to meditate on gods law day and night , psal. 1.2 . 2 tim 2.15 1 tim. 4.13 , 15. christs ministers must be teachers or tutors to others , and commit the things which they have heard to faithful men , who shall be able to teach others also , 2 tim. 2.2 . good ministers of christ are nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine , and so attain to it , 1 tim. 4.6 . all should learn according to their time of teaching , heb. 5.11 , 12 , 14. we study nothing but the word , and works of god : and is not that a wretch and not a man that will reproach us as no ministers , for doing that which we have our reason for , and which must be the work of our lives ! poor christians , as you love god and your souls , and would not cast off christ and heaven , let not deceivers draw you to cast off the ministry , scripture , or the ordinances of god . octob. 23. 1657. finis . the defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, an account of the matter of their nonconformity against mr. j. cheney's answer called the conforming nonconformist, and the nonconforming conformist : to which is added the second part in answer to mr. cheney's five undertakings / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1680 approx. 300 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 97 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26911 wing b1238 estc r10601 12386161 ocm 12386161 60850 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26911) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60850) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:9) the defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, an account of the matter of their nonconformity against mr. j. cheney's answer called the conforming nonconformist, and the nonconforming conformist : to which is added the second part in answer to mr. cheney's five undertakings / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [14], 176 p. printed for benjamin alsop ..., london : 1680. reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng baxter, richard, 1615-1691. -nonconformists plea for peace. j. c. -(john cheyney). -conforming nonconformist and the nonconforming conformist. dissenters, religious -england. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-06 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2004-06 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the defence of the nonconformists plea for peace , or an account of the matter of their nonconformity , against mr. cheney's answer , called the conforming nonconformist , and the nonconforming conformist . to which is added the second part in answer to mr. cheney's five undertakings . by richard baxter . london , printed for benjamin alsop , at the angel over against the stocks-market . 1680. the preface . reader , too many of the contentions of this age do tell the world how much the several parties differ in piety and malignity , humility and pride , love and malice , meekness and cruelty ; but i think verily the controversie here managed between this brother and me , doth but tell you how weak and fumbling a thing mans understanding is here in the flesh , and what great diversity of apprehensions all men have in many things , who agree in the main ; and how diversity of lights or appearances , may cause great and confident contrariety of judgments , yea , and changes in the same person . the difference between paul and barnabas , and peter and paul. gal. 2. tell us how far the best of mortals are from perfection . our difference i think is not caused by contrariety of worldly interests , ( which yet divided even abraham's family and lot's , and much worse , joseph's brethren from him ) for as neither of us have any great matters of worldly wealth , but our daily bread ( which is enough , ) so i am perswaded that he seeketh no such thing , and i am sure i cannot if i would , who daily expect to give up my account , and carry about me a thorn in the flesh , enough to cure at least the expectation of fleshly and worldly pleasure and prosperity . read not therefore these books , as the conflict of enemies , but as the consultation of unfeigned loving friends who fain would understand the truth : you see he abhorreth the silencing or persecuting the ministers of england for nonconformity : yea , and all disaffection on such accounts . and though i shew the great mistakes in his writing , impute them not to the habitual weakness of his judgment ; but 1 to the badness of his cause . 2 to the newness and crudity of his thoughts about it : for though he hath been long a publick conforming minister , yet it is but lately that he hath received the satisfaction which he here expressed , being before purposed no more to declare or subscribe what he here defendeth : and new thoughts are seldom well digested . i speak this the rather because some say that he is an honest weak man , that hath shewed his good will to defend their cause , but was not able to do it as it will shortly be done by some greater men that are about it . but my opinion is that his concessions and coming so near the truth doth give him so much advantage against us , that the ablest of them that stand at a greater distance , are like the more to marr their matter , and assault us with less success than he . and i advise his reader to pardon such slips in the book which i confute , as concern not much the cause in hand , but are only the oversights of the well meaning author . as when pag. 8. he distributeth the learned ministry into several degrees ; of which one is such as have no learning , and another such as have a little , &c. it 's easie to know that this was a meer oversight . and in his supplement pag. 145. when he saith [ god himself doth assent and consent to the use of all the lyes and wickednesses of men and devils ] . it 's like the reader will think that he meaneth by the use , that [ men and devils use to lye and do wickedness , ] or act these sins : if so , it were odious blasphemy indeed : but by conference i have cause to believe that the author's judgment is sound in those points ; and therefore that it is but an heedless speech , and that he meaneth no more but that [ god consenteth when lyes and wickednesses are committed that men make good use of them in esse cognito , ] as to repent of them or hate them or take warning to avoid the like ; and that god himself will use them as occasions of some accidental good ; as sickness is used to honour the skill of the physician : and that the word assent slipt in because his cause was in his thoughts . if you say , this is a ridiculous equivocation : to make such use of the liturgie in esse cognito as to hate it , or perswade from it , no enemy will deny ; but what is that to using it ? to use the liturgie is to read and practise it , and so to use lying and wickedness is to lye and do wickedly : that which you call sin objective in esse cognito is not sin indeed , but the idea of it : but it is the real liturgie which we must make a covenant to use . ans. and who can manage an ill cause without somewhat that is too like it ? and who doth any thing which needeth no repentance or amendment ? and who is so wise as to speak wisely at all times ? let us pity one another , and pray for a teachable mind , and long for the world of concord in perfection . o how much harder is it to justifie proud schismatical silenccers and persecutors of the just , than to excuse the failings of the weak ! and with how great a difference shall they be shortly judged , as sure as there is a day of judgment to be expected ! yea , how much easier will it be for sodom and gomorrah , for indians and americans at that day , than for those that malignantly oppressed men of most serious piety , and fought against christ as by his own pretended authority , and in his name . the contents of the following book . chap. i. the occasions and reasons of answering mr. ch's . book . chap. ii. of reordination , equally sinfull with rebaptization in the judgment of greg. m. § 1. the ordination required , supposed the persons were not ordained before . § 3. mr. chey's . exceptions , glosses , &c. removed . § 4 , 5. chap. iii. of the several orders of ministers . mr. ch's . trifling in the ambiguity of the word order noted . § 2. 3. chap. iv. of the bishop's oath to the arch-bishop . chap. v. of the oath of canonical obedience . chap. vi. of the words receive ye the holy ghost . 5 sorts of mission or commission given by christ to his ministers . chap. vii . mr. c ' s 6. section answered . i. e. with pity : concerning those words to the people . to come forth and make their exceptions to the person ordained . chap. viii . of the damnatory clauses in the athanasian creed . chap. ix . about the certainty of baptized infants salvation made an article of faith . mr. c. gives no answer to mr. b's objections . § 1. bishop of ely ' s judgment . § 3. a case put at the conference at the savoy , with bishop sanderson ' s answer . ibid. reply to that answer , with bishop morley's return to it , and the removal of that return . ibid. chap. x. about coming to the sacrament of the lords supper without a full trust in gods mercy , and a quiet conscience . chap. xi . of the use of the apocryphal writings as they are imposed by the calendar and rubrick , to be approved of and consented to . chap. xii . concerning consenting to the imposition of reading the liturgy every day . chap. xiii . about denying christian burial to unbaptized infants and persons excommunicated . chap. xiv . touching confirmation . chap. xv. whether we may declare our consent that none should be admitted to the communion , till he be confirmed , or desirous and ready to be confirmed ? chap. xvi . concerning the sole sponsion of god-fathers in the liturgie . chap. xvii . concerning the imposing of kneeling at the lords supper . chap. xviii . of the cross in baptism . as a consecrating , dedicating sign . § 1. reasons against it . ibid. the silence of christ in this matter . 2. it seemeth to accuse christ's law of imperfection . 3. christ commissioned not his apostles to institute any new sacrament of the covenant of grace . whether it be made a sacrament . § 2. of gods prohibition . 12 deut. of adding or diminishing . § 3. mr. c's argumentum ad hominem considered § 4. the antient christians practise . § 5. mr. c's objection removed . § 6. the meaning of the second commandment in forbidding images . § 7. mr cheney's concession . § 8. a full explication of the nature of that sign . § 9. answer to the great bishops notions . § 10. of the efficacy of sacraments , from aquinas . &c. § 11. more objections answered , and cavils removed . § 12. &c. chap. xix . about giving the sacrament to all parishioners thrice a year . chap. xx. of accusing those that are refused the communion within 14 dayes . the true case of the parish minister's power to suspend his own act , and not give the sacrament against his conscience in 22 particulars . § 2. chap. xxi . of the chancellor's office . of mr. c. thirteen parts of discipline . § 2. proved to be defective . § 3. objection answered . § 4. what power the parish minister hath in publishing an excommunication . § 5. chap. xxii . of the surplice . chap. xxiii . of the rule for finding easter day . chap. xxiv . concerning our assenting , consenting to , and approving of the many disorders and defects in the liturgy . chap. xxv . whether we may assent to the preface for justifying all that was in the book before ? chap. xxvi . whether the act of uniformity be any part of the book to which we are required to give our consent ? chap. xxvii . about declaring it unlawful to take arms by the kings authority against any commissionated by him . chap. xxviii . of the obligation of the covenant handled at large . per tot . chap. xxix . about the exposition of oaths and laws . chap. xxx . several false devices of mr. ch. for stretching of subscriptions , covenants , and professions . the vanity of which is discovered . chap. xxxi . mr. cheney ' s conclusion evidenced to be a bundle of mistakes and impertinencies . chap. xxxii . a full and clear answer to mr. ch's . supplement . the second part . mr. cheney's five undertakings considered . 1 quest. whether it be certain by gods word that infants baptized dying before actual sin be undoubtedly saved ? 2 quest. whether may unconverted ones within the church demand and receive the lords supper ? 3 quest. whether a minister may put from the sacrament those of his parish who be christned people , and come to church , and joyn in the publick worship , and tender themselves to receive , being under no sentence of excommunication ? 4 quest. whether the common sort of ungodly christians are to be cast out of the church by penal excommunication , and used as excommunicate ones ? 5 quest. whether mr. baxter's doctrine and principles concerning particular churches be sound and good ? a defence of the non-conformist's plea for peace , against mr. j. cheny , the non-conforming conformist . chap. i. § 1. dear brother , i have diligently read and considered your book , and think it my duty to give a short account of the effect . i have reproved many that blame you for not telling me first of it , and knowing what i could say to it , before you ventured to publish it ; 1. because of our true love and acquaintance : 2. because a man should be willing to try and hear the utmost , before he engage too deep : 3. because if you mistake , it is many and heinous sins that you may be guilty of , by hardening multitudes in impenitency . to which i answer then , 1. i consulted not you before i wrote , and why then must you needs consult me . 2. a wise man can conjecture what may be said against him , without asking . 3. you might suspect some hinderance to that which you judged a necessary duty . 4. you have heard and read what the non-conformists say , as i did what the conformists say , without any further consultation . but i am most impatient with them that suspect your intention and design , and do hereby profess to them that know you not so well as i do , that i do from my heart believe you to be a better man than my self , of good judgment in other things , of greater meekness , patience , humility and self-denyal ; and do verily believe that your end was to promote christian love and concord ( which was mine . ) and as i wrote to cure mens uncharitable thoughts of the non-conformists ; so did you , to cure or prevent mens thinking worse of the conformists than they do deserve ; an end that 's good and necessary . § 2. but our measures of understanding are so various , that it is no wonder that we differ about the means : and therefore lest i should be guilty , 1. of deserting the truth , and cause of righteousness . 2. and of the loss of the plaister which i made to heal the ulcerated minds of the haters and reproachers , and silencers of them that deserve it not . 3. and of the sin of such as be drawn by your book to that which hath the aggravations which i named , and fear my self , i shall take the freedom of telling you and others , my thoughts of your performance in your book . § 3. i. i perceive it is not your design to draw any man into so much conformity as will procure him allowance in the publick approved ministry : and then what the better will the church be for his change in all the rest , while one point of non-conformity will keep him out as well as a hundred ? for 1. you profess that you cannot justifie all , though you fain would . 2. you over-pass some in your defence . 3. you call your self a non-conforming conformist . 4. you are fain to fly from your country , being an excommunicate man , and to live in a poor condition among strangers , to keep out of the goal , to avoid the writ de excommunicato capiendo ; and yet you lived under the worthy and learned bishop pearson , accounted one of the most moderate and best in england . and what good would so much conformity do the church ? can we serve them in a prison any better than non-conformists may ? but let us consider of your defence it self . § 4. ii. you would have your reader have my book before him , and you profess to answer it ; and yet you profess so far to lay it by your self , as 1. to omit answering a great part of it , especially which justifieth our preaching and assemblies ( yea i think you plead for them ; ) and my large answer to the charge of schism you seem to approve , which we accept , and so that is no part of our controversie . § 5. 2. but you also avoid the defence of the corporation declaration , which is a matter of so great importance to all the cities and corporations of england , as perhaps may prove more considerable than the silencing of a thousand of the best preachers among us for non-conformity . but i blame you not for not doing more than you are able . § 6. 3. but why did you avoid the order of my book 's objections ? and also the answering of any chief intimated reasons ( while yet i did but intimate some few disclaiming argumentations ? ) why do you tell us , that you take them as you remember them , without the book , and satisfie your own conscience , while you seem to answer the book ? and what drew you to begin with reordination ( which none of the antient non-conformists are put upon ? ) but your disclaiming to defend the oxford-oath , and your profession that some part of the subscriptions and declarations by the law enjoyned to ministers , you never made your self , doth bid us to believe you , that it is to draw men to think mildly of conscientious conformists , that you write , if not to judge conformity lawful , and a duty in case of silencing , &c. ] and i doubt not but you will so far prevail . but when you tell us of a noble man impeached of treason , that made it his business only to put by that charge , you may remember that when the great and good duke of sommerset had so done , and the shout was made for his being found not guilty , he was yet ( though the king's uncle and protector ) beheaded as a felon : such a justification doth little good . and you say truly [ i am not to yield to the smallest sin to save my life . ] § 7. i see not how this agreeth with what you say , after that mens weakness and ignorance may make it their duty of two perceived sins proposed to them , to take the safer side , and that is to avoid the greater ] answ. . doubtless it is a gross contradiction to say , it is a duty to choose , or not avoid the least sin : for that is no sin which a man is not bound to avoid ; and undoubtedly when two sins are proposed , every man is bound to avoid both , though not as equal with equal zeal : and god never necessitateth man to choose either , or not to avoid both : but if our own badness disable us from avoiding both , we must be most careful to avoid the greater . i cannot pray without sinful dulness , or imperfection of faith : but i must rather avoid a total omission than imperfect performance , for all the faults are eminently in this . no sin is to be done on pretence of avoiding a greater sin : but sometime the avoiding of a great sin , may make another thing ( e.g. the omission of that which else would have been a duty ) to be then no sin , that else would have been a sin. negative commands bind ad semper . § 8. you say , if the non-conformist err , it is on many accounts a safe error , because it is confessedly a refusal to subscribe and conform to a number of things in their own nature indifferent : rigid conformists confess them to be but trifles comparatively , the church might be without them and yet do well : and moderate conformists confess them to be burdensom , and the church might be and do better without them , or if they were left to each man's choice and will. answ. but if we prove them far from indifferent , non-conformity will prove a necessary and great duty : however , i doubt the imposers will give you as little thanks for this description of the case , as they do us for non-conformity ▪ specially when you add that for this , [ we are thought seditious , factious , schismatical , worthy to be silenced , imprisoned , anathematized , and used as intolerable . ] they will not love the glass that sheweth them such a face as you dislikingly describe . especially when you tell them that you [ are satisfied that it is in it self a great and dreadful sin , to silence the non-conformists , and do by them as hath been for these many years . ] and [ blame those loose conscienced men , who think that their humours , opinions , lusts , and proud and imperious wills , are fit to be the standard of unity , uniformity , and edification to all the churches . ] this is but cold pleading for conformity . chap. ii. § 1. you begin with reordination . and , 1st . i told you how the church in all ages hath commonly abhorred it : the canons , called the apostles , depose both the ordainer that doth it , and the ordained . gregory magnus , equalleth it with twice baptism ( which perhaps you may think lawful too ) you are for it upon reason toties quoties . you tell us how loth we should be as to condemn that which so many worthy men held as were the old conformists : and may not i tell you that you should be more cautelous how you contradict all ages of the church , even to this day . § 2. had you heard as great a man as i have done , declare that he could not take them for ministers , or take the sacrament of them that had not episcopal ordination ; and had you heard my l. chancellor hide give such reasons openly for re-ordination as i did ; and had you seen the writings of so learned a bishop as i have seen , to prove such no ministers as are ordained but by presbyters , and heard such men , and so many argue for it as i have done , you could not have thought that the judgment of those that impose reordination , was , or is , that men are true ministers of christ that are ordained by presbyters only ? so that your sense of the imposition is feigned . § 3. it is a known thing that the church of england is not of your singular opinion for reordination : you may as well feign them to be for rebaptizing : they all renounce it with our consent : therefore they that require men to be ordained by bishops , must needs hold that they had no true ordination before ; or else they should be for that which they abhor . so that it 's past doubt , you talk of you know not what , when you make this to be but the singular opinion of one mr. dodwel , disowned by all ; though much in his book besides , be by most disowned : and it is not every later bishop that made the law , or altered the liturgy , § 4. you say that [ ordination once validly done by eminent presbyters , and grave substantial ministers , it doth to all intents and purposes make him a compleat minister . ] and elsewhere you maintain the validity of presbyters ordination : and say , that it is a taking god's name in vain , when it is done without urgent reasons . ] i have moved to you , that the present imposers suppose the contrary , ( and i think , considering how much the king and parliament left to the judgment of the convocation ) the present settlement proveth what was the convocations judgment , who are the present church of england's representative . ) they that are against reordaining , and yet call men to be ordained , certainly judge them unordained before : and you are to take your ordination , and speak the words in the known sense of the imposers ; or else you equivocate : and what reasons have you to deceive them ? at least it is notorious scandal to seem to do it in an ill sense . and when you pretend that your ministry else must be forsaken , we say , no : it is but to save you from suffering for your ministration , as long as you can use it on suffering terms : and you have not escaped suffering , nor saved your ministry by conforming . if you would rather suffer , than not preach to non-conformists when you had an allowed church of conformists , should not we rather suffer than by our reordination submit to that which is the churches or laws publick professing that we were no ordained ministers of christ before ? when after that we have never the more liberty for our ministry , unless we conform to all the rest . i remember three worthy men re-ordained one fourteen , and two seventeen years ago , that had never the more liberty to preach . § 5. you say that [ ordination by eminent and senior presbyters is episcopal ordination , though not in the vulgar sense . for a bishop and presbyter in the sense of scripture are the same ] ans. . remember this when you subscribe to the distinction of order . and i believe you cannot name two bishops in england ( if one ) that had a vote in parliament and convocation for making the imposing laws that were of your mind : nor two that will now say , that it is lawful to be twice ordained presbyter : and remember 1. that it is the act of uniformity that requireth this last ordination . 2. that the bishop of london , of lincoln , of hereford , came into their places since ; and were none of the legislators . § 6. you say [ if the presbyters excel those bishops , ordination by them is more excellent than by these ] ans. . and yet can you assert that they are distinct orders , when the power of ordaining is made the chief part of the bishops order ? i that am against you stick at this somewhat more than you , when the law and canon make the bishop of the quorum . and as i was ordained by a bishop ; so i never joyned with presbyters in ordaining any man , nor did venture to lay hands on any in an ordination . chap. iii. § 1. your second section is of our assent to the words in the book of ordination of the notoreity of the antiquity of the three distinct orders . and 1. you justifie it by telling us that [ difference of holiness , wisdom , usefulness may be said to make different orders . ] but this is too lusory in a serious business . words of art or science are to be understood according to the use of the men of that art or science : and the many old school disputes , and controversal writers tell us long ago , how they understood the word [ orders ] as offices in specie differing from degrees in the same species . in your equivocal sense you say true , that there are more than three orders , or threescore : yea , in the usual sense of old they had seven orders , and yet they held bishops and presbyters to be but one of the seven ; as i shewed you out of spelman in aelfrick's canons of this church of england , in the very times of popery . § 2. you say you make it not an article of your faith , that this sense of episcopacy is evident to all men that diligently read scripture and antient writers . ] but the question is , whether you assent to it , ( or more ? ) if not , how can you say you do ? the bishop of hereford in naked truth hath given you some reasons of dissent , and bishop usher , and many such have done so before him . § 3. whether you hit their sense or not , gather by what i said to your former point of re-ordaining . chap. iv. § 1. you next choose to speak of our assent and consent to the bishop's oath [ to subject himself in obedience to the arch-bishop , and to his seat or metropolitan church , and to his successors . ] and you tell us that all men are bound to subject themselves one to another : this again is too gross equivocating . do you believe that this is the species of subjection , which is meant in the book and oath ? § 2. you better tell us , that being episcopus primae sedis , he may be reverenced as the fore-man of a iury. ] but is this obeying him , and his church and successors ? is not this also equivocation ? do they swear obedience to the fore-man and his successors ? ] § 3. your best answer is , it is enjoyned by authority . ] and if it were but obeying them in civils , or circa sacra , in matters determinable by the king ; this answer had much in it : b●● when it is intended to be in the exercise of the word , and keys , and matters which christ hath predetermined , those non-conformists that are not for the divine right of arch-bishops , cannot assent and consent to it : and those of them that are for it , do ( with you ) hold that there should be parochial bishops , or to every church ; and that those that you call diocesans are indeed arch-bishops : and they are not for arch-bishops over arch-bishops , lest it lead you to a pope , ( as he was in the empire at least . ) § 4. and successions so often prove unhappy , that we like not setting up one church over another to the end of the world , when we cannot justifie it at all . they that are ( contrary to the carthage fathers ) for a bishop of bishops , would yet have him their ruler but as an arch-bishop , as general officers in an army over the colonels , but not that our church shall be set over many others ; much less to swear to unknown successors . § 5. and i told you divers old councils condemned bishops swearing inferiours to them , as the cause of many mischiefs ; and sad experience taught them to make that canon . chap. v. § 1. next you speak of the oath or covenant of canonical obedience : and you 1. doubt whether it be an oath . in the act of ordination it is but a covenant : but ( what they do now ) i know not ; but heretofore it was also imposed as an oath . you tell me of my concessions : i grant that ●o far as they exercise but such power as belongeth to officers of the king , we may obey him in covenanting to obey them . but it is in the exercise of the keys proper to christ's special officers , that the book meaneth , which you assent to ; even in matters of sacred guidance , excommunication and absolution . and you say nothing to satisfie 1. those that are under obtruded and unlawful bishops , that come in so contrary to christ's and the old churches order , as that the old canons decree them to be no bishops ▪ 2. nor to satisfie those that think chancellors use of the keys to be unlawful . 3. nor those that think that officials , surrogates , commissaries , arch-deacons , being no bishops , have no just power but what the king may give them , and not a superior power of the keys ( see dr. hammond's explication of it . ) § 2. but after you think that none but the bishop is the ordinary ; but the church-laws and common use contradict you , and call all these , when judges of the court , your ordinaries . § 3. and i told you ( which you pass over ) that this is condemned by the decrees of antient councils as a mischievous thing . § 4. you say , it binds us not to obey the canons , else the oath of allegiance would bind us to it , and all the statute-laws . ] answ. this hath more seeming strength than the rest . but 1. if it did hold , it removeth but one branch of the difficulty . 2. and indeed he that sweareth obedience to the king , doth swear to obey him according to the law : and so he that sweareth obedience to the bishop , may mean more , and include mandates ; but he cannot reasonably mean less , and exclude the governing laws . but yet as we never meant that the king's laws are all blameless , or that we will obey them if they command us to sin against god , but only will shew our submission by suffering : so i confess our oath to bishops , as such , can mean no more . but then , were i under a king , whose very frame of laws were unlawful , as tending to extirpate piety , i should doubt whether i might simply swear to obey him as my governor . how far the canons are more unmeet instruments for true church-government than our laws are for civil government , i will not here enquire . chap. vi. § 1. your fifth section is about the words [ receive the holy ghost , &c. ] in ordination . 1. two things you include in the sense : 1. inward qualifications . 2. investiture . but i told you 1. inward qualifications are presupposed , and the person examined accordingly . 2. i never heard or knew of any that received them by ordination . 3. by investiture it is the ministerial office that is given them : to none of this do you answer . but you say , christ used the words , and no extraordinary thing then conferred , &c. ] ans. 1. if christ intended their after-reception of the holy ghost at pentecost , it followeth not that we must use such words , that can promise or give no such spirit . 2. there were five several sorts of mission or commission then given to christ's ministers . 1. christ sent out the twelve and seventy temporarily to preach , do miracles , and return ; and gifted and blessed them accordingly . 2. he chose twelve as related to the number of the tribes , and ordained them stated apostles to the jews , or circumcision ; and he qualified them accordingly by his spirit . 3. he ordained them apostles to all the world ( indefinitely ) and accordingly renewed their commission : for this he qualified them with ordinary gifts of his spirit initially now at his resurrection , together with their new commission , and more fully and miraculously at pentecost : you know how ignorant the apostles were of christ's death , sacrifice , resurrection , ascension , &c. till he was risen : and then christ opened their understandings in these articles , and gave more faith ( and answerably we must conceive other grace was given ) than they had before . this cannot be denyed : and is not this giving of the holy ghost more than man must now pretend to imitate ? 4. besides these , there were after-missions of particular apostles ( as paul and barnabas ) or particular messages in particular provinces . 5. and there was the ordaining of bishops or elders as fixed guides of particular churches : and these being ordinary officers , were ordinarily to be qualified before they were ordained , and not to receive their abilities by their ordination : and this is the ordination that we have to do with . chap. vii . § 1. your sixth section requireth pity , rather than reply : the church that a bishop is ordained to , is many hundred parishes ; the bishop of lincoln hath many counties . you know by whom the bishops are chosen , and where consecrated : the words were originally used to the church over which the bishop was placed . and is it serious dealing to send word to none of them of your time , or place , and then call to men in a church in london , or a private chappel , to come forth and speak their exceptions ? if you can prove that this may be assented and consented to , you have a stronger proving faculty than i have . chap , viii . § 1. i see nothing satisfactory to the objections which i made about the damnatory passages in athanasius's creed . and i had reference much to a manuscript , in which mr. dodwel is the objector , and the bishop of lincoln supposed the answerer ; which he doth with great learning and impartiality . but to his argument , that we are not to assent to the truth of the passages excepted against , because we read the apocrypha , and yet the church intendeth not to bind us to believe some untruths in it ( which he nameth ; ) i answered , that athanasius's creed is part of the book which we must assent to , but the apocrypha is not . i make less my self of this scruple than the rest , because i have reason to believe athanasius meant it well ; when i have not the same assurance of the meaning of the authors of some late impositions . chap. ix . § . 1. your sect. 8 , about the certainty of baptized infants salvation , being made here an article of faith , i have much more to say against : but you answer not to any of the strength of my objections . 1. and how strange is it that you saw a manuscript of bishop usher's , telling us of [ this clause coming surreptitiously into the book , ] whereas he was dead two years before the book was altered , or that clause put in ? indeed , there was another in that sounded almost like it , which meant no more than that [ a baptized child hath all that is necessary to salvation , ] supposing his right , ( ex parte ecclesiae ) though he die without confirmation , or the eucharist , which were formerly given to infants : but this never said what the new article saith . § 2. you say , many conformists say , it is no part of assent and consent , because it is not used as part of the church service , and they subscribe to no more . ] answ. name not those conformists , lest you dishonour them . do they declare their assent to all things contained in the book , and mean only the service which they must say ? or do they [ consent to the use of all , ] and take an article of faith to be put in for no use ? intreat them not to take the oath of allegiance and supremacy , with that latitude and exceptiousness . § 3. you say , you can assent to it in a sound sense : and [ it's more than you can prove that all infants are saved , but all that have right before god are saved , but not those that have no right before god. answ. 1. but you were told that the church signifies her sense by the canons , which forbid the minister ( on penalty ) to refuse any child , that hath god-fathers , not excepting pagans , infidels , atheists , or apostates : why did you not answer that ? 2. a right before god , signifies either properly to be a child that is under the promise of pardon , in the sense of 1 cor. 7. 14. else were your children unclean , but now they are holy . ] and of such i am of your mind . or else it signifieth only one that the minister hath , coram deo , a right to baptize . and so he hath as to any adult atheist , or heathen ( or his child ) if he deceitfully profess christianity . i suppose you speak in the first proper sense . but if you think that the sense of the rubrick you are mistaken . no one knoweth better than bishop gunning , and he will tell you otherwise , viz. that god's merciful covenant giveth us right to bring any child in the world to be baptized for salvation , as it giveth any man right to take in an exposed orphan into his house . and if the sponsor were to become proprietor , and take the child for his own ( as abraham circumcised the children born in his house ) i would not dispute against it , though i were in doubt : but i have proved to you that the liturgy , or canon , oblige the sponsor to no such thing , nor are they to profess it : and you your self suppose the contrary , that the parent is the first covenanter : this rubrick then speaketh of any child , and you limit it to the seed of the faithful , and so equivocate . at our conference at the savoy , 1661. before the bishops , i put this true case ; [ i have in my parish a profest infidel , that derideth openly the scripture , and the life to come ; but for fashion saith beforehand , i will bring my child to be baptized , and say as the book requireth , and refuse my child if you dare . ] the reverend bishop sanderson was in the chair , and answered me , none of them contradicting , that if i baptized him according to the church of england that requireth god-fathers , i need not scruple it . i askt him , by whom that child had right more than any other heathen's child ? seeing , 1. the god-father is oft as bad as the parents . 2. and the god-father taketh not the child as a proprietor for his own . bishop morley answers , that he knew some that did take them , and educate them as their own . i answered , 1. the canon , or rubrick , require it not . 2. i never knew one man yet that did it , or that ever thought that as a sponsor , he was obliged so to do . 3. if it were otherwise ; poor mens children could get no god-fathers , and rich men would have none . and what 's this then to the sense of the article in question , that speaks of all baptized children ? ( it being of the baptized quâ tales , and an indefinite in re necessaria . ) you dare profess that of all , and undoubtedly certain by the word of god , which you think is — true but of those that have right before god. and may not one profess any thing at that rate ? besides , i that know why the old words were changed into these , and by whom it was brought in , urged and procured , am fully satisfied of the sense of them that did it , by experience . your exposition of the doctrine of baptism here adjoyned , is very sound and good . as to your catholicon which gets down all , i may cause you to cast it up anon . chap. x. § 1. your 9th section , about not coming to the sacrament without a full trust in god's mercy and a quiet conscience , tells us what the imposure should have said , when i only except against what they have said . the case is so gross , i am apt to think they meant as you say ; especially when i consider that those must be ruined that have not a quiet conscience , if they will not , or dare not communicate . but if well meaning men put me to assent to words of a contrary signification in the common use , i had rather approve their good meanings , than their imposed words , through oversight so expressed . chap. xi . § 1. about the use of the apocrypha , you quite mistook the question : it was not chiefly whether you may use or read it , but whether you may approve and consent to the calendar and rubrick which imposeth it , to be read ; yea , those books of tobit , iudith , bell and the dragon , &c. if you say that you consent not to the calendar and rubrick , i ask , 1. is it not contained in the book ? 2. is it of no use , when the use is named in the preface ? cannot we thus say any thing required , and mean what we list by it ? teach not the papists to take the imposed test and oaths at such a rate as this . § 2. you say , it is not on lords days . answ. on the week days god must be worshipped purely , and according to his will. § 3. you say , it 's more than you can prove that any thing is false . why did you not answer the two instances which i gave out of the bishop of lincoln's excellent manuscript ? and how much may you find in dr. io. reynolds , and many other protestants against the papists ? § 4. you say , if any thing be fabulous , it may be read as an instructive parable , some cite aesop ' s fables . ] answ. but dare you consent to the reading and imposing of aesop's fables , or any other , to be read in stead of god's word , under the same name of lessons , so many days in the publick worship ? chap. xii . your 11th section saith no more , but that you see nothing but one may consent to the imposed reading of the liturgy every day to save his liberty . ans. 1. i gave you a reason against covenanting so to use it every day , which you answer not . and. 2. why took you no notice that it is the books imposition of this , which you must consent to , and not only the practice ? is not the imposing precept [ contained in the book ] yea , and is it of no use ? 3. and why do so few conformists so use it ? chap. xiii . § 1. in your 12th section you joyn several things . 1. about denying christian burial to the unbaptized infants , and the excommunicate , as not signifying their damnation . but if you take in the foresaid rubrick articles that pronounceth certain salvation to them if baptized , you may see what is like to be the meaning of the church here : and also if you read , how they use to expound their anathema , or major excommunication ; and on what account it is often made . doctor heylin tells you , that the necessity of baptism was one of bishop laud's first thesis's publickly maintained in oxford . you are now excommucate your self , but not with that anathema which is of the hardest signification . but this is little to my objected case . 2. but the doubt is about the words , that in sense pronounce all others that are buried in england , saved . and you would make us believe that the rubrick , which excepteth the excommunicate and the other two sorts only , meaneth also the excepting of the excommunicable , or notorious wicked men. but by such stretches what words may not protestant or papist take by an exposition of his own making ? if three sorts excepted limit you not from excepting more ; what can do it ? i have tried the sense of the most leading man in these liturgick changes that i know , whether he would consent that the words should be further extended to except the excommunicable , or notoriously flagitious ; and he most contemptuously rejected it , as if it would leave power to every presbyter to damn whom he would ( and to excommunicate men after death ) without a bishop . 3. but you will prove your feigned sense to be right , because the canon 68. saith , [ if the party deceased were denounced excommunicate ( majore excommunicatione ) for some grievous and notorious crime , and no man able to testifie of his repentance , the prayers are not to be said at his burial . ] ans. could you have more evidently confuted your self ? the church alloweth you , yea , requireth you to forbear the said prayers , 1. if it be a notorious sinner . 2. excommunicated . 3. and that ( majore excommunicatione . ) 4. and there be no proof of his repentance . and hence you can infer , that the church meant it also of notorious sinners not excommunicate . what alchimy is this ? whereas the church is herein specially careful that the priest may not be the judge : what need the major excommunication be put in , if it were not meant ? the canon here declareth the churches sense more obligingly , than any bishop can do . chap. xiv . § 1. what you say of the whole substance of confirmation referred to the parish pastor , the ceremony only reserved to the bishop , is all without book , and a meer mistake , as the bishops will soon tell you , and common experience . had you heard what the bishops at worcester . house before the king and lords said against inserting into the king's declaration of ecclesiastical affairs , that one word [ consent ] viz. the minister's consent to the confirming of those of his flock , and how it after came in ; you would not have talkt at this rate of our consent . chap. xv. § 1. your fourteenth section is of the doubt [ whether we may declare our consent that none should be admitted to the communion , till he be confirmed , or desirous and ready to be confirmed ? to this 1. you say of your own head , that confirmation is not intended for them that have been already admitted to the lord's table ; ] without any proof , though clean contrary to your covenant of conformity . the words are , that [ none are to be admitted till , &c. ] and you say , that by [ none ] is meant [ none except all that have been so already admitted , that is , most of the communicants by far in england , and all that come out of france , holland , scotland , &c. ] what a great limitation hath this [ none ? ] none except almost all , or most . boccaline tells us of a device at rome to make a man's throat swallow a pompion ; and then no doubt any physician may procure the swallowing of a pill . § 2. but you are perswaded you shall not meet with one person that will not desire it rather than be put from the sacrament . ans. 1. but it is not your own practice only that you must profess consent to , but to the use of the rubrick , as it is a law to all others : do you think no other shall meet with such , because you may not ? 2. remember that the confirmation in question is little kin to that which i and mr. hanmer have written for : a very learned bishop told me lately , that it is for the giving of the holy ghost by imposition of hands : and ( whatever you feign ) it is confined to the order of bishops . do you know what dallaeus de confirmat . hath said against it ? and that all are against it as with us that are against diocesan prelacy ? i know few non-conformists in england , that are for it , or desire it . when i pleaded for it in 1660. hoping to have reduced the english confirmation to that which i described in my treatise of confirmation , had you but heard how much the truly learned , judicious , honest dr. wallis said against it , who is a publick professor in oxford , a conformist , and the king's chaplain , you would not think that you shall never meet with any that will not desire it , &c. 3. i think most of england are unconfirmed ; if they desire it , what keepeth them from it ? 4. they may not desire it , and yet not be kept from the sacrament : for he that receiveth it not of you , or any conformists , may receive it of others : and all the conformists that ever i saw deliver the sacrament , give it to the unconfirmed , and never ask them whether they desire it . and yet you must covenant not to give it to any such as desire not confirmation and consent that this be imposed on all others . § 3. but you say , such a remote possibility shall not keep you from conformity . ] that is , you will consent to the use of this rubrick , which requireth , that none in england give the sacrament to any that desire not our episcopal confirmation , which almost all the non-conformists desire not ; and most of england shew by their practice , that they desire not , because you conceit that you shall meet with none such your self , who perhaps may never administer the sacrament , ( at least till you are absolved from your excommunication . ) and yet you are so honestly against division , that you will not separate from the non-conformists , and their assemblies , though you suffer for it . these things hang not well together . chap. xvi . § 1. your 15th section is against my greatest objection ; the manner of baptizing by god-fathers sole sponsion , in the liturgy : where you take your own order , and not mine ( to satisfie your self , ) and put four questions , and overlook the main , or say as good as nothing to it . my first question is , which way the child cometh to have right to baptism , any more than all the infidels children in the world ? that is , whether the meer sponsion of god-fathers who adopt not the child , nor take him for their own , nor are at all required to do so , do give or prove a right to baptism ( and consequently to undoubted salvation or pardon ) in all the infants of apostates , sadduces , infidels , brutists , arrians , socinians , wicked men , atheists ; yea or of any other ? i told you how conformists and other divines here differ ; but you easily pass by the difficulty . 2. and the next question is , whether the church of england require any ground of title in the infant besides the sponsion of the fore-described god-fathers , and god's general promise ? and i have proved that they do not : it is not the parents christianity or faith that they require , nor the grandfathers , nor any pro-parents , or adopters or proprietors . nor do they ask , whose child it is ? but forbid us to refuse any that have god-fathers ; nor do they suffer the parent to be one of the god-fathers , but forbid him so much as to speak there , as dedicating his own child to god , and forbid us to urge him to be present : yet are they utterly disagreed of the child's title : some say it is from god's covenant only ; and that all children on earth have title , and want but one to offer them to baptism , as he may take in an exposed orphan . some say that the god-fathers act is his title to baptism . some say , it is the churches faith. and by the church some mean the ministers ; some mean that parish ; some mean the diocesan church ; some the national church ; and some the universal church : but you seem to think the title is from the parent , but you speak it not out , nor much meddle with the case ; and the church seemeth not to be of that mind ; though st. paul say [ else were your children unclean , but now are they holy . ] § 2. but you say , the parent is not excluded nor forbid to be present . ] ans. but 1. no man in the town is forbid to be present : doth it follow that any man giveth title to the child who may but be present if he will ? if the parents faith were thought necessary to the title ( or a pro-parents ) the book would require it , and require the minister to take account of it , or at least would suffer the parent to be one of the sponsors , or to speak one word of sponsion , all which is expresly forbidden by the canon , and by the book appropriated to others . § 3. but you say , if he will he may profess and covenant for his child , yea , the minister may and ought to urge and require him . ] ans. what , and yet conform ? when he is forbid , and the minister forbid to suffer it ? § 4. but say you , [ the canon is no part of the liturgy , nor are we bound to it wherein it is against the liturgy and good order . ] ans. 1. by the can. 36. we are all to subscribe to use no other form in administring the sacraments but the liturgy : and you shall be no minister here if you subscribe not to that canon , though you should say , it is against good order . 2. the liturgy it self appropriateth the whole sponsion to the god-fathers . 3. our question is of the churches sense herein : and it is the same church the made the canons ; and still owneth them : therefore in the canon the church expoundeth her sense , more obligingly than you , or any bishop can expound it . so that for you to assent and consent to the form of baptism in the churches sense , and when you have done , to say that you may and must go against it , because the canon binds not , is a method of conforming , which i will not follow you in . § 5. what you tell me of my decision in my directory , is nothing to our present case . but you say , the canon supposeth the parents as present , or consenting and principal , for he procureth the god-fathers , and the sureties are his deputies , or seconds , and yet undertakes not the parents duty . ] ans. i have proved to you that the canon , or church , neither foundeth the title in the parent , nor permitteth him any sponsion ; and professedly layeth it all on the god-fathers , saying ; that it is by that the child believeth , and promiseth , performeth , &c. and no such word of the parents faith : nay , all children of infidels or atheists ; must be thus baptized . this therefore is your meer disproved fiction . secondly , that the parent must procure the god-fathers , no way proveth that he is supposed to be a christian or consent , or that he is the principal sponsor : for it is for the child's sake , that the law bindeth him to get sponsors , and all atheists and infidels among us , are bound to send their children with sponsors to be baptized as well as christians . § 6. you say , the sureties undertake not to do the duties of a parent , nor more than they can do , &c. ] ans. then it is not undertaken at all : for all that is to be undertaken is by them , and nothing at all required of the parents . § 7. as to the interrogatories , and profession , that the child is said to repent , believe , forsake the devil , consent , &c. and not only to be the child of one that repenteth , believeth ( which is his title ) you say it is but to oblige the infant : but professing to believe and repent at present , and promising to do it hereafter , are different things . but you say , these words may be submitted to till better may be had . ] ans. and why may you not say so of any untruth ? but the question is , whether they may be consented to , and approved ? § 8. as to the great question , [ whether it be the intention of the book that we deny baptism to such as cannot procure god-fathers , and god-mothers , or to such as out of conscience scruple and refuse to procure them , and will stand as undertakers themselves ▪ ] you say , no surely . ans. alas , how little know you what the conformity is which you defend ? 1. are not all ministers to subscribe to administer the sacraments in no other form than the liturgy ? canon 36. 2. doth not the liturgy make the god-fathers office necessary ? and a great part of the baptismal office is the ministers speech to them and their answer , and the charge laid on them . can you say all these words if no sponsor be there ? or can you have such answers ? 3. doth not the church command that no parent be god-father to his own child , and no questions or answers be used but the words of the liturgy ? 4. and did you ever know a child baptized without any sponsor ? you rightly call your self the non-conforming conformist ; for you plead for it and against it , in the same lines ? your contradiction meeteth through all your book . § 9. you add , [ if it be lawful to violate a divine command to save the life of a beast ( the sabbath ) sure it is lawful to violate a humane rule , or order , rather than cast infants out of the church , and deny them christian baptism . ] ans. it is so : and therefore it is unlawful to consent to that which i must not do , and to covenant to use that which i must not use . if i must not obey it , i must not covenant to obey it . but perhaps you mean that the law-makers intended , that in such cases the ministers have leave to violate it , and admit men to the communion that will not have god-fathers , for god intended such liberty in his law. ans. god's law was not violated by david , the priests , or the disciples , in the instanced cases of the sabbath : for he never forbad them what they did in those circumstances : yea , his law had been violated [ i will have mercy and not sacrifice ] had they done otherwise ; and he hath no contradictory laws : it is said that the priests in the temple brake the sabbath and are blameless , that is , they violate materially the outward rest of the sabbath , but they violate not god's law ; else they were not blameless . but you can prove no such things by the church laws in question , as that ministers may break them by admitting such persons to the sacrament as it excludeth . for , 1. you covenant to administer only according to the liturgy . 2. the canon punisheth all ministers that give it against the prohibition . 3. and the rubrick excludeth your supposed power of dispensation . can you believe your self that the meaning of the liturgy and canon is [ none shall be admitted that desire not god-fathers , except such as will not out of an erring conscience ? ] are those then admitted , that through prophaneness desire not god-fathers ? if so , then you make the sense to be [ those that have not god-fathers shall not be admitted to that sacrament , except all that will not , viz. conscienciously , or prophanely . ] if not , then the sense must be [ you shall admit none to that sacrament that have no god-fathers , through parents prophaneness , but all that have none through scruple of conscience . ] and who cannot pretend such scruple ? and who will not pretend it , when that will justifie them ? and how would the bishops reproach such an exposition , which either maketh every priest a judge of mens hearts , ( whether their pretence be true or not ) or else admitteth all that will not have god-fathers , while the admission of any of them is expresly forbidden ? it is a stretching exposition indeed which is against the whole form of the office , and the express words of the churches canon , [ no parent shall be god-father to his own child . ] try whether any two bishops in england will allow you any such exposition . if such be allowed in this case , why not in all other like it ? and so the meaning of law , canons , and rubrick be , [ you shall do thus except when you have moral reason against it , such as is mercy , which must be preferred . ] do you know how many have been fined and sent to goal for preaching , though they pleaded for it mercy to mens souls ? do you believe that it was the meaning of the parliament and bishops , [ you shall keep no conventicles , nor omit the liturgy or ceremonies , or subscription , &c. unless when mercy is to be preferred ? ] they that have auditors that cannot bear the liturgy , when they omit it in mercy to the flock . i pray you get us an authentick signification of this sense . the words cited by you in the preface to the articles of 1604 are impertinent to our business : it followeth not that you have leave to break the laws when you think mercy requireth it , because they are not equivalent to the eternal word of god , nor bind conscience as of necessity in the nature of them considered in themselves ] , and not in the authority of the commander . again i ask , shall any man escape punishement by such a plea of mercy ? are not two thousand ministers silenced , and more , that pleaded mercy to themselves and others , for the reason of their non-conformity ? did your learned , pious , moderate bishop , excuse you for that plea ? doth not the express words of the law , and canon , and rubrick , and the sentence and execution of all judges to this day , confute your exposition and exception ? you truly say [ it is a sin to make a false construction of the law. ] but if against the express words , and scope , and common judgment and execution , you will presume to put your sense , which is merciful , because charity thinketh no evil . any thing , almost , may be so said , consented to , and sworn . i have spoken with a papist that hath taken the oath of supremacy , and wrote for it ; because it is to be supposed that it is only the spiritual power called pastoral , which the pope claimeth over england , or such give him ; and only the power of the sword which the king claimeth , and denyeth to him and foreigners . and he citeth a fairer pretence for his exposition than you do here for yours : and thus all may take up the oath of supremacy that hold but the popes spiritual supremacy over us and all the world . what words can be so bad , that a man may not feign in charity a good sense of ? § 9. you say the liturgy alloweth private baptism without the cross , and god-fathers . ans. 1. thence i must gather , that it doth not so allow publick baptism ; no not on pretence of necessity and mercy ; else why had they not exprest their allowance of one as well as of the other ? 2. and even there , it must be repeated after in the congregation with god-fathers that believe , and promise in the name of the child ; ( and in the house there is nothing named , or required of the parent , but some one ( whoever ) is only to name the child . ) § 10. in the margin you say [ there is no express prohibition in all the liturgy , tying ministers in no case , to baptize without the cross , and to give the sacrament to kneelers only : and to baptize none without sureties . ] ans. i am glad that your whole writing favoureth of that spirit of love and christian peace and forbearance , as your dislike of these things signifieth . and while we agree about the sense of god's law , we shall not break charity for our differing of the sense of the laws of man : but seeing you put these great points ( of my non-conformity ) here together , i shall briefly repeat the reasons of my exposition against yours . words are to signifie the mind and the matter . if the book speak intelligibly , so as to oblige us to one sense , it 's nothing to our case whether the prohibition be express . i. the liturgy-rubrick saith [ there shall be for every male-child to be baptized , two god-fathers , and one god-mother ; and for every female , one god-father , and two god-mothers . ] ii. the whole transaction , beside prayer to god , and the act of baptizing , is mainly speech to the god-fathers , and demands of them , and their answer , by professing abrenunciation , faith , desire to be baptized , resolved obedience : they must name the child . they are exhorted to see that the child be taught what a solemn vow , promise and profession he made by them , &c. and to be brought up to the bishop to be confirmed . iii. in the baptism of the adult , the god-fathers are called but [ witnesses ] as not giving the person title to baptism . but in the baptism of infants , they do profess and covenant in the child's name , and he doth it by them , as his very title . iv. the catechism saith , that repentance and faith are required of persons to be baptized ; and , as the old book said , they perform them by their sureties ; so the new one saith , they promise them by their sureties , and therefore are baptized . v. for the cross , the liturgy saith [ here the priest shall make a cross on the child's fore-head ] . and it referreth us to the canon for the sense and reasons . vi. the communion-rubrick saith , [ he shall deliver it into their hands , all meekly kneeling . ] vii . the last rubrick saith , [ it is ordained in this office , that the communicants shall receive the same kneeling . ] viii . the same church by can. 36. requireth every minister to subscribe that he will use the form in that book prescribed in publick prayer , and administration of the sacraments , and no other . ] ix . and the can. 27. saith , [ no minister when he celebrates the communion , shall wittingly administer the same to any , but to such as kneel , under pain of suspension ] . can the church more plainly speak the sense of her liturgy ? you say it is against schismaticks . yes , 1. that is the end ; and the words express the means . 2. and it is expository , calling those schismaticks that scruple and refuse to kneel . x. those that say the liturgy hath any thing contrary to the scripture , or that the ceremonies are such as he may not use , approve , &c. are excommunicate ipso facto : and therefore as schismaticks not to be admitted to the sacrament till they repent of that their wicked errour , can. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. xi . can. 14. all ministers shall observe the orders , rites and ceremonies prescribed in the book of common-prayer , as well in reading the holy scriptures , and saying of prayers , as in administration of the sacraments , without either diminishing , in regard of preaching , or in any other respect ( note that ) or adding any thing in the matter or form thereof . xii . can. 29. [ no parent shall be urged to be present , nor be admitted to answer as god-father for his own child ; nor any god-father or god-mother shall be suffered to make any other answer or speech than by the book of common-prayer is prescribed in that behalf . ] if yet the church have not declared her sense of the liturgy , but that i may baptize without cross or god-fathers , and give the sacrament to them that sit , rather than refuse them , i can understand no mans words . and what can constrain an unwilling person to understand ? xiii . yet i say again , if i practice on any pretence of mercy , according to your rule , the judges will condemn me ; the justices will send me to the common gaol , among rogues , to lie six months , and will fine me twenty pound , and forty pound a sermon , as i have tryed ; and the bishops or their courts will excommunicate me , and prosecute me to lay me in gaol ; as you have tryed who fly to escape it . and are not these made judges of the sense of the law ? and will not all this convince us what it meaneth ? because you have put three of the chief matters of my non-conformity here together , i have answered all together . if you will prefer the judgment of the bishops before all this , i pray you do not pretend that some honest bishop ( that had no hand in our changes and silencing ) saith to you in private ; but get it us under the hands of many of them , if you can [ that because mercy is to be preferred before sacrifice , we may baptize without the cross , and god-fathers , and may give the sacrament to them that kneel not , if they dissent through consciencious fear of living . ] chap. xvii . § 1. in your sixteenth section you profess your liking of sitting at the lord's supper rather than kneeling : how then can you declare [ assent , consent and approbation ] to the liturgy ( expounded by the canons ) which in plain words , and by sharp penalties on dissenters , so much preferreth kneeling before sitting . § 2. your preferring the preaching and hearing of the word , and prayer , and praise , as more excellent than the carnal ( you mean the outward ) part in the lord's supper , is very far from conformity to the common sense of the bishops , who ordered the altaring of the communion tables , and commended bowing towards them , and suspended so many ministers on such accounts ; even far from the sense of arch-bishop laud , expressed in his life by dr. heylin , and of the whole church of england expressed in the canons of 1640. § 3. i answered before your conceit that the liturgy alloweth you to give the sacrament to them that kneel not , and your distorting the canon , because the title is against schismaticks , when they mean that those that kneel not , shall be taken and excluded as schismaticks , and so excommunicated ( as i have proved ) and not that the word is distinguishing and limiting , allowing you to admit those to sit that are not schimaticks . the bishops will deride that exposition . they that heard us at the savoy , can tell you who that dr. ( now a dean ) was , who craved leave to have disputed the case against me , and to have proved [ that it is an act of mercy to those that scruple and refuse to receive the sacrament kneeling , to deny them the communion of the church therein . ] chap. xviii . § 1. your seventeenth section is for the cross in baptism . i distinctly proved that the church imposeth it [ as a symbol of our christian profession , and as a consecrating dedicating sign , by which 1. god's part of the covenant is signified , even the grace by him given , and the duty by him imposed on us . 2. and the receiver's part is signified , and by solemn engagement there professed , even his faith in christ crucified , and his resolution and self-obliging consent or covenant to be the lords as dedicated to him , and to perform all the future duties of the covenant , and that this is the true description of a sacrament of the covenant of grace . the word [ sacrament ] larglier taken , may signifie no more than man may institute : but a sacrament strictly taken as thus described , i suppose man may not institute . 1. because christ hath instituted two as an act of his royal prerogative . and if any institution be proper to his kingly and priestly power , it must be such : no other can be named excluding this . and if none be proper , what is it for him to be great and one law-giver to his church ? if legislation , the chief part of supreme government , be common to him and bishops , why is not that royally common ? 2. and if christ would have had any more sacraments of the covenant of grace , he would have somewhere expressed his commands and directions to his ministers to make them : but he that hath given them full commands and directions for preaching , prayer , baptizing , and his supper ; and for their other duties for the flocks , hath not said a word to them of this ; either biding them make new sacraments , or telling them how many , or directing them what , or how to do it ; nor how to use them when made ; nor promising to bless them . 3. to make more , seemeth to accuse christ's law or institution of imperfection : subordinate actions do not so : but to make ordinances ejusdem generis , with those which he made , not as a meer man , nor as a meer minister , but as mediator , or king of the church , doth seem to say , that christ left half his work undone . did he institute baptism and his supper , as a meer man , or a meer minister ? then à quatenus ad omne any man , or any minister may do the like , and make more sacraments : but if as king of the church , and as saviour , then none but our king of the chuch and saviour may do the like . christ hath instituted one day of each week to commemorate his resurrection , as god the creator instituted a weekly sabbath ( as i have proved in a peculiar treatise . ) men may set apart one day in a year for special thanksgivings , or commemorations , and one day in a week , e. g. in a time of plague and danger , to fast and pray , &c. but if any should make another weekly day of holy observance , to commemorate the same work of christ's resurrection , or our redemption , which christ did separate that day to commemorate , i think he would be both an unjust accuser of christ's law , as insufficient , and an unjust usurper of his prerogative . 4. and it is considerable to me , that though christ so extraordinarily commissioned and qualified his apostles to record his words and acts in scripture , and settle church-orders and inferiour offices , and teach the nations to observe all that he had commanded them ; yet even them did did he never commission to make a new sacrament of the covenant of grace ; nor did they ever make one ; but contrarily rebuked those that would but have kept up some of the old ceremonies , divine or humane : and was not the cross a stumbling and foolishness to the world in the apostles days ? and yet they never made such a sacrament . and who hath equal power with them ? § 2. if any say the church doth not make it a sacrament , i answer : 1. it is not the name that we contend about , but the thing . 2. i have before proved it by the constitutive parts which you answer not . 3. if christ had instituted the cross as the church doth , [ as a badg of our christianity , dedicating the child to god as a solemn covenanting figure , by which the minister in god's name , and in the persons , pronounceth him consecrated and engaged , as signifying both god's part or grace of the covenant , and mans part or duty . ] i ask , whether you would not have c●●led this a sacrament ? and if it want but divine institution and benediction , it wanteth indeed a due efficient , but it is still a humane sacrament , though not a divine ; and therefore an unlawful sacrament . i would but know whether men may make new sacraments of the covenant of grace , or not ? if yea , how many ? and quo jure ? § 3. and god's prohibition , deut. 12. of adding or diminishing , is not washt away so easily as your words would make men believe . you say , it reacheth to the whole duty of man , and government of the church , &c. ans. there be some things in the duty of man and church-matters , that god hath left to man : to do those is no addition to god's laws : but to do the like work that god by his law hath done , which he never left to man , seemeth to me the addition there forbidden : e.g. if men had made another tabernacle , another ark of the covenant , another holy vestment for aaron , another sacrament like circumcision , or the passeover ; he that so reproved their worshiping in the high places , would have reproved these . § 4. but the sum of your defence is ad hominem to my self , for granting the lawfulness of humane private professing signs , and of the cross as such : it 's strange to me , that you that are so judicious , can discern no more difference between , 1. private and publick church-actions . and , 2. between a bare professing sign in genere , and a sacramental covenanting-dedicating symbolical sign in specie . 1. every sacramental symbol is a professing sign : but every professing sign is not a sacramental symbol ( a solemn sacramental celebration of a mutual covenant , by an investing signification of the parts of both the covenants . ) doth it follow then , that because men ( yea , any man ) may make a professing sign of his mind , that man ( yea , every man ) may make a new sacrament ? an israelite might have lift up his hand to signifie consent to a duty , or to answer a question : but might he therefore have imitated circumcision , or the passeover ? when a man is baptized , if you ask him whether he consent , he may signifie it by bowing , lifting up his hand , by writing , which are all but to the same use as speech : but he must sacramentally signifie it by the reception of baptism , as the instituted solemn covenanting symbol of his religion . but for any to make to the church of christ , a new sacramental symbol for such a covenanting use , is another matter . a man that at the lord's supper , is asked whether he consent to christ's covenant , may signifie it as aforesaid : but he may not therefore joyn to the sacrament such another covenanting symbol of christianity , e. g. to make ( or consent to , and approve and use ) a law that all christians shall , solemnly after the eucharist , have their heads anointed with oyl , to signifie that they are members of christ , and hereby covenant with him and the holy ghost , as signifying his grace received , and their duty performed and promised ; and this applied by a minister officiating , as by his commission . § 4. i perceive by your mistaking inferences , that you understood not my distinction of private and publick , and thought i had meant secret , or open , or before few or many : whereas i speak in the sense that these words are commonly used in politicks , e. g. when they distinguish index publicus & privatus , res publicae & privatae , actiones publicae & privatae , &c. publick is that which either belongeth to the society , or a publick officer as such : as a meer subject is homo privatus , so his actions and affairs , meerly as his , are private : the aerarium of the commonwealth though kept secretly is the publick treasure . the judgment of a publick judge , when few are present in his chamber , is iudicium publicum ; and the judgment of a meer arbitrator before thousands , is iudicium privatum : a private man's arbitrary words or actions in westminster-hall at the bar , are actiones privatae . § 5. i have more reverence for the ancient christians , than to be a bold condemner of all their actions , which i wish they had not done ( and had they foreseen the consequents , they would not have done ) . and i must , fide humanâ , give some credit to those ancient writers , specially such as augustine , who tells us of miracles adjoyned to some use of the cross : and considering how they used it , i find it was ( when those things were done ) as a private arbitrary professing sign , such as it would have been to say by words [ i am a christian , ] or [ i trust in christ , ] or [ i am not ashamed of a crucified saviour . ] and if when one asked them of their faith , or derided them for trusting in a crucified man , they answered by crossing , i judge them not for so doing : the occasions and persons might excuse such a private professing action . but if they would turn this into a publick church-ordinance by a law , and into a humane sacrament of the covenant of grace , requiring all to receive it as the common badge of christianity ; i reproach not the approvers , but i dare not approve it , or so use it . § 6. you say , [ we must reduce what is said in the canon to the words in the 39 articles , and the liturgy , for they contradict not themselves . ] ans. there is no shew of contradiction . if the church in three books express her sense , must i not set all together , and take them in all ? and when the liturgy purposely referreth the unsatisfied to the canon for her sense and reason , it 's an odd way of expounding it , to forsake the canons exposition , and say , i reduce it to the liturgy . doubtless all three together express their sense . § 7. the second commandment forbad not all private use of images , either a civil , or meer memorative or monitory private ( yea , or publick ) use . as it forbad not iacob to pitch a stone of remembrance , or the israelites to make a memorative and monitory altar , and yet forbad such an altar for worship to be erected without god's order . but it was external symbolizing with idolaters by images , which the second commandment forbad ; that is , either worshiping them , or god by them ; or by setting them up in the place of worship , seeming so to do . so it is not all use of a cross that breaketh the second commandment . when you have proved lifting up the hand , or laying it on the book , &c. to be sacraments , i shall further answer you : or if the second commandment oblige us not to use christ's sacraments ( as it is now one of christ's commandments ) then i shall confess that it forbiddeth not us to devise the like . § 8. you say , [ if it be a sacrament , it would be universally unlawful . if baptism had not been ordained by christ , it would have been traiterous and sinful to use it as a sacrament . ] ans. you grant us enough ; i durst not have used the word traiterous so boldly , lest i should anger the conformists . but when did you prove that every professing sign is used to the same use in specie , as the covenanting dedicating symbol of the cross is ? this was a supposition not so easily to have been begged . § 9. as to my simile , that baptism is christ's badge or colours ; it illustrates in the point of similitude : and so it doth , that the king would take it ill to have a publick badge of the order of the garter to be added to his star by a private subject , much more for any to make a law for all his subjects , to be known by a badge of private invention . you say , that it 's lawful to wear those colours in the troop , which he may wear out . ans. yes , if he may wear them out in specie to the same use and ends . but if you at a funeral wear a black ribbon , and your general 's colours be white ; and some souldiers will make a law , that the badge of all the souldiers shall be black ribbons , joyned to the white , it would not then be lawful for you in or out of the troop to wear that black as the badge of a souldier , much less to declare that you approved of , and consented to the imposition . and when you tell me , i allow the use of it , i tell you , i allow not your use prescribed by the church . you say , i can never prove that christ forbad it : and yet you say before that , it 's traiterous to have made a sacrament ( without christ. ) but you affirm , that it 's made but for the same use in baptism , which i allow out . but why did you not give some answer to my express proof of the contrary ? or why put you me so oft to repeat it ? it is an outward visible sign , by which in the solemnizing of the covenant between christ and us , the person is dedicated to god , by receiving the said sign of the grace of the covenant , and the obligation of the covenant , and of the persons professed consent and engagement to the duties of it . 1. that it is a badge of christianity , the thirtieth canon saith twice . 2. that it is an honourable badge by which the infant is dedicated to the service of god ; the same canon saith . 3. that it is a covenanting sign , both the celebrating words , and these of the canon shew . 4. that it is a sign of professed consent to the covenant-duties there named [ not to be ashamed to confess the faith of christ crucified , and manfully to fight under his banner against the world , flesh and devil , and to continue christ's faithful servant and souldier to his lives end . ] the words shew , and none denyeth . 5. that it is an obliging sign , both as imposed by god's minister , and as self-obliging by the said professed consent , is also exprest in the same words . and this is it which is called the covenant-vow . the person is vowed or devoted to god by two sacramental signs , baptism and the cross. 6. that it signifieth also god's grace given by that covenant , the words of the expository canon 30 shew : [ to dedicate them by that badge to his service , whose benefits bestowed on them in baptism , the name of the cross did represent [ to the service of him that dyed on the cross. ] 7. yea , that it is an investing sign , delivering the church-priviledges , appeareth in the words : [ we receive this child into the congregation of christ's flock , and do sign him with the sign of the cross. ] 8. and that it is to operate grace morally on the intelligent , is exprest in the foresaid words of instructing and obliging signification , with the preface of the liturgy [ to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his duty to god by a notable and special signification whereby he might be edified . ] § 10. anno 1660. endeavouring to prevent what followed , i used these same reasons with the great bishop , who , i think , hath had the first and and chief hand in the matter as it standeth , and he denyed but two things of the sacramental cross ; 1. that it is of god's institution , which he thought essential to a church-sacrament : to which i say , it is a humane unlawful sacrament ; but that it is not divine we easily grant . 2. that the cross giveth grace . i answered , that effectually it doth not , because god will not bless unlawful means : but it is appointed by man to give or work grace . this i proved , 1. because as it is a receiving sign into the church , it delivereth by investiture the relative grace of church-priviledges . 2. as the water of baptism worketh morally , by signifying the washing of christ's blood ; so the cross is to operate morally , by signifying christ's crucifixion , the benefits of the cross , and our duty . but he laid the stress of his cause on this assertion , that sacraments , as such , are to give grace otherwise than by such moral operation ; and it is no sacrament that is not instituted to give god's grace otherwise than morally . ] i told him how commonly protestants maintain that they are not instituted to give grace physically ; but only morally , and by investiture in relations . and here we broke . and because i must expect that from others that are driven to it , this will be the last refuge ; i will add , that even the wisest papists themselves do maintain only such moral causality in sacraments . § 11. and here , with respect to the forementioned article of the certainty of baptized infants salvation ; and also the answering of this objection , i shall cite some of their words , to shew you at how great a loss the most learned papists are about things that every poor english minister may be certain of , or profess to hold , or else be silenced or ruined : though it be ascribing too much to the opus operatum in sacraments that we grievously accuse the papists of . i. aquinas of the efficacy of sacraments , saith , 1. that they are aliquo modo causae gratiae . 2. not meerly causa sine qua non . 3. aqua baptismatis habet operationem propriam in corpus , & ut instrumentum divinae misericordiae , habet effectum ulteriorem ; non ad gratiam quasi eam attingens in virtute principalis agentis , sed ad dispositionem praeviam ; quae in quibusdam sacramentis est character , in aliis aliquis ornatus animae proportionatus characteri . 4. in sacramentis est aliqua virtus supernaturalis quae est ipsis principium agendi in quantum sunt instrumenta divinae misericordiae . et haec virtus est ens spirituale , incompletum sive intentionale . scotus and ockam confute this at large ; and pet. de aliaco card. cameracensis ( a most judicious school-man ) briefly after them in 4. q. 1. b. c. contending that sacraments are properly no causes of grace , but improperly ; because deus in sacramentis ordinavit sic agere , non quod ipsa sacramenta agant : et de tali ordinatione & libera promissione ipse certificavit ecclesiam : vel ex sola voluntate alterius ut causa sine qua non , quae non invenitur in naturalibus ; sed ( sicut meritum ) in moralibus ; & proprie non est causa : et quod sacramentum sive per virtutem propriam , sive per virtutem ei collatam , non est proprie causa efficiens alicujus dispositionis in anima ad gratiam praeviae ( aut ipsius gratiae . ) so that their judgment is , that it is only conditio sine qua non , dispositiva , moralis ( improperly called dispositiva , ) and not of the effecting , but the reception of grace . a man that doth use god's ordinance , being in the way where god doth give his grace , and performeth the receptive condition : yet none of them deny a moral objective causality on the considering adult . and brianson in 4. q. 1. fol. 6. 1. doc . concludeth sacramenta non sunt causa effectiva gratiae , sed selum per modum meriti ; per ea datur gratia citing ricardus , scotus , aureolus , fr. perusius , &c. against thomas and alexand. herein . and 4. q. 9. concl. 1. fol. 152. he saith [ baptismus indiget fide , ( quae est dispositio & fundamentum omnium sacramentorum ) vel in se , ut in adultis ; vel in alio , ut in parvulis , pro quibus sunt fide-jussores paternus & materna . ] and if so , what undoubted certainty is there of thousands whose god-fathers themselves have no true faith. and , quod ficte recipientes baptismum non habent gratiam baptismi , dicunt scholastici . vide brianson , in 4. q. 4. doct. 1. fol. 34. and even pope gregory 7. ( hildebrand ) in roman council saith , [ that neither feigned faith in baptism , nor feigned repentance in penance , do save any . ] i know what some say for the saving of all heathens , infidels , or atheists infants , snatcht perhaps by military force to baptism , viz. ex fide ecclesiae , of which i have spoken elsewhere ( in christ. directory . ) but their proofs i take for error and worse . and as to this and their causality ex opere operato , suarez saith , ( de legib. li. 9. c. 6. pag. 748. col. 2. de circumcis . ) nam etiam ipsa fides parentum erat conditio necessaria , & sine qua'non ; & tamen de illa non dici potest quod gratiam daret infanti ex opere operato , nec quod gratiam contineret ; imò nec causa justificans parvulos dici potest , nisi latè aut improprio modo , sicut dicitur de quolibet remedio seu conditione sine qua non . ] whence he inferreth , that circumcision did not justifie infants . and even petr. à sancto ioseph . saith ( thes. univers . de sacrament . pag. 93. ) sacramentum est signum sensibile divinitùs institutum longo tempore durans , sanctitatem aliquam , saltem externam , conferens , & veram significans : et pag. 101. though with the highest he hold , that [ sacramenta novae legis conferunt gratiam , idque ex opere operato & immediate ; duplicem scilicet ; aliam respondentem dispositioni , aliam ipsi sacramento , cum antiqua adultis nullam conferrent nisi ratione dispositionis : yet he saith , [ sacramenta novae legis non producunt gratiam physice sed moraliter . ] and when the papists that must exceed in ascribing to sacraments , have no more to say , and are at such a loss , we leave it to the judgment of the impartial , whether no protestant should be suffered to preach the gospel without ruine , who cannot declare that [ it is certain by the word of god , that infants baptized and dying before actual sin , are undoubtedly saved , ] none excepted : and whether physical , or any but relative and moral efficacy be essential to a sacrament ; or any save aptitudinal , or fitness , to convey . to fit receivers . and whether as to the new article of faith , it had not been enough for us to have said as the synod of dort. art. 1. c. 17. [ quandoquidem de voluntate dei ex verbis ipsius nobis est judicandum , quod testatur liberos fidelium esse sanctos , non quidem natura sed beneficio faederis gratuiti , in quo illicum parentibus comprehenduntur ; pii parentes de electione & salute suorum , quos deus in infantia ex hâc vita evocat , dubitare non debent . ] and i dissent not from the old rubrick , [ that no man shall think if any detriment shall come to children by deferring of their confirmation , he shall know for truth , that it is certain by god's word , that children being baptized , have all things necessary for their salvation , and be undoubtedly saved . ] that is , without any other sacrament , supposing them to be the children of the faithful : and i am sorry any dispute of mine occasioned any one to endeavour the altering of these words so much for the worse . but i have long digressed . § 12. if god's word were not the sufficient law by which your cause and ours are to be tryed , i would vie with you against your plea from humane opinion , or authority : and shew you , 1. that the apostles not using it , will weigh down the ancients and others using it . 2. that the ancients used it not so ill as we must do , as a sacrament of the covenant ; but as a meer professing sign of their not being ashamed of christ ; till it did degenerate by degrees . 3. that the learning and piety of them that have refused it , hath been equal to theirs that so used it . 4. that he that readeth bernard , gerson , kempis , thauluus , gerhardus , zutphaniensis , sales , and abundance such ( yea , persons of resolution ) will think there have been very holy papists ; and for number they exceed the protestants : and yet that proveth not popery to be lawful . 5. that the baptized's white garment , milk and hony , not kneeling on lord's days , &c. were more generally used of old , and yet are not now so well thought of : nor the giving the eucharist to infants , nor the millenary doctrine , much the ancients language , like the arrians , which p●tavius citeth . § 13. your main argument you say , is , that [ ye obey that command , mat. 28. 19. and christ doth not forbid you to use the cross. ] ans. as if you should say , when i celebrate christ's two sacraments , i obey his commands ; and he hath not forbidden me to use two ( or ten ) more . as when you are commanded to believe in christ as your saviour , it is implied that you must take no other for your saviour ; so when you are commanded to hear and obey him as the great prophet and king of the church , it is implied that you hear and obey no other as such : and therefore give to no other any of the prerogatives of christ , and ascribe nothing to man's law which is proper to his , which you confess to make a sacrament is : lest your hear , in vain do they worship me , teaching for doctrine the traditions of men : if it be sin , it is worse than suffering . do you think worshiping in the high places , was worse than this ? § 14. you plead the law of nature , even mercy to the magistrate's soul , to keep him from silencing and persecuting ; and to the peoples souls , that they may have good ministers . ] ans. what then ? if the cross be lawful to be used as prescribed , then no doubt i should use it . if it be not , must i sin when the magistrate bids me to save him from persecuting me ? the martyrs might so have saved bonner and gardiner , by a lye : but this is no saving them : for if they first draw me to sin , endanger my soul , and would silence me , or destroy my body if i did not ; this doth increase their guilt , and not diminish it . 2. and you may exercise mercy to the people , as ministers did the first 300 years , in a suffering way , and by good example , better than by sin , and consent to corrupt the ministry and church . § 15. you call the crossing , and such things [ trifles and bawbles , on which weak and childish minds dote , yet wise parents may please their children with bawbles ] ans. . the bishops will be more offended at this , than the non-conformists : they that cannot allow us the pity due to weak children , will not take it well to be told that we are fathers , and they the children whom we must please with bawbles . and you say , [ the external part of baptism , is not so excellent as prayer or preaching ] water . and words , be not matters worth our comparing ; but remember , words are part of baptism too ; and the solemnizing the great vow and covenant between god and believing sinners , on the terms and to the great ends of baptism , is a high transaction of unspeakable concern : and it 's shame to many that cry out against anabaptists , that they reverence it far less than they . § 16. but you say , [ we assent not , and consent not to the imposing of it . ] ans. nor i , and therefore i will not say that i do . is not the imposing of the cross expresly in the book ? and do you not plead for it openly , declaring that you assent and consent to all things contained in it , and prescribed by it ? what can be plainer ? § 17. you say , [ i t 's better to do a doubtful small evil , than forbear a certain and great good. ] ans. negatives bind ad semper , but affirmatives do not . and that which is evil and not good , is ill called better : no evil must be done that can be avoided : none that good may come of it . the apostles and pastors of the three first ages did good against the will of governors . what if a man doubt whether a lye or perjury be sin in such a case ? must he therefore do it that he may preach without persecution ? it is no duty to you , much less a greater which you cannot do , but on condition you will sin. § 18. you say that [ though he that doubteth is damned if he eat , the case is not like the using of the cross , because there is liberty . ] ans. i have said so much of rom. 14. in my treatise of the church called , that i need not add much more . the advantage seemeth to me more on the other side : they that did eat , or forbear , did it in conscience to the will of god , as they that kept a day or not . but that text expresly commanding even church-governors , to do nothing contrary to mutual forbearance in such things ; here conscience towards god is set against our obeying the supposed unlawful command of man , and our escaping persecution . the iews then persecuted those christians that would not conform to their law in meats and days , even to the death , and more sharply than the romans did : and they seemed to be scandalized by them , to the hindrance of their conversion . why then , was that case free , and ours of the cross not free ? chap. xix . § 1. your 18th section is about giving the sacrament to all the parishioners , thrice a year . you say , it could not be the churches meaning to give it to all . ans. darkness is a great advantage to one that must be hid , or run away ; and confusion to one that must defend an error . they are two distinct parts of our dissent , 1. that all the parishioners are enjoined to communicate thrice a year . 2. that we are enjoined to give it ( not to all , but ) to more than we can with a safe conscience . you prove that there are limitations to the last ; but that proveth not that they are so to the first . do you think that it will excuse a man that communicates not , to say , [ i am not willing to be confined , ] or [ i am out of charity , ] or ( i am a scandalous sinner , ) or ( the church did suspend me for scandal , or contumacy : ) if it will , the papists may save their estates , or others called new recusants at least : but the law and liturgy , and canon , all shew the contrary : if they are unfit , it 's long of themselves , say they : and that shall not excuse them from a gaol . you will say , it commandeth them not to receive unfit , but to be fit and then receive . ans. true : but , 1. all the parish of natural capacity are commanded to be fit and then receive , and punished if they do not , though morally never so unfit . 2. fitness is not gotten by bare commands . 3. there are multitudes unfit , and ought not in that unfitness to receive , that the law layeth no hold on for any other fault ; and many that cannot receive it ; much less can the minister by the law keep away . too many know themselves to be secret atheists , and more to be infidels , or sadduces , that believe no life to come : many are conscious of secret fornication , drunkenness , stealing , deceiving , &c. rhe minister or magistrate is no judge of these : yet if they communicate not , they break the rubrick and law , and are to be punished . many hundreds are conscious of secret unpreparedness , and many timorous honest people so afraid of eating and drinking judgment , &c. that they dare not come : and many on many accounts are unwilling ; and yet all these are commanded to come . in a word , no unwilling person hath right to the sacramental benefits : and yet all such are commanded on great penalties to communicate thrice a year . 2. and i hinted how many were forced to admit to our wrong and theirs ; which you answer not . chap. xx. § 1. your 19th section is for our accusing those that we refuse to the ordinance , within fourteen days , that he may proceed against them according to the canon . and first you tell us a strange thing , which were it true , would half reconcile me to the english sort of prelacy , viz. [ that the lesser excommunication out of a particular congregation , seems to be allowed to all the parish ministers ] . say you so ! what a sleep have i been in these 50 years , ( since i have been ordained it's 41 years ) that never could hear or read of any such thing ? i have indeed read some honest passages like it , in the reformatio legum ecclesiast . published by iohn fox , which died before it was born , and only shewed the good purposes of king edward , and his divines . but in our articles , canons , liturgies , or book of ordination , i can find no such thing , nor imagine what could thus deceive you . nor can i see any such thing in cosms's tables , nor in any conformist's writings , which describe our church government . what was in doctor mocket's book that was burnt , i know not ; by the execution done on it , and their hatred of arch-bishop abbot , i should think it was as likely to be there as any where : but if it were , it is no proof . the laws and authorized church-canons and forms , must decide the case . were there but any tolerable parish discipline , i would never quarrel against diocesans ; nay , could i but have been a pastor , and not a meer slave , or executioner of the will of others , against my conscience . § 2. i cannot imagine what you mean , unless it be that the canon and rubrick say , that we shall not admit to the communion , such [ as be openly known to live in sin , notorious , without repentance , nor any who have maliciously and openly contended with their neighbours , till they be reconciled ; nor any that desire not confirmation . ] but , 1. do you take this temporary suspension of my act of delivering this man the sacrament , to be the minor excommunication , viz. our of that particular congregation ? you are much mistaken , as any bishop or chancellor can tell you . he is member of that congregation still : you only suspend your own act , and his reception , till his case be tried and judged by the chancellor , or diocesan , whether he shall be cast out , or not . 2. nay , could all our importunity with the bishops , have prevailed but for a power in the parish minister , ( for pastor they would not have been called ) to suspend his own act , and not give , or deny the sacrament against his knowledg and conscience , i should not have said much against diocesans , nor any reasonable appeals to them . but i will tell you what i take our case to be , after my long enquiry . i. the great parishes that have many score thousand souls , are such as the priest ( or incumbent , i may call him ) knoweth not one of a multitude of his parishioners . ( and bishop taylor of repentance pref. saith , a man cannot take charge of , or answer for the souls that he knoweth not . ) and though fame say , that in such a parish there are multitudes of atheists , infidels , hobbists , brutists , socinians , drunkards , whoremongers , perjured , &c. while they are almost all strangers to the minister , he can deny the sacrament to none of them pro tempore . and how can the incumbent know in such parishes what they are ? ii. if he know a man to be a papist , if he be a church-papist , or have a dispensation , he cannot on that account deny him the sacrament . yea , dr. heylin in the life of arch-bishop laud , maketh it his commendable design to have drawn the papists into our churches , ( as they were , say some others , in the beginning of queen elizabeth's reign ; and this , say they , is to be a queen elizabeth protestant , to be one that will communicate with the papists in our liturgy . ) but many good ministers dare not give the sacrament to a papist , till he repent and renounce the papal universal government , and their grossest corruptions . iii. if the minister know any man to be an adulterer , fornicator , drunkard , or heretick , or infidel , by private conference , confession , or other notice , and cannot prove it , he must give him the sacrament . iv. if he ( that converseth not with one of an hundred himself ; and can know them but by hear-say ) shall hear a neighbour or two , or ten , report that such a one is taken by those that converse with him to be an heretick , atheist , infidel , scorner at christ and scripture , a fornicator , drunkard , &c. he cannot deny him the sacrament unless the reporters will stand to it as witnesses . and it 's known , 1. that few that can prove it will tell it the minister . 2. good people that hear it , cannot prove it . 3. those that can prove it , and privately tell it , will not trouble themselves , and offend their neighbours , by witnessing it openly . what need we more than experience ? do not your books and complaints tell us , that not only coffee-houses and taverns , but other places are witnesses of abounding atheism , infidelity , or sadduceism ; and that our parishes have great numbers of them ? and how many such have you known in london excommunicated , or openly suspended ? and are not the london ministers able good men , that would do it if they could ? ask them why it 's never done . if you say , that such come not , but excommunicate themselves : i answer , 1. are they not still members of the parish-church ? 2. how doth the minister know that they come not , who knoweth very few of his parishoners ? 3. it 's known by their acquaintance , that such ordinarily communicate so far as to satisfie the law. for what should hinder them when it is their interest ? v. if the minister should have private proof against one atheist of forty ; or one drunkard or fornicator of many , if he cannot get his witnesses to travel far , and for nothing become odious to the accused , to attest it before the chancellor or bishop , the minister must give him the sacrament after he is acquit by the court for want of proof . vi. if proof be brought , and the proctors fail managing it , or the chancellor favour the accused , or the man resolve before he goeth [ i will say , i repent , and then deny me the sacrament if you dare , ] or if his saying he repenteth , satisfie the judge that knoweth him not , while the minister that is his neighbour heareth no sign of it ; but contrarily of his malice against him for accusing him , he must still give him the sacrament , if the chancellor acquits him . vii . nay , if he be excommunicated first , and by friends , fees , or saying i repent , get the chancellor's absolution , he must be received to communion , though the minister see not the least sign of his repentance , but the contrary . viii . if ignorance be so common in the parish , that we have reason to judge that of twenty or thirty thousand parishioners ( more or fewer ) one half of them understand not the very essentials of christianity , and of the sacrament ; yet the minister must refuse none . i that have but three servants , can seldom have all three such as with my plain teaching will be brought while they are with me , to understand all the essentials , and be capable of the sacrament . and though in general experience telleth us of the great numbers of such , yet the minister cannot know them . he that knoweth not their faces , much less ever catechized half . and commonly children and ignorant people will say the words of the creed and lord's prayer , when they are grosly ignorant of the sense . 2. and if the minister know such an one to be so grosly ignorant , the law giveth him not power to deny him the sacrament . ix . how should the minister have power to excommunicate one out of a particular church , when his parish is not a particular church , but a part of a diocesan church only ? it 's known , now it is maintained by bishops , that the diocesan is the particular church ; that it is no church that hath not a bishop of its own : that ecclesia est plebs episcopo adunata ; and therefore the name of pastor is usually appropriated to the bishop ; and in most places of the liturgy where bishops , pastors and curates were joyntly named , one of the two first is put out of the new book , and only bishops and curates , or pastors and curates mentioned : and who can cast out of a church , that is no church in the rulers sense ? x. i have had many parishioners that have made me know that they take me for none of their pastor , nor will do ; nor themselves for any of my flock ; and yet to satisfie the law , or fame , or humour , they will demand the sacrament . a minister cannot refuse such a one , but must do the one part of a pastor's office to them that disclaim the relation . xi . if i upon strong suspicion of gross ignorance , would desire my neighbours ( aged or young ) to come and speak with me , and would try them and instruct them ; or if i desire to confer with them on a just private suspicion of heresie or atheism , or accusation or fame of wicked living ; and if they refuse to speak with me , or give me any answer or account , but shut their doors against me , and bid me meddle with my own business , i have no power to refuse them the sacrament . xii . i have known many persons , that for fear of being guilty of the body and blood of christ , would be in danger of desperation or distraction , should they receive it : yet if , for fear of an excommunication , such unwilling ones come , i must give it them . and i know too many that let me know , that though they will have the sacrament , they do not consent to the essentials of the sacramental covenant , but think christ's terms too hard ( till they have sinned longer ; ) yet these must i admit to the sacrament . xiii . on the other side , i must give it none that dare not take it kneeling , nor any that think conformity unlawful , nor that the canon calleth schismaticks . xiv . i must give it to none of the most worthy of my flock , whom the bishop or lay-chancellor will excommunicate , if it be but for not paying fees , or not appearing at his court. xv. the priest must publish the chancellor's or bishop's excommunication , if against the most conscionable of his flock . xvi . and he must publish the chancellor's or bishop's absolution , though he know the party to be most unworthy . xvii . he hath no power to judge whom to take into the church by baptism , but must baptize any child of atheists , brutists , heathens , infidels or hereticks , that have but god-fathers , who never take them for their own , though his conscience be against it , as is aforesaid . xviii . he hath no power to forbear pronouncing absolution from all sin in absolute terms , to any sick man that will say he repenteth , and desire it , though by never so much evidence the priest judge it to be either counterfeit , or from meer attrition or fear , without love . xix . i have proved that he hath no power to forbear pronouncing all atheists , infidels , brutists , adulterers , drunkards , worldlings , &c. saved , at their burial , except the unbaptized , excommunicate and self-murderers . xx. in a word , the priest is so far from having the power of excommunicating out of a particular church , that he hath no power to do the necessary previous acts . 1. if he would tell him his fault privately , the sinner may refuse to speak with him , as is said . 2. if he would take two or three witnesses , he may refuse yet to speak with him , or hear him . 3. if he would tell the church where he hath communion , and would publickly admonish him before them all , and pray for him by name , that he may repent , he doth more than he can answer , and the man may have his action against him accordingly at law. xxi . if a minister will prosecute at the bishops court all that he hath cause to keep from the sacrament ( as he must do within fourteen daies ) 1. it will take him off all his ministerial studies almost , in many great and wicked parishes . it will be work enough to travel long journeys as an informer . 2. it will spend all his benefice , in the charge of journeys , proctors , and bringing witnesses so far . 3. he shall but get the hatred of sinners , and never be like more to do them good : whereas , had he power to use true pastoral discipline with them , his love and tenderness might possibly melt them into repentance , which a chancellor's court , so like a civil judicature , and putting them to great expences and danger , is unlike to do . nor did i ever in my whole life know one sinner brought to repentance seemingly serious , by their courts . xxii . to conclude , if the minister have power to keep any from the sacrament for fourteen daies , till he prosecute them , they will as members , have all other communion with that church even in prayer , praise and thanksgiving , and the baptizing of his child , &c. albaspineus ( that great and notable describer of the churches customs ) tells us , that the old excommunication did shut them out of all other church-communion , as well as the sacrament ; even their oblations were not accepted . if i understand the case of the parish-priests , and their power of discipline , this is it . and is this the power of the keys or excommunication ? if you ask me , how i would have all this remedied ; i have oft enough answered it , and will not here repeat it . only i would have a minister have some such freedom as a school-master or philosopher hath in his school ; and not a meer slave or agent of others , to take in and use , and exclude and say , as strangers to the flock command him , against his conscience and knowledge of the case ; till it be proved , that it shall justifie him at judgment for all such actions , to say , the law , bishop or chancellor commanded me . § 2. you tell us as by your many years experience , that private repelling by counsel and persuasion , may serve with most . and 1. i wonder that you that had but a small country chappel and no church at all , where near neighbours might easily be spoken with , should talk of your experience as an argument against that which is of notorious matter of fact. 1. shew me where law , canon , or rubrick , giveth power to the priest to refuse a parishioner that saith , [ i take you not for my pastor , nor to have any authority over me , but as the bishop's curate , to do what the law bids you , and i will not speak with you . ] 2. do you not now dwell in london ? where parishes are so great that the parson can do no such thing on one of a multitude , nor doth so much as know them ? and know you not that de facto , there are multitudes that will refuse , and scorn to give you any account , or hear you , or come to you , or admit you to any such discourse with them ? i had the most obedient tractable people to deal with that ever i knew : and yet i had some that attempted by present violence to murder me , for admonishing them , and forbidding them the sacrament ; and many that would give me no other account of themselves , but demand of me to deliver them the sacrament as the canon and liturgy order it , whenever they appear at church and require it : hundreds and thousands will stoop to no other terms in the great parishes of england . § 3. i confess , if ever i had been thought tolerable under our prelates , and had thought my self able ( as i do not ) for the care of some of the smaller parishes , i should have most trusted to the new liturgy for my power to keep away some of the grosly ignorant [ as being not ready to be confirmed , ] because they know not the catechism . but now i perceive by you , this were not like to serve my turn ; for you say , [ it is only for those that never yet communicated , ] when as multitudes of the aged are grosly ignorant of the essentials that have long communicated . 2. and divers of these grosly ignorant persons are confirmed long ago . bishop morton was one of the learnedst and best bishops , that ever i knew : and when i was fourteen or fifteen years old , i and my school-fellows , and abundance of boys and girls , when he came into the country , went as to some spectacle , and without any certificate , or question to us , or instruction of us , we all kneeled in a long row in a church-yard , in the path-way , and as he went by , he laid his hands on every one , and huddled over a short collect , of which i scarce understood one sentence that he said ; and i was never the wiser , nor fitter for the sacrament that i perceived . § 4. but you say , that [ the order binds to a repelling by publick admonition and church power notifying to the congregation , such a man's crimes and scandals , as a fornicator , &c. and warn him not to come to the sacrament , till he have made open confession of his sins , and reformed his life . ] ans. what order is it that binds us to this ? if you mean christ's order , we must do it : if you mean the churches , where shall we find it ? this is like the rubrick new article of faith , which will silence us all who are not certain by god's word , that baptized infants ( without exception ) are undoubtedly saved ; and yet that charity was wanting that should but once have cited the text that maketh it undoubtedly certain . a short labour for so great an end. so when you might know how very far it would go to reconcile me to our prelacy , could i but prove what here you say , yet you will not so much as tell me where to find it : nay , if you that have studied the law , would but have told me how to escape , when i am accused for doing it . § 5. but your next is too apt to provoke laughter , viz. [ suppose you honestly tell the ordinary , that the uncapable are too many to be presented , lest violence make them worse , and excommunicating them signifie nothing , but endanger them to rise in rebellion , or mutiny , and turn you and us out of place ( that reason is considerable ) or quite leave our assemblies , and turn quakers , papists , infidels , and precipitate souls to hell by obstinacy and viciousness : but if you will leave it to me , i will christen their children and keep them within the church ; ( is that excommunicating them ? ) as hearers , and learners , and candidates , &c. do i not then honestly perform the law ? ans. your honesty i shall commend . and christ's law you may much perform . but what law of the church is it that you thus perform ? what is the law that giveth you any such power ? what law forbids it you , i have shewed . let the rejected sue you , and let the judges tell you , whether you have kept the law : the issue will answer you better than i can . but you say , it is the intention of the law that you perform . ans. you have proved me also , and all of us , conformists , before we were aware . the end of the law is to edifie and save men , and to prefer mercy before sacrifice : but all this i do , or endeavour in my preaching , dwelling , and practice : ergo , i am a conformist , and perform the law. but that did not keep me out of the common gaol , nor save my library . and must we be punished for conforming ? break the law and canon , and say you did it in mercy and kept it , and try whether you will pass for a conformist ? did you not thus keep the end of the law when you preacht at warrington ? and did your excommunicators call it conformity ? § 6. but you say , all that are accused are not excommunicate , nor laid in gaols ; it is to be hoped that the ordinary will do them iustice. ans. 1. as they did you . 2. they may escape the gaol by flying their country , as you do : but what shall they do with their wives and children ? 3. but we grant you all this : if 500 in a great parish should be accused by the minister as uncapable of the sacrament by gross ignorance , infidelity , heresie , or crimes , and as you say , they be not excommunicate ; when they come home acquit , the minister must give them the sacrament the next time . 4. but our question is not what the ordinary will do , but what the law and canon bind him and you to do ? chap. xxi . § 1. you entitle the next section , of the chancellor and his office , and reading excommunications , and the order and discipline in the church of england . and , 1. you tell us of them that would have unordained ruling elders in every parish . but , 1. if that be ill , how will it justifie lay-chancellors ? 2. cannot many with the pastor better govern one parish , than one chancellor can many scores , or hundreds ? 3. some give lay-elders only a part of the magistrates work , and some only to be delegates for the people to do but what they may do , who cannot be oft present , and to be occasional arbitrators ; and some that give them any use of the keys , take them not for lay-men , but ministers separated to that ecclesiastical office ? § 2. you tell us of thirteen parts of discipline among us : to which i said enough before . 1. no atheists , infidels , or pagans then must be refused baptism , if communicating god-fathers ( how bad soever ) present him who never take him for their own , and we doubt can neither give or prove his title : and that we are disabled to keep the unworthy from the communion , i have proved ; and the excellent , learned , pious , parish priests of london , tell you by practice . 2. few communicants are confirmed , and sacramental capacity is not required to confirmation : and if it be not used , or worse , by bishops who only have the power , what satisfaction is that to the parish priest and church ? 3. there is no sufficient means to convict , and keep away scandalous sinners . 4. the sinner hath power to forbid you private admonition by refusing to speak with you , or come near you . 5. what is family power to the church ? we thank you for nothing . but were not parents formerly disabled from keeping children and servants from spending much of the lord's day in dancing ? &c. and doth not the canon yet disable them from bringing them to hear a sermon at the next parish church , when they have none at home ? 6. the lawyers that i speak with , take all for meer falshood that you say of the priests power , of publick admonition of sinners by name , not censured by the ordinary . you say , where is it forbidden ? i ask you , where is the priest authorized to do it ? if not , the man will have his action against him , and ruine him ; and the bishop may suspend him for usurpation . and , 2. of all the worthy parish incumbents in london , who did you ever hear once do it ? i never one heard one do it , nor heard of one that did it in my life , except a non-conformist , or a hot parson point at a puritan in the church for some non-conformity in a circumstance . reverse then your charge of hypocrisie , if you find it must fall on all the worthy london incumbents : for they all speak for discipline , though not for more . 7. if there be half as many bad ministers as the country saith there is , it 's a small honour to the church , to reproach the fathers that admit them as sinning against church , law , and conscience ; and a small relief to peoples souls to tell that some body had power to have provided better . but the people had no such power , to save themselves from a bad one ; though the church for 700 , if not more years , took him to be no bishop but an usurper , that came not in by the consent of the flock , and election of the clergy , of which more elsewhere . 8. do or can bishops by visitations know the people and their cases of a thousand , or many hundred parishes , so as to hear and judge them ? would they not have ten thousand scandalous sinners sometime to try and exhort to repentance in one , or few days ? 9. and 10. we are glad that the old prohibitions of afternoon sermons and lectures , are not yet revived : but how few parishes have such lectures comparatively ? and how few have catechizing ? and they that have none , may not go to another : if you think that it will save the peoples souls , that the priest might have instructed them if he could and would , and that the bishop should have made him do it , i dissent . 11. i have seen no visitation articles of late , but in the old ones of 1634 , 1635 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39. the church-wardens were to swear to persecute men for so many things which they thought their duty ( as the foresaid going from a non-preaching minister , keeping private fasts , and such like ) that many men that feared an oath and persecution , suffered because they durst not be church-wardens . 12. i confess more manners of church-censures are in use among us , than we desire . the canons will tell them to you : else so many hundred non-conformists formerly and lately had not been forbid to preach , nor all forbid to admit non-conforming christians to communion ; nor had they been ipso facto excommunicate ( though ant. de dom. spalatensis say so much to make odious all excommunicating ipso facto ( who , they say , first devised the name of a doctrinal penitence . ) and bishop ier. taylor saith so much against it . and i confess that there is the magistrate's sword to back all this ; by which about two thousand of us were silenced , and you fly out of your country from the writ de excommunicato capiendo . § 3. my belief of your unfeigned honesty makes one at last pity you , and wonder when you add [ what more would you have ? ] what it was that could tempt you to contract the guilt of defending things of such publick and sad an aspect and prospect , against such light , and after such experience of the effects , and in such a time ! 1. do you believe in your conscience , that the bishop of york , norwich , lincoln , london , or the rest , with a chancellor , and his officials and arch-deacons , can possibly exercise that discipline , or the hundredth part of it , which christ hath appointed , were they never so honest ? 2. do you believe that a lay-chancellor , who you confess hath not the power of the keys , doth or can well execute them ? 3. do you not know how little of the parish-government against scandals is exercised by the bishop ; and how almost is done by this chancellor and officials ? 4. do you not know how unlike their courts are to fit a sinner for absolution by true repetance ? 5. did you ever in your life know a sinner brought to a repentance seemingly unfeigned by them ? 6. did you ever hear such worthy men of greatest honesty and learning as dr. lloyd , dr. stillingfleet , dr. tillotson , mr. sharp , &c. name any in the pulpit or church by way of publick admonition and invitation to repentance , who was not first censured by the ordinary ? 7. do you think none of them would do it , if they thought it a duty , and the lawful and safe way of discipline ? 8. do you think their parishes have no scores or hundreds of brutists , atheists , drunkards , fornicators , or other scandalous sinners ? 9. do you think they can possibly know any thing of their peoples gross ignorance , infidelity , atheism , yea , or scandal , who can know so few of the persons ? ( much less can the bishop . ) 10. do you think that it is exercise enough of this discipline , when about 5000 in a year only communicate to leave 20000 or 30000 more , as members of the church in that parish , that use not to communicate , or else may come when they will extraordinarily to save them from the law , though utterly unknown to the minister ? ( and so proportionably in parishes half as big . ) and how is it possible this can be amended rebus sic stantibus ? and would not so many good men amend it , were it possible ? oh draw not the guilt of so many and such things on your self without cause ! were it as small a thing as the israelites high places , if you cannot amend it , do not become the open defender of it . iudas himself at last accused the pharisees and high priests , and justified christ. i do not think he would have written a confutation of christ's reproofs , recited in matt. 15. and 23 , &c. how can you pray for a reformation of that which you think needeth none ? and hath the church and cause of holy discipline lost so much of your prayers too ? if you say to god , as you do to us , [ what more would we have ? ] i am glad that god hath a firmer people that will pray for more . § 4. you say [ as to the chancellor and his office , it is less matter by whom excommunication be done , so it be honestly and soundly done . he is a christian , he is a man of knowledge and learning ; he is authorized by the laws of the kingdom ; his office is incorporate into the government of the nation . though he may not bind and loose as a pastor , he may as a christian , authorized by the king. see matth. 18. 15 , &c. ans. this is a great business . 1. why said you before , that the power of the keys belongs to the pastors , & c ? but you meant [ not only to them . ] 2. is it the same sort of excommunication and absolution which belongs to the pastor and to a lay-man ? if not , you say nothing to our business . for our laws , canons and church pretend here no difference . i confess that there are three acts of separation , which the magistrate may do . 1. he , may command bishops and pastors to do their office faithfully in excommunicating notorious impenitent criminals . 2. when they are excommunicated , he may forbid them intruding into the church . 3. he may judge the flagitious to be stigmatized , or be taken as out-lawed , and forbid men to be familiar with them . but the power of the church is a power of judging what individual persons are fit or unfit for baptism , the eucharist , church entrance , and church communion , is the church is the porch of heaven , and as a preparation to the final judgment . and it is not another sort , but this sort which the lay-chancellor pretendeth to exercise in the bishop's name . i have been thought by some to give my self too much to magistrates in church-matters : but i am far from your mind , for the reasons following . 1. it is notorious , that in scripture christ hath instituted a special office to use these keys , and do this work , which he would not have done , had he left it common to any others . 2. the power of the keys is so much of the essential comprehensive title of that office , as that it is nullified when it is made common . 3. if this part may be done by the lay-men or magistrate , no man can give a reason why any of the rest may not , even not only to be the stated teachers of the church , and their guides in worship , but also baptizing and administring the lord's supper . as it is more to be the law-makers than the cryers , and the judge , than the marshal ; so it is more to decree who shall have the sacraments , than barely to deliver it them , which the deacon may do . and so we shall have not only lay-baptizers , but lay-preachers , lay-administers of the lord's supper , or by contradiction , lay-priests . 4. you plead for conformity , and may easily know that the church of england abhorreth this opinion . 5. when king henry the eighth was called head of the church , to avoid the papists calumnies , queen elizabeth and king iames have published their disclaiming of that power of word and sacraments , called that of the keys ; and if my ears deceived me not , i have heard our present king profess the same . 6. the judgment and practice of the churches of all ages and places since christ , is against you ; i think helvetia it self not excepted . and should this be nothing to you , who call on us to reverence the old conformists ? 7. the reason of the institution fully satisfies me . it was not meet so great a trust should be placed in unfit men : as in case of ordination , it must be men that are able to try the persons , as to skill and life , that must be trusted with so weighty a business ; and also such that can have leisure to attend it ; and therefore as an office are empowered for it , and separated to it , lest it miscarry ; so as to baptism , absolution , excommunication , it must be done by men , 1. that are capable of full acquaintance with the person , witnesses and cause . 2. and that can try and judge of it . 3. and especially of the persons faith and repentance ; ( for it is on these that the sentence must pass : ) no baptism without faith : no excommunication without obstinate impenitence : no absolution without repentance . ) 4. it must be by men fit to exhort them to faith and repentance , and confute their errours , and pray for them that god would give them faith and repentance . 5. and it is so great a part of the world , and all the church of christ , that this , or much of this must be done for , that reason shewed it needful , that it be made the work of a great and special office. and if so , then those men that do it , 1. must be tryed as ordained ministers be : 2. and ordained to the office of doing it : 3. and profess to do it as such officers : 4. and not lacerate that office , and change it , by taking a part of it , and leaving the rest : and so they must be no lay-men . i could with that you had studied and consulted better , before with such more than erastian singularity you had pleaded for so dangerous a thing as church-levelling , or so much overthrow of the necessary sacred office , and set your self against the judgment and practice of the christian church . but all men have their hour of temptation ; and all do not overcome . § 5. you say , the excommunication is of no force till published by the parish-minister , who hath power , if he please , to make it his text , and declare the nature , use and ends , &c. ans. 1. i had rather have a better text. 2. it is of force if another publish it . 3. it 's part of the true charge of the minister himself , and will , trusting another with it , discharge him . 4. we fear being guilty of the lay-man's usurpation , and the church-confusion . 5. but worst of all , it is people fearing god that the canon excommunicateth ipso facto , and that the chancellor is to excommunicate . had it been my duty to pronounce you excommunicate , because the chancellor decreed it ? 6. where you say , if i know the sentence to be void , unjust and illegal , i am not to publish it . ans. well set together . but if you know it to be unjust , and yet legal , according to the canon , you must publish it , or be a non-conformist , and may be suspended : and are all the canons decrees just ? chap. xxii . you speak next of the surplice ; of which i gave you no occasion . but we that know that the true meaning of the liturgy is , that all must use it that shall be suffered to officiate , 1. will not believe you , if you tell us the contrary hereafter , and lay it only on the canon , and think it nothing that you are obliged to consent to , and aprove . 2. nor will i yet believe that you will undertake to justifie the ejecting and silencing of all that dare not use the surplice : or if you will , you cannot . the 14th and 15th of the romans cannot be confuted ; nor the many proofs that i have given , that it reacheth our case , in my late book for the church's concord . and why talk you of the surplice , and omit the main question , whether we may consent to the liturgy , preface and rubrick , which impose it as they do ? you durst not consent to silence two thousand , or one that dare not use it . chap. xxiii . § 1. your next section is of the false rule for finding easter-day . to this you say , [ if really there be an error , i assent not to it . ] ans. nor i : nor will i say i do when i do not . and to what purpose then do you write for conformity , when one lye must not be told to save our liberty ? § 2. but you say , it is not an error in divinity . ans. what then ? may i lye about any other things ? § 3. but you say , some yet continue to affirm it is no error . ans. and what will not some men affirm ? you see how hard it is for a non-conformist to be justified with some men , when all the almanacks in england cannot do it in such a point . i am too weak to deal with men , that will not take such evidence as this . you say , that it is questionable , whether this be any part of the book to be assented to . ans. you had some fair pretence to deny the act of uniformity to be a part , though the contents say it is , but if this be questionable , you may question ( as the school-men ) so long till you leave us little unquestionable . this would increase my resolution against conformity , when we cannot be sure what it is that we must assent and consent to , and what not : how can you tell us which is or not of the book , if this be not ? § 4. you say , [ for the time past none will lay it to the charge of the conformists , and for the time to come it will be abated , those that shall subscribe and conform . ] ans. how oft have i told you , that i am laying nothing to the charge of others , but excusing our selves ? but i cannot justifie them that will do they know not what . especially it is sad that , when such a convocation which is the representative church of england , shall all consent to draw up such things to be imposed on a kingdom ; and so great a parliament require assent to it on the penalties enacted and executed on so many , they should have no more honourable a defence than you make for them . § 5. and who it is that hath the power to abate us that which the law so severely requireth , we do not yet know , unless it be the king , whose mind you know not . it is the bishop that you mean : but i doubt the lawyers that have so lately questioned the kings power of dispensation , will contradict you that give that to the bishop which they deny the king. chap. xxiv . § 1. the next section is about our assenting to , consenting to , and approving the many disorders and defects in the liturgy . you confess there are such , and name many of them . and the sum of your answer is , that you assent and consent to use the formes though disordered and defective , and the assent and consent is no otherwise to be understood . ans. soon said , but where 's the proof ? 1. the words are , all things contained in , and prescribed by the book . is the mode and disorder none of the [ all ? ] if i should say , i approve , assent , and consent to something but not all ; or the matter , but not the order and manner , doth this answer the common sense of the universal words ? what if the book did say the lord's prayer , or ten commandments backward , or baptized in the name of the holy ghost , the son , and the father , or began as it ends , &c. may i declare that i consent to , and approve all things contained in it , and prescribed by it ? § 2. as to your limitation of the sense to the word use , i have told you that the parliament rejected it , and that it is a groundless fiction , and that it makes your cause no whit the better were it granted . chap. xxv . § 1. the next is , whether we may assent to the preface for justifying all that was in the book before . you say that it was not the intent of the book to bind any man to approve the errors of translators and printers , nor to use the forms in the liturgy so as to contradict one another . ans. 1. printers errors indeed are not the convocations , nor the books as made by them : did i instance in any of them . but if translators errors also be excepted , our difficulty of understanding the imposition still increaseth . then it seems as to the psalms , epistles and gospels , we assent and consent only to the original text , and so much as we judge well translated . i thought it the book by ill translation had grosly contradicted , or depraved the scripture , it had been one of the worst sort of errors . i told you where it directly contradicteth the text. what heresie may not be brought in by a false translation ? we thank god for the worst , as a great mercy to the church ; and by them that will not receive a better in the psalms , we are thus commanded to justifie even that which was worst , lest they should be thought to have needed any amendment . and you make your self their expositor without their authority , and tell us that the intent of the book is not to bind us to approve the errors of translators : and i believe you as the book is distinguished from the authors , and so hath no intent at all . but if the translaton hath done , as heylin saith the king's printer did , that put [ thou shalt commit adultery , ] for [ thou shalt not , ] and i were commanded to approve of all things contained in the book ; whatever you shall say or do , i would have done as iohn fox the martyrologist did , saith heylin , who brought a greek testament ( supposing the hebrew . old testament ) and said to them , [ i am ready to subscribe this : if that will not serve your turn , take my prebendship of salisbury , which is all the preferment that ever i had of you , and much good may it do you . ] § 2. and you tell us without proof , that when at christmas we are bid say [ as on this day christ was born ] for divers days , it intends not that we shall use the words [ this day , ] but on one day ( and so at whitsuntide , &c. ) that is , it expresly imposeth the very words that we shall read , forbidding us by the canon to alter or diminish , and yet it meaneth not that we should use them . may you not then say what you list , which you think should have been commanded you , and suppose it the meaning of the command ? you say , this is but a favourable interpretation : you should have said truly , [ it was their oversight , which if they had seen they had amended . ] and i do not say that they meant amiss : but if they speak amiss , and our humble prelates that are servi servorum dei , come after them , and command me on pain of silence to assent , consent to , and approve the words , they shall take my liberty and life if they will ; but i will not approve them . it is all things in the book that we must consent to , whatever was in their minds . if they bid me approve the saying , that [ christ's body and blood is really present , under the forms of bread and wine , ] and mean as well by it as cousins , heylin , &c. did , i will not approve it , though you should . though luther de conciliis , & dav. derodon say , that nestorius meant soundly , yet the councils condemned him for a heretick , and owned not his words , whatever he meant . § 3. but you say , [ it is not that the old book was faultless , but that they were fully persuaded in their judgments that it was so . ] ans. you think this but a [ favourable interpretation ] too . but by your leave , [ if they had said that we are fully persuaded in our judgment , that the council of trent hath nothing contrary to the word of god , ] and then required me to declare my assent and consent to all things contained in that book , i should not have done it . if you understand the words so , others will not . chap. xxvi . § 1. you next undertake to prove , that the act of uniformity is no part of the book to be consented to . the contents say it is : you say it is not . are these contents part of the book ? if so , then they are false : if not , how shall we know what is or is not part of the book ? your proofs are no proofs . 1. you say , the act it self nameth the book as distinct from the law. ans. and what then ? no more followeth but that the word [ book ] is sometime taken in the full sense , and sometime more narrowly . so the body is oft distinguished from the head , and the kingdom from the king : will you therefore infer that the head is no part of the body , nor the king of the kingdom , fully taken ? the preface is usually distinguished from the book , and so is the index , or contents , margin , title , &c. and yet preface , index , contents , title , margin of the book , are all parts of the book . your second proof is of the same sort . § 2. your third saith , the book must rather ( if either ) be a part of the act , because it is subjoined . would you by this rate of argument convince us ? is the book part of the preface , or contents , or index , if these go first ? is the house part of the porch , or the porch part of the house ? is the body part of the head ? or the kingdom part of the king ? or the family part of the porter ? but you say , it is absurd to say that the thing to which the appendix is annexed , is part of the appendix . it is so ; therefore say not so your self . but is not the appendix part of the book ? and doth the acts , being placed first , make it no appendix ? and were it put in the end , were it not the same thing ? § 3. your fourth is no better , viz. [ the old act of uniformity is a declared part of the contents , and bound up with the book ; and if this be part , we must subscribe contradictions , to use two common-prayer-books . ans. is that old act , the old book ? is subscribing to that act , subscribing to the old book ? why obtrude you on us such things unproved ? 2. do you not know that the new act not only confirmeth the old , but also altereth the sense of it , and tells you that henceforth it shall be understood , as meaning this new book ? and as bishop taylor truly tells you , laws are not the laws of the dead , but of the living , who therefore give them what sense they please . and yet shall so sober a man tell us , that subscribing the old act , is subscribing the old book ? i begin to be weary answering such reasonings as these . § 4. your fifth and sixth reasons are from the general sense and opinion of all divines , as for you : and you say , never any to this day did think that the 36th canon and subscription included the act. ans. you now practice what you plead for . can you tell what every subscriber to this day thought ? he is yet living that at the savoy undertook to prove it an act of mercy to them to put all from the sacrament that did not receive it kneeling . and you know that all the bishops in the lords house had their part in making that act of uniformity , with all its penalties . and as certainly they did consent to the making and imposing of it ; so what should make you sure that they never meant ( no not one of them ) that any others should be bound to the same , when they put it into the book , and put in the words [ all things contained ] and when it is so natural to such men to desire that all men approve of what they do ? i should think it ten to one , that they that think it their duty to do such a thing , as the silencing of two thousand ministers on those terms ( or five thousand if they had not conformed , ) will be very much concerned to have their act approved : and that they that will not endure us to speak in the praying desk , or at either sacrament to god in any one word but what they write down for us to say , are likely to desire that we may be also bound to approve of their sanctions of this law. but i am sure you speak that which you know not to be true . § 5. to your seventh i answer , what would have plainer than the express assertion of the contents themselves ? § 6. in your eighth you say , [ many conformable men think nothing in the book is to be assented to , but what is ordinarily to be read , and the ceremonies to be used ] ans. . put this down then as one point of our nonconformity , which deserveth silencing ; and ruine that , when we cannot profess to [ assent and consent to all things contained and prescribed in the book ] and mean by [ all things , only the ceremonies , and so much as is ordinarily to be read . ] but again , teach not papists to expound the oaths of allegiance and supremacy at this rate . § 7. you say , 1. that the title is no part of an act of parliament . 2. nor any but the mandatory is part of a law. ans. but you might have known that we will not believe you : why then should you thus put us off with your bare word ? though the word [ law ] ( as all words ) be equivocally oft used , and taken for the chief part , yet as properly taken , and pertinently to our question , we will yet believe whatever you say , 1. that the prefatory reasons , and the penal and premiant sanctions , are parts of the act and law. 2. yea , that the title is part of the act , if it be made and prefixed , and promulgate with it by the legislators . but i will tell you how you may know : if you openly deprave all the rest of the law or book , and some one indict you for it , the judge may satisfie you better than i can . § 8. but you are never so confident as where you are most overseen . you say , our strongest reason from the contents doth most strongly confute it self . this title is not only part of your proof , but all that i can see . for that which you take for your proof , that [ then the old act of uniformity , and consequently two books , are consented to , and our governours speak non-sense ] is either worse than non-sense , or i understand not sense from non-sense . i have called before for your proof , that [ two acts are two common-prayer-books ] when the latter establisheth the former expresly , as binding only to the new book ! the words are [ be it enacted — that the several good laws and statutes of this realm , which have been formerly made , and are now in force for the uniformity of prayer , &c. shall stand in full force and strength , to all intents and purposes whatsoever , for the establishing and confirming of the said book entitled , &c. herein before mentioned , and shall be applyed , practised , and put in use for the punishing of all offences contrary to the said laws , with relation to the book aforesaid , and no other . ] and they have caused the act of elizabeth , to be bound with this book , as it was with the old : and doth this infer two books from two acts , & c ? alas brother ! that we should trouble and wrong the world at this rate of unadvised confidence . this old canonical subscription is also continued ; and yet it is here enacted , that it shall mean only this new book , and no other . you add , if the printer , or any other through oversight bind up the apocrypha , and put in the contents of the holy bible , is it a part of it ? ans. 1. it is not the printer's act , but the law-maker's that we have to do with . 2. if the law-maker cause the printer to put the apocrypha in the bible , and call it a part of it in the contents , i will say that he declareth it to be a part , though i believe him not . and i will call god's word his word , if aesop's fables be bound with it ; and i will subscribe to god's word . but if the law-maker bind other books with it , and in the contents call them part of the book , and then bid me declare assent and consent to all things in that book , i will not obey him . chap. xxvii . about declaring it unlawful , on any pretence whatsoever , to take arms by the king's authority against any commissioned by him . § 1. here you will prove ( in your proving way ) that it meaneth only [ against such as be justly and legally commissioned in the due pursuance of their commission . ] before i answer you , i will give you my reasons for the contrary . 1. the act of militia seemeth to me to give another sense of the whole matter : read it and judge . 2. this subscription , and other like professions , were purposely imposed for the renunciation of the late parliament arms. but in your sense what will it have done to satisfie or oblige any man in that or the like case , when they profest the same thing , and said , that it was only unjust and unlawful commissions , and an unlawful pursuit that they resisted ? be their words true or false , this was their pretence , and they would in the heat of the war have subscribed to what you say . 3. this was made and imposed to keep men from the like for the time to come : but this would not keep them ; for they would take it . 4. are you ignorant what striving there hath been in parliament to have got the word [ lawfully or legally ] commissioned in , and it could never be obtained ? ( save that not long ago it was carryed once in a grand committee of the house of lords only , very many years since this act was made . ) some say they had reason not to express it , though they meant it , lest it should be abused . i answer , then they had reason to desire not to be so understood . and then we cannot , nor ought , not so to understand them against their wills ; and the non apparere , and non esse of their sense is all one to us . 5. they knew that it was this that would herein have satisfied dissenters , and tended to the concord which they professed to desire ; and yet they would not yield to any such limitation or exposition . 6. there were such reasons brought against your sense as these in the house . 1. no resisting arms are lawful . 2. if subjects be made judges whether the king's commissions be lawful or not , it it is no restraint of rebellion at all . for it 's as easie to say , they are unlawful , as to say , we may resist them though lawful , and far more easie . who will not pretend it ? 7. non est limitandum aut distinguendum de lege sine lege : but in so great a business as this , do you think our governours will not take it for a heinous thing , for such as you or i to put in the word [ lawful ] into subscriptions and oaths , which so many great men did so long and deliberately study . 8. a papist or jesuit will take it in your words ; for he will say , that no commission against the pope's countermands , or his authority , or canons are lawful . § 2. now to your proofs ; 1. you say , [ the act it self implieth it ; for else , what use is there for laws and parliaments ? the king may do what he will : he is free to violate his coronation oath , and set up arbitrary government by a law. ] ans. did you ever read bishop taylor against resistance in his ductor dubitant . who despaireth of proving any thing in the world , if he cannot prove that ? have you read dr. hearne , mr. digs , mich. hudson , mr. welden , dr. arnway , & c ? you are answered by many . 1. that the king may not do any such thing lawfully . 2. but if he do it , he is answerable only to god. 3. and that the subject hath no remedy but prayers and tears . yet it followeth not , say they , that laws or parliaments are vain : for by them the king governeth as far as he please , and they are his instruments . § 3. your second reason is , the calling in the the king's indulgence , as contrary to law , sheweth it . ans. did they that declared it contrary to law , declare that men may resist it by arms ? § 4. 3. you say , [ the iudges at westminster unanimously agree upon this sense and exposition of the law , and their common practice no less . ] ans. i will give you a lawyer 's fee if you will prove it . when , and how did they ever declare any such agreement ? what practice is it that you mean ? do they commonly resist unlawfully commissioned souldiers by arms ? or declare for it . 2. but if this were true ( which i believe not , whatever their secret judgment may be ) it followeth not the parliament which made this law was of that mind . 3. your assertion is raw ( that the iudges are made the publick expositors of laws , made by king and parliament ) . there are two sorts of exposition of laws : one is but limited to a particular case and person , in order to the applicatory sentence for or against that man : and so the judges are expositors . the other is universal , so as to oblige all the subjects as the law it self doth , so that they must understand the law , antecedently to their obedience . and this is proper to the law-giver : for the sense of the law is its essence : and judges are not the law-makers . common politicks might have taught you this . § 5. 4. you say [ the parliament's proceedings against chancellor hide and the earl of danby , shew their sense . ] ans. 1. it was not the same parliament that prosecuted them both . 2. what did the parliament to any such purpose ? is impeaching a delinquent , taking arms against the king's commission , if unlawful ? you say , [ they mean not to unhinge the right of the subject , the priviledge of parliaments , to make void all oaths , bonds , engagements of all the legal authorized iudges , mayor , magistrates , constables , officers of the kingdom ] ans. . you are a bold man if you dare say that all these are made void , unless the king 's unlawful commissions may be resisted by arms. you are for the bishops resolving your doubts : i pray you go ask the bishops that had a hand in making the act , ( bishop morley , or such other that came not in since ) whether you have hit of the true meaning of it ? chap. xxviii . § 1. your 27th section is of the non-obligation of the covenant ( or vow . ) and here you tell us first how much you can declare , and then you give us just twenty reasons against the making and taking of the covenant , which you knew were impertinent to any thing that i said : and yet many of them are as impertinent to the end which you seem to intend ; and a covenanter would soon shame . a bad argument wrongeth the best cause . 1. you say , there was never such an oath taken by any person fearing god. ans. how prove you that ? oh! very easily : you bid us prove the affirmative . pitiful ! so you may affirm that never man in the world said or did that , which we cannot prove that some said or did : or affirm an universal negation , because we prove not the contrary . 2. might not an arrian at nice ( conc. 1. ) say , never such a creed was drawn and imposed before . 3. may not the pope say to the first protestants , never such a protestation was made before ? 4. but i pray you read better the scottish history , and see whether no such covenant was made in scotland before . your 5th is more pitiful , being a game at equivocation . 1. did you think that the word [ prelacy ] in the common , or the imposers sense , did mean pastors that excel in gifts and grace . you may next say , it meant kings , or school-masters ; when yet they adjoined an expository description . and i have told you , 1. that doctor burges , mr. gataker , and many more openly declared that they would not covenant against the primitive episcopacy , and were ready to enter their protestation ; and the assembly to satisfie them , added the description , as meaning only the english concatenated frame . 2. and the house of lords took it upon mr. coleman's making the same exposition . 2. but the bishops will give you little thanks for subjecting them to all pastors that have better gifts and grace : and they will laugh at you for talking , as if this were the prelacy in question . in your 6th you tell us , that bishops name and thing are scriptural : and yet pag. 6. you say [ a bishop and a presbyter in the sense and language of the scripture , are the same . ] the reader may think that when you affirm , and when you deny , it is the same . and you ask how they would take an oath to extirpate presbyters , and were told , they mean not to extirpate them as bishops , but as presbyters . ans. did you think you spake to the case ? 1. if they thought a presbyter as such , as bad as a bishop as such , no doubt they would have taken that oath . 2. but do you take a bishop here for the same as a presbyter , or as a species of presbyters , or as a superiour to presbyters ? which ever it is , it 's nothing to the case in hand : he that saith , we renounce diocesan prelacy , but not preeminence of gifts , nor parochial episcopacy , doth but say plainly , i renounce not another thing by renouncing prelacy in the known and explained sense : but he that saith , renounce presbyters but not bishops , as they signifie the same thing , or as presbyters signifieth the whole genus ; or yet as bishops are the governours of presbyters , speaketh gross contradictions . and when after you argue sometimes from the worth of the persons to the goodness of the office , and sometime from the old episcopacy , to the english diocesan prelacy ; you do but lose your words as to us . and i could wish you would have left out your medium of multitudes of protestants that would turn papists , if the papists could prove as much for them of antiquity and universality , as the english diocesan prelacy can : when i consider how in the same empire they grew up together , i would not have you be the man that should dispute with a papist , who undertaketh to prove the roman primacy as ancient as our species of diocesan prelacy described in the covenant , and to be acknowledged then by as many . i say not that they can prove it : but i had rather you laid not so much upon it . you equivocate when you say , all sides are for bishops : you will have few assenters when you say , that episcopacy , presbytery , and independancy , are not three forms of church-government , as three is contrary to unity ( viz. of such form : and when you say , extirpate one and extirpate all ( the forms ) because godliness is the same in all . are not monarchy , aristocracy , and democracy , three forms , contrary to unity of form ; though humanity , piety , and regiment , be the same in all ? do they that extirpate presbytery , or democracy , extirpate all ? but why should i trouble the reader , or you , by any further opening of your mistakes in a case that i am not concerned in , and is none of our controversy ? when you say that [ the generality of the non-conformists are for a well tempered prelacy , ] you infer an odious guilt on those prelatists , who write vehemently for our ruine ; as intolerable because we are against episcopacy : i could name you many such besides dr. saywel . you say , the presbyterians and independants , were as bitter against one another , as the prelates were against them both , saving violences , and coercive restraints . ans. i refer it to your second thoughts , 1. whether this be sober consistency . 2. whether it be true . 1. to be [ as bitter , except violence , and coercive restraint , ] is in english to be [ as bitter , except being far more bitter , ] q. d. [ the differing protestants in ireland were as bitter against each other , as the papists against both , saving cruelties and murders . ] bradford's school-master , was as hurtful to him as bonner , except imprisonment and burning him . he that chides me is as hurtful to me as he that maimeth me , except hurting me more . when you have excepted silencing , imprisoning , and taking away all our maintenance , you except much . 2. but yet is it true ? remember it was but presbyterians and independants that you speak of : read the book of their assembly debates : read all their writings against each other : i will not except mr. edward's gangraena , and see whether they do not acknowledg more of god's grace in one another , and own more of the duty of loving and forbearing own another , than the prelatists do by either . read the canons that excommunicate them ipso facto as for wicked error ; and read doctor heylin , fowlis , the book against mr. calamy's farwel sermon , the counterminer , l'estrange , the friendly debate , mr. parker ; and a multitude more such ; and of old bishop bancroft ; and in a word , the ordinary visitation articles , or peter studley , and a multitude such , that preacht and wrote against them as hypocrites , pharisees , schismaticks , and such like , and then consider how far you have here swerved from known truth . i may say that i knew all those times , and the sorts of persons mentioned , much better than you : many sectaries were very bitter , and some too bitter against them . the presbyterians and independants contended with too much intemperance and unskilfulness . but sure if they had thought as ill of one another as the prelates did of both , when they had power , they would as much have silenced and ejected one another ; which they did not . i remember not ever to have known any meer presbyterian or independant , especially ministers , but openly declared that they looked on both parties as the servants of christ , whom they should love and honour . but this is nothing to our cause . you say truly , [ an oath is a sacred thing , and it is dangerous to use shifts and stretches ] . and if so , it is not without danger to persuade thousands so to do , or to justifie many hundred thousand if they will be down-right perjured . you say , [ if one may judge of those times by these now present , a great many swore pell-mell they knew not what , because they knew not what presbytery , independancy , and episcopacy was . ] 1. no doubt many did so . 2. but they partly knew what the english prelacy was , by long experience ; and they swore not for presbytery or independancy , nor against all episcopacy . 3. but if you think that they do so in these times , you and i should lament it : for god will not hold them guiltless , whether they be pastors and churches , or cities and corporations , that take his name by perjury in vain : it 's better call them to repentance , than justifie them in it . to contract the guilt of the perjury of many thousands is an expeditious way to misery , and doth a great deal in a little time . § 2. having thus proved that which i denied not , you proceed to add nineteen propositions about the case in question , in all which it is not easie to be sure which side you conclude for : you grant most of my premises , which make against perjury . you confess , that if any one person be bound by that oath to endeavour an alteration of church government , no man may with a safe conscience subscribe this . and , if there be evil in the government of the church , which may well and conveniently be reformed , you do not see but that all that have taken that oath , stand bound in their places and calling to endeavour it : there can be no just reformation without some alteration . a great deal more than this you grant , how rulers are bound to yield in things confest indifferent , which others account sin , were it but to heal our breaches : and what a sin it is to cast out of the church multitudes of holy conscientious men for a small and tolerable error , when all have some , &c. but yet instead of a conclusion , if you are intelligible , you induce men to subscribe , though that which they fear , be ( not accusing any ) lest they should be guilty of many hundred thousand perjuries . you say , 1. [ we must in expounding laws regard the meaning of our governours . ] ans. true : but is it their meaning de genere , or de specie , or individuo ? our governour 's meaning is not to approve perjury . but suppose yet they had commanded me to swear that no man is bound by the oath of supremacy ; is it no perjury so to swear . then we might swear any thing commanded while the commander saith , he is not for perjury . if rulers command men to marry their own sisters , and yet say , that they abhor incest , may one justifie this because they are against incest ? if rebels rise in arms against their rulers , but yet renounce rebellion , how are they to be expounded ? but you say , [ if there be any thing in the government contrary to the word of god , the laws , canons , liturgy , offices of iudges and ministers do bind all men against it , as null and void , though not abolished by parliament . ] ans. and what then ? do you infer [ therefore we may subscribe ; or therefore we must interpret nothing in the law to be against god's word ; or therefore we must not subscribe it ? the last is the true conclusion . if socinians renounce all that is against god's word , and yet command you to renounce christ's godhead , may you do it ? 2. but i would fain see the words which you here suppose in the law , canons and liturgy ; and whether they leave us all to be judges what is against god's word ? and , 3. i would have you expound to me , 1. the canon that requireth us to subscribe , that there is nothing in the liturgy against god's word . 2. and that which excommunicateth all that say there is any thing against it . 3. and the law that layeth us in gaol , and ruineth us , if we so say and do forbear accordingly . is it an argument to say , [ the law renounceth all that is contrary to the word of god ; and excommunicateth , and silenceth , and ruineth you , if you say that there is in the liturgy any thing against it : ergo , you may subscribe though there be somewhat against it , because the law disowneth it ? ] i would not think you mean this : therefore i know not what you mean to infer , unless it be your next words : [ therefore what faults be in the government , are rather the faults of the governours ] . alas , this is it and worse . thus you might infer , there is no fault in the papal government , if the pope in general renounce all that is against god's word , and then bids you swear that popery is not against it . turks and heathens renounce in general all sinning against god , and yet i would not say that their laws may be owned as sinless . you say , [ if all governours in church and state faithfully did their duties according to the canons , liturgy , &c. it would be happy for all sides . ] ans. no man can tell by these words , whether you mean [ if they did all that the laws and canons command them , ] or [ if they did the good part and left out the bad . ] if the later be your sense , it is against you : if it have a bad part which we must not do , it hath a part which we must not consent , covenant , or promise to do . if the former , then you have part of your happiness , and may soon enough see more . your honest words elsewhere shew that you take it for no happiness , to have all professed non-conformists excommunicated according to the canon , and silenced and ruined according to the law. and yet i cannot tell how to agree you with your self : you say , [ all good and peaceable men would be protected , whether conformists , or non-conformists . ans. as mr. field , mr. thompson , and others that died in gaol were ; or as mr. hughs , mr. ioseph allen , and others that died by their prison-diseases were ; or as those that must be silenced , or lie in gaol six months , and pay forty pound a sermon ; or as men excommunicated ipso facto are protected . § 3. you say , [ the words of the declaration do not say , no man is bound to endeavour the alteration of the governours but the government , that is , of the laws , rules , and canons , by which they govern , and the several offices which be in the church . — these may be good . — the office may be divine , or justly prudential , or tolerably lawful . — suppose the oath and covenant doth not bind to endeavour the alteration of the chancellor's office. — your conclusion seems implied in your challenge . [ now let any nonconformist prove that there is any office in the english way of church government simply unlawful , &c. ] ans. 1. have you answered the proof that i pretend to have brought in my disput. of church government ? if not , must i write it again as oft as you will bid me ? or would it be here meet to write a treatise to answer this your challenge ? but get it tolerated , and it shall soon be done . 2. you say , the government is the laws , rules , and canons , by which they govern : and if these need not be altered , why did you before disown the exercise of them , as a great sin ? and yet this implieth [ the law and canon , which excommunicate non-conformists , and which deny the lord's supper to those that kneel not , and which silence non-subscribers to the 36th canon , and which deny baptism to those that scruple the english use of the cross and god-fathers , and which ruine all that preach when silenced , need no alteration , as simply unlawful . ] but we must prove them unlawful : come to me then in private , and let us debate the case , and i will prove to you as much as i affirm . in the mean time , if it will go for any proof with you , i crave your answer to these arguments which some use , that doubt of the lawfulness which they dare not deny . i. a church-governing office for the exercise of that power of the church keys by lay-men , which christ hath appropriated to the clergy is sinful : but such is the office of our lay-chancellors : ergo , &c. ii. a species of prelacy which is destructive of , or inconsistent with the form of particular churches , and of bishops and presbyters , and the exercise of that church-discipline which christ and his spirit in the apostles did institute is sinful . but ( they fear ) such is the english diocesan species of prelacy : ergo , &c. iii. the government which is to be the execution of the foresaid canons , and act of uniformity , &c. for expelling , excommunicating , silencing , imprisoning , ruining non-conformists , you said before was unlawful — but — ergo. but here i would , as your real friend , advise you to two things more ; as well as not needlesly to contract the guilt of that which you call grievous sin in others . 1. that you will publish your retractation of those words [ the words of the declaration do not say , no man is bound to endeavour the alteration of the governours , but only of the government . ] do you consider what you say ? 1. you know that it is the government of the state as well as church , that is here expressed : and do you think that the king and parliament never intended to keep men from deposing the king ? or the lords , and commons , and judges , though they changed not the species , but set up others in their steads ? or will the bishops so expound it to you , as that it meaneth not that you are not obliged by the covenant , to pull down all the present bishops if you set up others in their stead ? 2. that you avoid the commoner answer of others , who say , that it is only the essentials of government that are here meant , and not any integrals , or accidents . for , 1. the king and state-government is here touched . and dare you say that [ if any man think that the covenant bindeth him to destroy all the king 's civil government , except the bare essentials of monarchy , that the parliament intended not here to contradict him ? ] 2. and i doubt the bishops will be angry with you and call you schismaticks , if you say that the parliament here meant not to contradict them that say , they are bound by the covenant to turn our diocesan bishops into parochial ones , or into one in every corporation , and to take down their court officers , and their lordships , parliament , power and wealth . that which serveth men best in arguing , will not best please the men that they plead for . you say , [ we grant that there is no one thing in the episcopal government , but what we may well bear with , and submit to . ] ans. 1. we well may and must bear with that which we cannot help . in moscovy we may fear that all preaching is put down , saving reading homilies ; and a man may there live godly : but do not you therefore tell all men , that if the same were done here , we may enter into a solemn covenant , never to endeavour to reform it : no , were it but the high places in iudaea . 2. submitting is either by obedience , or meer patience . under papists and turks men must submit by patience : but if you say , we hold that we must obey all that they command , our practice tells you , it is not true . but the question is , whether there be no one thing , but what we may covenant never to endeavour to alter , and subscribe that no parliament man , or any other in england , is bound by that oath , which they took , to endeavour it ? the law forbids me to say , they are , and therefore i say it not : but if you say , they are not , dare you undertake to answer for them ? you say , their office binds them to no evil . that is , none of the things fore-mentioned are evil : which you said were so . again you say , all the while excommunications and church censures are soundly done , it 's the the less matter by whom they are done . ans. 1. do not say so to the king about kingly government : nor to the judges if an intruder invade the tribunal . 2. make the bishops believe this if you can , of any that should usurp their office. 3. make the parish priests believe it if you can , who are so angry with us for helping them at a distance , though we invade not places . 4. make any sober ministers believe if you can , that if the word be well preacht , and sacraments soundly administred , it is no matter who doth it . 5. make any master of a family , or husband , believe it as to their offices , that it 's no matter who doth it , so it be soundly done . if the wife do believe , it 's two to one the husband will not . § 4. again you say , [ by the government of church and state , whatsoever is absolutely sinful is forbidden , — the laws declare it null , &c. ] ans. this is before answered . you say , silencing and excommunicating the non-conformists here , are sinful . instead of this impertinent talk , go try your oratory on the judges and bishops ; if you can persuade them that the law forbids them all to fine , imprison , or silence us , or excommunicate us : why did you not use this pretty argument for your self ? 2. and do not papists , and turks say , that no law against god is in force ? and doth their government therefore contain no evil ? or will you tell them that swear to amend it , that it 's well enough already ? you tell us what to say to the bishops and judges for our selves : but if by this medium , i would prove that i am conformable to the law , and they are the non-conformists that punish me , because they break the law of god ; i doubt they would laugh at me first , and send me to gaol next . § 5. but in answer to , where read we in scripture of the chancellor's office ? you repeat again , [ if soundly done , no man may reprove them . ] i will not repeat my answer : but i add ; if so , no man may reprove the boys if they soundly whip their master when he deserveth it ; nor a cobler that will send offenders to prison as the lord mayor doth : nor a justice , yea , or a tinker , that will step up in the chancery , or king's-bench , to do justice . § 6. but though i will not laugh at your writing ; i should hardly forbear if i heard you do what page 95 , you say you would do , viz. [ if a bishop , or arch-bishop , or chancellor , live where you are pastor , and be a member of your congregation , you must needs look on your self as obliged by the laws and canons of the church and state , by the word of god , and by the rules of the common-prayer-book , publickly to admonish him , if he grosly misdemean himself , and do a scandalous crime ; and if he shall not by open confession give satisfaction to the church , bar him from the sacrament , and declare him disorderly and contumacious , and that if he do not repent he shall perish ; and warn the people to beware of such evil courses , and to have no more to do with him than they needs must : and this i maintain to be part of the discipline and government of the church of england . ] ans. i would i could see this bout . i doubt he will have something to do with you your chancellor had the wit to begin with you first . i pray you forget not this case when you go to the bishop for his sense of the liturgy , and tell us his answer when you come home . i must profess this is an edifying passage : as when i read in saltmarsh , that christ repented and believed for us , it let in more light against libertinism , than i had before : so doth this passage raise up some useful doubts in me about our churches , which i thought not on till now . q. 1. whether are the bishops that dwell in the london parishes ( or others ) members of the parish church where they dwell ? q. 2. if they are not , whether dwelling in the parish make a christian a member of the parish church ? q. 3. if not , what is it that makes a member , and how are the pastors special flock truly known to him from others ? q. 4. if they be members , to whom shall we present the bishop for not coming to church , or for his crimes ? is it to himself ? q. 5. whether is the bishop , or the parish priest there the higher power , or governor ? and which must obey ? q. 6. doth the canon that forbids men to go from their own parish churches , extend to the bishop ? q. 7. how is the bishop one of the parson's flock , and the parson one of the bishop's flock , both at once ? q. 8. whether the bishop that is excommunicated by the parson out of the parish church , be cast out of the universal ? or other churches , may have communion with him , or not ? q. 9. what if the parson excommunicate the bishop , and the bishop the parson both at once , what a case are they in ? and which shall stand , one or both , and how far ? q. 10. how will the parson practice his conformity , who consenteth when he putteth any one from the sacrament , to certifie the ordinary within fourteen days ? will he prosecute the bishop to himself , or to his chancellor ? q. 11. doth not this instance prove mr. cheyney , to be a mistaking expositor of the church-government , the bishops themselves being judges ? and would not one days practice of any such thing convince him by experience , that the church of england now take not parish parsons for parish bishops ? q. 12. is he in the right , page 96. that this course would make bishops , and arch-bishops , and chancellors , stand in awe of the priests ? why then did you not thus awe your bishop and chancellor ? chap. xxix . your 28th section hath nothing in it that requireth many words for answer : that oaths and laws must be charitably expounded no one denieth , so they be truly expounded . in this we stand to bishop sanderson's rules , which are far better stated than any thing here said by you . and your citing my limited and conditional approbation of the assemblies catechisms , and the synod of dort's , is certainly no reason for my absolute and unlimited professing to assent and consent to all things , in books which have so much more which i dissent from . chap. xxx . § 1. your 29th section containeth your unproved opinions , and false devices , for stretching subscriptions , covenants and professions . and first you tell us of the difficulty of using any words that may not seem doubtful : but yet if there be not a satisfactory intelligibleness in words , humane converse is overthrown , and oaths of allegiance , and all contracts are of little use unto their ends . § 2. you say , [ though there be in this volume which we call the common-prayer-book , many matters , sentences , and words bound all together , yet do we assent and consent to no more but that which goes under the name of the service of the church , and the rules and orders touching the same , and the rites and ceremonies thereof . ans. if you say [ all things contained in it ] means not [ all things ] indeed , tell us what difference there is between the equivocations of the jesuits , and this of yours . so one tells me , that [ when we profess to assent to all in the bible , ] the meaning is [ to all the precepts , promises , and words of god in it , but not that there is no humane errors in numbers and chronologie , genealogie , history , or citations . ] and so you may say , [ i will swear not to endeavour any alteration of the government of the state , but i mean not to alter monarchy . ] and what may not one thus say and swear ? 2. but yet i think it is no great number of [ matters , sentences , and words ] which are neither ( service , rules , orders , or rites . ) rubricks and calendars , and some prefaces belong to these . but it is a strange interpretation which would exclude doctrinals , such as the article of faith , of the certain salvation of all infants baptized , and dying before actual sin. your citations signifie nothing for your purpose , but tell us what you would have them signifie . § 3. but now i come to sampson's hair , the very strength of all your book , page 115. the preface saith , [ when doubts arise in the use and practice of the same , to appease all such diversity ( if any arise ) and for the resolution of all doubts concerning the manner how to understand , do and execute the things contained in this book , the parties that so doubt , or diversly take any thing , shall always resort to the bishop of the diocess , who by his discretion shall take order for the quieting and appeasing of the same , so that the same order be not contrary to any thing contained in this book . ] whence you gather , that the law makes the bishop the common expositor ; and if he gives a good exposition , or by silence shew consent , all is safe , and you may conform . i confess this reed is the strongest support of your cause that i have met with : and i am not censuring others that lean upon it : i doubt not but they may be better men than i : but i will tell you why i cannot . 1. it is a help to those that be in doubt : but i am out of doubt in many of the reasons of my non-conformity ; and therefore it is no help to me . 2. the words expresly limit the bishops exposition , [ so that his order be not contrary to any thing in the book . ] if it be not contrary to the book , it will give me no satisfaction : if it be contrary , it is of no force . 3. it is only about ( the things contained in the book ) that the bishop must resolve us : now either the acts of uniformity are part of those things , or not : if yea , then it is the acts also that i must assent and consent to ; which you as well as i are far from . and you maintain that the act is no part of the book : if not , then the bishop hath no power to expound the act : and the forms of assent and consent , and subscription imposed , are parts of the act. 4. the words make not the bishop the publick or common expositor of the law , or book , as judge ; but only as a teacher , who bindeth but so far as he tells the truth : the bishop must teach his ignorant or divided clergy , how to understand what they understand not : and this is not about their subscriptions , but matters of use and practice ( as where the table shall stand , and such like . ) that it maketh not the bishop the obliging judge of the law , appeareth , 1. because here is no such word . 2. the foresaid limitation speaketh the contrary . 3. else there might be as many religions , doctrines , or practices as bishops , or many at least : i will give you all the little money in my purse , if you will get me under the hand of bishop morley , bishop gunning , bishop sparrow , and arch-bishop stern , their approbation of your expositions of the parts of conformity , written in your book . and i suppose you know how zealously many write ( as well as doctor saywel ) against tolerating diversity of forms and rites , and orders of worship . and this would be to set up as many sects , or ways , as differing bishops pleased . this case was notably tried between arch-bishop laud , and the church that followed him , and williams , bishop of lincoln , about the table , or altar . 4. else bishops would have the legislative power : for the sense of the law is the law : and if the parliament form but the letter or body of it , and the bishop may give it what sense or soul he pleaseth ; it is he that will be the chief law-maker . 5. else bishops might corrupt and change our religion and church , under pretence of exposition . bishop godfrey goodman of glocester , who was a papist , might have set up popery in his diocess , by putting a popish sense upon subscription , words , and practices : and the bishops by agreement might set up popery in the land , by the same means . or a bishop might set up non-conformists , by gratifying them by his expositions . the thing meant in those words is no such dangerous power , but only an instructing and a pacifying , informing of the clergy , when they ignorantly differ about some dark word , or circumstance , or practice ; the bishop must teach them the true sense of the book , but do nothing against any thing therein . 6. is it not called an act for uniformity , and imposeth all the heavy penalties on purpose to procure uniformity ? would they have silenced and ruined two thousand ministers for non-conformity , if uniformity had not been thought of more worth than their ministerial labours ? and can you think that after all this , they meant to leave it to the particular bishops , whether there should be any uniformity or not ? you think one bishop will say , [ you are parish bishops , and may publickly admonish and reprove the scandalous , and excommunicate them excommunicatione minore : you may give them the sacrament , that conscienciously scruple kneeling ; you may baptize them that conscienciously scruple the dedicating cross , and the english sort of god-fathers ; you may refuse to say the words of prayer , which imply his salvation , over the dead who were excommunicable , though not excommunicated : you may understand the article which professeth the certainty of baptized infants salvation , of those only that are the children of faithful parents , or pro-parents ; you may say you assent to all in the book , and mean not all but some part , and that not as true , but as usable : you may profess consent to use it all , and yet not mean to use the calendar , or rubricks , or to administer the sacraments otherwise than as aforesaid : you may say , or subscribe , or swear , that it is , on any pretence whatsoever , unlawful to take arms against any commissioned by the king , and mean only such as are lawfully commissioned . you may subscribe that no one in england that sware it , is bound by the solemn vow and oath , to endeavour any alteration of government in church or state , and mean only that he must not endeavour it by sedition or rebellion . ] and so on to the end . but other bishops will say the clean contrary : viz. that the bishop is the only pastor , and the parish priest hath none of the power here named , and so of all the rest : and what uniformity then will there be ? know you not how they write against such different administrations , as destructive and intolerable ? 7. and know you not that a bishop hath no power against the canons ? the canons are their own laws and judgment , and bind them : and when the canon saith , e. g. he shall be suspended that giveth the sacrament to one that kneeleth not ; or that the non-conformists are ipso facto excommunicate , &c. hath the bishop authority to say the contrary ? 8. and you know that i wrote not to accuse you , or any man for conforming , but to tell them that judge us worthy to be silenced and ruined , what our non-conformity is : and what use then is your own latitude to me , or such as i , though i went your own way ? for i have askt and heard the opinion of divers bishops already , and they have said clean contrary to you . i have heard him that first forbad me preaching in his diocess , say , that [ the liturgy forbiddeth delivering the sacrament to any that kneel not . ] i can shew it you under his hand , that the priest must not be judge , when to omit the forementioned words at the burial of the dead ; nor tolerated in such liberty as you presume on . i have been told by a bishop , that seeing christ died for all , the children of any parents in the world have right to baptism , and any man hath as good right to present to it an infidel's child , as to take in an exposed infidel's child to his house in charity . i told you , that bishop sanderson , publickly before the bishops , nemine contradicente , told me , that i need not question baptizing any infidel's child , if god-fathers presented him according to the order of the church of england . are we not then concluded against conformity by the bishop's judgment , by your own rule ? and must not you be a non-conformist in the diocess of any such bishop as these ? 9. and by your rule , a man must be a conformist in one bishop's diocess , and a non-conformist in another's ; and change his mode of religion as he travelleth , or doth change his dwelling . i imagine that by your rule , i might partly conform in the diocess of london , or lincoln , hereford , or carlisle ; but i should be as non-conformable as i am , in the diocess of winchester , ely , york , norwich , and any other as far as i yet know . i conclude that your catholicon may purge your self from all non-conformity , but it is utterly unprofitable to me : facile credimus quod volumus . i have had as much reason as you , to be willing to find conformity lawful , if it be so : i have lost many thousand pounds more by non-conformity , than you have got by conformity . but i have no such byas on my will , as should set all my wit on work to find , or buy a rope for my conscience . and i find nothing better that you offer me herein . § 4. when you have told us , [ where no god-fathers can be had , we must christen without ; ] and such like : you say , [ and this is the common sense put upon the law , by the law-makers themselves , that is , by the bishops . ] ans. what reason did you think we have in such an historical assertion , to believe your bare word ? in what synod did they declare it ? why did you neither name the bishops , nor the time , or place , or witness , by which it might be proved the common sense ? but could you think this should convince me , that know it to be false ? § 5. you tell us , pag. 119. [ if it were a part of assent and consent , that ordination by good and substantial presbyters were null , it would be a hard point indeed , — to unchurch churches , and unbaptize the baptized , and plead the cause of satan , the pope , and all malignants of the ministry , in the name of christ. ans. excuse us then for not conforming . i before gave you this proof , that it is the sense of the law-makers , or bishops : they that abhor reordination ( or twice ordaining to the priesthood ) and yet require those to be ordained by bishops , who were before ordained by presbyters , must be judged to hold the said ordination by presbyters to be null . — but , &c. ergo. § 6. 1. you say , no man that i know of , takes the silenced ministers , and those ordained by presbyters only , for no ministers at all , unless one mr. dodwel , a high-flown man , whom conformists themselves do utterly dissent from in this . ans. your ignorance is no good reason for my conformity : if you know of no more , i do . read mr. th●rndike , of forbearance of penalties : ask bishop gunning his judgment , &c. if your acquaintance be so small , you should not write of that which you know not . § 7. 2. but you say , all , both rulers and people , conformists themselves do own them for ministers ; otherwise they would take some course for the rebaptizing of all baptized by them . ans. did you ever read the conference at hampton court ? did you dream that all these take laymens baptizing for null ? or do you conclude that all think what you think ? § 8. 3. you prove it from the toleration of the foreigners churches in london . ans. how will you prove that they judge all true ministers whom they tolerate ? § 9. 4. you say , the acts against conventicles , and the five mile act prove it . 5. the king's proclamation for indulgence proveth it . 6. the fines and imprisonments for conventicles prove it . 7. the allowing four persons to meet in private proveth it . 8. the common sense of bishops , divines , and people of the church of england , prove it . ans. you may next say , that any thing that you see or hear proveth it . it 's liker these prove the contrary , than this . by this men may see how little satisfaction we may expect from your arguing . you greatly wrong the king , parliament , and bishops , if you think they take all for ministers , men , women , or children , whose meeting they tolerate : you leave out the argument from the act of uniformity , which punisheth all by a hundred pound a time that administer the sacrament , being not ordained by a bishop . doth that prove them ministers too ? § 10. you say , [ as to the peoples conformity , i know no one thing required of them to conform to , but what they may do with a good conscience . ans. why then did you pass by the answering of my book concerning their part ? particularly about the corporation-declaration ? should they be in the right that think all the cities and corporations in england to be under that — which i am loth to name ; and that plagues , flames , and poverty , are god's revenge ; oh! what a thing would it be for a servant of christ , to say to them in print , [ o england repent not ! ] chap. xxxi . § 1. your conclusion is also a bundle of mistakes , and impertinencies . 1. it is more than three or four points that the new conformity addeth to the old . 2. if the number or goodness of the old conformists did prove their cause good , many things would have a far stronger proof of that kind , from the ancient churches , which yet you judge to be unlawful ; and in other countries the same argument will be turned against you . 3. such men as you call [ the main body of the best divines , ] were very few in comparison of the ignorant bad clergy . 4. it is not true that mr. knewstubs was a conformist , nor dr. reynolds neither , unless i be one . the petition of the non-conformists to king iames , was called millenary ; because it had a thousand hands in a little compass . 5. that some then did , and now do scruple more than others , is impertinent to our business , and it were a wonder if it were not so , till men are arrived at scrupling nothing . 6. the 36th canon was the chief point of the old non-conformity , and will receive no justification by the worth of any subscribers . i doubt not but bernard , gerson , &c. were holy men , that subscribed far worse . 7. sponsors of an ill sort are never the better , because there was a better sort of old ; nor because these were before the new liturgy . 8. page 125. you could wish ministers would make the parents to be present chief undertakers , that is , to be non-conformists called conformists . the rest needeth but the repetition of what is said before , which would rather tire than edifie the reader . chap. xxxii . since the writing of my answer to your book , you were with me , and when i gave you two or three objections which i published not , you gave me no reply to them , but went from me and printed an answer to them in a supplement . seeing your judgment is most for that way , i crave your patience while i use the way you choose . i confess my judgment is , that you have unavoidably made me a great temptation to you : for if you be not a man of great humility , you will 1. be offended to find all your labour proved to be hurtful , and your reasoning vain ; and you will think that the disgracing of them by a just confutation , falleth on your self . 2. and you will be tempted to turn your thoughts too partially , to justifie what once you have so publickly said , and so to run further into the extream . but my persuasion of your great sincerity , maketh me hope that you will overcome the temptation which you have chosen . i. i thought that the word [ use of all ] did much aggravate , and not extenuate the burden of the declaration , as added to assent . but to them that thought otherwise , i thought that when both lords and commons at a conference upon reasons given , had rejected that exposition which confineth the sense of the words to [ use , ] it had been a more satisfactory notice of the law-givers sense , than either your private conceit , or any bishops exposition could be . but you tell us , that this conference was no law , or repeal of the law. ans. impertinent ! it is an exposition of the meaning of the law-makers only , that we are enquiring of , and not the repealing or making of a law. it is the law-makers part to be the publick obliging interpreters of the law to the whole kingdom . we are enquiring in point of conscience , how we must understand them : and you will not believe them it seems , unless they make a new law , to tell you the sense of the old one . ii. every one may know , that it 's usual for the means to have somewhat in it for the end , besides the intending of the end it self ; and that usually laws and canons command many means for one end. and therefore to make your full and constant usage of conformity to be the end , and the assenting and consenting to all things in the book to be the means , even in that form of words , are no contradiction . and it 's usual to be stricter in prescribing forms of words , for oaths , covenants , or confessions , than in the other integral parts of a law. and it is a great wrong to a parliament of england to say either that , in such a form imposed on the learned and consciencious tribe , they knew not how to speak intelligibly according to the common use of words , or that they were so mischievously malignant , as seventeen or eighteen years to refuse to open their sense , for the healing of so distracted and endangered a church and nation , if they meant not as their words do signifie according to common use . it 's no vanity to say , i have known the men , bishops and commons , better than you have done , and heard more of them and their debates , than you have done ; and i am satisfied in my conscience to conclude , that they meant plainly as they speak , and no better : even that no man's promise to use the liturgy shall be taken for trusty and satisfactory , that will not declare that he assenteth and consenteth to all things contained in it , and prescribed by it : ] and this plainly ex animo , without uncouth exposition , equivocations , or jesuitical mental reservations . § 2. i have not wit enough to find out sense in your quibble , that [ if the later words ( the form ) do import more than the former ( for the use ) then there is something added and altered , which possibly may inconsist and be contradiction . ] ans. is not all prescript of means an addition to the precept de fine ? doth the prescript of the oath of supremacy and allegiance , impose no more than to be loyal ? yes : it requireth a particular test of loyalty . doth the command of subscribing the thirty nine articles contain no more , but to be orthodox ? yes : it enjoineth us by this means to profess those particulars , in which our orthodoxness consisteth . § 3. assent when thus distinguished purposely from consent , signifieth assenting to some truth , and consent respecteth the good. so that when you make assent to be but the same as [ consent to use ] you feign them to speak nonsense , or to tautologize . you say , [ you assent to all , ] but not that all is true : which is a contradiction , or equivocation . § 4. [ prove ( say you ) that there is any one thing in the book , which may not in the course of conformity be godly used ? ] ans. to some men i will undertake to prove nothing . if there be no proof in the book which you write against , when you have got leave to print it , you are likely to have more . till then , to call for proof when you have it , and speak not sense against it , is too easie a way to satisfie the just. § 5. iii. i told you by word of mouth , that your catholicon of trusting , to the bishops exposition of the book ( yea , to his silence , so gentle and tractable are you become ) is no relief to you for expounding the assent , consent . subscription against the obligation of the vow , and about arms , &c. because these are part of the act of uniformity ; and you say , that act is no part of the book . to this you print your answer , that you [ have another string to your bow. ] viz. that the bishop is by law the ordinary , to ordain and take subscriptions , and may admit ministers to subscribe these tests with such explications , meanings , and allowances , as will well stand with the words justly and fairly construed . ans. 1. the bishop is not made the expounder of the law , but the receiver of your subscription according to the law. 2. if you will confound indulgent connivance , and conformity , must we do so too ? this is mr. humphrey's project , and i freely confess to you , that if you can meet with an indulgent bishop , it 's a fairer way to intromit a dissenter , than any that you have named in your book . all words are ambiguous : the sense is the soul of them . if , e.g. i were commanded to say that [ the scripture is not god's word , ] and i had leave to expound it ; 1. [ all scripture , or writing , is not god's word , but the sacred bible is : ] or [ it is not god's eternal coessential word , which is christ ; ] were it not for scandal , this might be said as true . and some think the scandal is sufficiently avoided , if you give in your sense in writing , and make it as publick as is your subscription . but i think that the very subscribing such scandalous words , will scandalously harden others , and encourage tyrannical imposers more , than your exposition can cure ; and therefore i would not use them . and if i would , i could cast in such an expository writing , whether the bishop will or not . and if he accept it , i pray better understand that , this is not conformity , but indulgence , connivance , toleration , or prevarication : you might as well say , he conformed , that by the king's indulgence , was excused from subscribing and declaring . you put a supposition , that you had gone to bishop sanderson , and askt his sense according to his rules , de juramento . ans. i doubt your party will think you betray their cause by prevarication . 1. i told you how publickly in a meeting of bishops , bishop sanderson gave his judgment about baptism against you . 2. i cited the words of his rules de iuramento , in the book which you answer , as being plainly against conformity : and you give no answer to it , and yet suppose them to be for you . this is too supine neglect to satisfie us . § 5. you come over your foresaid sense of the declaration again , and pag. 160. you have better bethought you , and will take the debate of the lords and commons as useful to know the meaning of the law. ans. what shall we do then by your useful error ? why you now say , [ you know nothing in the book but what may be assented to as true . ] ans. and why was this so much disclaimed before ? when you put us to the trouble of confuting you , you confute your self by changing your cause , and so we labour in vain . your repetitions of the same things , with saying and unsaying , and bare saying without proof are so many , that i will not wrong the reader with confuting any more of them , save only to give you some account why i am sorry : 1. that you retract your saying that oaths are stricti juris , 2. and that while you pretend to own bishop sanderson's rules de iuramento , you renounce this which is one of the chief of them . and i will tell you the reasons of my dissent from that , and most of your book . iv. by stricti juris , is not meant the meer literal sense as different from the less proper , which is more notified ; but strict is contradistinguished from loose and stretcht . i told you the rule that we go by in this , and it pleased you not to confute it . thus much i repeat : 1. we must take oaths , covenants , and professions imposed by authority , in the sense of the imposers as near as we can know it . 2. but if they discover their sense in words so unmeet , as that in the vulgar sense they seem false or wicked , we must number such with unlawful words , unless we can by the publick notifying the exposition avoid the scandal . 3. we are to take the laws , and imposed words of rules , especially in oaths , covenants , and professions , in that sense as those words are commonly used and understood in that time and place , by men of that profession : unless the said rulers make known , that they use them in a different unusual sense . 4. we must not presume that they mean not as they speak , by an unusual sense , upon dark and uncertain conjectures , especially dictated by our interest , but only by cogent evidence . these are our rules . the reasons why we cannot swear , or covenant , or profess in your laxe and stretched sense , nor call that sense honest , as you do , ( especially on pretence of a bishop's exposition , contrary to what i have reason to be fully satisfied our law-makers meant ) are those which i gave you in the thirty aggravations , sect. 16. which it did not please you to contradict . these few i repeat : i. the words of the third command are dreadful , god will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain , or falsly . ii. such licentious stretching of oaths and professions overthrow that mutual trust which is necessary to humane converse . iii. it depriveth the king of his due security of his subjects loyalty , and of his peace and life . i much fear lest relaxing and stretching the oaths of allegiance and supremacy but as much as you relax and stretch the words of the subscription , declaration , liturgie , &c. may untie the consciences of rebels and king-killers so far , as to make way for , and consist with rebellion , and killing the king. iv. it seemeth to me most dangerously to expose the lives of all the subjects of the kingdom , to the will of their enemies , and to be a vertual murdering of many , or any ( if not all ) persons that have enemies : for while two false swearers may take away a mans life , if men are taught to stretch oaths and equivocate , it will embolden the consciences of men so far , as that few mens lives shall have any security , but be at the mercy of any rogues . it is a wonder of god's merciful providence , that false swearers murder no more than they do : but such a laxity would make our case far more dangerous . v. i that greatly fear lest god's late dreadful corporation iudgments , plague , flames , poverty , and divisions , are inflicted for corporation sins , and among those sins , eminently for perjury , am more inclined to call them in bradford's words at the stake , repent , o england , than to encourage them in such sin , and by printing , to persuade them not to repent . vi. when we cry out of the jesuits for stretching oaths and testimonies , and all words by equivocations , and mental reservations , to the endangering of kings and kingdoms , and mens lives and souls , it ill beseemeth us to imitate or encourage them , or to enable them to say , that they stretch words no more than we . vii . it would be an unexcusable sin in such a one as i , who live not in another age , land , or place , where the imposers sense could not be known , but in the same age , and place , and have had so many personal treaties with the bishops and the lord chancellor hide , who were the chief promoters of the impositions , and who know so many of the parliament and convocation that made these forms , and have had so great and satisfactory testimony of their minds and meanings , and their speeches and reasons in parliament upon these subjects ; and am fully satisfied in my conscience , that you satisfie their meaning . it is not the sense of any bishops that came in since that act was made , nor of any odd person that is to pass for the law-makers sense . viii . people commonly think that preachers should be so much more holy than they , that if they come but near us they are safe . and therefore if we stretch oaths and covenants , they may do that , and such as they count lesser sins than perjury ; and so we may harden them to damnation . ix . it is a heinous aggravation of sin to do it as for god , and that we may serve him in the ministry . x. it is a dreadful thing to undertake to justifie thousands whom we never knew , as well as the old parliament men whom we know , and to prove that they ought not to repent , nor to endeavour church reformation , if it should prove that by a vow they are bound to such endeavour by lawful means . xi . i dare not provoke god to desert me in my ministry , ( yea , and in my secret comforts ) nor tempt men to think basely of the ministers as a perjured sort of men , who cry down other mens sins , while they have greater of their own . xii . it is a dreadful aggravation to do all this ( not by sudden surprize , but ) upon deliberation , and to make a covenant against duty and for sin , and to say i ought to do it , and never to repent ; yea , and by justifying it to harden multitudes against repentance : especially if it tend to corrupt the publick state of the church , and worship . for these reasons i cannot use violence with imposed oaths , covenants , or professions ; but must expound them in the common sense of men of that profession , till the law-makers themselves shall declare that they mean otherwise . and all this i speak but as the reasons of our own practice , and not at all to accuse any conformists : yea , i so far excuse them against the non-conforming conformist , that i do take the chief men of them whom i have known , to mean plainly as they speak : i suppose they really assent and consent to all things contained and prescribed in the books ; and really mean contrary to your stretching expositions of infants salvation , of baptism , communion , burial , and the rest . and by dr. smith's books , and such others , i believe they take such conforming non-conformists to be ( as the late westminster assembly proved ) the most dangerous underminers of their church . and when we have confuted such as you , our work is all to begin again , with the serious conformists , who deal plainly and go on other principles . the second part. mr. cheney's five undertakings considered . § 1. dear brother , you and i have exposed our selves as publick warnings to mankind , to take heed of an overvaluing of their own understandings , and of a hasty confidence in their erroneous conceptions , and of rash obtruding that upon the world as necessary truth , for want of judgment and time to digest things , which will prove very dangerous error ; and if received and practised , alas , what mischief may it do ! erring men know not that they err : if i think it is you , and you think it is i , and a third think it is both , the reader greatly profiteth by us , who learneth by our harms , to have a due suspicion of his own understanding ; and so it be without unnecessary scepticism , to have humble thoughts of his conceptions , which have not had time and helps convenient to ripen them : especially if your friend or you be conscious , that you have formerly or lately been as confident in that which you now see was your error , you should think that the same mind is still in danger of deceit , and it 's as easie to reel into the other extreme . § 2. oh what cause have we to pray , lead us not into temptation ! we little know what is in our hearts or others , till just trial call it up : nor what great hurt even good men may live to do . and if one error get in , to how many worse it may open the door . and if we begin to roul down the hill , how little know we where to stop ? but though satan desire to have us that he may sift us , i hope christ's intercession will keep our faith from failing . but wo , and alas , that we must , one or both ( which ever is in the wrong ) be instruments of mischief against the interest of our dear lord , and his truth and church , and mens souls , whilst both our desires are to live in the world for no other end , but to build up that , which by ignorance , self-conceitedness , error , and rashness , we are laboriously pulling down . § 3. and if it be i that have by error wronged the church , my case is made worse by your strengthening my temptation , when instead of convincing argument , you give me little but naked assertions ; and saying [ i conceive , ] and run into such singularities as all sober men are bound to suspect , and some condemn almost all christ's churches , without one word of convincing proof . § 4. that you answer only in print to the world , the private talk that i had with you , whilst you gave me no vocal answer , i take but for a small and modal irregulatity : some men have humours and ways of their own , which they will follow . had you done it as judiciously , and truly , with fear of erring and seducing , as you did it publickly , the rest might be well interpreted : but we must take it as it is . question . i. whether it be certain by god's word , that infants baptized dying before actual sin , be undoubtedly saved ? § 1. i expected your work had been to convince men of the good of conformity : but seeing it is to save men from being seduced by my directory , you may doubt whether you will not rather tempt some impartial men to read the words : and then your work is spoiled , when they compare them with your accusation . § 2. i lookt for some plain text of scripture , to prove this both certain by god's word , and undoubted : but finding none such , i humbly beseech you hereafter , when you have mind to shew your argumentative strength , leave out the abusive pretence of the word of god : holy things must be holily used . § 3. your first argument is , that [ a carnal christian hath propriety in his child , and therefore may devote him to god , as he may his goods . ] ans. it had been more piously prudent to hear what could be said to such pretty new knacks , before you had tempted the church by publishing them . 1. your first proof is , 1 sam. 26. 26 , 27 , 28. and there are but 25 verses in the chapter , and none to your purpose . the next is , lev. 27. 28. did you ever consider the text ? ainsworth , and the rabbies , suppose from the notation of the word , and from the express words , ver . 29. that it is devoting of slaves , or malefactors to death , that is here spoken of : others better , that it includeth both the absolute dedication of acceptable persons to service , and of odious persons to death : therefore all are not saved that are here called holy as devoted : neither the cursed , nor the levites , that by dedication obliged to service , are hereby saved : for more than obligation is necessary to the reward . the first-born were specially to be given to god , and yet that implied not their certain salvation . 2. a dissembler may by his covenant obtain a right with man , that knoweth not his heart ; and he may be received into the outward communion of the church by god's approbation , who commissioneth ministers who know not mens hearts , to receive men according to their profession : and these are holy to the lord , as the iews were ; but not therefore under a promise that they shall be undoubtedly saved . were all the iews saved because they were a holy nation ? 3. not only his child , but the grossest hypocritical lyar himself , who is baptized , and cometh into the church in malice to betray , it , is yet holy as a visible member ; and hath obliged himself to real holiness , and yet is far from a state of salvation . 4. nothing is holy and accepted by the devoters act alone , without god's accepting act : nor any further , or to any other uses than god accepteth it to . some he accepteth unto visible membership and communion , and some to the sacred ministry , and some to magistracy , &c. who are not accepted to salvation . 5. doth lev. 27. prove , that all nations in the world might devote their children unto god , with the same assurance of acceptation as the israelites ? 6. the jewish mosaical law is abrogated , and neither bindeth us as such , nor secureth us of acceptance for obeying it . 7. all heathens and infidels have some propriety in their children ; and yet if in unbelief they devote them with the tongue alone to god , that will not make their salvation undoubted . 8. few god-fathers have propriety in them : how then will their devoting prove their salvation ? 9. god hath made no promise of his acceptance , which you can shew ; therefore you cannot by his word be certain of it . 10. god saith , that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him ; much more when he doth it with an evil mind : and he expressly saith , [ else were your children unclean ( if one parent were not a believer ) but now are they holy . ] therefore when both parents are unbelievers , the children are not accepted of god as holy . 11. the question is , of all baptized children : for it is quatenus baptizati , that they are said to be saved ; and à quatenus ad omne valet consequentia : and it 's an indefinite in re necessariâ : but we have too many scorners at christianity , followers of hobbes , spinosa , pomponatius , and vaninus , who for fashion sake , will bring their children to baptism : and certainly such are far worse than heathens . if one believeth not in christ , tell a wilful lye , and say he believeth , can any man think that his child shall be ever the more saved for his wickedness and hypocrisie ? § 4. you gather christ's acceptance from mat. 10. 13. &c. it is not said of the infants of the godly only , is the kingdom of heaven . ans. nor is it said that of all infants , or of all baptized infants , is the kingdom of heaven . the text will prove indeed , that the infant state is capable of christ's acceptance into the kingdom of grace , and of glory . but not that nothing is necessary thereto , but that they be infants . if all infants be saved , bringing them to christ was not necessary to their salvation . if all only that were brought to christ were saved , it seems they were very few . 2. is it like that any would bring their children to christ to be blessed , who did not believe in him ? and what reason have we to surmise that they were not sound believers ? 3. as christ healed some blind men , and not all , and some lepers , sick , &c. so if as a specimen , to shew that infant state is capable of grace , he took up some infants of hypocrites , or infidels , or impious parents , ( which can never be proved ) it will not follow that all such shall be received , and that to salvation . 4. if by verbal profession parents and their children are taken into the outward covenant and church , and by water men are born into the visible kingdom of god , it followeth not they need not to be born of the spirit for admission into the invisible and heavenly kingdom ; or that the spirit always goeth with the water ; and that the parents answer of a good conscience to god , is not necessary to his child 's covenant-right to salvation as well as to his own . 5. i deny that any wicked man ( much more every one ) doth , yea , or can , univocally and truly , devote his child to god according to the sense of the baptismal covenant . though i grant that the love of his childs lust do not hold him so strongly as the love of his own ; yet he that never so knew god in christ , and so believed in christ , and so believed in him as to perceive him practically to be better for himself than all the world and sinful pleasures , cannot with a true and practical affiance , so take him for his child . 6. and god no where commandeth , or accepteth the devoting of our infants to him primarily , or as seperated from our selves ; but only as appendices , or conjunct with us ; that is , that we devote our selves and ours : and so not without us , but with us doth he accept them . § 5. your great pretended proof is , that all the males of israel were circumcised . ans. 1. if you had proved that they were all saved , you had said more to the matter . 2. to open here the nature of the iews covenant of peculiarity , as one select nation of whom christ should come , as distinct from , and as conjunct with the common antecedent covenant of grace , and to shew the reasons of the institution of circumcision of abraham's peculiar seed , and not for all that from adam and noah , were under the common law of crace , would be a work which such a light occasion would not warrant me here to stand upon . 3. the sign of circumcision , was but the seal anexed to the covenant : and the meer external act ( as water in baptism ) entered them but into the external church-state . 4. almost all the gross sinners at least , if presumptuous and impenitent , were to be put to death by that law ; and dead men beget not children . but i have so largely handled this in my 3d disp. of right to sacraments , that while you leave it unanswered , i will not repeat it on so slight a cause . § 6. and what if you had proved the salvation of all wicked christians baptized infants ? what 's that to our question , which extendeth to all , not excepting the children of profest atheists , infidels , sadduces , or heathens , that have but god-fathers ? § 7. but pag. 8 , 9. you tell us , that [ infants by reason of their innocent harmless state , seem to be christ's off-spring , and to be a subordinate root and bottom to themselves , and to stand by their own innocency under christ , and by his divine grace . — look what regeneration is to the adult , that in some sort the infant-state may be to infants ; that is , all infants are in a new and second state by christ : so the word regeneration doth properly import . — pag. 10. christ alone without parents godliness , is able to the salvation of all the infant world. — i am not able to prove that bare having of circumcision and baptism doth save any ; nor that the bare want thereof doth bar any from salvation . ans. 1. but what is this to conformity ? did you think that this was the meaning of the liturgy , that all infants are saved , when it saith all the baptized ? 2. it doth not follow that christ saveth all , because he is able to save them . 3. i have said so much to prove original sin , and some participation of guilt from our parents sins , and to prove god's promises to the faithful and their seed , which are not made to the infidels and wicked , in two disputations of original sin ; that i refer you thither for your answer to this unproved fiction , of the salvation of all infants , and their regenerate innocency . 4. woful experience tells us , as soon as they can but speak and go , how far their natures are from an innocent disposition : and to be void of holy dispositions is not to be innocent . 5. if they be conceived and born innocent , what need have they of baptism for remission of sin ? if you say that christ regenerateth all as he is the giver of their nature , the church hath condemned this in the pelagians , that make nature , as from christ , to be the same with grace . 6. if all be pardoned , all have the holy ghost ( for baptism giveth right to both . ) but that 's not so . § 8. page 11. did you satisfie your conscience in expounding , [ but now are they holy , 1 cor. 14. ] after what we have said of it to mr. tombes ? is it [ your children are pure to you , as your meat is ? ] § 9. when you ask me [ why i say notoriously ungodly . ] you consulted not the credit of your knowledg , to tell men in print , that you know not what notorious signifieth ; no not in notation , or common use : as if it signified [ more than ordinary . ] notorious , is that which is certainly , openly , easily , knowable . i have told you of some of my own parishioners , that live in the open opposition to christianity , seeking in their converse to persuade men , that the scripture is a book of lyes , and christianity a meer deceit , and they will bring their children to baptism for law and custom-sake ; and say all the creed , and words required ( it was in the time when i had leave to admit the parent to enter his own child in the covenant with god. ) we know now abundance of the followers of hobbes , and spinosa , and many that deride scripture , and the hopes of heaven , and the fears of a hell , and think man is but a subtle sort of beast : yet these will all have their children baptized , and to avoid the penalty of the law , will receive the eucharist . and there are others who are common scorners of serious religiousness , and persecutors of it to their power ; and hate him that will tell them of the evil of the common drunkenness and whoredom which they live in , and glory in their shame . we look for better proof than your wrigling-nothings , to make us undoubtedly certain from god's word , that the baptized infants of all these are saved : the rubrick meaneth , [ quia & qua , baptized ; ] and you mean [ because innocent , and christ died for them , and all the unbaptized , are saved . ] but as i see none of your proof of the latter , so i will not crookedly crawl into conformity by the fallacious exposition . and you that were , in your last book , uncertain your self of what you can now prove certain , do so quickly change , and so quickly publish your change , that your judgment hath the less power by any reverence of it to the changing of mine . quest . ii. whether may unconverted ones within the church , demand and receive the lord's supper ? mr. baxter saith flatly they may not . right to sacram. pag. 140. the confutation followeth . § 1. ans. i can bethink me , but of one of these three ends , of this your writing : 1. either barely to make a confession of your faith and judgment : 2. or to save me from my error by conviction : 3. or to save the readers of my book from the danger of them . 1. if the first be your work , i confess your words [ i conceive ] are suitable : but confessions use to be otherwise , concisely and orderly formed , and no adversaries names besides pilate's , needed to be put into your creed . 2. if the second or third be your work , you seem to think very contemptible of my judgment , and of every such readers , when you expect that when i have written , and they have read , full disputations opening the state of the question , proving what i assert by many arguments and scripture , vindicating twenty arguments of mr. galespies , from all that is answered to them , we should after this be convinced that our cause is wrong , by one that neither will be at the labour distinctly to state the controversy , nor to reply to my answers already given to all his reasonings and much more , nor to answer the many arguments which i and others urge , but saith little more of any moment than [ i am induced to think thus , though i once thought otherwise : ] yea , when you neither answer our reasons , nor give us the tenth part so much for your cause as we answered , yet we must not think that it [ is on slight grounds ] that you have taken up your opinion , pag. 16. when what you say is so slight , that as i will not write over again what you vouchsafe not to answer ; so , if your reader have read my book cited by you , i will not so reproach his judgment as to think , that he needeth any farther answer to this of yours . but if he have not read mine , nor will read it , he is in no danger of being seduced by it , and so your labour is in vain . § 2. but , reader , lest so small a word as his oft [ i conceive , ] should prove to the unwary synonimal to [ i deceive , ] i shall advertise thee briefly . i. that my way was to distinguish of conversion . 1. as from heathenism , or infidelity , mahometanism , or heresie . 2. from gross hypocrisie manifested by a notorious wicked life . 3. from close hypocrisie not proved . 4. from a particular fall of a sincere christian , to his integrity ; or from some tolerable error and mistake . ii. i use to distinguish between being sincere in the christian faith , and knowing that we are sincere . iii. i use to define what the conversion is that i speak of , in such controversie . iv. and i never confound the case [ whether it may be demanded , ] with the case [ whether it may be delivered . ] v. and i still distinguish between [ a means which an unconverted self-knowing man , is commanded by god to use for his conversion , ] and [ a means which god can use , or consequently the sinner should in the review make use of hereunto , supposing that he hath unlawfully intruded . ] as if a man unlawfully invade the sacred ministerial office , when he is in it , there is somewhat that may become a means of his conversion : or if one that hath vowed celibate , marry a godly person unlawfully , it may become a means of their conversion . now to make this controversie intelligible to the unstudied , i would here perform all these parts , and distinctly by propositions open the matter : but it is done in the disputations of right to sacraments , which he opposeth : and if every nibbling of one that refuseth the rational task of a sober confuter , shall call a man to write new books , there will be no end of tiring readers . i doubt i have erred already , in not letting some talk on , and shew their mistakes and false accusations without any confutation . § 3. he doth indeed limit the case to [ the unconverted within the church , ] and you would think that by this he excluded heathens , mahometans , infidels , and hereticks . but remember , 1. that the baptized not excommunicate , are in the universal church . 2. and that a particular church with him , seems to be nothing but a worshipping assembly ; and all that are there are in the church , and when the meeting breaks up , the church is no church . 3. and yet sometimes you would that think he took a parish of such assemblers for a church . 4. and it is matter of fact past all dispute , that not only all the papists , the first ten years of queen elizabeth , came to our churches , and some do so still ; but that abundance such as aforesaid , come to the parish churches , who in coffee-houses talk against christianity , or the immortality of the soul , or the scriptures , and such as write books to the same purposes ; and these are not converted from sadducism , beastiality , or infidelity . 5. and then mark whether any of this brother's arguments do prove , that the sacrament of the lord's supper , was ordained for such men to use for their conversion . § 4. remember that the full conversion to sa●●ing-sincerity , is nothing else but [ sincere consent to the baptismal covenant . ] and every such consenter , and only such ( adult ) are savingly converted . and that it is not that covenant , when any essential part is omitted : to believe in the father and not the son , or not in the holy ghost , is not that covenant : now the person in question , to receive the sacrament as the sacrament , ( baptism , or the eucharist ) and not to profess consent to the covenant , is a contradiction ; no man can do it : covenanting is essential to it . and it is essential to it to be by god's commission a solemn actual investing delivery , with application to the just receiver of a saving right to god the father , son , and holy ghost , and actual present pardon of sin , and right to life . § 5. and the person in question is either , 1. one that consenteth not , and knoweth that he consenteth not . 2. or that consenteth not and thinks he doth , because he consenteth to some part . 3. or one that consenteth not , and knoweth not whether he do or not . ( 4. for , as for all true consenters that know not that they do it sincerely , they are converted persons , and not those in question : and a true consenter that doubteth of his truth , but upon his best self-trial , thinks that he truly consenteth to have god for his god , and christ for his saviour , and the holy ghost for his sanctifier , must go without certainty upon the best judgment that he make of himself . ) i. now for the person that consenteth not , and knoweth it , to come and demand the sacrament for his conversion , is all one as to say , that [ it is god's ordinance , that he is not willing after all persuasions , to give up himself to god , as his father , saviour , and sanctifier , and therefore hath no right to pardon and life , shall solemnly profess that he doth consent to the covenant when he doth not , and that he doth presently by vow give up himselfe to god , as his god and father , saviour and sanctifier , when he doth not ; that this may convert them to do that which lyingly he saith he doth : and he shall take the investing pardoning sign and act , when he hath no right to pardon . ] deceive not your self , or others : giving and taking , eating and drinking , are as speaking ( significant actions ) essentially to the sacrament : and he never received the sacrament essentially as that sacrament , that did not thereby interpretatively solemnly profess , q. d. [ i now consent to the covenant of christ , and take god in christ for my father , saviour and sanctifier , and here give up my self to him in these relations . ] and therefore all the ancients taught , that the baptized were all certainly presently pardoned ; supposing that they really consented to the baptismal covenant , as every adult baptized person did , and must profess . and can you believe that this was christ's institution , q. d. [ come and solemnly be perjured , and lye , and say , thou consentest to the covenant when thou dost not , that this may convert thee to consent . all your mistaken row of words , will never make this soul cause fair . 2. but what if it be a man that consenteth not but thinketh he doth , or yet doth not know ? ans. it is his sin not to know that he consenteth not ; and that will not make it lawful for him to lye , and vow falsly . but the harder it is for him to know his own mind , the more excusable he is : and a false entrance is not a sin that is unpardonable , nor is the sinner uncurable , but may be converted in the church , though he came in unlawfully . § 6. while preposterously you tell us who you think hath right to baptism , and the lord's supper , you pass over the fundamental controversie , as if you knew it not ; which is , what baptism and the lord's supper are . this is it that we are mostly disagreed about : end this , and end all . i suppose you take baptism to be the first sacrament , and that less is not necessary to the lord's supper than to it . and i presume to tell you , that christ never ordained , nor the church ever used any other baptism of the adult , than 1. that which delivered the present remission of sin , and right to life , to the just receiver of baptism ; 2. and that which contained on the part of the receiver , his present profession of saving faith and repentance , that is , his true consent to the covenant . § 7. the scripture telleth us , that baptism saveth , as containing the answer of a good conscience to god : and that as many as are baptized into christ , have put on christ , and have professed that they are buried with him by baptism into his death , and raised with him to newness of life , &c. § 8. god in great mercy hath delivered down to us from the apostles , the form of baptism by a fuller tradition than the words of the scripture , or any things else of our religion are delivered . all ages and churches to this day , have retained the same form as to all the essential parts : the very words of the baptizer and the baptized , the credo , abrenuncio , &c ▪ professed full shew that all used this one baptism , which was a professed vow and covenanting with god , and renouncing of the flesh , the world , and the devil , for present ( delivered ) pardon and right to christ and life . see the long list in gataker against davenant , of the ancients that took all the baptized for justified . in a word , if you make another species of baptism , which hath lower conditions and gifts only than these , i am past doubt ; 1. that you introduce a new sort of christianity . 2. that you hereby would change the very essence of the church , and wofully corrupt it : a worse thing than to impose new ceremonies . 3. that by denying the truth of so universal concurrent tradition , as the form of baptism hath ; you will shake mens faith by weakning the credit of that tradition , by which we have received the bible : it being a harder matter to keep all the words of such a book , than the form of baptism , used on every christian in the world. 4. that you will too grosly reproach all the christian churches , as if they had in all ages and places been ignorant what christening and christianity is , and had used a false baptism , till of late . 5. you will contradict the church of england which you conform to , and all the churches now in the world , which in their form of baptizing , and their catechisms and confessions tell us , of no baptism , but what is a present covenanting with god the father , son , and holy ghost , as consenters to his covenant , giving up our selves to him in the foresaid relations , for present pardon , &c. see dr. hammona's pract. cat. of the baptismal vow . and is all this fit work for two or three singular men ? to deny the said history , is to be grosly ignorant , or immodest . § 9. and now i am ashamed to trouble you and the reader with the opening of all your impertinencies and contradictions , of [ that man will not be persuaded to consent to the baptismal covenant , and to be a christian indeed , doth yet sigh , and grown , and pray for that which he would not have ; and that the impenitent must penitently use this means for penitence ; and because whosoever will must come and take the water of life , therefore they that will not take it must take the sacrament : and that the outward . act , which is false vowing themselves to god , and saying , they consent to the covenant when they do not , is the means of grace appointed for their conversion , in which they do well , and are accepted : and that non-consenters may fly to christ as a merciful physician to save souls , and cast themselves at his feet , repenting , praying , and crying for mercy ( which they would not have ) and yet if they come with particular ill intentions , away with them . ] confute what i have written to the contrary if you would convince me , or any man that hath read my five disputations . quest . iii. whether a minister may put from the sacrament those of his parish who be christned people , and come to church , and joyn in the publick worship , and tender themselves to receive , being under no sentence of excommunication ? you say , he may not . ans. § 1. 1. what 's this to the primitive churches that were not parishes ? or to the countries that yet are not settled into parish churches ? or to such churches as are but tolerated among papists parishes ? 2. and all that is here mentioned , the papists did for the first ten years of queen elizabeth . 3. and remember that we have in our parishes , many that are open atheists , infidels , sadduces , persecutors , scorners of the scripture and religion , open boasting impenitent whore-mongers , blasphemers , drunkards , &c. and many that openly deny the ministry , and sacraments ; and yet to avoid penalty , and for custom , will do all that is here named , though they deride it : and that all these are to be received ( though also you suppose that they never so much as professed consent to the baptismal covenant ) you take on you to prove . 1. because it is the will of christ. [ oh! brother , dread such additions to christ's words . ] and how is that proved ? why , [ none but dogs and swine must be denied holy things . ] ans. 1. where found you that [ none else ? ] 2. how prove you that none of these are dogs or swine ? 3. yea , are not all they swinish despisers of grace , who will not be persuaded to consent that god shall be their god , and christ their saviour , and the holy ghost their sanctifier , and give up themselves to him in these relations ? § 2. yet page 30. the case is this , [ if the people being christened do make a credible profession of true christianity , or a profession of true christianity which we cannot prove to be false , at least by a violent presumption , we must accept their profession and admit them . ] ans. this is mine as cited , and the plain truth . but , 1. did you think that a credible profession of true christianity , is not a credible profession of conversion ? are not true christians saved ? what else are men to be converted to ? 2. do all such as are afore described , make such a credible profession of true christianity ? § 3. you tell us that the standard that christ hath set is that , [ if now thou be sincerely penitent , thy sin is pardoned , and thou hast right to salvation , and mayst come to the lord's table . ] ans. and doth not this imply , that else he should not come ? and is such a man unconverted ? it is too irksome to rake up the rest of your contradictions , and examine your slight words of the parable of the tares : but that rooting up the tares forbidden is excommunicating , or denying sacramental communion to any parishioner of your description , who will believe that knoweth ? 1. what christ saith , mat. 18. 15. &c. and paul , 1 cor. 5. and 2 thess. 3. tit. 3. 10 , 11 , &c. 2. or he that knoweth that the universal church of christ in all ages , hath been of another mind ; and indeed went at last too far against it , having no punishment for christians , but suspension and excommunication . 3. and that the christian world at this day is of another mind , though the helvetians are too remiss in the principles , and most in the practice . 4. and that the canons of this church requireth the minister to deny the sacrament to some such as you describe : and in your former book , you pleaded this as for conformity : and are you changed already ? and shall any wise man follow such quick changes ? 5. the church of england forbids us to give the sacrament to any that are not confirmed , and desire it not , or are not ready : but such are many of your description . 6. if the power of excommunicating over a thousand , or many hundred churches be confined to the bishop and the chancellor , or officials , and so all the parish ministers denied it , and disabled , all these churches must be prophaned and confounded at the will of one man , or because he cannot do an impossibility . and the reasons why christ would have his church to be visibly holy , and a communion of saints , and openly differenced from the notoriously ungodly , are so many and so great , that i will not here attempt the opening of them , having often elsewhere done it . quest . iv. whether the common sort of ungodly christians , are to be cast out of the church by penal excommunications , and used as excommunicate ones ? you say , [ i conceive not . ] ans. would any one that pretended to confute our errors , no better open the case in question . 1. in your sense they are christians that never professed consent to the baptismal covenant , but only took the water in order to conversion hereafter . these are no visible christians : and i suppose by parity of reason , the council of nice , which decreed the rebaptizing of the paulmists , would have been for rebaptizing these . 2. is the ordinariness the satisfying character , who is not to be excommunicated ? in one country those are ordinary , that are extraordinary in others : in some places arrians are ordinary ; in some socinians ; in some papists ; in some open scorners of the scripture , christianity , and religion : in some ignorant persons that know not the essentials of christianity , nor will learn , or let the minister instruct them any where but in the pulpit ; in many parishes here , not one of many ( their neighbours say ) go to church about once or twice a year . 1 cor. 5. 13. put away from among you that wicked person , ver . 11. if any man that is called a brother , be a fornicator , or covetous , or on idolater , or a railer , or a drunkard , or an extortioner , with such a one , no not to eat . do not ye judg them that are within , 2 thess. 3. it is the idle and disorderly : and these are ordinary in some places . but we easily grant that excommunications are not to be used tyranically , or when they do more hurt than good . and if the body of a church turn , e. g. socinians , or professedly ungodly , and will not be reformed , the excommunication which we plead for is , but withdrawing from them and renouncing their communion , declaredly . § 2. i have oft said , that perfidious covenant-breakers who live in gross sin , and still tell the minister they repent , and will not be persuaded to leave their sin , ( e. g. whoredom , drunkenness , stealing , perjury , blasphemy , ) have so far forfeited the credit of their bare word , that the pastor should see their actual amendment before he absolve them . and now your hand is in , the world must be saved from this doctrine too . but because it is a common principle in nature , and in all church canons , and the common judgment of divines , i will not stay to dispute it with you . but when you are a master of a family , if you think family discipline a duty , experience will cure your credulity : if your servant or son beat you , or spit in your face , or rob you once a day , or week , but for one year together , and say still after it , i repent . but what will not men talk for ? quest . v. whether mr. baxter's doctrine and principles concerning particular churches be sound and good ? and you confute them . ans. 1. those that read them are in no danger by them . and those that do , may be confirmed by so slight a confutation ( as i said . ) 2. as for my book of [ universal concord of all christian churches , ] i know that the devil hateth it so much , that i expect some far more subtile assault than yours ; or else i shall think that the devil wanteth wit or power , more than is commonly believed . but i am sorry that he hath drawn so good a man to be his instrument . § 1. my first mentioned error is [ that a particular church is a regular part of the universal church , as a city is of a kingdom . ] the confutation is [ in this i conceive he is out : a particular church is to the church universal with a single town , consisting of a magistrate governing , and people governed , according to the general rules and principles of society , is to all the world. ans. the proof is [ i conceive he is out , ] and an assertion in other words of the same that is denied ; and so we are out both ( or neither . ) 1. i used the name , and he the definition : it may be he thought that by [ city ] i had meant only such towns as are so called in england : but methinks he should know that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , signifieth all such towns as he defineth , and that it is the common definition of civitas which he giveth us , as all politicks speak de civitate : it is therefore the same subject in the similitude , which we both speak of . 2. the difference then must be between the words [ kingdom ] and [ world. ] i say , a church is such a part of the universal , as a city is of a kingdom : he saith , no , but [ as a city is of the world. ] what a dangerous error hath he detected ? but , all the world is god's kingdom : and as it hath but one king , so i thought i might liken it to a kingdom that hath one king , but a multitude of corporations ; without stretching the similitude to intend that [ this kingdom is not a part of the world. ] § 2. my second error is , [ he that will be a member of a particular church , must cohabit , or dwell near . ] the confutation is , [ i conceive he is out . ] ans. what , is he against parish churches after all this ? no : he only denieth it of a transient member pro tempore as a traveller , and granteth it as to a stated member . and yet i am out . many and many a time have i written of churches , and use to distinguish first of the equivocal name , saying , that an occasional meeting of christians for worship , may be called a church , and a transient christian pro tempore a member : i have written more this way than ever he did . but declared that it is a settled political society that i defined , when i speak of what he now accuseth . and why should a wise and good man thus hastily trouble the world and make discord by pretending , because he cannot have leisure to know , what he speaks against ? § 3. my third error is , [ that to the being of a particular church there is necessary a mutual covenant , or exprest consent between pastor and people , even every member , and the more express the better : and i define a church to be a society of christians consisting of pastor and people associated by consent . ] the force of the confutation is , [ i conceive he is out . ] but wherein is it ? we have here such work as i never met with before . 1. he granteth that none are to each other , pastor and people against their wills. good still . and yet do i err ? [ but ( saith he ) as christ is christ , and a saviour by office whether sinners will or not : so faithful ministers are pastors by office , whether the people accept them or no. ] reader , it is not the least blemish of my writings , that on divers occasions i oft repeat the same things : and many a time have i distinctly said , 1. that the ordainers judge who shall be a minister of christ in general . 2. the magistrate is judge whom he will countenance , maintain , or tolerate . 3. and the people must be consenting judges to whom they will trust the conduct of their souls : as it 's one thing to be a licensed physician , and another to be physician to this hospital , or person . if this brother mean otherwise , what meant he by saying , that no man can be a pastor to a people against their will ? doth he say , and unsay in the next lines ? is christ any man's actual saviour whether they believe in him , and accept him or not ? i have oft said , that in divers cases , the people may be bound in duty to consent , as all are bound to be christians : but they are no christians , or church-members , till they do consent : what then is it that he meaneth as our difference ? § 4. yes : he saith , [ no more is necessary to the being , or well-being of a particular church than this ; a company of christians met together in publick for the solemn worship of god by iesus christ , having a pastor or minister with them to guide and govern the congregation , and edifie himself and them by the word and sacraments ; where there is no assembly of pastor and people there is no church , and no longer than the assembly lasteth are they a church . ] ans. did the world ever here this doctrine before ? when the church at ierusalem , corinth , cenchrea , colosse , laodicea , &c. and the churches in iudea , galatia , &c. are mentioned , when the apostles ordained them elders in every church , acts 14. 23. tit. 1. 3 , 5. &c. is the word church here taken for no christians longer than they are assembled ? doth not scripture , canons , fathers , and all writers speak of churches as associated christians , remaining churches all the day , and year , and not only while assembled ? if the word church may be taken for a transient assembly , doth it follow that there is no other ? have we so many books of ecclesiastical policie , if there be no political society that is a particular church ? what an unpleasing talk is it to be put on a defence against such an opponent ? § 5. saith he [ i would but ask mr. baxter , what is it that you mean by associated by consent ? ] ans. have i in the books , cited by you , so largely told you what i mean , and must you print the question before you will take an answer ? saith he [ either you mean bare assembling , or some other thing ] ans. . will you better understand me if i write it again than you did before ? when i told you at large , in what cases express consent by words , or other signs is meet , and that where the laws settle parish churches , ordinary attendance and submission to the pastor's office must be taken for express consent ? but then i do hold that there is such a church as i describe , and that the parish is not unchurcht when the assembly is dismist . § 6. he saith , [ when the assembly breaks up , the church for that time ceaseth till the meeting be renewed , till which time they remain christian inhabitants , neighbours , families , parishioners , or sojourners , the pastor of the place dwelling among them ] ans. . in your equivocal sense of a church , this is true . in the political sense they are a church still ; as the parliament , citizens , souldiers , are a parliament , city , army , when they assemble not . if your wrangle be de re , do you deny their continued relation ? if it be de nomine , let the scripture and all nations judge , whether the name church belong to them no longer than they are assembled . 1. then all that stay at home , or are sick , are no church-members . 2. then the bishop or pastor , hath no church but while assembled : and he hath no duty to perform for his church , but while assembled . 3. this is quite contrary to our diocesans , who say ( as honest mr. cawdry himself ) that a diocess is the first particular church , and that it is no matter how many assemblies it consist of , and that there is no church without a bishop , and so that we have no more churches than bishops . 4. if a bishop build a temple on london road , where travellers shall be his ordinary hearers , whom he shall never see again , this is a temporary transient church ; but verily it is another sort church that is described in scripture , and by ignatius , cyprian , and all church-writers . and when the bishop was to visit the sick , and take care of the poor , and to exhort from house to house , it was as for a church , and not meerly as for christian neighbours : and do you think no more consent was necessary to his special duty to these more than to others , and theirs to him , than bare assembling ? atheists , infidels , hereticks , may assemble with the rest ; and catechumens ordinarily did so , and were never made themselves the judges , whether and when they should be baptized and admitted to communion ; but the pastors were the judges . § 7. as to your oft mentioning the words [ covenants and oaths ] for such church associations , as if i had written for oaths , or had not written against all needless covenants , which though you say not , your words would make the reader believe , whilst over and over it is but consent competently expressed , which i require ; those that know not your honesty as i do , i doubt will judge it to savour of some worse cause than i am willing to name . if consent be not expressed , how shall it be known ? and i still say caeteris paribus , the plainest expressions are fittest to attain their end , as the plainest language is counted the best for communication : oh! how much did cyprian , and all the old churches differ from you about consent ! § 8. another of my errors is to say , [ he is an invader , that without consent intrudeth into their priviledges . ] ans. 1. but it is not he that transiently cometh into the temple ; 2. but he that will make himself one of my special charge , and oblige me to all the duty which i owe to my charge and cannot pay to all men , and he that will claim a vote in choosing the bishop , &c. and if of old one of your mind had said , that every traveller or stranger , that cometh within the room , may claim the sacrament without any literae communicatoriae , upon his bare word , the bishops or churches would not have believed you ; so singular are you in all this . you tell us , god hath made no such corporations , and every christian is a freeman , &c. ans. but how shall i know whether every stranger that cometh in be a christian , or was ever baptized ? or be not a heretick excommunicate by other churches ? or if i am able to do the office of a pastor but for 500 , and thousands more will come and claim it ? § 9. another of my errors is , that parish chappels and oratories , are no true churches . ans. you should not thus become an incendiary , by pretending things that you will not first understand : where do i say what you affirm ? i say , that there may be several chappels that are but parts of one church . 2. and i say , that if a bishop be essential to a church , then none below a diocess is a church ; and therefore that they that so affirm , do put down all parish churches and turn them into meer chappels and oratories , which are but parts of a church . 3. i never said , that if a place called in english a chappel ( yea , if a barn , or field , or ship , ) have such a pastor and people meeting , as a church must be constituted of , that they are no true church . 4. but if such pastors and people related as one church , are by persecution forced to meet in several houses , or the sick , weak , or distant , to meet sometime at a chappel , or without a true pastor ; if a deacon pray with some of them in a house , or oratory , this maketh not a church political , in the sense that i told you i used that word in ; but in another ( equivocal ) sense it may be called a church , and so a family may be . if this be false you should have confuted it , and not wrangle in the dark . § 10. you say that i blame the bishops for putting down all the parish bishops and churches — when i my self do no less by putting down all the chapple ministers , chappel meetings and oratories , and denying them to be proper pastors and churches . ans. all false , or a meer game at equivocal words : the word chappel usually signifieth a place for the assembling of some small part of a church , with a curate , or houshold chaplain , who hath only power to preach and pray , ( and sometimes to give the sacrament ) but not to govern : sometime a chappel may have a governing pastor , and people subject to him in that relation , and differeth but in name from the parish church . it is a meer chappel or oratory , in the common sense , which i say is not a political church . the falshood of your pretended parity of the cases i prove : those congregations which are constituted of ministers of different species , are not of the same species and definition : but meer oratories , or chappels , which have no pastors that have the power of the keys for government , and parish churches which have such pastors according to the divine institution , are constituted of ministers of different species : ergo , they are not of the same species and definition ( as you affirm . ) 2. those assemblies which intentionally meet but as parts of the lowest political church , and those that intentionally meet as the whole or main body of that political church , are not of the same species and definition . ( no more than a squadron , and a captain 's company , or troop ; or a family , and a village or town . ) but , &c. if bishops deny all the lord's chaplains to have the governing power of the keys , and their family-chappels to be true political churches of the same species and definition with a diocesan church , or a parochial ; do you confute them if you can , i cannot . but if i prove that every parochial , or other proper political church infimae speciei , should by divine order have a pastor that hath the governing power of the keys , and the bishops deny them any such , and will have but one such in a diocess ; do you defend them if you can , i cannot : nor are these cases the same . § 11. my next error , he cannot tell whether i hold or no : but it seems i do ; against compelling men to take whom the magistrate please for their pastors : for i make covenanting essential , as between a husband and wife ; likening the church universal to a kingdom , and particular churches to cities and corporations . ] and here he talks of the corporation oath , and exclaimeth [ is this the way of curing church divisions ? and is this the true and only way of concord ? ans. had you published and proved to us a better way , i hope we should have been thankful ; and so will i , if you will truly shew me the errors of the way that i commended . 1. he that hath read my books which plead for no oaths , nor for any covenanting , but exprest consent to the relations and offices , will perhaps think that here you were tempted to injustice at the least . 2. is not the church universal christ's kingdom ? i rather liken it to a kingdom , than to the world , because ( whatever you think ) i think it is not by christ subdivided into many particular kingdoms as the world is , but only into many particular churches , keeping necessary concord , ( and obedience to magistrates . ) it is not one sort only that militate against the cure of divisions , by true concord ; but i am sorry that you are become one . let him that thinks he stands , take heed lest he fall . § 12. he saith , [ it is qualification that maketh christians . ] ans. no qualifications without consent and covenanting with christ. and [ it is qualification and just ordination , which makes christian pastors and ministers at large . ] ans. do you confute me by repeating my one words ? and ( saith he ) [ it is their being placed by the magistrate in the several parishes , which makes them pastors by office , and relation to all the christian souls in the parishes respectively . — if iesus christ shall by the hand of the magistrate set a faithful minister in the parish , he becomes as to office and right a pastor , a guide , a minister , and teacher to their souls . if they receive him not , they are rebels and traytors against christ , and are no longer christian people , save as an adulterous wife , &c. ] ans. alas , where can we say a man will stop when he is once tumbling down the hill ! 1. why , did you think your bare word should serve for this ? that it is jesus christ that made this the office of the magistrate ? 2. is it all magistrates , or some only that have this power , and jesus christ chooseth us pastors by ? if but some , what the better are we for your discourse , if you tell us not how to know them ? and , 3. will you not then put the people upon a harder and more perilous task , to judge of all magistrates fitness for this trust , than it would be to judge of their pastor . 4. if it be all , then heathens and turks must choose christians their pastors . if you say , it is all christian magistrates , then the protestants in france are rebels and not christians , for refusing papists priests : if it be not papists , who are they ? must all receive lutherans , or socinians , or anabaptists , or such like pastors that live under imposing princes of those minds ? 5. why do you limit it to [ faithful ministers ] who must judge of their faithfulness and qualifications ? if the magistrate , papists , socinians , prophane magistrates , or heretical , will judge as they are . if the people , we are wheeled about to that which is resisted : and then , when is it that they must judge , before they receive him , or after ? if before , then must they have trial of him , or take all for ( faithful ) that are ordained by a bishop ? or that being strangers , they know no harm by him ? or all the patrons present ? if so , we come to the forementioned misery . if they must receive them first , and try them after , and depart from them when they shew themselves unfaithful ; then the people must either depose their pastors , or separate : and most that separate from the parish churches , do it as thinking the ministers unfaithful : and is this your cure of church-divisions ? and if never preaching be a proof of the unqualified , the canon forbids us to go from such . and in some countrys there are none within reach to go to from them : and if there be , the canon suspendeth them if they receive one to their communion , that goeth from a non-preaching minister . 6. did any one church on earth receive a pastor by the magistrates imposition for the first 300 years ? or had not the churches then rightly called pastors ? 7. did not the orthodox churches commonly refuse bishops , which valens , and such erroneous emperors set over them ? 8. were not parish ministers chosen by the bishops and people , and not by magistrates for 1400 years in all known churches in the world ? it was but the patriarchs at first that were imposed on the people by the emperors ; and afterwards when the henrys contended with the pope , it was not for choice of priests , but for the investiture of bishops and abhots only ; and in this they left the choice to the people and clergie , and pleaded but for investiture per baculum & annulum ; so that for ought i know , magistrates never imposed priests on parish churches till the reformation : and since then , besides helvetia and belgia , it is but few that do it . and even in england , it is not done by magistracy , but by patrons presenting , and diocesan prelates instituting . so that if this be christ's way of making pastors to particular churches , there were no true pastors or churches for 300 years , and perhaps none , or next none for 1400 years in parishes : and if this doctrine be true , the catholick christians in many princes reigns that rejected imposed bishops ( if that were as bad as rejecting parish priests ) were rebels and traytors against christ , and no christians . and whether he so stigmatize not the universal church for want of such reception of priests , in almost all ages , i wish him to consider . and whether that be like to be a better way of concord , which he and few such in the end of the world devise , to the condemning of the churches of all the former ages , that never had any such concord ? 9. hereby also he leaveth the tolerated churches in france , germany , and all the greek churches , and copties , and syrians , &c. that are under adverse princes , to be without pastors sent in the way of christ's appointment . ( and yet vouchsafeth not to name one text where christ ever appointed it . ) 10. and when he maketh all in a parish to be the pastors flock , or charge , that are christians , he condemneth those canons that ordained , that if any bishop convert not the hereticks in his city , they shall be his flock who doth convert them ; and all that have had two churches in one parish . or else he maketh parish priests to be pluralists , and if there be many chappels and churches in his parish , he is the pastor to them all : and yet he never tells us whether the chappel priest be also pastor of the rest of the parish : and if so , whether each be to govern distinctly , or one subordinately as governed by the other ; or whether both must agree , each being but part of the governing power . 11. the same man saith , that multitudes of parishioners are rebels , traytors , and no christians , &c. and yet that we must give them all the sacrament if demanded . for multitudes demand the sacrament to satisfie law and custom , who declare that they take not the priest for their pastor , nor as authorized by christ ; and multitudes that know not what christianity or a sacrament is , and will not speak with the minister about it . 12. did not he say before , that the man cannot be their pastor without his own and the peoples consent ? and yet the magistrate may make me a pastor to the parish ? what ? whether i will or not ? am i also a rebel , traytor , and no christian , if i refuse ? what if the parish have 60000 , or 40000 souls , and i am not able to do a pastor's office for 500 ? what if i think it is a sin to be obtruded on dissenting unwilling people ? and if my dissent do not unchristen me , why doth the people's unchristen them ? the lord pity us , we need no enemies but our selves to seduce us and destroy ; nor any to make the most odious schisms than the decryers of schism . what schismatick doth condemn so many christians and churches , as this censure ? i can scarce except mr. dodwel , whom in his last book he called an odd disowned man. § 13. he tells us after of the pastor's duty to teach publickly , and from house to house : and yet it 's no church but when assembled ; and he hath equal charge of all christians ( though papists ) in the parish . § 14. he saith , [ no thing cuts off from a church particular , but what cuts off from christ , christianity , and the church universal . ] ans. 1. what if a man disown only the pastor of that church ? 2. what if he will not joyn with them in the liturgy , or mode of worship there used ? 3. what if that church be nestorians , or eutychians , or papists , and he separates from them , or they cast him out ? 4. what if he remove his dwelling ? § 15. next i am censured for demanding the people of kederminster ' s consent to my ministry , and their church relation . and he will now be distinct , and maketh answers to `distinct questions for them : but never tells us whether such answers had been true or false , if they had given them . his first question is , [ do we take you to have the just qualifications of a pastor ? ] and the answer is , [ learning is one qualification of which the ignorant are incompetent iudges : and for wisdom , holiness , and ministerial skill of fidelity , you are to make proof of them : this is to be answered some years after , and not ask before-hand . ] and so under papists , socinians , prophane imposers , you are to take all as wise , holy , faithful , till some years after you find them otherwise . here he expoundeth his former words , for rejecting the unqualified and unfaithful . but who shall be judge at some years after ? his second question is , [ do we take you to be duly ordained ? ] and the answer is , [ we are bound to judge those to be justly ordained which are so reputed , and we have no reason to suspect . ] ans. 1. but whose reputation is it that you rest on ? half the parish say , you are not justly ordained but by a bishop : the other half say , you are justly ordained by presbyters : you falsifie , if you feign them all of a mind . 2. and who knows how to define and bound your [ reasons of suspicion ? ] 3. the canons and bishops say , you have sorfeited your license if you conform not ; and without a license you may not preach . 4. and if you will question no mens orders , you will have many lay-pastors . to his 3d quest. he answereth , [ we question not your presentation . ] ans. and yet it is the magistrate that must impose ministers , and in times of usurpation he feigneth them to be unquestioned . the sum hitherto is , we must take any man for our pastor , that is ordained and presented . but what if i knew that multitudes do not so , doth it make them of that church because they should consent and do not ? of 1800 , or 2000 only 600 would come to the sacrament , ( though they usually heard ) unless all the rest would receive it kneeling and administred by the liturgy , though they were left free to use that gesture themselves ; and withal they were told that we had not a bishops license . the 4th quest. is , [ if we take you alone for our pastor ? ] and it 's answered , [ we know of no other in view but you . ] ans. all these are fictions . 1. i never desired nor consented to be their pastor , but to be one of three . 2. i agreed with them in the town-hall publickly in writing , to undertake only a lecture which i had before the war , in conjunction with another that should have the presentation or sequestration . and yet honest mr. durel tells the world that it was a rich benefice given me for my service under cromwel , ( who would never endure me to speak to him . ) 3. there were three competitors : one an old vicar , that ( somehow ) preacht once a quarter , that had the presentation and was sequestred . ( 1. i will not tell you here for what . ) 2. his curate sequestred and removed . 3. an old chappel curate , grosly ignorant and vicious , that lived by unlawful marrying . 4. and by all this you determine that of three of us , none was pastor but only that one that had the presentation ; and so you depose all other curates not presented . and yet the chappels that have such curates put in only by the parsons are true churches ; such are your frequent contradictions . sect. 16. next as a meek questioner , he askt me , why i will not baptize their infants , if i take them for christians and parishioners ? he saith after , [ if they make not a tolerable profession of christianity in the publick assembly , they produce no valid claim , we are not to admit them . ] ans. i suppose there are in the three next parishes here , 80000 persons whom the pastors never had any other account of , as to their knowledg , but by their coming to church ( and half of them that rarely come . ) and those of us that have talkt with almost all our parishioners , find that multitudes know not what christianity or a sacrament is : a man about 80 years old in kederminster said , christ was the sun , and the holy ghost the moon : is standing up at the creed then , or sitting in the church a tolerable profession ? hobbes and his followers would do the same . 2. but what obligation is on me to baptize all the children of those that take me for none of their pastor ? the parish may have 20000 more than i am able to do the pastoral office for : i cannot tell whether they come to church or not : if they do , they are strangers to me ; some come into the parish and others go out , and many are lodgers : and he that as a pastor is to baptize , is also to do abundance more , to catechize , visit the sick , the poor , &c. am i bound to impossibilities for every stranger that i never knew ? nor can i know so much as whether he be christened , or be indeed a parishioner ? yea , a church with you is only a present assembly : what if these persons assemble not , or but twice or thrice a year ? what if travellers be that day of the church ? bishop taylor saith ( pref. of repen . ) no one can give account of those that he knoweth not . sect. 17. his talk of the tares again deserveth no answer , but [ read expositors . ] his repeated insinuation by the word [ oaths , and covenants ] tell us that a good man may become un insinuater of calumnies . his two conclusions , pag. 55. from my words are , 1. that they are no churches that want this cementing covenant . ans. they are none that are not so related by consent expressed , by one way or other : if you turn this into [ cementing covenant ] when you had newly cited my express denial , that express covenanting was necessary , ad esse , it 's worse than ceremony , which you are already come to think lawful . the 2d concl. is , [ the churches that have it not in the most plain obliging way are defective , spotted , and ill-favoured , ] because i said that the more express way is laudable ad bene esse : as if all were called spotted and ill-favoured , that want any thing laudable ad bene esse , ( and will christ take away his churches spots and wrinkles , ephes. 6. when there were none ? ) and he saith , [ this he calls the true and only way of the churches concord . ] as if every word in the book were called [ the true and onely way . ] [ it rather tendeth ( saith he ) to discord , and to make every single minister a pope , or church-tyrant , and to make churches schismatical and traiterous combinations , dividing themselves from all other churches and christians , &c. ] ans. 1. and yet he before said himself , that the unwilling cannot be pastor and flock : and is not this the same ? 2. thus all christ's churches that ever i read of for 300 , yea , a 1000 years , are stigmatized , who still made expressed consent necessary . 3. a pope is one that claimeth soveraignty over all the church on earth : doth he do so that taketh none for his flock , but consenters ? 4. which is liker tyranny , not to pretend to government over any but volunteers , or to say , i will govern you whether you will or not ? 5. is it dividing and schism , to know my flock as consenters , and not to take other mens flocks sine literis communicat●riis , as oft as they will dwell or lodg in my parish ? the words [ oaths , ] and [ covenants ] are oft again so mentioned by him , and his profession ; that he hath the episcopal and presbyterian on his side , and other untruths so rashly uttered , that i am heartily grieved for the success of his temptation : and whether he or i be schismatical , and differ from the ancient churches , i refer the reader to my abridg. of church history , and to my citations in my book of right to sacraments : my preface to mr. rawlet's book of the sacrament , confutes some of his intimations . i thank god that i am going to a more peaceable world. finis . the judgment of non-conformists of the interest of reason in matters of religion in which it is proved against make-bates, that both conformists, and non-conformists, and all parties of true protestants are herein really agreed, though unskilful speakers differ in words. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1676 approx. 54 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 12 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26946 wing b1293 estc r1374 12626698 ocm 12626698 64664 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26946) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 64664) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 344:2) the judgment of non-conformists of the interest of reason in matters of religion in which it is proved against make-bates, that both conformists, and non-conformists, and all parties of true protestants are herein really agreed, though unskilful speakers differ in words. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [3], 21 p. [s.n.], london : 1676. written by richard baxter. cf. halkett & laing (2nd ed.). errata: p. 21. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-12 elspeth healey sampled and proofread 2005-12 elspeth healey text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the judgment of non-conformists , of the interest of reason , in matters of religion . in which it is proved against make-bates , that both conformists , and non-conformists , and all parties of true protestants are herein really agreed , though unskilful speakers differ in words . london , printed in the year , 1676. among the other church-troubling controversies of these times , we find it is one , and not the least , how far mans reason hath to do in matters of religion : and deep accusations we find brought against each other on this account ; some suspecting others of socinianisme , as over-magnifying reason , and others insimulating such as they seem to differ from , as guilty of making religion seem unreasonable ; and some ( who go over the hedge where it is low ) do lay this charge of unreasonableness , in special , on the non-conformists . we , who do verily believe that this scandalous contention ariseth from mens unskilfulness in the art of framing , and expressing the notions of that same matter which they commonly hold , and that really not only conformists , and non-conformists , but also all protestant parties are herein of one mind , though some think otherwise , who neither understand their brethren , nor are understood themselves , do therefore take it , as peacemakers , to be our duty to give our reasons of this our judgement , that if it may be the preachers of truth , and peace may not tempt the people into unchristian disaffection , by perswading them that we so widely differ , when really we are all , or generally agreed . qu. whether understanding charity can see any real difference between conformists , and non-conformists , or any other partiss of true protestants , about the interest and use of reason in religion ; that is , about gods doctrine of faith , and his laws for mens desires , and their practice , neg. for the due handling of this , it is requisite that we first explain our words , and then truly state the question , and then prove the negative ; and lastly , add some applicatory consectaries . i. by [ understanding charity ] we mean [ a person indued with understanding , and charity so far as he useth them in this judgement . by [ a real difference ] we mean not real misunderstanding of one another , or real contending about words ; but a difference in judgement about the very matter of doctrine it self , when intelligibly opened , and each party is understood . by [ religion ] we mean only that which is truly divine , and not about what man may superadd , ( though on the by we may speak somewhat of that ; ) and as the church hath ever summed it up in the sacramental covenant , and explained the parts of it according to the three summaries , the creed , lords prayer , and christian decalogue , so do we here mean. 1. the articles of faith. 2. the matter of holy love , or desire . 3. and of practice . by [ conformists , and non-conformists ] we mean qua tales , whether this be any part of the controversies which denominate them ; and ex abundante even qui tales , whether they that are meerly non-conformists , differ from the conformists herein , the question not extending to quakers , seekers , papists , antinomians , or any such sect which are more than meer non-conformists . by [ protestants ] we mean those that make christianity as delivered in the scriptures , their religion , protesting against the corruptions , and additions of popery ; who are now commonly known by that name , and distinguished unhappily by their by-opinions , into lutherans , calvinists , and other names . 1. we deny not that all protestants differ greatly from the socinians , who reject the doctrine of the trinity , though found in scripture , because they think that it is against reason , ( though in that they err . ) 2. we deny not that protestants herein differ from enthusiasts , or true fanaticks , who pretend revelations which reason cannot prove to be what they pretend them to be , and are contrary to true reason , and scripture it self ; and who think that the secret impulses of their diseased phantasies , and passions , are such motions of gods spirit as reason must give place to . 3. we deny not but protestants differ from the great fanaticisme of popery ; which both buildeth faith , and exerciseth religion upon the most stupendious fiction of miracles , against reason , and common sense , that ever ( to our knowledge ) was entertained by any sect , or heresie in the world , viz. 1. in their holding that a pope , and his council ( called general ) are the infallible judges of the churches faith , from whose authority it must be received , though the pope should be himself an ignorant lad , or a heretick , and most of the bishops in council should not before understand the matter which they vote for : as if god by miracles taught the ignorant , and erroneous to vote contrary to their former opinions , or above their understanding ; and their miraculous enthusiasm , and infallibility were the foundation of the common faith. as if god would enable a pope , and council that understood not greek , or hebrew , infallibly to translate the bible out of greek , and hebrew into their native tongues . 2. and they pretend that all the priests in their church ( perhaps many score thousands ) can work miracles at their pleasure , and do so in every mass which they celebrate , even to the making bread to be no bread , and wine to be no wine , nor any sensible substance ; and all the sences of the world , that see , tast , touch them to be utterly deceived ; which is farr greater miracle-working than ever christ , or his apostles wrought ! and to the belief of this , and this renunciation of all common sense , all christians on pain of damnation must submit ; and princes must exterminate those that will not , or else their dominions must be given to another by the pope . we say not that protestants do either exalt reason as the socinians , or renounce it as either of these two sects of true fanaticks . by [ judging ] we mean , 1. discerning our selves . 2. proving to others . by [ reason ] we mean , i ex parte objecti ; such evidence of truth which humane reason may discern . this is three-fold , i. evidence of the thing it self , which is either , 1. sensible evidence , as the very thing is objected to the senses , and so as sensate represented to the intellect . 2. evidence immediately intelligible , by which the thing it self is objected to the intuition of the mind ; so some say , with ockam , that the intellect knoweth its own acts , and spirits , see spirits . ii. evidence of the medium , from whence , by reason , we may inferr the verity of the thing . and this is , 1. of an ordinary natural medium , ( as a natural cause is known by the effects , and the effects by the cause : e. g. there is a sun , ergo there is motion , light , and heat : ] or [ there is motion , light , and heat ; ergo there is fire . ] 2. or of a supernatural medium , such as is divine revelation by vision , inspiration , miraculous attestation . iii. there is evidence of consequence , that the conclusion certainly followeth the premises . of reason , in these senses we may have occasion to speak . ii. ex parte subjecti vel agentis ; and so reason is taken , 1. for the reasoning faculty . 2. for the mental exercise , or act in the actual reasoning of the mind . 3. for a habit of facility , and promptitude in reasoning . 4. for expressive reasoning by argumentation , or discourse , by word , or writing . the reasoning faculty is considered in man , i. as in statu informato vel instituto . ii. in statu def●●mato seu destituto . iii. as in statu reformato seu restituto . in the state of created integrity , the state of lapsed pravity ; and the state of sanctification , or recovery . i. in the state of nature , or innocency , mans reason was , 1. sound in faculty , before its acts. 2. acted by degrees as objects were presented to him : and so as christ himself increased in wisdome , as to acts , or exercise ( for his infant state was not capable of such action as his adult ) so did adam . 3. habitually more prompt to act upon such acting . ii. in the state of sin , reason was ( and still is in the unregenerate , ) 1. privatively blind , or undisposed to the right , and saving discerning of things spiritual , holy , and heavenly ; partly through its own corruption , and partly by the wills unhappy inclination , which is the exercitij principium : and also disposed ( by both ) to false judging , especially to practical errour . 2. it is actually ignorant , and erroneous , and prejudiced against saving faith , and spiritual good , and holy practice . 3. it is by custome in such sinful acts , habitually more , and more depraved , in its privative , and positive disposition . iii. reason repaired is illuminated by gods word and spirit to , 1. common . 2. special saving . 3. special extraordinary operations . 1. the common are , 1. that light , or common knowledge and belief , which is preparatory to saving light. 2. that light of edifying benefits , by which men are made useful to others . 2. the light of special saving grace is , 1. initial in vocation for the first saving faith , and repentance . 2. increased in sanctification , by such a degree as kindleth in the soul predominant love. 3. more increased in growth unto the end . all this is considered , 1. in the first disposition . 2. in the exercise . 3. in the habit. 3. the extraordinary illuminations are , by prophetical inspiration , visions , and gifts of infallibility proper to some few . the perfection of all in glory we may pretermit . these things premised , the question is not whether socinians , papists , antinomians , quakers , &c. differ from us ? nor whether any odd person , or persons , called protestants , have ignorace enough to entangle them in an error in this point ? nor whether any hasty judges , that are not skilled in discussing the ambiguity of words , or for want of well digested studies , can neither understand others , nor speak distinctly , and intelligibly themselves ; or in uncharitable factious , passionate humour , are disposed to misunderstand their brethren , or to put a sinister interpretation on their words ; we say , it is not whether such ignorant contenders do think that men differ farther than they do ? nor whether any have used unmeet expressions justly blameable ? nor whether there are any that write against , or accuse each other on this account , and would make the world believe that we are of contrary minds ? nor is it whether our reasons really differ about the sense of some texts of scripture , or points of religion ? nor is it whether protestants differ about the extent of humane authority , and the obligation of their wills , or canons . but the sense of the question is , whether it be a distance between conformists and non-conformists , lutherans and calvinists , or any other by-named parties of protestants ; whether , and how farr we must have , or give reason for all our religion , or exercise reason in discerning it ; and in propagating , and defending it by proof . and we shall prove the negative , i. by those confessions of the several churches , and parties , which notifie their judgements . in all the corpus confessionum there is no article on this subject which is not commonly consented to by the rest of the protestant churches . and as for the conformists , and non-conformists , they consent to subscribe to all the same doctrinal articles of the church of england , ( though they differ about some other subscriptions , declarations , covenants , or promises of conformity ; and some oaths , and modes of discipline , and worship . ) besides that , we all subscribe to the same creed , and the same canonical scriptures . and either the point about the interest of reason in religion is in the creed , bible , or articles of religion , or not . if not , it is no part of our religion , nor necessary . if it be , then we subscribe our agreement in it . there is no profession , no writing of either party , conformists , or non-conformists , ( consented to by the party ) which signifies any disagreement in this point , or contradiction of what both sides consent in . let them that will prove a difference , cite any such book , or profession of either party , if they can . we deny not but some non-conformists , and conformists did cast out their suspitions of two very learned rational men , mr. hales , and mr. chillingworth , as if they had favoured socinianisme , because they so much used , and ascribed to reason , in judging of matters of religion ; and knot the jesuite would have chillingworth therefore taken to be a socinian . but it was but particular men , and not a party that was suspected : and it was but particular men that did suspect them : dr. heylins aspersion of mr. hales , was not the churches judgement : and in all parties there will be some suspicious uncharitable men , and some that will speak evil of what they understand not ; and take it as a neer way to get the reputation of being wise , and orthodox , by accusing others of ignorance , and error , than by long , and diligent well ordered studies . object . 1. but though they all subscribe the same bible , and articles ; they all understand them not alike . ans . 1. no , nor any two persons in the world ; it is as probable that any two men have spoken none but the very same words , as that they have had none but the very same thoughts . 2. let any difference be shown , as to the point in question , and such as is not equally managed by conformists against conformists , as by them against any particular non-conformists . object . 2. you agree not whether the reason of the rulers , or bishops may make , and impose any form of churches , national , patriarchal , or provincial , which christ never made ; or any new offices , or ceremonies of worship . ans . 1. this is nothing to the point in question , but of another thing . 2. we are all agreed that circa sacra there are many undetermined particulars , and circumstances , which some call ceremonies ; for which , scripture giveth only a general command , and rule , ( as , let all be done decently , in order , to edification , in unity , &c. ) which humane reason ( in rulers where it is their part , and in consenters where it is left to consent ) may , and must determine : and that they that have power de rebus extrinsecis circa sacra , may make humane offices for such humane works , ( as door-keepers , church-wardens , magistrates , to keep church-peace , and order , &c. ) and if they will call any lawful assemblies of pastors , or orderly associations , by the name of ( humane ) churches , so they will but distinguish them from churches of proper divine institution , and take away none of those rights from such as christ hath given them in scripture ; we know no party of protestants that differ de re against them , though many wish that the name [ churches ] were not made common to those of divine , and of humane institution , lest it obscure the great difference of the things named ; and lest , as in the papacie , societies and matters of divine institution should be thought to stand in a direct subordination to those of humane institution ; and the churches which christ hath instituted should be thought to be but as parishes to a county , streets , or houses to a city , cities to a kingdom , meer similar parts of the churches of mans making ; which conceit is the strength of the whole roman kingdom , called a church . object . 3. but some say that only the spirit can assure us that the scriptures are the word of god. ans . so we say all ; not excluding , but including the means and evidence , and use of reason , that is , 1. the spirit in christ , and his apostles , and prophets hath imprinted gods image of power , wisdome , and love on the sacred scriptures ; which is their intrinsick evidence . 2. and the same spirit by that word doth powerfully , wisely , and gratiously imprint an answerable image on our hearts . 3. and he helpeth us by this effect , and impulse , to discern that it is gods word that did it ; and giveth us ( as the new born babe to his milk ) a discerning of , and appetite to this holy word , as connatural , or suitable to our souls : the spirit giveth us such reasons for our religion , as else we should not have ; and also helpeth our reason actually to understand it ; and also maketh us habitually more rational herein . and do not all agree in this ? object . 4. but some say that the scripture is known propria luce . ans . so say all , but not by that alone : reason must discern the divinity of scripture partly by the evident impulses of divinity which are in it , which are its proper light ; and partly by extrinsick attestations , in the due use of the means which god hath appointed reason to make use of , ii. our second proof of our common agreement shall be by an induction of the particular points which we are all agreed in , where if the enumeration be sufficient , our proof will be clear . and if we seem to over-do , in naming more than needs ; it is to avoid the charge of an insufficient enumeration . 1. we are all agreed that all true religion , objectively taken , is the effect of gods wisdome ; and , subjectively taken , also is the gift of the father of lights . 2. we are agreed , that as gods wisdome is the first efficient , so the impress of divine wisdome , by which it is eminently wise and reasonable , is its very constitutive cause ; its form , and the proper light , by which it is to be known . 3. we are agreed that objective religion is to be received by mans reasonable intellect , and is , when so received , the light and guide , the advancement and perfecting of our reason . and the most religious , are the most truly , and nobly rational . 4. we are agreed that it hath intelligible evidence , which sheweth it to be of god , and true . and that mans reason must by discerning this evidence , know its divinity and truth . seeing nothing is an object of the intellect , but by intelligible evidence ; as nothing is an object of sight , but light ; and things by light , made visible . 5. and as our own receiving it , is by receiving the said evidence , and knowing its divinity , and truth thereby ; so our teaching it to others , and proving it against gain-sayers by defence , must be by our manifesting the same evidence . 6. the reason , or intellect of man in innocency , was apt to understand both the natural , and supernatural manifestations of gods governing will , and so to be actively religious , and to increase herein by exercise , and divine help . 7. the reason of fallen man before gratious illumination , is still the same essentially in the faculty ; but is dispositively depraved ( called blindness ) disposed to judge carnally , falsly , and malignantly of things spiritual , and holy ; and undisposed to discern , savingly , the truth , and goodness of religion . 8. there are found in all man-kind , at age , some natural notices , which are an advantage to the reception of religion , and make men more capable of it , than otherwise they would be : and grace giveth men usually a common sort of external , aad internal light , which is preparatory to that which is specially saving . 9. the christian religion consisting of things partly naturally , and partly supernaturally revealed ; the natural part of it hath its natural evidence ( either rei ipsius , or medij naturalis , ) by which , without supernatural revelation , it may be known ; but is not without gods illuminating grace , effectually , and savingly known . 10. the natural part of revelation , or objective religion is in order of time before the supernatural part ; and natural evidence and religion is more common than supernatural : we are men before we are christians in order of nature at least . 11. there is no contradiction between the natural , and supernatural revelation , or parts of religion ; for god contradicteth not himself . he therefore that thinketh that he findeth a contradiction , is deceived ; and must correct the error of his own understanding , and not accuse the word of god. 12. things equally true are not equally evident , and revealed , and sure to us : some things in nature are much clearer than others ; and some parts of scripture farr more intelligible than some others , and so more evident to us . 13. ceteris paribus , things sensible , and the common natural notices have greater evidence to us ; and are of easier belief than prophetical revelations : but some supernatural revelations have extrinsecally , and intrinsecally , more ascertaining evidence than many natural revelations , or verities ; no small number of these are very obscure . 14. when the understanding once discerneth a thing to be a divine revelation , it hath therein a certain medium , from which it may infer the thing revealed to be true : all known divine revelations are so far ascertaining , as they are known ; for god cannot lye : divine veracity is the formal object of divine belief . 15. if we doubt of the evidence of any revelation , natural , or supernatural , whether it be indeed divine ; we must hold that with the strongest affiance , or belief , which hath the clearest assuring evidence that it is divine . 16. prophets , and inspired seers had such internal satisfying evidence , ( whether by intuition , or abstract species , or internal sense ) which no man can formally , and clearly conceive of , but he that hath it ; but the reason of others may know it by the effects , and concomitant , or consequent proofs . 17. those that heard the voice , and saw the miracles of christ and his apostles , had sensible evidence thereof : and those at distance of place , or time that saw them not , may have certain infallible evidences of the historical truth , or report de facto that such things , indeed , were said , and done . 18. there are ( as is aforesaid ) characters of divine authority in religion , and in the sacred scriptures ; which are their inherent evidence , or propria lux , even the impress of gods power , wisdome , and love. 19. there are evident unimitable effects of the christian faith , which prove it to be of god ; even the spirits sanctifying work , on man ; which may , by those that have it not , be partly discerned in the holy lives of believers ; especially in the sanctity of the church , that it should be holy , in comparison of the unholy world , ( that is , all sound believers which are the real spiritual living church ; ) for , if one letter might be made without reason by chance , yet so cannot a learned book : and if an individual christian might by chance be holier than infidels , yet so could not all true believers . but he that hath this sanctification , or spirit in himself , hath clearer , and more assuring evidence ; and those most that have the greatest degree of holiness : these all have the witness in themselves . 20. the spirit of christ thus sent from him , as his agent , and advocate in mens souls , is the author , both of common preparatory , and of special saving illumination , inlightening the mind to understand the things of god ; and ( as is aforesaid ) giving the sanctified will a new relish to them , as congruous and good : and this knowledge , and faith objectively , and subjectively is the gift of god , or a beam from christ , the light of the redeemed world. but to some the same spirit giveth far greater measures of knowledge and faith , than to others ; and those are likest to receive most of that grace , who are most sincere , and diligent in the study of gods word , and the use of all other holy means ; and not the idle , negligent presumers . 21. neither corrupted , no , nor sound reason can discern things without supernatural evidence , which natural evidence doth not declare : therefore those that never hear the gospel cannot know the misteries of christianity ( without a miracle ) though they may know much of god as merciful and just , by his mercies , and government of the world. 22. the spirit is not given to ordinary christians ( though it be to prophets ) to bring them , from god , new doctrines , or laws ; nor to make any supplements to the gospel already revealed , as if it was not sufficient in its kind ; nor yet to reveal the matter of christs gospel , immediately , to the intellect , or phantasie within , by way of inspiration , visions , or intuitions , without an external word , or revelation ; nor yet to cause them to work miracles themselves , but he is given to enable , dispose , and help us to understand , believe , love , and practise the doctrine , and law , already , by the same spirit given to the church , by sanctifying our power , our reason , and our wills , by holy life , and light , and love. and as christ is the intercessor without us , by whom we must receive all mercies from god , and send up all our duties to god ; so his spirit is the intercessour within us , on christs part , as his advocate , and witness , pleading his cause against our unbelief , and other sin , and working all gods graces in us ; and on our part , teaching , inclining , and quickening us in all the prayers , and praises which we send up to god , in the name of christ . illuminating , and sanctifying , is not making us prophets , or apostles ; nor equal to them , as not being called to their works . 23. we must use our best reason in diligent meditation , and judgement , to search the works of god in nature , to know which are the true canonical scriptures , to discern true copies , and readings where the copies differ , to expound the text , to translate it truly , to discern the order of sacred verities that are dispersed through all the scriptures , to gather them into catechismes , and professions of faith , discerning things more necessary from the less needful , and the more clear from the more obscure ; to compose our sermons , prayers , and praises of god , according to his word : to gather just , and certain inferences from scripture assertions : to apply general rules to particular cases , in matters of doctrine , worship , discipline , and ordinary practice , prudently to discern those duties , which are but generally commanded in the scripture , and left to be discerned by us , in particular , according to determining accidents , circumstances , and occurrences , which must be considered , and compared . and when parents , magistrates , pastors , tutors , or masters , shall so determine of such particulars in the government of their inferiours , which belong to their several relations , or offices to determine of , according to gods general laws , or rules , inferiours must obey them in such determinations ; and in so doing , they do obey gods general laws , and obey god consequentially , in obeying such laws of his officers as he authorizeth them to make . for we are all agreed , that there are some parts of scripture which contain more necessary doctrine , than other parts ; and some great duties of prime necessity , which are the end of many lower duties ; and consequently , a rule to them as means , and as subordinate ; and actions otherwise good , become evil when they cross these great final regulating duties : such a canon is the interest of the new creature , and unity therein , as to circumcision , or uncircumcision , gal. 5.6 . and 6.15 . and such a canon is the love , peace , and concord of christians , in so much as they have attained , while they seek after more , phil , 3.16 . such a canon is edification ( and order ) as to several modes of worship , and ministerial acts , and discipline , 1. cor. 14.5.12.26 . 2. cor. 10.8 . and 12.19 . and 13.10 . eph. 4.16 . and the right ordering of a christian conversation doth much consist in discerning by true reason when circumstantiated actions are subservient , or cross to these final regulating ( canonical ) duties , that we may know whether pro hic & nunc , they are duties , or sins ; because affirmative precepts bind not , ad semper ( though no sin must at any time be done ) lesser duties when inconsistent with the greater ( at that time ) are no duties , but sins : and means are no means , when they lose their tendency to the end , or are against it . so did christ teach men to difference between tything mint , anise , and cumine , and the great things of the law ; and between the least , and the great commandments ; and to judge of observing the sabbath rest , and conversing with publicans , and sinners , by this rule , i will have mercy and not sacrifice , mat. 9.13 . and 12.7 . and to leave our gift at the altar , and go first and be reconciled to our brother , and then come and offer our gift , mat. 5. and to cast first the beam out of our own eyes , before we take the mote out of our brothers , mat. 6. thus to try circumstantiated actions , by their ends , and greater canon-duties ; and to try what accidents do preponderate for the time and place , is the great and hourly work of prudent reason ; and of exceeding great use to our daily innocency , and peace . 24. the more the understanding of a christian discerneth the evidences , and true reasons of all things in religion , the far greater advantage his will hath for the love of it , and fixed resolution never to forsake it ; and for seriousness , and constancie in a holy self-denying life ; and for patience in sufferings , and joyful hopes of heavenly glory : for grace worketh on man , as man ; that is , as a rational free agent , whose will must be guided by the light of his understanding . and he must needs be the lowest and loosest christian , that hath least knowledge , and intellectual apprehension ( explicite , or implicite ) why he is a christian . 25. it is a great cause of the slight superficial religion , and weakness of all grace which abounds among us , that too many taking the essentials of their religion too much on the trust of those that educate them , or with whom they live , do labour only to build upward on such an ill-laid foundation ; when ( as trees grow downward in the roots as well as upward ) they should be all their days still growing downward in the confirmation of their faith , and in the clearer and more orderly discerning of their fundamentals , and the evidences of them ; it being an increased sight of evidence of truth , intensively , and extensively ( in depth and clearness of perception , as well as material evidences ) which is indeed the true increase of knowledge , and belief : and the ablest christians should be ( not questioning , but ) as long as they live , growing clearer , and stronger in the knowledge of god , the immortality of the soul , and reality of the future life , and misteries of redemption , and sanctification ; where holy reason will find the most necessary , great and fruitful work. 26. objective religion being the thing which reason must discern , it is as vain to ask , whether religion , or reason should be preferred , as to ask whether we should , in seeing , preferr the eye , or the light , or the material objects ; which must all concur to make one act ? and they that ask , whether reason , and religion be contray ? must know , 1. that the faculty of reason , as such , is no more contrary to religion , than the visive faculty to the light , or object . 2. that so far as reason hath any pravity in disposition or act , privative , or positive , ignorance or errour in the matters of religion ; so far it is contrary to religion . 3. that so far as reason is sound in act , and habit , it is agreeable to religion . 4. therefore the worse any mans understanding is , the more it is against religion . and not only the learnedst , and wisest ▪ but also the holiest , and best , having but an imperfect illumination in this life , hath still some remnants , in him , of that which is contrary to religion ; and every man so far as his blindness , and pravity , is yet uncured . 5. but as to the objective parts themselves , it is said before , that none of them are contrary : the common principles , or notices of nature , have nothing contrary to them in the scripture . there is nothing in the doctrine of the trinity , incarnation , or resurrection , contrary to any natural verity ; nor any thing which true illuminated reason , by true divine revelation , cannot prove . 27. the blessed in glory , whose intellects are perfected , will see , for ever , such reasons for all the parts of religion ; even the trinity , incarnation , and resurrection , as will delight them everlastingly , as seeing the admirable harmony of all the sacred truths , and works of god ; and the transcendant wisdome of god manifested in all : and christ , who is now both essentially in himself , and o●jectively to believers , the wisdome of god will , as such , be admired by believers ; as he is now by principalities , and powers in heavenly places , who know the manifold wisdome of god by the church , eph. 3.9 , 10. even that misterious wisdome of god which seemeth foolishness to the worldly wisdome of foolish men , 1. cor. 1 , 2. and must be spiritually discerned . 28. as the devils believe , and tremble , so it is probable that the judge of all the world will convince the wicked , and infidels , at last , that it was a reasonable gospel which they rejected , and a reasonable faith , and service which god required of them ; and that they lived against reason in their unbelief , and sinning against god : for the spirit doth reprove the world of sin , because they believed not in christ , john , 16.8 . and he that will come , in flaming fire , to take vengeance on them that know not god , and obey not the gospel of our lord jesus christ , and will punish them with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and the glory of his power ; and will come to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that believe , in that day , even because they believed , 2. thes . 1.9 , 10. will sure convince men , that faith was a reasonable , and infidelity an unreasonable thing . in all these particulars we have reason to believe that not only conformists and non-conformists , but all true protestants are agreed . and they agree in the renunciation of these contrary opinions , ( though we cannot say that any man living is so perfect , as to hold nothing that hath some remote contrariety to the truths which he doth profess , not discerning the contrariety . ) i. they all reject the infidels opinions , who think that the misteries of christianity , and the gospel are not to be believed , at least , as certain ; because reason without supernatural revelation cannot know them : or who hold that the gospel hath no evidence of certain truth . ii. they all reject their error , who take some part of gods supernatural revelation to be false ; and will judge what is true , and what is false , by the conjectures of their reason , which ought to see the truth and concord of all : and that supposing falsly a contradiction , do set up one part of gods own word against the rest . iii. they all reject their error , who will not believe the difficulties of faith , upon the reason , or proof of gods veracity , and revelation ; unless the thing revealed be evident in it self , and may be proved by natural proof alone . iv. they reject the proud conceits of those , who when they find passages in gods word , which they cannot reconcile , or think not probable , are readier to accuse , or suspect gods word , than their dark , and erring understandings . v. we all reject their impudent errour , who feign miracles where there was none , or put false constructions on the text , yea , on the articles of faith ; and charge their own errours by misunderstanding on gods word , even when those errours are contrary to the common notices of nature , or the greatest , clearest , and most evident doctrines ; and then tell men that they must either deny those great doctrines , as cross to gods word , or else that both must be believed , as of god , even the canon verities , and these mens inconsistent errours : and we reject their method that will try many plain , great , certain truths , and texts , by such as are more rare , and more obscure , and of smaller moment . much more their scandalous abuses , who perswade men that we can be no surer of the truth of christianity it self , than we are of every lection , translation , or exposition , when they are doubtful , various , or contrary ; and who tempt men to infidelity by obtruding their own forgeries , and contradictions to be believed , as the word of god , and of equal verity with the essentials of our faith. vi. we all reject their errour , who make every circumstance of religion unlawful , which hath not a particular command in scripture ; as if reason might not regulate such by the general command ; as if reason might not without express particular precept , choose a text , method , words , and notes for remembrance in preaching ; or might not translate the scriptures , or turn the psalms into metre , and put tunes on each ; and many such things . vii . we all reject the fanatick , or enhusiastical opinion of them that pretend a necessity of immediate inspiration , instead of scriptures , to teach men inwardly , doctrines which they never outwardly heard , or more than is before revealed in the word ; and who thus equal their revelations to those of the apostles , or feign this immediate light , or revelation to be the chief rule to all men of their religion ; as if objectively there wereas many religions in the world , as there are men of different degrees of light within ! that is ▪ as there are men. and that pretend that none are farther bound to believe the gospel than they either see miracles themselves to confirm it , or else have this immediate inspiration before described , to attest it . viii . we all agree in rejecting the fore-described papal fanatiticisme , which maketh the pope and council , though ne're so ignorant , or erroneous , to be secured of the gift of infallibility , as if it were by miracle , in judging of that which their reasons are unmeet for , and they do not understand ; especially their foresaid feigned world of miracles by the ( sottishest ) priests in transubstantiation . and especially their persecuting all that are not as unreasonable renouncers of common sense and reason , and deposing temporal lords that will not exterminate them . and their requiring all christians to resolve their faith into the authority of this fanatick church , as being bound to take that , and only that , for the articles of their faith , and word of god , which they assert to be so ; and as needing no other proof than the pope , and his councils assertion . ( and on whose authority then doth the pope , and council , themselves believe it ? ) ix . all protestants disclaim that inhumane , atheistical assertion , that in religion , inferiours must believe all that their superiours assert , and do all that they shall command , and avoid all that they shall forbid them , without using their own reason to discern judicio privato whether it be agreeable , or contrary to the laws of god : as if all subjects must be of the soveraigns religion , be it heathen , mahometan , jewish , or christian , popish , socinian , or what ever : or as if man were above god , from whom he receiveth all his power , and might command men to blaspheme him , or sin against him ; or forbid all to confess , and worship him ; and god must ask men leave whether he shall be god , or be obeyed , or worshipped ! and as if it were in the rulers power whether any of the subjects shall be religious , or be saved ? or as if subjects were not reasonable creatures , or could obey without the use of reason discerning whom ▪ and how far to obey ? if they have not a judicium discretionis how shall they know their king whom they must obey , honour , and protect , from an usurper , or traytor , whom they must disown , and oppose . x. and we hope all true protestants are agrreed against that impious opinion , that if an inferiour be uncertain , or doubtful , whether the matter be lawful , or sinful , he must do it if his governour command it , and forbear it if his governour forbid it ; because an uncertainty must give place to a certainty : and we are certain that the ruler is to be obeyed , but not that the thing forbidden is duty , nor that the thing commanded is sin . 1. for we suppose all agreed that it must go with a caeteris paribus . 2. and that we are certain that no ruler can oblige us to sin ; and therefore we are not certain that he is to be obeyed , where we fear , upon good reason , that it is sin which he commandeth ; for if i am justly fearful that it is sin that is commanded , i must be fearful that it is sin to obey by sinning : and to be certain that i should obey , and fearful that i sin in obeying , are contradictory . 3. and we doubt not but all protestants are agreed , that if all the subjects ( or any ) can but be ignorant enough as to be uncertain whether there be a god , a christ , or a life to come ; or that it is a duty to relieve the poor , &c. it will not therefore , by any mans prohibition , cease to be all their duty to love , or obey god , or worship him , or to relieve the poor ? or if men be so sottish as to be uncertain whether blasphemies , idolatry , persecution , murder , adultery , perjury , &c. be sins , we all agree that no mans command can make it the duty of those uncertain persons to commit them , nor make them to be no sin ; ( whatever any man , of violence , may say to the contrary , in passion . ) we conclude upon this induction , that till some omitted instance be produced , this enumeration of our agreements will prove that , not only , conformists , and non-conformists , but all true protestants are agreed really of the interest , and use of reason in matters of faith , or of religion . consectaries . i. hence we see then that divines have great cause to take heed of setting christians together by the ears , by feigned differences where there are none ; and so destroying love and concord , and tempting the ignorant to hate and falsly accuse their brethren , to the trouble of the church , and the hazard of their salvation : and therefore that while men have not attained a through acquaintance with the matter , and in discussing ambiguities of speech , and distinguishing verbal controversies , from real , if they forbear not their censures , and publique controversies , till they attain a more ripe distinct understanding , they may greatly serve satan , while they think that they are serving christ . and how little the church is beholden to those men , that either through factious worldly designs , or ignorant zeal against error , have made the world believe by pulpit invectives and voluminous controversies , that christians differ really , when it is but verbally , experience might have satisfied us long ere this . ii. those that have been guilty of such feigning of difficulties , and wronging the church , should make repairation by open repentance , and all christians should study the difference between matter and expressive art , and words ; and be desirous and skilful for the narrowing of differences , as others are in widening them . we are not in love with the spirit and practise of incendiaries , love-killers , or dividers : we find too many contending in this case , as if they thought the difference real ; but not any party against another , ( many conformists , as well as non-conformists , being jealous of giving too much to humane reason . ) but we suppose we have fully proved a real concord among us all , though unskilful , word-warriours discern it not . if any will be a dissenter , he must be a stragler from all the protestant churches . his majesty in his declaration of ecclesiastical affairs expressed his displeasure of such as pretended that the church-doctrine needed reformation , as if in doctrine we were not agreed . seeing we all subscribe the same scripture , and articles of religion , and all agree in the twenty eight conclusions , and ten rejections before express'd ; if any yet proceed in their accusations , we desire them , for our conviction , to state the case in which , they suppose , the difference is , and prove their charge ; and to remember what it is to strive about words , and what have been , and yet are , the effects ; and that the wisdome from above is first pure , then peaceable , and without partiallity and hypocrisie ; and that the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace , and that blessed are the peacemakers , for theirs is the kingdom of god. we , whose names are subscribed , ( not undertaking that no individual person is otherwise minded , ) do , our selves , believe the real concord of protestants , as it is here expressed . th. manton , w. bates , tho. case , gabriel sangar , rich. baxter , math. pemberton , mat. silvester , henry hurst , roger morice , edw. lawrence , benjam . agas , james bedford , sam. fairclough , john turner , joseph read. errata . page , 5. line last , for distance , read difference . p. 5. l. penult . for theirs , r. men. p. 6. l. penult . for neer , r. neerer . p. 6. l. 23. for impulses , r. impresses . l. 13. r. impress . p. 11. l. 26. for to , r. of . p. 12. l. 5. for be , r. was .. finis . the certainty of christianity without popery, or, whether the catholick-protestant or the papist have the surer faith being an answer to one of the oft canted questions and challenges of the papists, sent to one who desired this : published to direct the unskilful, how to defend their faith against papists and infidels, but especially against the temptations of the devil, that by saving their faith, they may save their holiness, their comfort and their souls / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1672 approx. 137 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 61 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26887 wing b1213 estc r5291 11892559 ocm 11892559 50455 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26887) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 50455) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 53:4) the certainty of christianity without popery, or, whether the catholick-protestant or the papist have the surer faith being an answer to one of the oft canted questions and challenges of the papists, sent to one who desired this : published to direct the unskilful, how to defend their faith against papists and infidels, but especially against the temptations of the devil, that by saving their faith, they may save their holiness, their comfort and their souls / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [17], 112 p. printed for nevil simons ..., london : 1672. errata: p. [17]. reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature. revelation. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-04 olivia bottum sampled and proofread 2004-04 olivia bottum text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the certainty of christianity without popery : or , whether the catholick-protestant , or the papist have the surer faith. being an answer to one of the oft canted questions and challenges of the papists , sent to one who desired this . published to direct the unskilful , how to defend their faith against papists and infidels , but especially against the temptations of the devil ; that by saving their faith , they may save their holiness , their comfort and their souls . by richard baxter . 2 cor. 4. 1 , 2. seing we have this ministry , as we have received mercy we faint not : but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty , not walking in craftiness , nor handling the word of god deceitfully , but by manifestation of the truth , commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of god. london , printed for nevil simons at the sign of the princes arms in st. pauls church-yard . 1672. to the protestant reader . it is for your reading , and not for the papists chiefly that i publish this short and hasty writing . for i may probably prognosticate of them , 1. that the lay men will not , must not read it ; 2. that the priests , will not read it with any impartiality , as lovers of truth ; 3. that what they cannot answer they will silently dissemble , or if any meddle with it , they will either take some scrap and leave the rest ; or they will spend paper in cavilling at my 40. reasons against them , because , lest i be tedious , i have not improved them by syllogistical form and full confirmation , and they will put off the full answers already given them in the former books to which i refer them , without a reply : and they will pass by the strength of what they meddle with . 4. and when i am dead , they will patch up some confident answer to some of my books ( as vain as mr. iohnson , alias terret , hath done to one , ) and will borrow some lies , from the writings of some against me that are of the same spirit with them , wherewith to reproach my name , which shall be instead of an answer to my books . the answer to their present question i have already fullier given them , 1. in my reasons of the christian religion ; 2. and in my more reasons , 3. in my life of faith , part 2. 4. in my safe religion throughout , especially disp. 3. 5. in my key for catholicks . 6. in my preface to the 2. part of the saints rest. and none of them that i know of are answered ; but they cant over and over the same thing , and tempt or necessitate us thereby to write over and over the same thing , to the wearying of the readers , while they silently dissemble all . but the end of this writing is , to tell young unstudied persons , on what terms , and in what order they must deal with this great question , and defend the foundations of their faith , against infidels , papists , and the devil himself , who will here assault us with greater craft and force , than papists or infidels can do . reader , study it well , till thy soul is clear and well confirmed ; for the keeping or losing of this fort , is the keeping or losing of thy religion , thy comfort , and thy soul. this following paper was sent me from an unknown person in a letter , which had these words . sir , the business of this paper is to beg a favour of you , of a publick nature — an answer to the inclosed paper , which was sent me from a friend of mine who is a papist , with an earnest desire that i would procure it to be answered . the resolution of which would be of use to us both in the things in controversie between us — i cannot but wonder at the confidence of this deluded people , who though they are so often again and again learnedly and religiously writ against , yet they can with as great confidence and boasting challenge and dare the ministers of truth to encounter and answer them , in such kind of papers , as if their tenets had never been refuted at all : and though i have referred my friend to your books , that will not satisfie ; but he doth as it were goliah-like bid defiance to our ministers , telling me that if any be so hardy , let them answer his papers . the paper followeth . all who call themselves christians are agreed in this principle . that every revelation of god , or whatsoever god says is most certainly true in the sense wherein he intends it . and this is a matter of right on gods part , to have this granted . but all christians do not agree ; and it is the sole point wherein christians differ : whether god hath revealed or said what is proposed to us as his revelation : or as the sense intended by him by that which they all agree to be his revelation . and this is purely matter of fact , ( viz. ) 1. whether several books affirmed and proposed to us as the revelations of god be truly so . for instance , the old testament affirmed by some to be , and proposed as the revelations of god , are denied by the valentinians and the manichees . the gospels of st. mark , st. luke , st. iohn , and all st. pauls epistles , proposed by some christians as the revelations of god , are denied by others , namely by the ebionites . so likewise several parties agreeing several books to be scripture and the revelation of god , do notwithstanding differ touching the copies , and touching the translations ; some affirming one copie to be true , and one translation to be true , whilst others expresly say , that copy is false , and that translation false . and lastly , several parties agreeing the books to be scripture , the copies true , and the translations true , and to be the revelation of god , do nevertheless differ touching the sense , each party delivering a particular sense of such a text , and proposing such sense , as the sense , and the only sense revealed by god , to be intended by god by that text , and each proposed sense being contrary to the other . it is clear in any difference arising touching matter of fact , there can only be one party which can have the true faith touching that matter , for it is impossible one thing can be a revelation of god and no revelation of god : that one copy , or one translation , or one sense can be true and not true . it is now enquired whether christ hath setled any principle or medium in the world : and what principle or medium it is which christ hath setled in the world , for the determining of matters of fact of this nature . by which unity in faith may be conserved , and christians may with certainty know what is a true revelation of god , which a true copy of such true revelation , which a true translation of such true copy , and what the true sense thereof , that christians may not be carried about with every wind of doctrine . the solution of this is desired to be by fixed and solid principles , and not by tedious discourses ; for the nature of the thing requires that there be a firm principle setled among men , for the final determining of matters of fact. the contents . the papists question to which an answer was challenged . chap. i. of the quality of this question and challenge . p. 1. chap. ii. the explication of some terms in it . a scheme of divine revelations . what matter of fact is ? of several senses and sorts of certainty : of principles : media : determinations : unity of faith. p. 5. chap. iii. the briefest and summary answer to the confused question . p. 13. chap. iv. the many questions confounded in his one . quest. 1. what are the revelations of god in controversie . p. 22. chap. v. quest. ii. whether the papists grant all divine revelations to be true . p. 25. chap. vi. quest. iii. what certainty we have what is a real revelation of god ? where the nature and conditions of objective and subjective , sensible and intelligible certainty are opened ? p. 30. chap. vii . quest. iv. what certainty have we of the copies . p. 43. chap. viii . quest. v. what certainty have we of the canonical book . p. 45. chap. ix . quest. vi. what certainty have we of the truth of translations p. 48. chap. x. quest. vii . what certainty have we of the true sense of the text. p. 51. chap. xi . quest. viii . what vnity of faith may be expected to be conserved , by these certainties . p. 54. chap. xii . quest. ix . what determination is necessary to this certainty and vnity . p. 57. chap. xiii . what the papists ascertaining medium or determination is , and why we cannot trust our souls on it : where are fourty reasons briefly named , for the use of them that seek for truth , proving not only the utter uncertainty , but the notorious falshood of this determination which is cried up as the only proof of certain faith . ( but i doubt not but many papists that fear god indeed , do practically build their faith on better ground , however this be cried up by disputers ) . p. 60. errata . page 23. line 21. read bulk . p. 47. l. 7. r. did . but. p. 64. l. 16. r. by clemens . p. 98. l. 18. r. superiour . p. 107. l. 2. r. certainty . p. 109. l. 9. r. be ) is . chap. i. of the quality of this question . sir , § . 1. you may see by this paper , with the ordinary disputing of this sort of men , that it is not without cause that we have suspected the hand of the papists in many of the defences of the infidel cause , and questionings of the foundations of the christian faith , which this age is troubled with . they have so long plaid the infidels in jeast , till they have made such a swarm of serious infidels , as will prove neither the honour nor comfort of such seducers in the end . i know that this paper it self hath a more modest aspect , but the tendencie of it is the same as of the rest . but i hope god will turn all their endeavours to our advantage , and teach christians bet-better to consider the foundations of their faith ; that they may not only be able to defend it against an infidel or papist ; but , which is of more universal and frequent necessity , to defend it against the inward suggestions of satan , the enemy of christ and us . § . 2. therefore i think it most profitable to answer this question in such a manner as shall tend not only to silence the caviller , but as may best satisfie such as doubt , and stablish men about the cause it self ; and therefore to be larger , than this imposer desireth , that i may be plain . § . 3. the fraud which this quaerist is guilty of is manifold , and manifest to any discerning reader . 1. in the choice of his subject : for he knoweth ( for it 's easily known , ) that it hath not pleased god to make the mysteries of our faith so evident , as things sensible are ; and that the difficulties which are in and about the christian cause , are such , as give advantage to carnal unbelievers , to find many words to say against it ; and that maketh it the hardest work of preachers , to convince unbelievers : or else the gospel had been received by more than the sixth part of the world , before this day . now these juglers would lay all the difficulties which are in the christian cause as such , upon the reformers cause alone , as if all this were nothing to them , but the cause of popery were wholly free from them ; or at least , they could answer such questions better than we can do . and so when such a fellow as hobbs , or benedictus spinosa in his tractatus theologico-politicus , shall stretch their wits to disgrace the scripture and the christian cause , all this shall seem only to fall upon the protestants ; whereas if we could not better defend christianity than the present principles of popery enable them to do , we must confess that the infidel were far hardlier answered than any sectary that we have to deal with . § . 4. 2. and his next fraud lieth in casting all the positive defence and proof on us , that he may have nothing to do but assault religion , and manage the infidels objections against us . he offereth not to tell you himself , what their uniting certainty of divine revelations is , and to make it good , but to put you upon the proving task . § . 5. 3. and his fraud is evident in the multitude of questions which he thrusteth together into one ; which any man of wit knoweth cannot have one answer ; but must have many as the questions are many . § . 6. 4. and yet he will oblige the answerer to avoid [ tedious discourses ] that so if his many questions have not one short answer , he may have the evading pretence , that it is a tedious discourse . § . 7. 5. and there is evident fraud in his ambiguous terms ; as his opposing matter of fact only to matter of right , and so making many heterogeneals to fall under matter of fact ; his confused and unexplained use of the terms [ principle , medium , determinining , certainty , vnity in faith , &c. ] § . 8. 6. lastly , there is much fraud in his many insinuated suppositions ; as , 1. that the truth of this proposition that whatsoever god saith is true , &c. is a matter of meer right , as distinct from the rest mentioned as matters of fact : 2. that the sense of the words is a matter of fact as the truth of them is not . 3. that papists agree with us that every revelation of god is most certainly true . 4. that the ebionites , valentinians , &c. who questioned the scripture books were christians ; 5. that these matters have here a final determination . 6. that this is necessary to certainty and unity in the faith . by all which it appeareth that this question is intended , or used at least , as a soul-trap , and a fool-trap . chap. ii. the explication of some terms . § . 1. that he may be satisfactorily answered , these terms must be necessarily explained , and distinguished of , 1. revelation , 2. matter of fact , 3. certainty , 4. principle , 5. medium , 6. determining , 7. unity in faith . § . 2. i. either he taketh revelation generally , as containing natural and supernatural revelation , 2. or specially for supernatural revelation only : because he distinguisheth not , we must suppose him to take it generally : but you will understand the mater the better if i distinguish of revelation . revelation is either i. objective , or the bare proposal of the object . ii. effective illumination of the mind : the first only is here spoken of . in objective revelation we have to consider , i. the efficient cause , viz. 1. principall which is god. 1 , as the author or first cause of nature , 2. as the cause of gratious extraordinary light. ii. subservient . i. persons . 1. christ as man ; the teacher of the church and messenger of god. 2. his ministers . 1. angels . 2. men. 1. publick . 1. parents oeconomical . 2. ecclesiastical . 1. inspired . 2. instructed . 3. magistrates . 2. private : neighbours and friends . ii. things : considered i. singly . 1. in the matter , and so they are 1. signs natural , viz. all gods works . 2. signs artificial , viz. writings , &c. 3. signs mixt , viz. vocal words . 2. in the manner of causing them 1. naturally , as the works and law of nature . 2. supernaturally , and extraordinarily . ii. conjunct and duly ordered ; as they make up just evidence . viz. 1. things in their notifying conditions . 2. words ; 1. simple terms , 2. propositions , 3. discourses ii. the matter of divine revelations signified ( for the matter signifying is before spoken of ) is , i. beings substantial 1. created , 2. the creator . ii. the modes or accidents of beings substantial , which are , 1. physical and hyperphysical . 2. moral : especially , 1. truth , 2. right or dueness , 3. goodness . and reductively and by accident , all their contraries . iii. the form of revelation , is evidence , or the notifying aptitude which includeth , 1. the sense or meaning as true : 2. as perceptible . iv. the terminus and ends of revelation ( to joyn them for brevity ) are , 1. the sense and its perception , 1. external , 2. internal ; the imagination . 2. the higher faculties 1. the intellect and its perception . 2. the will and its complacencie or displicence . all this goeth to make up divine revelation . and do you think we can give you one only medium of it in a word ? § . 3. ii. matter of fact , is a phrase sometime used so largely as to signifie the reality of any being , that is existent as such . but ordinarily it signifieth something practised or done as such : if he here take it in the first sense , then the verity of this proposition [ whatsoever god saith is true ] is as much matter of fact as the sence of that proposition . but if he mean the later , neither of them is matter of fact . and yet he saith that the said proposition is matter of right ; as if the truth of a proposition , and gods right to be believed , were formally the same . and yet he saith that the sense is matter of fact . § . 4. iii. the word certainty is very ambiguous : lest he complain of needless distinction , i will only remember you , 1. that as certainty is objective and subjective , so it is the objective certainty that we have here to enquire of : but so as it is the means of subjective certainty . but withal to remember that to subjective certainty ( that we our selves may be sure ) there is need of much more than objective certainty , viz. that the soul and faculties be , 1. rightly disposed : 2. and duly excited and applied , &c. 2. of objective certainty you must note , that the word is sometimes taken for meer verity and reallity ; and so the word [ infallible ] is used , for that which verily is , and whosoever apprehendeth it so to be , is not deceived . and so all truth is certain and infallible truth . but usually besides truth , the word certainty , ( and infallibility , ) denoteth the evidence of that truth , by which it is ( not alwaies actually , but ) aptitudinally notified to us . this evidence is either sensible , or intelligible , as the sense or the intellect is to be the perceiver of it . where you must distinguish the physical evidence of the thing or incomplex object , from the logical evidence of complex objects . and here between the evidence of self-evident principles , and of conclusions whose evidence is derivative . but especially you must note wherein it is that certainty of intelligible evidence formally consisteth ; which is in a certain degree of evidence : and 1. it is not every low degree : for though all truth be equally truth , and infallible , so that no man is deceived that receiveth it : yet we use not to call that certainty of evidence which is apt only to give them some dark probability , and leave the mind in hesitant doubtfulness . 2. and yet it is not only that degree of evidence ( which must help us to a perfect apprehension , which is to be called certainty : for then no man should be certain in this world . for no man hath such a degree of apprehension , but more may be added to the clearness of it . 3. therefore certainty must be denominated from a middle degree ; which is , when the evidence is not only true ( for the confidentest apprehension of a falshood is no certainty , ) but also so clear as is apt to give a satisfying , quieting , resolving apprehension to the mind , yea though it should be sometimes molested with some doubts . 4. and therefore seeing such or none is our certainty here , it followeth that certainty hath divers degrees , as the satisfaction of the mind is more or less : and that we are not equally certain of all that we are certain of . you will find necessary use of these distinctions about this controversie . § . 5. iv. and what he meaneth by [ principle ] i know not . 1. there is a physical or hyperphysical principle of being , and there is a natural principle of notification , and there is a logical principle of notification . 1. our intellective faculties are the natural apprehending principle . 2. the spirit of god is the supream moving principle of influx . 3. the intrinsick and adherent evidence of the thing in it self , is the natural notifying principle : which is as various as things are . 4. the premises as inferring the conclusion are the logical principles of derivative certainty . § . 6. v. and i scarce know what he meaneth by [ medium ] he seemeth to take it for the same with [ principle ] . there are media essendi which i suppose he meaneth not ( means to make us articles of faith , or to make them true ) ; but rather the media cognoscendi : but these are necessarily more than one . 1. there are the media by which we hear the word and receive the bible as it is . 2. there are the media by which we come to understand — the sense of the words . 3. there are the media by which we know the difference between the several parts of the book , the more certain and the more doubtful , and the different copies and readings , and the different translations . 4. there are the media by which we know that these doctrines and these books are the same which were delivered to the churches by the apostles , &c. 5. there are the media by which we know that miracles were wrought by christ and his apostles and other christians in confirmation of the gospel . 6. and there are the media by which we know that this gospel and these books are true . and all these are not to be confounded , by the simple pretence of calling for a fixed medium or principle . § . 7. vi. [ determining ] signifieth either the private decision or determining of doubts in the minds of particular persons ; or else the publick decision of doubts as they are managed in the church , by a publick judge . and this either as binding mens consciences or minds what to believe , or only as ruling their tongues , and actions , in teaching and conversation . § . 8. vii . by [ vnity in faith ] is meant either unity in a general faith ( which they call implicite , ) or in a particular ( explicite ) faith : and that is either a unity in all the essentials of christianity , or also in all the integrals , or also in all the accidentals which are revealed by god. and it is either a secret unity of minds , or a publick unity for communion that is meant . if he think any of these distinctions needless , let him prove it and then cast them by . i am sure confusion is fit to deceive , but not to edifie . chap. iii. the rude and summary answer to the confused question . § . 1. lest the querist should pretend that by distinguishing i avoid a plain and direct answer to his question , i will here first suppose him to be as rude and confused as his question would imply , and give him such an answer as it will bear . but so as that it cannot be satisfactory to a distinguishing understanding , for whom therefore i shall afterward answer more distinctly . § . 2. i cannot answer with common sense in a narrower compass than by distinguishing these questions : 1. how know i the words and bible ? 2. how know i that this doctrine and book is the same , which was delivered by the apostles to the churches ? 3. how know i the meaning of the words ? 4. how know i that this doctrine and these words are of god , ( or a divine revelation ) ? 5. how know i that they are true ? § . 3. i. to the first question i answer , that i know that i hear and read the words , and that this bible containeth in it all its visible contents , by my sense ( my sight and hearing ) and my intellective perception of things sensible . and though this be a principle in which the papists agree not with us , i am never the more in doubt , whether i see and hear the words . § . 4. ii. to the second , i know that this doctrine and book is the same which by the apostles were delivered to the churches , by infallible history ; not such as dependeth on the honesty of the speakers only , and so begetteth but a humane faith ; much less such as depends on the bare authority of the king of rome and his narrow selfish sect or party and kingdom ; but by such history as hath a certainty in it from natural principles , by which we prove it impossible that there should be deceit ; there being so full a concurrence of all sorts of christians , and enemies also , and infallible circumstantial evidence . even as i know that there was such a man at rome as gregory 1. and gregory 7. and such persons in england , as henry 8. king edward 6. queen mary . queen elizabeth , &c. and as i know that our statute books are not counterfeit : and as your doctors know that the acts and decrees of councils , the works of bellarmine , baronius , &c. are not counterfeit : which is not because the pope or a general council saith so , but by rational evidence of certain history , which leaveth not mens minds in doubt . § . 5. but i am not equally certain of some questioned books , or readings , ( no nor of the sense of some difficult words ) as i am of all the rest , which being more evident are more past controversie . § . 6. iii. i know the meaning of the words ( spoken or written ) as you know the meaning of a man that talketh with you , or of any other writings ; as of your councils , decretals , mass-book , bellarmine , &c. that is , by the significance of such words by humane usage from those daies till now , which lexicons , books , and successive practice fully prove . § . 7. but there are plain passages in scripture which i understand certainly , ( not because the pope saith this is the meaning : ) such are all the essentials of christianity and abundance more . and there are difficult passages which i am not certain of the sense of . § . 8. iv. i know that this doctrine and the bible containing it as such , are of god , ( or are his word , ) by the spirit attesting and fealing it ; not in the fanatick sense , as they think they have an inward impulse perswading them that so it is ; ( as some papists think the pope and councils know that to be of god which they decree , by prophetical inspiration : ) but , 1. as to the gospel , the spirit attested it by antecedent prophesie . 2. the image of gods power , wisdom and goodness imprinted on the scripture , is its essential constitutive evidence , being unimitable by meer man , and that which is its intrinsick self evidencing light : so that a spiritual well disposed soul , may from a sensibleness , tast that it is gods word ; if a bible had come to them by chance and they had never heard of it before . i say that they may do so , if you can suppose them spiritually disposed before : but if not , yet they may strongly suspect that it is gods word , when they read that it affirmeth it self to be so , and that the image of god upon it is so clear . 3. but the concomitant evidence of the spirit maketh up the proof ; in the miracles of christs life , resurrection and ascension ; and in the miracles of apostles and primitive christians , abroad the world by which the gospel was fully sealed , 4. and the effected subsequent evidence of the spirit compleateth all the evidence ; which is the spirit of holiness given by the means of this same word to all true serious believers in the world in all ages and nations : which holiness is the image of god himself , and is such a gift as none but god can give , and as god would not give by a doctrine , which he abhorreth as a lie . therefore , 1. it witnesseth objectively as an evidence ; 2. and it witnesseth effectively , by inclining the heart to tast and close with and receive the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the innaturalized word ; as life and health cause a man to know suitable food , by a gust which proceedeth from a suitable nature ; so is it in the new nature and the sincere milk of the word . and indeed though the intellect be the proper apprehender of truth as such suo modo , yet the will is quaedam natura , and hath a natural propensity to good as good , which is natural to it , and is the pondus motuum in the rational soul : and it is not an universal notion , or nothing under the name of good which it thus inclineth to ; but existent good , in some being that is , vnum , verum , bonum , as rada and other scotists well prove . and therefore it hath necessary volitions ( as of its own felicity , &c. ) which yet are free , and not meerly per modum naturae , though natural as being ex sua natura . and this three or foursold witness or attestation of the spirit , ( sometime antecedent , alwaies constitutive , concomitant , and subsequent ) though a holy soul that is suited to it , and hath the witness in it self may most fully and certainly discern , yet another also may discern ; the miracles being intelligible attestations to them , and the beauty of wisdom and holiness in the scripture and in the saints being refulgent and discernable by a stander by , though not as by a possessor . § . 9. but i have not an equal certainty of all the parts of it , that they are the word of god , because , 1. all the books , texts and readings are not brought to me with equal historical evidence . 2. and there are abundance of passages in it which are but accidental to the christian religion which have not the same self-evidencing luster in them as the essentials have . and there is no necessity of an equal knowledge of the parts . § . 10. the parts which i am fully certain of in the scripture are , 1. all the essentials of the christian religion ; because , 1. they are delivered in scripture frequently , plainly , past all controversie of which i will cite your testimonies anon . 2. because they were as certainly delivered to all christians and churches in the whole world distinctly by themselves , ( twelve years before any of the new testament was written , and above threescore and ten years before all of it was written , ) even in the covenant of baptism , renewed in the lords supper , and in the creed , lords prayer and decalogue , which are the exposition of the covenants , professed by all christians , in all christian churches at every sacred meeting . and these two waies of tradition ( in scripture and by themselves ) are fuller than one . 2. and all the rest of the holy scriptures in which the full concord of copies , and the plainness of the words doth leave no room for rational doubting . § . 11. v. i know that all this word is true , because god is true , ( verax , ) and it is impossible for him to lie . for whoever lieth , must want either wisdom , to know what to say , or goodness to love truth , or power to make good his word , and attain his will by better means . but god is perfect in all these . which you seem to grant us . § . 12. that all things necessary to salvation have been delivered by the apostles to the churches two waies , as by two hands , viz. distinctly by word of mouth , and in the bible , is our doctrine . that more than all in the bible hath been delivered by word of mouth , and this as necessary to the salvation of some men ( i know not whom , who have no more wit than to create necessity to themselves , ) is your doctrine . but yet your famousest contentious doctors confess that all things commonly necessary to salvation are plainly expressed in the holy scriptures . concil . basil , orat. ragus . bin. pag. 299. [ the holy scripture in the literal sense , soundly and well understood , is the infallible , and most sufficient rule of faith . ] bellarm. de verbo dei , lib. 4. c. 11. [ in the christian doctrine both of faith and manners , some things are simply necessary to the salvation of all , as the knowledge of the articles of the apostles creed , of the ten commandments and of the sacraments . the rest are not so necessary that a man cannot be saved without the explicite knowledge , belief and profession of them — these things which are simply necessary and profitable to all , the apostles preached to all — all things are written by the apostles which are necessary to all , and which they openly preached to all . ] costerus in enchirid. cap. 1. p. 49. [ we do not deny that those chief heads of faith which to all christians are necessary to be known to salvation , are plainly enough comprehended in the writings of the apostles . ] § . 13. by the way , hence judge of the jugling of your praters , when they call to us for a catalogue of essentials , or fundamentals , as if no such distinction were to be made . § . 14. but the ancient fathers talkt at a higher rate ; even as theophil . alexandr . epist. paschal . 2. cont. orig. biblioth . patr. to. 3. pag. 96. [ ignorans quod daemoniaci spiritus esset instinctus sophismata humanarum mentium sequi , & aliquid extra scripturarum authoritatem putare divinum . i. e. not knowing that it is the instinct of a devilish spirit , to follow the sophisms of mens minds , and to think that any thing is divine , without ( or besides ) the authority of the scriptures . ] chap. iv. the distinct questions all implied or confounded in his one . quest 1. what are the revelations in controversie . § . 1. i must now for the satisfaction of him if he be judicious , answer his question more distinctly , and therefore divide it into all these questions . quest. 1. what are the revelations of god , about which our controversies lie . 2. whether it be true that the papists grant us that all divine revelations are true . 3. what certainty have we what is a real revelation of god. 4. what certainty have we of the true copies and readings . 5. what certainty of the canonical or divine books . 6. what certainty of the truth of translations . 7. what certainty have we of the true sense of the words . 8. what unity of faith may be expected to be consferred , by such certainties . 9. what determination is necessary to this certainty and unity . and the questions , what principle , and what medium is established , will be answered in these . § . 2. quest. i. what are the revelations of god about which our controversies lie ? answ. to mention no more , than i needs must , there are three sorts of revelation which we assert and rest in : 1. of natural production and evidence ; such as is the light and law of nature , in the nature of all things , especially of man himself , as revealing gods will per modum signi . 2. infallible , oral and historical , traditition : and so , 1. all the covenant of grace in the sacraments of baptism and the lords supper , with the catechistical explanation in the creed , lords-prayer and decalogue , have been particularly delivered by themselves . 2. and so the bible hath been delivered to us in the bulks . 3. written revelation , in the sacred records of the spirit , which is the holy scriptures themselves . § . 3. of the first , more anon . the second they grant us so far as to confess , 1. that the said covenant and catechistical principles have had that way of delivery by themselves , as well as in the scripture : but they tell of much more ( i know not what ) delivered the same way , than is in them , and the scripture it self . 2. yet ( as you see ) they confess that none of that addition is commonly necessary to salvation . the third they grant us ( that all those books which we receive are the certain word of god ) but , 1. they say that there are more ; 2. and that we must receive them as such , because the pope and his council , as the only judges , say they are such . of which more anon . chap. v. quest. ii. whether it be true that the papists grant us , that all divine revelations are true ? § . 1. answ. yes , if you will first take their bare word what are divine revelations , 2. and will take in this word [ in the sense that god intends them ] 3. and will allow them to speak contradictions . for thus , 1. they can tell you when they have a mind , that gods plainest revelations , are none of his revelations . 2. and that whatever evidence of truth or sense there is in the signs revealing , god intendeth something contrary : 3. and that that is his revelation which is contrary to his revelation . § . 2. for instance : the first fundamental revelation of god to man , is unto our senses of things sensible , and thereby intelligible to our understandings : now we cannot get the papists assent that these divine revelations are certainly true : yea , they say that daily they are certainly false . god made sense : god made the intellect : god made the medium , and god made the object . in the lords supper all the sound senses of all men living christians and heathens , papists and protestants perceive bread and wine , by seeing , smelling , touching and tasting . yet the papists say , and their priests swear that there is no bread and wine , and that god by another revelation hath certified us that this revelation to sense and the intellect by sense is false : he that will not swear that there is no bread shall be no priest : he that will not renounce this divine revelation in nature , and all his senses , and all mens senses , is a heretick to be burnt and damned . all temporal lords that will suffer such as thus renounce not sense and sensible revelation , are to be excommunicate , and deprived of their dominions , and their subjects absolved from their oaths of allegiance . all this is in the council of lateran sub innoc. 3. can. 1. 3. and the trent oath and council . is this now a divine revelation or not ? if not , then they that heard christ speak and saw his miracles , and saw him after his resurrection , had none . for their senses might be all deceived if all mens now may . § . 3. and if god intendeth here the quite contrary to the evidence , even of sensible natural signs , how can they ever prove that he doth not so in his word too , even in hoc est corpus meum , and in every article of the faith , certainty lieth in evidence , and if all the declaring evidence may be false , because of the contrary intent , then who knoweth what is true ? or whether ever god said true to man ? § . 4. and here revelations are pretended against revelation , yea the superstruct against the fundamental , the consequent against the antecedent , the less certain against the more certain ; yea certain forgery fathered on god , against his certain natural revelations . for , 1. we are men before we are christians ; we have sense before we have faith . we can have no certainty of faith , but by means of the certainty of sense : for we cannot tell that there is any man or book in the world , nor that ever we saw a letter or heard a word . what then shall we believe ? 2. and they have nothing but pretended miracles against this constant evident natural revelation . for every priest ( how sottish and wicked soever ) to turn bread into no bread and wine into no wine when he list : for all the priests in the world these sixteen hundred years to do this every week , or each day that they celebrate their mass , publickly or privately , must needs be an undeniable miracle ( if true ) being as much beyond all natural power as raising lazarus from death : and to make these miracles as universal , constant , and easie as gods worship in the assembly , is to turn miracles into the familiarest of gods dealings : and hath not all this need of good proof , to prove gods natural revelations to be as ordinarily and universally false ? 3. yea , the miracle is doubled , while the accidents remain : they deny them to be the accidents of christs body and blood . if they are accidents then , it is either of bread or of nothing : an accident of bread which is no bread , the quantity and colour of bread which is no bread , or of wine which is no wine , is a plain contradiction . if they be the accidents of nothing ; the quantity of nothing , the weight of nothing , the locality of nothing , the colour , tast , smell of nothing , all these are as plain contradictions . then god must be said by his omnipotence to cause contradictories , and to work constant miracles for that end , and all to prove his natural revelation false . § . 5. and what cogent evidence bringeth them to all this ? why , hoc est corpus meum ; no more than davids [ i am a worm and no man ] or christs [ i am the vine and ye are the branches ] and pauls [ that rock was christ ] , though paul becometh christs expositor , and three times in the three next verses , 1 cor. ▪ 11. calleth it bread after the consecration ; and the old fathers as often as edmundus albertinus hath shewed in folio . yet because the foresaid later an and trent council have in the later end of the world , new made this article of the papists faith , by their exposition of christs words contrary to st. paul , all christs fore-revelation in nature must go for falshoods , and god daily worketh miracles to deceive all the common senses of the world , when yet no word or miracle can be believed , but on supposition of the certainty of senses . § . 6. this , his blind supposition called me to premise ; that you may see how far papists and we are or are not agreed that all gods revelations are true ? and how impossible it is for them to know what is a divine revelation , or when gods meaning is agreeable to his revelations . these are things neer and plain and weighty . chap. vi. quest. iii. what certainty we have what is a real revelation of god ? § . 1. answ. as i have before partly distinguished of certainty , i will now tell you as to some sorts , what it is that goeth to make up certainty , and then how much and what of this we have . § . 2. i suppose you to remember that it is not subjective certainty ( in our selves ) that we speak of , but objective ; which may be at hand when men see it not . and that it is not meer truth which we now speak of , but the evidence of truth , or its perceptibility , and that neither the lowest , nor only the highest degree , but any of the various degrees which truly satisfie quiet and resolve the soul. § . 3. and that objective infallibility or certainty , is 1. not only that which deceiveth no man which receiveth it ( for that 's the case of all truth ) 2. nor yet that which no man can be deceived about ( for that is nothing at all , that i remember , unless it be me cogitare , vel sentire . ) 3. but it is that which , in all its right conditions , may give a man satisfactory , resolving certainty of mind . 4. to this is necessary , i. that the thing have intrinsecally the requisites of an object . ii. that it have extrinsecally the necessary concomitant conditions . § . 4. i. to the nature of a perceptible object it is necessary ; 1. that it be something whose nature is within the reach of the perceiving faculty , and not out of its orbe ( as spirits are to sense ) . 2. that it have a perceptible degree , or magnitude : for the minima rerum are not perceptible to man. 3. that it be hoc aliquid , a distinct being , or unum as its called . 4. that it have a special congruence to the special perceiving faculty : for light must be seen and not heard , and so of the rest . in a word , that it be ens , vnum , verum , bonum , thus agreeably conditioned . and the contraries reductively , or rather the propositions about them . § . 5. ii. to the accidents and extrinsick conditions which go to make up evidence , it is necessary , 1. that the object have a due position or site . 2. that it have a due distance , neither too far off , nor too near ; 3. and a due medium ( as the air is to the sight and hearing ) 4. and a due abode or stay ; for neither sense perceiveth motion perfectly swift , nor the intellect things absolutely instantaneous , that have no time of continuance . § . 6. because objective certainty is relative to subjective , i must add what is necessary to that , i. on the part of sense , ii. of the intellect . i. to true sensible perception it is necessary , 1. that the sensitive faculty of the soul intend the business : else the organs will be as a lute not touched : as we see in hard students , that hear not the clock at hand . 2. it is necessary that the spirits which are actuated in sensation be present and sufficient for their part . 3. it is necessary that the organs be in a competent soundness . 4. it is necessary that it be the proper organ that is used which agreeth with the object ( not the eye to hearing , &c. ) 5. that the sense be not oppressed by impediments . ii. and further to intellective perception , 1. of things sensible ; it is necessary , 1. that the thing be truly perceived by the sense , 2. and truly imagined , and therefore that the imagination have a competent soundness ; 3. that the soul be attentive to to the matter , and not alienated : 4. that the internal sense , imagination and sensitive-memory be in a fit state of vicinity , conjunction or union for the intellect to operate on and with them . 5. that the intellect it self be in act , according to its formal virtue . 2. but to the intellection of our own immanent acts of intellection and volition , there is no more necessary but that such acts be ; and then we can intuitively perceive them . 3. and by easie collection , the intellect without further help of sense can gather , that [ i that understand and will , am sure i have a power so to do : for nothing doth that which it cannot do : and hereby i apprehend that there are intellective volitive agents , and what they are ] . § . 7. it is here supposed , that god hath not a voice to speak by as man hath ; but yet that he can cause a voice at his pleasure , either by the use of a creature , that naturally hath a voice , or by the motion of other creatures , a thousand waies , of which it is not needful for us to be acquainted . § . 8. when god revealeth his mind , not by voice , but by inward inspiration , it carrieth its own notifying evidence with it , which no man can formally conceive of , but he that hath it ; but this is the case of prophetical persons only , and not of us . § . 9. in this question , how to know that a revelation is of god ? it is supposed that the revelation it self , that is , the notifying sign , whether voice , writing , or other act or thing , be known already , for we must first know that such a thing really is , before we can know whence it is . and this is afterward to be spoken of . § . 10. and here it is not enough to know that god is some way a cause of that act , voice or writing . for no doubt but he is a universal cause at least , of all the real beings , and actions in the world : but we must be sure that he is the determining cause of this special and individual act or thing as such ; so as that he may properly be called the author of it , and it be called his work . § . 11. and here ( negatively ) 1. we have not sensible evidence ascertaining us , that these words or signs are the word of god. sense is not the perceiver of this , as it is of light , heat , motion , &c. § . 12. 2. therefore neither doth the intellect perceive it , by the sense , as it doth these sensed things forementioned . § . 13. 3. nor is it the object of immediate intellective intuition , or known as we know the acts of the soul it self , by immediate perception , as that we think , know , will , and feel . § . 14. 4. nor do we ( alwaies at least ) know it as we do self-evident principles , which a man using reason about them , cannot choose but understand . § . 15. 5. nor are all the parts of divine revelations , notified to us with equal certainty , nor altogether by the same media ; nor are they all of equal necessity to be known to be divine , and so to be believed . § . 16. but ( affirmatively ) 1. we know these revelations to be divine , as we know the truth of conclusions , by virtue of the evidence of their premises . 2. and this variously , as the consequence is more or less evident and certain . § . 17. 1. supposing that we are certain that there is a god ; ( whether as a self-evident principle , or as the certainest of conclusions ) and so that he is perfect , and therefore true , we are certain , as of a most neer and evident conclusion , that all gods works are his revelations to man ( which are within our reach ) : that is , that they are signs by which god revealeth himself and his will to us : the glass in which he must here be seen : the divinity of this natural revelation is past doubt : but all the doubt is of the sense of it . § . 18. 2. there are naturally evident verities in the scriptures , which upon the first considerate hearing we may be sure are true : as that there is a god , that he is one , that he is infinite , perfect , most powerful , wise and good , the beginning , governor and end of all things ; that he is our owner , actor , ruler , benefactor and end : that we ought to love him , please and obey him , above all others , with all our hearts and powers . the whole body of the necessary law of nature is there conteined ; and so is known by a double revelation . § . 19. 3. there are other points which are so greatly congruous to the common experience of mankind , as that they have also a certainty in the thing from that experience ; as the common pravity of mans nature , and the great necessity that we have of deliverance by pardon and sanctification ; the malice and endeavour of devils or evil spirits to tempt us from god , and destroy us ; the need of gods continual help against them and our selves , with such like . and these also we have a double revelation of . § . 20. 4. the principal part of the supernatural revelations , are so exceeding congruous to those which are of natural and experienced certainty , and are so aptly adjoyned to them , and have so divine a design and tendency apparent in them , as that they are the more easily believed . § . 21. 5. and the main frame of the book hath so much of the same spirit and design , and is adapted to the communication of these principal parts ( that is , the essentials of christianity ) and thereto so compaginated , as that the belief of the said estials , maketh it the more easie to believe that the whole system of books is of god. § . 22. 6. but where we are uncertain of any thing whether it be really a part of that book or system ( as some questioned books , some various readings , some texts whose sense is not understood ) we must needs be equally uncertain whether those be the word of god. § . 23. 7. but that medium which ascertaineth us that these supernatural revelations are indeed divine ( i mean the proper truths of christianity ) must be something , which is lower , or is notius & prius cognitum , better known than christianity , and known ( in order of evidence ) before it . for all proof of conclusions must be from something first and better known . § . 24. 8. these things which are sooner and better known than the supernatural revelation , can be nothing but natural revelations , by gods works in the nature of things compared , and our natural experience . for there is nothing else antecedent to be a medium of proof . the forementioned natural verities , about god and holiness carry their own evidence with them , either as first principles or as certain conclusions ; and the essentials of christianity have a self-commending goodness , which rendreth them sweet to a man that is already a true believer , and desireable to all truly rational men , and the congruencie rendreth it credible , supposing further proof . but that really the incarnation , deity , life , satisfaction , resurrection , ascension , offices and coming of christ , are truth , with the trinity of persons , and such other points , must be proved by some more notorious medium , proving that they are divine assertions ; which must be some natural verities . § . 25. 9. therefore the ascertianing inference must be this , that if this be not a divine revelation , then some certain natural verity must be denied ; ( which at last will amount to the denying of a god. ) § . 26. 10. here the matter of fact is supposed to be known by sight and other senses to the first christians , and the first churches , where christ and his apostles , and multitudes of other christians wrought them . and to be known by certain history to those that saw them not ; and the existence of the persons , words and books is supposed known the same way . and on this supposition , we infer that [ these impressions of divine power , wisdom and goodness , set upon this doctrine : and all these miracles by christ , and multitudes of his servants wrought , in attestation of it , and all this sanctification of all true believers by this word through the world , are either done by gods will , or against his will. if they be done by his will , he is the author of them and approver : and seeing it is evident that they are to the common capacity of mankind , so notorious a signification that god is the author or approver of that word which be so evidently and wonderfully attesteth , if yet this word prove false , mankind is unavoidably deceived , and governed in the greatest concernments and business of all his life by this deceit . for he hath no principle , no means left him to know that these are not divine attestations , nor to disoblige him from judgeing them so to be . but if god shall thus necessitate mankind to a false belief and thereby govern him , while in nature he hath taught man to value truth and hate lying , he must do this either for want of power to do otherwise , or for want of wisdom to do otherwise , or for want of will and goodness to do otherwise . and if he wanted any of these he is not god. or if he govern not the world himself , but permit some evil spirit to do all this ; he is not god. for to be god is to be the supream governor , and to be every where , the nearest universal agent . ] these consequences being plain , ( though there are vain objections which i must not stay to answer ) we certainly infer : there is a god who is the perfect governour of the world , and therefore is gracious , true and iust ; and therefore doth not rule even the best of men by unavoidable deceit and falshood : and therefore this word is true which he so notoriously owneth and attesteth as aforesaid . § . 27. and hence it is that we take our selves bound about the sacrament to believe that all mens senses are not deceived ; because if they be , man hath no remedy : for god hath made our sense the perceiver of things sensible ; and if it be not a certain perceiver , we have no certainer nor other about those objects . and if the apprehensions of sense be uncertain , ( having all the natural requisites ) then all gods miracles by which he attested the word , ( as well as the word it self ) are so : and if it be not contrary to gods perfection , veracity and justice , to deceive all mens senses in the sacrament , we cannot prove it contrary to them to deceive them by miracles . § . 28. as an unbeliever is not so well disposed to receive the gospel as a holy person after is , and recipitur ad modum recipientis ; so usually a more wavering belief goeth before a fuller certainty : and the holier and more experienced any man is , the more he is certain of the truth of the gospel , because he hath the witness in himself , in the gust and certain effects of it : but yet there is that evidence of truth which preachers may and must use to the conviction of infidels , to bring them to true belief . § . 29. the holy scripture containing all the divine revelations belonging to religion , compleatly , essentials , integrals and accidentals ; the parts of it are not of equal necessity to us . all that truly have the essentials in head and heart and life , shall be saved : yea though culpably they understand not other points as plainly revealed , and so believe them not to be divine . for this is the covenant of grace : no wonder then if many less necessary parts are less evident . § . 30. we have a fuller evidence that all these miracles , prophesies and subsequent operations of the sanctifying spirit , do attest the new covenant , and substance of the gospel , than we have that they attested every book , ( e.g. the chronicles , the canticles , &c. ) or that they attested every phrase , method , yea or the truth of every word of the penmen , so as that none of them could through oversight or forgetfulness , misrecite a name , number or circumstance . though we have here sufficient satisfaction , yet not so full a certainty as we have of the doctrine of the gospel , which the apostles converted the world by preaching of , before the new testament was written ; and which in the sacramental covenants , the creed , lords prayer and decalogue and catechisms , was distinctly by it self delivered to the churches ; and so cometh to us by a double way of tradition . chap. vii . quest. iv. what certainty have we of the copies . § . 1. answ. the same that we have of the statute books in england ( save that the recorded originals of some laws remain ) and the same that you have of the copies of the most certain councils , and authors extant . § . 2. 1. they are delivered to us by men of so many countries , minds and interests , as could not possibly agree to falsifie them , in the substance , and in those points in which the copies agree . § . 3. 2. they were constantly read in the holy assemblies through the christian world , and by private christians , and especially all teachers : and therefore any great depravation could not grow common . § . 4. 3. the copies all over the world , of greatest antiquity , still agree so far as is aforesaid ; and the commentaries of the fathers , containing the text , with all the citations , are the same in the main . so that we have a historical certainty of the copies so far as they are commonly known to agree : which the old translations also confirm . § . 5. the words in which they disagree , though many , are such as no article necessary to salvation dependeth on : and are plainly the errors of scribes , and not of the holy penmen . § . 6. in the points where any late or inconsiderable copy differeth from the generality which have evidence of antiquity and concord , that singularity , is no cause of doubting . § . 7. many slips are such as the context will sufficiently detect . § . 8. in all those points where the copies so differ , as that it cannot be proved which is the truest , by certain proof , we can have no certainty : nor is our uncertainty of any danger to us . chap. viii . quest. v. what certainty have we of the canonical books . § . 1. answ. 1. of all those canonical books which the christian world now commonly receiveth , there is the same certainty by the same means , which i before mentioned of the copies . the doctrine of them was spoken of before , it being that divine revelation which god hath attested as was opened . we have the certain history and tradition of all ages from the first common notice and reception of them , agreeing which are the true books . § . 2. 2. but yet even of these canonical books agreed on , the evidence of divinity is not equal . for , 1. some of them have . more evident impressions of gods image upon them in the matter than others have ( as the psalms more than ruth , the chronicles , &c. the doctrinal books more than the genealogies , chronologies , particular histories , ) 2. god did confirm some more notoriously by miracles and publick attestations than others : so moses his words , had more confirmation by miracles than ruth , chronicles , ecclesiastes , canticles , &c. 3. some have had a fuller testimony by tradition than others ; as the pentateuch and psalms , more than the chronicles , part of daniel , &c. 4. in all these respects , the new testament cometh to us with fuller and clearer evidence than the old : as being of later date , and so the historical proof more discernible ; and hath more clear impressions of divinity , and was confirmed by the most notorious multiplied long-continued miracles , and by the most notable effects of holiness in all true believers , &c. and indeed its attestation to the old testament is not our weakest proof of its divinity . § . 3. there is less doubt of those few books of the new-testament , which were unknown or doubted of but by some churches for a time , than of those which are controverted as belonging to the old. § . 4. as to those books which he saith the ebionites and valentinians denied , they have as full historical proof as any ; and those that denied them denied christs resurrection or some essentials of christianity , and were no christians , but mad-brained factions withdrawn from christians , ( the valentinian gnosticks in their whole heresie , plainly shewed themselves crackt-brained fanaticks , as irenaeus and epiphanius describe them , ) so that for number , quality and cross-interest their exceptions were not any considerable discredit of the history ; and indeed but excite the christians the more carefully to examine and preserve their canon : nor were their exceptions so much against the matter of fact ( whether mark , &c. wrote those books , ) as about the divinity of them : and were but of the like nature with all the turks , heathens and other infidels exceptions against the whole gospel . § . 5. and as for those apocryphal books which are in controversie between the papists and us , some protestants say that they are certainly none of gods word , and some that it is utterly uncertain to any man that they are his word : and let the papists who assert the certainty that they are , give us the proof of it , and we will thank them . till then our denial or uncertainty of those books , maketh no alteration in the great and necessary articles of our faith . chap. ix . quest. vi. what certainty have we of the truth of translations . § . 1. answ. 1. those that understand the original and the language into which it is translated ; have a certainty from the known signification of the words , answerable to the degree of their skill in those tongues . the signification of the words is certain to them by infallible tradition . the use and sense of the words in hebrew and greek is known by lexicons , and the constant use of authors , and by the confession of all parties , friends and enemies , and by present use : so that as your priests understand a true translation of any latine , greek or hebrew author , ( cicero , plutark , demosthenes , antonine , maimonides , &c. ) by the same means do the learned know a true translation of the bible . § . 2. in the essentials of christianity , and all the necessary articles of faith , the ignorant themselves have an infallible certainty that the translations are true , so far as that all that is necessary to salvation is contained concordantly in them all . 1. because it hath pleased god to deliver all those necessary points , in various words , distinctly by themselves by all baptizers and pastors of the churches , as is aforesaid : with which the scripture translations do agree . 2. because there is a natural impossibility that men of so various minds and interests as all the translators , and all the defenders of those translations , should agree till this day to deceive the world , and not be discovered . § . 3. and by the same evidence it is certain to an unlearned man , that all other plain points in which the translators agree , are truly translated : though the knowledge of it in lesser points is not so necessary . § . 4. and thus ( and no other way ) both unlearned protestants and papists , that cannot read , must know that there is a bible in the world , and that the priests do ordinarily read truly that publickly read it to them , and that there are canons of councils in the world , &c. because it is not possible , for so many men of cross interests to agree in feigning it , without detection . § . 5. there are some passages in some translations so palpably distorted to the translators interests and ends , as that the text and context to the learned , and the common agreement of the world to the unlearned , may notifie the error . § . 6. there are many passages or words so difficult , about which translators differ as that few or none are certain which of them is in the right . and this uncertainty is of no danger to the church or to mens souls . chap. x. quest. vii . what certainty have we of the true sense of the text. § . 1. answ. this question is partly the same with the former ; for to translate is to give the sense of the original , in other words . the sense is either , 1. the sense of single terms ; 2. or the sense of propositions and sentences , 3. or the sense of many sentences conjunct in method . § . 2. the first is known to translators as is aforesaid ; as you know the sense of all words of all languages ; by common usage and common tradition . the second is made up of the first by common reason ; as a sentence is made up of common words . he that understandeth what these words [ repentance ] and [ is ] and [ necessary ] signifie ; may know without a pope , what this sentence signifieth [ repentance is necessary ] . the same is to be said of divers sentences conjunct . the sense is known by the way that men learn to talk and to understand one anothers speeches . and as you understand baronius , bellarmine , the councils , or any of your priests ; even by the common acception of words , and reason setting them together , as man from his infancie is taught to reason . § . 3. but as infants understand not common talk till they are taught , nor children and untaught persons so well as men and scholars ; so the plainest things in scripture require some use and consideration , and teaching to the understanding of them : much more the harder parts . and god hath made it the duty of parents to teach the scripture to their children at home and abroad , lying down and rising up , deut. 6. & 11. without asking the pope the sense of it : and god hath appointed the elder and wiser to teach the younger and more ignorant , and especially pastors and teachers , to teach the world , and instruct their flocks , to understand the word of god. not barely to rest in their opinion and words , but to shew men the same evidence which doth convince themselves . which teaching is not a final iudging . § . 4. but yet where the teacher knoweth what the learner doth not , the learner must have the humility of a disciple , and not set his untaught wit conceitedly against his teacher , and wrangle before he understandeth ; but must judge his teacher ( whether it be grammar , logick , or theologie , words or sense , that he teacheth him ▪ to be wiser than himself . else why will he be his scholar ? and so he must believe him as a fallible man , with a humane faith , in order to his attaining of a proper certainty . § . 5. but there are in scripture many passages so exceeding difficult , that we have no certainty of the sense ; and some that only a few extraordinary students have a certaintainty of ; neither protestants nor papists further understanding them . and this is no disparagement to the scripture , nor hazard or injury to us . chap. xi . quest. viii . what unity of faith may be expected to be conserved by our foresaid certainties . § . 1. here are two questions for haste included : i. what unity in faith may be expected ? ii. what certainties are necessary thereto . § . 2. i. to the first , 1. a unity in all the essentials of the christian faith , is already existent among all christians in the world ; for they were not christians if they agree not in all essentials of christianity . § . 3. 2. a vnity of faith in the integrals of christianity is desireable , and so far hopeful , as that the wiser all christians are , in the more of the integrals they will agree . but here will never be an universal concord or unity , any more than in mens age , strength , stature and complexions : this paul openeth at large , 1 cor. 12. & rom. 14. & 15 , &c. § . 4. 3. a perfect vnity in the common knowledge of all things in scripture , or all the revealed accidentals of religion , will never be found between any two persons in this life ; because that no ones knowledge is perfect . § . 5. ii. from hence the other question is easily answered . 1. to a unity of christians as christians , or the body of christ and church universal , and of necessity to salvation , no certainty is necessary but of the essentials of the christian religion . 2. to the more comfortable progress , and the melius esse of christians and the churches , as great a concord and certainty in the integrals of christianity is needful , as the degree of melius esse doth require . 3. to mens peaceable and comfortable communion in christian societies , an unity and consequently knowledge of the points of christian love and holy communion is necessary . 4. to our heavenly union , heavenly perfection is necessary . § . 6. but to insinuate that a certainty of the sense of all the scripture , or all that god hath revealed to us objectively , or of all that popes and councils determine , is necessary to that unity of faith , which maketh all christians to be christians , and one body of christ , is but a cheating trick , which is against scripture , reason and their own doctors . chap. xii . quest. ix . what determination is necessary to this certainty and unity . § . 1. answ. 1. gods determination of the object , by verity and evidence , and his helping the faculty in determining it self in act , is necessary . § . 2. 2. the inward true determination of every mans own perceiving faculty , ( sense and intellect ) is necessary to his true perception . § . 3. 3. a parent , schoolmaster , senior , and pastor , must tell the scholar their own judgement , and then open to him the evidence of truth . § . 4. a magistrate or other superiour ( parent , master , &c. ) hath a determining judgement , under god and his laws , in order to the ends of their proper government ; and no further . that is , they are the only publick judges in their society , who shall be punished or not punished by the sword ; restrained or encouraged , as teaching false doctrine or true . but this is not an absolute and unregulated power . if they determine contrary to gods word , they sin , and bind not me to obey them though i am bound to continue my subjection , and not to resist . § . 5. even so it is with pastors in the church , who have power to try particular mens cases , and judge them according to gods word , and that only in order to the ends of their society , which is holy communion in love. § . 6. but this much power ( as it supposeth the sense of the law , and declareth it only as far as the decision of the particular case requireth , and not an universal regulating determination which hath the nature of an universal law it self , so ) it belongeth to none but true pastors of the church , and that only within their proper charge : and if any one will do as the pope , who will be ruler in all churches of the world , his usurpation maketh him a sinner , but not an obliging determiner . § . 7. and thus you have our answer to all his questions , which he thrust into one , as plainly and distinctly as i can well speak . and because his snare lieth in putting you on the deciding of all these cases , while he doth nothing to it himself , that so he may destroy where he cannot build , and so would make the world believe that they have a greater certainty in all the cases propounded than we have , i will next try their certainty compared with ours and shew you the difference ; and withal i will tell you why we use not their medium and take it not for any certification at all . § . 8. but withall professing that if i knew where to find that man or company of men that i could be sure could infallibly certifie me of all the doubts and difficulties in the matters of faith , it would save me such abundance of labour in my long studies , and so gratifie my love of ease , and my earnest desires of the greatest certainty in these greatest things , that i would spare no possible labour and cost to find out such an oracle : and i wonder not that slothful men had rather conceit that others ( by number or prerogative ) are certain , and so to trust upon a common faith , than to search and pray till they have a certainty of their own . chap. xiii . what the papists ascertaining medium is , and why we reject it . § . 1. though i will not intitle my answer as mr. pool doth his book , the nullity of the romish faith , yet you might be ashamed if you have any modesty lest , to go about still with confident challenges with the same case , whilest neither that book of his , nor his dialogue , nor the many in which i fully answer this very question , have any reply . and indeed i have said so much to this point already , that without repeating the same things , i scarce know what is yet to say . almost the whole book called the safe religion is of it ; but most directly all the third part : where pag. 186 , 187. i briefly and plainly give you the grounds and resolution of the protestants faith . and pag. 189. and forward i shew you the lamentable difference among the papists about the resolution of their faith . and pag. 195. and forward i give you abundance of unresistible arguments to prove , 1. that it belongeth not to the pope and roman church to be the judge of scriptures to all the world . 2. that they are not infallible . 3. that our faith must not be resolved into their infallible judgement . and in my reasons for the christian religion ; and in my more reasons for it , and in my life of faith , i have fully opened and desended the reasons , resolution and certainty of our faith . but seeing their impudency and designs are such , as that nothing of this must be considered ( though they are referred to it , ) but they must lay snares for souls , by canting over the same things , and calling out for that answer which they will not take notice of when it is before them , some more they shall have , for the sake of those whom they would deceive : but in great brevity lest i tire the reader by repetitions of things that have been so often said . § . 2. though the papists are disagreed greatly among themselves in this matter , yet the most prevailing opinion is , that it is upon the authoritative determination of the bishop of rome and a general council if he approve it , that all christians in the world must have the certainty what is indeed the word of god : and men must take all for certain which is so determined of , and no more : even because this authority hath so determined : and that this is to believe by the common certain faith of the church , when otherwise men must have but an uncertain private faith of their own : and consequently that he that will convince an infidel and convert he world , must first make them believe that the pope and council are authorised or enabled , to determine judicially ( and not only to teach by evidence ) what is gods word and what not , before any thing can be certainly taken for gods word ] § . 3. the difference between the papists opinion and ours , for brevity sake , shall be included in our reasons against their pretended certainty : which are these . reason i. we have another certainty already by notorious evidence of many things in your present question . and must we quit all that certainty , to take the same things only on trust from your pope and his council ? we cannot do it ; because some evidence is cogent , and the intellect is necessitated by it : must we not know that [ thou shalt love god and thy neighbour ] is gods word , by its proper evidence ? we have the witness within us ; we see on all true christians that holiness wrought by this gospel , which god will not use a lie to effect ( even to save men from sin , and recover the hearts of men to himself , and repair his image on mans soul ) . must i needs give the lie to this evidence till the pope speak . he that loveth god may be sure by inward perception ( yea intuition if ocham say true ) that he loveth him ; and consequently is beloved of him ; and this gospel wrought it . must i not know that [ he that believeth shall be saved ] is truly translated out of the original , till the pope determine it ? must i believe no grammar , no lexicon , no antient author , no jew , no teacher of greek or hebrew , no vulgar use , concerning the sense of words till the pope determine it ? must i not know what the baptismal tradition of all christians in the world doth tell me , that we must believe in god the father , son and holy ghost till i know that the pope determineth it ? must i not receive the creed , lords-prayer , or decalogue by all other evidence till his word cometh in ? then i must throw away certainty for uncertainty ? ii. your own party do not thus receive all in your question . they teach and learn the hebrew and greek grammars , and the rules of translating , and criticize upon the text , and search after the copies to discern the best by intrinsick characters , and by comparing them , as any man may see who readeth all your gramarians , criticks and commentators : and yet must we know translations and copies only by the popes determination ? iii. your own popes ex cathedra have given the church various translations : that edition of the vulgar latine made by sixtus 5. and that made about two years after clemens 8. differ in so many hundred passages , and abundance of whole verses and sentences , that if a bible be a divine revelation , one of them shamefully erred about divine revelations , or de fide . see dr. iames his bellum papale , and its defence against gretser . where then is your certainty ? iv. you are utterly uncertain and disagreed among your selves , who it is that hath this ascertaining determining authority : you say it is your church : but some say that the infallibility and power is in the pope alone , in cathedra . some say it is a general council though the pope dissent : some say that the pope and council must agree : and some say that the church essential of all countries must receive the decrees before they are infallibly ascertaining . and who can be certain of gods word by an authority which is it self so uncertain ? see the proof in safe relig. p. 192 , 193 , 194. v. your own sentence condemneth your own judges as uncertain : general councils ( as constance and basil ) have concluded that popes may err in matters of faith : yea accused and condemned them as hereticks , if not infidels . and shall we not believe a general council in matter of present fact , and yet must believe them what is gods word ? and that one council hath condemned another , and popes have condemned councils , i have ibid. proved at large . and if popes and general councils distinct are deceitful , how shall we be sure that two false parties when they meet do make one true one ? vi. popes and general councils have often erred from the faith ( as our church of england truly asserteth ) : and therefore we are not sure that they never will do so more . bellarmine himself noteth about fourty popes charged with error or heresie . liberius subscribeth the sentence against athanasius , and received the arrians to communion , and subscribed the sirmian faith , hane ego libenti animo suscepi in nullo contradicens : see his epist. 7. in binnius to. 1. p. 465. and his notes on it . see more in my safe relig. p. 249 , &c. and of councils , p. 274 , &c. the sixth general council at constantin . approved by pope adrian and by the seventh council , hath many errors , as have many others there instanced in . what certainty then can they give us ? vii . the ancient christians and churches received not the certainty of their faith upon the authoritative determination of a pope and council . therefore there is a certainty to be had without it . the churches that paul or any apostle converted , believed not at first upon the authority of a general council , nor of a pope . till the council of nice , for above 300. years the world was without a general council : and were they without faith ? frumentius and aedesius that preached to the indians and all other christian preachers that then converted souls took another course . they did not first convince men of the authority of a pope and general council to tell them what was gods word , before they brought them to believe it . viii . scripture it self never mentioneth this method or evidence : and would it be silent of the only way of certainty ? it never saith to the world [ you must know by the judgement of peter , or the pope and a general council what is the word of god ] did christ forget it ? ix . the ancient defenders of the christian faith did all go another way : iustin , tertullian , athenagoras , tatianus , minutius faelix , arnobius , lactantius , eusebius in his two first volumes de praepar . & demonstrat . augustine , and all such writers , seek to prove our faith by other evidence , and never say [ the pope and a general council are the only ascertaining declarers of it . ] x. our proof of the matters of fact is incomparably more certain than yours : for , 1. as to the power of judging , we maintain a concurrence of the peoples discerning iudgement , the pastors teaching or directing iudgement , and both magistrates and pastors deciding and governing judgement , not to be the only determiner of mens minds de fide , but to rule the publick doctrine and communion of the church according to gods foreknown laws . and as to the truth of copies , miracles , and the actual delivery of the gospel in the scripture , and in the distinct catechistical articles aforesaid , we rest on tradition which hath a natural infallibility , and not a pretended authoritative iudge . your tradition receiveth its credit from pretended power to iudge , which all the wise men in the world will deny till it s proved . our tradition hath its credit from a natural impossibility that the history should be false . i have shewed you the proof of this in my more reasons for the christian religion and else where : if you will not read them there , i know not whether you will read them here , and therefore will not write them again . we have all your evidence which is evidence indeed , and far more with it ; and as hierom saith , the world is more than the city . your tradition is that of a popes judging power only as some say ; and of a pope with his council as others say ; and of the pope with his subjects as your few moderate latitudinarians say ▪ you are not above the third or fourth part of the christian world : if you deny this , your impudent lying may cheat a woman that never read the state of the world , but will shame you the more with learned men : and is not the tradition , 1. of all the christian world for 300. years before there was any general council , 2. and of all the christian world since ( even greeks , armenians , syrians , copties , abassines , and all others ) more than the tradition of a pope and a few inslaved priests ? the council of trent had for a considerable time but 42. bishops , even when it set up your tradition as a supplement to scripture . and is the pope and these 42. of equal historical credit to all the christian world ? 3. yea our history takes in hereticks , yea and infidels and heathens too so far as they have left us any testimony of these things . even a pliny , a celsus , a porphyry , a iulian , and any other the bitterest enemies : because we prove it impossible that so many men of different countries , and no converse , and contrary minds and interests , should confederate or agree to deceive the world , and be undetected in such a matter . and what is the pope and 42. or two hundred prelates ( most of italy ) to such historical evidence as this ? o that you could lay by partiality and base selfish respects but for one day or hour ? what if the question among us were whether ever paul was at rome ? or iustin wrote his apologie ? or origen was a professed christian ? or constantine the great professed christianity ? or whether the writings of iustin , tertullian , cyprian , augustine , &c. be true or spurious , &c. whether do you think that the intrinsick and extrinsick evidence , with the consent of all the world that knew them , christians , hereticks , heathens , &c. be not a more satisfying evidence of truth , than if a pope of rome and his council should say , so and so it was , ( as liberius condemned athanasius , ) without or against the rest of the world ? if the question were whether ever there was such a man as gregory the first or seventh , or such a man as luther , or as charles the great , or car. 5. or king iames in england , or such a thing as the french massacre , &c. is not the current uncontroled self-evidencing history of these matters , more certain than if the pope and council of trent only had told us of them ? and we have all your valid testimony in , with ours . as you are part of the witnesses that received the scriptures , and as you have among you the teachers and professors of them , or have any other evidence of their truth , besides a pretended power to iudge for all the world , you are a part ( and but a part ) of our historical witness . and cannot the pope and his council tell us as credibly whether homer , virgil , ovid , cicero , were ever in the world , and their writings be not spurious , as they are part of the world that hath credibly received it , as if they pretend a power to judge infallibly whether it be so or not ? xi . it is an injury to god for such arrogant fellows to pretend that he hath entailed on them a power to do that , which he enableth men by natural means to do as well and better without them . as to pretend that god hath given them a judicial power , to tell us whether the statutes of england are true or spurious ? whether ever there were such kings or parliaments as made them ? &c. doth not the certain historical tradition of the world suffice for this without a supernatural power ? if you say that soul-concernments must have more certainty than bodily ? i answer , 1. the more impudent are you that would give us less . 2. the nature of the matter alloweth ordinarily no more . as sense told the seers of christs and the apostles miracles that they saw them , and the hearers and readers of the gospel that they heard and read it , so all the difference between their way of faith and ours is , that what they took by their own sense immediately , that we take by a concatenation of successive senses and tradition historical by currant proof . 3. you your selves find you have no more certainty that the scripture is not a forged writing than you have that there was such a man as king iames in england , whatever you pretend : 4. do you not know that you must resolve even your pretended authoritative certainty into our rational historical certainty . he that knoweth not that ever there was a pope , ( e. g. greg. 7. innoc. 9. clem. 8. ) or that ever there was a council ( e. g. of trent , lateran ) knoweth not what they determined : but how know you what popes and councils you have had but by common historical proof . do you believe it only by the iudicial decrees of later popes and councils ? xii . if the pope and his council know the certainty of these things , it is either by evidence and history as all men may do , or by inspiration . if by historical evidence , it is extant before : if by inspiration , let them prove themselves to be prophets : either by their prophesyings , miracles , or other evidences , that may satisfie a man that is not mad . xiii . alphonsus a castro tells us , some popes understood not grammar , and common history tells us what lads and ignorant fellows divers of them have been ; and their own writers and general councils tell us how horridly wicked many of them have been , ( as ioh. 22. eugenius and other damned as hereticks by councils : and honorius the monothelite , &c. ) and is it probable that god should inspire to infallibility , hereticks , ignorant fellows , debauched wicked men , and work a miracle to teach them to know that infallibly which they knew not at all ? when the scripture and nature tell us how he abhorreth such men . xiv . they give us no proof of their infallibility ; either from any promise of god antecedently , or subsequent effect : how then shall we be sure of it . xv. it is impossible for us to know who is a true pope : and is every man that will call himself pope , or only the true ones possest with this infallibility ? if all ; then one of our bishops may have it when he will : if not , no man can be sure of gods word for want of being sure who is a true pope ? read but what a plunge poor mr. iohnson , alias terret , alias &c. is put to , as to the questions about what makes a pope in his answers to me , and you will see how they are bewildred : their fourty years schism , in which there were divers pretended popes , and the uncertainty who is the true successor to this day , especially since eugenius was deposed as a heretick by a general council , hath left this matter unrecoverably uncertain . if electors give the essence , people , priests , princes , prelates , cardinals , have been electors by turns . if consecration be necessary ; it must be by an inferiour , and no man knoweth by whom , and some have been popes unconsecrated , and their power defended . if the churches acceptance be necessary , no man knoweth in many schisms which had the greater party ; but certainly neither had the church . xvi . it is impossible to know which have been true general councils : and therefore impossible to know which of their decrees are gods word , and the churches faith . they are utterly disagreed of this among themselves . bellarmine and the papalines tell us it is those only that are approved by the pope , ( and so if all the christian world had no more wit than to send their bishops from all parts of the earth , to sit as long as the council of trent did ( divers popes reigns ) it is in the popes power whether they shall be approved councils when all is done ) . but how know we which are approved ? is it by the decree of other councils ? no : none hath ventured to determine it . it is therefore by common historical evidence : and so your faith must be thereinto resolved . and yet here history faileth you . how many councils are controverted ? bellarmine will partly tell you . what wanted ephes. 2 ? what wanted that at basil ? and many more such , i have elsewhere debated . xvii . there never was a real general council in the world ( unless you will call the twelve apostles one . ) this is the great cheat of the papists : which i wonder all men that ever read history do not see as plainly , as any lie in history can be seen . was it not the romane emperours that called the councils ? had they any power out of their own dominions ? were not all the patriarchs only in one empire ? is their jurisdiction mentioned in the concil . nicen. any further extended ? read in binnius surius or any others , the subscribed names to all the councils , and then peruse the maps and topography of the roman empire and the notitias episcopatuum ( even aub. myraeus famed for a feigner ) and you will see that all the councils were made up of the subjects of the empire alone , or such as had been thereto accustomed while they were their subjects , ( and but few of them , ) unless some odd bishop that no man knows what he was : indeed when scythia and persia wanted help , they placed a bishop in an imperial city neer scythia ( as tomis ) and persia , and gave him leave to help the country as far as he could , and called him bishop of scythia or persia. but what is this to a true general council representing all the churches in the world ( on the terms as dr. holden honestly requireth . ) if you have a mind to laugh at the mans ignorance in cosmographie you may read mr. iohnson , alias terrets reply to me ( which i am not so idle yet as to answer , ) confuting me by instances out of thracia and such like . but the thing is most evident in history that as the scots call the meeting of their ministers a general assembly , meaning of that kingdom , and not of all the world , so the councils in the empire were called general , only as to that empire and not to all the world : which i am ready to make good to any man that can understand history . the pope was by one prince made the chief patriarch of that imperial church as the kings of england preferred the arch-bishop of canterbury ; and four others they joined with him ; of which one claimed primacy when the imperial seat was removed thither ( never dreaming of a divine right ; else he could never have laid that claim ; ) and the councils were only as our convocations , and seldom extended to half the empire . and little did those emperours think , that thence their subject popes and councils would claim supremacy at the antipodes , and turn the orbis romanus to orbis terrarum . xviii . there never will be , nor must be , nor can be a true general council in the world . i have fully proved it in the second part of my key for catholicks ; read it there or choose . xix . your popes and councils have made no determination at all of many of the matters in your question . where have they determined , which are the true copies of the hebrew and greek text ? do you call us for our only certainty to a determination that was never made to this day ! o for modesty and conscience ! where have they determined which are the right among all the various readings ? what need lucas brugensis , alba , and so many others search after this with so much industry if the pope have determined it ? where have they determined which are the only currant or true translations ( however they have extolled the vulgar latine . ) is montanus and other such condemned ? where are all the translators differences reconciled by the decision of pope or council ? when did they determine the controversies of commentators of the sence of a thousand texts of scripture . i must confess that a just indignation ariseth in me at the reading of such soul-cheating snares ; where men have the impudence to perswade us that we can be sure of none of our faith , unless we be sure of copies , translations , &c. by that authority that never durst nor did determine of the many remaining controversies thereabout ? and where hath the pope or council given us a grammar or lexicon to know the true sense of words by , for the future ? fathers differ : papists differ ; the world is disagreed of the sense of words and many texts : the pope hath an infallible skill , and power with his council to decide all , and will not : was there ever a crueller wickeder wight in flesh ? to see all this difference and darkness , and not vouchsafe to speak a few words , or write one infallible commentary to end them ? just as if the plague or feaver were common , and one physicion would say , all men shall die that will not believe that i can cure all men ; when in the mean time he will not cure those that do believe it ? what is it that your pope and councils are to determine ? is it the great essentials of religion ? we thank them for notthing : cannot we know that there is a god , and a christ , till the pope judge it ? have we not the sacramental covenant of grace , the creed , lords prayer and decalogue surely delivered before any pope or council judged of them ? or is it of the hard controverted points : do it then ; and let us see that you can do it . xx. hath the pope power to judge in utramque partem , either way , or only one way ? may he judge that there is a god or no god , a christ or no christ , a heaven or no heaven , a scripture or none , at his pleasure ? if so , must we believe him if he be for the negative ? take you that certainty : we will have none of it : or is he only to iudge truly , and then only to be believed ? ( that there is a god , a christ , a scripture , &c. ) so may and must every teacher , yea and every christian judge . if you say that he cannot go besides the truth , general councils and pope adrian himself said otherwise . xxi . the pope and his council differ from the council of laodicea and the ancient church , upon this very question , what is the word of god , even of the canon of the scripture : for full proof whereof i refer you to bishop cousins book , which bringeth full testimony from antiquity . xxii . the use of authority is not to disclose all verities , but to govern societies in the management of them ; if the king of rome could prove himself king of all the world , that would but enable him to govern the world : when one man that is at his footstool that is more wise and learned , may know better than he and his council too , what 's true or false . xxiii . your very foundation is a contradiction in its self . what do you make a pope to be but the vicar of christ ? and ( mark reader ) can any man be sure that he speaks true as pope or christs vicar , that never knew that he was pope or christs vicar ? or can any man believe that christ hath an infallible vicar before he believe in christ himself , and that he is infallible ? it 's a contradiction to believe the pope as his vicar or pope , before we believe christ. if you believe that the pope hath power or infallibility , you must believe that christ gave it him . and if you believe that he gave it him , it must be by some revelation that he gave it , and that you must believe it . and can you believe that revelation that made him pope or infallible , before you believe any revelation ? xxiv . the same contradiction there is in believing a council or the church , before you believe divine revelation : for you cannot know till you believe divine revelation , that council or church have any such being or power . xxv . either the pope and council themselves know the true copies , readings and translations from the authority of former councils , or by their own : or by the evidence of the thing : and common history : or by inspiration or supernatural revelation : if all the rabble of wicked popes and prelates pretend to rule the church and our faith by inspiration , they are crackt-braind fanaticks : sure they were no prophets before they were popes or councillers . but if it be by their own authority , who will take a self-made faith , of men that believe only because they believe ? and must have all others believe only because they believed before them ? then it is themselves and not christ that they believe . if it be , former popes and councils that they believe , tell us whom and why the first believed ? mark , that you cannot arise to st. peter : for the various copies and translations which we are in question of , were all made since st. peters daies . xxvi . when in a council the major part carry it by vote ( perhaps by one or a few ) how shall we be sure that all the minor part were deceived ? xxvii . how shall all those abassines , armenians , indians in new-england or others that know not that ever there was a pope or general council , in the world , become christians ? or are you sure they are none ? xxviii . we see by experience in the foresaid nations , and feel in our selves , that men may have a certain faith without receiving it from the pope . can you make me know that i do not believe , when i know that i do ? and can you prove that only the third part of christians in the world are true christians , and have certain faith , because all the rest receive it not from the pope ? and why may not the major part of the church be sure as well as he ? xxix . hath the church a twofold foundation for faith ? if the pope and council believe gods word to be his word on one ground , and all other men on another ground , ( that is , because they say it , ) then we have two faiths and two churches on two foundations . but if otherwise , then pope and council do as we must do ( by their doctrine , ) even believe it , because they say it themselves . xxx . the councils decrees of faith are so voluminous that not one priest of fourty knoweth them all ; and not one lay man of many thousand : the very bulk therefore of your faith , must make it more uncertain than ours is : and who can tell whether he have it all ? xxxi . the words of your councils are as obscure as scripture words ; and are controverted by your doctors : and how can it be otherwise when humane language is so ambiguous , in such huge volumes ? how then shall the sense of your councils themselves be certainly known ? xxxii . councils are rarely extant : god only knoweth whether ever there will be anothor , ( even a pretended one : ) and must we have no judge in the mean time to give us a certainty of the meaning of the very foregoing councils themselves ? most confess that the pope himself may err ? xxxiii . it is but few persons in the world that ever saw and consulted with a pope and a general council ? how then shall we be all sure , what they said or determined ? how know we whether the records of them be truest in crab , in surius , in nicolinus , in binnius or in none of them ? what was caranzas's fault that he is blamed for ? which of the various copies of canons are true which are given us oft by the same author ? who knoweth what alterations the index expurgatorius ( not infallible ) maketh in the books ? have we no more or other certainty of our creed than of all these councils , so variously and doubtfully delivered ? xxxiv . seeing that each lay man that never saw pope or councils , can know them only by believing the priest that telleth him , this the church saith , is that priest infallible ? can no man be be certainer of the creed than of that priests words ? is not the faith of almost all your vulgar papists , resolved into the priests affirmation ? and so is it not a humane faith ? and how ignorant and wicked is many a priest ? is our faith uncertain because we take it not on such a mans credit ? xxxv . if you say that an implicite faith that all is true and of god which the pope and council saith is so , will save men ; 1. how do the people know whether the pope and council determine any thing at all but on the priests credit ? 2. then all infidels may be saved without believing that there is a saviour or salvation , so they do but believe in the pope and council . 3. then believing in the pope and council is made far more necessary than believing in christ. 4. why will not an implicite belief in christ go as far as yours ? xxxvi . by your way we can never be certain when we have all the christian faith : for more councils may still make more decrees as hitherto they have done ; and who knows when they will hae done ? and so you make a christian quite another thing , than he was in the primitive church ; and you cruelly make it far harder to be saved : when as then , a man might be saved that believed the covenant and creed ; and foresaid catechism ; and now he must also believe so many canons , as that the councils containing them in the last edition , exceed the purse of a poor minister to buy them ; and the time and brains of most to read them . xxxvii . you confess all our faith and religion to be true ( as far as i can learn ) but we deny all your additions : both parties therefore being agreed of the truth of ours , it 's like to be the surer . our religion in the essentials , is nothing but the sacramental covenant , the creed , lords prayer and decalogue with the law of nature ; and in the integrals , it is nothing but the scriptures which we receive as canonical : and all this you commonly confess to be true : and i told you before how bellarmine , costerus and others confess less to be sufficient to salvation ( as commonly necessary . ) but your additions we reject as uncertain or false . xxxviii . we see you to be a carnal kingdom set up against christs express determination , luk. 22. 26. 1. pet. 5. 3. as the geographia nubiensis saith ( in vrbe roma , &c. in the city of rome are the seats of a king called the pope : nor is there any superiority in dignity above the pope , and kings are lower ( or inferior ) than he . ) we see that you have compaginated your policie all for these carnal ends ; and that dignity , and dominion , and riches , and worldliness is promoted by your faith : and that your religion is propagated and upheld by most inhumane cruelties and bloodshed , and they must be burned that seem not to believe as you do : and will it not raise suspicions in us of the fidelity of such men , when they make their own faith , and tell us that we have no certainty of ours but by their determination : when also we see the wickedness of mens lives among you , in common fornication and other heinous sin ; when the certainest faith , will have the holiest life , when it is subjectively as well as objectively certain . xxxix . you destroy or greatly discredit the grand evidence of the christian faith , even miracles : how then can your faith be the most certain ? for when you pretend that miracles are as common through all the world as priests masses are ( in turning bread into no bread as aforesaid ) and yet no man seeth any proof of one such miracle , when really it is no less than christs resurrection which you pretend to be so common before all the churches ; what is this but to tempt men to take all the scripture and apostolical miracles to be no surer ? and then where is our faith ? xl. lastly , i end where i almost began : if our sense be true , the pope and his council are false , and therefore our faith not to be received only nor chiefly on their trust . for their faith teacheth us , not to believe gods most natural revelations , to the sound senses and intellective perception of all men in the world , as i have shewed about the bread and wine in the sacrament : and when a controversie it brought to sense it self we can bring it no lower : and when we must either believe your faith and its foundation false , or believe gods most natural evident revelation false , and all mens senses and intellective perception false , we are not able , i say not able , to be of your faith . and now judge whose faith is more certain the protestants or the papists ? and whether you do well so zealously and busily ; to make use of such soul-traps and fool-traps , as the paper is which i have answered . september 12. 1672. finis . apendix . chap. i. i. whereas i have here and more fully in my [ more reasons for the christian religion ] asserted a certainty in some morals , it will give some light into the matter if i give you ocham's decision of the certainty of moral science in it self ; which because it is short i will translate . quod lib. l. 2. q. 14. [ quest. whether there can be a demonstrative knowledge of morals ? resp. it seemeth not : because there can be no demonstrative knowledge of those things that are subject to the will : but such are morals : ergo , &c. but contrarily , morals are a science . in this question , 1. i will expound one term of the question ; 2. i will give you one distinction : 3. and then answer the question . 1. as to the first i say that moral is sometime taken largely , for humane acts which are under the will absolutely : — sometime more strictly , for acts subject to the power of the will , according to the natural dictate of reason , and according to other circumstances . 2. as to the second you must know that moral doctrine hath many parts : of which one is positive , another is not-positive . moral science positive , is that which containeth humane laws , and divine , which oblige us to follow or avoid things , which are neither good nor evil ; nor because prohibited and commanded by a superiour to whom it belongeth to give laws . but moral science not positive is that which without any command of a superidirecteth humane actions : as principles known by themselves , or known by experience , so direct ; as that all that is honest is to be done , and all that is dishonest is to be avoided ; and such like of which aristotle speaketh in his moral philosophie . 3. as to the third i say , that moral positive science , such as the science of lawyers is , is not demonstrative , though in many things it be regulated by that which is demonstrative . because the reasons of lawyers are founded on humane positive laws , which receive not propositions evidently known . but moral science not positive is demonstrative ; i prove it : because all knowledge deducing conclusions syllogistically , from principles known by themselves , or by experience of him that knoweth , is demonstrative : but such is moral doctrine : ergo , &c. the major is known : the minor is proved , because in moral philosophie there are many principles known by themselves ; as that the will is to conform it self to right reason ; that all evil is to be avoided , and such like . in like manner , many principles are known by experience ; as is evident to him that followeth experience . and i further say , that this is more certain than many other things , in as much as every man may have more experience of his own acts , than of other things : from whence it is plain that this is a science , very subtile , profitable and evident . to the argument for the contrary i say , that of things subject to the will , may be formed propositions , true and known by themselves , which can demonstrate many conclusions . ] chap. ii. how much the wisest papists are for our way of resolving faith , before luthers time by controversie perverted them . it was ordinary , till luthers disputing convinced them that the scriptures would not serve their turn , for the wisest papists , 1. to make scripture the perfect rule of faith , without the supplement of tradition to add more ; 2. and to give such reasons for their faith as we now do for ours . i. i must not be tedious in citing many . 1. aquinas cont. gent. cap. 9. fol. 3. saith [ but the singular manner of convincing an adversary of this truth , is by the authority of the scripture confirmed of god by miracles . ] and summ. 1. q. 1. a. 8. ad secundum , he saith that [ sacred doctrine useth the authority of the canonical scripture arguing properly and from necessity : but the authorities of other doctors of the church as arguing from its own , but probably . for our faith resteth on the revelation made to the apostles and prophets who wrote the canonical books ; but not on the revelation made to other doctors , if there were any such . whence august . to hier. i have learnt to give this honour only to the books of scripture called canonical , as that i firmly believe that no author of them did at all err in writing them . but others i read so as that how excellent soever they were in learning and holiness , i take it not to be therefore true because they so thought or wrote . ] durandus in his preface hath little else but of the scripture excellency in dignity , goodness , certainty and profundity : and from hier. ad paulin. saith [ let us learn that on earth , the knowledge of which will continue with us in heaven . but this is only in the holy scripture — 3. the holy scripture exceedeth all in certainty of truth — we must speak of the mystery of christ and universally of those things which meerly concern faith , comformably to what the holy scripture delivereth . as christ joh. 5. search the scripture , &c. if any man observe not this , &c. — the measure is , not to exceed the measure of faith — which measure consisteth in two things , that is , that we take not that from faith , which belongs to faith , nor attribute that to faith which is not of faith . for both waies is the measure of faith exceeded , and men deviate from the continence of the holy scripture , which expresseth the measure of faith : and this measure god assisting , we will hold , that we may write or teach nothing dissonant from the holy scripture . but if by ignorance or inadvertencie we should write any thing , let it be ipso facto esteemed as not written . and so on . and prolog . q. 1. his description of theologie is , 1. for a habit by which we only or principally assent to those things , that are delivered in scripture , and as they are there delivered . and so theologie differs not from faith . the reason of which is because the things that are delivered in the scripture , are so only held by divine authority . scotus prolog . q. 2. doth conclude p. 7. that the doctrine of the canonical scripture is sufficient to the attainment of our end : and that the holy scripture containeth sufficiently the doctrine necessary to a viator ( a man in this life . ) ii. and to prove this scripture to be true he giveth us these ten proofs ; ( which i must not repeat at large ) 1. from the predictions of scripture which god only could do . 2. from their notable concord . 3. he proveth that their own doctrine against lying and such like prove that the writers lied not . 4. from the great diligence and concord of the receivers . 5. from the rationability of the contents . 6. from the unreasonableness of all other waies . 7. from the stability of the church . 8. from the miracles , which god would never affix to a lie , which he largely urgeth . 9. from the testimony of aliens and adversaries . 10. that god would not give up those to a lie who so seek him with all their hearts as many christians do . abundance of their authors more i could cite , who thus argue for the truth of scripture , and not from an authoritative decision of a pope or council only . and what in this they give to them at other times , doth but shew that their foundation was so much weaker than ours . chap. iii. that where the learned papists differ from us , they are so far from building on a certainer foundation that , so far they are forced to deny all certainty of faith . to prove this it may suffice to mind the learned reader how even the most judicious ( as greg. armin. prolog . estius and commonly most schoolmen , deny a proper certainty of evidence to faith : not only that the object is not evident to sense , which all confess , but that the truth of the conclusion is not demonstrable , and that faith is a pious act of the election of the will , which were not meritorious , if it had rational demonstration or evidence . and that it is but opinion which is resolved into humane authority : and yet that they believe the scripture to be gods word , and this or that to be the sense meerly , because the church holdeth it . i cannot stay to cite many . plain durandus shall be instead of all : who prolog . q. 1. saith p. 6. c. 1. faith which resteth on humane authority differeth not from opinion : because the place from humane authority is topical , and an argument thence taken is the weakest : and therefore the faith which resteth on that authority is the weakest opinion . but pag. 9. of the faith which resteth on gods authority , he granteth us . that it may stand with science of many of the same things , and that divine authority and demonstrative reason may concur to cause the same assent . but p. 10. he dissenteth from them that hold that gods attestations were such to those that saw christs miracles and resurrection , &c. as certainly proved the truth of his godhead , and so of his word ( which is aquinas his honest doctrine 3. q. 43. act . 4. against which durandus writeth this . ) and because it is us as well as aquinas that he opposeth i will briefly confute his reasons . the first is , because demonstration necessitateth the understanding to believe : but many that saw lazarus raised , &c. believed not christ to be god , &c. therefore miracles were not a sufficient demonstration . answ. not sufficient to all things , but sufficient to do their own part . by this you would prove that there is no demonstration of any thing almost in the world ; for there is almost nothing which convinceth all men . i distinguish therefore of a disposed and an indisposed understanding . and as to the later i deny the major . demonstrations constrein not millions of undisposed intellects . recipitur ad modum recipientis . what need any other proof than your oft mentioned denial of bread in the eucharist ? because millions deny the perception of all mens senses and intellects thereby , are not things sensible demonstrable or evident ? can you hope to bring more cogent proof , and yet this is rejected : and so were christs miracles . the second is gregory , faith hath no merit , where humane reason hath experience , and there is science . answ. a falshood as easily denied as asserted without proof : if by merit you mean rewardableness . for it is only natural involuntary necessity which evacuateth moral good or evil. the will may shew its virtue or vice in receiving or rejecting objective ascertaining evidence . the third is that it was not known of it self that this miracle attested the truth of what christ said . but whether per se or by consequence , it is a most evident certainty , that a man , yea abundance of men that assert such a point of unspeakable consequence to the world , doing abundance of open notorious miracles as professed witnesses or proofs of their doctrine , could not do this but by gods extraordinary providence . and that if this be not to be taken for a divine testimony , we know of none that mortals are capable of , nor a possibility of the worlds escaping the deceit , as caused unresistibly by god. his answers to this are not worthy the repeating . the same author , li. 3. d. 23. q 7. enquiring of the certainty of faith , whether it be certainer than science , brings in the several answers of others : 1. that there is a certainty of evidence ( and this science hath , ) and a certainty of adhesion , ( and this faith hath . ) but this he rejecteth , and sheweth ( truly ) that adhesion is not properly certainty , and also that the fullest evidence causeth the closest adhesion . 2. that faith hath most certainty in se , in the thing , and science most certainly quoad nos , as to us . but the vanity of this he truly sheweth : for to be certain in it self and not to us , is but to be true : and all things true are equally true : but no truth is certain to us or credible , without revelation to us . and as he saith ( the certainty of act or habit is not from the certainty of the object in it self , but from the mode which the habit putteth as to the person , and the act : no way therefore ( saith he ) is the act or habit called certain , unless it be certain as to us . therefore he is forced to conclude that many habits and acts of science are certainer to us than faith and its act , and that both extensively , science having both certainty of evidence and adhesion ( if that be certainty , ) and intensively ; for science hath no doubt permixt as faith oft hath . and he is forced to conclude his faith into the further uncertainty following . chap. iv. that the most learned doctors of the church of rome resolve their faith ( in earnest or jeast ) into such an inspiration of the pope and prelates in council , as the apostles had , and so are meer fanaticks : and this against notorious sense and experience . the said durandus saith ib. li. 3. d. 23. p. 573. [ nothing is more certain than experience , to which the resolution of other things is made , that we may have the fuller certainty . ] but experience telleth us that there is bread after consecration : and that he took the belief of humane authority , for the weakest opinion i told you before . and v. 12. he saith [ how are we sure that god saith what we believe ? non nisi quia sic tenet ecclesia ? only because the church so holdeth ? ] which he brings to prove that divine authority is not surest to us . and ocham quod l. 5. q. 31. so answereth the question , whether the substance of bread remain after consecration , as i verily believe he did but ironically jear them , and shew that he durst not speak his thoughts . mentioning three opinions : the first , that the substance of bread which was there before , is after the body of christ , ( i think he meaneth durandus opinion condemned by bellarmine , &c. ) he rejecteth . the second saith he ( that the substance of bread and wine cease to be , and the accidents only remain , and under them christs body begins to be is the common opinion of all divines , which i hold for the determination of the church , and not for any other reason . the third ( that there remaineth the substance of bread and wine with christs body ) would be very reasonable , if the churches determination were not contrary : for that opinion solveth and avoideth all the difficulties which arise from seperating the accidents from the subject . and the contrary to it is not had out of the canon of the bible ; nor doth it include any contradiction for christs body to consist with the substance of bread any more than with the accidents — and after more , answering the argument of mass-miracles by every priest he saith [ sometime about some things there must more miracles be put , though it might be done by fewer , and that because it pleaseth god ; and the church knoweth this , by some revelation that so it is , and therefore the church hath so determined . ] either he jeareth them , or else he professeth that their faith even of daily miracles , against common sense is resolved into a revelation which the church hath of that which is not in the bible ; which must be prophetically . the like you have in paludanus , durandus , ( save that he leaveth them as aforesaid ) scotus , &c. i will end with learned rada , who vol. 4. contr. 7. a. 1. pag. 164 , 165. having shewed that this is my body will not in its own proper sense infer what aquinas and others gather , saith [ yet indeed now ( we must not take that sense ) but as the church taught by the holy ghost understandeth those words . for the scriptures are expounded by that spirit which they were made by : and so it must be supposed that the catholick church by that spirit which delivered us the faith , even taught by the holy ghost , so expounded , and exploded the first sense , and chose this , being that other was not true , as to the remaining of the substance of bread after consecration . but this sense he chose which is true , and so delivered by our lord himself , as it is solemnly declared c. firmiter , &c. and he concludeth that [ this is my body ] is not enough to convince a heretick ; but [ as understood by the church by that spirit by which they were given and delivered , they exclude the substance of bread ] . o all men of common sense and reason in the world ; we appeal to your humanity in the controversie between the papists and us . while they assert a miracle by every priest every day that he masseth in all the world , and deny the truth of gods primary natural revelation to all mens common senses , they resolve their faith of the certainty of all this , not into the scripture , but into such an inspiration of the holy ghost as the scriptures themselves were written by : the scripture must not be our proof of this inspiration , but must be proved by it . we must believe that thus every wicked pope and the prelates of the major vote in his packt councils have this inspiration ? when they do no miracles , they live so much worse than other ministers of christ , that the reforming of them hath long been the vain wish and attempt of the christian world ; they murder the servants of jesus in their inquisitions , and yet we must lay all our faith and salvation on it , that they have all a prophetical spirit . well ; if it be proved certainly to the world , that the pope and his church are all prophets , or inspired by the holy ghost as the apostles were , then i declare that the papists are in the right : if not , i will be no willing subject of the king of rome , while he so abuseth the word , the church , the honour , of the churches king. finis . now or never the holy, serious, diligent believer justified, encouraged, excited and directed, and the opposers and neglecters convinced by the light of scripture and reason / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1662 approx. 300 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 133 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26967 wing b1320 estc r11592 11687548 ocm 11687548 48167 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26967) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 48167) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 12:1) now or never the holy, serious, diligent believer justified, encouraged, excited and directed, and the opposers and neglecters convinced by the light of scripture and reason / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [24], 239 p. [s.n.], london : 1662. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng christian life -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2005-09 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion now or never , the holy , serious , diligent believer justified , encouraged , excited and directed : and the opposers and neglecters convinced by the light of scripture and reason . by richard baxter . to be communicated by such as want ability or opportunity themselves to plead the cause of serious holiness for mens conviction . luk. 7. 35. but wisdom is justified of all her children . nihil est ad defendendum puritate tutius : nihil ad dicendum veritate facilius . ambros . london . printed in the year , 1662. the contents . in the preface : the question resolved , whether a man may be saved in any religion , that is serious in practising it ? no religion will save a man that is not true to it , & serious & diligent in practising it . why the author rather publisheth such common necessary things , than confutation of the many calumnies publisht against himself . his expectations from men : and answer with tertullian about sufferings . an advertisement about a passage cited out of the homilies . his justification for opposing scorners & enemies of holiness , out of the church homilies . a passage about philip nerius , the father of the oratorians . the text opened . doct. 1. the work of this life cannot be done when this life is ended . doct. 2. therefore while we have time , we must do the work of this present life , with vigour and diligenee . 1. time cannot be recalled . 2. life shall never be here restored . 3. there is no doing this work in the life to come . what it is to [ do it with our might ] some cautions . instances of the work to be done with our might . obj. what might have we ? answered . how to rouse up our selves to seriousness . what to think of them that oppose a holy serious diligence in the service of god. the greatness of the sin . especially if they are preachers . what it is in religion that hypocrites hate . seneca's testimony for seriousness . a terrible passage in our homilies against scorners at godliness . the greatness of their sin . obj it is not godliness , but humour , faction , disobedience , hypocrisie , &c. answered . advice to the flocks . obj. be not righteous overmuch , answered . exhortation to serious diligence . obj. 1. i have lost my time , answered . obj. 2. i have opposition and hinderances . obj. 3. i am dull and cold . directions and cautions . reasons for pleading this cause with ministers . the exhortation re-inforced . the devils designe to make use of differences in smaller matters against christianity and godliness it self . such differences , sects , divisions , shall be no excuse to the ungodly , but aggravate their sin , as being against that which all sects and parties were agreed in . what that religion is that we call men to be serious and diligent in . 1. to live according to the principles of faith that among christians are past controversie : ten named . 2. to do that materially that all are agreed of : ten duties named . 3. to do that in the very manner of gods service that all are agreed in . ten particulars mentioned . obj. i will never believe that god delights in long and earnest prayers , or is moved by the words of man. answered . obj. is not your strict observation of the lords day a controversie ? answered . the conclusion exhortatory . the preface . it is a question more boldly than accurately debated by many ; [ whether a man may not be saved in any religion , that is faithful to the principles of it by serious diligent practice ? ] the true solution is this : religion is that which men hold and do to serve and please god. 1. if men make themselves a religion of serving idols or devils instead of god. 2. or if they place their service to god himself in things that are evil ( as what evil is there that some men have not brought into their religion , and fathered upon god ? ) the more diligent such men are in their religion , the more they sin . 3. or if they make themselves a religion of irrational ludicrous ceremonies , their greatest diligence in this will not save them . 4. or if they hold all the essentials of the true religion , except some one , it cannot save them while one thing is wanting , which is essential to that religion , and so necessary to salvation ( which is the case of real hereticks : ) for they are not indeed of that religion , if they want that which is essential to it . 5. or if they hold all that is essential to the true religion only notionally , and hold any thing with it practically , which is contradictory and inconsistent with it , the soundness of their notional belief will not save them from the mortal poison of their practical heresie or error . but 1. whosoever holdeth all that is necessary to salvation , and is serious and diligent in living according thereunto shall be saved , whatever error he holdeth with it . for if he be serious and diligent in the practice of all things necessary to salvation , he hath all that is necessary to salvation ; viz. in belief and practice : and it must needs follow , that his errors are either not concontradictory to the things necessary which he holdeth and practiseth , or that he holdeth not those errors practically , but notionally , as an opinion , or uneffectual cogitation in a dream , which provokes not to action ; and in such a case the error keeps no man from salvation . what is necessary to be believed by them that never hear the gospel , it so little concerneth us to know , that god hath not thought meet to make it so plain to us , as things that more concern our selves . but as it is certain , that without the atonements , satisfaction , and reconciliation made by christ , and without new terms of grace to be judged by , and without his grace for the performance of their part , no man can be saved ( that hath the use of reason , ) so there is so much knowledge necessary to salvation , as is necessary [ to engage the heart to love god above all , and sincerely to obey his revealed will , and to prefer the life to come before the transitory pleasures of this life . ] now if any man can prove to me , that those that never heard the gospel , can thus love god , and the life to come , and obey sincerely , without the knowledge of the person , life , death , resurrection of jesus christ , and the declaration of the attractive love and goodness of god in him , and in the work of our redemption , then i should believe that such negative infidels may be saved : for god cannot damn a sanctified soul , that sincerely loveth him . but if the discovery of the love of god in our redemption be so necessary a moral means to ingage the heart ( now corrupted by sin and creature-love ) to the true love of god , that this cannot be wrought without it ; or if christ give not his spirit to produce the love of god in any but those that hear the gospel , and believe in him , then no such persons can be saved by their religion . for christ is the way to the father , and no man cometh to the father but by him ; and and the love of god is absolutely and of its self necessary to salvation ; and faith in christ is so far necessary to salvation , as it is necessary to bring men to the love of god , as pardoning sin and reconciled to them . but if any should never so confidently conclude , that some that hear not of christ may be saved , yet he must needs confess that the want of this clear and great discovery of the love and goodness of god , in his pardoning grace , and of the glorious life which he hath prepared for us , must needs make the love of god a very rare and difficult thing , and consequently their salvation rare and difficult in comparison of ours . the christian faith , is [ the believing an everlasting life of happiness to be given by god ( with the pardon of all sin ) as procured by the sufferings and merits of jesus christ , to all that are sanctified by the holy ghost , and do persevere in love to god , and to each other , and in a holy and heavenly conversation . ] this is saving faith and christianity , if we consent as well as assent . all that was necessary to salvation to be believed , was formerly thought to be contained in the creed , and that was the test or symbol of the christian faith ; and christian religion is the same , and hath the same rule , and test , & symbol in all ages . but since faction and tyranny , pride & . covetousness became the masters of the religion of too many vice and selfish interest hath commanded them to change the rule of faith by their additions , & to make so much necessary to salvation , as is necessary to their affected vniversal dominion , and to their commodity and carnal ends . and since faction entred , and hath torn the church into many sects ( the greek , the roman , the armenian , the jacobites , the abassine , and many more ) it seemeth meet to the more tyrannical sect to call these several religions , and to say that every man that differeth from them in any of their opinions or additions , which they please to call articles of faith , is of another religion . † and yet when they have divided the church , and damned the greatest part of christians , and raged with fire and sword against their brethren , they confess themselves that it is no point of faith at all , that it is of divine right that the bishop of rome is st. peters successor , and not only of humane right . and must the church be divided , and most be damned for not believing or submitting to a humane ordinance ? if we be of many religions , is not popery then a humane religion ? the very words of smith bishop of chalcedon , the chiefest of the english popish clergy , are these , survey c. 5. to us it sufficeth that the bishop of rome is st. peters successor , and this all the fathers testifie , and all the catholick church believeth , but whether it be jure divino , or humano , is no point of faith . ] and how do their laicks here know what is a point of faith , but by the testimony of their priests ? he is the true catholick christian that hath but one , even the christian religion : and this is the case of the protestants , who casting off the additions of popery , adhere to the primitive simplicity & unity : if papists , or any others , corrupt this religion with humane additions and innovations , the great danger of these corruptions , is , lest they draw them from the sound belief and serious practice , of that antient christianity which we are all agreed in : and ( among papists , or any other sect ) where their corruptions do not thus corrupt their faith and practice in the true essentials , it is certain that those corruptions shall not damn them . for he that truly believeth all things that are essential to christianity , and liveth accordingly with serious diligence , hath the promise of salvation : and it is certain that what error that man holdeth , it is either not inconsistent with true christianity , or not practically , but notionally held , and so not inconsistent as held by him : for how can that he inconsistent which actually doth consist with it ? if a papist or any other secta●y do seriously love god , and his brother , and set his heart upon the life to come , and give up himself to the merits and grace of jesus christ , and the sanctification of the holy spirit , to be fitted for that glory , and liveth by faith above the world , and mortifieth the desires of the flesh , and liveth wilfully in no known sin , but presseth after further degrees of holiness , i doubt not of the salvation of that person : no more then of the life of him that hath taken poison but into his mouth and spit it out again , or let down so little as nature and antidotes do expel . but i will not therefore plead for poison , nor take it , because men may live that thus take it . having answered this great question reader , i am now come up to the subject of my following discourse , and to tell thee that though it be a great question whether serious diligence in a corrupt religion will save a man , it is past all question , and agreed on by all sides , that no religion will save a man that is not serious , sincere and diligent in it . if thou be of the truest religion in the world , and art not true thy self to that religion , the religion is good , but it is none of thine . objectively thou art of a true and good religion , the things in themselves are true and good ; but subjectively , thou art sincerely of no religion at all ; for if thou art not serious , hearty and diligent in it , it is certain that thou dost not truly entertain it , and make it thine ; but it is thy books that have the true religion , or thy tongue or fantasie , or brain , but not thy heart , and the best meat on thy table , or that goeth no further then thy mouth , will never feed thee , or preserve thy life . so certain is the salvation of every holy mortified christian , and so certain the damnation of every ungodly , worldly , fleshly sensualist that i had a thousand fold rather have my soul in the case of a godly anabaptist , yea or a monk or fryar among the papists that liveth a truly heavenly life , in the love of god and man , and in a serious diligent obedience to god according to his knowledge , then in the case of a protestant , or whomsoever you can imagine to be rightest in his opinions , that is worldly , and sensual , and a stranger ( if not an enemy ) to the power and serious practice of his own profest religion , and void of a holy and heavenly heart and life . if ever such a man be saved , the principles of all religion do deceive us . and certainly such mens hypocrisie doth aggravate their sin , and will encrease their misery . so many as there be in the world , that profess themselves christians , and yet are not serious and diligent in their religion , but are ungodly neglecters or enemies of a holy life , so many hypocrites are in the world . and i wonder that their consciences call them not hypocrites , when they stand up at the creed , or profess themselves believers : though the congregation seeth not [ hypocrite ] written in their foreheads , god seeth i● written on their hearts , and those that converse● with them may see it written in their lives . and yet these men are the forwardest to cry out against hypocrites : the devil hath taught it them to stop the suspition and the chase of conscience , as he hath taught the greatest schismaticks or church-dividers the papists ) to cry out most against schism and division , and pretend to unity . but these shifts do blind none but fools , and forsaken consciences ; and the cheat that is now detected by the wife , will quickly by god be detected before all the world . till then l●t them make merry in their deceits : who would envy the drunkard the pleasure of an hours swinish sick delight ? this is their portion , and this is their time : as we have chosen and covenanted for another portion , we are content to stay the time assigned , till god shall tell them & all the world , who was sincere & who the hypocrite . for our parts , we believe that he is most or least sincere , that is most or least serious in the practice of his own profest religion . for my part , i must profess that ( by the mercy of god ) i have made it the work of many a year , to look about me and think wherein the felicity of man doth indeed consist : and i have long been past doubt ( as much as i am that i am a man ) that it is not in transitory sensual delights ; and that these are such lean and dry commodities , and pittiful pleasures , leaving men so speedily in a forlorn state , that i am contented that my greatest enemy have my part of them . i have renounced them to god ( as any part of my felicity ) and i renounce them to men : let them do with me about these things as god will give them leave . i will have a portion after death , or i●e have none . and the case is so palpable , that it is my admiration that the contrary deceit is consistant with the nature and reason of a man ; and that so many gentlemen and scholars and persons of an ingenuous education , can no better distinguish , and can possibly conquer their reason so easily with the presence or sensual delights , and so easily make nothing of that which will be to morrow and for ever , meerly because it is not to day . well . i must say the wisdom and justice of god is abundantly seen in the government of the world with the liberty of the will , and determining that all men should speed as they choose . it may be the reader will say , be expected that instead of writing such popular discourses , i should have vindicated my self against the accusations , that in multitudes of libels and pamphlets are scattered abroad against me . but doth he think that man is seriously a christian that is not more zealous for god and religion , and the souls of men , then for himself ? have i nothing else to do with my time & labour , but plead cause of my own which god will so speedily and effectually plead ? will it not be time enough to be justified at the bar and day of god ? i am content that they carry it as they desire till then ( were it not more for their own and other mens sakes then mine ) am i like to forsake my life & all for christ , & endure torments if i were called to it , if i cannot endure to be reviled and slandered by passionate men ? was it for nothing that our lord would not answer for himself when he was accused before pilate ? shall they be able to calumniate under the threatnings of the revenge of heaven ? and shall i not be able to be silent under such a promise , as mat. 5. 10 , 11 , 12. the servant of the lord must not strive ! our lord gave us an example of not reviling again , when he was reviled : he made himself of no reputation , but endured the cross and contradiction of sinners , despising the shame . i confess i think when gods interest , and the good of others doth require it , a man should not be wanting to his own defence , and i have long ago written that which will satisfie the impartial : but when i saw that it is like to tend to heats , and set more on work , i had rather let men call me all the names they can devise , and voluminously accuse me of any thing that malice shall suggest , then do any thing to foment contentions in the church . but if god convince me that it is my duty to detect the calumnies of man , it is a work soon done . but what good will it do the world for me to open the numerous untruths , that other men have published , or to confute every script ; when all that i converse with are satisfied already , and believe not the reproaches ; and all the evidence in the world will not satisfied those that will not read it , or are resolved by their malice or interest never to be satisfied ? for my part , i doubt not but god and their consciences will give them such a confutation as shall be sufficient to them and me to end the controversie . my work is to plead the cause of god and holiness against the profane and sensual world , and no further to plead any cause of my own , then is necessary to that . if i must bear the effects of mens displeasure , i had an hundred times rather it were for pleading for holiness , and love , and peace , and concord , against impiety , uncharitableness , and divisions , then for defending my self , or upon the account of ceremonies or smaller matters . and if for these i bear it , i doubt not of more comfort at the present , much less do i doubt of a better issue then false accusers can expect . we shall be shortly upon even ground : the time is short : the pleasures of sin , the triumphs of malice , the sufferings of innocency , are but for a moment . i envy them not so short and dark day : the judge is at the door that will judge all again , and set all strait , and judge in righteousness . when i am afraid of leaving a noisom and unrighteous world , and ending all my pain and trouble , and being beyond the reach of malice , then i will fear what man can do . let them keep me out of heaven , or deprive me of my peace and comfort if they can : if they fear not the threatnings of god against the malicious and unjust ; surely i have less reason to fear their threatnings . when they have done their worst to others , let them save themselves from death if they can : i am devoted to god , and i never yet found cause to repent it : i am resolved to use the utmost of my power for the interest of holiness , charity and peace , and for loyalty to the king , and obedience or patient submission to superiors : and if yet i bear the fruits of fury , let those that insult over sufferers , as if they were therefore guilty or miserable , remember that we could have avoided it if we would , and could have found the way of applause and prosperity as well as they ; and that no man takes that for his misery which he chooseth ! if this kind of preaching or writing offend , could not i have avoided it ? i am not in love with sufferings from men , nor will i escape them at the rates of gods displeasure . i never think my self in the highest form of christians , till i am more conform to the sufferings of christ , and have endured more then yet i have . it is the christians old apology in tertullian : quasi non totum quod in nos potestis nostrum si arbitrium certe si velim christianus sum tunc ergo me damnabis : si damnari velim : quum vero quod in me potes , nisi velim non potes jam meae voluntatis est quod potes , non tuae potestatis : proinde & vulgus vane de nostra vexatione gaudet . proinde & nostrum est gaudium quod sibi vendicant , qui malumus damnari quam a deo excidere . contra , illi qui nos oderunt , dolere non gaudere debebant , consecutis nobis quod eligimus . ] tert. apologet. cap. 39. that is , as if all that you can do against us were not our own choice ! ( or will ) certainly it is because i will that i am a christian , therefore if i will be condemned , then thou wilt condemn me . and when that which thou canst do against me , thou canst not do , unless i will ; it is not now from thy power that thou canst do it , but from my will : and therefore the vulgar do in vain rejoyce at our vexation . and therefore it is our joy , which they challenge to themselves , while we had rather be condemned then fall from god. on the contrary they that hate us should grieve and not rejoyce while we attain but what we choose . for my part , if the world will needs be mad , i think both the laughing and the weeping philosopher are more excusable then he that would be over-angry at them , or over-busie in disputing with them ; saith seneca [ quare fers aegri rabiem & phrenetici verba ? nempe quia videntur nescere quid faciunt . quid interest quo quisque , vitio fiat imprudens ? sen. de ira. l. 3. c. 26. anger and phrensie are but several wayes of a mans losing his wit ; and therefore he that can bear with one , should somewhat bear with the other : ( though indeed voluntariness , or involuntariness maketh a great difference . ) it is not worth a man's time and labour and cost to be over solicitous in his own vindication , let the world say of him what they please . [ multum temporis ultio absumit . multis se injuriis objicit , dum unam dolet . diutius irascimur omnes quam laedimur . ] sen. de ira. l. 3. c. 27. revenge takes up a deal of time : he that complaineth of one injury , objects himself to many . we are all angry longer th●n we a●e hurt . i have truly given you now the reasons , why i rather choose to speak these common necessary things , against the devils party , the ungodly , the enemies , or neglecters of serious holiness , ( agreeable to the subject of his majesties christian and excellent declaration against debauchery at his entrance upon his royal goverment ) then to meddle with any of the contending parties of these times ( who are so angry because in obedience to authority i once endeavoured to reconcile them ) or to be unseasonable in pleading any cause that is my own . and now referring the reader to this short discourse , i must first desire that he misunderstand me not in one or two passages . 1. that my citation of the passage in the homiles , be not taken as if i spoke a word against it , though i say , i dare not my self subscribe it : for though i think my self , that seeing a persecutor like saul may repent , and be pardoned ; a mocker at godliness may repent and be forgiven also : yet i am resolved still to suspect my own understanding , rather then to speak against the doctrine of the church . 2. think it not strange that i reprehend even ministers that are secret , or open opposers of a holy diligence : for our foresaid homily telleth us , as followeth : hom. for inform , &c , part 2. p. 150 , 251. [ examples of such scorners , we read in 2 chron. when the good king hezekiah in the beginning of his reign had destroyed idolatry , purged the temple , and reformed religion in his realm , he sent messengers into every city to gather the people to jerusalem to solemnize the feast of easter in such sort as god hath appointed . the posts went from city to city — and what did the people think ye ? did they laud and praise the name of the lord that had given them so so good a king , so zealous a prince to abolish idolatry , and to restore again gods true religion ? no , no ; the scripture saith , the people laughed them to scorn , and mocked the kings messengers . and in the last chap. of the same book it is written , that almighty god having compassion on his people sent his messengers the prophets to them , to call them from their abominable idolatry and wicked kind of living : but they mocked his messengers , they despised his words , and misused his prophets , until the wrath of the lord arose against his people , and till there was no remedy . ] — the wicked people that were in the dayes of noah made but a mock at the word of god , when noah told them that god would take vengeance on them for their sins — lot preached to the sodomites , that except they repented , both they and their city should be destroyed ; they thought his sayings impossible to be true ; they scorned and mocked his admonitions , and reputed him as an old doting fool : but god — burnt up those scorners and mockers of his holy word . and what estimation had christs doctrine among the scribes and pharisees ? what reward had he among them ? — the pharisees ? which were covetous , did scorn him in his doctrine . o then you see that worldly rich men do scorn the doctrine of their salvation ; the worldly wise men scorn the doctrine of christ as foolishness to their understandings . these scorners have ever been , and ever shall be to the worlds end . for st ▪ peter prophesied , that such scorners should be in the end before the latter day . take heed therefore my brethren , take heed : be ye not scorners of gods most holy word : provoke him not to pour out his wrath upon you , as he did upon those gibers and mockers : be not wilful murderers of your own souls . ] thus far the homily . and no marvel if priests may be guilty as well as people , if it be true that is said by the church in hom. 3. against peril of idolatry , p. 56 , 57. [ but a true preacher to stay this mischief , is in very many places scarcely heard once in the whole year , and somewhere not once in seven year , as is evident to be proved . further it appeareth not by any story of credit , that true and sincere preaching hath endured in any one place above an hundred years . ] but it is evident that images , superstition , and worshipping of images , and idolatry have continued many hundred years . — for preaching of gods word ( most sincere in the beginning ) by process of time waxed less and less pure , and after corrupt , and last of all altogether laid down and left off , and other inventions of men crept in place of it . — so that laity and clergy , learned and unlearned , all ages , sects , and degrees of men , women and children of all christendom ( a most horrible and dreadfull thing to think ) have been at once drowned in abomi●able idolatry , of all other vices most detested of god , and most damnable to man , and that by the space of eight hundred years . so far the church of england . and though i am far from crediting the many fabulous stories in that and such other books ; yet i shall recite one instance in the life of philip nerius , the father of the oratorians , which shall shew you , that even among the papists , holy serious diligence where it is , hath the same usage from the prophane both clergy and laity , as in other places , and so that every where holiness is persecuted by men , professing the same religion with those they persecute . the meetings of the oratorians , and their exercises , so like those now abhorr'd by many , are by baronius ( that was one of them ) thus described , as you may see in the life of nerius , p. 45. certainly by the divine wisdom was it brought to pass , that in our times — assemblies were instituted in the city , much what after the form of those apostolical conventions , such especially as by the apostle were oppointed for discoursing of divine matters , both for edifying the hearers , and for propogating the church . it was agreed that the zealous christians should meet a days at st. hieroms oratory , and there a religious meeting should be held after this manner . first , silence being made , they began with prayer , and one of the brothers reads some pious lesson . at the reading of which , the father used to interpose upon occasion , explaining more fully , enlarging and vehemently inculcating on the minds of the auditors , the things read , continuing his discourse sometime a whole hour ( to the great satisfaction of the hearers ) dialogue-wise , asking some of the company their opinions about such a thing . afterward by his appointment , one of them went up into the desk , raised upon steps , and made an oration without flourishes , or varnish of language , composed out of the approved and choice lives of saints , sacred writ , and sentences of holy fathers . he that succeeded him , discoursed after the same manner , but on a differing matter . then followed the third , who related some part of the church story in the order of its several ages . every of these had his half hour allotted him , and performed all with marvellous delight and approbation : then singing some hymn , and going to prayers again , the company broke up . all things thus ordered , and ratified by the pope , as far as the times would suffer , the beautiful face of the primitive apostolical assembling , seemed to be revived again , whereat all good men rejoycing , and many taking their model from them , the like exercises of piety were set up and practised in other places . ] so far baronius . if any say that this long and zealous exercise was not in private houses ; i answer , allow us an oratory , as the pope himself allowed them , and we had rather far be there then in private houses : but if any that hinder such from being publick , shall then reproach it for being in a less publick place , they scarce play fair . the church of england , in the third part of the serm. against the peril of idolatry , p. 66 , 67. saith . in maximinian and constantius the emperours proclamation , the places where christians resorted to publick prayer , were called conventicles . ] see further . but how were the oratorians esteemed and used ? in chap. 16. of nerius's persecutions , after the mention of mens rancor and railing that maligned him , it follows , p. 56. that the prelate that was deputy of the city , moved by the reports of them that bore a spleen to philip , sent for him , and reprehended him sharply : is it not a shame ( saith he ) that you who profess a contempt of the world , should hunt for popular applause , and walk through the city guarded with troops , with such nets as these , fishing for church-preferments ? ] when having shrewdly taunted him with such like expressions , he prohibits him the hearing of confessions for fifteen dayes , and to use the customes of the oratory , but by leave first obtained , or to lead about with him any companies of men , threatning imprisonment upon his disobedience : neither would he let him depart , till he put in security for his appearance , saying — come , you do all this , not for the glory of god , but to make a party for your self . — mean time , while the good man was commending himself to god , having intreated divers religious persons to be instant in prayer about this business , one appeareth and saith — this trouble shall be quickly over , and the work that is begun be more strongly oonfirmed ; they who resist now , shall assist hereafter ; and if any one shall dare to oppose it any longer , god shall speedily avenge it on him ; the prelate , that is your chiefest adversary , shall certainly dye with 15. dayes . ] and it fell out precisely as he foretold : for the prelate ( the popes deputy ) relating the proceedings to his holiness somewhat partially , died suddenly . — no sooner was this blaze of persecution out , but a much fiercer was kindled against the order : for under pretext of piety and religion , some possessed the pope that the preachers of st. hieroms many times delivered things ridiculous and unsound , which argued high indiscretion or ignorance , and must needs endanger their hearers . ] i would not have troubled you with any of these citations , but to let those know that are offended at my reproof of impious ministers , that in all places and parties in the world where there is any serious diligence for salvation , there are alwayes enemies of the same profession , even among the clergy as well as others . the hindering of holy diligence and seriousness , is the work of the devil and his instruments in the world . the promoting it is the work of christ , and of his servants . the great actions of the world are but the conflictings of these two armies , the salvation of the conquerors , and the damnation of the conquered being the end . by this contending for faith and holiness , and bearing the cross , i take my self bound to perform my covenant of [ professing the faith of christ crucified , and manfully fighting under his banner against the devil , the world and the flesh , to my lives end . ] reader , thou art engaged to the like as well as i , and shalt be judged accordingly , and reap as thou hast sowed . choose and do as thou wilt speed . eccles . 9. 10. whatsoever thy hand findeth to do , do it with thy might : for there is no work , nor device , nor knowledge , nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest . the mortality of man being the principal subject of solomon in this chapter , and observing that wisdom and piety exempt not men from death , he first hence infers , that gods love or hatred to one man above another , is not to be gathered by his dealing with them here , where all things in the common course of providence do come alike to all . the common sin hath introduced death as a common punishment , which levelleth all , & endeth all the contrivances , businesses and enjoyments of this life , to good and bad ; and the discriminating justice is not ordinarily manifested here : an epicure or infidel would think solomon were here pleading their unmanly impious cause : but it is not the cessation of the life , or operations , or enjoyments of the soul that he is speaking of , as if there were no life to come , or the soul of man were not immortal ; but it is the cessation of all the actions , and honors , and pleasures of this life , which to good or bad shall be no more . here they have no more reward , the memory of them will be here forgotten . they have no more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun , vers . 5 , 6. from hence he further inferreth , that the comforts of life are but short and transitory , and therefore that what the creature can afford , must be presently taken ; and as the wicked shall have no more but present pleasures , so the faithful may take their lawful comforts in the present moderate use of creatures ; for if their delightful goodness be of right and use to any , it is to them ; and therefore , though they may not use them to their hurt , to the pampering of their flesh , and strengthening their lusts , and hindering spiritual duties benefits , & salvation ; yet must they serve the lord with joyfulness , & with gladness of heart , for the abundance of all things , which he giveth them , deut. 28. 47. next , he inferreth from the brevity of mans life , the necessity of speed , and diligence in his duty . and this is in the words of my text : where you have 1. the duty commanded . 2. the reason or motive to enforce it . the duty is in the first part ; [ whatsoever thy hand findeth to do ] that is , whatever work is assigned thee by god to do in this thy transitory life [ do it with thy might ] ( that is , 1. speedily , without delay ; 2. diligently , and as well as thou art able ; and not with sloathfulness , or by the halves . ) 2. the motive is in the last part [ for there is no work , nor device , nor knowledg , nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest ] ( that is , it must be now or never : the grave , where thy work cannot be done , will quickly end thy opportunities . ) the caldee paraphrase appropriates the sense too narrowly to works of charity , or alms ; [ whatsoever good and almsgiving thou findest to do ] : and the moving reason they read accordingly [ for nothing but thy works of righteousness and mercy follow thee . ] but the words are more general , & the sense is obvious , contained in these two propositions . doct. 1. the work of this life cannot be done , when this life is ended . or , there is no working in the grave , to which we are all making haste . doct. 2. therefore while we have time , we must do our best : or do the work of this present life with vigour and diligence . it is from an unquestionable and commonly-acknowledged truth , that solomon here urgeth us to diligence in duty ; and therefore to prove it would be but loss of time . as there are two worlds for man to live in and so two lives for man to live ; so each of these lives hath its peculiar employment . this is the life of preparation : the next is the life of our reward or punishment : we are now but in the womb of eternity , and must live hereafter in the open world . we are now but set to school to learn the work that we must do for ever : this is the time of our apprentiship : we are learning the trade that we must live upon in heaven . we run now , that we may then receive the crown : we fight now , that we may then triumph in victory . the grave hath no work : but heaven hath work , and hell hath suffering . there is no repentance unto life hereafter : but there is repentance unto torment , and to desperation . there is no believing of a happiness unseen in order to the obtaining of it : or of a misery unseen in order to the escaping of it ; nor believing in a saviour in order to these ends : but there is the fruition of the happiness which was here believed ; & feeling of the misery that men would not believe ; and suffering from him as a righteous judge , whom they rejected as a merciful saviour . so that it is not all work that ceaseth at our death : but only the work of this present life . and indeed no reason can shew us the least probability of doing our work when our time is done that was given us to do it in . if it can be done , it must be , 1. by the recalling of our time ; 2. by the return of life ; 3. or by opportunity in another life : but there is no hope of any of these . 1. who knoweth not that time cannot be recalled ? that which once was , will be no more . yesterday will never come again . to day is passing , and will not return . you may work while it is day : but when you have lost that day , it will not return for you to work in . while your candle burneth , you may make use of its light : but when it is done , it is too late to use it . no force of medicine , no orators elegant perswasions , no worldlings wealth , no princes power , can call back one day or hour of time . if they could , what endeavours would there be used , when extremity hath taught them to value what they now despise ? what chaffering would there be at last , if time could be purchased , for any thing that man can give . then misers would bring out their wealth , and say , all this will i give for one days time of repentance more : and lords and knights would lay down their honours , and say , take all , and let us be the basest beggars , if we may but have one year of the time that we mispent ! then kings would lay down their crowns , and say , let us be equal with the lowest subjects , so we may but have the time again that we wasted in the cares and pleasures of the world . kingdoms would then seem a contemptible price for the recovery of time. the time that is now idled & talkt away : the time that is now feasted and complemented away , that is unnecessarily sported & slept away ; that is wickedly & presumptuously sin'd away ; how precious will it one day seem to all ? how happy a bargain would they think that they had made , if at the dearest rates they could redeem it ? the prophanest mariner fals a praying , when he fears his time is at an end . if importunity would then prevail , how earnestly would they pray for the recovery of time , that formerly derided praying , or minded it not , or could not have while , or mocked god with lip-service , and customary forms , & feigned words instead of praying ? what a liturgy would death teach the trifling time despising gallants , the idle , busie , dreaming-active , ambitious , covetous lovers of this world , if time could be intreated to return ! how passionately then would they roar out their requests ! [ o that we might once see the dayes of hopes , and means , and mercy , which once we saw , and would not see ! o that we had those dayes to spend in penitential tears and prayers , and holy preparations for an endless life , which we spent at cards , in needless recreations , in idle talk , in humouring others , in the pleasing of our flesh , or in the inordinate cares and businesses of the world ! o that our youthful vigour might return ! that our years might be renewed ! that the dayes we spent in vanity might be recalled ! that ministers might again be sent to us publickly and privately , with the message of grace which we once made light of ! that the sun would once more shine upon us ! and patience & mercy would once more re-assume their work ! ] if cries or tears , or price or pains , would bring back lost-abused time , how happy were the now-distracted , dreaming , dead-hearted , and impenitent world ! if it would then serve their turn to say to the vigilant believers [ give us of your oyl , for our lamps are gone out ] or to cry [ lord , lord , open to us ] when the door is shut , the foolish would be saved as well as the wise . mat. 25. 8 , 10 , 11. but this is the day of salvation ! this is the accepted time , 2 cor. 6. 2. while it is called to day , hearken , and harden not your hearts , psal . 95. 8. awake thou that sleepest , and stand up from thy sloathful wilful death , and use the light that 's afforded thee by christ , ephes . 5. 14. or else the everlasting utter darkness will shortly end thy time and hope . 2. and as time can never be recalled , so life shall never be here restored : job 14. 14. [ if a man die , shall he live ( here ) again ? all the dayes of our appointed time we must therefore wait ( in faith and diligence ) till our change shall come ] one life is appointed us on earth , to dispatch the work that our everlasting life dependeth on : and we shall have but one. lose that and all is lost for ever : yet you may hear , and read , and learn , and pray : but when this life is ended , it shall be so no more . you shall rise from the dead indeed to judgement , and to the life that now you are preparing for , but never to such a life as this on earth : your life is as the fighting of a battel , that must be won or lost at once . there is no coming hither again to mend what is done amiss . oversights must be presently corrected by repentance , or else they are everlastingly past remedy . now if you be not truly converted , you may be : if you find that you are carnal & miserable , you may be healed : if you are unpardoned , you may be pardoned : if you are enemies , you may be reconciled to god : but when once the thread of life is cut , your opportunities are at an end . now you may enquire of your friends and teachers , what a poor soul must do that he may be saved , and you may receive particular instructions and exhortations , and god may bless them to the illuminating , renewing and saving of your souls : but when life is past , it will be so no more . o then , if desperate souls might but return , and once more be tryed with the means of life , what joyful tidings would it be ! how welcome would the messenger be that bringeth it ! had hell but such an offer as this , and would any cryes procure it from their righteous judge , o what a change would be among them ! how importunately would they cry to god , [ o send us once again unto the earth ? once more let us see the face of mercy , and hear the tenders of christ & of salvation ? once more let the ministers offer us their helps , and teach us in season and out of season , in publick and in private , and we will refuse their help and exhortation no more , we will hate them , and drive them away from our houses & towns no more : once more let us have thy word and ordinances , and try whether we will not believe them , and use them better then we did : once more let us have the help and company of thy saints , and we will scorn them , and abuse them , and persecute them no more . o for the great unvaluable mercy of such a life as once we had ! o try us once more with such a life , and see whether we will not contemn the world , and cloze with christ , and live as strictly , and pray as earnestly , as those that we hated and abused for so doing : o that we might once more be admitted into the holy assemblies , and have the lords days to spend in the business of our salvation ! we would plead no more against the power & purity of the ordinances ; we would no more call that day a burden , nor hate them that spent it in works of holiness , nor plead for the liberty of the flesh therein . i makes my heart even shake within me , to think with what cries those damned souls would strive with god , and how they would roar out [ o try us once again , ] if they had but the least encouragement of hope ! but it will not be , it must not be ! they had their day , and would not know it : they cannot lose their time , and have it . they had faithful guides , and would not follow them : teachers they had , but would not learn. the dust of their feet must witness against them , because their entertained obeyed message , cannot witness for them . long did christ wait with the patient tenders of his blood and spirit ; his grace was long and earnestly offered , but could not be regarded and received : and they cannot finally refuse a christ , and yet have a christ ; or refuse his mercy , and yet be saved by it . he that would have lazarus sent from the dead , to warn his unbelieving brethren on earth , no doubt would have strongly purposed himself on a reformation , if he might once more have been tried : and how earnestly would he have beg'd for such a trial , that beg'd so hard for a drop of water ? luk. 16. 24 , 27 , 28. but alas , such mouths must be stopt for ever with a [ remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things ] vers . 25. so that it is appointed for all men once to dye , and after that the judgement , heb. 9. 27. but there 's no return to earth again : the places of your abode , imployment and delight , shall know you no more . you must see these faces of your friends , and converse in flesh with men no more ! this world , these houses , that wealth and honour , as to any fruition , must be to you as if you had never known them . you must assemble here but a little while ! yet a little longer , and we must preach , and you must hear it no more for ever . that therefore which you will do , must presently be done , or it will be too late . if ever you will repent and believe , it must be now. if ever you will be converted and sanctified it must be now. if ever you will be pardoned & reconciled to god , it must be now. if ever you will reign , it s now that you must fight and conquer . o that you were wise , that you understood this , and that you would consider your latter end , deut. 32. 29. and that you would let those words sink down into your hearts , which came from the heart of the redeemer , as was witnessed by his tears , luke 19. 41 , 42. [ if thou hadst known , even thou , at least in this thy day , the things which belong unto thy peace . but now they are hidden from thine eyes . ] and that these warnings may not be the less regarded , because you have so often heard them , when often hearing increaseth your obligation , and diminisheth not the truth , or your danger . 3. and as there is no return to earth , so is there no doing this work hereafter . heaven and hell are for other work . if the infant be dead born , the open world will not revive him ; that which is generated , and born a beast , or serpent , will not by all the influences of the heavens , or all the powers of sun or earth , become a man. the second and third concoxion presuppose the first ; the harvest doth presuppose the seed time , & the labour of the husbandman . it s now that you must sow , and hereafter that you must reap . it s now that you must work , and then that you must receive your wages . is this believed and considered by the sleepy world ? alas sirs , do you live as men that must live here no more ? do your work as men that must work no more , and pray as men that must pray no more , when once the time of work is ended ? what thinkest thou , poor besotted sinner ! will god command the sun to stand still , while thou rebellest or forgettest thy work and him ? dost thou look he should pervert the course of nature , & continue the spring and seed-time till thou hast a mind to sow ? or that he will return the dead-born or mis-shapen infant into the womb , that it may be better formed or quickned ? will he renew thy age , and make the young again , and call back the hours that thou prodigally wastedst on thy lusts and idleness ? canst thou look for this at the hand of god , when nature and scripture assure thee of the contrary ? if not , why hast thou not yet done with thy beloved sins ? why hast thou not yet begun to live ? why sittest thou still , while thy soul is un-renewed ? and all thy preparation for death and judgement is yet to make ? how fain would satan find thee thus at death ? how fain would he have leave to blow out thy candle , before thou hast entred in●● the way of life ? dost thou look to have preachers sent after thee , to bring thee the mercy which thy contempt here left behind ? wilt thou hear and be converted in the grave and hell ? or wilt thou be saved without holiness ? that is , in despight of god that hath resolved . it shall not be . o ye sons of sleep , of death , of darkness , awake , and live , and hear the lord , before the grave and hell have shut their mouths upon you ! hear now , least hearing be too late ! hear now , if you will ever hear . hear now , if you have ears to hear ! and o ye sons of light , that see what sleeping sinners see not , call to them , and ring them such a peal of lamentations , tears and compassionate intreaties , as is suited to such a dead and doleful state ; who knows but god may bless it to awake them ? if any of you be so far awakened , as to ask me what i am calling you to do ; my text tells you in general , up and be doing : look about you , and see what you have to do , and do it with your might . 1. [ whatsoever thy hand findeth to do ] that is , whatsoever is a duty imposed by the lord , whatsoever is a means conducing to thy own or others welfare ; whatsoever necessity calleth thee to do , and opportunity alloweth thee to do . [ thy hand findeth ] that is , thy executive powers by the conduct of thy understanding , is now to do . [ do it with thy might : do thy best in it . 1. trifle not , but do it presently , without unnecessary delay . 2. do it resolutely : remain not doubtful , unresolved , in suspense , as if it were yet a question with thee whether thou shouldest do it , or not . 3. do it with thy most awakned affections , and serious intention of the powers of thy soul . sleepiness and insensibility are most unsuitable to such works . it is a peculiar people zealous of good works , that christ hath purchased to himself , tit. 2. 14. 4. do it with all necessary forecast and contrivance : not with a distracting , hindering care ; but with such a care as may shew that you despise not your master , and are not regardless of his work : and with such a care as is suited to the difficulties & nature of the thing , and as is necessary to the due accomplishment . 5. do it not sloathfully , but vigorously and with diligence . stick not at thy labour : lest thou hear [ thou wicked and sloathful servant , mat. 25. 26. hide not thy hand in thy bosom with the sloathful , & say not , there is a lion in the way , prov. 26. 13 , 14. the negligent and the vicious , the waster and the sloathful , differ but as one brother from another , prov. 18. 9. as the self-murder of the wilfully ungodly , so also the desire of the sloathful killeth him , because his hands refuse to labour , prov. 21. 25. the soul of the sluggard desireth , & hath nothing ; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat , prov. 13 4. be not sloathful in business , but be fervent in spirit , serving the lord , rom. 12. 11. 6. do it with constancy , & not with destructive pawses and intermissions , or with weariness and turning back . the righteous shall hold on his way , and he that is of clean hands shall be stronger and stronger , job 17. 9. be stedfast , unmovable , alwayes abounding in the work of the lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the lord , 1 cor. 15. 58. be not weary of well-doing : for in due season we shall reap , if we faint not , gal. 6. 9. these six particulars are necessary , if you will observe serve the precept in my text. but that misunderstanding hinder not the performance , i shall acquaint you further with the sense , by these few explicatory cautions . 1. the might and diligence here required , excludeth not the necessity of deliberation and prudent conduct . otherwise , the faster ▪ you go , the further you may go out of the way ; and mis-guided zeal may spoil all the work , and make it but an injury to others or your selves . a little imprudence in the season , and order and manner of a duty , sometimes may spoil it , and hinder the success , & make it do more hurt then good . how many a sermon , or prayer , or reproof , is made the matter of derision , and contempt , for some imprudent passages or deportment ? god sendeth not his servants to be jesters of the world , or to play the mad-men , as david in his fears : we must be wise and innocent , as well as resolute and valiant : though fleshly and worldly wisdom be not desirable , as being but foolishness with god ; yet the wisdom which is from above , & is first pure , and then peaceable , and is acquainted with the high and hidden mysteries , and is justified of her children , must be the guide of all our holy actions . holiness is not blind : illumination is the first part of sanctification . believers are children of the light . nothing requireth so much wisdom as the matters of god , and of our salvation . folly is most unsuitable to such excellent imployments , and most unbeseeming the sons of the most high. it is a spirit of wisdom that animateth all the saints , 1 cor. 3. 19. & 2. 6 , 7. ephes . 1. 8 , 17. col. 3. 16. it is the treasures of wisdom that dwell in christ , & are communicated to his members , col. 2. 3. we must walk in wisdom toward them that are without , col. 4. 5. and our works must be shewn out of a good conversation , with meekness of wisdom , jam. 3. 13. yet i must needs say , that its more in great things then in small , in the substance then the circumstances ; in a sound judgement and estimate of things , and suitable choire & prosecution , then in fine expressions , or deportment answering proud mens expectations . 2. though you must work with your might , yet with a diversity agreeable to the quality of your several works . some works must be preferred before others : all cannot be done at once . that 's a sin out of season , which in season is a duty . the greatest , & the most urgent work must be preferred . and some works must be done with double fervour & resolution , and some with less . buying , and selling , and marrying , and possessing , and using the world , must be done with a fear of over-doing , and in a sort as if we did them not , though they also must have a necessary diligence , 1 cor. 7. 29 , 30 , 31. gods kingdom and its righteousness must be first sought , mat. 6. 33. and our labour for the meat that perisheth , must be comparatively as none , john 6. 27. 3. lastly , it is not an irregular , nor a self-disturbing , vexatious violence that is required of us : but a sweet well-setled resolution , and a delightful expeditious diligence , that makes the wheels go merrily on , and the more easily get over those rubs and difficulties , that clog and stop a sloathful soul . and now will you lend me the assistance of your consciences , for the transcribing of this command of god upon your hearts , and taking out a copy of this order , for the regulating of your lives ? [ whatsoever ] is not a word so comprehensive as to include any vanity or sin ; but so comprehensive as to include all your duty . 1. ( to begin with the lowest ; ) the very works of your bodily callings , must have diligence . in the sweat of your brows you must eat your bread , gen. 3. 19. six dayes shalt thou labour , and do all that thou hast to do , exod. 20. 9. he that will not work , let him not eat , 2 thess . 3. 10. disorderly walkers , busie-bodies , that wil not work with quietness , and eat their own bread , are to be avoided & shamed by the church , 2 thess . 3. 6 , 11 , 12 , 14. lazy servants are unfaithful to men , and disobedient to god , who commandeth them to obey their masters according to the flesh ( unbelieving , ungodly masters ) in all things ( that concerns their service ) and that not with eye-service as man-pleasers , but in singleness of heart , and in the fear of god , doing what soever they do as to the lord , and not unto men ; knowing th●● of the lord ( even for this ) they shall receive the reward of the inheritance , col. 3. 22 , 23 , 24. but he that doth wrong ( by sloathfulness , or unfaithfulness ) shall receive for the wrong which he hath done , vers . 25. success is gods ordinary temporal reward of diligence , prov. 10. 4 & 12. 24 , 27. and diseases , poverty , shame , disappointment , or self-tormenting melancholy , are his usual punishments of sloath . hard labour redeemeth time : you will have the more to lay out on greater works : the sloathful is still behind hand , & therefore must leave much of his work undone . 2. are you parents or governours of families ! you have work to do for god , and for your childrens and servants souls : do it with your might : deal wisely , but seriously & frequently with them about their sin , their duty , and their hopes of heaven ; tell them whither they are going , and which way they must go : make them understand that they have a higher father and master that must be first serve , and greater work to do then yours . waken them from their natural insensibility and sloath : turn not all your family duties into lifeless customary form ( whether extemporate , or by rote ) speak about god , & heaven , and hell , and holiness , with that seriousness as beseems men that believe what they say , and would have those they speak to , to believe it . talk not either drowsily , or lightly , or jeastingly of such dreadful , or joyful , unexpressible things . remember , that your families and you , are going to the grave , and to the world where there is no more room for your exhortations . there is no catechising , examining ; or serious instructing them in the grave whither they and you are going . it must be now or never : and therefore do it with your might . the words of god must be in your hearts , and you must diligently teach them to your children , talking of them when you sit in your houses , when you walk by the way , when you lie down , and when you rise up , deut. 6. 6 , 7 , 8. & 11. 18 , 19 , 20. 3. have you ignorant or ungodly neighbors , whose misery calls for your compassion , and relief ? speak to them and help them with prudent diligence . lose not your opportunities : stay not till death hath stopt your mouths , or stopt their ears . stay not till they are out of hearing , and taken from your converse . stay not till they are in hell , before you warn them of it , or till heaven be lost , before you have seriously called to them to remember it . go to their houses : take all opportunities : stoop to their infirmities : bear with unthankful frowardness : it is for mens salvation . remember there is no place for your instructions or exhortations in the grave or hell. your dust cannot speak , and their dust cannot hear : up therefore and be doing with all your might . 4. hath god intrsusted you with the riches of this world ; with many talents or with few , by which he looketh you should relieve the needy , and especially should promote those works of piety which are the greatest charity ? give ( prudently , but willingly and liberally ) while you have to give . it is your gain : the time of market for your souls : and of laying up a treasure in heaven ; and setting your money to the most gainful usury ▪ and of making you friends of the mammon of unrighteousness ; & furthering your salvation , by that which hindereth other mens , & occasioneth their perdition . [ as you have opportunity , do good to all men , but especially to them of the houshold of faith ] gal. 6. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 12. [ cast thy bread upon the waters ; for thou shalt find it after many dayes . give a portion to seven and to eight ; for thou knowest not what evil may be upon the earth ] eccles . 11. 1 , 2. [ in the morning sow thy seed , and in the evening withhold not thy hand : for thou knowest not whether shall prosper , this or that , or whether they both shall be alike good ] v. 6. [ withhold not good from them to whom it is due , when it is in the power of thy hand to do it : say not to thy neighbour , go , and come again , and to morrow i will give , when thou hast it by thee ] prov. 3. 27 , 28. lay up a foundation for the time to come : do good before thy heart be hardened , thy riches blasted & consumed , thy opportunities taken away ; part with it before it part with thee . remember , it must be now or never : there is no working in the grave . 5. hath god intrusted you with power or interest , by which you may promote his honour in the world , & relieve the oppressed , & restrain the rage of impious malice ? hath he made you governours , and put the sword of justice into your hands ? up then , and be doing with your might . defend the innocent , protect the servants of the lord , cherish them that do well , be a terror to the wicked , encourage the strictest obedience to the universal governor , discountenance the breakers of his laws : look not to be reverenced or obeyed before him , or more carefully then he : openly maintain his truth and worship without fear or shame : deal gently and tenderly with his lambs and little ones : search after vice that you may succesfully suppress it . hate those temptations that would draw you to man-pleasing , temporizing , remisness , or countenancing sin ; but especially those that would ensnare you in a controversie with heaven , & in quarrels against the ways of holiness ; or in that selfconfounding sin of abusing and opposing the people that are most careful to please the lord. your trust is great , & so is your advantage to do good ; and how great will be your account , & how dreadful , if you be unfaithful ? as you signifie more then hundreds or thousands of the meaner sort , and your actions do most good or hurt ; so you must expect to be accordingly dealt with , when you come to the impartial , final judgement . befriend the gospel as the charter of your everlasting priviledges ; own those that christ hath told you he will own . use them as men that are ready to hear , [ inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren , you did it unto me ] mat. 25. know not a wicked person : but let your eyes be on the faithful of the land , that they may dwel therein , and lead a quiet and peaceable life , in all godliness and honesty , psal . 101. 1. tim. 2. 2. [ let those that work the work of the lord , be with you without fear ] 1 cor. 16. 10. remember ▪ that it is the character of a pharisee and hypocrite , to see the mote of the non-observance of a ceremony , or tradition , or smaller matter of difference in religion , in their brothers eye , and not to see the beam of hypocrisie , injustice , and malicious cruel opposition of christ and his disciples , in their own eyes : and that its the brand of them that please not god , that are filling up their sins , on whom gods wrath is coming to the utmost , to persecute the servants of the lord , forbidding them to preach to the people that they might be saved , 1 thess . 2. 15 , 16. learn well the second , and the hundred and first psalm : and write these sentences on your walls and doors , as an antidote against that self-undoing sin : mat. 18. 6. whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me , it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck , and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. ] zach. 2. 8. [ he that toucheth you , toucheth the apple of his eye ] rom. 14. 1 , 2. and 15. 1. [ him that is weak in the faith , receive you but not to doubtful disputations . — for god hath received him ] mat. 10. 40 , 41 , 42. [ he that receiveth you , receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me , receiveth him that sent me . he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man , shall receive a righteous mans reward ; and whoso shall give to drink to one of these little ones , a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple , verily i say unto you , he shall in no wise lose his reward . ] if you love not the godly , love your selves ( so far as to such self-love is possible ) wound not your own hearts , to make their fingers bleed . damn not your souls , ( and that by the surest , nearest way ) that you may hurt their bodies . provoke not god to thrust you from his presence , and deny your suits , by your dealing so with them : stop not your own mouths , when your misery will bespeak your lowdest cryes for mercy by your stopping the mouths of the servants of the lord , and refusing to hear their requests for justice . if you have the serpents enmity against the womans seed , you must expect the serpents doom : your heads will be bruised , when you have bruised their heels , gen. 3. 15. kick not against the pricks , acts 9. let not bryars and thorns set themselves in battel against the lord , lest he go therefore through them , & burn them together , isa . 27. 4. i speak not any of this by way of accusation , or dishonorable reflexion on the magistrate . blessed be god that hath given us the comfort of your defence . but knowing what the tempter aimeth at , and where it is that your danger lieth , & by what means the rulers of the earth have been undone , faithfulness commandeth me to tell you of the snare , and to set before you good & evil , as ever i would escape the guilt of betraying you by flattery , or cruel and cowardly silence . and especially when your magistracy is but annual , or for a short time , it concerneth you to be doing with your might . it is but this year , or short space of time , that you have to do this special service in ; lose this and lose all . by what men on earth should god be eminently served & honoured , if not by magistrates , whom he hath eminently advanced , impowred , and intrusted ? with considerate foresight , seriously ask your selves the question , are you willing to hear , at the day of your accounts , that you had but one year , or a few , to do god special service in , and that you knew this , and yet would not do it ? can your hearts bear it then , to hear and think , that you lost , & wilfully lost such an opportunity ? look about you then , and see what is to be done . are there not ale-houses to be supprest , and drunkards & riotous persons to be restrained ; preaching and piety to be promoted ? do it with your might : for it must be now or never . 6. to come yet a little nearer you , and speak of the work that is yet to be done in your own souls ; are any of you yet in the state of unrenewed nature , born only of the flesh , and not of the spirit , joh. 3. 3 , 5 , 6. minding the things of the flesh , and not the things of the spirit ? rom. 8. 1 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 13. & consequently yet in the power of satan , taken captive by him at his will , act. 26. 18. 2 tim. 2. 26 , 27. vp and be doing , if thou love thy soul . if thou care whether thou be in joy or misery for ever , bewail thy sin and spiritual distress : make out to christ , cry mightily to him for his renewing and reconciling pardoning grace : plead his sactisfaction , his merits & his promises : away with thy rebellion , & thy beloved sin ; deliver up thy soul entirely to christ , to be sanctified , governed and saved by him . make no more demurs about it ; it is not a matter to be questioned , or trifled in . let the earth be acquainted with thy bended knees , and the air with thy complaints and cries , & men with thy confessions and enquiries after the way of life ; and heaven with thy sorrows , desires and resolutions , till thy soul be acquainted with the spirit of christ , ( rom. 8. 9. ) and with the new , the holy and heavenly nature ; and thy heart have received the transcript of gods law , the impress of the gospel , and so the image of thy creator and redeemer . ply this work with all thy might : for there is no conversion , renovation , or repentance unto life in the grace whither thou goest . it must be now , or never . and never saved , if never sanctified , heb. 12. 14. 7. hast thou any prevailing sin to mortifie , that either reigneth in thee , or woundeth thee and keepeth thy soul in darkness and unacquaintedness with god ? assault it resolutely , reject it speedily : abhor the motions of it : turn away from the persons or things that would entice thee . hate the doors of the harlot , and of the alehouse , or the gaming house : and go not as the ox to the slaughter , and as a bird to the fowlers snare , and as a fool to the correction of the stocks , as if thou knewest not that it is for thy life , ] prov. 7. 22 , 23. why thou befooled stupid soul ! wilt thou be tasting of the poysoned cup ? wilt thou be glutting thee with the bait ? hast thou no where to walk or play thee , but at the brink of hell ? must not the flesh be crucified with its affections and lusts ? gal. 5. 24. must it not be tamed and mortified , or thy soul condemned ? rom. 8. 13. 1 cor. 9. 27. run not therefore as at uncertainty : fight not as one that beats the air , ver . 26. seeing this must be done , or thou art undone , delay and dally with sin no longer : let this be the day : resolve , and resist it with thy might : it must be now or never ; when death comes , it is too late . it will be then no reward to leave thy sinne , which thou canst keep no longer : no part of holiness or happiness , that thou art not drunk , or proud , or lustful in the grave or hell . as thou art wise therefore know and take thy time. 8. art thou in a declined lapsed state ? decayed in grace ? hast thou lost thy first desires and love ? do thy first works , and do them with thy might . delay not , but remember from whence thou art fallen , and what thou hast lost by it , and into how sad a case thy folly and negligence hath brought thee : say , i will go and return to my first husband ; for then was it better with me then now , hos . 2. 7. cry out with job 29. 2 , 3. 4 , 5. [ o that i were as in moneths past ! as in the dayes when god preserved me ! when his candle shined upon my head , and when by his light i walked through darkness . as i was in the dayes of my youth , when the secret of god was on my tabernacle , when the almighty was yet with me . — ] return while thou hast day , lest the night surprize thee : loyter and delay no more ; thou hast lost by it already : thou art far behind hand . bestir thee therefore with all thy might . 9. art thou in the darknesse of uncertainty concerning thy conversion , and thy everlasting state ? dost thou not know whether thou be in a state of life or death ? and what should become of thee , if this were the day or hour of thy change ? if thou art careful about it , and enquirest , and usest the means that god hath appointed thee for assurance : i have then no more to say to thee now , but , wait on god , and thou shalt not be disappointed or ashamed ! thou shalt have assurance in due time , or be saved before thou wouldst believe thou should be saved . be patient and obedient , and the light of christ will shine upon thee , and yet thou shalt see the days of peace . but if thou art careless in thy uncertainty , and mindest not so great a business , be awakened and call thy soul to its account ; search and examine thy heart and life : read , and consider , and take advice of faithful guides . canst thou carelesly sleep , and laugh , and sport , and follow thy lesser business as if thy salvation were made sure , when thou knowest not where thou must dwell for ever ? examine your selves whether you be in the faith ; prove your selves ; know ye not your own selves , that christ is in you except you are reprobates ? 2 cor. 13. 5. give all diligence ( in time ) to make your calling and election sure , 2 pet. 1. 10. in the grave and hell there is no making sure of heaven : you are then past enquiries and self-examinations , in order to any recovery or hope . another kind of tryal will finally resolve you . up therefore and diligently ply the work : it must be now or never . 10. in all the duties of thy profession of piety , justice , or charity , to god , thy self , or others , up and be doing with thy might . art thou seeking to inflame thy soul with love to god ? plunge thy self in the ocean of his love ; admire his mercies ; gaze upon the representations of his transcendent goodness ; o taste and see that the lord is gracious ! remember that he must be loved with all thy heart , and soul and might , canst thou pour out thy love upon a creature , and give but a few barren drops to god ? when thou art fearing him , let his fear command thy soul , and conquer all the fear of man. when thou art trusting him , do it without distrust , and cast all thy care and thy self upon him : trust him as a creature should trust his god , and the members of christ should trust their head and dear redeemer . when thou art making mention of his great and dreadful name , o do it with reverence , and awe , and admiration : and take not the name of god in vain . when thou art reading his word , let the majesty of the author , and the greatness of the matter , and the gravity of the stile , possess thee with an obediential fear . love it , and let it be sweeter to thee then the honey-comb , and preciouser then thousands of gold and silver . resolve to do what there thou findest to be the will of god. when thou art praying in secret , or in thy family , do it with thy might : cry mightily to god , as a soul under sin , and wants , and danger , that is stepping into an endless life , should do . let the reverence and the fervour of thy prayers shew that its god himself that thou art speaking to : that its heaven it self that thou art praying for ; hell it self that thou art praying to be saved from . wilt thou be dull and sensless on such an errand to the living god ? remember what lieth upon thy failing or prevailing : and that it must be now or never . art thou a preacher of the gospel , and takest charge of the souls of men ? take heed to thy self and to the whole flock , over which the holy ghost hath made thee an overseer , to feed the church of god , which he hath purchased with his own blood . let not the blood of souls , and the blood that purchased them , be required at thy hands , acts 20. 28. ezek. 3. 18 , 20. thou art charged before god , and the lord jesus christ , who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom , that thou preach the word , be instant in season and out of season ; reprove , rebuke , and exhort , with all long-suffering and doctrine , 2 tim. 4. 1 , 2. teach every man , and exhort every man , col. 1. 28. even night and day with tears , acts 20. 31. save men with fear , pulling them out of the fire , jud. cry aloud : lift vp thy voice like a trumpet ; tell them of their transgressions , isa . 58. 1. yet thou art alive , and they alive : yet thou hast a tongue , and they have ears : the final sentence hath not yet cut off their hopes . preach therefore , and preach with all thy might . exhort them privately and personally with all the seriousness thou canst . quickly , or it will be too late . prudently , or satan will over-reach thee : fervently , or thy words are like to be disregarded : remember when thou lookest them in the faces , when thou beholdest the assemblies , that they must be converted or condemned ; sanctified on earth , or tormented in hell ; and that this is the day , it must be now or never . in a word , apply this quickening precept to all the duties of thy christian course . be religious and just , and charitable in good sadness , if you would be taken for such when you look for the reward . work out your salvation with fear and trembling , phil. 2. 12. strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for many shall seek to enter and shall not be able , mat. 7. 13. luk. 12. 24. many run , but few receive the prize : so run that you may obtain , 1 cor. 9. 24. if the righteous scarcely be saved , where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ? 1 pet. 4. 18. let the doting world deride your diligence , and set themselves to hinder and afflict you : it will be but a little while before experience change their minds , and make them sing another song . follow christ fully : ply your work , and lose no time . the judge is coming . let not words nor any thing that man can do , prevail with you to sit down , or stop you in a journey of such importance . please god , though flesh , and friends , and all the world should be displeased . whatever come of your reputation , or estates , or liberties , or lives , be sure you look to life eternal , and cast not that on any hazard , for a withering flower , or a pleasant dream , or a picture of commodity , or any vanity that the deceiver can present . for what shall it profit you to win the world , and lose your soul ? mat. 16. 26. or to have been honoured and obeyed on earth , when you are under the wrath of god in hell ? or that your flesh was once provided with variety of delights , when it s turned to rottenness , and must be raised to torments ? hold on therefore in faith , and holiness , and hope , though earth and hell should rage against you ; though all the world by force or flattery , should do the worst they can to hinder you : this is your trial : your warfare , is the resisting of deceit , and of all that would tempt you to consent to the means of your own destruction : consent not , and you conquer : conquer , and you are crowned . the combat is all about your wills ; yield , and you have lost the day . if the prating of ungodly fools , or the contemptuous jears of hardned sinners , or the frowns of unsanctified superiours could prevail against the spirit of christ , and the workings of an enlightened mind , then what man would be saved ? you deserve damnation , if you will run into it to avoid a mock , or the loss of any thing that man can take from you . you are unmeet for heaven if you can part with it to save your purses . fear not them that can kill the body , and after that have no more that they can do : but fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell , mat. 10. 28. luk. 12. 4 , 5. obey god , though all the world forbid you . no power can save you from his justice : and none of them can deprive you of his reward . though you lose your heads , you shall save your crowns : you no way save your lives so certainly , as by such losing them , mat. 10. 39. one thing is necessary : do that with speed , and care , and diligence , which must be done , or you are lost for ever . they that are now against your much and earnest praying , will shortly cry as loud themselves in vain ; when it is too late , how fervently will they beg for mercy , that now deride you for valuing & seeking it in time ! but then they shall call upon god but he will not answer : they shall seek him early , but shall not find him : for that they hated knowledge , and did not choose the fear of the lord : they would none of his counsel , but dispised all his reproof . ] prov. 1. 24. to the end . up therefore & work with all thy might . let unbelievers trifle , that know not that the righteous god stands over them , and know not that they are now to work for everlasting , and know not that heaven or hell is at the end . let them delay , & laugh , & play , & dream away their time , that are drunk with prosperity , and mad with fleshly lusts and pleasures , and have lost their reason in the cares , and delusions , and vain glory of the world . but shall it be so with thee whose eyes are opened , who seest the god , the heaven , the hell , which they do but hear of as unlikely things ? wilt thou live awake , as they that are asleep ? wilt thou do in the day-light , as they do in the dark ? shall freemen live as satans slaves ? shall the living lie as still & useless as the dead ? work then while it is day , for the night is coming when none can work , john 9. 4. it is not the works of the mosaical law , nor works that are conceited for their proper value to deserve any thing at the hands of god , that i am all this while perswading you to : but it is the works prescribed you by christ in the gospel , according to which you shall be shortly judged to joy or misery by christ himself , that will call you to account these must be done with all your might . object . but ( you 'l say perhaps ) alas , what might have we ? we have no sufficiency of our selves ; without christ we can do nothing ! and this we find when it comes to the trial . ans . 1. it is not a might that is orignally thine own , that i am calling thee to exercise : but that which thou hast already received from god , and that which he is ready to bestow . use well but all the might thou hast , and thou shalt find thy labour is not in vain . even the strength of nature , and of common grace , are talents which thou must improve . 2. art thou willing to use the might thou hast , and to have more , and use it if thou hadst it ? if thou art , thou hast then the strength of christ : thou standest not , and workest not by thy own strength : his promise is engaged to thee , and his strength is sufficient for thee . but if thou art not willing , thou art without excus●● , when thou hadst heaven and hell set open in the word of god , to make thee willing , god will distinguish thy wilfulness from unwilling weakness . 3. there is more power in all of you then you use , or then you are well aware of . it wanteth but awakening to bring it into act . do you not find in your repentings , that the change is more in your will then in your power ? and in the awaking of your will and reason into act , then in the addition of meer abilities ? and that therefore you befool your selves for your sins & your neglects , & wonder that you had no more use of your understandings ? let but a storm at sea , or violent sickness , or approaching death , rowse up and waken the powers which you have , and you will find there was much more asleep in you then you used . i shall therefore next endeavour to awaken your abilities , or tell you how you should awaken them . when your souls are drowsie , and you are forgetting your god , and your latter end , and the matters of eternity have little force and savour with you ; when you grow lazie and superficial , and religion seems a lifeless thing ; and you do your duty as if it were in vain or against our wils , when you can lose your time , and delay repentance , and friends , and profit , and reputation , and pleasure can be heard against the word of god , and take you off when you do all by the halves , and languish in your christian course , as near to death ; stir up your souls with the urgency of such questions as these . qu. 1. can i do no more then this for god! who gave me all ? who deserveth all ? who seeth me in my duties and my sins ? when he puts me purposely on the trial , what i can do for his sake and service , can i do no more ? can i love him no more ? and obey , and watch , and work no more ? qu. 2. can i do no more then this for christ ? for him that did so much for me ? that lived so exactly ; obeyed so perfectly ; walked so inoffensively and meekly ; despising all the baits , and honours , and riches of the world ? that loved me to the death ; and offereth me freely all his benenefits , and would bring me to eternal glory , are these careless , cold and dull endeavors my best return for all this mercy ? qu. 3. can i do no more , when my salvation is the prize ? when heaven or hell depend much on it ? when i know this before-hand , and may see in the glasse of the holy scriptures , what is prepared for the diligent and the negligent , and what work there is and will be for ever in heaven and hell on these accounts ? could i not do more , if my house were on fire , or my estate , or life , or friend in danger , then i do for my salvation ? qu. 4. can i do no more for the souls of men ? when they are undone for ever if they be not speedily delivered ? is this my love and compassion to my neighbour , my servant , freind or child ? qu. 5. can i do no more for the church of god ? for the publick good ? for the peace and welfare of the nation and our prosperity ? in suppressing sin ? in praying for deliverance ? or in promoting works of publick benefit ? qu. 6. can i do no more , that have loytered so long ? and go no faster , that have slept till the evening of my daies , when diligence must be the discovery of my repentance ? qu. 7. can i do no more , that know not now but i am doing my last ? that see how fast my time makes haste , and know i must be quickly gone ? that know it must be now or never : and that this is all the time i shall have , on which an endless life dependeth ? qu. 8. can i do no better , when i know before hand , what different aspects diligence and negligence will have , to the awakened soul in the review ? what a comfort it will be at death and judgement , to be able to say , i did my best , or loytered not away the time i had ? and what a vexatious and heart-disquieting thing it will then be to look back on time as irrecoverably lost , and on a life of tryal , as cast away upon impertinences , while the work that we lived for lay undone ? shall i now by trifling prepare such griping and tormenting thoughts , for my awakened conscience ? qu. 9. can i do no more , when i am sure i cannot do too much , and am sure there is nothing else to be preferred ? and that its this i live for : and that life is for action , and disposeth thereunto ; ( and holy life for holy action ) and that its better not live , then not attain the ends of living ; when i have so many and unwearied enemies ; when sloath is my danger , and the advantage of my enemy ; when i know that resolution and vigorous diligence , is so necessary that all is lost without it ; will temptations be resisted , and self denied , and concupiscence mortified , and fleshly desires tamed and subdued , and sin cast out , and a holy communion with heaven maintained with idleness and sloath ? will families be well ordered , and church , or city , or country well governed ? will the careless sinners that i am bound to help , be converted and saved , with sitting still , and with some heartless cold endeavours ? qu. 10. can i do no more that have so much help ? that have mercies of all sorts encouraging me , and creatures attending me ; that have health to enable me , or affliction to remember and excite me ; that have such a master , such a work , such a reward as better cannot be desired ; who is lesse excusable for neglect then i ? qu. 11. could i do no more , if i were sure that my salvation lay on this one duty ? that according to this prayer , it should go with me for ever ; or if the soul of my child , or servant , or neighbour must speed for ever , as my endeavours speed with them now for their conversion ? for ought i know it may be thus . qu. 12. would i have god to come with the spur and rod ? how do i complain when affliction is up-me ? and will i neither endure it , nor be quickened without it ? is it not better mend my pace , and work on easier tearms ? i would not have distressed souls to use these considerations meerly to disquiet themselves for their infirmities , and so live in heaviness and self-vexation , because they cannot be as good as they desire , or do as much and as well as they should do : it is not despair that will mend the matter , but make it worse : but i would wish the lazie sloathful soul to plead these questions with it self , and try whether they have no quickning power , if closely urged , and seriously considered . believe it , sirs , it is the deceitfulness of prosperity that keeps up the reputation of a slathful life , and makes holy diligence seem unnecessary . when affliction comes , awakened reason is ashamed of this , and seeth it as an odious thing . by this time you may see , what difference there is , between the judgement of god , and of the world ; and what to think of the understandings of those men , ( be they high or low , learned or unlearned ) that hate or oppose this holy diligence . god bids us love , and seek and serve him , with all our heart , and soul , and might : and these men call them zealots , and precisians , and puritans that endeavour it ; though , alas , they fall exceeding short , when they have done their best . it is one of the most wonderfull monstrosities and deformities that ever befel the nature of man , that men , that learned men , that men that in other things are wise , should seriously think that the utmost diligence to obey the lord and save our souls , is needless ; and that ever they should take it for a crime , and make it a matter of reproach : that the serious ▪ diligent obeying of gods laws , should be the matter of the common disdain and hatred of the world ; that no men are more generally abhorred , and tost up and down by impatient men ; that great and small , the rulers and the vulgar rabble , in most places of the earth cannot endure them : to think how the first man that ever was born into the world , did hate his own brother till he had proceeded to murder him , because he served god better then himself , [ because his own works were evil , and his brothers righteous , ] 1 joh. 3. 12. and how constantly this horrid unnatural madness , hath succeeded and raged in the world from cain until this day ! it is not in vain that the holy ghost addeth , in the next words , 1 joh. 3. 13. [ marvail not my brethren , if the world hate you ] implying that we art apt to marvail at it ; as i confesse i have oft and greatly done . methinks , it is so wonderful a plague and stain in nature , that it doth very much to confirm me of the truth of scripture ; of the doctrine of mans fall , and original sin , and the necessity of a reconciler , and of renewing grace . distracted miserable souls ! is it not enough for you to refuse your own salvation ; but you must be angry withal that will not imitate you ! is it not mad enough , and bad enough to choose damnation , but you must be offended withal that are not of your mind ! if you will not believe god , that without regeneration , conversion , holiness , and a heavenly spiritual life , there is no salvation to be hoped for ( john 3. 3 , 5 , 6. mat. 18. 3. heb. 12. 14. rom. 8. 9 , 13. 2 cor. 5. 17. ) mnst we all be unbelievers with you ? if you will laugh at hell till you are in it , must we do so too ? if god and glory seem less worth to you , then your fleshly pleasure for a time , must we renounce our christianity and our reason for fear of differing from you ? if you dare differ from your maker , and the redeemer , and the holy ghost , and all the prophets , apostles , and evangelists , and all that ever came to heaven , might not we be bold to differ from you ? if you will needs be ungodly , and choose your everlasting wo , be patient with them that have more understanding , and dare not be so hardy , as to leap after you in the unquenchable fire : mock not at holiness if you have no mind of it . hinder not them that strive to enter in at the strait gate , if you refuse your selves . be not so desirous of company in hell : it will prove no comfort to you , or abatement of your pain . but because you have the faces to contradict the god of truth , and to reproach that work which he commandeth , and to say , what needs so much ado ? when he bids us do it with all our might ; i will briefly tell you what you are doing , and shew you the ugly face of the scorner , and the filthy hearts of the enemies of holiness , that if it may be , you may loath your selves . 1. these enemies of holy diligence , deny god with their works and lives , and are practical atheists ; and it seems are so near of kin to [ that wicked one ] ( see 1 joh. 3. 12. ) that they would have all others do so too . and then how soon would earth be turned into hell ! the case is plain : if god deserve not to be loved and served with all thy heart , and soul , and might , he is not god. and if thy wealth , or honour , or flesh , or friend , deserveth more of thy love , and care , and diligence then god , then that is thy god that deserveth best . see now what these deriders of purity and obedience do think of god , and of the world . 2. these cainites do blaspheme the governour of the world : when he hath given laws to the creatures , that he made of nothing ; these wretches deride and hate men for obeying them . if god have not commanded that which you oppose , contradict it , and spare not : i would you were much more against that pretended religion which he commandeth not . but if he have commanded it , and yet you dare revile them as too pure and precise that would obey it , what do you but charge the king of saints with making laws that are not to be obeyed ? which must needs imply that they are foolish , or bad , though made by the most wise and good. 3. these enemies of holiness , oppose the practice of the very first principles of all religion . for heb 11. 6. [ he that commeth to god must believe that god is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him . ] and its diligent seeking him , that they hate and set themselves a●gainst . 4. do not they not judge heaven to be less worth then earth ; when they will do less for it , and would have others to do so too ? 5. they would have us all unchristen and unman our selves , as if there were no life to come ▪ or as if our reason and all our faculties were given us in vain . for if they are not given us for greater matters then all the honours and pleasures of the world , they are in vain , or worse ; and the life of man is but a dream and misery . were not a beast less miserable , if this were all ? 6. how base a price do these cainites set on the immortal soul of man , that think it not worth so much ado , as the careful obedience of the laws of christ ? not worth so much as they do themselves for their filthy sins and perishing flesh ? but would have us so mad as to sell heaven and our souls , for a little sinful sloath and ease . 7. these enemies of holiness would have men take their mercies for their hurt , and their greatest blessings for a burden or a plague , and to run into hell to be delivered from them . why man , dost thou know what holiness is ? and what it is to have access to god ? i tell thee it is the foretaste of heaven on earth . it is the highest glory , and sweetest delight , and chiefest commodity to the soul . and art thou afraid of having too much of this ? what , thou that haste none ( which should make thee tremble ) art thou afraid of having too much ? thou that never fearest too much money , nor too much honour , nor too much health , art thou afraid of too much spiritual health and holiness ? what shall be thy desire , if thou loath and fly from thy felicity ? 8. you that are loyal subjects , take heed of these ungodly scorners : for by consequence they would tempt you to despise your king , and make a mock at the obeying of his commands and laws . for if a man perswade you to despise a judge , he implieth that you may despise a constable . no king is so great in comparison of god , as a fly or worm is to that king. he therefore that would relax the laws of god , and make it seem a needlss thing to obey him diligently and exactly , implieth that obedience to any of the sons of men is much more needless . and you that are children or servants , take heed of the doctrine of these men : masters , admit it not into your families . if he be worthy to be scorned as a puritan or precisian , that is careful to please and obey the lord , what scorn do your children and servants deserve , if they will be obedient and pleasing to such as you ? 9. all you that are poor tradesmen , take heed of the consequences of the cainitès scorns , lest it make you give over the labours of your calling , and turn your selves and families into beggery . for if heaven be not worth your greatest labour , your bodies are not worth the least . 10. these cainites speak against the awakened consciences , and the confessions of all the world . whatsoever they may say in the dream of their blind presumption and security , at last , when death hath opened their eyes , they all cry , o that we had been saints ! o that we might die the death of the righteous , and that our last end might be as his ! o that we had spent that time , and care , and labour for our souls , which we spent on that which now is gall to our remembrance ! and yet these men will take no warning , but now oppose and deride that course that all the world do wish at last they had been as zealous for as any . 11. the enemy himself hath a conscience within him , that either grudgeth against his malicious impiety , and witnesseth that he abuseth them that are far better then himself ; or at least will shortly call him to a reckoning , and tell him better what he did , and make him change his face and tune , and wish himself in the case of those that he did oppose . 12. to conclude the cainite is of the wicked one , 1 joh. 3. 12. of his father the devil , joh. 8. 42 , 44. and is his walking , speaking instrument on earth , saying what he himself would say : he is the open enemy of god. for who are his enemies , but the enemies of holiness , of his laws , of our obedience , of his image , and of his saints ? and how will christ deal at last with his enemies ? luk. 19. 27. o that they knew , that foreseeing , they might escape ! this is the true , the ugly picture of a cainite , or enemy of a holy life , that reproacheth serious diligence as a precise and needless thing , when god commandeth us , and death , and the grave , and eternity admonish us to do his work with all our might . now consider this ye that forget god , lest he tear you in pieces , and there be none to deliver you , psal . 50. 22. but of all the opposers of serious holiness in the world , there are none more unexcusable and deplorably miserable , then those that profess themselves ministers of christ . would one believe that had not known them , that there are such men in the world ! alas , there are too many . though education , and the laws of the land engage them to preach true doctrine , yet are they false teachers in the application . for they never well learned the holy and heavenly doctrine which they preach , nor digested it , or received the power and impress of it upon their hearts ; and therefore retaining their natural corruptions , impiety and enmity to the life , and power , and practice of that doctrine , they indirectly destroy what directly they would seem to build ; and preach both for god , and against him ; for christ and the holy spirit , and against them ; for godliness , and against it , both in the same sermon . in general , they must needs speak for the word of god , and a holy life : but when they come to the particulars , they secretly reproach it , and condemn the parts , while they commend the whole . in general they speak well of religious , godly , holy people ; but when they meet with them , they hate them , and make them precisians , a sect that is every where spoken against , pestilent fellows , and movers of sedition , as the apostles were accused , acts 24. 5. & 28. 22. and any thing that malice can invent to make them odious : and what they cannot prove , they will closely intimate in the false application of their doctrines , describing them so as may induce the hearers to believe that they are a company of self-conceited hypocrites , factious , proud , disobedient , turbulent , peevish , affecting singularity , desiring to ingross the reputation of godliness to themselves , but secretly as bad as others . and when they have thus represented them to the ignorant sort of people , they have made the way of godliness odious , and sufficiently furnished miserable souls with prejudice and dislike ; so that because the persons are thus made hateful to them , all serous diligence for heaven , all tenderness of conscience , and fear of sinning , all heavenly discourse , and serious preaching , reading , or praying , are also made odious for their sakes : for hearing so ill of the persons , and seeing that these are the things wherein they differ from others , they reduce their judgement of their practices to their foresetled judgement of the persons . when their diligence in their families in prayer and instructions , in reading , and fruitful improvement of the lords day , or any other actions of strictness and holy industry are mentioned , these ungodly ministers are ready to blot them with some open calumnies , or secret reproaches , or words of suspicion , to vindicate their own unholy lives , & make people believe that serious piety is faction & hypocrise . the black tincture of their minds , and the design and drift of their preaching may be perceived in the jeers , and girds , and slanderous intimations against the most diligent servants of the lord. the controverted truths that such maintain , they represent as errours : their unavoidable errours they represent as heresie : their duties they represent as faults : and their humane frailties as enormous crimes : they feign them to be guilty of the things that never entred into their thoughts . and if some that have professed godliness , be guilty of greater crimes , they would make men believe that the rest are such , and that the family of christ is to be judged of by a judas , and the scope is to intimate that either their profession is culpable , or needless , and less commendable . regeneration they would make to be but the entrance into the church by baptism , and any further conversion , then the leaving off some gross sins , and taking up some heartless forms of duty , to be but a fancy or unnecessary thing : and they would draw poor people to believe , that if they be born again sacramentally of water , they may be saved , though they be not born again by the renewing of the holy spirit . being strangers themselves to the mystery of regeneration , and to the life of faith , and a heavenly conversation , and to the loving and serving god with all their soul and might , they first endeavour to quiet themselves with a belief that these are but fancies or unnecessary ; and then to deceive the people with that by which they have first deceived them elves . and it is worthy your observation , what it is in religion that these formal hypocrites are against . there are scarce any words so sound or holy but they can bear them , if they be but deprived of their life : nor scarce any duty , if it be but mortified , but they can endure . but it is the spirit and life of all religion which they cannot bear . as a body differeth from a carkass , not by the parts , but by the life ; so there is a certain life in preaching , and prayer , and all other acts of worship , which is perceived by several sorts of hearers . the godly perceive it to their edification and delight : for here it is that they are quickned and encouraged . life begetteth life , as fire kindleth fire . the ungodly often perceive it to their vexation , if not to their conviction and conversion ; this life in preaching , praying , discipline , reproof , and conference , is it which biteth , and galleth , and disquieteth their consciences . and this they kick and rail against ; this is the thing that will not let them sleep quietly in their sin and misery ; but is calling and jogging them to awake , and will not let them sin in peace , but will either convert them or torment them before the time . it is the life of religion that the hypocrite wants ; and the life that he is most against . a painted fire burneth not . a dead lion biteth not . the carkass of an enemy is not formidable . let the words of that sermon that most offendeth them , be separated from the life , and put into a homily , and said or read in a formal drowsie , or a school-boys tone , and they can bear it and commend it . let the same words of prayer which now they like not , be said over as a lifeless customary form , and they can like it well . i speak not against the use of forms , but the abuse of them : not against the body , but the carkass . let forms themselves be used by a spiritual serious man , in a spiritual serious manner , with the inter position of any quickening exhortations , or occasional passages , that tend to keep them waken and attentive , and make them feel what you mean and are about , and you shall see they love not such animated forms . it is the living christian , and lively worship , and serious spiritual religion , which they hate : kill it and they can bear it : let the picture of my enemy be nearer and comelier then his person was , and i can endure it in my bed-chamber , better then himself in the meanest dress . it is the living christians that in all parts of the world are chiefly persecuted : let them be once dead , and dead-hearted hypocrites themselves will honour them , especially at a sufficient distance : they will destroy the living saints , and keep holy dayes for the dead ones . wo to you , scribes and pharisees hypocrites , because ye build the tombs of the prophets , and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous , and say , if we had been in the days of our fathers ; we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets : wherefore be ye witnesses unto your selves , that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets : fill ye up the measure of your fathers ; ye serpents ; ye generation of vipers , how can ye escape the damnation of hell ! matth. 23. 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33. the dog that will not meddle with the dead creature , will pursue the living ; and when he sees it stir no more , will leave it . christianity without seriousness is not christianity ; and therefore not lyable to the hatred of its enemies as such . say any thing , and do any thing how strict so ever , if you will but act it as a player on the stage , or do it coldly , slightly , & as if you were but in jeast , you may have their approbation . but it is this life , and seriousness , and worshipping god in spirit and truth , that convinceth them that they themselves are lifeless , and therefore troubleth their deceitful peace , and therefore must not have their friendship . if it were the meer bulk of duty that they are weary of , how comes it to pass that a papist , at his psalter , beads , and mass-books , can spend more hours without much weariness or opposition , then we can do in serious worship ? turn all but into words , and beads , and canonical hours and dayes , and shews , and ceremony , and you may be as religious as you will , and be righteous overmuch , and few will hate , or reproach , or persecute you among them , as too precise or strict . but living christians and worship , come among them like fire , that burneth them , and makes them smart , with a word that is quick , powerful , sharper then any two edged sword , piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit , joynts and marrow , and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart , heb. 4. 12. and the enmity of the cainites may teach the christian , what he should be , and wherein his excellency lieth . it is life , and seriousness that your enemies hate : and therefore it is life and seriousness that you must above all maintain ; though dead-hearted hypocrites never so much oppose and contradict you . o sirs , they are no trifles , but the greatest things that god hath set before you in his word , and called you out to prosecute and possesse : and your time of seeking them is short ; and therefore you have no time fortrifles , nor any to lose in idleness and sloath . and of all men , preachers should be most sensible of this . if they were not against serious holiness in others , it is double wickedness for such as they , to be against it in themselves . it is great things that they have to study and to speak of ; and such as call for the greatest seriousness , and reverence and gravity in the speaker , and condemn all trifling in matter or in manner . a man that is sent to christ to run for an immortal crown , or to direct others in such a race , to save his own , or other mens souls , from endless misery , should be ashamed to fill up his time with trifles , or to be slight and cold about such great and weighty things . all the heart , and soul , and might , is little enough for matters of such unspeakable importance . when i hear preachers or people spend time , in little impertinent fruitless things , that do but divert them from the great business of their lives , or to dally with the greatest matters , rather then to use them , and treat of them with a seriousness suitable to their importance , i oft think of the words of seneca , the serious moralin , as shaming the hypocrisie of such trifling preachers and professors of the christian faith ; [ verba copiosa componis , & interrogans vincula nectis , & dicis , acuta sunt ista : nihil acutius aristâ ; & in quo est utilis ? quaedam inutilia & inefficacia ipsa subtilitas reddit . ] that is [ you compose copious words , and tye hard knots by curious questions ; and you say , o these are acute things ! what is more acute then the peal of corn ? and yet what is it good for ? subtilty it self makes some things unprofitable and uneffectual . ] [ istae ineptiae poetis relinquantur , quibus aures oblectare propositum est & dulcem fabulam nectere ; sed qui ingenia sanare , & fidem in rebus humanis retinere , ac memoriam , officiorum animis ingerere volunt , serio loquantur , & inagnis viribus rem agant ; ] that is , [ leave these toyes or fooleries to poets , whose business is to delight the ear , and to compose a pleasant fable . but they that mean to heal mens understandings , and retain credibility among men , and to bring into mens minds the remembrance of their duties , must speak seriously , and do their business with all their might . ] demens omnibus merito videret — he would justly by all be taken for a mad man , that when the town expecteth to be stormed by the enemies , and others are busie at work for their defence , will sit idle , proposing some curious questions ] — nunquid tibi demens videtur , si istis impendero operam , & nunc obsideor ? quid agam ? mors me sequitur ; vit a fugit ; adversus haec me doce aliquid : effice ut ego mortem non timeam , & vita me non effugiat . ] [ and shall i not be taken for a mad man , if i should busie my self about such things that am now besieged ? what shall i do ? death pursueth me : teach me something against these ; make death not dreadful to me , or life not to fly from me . ] si multum esset aetatis , parce dispensandum erit , ut sufficeret necessariis : nunc quae dementia est supervacua discere in tanta temporis egestate ! ] [ if we had much time , we should sparingly lay it out , that it might suffice for necessary things : but now what a madness is it , to learn things needless or superfluous in so great a scarcity of time ! ] [ metire ergo aetatem tuam : tam multa non capit . measure thy age : it s not enough for so many things . ] [ relinque istum ludum literarum philosophis rem magnificam ! ad syllabas vocant qui animum minuta discendo diminuunt & conterunt , & id agunt , ut philosophia potius difficilis quam magna videatur : socrates , qui totam philosophiam revocavit ad mores hanc summam dixit esse sapientiam , bona malaque distinguere ] [ leave this learned play to philosophers : a gallant business ! they call us to syllables ; and debase , and depress the mind by learning such little trivial things , and make philosophy rather to seem a matter of difficulty then great . socrates ; that revoked all philosophy to manners , 〈◊〉 call this the highest wisdom , to distinguish good and evil . ] did a seneca see by the light of nature , so much of the necessity of seriousness and diligence , about the matters of the soul ? and so much of the madness of spending words and time on trifles ? and yet shall there be found a man among professed christians , and among the preachers of faith and holiness , that plead for trifling , and scorn at seriousness , and count them moderate and wise that a heathen brands as toyish and distracted ? what is it that cloudeth the glory of christianity , and keepeth so great a part of the world in heathenism and infidelity : but this , that among christians there are so few that are christians indeed ? and those few are so obscured by the multitude of formal trifling hypocrites , that christianity is measured and judged of by the lives of those that are no christians ? religion is a thing to be demonstrated and honoured and commended by practice : words alone are ineffectual to represent its excellency to so blind a world , that must know by feeling , having lost their sight . in our professed faith we mount unto the heavens , and leave poor unbelievers wallowing in the dirt . o what a transcendent , unconceivable glory , do we profess to expect with god unto eternity ! and what manner of persons should they be , in holy conversation and godliness , that look for such a life as this ? how basely should they esteem those transitory things , that are the food and felicity of the sensual world ? how patiently should they undergo contempt and scorn , and whatsoever man can inflict upon them ? how studiously should they devote and refer all their time , and strength , and wealth , and interest , to this their glorious blessed end ? how seriously should they speak of , and how industriously should they seek , such sure , such near , such endless joyes ? did professed christians more exactly conform their hearts and lives to their profession and holy rule , their lives would confute the reproaches of their enemies , and command a reverent and awful estimation from the observers , and do more to convince the unbelieving world of the truth and dignity of the christian faith , then all the words of the most subtile disputant christianity being an affecting practical science , must practically and affectionately be declared according to its nature : arguments do but paint it out : and pictures do no more make known its excellency , then the picture of meat and drink makes known its sweetness . when a doctrine so holy , is visibly exemplified , and liveth , and walketh , and worketh in serious christians before the world : either this or nothing will convince them and constrain them , to glorify our lord , and say , that god is among us or in us of a truth , mat. 5. 16. 1 cor. 14. 25. but it is unchristian lives that darkneth the glory of the christian faith. when men that profess such glorious hopes , shall be as sordidly earthly , and sensual , and ambitious , and impotent , and impatient as other men , they seem but fantastical dissembles . and yet shall there be found such a perfidious wretch under the heavens of god , as a professed minister of christ , that shall subtilly or openly labour to make an exact , and holy , and heavenly conversation a matter of reproach and scorn , and that under pretence of reproving the sins of hypocrites and schismaticks , shall make the exactest conformity to the christian rule , and faithfullest obedience to the almighty soveraign , to seem to be but hypocrisie or self-conceitedness , or needless trouble , if not the way to sedition , and publick trouble , and turning all things upside down ? that cannot reprove sin , without malicious insinuating slanders or suspitions against the holy law and holy life ; that are most contrary to sin , as life to death , as health to sickness , and as light to darkness ? for any man , especially any professed christian , any where to oppose or scorn at godliness , is a dreadful sign , as well as a heinous sin : but for a preacher of godliness to oppose and scorn at godliness , and that in the pvlpit , while he pretendeth to promote it , and plead for it in the name of christ , is a sin that should strike the heart of man with horrour to conceive of . though i cannot subscribe my self to that passage in the second part of the tenth homily , tom. 2. pag. 150. ( however i very much love and honour the book of homilies ) yet for their sakes that not only can subscribe to it , but would have all kept out of the ministry that cannot , and that take it for that doctrine of the church of england which they will believe and preach , i will recite it to the terror of the guilty , not to drive to despair , but to awake them or to shame them for their opposition to the wayes of godliness . expounding psal . 1. 1. blessed is the man that hath not walked after the counsel of the ungodly , nor stood in the way of sinners , nor sit in the seat of the scornful ] having shewed who are the [ ungodly ] and [ the sinners ] it addeth these words . [ the third sort he calleth scorners ; that is , a sort of men whose hearts are so stuffed with malice , that they are not contented to dwell in sin , and to lead their lives in all kind of wickedness , but also they do contemn and scorn in others all godliness , true religion , all honesty and vertue . of the two first sorts of men , i will not say , but they may take repentance , and he converted unto god. of the third sort , i think i may without danger of gods judgement pronounce , that never any yet were converted unto god by repentance , but continued still in their abominable wickedness , heaping up to themselves damnation against the day of gods inevitable judgement . though i dare not say but some such have repented , yet let the scorners that believe this , remember , that they subscribe the sentence of their own condemnation . though i look upon this sort of the enemies of holiness as those that are as unlikely to be recovered and saved , as almost any people in the world , except apostates and malicious blasphemers of the holy ghost ; yet in compassion to the people and themselves . i shall plead the cause of god with their consciences , and try what light can do with their understandings , and the terrours of the lord with their hardened hearts . 1. a preacher of the gospel should much excel the people in understanding : and therefore this sin is greater in them then other men : what means , what light do they sin against ? either thou knowest the necessity of serving for salvation with the greatest diligence , or thou dost not . if not , what a sin and shame is it to undertake the sacred office of the ministry , while thou knowest not the things that are necessary to salvation , and that which every infant in the faith doth know ? but if thou dost know it , how dost thou make shift maliciously to oppose it , without feeling the beginnings of hell upon thy conscience ? when it is thy work to read the scriptures , and meditate on them , dost thou not read thy doom , and meditate terrour ? how canst thou choose but perceive that the scope of the word of god is contrary to the bent of thy affections and suggestions ? yea what is more evident by the light of nature , then that god and our salvation cannot be regarded with too much holy seriousness , exactness and industry ? should not the best things be best loved ? and the greatest matters have our greatest care ? and is there any thing to be compared with god and our eternal state ? o what overwhelming subjects are these to a sober and considerate mind ! what toyes are all things in comparison of them ! and yet dost thou make light of them , and also teach men so to do ! as if there were something else that better deserved mens greatest care and diligence then they . what a preacher , and not a believer ! or a believer , and yet not see enough in the matters of eternity to engage all our powers of soul and body , against all the world that should stand in competition ? 2. is it not sinful and terrible enough , to be thy self in a carnal unrenewed state ! ( rom. 1. 13. ) and to be without the spirit and life of christ ( v. 9. ) but thou must be so cruel as to make others miserable also ? psal . 50. 16 , 17. [ but to the wicked saith god , what hast thou to do to declare my statutes ? or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth , seeing thou hatest instruction , and castest my words behind thee ? ] matth. 5. 19. whosoever shall break one of the least commandments , and shall teach men so , he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach the same , shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven . ] 3. what an aggravation is it of thy impiety and soul-murder , that thou art bound by office to teach men that life of holiness which thou oppoposest , and to perswade them to that with all thy might , which thou endeavourest closely and cunningly to disgrace ! and wilt thou be a traytor to christ , in the name of a messenger and preacher of the gospel ? wilt thou engage thy self to promote his interest , and to use all thy skill and power to build men up in holiness and obedience ; and when thou hast done this , wilt thou disgrace and hinder it ? dost thou take on thee to go on the message of christ , and then speak against him ? we do not find that judas dealt thus with him : when he sent him as he did other preachers , we read not that he preacht against him . o let not my soul be numbered with such men in the day of the lord ! it will be easier for sodom and gomorah , then for the refusers of the word and grace of christ . what then will be the doom of the opposers ? and above all of those treacherous opposers , that pretend themselves to propagate and promote them . if the wit and malice of satans instruments were sharpened against the wayes and servants of the lord , it belongs to you to plead christs cause , and shame these absur'd unreasonable gainsayers , and stop the mouth of impious contradiction : and will you joyne with the gainsayers , and secretly or openly say as they ? who should confound the d●●ders of a holy life but you ? who should lay open the excellencies of christ , the glory of heaven , the terrours of the lord , and all other obligations to the most serious religiousness , but you that have undertaken it as your calling and employment ? if any man in the parish were so atheistical and brutish , as to think god unworthy of our dearest love , our most exact obedience , and most laborious service , who should display this atheists folly , but you that are doubly ( as christians , and as ministers ) obliged to defend the honour of your lord● if any of the people should fall into such a dream or dotage , as to question the necessity of our utmost diligence in our preparations for eternal life , who should awake them by lifting up their voices as a trumpet , and help to recover their understandings , but you that are the watchmen , and know their blood will be required at your hands , if you give them not loud and timely warning ? if any subtile malicious servant of the devil , should plead against the necessity of holyness , and disswade the people from serving god with all their might , who should be ready to confirm the weak , and strenghten and encourage them that are thus assaulted , and help to keep up their zeal and forwardness , but you that are leaders in the army of the lord ? is it not a holy god that you are engaged to serve ? and a holy church in which you have your station ? and a communion of saints in which you have undertaken to administer the holy things of god ? have you not read what was done to nadab and abihu , when moses told aaron [ this is it that the lord spake , saying , i will be sanctified in them that come nigh me , and before the people i will be glorified ] lev. 10. 3. is it not a holy law and gospel which you publish ? you have undertaken to warn the sloathful , the sensual , the worldly and the prophane , that they strive to enter in at the straight gate , and seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness , luke 13. 24. matth. 6. 33. and to give diligence to make sure their calling and election , 2 pet. 1. 10. and to give all diligence in adding vertue to their faith , &c. 2 pet. 1. 5. and with all diligence to keep their hearts , prov. 4. 23. and are you the men that would quench their zeal , and destroy the holy diligence which you should preach ? the lord touch your hearts , and recover you in time , or how woful will it be with such hardened hypocrites , that in the light , and in his family and livery , and under his standard and colours , dare prove traitors and enemies to the lord ? 4. and what an addition is it to your guilt , that you speak against god in his own name ? by office you are to deliver his message , and speak to the people in his name , and in his stead , 2 cor. 5. 19 , 20. and dare you before the sun , and under the heavens of god , and in his hearing , perswade men that the most holy god is against holiness ? and the king of saints is an adversary to sanctity ? and that he that made his holy law , is against the most exact obeying of it ? dare you prefix a [ thus saith the lord ] to so impious a speech as [ it is in vain to serve the lord ? what needs there so much ado for your salvation ? dare you go to men as from the lord , & say [ you are too careful & diligent in his service ? less ado may serve the turn ! what needs this fervour , and redeeming time ! this is but puritanism or preciseness . it s better do as the most , and venture your souls without so much ado . ] who could at last hold up his face , or stand before the dreadful tribunal , that should be found in the guilt of such a crime ! what , to put god into the similitude of satan , and describe the most holy , as the enemy of holiness ! and make him plead against himself , and disgrace his own image , and disswade men from that which he himself hath made of necessity to their salvation ! what viler blasphemy can be uttered ! 5. and it aggravateth your sin , that your relation obligeth you to the most tender affections to your people . and yet that you should seduce them to damnation . for the nurse to poison them ; for the parents to cut the childrens throats , is worse then for an enemy to do it . if the devil our professed enemy , should himself appear to us , and say , [ prepare not so seriously for death : be not so strict , and diligent , and holy ] it were not , in many respects , so bad , as for you to do it , that should help to save us from his snares . you that profess your selves their fathers ! that should travail in birth till christ be formed in your peoples hearts ! that should love your people as your own bowels , and tender the weak , and pitty the wicked , and stick at no labour , suffering or cost , that might advance their holiness , and further their salvation ; for you to tempt men into a careless life , and turn them out of the holy way , is an aggravated cruelty . it s worse for the shepherd to destroy us then the wolf. read ezek. 34. & 33. 6. are you not ashamed thus to contradict your selves ? what can you find to preach from the word of god , that tendeth not to this holy diligence which you are against ? how can you make shift to preach an hour , and not acquaint men with the duty and necessity of seeking god with all their might ? do you not tell them , that except they be converted and new born , they shall not enter into the kingdom of god , john 3. 3 , 5. mat. 18. 3. and that without holiness none shall see the lord , heb. 12. 14. and that if they live after the flesh , they shall die , rom. 8. 13. and that except their righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees they shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 5. 20. and will you in your application , or private discourses , unsay all this again , and give god and your selves the lye ? and let people see , that the pulpit is to you but as a stage , and that you believe not what you speak ? 7. consider , that your place and calling , maketh you the most successfull servants of the devil , and so the most bloody murderers of souls , while you give your judgement against a strict and heavenly life . for a drunkaod in an ale-house to mock the minister , and rail at serious religion , is less regarded by sober men , and small advantage to his masters cause ; nay the wickedness of his life , is so great a shame to his judgement , that it inclineth many to think well of those that he speaks against . but when a man that pretendeth to learning and understanding , and to be himself a pastor of the church , and preacher of the misteries of christ , shall make them odious , that are most careful for their souls , and most exact in pleasing god , and shall make all serious diligence for heaven to seem but intemperate zeal and selfconceitedness : and shall describe a saint as if the formal lifeless hypocrite , that giveth god but the leavings of the world , and never set his heart on heaven , were indeed the man : what a snare is here for the perdition of the ignorant ! they that are naturally averse from holiness , and are easily perswaded to think that to be unnecessary or bad , which seems so much above them , and against them , will be much confirmed in their mistakes and misery , when they hear their teachers speak without them , the fame that satan by his suggestions doth within them . this turneth a trembling sinner , into a hardened scorner : he that before went under the daily correction of his conscience , for neglecting god , and omitting holy duties , and living to the flesh , grows bold and fearless , when he hears the preacher disgrace the stricter purer way . by that time he hath heard a while the fear of god derided as preciseness , and a tender conscience reproached as a scrupulous foolish thing , his conscience grows more plyable to his lusts , and hath little more to say against them . when gods own professed ministers , that should be wiser and better then the people , are against this zeal , and industry for heaven , the people will soon think , that at least it is tolerable in them . and they will sooner learn to deride a saint from a sermon , or discourse of a preacher or a learned man , then from the scorns or talk of hundreds of the ignorant . and wilt thou teach them to hate godliness , who hast undertaken before the righteous god , to teach them to practice it ? he that dispraiseth it , though under other names , and representeth it as odious , though masked with the title of some odious vice , doth indeed endeavour to make men hate it . and what a terrible account wilt thou have to make , when the seduction and transgression of all these sinners shall be charged upon thee ? when christ shall say to the haters , deriders and opposers of his holy wayes and servants [ in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren , you did it unto me . ] how durst you scorn the image of your maker ? and hate the saints whose communion you professed to believe ; and deride or oppose that serious holiness , without which you had no hope of being saved ? if then the sinners become your accusers , and say , [ lord , we thought it had been but unnecessary preciseness , and that serious christians had been but self-conceited factious hypocrites , and that lip service with a common worldly life might have served the turn ; we heard our preachers represent such strict and zealous men , as turbulent , seditious , and refractory , as odious and not as imitable : their application was against them : their discourse derided them : of them we learnt it . we thought they were wiser and better then we : of whom should we learn but of our teachers ! ] wo to the teachers that ever they were born , that must be then found guilty of this crime . if adam 's excuse was eve's accusation , [ the woman which thou gavest to be with me , she gave me of the tree and i did eat . ] and the womans excuse did charge the serpent [ the serpent begulled me and i did eat ] gen. 3. 12 , 13. though it freed not the excusers ) how will it load you , when your people shall say [ the teachers that we thought thou gavest us , did teach us & go before us in setting against this holy diligence ; and we did but learn of them , and follow them ! 8. are not the people backward enough to the serving of god with all their might , unless you hinder them ? is not the corrupted heart of lapsed man averse enough to the matters of salvation , but you must make them worse ? if you had to do with the best and holiest person in the world , that walketh with god in the most heavenly conversation , he would tell you that his dull and backward heart hath no need of clogs , and pull-backs , and discouragements , but of all the help that can be afforded him , to quicken him up to greater diligence . the most zealous lament that they are so cold : the most heavenly lament that they are so earthly , and so strange to heaven : the most laborious lament that they are so sloathful ; and the fruitfullest believers that they are so unprofitable ; and those that are most watchful of their words and deeds , that they are so careless ; and those that most diligently redeem their time , lament it that they lose so much ; and those that walk most accurately and exactly , that they are so loose , and keep no closer to the rule . and yet darest thou increase the backwardness of the ungodly ! will not their carnal interests and lusts serve turn to keep them from a holy life ! is not satan strong enough of himself ? will not the comon distaste of godliness in the world , sufficiently prejudice and avert them without thy helps ? do you see your people so forward to do too much for heaven , that you must pull them back ? cannot souls be damned without your furtherance ? or is it a desirable work ? and will it pay you for your cost and labour ? the way is up hill ; the best of us are weak , and frequently ready to sit down ! a thousand impediments are cast before us by satan and the world , to make us linger till the time be past ; and many a charm of pleasure and diversion to make us sleep till the door be shut . and ministers are sent to keep us waking , and take us by the hand , and lead us on , and remove impediments : and shall they set in with the enemy , and be our chiefest hinderers ? o treacherous guides ! o miserable helps ! are not our dark understandings , our earthly , dull and backward hearts , our passions and troubled affections , our appetites & sensual inclinations , our natural strangeness and averseness to god , and heaven , and holiness , enough to hinder us without you ? are not all the temptations of the devil , the allurements of the flesh , and world , the impediments of poverty and riches , of flattery , and of frowns , or friends and foes , in our callings and in our divertisements , are not all these enough to cool and dull us , and keep us from serving god too much , and being too careful and diligent for our souls , but preachers themselves must be our impediments and snares ? now the lord deliver our souls from such impediments , and his church from such unhappy guides ! 9. consider whom thou imitatest in this . is it christ , or satan ? christ calleth men to strive , to labour , to seek first , to watch , to pray alwayes , and not waxfaint , luk. 12. 24. john 6. 27. mat. 6. 33. & 25. 13. luke 18. 1. the apostles call men to be [ fervent in spirit , serving the lord ; to be a peculiar people , zealous of good works ; to pray continually ; to be 〈◊〉 ●●osen generation , a royal priesthood , an holy nation , a peculiar people to shew forth the praises of him that hath called us , and offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to god by jesus christ , 1 pet. 2. 5 , 9. 1 thes . 5. 17. tit. 2. 14. rom. 12. 11. to fight the good fight of faith , and lay hold upon eternal life , 1 tim. 6. 12. to serve god acceptably ( being as a consuming fire ) with reverence and godly fear , heb. 12. 28 , 29. to be stedfast , unmoveable , alwayes abounding in the work of the lord , forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the lord , 1 cor. 15. 58. ] and dare you gainsay the lord and his apostles , and concur with satan , and the pharisees and enemies of christ ? 10. you do your worst to make the sacred office of the ministry to become contemptible , as eli's sons did : poor people that cannot sufficiently distinguish the doctrine from the application , the office from the person , the use f●●● the abuse , will be tempted to run from the ordinances of god , and think the worse of others for your sakes , and suspect all their food , because you mix such poyson in it . and the more holy and necessary the office and work is , the greater is your sin in corrupting it , or making it suspected or abhorr'd . consider soberly of these things , and then go on and speak against a life of holy diligence if you dare . i know you 'l say , it is not godliness , but singularity , or humour , or disobedience , or hypocrisie , or faction that you oppose : and perhaps you 'l instance in some that are guilty of some of these , or seem so at the least . but 1. i do here solomnly profess that i hate these crimes as well as you : and that it is not any part of my intention to plead for intemperance , disobedience in lawful things , for schisms , or faction , or any irregularity : and this i here put in against those that are disposed to misunderstand and misreport us , and leave it as on record to prove them slanderers , that shall accuse me of defending any such thing . and i do protest against those on the other side , that will fetch encouragement for any transgression from my necessary plea for the holy industry & vigilancy of believers . and moreover , i do profess that it is only the opposers of holiness that i mean in this defence , and have not the least intent to intimate that any others are guilty of that crime that are not . but having premised this protestation , to prevent mistakes and false reports , i answer now to the guilty . 2. if it be crimes only that you are against , deliver your self so , as may not lay reproach or suspicion on godliness , which is most opposite to all crimes . cannot you preach against divisions , disobedience , or any other sin , without any scornful intimations or reflections against mens diligent serving of the lord ? 3. why do not you commend those that are not liable to your accusations , and encourage them in holiness , and draw others to imitate them ? and why do you not commend the good where you discommend the evil that is commixt ? 4. shall health and life be made a scorn , because there are few but have some distemper or disease ? shall christianity and holiness be secretly reproached , because all christians have some fault to be accused of ? if men be faulty , you should perswade them to be more strict and diligent , and not less : it is for want of watchfulness and strictness that they sin . nothing is more contrary to their faults , then holiness . there is no other way for their full reformation . and therefore all true humbled christians are ready to confess their faultiness themselves ; but so far are they from thinking the worse of piety for it , that its one great reason that moveth them to go on , and to read , and hear , and pray , and meditate , and do so much that they may get more strength against their faults . must they think ill of food , and physick , and exercise , because they are infirm ? all faithful ministers tell their people plainly of their sins ( so far as they are acquainted with them ) as well as you : but they do it not in a way reproachful to their holy diligence ; they do not therefore call them off from godliness , nor tempt them to be less in the use of means , but more by how much their need is greater . a holy heart , and a malignant heart , will shew their difference in the reproving of the same fault . the one layeth all the odium on the vice , & honoureth the holy obedience of the saints . the other fasteneth his sting upon the godly , and under pretence of dishonouring their faults , doth seek to fasten-the dishonour on their holiness . and those that are so minded , will never want ●ccasion or pretence , for the worst that satan would have them say . the church will never be without some hypocrites , and scandals , nor the best without some faults and passions ; nor the holiest action without some mixture of humane frailty and infirmity ▪ nor will the very goodness and holiness of the act on , be free from plausible calumnies and scorns , while there is the wit and venom of the serpent in the heads and hearts of wicked men . how easi● is it to put a name of ignominy upon every person , and every duty ? to charge any man with hypocrisie or pride ? to take the wisest man for self-conceited , because he is not of the accusers mind ? to call our obedience to god , by the name of disobedience unto man , when man forbids it , as they used the three witnesses , dan. 3. and daniel himself for praying in his house , dan. 6. though they confessed they had nothing else against him ? to call gods truth by the name of heresie , and heresie by the name of truth , to charge all with schism , that dare not subject their souls to the usurpation and arrogant impositions of the sons of pride , that have neither authority nor ability to govern us , as the papists deal by the greatest part of the christian world ? to lay snares for mens consciences , and then accuse them for falling into those snares ? to make new articles of faith , till they have transcended the capa●ity of divine and rational belief , and then condemn us for not believing them ? to make laws for the church , unnecessary in their own opinion , and sinful in other mens , and command things which they know that others think the lord forbids , and then load them with the sufferings and reproaches of the disobedient , turbulent , heretical , schismatical , or seditious ? to call men factious , if they will not be of their faction ? and sectaries , if they will not unreasonably subject their souls to them , and joyn with an imperious sect , against the catholick vnity and simplicity ? all which the romanists practice upon the church of christ . how easie , but how unreasonable , and yet how unresistible is all this ? how easie is it to call a meeting of sober christians , for prayer and mutual edification , such as that was , acts 12. 12. by the name of a factious schismatical conventicle , and a meeting of drunkards , or gamesters , by a more gentle less disgraceful name ? to say a man becomes a preacher , when he modestly reproveth another for his sinnes , or charitable exhorteth him in order to his salvation , or giveth any necessary plain instruction to his family , for whom he must give account ? believe it , it will be a poor excuse to any man , that becomes an enemy to the diligence of a saint , that he could thus cloak his malice , and cloath a saint with the vizer of an hypocrite , and the rags of any odious sect. if the pharisees were to be believed , it was not they , but christ that was the hypocrite : nor was it the son of god , but an enemy to caesar , and a blasphemer that they put to death . but will not christ know his sheep , though he find them torn in a wolks skin ? you say it is turbulent pre●isians that you strike , but what if christ find but one of the least of his brethren bleeding by it ? it is but hypocrites or schismaticks that you reproach ; but if christ find an humble serious christian suffering by your abuse , and you to answer it , i would not be in your coats for all the greatness , and honour that you shall have before your everlasting shame . if tertullus accuse a pestilent fellow , and a mover of sedition , and christ find an holy laborious apostle in bonds and suffering by it , it is not his names that will excuse him , and make an apostle or persecution to be another thing . to return to the endangered flocks : look upward sirs ▪ and think whether heaven be worth your labour ! look downwards , and think whether earth be more worthy of it ! lay up your treasures where you must dwell for ever . if that be here , then scrape , and flatter , and get all that you can ; but if it be not here , but in another life , then hearken to your lord , and lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven , and there let your very hearts be set , matth. 6. 20 , 21. and upon the peril of everlasting misery , hearken not to any man that wil tempt you from a diligent holy life . it is a serious businesse , deal seriously in it ; and be not laught or mockt out of heaven , by the flouts of a distracted sensual atheist . if any of them will pretend to sobriety and wisdom , and undertake to prove that god should not be loved and served , and your salvation sought with all your might , and with greater care and diligence then any earthly thing , procure me a sober conference with that man , and try whether i shall not prove him to be a befoold servant of the devil , and a mischievous enemy of your salvation , and his own . o that we might have but sober debates , instead of jeers , and scorns , and railings with this sort of men ! how quickly should we shew you , that they must renounce the scripture , and renounce christianity , and ( if that be nothing with them ) that they must renounce god , and renounce right reason , and unman themselves , if they will renounce a holy heavenly life , and blame them that make it their principal business in the world , to prepare for the world to come . but if they will not be entreated to such a sober conference , will you that hear them , ( if you care what becomes of you ) but come to us , and hear what we can say for a holy life , before you hearken to them ; and let your souls have fair play , and shew that you have so much love to your selves , as not to cast away salvation at the derision of a fool , before you have heard the other side . if i make not good the strictest laws of god almighty , against the most subtil cavils of any of the instruments of satan , then tell me that infidels or epicures are in the right . compare their words with the words of god. consider well but that one text , 2 pet. 3. 11. and tell me whether it suit with their opinions , [ seeing all these things must be dissolved , what manner of persons ought we to be in all manner of holy conversation and godliness ; looking for , and hasting to the coming of the day of god! ] did these words but sink into your hearts , the next time you heard any man reproach a holy heavenly life , it would perhaps make you think of the words of paul to such another , acts 13 , 10. o full of all subtilty and all mischief , thou child of the devil , thou enemy of all righteousness , wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the lord ? ] and if holiness be evil spoken of by them that never tried it , what wonder ! christ hath foretold us that it must be so , matth. 5. 11 , 12. blessed are ye when men shall revile you , and persecute you , and say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake . rejoyce and be exceeding glad , for great is your reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you . ] john 15. 19 , 20. [ if ye were of the world , the world would love his own : but because ye are not of the world , but i have chosen you out of the world , therefore the world hateth you , &c. ] 1 pet. 4. 4 , 5 , 14. they think it strange that they run not with them to the same excess of riot , speaking evil of you , who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and dead — if ye be reproached for the name of christ , happy are ye ; for the spirit of glory and of god resteth upon you ; on their part he is evil spoken of , but on your part he is glorified . ] seneca himself oft telleth us , that among the heathen , vertue was a derision , so far is the nature of man degenerated . the question is not what you are called or taken to be , but what you are . [ intus teipsum considera ( inquit sen. ) non qualis sis aliis credas ; plerunque boni inepti & inertes vocantur . mihi contingat iste derisus : aequo animo audienda sunt imperitorum convitia ; & ad honesta vadendi contemnendus est iste contemptus . ] that is , [ inwardly consider of thy self , and judge not what thou art by the words of others : for the most part good men are called fools and dullards : let me be so derided : the reproaches of the ignorant ( or unskilful ) must be patiently heard ; and this contempt of one that followeth vertue , must be contemned . ] yea it is the highest honour to be content to be accounted bad , that we may not be so ; and the greatest tryal whether we be indeed sincere , to be put to it , to be either accounted hypocrites , or to be such . me thinks i can scarce too oft recite that excellent saying of seneca , epist . 72. nemo plus videtur aestimare virtutem , nemo magis illi esse devotus , quam qui beni viri famam perdidit , non conscientiam perderet ] that is [ no man seems to set a higher price on vertue ; no man seems to be more devoted to it , then he that hath lost the reputation of being a good man , lest he should lose his conscience . ] but perhaps you 'l ask , may not a man be righteous over-mmch ? as is intimated , eccl. 7. 16. i answer , it is making a mans self over-wise or righteous , that is ther● reppoved . and no doubt but 1. many take on them , or make themselves more wise and righteous then they are : that is , are hypocrites . 2. as righteousness is taken materially and in common estimation , so a man may be too righteous . he may be too rigorous , which is called justice ; and too much in grief , or fear , or trouble , & too much in any outward act that goeth under the name of duty . but it is not then truly and formally duty and righteousness , but sin . as to fast to the disabling the body for gods service . to pray when we should hear : to hear when we should be about some greater work of mercy or necessity : to neglect our outward labour and calling on pretence of religion : to set up sacrifice against or before mercy : to sorrow when we should rejoyce : to meditate , and fear , and grieve , beyond what the brain can bear , till it distract us : this is called , being righteous over-much : as also to make us a religion of our own inventions , and to over-do with will-worship and the traditions of men , as the pharisees and papists . but indeed this is not righteousness , but sin : to be formally over-much righteous , is a contradiction , and impossible . for to go beyond the rule is unrighteousness : and to do too much , is to go beyond the rule . unless you dare imagine that god hath erred , and the rule it self is over-strict , and the law is unrighteous : but then how shall god judge the world ? saith the apostle , rom. 3. 6. shall not the judge of all the world do righteously ? gen. 18. 25. nay how then shall he be god ? and is there any thing now left but ignorance or wickedness to stand up against thy speedy diligence ? away then with thy delayes and sloathfulness . if thou wilt serve god with all thy might , let it be seen ; if thou wilt be a christian indeed , let deeds declare it . christianity is not a dead opinion . if really thou live in hope of heaven , such hopes will make thee stir for the attainment . why standest thou idle , when thou art born for work , and all thy faculties are given thee for work , and thou art redeemed for work ? ( for evangelical work . ) if thou be sanctisied , thou hast the spirit of christ , a quickning working principle within thee ; which way canst thou look , but thou mayst see that which would shame a sloathful soul , and fire a cold and frozen heart , and call thee up to a speedy industry ? what quickning words shalt thou find in scripture , if thou wilt but bring thy heart thither as one that is willing to be quickened ? what powerful commands , what promises , what threatnings , what holy examples of exceeding diligence of christ and his apostles ? see how the godly about thee are at work , though the world oppose them and deride them ! how earnestly they pray ! how carefully they walk ! how sadly they complain that they are no better ! and hast thou not an immortal soul to save or lose as well as they ? see what a stir the proud ambitious person makes for less then nothing ? what a stir the covetous and the voluptuous make for a sweetned draught of mortal poyson ? and shall , we be idle that are engaged for heaven ? is it reason that we should do less for god & our salvation , then they do for sinful pleasure to damnation ? you cannot mock them out of their pride and covetuousness : and shall they mock thee out of thy religion , and thy hopes of heaven ? all the commands , and promises , and threatnings of god , the most powerful preaching , that , as it were , sets open heaven and hell to them , doth not prevail with fleshly men , to leave the most sordid and unmanly sin ▪ and shall the words or frowns of creeping dust prevail with thee against the work for which thou livest in the world , when thou hast still at hand unanswerable arguments from god , from thy self , from heaven and hell , to put thee on ? were it but for thy life , or the life of thy children , friend , yea or enemy , or for the quenching of a fire in thy house , or in the town , wouldst thou not stir and do thy best ? and wilt thou be idle when eternal life ●ies on it ? let satan bawl against thee by his instruments . let sensless sinners talk awhile of they know not what , till god have made them change their note . let what will be the consequent to thy flesh . these are not matters for a man much to observe , that is engaged for an endless life . o what are these to the thing● that thou art called to prosecute ! hold on then christians in the work that you have begun . do it prudently , and do it universally . take it together , both works of piety , justice , and charity : but do it now without delay , and do it seriously with your might . i know not what cloud of darkness hath seized on those mens minds that speak against this ; or what deadly damp hath seized on their hearts , that hath so benummed and unmanned them . for my own part ; though i have long lived in a sense of the preciousness of time , and have not been wholly idle in the world ; yet when i have the deepest thoughts of the great everlasting consequents of my work , and of the uncertainty and shortness of my time , i am even amazed to think that my heart can be so slow and sensless , as to do no more in such a case . the lord knows , and my accusing wounded conscience knows , that my sloathfulness is so much my shame and admiration , that i am astonished to think that my resolutions are no stronger , my affections no livelier , and my labour and diligence no greater , when god is the commander , and hiis love the encourager , and his wrath the spur , and heaven or hell must be the issue . o what lives should all of us live , that have things of such unspeakable consequence on our hands , if our hearts were not almost dead within us ! let who will speak against such a life , it shall be my daily grief and moan , that i am so dull , & do so little . i know that our works do not profit the almighty , nor bear any proportion with his reward ; nor can they stand in his sight , but as accepted in the lord our righteousness , & perfumed by the odour of his merits . but i know they are ne●essary , & they are sweet . without the holy imployment of our faculties , this life will be but a burden or a dream , and the next an unexpressible misery . o therefore that i had more of the love of god , that my soul could get but nearer to him , and swiftlier move upward by faith and love ! o that i had more of that life , and active diligence , which the serpentine cainish nature doth abhor , though i had with it the scorns of all about me , and though they made me as they once did better men , as the filth of the world , & the off-scowring of all things ! 1 cor. 14. 13. o that i had more of this derided diligence , and holy converse with the lord , though my name were cast out as an evil-doer , luk. 6. 22. and i were spit at , and buffetted by those that do now but secretly reproach ! might i nearly follow christ in holiness , why should i grudge to bear his cross , and to be used as he was used ? mat. 26. 27. luke 18. 32. knowing that if we suffer with him , we shall also reign with him ; and the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us , rom. 8. 17 , 18. if when we have done all , we are but unprofitable servants , and must say , we have done but our duty , luke 17. 10. have we not all more need of monitors to humble us for doing so much lesse then our duty , then to be reprehended for being too diligent and exact ? i again protest , that it is not any works of supererogation , or humane invention , superstition , or self-appointment that i am defending , but only the accurate obeying of the laws of god , and the utmost diligence in such obedience , for the obtaining of everlasting life . either god hath commanded these works of holiness , justice , and charity , or not . if he have not then i have done , and yeild the cause ; it is only what he hath commanded that i plead for . o that before you either speak against any holy duty , or your selves neglect it , you would but come to us , and soberly joyn in searching the holy scriptures , to see whether it be required there or not ; and resolve but to obey it , if we prove it thence : and if it be but matter of humane imposition , we leave you to your selves , and should desire that you may be much left to your liberty in such things ; and that you place not too much of your religion therein . but if indeed it be commanded in the word of god , i beseech you , as you are christians , & as you are men , remember that when ever you blame or scorn a holy duty , it is god himself that you blame or scorn . if it be naught , it is long of him that did command it . the subject must obey ; should not such worms as we , obey the infinite god that made us ? if it be a fault to obey , it is a duty to rebel , or disobey ; and that must be because that god hath no authority to command , & that must be because he is not god. see whether you bring your opposition to a holy life ; and dare not you stand to this ? dare you as openly mock god for making these strict and holy laws , as you do men for obeying them ? none but a professed atheist dare . alas sirs , it is nothing but intoxicating prosperity , and sensual delights , and worldly diversions , that turn your brains , and leave you not the sober use of reason , that makes you think well of ungodly sloathfulness , and makes you think so contemptuously or senselesly of a heavenly life . i tell you ( & remember another day that you were told of it ) that there is not the boldest infidel in the world , nor the bitterest enemy to holiness in this assembly , but shortly would wish they had rather been saints in rags , with all the scorn and cruelty that malice can inflict on such , then to have braved it out in pride and gallantry , with the neglect of the great everlasting things . i tell you again , there is not an ungodly wretch that heareth me , but e●e long would give a world if he were owner of a holy heart and life , that he had spent his days in holy watchful preparations for his change , which he spent for that which will deceive him and forsake him . methinks i even see how you will passionately rage against your selves ▪ and tear your hearts with self-revenge , ( if grace prevent it not by a more safe repentance ) when you think too late how you lived on earth , and what golden times of grace you lost , and vilisied all that would not lose them as folishly as you . if repentance unto life made paul so call himself foolish , disobedient , deceived and exceeding mad , tit. 3. 3. acts 26. 11. ) you may imagine how tormenting repentance will make you call your selves too late . o sirs , you cannot now conceive , while you sit here in health , and ease , and honour , what different thoughts will then possess you of a holy and an unholy life ! how mad you will think them that had but one lifes time of preparation for eternal life ▪ and despe●ately neglected it : and how ●ensib●e you will then be of the wisdom of believers , that knew their time , & used it while they had it ! now wisdom is iu●●ified of all her children : but then how sensibly will it be justified of all its enemies ! o with what gripe , will undone souls look back on a life of mercy and opportunities , thus basely undervalued , and slept away in dreaming idleness , & fooled away for things of nought . the language of that damned rich man , luk. 16. may help you in your predictions . o how you wil wonder at your selves , that ever you could be so blind and senslesse , as to be no more affected with the warnings of the lord , and with the fore-thoughts of everlasting joy or misery ! to have but one one small part of time to do all that ever must be done by you for eternity , and say all that ever you must say for your own or others souls , and that this was spent in worse then nothing ! to have but one uncertain life , in which you must run the race that wins or loseth heaven for ever ; & that you should be tempted by a thing of nought , to lose that one irrecoverable opportunity , and to fit still , or run another way , when you should have been making hast with all your might ! o sirs , the thoughts of this will be other kind of thoughts another day then now you feel them ; you cannot now think how the thoughts of this will then affect you ! that you had a time in which you might have pray'd , with promise of acceptance , and had not hearts to take that time ! that christ was offered you as well as he was offered them that entertained him ; that you were called on and warn'd as well as they , but obstinately despised and neglected all ! that life and death were set before you , and the everlasting joyes were offered to your choice , against the charms of sinful pleasures , and you might , have freely had them if you would , and were told that holiness was the only way , and that it must be now or never , and yet that you chose your own destruction ! these thoughts will be part of hell to the ungodly . they will wonder that reason could be so unreasonable , and they that had the common wit of man in other matters , should be so far beside themselves in that which is the only thing that its commendable to be wise for ; that such sottish reasonings should prevail with them against the clearest light , and nothing should be preferred before all things , and arguments fetcht from chaff and dung , should conquer those that were fetcht from hea●en ! o what heart-renting thoughts will these be , when eternity shall afford them leisure for an impartial review ! yea that they should deceive others also with such a gross deceit , and scorn at all that would not be as mad as they : that being drunken with the worlds delusion , they should abuse all that were truly sober ; that the one thing needfull , should seem to them a needless thing ! that their tongues should plead for these delusions of their wicked hearts , and they should be enemies to those that would not be enemies to god , and to themselves , and cast away their time and souls as they did ! they will wonder with self-indignation , what could bewitch them into so great unreasonableness , below a man , against the light of nature , as well as of supernatural revelation . honourable and beloved hearers , i beseech you do not take it ill , that i speak so much of these matters that are so unpleasant and unwelcome to unbelieving , careless , carnal hearts : it is that i may prevent all this in time , by the awakenings of true repentance : and o that this might be the success ! that i might hear by your penitent confessions , and see by your universal speedy reformation , that god hath so great mercy for you , & that these perswasions might be the means of so much happinesse to you , and comfort unto me ! however this assembly shall be witnesses that you were warned : and conscience shall be witness , that if you wast the rest of your dayes in the pleasures and vanities of this deceitful world , it was not because you could have no better , and were not called to higher things . that if you yet stand idle , it is not because you could not be hired . for in the name of christ i have called you into his vineyard , and told you of your work and wages , and ashamed your excuses and objections this day . come away then speedily from the snares of sinners , and the company of deceived hardened men , and cast away the works of darknesse ! heaven is before you ! death is at hand : the eternal god hath sent to call you ! mercy doth yet stretch forth its arms ! you have staid too long , and abused patience too much already : stay no longer ! o now please god , and comfort us , and save your selves by resolving that this shall be the day : and faithfully performing of this your resolution , vp and be doing : believe , repent , desire , obey , and do all this with all your might . love him that you must love for ever , and love him with all your soul and might ; seek that which is truly worth the seeking , and it will pay for all your cost and pains : and seek it first with all your might : remembring still it must be now or never . before i conclude , i have two messages yet to deliver to the servants of the lord : the one is of encouragement : the other of direction . i know that many of you have a threefold trouble , which requireth a threefold comfort and encouragement . one is , that you have done so little of your work ; but lost so much of your time already : another is , that you are so opposed and hindred . and the greatest of all is , that you are yet so dull and slow : the cure of which must be the matter of my directions . 1. for the first : that you have lost your time , must be the matter of your humiliation : but that all is not lost , before you see your sin and duty ; but yet the patience and mercy of the lord are attending you , and continuing your hope ; this is the matter of your comfort and encouragement . repent therefore that you came no sooner home : but rejoyce that you are come home at last : and now be more diligent in redeeming your time , in remembrance of the time already lost ; and though it must be your grief , that your master hath been deprived of so much as his service , and others of so much good which you should have done them , and that time is lost that cannot be recalled ; yet it is your comfort , that your own reward may be equal with them that have born the burthen and heat of the day : for many that are last ( in the time of their coming in ) shall be first ( in receiving their reward . ) this is the meaning of that parable in mat. 20. which was spoken to encourage them that had stood out too long , and to rebuke the envie , and high expectations of them that came in sooner : and it is no whit contradictory to those passages in matth. 25. which intimate a different degree of glory to be given to them that have different degrees of grace upon their industrious improvement . the one parable matth. 20. shews that men shall not be rewarded differently for their longer or shorter continuance in the work , but that those that came in late , and yet are found with equal holiness , shall be rewarded equally with the first : and more , if their holiness be more , which the second parable expresseth , declaring gods purpose to give them the greatest glory , that have improved their holiness to the greatest measure . o therefore that the sense of your former unkindness might provoke you the more resolvedly to give up your selves in fervent love , and full obedience ! and then you will find that your time is redeemed , though it cannot be recalled ; and that mercy hath secured your full reward . o what an unspeakable ▪ mercy is this ! that if yet you will devote your selves entirely to christ , and serve him with your might , the little time that yet remains , he will take it as if you had come in at the first hour of the day ! 2. and as for the opposition and hinderances in your way , they are no other then what your lord foretold . he hath gone before you , and conquered much more then ever you will encounter from without ( though he had not a body of sin to conquer : and in that respect the conquest of his spirit in his members , hath the preheminence of his personal conquest . ) he hath bid you be of good chear , because he hath overcome the world. if you will not take up your cross and follow him , you cannot be his disciples , joh. 16. 33. luk. 14. 27 , 33. would you be soldiers on condition you may not fight ; or fight , and yet have no opposition ? follow the captain of your salvation . if mocking , or buffeting , or spitting in his face , or hanging him upon a cross , or piercing his side , would have made him give up the work of your redemption , you had been left to utter desperation . the opposition that is conquerable , should serve but to excite your courage and resolution , in a case of such necessity where you must prevail , or perish . have you god himself on your side , rom. 8. 31. and christ your captain , and the spirit of christ to give you courage , and the promise to invite you , and heaven before you , and hell behind you , and the examples of such an army of conquering believers : and shall the scorns or threats of a crawling worm prevail against all these for your discouragement ? you are not afraid lest any man should pull down the sun , or dry up the sea , or overturn the earth : and are you afraid that man should conquer god ? rom. 8. 37. or take you out of the hands of christ ? joh. 10. 28. 39. mark how they used david , psal . 56. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. every day they wrest my words : all their thoughts are against me for evil : they gather themselves together : they hide themselves : they mark my steps when they wait for my soul . ] but what did he therefore fear or fly from god ? no , [ what time i am afraid , i will trust in thee : in god will i praise his word ; in god have i put my trust ; i will not fear what flesh can do unto me ] isa . 51. 7 , 8. [ hearken to me ; ye that know righteousness , the people in whose heart is the law ; fear ye not the reproach of men , neither be ye afraid of their revilings ; for the moth shall eat them up like a garment , and the worm shall eat them like wool : but my righteousness shall be for ever , and my salvation from generation to generation . ] you deserve to be shut out of heaven , if you will not bear the breath of a fools derision for it . 3. but ( saith the self-accusing soul ) i am convinced that i ought to be laborious for my salvation , and that all this is too little that i can do : but i am dull , and cold , and negligent in all : i am far from doing it with my might : i hear , and read , and pray , as if i did it not , and as if i were half asleep , or my heart were away upon somewhat else . i fear i am but a lazy hypocrite . ] answ . i shall first speak to thy doubt , and then to direct thee against thy sin . and first , you must be resolved whether your sloath be such as is predominant , or mortifi'd : such as proveth that you are dead in sin , or onely such as proveth you but diseased and infirm . and to know this , you must distinguish 1. between the dulness and coldness of the affections , and the unresolvednesse and disobedience of the soul . 2. between a sloathfulness that keepeth men from a godly life in a life of wickedness , and that which only keepeth them from some particular act of duty , or abateth the degree of their sincere affection and obedience . 3. between that sloath that is the vicious habit of the will ; and that which is the effect of age , or sickness , or melancholy , or other distemper of the body . and so the case lieth plain before you . 1. if it be not only your affections that are dull , but your will through sloath is unresolved ; and this not only in a temptation to the abatement of some degrees , and the neglect of some particular duty , but against a holy life , and against the forsaking of your reigning sin ; and this be not only through some bodily distemper , disabling your reason , but from the vicious habit of your wills : then is your sloath a mortal sign , and proves you in a graceless state : but if the sloath which you complain of , be onely the dulness of your affections , and the backwardness of your wills , to some high degrees , or particular duties , and the effect of some bodily distemper , or the weakness of your spiritual life , while your wills are habitually resolved for god , and a holy life , against a worldly fleshly life . this is your infirmity , and a sin to be lamented , but not a mark of death and gracelessness . you will have a backward sloathfull heart to strive with while you live ; but bless god that you are offended with it , and would fain be delivered . this was paul's evidence , rom. 7. 24. you will have flesh , and flesh will plead for its interest , and will be striving against the spirit ; but bless god that you have also the spirit to strive against the flesh . be thankfull that you have life to feel your sickness , though you languish under it , and cannot work as healthfull men ; and that you are in the way to heaven , though you go not so fast as you should and would . 2. but yet , though you have life , it is so grievous to be diseased , and languish under such an infirmity as sloath , that i advise you to stir up your selves to the utmost , and give not way to a lazie temper ; and that you may serve the lord with all your might , i recommend these few directions to your observation . dir. 1. when you would be quickened up to seriousnesse and diligence , have ready at hand such quickning considerations , as are here before propounded to you , and set them before you , and labour to work them upon your hearts . powerful truths would have some power upon your souls , if you will but soberly apply your reasons to them and plead them with your selves , as you would do with another , in any of your reproofs or exhortations . dir. 2. take heed lest any worldly design or interest , or any lust or sensual delight , divert your minds from god and duty . for all the powers of your soul will languish , when you should set them on work on spiritual things , and your hearts will be abroad , when you should be wholly taken up with god , if once they be entangled with worldly things . watch therefore over them in your callings , lest the creature steal too deep into your affections : for if you be alive to the world , you will be in that measure dead to god. dir. 3. if it be possible , live under a lively ministry , that when your hearts go cold and dull unto the assemblies , they may come warm and quickned home . life cherisheth life , as fire kindleth fire . the word and ordinances of god are quick , powerful , and sharper then any two-edged sword , piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit , and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts , heb. 4. 12. and therefore it may do much to make you feel . many a thousand hath it pricked at the heart , and sent them home alive , that before were dead , acts 2. 37. much more may you expect that it should excite the principles which you have already . dir. 4. if it may be , converse with lively , active , stirring christians ; but especially have one such for a bosome friend , that will warm you when you are cold , and help to awake you when you drop a sleep , and will not comply with you in a declining , lazie , and unprofitable course , eccles . 4. 9 , 10 , 11. two are better then one , because they have a good reward for their labour : for if they fall , the one will lift up his fellow ; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth , for he hath not another to help him up . again , if two lie together , then they have heat ; but how can one alone be warm ? and if one prevail against him , two shall withstand him ; and a threefold cord is not easily broken . dir. 5. put not away from you the day of death . look not for long life . it is the life to come that must be the life of all your duties here : and distant things do lose their force . set death , and judgment , and eternall life continually as near at hand ; live in a watchfull expectation of your change , do all as dying men , and as passing to receive the recompence of endlesse joy or woe ; and this will quicken you . to this end , go often to the house of mourning , and be not unseasonably or immoderately in the house of mirth . when you observe what is the end of all men , the heart will be made better by it , eccles . 7. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. but excess of carnal mirth doth infatuate men , and destroy their wisdom , seriousness and sobriety . keep always a sense of the brevity of life , and of the preciousness of time , and remember that it is posting on whether you work or play . methinks , if you forget any of the rest , this one consideration that we have in hand , should make you bestir you with your might , that , it must be now or never . i shall only add two needful cautions , lest while we cure one disease , we cause another ( as knowing that corrupted-nature is used to run from extream into extream . 1. desire and labour more for an high estimation of things spiritual and eternal , and a fixed resolution , and an even and diligent endeavour , then for passionate feelings and affections . for these latter are more unconstant in the best , and depend much on the temper of the body , & are not of so great necessity as the former , though excellent in a just degree and season . for its possible that passions even about good things may be too much , when estimation , resolution , and regular endeavours , cannot . ) 2. be suspicious when you have the warmest and liveliest affections , lest your judgments should be perverted by following when they should lead . it 's very common for zeal and strong affections , even to that which is good , to occasion the mistakes of the understanding , and make men look all on one side , and think they can never go far enough from some particular sins , till ignorantly they are carried into some perhaps as great on the other hand . be warned by the sad experience of these times , to suspect your judgements in the fervour of your affections . and observing these cautions , let nothing abate your zeal and diligence , but whatever duty is set before you , do it with your might : for it must be now or never . though i know that the enmity to a holy , heavenly life is so radicated in corrupted nature , that all that i have said is necessary and too little ; yet some i know will think it strange that i should intimate , that any that preach the gospel are guilty of any measure of this sin , and will think that i intend by it to reflect upon some parties above the rest . but again i profess , that it is no party but the devills party , and the ungodly party , that i mean and its hard if you will not beleve me concerning my own sense . nor is it my desire that any of the odiousness of schism , sedition , rebellion , or disobedience to authority , should be so much as diminished by any mens profession of godliness . no , i beseech you , by how much the more godly you are , by so much the more detest all these ; godlinesse tendeth to shame & condemn these odious sins , and not to be a cloak for them or any extenuation . nay , what can more aggravate them , then that they should be found in the professors of godliness ? i again profess that i have no design but to plead for serious diligence in the religion which we are all agreed in , and to stop the mouth of those that wickedly speak against it . but alas ! it is too evident that i have too many to speak to that are not innocent ; why else doth scripture tell us that such there will be still to the end of the world ? and that there is some that preach christ of strife and envy , to add affliction to the bonds of the afflicted ! and how came holy mr. bolton to find so much work for these rebukes so lately in his time , as in his books you find ? and can we already forget what abundance of antinomian teachers were among us , that turned out the very doctrine of practical diligence , and crying it down as a setting up our selves and our own works , and as injurious to free grace ; and under pretence of exalting christ did set up an heartless , lifeless doctrine , that tended to turn out the life of a christianity , and take men off their necessary dili as a legal dangerous thing ? and what ordinance of god hath not been cast out by preachers themselves upon religious pretences , family-duties , catechising , singing of psalms , baptism , the lords supper , and which not ? and if all these were down , wherein should the practice of religion consist ? and what abundance of pamphlets had we that laboured to make the orthodox , faithfull ministry a very scorn , and deride them for their faithful service of god , and their faithfulness to their superiors , inopposition to their unrighteous ways ? i am loath to blot my papers , and trouble your ears with the names of the martin-mar-priests , and a multitude of such others which i mean. and let no papist , or any enemy of our church , reproach us , because such enemies to holiness are found among us . can it be expected that our church should be better than the family of adam , that had a cain ? or of noah , that had a cham ? or of christ , that had a judas ? and are there not far more enemies to serious godliness among the papists themselves , then among us ? one instance out of the life of philip nerius , the father of the oratorians , i will put into the preface , because it is too long to be here inserted . there is no place , nor rank of men in the world , where some of the enemies of an holy life are not to be found , even among those that profess the same religion in doctrinals , with those whom they oppose . christ and the devil have their several armies ; and if once the devil disband his souldiers , and have none to oppose a holy life , then tell me that its a needless thing to defend it , and to confute them . but i am listed under christ , & will never give over pleading for him , till his adversaries give over pleading against him , and his cause , as long as he continueth my liberty and duty . and blessed be the lord , that if an hypocritical preacher be found among us , that secretly or openly disgraceth a diligent holy life , there are more able , holy faithful ones to confute him both by doctrine , and by their lives , then are to be found in any other kingdom in the world proportionally , that ever i could hear of . and that the faithful disciples are so many , and the judas'es so few , how great a blessing is it to this land , and how great an honour to his majesties government , and to the church in his dominions ? the lord teach this sinful nation to be thankful , and pardon their ingratitude , and never deprive them of this forfeited mercy . the lord teach them to hearken to the friends , and not to the enemies of holiness , and never to receive a wound at the heart of their religion , however they hear their smaller differences about things circumstantial . and now i should conclude , i am loth to end , for fear lest i have not yet prevailed with you : what are you now resolved to do from this day forward ? it is work that we have been speaking of , and necessary work of endless consequence , which must be done , and quickly done , and throughly done . are you not convinced that it is so ? that plowing and sowing are not more necessary to your harvest , then the work of holiness , in this day of grace , is necessary to your salvation ? you are blind if you see not this : you are dead if you feel it not : what then will you do ? for gods sake , and for your own sake , stand not demurring till time be gone . it is all that the devil desireth , if he can but find you one thing or other to be thinking , and talking , and doing about , to keep you from this till time be gone ; and then he will insult over you , & then he that kept you from seeing and feeing , will help you to see and feel to your calamity : then the devil will make you feel that which preachers could not make you feel : and he will make you think of that , and lay it close enough to your hearts , which we could not get you to lay to heart . now we study and preach to you in hope , but then ( alas it breaks our hearts to think of it ) we have done with you for ever , because all hope is gone . then the devil may challenge a minis●●r : [ now do thy worst to bring this sinner to repentance ; now call to him to consider , and believe , and come to christ ; now offer him mercy , and intreat him to accept it ; now cry to him to take heed of sin and of temptations , that he comes not to this place of torments ; now tell him of the beauty or necessity of holiness , and call upon him to turn and live ; now do thy worst to rescue him from my power , and to save his soul . ] alas poor sinner ! will you stop your ears , and go on in sin , and damn your selves , and break our hearts to fore-see that day ! must we see the devil go away with such a prey , and shall we not rescue your captivated souls , because you will not hear , you will not stir , you will not consent ! oh hear the god of heaven if you will not hear us , who calleth to you , return and live ! oh hear him that shed his blood for souls and tendereth you now salvation by his blood ! o hear without any more delay , before all is gone , and you are gone , and he that now deceiveth you , torment you ! yet hold on a little longer in a carnal , earthly , unsanctified state , and it is too late to hope , to pray , or strive for your salvation : yet a little longer , and mercy will have done with you for ever ; and christ will never invite you more , nor never offer to cleanse you by his blood , or sanctifie you by his spirit ! yet a little longer , and you shall never hear a sermon more , and never more be troubled with those preachers that were in good sadness with you , and longed once for your conversion and salvation ! o sleepy dead-hearted sinners , what should i do to show you how near you stand to eternity , and what is now doing in the world that you are going to , & how these things are thought on there ! what should i do to make you know how time is valued , how sin and holinesse are esteemed in the world where you must live for ever ! what should i do to make you know those things to day , which i will not thank you to know when you are gone hence ! o that the lord would open your eyes in time ! could i but make you know these things as believers should know them , i say not as those that see them , nor yet as dreamers , that do not regard them , but as those that believe that they must shortly see them ; what a joyfull hours work should i esteem this ! how happy would it be to you and me , if every word were accompanied with tears ! if i followed you home and beg'd your consideration on my bear knees , or as a beggar begs an alms at your doors , if this sermon cost me as many censures or slanders as ever sermon did , i should not think it too dear , if i could but help you to such a sight of the things we speak of , that you might truly understand them as they are : that you had but a true awakned apprehension of the shortnesse of your day , of the nearless of eternity , and of the endless consequence of your present work ; and what holy labour and sinful loytering will be thought of in the world to come for ever ! but when we see you sin , and trifle , and no more regard your endless life , and see also what haste your time is making , and yet cannot make you understand these things ; when we know our selves as sure as we speak to you , that you will shortly be astonished at the review of your present sloth and folly , and when we know that these matters are not thought of in another world , as they are among the sleepy or the bedlam sinners here , and yet know not how to make you know it , whom it doth so exceeding much concern ; this amazeth us , and almost breaks our hearts ! yea , when we tell you of things that are past doubt , and can be no further matter of controversie , then men have sold their understandings , & betrayed their reason to their sordid lusts , and yet we cannot get reasonable men to know that which they cannot choose but know , to know that seriously and practically , which alwayes hath a witness in their breasts , and which none but the profligate dare deny : i tell you sinners , this , even this is worse then a prison to us ; it is you that are our persecutors ; it is you that are the daily sorrow of our hearts ; it s you that disappoint us of our hopes , and make us lose so much of the labour of our lives ! and if all others did as some do by us , alas how sad an employment should we have ! and how little would it trouble us to be silenced and laid aside ! if we were sick of the ambitious or covetous thirst , we should then say that it is they that deny us wealth and honour that disappoint us . but if we are christians , this is not our case , but it is the thirst after your conversion and salvation which affecteth us : and therefore it is you , even you that linger in your sins and delay repentance , and forget your home , and neglect your souls , it is you that disappoint us , and you that are our afflicters ; and as much as you think you befriend us when you plead our cause against men of violence and rage , it is you that shall answer for the loss of our time , and labour , and hope , and for the grieving of your teachers hearts . sinners , what ever the devil and raging passion may say against a holy life , god and your own consciences shall be our witnesses , that we desired nothing unreasonable , or unnecessary at your hands . i know it is the master-piece of the devils craft , when he cannot keep all religion in contempt , to raise up a dust of controversie in the world about names , and forms , and circumstances in religion , that he may keep men busily striving about these , while religion it self is neglected or unknown ; and that he may make men believe that they have some religion , because they are for one side or other in these controversies : and especially that he may entice men to number the substantials of religion it self among these lesser doubtful points , and make sinners believe that it is but the precise opinion of one party that they reject , while they reject the serious practice of all true religion . and so the devil gets more by these petty quarrels and controversies , occasioned by contentious empty men , then he could have done by the open opposition of infidels , heathens , or the prophane : so that neither i , nor any man that opinionative men have a mind to quarrel with , can tell how to exhort you to the very practice of christianity it self , but you are presently casting your thoughts upon some points wherein we are reported to differ from you , or remembring some clamours of malicious men , that prejudice against the person of the speaker , make keep your souls from profiting to salvation by the doctrine which even your selvs profess . if this be the case of any one of you , i do not mean your consciences shall so scape the power or evidence of the truth . dost thou talk of our differences about forms and ceremonies ? alas man ! what 's that to the message which we come about to thee , what is that to the business that we are preaching of ? the question that i am putting to you , is not whether you will be for this form of church-government or for that , for a ceremony or against it ; but it is , whether you will hearken in time to god and conscience , and be as busie to provide for heaven as ever you have been to provide for earth ? and whether you will set your selves to do the work that you are created and redeemed for ? this is the business that i am sent to call you to ; what say you ? will you do it , and do it seriously without delay ? you shall not be able to say , that i called you to a party , a faction , or some opinion of my own , or laid your salvation upon some doubtful controversie . no sinner , thy conscience shall have no such shift for its deceit : it is godlinesse , serious and practical godliness that thou art called to . it is nothing but what all christians in the world , both papists & greeks , & protestants , and all the parties among those that are true christians , are agreed in the profession of . that i may not leave thee in any darkness which i can deliver thee from , i le tell thee distinctly , though succinctly , what it is that thou art thus importuned to ; and tell me then whether it be that which any christian can make doubt of . 1. that which i intreat of thee is , but to live as one , that verily believeth there is a god , and that this god is the creator , the lord , and ruler of the world ; and that it is incomparably more of our business to understand and obey his laws , and as faithful subjects to be conformed to them , then to observe or be conformed to the laws of man : and to live as men that do believe , that this god is almighty , and the greatest of men are less then crawling worms to him ; and that he is infinitely wise , and the wisdom of man is foolishness to him ; and that he is infinitely good and amiable , and the best of creatures is dung and filth in comparison of him ; and that his love is the only felicity of man , and that none are happy but those that do enjoy it , and none that do enjoy it can be miserable ; and that riches , and honors , and fleshly delights are brutish vanities in comparison of the eternal love of god. live but as men that heartily believeth all this , and i have that i come for . and is any of this a matter of controversie or doubt ? not among christians i am sure : not among wise men . it is no doubt to those in heaven , nor to those in hell , not to those that have not lost understanding upon earth , they live then according to these truths . 2. live as men that verily believe , that mankind is fallen into sinne and misery , and that all men are corrupted , and under the condemnation of the law of god , till they are delivered , pardoned , reconciled to god , and made new creatures by a renewing , restoring sanctifying change . live but as men that believe that this cure must be wrought , and this great restoring change must be made upon your selves , if it be not done already . live as men that have so great a work to look after . and is this a matter of any doubt or controversie ? sure it is not to a christian : and me-thinks it should not be to any man else that knoweth himself , any more then to a man in a dropsy , whether he be diseased , when he feels the thirst , and sees the swelling . did you but know what cures and changes are necessarily to be made upon your diseased miserable souls ; if you care what becomes of them , you would soon see cause to look about you . 3. live but as men that verily believe that you are redeemed by the son of god , who hath suffered for your sins , and brought you the tidings of pardon & salvation , which you may have if you will give up your selves to him , who is the physitian of souls , to be healed by him . live as men that believe , that the infinite love of god revealed to lost mankind in the redeemer , doth bind us to love him with all our hearts , and serve him with all our restored faculties , and to work as those that have the greatest thankfulness to shew , as well as the greatest mercies to receive , and miserie to escape : & as those that believe , that if sinners that without christ had no hope , shall now love their sins , & refuse to leave them , and to repent and be converted , and unthankfully reject the mercie of salvation so dearly bought , and so freely offered them , their damnation will be doubled as their sin is doubled . live but as men that have such redemption to admire , such mercie to entertain , and such a salvation to attain , and that are sure they can never scape if they continne to neglect so great salvation , heb. 2. 3. and is there any controversie among christians in any of this ? there is not certainly . 4. live but as men that believe , that the holy ghost is given by jesus christ to convert , to quicken , to sanctifie all that he will save : & that except you be born of the spirit , you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven , and that if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his , joh. 3. 5 , 6. rom. 8. 9. and that without this , no patching or mending of your lives by any common principles wil serve the turn for your salvation , or make you acceptable to god , heb. 11. 6. live as men that believe that this spirit is given by the hearing of the word of god , and must be prayed for , and obeyed , & not resisted , quench'd , and griev'd . and is there any controversie among christians in any of this ? ask those that make a mock at holinesse , sanctification , and the spirit , whether they be not baptized into the name of the holy ghost , and profess to believe in him as their sanctifier , as well as in the son as their redeemer ? and then ask them whether it be not a thing that should make even a devil to tremble , to come so near the blasphemy against the holy ghost , as to mock at his office and sanctifying work , and at the holines , without which no man shall see the lord ! heb. 12. 14. and this after they are baptized , and profess to believe in the holy ghost as their sanctifier ? 5. live but as men that believe that sin is the greatest evil , the thing which the holy ghost abhorreth ; and then you will never make a mock of it , as solomon saith the foolish do , pro. 14. 9. nor say , what harm is in it ? 6. live but as men that believe no sin is pardoned without repentance , and that repentance is the loathing and forsaking of sin ; and if that it be true , it will not suffer you to live wilfully in any gross sin , nor to desire to keep the least infirmity , nor to be loth to know your unknown sins . 7. live as those that believe that you are to be members of the holy catholick church , and therein to hold the communion of saints . and then you will know , that it is not as a member of any sect or party , but as a holy member of this holy church , that you must be saved : and that it is the name of a christian which is more honourable then the name of any division , or sub-division among christians , whether greek , or papist , or potestant , or prelatist , or presbyterian , or independent , or anabaptist . it is easie to be of any one of these parties ; but to be a christian , which all pretend to , is not so easie . it is easie to have a burning zeal for any divided party or cause , but the common zeal for christian religion , is not so easie to be kindled , or kept alive , but requireth as much diligence to maintain it , as dividing zeal requireth to quench it . it is easie to love a party as a party ; but to keep up catholick charity to all christians , & to live in that holy love & converse , which is requisite to [ a christian communion of saints ] is not so easie . satan and corrupted nature befriend the love and zeal of faction , which is confined to a party on a controverted cause : but they are enemies to the love of saints , and to the zeal for holiness , and to the chatholick charity , which is from the spirit of christ . you see i call you not to division , not to side with sects , but to live as members of a holy catholick church , which consisteth of all that be holy in the world : and to live as those that believe the communion of saints . 8. live as those that believe that there is a life everlasting , where the sanctified shall live in endless joy , and the unsanctified in endless punishment and woe : live but as men that verily believe a heaven and a hell , and a day of judgment , in which all the actions of this life must be revised , & all men judged to their endless state . believe these things heartily , and then think a holy diligence needless if you can : then be of the mind of the deriders & enemies of godliness if you can ! if one sight of heaven or hell would serve without any more ado , instead of other arguments to confute all the cavils of the distracted world , & to justifie the most diligent saints in the judgment of those that now abhor them , why should not a sound belief of the same thing in its measure do the same ? 9. live but as those that believe this life is given us as the only time to make preparation for eternal life : and that all that ever shall be done for your salvation , must be now , just now , before your time is ended : live as those that know ( and need not faith to tell them ) that this time is short , and almost at an end already , and stayeth for no man , but as a post doth haste away : it will not stay while you are trimming you or sporting you : it will not stay while you are taken up in stage-plays , in complements , in idleness , or any impertinent needless thing ; it wil not tarry while you spend yet the other year , or month , or day , in your worldliness or ambition , or in your lusts and sensual delights , & put off your repentance to another time . o sirs , for the lords sake do but live as men that must shortly be buried in a grave , & their souls appear before the lord , and as men that have but this little time to do all for their everlasting life , that ever must be done . o live as men that are sure to die , and are not sure to live till to morrow . and let not the noise of pleasure or wordly business , or the chat or scorns of miserable fools , bear down your reason , and make you live as if you knew not what you know , or as if there were any doubt about these things . who is the man , and what is his name , that dare contradict them , and can make it good ? o do not sin against your knowledg : do not stand still and see your glass running , and time making such hast , and yet make no more haste your selves , then if you were not concerned in it : do not , o do not slumber , when time and judgment never slumber ; nor sit still when you have so much to do , & know all that is now left undone must be undone for ever ! alas , sirs , how many questions of exceeding weight have you yet to be resolved in ? whether you are truly sanctified ? whether your sins be pardoned ? whether you shall be saved when you die ? whether you are ready to leave this world , and enter upon another ? i tell you , the answering of these , and many more such questions , is a matter of no small difficulty or concernment . and all these must be done in this little and uncertain time . it must be now or never . live but as men that believe and consider these certain unquestionable things . 10. lastly , will you but live as men that believe that the world and the flesh are the deadly enemies of your salvation ; and that believe ; that if any man love the world , ( so far ) the love of the father is not in him , 1 joh. 2. 15 , 16. and as men that believe , that if ye live after flesh , ye shall die , but if by the spirit ye mortifie the deeds of the bodie , ye shall live , rom. 8. 13. and that those that are in christ jesus , and are freed from condemnation , are such as walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit , rom. 8. 1. and that we must make no provision for the flesh , to satisfie the will or lusts thereof , rom. 13. 10. and must not walk in gluttonie & drunkenness , in chambering and wantonness , in strife and envying , v. 13. but must have our hearts where our treasure is , mat. 6. 21. and converse in heaven , phil. 3. 18 , 19 , 20. and being risen with christ , must seek the things that are above , and set our affections on them , and not on the things that are on earth , col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. sirs , will you say that any of this is our singular opinion , or matter of controversie & doubt ? are not all christians agreed in it ? do you not your selves profess that you believe it ? live then but as those that do believe it , & condemn not your selves in the things that you confess . i tell thee , if now thou wilt refuse to live according to these common acknowledged truths , thou shalt never be able to say before the lord , that mens controversie about a ceremony or church-government , of the manner or worship , were the things that hindred thee ! but all sorts & sects shall be witnesses against thee , and condemn thee , for they all agreed in these things even the bloodiest sect , that imprison , and torment and kill others for their differences in smaller matters , are yet agreed with those that they persecute , and murder , about these things : papists are agreed in them , and protestants are agreed in them : all the sects that are now quarrelling among us , & in the world , are agreed in them , who are but meet for the name of christians . all these will be ready to bear witness against the prophane , the sensual , the sloathful neglecter of god and his salvation , and to say , we all confessed , notwithstanding our other differences , that all these things were certain truths , and that mens lives should be ordered according unto these . but if yet you pretend controversie to cover your malignity or ungodliness , i will go a little further , and tell you , that in the matter as well as in the principles , it is things that we are all agreed in , which i call you to , and which the ungodly do refuse : i le briefly name them . 1. one part of your work which we urge you to do with all your might is , seriously & soberly to consider often of all these truths before mentioned , which you say you do believe : and is it any controversie with reasonable men whether they should use their reason ? or with believers whether they should consider and lay to heart the weight & use of the things which they believe ? 2. another part of your work is to love god with all your soul & might and to make him your delight , & to seek first his kingdom and the rightousness thereof ; and to set your affections on things above , and to live on earth as the heirs of heaven : and is there any controversie among protestants , papists , or any about this ? 3. another part of your work , is , to see the honouring of god in the world , the promoting of his kingdom and government in your selves and others , the doing of his will and obeying of his laws : and is there any controversie in this ? 4. another part of your work , is , to to mortifie the flesh , & to reject its conceits , and desires , and lusts , which resist the foresaid obedience to god ; and to cast out the inordinate love and care of worldly things : to refuse the counsels , the commands , the will , the enticements and perswasions of man , which contradict the commands & will of god : & to forsake all that you have in the world rather then forsake your dear redeemer , and hazard your salvation by any wilful sin : to take up your cross and follow christ through a life of suffering to glory ; i know there is difficulty enough in all this , and that flesh will repine against it and abhor it : but is there any controversie about it among any true believers ? is not all this the express command of god , and necessary to salvation ? 5. another part of your work , is , to avoid temptations , and fly from the occasions and appearances of evil , and not only to avoid that which is directly evil it self , but that also which would draw you into evil ( as far as you can ) and to keep as far as may be from the brink of hell and danger , & to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknes , nor be companions with them , but reprove them , and mourn for the unclean and wicked conversation of the world . this is it that we intreat of you : & is there any matter of controversie in all this ? 6. another part of the work which we call you to , is , to redeem this little time that is allotted you ; to make the best of it , and improve it to the greatest furtherance of your salvation : to lose none of it upon unprofitable things : to spend it in those works which will comfort you most when time is gone ; if it will be more comfortable to you in the day of judgment , that you have spent your time in playes , & sports , and idleness , & worldly cares , & pleasures , then in serving god , & preparing for another life , then hold on , and do so to the end : but if it will not , then do what you would hear of , seeing you must hear of it : spend none of your time in idleness & unfruitful things , till you have no better and more necessary things to spend it in , & till you have time to spare from more important work . this is our request to you , that you would not lose one hour of your pretious time , but spend it as those that have lost too much , and have but a little more to spend in preparation for eternity . and is this any schismatical or factious motion ? is there any thing controvertible , or which any christian can speak against , in any of this ? 7. another part of your work , is , to search the scripture as that which containeth your directions for eternal life , joh. 5. 39. to love the word of god more then thousands of gold & silver , & perfer it before your necessary food , psal . 119. 72. job 23. 12. and to meditate in it day & night , as that which is your pleasure and delight , psa . 1. 2. & as that which is able to make you wise unto salvation , 2 tim. 3. 15. and to build you up , & give you an inheritance among the sanctified , acts 20. 32. that you lay up the word of god in your hearts , and teach them diligently to your children , and talk of them when you sit in your houses , and when you walk by the way , & when you lie down , and when you rise up , deut. 6. 6 , 7. & 11. 18 , 19. that so you & your houshoulds may serve the lord , josh . 24. 15. this is the work that we call you to : and is there any thing that a christian can make a controversie of in all this ? is there any thing that protestants are not agreed of ? 8. another part of your work , is , that you guard your tongues , and take not the name of god in vain , and speak no reproaches or slanders against your brethren , & that no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths , but that which is good to the use of edifying , & that it may minister grace unto the hearers , eph. 4. 29. and that fornication , uncleanness , and covetousness be not once named among you , as becometh saints : neither filthiness , nor foolish talking , nor jesting , which are not convenient , but rather giving of thanks , eph. 5. 3 , 4. and is there any thing of doubt or controversie in this ? 9. another part of the work which we perswade you to , is , to pray continually , 1 thes . 5. 17. and not to wax faint , luke 18. 1. to be fervent and importunate with god , as those that know the greatnesse of their necessity , luke 18. 6 , 7. jam. 5. 16. that you pray with all prayer and supplication in the spirit , eph. 6. 18. and in every thing by prayer and supplication to make known your requests to god , phil. 4. 6. that you pray for kings and all in authority , that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie , 1 tim. 2. 1 , 2. and is there any thing in all this that any christian can deny ? 10. lastly , the work we call you to , is , to love your neighbours as your selves , and to do to others as you would have them ( arbitrio sano ) do to you . to scorn , deride , molest , imprison , slander , or hurt no man , till you would be so used your selves on the like occasion . to rejoyce in other mens profit and reputation as your own . to envy none , to hate no man ; to wrong none in their persons , estates , or names : to preserve the chastity , honour and estate of your neighbour as your own . to love your enemies , and forgive them that wrong you , and pray for them that hate , and hurt , and persecute you . this is your work : and is there any thing of faction , schism or controversie in this ? no , you shall shortly be convinced , that the differences and controversies of believers , and the many opinions about religion , were a wretched hypocrital pretence for your neglect and contempt of the substance of religion , about which there was no difference , but all parties were agreed in the confession of the truth , however hypocrites would not live according to their own professions . but perhaps you 'l say , that there is such difference in the manner yet among them that agree in the principles and the matter , that you know not which way god is to be worshipped ? in answer , 1. do you practise as aforesaid , according to the principles and matter agreed on , or not ? if you do not , it is but gross hypocrisie to pretend disagreements in the manner , as an excuse for your contempt or omission of the matter , which all agree in . forsooth your families shall be prayerless , and you will make a jeast of serious prayer , because some pray on a book , and some without , and some that are wisest , think that either way is lawful . will god be deceived by such siilly reasonings as these ? 2. but this shall not hide the nakedness of your impiety . will you also in the manner of your obedience , but go so far as all christians are agreed in ? i will breifly then give you some particular instances . 1. the work of god must be done with reverence , in his fear : not like the common works of men , with a common carelesse frame of mind : god will be sanctified of all that draw near him , lev. 10. 3. he will be served as god , and not as man : he will not be prayed to with a regardlesse mind , as those do that can divide their tongues from their hearts , and say over some customary words while they think of something else . is a dreadful thing for dust to speak to god almighty ; and a dangerous thing to speak to him as slightly and regardlesly , as if we were talking to one of our companions . it beseemeth a believer to have more of the fear of god upon his heart , in his ordinary converse in the world , then hypocrites and formalists have in their most solemn prayers . knowest thou the difference between god and man ? put then such a difference between god and man in thy addresses , as his majesty requireth . and see also that thy family compose themselves to a reverent behaviour , when they joyn with thee in the worshipping of god. what have you to say now against this reverent manner of behaviour ? is there any thing controvertible in this ? 2. it also requisite that you be serious and sober in all the service you perform to god. do it not ludicruously , and with half a heart ! be as much more fervent and serious in seeking god and your salvation , then you are in seeking worldly things , as god and your salvation is better then any thing in the world : or if that be beyond your reach ( though else there is reason for it ) at least let the greatest things have the greatest power upon your hearts . you cannot pray more fervently for heaven then heaven deserveth . o let but the excellency and greatnesse of your work appear in the serious manner of your performance . i hope you cannot say that his is any point of controversie , unlesse it be a controversie whether a man should be an hypocrite , or be serious in the religion which he doth profess . 3. it is requisite that your service of god be performed understandingly , psal . 47. 7. 1 cor. 14 , 15. god delighteth not in the blind devotion of men that know not what they do . prayers not understood are indeed no prayers : for no mans desire goeth further then his knowledge , and he expresseth not his desires that knoweth not what he expresseth himself . nor can he expect the concurrence of another mans desires , that speaketh what another understandeth not . the word that is not understood , cannot sink into the heart and sanctifie it : or if it be not well and soundlie understood , it s easily stoln away by the tempter , mat. 13. 19 , 23. if understanding be necessarie in our common conversations , much more in our holy addresses to the almighty , prov. 17. 27. a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit : but god hath no pleasure in fools , or in their sacrifices , eceles . 5. 1 , 4. nor is pleased with a parrot-like lip-service , which is not understood . he saith in detestation of the hypocrites , this people draweth near unto me with their mouth , and honoureth me with their lips , but their heart is far from me , mat. 15. 8 , 9. i hope then when we call you to serve god in judgment , & with understanding , we call you to nothing that a christian should make question of . 4. god is a spirit , and they that serve him must serve him in spirit and in truth , joh. 4. 24. the father seeketh such to worship him , ver . 23. he calleth for the heart : he looketh for the inward desires of the soul : he converseth with minds that are abstracted from vanity , and are seriously taken up in attending him , and are intent upon the work they do : the carkass of a prayer separated from the life of it , stinketh before the holy god. as he will be loved , so will he be served with all the heart and soul and might . and do we call you then to any thing that is doubtful , when we call you to the spiritual worshipping of god. 5. yet we maintain that the body hath its part in the service of god as well as the soul , and the body must expresse the inward reverence and devotion of the soul ; though not in a way of hypocritical ostentation , yet in a way of serious adoration . the bowing of the knee , the uncovering of the head , and reverent deportment , and whatsoever nature , or common use , and holy institution hath made an expression of holy affections , and a decent and grave behaviour of our selves , should be carefully observed in the presence of the most high , and the holy things of god more reverently to be respected then the presence of any mortal man. and the rather because that a grave , and reverent , and holy manner of deportment in gods worship , reflecteth upon the heart , and helpeth us in our inward and spiritual devotion : & it helpeth the beholders , and awakeneth them to reverent thoughts of god , and holy things ; which a regardless and common manner of deportment would extinguish . and it s no dishonour to reverent behaviour , that it is the use of hypocrites , but rather an honour to it ; for it is something that is good that the hypocrite useth for the cloak of his secret emptiness or evil . if there were nothing good in reverent behaviour before god , it would not serve the hypocrites turn . as it is a commendation to long-prayer , that the pharisees made it their pretence for the devouring of widdows houses : and those that call them hypocrites that are much in holy exercises and speeches , should consider , that if holy exercises and speeches were not good , they were not fit for the hypocrites design ; evil will not be a fit cloak for evil : that which the hypocrite thinks necessary to the covering of his sin , we must think more necessary to the cure of our sin and the saving of our souls ; the way to avoid hypocrisie is not by running into impiety and prophaness : we must do more then the hypocrite , and not less , else he will rise up in judgement against you , and condemn you , if he would do more to seem good , then you will do to be good , and to please your maker : if a pharisee will pray longer to colour his oppression , then you will do to attain salvation . the mischief of hypocrisie is , that the soul of religion is wanting , while the corps is present : and will you cast away both soul and body : both inside and outside , in opposition to hypocrisie ? if others do seem to love god when they do not , will you therefore not so much as seem to do it ? so here about reverence in the service of god : the hypocrite should not exceed the sincere in any thing that is truly good . this is the manner of gods service that i perswade you to , and to no other : and is there any thing of controversie in this ? prefer but the spiritual part , and know but what that meaneth , [ i will have mercy , and not sacrifice ] that so you may not condemn the innocent , and you shall never say that we will be more backward then you to decency , and reverent behaviour in gods service . 6. god will be served in purity and holiness , with cleansed hearts and hands , and not with such as remain defiled with the guilt of any wilful sin . he abhorreth the sacrifice of the wicked and disobedient . he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law , his prayers are abominable , prov. 28. 9. and 15. 8. & 21. 27. isa . 1. 13. eccles . 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. [ to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me ? saith the lord , ( to oppressing wicked men ) isa . 1. 11. when you come to appear before me , who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts ? bring no more vain oblations : incense is an abomination to me : the new moons and sabbaths , the calling of assemblies i cannot away with : it is iniquity , even the solemn meeting , &c. ver . 12 , 13. and when you spread forth your hands i will hide mine eyes from you ; yea when you make many prayers i will not hear ; your hands are full of blood : wash you , make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil , learn to do well , seek judgement , relieve the oppressed , judge the fatherless , plead for the widdow ; come now and let us reason together , saith the lord. ] to play the glutton , or drunkard , or filthy fornicator in the day time & then to come to god at night , as if it were to make him amends by an hypocritical prayer ; to blaspheme gods name , and oppose his kingdom and government in your selves and others , and to do your own will , and hate and scorn them that do his will , and study his will that they may do it , and then to pray that gods name may be hallowed , his kingdom come , and his will be done ] is an abusing god , and not a serving or pleasing him . live according to your prayers , and let your lives shew as well as your words what it is that you desire . this is the service of god that we call you to : and can you say that there is any thing controvertible in all this ? are there any men of any party among christians , or sober infidels that dare contradict it ? 7. god will be served entirely and universally : in all his commands ; and with all your faculties , in works of piety , justice , and charity , which must never be separated : you must not pretend your charity against duties of piety ; for god is to be preferred in your estimation , love and service ; and all that is done for man , must be done for his sake . you must not set up duties of piety against duties of justice , charity and sobriety : it is not true piety that will not bring forth these . god must be loved above all , and our neighbours as our selves ; and these two sorts of love are inseparable . do all the good you can to all while you have opportunity ; especially to them of the houshold of faith , gal. 6. 10. what good you would hear of in the day of your accounts , that do now , speedily , diligently , and sincerely , according to your power . say not , i may come to want my self , but [ cast thy bread upon the waters , for thou shalt find it after many dayes ; give a portion to seven , and also to eight , for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth , eccles . 11. 1 , 2. ] and whether all may not quickly be taken from thee ; and then thou wilt wish thou hadst done good with it whilst thou hadst it , and lent it to the lord , and trusted him with thy remainder , who entrusted thee with his blessings ; and hadst made thee friends of the mammon of unrighteousness , that when all fail they might receive thee into the everlasting habitations . drop not now and then a scant and grudging alms , as if thou were a loser by it , and god must be be beholden to thee ; but believe , that the greatest gain is to thy self , and look after such bargains , and do good as readily , and gladly , & liberally , as one that verily expecteth a ful reward in heaven . this is part of the service of god that we exhort you to , even to visit , and relieve , and love christ in his members and brethren ( mat. 25. ) and is there any thing of doubt or controversie in all this ? 8. moreover , god will be served with love , and willingness , and delight : it is the most gainful , honourable , blessed , and pleasant work in the world , which he hath appointed you , and not a toilsome task or slavery : and therefore it is not a melancholy , pining , troublesom course of life that we perswade you to , under the name of godliness ; but it is to rejoyce in the lord , and to live in the joyful expectations of eternal life , and in the sense and assurance of the love of god. if you could shew us any probability of a more pleasant and joyful life on earth , then that which serious holiness doth afford , i should be glad with all my heart to hearken to you . i am ready to tell you what is the ground of our comforts , which faith revealeth : if you will come , and soberly debate the case , and shew us the matter and ground of your comforts , which you have or hope for in any other way : if yours prove greater , and better , and surer then the joys of faith , we will hearken to you , and be of your mind and side . the matter of the joyes of a believer is , that all his sins are pardoned ; that god is reconciled to him in christ ; that he hath the promise of god , that all things , even the greatest sufferings , shall work together for his good ; that he is always in the love , and care , and hands of god ; that he hath leave to draw near him by holy prayer , and open his heart to him in all his straits and wants ; that he may solace himself in his praises and thanksgiving , and in other parts of holy worship ; that he may read and hear his holy word , the sure discovery of the will of god , and revelation of the things unseen , and the charter of his inheritance ; that he may exercise his soul in the serious believing thoughts of the love of god revealed in the wonderful work of our redemption , and of the person , and office , and grace of jesus christ our redeemer ; and that he may love that god that hath so wonderfully loved him ; that he hath the spirit of god to quicken and actuate his soul , to supply his spiritual defects , and kill his sins , and help him to believe , to love , to rejoyce , to pray : that this spirit is gods seal upon him , and the earnest of everlasting life ; that death shall not kill his hopes , nor end his happiness , but that his felicity and fullest joy beginneth , when that of worldlings hath an end , and their endless misery begins ; that he is delivered from everlasting torment by the redemption of christ , and the sanctification of the spirit ; that angels will attend his departing soul into the presence of his father ; that he shall be with his glorified redeemer , and behold his glory ; that his body shall be raised to everlasting life : that he shall be justified by christ from all the accusations of the devil , and all the slanders of the malicious world ; that he shall live with god in endless glory , and see and enjoy the glory of his creator , and shall never more be troubled with enemies , with sin or sorrow , but among his holy ones , shall perfectly and most joyfully love and praise the lord for ever . these are the matter of a believers joy : these , purchased by christ , revealed in his word , sealed by his miracles , his blood , his sacraments , and his spirit , are our comfort . this is the religion , the labour that we invite you to : it is not to despair , nor to some dry unprofitable toil , nor to self-troubling , grieving , miserable melancholy , nor to costly sacrifices , or idle ceremonies , or irrational service , such as the heathens offered to their idols ; it is not to cast away all mirth and comfort , and to turn unsociable , and morose , and sower : but it is to the greatest joys that the world alloweth , and nature is here capable of , and reason can discern and own : it is to begin a truly merry sociable life : it is to fly from fear & sorrow , in flying from sin and hell , and from the consuming wrath of god : it is to the foretastes of everlasting joys , and to the beginnings of eternal life . this the labour , the religion , which we would have you follow with all your might . if you have better things to seek , and follow , and find , let us see them , that we may be as wise as you . if you have not , for your souls sake , make not choice of vanity , which will deceive you in the day of your necessity . but you must not think to make us believe that a great house , or a horse or a whore , or a feast , or a flatterer , or fine cloaths , or any childish toys , or brutish filthiness , are more comfortable things then christ , and everlasting life , or that it is sweeter and better to love a harlot , or lands , or mony , then to love god , and grace , and glory : nor that any thing that will go no further then the grave with you , is as good as that which will endure to eternity ; nor that any pleasure which a dog or swine hath , is equal to the delights of the angels of heaven : if you would have us of your mind , you must not be of this mind , nor perswade us to such horrible things as these . but we profess to you and all the world , that we are not so in love with sorrows or sowrness , nor so fallen out with joy and pleasures , as co choose a life of miserable sadness , or refuse a life of true delight . if we could hear from any man , or find by the most diligent inquiry , that there is a more full , and sweet , and rational , and satisfactory , and durable delight to be had in any other way , then that of serious faith and holinesse , which christ in scripture hath revealed to us , we were like enough to hearken after it . but can the distracted sensual world believe that its sweeter and happier to ruffle it out in fleshly gallantry and sport , and to rage against the godly for a while , till the vengeance of god lay hold upon them , and give them their reward , then to live in the love of god , and wait in patience for the performance of gods promise of everlasting joy ? oh what a thing is fleshly passion , and raging sensuality , and blind unbelief ! the lord have mercy upon poor deluded sinners ; the devils business is to turn the world into a bedlam ; and alas , how strangely hath he prevail'd ! that so many men can take their greatest misery for their happiness , and the only happiness for an intollerable life ! yea , and be so angry with all that are not of their mind , and will not set as much by filth and foolery , and as little by god and glory as they ! like the noble man that was lunatick , or mad by fits , and when ever he was mad , he would swear all were mad that said not as he said , and would make all his servants be sent to bedlam that would not immitate him , and there they must lie as mad men till their lord was recovered from his madness . so are gods servants used , and talkt of in the world , as if they were beside themselves , as long as the world is uncured of its madness . as the man is , so is his judgement , and such is his relish , and desire , and delight : when i was a child , i had far more desire to fill my pin-box , then now i have to fill my purse , and accounted it a greater treasure , and had much more delight and contentment in it . and alas , we may remember since we were strangers to the relish of heavenly things , that we found more pleasure in that of which we are now ashamed , then we did in the most high and excellent things . let us therefore pitty and pray for those that are distempered with the same disease . i have been longer on this then i thought to have been , because men think that we call them from all mirth , & joy , & pleasure , to a sowre heavy , melancholy life , when we call them to serious diligence for their salvation . as if levity & folly were the only freinds to pleasure , and it were only to be found in childish , worthless , transitory things . and as if the greatest everlasting happiness were no matter of true delight , nor seriousness , or diligence of a friend to joy. 9. moreover , as to the manner , god will be served with absolute self-resignation , without exceptions , limitations or reserves : not with the leavings of the flesh , nor with a proviso that you may not suffer by your religion , or be poor , or despised , or abused by the world : but with self-denyal you must lay down all the fleshes interest at his feet ; and you must take up your cross , and follow a suffering christ to glory . you must serve him as those that are wholly his , and not your own , and have nothing but what is his , and therefore nothing to be excepted , reserved or saved from him ; but must be content that you and all your interest be in his hands , and saved by him , if saved at all . i know these tearms seem hard to flesh and blood ( and should heaven be the crown and reward to them , that have undergone no tryal for it ? ) but here is nothing but what is past all controversy , and all christians do confess is the word of christ . 10. lastly , god will be served resolvedly and constantly : if you will raign , you must conquer and endure to the end . opposition you must expect ; and overcome it , if you would not be overcome . it is not good beginnings that will serve turn , unlesse you also persevere , and fight out the good fight of faith , and finish your course , and patiently wait to the last breath , for the crown of righteousness , which the righteous judge will give the conquerours , when the unbelieving world shall say of all their delight and hope [ its past and gone , we shall never see or tast it more ] but must now tast of that endlesse wrath of god which we were treasuring up , when we should have workt out our salvation . well sirs , i have all this while been describing to you , both as to the principles , the matter and the manner , what that religion and service of god is , in which you must labour with all your might : that you may see that it is no factious or private opinions or practices that we call you to ; and that your consciences may no longer be deluded with the pretences of mens different opinions in religion ; and that the names of prelatical , presbyterian , puritan , papist , nor any other sounding in your ears , may not so distract and doat you , as to make you forget the name of christian which you have all undertaken , nor what the christian religion is . you see now that it is nothing ( no not a syllable or tittle ) which all sober christians are not agreed in , that we perswade you to do as the work of your religion : and therefore i tell you again here , before that god that shall be your judge , and that conscience that shall be as a thousand witnesses , that if you will go on in ungodly worldly lives , and refuse the serious diligence of christians in this religion which your selves profess , it shall be so far from being any excuse or ease to you , that there were hypocrites , or hereticks , or schismaticks , or different opinions in religion in the world , that this very thing shall aggravate your sin and condemnation , that all these hypocrites , schismaticks , or diffeing parties in the church , did agree in the confession of all these things , and yet for all that you would not practice them : no nor practice what your selves confessed : all these parties or sects shall rise up against the sensual and prophane ungodly sinner , and say , [ though we were ignorant or doubtful of many other things , yet we are all agreed in these : we gave our concurrent testimony for them : we tempted no man to doubt of these , or to deny them . ] if you will erre more then an hypocrite , or a schismatick , and be far worse then those that are such , or you account such , and think to excuse it , because they erred in lesser things , it is as if the devil should excuse his sin by saying ; [ lord , thy saints did none of them love thee as they should , and hypocrites did but seem to love thee , and therefore i thought i might hate thee and set against thy wayes . ] bvt ( saith the ungodly sensualist ) i will never believe that god delighteth in long and earnest prayers : or that he is moved by the passions or the words of men ; and therefore i take this but for babling , which you call the serious diligence of believers , in their serving god. ] to this impious objection , i return these several answers . 1. i suppose this were true as you imagine , what 's this to you that serve god no way at all with any serious diligence ? that live in sensuality , and wilful disobedience to his laws , and do more for your bodies then for your souls , and for temporal things , then for eternal ? 2. who do you think is likest to understand gods mind , and what is pleasing to him ? himself or you ? is any thing more plainly commanded in gods word then praying with frequency , fervency , and importunity ? luk. 18. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. 1 thes . 5. 17. jam 5. 16. and will you tell god that he hath but dissembled with you , and told you that he is pleased with that which is not pleasing to him ? 3. and what is the reason of your unbelief ? forsooth , because god is not moved with humane words or passions ! i grant he is not . but what of that ? hath prayer no other use but to move god ? it is enough , 1. that it moveth us , and fiteth us to receive his mercies . 2. and that god hath made it necessary to the effect , and a means or condition without which he will not give thee the blessing . do you think ( if you judge but by natural reason ) that a person is as fit for a mercy that knoweth not the want or worth of it , and would not be thankful for it if he had it , as one that valueth it , and is disposed to thankfulness and improvement ? and do you not know that holy prayer is nothing but the actuating of holy desires , and the exercise of all those graces which are suited to the due estimation and improvement of the mercy . and is it not the way when we would draw the boat to the bank , to lay hold of the bank and pull , as if we would draw it to the boat ? if god be not moved and drawn to us , it is enough that we are moved and drawn to god : and with all that god may give his own blessings to whom and upon what terms he please , and that he hath assured us he will give them but to those that value , desire , and seek them , and that with faith , and fervency , and importunity . and yet i may add , that god is so far above us , as that his incomprehensible essence , and blessed nature is very little known to us ; and therefore though we know and confess that he hath no humane passions or imperfections , yet if he assume to himself the title of such a thing as love , desire , joy or wrath , we must in reason believe , that though these are not in god as they are in man , with any imperfection , yet there is something in god that cannot fitlier be represented to man , nor be understood by man , then by the images of such expressions as god himself is pleased to use . 3. but i beseech you hearken to nature it self . doth it not teach all rational creatures in necessity to pray to god ? a storm will teach the prophanest sea-man to pray , and that with continuance and fervency . the mariners could say to jonah in their danger [ what meanest thou , o sleeper ? arise , call upon thy god ; if so be that god will think upon us , that we perish not . ] and they themselves cryed every man unto his god , jon. 1. 5 , 6. when thou comest to dye , and seest there is no more delay , nor any more hope from the pleasures of sin , or from any of thy companions or old deceits , then tell me whether nature teach thee not to cry , and cry mightily for pardon , and mercy , and help to god ? then we shall hear thee crying [ o mercy , mercy lord , upon a miserable sinner ] though now thou wilt not believe that prayer doth any good . i le say no more to thee of this . if nature be not conquered , and grace have not forsaken thee , thou wilt be taught at home to answer this objection . sure thou canst not easily so far conquer reason , as to believe that there is no god. and if thou believe that there is a god , thou canst not believe that he is not to be worshipped , and that with the greatest seriousness and diligence ! nor that he is not the giver of all that thou dost want ! or that the governour of the world regardeth not the dispositions and actions of his subjects , but will equally reward the good and bad , and give to all alike , and have no respect to mens preparations for his reward . what heathen that believeth that there is a god , doth not believe that prayer to him is a necessary part of his worship ? obj. but is not your strict observation of the lords day a controverted thing ? answ . in this also i will strip thee of this excuse . 1. spend the lords day but according to the common principles of christianity and reason , and it shall suffice : spend it but as one that loveth god better then any thing in the world , and that taketh more pleasure in his service then in sin and vanity : spend it but as the necessities of thy own soul , and thy families require ; as one that 's glad of so honourable , gainful , and delightful an imployment , as the publick and private worshipping of god , and the serious contemplation of the life to come : as one that knoweth the need and benefit of having stated times for the service of god ; and what would come of all religion , if the time were left to each ones will ? spend it as men that put a just difference between the common business of this world , and the things that concern your endless state , and that have considered the proportion of one day in seven , in reference to this different consequence of the work : spend it as men that have lost as much time as you have done , and have need to make the best of the little that is left , ; and that are behind hand so far in the matters of your salvation , and have need to work with all your might , and should be gladder of the helps of such a day , then of thousands of gold and silver : spend it as those that believe that we owe god as much service as the jews did : spend it as the ancient christians spent it , that were wont to stay together almost from morning till night in publick worship and communion : spend it as the kings declaration requireth , which saith [ our purpose and resolution is , and shall be , to take care that the lords day be applied to holy exercises , without unnecessary divertisements . ] 2. and if yet there be any doubt in this , i refer you to the judgment of the church of england , expressed in the homily of the time and place of prayer . and for the time , the name , the antiquity , the authority , & the work it self , i desire you but to receive what is there delivered , not by any factious persons , but by the church . do this , and we are agreed and satisfied . and i make it my request to the reader , to peruse both parts of that homily , that he may know how far the church of england is from the loose conceits of the enemies of godliness : and if also you will read over the homilies against the peril of idolatry , you will the fuller know the judgement of the church about the manner of gods worship . ( indeed the whole book is such as the people should be acquainted with . ) i have done my part to open to you the necessity of seriovs diligence , and to call up the sluggish souls of sinners to mind the work of their salvation , and to do it speedily , and with all their might . i must now leave the success to god and you . what use you will make of it , and what you will be and do for the time to come , is a matter that more concerneth your selves then me . if long speaking , or multitude of words , were the way to prevail with you , i should willingly speak here while my strength would endure , and lengthen out my exhortations yet seven-fold . but that 's not the way : a little wearieth you : you love long feasts , and long visits , and plays , and sports , much better then long sermons , or books , or prayers . but it is no small grief to us , to leave you in a case of such importance , without some considerable hopes of your deliverance . sirs , the matter is now laid before you , and much in your own hands ; it will not be so long ! what will ye now do ? have i convinced you now , that god and your salvation are to be sought with all your might ? if i have not , it is not for want of evidence in what is said , but for want of willingness in your selves to know the truth : i have proved to you , that it is a matter out of controversie , unless your lusts , and passions , and carnal interest will make a controversie of it . i beseech you tell me , if you be of any religion at all , why are you not strict , serious , and diligent , and mortified , and heavenly in that religion which you are of ? sure you will not so far shame your own religion , whatever it be , as to say that your religion is not for mortification , holinesse , heavenliness , self-denial , or that your religion alloweth you to be ambitious , covetous , gluttonous , drunken , to curse , and swear , and whore , and raile , and oppress the innocent ; it is not religion , but diabolical serpentine malignity that is for any of this . it s wonderful to think , that learned men , and gentlemen , and men that pretend to reason and ingenuity , can quietly betray their souls to the devil upon such silly grounds , and do the evil that they have no more to say for , and neglect that duty that they have no more to say against , when they know they must do it now or never ! that while they confesse that there is a god , and a life to come , a heaven and a hell , and that this life is purposely given us for preparation for eternity , while they confess that god is most wise , and holy , and good , and just , and that sin is the greatest evil , and that the word of god is true , they can yet make shift to quiet themselves in an unholy , sensual , careless life : and that while they honour the apostles and martyrs , and saints that are dead and gone , they hate their successors and imitators , and the lives that they lived , and are inclined to make more martyrs by their malicious cruelty . alas , all this comes from the want of a sound belief of the things which they never saw ; and the distance of those things , & the power of passion , and sensual objects and inclinations , that hurry them away after present vanities , and conquer reason , and rob them of their humanity ; and by the noise of the company of sensual sinners , that harden and deaffen one another , and by the just judgement of god , forsaking those that would not know him , and leaving them to the blindness and hardness of their hearts . but is there no remedy ! o thou the fountain of mercy and relief , vouchsafe these miserable sinners a remedy ! o thou the saviour of lost mankind , have mercy upon these sinners in the depth of their security , presumption , and misery ! o thou the illuminater and sanctifier of souls , apply the remedy so dearly purchased ! we are constrained oft to fear lest it be much long of us , that should more seriously preach the awakening truths of god unto mens hearts . and verily our consciences cannot but accuse us , that when we are most lively and serious , alas , we seem but almost to trifle , considering on what a message we come , and of what transcendent things we speak . but satan hath got his advantage upon our hearts that should be instrumental to kindle theirs , as well as on theirs that should receive the truth . o that we could thirst more after their salvation ! o that we could pray harder for it ; and entreat them more earnestly ; as those that were loath to take a denial from god or man ; i must confess to you all with shame and sorrow , that i am even amazed to think of the hardness of my own heart , that melteth no more in compassion to the miserable , and is no more earnest and importunate with sinners , when i am upon such a subject as this ; and am telling them that it must be now or never ; and when the messengers of death within , and the fame of mens displeasure from without , doth tell me how likely it is that my time shall be but short , and that if i will say any thing that may reach the hearts of sinners , for ought i know , it must be now or never . o what an obstinate , what a lamentable disease is this insensibility and hardness of heart ! if i were sure this were the last sermon that ever i should preach , i find now my heart would shew its sluggishness , and rob poor souls of the serious fervour which is suitable to the subject and their case , and needful to the desired success . but yet poor sleepy sinners , hear us : though we speak not to you as men would do that had seen heaven and hell , and were themselves in a perfectly awakned frame , yet hear us while we speak to you the words of truth with some seriousness , and compassionate desire of your salvation . o look up to your god! look out unto eternity : look inwardly upon your souls : look wisely upon your short and hasty time : and then bethink you how the little remnant of your time should be employed : and what it is that most concerneth you to dispatch and secure before you die . now you have sermons , and books , and warnings : it will not be so long : preachers must have done : god threatneth them , and death threatneth them , and men threaten them , and its you , it s you that are most severely threatned , and that are called on by gods warnings , [ if any man have an ear to hear , let him hear . ] now you have an abundance of private helps , you have abundance of understanding gracious companions ; you have the lords dayes to spend in holy exercises , for the edification and solace of your souls ; you have choice of sound and serious books : and blessed be god , you have the protection of a christian and a protestant king and magistracy : o what unvaluable mercies are all these ! o know your time , and use these with industry , and improve this harvest for your souls ! for it will not be thus alwayes : it must be now or never . you have yet time and leave to pray and cry to god in hope : yet if you have hearts and tongues , he hath an hearing ear : the spirit of grace is ready to assist you : it will not be thus alwayes : the time is coming when the loudest cries will do no good : o pray , pray , pray poor needy miserable sinners ; for it must be now or never . you have yet health and strength , and bodies fit to serve your souls : it will not be so alwayes : languishing and paines and death are coming . o use your health and strength for god : for it must be now or never . yet there are some stirrings of conviction in your consciences : you find that all is not well with you : and you have some thoughts or purposes to repent , and be new creatures ▪ there is some hope in this , that yet god hath not quite forsaken you . o trifle not , and stifle not the conviction of your consciences , but hearken to the witnesse of god within you : it must be now or never . would you not be loath to be left to the despairing case of many poor distressed souls , that cry out , o it is now too late ! i fear my day of grace is past ; god will not hear me now if i should call vpon him : he hath forsaken me , and given me over to my self . it is too late to repent , too late to pray , too late to think of a new life ; all is too late . this case is sad : but yet many of these are in a safer and better case then they imagine , and are but frightened by the tempter , and it is not too late , while they cry out , it is too late : but if you are left to cry in hell [ it is too late ] alas , how long and how doleful a cry and lamentation will it be ! o consider poor sinner , that god knoweth the time and season of thy mercies : he giveth thee spring and harvest in their season : and all his mercies in their season , and wilt thou not know thy time and season , for love , and duty , and thanks to him ? consider that god who hath commanded thee thy work , hath also appointed thee thy time : and this is his appointed time . to day therefore hearken to his voice , and see that thou harden not thy heart : he that bids thee repent and work out thy salvation with fear and trembling , doth also bid thee do it now : obey him in the time , if thou wilt be indeed obedient : he best understandeth the fittest time . one would think to men that have lost so much time already , and loitered so long , & are so lamentably behind hand , and stand so near the bar of god , and their everlasting state , there should be no need to say any more , to perswade them to be up and doing . i shall add but this : you are never like to have a better time . take this or the work will grow more difficult , more doubtful , if through the just judgement of god , it become not desperate . if all this will not serve , but still you will loiter till time be gone , what can your poor friends do but lament your misery ! the lord knowes , if we knew what words , what pains , what cost would tend to your awakening , and conversion and salvation , we should be glad to submit to it : and we hope we should not think our labours , or liberties , or our lives too dear to promote so blessed and so necessary a work . but if when all is done that we can do , you will leave us nothing but our tears and moans for self-destroyers , the sin is yours , and the suffering shall be yours : if i can do no more , i shall leave this upon record , that we took our time to tell you home , that serious diligence is nessary to your salvation , and that god is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him , heb. 11. 6. and that this was your day , your only day : it must be now or never . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26967-e840 † and if the word religion be taken in this sense , and if all that agree in one christian religion , are said to be of as many religions , as different opinions , in points that some call necessary , then i answer the question thus . a discourse of the nature, ends, and difference of the two covenants evincing in special, that faith as justifying, is not opposed to works of evangelical obedience : with an appendix of the nature and difference of saving and ineffectual faith, and the allen, william, d. 1686. 1673 approx. 326 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 118 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-05 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a23663 wing a1061 estc r5298 12190793 ocm 12190793 55859 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a23663) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 55859) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 118:2) a discourse of the nature, ends, and difference of the two covenants evincing in special, that faith as justifying, is not opposed to works of evangelical obedience : with an appendix of the nature and difference of saving and ineffectual faith, and the allen, william, d. 1686. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [16], 215, [1] p. printed by j. darby for richard chiswell ..., london : 1673. attributed to william allen. cf. bm. errata: p. [1] at end. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng covenant theology -early works to 1800. faith -early works to 1800. 2003-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-02 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-03 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2003-03 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a discourse of the nature , ends , and difference of the two covenants . evincing in special , that faith as justifying , is not opposed to works of evangelical obedience . with an appendix of the nature and difference of saving and ineffectual faith , and the reason of that difference to which is prefixed a preface , by mr. rich. baxter . 2 pet. 1. 5. add to your faith , virtue . jam. 2. 22. and by works was faith made perfect . london printed by i. darby , for richard chiswell , at the rose and crown in st. pauls church-yard , 1673. to the reader . reader , theology is the doctrine of the kingdom of god : a kingdom is a state of government : government is by laws : he therefore that will understand any thing in divinity , must understand the laws of god : and though there be many inferiour particles , distinguished from the weighty things of the law , which few do clearly understand , yet is it necessary that we know in general , what kind of law , it is that we are under , and also that we know the most important parts : if we understand not the law of tything mint and cummin , we must not be ignorant of iudgment , mercy and faith , matth. 23. 23. they that tell us we are now under no laws , do tell us thereby that we are under no goverment , and consequently that god , and out redeemer jesus christ , is not the governour of believers . and he that knoweth that the name [ god ] doth signifie the divine relation to man , as well as the divine nature , will know that this is to deny a god , and to deny iesus christ ; and rather to be called atheism , and infidelity , than antinomianism : even they that had not the written law of moses , had a law of nature , partly written out upon their hearts : and christians have both the law of nature extrinsick , and the written law of christ , and both ( acccording to the various measures of grace ) written out upon their hearts , that is , received by knowledge , faith , love , and readiness to obey . but they that know that we are under a law ( as those in heaven , even angels are ) yet do not all well understand what law it is , and on what terms the world , or the church are governed , and must be judged . that the first law of natural innocency , as alone , or as to the promissory part , or as to threatning without mercies or remedy , is it that any part of the earth is now governed by , or under , is an intolerable errour : god promiseth not sinners everlasting life on condition they be no sinners : that promise ceased by a cessation of the subjects capacity without any more ado , or possibility of reviving it . nor doth god deal with any people according to the sole threatning of that law , without mercy , dispensation , or remedy . the law of grace was as truly made with all men in adam , gen. 3. 15. as the law of innocency was . though the serpents seed be mentioned in it , that intimateth not that any were such as then in the loins of lapsed adam , but as consequently they would become such by rejecting and abusing grace , and so contracting a further malignity . if man , as in adam's loyns , then was the serpents seed , then all god's elect should be such , and so be bruised , and not saved by jesus christ : for all then were really alike in adam . and to say , that god's meer election and reprobation , without any real inherent difference existent , or foreseen , is the reason of denominating , some the seed of the woman , and some the seed of the serpent , is an unproved fancy , and irrational corrupting the word of god. all men therefore in lapsed adam were at once under the guilt of sin , and also under a remedying law of grace , so far as that it is enacted and offered , to save those that receive it . it saved not adam himself meerly by the making of it , till by faith he had received it . and no doubt but as the covenant of grace to us extendeth to the faithful and their seed , so did the covenant of grace to adam ; for it was the same as was made to all the faithful before christ●s incarnation . the case of infants being obscure , clearer truths are not to be reduced to it : and whether cain and abel as they were both born in original sin , so were both pardoned upon their covenant-dedication to god by their parents , and cain after lost his infant-state of grace ( as davenant , ward , &c. think infant grace may now be lost ) or whether adam and eve neglected that dedication of cain to god which was needful to his sanctification , or whether god past him by , and denyed him infant-grace of his meer will , i leave to mens enquiry , and various judgments ; ( the controversie concerneth children now , as well as then , and the difficulties every way are not small ) but of these things i am past doubt : 1. that cain was not the serpents seed meerly for original sin , and as born of adam ( as abel was also ) nor did god make him the serpents seed by reprobation ; but that he made himself so by superadded sin against the redeemer and law of grace . 2. that all mankind are still under this law of grace , further than they forfeit the benefits of it by sins against it . 3. that most writers , if not most christians , do greatly darken the sacred doctrine , by overlooking the interest of children in the actions of their meer parents , and think that they participate of no guilt , and suffer for no original sin , but adams only ; and bring the doctrine of original sin it self into doubt , by laying all upon covenant-relation , and denying , or overlooking the natural proofs : doubtless , through scripture it is remarkable that god usually judgeth the posterity of new sinners to new punishments , and promises and threatnings are made ( since the covenant of innocency ceased ) to the believers , and unbelievers , or wicked , with their seed : for we may well say that the seed of cain , cham , nimrod , ishmael , esau , saul , ahab , &c. had more original sin than what they had from adam . and matth. 23. 35. expounds the matter . it was not in vain that ezra , daniel , &c. confessed their forefathers sin , nor doth our liturgie pray for the dead , but the living , when it saith [ remember not lord , our offences , nor the offences of our forefathers , neither take thou vengeance of our sins . the author of this treatise beginning at the promise made to abraham , doth it to comport with the apostle paul , who thought meet to call the iews to no higher observations than the case in hand ( about the non-obligation of moses's law to the gentiles ) did require . but this denyeth not , but supposeth the same law of grace in the main to have been made to all men in adam , and noah , and to have been in force to all mankind before it was renewed to abraham ; saving that to him and his seed there were many great priviledges added , above the rest of mankind , upon his extraordinary obediential faith. of how great importance it is to have a right understanding of the difference between the law of innocency , and the law of grace , and in it , the promise made to adam , and noah , and that to abraham , and the peculiar mosaical law and covenant , and the perfecter edition of the law , or covenant of grace by christ incarnate , a true student of theology may easily discern : wherein i hope the reader , will find that ( among the many late treatises on this subject ) the authour here hath done considerable service to the church of god. of which subject i have written long ago so much my self , and am attempting to make it yet more plain , that i need not here tell you what is my judgment ; only , lest any who know not how to stop in mediocrity , should be tempted by socinians or papists , to think that we countenance any of their errors , or that our differences in the point of justification by faith or works , are greater than indeed they are ; and lest any weak opiniative persons , should clamour unpeaceably against their brethren , and think to raise a name to themselves for their differing notions ; i shall here give the reader such evidences of our real concord , as shall silence that calumny . though some few lutherans did upon peevish suspiciousness against george major long ago , assert , that [ good works are not necessary to salvation ] and though some few good men , whose zeal without judgment doth better serve their own turn than the churches , are jealous , lest all the good that is ascribed to man , be a dishonour to god ; and therefore speak as if god were honoured most by saying the worst words of our selves ; and many have uncomely and irregular notions about these matters ; and though some that are addicted to sidings , do take it to be their godly zeal to censure and reproach the more understanding sort , when they most grosly erre themselves : and though too many of the people are carried about through injudiciousness and temptations , to false doctrines and evil lives ; yet is the argument of protestants thus manifested : 1. they all affirm that christ's sacrifice , with his holiness and perfect obedience , are the meritorious cause of the forgiving covenants , and of our pardon and iustification thereby , and of our right to life eternal , which it giveth us . and that this price was not paid or given in it self immediately to us , but to god for us ; and so that our foresaid benefits are its effects . 2. they agree that christ's person and ours were not really the same , and therefore that the same righteousness which is an accident of one , cannot possibly be an accident of the other . 3. they all detest the conceit that god should aver , and repute a man to have done that which he never did . 4. they all agree that christ's sacrifice and merits are really so effectual to procure our pardon , justification , adoption , and right to the sealing gift of the holy ghost , and to glory , upon our faith and repentance ; that god giveth us all these benefits of the new covenant , as certainly for the sake of christ and his righteousness , as if we had satisfied him , and merited them our selves : and that thus far christ's righteousness is ours in its effects , and imputed to us , in that we are thus used for it , and shall be judged accordingly . 5. they all agree that we are justified by none but a practical or working faith. 6. and that this faith is the condition of the promise or gift of justification , and adoption . 7. and that repentance is a condition also ; though ( as it is not the same with faith , as repentance of unbelief is ) on another aptitudinal account ; even as a willingness to be cured , and a willingness to take one for my physitian , and to trust him in the use of his remedies , are on several accounts the conditions on which that physitian will undertake the cure , or as willingness to return to subjection & thankful acceptance of a purchased parden , and of the purchasers love and future authority , are the conditions of a rebels pardon . 8. and they all agree that in the first instant of a mans conversion or believing , he is entered into a state of justification before he hath done any outward works : and that so it is true that good works follow the justified , and go not before his initial iustification : as also in the sense that austin spake it , who took justification for that which we call sanctification , or conversion . 9. and they all agree , that justifying faith is such a receiving affiance , as is both in the intellect and the will , and therefore as in the will participateth of some kind of love to the justifying object , as well as to justification . 10. and that no man can choose or use christ as a means ( so called in respect to his own intention ) to bring him to god the father , who hath not so much love to god , as to take him for his end●n the use of that means . 11. and they agree that we shall be all judged according to our works , by the rule of the covenant of grace , though not for our works by way of commutative , or legal proper merit . and iudging is the genus , whose species is iustifying and condemning : and to be judged according to our works , is nothing but to be iustified or condemned according to them . 12. they all agree , that no man can possibly merit of god in point of commutative iustice , nor yet in point of distributive , or governing iustice , according to the law of nature or innocency , as adam might have done , nor by the works of the mosaical law. 13. they all agree , that no works of mans are to be trusted in , or pleaded , but all excluded , and the conceit of them abhorred . 1. as they are feigned to be against , or in stead of the free mercy of god. 2. as they are against , or feigned , instead of the sacrifice , obedience , merit , or intercession of christ. 3. or as supposed to be done of our selves without the grace of the holy ghost . 4. or as supposed falsly to be perfect . 5. or as supposed to have any of the aforedisclaimed merit . 6. or as materially consisting in mosaical observances . 7. much more in any superstitious inventions . 8. or in any evil mistaken to be good . 9. or as any way inconsistent with the tenor of the freely pardoning covenant . in all these senses , justification by works is disclaimed by all protestants at least . 14. yet all agree that we are created to good works in christ jesus , which god hath ordained that we should walk therein , and that he that nameth the name of christ must depart from iniquity , or else he hath not the seal of god ; and that he that is born of god sinneth not , that is , predominantly . and that all christ's members are holy , purified , zealous of good works , cleansing themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , that they might perfect holyness in god's fear , doing good to all men , as loving their neighbours as themselves : and that if any man have not the sanctifying spirit of christ , he is none of his , nor without holiness can see god. 15. they all judge reverently , and charitably of the antients that used the word [ merit of good works ] because they meant but a moral aptitude for the promised reward , according to the law of grace through christ. 16. they confess the thing thus described themselves , however they like not the name of merit , lest it should countenance proud and carnal conceits . 17. they judge no man to be heretical for the bare use of that word , who agreeth with them in the sense . 18. in this sense they agree , that our gospel-obedience is such a necessary aptitude to our glorification , as that glory ( though a free gift ) is yet truly a reward of this obedience . 19. and they agree that our final justification by sentence at the day of judgment , doth pass upon the same causes , reasons , and conditions as our glorification doth 20. they all agree that all faithful ministers must bend the labour of their ministry in publick and private , for promoting of holiness and good works , and that they must diifference by discipline between the obedient and the disobedient . and o! that the papists would as zealously promote holiness and good works in the world , as the true serious protestants do , whom they factiously and peevishly accuse as enemies to them ; and that the opinion , disputing and name of good works , did not cheat many wicked persons into self-flattery and perdition , while they are void of that which they dispute for . then would not the mahometans and heathens be deterred from christianity , by the wickedness of these nominal christians that are near them : nor would the serious practice of that christianity which themselves in general profess , be hated , scorned , and persecuted by so many , both protestants and papists ; nor would so many contend that they are of the true religion , while they are really of no religion at all , any further than the hypocrites picture and carkass may be called religion . were men but resolved to be serious learners , serious lovers , and serious practisers , according to their knowledge , and did not live like mockers of god , and such as look towards the life to come in jest or unbelief , god would vouchsafe them better acquaintance with the true religion , than most men have . having prefaced this much , for the rest i refer thee to the perusal of this treatise , which will give thee much light into the nature of the gospel , and especially help thee to the right understanding of the meaning of the apostle paul in all his epistles , about the law , the gospel , and the justification of a sinner . o pray , and labour for a confirmed practical faith , as daily doth your fellow disciple , ri. baxter . iune 4th 1672. the chief heads of discourse . 1. the nature of the promise to abraham . 2. why the law was added to the promise . 3. how those under the law were saved . 4. the nature of the legal covenant . 5. the mistakes of iews about the law and promise , and how st. paul counter-argues those mistakes . 6. how st. paul's doctrine of iustification by faith , and not by works , was then mistaken by some . 7. that the doctrine of st. paul , and of st. james , about faith and works , do not differ . 8. with an appendix touching the difference , and the reason of the difference , between saving and ineffectual faith. a discourse of the nature , ends , and difference of the two covenants . the mistake of the unbelieving iews , about the true import of gods promise to abraham , and of the law of moses , was a principal cause of their rejecting christ and his gospel , and their own salvation thereby . to rectifie which mistake , the apostle st. paul used various reasonings , according to the various errors contained in it . in which reasonings of his , there being some things hard to be understood ; there were others again which probably mistaking the apostles reasonings against the jew-jewish notion of justification by works , ran into a contrary extream , thinking they might be saved by faith without works ; as on the contrary the incredulous iews thought they might be saved by works without faith. and if many in our dayes had not run into somewhat alike extream through a misunderstanding also of the apostles writings , labour , and pains would not have been so necessary , as now they are , to rectify their mistake , and to prevent it in others . to the end therefore that the plain truth may the better appear , touching gods promise to abraham , touching the law of moses , and the apostles arguings about these ; i shall very briefly endeavour these seven things . 1. to open the nature and design of gods promise to abraham . and to shew 2. for what ends the law was added to the promise . 3. by what faith and practice , the iews under the law were saved . 4. that the law contained a covenant , different from that with abraham . 5. the grand mistakes of the unbelieving jews , and st. paul's counter arguings , touching both the law and the promise . 6. the mistake of some pretended christians in the apostles days , touching the doctrine of iustification by faith without works . 7. that the doctrine of st. paul , and st james about faith and works , in reference to iustification , do not differ . i shall begin with the first of these . chap. i. the nature and design of gods promise to abraham . i shall endeavour to open the nature and design of gods promise to abraham : which promise is also called the covenant , act. 3. 25. gal. 3. 17. in doing of which , these eight things will come under consideration . 1. what the nature of this promise is in general . 2. what the design of it is . 3. what are the special benefits promised . 4. what the extent of it is . 5. the security given by god for the performance of it . 6. that this promise was conditional . 7. what the condition of it was . 8. what we are to understand by gods accounting abrahams faith to him for righteousness . sect. 1. of the nature of it in general . this promise i take to be of the same nature with that which in the gospel is called the new covenant . it 's true indeed they greatly differ in the administration , the one being but general , implicite , and obscure ; and the other more particular , express , and perspicuous . but though in this they differ , yet in their general nature they agree in one , and are the same . for , 1. this covenant , as delivered to abraham , was confirmed in christ as well as the gospel afterwards , gal. 3. 17. and that 's a character of the new covenant , mat. 26. 28. 2. the gospel is said to have been preached to abraham in the promise that was made him , gal. 3. 8. 3. he was justified by faith ; which he could not have been , but by vertue of a new covenant : and it was by faith in the promise made to him by god , by which he was justified : which two things supposed , it necessarily follows that that promise was of the nature of the new covenant . 4. st. paul argues against the erroneous iews in his epistles to the romans and galatians , the necessity of evangelical faith unto justification now under the gospel , from abraham's being justified by faith , and from god's setting him forth for a pattern and example to all after-ages , of his justifying both iews and gentiles upon the condition of believing . the strengh of which arguing seems to depend upon this supposition ; that the promise , by the belief of which abraham was then justified , and the promise in the gospel , by the belief of which men are now justified , do both agree , and are one in the general nature of them . and upon these grounds , and under this notion of the promise to abraham , i intend to discourse of it . but when i consider for what reason he that is least in the kingdom of god , is said to be greater than iohn the baptist ( though not abraham himself , nor any of the prophets were greater than he ) and when i consider likewise how ignorant the apostles were for a time , touching the necessity of the death and resurrection of christ , notwithstanding the many plainer revelations thereof in the prophets , than we find abraham had ; i cannot i confess think that abraham had or could have a distinct notion of all that was contained and implyed in the promise , as now it is opened and unfolded in the writings of the new testament , it does appear was wrapt up in it . and therefore though i think i may well found a discourse of the new covenant upon the promise made to abraham , as it is now explained in the new testament , yet i would not be understood to suppose abrahams apprehension or faith to have then been commensurate to the promise as it is so explained . supposing then the promise to abraham , to be the new covenant it self in a more imperfect edition of it than afterward came forth . i shall now a little further consider what it was , and what the new covenant is , & ever hath been , in the general nature of it , since it first commenced . and it is a new law or covenant , made by way of remedy against the rigour and extremity of the law of nature , under which man was created . for the law of nature , the law of gods creation , as well as his instituted law in paradise , being violated , and impossible to be kept inviolable by man in his lapsed state , by reason of his moral impotency , and the pravity of his nature derived from adam ; he must inevitably have sunk and perished under the condemnation of it , unless there had been a new law instituted to supercede the procedure of this law against him , in its natural and proper course . if salvation had been attainable by man in his lapsed state , without this remedying law of grace , there would have been no need of a new covenant . if there had been a law given which could have given life , verily righteousness should have been by the law , gal. 3. 21. but there was no such law given besides this new law. nor could the original law be repealed for the relief of faln man , it being founded in the nature of god , and the nature of man , as he was created after gods own image ; and is no more changeable , than the nature of good and evil are changable . and therefore , as i said , there was a necessity that man must have perished under the condemnation of the law of his creation , as the lapsed angels did under theirs , unless a law of indemnity had been enacted . but god whose tender mercies are over all his works , to the end so great and considerable a part of his creation , as man is , might not be wholly lost and undone to all eternity , out of his infinite compassion , mercy , and love , did constitute a new law or covenant for mans relief ( which well may be called the covenant of grace ) against the rigour and extremity of the first law. which new law was in some degree , though but obscurely , made known to man not long after adams fall , or else there would have been no ground for that faith which we are assured was in abel , enoch , &c. heb. 11. but it was doubtless somewhat more fully declared to abraham than to any before , and at last compleatly established and published by jesus christ the mediatour of it , who was given for a covenant to the people . and this new law in the last edition of it under the gospel , is variously denominated ; being called the promise , the new covenant , the law of faith , the law of liberty , the gospel , the grace of god , or the word of his grace . and so we come sect. 2. to consider what the design of god was in this new covenant or promise unto abraham . next to his own glory , it was to recover the humane nature from its degenerate state , to a state of holiness , to that likeness to god in which man was at the first made , and therein and thereby to a state of happiness , both which were lost by the fall . holiness , love , and goodness , as they were once the glory and happiness of man before he lost them , so are still perfective of his nature . and therefore it is impossible in the nature of the thing to recover man to happiness , without recovering his nature to a conformity to god in these ; or for man to be perfectly happy , whose nature is not perfected in them . sin is the disease and sickness of the soul ; and it 's as possible for a sick man to enjoy the pleasure of health , as it is for the sinful and corrupt nature of man , while such , to enjoy the pleasure , which the humane nature did naturally enjoy , or was capable of enjoying in its innocency and purity . but when the nature of man is once recovered to perfection in knowledge , holiness , love , and goodness , it will then be matter of unspeakable delight to him to love god , angels and men , and to do the will of god in every thing . it is so to the holy angels : and it was so to our blessed saviour , who counted it as his meat and drink , to be doing the will of his heavenly father . and to what degree the nature of man is here in this world , restored towards its proper perfection , to the same degree it is matter of pleasure and delight to him to act holily and righteously , and to be doing good ▪ it i● joy to the iust to do judgment , prov. 21. 15. it is a pain to a man to act contrary to the bent and inclination of his nature , by compulsion or fear . and therefore unless the corrupt ▪ nature of man were changed , heaven would not be heaven to him , in case he were there . those divine and heavenly exercises which are there the unspeakable delight of saints and angels , would be his pain and torment , as being contrary to his nature ; and the pleasures of that state , as having not what will satisfie the unsatiable lusts of mans corrupt nature , would not be such to him , but add rather to his anguish . for , as it would be a torment to a man to be in extremity of hunger and thirst , and to be without meat and drink , and all hopes of any to satisfie him : so will it be a grievous torment to the corrupt nature of men in another morld , to retain their lusts and the violent cravings of them , and yet to be without all hope of having wherewith to satisfie them ( which yet is like to be the condition of men in hell. ) here mens unnatural lusts are not such a torment to them , because they can make provision to satisfie them , or live in hopes so to do ; and in the mean while drown the noise of them by diversion . but in hell it will be quite otherwise . and therefore its easie to imagine that the torment which will arise from the corruption of mens natures there , will be unspeakably great , besides the piercing sence of the happiness they have lost , and the other intollerable pains which they must indure ; and therefore as whoever hath not his nature renewed in this world , is never like to have it renewed in another ; so without renewing of it , it is impossible he should be happy there . except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god , joh. 3. 3. that is , he cannot enjoy it , and why ? it is not only from gods decree , or established law to the contrary that he cannot , but also from the utter incapacity of his nature , as corrupt . wherefore all the vessels of mercy are such as god aforehand prepares unto glory , rom. 9. 23. they are such as are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light , col. 1. 12. such as god hath wrought for the self same thing , 2. cor. 5. 5. so that , as i said , there is a necessity in the nature of the thing , that if god would design the restoration of the nature of man to happiness , that in order thereto he should design a restoration of it to holiness , as indeed he hath . he hath chosen us to salvation , through sanctification of the spirit , 2 thes. 2. 13. and therefore the end of christs great undertaking for the redemption and restauration of man , is described , by his saving his people from their sins : by his redeeming them from all ●niquity , and purifying to himself a peculiar people , zealous of good works . by his washing and sanctifying of them , that he might present them to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle , or any such thing . that this was the design of gods promise to abraham , appears , in that at the very first it was propounded to him by way of motive , to quit the idolatry of his fathers , and the evil customes of his countrey ( for they served other gods , iosh. 24. 2. ) get thee out of thy countrey , and from thy kindred , and from thy fathers house ; and i will make of thee a great nation , and thou shalt be a blessing , and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed , gen. 12. 1 , 2 , 3. in which god had a farther design than to reform abraham only : his design in him , and by him , was to set on foot the reformation of the world , and the recovering the nations thereof from the dregs of idolatry into which they were sunk . and therefore god said unto him , thou shalt be a blessing . and this he designed , not only in giving him a numerous issue , and making them a great nation , whose education in the worship of the true god was founded in abraham , but also in making both him and them eminent examples of his special favour in the ●ight of the nations , by which they might see how much better it was to serve the god of abraham , than the gods of the nations : and thereby to invite and draw them from their idolatry , superstition , and ungodliness , to worship and serve the true god. and god in promising to abraham , both the messias in his seed , and also that he would bless them that should bless him , and curse them that should curse him , and that his seed should possess the gate of his enemies ; had , it should seem , this in design , viz. to encourage and quicken them to a holy life , luke 1. 72 , 73 , 74 , 75. to perform the mercy promised to our fathers , and to remember his holy covenant : the oath which he sware to our father abraham , that he would grant unto us ; that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies , might serve him without fear , in holiness and righteousness before him , all the days of our life . but besides all this , considering that the promise made to abraham , was the new covenant as it was then exhibited , ( as i have shewed before ) the benefits therein promised had a proper tendency in them , to restore man again to a likeness to god in the moral perfections of his nature . for the great and precious promises contained in the new covenant as such , are given for this very end , that by them we might be partakers of a divine nature , the glory whereof is knowledge , purity and charity , 2 pet. 1. 4. and for god by such promises to make overtures unto man of love and good-will , and of desires of reconciliation , is the direct way and method of recovering faln man from a state of enmity against god , to a mind reconciled to him , to think well of him , to love him , and delight in him . for we love him because he first loved us , 1 joh. 4. 19. and god was in christ reconciling the world to himself , and how ? by not imputing their trespasses to them ; but being willing , upon their repentance and returning to their duty , to forgive them , 2 cor. 5. 19. god useth the same way of overcoming mans enmity against him , which he hath taught us to use to overcome mans enmity against us ; and that is , by overcoming their evil with our good , rom. 12. 21. david dealing so with saul , though a bitter enemy , melted him into tears , and made him cry , is this thy voice , my son david ? 1 sam. 24. 16. and , to whom much is forgiven , the same person loveth much , luke 7. 42 , — 47. and if god by these methods do once recover mans love to him , he will quickly recover him to his loyalty and duty , of which , love is the proper source and spring . if a man love me , he will keep my words , joh. 14. 23. now that god's promise to abraham , did contain expressions of wonderful grace and love , and consequently what is most apt to beget in man a love to god again , and all the desirable effects of it , will appear , if we consider the special benefits comprehended in that promise ; which is the third thing now to be considered . sect. 3. the special benefits contained in the promise made to abraham , were such as these . 1. it contained a promise of the messias , a promise of sending christ into the world , and that he should come of his seed : in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed , gen. 12. 3. and 18. 18. and 22. 18. which seed is christ , as is said , gal. 3. 16. and in this promise of sending christ , were implyed the things he was sent for , the things by which he should bless the world , as his death and resurrection , and what else pertained to his mediatory office ; because these are the things by which the nations of the earth became blessed in him , which was the thing expresly promised . that such things were implyed in the promise , appears not only by the reason of the thing , but also from st. paul's testimony , acts 13. 32 , 33. we declare unto you glad tidings , how that the promise which was made unto the fathers , god hath fulfilled the same unto us their children , in that he hath raised up iesus again . i do not say that abraham , from a promise that was but so generally expressed as that was , could apprehend in particular what the messias should both do and suffer , though they were wrapt up in it . he apprehended so much by it in general , that god would send the messias into the world , and that he would send him upon such terms , as that his coming should be matter of great benefit to the world . abraham had such a prospect of this , though at that distance , as made him rejoyce and be glad : so saith our saviour himself , iohn 8. 56. your father abraham rojoyced to see my day ; and he saw it , and was glad . and the promise to abraham , as it was a promise of sending christ to be the saviour of the world , was expressive of the greatest love . for in this was the love of god manifested towards us , because god sent his only begotten son into the world , that we might live through him . herein is love , not that we loved god , but that he loved us , and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins , 1 joh. 4. 9 , 10. a propitiation for our sins : that is , one that by his death hath procured favour , having taken off that sore displeasure which god by his law had declared against all the transgressors of it . for the wise and just god , did not think the righteousness of his government , and the honour and reputation of his law would be sufficiently salved , and his great hatred of sin sufficiently manifested , without some considerable satisfaction given for the dishonour done to him and his law by mans transgression . and yet that this might not be exacted at the hands of the guilty , in executing the curse of the law on them themselves ; he was most graciously pleased to accept of the sufferings of his own dear son , instead of what the sinners themselves were to have undergone . he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law , being made a curse for us , gal. 3. 13. christ suffered for sins , the iust for the unjust , or in their stead , 1 pet. 3. 18. upon account of which undertaking of christ for us , all the benefits of the covenant do accrue to man. what ever is required of man by way of condition of his acceptation with god , becomes accepted to that end , upon account of christ's suffering . and his intercession in heaven , through which all our sincere ( though otherwise imperfect ) performances , become acceptable to god , and rewardable by him , is made in the virtue of it . for the whole covenant it self is founded in the blood of christ which he shed for the remission of sins . therefore it is called the new testament in his blood , mat. 26. 28. and his blood , the blood of the everlasting covenant , hebr. 13. 20. 2. it contained a promise of iustification or remission of sin through christ , unto all that should so believe , as thereupon to repent of their former folly , and become sincerely obedient for the future . for that is necessarily implyed in the promise of blessed●ess to the nations in abrahams seed ; it being impossible men should be blessed without remission of sin , which consisteth in removing the curse of the law , in remitting the penalty . blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven , and whose sin is covered , psal. 32. 1. st. paul acquaints us that this blessing of the new covenant , was declared to abraham in the promise , gal. 3. 8. the scripture foreseeeing that god would justifie the heathen , through faith , preached the gospel before unto abraham , saying , in thee shall all nations be blessed . 3. it contained in it tacitly , a promise of divine assistance unto men in their endeavours to fulfil the condition of the promise . for god in promising blessedness to the nations through abrahams seed , therein promised all that was absolutely necessary for him to vouchsafe to make them blessed , and without which they could not be blessed . and if so , then he therein implicitly promised to assist the endeavours of men to perform the condition of the promise , without the assistance of whose grace they cannot savingly believe , repent , and obey . and so it should seem the old testament-church understood gods subduing of sin , as well as his pardoning of sin , to be comprized in the promise to abraham , mich. 7. 19 , 20. he will subdue our iniquities ; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea : thou wilt perform the truth to iacob , and the mercy to abraham , which thou hast sworn to our fathers , from the days of old . and christ his turning men from their iniquities , which he doth accomplish by appointing them means , & by assisting them in the use of them to that end , is part of the blessing contained in the promise made to abraham , and was so reckoned by st. peter , acts 3. 25 , 26. ye are the children of the prophets , and of the covenant which god made with our fathers , saying unto abraham , and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed . vnto you first god having raised up his son iesus christ , sent him to bless you , in turning every one of you from his iniquities . 4. it implicitly , or somewhat obscurely contained in it a promise of eternal life . i say , implicitly ; for i do not find that eternal life was expresly promised to abraham . but yet that was expresly promised him , from which the hope of eternal life might well be inferred : as first , blessedness through his seed , the messias : and secondly , that god would be a god to him and his seed . for blessedness is a happiness that runs parallel with the duration of man's immortal soul. and god's promise of being a god to abraham , carried in it a promise of a happiness worthy of god to bestow , such as everlasting life or happiness is . and therefore he was not ashamed to be called their god ( meaning abraham , isaac , and iacob ) because he had prepared for them a city ; meaning that in so doing , he had answered that title of relation of being their god , and done like himsel , heb. 11. 16. and upon these and the like revelatio●s of of god's mind to him , abraham looked for a city which hath foundations , whose builder and maker is god , and a heavenly countrey , heb. 11. 10 , 16. if abraham did but use his reason about these promises , as he did about reconciling god's promise , that in isaac his seed should be called , with his command to sacrifice him , ( heb. 11. 17 , 18 , 19. ) he might discern eternal life in them , though but very obscurely , in comparison of what is now revealed in the gospel , by which life and immortality is brought to light , 2 tim. 1. 10. but how obscurely soever a future happiness was promised to abraham , yet promised it was , for which we have the testimony of st. paul , gal. 3. 18. if the inheritance be of the law , it is no more of promise : but god gave it to abraham by promise . he was here proving against the pharisaical iews , and judaizing christians , that justification unto life , was to be had by the promise , and not by the law ; by faith , and not by works of the law ; that the iust should live by faith , as vers . 12. and therefore by inheritance here , which he saith god gave to abraham by promise , he doubtless means eternal life , which elsewhere he calls the promise of eternal inheritance , heb. 9. 15. consider now , how god carryed on his design of restoring man by the promise of those benefits . for if expressions of the greatest grace and love in god to men , is the way to beget in them a love to god again , and in begetting that , to beget all the desirable effects of love ; ( which are no less than a sincere conformity in man's nature and life to the divine law ) and if the giving of great and precious promises , is the way of recovering man again to a participation of the divine nature , ( as i have shewed it is ) then the promise of god to abraham which was expressive of the greatest grace and love , and contained in it promises , than which there are not materially greater , nor more precious , was a wise and graciovs contrivance of god , to recover man to a likeness to himself , wherein the glory and perfection of his nature did first consist . sect. 4. the next thing to be considered , is , the extent of the promise of god to abraham . [ the greatness of god's love and good-will , was not expressed only in the greatness of the bene●its promised to abraham , but also in the extent of the promise ; reaching not only to the iewish people and their proselytes ( to which another covenant was restrained ) but even to all nations of the earth , gen. 12. 3. and 22. 18. which shews it to be of the same nature with the general promise in the gospel , though it was not so intelligible then , as it is since made by the gospel . but god we see , so loved the world , as first to promise , and after to give his only begotten son , that whosoever should believe in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . joh. 3. 16. christ gave his life for the life of the world , joh. 6. 8. he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world , 1 joh. 2. 2 he gave himself a ransome for all , 1 tim. 2. 6. and tasted death for every man , heb. 2. 9 sect. 5. consider we in the next place , the security given by god , for the performance of his promise to abraham and his seed . for because men knowing how ill they have deserved from god , having made themselves enemies to him , would be apt to question whether there were indeed so much love and good will in god to them as the greatness of his promise did import ; therefore god , to remove all jealousie of this nature , and to give them the greatest security and assurance he could , of the reality of his intentions , and of his heart and good will towards them , he confirmed his promise by an oath , swearing by himself , because he could swear by no greater . and this he did , that they to whom the promise did extend , might have strong consolation from god , such as might work in them strong and vigorous affections to him , such as were in abraham , through which he was wrought to an entire resignation of himself to god , and to his will , and by which he was denominated the friend of god , heb. 6. 17 , 28. wherein god willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel , confirmed it by an oath : that by two immutable things , in which it was impossible for god to lye , we might have strong consolation , who have fled for refuge , to lay hold of the hope set before us . sect. 6. the next thing i have to shew , is , that this promise of god to abraham , was conditional . if the promise of sending christ was absolute , yet the actual collation of the great benefit of remission of sin , and eternal life by him , was not promised but upon condition of faith and repentance , as appears by the scriptures frequent explanation of the the general promise . abraham believed in the lord , and it was counted unto him for righteousness , gen. 15. 6. if abraham had not believed god , he had not been justified notwithstanding the promise . so that this justification depended as well upon his performing the condition of the promise , as upon the promise itself . and when god said to abraham , walk before me , and be thou upright , and i will make a covenant with thee , gen. 17. 1. the lord made abrahams upright walking before him , the condition of his keeping , as well as making covenant with him . besides , it is apparent that god made circumcision to be the covenant to be kept on abraham's and his seeds part , as the condition of what god had promised on his part , gen. 17. 4 , 7 , 10. as for me , my covenant is with thee , &c. thou shalt keep my covenant therefore , thou and thy seed after thee in their generations . and this is the covenant which ye shall keep between me and you , every man-child among you shall be circumcised . by which is to be understood , not so much circumcision in the flesh , as in the spirit ; as i shall shew anon . and the truth is , it would not suit with god's end and design in his covenant , of restoring man to the rectitude of his nature ( mentioned before ) to do it without man's endeavours in the use and exercise of his natural faculties of understanding and will , as he is a rational creature and free agent . for god works that change in mans nature , designed in his new law or covenant , not meerly physically , but morally also . 1. by proposing great and important truths to his mind and understanding , and in assisting this natural faculty , in considering how his happiness is concerned in that which is proposed , in case it should prove true , and in considering likewise what reason there is to believe that it is true , and in discerning the truth of it upon consideration . and 2. by proposing motives to the will to incline it to follow the dictates of the enlightned mind , and by assisting the will to be governed thereby . so that man himself is not wholly passive in this change , or what goes to the making of it ; but is so far active in it , as to denominate what he doth by god's assistance , to be his own act . so that the man is said to believe , to repent , to obey , when he doth believe , repent , and obey : for so he is every where in scripture said to do . god doth not repent in man , but man repents through his grace and assistance . and therefore god's grace , and man's indeavours in working this change , are very consistent . phil. 2. 12 , 13. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling . for it is god which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure . if man do but what he can do , through the assistance of god's common providence ( in whom we live , and move , and have our being ) god is most ready , through his good pleasure , or out of the goodness of his will and pleasure , to work in him both to will and to do savingly , to carry the work quite thorow . otherwise if there were nothing that man could do in a way of common providence towards his salvation , why should he be exhorted and perswaded to do that , which yet will not be done to effect and quite thorow , without the assistance of god's grace and good spirit . the co-operation of god's grace with man's endeavours , in this change in the nature of man , which is necessary to his salvation , is a doctrine that lies very fair and plain in the scriptures . and therefore men are called upon to make themselves new hearts , ezek. 18. 31. make you a new heart , and a new spirit , for why will ye dye , o house of israel ? and god is said to make them new hearts also , ezek. 36. 26. a new heart also will i give you , and a new spirit will i put within you . men are called upon to circumcise their own hearts , deut. 10. 16. and god is said to circumcise the heart , deut. 30. 6. men are required to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit , 2 cor. 7. 1. and they are also said to be washed and sanctified by the spirit of god , 1 cor. 6. 11. men are commanded to repent , acts 17. 30. and god is said to give them repentance , 2 tim. 2. 35. acts 5. 31. it is by reason of this co-operation of god's assistance , and man's endeavours , that st. paul expresseth himself as he doth once and again , gal. 2. 20 i am crucified with christ ; nevertheless i live ; yet not i , but christ liveth in me , 1 cor. 15. 10. i laboured more abundantly than they all : yet not i , but the grace of god which was with me . he doth not by these last words so deny what he had said in the former , as if he had not spoke true , for he speaks the same thing in effect in another place , without any such correcting himself , as here he useth , 1 cor. 3. 9. for we are labourers together with god. and therefore by his so correcting himself , saying , not i , but the grace of god which was with me , he only intends to magnifie gods grace , as having the principal stroke in the work . it is a phrase of like import with that , 2 cor. 3. 10. for even that which was made glorious , had no glory in this respect , by reason of the glory that excelleth . so mans indeavour though it be somewhat in it self considered , yet comparatively , and in respect of the work of gods grace by his spirit which excels , it is nothing . therefore in fine , as men are said through the spirit to mortifie the deeds of the body , rom. 8. 13. so they may be said through the same spirit , to believe , repent , obey ; that is , through the assistance of the spirit , who is said to help our infirmities , rom. 8. 26. considering then that there is promise of divine assistance to man , using his endeavours in doing what he may , and can do towards the performing the condition of the covenant , we may well conclude , that there is no man under the gospel , doth perish , but through his own fault and neglect . it is true , god doth sometimes for special reasons meet with , and convert sinners with a high hand of grace , whil'st they are pursuing their sins in a full career , and using no indeavours at all towards their own salvation , as he did saul before he was paul. but such extraordinary instances , are no rules to us by which to judge of god's ordinary proceedings in converting men : nor hath the lord put men in expectation by any promise of his , of their being converted after that manner , and upon such terms . and therefore it will in no wise be safe for any man to expect to be converted by such extraordinary workings of grace , and to neglect to do what he can do , and what god requires he should do , towards his own conversion . there are many things which men may , and can believe and do , without any supernatural grace , and by vertue of god's common grace . it is no supernatural act to believe the being of god , and the immortality of the soul or future state : or to know that we are ●inners against god , and consequently that we stand in need of his mercy : nor is it a supernatural act for a man to desire the future happiness of his own nature or being ; or to hear the word of god which directs the way to that happiness ; no more than it is to hear any other doctrine that only pretends to do so . nor is it a supernatural act to consider the doctrine of the scriptures with as much seriousness , as men do or may , the contents of any other books . nor is it a supernatural act to consider how we are concerned in the doctrine of the scriptures , in case it should prove true : no more is it a supernatural act seriously to consider the strength and force of those reasons that tend to perswade men to believe that doctrine to be true : nor , under the natural desires which men have to be happy in another world , is it a supernatural act for them to pray to god to direct and assist them in the use of means , that they may be happy . these i take to be no supernatural acts in men , for though the depraved wil of man needs special or supernatural grace to do these so seriously and effectually , as is needful to true sanctification , yet in some sort and measure they may be done by common help . and if men would but go thus far ( as they can ) out of a real desire to be happy , i should make no question but that the spirit of god would yield them his assistance to carry them quite through in the work of conversion . and whether our saviour doth not by the hearers , resembled by the good ground , mean such men as before their conversion have some such working of heart about their future state , as doth incline them to hear and consider what with any fair probability may be said about the way to be happy in that state , and not to hear out of curiosity , or for fashion-sake , or to carp ; i submit to consideration . it is doubtless then mens inconsideration , carelesness and negligence in those things which they do believe , and which they can do , that undoes them . it is because seeing they see not , and hearing they hear not , which is the reason why more is not given , but rather that taken away from them which they had . that is , the reason why god with-holds his special grace , and many times withdraws common grace and assistance from men , is , because though they have understanding and considering faculties , which they could if they would use and imploy about their being happy in another world , as well as they do about their happiness in this , yet they will not , though they are frequently called upon , and excited thereto : whereas those that take heed or consider what they hear , and how they are concerned in it ; to them more shall be given : god wil come into such with supernatural aid , mark 4. 24. and therefore god , to put men upon a holy necessity of complying with his grace , in acting diligently towards the working out their own salvation , hath wisely made the obtaining of the great benefits of the covenant , remission of sin , and eteternal life , conditional , so that men can have no farther assurance of pardon of sin and salvation , than they are sure they sincerely indeavo●r to perform the condition on their part , upon which they are promised . wherefore we are greatly concerned to be awakened by such sayings as these ; strive to enter in at the strait gate : so run that ye may obtain : vse all diligence to make your calling and election sure : work out your salvation with fear and trembling : let us therefore fear , lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest , any of you should seem to come short of it . sect. 7. i come now in the next place to shew , what the condition of the promise to abraham was . in short it was a practical faith. and under this head , i shall endeavour , 1. to give some account of the nature of abrahams faith in general . 2. to describe faith. and 3. to shew reason why faith is made the condition of the covenant . 1. the condition of the promise to abraham , was faith , and ( as i shall after shew ) a practical faith. for that was it upon which the great blessing of the covenant , justification , was conferred upon him , with the consequent benefits . in gen. 15. 6. it is said of abraham , that he believed in the lord , and he counted it to him for righteousness . but st. paul reciting this scripture , saith , abraham believed god , and it was counted to him for righteousness , rom. 4. 3. gal. 3. 6. if there be any difference between believing god , and believing in god , it seems to be this . to believe god , is to believe him upon his word , to believe all that to be true , which he saith when he hath once spoken it . but to believe in god , is first , to believe him to be such an one , of such a nature , as neither will , nor can at any time speak any thing but what is true : it is to believe him to be a god that cannot lye . for all true faith , as abraham's was , is founded in the nature of god. abraham did primarily believe in god , and consequently believed his sayings , of what nature soever they were . and secondly , to believe in god , is to believe that he can , and will perform whatever he promised , how unlikely soever the thing in its own nature otherwise be . and this was the nature of abrahams faith , as appears by st. pauls comment upon it , rom. 4. 20 , 21. he staggered not at the promise of god through unbelief , but was strong in faith , giving glory to god ; and being fully perswaded , that what he had promised , he was able also to perform . he gave to god the glory of his nature and being , of his truth and faithfulness in his promises , and of his power and ability to perform what he had promised , notwithstanding its utmost improbability in nature . and therefore , or for this reason , his faith was imputed to him for righteousness , as we are told in ver . 22. of rom. 4. and so it should seem it is not the believing of any one particular or single promise , that is counted for righteousness , otherwise than as it is an instance of faith in god in general , in reference to whatever he doth say or shall declare . which may be the reason why faith is said to be counted to abraham for righteousness , as well when he had not the messias in the promise as the immediate object of his faith , but somewhat else , as when he had . the promise , the believing of which was counted to abraham for righteousness , in gen. 15. 6. was a promise of a numerous issue , [ so shall thy seed be ] viz. as numberless as the stars . but that which produced a belief of this particular promise , would , and doubtless did produce in him a belief of the promise of the messias , and of every other promise and word of god , and declaration of his mind , so far as understood by him , & that was a habitual belief of god's truth , and faithfulness , wi●dom , power , and goodness ; his fixed belief in god. and so a believing god's threatnings so as to use means to escape them , is ( it should seem ) counted to one for righteousness , as well as the belief of the promises , as growing upon the same root . thus noahs believing god's threatning to bring a deluge upon the world , and his obedience to god's command in the preparing an ark for the saving of his house , was that , or at least one instance of that faith , by which he became heir of the righteousness which is by faith , heb. 11. 7. it was this general faith in god that made abraham so complyant with every intimation of his will and pleasure . by it he forsook his own countrey and kindred at god's command , to go he knew not whither , but depended on god's after-direction in that case , heb. 11. 8. by it he was ready to offer his son isaac , in whom the promises were made : and he had such a firm belief in god's promise , that in isaac his seed should be called , that he concluded that god would raise him from the dead when he had sacrificed him , rather than fail in the least of making good his promise , heb. 11. 17 , 18 , 19. he had such a confidence in god , that is to say , in his wisdom , goodness , truth , and power , as wrought him to an entire resignation of himself to god's will and pleasure . he believed god to be so good & so wise , as not to put him upon any thing but what should be for his good in the issue : and so true and powerful , as to promise nothing but what he could and would perform . in a word ; this his belief in god , made him believe all his promises , and obey all his precepts . 2. come we next to some description of that faith , which is the condition of the promise , or covenant of salvation : wherein i shall have respect to the nature of saving faith in general , in reference to all ages of the church , and also to the christian evangelical faith in special . faith strictly taken , is an assent unto the truth of any proposition upon the credit of the speaker . but saving faith is of a more comprehensive nature than is a meer assent unto the truth of any one proposition . and although saving faith is sometimes described by an assenting to the truth of one single proposition , yet then it implies the belief of many more , and such a belief as draws in the will to act according to the import and concernment of the thing believed . as for instance : the belief of this proposition [ that christ iesus is the son of god ] by which faith is sometimes described , doth include in it a belief of the truth of his whole doctrine , both concerning god's grace , and mans duty , and the will 's concurrence as to its concernment in it . for , if he be the son of god , then he cannot lye or deceive in any thing he hath said . and again , the belief of this proposition [ that god raised christ from the dead ] by which faith is also described , rom. 10. 9. includes in it a belief that all that doctrine which he taught , is undoubtedly true : for if it had not , god would never have wrought such a miracle as to raise christ from the dead to confirm it . the belief then of such single propositions , include a belief of the whole doctrine of the gospel , which is the proper object of the christian faith , and for that cause is frequently stiled faith , or the faith , in the new testament . but if we respect the nature of faith in general , as answering the different degrees of god's revelation of his will in several ages of the world , both under the gospel , and before ; i do not know how better to define it than thus : faith is such a hearty belief of god's declaration concerning his own grace , and man's duty , as doth effectually cause a man to expect from god , and to act in a way of sincere obedience , according to the tenour and import of such a declaration . or , if you will take in the belief of god's threatnings against sinners , into the definition ; then it will be thus : faith is such a hearty belief of god's declaration concerning his own grace and displeasure , and man's duty , as doth effectually cause a man to expect from god , and to act in a way of sincere obedience , according to the tenour and import of such a declaration . faith thus defined , we have already seen exemplified in abraham , who is the great exemplar of believing , and the father of believers . and that it was his belief of god's promise , or declaration of grace and favour to him , as it was practical in producing repentance , self-denial , and sincere obedience , by which he was justified and made happy , appears farther , not only in that it 's said by st. iames , that his faith wrought with his works , and was made perfect by them , and that he was justified by works , as well as by faith ( of which more anon ) but also in that it 's said , that he received the sign of circumcision ( which was the condition upon which god covenanted with him to be his god , and upon the same terms to be the god of his seed ) a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was yet uncircumcised . for supposing ( which is not denied ) circumcision to be an outward sign of inward grace , of the circumcision of the heart , consisting in mortification , or a penitential change of the heart , which is the effect of faith , his circumcision as such , was a seal of confirmation to abraham , that it was upon his former so believing god upon his promise , as thereby to be induced to leave the evil customs of his countrey , and his countrey it self , with his kindred , & his fathers house ; that god would be his god indeed : in which promise was implicitly promised , all that would make him eternally happy . and god's further design of giving to abraham this covenant of circumcision , as a seal to assure him the enjoyment of the benefit wrapt up in that promise upon the terms aforesaid , was , that he might be the father of all them that believe , whether literally circumcised or not ; that is , that he might be a great example and pattern to all others , of obtaining the same benefits in the same way , and so might be a means of begetting others to believe in god , and to obey him , as he had done ; to be a great instrument to propagate the kind of new creatures , of men renewed to god , to the end they might be blessed as he was . this , or somewhat to this effect , is doubtless the meaning of rom. 4. 11 , 12. and he received the sign of circumcision , a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had , being yet uncircumcised : that he might be the father of all them that believe , though they be not circumcised ; that righteousness might be imputed to them also : and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only , but also walk in the steps of that faith of our father abraham , which he had being yet uncircumcised ; and it is not unlikely , but that as heart-circumcision under the figure of literal-circumcision , was together with faith , made the condition of the covenant then ; so spiritual baptism , which is a death unto sin , and a living unto god , is under the figure of water-baptism , joyned with believing , as the condition of the promise of salvation : now , mark 16. 16. he that believeth , and is baptized , shall be saved . according to which st. peter having spoken of noah's ark , saith ; the like figure whereunto baptism now saveth us ; not the putting away of the filth of the flesh , but the answer of a good conscience towards god , 1 pet. 3. 21. now as it was in abraham , such a belief of god's declaration of grace and favour , as did effectually induce him to love and obey god , by which he was justified , so ( i shall shew afterwards ) it was the very same kind of faith , working after the same manner , by which the saints under the law of moses , were saved . but faith , as evangelical and christian , is such a hearty assent and consent unto god's declartion in the gospel by his son , concerning christ himself , and his grace and favour towards men by him , and concerning their own duty , as causeth a man to expect from god , and to act in a way of duty , according to the tenour of such a declaration , and his own concerns in it . and faith , thus defined , is fully agreeable to the tenour of the gospel : mark 16. 15 , 16. go ye into all the world , and preach the gospel to every creature : he that believeth , and is baptized , shall be saved . he that believeth what ? why , he that believeth that gospel which was to be preached to every creature . which gospel contains a declaration of god's grace , & man's duty , & of his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. for , 1. it declares from god that he hath given his son jesus christ to be the saviour of the world , by being a propitiation for the sin of it , in becoming a sacrifice to expiate sin . 2. it declares that god upon account of his sons giving himself a ransom for all , hath made , and doth establish a new covenant with the world , to pardon , and eternally to save as many as shall believe in his son , and repent of their sinfulness , in changing their minds , and reforming their lives , and becoming new men , in yielding sincere obedience to the precepts of the gospel . 3. it declares that those that believe not , shall be damned , and such as repent not shall perish , and that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god. this summarily is that which the gospel declares concerning god's grace and displeasure , and mans duty . now it is the practical belief of all this , that is the saving faith. it is not the bare belief that god hath given his son to be the saviour of the world , and a propitiation for the sin of it : nor is it a bare belief that he will for christ's sake pardon and save as many as truly repent and amend their lives , and become new creatures ; unless they so believe all this as seriously and heartily to repent themselves of their former folly , and to return to their duty in new evangelial obedience . for otherwise , for a man barely to believe all this , and not to act according to his own concerns in it , will be so far from being a believing to the saving of the soul , as that it will rather plunge him the deeper in destruction for living and acting contrary to his own light and belief , as holding the truth in unrighteousness ; the wrath of god being revealed from heaven against all such , rom. 1. 18. a man of this practical faith which i have described , eyes as well the condition upon which the saving benefits are promised through christ , as the promise it self of those benefits ; and expects the enjoyment of those benefits upon god's promise and christ's purchase , no otherwise than as he with the assistance of god's grace , is careful to perform the condition . which belief of his , makes him as careful to perform the condition in discharge of his own duty therein , as ever he hopes to enjoy the promised pardon of salvation by christ , and to escape the damnation threatned against those who perform not the condition . so that a man by this practical faith , belives one part of god's declaration in the gospel as well as the other , and his own duty to be as well necessary to his justification as the condition appointed by god , as the grace of god , through christ , it self is upon another account : and by this belief he is effectually moved , as well to act in a way of duty to god , as to expect mercy from him ; considering how his happiness is concerned in both , when he hath the whole of god's declaration in all the parts taken together , in prospect , as the object of his faith. when he hears that god so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten son , that whosoever believes in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . when he hears that god hath set forth christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood : and when he hears again , that god was in christ reconciling the world unto himself , not imputing their trespasses unto them ; he believes all this to be true , as coming from god that cannot lye , and accordingly is incouraged to hope in god's mercy , and is comforted thereby . but then when he hears again , that except we repent , we shall all perish ; that except a man be born again , he cannot see the kingdom of god : that without holiness , no man shall see the lord ; and that the pure in heart shall see god : that not every one that saith lord , lord , shall enter into the kingdom of heaven , but he that doth the will of the father which is in heaven : that the lord iesus shall be revealed from heaven , with his mighty angels in flaming fire , to render vengeance to all those that know not god , and which obey not the gospel of our lord iesus christ : but that he is the author of eternal salvation to all those that obey him . i say , when he hears all this , he as verily believes this part of gods declaration in the gospel , to be the faithful and true sayings of god , as he accounted the other to be . and accordingly , doth as seriously , and sincerely set upon the work of repentance , and as carefully useth god's appointed means for the changing of his heart , and renewing of his nature , for the purifying of himself as god is pure ; and doth as carefully obey all the precepts of the gospel ; as he hopes upon the account of christ's sufferings and god's promise , to be pardoned and saved ; as believing that those benefits are neither promised , nor can be obtained , but in this way of performing the condition . and i doubt not to say , this practical faith , as it respects god's declaration touching mans duty , in conjunction with his own grace in christ , is , where the gospel comes , the only saving justifying faith. 3. come we now to shew reason why faith is made the condition of the promise . 1. it is of faith that it might be of grace , saith the apostle , rom. 4. 16. it is that the grace of god to miserable men , might the more shew it self . for so it doth , not only in promising unspeakably great things through christ to man , who is not only un-deserving , but ill-deserving also ; but also in that these are promised upon such a possible practicable easie condition as faith is , considering the means and assistance promised by god to work it : and considering also that the promise is made to the truth , unfeignedness and sincerity , and not to perfection of faith , repentance , and new obedience in their utmost degree . so that christ might well say , my yoke is easie , and my burden light , matth. 11. 30. whereas the old way of promising the inheritance on the law terms , would have been to have promised it upon impossible conditions , as the case now is with fallen man. and if god should promise never so great things to man , in his impotent and miserable state , upon an impossible condition , he would have been so far from manifesting abundance of grace , compassion , and love to him in that condition , as that he would rather have seemed to insult over him in it . and therefore if the promise should have run upon the law-terms and not of faith , it would utterly have frustrated god's design of manifesting his grace to man , and of recovering man's love and loyalty to him thereby . rom. 4. 14. if they which are of the law be heirs , faith is made void , and the promise made of none effect . but it is of faith , that it might be by grace , to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed , not to that only which is of the law , but to that also which is of the faith of abraham , ver . 16. 2. this may be another reason why such a faith as i have described , is made the condition of the covenant of salvation , viz. because it best answers god's design in this covenant , of renewing the nature of man in holiness and righteousness , and by that means restoring it to happiness . for , by faith men are born of god , or made the children of god. gal. 3. 26. ye are all the children of god by faith in christ iesus . joh. 1. 12 , 13. as many as received him , to them gave he power to become the sons of god , even to those that believe on his name . which were born , not of blood , nor of the will of the flesh , nor of the will of man , but of god. now to be born of god , or , which is the same , to be made the child of god , is to have ones nature restored to the likeness of god , in which man was first made , and is the same thing with that wich is called regeneration , and a being born again , and a new creature . which new creature , or the nature of man renewed by faith , is also called the new man , which after god , is created in righteousness and true holiness , ephes. 4. 24. to be born again , is to have the faculties of mans nature restored to a rectitude in their motions and operations in reference both to god and man , to be restored to their proper moral use for which they were made . it is in a word , that which is called a being made partakers of a divine nature . for those which are begotten of god , are begotten in , or to his likeness . men can adopt those which are not their natural children to inherit their estates , but they cannot adopt them to a participation of their moral endowments . but god adopts his children to a participation with him in the inheritance , by adopting them to a participation of the moral perfections of his nature ; that is , to a consimilitude to him in them . and this we say is done by faith ; that is , by faith in god , and by faith in his word . for , in order of nature , god is first believed to be a god of truth , before his word is believed to be the word of truth . and the creditableness of his word depends upon the knowledge or belief of the fidelity of his nature . and this truth of god and of his word , is the immediate object of faith. by faith , a man believes that to be true which god reveals or declares as his mind and will , let the import of it be what it will. but then this faith operates upon the will and affections , according to the tenour and import of that which is revealed . if it be matter of sad import , it works a hatred to him that threatens it , and a fear of the thing threatned , if it be apprehended to proceed from an enemy . and this is the effect of the faith of devils , who believe , and hate god , who believe and tremble , iam. 2. 19. but if that which is revealed by god , and believed by man , betoken unspeakable love & good will in god to man , and matter of the greatest benefit to him , as a proof of such love , then it worketh love to him that expresseth such love ( for faith worketh by love , gal. 5. 6. ) and a longing desire after the promised benefit . and as the soul grows more and more in love with god , because of his love ; in love with his blessed nature and divine perfections ; such as are his love , and goodness , truth , and faithfulness , purity and patience , mercifulness , and readiness to forgive , which render him altogether lovely ; so it contracts a likeness to god in these upon the soul , and so changes and renews the moral habit and constitution of the soul , and consequently of the whole life . there is an aptness and promptness in men to imitate that in others ( and so in god ) for which they love them . and frequent imitating acts , beget habits , custom changing nature . and hence it is , that through faith we are made partakers of a divine nature . we all with open face , beholding as in a glass the glory of the lord , are changed into the same image , from glory to glory , as by the spirit of the lord , 2 cor. 3. 18. this beholding the glory of the lord , is by faith , ( for we walk by faith , and not by sight , 2 cor. 5. 7. and by it moses saw him who is invisible , heb. 11. 27. ) and the medium by which this prospect is taken , is the gospel , by which the lord in his lovely perfections is now openly revealed : and faith being from time to time busied in beholding of , and conversing with these perfections , it transforms the soul into the same image or likeness , from glory to glory ( that is gradually ) as by the spirit of the lord ; that is , through the co-operation of god's spirit with mans faith. to comprehend the breadth , length , depth , and heighth , and to know the love of christ which passeth knowledge , is the way to be filled with all the fulness of god , by transcribing all his imitable perfections upon the soul , ephes. 3. 18 , 19. and it is by virtue of their relation to christ , and being thus begotten and born of god , and made partakers of a new nature conformable to god's , that men can with confidence call god father : this blessed effect of god's spirit , is the spirit of adoption , by which they cry , abba , father . and it is this new nature that is the spring and fountain of a good life , of all pious and virtuous actions . as it is said of god , thou art good , and dost good ; so it is true of all those that are born of him . a good man out of the good treasure of his heart ( thus renewed ) bringeth forth good fruit : the tree being good , the fruit will be good . and as this new creature groweth up to strength and maturity , so doing of good , and acting worthily , will become natural and pleasant to him in whom it is . to such an one the commandments of god are not grievous , but he will be able in some good measure to say , i delight to do thy will , o god , yea thy law is in my heart . and for sin , it being contrary to this new nature , there is a kind of moral impotency in him in whom it is , to commit sin : he cannot sin , because he is born of god , 1 joh. 3. 9. or if such an one be overtaken in a fault , it will work a disturbance in the soul , just as that will in the stomach , which a man hath eaten , against which he hath an antipathy in nature . but as for such as perform religious duties , and do things materially good , only by the strength of extrinsecal motives , and not froman inward principle of this new nature , or love to the things themselves ; to such those actions , being unnatural , become grievous and burdensome , and will be continued in no longer , than those motives continue in their strength . sect. 8. the last thing i proposed to consider about god's promise to abraham , is , what we are to understand by god's counting abrahams faith to him for righteousness . and i take it to signifie thus much : that god in a way of special grace , or by virtue of a new law of grace and favour which was established by god in christ , ( gal. 3. 17. ) that is , in reference to what christ was to do & suffer in time then to come , did reckon his practical faith to him for righteousness ; that is , that which in the eye of that new law should pass in his estimation for righteousness , subordinate to christ's righteousness , which procured this grant , or law. for otherwise faith , neither as it is the condition of the promise of remission of sin through christ , nor as it works repentance for sins past , or sincere obedience for time to come , is righteousness in the eye of the original law. for that accounts no man that hath , though but once transgressed it , to be righteous either upon the account of anothers suffering for his sin , or his own repentance or sincere imperfect obedience ; but curseth every man that from first to last continueth not in all things which are contained in that law. but it is as i said , an act of god's special favour , and by virtue of his new law of grace , and as it is established in christ , that such a faith as i have described , comes to be reckoned , or imputed to a man for righteousness , and through god's imputing it for righteousness , to stand a man in the same , if not in a better stead , as to his eternal concerns , as a perfect fulfilling of the original law from first to last would have done : christ's righteousness being presupposed the only meritorious cause of this grant or covenant . and thus indeed the faith which i have described , is a man's righteousness in the eye of this new law , because it is summarily all that is required of him himself to make him capable of the benefits promised by it , which as it is now revealed , is the gospel . justification is a law-term : and no man shall be justified in judgment , or upon tryal , but he that is just in the eye of this new law of grace , as every one that rightly believes , repents , and sincerely obeys , is , because that is all that it requires of a man himself to his justification and salvation . and yet every believers justification will be all of grace , because the law by which they are justified , is wholly of grace , is wholly a law of grace , and was enacted in meer grace and favour to undone man , that was utterly undone by the fall . there are two things which i conceive do constitute and make up the righteousness of the law of grace ( presupposing all to be procured by the purchase which christ hath made ) first , the righteousness which consisteth in the forgiveness of sins ; and secondly , the righteousness of sincere obedience . and in reference to both these , faith is imputed for righteousness , by virtue of the law of grace . first , faith as practical is imputed to a man for righteousness , as it is that , and all that which is required of him himself by the law of grace , to entitle him to the righteousness which consisteth in the remission of sins through christ. now that remission of sinnes is part of the righteousness which is by faith , is evident from rom. 4. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. where the apostle to prove that a man's faith in god who justifyeth the ungodly , is counted to him for righteousness , he citeth a passage out of psalm the 32d , even as david also ( saith he ) describeth the blessedness of the man to whom god imputeth righteousness without works , saying , blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven , and whose sins are covered . blessed is the man to whom the lord will not impute sin . the righteousness imputed in this sense , doth consist in the non-imputation of sin . not to impute sin , is not to reckon a man not to have sinned ; but it is to deal with him not according to the demerit of his sin , it is to pardon him for christ's sake upon his penitential faith , and not to punish him for his sin ; and this by vertue of a new law , or act of indemnity , or covenant of grace . for although pardon of sin is obtained for man by christ his suffering for sin , ( in whom we have redemption through his blood , the forgiveneess of sins , ephes. 1. 7. and though god , for christ's sake doth forgive us , epes . 4. 32. ) yet the actual collation of this great benefit , is not promised , but upon condition of man's faith. him hath god set forth to be a propitiation ; but it is through faith in his blood , rom. 3. 25. by him all that believe are justified from all things , from which ye could not be justified by the law of moses , acts 13. 39. and 10. 43. although christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world , ( 1 ioh. 2. 2. ) yet that saying of christ must and will will take place ; if ye believe not that i am he , ye shall dye in your sins , joh. 8. 24. and that also , mark 16. 16. he that believeth not , shall be damned . so that faith is imputed for righteousness , partly as it is the condition upon which pardon of sin is granted . secondly , that faith is imputed for righteousness , which is practical , or productive of sincere obedience , without which property it is not a fulfilling of the law of grace as a condition of the promised benefits , and consequently cannot justifie a man in the eye of that law. for first , repentance , and likewise forgiving men their injuries ( for instance ) are such acts of obedience , as without which a man cannot be pardoned ; and if not pardoned , then not justified . and therefore faith is not imputed for righteousness , unless it be productive of obedience . secondly , no faith is available to justification , but such as worketh by love , gal. 5. 6. which to say is all one , as to say , no faith is imputed for righteousness , but such as worketh by keeping the commandments of god , and fulfilling the law ; for that is the interpretation of love , both to god and men , 1 ioh. 5. 3. rom. 13. 10. thirdly , abraham who was set forth by god for a pattern of his justifying men by faith , was justified by such works as were the fruits of his faith , and not only by his faith which was the root of them : and therefore his faith as practical , was imputed to him for righteousnss : and such must be the faith of all others that shall obtain justification upon their believing as he did , iam. 2. 21 , 22 , 23. was not abraham our father justified by works when he had offered isaac his son upon the altar ? seest thou how faith wrought with his works ; and by works was faith made perfect . and the scripture was fulfilled which saith , abraham believed god , and it was imputed to him for righteousness . where note these four things . 1. that abrahams faith wrought with his works about the same end , as a condition of obtaining it , to wit , his justification . 2. that by his works his faith was made perfect , to wit , in its aptitude by god's institution , to justifie him , without which it would not have reached that end . 3. note further , that it was his faith as it wrought with his works , and as it was compleated and made perfect by them , that was imputed to him for righteousness . 4. note , that in the imputation of his faith for righteousness , as it was thus accompanied with , and perfected by works , was the scripture ful●illed which saith , abraham believed god , and it was imputed to him for righteousness . and if so , then the justification by works , together with faith , of which st. iames speaks here , is a justification before god , and not before men only , and to a man 's own conscience : for of such a justification doth the scripture in gen. 15. 6. speak , which is here cited by st. iames. nor doth this , that faith accompanied with obedience is imputed for righteousness , at all derogate from the obedience and sufferings of christ in reference to the ends for which they serve . because the whole covenant , and all the parts and terms of it , both promises of benefits , & the condition on which they are promised , are all founded in christ his undertaking for us , and all the benefits of it accrue to us upon our believing and obeying , upon his account , and for his sake . we are in him , who of god is made unto us wisdom , righteousness , sanctification , and redemption , 1 cor. 1. 30. for which cause also he is called the lord our righteousness . not as if his personal obedience to the law , was so formally imputed to us , as that we should be reckoned to have kept the law in his keeping of it , ( which hath been the opinion of some ) for if that had been so , there would have been no more need that christ should have suffered for us , than there was that he shoud have suffered for himself who had no sin , for neither should we , if we had perfectly kept the law in him , or in his keeping of it . chap. ii. for what ends the law was added to the promise . i now come to shew in the next place , for what end the law of mo●es was added to the promise . and before i do this in particular , i shall note only in general , that it was not added to cross or confront the promise , or god's design in it , but to be subservient to it , gal. 3. 21. is the law then against the promises ? god forbid . for it is not to be thought that god would prevaricate in his design , so that when he had once made a new law of grace for the saving of faln man , he would yet afterwards give any law but what should one way or other subserve to the same end , if men do not deprive themselves of the intended benefit by perverting it . and therefore to be sure , god did not intend to revive the old covenant of works made with adam in paradise , in the after promulgation of the law of nature ( which we call the moral law ) already broken . he did not therein come to demand his full debt of innocency in mans broken and bankrupt condition , or to let him know that he would without any other condition than perfect incency , cast him into prison , until he had paid the utmost farthing . for if he had , then the law indeed would have been against the promise , which declares quite otherwise . it is true , the law of nature as it is a perfect rule of natural righteousness , founded in god's nature and man's nature , doth of it self require perfect innocency , and can require no less , being suited to the nature of man in its perfect state . but when god brings this law forth , and sets it before men that are now faln from that state , as he doth in the promulgation of it , it is to let them know indeed what they once were , and from whence they are fallen , and how unhappy their condition now is , according to the tenour and terms of that law , and that it would have continued so for ever , if god had not made a new law of grace , to over-rule that law ; and to let all know that they shall still remain in that condition that wilfully exclude themselves from the benefit of the law of grace , by not performing the condition of it : and not to let them know , they should have no better terms from him than that law affords them , nor to make their perfect keeping of it the condition of their justification . but the law of moses entirely taken in all its parts , was rather given as an appendix to the promise , both as a rule of the material part of that obedience , which god would now require of the israelites in conjunction with their faith in the promise , and as a motive to that obedience : this in general . the question is put , gal. 3. 19. wherefore then serveth the law ? and the answer there is , that it was added because of transgression , until the seed should come . and it was added because of transgression in more respects than one . 1. it was added to discover sin , to make that known to be sin , which was so of it self , and in its own nature before the promulgation of the law. for by reason of that grievous wound which man got in his understanding by the fall , and by reason also of a progressive degeneration in mankind , the natural sense of moral good and evil , was to a great degree worn out of the minds of men. for the repairing of which decay , a promulgate law ( the ten commandments ) answerable to the law of pure nature in the spirituality of it , was set on foot in the world. and by this law came sin and duty to be more clearly known than they were before , rom. 3. 20. by the law is the knwoledge of sin , rom. 7. 7. i had not known sin but by the law : for i had not known lust , except the law had said , thou shalt not covet . 2. the law was added , not only barely to make known that to be sin , which was so●of it self before , but to set it out in it's colours , to make it known in the horrid nature and consequence of it , that men might be the more afraid to have to do with it . the law entred that the offence might abound : that is , that by that means it might be rendred the more criminous and demeritorious : that sin by the commandment , might become exceeding sinful , rom. 5. 20. & 7. 13. 3. the law as it discovered sin , and made it more criminous , and the people the more sensible of guilt , and more apprehensive of their obnoxiousness to punishment , was given to set off so much the more , the glory , beauty , and desirableness of god's grace in the promise of pardon and salvation , rom. 5. 20. the law entered that the offence might abound : but where sin abounded , grace did much more abound . by how much the more sin appeared sin , and was enhanced , and aggravated , and rendred manifestly mischievous by a promulgate law ; by so much the more grace appear'd to be grace , in all its glory , that brought deliverance from it , rom. 5. 21. that like as sin hath reigned unto death ( viz. by the law , that being the strength of sin , 1 cor. 15. 56. ) even so grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through ie●us christ our lord. after christ came , the rest which he gave , was so much the more sweet to these iews who received him , by how much they had been weary and heavy laden under a spirit of bondage before . 4. the law ( saith st. paul ) was our schoolmaster to bring us unto christ , that we might be justified by faith , gal. 3. 24. that is , it was a lower sort of institution accommodated to the weak and more imperfect state of the church● , until afterward it should deliver them over to a more perfect institution under christ. parents first teach their children to speak , and after put them to school to learn letters , syllables , words , and sentences , the use and design of all which they do not understand while they are children , as they do when they come to be men. in proportion to this hath god dealt with his church in the world , beginning with a lower and more imperfect sort of instruction , precepts and promises , and so proceeding to those that are higher and more perfect , and so by certain gradations , to lead on , and build up his church to a more perfect spiritual and compleat state of faith and holiness ; to all the riches of fulness of understanding of the mystery of god , of the father , and of christ , col. 2. 2. and thus the law as a schoolmaster , had a double end and use : the one respecting the time then present : the other that which was then future and to come . the then present use of it was twofold also . 1. to reclaim and restrain them from the superstitious customs of the heathen , to which they were addicted , in which respect also it was added because of transgression . the heathen worship , stood in divers superstitious rites or ceremonies : and because the israelites were adicted to a bodily worship like theirs , ( for they said , let us make us gods to go before us , exod. 32. 1. ) and were in danger thereby of being drawn to worship their gods , therefore to prevent this ( as parents put their childeren to school , partly to keep them out of harms way ) the lord by way of condescention to their childish humour , did ordain a worship consisting much in bodily exercise , and instituted divers laws , which stood in meats and drinks , and divers washings , and carnal ordinances , until the time of reformation ; till he should by sending his son , appoint more excellent laws for reforming both them and the rest of the world. lev. 18. 3 , 4 , 5. after the doings of the law of egypt wherein ye dwelt shall ye not do ; and after the doings of the land of canaan whither i bring you shall ye not do ; neither shall ye walk in their ordinances . ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my iudgments : which if a man do , ●e shall live in them , ezek. 20. 6. — 11. 2. the lord did institute diuers temporary laws for tryal and exercise of their obedience in those lesser things for a time , as being such as they were as yet best capable to receive , thereby to lead them on to higher instances of obedience afterward . these many ceremonies which they were obliged to observe , were not things of any natural or intrinsick goodness , but only made use of by god for a present turn , which when that was served , they ( as to practise ) were of no value , but became beggerly elements . but yet while they continued commanded of god , their obedience in the use of them , was rewardable , as well as their obedience to any other laws . the other end and use of the law as it was a schoolmaster , respected the time then to come . for the high priesthood , and sacrifices of the law , as they were types of what christ should be , do , and suffer as mediatour , were of great use to the iews after christ had suffered , and was risen again , and ascended into heaven , to facilitate both the knowledge and belief of the mystery of redemption by christ. 1. to facilitate the knowledge thereof , and to beget in them a right notion of these things in christ , by which forgiveness of sins , and acceptance with god , is obtained on our behalf . for those who had long seen and known the effect of legal sacrifices , as how they did procure legal impunity for offences committed , god accepting the life of a beast that had not sinned , instead of the life of a man that had , might soon come to understand from that by parity of reason , that god would much more accept of his own sons offering himself in sacrifice for us , so as to excuse us from suffering eternal punishment for our sin . for if the blood of bulls , and of goats , and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean , sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; how much more shall the blood of christ , who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to god , purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living god , heb. 9. 13 , 14. and so the high priests entring into the holy of holies in the behalf of the people , with the blood of the sacrifice , and burning incense there , doth greatly assist the mind in understanding the nature of christ's intercession for us in heaven , in virtue of his bloodshed for us on earth , heb. 9. 2. the law in the typical nature of it , was of great use to the iews , to facilitate and strengthen their belief in christ ; and so were the predictions of the prophets in conjunction with it : for these and the accomplishment of them in christ , did so answer each other , as in water face answereth to face , that those who believed the law and the prophets , had a great advantage by means thereof , to believe in christ. and therefore our blessed saviour when he would satisfie his disciples touching himself , that he was indeed the christ , and of the necessity of his death , ( which death occasioned at first a staggering in their faith ) beginning at moses and all the prophets , he expounded to them in all the scriptures , the things concerning himself , luke 24. 27. and st. paul when he laboured the conversion of the iews at rome , to christianity , as the chiefest way to effect it ; he expounded to them , and testified the kingdom of god , perswading them concerning iesus , both out of the law of moses , and of the prophets , from morning to evening , acts 28. 23. had ye believed moses ( saith our saviour to them ) ye would have believed me ; for he wrote of me : but if ye believe not his writings , how shall ye believe my words , joh. 5. 46 , 47. and thus in both the forementioned respects , the law was a schoolmaster indeed to bring them to christ , that they might be justified by faith. 5. the law was given to the jewish nation , not only for their behoof and benefit , but also for a general good to the world : that the nations round about , hearing of such excellent laws , & perceiving how happy and prosperous those people were , so long as they observed them ; might thereby be invited to quit their idol gods , and to take hold of the covenant , and to joyn themselves to the people of the god of abraham , even as it came to pass in such as were proselited . and upon this account it seems to be , that the psalmist prayed thus : god be merciful unto us , and bless us , and cause thy face to shine upon us : that thy way may be known on earth , thy saving health unto all nations , psal. 67. 1 , 2. and concludes , ver . 7. that if god should so do , his fear would be propagated through the world : god shall bless us , and all the ends of the earth shall fear him , deut , 4. 6 , 7 , 8. keep therefore and do them , for this is your wisdom , and your vnderstanding in the sight of the nations , who shall hear all these statutes , and say , surely this great nation is a wise and an vnderstanding people . for what nation is there so great , that hath god so nigh unto them , as the lord our god is in all things that we call upon him for ? and what nation is there so great , that hath statutes and iudgments so righteous , as all this law which i set before you this day ? to them were committed the oracles of god , rom. 3. 2. they were committed in trust to them as feoffees for the world , to communicate the knowledge of god and of his laws to the nations ; to carry on further the reformation of the world begun in their father abraham , and which was promised to be more compleatly effected by the messias , in that all nations of the earth should be blessed in him . and as god's judgements on the iews for breaking his laws , was admonitory to the nations about them , deut. 29. 24 , — 28. so his famous deliverances wrought for them upon their repentance for breaking his laws , made god known abroad to be a great favourer of such as repent of their worshipping and serving other gods , and such a one as could and would save , deliver and bless them that turned to him to serve him only . which seems to be his meaning when he saith he will be sanctified before the heathen , when he should gather them from among the people where they were captives , and that the heathen should know that he was the lord , ezek. 20. 41. & 36. 23. and by this means be brought them to fear & worship the god of israel . psal. 102. 13 , 15. thou shalt arise and have mercy upon zion ; so the heathen shall fear the name of the lord ; and all the kings of the earth thy glory . when the lord turned again the captivity of sion , they said among the heathen , the lord hath done great things for them , psal. 126. 1 , 2. 6. the whole law was given to be a political instrument of governing the israelites ( according to that state of their minority ) as a peculiar republick , of which god himself was the soveraign legislator . but of this more afterward . chap. iii. shewing by what faith and practice the iews under the law were saved . i c●me now to shew by what faith and practice the iews under the law were saved . and doubtless what ever it was , it became available to that end , upon the account of what christ was to suffer , when he should come . for , as i shewed before , that god's covenant with abraham and his seed ( by virtue of which the faithful then were saved ) was confirmed in christ ; was established with them in reference to what he was to do and suffer as mediatour afterwards , gal. 3. 17. and by means of his death , there was redemption for the transgressions that were under the first testament , heb. 9. 15. and the sacrifices and priesthood , were a figure for the time then present , of what christ should afterwards do and suffer , and for what end . but when i say so , i do not say that all that were saved , did understand so much . for we see the apostles of christ , though they did believe him to be the messias , which the iews expected , yet they did not understand or expect that he should suffer death as a sacrifice , till he told them so : nay the thing was so far from their thoughts , as that they did not understand him when he plainly foretold them of his death , luke 18. 32. and if the doctrine touching the resemblance that is between the priesthood of melchizedech and the priesthood of christ , was not in the apostles sense , meat which babes in christanity could well digest in their understandings , but was meat for strong men , heb. 5. 10. — 14. we may well guess by that how little the iews understood the typical and spiritual sense of those types about which they were frequently conversant ; and wherefore it 's said that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than iohn the baptist , though he was so great , that there was none greater before him . hence we may see , that one reason why those iews were all their life time under a spirit of bondage to fear , was the great obscurity of the declaration of god's purpose of grace to the world through christ , and the way and method of salvation by him . moses was but a servant for a testimony of those things , which were [ after ] to be spoken , and so declared afterwards , as that the typical meaning of them might be understood , heb. 3. 5. in the mean while , as touching those things , they were shut up unto the faith which should [ afterwards ] be revealed , gal. 3. 23. it is said of the prophets , whereof moses was one , that not unto themselves , but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto us , by them that have preached the gospel to us , 1 pet. 1. 12. add we to all this , heb. 9. 8. where having spoken in ver . 7. of the high priests entering alone into the holy of holi●s with the blood of the sacrifice in behalf of the people once every year , he saith , the holy ghost this signifying , that the way into the holiest of all , was not yet made manifest , while as the first tabernacle was yet standing . by the holiest of all , here is meant heaven , signified of old by the holy of holies , as appears , ver . 12 , 24. and the plain meaning seems to be this , that the peoples entring into heaven by the sacrifice and blood , and intercession of christ , was not made manifest while the tabernacle-worship continued . for christ is our way into heaven ( to the place within the vail ) by his blood shed as a sacrifice , heb. 10. 19 , 20. having therefore brethren , boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of iesus , by a new and living way , which he hath consecrated for us th●ough the vail , that is to say , his flesh . but this way he tells us was not made manifest , while the first tabernacle was standing . but as obscure as this way was , as to what was to be done and suffered in particular by the messias , yet they had some general grounds of faith and hope , that upon their faith , repentance , and sedulous endeavours to walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the lord , they should obtain remission of their sins , and a future happiness in another world. among which grounds these were not the least : 1. they had the knowledge of the promise of blessedness to all nations in abrahams seed , and of the promise of those other benefits which were promised to abraham and his seed . 2. they had an addition of several other predictions concerning the messias , both by moses and other prophets , that perhaps were somewhat more express , such as in deut. 18. 16. isa. 53. dan. 9. and others . these promises and predictions , put them in great expectations of special benefits by the messias , and wrought in them a longing after his day . upon which account our saviour said to his disciples : blessed are your eyes , for they see , and your ears , for they hear . for i say unto you , that many prophets and kings , and righteous men , have desired to see those things which ye see , and have not seen them , and to hear those things which ye hear , and have not heard them , mat. 13. 16 , 17. luke 10. 23 , 24. 3. they had large significations from god of his special favour to them above all people , as in chusing them to be his peculiar people , and in declaring himself to be their god ; in giving visible signs of his presence among them , and excellent laws & promises to them , and sending his prophets amongst them , and working many wonders for them , and casting out the nations before them to make room for them , and the like , deut. 7. 6 , 7 , 8. and 26. 18 , 19. psal. 147. 19 , 20. rom. 9. 4 , 5. 4. they had express declarations from god of the goodness of his nature , and of his compassion towards sinners , and of his readiness to pardon such as should repent and return to their duty in loving him , and keeping his commandments . as for instance , exod. 34. 6 , 7. the lord passed before him , and proclaimed , the lord , the lord god , merciful and gracious , long-suffering , and abundant in goodness and truth , keeping mercy for thousands , forgiving iniquity , trangression and sin . and when he delivered them his law , with the greatest terrour and astonishment to them , yet even then he assured them that he would shew mercy to thousands of them that love him , and keep his commandments ; as in the second commandment . and in case of their miscarriage to the drawing down of gods judgements upon them , he bespeaks them thus : when thou art in tribulation , and all these things are come upon thee , even in the latter days , if thou turn to the lord thy god , and shalt be obedient to his voice : ( for the lord thy god is a merciful god , ) he will not forsake thee , nor forget the covenant of thy fathers , deut. 4. 31. and 30. 1 , 2 , 3. levit. 26. 39 , &c. from all which grounds , the faithful among them , had such a hope and confidence of pardon of sin , and of a future happiness in another life , upon their repentance and sincere obedience , as did effectually induce them to have good thoughts of god , to love him , and to endeavour to please him , by having respect unto all his commandments . this made him say , psal. 130. 4. there is forgiveness with thee , that thou mayest be feared . and under this hope and confidence , the twelve tribes did instantly serve god day and night , and grounded this hope of theirs upon the promise made of god unto their fathers , as st. panl tells us , acts 26. 6 , 7. and indeed it was the unanimous faith of the most eminent among them from age to age , that god had both made , and would keep a covenant to shew mercy to those that love him , and keep his commandments , or that walk before him with all their heart : for that they looked upon as the condition of god's promise of shewing mercy . this we may see in moses , david , solomon , and in daniel , and nehemiah , deut. 7. 9. know therefore that the lord thy god , he is god , the faithful god , which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him , and keep his commandments . so david , psalm 103. 17 , 18. the mercy of the lord is from everlasting to everlasting to such as keep his covenant , and to those that remember his commandments to do them . and thus solomon , 1 kings 8. 23. and he said , lord god of israel , there is no god like thee , who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants , that walk before thee with all their heart . so daniel in his 9th chap. 4th ver . o lord , the great and dreadful god , keeping the covenant and mercy , to them that love him , and to them that keep his commandments . and nehemiah likewise , ch. 1. 5. i beseech thee , o lord god of heaven , the great and terrible god , that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him , and observe his commandments . this we see was the serious and constant profession of the faith of the servants of god in those times . and in this faith and practice doubtless it was , that they lived , and dyed , and were saved . chap. iv. that the law contained a covenant different from that with abraham . in the next place i am to shew , that the law of moses did contain a covenant distinct , and of a different nature from the covenant which god made with abraham and his spiritual seed . besides the general promise which god made to abraham , respecting the gentiles as well as the iews ( in thee all nations of the earth shall be blessed ) he made a special covenant with him , as a reward of his signal faithfulness , to give unto his natural seed the land of canaan . nehem. 9. 8. thou foundest his heart faithful before thee , and madest a covenant with him , to give the land of the ca●aanites — to his seed . in order to the fulfilling of which promise , after he had brought them out of egypt , he united them under himself as head , in one political body , by a political covenant , exod. 19 , &c. which is the covenant i am now to discourse of . in which discourse i would , 1. shew in what respect the law of moses is said to contain a covenant of a different nature from the covenant of grace made with abraham . 2. prove that it did contain such a different covenant . 3. for farther illustration , consider it in its parts , and their relation one to another . 4. and in what respect this covenant is called the first covenant , when as the covenant of grace was made before it . 1. in what respect the law of moses is said to contain a covenant of a different nature from the covenant of grace made with abraham . the law of moses comes under a twofold consideration . 1. as in conjunction with the promise to abraham , to which it was annexed , it made up one entire law , by which the israelites were to be governed and directed in the way to eternal life : and in this conjunction , the promise was the life and soul as it were of the body of the mosaic law properly taken . and in this sense as the word law signifies the pentateuch , or five books of moses , ( which contain the promise as well as the law ) it is sometimes used in the new testament , gal. 4. 21 , 22. 1 cor. 14. 34. luke 16. and in this sense doubtless we are to understand the law upon which david bestowed so many glorious encomiums as he did , saying , the law of the lord is perfect , converting the soul , &c. psal. 19. 2. we are to consider the law of moses as given at sinai , in a stricter sense , as it was an instrument or rule of government in the commonwealth of israel . the law , in the former sense of it , promised eternal life ( though but obscurely ) to those that did believe its promises , and sincerely obey its precepts . in the latter sense , it promised only temporal blessings to those that strictly observed it in all the parts of it ; and threatned those with temporal calamities that did not . the same laws materially , of this political covenant , related to both the covenants . as eternal life was promised in the covenant of grace , upon condition of sincere obedience to those laws , as an effect of faith in the promise ; so those laws , in conjunction with the promise , were , as i may so say , evangelical . but as temporal benefits only were promised in that covenant upon condition of strict obedience to those laws ; and as those laws were enjoyned under temporal penalties as they were commonwealth-laws ; so that convenant , containing those laws , was political , and in this political respect , it was another covenant . if the law of god , and the law of man command or forbid things materially the same ; yet if the one command or forbid them under pain of damnation , and the other only under temporal penalties ; these laws are not formally the same . the commonwealth of israel had no commonwealth laws , but what god himself gave them , the which laws they also covenanted with him to observe ; by which covenant they were united under him as head of that political body . and therefore when they would needs choose them a king like other nations , god told samuel , saying , they have not rejected thee , but they have rejected me , that i should not reign over them , 1 sam. 8. 7. ye said unto me ( said samuel ) nay , but a king shall reign over us , when the lord your god was your king , 1 sam. 12. 12. i conclude then , that as the law of moses did serve to this political end , so it was a distinct covenant , and different from the covenant of grace . 2. let us see how this may be proved to be a covenant so distinct and different , as i have said , from the covenant of grace declared to abraham . and to this purpose these things are considerable . first , they are called the two covenants , by st. paul , gal. 4. 24. and if they are two , then there is a real difference between them , else they would be but one and the same . secondly , they bear distinct denominations , the one is called the first and the old covenant , and the other , the second and the new , heb. chap. 8. & 9. thirdly , there were some sins pardonable by one of these covenants , which were not so by the other ; and that shews that they were quite of a different nature . the murder and adultery which david was guilty of , was not pardonable according to the terms of the political covenant , if there had been any superiour power on earth to have executed that commonwealth-law ; and yet according to the terms of the covenant of grace , they were pardonable upon repentance , and upon those terms were pardoned unto him . the like might be said perhaps of manasseh . the unbelief of moses and aaron in not sanctifying god in the eyes of the children of israel , was according to the terms of the covenant of grace , pardoned as to the eternal penalty , but yet was not wholly pardoned according to the terms of the the political covenant as to temporal punishment : for the lord told them that for that cause they should not bring the children of israel into the land of canaan , numb . 20. 12. and in reference to this case , the psalmist saith , thou wast a god that forgavest them , though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions , psal. 99. 8. fourthly , the covenant of grace never ceaseth , but it is of perpetual duration throughout all generations ; and therefore is called the everlasting covenant , heb. 13. 20. but this mosaical political covenant , is vanished long since , heb. 8. 13. by which also it appears to be a covenant effentially different from the other . 3. for a farther illustration of the nature of this covenant , we will consider it in its parts , and in the relation which those parts bear one towards another . and in general , it did consist of two parts . 1. of laws ; and 2. of the sanction of those laws : the laws likewise were of two sorts . 1. laws of duty . 2. laws of indemnity . 1. laws of duty . and in them we may consider , 1. what those laws were . 2. what manner of obedience to those laws it was which would free men from the penalties of them , and entitle them to the promises of reward annexed to them . first , the laws of duty , of which this covenant did in great part consist , were those which pass under the various denomination of moral , ritual or ceremonial , and judicial . some of which laws , ( viz. the decalogue especially and almost wholly ) for the matter of them , were natural , that is , such as were founded in the nature of man , forbidding things which of themselves were evil , and commanding things which in their own nature were good , and might be discerned to be so , by man in his pure naturals , and in great part since the degeneration of his nature , whether they had been expresly forbidden , or commanded , or no. but these laws became part of the political covenant , only as they were expresly and externally declared to the iews by a promulgate law. for if this had not been so , the gentiles could not have been said to be without the law , as they were , rom. 2. 14 , 11. 1 cor. 9. 21. for they had the force and effect of the law in their hearts , and were in that respect a law unto themselves , rom. 2. 14 , 15. but because the decalogue , as well as the other laws , was delivered to the iews only , and to none else , from mount sinai , therfore they only ( and proselytes that joyned with them ) were said to be under the law , and all the rest without law. and therefore is the giving of the law reckoned to the iews among their peculiar priviledges , rom. 9. 4. psal. 147. 19 , 20. and in this sense only as the decalogue was a part of the political law , can the ministration ingraven in stones , be said to be done away , as it is , 2 cor. 3. 7 , to ver . 11. for so much of it as was a copy of the law of nature , or is by christ incorporated into his laws , remains in force to all men . the other laws of which this covenant did consist , were arbitrary , the force of which did wholly depend upon divine institution : and such were the laws ceremonial ; and a great part of those we call judicial . secondly , that obedience which would be sufficient to secure a man from the penalty of the political law , and to entitle him to the promised reward annexed thereto , was no less than a strict obedience to it in all the parts of it . for it is written , cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them : and all the people shall say , amen . deut. 27. 26. and this extended to heart-obedience , and heart-sinning , as well as to the outward act , commanding love to god , forbidding to covet , as under the heart-searching political soveraign , who reserved to himself the final judgement and execution , even in temporal respects , in many cases . 2. laws of indemnity ( of which also this covenant did consist ) were partly those which ordained sacrifice and offerings for the expiation of many sins made pardonable by those laws , so far as to exempt the delinquent person from the temporal penalty threatned for breach of those other laws , which for distinction sake , i call laws of duty ; for otherwise these also were laws of duty as well as of priviledge . there were other laws of indemnity likewise for the purification of persons legally unclean ; which being observed , the persons unclean became delivered from the penalties they suffered while their uncleanness was upon them ; such as was their separation from the congregation . consider we next the sanction of these laws ; and that did consist in promises annexed to the observing of them , and in a curse denounced against the transgressors of them . and for our better understanding the nature of the promises of this covenant , we will consider them negatively , and affirmatively . 1. negatively ; the promises of this political-covenant as such , were not promise ; of eternal life ; and when i say so , i do not deny but that , first , the iews in moses time , and before , had promises of eternal life implyed in the covenant made with abraham and his seed . and accordingly the faithful ones among them , sought after the heavenly countrey , and looked for a city which hath foundations , whose builder and maker is god , heb. 11. 10 , 14 , 16. nor secondly , will i deny but that there are some passages in the law of moses , if you take the law of moses in a large sense , which look somewhat like a renewall of the antient covenant with abraham to his seed . as when , for instance , god made a conditional promise to the israelites in moses his time , to be their god , and that they should be his people , as in levit 26. 12. deut. 29. 13. which form of words is interpreted sometimes to imply a future happiness in another world , heb. 11. 16. matth. 21. 31 , 32. and i do not deny but the iews had by moses , as express a promise of the messias , as abraham had , deut. 18. 15. — 19. but st. paul doth not speak of the law in this large sense , when he opposeth the law and the promise , the law and faith , one to another . but if we understand by the law of mo●es , the law as political , the law of the common-wealth ; so the promises of it were not promises of eternal life ; for promises of this nature did pertain to another covenant , to wit , th●t made with abraham , and his spiritual seed as such . first ; therefore st. paul doth down-rightly deny that the promise of the inheritance , ( which in heb. 9. 15. is called the eternal inheritance ) was by the law , which yet it would have been , if by law he had meant the law in that large sense , in which the law and promise to abraham are conjoyned , and not in that strict sense , by which he means the political law distinctly . and if the inheritance had been promised upon the same terms as temporal blessings were in the temporal covenant , the inheritance might have been obtained by the law , as well as temporal blessings were . rom. 4. 13. for the promise that he should be heir of the world , was not through the law , but through the righteousness of faith. secondly ; st. paul evinceth the badness of that opinion , to think that eternal life was promised upon the law-terms , from the absurd consequence of it ; shewing that if it were , that then it would make void the promise of god to abraham , and the way of saving men by faith in that promise , of none effect : gal. 3. 18. for if the inheritance be of the law , it is no more of promise : but god gave it to abraham by promise . rom. 4. 14. for if they which are of the law be heirs , faith is made void , and the promise made of none effect . it was altogether unreasonable to think that the inheritance should be promised upon such distant and inconsistent terms , as are faith in the promise , and by works of the law. thirdly ; the law , saith the apostle , is not of faith , but the man that doth them shall live in them , gal. 3. 12. meaning , that what the law promised , it did not promise it upon condition of believing , but upon condition of doing . and eternal life is not since the fall promised upon condition of doing without faith , but upon condition of believing ; for the iust shall live by faith , vers. 11. and therefore eternal life is not promised by the law. fourthly ; wherefore else are the promises of that better covenant , heb. 8. 6. said to be better promises ? but because they are promises of better things than were promised in the first covenant ; which yet they could not be , if eternal life had been promised in that covenant , because that is the best of all promises . to say they are better only in respect of administration , and clearness of revelation , would not satisfie such as should well consider ▪ that if the betterness of the covenant and promises , lay only in that , the difference would not be so great , as to denominate them two covenants , and two so vastly distant as the scripture represents them to be . the difference then would be but only gradual , as that is , which is found in the same covenant of grace in the several editions of it , to adam , to abraham , to david , and now to all nations since christ's coming ; and not essential , as that between the two covenants seem to be , as it is represented in gal. 4. 24. besides , st. paul represents the administration of the two covenants , to differ as much as righteousness and condemnation , life and death differ , which sure is more than a gradual difference . the one is the ministration of death and condemnation ; the other , the ministration of righteousness and life . 2 cor. 3. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. the law made nothing perfect , but the bringing in of a better hope did , heb. 7. 19. by which it appears again , that the hope of the gospel ( in which the things hoped for upon the promises of the gospel are not the least ) is better than what the law promised the observers of it . this is the promise which he hath promised us , even eternal life , 1 john 2. 25. 2. and affirmatively ; it was then a long and prosperous life in the land of canaan , that was promised in the first covenant , deut. 28. 11. the lord shall make thee plenteous in goods , in the fruit of thy body , and in the fruit of thy cattel , and in the fruit of thy ground , in the land which the lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee , deut. 11. 21. that your days may be multiplied , and the days of your children as the days of heaven upon earth . a great variety of outward blessings is promised , as the reward of keeping that covenant . and therefore wisdom under that dispensation is described , as having length of days in her right hand , and in her left ha●d riches and honour ; whose ways are ways of pleasantness , and all her paths peace , prov. 3. 17. and as this covenant was national , so there were promises of national blessings ; such as was the setting them on high , above all the nations of the earth ; making them the head and not the tail : the giving them victory over ●nemies ; multiplying the nation , and bestowing on it health , peace , and plenty , deut. 28. lev. 26. when it 's said once by moses , thrice by ezekiel , and twice by st. paul , that the man that doth them , shall live in them , ( lev. 18. 5. ezek. 20. 11 , 13 , 21. rom. 10. 5. gal. 3. 12. ) thereby epitomizing the first covenant ; i conceive that by living , is meant a long and prosperous life in this world. as on the contrary , the condition of one greatly afflicted , is in scripture-dialect , a kind of death , and such an one said to be free among the dead , psal. 88. 5. and that which inclines me so to think , is not only the reasons already given to prove that no other life was promised in the first covenant , but also the congruity of this sense with other passages in the writings of moses . as deut. 30. 15. see , i have set before you this day , life and good , death and evil. if you would know what is meant by life here , the next verse will inform you : that thou mayest live and multiply , and the lord thy god shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it . the contrary whereunto is the death he had set before them ; saying , i denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish , and that ye shall not prolong your dayes upon the land , &c. deut. 32. 46 , 47. set your hearts unto all the words which i testifie among you this day , ; for it is not a vain thing for you , because it is your life ; and through this thing ye shall prolong your dayes in the land wherein ye go . the latter words are exegetical of the former : through this thing ye shall prolong your dayes , is the interpretation of those ; it is your life . and it may be considered also , whether this particle [ in ] ( which if a man do he shall even live [ in ] them ) may not determine the nature and kind of that reward which was promised in the first covenant , as it was a present reward , a reward which was received even while the work was doing , according to that , psal. 19. 11. in keeping them there is great reward . and this is agreeable to what fell out in the event . the lord was with them to prosper them , while they were with him ; but when they forsook him , presently troubles overtook them . the pouring out of god's fury on them to consume them in the wilderness , being put in ezek. 20. 13 , 21. as the direct contrary to those words , which if a man do , he shall even live in them , seems greatly to favour this nation . but the house of israel rebelled against me in the wilderness : they walked not in my statutes , and they d●spised my iudgments , which if a man do , he shall even live in them : then i said , i would pour out my fury upon them to consume them in the wilderness . and indeed one main difference between the two covenants , ( which i would have here observed ) lies in this , to wit , the presentness of the reward promised in the first , and the futurity of that promised in the second . st. paul in his allegorical description of the two covenants , gal. 4. 24 , &c. represents those that adhered to the first covenant , by the children of bond-servant , to whom abraham gave gifts in present , and sent them away , as in gen. 25. 5. and those that adhered to the second , by the son of the free-woman , isaac , who was abrahams heir , to whom he gave the whole inheritance at last . and the adoption of sons , as the priviledge of the new covenant ▪ is opposed to the condition of servants under the old , gal. 4. 7. and what are they adopted to , but to an inheritance for the future ? for by adoption they are made heirs : if a son , then an heir of god through christ : an heir of what ? of an inheritance for the future ; an inheritance incorruptible , undefiled , and which fadeth not away , reserved in heaven , 1 pet. 1. 4. and therefore they are said to wait for the adoption , to wit the redemption of their bodies , at the resurrection , rom. 8. 23. sons and heirs serve their father with a free and ingenuous spirit , though they have but little for the present , in confidence of what he will do for th●m hereafter in another world , when they shall come to age . but those under the old covenant , were like servants , who serve with a servile spirit , because they do it with expectation of present pay . the one walk by faith , which is the substance of things hoped for , and the evidence of things not seen ; the other were influenced in their obedience , by the expectation of present reward , because that was it which the first covenant promised to the observers of it . these promises now insisted on , were promises of reward to the observers of this first covenant : but besides these , there was another sort of promises exhibited in the first covenant , and they were promises of pardon , in many cases , when the laws of that covenant were broken . there were ( as i have shewed ) laws of indemnity , which made many of the breaches of the laws of duty , pardonable upon certain conditions . and such were all sins of ignorance and inadvertency , and some of those also which were committed wittingly . but presumptuous sins , and such as carried in them a kind of contempt of the law , these were exempted from pardon : heb. 10. 28. he that despised moses law , died without mercy , under two or three witnesses . but for the other , there were promises of pardon upon certain conditions ; which conditions were not always the same . in some cases the offering of a sin-offering , or trespass-offering , was the condition . in other cases , that with confession of sin , was the condition . and in some other cases , sacrificing , restitution , and satisfaction were the condition . and afflicting of the soul , as well a the sacrifice for atonement on the day of general expiation , was always a condition of forgiveness . these things in the particularities of them , you have in the 4 , 5 , 6 , 16 , and 23d chapters of levit. and then the condition of the promises of purgation of legal uncleannesses , and the penal effects of them , was the observing the rules prescribed for purifying the unclean . now the forgiveness promised by these laws of indemnity , did not free the conscience from all obligation to eternal punishment , but only freed the person from suffering those temporal evils , which were threatned in this covenant against those which did not continue in all things written in the book of it . neither sacrifices , nor legal purifications , sanctified , but unto the purifying of the flesh , and to their temporal concerns only , heb. 9. 9 , 10 , 13. and here we may observe a five-fold difference in reference to remission of sin , between the first covenant , and the covenant of grace . 1. they differ in the nature of those sacrifices by which atonements were made , and upon which forgiveness was promised . the blood of the sacrifice of the first covenant , was but the blood of bulls and of goats , and the like , heb. 10. 4. but the blood of the sacrifice of the second covenant , is the blood of christ the eternal son of god. so that the nature of the sacrifices of the two covenants , upon which the promise of the pardon of sins was granted , doth differ as much as the blood of beasts and the blood of the son of god differ . 2. those two sorts of sacrifices pertaining to two kinds of covenants , differ in the proportion of efficaty and virtue to accomplish their respective ends and effects . there is a greater richness of proportion in the blood of christ to free the cons●ience from the guilt of sin , or obligation to eternal punishment , than there was in the blood of beasts to free the delinquent person from temporal punishments . this is plainly intimated in heb. 9. 13 , 14. for if the blood of bulls and of goats , and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean , sactifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; [ how much more ] shall the blood of christ , who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to god , purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living god. 3. they differ in the nature of the pardon promised in each of the covenants respectively . the redemption granted in the first covenant , was but temporal , as the covenant it self was ; it was but from evils temporal : but christ jesus by his atonement , hath obtained eternal redemption for us , hebr. 9. 12. 4. they differ in respect of the sins made pardonable by each covenant respectively . there were many sins for which the first covenant granted no pardon upon any terms whatsoever . they that despised moses law , died without mercy , heb. 10. 28. but the covenant of grace makes promise of the pardon of the greatest sins upon repentance . all manner of sin and blasphemy , except the blasphemy against the holy ghost , are pardonable upon repentance . this difference is set down , acts 13. 39. and by him all that believe are justified from all things , from which ye could not be justified by the law of moses . we may well suppose that the first covenant did finally condemn some , which the covenant of mercy pardoned . david in the matter of vriah , did that which was unpardonable by the first covenant ; it was a fact to have been punished with death by the law , but that there was none but god that could duly inflict it upon him in his capacity ; and yet upon his repentance , it was pardoned as to his eternal concerns , as well as temporal , by virtue of god's covenant of mercy . on the other hand , a man probably might be so righteous in the eye of the first covenant , as not to be visibly blameable , and yet even then he obnoxious to the curse of the everlasting covenant . paul while he was saul , and in the state of unbelief , was even then as touching the righteousness which is in the law , blameless , as he himself saith , phil. 3. 6. so different were these two covenants , that him whom the one condemned the other might justifie , and likewise justifie him whom the other condemned . 5. they differed in respect of the condition to be performed on man's part for the obtaining of pardon . pardon was promised i● the first covenant upon condition of doing only without reference to faith ; but so are not the pardons of the new covenant , gal. 3. 11 , 12. but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of god , it is evident ; for the iust shall live by faith : and the law is not of faith ; but the man that doth them shall live in them . so much concerning the first part of the sanction of the first covenant . come we now to the second . the other part of the sanction of this covenant , did consist in the curse of it denounced against the breakers of it . though it 's true that every man is under a condemnation that would be eternal , until he comes to be absolved by virtue of the law of grace , yet more than temporal death was not expresly threatned for breach of the political covenant as such . 1. for first , a violent death inflicted by the hand of the magistrate , for capital offences , is called the curse , deut. 22. 23. he that is hanged , is accursed of god , or is the curse of god. 2. christ who did not suffer eternal punishment for man's sin , did yet suffer the curse of the law , in that he was hanged on a tree , gal. 3. 13. it is true indeed , that by that temporary suffering of his , he redeemed us from eternal punishment , which we were obnoxious to . 3. those who apos●atize from christ , and reject his gospel , merit sorer punishment than what was inflicted on them that despised moses law ; and yet sorer punishment for kind they cannot suffer , if eternal punishment had been the penalty of that covenant as such , heb. 10. 28 , 29. 4. as the promises of that covenant when particularly expressed , did appear to be but temporal , so the curses of it appear to be no other in the particular enumeration of them . as for instance ; a violent death inflicted by the hand of the magistrate , was the punishment threatned for many capital offences ; such as was idolatry , blasphemy , witchcraft , working on the sabbath , invading the priests office , and for being a false prophet ; & also for murder , adultery , sodomy , buggery , man-stealing , cursing , or smiting of parents , or being stubbornly rebllious against them , and some other . and a cutting off from among the people ( whether by god's hand immediately , or by mans , i determine not ) was the penalty threatned for eating leavened bread within the time prohibited , for not purifying ones self when unclean , for profaning holy things , for ones eating of the sacrifice with his uncleanness upon him ; for offering sacrifice any where but at the tabernacle , for eating of blood , and for eating of the fat of the sacrifice ; for neglecting to keep the passover , and for not afflicting the soul in the day of general atonement ; and for several other offences . and those offences for which cutting off from among the people , is threatned , being less criminous than the former , we have no reason to think the penalty of cutting off from among the people , to signifie more ( if so much ) than the suffering of a temporal death . as we may observe how the israelites various punishments are exprest for their manifold crimes in the wilderness , by god's overthrowing them in the wilderness by pestilence , and otherwise . 1 cor. 10. in brief ; the temporal evils threatned in this covenant , were either personal , domestick , or national . the personal and domestick evils , were no less , than whatsoever tended to the infelicity of man's life , as diseases in body , perplexity of mind , unfruitfulness in body , in cattel , in ground ; scarcity , poverty , oppression , loss of relations , fewness of days , and an untimely cutting off from the promised land. the national were wild beasts , pestilence , sword , famine , captivity , and such like . these were inflicted when the breach of the covenant became national in the generality of the people : but especially when those who had the management of publick affairs , civil and ecclesiastick , did not restrain the people by a due execution of laws , but rather led them into sin by their example , and sometimes by their commands ; corrupting religion , and perverting justice , levit. 26. deut. 28. and the evils threatned being national , as the covenant it self was , they must needs be but temporal , because there is no judging , condemning , and executing nations as nations , but in this world. 4. come we now to shew reason why this covenant is called the first covenant , since there were others made before it ; as that with adam in paradise , and that covenant of salvation with adam after his fall , and with noah , and abraham . and , 1. negatively ; it is not so called , as if it were the same for substance with that which was first made with adam in paradise , as many have thought , or because it was proposed upon the same term . for , first , that covenant was established upon the terms or condition of perfect innocency ; no provision being made in it for pardon in case of failure , upon any condition whatsoever . but it was otherwise in this mosaick covenant , as i have shewed , in that it contained several laws of indemnity for the relief of delinquent persons , upon certain possible and practicable conditions . secondly , if this and the paradisical-covenant had been of the same nature , then it and the promise made to abraham and his spiritual seed , would have been inconsistent , the one promising eternal life upon believing , the other only upon condition of sinless obedience . if this had been the case , the law would have been against the promise , which god forbid it should , gal. 3. 21. and the one would have excluded the other , according to st. pauls ' reasoning , rom. 11. 6. if by grace , then it is no more of works ; otherwise grace is no more grace . but if it be of works , then is it no more grace ; otherwise work is no more work . but 2. affirmatively . it is called the first covenant , because it is the first of the two under question and dispute between the apostles and unbelieving iews . the question and controversie between them was , which of the two covenants , that by moses , or that by christ , was finally adhered to as the way of salvation . in the handling of which controversie , that by moses is called the first , and the gospel-covenant established by christ , as was prophesied by ieremiah , is called the second : even as the one is called the old covenant , not because it was the oldest of all covenants , but because opposed to that which was prophesied of under the name of a new covenant . it is observable , that where we meet with the first mention of the first covenant under that denomination , it is not stiled [ the ] first covenant absolutely , but [ that ] first covenant , as pointing at that under dispute , hebr. 8. 7. for if [ that ] first covenant had been faultless , then should no place have been sought for the second . chap. v. the grand mistakes of the jews about the law and promise ; and how st. paul counter-argues these mistakes . i am now in the next place to shew the fatal mistakes of the unbelieving iews , about god's promise to abraham , and about the law of moses ; and how st. paul doth counter-argue these mistakes . a distinct understanding of which errors , and of st. paul's arguings against them , sometimes severally , and sometimes conjunctively , and in the gross , will be as a key to open many passages in his epistles , which otherwise will be hard to be understood . 1. they held circumcision in the flesh to be the condition in special , upon which all the blessings of god's covenant with abraham were promised ; but did not understand tha● spiritual circumcision , viz. the mortification of sinful affections and lusts , was principally intended , when god made circumcision the condition of his covenant . for they were it seems grosly ignorant of the necessity of regeneration , and so of the spiritual design of circumcision ; which was the reason why nicodemus , though a ruler among the iews , answered christ so aukardly when he preached to him the necessity of being born again , joh. 3. an ignorance that some allowance possibly might have been made for , had not the circumcision of the heart , and the making themselves a new heart , been expresly called for , as it was , deut. 10. 16. ier. 4. 4. ezek. 18. 31. now this ignorance of theirs in the doctrine of the circumcision of the heart , and the sense they put upon god's making circumcision to be the condition of his covenant of being their god , was doubtless the reason why they placed so very much as they did in literal circumcision . for , although circumcision first given to abraham by way of covenant , was afterwards incorporated with the body of moses's law , yet it should seem these iews considered it not so much as it was a part of that law , but chiefly as a condition of god's covenant with them in abraham , as they were his seed . and therefore st. paul where he reckons up his jewish priviledges whil'st he was a pharisee , puts circumision in the head of them all , and as accou●ted by him while a pharisee , a priviledge distinct from his being blameless touching the righteousness which was in the law , phil. 3. 5 , 6. whence also the judaizers said , it was needful to circumcise them , and to command them to keep the law of moses , acts 15. 5 , 24. as if circumcising did import something different from , or at least something more , than keeping of the law did , though otherwise it was a part of the law. upon this account doubtless it was that we find them more zealous for circumcision , than for any other point of the law besides . against this erroneous opinion of theirs touching literal circumcisions being the condition of the spiritual bene●its of the covenant , st. paul argueth several ways . first , by maintaining that the covenant did chiefly respect circumcision in the spirit , rom. 2. 28 , 29. he is not a iew which is one outwardly ; neither is that circumcision , which is outward in the flesh ( that is , it was not that circumcision which would savingly avail them , as they thought it would ) but he is a iew , which is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart , in the spirit , and not in the letter ; whose praise is not of men , but of god : again ▪ by shewing that abraham could not have been justified before circumcision , if the great benefits of the covenant ( of which justification was one ) were suspended upon that , as a necessary condition . and yet that h● was justified when not circumcised , there is the express authority of scripture for . this he asserts . rom. 4. 9 , 10. for we say that faith was reckoned to abraham for righteousness . how was it then reckoned ? when he was in circumcision , or in vncircumcision ? not in circumcision , but in vncircumcision . afterwards he proceeds to undeceive them in the apprehension they had , that the benefits of the covenant were entailed upon abraham's natural seed as such ; or at least as such , with the addition of a literal observation of circumcision and the law , without respect to the spiritual and new birth : rom. 9. 6 , 7 , 8. they are not all israel , which are of israel ( as they thought they were ) neither because they are the seed of abraham , are they all children : but in isaac shall thy seed be called : that is , those shall be called abraham's seed , which are born as isaac was , by faith in the promise , which are therefore called children of the promise . for so the apostle expounds it , saying , they which are the children of the flesh , these are not the children of god ; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed ; to wit , such as are born after the spirit , as it is explained , gal. 4. 28 , 29. and this agrees to what he had said before , rom. 2. 28. he is not a iew , which is one outwardly , &c. against which corrupt opinion , iohn the baptist did oppose himself when he admonished the pharisees , to bring forth fruit meet for repentance , and think not to say within your selves , we have abraham to our father , mat. 3. 7 , 8. the apostle labours to cure this grand error about literal circumcision as disjoyned from spiritual , in many other places , and shews how that circumcision availeth nothing , but a new creature , such as spiritual cir●umcision makes a man to be , gal 6. 15. not circumcision , but faith , gal. 5. 6. not circumcision , but keeping the commandments , is that which would only reach those great ends which they sought after in literal circumcision , 1 cor. 7. 19. but i shall have occasion to improve these scriptures further upon another head of this discourse . and by the way , we may observe , that those who build their hopes of future happiness upon their having been baptized , and their being of the church , without the inward grace signified by baptism , which is the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy ghost , they are much a-kin to those miserable mistaken iews . 2. they not understanding the typical and spiritual use of the legal sacrifices , as they did prefigure the death and suffering of christ , and the general atonement which was to be made thereby , nor yet the predictions of the prophets touching his death , they ran into another gross error , and that was , that the promised messias should not by suffering death , become a sacrifice for sin . and therefore they said to him when he spoke to them of his death ; we have heard out of the law , that christ abideth for ever ; and how sayest thou the son of man must be lift up ? joh. 12. 34. they did not dream of his dying , but of his reigning visibly as a mighty monarch among them , and subduing all nations under them , because they knew him not , nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day , they have fulfilled them in condemning him , acts 13. 27. their ignorance in the meaning of the types and predictions touching the death of the messias , would have been the more excusable , if they had not wilfully and obstinately persisted in that error after those types and prophecies were fulfilled and explained to them . ignorance in this matter was found in christ's own disciples a great while ; but their slowness to believe those types and prophecies after they were fulfilled , was a thing which our saviour rebuked them for , saying , o fools , and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken . ought not christ to have suffered these things , and to enter into his glory ? luke 24. 25 , 26. but the unbelieving iews were tenacious of this opinion , after they had sufficient means to have been convinc'd of their error in it . in opposition to which opinion , the author of the epistle to the hebrews , argues at large the necessity of christ's suffering by death . as first , he argues it from his priesthood . for having proved him according to prophecy , to be a priest not after the order of aaron , but of melchizedeck , and so a priest of greater dignity , chap. 5. and 7. he infers , chap. 8. that as a priest he must have something to offer in sacrifice , and that of greater value than what was offered by priests under the law , that were but of an inferiour order ; and that he shews to have been himself and his own blood , as the antitype of all those legal sacrifices , chap. 9. secondly , he proves his death necessary for the confirmation of the second and new covenant , as he was mediatour of it . as the first testament was not dedicated without blood , so neither is the second : for where a testament is ( saith he ) there of necessity must also be the death of the testator , chap. 9. 15 , — 23. thirdly , his death was necessary for the obtaining of remission of sins ; a benefit promised in the new covenant : for without shedding of blood ( saith he ) there is no remission of sin , chap. 9. 22. with chap. 10. 5 — 18. and indeed it was a good part of the apostle's work to beat down this opinion , that the messias was not to dye . acts 17. 3. st. paul , as his manner was , went into them , and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures , opening and alledging that christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead . yea , this opinion had so generally obtained among them in our saviours time , that it seems the apostles of christ at first were not free from it . for when our saviour told them , that at ierusalem he should be delivered to the gentiles , and that they should scourge him , and put him to death , and that the third day he should rise again ; it 's said , they understood none of these things , and that this saying was ●id from them , neither knew they the things which were spoken : though they were spoken plainly and in no parable , luke 18. 32 , 33 , 34. christ his being crucified , became a stumbling-block to the iews through this error of theirs , and that which they insisted upon as a reason why they would not receive him as the christ of god , 1 cor. 1. 23. 3. they held another error which probably was mother or daughter of the former , and that was , that the legal sacrifices did expiate and take away sin , not only so as to free them from legal penalties , and temporal punishments , as in many cases they did , but so also as to free them from all obligation to eternal punishment . and so they did attribute to those sacrifices , the same atoning virtue and purging efficacy , as is proper only to the blood of christ. in opposition to this opinion , it is maintain'd , 1. that those legal sacrifices , were but figures of the great sacrifice , christ jesus , heb. 9. 10 , 11 , 12. and 10. 1. 2. it was argued , that it was impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin , because these were offered year after year , over and over in the day of general atonement for the same sins . and that if the former sacrifices which were first offered , had taken away sin , the latter could not have been necessary to the same purpose , heb. 10. 1 , 2 , 3 , 11. the often repetition of sacrifices for the same sins , argues that the worshippers had a secret sense in their conscience , that those sacrifices were not of a competent value , nor a sufficient price to redeem their souls from sin , as it exposeth to eternal punishment ; however they might sanctifie as to the purifying of the flesh , yet they could not make any perfect as pertaining to the conscience ; heb. 9. 9. & 10. 1 , 2. 3. it was argued from a prophetical passage in psal. 40. in which christ is brought in speaking thus ; sacrifice and offering thou would ' st not , but a body hast thou prepared me : in burnt offerings and sacrifice for sin thou hast had no pleasure : then said i , lo , i come to do thy will , o god. from whence he infers , that the first sort of sacrifices were taken away as insufficient , that the second might be established . by the which will , saith he , we are sanctified through the offering of the body of iesus once for all , heb. 10. 5. — 10. this opinion of theirs , that legal sacrifices did expiate all their sins , did keep up in them a hope of impunity here and hereafter , under many immoralities and great transgressions in the course of their lives . though they multiplyed transgression , yet if they multiplyed sacrifices too , they thought they should escape well enough . amos 4. 4 , 5. come to bethel and transgress , at gilgal multiply transgression , and bring your sacrifice every morning , and your tythes after three years , and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven , and proclaim and publish your free-offerings , for this liketh you , o children of israel , saith the lord god. and much after this rate do carnal christians bear up themselves in hopes that all their sins are done away by the sacrifice of christ the lamb of god that taketh away the sins of the world , though they live from day to day in ungodliness . only indeed they sin at a cheaper rate for the present than the wicked iews did . the iewish sinners were at the cost of many a sacrifice to stop the mouth of conscience ; but these are at cost only in making provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof , and depend upon christ to pay all their scores . 4. another of their errors as consequent upon the former was this ; that without circumcision and observing of the law of moses , the gentiles could not be saved . this opinion the judaizing christians retained after their conversion to the christian profession . acts 15. 1 , 5 , 24. certain men which came down from iudea taught the brethren , saying , except ye be circumcised after the manner of moses , ye cannot be saved . there rose up certain of the sect of the pharisees which believed , saying , that it was needful to circumcise them , and to command them to keep the law of moses . in opposition to which opinion , st. paul taught that the righteousness of god by faith without the law is manifested unto all , and upon all that believe , whether iews or gentiles , and that there is no difference , rom. 3. 21 , 22. and that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law , though never circumcised : and that god is the god of the gentiles , as well as of the iews , and that he doth justifie the uncircumcision and the circumcision ; those that had observed the law of moses , and those that had not , upon the same terms , viz. of evangelical faith , rom. 3. 28 , 29 , 30. whereunto agrees the words of st. peter , acts 15. 9 , 11. he put no difference between us and them , purifying their hearts by faith ; i. e. us iews , and they gentiles : but we believe that through the grace of our lord iesus christ , we shall be saved even as they , and upon no other terms , though we have observed the law , and they have not , gal. 2. 15 , 16. upon the same account st. paul again affirms , rom. 4. 5. that to him that worketh not , but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly , his faith is counted for righteousness . that is , the idolatrous gentiles that never had observed the law , but lived without god in the world ; should yet have their practical belief of the gospel imputed even to them for righteousness . and he further exemplifies this in abraham , ver. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. whose faith was reckoned to him for righteousness before he was circumcised , that he might be the patern and great example of gods justifying the heathen upon their believing and obeying as abraham did , in leaving his idolatry and his countrey upon god's promise and command , though he never had been circumcised . and upon the like account he saith again , gal. 3. 8 , 9. that the scripture foreseeing that god would justifie the heathen through faith , preached before the gospel unto abraham , saying , in thee shall all nations be blessed . and from thence he concludes that those gentiles that be of faith , that believe as abraham did , are blessed as abraham was , are blessed with faithful abraham . 5. another error which was held by some judaizing christians was this ; that faith in christ and literal circumcision , with a literal observation of the law of moses , joyntly , were the condition of justification . though they were such as believed , yet they taught that except men were circumcised and kept the law of moses , they could not be saved , acts 15. 1 , 5. they seem to have retained the same false opinion of justification by the law , as the unbelieving iews did , but held the death of christ necessary to be superadded . to convince them of which error , st. paul sets before them the bad consequence of it in two respects . 1. in that they hereby rendered the death of christ needless in it self . gal. 2. 21. if righteousness come by the law , than christ is dead in vain : there would then have been no need of christ's death to accomplish it , as the unbelieving iews indeed did hold . 2. in that this opinion of their's made christ and his death useless unto them , and cut them off from receiving any benefit by him , gal. 5. 2 , 4. behold , i paul say unto you , that if you be circumcised , christ shall profit you nothing : christ is become of none effect unto you : whosoever of you are justified by the law , ye are fallen from grace . and hereto agrees that in hebr. 13. 10. we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle : those judaizers who stand for the necessity of mosaic observations ▪ have no right to , nor shall receive benefit by christ , who is the only christian altar to which we bring all our sacrifices . 6. they held the law of moses to be unalterable , and of perpetual obligation . in opposition to which , the author to the hebrews improves to great purpose that prophesie , ier. 31. 31 , 32. behold , the days come , saith the lord , that i will make a new covenant with the house of israel , and the house of iudah : not according to the covenant that i made with their fathers in the day when i took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of egypt , &c. for in that he saith , a new covenant , he hath ( saith he ) made the first old . now that which decayeth and waxeth old , is ready ( saith he ) to vanish away . and st. paul shews how that the legal ministration how glorious soever it was , was yet done away , when that which was far more glorious did appear , 2 cor. 3. 7 , 11. and again , that we are become dead to the law by the body of christ , and delivered from the law , rom. 7. 4 , 6. 7. the last of their errors i shall insist on , was this : they held the first covenant as alone , or separated to be the covenant of salvation , only taking in with it the covenant of literal circumcision , which also was made a part of their law. that first covenant which i have already described as a temporal covenant , and the promises and the threatnings of it but temporal , they took to be established for perpetuity , and the promises of it to contain promises of eternal redemption , or remission , as well as temporal , and eternal life and felicity as well as temporal : and such a literal observation of the laws of it to be the condition of those promises , as would render them inculpable in the eye of the magistracy ; such a righteousness sufficient to justifie them before god , as st. paul saith he had while he was a pharisee , phil. 3. 6. as touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless ; which then he accounted to be his gain . now that they did peremptorily adhere to this first covenant , and the terms of it , for justification and eternal life , it doth plainly appear by the mighty opposition which the apostles made against them in it . for they did still oppose another covenant as the covenant of justification , and eternal life unto this mosaical covenant ; and faith , as the condition of that , in opposition to works as the condition of this , as will appear if we come to instances . 1. st. paul argues it with them , that the promise of god to abraham and his seed , was not through the law , but through the righteousness of faith , rom. 4. 13. not through the law , that is , not upon the terms upon which the benefits of the first covenant were promised to the nation of the iews , but upon quite other terms , exprest by the righteousness of faith. 2. he argues it farther with them ; that god's way of accounting men righteous by faith , and their way of seeking righteousness npon the terms of the first covenant , were utterly inconsistent , & the one destructive of the other , and that but one of these ways could possibly stand . for if they which are of the law be heirs , faith is made void , and the promise made of none effect , rom. 4. 14. and again , if the inheritance be of the law , it is no more of promise : but god gave it to abraham by promise , gal. 3. 18. and if by grace , then it is no more of works , otherwise grace is no more grace , &c. rom. 11. 6. 3. and that the law did not exclude the promise to abraham , he farther argues , in that the covenant with abraham was confirmed , and unalterably setled and established in the messias 430 years before the law by moses was given , and that therefore for them to go about to introduce the law in the room of the promise to abraham so confirmed , would be as unreasonable and unjust , as for one man to alter or make void anothers covenant after he hath confirmed it . gal. 3. 15 , 17. brethren , i speak after the manner of men : though it be but a mans covenant , yet if it be confirmed , no man disanulleth or addeth thereto . and this i say , that the covenant that was confirmed before of god in christ , the law which was 430 years after , cannot disanul , that it should make the promise of none effect . 4. st. paul argues it impossible in the nature of the thing that they should be justified by the law , because one main end of god's promulging the law of nature ( which yet was a great part of the first covenant ) was to convince men of their guilt , and of their obnoxiousness to wrath , and to stop their mouthes , and to leave them without any plea of defence as from it , rom. 3. 19 , 20. now we know that what things soever the law saith , it saith to them who are under the law : that every mouth may be stopt , and all the world may become guilty before god. therefore by the deeds of the law , there shall no flesh be jnstified in his sight : for by the law is the knowledge of sin . and if the law doth convict men , it cannot justifie them : for the same law cannot both condemn and justifie the same person in reference to the same charge . if all are cast and condemned by the original law , as they are ( for he hath concluded all under sin , that he might have mercy upon all , gal. 3. ) then so many as come to be justified after this , must needs be justified by another law superceding that , and that is none other than the law of grace . the law of nature curseth every one that hath broken it , though but once , and therefore it cannot justifie them too : out of the same mouth ( in this case ) doth not proceed blessing and cursing . 5. he argues this opinion of theirs to be contrary to the doctrine of the prophets many hundred years after , as well as contrary to the promise to abraham long before the law. that no man is justified by the law in the sight of god , it is evident ; for the iust shall live by faith : and the law is not of faith ; but , the man that doth them , shall live in them , gal. 3. 11 , 12. from hab. 2. 4. the law is not of faith , that is , it doth not promise pardon , or any other blessing upon believing , but upon condition of doing the things therein required : the man that doth them , shall live in them , levit. 18. 5. 6. the insufficiency of the first covenant to make men eternally happy , and the necessity & validity of the second to that end , is further argued in heb. 8. from another famous prophecy in ier. 31. 31 , &c. of god's making a new covenant with israel and iudah in the latter days , not according to that he made with their fathers when he brought them out of egypt . 1. it 's argued that that first covenant was but temporary , and being old , was ready to vanish , and to give place to a new and everlasting covenant , chap. 8. 13. 2. that the first covenant was faulty , or defective , or else there would have been no place sought for a second , ver . 7. 3. that the promises of that first covenant were not of such things as men stand in need of to make them everlastingly happy , as those better promises of the second covenant are , ver . 6. 4. and yet more particularly , that in this new covenant there is promise of such a forgiveness of sins , as that iniquity shall be remembred no more , ver . 12. whereas the first covenant did not promise any such pardons : all that it promised , was a forgiveness only as to the concerns of this life , otherwise their sins were still kept upon the file to be taken away ( if ever taken away ) by the mediatour of the new testament , by means of his death , for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament , chap. 9. 15. but in those sacrifices ( which were but the sacrifices of the first covenant ) there was a remembrance again made of sins every year , heb. 10. 3. and now by all these reasonings of the apostle put together , it sufficiently appears that the unbelieving iews did expect justification and eternal life , only upon the terms of the first covenant , and that they held that covenant , as comprehending the covenant of circumcision , to be the covenant of eternal life . and indeed this last mentioned error of theirs , in holding the first covenant to be the covenant of salvation , did in a manner contain in it all the rest mentioned before , which did naturally grow out of it . for if that had been the covenant of salvation , then it would have followed that the sacrifices of that covenant had been sufficient , and the death of christ needless ; and that circumcision and keeping the law of moses would have been necessary to the salvation of the gentiles , &c. and now after all this , considering what erroneous opinions the incredulous iews held about the law , and about circumcision , and considering in what sense they asserted justification by the law , and by circumcision , it will be no difficult thing to understand exactly in what sense the apostle doth every where deny justification to be by the law , or by the works of the law. for doubtless st. paul's denial of justification and salvation to be by the law , or works of the law , is to be understood in the very same sense in which the incredulous iews , against whom he disputed , did hold these to be attainable thereby . for else his reasonings would have been beside the question under debate between them . and therefore we must take our measure of st. paul's sense in the negative part of the question , by his adversaries sense of it in the affirmative . and if so , then in his denying justification and salvation to be by the law , or by works of the law , we must understand him to deny a freedom from the eternal punishment to be attainable by legal sacrifices : and also to deny that the promise of eternal life was made upon condition of literal circumcision , and a literal observation of the mosaical law , without being by faith renewed in the inward frame & moral constitution of the soul : and likewise to deny eternal life to be attainable by the terms of their political covenant , the promises whereof were not made upon condition of believing , but of doing . the law is not of faith , but the man that doth those things , shall live in them , gal. 3. 12. for these and such like were the opinions which those j●ws did hold ( as i have shewed ) and these were the things in which st. paul opposed them . they divided and separated circumision and the law in the letter of them , from the spirit of them both ; claiming justification by the letter alone . and they divided the law from the promise rightly understood , and looked to be justified by works of the law , without faith in the promise rightly understood . they looked for the m●ssias indeed , but not to become a propitiation for sin , or to establish a new covenant of salvation , but to further their temporal and eternal felicity in the way of their obedience to the political law. but then it doth not in the least appear that st. paul in denying justification to be by the law in the sense thus explained , doth also thereby deny works of sincere obedience to god , to concur with faith in man's justification in all respects . and if any shall yet suppose that st. paul in denying justification by works in the jews corrupt sense , doth also , on the by , deny all works of evangelical obedience to bear any part of the condition on which god promiseth to justifie men through christ ; such a supposition , if admitted , would make his doctrine herein , inconsistent not only with the faith of the holy men of old , who were wont to express the condition of the covenant of merey , by loving god , and keeping his commandments ; but it would also make him inconsistent with himself and his own doctrine , and the doctrine of other apostles , as i doubt not , but plainly to make appear before i have done with this discourse . there is one character of works given , by which you may certainly know what works they were which st. paul denyed men were justified by ; and they were such works which were apt to occasion boasting , ephes. 2. 9. not of works , lest any man should boast . rom. 4. 2. for if abraham were justified by works ( to wit , in the jews sense , by circumcision in the flesh , to which st. paul alludes , ver . 1. ) he hath whereof to glory , but not before god , but only before men who were not circumcised as he was . for the unbelieving jews who sought and expected justification by circumcision and other legal observations , did glory over the poor gentiles , that were destitute of those works which consisted in the outward priviledges which the jews had ; and looked down upon them with contempt , though some of them were much better than themselves , such as cornelius , whom they looked upon as unclean . this boasting humor of the iews over the gentiles , is described and reproved , rom. 2. from ver . 17. to 29. now the doctrine of justification by faith ; of obtaining pardon by anothers undertaking for us , to wit , christ jesus , and of being accepted with god through him , upon our sincere , though otherwise imperfect obedience , ( which sincere obedience too , is not performed without his special grace and assistance ) takes away all occasion of boasting , in reference both to god and men , and laid the iews as low as the gentiles , and made st. peter a jew to say : but we believe that through the grace of the lord iesus christ we shall be saved even as they , acts 15. 11. and therefore when st. paul had said , that now the righteousness of god without the law is manifested , even the righteousness of god which is by faith of iesus christ unto all , and upon all them that believe , for there is no difference ; meaning between iews and gentiles , rom. 3. 21 , 22. he thereupon demands , in ver . 27. saying , where is boasting then ? it excluded . by what law ? of works ? nay , but by the law of faith. therefore we find the holy men of old among the iews , who expected acceptance with god upon other terms than the pharisaical iews did , who placed their confidence ( called trusting in the flesh , phil. 3. 4. ) in their external priviledges and performances alone ; were so far from glorying in such a righteousness as that , that they cryed out in reference to that ; all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags , isa. 64. 6. thus regenerating grace made david so far from boasting either of priviledges , or of his performances , that he saith unto god , who am i , and what is my people , that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort ? for all things come of thee , and of thine own have we given thee , 1 chro. 29. 14. this made st. paul to say , we are not sufficient of our selves , as of our selves to think any thing , but our sufficiency is of god , 2 cor . 3. 5. and by the grace of god , i am what i am , 1 cor. 15. 10. and of him are we in christ iesus , who of god is made unto us , wisdom , righteousness , sanctification , and redemption , that he that glorieth , may glory in the lord , having nothing but what he hath received from him gratis , and without all desert , yea contrary to his demerits , 1 cor. 1. 30 , 31. the good works which the saints do , they do them by vertue of their being created in christ iesus in order thereunto , ephes. 2. 10. and all that good is , is through christ strengthening them , phil. 4. 13. from whence therefore we may well conclude , that if the works which st. paul wholly excludes in the matter of justification , were only such as were apt to occasion boasting , that then acts of evangelical obedience were none of those works . according to the sense explained then , i presume we may well understand that text , rom. 3. 28. which of all others seems in the phrase and expression to be most exclusive of works in the point of justification ; the words are these , therefore we conclude , that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. which words ( if you consider the context ) seem to import no more but this , viz. that a man is justified in the gospel-way , which in the verse before is called the law of faith : and not by the deeds of the law , or upon the terms of the first covenant , which in the verse before , likewise is called the law of works . which two , the gospel terms , & the first covenant terms , are still opposed to each other in the point of justification . now although the conclusion here laid down is true , in reference to the iews as well as to the gentiles , yet it seems to be written here with special reference to the gentiles . intimating that upon their belief , they might be justified , without turning proselytes to the jewish way , as appears by that interrogation in the very next words following , ver . 29. 30. is he the god of the iews only ? is he not also of the gentiles ? yes , of the gentiles also : seeing it is one god which shall justifie the circumcision by faith , and vncircumcision through faith. and the words in the 31 , ver . do intimate that the words in the 28th vers . are to be understood in such a limited sense as i have assigned in my explication , viz. as excluding the deeds of the law in the act of justification , only in the iews corrupt sense of the law : because st. paul therein affirms his foresaid doctrine of justification by faith without the deeds of the law , not to be at all destructive of the law , but contrariwise tending to establish the law , if we take the law not in that distorted sense in which those iews held it , but as it was appointed by god to promote holiness in the world , which is the end and scope of all his laws . in which sense the apostle was so far from excluding the works of the law from having any thing to do in the justification of men , as that he had expresly affirmed before , that though the hearers of the law were not just before god , yet the doers of the law should be justified , rom. 2. 13. meaning by doers , such as do sincerely obey that law of god under which they are , and not such as do perfectly fulfil it , as some would seem to understand it . for i have shewed before , that god never made promise of justification upon naturally impossible conditions as that would be , and they are dishonourable thoughts of god to think he hath ; and therefore the apostle may not be understood to promise justification to the doers of the law upon any such terms . there is one vein of texts mo●● wherein the opposition is made in such a form of words between the iews way of seeking justification by the law , and the gospel-way of seeking it by faith : that being a little opened , will both illustrate and confirm what i have been representing to you : and they are such in which the iews erroneous way is called their own righteousness , and the true christian-way of justification , the righteousness of god by faith , and the righteousness of god , rom. 10. 3. for they being ignorant of god s righteousn●ss , and going about to establish their own righteousness , have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of god , phil. 3. 9. and be found in him , not having mine own righteousness , which is of the law , but that which is through the faith of christ , the righteousness which is of god by faith. this righteousness is called their own righteousness in opposition to the righteousness of god , upon a three-fold account , as i understand it . 1. because they sought the pardon of their sins by that only which was their own ; their own sacrifices , sacrifices which they themselves brought to be offered . whereas the christian justification is called the righteousness of god , because the sacrifice by which pardon of sin , and acceptation with god is obtained , was from god , and given by god , to wit , christ jesus , whom god hath set forth to be a propitiation , rom. 3. 25. and christ hath given himself an offering and a sacrifice for us , ephes. 5. 2. and he is made unto us of god , wisdom , righteousness , &c. 1 cor. 1. 30. 2. it was called their own righteousness , because they did not think regeneration , or supernatural grace necessary to the obtaining of it , but a literal observation of the law and circumcision , such as passed for a righteousness among men , and such as they without supernatural aid were able to perform . as for those precepts which commanded the loving of god with all the heart , and the circumcising the heart ; because these were not enjoyned under express penalties , as those things were of which the rulers were to take cognizance , therefore the ph●risees counted them but counsels only , and not direct precepts . but the christians-righteousness which is by faith , may be said to be of god , because by grace they are saved through faith in christ iesus , and that not of themselves , it is the gift of god : and we are his workmanship created in christ iesus , ephes. 2. 8 , 10. 3. it was called their own righteousness , because it was a way of seeking to be justified of their own devising , and not of god's appointing . and on the contrary the gospel-method of justification is called the righteousness of god through faith , because it is of god's institution and appointment : it is the substance of god's new law or covenant . the result of all then is , that they were the works of the law , as exclusive of faith in christ and his death ; which the apostle denied any man to be justified by ; and not those works of the law which are the immediate effects of faith in christ , in his death , and in his doctrine . chap. vi. how st. paul's doctrine of iustification by faith , and not by works , was then mistaken by some . i come in the next place to shew how that st. paul's reasonings about faith and works , in reference to justification , were probably mistaken by such solifidians as st. iames reasoned against . for he having taught that god did justifie the ungodly gentiles upon their believing , and without the deeds of the law , but denying justification to as many of the iews as did not believe , though they were observers of the law ; there were some who thereupon through mistake , laid the whole stress of salvation upon believing , to the neglect of a holy and virtuous life . and st. paul being sensible how apt some were to make a bad use of his good doctrine , and to draw bad conclusions out of good premises , he frequently mentions such inferences , on purpose to caution men against them . as for instance : he having said in rom. 5. 20. that where sin abounded , grace did abound much more : in chap. 6. 1. he saith , what shall we say then ? shall we continue in sin , that grace may abound ? as some it seems were ready to infer ; god forbid , saith he ; how shall we that are dead to sin , live any longer therein ? you may consult to like purpose in general , rom. 3. 5 , 6 , 7 , 31. & 6. 15. gal. 2. 17. and find that st. paul and others were slanderously reported to have said , let us do evil that good may come . that there were such as did misrepresent st. paul's doctrince touching god's grace and long-suffering , and wrest several passages in his epistles , and other scriptures , to their own destruction , we are told by st. peter also , 2 pet. 3. 15. 16. and account that the long-suffering of the lord is salvation ; even as our beloved brother paul also , according to the wisdom given him , hath written unto you ; as also in all his epistles , speaking in them of these things : in which are some things hard to be understood , which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest , as they do also the other scriptures to their own destruction . and after st. paul in his 2 tim. 3. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , verses , had by many black characters , described a sort of christians that had a form of godliness , but denyed the power thereof : in ver . 8. he further describes them by that which was the cause of the forementioned unsavoury fruits of the flesh , to wit , that they were men of corrupt minds or understandings , and reprobate concerning the faith , or void of judgement concerning the faith , as the margin hath it . they were men of corrupt principles , and injudicious concerning the doctrine of faith : they did not discern faith to be necessary in the operative and practical nature of it : but as they did satisfie themselves with a form of godliness without the power ; so they did likewise with a formal inefficacious and liveless faith , which made them so unsavoury in their lives . and st. iohn , after he had in his first epistle antidoted the christians against the pretentions of the gnosticks , who held a bad life consistent with communion with god through illumination of mind , and the christian faith , deceiving themselves , and labouring to deceive others , in thinking they might be righteous without doing righteousness , 1 ioh. 3. 7. he , towards the conclusion of that epistle , sums up his general scope in it in these words : these things have i written unto you that believe in the name of the son of god ; that ye may know that ye have eternal life , and that ye may believe on the name of the son of god , chap. 5. 13. his meaning is , as i conceive , that he wrote this epistle , first , to the end they might be the better assured of salvation by christ upon their rightly believing on him . and secondly , to the end they might not be drawn into mistakes in the point of believing , as if any faith less than such as is accompanied with a constant adherence to christ's doctrine and example touching a holy life , would give them that assurance . he wrote to them that did believe , that they might believe ; that is , that they might believe yet more understandingly , more groundedly , and so perseveringly against all temptations to apostacy from the profession of the faith , or to loosness in the profession of it . st. iude also , ver . 3 , 4. stirred up the christians to contend earnestly for the faith , the doctrine of saving sinners in the way of believing ; because , as he told them , there were certain men professing faith , but of ungodly lives , that were amongst them , that turned the grace of god into lasciviousness ; so understanding the law of grace , the gospel , as if it had been a proclamation from heaven of a general pardon for christ's sake , and through faith in him , of as many sins as men had a mind to commit . the which error led them into those monstrous impieties charged upon them in that epistle : by reason of which , the way of truth , the right faith they pretended to , was evil-spoken of in the world ( as st. peter notes ) they being indeed spots and blemishes to the christians and christian-profession , so long as they were admitted to their feasts of charity , as owned by them to be of their number . this was indeed an ungodly faith : but the faith which he exhorted them to contend for , and to build up themselves upon , as on a sure foundation , he calls their most holy faith , vers . 20. such a faith as is an operative principle of a holy life . and they were such christians as st. iames in his epistle did expostulate with , that did lean so much upon a meer believing , upon a meer assent of the mind unto the truth of certain propositions , as that they were careless in the subduing of their passions , and bridling their tongues , and regulating their actions ; as if these had not been necessary to salvation : but thought themselves safe upon account of their barren faith , though they were proud and conceited of their knowledge and atainments , censorious and contentious , unmerciful and uncharitable . in a word , they were such as were injudicious concerning the faith that will save , and under mistakes of the apostles doctrine about it . all this will easily appear to any that shall but with a competent measure of understanding , view and consider the scope and contents of that epistle . and thus you see how plainly it appears by the epistles of the apostles , that the doctrine of justification by faith without works , in the sence in which the apostles asserted it , was misunderstood by many gnosticks , carnal gospellers , or solifidians . the sense in which the apostles did assert it , was , that faith justifies without works antecedent to believing , and without works as the works of a literal observation of moses law , which was opposed by the iews to faith , as having christ crucified for its object , and repentance , regeneration , and sincere obedience in a holy life , for its inseparable effects . but these deceived souls that deceived their own hearts , seem to have understood the apostles , as if they had taught justification by faith , considered only as having the death of christ , and the atonement made thereby , for its object , without respect to regeneration and new obedience , as any part of the condition . and it had been much better for the christian world , if those corrupt notions about the doctrine of faith as justifying , had dyed with those men , which in the first ages of the christian-church were infected with them . but alas , it is too apparent , that the same , or much of the same dangerous and destructive mistakes , have been transmitted to , or revived in these latter ages of the church . for we find by experience in this present age , that very many of those who are called christians , presume themselves to be christians indeed , and such as shall be saved by christ , though their lives declare them to be far from being new creatures , from ●eing renewed in the spirit of their minds , wills , affections , and conversations , as those are that have been taught as the truth is in iesus , ephes. 4. 21 , — 24. for they are confident they believe all the articles of their creed , and in doing so , they are confident they shall be saved ; and so they would , if that belief of theirs were but so effectual and operative as to produce such a change in heart and life , as would denominate them new creatures . but the mischief is , they deceive themselves in the nature of their faith ; it being but an opinionative inoperative and dead assent to the truth of the gospel , such as is only an act of the mind or understanding , and doth not powerfully influence the will , and so it is not a believing with all the heart , but is the act only of one faculty of the soul. a belief its probable may be found in the devil himself : and such a belief was found in some who were so convinced by the power of christ's miracles in concurrence with his doctrine and life , that they could not choose but believe him to be an extraordinary person sent from god ; though their carnal interest prevailed so much in them , as that it would not suffer them to confess him openly , because they loved the praise of men , more than the praise of god , joh. 12. 42 , 43. and besides , these men deceive themselves about their faith in this also ; that they do not heartily believe the whole doctrine of the gospel , but are partial in their faith. they in a sort believe christ to be the son of god , and that he came into the world to save sinners , and that he dyed for our sins , and the like . but then they do not heartily believe his doctrine touching the necessity of repentance , of being born again ; of denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts , & of living righteously , godly , and soberly in this present world . or else they frame such notions of these things unto themselves , of repentance and regeneration , as that they think they believe christ's doctrine touching them , when they believe only the lying imagination of their own brains . and there is too much ground to fear , that many mens ill managing the doctrine of justification by faith , hath not a little strengthened men in this vain confidence . for while evangelical obedience it self , under the notion of those works to which faith is opposed , hath been decryed as popish when interessed in justification , and justification asserted to be by faith alone in opposition to all works whatsoever , inward and outward , as well evangelical as legal , as well those after conversion as those before , yea , and the disposition thereunto ; the flesh and the devil to help it , hath got great advantage thereby to perswade men against the necessity of a holy life , in such a sense of a holy life , as the scripture makes absolutely necessary to salvation . for though its true that good works have been acknowledged and pressed too as necessary to salvation ; yet when withall , they have been denyed to be necessary to justification , and men have been taught that when once they are justified , they can never fall away from a state of justification , they have easily been drawn to believe that good works are not absolutely necessary to salvation no more than to justification , but faith only . and upon supposition that the other 2 points of doctrine are true , it would be but rational for them so to believe . for if good works be not necessary to justification at all : and if it is impossible but that those who are once justified should be saved ; how should men chuse but infer from hence , that good works are not absolutely necessary to salvation ? unless it shall be said that men are not put into an immediate capacity of salvation by being justified : which to affirm would be to say men are not freed from condemnation , by being freed from condemnation , which would be a contradiction in terms : for to be justified , is to be freed from condemnation , rom. 8. 33 , 34. & 5. 16 , 18. and therefore justification must needs put men into an immediate capacity of being saved . and as there is great reason to think that the doctrine of justification by faith alone in opposition to the works of evangelical obedience , hath been a stumbling-stone unto many , and a back-friend to the power of godliness ; so there is another which hath been wont to be joyned with it , that hath rendred it the more dangerous , and it self no good friend to holy living ; and that is the doctrine of the imputation of christ's righteousness unto justification , in that way in which it hath been managed by very many : for otherwise there is a sense ( as i have shewed ) in which it is a great and a comfortable truth . for when men have been taught to esteem their own righteousness but as filthy rags ( not only because of its utter insufficiency to justifie in stead of christ , or as he justifies , in which respect indeed it is no better ; but also as any part of a condition of justification or of our acceptance with god : ) and when they have been taught also , that upon their believing only , christ's righteousness in fulfilling the law for them , becomes imputed to them in it self , and not only as the procuring cause of their justification upon the terms of the gospel , so that they are looked upon as having themselves perfectly kept the law in him , it hath doubtless infeebled their endeavours after an inherent righteousness , and proved a temptation to them , to think that so long as they have such anothers inherent righteousness essentially in it self imputed to them as christs is , they have no great need to find it in themselves ; considering also that if they had it , they must rather loath themselves for it , than take any comfort in it : but let no man deceive you ( saith st. iohn ) he that doth righteousness , is righteous , as he is righteous , 1 joh. 3. 7. i do acknowledge , that many of them have been worthy men , who yet have propagated these opinions : but that makes the opinions never the better , but have done more hurt in gaining thereby the more credit . it is true also that those worthy men have zealously pressed the necessity of repentance , regeneration , and a holy life : which proved indeed an antidote against the poyson of the other opinions , so that they did not become mortal to many as otherwise they would have done . and indeed they would have made mad work , if they had not been yoked with wholesomer doctrine , as we see they did among antinomians , ranters , and other carnal chistians that have followed the docture of those opinions , but have been shy of letting the doctrines of mortification and strict living , to have any power over them . but then if the preaching of those sounder doctrines of repentance , regeneration , and a holy life , have done much good , notwithstanding they have been clogged with opinions of another tendency ; it is easie to imagine that they would have done much more good , if they had not been checkt by those unsound principles . but i shall say no more of this ( though more might be said ) because i hope i may say , that most of those who have formerly imbibed these opinions , are now come to deliver themselves with more caution than heretofore . and so i shall proc●●d to the last thing i propounded to touch upon , and that is , to shew , chap. vii . that the doctrine of st. paul , and of st. iames about faith and works in reference to iustification , do not differ , but are wholly one . it is true indeed , though the doctrine of st. pavl , and st. iames , was in nothing opposite the one to the other , yet the nature of the subject-matter of their epistles , did differ , just as the errors they engaged against , did differ . the errors of the unbelieving iews consisting much in denying justification to be by christ and faith in him , and in placing it in their own works of circumcising , sacrificing , and other mosaical observations . and st. paul , designing in some of his epistles , to antidote the christians against the infection of them , and to establish them in the saving doctrine of the gospel , was led of course to bend his discourse in great part against justification by works of the law ; and on the contrary to assert it to be by faith in christ , in his death , and in his doctrine , without those works . whereas st. iames having to do in his epistle , with such as professed the christian faith , and justification by it , but erring dangerously about the nature of faith as justifying , thinking that opinionative faith would save them , though destitute of a real change in the moral frame and constitution of their souls , and of a holy life : hereupon it became in a manner as necessary for him to plead the renovation of man's nature , and evangelical obedience to be some way necessary unto justification , as it was for st. paul to contend for justification by faith without the deeds of the law. and therefore though their doctrines in this respect did in great part differ , yet they did not differ as truth differs from error , nor as opposites , but only as one truth differs from another . for otherwise when st. paul had to do with the like erroneous and scandalous christians , as those were which st. iames expostulated the matter with : when he had to do with such as had a form of godliness , but denyed the power thereof , he could , and did decry a reprobate faith , and plead the necessity of a faith that is unfeighned , and of a holy life , as well as st. iames ; as appears in part by what was said in the former chapter , and will , i doubt not , be made sufficiently evident in this . in order whereto i shall recommend to consideration these ten things . 1. that works of evangelical obedience , are never in scripture opposed to god's grace . 2. that st. paul in speaking against justification by works , gives sufficient caution not to be understood thereby to speak any thing against evangelical obedience in reference thereto . 3. that regeneration , or the new creature as including evangelical obedience , is oposed to works in the business of man's justification , as well as faith is , and as well as the grace of god it self is . 4. that evangelical obedience as well as faith , and together with faith , is opposed to the works of the law , in reference to justification . 5. that evangelical obedience alone , is opposed to the works of the law. 6. faith it self is an act of evangelical obedience . 7. by evangelical obedience , christians come to have a right to salvation . 8. the promise of benefit by the blood of christ , is made to evangelical obedience . 9. repentance . and 10. forgiving injuries are both acts of evangelical obedience , without which a man cannot be justifyed . and if these things be made out , they will i think amount to such a demonstration , as that we cannot well desire a clearer or fuller proof , that st. paul , together with other the apostles , taught justification by evangelical obedience as the effect of faith , as well as st. iames. 1. the works of evangelical obedience , as the effects of faith , and regeneration by faith , are never in st. paul's epistles , or any other the holy scriptures , opposed to god's grace in referenee to justification and salvation . works and grace indeed are opposed to each other : but then by works we are to understand either works antecedent to conversion , or as they are denyed to merit at the hands of god : or the works of the law of moses as erroneously contended for by the iews : or the works of the law as typical , and as opposed to things typified : or the works of the law , as the law is in its rigour opposed to the milder oeconomy of the gospel : but the works of evangelical obedience are never opposed to grace , no more than faith it self is . and there is no reason why they should , because evangelical obedience is the effect of divine grace as well as faith it self is , and tends to the praise of it , and is accepted , and will be rewarded through grace . contrary hereunto , those words in titus 3. 5. not by works of righteousness which we have done , but according to his mercy he saved us , are wont to be alledged to prove that works after conversion , as well as those before , are opposed to the mercy of god in the saving of men. but whether this be duly collected from these words , will best appear by opening the scope and meaning of the words with the context . the words in the 3 , 4 , and 5 , verses , are these ; for we our selves also were sometimes foolish , serving divers lusts and pleasures , living in malice and envy , hateful , and hating one another . but after that the kindness and love of god our saviour toward man appeared : not by works of righteousness , which we have done , but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration , and renewing of the holy ghost . by their being saved here , is meant their being rescued and delivered from their sinful state , mentioned vers . 3. in that this is said to be done , not by works of righteousness which they had done , but according to god's mercy : the plain meaning ( i doubt not ) is , that this change of their condition , and deliverance from their sinful state , was not effected , or so much as begun among them by any reformation of their own , till the gospel came to work it , ( which is meant by the appearing of the kindness and love of god , vers . 4. and is of like import with that chap. 2. 11 , 12. ) which god of his mercy , and not of their desert , sent among them to that end . and if this be the meaning of the words , the apostle was far from intending by works of righteousness in this place , works after conversion . i might rather well argue on the contrary from this place ; that baptism which is an act of evangelical obedience in the person baptized , & regeneration which is evangelical obedience in the root & principle , are together with the mercy of god , and , as subordinate to it , opposed to the works of righteousness here mentioned , in the work of salvation . for it is probable that by the washing of regeneration here , is meant baptism as the figure of regeneration , and by the renewing of the holy ghost , regeneration it self . by both which , as subordinate to god's mercy therein , they were said to be saved , and not by the works of righteousness which they had done before these . there is another place in 2 tim. 2. 9. which is wont to be urged with this to titus , to the same purpose : but it being of the same nature with this , the same answer may serve both with a little variation . 2. st. paul in speaking against justification by works , gives sufficient caution not to be understood thereby to speak against evangelical obedience in the case . when he had asserted justification to be by faith without the deeds of the law , and that the gentiles might be justified by believing , without ever observing moses law , rom. 3. 28. lest he should be understood thereby to favour gentilism , or loose living in men , provided they would but turn christians ; he frames and answers an objection thus , vers . 31. do we make void the law through faith ? god forbid : yea we establish the law. and how did they so ? certainly they did not thereby establish the ceremonial law in the letter of it , but in the spirit of it they did , in as much as in preaching justification in the gospel-way , they preached in plain precepts the necessity of that spiritual purity unto salvation , which was but darkly , and in a figure taught by the ceremonial law : and this they did , in preaching the necessity of mortifiation , instead of circumcision . and by the doctrine of justification by faith , they established the moral law , both in the letter and spirit of it , in teaching the necessity of evangelical obedience to it , after a more spiritual and forcible manner than had been taught before . so again when he had charged ▪ the unbelieving iews with a great error , in going about to establish a righteousness of their own , in opposition to god's , in adhering to their law against the gospel , rom. 10. 3. to the end it might not be thought that he would take them off their law , that they might be lawless , or less religious , he adds , vers . 4. that christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth . for so he is in his doctrine , having therein taught that righteousness of living which the law it self taught , but in a far more excellent , spiritual , and effectual manner , than was taught by the law. so that all that he designed in taking them off from their law , was but to put them under a better conduct : to make them dead to the law , that they might be married to another , viz. to christ by his gospel , that they might bring forth fruit unto god , as it is , rom. 7. 4. and likewise in ver . 6. he saith , we are delivered from the law , but not to be lawless , but that we might serve in newness of spirit , and not in the oldness of the letter ; that is , according to the spirit , scope , and design of the law , now expressed in plain precepts , and not in the oldness of the letter and ceremony . and so he saith of himself , gal. 2. 19. i through the law am dead to the law , i. e. he through a better understanding of god's design in the law , became dead as to all his former expectations of justification by it . but then , if he were dead to the law , it was , as he saith , that he might live unto god , live a life in the flesh through the faith in his son , through believing his gospel in its precepts and promises ; the one directing , and the other quickning unto a most excellent life , ver . 20. and if st. paul were thus careful in denying justification by works , to assert the necessity of evangelical obedience , we may well conclude , that he never intended under the notion of works of the law , to exclude evangelical obedience from having any hand sooner or later in justification . 3. regeneration , or the new creature , as including evangelical obedience , is opposed to works of the law , in the business of man's justification , as well as faith is , and as well as the grace of god it self is . gal. 6. 15. for in christ iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing , nor uncircumcision , but a new creature . circumcision is here as elsewhere by a synecdoche , put for the works of the law in general . for there were none that were for circumcising , but who were also for keeping the law of moses : only circumcision is mentioned frequently instead of all the rest , because they held it to be not only a part of the law , but more ; and because they laid the greatest stress upon it , as i shewed before , chap. 5. now in that which the apostle deni●s circumcision and the works of the law to avail a man , in that he affirms the becoming a new creature will avail him , and that was in the business of justification and salvation : for in that sense the unbelieving iews and iudaizers held circumcision and other works of the law available . and this new creature thus opposed to works , and thus available to justification , consisteth in a new frame of spirit , and the vital operations thereof , and which we can have no right notion of , without evangelical obedience in will and resolution at least ( which are really inward acts of that obedience , and are a conformity of the renewed will to the divine law ) . 4. evangelical obedience as well as faith , and together with faith , is opposed to the works of the law in reference to justification and salvation . gal. 5. 6. for in christ iesus , neither circumcision availeth any thing , nor uncircumcision , but faith which worketh by love . here again circumcision by the same figure , and for the same reason as before , is put for the works of moses law. and as these are denyed to avail any man to justification and salvation , so on the other hand it is affirmed that that faith which worketh by love doth avail to these great ends . for to say that faith which worketh by love doth so , is the same in sense , as to say , that faith which worketh by fulfilling the law , and by keeping the commandments , doth so avail : for so love is said to be , rom. 13. 10. 1 ioh. 5. 3. the assemblies annotations upon the place give notice , that the word here translated [ worketh ] ( faith which worketh by love ) being in the mean , or middle voice , may be taken either actively or passively . and several other learned men ( among whom dr. hammond is one ) do render and understand it passively ; as if the apostle should have said , faith which is wrought , or perfected , or consummate by love , and so make it directly parallel with that in st. iames , chap. 2. 22. by works was faith made perfect . so far is the scripture we see from opposing acts of evangelical obedience to faith in the work of justification , as that it conjoyns them with faith in the title to it , and in opposition to false pretentions to it . 5. evangelical obedience alone is opposed to the works of the law in reference to justification ; so far is it from being true , that where the works of the law are excluded , there evangelical obedience is excluded from having any share in the work of justification . 1 cor. 7. 19. circumcision is nothing , and uncircumcision is nothing , but the keeping of the commandments of god. circumcision is here again , as before , put for the whole law : and indeed he that was circumcised , was bound to keep the whole law , as this apostle noteth in gal. 5. 3. and when he saith circumcision is nothing , he means here doubtless , as in those other places already opened , that it avails nothing to any mans acceptation with god , or to his justification and salvation , as the iudaizers of those times thought it did . but then the keeping of the commandments of god will avail to these ends : for that i conceive was intended , and ought to be understood by the opposition that is made between circumcision and keeping the commandments . 6. faith it self is an act of evangelical obedience ; this as wel as love is an act of conformity to our lord's commands ; and therefore a man cannot be justified by faith , but in being so , he must be justified by evangelical obedience . 1 iohn 3. 23. this is his commandment , that we should believe in the name of his son iesus christ , and love one another , as he gave us commandment . this by our saviour is called a work , joh. 6. 29. this is the work of god , that ye believe on him whom he hath sent . and there is so much of the nature of evangelical obedience in faith it self , as that to believe and to obey are promiscuously put one for another ; and so is unbelief and disobedience . accordingly you have in many places the one reading in the text , and the other in the margin , as acts 5. 36. rom. 11. 30 , 31. ephes. 5. 6. heb. 4. 11. & 11. 31. and belief and disobedience are in scripture opposed to each other as direct contraries , rom. 10. 16. 1 pet. 2. 7. 2 thes. 2. 12. so that since faith is an act of evangelical obedience , it follows , that to say the works of evangelical obedience do justifie , does no more derogate from the grace of god , or the freeness of his grace in justifying , than to say faith justifies . first , because other acts of evangelical obedience are the effects of god's grace , and produced by it , as well as faith. it is god that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure , phil. 2. 13. and secondly , because it is meerly of the law of grace , that faith and other acts of evangelical obedience , are made the condition of the promise of salvation , ephes. 2. 8. by grace are ye saved , through faith in christ iesus ; and that not of your selves , it is the gift of god. as men do not believe or obey of themselves without supernatural assistance , so neither is it of themselves that they are justified or saved upon their believing , but both the one and the other , is the gift of god. it is not of him that willeth , nor of him that runneth , but of god that sheweth mercy . it is by virtue of god's new covenant , that a promise of pardon is made to repentance , or to faith ; for the primary law , the law of nature , promised no such thing upon repentance . and it is by virtue of the same law of grace , that a promise of justification and reward , is made to sincere obedience in other acts of obedience , as well as those of faith and repentance . that which hath made many afraid of interessing evangelical obedience with faith , in justifying men , hath been an opinion , that so to do would derogate from god's grace , & attribute too much to man : but you see there is no ground for such an opinion . it 's true indeed , the proper merit of works , and god's grace are inconsistent : and therefore are opposed to each other in scripture . but evangelical obedience and grace , are no more opposite or inconsistent , than cause and effect , or than causes principal and subordinat● . and as it doth not follow , that because we are justified freely by god's grace , that therefore we are not justified by faith : so neither doth it follow , that because we are justified by faith , that therefore we are not justified by sincere obedience . for these and the blood of christ , do all concur in producing many of the same effects , though not in the same respect . 7. by evangelical obedience , christians come to have a right to salvation . revel . 22. 14. blessed are they that do his commandments , that they may have a right to the tree of life , and may enter in through the gates into the city . this is left on record as a special memorandum for christians in closing up the canon of the new testament ; and therefore is to be taken special notice of . this right to the tree of life , and of entring into this blessed city upon keeping the commandments , is from a new covenant , or law , act , or grant from god : for otherwise man that had transgressed the first law he was put under , would have been far from having any right to such happiness upon the terms here mentioned , viz. of sincere , though imperfect obedience . but seeing that a right to salvation doth accrue to men upon a sincere keeping of god's commandments , notwithstanding their forfeiture of their first right by man's first fall , it evidently follows , that evangelical or sincere obedience , is part of the condition of the promise of blessedness in the new law or covenant , and is here put for the whole of it , as at other times faith is put for the whole of the condition . and that moses , david , solomon , nehemiah , and daniel received it in this sense , and understood all along that sincere obedience flowing from love , was the condition of god's covenant of mercy when they styled him a god keeping covenant and mercy with those that love him , and keep his commandments , deut. 7. 9. 1 king. 8. 23. neh. 1. 5. dan. 9. 4. i have before shewed . if it shall be here said , that sincere obedience is indeed a condition of salvation , but not of justification , and that it is so made here in this 22d of the revelation . i have i think sufficiently answered this objection in the former chapter , but shall here add ; that such as thus say , are morecurious and nice in distinguishing between justification and salvation , than st. paul was . for he calls justification , the iustification of life , rom. 5. 18. whom he justified , them he also glorified , rom. 8. 30. and proves that men shall be justified by faith , because it is written that the iust shall live by faith , gal. 3. 11. thus with him to be justified , & to be blessed are all one , gal. 3. 8 , 9. ro. 4. 7 , 8 , 9. and to confirm this , righteousness or justification and life , are used by him as synonimous terms , gal. 3. 21. for if there had been a law given which could have given life , verily righteousness should have been by the law. and justification and condemnation are put in direct opposition to each other , rom. 5. 18. & 8. 33 , 34. and to be from condemnation ( which is justification ) and to be saved , are as much one , as not to dye , is to live . in short , salvation as well as justification , is promised to believing , ioh. 3. 16. act. 3. 31. heb. 10. 39. and therefore salvation as well as justification , must needs be the immediate effect of faith ; if we take salvation as begun here in this life ( as the scripture represents it to be , ioh. 5. 24. 1 ioh. 3. 14. & 5. 12. ) from all which me may conclude , that what is absolutely necessary to salvation , must needs also be necessary to justification . add we hereto , that to be justified , and to be saved , is the same thing with st. iames , as well as it is with st. paul , according to the tenour of his reasoning , chap. 2. from ver . 14. to the end . what doth it profit my brethren ( saith he ) though a man say he hath faith , and have not works ? can faith save him ? vers . 14. this interrogation implyes an emphatical negation , and the meaning is , that such a faith can by no means save a man ; and he gives the reason of it twice over in vers . 17 , 20. because faith without works is dead . and then afterwards argues the necessity of works together with faith , unto justification , or unto salvation ( which was the thing he began with ) by god's justifying abraham by works , together with his faith , who was the great patern or example of god's justifying all others . if then to be ju●tified , and to be saved amounts to the same in st. iames's discourse here , then by the way , they do not rightly understand st. iames , who think he doth not speak of a justification before god in this his discourse about justification by works , together with faith , but of a justification before men , and to their own conscience only . which supposition of theirs doth directly thwart the very scope and design of his whole discourse , which is to set forth what will , and what will not avail a christian-professor in the sight of god , to the saving of his soul , as abundantly appears . so that the scripture which saith abraham believed god , and it was accounted to him for righteousness ; and which st. iames saith was fulfilled in abraham's being justified by works as well as by faith , was not fulfilled in abraham's being justified to others , and to his own conscience , but in his being justified before god , and so st. paul understood it , rom. 4. 3. gal. 3. 6. but this was touched before in chap. 1. the result then of what hath been argued in answer to the objection , is this , viz. that all that are justified , are thereby put regularly into an immediate capacity of salvation ; so that if they should dye the very next moment after they are once justified , they would undoubtedly be saved . and therefore evangelical obedience can be no more necessary to salvation , than it is to justification , and it is as necessary to the one as to the other . and if to say evangelical obedience is necessary to justification , be injurious to christ and to the grace of god , as some would pretend ▪ how comes it to pass then , that to say evangelical obedience is necessary to salvation , is not so too ? for our final salvation is as much the effect of god's grace , and of christ's undertaking for us , as our justification it self is , and of as much value . and therefore if the one be not injurious in this kind , neither is the other . 8. as the promise of forgiveness of sins by the blood of christ , or the promise of an interest in his blood to the pardon of sinne , is sometimes made unto believing , so sometimes again it is made unto evangelical obedience , or a holy life , as in 1 ioh. 1. 7. if we walk in the light , as he is in the light , ( that is , endeavouring to be holy , as god is holy ) then have we fellowship one with another , and the blood of iesus christ his son , cleanseth us from all sin ; but otherwise it doth not . and so the christians to whom st. peter wrote , were said to be elect according to the foreknowledge of god the father , through sanctification of the spirit , unto obedience , and sprinkling of the blood of iesus christ , 1 pet. 1. 2. but they were not elect to the benefit of being sprinkled with the blood of christ without obedience . and therefore by this we see also that evangelical obedience , is part of the condition of the promise of justification by the blood of christ. 9. to forgive injuries is an act of evangelical obedience to that precept of our lord , mar. 11. 25. and yet without this act of obedience , men that have been injurious , cannot be justified , because they cannot be pardoned , according to the word of our lord , mark 11. 26. mat. 6. 15. & 18. 35. therefore evangelical obedience must needs be part of the condition of justification . 10. repentance is an eminent act of evangelical obedience , acts 17. 30. and yet pardon of sin which is essential to justification , is not to be obtained without it , luke 13. 3 , 5. therefore again it follows , that evangelical obedience is necessary to justification , and part of the condition of it . and now by this time i suppose it fully appears to any unprejudiced reader , that the doctrine of st. paul , yea , and of st. peter , and iohn too , do fully accord with the doctrine of st. iames , touching the necessity of evangelical obedience unto justification . the opposition then which some have made between faith and all internall and external works in reference to justification , as well evangelical as mosaical , hath not been only without scripture-ground , but against scripture-evidence ; and looks more like that which was made by the gnosticks , or other solifidians , opposed by st. iames , ( if it be not the very same ) than any the scripture any where maketh . and how much injury the christian religon and the souls of men may have suffered thereby , is a thing to be thought on , and sadly laid to heart . it is a pleasant doctrine , and the worst of men called christians , are glad to hear that they may be justifyed by christ , only upon their believing in him without any works of righteousness or self-denial of their own . and upon that account ( presuming verily that they do believe ) they are confident that they are justified , though they are unsanctified . but those especially are in great danger of deceiving their own souls , by building their confidence upon this doctrine , who together with this belief , have more of the form of godliness than the other have , and are found much more in the use and exercise of the external devotional part of religion , and are zealous for this or that opinion , party , or way which they think most orthodox ; though they be greatly destitute of love to the nature of god , and of humility , charity , strict justice , fidelity , peaceableness , sobriety , temperance , modesty and meekness , and of that renewed frame of soul which would make them like christ jesus , wherein the power of christiany doth consist : the external duties of hearing , reading , praying , and the rest , being in great part but means referring to the other as the end : so that no man is to account himself truly religious , further than he attains to these truly christian qualifications , by the use of the external means , and internal aids . yea , the fleshly part , even in men good in the main , is very apt to make an advantage of such a doctrine as aforesaid , to the lessening of their care , diligence , and zeal , in working out their salvation , in striving to enter in at the straight gate , in governing their own spirits and appetites , in cleansing themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , and in perfecting holiness in the fear of god. and therefore there is great need for those that are spiritual guides to the people , to insist much upon the necessity of repentance , regeneration , and a holy life as well as faith , in order to their being justified and saved by christ jesus . for the people , yea , the better sort of them , stand most in need , as of being well-grounded touching the truth of the christian religion , so especially of having the doctrines of morality inculcated upon them , the precepts of the gospel being almost all of that nature , ( though some speak diminutively of moral preaching ) and tend to the perfecting of the nature of man in regulating the internal operations of the soul , and the external actions of life , in reference both to god and man , our selves and others : the recovering of men to which , is god's great design by the gospel , in order to their being made perfectly happy at last , as i have shewed in chap. 1. there is indeed an absolute necessity of believing the gospel in order to christian practice : and therefore our blessed saviour did not only preach the necessity of faith in him and his doctrine , but also wrought abundance of miracles to beget this faith in men. and yet he knowing the great danger of mens miscarrying in point of morality in the disposition of soul , and actions of life , insisted chiefly in his preaching , upon doctrines of that nature ; as you may see in his sermon on the mount , and elsewhere . he taught the necessity of being born again : of making the tree good , that the fruit might be good . and to inforce this doctrine of his , he was not wont to tell his auditors that every man shall be rewarded according to his belief , but that when the son of man shall come , every man shall be rewarded according to his works : that those that have done good , shall come forth to the resurrection of life , and those that have done evil , to the resurrection of damnation : that by their words they shall be justified ( which are no more faith than works are ) and by their words they shall be condemned : that in the great day of the tryal of all nations ; every man shall be acquitted or condemned , according to the good they have done , or neglected to do , mat. 25. and that then not every man that had faith enough to cry lord , lord , or to prophesie , cast out devils , or do wonders in his name , shall enter into the kingdom of heaven , but such and such only as have done the will of his father . great need there is therefore of peoples examining themselves impartially , and of being often admonished to take heed , left they mistake and deceive themselves in the nature of religion , and in what is absolutely necessary to be done on their part ; because men are very apt to flatter and deceive themselves in that , and to think that when their faith is right in the object of it [ as when they believe in the true god , and in his son jesus christ , and expect salvation by him alone ] that then they are true believers , and such as shall be saved ; especially if therewith they joyn the frequenting of god's ordinances , and the paring off of some of the grosser enormities of their lives , though in the mean while they make no conscience of cleansing their hearts , and governing their spirits , of subduing their passions and inordinate affections , and of bridling the tongue . for this cause it is that christians are so often in scripture cautioned to take heed lest they should be deceived . be not deceived , god is not mocked : for whatsoever a man sows , that also shall he reap , gal. 6. 7 , 8. little children , let no man deceive you : he that doth righteousness , is righteous , even as he is righteous , 1 joh. 3. 7. 1 cor. 6. 9. ephes. 5. 6. an appendix touching the nature and difference of that faith which is justifying , and of that which is not ; and the reason of that difference . men's eternal estate of weal or wo in another world , and their peace and comfort in this , being very much concerned in their right understanding , or mistaking the nature and difference of that faith which is saving , and of that which is not ; i shall here add to what is said before , something to state the nature and difference of those two kinds of faith , with what brevity and perspicuity i can . i cannot ( i co●fess ) think that the nature of faith , which is of absolute necessity to the salvation of the meanest christian , is in it self hard to be understood , were it not that the many controversies about it , about its object , and the acts of the soul necessary to it , had puzzled mens minds , and distracted their apprehensions concerning it . things absolutely necessary to salvation , as they are not many , so there are hardly any doctrines delivered with more plainness than they , that the weak who are as much concerned in them as the strong , might competently understand them as well as they . men may multiply notions about faith , as the scripture useth various expressions about it : but i doubt not but that the general sense of the scripture hereabout may be summarily ●xpressed in this plain proposition : that saving faith is such a belief of christ to be the son of god , and of the truth of his doctrine , especially touching the virtue of his death and resurrection , and the necessity of amendment of life , for the obtaining remission of sin , and eternal life , as causeth a man to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts , and to live a godly , righteous , and a sober life . this is so plain in scripture , as that there is no christian so weak , but may easily come to understand it , and so evident , that none who acknowledge the truth of the gospel , can deny it . that i may state the difference then between effectual and ineffectual faith , and matters relating to them , with all the plainness i can , i shall very briefly endeavour these five things . 1. to open the comprehensive nature of faith. 2. shew wherein the defect lies of that faith which is not saving . 3. shew whence that defect proceeds . 4. how , and after what manner , faith in the understanding , works savingly upon the will. 5. answer some few objections . 1. the comprehensive nature of ●aving faith opened . that i may open the comprehensive nature of faith the better , i shall first observe how variously the condition upon which saving benefits are promised , is expressed in scripture , and then what actings of the soul are thereby signified . it is thus variously expressed in scripture : sometimes it s called a believing god , rom. 4. 3. gal. 3. 6. a believing in god , 1 pet. 1. 21. a believing on god , rom. 4. 24. a believing the record which god hath given of his son , 1 ioh. 5. 10. sometimes it s called a believing on christ , ioh. 3. 16 , 36. act. 16. 31. a believing him to be the christ the son of god , ioh. 20. 31. 1 ioh. 5. 5. it 's called faith in his blood , rom. 3. 25. a believing that god raised him from the dead , rom. 10. 9. sometimes it s called a believing of the gospel , mar. 16. 15 , 16. a believing of the truth , 2 th●s . 2. 15. a believing the testimony of the apostles , 2 thes. 1. 10. sometimes it is expressed under the notion of repentance , acts 2. 38. & 3. 19. & 11. 18. 2 cor. 7. 10. and sometimes of obedience , 1 iohn 1. 7. 1 pet. 1. 2. heb. 5. 9. the condion of the promise of saving benefits , being thus variously expressed , can signifie no less than a three-fold act of the soul : the first , being the act of the understanding : the second , of the will : the third , of the understanding and will conjunct . i. such expressions of the condition of the promise as is the believing god , the believing in god , the believing his record , the believing the gospel , the believing christ to be the son of god , do most properly signifie the act of the mind or understanding in assenting to the truth of what god testifieth , or promiseth . which assent is grounded upon a knowledge , or belief of god's veracity , his truth , and faithfulness , armed with all-sufficiency of power , wisdom , and goodness , to make good his word to a tittle . and although such expressions as aforesaid , do most properly signifie the act of the understanding , yet , when ever saving benefits are promised , and the condition expressed in such a form of words as doth most properly and primarily signifie the assent of the mind , even then the act of the will in consenting to the condition , is implyed , and ought to be understood ; as i shall fully prove in the next particular . and the reason why the whole of the condition of the promise relating to the consent of the will , as well as the assent of the understanding , is frequently expressed in such a form of words , as primarily and strictly signifie the assent of the mind , is , i conceive , because such assent of the mind , is the principle from which all concurrent acts of the will necessary to justification and salvation do proceed . and it is of frequent use in scripture , to denominate the whole of religion , by some one principal part which is a fruitful principle of all the rest . thus the knowledge of the true god , and of jesus christ whom he hath sent , is said to be eternal life , ioh. 17. 3. and thus sometimes the fear of god , and sometimes the love of god , is put for the whole of mens saving religiousness , and the same promise of blessedness made to one of these singly exprest , is to be extended to the whole . in like manner , the whole of christianity , is frequently denominated by faith , and the christians stiled believers , and the houshold of faith , and the like ; and all because that christian life of theirs , by which they differ from other men , flows from their faith , which is the first active principle of it . 2. another act of the soul essentially necessary to that faith which is the condition of the promise , is the consent of the will to repent , to receive christ as lord & king , to be govered by his laws , as well as to own him for a priest once of●ering himself , and ever making interecession for us . for the condition of the promise of pardon and salvation , is expressed under the notion of repentance , and sometimes of obedience , as i shewed before : and repentance and odience are acts of the will as renewed . and that there is no promise of saving benefits upon meer believing , without observing that part of the condition which consisteth in repentance , regeneration , and obedience , is most evident : because they are expresly excluded in scripture from having any share in the saving benefits of the covenant , justification , or salvation , who do not repent , luke 13. 3. who are not regenerate , ioh. 3. 5. who love not the lord jesus christ , and that above any worldly enjoyment , 1 cor. 16. 22. matth. 10. 37. and who do not obey him , acts 3. 22 , 23. luke 19. 27. 2 thes. 1. 7. by all which we may certainly know that when ever there is promise of justification and salvation , made to believing , it is to be understood of such a believing as doth at that instant in which a man believes savingly , produce a sincere consent of the will to repent , to love christ , and to obey him : for otherwise those scriptures and these would be in●onsistent . for if men cannot be pardoned , nor delivered from the curse , nor be safe from destruction until they have repented , are regenerate , do love christ , and obey the gospel , as the forecited scriptures do assure us they cannot ; then no faith whatsoever is justifying , or can entitle them to pardon and salvation acording to the tenour of god's promise , until it hath produced that repentance , regeneration , love , and obedience : which is a full and an undenyable proof of the necessity of such a consent of the will as aforesaid , to render faith justifying and saving . now this consent and resolutionof the will to repent and obey christ , and to forsake all for him , is the moral change of the soul , and the new life in its first beginning . and so a mans first effectual belief , is his whole christian life in its beginning . and a mans first faith is perfected afterwards by works , ( iam. 2. 22. ) as a child is perfected in his manly state , as he grows up to manly actions ; or as the seed is perfected when it grows to a full ear. by this first consent of the will , we restipulate and strike covenant with god ; and not only so , but we thereby begin also to keep and perform covenant with him on our part . when this consent is first wrought in the will , then the laws of the new covenant are first put into the mind and written in the heart : and by this we first begin to become savingly a people unto god , to believe in him , to love and serve him , as he by covenant and promise becomes a god unto us , to make us happy . heb. 8. 10. this is the convenant that i will make , i will put my laws into their mind , and write them in their hearts ; and i will be to them a god , and they shall be to me a people . 3. the other act of the soul , which i call the act of the understanding & of the will conjunct , is an affiance in god through christ ▪ a trusting in him , or a relying on him for the fulfilling of his promise of saving benefits , while we continue sincerely to consent , resolve , and endeavour to perform the condition on our part . this is that , or part of that , which is called a believing on god , a believing on christ , and a trusting in him : noting the souls dependence upon christ ●or the saving benefits which accrue to men by his mediation , office , and undertaking , and on the truth and faithfulness , power , wisdom , and goodness of god , to perform all that he hath promised them through his son , and upon the terms he hath promised , and not otherwise . for the promise of saving benefits being made but upon the condition before mentioned a true believer , or he that is rational & wise , considers as well upon what terms the benefits are promised , as who hath promised them , and what they are ; and expects the one , no otherwise than as he sincerely resolves and endeavours to perform the other . and therefore if any shall rely on god , and christ for those benefits , in whom yet the qualifying condition of the promise of them is not found ; such a relyance is but a groundless presumption , and not faith or affiance duly so called . for such do not only rely on christ for that for which they have no promise , but for that which god hath expresly declared they shall have no share in whilst they remain destitute of that qualification , which is the condition upon which , and not without it , the promise of those benefites is made . these three acts of the soul exercised on their objects , do make up that faith which is justifying and saving . and when justifying faith in the compleat nature of it is spoken of in scripture ; all these three acts of the soul are to be understood , and especially the two first ; though perhaps they are many times mentioned severally and apart ; faith being described sometimes by one of them , and sometimes by another : as god himself is represented to us , sometimes by one attribute , sometimes by another . ii. wherein the defect lyes of that faith which is not saving . by what hath been discoursed touching the nature of that faith which is saving , it is easie to dis●ern wherein the defect lies of that faith which is not so . and the defect lyes chiefly in the will , in its not consenting to perform the condition of the promise in repenting , and in receiving christ as lord to be governed by his laws . i will not deny but the defect in part may be in the understanding , when its assent unto the truth of divine revelation is so weak , as that it can make but a too weak and ●aint impression upon the will , to procure its consent unto the condition of the promise . but then that defect in the assent of the understanding , doth usually , at least in great part , proceed from the will ; as i shall shew afterwards . now that the defect lyes mainly in the will 's not consenting to the condition of the promise , appears by this ; because unregenerate men may assent unto the truth of god's testimony , and may trust that they shall be saved by christ ( which contain the other two acts of the soul ) but no man truly consents , to perform the condition of the promise , but in doing so , he is regenerate in the first act , and justified . 1. unregenerate men may have the same faith of assent in the understanding to a degree , as the regenerate may : they may believe god to be the father almighty , maker of heaven and earth , and jesus christ to be his only son , and the rest of the articles of the creed ▪ and they may believe in great part that to be their duty both towards god and man which is so indeed , and yet hold that truth in unrighteousness , which they do believe . rom. 1. 18. many of the chief rulers believed on christ , who yet loved the praise of men more than the praise of god , and durst not confess him , joh. 12. 42 , 43. as also did many others when they saw his miracles , who yet were such as christ had no mind to commit himself to , ioh. 2. 23 , 24. and simon magu● believed , wondering , and being astonished at the signes which were done by philip , who yet remained in the bond of iniquity , acts 8. such as are resembled by the stony ground , believed , who yet loved their ease and worldly interest more than christ ; and those that st. iames expostulates with , chap. 2. were thus far believers also . 2. excepting the consent of the will to the condition of the promise ; unregenerate men may hope to be saved by christ , and rely on him for salvation as well as the regenerate : only for want of their performing the condition of the promise , their hopes and confidence are groundless , and will deceive them . but otherwise men , that are but carnal , and live in some known sin , may and oftimes do perswade themselves that they shall be saved by christ jesus , because they believe that he dyed for sinners , and because they ask god forgiveness , and perform some acts of religion . our saviour saith , many will say unto me in that day , lord , lord , open unto us : have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils , and done many wonderful works . we have eaten and drunk in thy presence , and thou hast taught in our streets . to whom he will say for all that , depart from me , ye workers of iniquity , matth. 7. 22 , 23. luke 13. 25 , 26. these had some kind of faith in christ , by which they prophe●ied in his name , and cast out devils , and did many wonderful works . they were such as were hearers of his word , and preachers of it too , and had eaten and drunken in his presence . and because of this faith , and these works , they had a hope and confidence that christ would open unto them , and receive them into his kingdom , and would not be easily beaten off from this confidence . but the true reason why their faith will stand them in no stead , nor their religious performances neither , is , because for all that they were workers of iniquity , they never heartily consented to the terms of the promise of salvation by christ in repenting : they did not first heartily resolve , and after sincerely endeavour to turn from every known sin , unto every known duty . and in this very thing doth the defect of that faith lye which is short of saving . which will yet further appear , in that st. iames when he would state the difference between that faith which is saving , and that which is not , fixeth it here . the dead faith is denominated such by him , from its being alone without works , iam. 2. 17. even so faith if it hath not works , is dead , being alone , or by it self . and again , vers . 20. but wilt thou know , o vain man , that faith without works is dead . and again , ver . 26. for as the body without the spirit is dead , so faith without works is dead also . meaning by its being dead , that it avails a man no more to his justification and salvation , than a dead corps avails to the produceing the useful and serviceable effects of a living man ; or than a tree that is dead , avails to the bringing forth fruit ; or than a few good words , depart in peace , be ye filled and warmed , will avail poor people , when nothing is given which is needful to the body , ver . 15 , 16 , 17. in all this i do not deny , but that there may be in such as do not savingly believe , some consent of the will to do something towards performing the condition of the promise , in repenting and obeying . such men may consent and resolve to forsake some sins , and to do some , yea many duties , who yet never savingly consent , because they do not heartily consent and resolve to forsake [ all ] known sin , and to do [ all ] known duties ; in which the sincerity of repentance and obedience doth consist , to which the promise is made . such men may not be far from the kingdom of god , but yet must go farther , if ever they would have any good ground of hope to enter into it : but of this more afterwards . iii. whence this defect doth proceed . i have shewed before , that there is the faith of assent in the understanding unto the truth of god's testimony , in some unregenerate men , as well as in the regenerate . and in whomsoever the faith of consent in the will to perform the condition of the promise is found , it always proceeds from the faith of assent in the understanding . a man always ( in order of nature at least ) believes that the promised benefits shall be made good to him , in case he perform the condition , before he consents to perform it ; and doth consent to perform the condition in hope and confidence of obtaining the promised benefits . now then the question is , whence is it ' and what is the reason that the faith of assent in the understanding , doth not always produce the same consent in the will in one , as well as in another ▪ and as it always doth , when it becomes effectual to justification and salvation ? why doth this faith remain alone in some , when as it is accompanied with works in others ? i shall offer what i conceive to be the reason of this , first , in general , and then more particularly . the difference sometimes may proc●ed from the different measures and degrees of the evidence upon which the same truth is believed . one man may have a clearer discerning of the evidence than another , which causeth a stronger assent in the discerning faculty , and that stronger assent in the understanding , may well cause a stronger consent in the will , and a firm and lasting resolution . as on the contrary , a weak and partial consent and resolution in the will to the condition , sometimes proceds from a weak assent in the mind , to the truth of god's testimony , or promise , and that from the weakness of the faculty in the discerning the evidence of that truth which is the object of faith. but the reason most commonly why the assent in the understanding unto the truth of god's testimony doth not work a consent in the will to the condition of the promise , is to be taken , i conceive from the opposition which the lower faculties of the soul , the will , & affections , assisted and influenced by the sensual appetites , make against the superiour faculty the mind , or understanding , so that they do not hearken to its notices , nor obey its dictates . the will which is the spring of action , is a middle faculty between the understanding and the sensitive affections or appetites , and is sollicited by both . as the understanding calls upon it to obey its rational dictates in chusing the means which tend to the best end , both which the understanding represents to it from the word of god ; so on the other hand , the sensitive affections sollicite it to be on their side , and to be active in making provision for the flesh , in chusing such things as tend to satisfie its cravings and lusts . and because the will hath usually been pre-ingaged to the flesh , and had a share in its gratifications , it 's not without much difficulty prevailed with to be cōsenting to , & active in the crucifixion of those affections and lusts . which until the will do , and herein obey the enlightned understanding , the faith of assent in the understanding abideth alone . the will 's obstinate adherence then to mens fleshly lusts , and carnal interests , in opposition to that belief in the understanding which puts it upon destroying them , as absolutely necessary to the man's salvation , as believing god touching the necessity of this as a means , as well as it doth believe him touching the blessedness of the end ; this obstinate opposition in the will , i say , is the true reason why the faith which is in some men , is but a dead faith. how can ye believe ( saith our saviour ) which seek honour one of another , and seek not the honour that cometh from god only ? joh. 5. 44. yes , some of them could , and did believe so far as to assent in their minds , that christ was no impostor , but one that came from god ; and that therefore his doctrine must needs be true ; but they did not believe so as to be converted in their wills , to consent to part with their carnal interest of honour and reputation , with their party the pharisees , which they must have done as the case then stood , if they would have confessed him openly ; which to do , was necessary to make them capable of the promise of salvation by him . ioh. 12. 42 , 43. among the chief rulers , many believed on him , but because of the pharisees , they did not confess him , lest they should be put out of the synagogue , for they loved the praise of men , more than the praise of god. these had more understanding than the common people , who , as they said , knew not the law , ( ioh. 7. ) and yet not so many of them as of the people believed on christ , so as to confess and follow him , because their wordly interest being greater , it held them faster and had the greater power over their wills. the unbelief then of men where the gospel comes , is generally to be resolved into the obstinacy of their wills , in opposition to the convictions of their understanding , iohn 5. 40. ye will not come to me that ye might have life . how oft would i have gathered you , and ye would not , mat. 23. 37. o that my people had hearkened to my counsel ! but israel would none of me . psal. 81. 11. they did not chuse the fear of the lord , prov. 1. 29. they chose their own ways , their souls delighted in their abominations , isa. 6. 3. thus much in general . but i would shew yet more particularly how the will doth obstruct the perfecting the work of faith after it 's begun in the understanding . and it doth it as i conceive . i. by calling off the understanding from a frequent consideration of that evidence by which it was first convinced of the truth of gods testimony touching the promised benefits , and the condition and means of obtaining them , and from a frequent application of it to the will : and this the will can do . for as the understanding hath a power over the will , so far a to represent it's apprehensions to the will in order to its acting thereupon according to a man 's own concerns therein ; so also the will hath ak●nd of power over the understanding , both to put it upon frequent consideration , to strengthen it self in the belief of that which the will would have to prove true and to be believed ; and also to call it off from so doing , when there is a great reluctancy in the will against having that prove true which the understanding represents as true . and if the understanding be taken off , so that it hath not frequent recourse to that evidence which first procured its assent unto the truth of god's testimony in the gospel , that it might be thereby nourished , strengthened , and maintained ; that faith in the understanding will languish and grow weak , and so have no powerful operation upon the will to change and renew it , and to procure its effectual consent to perform the condition of the promise , when the will stands disinclined of it self , to the verdict of the understanding . besides , if the understanding doth not ply the will , and frequently inculcate upon it , it s own apprehensions concerning god's testimony , and the consequence and concernment of it to a man 's own self , thereby to make the word believed to be an ingrafted word , it will not not work any cure upon it , or any through change in it . the unwillingness in men to have their minds ingage in the consideration of god's ways and their own , is the reason of their turning back from him , io● 34. 27. they turned back from him , and would not consider any of his ways . as on the contrary the scripture represents the conversion of a sinner as proceeding from the consideration of the bad tendency of his evil ways , ezek. 18. 28. because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions which he hath committed , he shall surely live , he shall not dye . and our saviour seems to cast mens profiting , or not profiting , their belief , or not belief by hearing gods testimony in the gospel , upon their considering , or not considering of it . mark 4. 24. and he said unto them , consider what you hear ( so dr. hammond reads it ) for with what measure ye mete ( viz. in considering , or not considering ) it shall be measured to you again , in profiting , or not profiting ; which is to be understood according to god's ordinary proceeding with men . the reason why the faith of those resembled by the stony ground , doth not abide , or come to perfection , is , because they have no root in themselves , and that comes to pass for want of much consideration , and a frequent working the first conviction of the mind from the evidence of truth , into the will & affections , by a constant consideration , and close application of it . acts 17. 11. they searched the scriptures [ daily ] whether th●se things were so ; and therefore they believed . 2. when men hold fast their lusts out of their great love to them , notwithstanding their conviction in their understandings , and are ●ot willing to part with them upon any terms ; the fumes of those lusts continually ascending , will cloud and darken the understanding as a thick fogg doth the sun , and by degrees make it less capable of discerning its object , viz. saving truth , in its clear evidence , and proportionably hinder in its that opperation upon the will. the cares of this world , and the deceitfulness of riches , and the lusts of other things , choaked the word , and it becometh unfruitful , mar. 4. 19. he that hateth his brother is in darkness , and walketh in darkness , and knoweth not whether he goes , because darkness hath blinded his eyes , 1 joh. 2. 11. 3. sinful mens understandings are ●ot so uncorrupt , but that they are apt to be bribed by their wills , to cast about and devise how to evade the force and edge of their own notices and dictates , and to attempt and baffle their former apprehensions and convictions , to the end they may still retain their lusts without any great disturbance from their understandings . this when it is yielded to , and put in practice , is that which in scripture is called mens closing their eyes , le●t at any time they should see with their eyes , and hear with their ears , and understand with their hearts , and should be converted and healed , mat. 13. 15. and when this takes place in professors of christianity , that do believe that faith , repentance , and obedience are necessary to salvation , as the condition on which it is promised , the way by which they u●ually deceive their own hearts , is , by perswading themselves , that they do perform the condition of the promise in these , when indeed they do not ; but frame to themselves notions of saving faith , repentance and obedience , different from the scripture notions of them , as i shall shew in ●ach of them . 1. many delude themselves by taking up a wrong notion of saving faith , and so think they have it , when they have it not . they believe indeed christ to be the son of god , and saviour of the world , and that those shall be saved that believe in him , and those damned that do not , because the scripture , which they believe to be the word of god , saith so : and thus far they believe rightly objectively . but then they deceive their own souls by perswading themselves that a meer assent of their mind to the truth of these and other evangelical verities , is the faith to which the promise of justification and salvation is made , though it hath no such powerful operation upon their wills , as to make them new creatures , to make any thorow change in the temper of their hearts and tenor of their lives . and many doubtless have been greatly strengthened in this delusive confidence , by having been taught that faith justifies without any works at all . and these again perswade themselves , that they believe in christ to the saving of their souls , because they rely on him alone for salvation , and upon what he hath done , and suffered for them , though they love their sins , and live in them still . just like some iews of old , who though they were very bad in their lives , yet leaned upon the lord , and said , is not the lord among us ? none evil can come upon us ? mich. 3. 11. isa. 48. 1 , 2. they leaned upon god's promise of being their god , as those do upon christ's undertaking to be a saviour , although they overlooked the condition to be performed by them in being a people unto him , in loving and serving him , as those christians i speak of , also do . though christ alone is to be relyed on for salvation , as touching all that is proper to the mediatory office and work , yet no man is to rely on him , so as to think he should excuse him , if he do not repent , or be not regenerate , or as if he did repent , or were regenerate for him . if they do ; they promise themselves from him , that which he never promised , or undertook , but hath told them plainly , that except they themselves repent , they shall perish , and that except they themselves be born again , they cannot see the kingdome of god. 2. they deceive their own hearts also in the nature of repentance , their notion of it being one thing , and the scripture-notion of it quite another : so that they perswade themselves they have repented , when indeed they have not . they know and believe perhaps , repentance to be necessary to salvation , because christ hath said , that except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish . but then they mistake in perswading themselves that they do repent , because they are frequently sorry for what they have done , though they cease not to do the same again . indeed when the pleasure of sin is over , and rebukes of conscience come in the room of them ; these trouble their minds for what they have done , which was the repentance of iudas ; and there is no peace to the wicked , who are like the troubled sea. now this they count repentance , though it work no effectual and thorow change in heart and life ; but when that sad fit is over , they appear to be the same men they were before , by returning to the same sins . and herein the romish church hath most unhappily laid a snare , which as is to be feared catcheth multitudes of souls to their destruction , in asserting contrition , yea , attrition with confession , to be repentance sufficient to salvation . whereas sorrow alone , though it be godly sorrow , is not repentance , but as st. paul saith , godly sorrow worketh repentance , 2 cor. 7. 10. but repentance itself , which is saving , consisteth chiefly in a real change in mens apprehensions of , and affections to both sin and duty ; and in ceasing to do evil , and learning to do well . others again deceive themselves in taking a partial reformation for true repentance : because they have left some sins which they could best spare , as blemishing their reputation , or impairing their estates , or their health : and because they have done many things ( which yet herod also did , mar. 6. ) they think they have repented , and are converted , though they retain others which are more gainful , or yield them more pleasure . whereas the sincerity of repentance can be proved by nothing less then a hatred of , and turning from sin as sin , and so from all sin , by diligent and careful endeavours . 3. they deceive themselves by a false notion of that obedience which is necessary to salvation . they believe in the gross indeed , that obedience to the commands of god , to the rules and precepts of the gospel , is necessary to salvation , because the scripture so plainly declareth it to be so : but then they deceive their own hearts , in thinking and perswading themselves that they have performed this part of the condition of the promise , when as they have not performed one half of it . they have , been it may be , somewhat careful to be found in acts of external worship and and devotion , both publick and private ; and to keep themselves from idolatry , swearing , cursing , sabbath-breaking , murder , adultery , stealing , false-witness-bearing , and the like , in the outward and gross acts of them . but all the while have made no conscience of governing their thoughts , affections , and passions , nor their tongues neither as to many things . and in all this , wherein do they exceed the pbarisees , whom if we exceed not in righteousness , christ hath told us ( who best knows ) that we shall never ●nter into the kingdom of heaven , matth. 5. 20. they were strict and zealous in the observation of the laws for circumcision , sacrifice , sabbaths , tythes , and other positive precepts , and that to a tittle ; and fasted often , and made long prayers , and gave alms ; and made ostentation also that they were not as others were ; extortioners , unjust , adulterers , nor as the publicans . and why would not all this bring them to heaven ? because all this notwithstanding ( as they had not faith in christ , so ) they were covetous , proud , and ambitious , seeking honour one of another , contemning , and despising others , they were envious , and malicious , cruel , and ill-natured , unmerciful , and persecuting such as faithfully reproved them . they made clean the outside of the cup and platter ; and so far as they did so , they did well : but that for which christ denounced wo to them , was that their inward part was ful of ravening and wickedness , and for want of love to god , and of judgment , mercy , and fidelity . god is a spirit , and the service that is acceptable to him , as being most agreeable to his nature , is that which is done in spirit and truth . and therefore his preceps are given to govern the inward man as well as the outward . he that said thou shalt not kill , hath said also , thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart , nor be angry with him without a cause , or bear a grudge against him . he that said , thou shalt not commit adultery , hath said also , thou shalt not lust after a woman in thy heart . and he that said , thou shalt not steal , hath said also , thou shalt not covet , and the like . and therefore they that think themselves to be obedient children to god , upon account of their abstaining from outward gross sin , and of being outwardly righteous , and do not truly endeavour , and make a business of it to mortifie and subdue their pride , covetousness , love of the world , envy , hatred , malice , thoughts of revenge , the unruliness of passions , and all immoderate affections ; but indulge themselves in these , or any of these , or the like , they deceive themselves , whatever their external conformity to divine precepts otherwise may be . they are the pure in heart that shall see god. and they that are christs , have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts . god observes more what men are inwardly , than what they are outwardly , and judges of them accordingly . he is not a iew , nor he a christian , who is one outwardly , in the flesh , but he who is so inwardly in heart , whose praise is not of men , but of god , rom. 2. 28 , 29. and therefore st. iames counted them but earthly , sensual , and devilish , in their profession of christianity , how high soever they professed , and such as did lye against the truth , that indulged bitter envying and strife , though it were but in their hearts , jam. 3. 14 , 15. and if 〈◊〉 and passions within , shall break out in an unbridled tongue in slandering , reviling , backbiting , evil-speaking , rash , and uncharitable censuring , or the like ; how religious soever such a man may otherwise seem to himself , or others , yet st. iames hath plainly determined his case ; such an one hath deceived his own heart , and his religion is vain , jam. 1. 26. mat. 5. 22. men may go a great way in religion , yea so far as until they are not far from the kingdom of god. yea , many shall seek to enter in by doing many things in order thereto , and yet shall not be able for want of striving to do all that is necessary thereto . and for that very reason , and because of the great danger of christians falling short , though they have gone far , and done much , are they so earnestly exhorted to work out , or to work through their own salvation with fear and trembling ; with a fear of falling short , phil. 2. 12. and not only so , but to fear even a seeming to come short of the promised rest , heb. 4. 1. let us therefore fear , lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest , any of you should seem to come short of it . the matter is of that huge consequence , that every wise man that doth not despise his own soul , should be afraid to do , or omit to do , any thing that hath but the least ●eeming shew or appearance of putting his salvation into any hazard . and therefore [ all ] diligence is not too much for the wisest man living to use , to make his calling and election sure , 2 pet. 1. 10. thus when mens understandings are bribed by their corrupt wills , they then take up with a partial faith , a partial repentance , and a partial obedience , instead of that which is evangelically compleat , and hope it is a fulfilling of the condition of the promise . and when men shut their own eyes , and stop their own ears against the evidence of the word of salvation , that they may the more quietly enjoy the pleasures of any sin , god many times in his righteous judgment , after much striving , and long-suffering , withdraws the assistances of his grace and spirit , and leaves them to themselves , and their own delusions , and to be practised upon by the devil for their farther hardening ; according to that dreadful prophesie , in isa. 6. 9 , 10. mentioned no less than five or six times in the new testament ; mat. 13. 14. mar. 4. 12. luke 8. 10. ioh. 12. 40. acts 28. 26. rom. 11. 8. go tell this people , hear ye indeed , but understand not , and see ye indeed , but perceive not . make the heart of this people fat , and make their ears heavy , and shut their eyes , &c. when men will not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved , but have pleasure in unrighteousness , god sometimes sends them strong delusions to believe a lye , 2 thes. 2. 10 , 11 , 12. whereas on the contrary , the good ground-hearers are described by the honesty of the heart into which they receive the word : they study no tricks or shifts , nor use any shuffling upon the account of any dishonest interest , to evade the plain truth , but are content that should take place , and all other things give place to it : they suffer that word which was received and assented to in the judgment before , in order of nature , to sink down into their hearts , by which the will and affections become changed . iv. how , and afer what manner faith in the vnderstanding , works savingly upon the will. the faith of assent in the understanding , worketh a consent in the will unto the condition of the promise , by its operative and affecting influence upon the passions of hope , fear , and love , the powerful principles of action in man. for though faith in the understanding , is the first principle of action as christian , yet not that , but the will , as it is affected with hope , fear , or love , is the next and immediate principle of action . the understanding when it rightly performs its office , doth not only assent unto the truth of divine revelation , upon competent evidence that it is from god ; but also considers and weighs , as in a ballance , the import of it , and how a man is concerned in it ; as whether it betoken good or evil to him , and how much , and upon what terms , whether absolutely , or conditionally , and what the condition is : all which when brought down to the subordinate faculties of the soul , the will , and affections , is apt to affect them , and work upon them more or less , accoring as the things believed are expressed more or lesse to concern a man. and the things believed , eternal life , and eternal death in another world , being invisible and absent things , it is a mans faith , touching the reality of them , that supplies the room or absence of sense . for faith is the substance of things hoped for , and the evidence of things not seen , heb. 11. 1. we neither see nor feel the glorious things promised , nor the dreadful things threatned in another world , otherwise than by faith , which gives the believer a prospect of them . but a man by his faith in that gospel by which they are revealed , hath a foresight of them ( as abraham had of christs day ) and that fills the soul with hope , and fear , and a sence of god's love in giving such an hope . and this hope , fear , & love , puts men upon , more or less , care , diligence and industry in doing what is necessary for the obtaining of the one , and efcaping the other , as they are more or less influenced by a faith that is weaker or stronger , or more or less active and exercised about these things . and hence comes that change which is made in the hearts and lives of true believers , who walk by faith , and not by sight , that is , they govern their lives by the belief of invisible , and not sensible things , 2 cor. 5. 7. this in general . but more particularly , the faith of ass●nt in the understanding , works the faith of consent in the will , by its operation upon those three passions , or affections of the will , hope , fear , and love. 1. as a firm asse●ting to the truth of god's promise through christ , of pardon of sin , and eternal life upon condition of repentance and new obedience , together with his faith , gives a man hope and confidence of obtaining these great benefits upon the terms on which they were promised . the hope of this happiness causeth a man to be willing to comply with the condition upon which it is promised , in order to the obtaining the happiness it self . there is a principle of self love planted by god in the nature of every man , by which he doth naturally desire and aspire after the happiness of his own being . and that will put a man upon the use of such means , and the performance of such a condition , without which he believes , and is verily perswaded he cannot be happy . now every man in whom there is the faith of assent unto the truth of god's testimony in the gospel firmly fixed , being verily perswaded that everlasting happiness is not attainable without repentance , regeneration , and sincere obedience , because god hath declared this as plainly as he hath done any thing : ( and it is the nature of faith to acquiesce in his testimony . ) the love of the end , which is mans own happiness , makes him in love with the means , such as is repenting , mortifying , and obeying work , without which he cannot attain his end in being happy . this principle of self-love under the conduct of a mans understanding and reason enlightned , and regulated by a declaration of the divine will , and influenced by a firm belief of it , will work in a man new apprehensions of , and new affections to both sin and duty ; and will cause him to abandon the little pleasures of sin which are but for a season , that he may come to the fruition of that fulness of joy , and those rivers of pleasure , which are in the presence of god , and at his right hand for evermore ; when once he knows , and firmly believes that they cannot otherwise be obtained . thus by faith is the victory over the world obtained , in all its temptations from honours , profits , and pleasures , 1 ioh. 5. 4. for by such a faith a man well perceives that the world offers him to his unspeakable loss , though it should offer him all of these that it is able to confer upon him , if it be upon condition of doing , or omitting to do that by which he shall certainly deprive himself of that glory , honour , and immortality , which he is well assured of through faith in god's promise , if he overcome . we see men are so commonly governed by a principle of self-love , in parting with a lesser good or conveniency for a greater , even in the things of this life , that they are worthi●y an ● deservedly counted fools that do the co●trary : and therefore those are guilty of so muc● the greater folly and madness , who deprive themselves of the happiness of heaven , by a sinful seeking or possessing of the honors , profits , or pleasures of this life : as the happiness of heaven exceeds the enjoyments of this world , in kind and height of satisfaction , and in continuance and duration , so rational a thing it is to live and walk by faith of unseen things , and unreasonable and unmanly to be governed by the sense of present things in opposition thereunto , 2 th●ss . 3. 2. 2. the faith of assent in the understanding , worketh a consent in the will to the condition of the promise , as the passion of fear is awakened by believing god's threatnings against such as do not observe and fulfil that condition . there is a principle of self-preservation planted by god in every man's nature , by which he fears and abhors that which he knows , and verily believes tends to the infelicity and misery of his being , and which puts him upon the avoiding of that which he believes hath such a tendency , in order to the declyning the misery , or destruction it self . when a man receives such sayings into his understanding , as threaten , that if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye ; that except ye repent , ye shall all perish : that without holiness , no man shall see the lord , and the like ; and doth assent unto them as the true sayings of god , which assent is his faith ; the fear of the misery threatned , and the principle of self-preservation , work in him a desire and endeavour to have his sinful inclinations and appetites mortified , and a care to avoid the outward acts of sin , as really and truly as he desires to escape eternal destruction it self ; as believing and knowing they tend thereto , and that he cannot escape the one , without a sincere desire and endeavour to destroy and avoid the other . and in this way faith is a believers victory , by which he also overcomes the world , when it tempts him to sin by threatning him with disgrace , loss of estate or liberty , or with enduring of corporal punishment , or death it self . for he believes the punishments in the other world to be of such a nature and duration , as that the worst things which man can inflict , are altogether inconsiderable in comparison of them . by which belief he is so far guided , that he chuses to suffer the less , when his faithfulness to god , and his own best interest doth expose him to it , rather than to expose himself by unfaithfulnes to infinitely the greater , to avoid the less . and thus faith purifies the heart of all inordinate affection to riches , honour , ease , and pleasures , acts 15. 9. 3. the faith of assent or credence in the understanding touching the exceeding greatness of god's love to mankind in the gift of christ for their redemption , and in his great and precious promises made in him upon a very gracious condition , works in the will a love to god , and so a love to please him , in doing those things which he hath made the condition of his promise . when once the understanding represents it to the will , as a certain truth upon clear evidence , that notwithstanding mens apostacy from god , and rebellion against him , and the condemnation they are under thereby ; yet god is reconcileable to them , yea , willing , and so desirous to reconcile them to himself ; that as an evidence and proof of it , he hath given his own son christ jesus to become a rans●me for them ; and that he hath made a new covenant , declaring that upon account of his son 's undertaking for them , he is not only abundantly willing to pardon all such as shall unfeig●●dly repent of their disloyalty , and sincerely return to their duty ; but that he will also bountifully reward their future sincere obedience with perfect and perpetual happiness : i say , when all this is represented to the will , as unquestionably true , it will work in it a love to that god and saviour , that hath been so loving , if it be but kept close to it . a minifestation of such love and goodness to man , and that while yet in enmity against god , so ill deserving , and so obnoxious to the power of his wrath ; when he hath no need of him , nor can be profited by him , will create good thoughts of god , and reconcile man's mind to him , and work melting affections in him to god , when heartily believed . what rebel is there , or nature so bad , that would not be won to leave off rebelling against his priuce , and to love and please him , upon undoubted assurance , that by so doing he should not only be pardoned , and restored to favour , but also preferred to the greatest honour and happiness he is capable of receiving from any mortal ? and yet how weak a motive is this in comparison of what comes from god , to reduce men to their love and loyalty to him ? god's love to man when perceived , and heartily believed , is the great motive , and attractive of mans love to god. we love him , because he first loved us , 1 joh. 4. 19. love is an active and commanding principle in man , and procureth thoughts , cares , and endeavours of pleasing god. if any man love me , he will keep my words , saith our blessed saviour , iob. ●4 . 23. and after this manner , faith worketh by love , gal. 5. 6. thus i have represented to you , how , and after what manner faith in the understanding works a saving consent in the will unto the condition of god's covenant of salvation . v. some few objections answered . 1. some have thought men may be justified only by their believing , even while they are ungodly in their lives ; and have thought that scripture , rom. 4. 5. will bear them out in such a conceit , which saith , he that worketh not , but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly , his faith is counted for righteousness . but they grosly mistake the scripture , and deceive themselves . for that text speaks of god's justifying the gentiles upon their sincere conversion to the christian faith and life , though they had lived in gentilism , in all ungodliness before , and until then , and though they should not work at all , as the judaizers would have had them , in turning proselytes to the jewish way . but otherwise it 's flatly against the express doctrine of the gospel , and current of the scriptures , for men to hope to be pardoned by any believing whatsoever , while they remain impenitent ; as every man doth while he remains ungodly . to justifie the wicked is an abomination to the lord. it 's said that christ made the blind to see , the deaf to hear , and the dumb to speak , as well as it 's said god justifieth the ungodly . but is any man so senseless as to think that christ made them to see , to hear , and to speak , while they remained blind , deaf , and dumb ? and if not , but that they know the meaning is , that christ made those to see , to hear , to speak , which had been blind , deaf , and dumb , before those cur●s were wrought upon them ; they might as well know also that the meaning is , that god justifieth those upon their believing , which had been ungodly until then , and not that he justifies them while they remain ungodly . 2. some alledge that although the faith which is alone , and with the concomitant effects of it , repentance , regeneration , &c. doth not justifie ; yet that faith alone which doth produce such effects , doth justifie without the concurrence of these in the justifying act . which they illustrate by this similitude . a man sees with his eye alone , though he doth not see with his eye that is alone , or separated from his body . in return to all which , let these things be considered . 1. they that go thus far , do grant that which will secure the notion of the necessity of repentance , regeneration , and new obedience unto justification . they grant we see such a necessity of these , as without which no man can be justified , no not by faith. in granting which , though we suppose them to err in their foresaid notion , yet this makes their error the less dangerous ; because the presence of repentance , regeneration , and obedience are no less necessary to justification according to this account , than they esteem them to be , who say they concur with faith in the very act of justification . 2. when they say faith , alone is all that is necessary to the justifying act , without the concurrence of any thing else done by us : by justifying act , they mean either god's act , or man's act. if man's act , that 's nothing but man's performing ▪ the condition upon which god hath promised to justifie men. if they mean god's act , it is his imputing mens performing the condition of the promise unto them for righteousness . the only thing then in question will be , what it is which is a fulfilling of the condition of the promise of justification , which god imputes for righteousness ? if they say it is only the assent of the understanding unto the truth of gods testimony in the gospel ; or this assent , together with a relyance on christ for salvation : i have shewed before , that both these may be found in men unregenerate , and unjustified : and that these two of themselves without repentance and hearty obedience to the laws of christ , are not a fulfilling of the condition of the promise , and that consequently men without these cannot be justified by any faith whatsoever , and so not by faith alone ; unless they will call repentance and heart-obedience in conjunction with the foresaid assent of the mind and relyance of the soul , by the name of faith : which if they will , we are agreed as to the thing at least , if not to the name , that we are justified by such a faith alone . and yet i doubt not that when ever justification is promised to believing singly and alone exprest , but that there the foresaid effects are comprehended under that name also , for the reasons formerly given . 3. they which say , we are justified by faith alone , but not by that faith which is alone , do distinguish where the scripture doth not distinguish : the scripture no where saith we are justified by faith alone , as contradistinguished from repentance , evangelical obedience , &c. the third chaper of rom. 28. and tit. 3. 5. are sometimes made use of to countenance their notion , but to how little purpose , hath been shewed already in the treatise , which needs not be here repeated . 4. the scripture is not only silent in the case , not any where affirming we are justified by faith alone ; but it expresly affirms the quite contrary . iam. 2. 24. ye see then how that by works a man is justified , and not by faith only . that this is affirmed in reference to our justification before god , hath been shewed before . 5. faith and repentance are a joynt condition upon which justification is suspended , and are both constituted so by the same means , and that is by promise of pardon to such as do believe , to such as do repent , and by threatning the contrary to those that do not both . and if they are a joynt condition of the promise of justification , then justification proceeds not upon either of them alone , but upon both together . 6. whereas it is said in the similitude , that a man sees with his eye alone , though not with his eye which is alone , or when it is alone . i doubt this is no more true than that which is intended to be illustrated by it . for naturalists will tell them the contrary , that it is not the eye alone by which a man sees , but that it is the soul that sees by the eye as its organ . the eye sees not when the soul is departed , though it be not then alone . i confess i cannot possibly conceive either how the soul should not concur with the eye in the act of seeing , when the eye cannot see without it , nor yet that repentance should not concur with faith in the act of justification , so long as men cannot be justified by faith it self without it , or in the absence of it , as they themselves grant . 3. this lyes in the way of some ; they cannot conceive how justification by evangelical obedience as well as faith , should consist with the possibility of somes being justified by believing , who yet may not live so long after , as to have an oppertunity of doing good works . how rare instances of this kind are , i shall not dispute : but doubtless , when ever men so believe gods promise of pardon through christ upon their repentance , and the necessity of their own repentance for the obtaining of it , as that they in will , and a fixed and lasting resolution become new men , then they first believe unto justification . and it is not impossible but that some may so believe , that may never after they do so , have opportunity to be much active in external acts of obedience . but though this should so fall out , yet such are not justified without evangelical obedience as wel as faith. for , 1. these motions and acts of the will , are themselves acts of present evangelical obedience . 2. they are in the root and cause , evangelical obedience future , and to come . i. they are in themselves acts of present evangelical obedience . for by these motions and acts of the will , men do when ever they take place , turn from sin to god and their duty , out of hatred to that they turn from , and out of love to that they turn to . and these acts of the will which consist in affection and resolution , are proper effects and fruits of faith in the understanding , and acts of heart-obedience in the sight of god , and a conformity of soul to his declared will and commandment . and they may as well , and as truly be called works , as evil acts of the will may , such as are a love to evil , and desires and resolutions of perpetrating it : which evil acts of the will , are yet in scripture called works , and a working of wickedness , psal. 58. 2. ye work wickedness in your hearts , micah 2. 1. he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her , hath committed adultery with her already in his heart , matth. 5. 28. and envy , wrath , and hatred , which are internal acts of the soul , are called works of the flesh , gal. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. and if such inward fixed resolutions in men , of obeying god in external acts , if ever they have opportunity and a call to it , did not pass in god's account for obedience , and were not accepted in stead of the deed , when opportunity for the deed is wanting , the best man in the world could be no disciple of christ , who doth not actually forsake all that he hath , and lay down his life for him . whosoever of you forsaketh not all that he hath , cannot be my disciple , saith he luke 14. 26 , 33. whereas christ pronounceth the poor in spirit blessed , many of whom never became actually poor for his sake , as not being called to it . but if they are poor in spirit , if they firmly resolve to become poor in forsaking all for christs sake , when called to it , these are capable of blessedness in christ's account , as well as those that suffer the loss of all for righteousness sake , matth. 5. 3. ii. those acts of the will , are in the root and cause , evangelical obedience future , and to come : because those resolutions against evil for good , when they are of a fixed and lasting nature ( as they alwayes are , when together with faith , they make men capable of justification ) will certainly produce external acts of sincere obedience , as opportunity doth occur . when the tree is made good , it will bring forth good fruit in the season of fruit , if it be not cut down before : when the heart is renewed in affection and resolution , the course of a mans life will certainly be answerable to it , if ever he have opportunity of shewing it . a good man out of the good treasure of his heart , bringeth forth good things , mat. 12. 35. and god who knows the heart , doth judge of , and estimate men according to what they are in the inward frame of their heart , and prevalent bent of their wills. if there be first a willing mind , it is accepted according to that a man hath , and not according to that he hath not , 2 cor. 8. 12. we judge of the cause by the effects ; of the goodness of mens hearts by the goodness of their lives ; to us the tree is known by its fruit : but god who is greater than our hearts , and knows them better than we do , judges of the effect by the cause , and knows what a mans life will be by what his heart is upon its first conversion to him ; and so confers on him the benefit of justification , when the foundation of a good life is laid in the conversion and renewing of the heart . the understanding of this part of discourse , will serve not only to satisfie the foresaid doubt , but also to inform us what evangelical obedience is necessary to justification in its beginning . not but that actual obedience in life is necessary to the continuance of justification where life is continued . and therefore we find that abraham was justified by his after-believing , and after-obedience , as well as by his first ; and so was noah before him . noah was a righteous man , and justified , before he became heir of the righteousness which is by faith , by his believing and obeying god in preparing the ark , gen. 6. 9. heb. 11. 7. it was by faith in god's promise that abraham left his countrey to obey god at the first , and by that he was first justified , heb. 11. 8. and yet his believing god's promise , so shall thy seed be , which was not made till some years after , was imputed to him also for righteousness , gen. 15. 6. it was many years after that again , that by faith he offered his son isaac upon the altar , and yet by that he was justified as well as by his first faith and obedience , iam. 2. 21. pardon of sin , is our justification from sin , act. 13. 39. and this we are directed by the lords prayer , to pray for daily all our dayes . and the continuance of justification is promised upon condition of continuance of faith and obedience to the gospel , col. 1. 21 , 22 , 23. and a discontinuance of it threatned in case of disobedience , according to the tenour of the parable , mat. 18. from ver . 23. to ver . 35. by all which we may see what need there is for all christians to work out , to work through their own salvation with fear and trembling , to which they are earnestly exhorted , phil. 2. 12. and to run so that they may obtain , 1 cor 9. 24. 4. some to evil affect their own and others minds ; with prejudice against discourses of this nature do suggest , that the laying so great a stress upon duty , as to esteem any thing of it necessary to justification , save believing only , doth derogate from the glory of christ's great undertaking in the business of mans salvation ; and that it is a trusting in our own righteousness . but it will appear far otherwise , if they will but impartially consider in what sence , and upon what account such stress is laid upon duty ; which i shall open in two particulars . 1. they that rightly understand themselves in this matter , do not look that any of their duties of what nature soever , should of themselves as such , be available to their justification or salvation ; but that it is for the sake of christ , and upon account of his undertaking for us , that god accepts , and imputes for righteousness to us , such duty as faith , repentance , and obedience is , and that he doth make promise of justification upon condition of these . since the fall we say , all our duties that are acceptable to god , or available to us , become so through christ , and for his sake . and therefore so long as we attribute and ascribe the benefit we expect upon our repentance , and sincere obedience or belief , unto christ , and to his great and worthy undertaking for us ; we are far from derogating from the glory of it , and from trusting in our own righteousness in that notion in which mens trusting in their own righteousness , is condemned in scripture , or any otherwise than as our duty is made a condition , without which we shall have no part in christ , nor be qualified for glory . 2. when we lay such stress upon repentance , obedience , &c. as a condition , or part of a condition of the promise of justification and salvation , as without which we say , we cannot be justified or saved by christ's undertaking for us , yet then this stress is laid , and depends upon the will and appointment of god , by which these duties are thus made the condition , and not on the intrinsick worth or value of the duties themselves simply considered without reference to god's ordination , appointing them to that use . for if god had not made a new covenant , promising pardon for christ's sake to such as do repent , and acceptance and reward to such as sincerely obey him , they would have had no sufficient ground to have been confident of pardon , acceptance , or reward , though they should have repented , and so obeyed . and the reason is , because men are not justified in the eye of the natural or moral law , upon any such account as that is . so that all the stress which is laid on duty by them that rightly understand their duty in this matter , doth terminate partly in christ's undertaking for them , and partly in god's institution and appointment , who hath made his promise of justifying us for christ's sake so , as that he hath made our duty of repentance , and sincere obedience a necessary condition of it . and he that trusteth to be pardoned , accepted , and rewarded for christ's sake upon his repentance , and sincere obedience , because god hath promised that he shall ; trusteth in god , and in the fidelity of his word and promise . and in doing so , what more stress doth he lay upon duty in this kind , than they that trust to be justified and saved upon their believing ? for their believing is matter of duty , as wel as their repenting and obeying : and their believing would no more have entitled them to the benefit without the promise which gives them that title , than other acts of duty would do . and other acts of duty do entitle to the same benefits as fully as faith it self doth , where there is promise of the same benefits annexed to them , as faith hath : and that they have , i have shewed before . so long then as the stress which is laid on duty , terminates in christ , and in god's will and appointment in the new covenant , and is regulated by his word and promise , there is no danger of overcharging duty . it 's true indeed , if we should expect that duty should do that for us , which is proper only to christ , as to expiate our sin , or the like ; we should sinfully overcharge it , as the pharisaical iews did their sacrifices , and other legal observances , in expecting remission of sin by them without christ's atonement : which righteousness of theirs is for that cause called their own righteousness which was by the law , as being no method of justification of god's appointment , but of their own devising , which in that respect was indeed but as filthy rags , and loathsome to god. but this is not the case with protestant christians , who lay no such stress upon duty , no not upon faith it ●elf ; but do acknowledge that all the power and virtue it hath to justifie , depends wholly upon , and is derived from the will and ordin●tion of god in christ , ioh. 6. 40. & 1. 12. ephes. 2. 8. and we say the same of repentance , and sincere obedience also . and a confidence of being saved in a way of duty upon such terms , is represented in scipture , as trusting in the righteousness of god through faith , in opposition to ones trus●ing , in his own right●ousn●ss , phil. 3. 9. ●o 〈◊〉 is it 〈◊〉 trusting ▪ in our own righteo●sness ●r from 〈◊〉 from christ in the glory 〈…〉 natural or moral law , upon any such account as that is . so that all the stress which is laid on duty by them that rightly understand their duty in this matter , doth terminate partly in christ's undertaking for them , and partly in god's insitution and appointment , who hath made his promise of justifying us for christ's sake so , as that he hath made our duty of repentance , and sincere obedience a necessary condition of it . and he that trusteth to be pardoned , accepted , and rewarded for christ's sake upon his repentance , and sincere obedience , because god hath promised that he shall ; trusteth in god , and in the fidelity of his word and promise . and in doing so , what more stress doth he lay upon duty in this kind , than they that trust to be justified and saved upon their believing ? minds , thirst more after discourses consolatory upon account of believing only . which may serve instead of an apology for writing this and the forgoing discourse . saint paul charged titus to affirm this [ constantly ] that they which have believed , be careful to maintain good works , tit. 3. 8. 〈…〉 pointment in the new covenant , and is regulated by his word and promise , there is no danger of overcharging duty . it 's true indeed , if we should expect that duty should do that for us , which is proper only to christ , as to expiate our sin , or the like ; we should sinfully overcharge it , as the pharisaical iews did their sacrifices , and other legal observances , in expecting remission of sin by them without christ's atonement : which righteousness of theirs is for that cause called their own righteousness which was by the law , as being no method of justification of god's appointment , but of their own devising , which in that respect was indeed but as filthy rags , and loathsome to god. but this is not the case with protestant christians , who lay no such stress upon duty , no not upon faith it self ; but do acknowledge that all the power and virtue it hath to justifie , depends wholly upon , and is derived from the will and ordination of god in christ , ioh. 6. 40. & 1. 12. ephes. 2. 8. and we say the same of repentance , and sincere obedience also . and a confidence of being saved in a way of duty upon such terms , is represented in scripture , as trusting in the righteousness of god through faith , in opposition to ones trusting in his own righteousness , phil. 3. 9. so far is it from trusting in our own righteousness , or from derogating from christ in the glory of his undertaking for us . and now for a conclusion : it would be considered whether such as are educated in christianity , are not hardlier brought to live as becomes the gospel in point of practice , than to believe that christ jesus came into the world to save sinners ; and that he dyed for them , and rose again : and whether there is not cause to fear that very many more such do eternally miscarry through neglect of the former , than for want of the latter : and if there be , as doubtless there is ; then practical discourses among such must needs be highly necessary , however some of weak minds , thirst more after discourses consolatory upon account of believing only . which may serve instead of an apology for writing this and the forgoing discourse . saint paul charged titus to affirm this [ constantly ] that they which have believed , be careful to maintain good works , tit. 3. 8. finis . errata . page 2● . line ▪ 35 , read 25. p. 40 , l. 6. for of , r. and. p 42. l. 29. f. should promise , r. should have promised . p. 43. l. 28. f. were , r. are . p. 45. l. 32. dele of . p. 49. l. 10. dele a. p. 56. l. 24. f. and , r. but. p. 59. l. 2. f. these , r. those . p. 60. l. 24. f. law , r. land. p. 61. l. 6. f. these , r. those — ● . 28. f. these , r. those . p. 62. l. 5 & 6. dele from that . p. 65. l. 17. dele from that . p. 67. l. 14. f. wherefore , r. therefore . p. 83. l 30. f. would , r. will. l. ibid. f. should , r. shall . p. 84. l. 11. f. seem , r. seems . p. 87. l. 25. r. the. p. 89. l. 27. f. of , r. from . p. 91. l. 9. f. sactifieth , r. sanctifieth p. 93. l. 14. f. until , r. unless . p. 95. l. 8. dele as . p 97. l. 19. r. to be . p. 99. l. 8. r. as he did . p. 120. l. 30. r. is p. 133. l. 18. r. such . p. 154. l. 8. r. freed . — l. 18. f. me , r. we . p. 157. l. 16. f. injurious , r. injured . p. 180. l. 27. f. a , r. as . p. 183. l. 10. dele in that — l. 14. f. choaked , r. choak . — l. 24. f ; and , r. to . p. 189. l 30. f. immoderate , r. inordinate . p. 193. l. 27. f. expressed , r. appr●hended . p. 202. l. 11. r. without p. 208. l. 2. r. and. catholick communion doubly defended by dr. owens, vindicator, and richard baxter and the state of that communion opened, and the questions discussed, whether there be any displeasure at sin, or repentance for it in heaven : with a parallel of the case of using a faulty translation of scripture, and a faulty lyturgy. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1684 approx. 139 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 23 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26882 wing b1208 estc r11859 12537469 ocm 12537469 62878 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26882) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62878) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 304:26) catholick communion doubly defended by dr. owens, vindicator, and richard baxter and the state of that communion opened, and the questions discussed, whether there be any displeasure at sin, or repentance for it in heaven : with a parallel of the case of using a faulty translation of scripture, and a faulty lyturgy. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [4], 40 p. printed for thomas parkhurst ..., london : 1684. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng owen, john, 1616-1683. christian union -great britain. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-04 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2004-04 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion catholick communion doubly defended : by dr. owens vindicator , and richard baxter . and the state of that communion opened , and the questions discussed , whether there be any displeasure at sin , or repentance for it in heaven . with a parallel of the case of using a faulty translation of scripture , and a faulty lyturgy . gal. 2. 11 , 12 , 13. when peter was come to antioch , i withstood him to the face , because he was to be blamed . for before that certain came from james , he did eat with the gentiles : but when they were come , he withdrew , and separated himself , fearing them which were of the circumcision : and the other iews dissembled likewise with him , insomuch that barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation . acts 11. 2 , 3. they which were of the circumcision contended with him , saying , thou wentest in to men uncircumcised , and didst eat with them . jud. 10. these speak evil of those things which they know not . london , printed for thomas parkhurst at the three bibles and crown , at the lower end of cheap-side , near mercers-chappel . 1684. that the primitive churches had some responsal forms ( which our psalms in meeter , and tune , do now supply without offence or disorder ) and that it is the declining of zeal , and the badness of men , that is become their disgrace , and not the forms ; for the use of men of both extreams ( passing by cyprians sursum corda ) i shall recite an evidence out of chrysostom , on 1 cor. 14. pag. 652. when we begin to say — the people answer [ with thy spirit , ] shewing that they so spake of old ; not moved by their own wisdoms , but by the spirit . but i speak not now of my self : but the church is now like a woman , which is fallen from her ancient prosperity ; and in many places retaineth only the symbols ( or tokens ) of that ancient felicity ; and sheweth only the cases ( or boxes ) and cabinets ( or tills ) of her iewels ( or ornaments , ) but is deprived of her riches . the church is now like such a woman . and i speak not this only as to ( her loss of ) gifts ; ( for if this were all , the matter were the less , ) but also as to life and virtue . when in the fourth century the old custom is thus reported , it must be very ancient : and this sheweth that zeal then caused the peoples responses ; and were they now used by good men with the like holy zeal , they would be less scrupled . the contents . sect . 1. the vindicators healing concessions and silence . sect . 2. what catholick communion is , which i plead for in 40 positions . sect . 3. our doctrinal differences . i. what knowledge souls in heaven have . ii. whether those in heaven ( yea , god ) be not displeased with sin . aff. iii. whether there be no repentance in heaven . aff. iv. whether it be true that doing what a law requireth so far as the intention is moved by the law , is a justifying of it , and that submitting to any law on consideration of its penalties , is so far to justify the preceptive part , and not so great an evil as the penal . neg. sect . 4. short strictures on his words for the use of the vindicator . sect . 5. a parallel , or comparison of the case of using a faulty translation of gods word ( as christ and the apostles did the septuagint ) with that of using a faulty lyturgy . sect . 6. an expository advertisement about naming men. the consent of dr. owens vindicator to the catholick communion , defended by richard baxter . sect . 1. sir , your book called , a vindication of dr. owen , i find containeth four distinct parts or subjects . i. a vindication of dr. owens personal worth : which you and i agreeing in , i have nothing in that to say against you . ii. your consent to the main of the cause which i defend , and your dissent from the persons whose words i confute : of this i shall thankfully take notice . iii. your blaming of me for my naming the dr. and for my manner of defence against his arguments . iv. your dissent from me in certain doctrinals . having dismist the first , as to the second , i thank you , 1. that you profess your self a hearty friend to all good men , and to the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace . 2. i thank you that you say , p. 3. [ i do not pretend in what follows to maintain against you that it is unlawful to use a form of prayer , or comply with an imposed lyturgy , or under some circumstances to joyn in the use of ours in worship . ] neither shall i undertake to justify altogether the 12 arguments you have printed as dr. owens , in order to refuting them . 3. i am pleased that you expound the doctors words , p. 24. as signifying only , [ it is not lawful for us to go and joyn in publick worship by the common-prayer , ] he doth not say it is not lawful for any : and for ought you know this [ us ] whom he concerned in it , might be a very few to whom this manuscript was imparted , and they might be under such circumstances as your own resolutions oft in print would discharge from that worship as a duty . ] were i never so well able to prove from this , and the doctors many printed writings , that he meant more , i would not now do it . i only here desire the men and women that have been with me , and profest that they thought the doctors 12 arguments to be unanswerable against the lawfulness of joyning in the use of the lyturgy , to take notice of what his worthy vindicator saith . 4. you grant , p. 25. that you [ conceive that the author doth not mean by these words , [ because that worship itself — is not lawful ] that it is simply unlawful , which must render it so at all times , and to all persons , under what circumstances soever : but that taken with all its modes , as well as matter , and the manner , severity , and universality of its imposing , it is so : besides , it is not said that according to the rule of the gospel it is unlawful , but [ according to the rule of the gospel it is not lawful , [ which may fairly be construed thus ; the rule of the gospel doth not authenticate , or warrant it ; and i think it ought to be so construed : it being the defect of the rule , not its opposition , which he lays the great stress of his cause upon . remember reader , that i was mistaken that thought not-lawful , and unlawful had been all one , and that the doctor said not that the joyning in the lyturgy as aforesaid , was unlawful , but only not lawful , not as in opposition to the rule , but without it , ( and so are the 20 circumstances which i named . ] 5. when he saith [ it is not in our power to make use of any part of it as we shall think fit . ] and i maintain that though man hath not put that in our power , god hath put it in our power to joyn in the good part of tolerable publick worship , without owning the faults ( or else we must joyn with none ; ) you deny not this , p. 27. but say that he meant it of mans giving us power ( which i never denyed . ) but it is god that we serve . you say [ when men pray , they bid us pray — in extempore prayer , both are required to what is good . ] true : and i may joyn with the good in an extempore prayer , without owning any evil in it . indeed you say , p. 28. [ the mass is not more twisted in all the parts of it by law , than the lyturgy , nor left less to our power to pick and choose : if this union do render the far greater pollutions , the idolatry , and heresy of the mass infectious to the whole worship , who can prove that the pollutions of other worship , when we are likewise commanded not to distinguish or divide , doth not in their kind and degree diffuse the taint alike . ] ans. god is the master of his worship : i do what he bids me , tho man contradict it : if god bid me hear and believe the scripture , and man say , hear also , and believe the apocrypha , i will openly profess i obey god , and you , no further than you contradict not god : rather than not hear the scripture , i will hear also the apocrypha , but not believe it to be gods word . but if they bid me also hear the alcoran , i will withdraw . 2. it is not the conjunction , but the kind of the thing joyned that maketh it unlawful : an honest weak man , an antinomian , an anabaptist , a presbyterian , or whoever you dissent from in tolerable cases , may mix his opinion , and faulty expressions and methods , with his prayer and sermon , as intimately as evil is mixt in the mass , and yet you will not refuse communion with him : it is lawful to drink beer that hath bad water mixt , rather than none , but not to drink that which hath poyson equally mixt . to p. 29. i think if a turk pray against idolatry , murder , &c. that prayer is materially good : but as to goodness from a holy principle , no hypocrites is good . the insufficiency of my answer you no way manifest , till you prove that i must joyn with all that is in publick worship , or with none . 6. pag. 32. you say [ doth he say a word of owning parish churches , and worship . ] ans. if you or he say nothing against these , we shall leave the diocesan case to others : but if you be the man that i have lately privately written to , i doubt not but i have proved to you , that parish churches that have good ministers , are true particular churches , and those ministers true pastors , and that any bishops holding the contrary , doth not disprove it . 7. when you recite my words , describing the cause i plead , viz. [ i have written over and over , that i persuade no man either to , or from a publick church , till i know his circumstances ; and that i doubt not but it is one mans duty , and another mans sin . ] you add [ i believe dear sir , that though this concession may displease those who may best bear it , it may reconcile you to most of those that are called dissenters . ] if so , those dissenters it seems by you do not much differ from me : but i think ten to one of the people accounted commonly dissenters through england , are of my mind , and are for parish-worship rather than either none or worse . but by dissenters , i suppose you mean those of the doctors mind , or your own : and if so , i thank you for your own charity and reconciliation : but if you did not know them better than i , i should doubt that your said friends are not altogether so reconcileable . sir , you add , p. 39. [ and if ( as you allow ) the practical determination depends on the circumstances of the persons , you reduce the controversy to a far narrower room , than was by most supposed : and every one being best capable of understanding his own circumstances , it will not bear great heat or importunity from another . ] but whence came those wrong suppositions of the most ? if after 20 years communion in the parish churches , i venture on the censorious so far as to give my reasons for my own practice , and defend those reasons , and that practice against contrary writings , and such wise men as you are so reconcilable , and see how narrow the controversy is , whence comes it that most think it to be what it is not , against such frequent plain expressions ? you and i may conjecture at the cause . your conclusion is a pious profession of that love , and the main principles of that concord for which i write . 10. you wisely leave the vindication of the doctors words , when it cometh to the case which i oppose him in : as [ that neither god , nor good men will allow of , judging our profession and practice by any reserves of our own ; ] when i have proved that our reserves against owning mixtures of evil , are necessary in all communion . 11. you vindicate not his words , that [ he that joyns in the worship of the common-prayer , doth by his practice make profession that it is wholly agreeable to gods mind and will. and that to do it with other reserves is hypocrisy , and worse than the thing itself , without them . 12. you vindicate not his grand argument [ religious worship not divinely instituted and appointed , is false worship , ] without excepting any secondary sort of worship . 13. you defend not his saying [ that there is nothing accidental in the worship of god : and that every thing that belongs to it is part of it , or of its subsistence . ] 13. you defend not that , [ because outward rites and modes of worship divinely instituted and determined , do become necessary parts of divine worship , therefore such as are humanly instituted and determined , are thereby made parts of false worship . ] what work would this argument make ? if all outward modes are false worship , when determined by men , if divine determination would make them necessary . 14. you do not vindicate that [ all prayers and praise in church-assemblies , meerly as such , are prohibited by the lyturgy , ] unless you do it by denying parish-churches . 15. you do not defend [ that the lyturgick worship was in its first contrivance , and is in its continuance , an invention , or engine to defeat , or render useless the promise of christ to his church , of sending the spirit in all ages to enable it to the due discharge , and performance of all divine worship in its assemblies , and therefore unlawful to be complyed with . that the very being and continuance of the church , without which it is but a dead machine , lyeth on this . doth this speak only of the english lyturgy , which is not 200 years old , think you ? when next he tells us , that [ it 's the way of worship by a prescribed lyturgy , and that it was insensibly brought in ( when in several ages the church had lived without it ) and that to render the promise of christ , and the work of the holy ghost in the administration of gifts useless . 16. you defend not that [ hence followed a total neglect of all the spirits gifts in the said administration — nor that [ this produced all the enmity — of the said work of the spirit , which the world is now filled withal — that it ariseth from hence alone . nor that the worship treated about , consists wholly in the institutions , and on the authority of men , and therefore is false worship — and to renounce the kingly office of christ in the church . nor that [ it belongs to the faithfulness of christ to appoint and command all things in the church that belong to the worship of god — in the forms and modes of them — ( doth this speak only of the english lyturgy . ) — nor that liberty to use gifts in prayer and preaching , is ridiculously pretended , & they are excluded in all the solemn worship of the church . 17. you defend not that [ this practice ( joyning in the lyturgy ) condemns the suffering saints of the present age , renders them false witnesses of god , and the only blameable cause of their own sufferings . ] and if all the nonconformists that 1660. gave their testimony for a reformed lyturgy , were not saints , at least they have been sufferers : and doth not this as much make them false witnesses ? and if both you and we were mistaken , i am confident you will not justify all that we suffer by , and say we are the only blameable cause ? as if every such mistake were worthy of all the punishment undergone ? nor will you think that every good mans opinion must be justifyed , which he suffereth for , lest he be made the only cause . 18. you defend not that [ all the promises , aids of the holy spirit , with respect to the prayer of the church , whether as to the matter of them , or ability — or the manner — are rejected and excluded by this form of worship . ] — 19. you defend not , i hope , that your church covenant is to observe — nothing but what christ commandeth in the worship of god. 20. nor that [ the practice inquired into contains a vertual renunciation of our church state , and of the lawfulness of our ministry , and ordinances therein . ] if you do , it is no renunciation of ours . i thank you that you defend none of all these . for truly they be not things indifferent , but if they be not true , they are of confounding , dividing , unpeaceable consequence . sect . 2. iii. as to the third thing , which taketh up most room , viz. your blaming me , 1. for using the doctors name , 2. for the manner of my confutation , i say distinctly . 1. i confess i think that the name of christ and religion , and its honour is to be preferred before all mens : and i had many years ago heard a conformable preacher before a very honourable , and learned auditory , charge the nonconformists with holding that [ a thing lawful in itself , in gods worship , becometh unlawful , if it be commanded by the magistrate . and that forms and liturgies were unlawful , because they be not made in scripture by christ. ] and i have read too many such charges : and i always answered that we were slandered . 2. i quickly heard that the manuscript was commonly spread , and he that brought it me , said , he believed a thousand were confirmed by it against going to the parish churches and lyturgy . 3. several of my friends and acquaintance had got it , and told me they thought it unanswerable . and all named the doctor as the author . 4. i was suddenly told of a very able conformist that was going to answer it , and i feared he would lay it on us all . 5. i made no doubt but pulpits and press would loudly say , these are the nonconformists principles : and if i denyed it would cite the doctors paper and name . 6. i knew divers of his printed books have the same opinion of the unlawfulness of imposed forms ; what now should i say against such reporters of the nonconformists opinions ? must we all bear the accusation of so many errours , and be published with scorn and contempt to be such , to make us odious to all , rather than one man should be confuted . i purposed at first to conceal his name , till i saw that all took notice of it , and none denyed it , ( and after ( i conjecture it is your self ) that in the letter to me affirmed it . ) i know that multitudes of men of name , learning , and power , scorn us as they do the quakers , as believing them that say [ we make all this noise and schism as a distinct party , and suffer silencing , and imprisonment , because we will not communicate with the lyturgy which the martyrs owned : ] i dare not suffer the innocent to lie under such a slander for one [ or many ] mans name ; we gave them our publick testimony to the contrary , 1660. and 1661. if a few that would not come in then , and be seen among them that pleaded the cause of the old nonconformists , have now by our distempers got so many of their mind as that we must be ) thought intolerably to wrong them , if we ( necessarily ) give our reasons against them , and shall pass their excommunicating sentence against the cause of the old non-conformists , and yours , i cannot be one that shall betray the truth and cause of catholick communion ▪ by silence ▪ at such a time , when the erroneous expect that their opinion should be so necessary to our union , that none must contradict it . therefore your saying that you have met with none that approveth my writing , if it were for the cause , as well as my faultiness , will make me see the greater necessity of bearing my testimony against them ; epidemical diseases most need physicians , if not to cure the sick , yet to preserve the sound . paul wanted not love nor prudence to peter , when he not only reproved his temporizing separation to his face , but left it with his name on record to all generations , when they were both dead . christ had immediately before abundantly honoured , and praised peter , who yet for his miscarriage speaketh to him , as he did to the devil , get thee behind me satan , &c. mat. 16. and yet the miscarriage was done in love to christ , by a prime and dear disciple ; and his name must be thus left under this most sharp reproof , to be read from age to age by all . iames and iohn were choice disciples , and yet their ambition , and their uncharitable zeal for christ , must be recorded with their names , as men that desired they knew not what , and knew not what manner of spirit they were of . we are not so much better than they , as the passions of some applauders intimate : christ will not be more tender of our names , than of his cause , and the good of souls . if david will cause gods enemies to blaspheme , his sin shall be punished in the sight of the sun , though the sharpest part of the punishment be pardoned . but as for my naming the dr. and your intimation , that it 's long of me that he is named as the author of those arguments , i further say , 1. is not a man named openly , till his name be printed ? was not the uncontradicted report , ( still continued ) a publication . was there no publication of names till 224 years ago , when printing was invented ? 2. all that i yet desire , is to be able to deny it to be his , that the next man that hits the non-conformists in the teeth with it , as the doctors , may but be told it is not his : if you can and will but tell me that you believe it not to be his , that i may have but so much to say , i will thank you , and make it publickly known . either the cause and arguments are true , or false : if true , defend them . if false , are they not dangerous in so great a cause ; and at such a time , when they tend to drive hundred thousands from all church worship and communion , and to persuade men into scandalous suffering for ill doing . i think it laudable in you to honour the doctor , and if you be the man i conjecture you are , i think it 's specially incumbent on you ; as to your hints of suspicion of my sense of old differences , if i know my heart , i forgave , and fully put up all personal quarrel long ago : but the national concerns made so deep a wound in my heart , as never will be fully healed in this world : but this leads me to the second part of your reproof . ii. i do but tell you my reasons for naming the doctor , but i undertake not to justify either that , or the manner of my writing , from mistake , imprudence , or other such faultiness : i suppose you to be a man whom i take from my heart to be far wiser , and better than my self : and therefore , as i thank you for your gentle , friendly reprehension , so i profess that my very esteem and reverence of your judgment maketh me suspect that i have done amiss , when i see it not in the cause itself : that i could have defended the cause of love and communion against those arguments , without taking notice of the author , and without wronging the non-conformists who will be charged by his name i did , and do wish ; but i thought it could not well be done . if in this i mistook , i ask pardon of god and man ; for so i must do for my sins known and unknown . and as to the manner of my writing again , i say , i am convinced that all that i do is faulty , and cannot but have some favour of the ignorance , and imprudence , and forgetfulness , and other faults of the author . i read over your animadversions , and , 1. i see at present some words of my own , that i much more blame my self for writing , than you for blaming . 2. what i yet see not to be faulty , your authority shall make me yet suspect , and further consider . 3. i see very many passages , where i am confident the mistake is yours , sometimes mistaking the matter , and sometime my words . what good will it do the reader , or you , or me , to give the world an account of all these , and to drown the cause in abundance of self-defending words ? indeed i have neither time nor mind to write a book now for my self-defence . the greatest affliction i have by this controversy as personal , is this diverting of my thoughts so near my last hours from things more agreeable to my case : and far be it from me to be confident in justifying my ( faulty ) writings , when i am going to the judge that will take that for an aggravation of my sin . but i durst never forsake publick communion , nor my own work , because i cannot have one , and do the other without fault : i am suspicious there may be more faults in me and my writings , than either i discern , or you , or any such have told me of . and if i could prove that your mistakes are the ground of your accusation , i see by your noting my numbring the mistakes in matter of fact , in the private letter to me , how you would take it . therefore , instead of writing for my self , i will give the reader this concession and advice . readers , i think it is little of thy concern to know whether i be wise or unwise , good or bad , or whether i did well or ill in naming dr. o. or whether the manner of my writing be much , or little to be blamed : on condition you will agree with me in the cause of love and concord that i defend , lonly then intreat you , that what imprudence , unskil fulness , rashness , or other faults you find in me or my writings , you will the more carefully your selves avoid them , and do better : and if you judge me to do ill , when i do my duty , and think very hardly of me for being against your way , i unfeignedly forgive you ; and if you forgive not me , i can bear that . i was aware that i should be ill spoken of by many whom i love : and i am not ambitious to be ill spoken of : if folly make me exercise self-denyal , it is for somewhat that i thought had been better then all the love and praises which i deny . i flatter no party , and i look to gain by none : i have gathered no church to depend on for kindness , nor is the fear of displeasing them a by as to my judgment . and if it be otherwise with any , i think , were they like to have need of men in this world as short a time as i , they would make as little of mens good or ill thoughts and words as i do , except for the sake of other men . therefore reader , think of all the rest what you see cause , so you will but agree in the cause that i am defending : that is , i. that god is love , and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in god , and god in him , 1 joh. 4. ii. it is the prayer of christ that all who shall believe may be one , that the world may thereby be brought to believe that the father sent him , jo. 17. 21 , 22 , 23. and that they must love one another , even as he hath loved them , by which it is that all must know that they are his disciples , jo. 13. 34 , 35. iii. this love must extend to all that are of one body , one spirit , one hope , one lord , one faith , one baptism , one god and father of all : and this unity of the spirit must be kept in the bond of peace , eph. 4. 3. and if it be possible , as much as in us lyeth , we must live peaceably with all men , rom. 12. 18. iv. christians must love one another with a pure heart , fervently , 1 pet. 1. 22. with a love which suffereth long , and is kind , envieth not , is not easily provoked , thinketh no evil , beareth all things , believeth , hopeth , endureth all things , rom. 13. v. yet must they not be so tender of each others honour , as of gods , nor justify the sin of any , nor make mens names a snare to draw the weak to sin , nor think that love and peace can be justly vindicated without gain-saying the errours which oppose them , nor that christ broke the law of love by his sharp rebuke of peter , that tempted him to forbear the work of love ; nor by rebuking the hurtful zeal of james and john , nor by being angry with those that forbad little children to come to him ; nor paul by withstanding peter in his separation . vi. christian love must extend to those that differ from us , though faultily in cases of tolerable infirmity , so as not to judge or despise them , but to receive them to our communion , as christ receiveth us , rom. 14 & 15. approving all so far , that serve god in that which his kingdom doth consist in , rom. 14. 17 , 18. vi. all christians must earnestly oppose divisions , and sects , and sidings with strife and envy as a sign of carnal men , and must labour to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment , and to glorify god with one mind and mouth , 1 cor. 1. 10. & 3. 3 , &c. and must not forsake the assembling of themselves , heb. 10. 25. vii . it is by love that the whole body of christ must edify itself , and win , and overcome their adversaries , even those that curse , and hate , and persecute them , as god doth good to the just and unjust , love being the most powerful conquerour of hearts , eph. 4. 15 , 16. matth. 5. 44 , &c. viii . no excellency of one party above others , nor no faultiness of any christians , must be pretended against any duty of love and communion ; but we must not sin for communion with any . ix . though we must not by profession , word , or subscription own the sin of any church , we must join in their communion in the worship of god , with those whose worship is mixt with sin in matter and manner , so it be not sin that is by its evil predominant against the good of the duty , to make the work rejected of god ( like poyson in our food , which makes the hurt greater than the good ) because else we must neither worship god our selves , nor join with any in the world : all the works of sinful men being mixt with sin . to deny this , is virtually to separate from all the christian world . x. therefore our bare presence is no signification that we approve all that is done in that assembly . the very nature of christian communion is a profession of the contrary ; we being bound by god to communicate in good , and not to own the evil : and if men command us to own all that they there do , their command cannot bind us against gods , nor make our presence a profession that we obey them against god : it being god that is the master of us , and our work . and christianity itself being a profession that we obey god before man. else man by commanding us to own some ill word , or circumstance , might drive us from all christian communion . if men should command us in our private meetings , to do it for an ill end , or an ill principle ( as in obedience to usurpers ) we must not therefore forbear all private meetings , nor will our bare meeting signify our obedience to such commands . if the pastor of a single church ( or many associate ) tell the people , your meeting must be to own e. g. anabaptistry , antinomianism , presbytery , erastianism , separation , &c. this binds them not either to own it , or to withdraw , without some greater reason . he is no master of their faith. xi . nor will the bare knowing beforehand that the pastor will say or do somewhat unlawful , make our presence guilty of approving it . we know before-hand that we and all men are sinners , and shall sin in what we do : and we may suppose men will speak as they think : and as we know not but any man may speak amiss till we hear what he saith , so when we know that the pastors have tolerable errours , and will vent them , it will not make us guilty of their sin , nor bind us to depart : we meet to own christianity , and not all that the man will say or do ( known or unknown ) i know before that i shall have many faults in my own prayer ( disorder , dulness , &c. ) which i do not own , though herein i am guilty . xii . yet no man should prefer worse before better , if all things set together , it be better indeed to the person at that time . xiii . god hath by his son iesus , and his apostles , instituted all that in doctrine , discipline , worship , and conversation , which is obligatory , or necessary universally to all the church , over and above , what is required by the law of nature . and no man or men have power to add any thing of universal obligation . xiv . god hath by nature and scripture obliged men themselves to choose and determine divers subordinate expressions , significations , modes , circumstances , or accidents of this universal religion , which are not themselves meet for an universal , and unchangeable , obligation , but local , temporary , and mutable : some of which every man may choose for himself , some the present pastor must choose , some the associated pastors may choose , and some the magistrate may choose . these must be added to the universal duties , so far is such addition from being sin : i have often named many particulars ; as the translation of the scripture , which to choose : the version of the psalms in rithme , or metre , the common use of new made hymns , the dividing the scripture into chapter and verse ; the words of sermons ; their method ; the particular text to be chosen ; what chapters to read ; at what hour to begin ; how long to preach ; in what words to pray , whether the same oft , or changed ; whether fore-studied , or not , whether written , or unwritten : whether studied , and written by our selves , or by others ; where the place shall be , where the pulpit , font , table , &c. shall stand ; what ornaments they shall have , linnen , silk , silver vessels or otherwise ? whether we be bare-headed , or covered at prayer , sacrament , &c. whether we shall kneel , stand , sit , or be prostrate at prayer , &c. what distinctive garments pastors shall use . by what signs of consent and obligation men vow , and swear , whether by putting the hand under the thigh , lifting it up , subscribing , laying it on the book , kissing the book , &c. what catechisms to use , with many more such . god hath commanded men to choose such things as these by the rules of edification , love , peace , concord , order , decency , winning those without , &c. xv. these may be called worship in a sense subservient to gods ordinances of worship ( as we worship men , by putting off the hat , kneeling , bowing , &c : ) but if any will not call it worship , they must not call it false worship , nor pretend that the controversy is any more than about the bare name . xvi . they that feign such things as these to be sinful additions , and an invading of christs office , and denying his faithfulness , &c. condemn the scripture that commandeth such determinations , and contradict the law of nature , and the practice of all churches on earth , and would exterminate all gods worship , which cannot be performed without some such determinations . xvii . as god hath not tied us to words in prayer or preaching ( though he have recorded many forms in scripture ) but left all to choose what words , time and circumstances make fit ( by book , or without , ) so the conveniences , and inconveniences both of set forms , and of free speaking , are on each part so great and undenyable , that we have no cause to censure that church which useth both ; that is , which agreeth on a set form , to shew what the church professeth to own , if the minister should blutter out any errour or undecency , and yet not restrain ministers from the due use of free speech . xviii . it is a great sin out of a fond conceit of the excellency of either way , above it 's due value , to think & speak with unjust vilifying of the other way , when god hath tied us to neither alone : it is contrary to knowledge , love , peace , and concord , out of a self-conceitedness , peevishness , or false prejudice received from others , to think , and speak worse of other mens words in prayer , than they deserve : and to frighten the ignorant from lawful communion , by calling that sin , or false worship , that is not so . xix . not medling with ministers subscribing , declaring , swearing , nor with the discipline , by-offices , baptizing as by our sort of godfathers covenanting without the parents , crossing , and undue application of words at burial , and such like ; i know nothing in the common lords-day worship spoken in the name of the church , which a godly christian may not joyn in , with the exercise of the spirit of prayer with faith and comfort ; if prejudice , and false apprehensions of it , affright him not , or put not his soul out of relish with it . ( as on the other side prejudice distasteth many too much with the faulty methods and words of many mens extemporate prayers . ) xx. there are so few churches on earth that worship god without all set lyturgies or forms as are next to none . and there are very few in all the world so good as the english lyturgy , and that have so few faults : which martyrs composed , and joyfully used . and it is unchristian to renounce communion with any one church , for a reason that is common to all , or almost all . it being contrary to the communion of saints in one body , and far worse than to slander any single man. xxi . it is great self-condemnation in them that cannot bear to be censured , nor scarce be contradicted , yet thus to censure almost all the church . xxii . they that think that conforming ministers are guilty of great sin , must consider what diversity of education , company , and interest may do , even on men of conscience , and that we have all our sins . and it 's sinful uncharitableness to think , and speak worse of them than they deserve , and to talk against all , for the faults of some . xxiii . so great is gods mercy to this land , in yet giving many godly able ministers to the publick churches , that it is sinful ingratitude to overlook or deny it , though many others be never so bad . xxiv . the religion that keepeth possession of the parish churches will be the national religion : mourn therefore before god , that ever any men professing godliness , should either labour to get all sound protestants to desert the parish churches , or that any such have been against the restoring of nonconformists , by that called a comprehension , which was but the withdrawing of such impositions as these very men thought sinful ; and all this , lest it should diminish the number and strength of the private churches . by this we see what we are doing against our selves , if god save us not . xxv . they that say conformists convert no souls , take on them to know that of thousands which they know not : and forget that before 1640. there were few but conformists to convert them in the land , and that all the westminster assembly , save eight , were such . and that the parliament kept near 7000 in the ministry , that all conformed on aug. 24. 1662. xxvi . in most counties of england , many hundred persons to one must have church communion in the parish churches , or have none at all : and to renounce all church worship and communion , rather than joyn in the parish churches , and with the lyturgy , and to persuade all to do so , is almost to draw the land to live like atheists : and is so pernicious to souls , that no good christian should favour it . and it is a-gross breach of the covenant , which renounceth prophaneness , schism , and all that is contrary to godliness . xxvii . so much are papists angry at protestant ministers that keep them out of the parish churches , reviling them as trimmers , supposing that conventicles can do them less harm , that all that love the protestant religion , should do their best to encourage all such orthodox men , and to strengthen the protestant interest in the parish churches , and not joyn against them with the papists , however it be with other intents and minds . xxviii . so great is the peace and comfort of many parishes , where the publick ministers , and all the religious people live together in love and amity , that it loudly tells us how much better that is , than to study to render each other odious , or vile , and excommunicable . xxix . such use of godly publick ministers may well stand with the best improvement we can make of the private help of others . xxx . if we would win any that we think worst of , yea , or ease our selves , it must be by love to them , and not by condemning them on controvertible accounts , or by causeless singularities . xxxi . it is lawful to have transient communion with an occasional assembly of christians that are no fixed church , nor the minister the fixed pastor of any particular church . xxxii . it is lawful to have transient communion with a church of strangers or neighbours , without taking an account of the calling of their pastors , or of their discipline . xxxiii . when we have right to gods ordinances , if many intrude that have no right , when we cannot hinder it , we must not therefore forsake our right , or gods worship . xxxiv . though we must prefer better before worse , that worse may be best to us at that time and place , when we cannot have better without more hurt than benefit to the publick or our selves . among many ministers , weak and strong , all cannot hear the best , nor must renounce the weaker . to live under the countenance of government under an honest minister of mean parts in peace and concord , though he use the lyturgy , is more to the common advantage of religion , and to the profit of most particular souls , than to hear an abler man , with the distraction of disturbers , and to be fined , and lie in prison on no better a cause . xxxv . it is not only the law of man that maketh the foresaid parish communion a duty , but it is gods law of love , concord , peace , and universal communion , if there were no constraining law of man. xxxvi . they that constantly refuse communion in the publick churches while it is commanded , and while many write to prove it sinful , and many are in prison , and ruined for refusing it , are justly to be interpreted to hold it to be unlawful , unless they openly profess the contrary , and give some better reason for their forbearance . xxxvii . to hold that any congregations are such , whose worship is faulty , but such as god forgiveth , and accepteth , but that it is unlawful for us to joyn with them , lest it make us guilty of their sin , this ( though it should be erroneous , and uncharitable , and sinful ) yet is not to excommunicate that congregation as no church , or no christians . but to say of any congregation , that they want any thing essential to christianity , or to make them capable to be loved as christians , or that their worship of god is idolatry , or so bad , as that god accepteth it not , the evil of it being greater than the good , ( as poyson in our food ) and on this reason to declare that no good christian should communicate with them , this is to excommunicate such congregation , as far as one church may excommunicate another , which is but by such renouncing their communion . xxxviii . there is no history that i have seen or heard that tells us of any churches on earth that for many hundred years together did worship god without a lyturgy as faulty as ours : to make them all idolaters , and such whose worship god cursed and accepted not , is to make them no true churches ; and if christ had no church , he was no head and king of it , and so no christ. xxxix . the use of faulty lyturgies is no worse than the use of faulty translations of the holy scripture , which yet christ and his apostles ordinarily used , ( of which i shall say more anon . ) xl. i have before proved how faulty the priests calling was in christs time , and the temple and synagogue worship , and the pharisees long lyturgies , on pretence whereof they devoured widows houses , and their corrupt doctrine ; and how great the faults were in the churches of corinth , galatia , ephesus , sardis , laodicea , thyatira , pergamos , and those that james wrote to , from which none were commanded to depart : and to condemn christ or his apostles , as favouring , or using sinful communion ▪ is worse in christians than it was in the pharisees . these are the principles , and this is the cause for which i write : and i cannot defend it without opposing those that openly militate against it . if the woman of tekoah could have told david that any one had held , or hindered her son from killing his brother , she would not have called him unpeaceable . it was hard measure that the striving israelite offered to moses , that said , who made thee a prince , and a iudge over us ? intendest thou to kill me , as thou killedst the aegyptian ? and all for saying , wherefore smitest thou thy fellow ? if we could as charitably judge of a godly man that differs from us , as of our selves , and most esteemed partners , how much sin should we avoid ? but reader , agree with me in this cause of christian love and concord , and then think of me and my writings what thou seest meet . the question is not which of us is the wisest , or hath done best , but how we should all please the god of love and peace , and avoid the evils which have long threatned us , and which with grief i must say , our mistakes , and miscarriages in religion have brought upon us , and are like to increase . many seem like a ship of passengers , whose pilot hath cast them by errour on the sands or rocks ; and some that pity them as they are sinking , tell them that their pilots mistake hath endangered them , and they must take better advice ▪ and instead of accepting help , they revile the helpers as injurious , unpeaceable , dishonourers of their wise and faithful pilot. and if far worse be not yet at hand , free-grace must wonderfully frustrate this prognostick . sect . 3. iv. but somewhat , reverend sir , you oblige me to say about my supposed doctrinal errours , which you have found in my praises of dr. o. ( had i dispraised him as much , you might have found more . ) i said , that [ i doubt not but his soul is now with christ , and though heaven have no sorrow , it hath great repentance , and that dr. o. is now more against the receiving of this mistake than i am , and by defending it , you far more displease him than me . ] here my supposed errours are three . i. that i suppose him to know so much in heaven . this being but played with as in jeast , i answer the more briefly to it in earnest . 1. i am not of the socinians mind , that lay the soul as in nuda potentia to sleep till the resurrection : nor do i believe that souls in paradise with christ , are more ignorant than they were in the body . 2. and therefore i think the doctor knoweth what he wrote , and did on earth , and is not fallen into forgetfulness . 3. and that he knoweth into whose hands he gave those papers , and what mind the men were of , and how they were received while he lived , if they have been so long extant as you seem to intimate , and that they were justifyed then . 4. and if the saints shall judge the world , and be like , or equal to the angels , i do not think that the concerns of this life are any more below their regard , nor more impertinent to them , than to the angels : nor that they live as unconcerned strangers to earth ( when a sun-beam can reach so far . ) the souls under the altar , that cryed how long , knew that their blood was unrevenged on earth . 5. nor do i believe that christ , with whom they are , and the angels that here attended them , are so strange to them , as to tell them nothing of the earth . but lest you feign that i suppose them to have news-books , gazetts , or post-letters hence , i only advise you that justly extol his learning , and wisdom on earth , not to bring him too low in heaven , in comparison of us imprisoned sinners , nor make him an ignoramus : and then we will but agree , that if he know of our faults here , he is against them , but if he think you are all changed since he died , there is mistake in heaven . it followeth not that souls in heaven know nothing by angels , because they know not all things : nor that of themselves they know not what a man here may know by common reason , that the effects will be like the cause , and his many friends that owned his mistake on earth , will some of them yet own them . i can but be sorry ( for i am not so presumptuous as to think to change your judgment ) if the contrary supposition be [ your best weapon ] against the popish superstition of praying to saints : for all this i will hope that you do not pray to dr. o. for so much as you believe he knoweth , nor yet feign him stark ignorant for fear of praying to him ? do you think he hath forgotten the ●ase of england ? or will you pray to him to intercede for it . ii. my second supposed errour is , that the saints in heaven have any displeasure : and this is said to be [ a contradiction to the generally received opinion of all that you have met with . ] i doubt not but your acquaintance is large , but i perceive it is not with all sorts of men . i am sorry they should generally deny so great and clear a truth . 1. let us examine the controversy , as of the matter , and 2. as of the name [ displeasure . ] 1. complacence is the first act of the will upon good as good , before it come to election of compared goods , ( which is usually de mediis : ) displicence is its contrary , and its object is evil as evil. one is called volition , or willing , the other nolition , or nilling . as pleasedness , and displeasedness are in the passions , and signify ioy and trouble , we have nothing here to do with them , ( having expresly excluded sorrow ) but as they are in the will. i thought till now , that all sober divines had been agreed ( protestants and papists ) that not only in saints and angels , and christ as man , but in god himself ( who is most remote from imperfection ) there is complacence , and displicence , willing , and nilling , which though in creatures that have accidents , they really differ as acts , yet in god who is most simple , they are ( say the subtiler part of the school doctors ) but the essence of god by extrinsick denomination from relation of the effects , differenced from the essence simply considered , and from each other ; or as the scotists formaliter , or as the thomists ratione ratiocinata ; but none deny these to be in god. i suppose that volition or complacence you deny not : as to displicence or nolition , answering the judgments dislike , i prove that it is in heaven , in god and creatures . 2. if the will of god , angels , and spirits , have any act about evil , it is displicence , : but some act about evil they have , ergo , &c. for the major , if they have any act , it is displicence , or complacence , for the will hath no other primary acts before election , ( even frui & intendere , presupposing this complacence : ) but god and good spirits have no complacency in sin or evil as such : ergo they have a displicence : aut placet aut displicet , being the first in nature . that god or spirits at least have some act of will about evil as such , is commonly agreed : else all the sin and evil in the world would come to pass , without any act of god , or good spirits in heaven about it : sure they that for predetermination have written so many volumes , ( and one against me ) are not of that mind . they say this is to feign god , and all in heaven asleep , or having nothing to do with earth : i have my self proved indeed ( with others ) that god hath no volition or complacency of evil as such , but a displicence i have proved . 2. if god have no displicence as to sin , then there is no effectual impediment to it , but all the world would be drowned in wickedness : for the creature would presently run into evil . but sin is restrained — if any in excess of subtilty say , that nolitions are not in god , but volitions of the good , are instead of nolitions of evil , this is bold , and at least the language unfit , and reductively these volitions are nolitions of their contraries . and however none of this can be feigned of souls . 3. if god be not disp'eased with sin , then his prohibitions are no signs of his displeasure ; any more than his commands . but , &c. 4. then his judgments and execution in hell , are no effects of his displeasure . 5. then christ came not to reconcile us to a displeased god , nor is he any more displeased with persecutors then saints , nor with cursing than with blessing ▪ nor with any man for doing it . 6. if the subtilty which i have taken notice of in my catholick theology , asserting volitions without nolitions in god , were defensible , it would , as i said , be of no truth as to creatures ; if souls in heaven have no displicence against sin , how is their will holy in the image of god , that hateth iniquity ? devils love sin ; stones , and brutes neither love , nor hate it . saints in heaven hate it , and love it not : meerly not-loving it is not their full holiness . 7. if saints there are not displeased with sin , how can they glorify christ for dying for it , or god for punishing it . 8. or how can they be everlastingly thankful to christ for saving them from it . 9. what a change must they impute to christ that came so low , and suffered as in a sort forsaken , to destroy the works of the devil , and now hath not so much as the least displeasedness with sin . 10. then christ and saints there are no more displeased at persecution , prophaneness , murder , adultery , then at piety and love. 11. then it no more displeaseth souls there , that they here sinned , then that they did well : pauls mind is much changed then about his persecution . the best is , though you and yours are offended with me , it is not displeasing to dr. o. if he know it . but if your reason be , because that all displeasedness hath some suffering of the mind , or trouble , 1. as to my meaning you know i excluded sorrow . 2. and it is not true that you suppose . pure displicency of the will in god , and the blessed , hath no trouble : it is not exercised in a body that hath a heart , or head troubled by commotion of the blood and spirits , nor yet in an imperfect soul that hath hurting passions . it is the pure perfection of the will ; and nothing but its aversation from sin ; and contrary to love : love and hatred are names that may well here be used , but complacence , and displicence being the same , sound as less to signify passion . and if there be passion in heaven , ( which you cannot disprove ) it might be without diminution of felicity . ii. but i am not hopeless that you will deny none of all this as to the matter , but turn all into a quarrel at words , and say that the name of displeasure is not fit for any act of god or saints , or angels in heaven : if that be the worst ( which is bad enough ) let us next try that wordy controversy . i. by scripture . ii. by school divines . iii. by common practical divines . i. scripture use of words in sacred things is our best dictionary . he that is our great teacher , knoweth how to speak : if you dislike his words , methinks you should not accuse men of errour , and that against the common sense of all that you meet with , for imitating god , and speaking as he doth : and that at the same time when you are defending one that would have no mode , or accidentals in worship used , which god prescribeth not . if by my words i must be justified , or condemned , i hope god will not condemn me for speaking as he taught me , no more then for doing as he bid me , though all your party should do it ▪ and i can bear their condemnation . the hebrew phrase which we translate by displeasing god or man , is oft [ it was evil in his eyes ] which speaketh a positive act of the understanding de malo : and that there was no answerable act of the will , let him say that dare . prov. 24. 17 , 18. rejoyce not when thy enemy falleth , and let not th● heart be glad when he stumbleth , lest the lord see it , and it displease him — ] no , say you , fear not that any in heaven should be displeased . gen. 38. 10. the thing that he did displeased the lord , wherefore he slew him . num. 11. 1. when the people complained , it displeased the lord — his anger was kindled — 2 sam. 11. 27. the thing that david had done displeased the lord , ( murder , and adultery . ) no , say you , god is not displeased with any sin , there is no displeasure in heaven . 1 chr. 21. god was displeased with this thing , therefore he smote israel . psal. 60. 1. o god — thou hast been displeased . isa. 59. 15. the lord saw it , and it displeased him . zech. 1. 2. 15. the lord hath been sore displeased , or displeased with displeasure — i am very sore displeased with the heathen — i was but a little displeased . psal. 6. 1. o lord rebuke me not in thine anger , neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure . psal. 2. 5. he shall speak to them in his anger , and vex them in his sore displeasure . deut. 9. 19. moses saith , [ i was afraid of the great anger , and hot displeasure wherewith the lord was hot against you to destroy you . ] i am sorry that you all differ from moses . and expositors suppose that when god is said to have no pleasure in fools , or in wickedness , &c. eccl. 5. 4. ps. 5. 4. it signifieth displeasure . but the scripture ascribeth to god not only displeasure , but hatred , which signifieth the greatest displeasure , deut. 16. 22. psal. 11. 5. the wicked , and him that loveth violence , his soul hateth , isa. 1. 14. mal. 2. 16. psal. 5. 5. thou hatest all the workers of iniquity , & 45. 7. thou hatest wickedness , rev. 2. 6. 15. the doctrine of the nicolaitans — which i also hate , zech. 8. 17. amos 5. 21 & 6. 8. jer. 44. 4. o do not this abominable thing which i hate , isa. 61. 8. prov. 8. 13. & 6. 16. i thought those that overstretch [ esau have i hated ] would not have denyed all displeasedness in god. but if i should go further , and cite all the texts that ascribe even anger and wrath to god , and say he is angry every day , &c. and that his wrath shall punish the wicked , i suppose it would do more to weary the reader , that knoweth this already , than to convince your party . ii. but my 2d appeal is to the accurate scholastick writers , because i suppose you will say that the scripture speaketh popularly , & after the manner of men. ans. ( or else it must not speak to men. ) but here i should much more confound most readers , if i should call them to metaphysicks , or metaphysical writers ; i should cite to them many sheets out of aquinas , scotus , ockam , durandus , bonaventure , and all their followers , who commonly ascribed displicency , as well as complacence to god. if you need witness in this case , read them , and seek it , and pardon me for not abusing the reader with such citations . iii. the same i say of the consent of practical protestant divines . i do not think the reader would forgive me , if i should prove that luther , calvin , melancthon , bucer , and all the forreign reformers , and all our martyrs , and english divines , episcopal , presbyterian , and ( whatever you say against it , to their injury ) independants also ascribe displicence to god : sure they that translated the bible did . and surely the writings of hildersham , dod , greenham , rogers , preston , sibs , bolton , whateley , allen , and hundreds such , are far from disowning such expressions . but methinks i should not need to suppose you to object that it is not god , but man that you speak of : no , i will not abuse you so much as to suppose that you take man to be more perfect , and less passive then god. indeed displicence , and complacence in god , are active ad extra , and signify but the perfection of his will , and exeuntèr , the expressions and effects , and no passivity : but all creatures are passive as well as active , and they are receptive ab objectis , both in their ideal conceptions , and their appetites : and therefore displeasure in a far grosser passive sense , must be ascribed to the creature , then to the creator : and yet without any diminution of felicity . and 2. it is certain that christ himself was much displeased with sin on earth , mark 10. 14 & 3. 5. and surely he is not any less perfect , nor more reconciled to sin in heaven . he was displeased with it , when he died for it : and is his will changed since to favour it ? yea , if you should say that [ sin is nothing , and therefore no object of a divine act ] of nolition , or hatred , but god is said to will or hate it , only because he doth not will or love it , but punish it ; yet the church hath long ago condemned the monothelites as hereticks , and determined that christ hath two wills and operations : and therefore as man , his knowledge and will must have somewhat of passivity , though not of pain . 2. and it 's strange that christ is made our captain , and manageth a war against satan in the world , and michael and his angels are engaged in it , and yet have not the least displeasure against sin and satan . 3. and that christ hath such terrible threatnings against sin and sinners , even everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels , the worm that never dieth , and the fire that is not to be quenched , and that he shall come in flaming fire , rendring vengeance , &c. that all they might be damned that obeyed not the truth , &c. that the wrath of god is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness , and unrighteousness of men , &c. that fiery indignation shall devour the adversaries , all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him , and he will say , those mine enemies that would not i should reign over them , bring hither , and slay them before me : depart from me all ye that work iniquity , &c. and yet hath not the least displeasure at sin or sinners . that most of the world must lye in hell , and feel no effects of christs displeasure , because he hath none . and angels and saints are not perfecter than christ , but are of his mind , and are displeased with sin , and persecutors , and devils in conformity to christ. the saints in heaven have not forgotten their former sins : the remembrance of them hath some effect : it is not pleasedness with the evil ; therefore it is displeasedness ; they are not ignorant of all the wickedness , injustice , violence , persecution , and blood-shed on earth , and all the sufferings of the just : they love not this with complacency : therefore they hate it with displicence ; or else they are senseless neuters . do the angels pour out the vials , do the souls under the altar pray for revenge , are the heavens and the holy apostles and prophets bid rejoyce over babylon , rev. 18. 20. and yet none of them so much as displeased at babylons sin , or the churches suffering ? sure you do not so far disagree from us in all this , as to deny the matter : i hope it is but a false conceit of the unfitness of the word : and if the word [ displeasure ] do displease you , why would not so accurate a reprover once tell us what word it is that he would have used instead of it ? we that are accused , know that [ nolition , displicence , aversation , hatred ( or as campanella calls it disamor ) are words of the same signification as to the will , answering dislike in the understanding , ( yea , dislike oft signifieth both . ) if you cannot bear these , sure you are less patient at the words [ wrath and anger of god ] &c. what is it that you would have ? even nothingness is an object of nolition to the blessed ; for they are averse to annihilation , so that the quibble that malum est privatio , will be here of no use to you ; for what is more displeasing than privation ? dear brother , i am so far from perceiving any conviction in your accusation in this matter , that i must say that you have in this made your self to me what dr. o. did in the case of concord . you constrain me to bear my publick testimony against you , when you pretend herein to speak the mind of so great a number of your acquaintance , when i remember the sermons that are commonly talkt of , and the collections made by the friendly debater , and many such others , i look to hear e're long from prefs and pulpits , [ that the nonconformists teach that no rebellion , treason , perjury , or wickedness is at all displeasing to god ▪ to christ , to angels , or to any saint in heaven ▪ though they call adulterers , murderers , and such others to repentance , and mourning for sin , and separate from others as too bad for their communion , indeed at the same time they tell all the wicked , neither god , nor any in heaven is displeased with them . ] fore-seeing this scandal , i humbly address my self to such accusers with this answer following . [ take not verbal differences for real : no doubt but this persons errour is meerly verbal : all mens studies go not one way : it 's like he is not vers'd in philosophers , and schoolmens writings , that use displicence and complacence for meer nolition and volition , hatred , or aversation , and love. and though he knew that scripture , and christian writers commonly speak that which he accuseth , he was someway byassed to think that i used the same words in a worse sense than scripture , and all writers do ( though i excluded sorrow : ) and his interesting in his errour , [ the general received opinion of all that he hath met with ] doth but signify what sort of men , and how few he hath met with , or how few writers on such subjects he hath read , and remembred , ( for doubtless he doth not knowingly abuse them . ) and when did all the protestants , or nonconformists chuse him to represent them ? why is not my word as valid on the contrary , who remember not one man , protestant , or papist , or heathen that is for the immortality of the soul , that is , of the opinion which he expresseth ; except those few that hold that non datur verè malum , there is no evil in the world , but all that we call sin and punishment is good , and miscalled evil by us in darkness , but all willed by god , and those in heaven ? yet even hobbs , and peter sterry confess a good fort of evil. and i doubt not but this brother is against what he speaketh himself . and to stop your censures , let me ask you , if one mistaker accuse us all , whom we never authorized to represent us , doth this lay so great a blot on us , as an erring council of bishops doth on the clergy , whom they represent : and yet how great a number of councils have falsly reported the doctrine of the church . i will stop your mouth now but with the last words of sulpitius severus . history . [ ac inter nostrios perpetuum discordiurum bellum exarserat : quod jam per quindecim annos faedis dissentionibus agitatum nullo modo sop●ri poterat ? et nunc cum maximè discordiis episcoporum turbari ac misceri omnia cernerentur , cunctaque per eos odio : aut gratiâ , metu , inconstantia , invidia , factione , libidine , avaritia , arrogantia , somno , desidia essent depravata , postremo plures adversum paucos bene consule●tes infanis conciliis & pertinacibus studiis certabant : inter haec plebs dei & optimus quisque probro at que ●●dibri● habebatur . ] read the author , lest you think i made these words for our times . and of their captain bishop he saith , [ certe ithacium nihil pensi , nihil sancti habuisse definio : fuit enim audax , loquax , impudens , sumptuosus , ventri & gulae plurimum impertiens , hic stultitiae eo usque processit , ut omnes etiam sanctos viros quibus aut studium in erat lectionis , aut propositum erat certare jejuniis tanquam priscilliani socios in crimen arcesseret . ] ( and yet saith that the persecution of the priscillianists did but increase them . ) pardon this digression , by which you may see that if you be not responsible for all that councils , and the major part of bishops say or do , much less are we for the verbal errour of one or a few men , though fathered by them on many ▪ whereby they necessitate these our open disclaimings of their words . iii. my third supposed errour is much like the former , saying , that [ though heaven have no sorrow , it hath great repentance . ] in this [ all protestants ] are ( falsly ) said to be against me . here also the errour is either verbal or real . and , 1. he knows that as to the word all protestants own the scripture , which ascribeth repenting to god himself , exod. 32. 12. deut. 32. 36. psal. 135. 14. ier. 18. 8 , 10. & 26. 3. 13. ion. 3. 9 , 10. gen. 6. 6. iudg. 2. 18. 1 sam. 15. 35. 2 sam. 24. 16. am. 7. 3 , 6. ioel 2. 13. ier. 15. 6. it 's true that this is not spoken of god , as if he had any mutability as man hath ; but god being infinitely more perfect then man , the phrase is further fetcht , and less proper of god then of man : therefore it is not the name that he blameth , seeing he owneth the word of god. ii. and if it be not the name , but my sense of it , do you find where he proveth any wrong sense that i express , or doth he give a better ? i said in a book [ there is not such a thing as grief or sorrow known in heaven . ] the vindicator citeth this as if it were contrary to , [ there is no sorrow , but displeasure and repentance : ] if he mean not that [ no sorrow , and no sorrow ] are contradictions , he need to have gone no further then the present sentence for it . and if he had proved that [ no sorrow , ] and displicence , or repentance are contradictions , he would have done that against the scripture itself , which he intended not , nor can do . he hath prevented my labour in transcribing other authors that use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 usually for a meer change of the mind , purpose , and practice , without any signification of sorrow , and he appealeth to scripture use of the words : but is there any thing besides sorrow , that by all his words he labours to exclude ? and did not i expresly exclude it : and yet is this reverend man thus puzled at this as a dangerous doctrine ? doth he attempt in one syllable to blame any thing but the word ? when i excluded his misliked sense ? and he will not deny the ordinary use of the word as without sorrow ? but let us willingly take the scripture use : which speaketh of repentance in heaven , and on earth . it is not repetance on earth that we have now to treat of : and do you think its a good argument that there is no repentance in heaven without sorrow , because there is none on earth without it ? but even on earth , repentance is either the act of the intellect , and will , alone , or an act of these joyned with divers passions . it is sometime so largely taken , that the passions of grief , shame , and fear , and specially anger against our selves , are parts of it : but in all common authors , and ordinary use , and even in scripture , it is taken for the change of mind and will , the passions being but effects , or concomitants of it . to repent , in the common and prime sense , is but to change our mind and will , and wish we had not done what we did . when a thing was well done of us , and yet sped not well , we repent and wish we had not done it for the sake of the event : but we blame not our selves for the act , nor grieve for that , but for the event . but usually we have cause of sorrow , as well as of repentance , and must joyn them together . but where the gospel frequently promiseth repentance , pardon , and life together , and preacheth both repenting and believing in order to present joy , there is little mention of the sorrow in the converts , save for the murdering of christ , or some great sin . and sorrow , and repenting are distinguished in scripture as two things , 2 cor. 7. 9 , 10. i rejoyce , not that ye were made sorry , but that ye sorrowed to repentance — for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation , not to be repented of . ] is the sense [ godly sorrow worketh godly sorrow ? ] no , but a change of mind and life , heb. 6. 1. it is not called [ repentance for dead works , ] but [ from dead works , ] as speaking the change , rather than the grief . exod. 13. 17. lest the people repent when they see war , and they return to aegypt : hence sear is the moving passion , and repenting is wishing they had not left aegypt , and returning is the effect . i am readier to think that sorrow is no part , but an adjunct of repentance in the strictest , properest sense , then that it is no repentance without sorrow : sure the specifying faculties of man are the intellect and will ; and i think the specifying acts of rational true repentance ; are the acts of the same faculties , and sorrow is but such an adjunct as shame and anger at our selves are . but it is repentance in heaven that is our subject : and i have cited you texts enough which speak of gods repenting : and do you believe that he hath sorrow ? you 'l say , that 's but metaphorically spoken ? ans. no more is knowledge , or will , or any such act that we can speak of god : but if it be not a name unmeet to be spoken of god ; are souls there greater , or happier then he . but we find no talk in scripture of any in heaven repenting , save god : no wonder : how little hath god told us of the particular state and action of separated souls , before the resurrection ; when it pleaseth god so sparingly to mention their present state , ( yea , and their immortality in the old testament ▪ ) shall we feign that he must tell us of all their thoughts ? but all these acts of repentance souls in heaven have . 1. they know more of their sins both as to the matter and evil , then ever they did on earth . 2. they own their culpability , that is , that they are the souls that committed these sins , and deserved death and hell for them . 3. they know the goodness of all the ways that are contrary to their sin . 4. they love all that good , and hate all their sin more than they did here . 5. they wish they had never committed them . 6. if it were to do again , they would not do it . this is proper true repentance : either you deny the things , or but the name . if the thing , which of these deny you . 1. if saints in heaven know not sin better then they did here , heaven is to them as dark as earth . 2. if they know not that they themselves were the subjects , and actors of these sins , they are ignorant , or erroneous . 3. if they know not that gods way is better than sin , they are brutish . 4. if they love good , and hate evil no better then here , then they are no better . 5. if their will do not wish that they had not done it , then their will is not holy and averse to sin : either they review it with approbation , ( which you believe not ) or with dislike , or senselesly with no act of will. if with dislike , and displicence , as before is proved , that hatred , or aversation contains a wish , they had never done it . else david , peter , paul , &c. were better men on earth then in heaven : for here they wisht they had not been guilty of murder , persecution , &c. and if they wish it not there , their wills are more unholy than here . perhaps you 'l say , it 's a vain wish of an impossibility ? ans. no such matter : i talk not of a prayer , or a desire that factum non factum fiat ; but a vellem or mallem me non peccasse : i had rather i had not sinned : and that is not vain , which is the wills perfection or holiness itself . 6. and that they would not do the like again , i need not prove . i were a greater dishonourer of heavenly felicity , if i denyed any of these , then you feign me to be . i doubt not but those aforesaid that are disposed to obloquy , will take occasion from your words ( yea , the papists from your entitling all protestants to it ) to say [ the nonconformists ( or the protestants ) hold that murder , rebellion , perfecution , and all sin is so small a matter to their saints in heaven , that they do not so much as repent of it , or will or wish they had never done it . therefore they either justify it , or are neuters to it . ] they say that the mother of lombard , gratian , and pet. comestor being a whore , said she could not repent of the fornication that had begot three such sons : if any say that the saints in heaven do not so much as wish , or will that they had not sinned , because christ is glorifyed by saving them from it , they pervert the gospel doctrine of grace , and would teach the justifyed on earth to be impenitent . but if you return to wordy quarrels again , and say all these acts ought not to be called repentance , if they have not sorrow . 1. i durst not so make my self master of languages , against the use of all the world . 2. and against the scripture that speaketh of gods repenting . 3. nor against etymology . 4. and against the nature of the case . men in flesh have sin and danger , and bodies lyable to sensible commotion of spirits , and so to grief . those in heaven are not such : they have no cause of grief , and yet have renewed faculties of mind and will , which disgust sin , and hate it , and are turned from it to a contrary love and life . even here , if a man by his own sin and folly had shut up himself twenty years in a dungeon , or put out his eyes , and never seen the light , suppose this man suddenly delivered into the light , and he would not stay to mourn for his former state , but the sudden joy would exclude sorrow : and yet his change would be a true repentance for what he did . but as you have wronged all protestants by fathering your errour on them , you have made it my duty to vindicate them with my self . but i am grown such a prodigal of my reputation with men of such a judging disposition , that i will cast away a little more of it on your censure . the scripture speaketh so much more of our glory after the resurrection , then before , and purposely keepeth us so low in our knowledge of the particular state of souls before , and calvin , ( whom i suppose you take not for an heretick ) for all his treatise against the sleep of souls , did think the difference was so great between the state of the separated souls , and that at the resurrection , that i must profess my ignorance to be so great , that i am uncertain whether this first state do set all the blessed so high , as that no thought is consistent with it , that hath the least degree of suffering . for , 1. i know that all creatures are passive . 2. if felicity be imperfect till the resurrection , it must be privatively , or positively , or both . if privatively , how can i prove that nothing positive may concur , when privation is as bad . 3. i think that protestants mostly agree , that christs own soul , while his body was in the grave , was in paradise , in joy , and yet in a state that was partly penal , as it was a separation from the body by death . and that all souls in heaven are happy , and yet in a state partly penal in heaven itself , as they are separated from the body , and short of the resurrection : for not only the minute of dying , but the state of death is penal , to a soul that desireth a return to the body : and yet heaven may be to it unconceivable felicity . i only hence conclude , that we must not take on us to know more than we do of separate souls , nor to make a measure or manner of blessedness for them of our own heads , nor to apply every text to them that is spoken of the state after the resurrection : there is enough besides to feast our joyful hopes . iv. some few other practical doctrines we differ about , as where pag. 30. you say [ i doubt not to affirm that doing that which a law requires , so far as the intention is moved by the law , is a justifying of it . and submitting to any law on the consideration of its penalties , is so far a justifying its preceptive part , as not so great an evil as the penal . ] ans. i first premise that this is little or nothing to the cause i pleaded for : for whereas you say [ none that i know of say it is a duty simply , or without any dependence or human sanction . ] i have largely told you that taking publick communion to be but do facto , what it is , and the lyturgy as commonly used , i take it to be a duty to hold such communion ( where no better at least is ) though there were no human sanction , but voluntary concord ; and this by vertue of gods great commands of glorifying him with one mind and mouth in unity , love , and peace ; not an immutable duty , but a duty rebus sic stantibus . it is in obedience to gods commands more than mens , that i have gone to the parish churches ; and would have gone as much , if the law had not commanded it , but only had deprived me of better . but as to your undoubted affirmation , i am as much past doubt that it is not true as you unlimitedly express it . the intention may be moved by a law for the effects . or consequents sake , and not justify the law , but only justify the act of the subject : yea , it may be moved by the formal authority of the law-giver , exprest by his law , and yet not justify the law. ioseph and mary were taxed with others by augustus law : they were moved by that law , and its effects to pay the tax : and yet justifyed not the law , nor decided the case , whether it were by right or usurpation : all conquered people by unjust war , may obey a taxing law : the israelites might obey the philistines , that forbad them smiths , and swords , &c. they may labour , and travel , and pay taxes , moved by unjust laws , and yet not justify the law , but only their own acts. when christ sent peter to take a fish with money in his mouth , and pay tribute , the law moved his intention , because of the offence that would follow the breaking of it : and yet his answer intimateth that he justified not the law : if he carried his cross at their command , that justified not their command . if he bid us give our coat to him that sueth us for our cloak , if the law be against us , it proveth not he bids us justify the law. if a confessor go to prison , or banishment , or to the gallows , or fire without resistance , to do this as moved by the law , is no justifying of the law. if the protestants in france should pay each man a yearly tribute for liberty of conscience , or the christians under the turk pay pos●-mony , moved by the law , this justifieth not the law. i am persuaded your church would gladly pay somewhat for liberty of worship , and yet not justify the law that required it . if the law required us to meet for gods worship at an inconvenient place or time , or to use a version of psalms in meeter , or a translation of scripture that is not the best , he that useth these in obedience to this ( because concord in these according to law , is better then a better version , translation , hour , place , with discord , and because obedience may do more good then better circumstances would without it ) yet doth not hereby justify the law. if the law bid you appear before justices or judges that are bad men , and unjust , you may obey the law , and not justify it . dear brother , i will not aggravate your errour by its ill consequences : but you and i tell the world , what need all men have of pardon in our mistakes , even when we are most confident . 2. and as to your second affirmation , it is not true without limitation , [ that submitting to a law , on consideration of the penalties , is so far a justifying its preceptive part , as not so great an evil as the penal . ] this is confused work : the pr●ceptive part of the law is actus praecipientis , the commanders act ; the instances before mentioned tell you that this may be obeyed for the penalty sake , when yet the evil of the command , or law , is sinful , and so worse than the penalty or obedience , which are not sin : forgive me for telling you that you should have distinguished the preceptive part of the law from the matter commanded by it , and the evil of the law and law-maker , from the evil of the obeyer ; and then only have concluded that he that obeyeth a precept only to avoid the penalty , professeth the penalty to be worse then his act of obedience . but he doth not make it worse then the law , or the law-makers sin . if a law did command me to appear before a lay-civilian , who useth the keys of the church , and this on pain of death , or imprisonment , i may be moved both by precept and penalty to appear , as being better then either refusal , or penalty , and yet not think that the law or precept is a less evil in itself , or its ends , to the law-maker , or the publick ? ( whether this thought be right or wrong , is nothing to our question ) so if i were by law commanded to joyn in the lyturgy , on pain of death , or imprisonment , or being deprived of all other church worship , i may think this law worse than my sufferings , and yet think my obedience to it my duty . yea , if a law bid me play with childrens bubbles , or any such trisling , on pain of death , the case would be the same . and if any should take occasion by your confident judgment to refuse to obey , wherever he may not justify the preceptive part of the law , the effect would be worse then of my naming dr. o. sect . 4. i told you i have no leisure to write books for my self now : thus far i have written for truth , and love , and unity . as to all your charges against my self , i say again , i will not justify my self : my naming dr. owen , which is so heinously taken , i have told you the occasion of . to which i truly add , 1. i did it as a distinctive note , that the readers might know what it was that i answered . 2. and i that use to put my name to my writing , never dreamt that it would have been taken any worse to name him , than to confute a writing that by common , uncontrolled supposition bore his name . had i thought it would have been taken so ill ( while the super-conformists bear far more ) it 's two to one but i had forborn it . and now it 's done , i am yet but little wiser , when i think of the publick cause fore-described , i am ready to think it should weigh down all your contrary reasons : when i feel in my self an inward averseness to strive with any by ungrateful words , and hear from you how ill it 's taken , then i dislike it : and my own selfish lothness to be the object of the hard thoughts , and talk of so many of you , is some byass to my judgment . i wholly follow the rule you mention , to choose that which doth most good , and least hurt : and truly the reverence of your own , and some others judgment , telling me that it doth more hurt than good , doth turn the scales , and make me repent that i named the doctor . and i leave your charges against me to their best advantage , to the reader , though my inclination is much to open the mistakes . i may give a brief touch to your self , for your information , which i expect not should affect the reader , suppose your book to lie open before you . pag. 1. 1. if you thought them not good enough to be his , nor intended for publick view , why did you wrong him so much , ( and the people much more ) as to divnlge them with his name ? pag. 2. do good men take it for a priviledge to hurt the church uncontradicted ? 2. the more are displeased with truth , the greater is the disease that needeth it . 3. to be zealous for love , against hatred , and its causes , is not so bad as to need to be quenched . it is zeal for a sect against unity , which , corrupt nature is for . 4. i doubted not but guilt would be impatient 5. it was your party that wronged , his name , by divulging that which you now take for his disgrace . pag. 3. it 's wisely done not to own the cause i oppose , and yet not let men know whether it be for fear of the law , or because you are against it . o that i could have fore-known , that i might have confuted his arguments without his name , and displeased no body ? i thought you had taken them for his honour , and not his disgrace , when so many value them . pag. 4. 1. if they are true , they are his honour : if false , why should i suffer them to do mischief . 2. i named not mr. ralphson , till all said he openly owned his books in prison . had you rather all that worship god in parish churches , were persuaded that it is idolatry , than mr. ralphson should be confuted by name ? i hope you have better reasons for concealing your own name ; to do mischief un-named , is not worth pleading for . pag. 5. if the work be faulty , why do you not joyn with me to save men from it ? and why did your private letter own it his , conjunct with fame ? and not one man yet that i hear of , denyeth it . 2. i offered you to stop it . 3. is it disingenuity in me to tell you of twenty untruths in your private letter ( and many notorious , ) and ingenuity in you to be offended for being told of them , rather than for writing them ? this is to comply with the world , that taketh the detecter only for the sinner . 4. is a defensive confutation of errour , dealing severely ? 5. agreeing copies confute you . to confute errour is not worse then to own or defend it . pag. 6. if it be so heinous to confute it , why did you divulge it ? pag. 7. my reasons for love and concord were long before considered . 2. i had heard of them long in many hands , though till then i never saw them : and you say you saw it a year before . 2. it 's strange so knowing a man should think that bad arguments , with a valued name , are not dangerous ! yes , even against common sense , as those for transubstantiation . to confute your self , you add , that [ on all sides peoples opinions are mostly , and most strongly mastered by affections , and it 's beyond all our power to cure the disorder . ] and yet is there no danger from names ? pag. 8. [ must all appearance of enmity , and bitterness , be laid aside , and love used , &c. ] and yet must we let men excommunicate one another , and call all to mutual avoidance , without contradiction ? let churches and christians be taught to damn each others persons , and worship causelesly , and take each other for idolaters , for fear of breaking love and peace . 2. do you believe that dr. owens name was not known with them before ? 3. mr. warners came out since , which i compared with mr. ralphsons . 4. can you tell why i was to name dr. o. in my cure of church divisions , or his books : i told you great reasons against it , what now you call a brave advantage , would have been otherwise called by yours . i was not inclined to note a little evil among much good : if you cannot see the doctors arguments there answered by me , i cannot help that : must. i transcribe them to convince you . pag. 177. d●r . 32. [ obj. where hath god given any men power to prescribe & impost forms for others , or commandea others to obey them ? ] read the answer , pag. 178 , 179 , 180. at least not on ministers , p. 181. christ hath given gifts to all his ministers , and commanded them to use them : they use them not , when they use imposed forms . so pag. 190. p. 196. of approving of sin , and signifying consent by joyning . more fully , p. 201. ( and in my christ. direct . ) if you never found these arguments ( there answered ) in dr. o. book , i cannot help that , others have . pag. 11. i thought you had known how usual it is to speak to the second person , in answering books many hundred years old ? if not , you have free leave to take it for my folly : i 'le not contend with quakers , whether we should say [ you ] or [ thou ] nor with you , whether it be better to say [ him ] or [ you. ] you say , it displeaseth him not . pag. 15. if numbring mens errours , used to do hurt , be worse than committing , or defending them , i mistook . pag. 16. i consent that you do so by me , so you speak nothing but truth . 2. repentance is a hard work , and the impenitent impatient ; therefore we all suffer what we do . pag. 17. my pleas for peace have been all ill taken by the other side : and which of you therefore were so offended at them . 2. i am sorry that you seign the healing parliament to have disowned our repentance : i preacht to the parliament but once , and it was for repentance : i have oft publickly accused my self ; and i hope i break not the act of oblivion by it : they forbad reproaching , and troubling one another , but not remembring our sin , nor seeling when we suffer , nor asking what caused it , to stop the like again , if not for a cu●e . but , dear brother , do you not know that it was your divulged writing that rubb'd upon the sort , and broke the act of oblivion , if this be breaking it ? did it not tell what work the imposing the lyturgy had made , against [ reformation ▪ for ignorance , rtviling , and reproaching the spirit sit up ungifted ministers , made great disolations in the church , silencing painful ministers , ruining families , destroying souls &c. ] do you think this broke the act of oblivion , or is condemned by the healing parliament , or doth nothing break it but on one side . look on both sides , and tell me how such arguments misused , should be answered , but by shewing that there was danger , and ill effects also on the contrary extream . did the parliament forbid one side only this commemoration ? i pray you if but one side may be called to repent , let it be us , that we may be forgiven . pag. 18. if you know not that the principles of separation were the great cause ( in armies , and elsewhere ) of the subversions , and confusions , which brought us to what we have felt , i do : and you would not at once live under the fruit of it as we now do , and i yet make so light of it , as to take it for a noli me tangere , if it had cost you as many painful days and nights , as many ungrateful disputes , as many groans and tears , and as much blood as it hath done me : and how little is my part to that which england , cotland , and ireland hath suffered , even by that cause conjunct with pride , and ambition , these sourty years ? if i may not have leave to say as bradford , repent o england , you should give me leave to repent my self , that ever i preacht one sermon with any byass of overmuch desire to please persons of the accusing separating humour . pag. 19. i said of our late overturnings in england , that all this is publickly known : many late volumes on both sides record it : were it but whitlocks memorials , it were enough : the nations ring of it ( and i have ost lamented it heretofore ) and you mistaking all this , seign me to say , that the passages debated in dr. owens papers , and his words , were all known before ; and so bestow many reproofs upon a fiction of your own . pag. 20. you would put such terms upon me in dispute , a veron devised to put on the protestants . i must oppose his doctrine only as in the syllables written ▪ accidentals in worship , signify you think at least an integral part. doth [ in ] turn accidents into parts ? are accidents parts , because inherent ? ] are not your quality , quantities , immanent acts , passions , &c. inherent ? is not kneeting , putting off the hat , methods , translations , meeter , tunes , &c. in the worship of god ? and is it unlawful , because in it ? if it be therefore a part of worship , you must conclude that either all these are unlawful , or that it 's lawful for men to make parts of gods worship . 2. are all things duly belonging to it , parts of it ? i believe you own none of this your self . pag. 21. the doctors 7th argument was , that this [ practice condemneth the suffering saints of the present age , rendring them false witnesses of god. ] i answered ; [ let us not stand to any dividing principle , or cause , lest the saints be blamed , that have fathered it in god. ] i used the word [ saints ] but as repeating his own phrase : and this you make to have better become the observator . is not this partiality ? may the argument use a term which the answerer may not repeat ? and , dear brother , is it not a sad case , if among the many ill causes fathered on god , any , or all of them should say , [ we must not repent , ●or amend , lest we be blamed as false witnesses of god. pag. 22. sir , if telling me of any sin that ensnareth souls , be using me more scornfully then the most virulent adversaries , spare me not , but use me so : wo to me , if repentance become odious and intolerable . but i must stop , lest i cross my purpose of not writing for my self , but you . the conclusion of all is , dear brethren , the longer i study the gospel , and the longer i live in the world , the more fully i am convinced that love is the great work of the spirit , and the men that love most , are the best men , and those the worst , that have least love : and i would write in golden letters as my motto , god is love , and he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god , and god in him : and if christians loved no more than others , they would be no better than they : and that love desireth union and familiarity ; and that censoriousness , contempt , and flying from each other , both signify , and breed hatred . could we but so live as to make all our enemies believe that we heartily love them , it would conquer their enmity , and tie their hands , and tongues , by reconciling their hearts . i know many at this time , to whom god marvellously performeth that promise , blessed are the meek , for they shall ▪ inherit the earth . no winds root up the grass , which overthrow the oaks . humility and love would conquer all the world . these overcame philosophy , and empire at first . power may overcome bodies , and argument stop mens mouths , and yet more enrage them unto enmity : but love conquereth hearts : love the conformists , if you would do them good , or preserve your self from evil : not that all men must be loved alike , nor sin loved for the persons sake ; but every one according to the measure of his amiableness . young christians are usually like young fruit , harsher , and sourer than the mellow fruits of holy ripeness , and experienced age . who would think , that did read the epistles of iohn , whom jesus loved , breathing out love , love , love , that this very man had three times offended christ , by sinning against love. first , by ambitious desiring to be above his fellows : secondly , by offering to call for fire from heaven against the refusers of christ : thirdly , by forbidding one to cast out devils , ( and do good ) in christs name , because he followed not with them , ( like those that now would have some faulty men forbidden to preach . ) love groweth as grace groweth . if my confuting the principles and practices that are fitted to destroy love , by censures , contempt , and unjust alienation be interpreted as contrary to love , let but the censurers love so much the more , so it be christians as such , and not a dividing party only , and i have my end . sect . 5. a comparison of the use of a faulty translation of the scripture , and a faulty lyturgy . in queen elizabeths days the bishops translation of the bible , and that called the old one being faulty , were only in use . king james procured a better , but the lyturgy still retained , the old one . suppose a law were made that only the old faulty translation be used ; many refuse it , and suffer for it ; the parliament cometh and establisheth the new translation , and swear all men to promote it as a part of reformation ; we are in possession of it for sixteen years : then a law is made that all shall go to prison that use any but the old ; two thousand break this law , and use the new , and suffer part of the penalty , and shift from the rest as long as they can . at last the state is resolved to suffer them no longer , but , in prison they shall lie : hereupon many suffer imprisonment , many die there . some few in london keep up secret worship with the new translation , and others go to the churches ▪ where the old is used . in the countries there is not past one minister in twelve or twenty miles that keeps up a meeting in the use of the new one . the few that yet do , say , that [ to use the old one , or joyn with such as do , is covenant-breaking , and false worship , and unlawful , and a going back from reformation . ] some that live in countries where none in twenty miles openly use the new one , come to r. b. for counsel ; he desireth them to bring one of the contrary judgment , and judge when they hear both : he tells them , that , 1. they should keep up the new translation as far as they can in gods publick worship , while the hurt will not be greater than the benefit . 2. that when they have no publick church or worship to joyn with , but what useth the old one , they should rather joyn with such than none ▪ as also when they cannot have the new one without more hurt than benefit . 3. and that while they can have the new one , they should not renounce communion with the churches that use the old one , as separating from it as unlawful , but only disown the faults of the old one , while they disown not the communion of the churches in the use of it . the other say● 1. that it is a cursed thing to offer god a worse , while we have better . 2. that we are sworn against it . 3. that it is false worship , and obeying man before god. 4. that we do but keep our possession , which they would put us out of , and it's ▪ they that separate from us , and not we from them . 5. that we keep to gods word , which is the only rule . and therefore communion with the old translation is unlawful , and we should rather suffer death . r. b. answereth , i. 1. that it is a cursed thing to give god no publick worship , because we cannot have the new ▪ translation , and to live like atheists ▪ if we cannot have what we would . none ▪ is worse than the old. family vvorship without church vvorship , is worse than an old translation ▪ 2. and that it is not we that offer god ▪ the worse before the better ; it is they that exclude the better , which we protest against , having not our choice . ii. that he that sware to give over all church vvorship , unless he have the new translation , swore wickedly li●e an atheist ; and he that swore to communicate with no ▪ church that used the old translation , swore wickedly like a schismatick ; and he that swore that gods providence should never return him to a necessity of using the old ▪ swore blasphemously ▪ as if he could have governed the world against god. iii. that all worship is so far false as it is faulty ; that to forsake all publick worship when we cannot have the better translation , is to be righteous unrighteously , over much , and too little , and to disobey both god and man. iv. keep your possession as long as you can without more hurt than good . i am not one that ever strove to take it from you . but do your brethren in prison enjoy publick worship ? you 'l say , they do better . it 's easier bearing their imprisonment , poverty and death , than your own . but what shall ten parts of the kingdom do , that must have the old translation or none ? you 'l say , i suppose , they may give over all church worship as impossible , and take up with family worship . but stay , 1. must you not first prove the old so bad , as that no-church worship is better ? have you proved this ? 2. will not your reason prove , that we must also separate from you ? have not weak ministers as bad faults as a weak translation ? 3. what 's become then of your saying , we had possession ? have they possession of better that have none at all ? or , will you be without all , because you had once possession of better ? and will it excuse your ungodliness , that you can lay the blame on them that dipossest you ? or if they be schismaticks for so using you , doth it follow that you are none , if you persuade all to separate from all gods church worship rather than joyn where the old translation is used . v. gods word is the rule ; but only a general rule for words , modes and circumstances . to love god and our neighbour , and the unity of the church , are his greatest commands . go learn what these mean : to violate these , and forsake all church worship , if you cannot have the best translation , is not to keep to the rule , but most grosly to violate it in the greatest commands against many scripture admonitions , which vehemently urge you to love and unity . but , good friend , if really christ and scripture be your guide , i desire no more ; tell me , and lay by partiality ; did not christ and his apostles use both in the synagogues , church . meetings , and writings a faulty translation of the old testament , and as bad as ours ▪ deny it if you can for shame . though sometimes they varyed , they mostly used the septuagint , according to which our faulty ▪ translation of the old testament is made , as it differs from the hebrew . is this no consutation of you ? yea , christ and the apostles used it the rather ▪ because it was in common use . 2. and are you sure that among so many greek differing copies as we have of the new testament , that you use and follow none but the best . i would add a similitude , supposing that we had just possession of the publick church-place● & tythes , & they are taken from us , & we can blame them that did it , and say over and over , we had possession , and therefore it is unlawful to meet in worse rooms , for god must have the best ; will this hold when you cannot keep possession ? ▪ will you rather worship no where ? this is no better than if you would tell all men , they should die rather than eat brown bread , if force take all other from them , because it is unjustly done , and they had possession of better . good friends , keep your possession for me ; but i own not the famishing of all that are dispos●e●sed . if you do , i do not . obj. but this case is unlike to that of lyturgies . answ. 1. the scripture is gods own word : a mis-translation maketh that to be his word that is not ; which sure is a tenderer matter than in what words we speak our own minds to god. ●ure a depravation of scripture is more than a ceremony : were lyturgies such an alteration of gods own words , you would more plausibly accuse them . one that said , god said this or that , which he said not , was worse tha● one that spake his own words undecently to god. to say , this is gods word , which i● not , is indeed adding to it ; but so it is not to speak words as our own . how much the septuagint differs from the hebrew , how many verses it leaveth out , how many additions and alterations it maketh , is commonly known . christs and the apostles use of this , was no approbation of its faults , much less their presence in the synagogues ▪ when others read moses and the prophets in them . and the psalms in the septuagint ▪ translation were part of their lyturgy . for man to speak faultily is no wonder : it hath a more plausible pretence for separation , to say that men corrupt the word of god. and yet when it is but such an effect of humane imperfection , it is no just pretence . but yet a word more ; qu. 1. do you think that the pharisees and scribes had so much of the gift of extemporate prayer , that they could , and did use to make long prayers , as if it were by the spirit extempore ? say so , and you will disgrace the doctors arguments , that lay so much on this manner of praying . no doubt but it was forms and lyturgies that they used ; yet when christ condemneth them for praying in the streets to be seen , and using long prayer for a pretence to devour widdows houses ; qu. 2. did christ speak one word against them as forms or lyturgies ? did he want zeal or knowledge ? q. 3. had they not been good in themselves , what cloak could they have made for so great evil ? qu. 4. did christ or his apostles ever forbear the synagogues for the sake of these long lyturgies ? come friends , there is no end , nor much hope in disputing against fixed prejudice , and wrong confident conceits , how clear soever the light be against it . hold your judgment , and i shall hold mine , till god irresistibly reconcile us ; and if you cannot forgive me , i can forgive you , but not own the guilt of your mistakes , and the effects . i have too much already of my own , i had rather you accused me , than conscience , for wilful contracting any more . the lord save us from our enemies , but more especially from our friends , and all their temptations , and above all , from our selves . it amazeth me to hear wise and godly men say , [ it is popery that is coming in upon us ; ergo , let us all forsake the parish-churches , quasi die . the enemy will take the city within these few years ; ergo , let us all go out of it to day . like him that killed himself for fear of dying some years hence . dementation goeth before perdition . who knoweth not that the religion of the parish-churches is like to be the national religion ? and shall we persuade protestants to leave them all ? passion provoked by some mens badness , hath too much conquered love to conformists in some mens minds , so that they scruple not too uncharitable opinions and words of them . this is contrary to christian love. i doubt not but there are hundreds of godly conformable ministers in england , on aug. 24. 1662. seven thousand or more did conform , that had been kept in , in the parliaments time ; were all those seven thousand tolerable the year before , and ungodly the next year ? many conformists now in london were taken for very good men in 1659. at once the other extream , most study to get them out ; and shall we also call all men on pain of hazarding their souls to forsake them ? a very great church-man above 40 years ago was heard say to his brethren ; the non-conformable puritans are snakes : we have the law against them , and can tread them down when we will : but it is the conformable puritan that is the devil of england , to be cast out : and shall we second this , and that as in opposition to it ? grace is lost as far as christian impartial love is lost . and they that lose religion themselves , which lyeth in love , are like to be no good keepers of it in the church . if a good man that we value become a danger to the truth , we are angry if his errour be but contradicted , lest his name be blemished : but some dare say the conformists are all false , ready to betray the church to papists : who nowdo far more to keep them out then we do . this is against iam. 3. 17. if there be any such conformists high or low , i am none of their advocate ; god will find them out , and judge them : but i am confident that it is also conformists ( by the advantage of their possession ) that will do more to stop their desired success , than nonconformists can do . i am sure bishop iewel , usher , morton , hall , downame , davenant , &c. were far from popery . and what man living hath written stronglier against it , than dr. isaac barrow , ( against whose book a doctor hath newly dasht his reputation , as a bubble against a rock : and what the bishop of lincoln , the bishop of hereford , dr. peter moulin , dr. stillingfleet , and many more have done , is known . your mr. mat. m●ad once commended a conformist for a benefice to me , with these words , [ i take him to be the holiest man i know , ] i have loved him the better ever since for his candor , charity , and impartiality . sect . 6. an expository advertisement about naming faulty persons . as all men ought to have a just regard of their own and their neighbours reputations ; so the over-much tenderness of the guilty and the proud , doth make it a matter of much difficulty ; for an impartial man to know whether , and when he should name , or make known the persons whom he doth oppose or blame : though the resolution seem easie both to them that have no charity to caution them , and to them that will do no duty , that displeaseth others . being called to review my own practice , in this i shall give the world an account ; first , of my judgment in it , and then of my doings . i. i take such a nomination to be a duty in these cases following . 1. in case of necessary defence of the truth , against some dangerous errour of some men otherwise pious and tolerable , the greatest pillars of the church have usually named them . i hope all those iudaizers that paul so sharply writeth against , were not in a state of damn●tion ▪ doubtless peter and barnabas were not , gal. 2. nor i hope demas , nor all the rest that he saith were not like-minded to timothy , but sought their own and not the things of jesus christ ▪ and i hope the like of diotrephes , much more assuredly of iohn that blamed him , though that beloved disciple is thrice named as culpable ( seeking to be greatest , and offering to call for fire from heaven , and forbidding one to do miracles in christs name . ) and peter oft , and once tremendously ( matth. 16. ) rebuk't by christ. the sins of noah and his sons , lot and his wife and daughters , sarah , abraham , isaac , iacob and his sons , moses , aaron , miriam , many judges , eli , david , solomon , rehoboam , asa , hezekiah , iosiah , and many more , are left on record in scripture , with their names , by him who is love it self , and hareth uncharitableness . and though we believe not all that bernard , walaf ; strabo , and such others , though good men , believed of peter bruis , henricus , and other albigenses , waldenses and bobemians , much less all that tho. waldensis saith against wickliss ▪ the wisest reformers have seen cause to mention some of their mistakes . luthers first mistakes while he disowned not the papacy , and his after sharpness , against carolostadius , and zuinglius , are recorded by many that dislike them , as he recordeth his distaste of those aforesaid , and many more whom he dissented from . all that are contradicted by name are not taken by sober men to be graceless or intolerable . swenkfeldius was a man of honour , and his character was , that he had [ an honest heart , but not a regulated head ; ] and yet the generality of reformers cryed down his errours and sect. the calvinists write for communion with the lutherans , and the moderate lutherans love the calvinists , & yet they write against each other by name , as too many volumes openly shew . george major was a wise and good man though schlusselburgius , and such others , number him and his followers as hereticks , as ca●●vi●● doth the calixtines . nicholas gallus , and am●sdorsius were noted divines and century writers ▪ though they so used major , and maintained that good works are not necessary to salvation ; for which wiser men did write against them . mat. flac. illyricus ( the chief century writer ) was a learned zealous protestant , and yet many more than melancthon and beza have left as a blot upon his name , that he was so fierce against ceremonies , and unpeaceable , and that he maintained that original sin is the substance of the soul. andrew osiander was a very learned protestant ▪ high in favour with his prince , yet he and all his followers greatly opposed by the orthodox reformers , for maintaining that we are justified by gods essential righteousness made ours . and fu●ccius sped the worse for following him ( though it was for state-councils that he died . ) how high a character doth melancthon , and many other the greatest divines give of hubertus languetus , as an honourable , learned , pious , excellent man ; and yet it 's now scarce denyed , but it was he that ) wrote iunius b●●tus ( though it was long falsly charged on beza , and the noble ●● plessis . ) doubtless cassander , erasmus , wicelius , and gr●tius , were men of great worth ▪ that yet for peace owned the roman church and corruptions , so far as is not to be justified or overlookt . all the germane prophets or fanaticks that chr. beckmans exercitations name ▪ and copiously confute , were not ungodly or intolerable men . whatever the pa●●c●lsians , weig●lians , and many of the rest were , i know not ; but sure th●ulerus was a godly man ; and grotius commendeth iohn ar●di and his followers as men of piety and peace : and notwithstanding his vain affected words , iacob behmen seemed a pious man ; and i loved many of his chief followers in england , of my acquaintance , because their spirit and writings were all for love and peace , ( and their difficult gibberish made me fearless of their multiplying , or ever doing any great hurt . ) and the papists quite out-do us in naming their opponents , and their errours , and yet not renouncing communion with them , but keeping them in the bosom of their church ; as whole loads of books written by the schoolmen , and several sects and orders against each other shew : and specially the controversies between the seculars and regulars , sharply handled by watson . in his quodlibits , and divers others : and newly peter walsh , that calls himself valesius , and s●rjeants , and his blaklows controversies tell us more . but none more than the jesuists and jansenists : did we differ about half as many and weighty points as are recited in the iesuites morals , and their charge against the iansenists , we should scarce think each other fit to be members of one communion . and naming opponents is oft necessary to make the reader know what books we write against for distinction sake . 2. and there is yet another great cause of naming faulty men both ( otherwise ) godly and heretical . the duty of a publick or national repentance oft requireth the mention of publick sins and sinners ; ( specially if they be our own ) god long forbeareth the publick national sins of ancestors , to see if posterity , ( who are the same na●ion , though not the same persons ) will prevent his judgments by repentance : in which case they must confess their own , and their fore fathers sins . this was the due practice of the church of old , as psal. 78. & 107. and many other shew ; and the prayers of ezra , daniel , and others : they named many , and bewailed more of their national and fore fathers sins ▪ and if they do not , christ will name them for them , as he did the blood shed from abels till zach●rias , and will revenge all together on the impenitent generation matth. 23. it was not to call dead men to repentance , that all the forementioned faults of good and bad men are recorded in the scripture : but it is partly for the exercise of national repentance , and partly for a warning to the living , that good mens names tempt them not to sin ▪ yea that shaming them is a mercy to us all to this day , is evident , in that where god recordeth any sin , without laying some reproach upon it , satan maketh a snare of it , to persuade us it is no sin . what abundance have been emboldened to lie , because the midwives in egypt , and davids lies are recorded without adjoyned reproof . polygamy is pleaded for as lawful by that reason ; and the jews did so by divorce ; and some by drinking to excess , or overthrow of reason : all of us take it for a duty to bewail the nations resistance of reformation , and cruelty to the martyrs in q. mary's days , and such like as part of our national humiliation . 3. when pernicious deceivers endanger the church , by their sophistry and reputation , especially by publick writings which survive them . god hath named in scripture simon magus and elymas , and the party called nicolaitans , whom his soul hated , and largely described many throughout the new testament , especially epist. to gal. col. 2 pet. 2. iude , rev. 2. & 3. and all that were faithful to the true faith did of old name with detestation the ebionites , cerinthians , gnosticks ; valentinians , basilidians , manichees ▪ priscilianists , and arians , sabellians , paulinists , &c. and since the reformation , the soberest reformers named with zealous renunciation the names of not only such as caesar vaninus , and pomponatius , valent. gentilis , servetus ( whom they burnt ) but also those captains of sedition , that were the heads of dangerous sects . tho ▪ muncers case they commonly mention with detestation ; and ionn of leydens , and the rest at m●nster as worse . ( and yet leo juda tells us with what marvellous constancy knipperd●lling endured his flesh to be pulled off by pieces with red hot pincers , scarce groaning or expressing grief ▪ ) the case of david george , the father of the libertines ( as beza calls him ) and henry nicols's ▪ ( the father of the familists ) multitudes recite with detestation . ii. but there are many things that stand up against this duty , and turn men from it , or make it doubtful in particular instances . 1. one is the great abuse of it by the antients , and the mischiefs done by that abuse ▪ it calleth for greatest grief to read it , and to feel the fruit of it to this day , which while i have recited out of the councils and church-history , many cannot bear it . the case of the easter contention in all the christian world , even in brittain tells it us : the shameful catalogue of hereticks in philastrius , yea many in epiphanius tell it us : so do the controversies with the audians , novatians , donatists , the nestorians , eutychians , monothelites , the tria capitula out of theodorite , theodore mops. and ibas : the image controversies , the corrupti●ol● , and phantasiasts , and many more such : and since the heat of the lutherans , ( such as marbachius , heshasius , westphalus , gallus , ambsdorsius , and lately calovius , and many still ) against the calvinists ; the over-violent usage of the remonstrants in holland , the strife at the city of frankford , between the conformists , and nonconformists ; the violences , and reproaches of episcopal , presbyterian , independants , erastians , and anabaptists against each other in england , with the evil means , and long continuance , and woful effects . the scots covenants excluding from their publick union there and here , all the diocesan divines and party , even such as usher , morton , hall , davenant , &c. these great abuses of over-doers , and dividers , make many charitable men think , that it is best to mention no mens faults at all , save u●ter enemies . 2. and another grand dissuasive , is the certain abuse that bad men will make of it : malignant spit-fires do already write books full of palpable lies against other men ( of which i have had a notable part : ) and in common speech and reproach ▪ make many that they converse with , believe these lies ? and if we call each other to repentance , or confess our own sin , impudent malice will turn it to a common scorn , and say , they are all alike , and worse than they confess . 3. and another hinderance is , that we think controverted cases are not matter of censure : and these are controversies . 4. but the greatest impediment of all , is the natural selfishness , pride and impatience that is in all , so far as they are unmortified , and unhumbled , and interessing god and his truth , and cause , more deeply than is just , in the interest of our selves , our parties , and our opinions . to these four cases i briefly say , 1. the avoiding of the contrary extream , hindered not god and good men from mentioning diotrephes , demas , the nicolaitans , and all aforesaid . 2. if we shall omit all duty that men will abuse , we shall do none , or next to none . repentance is most honourable ▪ except innocency : and they would reproach men less , if they more confest their sin themselves : and a true confession is a true description of the case , and shameth them that make it worse then it is , or lay the fault of the guilty on the innocent . 3. what heresy or sin almost is not controverted ? satan will make a controversy of all , if that shall serve : arrianism is a sad instance , and socinianism , which is much worse , and popery is more disputed for than they all . 4. god hateth the proud , and will abase them , and pardoneth none but the penitent , and he that sinfully saveth his credit , shall most lose it : repentance is a great , hard , necessary work , we can easily call other men to repent . iii. having told you my judgment , i will as this worthy brother adviseth , yet further review my own actions . i am one of those that have formerly imitated austin in some confessions , and retractations ; but i cannot make every scornful expectants opinion my measure , nor retract all that every extream'd opposer , or dissenter doth dislike . and i am one that long , and very dearly endeavoured to have prevented those overturnings , which i bewail : and at that time i thought them a sin so great , as i will not now describe , and took in the prognostick of their consequents , in which i have only been thus far mistaken , that gods wonderful mercy hath hitherto made them much easier then i expected : i mentioned them most openly and plainly then , to convince the guilty , and save the tempted ; and i have oft since made some mention of them , not to call the dead to repentance , but the societies in their humiliations , and the nation , and to preserve the living from the guilt of participation , and imitation . but i find that some much mistake me , and think that all the persons that i have named , i mention as intolerable , or make them worse than they are , and equal the better with the worse , yea , make the welsh itinerants worse then ignorant , vicious , meer readers . all this is far from my words and thoughts . when clement writer wrote two books against the scripture , the ministry , and me , i answered him modestly in my book , called , the unreasonabless of infidelity : the ranters i detested : the quakers , when they bitterly reviled me , i gave free leave to dispute with me in my congregation as long as they would : the seekers , that said , scripture , church ministry , and sacraments were all lost , till new miracles restored them , i dealt with peaceably : but i confess i took all these for such as were as unfit for my communion , as they thought me for theirs , and mischievous to the souls of men. but i never thought of as equal with these the persons that i then wrote against , as antinomians , nor those that i now name on such accounts . i know that the libertines opinions called antinomianism , by too near consequence subvert the gospel . but i believe that the good men did not see such consequences , but believed the fundamentals , wh●ch they so subverted , and erred through ignorance , and unskilfulness , and confusion in managing disputes , and zeal for free-grace , drew them in the dark to injure , and dishonour it : these erroneous men , for ought i know , might love god through christ more then i ; and if so , they were so much better men then i. amesius saith , that theology is so connext , that every errour by consequence overthroweth the foundation : if that be so , who is not guilty of it ? i write here against no man as episcopal , presbyterian , independant , erastian , or anabaptist ; but only against hating one another on such accounts , and doing those things by alienation , excommunication , opposition , or other aversation unnecessarily , which signify detestation , or want of love , or tend thereto . as to the men named by me , take not the knowledge of their opinions from me , but from their publick books : mr. erbury , prince , lilburn , and such others have spoken too loud by the press : i think much better of mr. saltmarsh , w. sedgwick , den , hobson , &c. and yet better of mr. powell , cradok , lloyd , whom i named , whom you may know in print : [ the last , by a dialogue between martha and lázarus , about his soul , and letters to mr. erbury . ] that which i say of such , i fully believe ; that is , 1. that the dr. greatly mistakes in his intimations , as if lyturgies had been the only cause , or at least greater than they were , of a defective ministry , when so many of its greatest adversaries have been so faulty , and defective . 2. because those errours may be dangerous to the hearers , which god forgiveth to the ignorant speaker , i assert , that sound doctrine read out of notes or books , is less hurtful to the hearers , then dangerous practical erro●r delivered with fluent extemporate fervency , and that when calvin , hildersham , and such great , and holy men , prayed usually in the pulpit by a form , they failed not of the spirits help , so much as they that extempore pray erroneously . and that mr. phil. nye spake not mistakingly , when ( to me ) he wish't that the publick congregations in wales had good sermon books read to them , ( though men should call them homelies in contempt ; not to put down preaching , but where it 's wanting : and that a very excellent ministry beyond sea , use publick lyturgies , and pulpit forms : and excellent holy men in england long used the english lyturgy , from whom i never would have separated ; even such a. bishops , and bishops , as granmer , parker , grindal , abbot , u●her , &c. ridley , hooper , farrar , iewel , &c. such holy teachers as bolton , whately , preston , sibs , crooke , bifield , and abundance like them ; men of such rare learning and piety , as davenant , gataker , stoughton , bishop miles smith , dr. field , &c. and i do not believe that the westminster assembly were all , save eight ministers , void of the spirit , or unfit for communion , while they used the lyturgy : nor yet that of the 9000 that were in the publick churches in 1659. or 1660. the 7000 that conformed ▪ aug. 24. 1662. were suddenly made insufficient , if they were sufficient before , ( though i meddle not with the question , whether they did well ▪ ) and yet against the contrary extream , i say , if many thousands be not in heaven ▪ whom bishops have excommunicated , and thought intolerable , yea , whom great councils have called hereticks , wo to those bishops that are worse than they . i conclude with thanks to my reverend monitor , and tell him , that i would sain ( whose censure soever i undergo , ) avoid both their sin , who undervalue mens piety for tolerable errours , & condemn those that are better than themselves , ( & themselves by consequence much more ; ) and theirs who in honour of good mens names , extenuate their dangerous errours ▪ and practices , and hinder publick repentance , forgiveness , and deliverance , by hiding , or smoothing over publick sins . but being my self lyable to forgetfulness , when i remember what answer a false argument calls for , and what notice young people need for their preservation , i am sometime less sensible of the impatience of the partial , and mistaken , and how much harder it is to bear blame , then to deserve it , and how ill the effects of their impatience may be . therefore while i stand to the rule that he mentioneth , if i have by ignorance , hast , or any other cause , done that by naming , or confuting any , which hath truly a greater tendency to do hurt , than to do good , i repent of all that 's so said and done , and ask forgiveness of god and man. and if any be unhumbled for the publick sins of the land , or any party of their minds , which have dishonoured god and our religion , and hardened adversaries , and brought us all into distress , and threaten yet worse to all the land , and our posterity , the lord humble them before it be too late . and if any that are far worse themselves , take advantage from any mens errours , misdoings , or confessions , to feed their own , and others malice , to reproach piety , to oppress ; or calumniate the innocent , and lay the faults of a few that got military advantages , upon them that were furthest from the guilt , yea , on the nation , and the protestant cause , the day is at hand , that god will vindicate the just , and stop the mouths of false accusers , with as great severity at least , as we can well desire . and delay is no violation of his promise : though he stay long , he will avenge them speedily , luke 18. and he knoweth that their day is coming : and then we shall say , it was the fittest time . post-script . reader , the sight of a book of one mr. edw. petit , called , visions of government , calls me to tell you , that all his reviliu● language needs no reply , or confutation : but his story about major iennings , how i stood by while he was wounded , and encouraged it , and took the meddal from about his neck is already by me confuted before my defence of the history of councils : which i have made known to mr. l'estrange , and major iennings . and though the rector of burton , in the life of dr. heylin , publish it with major iennings affirmation , i do here again , as in the presence of god , take a voluntary oath , that it is false ; and that i was not near him at that time , nor never saw the man in my life ( unless i might see a man unknowingly in a congretion , or distant croud , nor did i see any wound him , nor take any meddal of him : but that in the house where i was , i heard the soldiers tell how they wounded , stript him , and took his meddal ( laughing at a silly soldier that called it a crucifix : ) and the man that took it , offering it to sale , i gave him eighteen pence for it , and some years after sent it major iennings freely ; which it seems made him think , and rashly affirm falsly , that it was i that took it from him . as for the rest of the diabolism of that book , and his , and others uncessant charges from one book retracted so many years ago , and accused by my self , consenting to the oxford men that burnt it , it doth but tell the world , what furious , implacable wrath in the engaged enemies of love and peace can do , and sheweth itself more effectually then any other can . ( as do three others that have taken the like course . ) finis . schism detected in both extreams, or, two sorts of sinful separation the first part detecteth the schismatical principles of a resolver of three cases about church-communion, the second part confuteth the separation pleaded for in a book famed to be written by mr. raphson. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1684 approx. 237 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 43 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27028 wing b1396 estc r16323 12393808 ocm 12393808 61069 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27028) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 61069) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 269:5) schism detected in both extreams, or, two sorts of sinful separation the first part detecteth the schismatical principles of a resolver of three cases about church-communion, the second part confuteth the separation pleaded for in a book famed to be written by mr. raphson. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [5], 58, [4], 18 p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1684. attributed to richard baxter. cf. bm. "the second part against schism being animadversions on a book famed to be mr. raphson's" (18 p. at end) has special t.p. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng raphson, -mr. christian union -england. schism. church -catholicity. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2005-10 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion schism detected in both extreams . or two sorts of sinful separation . the first part detecteth the schismatical principles of a resolver of three cases about church-communion . the second part confuteth the separation pleaded for , in a book famed to be written by mr. raphson . rom. 15. 7. receive ye one another as christ received us , to the glory of god. london : printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , near mercers chappel . 1684. the dangerous schismatick clearly detected , and fully confuted ; for the saving of a distracted nation from that which would destroy christian love and unity . occasioned by a resolver of three cases about church-communion . by richard baxter a catholique christian , who is against confining christian love and communion to any sect how great soever . mark 16. 16. he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved . john 13. 35. by this shall all men know you are my disciples , if ye have love one to another . 1 john 4. 16. he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in god , and he in him . rom. 14. 1. 17 , 18. him that is weak in the faith receive ye , but not to doubtful disputations : for the kingdom of god is not meat and drink , but righteousness and peace , and joy in the holy ghost : for he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and approved of men. london , printed for thomas parkhurst at the bible and three crowns at the lower end of cheapside near mercers-chappel , 1683. the english schismatick , detected and confuted : occasioned by a resolver of cases about church communion . chap. i. saith the resolver , § . 1. the church is a body or society of men separated from the rest of the world , and united to god and to themselves by a divine covenant . a. he saith this is the plainest description he can give : that is not the fault of his auditors or readers . 1. as to the genus , a community of equals without rulers is a body : but i suppose he meaneth not such . 2. is it enough that it be of men ? sure now they should be christians ? 3. many are separated from the rest of the world , secundum quid , that are no christians ; some in one respect and some in another , and none in all respects . 4. vnited to god , is an ambiguous word , no creature is vnited to him perfectly so as to be thereby what he is , god , in the created nature . only christ is united to him hypostatically in his created nature . all are so far united to him in natural being , as that in him they live and move and have their being : and the nature of man is one sort of his image : all things are united to him as effects to their constant efficient . the church should not be defined without any mention of christ : the churches union with god is by christ . 5. christ himself as head is an essential part of the church , and should not be left out of a definition , thô the meer body may in common speech be called the church , as the people may be called a kingdom . 6. will any divine covenant serve ? or must it not be only the baptismal covenant ? 7. is it called divine only as made by god , or as commanded by god and made by man , or as mutual ? certainly gods law and offered or conditional promise is most frequently called his covenant in scripture ; and this uniteth not men to god , till they consent and covenant with him . their own covenant act is necessary hereto : and that is a divine covenant , only as commanded , and accepted and done by gods assisting grace . 8. the form of a church is relative , and the terminus is essential to a relation . it is no definition that hath not the end of the association : therefore this is none at all ; and so the beginning tells us what to expect . this description hath nothing in it ▪ but what may agree to divers forms of society , and so hath not the form of a church : and if he intended not a definition , but a loose description , i would a defining doctor had had the chair , during this controversie . let us try this description upon a mahometan kingdom , army , or navy , or suppose them meer deists . 1. such a kingdom , army , or navy may be a society . 2. of men. 3. separated from the rest of the world secundum quid & ad hoc ( and none are separated from it simpliciter & ad omnia : e. g. no man is separated from the common humanity , no deist from any but atheists , and no christian in believing a god and the law of nature and nations . ) 4. they are vnited to god so far as owning a god and worshipping him amounts to , besides the union of the creature with the creator in whom he liveth , &c. and no unregenerate ungodly christian is united to him savingly . 5. they are united among themselves . 6. this is by a covenant : 7. and by a covenant divine , as to command , approbation and object . it is god that they covenant to own and obey : the common profession of the mahometans , is , there is one god , and mahomet is his prophet . it is divine in tantum as commanded . for god commandeth all men to own him ; to believe that god is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him : and god so far approveth it : st. james saith , ( thou dost well ) to him that believeth there is a god , much more that is professedly devoted to him . let us by this examine the jewish church : jews now may be 1. a body , 2. of men , 3. separated from the rest of the world , even in religion and church pretensions . 4. united to god as creatures , as men , as the corporal seed of abraham , and as professing belief , love and obedience to god , as their god. 5. strictly united among themselves : 6. by a covenant , 7. which god once commanded , and still approveth so far as they own god. let us consider whether this description take not in , those in every nation that fear god and work righteousness , that never heard of christ , ( being thus combined . ) and whether the kingdom of god , be not larger than his church : joyn the head and tail of this mans book together , and by the head ( the description ) for ought i see , jews , mahometans , if not almost ; all heathens , are the church : but at the end , i think none on earth is the church : at least none that separate from a pair of organs , or an ignorant curate ; nor can any man know who . page 2. § . 2. he explaineth his word [ body ] as opposed to a confused multitude . a. but a community of equals , that have no governours , may have order , and be no confused multitude . and he himself after pleads over much for ●●●●necessity of rulers . p. 3. § . 3. and in many places , his confusion and grand errour is repeated , that the christian church is but one : p. 7. we know no church but what all christians are members of by baptsme , which is the vniversal church ; p. 8. there is but one church , of which all christians are members , as there is but one covenant ; p. 19. if there be but one church and one communion , of which all true christians are members , &c. p. 23. i am no otherwise a member of any particular church , than i am of the vniversal : p. 40. it 's a schismatical notion of membership that divides the christian church into distinct memberships , and therefore into the distinct bodyes : and. p. 19. and often he saith , those churches which are not members of each other , are separate churches and schismaticks . a. i had hoped that no man but mr. cheny had talkt at this rate . i. it 's agreed on , that there is but one universal church : the contrary is a contradiction . 2. it is agreed , that there is no lawful particular church which is not a part of the universal . 3. that whoever hath just union and communion with a true particular church , hath union and communion with the universal : 4. that all men in their worship of god , should accordingly perform it ( and do all that they do ) as men in that relation to the universal church : none of this is controverted . ii. but i had hoped never to have heard any but seekers say , that there are not many lawful particular churches , distinct from the whole and from one another , though not disjunct in the common essentials . for the proof of the contrary , 1. i begin with that which i expect should be most powerful ; the mans own after-confessions , to which he is oft brought . pag. 8. distance of place and the necessities and conveniences of worship and discipline , has divided the church into several parts and members , and particular churches , &c. so pag. 14. pag. 19. all christian churches ought to be members of one . more fully p. 20 , 21. this is ad hominem , yea and nay is his resolution . 2. but i 'le bring other arguments that prevail more with me . the sacred scriptures oft tell us of many churches , therefore there are many . act. 9. 31. the churches had rest ; and 15. 4. confirming the churches ; 16. 5. so were the churches established in the faith ; rom. 16. 4. all the churches of the gentiles : so ver . 16. 1 cor. 7. 17. so ordain i in all churches ; 11. 16. neither the churches of god ( have such custom ; ) 14. 33. as in all the churches of the saints ; 34. let your women keep silence in the churches . so 16. 1. 19. & 2 cor. 8. 1. the grace of god bestowed on the churches of macedonia : 18. whose praise is in the gospel through all the churches . so 19. 23 , 24. and 11. 8. 28. the care of all the churches ; 12. 13. inferior to the other churches . gal. 1. 2 , 22. 1 thes . 2. 14. 2 thes . 1. 4. rev. 1. 4. to the seven churches , ver . 11. 20. angels and candlesticks of the seven churches . and 2. 7 , 11 , 17 , 29. and 3. 6 , 13 , 22 , 23. and 22. 16. his concordance might have shew'd him all these in order , phil. 4. 15. no church communicated with me ( concerning giving and receiving ) but ye only . the dispute now must be , whether the apostles or this resolver be to be believed : they say there are many churches , parts of one ; he saith , there is but one , and it 's schismatical to divide it into distinct memberships or bodyes , &c. it 's no schisme here to say , i am for paul and the holy scripture : let who will believe the contradictor . 3. my next argument is this : where there are many political societies , consisting of christian pastors and people , professedly associated for the ordinary exercise of those relations as such , in holy communion , in christian doctrine , worship , order and conversation , for edification in true faith , hope , love and obedience , and the glorifying of god therein . there are many distinct true churches , parts of the church universal ; but on earth there are many such societyes , &c. ergo , &c. either the controversie is de re or de nomine ( for we called separatists use to separate these . ) 1. if de re ; let the existence of the thing defined be tryed by scripture , reason and common experience : 2. if de nomine ; forma quae dat esse dat nomen : here is the true specifick form which is found in many single churches , ergo the name of such single ( or individual ) churches is due to them . 4. again ad hominem , from the consequences : 1. if there be not many single churches in the universal , then there are not many patriarchal , national , provincial , metropolitical , diocesan , or parochial churches : for non entium non datur numerus : many nothings is a contradiction multae sunt ergo sunt ; ab est tertij adjecti ad est secundi valet argumentum . but if there be not many , then 1. all the parish churches in england being but one , and not many , a patron can have right to present to no one as a church , more than to another . 2. then the parson , vicar or curate is no more the parson of one church than of another ; nor bound to no more care and duty ; for there is but one . 3. then no one is bound to go to one parish church more than another ; for there is but one . 4. then the temple and tithes belong no more to one than another . 5. then no bishop is the proper bishop of one diocesan church , more than of another . 6. then all the revenues of the bishop of london , are no more appropriate to one church than to another . 7. then you owe no more obedience to the bishops of one diocesan church than another : 8. then you make the king no more head or governour of the church of england , than of another . 9. then a diocesan oweth no reverence to a metropolitane chruch ( if there be none such . ) 10. then many churches cannot have communion nor send bishops to councils ; ( if there be not many ) 11. and the charge of separation from a church that is no church , is a contradiction . 5. i adde , from parity of reason , if many distinct subordinate societies may make one civil body politick , so they may one universal church : but the antecedent is undoubted . if it be learnedly said with mr. cheny , that one whole cannot be part of another whole ; one may attain the perfection by that time he hath worn the breeches but a few years , to know that a whole family may be part of a whole village , and a whole vicinage be part of a whole city , and a whole colledge be part of a whole university ; and a whole city part of a whole kingdom ; and a whole kingdom part of the whole earth . and if it be objected , that the names of the whole and parts are here divers ; but a church and a church are the same name . i answer , at the same age one may learn that the same name proveth not the sameness of the things named ; and that ex penuria nominum the genus and species , the totum and parts have oft equivocally the same name , with the addition of just notes of distinction . sometimes an academy of many school is called schola , and so are the single schools therein : the city of london is a society ; and so are the societies of merchant-taylors , drapers , mercers , &c. therein . § . 4. but these churches must be members of one another , or they are schismaticks . a. 1. how can that be , if they be all but one . 2. this is also above or below the ferula age . they are no members of one another , but all members of the whole : yet how oft have we this with the sting of schisme ( as damning as murder of adulter ) in the tail of it . the hand is not a member or part of the foot , or the foot of the hand , or the liver a member of the lungs , &c. but each one of the man : if ever i were a schoolmaster again , i would perswade may boyes , that a is not a member of b , nor b of c , &c. but each of the alphabet ; and that one leaf of their book is not a member of another , but both of the book ; and if they were ripe for the university , i would perswade them that exeter colledge is not a member of corpus christi , nor that of lincoln , &c. but all of the universitie of oxford . and i think that bristol is not a member of exeter or gloucester , &c. but all of england ; and that the company of stationers are not part of the society of merchants or drapers , &c. but all of london . what a priviledg is it , that a man may believe this about any such thing without schisme and damnation ! and how dreadful to fall into such church-mens hands that in their case make it schisme , separation and damnation . but there is a remedy . § . 5. but he hath reason for what he saith : p. 3 , 4. [ indeed it is extreamly absurd and unreasonable , to say , that the christian church , which is built on the same foundation , &c. who enjoy all priviledges in common , should be divided into as distinct and separate bodies , thô of the same kind and nature , as peter , james and john are distinct persons — it 's absurd to say , that where every thing is common there is not one community . ans . let us not swallow this without chewing : 1. whether all be extreamly absurd and unreasonable which such doctors call so ; i am grown to doubt as much as whether all be schism which schismaticks call so : ipse dixit is no proof . 2. what the meaning of this great , decantate word [ separate ] is ; must anon be enquired : but , may not churches be distinct and not culpably separate ? he confesseth afterwards both local distinction and separation . 3. how far are the vniversal church and particular churches distinct ? as whole and parts ? must the world at last learn that whole and parts are not distinct ? if you take it for absurd to distinguish a man from a body , or from a liver , hand or foot , dissenters do not ; nor to distinguish a colledge from an university , a house from a street , a street from a city , &c. but how are the particular churches distinguished one from another ? reader , so constantly do such men fight with themselves , that it 's meet to ask , whether they that thus say there are not many distinct churches , do not assert a far wider difference between many , than those they dissent from . we affirm that there are many , and that they differ not in specie , but numero , as colledges , cities do among themselves ; but these men , after all this , hold not only a numerical , but a specifick difference , even as parochial , diocesan , provincial , patriarchal , national ; at least presbyters and diocesans differing ordine vel specie with them , the church denominated from them must do so too . § 6. but he confirms it . [ peter , james and john , thô they partake of the same common nature , yet each of them have a distinct essence and subsistence of their own , and this makes them distinct persons ; but where the very nature and essence of a body or society consists in baving all things common , there can be but one body . ans . i hope it s no culpable separation to distinguish things as differing specie & numero ; and this is the doctors meaning , if his words are significant : and the common way of expressing it would have been , [ peter and john differ numerically but not in specie ; but two churches differ neither specie nor numero . ] and 1. reader , whereas he said before , that the church is not divided into distinct bodies , as james and john , &c. ] did you think till now , that james and john , and the doctor , and the several bishops had not been distinct parts of the church in their distinct natural bodies ? 2. and why may there not be distinct politick bodies , or compound in one whole as well as natural ? certainly , all things corporeal save attomes are compounds : a muscle , a hand , a foot , parts similar and dissimilar in man are all compounded of lesser parts . if many students may make one colledge , why may not many colledges make one university ? it 's strange if a doctor deny this . 3. but let us consider of his reason , and enquire 1. whether the church have all things common . 2. whether the very essence of it consist in this . i. it is granted that the whole essence of the genus and species is found in every individual of that species , natural or politick ; but did we ever hear , till mr. cheny and this doctor said it , that politick bodies differ not numero as well as natural ? the kingdom of england and of france are two ; the church of rome and constantinople long strove which should be uppermost , but who ever said that they were not two ? ii. have they all things common ? dissenters would have excepted wives and husbands , ( thô the canons called apostolical do not ; ) why should the essence of a church lie in this , and not the essence of a city or kingdom ? tories in ireland would have all common ; merchants and tradesmen , knights , lords and princes here would not . but it 's no schism here also to distinguish simpliciter & secundum quid , propriety and the use of propriety : there is no community without propriety : men have first a propriety in themselves , their members , their food , the acquests of their labours , their wives and children , and goods . and they consent to community to preserve this propriety , because every man loveth himself : and yet they must use their propriety , ( even of life ) for common good , because all are better than one : but if they had no propriety they could not so use it for the common-wealth . and i never conformed to the doctrine that denyeth propriety in church members and particular churches , and thought all simply common . i 'le tell you what particular churches have to individuate them , not common to all . 1. they consist of individual natural persons , many of which as much differ from many other persons , ( those in england from those in spain ) as one man doth from another . 2. their graces and gifts are numerically distinct ( faith , hope , love , &c. ) from those of other churches thô ejusdem speciei . 3. england and france , london and oxford , have churches of different place and scituation : 4. but the formal individuating difference is their nearest relation to their several pastors ; as several kingdoms , cities , schools are numerically distinct by their distinct kings , maiors , school-masters , so are several churches ejusdem speciei . 1. thess . 5. 12 , 13. know those that are among you and over you in the lord , and esteem them highly in love for their works sake . as every mans wife , children and servants must be used for the common good , and yet are not common , one mans wife and children are not anothers ; so the bishop of london , of oxford &c. must govern his church for the good of the universal ; but he is not the bishop of gloucester , norwich , paris , rome . these are differences enow to constitute a numerical difference of churches : paul distinguisheth the bishops of philippi , ephesus ▪ &c. from others . do you yet see no priviledges that one hath proper , and not common to all ? none that make a difference in specie , but both ●●●●umerical and gradual . 1. all churches have not bishop jewel , bishop andrews , doctor stillingfleet , doctor sherlock to be their teachers : air churches be not taught all that 's in this resolver . 2. all churches have not men of the same soundness nor excellency of parts : it was once taken for lawful to account them specially worthy of double honour who laboured in the word and doctrine , and to esteem men for their works sake . paul saith of timothy , i have no man like minded . if those that heard not a sermon in many years differed not from your congregation , why do you preach ? i am reproached in print for telling the world this notorious truth ; that i lived till ten years old , where four men , four years hired successively were readers and school-masters ; two preached ( as it was called ) once a month , the other two never : two drank themselves to beggery . after i lived where many parishes about us had no preachers : the parish that i lived in , had a church with a vicar that never preached , and a chappel with a parson eighty years old , that had two livings twenty miles distant , and never preacht : his son a reader and stage-player was sometime his curate : his grand-son , my school-master , his curate next that , never preacht in his life , but drunk himself to beggery . one year a taylor read the scripture , and the old man ( the best of them all ) said the commmon-prayer without book ( for want of sight . ) the next year a poor thresher read the scripture . after that a neighbours son ( my master ) was curate , who never preacht but once , and that when he was drunk , ( in my hearing ) on mat. 25. come ye blessed , and go ye cursed ; ] the saddest sermon that ever i heard . these things were no rarities : now my assertion is , that the church that had such as austin , chrysostome , jewel , andrews , and such worthy men as london now hath many , had priviledges distinct from these , ( and many the like ) that i was in . if you say that every bishop and preacher is as much the bishop and preacher to all other single churches , as to that which is his title ; then 1. he must be condemned for not teaching them all . 2. then he may claim maintenance from them all . 3. then he may intrude into any mans charge . 4. then no church is unchurcht for want of a bishop , for any one bishop is bishop to every church in the world ; and so ubi episcopus ibi ecclesia , signifieth but that church and bishop are on the same earth ; and ecclesia est plebs episcopo adunata may be verified if there be but one in the world. 5. and so mr. dodwell and such are self-confuted before you are aware : geneva , holland , and all presbyterians are true churches , for they have all bishops ; e.g. the bishop of london is bishop to them all : for if one man be no more a member of one single church than of another , and so no more a subject to one bishop than to another , then one bishop is no more pastor of one church than of another . 7. and how can you magnifie the church of england for a wise , learned , pious clergy above other churches , if all priviledges be common , and they have no proper pastors of their own . 8. do you think that the church , e. g. of hippo , that was in austins dayes , was the same numerical single church with that which is there now , ( were there any ) or with the diocesan church of london ? if not , then at least distance of time , and change of persons maketh divers particular churches ; and it 's no more against the unity of the church universal to have divers particular churches in it in the same age , than in divers ages . in short , diversity of matter and form maketh a numerical diversity ( as of natural , so ) of politick bodies of the same species : but the churches of ephesus , smyrna , thyatira , philadelphia &c. were of divers matter and form numerically ; ergo they were divers political churches . sure god doth not commend laodicea for philadelphia's church virtues , nor condemn the church of philadelphia for the other churches sins . and if the angels be bishops , why are some bishops praised as the bishops of such churches , and the bishops of other churches threatned . but i confess this is a ready way to end the controversies between the bishops of several churches which shall be greatest , if they be all but one . but i hope that when the bishop of rome and his church was corrupted , it is not true that every bishop and church fell with him , ( or with any that hath turned to mahumetanism . ) to be no longer on this , ( which i thought no prelatist would ever have put me on ) if these men speak not notoriously against scripture , against the constant language of canons and fathers , historians and lawyers , and all antiquity , and all christian countreys and divines , ( yea , even those that at trent would have had only the pope to be of immediate divine right ) then i know not any thing by reading . and if poor nonconformists must be put to defend themselves against such singularities , and be schismaticks unless they will differ from all the christian world of all ages , there is no remedy . § 7. but p. 5 , 6. he tells us , [ that a church is made by a divine covenant — god only can constitute a church : such persons , if there be any so absurd , are not worth disputing with , who dare affirm the church to be an humane creature , or the invention of men . — and no church can depend on humane contracts ; for then a church would be a humane creature and constitution , whereas a church can be founded only on a divine covenant — 1. who would think but this man were a nonconformist , that talks so like them ( e. g. amesius in medul . theol. ) against humane church forms ? but what then will bishop bilson , and almost all other bishops and christians be thought of , who affirm patriarchal and metropolitical churches ( and many of the diocesane ) to be but humane constitutions and inventions . and if these be not worth the disputing with , it seems , that you differ from them more than separatists do : and then were not all these schismaticks ? and then , are not you a schismatick if you communicate with them ? yea , your mr. dodwel himself maketh diocesan churches to be a humane creature ; and a. bishop bromhall much pleadeth for mans power to make patriarchal churches ; and so do such others . 2. but is it true that humane contracts make not a church ? ans . not alone : but i think that all churches are made by mutual contracts , and humane is one part of that which is mutual . 1. as to the vniversal church , 1. god as legislator and donor , instituteth the species of covenanting by baptism , and therein he commandeth mans consent to his offered covenant ; and conditionally promiseth to be our god : but , conditionale nihil ponit in esse : this much maketh no christian , nor church . to command a man to be a christian , and conditionally to promise him life if he will be one , proveth him not to be one ; else all were christians that reject an offered christ . 2. but when man consenteth and covenanteth with god , then gods conditional gift becomes actual and efficacious , the man being a capable recipient , and not before : and in this it is the contract that is the fundamentum relationis ; but a single promise is not a mutual covenant or contract . so that it is no wiser divinity to say , gods covenant and not mans consent , covenant or contract with god , doth make christians , and the universal church ; than it is sober reason to say , that gods institution of marriage or magistracie only doth make the relation of husband and wife , without their covenanting consent , or doth make common-wealths , without the consent or covenant of sovereign and subjects . did this doctor think that voluntariness is not as necessary to the relation of christianity as to the relation of prince and subjects ; yea , or of husband and wife ? if he do , he is shamefully mistaken . baptism delivereth men possession of pardon , grace and right to glory ; and can men have this against their wills ? one would think by the doctrine and course of some men , that they could force men to pardon and salvation ! if i believed that their force could accomplish this , i would never call it persecution . if they can force men to be true christians , they may force them to be justifyed and saved ; and then they are very uncharitable if they do not : let them then cease preaching and disputing us to their opinion , but bring us all to heaven whether we will or not . yea the self-contradictor , playing fast and loose , confesseth p. 6. that no man at age can be admitted to baptism , till he profess his faith in christ , and voluntarily undertake the baptismal vow : and is not that humane covenanting ? yea , he knoweth that the liturgie maketh even neighbours or strangers , vow and covenant , both in the name of the child and for the child . and so necessary doth the episcopal church think humane covenanting , that without this no child must be baptized publickly though the parents would covenant , and that they can neither for love nor money ( for many poor men hire godfathers ) get any one ( much less three ) who examined , will seriously purpose to perform the covenant for the child 's holy education which they make . ii. but is not humane covenanting a cause of single church relation as well as of universal ? i see no cause to doubt it ; and i am sure that the church for a thousand years ( before and since popery came in ) have declared him no bishop that comes in without consent of clergie and people ; which consent is their covenanting act . to make a single church , manifold consent goeth to the fundamentum relationis . 1. god commandeth single church officers , order and consent , and promiseth them his blessing where they are met : the lord and his angels are among them : no command is vain , and without a virtual promise . 2. to this a threefold humane consent is needful , ordinarily : 1. the persons called . 2. the ordainers ( when it may be had . ) 3. the peoples . he that formerly , from the apostles dayes , for a thousand years , should have said , that neither the covenanting , that is the consent of the pastor , or people , or ordainers , is necessary to the fundamentum of a single church relation or form , would have been taken for a wild-brain'd schismatick at least . § 8. but saith this doctor ( and another of them ) [ p. 6. but the independent church covenant between pastor and people , is of a very different nature from this : vnless any man will say , that the voluntary contract and covenant which the independents exact from their members , and wherein they place a church state , be part of the baptismal vow ; if it be not , then they found the church upon a humane covenant ; for christ hath made but one covenant with mankind which is contained in the vow of baptism ; if it be , then no man is a christian but an independent . ans . alas for the church that is taught at this rate ! 1. i never saw what independents do in this case ; but i think none of them that are sober own any other sort of church but the universal , and single churches as members of it , and therefore require no contract but 1. to the covenant of baptism or christianity . 2. to the duties of their particular church-relation . 2. and nothing is here of necessity but manifested consent ( which is a real contract ) but a clearer or a darker , an explicite or implicate consent differ only ad melius esse . 3. is not god the author of magistracy , marriage , &c. and is it any violation of gods part , if rulers and people , husband and wife be covenanters by his command ? 4. is it any renuntiation of baptism to promise at ordination to obey the arch-bishop and bishop , and to take the oath of canonical obedience ? is it not still exacted ? are not the takers of it obliged ? are not covenants imposed on all that will be ministers in the act of uniformity ? are not multitudes kept out and cast out for not making these covenants ? quo teneam nodo , &c. how should one deal with such stippery men ? good mr. zachary cawdry that wrote to have all men to covenant submission to bishops and parish ministers , did not dream that it was any violation of baptism . 5. do not men owe duty to their pastors which they owe to no others ? if not , put them not on it : why are you angry with them for going from you ? why doth the canon suspend those that receive them to communion from another parish that hath no preacher ? why are we ruined for not covenanting as aforesaid ? if yea , then is it against baptism to promise to do our duty ? 6. but hath god commanded or instituted no covenant but baptism ? yes sure , the matrimonial at least ; and i think ordination is covenanting for the ministry : did not the apostle acts 14. 23. ordain elders in every church ? if you would have [ by suffrage ] left out of the translation , no sober man can doubt but it was by the peoples consent ; and was it without their consent that titus was to ordain elders in every city ? could any then come otherwise in ? did not all churches hold and practise this after , and was it none of gods institution ? if so , god requireth us not to take any of you for our bishops or pastors : who then requireth it ? what meaneth paul when he saith , they gave up themselves to the lord and to us , by the will of god. 7. can the wit of man imagine how it is possible without consent , for a man to be made the pastor of any flock ? who ever ordained a man against his will ? or for any man to have title against his will , to the proper oversight and pastoral care of any one pastor , or the priviledges of any church ? if any think they may be cramm'd and drencht with the sacrament , or that an unwilling man may have a sealed pardon and gift of salvation delivered him , he will make a new gospel . and how any particular pastor is bound to give that man the sacrament ordinarily , that consents not ordinarily to receive it of him , i know not . no man is a member of any city , or any company of free-men in the city , but by mutual consent ; and the oath of allegiance and supremacy to the king maketh not the oath of a citizen as such or of a member of a company as such , unlawful . 8. doth this doctor think that he ever yet proved to sober men , that the covenant aforesaid , of godfathers and godmothers , to make christians , and members of the universal church , is more ( or so much ) of gods institution , than the contract or consent between bishops or pastors and people to make a single political church ? 9. if it follow not , that no man is the kings subject that sweareth not to the city ; it will not follow , that none is a christian , but an independent , or church-consenter . 10. how are your parish or diocesan church members known to your selves or any others ? are all that dwell in the parish or diocess your church members ? then atheists , sadducees , hobbists , and all vicious men and thousands that never communicate , are such : yea those that you call separatists . if it be every transient communicant , have you a proper pastoral care of every travellers soul that so communicates with you ? you after plead that his very ordinary communion maketh him not a member , if he be unwilling to be one . and is not his consent then necessary ? or if ordinary communion be the test ( how few then of great parishes are of the church ) yet that is because such communion signifieth their consent to your over-sight of them . § 9. but it 's much to be approved which p. 5. and oft he saith , that to be taken into covenant with , god , and to be received into the church is the very same thing , as to the universal church . by which all his gross schismatical accusations after wards are confuted . no , man then is out of the church that is not out of the baptismal covenant , either by not taking it , or by renouncing some essential part of it ? and when will he prove , that to take him , rather than dr. bates that was cast out , to be a teacher or pastor at dunstans , or to take this man and not another to be the lawful bishop or priest , and to obey him in every oath and ceremony , is an essential part of the baptismal covenant , or of christianity ? but ; such a rope of sand , as mr. dodwell and this man tye together , to bind men to their sect , will serve turn with some that know not who speaks truth , by any surer way than prejudice . § 10. his doctrine of separation and gathering churches out of churches is anon to be considered : but whereas he addes , p. 7. [ these men convert christians from common christianity , and the communion of the vniversal church to independency . ] ans . my acquaintance with them is small , save by reading their books : and there are few men of any common denomination ( episcopal , or other ) that are not in many things disagreed . but i must in charity to them say , that as far as i can judge by their writings or speech , he palpably slandereth them ; and that none that are grave and sober among them do separate their churches from the common christianity or the universal church , any more than the company of stationers , ironmongers , &c. are separated from the city of london , or london from england , or trinity colledge from the university of cambridge or oxford . i never met with man , and i am confident never shall do , that doth not take his independent church to be part of the universal , and dependent as a part on the whole . if belying others stopt at words , the wrong were small : but when it 's made but the stairs to hatred and destroying , it 's his way to cure schism that is commonly painted with horns and cloven feet . if a man come from a countrey village and be made by covenant a citizen of london , how prove you that he renounceth king or kingdom ? but he saith , p. 9. those who wilfully separate from the corporation to which the charter was granted , forfeit their interest in the charter . ans . what reader doth this man presume upon that will not ask him , how he proveth 1. that gods law or charter to his church doth not require them to congregate in distinct single churches ( as london charter doth to erect several companies , and the universities several colledges ? ) 2. and that god hath not in his word given order or command for such single churches : but that the apostles and titus by fixing elders to their several churches and cities , separated from the universal church ? 3. and that their subordinate churches have not need of distinct subordinate consent and duty : and that our diocesan churches all separate from the universal ? did he think these things need no proof at all ? it may be he will say that the diocesan depend on the vniversal , but the presbyterian or independent do not . i answer , dependance is either that of subjects on soveraign or magistrates for government , or that of a community of equals for communion . in the former respect they depend on none but christ as universal soveraign , nor on any foriegners for governments : in the latter , they depend on all true churches for communion : and doctor hammond and most diocesans hitherto have said that diocesan churches are thus far independent or national at most . and if any be for a forreign jurisdiction , in charity before they perswade england to it , they should procure them a dispensation from all the oaths , that have sworn all this kingdom against endeavouring any change of government , and against a foreign jurisdiction : for some fanaticks now dream that per is the mark of the beast , and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which is the number of his name , is nominal as well as numeral , and refers to [ ch-urch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( and ) s tate ] ( for as for them that find a mans name in them , i abhorr their exposition more . ) §11 . p. 9. [ god ( saith he ) hath not made any covenant in particular with the church of geneva , france or england , &c. a. 1. god hath made one general law , for christians congregating with their fixed elders or bishops in particular churches all the world over : and his command is not without promise of being with them to the end of the world ; and that promise becometh a promise to every church so congregate . god hath not made distinct laws or promise to every christian : but the promise to justifie all believers justifieth each single person when he believeth . if the king should make one common law to command all his subjects that are freeholders to live in corporations or hundreds , described with their priviledges , those priviledges would be all theirs that are so incorporated : as one charter may priviledge every london company , diversified by subordinate agreements . 2. and that god who will have them thus incorporated and distributed into several single churches , doth covenant ( or promise ) according to their demerits to each . do i need to recite the peculiar promises and threats to the seven asian churches , rev. 2. and 3. which are covenants to them ? § 12. next pag. 10. he will tell us what communion is , and in many words , it is to tell us that communion is nothing but vnion : i know that quoad notationem nominis , communion may signifie , vnion with others : but they that write politicks have hitherto distinguished . vnion and communion , taking communion for actual communication , or exercise of the duties of men in union ? but to speak cross to other writers on the same subjects and give no reason for it , and to confound vnion and communion , is one part of this edifying resolution . § . 13. pag. 11. [ our communion with the church consists in being members of the church , which we are made by baptism , ] ( saith he . ) then the baptized are still in communion with the church , till their baptism be nullified : and hath he proved us apostates ? § . 14. pag. 12. should any man who is no member of the church , nor owns himself to be so , intrude into the church and communicate in all holy offices , it 's . no act of communion , &c. a. i thought communicating ordinarily in holy office , had gone for an owning of communion : if it do not , would you would tell us how to know who are of your church . § . 15. p. 13. saith he ( church-communion does not consist in particular acts of communion , which can be performed among those who are present and neighbours , but in membership : now as a member is a member of the whole body ( not meerly of any part of it , &c. ) all the subjects of england who never saw nor converst with each other , are members of the same kingdom . ] a. 1. that word [ meerly ] hath more craft than justice or honesty : meerly signifieth only i suppose ; and if he would make his reader think that they that are for single church peculiar membership and consent , do take themselves to be [ meerly or only ] members of those single churches , and not of the universal , it is shameless injury . 2. will he ever draw men to conformity by making them believe , that because they owe common communion to all christians , therefore we owe no special duty to the bishops , priests , churches or neighbours where we are setled ? do the men of one colledge , school , corporation , owe no more duty to that than to all others ? do the free-holders of bedford-shire choose knights for middlesex ; or the citizens of oxford choose officers in london ? these seem strange resolutions to us . 3. but doth he remember that [ if communion consist not in acts , of communion to such , but in membership even with the distant , ] then he that is baptized , and no apostate , and performeth no other acts of communion to the bishops , parson or people where he liveth , than he is bound to perform to them a hundred or thousand miles off , is no separatist . methinks this favours separation too much . § . 16. pag. 14. when he denyed any divine covenant to make us members of particular churches distinguish't from the universal ( as all national , diocesan and parochial are , as parts from the whole ) he presently confuteth all again , saying [ the exercise of church communion , as to most of the particular duties and offices of it must be confined to a particular church and congregation ( for we cannot actually joyn in the communion of prayers and sacraments , &c. but with some particular church . ] a. oportuit fuisse memorem , — 1. reader , doth not this man here confess that there are particular churches ? 2. if these be not distinct from the whole , then each particular is the whole . 3. if the exercise must be in particular churches , must not men consent to their relations and duties ? is it a sin to promise duty ? 4. sure it is not meer place , but a mutual relation of pastors and people that distinguisheth these churches . the presbyterians preach't once in the same places that you do , and yet you take them not for the same church pastors . if one from york or cornwall come into your pulpit without consent , do people stand as much related to him as to you ? some men are of extraordinary sufficiency to resist and conquer the clearest evidence of truth . but he addes [ every act of communion thô performed to some particular church , is and must be an act of communion with the whole catholick church . ] a. and who denyeth this ? no sober independent or presbyterian that ever i met with . it 's a weighty truth . § . 17. p. 14. saith he [ praying , and hearing and receiving the lords supper together doth not make us more in communion with the church of england than with any other true and orthodox part of the church , thô in the remotest part of the world. ] a. i think that 's not true : with the remotest parts you have only catholick communion with the church universal : in england and london you have that and more ; even special subordinate communion with your own king , bishop and flock . 2. and hath not the church of england such communion in obedience to its own laws ; ( as the act of uniformity , ) convocation and canons , which you have not with all abroad ? do your bishops in convocation make canon laws for all the world ? do you swear canonical obedience as much to the bishop of paris , or haffnia , &c. as to your ordinary ? do the canons of all churches impose our liturgy , or ipso facto excommunicate all that affirm any thing in it , or our ceremonies or church government , to be against gods word ? sure this is a peculiar kind of communion . 3. if not , why are all the nonconformists cast out that offer to officiate and communicate on such terms as are common to all sound churches ? pag. 15. saith he [ there is nothing in all these acts of communion which does more peculiarly unite us to such a particular church than to the whole christian church . ] a. what , neither in these acts nor any other ! then we are no more bound to hear you , or maintain you as our pastor , than to hear and maintain the whole christian church . § . 18. p. 20. saith he [ there is no other rule of catholick communion for private christians , but to communicatee in all religious offices and all acts government and discipline with christians those with whom they live . a. 1. elsewhere you added [ sound and orthodox : ] else they that live with arians , socinians , papists ( in spain , france , italy , &c. ) are bound to communicate with them in all religious offices and obey them . 2. this concludeth , that where presbytery or independency is the way of the place where we live , all must thus communicate and obey . the king and custom then may make any way to become our duty . 3. if you tell us that it 's only with the sound and orthodox , you were as good say nothing , unless you tell us who must judge that , whether the people themselves , or who for them . 4. but if this be the only rule for private christians , what shall they do , e. g. in aethiopa , egypt , syria , and many other countreys where the churches are such as general councils and other churches judge hereticks or schismaticks ? and what shall they do , when at antioch , alexandria , constantinople , &c. one party is uppermost ( by the judgment of councils and prince ) one year , and another contrary party the next . and what shall they do where the prince equally tolerateth both , and it 's hard to know which is the more numerous ? as in zeno's and anastasius reign , &c. and what shall they do when many churches in one city are of divers tongues , as well as customs ? have the greeks , french and dutch in london no rule of catholick communion but communicating in all offices with the english , and obeying all your bishops court ? § . 19. p. 21. saith he [ distinct and particular churches ▪ which are in communion with each other , must have their district bounds and limits , as every member has it's natural and proper place , and situation in the body . ] a. why may not the greeks ; dutch and french live in communion with the churches london though they live dispersedly among them ! in brandenburg , hassia , and many free cities , and belgia , where lutherans and calvinists ( as called ) live together , and own each other as brethren , why may not both be churches of christ ? § . 20. p. 21 , 22. a great deal more he hath of the like , making schismaticks at his pleasure . [ this is plain in the case of the presbyterian and independent churches and those other conventicles — they are churches in a church , — nothing can justifie the distinction of christians into several churches , but only such a distance of place as makes it necessary , &c. p. 22. distinct churches in the same place can never be under the same communion . a. these things are repeated so oft , and the word [ separate ] so deceitfully rolled over and over , that i will answer all together under his third case at the end. § . 21. p. 27. see how openly he recanteth most aforesaid : there is a sence indeed wherein we may be said to be members of one particular church considered as distinct from all other particular churches : but that principally consists in government and discipline . every christian is a member of the whole christian church , and in communion with it , but he is under the immediate instruction and government of his own bishop and presbyters , and is bound to personal communion with them ; and this constitutes a particular church , in which all acts of worship and all acts of discipline and government are under the direction and conduct of a particular bishop . ] a. omitting that he seemeth to make the parochial churches no churches , but parts of one , here he saith all that he seemed to write against , and that those that he reproacheth hold , allowing the difference of the extent of churches . and is it edifying to read such a discourse , that saith and unsaith by self-contradiction ? and he adjoyns 28. p. how by agreement patriarchal and national churches are made ! and is not agreement a humane contract ? chap. ii. of his first case . § . 1. page 31. his first case , whether communion with some church or other be a necessary duty incumbent on christians : ] and he thinks the resolution of this is as plain , as whether it be necessary for every man to be a christian : for every christian is baptized into the communion of the church . a. in this i know no christian adversary to him : but it being the vniversal church that he giveth his proof of necessary communion with , it 's odde to say , we must have communion with some church or other : as if there were more than one universal church . 2. but we grant more , that all that can well , should be also members of some single church . § . 2. p. 32. he saith [ external and , actual communion is an essential duty of a church-member ( meaning a christian . ) ] a. 1. and yet before he denyed that communion lay essentially in this exercise , but only in vnion ; yea and nay is his custom . 2. some few christians ( as those that live where such communion cannot be had without sin , &c. ) are not bound to it ; therefore it is not true that it is essential to universal church-membership . and i think sickness endeth not the essentials , that disableth men . 3. note reader , that by this mans doctrine we are all unchristened and damned if we do not gather into disallowed churches , if we be unjustly cast out of the allowed ones : for all must be church members that will be christians , and an unjust excommunication cannot disoblige us from christianity , nor bind us to consent to be damned . now read the 5th 6th 7th 8th , &c. canons of the church of england , which ipso facto excommunicate all that affirm any thing in their liturgy , articles , ceremonies or government sinful , and answer spala●●●●ensis arguments against excommunicating ipso facto , and prove all this just , and you may prove what you will just . but you see where he layeth the controversie : if any be excommunicated without sufficient cause , or by lay civilians to whom god never gave that power , or by such bishops or pastors as have no just authority for want of a true call or consent ; or if any unlawful thing be made necessary to communion , all such persons must by his own confessions hold church-communion whether these imposers will or not ; for all christians are bound to be of some church . § . 3. p. 33 , 34. he saith that [ none but publick prayers are the prayers of the church properly , and acts of communion , that is , such as are offered by the hands of men authorized and set apart for that purpose , &c. ] ans . who would have thought that we are more for the liturgy than he ? i undertake to prove , that all the responsal prayers , and all the litany prayers , in which the minister names but the matter to them , and the people make it a prayer by speaking the petitioning parts , are all the publick prayers of the church , and so are all the petitioning psalms spoke or sung by the people , and not only that which is offered by the priest : i do not think that he believeth what he carelesly saith here , himself . but the independents are stiffer for his first thesis ( of the necessity of church-communion ) than he is , his unfit words i pass by . chap. iii. of his second case . § . 1. the next question of occasional communion as distinct from fixed , he turns out of doors , as if there could be no such thing , and it 's very true as to the church universal ; but as to visible , actual communion with this or that particular church , it is not true . 1. a traveller of another country , who on his journey communicateth with every church where he passeth , is not a fixed member of that church : for , 1. the pastor or bishop hath not that peculiar charge of him as of fixed members . 2. he is not bound where he passeth to take such notice of the lives of communicants or pastors , and to admonish the offenders , and tell the church , as fixed members are . 3. he hath not the right in chooseing pastors or deacons as the fixed members have . 4. an itinerant bishop in transitu is not their fixed bishop ; ergo an iterant lay-man is not a fixed member . the same i may say of one that is a fixed member of another church in the same city , and cometh to that only to signifie universal communion , or neighbourly ; which , though he deny to be lawful , i shall further prove anon . and the same i may say of those that dwell where there is no fixed single church at all , for want of a pastor , but they congregate only when some strange minister passeth through the town . chap. iv. his third case . § . 1. page 48 , 49. he resolveth his third case : [ whether it be lawful to communicate with two distinct and separate churches ] negatively , and saith , [ it is contrary to all the principles of church communion , as any thing can possibly be ; it is to be contrary to our selves , it is communicating with schism : that the presbyterian and independent churches have made an actual separation from the church of england he hath evidently proved ; — and they are schismaticks , and to communicate with them is to partake in their schism ; and if schism be a great sin , and that which will damn us as soon as adultery and murther , then , it must needs be a dangerous thing to communicate with schismaticks . and p. 42. there cannot be two distinct churches in one place , one for occasional , and another for constant communion , without schism . ] ans . to save those that are willing from the poyson of these schismatical doctrines , lapt up in confusion by men that abhor distinction , or understand not what they say ; i will first lay down that truth that he fights against , with convincing evidence , and then shew you the mischief of his false doctrine and application . § . 2. the confusion of these words [ church , communion , separation and schism ] which every one signifie divers things , is the chief means to blind ▪ and deceive his reader ; whether it do so by himself i know not . i. the word church signifieth sometime the universal church ; sometime a single organized church as part of it , and sometime humane combinations of such single churches ; and that into diocesan , classical , provincial , patriarchal , national , and papal . ii. the specification and nomination of churches is from the formal cause , and the proper government is that form : and the individuation is from matter and form , but principally from the form . iii. the union of pastor and flock in relation makes that which is a form aptitudinal ( as the soul to the body ) to be the form in act ( as the union of soul and body ) and gods command and consent with the consent of the necessary relate and correlate cause that union . iv. union is in order to communion , which is primary by the exercise of the formal powers on the matter , and secondary by the action of all the parts according to their several capacities and offices . v. the union of the church is of divers degrees . 1. the formal union of the head and body , which maketh it essentially the [ christian church . ] 2. the vnion of the parts among themselves as christian , which maketh them a body capable of union with the head. 3. the union of the parts as unequal organized , the official with the rest , which maketh it an organized body , fit for its special use and welfare . 4. union in integrity of parts , which maketh it an intire body . 5. union in due temperament and qualities , which maketh it a healthful body . 6. unity in common accidents , which make it a comely beautiful body joined with the rest . but , 7. union in mutable accidents is unnecessary and impossible . vi. these several degrees of union are found in bodies natural and politick . 1. the union of soul and body makes a man , and an embryo before it be organized . 2. the union of the body maketh it capable of the souls further operation . 3. the union of the organical , chief parts , ( as heart , lungs , &c. ) to the rest make it a true humane body compleated to the nutriment and action of life . 4. that it have hands and fingers , feet and toes , and all integral parts , makes it an intire body . 5. the due site , temperament and qualities of each part make it a sound body . 6. comely colour , hair , action , going , speech , &c. make it a comely body . 7. to have all parts of equal quantity and office , would make it uncomely : and to have the same hair , colour , &c. is unnecessary at all . 1. the union of king and subjects as such makes a kingdom . 2. that the people be agreed ; for one conjunct interest and government maketh them a community capable of politie or government . 3. that there be judges , maiors and justices , and subordinate cities of societies , maketh it an organized body , in which kingly government may be exercised to its end , the common good . 4. that no profitable part be wanting , ( judge , justice , sheriff , &c. ) maketh it an entire kingdom . 5. that all know their place , and be duly qualified with wisdom , love , justice , conscience , obedience to god first , to the sovereign power next , to officers next , &c. maketh it a found and safe kingdom . 6. that it be well situate , fertile , rich , eminent in learning , skill , &c. maketh it an adorned beautiful kingdom . 7. that all be equal in power and wealth is destructive ; and that all be of one age , complexion , calling , temper , degree of knowledge , &c. is impossible : and that all have the same language , cloathing , utensils , &c. is needless at least . vii . jesus christ is the only universal soveraign of the church , both of vital influence and government ; nor hath he set up any under him , either monarchical , aristocratical , democratical , or mixt , pope , council , on diffused clergy , that hath the power of legislation and judgment as governing the whole chorch ; but only officers that per partes govern it among them , each in his province , as justices do the kingdom , and kings and states the world ; nor is any capable of more . viii . to set up any universal legislators and judge , ( pope or council ) is to set up an usurper of christs prerogative , called by many a vice-christ or an antichrist ; and as bad as making one man or senate the soveraign of all the earth ; and to attempt the setting up of such or any forreign jurisdiction in this land , is to endeavour to perjure the whole kingdom that is sworn against it in the oath of supremacy , and sworn never to endeavour any alteration of government in church or state in the corporation oath , the vestry oath , the militia oath , the oxford oath , with the uniformity covenants : and if any should endeavour to introduce such a forreign jurisdiction who themselves have had a hand in driving all the kingdom to all these oaths against if , i doubt whether all the powers of hell can devise a much greater crime against clergy , cities , and all the land. good reason therefore had doctor isaac barrow to write against it as he hath done , and to confute mr. thorndike , and all such as of late go that pernicious way , by the pretence of church union and communion . as if one universal soveraign and legislator and judge , were not enough to unite christs kingdom , or man could mend his universal laws , and could not stay for his final judgment ; and churches and kingdomes might nor till then be ruled without one humane universal soveraign by necessary and voluntary agreement among themselves . xi . to be a true believer or christian , ( or the insant seed of such ) devoted to god the father , son , and holy ghost , according to the sense of the baptismal covenant , uniteth each member first to christ himself directly , and consequently to his body or church ; and this coram deo , as soon as it is done by heart consent ; and coram ecclesia , regularly , as soon as he is invested by baptism ; which baptism , when it may be had so , is regularly to be administred by none but an authorized minister or deacon ; but if through necessity or mistake it be done by a lay-man , the ancient christians took it not for a nullity , much less if the baptizer was taken for a minister by mistake , being in his place ; and if no baptism can be had , open covenanting is vallid . x. the papists ( and their truckling agents here ) have here hampered themselves in a fatal contradiction : to make themselves masters of the world , they would perswade us , that sacraments only regenerate and sanctifie , and that god saveth none ( by any known way and grant ) but by his covenant sealed by the sacraments ; and that he authorizeth none to administer this covenant but prelates and their priests , and none can validly have it from other hands : and so if you will but abate them the proof of many things that stand in the way , heaven and hell , salvation and damnation are at the will and mercy of such prelates and priests . but unhappily they cannot retrieve their old opinion , but maintain that lay-men and women may baptize in necessity validly , and that baptism puts one into a state of salvation . xi . as he that swears and keeps his allegiance to the king is a subject and member of the kingdom , though he be no member of any corporation ; so , though he disown a thousand fellow subjects ; yea , though he deny the authority of constable , justice , judge ; so he that is devoted to christ truly in the baptismal covenant , is a christian , and a member of the universal church , though he were of no particular church , or did disown a thousand members , or any particular officer of the church . xii . all faults or crimes are not treason : a man that breaketh any law , is in that measure culpable or punishable : but every breach of law , or wrong to fellow subjects or justices , as it is not treason , so it doth not prove a man no subject ; though some may be so great as to deserve death and make him intolerable : and so it is in the case of our subjection in the church to christ . xiii . to own christs instituted species of church officers is needful to the just order , safety and edification of the church ( as to own the courts of judicature , justices , &c. in the kingdom ) but to own this or that numerical officer as truly commissioned , is needful only to the right administration of his own province . xiv . as christ did his own work of universal legislation by himself and his spirit eminently in the apostles and evangelists , who have recorded all in scripture , so he settled churches to continue to the end associated for personal communion in his holy doctrine , worship , order and conversation with authorized ministers , subordinate to his administration in his prophetical , priestly , kingly and friendly relations . and thô these may not always or often meet in the same place , their neighbourhood maketh them capable of personal presential communion , as men that may know and admonish each other and meet by turns , and in presence manage their concerns ; which differenceth single churches of the lowest order from associated churches of men , that have communion only by others at distance . xv. as logicians say of other relations , the matter must be capable of the end , or it is not capable of the name and form ; so is it here : e. g. it is no ship that is made of meer sponge or paper , or that is no bigger than a spoon ; it is no spoon that is as big as a ship : one house is not a village , nor one village a city , nor a city a meer house . so twenty or an hundred or a thousand parishes associate , cannot be a single church of the first or lowest order , being not capable of mutual knowledge , converse or personal present communion : nor are two or three lay-men capable to be such a church , for want of due matter . but supposing them capable , thô a full and rich church have advantage for honour and strength , yet a small ▪ and poor one is ejusdem ordinis as truely a church ; and so is their pastor , as hierom saith of rome and eugubium ; so alexandria and mijuma , &c. gregory neocaesar was equally bishop of nineteen at first , as after of all save nineteen in the city . xvi . if the apostles have successours in their care and superiority over many churches , it will prove that there should yet be men of eminent worth to take care of many churches , and to instruct and admonish the younger ministers : but it will neither prove 1. that they succeed the apostles in the extraordinary parts of their office. 2. nor that they have any forcing power by the sword. 3. nor that one church hath power over others by divine right ; for the apostles fixed not their power to any particular churches , but were general visitors or overseers of many : yet if the same man who is fixed in a particular church , have also the visiting admonishing oversight of many as far as was an ordinary part of the apostles office , and be called an archbishop , i know no reason to be against him . xvii . there be essential and integral acts of the sacred ministry instituted by christ : these none may take the power of from any ministers , nor alter the species or integrity of the office , by setting up any such superious as shall deprive them of that which christ hath instituted , or arrogating the like uncalled . but as in worship , so in order and church government , there are undetermined accidents : as to choose the time and place of synods , to preside and moderate and such like : and these the churches by agreement , or the magistrate may assign to some above the rest : and if the magistrate affix baronies , honours , revenues , or his own due civil forcing power , and make the same men magistrates and ministers , whether we think it prudent and well done or not , we must honour and obey them . xviii . some call these humane accidental orders , forms of church government , and affirm ( as bishop reignolds did , and dr. stillingfleet in his irenicon and many excellent men by him cited ) that no form of church government is of divine command . which is true of all this second sort of government which is but accidental aud humane ; but not at all of the first sort which is divine and essential to christ himself first , and to pastors as such by his appointment ; so that the essential government of the universal church , by christ , and of each particular church by pastors specified by him ( if not of supervisors of many as succeeding apostles and evangelists in their ordinary work ) are of unalterable divine right . but the humane forms are alterable : such i account 1. the presidency and moderatorship and accidental government of one bishop in a single church over the other presbyters , deacons , &c. 2. the accidental government of a diocesan as an archbishop over these lowest bishops and churches . 3. and the superiority of metropolitans and patriarchs over them , so it be but in such accidentals and within the same empire , not imposing a forreign jurisdiction . these tota specie differ from the divine offices . xix . all these single church being parts of the universal are less noble than the whole , and are to do all that they do as members in union with the whole , and to do all as acts of communion with them . xx. the general precepts of doing all to edification , concord , peace , order , &c. oblige all the churches to hold such correspondencies as are needful to these ends : and synods are one special means , which should be used as far and oft as the ends require : and if national metropolitans and patriarchs order such synods , i am not one that will disobey them . but if on these pretences any would make synods more necessary than they are , and use them as governours , by legislation and judgement over the particular bishops by the use of the church keyes , and will affixe to them or metropolitans , besides an agreeing power and the said government in accidentals , a proper church government by making and unmaking ministers or christians , excommunicating and absolving as rulers by the said keyes , it may be a duty to disown such usurpations . as the king would disown an assembly of princes any where met that would claim a proper government of him and his kingdom ; thô it were much to be wisht that all christian princes would hold such assemblies for the concord and peace of christendom . xxi . the essentials of faith , hope and loving practice , essentiate the church objectively : and these are all summarily contained in the baptismal covenant , explained in the creed , lords prayer and decalouge ; and all with much more , even integrals and needful accidentals in the sacred scriptures , which taking in the law of nature , are gods universal law. xxii . there is no church on earth so sound and orthodox as to want no integral part of christian religion : proved : there is no man on earth , much less any multitude , so sound as to want no integral part : but all churches consist only of men ; and therefore if all the men be so far defective , all the churches are so . it is not their objective religion generally and implicitely received that i mean , but their subjective religion , and their explicite reception of the objective . the scripture is our perfect objective religion in it self , and as an object proposed , and in general and implicitely we all receive it . but as a man may say , i believe all that 's in the scripture , and yet be ignorant of the very essentials in it ; so a man may explicitely know and believe all the essentials and more , and yet be ignorant of many integrals . all things in scripture proposed to our faith , hope and practice , are the integrals of our religion : but no christian understandeth all these proposals or words of scripture : therefore no christian explicitely believeth them all , or practiceth all . to hold the contrary , is to hold that some church is perfect in understanding , faith , hope and practice , without ignorance , errour or sin : that is , not to know what a man or a christian on earth is . xxiii . much less do all churches agree in unnecessary indifferent accidents , nor ever did , nor ever will or can do . xxiv . the measuring out churches by limits of ground , parochial or diocesan , is a meer humane ordering of a mutable accident , and no divine determination : and if all were taken for church members-because they dwell in those precincts , it were wicked : but if it be but all in those precincts that are qualified consenters , it is usually a convenient measure : but such as in many cases must be broken . xxv . if a church with faithful pastors be well setled in a place first where there are not more than should make up that one church , it is not meet for any there to gather a distinct church ( thô of the same faith ) without such weighty reason as will prove it necessary , or like to do more good than hurt : 1. because love inclineth to the greatest union ; 2. because a great church is more strong and honourable than a small , if the number be not so great as to hinder the ends. 3. and the ancient churches kept this union . xxvi . if magistrates make such laws about church accidents as tend to further the churches welfare , or are so pretended , and not against it , we must obey them . but if they wiil either invade christs autherity or cross it , by making laws against his , or such as are proper to his prerogative to make , or invade the pastors office , and the churches proper right given by christ , or determine accidents to the destruction of the substance ( the church , doctrine , worship or ends ) these bind the consciences of none to obedience ; but christ must be obeyed , and we must patiently suffer . xxvii . self-interest , self-government and family-government are all antecedent to publick government , which ruleth them for the common good , but hath no authority to destroy them : no king or prelate can bind a man to do that which would damn his soul , nor to omit that which is needful to his salvation : all power is for edification : they are gods ministers for god. xxviii . as it belongs to self-government to choose our own dyet , and cloaths , and wives , and physicians , ( thô we may be restrained from doing publick hurt on such pretences ; ) and it belong to family government to educate our own children , and choose their tutors , callings , wives , &c. so it more nearly belongs to self-government to choose the most safe and profitable means of our own salvation , which no man may forbid us ; and to avoid that which is pernicious or hurtful ; and to family-government to do the like for our children . xxix . it is false doctrine of those late writers who tell us , that only sacraments sanctifie or give right to salvation : the whole tenor of the gospel tells us that men are brought to faith and repentance , and to be christians , and godly men , and by faith to be justified , by the preaching of the gospel : and that gods word is his appointed means of salvation , which his ministers must preach skilfully , instantly , in season and out of season , to that end : and if the gospel be hid , it is hid to them that are lost . xxx . the gospel saveth not like a charm , by the bare sound or saying of the words ; nor the sacrament like an amulet ; but as a moral means ( specially blest by him that instituted it ) to work on man as man , by informing his mind , perswading his will and exciting his affections , as men are wrought on in other cases ; ( which methinks those called arminians should least deny , who are said to lay more of the spirits operation on moral suasion than their adversaries ; yea and those that account it fanaticism to expect any other gift of prayer from the spirit but what is given morally by use . ) and the contrary doctrine feigneth god to work even constantly by miracle : and as the papists make every mass-priest a miracle worker in transubstantiation , so do they that make the bare saying over the words and doing the outward acts in the sacrament , to save us ex opere operato , and the pastoral teaching and oversight of an ignorant drunken lad or reader to be ( near ) as great a help to salvation , as the ministry of a wise skilful , holy and exemplary pastor , and the clear affectionate preaching of gods word : and that tell us ( as mr. dodwell ) how sufficient a man is to administer the sacramental covenant that understands what a covenant is in matters of common conversation . xxxi . if a wise : and skilful and conscionable ministry be as needless to edification and salvation as some men pretend , it is as needless that they should study to be such , and vain to glory that they are such , and that the church of england hath such a ministry , and vain to expect that men should pay them any more respect than i owed my master that never preacht but once , and that drunken ; ( and divers very like him . ) or that they should use this as an argument to draw men to hear them . xxxii . if the king or law should settle a physician of his ( or a patrons ) choice in every parish , it were well done if it be but to have help at hand for volunteers : bui : if he command all to use them and to use no other before them or against them , where unskilful or untrusty men are placed , no man is bound to obey this command : no mens law can dissolve the law of nature , nor disoblige a man from a due care of his life , nor bind him to cast it away upon obedience to ignorant or bad and treacherous men. and a mans soul is more precious than his health or life ; and he is bound to greater care of it ; and is no more to trust it on the will of his superiours how vast is the difference between an ignorant rash physician or pastor , and one that is wise , experienced and trusty ? they that scorn men for going for greater edification from one to another , do not so if a man prefer a skilful physician to one that kills more than he cures ; or a skilful and careful tutor for his son , yea or a farrier for his horse . xxxiii . if one preacher be not for edification to be greatly preferred before another , then one book is not : and so it 's no matter what book they read or value ; and what a student will this make ? and what a trade for the booksellers ? and why then should their own books be so valued ? and why then do they silence hundreds or thousands and forbid them to preach on pain of ruine , ( thô no false doctrine be proved against them ) if they think not that the difference is very great . xxxiv . when councils hereticated and condemned thousands or hundreds of priests and bishops , whom christian emperours and princes owned as orthodox , they did not then think every patron , prince or prelate a competent judge with what pastor men should trust the conduct of their souls : nor did they think so that forbad men hearing fornicators : nor cyprian that required the people to forsake basilides and martial ( & peccatorem praepositum . ) xxxv . so full was the proof given in the book called , the first plea for peace , that the church from the beginning denyed princes and magistrates to be entrusted with the choice of bishops , or pastors to whom the churches were bound to trust the conduct of their souls , that he who denyeth it , is not worthy to be , therein disputed with . and yet we doubt not but they may force infidel subjects and catechumens to hear sound and setled preachers and catechists ; and may dispose of the tythes , temples and many other accidents of the church ; and may drive on pastors and people to their duty . xxxvi . it is false doctrine that two distinct churches may not be in the same precincts or city ; this being a meer accident which abundance of cases make unnecessary and unlawful : which i shall prove . that which is no where commanded by god , is no duty : but that there shall be but one church ( or bishop ) in the same precincts , is not commanded of god , ergo , &c. ( divine of gods making . ) they own the major in the case of indifferent thing . if they deny the minor let the affirmers prove any such command . we grant a command of love and concord , and a prohibition of all that is against them . but in many instances , to have several churches in the same precincts , is not against them . if they fly to the canons of foreign councils , the reason of them we shall weigh and duely regard ; but they were national , and had their legislative power only from their own princes and their counselling power only from christ : and we disown all foreign jurisdiction . xxxvii . in all these cases following ( and more ) two churches may be in the same precincts ( yea and a city . ) 1. in case that several bishops are called justly to dwell in the same city , or diocess , and many of their flock be with them , e. g. many bishops of england dwell long , yea mostly in london or in london diocess : e. g. the bishop of eli dwells in the parish of st. andrews holbourn : qu. whether there he be a subject to dr. stillingfleet as his pastor , and bound to obey him ? or whether many out of his diocess ( thousands ) may not as lawfully dwell half the year in london as he ? and whether when he preacheth to them , he do it not as their bishop ( in london diocess . ) and so of many other bishops that here reside . xxxviii . 2. either our parish churches are true churches , or not . if not , the separatists are so far in the right ; and separate not from true churches eo nomine because they separate from them . if yea , then many churches are in the same city and diocess . ( of their agreement and dependance on the fame bishop i shall speak anon . ) xxxix . 3. in case that in one city , there be resident stranges , that are sent on embassies , or live for merchandize , or flee from miseries , and are the subject of other princes , whose laws and customs they are under , e. g. at frankford , hamburgh , middleburgh , dantzick , constantinople , there have been english distinct lawful churches : and in london there are dutch and french churches : and if the king allowed a swedish church , a danish church , a saxon church , &c. with their several bishops , who is so weak as to need proof that this is lawful , and they true churches ? xl. 4. in case men of different language are not capable of mutual converse by personal communion or help : as dutch , french , italian , greeks , germans , &c. grotius and dr. hammond ( oft in dissert . and annot. ) do maintain that peter at rome had a church of jews , and paul a church of gentiles : and that the like distribution of churches of jews and gentiles , there was at antioch , alexandria and other places : and by this they salve the contradictions in church history about the succession of linus , cletus and clemens : and the apostles setled not a sinful church way . xli . 5. yea grotius maintaineth that the apostles setled the churches at first not like the jewish priesthood , but in the order of their synagogues ; ( de imper. sum . patest . and in annot. ) and that as there were divers synagogues in a great city with their archisynagogus and elders , so there were divers churches in a city with bishops and presbyters . xlii . 6. when there are a greater number of persons in one city or precinct than can have any just personal knowledge and communion , and more than any one bishop with his presbytery can perform the needful pastoral oversight to , it is lawful and a duty , to gather another church in that city or precinct : but this is truly the case of many great cities , though worldly wisdom have at rome , and other places oft denyed notorious evidence and experience . he that will gather up all the duties that dr. hammond saith were charged on the bishops ( in his annotations on all the texts that name elders and bishops ) if he can believe that any bishop can perform the tenth part of them to all in the diocess of london , york , lincoln , norwich , &c. i will not dispute against him if he maintain a bishops ubiquity , or that at once he can be in twenty places . but if they say , that what then was commanded them to do personally , they may do by others , i say , that if they may change the work , they may change the power , that specifieth the office ; and so it is not the same office in specie instituted in scripture : and then lay-men may have power to preach and administer sacraments , and do the office of priests , and yet be no priest ( as civilians do of bishops ) which is a contradiction . certainly if there be more scholars in the city than one master can teach and rule , it is no schism to set up more schools and schoolmasters , but a duty . and if the lord mayor on pretence of city government should put down but as great a part of family government , as those diocesans do of parochial church government , who allow none under them to be truly episcopi gregis , and have the power of their church keyes , i think that it were no schism to restore families so that the city might have more than one ( entirely . ) xliii . 7. if the soveraign power upon politick or religious reasons should determine , that e. g. dr. a , and dr. b , and dr. c. shall all be bishops in london , to such volunteers of clergy and laity as shall choose each of them to be their bishop , and this without altering their dwellings , no man can prove it sinful ; and of his reasons the king is judge . xliv . 8. if the bishop or clergy of a city , diocess or nation , do agree by law or canon to admit none to the ministry or communion that will not commit a known sin deliberately as the condition of his communion , it is a duty to congregate under other pastors in those precincts . this is confest : if they should not only hold any errour , or practise sin , but require men to subscribe and approve it , and say it is no sin , no man ought to do this ; nor yet to live like an atheist : , and forsake all worship because men forbid him , if it were but to subscribe one untruth : but alas , this is no rare case : in one emperours reign all were anathematized that subscribed not to the council of chalcedon , and quickly after all that did , or that would not renounce it : the same division and changes were made by the councils against and for the monothelites , de tribus capitulis , images , &c. and when all men living have many errours , and the church of england disclaimeth her infallibility , and yet will receive no minister that will not subscribe that there is nothing in her books contrary to the word of god , the case is hard . but when all the things mentioned in the plea for peace are proved lawful , we shall be more yielding in this case . xlv . 9. if true and sound christians mistakingly think one or many things to be heinous sins , ( as perjury , lying , renouncing obedience to god , and repentance , &c. ) which are things indifferent , but of so great difficulty that most learned and godly and willing men cannot discern the lawfulness and agree , and yet are not necessary nor just conditions of ministry or communion , and so it is the imposer that entangleth them by difficulty in their disseut , it is not lawful for these men therefore to forbear all church worship , but must use it as they can . xlvi . 10. if any church unjustly excommnnicate such men ; or others , they must not forbear all church order and worship because men so excommunicate them . no man must sin to escape excommunication ; and every man in the world is a sinner : , and therefore all the world must be excommunicated , if all sinners must be so . as i before said , the times oft were when almost all the bishops in the empire were excommunicated by one another : councils and popes have oft excommunicated some for trifles and some for truth and duty . and such must not therefore renounce all church worship and communion . the church of england do by their standing law ipso facto excommunicate all ( as aforesaid ) that affirm any thing to be repugnant to gods word or sinful , in their whole church government , articles , liturgy and ceremonies , and so to stand till they publickly revoke this as a wicked errour . now many lords and commoners in parliaments , have spoken against some of these particulars ; and some out of parliament : many ministers have done the like when the king commissioned them to treat for alterations ; and many when the accusations or demands of others have called them to give a reason of their actions . some have maintained that it is repugnant to gods word that lay civilians should have the decretive power of the keyes , and that the parish minister must cast out of communnion all that the lay doctors or chancellors excommunicate , and all that dare not receive kneeling , and that they should deny christendom to all that scruple the englisn sort of god-fathers covenants , and the transient symbolical image of the cross , with abundance such things : now all these are ipso facto excommunicate . and thô they be not bound to avoid the church till this be applicatorily declared , yet actually excommunicate they are , and that by a higher authority than the bishops ; and they know the churches decree ; and the priests are sworn to canonical obedience ; and he that will not tempt them to be forsworn , nor come into a church that hath excommunicated him , seems therein excuseable : but must he therefore renounce the church of god ? xlvii . 11. if the people are so set against one bishop for another , as that half being for one and half for the other , and both orthodox , they cannot be perswaded to unite in one . a council at rome determined in the case of paulinus and flavian at antioch , that both of them should hold their distinct churches , and so live in love and peace . and though one or both parties in this were mistaken sinners , so are all morral men , who yet must not live like atheists . xlviii . 12. an undetermined accident must be so determined as most serveth to do the greatest good and avoid the greatest evil : but whether divers churches shall promiscuously live in the same city or diocess or parisn , is an accident not determined by god , and either way may be for the greatest good , as circumstances vary . e.g. when in a church half cannot consent to condemn the words of theodoret , theodore mopsuest , and ibas , and half will condemn them with the council ; if these can serve god quietly in love and peace in different congregations , but cannot endure one another in the same , it is most for the churches peace that they be permitted to joyn with those of their own mind . when one pope declared that it 's sound doctrine to say [ one of the trinity was crucified , ] when another had declared that it is not sound doctrine , they that held with one pope , and they that held with the other might both be true churches in different assemblies : when justinian raised the bloody controversie between the corrupticolae and the phantasiastae , wise men thought both sides were true churches : yea and so did many wise men think of the orthodox and nestorians and many eutychians . xlix . 13. it 's a common case under turks and heathens , that they give liberty of conscience for christians of all parties : now suppose that in aleppo , in constantinople or elsewhere , there be ( partly for countrey sake and partly for language , but most for different judgments ) one church of armenians , one of greeks , one of english-men , &c. what law of god makes only one of these to be a true church , and which is it ? l. 14. suppose that the setled church e. g. in holland , sweden , saxony , is for presbytery , or for an episcopacy that arose from presbyters ordination , or that had none or a short liturgy , and the prince would tolerate english men ( as frankford did ) to set up a church of the english form and liturgy , i think few prelatists would deny it to be lawful . li. i omit other instances , and come to the matter of separation , which word serveth this man and such other in so general and undistinguished a sence , as would make one think he were of mr. dodwell's mind , that words in dispute have but one signification , which all are bound to know that use them . even a bell by the same sound sometime signifieth a call to church , and sometime a funeral , and sometime joy ; but [ separate , separate ] is rung over and over with these men , as if it signified but one thing . 1. he that heareth half the sermon and service , and goeth out of church , doth separate at that time from the rest . when a protestant heretick was doing penitence with his faggot at st. maries in oxford , and the fryer was preaching , a mistaken voice in the street made them think the hereticks had set the church on fire , and they separated from the preacher , one fryer stuck by the belly that was going out at the window ; the door being wedged with the crowd , a boy that saw it open above their heads , got up on their shoulders , and went on 'till he slipt into a monks cowl , and there lay still 'till the monk was got out , and felt something on his back , and thinking it was an heretical devil , began to conjure him in the name of father , son and holy ghost , to tell him what he was , and the boy cryed , o good master i am the bakers boy , &c. quaere , whether this was schismaticks separation . at walsall in stafford-shire , mr. lapthorne ( known to me in his iusty age ) who had been a non-conformist , but thought it an honour to be converted by a king , and gloried that king james in conference changed him ; but being as rustick a thunderer as father latimer and more , he was wont to let fly without much fear ; one mr. martin in the parish accounted the greatest enemy to puritans , when he heard what he liked not , would goe out of church ; one day ( in a path way where mr. lane had rode a little before ) pelting crabs with a pole , the ground opened and swallowed him and his pole , that they could never be found ( being a cole-mine long on fire ; ) ever after that , when any one would goe out of church at a blustering passage , mr. lapthorne would call to him , remember martin ; quere , whether all these were separating schismaticks ? but this is too far off : in dunstans west , where dr. sherlock , preacheth , when i was licensed : twenty , years ago , at christmas , as i was preaching , some lime or stone fell down in the steeple with the crowd , the church being old and under suspicion , they all thought it was falling , and most ran out in tumult , and some cast themselves headlong from the gallery for hast ; when they were quieted and came in again , the boyes in the chancel broke a wainscot skreen with climbing on it , and the noise made them run out again ; one old woman going out , cryed , it 's just with god because i took not the first warning , lord forgive me , and i 'le never come again : quere , whether these , or at least this resolving woman was a schismatick , and separated from the catholick church ? if not , there is some separation that is not so bad as murder ; and methinks the doctor should forgive it for the success ; for the parish hereupon resolved to pull down the church and build it new , a far better fabrick where the dr. now preacheth ; and it drove me away that i preacht there no more ; whether this new church built where the old one had possession before , be not a schismatical separatist , i leave to him . lii . 2. local separation without mental can make no culpable schism ; for nil nisi voluntarium est morale ; if a man be imprisoned or be sick and cannot come to the church , it is innocent separation ; i have been at no church this half year , much against my will , o that god would heal me of this separation ! liii . 3. if it must be mental separation that must be culpable , then it is diversified according to the mental degree and kind ; and no man separateth from the universal church who separateth not from somewhat essential to it ; to separate from its integrals or accidents may be culpable , but it 's no separation from the church , no more than every breach of the law is a separation from the kingdom . liv. 4. some separate as to place , locally and not mentally , some mentally and not locally , and some both : he that daily observeth the outward communion of the church , and yet taketh it for no church , or denyeth its faith , hope or essential duty , separateth indeed . all those men that live unbelievingly , atheistically , wickedly , that in their converse prate against the scripture and immortality of the soul , and that hate and persecute serious godliness , are damnably separated from christ , and therefore from , the catholick church , and are so to be esteemed so far as this is known , thô when , it is unknown , the church can take no notice of it . lv. 5. it being only humane laws and circumstantial conveniences that make it unmeet to have divers churches bishops living promiscuously in the same parishes , cities , dioceses or nations ; where laws and circumstances allow it , it is no unlawful seperation . lvi . 6. he that liveth in forreign lands ( christian , mahometan or heathen ) where various churches live promiscuously ( greeks , armenians , protestants , papists , &c. ) is no schismatick , if he choose which he thinks best , and be absent locally from the rest , condemning them no further than they deserve . lvii . 7. he that removeth into another diocess or parish for his worldly interest , seperateth without fault from the church he was in . lviii . 8. it is a lawful separation to remove ones dwelling , because the minister is ignorant , unskilful , or otherwise bad , and this for the better edification of his soul , and the use and help of a more able faithful minister , even law and custome and reason do allow it . lix . 9. thô the canon 57. and 28. forbid ministers oft to give the sacrament to strangers that come out of other parishes , even where no preaching is , yet those many sober people that use this in london , are not taken to be schismaticks , as bad as murders : many that are esteemed the most sober religious conformists do ordinarily goe from their own parish churches , some ( in martins and st. giles's parish , &c. ) for want of room , and some for more edification , to dr. tillotson , dr. stillingfleet , dr. burnet , dr. fowler , mr. gifford , mr. durham , mr. hornech and such others , and communicate with them ; and thô these are called by the late catholicks by the name of dangerous trimmers , i think even dr. sherlock will think it more pardonable than murder , if they come to him . lx. 10. if the king and law should restore the antient order that every city , that is , every great incorporate town in england should have a bishop , ( yea or every great parish ) and that the diocesans should be their arch-bishops , and our new catholicks should tell the king and parliament that they are hereby unchristened schismaticks , as dangerous as adulterers of murderers , for gathering churches within a church , i would not believe them . lxi . 11. if ( e.g. at frankford , zurick , lubeck , hamburgh , &c. ) a church is settled in the lutheran way , and another in the bochemian way , described by lasitius and commenius , ( which is a conjunction of episcopacy , presbytery and independency ) or a church that had no liturgy , or none but that which the french protestants and dutch have , would it be damning schism , for such as cox and horne at frankford to set up an episcopal church in the english mode , and with their liturgy , and so far to separate from the rest ? lxii . 12. if it be true that john maior , fordon , and others say that presbytery was the government of the church of scotland before episcopacy was brought in , was the introduction of episcopacy by palladius a damning schism by separating from the former , or a reformation ; is just reformation schism ? lxiii . 13. when the church first set up patriarchs , metropolitans , general councils , monasteries , parish churches distinct from cathedrals , organs , new liturgies , and multitudes of ceremonies , this was a departing or separating from the contrary church way which was there before , was it therefore schism ? lxiv . 14. when socrates tells us of some countreys that had bishops in the countrey villages ( like our parishes ) was it a damning schism to separate from this custome , by decreeing that even small cities should have no bishops , ne vilescat nomen episcopi ? or when the chorepiscopi were put down , where they had been ? lxv . 15. if a man separate not from any thing essential to the church of england , he separateth not from that church , though he refuse that which is its accidents , or some integral parts : we are charg'd with separating from the church of england , as if it were a matter of fact beyond dispute , and scorn'd for denying it , even by them that will not tell us what they mean by the church of england , or by separation . by the church of england we mean the christian kingdom of england , or all the christians in england , as living in one land , under one christian king who governeth them by the sword , which includeth their concord among themselves in true christianity ; we are christians , we profess agreement in christianity with all christians we are under the same king as they are , and profess subjection , and take ; the same oaths of allegiance and supremacy ; yea , we are not charged with differing in any thing called doctrinal from their thirty nine articles ; but we disown certain late covenants and oaths which are not twenty three years old , and the subscription to one canon about the innocency of all in their liturgy ; now either these new oaths , covenants and canon , liturgy and ceremonies are essential to the church of england , or not ; if yea , then , 1. it 's a poor humane church , made by them that made these oaths , liturgy and ceremonies . 2. and then it 's a new upstart church , and no man can answer the papists where it was before luther , or before henry 8. yea , if its essentials were made by this king and parliament , 1662. then the present church is no older : but if these things be indifferent , or not essential to the church , then to separate only from these , is not to separate from the church . if it be said , that for the sake of these we separate from the church it self , and therefore from its essence ; we abhor the accusation , and challenge them to prove it : if we separate from the church essentially , it is either locally or mentally ; not locally , for we are yet in england , nor is local distance only a sin ; not mentally , for we own it for a true christian kingdom , called a national church , bound to serve christ in love and concord to their power : we deny not the king to be the governour , nor christians to be christians , no nor the particular churches and ministers to be true ( thô culpable ) churches and ministers , nor their sacraments to be true sacraments ; we profess to hold with them one catholick body , one spirit , one god , one chirist , one faith , one baptism ( in the essentials ) and one hope , and are ready to promise to live in concord with them in all other things , as far as will stand with our obedience to god ; so that we separate not from the church of england as such , but from some of its accidents , which we dare not be guilty of . lxvi . 16. the same i say of a parish church ; he that locally removeth , e. g. from a church that hath organs , to one that hath none , separateth from a pair of organs , but not mentally from the church , unless the organs be its essence . lxvii . 17. they that are for the true antient episcopacy , ( e. g. as much as arch-bishop vsher's reduction which we offer'd did contain ) but dislike the lay civilians power of the keyes , and officials , surrogates , arch-deacons government , &c. do not separate from the church as episcopal , but from the humane novelties which they disown . lxviii . 18. if a parishioner fall out with his priest , and they goe to law about tythes , glebes , words , &c. and the suit be long , and the man dare not communicate with him believing that he hateth him , thô the animosity should be culpable , being but personal , his going from-him to another church is not separating from christ ; ( for i hope that even mr. dodwell himself will not say that every priest is christ . ) lxix . 19. ex quovis ligno non fit mercurius , surely there is some qualification essential to the ministry ; if a man want that qualification , it is a duty to separate from him as no minister , e. g. when i came to kederminster , ( after my subjection to six or seven worse ) i found the vicar , one reputed ignorant of the fundamentals , ( he was brought in by sir henry blunt a papist ) who preacht but once a quarter , which most thought he might better have forborn , and his curate mr. turner at mitton preacht once a day , whom i found ignorant of the catechism principles by conference , and he confest he had but one book , musculus common places in english , and he said some of that to the people , and they took it for a sermon ; he lived by unlawful marrying , infamous for drinking and quarrelling ; he that had taken these for no ministers , and separated from them , had not thereby seperated from christ or his church catholick . lxx . 20. if it prove as hard to know who is the true pastor in a competition of pretenders , as it was to know which was the true pope , when there were two or three , ( above twenty times ) or whether , e. g. optandus was true bishop of geneva that knew not letters , or whether duke heriberts son consecrated in infancy was arch-bishop of rhemes , or any other infant consecrated be a bishop , ( officiating per alios , surrogates , chancellours , officials , &c. ) it is not here a separation from christ to separate from either of the pretenders : he that mistaketh not , is not liable to the charge , he that mistakes , doth not erre in an article of faith , but in a difficult point of humane title , and the qualification and right of a single man ; and my opinion is , that if such a title were tryed before our judges or king , and they should mistake and give judgment against him that had right , this were no separating from christ , nor proof that they are infidels . lxxi . 21 if the case of two contending bishops or presbyters come before a general or provincial council , and they mistake and give it to the wrong , and so separate from the right , i do not think that thereby they separate from christ or the church catholick , e. g. the constantinopolitan council first gave the church of constantinople to nazianzene , and after judged him out as having no right ; if by this they separated from christ , they that take them for the catholick church representative , must say that the catholick church separated from christ and it self . when another council wrongfully deposed chrysostome , and separated from him , and cyril alexandr . perswaded the continuance of it , did the universal church separate from it self and christ ? if a general council which should be wisest , be excusable from damning schism , whenever it misjudgeth and separateth from a rightful bishop , sure every lay-man and woman that doth the same , doth not separate from christ . if it prove that a general council deposed nestorius as unjustly as david derodon thought , or dioscorus as unjustly as others thought , or flavian as unjustly as the orthodox think , this proveth them guilty of some schism , but not of separating from the universal church . when menna of constantinople , and the pope excommunicated each other , when a synod in italy renounced vigilius , and all his successors were an hundred years deposed from their primacy , and a patriarch at aquileia set up in his stead for a great part of italy , because vigilius subscribed to a general council , de tribus capitulis , this was schism ( some where ) but not separating from christ . lxxii . 22. if a man in england should think that all the old councils were obligatory , which decree that he shall be taken for no bishop that comes in by the choice ( yea or mediation ) of courtiers , princes or great men , or any that have not the true consent of clergy and people , and thereupon should conclude that bishops , deans , prebends , &c. so chosen and imposed are lay-men and no true bishops and pastors , this were a separating from those persons , but not from christ and the vniversal church , when as mr. thorndike saith , that till the right of electing bishops by the clergy and people be restored , we need look no further for the reason of the contempt of episcopacy here . so if a man think that god never trusted every ignorant wicked man that can but get money and buy an advowson , to choose those pastors to whose conduct all the people are bound to trust their souls , ( and the bishop to admit them for fear of a quare impedit , if they have but a certificate and can speak latine ) this is not damning separation . lxxiii . 23. if a bishop set up a seeming convert , really a papist ( e. g. mr. hutchinson alias berry , or one of them that lately confessed themselves papists , ) the people that find by experience what the man is , are not damned schismaticks for not taking him for their pastor , or for going from him . if godfrey goodman bishop of gloucester was a papist , did he separate from christ that separated from the diocesan church of gloucester , while he was an essential part ? or that did not implicitely trust all the priests that he ordained ? lxxiv . 24. if in a cathedral church one withdraw from their service , because of their difference in singing , ceremonies , &c. from the parish churches , thô it be the bishops church that he separateth from , it is not as a church , nor from any thing essential to it , e. g. miles smyth bishop of gloucester ( the famous hebrician , and chief in our bibles translation ) declared and performed it , that he would never come more to his cathedral , because the dean ( in lauds time ) kept up the altar . qu. whether he separated from himself or his church ? vbi episcopus ibi ecclesia : who were the separatists ? they that followed the bishop , or they that separated from him and kept to the ca●●●●hedral ? the same i say of williams bishop of lincoln that wrote against altars . lxxv . 25. if faithful pastors and people are setled in concord , and the higher powers make a law to depose and eject them without just cause ( as multitudes were in many emperours dayes , and multitudes by the interim in germany in charles the fifths time ; and multitudes in the palatinate by ludovicus , and in too many other countreys ) those that leave the temples and tythes to the magistrate , but cleave to their old pastors in forbidden meetings ( called conventicles ) supposing the pastoral relation not dissolved ( as the joannites clave to chrysostom ) do not thereby separate from the catholick church : had the power been lawful that set up another way , when dr. gunning kept up his meetings at exeter house , it had not been a separation from christ that he then made . lxxvi . 26. if the law command all to take one man for his pastor , and a parent command his child , or a husband his wife to take another and not that , and the child or wife know not which should be obeyed , and whether the choice belong more to the domestick , or the publick government , it is not a separating from christ , which way ever such an one shall go . lxxvii . 27. yea if i should think that self-interest and self-government bind me rather to choose a pastor for my self , than to stand to such a choice by prince , patron or prelate , which i think intolerable , as well as ( against their will ) i may choose a wife , or a physician , or a tutor , or a book , or my daily food , this is not separating from the universal church . lxxviii . 28. if owning the same diocesan make them of one church who differ more than nonconformists and conformists do , then owning the same christ , faith , scripture , &c. maketh them of one catholick church who differ less . but , &c. jesuites , dominicans , jansenists , and all the sects of papists are taken for one church , because they own the pope and councils . in england the diocesan conformists are taken for one church , thô some of them are as much for a foreign jurisdiction , as arch-bishop laud , arch-bishop bromhall , bishop gunnings chaplain , dr. saywell , mr. thorndike , dr. heylin , and many more , have manifested in their words and writings . and some that subscribe the articles of general councils erring in faith and against heathens salvation , and against free will , and for justification by faith only , &c. do shew that they differ in the doctrines of religion , ( unless the sound or syllables be its religion ) while one and another take the words in contrary sences . some are for diocesans being a distinct order from presbyters , some ( as vsher and many such ) deny it : some hold them to be of divine right , and some but of humane ; some think the king must choose them , some rather the clergy and people ; some hold them independent , others rather subject to the arch-bishops and convocation ; some think all that bear office in their church government are lawful , others think lay-civilians government by the keyes unlawful ( and so are ipso facto excommunicate by their own canons ; ) some that promise canonical obedience to their ordinary , take the judges of the ecclesiastical courts for their ordinaries ; and others only the bishops ; some think they are sworn to obey their ordinaries , if they rule according to the canons ( and so to pronounce all excommunicate that the canon excommunicates , if commanded ; ) others think otherwise , that they are judges themselves whether the canons command licita & honesta ; some take the pope to be antichrist , and the church of rome no true church ; others think otherwise . many more ( arminian and other ) such differences there are , and yet all of one church , both catholick , national , diocesan and parochial ( oft : ) much more are those nonconformists that differ from the church in nothing but what the imposers call indifferent . lxxix . 29. if one that prayeth in the litany against false doctrine and schism , and readeth the conformists telling him of the danger of it , should ; verily think that dr. s. printeth and preacheth false doctrine , and such as plainly tendeth to serve satan against christian love and peace , and to the most schismatical dividing and damning of christians , should hereupon separate from him for fear of schism and false doctrine , and go to a safer pastor , i think it were not to separate from christ . lxxx . 30. if a bishop in any diocess in london should openly write or plead for a foreign jurisdiction , and we are told that none are true ministers that depend not obediently on the bishop , he that for fear of the law , or of personal or common perjury , should separate from that bishop and his numerical diocesan church , doth thereby neither separate from the catholick church , nor from the church of england . as if the kings army should have a colonel that declared himself an obliged subject to the king of france and bound to obey him , the regiment may forsake that colonel . yea if the general of the kings army should give up himself in subjection to the enemy or a foreign power , and say , i will take a commission from the turk , and my officers shall only obey me , and the soldiers obey them , were not this an army of traytors or rebels , though none but the general took a commission from the enemy ? so if the bishops should all take commissions from the pope , or declare themselves subjects to a forreign jurisdiction , it were no separating from christ , to separate from them all , in loyalty to christ , and to avoid national perjury and schism . lxxxi . 31. if a man think that he is bound to use all christs instituted means of salvation , and live in a church that wilfully omitteth any one of them , e. g. either infant baptism , or singing psalms , or praying , or preaching , or the lords supper , or all personal care , and discipline to exclude the grosly intolerable , to resolve the doubting , &c. he that in obedience to christ goeth to a church and pastor ( in the same diocess or city ) that omitteth none of these , is no damned schismatick . lxxxii . 32. he that is unjustly cast out of the church , and by its very laws excommunicated ipso facto , is no damned or sinful schismatick for worshipping god in a church that will receive him : nor any one that is denyed communion unless he will sin ; much more if they should prove half as many and great sins as the nonconformists have said they fear ( in the first plea for peace , &c. ) lxxxiii . 33. if a foreigner that doth but half understand our language , withdraw to a church and pastor whose tongue he understands , obeying god and nature is no damning schism . lxxxiv . 34. if one that is erroneously conceited of the obligation of general councils , should think it a sin to kneel at the sacrament on any lords day in the year , or any week day between easter and whitsuntide , because tradition and the twentieth canon of the first council , and that at trull , &c. do forbid then to adore kneeling , this separating on that account to another congregation is not damning . if it be said , that mr. thorndike and others tell us that it is not necessary that we do the same things which the supream catholick power commanded , but that we subject our selves to the same power which may change their own laws . i answer , 1. the asserting of that universal soveraignty is the greatest crime and heresie of all . 2. by this it seems that our religion is very mutable , and very uncertain , and a man hath need to take heed of obeying any old canons , till he know the mind of the present church ; ( and who those be , and how to know it . ) 3. but what if the same man read dr. heylin ( of sab. ) telling him that this custome against adoration-kneeling continued a thousand years , and was never revok't by any true general council , but changed by little and little by mens practice : and what if he question who those changers were , and whether their practice was rebellion at first , and whether they had power to repeal the canons of the greatest councils without a council . sure they that are for such councils universal soveraignty , when they have cast men into these shares , should scarce tell them that they are damnable schismaticks , for joyning with such churches as obey these councils , rather than with those that mine men for not disobeying them . lxxxiv . and now reader if thou art one that thinkest of these things with christian sobriety and impartiality , i appeal to thee whether if i should be of the mind of mr. dodwell , and such self-conceited resolvers , i should not write my own condemnation , and be one of the grossest schismaticks that any history hath mentioned , unless ever there were any man so mad as to hold himself to be all the church : yea , when he no more distinguisheth of separation and schism , but involves almost all christians in his condemnation , and tells us that schism will damn us as soon as adultery and murder , is it not obvious for all men to infer that we are as odious as adulterers and murderers ? and doth he not preach christians into the hatred of each other ? and can any wonder if rulers should think the punishment of murderers is not worse than we deserve ? it is not new-gate only , but tyburn that these healing men do seem to assign us ; it would be too tedious to look over all these again , and shew you how great the number is that these men damn , and how few on earth in any age they excuse from being so far like murderers . lxxxv . 1. it seems to me that he virtually damneth all christians on earth as such schismaticks ; for it is most certain that all men have sin , and culpable imperfection in knowledge , will and practice ; and if any say , that he hath no sin , he is a lyar , saith st. john ; and it is certain that all two persons on earth have many errours , and many differences from one another ; it is certain that the love and duty of christians towards each other is culpably defective in all men : it is certain that no man living is so perfect in knowledge as to know all the indifferent things in the world , which may be imposed , to be indifferent ! and long and sad experience hath told the church , that both gross errours and sins , and things called truths or indifferent , which few can be sure of , may be imposed . what follows from all this , but that all men on earth may easily fall under the imputation of disobedience to prelates , and so be excommunicate , and then they have their choice ( when no man is perfect , and they cannot change their mindes ) 1. whether they will be damned as excommunicate and practical atheists that give over all church worship ; 2. or as damnable schismaticks , for worshipping god in churches when they are excommunicate ; 3. or as persidious lyars , that will make false confessions , professions and promises , to get off an excommunication . when mr. dodwel numbers those with schismaticks that [ suffer themselves to be excommunicate , ] if they have no other means in their power to hinder it , it seems these great enemies to absolute reprobation , do think all christians being unavoidably born to imperfection of knowledg , are as unavoidably born to damnation whenever prelates or priests please thus to precipitate them . lxxxvi . 2. particularly , 1. the first and second canons ipso facto excommunicate all that say [ that any manner of obedience and subjection within his majesties realms and dominions is due to any usurped and foreign power : ] by this all papists and all pretended protestants ( such as dr. barrow confuteth ) who hold any manner of obedience and subjection due to pope or foreign councils , are excommunicate . 2. those that say that the book of common prayer containeth any thing in it repugnant to the scriptures are , ipso facto excommunicate . which now by the new laws are interpreted of the present books . 3. in this all are excommunicate who say , the mis-translations ( in psalms , epistles or gospels , of which many instances have been given ) to be any thing repugnant in the scripture . 4. and all that say , it is against the scripture to deny christendom to all infants that have not such vowers in their names and for their education as we call godfathers , and godmothers , thô the parent ( who is forbidden it ) offer his child by sponsion . 5. and all that say it is against scripture to deny christendom to all that refuse the covenanting transient images of a cross . 6. and all that say that it is against scripture for all ministers to profess [ that it 's certain by gods word that baptized infants ( without exception ) so dying are undoubtedly saved ] when no word of god is cited that saith it , and adding to gods word is dreadfully threatned , and when it 's certain that all ministers are not certain of any such thing ( and i think no one . ) 7. all are ipso facto excommunicate that say , it is against gods word to deny church communion in the sacrament to all that dare not take it kneeling , for fear ( thô mistaken ) of breaking the second commandment by symbolizing with idolaters , that are seeking to reduce the nation to their sin , and that live round about us . 8. all are excommunicate that say it is against scripture to pronounce all saved that are buryed , except the unbaptized , self-murderers and the excommunicate , while thousands of sadducees , hobbists , infidels , papists , perjured , adulterers , drunkards , &c. dwell among us . 9. by the fifth canon all are ipso facto excommunicate that say , [ any of the armies are in any part erroneous , or such as they ( perhaps as doubters ) may not with a good conscience subscribe to , ] and cousequently all the aforesaid conformists that think the sence erroneous while they subscribe those words and snall affirm , e. g. that canons are made necessary to salvation , thô the matter cannot be proved by scripture , contrary to art. 6. those that contrary to art. 8. say , any thing in athanasius creed may not be subscribed . such as bishop taylour that against art. 9. deny original sin. those that say contrary to art. 10. that the word [ no power ] excludeth common natural power , or maketh nature to be grace . those that write against our being accounted righteous , only for christs merits , and say that another subordinate righteousness is named many hundred times in scripture , contrary to art. 11. those that contrary to art. 13. say , that works done before the inspiration of the spirit may make men meet to receive grace . those that with dr. hammond write for works that are not commanded but counselled , and free-will-offerings , contrary to art. 14. all they that take infants and new baptized persons to have no sin , contrary to art. 15. all that say , that after we have received the h. ghost , we cannot depart from grace given , contrary to art. 16. those that deny the doctrine of election , in art. 17. those that say , any on earth may be saved by diligent living according to the light of nature , without knowing the name of christ , contrary to art. 18. those that contrary to art. 19. reject that description of a visible church , which reacheth to such as our resolver damneth . all that contrary to art. 20. say , that the church [ may not enforce any thing to be believed for necessity to salvation , besides the scripture ] even those that say , it 's necessary to salvation , by avoiding schism to believe that all imposed tyths , covenants practices , and ceremonies are not sin . all that contrary to art. 21. say , that general or other councils may be gathered without the command and will of princes , and deny they may erre , and things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority , unless it may be declared that they are taken out of holy scripture . those that deny art. 23. that those are lawfully called and sent into the ministry , who have publick authority given them in the congregation , to call and send ministers into the lords vineyard , are chosen and called hereto , ( for want of canonical succession . ) those that contrary to art. 24. would have gods worship performed to them that understand not the language , to avoid the schism of having many churches in a city . those that take confirmation or penance , or the other three for sacraments of the gospel contrary to art 25. those that contrary to art. 26. would not have it believed to be the peoples duty , who know the offences of bad ministers , to accuse them . all that contrary to art. 27. are against infant baptism , as agreeable to christs institution . all that contrary to art. 28. say , the body of christ is given and taken and eaten in the sacrament otherwise than in a spiritual manner by faith. all that say , that in some wise the wicked are partakers of christ in the sacrament , contrary to art. 29. all that contrary to art. 30. say , there is other satisfaction for sin besides christs blood. all that say , that men justly excommunicate may be reconciled and received by the multitude without open penance ( which is ordinary ) contrary to art. 33. all that contrary to art. 34. think that a general council may ordain such traditions or ceremonies as shall in all places be one or the like : and that every particular or national church may not abolish those ceremonies or rites which the general council or colledge ordained . many things in the book of homilies [ especially against peril of idolatry ] are blamed by many conformists , contrary to art. 35. all that contrary to art. 36. say , that the book of ordination wants some things necessary . all that contrary to art. 37. think that pope or foreign bishops have any jurisdiction by right in this land : and all that ( by mistake ) say , the king hath not chief power in all his dominions , meaning in france , of which he professeth to be king , and we so call him even in our prayers to god. all that say , contrary to art. 38. that it is not their duty liberally to give alms , according to their ability . all that contrary to art. 39 think men in conforming may swear upon trust of their superiours words , without judgment , and true understanding of justice and truth . a●●●●l these are already ipso facto excommunicated by this one canon , and if they elsewhere worship god , are called separatists and schismaticks , in danger of damnation , as adulterers and murtherers are : and how grea●●●● a number are these ? 10. all are ipso facto excommunicate by the sixth canon , who affirm , that the rites and ceremonies of the church of england , by law established , are superstitious , or such as ( now commanded ) men who are zealously and godly affected , may not with a good conscience approve , use and subscribe as occasion requireth . that is , all that thus mistake kneeling at the sacrament , on the reasons aforenamed , to be against the second commandment , or that judge so of the surplice , or that think the gross , as described by the canon and liturgy , hath all the essentials of a humane unlawful sacrament of the covenant of grace . and all that are against the rites of godfathers that never owned the child as theirs , to be the only sponsors in its name , and to vow its christian education ( when i never knew one living that so much as made the parents believe that he intended it : ) and all that think the words of the liturgy ( making imposition of hands an assuring sign of gods gracious acceptance ) make confirmation a humane unlawful sacrament , and say so . all these are cut off . 11. by canon seventh all are ipso facto excommunicate that affirm , that the government of the church of england , under his majesty , by arch-bishops , bishops , deans , archdeacons , and the rest that bear office in the same , is repugnant to gods word ; that is , all bishops , ministers , noblemen , gentlemen or people , that say that it is against gods word for lay civilians or chancellours to govern by the church keyes , excommunicate or absolve : and all that think it unlawful for surrogates that are not bishops but presbyters , either as a cryer pro forma to pronounce all excommunicate or absolved who are so decreed by the lay chancellor , or else for them ( or a priest-chancellour ) to govern a diocess by the keyes of excommunication and absolution being no bishops ; and all that think it sinful for archdeacons , commissaries , officials , &c. who are no bishops , to exercise the same government by the keyes over so many pastors or churches , or for a bishop . to do his office by others that are no bishops , any more than a priest by those that are no priests ; or for a diocesan with his lay court , to govern many score or hundred churches under him , without any subordinate bishop in those churches , that is , to set up the name and shew , and make christs discipline impossible : or for lay chancellors or surrogates to publish excommunications in the bishops name , which he never knew of , nor tryed the cause : or for such chancellours to oblige all parish ministers to publish all their excommunications which are agreeable to these canons . what quality and number they are of that call any of this sinful , i pretend not to know : but they are all now excommunicate men . 12. the eight canon ipso facto excommunicateth all that affirm that the form and manner of making and consecrating bishops , priests and deacons hath any thing , repugnant to gods word , &c : ] that is , all those that hold bishops and presbyters to be the same order ( contrary to the words of that book . ) which yet even the church of england while papists declared in king aelfriks canons ( see spelman : ) and all such as thorndike , who say the people and clergy should choose their bishops ; or that say the peoples consent is necessary to the pastoral relation to them , and that the old canons for this are in force . 13. the ninth canon ipso facto excommunicateth the separatists . 14. the tenth canon excommunicateth all that affirm [ that ministers that refuse to subscribe to the liturgy , &c. and their adherents may truely take to themselves the name of another church , not established , by law and dare publish that this their pretended church hath long groaned under the burden of imposed grievances , by the church of england , and the orders and constitutions therein by law established . ] ( ipso facto is not here . ) this reacheth to all that confine not gods church in england to the party that subscribe and their adherents : if any say , that if such as blondel , rivet , amesius , or any other the most learned , holy , peaceable men that dare not subscribe as aforesaid , should with any christians worship god together , and that these are a true church ( though he judge them faulty ) and that these canons are grievances , such are to be excommunicated : ( though it be gross schism in others to confine not onely the purity but the verity of a church to their own party : ) for such to feel and groan loud here is excommunication . 15. the eleventh canon much to the same purpose requireth the excommunication of all that affirm that any subjects in england may rightly challenge the name of true and lawful churches besides those allowed by law , though the king should license them . 16. the twelfth canon ipso facto excommunicateth all , that make rules and orders in causes ecclesiastical without the kings authority , and submit to them , e. g. all that without the kings authority agree to turn the table altar-wise , to require people to kneel at the rails , or to bow toward the alter or east , or to set up organs , &c. all these are now excommunicate by an authority above the bishops , which no bishop or priest can dispense with ( but only forbear to publish and execute it , but not nullifie it ) no nor absolve any that publickly repent not of it as a wicked errour . 16. by canon fourteenth , if any minister shall diminish any part of the orders , rites , ceremonies , prayers , &c. inregard of preaching or any other respect , or shall adde any thing in matter or form , ( e. g. if he let the parent express the dedication of his child to god , or lay any charge on any parent ) he breaketh the church law , and so far separateth from it . 17. by canon fifteenth when twenty or thirty thousand are commanded to come to a church that cannot receive six thousand , and the alleys and pewes are wedg'd so that they cannot all kneel , yet all that kneel not at the prayers , and all that say not audibly the confession , lords prayer , creed and responses , disobey the laws of the church , and so far separate from it . 18. when twenty thousand persons are commanded to come in more than can , if ten thousand of them ( or any number ) should come to the church-yard or porch , to shew that they are not presentable , but would get in if they could , the nineteenth canon commands to drive them away . 19. the liturgy and canon 22. &c. bind all under the penalty of the law to receive the sacrament thrice every year : if a secret infidel , sadducee , hobbist , socinian , or any heretick say , i am not able to change my judgment , which is inconsistent with the sacrament , or if one whose conscience tells him of the guilt of adultery , and that he is not resolved to confess and forsake it yet ; or one that by melancholy causelessly feareth unworthy receiving to damnation ; i say , if any of these will avoid the charge of schism , they must run upon worse , till grace recover them , which is not at their command . and yet all notorious offenders are prohibited it canon 26. and particularly the perjured : and if the tenth part so many be perjured in england in city and countrey , as many fear , it 's a very great number that are uncapable of comm-union with the church . 20. by canon twenty seventh on pain of suspension no minister must wittingly administer the communion to any but such as kneel , or to any that refuse to be present at publick prayers , &c. so that all that kneel not in receiving are rejected , and if they worship god elsewhere , must be taken for schismaticks , as dangerous as adulterers or murderers . 21. the twenty eighth canon forbids admitting strangers to communion , and commands sending them home to their parish churches : it 's disobedience to violate this . 22. the twenty ninth canon forbids urging parents to be present when their children are baptized , and admitting them to answer as godfathers for their own children ; and any godfather to make any other answer or speech than the prescribed . 23. the thirtieth canon describeth the cross as a sacrament , as seemeth to us . 34. by the thirty sixth canon no man must be a minister that subscribeth not that the book of common prayer and ordination contains nothing in it contrary to the word of god , and that he himself will use no other form in publick , prayer and administration of the sacraments : by which all that refuse this , or that use the forms made and imposed by the bishops on occasions of publick fasts and thanksgivings , seem all to be under disobedience to the church . 35. by canon fourty ninth no person not licensed as a preacher , may in his cure or elsewhere , expound any scripture , or matter or doctrine , but onely shall study to read plainly the homilies : so that all ministers before licence to preach , all school-masters , all parents , or masters , that do expound to their schollars , children or servants , the meaning of baptism , or of any article of the creed , any petition of the lords prayer , any one of the ten commandments ( to fit them for confirmation , or salvation ) otherwise than by plain reading the homilies or church catechism , doth disobey the law of the church : and so do all tutors in the universities that expound any scripture , matter or doctrine to their pupils , before they are examined or approved by the bishop ; or any judge on the bench or justice that presumeth to do it to the hearers , or any friend or neighbour in discourse : for it is [ no person whatsoever not examined and approved by the bishop of the diocess . ] how few in england separate not from the church as far as this disobedience amounts to ? if by [ no persons ] be meant only [ no ministers ] it 's hard enough , that ministers may not be allowed out of the church what lay-men are allowed . 36. all those that deny not the validity of baptism or the lords supper when they are done by an unpreaching minister , but yet think that a man utterly unable to teach otherwise than by reading , may not lawfully be encouraged in so high a function , ( any more than a man in physick or school-teaching that hath not necessary skill , or is utterly illiterate , ) and thinks it a sin to consent to take such an ignorant fellow for the pastor of his soul if he can have better ; if this man , i say , go to the next parish church for sacraments , he is to be suspended first and next excommunicate : specially if he should judge that ignorant reader , no true minister for want of necessary capacity . 37. surplices , hoods and tippets are made the matter of obedience , canon fifty eighth . 38. by canon thirty eighth no minister must refuse or delay to christen any child ( without exception ) according to the form of the common prayer , that 's brought to church to him on sundaies or holy-daies , though the parents be both jewes or heathens or atheists or sadducees : the minister must be suspended that refuseth it . 39. the seventy first canon suspendeth all ministers that preach in any private house ( except to the sick or impotenti n time of necessity . ) by which had paul here preached publickly and from house to house , or timothy in season and out of season as dreadfully adjured , or christ preacht as he oft did , they must be suspended : and every minister that preacheth to his family . and no doubt , repeating his sermon , is preaching the same again . 40. all ministers must be suspended and then excommunicate , that without the bishops licence appoint or keep any solemn fasts publickly or in private houses , other than by law appointed , or be wittingly present at any : though it were in time of plague , or when divers of his neighbours are sick or troubled in conscience , or in preparation to a sacrament , or on some great occasion in noble-mens houses and chappels : he is not to be trusted to fast and pray with his own flock or friends , or come among them , lest being excommunicate he be a damn'd schismatick . the same prohibition is for holding meetings for sermons called exercises : which arch-bishop grindall was zealous to set up , ( q. was he then a schismatick ? or is the damning dangerous engine made since ? ) 41. by canon seventy third if any ministers meet in any privat ehouse ( as many did by consent in 1660. and 1661. ) to do any thing that any way tends to impeach the common prayer or any part of the government and discipline ( e. g. to petition king or parliament for the least reformation of it ) he is excommunicate ipso facto . 42. canon seventy fourth brings all ministers apparel under church laws , for the shape . 43. canon seventy sixth excommunicateth all that voluntarily relinquish their ministry , and use themselves as a lay-men . and man having free will , that is done voluntarily , which is done in obedience to mens command : and yet we are ruined in the world , if we will not leave our ministry , at their command . 44. it 's tedious to go over all the rest : i end at the end of them . canon 139. excommunicateth all them that affirm that the synod is not the true church of england by representation : that is , 1. all that take it for the church real and not representative , lest they make the diffused church ( people and all ) to be chief church-governours , while convocations govern but as their representatives . 2. all that say , that it is only the bishops and not the presbyters in convocation that are the governing canon-making church . 3. all that say that the clergy represent not king , nobles , parliaments , laiety , and that these are true parts of the church of england . all these are ipso facto excommunicate . 45. the 140. canon excommunicateth them that deny the canons obligation of absent dissenters , which yet even many papists deny of councils canons . 46. the last canon excommunicateth all that contemn these canons , as taking them to be the work of a company of persons that conspired against religious godly men . all this huge catalogue are here excommunicate . 47. if any part of all this be schism , mr. dodwell ad this man seem to teach separation from the church of england : or if the late silencing , hunting and ruining of two thousand ministers were schism , and as bad as bishop taylor in duct . dubit . mr. hales of eaton , chillingworth , &c. say of the like , then these men make all the church of england to be in as damnable a state as adulterers and murderers . yea they make all damnable schismaticks that hold communion with the church of england ; for that is their sentence on them that communicate with schismaticks ; viz. that they are guilty of their schism . 48. they unchurch and damn the churches of corinth , galatia , laodicea , ephesus , smyrna , &c. in the apostles dayes : for the scripture tells us of many guilty of schism in all these , and yet the rest communicated with them ; for the scripture speaks more of schism in a chruch , than of schism or separation from a church , rom. 16. 17. 1 cor. 1. 10. & 3. 3. & 11. 18. mat. 12 , 25. luke 12. 52 , 53. i cor. 12. 25. jam. 3. 15 , 16. and yet no one was commanded to separate from those churches ; no not from those that had heresies among them , such as denyed the resurrection , and taught fornication , and eating things offered to idols , that were drunk at the sacrament or love-feasts , nor those that had jewish schismaticks , who talkt like ours , act. 15. except ye be circumcised and keep the law of moses , ye cannot be saved . the churches were not all unchurcht and damn'd that communicated with such . yea peter was guilty of encouraging them in schism , that would not eat with the christian gentiles , but he was not unchristened by this . 49. they separate from or unchurch almost all the ancient churches in the dayes of the most famous emperours and councils . for i have manifested past doubt that they almost all did hereticat●●●● or separate from one another . it was schism either in victor to excommunicate the asian bishops , or in them to deserve it and be excommunicate . the owning or disowning several councils , specially that of calcedon and that at constde tribus capitulis , &c. was the schism of almost all the imperial churches ; one part condemning the other . and if either were in the right , it salves not the case with them : for most of the same men that went that way call'd the right in one princes reign , went contrary in the next , and so condemned each other round ; especially about images adoration . 50. hereby they cut off that succession of that sort of ordination , which they say must be uninterrupted , while it came down from churches excommunicated by one another , or make the proof of it impossible . 51. they separate from all the greek church at this day , as guilty of schism , both in their succession from schismaticall bishops , at constant . alexand. antioch , jerusalem , &c. and in their excommunicating not only the church of rome for a wrong cause ( the filioque , but other churches , and for divers acts of schism . 52. they must by their principles separate from the abassines , aegyptians , syrians , and all the eastern and southern churches that are called jacobites , and nestorians : for councils and other churches condemn them : and they condemn the councils of ephesus , and calcedon , and all since : and they must separate from and condemn the churches of armenia , georgia , circassia , &c. because they separate from others , and are separated from . 53. their principles utterly unchurch the church of rome , 1. especially because it is guilty of the greatest schism on earth , by setting up a false church form and head : 2. and because they schismatically condemn and unchurch three parts of the church on earth , even all save their sect : 3. and for their many other schismatical doctrines and practices : 4. and as being condemned by the greek protestants and most churches , and separated from by the church of england which they own . 54. they separate in principles from all or near all general councils ( save the first ) as having separated from other councils and condemned them , and being again condemned by them . 55. some of them condemn and separate from all the protestant churches that have bishops , in sweden , denmark , germany , transylvania , &c. because they had not their ordination successively from bishops but presbyters at the reformation : and because they have been guilty of schism against others . 56. the principles of mr. dodwel and his associates condemn the church of england , as schismatical , 1. those that claim succession from rome , whose own succession hath been oft and long interrupted , by incapacities and schisms . 2. for holding communion with those protestant churches which these men call schismaticks . 57. they condemn and separate from all the churches called presbyterian in france , holland , geneva , scotland formerly , and those in helvetia that have no bishops ; tho some would threat kindness on them by saying that they would have them and cannot ? and why cannot they ? 58. their principles make the bishop of oxford , bristol , &c. schismaticks : for their dioceses are churches taken out of churches , being lately parts of other dioceses . 59. and they condemn all the parish churches in england as churches distinct from cathedrals : for they are all churches gathered out of churches : at first the cathedrals were the only single churches : next monasteries were gathered ; and next our parish churches . and the parish church of covent-garden , is a church taken out of a church . 60. their principles damn st. martin that separated to the death from all the bishops synods and them that were near him ( save one man ) because they perswaded maximus to use the sword against priscillian gnosticks , and brought men of strict religion under suspicion of priscillianism : and sure the ruined persecuted protestants here , are more orthodox than the priscillians . and they damn gildas that told the english clergy , that he was not eximius christianus that would call them ministers ; ( do they not disgrace the many churches dedicated to the memory of st. martin , if he be a damned man ? ) i doubt they damn paul and barnabas for local angry separating from each other : whatever they do by peter and barnabas for the separation blamed gal. 2. 61. if all are schismaticks that here conform not , all those called conformists are such , that conform to the words in a false sence . 62. they separate from all that obey the twentieth canon of the nicene council : and from all that obey the councils that forbid communicating with a fornicating priest : and from all that obey the councils which nullifie the episcopacy of such as are obtruded by magistrates , or not consented to by the clergy and people . and many more such . abundance more instances of their separation , and damnation , i might adde : in a word , i think then principles are , as i first said , for damning and separating from all men living , for all men living are guilty of some sort and degree of schism , that is , of errours , principles or practices in which they culpably violate that union and concord that should be among christians and churches : every defect of christian love , and every sinful errour , is some degree of such a violation . all christians differ in as great matters as things indifferent : and no man living knoweth all things indifferent to be such : and these men distinguish not of schism , nor will take notice of the necessary distinctions given ( in the third part of the treatise of church concord , ) and solutio cont●●●● causeth pain : nor do they at all make us understand what sort of separation it is that they fasten on , but talk of separation in general , as aforesaid . lxxxvii . they seeme to be themselves deceived by the papists in exposition of cyprians , words de vnit. eccles . vnus est episcopatus , &c. but they themselves seem to separate from cyprian as a schismatick , and consequently from all the church that hath profest communion with him , and with all the councils and churches that joyned with him : for cyprian and his council erred by going too far from the schism and heresie of others , nullifying all their baptisms , ordinations and communions : and for this errour they declared against the judgment of the bishop of rome and other churches ; and they were for it condemned as schismaticks by the said bishop : and here is a far wider separation than we can be charged with . 2. and cyprians words came from the mind that was possest with these opinions , and are expressive of his inclination . 3. yet they are true and good , understood as he himself oft expounds them ; the bishop of oxford citeth some instances , many more are obvious , in which he opposeth the bishop of rome , saying , that none of them pretendeth to be a bishop of bishops ; and limiting every man to his own province , and saying that they were to give account to none but god , with much the like . but in what sence is episcopacie one ? 1. undoubtedly not as numerically in the personal subjectum relationis : one bishop is not another ; if you should say paternity is one , none believe that one mans relation of paternity is anothers . the relation is an accident of its own subject , as well as quantity , quality , &c. 2. nor doth any man believe that many bishops go to make up one bishop in naturals . 3. nor did ever cyprian hold or say that all bishops go to make up one politick governing aristocracie , as many go to make one senate or parliament , that hath a power of legislation and judgment by vote as one persona politica . he never owned such a humane soveraignty . but episcopatus unus est , i. in specie , all bishops have one office ; 2. objective : as the catholick church is one , whose welfare all bishops ought to seek : 3. and so finaliter as to the remote end ; and are bound to endeavour concord . 4. and as effects , all are from one efficient institutor . as it may be said that all official magistracy in england is one : 1. as from one king or summa potestas : 2. as described by one law , and as justices of one species : 3. as all their cities and counties and hundreds are but part of one kingdom , whose welfare all are for : 4. and as they are all bound to keep as much common concord as they can ; if any mean more , they should ten us what ; if any mean that all bishops make one numerical universal government , they are heinous schismaticks , and the kingdom is sworn agaisst their judgment : and these men damn them in damning schismaticks . the truth is , cyprian de unitate , ecclesiae ( leaving out the papists additions ) is a good book and worthy , to be read of all ; and take cyprian's description of the epispcopacy of the church which we must unite with , and the nature of that union , and we would rejoyce in such . but if cyprian had lived to see 〈◊〉 arians or donatists the greater number ; or any sect after 〈◊〉 themselves the church because that princes set them up , and had seen them depo●●●●e chrysostome and such other , doubtless he would never have pleaded the unity of episcopacy for this , but have judged as he did in the case of martial and basilides ; nor did he ever plead for an universal humane soveraignty . lxxxviii . if we are damned schismaticks , i can imagine no pretended manner of separation in which our schism consists , but first , either local as such . 2. or mental , as such . 3. or local , caused by mental . if local , as such be it : all christians are schismaticks , for being locally separated from others , and absent from all churches ; and places save one . if mental separation be it , either all mental division is such , or but some only ; if all , then all mortal men are schismaticks , as differing in a multitude of things from others ; if it be not all , what is it ? is it all difference in the essentials of christianity ? we grant it ; and we are charg'd with no such thing . is it all difference in the integrals or accidents ? so do all differ that are not perfect . is it all want of love , or all vncharitableness to one another ? all on earth have some degree of it ; and those are likest to have most , that do as the bishops did against the priscillianists , bring godly people under reproach , on pretence of opposing heresie ; or that seek the silencing , imprisonment , banishment or ruine of men as faithful as themselves : for our parts , we profess it our great duty , to love all men as men , all christians as christians , all godly men as godly , all magistrates as magistrates , &c. is it for our separating in mind from any principles in specie necessary to communion in the church universal , or single churches ? let it be opened what those principles be : we own all christianity , and all ministry of gods institution , and all his church ordinances : we own bishops over their flocks , let them be never so large , so they be capable of the work and end , and alter not the true species ; and we submit to any that shall by the word admonish pastors of many churches of their duty , or sin , or seek their good . nor do we refuse obedience to any humane officers set up by princes , to do nothing against christs laws , not nothing but what is in princes power in the accidents circa sacra . is it because we disown any numerical rulers ? we own the king and his magistrates , we own all that we can understand to be true pastors ; and if we are in doubt of their calling , we resist them not , unless obeying christ before them be resistance : but our accusers loudly profess , that usurpers are not to be owned ; and if they go on the ground , that he hath right that the prince is for , we would know , whether that hold in turky , in italy , spain , france , or only in england , or where ? if it be where princes are orthodox , do they make all the people judges of their princes orthodoxness ? and we would know , whether every bishops and priests right , as a true minister , called of god , and set over us , be necessary to salvation , to be believed or known by all the people ? if it the , wo to us , that ever such men were set over us , whose right we cannot know : what abundance of things go to make a bishops or priests right known ! 1. that he hath capable sufficiency . 2. that he is a just bishop , that 's chosen by the king , the dean and chapter obediently consenting , & that the clergy's and peoples consent is unnecessary . 3. that the diocesan species ( over multitudes of churches without any subordinate bishop ) is of christ , or lawful . 4. that their work , according to the canon , is lawful . 5. that all our patrons have right to chuse pastors for all the people . 6. that they are true pastors over them that consent not . 7. that if they prove worse far than martial and basilides , and be owned by the bishops as they were , the people may not forsake them ( plebs obsequens divinis praeceptis , ) which saith cyprian have most power to chuse or refuse . is every christian bound on pain of damnation to know all these , and then to examine and judge bishops and priests accordingly ? or if they mistake one or more mens commission , do they therefore separate from the catholick church ? if so , what a case was the east in by the difference between chrysostome and his competitors ? photius and ignatius and hundreds others ? and france , about the archbishops of rhemes , when he was put out that deposed ludovicus 4. and when an infant was put in , and oft besides ? what if the alexandrians , when athanasius was banisned by , constantine himself , were half for him , and half against him ? or basil at caesarea was put down , and hundreds more , or when theodosius first and second and martian , and valentinian , and zeno , and anastasius and abundance more , set up and pull'd down , and set up again against each other ? what , i say , if the people now mistooke who had the best title ? is this separating from the catholick church ? when the interim cast out hundreds in germany ; when ludovicus cast out multitudes in the palatinate , and half the people stuck to the ejected , persecuted pastor , and the rest to the magistrates choice , which of them separated from the universal church ? is every priest the vniversal church , or an essential part of it ? then it dyeth when he dyeth , and apostatizeth when he doth . how many ages in above 23 duplicates or schisms , was the world uncertain which was the true pope ? suppose , e. g. arthur jackson , edmund calamy , and many such were placed in their incumbency , by the bishops , patrons and parish consent , according to the law of christ and the land , and by a mew act of uniformity they be all turned out , the flock not consenting , nor any bishop accusing , trying or deposing them ( save in legislation , ) and some of the parish think this dissolveth not their relation to him , and they cleave to him as before , without any change save of place and tythes , and others forsake such a one , and follow the magistrates choice , may not both these be still of the catholick church ? if not , i know where the old canons laid the charge and danger . it 's wonderful selfishness in those men , that if they can but get into the seat , take it for granted , that all must own their right on pain of damnation . and what if in any such land , the prince change his mind , or the next differ , and put down all these same men , and set up such as differ from them more than we do , is it damning schism for any of their people still to adhere to them ? lxxxix . do you find that mr. dodwel , dr. saywel , dr. sherlock , or any of these men , do , in pulpit and press , ingenuously tell the people the truth of the case , when they liken men as schismaticks to murderers for danger ? did you ever hear them say , [ the canon , which is the churches voice and law , doth excommunicate you all that do own your opinions against conformity , and commandeth us not to admit you to the sacrament , and yet to pronounce your excommunication for not taking it : we confess they have been holy and learned men that have thought many things imposed unlawful ; and therefore we wonder not if it be not in your power to change your judgment , no more than to be perfect in knowledge ; and we confess if you are unjustly excommunicated , or any of the things made necessary to communion be against gods word , then it is the church that guilty of schism , but because this is not so , we accuse you of schism , even of separating from the vniversal church , and from salvation . xc . i do admire , that never any one of them would be prevail'd with to prove the canons excommunications ipso facto lawful , when even papists have scorn'd all such doings ; and when the learnedst of all their own admired men , that were for comprimising matters with rome , even mar. ant. de dom. spalatensis de rep. eccl. hath so confidently , copiously and strenuously damn'd it : christ would have none excommunicate , whatever the crime be , without impenitency after due admonition for repentance , but these canons ipso facto condemn and excommunicate godly men , without ever admonishing them , or calling them to repent , or hearing or seeing them : nothing is necessary but the proof of the fact , and then the law is instead of a judge ; and to oblige the people to avoid them , it must be published . if this and all things named in the first plea for peace , be sinless , studying and disputing is not the way to know what is sinful . xci . but , saith the resolver , [ christ hath but one body , and to be a member of two separate and opposite churches , is to be contrary to ourselves . ] ans . but i had hoped your catechized boyes had known , 1. that one body hath many parts . 2. that particular churches are parts of this body , as corporations are of the kingdom . 3. that all the parts are imperfect , and made up of none but sinners . 4. that every good man is partly bad , and so contrary to himself 5. that churches may be so far separate as to be distinct , and yet not so far as to be contrary or opposite . 6. that they may be opposite in accidents and integrals , that are one in specie in essentials . 7. that a man may own several churches , and communicate with them for that which they agree in , and yet not own both , ( or either perhaps ) in that which they are opposite in . 8. that there being somewhat opposite in all men and churches on earth , you damn your selves for communicating with them . 9. that a man may have more communion with the church which he locally separateth from , even for sin , than with that which he is present with . e. g. a congregation or nation of men of eminent sanctity and order , sound doctrine and worship , may , by humane frailty take some one falsehood or uncertain thing to be necessary to ministry or communion ( as they say some churches unhappily of late reject all that own not the antiquity of the hebrew points ) i cannot have local communion with that church , for they will not receive me , unless i subscribe either a falshood , ( or that which i judge false ; ) but yet i highly honour and love them , and have mental catholick communion with them , when perhaps necessity may make me locally join with a church of far worse men and order , that will impose no sin on me . 10. and i would advise these men , did they not despise my advice , for the church of englands sake , and their own , to retract their errours , and not lay such a snare before the people . should you say in the pulpit , [ if the church be guilty of any schism by her impositions , ( oft-named ) excommunications and silencing of christs ministers , and afflicting good people without just cause , then i , and all that communicate with it and me , communicate in the guilt of schism , and are all in as much danger of damnation by it as adulterers and murderers ] tell not your hearers this , for if you do , some will think you bid them separate or be damned , and only make a doubt whether most men have noses or not . xci1 . qu. but is not the inference true ? ans . no , it 's false : there are twenty cases in which 1. one may be guilty of schism and not be a schismatick , as denominated from what predominateth : 2. and as many in which he is not at all guilty that communicateth with the guilty . and let the world ( that is sober and awake ) judge now whether these men or we be the greater schismaticks , and which more condemneth or separateth from the church of england . we say that all churches have some degree of schism , and so hath the church of england , as it hath imperfection , errour and sin ; but that it is not therefore no church , nor is it unlawful to communicate with it ; all christians and churches must not be separated from that are guilty of some degree of schism . if any will turn these serious matters into jest , and say , as dr. saywell , that they will receive greeks , lutherans , &c. that come to their communion , his serious readers will tell him , that so will most sects receive those that approve of their communion and come to them : joyning with you signifyeth that they are of your way therein ; but will you go to their churches and communicate with them ? you will receive the damned schismaticks if they come to you , when yet you make it damnable to joyn in their meetings with them . this quibbling beseems not grave men in great matters . to conclude , reader , god having allowed more legislative power to men in things secular than in religion , i may say this case is like ours in debate . i. some judges and lawyers say , that the oath of allegiance makes a subject in this kingdom ; that the renouncing or violating it by treason , or rebellion , or deserting the kingdom , overthrows the relation . but that other particular faults or quarrels against neighbours , justices , judges , yea the king himself , are punishable according to the laws , but are not all rebellion , nor dissolve subjection , nor oblige the subjects to renounce civil converse with each other ; though some contempt and obstinacy may outlaw them . such is our judgment of church relation and communion , which 1 need not rehearse . ii. suppose a sect of lawyers and judges arise , that say , no men are the kings subjects , but are rebels , that break any of his laws , that shoot not in long bows , that bury not their dead in woollen , that swear prophanely , that eat flesh in lent unlicensed , that have any unjust law-suit , that wrong any neighbour , that oppress any poor man , all these are rebels ; yea all that plead opposite causes at the bar , and all judges that judge contrary to one another , and all that misunderstand any point of law and practice accordingly , and all that besides the oath of allegiance do constitute marriages , families , schools , societyes by any other covenants of their own , and all that are of different cities and companies , parts of the kingdom , or all whose justices , mayors , sheriffs , &c. differ from one another in any point of law and practice : or all that obey not every constable and justice ; or that go to divers justices in the same precincts , or that go from one justice to another to avoid unrighteous judgment , or that go from the physician of the place for health , and from the schoolmaster of the town for greater edification , or that travel beyond sea for knowledge , yea all that understand not every word in the law , that may concern them : if any say , none of these are the kings subjects , but rebels , opposite to him and one another , and deserve to be all hang'd as murderers , and so are all that have communion with them ; quaere , 1. whether these men are for the unity of england ? 2. and are friends to the king that deprive him of all his subjects ; as much as those that would have him have no subjects , that be not of the same age , stature , complexion and wit. 3. and whether they are friends to mankind ? 4. and whether they . condemn not themselves if they live not as anchorets , out of humane society . 5. and whether that nation be not by infatuation prepared for destruction that would believe them , and would hate , scorn and ruine them that are of the first mentioned opinion , according to the saying , quos perdere vult jupiter , hos dementat . as to the more dangerous doctrine now threatning this land , that would subject england to a foreign jurisdiction , on pretence of a necessity of either an universal church monarch , or church-parliament senate or council , or of all the church on earth represented by patriarchs or metropolitans , or that plead for subjection to them , under the name of communion , they require a distinct answer . but dr. is . barrow , and mr. beverley's catholick catechism , have effectually done it . finis . the second part against schism : being animadversions on a book famed to be mr. raphson's . london : printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , near mercers-chappel . 1684. to the reader . reader , when i had written the first of these discourses , i came after to know more of the authors judgment , by another book against me ; which i also answered , but it lyeth by unprinted . i also wrote , for the use of some private friends , my reasons for communion with those parish-churches who have capable ministers , which many importuned me to print ; but that also is yet undone : but a book famed to be mr. raphsons coming out , i thought it my duty to animadvert on that , and to bear my testimony against schism on both extreams , left i be guilty of partiality , and of the sin and suffering of many that may be deceived by them . if these two be not overmuch discouraged , the other two against both the extreams may come hereafter . the second part against schism , &c. the reasons of mr. raphson , and such others , against going to the parish-churches , considered . the matter of his book , as against persecution , is very considerable ; the stile is very close and pungent : his doctrine against communion with the churches that use the liturgy , is that which i examine . the sum of it is , 1. that kneeling at the reception of the sacrament , and the use of the liturgy , are unlawful . 2. that they are false worship , and idolatry . 3. that the places where they are used , are idol-temples . 4 that to joyn there in them , is to partake in idolatry . 5. the proof of all this is by this argument ; worship not institute , is not lawful ; but kneeling in receipt of bread and wine , is worship not instituted by christ : therefore not lawful ; therefore not pleasing , p. 160 , 161. to which , by way of motive , he addeth , p. 275. how many once in the separation , are returned back to the vomit they once cast up , and wallow in the mire of a worldly worship ? &c. is compliance in idol-temples , going to dan and bethel , bowing to baal , sitting , or drinking with the superstitious inacts of religious adoration , a witness for , or against defection ? are you turned as silly sheep ( that once were called shepherds ) , to bleat after other shepherds , that christ never sent , nor bid you go after them , &c. looks it not like a declining of the camp of christ , the work of the gospel , and setting your face towards babel , & c. ? is scandal of no weight with you , & c. ? how dare you venture your souls to sit under means that he says shall not profit you ; and which is worse , lies under his curse ? jer. 23. 32. mal. 1. 14. with more such . either this writer knoweth how ill he dealeth with his reader , or not : if he do , it 's a double fault : if not ( which i think ) , it 's a doleful case , that every well-meaning man , that can but be confident in his ignorance and error , and father it on god , should become such a snare to them that cannot see through his pretences , and should himself suffer for sinning , and call it the cause of god , and condemn all that sin not as confidently as he ; and hereby harden his afflicters , by shewing them his weakness , and impenitently justifying his sin . if he would not have ensnared his reader , he should first have opened the meaning of the words of his question , that they might know how much of the dispute is material , and how much only about words . 2. and then he should have so proved his assertion and accusation , as might satisfie a good conscience in a matter wherein god , the church , and souls , are so much concerned ; and not have poured out accusations by way of motives , upon unproved and false suppositions . i find but one argument , which i shall now answer plainly : his major is , [ worship not instituted , is not lawful ] ans . 1. the word [ worship ] in general , signifieth , 1. any thing done in honour to another ; and so all our obedience to god is worship : it is to his glory that we must do all . i suppose that this he meaneth not . 2. any immediate act or expression of the honour and reverence of the heart . if this be not it that he meaneth by worship , i know not what he meaneth . this worship , as within , is the secret act of the soul ; as exprest , it is the act of the body . of such worship there are two sorts : one sort is made necessary , statedly , by god's commanding it in particular . to this no man must add the like , or from it diminish any thing so commanded , either pretending god's authority , or his own . the other sort is but the subordinate ordering of the former , and is but the manner of doing it . this god doth not institute in particular , but only give man a general rule , how to choose it himself ; which is , that all be done in love , and to edification , decently and in order . either this latter sort is to be called worship , or not : if it be , then it falls under his opposition : if not , then , 1. he must give us a definition of worship , which shall exclude it ; and so worship must be somewhat else than the direct or immediate acting or expressing honour to god : and then who knows what he meaneth by it ? 2. and then when we plead for mens making none but this , he should to avoid deceit , confess that the controversie is only of the name ( whether modes and circumstances of god's instituted worship , may be called worship ) , and not at all of the thing ( whether it be lawful or not ) : this had been like a christian teacher . now i answer , 1. to his first proposition : 1. worship which is neither instituted particularly , nor in the general , appointing man how to choose it , is unlawful , 2. and to invent worship without god's allowance , contrary , or of the same kind , as if he had not done his part , is unlawful . 3. but for man to choose and use such worship as is but the right ordering of god's institutions , is commanded by him , and a duty ; and therefore not unlawful . 2. as to his minor , or second proposition , i answer , kneeling at the sacrament , and communicating with parish churches that have tollerable ministers , are not instituted of god in particular , but the genus of them is instituted , and we commanded to choose our selves , according to god's general rules , to the best of our understanding : and so they are our duty , and not unlawful . i give the instances of these two sorts of worship : first , god hath instituted , that our minds worship him , in believing , and receiving all his gospel revelations , and trusting them ; and in desiring all things petitioned in the lords prayer , and in consenting to all commanded in the scriptures ; and in dedicating our selves to him cordially in baptism , and renewing it in the lords supper , in commemoration of christ's death , till he comes . he hath instituted the corporal expresions of all these ; that we confess christ in all the necessary articles of faith ; that we ask the petitions of the lords prayer ; that we perform the commands of the decalogue towards god , and all others in the scripture . these are the instituted worship which none must alter . secondly , the manner and ordering which is the second sort ( which i leave every one to call worship , or not , when they have defined worship ) which man may , and must chuse himself , without any particular institution of god , contain such acts as these . 1. undetermined gestures of reverence and honour in time of publick worship . as to be uncovered , or put off the hat at prayer , or the lord's supper . this we do directly in honour and reverence to god , whom we there worship ; and therefore it is it self a subordinate act of worship . so to stand , or kneel at prayer , and not to sit . though in scripture we read of sitting , standing , kneeling , and prostration : yet no one of these is made necessary by institution : yet are they subordinate acts of worship , expressing our inward worship of god : and the reason why being uncovered , or kneeling , are now chosen , is not a particular institution , but because the custom of the country hath made them the most congruous expression of our inward worship : when as paul tells us , that then and there it was a sharne for a man to be covered : and the whole church for many hundred years forbad all kneeling , in adoration , on the lord's days . and more , to these i add , the gesture of the adult in baptism , whether they shall be baptized kneeling , to signifie humble reception , or not , is left to choice . so is the gesture in singing psalms : if any think , that speaking to god by prayer , praise , or thanksgiving in psalms , should in honour to god be done standing , or kneeling , rather than sitting , it is no addition to god's institution . and that we commonly use sitting in psalmody , and not when we pray in prose , is meerly because custom maketh one more offensive than the other . the same i say of the gesture of preaching , which some do sitting with their hats on , and others stand to avoid a seeming dishonour of gods name and service . also , some holy nonconformists i have known , that would rarely name god but with their hats put off , or bowing their heads ; or with hands and eyes lift up towards heaven . ( old mr. atkins at tipton near dudley , did thus use to shew such reverence , when he named god , that would strike reverence into those that saw and heard him : and hath oft affected me more than a sermon . ) this was external worship , not instituted in the particulars , but in general of reverence to god. 2. another instance is in vows to god , which are acts of worship : but for the matter of them , several things may be vowed which are not particularly commanded , but onely in the general . and for the form or words , i do not think that mr. raphson can shew me all that vow called the covenant , in any particular institution ; and yet i conjecture , that he taketh it not to be idolatry , nor unlawful . 3. another instance is , in things devoted and offered to god the scripture in general saith , honour god with thy substance , and with the first fruits of thy increase . and that christians at first sold all , and laid at the apostles feet ; which yet peter tells ananias he might have chosen not to do . and for many hundred years after , they brought their weekly donations for the ministers , sacraments , and poor , to the altar , and offer'd it first to god : and so paul would have the corinthians give their collections as to god , for the saints . but no institution told them how much they should give , but the general rule . 4. another instance is , the length or degree of outward worship : if i pray two hours rather than one , it is an act of honour , or worship , not particularly commanded . so whether men shall in publick read one chapter , or two ; sing one psalm or two , or more , is undetermined by god 5. another is about set days and hours for worship ; as to keep a yearly thanksgiving for deliverance from the powder plot ; the spanish invasion ; for the reformation , &c. so also fasts , and what days lectures shall be kept , and what hour : and what day and hour the lord's supper shall be administred ; which are circumstantial acts of worship . 6. another instance is in the choice of psalms and hymns : the use of davids are lawful , and so are others : but no institution tyeth us to one , but leaveth us to chuse . 7. another instance is in the tunes and metre of psalms , which we use as subordinate acts of worship . it is but lately that the churches used metre and melody of tune ; but prose read with a loud voice : yet i hope we are not idolaters for our metre and melody : which i may say also of church musick , which david used , and we may do , where it 's edifying ; but it 's no institution now . yea , when paul directs the church to use psalms , hymns , and spiritual songs ; which is for singing with grace in our hearts to the lord , and therefore it is worship , which some men must indite and make . 8. another instance is , in the versions of the psalms of david ; where among many we may chuse which seems best . 9. another instance is , in the publick and private reading of the scriptures translated : where every word is the work of man : god wrote it not in english , but in hebrew and greek ; but man translates it , some well , and some defectively ; yet i hope , an english bible is not an idol . 10. so also the dividing the scriptures into chapters , and verses , which are the works of man , is no idolatry . 11. and another instance is , the method and words of sermons and prayers : whether a minister shall preach by way of doctrine , reason , and use ; or otherwise : and expound by way of paraphrase , or otherwise ; what words he shall use , god hath not instituted in particular ; but mens invention maketh these , some suddenly , and some beforehand . 12. another instance is , the use of helps , or written words ; whether one shall use notes in preaching , and read them , or not ? whether the words of a prayer shall be written , and read , or not ; god hath not determined . and so books of catechism , publick confessions : prayers , meditations as formed ; are all the works of man , and no idolatry . and if parents impose words of prayer on their children , it is no sin ; as deut. 6. and 11 shew . 13. another instance is in the form of ordination , when the words and many circumstances are undetermined . imposition of hands is a iawfu1 sign : and so is doing it by a writing , or by meer words , without that imposition ; some receive it kneeling , some standings ; some by one form of words , some by another , &c. some from one ordainer some from many , &c. and none of these determined by institution . 14. the same is true of discipline ; the form of words for admonition , for absolution , for excommunication , for the penitents confession and request , are left to humane wisdom , so the matter and manner be regulated by the general law. and they that say , that god hath instituted , that the church shall be governed necessarily by fixed classes , with appeals to national synods , and that here a major vote hath governing power over the lesser part ; yea , and that these must be made up of two sorts of elders , of which one sort are un-ordained , or are not authorised to administer the word and sacraments , do but add to the word of god , if they say these national assemblies are the supreame church-power ; what law of god did ever institute , that a minister , or classis , e.g. in geneva , breme , scotland , is not as much subject to the decrees of a larger council of many nations ; and that the synod at dort had not as much power as a lesser at hague : or a synod of many nations as much as one in scotland ? but if ( as by parity of reason they must ) they say , that general or large councils are the governours of national assemblies , as they are of classis and presbyteries : then they bring us under a foreign jurisdiction , which the kingdom is sworn against ; and i think they are papists , but of the french sort , who make general councils superior governours of the universal church . and if they determine the bounds of church-power , by the magistrates laws , and yet damn erastians , they seem in ignorance to deal too hardly with themselves . 15. another instance is , in the place of publick worship : god hath not determined where the assembly shall meet : where the pulpit , font , table , &c. shall stand . and if great and lofty structures , called temples , be built , purely to shew how we honour god , and religion : as constantine , and others after him , did at constantineple , alexandria , jerusalem , over the grave of christ , and all over the empire : this actual expression of honour to god , is cultus modalis & secundarius , a subservient sort of worship , and no idolatry , but lawful . 16. the same i say of church utensils : if for the honour of god and religion , the pulpits , and tables have ornaments of silk , cups , and trenchers , and flaggons of silver ; the font and seats have some special neatness , &c. this is left to man's determination , without any particular institution , and is no idolatry . 17. and if as judges and lawyers have distinguishing habits , the ministers have so , ( officiating , and at other times ) to no worse end ( or manner ) than the said utensils are put ; i know no institution that is crost by it , nor that forbids it . 18. another instance may be of speaking in the assembly , whether it shall be one minister , or two , or three . whether lay-men may not be interlocutors by questions , yea , and sometime preach and pray , &c. god hath not particularly determined , but left to human choice . 19. many good christians knowing the lord's day to be an instituted day of thanksgiving for the greatest mercies , do as an act of honour wear their best cloathes , and feast themselves and the poor accordingly that day : this is lawful , by the general law ; but not particularly instituted by god. 20. professing signs in our covenantings with god , and confessing of our religion , are left to be chosen onely by the general laws of edification , and order . when a nation , or church , or person renew their covenant with god , and their confession of faith , it may be done ( when the ruler demandeth their consent ) either by word or by subscribing , or by lifting up the hand , or by standing up , or by bowing the head ; for these are all , or most found in scripture instances ; yea , sometimes they fell by prostration to the ground : yea , and so they oft did in receiving a charge or message from god , by his ministers . i will add no more instances ; these are enough . if yet it be said , that none of these be acts of worship : i again answer , 1. then do not by slander call them so , and say still , that man's inventing or using these , is using false worship , if they be no worship , they are no false worship . confess then , that it 's but a bare name that you charged with idolatry : for its onely such things as these that we would add . 2. but de nomine , if an action done directly to honour god be to be called worship ; some of these at least may be called secondary subordinate worship : but if you appropriate the name to gods stated ordinances , these must not be called worship ; but the manner , order , circumstances , or accidents of worship . but call them what you will , they are but what god alloweth , and the general of them he commandeth . i need not say much to his applicatory words . 1. to return from separation , to love and union , is as fitly called , a returning to their vomit , as returning from drunkenness and fornication , to sobriety and chastity may be so called . repentance is casting up our sin. 2. the names of bowing to baal , dan and bethel , babylon , idols , &c. are as easily used by quakers , ranters , familists , &c. against all god's church and worship : and they were worn so thread-bare by the railing separatists ( then called brownists ) , against the old learned godly nonconformists , that they turned to the speakers reproach . and i suppose he knoweth that the scots were called as bad , and worse , by the army that conquered them in 1650 , &c. 3. that sitting or drinking with the superstitious in arts of religicus adoration , is a sign of defection . this would make all backsliders who so sit and drink with him , and such as he , who is so superstitious , as to turn sin into duty , and duty into sin , and falsly father laws on god : yea , that is worse than superstitious , as is after manifested . 2. superstition is an offering somewhat as pleasing to god , which is not pleasing to him . all christians havesome degree of this in matter or manner ; for we know but in part , and prophesie in part , &c. and so no christians must joyn with others . but must they not give over all religious duty themselves , seeing their own defects more defile them than other mens ? 3. christ doth not disown all imperfect worship that hath some superstition : and we must receive one another as christ receiveth us . 4. it was superstitious persons that paul commandeth christians to receive to communion , rom. 14. 5. thus he condemneth the apostles , and the churches then , and the scripture it self . 6. it is dreadful revolting to choose rather forbearance of all church communion , than to communicate with our parish churches , when better cannot be had , and men are not forced to any sin themselves . and he that will communicate with none that sin in preaching , prayer , sacraments , shall communicate with none 7. it is a gross service of satan and popery , to fight against love and unity , and bring all the publick assemblies under disgrace , as unlawful , that popery may take possession unresisted . 4. his words of [ silly sheep bleating after any shepherd , &c. ] are but a net to catch silly souls . it 's the common trap of the papists , to put ignorant people to prove the calling of the ministers , or forsake them . they that preach the gospel , and do the office ( tho faultily ) , and are in possession , have a calling sufficient to justifie the. hearers , when it may not be enough to justifie themselves : a better call than the high priests that christ did send men to . 5. as to the argument of scandal ; it is of dreadful weight to deter a tender consience ( as from conforming to sin , so ) from his groundless separation , and war against unity and love. 6. that god saith such means shall not profit ; yea , curseth it , is a slander against god and scripture , and all the church on earth that 's known ; by perverting and misapplying the text. i shall now better prove the lawfulness of using such things as these , than he hath proved it unlawful . 1. that which no low of god , or valid law of man , forbids , is not unlawful : but the use of the things forementioned , no law of god , or valid law of man forbids : therefore the use of the things forementioned , is not unlawful . he that will say that there is any such law , must shew that law , and prove his affirmative : but let him take heed of adding to god's law : a false prophet that fathered a false message from god , was an heinous sinner . is it not worse falsly to father a law on him ? perhaps they will say , that god forbids , adding or diminishing : i answer , he doth so : therefore let them take heed of it , who say his law forbids that which it never forbad , but in general commandeth . if we must not add to the laws of the land , yet the bookbinder that covereth them , and the lawyers and judges that expound them , do not add thereby to the law. when the hearers bowed , and prostrated themselves in reverence to god , they did not by this add to the law ; nor yet when they made a vow uncommanded , or a free-will-offering : and i think it was no sinful addition to the law , for the publican to smite his breast , and look downward ; and when jeremy said , no man smiteth on his thigh , and saith , what evil have i done ? the meaning is not , no man idolatrously giveth god false worship . and i think , that they that rent their clothes to express their repentance , did not add to god's word , nor yet do it as necessary worship , tho joel says , rent your hearts , and not your garments . some object , that christ's sitting at the sacramental supper , is a law to us , forbidding any other gesture . but this author professeth , that all the actions of christ , or his apostles , are not laws binding us to do the like : if they be , we break many such laws ; as when we do not eat a full meal before the sacrament , when we do it not without women , only to a family , or to twelve , only to teachers , in an upper reom , in an inn , or private house , and that we do not lie along , leaning , as they did ; especially when we take it not at supper-time , and turn the lord's supper to a breakfast or dinner . the apostles brake no law when they differed from any of these , which were but occasional circumstances . it 's said by some , that christ's example binds us to a table-gesture : but 1. that may be convenient , and yet not necessary : the bare example binds us not to it . 2. if it did , that were but like the general law ; let all be done to edification , and in order ; and binds to no one sort of gesture at all : for then when they eat standing , it would bind us to stand ; and if they eat kneeling ( as labourers oft do at harvest-work in the fields ) , it would bind us to kneel ; if they eat lying , as the jews did , it would bind us to that : and so this would but tie us to the custom of the countrey . but in feasting with god , we may sometimes do it more lowly than in a common table-gesture , and break no law. when mary was , it 's like , on her knees , washing christ's feet with her tears , if he had offered her bread or wine , it 's like it had been no idolatry so to take it . but the grand objection is , that we worship bread and wine ; which can be no better than a slander , when the very liturgy and doctrine of the church , not only renounce transubstantiation , but the very real presence of christ's body , which yet many thousand protestants believe . object . but you kneel before the bread and wine , and make it a mediate object of adoration , contrary to the second commandment . answ . 1. we neither make any image , nor invent this medium , nor yet symbolize with idolaters , while we renounce the very object ( transubstantiate bread ) which they adore , and therefore break not the second commandment , no more than we do in kneeling in lawful prayer , because they kneel in praying before images , or to angels . 2. an object of worship is either a meer motive exciting object , or else a terminative mediate worshipped object . the first is more than lawful : for we should be moved and stirred up by the works of god , even by our meat and drink , by sun and moon , and all that we see , to worship god : and this is properly but the object of our thoughts , and the motive of our outward acts : and the sacrament is no more . but if we did direct our worship terminatively to the bread and wine , as a mediate object , by which it should pass to god , this were to break the second commandment , like image-worship . there are many instances in scripture , of people that have bowed to god before the prophet , moved by his word and presence , who yet break not the second commandment , nor idolized the words or prophets : so joshua fell down to the angel , josh . 4. we give thanks for the meat that stands before us on the table , as a motive-object ; and we may do it on our knees : is this an idolatrous worshipping of our meat ? i have many a time seen a miserable beggar , when one hath given him money or meat , fall down on his knees , and take it , saying , i thank god and you ; did this make the giver his idol ? how sad is the case of ignorant young christians , whose consciences must be racked or cheated by such sophistry , because their wits be not ripe enough to find out the deceit ? ii. another argument : that is not unlawful which god commandeth us in general to choose and do , and so alloweth in the particulars : but such are the twenty things before mentioned , &c. god commandeth us to do all things in love , and concord , and order , to edification . this must needs reach to the undetermined circumstances . we cannot worship god publickly at all , but it must be in some words , in some gestures , in some time , in some place ; nor profess our faith , and covenant-consent , but by some sign : and so of the rest . if you choose no one , when god hath tied us to none , but bid us choose to edification , we break his general law. if you can prove that we choose amiss , the fault will be , not that we choose , but that we choose not better . iii. that is not unlawful which christ and his apostles did before us without blame , and belongeth also unto us . but such is the use of such modes and circumstances of god's instituted worship , which are left variable , and free to occasional choice , &c. what christ did , i shall speak more anon . paul hath his [ not the lord , but i ] ; signifying , that the thing was not determined by a law , rom. 14. he judgeth circumstantial differences such as should not break communion , when yet they that kept days , or kept them not ; and they that did eat , or not eat , did it as to the lord. and did he bid them not judg each other for idolatry ? or say , rom. 14. 17 , 18. that idolaters were acceptable to god , or approved of men ? or rom ▪ 15. or bid them receive idolaters , as christ received us ? he regulateth their church-meetings , how many shall speak at a meeting , and by what course and order ; and that women shall be vailed , and not men ; and that they salute each other with an holy kiss , &c. not by a law that setleth the particulars , but by the general law of doing all in order , and to edification ; and pleadeth not institution , but the custom of the churches , which is alterable , as the signification of such acts are . and st. james will have the elders anoint the sick with oyl for recovery , which yet bindeth not us . the papists use this as an institution , as they do imposition of hands in confirmation : they say in ordination , receive the holy ghost , and breathe on the person : they wash the feet of one another in imitation of christ : and yet these men condemn them in this , as superstitious , for imitating christ and his apostles , and scripture-examples , and cry down popery , and at the same time call us idolaters , for going beyond scripture-institution . the same i say of their keeping lent , in imitation of christ's forty days fast , &c. is it idolatry both to follow , and not to follow scripture-examples ? to all the rest i add one instance more : swearing by appeal to god , is a most solemn act of worship : but the sign of taking an oath , is left free to convenient choice . abraham's servant did it by putting his hand under his thigh : was this a common law , or institution ? others did it otherwise : we do it by laying our hand on the book , and kissing it . these . are neither sinful additions , or idolatry . the memorial of god's works , and mens covenants , were kept , sometime by pitching stones , sometime by pillars , sometime by set days ( as the feast of purim , ) sometime by laying up the ensigns ( as goliah's sword , &c. ) and all these lawful , and no ido : latry . iv. lastly , i will unveil these mens doctrine of separation , and then judg whether it be the doctrine of christ , which is a law of love , and union , and peace ; or the wisdom from above , which is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , &c. 1. it is false , that all such secondary modal worship , is unlawful , which is not instituted by a fixing law. 2. it is deceit not to distinguish these different things . 3. the charge of [ false worship ] unexplained , is meer deceit : 1. worship is so far [ false ] , as it is contrary to the rule . every sermon , prayer or sacrament which we administer , hath faultiness and sin , and is so far [ false worship ] . 2. but worship offered god on pretence that he instituted it when he did not , or that man hath authority to command the like , is yet worse false worship . 3. and the worship of false gods or idols , is yet worse than that , and abhorred of god. 4. his making all faulty circumstances , such as he nameth , to be idolatry , because false , as he calls it , is yet more sinful , and of mischievous importance . 5. so is it to make the churches idols temples , where they do kneel at the sacrament , and use the liturgy . 6. so is it to feign falsly , that god calleth men to come out from such , and be separate , because he calleth them out of babylon ; falsly adding to the laws of god. 7. by his doctrine he maketh christ an idolater ( which imention with horror ) : for he 1. used circumstances riot instituted before , or by himself : he preached on a mountain , in a ship , &c. not commanded : he commended mary for anointing him , washing his feet with tears , wiping them with her hair , not instituted in particular : he commended the publican for smitinig on his breast , standing far off , not looking to heaven , without particular command : his custom was to go to the synagogue-worship : he from his childhood performed temple-duties and service : he commanded the lepers cleansed to go to the priests , and offer their due , and his disciples to hear the scribes and pharisees in moses chair , &c. and yet 1. the high priests were not of aaron's line , according to institution . 2. they bought the office of heathen romans . 3. they had it not for life , according to institution . 4. doctrine , worship , discipline and manners , were heinously corrupted , so that the hearers were to beware of the leaven of their doctrine , and not to imitate their lives . 4. they were bitter enemies of christ , and persecutors : yet christ never bid his disciples to separate from any thing but their errors ; but saith , they shall cast you out of the synagogues . and doubtless christ committed no sin ; nor can we be so holy as he . 8. he condemneth abraham , and all the jewish church of old , that used such things that were not instituted in worship , as is before mentioned in swearing , &c. 9. he maketh the apostles idolatrous that used the like . 10. he maketh the primitive churches idolatrous , and the scriptures to approve it . for they used such uninstituted things : yea , the romans were guilty of differences in god's service , and despising and judging each other for them ; the corinthians were carnal in making parties and divisions , they defrauded each other , and went to law before heathens . they had fornicators , judaizing envious slanderers of paul , heretical deniers of the resurrection ; such as eat in idols temples , or of their sacrifices : were drunk at , or before the sacrament . the galatians are yet sharplier charged : almost all the seven churches rom. 2. and 3. had nicholaitans , or jezabels doctrine , which god hated : and no christian is called to separate from the communion of any one of all these ; but commanded to amend , and live in unity , without divison . 11. he condemneth as idolaters all the churches on earth , for six hundred , if not one thousand years after the apostles ; not one church christian , or heretick ( as far as any history tells us that i have found ) did ever deny such things , as he calls false worship , or idolatry . they all ●ent further than our parish churches do . at baptism they used the white garment , tasting milk and honey , chrisme or anointing the forehead , crossing ; they adored onely standing , and not kneeling , every lords day , all as significant ceremonies : no one church or person is said to scruple these ; i think they did not well : but god rejected not their worship . 12. he maketh all , or near all the churches on earth , idolaters , at this day : all on earth , save the protestants are far grosser in their liturgies and ceremonies than the english : of the protesants , sweden , denmark , saxony , and all the lutherans , have liturgies , crossing , ceremonies , church-images , consubstantiation . the helvetians are such as are called erastians , making the magistrate , the onely ruler , and sacraments common . geneva , and france , yea and helland , have their liturgies and some rites . 13. he condemneth presbyterians , independents , anabaptists , and all dissenters that are here called protestants . for they have al1 many of the foresaid uninstituted things : they put off the hat in church at prayer . they stand up at the blessing ; they use uncommanded gestures at sacrament ; they use psalm-versions , metres , tunes scripture-translations , divisions into chapter and verse , never instituted particularly . the scots used a governement by classes , national assemblies of various elders , ruling by vote , instead of meer consulting for concord , uncommanded . 14. i humbly propose it to consideration , whether by consequence ( which he seeth not , nor owneth ) do not deny christ , and all the gospel , and work of mans redemption : i challenge him to name me one church on earth for many hundred years after the apostles , that had not that which he calls false worship and idolatry : suppose this were but in a few ages , as the second , third , or fourth century : then a temple of idols , and company of idolaters , is no true church : and if at any time there was no church there was no head of the church : no kingdom , no king : no wife , no husband , that is no christ . how much more , if he make all , or near all the church idolaters to this day , and himself with the rest ? 15. if it be a heinious sin to bear false witness against a neighbour , or to slander one man , what is it to slander and back-bite all the church on earth , and christ himself ? 16. is it not a work of satan to destroy love , and to render almost all christians odious ? and doth not he do so , that calleth them idolaters ? is not this preaching men , into the hatred of each other ? do we owe no love to any christians , but such as is due to idolaters ? is not the fruit of the spirit otherwise described ? 17. doth he not deny that communion of the saints , which is an article of the creed ? and tempt weak christians into sinful separations , divisions , slanders , judgings , murmurings , envies , which are the fruits of the flesh ? 18. doth not this directly destroy the church by dissolution ? when there is none to be owned or joyned with , that hath not somewhat which he calleth false worship . and is not separating the materials , destroying the house ? 19. doth he not directly rush into the sin which , he condemneth adding to god's laws , and saying he forbids what he forbids not ? yea , fathering on him laws more rigorous than the jewish , as disowning christ's church as idolators and false worshippers ? 20. i add , such wofully harden men in that which they themselves suffer by , and which they call enmity and persecution , and make more conformists while they deny it , than r. b. whom he frivolously talketh of , ever did ( except it be a conformity to truth and goodness . ) for when men read and hear others confidently rage against truth and duty , by rash presumptuous ignorance , they judge of all our dissent by this : and while many run into this guilt , it seems to justify their afflicters : and it tempteth weak persons to suffer for sinful separation as evil doers , thinking it is for truth . oh with what grief will understanding men see christians together , as in a state of enmity by mistakes . to see some at once require from others , things good and necessary , things lawful but unnecessary ; things necessary in their genus , but not this more than that , and some things sinful , as if they were all almost alike . to see those whose senses are not exercised to discern things that differ , misled by the words and reverence of men , to swallow some sins as excellent duties , and fly from things lawful ; yea , oft from great duties , as odious sins , and suffer rejoyeingly for sinning against god , and condemning all that sin not as they do ; yea , even all , or almost all the churches on earth ; yea , and calling them idolaters for being wiser and better than they , who alas , do in all things shew themselves to be ignorant babes , and who speak evil of that which they understand not and then to see others revile , and hate , and ruin these mistaking christians by a far more dangerous mistake ; as if religious fear of sin , were an unsufferable thing , and such were intollerable hypocrites , and conscience were a disgraceful thing ; and as if themselves and all mankind were not liable to worser errors , than to take some lawful things for sin , when they see unlawful things stand near them , or among them . but of all this , i have oft spoken , and now only say again , that if those justly called separatists , and who think parish communion under honest ministers to be idolatry , or unlawful , will but without prejudice read what is written to prove it lawful by the old godly , judicious non-conformisits , especially ball 's trial of separation , mr. hildersham mr. bradshaw , dr. ames , mr. cartwright , mr. gifford , mr. john paget , mr. brightman , mr. rathband , &c. they will need no more to save them from this scandalous schism : but if peter withdraw or separate from the gentiles for fear of offending the jewish christians , and barnabas be led away with the dissimulation , paul must oppose it to their faces : and i that have seen what the spirit of division hath done , and read that god never blest unnecessary separation , will imitate paul. and if this world be uncurable , the lord prepare me for that world where love and unity have no enemies . finis . a defence of the principles of love, which are necessary to the unity and concord of christians and are delivered in a book called the cure of church-divisions ... / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1671 approx. 456 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 152 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26912 wing b1239 estc r263 12625522 ocm 12625522 64624 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26912) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 64624) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 344:1) a defence of the principles of love, which are necessary to the unity and concord of christians and are delivered in a book called the cure of church-divisions ... / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [15], 104, 183 p. printed for nevil simmons ..., london : 1671. an answer to edward bagshaw's "an antidote against mr. baxter's palliated cure of church-divisions." cf. matthews, a.g. works of richard baxter, 1932, p. 26. pt. 1 has special t.p. with title: the general part or introduction to the defence of my cure of church-divisions. pt. 2 has caption title: an answer to the untrue and unjust exceptions of the antidote against my treatise for love and unity. reproduction of original in huntington library. marginal notes. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bagshaw, edward, 1629-1671. -antidote against mr. baxters palliated cure of church divisions. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. -cure of church-divisions. church polity -early works to 1800. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-05 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a defence of the principles of love , which are necessary to the unity and concord of christians ; and are delivered in a book called the cure of church-divisions . i. inviting all sound and sober christians , ( by what name soever called ) to receive each other to communion in the same churches . ii. and where that ( which is first desirable ) cannot be attained , to bear with each other in their distinct assemblies , and to manage them all in christian love. written to detect and eradicate all love-killing , dividing , and church-destroying principles , passions and practices , and to preserve the weak in this hour of manifold temptation . by richard baxter one of the mourners for a self-dividing and self-afflicting land. psal. 120. 6 , 7. my soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace . i am for peace : but when i speak , they are for war. didicerat enim ( rex edilberth ) & à doctoribus auctoribusque suae salutis , servitium christi voluntarium , non coactitium , debere esse . beda hist. eccles. lib 1. cap. 26 london , printed for nevil simmons , at the sign of the three crowns near holborn conduit . 1671. calvinus in matth. 13. 35 , 36 , 37 , &c. hoc porro multis valde absurdum esse videtur , in ecclesiae sinu foveri vel impios homines , vel profanos vel sceleratos : adde quod plerique zeli praetextu plus aequo morosi , nisi omnia ad eorum votum composita sint quia nusquam apparet absoluta puritas , tumultuose ab ecclesia discedunt , vel importuno rigore eam evertunt & perdunt . quare hic meo judicio simplex est parabolae scopus : quamdiu in hoc mundo peregrinatur ecclesia , bonis & sinceris in ea permixtos fore malos & hypocritas , ut se patientia arment filii dei , & inter offendicula quibus turbari possent , retineant infractam fidei constantiam — est quidem haec valde molesta conditio , quod reprobis o●eratur ecclesia usque ad finem mundi : hoc tamen tempus nobis ad patientiam ideo christus praescribit , ne vanâ spe nos lactemus . — graviter quidem pastores incumbere decet ad purgandam ecclesiam ; et hac in parte ab omnibus piis adjuvandi sunt , quatenus fert cujusque vocatio . verum ubi omnes in commune mutuas operas contulerint , non tamen eo usque proficient , ut penitus ab omni sorde purgent ecclesiam . — deinde etiam eorum zelum froenare & moderari , qui fas esse non putant societatem nisi cum puris angelis colere . qui ad extirpandum quicquid displicet ꝑraepostere festinant , antevertunt quantum in se est , christi judicium , & ereptum angelis officium temere sibi usurpant . — et in mat. 6. [ quod iohannes privatam orandi ●●r●nam t●adidit suis discipulis , id f●cisse existimo prout temporis ratio fereba● . res tune valde apud iudaeos corruptas fuisse notum est : tota certe religio sic collapsa erat , ut mi●um non sit precandi morem à pa●cis rit● cultum fuisse . ru●sus quum instar●t promiss● redemptio , sidelium mentes precand● ad ejus spem & d●siderium ex●itari oportuit . iohannes ex variis scripturae locis certam aliquam precationem conficere potuit quae tempori congrueret , ac propius accederet ad spirituale christi regnum — et in rom. 14. 3. prudenter & apposite utriusque vitiis occurrit . h●c enim vitio laborant qui sunt firmiores , ut eos qui inanibus scrupulis detinentur , ●in●uam superstitiosulos despiciant , atque irrideant : contra hi vix sibi cavere à temerariis judiciis queunt , ut no● damnent quod non assequuntur : quicquid fieri contra suum sensum cernunt , illud malum esse putant : illos ergo à contemptu dehortatur , hos à nimia morositate . ] calvin on matth. 13. this seemeth very absurd to many , that ungodly , or prophane , or wicked men , are cherished in the bosome of the church : and very many being over morose under pretence of zeal , unless all things be composed to their desires , because absolute purity is no where to be found , do tumultuously depart from the church , or by unseasonable rigidness do overthrow and destroy it . therefore in my judgement , this is the simple scope of the parable : that as long as the church sojourneth in this world , bad men and hypocrites will be mixt with the good and sincere in it ; that gods children may arm themselves with patience , and among the offences that might trouble them , may retain unbroken faith and constancy : — indeed this is a very troublesome condition , that the church is burthened with reprobates to the worlds end : but this is the space that christ prescribeth us for patience , lest we flatter our selves with empty hopes — the pastors indeed must diligently labour to purge the church : and in this all godly men should help them , as far as their calling doth allow . but when all men have done their best , they shall not so far have success , as to purge the church from all defilements . — and christ would bridle and moderate their zeal , who think it unlawful to have communion ( or fellowship ) with any but pure angels — they that preposterously make haste to root out all that displeaseth them , do as much as in them is prevent christs judgement , and snatch and usurp the angels work . calv. on mat. 6. that iohn delivered a private form of prayer to his disciples , i suppose he did it in suitableness to the time . that matters were then very corrupt with the jews , is known . all religion was so collapsed , that it is no wonder that the manner of praying was rightly observed but by few . and when the promised redemption was at hand , it was meet that the minds of the faithful should by prayer be stirred up to desire and hope for it . iohn might from several places of scripture make up one certain prayer , which should be agreeable to the time , and might come nearer to the spiritual kingdom of christ. here i desire the reader again to note , that though prayer was then so corrupted by the pharisees , yet christ usually joyned in their synagogues , luke 14. 17. and never medled with our controversie , about the lawfulness of set forms . calv. on rom. 14. 3. paul doth prudently and fitly meet with the faults of both sides : for this is the fault of the strong , that they despise and deride them as superstitious folk who are detained with vain scruples : on the contrary these can hardly forbear censorious condemning that which they understand not : and they think that to be evil , which is against their own sense . therefore paul disswadeth the one sort from contempt , and the other from overmuch moroseness . the contents of the first part . a preface to those readers who are of the excepters mind , and are offended at my book , called the cure of church-divisions , expostulating with them that have made my perswasions to love and communion , the occasion of their displeasure , backbitings and slanders ; and proveing the necessity of union among all real christians , and in particular between the non-conformists and conformists . 1. the general part , or introduction . chap. 1. a narrative of those late actions which have occasioned mens displeasure of both sides against me : the reasons of my omitting the narration of those former actions , which mr. durel and many others have reported falsly , because they wrote of that which they knew not : the reasons of my earnest displeasing endeavours with the bishops for reconciling and uniting terms in 1660. our common profession about a liturgie at that time , and about this liturgie , and my practiee ever since . how the non-conformists must be united among themselves . of our judgement about communion in the liturgie and sacrament with the parish churches in a● . 1663. my ends in opening this . 27. reasons for the writing and publishing my book called the cure of church-divisions . a word of the debatemaker . of the filse reports that have been vented of my book a●d me , and of some inferences to be noted by the reporters . chap. 2. the state of the controversie which i specialy managed in that book , with th●se that i called di●iders . chap. 3. objections and questions about this subject . quest. 1. doth not the second commandment and gods oft expressed jealousie in the matters of his worship , make it a sin to communicate in the liturgie ? quest. 2. doth not the covenant make it now unlawfull ? quest. 3. whether the case be not much altered since the old non-c●nformists wrote against separation , then called brownisme ? and whether we have not greater light into these controversies , than they had ? quest. 4 ▪ is it not a shameful receding from our reformation , now to use an unreformed liturgie ? and a pulling down what we have been building ? quest. 5. will it not strengthen and encourage the adversaries of reformation ? quest. 6. will it not divide us among our selves , while one goeth to the parish churches , and another doth not ? quest. 7. shall we not countenance church tyranny , and harden prelates in their usurpations , and invite them to go further , and make more burdens of ceremonies or forms to lay upon the churches ? the manifold danger of feigning the scripture to be a particular rule , where it is none . the contents of the answer to the exceptions . except . 1. false worship distinguished and opened : whether i speak very little against persecution ? exc. 2. whether i was as guilty as any one whatsoever in stirring up and fomenting the war. whether it be unbecoming a minister to blame the sin which he hath been guilty of ? or to blame the effects , if he encouraged the cause ? whether nothing of the late military actions , be to be openly repented of ? whether i never mention the prophane , but with honour ? exc. 3. of partial tenderness as to reproof ? whether my prayer was jesting ? &c. exc. 4. of the supposed expressions of my pride . exc. 5. more of the excepters mistakes . exc. 6. what separation scripture calleth us to , and what not ? exc. 7. of the corruptions in the primitive churches , and of imposing . exc. 8. whether i be a revealer of mens secrets ? exc. 9. whether the universality of christians ever took the pope for their head ? of my dispute with mr. johnson ( alias , terret ) on that point . whether all history be uncertain ? whether it be intolerable to say , that the papists understand not that answer which is christian sense and reason . exc. 10. of local communion : of separating from the particular churches which we were never members of . exc. 11. of censurers requitals . whether a papist can go beyond a reprobate ? exc. 12. of scandal ; and of pauls case ; 1 cor. 8. explained . exc. 13. more of my revealing secrets , and other of the excepters mistakes . exc. 14. whether by separatists , i meant the independents as such ? exc. 15. whether i speak slightly of prayer in comparison of study ? whether it be a slighting of christ , to say that he increased in wisdom ? which is opened . whether christ needed not prayer , but as a pattern to us ? &c. exc. 16. of expounding scripture by the impressions set upon our minds , in melancholy . how the spirit cureth our fears , and giveth us comfort , by twelve acts . exc. 17. whether my saying , that god hateth neither extemporate prayers nor forms , be as if i could never speak meanly enough of prayer ? whether i be a trifler , that neither believe the scripture or my self , for saying that in christs time , both liturgies by forms , and prayers by habit were used , and that christ yet made no question about them ? seldens words upon the iews liturgies . exc. 18. whether i did ill in disswading men from jeering and jesting at other true christians manner of worship ? and whether i purposely justifie persecution ? exc. 19. whether all be idolatry which is used in the worship of god without a command of god to make it lawful . the unhappy consequents of making so many christians and churches idolatrous . exc. 20. more of the excepters mistakes . exc. 21. whether our presence at the prayers of every church , be a professing of consent to all that is faulty in those prayers ? exc. 22. of not silencing any truth for peace . exc. 23. of imprudent speeches to superiours . exc. 24. whether there ●e any weak , ignorant and injudicious christians ; and whether they hereby have been any cause of our divisions ? and whether these be vile epithets , not to be given to christians , but instead of them all christians are to be told , that they have the anointing and know all things ? twenty proofs of such ignorance : and the greatness of their sin ( especially ministers ) that would hide it or deny it , at this time , manifested in forty aggravations . exc. 25. whether any hearers use to be more moved with the affectionate delivery of meaner than with a colder delivery of more excellent things ? of my forsaking the lords work . exc. 26. whether there be any article necessary to salvation unknown to the universal church ? whether in points of difficult speculation , one clear judicious well studied divine be not to be more hearkened to , than the major vote ? whether the perfection and plainness of the scriptures prove all christians to be of equal understanding , or to need no others help ? exc. 27. whether honest people be not in danger of following others into error and sin ? and whether to say so , be enough to make people afraid of being honest ? exc. 28. whether it be new or intolerable , to advise men not to imitate religious people in the sins which they are most prone to ? what it is to flatter professors of religion ; and what it is in them to expect it . exc. 29. of the name of a sect. exc. 30. whether we must avoid that good which is owned by bad men ? exc. 31. of his accusations of my unsetledness in the point of church government , and suspectedness in the point of iustification . exc. 32. whether we can speak bad enough of corrupted nature . twenty instances of speaking too bad of it . whether i understand by the [ flesh ] only the sensitive appetive ? whether i be strongly inclined to deny original sin ? of free-will . exc. 33. & 34. of other mistakes of the excepter . exc. 35. whether no persecution may consist with love ? exc. 36. & 37. of the fewness of believers , &c. exc. 38. more of his mistakes . exc. 39. whether the same spirit may not now use the ancient prayers and responses which first brought them in , or used them ? exc. 40. of my comparing ol. cromwell to maximus , and whether i dedicated a flattering book to his son ? exc. 41. of his imputation of levity . the conclusion , with some advice to the excepter , and a lamentation for the decay of love. a postscript . shewing how far , as mr. jacob and the old independents , so the new england pastors and elders ( and magistrates ) are from approving of the principles of separation . reasons why i am against the new terms of church-membership , and the approaches of some independents toward separation . reasons why the independent churches should as much fear the principles of separation as any . the preface to those readers who are of the excepters mind , and are offended at my book called , the cure of church-divisions . brethren , why should i wonder at the fruits of those weaknesses which we are all subject to ( some more , some less ) in this state of imperfection ? and which i so lately told you of at large , in my character of and directions for weak-christians . if a spirit of infallibility and miracles in paul and other the apostles of our lord , could not overcome these lamentable failings , in their hearers and followers , in the primitive church , why should such as i look for more success . if paul thought his galatians foolish and bewitched gal. 3. 1. and his corinthian christians to be babes , yea carnal and not spiritual , because there were among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , envying , strife , and divisions , or as the words signifie , zeal or emulation , strife and separations or factions , or dividing into several parties , while one saith , i am of paul , and another i am of apollos ; what wonder if we are no better now . but our sins are not the less because that others had the like , but the greater because we take not warning by them , when the spirit of god hath so smartly reprehended them . i have as little reason as you to be ignorant what provocations the present militating and exasperated parties do give each others ; and how fair pretenses uncharitableness hath obtained . and i know but few of you that have either more openly put themselves into the breach , and attempted more to have prevented both severities against you , and the present divisions among us , than i have done , or that have undergone more wrath and calumny ( to mention no other kind of sufferings ) for such attempts than i have done : you cannot justly think that it is for want of your provocations and temptations to discontent , that i am not of your mind . i have had as many and great provocations as most of you all : and i am not naturally without those passions , which would take advantage by such usage . a multitude of fierce and reproachful volumes are written against me , many of them abounding with gross untruths in matter of fact ; to all which i have for peace sake been silent to this day . and none that know me do think , that it is to escape mens wrath that i have been more for peace and unity than you . i will do that right to them that have done me but little , as to testifie that i verily believe , could my conscience comply with their opinions and wills , i could as soon have their favour as most among you . but god is still the god of love , and peace , and concord ; and so must all his servants be : he changeth not , and we must not change from this which is his image . this is my religion ; and if any mens provocations must change me from this , they must change my religion . i am not for such fruits of suffering as some late eminent prisoners in london were , who turned quakers in prison , and lost their religion with their liberty ; nor will i pretend conscience for the defiling of my conscience , and the forsaking of the sacred life of love. do you not your selves condemn a carnal state ? remember then that they are carnal who are contentious dividers in the churches , 1 cor. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. you will i doubt not joyn with me in disallowing of a fleshly mind and life : remember then that the workes of the flesh are these , as adulteries , fornications , &c. so also , hatred ( or enmities ) variance , emulations , wrath , strife , seditions ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , dividings into parties ) heresies , envyings , &c. i know you will confess that if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his , rom. 8. 9. remember then that the spirit of christ is the spirit of love ; love to god and man is that divine nature which god indueth all christs members with . the fruit of the spirit is love , joy , peace , long-suffering , gentleness , goodness , faith , meekness , temperance , gal. 5. 20 , 21 , 22. when we think our selves wiser than those we differ from , let us not shew it by masterly censoriousness or contempt , but by being as much more loving and peaceable than they are . my brethren be not many masters , knowing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation . and when other mens faults rise up before you , watch both your passions and your tongues , remembring that in many things we all offend : and if any man offend not in word , the same is a perfect man , and able to bridle the whole body . who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you ? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom : but if ye have a bitter envious zeal and strife in your hearts , glory not and lie not against the truth : this wisdom descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensual , devillish : for where envying zeal ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) and strife is , there is confusion and every evil work , jam. 3. 1 , 2 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. brethren no change of times will allow me to change from this which is my religion : no injuries from men will excuse me if i forsake it . i hope i shall not be such a changeling in this which is the great command of the gospel , and the fulfilling of the law , and the very heart of all religion , as to turn from it for a prison or a voluminous calumny and reproach . i confess i must change , but i hope it will be , to turn still to more and more love and concord , and not to less . it is not thank worthy to love those that love us , nor to speak well of those that use us well , nor to take it patiently when we are bussetted or punished for our faults : but if we suffer for well doing , and lose none of our love or patience or integrity by our sufferings , happy are we . alas how sadly do many mistake , that fear only yielding to those whom they suffer by , and do not fear those passions , which would quench their love , and turn them unto sects and heresies , in meer opposition to their afflicters . i know that the great objection is , that under pretence of love , i would bring ungodly persecutors into reputation , and tempt men to unlawful communion with them , and that i make an ill application of good principles , to hide the odiousness of their sins , that care so little for the souls of men , as their usage of ministers and people doth openly declare . if i had only perswaded you to unite in love to one another , and not to think better of the destroyers of the church , nor to comply with them in their idolatrous way of worship , you could have born it . brethren , will you , that take it for injustice in a iudge , who will condemn a man before he hear him speak for himself , be intreated but to repress your passions for a little while , till you have calmely considered these things following . 1. did i ever perswade you to think well of the faults of other men , while i perswaded you to love their persons ? ( unless you call the communion a fault of which we are to speak anon ) did i ever seek to abate your dislike of the sins which you most speak against ? either malignity , cruelty , persecution , or any other . 2. the thing which i perswaded men to in that book , was communion with all christians , ( but differently as they differ in degrees of purity . ) that which i motioned and pleaded for , i summed up in the latter end , with the contrary extreams ; which you may there read in five propositions , 1. to adhere to the primitive simplicity , and make nothing necessary to our concord and communion which is not so . 2. to love your neighbours as your selves , and receive those to communion whom christ receiveth , and that hold the foresaid necessary things , be they episcopal , presbyterian , independents , anabaptists , calvinists , arminians , lutherans , &c. so they be not proved heretical or wicked . peruse the rest . when you come to your selves you will confess that this was no unreasonable nor unchristian motion ? which of all these parties is it that you are angry with me for perswading you to communion with ? must every one of the parties renounce communion with all the rest ? o how unlike is this doctrine to that of the holy ghost ? 1 cor. 1. 10. & 3. 1 , 2 , 3. rom. 14. & 15. &c. if not every one , which of them is it ? is any one of all these parties , the whole church of god ? who dare say so ? why should i refuse communion with any one of these , while i scruple not communion with all the rest . or if it must be but with one sort , how shall i know which of them it must be ? i know some men judge of others by their own opinions and self interest : but is that indeed the christian rule ? some of the episcopal way are angry with me for including the independents ; when i doubt not but the far greater part of them are the sincere servants of christ : and since their synods late moderation , i know not many churches in the world , besides the waldenses of the bohemian , polonian and hungarian government , who are neerer to my own judgement , in order and discipline than those in new england are , and none that for piety i prefer before them . some are angry with me for taking in the anabaptists : when it is not such as the munster anabaptists that we have to do with , but godly men , that differ from us in a point so difficult , that many of the papists and prelatists have maintained , that it is not determined in scripture , but dependeth on the tradition of the church . i am not of their mind , and i have given them my reasons in my book for infant baptism : but having had more invitation to study the point throughly , and treat of it largely , than most of those that are offended herein , let them give me leave to say , that i know it to be a very difficult point ; and i know as good and sober men of that mind , as of theirs that are most against them ; and i know that in the dayes of tertullian , nazianzene , augustine , men had liberty to be baptized , or to bring their children , when and at what age they pleased , and none were forced to go against their consciences : and i know not that our rule or religion is changed , or that we are grown any wiser or better than they . i once motioned terms of concord to the anabaptists , and was in as hopeful a way for peace with them , as with most others , till — some are offended that i put in the arminians ; when i am confident that there is not one of many hundreds , who● are against communion with them that know what arminianisme is , and truly understand the difference . and the same men refuse not communion with those anabaptists who are arminians . and it hath been the work of not only mr. dury , but many other excellent men , for many years , to reconcile the lutherans with the calvinists ! and it hath justly been thought a blessed work to draw them to communion with each other ! and yet the lutherans are not only of most of the arminan opinions , but also have superintendents , liturgies , ceremonies , exorcisme , church-images , &c. when so much labour hath been bestowed in this work , and so many excellent treatises written for it , by pious dury , junius , paraeus , calixtus , ludov. crocius , joh. bergius , conrad . bergius , hattonus , amyraldus , hall , davenant , morton , &c. when all sober protestants have prayed for their success , or approved this design , are we now come to that pass , that those that seem the zealousest for the church and mutuall love , shall think it to be a sin , either to hold communion with the lutherans , or to write for it ? but the great offence is that i put in the episcopal , as fit for our communion ; which i suppose is principally because of their manner of worship , in which we must have communion with them . which foreseeing , i answered more objections against this than against the rest ; which hath occasioned some falsly to affirm , that i write only to draw men to communion with the church of england . i will therefore here proceed to some further expostulations of this point . 3. is there ever a word in all my book , perswading you to communion with a diocesan church , as such ? 4. is there one word in it for your communion with a national church , that hath one political spiritual constitutive head under iesus christ ; ( though the kings supremacie none of us question ) do i once meddle with any such thing ? 5. is there a word to perswade you to communion with persecutors ? though i am forced to displease you by answering that objection , and telling you that we should be impartial , and remember what most parties or many have done to others ; which you were not able it seems , to bear , though it was plainly necessary to the due resolution of the case in question , whether any persecutors may be communicated with ? 6. is there one word to perswade you that every parish is a true church , and fit to be communicated with ? if none of all this be there , i hope your patience is not very hard put to it , if i do but intreat you to repent ▪ if you have said that of it which is untrue , whoever told you so , or at least , not to proceed in untruths when you are so often warned of them . 7. do you think that it was done like tender conscienced christians , for so many to say , that i write against your meetings , yea that i conformed my self ? and this before ever they saw my book , or ever spake with man that saw it ? and that men dare yet continue such sayings while the book is visible to prove them false ? and revile against it when they confess that they never read it ? is this the fruit of the spirit of christ ? but give me leave after these expostulations , to come a little nearer to your objection , and to tell you openly where we differ . 1. you would have me speak for love and unity among the nonconformists : ( and i know no man that hath done it more frequently and more openly than i have done ; having these 24 years been offering or publishing terms of peace . ) but god forbid that ever i should be of their opinion ( if there be any such ) who think that our union must be only with a party , and not with the whole church of christ ; or that we must love none , or seek peace with none but th●se , that are in such points of our own opinion ? i am united first to christ and the universal church , and consequently to all the parts as such ; though in divers degrees as they differ themselves in their conformity to christ. 2. i beseech you endure me with patience to tell you , that i never took either the non-conformists alone , or the conformists to be the whole church of christ , or to be his only people in this land : nor the only faithful ministers of the gospel . b●ethren , let not wrath and the faults of some , deceive us to become injurious to others ; or to deny them love and iustice , because that many of their opinion are bad . where in all the world , do you know a kingdom , where the greater part are not too bad , and where those that are of the rulers religion , be it never so right , do not comply with it to serve their flesh ? the low countries have no bishops nor ceremonies , nor no such liturgie as most are offended at with us , but are under the presbyterian government : and yet what the comm●n sort are there , and in other such countries , i need not tell you . forgive me for telling you , that if you know no godly persons ( ministers or others ) of the episcopal way , i do , and long have done : and as my acquaintance increaseth i know more and more . you that take me to be so bad , as the antidote describeth me , will think it no great commendation to them , that i profess to know those of them , whom i take to be much better than my self : therefore i will say a greater word , that i know those of them whom i think as godly and humble ministers , as most of the nonconformists whom i know . i doubt not but there are many hundred parish ministers , who are no persecutors , nor ever consented to persecution ! who preach holily , and live holily , though i could wish that they were more . and what reason have you to charge any other mens sins on them ? i am not ignorant what may be said to make them consequentially partakers . but i must say this in answer to all ; that if god will charge undiscerned consequences upon them and us , there will none of us all be found meet for church communion , or for heaven . i am judged by your selves to be too censorious of you , and too sharp in telling you of that which i doubt not to be your sin : why then are you so offended with me for being no more censorious and sharp towards others ? was i ever thought to be kinder to them than to you ? is not every man naturally most favourable to those of his own opinion ? is it conformity or non-conformity which i have most defended ? is it as a conformist or a nonconformist that i have been judged and used these 33. years ? it is they that have lately written reproachfully against me : it is they that have — i need name no more . but for the non-conformists i must bear witness of their kindness to me , that they never rejected me , never forbad me to preach ( but one sermon , ) nor , ( except particular angry parties whom i wrote against , ) they never denyed me their good word . what then can you think should draw me to be too sharp against them , and too favourable to the other ? i look for no worldly advantage or benefit from them . surely be that is apt to be too sharp , is liker to be so against dissenters from whom he suffereth , than against those that have ever been his friends ? but truth is truth , and the wisdom from above is without partiality and without hypocrisie . do but mark how both parties justifie me , while both condemn me , ( though i am too conscious of my faultiness to justifie my self ) the one side think that i am not half sharp enough against the anabaptists , s●p●ratists and independents : and you that i now write to , think that i am not half sharp enough against the conformists : so that one side doth not only justifie me from the charge of c●ns●●iousness or sharpness against the other , but blame me for the contrary , and are angry with me that i am no sharper . but gods judgement of us all is right , and his seal is sure , the lord knoweth who are his whoever shall deny it . god will not judge of upright christians as they judge of themselves , when they unjustly accuse themselves ; much less according to the judgement of their adversaries . brethren , i think verily that i have as much to say against conformity , as it is required of us ministers , as most of you that are most angry have : and yet i tell you again , that i believe there are many hundred godly ministers in the parish churches of england , and that their churches are true churches , and that i think not my self worthy to be compared with mr. bolton , whately , fenner , dr. preston , sibbes , white , field , u●her , jewel , and abundance other old conformists : and you might forgive me , if i compare them with your selves , and if i again profess to you , that if they were all alive , and used now the same liturgy and ceremonies as they did then , i could not find in my bea rt to think their communion in prayer and sacrament to be unlawful , nor to censure that man as injurious to the church , who should write to perswade others not to separate from them on that supposition . i am sure the assembly of divines that sate heretofore at westminster , were so conformable when they went thither , that i never heard of five non-conformists among them , besides the five dissenting brethren : their judgement was ( as mr. sprints ) that conf●rmity was lawful in case of necessity , rather than to be deprived of liberty to preach the gospel ; but that it was a burden which they should cast off as soon as they had liberty so to do : and i knew some who urged them to declare their repentance for their former conformity , and to have confessed it to have been their sin . but i never heard of any considerable number of them that ever did it , or that changed their minds : and though ministerial conformity ( as to engagements ) is now much altered , many of them that are yet living do again conf●rm . and though i then was not , nor yet am of their mind my self , yet i would not shun communion with the reverend members of that assembly ( twisse , gat●ker , whittaker , and the rest ) if again they wer●●sers of the liturgie among us . 3. but what if in all this i be mistaken , and if communion in the liturgie prove unlawful ? should you be so impatient as not to bear with one that in such an opinion differeth from you ? as i write for my opinion , so do you for yours ? and why should not you bear with my dissent , as well as i do with yours ? my judgement commanded me , first to exhort all sober christians , to draw neerer , and to lay by those principles , which drive them from each other as not to be communicated with : and secondly , where that cannot be obtained , to bear with one another in our several assemblies or churches , and to manage them with love and peace . this was my ex●●rtation , and the time once was ( even when the five dissenting brethren pleaded their cause with the assembly at westminster , ) that this motion would have been accepted , or at least not judged so great an injury as now it is . o brethren , do not expose your selves and cause , so much to the censure of impartial men , and of posterity , as to let them know that you are grown so high , or that in the very day of our humiliation these terms seem so injurious to you , as these exceptions intimate . mr. nye and mr. tho. good win were so friendly with dr. pr●ston , as to publish his works when he was dead . and i verily think if you had been acquainted with such conformists heretofore , as he was , and dr. stoughton , and dr. taylor , and mr. downam , and those forenamed , and abundance more , you could not choose but have thought them both tolerable and lovely , if you had not thought it lawful to communicate with them : much more you should have endured such as the non-conformists of that age , who used parish communion , and pleaded for it against the separatists , in far sharper language than ever i used to you ( as their books against johnson and cann and brown and ainsworth do yet visibly declare . ) if you think their reasons and mine for the lawfulness of parish communion to be insufficient , so do i think of yours against it . i have read divers that charge the liturgie with idolatry . did i ever lay so heavy a charge on you ? did i ever say that it is unlawful to have communion with you , as you say it is to have communion with others ? why then should you not bear with lesser contradiction , when others must bear with far greater from you ? will you proclaim your selves to be the more impatient ? you will then make men think that you are the most guilty . you say of such men as those before named [ your worship is idolatry , and it is unlawful for any christian to hold communion with you in it , and all that are present and joyn with you are guilty of the idolatry ] i do but say , that [ you make the case more odious than it is , and injure others by this charge ] what a world are we come to ▪ when those that you count unworthy of your communion , must not take your charge of idolatry as too sharp , and yet you that should be most patient , take it for a heynous crime and injury , to be told that you wrong them , and that you judge too hardly of them ? and that their communion is not unlawful ! nay , is it seemly for th●se men that have said and done so much , ( i say , so much , ) for liberty of conscience , and would never consent to the westminster assembly to declare against it , even as to those parties , whom you counted very erroneous your selves , to be yet so impatient of our liberty to tell the church our judgement about the lawfulness of other mens communion ? is it meet for them who are offended with those that silence us and restrain us of our liberty , to be so tender , as to shew by such language as this excepter useth , and by such unjust fames as some others have dispersed , how little themselves can bear dissenters ? i know that displeasure and impatience in the divers parties , is expressed different wayes ; but o that yet you would consider , how near of kin the principles are , and how much defect of love and patience there is in you as well as others . 4. and i intreat you to mark but what your own objection intimateth : you could endure it if i had only pleaded for peace and concord among the non-conformists : but doth not this intimate , that peace and concord in it self is desirable , among all those that should agree and be united ? why , i am as well able to prove that all true christians should have peace and love and concord for the strength of the universal church , as any of you all are able to prove , that any one party should have concord in it self . the episcopal part would have all possible concord among those that are episcopal ; and the presbyterians among presbyterians , and the independents among independents , and the anabaptists among anabaptists ; no party is for divisions among themselves , till the particular temptation doth prevail . and yet i am not pardonable for motioning , that all sober christians , as christians , may have all possible love , peace and concord among themselves . brethren , i am sure that christs body is but one : i do not despise all those words of christ and the spirit which i cited in my book : i know that the diversity of knowledge and gifts among true christians , should not make diversities of churches , 1 cor. 12. when i know this , and cannot choose but know it , why should any be angry with me for knowing it ? i know that the godly conformists and non-conformists in england should be united , as well as each party among themselves ; i know that our division gratifieth the papists , and greatly hazardeth the protestant religion , and that more than most of you seem to believe or to regard ; i know that our division advantageth profaneness , and greatly hindereth the success of ministers on both sides : i know that it greatly pleaseth satan , and buildeth up his kingdom , and weakneth the kingdom of our lord : his own mouth hath told us so : and shall i not believe him ? as in our worcestershire agreement heretofore , we proceeded on terms which excluded not the episcopal ; so in our desires and terms of concord , we must still go the same way , and shut out none from our love and communion , whom christ receiveth and would have us receive . if they shut out us , that is not our sin but theirs . the hurt and loss is farr more to the excluder than the excluded ; to him that loseth his charity , than to him that loseth but communion with others . and i know that as none shall take out of christs hands , those that are given him by the father , and he himself will in no wise cast them out ; so he will at last give no more thanks either to diotrephes or to any separating parties , that would rob him of his own , and say that his children are not his children , and that his churches are not his churches , and that his worship is not his worship , but idolatry , than you will give to him that will turn out your children and servants , and take away your goods and lands , and say that they are not yours . brethren , it grieveth me to the heart , that neither party conformable or non-conformable is more sensible of the sin and danger of our distance . ( though i know that in both parties there are many wise and holy persons , who i suppose lament it more than i do . ) it layeth my soul in daily lamentations , to see how we run further and further from each other ; to the apparent danger of the protestant cause , and of the kingdoms welfare , and of all the hopes of our posterity ; and that in stead of repenting of those sins which every party is guilty of ▪ and taking warning by our former experiences , or by the dreadful judgements of god upon us all , that yet we are daily losing the little love that is left , and still flying further into more and more exasperations and distast ; as if all the church and kingdoms hopes consisted in overcoming one another . when our long experience telleth us , that subduing those that must still be members , is no cure of a divided body ; and that treading men down doth but alienate them the more . and i know that it is concord and union upon such terms in which we are all agreed , that must be our cure , if ever we be cured . and that no covenant nor partial interest , can possibly justifie us , if we will stablish our union on such terms , as shall either exclude such on one side as jewel , grindal , downam , hall and other such bishops , or such on the other side as ames , hildersham , cartwright , bayne , egerton , and other such worthy persons that were nonconformists : for my part , my terms should neither exclude , episcopal , independent , nor anabaptist . but one that will separate and exclude himself , or one that will tyraniz● and exclude all others , we cannot any otherwise have concord and communion with , than distantly by christian principles and patience . but at long running they shall be all convinced , that the cure of the church is not by meer conquest or contempt of others ; nor by the union and concord of some parties only , but of the whole ; and that the sound and sober conformists and non-conformists , are the parts in england , that must be united ; and that neither violence nor unjust separating censures are the healing way ; and that which party soever it be that contriveth and endeavoureth a union , by the extirpation and ruine of the other part , is schismatical , and taketh the way of desolation ; and that it is the devil , the infidels , and the papists , that will be the gainers by our continued divisions . and therefore though i know not the man alive , in england who hath more fair pretence , from the ungrateful usage of the differing partie● , to desist from any more such conciliatory attempts , yet , let my hopes be never so low , seeing it is a thing that must be done , or we are undone , i will imitate honest mr. dury , and choose rather to wast my daies in vain attempts for peace , than to go quarrelling and contending to the grave , as i have seen too many others do . and if both parties in this exasperated age , should never so much revile and s●ander me , ( though a surviving name be little of my interest ) i make no doubt but our posterity , will be constrained by experience , to think better of peace-makers than of contenders . the names of melanchthon , bucer , calixtus , bergius , burroughs , hall , davenant , &c. are far more grateful and honourable to after times , than the name of flacius ( though an excellent learned man ) or of schlusselburgius , calovius , or any of our fiery contenders or destroyers . to all this i add , that even the separated churches themselves do find a necessity of union and concord for their preservation . division else will pursue the several pieces , and the same principles which i write-against , if they go along with them , will crumble them all to dust . the separated churches in holland ( of the english ) fully proved this . even those members in new-england , which mr. norton sadly told mr. ash and me , did withdraw and gather themselves to an unlearned pastor , and would not be intreated by magistrates or ministers , yet when they were separated , would fain keep concord among themselves . and if half of that separated body , should again have separated from the rest , that fragment would fain keep themselves in unity . and still nature teacheth them to feel that their unity is their strength and life , and that their division is their dissolution . 5. and i must needs tell the world , that though i conform not , it is greater things than the matters of conformity , which are the chief parts of my religion ; and therefore it is not non-conformity that we must all unite in , so much as christianity , and soundness in the faith. and i doubt not but the independents who offer to subscribe to the doctrine of the church of england , will say that they differ far more from the quakers , and seekers , and familists , than they do from the conformists . and so do i , though i would have love and gentleness exercised to them all . 6. and if the present conformable ministry were more to be blamed than they are , yet they may learn and profit while they teach . many of them are young , coming lately from the university ; and may yet grow up to ability and piety , and greater usefulness in the church : and many of them are prejudiced against their brethren , for want of acquaintance : and a christian prudent loving familiarity and conversation with them , may make them in time become more serviceable to the truth , than we are : whereas a continued distance , estrangedness , and censorious aversation , will feed their mistakes and uncharitable censure● of us , yea and their sharp severities against us , and will keep up a heart-war , and a church-war in the land . and alas who knoweth either when or how , or in whose calamity it will end. for he that puts on his armour should not boast as he that puts it off . i do therefore conclude with this repeated profession , that it is the conformists and the non-conformists that constitute the english protestant body ; and it is the conformists and non-conformists that must at last , ( when they are wearied with tearing and opposing one another ) be brought together , and the faithful of both partyes must build up the church in love and peace . and therefore the interest of the protestant religion , must be much kept up by the means of the parish ministers , and by the doctrine and worship there performed ▪ and not by the non conformists alone . and they that think and endeavour that which is contrary to this ( of which side soever ) shall have the hearty thanks and concurrence of the papists . him therefore that is weak in the faith receive ye , but not to doubtful disputations . let not him that eateth despise him that cateth not . and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth : for god hath received him . who art thou that judgest another mans servant ? — the kingdom of god is not meat and drink , but righteousness , and peace , and joy in the holy-ghost : for he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and approved of men . let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace and the things wherewith one may edifie another . and blessed are the peace-makers , for they shall be called the children of god. the general part or introduction to the defence of my cure of church-divisions . being a narrative of those late actions which have occasioned the offence of men on both extreams ; with the true reasons of them , and of these writings , which some account unseasonable : with the true stating of the case of that separation , which my opposed treatise medleth with ; and an answer to several great objections . printed in the year . 1671. i. the general part , or introduction . cap. 1. the narrative of those late actions , which have occasioned mens displeasure against me on both sides : with the reasons of them , and of my writing , which i am now defending . the number of books written against me is so great , that if i should not be very suspicious of my self , lest i had wronged the truth , and the church of god , and given men just occasion of all this obloquy , i should be very defective in humility , and in that care , which i am obliged to for the avoiding of such injuries . and i find upon examination that if i could have let all sides alone , and judged it consistent with my duty to be silent while the envious man sowed his tares , and not to have contradicted any that i took to be injuring the truth and church , nor to have sounded the trumpet against any error which arose before us , i could as easily have escaped their wrath as others . and i find that whereas our differences both in doctrine , and worship , and discipline , have engaged men of several minds in such writings against me . ( some infidels , diverse quakers , papists , antinomians , some arminians , some anti-arminians , anabaptists , separatists , levellers , diocesans , &c. ) what one accuseth me of , another doth not only acquit me of , but ordinarily as sharply accuse me for the contrary , and for going no further from the rest . so that nothing but silence could put by their fiercest accusations , and silence it self will not please the imperious sect , who think me criminal , because i serve them not according to their own desire and way . and silence was not that which i promised god at my ordination , nor is it a doing of that work , to which i was then consecrated and devoted . but because some men speak in a more sanguinary dialect than others , and because the late charges of disloyalty , ought not to be disregarded by a loyal subject , and because for the sakes of their own souls , it hath often made me pitty mr. durel , dr. boreman , and many others like them , who have published ugly falsehoods of me , i once thought to have here exercised so much charity to them , as by a full narrative of all those actions of my life , which concern such matters as they accuse me of , to have rectified all their mistakes at once , and made them understand , what it is , which they wrote of before they understood it : and the rather because this excepter followeth them , in telling me how guilty i was of the wars , and all the effects of them , and also that i wrote a flattering book to richard cromwell . and in this narrative i purposed to confess so much as had any truth in their accusations , and to stop them in their falsifications and calumnies as to the rest . but upon second tho●●●ts , i cast it by , perceiving by too long experience , that they who are engaged against the truth , are unable to bear it , and take all for an unsufferable wrong to them , which detecteth the falsehood of their reports . and when men do ( as mr. hinkley ) importune me to publish the reasons of my non-conformity , when they know that the law forbiddeth it , and there is no expectation of procuring a licence , or when the old stratagem is so visibly used , of drawing us by their challenges into their ambuscad'es ; or when i am eagerly provoked to gape against an oven , while it is red or flaming hot ; if i crave their patience , and exercise my own , till it be grown more cool , before i accept of such a challenge , and suffer them to use their art ( till repentance shall unteach it them ) and to make my name a stepping stone , to those ends which they now aspire after , methinks they should be content , to talk on without a contradiction , and to be free from the light of that truth , which they are not able to endure ; or at least should pardon me , if i imitate my lord , that was silent , even when false accusers sought his defamation and his blood . but , god ●nabling me , i promise them an answer , as soon as they will procure me license and indemnity . in the mean time , i shall now only , 1. tell you why i offended one side , by saying so much against their impositions , 2. and why i have since offended the other , yea both sides , by my late book called , the cure of church-divisions . before the king was restored , being then at london , i was called to preach two publick sermons ; t●● one before the parliament , the day before they voted the kings return ; the other before the lord major and aldermen on a day of thanksgiving for the hopes of his return . in the latter i plainly shewed my sense of the case of the falling party , and the armies actions , and gave as plain a warning to the then rising party , with some prognosticks thereupon . in the former ( the first that ever i preached to a parliament , and he last , ) i spake some words of the facility of concord with the sober godly moderate sort of the episcopal divines , and how quickly arch-bishop usher and i came to an agreement of the termes on which they might unite . when this sermon was printed , this passage caused many moderate episcopal divines to urge me to tell them the terms of that agreement ; and they all professed their great desires and hopes of concord upon such termes ; viz. dr. gulston , dr. allen , dr. bernard , dr. fuller , dr. gauden , and several others . dr. gauden desired a meeting to that end of the several parties , but none came at the day appointed but he and dr. bernard , and dr. manton and i ; where i spake these words , which he printed without the limitation annexed , which i set right in my next printed book , viz. that i found ( then ) little or nothing in the doctrinal part of the common prayer book , which was not sound , having but as favourable an exposition as good mens writings usually mnst have . he left out [ the doctrinal part ] at last when the earle of o●ery perswaded me to be his majesties chaplain in ordinary , and was present when the earl of manchester gave me ( and mr. ash ) an oath of fidelity , it being he that first brought me acquainted with bishop usher ; the mention of the same business fell in : whereupon we shortly after were told by the lord chamberlain , that it was his majesties pleasure , that there should be a treaty for union between the episcopal party and the presbyterians : and dr. reignolds , mr. calamy , mr. ash and my self being first employed , when we had made some entrance , we desired that some might be chosen by the ministers throughout the land , to signifie their sense , because we could speak in the name and sense of none but our selves ; but his majesty not consenting to that , we desired an addition of many brethren at hand , which was granted ; and the liberty for all ministers that would to meet with us , for consultation , as many did at sion-colledge and elsewhere . in this treaty we all professed our judgements for the lawfulness of a liturgie ; and desired the reformation of that which we had , with the addition of new forms in scripture phrase , fitted to the several offices , with liberty to the ministers to use this or that . whereupon we drew up such a liturgie our selves , which though it fell to my share , yet the rest of our brethren examined and approved of it , saving that dr. reignolds disliked the displeasing the bishops by such large additions , and a liturgie seeming entire of it self , instead of some additional prayers to theirs . how many weeks we were employed from first to last , in these debates , how fully and freely we took that opportunity to plead for reformation , and against unnecessary impositions , whilest the men that now quarrel with us said nothing that we know of : how hard a province fell to my own lot , as to the offending of the bishops , under whose hot displeasure i thereby ( in obedience to my conscience ) did cast my self , our writings ( which somebody hath published for the greater part of them ) shew ; and our savoy conference , and my prohibition to preach in worcester diocess shortly after ( before other ministers were silenced ) and the published writings against me , did all sufficiently acquaint the world : and the particulars of this business i now pass by . only i think meet to make this twofold profession , to the two parties on the extreams ; 1. that the true reason why i wrote and spake so much , so long , and so vehemently , had it been possible to have prevented many impositions , was principally because i undoubtedly foresaw how great a number of faithful worthy ministers would else be silenced by them ; and how ill the church could spare those ministers , while there are so many hundred thousands of ignorant and ungodly people in the land ; and what sort of ministers in too many places must unavoidably succeed them , unless the church doors should be shut up ? and i foresaw how the people under such ministers would be affected to religion , and to the bishops , and ministry ? and i foresaw what multitudes of religious persons would take the things imposed as unlawful , and would separate from communion with the publick churches ; and would worship god in private meetings with the silenced ministers . i foresaw how many ministers and people that did conform with a grudging conscience , would do more at last to undermine the impositions , than the non-conformists . i foresaw easily what jealousies ; displeasure , severities , imprisonments , &c. would follow the private preaching of the silenced ministers , and the private meetings of the people : and i knew well that other ministers as well as i , would judge it no better than perfidious sacriledge , to forsake the holy calling to which they were consecrated and devoted , and to desert so many thousand needy souls : but , above all , i foresaw , how certainly and sadly the churches divisions would be hereby increased , and the love of each party to the other would be abated , if not destroyed : how hard it was for one side to love and honour the non-conformists , that accounted them persecutors and unconscionable men : and how hard it was for the other side to love and honour those that they suffered by : and how little reproaches , fines , and imprisonments , do use to increase mens love to others . i ●or●knew that one side would call the other rebellious schismatical phanaticks ; and the other side were like enough to account them , perjured perfidious persecutors ; and that in the midst of such thoughts , such words , such usage , love was no more like to prosper , than fire in the sea . and i knew that whatever zeal be pretended for obedience and order on one side , or for purity of worship on the other , when love dieth , religion dieth ; and they that are destroyers of love , are destroyers of the church and of christianity , and of the souls of men : and to increase love is to save s●i●ls ▪ and i foresaw that the further they go in this way ; the further they will go from god and godliness ▪ from peace and safety , and that it will be the longer the worse , till they retire : for one hard usage on one side , and hard censure on the other side , after another , will by degrees raise men to the height of bitterness , and make them think , that their interest con●isteth in the hurt and ruine of each other . also i foresaw that while we worried , and weakned one another , as all sects would grow under the discontents of one party , so the papists were like to be the principal gainers ; and they would be ready to offer their service to strengthen one of the parties against the other ; and would be glad to take up the reproaches against the most religious people , that were by angry adversaries brought unto their hands ; and that when we had made our selves a common scorn by our manifold divisions , and by our biting and devouring one another , they would plead this as our shame , to draw people to themselves , as the only stable and consistent church ; and would make us giddy that we might rest on them as our supporters ; and when they saw us weak enough , would be ready to devour us all . and i easily foresaw how calamitous a thing it would be to the kingdom , to have most towns and parishes set all together by the ears , and for the neighbours to be as gu●lphes and gibellines , every man employed in censuring and reproaching others , instead of living together in neighbourly and christian love. and i foresaw what an injury this would be to the king , to have the suffering party under these temptations , and wise men made mad , and his people weakned by such sad divisions ; whereby their cheerfulness in his love and service would be abated , and forreign enemies would be encouraged to attempts against our peace and safety , and if ever they should invade us , it maketh me tremble to think how our divisions would debilitate us , and hazard all our common security and hopes . yea , how uncomfortable a thing it must needs be to the king , to rule such a divided people , that live in a heart-war among themselves , in comparison of ruling a loving , and concordant sort of men . in a word , i knew that a house or kingdom divided against it self would not stand : and though i could not make the bishops believe me , i knew that divisions , lamentable divisions ; were like to be the consequent , of the things which then i so importunately petitioned and intreated them to forbear : i kn●w it , for i could not choose but kn●w it . and for these reasons i wrote , i pleaded , i earnestly contended with them as i did , while there appeared any hope , as being loth to have seen the things which i have already seen , and god knoweth to how much worse we are going , if grace and wisdom yet prevent it not . and though i exasperated the sore which i would have cured , and have ever since my self lain under their displeasure , yet i have peace in the testimony of my conscience , that i did my best , to have prevented our miseries while i had time . 2. and i would give notice to the other party , that whilst i pleaded for their liberty , and against the imposing of unnecessary things , i took not all the things in question for unlawful to be done , which i thought unlawful to be made necessary to our communion or ministration . all knew that my judgement ever was for the lawfulness of kneeling at the sacrament ; ( especially since the rubrick is inserted , which disclaimeth both all bread worship and the bodily real presence . ) and we all as is said , thought a liturgie lawful ; and when we wrote our reply to the answer of our exceptions , we said these words ( which may tell you , whether i change my mind , and what was then our common sense ) pag. 3. [ while we took it to be a defective , disorderly and inconvenient mode of worship , it would be our sin to use it of choice , while we may prefer a more convenient way , whatever we ought to do in case of necessity , when we must worship god inconveniently , or not at all . ] and pag. 12 , 13. [ what if it be only proved unlawful for you to impose it , though not for others to joyn with you when you do impose it ? is this no reason 〈◊〉 alter it ? should you not have some care to avoid sin your selves , as well as to preserve others from it ? an inconvenient mode of worship is a sin in the imp●ser , and in the chooser , and voluntary user , that may offer god better , and will not : and yet it may not be only lawful , but a duty to him , that by violence is necessitated to offer up that or none . ] by this you may see what we all thought then of not only hearing , but reading a defective liturgie in such a case . if you say , that this was but my own opinion ; i answer , though as they wrote the particular exceptions without me , so i wrote this defence of them by their appointment , yet it was examined and consented to by the rest , who were not men apt to take things on trust , nor to be imp●sed on by such a one as me . when this treaty was frustrate , and the torrent of displeasure came upon us , ( which reached me with the first ) i saw also that the storm of mens passions and discontents would quickly follow : and therefore according to my own judgement and advice to others , i endeavoured to practise my self ; that is , neither to forsake my calling , or omit any service i could do for the church , nor yet to do it in a turbulent and unpeaceable , or dividing way . for the first , i thought writing was my greatest work , which made me not travail abroad to preach ( which also weakness disabled me from doing ) . but yet i never to my remembrance either forbad any from coming to my house , nor ever invited any to hear me . i had no pastoral charge in london ; nor could i live there with my health : my judgement was , that though so many hundred ministers were silenced , and too many congregations had such , as were to us matter of grief , yet the interest of the christian protestant religion in england , must be much kept up , by keeping up as much of truth , piety and reputation as was possible in the parish churches . therefore i never laboured or disputed to make any minister a non-conformist , unless he came to me , and by desiring my judgement , made it my duty ( though i oft openly professed , that if i conformed my self to what is required of a minister , i should take it to be no little or single sin ) i remembred the saying of mr. dod , who thanked god for the churches sake , that some conformed , and for the truths sake , that some conformed not . i resolved that if i lived where was an intolerable minister , i would not hear him , nor come near him , so as to encourage him in his sinful undertaking of that sacred office : but if i lived under an able , worthy , or tolerable man , i would joyn with him in publick ( constantly if i had not caeteris paribus the liberty of better , and sometimes if i had ) and i would help him by my private labours as well as i could , and live with him in unity and peace . accordingly i constantly joyned in the publick prayers and hearing at the parish church where i lived ( having no better that i could go to ) and never preached to my family , but between the times of publick worship ; and the people that came in to me , wen● with me to the publick worship . in all this time many persons importuned me to indeavour that all non-conformists might agree in one , by what measures to walk as to their communion with the parish churches , and such other things , ( for many reasons : and i ever shanned all such attempts ; 1. because it is the way that we have blamed so much in others , to make narrow measures for other mens practices , and unnecessary terms of brotherly concord : we must unite as christians in necessary things ; and if one man can , e. g. kneel at the sacrament and another cannot , if one can joyn in common-prayer , and another cannot ; yea , if one can conform to the liturgie and ceremonies , and another cannot , it must not break our unity or peace . 2. because that non-conformists are not all of the same judgement in every particular among themselves : and how can they then agree upon the same practice in every point ? if they should ; either the most scrupulous must come up to them that think that lawful which they scruple , or else the later must come to the former : if they yield that think the things unlawful , and do as the others do , they shall sin : and then they might as well conform ? and if they that hold more things to be lawful must agree in practice with them that hold the fewest lawful , than such must 1. forsake their own understandings , and live in many sins ; and 2. they must be alwayes at an uncertainty in their practice , because some may yet arise , that may count more things unlawful ; and so the whole party may change their practice every year , as new scruples or errors arise in any ; 3. and so the most scrupulous though the most erroneous , must be the standard and rule of all the rest . 4. and so we should tempt others still to new scruples , and to make more and more things sinful , that so they might obtain the rule of all . i ever thought therefore that without any combinations , our way is , every man to know the truth as well as he can , and practice accordingly ; and live in love and peace with those that differ from him in tollerable things . and thus i hope most non-conformable ministers do . in the year 1663 divers learned and reverend non-conformists of london met to consider how far it was their duty , or lawful to communicate with the parish churches where they lived in the liturgie and sacrament : and we agreed the next day to bring in our several judgements in writing with our reasons . accordingly i brought in mine , in which i proved four propositions , 1. that it is lawful to use a form of prayer : 2. that it is lawful to joyn with some parish churches in the use of the liturgie . 3. that it is lawful to joyn with some parish churches in the lords supper . 4. that it is to some a duty to joyn with some parish churches three times a year in the lords supper . they being long , i read over to them the last only , which being proved ( by 20. reasons ) included all the rest . upon consideration whereof , no one of the brethren seemed to dissent , but to take the reasons to be valid ; save only that one objection stopt them all , to which i also yielded , and we concluded at the present to forbear sacramental communion with the parishes : and that was , because it was a time when great severities were threatned against those that could not so far conform ; and most of the independents and some others were against it ; and our brethren verily believed that if we should then communicate , those that could not yield so far , would be the sharplier used , because they yielded not as far as we . i yielded to them readily , that god will have mercy and not sacrifice , and even gods worship otherwise due , as prayer , or preaching , or sabbath-keeping may be omitted for an act of mercy , even to pull an oxe or ass out of a pitt . and therefore pro tempore i would forbear that sacrament , which was like to cause the imprisonment or undoing of my neighbour . in mentioning this , these three things are my end . 1. to tell the world the judgement of these ministers ; who are misjudged by their actual forbearance of publick communion , that they take it for a thing unlawful : whereas they are thus accidentally hindered from it ( besides many other accidents not here to be mentioned , this before named is one . ) 2. to shew the prelates who and what it is that hath hindered mens nearer communion with them ; and that while rigor and severity is trusted to as the only means to further it , it proveth the principal means of hindering it . 3. to shew the independents , that we have been so far from dealing hardly or uncharitably with them , that we have forborn that communion , which else our own judgements would have charged on us as our duty , either only , or chiefly for fear of being the least occasion accidentally of their sufferings : and if yet they are impatient with us for obeying our consciences , who can help it what the rest did after this consultation in their practices , i enquired not : but for my own part on the same argument i forbore communion with the parish churches in the sacrament a long time , till at last i saw that the reason seemed to me to cease , and i durst not for i knew not what , go against my judgement : but lest it might possibly have any such hurtful consequents , i chose a very private country parish to communicate with , where i sometime sojourned , and where there was neither that , nor any other reason to hinder me : but yet after many years further observation , lest men that know not of my practice , should be scandalized or insnared , to think that i forbore parish communion as unlawful , and so to do the like themselves , i once chose an easter day to communicate in a very populous church in london , purposely that it might be the further known : but having some reasons to forbear at the parish where i lived most constantly , it so far provoked the parson that — i may suppose no independent suffered so much through my communicating , as i have done by forbearing for their sakes . at last in the year 1667. observing how mens minds grew every day more and more exasperated by their sufferings , and whither all this tended , and what was like to be the issue , i wrote this book called the cure of church-divisions ; the reasons whereof i am next to give you . but being not used to publish any thing unlicensed , nor thinking it fit to break the law of printing without necessity , nor knowing how to get it printed unlicensed if i would ; i knew that if i put any thing into it very provokingly , it would not be licensed , and would frustrate all the rest . and yet my conscience told me , that it looked so like partiality , to tell one party of their faults , and call them to their duty , and not the other , that i resolved to say as much to the bishops and imposing clergy , as should signifie my judgement plainly to any intelligent man , and tell them what sense i had of narrowing impositions and severities , and what is the way of unity and peace , though not to cloath it in exasperating language : and if they would not not license it all together , i purposed to cast it all aside . and to confess the truth , the deep sense of the sin and infatuation of this age , hath long made me desirous to have written one book , with the title in dying bradfords words , repent o england ; and that in several parts , professing first , my own repentance in several particulars , then calling severally the bishops and conformable clergy , the presbyterians , the independents , and the sectaries , corporations and country to repent . but i knew the bishops would not endure it , and i could not get it licensed or printed , and i had greater things to write , and many wise men whose judgements much rule me , disswaded me and laughed at my weakness , that i should think that such men would regard what i said , or that it would have any better effect than exasperation ! and i long purposed not to speak to one sort , till i might speak to all , to avoid partiality , and evil consequents . but at last considering , that by this rule i might never tell any of their sins , nor preach repentance to them whilst i lived , and that i must not deny my duty and charity to one sort , because another sort will not receive it , and seeing also necessity increase , and having already writen and said so much to the other party , i resolved to imitate those two excellent faithful tractates , viz. 1. mr. m. pool's vox clamantis in deserto in latine , calling the non-conformable ministers to repentance , and mr. lewis stukeley's ( a worthy congregational minister in exeter , and a kinsman of the late general monkes ) enumerating copiously most of the common sins of religious professors , and calling them earnestly and faithfully to repentance , which since the writing of this , i find excellently done in a book called englands danger and only remedy . and therefore i first published some old notes written eleven or twelve years ago called directions for weak christians , and annexed to it the character of a sound christian ; in both which i wrote that which was as like to have exasperated the impatient , as this book is ; and yet i heard of no complaints , and afterward i wrote this which i now defend ; and sent it to the licenser , who upon perusal refused to license it ; and so it lay by , and i purposed to meddle with it no more . but leaving it in the booksellers hands that had offered it to be licensed , after a long time he got it done ; and so unexpectedly it revived . the reasons of my writing it were no fewer than all these following , which i now submit to the judgement of all men truly peaceable and impartial , who value the interest of christianity , and of the universal church above their own . 1. to make up my foregoing directions to weak christians more compleat . having directed them about the private matters of their souls , i intended this as another part , to direct them in order to the churches peace . 2. many good people of tender consciences and weak judgements , desiring my advice about communion in the publick assemblies , i found it meetest to publish this general advice for all , to save me the labour of speaking to particular persons , and to serve those that lived further off . 3. i saw those principles growing up apace , in this time of prevocation , which will certainly increase or continue our divisions , if they continue and increase . i am sure that our wounds are made by wounding principles of doctrine ; and it must be healing doctrines that must heal us : and i know that we cannot be healed , till doctrinal principles be healed . to give way to the prevalency of dividing opinions is to give up our hopes of future unity and peace . and to give up our hopes of unity and peace , is to despair of all true reformation , and happiness of the church on earth . if ever the church be reduced to that concord , strength , and beauty , which all true christians do desire , i am past doubt that it must be by such principles , as i have here laid down . 4. but my grand reason was , that i might serve the church of christ , in the reviving and preservation of christian love. as it was an extraordinary measure of the spirit , which christ made his witness in the gospel church ; so is it as extraordinary a measure of love , which he maketh the new commandment , and the mark of all his true disciples : and whether afflicting on one side , and unmerciful and unjust censures , on the other side , one driving away ; and the other flying away , be either a sign or means of love : and whether taking others to be intolerable in the church , and unworthy of our communion , and separating from , or avoiding the worship where they are present , be likely to kindle love , or to kill it , let any man judge , that hath himself the exercise of reason , and unfeigned love. i know that this is the hour of temptation to the sufferers , to stir up passion and distaste ; and that men have need of more than ordinary grace and watchfulness , and therefore of more than ordinary helps & warning , to preserve due love , and keep out an undue hatred of those by whom they suffer . and how great a temptation also their censures and discontents will prove , to their superiours , and others by whom they suffer , and what unspeakable hurt it may do their s●uls , may easily be conjectured . this sin will prove our greatest loss . 5. hereupon men will be engaged in sinful actions of injustice and uncharitableness against each other . they will be glad to hear , and forward to believe hard and false reports of one another . and too forward to vent such behind one anothers backs : and there is no doubt , but many of each party already think worse of the other commonly , than they are : ( though , alas , we are all too bad , and some egregiously wicked . ) and those persons and churches that would censure a man for curses or oaths , should also censure men for slanders and backbitings . and should i not do my best , to prevent such a course of daily sin ? 6. both violence and separation tend to divide the builders themselves , and keep the ministers in contending with , and preaching and writing against each other , which should be employed in an unanimous opposition to the kingdom of satan in the world , and when all their united wisdom and strength is too little against the common ignorance and prophaneness of the world , their division will disable them , and give sin and satan opportunity to prevail . 7. it may engage them on both sides in the dreadful fin of persecuting each other , one party by the hand , and the other by the tongue , ( even while they cry out of persecution : ) and on both sides to hinder the gospel and mens salvation , on one side by hindering the preachers from their work , and on the other side ( yea on both ) by hindring the success . for what can be more done to make men despise the word , than to teach them to despise or abhor the preacher ? and what more can be done to destroy mens souls , than to harden them against the word ? is there any s●b●r man on either extream , that dare say , i would have none of the people saved , that are not , or will not be the hearers of our party ? if you dare not say , that you would have all the rest to be dam●ed , dare you say , you would not have them be taught by others ? or that you would not have them profit by the word they hear ? if not , how dare you tempt them to vilifie and despise their teachers ? if they will not learn of you , be glad if they will learn of any other , and do not hinder them . 8. by these means they will cherish an hypocritical sort of religiousness in the people , which is more employed in sidings , opinions and censurings of others , than in humble self-judging and in a holy heavenly mind and life . a man need not the spirit of god , and supernatural grace , nor much self-denyal , nor mortification of the flesh , to make him choose a certain fashion of external worship , and think that now he and those that are of that fashion , are the only people , and to reproach all of other fashions , as ungodly , and to think that he is therefore a better christian than the other , because his fashion of outward worship seemeth the better to him . not that any thing in gods worship should be denyed its due regard ; but its pity that by an unproportionable estimation of mens several outward fashions , words and gestures , poor souls should be tempted to deceive themselves , and to forget that he is the best christian that hath most faith , humility , love and heavenliness , which is the true holiness , and beauty of the soul. 9. when men think a lawful communion ( yea , a duty ) to be unlawful ; it will both keep them in the sin of omitting it , and cause them to add their sinful censures of all those that use that communion which they avoid . they do not only think that they are holier , because they hear not , and pray not , and communicate not in the parish churches , but they look down with a supercilious pity upon those that do ? and how many parties have i thus been pitied by ? as i go along the streets , the quakers say , poor man , thou art in darkness . the papists pity me , for not being one of them : the anabaptists pity me , for not being one of them : the separatists pity or disdain me , because i forbear not the worship that they forbear : and this excepter lamenteth my condition as passionately as any . it is not for [ not worshipping with them ] that they censure me ( for i am ready to do it , ) but for worshipping with others , in words which they like not . and whereas holiness was wont to be expressed most by worship actions , now it must be characterized more by negatives , even in external adjuncts . and if he be the best man that avoideth most the communion of others which he taketh to be bad , i have , and have had , neighbours better than you all , that never communicate with any church , nor ever publickly hear , or pray , or worship god at all , because they think all your wayes of worship to be bad . i remember rivet marketh out grotius by this , that while he forsook the protestant churches , and called us to unite with the church of rome ( that is , with the pope ruling not arbitrarily , but by the laws of a general council , not excluding that of trent ) he did actually communicate with none at all . 10. when mens judgements are thus mistaken about church communion , their worship of god will be corrupted : they will in their hearts earnestly desiee that all others may be of their mind , and they will complain to god of that as a sin , which is mens duty : especially among those of their own mind . and this offering up of their mistakes to god , in earnestness , as an acceptable service , is a sad polluting of holy things . so he that is famed to have written this antidote , is said to have made my book which was written for christian love , to be the matter of his publick humiliation . and another of my friends , in dayes of prayer , maketh it his lamentation , [ lord , here are those that are one day here , and another day at common-prayer : ] as if the exercise of knowledge and love , in impartial communion with all christs churches ( not forcing us to sin ) were a sin to be lamented . but i need not go further for instance , than this antidote , where the reverend author taketh it for a service of god , to write against those necessary precepts of love and unity , which he mistakingly opposeth . and so did mr. iohnson and mr. canne , who most confidently presented their writings for separation , to god , as a service which he had commanded them , and would own . 11. this narrow judgement tempteth men on one side , to anathematize all that say , there are any other true churches in england , save of one form and fashion ; and it tempteth others to deny the parish churches , to be at all true churches , and so to narrow the possessions of christ. and hereupon it tempteth them to endeavour to disgrace and dissolve each other . it draweth many to think , that it is the interest of religion now in england , to have the parish churches to be brought low in reputation and deserted , and gods publick worship , which they would have all religious people use , to be only that of tolerated or more private churches . by which they little know what they wi●● against the interest of the christian and pro 〈…〉 nt religion in this land ? nor what hurt they would do , if in this they had their wills . 12. these dividing principles and spirits which i oppose , will on one side give shelter to all the prophane malignant minds , that itch to be afflicting others , that fear god more than they : and on the other side , it will give shelter to all kind of heresies and sects ; of which experience is too full a proof . 13. yea , before our eyes , the most pernicious heresies , even those of quakers , are still not only continued , but increase . and we see men that to day condemn communion with the parish churches , and then with the presbyterians ; do shortly fly from communion with the independents too . and mens passions in sufferings pervert their judgements ; and frequently men are overcome by tryal , when they think they are most constant and have overcome . it s commonly known how many of late are turned quakers ; and what considerable persons lately in prison , fell to that unhappy heresie . yet they that by a prison lost their religion , no doubt thought themselves more honourable by their sufferings , than those that go to common-prayer . and shall we stand by and see this work go on , and neither lament their sin , that drive men to this , nor warn them of the passions and principles that lead to it . 14. separation will ruine the separated churches themselves at last , ( by separation i mean the same thing that the old non-conformists wrote against by that name ) it will admit of no consistency . parties will arise in the separated churches , and separate again from them , till they are dissolved . i beseech my deer brethren that are otherwise minded to open their eyes so far as to regard experience . brethren , what now comparatively are all the separated churches or parties upon earth ? would you have all christs churches , and all the interest of the christian religion to be as short lived , and to stand upon no more certain terms than they do ? how few separated churches do now exist , that were in being an hundred years ago ? can you name any ? and would you have had all the churches of christ on earth , to be dissolved , when they were dissolved ? or do you think that all were dissolved with them ? this would make us all seekers indeed . 15. separating and narrow principles befriend not godliness , as they pretend to do , but lamentably undermine it ? if it were but by driving off and disaffecting the lower sort of christians , whose communion you reject . the case of three or four churches in new-england grieve my heart : but the case of the summer islands as related to me by mr. vaughan , a worthy minister lately discouraged and come from thence , would make a christian heart to bleed ; to hear how strict and regular and hopeful that plantation once was ? and how one godly mininister by separation , selecting a few to be his church , and rejecting all the rest from the sacrament , the rejected party are grown to doleful estrangedness from religion , and the selected party much turned quakers , and between both , how wofull are the fruits . but the case of england , scotland , and ireland ( which i foretold in my book of infant baptisme ) is yet a more lamentable proof , what separation hath done against religion , so full a proof , that it is my wonder that any good man can overlook it . 16. yea it tendeth to make religiousness contemptible , and the professors of it , a common scorn , when we are perceived to place it in unwarrantable separations , and singularities , and when we make men think that the greatest difference between those that they call precise , or religious , and others , is but this , that one of them prayeth without book , and the other by the book ; that one of them will not joyn with those that use the liturgie , and the other will. if we let men see that in indifferent things we are indifferent , and that lesser evils we avoid as lesser , and greater evils , as greater , and that the great difference between us and the ungodly , is in our seriousness in our christian profession , and in our heavenlyness , and true obedience to christ , it would much convince them of their misery , and honour religion in the world : but when they perceive that the greatest contention which our houses and our streets do ring of , is whether we shall hear a man that conformeth or not ? or whether we shall pray with them that use the liturgie ? or whether we may sometimes communicate with a parish church or not ? this turneth the thoughts of the careless and carnal , the worldling and the sensualist , from the necessary condemning of himself for his ungodliness , and sets him on thinking , that these stricter people do differ from him in things of no importance , and that they are but an erroneous self conceited sort of persons , and that he is much the wiser man. thousands in england are hardened into a neglect of godliness , to our suffering and the apparent danger of their own damnation , by occasion of the unwarrantable singularities , and the scandalous sins , especially of those professors , that have been most addicted to sinful separations . 17. i am not causelesly afraid lest , if we suffer the principles and practices which i write against , to proceed without our contradiction , popery will get by it , so great advantage , as may hazzard us all , and we may lose that which the several parties do contend about . three waies especially popery will grow out of our divisions . 1. by the odium and scorn of our disagreements , inconsistency , and multiplied sects ; they will perswade people that we must either come for unity to them , or else all run mad , and crumble into dust and individuals . thousands have been drawn to popery or confirmed in it by this argument already : and i am perswaded that all the arguments else in bellarmine and all other books that ever were written , have not done so much to make papists in england , as the multitude of sects among our selves . yea some professors of religious strictness , of great esteem for godliness , have turned papists themselves , when they were giddy and wearied with turnings ; and when they had run from sect to sect , and found no consistency in any . for when they see so many , they say , how can i tell that this or that is in the right , rather than the other ? this it is that they ring continually in our ears . which of all these sects is in the right ? and what assurance have they of it more than all the rest that are as confident ? and how small a church doth any one sect make ? and ●f h●w late original ( for the most . ) but the poor deluded souls consider not , that in going to the papists , they go but to another sect that is worse than any of the rest ; and though greater , yet not past the third part of the christians in the world : and that christianity is but one : and that the way to rest , is to unite upon the common terms of simple christianity . 2. and who knoweth not how fair a game the papists have to play by the means of our divisions ? methinks i hear them hissing on each party , and saying to one side , lay more upon them , and and abate them nothing ? and to the other , stand it out and yield to nothing ? and who is so blind then as not to see their double game and hopes . viz. that either our divisions and alienations , will carry men to such distances and practices , as shall make us accounted seditious , rebellious , and dangerous to the publick peace , and so they may pass for better subjects than we ; or else that when so many parties under sufferings are constrained to beg and wait for liberty , the papists may not be shut out alone , but have toleration with the rest . and shall they use our hands to do their works , and pull their freedom out of the fire ? we have already unspeakably served them , both in this , and in abating the odium of the gun powder plot , and their other treasons , insurrections , and spanish invasion ( of which read thuanus himself that openeth all the mystery . ) 3. and it is not the least of our danger ( nor which doth least affect me ) lest by our follies , extremities and rigors , we should so exasperate the common people , as to make them readier to joyn with the papists , than with us , in case of any competitions , or their invasions , or insurrections against the king , and kingdoms peace . sure i am that the parliaments and peoples resolutions against them , after the late fire , and in the time of the last war , when they were so much feared , did discourage and depress them more , than all the rest of their opposers . and though we cannot rationally believe that the people of england , much less wise and sober governors , will ever be such enemies to themselves , as to subject themselves to the romish tyranny , and to forget what ireland and england have seen and felt , yet because it is not only oppression that maketh wise men mad , let us do nothing by unlawful alienations and singularities , or fierce and disobedint oppositions , which tend to make the people like better of the papists than of us . 18. i am not able to bear the thoughts of separating from almost all christs churches upon earth . but he that separateth from one or many upon a reason common to almost all , doth virtually separate from almost all . and he that separateth from all among us upon the account of the unlawfulness of our liturgie , and the badness of all our ministry , doth separate from them upon a reason common to almost all , or the far greatest part , as i conceive . 19. though ministerial conformity be to us , another thing ( by reason of the new impositions , ) than it was to our predecessors yet to the people conformite is the same , if not easier ( especially to them that i now speak to : ) for it is the liturgie , ceremonies and ministry , that most alienate them ( as i said before , and not so much the subscription against the obligation of the covenant . ) and the liturgie is a little amended as to them , by the change of the translation , and some little words , and by some●onger prayers . and the ceremonies are the same ; and thirty years ago there was many bare reading not preaching ministers , for one that there is now : therefore our case of separation being the same with what it was of old , i take it to be fully confuted by the antient non-conformists . and i have so great a veneration for the worthy names ( much more an estimation of the reasonings ) of mr. cartwright , egerton , hildersham , dod , amesius , parker , baines , brightman , ball , bradshaw , paget , langley , nichols , hering , and many other such , that i shall not think they knew not why they chose this subject , and wrote more against separation than the conformists did . nor do i think that the reasons of mr. iohnson and mr. canne , can stand before them . and it pittieth me to hear now many that differ from them say , we are grown wiser and have more light than they ! when as our writings upon the same subjects shew that we are far in that below them ? and in other parts of knowledge , al●s , what are we to reignolds , ames , parker and several of the rest ? but the world knoweth , that the turn of the times put most of us into the sudden possession of our opinions , without one half of the study ( it may be with most , not the hundredth part ) which cartwright , ames , parker , &c. bestowed upon these points . and i never yet saw cause to believe that our present dividers , do learn more in a days study , than those learned holy men did in twenty . nor do they shew more wisdom , or holiness in the main . i am very glad that the pious lectures of mr. hildersham , mr. r. rogers and such other old non-conformists , are in so good esteem among good people , where they will read them urging the people not only against separation , but to come to the very beginning of the publick worship , and preferring it before their private duties . as for them that say , if dod , ames , hildersham , &c. had lived till now , they would have been of our mind . i desire them to prove it , or not affirm it ? is not the liturgie , ceremonies , and ministery the same ? and what signs of such mutability did they shew ? could your reasons have conquered them , more than mr. ainsworths , iohnsons , or cannes ? they were not so light , to be changed causelesly . and i pray you mark , that if you are wiser in this point of separation than all these old non-conformists were , than iohnson , and canne , and howe , were wiser also in that than they , which doth not appear to us by their writings : and then , for all the greater light , that you think you have , yet iohnson , canne , and howe , had as great light , and were in this as wise as you , though ames , and the rest of the nonconformists were not . o that our brethren would but seriously read over the writings of these men , especially iacob , paget , ball , and bradshaw , and gifford against the separatists , and try whether the case was not the same . 20. yea i must confess , that when i think what learned , holy , incomparable men , abundance of the old cenformits were , my heart riseth against the thoughts of separating from them ! if i had come to their churches , when they used the common-prayer , and administred the sacrament , could i have departed and said , it is not lawful for any christian here to communicate with you ? what! to such men as mr. bolton , mr. whateley , mr. fenner , mr. dent , mr. crook , mr. dike , mr. stocke , mr. smith , dr. preston , dr. si●bes , dr. stoughton , dr. taylor , and abundance other such ? yea such as bishop iewel , bishop grindal , bishop hall , bishop potter , bishop davenant , bishop carl●t●n , &c. dr. field , dr. smith , dr iohn white , dr. willet , &c. yea and the martyrs too , as cranmer , ridley , hooper himself , farrar , bradford , philpot , sanders , &c. to say nothing of luther , melanebthon , bucer ; and the rest of the forreign worthies . could i separate from all these on the reasons now in question ? yea calvin himself and the churches of his way , were all separated from by the separatists of their times . 21. at least i cannot easily condemn the ancient independents , who were against separation as well as the presbyterians . mr. henry iacob is accounted the father of the ▪ english independents ; and he hath wrote a book against mr. iohnson the separatist , or th●s title , [ a defence of the churches and ministery of england , written in two treatises against the reasons and objections of mr. francis johnson , and ●thers of the separation , commonly called brow●●●s . ] and in the end he hath [ a short treatise concerning the truness of a pastoral calling in pastors made by prelates . ] and i intreat the reader to note that mr. iohnson there chargeth the church of england and their worship , with no fewer than 91. antichristian abominations . and i would ask any of the dividers , whether they have more than 91. antichristian abominations to charge upon it now . i am content that those i write to now , will cast by my book , if they will but read mr. iacobs . and dr. ames was half an independent , and yet against separation . i need not mention the great moderation of new-england , where their late healing endeavors greatly tend to increase our hopes of reconciliation ? ( o that the rest of the churches were as wise and happy ! ) whose experience hath possessed them with a deep dislike of the spirit of separation and division . yea ( if any thing may be believed which i have not seen ) mr. ph. nie himself hath writen to prove the lawfulness of hearing the preachers in the parish assemblies . and yet it is as confidently confuted by another of the brethren , as my book is by this excepter . and he that proveth it lawful to joyn with them that profess themselves a church , in their ordinary doctrine , and pulpit prayers , and psalms of praise , i think can never prove it unlawful at all times , to joyn with them in the use of the liturgie , or in the sacrament ( supposing the scruple of kneeling removed ) for the most of the liturgie is the reading of the scripture it self , and the rest is sound matter , though in an imperfect mode and fashion of words . 22. is sects and heresies increase among us , the blame of all will be laid upon the non-conformists . and so it now is : they commonly say , it is you that open the door to them all : and how injuriously soever this be said , it becometh our duty , not only to see that it be not true , but also to do our part against them . and this was one great reason why the old nonconformists wrote and preached so much more th●● the bishops against separation ; because all this spurious offspring was fathered on them , and still laid at their doors : and withal because they found how hard it is , to stop men that begin to find real faults with other men , from fancying abundance more that are not real ; and to keep men from running into extreams : and experience told them , that their own party was in danger of running from them , and it was not easie to keep them stable in the sober 〈◊〉 of the truth . especially the independents o● this account , are obliged to be the greatest disswaders of separation , because all sects are fathered on them , and too many of their congregations in england , and new-england , have been lamentably corrupted , or subverted and dissolved by them . 23. there is 〈◊〉 man that is acquainted with church history but knoweth , that as christ was crucified between two thieves , so his church hath been 〈◊〉 and troubled , between the prophane malignant persecutors , and the heretical and sectarian dividers ; even from the dayes of the apostles until this age . insomuch that paul himself , and peter , and iude , and iohn were put to 〈…〉 as largely against the dividers almost as the persecutors . iraenaeus , epiphanius , augustine , theodoret , besides the rest , do sadly tell us in their catalogues and controversies , how lamentably these dividers then hindered the gospel , and distressed and dishonoured the church . and the sad stories of h●lland , munster and others in germany , poland , and especially these twenty years past in england , do bring all closer to our sense . and are not the watch-men of christ still bound to tell the church of their danger on the one side , as well as the other ? yea in some respects to say more on this side , than on that , because religious people are easier and ofter turned to be dividers , than to be persecutors or prophane . 24. all these dangers lying before us , and the non-conformable ministers being under great reproaches , and lamentable hinderances from their sacred work , and called by god to fidelity as in a day of tryal , what guilt would be upon us , what shame would be our due , if we should all be silent whilest we see the principles of division continually increase ? the 〈◊〉 principles which the old non-conformists confuted , greatly propagate themselves , through the smart which alienateth the peoples minds . and reason doth so hardly prevail against feeling , that all that we can say will prove too little . this is the true cause why they cry out now , [ oh the case is changed ! it is not with us as it was in the old non-conformists daies ; ] because they did but hear of what was in those daies , but they see and feel what is done in ours . therefore we had so easie a work comparatively to perswade men that the old separatists were mistaken , but can hardly now perswade them that the same principles are a mistake ; because now they smart , and passion is not easily held in by reason . i can make shift to hold in a mettlesome horse , while he is not provoked ; but if a bishop will come behind me , and la●h him , or prick him , and then blame the rider if he run away with me , i cannot help it . but sure if we must needs have to do with such men , it concerneth us to hold the reines the harder . and if after such grievous judgements , as plagues , flames , poverty , reproach , and silencings , and sad confusions , which god hath tryed us with in these times , his ministers should through passion , policie or sloth , sit still and let professors run into sinful principles and extreams , it will be our aggravated sin . 25. and one reason why i set upon this work was , because i saw few others do it . if it must be done , and others will not , then i must take it for my duty . 26. and another reason was , because i knew but few that i was willing to thrust upon it , so forwardly as my self , for fear of being the author of their sufferings . many may be abler , that are not in other respects so fit . some ministers are young men . and like to live longer to serve god in his church ; and their reputation is needful to their success : if they be vilified , it may hinder their labours . and experience telleth us , that the dividing spirit is very powerful and victorious in censorious vilifying of dissenters . but i am almost miles emeritus at the end of my work , and can reasonably expect to do but little more in the world ; and therefore have not their impediment : and for popular applause , i have tryed its vanity : i have had so much of it , till i am brought to a contempt if not a loathing of it . and whereas some brethren , say , that censures will hinder the success of my writings , i answer , no man shall do his duty without some difficulties and impediments . if my writings will not do good by the evidence of truth in them , and if the censures of dividers are able to frustrate them , let them fall and fail . and some of my brethren have great congregations to teach , which are so inclined to this dividing way , that they cannot bear their information . but when i preached in my house to the most , i knew scarce any of the parish that came not to the parish church , but such as lived in my own house . also many ministers being turned out of all their maintenance , have families and nothing to maintain them , but what the charity of religious people giveth them . ( little do some know what the families of many godly ministers suffer ! ) and some independents are maintained by their gathered churches , and if they cast them off , both reputation , work and maintenance would fail ( for those that silence them will neither honor them , nor maintain them ) . and though i suppose that these brethren would serve god in the greatest contempt and poverty , and self-denial , if they perceive that god doth call them to it , yet i think it a duty of charity in me , to go before them , and do the more displeasing work , to prevent the sufferings of such , or at least , not to thrust them on so hard a service . for i have no church that maintaineth me , nor any people whose estimation i am afraid to lose , that are dividingly inclined , nor ( through gods mercy ) have any need of maintenance from others , and therefore may do my duty at cheaper rates than they . 27. and i will add one reason more of the publishing , though not of the writing of my book . when it had been long cast by , ●●ound in the debater , and ecclesiastical polititian that the nonconformists are made ridiculous and ●dious , as men of erroneous , uncharitable , and ungovernable principles and spirits ( though we subscribe to all the doctrine of the church of england ) and i thought that the publication of this book , should leave a testimony to the generations to come , by which they might know whether we were truly accused , and whether our principles were not as much for love and peace as theirs , and as consistent with order and government . is not the non-conformists doctrine the same with that of the church of england , when they subcribe to it , or offer so to do ? did not his majesty in his declaration about ecclesiastical affairs , complain of them ( dr. burges i suppose ) who pretended a difference between us in doctrine ? if they say that the non-conformists are to be denominated from the major part , i answer , we provoke the willingest of their adversaries to prove , that either the major part , or any thing near it , is of more erroneous doctrinal principles than themselves ? the independents as well as the presbyterians offer to subscribe to the doctrine of the 39. articles , as distinct from prelacy and ceremony . and i must witness that when i was in the country , i knew not of one minister of ten that are now silenced , that was not in the main ( as far as i could discern ) of the same principles with my self . and though any reproacher will blindly injure the non-conformists , who shall judge of them throughout england and scotland by the many parties in london , where a great number of differing opinions alwaies inhabited ; yet i may add that even in london , the burning of the churches , and the notorious necessity of many thousand souls , and the acts which punish them by six moneths imprisonment , if they come within five miles of a corporation , ( and therefore make them think it necessary to keep out of the parish churches , where they may presently be both accused and apprehended ) doth make the practice of many very humble , godly , peaceable , and moderate men ( by preaching at the time of publick worship , when their hearers cannot well come at another time ) to be such as causeth men to misstake their principles . but satan maligning the just vindication of the non-conformists against these accusations , hath by false suggestions stirred up some , who differ from the rest as well as we , to clamour against this book , which was published for the clearing of the innocent : and now they have disclaimed it , they have renounced their own part in those peaceable principles which they disown , and in this vindication ; but i must desire the next accuser , to charge this renunciation upon none but those that he can prove to be guilty of it , and not on the non-conformists . and the rather because ( by a self confutation ) they have shewed themselves , that the old non-conformists were more sober and peaceable ; and i can assure them , that the most of the non-conformists ministers of my acquaintance , are not a jot more rigorous or farther from them , than the old nonconformists were . and that those that treated with the bishops in 1660. did yield to such an episcopacy , as the old non-conformists would scarcely have generally consented to ( viz. bishop ushers model in his reduction . ) if the accusers of the non-conformists shall say , [ by the censure of your book and person you see what non-conformists are , that will joyn in receiving and venting false reports , even of their brethren , before they saw or heard one line of the book , ] i answer to such : 1. call not that the act of the non-conformists , which some of one party of them are drawn to by misinformation . 2. there were so great persons and so many of the conformists concurred in the report , that you may well be silent as to parties , and say that iliacos intra muros , &c. we are all to blame . 3. it cannot be denyed , that among all parties in england , there are so many that take up false reports , and think it no sin if they did but hear it from credible persons , and hereby are satans instruments to vend false defamations , that it is become the shame and crime of the land ; and many strict professors ( excepting the graver and soberer sort ) are too commonly guilty of it , though not so much as others . i will not deny but humane converse requireth some credulity : but if men medled not with other mens matters without a call , and withall did love their neighbours as themselves , and were as tender conscienced as they ought to be , and knew how little before god it will excuse a lie or slander to say , [ i heard it of such an honest man , or i said but what i heard of many , ] it would prevent a great deal of sin . and that it may appear i am impartial , and defend not those faults in the religious sort , which they must repent of , i will intreat you to note from this one instance , these following obvious observations . 1. note by this instance what an inequality there may be in the ●●nd●●ness of mens consciences towards meer words and formes of worship , and towards the sins which nature it self condemneth , if they study not well the wiles of satan ; when the city and country shall have the same men that are tender conscienced ( which i commend ) about a ceremony or the fashion of their prayers , without any scruple or remorse thus receive and publish a slander or falshood , ( that i wrote against private meetings , and for conformity , and that i conformed ) and this before they had ever seen or spoken with one man living that had seen one line of the book , or could report it to them with the least pretense of knowledge . yea and all this against one that had given an opener testimony against conformity , than any one man of all them that thus slandered him , as far as ever i was able to know . 2. note here what i have told you in the book , the great difference between a formal dividing zeal for opinions , and a christian zeal of love and heavenliness and good workes . if you would kindle this latter in your own or others hearts , alas , what holy labour doth it require ? how many lively sermons are all too little to kindle the least flame of loving , heavenly fruitful zeal ! how many meditations and prayers are used before any holy flame appeareth ? but a zeal for our party and our opinions , and our several formes and fashions of speaking to god , will kindle and flame like the fire that consumed london . a sparke from one discontented persons mouth will suddenly take , and engage multitudes in city and country in the affectionate spreading of untruths ; and who can quench it till it go out of it self for want of fewel ? 3. note also the great partiality of multitudes of religious people , and how easily we can aggravate the faults of others , and how hardly we can either aggravate or see our own ! the defects of the liturgie , and the faults of those by whom we suffer , are easily heightned , even beyond desert . but when many of us vend untruths , and slanders against our brethren about the land , who aggravateth this or repenteth of it ? 4. but above all i intreate the dividing brethren , if they can so long lay by their partiality , to judge by this of the reasons of their separation from those churches ( private or parochial ) that they differ from , in tolerable things . you think it a sin to communicate in a church where the liturgie is used , and discipline is not so strictly exercised against some offenders , as you and i desire . but such publicke multiplyed untruths in mens mouths , doth never make you scruple their communion . i intreat you do but study an answer to one that would separate from you all , upon such grounds as these . first for the sin , consider of these texts , exod. 23. 1 , 2. thou shalt not raise a false report : put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness . thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil ; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest it . psalm 15. 3. he that backhiteth not with his tongue , nor doth evil to his neighbour , nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour . rom. 1. 30. backbiters , ●aters of god , 2 cor. 12. 20. lest there be debate , strifes , backbibitings , whisperings , &c. prov. 25. 23. an angry counterance driveth away a backbiting tongue : tit. 3. 1 , 2. put them in mind to be ready to every good work ; to speak evil of no man. 1 pet. 2. 1. laying aside evil speakings — 1 tim. 6. 4. whereof cometh evil surmisings , eph. 4. 31. let evil speakings be put away from you . jud. 10. these speak evil of those things which they know not . jam. 4. 11. speak not evil one of another ; he that speaketh evil of another and judgeth another , speakevil of the law , and judgeth the law. have you more and plainer texts of scripture agninst the common prayer than all these are ? now suppose one should say that a people of such sin as this should not be communicated with , especially where there is no discipline exercised that ever so much as calleth one man of them to repentance for it : what answer will you give to this , which will not confute your own objections , against communion with many parish churches in this land. 5. lastly hence note , how still overdoing is undoing . by the principles of love and peace conteined in the book which some reproach , had they not disowned them , they might have had their part in this just vindication , against them that accuse the non-conformists principles of enmity to love and peace : but they would have no part in it , and have cast away their own vindication , and so have confirmed their accusers , and tempted them to believe that some non-conformists are indeed such as they described : but i must again intreat them to distinguish : many sects go under the name of nonconformists , from whom we differ incomparably more than we do from the conformists ; as the quakers , seekers b●hmenists , and some others . we are none of those men that , because we all suffer together under the prelacy , do therefore more close with these , than with the conformists , with whom in doctrine and the substance of worship , we agree . but because it is their own resolved choice , to disown the principles and vindication of that book , i shall only say , i. to our accusers [ it is not these dividers which we vindicate , that will not stand to our vindication ] . ii. to posterity ( whose historical information of the truth of matters in this age i much desire , ) [ if you would know what sort of men they are , that these times call sectaries and dividers or separatists , i will give you but their own character of themselves , that you may be sure i wrong them not : peruse the book called , the cure of church-divisions ; for they are persons so contrary to that book , as that they take it to be an evil and mischievous thing , and greatly to be lamented and detested : in so much that some of them say , it had been well if the author had dyed ten years ago , and others , that this book hath done more harm than ever he did good in all his life . so intolerable is it to them , to have their love-killing and dividing principles so much as thus contradicted , while they cry out against the imposing spirit of others . the measure of their distaste against these principles of love and unity , i leave you to gather out of the exceptions which i am now to answer . cap. 2. the true state as the controversie , between me , and those whom i call church-dividers . because the excepter carrieth it all along , as if he understood not what i say , or would not have his reader understand it , i must state the case as it standeth between us , for the sake of them that love not to be deceived , nor to be angry at they know not what . know therefore that the design of the writer of that book was , to restore love and unity among christians , which he saw decaying and almost dying through the temptation of our sufferings from some , and our differences with others , and through the sidings of parties , and through the passions which conquer some mens judgements , and the hy 〈…〉 e of others , who place their religion in their sidings , and in the forms or fashions of the words of their prayers , or the circumstances of outward worship : and to acquaint christians with the wiles of satan , who would kill their grace , by killing their love , whilst they think they do but preserve their purity . and to open to them the secret windings of the serpent , and the workings of pride , and wrath , and selfishness , against the works of love and peace : and to shew them the great deceitfulness of mans heart , which often fighteth against god as for god , by fighting against love and unity ; and which oft loseth all , by seeming to overcome , and forsaketh religion by seeming valiant for it ; ) and i especially intreat the reader to note , that i said much more about principles , than practices ; because i know that as to communion with this or that church , m●ns practices may vary upon accidental and prudential accounts , of which i pretend not to be a judge : and therefore i first speak against love killing principles , and then against such practices only , as either proceed from such principles , or increase them . if i see a man stay from church , as i know not his reasons , so i judge him not ; unless as he doth it upon sinful causes , and especially if he would propagate those causes to others , and justifie them to be of god , when they are against him . and whereas hatred and enmity worketh by driving men from each others societies , as wicked or intolerable , and love worketh by inclining men to union and communion ; and again , mens distance increaseth the enmity which caused it ; and their nearness and familiarity increaseth love , and reconcileth them ; i did therefore think it a matter of great necessity to our welfare , to counsel men to all lawful nearness and communion , and to disswade them from all unnecessary alienation and separation from each other ▪ let the reader also understand , that in this , my purpose was not to condemn mens separation from the parish churches only , nor more than any other sinful separation : but from any true church of christians whatsoever ; when uncharitable principles drive them away , whether it be from presbyterians , independents , anabaptists , arminians , lutherans , &c. only because that those i deal most with , make most exceptions against communion with the parish churches , i bestowed most words in answering such exceptions . therefore observe 1. that it is none of our question , [ whether you should communicate with the parish churches alone , and no other ? 2. nor [ whether you should communicate with every parish church , or any one whose pastors are through insufficiency , heresie or impiety intolerable ? which i have written against dir. 36. p. 202 , &c. 3. nor [ whether we may hold local communion in worship with a church which denyeth us such communion , unless we will sin : this i have oft enough denyed , p. 203 , &c. 4. nor [ whether caeteris paribus local communion with a purer and better church , be not ordinarily to be preferred before local communion with a worse ? ( which i assert , p. 203 , &c. ) 5. nor [ whether a man be a separatist from another church , meerly because he is not locally present with it ? ( for then when i am in one church , i separate from all other in the world ? ) 6. nor [ whether it be lawful to remove ones dwelling , for communion with a better minister and church , supposing that we are free ? p. 204. 7. nor [ whether it be lawful to remove to a better church , without removing ones dwelling , in a place where another church is near , to which we may go without any publick injury , or hurt to our selves or others , which is greater than the benefit , pag. 204. 8. nor [ whether we may remove both from church and countrey , by the occasions of our callings or trades , or other outward weighty reasons ? pag. 298. 9. nor [ whether we may keep in communion privately with our lawful pastors , if they be turned out of the publick temples ? ] which i have asserted , pag. 299. and have said , that where the pastor is , there the church is , in whatever place they do assemble , p. 250. ( which dr. hide also thought , when he began his book with an assertion of the necessity of separating then from the publick places . and so did other prelatists then , and so think the papists now , and most other parties . ) 10. nor is it any of our question , [ whether you should have communion with a diocesan church , as such ; ( it is a parochial church with such others that i spake of , and never a word of a diocesan church . ) 11. therefore it is none of the question [ whether you must own our diocesan bishops ? ] 12. nor yet [ whether you must have communion with any thing called , a national church , as a political society constituted of an ecclesiastical head and body , and denominated from that form , ●r constitutive head ? though we must own a national church , as it is improperly so denominated , from the king that is the civil head ( accidental , and not constitutive to the spiritual church . ) and as it is a community of christians , and a part of the universal church , united by the concord of her pastors ; who in synods may represent the whole ministry , and be the means of their agreement . 13. nor is it the question , [ whether you must needs hold communion with those individual bishops , whom you account the persecutors , and causes of our silence and confusions . i have told you in the story of martin , how he separated from the synods of th●se individual bishops , and from their local communion , without separating from the office , the churches , or from any other bishops . this is a matter that i did not meddle with , because it is not their communion that you are called to , but the parish churches . indeed to save m●ns lives , he did yield to the emperour once to communicate with them ; but ( saith sulp. severus ●i●l . 3. p. bib. pa● . 254. summa vi episcopis nitentibus , ut communionem ill●m subscriptione firmaret , extorqueri non potuit . and the angel that appeared to him said [ merito martine compungeris ; sed aliter exi●e nequi●ti : repara virtutem , resume constantiam , n● jam non periculum gloriae sed salutis incu●reris . ita ; ab illo tempore satis cavit , cum illa i●ha●ianae partis communione mis●●ri . and after finding his power of miracles abated , with tears he con●essed to sulpit. that propter communionis illius malum , cui se vel puncto temporis , necessitate , non spiritu mis●●isset , d●trimentum s●etire virtutis . s●d●●im p●s●ea vixit annos , nullam synodum adiit , ab omnibus episc●porum conve●●ibus se rem●vit . but this was only from those bishops who by provoking magistrates against the priscillian gnosticks , had brought all strict religious people under scorn . but he separated not from any others . 14. nay , i made it none of our question , [ whether you should communicate , with any parish minister , who concurreth with the● in the said matters whi●h y●u ●●cuse the bishops of , a●y farther than by c●●●orming to the la● . for it is but few o● 〈◊〉 parish ministers that were conv●cation men , or that you can prove did ever consent to our silencing . 15. nor is it any of the question , [ whether those also be guilty of separation and divisions , wh● shall make unnecessary engines of division , and ●●y upon the ne●ks of any churches such unnecessary things as have a tendency to divide . ] who hath said more against this , than i have done ? 16. nor is it any of our question , [ which of the two is the greater cause of divis●●●s , or which of the foresaid persons is m●●t 〈◊〉 ? ] who hath spoken plainlier in this , than i ? i● the brother that excepteth would ma●● you believe , that any one of these is the 〈◊〉 , i● you believe him , he doth but deceiive you . but whom i mean by s●parati●● ▪ i hav● pla●ly told you , pag. 249. 2●0 . &c. ☞ and that which i perswade men to , is this : 1. to love all christians as themselves . 2. to hold nothing , and do nothing which is contrary to this love , and would destroy it . 3. therefore to deny no christians to be christians , nor no churches to be churches , nor no lawful worship of any m●de or party to be lawfull . 4. not to sep●●ate from any others upon any of these three false suppositions or accusations , ( viz. 1. as no true christians : 2. as no true churches : 3. as having no true worship , or as worshipping , so as it is not lawful to joyn with them . ) 5. to choose the most edifying ministry , and the soundest church , and purest manner of worshipping god , that possibly you can have on lawful terms , as to your ordinary use and communion , so far as you are free to choose . 6. to joyn with a defective faulty true church , ordinarily , and in a manner of worship which is defective , when you can have no better , on lawful terms , ( as without the publick injury , or your own greater hinderance than help ) and i prove , that this is the worst that you can charge ( as to this matter of communion ) on those parish churches in england , that have honest comp●tent pastors ; and the same others charge on the churches of independents and anabaptists . and that it is a duty to hold communion with any one of th●se constantly when you can have no better . 7. that if you can statedly have better ; yet sometimes to communicate with a defective church , as a stranger may do , that is not int●ressed in their discipline , or is no stated member , is not only lawful , but , for the ends sake , is a duty , when our never communicating with them is scandalous , and offensive to our rulers , and tendeth to make people think that we hold that to be unlawful which we do not , and when our actual communion is apt and needful to shew our judgement , and to cherish love and christian concord . on which account , as i would statedly communicate with the greek church , if i were among them , and had no better ; and would sometimes communicate with them in , their prayers and sacraments , if i did but pass through the countrey as a stranger , or if i could have better ; even so would i do with a parish church , if as faulty as you can justly charge it ( with the foresaid limitations ) or with a church of anabaptists or independents , ( if they did not use their meetings to destroy either piety or love. ) this is my judgement ; this is the summ of all that i plead for , as to communion . if the excepter deny not this , he talketh not at all to me . if any that have passionately reviled my book and me , do say , we thought you had gone further , and pleaded for more : i answer them , that we should not speak untruths , and revile things before we understand them , and then come off with [ i thought you had said more . ] it is this with other love-killing distempers that i strive to cure. and again i tell you , that it is , 1. ignorance : 2. pride , or overvaluing our own understandings : 3. and uncharitableness generated of these two , which is the cause of our cruelties and our unlawful separations , and which breed and feed our threatning divisions , among the parties on both extreams . and it s the death of these three that must be our cure. cap. 3. some objections ( or questions ) about separation answered . as to that party who think anabaptists and independents unfit for their communion , i am not now dealing with them ; and therefore am not to answer their objections . only on the by i shall here mind them ; 1. that it is not such as the old german anabaptists , who denyed magistracy to christians , &c. that i speak of ; but such as only deny infant baptism : and that many of them , are truly godly sober men ; and therefore capable of communion . and that the ancient churches left it to men ▪ liberty at what time they would have their children baptized . 2. that many independents are downright against separation ; mr. iacob hath notably written against it . therefore those that are but meer independents , refuse not communion with the parish churches : and why should you refuse communion with them ? 3. that many that separate , secundum quid , or pro tempore , from some part of worship only and for a season , yet separate not simply from the churches as no churches , nor would do all as they do , in othe● circumstances . for instance , when they come not to the publick assemblies , yet they will not refuse you , if you will come to theirs . go to their meetings , and see if they so far separate , as to forbid you ? nor perhaps to their sacraments , if you will submit to their way , as you expect they should do by yours . now seeing we are all agreed , that the magistrate doth not make ministers , churches ( or sacraments , ) but only encourage , protect and rule them , i desire you but to be so impartial as to consider that 1. you count not your selves separatists , because you never go to one of their meetings in their houses or other places ; why then should you call them separatists , only for not coming to yours ? 2. but if they are guilty of separation for holding either that your churches and ministry are null , or that communion with you is unlawful by gods law , enquire how far you also are separatists , if you say the same without proof by any others , ( though their lawfulness by the law of the land , i justifie not , no nor the regularity of their church assemblies . ) 4. and i would here note how partial most men are . they that think an independent or anabaptist , yea , or a presbyterian intolerable at home in their several churches , yet if they would but come to their communion , they would receive them as tolerable members . and they that think it unlawful to hold communion with the prelatists , and give the reason partly from their unfitness , yet would receive them ( in many churches ) if they did but change their opinions , and desire communion with them in their way . but it is those that judge parish communion ( where there are godly ministers ) unlawful , that i am here to speak to . and their principal doubts are such as many good and sober persons need an answer to . quest . i. quest. 1. doth not the second commandment , and gods oft expressed jealousie in the matters of his worship , make it a sin to communicate in the ●●turgi● ? answ 1. the meaning of the second commandment ( mistaken by many ) is directly to forbid corporal or interpretative idolatry , and worshipping god by images , as if he were like ● creature : and scandalousl● symbolizing with the idolaters ▪ or worshippers of false gods ▪ by doing that which in outward appearance is the worshipping of a false god , though the mind be pretended to be kept free . now the worshipping of the true god in the words of the liturgie , hath none of this ; nor will any but a sinful c●nsurer think that it is the worshipping of a false god. nor is every use of the same places , words , or other things indifferent , a symbolizing with idolatry : but the saying those words , or the using those acts or ceremonies , by which their false religion in specie is notified , as by a tessera , or badge to the world . or using the symbols of their religion as differing from the true . even as the use of baptism , and the lords supper , the creed , and the constant use of our church-worship , are the symbols of the christian religion . so their sacraments , incense , sacrificings , and worshipping conventions , were the symbols of worshipping false gods ; which therefore christians may not use . but they that say , that all false worship of the true god is idolatry , add to gods word , and teach doctrines which are but the forgeries of their own brain . though more than idolatry be forbidden by consequence in the second commandment , that proveth it not to be idolatry , because it s there so forbidden . 2. i have after distinguished of false worship , and told you , that if by false , you mean forbidden , or not commanded , or sinful , we all worship god falsly in the manner every day , and in some part of the matter very oft . our disorders , confusion , tautologies , unfit expressions , are all forbidden , and so false worship : and if god prohibit any disorder which is in the liturgie , he prohibits the same in extemporate prayers ( in which some good christians are as failing as the liturgie ) and as the words of the liturgie are not commanded in the scripture , so neither are the words of our extemporate or studied sermons or prayers . 3. god hateth every sin in every prayer ; but he hateth the avoiding of prayer , and of due communion much more . he hateth every disorder in extemporate prayer ; and yet he more hateth that censoriousness and curiosity , which would draw men to forsake the substantials of worship , or christian love and communion on that pretence . gods jealousie in his worship is most about the heart , and next about the substantials of his own institutions , and of natural worship , and least about the phrase of speech and order , while it is not such , as is grosly dishonourable to the nature of god , and to the greater things . and though god under the law expressed his jealousie much about ceremonies , yet that was not for the ceremonies sake , but to controll gross irreverence and contempt of holy things ( as in the case of uzzah , the bethshemites , uzziah , aarons sons ) and to keep up an esteem of the holiness of god , and to restrain sacrilegious presumption . and under the gospel , it is neither this place of worship , nor that , neither this mountain , nor ierusalem , but spirit and truth that god most looks at . it is not whether you pray by a book , or without , by words fore-studied or not , by words of your own contriving , or of anothers , that god is now jealous of . for even when you want words , he accepteth the groans excited by his spirit , rom. 8. 26 , 27. if christians should plead gods jealousie about his worship ; as censoriously against thelr own prayers , as they do against other 〈◊〉 and churches in this case , they would turn prayer into the fuel of despair and torment . for god is so jealous of his worship , that he hateth all the sinful dulness , emptiness , wandrings , vain repetitions , confusions , unseemly expressions , of all your secret prayers , and all your family prayers . and yet i would advise you neither to think that god therefore hateth you , or the prayer it self , nor yet to fly from god and prayer , nor family worship , where it is no better done , gods jealousie , especially under the gospel , is to be minded for to drive us from our sloth and carelesness , to do the best we can , but not to drive us from him , or from prayer , or from one another . these are satans ends of minding men of gods jealousie , as he doth troubled souls to drive them to despair . and others may scruple joining with your weaknesses and faults in worship on pretence of gods jealousie , as well as you with theirs . what if twenty ministers be one abler than another , in their several degrees ( and the lowest of them doth weaklier than the liturgick forms . ) doth it follow , that only the ablest of all these may be joyned with , because that all the rest do worse ? it is granted that we must offer god the best , that we have or can do . but not the best which we cannot do ? and many things must concurr ( and especially a respect to the publick good ) to know which is the best . quest . ii. quest. 2. doth not the covenant make it now unlawful , to hold communion in the use of the liturgie ? answ. to hold communion in the liturgie ordinarily where we cannot lawfully have better , and extraordinarily where we can have better , is a thing that we are bound to by the covenant , and not at all bound against . for those of the independent way who think as mr. eaton writeth that the covenant bindeth not , i need not here say any thing as to their satisfaction . for others i say , 1. there is no word in all the covenant expresly against the liturgie . 2. if there had been any word in it against communion with the churches that use the liturgie , it had been sin , and against our duty , and therefore could not bind . 3. the judgement of protestants is , that vowes must not make us new duties of religion but bind us faster by a self obligation , to that which god binds us to without them . therefore ( though if we should vow an indifferent thing , it would bind , yet ) this could not be taken for the covenanters intention . 4. and it is commonly agreed , that if we vow a thing indifferent , it bindeth us not when the indifferency ceaseth : which may be by the magistrate● command , or by another mans necessity , or change of cases : else a man might before hand prev●●t most of the magistrates obligations , and his p●re●ts and masters too , and escape obedience ; and might say with the pharisees , it is corban , or a devoted thing . 5. it rem●●neth therefore that no man of us all hath need to go , or ought to go to the covenant to know what is his duty in the worship of god , but only to the scripture ; seeing if scripture make it no● a duty , the magistrates law will make the doing of it a sin ; and if scripture make it not a sin , the magistrates command will make it a duty . but when we know what is duty or sin ( in our case ) we may go to our vows next to prove that it is a double duty or a double or aggravated sin but no otherwise . therefore let the scripture only decide the first case , whether it be lawful or not . 6. the covenant or vow expresly bindeth us against schisme . but the renunciation of communion which i now dispute against , is plaine schisme ; therefore we are bound against it by that vow . 7. the covenant bindeth us against all that is contrary to the power of godliness , and found doctrine . but the separating which i plead against is certainly such . 8. the covenant bindeth us to unity and the nearest uniformity we can attain . but as the world goeth now , this communion is the nearest , and needful to express our unity . 9. the covenant bindeth us to reformation according to gods word , and the example of the best reformed churches : but to prefer no publick worship or a worse , before the liturgie , is deformation and prophaneness , and it is greater reformation to prefer the liturgie before none , than to prefer extemporate publick worship before the liturgie . and all the reformed churches in christendom , do commonly profess to hold communion with the english churches in the liturgie , if they come among us where it is used . therefore it seemeth to me to be perjury and covenant-breaking , either to prefer no publick worship before the liturgie , or to refuse occasional communion with the churches that use the liturgie , as a thing meerly on that account unlawful . quest . iii. quest. 3. whether the case be not much altered since the old non-conformists wrote against separation , then called brownisme ? and whether we have not greater light into these controversies than they ? answ. 1. the case of ministers conformity is much altered , by a new act which requireth subscribing new things , declaring assent and consent to all things prescribed and conteined in and by three books ; and by some other things . but that part of the liturgie which the people are to joyn in is made better , as is shewed before . and if we are returned to the same state that they were then in , we are under the same duties that they were under . and let it be remembred , that we never vowed that god should not bring us back to the same case ( which had been blasphemy ) and therefore it had been bad enough , if we had vowed not to do what was our duty in that state , if god should return us to it . 2. i earnestly intreat the doubting reader , that thinketh his duty and the churches peace , to be worth so much labour , but to read over some of the old non-conformists books against separation . and if you there find the very same objections answered ( or more and greater ) than judge your selves whether their case and ours was ( as to this cause ) the same . the books i would desire you to read are , mr. iacobs the independent against iohnson ; mr. bradshaws against iohnson , with mr. gatakers defence of it against canne : mr. gifford , mr. darrel , mr. paget , mr. hildersham , dr. ames , mr. cartwright , mr. brightman , and last of all and fulliest at the beginning of our troubles , mr. iohn ball in three books . but of this having spoken already , i shall repeat no more ; but only to profess my judgement , that our ordinary boasters that think they know more in this controversie than the old non-conformists did , as far as i am able to discern are as far below them almost , as they are below either chamier , sadeel , whitaker or such others in dealing with a papist . which of them can say that , about episcopacy , as gersom , bucer , didoclaue , blondell , salmasius have done ? and so of the rest . quest . iiii. quest. 4. is it not a shameful receding from our reformation , now to use an unreformed liturgie , and a pulling down of what we have been building . answ. 1. it is not fit here to enquire who it is that hath pulled down , and destroyed reformation : though it be easie to discern it . but this is certain , that god hath set up the government that is over us , and that our governours take down by their laws , that which we accounted reformation : this is not our worke , but theirs : and that they permit us not otherwise publickly to worship god. and that a man in goal doth ordinarily joyn in no publick worship at all . and where men do venture on other manner of worship in forbidden assemblies , the fears of some and the passionate discontent of others , and the disturbances by souldiers and officers , and such like , do take off much of the edification , and hinder us from such a frame of mind as is most agreeable to the work and day . and to worship god no where , is to go farther from reformation , than to worship him by the liturgie . 2. to do it of choice is one thing , and to do it as a duty put upon us by gods providence , and our governours , when we can do no better , is another thing . it is god that hath pulled down our liberty and opportunity to serve him otherwise : and we must obey him . it is no faulty mutability , to change our practice , when god by changing our condition doth change our duty : no more than it was in paul who to the jews became a jew , and circumcised timothy , and shaved his head for his vow &c. and became all things to all men : and no more than it was in augustine who professeth that he would worship god , as to formes and ceremonies , according as the church did with which he joyned where ever he came : nor no more than it is in a traveller or merchant to joyn , in several countries , in several fashions and ceremonies or rites of outward worship . quest . v. quest. 5. will it not strengthen and encourage the adversaries of reformation ? answ. 1. we must not make such carnal policies our guides , as to forbear that which god doth make our duty , for fear of encouraging other men . if we take this to be uncharitable factiousness in others , to desire rather all these distractions in the church , than that the non-conformists should be encouraged and strengthned by seeming to have justly desired a reformation , let us not be guilty of what we blame . 2. if you will believe themselves , it is the unwilling conformists that they are most in danger of , who profess that they conform of necessity , and desire a reformation ; as dr. william smith hath shewed in a book written to that end . the assembly of westminster that set up the presbytery were such conformists . 3. it is sinful pride and tenderness of their own honour , which maketh some men avoid their duty , and wrathfully grudge at them that speak for it , because those that are against them thence take occasion to insult over them or reproach them . if men do but say , you are now turncòats and time servers , and where is your reformation now , and you are now glad to do as we do , they think this reason enough why they should forbear that communion and worship which is their duty . are these beseeming self denying humble persons ? could they suffer death for their duty sake , that cannot bear a little reproach for it . object . if we knew it were our duty we would suffer for it . answ. but is it not this very suffering and reproach , and insulting of others , which maketh you think that it is not your duty ? and so carnal persons use to do . they will believe nothing to be their duty which they must suffer by . let gods honour be all to you , and your own be nothing , and you will not much stick at such things as these . quest . vi. quest. 6. but will not this course divide us among our selves ; while one goeth to the parish churches and another doth not ? answ. 1. mr. tombes did not stick at dividing the anabaptists when he wrote for parish communion . and mr. philip nye did not stick at the fear of dividing the independents , when he wrote a m. s. ( as i am credibly informed ) for the hearing of the parish preachers , ( though another wrote against it presently after ) . and if an ordinary attendance on their publick doctrine be lawful , this will go further than many think , to prove the rest of the communion lawful . 2. we are already so far divided in our judgements , as for one to hold it to be lawful , and another to be unlawful : and who can cure this division ? and why should it divide us more , if mens practice be according to their judgements , rather than for them to sin against their consciences ? 3. the great thing in which we differ from the prelatists yea and papists too is , that we would have our union laid only upon necessary things , and liberty and charity maintained in the rest . and shall we now contradict our selves , and say that things necessary are not sufficient for our union ? cannot we hold union among our selves , if some go to the publick assemblies , and some do not ? what is this but to have the imposing domineering spirit , which we speak so much against ? we cannot better confute the uncharitable dividing spirit of the world , than by shewing them , that we can hold love and union , notwithstanding as great differences as this , ( yea , and much greater . ) quest . vii . quest. 7. shall we not hereby countenance the prelates in church-tyranny and usurpation ? and invite them to go further , and to make more burdens of forms and ceremonies to lay upon the churches ? answ. without medling now with the question , what guilt it is that lyeth on any prelates in the points here mentioned , i answer , on your own supposition ; 1. that it is the king and his laws which we obey herein , and not the diocesans . 2. how openly and fully have we declared our utter dissent from the things which you suppose that we shall countenance them in ? our writings are yet visible : our conferences were notorious . and is not the loss of our ministry , and the loss of all ecclesiastical maintenance , and the pinching wants of many poor ministers , and their numerous families , and our suffering volumes of reproach , confinements , &c. a signification of our dissent ? the case is somewhat hard with abundance of godly faithful ministers ? few that never felt it themselves , can judge aright , what it is to want a house to dwell in , a bed to lye on , to have wives that are weak natured , to keep in yearly patience under all such necessities , which the husband can bear himself ; to have children crying in hunger and rags , and to have a landlord calling for his rent , and butchers , and brewers , and bakers , and drapers , and taylors , and shoo-makers calling for money , when there is none to pay them ( there being no fifth part of church-maintenance now allowed them ) : in the frost and snow to have no fire , nor money to but it ! and yet all this is little in comparison of their restraint from preaching the gospel of salvation ; and the displeasure of their governours against them if they preach . and is not all this yet an open signification of their dissent from the things which they so far deny complyance with ? if some of their accusers on both sides were but in the same condition , they would think it should go for a sufficient notification of dissent . 3. we perswade no man to any one sin , for communion with others , no not to save their lives . if the thing be proved unlawful to be used ( and not only unlawful to be so imposed ) we exhort all to avoid it . 4. yea , if an over numerous aggregation of things which singly are lawful , should make them become a snare and injury to the church ; we would have all in their places sufficiently signifie their dissent ; or if the number shall turn them into a sin in the users , we would have none to use them . though we would not have men censure or contemn one another ( much less destroy one another ) fo● a matter of meats , or dayes , or shadows ; yet if any will by false doctrine or imperiousness , say touch not , taste not , handle not , and will judge us in respect to meat , or drink , or holy dayes , or the new moon , or sabbaths , col. 2. 16. 21. we would have all men to bear a just testimony to the truth , and to their christian liberty . 5. but if the defects of publick worship be tolerable , and if providence , necessity and laws , concurr to call us to use them , ( when else we must use none , or do worse ) here communion doth become our duty : and a duty must not be cast off , for fear of seeming to countenance the faults of others . we have lawful means to signifie our dissent : it is not in our power to express it how we please , nor to go as far from the faulty as we can , to avoid the countenancing of their faults : but we must do gods work in his own way : and we must disown mens sins only by prudent lawful means , and not by any that are contrary to christian love and peace , or a breach of any law of god. 6. paul was not for countenancing any of the falsehoods and faults which he reproveth in any of the churches , especially partiality , sensuality , drunkenness at the very sacrament or love feasts , 1 cor. 11 , &c. and yet he never bids them forsake the communion of the church for it , till they shall reform . there were other wayes of testifying dislike . 7. i must not countenance an honest weak minister or master of a family , in the disorder or defects , or errors of his prayer or instructing ; and yet if they be tolerable errors or defects , i must not forsake either church or family-worship with him , that i may discountenance him . 8. there be errors on the contrary side , which are not without considerable danger ; which we are obliged also to take heed of countenancing . i will instance but in two ; one in doctrine , and the other in practice . 1. there are men otherwise very honest , and truly godly , and of holy and unblameable lives , who think that the scripture is intended by god , not only as a general , but a particular law or rule , for all the very circumstances of worship , ( yea , some say of the common business of our lives ) : and that the second commandment in particular condemneth all that is the product or invention of man in or about the worship of god ; and that to deny this is to deny the perfection of the scripture ; and that all written books , and printed , are images there forbidden ; and that all studied or prepared sermons , ( as to method or words , whether in notes or memory ) are forbidden images of preaching , and that all provided words or forms ( written , or in memory , of our own or other mens contrivance or composition ) are forbidden images of prayer ; and all prepared metre and tunes are forbidden images of praise or singing ; and that no man that useth any such preparation or form of words in preaching or prayer , doth preach or pray by the help of gods spirit : and that if parents do but teach a child a form of words to pray in , they teach him this forbidden imagery , yea , idolatry . i hope the number is but small that are of this opinion , and that it being commonly disowned by the non-conformists , no justice or modesty can charge it on them , but only on the few persons that are guilty of it . but yet i must say , that we are obliged to take heed of countenancing this error , as well as of countenancing church-usurpations . for 1. when a few men of eminent integrity are of this mind , it proveth to us that many more may be brought to it , and are in danger of it ; because meer piety and honesty is not enough to keep men from it : yea , when men otherwise eminent also for learning and great understanding are of that mind ( as they are ) poor , ignorant , unlearned persons , though very godly , are not out of the danger of it . 2. and if it prevail , what abundance of hurt will it do ? 1. you may read in the new ecclesiastical politician , how it will exasperate the minds of others , and give them matter of bitter reproach , and for the sake of a very few , how many that are blameless shall be aspersed with it ? and the cause of the non-conformists , yea , with many , the protestant , yea , and the christian religion , rendred contemptible and odious by it . 2. it draweth men into the dangerous guilt of adding to the word of god , under pretence of strict expounding it , and defending its perfection and extent . 3. by the same rule as they deal thus by one text ( as the second command ) they may do so by all : and if all or much of the scripture were but thus expounded , i leave it to the sober reader to consider , what a body of divinity it would make us , and what a religion we should have ? 4. it altereth the very definition of the holy scripture , and maketh it another thing : that which god made to be the record of his holy covenant , and the law and rule of faith and holiness , and the general law for outward modes and circumstances , which are but accidents of worship , is pretended by men to be a particular law , for that which it never particularly medleth with . 5. it sorely prepareth men for infidelity , and to deny the divine authority of the scripture , and utterly to undo all by overdoing . if satan could but once make men believe , that the scripture is a rule for those things that are not to be found in it at all , and which god never made it to be a rule for , he will next argue against it , as a delusory and imperfect thing . he will teach every artificer , to say , that which is an imperfect rule , is not of god. but the scripture is an imperfect rule . for saith , the watch-maker , i cannot learn to make a watch by it ; saith the scrivener , i cannot make a legal bond or indentures by it ; saith the carpenter , i cannot build a house by it ; saith the physician , i cannot sufficiently know or cure diseases by it ; saith the mathematician , astronomer , geographer , musician , arithmetician , the grammarian , logician , natural philosopher , &c. it is no perfect particular rule of our arts or sciences : the divine will say , it tells me not sufficiently and particularly what books in it self are canonical , nor what various readings are the right , nor whether every text be brought to us uncorrupted , nor whether it be to be divided into chapters and verses , and into how many : nor what metre or tune i must sing a psalm in , nor what persons shall be pastors of the churches , nor what text i shall choose next , nor what words i shall use in my next sermon or prayer , with abundance such like : only in general , both nature and scripture say , let all things be done in order and to edification , &c. spiritually , purely , believingly , wisely , zealously , constantly , &c. he that believeth it to be given as such a particular rule , and then findeth that it is silent or utterly insufficient to that use , is like next to cast it away as a delusion , and turn an infidel , or anti-scripturist . 6. this mistake tendeth to cast all rational worship out of the church and world ; by deterring men from inventing or studying how to do gods work aright . for if all that man inventeth or deviseth be a forbidden image , than we must not invent or find out by study , the true meaning of a text , the true method of praying or preaching , according to the various subjects : nay , we must not study what to say , till we are speaking , nor what time , place , gesture , words to use ; no nor the very english tongue that we must pray and preach in , whereas the scripture it self-requireth us , to meditate day and night , to study to shew our selves workmen that need not be ashamed : to search and dig for knowledge , &c. do they not err that devise evil ? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good : prov. 14. 22. i wisdom dwell , with prudence ( or subtilty ) and find out knowledge of witty inventions , prov. 8. 12. the preacher sought to find out acceptable words , eccles. 12. 10. banish study , and you banish knowledge and religion from the world : the spirit moveth us to search and study , and thereby teacheth us what to judge , and say , and do ; and doth not move us , as i play on an instrument , that knoweth not what it doth . 7. this opinion will bring in all confusion instead of pure reasonable worship : while every man is left to find that in the scripture which never was there , and that as the only rule of his actions , one will think that he findeth one thing there , and another another thing . for it must be reality and verity , which must be the term of unity : men cannot agree in that which is not . 8. yea , it will let in impiety and error ; for when men are sent to seek and find that which is not there , every man will think that he findeth that , which his own corrupted mind brings thither . 9. and hereby all possibility of union among christians and churches must perish , till this opinion perish : for if we must unite only in that which is not in being , we must not unite at all . if we must all in singing psalms , agree in no metre or tune in the church but one that scripture hath prescribed us , we shall sing with lamentable discord . 10. and hereby is laid a snare to tempt men into odious censures of each other : because studied sermons , printed books , catechisms and forms of prayer , are images and idolatry , in these mens conceits , all gods churches in the world must be censured as idolatrous . and almost all his ministers in the world must be accounted idolaters ; children must account their parents idolaters , and disobey them that would teach them a catechism , psalm or form of prayer . our libraries must be burnt or cast away as images ; and when ministers are diminished , and accounted idolaters , if satan could next but perswade people against all the holy books of the ministers of christ ( such as boltons , prestons , &c. ) as images and idols , had he not plaid a more succesful game , then he did by iulian , and doth by the turks , who keep the christians but from humane learning ? 11. hereby christian love will be quenched , when every man must account his brother an idolater , that cannot shew a scripture , for the hour , the place of worship , the bells , the hour-glasses , the pulpit , the utensils , &c. or that studieth what to say before he pray or preach ? 12. and hereby backbiting , slandering and railing must go currant as no sin , while every calvin , cartwright , hildersham , perkins , sibbs , &c. that used a form of prayer , yea , almost all the christians in the world , must be accused of idolatry , as if it were a true and righteous charge . 13. and all our sins will be fathered on god , as if the second commandment and the scripture perfection did require all this , and taught children to disobey their parents and masters , and say your prayers and catechisms are images and idols , &c 14. it will rack and perplex the consciences of all christians ; when i must take my self for an idolater , till i can find a particular law in scripture , for every tune , metre , translation , method , word , vesture , gesture , utensil , &c. that i use in the worshipping of god : when conscience must build only in the air , and rest only on a word which never was . 15. it will have a confounding influence into all the affairs and business of our lives . 16. lastly , it will affright poor people from scripture and religion , and make us , our doctrine and worship , ridiculous in the ●ight of all the world . the doctrine ( which we hear maintained ) which hath no better fruits than these , must be avoided , as well as the contrary extream , which would indeed charge the law of god with imperfection , and cause man to usurp the part of christ. and we must first know , how far god made the scripture for our rule ? and then we must maintain its sufficiency and perfection . ii. also on that extream , we must do nothing to countenance those practices which tend to alienate christians hearts from one another , and to keep up church-wars , or to feed bitter censures , scorns and reproaches . and we that must not scandalize the religious sort , must avoid all that thus tempteth them , which is the real scandal . but of this i have said enough in the book which i am now defending . part ii. an answer to the untrue and unjust exceptions of the antidote against my treatise for love and unity . dear brother ( for so i will call you , whether you will or not ) , the chief trouble that i am put to in answering your exceptions ( next to that of my grief for the churches and your self , by reason of such diagnosticks of your malady ) is the naming of your manifold untruths in matter of fact . it is , it seems , no fault in your eyes to commit them ; but i fear you will account it unpardonable bitterness in me to tell you that you have committed them . if i call them mistakes , the reader will not know by that name , whether it be mistakes in point of fact or of reason : and lies i will not call them , because it is a provoking word : therefore untruths must be the middle title . except . i. page 1. t●e whole d●s●●n of this book being ●● make such as at this day are carefull to k●●● themselves pure from al● defilements in false worship . odi●us , it may well be affirmed i● was neither seasonable n●r h●nest — answ. that 's the fundamental untruth which animateth all the r●●● when 〈◊〉 had got a false apprehension of the design of the book , you seem to expound the particular passages by that key . that which you call , the whole design , is not any part of the design , but is expresly and vehemently oft disclaimed and protested against in the book . and whoever readeth it without a partial mind , will presently s●● that the whole design of the book is to deliver weak christians from such mistakes and sins , as destroy their love to other christians , and cause the divisions among the churches . 2. false worship is a word of various sens●● : either it signifieth , 1. idolatry , in worshipping a false god. 2. or the idolatrous worshipping of images , as representations of the true god. 3. or worshipping god by doctrines and prayers that consist o● falshoods . 4. or devising worship-ordinances , and falsly saying they are the ordinances of god. 5. or making god a worship which he forbiddeth , in the sub●●an●e , and will not accept . 6. or worshipping god in an inward sinful manner , through false principles and ends as hypocrites do . 7. or in a sinful outward manner , through disorder , defectiveness , and unhandsome or unfit expre●●ions . o● these , i suppose you will not charge the churches you separate from , as guilty of the first , second , fourth , or sixth , ▪ which is out of the reach of humane judgment ▪ for i suppose you to be sober . as for the third , through gods great mercie , the doctrine of england is so ●ound , that the independants and presbyterians have still offered to subscribe to it in the 39 articles : according to which ( if there were any doubtfulness in ) the phrases of their prayers , ▪ they ▪ are to be interpreted . for the fifth , if you accuse them of it , you must prove it ; which is not yet done ( supposing that you take not government for worship● ; nor can you do it . so that it must lie only on the seventh . and for that ( if you will take the word ▪ false-worship ] in that sense ) do not you also worship god falsly when you worship him sinfully ? and are not your disorders and unmeet expressions sins , as well as theirs ? alas , how oft have i joyned in prayer with honest men that have spoken confusedly , unhandsomly , and many waies more unaptly and disorderly than the common prayer is ? how oft have i heard good old mr. simeon ash say , that he hath heard many ministers pray so unfitly , that he could heartily have wished that they had rather used the common prayer ? when did any one of us pray without sin ? how ordinarily do anabaptists , antinomians , arminians , separatists , &c. put their opinions into their prayers , and so make them false prayers , and so false worship ? nay , could you lay by partiality , and kn●w your self ( a very hard thing ) you would presently see that you who wrote these exceptions , are liker to worship god falsly than they that do it by the liturgie , that is , in the third sense : because the doctrine of the prayers in the liturgie is sound ▪ but if you account this script of yours to be worship ( and why not writing as well as preaching ) or if you put the same things into your worship , which you put into your writings , ( as is very usual with others ) then it is false worship indeed , as consisting of too many falshoods . if you pray to god to encline men against all that communion which you write against , or lament such communion as a sin , this is falser worship than any is in the liturgick prayers . and if you will call all those modes of worship false , which god in scripture hath not commanded , what a false worshipper are you , that use a translation of scripture , a version and tunes of psalms , a dividing the scripture into chapters and verses , yea the method and words of every sermon and prayer , or most , and abundance such like which god commanded not ? god never bid you use the words of prayer in the liturgie ; nor did he ever bid you use those which you used last without it . o brother , if you knew your self , and judged impartially , you would see , that whatever you say against mens communicating with other mens tolerable failings , as false worship , may be as stronglie urged for avoiding communion in disordered prayers that are without book ▪ and much more in the prayers of honest erroneous separatists , anabaptists , antinomians , &c. which yet for my part i will not so easily avoid . i confess if my judgment were not more than yours against dividing from each other in the general , i should be one that should be as forward to disclaim communion with many zealous parties ( now received by you ) and that as false worshippers , as you are to disclaim communion with others . i am sure you worship god falsly , that is , sinfully , every time that you worship him . 3. but , seeing my book disswadeth you equally from unjust avoiding communion with all sound and sober christians ; i ask you , whether all these several parties are false worshippers , save you alone ? did not the presbyterians and independants agree in worship , when you gathered churches out of their churches , and when thousands separated from all the parish churches almost then existent ? indeed the anabaptists charged us also with false worship , but it was not truly . but the ordinary divider● had not that pretense . 4. o how easie a thing is it , brother , for a man , without any supernatural grace , to reproach another mans words in worship , and then to abhor it and avoid it , and think ▪ i am one that keep my self pure from false worship ! but to keep our selves pure from pride , censoriousness , uncharitableness , contention , evil speaking , and sensual vices , is a harder work . others can as easily ( without mortification or humilitie ) keep themselves pure from your false worship as you can do from theirs . except . ib. since the crying sin this day is not separation , but unjust and violent persecution , ( ½ ) which mr. baxter speak●eth very little against . answ. 1. a las , dear brother , that after so many years silencing and affliction , after flames and plagues , and dreadful judgments , after twenty years practice of the sin it self , and when we are buried in the very ruines which it caused , we should not yet know that our own uncharitable divisions , alienations , and separations , are a crying sin ? yea the crying sin ; 〈◊〉 well as the uncharitableness and hurtfulness of others ? alas , will god leave us also , even us to the obdurateness of pharaoh ? doth not judgment begin with us ? is there not crying sin with us ? what have we done to christs kingdome , to this kingdoms ▪ to our friends ( dead and alive ) to our selves , and ( alas ) to our enemies , by our divisions ? and do we not feel it ? do we not know it ? is it yet to us , even to us , a crime intolerable to call us to repentance ? wo to us ! into what hard-heartedness have we sinned our selves ! yea that we should continue in the sin , and passionately defend it ! when will god give us repentance unto life ? 2. and whither doth your passion carry you , when you wrote so strange an untruth as this , that i [ speak very little against it ● ▪ was it possible for you to read the book , and gather exceptions , and yet to believe your self in this ? doth not the book speak against church-tyranny ▪ unjust impositions , violence , and taking away mens liberty and rigor with dissenters , from end to end ? if any man that readeth but the preface ( as page 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. ) and all the second part ( besides much more ) can possibly believe you , i will never undertake to hinder him from believing any thing . 3. but suppose i had said little against it , will you charge me with negatives or omissions before you know my reasons ? or would you have no better people hear of their sin and duty , till persecutors will endure to hear of theirs . exod. 6. 12. behold the children of israel have not hearkened unto me : how then shall , & c. ● saith moses ? have most or many of the separation said more against severities than i have done ? 4. but could you possibly be ignorant that a license is not to be expected for such a discourse as you seem here to expect . you deal by me as the late perswasive to conformity , that vehemently calls to me to publish my reasons for nonconformity , while he knew my hands were tied by the laws and licensers . 5. but what if i had not in this book spoken much against persecution , is it not enough that i have done it in others ? i have not here written on many subjects which in other volumes i have written of . and why should i ? if i had , would you not have blamed me for writing one thing so oft ? but you most unhappily chose this instance for your quarrel , i think in the judgment of all the land , that have read my writings ? besides my five disputations of church government , how oft have i written against persecution ? the few publick sermons that ever i preached , had somewhat against it . read our papers to the bishops in 1660. especially the reply to their exceptions , and the petition for peace . enquire again of the long provoking conference at the savoy , and the reason of the following indignation against me , and afterwards read this book again ; and then i modestly chalenge you 1 , to name those men in england , especially of the separatists , that have said and done more against that severity which you call persecution , than i have done . 2. to name me one licensed book since the silencing of the ministers , and since the printing act , that hath said so much against severity and persecution as the book which you quarrel with hath done . except . ii. mr. b. mentioneth with much bitterness what was formerly done in the time of the war ; which is in him a most unbecoming practice ; because first , mr. b. was as guilty of stirring up and fomenting that war as any one whatsoever : and none ought to blame the effect , who gave rise and encouragement to the cause . answ. 1. if you mean that my words taste bitterly to you , i cannot deny it : you know best : but for my part , any reader may see in the book which the preface referreth to , that i only lament our too open undeniable uncharitableness and divisions , and the effects thereof , and use the mention of some mens former faults with whom they and i can hold communion , to prove by way of argument that they ought not to avoid communion with others for the like or less . and i know not how to convince men well , if i must pass by all such experimental arguments . 2. do you not mark your partialitie , brother ! in our reply to them 1660. pag. 7 , 8. et alibi , and in my 5 disput. &c. i tell the bishops of faults past , of silencings , and suspendings , &c. of the excellent ministers afflicted and laid by ; and how ordinarily are they told of the things charged on bishop laud , pierce , wren , &c. in their articles to the parliament : and when did you blame me or others for so doing ? can i believe that this offendeth you ? and is it sin to tell your selves of your former sins , and none to tell the bishops of it ? o that we could know what spirit we are of . 3. your third untruth in point of fact , is , [ that i was as guilty of stirring up and fomenting that war as any one whatsoever . ] could you possibly believe your self in this ? 1. i suppose you never saw me till above ten years after i had done with wars . 2. i suppose you lived far from me . 3. if you know whom , and what you speak of , you know that i was never of the assembly ; i never preached to the parliament , till the day before the king was voted home : i was forced from home to coventry : there it was that i did speak my opinion , but refused their commission as chaplain to the garrison . in shropshire my father was twice imprisoned , that never did any thing against the king ; nor medled with wars : for two months i did something there to little purpose , and once got my father out of prison , by causing another to be seized to redeem him ; but i never took commission , office , or pay all that time . i never entred into the army till after nas●by fight , and openly declared i went thither for this purpose , to discharge my conscience in dissw●●ing the souldiers from the overturning of the government , and to have turned them from the purpose which i perceived among them , of doing what afterwards they did . if you and others that know not what they talk of , will but ask dr. brian , dr. grew , mr. king , or others , whom assembled , i twice consulted about it , or any survivers of the coventry committee , what business i went on into the army , you will change your mind . and did [ no man whatsoever do more than this . ] what not the parliament themselves ? not any of the chief speakers there ? not any of their acquaintance . what , not any of the other party neither ? not any of the armies , neither of the earl of essex nor of cromwel himself ? how then came the armies on both sides to be raised , and proceed so far in wars , before ever i saw one man of them , to my remembrance , or any parliament man or souldier had ever spake with me , or saw me , or ever had a line of writing from me ? why do you find none of my parliament sermons in print ? 4. but , if indeed i was as guilty as you mention , why is it in me a most unbecoming practice , to blame that which you think i did occasion ? is this good divinity , that it is unbecoming a minister to mention heinous sin with bitterness which we have bin guilty of ? how then shall we repent ? or is repentance an unbecoming thing ? i hope the act of oblivion was not made to frustrate gods act of oblivion , which giveth pardon to the penitent ? doth it forbid us to repent of sin , or to perswade our brethren to repent ? where sin is hated , repentance will not be hated : and if sin were as bitter as it must be , reproof would not be bitter . 5. do you think that you preach sound doctrine , when you say that [ none ought to blame the effects who gave rise and encouragement to the cause . ] if this doctrine be part of gods worship which you offer him , who should be avoided as a false worshipper , that is , a false teacher , sooner than your self ! what a scandal is it to the world , and dishonour to your self , that such doctrine should be found thus under your hand , deliberately delivered ? if this be true , then he that first encouraged the war on either side , must not blame any of the murders , robberies or other villanies therein committed ? then he that hired the french man to set london on fire , must not blame the burning of it . then a man ought not to blame any sin which ever he was a cause of ! then when a man hath once sinned he must despair , and never must repent nor blame his crime . if you had found such doctrine as this in the common prayer book , you would have had a fowler charge against it than now you have , as to doctrinals . which i mention but to shew you , that if we must run away from one another for every thing that is unsound , we shall never have done , and others must avoid you as much as you do them . 6. but your deceit in the word [ that war ] hath a transparent covering . which war is it that you mean ? do you think all that is done in one land , or one age , or by one army , is one war ? where there are several causes , ( especially if also several parties , ) sure they are several wars . the first war was made under the earl of essex , when the commissions run [ for the king and parliament ] . the second war begun under fairfax and cromwell , when [ for the king ] was left out of the commissions . another war was by cromwell against the londoners and parliament , when he garbelled them ( though it came not to blows ) . another war was against the scots army and the english that rose for the kings deliverance . another was in ireland : another in scotland : another between cromwel and the levellers . and many others there were afterwards under several usurping powers ; and do you call all these one ? or which of them do you mean ? 7. i suppose you grosly call the meer consequents , the effects . sure that which was the effect of a later war , might be but the consequent of a former . or else you must say that the parliament raised war against themselves , to pull down themselves , and set up a protector ? this was the consequent of their first war ; but whether the effect i leave to logicians to determine . but by this you may see that you again preach false doctrine . the king may give rise and encouragement to a war , and yet may lawfully blame such consequents as you call effects : what if the kings own army should plunder and murder , and blaspheme and depopulate ; yea , or depose or hurt , or any way injure the king himself ? shall a man that separateth from the liturgie as false worship come and tell us , that the king ought not to blame any of this because he gave rise and encouragement to the war : extremities and passion do thus unhappily use to blind men . 8. but seriously , brother , i beseech you let us review the effects you mention or respect . is it possible for any sober christian in the world to take them to be blameless , or to be little sins . what! both the violating the person and life of the king. and the change of the fundamental government or constitution . and an armies force upon the parliament which they promised obedience to ? first upon eleven members ; next upon the greater part of the house ; and lastly upon the remainder ? the taking down the house of lords ; the setting up a parliament without the peoples choice or consent . the invading and conquering scotland : the making their general protector . the making an instrument of government themselves , without the people . the setting up their second protector . the forcing him to dissolve the parliament . the pulling him down , whom themselves had lately set up . the setting up the remnant of the commons again : the pulling them presently down again : the placing the supremacy in a council of themselves , and their adherents . was all this lawful ? and to do all this as for god , with dreadful appeals to him ? dare you or any man , not blinded and hardened , justifie all this ? if none of all this was rebellion or treason , or murder , is there any such crime , think you , possible to be committed ? are papists insulting over us in our shame ? are thousands hardened by these and such like dealings into a scorn of all religion ? are our rulers by all this exasperated to the severities which we feel ? are ministers silenced by the occasion of it , about eighteen hundred at once , ( even many hundreds that never were in any wars , and such as consented not to this at all . ) are we made by it the by-word and hissing of the nations , and the shame and pitty of all our friends ? and yet is all this to be justified , or silenced ? and name of it at all to be openly repented of ? i openly profess to you , that i believe till this be done , we are never like to be healed and restored ; and that it is heinous gross impenitence , that keepeth ministers and people under their distress : and i take it for the sad prognostick of our future woe , and ( at best ) our lengthened affliction , to read such writings against repentance , and to hear so little open profession of repentance , even for unquestionable heinous crimes ; for the saving of those that are undone by these scandals , and for the reparation of the honour of religion , which is most notoriously injured . to see men still think , that their repentance is the dishonour of their party and cause , whose honour can no other way be repaired ! to see men so blind , as to think that the silencing of these things will hide them , as if they were not known to the world ! that man or party that will justifie all these heinous crimes , and still plead conscience or religion for them , doth grievous injury to conscience and religion : i have told you truly in the book which is bitter to you , that gods way of vindicating the honour of religion , is for us by open free confession , to take all the shame to our selves , that it be not injuriously cast upon religion . and the devils way of preserving the honour of the godly , is by justifying their sins , and pleading religion for them , that so religiousness it self may be taken to be hypocrisie and wickedness ; as maintaining and befriending wickedness . for my own part i thought when i wasted my strength , and hazarded my life in the army against these fore-named crimes , and afterwards preached and wrote against them so openly , and so many years , that i had not been so much guilty of them as you here affirm . but if i was , i do openly confess that , if i lay in sackcloth and in tears , and did lament my sins before the world , & beg pardon both of god and man , and intreat all men not to impute it to religion , but to me , and to take warning by my fall , which had done such unspeakable wrong to christ and men , i should do no more than the plain light of nature assureth me to be my great and needful duty . except . ii. ib. there is daily much greater prophaneness , and the consequent of prophaneness , immorality , acted by those ( 4 ) whom yet mr. baxter never mentioneth but with honour ; as if no sins or miscarriages were to be blamed but theirs , who are unable to defend themselves . answ. 1. if this were true , i were much too blame , it being the very usage of others against my self , which i have great reason to complain of . 2. but if it was possible for you to believe your own words , that i never mention them but with honour , i shall think that there are few things that you may not possibly believe . reader , if thou peruse the book , and yet believe this author , i am not capable of satisfying thee in this , nor will i undertake it in any thing else . are these terms of honour pref. p. 18. [ how long lord must thy church and cause be in the hands of unexperienced furious fools ▪ &c. ] do i honour them when i so much display their sin ? and when in the scheme in the conclusion i describe it ? and when i tell you of many of such ministers , and that it is a duty to separate from them , or disown them . and when in the history of martin , i tell you how neer it i am my self , as to such as martin separated from ? and when i cite gildas , calling such no ministers , but enemies and traytors , &c. were you not very rash in this ? 3. but what if in this book i write neither against the prophane , nor the iews , nor the mahometans ? is it nothing that i have written the greater part of above fifty books besides against them . 4. what if there be prophaneness to be reproved ; doth it sollow that we must not be reproved also ? must we not repent , because they must repent ? 5. o how hard is it to please all men ▪ what man in eagland hath been less suspected to be a flatterer of such as he moaneth than my self ? or more accused of the contrary that hath any reputation of ministerial sobriety ? ask the bishops that conferred with us at the savoy , 1660 ? ask your self that read our reply then ? ask any that ever did converse with me ; whether ever i was suspected of flattery , or dawbing with men sins ? 6. but seeing you so far honour me , as to vindicate me from other mens accusations , i shall confess that it is my judgement , both that we should honour all men , 1 pet. 2. 17. especially our superiors ; and also that in our eyes a vile person should be contemned , while we honour them that fear the lord , psal. 15. 4. except . iii. he alloweth himself a great and masterly liberty , to call his brethren fierce , self-conceited dividers , feaverish persons , &c. answ. if there be none such , or but a few , i will joyfully confess my error ; but if all ages of the church have had such , and if this kingdom have been so troubled by such , as all men know ; and if they yet live in this sin to their own trouble and ours , why should it be contrary to meekness to mention it ? should i hate my brother , in suffering sin to lie upon him . every paragraph almost inviteth me to remember christs words to the two fierie disciples , and to say , o how hard is it to know what manner of spirit we are of . tell me reader , whether this be not true ? that if i had called the bishops sacrilegious silencers of a faithful ministry , murderers of many hundred thousand souls , perjurious , proud , tyrannical , covetous , formal hypocrites , malignant haters of good men , &c. i might not very easily have come off with many of these angry brethren , without any blame for want of meekness ? nay , whether they would not have liked it as my zeal ? when as such a gentle touch upon themselves , doth intollerably hurt them . is there not gross partialitie in this . note also that these brethren that plead for libertie do call it a masterly libertie in me , thus to name their faults . and do you think that they would not have silenced my book , if it had been in their power ? note then whether the silencing imperious spirit , be not common to both extreams . except . ib. he useth the same frothy and unsavoury words , that others prophane prayer and the name of god by , and which at the best , is that foolish talking or jesting which we are commanded not so much as to mention , eph. 5. 3 , 4. answ. the words are [ i am only perswading all dissenters to love one another , and to forbear but all that is contrary to love : and if such an exhortation and advice seem injurious or intolerable to you , the lord have mercy on your souls . ] is the matter of this prayer unlawful ? or can he prove that i spake it jestingly , when i took it to be the serious prayer of my grieved heart ? or may we use no words ( as lord have mercy on us , &c. ) which others use unreverently ? or is it true doctrine , that this is the foolish talk and jesting forbidden , eph. 5 ? what proof is there here of any one word of all this ? except . iv. p. 2. he doth very often and needlesly insist on many things that may tend to advance his own reputation . ▪ the instances are added . answ. 1. i confess , brother , i am a great sinner , and have more faults than you have yet found out . but i pray you note , that all this still is nothing to our controversie , whether we should advise men against church divisions as contrary to love. 2. if a humble physitian may put a probatum to his receipt , and say i have much experience of this or that ; i pray you why may not a humble minister tell england , that i ( and you ) have had experience of the hurt of divisions , and of the healing uniting power of love ? did all the independent church-members whose experiences are printed in a book , take experience to be a word of pride . 3. and is it pride to thank the world for their civilities to me , in mixing comm●ndations , which i disown , with their censures ? what! to confess the remnants of their moderation ( notorious in matter of fact , the truth of which you durst not deny ) in the midst of their many false censures and calumnies . 4. or to tell you how unable i have ●ound back-biters , to prove their accusations in doctrinals to my face ? 5. or to tell you , that some ( even independents ) perswaded me , when i was silenced to write sermons for some of the weaker conformists ( such as are too many youths from the university ) to preach ? where lieth the pride of these expressions ? is it in supposing that there are any conformists weaker than my self ? whether , think you , this brother or i , think meanlier of them ? or set our selves at the greater distance from them ? 6. when i plead against charging forms with [ idolatry ] i say , that for my self [ it is twenty times harder to me to remember a form of words , than to express what is in my mind without them . ] if this be not true , why did you not question the truth of it ? if it be , why is it pride to utter it , as a proof that i plead for love , and not for my own interest ? is it pride to confess so openly the weakness of my memory ? i never learnt a sermon without book in my life : i think i could not learn an hours speech , sufficiently to utter the very words by memory in a fortnights time . and is it pride for a man to say that he can easier speak what is in his mind ? truly brother , i was so far from intending it as a boast , that i meant it as a dimin●tion of the over-valued honour of present extemporary expression , and to tell you , that i take it to be so far from proving that your prayers only are accepted of god , before a form , as signifying more grace , that i take it to be an easier thing for an accustomed man that hath not a diseased hesitancy to speak extempore what is in his mind , than to learn a form without book ; and that they tha● do this , do serve god with as much labour and cost as you do ? do i boast , or do i not speak the common case of most ministers , when i truly say , that when i take most pains for a sermon , i write every word : when i take a little pains i write the heads ; but when business hindereth me from taking any pains , i do neither , but speak what is in my mind ; which i suppose others as well as i , could do all the day and week together , if weariness did not interrupt them . i seek by these words but to abate their pride that think themselves spiritual , because they can pray or preach without book ; like some now neer me , that account it formality and a sign that a preacher speaketh not by the spirit , if he use notes , or preach upon a text of scripture ; but admire one neer them that cries d●wn such , and useth neither . 7. is it pride to say that [ th●se darker persons whom i have been ●ain to rebuke for their over-valuing me and my understanding , would yet as stiffly defend their most groundless opinions against me when i crost them , as if they thought i had no understanding . ] if you do think that you cannot be over-valued , or are not , so do not i. and i thought my rebuking men for it , had been no sign of pride . and , brother , i am confident , if you your self did not believe that my understanding , and consequently my writings are over-valued , you would never have written this book , especially in such a stile against me : yea , in the end you profess this to be your design , to undeceive those that had a good opinion of me . if those on the other side had not thought the same , my late auditors at kederminster had never had so many sermons , and that by persons so high , nor would so many books have been written to the same end even to cure the people of this dangerous vice , of over-valuing me . the matter of fact being so publick , invalidateth your exception . 8. the last expression of my pride is , that i give this testimony even to christians inclined to divisions , that if they think a man speaketh not to the depressing of true and serious religion , they can bear that from him , which they cannot bear from one that they think hath a malignant end : and that on this account in my sharpest reproofs my own auditors have still been patient with me . enquire whether this be true or not ? whether i have not preached twenty times more against divisions , to a people that never once quarrelled with it , than i have written against it in the book with which you so much quarrel . and is this probatum given against malignity a word of pride too ? you proceed in your charge that [ i have great thoughts of my self , and have learned little of christian or moral ingenuity , and am unfit to be a teacher of it to others . answ. 1. do you not yet perceive that you also have a silencing spirit ? when you and those that you separate from are agreed , that we are unfit to be teachers , because we gainsay you , why do you pretend so great a distance , even in the point of imperious severity . 2. o how hard is it still to know our selves , and what manner of spirit we are of . is it pride in me to think that i am righter than you or to express it ? why , brother , do not you think as confidently that you are righter than i ? and do you not as confidently utter it ? i differ no further from you , than you do from me : and why is it not as much sign of pride in you , to think you know more than i , as in me to think that i know more ( in this ) than you ? the truth is , pride is not a true valuing , but an over-valuing our selves , and our own understandings . if either you or i be in the right , and both think our selves confidently to be so , he is the proud person which ever he be , that is in the wrong ; for it is he that over-valueth his own understanding . here therefore the evidence must decide the case . except . v. p. 3. answered . your 5th ▪ exception implieth more untruths : the first is , that i did not consider that fault of the imposers , which i have written in that very book so much against , and elsewhere ; and before , said more against than any man that i know in england , this was not considerately spoken . the second is , that all or most of those that you separate from , made tearing engines and dividing impositions . if this be not implied you speak not to the point . but you may easily know that in all the parish-churches of england , there is not one man or woman , no not one minister of very many that ever made or imposed such engines . the third implied untruth is , that i plead either for subscribing assent , or for such communion as cannot be had , without subscribing assent , to what you know is sinful ; when you may joyn as far as i desire you , without subscribing any assent at all . except . vi. answered . 1. as to the sense of 2 cor. 6. 14 , 15 , 16. and rev. 18. 6. you confess that the texts do directly and properly concern only infidels and idolaters there mentioned . 2. you say it belongs to others that are guilty of the same crimes , under the name of christians , proportionally . answ. very true ; if it be not a contradiction ! if any called christians be notorious infidels and idolaters , they are not christians , and so not fit for christian communion . but from the societies of such we must flie our selves : but not from the societies of christians , alwaies , when some such shall intrude . 3. you say [ we are commanded strictly to separate from every one that is called a brother , if he be covetous , or a railer , &c. answ. the church , and not a private man , must exclude such a one from church-communion . and you your self must exclude him from your private familiarity ; but you are not commanded to separate from the church , if they exclude him not . i am not bound to separate from the church where you are , for this book which you have written , though i could prove it railing . how few separated churches know you on earth , that have no covetous person or railer ? or at least , where the people hold it their dutie to separate from their own church , if any covetous person or railer be there ? 4. you add [ that if notwithstanding all admonition any church will still retain them , we are not to own such a church as a spouse of christ , and therefore must come out of it , &c. answ. 1. i have in that book proved the contrarie by abundant scripture instances ; and in the next exception you your self confess the primitive corruptions , and lay the stress of your separation only on imposed conditions of communion . 2. you give us no proof of this naked assertion . if a scolding woman or a covetous professor be reteined in a church otherwise pure , you are not therefore bound to separate , much less to take it for no church : for that is a true church which hath the true essentials of a church : but so may one that reteineth a covetous man or a scold . ergo — by your rule , you must separate not only from parish churches , but from most of the separated churches that ever i was acquainted with . i find no particular church called a spouse of christ , but the universal only : as a corporation is not a kingdome , but a part of a kingdome . 5. above twenty arguments in my book for infant baptism , shew that you did not truly say , that [ the best argument that all learned men have ever defended it by , is the proportion it hath to circumcision . except . vii . answered . you say that i impertinently recite the corruptions of the scripture churches , to prove that we are not to separate , &c. your reason is [ because many errors in doctrine and life were formerly admitted , yet none of them were imposed as conditions of communion . answ. do you not see that here you seem to deny what you said so confidently in the last exception ? there you say , we must come out , if they will receive such for members after all admonition , and retein them . here you seem plainlie to yield that up , and to lay all on imposed conditions of communion , as if else you could communicate with churches so corrupt . you can bear your own contradiction better than mine . 2. what is imposed on you as a condition to your communion in the doctrine and prayers of the parish churches , but your actual communion it self ? if you will say , that their bad minister , and their imperfect form , is imposed as a condition , because you must be present ; so they may say , that you also impose your imperfect manner and expressions on them , as conditions of their communion in your churches : and thus you are all imposers . except . viii . answered . first you say i said that i [ met with many conscientious professors , &c. that 's your fifth untruth : i said no such thing , but only [ many censorious professors . ] 2. you say , it is hardly possible to believe it . but that is possible to men that use to be more careful of speaking truth themselves , and that are acquainted with the people of england , by such means as conference , which is hardly possible to others . 3. you ask [ ought not such things to be concealed . ] and you abuse scripture to confirm it . but , 1. are you not here partial ? is it your judgement that we should conceal the faults or ignorance , or errors of the bishops , conformists , and parish members ? or be they not commonly multiplied and aggravated ? and yet , must the separatists ignorance and error be concealed . 2. do you desire their repentance and humiliation whose faults you would have concealed ? and do you imitate nehemiah and others of gods servants , that use to confess the sins of all ranks and sorts of men ? 3. do you use in publick humiliations to confess this ignorance of professors or not ? if not , what a kind of humiliation do you make ? if you do , do not you publickly reveal this secret . 4. how grosly are you unacquainted with england that take this for a secret , or for hardly to be believed , when we have congregations and multitudes of such , and the land * and world ringeth of them . 5. do you not thus harden them that charge us with factiousness , when you shew your self so solicitous for the concealment of the ignorance of your party , while you have no such care for others ? 4. but it is your sixth untruth in point of fact , when you say ( with scorn ) [ are not we commanded not to reveal the secret of another , which pious and prudent mr. baxter hath not scrupled to sin against , &c. prov. 25. 9. ] as you abuse the text , which speaketh of an individual person , who is supposed to be hereby injured , because known , so you speak untruly in saying i revealed anothers secrets ; for to pass by , that i reveal not the persons , who are still unknown , it is not true that they were secrets ! when i disputed almost all day with such ( both souldiers and others ) in the publick church at amersham above 20 years ago , was that a secret , which they so fiercely proclaimed ? when i disputed daily almost with such in cromwell's army , was that a secret ? when i disputed with mr. brown ( an army chaplain ) and his adherents for the godhead of christ , in a publick church at worcester , was that a secret ? when i disputed in the publick church at kiderminster with the quakers , was that a secret ? when the said quakers , and many other sects , have come to my house , and have oft assaulted me in many other places openly , and vented their ignorance with fierce revilings and raging confidence , was that a secret ? when i have openly catechized men , was that a secret ? do not all sound protestants believe that they are fundamentals which our quakers commonly contradict , and are ignorant of , especially foxes party , whom smith and major cobbet accuse to deny christ and the resurrection , &c. and are there not assemblies of such in london ? and do not many turn to them of late ? and is that a secret which their books and their assemblies tell the world ? who is it now that is put to shame ? except . ix . answered . i must now answer for what i say against the papists too . i confess they are separatists or recusants too . but le ts hear the charge ? you say [ they are very unweighed and rash words , when he saies [ shew me in scripture or in church history that either there ever was de facto , or ought to be de jure such a thing in the world , as the papists call the church , and i profess i will immediately turn papist ; ] we think none can write thus , but declares a great unsteadiness in his religion ; for none that knoweth church history but can prove that such a church as the romane , hath been neer 1300 years actually in being . answ. 1. my foregoing words are these , [ the pope hath feigned another thing , and called it the church , that is , the universality of christians headed by himself : whereas 1. god never instituted or allowed such a church . 2. nor did ever the universality of christians acknowledge this usurping head . now when you say there hath been [ such a church as the romane ] either you mean what i denied [ such a church as they claim and feign ] and i described ; or only [ such a church as they are , which is another thing . ] if the later , why will you grosly abuse your reader by such a deceit , which tendeth to tempt him unto poperie ? what 's that to my words which you seem to contradict ? but if you mean the former , and indeed contradict me , then 1. you prevaricate in befriending popery . 2. you here set down three more untruths in matter of fact ; 1 ▪ that there hath been neer 1300 years ( or ever was ) such a church ; that is , that the universality of christians did acknowledge the pope for the universal constitutive and governing head. 2. that there is none that knoweth church history but can prove this . 3. that they are very unweighed words , in which i assert what i did . and all this i have given the world full proof of , in my dispute against mr. iohnson the papist , of the visibility of the church . had i not weighed the words , i had not so many years ago so largely proved and maintained them . and i have there fully proved , that the romane church was only imperial , or of the empire ( and the countreys that after fell from the empire ) such as we call national , because under one prince . that de facto , the persians , the abassines , indians , part of armenia , and many other churches or christians , never acknowledged him their constitutive or governing head ; that the emperors who called the general councils had nothing to do with the subjects of other princes , nor used to call them : that the general councils consisted only of the subjects of the empire , ( and those that had been of the empire , ) except one iohannes persidis , and one or two more inconsiderable persons , that no account can be given of , who they were , or how they came thither . godignus himself will tell you enough of the abissines . all the papists in the world are never able to answer this publick evidence of fact , with any sense . mr. iohnson's reply i take not to be worthy of an answer with any man that can make use of an answer ; when his shift is so gross as to instance in the bishops of thracia as out of the empire , and such as they , which every novice in history and geographie can confute . unless i was confuted in ▪ london at a publick play , where ( that you may see who influenceth them ) a tutor in geographie was ( as i am credibly informed ) brought in telling his pupill , that prester iohn's countrey of abassia was of the same latitude with a place in worcester-shire called kederminster . ] now seeing reason forbiddeth me to interpret you as speaking of the church of rome as a sect or party , when i spake of it , as the universality of christians headed by the pope ( your context shewing that it is my words that you gainsay , ) therefore i must number these three also with the rest of your untruths . you adde [ we wonder that any protestant should be found , though but by the equalling of church history to scripture , as if the uncertain tradition of the one , were to be as much accounted of and followed as the divine and infallible revelation of the other . ] answ. 1. because this wonder plainly containeth an affirmation that i do so , i must say that it is your tenth untruth : prove such a word if you are able . 2. it is not true that this historie is uncertain ( though not to be equalled with scripture . ) is the case of a vast empire of aethiopia ( as big yet after the decay saith brierwood , as germany , italy , france and spain ) uncertain , when the world knoweth that they have not had so much as converse with the pope , and at oviedos attempt did not know who he was ? and so of persia , india , &c. if you will needs be so much wiser than your neighbours as to prove all historie uncertain , even that there was a caesar , or a william the conqueror . 1. while you befriend the papists in this one point , you will incommodate them in others , 2. and you will promote infidelitie , by making that historie uncertain by which we know the canonical books of scripture , and that they are delivered down to us the same and uncorrupt . when i had given in few words , a full and plain answer to the papists about our separation from their church , and remembred how many volumes they have troubled the world with , by obscuring our plain and ordinarie answer , i told them , that must have volumes to hide the sense , that if this answer seem not plain and full to them , it is because they understand not christian sense and reason ; and not for want of plainess in the matter , or through defectiveness as to satisfie a reasonable impartial man. this , brother , chargeth this saying , to be [ insolent , and from intolerable pride ] because i dare so charge another with want of christian sense and reason , &c. answ. 1. this is his eleventh untruth . i only named sense and reason objectively , not subjectively . it is not because the answer which i give the papists ( and which protestants commonly give ) is not full and plain , or wanteth sense or reason , but because the papists understand it not . he that hath sense and reason may be hindred from using it aright , by interest , partialitie , and wilful negligences which it is no new thing for protestants to think that papists are too oft guilty of . but how proud am i then , intolerably proud that in several books have maintained that all papists that hold transubstantiation , do make it an article of faith , and necessarie to salvation , flatly to contradict all the senses of all the sound men in the world , that shall judge whether bread be bread , and wine be wine ? how much more insolent a charge is this ? but , brother , popish absurdities have need of a better defence , than to call the adversarie insolent and proud . 2. and is the thing i say true or false ? i prove it true . the answer of the protestants about luther's reformation which i give , is christian● sense and reason : but the papists or any that deny it seriously , and take it not to be plain and full understand it not : ergo they understand not christian sense and reason . that is , in this : for i never said that they understand not christian sense and reason , in any other thing , nor is there the least appearance of such a sense . now if this , brother , will deny either of the premises , he may expect an answer . till then i adde . 3. are not you , brother , by your own censure notoriously insolent and intolerably proud , if this hold good , as well as i ? do you not take all that you say against me ( or some part at least ) to be plain and full , and to be christian sense and reason ? and do you not suppose me to think otherwise of it ? and do you not think that this is because i understand it not ? thus some mens hands do beat themselves . 4. and do you not implicitly charge all or most protestant writers with insolence and intolerable pride as well as me ? do they not all think their reasons against the papists plain and full ( at least some of them : ) and do they not think that the papists denie them because they understand not the christian sense and reason which is in them . 5. and have not all mankind a deficiencie of understanding ? and is it pride and insolence to say so ? 6. but judge of your own spirit by your own rule : do not you think those that you before charged with persecution , and making our dividing engines , and whose communion you think it a duty to avoid , to be such as understand not christian sense and reason in the arguings which i and others have used against them ? and is it not as lawful to think so of the papists ? except . x. answered . i used the phrase of [ local presential communion ] in contradistinction , 1. to the catholick communion of persons absent , which is by faith and love , 2. and the communion by delegates and representatives : and our brother here , 1. calleth this phrase [ insignificant iargon , ] which was not said through any redundancy of sense and reason above othets ; nor do i acknowledge his authoritie in the sentence without his reason . 2. he saith [ unlawful terms are imposed on us ] answ. brother , do you think men must trust their souls on your naked word ? where in all this book have you done any thing , that with an impartial understanding can go for proof , that [ in all the parish churches of england that use the liturgie , that is imposed as a condition of our communion in hearing or praying , which it is not lawful sometimes to do ? ] answer this , as to mr. nie about hearing , and to me about praying ; if you can ? and do not nakedly affirm . 3. you say you do not [ so much separate as forbear communion ] and your reason is [ for we were never of them . ] answ. i take you for a christian and a protestant : are you not so far of us ? is not a member of the same universal church of christ , obliged to hold communion , as he hath a special call or occasion , with more churches than that particular one which he ordinarily joyneth with ? if you purposely avoided and denied communion with all the independent churches in england save one , and wrote to prove it unlawful , i think this were a separating from them , as they are parts of the church universal that are neer you . except . xi . answered . 1. the word sect ( though oft taken but for one party in a division ) was not by me applied to all the names before going , but to the last named only , and such other . 2. i spake nothing at all of the truth or falshood of the censurers words , but of the requitals that censurers have by other mens censures , which may be sharp and passionate , and a rebuke to the censured , and modally culpable , when the words are true . yet i am content to undergo the censure you here cast out of me , rather than to censure , that a papist cannot go beyond a reprobate , unless you do , ( as mr. perkins doth , to make it good , ) be so charitable to all the millions else among them , as not to call them papists , except they practically hold the most pernicious opinions of their councils and divines . i confess i affect none of the honour of that orthodoxness , which consisteth in sentencing millions and kingdoms to hell , whom i am unacquainted with . except . xii . answered . here we have first a meer magisterial dictate without proof , that i speak [ triflingly ] about scandal , and shew how little i understand it . but where 's his reason or confutation ? 2. why all is but this [ paul would not eate flesh rather than he would offend his weak brother , &c. ] judge , reader , whether the bare citing of these words be any proof , that in scripture , scandal is not taken more for tempting , ensnaring , and laying before men an occasion of stumbling , or sinning , than for meer displeasing men , which is the thing that i affirmed . but , sure brother , if you soberly review it , you will find that you deal very hardly with the scripture and the souls of men . first the word [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] which our translators turn [ make to offend ] you read [ offend ] instead of scandalize ; and 2. you bring a text against the truth which i assert , which is as plain for it as can well be spoken . the whole chapter shewing , that [ the weake brother ] that paul speaketh of , was one that [ with conscience of the idol , did eate it as a thing offered to an idol , and their conscience being weak was defiled , ver . 7. 9 , and it is one whose conscience is emboldened ( or confirmed ) to eate those things which are offered to idols , and thereby he may perish , ver . 10 , 11. and it is he that is ( not displeased ) but made to offend . and the scandalizing which paul would avoid is called [ becoming a stumbling to them that are weak , ver . 9. emboldening to that heinous sin , ver . 10. making a brother to offend , v. 13. twice over . is this , think you , displeasing the innocent , or rather , tempting those that are apt to sin , and confirming the faulty . read what dr. hammond saith of their weakness , and what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth there , and then further tell me ; 1. whether you mean such weak ones that you would not have me offend ? 2. whether those that are most displeased with us for communion in the liturgie , be such as you will say , are most in danger of yielding to sin ? 3. whether you would do as paul doth , call those weak brethren , who to that day did eate in idols temples , and that as a thing offered to idols ? 4. whether paul commanded the corinthians to separate from the church , because such men were in their communion ? 5. whether paul himself in communicating with that church , did not that which you write against ? 6. whether by this rule , we should not take heed most of scandalizing those christians that are aptest to sin ? 7. whether this text , which you so abuse , well considered , is not sufficient against all your cause , and for that which i maintain ? except . xiii . p. 6. answered . here is nothing but , 1. his saying that he may well doubt of the truth of what i report , viz. whether any ( or many ) faithful ministers would so reproach their people , and their honourable name which is upon them , as to call them pievish and self conceited christians . ] answ. 1. are there any such christians or not ? 2. if they are , should their fault be healed or cherished ? 3. if healed , should it be reproved or concealed ? but i will answer this further anon , when it comes in again . 2. he doubts not but those that thus complained to me expected so much prudence and faithfulness in me as to conceal their complaints , and not vent them now when the state of affairs is so much altered . answ. here are two untruths implied : 1. that these complaints were only made in secret , with an expectation that not only the persons , but the case it self should be concealed . but how did he know this ? might not many of them be men that since conform , and make the same complaint now openly ? yes , i could name you more than one such ? might not some be such as have done the same in print themselves ? yes , old mr. rob. abbot was one , who after removed to austins london , and died there , before mr. ash. if you will but read his book against separation , you will see thathe silenced not such matters , but hath said more than ever you are able well to answer . 2. it is not true that these complaints were only made before the state of affairs was altered ; for i have oft heard it since , with greater sense of it than ever before . nor is it any dishonour to a minister , not to be ignorant of satans wiles : the more they know them , the liker they are to overcome them . 3. in his conclusion are two more mistakes , but because they are prophetical , i will not count them with the grossest . the first is , that he hopes that hereafter all that fear god will be very careful how they make any complaint unto a person , ( the second ) who will take the next worst occasion to revile a whole innocent and godly party by a malicious publishing of it : whereas , 1. since the writing of his book i have had complaints against such as he , by many that fear god ; 2. and he cannot prove what he prophesieth i will do . but yet two more untruths are implied in the prophesie . 1. that i will revile a whole innocent , godly suffering party , when i protested i meant no particular party , but those of every party , episcopal , presbyterian , independent , anabaptist , &c. who through want of love are aptest causelesly to condemn their brethren and avoid them ( unless he will call all the ignorant , proud , and uncharitable of all parties , by the name of a whole godly suffering party . ) 2. that i will revile them maliciously ; unless he mean that writing for love and unity is a malicious act against satan and his kingdom . except . xiv . ( hereafter i must number them , for he is weary of it ) answered . this hath little worthy observation , but his 12th . untruth , viz. that [ by mentioning the separatist as a distinct body of men , from the antinomian , quaker , and anabaptist , it is evident i can mean no other , but my presbyterian and congregational brethren ] which he follows with an appeal to god against this slanderer , and earnestly prayeth that he would please to rebuke him . whether this earnest prayer be a curse ? and whether it be like to that rule , to pray for them that curse us , and whether this brother himself doth not in these very words put his error into his earnest prayer , even in print , and so verifie what he would so vehemently gainsay ( to say nothing of the common fame in london , that he that is famed to be the author of these exceptions , kept a day of humiliation about me and my book ) i leave to the readers observation . and also whether this earnest prayer ( or curse ) and this bold appeal to god , be not prophane , and rather a fruit of passion , than charitable zeal ? and whether he here knew what spirit he was of ? but to his untruth i answer , 1. i protested openly that my meaning was not what he affirmeth it to be ; and could he know it better than i ? 2. an antinomian and anabaptist as such , are distinct from separatists as such : but doth it follow that therefore they may not be separatists also that are antinomians and anabaptists ? though the errors whence the sects are denominated be various . 3. i have long ago in many books told the papists that i mean them , as the chief schismaticks and sect ; and dr. hide for the first page of his book , what i thought of him ; and the lutherans that so resist all the endeavours of dury , calixtus , bergius , lud. crocius , and many more , in refusing communion with the calvinists , that i mean them ; and here i profess that i mean no other party of men at all , but the dividers of all parties whatsoever , even in the beginning of my preface ; and yet , alas , brother , did you not tremble first to publish so gross an untruth , and when you had done , to ground your appeal to god , and earnest prayer against me , upon it ? the lord give you a meeker spirit , and a tenderer conscience . and that i mean not an independent as such ( for the presbyterians will not suspect me ) i will stop your mouth with this sufficient proof , 1. that the chief independants have written excellently against separation , as mr. iacob by name ; and they pretend that mr. bradshaw and dr. ames were independants . 2. that i rejoyce in the state of the churches of new england , since the synods concessions there , and good mr. eliots propositions for synodical constant council and communion of churches , as much as in any churches state that i hear of in the world , ( though as to the form of government , my judgement most agrees with the waldenses , or bohemian , published by lascitius and commenius ; ) especially since the magistrates late printed order , that all the ministers shall take especial care to catechize and personally instruct all the people under their charge , even from house to house ; at least 3 or 4 families meeting together , &c. which i much rejoice in . it is evident then , that though a man may be a divider , that is episcopal , presbyterian , independant or anabaptist , yet as such as their denominations signifie , i mean none of them ; for many of all these names are no dividers ( though a papist is so by the essence of his religion , un-churching all beside his sect. ) and if you had done me but common justice , you would have noted , that in my scheme in the end , the second proposition of the way of love which i plead for is in these words ; [ love your neighbours as your selves : receive those that christ receiveth ; and that hold the necessaries of communion , be they episcopal , presbyterian , independants , anabaptists , arminians , calvinists , &c. so they be not proved heretical or wicked . ] judge now of your truth and charity by these evidences . except . xv. p. 8. answered . here is the 13th . visible untruth , he saith [ he speaks very slightly of prayer in comparison of study , for the attaining of wisdome , calling it too cheap a way , which sheweth you how little he understandeth the nature of true prayer , ] &c. answ. i love you the better for your zeal for the honour of prayer , though i had rather knowledge and truth had guided it . reader , i intreat thee to peruse my book , and if thou find there what he saith , condemn me more than he doth , and spare not . i tell those men that will do nothing for knowledge but ask for it , that [ god hath not promised you true understanding upon your prayers alone , without all the rest of his appointed mea●s ; nor that you shall attain it by those means as soon as you desire and seek it ; for then prayer would be a pretence for laziness , &c. that praying is but one of the means which god hath appointed you to come to knowledge by ; diligent reading hearing , and meditation and counsel of the wisest is another . ] and will any christian deny the truth of this except the enthusiasts ? or should any godly minister rise up against it ? is any of this true ? 1. that i have here one word of comparing prayer and study ? 2. or that i prefer study or reading , or other means before prayer ? 3. or that i speak lightly of prayer in comparison of the other ? 4. or that i make prayer it self an easie thing ? is not this , that i call his 13th . untruth , composed of many ? when it is visible , that i put prayer first , that i only say that it is but one means , and not all ; and that others must be added , and that praying alone without other labour is too easie a way ? what should one answer to such dealing as this ? i beseech you , brother , preach not the contrary whatever you think , lest you justifie the silencers , while you blame them ? and if really you are against my words , satisfie the world by experience , how many you ever kn●w that came to the understanding but of the articles of faith , or the decalogue or catechism , or christianity it self ( that i say not to your degree of knowledge above me and such as i , ) by prayer alone , without hearing , reading , meditation , or conference . and why paul bids timothy give himself to reading , and meditate on these things , and give thy self wholly to them ? and why hearing and preaching are so much urged ? and whether it be any great fault to silence you and me and all the preachers in the land , if prayer be the only means of knowledge ? and whether you do not before you are aware still agree with them whom you most avoid , who cry up church-prayers to cry down preaching ? and why you wrote this book against me , if your earnest prayers against me , and the people , be the only means ? and when you have done , i can tell you of many papists and others , that you your self suppose never pray acceptably , who have come to a great deal of knowledge : though there be no sanctified saving knowledge ( after the first conversion ) without prayer . i am sorry you put me to trouble the reader about such things as these . it follows [ neither doth solomon direct to any other way principally , &c. ] answ. did i speak one word of the principality , or which was the principal way ? did i not put prayer first , and other means next ? this is not well , brother ; truth beseemeth our calling , and our work . and yet he that said , i was found of them that sought me not , in my opinion , which yet expecteth your reproach ) doth give so much knowledge as is necessary to mens first faith and repentance and conversion by the hearing or reading , or considering of his word , ordinarily to them that never first asked it by sincere prayer ; for i think that faith go●t● before a believing prayer . you adde we cannot but wonder that any dares so expresly go against the very letter of scripture , — but that we have done with wondering at mr. baxter's boldness . answ. this i may well put as your 14th . untruth . reader , try if you can find one syllable of what he speaks in all my book ? doth he that saith [ prayer is but one of the means ] contradict the letter of iam. 1. 5. if any man lack wisdome , let him ask it of god ? o how hard is it to know what spirit we are o● ? that a man should go on in such dealing as this ? and make his own fictions the ground of such tragical exclamations when he hath done ? yea , he proceed . for what follows in justification of his unwarrantable conceit exceeds all bounds of sobriety , — whither will not pride and overweening carry a man ? he that had so trampled upon his brethren without any regard to their innocency or sufferings , now speaks but slightly of our lord christ himself . ] answ. your anger i pass by ; i like you the better for speaking against pride : for by that you shew that you love it not under that name . but still how hard is it to know our selves ? i am sorry , 1. that you are so sore and tender as to account it trampling on you , to be intreated to love your brethren , and not ●o divide the church of god. 2. and that you say , he regardeth not your sufferings , who suffereth with you , and writeth so much as that book containeth against your sufferings . 3. and that you should call that your inno●ency , which i have proved so largely to be against the new and great commandement , and when you make so poor an answer to the proof . i might number these with your untruths , but that i will choose out the grosser sort ; such as is the next ( 15th . untruth ) that i speak slightly of christ. is it slighting christ to speak the words and undenied truth of scripture ? two things i say of christ ; 1. that he increased in wisdom in his youth ? do you not believe that to be true ? surely mr ieanes in all his writings against dr. hammond of that point , did never deny it . 2. that he would not enter upon his publick ministry till he was about 30 years of age ? do you not believe that also ? what then is here that is a slighting of christ ? the reason of this later which i humbly conjecture at ( and elsewhere express ) is , that he might be an example to young men , not to venture and enter too early upon the ministry . the reason you alledge from num. 4. 2 , 3. i gainsay not , though i think it far fetcht ( that christ must not enter sooner upon his publick ministry in his extraordinary office , because the sons of co●ah were numbred from 30 years to 50. ) but you insinuate another untruth , yea express it while you flatly say , i insinuate , that christ staid till 30 years old , that he might be more perfect in wisdome : i had no such word or thought . my following words [ it had been easier for christ to have got all knowledge by two or three earnest prayers than for any of us ] refer only to the first clause , ( of his growth in wisdom ) and not at all to the later ( of the time of his ministry . ) but you deny that christ had any addition of wisdom , except as to manifestation , i believe gods word ! and with others he will be as pardonable that believeth it , as he that denyeth it . i did not expound it : but if i must , i will. i think that according to the present frame of humane nature , the incorporate soul receiveth the several objects it must know ab extra , by the fantasie , and that by the senses , and that our acts of knowing exterior things are as philosophers affirm , objectively organical , though not efficiently and formally , that is , that the intromission by the senses and phantasie , is necessary to the right stating of the object , and therefore that in all those acts of knowledge which christ exercised as other men do , 1. the object , 2. the organical capacity and aptitude of the body were necessary ( not to the perfection of his humane soul , in essence , power , virtue , inclination , disposition , but only to the act of knowing . and so i think christ when new born knew not actually as a man , all that he aft●r knew ; no , nor long after ; and that he increased in actual knowledge , 1. as objects were presented , 2. and as the organs increased in capacity and aptitude , and no● otherwise . yet i believe that christ prayed before his organs and actual knowledge were at the highest , and that he could ( had it been his fathers will and his own ) by prayer have suddenly attained their perfection ; and that culpable imperfection he never had any , nor such as is the effect of sin in infants now . if this be an error , help me out of it by sitter means than reviling . you adde that christ needed not prayer for himself , but as a pattern to us , &c. answ. christ had no culpable need , nor as god any natural need . but , brother , take heed of the common error of them that think they can never say too much or do too much , when they are once engaged ; for this is but undoing . 1. do you think that christs humane nature was not a creature ? 2. do you think that all creatures are not dependant on the creator ? and need him not ? 3. do you think christs humane nature needed not divine sustentation in existence , life , and motion , and divine influx or communication hereunto , seeing that in god we live , and move , and be ? 4. do you think that christs body needed not created means ? as the earth , the air meat and drink , and sleep and rest ? and that he needed not drink , when it is said , he thirsted , ioh. 19. 28. i thirst . and ioh. 4. 6. [ being wearied with his journey , &c. ver . 7. give me to drink . ] whether he needed not cloathing , and needed not ordinary bodily supplies , when it is said , that some ministred to him of their substance , luke 8. 3. as our father knoweth that we have need of all these things , mat. 6. 8. 32. so i think that christs humane nature needed them ; and that he gave not thanks at meat for his disciples only ; and that he bid them speak nothing but the truth , when he said mat. 21. 3. mar. 11. 3. luke 19. 31. the lord hath need of him . and that it was for himself that he prayed three times that the cup might pass , if , &c. ( though for our instruction ) luke 22. 44. matt. 26. 42. 44. heb. 5. 7. wh● in the daies of his flesh , wh●n he 〈◊〉 offered up prayers and s●ppli●ati●ns with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death , and was heard in that he feared ; though he was a son , yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered , and being made perfect , &c. ] i believe that when he was on the cross he needed deliverance , and when his body was in the grave it needed the divine power for to effect his resurrection . and how a man would have been formerly judged of that had denyed any of this . you may learn by the severities of many councils against the eutychians , nestorians , monothelites , &c. i am so regardful of your sufferings that i would not put your mind to any needless grief ; but yet i heartily wish your r●pentance , not only for your errors , but that you should let out your ( unknown ) spirit to such vehemency in your revilings upon such pittiful grounds , as when you adde ▪ [ so that to speak so lesseningly of prayer and christ , to undervalue so much the unspeakable usefuln●ss the of one , and the incomprehensible majesty of the other , becomes very well the spirit that mr. baxter writes with . ] this is but a repetition of untruths . except . xvi . p. 9. answered . having dir. 27. given five proofs by which i knew many to be mistaken that expound texts of scripture , by the impressions on their own spirits , i said dir. 28. [ it is very ordinary with poor fanciful women and melancholy persons , to take all deep apprehensi●ns for revelations ; and if a text come into their minds , to say , — this text was brought to my mind , and set upon my spirit , as if nothing could bring a text to their minds but some extraordinary motion of god ? and as if this bringing it to their mind , would warrant their exposition . ] whereupon i advise men to know the necessity of the spirits ordinary sanctifying work , and not to despise mens pretences of revelation ; but yet to believe none against scripture . as to the ground of this passage , it is such as is not disputable with me , being matter of sense ; ( so impossible is it for me to escape all the heinous accusations of this brother . ) it is not many years since i have had several persons with me ( two or three out of one county ) that brought me books written for the press , and urged me to procure them printed and shewed to the king , in which were abundance of scriptures abused to many daring predictions of things presently to come to pass , and all upon pretence of visions and revelations , and the setting of such an exposition on their hearts : and the men were ignorant , melancholy , and craz●d persons , and the scriptures almost all fal●ly interpreted , and the predictions fail . and all of them had the fifth monarchy notion without conference ( that i could learn ) with any about it . when i lived in coventrey , major wilkies a learned scot , lived in the house with me , who professed to have lived many years in a course of visions and revelations , and had abundance of texts set upon his heart , and expounded to him by vision , most for the millenary way , and for prophecies about our times and changes , ( and some against preciseness ) many of his expositions were considerable : some palpably false : some of his predictions came to pass , and some proved false : he was of a hot melancholy temper , and as i heard , after distracted . if this brother had known how many ( if not many score ) of deeply melancholy persons have been with me , that have had some of them prophecies , most of them almost in desperation , and some of them comforted by such or such a text , brought to their mind , which was of a quite different sense , and impertinent to that which they fetcht from it , and some of their collections contrary to the rest ; he would take heed of doing gods spirit so much wrong as to father poor crazed peoples deliratio●s on it ? and this is as common , i think , among the papists themselves , that meddle less with scripture than we do : what abundance of books be there , of the phantasmes of their fryers and nuns , as prophecies , visions , and revelations , which the judicious reader may perceive are but the effects of melancholy and hysterical passions , improved by ignorant or deceitful priests . but what is the charge against me here ? why he saith [ he calls them poor fanciful women , and melancholy persons , that ordinarily receive comfort by suggested texts of scripture . ] answ. this is the 16th . visible untruth . indeed here are are two gross untruths together . 1. he changeth the subject into the predicate , and then affirmeth me so to have spoken . i said [ it is ordinary for such fanciful and melancholy persons , to take deep apprehensions for revelations , and if a text come into their mind , to think it is by an extraordinary motion of the spirit . and he feigneth me to say , that they that ordinarily receive comfort by suggested texts are melancholy . is it all one to say , it is ordinary for melancholy persons to pray , to fear , to erre , &c. and , they that ordinarily pray , fear , erre , are melancholy . ] again , brother , this is not well . 2. he feigneth me to speak of them that [ ordinarily receive comfort ] when i have no such word , but speak of them that would draw others into error and separation by confident asserting false expositions of scripture as set on their mind by revel●tion from the spirit . this is not well neither . he addeth [ if this be not to sit in the chair of scorners , what is ? ] this needeth no answer . [ for ( saith he ) is not this the very language of holy men ; answ. alas , brother , how impertinent is your question ? the question is , whether this be the language of no melancholy person ? or of none but holy men ? and that as holy ? is it not the language of many ● popish nun and fryer that pretend to revelation ? have not i heard it with these ears from multitudes in melancholy and other weakness that have perverted the texts which they alledged ? have i not read it many books of experiences ? is he a scorner that saith , that a man may speak the same words mistakingly in melancholy which another speaketh truly ? do you well , brother , to trouble the world at this rate of discourse ? for charges on me , i pass them by . and for his saying that the bare recital of their usual words is fitter for a iester than a judicious divine , and when he hath done , to be so angry that they be not all ascribed to gods spirit , i will not denominate such passages as they deserve , lest i offend him . lest you deny belief to me , i intreat you and the reader to get and read a book published by mr. brown ( as is uncontrolledly affirmed , who lately wrote against mr. tombes against the lawfulness of communion in the parish churches ) concerning the experiences and strange work of god on a gentlewoman in worcester ( whom i will not name , because yet living , and god may recover her , but is there well known . ) this gentlewoman having been long vain , and a constant neglecter of publick worship , was suddenly moved to go into the church while i was there preaching ( on rom. 6. 21. ) the very text struck her to the heart ; but before the sermon was done she could hardly forbear crying out in the congregation : she went home a changed person ; resolved for a holy life . but her affection ( or passion ) being strong , and her nature tender , and her knowledge small ▪ she quickly thought that the quakers lived strictlier than we , and fell in among them . at last perceiving them vilifie the ministry and the scripture , her heart smote her , and she forsook them , as speaking against that which by experience she had found to do her good ; and desiring to speak with me ( who lived far off , ) opened this much to me . but all these deep workings and troubles between the several waies , did so affect her , that she fell into a very strong melancholy ; insomuch that she imposed such an abstinence from meat upon her self , that she was much consumed , and so debilitated as to keep her bed , and almost famished . mr. brown ( and others ) were her instructers , who were very zealous for the way called the fifth monarchy , and having instructed her in those opinions , published the whole story in print ( which else i would not have mentioned ) i shall say nothing of any thing which is otherwise known , but desire the reader that doth but understand what melancholy is , better than the writers did , to read that book , and observe with sorrow and pitty , what a number of plain effects of melancholy , as to thoughts , and scriptures , and actions , are there ascribed to me●r temptations on one side , and to gods unusual or notable operations on the other side ! in the end he saith [ and indeed when a soul oppressed with sorrow before , shall suddenly find ease , by having some scripture brought to their mind which before they thought not of if this be not the spirits work as a comforter , we shall be alwaies doubtful how aad when he performeth that office ; which way of doubting mr. baxter's divinity leads into , which sufficiently shews , it is not of god : for god calls us to hope perfectly , and to rejoyce in the hope . answ. the divinity which i think true and sound , doth teach enthusiasts , whether fryers or nuns , or any such phanatick , not to believe every spirit , but to try the spirits whether they be of god ; and to believe that satan can transform himself into an angel of light ; and to doubt whether their suggestions , revelations or prophecies be of god , till it be true and sure : for instance , i would have had your fellow prisoner have doubted of his three after mentioned prophecies uttered in the pulpit , as from the spirit of god ( that we should have no more king , tythes , or taxes : ) be not angry with me for giving you such instances ; it is only to save others from wronging the holy ghost , and exposing religion to profane mens scorn . and i would not have one turn anabaptist , if in their sorrow or musing that text should be set upon their mind , act. 22. 16. why tarriest thou , arise and be baptized , and wash away thy sins . ] nor would i have another turn papist , if that text be set upon his heart , act. 9. 6. arise and go into the city , avd it shall be told thee what thou must do : and if it be a popish priest that he ●irst me●teth with , and think●●● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 th● m●n that must inform ●im . i wo●●d not 〈…〉 ember of any church , upon an insufficient reason separate from it , if that text be se● upon his heart , come out of her my people , &c. or ● cor. 6. 17. come out from among them , and be y● separate , &c. nor would i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hypocri●●●r ungodly person con●lude himself to be sincere ▪ if that text do suddenly come into his mind ( how affectingly soever ) ioh , 1. 47. behold an israelite indeed in whom is no guile . nor would i have an upright doubt●●g christian conclude himself an hypocrite 〈◊〉 that text come into his mind , act. 8. thy heart is not right in the sight of god , &c. i think that there is somewhat else besides the sudden coming into our minds , and the deepes● affecting of us , that is necessary to prove the true meaning of a text , and the soundness of our conclusions from it . and yet i never doubted but that the spirit doth both cause our comfort , and our resolutions and other gracious effects , by bringing forgotten texts to our remembrance . but the way that i think the spirit cureth our doubting by , is all these things following set together . 1. supposing that he hath infallibly guided the writers of the scripture . 2. and hath set to it the infallible seal of god ( which is the impress of his power , wisdome , and goodness . ) 3. and that he helpeth ministers to preach this gospel to us . 4. he next doth help us to remember , and to understand it ; and no false exposition is from the spirit of god : and he hath left us sufficient means to discern ( as far as is necessary to our salvation and our comfort ) whether it be rightly interpreted or not . 5. and he helpeth us firmly to believe the truth of it : and of the unseen glory which it promiseth . 6. and hereby he kindleth in us repentance , hope , and love , and reneweth both soul and life to the image of god , and the example of jesus christ. 7. and then he helpeth us to act or exercise all this grace . 8. and he helpeth us to discern the sincerity of it : and and so by the spirit we know that we have the spirit , and have the witness of christ , and the seal of god , and the pledge , earnest , and first fruits of eternal life within us , whilest the spirit doth make known himself to be in us . and all true signs of sanctification , or the divine nature in us , are signs of this in-dwelling sealing spirit : but so are not the sudden passions , and fancies , and change of parties , sides , or by opinions , or strong conceits unproved , from whence some use to fetch their comforts . 9. and next he helpeth us hereupon to make a true application of the promise of justification and salvation to our selves : having before applied or received it by faith and consent , and being iustified , he helpeth us to apply it to our assurance and setled hope and comfort ; and to argue , there is no condemnation to them that are in christ iesus , that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit : but i am in christ iesus , and i walk not after the flesh but after the spirit ; therefore there is no condemnation to me . 10. next the same spirit exciteth actual hope and ioy in the soul , by the said application of the promise ; that we shall not only conclude from it , that we have pardon and right to heaven in jesus christ , but also shall have the will and affections duly moved with that conclusion . 11. and the same spirit helpeth us to answer all the false cavils of satan , the world , or our misgiving hearts , which rise up against this hope and comfort . 12. and lastly he helpeth us in the use of all those holy means , by which this hope and comfort is to be maintained , and helpeth us against the sins that would destroy it , and so keepeth it in life , and exercise , and perseverance , till we finally overcome . by all these twelve acts together the spirit causeth the hope and comfort of believers , and saveth them from their doubts and sorrows . and now , brother , when you can calmly think of it , i should be glad that you would consider , whether to say this divinity leadeth to doubting , and that it is not of god , be not , 1. an untruth , 2. an injury to him whom you calumniate , 3. an injury to the souls of men that must be thus comforted , 4. and an injury to god , by telling the world , that his own doctrine is not his own , and by feigning gods truth to be mans error . and whether your way here opened ( by receiving sudden comfort by a remembred text ) be sounder doctrine ? and be not such a way as papists , quakers , and most deluded people commonly boast of ? and if you bring poor souls no better directions for their full assurance , peace and joy , whether in the end you will not prove a miserable comforter ? except . xvii . p. 10. answered . when i say that i wonder at men that think god maketh such a matter as they do of their several words and forms , as that he loveth only extemporate prayers and hateth forms , or loveth only prescribed forms and hateth extemporate prayers by habit , ] he saith this is ▪ as if i could never speak meanly enough about prayer . but , brother , if you kindle this burning zeal your self , by teaching men to hate either forms or praying by habit ; marvel not if it burn you , within and without ; and when your own passions have scorched you , other mens hatred of your prayers , as you hate theirs , do trouble you also . and if you hate the quenching of these fires , even when the churches by them are all on a flame , as sober ▪ men as you will be of another mind , i tell you again , brother , you greatly wrong and dishonour god , if you think that he layeth so much upon that which he never gave any law about , or spake one word for or against , as to tell the world that he hateth all prayer that is put up by a form or book . and that he that denyeth this , speaketh meanly of prayer . the lord teach you to know what manner of spirit you are of , ( which request i shall reit●rate for you , instead of praying with your earnestness , the lord rebuke him . ▪ have you the bowels of a christian , and the spirit of christian love and unity ▪ and can you think that god hateth ( for that was my word ) all the prayers of all the churches and christians in the world , that use a form ? even of all the greek churches , the armenians , abassines , jacobites , syrians , cop●ies , lutherans , and calvinists ; of all the english publick churches ; and the prayers of such holy men as dr. preston , dr. sibbes , mr. perkins , mr. hildersham , mr. cartwright , dr. stoughton , mr. whateley , mr. bolton , and all such as they that used some the li●urgie , and some other forms ? and that god hateth the prayers of all christian families and christians that use a form ? do you dislike adding to god's word , and will you adde to it so boldly , as to say , he hateth that which he never once forbad ? if you would make your reader think that i make god indifferent to all modes and words in prayer , you would abuse him : for though i never heard a man swear in prayer , i think you curse in prayer a little before ; and i have heard many rail in prayer , and traduce men for truth and duty , and vent their own errors . but i beseech you promote superstition no more , and feign no divine laws which you cannot shew us ? and teach not this unhappy age to feign things necessary that are not , and paint out the most holy gracious god , as the patron of every one of their fancies . your words [ doth not god regard the manner of our addressing our selves to him ? must we not pray in the spirit ? ] do still make me pray , that you may know your spirit . do you well to intimate that i say the contrary ? when i maintain that god so far accepteth them that worship him in spirit and truth , that he will accept their prayers , with a form or without , and hateth neither ; yea ; hath left both indifferent , to be varied as mens occasions and use for either vary , as he hath done a form or notes in preaching . it is an easie thing to turn formalist either way , by thinking god loveth our prayers either because they are in the same words , or in various words . the second part of this exception calleth me [ a trifler , that doth neither believe the scripture nor himself , but tries to abuse , &c. ] because i say about a liturgie , 1. certainly in christs time , both liturgies by forms , and prayers by habit were used . 2. that it is like that the pharisees long liturgie , was in many things worse than ours ; and yet christ and his apostles oft joyned with them , and never condemned them . ▪ answ. 1. let the reader observe whether ever christ , his apostles , or the pharisees medled with the controversie about the lawfulness of forms ? whether ever christ condemned them ? 2. let the reader note that when i say that certainly forms were used , i say not , whether in the synagogue or temple , or house , nor do i say that they were other forms than divine ? but when i say that it is like in many things the pharisees liturgie was worse than ours , i mean that it is like ( though not certain ) that part of it was of humane invention , and used publickly . and , 1. the word liturgie ( as martinius and other etymologists agree , hath three significations , 1. the largest is , for any publick office of ministry , and specially of distribution . 2. for the publick service of god , in reading , teaching , praying , &c. 3. for stated orders and forms of that publick service , to which bellarmine addeth a 4th . as the narrowest sense of all , viz for the sacrificing offices only ; which is no usual sense . now the second and third being the now-common sense , i thought there had been no question about them . that the jews had a divine liturgie in both senses ( as a service , and as a prescript form ) i proved in my 5th . disput. of liturgies many years ago . 1. in the temple they had most punctual prescripts for their sacrifices of all sorts , and their offerings ; and the manner of performance , and the actions of priests and people about them . in the synagogues moses and the prophets were read every sabbath day ! and the psalms were purposely penned ( many of them ) and recorded to be prayers and praises for the publick and private worship , and were committed to several church-officers to be publickly used : and david and solomon appointed the instruments , singers , and order & manner in which they should be used . a form of prayer for the priests is prescribed in three benedictions , numb . 6. 23. hezekiah commanded the levites to sing praises to the lord with the words of david and of asaph the s●●r , 2 chron. 29. 30. 1 chron. 16. 7. [ on that day david delivered first this psalm to thank the lord into the hands of asaph and his brethren , exod. 15. the song of moses is a form . and rev. 15. 3. the saints are said to sing the song of moses and of the lamb. most expositers think that the hymne that christ sung at his last supper , was the usual form : if not , it was a new form . moses form at the moving and resting of the ark is set down , numb . 10. 35 , 36. deut. 21. 7 ▪ 8. there is a form for the people to use , iudg. 5. deborahs song is recorded : so is hannahs praise , 1 sam. and ioel 2. 17. there is a form for the priests in their humiliation : and iohn taught his disciples to pray ; and when christ was desired to teach his disciples as iohn had done his , he gave them a form . now let the sober reader judge whether the jews had no form or liturgie of god's appointment . if he say , i thought you had meant a humane form ; i answer , if you will think that which i say not , and choose rather to revile , than observe what you ●ead , i cannot help it . 2. when i speak of a probability afterward , i do mean of a humane liturgie : of which i will now only say , 1. that it seemeth very improbable to me that the pharisees who so abounded with traditions , should not so much as have any humane forms of prayer or praise . 2. when christ speaketh of their long prayers , i desire them on both extreams to consider , that , if it was a long liturgie , they should not compare the puritane to the pharisee in his long prayers as they use to do , but to others . but if they were extemporate prayers , 1. to one side i say , that if christ had been against extemporate praying , he would have put that into his rebukes : 2. to the other side i say , if the pharisees had the gift of long extemporate prayers , we must take heed of over-valuing such a gift , and ascribing it too much to the spirit , so that the pharisees long prayers , as a two edged sword , cut both extreams in this pievish controversie . 3. this controversie whether the iews had a liturgie , is handled so largely by mr. selden , that i must refer the reader to him that would see what is said for the affirmative , in eutych . alexandr . pag. 35 to p. 63. where he shews that till ezra's time there was none but the scripture liturgie ; and that in ezra's time eighteen prayers were made ; and shews how far they might or might not adde : where having cited abundance of rabbins , he shews that however the jewish rabbins are fabulous , these historical testimonies are our best means of information , and are credible , and addeth the words of ios. scaliger , [ hic fuit vetus ritus celebrationis paschae temporibus messiae : quod vetustissimi canones in digestis talmudicis manifesto probant : nisi quis eos neget antiquos esse ; quod idem ac si quis capita papiniani , pauli , ulpiani , & aliorum iurisconsultorum in digestis iustiniani producta neget esse eorum iurisconsultorum quorum nomine citantur ; quod nemo sanus dixerit . except . xviii . p. 10. answered . here you except against me , if for any thing ▪ for [ being grown so scrupulous and so tender as to be offended , if any break jeasts upon common prayer . ] answ. 1. i spake of jesting on both sides at one anothers devotions , and not of one alone . 2. if you are for that way of breaking jeasts and scorns at other mens prayers , with what measure you mete it will be meted to you again . they will requite you to the full with jeasts and scorns at yours also . 3. brother , do you like this way , or do you not ? if you do , what a spirit are you of ? if you do not , why do you quarrel with this advice and whereas you cite my own words in the reply to the bishops , i must tell you ; 1. that i know nothing in any of those papers or treaty , as to the matter that i have changed my judgement in , or repent of . and i admire that the prelates that ask so often [ what will satisfie us ? ] and others that carry it to the world as if we had said nothing , should to this day leave that reply and our liturgie then offered them , and our petition for peace , so much unanswered ; which few that knew them will believe is for want of will and fervour or indignation against them ? 2. that yet the sentence cited by you [ whether it be that the common-prayer-book hath never a prayer for it self , ] i confess is sarcastical , and i unfeignedly thank you for calling me to review it ; and i do unfeignedly repent of it , and desire pardon of god and men , for speaking words of so much derision ? though i then no more perceived my fault , than you do yours . i mentioned some that were scandalized at the scorns of men at the liturgie heretofore ; and , 1. he calls it a prophane story fitter for ranters , 2. he challengeth me to tell the names of them that used those expressions . 3. he thinks i did greatly sin in repeating them . 4. else he will think i invented them ▪ on purpose to make my brethren odious , and justifie the persecution against them . answ. 1. if it be so bad , why are you so angry with me , for being against it , and th● like , or ●ny scorns at other mens tolerable devotion ? 2. your challenge is but a drop of your unrighteousness . i told you i knew them that were inflamed by those words , but not that i knew the speaker . and how should a man know the names of all that look in at a church-door ? how oft have i had quakers in the face of the market and of the publick congregation , revile me , and curse me as in the name of god , and speak as bad words as those , when i seldome asked what their names were . and yet i must name them or be to you a malicious lyar . and shall i no● be so with you , if i obey your challenge ? is it not uns●vo●●y to name men in such stories ? well , i will thus for this once obey you . in 1640. coming up to london to the physitians , i lay at bosoms-inn in laurence-●●●●e : on the lords-day the inn-keeper , an old man ( mr. hawkshead as i remember his name was ) came in from laurence church with some guests in a very great passion : we ask'd him what the matter was ? he answered , that as he went into the church , a fellow look'd in , and spake those very words i recited , save that he said [ the deele ] instead of [ the devil : ] and from very sober honest people i have , i believe , many score times heard them call the common prayer [ porridge ] and say , [ he is not out of his porridge yet . ] 3. if i sin in repeating them , i pray you justifie not that spirit that uttered them ; nor be not of the mind of the councellor of the wicked in this age , whose policy is to perswade men to commit such heinous sins ( perjury , lying , &c. ) which sound odiously in the naming , and then no man may ever accuse them , lest he be guilty of railing , incivility , &c. 4. brother , a very low degree of ingenuity would have taught you to have judged such a plea for love , by one that in this book speaketh more against persecuting you , than ever you read , i believe , in a licensed book since the printing act , to have come from no malicious persecuting intent . yet , as if you were so eagerly set on the defence of the dividing scandalous miscarriages of this age , as to take it for persecution so much as to lament them , or pray against them , you gather the same conclusion from my very prayers to god , for pitty to his church that is distracted and endangered by such usage . and here , seeing your sufferings are so much talk'd of , and i am numbred by you among your persecutors , endure me to tell you , that suffering hath its temptations as well as prosperity ; and that the temptations to passion , and to run too far from those we suffer by , and to lose our charity to them and their adherents , are so much stronger to me ( i leave others to judge themselves ) than the temptations to fear and timerous complyances , that i was much more jealous of my heart in this , when i suffered most than at other times : for i knew that it is one of satans designs to rob me of my charity and integrity , in which he would more triumph than in depriving me of my maintenance , reputation and liberty . and i must confess to you , brother , that ( though i once hoped that we should have been great gainers by our sufferings ) the fruit of them now appeareth to me to be such in many as maketh me more afraid of imprisonment for the sake of my soul , than of my body , lest it should stir up that passion which should bear down my judgement into some errors and extreams , and corrupt and destroy my love to them by whom i suffer . and truly , brother , i am fully convinced that many that think their sufferings are their glory , and prove them better men than others , are lamentably lost and overcome by their sufferings . i think your companion and you are no gainers by it , who presently by preaching and writing thus , bring water to the extinguishing of christian love. i think those two gentlemen before mentioned , that turned quakers in prison , and left their religion ( as many more have done ) were losers by it . and i think many thousands in these times , that are driven into various errors and extreams , and have lost their charity to adversaries and dissenters , have lost a thousand times more than their liberties and money comes to . woe be to the world because of offences ; and woe be to them by whom offence cometh . experience of too many maketh me less in love with sufferings than i have been ; and to think that the quiet and peaceable preaching of the gospel ( though under many other disadvantages ) if god would grant it us , would be better for our own souls . except . xix . answered . you proceed , [ but mr. b. being once got into the chair of the scornful will not easily out , and therefore goes on [ it is an odious sound to hear an ignorant , rash , self-conceited person , especially a preacher , to cry out idolatry , idolatry , against his brethrens prayers to god , because they have something in them to be amended , ] whereas we do not therefore think any thing to be guilty of idolatry , because it hath something in it to be amended , [ but because it is used in the worship of god , without any command of god to make it lawful ; ] and this we must tell our dictator , is a species of idolatry , and forbid in the second commandement : and if he will not receive it so , it is , to use his own arrogant and imperious words , because he understands not christian sense and reason . answ. 1. the charge of idolatry against the liturgie and conformable ministers i found in iohn goodwins book , and mr. brownes , and others : but this , brother , carrieth it much further . 2. he contradicteth himself in his negation and affirmation : for , whatsoever is to be amended , which is used in gods worship , hath no command of god to make it lawful ( for it is sin : ) but whatsoever is used in gods worship without any command of god to make it lawful , he affirmeth to be idolatry : ergo , whatsoever is used in gods worship which is to be amended , he maketh to be idolatry . 3. reader , if this one section do not make thy heart grieve for the sake of the church of christ , that our poor people should be thus taught , and our congregations thus distracted , and unholyness , that is , uncharitableness , fathered upon the god of love , and our sufferings and non-conformity thus turned to our reproach , and wrath and reviling pretended to be religion , thou hast not a true sense of the concernments of christianity and the souls of men . i shall propose here these few things to thy consideration . quest. 1. whether an idolater be not an odious person , and unfit for christian communion ? ( that these men think so , their practise sheweth . ) q. 2. whether he that writeth and preacheth to prove others idolaters , do not write and preach to make them ( so far ) seem odious , and to perswade men from loving them , and having communion with them as christians ? q. 3. whether he that preacheth up hatred causelesly , and preacheth down christian love , do not preach down the sum of true religion , and preach against god , who is love ? q. 4. whether preaching against god and religion , be not worse than talking against it in an ale-house , or in prophane discourse ? and fathering all this on god and religion be not a sad aggravation of it ? q. 5. whether this , brother , that affirmeth this to be idolatry that he speaketh against , should not have given us some word of proof , especially where he calleth me that deny it , a dictator ? and whether both as affirmer among logicians , and as accuser among men of justice , the proof be not incumbent on him ? q. 6. whether here be a syllable of proof , but his angry affirmation ? q. 7. whether thou canst receive this saying of his , if thou have christian sense and reason , so far as to believe that all the churches of christ fore-named , the greek , the abissine , the armenian , the coptics , the lutherans , and all the reformed churches that fall under his charge , are idolaters ? and couldst bring thy heart accordingly to condemn them , and separate from them ? and whether thou canst take all the holy conformists of england , such as bolton , preston , sibbes , stocke , dike , elton , crooke , whateley , fenner , &c. for idolaters ? yea , and all the non-conformists that used and joyned in the liturgie ? q. 8. whether thou canst believe that this same brother himself , that writeth at this rate , do use nothing in gods worship which hath no command of god to make it lawful ? is all this reviling , all this false doctrine , all his untruths commanded of god ? or doth he not make himself an idolater ? q. 9. whether , if he teach true doctrine , there by any church or person in the world that worshippeth not god with idolatry ; i give my reasons . 1. there is no one but sinneth , ( or useth sin ) in the worship of god. but no sin is commanded or lawful : ergo there is no one , according to his doctrine , but useth idolatry in the worship of god. 2. there is no one that useth not some things not commanded to make them lawful , in the worship of god : therefore , if he teach true doctrine , there is no one but useth idolatry . the antecedent i have oft proved by many instances : the method of every sermon , and prayer , the words , the time and length , the translation of the scripture , whether it shall be this or that , the dividing of the scripture into chapters and verses , the meeter of psalms , the tunes , church utensils , sermon notes ( which some use , ) catechisms in forms , &c. the printing of the bible , or any other books , &c. none of these are commanded . and all these are used in the worship of god. and must all christians in the world be taught to fly from one another as idolaters ? is this the way of love and unity ? q. 10. why should this , brother , be so extream impatient with me for calling dividers , weak and pievish , and censorious christians ? if in his own judgement all men be idolaters , that use any thing in gods worship not commanded ? is not this to censure all men as idolaters ? and yet is a censure of previshness on these censurers a justifying of persecution . q. 11. whether this kind of talk be not sport to the papists , to hear us call one another idolaters , as well as them ? and do not make them deride us ; and harden them in their bread-worship , and image-worship , as being called idolatry on no better grounds than we so call one another . q. 12. whether it be not a great dishonour to any man to suffer silencing , because he cannot add to gods worship , the ceremonies and liturgie , and at the same time to add to gods word new and false doctrines of our own , by saying that [ it is a species of idolatry , forbidden in the second command , because it is used in the worship of god without any command to make it lawful . ] and if we should suffer such false doctrine , and additions , and love-killing , dividing principlesas this , to go uncontradicted , whether we do not betray the truth and our flocks , and shew that we were too worthy of our sufferings ? but that this assertion or definition of idolatry is false , i need to prove no otherwise , than , 1. that it is unproved by him that is to prove it , and , 2. that it denieth christ to have a church on earth , or to have any but churches of idolaters . 3. that it turneth all sin in gods worship into one species , even idolatry . and so every false doctrine used in gods worship is idolatry : every antimonian , anabaptist , separatist , or of any other error be it never so small , must be presently an idolater , if in prayer or preaching he speak his error : and what man is infallible ? when your companion promised in the pulpit , that there should be no more tythes , no more taxes , nor no more king , in worcestershire after worcester-fight , this must be idolatry . for certainly no error is commanded of god. 4. that it maketh the description of a thing indifferent , to be the description of idolatry . for as [ a thing forbidden ] is the description of sin , so to be [ not commanded ] speaketh no more but indifferency ( though the prohibition to do any thing not commanded , speaketh more , if it could be proved . ) 5. it is contrary to the scripture which never useth the word [ idolatry ] in that sense ? peruse the several texts , and try . 6. it equalleth almost all churches with the infidel and pagan world. 7. it heinously injureth god , who is a hater of idolaters , and will visit their sins ( as god-haters ) on the third and fourth generations ; to feign him to be thus a hater of his churches , and of them that use any thing in his worship not commanded . 8. it tendeth to drive all christians to despair , as being idolaters , and so abhorred of god , because they have all some uncommanded , yea forbidden thing in worship : for by this mans doctrine , a sinful wandring thought , a sinful disorder , or tautologie , or bad expression is idolatry , ( as being not commanded . ) 9. it tendeth to drive men to give ever worshipping god ; because while they are certain to sin , they are certain to be idolaters , when they have done their best ▪ 10. it hardeneth the mahometans in their enmity to christianity , who being the great exclaimers against idolatry do already falsely brand us with that crime . but what ever else it do , i am sure it is so pernicious an engine of satan , to kill love and divide the church , to feign every conformist how holy soever , and every one that useth in worship any thing not commanded , to be an idolater , that i may well advise all christians , as they love christ and his church , and their own souls , to keep themselves from such mistakes . were it not that it is unmeet to do great works ●●rily , on such slight occasions , in such a discourse as this is , i would here stay to open the meaning of the second commandement ; and shew , 1. that there are abundance of lawful things in gods worship , as circumstances and outward modes that are not commanded in specie or individuo . 2. that somethings forbidden in that commandement indirectly , are not idolatry . 3. much less are they a sufficient cause of separation . but this is fitter for another place . and i again refer you to mr. lawson in his theopolitica . except . xx. answered . this exception is but a bundle of mistakes , and the fruit of your false interpretation of my design , 1. that i prove not what i say , is not true , when the many instances fully prove it , and you your self deny them not . 2. when i explain my self frequently and fully , who i do not mean by dividers , and what separation i allow , you feign me to open my mind [ very unwillingly , ] and to [ defend those whom i traduce , ] that you may make men believe that i mean those whom i still profess that i mean not , and that you know my mind better than i my self . this is not true and righteous dealing . except . xxi . p. 12. answered . when i say [ our presence at the prayers of the church , is no profession of consent to all that is faulty in those prayers ] he saith , [ the apostle thought otherwise in a like ●ase of sitting at meat in an idols temple . ] answ. brother , of all the men that ever i had to do with , scarce any hath dealt so superficially , without saying any thing against the proofs which i lay down , no● seeming to take any notice of them . how can you choose but see your self , that by denying my proposition . 1. you make it unlawful to joyne with any church or person in the world ; and so would dissolve all church-communion and family-worship ; for do not all men sin in prayer ? and must any man consent to sin ? 2. how do you reflect on god that forbiddeth us , to forsake the assembling of our selves together ? if consenting to sin be unavoidable ? 3. i told you , we consent not to the faults of our own prayers , much less to anothers , that are less in our power ? what work would this one opinion of yours make in the world ? if we are guilty of all that is faulty in all the prayers of the church ( or family ) we joyn with , yea more , do by our presence profess consent to them ; and withal , if all not commanded in worship be idolatry ▪ what a world are we then in ? it 's time then to turn seekers , and say that church and ministry are lost . it is these principles , brother , that i purposely wrote my book against . but you speak much besides the truth , when you say [ the apostle thought otherwise in a like case ; ] for you never prove that he thought otherwise : dare you say , ( i beseech you think on it ) that paul and all the apostles , and all the churches , professed consent to all the faults in worship which they were present at ? how know you that they were never present at any such as paul reproveth in the corinthians ? yea , was christ a professed consenter to all that he was present at ? or all that he commanded men to be present at , when he went to the synagogues , and bade the cleansed , go shew themselves to the priests , and offer , &c. and bade his disciples , hear the scribes and pharisees , &c. i do not charge the consequences on your person , but it 's easie to see , that it will follow from this opinion , that christ was a sinner , and consequently no saviour , and so no christ. alas , whither would you carry the people of the lord ? nor do you prove paul's case to be like this . eating at the sacrifi●●s in the idols temples was visible corporal idolatry , forbidden indeed , in the second commandement as idolatry ( interpretative , visible , external , corporeal . ) it was that very act by which an idol was outwardly worshipped . therefore it was a professing-act interpretatively . symbolizing with idolaters i have told you , is professing ; for a symbole is a professing sign . but he that is present , with a church professing to worship , not an idol , but the true god , and that according to the scripture , and is united to the church only in this profession , doth not by so doing profess consent to a ministers ill wording , or methodizing of his prayers or his sermons , which is the work of his own office . 2. as for your charge of blasphemy , &c. on me , for intreating you to take heed lest you blaspheme , by making gods foreknowing of faults , to signifie an approbation , i pass it by , and will not by so frivolous a return be drawn to enter further on that point . except . xxii . p. 13. answered . whether it be bitterness , fierceness , fury , or proud impatience , to reprove these sins , in an instance which your self presume not to contradict ; and whether the opinion that [ no truth is to be silenced for peace ] be fit for judicious peaceable men to own , or be not fit to be gain-said , i have long ago debated in my book of infant-baptisme , pag. 218. except . xxiii . p. 13. answered . if you dissent , why did you answer none of the six reasons i gave for what i said , nor seem to take notice of them ? but only when i say [ it were easie to instance in unseasonable and imprudent words of truth , spoken to princes which have raised persecutions of long continuance , ruined churches , caused the death of multitudes , &c. upon which you put four questions , to which i answer , 1. the flattery of some , will not justifie the sinful imprudence of others . 2. if you should be guilty of the blood of thousands by one sin , will it excuse you that another was more guilty ? 3. elijah , micaiah , and iohn baptist , spake not unseasonably or imprudently : nor is all imprudent that bringeth suffering or death . 4. gospel ministers may follow them that spake prudently ; but unseasonable and imprudent speaking , is not following them . i have recited elsewhere a saying even of dr. th. iackson , that it is not because great men have not sins and wrath enough , that there are no more martyrs under christian rulers ; but because there be not john baptists enough to tell them of them ( to that sense . ) but , either by all this you mean to defend unseasonable and imprudent speaking , or else you mean that there is no such sin , or else you must needs contend where you consent . if it be the first or third , i will not be so imprudent as to sence with you . if the second , it is gross contradiction of reason and morality , and of christ himself , matth. 7. 6. 1 tim. 2. 11 , 12. 1 cor. 14. 28. 34. amos 5. 13. eccl. 3. 7. except . xxiv . p. 14. [ he hath found out a new cause of separation , and such as we doubt not the pope will thank him for , when he saies , [ almost all our contentions and divisions , are caused by the ignorance and injudiciousness of christians ; ] for it is evident that our contentions at this day , are principally , if not wholly caused , by the pride , impertinencie and tyranny of imposers ; which guilt mr. baxter would ease them of , by charging it on the ignorance and injudiciousness of christians . ] answ. these last words are your 17th . untruth ; 1. where have i said a word to ease them of it ? may not two persons or parties be both guilty of division ? yea , if one were guilty [ wholly ] that is , of the whole , yet he may not be guilty solely , and no one with him . 2. have you or any of your party , done so much to have stopt that cause of divisions which you accuse , as i have done ? and did i ever change my mind ? 3. o that god would make you know what spirit you are of , and what you are doing ! alas , brother , will you leave england no hope of a cure ? what hope , while we are impenitent ? what repentance , while we justifie our sins ? yea , while the preachers teach the people to justifie them , and become the defenders of the sins which they should preach against ; and fight against their brethren that do but call m●n to ●●p●nt : what! is godliness up , and in honour among us , while repentance is down , as an intolerable abhorred thing ! what a godliness is that , which abhorreth repentance ? i am offended greatly with my own heart , that melteth not into tears over such lines as th●se , for england's sake ▪ and for religions sake ; for the honour of god , and for the souls of men . is that [ a new cause of separation ] which hath been the cause since the daies of the apostles to this day ? did ever man read the histories of the schismes and heresies of the churches , and not find out this cause , this old , this ordinary cause ? if you had remembred but what socrates and sozomene say of the church of alexandria alone , what contentions , what tumults , what blood-shed these weaknesses and faults of christians caused , it might have told you , it is no new thing . o lamentable case of miserable england , that even among the zealouser sort of ministers , any should be found , that either vindicateth all christians from the charge of ignorance and injudiciousness ! or that thinketh these are no causes , or no culpabie causes of divisions ! that have no more acquaintance with the people of this land ! and know no better them that they plead for ! that such should seek to flatter poor souls in despite of that open light , and undeniable 〈◊〉 of all the christian world ! that in an age when the weaknesses and faults of christians have wrought such heinous effects among us , they should be denied ! and when god by judgements hath so terribly summoned us to repent , by silencing , dissipations , imprisonments , reproaches , and most dreadful plagues and flames ; alas , shall we call to professors that have ruined us by ignorance and injudiciousness ( the gentlest names that their sin will bear ) and say , repent not christians , you are not ignorant or injudicious ; it is not you that are the causes of our divisions and calamities , our contentions at this day are principally , if not wholly caused by the pride , impertinency , and tyranny of the imposers . believe not , christians , that you are innocent ; believe not that you are not ignorant and injudicious as you love your souls , and as you love the land : if once god deliver us up to antichristian darkness and cruelties , it will be cold comfort to you , to think , that you once were flattered into impenitency , and made believe that you were not the cause . but that our hearts may yet more relent in this sad condition of the seduced , let us hear the following words . besides , ( saith he ) we cannot understand the meaning of such phrases as [ dull christians , ignorant and injudicious christians ; ] for whoever are christians indeed have received an anointing , by which they know all things , 1 joh. 2. 20. 27. and should not have such vile epithets affixed to them , which only ●●nd to expose even christianity it self , as if it did not cure those that sincerely imbraced it , of their ignorance and injudiciousness . answ. it is no disgrace to christianity , that it is set off by the presence of ignorance and injudiciousness ; as sickness maketh us know the worth of health . nor is it long of life or health , that doleful diseases remain yet uncured ; for were it not for them , instead of diseases there would be death . it is godliness and christianity which bringeth that light and health into the world that is in it ; and men are not ignorant and bad because they are christians and religious , but because they are not better christians , and more religious . perfect christianity would make men perfectly judicious . the weakest true christian exceedeth the learnedst ungodly doctor even in judgement and knowledge ; because he practically and powerfully knoweth , that god is god , and to be preferred in honour , obedience , and love before all the world ; and that christ is christ , and to be believed in for justification and salvation ; and that the holy spirit is his advocate and our quickener , illuminater and sanctifier , to be believed and obeyed ; and that there is a life of happiness to be hoped for , which is better than all the pleasures of sin , and the felicity of worldlings ; in a word , they have a real , though imperfect understanding of the baptismal covenant , and of the creed , or symbole of christian faith : and this is a great and noble knowledge , and cure of them that were lately ignorant of all these things , and were led captive ●y the prince of darkness at his will. if the reader that would see the difference will peruse my small tractate of catholick unity , he may be informed of it . but yet is there no such thing as ignorant , dull , injudicious christians , because they know all things ; must we not use such phrases and epithetes , because christianity cureth them . dear brother , i have no mind to make you odious , nor to open your sin to others ; but you have opened it to the world , and i must open it to you , if possibly you may repent ; but especially i am bound to try to save mens souls from this perilous deceit ; and theref●●● i shall prove to you that there are such 〈…〉 and ignorant and injudicious christians ; and 2. i shall tell you the greatness of your error and sin . that there are such is proved , 1. by the words of scripture , heb. 5. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. [ seeing yee are dull of hearing : for when for the time yee ought to be teachers , yee have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of god , and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat ; for every one that useth milk is unskilfull ( or unperienced ) in the word of righteousness ; for he is a babe : but strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil . 1 tim. 3. 6. not a novice , lest being lifted up with pride , he fall into the condemnation of the devil . the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is otherwise by our translators in the margin turned [ besotted . ] and strigelius saith that it signifieth not only puffed up , but one crack'd brain'd and phanatick : and lyserus saith of the same word , 2 tim. 3. 4. translated high minded , that it answereth an hebrew word which signifyeth , to be dark , and not to shine clearly ; which leigh reciteth . see martinius de typho . 1. cor. 3. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. and i brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual , but as unto carnal , as unto babes in christ : i have fed you with milk ▪ and not with meat . for hitherto yee w 〈…〉 t able to bear it , neither yet now are yee able : for yee are yet carnal : for whereas there is among you , envying ( the word is , zeal , that is , emulation ) and strife , ( or contention [ and divisions , ] or factions , ) are yee not carnal , and walk as men ( or according to man ; ) for when one saith , i am of paul , and another i am of apollo , are yee not carnal ? eph. 4. 14. that we henceforth be no more children , tost to and fro , and carried about with every wind by the sleight ( or cousenage ) of men , and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait , to deceive ; but speaking the truth in love may grow up , &c. luke 24. 25. o fools and slow of heart to believe , all that the prophets have spoken . mark 6. 52. they considered not the miracle of the loaves , for their heart was hardened . mark 8. 17. why reason yee because yee have no bread ? perceive yee not yet , neither understand ? have yee your hearts yet hardened ? having eyes see yee not ? and having ears , hear yee not ? and do you not remember ? luke 12. 16. these things understood not his disciples at the first . luke 18. 32 , 33 , 34. they shall scourge him , and put him to death , and the third day he shall rise again : and they understood none of these things ; and this saying was hid from them , neither knew they the things which were spoken . 1 cor. 8. 2. 7. 10. if any man think that he knoweth any thing , he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know , — howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge : but some with conscience of the idol unto this hour , eat it as a thing offered to an idol , and their conscience being weak is defiled . shall not the conscience of him that is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols . see rom. 14 and 15. gal. 6. 1. 1 cor. 9. 22. gal. 3 and 4. throughout . col. 2. 21 , 22 , &c. heb. 13. 9. 1 tim. 1. 3. should i recite all such epithetes , convictions , and reproofs in scripture it would be tedious . 2. the thing is further proved by the common experience of mankind , which it amazeth me to think a man that liveth among men in the world , awake and in his senses , can be ignorant of ? enemies know it : friends know it ; not only that there are ignorant and injudicious christians , but that the far greatest part are such though not in a damning , yet in a sad and troublesome degree ! and that the far greatest part of those that we hope are truly godly , remain so lamentably ignorant of abundance of things , that should be known , and continue in such an infancy of understanding , as is a great advantage to the tempter , and many waies calamitous to themselves , and to the church : it is the lamentation of all experienced ministers . alas , how ignorant even honest people remain ; and how slowly they come on in knowledge ? 3. if god have made it one half the work of the pastors of the churches , to labour all their daies to heal the ignorance of good people , then , such ignorant ones there are : but the antecedent is plain in scripture ; and believed by most ministers , as their daily sermons tell you . 4. do not the multitudes of sects and errors , and contentions that have torn the church from the apostles daies till now prove it ? were all those in the catalogues of epiphanius , augustine , philastrius , &c. certainly graceless ? or were none of them ignorant and injudicious ? and though church-tyranny be a grand divider , that this was not the only cause , two instances prove to the great disgrace of this assertion of his . first , the instance of the said sects of christians , for the first 300 or 400 years , when there were no such impositions . secondly , our late twenty years ( or neer ) contentions and divisions , and numerous parties , when there were little or no impositions . was it impositions or tyranny that bred sects in the armies , and in england and ireland in the daies of liberty ? 5. and is it not sufficient proof to england , that there are weak , ignorant , injudicious christians , when the ruines of twenty years experience overwhelmeth us , and when so many years unreconcilable differences prove i ? and when we have so many sects and differences to this day : what all these differences , these wars , these disputings , these censurings , divisions and confusions , and yet no ignorant injudioious christians ? o what will pass for proof with them that will not take such experience for proof ? 6. and what say you by all the greek , the abassine , armenian , nestorian , iacobite , &c. christians , that are alas , in national general ignorance : which will you affirm , brother ; that all these nations are damnable infidels , or no christians ? or that there are no ignorant christians among them ? 7. and what say you by all the contentions of lutherans and calvinists , arminians and antiarminians , the troubles of germany by muntzer and his anabaptists , and those at munster , and those in holland , and many other countreys . 8. and what say you by all the books now extant ( dr. crispes , mr. saltmarshes , cop's , mr. cradocks , mr. dels , mr. dens , mr. randalls , iacob behmens , and all the germane prophets , andr. osiander , swenkfieldius , &c. ) is there no christianity ? or no ignorance and injudiciousness apparent in them ? besides all the writings of episenpal , presbyterian , independents , separatists , anabaptists , &c. against one another . 9. do you not think your self , that multitudes of conformists , yea ministers are ignorant and injudicious ? sure you do ; and can you judge them all to be no christians ? 10. do you not think that i am ignorant and injudicious ? if not , you must not only think that i am no christian , but also extreamly maliciously wicked . but if you do so think of me , can you think so of all the non-conformable ministers of my judgement . i am sure if you believe your self , and as you write ; ignorance is the easiest charge we can expect from you . 11. and will you put sorth such a book as your own to the world , and when you have done deny the ignorance and injudiciousness of all christians ? this is all one as to swear that there is never a swearer among christians . 12. i appeal to the common charges of ministers in their sermons and books , who charge weak christians with dulness , ignorance , and injudiciousness . 13. i appeal to the experience of all masters of families , whether they meet with no such christians there ? yea , how hard it is to meet with better ? 14. i appeal to the experience of every self-knowing christian , whether he find not abundance of dulness , ignorance and injudiciousness in himself ? 15. i appeal to the prayers of almost all christians , whether they charge not themselves with this to god ? 16. i appeal to almost all the disagreeing disputers of this and every age , whether they charge not one another with it ? 17. i appeal to most parishes in england , whether many of the people charge not their ministers themselves with it ? 18 i appeal to universities , tutors and schools , whether they know none such ? 19. i appeal to any judicious man , whether he find not the judicious even among good christians ; yea , and ministers to be , alas , too rare ? 20. and i appeal to all men that are awake , whether there be no christian children in the world ? and whether all such children are cured of ignorance and injudiciousness , and know all things by the anointing of the spirit ? and if all this be no proof , it is time to give over teaching and disputing . and now that , if perhaps , you may repent , and others be preserved , i shall tell you what nature this sinful doctrine and practice is of ; 1. it is a cherishing of pride , which is the first-born of the devil : yea of spiritual pride , even a pride of mens knowledge and iudiciousness , which is worse than pride of wealth or ornaments . 2. hereby it resisteth a great work of the gospel and spirit of christ , which consisteth in the humbling of souls , and making them become as little children , conscious of ignorance , and teachable . 3. it defendeth that sin which all experienced judicious men complain of , as that common calamity of mankind , which is the grand cause of contentions , and errors in the world. which is , mens thinking that they know what they do not , and over-valuing their own understandings , & thinking that they are wise when it is otherwise . 4. it contradicteth the holy ghost , and reproveth his language and reproofs , as i have before shewed . to which i adde 2 tim. 3. 6 , 7. they lead captive silly women laden with sins , led away with divers lusts , ever learning , and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth . 1 cor. 15. where paul is put to prove the resurrection ; ver . 34. some have not the knowledge of god : i speak this to your shame : ver . 36. thou fool , that which thou s●west , &c. hos. 9. 7. the prophet is a fool , the spiritual man is mad , &c. 1 cor. 3. 18. let him become a fool that he may be wise . if you say that some of these were not true saints , i answer , 1. paul calleth the church of corinth in general , saints . 2. our question is of more than true saints ; even such as may by others ( who are no heart-searchers ) be called , christians ; whether we may call any [ dull , ignorant , or injudicious christians ? ] 5. you teach parents and masters to neglect and betray the souls of their children and servants , that are christians : and children and servants , to reject the teaching of parents and masters : for if they are not dull , nor ignorant , what need they to be taught or to learn ? and at what age do they come to know all things , and to be past the title of ignorant ? is it at 4 , or 5 , or 7 years old ? doubtless they may have the spirit then : if not , where is it that you will set the bounds ? at what age were you past your ignorance and injudiciousness , and knew all things ? 6. you thus make the work of schoolmasters needless ; and also of tutors and academies . 7. you encourage and countenance idle ministers , as to the labours necessary to christians : if there be no dull nor ignorant christians , they are not so blame-worthy as we have made them . 8. you excuse those that unjustly hinder christs ministers to preach to christians , in any part of the world : if there be no ignorant christians , preachers are not so necessary , nor silencing them so bad a thing as we have made it . 9. you encourage the contemners of the preaching of gods word , who say , what need we go to hear , we know as much as they can tell us . 10. you contradict the sermons of almost all ministers , as if they abused christianity , and belyed the people , when they reprove their ignorance and dulness . 11. you encourage the bold invaders of the ministry , who thinking that they know all things , and are not ignorant , do turn teachers of others , before they have learned themselves . 12. you encourage the disputing , contentious wrangling , and insolent spirit that is abroad , which maketh men tear and divide the church , by confidence in their several opinions ; while all of them may think that they are not ignorant nor injudicious . 13. you seek to keep christs disciples in continual ignorance , while you would make them believe that they are not ignorant , and so keep them out of a learning way , which is a disciples state . 14. you condemn your own practice , who preach to those that you judge your self to be christians ; for what need they your teaching ( as to their understandings ) if they are not ignorant , but know all things ? 15. you countenance the q●akers and papists in their doctrine of perfection : yea you go far beyond them , inasmuch as they ascribe perfection but to a few . 16. you justifie all the errors of the times , which christians hold , and teach them to say , we are christians , therefore we erre not , for we are not ignorant . 17. you justifie contradictions : for if ten men be of ten several contrary minds , e. g. about the exposition of a text , it is but one of them that can be right ; and yet you teach them all to think that they are right . 18. you do this against the full light and experience of an age of errors , yea of almost all ages of the church . 19. you shew your self insensible of the sinful ignorance and divisions , and ruines thereby procured , these twenty years . 20. you teach all those that are or have been guilty , to be impenitent . 21. you do this in an age , when dreadful judgements , which have begun at the house of god , do call his houshold most loudly to repent , and to be an example of penitence to others . 22. should you prevail thus to keep christians in impenitence , you would keep us in our calamities , and turn away the peace and deliverance which we hope and pray for , and be the prognostick of our continued woe , if not of the undoing of the land , and an utter forsaking . 23. you teach christians in prayer not to confess their dulness or ignorance , and make them speak falsly that do consess it . 24. you vilifie all those means which god hath instituted to cure his peoples ignorance , as a needless thing , if it be cured in all already ; as reading , hearing , meditating , conference , &c. 25. you cross the use of all the world , even the works of creation and providence , so far as they are gods means to teach christians knowledge , and cure their ignorance . 26. you teach men to lose the most of their lives , as to growth in knowledge , when they must believe that they are cured of their ignorance as soon as they are christians , and know all things perhaps at seven years old . 27. you teach almost all christians to despair of their sincerity , and to deny themselves to be christians . for when you have taught them that [ whoever are christians indeed , have received the anointing by which they know all things , and are cured of their ignorance and injudiciousness , & are not to be called dull , or ignorant , or injudicious christians . ] they will quickly assume [ but it is not thus with me , i am dull and ignorant , &c. therefore i am not a christian indeed . ] 28. you almost if not wholly deny and un-church christs church on earth , while you deny all to be christians indeed that are ignorant , injudicious , dull , and know not all things . 29. by cherishing the pride and ignorance of christians , you cherish all their other sins , which these two are the common parents of . 30. you make us hereby seem a tender and a factious people , that see motes in the eyes of others , but not beams in our own ▪ who can aggravate the sins of others , yea , the publick worship into idolatry it self ; but when we come to our party , we take it for a reproach to christianity , to be called dull , or ignorant , or injudicious . 31. you shew by this that your censure of the conformists is so high , as to make them all to be no christians indeed . for you cannot think that an idolater is not ignorant and injudicious : and so no christian with you . but he that wrote mr. bolton's life , thought otherwise . 32. you abuse the scripture , 1 ioh. 2. 20. 27. to countenance all this ; as the quakers do [ he that is born of god sinneth not . ] calvin truly noteth that by [ knowing all things , he meaneth not universally ; sed ad praesentis loci circumstantiam restringi debet ; ] it is , the all things which the apostates there reproved did deny . as the prophet saith , they shall not need to teach one another saying , know the lord , for all shall know him : — and yet they might have need to teach one another an hundred other truths , though they all knew the true god from idols . so here to know all things , is to be knowing persons , in comparison of the infidels and apostates ; ( which , saith calvin , he speaketh to procure a fair audience with them : ) as if he should say , [ i speak not to you as so rude and ignorant persons that know not these great things which these apostates deny . ] dr. hammond thinketh that it meaneth , that the holy ghost by which you are anointed , or preferred before others , is a certain proof or evidence to you , of the truth of all the doctrine which christ taught , and therefore you cannot forsake him by the seducement of these apostates . beza ●aith , atqui cogn●scimus omnes ex parte , 1 cor. 13. 9. est igitur hyperbole , qua significat apostolus , se nihil afferre quod illi jam antea non intellexerint , quos ipse commonefaciat potius quam doceat , ut loquitur etiam ipse dominus , jer. 31. 34. vel quod etiam simplicius est , omnia intelligit necessaria agnoscendis anti-christis , & ●avendis illorum insidiis : and to that purpose the english anotations . but further i grant , that all christians have that spirit which teacheth them all things needful to salvation . but how ? not in the first moment . nor without their pains and patience in learning : but in blessing them by degrees in the use of those means , which they must continue learning by , while they live ; which notwithstanding , most are long dull and ignorant , and injudicious , though not in comparison of unbelievers . but what if the text had meant properly [ yee know all things ; ] do you prove that this is spoken of all true christians , and that in all ages ? and that it is not partly grounded on the extraordinary anointing of the spirit , poured out , act. 2. proper to those primitive times , for the obsignation of the gospel . 33. it 's a heinous sin to be a flatterer of mens souls ! and to sowe pillows under mens elbows , and to call evil good , and to sooth multitudes up in their ignorance , and tell them , it is not an epithete fit for them . 34. and thus you teach them to oppose and hate a faithfuller sort of ministers , who will tell them of that which you would draw them to deny . 35. and it is a double sin for a minister to do this , who is a watch-man for the peoples souls . 36. and yet more , for one that so sharply reprehendeth the faultyness of conformists , as to separate from them . 37. and to pretend that the consession of our own faults is not only an easing of other mens , but even a meriting of the pope ; as if either the pope must be in the right , or no christians must be said to be church-dividers by their ignorance ; even in a time when our divisions so shew themselves , that no one can doubt of them : what is this but to perswade men to be papists ? 38. and what is all this but to expose us to the scorn of all that are inclined to scorn us . to teach them to look on us as they do on the quakers , as a proud , distracted sort of people , that will make the world believe that none of us are ignorant , injudicious , or dividers , against such notorious publick evidence : yea , to harden them that have voluminously reproached the non-conformists , and to engage your self to justifie all the ignorant , injudicious sayings that they are charged with ; or else to prove that the speakers were no christians . 39. and this you do in the very day of our scandals and reproach , where thousands are already hardened into a distaste of serious religion , by our former divisions and injudicious miscarriages ; as if you would thrust these miserable souls yet deeper into infidelity and atheism . and when the scandal of our divisions hath turned many ( and some old professors of religiousness ) unto popery ; you take the course to turn off more . 40. yea , by making us thus odious , you do very much to increase the distaste and displeasure of our afflicters , and to bring more sufferings upon us , as a people that are phanaticks indeed : even while you make proud imposition and persecution the cause of our divisions . and when the world knoweth , not only that in the first 300 years of the church , there were swarms of heresies and sects , and also after luther's reformation , and among us in armies , cities , and countrey for about 20 years , even to our own confusion ; yet would you tempt them to take us for a people not to be believed , by seeming to deny all this . and when i proved to you , that it is gods way after our misdoings , to take the shame to our selves , that it may not fall on our religion ; and the devils way to justifie the misdoings of christians , that christianity and religion may bear the blame ; you give no confutation of any of this , and yet go on to wrong the truth , by defending that which is not to be defended ; if there be none of all this that in your eyes is matter fit for your repentance , i still pray that you may better know what manner of spirit you are of . yet i wish you to observe , that i do not say , that in terms you assert all these ill consequences ; nor do i think that you so practically hold them , as not in some measure to hold the contraries of them ; i take you not to be so bad : but i only advise both you and others , to own no more the opinions which infer such things , nor to do that which tends to cherish them . and i here protest to all that shall take the occasion of your paper , to asperse the protestants , or the non-conformists in general , that they will be inhumanely disingenuous in so doing , when none but the guilty should be accused . except . xxv . answered . 1. brother , you do ill to intimate either of these untruths . 1. either that there is no such thing as [ an ignorant sort of preachers , more valued for their affectionate tone and fervour , than abler judicious men ; ] when as the whole christian world knoweth that there are many such preachers both among the several sects , ( and of our selves , there are or have been some ) and in the publick assemblies ; and among all christian churches where there is preaching through the world : and the worlds experience puts it past doubt , that the generality of the vulgar , unlearned and injudicious sort of men , do value a man by his tone and voice more than for the judgement and excellency of his matter , if not put off by such advantage . brother , you and i are both known persons ; though i look not to mention my self without your imputation of pride , i will venture , while i put my self on the side which you say i reproach , to tell you , that i was once commonly taken to have as affectionate a tone of speech as ever you were , at the least : and i ever found that matter and affection together took best : but that warm affection and fervent utterance , with common and little matter , took more with the far greater part , than far more excellent matter delivered , with less fervour of affection . i have said as much against cold preaching as ever you have done at least : and i am as much against it as ever : and i am my self much helped in profiting by an affectionate delivery . but , brother , i take it for no pride to think that i have had more experience of mens cases than you have had ; ( if you have had no more pastoral charge than i suppose , and came but out of the university when i was ready to be turned off from mine . ) and i must tell you that i have been oft sorry to see how the people have been moved ( in army and countreys ) to value a quaker , a seeker , an antinomian , an anabaptist , a socinian that preach'd down the god-head of christ ; ( and among the orthodox , such ignorant ones as you know i am acquainted with ; ) meerly for the tone and fervency of their delivery . scarce any thing hath more infected the injudicious with errour . 2. or if you deny not that such a thing there is , then it is yet worse in you to feign this empty loudness , or affected fervency , to be the preaching which god owneth to the conversion of souls , comparatively . this is to reproach the work of preaching and conversion , so ill do you avoid what you injuriously impute to others , when you cry out ▪ [ what could parker , &c. have spoken more reproachfully , &c. sure you thought i had spoken against fervent preaching it self , or else you would not have talk'd as you do ? here also ( after some mention of my pride and folly ) you adde two more gross untruths . 1. that what i spake of individual persons without respect to any party , conformists , non-conformists , or separatists , and instanced in many of my own acquaintance , some of which now conform , yea are zealous conformists , who were the ferventest loudest preachers that ever i knew in all my life : [ if i will not tell you who they are , ( alas man , did you never know such ) you must think it concerns all that are at this day engaged in a gospel separation . ] answ. had you said [ we will think so ] it might have been true : but , 1. i had made no mention at all of separation in the whole direction , nor intended any more than i expressed ; but only meant to direct people to avoid that error in the choice of teachers , which prepareth them for any seduction and division . 2. i had largely spoken there for affectionate preaching . 3. i am not acquainted with very many such as in england have been known by the name of separatists , that go no further ; but those few that i do know , i take to be colder , duller preachers , than those that are called presbyterians byfar , for the most part of them ; so far was i from meaning them ; but quakers , and fifth-monarchy men , and some anabaptists i know , and many revilers of the ministry i have known , in armies and countreys that were just such as i describe . 2. it is an untruth that you had no pretence of reason for ( that i can think of ) that i [ have left off the lords work , and instead of helping it forwards with you , am weakening your hands , and disgracing the builders . ] if you mean that i preach not in the pulpit , no more do you : if you mean that i have not a separated church , i never had one ( on your principles at least : ) if you mean that i preach not in london , 1. i cannot if i would . 2. i never had any pastoral charge , nor place in london , but preach'd one year up and down for others , and another year took but a voluntary lecture . 3. london i was forced eight years ago to forsake for my health and life . 4. gods work is not only in london . 5. i have no call thither , nor any people related to me as a pastor there . 6. there are very many worthy men there that want both employment and maintenance , whom i will not injure . are not all these reasons enough ? but if you think otherwise , 7. are not all the preachers in england forsakers of gods work that preach not in london ? 8. i think you preached not for many years , when you lay so long in prison : did you then forsake gods work ? but i must confess , brother , i have alwaies been too slothful and unprofitable a servant , and still am : yet i can say , that i know no other employment that i have , and that i spend no more time in other things than necessities of life require ; i play away none , and i idle away but little ; and preaching , were it oftner , is a small part of my work , and that will be proved to be the lords work , which you think is against him , ( as all have done that ever i wrote against almost . ) and i love you much the better for being zealous for that which you do but think is the lords work ; but i am past doubt that it will prove at last , that such doctrines , passions , and practices as yours , will be the weakeners and hinderers of the builders . except . xxvi . answered . p. 16. i intreat the reader to peruse my words which you except against so angrily , and i am assured , he will find them useful to him , in the great question who shall be iudge ? and to help him out of his perplexities . 1. it is a notorious untruth that you say , [ it is altogether a new way of deciding controversies , to affirm dictator like , in all points of belief or practice which are of necessity to salvation , you must ever keep company with the universal church . ] be it right or wrong , who knoweth not that knoweth what was held of old , that it is the way that irenaeus , tertullian , epiphanius , hierome , augustine , optatus , and abundance more have largely written for : and which vincentius lirinensis wrote his book for , ( quod semper , ubique , & ab omnibus , &c. ) 2. note , reader , that he leaveth out , that i said here [ no man must be iudge , no , not the universal church , but only that they are our associates , and that here every christian maketh the articles of his faith his own , and upon no mans authority , &c. ] but i maintain that it is no article of absolute necessity to salvation , that hath been unknown to the universal church till now ; for then it were no church . but , saith our brother , who shall tell us what is the universal church ? and where shall we find it ? answ. are these questions now to be answered by me ? did you never before hear it done by others ? the universal church , is the universality of christians : it is to be found militant , on this habitable earth . did you not know this ? but you ask , [ how comes the scripture not to be mentioned ? ] answ. because it was not seasonable , or pertinent . i was not defining the church ; if i had , it was definable without the naming of the scripture , at least before the scripture was written : and whence think you did i mean men should make the doctrine of faith their own , past controversie , but by the scripture ? good brother , till you have written more books for the authority of scriptures than i have done , or preach'd more for it , own not such disingenuous intimations . 2. you say that , [ what he addes is much more conceited and singular ; in matters of high and difficult speculation , the judgement of one man of extraordinary understanding and clearness , is to be preferred before both the rulers and the major vote . ] answ. it is another untruth , that this is singular . my very words are almost verbatim in mr. pemble vind. grat. elsewhere cited . why do the scotists , so far follow scotus , and the nominals , ockbam , and the dominicans , aquinas , &c. if this were a singular opinion ? do not all the peripateticks say the same of aristotle in philosophy ? and the atomists of epicurus , democritus and lucretius ; and the cartesians of their master ? doth not dr. twisse say the like of bradwardine and of piscator ? and do not many besides rutherford think the same of him ? do not the ramists say so of ramus ? do not the protestants say so of calvin , as to all that went before him ? nay , is it not almost the common opinion of all learned men ? and a thing beyond dispute ? did ever any man put such points of high speculation to the major vote ? alas , brother , that you should trouble men thus , by printing your confidence against unquestionable truths ! in the next place you suppose , [ mr. baxter hopes , as haman did in the like case , that he shall be the man , or else he would not have advised us to prefer the judgement of any one man whatsoever . ] answ. here are three more untruths , 1. that i hope to be the man. 2. that hamans was the like case . 3. that else i would not have advised , &c. but i let them go for one ; till you have proved what you say , and know my heart better than i my self . in the mean time i give you an instance in which i assure you i hope not to be the man : will you suppose at the next meeting of ministers , that there are sixteen that understand not the hebrew tongue , and three that have but a little smattering in it , and one that is a bithner , ● phagius , a buxtorfe , a tremelius , or ( to please you where it is possible ) an aynswer●h : if the controversie be , how such a t●●● of the old testament is to be interpreted , will you put it to the vote ? or will you not prefer that one mans judgement before all the rest ? and do not those ministers do thus , that trust to the translators , and understand not the originals themselves . but you adde , [ he knows we believe that the scripture is both perfect and plain . ] answ. yes , plain to them that are fitted to understand it . our labour is not to alter the scripture , but to alter mens understandings . do you know as much as twisse or bradwardine for all the scriptures are plain ? or do you think that i know as much as you ? let the reader judge . do you not think that your writing and preaching is needful , for all that the scripture is plain and perfect : and do you not know more than all your hearers ? if all the ministers silenced and unsilenced be not needless to teach the people , why may not some one man excell you and me , whose teaching may be needful to us , and yet the scripture not be disgraced ? or why will you not write us an infallible commentary , and save mr. poole his labour of abbreviating the criticks , if the plainness of the scripture serve your turn without the teaching of any one that excelleth you ? shall all our people , and all the differing , contending parties in england say , the scriptures are perfect and plain , and therefore we need not the translation of them , the interpretations , the decisions or helps of any but our selves ? or of any wiser than the most ? as for your anathema , i thank you for your admonition . except . xxvii . answered . you say he seems to us very much to disparage the reputation of honesty , when he scruples not to affirm [ it oft falleth out that honest people are like straying sheep , if one leap over the hedge , the rest will crowd and strive to follow him . ] this we think is enough to make people afraid of being honest , if indeed when they are so , they are so apt to go astray . answ. 1. do i need to cite you an hundred texts in which this sinning , straying inclination is charged upon honest men ? when paul saith of himself , what he doth , rom. 7. and david of himself , psal. 119. 176. and he that saith that he hath no sin deceiveth himself , and the truth is not in him , and there is not a just man that doth good and sinneth not . did not pauls carnal corinthians , and lgeal galatians go astray one after another ? are you sure that they that followed their leaders into all those sects which epiphanius and others mention , were all dishonest ? and all they that followed swinkfeldius , and behmen , and sti●felius , and muntzer , and such others ? and all they that have followed dr. crispe , or arminius , or the leading anabaptists , or seekers , of these ages ? yea , or all they that did and said those contrary and confounding things in our late troubles , which must not to you be mentioned ? are you sure that none of all these were honest ? or are you sure that none of them went astray ? even when they contradicted , yea , killed one another ? or are you sure that some seduced not the rest ? at least you should not have forgotten in the doing of it , that you were then writing an antidote to keep honest people from being infected by my book for love and unity ; and if honest people are in no such danger , why laboured you in vain ? your intenseness upon what your passion sets you on , hindereth your memory of what you cannot choose but know . 2. but , o brother , how injurious a course is this that you take ? how contrary to all the course of scripture , and the duty of a minister , to lay the reputation of honesty it self so much on such sinners as most honest men are , that honesty it self must be thus published by you to seem dangerous and hurtful , unless all honest people be vindicated from such errors ? as if we must grant that , if men can but prove this straying disposition in many honest persons , they must be afraid to be honest ? and do you not undoubtedly hereby give up all honesty to be avoided ? will any man but you , that is sober , and awake , deny the antecedent , that seeth our several parties , and knoweth what we have done ? this is not the way to vindicate honesty . health and life are not to be avoided because most men have diseases and infirmities . why did you not answer the proofs i gave you of the lutherans , armenians , greeks , and other kingdoms that run together in an error ? are the falls of gods servants recited in scripture , a reason to teach men to flye from honesty or religion ? except . xxviii . answered . when i counselled men to [ note and avoid the sins and bad examples of religious men , and to study what are the common errors of the religious party where we live , that we may take a special care to escape them . ] here , 1. you impute this to my enmity against strictness . answ. 1. i thank you for all your admonitions ; but , truly , brother , you quite mistake our controversie through your book ; which is about dividing the churches , and destroying love , and not whether my heart be malicious , wicked , or to be anathematized ! what if i be worse than iudas ? what 's that to our case in hand ? 2. and time will teach you , that sin is not godly strictness nor honesty ; and that he that was against your sin , might be for your strictness and your honesty . 2. you question whether [ any man that dares write so , is serious . ] this needs no answer . 3. you [ believe such counsel was never given to christians before . ] answ. 1. alas , that any minister or christian should be so unexperienced ! would you not only reproach the non-conformists , but all protestants , and all christians ? as if none either of their ministers or neighbours ever counselled men to watch and escape the sins which the religious part are guilty of , in the time and countrey where they are ? the jews were before christs time the holy peculiar people of god : and did you never read , 1 cor. 10. 1. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. it 's too long to transcribe . did you never read heb. 3 and 4 ? nor read of the sins , of the polygamy , the putting away of wives , and other faults of the better sort , and the generality of the jews ? did you never read how common the high place-worship was even under godly kings ? nor yet how the law was neglected till the book was almost unknown ? did you never read of the sins of noah , lot and his family , abraham , isaac , iacob , moses , aaron , and his sons ; the company of corah , david , solomon , peter , & c ? did you never read of christs rebuke of his disciples for their hardness of heart , their ignorance , their striving who should be greatest ? and how he took that occasion to warn them by the comparison of a child , and by his washing and wiping of their feet ? nor yet of his rebuking their common expectation of a temporal kingdom ? are not the errors of the several religious sects reproved by the ancient writers , irenaeus , tertullian , epiphanius , augustine , &c. did you never read any writing counselling men to avoid the errors and sins of the donatists , nor the novatians , the monothelites , the nestorians , eutychians , & c ? the errour of the religious sort among the lutherans , is consubstantiation , church-images , ceremonies , &c. the error of the religious calvinists is too much neglect of the lords day : what those of the arminians and the anabaptists , and many other sorts are , i leave to you . did you never read any man that warned others to avoid these sins and errors ? did you never find in the antimonians writings , that the stricter sort of good people went too far in pressing humiliation , tears and degrees of sorrow , so as to be too dark and sparing in pressing the doctrine of grace and love : ( and it was partly true ; ) did you never hear or read , how superstition , ●remetical and monastical lives , excessive fastings and austerities , were caused by the strictest people ? nor yet of touch not , taste not , handle not ? nor of some lawful things feigned to be unlawful ? nor yet that ever paul wrote to the corinthians , galatians , &c. and christ , by iohn , to six of the asian churches , to know and avoid the sins of christians , together with the hereticks among them ? nor yet that paul said , act. 20. of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them ? nor yet that he said , i have no man like minded , ( as timothy , ) for all seek their own things , and not the things that are iesus christs ? nor that all forsook him at his appearing before nero ? nor that all his disciples forsook christ and fled ? nor that paul said that the ministers of satan transformed themselves into ministers of righteousness ? in a word , that beside all other sins , the carnal siding and divisions which paul reproved the corinthians for , most ages have among the stricter sort been guilty of ? would you teach your hearers to put their doctrines or practices to a major vote of professors ? do you think we know the sincere from hypocrites ? or that either hypocrites or sincere are without sin ? or that we must take no warning by good mens falls ? must we all do over again , all the faults that religious men have done these 30 years ? you make my heart grieve , brother , to think that there should be a man among us , that thinketh the church must be built up by such doctrines , and such means as yours ? you say [ we are commanded not to conform our selves to the world. ] answ. nor to sinning christians neither ; [ but first ( say you ) to suppose that the religious party have generally some common errors among them , and then to advise that we should carefully study to escape them ; this counsel we think mr. baxter may be the father of ; nor do we envy him the honour of it . ] answ. 1. have the religious sort among the greeks , abassines , nestorians , iacobites , armenians , lutherans , anabaptists , arminians , &c. no common error among them ? 2. are you for more infallibility and perfection than the papists themselves ? 3. will any christian besides you , that is sober , deny that we should study to escape them ? 4. did you ever read any sober writer of another mind ? i beseech you take heed of this pernicious flattery of professors : and i beseech all the religious that love their souls , to take heed of being ensnared by such flattery , into a proud , impenitent state . and in the grief of my heart here , i must say to the people that which i expect this brother should impute to enmity to godliness . you see by this manner of teaching what you have brought your selves and your teachers to ? i have oft grieved to observe , that many look that preachers should make it their business to flatter them , and extoll them in the highest praises , and to prick others as deep , and vilifie them as much as may be ; and this is the preaching that they are best pleased with . i know that the precious and the vile must be widely differenced , and he is no preacher of the gospel that doth not do it : but when the preacher must notifie our party as precious , and cast dung on those as vile , whom uncharitable men without proof think vile , and must hide all our sins , as if to touch them were to reproach religion it self , and must aggravate theirs , even the greatest that differ from us , or else be a flatterer and temporizer ; o that such knew but what manner of spirit they are of ! you adde that i make my advice ridiculous , by forgetting that i bid men agree with the universal church . answ. i said expresly , [ in the necessary articles of faith , ] and must we therefore agree with them in all their sins and errors ? or may i not say , [ separate not from most or any christians as to things true and necessary , ] and yet [ avoid their sins , ] and [ he followers of them as they are of christ. ] alas , poor christians , that ever you should either be instructed at this rate ? or yet have need to be instructed against it ? except . xxix . answered . why , brother , did you never till now hear either familists , socinians , or the grosser quakers ( such as major cobbet writes against , and smith ) called by the name of [ a sect , ] had you no greater thing to quarrel with ? you shall call them how you will. your anger i pass by . except . xxx . answered . y●● say [ may we not justly suspect that to be bad in the worship of god , which the wicked sort do love ? ] answ. i spake not of [ what they love , but , what they are for ; ] this change of my words is unrighteous . i only advised men not to reject a good cause , because it is owned by some ( or most bad persons . ) and why did you not answer my instance of the pharisees long prayers ? we have had many religious persons or sects that have of late been some against ▪ infant baptisme , some against singing psalmes , some against ministry , and church-meetings , and some against sacraments , and instituted ordinances , and some against tythes and universities , and humane learning ; ( and mr. norton of new england told me , that with them , a church separated from a church , or was gathered out of it , rejecting their pastors , and choosing unlearned men , and would receive and endure none that had humane learning ; and that moses and aaron ( as his words were ) magistrates and ministers went down on their knees to them with tears , and could not move them to relent unto unity , or to receive a learned minister , nor get any answer from them , but [ that is your judgement , and this is ours . ] i speak his very words as neer as i can possibly , spoken to old mr. ash and me , before his ( yet living ) companion mr. broadstreet a magistrate of new england . ) now all this the common people are against . must we therefore be against magistrates , ministers , ordinances , and all , because the common people are for them . how commonly are they against the quakers , and the familists , and the infidels , and heathens , and ( with us ) the papists ? are all these therefore in the right ? let any familist deny the scripture , or the immortality of the soul , and the common people will be against them . must we deny god and christ because we live in a land where they are owned ? brother , consider , 1. that some truths the light of nature teacheth all . 2. and some common illumination teacheth multitudes of bad men . 3. and some good education , and the tradition of their fathers , and the laws of the countrey teacheth . 4. and some are better persons among those that you separate from , than many are that separate from them . let not us then be bad , and more erroneous than those whom you account the worse , and all because they are no worse . the text which you wish me to read on my knees , i have done so , and i thank you for that advice ; but i answer not your hope of retracting what i have written ( in that , ) but contrarily , 1. on my knees i pray god to forgive you such abuse of scripture . 2. and to give you a sounder mind . for the text speaketh of infidels , or denyers of christs incarnation , and maketh this the differencing character , [ every spirit that confesseth that iesus is come in the flesh is of god ; and so on the contrary . but are all these christians that you plead for separation from , and charge with idolatry , infidels , and denyers of christ ? and all the churches on earth that use a liturgie ? o brother , you use not scripture , o● the church aright . we grant that in professed christians also , the carnal mind is enmity to god , and they that are most carnal , are likest to reject the truth ; but ye● we would not wish you to measure truth by the quality of the receiver : for christ is truly christ , though many workers of iniquity shall say , we have prophesied in thy name : many hereticks have been strict and temperate , when the greater part of the orthodox have been too loose : yet that did not prove the christian doctrine to be false . except . xxxi . answered . i have little here to do but number your visible untruths in matter of fact : one is ( 21th . untruth , ) [ he flyes upon all sides that are for order in any kind , ] when i speak not a word against order , nor against any side ; but the instances of some mens extreams , which all that are for order hold not . your 22d . untruth , is [ without expressing himself whether he is for papal , presbyterian , or independent government in the church , ] and [ if this were not crime enough to seem unsetled in so necessary a point . ] what signification have i given of unsetledness ? when i have long ago publickly told the world my judgement about all this to the full , in my five disputations of church government ; and in a book called christian concord , and another called universal concord , another of confirmation , besides many more . but might not a man be setled that were ( as i am in the main ) of the same judgement as is expressed in the waldenses , or bohemian government , described by laseitius and commenius ; which taketh in the best of episcopacy , presbytery and independency , and leaveth out the worst , and the unnecessary parts ? are all the hungarian , and transilvanian , and old polonian protestants , that come neer this order , withour order , or unsetled ? 3. it is your 23d . untruth that i write very dubiously about iustification , whether we are to take it to be by faith or by works . ] when as all that i was here to say of it , is spoken very plainly ; & i have written many books to make my mind as plain as it is possible for me to speak : ( as in my confession , my disputations of iustification , my apologies , my answer to dr. barlow , and in my life of faith , which was printed before this , where i have detected a multitude of errors about justification ; and many more . ) and if you expect every time i name justification i should write the summ of all those books over again , i shall fail your expectation , though i incur your censure , who , no doubt ' had i done it , would ( justly ) have censured such repetition for tedious vanity . you adde [ we fear he is not sound in that point . ] ( answ. your fear is your best confutation , and the best assistance that you afford , to make me as wise and judicious as your self . ) [ the lord , ( say you , ) we hope in mercy to his church , and particularly to those who have been deceived into a good opinion of him , will bring this man upon his knees , that he may make a publick acknowledgement of his folly . ] answ. if that be your work , it is the same with his , that it is said you sometime wrote against : so many volumes have been written already by papists , prelatists , anabaptists , quakers , seekers , and many other sects , for this very end , to cure mens good opinion of me ( as if a man that could but think ill of me , were in a fairer hope of his salvation ) that if all these have not yet accomplish'd it , nor all the famous sermons that have been preach'd against me ; i doubt , brother , that your endeavours come too late . you may perswade some few factio●s credulous souls into hatred , but still those that love god , will love one another . and i confess of all that ever i saw , i least sear your book , as to the bringing men out of a good opinion of me , unless your name and back-bitings can do it . when you say that i say that [ the presumptuous do boast of being righteous by christs imputed righteousness , ] in conscience and honesty you should not have left out [ without any fulfilling of the conditions of the covenant of grace on their part ; ] is this just dealing ? are there no such presumptuous boasters ? or will you justifie them all , that you may but vent your wrath on me . my judgement in the foresaid point of imputation of christs righteousness , i have opened at large in the foresaid writings , the life of faith , confession , disp. of iustif , &c. except . xxxii . p. 18. answered . i said , [ the good of nature is lovely in all men as men , even in the wicked , and our enemies ; ( and therefore let them that think they can never speak bad enough of nature , take heed lest they run into excess ; ) and the capacity of the good of holiness and happiness is part of the good of nature ; ] would you think now that any man alive should find error or heresie here ? or should deny this ? yet , saith this brother , this is strange counsel to them that have learned from scripture , that every imagination is evil , &c. so that we do not see if we will allow the spirit of god to be the best counsellor , how we can speak bad enough of corrupted nature , as the nature of every man now is . ] answ. truly , brother , that man that would not have professors of religiousness in england humbled in these times , may find in your book a greater help to cure his error , than in the debater , or the eccles. politician . 1. your [ not bad enough ] is sure a hyperbole : for you can speak as bad as the scripture doth ; and if that speak not bad enough , you accuse it of deficiency or error . 2. but i suppose , you meant [ not too bad . ] what do you think then of such sayings as these following ? if you speak truth , then , 1. mans nature is not capable of grace , or of any amendment or renovation . 2. nor is it capable mediately of glory . 3. mans nature is not reasonable , nor better or nobler than a bruit . 4. the argument would not be good against murdering of any but a saint , gen. 6. 9. who so sheddeth mans blood , by man shall his blood be shed ; for in the image of god made he man. 5. no man can grow worse than he is , if he never so much despise god and all his means of grace , and commit every day adultery , murder , treason , &c. 6. then there are no degrees of evil among natural men , nor is one any worse than another . 7. then men on earth are as bad as those in hell , and as the devils . 8. yea , ten hundred thousand times worse than devils , and the damned ; for so bad you can call them . 9. then mans nature hateth good formally as good , and loveth evil formally as evil . 10. then there are in mans nature no testimonies for a deity , or the immortality of the soul , nor no conscience of good or evil , nor no principles or dispositions to common honesty or civility ; or else all these are bad . 11. then no wicked man is culpable , as sinning against any such innate light , law , or principles . 12. then natural men are as much void of power to read , consider , or do any good at all , or forbear any sin at all , even hourly murder , thest , perjury , &c. as a stone is void of power to speak or to ascend . and so that all such that are damned , are damned for not doing that which they had no more power to do , and for not forbearing that which they had no more power to forbear than a stone to speak . or else that all such power it self is evil . 13. then it may be said , that there is nothing in all the nature of man which is the work of god ; or else that gods work it self as well as mans is evil . that man is not a man , or else it is evil to be a man. 14. then there is nothing in mans nature that god can in any kind or measure love ; or else that god loveth that which is evil , even with complacence . 15. then there is nothing in mans nature which we should love in one another ; and no man is bound to love , yea , every man is bound perfectly to hate all that are not saints ; or else we must not perfectly hate , but love that which is perfectly evil . 16. then no man should love his children or friends , for any thing in them till they have grace . 17. then no natural man should love himself : or else goodness is not the proper object of rational love . 18. then if every man be armed with utmost malice against others , and persecute and destroy them , imprison , torment , murder all good men , yea kingdoms , if he were able , it would be but that which we are naturally no more able to forbear , than the fire to burn , or a stone to be heavy . 19. then seeing every man ought to look upon every natural man as perfectly evil , and a perfect enemy to all mankind , if they all murder one another , it is but the destroying of such as have no good , either natural or moral , and so are far worse than toads or serpents . 20. then every natural man hath no reason saving only gods command , ( which it is impossible for him to obey ) to forbear the murdering of himself or his children , any more than others . 21. to conclude , then man is not bonum physicum , and in metaphysicks , ens & bonum non convertuntur . you adde , [ and had not mr. baxter told us before , that he understood by flesh , only the sensitive appetite ? ] answ. this is your 24th . untruth , and a meer fiction ; and your not nothing the place was no sufficient hiding of it . i have oft in many a writing declared otherwise what i understand by [ flesh. ] viz. 1. the sensitive apprehension , imagination , appetite and passion as it is grown inordinate . and , 2. the understanding , will , and executive power as they are corrupted to a sinful inclination to the objects of sense , and become the servants of the sensitive part , and are turned from the love of god , and things spiritual , unto the fleshly interest . you proceed , [ now we see one firm reason to deny the least allowance of free will in the things of god , since those that hold it in any degree , are strongly inclined to deny original sin and corruption ; which if mr. b. hath not felt , &c. ] answ. 1. this is plainly assertive of me , and is your 25th . untruth : i never denied it ; but have in my divine life and other writings , said more to prove it , than ever you have published . 2. if no degree of free will , even physical , or civil , be to be allowed , those that deny us liberty to preach , or if it were to live , do no more in your account , than they are as absolutely necessitated to do , as your pen was to write this . and sure you will alter our course of justice , and equal murder , man-slaughter , and chance-medley , as they call it : and whereas he that killed a man by the head of his axe flying off unwillingly , had an excuse and refuge from death by the law of moses , you will allow every man that killeth another , or that hurteth , beateth , or slandereth you , this much excuse as to say , i had no more liberty of will to do otherwise , than i have to hate felicity as such : or i could no more do otherwise , than your pen can forbear writing when you move it . and out of this section of your judgement of humane nature , i ask you , 1. do you not tell the world here the reason why you write so vehemently against my principles of love ? what wonder if you should hate all men perfectly whom you count natural , and so perfectly evil ? 2. do you not tell the world , that your purpose is to speak as bad of all us and others whom you account natural , as your tongue can possibly speak , and to take this for no slander , but your duty ; seeing you think , you cannot speak bad enough of corrupted nature , as the nature of every man now is ? do you not here tell us , that how bad soever you shall say of us , you never do or can say bad enough ? but why are you so angry with me for being and doing so bad , when i have no freedom to be or to do better , any more than the fire not to burn ? yea , when you inferr all mens natures to be incurably evil , and therefore desperate ; seeing it was a capacity of holyness which i asserted , when with such abhorrence you contend against my words . except . xxxiii . p. 19. answered . 1. to be a surly , proud professor is a milder accusation far than your last . 2. but why should a preacher think that a man must speak against no sin which he is guilty of himself ? except . xxxiv . answered . 1. i understand not what you mean by saying [ if they persecute any , they contract a guilt upon all ? ] if you mean on all the people , then you think you are guilty of persecution : if you mean on all the magistrates , then the innocent , even obadiah that ●id the prophets are guilty of persecuting them . what guilt a publick persons sin bringeth on a body politick as such , is a case that i mean not to dispute with you . 2. you adde , [ we think they do a very ill office to magistrates that insinuate , it is possible for them to persecute some , and yet be innocent . ] answ. if you intimate ( as you seem plainly to do ) that i have so done , this is your 26th . untruth , and worse than a meer untruth . except . xxxv . answered . 1. doth it follow that because lawful separation is not from the same uncharitable spirit , that persecution is , therefore unlawful separation is not ? 2. you force me to confute you by instances which yet you abhor to hear . you say [ persecution in no case can consist with love ? ] do you think your self that all the common-wealths-men , the anabaptists , the separatists , the independents , or whoever , that had a hand in the order for sequestring all ministers , that kept not their daies of humiliation and thanksgiving for the blood of scotland , had no love at all remaining ? or that none of this was persecution ? nor yet the ejecting of them that refused the engagement ? nor yet the imprisonment and banishment of the london ministers , and the death of mr. love and gibbons ? to pass by the scotch war it self , and all the rest . do not the sectaries think that the presbyterians did or would have persecuted them ? and did not the presbyterians think that the sectaries persecuted them ? do you think that in the contentions , with the donatists , the novatians , and many other professors of strictness , the parties that persecuted had no love , and so no true grace remaining ? truly , brother , i like persecution as little as most men living do , and have written more against it than you have done ; ( forgive this pride ) but i cannot be so uncharitable as to condemn all the sects , and parties , and persons , as utterly graceless that have been drawn to persecute one another ; when i consider how few sects in the world have escaped the guilt ; and how far pievishness and seeming interest hath carried them . you know , i suppose , that the munster anabaptists themselves , did not forbear it . the lutherans have oft persecuted the calvinists ; and the arminians in holland thought that the calvinists persecuted them , and denied them liberty of conscience : even the new england godly magistrates and ministers are accused of it by the quakers and the followers of mrs. hutchinson and gortin . and i would you knew what spirit you are of , whether you have none of the same spirit your self ? would you not have hindered the printing of this book of mine , if you could have done it ? and then would you not have hindered me from preaching the same thing , if you could have done it ? and is not this to silence that teaching which is against your judgement ? is not that spirit , which hath all the vehement slanders and revilings which your book aboundeth with , and which earnestly prayeth god to rebuke me , of the same kind think you , as to uncharitableness , with the persecuting spirit ? and is this in you inconsistent with all love ? 3. it is your 27th . untruth , that ( after many virulent expressions ) i am forced to confess , &c. my constant expression of my judgement , and true stating of my sense , is no [ forced confession ] of any thing : much less did i ever confess that no persecution can consist with love ; but have even there said much to evince the contrary . except . xxxvi . answered . i put ten questions to convince men of the sin of that separation which i speak against : and all his answer to them , is but this , [ he asks many questions about church-communion : but he knows the proverb , and let that answer him . ] answ. but is this impartial enquiring into the truth ? or is this kind of writing fit to satisfie sober men ? except . xxxvii . answered . your 28th . untruth is next , [ he taketh it ill that we should think the church of christ to consist but of a few , ] when i have no such word or sense ; but my self profess there to believe it ; and only contradict them that would rob christ of almost all those few , and make them incomparably fewer than they be . you adde , [ but when he saies , the belief of this is the next way to infidelity . ] answ. that 's your 29th . untruth ; i said no such thing ; i only admonish you to observe that your abusive lessening the number is your way to infidelity ; and i proved it , which you pass by : he that can believe to day , that christ came to dye for no more in all the world , than the separatists are , is like very shortly to believe that he is not the christ , the saviour of the world , and the lamb of god that takes away the sins of the world. when you adde that [ i cast reproach on the word of god that affirmeth this expresly , ] it is but another of your untruths , and an abuse of the word of god. except . xxxviii . answered . when i tell you of some that have run through all sects , and turned infidels , you adde another untruth , that i thus reproach a whole party with the miscarriages of some few , unless you mean by a whole party , all that are of that opinion which i confure : for all the separatists are not for it . and so what ever opinion in the world i shall gain-say , you may say that i contradict a whole party , that is , the party that holdeth that opinion . but , brother , doth every one reproach you , that telleth you of your danger , and would save you from infidelity and hell ? if the common people should tell you that you reproach their whole party , when you preach to them of the tendency and effects of sin and error , you would easily see the fault in them . your talk of a prostituted conscience i forgive : but if you must not be told of the dangerous tendency of an unsound doctrine , lest you seem to be reproached , you will leave your selves in a sad condition , when your cure is rejected as a reproach . except . xxxix . answered . very good . you grant that [ if the same spirit be restored to the same words , they will be as good as they were at the beginning . ] but , what spirit was that , brother , that first took up the forms and words that now we speak of ? it was not only a spirit of miracles , tongues , or supernatural inspiration . why do you say then that [ no man can restore the same spirit to them , and we cannot believingly expect that god will do it , because we have no promise for it ] it was but the spirit of illumination and sanctification ; and have not all christs members this same spirit ? judge by rom. 8. 9. 1 cor. 12. eph. 4. 3 , 4 , 5 , to 16. you have here then by consequence given up your whole cause . you grant that [ if the same spirit be restored which first used the prayers , and responses and praises of the liturgie , it is very true , that they may be used now : but the same spirit is in all the truly faithful ; ergo , by all the truly faithful they may be used now . ] except . xl. p. 20. answered . you say , [ it is unbecomingly done in mr. baxter to compare cromwell to the tyrant maximus , who dedicated a flattering book to his son . ] answ. 1. maximus is by most historians made so good a man , of himself , that i more feared lest many would have made me a praiser of cromwell by the comparison . 2. he is called a tyrant , because he was a usurper ; and do you think that cromwell was not so ; when he pull'd down both king , parliament , and rump ? nay , maximus was chosen in england by the souldiers at a time when pulling down and setting up by souldiers was too common ; and when his predecessors had little better title than himself : therefore i pray you judge not too roughly of maximus : but cromwell did usurp at a time when the case was otherwise ; our monarchy was hereditary by the undoubted constitution and laws of the land ; and our parliament by an act was to sit till they had dissolved themselves , and he had by solemn promises obliged himself to the parliament as their servant , and had fought against and kill'd the king , among other things , on this pretence that he fought against his parliament , and would have pulled them down ; which thing he actually and finally did himself . sir , god is not well pleased with the justifying or palliating of these things , , though men may be tempted to do it in faction , and for a divided interest . 3. it is publickly known that i did openly and constantly speak the same things all the time of cromwell's usurpation : why then is it unbecoming now ? among other places , see my book of infant baptisme , pag. 147 to 152. and 269 , 270 , &c. where the passages spoke with caution are yet fuller than all these that displease you : if cromwell's party endured me then , cannot you endure me to say one quarter as much now ? 4. what if i had done otherwise ? shall such a suffering preacher as you teach us all , that its unbecoming to repent ? 5. that i dedicated a flattering book to his son , is your 31st . untruth . for common sense here will discern that you distinguish between the book and the dedication . and two books at once i directed to him . the books were one against popery , and the other against the english prelacy , and re-ordination , and the imposing of the liturgie and ceremonies ; and there is not one syllable of his son in all the book , save in that dedication . nor did i ever see him , speak to him , or write to him else , nor hear from him . but only hearing that he was disposed to peace , and against such turbulent church-destroying waies as you here plead for , i thought it my duty then to urge him to do that which was right and just . except . xli . answered . having my self been bred up under some tutors , and with acquaintance , that kept up a reputation of great learning and wisdom , by crying down the puritans as unlearned fellows , when themselves were more unlearned than i will here express , on the by i said that i had known such , and also that there were some such now , who having clumsie wits that cannot feel so fine a thred , nor are capable of mastering difficulties , do censure what they understand not : and that many that should be conscious of the dulness and ignorance of their fumbling , unfurnished brains , have no way to keep up the reputation of their wisdom , but to tell men , o such a one hath dangerous errors , &c. ] to this he saith , that if ben. johnson or hudibras had writ it , — but for learned mr. b. mortified mr. b. judicious mr. baxter , to fall into such levity , will i hope warn all to take heed how they over-value themselves , left god in judgement leave them to themselves , as he hath evidently done this poor man , &c. and he concludeth with an invitation of me , [ to a second and more seasonable retractation . ] answ. i heartily thank you for your pity , and for any zeal of god , though it be not according to knowledg ; and for my retractation , i suppose you would have called it a third . you quarrelled not with my suspension of my aphorisms of justification . and for my retractation of my political aphorisms , i have no more to say to you and others of your mind , but that you would better consult your own peace and other mens , and your innocency too , if you would meddle with your own matters , or with that only which concerneth you . and to conclude , 1. i unfeignedly forgive you all the revilings and other injuries of this your book . 2. i intreat you to review what is against god and his church , against faith , love , and peace , and to repent of it in time . 3. i beseech you to give over this pernicious flattery of professors , and daubing over their ignorance , injudiciousness , pride , and divisions ▪ 4. i intreat you to be more impartial towards dissenters , and let not your judgment be blinded by your passions . 5. to help you to impartiality , i beseech you consider how you tempt the bishops to think it no harm , to silence men that bold and do such things as you have vented and done in this book . 6. i beseech you to that end , better to study your self , and to know what manner of spirit you are of . besides all the intimated untruths , here are 30 or 31 gross untruths in matter of fact which i have set before you . for my self , it is not the least part of my non-conformity , that i dare not lie , by publick declaration to say , i assent and consent where i do not . now shall a man aggravate the crime of such things as these , and yet do what you do himself ? 7. i do solemnly profess to you , that i feel no malice against you , much less a desire of your hurt in all this that i say which is against your judgment , but an unfeigned love to you , and tenderness of your person . 8. lastly , i again protest against the injustice of any one that shall charge your opinions and miscarriages on the non-conformists ; when i know not two presbyterians or meer independants of your mind ; though too many so called in england , have enclined to unjust separations . and we are no more concerned in the opinions of them that are not protestants , though they also go under the name of non-conformists , than in the opinions of the papists , who are called recusants . and to conclude , i assure you , that if you write any more at the rates as you have done in this antidote , i shall give you the last word , as not intending to confute you , if you shall maintain that light is darkness ; nor plead any more a cause against you , which needeth not much argumentation as to sober judgements , but as to interests , passions , and byassed wills , which are otherwise moved than by truth and reason , and have but one eare ; and i fear not to encourage you before-hand by telling you , that you shall see that i have somewhat else to do . for it is a truth that i tell you with grief , that he that will take out of your book , 1. all the false doctrines . 2. all the gross untruths . 3. and all the impotent revilings , together with the professed end or design , to undeceive them that have a good opinion of me ; will leave so little , as may contained in a very narrow room . and he that seeketh in it for any thing that savoureth much of judgement , repentance , love , unity , or peace , must have other eyes than mine , or be disappointed . and i wonder not at that , when the sound principles of love , unity and peace are the things that have cast you into this displeasure , and which you write against . for where ever the principles of christian love and peace seem intolerable , there are such contrary principles as will bring forth contrary effects , which will prove indeed intolerable in the end . as there is nothing in this world which god doth design more gloriously to manifest and magnifie than his love , and nothing which he so much obligeth mankind to , especially believers , as the love of him and one another , so there is nothing which the great enemy of god and man doth so much hate , and seek to extinguish ; fighting by many sorts of weapons neither against small nor great , in comparison of divine and christian love . and his common way is to present the persons to us as unlovely , or odious , whom he would have us hate . and as their own predominant carnality and impiety doth give him full advantage with the ungodly , to make first that holyness which is contrary to them odious , and consequently holy persons , and god himself ; so with those that really love god , the tempter findeth this double advantage to make their brethren seem odious to them . 1. the great weakness and error of their judgements , sometimes about the things in difference , and sometimes about the persons through unacquaintedness ; whereby , either through mistake of the cause or of the man , they easily deny or extenuate all the amiable goodness which is in him , and think that the love of god , and of truth and godliness obligeth them to hate their brother , as a supposed enemie to both . and yet while they openly declare to the world , an aversation and a want of love , and a desire to make the person seem odious to others , by their obloquy , detraction and backbiting accusations they make themselves believe that all this is indeed no effect of hatred or malice , but of love , because they can still say , that they desire unfeignedly that the man were of their mind and way , which they call a desiring of his conversion and conviction , and of his own and the churches good . and thus not only the hereticks of his time , but the very jews were lovers of paul , and of other apostles : no doubt but they desired that which they thought was their conversion and their good ; and what hatred so great that may not have such a cover ; not only a feigned pretence , but a real , though erroneous desire . gardiner and bonner exprest the like , and no doubt , did really wish the martyrs had been of their mind ; and no doubt , but many that wish'd this , thought they wish'd but the persons and the churches good . the burning zeal which hath so much depopulated much of the world , was in many a zeal of god , though not according to knowledge . he that can transform himself into an angel of light , and his ministers into ministers of righteousness and free grace , no doubt , can teach them to persecute men in love , and to excommunicate them in love : to revile others in love , to hinder the preaching of the gospel in love , to afflict , or to divide the church in love. alas , how much is the serpent too subtile , for the understanding that trusteth to it self , and is not illuminated and guided by the spirit of light and love : how easily can he hide from us , that in our brother which we should love , and magnifie and multiply his faults into odious crimes , and transform his very virtues into vices , and his rightest judgement into errors . in this , brother , i thank god that my principles give me that advantage of you , that i think you not odious , but weak . 2. the other yet greater advantage that satan findeth , to kill the love of most , is selfishness ; one selfish man thinks that he may well account him bad and odious , who is against his worldly wealth and honour : and another thinks him bad and odious , who is against his learned or religious reputation , and would detect his ignorance or vice . another thinks him bad and odious , who is against his opinions , and the words or manner of worshipping god , which he is confident are best ; and he that hath once suffered spiritual pride to extoll his own understanding and his piety , will make that so far the measure of his censures , that all shall be thought so far to swerve from truth and godliness as they swerve from him . but if we should suffer much by others , and that for a cause which we take to be the cause of god , how easie is it for selfishness to stir up those passions , which shall blind our understandings , so far as to see no good at all scarce in them that we suffer by , or to extenuate all that is lovely in them ; yea , to think hardly of almost all others of their judgement and party , for their sakes : and if we think we may once call them persecutors , yea , or but such as conform to the persecutors waies , we think it 〈…〉 yeth almost any thing which we say 〈…〉 to make them odious : as th●se on the 〈…〉 side think they are justified in all 〈…〉 may say or do against m●n i●●hey 〈…〉 . 〈…〉 are men from loving their enemies , 〈◊〉 ●●●ssing them that curse them , and doing good to them that hate them , and praying for them that despightfully use them , ( or falsely accuse them , ) and persecute them , that they are hardly kept from hating those that love them , and cursing those that bless them , and hurting those that would do them good , and falsely accusing and despightfully using and persecuting those that pray for them : and yet lest they should not be flattered in their sin , and that yet they may judge themselves the children of our heavenly father , they will do all this as acts of love , to the church and truth , and to the persons souls ; and will love them , as is said , with a hurting , a reviling , a slandering , a cursing , and a hating and malicious love. o that the god of love would pitty and undeceive the selfish and passionate sort of professed christians ! and teach them to know what manner of spirit they are of ! o that he would rebuke the evil spirits that are gone fo●th ! the spirit of cove●o●sness and pride : 〈◊〉 hypocrisie , and religious imagery ! o● self-conceitedness ! of malice and wrath ! of back-biting and false accusing , before that both christianity and humanity be turned into devilisme , ( 2. tim. 3. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ) and earth be more conformable to hell ! o that the spirit of light would make us of one mind , and the spirit of love would mortifie both mens malignant and religious passions , contentiousness and malice , and cause us to love our neighbours as our selves ! that as the envious and striving wisdom from beneath , hath caused confusion , and every evil work , so the wisdom from above , which is first pure , and then peaceable , gentle , and easie to be intreated , might bring forth mercy and good fruits , without partiality and hypocrisie ; that we might edifie the body of christ in love , ( eph. 4. 16. ) and frustrate the hopes of the enemies of our peace , who wait for our total dissolution , and triumph already in our divisions , ( when it is their own mill which grindeth us into powder , ) but god can make their oven to bake us into a more christian and salubrious consistency , ( that i may use ignatius his ●llegory , ) but it must be first by ●ermenting us with unfeigned love ; and then we shall be lovely in his ●ight , and the god of love and peace will be with us , 2 cor. 13. 11. amen . postscript . that the excepter may yet further be convinced that it is not any party of men called independents or anabaptists as such , that i here speak against ; as i did in my opposed book declare that i thought them both , and all others that hold the foundation , and disclaim it not by heresie , or wicked lives , to be such as the churches should receive into their communion ; and that it is their duty to hold communion in the same assemblies , notwithstanding their difference ; and that it is not the opinions which denominate them , that i write against ; but only the love-killing and dividing principles which are among them , which make them fly with censure and alienation from their brethren that are as meet for church-communion as they ; and oft break them into pieces among themselves ; so do i yet again here declare the same ; and not only so , but that if it were in my power , when their communion with others cannot be procured , they should yet be tolerated in their separation it self , and enjoy communion with themselves alone , in their separated congregations , under the laws of peace , being not tolerated to turn their preaching or worship into a reviling and reproaching of the orthodox , to the destruction of christian love : and i should not doubt but the communion of the orthodox churches maintained in constant synods , together with the special countenance of the christian magistrate , and the daily experience of believers ( which would still make the aged sort forsake them ) would suffice better than violent severities to repress the evil , and to give victorious truth opportunity to do its proper work . and to silence this calumny yet more , i do renew the profession which i have often published , that my own opinion is so much for independency , as that i think , no church is made , by god , to be a ruler to other churches , under the name of a mother church , or a metropolitane , or patriarchal , but that all these are humane forms ; and that councils are not the proper governours of the particular pastors ; but are for communion of pastors and churches directly , by way of consultation , consent and agreement ; ( as i have heretofore declared , that bishop usher professed his judgement to me . ) though i confess that the pastors in council are still the guides of the people , as well as singly at home , and by their consent lay a stronger governing obligation on them ; and that the general law of unity and concord doth consequently bind the several pastors , to concurr in all things lawful , ( consideratis considerandis ) with the confenting churches . and even dr. hammond is for independency so far as to say , that [ every such regular assembly of christians under a bishop , ( such as timothy was ) an oeconomus set over them by christ , was the church of the living god. ] though he adde [ such again every larger circuit under the metropolitane , &c. ] yet he confesseth , [ and such all the particular churches of the whole world , considered together under the supream head , christ iesus , dispensing them all by himself , and administring them severally , not by any one oeconomus ; but by the several bishops , as inferiour heads of unity to the several bodies , so constituted by the several apostles in their plantati●●s each of them having an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a several distinct commission from christ immediately and subordinate to none but the supream donor or plenepotentiary . ] so far he ; on 1 tim. 3. 1● . e. to this do but adde what bishop bilson of subjection largely sheweth , and other bishops as well as he , that metropolitanes and patriarks are not of divine but humane institution , ad accidental to the divine constitution of churches ; and also what ignatius saith , of the unity of churches , and description of a bishop , that [ to every church there was one altar , and one bishop with the presbyters and deacons , ] and so every communicating body , or congregation that had an altar , had a bishop , ( as mr. m●de on this of ignatius sheweth ; ) and then you will see how far independency is owned by others as well as by me . and for further silencing the calumny , let it be noted , that the churches in new-england are commonly called , independent , or congregational , and yet they are against separation , and do find by experience that separation is as perillous a thing to independent free churches , as it is to diocesane churches , and somewhat more , because they use not outward force to preserve their unity , and because one single congregation is sooner dissolved by division than such a thing as a diocesane church is . and therefore no men should be more willing to suppress dividing principles and passions than the independents , both because they are most charged with them , and with all our sects and confusio●● , and because they are not the least in danger of them . and that the new england churches are against the separation which hath been commonly known by the name of brownisme , i will give you these following evidences . 1. even mr. robinson himself , a part of whose church began the plantation at plimouth , though he was one of those that was called a semi-separatist , yet hath written for the lawfulness of hearing in our english conformable parish ▪ churches : and in his letter to his people in new-england ( in mortons memorial ) he hath these honest observable passages . [ how imperfect and lame is the work of grace in that person who wants charity to cover a multitude of offences ? — neither are you to be exhorted to this grace only upon the common grounds of christianity , which are , that persons ready to take offence , either want charity to cover offences , or wisdom duely to weigh humane frailties ; or lastly , are gross , though close hypocrites , as christ our lord teacheth , mat. 7. 1 , 2 , 3. as indeed in my own experience , few or none have been found which sooner give offence than such as easily take it , neither have they ever proved sound and profitable members in societies who have nourished this touchy hum●ur . ] to these he addeth special reasons from themselves . mr. browne accusing the ministers as being separatists , and would be anabapists , &c. the ministers answered , that they were neither separatists nor anabaptists , they did not separate from the church of england , nor from the ordinances of god there , but only from the corruptions and disorders there , &c. old mr. wilson pastor of boston , being desired by all the elders of the churches assembled at his house , that ( on his dying bed ) he would solemnly declare to them , what he conceived to be those sins , which provoked the displeasure of god against the countrey , told them , that he had long feared these sins following as chief among others which god was greatly provoked by , 1. separation . 2. anabaptisme . 3. corahisme ; when people rise up , as corah , against their ministers and elders , as if they took too much upon them , when indeed they do but rule for christ , and according to christ ; yet it is nothing for a brother to stand up and oppose without scripture or reason , the doctrine and word of the elder , saying , i am not satisfied , &c. and hence if he do not like the administration , ( be it baptisme or the like ) he will then turn his back upon god and his ordinances , and go away , &c. and ( saith he ) for our neglect of baptizing the children of the church , those that some call grand-children , i think god is provoked by it . 4. another i take to be the making light of , and not subjecting to the authority of synods , without which the churches cannot long subsist . and so for the magistrates being gallio like , not caring for these things , or else not using their power and authority , for the maintenance of the truth and gospel , and ordinances , &c. morton , p. 133. 184. and among the poems there recorded of him , this is part , firm stood he 'gainst the familist and antinomian spirit strong ; he never lov'd the separatist , nor yet the anabaptists throng . neither the tolerators strein , nor quakers spirit could he brook , nor bow'd to the morellian train ; nor childrens right did over-look , p. 186. and , pag. 195. in the poems on their famous mitchell it followeth . the quaker trembling at his thunder , fled , and with caligula resum'd his bed : he by the motions of a nobler spirit clear'd men , and made their notions swine inherit . the munster goblin by his holy flood exorcis'd , like a thin phantasma stood : brown's babel shatter'd by his lightning , fell , and with confused horror pack'd to hell. let not the brazen schismatick aspire ▪ lot's leaving sodom , left them to the fire . but the fullest evidence is the work of the new-england synod , 1662. who determined of two great points of church-practice , so as greatly tendeth to reconcile them to all the moderate presbyterians , and other peaceable christians . the one is 2. ▪ that members of the visible church according to scripture , are confederate visible believers , in particular churches , and their infant-seed ; that is , children in minority , whose next parents , one or both , are in covenant . ▪ the case of christians that are of no particular church is not here medled with ) . 3. and that [ the infant-seed of such when grown up , are personally under the watch , discipline , and government of the church ] . 4. that these adult persons are not to be admitted to full communion , meerly because they are and continue members , without such further qualifications as the word of god requireth thereunto . 5. that church-members who were admitted in minority , understanding the doctrine of faith , and publickly professing their assent thereto , not scandalous in life , and solemnly owning the covenant before the church , wherein they give up themselves and their children to the lord , and subject themselves to the government of christ in his church , their children are to be baptised . ] as to the points themselves , having written a treatise on the subject , ( under the name of confirmation ) and therein distinctly shewed my opinion in reconciling terms , ( though it may seem stricter than these propositions , and more inclining to the dissenters in some things ) i shall say nothing of it here . but by this it is visible , that the new-england synod do not only exclude the practice of gathering churches out of churches ( which was the great contest in england between the assembly and the congregational party ) ; but they provide that not so much as any particular persons that were baptized in their churches in infancy , shall be made church-members de novo ( unless by removing from one church to another ) , but shall be accounted members till they apostatize notoriously or are excommunicated : and so shall their children after them succeed by the way of baptism into the church , and they will have no other ordinary church-door but baptism . and so gathering churches of baptized persons will cease , unless it be in a ravelled state , when the old churches being dissolved , believers are to embody themselves anew . and mr. davenport and a few more , seeing that by this way their churches would fall into the way of england and other churches , by a succession of members growing up from infancy ( and not by making them up of new adult enterers , as the anabaptists do , ) did oppose himself by writing against the synod , which by some of them is largely answered : wherein they tell us that there were n●t ten in a synod of above seventy that did in any thing vote on the negative , and not above three against the third proposition , which carryeth the cause . they frequently disclaim separation : they cite allen and shephard p. 33. as advising for the reformation of such churches as our parishes , that they be acknowledged true churches , and then called to repentance and reformation , and a select number of those that agree to it , being fit for the sacrament , &c. to be admitted , and go in the congregational way , pag. 42. they cite cotton , holin . of chur. mem. p. 92. saying , [ neither among us doth irregeneration alone keep any from church-fellowship with us , unless it be accompanied with such fruits as are openly scandalous , and de convincingly manifest irregeneration . ] they prudently tell us , p. 45. that [ the lord hath not set up churches only that a few old christians may keep one another warm while they live , and then carry away the church into the cold grave with them when they die ; but that they might with all care and advantages nurse up still successively another generation of subjects to christ , &c. ] and that [ we may be very injurious to christ as well as to the souls of men , by too much straitening and narrowing the bounds of his kingdom , or visible church on earth . ] citing paraeus , ( in mat. 13. ) saying , [ in church-reformation it is an observable truth , that those that are for too much strictness , do more hurt than profit the church . ] abundance more to the same purpose i might collect . and seeing they take children growing up , to be members under church-discipline according to their capacities , let it be considered soberly , whether this doth not intimate to us , that discipline it self must not be exercised with the hurtful rigor that some expect ? for i would intreat the ridgeder sort , if they are parents , but to tell me , at what age , and for what faults , and for want of grace , they would have their own children excommunicated ? and when they have done , whether they will also proceed to a family excommunication of them for the same causes ? they adde a sixth prop. for the baptizing of the children of those that by death or extraordinary providence have been inevitably hindered from publickly acting as aforesaid , and yet have given the church cause in judgement of charity to look at them , as so qualified , and such as had they been called thereto would have so acted . and they adde a seventh propos. that [ the members of orthodox churches being sound in the faith , and not scandalous in life , and presenting due testimony thereof ; these occasionally coming from one church to another , may have their children baptized in the church whither they come , by virtue of communion of churches ; but if they remove their habitation , they ought orderly to covenant and subject themselves to the government of christ , in his church where they settle their abode , and so their children to be baptized : it being the churches duty to receive such to communion , so far as they are regularly capable of the same . ] so that they provide for the reception of all meet persons . but the chief thing observable is that in propos. 5. where the qualifications or description of a just entitleing profession is laid down , as consisting in no more than these four things , 1. understanding the doctrine of faith. 2. the publick profession of assent thereto . 3. not to be scandalous in life . 4. and solemnly owning the covenant before the church , wherein they give up themselves and their children before the lord. they require no other proofs of regeneration ; no● any particular account how they were converted ; nor what further signs of it they can shew . and , for my own part , i never dissented from those called congregational , in england , in the two great points from which their churches are denominated , viz. 1. that regularly they should consist but of so many as are capable of personal communion , which they call a congregation . 2. and that this congregation is not jure divino under the spiritual government of any superior church , as metropolitane , patriarchal , &c. but my chief dissent from them hath been , in their going beyond independency , and too many of them coming too neer to separation , 1. by making other tearms of mens title to church-member-ship , than these here recited by the new-england synod , and then the understanding , sober profession of assent and consent to the baptismal covenant is . 2. and for their gathering new churches in the several parishes , as if there had been no churches there before , and the members not gathered by them , were not the subjects of any church-discipline ; neither the children nor adult . and the reasons why i have ever dissented from them in these points , have been these . 1. because i find that the contrary was the way of scripture-times and all antiquity . and that the apostles still received members , upon a sudden and bare profession of belief and consent to the baptismal covenant , with the penitent renunciation of the flesh , the world , and the devil . and all ages since have held this course , and made baptisme the church-door . but i shall heartily joyn with any brethren that will endeavour herein to save the church , from that state of imagery and dead formality , which papists and all carnal hypocrites have mortified gods ordinances , and unspeakably injured the churches by , and are still working every ordinance of god that way : all good men should labour to recover religion and christian profession to an understanding seriousness . i will here insert the words of a most learned and high prelatist , to shew you that whoever is against this course in practice , no sober men can deny it in principles : eldersfield of bapt. pag. 48. marg . [ upon score of like reason whereto , and for such after-tryal , may have been taken up in the christian church that examination which did sift the constancy or rather consistency of those that had been taken in young , to their presumed grounds , that if they wavered , they might be known and discharged ; or if they remained constant , they might by imposition of hands receive what the common name of that ceremony did import , of their faith ( at least a sign of ) confirmation : vasques hath from erasmus ( in the preface to his paraphrase on the gospels ) a word of most wholsome , grave , and prudent advice , that those who were baptized young , when they begin to write man , should be examined , an ratum habeant id quod in catechismo ipsorum nomine promissum fuit ? quod si ratum non habeant , ab ecclesiae jurisdictione liberos manere , in 3 part . thom. disp. 154. to. 2. c. 1. 2. if they did then stand to what their sureties had presumed for them , if not , they should be discarded : most necessary ! and of unimaginable benefit ; ( but not if it be turned into cursory imagery , ) such a scrutiny would shake off thousands of rotten hypocrites , and purge the church of many such infidel-believers ( or professors , ) upon whose dirty faces a little holy water was sprinkled when they knew not what it was ; but they no more mind the true sanctification appertaining , than turks or saracens , ( who shall rise up in judgement against their washed filthyness , ) or than those of whom st. peter , [ it is happened unto them according to the true proverb , the dog to his vomit , and the washed swine to wallow in the mire ; ] such discipline of awakened reason is that which the world groans for , ( and groan it may for any remedy that the formal hypocrites will either apply or endure . ) that men would become christians ! o that the truth of faith , and the power of true christian belief might be seen in the hearts and lives of those , that knowingly put the neck in christs yoak . ] so far eldersfield . see also dr. patrick of baptisme . dr. hammonds words i have recited after my treat . of confirmation ; they are very worthy of consideration . but to leave this digression , 2. my second reason why i dissent from them that will have other tearms of church-entrance than baptisme , and a stricter exaction of a title to membership than a professed affent and consent to the tearms of that covenant ; is because , if in our very church-title and constitution we forsake the scriptural and primitive tearms , we are liable to the exceptions of all dissenters , and cannot justifie our selves against their accusations ; nor well answer them that say , it is long of us , and not of them , that they communicate not with us . 3. because we shall unavoidably injure many of christs members , and keep those out whom he will own , and would have us own ; to the great injury of him and them . 4. because we shall lessen and weaken the church of christ , which is already so small , and so be injurious to it . 5. because we shall be alwaies at uncertainty , on what tearms to go : for if once we leave gods prescribed tearms , we shall never know where to fix : but every pastor will examine as he please , and form such covenant-tearms as are agreeable to the measure of his own private judgement and charity : and even among congregational men , we see already that the tearms of mens titles do vary , as the pastors ( or congregations ) differ in point of strictness . 6. and this layeth a certain foundation for perpetual dissentions and divisions ; when there are no certain tearms of concord : and there is no union when we depart from christs authority . and it is not in vain that christ himself prescribed a form of baptizing ; and if all his churches since the apostles daies , have brought us down that creed or those articles of faith , and form of baptizing used universally among them , new waies , and various waies , ( even as various as mens degrees of prudence and charity ) will never be the tearms of the churches unity . 7. and i am very much the more confirm'd against this extream by my long experience . having made it much of my work to know the minds and lives of all the people of the great parish where i lived , and since that , having conversed with many of the inferior rank , both for estate , and profession of piety , i have found that there is much more good in a great number of those , that are not noted openly for special professors of religiousness , than i did before believe . for no man is usually noted now for religious , in this stricter sense , 1. whose knowledge hath not some readiness of expression , in conference , and in prayer . 2. and who doth not come to private meetings , and associate himself with the stricter and forwarder sort of professors . but there are abundance of things which may hinder some serious weak christians from both these . dulness of natural parts , and want of good education , and use , and teaching , and company , may keep mens parts and utterance very low . and some young christians for want of former use , at their first true conversion , cannot speak sense , in the very fundamentals , which yet they have a saving sense and knowledge of , ( but are like infants , ) and their prayers have little better expressions , than abba father , and the unutterable groans of the spirit . and some never had the opportunity of profitable company ; and some are hindered from such converse by bashfulness ; and some by poverty and business , or distance ; and some by the restraint of parents , husbands , masters , &c. and some by ill company , and scandall , may have a prejudice against those religious people who are neerest to them ; who yet may be real lovers of christ. having found in many called common people more knowledge ( though not beter utterance ) than i expected , and more trust in christ , and more desire to be better , and love to those that are better , and more willingness to be taught ( crowding in publick or private when they have a full opportunity , and affectionately hearing the closest preaching , ) i am grown the more fearful of wronging christ , his church and them , by numbering such with those that are without , when they are baptized persons , that never were proved to have apostatized , nor to have lived impenitently in any sin so gross , as the back-bitings , proud-censoriousness and divisions of too many religiouser people are . 8. to which may be added the sad experience of this age of the dreadful miscarriages of the more noted sort of professors , turning infidels , ranters , quakers , socinians , antinomians , and too many scandalous in life ; and such as have destroyed order , government , unity , & reformation , when there was scarce an enemie able to hurt it much besides themselves : which is no dishonour to the profession of holyness , much less to christ and holyness it self ; but it seemeth to me a notable rebuke of our common over-valuing the meer parts and utterance , and extemporate performances of the people , and of ministers flattering such professors , and over-looking all of christ which is in many , that have had no such helps for gifts and utterance as they . 2. the second point in which the new-england synod agreed was , the stated consociation of churches , and use of synods , and herein , saith the defence , p. 99. there appeared no dissent or dissatisfaction in the synod . where they adde also ( as to the point of separation , ) [ we never said nor thought , that there should be a withdrawing from other churches upon differences , errors or offences of an inferiour and dubious nature , yea , though continued in : we are far enough from hastyness or harshness in that matter , being professed adversaries to a spirit of sinful and rigid separation . ] and that apostolical man mr. iohn eliot , hath printed a draught for stated synods , ( for counsel and concord , which is their proper use , ) which will go far enough to satisfie moderate men in that point , and saith more for such synods than ever i said . 2. having said thus much of the iudgement of congregational men in new-england against separation , i shall adde somewhat of the second assertion , that it concerneth the congregational party , as much in point of interest , to be against it , as any sort of men whatsoever . 1. because their churches have no other bond of concord ( here ) but voluntary consent ; and if that break , they are dissolved . 2. because their members being usually neither , so low as to be ignorant of matters of controversie , nor so high as to be able solidly to resolve them , are most like to be quarrelsome , and fall into divisions . and honest people that have a zeal of god , and for truth and unity , and not knowledge enough to guide it steadily , are likey to contend and trouble one another , than either they that are more careless , and have less zeal , ( and therefore like swine will leave such pearls to any that will take them up , ) or they that have sound knowledge to guide their zeal . 3. and the power which too many of them give the people , over the pastors and themselves , will do much to increase these divisions , and cause their dissolution . and that this is the sense of new-england , appeareth , 1. in their banishing lyford first , and the two brownes after , lest they should be divided about the prelacy and liturgie . 2. by their common judgement against dangerous toleration . 3. by the history of mrs. hutchinsons business in sir henry uane's daies . 4. by the history of mr. williams business . 5. and of gorton's . 6. and of the quakers of late ; all which i shall say no more of , but only transcribe some of the words of morton's memorial , about mr. williams , p. 78 , &c : [ in the year 1634. mr. roger williams removed from plimouth to salem , he had lived about three years at plimouth , where he was well accepted as an assistant to mr. ralph smith then pastor there ; but by degrees venting of divers of his own singular opinions , and seeking to impose them upon others , he not finding such a concurrence as he expected , des●red his dismission — foreseeing that he would run the same course of rigid separation and anabaptistry as mr. john smith the separatist at amsterdam had done , the church consented to his dismission ; and such as did adhere to him were also dismissed , or removed with him , or not long after him , to salem . — but he having in one years time filled that place with principles of rigid separation , and tending to anabaptistry ; the prudent magistrates of the massachusets jurisdiction , sent to the church of salem , desiring them to forbear calling him to office ; which they not hearkening to , was a cause of much disturbance . — he being in office , proceeded more vigorously to vent many dangerous opinions , as , that it is not lawful for an unregenerate man to pray ; nor to take an oath ; and in special , not the oath of fidelity to the civil government ; nor was it lawful for a godly man to have communion , either in family-prayer , or in an oath , with such as they judged unregenerate . and therefore he himself refused the oath of fidelity , and taught others so to do . also that it was not lawful so much as to hear the godly ministers of england , when any occasionally went thither ; and therefore he admonished any church-members that had done so , as of heynous sin . also he spake dangerous words against the patent which was the foundation of the government of the massachusets colony . also he affirmed that the magistrate had nothing to do in matters of the first table , but only the second : and that there should be a general and unlimited toleration of all religions : and for any man to be punished for any matters of his conscience , was persecution . — staying at home in his own house , he sent a letter , which was read in the publick church-assembly , to give them notice , that if the church of salem would not separate , not only from the churches of england , but the churches of new-england too , he would separate from them . the more prudent and sober part of the church being amazed at his way , could not yield to him : whereupon he never came to the church-assembly more , professing separation from them as antichristian : and not only so , but he withdrew all private religious communion from any that would hold communion with the church there . insomuch as that he would not pray , nor give thanks at meals with his own wife , nor any of his family , because they went to the church-assemblies . divers of the weaker sort of the church-members , that had been throughly levened with his opinions , of which number were divers women that were zealous in their way , did by degrees fall off to him : insomuch as that he kept a meeting in his own house , unto which a numerous company did resort , both on the sabbath day and at other times , by way of separation from , and opposition to the church-assembly there : which the prudent magistrates understanding , and seeing things grow more and more towards a general division and disturbance ; after all other means used in vain , they passed a sentence of banishment against him , out of the massachusets colony , as against a disturber of the peace of the church and commonwealth . after which mr. williams sate down in a place called providence — and was followed by many of the members of the church of salem , who did zealously adhere to him , and cryed out of the persecution that was against him : some others also resorted to him from other parts . they had not been there long together , but from rigid separation they fell to anabaptistry , renouncing the baptism which they had received in their infancy , and taking up another baptism , and so began a church in that way . but mr. williams stopped not there long ; for after some time he told the people that had followed him , that he was out of the way himself , and had misled them ; for he did not find that there was any upon earth , that could administer baptisme , and therefore their last baptisme was a nullity as well as their first : and therefore they must lay down all , and wait for the coming of new apostles : and so they dissolved themselves , and turned seekers ; keeping that one principle , that every one should have liberty to worship god , according to the light of their own consciences ; but otherwise not owning any churches or ordinances of god , any where upon earth . ] so far the history . to which i adde , that this man was one of the great instruments after all this , of sublimating the english separation to the same height , and gratifying the papists by raising up the sect of seekers , who said , that both scripture , ministry , church and ordinances were lost . and had they not now broken the church sufficiently , and made it small enough , when they had made it none ? god forbid that i should transcribe any of this with a desire to bring reproach on any mens persons , but only to help our dear brethren that are in danger , to prof● by the warning of other mens falls . for to this end was the scripture written historically , with the falls of the saints inserted in it . the same history , pag. 139 , 140. thus describeth mr. thomas dudley a principal founder and pillar of the massachussets , and often governour , dying 77 years old , that [ his zeal to order appeared in contriving good laws , and faithfully executing them on criminal offenders , hereticks and underminers of religion : he had a piercing judgement to discover the wolf , though cloathed with a sheep-skin , — ] these following are the conclusion of a pious copy of verses found in his pocket when he was dead . let men of god in courts and churches watch , o're such as do a toleration hatch , lest that ill egg bring forth a cockatrice , to poyson all with heresie and vice. if men be left , and otherwise combine , my epitaph's , i dy'd no libertine . ( but this is no excuse to them , that tolerate not men to obey the laws of christ. ) to these i may adde that ( though many prelatists utterly mistake , and think that it is the ministers every where that are the chief leaders of the people to separation , yet ) both in new-england and in old , the people are so much proner to it than the ministers , ( except a very few , ) that if it were not for the wisdom , gravity , stability and authority of the ministers restreining them , the matter would be otherwise than it is . as this synod of new-england sheweth you their stability and moderation , so do the choicest of their pastors still stand firm against all extreams , and hold the people in that concord which they have . the excellent service of mr. mitchell in this kind before he died is predicated by all . i will not recite all the complaints i heard from mr. nortons mouth , against the separating humour of many people , and their danger thereupon ; nor the many letters to the same purpose , which many worthy men thence have sent over to their friends , and their particular lamentations of the case of hartford , boston , &c. which i have had the sight of ; which fully testifie that they are no promoters of those waies . the sad case of the bermuda's i before mentioned : sad indeed , when in so disciplin'd a plantation , one minister shall turn away the greater part from church-communion , till they become aliens , — and the rest whom he gathered as the only worthy persons , shall so many turn quakers and such like , till religion between both is , — alas , how low ( as their late worthy minister fore-named testifyeth . ) the dissolution of the separated churches of the english in the low countreys by their own divisions , is a thing too well known to be concealed . from all which i gather , that it is the interest of the congregational churches themselves , as much as of any others , to joyn with us for the principles of christian love , forbearance and unity ; and against the principles of alienation and division : which is all that i am driving at . obj. but the churches of new-england would not joyn with a church that should use the common-prayer in that worship , nor in the sacrament . answ. nor i neither ordinarily if i were with them , and in their case ; who have liberty to worship god in the most edifying and serious , and orderly manner that they can . and yet were i in armenia , abassia , or among the greeks , i would joyn in a much more defective form than our liturgie , rather than in none . and that this is the judgement of many new-england ministers , ( to joyn with the english liturgie rather than have no church-worship ; ) i have reason to conjecture , because in their foresaid defence of the synod , pref. pag. 4 , 5. they profess themselves to receive their principles not from the separatists , but from the good old non-conformists , to whom they adhere , naming cartwright , ames , paraeus , parker , baines , fox , dearing , greenham , &c. and i need not tell those that have read their writings , that the old non-conformists did some of them read the common-prayer , and the most of them judge i● lawful to jo 〈…〉 or else mr. hildersham , mr. rich. rogers , &c. would not write so earnestly to men to come to the beginning , and prefer it before all private duties : and perkins was for kneeling at the sacrament : and mr. baines his successor in his letters writes for communicating kneeling at the sacrament , and answereth the objections . but though i write this to give them the due honour of their moderation and sober judgement , yet not as making them or any men our rule , in faith or worship . obj. therefore the churches of new-england reprove not separation from a common-prayer church , though they would have none separate among themselves , because there is no just cause . ans. 1. the former answer may serve to make it probable , that they would joyn with them as churches , in case they had not better to joyn with on lawful tearms . 2. and their own expressions signifie that they take the english parishes that have godly ministers , for true churches , though faulty . 3. and those that i now write for cannot forget , that they gathered their churches by separation out of our parish-churches , when there was no common-prayer nor ceremonies used , nor any difference in worship found among us , that i know of ; and that in new-england it self , the principles which i deny , do too of procure separation from those churches , that have nothing which moderation and peaceableness will think a sufficient cause of such disjunction . 4. and it is well known that the name of a separatist and brownist was first taken up here in england , with relation to these parish-churches where they had the liturgie and ceremonies as now . therefore they would speak equivocally in disclaiming separatists and brownists , if they meant not such as the word is first and commonly used to signifie . 5. and if that were not the sense , a separatist might be said to be against separation as well as they in new-england . for canne or iohnson would be against separating from their own churches , or from any which they judged as faultless . 6. it was the parish-churches that had the liturgie , and were accused to have 91 antichristian errors ( in them and the church of england which they belonged to ) which mr. h. iacob the father of the congregational party , wrote for communion with against francis iohnson , and in respect to which he called those separatists against whom he wrote ; the same i may say of mr. bradshaw , dr. ames , and other non-conformists , whom the congregational brethren think were favourable to their way . and if the old independents ( as well as the rest of the non-conformists ) accounted them culpable separatists that then wrote for separation from the parish-churches ( for diocesane churches i i● meddle not with , ) then we have small reason to think that those new-england brethren that disclaim the separatists , were of the mind of these separatists themselves , or that they differed from the old independents herein , when they seem rather to be of such healing principles and temper towards the presbyterians , ( as in my opinion ) they have in their synodical conclusions made ●p almost all the breach : and therefore are not to be accounted more for separation than the old congregational divines . and that you may see that the magistrates of new-england are of the mind of their pastors in the synod , and take the youth to be under the ministers charge , or at least that i may hereby express my gladness for this work of their great prudence and christian zeal , and call those my brethren of the ministry to repentance , who did neglect this work of personal instruction , while we had liberty to exercise the pastoral office ; and also that i may yet remember them that are silenced , what abundance of good the law yet alloweth them to do , by this course of going from house to house , and of catechizing the youth , ( seeing we are restrained to no members under 16 years of age , ) i say for these reasons , i shall give you as my conclusion , the order of the governour and council of the massachusets in new-england to all the elders and ministers in their jurisdiction , for catechizing , and private labours with all the families under their charge ; dated at boston , mar. 10. 1668. to the elders and ministers of every town within the jurisdiction of the massachusets in new-england : the governour and council sendeth greeting ; reverend , and beloved in the lord , whereas we find in the examples of holy scripture , that magistrates have not only excited and commanded all the people under their government , to seek the lord god of their fathers , and do the law and commandment , 2 cro. 14. 2 , 3 , 4. ezra , 7. 25 , 26 , 27. but also stirred up and sent forth the levites , accompanied with other principal men , to teach the good knowledge of the lord throughout all the cities of iudah , 2. chron. 17. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. which endeavours have been crowned with gods blessing . also we find that our brethren of the congregational perswasion in england have made a good profession , in their book , entituled , a declaration of their faith and order , pag. 59. sect. 14. where they say , that although pastors and teachers stand especially related unto their particular churches ; yet they ought not to neglect others living within their parochial bounds , but besides their constant publick preaching to them , they ought to enquire after their profiting by the word ▪ instructing them in , and pressing upon them ( whether young or old ) the great doctrines of the gospel ▪ even personally and particularly , so far as their strength and time will permit . we hope that sundry of you need not a spur in these things , but are consciously careful to do your duty : yet forasmuch as we have cause to fear , that there is too much neglect in many places , notwithstanding the laws long since provided therein ; we therefore think it our duty to emit this declaration unto you , earnestly desiring , and in the bowels of our lord jesus requiring you to be very diligent and careful to catechize and instruct all the people ( especially the youth ) under your charge , in the sound and orthodox principles of christian religion ; and that not only in publick , but privately from house to house , as blessed paul did , acts 20. 20. or at least three , four , or more families meeting together , as strength and time may permit , taking to your assistance such godly and grave persons as to you may seem most expedient . and also that you labour to inform your selves , ( as much as may be meet ) how your hearers do profit by the word of god , and how their conversations do agree therewith ; and whether the youth are taught to read the english tongue : taking all occasions to apply suitable exhortations particularly unto them , for the rebuke of those that do evil , and for the encouragement of them that do well . the effectual and constant prosecution hereof , we hope will have a tendency to promote the salvation of souls , to suppress the growth of sin and prophaneness , to beget more love and unity amongst the people , and more reverence and esteem of the ministry , and will assuredly be to the enlargement of your crown and recompence in eternal glory . given at boston the 10th . of march , 1668. by the governour and council , and by them ordered to be printed , and sent accordingly . edward rawson , secret. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26912-e4580 i desire the ●●ader to 〈◊〉 the most judi●ious ●o●●rate expositio● o● th● s●cond commandment ( a o● all the est ) i● mr. george lawson's th●opolitica . notes for div a26912-e15380 1 untruth . false worship , what : seven senses of that word . 2. untruth . 3. untruth . of my mentioning former things . whether i were as guilty as any in stirring up the war ? and guilty of all which he calleth the effects ? whether nothing past must be repented o● . the reader must note that i wrote the full narrative of my actions herein , which this presupposeth , but after cast it away , because neither part of the accusers can bear it . 4 untruth . whether i never mention the prophane but with honour . of partial genderness . of my foolish talking . of my pride . whether it be easier to pray extempore , or by memory of words . who is to be judged proud. more mistakes . whom we must come out from . whom we must disown as no church . the corruption of the scripture churches . 5 untruth . of concealing the faults of dividers . of concealing the faults of dividers . * read but hornius his description of the english sects , eccles. hist. and see what strangers think of us . of my revealing secrets . 7 untruth . 8 untruth . 9 untruth . the cause of popery tried . of mr. iohnson's reply to my book . 10 untruth . whether it be intollerable pride to say that the papists understand not christian sense and reason . 11 untruth . of separation . of censuring papists . of pauls not scandalizing the weak . i know that expositors much differ about the weak brother here described , but not in the point that i now urge the ●ext for . more of revealing secrets . 12 untruth . whom i mean by dividing ; and of his curse . 13 untruth . whether i slight prayer ? and whether wisdom is to be got by prayer alone , without any other means . 14 untruth . 15. untruth . whether i speak slightly of christ ? how christ increased in wisdom . whether christ needed prayer for himself . of melancholy misinterpretations of scripture . 16 untruth . whether god hates book-prayers or forms . whether the jews had a liturgie in christs time . see psal 92. and 102 , &c. 1 chr. 16. 4. and 25. 2 chron. 8. 14 , 15. of jeasting at other mens ●●ayers . the temptations of sufferings . many are overcome by suffering , who think they overcome . it 's a reproach to our nation that hornius hist. eccl. saith , [ ita ut seperatismus sive brownismus non alios habeat authores quam cum tyrannide & superstitione episcopos dominantes , pag. 244. so much good suffering doth . whether all that use any thing in gods worship not commanded ( and in particular a form of prayer ) be idolaters ? and what this censure of idolatry signifyeth . whither we are guilty of consenting to all that is faulty in the prayers that we are present at . 17 untruth . of flattering christians . whether any 〈◊〉 be 〈…〉 ignorant , and injudicious . see my book of directions to weak christians to grow in grace . the greatness of the sin of thus flattering christians . how sad is it to read in ho●nius , salmasius and others abroad , such horrid descriptions of the english sects and scandals ? though the actors were not so many as some of them thought . of the loud voice of the preacher , and a sound judgement . 18 untruth . 19 untruth . whether i have left off the lords work . note how ordinarily christ himself and his apostles avoided persecution by removing . of the judgement of the unive●sal church . of the judgement of learned men in difficult speculations . 20 untruth . whether honest people be not apt to stray after one anothers example . whether we should mark and avoid the sins of christians in the time and places where we live ▪ whether the religious sort may not have some common errour to be avoided ? 21 untruth . 22 untruth . 23 untruth . of justification . whether we can speak bad enough of nature . see act. 17. and 14. and rom. 1 , and 2. 24 untruth . 25 untruth . whether there be any free-will . whether he that counts all natural men as bad as he can name , will not hate them , and say bad of them without fear of slander ? 26 untruth . whether no persecution can consist with love ? 27 untruth . 28 untruth . 29 untruth . of the fewness of believers . 30 untruth . whether the same spirit may not be restored to the ancient forms . 31 untruth . maximus imperator r●mpub . g●bernahat : vir omni vitae merito praedicandus , si ei vel diadema non l●git●m●●umultua●te milite impositum repudi●re , vel armis civilibus abstinere licuiss●t ; sed m●gnum imperium nec sine pe●iculo ren● . i , nec sine armis potuit teneri : sulp. sev●rus dialog . 3. cap. 7. beda etiam , ●ist . eccl. l. 1. c. 9. maximus vir str●n●us & p●obus atque augusto dignus , nisi contra sacramenti fidem per tyrannidem emersisset , &c. invitus propemodum ab exercitu c●eatus imperator , &c. had not this man brought the catholick-church into a little room . the dangerous schismatick clearly detected and fully confuted for the saving of a distracted nation from that which would destroy christian love and unity : occasioned by a resolver of three cases about church-communion / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1683 approx. 181 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 31 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26909 wing b1237 estc r22896 12310514 ocm 12310514 59353 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26909) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59353) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 200:16) the dangerous schismatick clearly detected and fully confuted for the saving of a distracted nation from that which would destroy christian love and unity : occasioned by a resolver of three cases about church-communion / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [4], 58 p. printed for thomas parkhurst ..., london : 1683. "the dangerous schismatick" also appears as the first part of the author's schism detected in both extreams, and in his catholick communion defended against both extreams (wing b1206, at reel 166:8). reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng stillingfleet, edward, 1635-1699. owen, john, 1616-1683. schism -early works to 1800. christian union -early works to 1800. church -catholicity. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-05 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-06 mona logarbo sampled and proofread 2004-06 mona logarbo text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the dangerous schismatick clearly detected , and fully confuted ; for the saving of a distracted nation from that which would destroy christian love and unity . occasioned by a resolver of three cases about church-communion . by richard baxter a catholique christian , who is against confining christian love and communion to any sect how great soever . mark 16. 16. he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved . john 13. 35. by this shall all men know you are my disciples , if ye have love one to another . 1 john 4. 16. he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in god , and he in him . rom. 14. 1. 17 , 18. him that is weak in the faith receive ye , but not to doubtful disputations : for the kingdom of god is not meat and drink , but righteousness and peace , and joy in the holy ghost : for he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and approved of men. london , printed for thomas parkhurst at the bible and three crowns at the lower end of cheapside near mercers-chappel , 1683. the english schismatick , detected and confuted : occasioned by a resolver of cases about church communion . chap. i. saith the resolver , § . 1. the church is a body or society of men separated from the rest of the world , and united to god and to themselves by a divine covenant . a. he saith this is the plainest description he can give : that is not the fault of his auditors or readers . 1. as to the genus , a community of equals without rulers is a body : but i suppose he meaneth not such . 2. is it enough that it be of men ? sure now they should be christians ? 3. many are separated from the rest of the world , secundum quid , that are no christians ; some in one respect and some in another , and none in all respects . 4. vnited to god , is an ambiguous word , no creature is vnited to him perfectly so as to be thereby what he is , god , in the created nature . only christ is united to him hypostatically in his created nature . all are so far united to him in natural being , as that in him they live and move and have their being : and the nature of man is one sort of his image : all things are united to him as effects to their constant efficient . the church should not be defined without any mention of christ : the churches union with god is by christ. 5. christ himself as head is an essential part of the church , and should not be left out of a definition , thô the meer body may in common speech be called the church , as the people may be called a kingdom . 6. will any divine covenant serve ? or must it not be only the baptismal covenant ? 7. is it called divine only as made by god , or as commanded by god and made by man , or as mutual ? certainly gods law and offered or conditional promise is most frequently called his covenant in scripture ; and this uniteth not men to god , till they consent and covenant with him . their own covenant act is necessary hereto : and that is a divine covenant , only as commanded , and accepted and done by gods assisting grace . 8. the form of a church is relative , and the terminus is essential to a relation . it is no definition that hath not the end of the association : therefore this is none at all ; and so the beginning tells us what to expect . this description hath nothing in it but what may agree to divers forms of society , and so hath not the form of a church : and if he intended not a definition , but a loose description , i would a defining doctor had had the chair , during this controversie . let us try this description upon a mahometan kingdom , army , or navy , or suppose them meer deists . 1. such a kingdom , army , or navy may be a society . 2. of men. 3. separated from the rest of the world secundum quid & ad hoc ( and none are separated from it simpliciter & ad omnia : e. g. no man is separated from the common humanity ; no deist from any but atheists , and no christian in believing a god and the law of nature and nations . ) 4. they are vnited to god so far as owning a god and worshipping him amounts to , besides the union of the creature with the creator in whom he liveth , &c. and no unregenerate ungodly christian is united to him savingly . 5. they are united among themselves . 6. this is by a covenant : 7. and by a covenant divine , as to command , approbation and object . it is god that they covenant to own and obey : the common profession of the mahometans , is , there is one god , and mahomet is his prophet . it is divine in tantum as commanded . for god commandeth all men to own him ; to believe that godis , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him : and god so far approveth it : st. james saith , ( thou dost well ) to him that believeth there is a god , much more that is professedly devoted to him . let us by this examine the jewish church : jews now may be 1. a body , 2. of men , 3. separated from the rest of the world , even in religion and church pretensions . 4. united to god as creatures , as men , as the corporal seed of abraham , and as professing belief , love and obedience to god , as their god. 5. strictly united among themselves : 6. by a covenant , 7. which god once commanded , and still approveth so far as they own god. let us consider whether this description take not in , those in every nation that fear god and work righteousness , that never heard of christ , ( being thus combined . ) and whether the kingdom of god , be not larger than his church : joyn the head and tail of this mans book together , and by the head ( the description ) for ought i see , jews , mahometans , if not almost all heathens , are the church : but at the end , i think none on earth is the church : at least none that separate from a pair of organs , or an ignorant curate , nor can any man know who . page 2. § . 2. he explaineth his word [ body ] as opposed to a confused multitude . a. but a community of equals , that have no governours , may have order , and 〈◊〉 s no confused multitude . and he himself after pleads over much for a●ecessi●●v of rulers . p. 3. § . 3. and in many places , his confusion and grand errour is repeated , that the christian church is but one : p. 7. we know no church but what all christians are members of by baptisme , which is the vniversal church : p. 8. there is but one church , of which all christians are members , as there is but one covenant ; p. 19. if there be but one church and one communion , of which all true christians are members , &c. p. 23. i am no otherwise a member of any particular church , than i am of the vniversal : p. 40. it 's a schismatical notion of membership that divides the christian church into distinct memberships , and therefore into the distinct bodyes : and p. 19. and often he saith , those churches which are not members of each other , are separate churches and schismaticks . a. i had hoped that no man but mr. cheny had talkt at this rate . i. it 's agreed on , that there is but one universal church : the contrary is a contradiction . 2. it is agreed , that there is no lawful particular church which is not a part of the universal . 3. that whoever hath just union and communion with a true particular church , hath union and communion with the universal : 4. that all men in their worship of god , should accordingly perform it ( and do all that they do ) as men in that relation to the universal church : none of this is controverted . ii. but i had hoped never to have heard any but seekers say , that there are not many lawful particular churches , distinct from the whole and from one another , though not disjunct in the common essentials . for the proof of the contrary , 1. i begin with that which i expect should be most powerful ; the mans own after-confessions , to which he is oft brought . pag. 8. distance of place and the necessities and conveniences of worship and discipline , has divided the church into several parts and members , and particular churches , &c. so pag. 14. pag. 19. all christian churches ought to be members of one . more fully p. 20 , 21. this is ad hominem , yea and nay is his resolution . 2. but i 'le bring other arguments that prevail more with me . the sacred scriptures oft tell us of many churches , therefore there are many . act. 9. 31. the churches had rest ; and 15. 4. confirming the churches ; 16. 5. so were the churches established in the faith ; rom. 16. 4. all the churches of the gentiles : so ver . 16. 1 cor. 7. 17. so ordain i in all churches ; 11. 16. neither the churches of god ( have such custom ; ) 14. 33. as in all the churches of the saints ; 34. let your women keep silence in the churches . so 16. 1. 19. & 2 cor. 8. 1. the grace of god bestowed on the churches of macedonia : 18. whose praise is in the gospel through all the churches . so 19. 23 , 24. and 11. 8. 28. the care of all the churches ; 12. 13. inferior to the other churches . gal. 1. 2 , 22. 1 thes. 2. 14. 2 thes. 1. 4. rev. 1. 4. to the seven churches , ver . 11. 20. angels and candlesticks of the seven churches . and 2. 7 , 11 , 17 , 29. and 3. 6 , 13 , 22 , 23. and 22. 16. his concordance might have shew'd him all these in order , phil. 4. 15. no church communicated with me ( concerning giving and receiving ) but ye only . the dispute now must be , whether the apostles or this resolver be to be believed : they say , there are many churches , parts of one ; he saith , there is but one , and it 's schismatical to divide it into distinct memberships or bodyes , &c. it 's no schisme here to say , i am for paul and the holy scripture : let who will believe the contradictor . 3. my next argument is this : where there are many political societies , consisting of christian pastors and people , professedly associated for the ordinary exercise of those relations as such , in holy communion , in christian doctrine , worship , order and conversation , for edification in true faith , hope , love and obedience , and the glorifying of god therein . there are many distinct true churches , parts of the church universal ; but on earth there are many such societyes , &c. ergo , &c. either the controversie is de re or de nomine ( for we called separatists use to separate these . ) 1. if de re ; let the existence of the thing defined be tryed by scripture , reason and common experience : 2. if de nomine ; forma quae dat esse dat nomen : here is the true specifick form which is found in many single churches , ergo the name of such single ( or individual ) churches is due to them . 4. again ad hominem , from the consequences : 1. if there be not many single churches in the universal , then there are not many patriarchal , national , provincial , metropolitical , diocesan , or parochial churches : for non entium non datur numerus : many nothings is a contradiction . multae sunt ergo sunt ; ab est tertij adjecti ad est secundi valet argumentum . but if there be not many , then 1. all the parish churches in england being but one , and not many , a patron can have right to present to no one as a church , more than to another . 2. then the parson , vicar or curate is no more the parson of one church than of another ; nor bound to no more care and duty ; for there is but one . 3. then no one is bound to go to one parish church more than another ; for there is but one . 4. then the temple and tithes belong no more to one than another . 5. then no bishop is the proper bishop of one diocesan church , more than of another . 6. then all the revenues of the bishop of london , are no more appropriate to one church than to another . 7. then you owe no more obedience to the bishops of one diocesan church than another : 8. then you make the king no more head or governour of the church of england , than of another . 9. then a diocesan oweth no reverence to a metropolitane church ( if there be none such . ) 10. then many churches cannot have communion nor send bishops to councils ; ( if there be not many . ) 11. and the charge of separation from a church that is no church , is a contradiction . 5. i adde , from parity of reaon , if many distinct subordinate societies may make one civil body politick , so they may one universal church : but the antecedent is undoubted . if it be learnedly said with mr. cheny , that one whole cannot be part of another whole ; one may attain the perfection by that time he hath worn the breeches but a few years , to know that a whole family may be part of a whole village , and a whole vicinage be part of a whole city , and a whole colledge be part of a whole university ; and a whole city part of a whole kingdom ; and a whole kingdom part of the whole earth . and if it be objected , that the names of the whole and parts are here divers ; but a church and a church are the same name . i answer , at the same age one may learn that the same name proveth not the sameness of the things named ; and that ex penuria nominum the genus and species , the totum and parts have oft equivocally the same name , with the addition of just notes of distinction . sometimes an academy of many schools is called schola , and so are the single schools therein : the city of london is a society ; and so are the societies of merchant-taylors , drapers , mercers , &c. therein . § . 4. but these churches must be members of one another , or they are schismaticks . a. 1. how can that be , if they be all but one . 2. this is also above or below the ferula age . they are no members of one another , but all members of the whole : yet how oft have we this with the sting of schisme ( as damning as murder or adultery ) in the tail of it . the hand is not a member or part of the foot , or the foot of the hand , or the liver a member of the lungs , &c. but each one of the man : if ever i were a schoolmaster again , i would perswade my boyes , that a is not a member of b , nor b of c , &c. but each of the alphabet ; and that one leaf of their book is not a member of another , but both of the book ; and if they were ripe for the university , i would perswade them that exter colledge is not a member of corpus christi , nor that of lincoln , &c. but all of the universitie of oxford . and i think that bristol is not a member of exeter or gloucester , &c. but all of england ; and that the company of stationers are not part of the society of merchants or drapers , &c. but all of london . what a priviledg is it , that a man may believe this about any such thing without schisme and damnation ! and how dreadful to fall into such church-mens hands that in their case make it schisme , separation and damnation . but there is a remedy . § . 5. but he hath reason for what he saith : p. 3 , 4. [ indeed it is extreamly absurd and unreasonable , to say , that the christian church , which is built on the same foundation , &c. who enjoy all priviledges in common , should be divided into 〈◊〉 distinct and separate bodies , thô of the sa●e kind and nature , as peter , james and iohn are distinct persons — it 's absurd to say , that where every thing is common there is not one community . ans. let us not swallow this without chewing : 1. whether all be extreamly absurd and unreasonable which such doctors call so ; i am grown to doubt as much as whether all be schism which schismaticks call so : ipse dixit is no proof . 2. what the meaning of this great , decantate word [ separate ] is , must anon be enquired : but , may not churches be distinct and not culpably separate ? he confesseth afterwards both local distinction and separation . 3. how far are the vniversal church and particular churches distinct ? as whole and parts ? must the world at last learn that whole and parts are not distinct ? if you take if for absurd to distinguish a man from a body , or from a liver , hand or foot , dissenters do not ; nor to distinguish a colledge from an university , a house from a street , a street from a city , &c. but how are the particular churches distinguished one from another ? reader , so constantly do such men fight with themselves , that it 's meet to ask , whether they that thus say there are not many distinct churches , do not assert a far wider difference between many , than those they dissent from . we affirm that there are many , and that they differ not in specie , but numero , as colledges , cities do among themselves ; but these men , after all this , hold not only a numerical , but a specifick difference , even as parochial , diocesan , provincial , patriarchal , national ; at least presbyters and diocesans differing ordine vel specie with them , the church denominated from them must do so too . § 6. but he confirms it . [ peter , james and john , thô they partake of the same common nature , yet each of them have a distinct essence and subsistence of their own , and this makes them distinct persons ; but whether the very nature and essence of a body or society consists in having all things common , there can be but one body . ans. i hope it s no culpable separation to distinguish things as differing specie & numero ; and this is the doctors meaning , if his words are significant : and the common way of expressing it would have been , [ peter and john differ numerically but not in specie ; but two churches differ neither specie nor numero . ] and 1. reader , whereas he said before , that the church is not divided into distinct bodies , as james and john , &c. ] did you think till you , that james and john , and the doctor , and the several bishops had not been distinct parts of the church in their distinct natural bodies ? 2. and why may there not be distinct politick bodies , or compound in one whole as well as natural ? certainly , all things corporeal save attomes are compounds : a muscle , a hand , a foot , parts similar and dissimilar in man are all compounded of lesser parts . if many students may make one colledge , why may not many colledges make one university ? it 's strange if a doctor deny this . 3. but let us consider of his reason , and enquire 1. whether the church have all things common . 2. whether the very essence of it consist in this . i. it is granted that the whole essence of the genus and species is found in every individual of that species , natural or politick ; but did we ever hear , till mr. cheny and this doctor said it , that politick bodies differ not numero as well as natural ? the kingdom of england and of france are two ; the church of rome and constantinople long strove which should be uppermost , but who ever said that they were not two ? ii. have they all things common ? dissenters would have excepted wives and husbands , ( thô the canons called apostolical do not ; ) why should the essence of a church lie in this , and not the essence of a city or kingdom ? tories in ireland would have all common ; merchants and tradesmen , knights , lords and princes here would not . but it 's no schism here also to distinguish simpliciter & secundum quid , propriety and the use of propriety : there is no community without propriety : men have first a propriety in themselves , their members , their food , the acquests of their labours , their wives and children , and goods . and they consent to community to preserve this propriety , because every man loveth himself : and yet they must use their propriety , ( even of life ) for common good , because all are better than one : but if they had no propriety they could not so use it for the common-wealth . and i never conformed to the doctrine that denyeth propriety in church members and particular churches , and thought all simply common . i 'le tell you what particular churches have to individuate them , not common to all . 1. they consist of individual natural persons , many of which as much differ from many other persons , ( those in england from those in spain ) as one man doth from another . 2. their graces and gifts are numerically distinct ( faith , hope , love , &c. ) from those of other churches thô ejusdem speciei . 3. england and france , london and oxford , have churches of different place and scit●●ti●● 4. but the formal individuating difference is their nearest relation to their several pastors ; as several kingdoms , cities , schools are n●merically distinct by their distinct kings , maiors , school-masters , so are several churches ●jusdem speci●i . 1. thess. 5. 12 , 13. know those that are among you and over you in the lord , and esteem them highly in love for their works sake . as every mans wife , children and servants must be used for the common good , and yet are not common , one mans wife and children are not anothers ; so the bishop of london , of oxford &c. must govern his church for the good of the universal ; but he is not the bishop of gloucester , norwich , paris , rome . these are differences enow to constitute a numerical difference of churches : paul distinguisheth the bishops of philippi , ephesus , &c. from others . do you yet see no priviledges that one hath proper , and not common to all ? none that make a difference in specie , but both numerical and gradual ▪ 1. all churches have not bishop jewel , bishop andrews , doctor stillingfleet , doctor sherlock to be their teachers : all churches be not taught all that 's in this resolver . 2. all churches have not men of the same soundness nor excellency of parts : it was once taken for lawful to account them specially worthy of double honour who laboured in the word and doctrine , and to esteem men for their works sake . paul saith of timothy , i have no man like minded . if those that heard not a sermon in many years differed not from your congregation , why do you preach ? i am reproached in print for telling the world this notorious truth ; that i lived till ten years old , where four men , four years hired successively were readers and school-masters ; two preached ( as it was called ) once a month , the other two never : two drank themselves to beggery . after i lived where many parishes about us had no preachers : the parish that i lived in , had a church with a vicar that never preached , and a chappel with a parson eighty years old , that had two livings twenty miles distant , and never preacht : his son a reader and stage-player was sometime his curate : his grand-son , my school-master , his curate next that , never preacht in his life , but drunk himself to beggery . one year a taylor read the scripture , and the old man ( the best of them all ) said the common-prayer without book ( for want of sight . ) the next year a poor thresher read the scripture . after that a neighbours son ( my master ) was curate , who never preacht but once , and that when he was drunk , ( in my hearing ) on mat. 25. come ye blessed , and go ye cursed ; ] the saddest sermon that ever i heard . these things were no rarities : now my assertion is , that the church that had such as austin , chrysostome , jewel , andrews , and such worthy men as london now hath many , had priviledges distinct from these , ( and many the like ) that i was in . if you say that every bishop and preacher is as much the bishop and preacher to all other single churches , as to that which is his title ; then 1. he must be condemned for not teaching them all . 2. then he may claim maintenance from them all . 3. then he may intrude into any mans charge . 4. then no church is unchurcht for want of a bishop , for any one bishop is bishop to every church in the world ; and so ubi episcopus ibi ecclesia , signifieth but that church and bishop are on the same earth ; and ecclesia est plebs episcopo adunata may be verified if there be but one in the world. 5. and so mr. dodwell and such are self-confuted before you are aware : geneva , holland , and all presbyterians are true churches , for they have all bishops ; e. g. the bishop of london is bishop to them all : for if one man be no more a member of one single church than of another , and so no more a subject to one bishop than to another , then one bishop is no more pastor of one church than of another . 7. and how can you magnifie the church of england for a wise , learned , pious clergy above other churches , if all priviledges be common , and they have no proper pastors of their own . 8. do you think that the church , e. g. of hippo , that was in austins dayes , was the same numerical single church with that which is there now , ( were there any ) or with the diocesan church of london ? if not , then at least distance of time , and change of persons maketh divers particular churches ; and it 's no more against the unity of the church universal to have divers particular churches in it in the same age , than in divers ages . in short , diversity of matter and form maketh a numerical diversity ( as of natural , so ) of politick bodies of the same species : but the churches of ephesus , smyrna , thyatira , philadelphia , &c. were of divers matter and form numerically ; ergo they were divers political churches . sure god doth not commend laodicea for philadelphia's church virtues , nor condemn the church of philadelphia for the other churches sins . and if the angels be bishops , why are some bishops praised as the bishops of such churches , and the bishops of other churches threatned . but i confess this is a ready way to end the controversies between the bishops of several churches which snall be greatest , if they be all but one . but i hope that when the bishop of rome and his church was corrupted , it is not true that every bishop and church fell with him , ( or with any that hath turned to mahumetanism . ) to be no longer on this , ( which i thought no prelatist would ever have put me on ) if these men speak not notoriously against scripture , against the constant language of canons and fathers , historians and lawyers , and all antiquity , and all christian countreys and divines , ( yea , even those that at trent would have had only the pope to be of immediate divine right ) then i know not any thing by reading . and if poor nonconformists must be put to defend themselves against such singularities , and be schismaticks unless they will differ from all the christian world of all ages , there is no remedy . § . 7. but p. 5 , 6. he tell us , [ that a church is made by a divine covenant-god only can constitute a church : such persons , if there be any so absurd , are not worth disputing with , who dare affirm the church to be an humane creature , or the invention of men . — and no church can depend on humane contracts ; for then a church would be a humane creature and constitution , whereas a church can be founded only on a divine covenant — 1. who would think but this man were a nonconformist , that talks so like them ( e. g. amesius in medul . theol. ) against humane church forms ? but what then will bishop bilson , and almost all other bishops and christians be thought of , who affirm patriarchal and metropolitical churches ( and many of the diocesane ) to be but humane constitutions and inventions . and if these be not worth the disputing with , it seems , that you differ from them more than separatists do : and then were not all these schismaticks ? and then , are not you a schismatick if you communicate with them ? yea , your mr. dodwel himself maketh diocesan churches to be a humane creature ; and a. bishop bromhall much pleadeth for mans power to make patriarchal churches ; and so do such others . 2. but is it true that humane contracts make not a church ? ans. not alone : but i think that all churches are made by mutual contracts , and humane is one part of that which is mutual . 1. as to the vniversal church , 1. god as legislator and donor , instituteth the species of covenanting by baptism , and therein he commandeth mans consent to his offered covenant ; and conditionally promiseth to be our god : but , conditionale nihil ponit in esse : this much maketh no christian , nor church . to command a man to be a christian , and conditionally to promise him life if he will be one , proveth him not to be one ; else all were christians that reject an offered christ. 2. but when man consenteth and covenanteth with god , then gods conditional gift becomes actual and efficacious , the man being a capable recipient , and not before : and in this it is the contract that is the fundamentum relationis ; but a single promise is not a mutual covenant or contract . so that it is no wiser divinity to say , gods covenant and not mans consent , covenant or contract with god , doth make christians , and the universal church ; than it is sober reason to say , that gods institution of marriage or magistracie only doth make the relation of husband and wife , without their covenanting consent , or doth make common-wealths , without the consent or covenant of sovereign and subjects , did this doctor think that voluntariness is not as necessary to the relation of christianity as to the relation of prince and subjects ; yea , or of husband and wife ? if he do , he is shamefully mistaken . baptism delivereth men possession of pardon , grace and right to glory ; and can men have this against their wills ? one would think by the doctrine and course of some men , that they could force men to pardon and salvation ! if i believed that their force could accomplish this , i would never call it persecution . if they can force men to be true christians , they may force them to be justifyed and saved ; and then they are very uncharitable if they do not : let them then cease preaching and disputing us to their opinion , but bring us all to heaven whether we will or not . yea the self-contradictor , playing fast and loose , confesseth p. 6. that no man at age can be admitted to baptism , till he profess his faith in christ , and voluntarily undertake the baptismal vow : and is not that humane covenanting ? yea , he knoweth that the liturgie maketh even neighbours or strangers , vow and covenant , both in the name of the child and for the child . and so necessary doth the episcopal church think humane covenanting , that without this no child must be baptized publickly though the parents would covenant , and that they can neither for love nor money ( for many poor men hire godfathers ) get any one ( much less three ) who examined , will seriously purpose to perform the covenant for the child 's holy education which they make ii. but is not humane covenanting a cause of single church relation as well as of universal ? i see no cause to doubt it ; and i am sure that the church for a thousand years ( before and since popery came in ) have declared him no bishop that comes in without consent of clergie and people ; which consent is their covenanting act . to make a single church , manifold consent goeth to the fundamentum relationis . 1. god commandeth single church officers , order and consent , and promiseth them his blessing where they are met : the lord and his angels are among them : no command is vain , and without a virtual promise . 2. to this a threefold humane consent is needful , ordinarily : 1. the persons called . 2. the ordainers ( when it may be had . ) 3. the peoples . he that formerly , from the apostles dayes , for a thousand years , should have said , that neither the covenanting , that is the consent of the pastor , or people , or ordainers , is necessary to the fundamentum of a single church relation or form , would have been taken for a wild-brain'd schismatick at least . § . 8. but saith this doctor ( and another of them ) [ p. 6. but the independent church covenant between pastor and people , is of a very different nature from this : vnless any man will say , that the voluntary contract and covenant which the independents exact from their members , and wherein they place a church state , be part of the baptismal vow ; if it be not , then they found the church upon a humane covenant ; for christ hath made but one covenant with mankind which is contained in the vow of baptism ; if it be , then no man is a christian but an independent . ans. alas for the church that is taught at this rate ! 1. i never saw what independents do in this case ; but i think none of them that are sober own any other sort of church but the universal , and single churches as members of it , and therefore require no contract but 1. to the covenant of baptism or christianity . 2. to the duties of their particular church-relation . 2. and nothing is here of necessity but manifested consent ( which is a real contract ) but a clearer or a darker , an explicite or implicite consent differ only ad melius esse . 3. is not god the author of magistracy , marriage , &c. and is it any violation of gods part , if rulers and people , husband and wife be covenanters by his command ? 4. is it any renuntiation of baptism to promise at ordination to obey the arch-bishop and bishop , and to take the oath of canonical obedience ? is it not still exacted ? are not the takers of it obliged ? are not covenants imposed on all that will be ministers in the act of uniformity ? are not multitudes kept out and cast out for not making these covenants ? quo reneam nodo , &c. how should one deal with such slippery men ? good mr. zachary cawdry that wrote to have all men to covenant submission to bishops and parish ministers , did not dream that it was any violation of baptism . 5. do not men owe duty to their pastors which they owe to no others ? if not , put them not on it : why are you angry with them for going from you ? why doth the canon suspend those that receive them to communion from another parish that hath no preacher ? why are we ruined for not covenanting as aforesaid ? if yea , then is it against baptism to promise to do our duty ? 6. but hath god commanded or instituted no covenant but baptism ? yes sure , the matrimonial at least ; and i think ordination is covenanting for the ministry : did not the apostle acts 14. 23. ordain elders in every church ? if you would have [ by suffrage ] left out of the translation , no sober man can doubt but it was by the peoples consent ; and was it without their consent that titus was to ordain elders in every city ? could any then come otherwise in ? did not all churches hold and practise this after , and was it none of gods institution ? if so , god requireth us not to take any of you for our bishops or pastors : who then requireth it ? what meaneth paul when he saith , they gave up themselves to the lord and to us , by the will of god. 7. can the wit of man imagine how it is possible without consent , for a man to be made the pastor of any flock ? who ever ordained a man against his will ? or for any man to have title against his will , to the proper oversight and pastoral care of any one pastor , or the priviledges of any church ? if any think they may be cramm'd and drencht with the sacrament , or that an unwilling man may have a sealed pardon and gift of salvation delivered him , he will make a new gospel . and how any particular pastor is bound to give that man the sacrament ordinarily , that consents not ordinarily to receive it of him , i know not . no man is a member of any city , or any company of free-men in the city , but by mutual consent ; and the oath of allegiance and supremacy to the king maketh not the oath of a citizen as such or of a member of a company as such , unlawful . 8. doth this doctor think that he ever yet proved to sober men , that the covenant aforesaid , of godfathers and godmothers , to make christians , and members of the universal church , is more ( or so much ) of gods institution , than the contract or consent between bishops or pastors and people to make a single political church ? 9. if it follow not , that no man is the kings subject that sweareth not to the city ; it will not follow , that none is a christian , but an independent , or church-consenter . 10. how are your parish or diocesan church members known to your selves or any others ? are all that dwell in the parish or diocess your church members ? then atheists , sadducees , hobbists , and all vicious men and thousands that never communicate are such : yea those that you call separatists . if it be every transient communicant , have you a proper pastoral care of every travellers soul that so communicates with you ? you after plead that his very ordinary communion maketh him not a member , if he be unwilling to be one . and is not his consent then necessary ? or if ordinary communion be the test ( how few then of great parishes are of the church ) yet that is because such communion signifieth their consent to your over-sight of them . § . 9. but it 's much to be approved which p. 5. and oft he saith , that to be taken into covenant with god , and to be received into the church is the very same thing , as to the universal church . by which all his gross schismatical accusations afterwards are confuted . no man then is out of the church that is not out of the baptismal covenant , either by not taking it , or by renouncing some essential part of it ? and when will he prove , that to take him , rather than dr. bates that was cast out , to be a teacher or pastor at dunstans , or to take this man and not another to be the lawful bishop or priest , and to obey him in every oath and ceremony , is an essential part of the baptismal covenant , or of christianity ? but such a rope of sand , as mr. dodwell and this man tye together , to bind men to their sect , will serve turn with some that know not who speaks truth , by any surer way than prejudice . § . 10. his doctrine of separation and gathering churches out of churches is anon to be considered : but whereas he addes , p. 7. [ these men convert christians from common christianity , and the communion of the vniversal church to independency . ] ans. my acquaintance with them is small , save by reading their books : and there are few men of any common denomination ( episcopal , or other ) that are not in many things disagreed . but i must in charity to them say , that as far as i can judge by their writings or speech , he palpably slandereth them ; and that none that are grave and sober among them do separate their churches from the common christianity or the universal church , any more than the company of stationers , ironmongers , &c. are separated from the city of london , or london from england , or trinity colledge from the university of cambridge or oxford . i never met with man , and i am confident never shall do , that doth not take his independent church to be part of the universal , and dependent as a part on the whole . if belying others stopt at words , the wrong were small : but when it 's made but the stairs to hatred and destroying , it 's his way to cure schism that is commonly painted with horns and cloven feet . if a man come from a countrey village and be made by covenant a citizen of london , how prove you that he renounceth king or kingdom ? but he saith , p. 9. those who wilfully separate from the corporation to which the charter was granted , forfeit their interest in the charter . ans. what reader doth this man presume upon that will not ask him , how he proveth 1. that gods law or charter to his church doth not require them to congregate in distinct single churches ( as london charter doth to erect several companies , and the universities several colledges ? ) 2. and that god hath not in his word given order or command for such single churches : but that the apostles and titus by fixing elders to their several churches and cities , separated from the universal church ? 3. and that their subordinate churches have not need of distinct subordinate consent and duty : and that our diocesan churches all separate from the universal ? did he think these things need no proof at all ? it may be he will say that the diocesan depend on the vniversal , but the presbyterian or independent do not . ● answer , dependance is either that of subjects on soveraign or magistrates for government , or that of a community of equals for communion . in the former respect they depend on none but christ as universal soveraign , nor on any foriegners for governments : in the latter , they depend on all true churches for communion : and doctor hammond and most diocesans hitherto have said that diocesan churches are thus far independent or national at most . and if any be for a forreign jurisdiction , in charity before they perswade england to it , they should procure them a dispensation from all the oaths , that have sworn all this kingdom against endeavouring any change of government , and against a foreign jurisdiction : for some fanaticks now dream that per is the mark of the beast , and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( which is the number of his name , is nominal as well as numeral , and refers to ch-urch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( and ) s tate ] ( for as for them that find a mans name in them , i abhorr their exposition more . ) § . 11. p. 9. [ god ( saith he ) hath not made any covenant in particular with the church of geneva , france or england , &c. a. 1. god hath made one general law , for christians congregating with their fixed elders or bishops in particular churches all the world over : and his command is not without promise of being with them to the end of the world ; and that promise becometh a promise to every church so congregate . god hath not made distinct laws or promises to every christian : but the promise to justifie all believers justifieth each single person when he believeth . if the king should make one common law to command all his subjects that are freeholders to live in corporations or hundreds , described with their priviledges , those priviledges would be all theirs that are so incorporated : as one charter may priviledge every london company , diversified by subordinate agreements . 2. and that god who will have them thus incorporated and distributed into several single churches , doth covenant ( or promise ) according to their demerits to each . do i need to recite the peculiar promises and threats to the seven asian churches , rev. 2. and 3. which are covenants to them ? § . 12. next pag. 10. he will tell us what communion is , and in many words , it is to tell us that communion is nothing but vnion : i know that quoad notationem nominis , communion may signifie , vnion with others : but they that write politicks have hitherto distinguished vnion and communion , taking communion for actual commnication , or exercise of the duties of men in union ? but to speak cross to other writers on the same subjects and give no reason for it , and to confound vnion and communion , is one part of this edifying resolution . § . 13. pag. 11. [ our communion with the church consists in being members of the church , which we are made by baptism , ] ( saith he . ) then the baptized are still in communion with the church , till their baptism be nullified : and hath he proved us apostates ? § . 14. pag. 12. should any man who is no member of the church , nor owns himself to be so , intrude into the church and communicate in all holy offices , it 's no act of communion , &c. a. i thought communicating ordinarily in holy offices , had gone for an owning of communion : if it do not , would you would tell us how to know who are of your church . § . 15. p. 13. saith he ( church-communion does not consist in particular acts of communion , which can be performed among those who are present and neighbours , but in membership : now as a member is a member of the whole body ( not meerly of any part of it , &c. ) all the subjects of england who never saw nor converst with each other , are members of the same kingdom . ] a. 1. that word [ meerly ] hath more craft than justice or honesty : meerly signifieth only i suppose ; and if he would make his reader think that they that are for single church peculiar membership and consent , do take themselves to be [ meerly or only ] members of those single churches , and not of the universal , it is shameless injury . 2. will he ever draw men to conformity by making them believe , that because they owe common communion to all christians , therefore we owe no special duty to the bishops , priests , churches or neighbours where we are setled ? do the men of one colledge , school , corporation , owe no more duty to that than to all others ? do the free-holders of belford-shire choose knights for middlesex ; or the citizens of oxford choose officers in london ? these seem strange resolutions to us . 3. but doth he remember that [ if communion consist not in acts of communion to such , but in membership even with the distant , ] then he that is baptized , and no apostate , and performeth no other acts of communion to the bishops , parson or people where he liveth , than he is bound to perform to them a hundred or thousand miles off , is not separatist . methinks this favours separation too much . § . 16. pag. 14. when he denyed any divine covenant to make us members of particular churches distinguish't from the vniversal ( as all national , diocesan and parochial are , as parts from the whole ) he presently confteth all again , saying [ the exercise of church 〈◊〉 as to m●st of the particular duties and offices of it must be confined to a particular church and congregation ( for we cannot actually joyn in the communion of prayers and sacraments , &c. but with some particular church . ] a. oportuit fuisse memorem , — 1. reader , doth not this man here confess that there are particular churches ? 2. if these be not distinct from the whole , then each particular is the whole . 3. if the exercise must be in particular churches , must not men consent to their relations and duties ? is it a sin to promise duty ? 4. sure it is not meer place , but a mutual relation of pastors and people that distinguisheth these churches . the presbyterians preach't once in the same places that you do , and yet you take them not for the same church pastors . if one from york or cornwall come into your pulpit without consent , do people stand as much related to him as to you ? some men are of extraordinary sufficiency to resist and conquer the clearest evidence of truth . but he addes [ every act of communion thô performed to some particular church , is and must be an act of communion with the whole catholick church . ] a. and who denyeth this ? no sober independent or presbyterian that ever i met with . it 's a weighty truth . § . 17. p. 14. saith he [ praying , and hearing and receiving the lords supper together doth not make us more in communion with the church of england than with any other true and orthodox part of the church , thô in the remotest part of the world. ] a. i think that 's not true : with the remotest parts you have only catholick communion with the church universal : in england and london you have that and more ; even special subordinate communion with your own king , bishop and flock . 2. and hath not the church of england such communion in obedience to its own laws ; ( as the act of uniformity , ) convocation and canons , which you have not with all abroad ? do your bishops in convocation make canon laws for all the world ? do you swear canonical obedience as much to the bishop of paris , or ha●●nia , &c. as to your ordinary ? do the canons of all churches impose our liturgy , or ipso facto excommunicate all that affirm any thing in it , or our ceremonies or church government , to be against gods word ? sure this is a peculiar kind of communion . 3. if not , why are all the nonconformists cast out that offer to officiate and communicate on such terms as are common to all sound churches ? pag. 15. saith he [ there is nothing in all these acts of communion which does more peculiarly unite us to such a particular church than to the whole christian church . ] a. what , neither in these acts nor any other ! then we are no more bound to hear you , or maintain you as our pastor , than to hear and maintain the whole christian church . § 18. p. 20. saith he [ there is no other rule of catholick communion for private christians , but to communicatee in all religious offices and all acts of government and discipline with christians those with whom they li●e . a. 1. elsewhere you added [ sound and orthodox : ] else they that live with arians , socinians , papists ( in spain , france , italy , &c. ) are bound to communicate with them in all religious offices and obey them . 2. this concludeth , that where presbytery or independency is the way of the place where we live , all must thus communicate and obey . the king and custom then may make any way to become our duty . 3. if you tell us that it 's only with the sound and orthodox , you were as good say nothing , unless you tell us who must judge that , whether the people themselves , or who for them . 4. but if this be the only rule for private christians , what shall they do , e. g. in aethiopa , egypt , syria , and many other countreys where the churches are such as general councils and other churches judge hereticks or schismaticks ? and what shall they do , when at antioch , alexandria , constantinople , &c. one party is uppermost ( by the judgment of councils and prince ) one year , and another contrary party the next . and what shall they do where the prince equally tolerateth both , and it 's hard to know which is the more numerous ? as in zeno's and anastasius reign , &c. and what shall they do when many chnrches in one city are of divers tongues , as well as customs ? have the greeks , french and dutch in london no rule of catholick communion but communicating in all office ; with the english , and obeying all your bishops courts ? § . 19. p. 21. saith he [ distinct and particular churches which are in communion with each other , must have their distinct bounds and limits , as every member has it's natural and proper place , and situation in the body . ] a. why may not the greeks , dutch and french live in communion with the churches london though they live dispersedly among them ! in brandenburg , hassia , and many free cities , and belgia , where lutherans and calvinists ( as called ) live together , and own each other as brethren , why may not both be churches of christ ? § . 20. p. 21 , 22. a great deal more he hath of the like , making schismaticks at his pleasure . [ this is plain in the case of the presbyterian and independent churches and those other conventicles — they are churches in a church , — nothing can justifie the distinction of christians into several churches , but only such a distance of place as makes it necessary , &c. p. 22. distinct churches in the same place can never be under the same communion . a. these things are repeated so oft , and the word [ separate ] so deceitfully rolled over and over , that i will answer all together under his third case at the end. § . 21. p. 27. see how openly he recanteth most aforesaid : there is a sence indeed wherein we may be said to be members of one particular church considered as distinct from all other particular churches : but that principally consists in government and discipline . every christian is a member of the whole christian church , and in communion with it , but he is under the immediate instruction and government of his own bishop and presbyters , and is bound to personal communion with them ; and this constitutes a particular church , in which all acts of worship and all acts of discipline and government are under the direction and conduct of a particular bishop . ] a. omitting that he seemeth to make the parochial churches no churches , but parts of one , here he saith all that he seemed to write against , and that those that he reproacheth hold , allowing the difference of the extent of churches . and is it edifying to read such a discourse , that saith and unsaith by self-contradiction ? and he adjoyns 28. p. how by agreement patriarchal and national churches are made ! and is not agreement a humane contract ? chap. ii. of his first case . § . 1. page 31. his first case , whether communion with some church or other be a necessary duty incumbent on christians : ] and he thinks the resolution of this is as plain , as whether it be necessary for every man to be a christian : for every christian is baptized into the communion of the church . a. in this i know no christian adversary to him : but it being the vniversal church that he giveth his proof of necessary communion with , it 's odde to say , we must have communion with some church or other : as if there were more than one universal church . 2. but we grant more , that all that can well , should be also members of some single church . § . 2. p. 32. he saith [ external and actual communion is an essential duty of a church-member ( meaning a christian. ] a. 1. and yet before he denyed that communion lay essentially in this exercise , but only in vnion : yea and nay is his custom . 2. some few christians ( as those that live where such communion cannot be had without sin , &c. ) are not bound to it ; therefore it is not true that it is essential to universal church-membership . and i think sickness endeth not the essentials , that disableth men . 3. note reader , that by this mans doctrine we are all unchristened and damned if we do not gather into disallowed churches , if we be unjustly cast out of the allowed ones : for all must be church members that will be christians , and an unjust excommunication cannot disoblige us from christianity , nor bind us to consent to be damned . now read the 5th 6th 7th 8th , &c. canons of the church of england , which ipso facto excommunicate all that affirm any thing in their liturgy , articles , ceremonies or government sinful , and answer spalatensis arguments against excommunicating ipso facto , and prove all this just , and you may prove what you will just . but you see where he layeth the controversie : if any be excommunicated without sufficient cause , or by lay civilians to whom god never gave that power , or by such bishops or pastors as have no just authority for want of a true call or consent ; or if any unlawful thing be made necessary to communion , all such persons must by his own confessions hold church-communion whether these imposers will or not ; for all christians are bound to be of some church . § . 3. p. 33 , 34. he saith that [ none but publick prayers are the prayers of the church properly , and acts of communion , that is , such as are offered by the hands of men authorized and set apart for that purpose , &c. ] ans. who would have thought that we are more for the liturgy than he ? i undertake to prove , that all the responsal prayers , and all the litany prayers , in which the minister names but the matter to them , and the people make it a prayer by speaking the petitioning parts , are all the publick prayers of the church , and so are all the petitioning psalms spoke or sung by the people , and not only that which is offered by the priest : i do not think that he believeth what he carelesly saith here , himself . but the independents are stiffer for his first thesis ( of the necessity of church-communion ) than he is , his unfit words i pass by . chap. iii. of his second case . § . 1. the next question of occasional communion as distinct from fixed , he turns out of doors , as if there could be no such thing , and it 's very true as to the church universal ; but as to visible , actual communion with this or that particular church , it is not true . 1. a traveller of another country , who on his journey communicateth with every church where he passeth , is not a fixed member of that church : for , 1. the pastor or bishop hath not that peculiar charge of him as of fixed members . 2. he is not bound where he passeth to take such notice of the lives of communicants or pastors , and to admonish the offenders , and tell the church , as fixed members are . 3. he hath not the right in chooseing pastors or deacons as the fixed members have . 4. an itinerant bishop in transitu is not their fixed bishop ; ergo an iterant lay-man is not a fixed member . the same i may say of one that is a fixed member of another church in the same city , and cometh to that only to signifie universal communion , or neighbourly ; which , though he deny to be lawful , i shall further prove anon . and the same i may say of those that dwell where there is no fixed single church at all , for want of a pastor , but they congregate only when some strange minister passeth through the town . chap. iv. his third case . § . 1. page 48 , 49. he resolveth his third case : [ whether it be lawful to communicate with two distinct and separate churches ] negatively , and saith , [ it is contrary to all the principles of church communion , as any thing can possibly be ; it is to be contrary to our selves , it is communicating with schism : that the presbyterian and independent churches have made an actual separation from the church of england he hath evidently proved ; — and they are schismaticks , and to communicate with them is to partake in their schism ; and if schism be a great sin , and that which will damn us as soon as adultery and murther , then it must needs be a dangerous thing to communicate with schismaticks . and p. 42. there cannot be two distinct churches in one place , one for occasional , and another for constant communion , without schism . ] ans. to save those that are willing from the poyson of these schismatical doctrines , lapt up in confusion by men that abhor distinction , or understand not what they say ; i will first lay down that truth that he sights against , with convincing evidence , and then shew you the mischief of his false doctrine and application . § . 2. the confusion of these words [ church , communion , separation and schism ] which every one signifie divers things , is the chief means to blind and deceive his reader ; whether it do so by himself i know not . i. the word church signifieth sometime the universal church ; sometime a single organized church as part of it , and sometime humane combinations of such single churches ; and that into diocesan , classical , provincial , patriarchal , national , and papal . ii. the specification and nomination of churches is from the formal cause , and the proper government is that form : and the individuation is from matter and form , but principally from the form . iii. the union of pastor and flock in relation makes that which is a form aptitudinal ( as the soul to the body ) to be the form in act ( as the union of soul and body ) and gods command and consent with the consent of the necessary relate and correlate cause that union . iv. union is in order to communion , which is primary by the exercise of the formal powers on the matter , and secondary by the action of all the parts according to their several capacities and offices . v. the union of the church is of divers degrees . 1. the formal union of the head and body , which maketh it essentially the [ christian church . ] 2. the vnion of the parts among themselves as christian , which maketh them a body capable of union with the head. 3. the union of the parts as unequal organized , the official with the rest , which maketh it an organized body , fit for its special use and welfare . 4. union in integrity of parts , which maketh it an intire body . 5. union in due temperament and qualities , which maketh it a healthful body . 6. unity in commou accidents , which make it a comely beautiful body joined with the rest . but , 7. union in mutable accidents is unnecessary and impossible . vi. these several degrees of union are found in bodies natural and politick . 1. the union of soul and body makes a man , and an embryo before it be organized . 2. the union of the body maketh it capable of the souls further operation . 3. the union of the organical , chief parts , ( as heart , lungs , &c. ) to the rest make it a true humane body compleated to the nutriment and action of life . 4. that it have hands and fingers , feet and toes , and all integral parts , makes it an intire body . 5. the due site , temperament and qualities of each part make it a sound body . 6. comely colour , hair , action , going , speech , &c. make it a comely body . 7. to have all parts of equal quantity and office , would make it uncomely : and to have the same hair , colour , &c. is unnecessary at all . 1. the union of king and subjects as such makes a kingdom . 2. that the people be agreed ; for one conjunct interest and government maketh them a community capable of politie or government . 3. that there be judges , maiors and justices , and subordinate cities or societies , maketh it an organized body , in which kingly government may be exercised to its end , the common good . 4. that no profitable part be wanting , ( judge , justice , sheriff , &c. ) maketh it an entire kingdom . 5. that all know their place , and be duly qualified with wisdom , love , justice , conscience , obedience to god first , to the sovereign power next , to officers next , &c. maketh it a sound and safe kingdom . 6. that it be well situate , fertile , rich , eminent in learning , skill , &c. maketh it an adorned beautiful kingdom . 7. that all be equal in power and wealth is destructive ; and that all be of one age , complexion , calling , temper , degree of knowledge , &c. is impossible : and that all have the same language , cloathing , utensils , &c. is needless at least . vii . jesus christ is the only universal soveraign of the church , both ▪ of vital influence and government ; nor hath he set up any under him , either monarchical , aristocratical , democratical , or mixt , pope , council , or diffused clergy , that hath the power of legislation and judgment as governing the whole chorch ; but only officers that per partes govern it among them , each in his province , as justices do the kingdom , and kings and states the world ; nor is any capable of more . viii . to set up any universal legislators and judge , ( pope or council ) is to set up an usurper of christs prerogative , called by many a vice-christ or an antichrist ; and as bad as making one man or senate the soveraign of all the earth ; and to attempt the setting up of such or any forreign jurisdiction in this land , is to endeavour to perjure the whole kingdom that is sworn against it in the oath of supremacy , and sworn never to endeavour any alteration of government in church or state in the corporation oath , the vestry oath , the militia oath , the oxford oath , with the uniformity covenants : and if any should endeavour to introduce such a forreign jurisdiction who themselves have had a hand in driving all the kingdom to all these oaths against it , i doubt whether all the powers of hell can devise a much greater crime against clergy , cities , and all the land. good reason therefore had doctor isaac barrow to write against it as he hath done , and to confute mr. thorndike , and all such as of late go that pernicious way , by the pretence of church union and communion . as if one universal soveraign and legislator and judge , were not enough to unite christs kingdom , or man could mend his universal laws , and could not stay for his final judgment ; and churches and kingdomes might not till then be ruled without one humane universal soveraign by necessary and voluntary agreement among themselves . xi . to be a true believer or christian , ( or the infant seed of such ) devoted to god the father , son , and holy ghost , according to the sense of the baptismal covenant , uniteth each member first to christ himself directly , and consequently to his body or church ; and this coram deo , as soon as it is done by heart consent ; and coram ecclesia , regularly , as soon as he is invested by baptism ; which baptism , when it may be had so , is regularly to be administred by none but an authorized minister or deacon ; but if through necessity or mistake it be done by a lay-man , the ancient christians took it not for a nullity , much less if the baptizer was taken for a minister by mistake , being in his place ; and if no baptism can be had , open covenanting is vallid . x. the papists ( and their truckling agents here ) have here hampered themselves in a fatal contradiction : to make themselves masters of the world , they would perswade us , that sacraments only regenerate and sanctifie , and that god saveth none ( by any known way and grant ) but by his covenant sealed by the sacraments ; and that he authorizeth none to administer this covenant but prelates and their priests , and none can validly have it from other hands : and so if you will but abate them the proof of many things that stand in the way , heaven and hell , salvation and damnation are at the will and mercy of such prelates and priests . but unhappily they cannot retrieve their old opinion , but maintain that lay-men and women may baptize in necessity validly , and that baptismputs one into a state of salvation . xi . as he that swears and keeps his allegiance to the king is a subject and member of the kingdom , though he be no member of any corporation ; so , though he disown a thousand fellow subjects ; yea , though he deny the authority of constable , justice , judge ; so he that is devoted to christ truly in the baptismal covenant , is a christian , and a member of the universal church , though he were of no particular church , or did disown a thousand members , or any particular officer of the church . xii . all faults or crimes are not treason : a man that breaketh any law , is in that measure culpable or punishable : but every breach of law , or wrong to fellow subjects or justices , as it is not treason , so it doth not prove a man no subject ; though some may be so great as to deserve death and make him intolerable : and so it is in the case of our subjection in the church to christ. xiii . to own christs instituted species of church officers is needful to the just order , safety and edification of the church ( as to own the courts of judicature , justices , &c. in the kingdom ) but to own this or that numerical officer as truly commissioned , is needful only to the right administration of his own province . xiv . as christ did his own work of universal legislation by himself and his spirit eminently in the apostles and evangelists , who have recorded all in scripture , so he settled churches to continue to the end associated for personal communion in his holy doctrine , worship , order and conversation with authorized ministers , subordinate to his administration in his prophetical , priestly , kingly and friendly relations . and thô these may not always or often meet in the same place , their neighbourhood maketh them capable of personal presential communion , as men that may know and admonish each other and meet by turns , and in presence manage their concerns ; which differenceth single churches of the lowest order from associated churches of men , that have communion only by others at distance . xv. as logicians say of other relations , the matter must be capable of the end , or it is not capable of the name and form ; so is it here : e. g. it is no ship that is made of meer sponge or paper , or that is no bigger than a spoon ; it is no spoon that is as big as a ship : one house is not a village , nor one village a city , nor a city a meer house . so twenty or an hundred or a thousand p●rishes associate , cannot be a single church of the first or lowest order , being not capable of mutual knowledge , converse or personal present communion : nor are two or three lay-men capable to be such a church , for want of due matter . but supposing them capable , thô a full and rich church have advantage for honour and strength , yet a small and poor one is ejusdem ordinis as truely a church ; and so is their pastor , as hierom saith of rome and eugubium so alexandria and maju●an &c. gregory neocaesar was equally bishop of nineteen at first , as after of all save nineteen in the city . xvi . if the apostles have successours in their care and superiority over many churches , it will prove that there should yet be men of eminent worth to take care of many churches , and to instruct and admonish the younger ministers : but it will neither prove 1. that they succeed the apostles in the extraordinary parts of their office. 2. nor that they have any forcing power by the sword. 3. nor that one church hath power over others by divine right ; for the apostles fixed not their power to any particular churches , but were general visitors or overseers of many : yet if the same man who is fixed in a particular church , have also the visiting admonishing oversight of many as far as was an ordinary part of the apostles office , and be called an archbishop , i know no reason to be against him . xvii . there be essential and integral acts of the sacred ministry instituted by christ : these none may take the power of from any ministers , nor alter the species or integrity of the offce , by setting up any such superious as shall deprive them of that which christ hath instituted , or arrogating the like uncalled . but as in worship , so in order and church government , there are undetermined accidents : as to choose the time and place of synods , to preside and moderate and such like : and these the churches by agreement , or the magistrate may assign to some above the rest : and if the magistrate affix baronies , honours , revenues , or his own due civil forcing power , and make the same men magistrates and ministers , whether we think it prudent and well done or not , we must honour and obey them . xviii . some call these humane accidental orders , forms of church government , and affirm ( as bishop reignolds did , and dr. stillingfleet in his irenicon and many excellent men by him cited ) that no form of church government is of divine command . which is true of all this second sort of government which is but accidental aud humane ; but not at all of the first sort which is divine and essential to christ himself first , and to pastors as such by his appointment ; so that the essential government of the universal church , by christ , and of each particular church by pastors specified by him ( if not of supervisors of many as succeeding apostles and evangelists in their ordinary work ) are of unalterable divine right . but the humane forms are alterable : such i account 1. the presidency and moderatorship and accidental government of one bishop in a single church over the other presbyters , deacons , &c. 2. the accidental government of a diocesan as an archbishop over these lowest bishops and churches . 3. and the superiority of metropolitans and patriarchs over them , so it be but in such accidentals and within the same empire , not imposing a forreign jurisdiction . these tota specie differ from the divine offices . xix . all these single church being parts of the universal are less noble than the whole , and are to do all that they do as members in union with the whole , and to do all as acts of communion with them . xx. the general precepts of doing all to edification , concord , peace , order , &c. oblige all the churches to hold such correspondencies as are needful to these ends : and synods are one special means , which should be used as far and oft as the ends require : and if national metropolitans and patriarchs order such synods , i am not one that will disobey them . but if on these pretences any would make synods more necessary than they are , and use them as governours , by legislation and judgement over the particular bishops by the use of the church keyes , and will affixe to them or metropolitans , besides an agreeing power and the said government in accidentals , a proper church government by making and unmaking ministers or christians , excommunicating and absolving as rulers by the said keyes , it may be a duty to disown such usurpations . as the king would disown an assembly of princes any where met that would claim a proper government of him and his kingdom ; thô it were much to be wisht that all christian princes would hold such assemblies for the concord and peace of christendom . xxi . the essentials of faith , hope and loving 〈◊〉 , essentiate the church objectively : and these are all summarily contained in the baptismal covenant , explained in the creed , lords prayer and decalouge ; and all with much more , even integrals and needful accidentals in the sacred scriptures , which taking in the law of nature , are gods universal law. xxii . there is no church on earth so sound and orthodox as to want no integral part of christian religion : proved : there is no man on earth , much less any multitude , so sound as to want no integral part : but all churches consist only of men ; and therefore if all the men be so far defective , all the churches are so . it is not their objective religion generally and implicitely received that i mean , but their subjective religion , and their explicite reception of the objective . the scripture is our perfect objective religion in it self , and as an object proposed , and in general and implicitely we all receive it . but as a man may say , i believe all that 's in the scripture , and yet be ignorant of the very essentials in it ; so a man may explicitely know and believe all the essentials and more , and yet be ignorant of many integrals . all things in scripture proposed to our faith , hope and practice , are the integrals of our religion : but no christian understandeth all these proposals or words of scripture : therefore no christian explicitely believeth them all , or practiceth all . to hold the contrary , is to hold that some church is perfect in understanding , faith , hope and practice , without ignorance , errour or sin : that is , not to know what a man or a christian on earth is . xxiii . much less do all churches agree in unnecessary indifferent accidents , nor ever did , nor ever will or can do . xxiv . the measuring out churches by limits of ground , parochial or diocesan , is a meer humane ordering of a mutable accident , and no divine determination : and if all were taken for church members-because they dwell in those precincts , it were wicked : but if it be but all in those precincts that are qualified consenters , it is usually a convenient measure : but such as in many cases must be broken . xxv . if a church with faithful pastors be well setled in a place first where there are not more than should make up that one church , it is not meet for any there to gather a distinct church ( thô of the same faith ) without such weighty reason as will prove it necessary , or like to do more good than hurt : 1. because love inclineth to the greatest union ; 2. because a great church is more strong and honourable than a small , if the number be not so great as to hinder the ends. 3. and the ancient churches kept this union . xxvi . if magistrates make such laws about church accidents as tend to further the churches wellfare , or are so pretended , and not against it , we must obey them . but if they will either invade christs authority or cross it , by making laws against his , or such as are proper to his prerogative to make , or invade the pastors office , and the churches properright given by christ , or determine accidents to the destruction of the substance ( the church , doctrine , worship or ends ) these bind the consciences of none to obedience ; but christ must be obeyed , and we must patiently suffer . xxvii . self-interest , self-government and family-government are all antecedent to publick government , which ruleth them for the common good , but hath no authority to destroy them : no king or prelate can bind a man to do that which would damn his soul , nor to omit that which is needful to his salvation : all power is for edification : they are gods ministers for good. xxviii . as it belongs to self-government to choose our own dyet , and cloaths , and wives , and physicians , ( thô we may be restrained from doing publick hurt on such pretences ; ) and it belongs to family government to educate our own children , and choose their tutors , callings , wives , &c. so it more nearly belongs to self-government to choose the most safe and profitable means of our own salvation , which no man may forbid us ; and to avoid that which is pernicious or hurtful ; and to family-government to do the like for our children . xxix . it is false doctrine of those late writers who tell us , that only sacraments sanctifie or give right to salvation : the whole tenor of the gospel tells us that men are brought to faith and repentance , and to be christians , and godly men , and by faith to be justified , by the preaching of the gospel : and that gods word is his appointed means of salvation , which his ministers must preach skilfully , instantly , in season and out of season , to that end : and if the gospel be hid , it is hid to them that are lost . xxx . the gospel saveth not like a charm , by the bare sound or saying of the words ; nor the sacrament like an amulet ; but as a moral means ( specially blest by him that instituted it ) to work on man as m●n , by informing his mind , perswading his will and exciting his affections , as men are wrought on in other cases ; ( which methinks those called arminians should least deny , who are said to lay more of the spirits operation on moral suasion than their adversaries ; yea and those that account it fanaticism to expect any other gift of prayer from the spirit but what is given morally by use . ) and the contrary doctrine feigneth god to work even constantly by miracle : and as the papists make every mass-priest a miracle worker in transubstantiation , so do they that make the bare saying over the words and doing the outward acts in the sacrament , to save us ex opere operato , and the pastoral teaching and oversight of an ignorant drunken lad or reader to be ( near ) as great a help to salvation , as the ministry of a wise skilful , holy and exemplary pastor , and the clear affectionate preaching of gods word : and that tell us ( as mr. dodwell ) how sufficient a man is to administer the sacramental covenant that understands what a covenant is in matters of common conversation . xxxi . if a wise and skilful and conscionable ministry be as needless to edification and salvation as some men pretend , it is as needless that they should study to be such , and vain to glory that they are such , and that the church of england hath such a ministry , and vain to expect that men should pay them any more respect than i owed my master that never preacht but once , and that drunken ; ( and divers very like him . ) or that they should use this as an argument to draw men to hear them . xxxii . if the king or law should settle a physician of his ( or a patrons ) choice in every parish , it were well done if it be but to have help at hand for volunteers : but if he command all to use them and to use no other before them or against them , where unskilful or untrustly men are placed , no man is bound to obey this command : no mens law can dissolve the law of nature , nor disoblige a man from a due care of his life , nor bind him to cast it away upon obedience to ignorant or bad and treacherous men. and a mans soul is more precious than his health or life ; and he is bound to greater care of it ; and is no more to trust it on the will of his superiours how vast is the difference between an ignorant rash physician or pastor , and one that is wife , experienced and trusty ? they that scorn men for going for greater edification from one to another , do not so if a man prefer a skilful physician to one that kills more than he cures ; or a skilful and careful tutor for his son , yea or a farrier for his horse . xxxiii . if one preacher be not for edification to be great●● preferred before another , then one book is not : and so it 's no matter what book they read or value ; and what a student will this make ? and what a trade for the booksellers ? and why then should their own books be so valued ? and why then do they silence hundreds or thousands and forbid them to preach on pain of ruine , ( thô no false doctrine be proved against them ) if they think not that the difference is very great . xxxiv . when councils hereticated and condemned thousands or hundreds of priests and bishops , whom christian emperours and princes owned as orthodox , they did not then think every patron , prince or prelate a competent judge with what pastor men should trust the conduct of their souls : nor did they think so that forbad men hearing fornicators ; nor cyprian that required the people to forsake basilides and martial ( & peccatorem praepositum . ) xxxv . so full was the proof given in the book called , the first plea for peace , that the church from the beginning denyed princes and magistrates to be entrusted with the choice of bishops , or pastors to whom the churches were bound to trust the conduct of their souls , that he who denyeth it , is not worthy to be therein disputed with . and yet we doubt not but they may force infidel subjects and catechumens to hear sound and setled preachers and catechists ; and may dispose of the tythes , temples and many other accidents of the church ; and may drive on pastors and people to their duty . xxxvi . it is false doctrine that two distinct churches may not be in the same precincts or city ; this being a meer accident which abundance of cases make unnecessary and unlawful : which i shall prove . that which is no where commanded by god , is no duty : but that there shall be but one church ( or bishop ) in the same precincts , is not commanded of god , ergo , &c. ( divine of gods making . ) they own the major in the case of indifferent thing . if they deny the minor let the affirmers prove any such command . we grant a command of love and concord , and a prohibition of all that is against them . but in many instances , to have several churches in the same precincts , is not against them . if they fly to the canons of foreign councils , the reason of them we shall weigh and duely regard ; but they were national , and had their legislative power only from their own princes and their counselling power only from christ : and we disown all foreign jurisdiction . xxxvii . in all these cases following ( and more ) two churches may be in the same precincts ( yea and a city . ) 1. in case that several bishops are called justly to dwell in the same city , or diocess , and many of their flock be with them , e.g. many bishops of england dwell long , yea mostly in london or in london diocess : e. g. the bishop of eli dwells in the parish of st. andrews holbourn : qu. whether there he be a subject to dr. stilling sleet as his pastor , and bound to obey him ? or whether many out of his diocess ( thousands ) may not as lawfully dwell half the year in london as he ? and whether when he preacheth to them , he do it not as their bishop ( in london diocess . ) and so of many other bishops that here reside . xxxviii . 2. either our parish churches are true churches , or not . if not , the separatists are so far in the right ; and separate not from true churches eo nomine because they separate from them . if yea , then many churches are in the same city and diocess . ( of their agreement and dependance on the same bishop i shall speak anon . ) xxxix . 3. in case that in one city there be resident stranges , that are sent on embassies , or live for merchandize , or flee from miseries , and are the subject of other princes , whose laws and customs they are under , e. g. at frankford , hamburgh , middleburgh , dantzick , const●●●nople , there have been english distinct lawful churches : and in london there are dutch and french churches : and if the king allowed a swedish church , a danish church , a saxon church , &c. with their several bishops , who is so weak as to need proof that this is lawful , and they true churches ? xl. 4. in case men of different language are not capable of mutual converse by personal communion or help : as dutch , french , italian , greeks , germans , &c. grotius and dr. hammond ( oft in dissert , and annot. ) do maintain that peter at rome had a church of jews , and paul a church of gentiles : and that the like distribution of churches of jews and gentiles , there was at antioch , alexandria and other places : and by this they salve the contradictions in church history about the succession of linus , cletus and clemens : and the apostles setled not a sinful church way . xli . 5. yea grotius maintaineth that the apostles setled the churches at first not like the jewish priesthood , but in the order of their synagogues ; ( de imper. sum . patest . and in annot. ) and that as there were divers synagogues in a great city with their archisynagogus and elders , so there were divers churches in a city with bishops and presbyters . xlii . 6. when there are a greater number of persons in one city o● precinct than can have any just personal knowledge and communion , and more than any one bishop with his presbytery can perform the needful pastoral oversight to , it is lawful and a duty , to gather another church in that city or precinct : but this is truly the case of many great cities , though wordly wisdom have at rome , and other places oft denyed notorious evidence and experience . he that will gather up all the duties that dr. hammond saith were charged on the bishops ( in his annotations on all the texts that name elders and bishops ) if he can believe that any bishop can perform the tenth part of them to all in the diocess of london , york , lincoln , norwich , &c. i will not dispute against him if he maintain a bishops u●iquity , or that at once he can be in twenty places . but if they say , that what then was commanded them to do personally , they may do by others , i say , that if they may change the work , they may change the power , that specifieth the office ; and so it is not the same office in specie instituted in scripture : and then lay-men may have power to preach and administer sacraments , and do the office of priest , and yet be no priest ( as civilians do of bishops ) which is a contradiction . certainly if there be more scholars in the city than one master can teach and rule , it is no schism to set up more schools and schoolmasters , but a duty . and if the lord mayor on pretence of city government should put down but as great a part of family government , as those diocesans do of parochial church goverment , who allow none under them to be truly episcopi grigis , and have the power of their church keyes , i think that it were no sch●m to restore families so that the city might have more than one ( entirely . ) xliii . 7. if the soveraign power upon politick or religious reasons should determine , that e. g. dr. a , and dr. b , and dr. c. shall all be bishops in london , to such volunteers of clergy and laity as shall choose each of them to be their bishop , and this without altering their dwellings , no man can prove it sinful ; and of his reasons the king is judge . xliv . 8. if the bishop or clergy of a city , diocess or nation , do agree by law or canon to admit none to the ministry or communion that will not commit a known sin deliberately as the condition of his communion , it is a duty to congregate under other pastors in those prec●●cts . this is confest : if they should not only hold any errour , or practise sin , but require men to subscribe and approve it , and say it is no sin , no man ought to do this ; nor yet to live like an atheist , and forsake all worship because men forbid him , if it were but to subscribe one untruth : but alas , this is no rare case : in one emperours reign all were anathematized that subscribed not to the council of chalcedon , and quickly after all that did , or that would not renounce it : the same division and changes were made by the councils against and for the monothelites , de tribus captrulis , images , &c. and when all men living have many errours , and the church of england disclaimeth her infallibility , and yet will receive no minister that will not subscribe that there is nothing in her books contrary to the word of god , the case is hard . but when all the things mentioned in the plea for peace are proved lawful , we shall be more yielding in this case . xlv . 9. if true and sound christians mistakingly think one or many things to be heinous sins , ( as perjury , lying , renouncing obedience to god , and repentance , &c. ) which are things indifferent , but of so great difficulty that most learned and godly and willing men cannot discern the lawfulness and agree , and yet are not necessary nor just conditions of ministry or communion , and so it is the imposer that entangleth them by difficulty in their dissent , it is not lawful for these men therefore to forbear all church worship , but mi●●t use it as they can . xlvi . 10. if any church unjustly excommunicate such men ; or others , they must not forbear all church order and worship because men so excommunicate them . no man must sin to escape excommunication ; and every man in the world is a sinner ; and therefore all the world must be excommunicated , if all sinners must be so . as i before said , the times oft were when almost all the bishops in the empire were excommunicated by one another : councils and popes have oft excommunicated some for trifles and some for truth and duty . and such must not therefore renounce all church worship and communion . the church of england do by their standing law ipso facto excommunicate all ( as aforesaid ) that affirm any thing to be repugnant to gods word or sinful , in their whole church government , articles , liturgy and ceremonies , and so to stand till they publickly revoke this as a wicked errour . now many lords and commoners in parliaments , have spoken against some of these particulars ; and some out of parliament : many ministers have done the like when the king commissioned them to treat for alterations ; and many when the accusations or demands of others have called them to give a reason of their actions . some have maintained that it is repugnant to gods word that lay civilians should have the decretive power of the keyes , and that the parish minister must cast out of communnion all that the lay doctors or chancellors excommunicate , and all that dare not receive kneeling , and that they should deny christendom to all that scruple the english sort of god-fathers covenants , and the transient symbolical image of the cross , with abundance such things : now all these are ipso sacto excommunicate . and thô they be not bound to avoid the church till this be applicatorily declared , yet actually excommunicate they are , and that by a higher authority than the bishops ; and they know the churches decree ; and the priests are sworn to canonical obedience ; and he that will not temp● them to be forsworn , nor come into a church that hath excommunicated him , seems therein excuseable : but must he therefore renounce the church of god ? xlvii . 11. if the people are so set against one bishop for another , as that half being for one and half for the other , and both orthodox , they cannot be perswaded to unite in one . a council at rome determined in the case of paul●nus and flavian at antioch , that both of them should hold their distinct churches , and so live in love and peace . and though one or both parties in this were mistaken sinners , so are all morral men , who yet must not live like atheists . xlviii . 12. an undetermined accident must be so determined as most serveth to do the greatest good and avoid the greatest evil : but whether divers churches shall promiscuously live in the same city or diocess or parish , is an accident not determined by god , and either way may be for the greatest good , as circumstances vary . e.g. when in a church half cannot consent to condemn the words of theodo●●t , theodore mo●s●est , and ibas , and half will condemn them with the council ; if these can serve god quietly in love and peace in different congregations , but cannot endure one another in the same , it is most for the churches peace that they be permitted to joyn with those of their own mind . ● when one pope declared that it 's sound doctrine to say [ one of the trinity was crucified , ] when another had declared that it is not sound doctrine , they that held with one pope , and they that held with the other might both be true churches in different assemblies : when justinian raised the bloody controversie between the corrupticolae and the phantasiastae , wise men thought both sides were true churches : yea and so did many wise men think of the orthodox and nestor●●ns and many e●tychians . xlix . 13. it 's a common case under turks and heathens , that they give liberty of conscience for christians of all parties : now suppose that in ateppo , in constantinople or elsewhere , there be ( partly for countrey sake , and partly for language , but most for different judgments ) one church of armenians , one of greeks , one of english-men , &c. what law of god makes only one of these to be a true church , and which is it ? l. 14. suppose that the setled church e.g. in holland , sweden , saxony , is for presbytery , or for an episcopacy that arose from presbyters ordination , or that had none or a short liturgy , and the prince would tolerate english men ( as frankford did ) to set up a church of the english form and liturgy , i think few prelatists would deny it to be lawful . li. i omit other instances , and come to the matter of separation , which word serveth this man and such other in so general and undistinguished a sence , as would make one think he were of mr. dodwell's mind , that words in dispute have but one signification , which all are bound to know that use them . even a bell by the same sound sometime signifieth a call to church , and sometime a funeral , and sometime joy ; but [ separate , separate ] is rung over and over with these men , as if it signified but one thing . 1. he that heareth half the sermon and service , and goeth out of church , doth separate at that time from the rest . when a protestant heretick was doing penitence with his faggot at st. maries in oxford , and the fryer was preaching , a mistaken voice in the street made them think the hereticks had set the church on fire , and they separated from the preacher , one fryer stuck by the belly that was going out at the window ; the door being wedged with the crowd , a boy that saw it open above their heads , got up on their shoulders , and went on till he slipt into a monks cowl , and there lay still 'till the monk was got out , and felt something on his back , and thinking it was an heretical devil , began to conjure him in the name of father , son and holy ghost , to tell him what he was , and the boy cryed , o good master i am the bakers boy , &c. quaere , whether this was schismaticks separation . at wal●all in sta●ford-shire , mr. lapthorne ( known to me in his lusty age ) who had been a non-conformist , but thought it an honour to be converted by a king , and gloried that king james in conference changed him ; but being as rustick a thunderer as father latimer and more , he was wont to let fly without much fear ; one mr. martin in the parish accounted the greatest enemy to puritans , when he heard what he liked not , would goe out of church ; one day ( in a path way where mr. lane had rode a little before ) pelting crabs with a pole , the ground opened and swallowed him and his pole , that they could never be found ( being a cole-mine long on fire : ) ever after that , when any one would goe out of church at a blustering passage , mr. lapthorne would call to him , remember martin ; quere , whether all these were separating schismaticks ? but this is too far off : in dunstans west , where dr. sherl●ck preacheth , when i was licensed twenty years ago , at christmas , as i was preaching , some lime or stone fell down in the steeple with the crowd , the church being old and under suspicion , they all thought it was falling , and most ran out in tumult , and some cast themselves headlong from the gallery for hast ; when they were quieted and came in again , the boyes in the chancel broke a wainscot skreen with climbing on it , and the noise made them run out again ; one old woman going out , cryed , it 's just with god because i took not the first warning , lord forgive me , and i 'le never come again : quere , whether these , or at least this resolving woman was a schismatick , and separated from the catholick church ? if not , there is some separation that is not so bad as murder ; and methinks the doctor should forgive it for the success ; for the parish hereupon resolved to pull down the church and build it new , a far better fabrick where the dr. now preacheth ; and it drove me away that i preacht there no more ; whether this new church built where the old one had possession before , be not a schismatical separatist , i leave to him . lii . 2. local separation without mental can make no culpable schism ; for nil nisi volunt artum est morale ; if a man be imprisoned or be sick and cannot come to the church , it is innocent separation ; i have been at no church this half year , much against my will , o that god would heal me of this separation ! liii . 3. if it must be mental separation that must be culpable , then it is diversified according to the mental degree and kind ; and no man separateth from the universal church who separateth not from somewhat essential to it ; to separate from its integrals or accidents may be culpable , but it 's no separation from the church , no more than every breach of the law is a separation from the kingdom . liv. 4. some separate as to place , locally and not mentally , some mentally and not locally , and some both : he that daily observeth the outward communion of the church , and yet taketh it for no church , or denyeth it● faith , hope or essential duty , separateth indeed . all those men that live unbelievingly , atheistically , wickedly , that in their converse prate against the scripture and immortality of the soul , and that hate and persecute serious godliness , are damnably separated from christ , and therefore from the catholick church , and are so to be esteemed so far as this is known , thô when it is unknown , the church can take no notice of it . lv. 5. it being only humane laws and circumstantial conveniences 〈◊〉 make it unmeet to have divers churches and bishops living promiscuously in the same parishes , cities , dioceses or nations ; where laws and circumstances allow it , it is no unlawful separation . lvi . 6. he that liveth in forreign lands ( christian , mahometan or heathen ) where various churches live promiscuously ( greeks , armenians , protestants , papists , &c. ) is no schismatick , if he choose which he thinks best , and be absent locally from the rest , condemning them no further than they deserve . lvii . 7. he that removeth into another diocess or parish for his worldly interest , separateth without fault from the church he was in . lviii . 8. it is a lawful separation to remove ones dwelling , because the minister is ignorant , unskilful , or otherwise bad , and this for the better edification of his soul , and the use and help of a more able faithful minister , even law and custome and reason do allow it . lix . 9. thô the canon 57. and 28. ●orbid ministers oft to give the sacrament to strangers that come out of other parishes , even where no preaching is , yet those many sober people that use this in london , are not taken to be schismaticks , as bad as murderers : many that are esteemed the most sober religious conformists do ordinarily goe from their own parish churches , some ( in martins and st. giles's parish , &c. ) for want of room , and some for more edification , to dr. ●illotson , dr. s●illingfleet , dr. burnet , dr. fowler , mr. gifford , mr. durham , mr. h●rneck and such others , and communicate with them ; and thô these are called by the late catholicks by the name of dangerous trimmers , i think even dr. sherlock will think it more pardonable than murder , if they come to him . lx. 10. if the king and law should restore the antient order that every city , that is , every great incorporate town in england should have a bishop , ( yea or every great parish ) and that the diocesans should be their arch-bishops , and our new catholicks should tell the king and parliament that they are hereby unchristened schismaticks , as dangerous as adulterers or murderers , for gathering churches within a church , i would not believe them . lxi . 11. if ( e.g. at fran●ford , zurick , lubeck , hamburgh , &c. ) a church is settled in the lutheran way , and another in the bohemian way , described by lasitius and commenius , ( which is a conjunction of episcopacy , presbytery and independency ) or a church that had no liturgy , or none but that which the french protestants and dutch have , would it be damning schism , for such as cox and horne at fran●ford to set up an episcopal church in the english mode , and with their liturgy , and so far to separate from the rest ? lxii . 12. if it be true that john maior , fordon , and others say that presbytery was the government of the church of scotland before episcopacy was brought in , was the introduction of episcopacy by palladius a damning schism by separating from the former , or a reformation ; is just reformation schism ? lxiii . 13. when the church first set up patriarchs , metropolitans , general councils , monasteries , parish churches distinct from cathedrals , organs , new liturgies , and multitudes of ceremonies , this was a departing or separating from the contrary church way which was there before , was it therefore schism ? lxiv . 14. when socrates tells us of some countreys that had bishops in the countrey villages ( like our parishes ) was it a damning schism to separate from this custome , by decreeing that even small cities should have no bishops , ne vilescat nomen episcopi ? or when the 〈◊〉 were put down , where they had been ? lxv . 15. if a man separate not from any thing essential to the church of england , he separateth not from that church , though he refuse that which is its accidents , or some integral parts : we are charg'd with separating from the church of england , as if it were a matter of fact beyond dispute , and scorn'd for denying it , even by them that will not tell us what they mean by the church of england , or by separation . by the church of england we mean the christian kingdom of england , or all the christians in england , as living in one land , under one christian king who governeth them by the sword , which includeth their concord among themselves in true christianity ; we are christians , we profess agreement in christianity with all christians we are under the same king as they are , and profess subjection , and take ; the same oaths of allegiance and supremacy ; yea , we are not charged with differing in any thing called doctrinal from their thirty nine articles ; but we disown certain late covenants and oaths which are not twenty three years old , and the subscription to one canon about the innocency of all in their liturgy ; now either these new oaths , covenants and canon , liturgy and ceremonies are essential to the church of england , or not ; if yea , then , 1. it 's a poor humane church , made by them that made these oaths , liturgy and ceremonies . 2. and then it 's a new upstart church , and no man can answer the papists where it was before luther , or before henry 8. yea , if its essentials were made by this king and parliament , 1662. then the present church is no older : but if these things be indifferent , or not essential to the church , then to separate only from these , is not to separate from the church . if it be said , that for the sake of these we separate from the church it self , and therefore from its essence ; we abhor the accusation , and challenge them to prove it : if we separate from the church essentially , it is either locally or mentally ; not locally , for we are yet in england , nor is local distance only a sin ; not mentally , for we own it for a true christian kingdom , called a national church , bound to serve christ in love and concord to their power : we deny not the king to be the governour , nor christians to be christians , no nor the particular churches and ministers to be true ( thô culpable ) churches and ministers , nor th●ir sacraments to be true sacraments ; we profess to hold with them one catholick body , one spirit , one god , one christ , one faith , one baptism ( in the essentials ) and one hope , and are ready to promise to live in concord with them in all other things , as far as will stand with our obedience to god ; so that we separate not from the church of england as such , but from some of its accidents , which we dare not be guilty of . lxvi . 16. the same i say of a parish church ; he that locally removeth , e.g. from a church that hath organs , to one that hath none , separateth from a pair of organs , but not mentally from the church , unless the organs be its essence . lxvii . 17. they that are for the true antient episcopacy , ( e.g. as much as arch-bishop vsher's reduction which we offer'd did contain ) but dislike the lay civilians power of the keyes , and officials , surrogates , arch-deacons government , &c. do not separate from the church as episcopal , but from the humane novelties which they disown . lxviii . 18. if a parishioner fall out with his priest , and they goe to law about tythes , glebes , words , &c. and the suit be long , and the man dare not communicate with him believing that he hateth him , th● the animosity should be culpable , being but personal , his going from him to another church is not separating from christ ; ( for i hope that even mr. dodwell himself will not say that every priest is christ. ) lxix . 19. ex qu●●is ligno non fit mercurius , surely there is some qualification essential to the ministry ; if a man want that qualification , it is a duty to separate from him as no minister , e.g. when i came to rederminster , ( after my subjection to six or seven worse ) i found the vicar , one reputed ignorant of the fundamentals , ( he was brought in by sir henry blunt a p●pist ) who preacht but once a quarter , which most thought he might better have forborn , and his curate mr. turner at mitton preacht once a day , whom i found ignorant of the catechism principles by conference , and he confest he had but one book , musculus common places in english , and he said some of that to the people , and they took it for a sermon ; he lived by unlawful marrying , infamous for drinking and quarrelling ; he that had taken these for no ministers , and separated from them , had not thereby separated from christ or his church catholick . lxx . 20. if it prove as hard to know who is the true pastor in a competition of pretenders , as it was to know which was the true pope , when there were two or three , ( above twenty times ) or whether , e.g. optandus was true bishop of geneva that knew not letters , or whether duke heriberts son consecrated in infancy was arch-bishop of rhemes , or any other infant consecrated be a bishop , ( officiating per alios , surrogates , chancellours , off●cials , &c. ) it is not here a separation from christ to separate from either of the pretenders : he that mistaketh not , is not liable to the charge , he that mistakes , doth not erre in an article of faith , but in a difficult point of humane title , and the qualification and right of a single man ; and my opinion is , that if such a title were tryed before our judges or king , and they should mistake and give judgment against him that had right , this were no separating from christ , nor proof that they are infidels . lxxi . 21. if the case of two contending bishops or presbyters come before a general or provincial council , and they mistake and give it to the wrong , and so separate from the right , i do not think that thereby they separate from christ or the church catholick , e.g. the constantinopolitan council first gave the church of constantinople to nazianzene , and after judged him out as having no right ; if by this they separated from christ , they that take them for the catholick church representative , must say that the catholick church separated from christ and it self . when another council wrongfully deposed chrysostome , and separated from him , and cyril alexandr . perswaded the continuance of it , did the universal church separate from it self and christ ? if a general council which should be wisest , be excusable from damning schism , whenever it misjudgeth and separateth from a rightful bishop , sure every lay-man and woman that doth the same , doth not separate from christ. if it prove that a general council deposed nestorius as unjustly as david derodon thought , or dioscorus as unjustly as others thought , or flavian as unjustly as the orthodox think , this proveth them guilty of some schism , but not of separating from the universal church . when menna of constantinople , and the pope excommunicated each other , when a synod in italy renounced vigilius , and all his successors were an hundred y●●rs deposed from their primacy , and a patriarch at aquileia set up in his stead for a great part of italy , because vigilius subscribed to a general council , de tribus capitulis , this was schism ( somewhere ) but not separating from christ. lxxii . 22. if a man in england should think that all the old councils were obligatory , which decree that he shall be taken for no bishop that comes in by the choice ( yea or mediation ) of courtiers , princes or great men , or any that have not the true consent of clergy and people , and thereupon should conclude that bishops , deans , prebends , &c. so chosen and imposed are lay-men and no true bishops and pastors , this were a separating from those persons , but not from christ and the vniversal church , when as mr. thorndike saith , that till the right of electing bishops by the clergy and people be restored , we need look no further for the reason of the contempt of episcopacy here . so if a man think that god never trusted every ignorant wicked man that can but get money and buy an advowson , to choose those pastors to whose conduct all the people are bound to trust their souls , ( and the bishop to admit them for fear of a quare impedit , if they have but a certificate and can speak latine ) this is not damning separation . lxxiii . 23. if a bishop set up a seeming convert , really a papist ( e.g. mr. hutchinson alias berry , or one of them that lately confessed themselves papists , ) the people that find by experience what the man is , are not damned schismaticks for not taking him for their pastor , or for going from him . if godfrey goodman bishop of gloucester was a papist , did he separate from christ that separated from the diocesan church of glouc●ster , while he was an essential part ? or that did not implicitely trust all the priests that he ordained ? lxxiv . 24. if in a cathedral church one withdraw from their service , because of their difference in ●●●ing , ceremonies , &c. from the parish churches , tho it be the bishops church that he separateth from , it is not as a church , nor from ●nything ess●ntial to it , e.g. miles smyth bishop of gloucester ( the famous 〈◊〉 , and ●hief in our bibles translation ) declared and performed 〈…〉 he would never come more to his cathedral , because the dean ( in 〈◊〉 time ) kept up the altar . qu. whether he separated from himself or his church ? v●i episcopus ibi ecclesia : who were the separatists ? they that fellowed the bi●hop , or they that separated from him and kept to the c●hedral ? the same ●●ay of williams bishop of lincoln that wrote against 〈◊〉 . lxxv . 25. if faithful pastors and people are setled in concord , and the higher powers make a law to depote and eject them without jast cause ( as multitudes were in many emperours dayes , and multitudes by the interim in germany in charles the fifths time ; and multitudes in the palatinate by ludo●icus , and in too many other countreys ) those that leave the temples and tythes to the magistrate , but cleave to their old pastors in forbidden meetings ( called conventicles ) supposing the pastoral relation not dissolved ( as the 〈◊〉 clave to chrysostom ) do not thereby separate from the catholick church : had the power been lawful that set up another way , when dr. gu●●ng kept up his meetings at exeter house , it had not been a separation from christ that he then made . lxxvi . 26. if the law command all to take one man for his pastor , and a parent command his child , or a husband his wife to take another and not that , and the child or wife know not which should be obeyed , and whether the choice belong more to the domestick , or the publick government , it is not a separating from christ , which way ever such an one shall go . lxxvii . 27. yea if i should think that self-interest and self-government bind me rather to choose a pastor for my self , than to stand to such a choice by prince , patron or prelate , which i think intolerable , as well as ( against their will ) i may choose a wife , or a physician , or a tutor , or a book , or my daily food , this is not separating from the universal church . lxxviii . 28. if owning the same diocesan make them of one church who differ more than nonconformists and conformists do , then owning the same christ , faith , scripture , &c. maketh them of one catholick church who differ less . but , &c. jesuites , dominicans , jansenists , and all the sects of papists are taken for one church , because they own the pope and councils . in england the diocesan conformists are taken for one church , thô some of them are as much for a foreign jurisdiction , as arch-bishop land , arch-bishop bromhall , bishop gunnings chaplain , dr. saywell , mr. thorndike , dr. heylin , and many more , have manifested in their words and writings . and some that subscribe the articles of general councils erring in faith and against heathens salvation , and against free will , and for justification by faith only , &c. do shew that they differ in the doctrines of religion , ( unless the sound or syllables be its religion ) while one and another take the words in contrary sences . some are for diocesans being a distinct order from presbyters , some ( as vsher and many such ) deny it : some hold them to be of divine right , and some but of humane ; some think the king must choose them , some rather the clergy and people ; some hold them independent , others rather subject to the arch-bishops and convocation ; some think all that bear office in their church government are lawful , others think lay-civilians government by the keyes unlawful ( and so are ipso facto excommunicate by their own canons ; ) some that promise canonical obedience to their ordinary , take the judges of the ecclesiastical co●rts for their ordinaries ; and others only the bishop● ; some think they are sworn to obey their ordinaries , if they 〈◊〉 according to the canons ( and so to pronounce all excommunicate that he canon excommunicates , if commanded ; ) others think otherw●●e , that they are judges themselves whether the canons command 〈◊〉 & hon●sta ; some take the pope to be antichrist , and the church of rome no true church ; others think otherwise . many more ( arminian and other ) such differences there are , and yet all of one church , both catholick , national , diocesan and parochial ( oft : ) much more are those nonconformists that di●●er from the church in nothing but what the imposers call ●●different . lxxix . 29. if one that prayeth in the litany against false doctrine and sch●●m , and ●e●deth the conformists telling him of the danger of it , should verily think that dr. s. printeth and pr●●heth false doctrine , and such as plainly tendeth to serve satan against christian love and peace , and to the most schismatical dividing and damning of christians , should hereupon separate from him for fear of schi●m and false doctrine , and go to a safer pastor , i think it were not to separate from christ. lxxx . 30. if a bishop in any diocess in london should openly write or plead for a foreign jurisdiction , and we are told that none are true ministers that depend not obediently on the bishop , he that for fear of the law , or of personal or common perjury , should separate from that bishop and his numerical diocesan church , doth thereby neither separate from the catholick church , nor from the church of england . as if the kings army should have a colonel that declared himself an obliged subject to the king of france and bound to obey him , the regiment may forsake that colonel . yea if the general of the kings army should give up himself in subjection to the enemy or a foreign power , and say , i will take a commission from the turk , and my officers shall only obey me , and the soldiers obey them , were not this an army of traytors or rebels , though none but the general took a commission from the enemy ? so if the bishops should all take commissions from the pope , or declare themselves subjects to a forreign jurisdiction , it were no separating from christ , to separate from them all , in loyalty to christ , and to avoid national perjury and schism . lxxxi . 31. if a man think that he is bound to use all christs instituted means of salvation , and live in a church that wilfully omitteth any one of them , e.g. either infant baptism , or singing psalms , or praying , or preaching , or the lords supper , or all personal care , and discipline to exclude the grosly intolerable , to resolve the doubting , &c. he that in obedience to christ goeth to a church and pastor ( in the same diocess or city ) that omitteth none of these , is no damned schismatick . lxxxii . 32. he that is unjustly cast out of the church , and by its very laws excommunicated ipso facto , is no damned or sinful schismatick for worshipping god in a church that will receive him : nor any one that is denyed communion unless he will sin ; much more if they should prove half as many and great sins as the nonconformists have said they fear ( in the first plea for peace , &c. ) lxxxiii . 33. if a foreigner that doth but half understand our language , withdraw to a church and pastor whose tongue he understands , obeying god and nature is no damning schism . lxxxiv . 34. if one that is erroneously conceited of the obligation of general councils , should think it a sin to kneel at the sacrament on any lords day in the year , or any week day between easter and whitsuntide , because tradition and the twentieth canon of the first council , and that at trull , &c. do forbid then to adore kneeling , this separating on that account to another congregation is not damning . if it be said , that mr. 〈…〉 us that it is not necessary that we do the same things which the supream catholick power commanded , but that we subject our selves to the same , power which may change their own laws . i answer , 1. the asserting of that universal soveraignty is the greatest crime and ●●eresie of all . 2. by this it seems that our religion is very mutable , 〈◊〉 very uncertain , and a man hath 〈◊〉 to take heed of obeying any old canons , till he know the mind of the present church ; ( and who those be ▪ and how to know it . ) 3. but what if the same man read dr. hey●●● of sab. ) telling him that this custome against adoration-kneeling continued a thousand years , and was never revok●t by any true general council , but changed by little and little by mens practice : and what if he question who those changers were , and whether their practice was rebeilion at 〈◊〉 , and whether they had power to repeal the canons of the greatest councils without a council . sure they that are for such councils universal soveraignty , when they have cast men into these snares , should scarce tell them that they are damnable schismaticks , for joyning with such churches as obey these councils , rather than with those that ruine men for not disobeying them . lxxxiv . and now reader if thou art one that thinkest of these things with christian sobriety and impartiality , i appeal to thee whether if i should be of the mind of mr. dodwell , and such self-conceited resolvers , i should not write my own condemnation , and be one of the grossest schismaticks that any history hath mentioned , unless ever there were any man so mad as to hold himself to be all the church : yea , when he no more distinguisheth of separation and schism , but involves almost all christians in his condemnation , and tells us that schism will damn us as soon as adultery and murder , is it not obvious for all men to infer that we are as odious as adulterers and murderers ? and doth he not preach christians into the hatred of each other ? and can any wonder if rulers should think the punishment of m●r●●rers is not worse than we deserve ? it is not newgate only , but tyburn that these healing men do seem to assign us ; it would be too tedious to look over all these again , and shew you how great the number is that these men damn , and how few on earth in any age they excuse from being so far like murderers . lxxxv . 1. it seems to me that he virtually damneth all christians on earth as such schismaticks ; for it is most certain that all men have sin , and culpable imperfection in knowledge , will and practice ; and if any say , that he hath no sin , he is a lyar , saith st. john ; and it is certain that all two persons on earth have many errours , and many differences from one another ; it is certain that the love and duty of christians towards each other is culpably defective in all men : it is certain that no man living is so perfect in knowledge as to know all the indifferent things in the world , which may be imposed , to be indifferent ! and long and sad experience hath told the church , that both gross errours and sins , and things called truths or indifferent , which few can be sure of , may be imposed . what follows from all this , but that all men on earth may easily fall under the imputation of disobedience to prelates , and so be excommunicate , and then they have their choice ( when no man is perfect , and they cannot change their minds ) 1. whether they will be damned as excommunicate 〈…〉 that give over all church worship ; 2. or as damma●●●● 〈…〉 worshipping god in churches when they are excomm●●● 〈…〉 lyars , that will make false confessions , pro●●●● 〈…〉 to get off an excommunication . when mr. do●●el 〈…〉 with schismaticks that [ suffer themselves to be excommunicate , ] 〈…〉 no other means in their power to hinder it , it seems these great 〈…〉 to absolute reprobation , do think all christians being unavoidably 〈◊〉 to imperfection of knowledg , are as unavoidably born to damnation whenever prelates or priests please thus to precipitate them . lxxxvi . 2. particularly , 1. the first and second canons ipso acto excommunicate all that say [ that any manner of obedience and subjection within 〈◊〉 majesties realms and dominions is due to any usurped and foreign power : ] by this all papists and all pretended protestants ( such as dr. barrow confuteth ) who hold any manner of obedience and subjection due to pope or foreign councils , are excommunicate . 2. those that say that the book of common prayer containethany thing init repugnant to the scriptures , are ipso facto excommunicate . which now by the new laws are interpreted of the present books . 3. in this all are excommunicate who say , the mis-translations ( in psalms , epistles or gospels , of which many instances have been given ) to be any thing repugnant in the scripture . 4. and all that say , it is against the scripture to deny christendom to all infants that 〈◊〉 not such vo●ers in their names and for their education as we call godfathers , and godmothers , thô the parent ( who is forbidden it ) offer his child by sponsion . 5. and all that say it is against scripture to deny christendom to all that refuse the covenanting transient images of a cross. 6. and all that say that it is against scripture for all ministers to profess [ that it 's certain by gods word that baptized infants ( without exception ) so dying are undoubtedly saved ] when no word of god is cited that saith it , and adding to gods word is dreadfully threatned , and when it 's certain that 〈…〉 are not certain of any such thing ( and i think no one . ) 7. all are ipso facto excommunicate that say , it is against gods word to deny church communion in the sacrament to all that dare not take it kneeling , for fear ( tho mistaken ) of breaking the second commandment by symbolizing with idolaters , that are seeking to reduce the nation to their sin , and that live round about us . 8. all are excommunicate that say it is against scripture to pronounce all saved that are buryed , except the unbaptized , self-murderers and the excommunicate , while thousands of sadducees , hobbists , infidels , papists , perjured , adulterers , drunkards , &c. dwell among us . 9. by the fifth canon all are ipso facto excommunicate that say , [ any of 〈◊〉 articles are in any part erroneous , or such as they ( perhaps as doubters ) may not with a good conscience subscribe to , ] and consequently 〈…〉 conformists that think the sence erroneous while they 〈…〉 and shall affirm , e.g. that canons are made necessary to 〈…〉 matter cannot be proved by scripture , contrary to art. 6. those that contrary to art. 8. say , any thing in athanas●●● 〈…〉 be subscribed . such as bishop taylour that against art. 9. deny orginal 〈◊〉 those that say contrary to art. 10. that the word 〈…〉 common natural power , or maketh nature to be grace . those that write against our being accounted righteous , only for christs ●●●rits , and say that another subordinate righteousness is named many hundred times in scripture , contrary to art. 11. those that contrary to art. 13. say , that works done before the inspiration of the spirit may make men meet to receive grace . those that with dr. hammond write for works that are not commanded but counselled , and free-will-offerings , contrary to art. 14. all they that take infants and new baptized persons to have no sin , contrary to art. 15. all that say , that after we have received the h. ghost , we cannot depart from grace given , contrary to art. 16. those that deny the doctrine of election , in art. 17. those that say , any on earth may be saved by diligent living according to the light of nature , without knowing the name of christ , contrary to art. 18. those that contrary to art. 19. reject that description of a visible church , which reacheth to such as our resolver damneth . all that contrary to art. 20. say , that the church [ may not enforce any thing to be believed for necessity to salvation , besides the scripture ] even those that say , it 's necessary to salvation , by avoiding schism to believe that all imposed tyths , covenants practices , and ceremonies are not sin . all that contrary to art. 21. say , that general or other councils may be gathered without the command and will of princes , and deny they may erre , and things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority , unless 〈◊〉 be declared that they are taken out of holy scripture . those that deny art. 23. that those are lawfully called and sent into the ministry , who have publick authority given them in the congregation , to call and send ministers into the lords vineyard , are chosen and called hereto , ( for want of canonical succession . ) those that contrary to art. 24. would have gods worship performed to them that understand not the language , to avoid the schism of having many churches in a city . those that take confirmation or penance , or the other three for sac●●ments of the gospel contrary to art. 25. those that contrary to art. 26. would not have it believed to be the peoples duty , who know the offences of bad ministers , to accuse them . all that contrary to art. 27. are against infant baptism , as agreeable to christs institution . all that contrary to art. 28. say , the body of christ is given and taken and eaten in the sacrament otherwise than in a spiritual manner by faith. all that say , that in some wise the wicked are partakers of christ in the sacrament , contrary to art. 29. all that contrary to art. 30. say , there is other satisfaction for sin besides christs blood. all that say , that men justly excommunicate may be reconciled and received by the multitude without open penance ( which is ordinary ) contrary to art. 33. all that contrary to art. 34. think that a general council may ordain such traditions or ceremonies as shall in all places be one or the like : and that every particular or national church may not abolish those ceremonies or rites which the general council or colledge ordained . many things in the book of homilies [ especially against peril of idolatry ] are blamed by many conformists , contrary to art. 35. all that contrary to art. 36. say , that the book of ordination wants some things necessary . all that contrary to art 37. think that pope or foreign bishops have any jurisdiction by right in this land : and all that ( by mistake ) say , the king hath not chief power in all his dominions , meaning in france , of which he professeth to be king , and we so call him even in our prayers to god. all that say , contrary to art. 38. that it is not their duty liberally to give alms , according to their ability . all that contrary to art. 39 think men in conforming may swear upon trust of their superiours words , without judgment , and true understanding of justice and truth . all these are already ipso facto excommunicated by this one canon , and if they elsewhere worship god , are called separatists and schismaticks , in danger of damnation , as adulterers and murtherers are : and how great a number are these ? 10. all are ipso facto excommunicate by the sixth canon , who affirm , that the rites and ceremonies of the church of england , by law established , are superstitious , or such as ( now commanded ) men who are zealously and godly affected , may not with a good conscience approve , use and subscribe as occasion requireth . that is , all that thus mistake kneeling at the sacrament , on the reasons aforenamed , to be against the second commandment , or that judge so of the surplice , or that think the cross , as described by the canon and liturgy , hath all the essentials of a humane unlawful sacrament of the covenant of grace . and all that are against the rites of godfathers that never owned the child as theirs , to be theonly sponsors in its name , and to vow its christ●●● education ( when i never knew one living that so much as made the par●●● believe that he intended it : ) and all that think the words of the liturgy ( making imposition of hands an assuring sign of gods gracious acceptance ) make confirmation a humane unlawful sacrament , and say so . all these are cut off . 11. by canon seventh all are ipso facto excommunicate that affirm , that the government of the church of england , under his majesty , by arch-bishops , bishops , deans , archdeacons , and the rest that bear office in the same , is repugnant to gods word ; that is , all bishops , ministers , noblemen , gentlemen or people , that say that it is against gods word for lay civilians or chancellours to govern by the church keyes , excommunicate or absolve : and all that think it unlawful for surrogates that are not bishops but presbyters , either as a cryer proforma to pronounce all excommunicate or absolved who are so decreed by the lay chancellor , or else for them ( or a priest-chancellour ) to govern a diocess by the keyes of excommunication and absolution being no bishops ; and all that think it sinful for archdeacons , commissaries ; officials , &c. who are no bishops , to exercise the same government by the keyes over so many pastors or churches , or for a bishop to do his office by others that are no bishops , any more than a priest by those that are no priests ; or for a diocesan with his lay court , to govern many score or hundred churches under him , without any subordinate bishop in those churches , that is , to set up the name and shew , and make christs discipline impossible : or for lay chancellors or surrogates to publish excommunications in the bishops name , which he never knew of , nor tryed the cause : or for such chancellours to oblige all parish ministers to publish all their excommunications which are agreeable to these canons . what quality and number they are of that call any of this sinful , i pretend not to know : but they are all now excommuni●●te men . 12. the eight canon ipso facto excommunicateth all that affirm that the form and manner of making and 〈…〉 any thing repugnant to gods word , &c : ] that is , all those that hold bishops and presbyters to be the same order ( contrary to the words of that book . ) which yet even the church of england while papists declared in king aelfriks canons ( see spelman : ) and all such as 〈◊〉 , who say the people and clergy should choose their bishops ; or that say the peoples consent is necessary to the pastoral relation to them , and that the old canons for 〈◊〉 are in force . 13. the ninth canon ipso facto excommunicateth the separatists . 14. the tenth canon excommunicateth all that 〈…〉 〈…〉 ipso facto is not here . ) this reacheth to all that consfine not 〈◊〉 church in england to the party that subscribe and their adherents : if 〈◊〉 say , that if such as blondel , rivet , amesius , or any other the most learned , holy , peaceable men that dare not subscribe as aforesaid , should with any christians worship god together , and that these are a true church ( though he judge them faulty ) and that these canons are grievances , such are to be excommunicated : ( though it be gross schism in others to confine not onely the purity but the verity of a church to their own party : ) for such to feel and ●roan loud here is excommunication . 15. the eleventh canon much to the same purpose requireth the excommunication of all that affirm that any subjects in england may rightly challenge the name of true and lawful churches besides those allowed by law , though the king should license them . 16. the twelfth canon ipso facto excommunicateth all , that make rules and orders in causes ecclesiastical without the kings authority , and submit to them , e. g. all that without the king authority agree to turn the table altar-wise , to require people to kneel at the rails , or to bow toward the alter or east , or to set up organs , &c. all these are now excommunicate by an authority above the bishops , which no bishop or priest can dispense with ( but only forbear to publish and execute it , but not nullifie it ) no nor absolve any that publickly repent not of it as a wicked errour . 16. by canon fourteenth if any minister shall diminish any part of the orders , rites , ceremonies , prayers , &c. in regard of preaching or any other respect , or shall adde any thing in matter or form , ( e. g. if he let the parent express the dedication of his child to god , or lay any charge on any parent ) he breaketh the church law , and so far separateth from it . 17. by canon fifteenth when twenty or thirty thousand are commanded to come to a church that cannot receive six thousand , and the alleys and pewes are wedg'd so that they cannot all kneel , yet all that kneel not at the prayers , and all that say not audibly the confession , lords prayer , creed and responses , disobey the laws of the church , and so far separate from it . 18. when twenty thousand persons are commanded to come in more than can , if ten thousand of them ( or any number ) should come to the church-yard or porch , to shew that they are not presentable , but would yet in if they could , the nineteenth canon commands to drive them away . 19. the liturgy and canon 22. &c. bind all under the penalty of the law to receive the sacrament thrice every year : if a secret infidel , sadducel , hobbist , socinian , or any heretick say , i am not able to charge my judgment , which is inconsistent with the sacrament , or if one whose conscience tells him of the guilt of adultery , and that he is not resolved to confess and forsake it yet ; or one that by melancholy causelessly feareth unworthy receiving to damnation ; i say , if any of these will avoid the charge of s●hism , they must ran upon worse , till grace recover them , which is not at their command . and yet all notorious offenders are prohibited it canon 26. and particularly the perjured : and if the tenth part so man● be perjured in england in city and countrey , as many fear , it 's a very great number that are uncapable of communion with the church . 20. by canon twenty seventh on pain of suspension no minister must witfingly administer the communion to any but such as kneel , or to any that refuse to be present at publick prayers , &c. so that all that kneel not in receiving are rejected , and if they worship god elsewhere , must be taken for schismaticks , as dangerous as adulterers or murderers . 21. the twenty eighth canon forbids admitting strangers to communion , and commands sending them home to their parish churches : it 's disobedience to violate this . 22. the twenty ninth canon forbids urging parents to be present when their children are baptized , and admitting them to answer as godfathers for their own children ; and any godfather to make any other answer or speech than the prescribed . 23. the thirtieth canon describeth the cross as a sacrament , as seemeth to us . 34. by the thirty sixth canon no man must be a minister that subscribeth : not that the book of common prayer and ordination contains nothing in it contrary to the word of god , and that he himself will use no other form in publick prayer and administration of the sacraments : by which all that refuse this , or that use the forms made and imposed by the bishops on occasions of publick fasts and thanksgivings , seem all to be under disobedience to the church . 35. by canon fourty ninth no person not licensed as a preacher , may in 〈◊〉 cure or elsewhere , expound any scripture , or matter or doctrine , but onely shall study to read plainly the homilies : so that all ministers before licence to preach , all school-masters , all parents , or masters , that do expound to their schollars , children or servants , the meaning of baptism , or of any article of the creed , any petition of the lords prayer , any one of the ten commandments ( to fit them for confirmation , or salvation ) otherwise than by plain reading the homilies or church catechism , doth disobey the law of the church : and so do all tutors in the universities that expound any scripture , matter or doctrine to their pupils , before they are examined or approved by the bishop ; or any judge on the bench or justice that presumeth to do it to the hearers , or any friend or neighbour in discourse : for it is [ no person whatsoever not examined and approved by the bishop of the diocess . ] how few in england separate not from the church as far as this disobedience amounts to ? if by [ no persons ] be meant only [ no ministers ] it 's hard enough , that ministers may not be allowed out of the church what lay-men are allowed . 36. all those that deny not the validity of baptism or the lords supper when they are done by an unpreaching minister , but yet think that a man utterly unable to teach otherwise than by reading , may not lawfully be encouraged in so high a function , ( any more than a man in physick or school-teaching that hath not necessary skill , or is utterly illiterate , ) and thinks it a sin to consent to take such an ignorant fellow for the pastor of his soul if he can have better ; if this man , i say , go to the next parish church for sacraments , he is to be suspended first and next excommunicate : specially if he should judge that ignorant reader , no true minister for want of necessary capacity . 37. surplices , hoods and tippets are made the matter of obedience , canon fifty eighth . 38. by canon thirty eighth no minister must refuse or delay to christen any child ( without exception ) according to the form of the common prayer , that 's brought to church to him on sundaies or holy-daies , though the parents be both jewes or heathens or atheists or sadducees : the minister must be suspended that refuseth it . 39. the seventy first canon suspendeth all ministers that preach in any private house ( except to the sick or impotent in time of necessity . ) by which had paul here preached publickly and from house to house , or timothy in season and out of season as dreadfully adjured , or christ preacht as he oft did , they must be suspended : and every minister that preacheth to his family : and no doubt , repeating his sermon , is preaching the same again . 40. all ministers must be suspended and then excommunicate , that without the bishops licence appoint or keep any solemn fasts publickly or in private houses , other than by law appointed , or be wittingly present at any : thought it were in time of plague , or when divers of his neighbours are sick or troubled in conscience , or in preparation to a sacrament , or on some great occasion in noble-mens houses and chappels : he is not to be trusted to fast and pray with his own flock or friends , or come among them , lest being excommunicate he be a damn'd schismatick . the same prohibition is for holding meetings for sermons called exercises : which arch-bishop grindall was zealous to set up , ( q. was he then a schismatick ? or is the damning dangerous engine made since ? ) 41. by canon seventy thi●d if any ministers meet in any private house ( as many did by consent in 660. and 1661. ) to do any thing that any way tends to impeach the common 〈◊〉 any part of the government and discipline ( e. g. to petition king or parliament for the least reformation of it ) he is excommunicate ipso facto . 42. canon seventy fourth brings all ministers apparel under church laws , for the shape . 43. canon seventy sixth excommunicateth all that voluntarily relinquish their ministry , and use themselves as a lay-men . and man having free will , that is done voluntarily , which is done in obedience to mens command : and yet we are ruined in the world , if we will not leave our ministry , at their command . 44. it 's tedious to go over all the rest : ●end at the end of them . canon 139. excommunicateth all them that affirm that the synod is 〈◊〉 the true church of england by representation : that is , 1. all that take 〈◊〉 for the church real and not representative , lest they make 〈…〉 and all ) to be chief church-governours , while 〈…〉 but as their representatives . 2. all that say , that it is only the 〈◊〉 and not the presbyters in convocation that are the 〈…〉 church . 3. all that say that the clergy represent not king , nobles , parliaments , laiety , and that these are true parts of the 〈…〉 all these are ipso facto excommunicate . 45. the 140. canon excommunicateth them that deny the canon 〈◊〉 ligation of absent dissenters , which yet even many papists deny of 〈◊〉 canons . 46. the last canon excommunicateth all that contemn these canons , ● taking them to be the work of a company of persons that conspired against relig●●● godly men . all this huge catalogue are here excommunicate . 47. if any part of all this be schism , mr. dodwell and this man seem to teach separation from the church of england : or if the late silencing ▪ hunting and ruining of two thousand ministers were schism , and 〈◊〉 had as bishop taylor in duct . dubit . mr. hales of eaton , chillingworth , &c. say of the like , then these men make all the church of england to be in as damnable a state as adulterers and murderers . yea they make all damnable schismaticks that hold communion with the church of england ; for that is their sentence on them that communicate with schismaticks ; viz. that they are guilty of their schism . 48. they unchurch and damn the churches of corinth , gala●ia , la●dicca , ephesus , smyrna , &c. in the apostles dayes : for the scripture tells us of many guilty of schism in all these , and yet the rest communicated with them ; for the scripture speaks more of schism in a church , than of schism or separation from a church , rom. 16. 17. 1 cor. 1. 10. & 3. 3. & 11. 18. mat. 12 , 25. luke 12. 52 , 53. 1 cor. 12. 25. jam. 3. 15 , 16. and yet no one was commanded to separate from those churches ; no not from those that had heresies among them , such as denyed the resurrection , and taught fornication , and eating things offered to idols , that were drunk at the sacrament or love-feasts , nor those that had jewish schismaticks , who talkt like ours , 〈◊〉 . 15. except ye be circumcised and keep the law of moses , ye cannot be 〈◊〉 the churches were not all unchurcht and damn'd that communicated with such . yea peter was guilty of encouraging them in schism , that would not eat with the christian gentiles , but he was not unchristened by this . 49. they separate from or unchurch almost all the ancient churches in the dayes of the most famous emperours and councils : for i have manifested past doubt that they almost all did hereticate or separate from one another . it was schism either in 〈◊〉 to excommunicate the 〈◊〉 bishops , 〈…〉 them to deserve it and be excommunicate . the 〈◊〉 or dis●wning several councils , specially that of calcedon and that at const. de 〈◊〉 capital●s &c. was the schism of almost all the imperial churches ; one part condemning the other . and if either were in the right , it 〈◊〉 not the case with them : for most of the same men that went that way called the right in one princes reign , went contrary in the next , and so condemned each other round ; especially abo●t images adoration . 50. 〈◊〉 they cut off that succession of that sort of ordination , which they say must be uninterrupted , while it came down from churches excommunicated by one another , or make the proof of it impossible . 51. they separate from all the greek church at this day , as guilty of schism , both in their succession from schismaticall bishops , at constan● alex●nd . antioch , jerusalem , &c. and in their excommunicating not only the church of 〈◊〉 for a wrong cause ( the silioque ) but other churches , and for divers acts of schism . 52. they must by their principles separate from the 〈…〉 , and all the eastern and southern churches that are called 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 for councils and other churches condemn them : and they , condemn the councils of ephesus , and calceden , and all since : and they must separate from and condemn the churches of 〈…〉 , &c. be●ause they separate from others , and are separated from . 53. their principles utterly unchurch the church of rome , 1. especially because it is guilty of the greatest schism on earth , by setting up a false church form and head : 2. and because they schismatically condemn and u●church three parts of the church on earth , even all save their sect : 3. and for their many other schismatical doctrines and practices . 4. and as being condemned by the greek protestants and most churches , and separated from by the church of england which they own . 54. they separate in principles from all or near all general councils ( save the first ) as having separated from other councils and condemned them , and being again condemned by them . 55. some of them condemn and separate from all the protestant churches that have bishops , in sweden , denmark , germany , transylvania , &c. because they had not their ordination successively from bishops but presbyters at the reformation : and because they have been guilty of schism against others . 56. the principles of mr. dodwel and his associates condemn the church of england as schismatical , 1. those that claim succession from rome , whose own succession hath been oft and long interrupted , by incapacities and schisms . 2. for holding communion with those protestant churches which these men call schismaticks . 57. they condemn and separate from all the churches called presbyte●ian in france , holland , geneva , scotland formerly , and those in 〈◊〉 that have no bishops , th● some would threat kindness on them by saying that they would have them and cannot ? and why cannot they ? 58. their principles make the bishop of oxford , br●●●l , &c. schismaticks : for their dioceses are churches taken out of churches , being 〈◊〉 parts of other dioceses . 59. and they condemn all the parish churches in england as churches distinct from cathedrals : for they are all churches gathered out of churches : at first the cathedrals were the only single churches : next monasteries were gathered ; and next our parish churches . and the parish church of covent-garden , is a church taken out of a church . 60. their principles damn st. martin that separated to the death from all the bishops synods and them that were near him ( save one man ) because they perswaded maximus to use the sword against priscillian 〈◊〉 , and brought men of strict religion under suspicion of priscillianism : and sure the ruined persecuted protestants here , are more orthodox than the priscillians . and they damn gildas that told the english clergy , that he was not ex●mius christianus , that would call then ministers ; ( do they not disgrace the many churches dedicated to the memory of st. martin , if he be a damned man ? ) i doubt they damn paul and barnabas for local angry separating from each other : whatever they do by peter and barnabas for the separation blamed gal. 2. 61. if all are schismaticks that here conform not , all those called conformists are such , that conform to the words in a false sence . 62. they separate from all that obey the twentieth canon of the nicene council : and from all that obey the councils that forbid communicating with a fornicating priest : and from all that obey the councils which nullifie the episcopacy of such as are obtruded by magistrates , or not consented to by the clergy and people . and many more such . abundance more instances of their separation , and damnation , i might adde : in a word , i think their principles are , as i first said , for damning and separating from all men living ; for all men living are gulity of some sort and degree of schism , that is , of errours , principles or practices in which they culpably violate that union and concord that should be among christians and churches : every defect of christian love , and every sinful errour , is some degree of such a violation . all christians differ in as great matters as things indifferent : and no man living knoweth all things indifferent to be such : and these men distinguish not of schism , nor will take notice of the necessary distinctions given ( in the third part of the treatise of church concord , ) and solu●io cont●nut causeth pain : nor do they at all make us understand what sort of separation it is that they fasten on , but talk of separation in general , as aforesaid . lxxxvii . they seem to be themselves deceived by the papists in exposition of cyprians words de vnit. eccles. vnus est episcopatus , &c. but they themselves seem to separate from cyprian as a schismatick , and consequently from all the church that hath profest communion with him , and with all the councils and churches that joyned with him : for cyprien and his council erred by going too far from the schism and heresie of others , nulli●ying all their baptisms , ordinations and communions : and for this errour they declared against the judgment of the bishop of rome and other churches ; and they were for it condemned as schismaticks by the said bishop : and here is a far wider separation than we can be charged with . 2. and cyprians words came from the mind that was possest with these opinions , and are expressive of his inclination . 3. yet they are true and good , understood as he himself oft expounds them ; the bishop of oxford●iteth ●iteth some instances , many more are obvious , in which he opposeth the bishop of rome , saying , that none of them pretendeth to ●e a bishop of bishops ; and limiting every man to his own province , and saying that they were to give account to none but god , with much the like . but in what sence is episcopacie one ? 1. undoubtedly not as 〈◊〉 in the personal subjectum relationts : one bishop is not another ; if you should say 〈◊〉 is one , none believe that one mans relation of paternity is anothers . the relation is an accident of its own subject , as well as quantity , quality , &c. 2. nor doth any man believe that many bishops go to make up one bishop in naturals . 3. nor did ever cyprian hold or say that all bishops go to make up one politick governing aristocracie , as many go to make one senate or parliament , that hath a power of legislation and judgment by vote as one persona politica . he never owned such a humane soveraignty . but episcop●●us unus est , 1. in specie , all bishops have one office ; 2. object●●● : as the catholick church is one , whose welfare all bishops ought to seek : 3. and so sinaliter as to the ●emote end , and are bound to endeavour concord . 4. and as effects , all are from one efficient institutor . as it may be said that all official magistracy in england is one : 1. as from one king or summa potestas : 2. as described by one law , and as justices of one species : 3. as all their cities and counties and hundreds are but part of one kingdom , whose welfare all are for : 4. and as they are all bound to keep as much common concord as they can ; if any mean more , they should tell us what : if any mean that all bishops make one numerical universal government , they are heinous schismaticks , and the kingdom is sworn against their judgment : and these men da●n them in damning schismaticks . the truth is , cyprian de vnitate ecclesiae ( leaving out the papists additions ) is a good book , and worthy to be read of all ; and take cyprian's description of the episcopacy of the church which we must unite with , and the nature of that union , and we would rejoyce in such . but if cyprian had lived to see either arians or donatists the greater number , or any sect after call themselves the church because that princes set them up , and had seen them depose chrysostome and such other , doubtless he would never have pleaded the unity of episcopacy for this , but have judged as he did in the case of martial and basilides ; nor did he ever plead for an universal humane soveraignty . lxxxviii . if we are damned schismaticks , i can imagine no pretended manner of separation in which our schism consists , but first , either local as such . 2. or mental , as such . 3. or local , caused by mental . if local , as such be it : all christians are schismaticks , for being locally separated from others , and absent from all churches and places save one . if mental separation be it , either all mental division is such , or but some only ; if all , then all mortall men are schismaticks , as differing in a multitude of things from others ; if it be not all , what is it ? is it all difference in the essentials of christianity ? we grant it ; and we are charg'd with no such thing . is it all difference in the integrals or accid●nts ? so do all 〈◊〉 that are not perfect . is it all 〈◊〉 of love , or all vncharitableness to one another ? all on earth have some degree of it ; and those are likest to have most , that do as the bishops did against the priscillianists , bring godly people under reproach , on pretence of opposing heresie ; or that seek the silencing , imprisonment , banishment or ruine of men as faithful as themselves : for our parts , we profess it our great duty , to love all men as men , all christians as christians , all godly men as godly , all magistrates as magistrates , &c. is it for our separating in mind from any principles specie necessary to communion in the church universal , or single churches ? let it be opened what those principles be : we own all 〈◊〉 , and all ministry of gods institution , and all his church ordinances : we own bishops over their flocks , let them be never so large , so they be capable of the work and end , and alter not the true species ; and submit to any that shall by the word admonish pastors of many churches of their duty , or 〈◊〉 , or seek their good . nor do we refuse obedience to any humane 〈…〉 up by princes , to do nothing against christs laws , nor nothing 〈…〉 is in princes power in the accident 〈…〉 is it because we disown any nur●erical rulers ? we own the king and 〈◊〉 magistrates ; we own all that we can understand to be true pas●o●s ; and i● we are in doubt of their calling , we resist them not , unless obeying 〈◊〉 before them be resistance : but our accusers , loudly profess , that 〈◊〉 are not to be owned ; and if they go on the ground , that he hath 〈◊〉 the prince is for , we would know , whether that hold in tur●y , in 〈◊〉 spain , france , or only in england , or where ? if it be where 〈◊〉 o●thodox , do they make all the people judges of their princes 〈◊〉 and we would know , whether every bishops and priests right , 〈◊〉 a tr●e minister , called of god , and set over us , be necessary to 〈…〉 or known by all the people ? if it be , wo to us , that ever such men 〈◊〉 set over us , whose right we cannot know : what ab●ndance of things 〈◊〉 make a bishops or priests right known ! 1. that he hath capable sufficiency . 2. that he is a just bishop , that 's chosen by the king , the dean and chapter obedi●●tly 〈◊〉 , & that the clergy's and peoples consent is unnecessary . 3. that the diocesan 〈◊〉 ( over multitudes of churches without any subordinate bishop ) is of christ , or lawful . 4. that their work , according to the ca●● , is lawful . 5. that all our patrons have right to chuse patiors for all the 〈◊〉 . 6. that they are true pas●ors over them that 〈◊〉 not . 7. that if they prove worse far than martial and 〈◊〉 , and be owned by the bishops as they were , the people may not forsake them ( 〈…〉 , ) which saith cypr●ian 〈◊〉 most power to chuse or refuse . is every christian bound on pain of damnation to 〈◊〉 all these , and then to c●amine and ●idge bishops and priests accordingly ? or if they mistake one or more mens commission , do they therefore separate from the catholick church ? if so , what a case was the east in by the difference between chrysost●●e and his competitors ? 〈◊〉 and i●natius and hundreds others ? and france , about the archbishops of rh●●●s , when he was put out that deposed 〈◊〉 4. and when an infant was put in , and oft besides ? what if the alexandrians , when 〈◊〉 was banis●ed by constantine himself , were half for him , and half against him ? or basil at caesarea was put down , and hundreds more ; or when t●codos●●s first and second and mar●●an , and valen●●●●an , and zeno and 〈◊〉 and abundance more , set up and puli'd down , and set up again ●g●inst each other ? what , i say , if the people now mistooke who had the best title ? is this separating from the catholick church ? when the inte●●im cast out hundreds in germany ; when lud●●ie●s cast out multitudes in the pal●●inate , and half the people stuck to the ejected , persecuted pastor , and the rest to the magistrates choice , which of them separated from the universal church ? is every priest the vniversal church , or an essential part of it ? then it dyeth when he dyeth , and apostatizeth when he doth . how many ages in above 23 duplicates or schisms , was the world uncertain which was the true pope ? suppose , e.g. arthur jackson , edmund calamy , and many such were placed in their incumbency , by the bishops , patrons and parish consent , according to the law of christ and the land , and by a new act of uniformity they be all turned out , the flock not consenting , nor any bishop accusing , trying or deposing them ( save in legislation , ) and some of the parish think this dissolveth not their relation to him , and they cleave to him as before , without any change save of place and tythes , and others forsake such a one , and follow the magistrates choice , may not both these be still of the catho●ick church ? if not , i know where the old canons laid the charge and danger . it 's wonderful selfishness in those men , that if they can but get into the seat , take it for granted , that all must own their right on pain of damnation . and what if in any such land , the prince change his mind , or the next differ , and put down all these same men , and set up such as differ fro● them more than we do , is it damning schism for any of their people still to adhere to them ? lxxxix . do you find that mr. dodwel , dr. saywel , dr. sher●●● , 〈◊〉 any of these men , do , in palpit and press , ingenuously tell the people the truth of the case , when they liken men as schismaticks to murderers 〈◊〉 danger ? did you ever hear them say , [ the canon , which is the 〈◊〉 voice and law , doth excommunicate you all that do own your opinions against conformity , and commandeth us not to admit you to the sacrament , and yet to pronounce your excommunication for not taking it : we confess they have been holy and learned men that have thought many things imposed unlawful ; and therefore we wonder not if it be not in your power to change your judgment , no more th●● to be perfect in knowledge ; and we confess if you are unjustly excommu●●cated , or any of the things made necessary to communion be against 〈◊〉 , then 〈◊〉 is the church that is guilty of schism , but because this is not so , we 〈…〉 , even of separating from the vniversal church , and from 〈◊〉 . xc . i do admire , that never any one of them would be prevail'd wi●● to prove the canons excommunications ipso facto lawful , when even papists have scorn'd all such doings ; and when the learneds● of all their own admired men , that were for comprimising matters with rome , even mar. ant. de dom. spalatensis de r●● . eccl. hath so considently , copiously and strenuously damn'd it : christ would have none excommuni●ate , whatever the crime be , without impenitency after due admonition for r●pentance , but these canons ipso facto condemn and excommunicate godly men , without ever admonishing them , or calling them to repent , or hearing or seeing them : nothing is necessary but the proof of the fact , and then the law is instead of a judge ; and to oblige the people to avoid them , it must be published . if this and all things named in the first plea ●●r peace , 〈◊〉 , studying and disputing is not the way to know what is sinf●l . xci . but , saith the resolver , [ 〈…〉 to be a member of two separate and oppos●●e churches , is 〈…〉 ourselves . ] ans. but i had hoped your catechized boyes had known , 1. that one body hath many parts . 2. that particular churches are parts of this body , as corporations are of the kingdom . 3. that all the parts are imperfect , and made up of none but sinners . 4. that every good man is partly had , and so contrary to himself . 5. that churches may be so far separate as to be distinct , and yet not so far as to be contrary or opposite . 6. that they may be opposite in accidents and integrals , that are one in speech in essen●●als . 7. that a man may own several churches , and communicate with them for that which they agree in , and yet not own both , ( or ●ither perhap● ) 〈…〉 which they are opposite in . 8. that there being somewhat op●●● 〈…〉 churches on earth , you damn your selves for communi●●●● with them . 9. that a man may have more communion with the church which he locally separateth from , even for sin , than with that which 〈◊〉 present with . 〈◊〉 a congregation or nation of men of eminent sanctity and order , 〈◊〉 doctrine and worship , may , by humane frailty take some one false●●● or un●ertain thing to be necessary to ministry or communion ( as they 〈◊〉 some churches unhappily of late reject all that own not the antiquity of the heb●ew points ) i cannot have local communion with that church , for they will not receive me , unless i subscribe either a falshood , ( or that which 〈◊〉 false ; ) but yet i highly honour and love them , and have mental catholick communion with them , when perhaps necessity may make me lo●●lly join with a church of far worse men and order , that will impose no 〈◊〉 on me . 10. and i would advise these men , did they not despise 〈◊〉 advice , for the church of englands sake , and their own , to retract their errours , and not lay such a snare before the people . should you say in the pulpit , [ if the church be guilty of any schism by her impositions , ( oft●●● 〈◊〉 excommunications and silencing of christs , ministers , and afflicting good 〈…〉 just cause , then i , and all that communicate with it and me , com●●●●ate in the guilt of schism , and are all in as much danger of damnation by 〈…〉 ad●●erers and murderers ] tell not your hearers this , for if you do , some will think you bid them separate or be damned , and only make a doubt whether most men have noses or not . xcii . qu. but is not the inference true ? ans. no , it 's false : there are twenty cases in which 1. one may be 〈◊〉 of schism and not be a schismatick , as denominated from what predo●●●ateth : 2. and as many in which he is not at all guilty that communicateth with the guilty . and l●t the world ( that is sober and awake ) judge now whether these men or we be the greater schismaticks , and which more condemneth or separateth from the church of england . we say that all churches have some degree of schism , and so hath the church of england , as it hath imperfection , errour and sin ; but that it is not therefore no church , nor is it unlawful to communicate with it ; all christians and churches must not be separated from that are guilty of some degree of schism . 〈◊〉 will turn these serious matters into jest , and say , as dr. say●● , that they will receive greeks , 〈◊〉 , &c. that come to their com●●●● , his serious readers will tell him , that so will most sects receive those that approve of their communion and come to them : joyning with you signifyeth that they are of your way therein ; but will you go to their churches and communicate with them ? you will receive the damned schismaticks if they come to you , when yet you make it damnable to joyn in their meetings with them . this quibbling beseems not grave men in great matters . to conclude , reader , god having allowed more legislative power to men in things secular than in religion , i may say this case is like ours in debate . i. some judges and lawyers say , that the oath of allegiance makes a subject in this kingdom ; that the renouncing or violating it by treason , or rebellion , or deserting the kingdom , overthrows the relation . but that other particular faults or quarrels against neighbours , justices , judges , yea the king himself , are punishable according to the laws , b●t are not all rebellion , nor dissolve subjection , nor oblige the subjects to renounce civil converse with each other ; though some contempt and obstinacy may outlaw them . such is our judgment of church relation and communion , which i need not rehearse . ii. suppose a fect of lawyers and judges arise , that say , no men are the kings subjects , but are rebels , that break any of his laws , that shoot not in long bows , that bury not their dead in woollen , that swear prophanely , that eat flesh in lent unlicensed , that have any unjust law-suit , that wrong any neighbour , that oppress any poor man , all these are rebels ; yea all that plead opposite causes at the bar , and all judges that judge contrary to one another , and all that misunderstand any point of law and practice accordingly , and all that besides the oath of allegiance do constitute marriages , families , schools , societyes by any other covenants of their own , and all that are of different cities and companies , parts of the kingdom , or all whose justices , mayors , sheriffs , &c. differ from one another in any point of law and practice : or all that obey not every constable and justice ; or that go to divers justices in the same precincts , or that go from one justice to another to avoid unrighteous judgment , or that go from the physician of the place for health , and from the schoolmaster of the town for greater edification , or that travel beyond sea for knowledge , yea all that understand not every word in the law , that may concern them : if any say , none of these are the kings subjects , but rebels , opposite to him and one another , and deserve to be all hang'd as murderers , and so are all that have communion with them ; quaere , 1. whether these men are for the unity of england ? 2. and are friends to the king that deprive him of all his subjects ; as much as those that would have him have no subjects , that be not of the same age , stature , complexion and wit 3. and whether they are friends to mankind ? 4. and whether they condemn not themselves if they live not as anchorets , out of humane society . 5. and whether that nation be not by infatuation prepared for destruction that would believe them , and would hate , scorn and ruine them that are of the first mentioned opinion , according to the saying , quos perdere vult jupiter , hos dementat . as to the more dangerous doctrine now threatning this land , that would subject england to a foreign jurisdiction , on pretence of a necessity of either an universal church monarch , or church-parliament senate or council , or of all the church on earth represented by patriarchs or metropolitans , or that plead for subjection to them , under the name of communion , they require a distinct answer . but dr. is. barrow , and mr. beverley's catholick catechism , have effectually done it . finis . a second admonition to mr. edward bagshaw written to call him to repentance for many false doctrines, crimes, and specially fourscore palpable untruths in matter of fact ... : with a confutation of his reasons for separation ... / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1671 approx. 314 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 117 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27032 wing b1400 estc r16242 12545373 ocm 12545373 63037 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27032) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 63037) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:10) a second admonition to mr. edward bagshaw written to call him to repentance for many false doctrines, crimes, and specially fourscore palpable untruths in matter of fact ... : with a confutation of his reasons for separation ... / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [11], 190, [1] p. printed for nevill simmons ..., london : 1671. page 32 has faded print in the filmed copy. pages 22-47 photographed from union theological seminary library, new york copy and inserted at the end. errata: p. 190. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bagshaw, edward, 1629-1671. -antidote against mr. baxters palliated cure of church divisions. bagshaw, edward, 1629-1671. -defense of the antidote against mr. baxter's palliated cure of church divisions. schism. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2005-11 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a second admonition to mr. edward bagshaw ; written to call him to repentance for many false doctrines , crimes , and specially fourscore palpable untruths in matter of fact , deliberately published by him in two small libels ; in which he exemplieth the love-killing and depraving principles of church-dividers : and telleth the world to what men are hasting ▪ when they sinfully avoid communion with true churches and christians , for tolerable faults . with a confutation of his reasons for separation : written to preserve the weak , to resist the dividing temptations of the imperious unskilful clergy , to revive our dying hopes of concord , and to vindicate the non-conformable ministers from the unjust imputation of schismatical principles . by richard baxter , a long-maligned and re●sted endeavourer of the churches unity and peace . london , printed for nevill simmons , at the three crowns near holborn-conduit . 1671. the contents . a preface to those that are inclined to principles of church division and separation ; containing twenty causes of that sin , and some notices of mr. bagshaw's two libells . to mr. e. b. the grounds on which i go in dealing with him . why i answer him contrary to my former purpose . sect. 1. of calling him brother : of a middle way . sect. 2. whether every untruth be a lye ? sect. 3. of scripture perfection . sect. 4. of the design of my book . sect. 6 , 7. whether calling dividers to repent , &c. be to make them odious ? sect. 8. whether all they whose sin brings judgements , must be hated of all and killed ? sect. 9 , 10. whether i disclaimed any activeness in the first war ? sect. 15. whether i approved of setting up cromwell to be protector ? and such like ? sect. 20. my repentance published at mr. e. b. his invitation , in four parts . of mr. e. b. his former defence of me against the then bishop of worcester . sect. 21 , 22. of christs temporal reign , and my judgement of it . sect. 24. whether i meant it , because i dare not own any persecuted truth . sect. 25. whether i inveigh against sufferings ▪ — of sufferers temptations . sect. 26 , &c. his sinful excuse of vavasor powells three publick false prophecies . sect. 29 , &c. his ( wholsome ) accusation of me as proud , 1. for saying that i publickly communicated : 2. for saying that many have written against me , that expect clean contraries from me . 3. for writing many books . sect. 31. of his accusation in general about justification . sect. 33. of the stating of the question about separating principles . sect. 34 , &c. many of his misreports about my stating it . sect. 38. his first reason for separation examined , viz. because every parish church is part of a diocesane church . how far that is true or not . sect. 39. his second reason , that a parish minister is but a servant to the diocesan . sect. 40. his third reason : because parish ministers consent to silencing and persecution , by open consent or pernicious silence ? whether there be little difference between persecuting , and not sharply reproving it ? sect. 41. his fourth reason ; that parish ministers enter sinfully , and by a solemn oath renounce their christian liberty . all sinners , or sinful enterers not to be separated from . sect. 42. may not a true church be called defective and faulty . sect. 43. his further reasons . 1. that we know not how else to preserve our christian liberty . whether all christian liberty must be maintained ? and how ? sect. 44. 2. whether to be present where things are used in gods worship which he commanded not , be a sin ? sect. 45. 3. whether if we separate not we sell the truth about christs soveraignty ? sect. 46. his reason from acts 15. retorted . sect. 47. he taketh not corruption and error as such without imposition to be a sufficient ground of separation . how he is himself an imposer . sect. 48. the charge of hypocrisie for joyning in what we approve not ? sect. 49. that christ called and designed not his church to be impure and mixt , considered . sect. 50. how far a church is to be separated from , for abetting sin . sect. 51. his grand answer to the example of church-pollutions in scripture , that they were setled as to officers and ordinances rightly , and so had a power to keep themselves clean , &c. considered . what power ministers have now . whether the ages following the first , did fall into an vniversal innovation , and degeneration in the essentials of order and doctrine , and antichristianism ? and so christ had no church , and was no christ ? whether mr. e. b. be a seeker , and separate from all churches , as well as from all parochial ? sect. 52. whether the necessity of separation because of the said vniversal degeneration in essentials continue still , because we are reformed from antichristianism but in some points ? sect. 53. he granteth that neither corruption barely , nor imposition barely is a ground for just separation . but imposing error with a strong hand , &c. sect. 54. his vain answer , intimating that he is wiser herein than the old non-conformists . sect. 55. of arminianisme , whether so pernicious as to exclude from communion — sect. 56. of free will and its power to receive — sect. 57. his ignorant calumny against me about scripture perfection . sect. 58. twenty questions to him about various readings and copies , &c. sect. 59. of the possibility of salvation for some called papist ? sect. 61. his former untruth that by [ flesh ] i affirmed was only meant the sensitive appetite , defended by him by reciting my words which expresly confute his calumny . sect. 62. the reason rendred by mr. e. b. why he cast away my book of rest , and refused to read it , and yet is the judge of it ; and my account of my dissent long ago from his latin slender discourse against monarchy . sect. 63. his report of mr. herles , and mr. cawdrys words against my saints rest . sect. 67 , &c. many more of his vntruths . sect. 74. more of his ignorant calumny about scripture perfection . sect. 75 , 76 , &c. more of the nature of his defences and accusations . sect. 80. five vntruths delivered by the letter published by him , as written by a woman of worcester ; with my sense of her case . sect. 81 , &c. seven vntruths published by him in his brother brownes letter ; and the confutation of their calumnies . sect. 94. mr. e. b. his new sort of dishonesty charged on me , because ( he saith ) i have access to the licensers and press . sect. 95. whether it be culpable vanity to write on the sabbath after dr. owen ( as he thought . ) sect. 97. his calumny of my atheistical arguing against the divine and self-evidencing authority of the scriptures — and as one of the worst sort of hereticks , that under the notion of being a christian and a protestant do with my utmost industry and cunning labour to overthrow the foundation , and therefore am to be rejected of all — the case opened , and the weak warned to take heed of them that would ignorantly draw them to be infidels , by subverting christianity , while they think themselves the chief or true defenders of it . to those readers who are most enclined to the principles of church-division , and censorious unwarrantable separation . i know there is in holiness a contrariety to sin ; and heaven and hell must finally shew the difference for ever : and to reconcile them is as unpossible , as to reconcile light and darkness . i know that it is the endeavour of every faithful minister of christ , to make this difference plainly known , and in doctrine and discipline to separate the precious from the vile ; and to make ungodly men know that they are ungodly , and to give to each their proper portion , and to keep the churches as clean as they can by lawful means . i know that the ruine of this purging and differencing discipline , is a great part of the lamentable ruine of the churches , and occasioneth that scandal to the mahometans and heathens , because of the wicked lives of christians , which is one of the greatest hinderances of their conversion : and that all christians should use their utmost skill and power , to recover religion to its primitive purity and splendour , and discipline to the most effectual regular exercise . and i know that in mens private converse there must be a great care what company we converse with , and especially whom we make our familiars . and that to be indifferent , and to intimate an equality or likeness of the godly and the wicked , in doctrine , communion , and familiarity , is a notable sign of an ungodly person . and upon these accounts , i know that when persons are newly recovered from ungodliness themselves , they are very much inclined to fly from the company of such , as far as their safety doth require : and by this inclination and their ignorance , they are frequently tempted to go further from them in church communion , than god alloweth them to do , and instead of separating from them in their sin , to separate from them in their duty ; and to separate from the churches of christ in his true worship , because of the mixture and presence of the bad . and this they are drawn to , 1. by forgetting the scripture pattern , and state of the churches even in the purest age , and thinking only what they desire , rather than what is to be expected or done . 2. by forgetting the difference between the church visible , which is alwayes mixt with hypocrites and offenders , and the church invisible which shall all be saved . 3. by forgetting the difference between their private familiarity , where they are choosers of their company themselves ; and their church communion , where the pastors are the rulers and judges of the fitness of the members . or else not understanding that this use of the keyes , and judging of the fitness of the members , is indeed the pastors office , and not theirs . 4. by not considering that nothing must be done by discipline upon offenders , but in a course of church-justice , upon due accusations , summons , audience , proof and patient admonition : and not by casting out any irregularly upon the expectation of every one that will say that they are ungodly and scandalous . 5. by forgetting the great difference between joyning with men in sinful actions , and joyning with them in their duty in which they should be encouraged . 6. by forgetting the great difference of keeping in our own place and duty , though bad men are present , and going out of our place and duty to joyn with them in sin . 7. by forgetting that god will have all mens own wills , by choosing , or refusing , to have more hand in their welfare or misery , than other mens : and if they mischoose , the sin will be their own . 8. by forgetting that god hath not left the church at arbitrary liberty to judge any godly or ungodly at their pleasure ; but hath given us a set test or rule to judge them by ; which is [ their sober profession of consent to the baptismal covenant ; upon which the adult and their infants have right to baptism ; and being baptized have right to church communion in all the acts which their age and understanding makes them capable of : and it is church-tyranny to refuse such as shew this title , till they are openly proved to forfeit it , by impenitency in gross sin after publick admonition , and due means . this is the truth , and the method of christs discipline , and the rule of our communion . 9. by superstitious placing their religion in indifferent and undertermined things , and laying a greater stress on the words of prayer , than there is cause . overvaluing their several outward forms , expressions and orders , in the worshipping of god : when instead of provoking each other to faith and fervency to love and to good works , they place more of godliness in words and circumstances ( which god hath certainly left free to every mans conscience ) than god doth place in them : and one thinks that he is irregular , that prayeth without a set form , and another that he is ungodly , that prayeth not by the spirit , who useth a set form ; when both do but speak their own superstition , and make laws and rules which god never made . superstition and our own additions in religion ( even in those that cry out much against it ) is the occasion of most of our church-divisions . one side supposeth every disorder or unfit expression in free prayer to be a greater fault than indeed it is : and that its unlawful therefore to joyn with a church that hath no set forms : another party supposeth the forms in the church lyturgy to be worse than they are ; and that it is unlawful to joyn in them , or to receive the lords supper when they are used . when as god hath neither tyed us to set forms , nor from them ; save only as unsuitableness to any particular persons may make one less edifying than the other : and both free prayers , and set forms , studied prayers , and sudden prayers , are all the work of man , ( as to mans part ) : and therefore they must needs be imperfect and faulty as man is : and yet in both we may pray by the spirit , even with the holy and fervent desires which the spirit exciteth in us : and the spirit may ordinarily be a spirit of supplication in us , and help our infirmities , in the one way and in the other : and therefore , though i will not equall them ( for i prefer some mens free praying before any forms , and i prefer the common prayers before some mens free prayers ) yet i may say , that i will neither assent and consent to every word in the one , nor in the other , no not of any man that ever i heard : and yet i will not take it for unlawful to joyn with church , or family , or person in the one , or in the other : yea , upon long experience , if i had fully my own choice and liberty , i would use free prayer one part of the day ( or one day ) and a well composed form another part , because i see commodities by both , and such inconveniences of either way alone , as are , if possible to be avoided . but when the mind hath received a prejudice against either way , by education , custom , or former distastes , no reason how clear soever will overcome it , till age and experience do mellow green and sowre spirits , and teach them to judge of things soberly and impartially , not as others judge of them , but as indeed they are . 10. and men are much furthered in the way of separation , by forgetting what good even hypocrites themselves , may receive by their station in the visible church : and that it is not for nothing that the great master of the church , hath so ordered the terms of admission ( upon meer profession of consent to the baptismal covenant ) and of exclusion ( upon proved impenitency in gross sin after sufficient admonition and patience ) as that multitudes of bad men ever have been and will be in the visible church : though the regular station that such persons should choose , till they come up to sincere consent , is the place of catechumens , if they were not baptized in infancy , and the place of penitents if they were , yet supposing that they intrude further by a false profession , yet god hath provided great advantages , in church communion for their good , and secured the innocent from imputation of sin , by reason of their presence . 11. and men are induced to separation by forgetting , how tender christ is of the weakest of his members , that are sincere , and that he had rather many hypocrites were received , than one true christian shut out : for he hath a day at hand , in which he will separate the tares from the wheat , and will take out of his kingdom all things that offend , and them that work iniquity . and they consider not how impossible it is , to shut out all hypocrites , and not to shut out many weak ones that are sincere . 12. and it much wrongeth them that they forget what a mercy it is , that christ hath not made the power of the pastors or church to be arbitrary , in admissions or exclusions ; but hath tyed them up to certain terms , and prescribed to them whom to receive or reject : and that they consider not , what confusions otherwise would be brought into the church , and what church-tyranny men would exercise ; and how the difference of mens judgements , interests , temptations and passions , would make almost as many sorts of churches , as there are individual governours and churches . and one would make one measure , and another another measure of their communion . 13. and it greatly wrongeth such men that they never had right apprehensions of the nature and great necessity of vanity among believers , and the churches of christ . they cry out truth must not be sold for peace , when they neither know aright what is truth or peace . but by truth they mean their own doubtful opinions , and by peace they mean their own quietness with men . we easily confess , that as peace signifieth our freedom from persecution or sufferings , or from the reproach of men , the least holy truth is to be preferred before it , and more tenaciously held than it : but if by peace , they mean the unity and concord of believers , or of the church of god , they speak dangerously , and suppose a pernicious falshood , that gods truth , and such peace or concord , may at any time be separated : and it is no wiselier spoken , than if they had said , a mans eye-sight or health is to be preferred before the union of his soul and body , or before the concord of head and heart , or before the conjunction of his members . when as non cutis nulla est affectio . destroy the subject , and you destroy the accidents . without union of parts , the church is no church ; dividing it , is destroying it . a house or kingdom divided , cannot stand . and when it is no church , it hath no truth as a church , n●r any thing that dividers did contend for . an integral member may rather be cut off , than the whole should perish : but what member will separate it self from the b●dy ? or who but a murderer will on pretence of curing , be a divider and dissolver ? 14. and it wrongeth these christians much that they look on the narrow space of the churches about them , and forget the state of almost all christs churches in the whole world , which are in a 〈◊〉 worse condition than our parish churches are : which though it should draw no man to like the least imperfection in them or in himself , nor to neglect any true reforming duty , yet would it make a tender christian rather tremblingly to return to vniversal due communion , than to dare to separate from almost all christs visible body upon earth . 15. and gazing all upon one side , doth make men forget , how heinous an injury it is to christ , to rob him of the greatest part of his churches , and to say , that they are none of his : when they could easily perceive that it would not be well taken by the king , if they should say , that he is king of no more , but three or four villages in the land : and he that can take four parts , yea , nineteen parts of christs church from him to day , may take away the fifth or the twentieth to morrow , and so may turn infidels , and deny christ to be christ : for no kingdom , no king. 16. and they forget that as the body must have its due magnitude , as well as its comely scite of parts ; so we must be zealous for the greatness , as well as the purity , the extensive as well as the intensive growth of the church . and if christs flock be little , they dishonour it that would make it tenfold less than indeed it is ; jer. 30. 19. and out of them shall proceed thanksgiving , and the voice of them that make merry : and i will multiply them , and they shall not be few , and i will glorifie them , and they shall not be small . 17. and the passion that is kindled in men by their sufferings , is very strong in conquering their judgements ; so that too few in the whole world are found so sober , as not to go too far from those they suffer by ; unless it be timerous or temporizing complyers , that yield to escape their further suffering . 18. and men are strangely forgetful of the experiences of themselves and others : and when god hath let loose the spirit of division to the confusions both of state and churches , and to the ruining of true reformation , and to the woful and scandalous dissolution of many particular churches , where it hath come , yet will not men understand or remember , but see as if they did not see . holland , england , new england give them loud and lamentable warnings , and yet they will not hear . 19. and they that know what man is indeed , will not deny , but that in very many , there is something of that pride ( which some call spiritual , but is too carnal ) in mens inclination to separation . he that knoweth how excellent a thing it is to be wise , and holy , and happy , is oft tempted to be desirous that his own excellency should appear , and not be hid by his joyning with such as are taken for ignorant common men ; and so would stand further from the common sort of visible christians , than god would have him . and also some persons , who should find the evidences of gods favour and acceptance in the life of faith , and love , and holiness , do lamentably quiet themselves instead of these , with being members of such strict societies , as profess even a separating conspicuous holiness . 20. lastly , but one of the greatest snares of all is , that men cannot bear the censures of those that are inclined to separation . and therefore rather than be accounted and called by them formalists , temporizers , carnal , or such like , they will do as they do , and turn their zeal into partial and unjust censures , of the persons , words , and outward modes and circumstances of worship , of those that they dissent from . these and such other causes of dividing inclinations , i did ( upon the special necessities of the churches , and some of my own acquaintance ) lay open in a book called the cure of church divisions ; which made a great noise , ( as water powred upon the flames ) ; but though some upon misunderstanding , and some by guilt and interest muttered much against it , i never had a word against it privately or publickly in writing , by way of confutation of any thing in it , save only a libell of one that now calleth himself edward bagshaw , a man that i am not acquainted with , though i have seen and spoken with him , and though to my trouble , when his fancy led him that way , he unskilfully wrote for me against the bishop then of worcester . i greatly rejoyce that in these times of tryal , so few of the non-conformable ministers are by sufferings and passions hurried into the dividing extream . if injuries or interest would excuse any sin , i think there are few ministers in england , who have more inducements to the angry separating way than i have . but shall i therefore wrong the truth and church of god , and my own and others souls ! god forbid . brethren , it is none of my meaning to disoblige you from your ancient faithful ministers . nor yet to perswade you to hear any insufficient or intolerable man ; much less to commit your souls to the pastoral care of such a person : nor yet to prefer a worse before a better , who may upon lawful terms be enjoyed . but the things that i perswade you to , are these : 1. not to entertain false uncharitable dividing principles in your minds , which will break the peace of all societies . 2. if you differ about infant baptism , indepencie , common prayer or such like , that yet you will not think your differences oblige you to deny communion to all you differ from . 3. that if you are so sinfully partial , that you cannot joyn in the same churches , you would yet live charitably and peaceably in several churches . 4. that you would not say any church of christ is no church , because it is not of your form or mode . 5. that you would not say , that communion with any church is unlawful , because their external worshipping form , is not of your fashion , or before you have proved what you say . my advice is calculated to the vnion and peace of all true churches , and not those of one form or mode alone . and i note it as a considerable providence of god , that i am drawn in to defend the principles of love and concord in these trying times , against such an adversary as mr. bagshaw is . it hath of late been gods way to let us know the evil of principles by their effects on the men that we have had to do with : as malignant principles would not have been sufficiently distasted by us , if they had not shewed themselves in malignant practices ; so dividing principles had never been sufficiently known in england , if they had not ruined a reformation , silenced so many hundred ministers , and laid us in the dirt , as they have done . and if the cause of dividers must be judged of by the defenders , i advise you to consider of these things following . 1. how many notorious false doctrines he hath delivered ? 2. how many other notorious crimes in two libells he hath committed ? in special let every sober person judge , whether ignorance , temerity , pride and high self-conceitedness with malignant unconcealed calumny do not only defile , but even constitute or make up his books ? 3. what bitter enmity is here exprest against the principles of love , and vnity , and concord , and peace , and sobriety it self ? 4. how many score notorious untruths he shamelesly publisheth in these two libells ? 5. how much he fighteth against repentance , and so with gross impenitency aggravateth all his crimes ? 6. how like his own spirit is to that which he accounteth the spirit of imposition and persecution ? and how vehement he is against the same persons as such are , and as impudently slandereth them , and as bitterly and professedly designeth to make them odious ( but he that professeth to make another odious , thereby disableth himself from doing it . ) 7. whether ever in all your lives , you saw two libells written against another , which do not only perform , but even attempt so little , and next to nothing at all , to give any answer to the books he writes against . read mine and read his , and i defie any thing but madness it self , or blind partiality or wickedness , to make any man think that he hath confuted what i have written . i confess i admire at the mans insensibility , that doth not perceive , how much he hath done , by pretending an answer , and giving none , or worse than none , to make his cause or himself contemptible . can any man in his wits think , that he hath confuted the principles of concord which i laid down in my directions . 8. whether such a man as this do shew himself wiser than dod , hildersham , ames , baine , and all the old non-conformists according to the importance of his boast ? or whether he give us cause to believe that god hath revealed more to him than to them , while he himself can no better reveal it unto others ? 9. when i had set down at least thirty three vntruths which he deliberately dared to write and publish , did you ever read such a pittiful vindication ? he hath not spoken to any considerable number of them : and of those few that he speaketh to , try if you can find any one of which he cleareth himself ? and yet he professeth not repentance for any one of them ? nay , to open his impenitency , he professeth falsly that i cannot justly charge him with any of them ; and addeth in the last libell forty eight palpable vntruths more ? just like one that being accused of swearing , should forty eight times swear that he never sware . 10. how far he proceedeth in his separation , and how far he would draw poor unstable souls ? it is not only from the conformists and the parish churches that he would have you separate , and all in the whole world that are worse than they ; but also from all the non-conformists in england , that are not better than i : as his concluding advertisement fully telleth you . all of my mind and measure are unworthy of the communion of this humble , tender , credible man. 11. what means is there left in the world to exempt a man from the malignant calumnies of this judge of the churches ? when in one sentence he telleth you , how much i have written against the bishops , and in another that i am in the same condemnation with him , and yet in another , that i dare look no truth in the face , that bringeth suffering ; when he talks of one point that all christians are agreed in , and directly bringeth none . and when he chargeth me with atheistical arguing against the divine and self-evidencing authority of the scripture , and therefore to be rejected of all , as one of the worst sort of hereticks , that under the notion of being a christian and a protestant , doth with his utmost industry and cunning , labour to overthrow our foundation . ] when i know of no one man living in this age , that hath written so much ( i say not , so well ) for the things in question ( scripture and christianity ) as i have done . may not this man as modestly charge bishop downame to be a papist , that hath written so much to prove the pope to be antichrist ? or say any thing else that he hath list to say ? 12. doth he not fix upon you by such libells as these , an odious reproach ? as if he would perswade the world , that you that he writeth to , are so partial , so blind , so false to truth , and to your own souls , and such pernicious enemies to peace , as that you will receive that which is thus falsly said to you , without ever reading what is said on the other side , or against all the evidence that contradicteth it , and will believe all these visible untruths of his , without any proof , upon the bare report of so rash a man. 13. whether following such men and wayes as this , is not the likeliest way in the world , not only to increase the reproach of the non-conformists , and make them all thought of , as we do of the quakers , and so to continue severities against them as a company of furious unsociable persons ; but also to harden men into a contempt of religion it self . 14. doth not god permit such a champion of the cause of division , thus criminally to miscarry , that you may see that you are not better than those you separate from ? you blame them for subscribing erroneously or falsly ; and which of them hath put thirty three , and forty eight visible untruths deliberatly in print , and impenitently stands in them as your champion hath done ? doth not this shew you , that you are not so good , but that the churches of godly pastors are as worthy of your communion , as you are of theirs ? if one should admonish one of your church-members of one single deliberate avowed lye , would you not call him to repentance ? and will you believe this man and follow him upon his bare word , who hath published eighty such falshoods ? yet i am not one that think he loveth a lye , because it is a lye ; but one that is thus guilty through proud overvaluing his own unfurnished understanding , and through an extraordinary rashness and want of tenderness of conscience . you have heretofore had better guides , and you have better still : ( i never met with two ministers that approve his libell , nor any but mr. browne alone ) you have a more peaceable rule ; and if you are christians indeed , you have a peaceable spirit , and a saviour , who is the prince of peace ( who hath prayed that all his disciples may be one , john 17. 21. ) and a god who is the god of peace . follow therefore the wisdom that is both pure and peaceable , and not that from beneath , which is earthly , sensual and devilish , and worketh by envious zeal and strife , unto confusion and every evil work , jam. 3. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. to mr. edward bagshaw . brother , it is not a little troublesome to me , and will be troublesome to many peaceable readers , both that these writings should pass between us , and that i should mention your faults so plainly as i do . but as i began not with you , so i know not how to let you talk on , without betraying the peace of the church , the credit of the non-conformists ( who are by your self obliged to disown you ) and the souls of the weak brethren , for whom christ dyed . and i am constrained plainly to name your faults ; 1. because truth consisteth in speaking of things as they are . 2. and because my business is now to summon you to repentance , to which end the opening of your sin is necessary . 3. and because these following scriptures are my ground , and your own word seem to me to charge it on me as my necessary duty , upon dreadful penalties . the scriptures that i set before me are lev. 19. 17. after mentioned , rom. 16 , 17. mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them . jam. 3. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. but if ye have bitter envying ( or zeal ) and strife in your hearts , glory not , and lye not against the truth : this wisdom descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensual , devilish . for where envying , ( zeal ) and strife is , there is confusion and every evil work , &c. 1 cor. 1. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. & 3. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. john 17. 21 , 22. rom. 14. & 15. john 8. 44. when he speaketh a lye , he speaketh of his own ; for he is a lyer and the father of it . rev. 21. 8. all lyers shall have their part , &c. & 22. 15. whosoever loveth and maketh a lye . psal . 15. 2 , 3. that speaketh the truth , in his heart , backbiteth not with his tongue , nor doth evil to his neighbour , nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour . 3 john 9 , 10. i wrote unto the church : but diotrephes who loveth to have the preheminence among them , receiveth us not : wherefore if i come , i will remember his deeds which he doth , prating against us with malicious words : and not content therewith , neither doth he himself receive the brethren , and forbiddeth them that would , and casteth them out of the church : gal. 2. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. i withstood him to the face , because he was to be blamed . for — he withdrew and separated himself , fearing them which were of the circumcision ; and the other jews dissembled likewise with him ; insomuch that barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation . but when i saw that they walked not uprightly , &c. — tit. 3. 10 , 11. a man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition , reject — your own doctrine is as followeth : pag. 1. it will be a favour if you look upon me as one that neither desires , ( nor if you believe what your self have writ ) deserves such expressions of your familiarity . pag. 2. i hope you are not to learn , that every untruth is a lye — pag. 11 , 12. there being little difference in the sight of god , between the persecuting of brethren our selves , and by not sharply reproving it , seeming to approve of it in others . and i hope you will say as much against approveing your own sin as other mens . pag. 14. all are commanded to turn aside from them — a church which after admonition and discovery of offenders , will not use her authority in casting them out , doth partake of their sins , and becomes as guilty as they , and therein as unworthy of communion . i cite gods word as my rule of speaking , and yours as that which i may suppose sheweth what you expect to hear . all that i now desire of you is , to bring your self to some impartiality in reviewing the two libells which you have written ; and if you cannot , yet condescend to hear the judgement of some understanding impartial persons who have seriously perused your writings and mine : and hate not repentance , and set not your self against it , and justifie not all the crimes , false doctrines , and eighty untruths , which your two libells do contain . and beg of god more judgement , humility , meekness , considerateness and tenderness of conscience : and abuse no longer the souls of weak christians , with such false doctrine , which you defend no better than i have done . i rest a desirer of your repentance and sobriety , richard baxter . m. 4. ( jun. ) d. 9. 1671. a second admonition to mr. edward bagshaw written in some hope of curing his impenitence ; or at least of saving some of those in london , northamptonshire , and other counties , whom he hath laboured to pervert , by false doctrine and false-reports ; which tend to destroy , 1. the soundness of their judgements by dangerous error , 2. their christian love , and unity , by love-killing principles and divisions : 3. and their christian practice , by sinful censures of , and separations from the far greatest part of the vniversal visible church of christ , and communion of saints , and the publick worship of god ; and consequently to the destruction of their own souls , and of the churches . to mr. edward bagshaw . having told you in my first admonition p. 145. that if you write any more at the rates you did , i should give you the last word , as not intending to confute you , &c. i found my self in a streight when i read your second — about my duty : though you trampled admonition under your feet , and turn again and all to rend me , i ought not to take you for a swine or dog , and give you up as wholly hopeless , till there is no remedy : being under the command , lev. 19. 17. thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart , thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him ! and charity forbiddeth me to desert all those souls whom you endeavour to seduce , by denying them necessary information , and silently to suffer them to live in all the sins in which you would ensnare them . and yet i have been chidden by so many for answering your last writing , as containing such palpable scurrility , impertinency and error , that i am afraid of wasting my time , which i might better employ ; and preferring a lesser matter before a greater : and i expect you should charge me as a breaker of my promise : but of that you have your self discharged me , it being conditional [ if you write at the rates you did , &c. ] and but the expression of my [ intentions ] which i may well alter , when your alteration calleth for it : for though you neither express repentance , nor amend the faults , of which i did admonish you , yet you here attempt such a plea for separation , as you did not in your former writing , where you seemed to expect that your bare assertions should be believed ; but now you pretend to more argumentation : which therefore i shall take into consideration . but still i perceive the unavoidable streights into which you cast me in the performance : if i mention your error and sin , you will think that i make you odious , and trample upon your honour , and cause your persecution , and strengthen your adversaries : and if i silence them all , i shall leave you under sin , which is worse than persecution , and i shall neglect the souls of others , and i shall betray the honour of religion , as if its followers were but such as you , and as if our cause were guilty of all the error and sin which you maintain . and if you are to be believed if i do not reprove you , i shall but little differ from you : for you say of another case , pag. 11 , 12. [ there being but little difference in the sight of god , &c. ] and what should i do with you , when you cast me into such a streight ? why this i take to be my duty 1. impartially first to consider of all the evil which you charge upon my self , that i may not be guilty of the sin of the times , which i am constrained to lament in others , that is , an obstinate enmity to repentance ; nor yet unthankfully neglect any help that god shall any way vouchsafe me , for the discovery of my sin . 2. and then so to acquaint you with your errors and miscarriages , as may tend , 1. to your repentance ; 2. and to other mens preservation ; 3. and to vindicate religion , and the faithful afflicted servants of christ , against the unjust accusation of those , who would make the world believe that your case is theirs , and that their principles and practices are such as yours . 4. and in all to preserve that just esteem and love which i owe you , as one that i think yet upright in the main . i love your zeal for that which you take to be the truth : i greatly love your fortitude of mind , and undaumedness under sufferings , as such ; and being so much above the fear of man : and i think it a thousand pitties that you have not 1. a better cause , 2. a humbler mind , and better acquaintance with your self , 3. a sounder and clearer judgement ; 4. more universal charity ; 5. more sense of the mischiefs of sinful divisions : 6. and especially more sobriety and caution , and less teme●●ty and heedlesness of what you read , and what you write ; and more tenderness of conscience to avoid untruths ; 7. and more impartiality , to see that evil in your self , and those of your opinion , which you can aggravate in those by whom you suffer ; and 8. lastly , that you have not less enmity to repentance , and that you take an invitation to repentance to be a malicious reproach , and will not understand why god recordeth his servants sins , nor will consider how much better it is that the reproach of sin , do fall upon us , than upon our religion , or the church of god ; and that we our selves confess our sins , than that our adversaries upbraid us with impenitent justifying them . and while you are so notoriously wanting in all these things , the greater noise your sufferings make , the more injurious you will be to the truth , and to your brethren , and the greater hardning to others : and satan will not only use you to the corrupting of well-meaning peoples minds , and to the suppression of truth , and love , and concord , but also to the reproach of suffering it self : and while you cry out of persecution , you will prove a notable cause of all our defamations and afflictions , and a great temptation to the actors to justifie what they do . and now , on these terms , i shall consider of your words , and help you better to understand your self . sect. 1. e. b. it will be a favour if i look on you as one that desireth not any such expressions of familiarity , ( as to be called ) brother . ] reply . you may suppress your own charity , but not mine : you may call me what you please ; but i will call you what i think my duty requireth me to do : ( as optatus initio tells the donatist . ) my warrant is ubi supra , lev. 19. 17. & 1 cor. 5. 11. if any man that is called a brother be — a railer — and 2 thess . 3. 14 , 15. if any man obey not our word by this epistle , note that man , and have no company with him , that he may be ashamed : yet count him not as an enemy , but admonish him as a brother . but it is the spirit or tendency of your doctrine and principles , to renounce fraternity with all of christs church , that are not liker to your self than i am . pag. 2. you tell me , that i shew how much i am for a middle way , neither hot nor cold , for a luke warm and neutral indifferency . ] reply . i take your warming in good part : i daily beg of god , that the decays of my natural spirits and fervour by frigid age and weakness , may not abate the true fervour of my soul ; much less any abatement of the estimation of holy truth , the search of which hath been the unwearied business , the ( almost ) uninterrupted pleasure of my life . and specially that my love to god , and heaven , and holiness may not decay , which alas , was wofully cold , and little at the best . but i confess to you , that i am for a middle way between fury and stupidity , pride and baseness , superstition and profaness , the love of anarchy and tyranny , and many such like pernicious extreams . : and you remember me of the folly of my youthful ignorance , in which i presently suspected any man of tepidity and carnal indifferency , who wrote for reconciliation of contenders , and for a middle conciliatory way , ( such as about arminianism , pet. molinaeus , vsher , vossius , davenant , hall , preston , fenner , crocius , martinius , camero , &c. and so in other points . o lord forgive the sins of my ignorant unexperienced age . sect. 2. e b. i hope you are not to learn that every untruth is a lye . r. e. i suppose your citation of john 1. 62. 2. 21. is mis-printed for 1 john 1. 6. & 2 21. the first of which saith — if we say that we have no fellowship with him , and walk in darkness , we lie and do not the truth . the other saith , that [ no lie is of the truth . ] but do either of these say , that every untruth is a lie . is it not enough to hold 1. that every designed untruth which is positively voluntary is a lie : 2. and that every rash and carelesly uttered untruth , which is privatively voluntary ( that is , where the will omitteth its office ) is a lie ? sure , brother , these many will be heavy enough upon you : you need not contend by false doctrine , for any more . and supposing that you are not to learn how singular you are in this assertion , is it any sign of your humility , to think that so few divines before you ( who so little avoid it ) did know what a lie is ? if i had called you a wise , a calm , a sober and charitable man , when i had no evidence of the contrary , how can you prove that this had been a lie ? you tell us anon that prophets , nathan , samuel , and good men have been mistaken ? and did those prophets lie ? you deny not that your brother powel was mistaken ? and yet you would not have it said that he lied ? let this go therefore for your first false doctrine , when you say that every untruth is a lie . sect. 3. e. b : p. 2. you are not afraid to dethrone the scripture from being a perfect rule par. 1. p. 99. 100 , 101. r. b. though all untruth be not a lye , i cannot say , that this is none . i have no such word or sense . i maintain the scripture to be a perfect rule , so far as it is a rule : but so far as it is no rule , it is no perfect rule . i do there maintain that it is not a particular rule , for a watchmaker , a carpenter , a physicion , a mathematician , a musicion , &c. to do their work by : nor what metre or tune to sing a psalm in , and such like ; but only a general rule for these . and because you charge this on me as my error , if i can understand you , this is your second false doctrine implyed , that scripture is a particular rule , for the things which i there exclude ; and a third false doctrine implyed , that if it were not so , it were not a perfect rule . for your words have no sense which i can discern , if this be not the sense of them [ whosoever denyeth the scripture to be a particular rule for the things instanced by r. b. p. 99 , 100 , 101. doth dethrone the scripture from being a perfect rule . but so doth r. b. ergo your major includeth the two fore-mentioned false doctrines . sect. 4. e. b. the whole design of your book was to make your brethren , that have not your latitude , and cannot reach the subtilty of your distinctions , odi●us , &c. r. b. here is a former falshood justified , and doubled or increased ; 1. it is false that this was any design of my book . 2. but that it was [ the whole design ] what man of sobriety that ever read it could imagine . 3. yea , and that these brethren that i designed to make odious , were such as have not my latitude and cannot reach the subtilty of my distinctions . sect. 5. e. b. many hundreds of sober , impartial , and unbyassed persons have carefully read your book as well as my self , and they all make the same judgement of it . r. b. i will not number this with your bare falshoods : whether many hundreds have told you their judgement of it , who have read it , i know not : but contradictories cannot be true on both parts . it is a slander therefore of so many hundred such persons which you utter : for if they were indeed sober , impartial , unbyassed persons , and carefully read the book , it is scarce , or not at all possible , but indeed a contradiction , that they should judge it [ the whole design to make my brethren odious that — cannot reach the subtilty of my distinctions . ] sect. 6. e. b. p. 3. you call separation a crying sin , nay the crying sin : and you scruple not to insinuate that all the judgements , which in this nation we do either feel or fear , were to be charged on separation , as the principal procuring cause . ] r. b. here is your third falshood in matter of fact : there is not a word in the places ( nor any where else in all my writings , if i know what i have written ) that chargeth all this on separation , as the principal procuring cause : but the contrary in the comparison is oft and plainly asserted , and greater causes oft assigned : nay , that which ( without the comparison ) i did charge on separation , was in these words conjunct [ our uncharitable divisions , alienations , and separations are a crying sin ] and not of separation by it self , or alone . 2. and by your opposition thereto , you seem plainly to deny the sinfulness of the said [ vncharitable divisions , alienations , and separations : ] which is a crime of heinous aggravation , to be committed and impenitently stood in , at that very time , when uncharitable divisions have broken us so much in pieces , and brought us all so low , and silenced so many ministers , and done that which our eyes have seen ? o dreadful obdurateness ! that after twenty years such doleful experience , we will not confess the sinfulness of our divisions ? but will suffer , and be silenced , and ruined , and die , and yet not acknowledge that so unnatural and pernicious a thing is a sin ? when the world rings of it ? when we lye weltring in its sad effects , that yet we are justifying the cause . let not any presume to go on in sin , with a purpose to repent hereafter , when it is so hard a thing , to make men that think us unworthy of their communion , to repent of the very sin which they suffer by , and that in the very heat and continuance of their sufferings . sect. 7. e. b. p. 3. what can make your brethren more odious , and more expose them to the peoples fury , and to the rulers revenge , than thus to make them the causes of the na●ions calamity ? r. b. 1. and is there not sin among us , even among us also ? and are the sins of such as we , no causes of our publick calamities ? and would you thus leave us all desperate in impenitency ? may not we repent ? and must we not repent , if we will be forgiven ? when we are freed from the condition of the law of works , is repentance become so intollerable and hard a condition ? if we repent not , shall we not all perish , luke 13. 3 , 5. do angels rejoice at a sinners repentance ; and shall we take him for their enemy , that calls them to it ? 2. is not impenitency a greater reproach to us , in the eyes of those by whom we suffer , than our repentance would be ? and doth it not exasparate them to see men justifie unquestionable sin ? 3. what if god record even good mens sins , and tell a david what evil they should bring upon his house ? and what a plague his numbring the people brought on his kingdom ; and so of others ? doth he hereby expose them to be odious ? no , but by repentance , would make them amiable . 4. is not sin odious whereever it is found ? and god is no respecter of persons ? must we not loath our selves for it ? it is he that sinneth , that maketh himself odious ; and he that calleth him to repentance , would take away his odiousness ( though the sin of a penitent manasseh may cause the captivity . ) and he that justifieth it , and fathereth it on christ , and the spirit , and religion , would make christ , and the spirit , and religion , and the church odious , lest he should be known to be so himself . 5. and do not most good ministers and people publickly confess to god , that our own sins have been the causes of our calamities ? read mr. pool's vox clamantis , and mr. stukeley's book , and judge accordingly of others ? and do you think that they thereby expose good people to the magistrates hatred or revenge ? or dare you charge them with hypocrisie , as if they spake not as they thought ? alas man , what dayes of humiliation do you use to keep , for the sins and miseries of the land ? do you only confess your adversaries sins ? how easily can some men repent , if it were other mens only that they were to repent of , ( if the confessing of such might be called repenting . ) adeo familiare est omnia sibi remittere , nihil aliis , inquit patercul . sect. 8. e. b. p. 3. if in separating — our sin is so great , that the place where we live cannot be held innocent , but must suffer from the hand of god for our sakes , we are certainly a people who deserve to be hated of all , and the confiscations , imprisonments and deaths , which some of us have already felt , are no longer to be bewailed and grieved for as persecutions of the innocent , but rather to be rejoyced and gloried in as due punishments — r. b. such stuff may go down with those that will swallow all that seems to lift them up . but 1. it was not separation from forms of worship only or chiefly that i spake of . 2. none of us are absolutely innocent , but only comparatively , and secundum quid . 3. here are two false doctrines more implyed . the first is , that they that so sin as is here described , deserve to be hated of all : for though secundum quid so far as we are sinners we are loathsome , and deserve to be hated , yet the same person being in christ and pardoned , and having the spirit and image of god , is amiable : and therefore the phrase must follow that which is predominant in them : and according either to fitness or custom of speech , you cannot without falshood say , that they deserve to be hated of all ; whom all are commanded specially to love. did david deserve to be hated of all , because his numbring the people brought the plague ? yea , or aaron that made the golden calf ? do you consider what you write ? how that thus you make all or most , or very many of gods servants , such as deserve to be hated of all ? for how few are they who do not so sin , as that [ the place where they live cannot be held innocent , but must suffer from the hand of god for their sakes . ] for chastisements are threatned to them , and to the societies that they defile ? and they are chastned of god , that they may not be condemned with the world . and how few can say , the place where i live is not the less innocent for me , nor suffereth ever the more for me ? 2. and it is false doctrine that imprisonments and death are due to all such : what kind of politicks would you write ? must every man be imprisoned and put to death ( who makes the place not innocent where he liveth , and hath a hand in bringing down judgements on the land ? god afflicteth for what sin he please : but judges must not hang men , for all that god afflicteth the land for . but , alas , that you should reason for impenitency ! sect. 9. e. b. p. 3. [ your next attempt is to free your self from being looked upon as an earnest and active instrument in the late wars . ] r. b. this is another visible falshood in matter of fact : alas brother , that you should no more heed what you read or write ? the question that i spake to was only [ whether i was as guilty in stirring up and fomenting that war as any one whatsoever ? ] and is this comparative question any kin to that which you now falsly father on me ? sect. 10. e. b. p. 4. i must confess your bold and resolute disclaiming any activeness in that war , did so much stagger me — r. b. this is yet more than the former : alas , have you cast off all heed what you say , and all common modesty in your reports ? where did i ever deny any activeness ? i argued thus : [ he that never medled with the war till long after it was raised ; that never shot , struck or hurt any man ; that never was officer or common-soldier , that never took commission to be chaplain of the garrison where two years of the war i did continue , but preached a lecture to them without any commission ; that never went into the field army , till after naisby fight , and then went thither by the solemn advice of an assembly of divines , ( many yet living ) twice assembled , and that upon an open profession to the committee , that my reason and business was in the apprehension of our common danger from the army , to discharge my own conscience in disswading as many of the souldiers as i could , from overturning the government of the state and church , which i was fully satisfied they intended , and that spent his time among them under their displeasure in such work ; i say , that he that did thus , was not so guilty of stirring up , and fomenting the war , as were those that first raised it , and those that were generals , commanders or souldiers , and as those that preached for it to the parliament , or as those that went on in the many following wars to the end . and is there any thing in all this , that saith , i was no way active in it ? my activity was principally in the city of coventry , which never saw an enemy while i was there : and it was in telling my opinion to others ; and twice going out with their souldiers to the siege of neighbour garrisons ; the rest i intimated to you before . and this is it that i meant in the words of the book which you recite . i askt you , whether the parliament , nor the chief speakers in it , nor the earl of essex , nor cromwell did no more ? with more to that purpose , which you give no answer to ; but defend your falshood with the addition of more such — falshoods , as if your design in writing , were practically to tell men , to what boldness in sinning mans vitiated nature will proceed , if it be not seasonably restrained . yea , as if you had quite forgotten what you were to prove , you say , sect. 11. e. b. p. 4. [ nor do i delight to expose you to the scorn of your enemies , and to the pitty of your friends , but i cannot help it . ] r. b. reader , because i have met with so strange a judge , i freely appeal to thee , if thou be but sober , who it is that by this mans writings , is here exposed to scorn and pitty ? whether i that so fully disproved his calumny [ that i was as guilty of stirring up and fomenting the war as any whatsoever , ] as that he hath not a word of sense to say in confirmation of it ; or he , that with such strange audaciousness addeth such falshoods as have not one syllable in all my writings to countenance them , and taketh up another charge against me , that i boldly and resolutely disclaim any activity , &c. ] did he trust that his readers would so far believe him , as rather to venture upon the scorn and pity which he would move them to , than once to examine my book , whether i wrote such a word or not ? i confess too many of his own spirit are like to do so ; and to believe what such a man as this reporteth , and think that he cannot be so impudent , as thus insultingly to say , that i say thus and thus , when i never wrote or spake such a word . but what if he attain this end , and be believed ? will it add to his innocence or felicity to have his many hundreds live in the sin of lying and calumny , and have no excuse for it , but mr. e. b. confidently wrote it . it s a wonder that corrupted nature should be so eager to have companions in sin , when it doth but tend to its own confusion ? sect. 12. e. b. p. 4. you — will not be beholding to an act of indempnity , but stand upon your innocency ? r. b. these are two more gross falshoods in matter of fact : 1. i am and wil be beholden to the act of indempnity , and write all this as under the protection of that act. 2. i did not , i do not stand upon my innocency , nor speak a word of such importance . sect. 13. e. b. nothing but your hopes that all is forgotten as well as pardoned , which is past , could ever embolden you to so peremptory denyal . r. b. this is another gross falshood : 1. it is spoken of my heart , which he knoweth not . 2. it is twice contradicted by his own pen. 1. he even now said , that i will not be beholden to an act of indempnity , and yet now he makes the hope of pardon received to embolden me . 2. he rebuketh me for the less seasonable retractation , of that which now he saith , not only that i hoped it was forgotten , but that nothing but that hope could embolden me , &c. why did i retract that which i thought forgotten ? could i think that book forgotten which remaineth visible ? which so many books accuse me of ? and one which he mentioneth and wrote against himself ? and which so many have publickly preached against , both formerly and of late ? could i think that part of my life forgotten , which all in the city of coventry , who thirty years ago were at years of discretion , may remember ? sect. 14. e. b. p. 4. you — ask me many malicious and ensnaring questions . r. b. that 's another falshood : they were not malicious : and another crime , to take him for malicious , who calleth sinners to necessary repentance , in a time of judgements , with words of love . sect. 15. e. b. in your writings you do highly approve of that which was the worst part of the change , the setting up of cromwell to he protector ? r. b. this also is notoriously false , as my writings which have no such word , and as those that i converst with know . indeed oliver cromwells first troop did under their officers hands invite me to be their pastor , which i refused as dissenting from the way into which i saw them entring , and not willing to leave my peaceable habitation at coventry , where i had the society of very many worthy ministers , and leisure for my studies , and was out of the heats of war : and after he expostulated with me himself for refusing his desires : but the very first hour that i went to his army , which was after naseby fight , he having notice of my words and intentions , from a friend of his of the coventry committee , i was entertained by the jeers of his most intimate friends , as one that came forsooth to reclaim the army , and save the kingdom , &c. and in a year and halfs time while i stayed among them , he would never once speak to me ; nor was i ever at his quarters , but kept at a distance as one of their adversaries , and those that i had interest in were discountenanced for my sake . and had not a sudden bleeding brought me very near to death , and separated me from the army , about the very day that they had their first open consultation , for the following treasonable changes which they made , i had hazarded my life upon their displeasure , in the contradicting them , and drawing off as many from them as i could , at the time when many did desert them : for by the advice of a second meeting of the ministers at coventry , i stayed with them for that very end , when i had peaceable opportunity to have returned to my former auditors ; and i did openly and boldly from that day until cromwells death , declare to those that i converst with , that i took him and his army to be guilty of most perfidious treason and rebeilion , and himself for an unquestionable usurper . and i never spake one word to the contrary . and being once before his death ( being at london ) invited to speak with him , i expostulated with him , by what right our government was changed , and how he could prove that all the people of england had lost their own right to their ancient government , and laboured to convince him that this change of his , and instrument of government ( which you charge me to approve ) was an unjust depriving the kingdom of their ancient and never forfeited right ; till i made him so angry , that it was time to say no more . but let us hear the proof of your accusation . sect. 16. e. b. p. 5. you — hugg and embrace the traytor . for you greatly commend that absurd tool , the humble petition and advice which was cromwells instruments of government ; and you say of it , a more excellent law hath not been made , for the happiness of england concerning parliaments , at least since the reformation . ] r. b. here is no proof at all of your false accusation , but the addition of two more falshoods , one exprest , and the other intimated . 1. that i hug'd and embraced the traytor . let the reader judge by what i have truly said . 2. that i greatly commend the instrument of government , as making the change and setting up of cromwell to be protector , when you could not easily choose but know , that he that will but open my book where the words are which you cite , may presently perceive your fraud and falshood , and that i say not a word to commend or approve of that instrument as such , or as making the change , or as setting up cromwell , or a protector , but only for this one thing , that it excluded atheists , blasphemers , anti-scripturists , cursers , swearers , drunkards , denyers of sacraments , prayer , magistracy and ministry , &c. from being parliament men . and is not this fallacy a dicto secundum quod ad dictum simpliciter , a notorious cheat , and falshood ? is this to approve the setting up of cromwell to be protector ? do you think by such a rate of reasoning as this is , to be accounted a wise & faithful teacher ? sect. 17. e. b. and of cromwell himself ( though he dyed in his sinful vsurpation , without manifesting any repentance ) you give this saint-like character in your preface to the army , the late protector did prudently , &c. r. b. 1. in that very preface against the army , this man might see such words as these , reprehending the armies rebellions and changes [ the fabrication of an instrument of laws without a parliament , and many other actions of these times , we doubt not but you will ere long repent of ] ( having instanced in their other changes before ) and many texts cited to them , in which their actions are condemned as heinous crimes . and [ the best governours in all the world that have the supremacy , have been resisted or deposed in england ] ( it was not then safe or necessary to name all . ) and [ a heathen persecuting nero must be obeyed , not only for wrath , but for conscience sake . ] and among the changes which i reprehended , are — [ next this we had the minor part of the house of commons in the exercise of soveraign power , the corrupt majority , as you call them , being left out : and by them we had the government changed , regality ( it was then death to say , the king ) and house of lords being cast off . next this we had nothing visible but a general and an army : next this we had all the whole constitution and liberties of the commonwealth at once subverted ; certain men being called by the name of a parliament , and the soveraign power pretended to be given them , that never were chosen by the people , but by we know not whom , ( such a fact as i never heard or read , that any king of england was guilty of , since parliaments were known . ) next this we had a protector governing according to an instrument made by — god knows who . after this we had a protector governing according to the humble petition and advice , ( and sworn to both ) : and now we are wheeled about again . ] reader , did this man read all this , and all the rest that in that book , especially the preface and conclusion , i then wrote ( in the bitterness of my soul ) against the army ? and did he believe himself , or could he possibly believe himself , that i approved of the setting up of cromwell to be protector ? if he do really believe himself , how unfit a man is this ( who understands not humane language ) to be the great refiner of the church , and to pretend to be wiser than the old non-conformists , &c. — if he do not believe himself , how unfit is he to separate from us for our sinfulness , or to be believed by the people whom he seduceth . 2. the words which he citeth , are only in a parenthesis , concerning which take this true information . 1. men used to distinguish between a tyrant quoad jus , and a tyrant quoad exercitium : and i ordinarily declared cromwell a tyrant quoad jus , that is , an usurper . 2. i never thought it laudable to belye any man whomsoever , nor to make his actions worse than they are . i did not dislike any good , because cromwell did it : i will not renounce god , or christ , or piety , because that cromwell professedly owned them . all that was good in him , was not made bad ( as to the nature of the thing ) because he did it . i never censured sulpitius severus , beda , or any other historians , for extolling the christian piety of maximus , while they call him a tyrant , as to title . i will not fall out with god , or scripture , or honesty , because that cromwell did speak well of them all . 3. note , that i spake only of his exercise of government , and not of his right , which i still declared to be null . — 4. and i instanced what his prudence was , ( before ) [ his prudent shunning of engagements , ] that he put not upon us any oaths or promises of allegiance to himself ; for he knew that we would refuse them , and thereby disturb his peace . it is known unquestionably that cromwell did many things that were ( in their nature ) very laudable . 5. and i mentioned this ( not as a praise of him , but ) as a conviction of the rebellious army , who thought they might take down all government , to set up themselves , whom they could easilier believe to be good and godly , than any others : and whereas they pretended , that it was for ungodliness , that they pulled down their superiours , i shewed them , that if they could not believe that the king was godly , nor the parliament godly , nor the minor part of the parliament ( called the rump ) godly , nor their little mock-parliament godly , yet they should not have so accused cromwell , whom they cryed up , and set him up themselves , and magnified so highly as they did . 6. and i meant this commendation of some of his actions , as comparative only , and better than theirs that pulled down that which themselves set up . 7. and yet , i thank you for calling me to review those words , and do hereby declare , that i do take them to be unmeet ( as spoken to the army that then had greatly provoked me to grief ) and that i unfeignedly repent of them ; that you may see i love not impenitence in my self , any more than in you : and i wish that they had not been written , being so lyable to ill effects ; and it being unmeet too much to praise even the good that a usurper doth , lest it take off the odium of his usurpation . sect. 18. e. b. sir could you say all this of him then , and do you think your partial friends can justifie you now , when you compare him to the tyrant maximus , and make him in effect to be nothing else , but a murderous and a bloody vsurper ? r. b. here is two falshoods , one expressed , and the other implyed . 1. that expressed is , that i make him in effect to be nothing else but a murderous , &c. when i never denyed any thing that was good in him ; but have publickly , and in print warned our lawful governours , that they tempt not the people to dislike them , by undoing any good which he did . 2. the implyed falshood , that i speak worse of him now , than i did heretofore . whereas the truth is , that i spake in the time of his own usurpation i am confident twenty times against him , for once that i have spoken since his death : not that i changed my opinion of him ; but that it is so cross to humane nature , to insult over even malefactors in their sufferings , especially when we suffer with them ( though by them ) and when their adversaries need no instigation , that i have not been able to judge it my duty , to speak of that very evil , which i and others suffer by : but have been hardly put to it these eleven years , between the thoughts of open disowning those sins of self-exalting vsurpers that have confounded us , and a lothness to encrease the sufferings of those that are underfoot . and this last prevailing , i have greatly by it displeased my superiours : and yet lest i should harden men in impenitency , having gently mentioned these crimes , it displeaseth such as are most obliged to repent . and how strangely doth this man despise his readers , while he again maketh it such a thing in me , to compare cromwell to maximus , whom still he loadeth with odious titles ? when in my first book i told him , p. 374. that maximus by the bishops was accounted a very religious christian , and pretended that the souldiers in england made him emperour against his will , and took part with the orthodox , and greatly honoured the bishops , and promoted religion , and got a great deal of love and honour : and in my defence i told him , that maximus is by historians made so good a man , of himself , that i more feared lest many would have made me a praiser of cromwell by the comparison . and i cited p. 142. the words of sulpitius severus of him , vir omni vitae merito praedicandus , si ei diadema non legitime , tumultuante milite impositum , repudiare , vel armis civilibus abstinere licuisset , &c. and the words of beda eccles . hist . l. 1. c. 9. maximus vir strenuus & probus atque augusto dignus nisi contra fidem per tyrannidem emersisset , &c. invitus propemodum ab exercitis creatus imperator , &c. but all this is not worthy the observation of this temerarious man , who still puts this among my unbecoming usage of cromwell , when if he had weighed what i wrote , i should have rather expected that he would have accused me again for overpraising him . sect. 19. e. b. as for your flattery to his son , which i also charged you with , and you ( with a strange , but not to your self unusual boldness ) do deny , &c. r. b. i gave a full answer to this , which no reply is given to : as if you were resolved to say what your list , and hear nothing that is said against it . as i told you that i never saw him , nor ever had to do with him , save that when i saw him take part against the turbulent sort of men , i took it to be seasonable by that dedication to perswade him to do good and not hurt . so i told you , that your words of [ dedicating a flattering book to him ] in common sense do distinguish between the book and the dedication : whether the dedication were flattery , i left to the reader of it to judge , and neither affirmed , nor denyed it : but only affirmed [ that there is not one syllable of his son in all the books , but only in the dedications . ] yet this man goeth on , and falsly chargeth me to deny that which i denyed not , and reciteth my words in the dedication to prove that the book as distinct from the dedication was flattery . sect. 20. e. b. deny if you can the consequence , that it became not you to blame the effects , who gave such rise and encouragement to the cause : i mean , unless you repent of the cause ; which it is evident you have not yet done : and if i may not be believed in this opinion of you , i doubt not but the bishop of worcester will ; who for this very thing did formerly accuse you of rebellion : from which charge , he that defended you then , leaveth you to acquit your self now as well as you can . r. b. 1. your [ i mean , unless you repent ] were none of your former words : when you say one thing , you think to solve and avoid the charge of falshood , by saying that you meant another . 2. what you say is evident , must needs be a calumny in you , 1. because you have no evidence of the negative being about my heart , which is to you unknown . 2. because your self did before twit me with retraction , &c. 3. and did you believe your self that the bishop of worcesters words so many years ago , are a proof that i repent not now ? 4. and are you yet insensible of your own partiality ; that then you blamed that in the bishop which now you can freely do your self ? let your followers mark what spirit you are of , if you are resolved not to know your self ? do you not see now that the man who took it for so great a crime in the bishop , can speak himself , 1. against the same man , 2. with the same accusation , 3. in the same manner . and is the same thing bad in the bishop , and good in you ? the matter is , it seemeth now to be your concernment to speak it : it s like you would then have separated from the bishop for it : and yet now it is no fault in you ? o what a blinding thing is selfish partiality ? and what reason hath any man to doubt , but if it were in your power , you would silence me as much as any bishop would ? and will you not yet see that which you are so angry with me for telling you ; viz. how much of the very same spirit is in church-dividers , with that which they most condemn in others : why then do you not separate from your selves ? 5. but , though you may think its like that you have me here in your snares , i shall make this benefit of it , that you may see i am not so great an enemy to repenting , as you declare your self to be . i do hereby freely profess , that i repent 1. of all that ever i thought , said , wrote , or did since i was born , against the peace of church or state ; against the king , his person , or authority , as supream in himself , or as derivative in any of his officers , magistrates , or any commissioned by him . 2. that i repent that i no more discouraged the spirit of pievish quarrelling with superiours and church-orders , and ( though i ever disliked and opposed it , yet ) that i sometimes did too much encourage such , as were of this temper , by speaking too sharply against those things which i thought to be church-corruptions ; and was too loth to displease the contentious , for fear of being uncapable of doing them good ( knowing the prophane to be much worse than they ) and meeting with too few religious persons , that were not too much pleased with such invectives . 3. and i do repent that i had not more impartially and diligently consulted with the best lawyers that were against the parliaments cause ( for i knew of no controversie in divinity about it , but in politicks and law ; ) and that i did not use all possible means of full acquaintance with the case . and that for a little while the authority of such writers as mr. rich. hooker lib. 1. eccles . polit. and bishop bilson , and other episcopal divines did too much sway my judgement toward the principles of popular power ; and seeing the parliament , episcopal , and erastian , and not hearing when the wars began of two presbyterians among them all , nor among all their lord lieutenants , generalls , major generalls , or colonells , till long after , i was the easilyer drawn to think that hookers political principles had been commonly received by all ; which i discerned soon after upon stricter enquiry , to be unsound , and have my self written a confutation of them , ready for the press many years ago . 4. and all the rest of my sin in this business , which i know not of particularly , i do implicitly and generally repent of ; and daily beg of god ( as i have done these twenty four years and more ) to give me a particular conviction of them , and not to suffer me to live or dye in any impenitence , but so far to acquaint me with all my great and publick sins , that i may openly confess them , and give others warning to avoid the like . this is the repentance , which upon your invitation i profess . if you quarrel with it as not instancing in particulars enow , i answer you , that as in the revocation of the book which you accuse , i thought it best to revoke the whole , ( though not as retracting all the doctrine of it , ) because if i had named the particular passages , some would have said i had mentioned too few , and some too many , and few would have been satisfied ; so is it in the present case . 6. as to your defence of me heretofore , 1. you know i never desired it of you , nor gave you thanks for it . for though you took my part , you understood not my cause , and therefore in the main deserted it . 2. i am not at all ambitious of such an advocate , 1. whose defence was then judged by all that i heard speak of it , to be commendable only for boldness , and a handsome epistolary style , having little of judgement or argumentative strength : 2. whose errors and faults will disgrace the cause which he defendeth : 3. who can blow hot and cold , and when his passion and erroneous interest requireth it , can change hands , and take up his adversaries work , and do the same thing in the main , which he accused . threaten me not with so desirable a desertion . as for the following insultations on supposition of the sufficiency of your snare , you see now that it is to glory in your shame . sect. 21. e. b. your mentioning with so much scorn the doctrine of the temporal reign of christ , which you in derision call the fifth monarchy way , and your endeavour to expose all that you think favour that opinion , is another evidence that you dare not look any truth in the face , which brings present danger with it : no though formerly you were as earnest and open an asserter of it as any — r. b. i see but five express falshoods in matter of fact in these few words : 1. one is , that it is christs temporal reign , which i call the fifth monarchy way ; when as i have no such words , nor meaning , but do my self believe christs temporal reign , even that now he is head over all things to his church , ephes . 1. 21 , 22. and that all power in heaven and earth is given him , mat. 28. 19. and all things are delivered into his hands , john 1● . 3. & 17. 2. that he hath power given him over all flesh ; and that to this end he dyed , rose and revived , that he might be lord of the dead and living : rom. 14. 9. and that he is king of kings , and lord of lords . but whether he will reign a thousand years in corporal visible presence on earth , i am not wise enough to know : but i am afraid of those opinions which draw down mens minds from looking for a treasure and reward in heaven , and tempt them to expect great things on earth . but in this age custome hath taught men to distinguish between those called fifth monarchy men , and meer millenaries . and by the former name , i mean such as they that assumed that name have been , whom i will not describe , lest i seem to imitate you , or offend you more than needs . 2. the second falshood is , that i mention the doctrine of christs temporal reign with scorn and derision ; when i only mentioned the way by which many of my acquaintance came to hold it , and the arguments which they used to defend it , with pitty and dissent , but not with scorn or derision ; much less that doctrine which he nameth . 3. the third falshood is , that i endeavour to expose all that i think favour that opinion ; when as some of my most intimate and honoured friends favour the millenary opinion : and i know how commonly it was owned by many of the ancients , and who doth not honour the name of mr. jos . mead , dr. twisse , mr. baily , mr. porter , &c. that did more than favour it ? and when did i ever endeavour to expose such men ? ( its like you mean , unto scorn , or some evil . ) 4. the fourth and notorious falshood is , that i dare not look any truth in the face , that brings present danger with it : when himself saith , that i am in the same condemnation with them ; which hath more truth in it in a full sense , than i will here open , lest i seem to dishnour my governours . and though i confess that my imprisonment was not so long and sharp as his , yet he can scarce be so ignorant as to imagine , that he loseth by his judgement , so much as i do by mine , quoad lucrum cessans , & damnum emergens . but his own pen doth publish him temerariously false : while he publisheth me to have been formerly as earnest and open an asserter as any of this opinion ; and doth not cite one syllable whereby i ever did revoke it : and i here as openly declare to him and all the world , that i am still of the same mind that i was in that point , and i am still ready to express my mind in the same words of mine which he reciteth . and while i openly own the same words which he accounteth so dangerous , and pretendeth that they assert as much as any ; judge whether he be a man to be believed , that saith i dare not look that truth in the face , which i openly own , or any other that brings present danger . 5. the next notorious falshood is , that formerly i was as earnest an asserter of it as any ; that is , of the fifth monarchy way . as any ? have i written for the millenary opinion , as earnestly and openly as mr. mead hath done ? have i — i will pass over late practices . nay did i ever write or speak one word for it ? but you shall presently see how he confuteth himself . but before i leave this , i must name two or three implyed falshoods in these words , besides the five expressed . 6. the one is , that the doctrine of the temporal reign of christ , brings present danger : when as all christians that i know of , do believe or hold his temporal reign : and as for his personai corporal visible reign , i never heard of any law against any that held it , nor any danger that any man incurred , much less any suffering for holding it . i am perswaded , if christ came personally and visibly to demand it , the king himself would yield up his crown to him . but i must confess to you , that if any man will call himself a believer of the fifth m●narchy , and thereupon will either deny the authority of rulers that are bad , ( even if they were infidels or persecutors ) or that they judge bad , or will deny to swear allegiance to the king , or will maintain that good men may seize upon the government because they are good ( or think themselves so ) and that because the saints shall judge the world , therefore they may depose bad governours , and take their places , and set up themselves under pretence of setting up christ ; i deny not but such as these may be in danger : and i am none of them that will own such opinions ▪ as knowing them to be no truths , but pernicious errors . 7. the other implyed falshood is , that i have changed my opinion , or the profession of it in this point in question . sect. 22. e. b. [ 〈◊〉 not many years ago you told us , that you were perfectly neutral , as to the point of christs visible and personal reign upon earth , and you did not know which way your judgement did most incline . but the theocratical policy , or divine common-wealth ( which is the unquestionable reign of christ upon earth ) this , all christians are agreed may justly be sought , and the temporal dignity of the saints which would undoubtedly much bless the world . ] r. b. 1. you misprint [ the temporal ] for [ that temporal , ] and so turn the predicate into the subject . 2. for [ as meerly neutral as in almost any point of so great moment , &c. ] you put [ perfectly neutral . ] 3. for [ i scarce can perceive which way , &c. ] you put [ you did not know . ] yet i number not these with your falshoods , but shew you , that you are so habituated to rashness , that you seldom seem to heed what you report . 2. and can you wink so hard , as not to see how here you openly declare your falsehood ? do you prove me as earnest and open an ●ss●rter as any , by citing words in which i profess to be ignorant , neutral and uncertain ? will your followers still believe such an open self-contradicting false accuser ? is neutrality and vncertainty the most earnest and open asserting of a doctrine ? if you say that you meant it of theocracy ; i answer , review your words ; you speak of christs temporal reign , and of the fifth monarchy way , and say [ as earnest and open as any . ] was mr. mead , and dr. twisse but neutral ? was mr. archer but neutral ? 3. i still approve of all the words of mine which you recite ? what mean you then to tell me of a change ? 4. and is it like that i take that to be dangerous , which i say that [ all christians are agreed of . ] 5. and do you not grosly wrong those rulers , from whom you think any danger or hurt will come to us for such doctrine as this ? who is there that will deny that a holy and righteous government in the hands of holy and righteous men , would be a blessing to the world ? and is to be vehemently desired , and sought by just and lawful means ? will any christian charge this doctrine to be erroneous ? when it is much of the sense of the three first and greatest petitions in the lords prayer ? and when all christians know , that tyranny , ignorance , and vngodliness are the three constituting materials of the devils kingdom in the world , and that tyranny is the grand maintainer of ignorance and vngodliness , while the heathen , and infidel , and popish princes of the earth , do keep away the clear and powerful preaching and publication of the truth ; and turks , persians , indians , and other mahometans , and all the heathens , do maintain deceivers , and cast out the gospel of jesus christ . sect. 23. e. b. p. 7. sir i have been very curious to enquire into the doctrine of the fifth monarchy , and most of my converse is with those that do in faith expect , and in patience wait for such a time ; and i never knew any of them , ( however they are mis-represented ) carry the notion further than you have already done . r. b. 1. and are you a man then that is fit to make such a stir to divide the churches , and to account your self wiser than all the old non-conformists in those matters , when all your curious enquiry into an open matter of fact ( what so many persons hold ) could do no more to save you from mistaking it ? if you never read what lrenaeus , lactantius and others of old held ? if you never read what is written by mr. mead , dr. twisse , mr. archer , &c. did you never read any pamphlets within these thirty years that say more ? did you , that converse so much among such , never hear , what i that so seldom converse with them have heard so oft , and seen offered me in writings , that i might have procured the printing of them ? do you believe that none of the levellers , or those whom oliver cromwell suppressed under the name of fifth monarchy men , held no more ? did venner and his company think you hold no more ? 2. but so strange is your forgetfulness or your self-contradicting faculty , that you need none to tell your readers that you write untruths , but your self . do you take no notice , that all that is my words is , that such a holy and righteous government is desirable , and may justly be sought as all christians agree : but your profession is that [ most of your converse is with those that do in faith expect it . and could you see no difference between seeking it , and in faith expecting it ? i desire the conversion and salvation of all the men i know , and i seek it of god in prayer , and of as many of them , as i have fit opportunity , ( or ought so to do at least ; ) i desire the conversion of all the kingdoms , and people of the world ; but whether i may in faith expect it , i am so ignorant that i cannot tell . i desire and seek by prayer of god , that all the world may have holy and just governours : but i cannot boast of so much faith or hope in this , as those that you converse with . as proud as i am , i freely confess my ignorance to you . but certainly they that take it for an article of their faith , do carry the notion further than i can do , who profess that i am ignorant of it , whether it be a promised thing , or not ? sect. 24. e. b. p. 7. — [ because you dare not own any hazardous and persecuted truth ; and you find it far easier in your notional divinity to recant all that formerly you were convinced of , than to bring your heart to a willingness for martyrdom . ] r. b. 1. you spake of danger before ; you now add persecution and martyrdom , intimating that this is such a persecuted point ; which as far as ever i heard ( who live in the same land , and have as hard thoughts of persecution as many others have ) there is not any thing true in your intimation . name the law that is against the opinion of the desirableness of a holy government of all the world ? name the person that ever suffered for that opinion ? though those that will resist or pull down governours , because they take them ( justly or unjustly ) to be ungodly , may suffer for it . again therefore to imply danger of martyrdom , for that which no man ( that ever i heard of ) suffered for , and to feign the avoiding of that danger , to be the chief cause of my recanting or changing my mind or words , which i never recanted or changed , is a monstrous course of fiction and temerity . 2. your talk of recanting all that formerly i was convinced of ] implyeth more temerity and falshood . any man of humane modesty would have thought [ all ] too bigg a word , when the instances produced by him prove nothing . if you refer to the revocation of my book , you should have opened your eyes , and seen that i profess not to recant all the doctrine of it , though i revoke all the book , and wish men to take it as non-scriptum : and sure that passage had no peculiar recantation . 3. but if recantation be so easie to me , remember that i pretend not to infallibility , nor am altogether unwilling to repent . as for martyrdom , i take it to be every christians duty , yea , necessary to salvation , to prepare for it ; that is , to deny his life , and to forsake all in true resolution , for the sake of christ , and hopes of heaven : but how far my heart is brought to a willingness of it , though i am sure you know not , and therefore venture to speak what you know not : yet i have no reason to boast , nor to be self-consident , nor to be high-minded , but to fear . sect. 25. e. b. and this alone , i take to be the true cause , why so weakly , and so unlike a minister of the gospel you inveigh against sufferings . for you have never yet experienced either the comfort or the cleansing of them , and therefore venture rashly to speak evil of what you know not ; and which i fear you have neither courage nor affection to venture the tyral of : i speak it to your shame . r. b. 1. thus sin useth like a river to run on , the longer the greater ! wonderful ! that you can believe the people that fear god to be so sottishly credulous of all the falshoods that you shall tell them , as not so much as to open the book which you accuse , and to see that you deceive them . if you will prove that true which you say , it must be by this argumentation : he that telleth men that sufferings have their temptations as well as prosperity , and warneth men to fear and avoid those temptations , doth weakly and unlike a minister of the gospel inveigh against sufferings : but so doth r. b. ergo — but the major is false , and therefore insufficient to support your false conclusion . let the reader but peruse my words , and if he find one syllable of inveighing against sufferings , let him believe you the next time , and take you for a man that hath not quite forfeited his credit . 2. and what friendship to sin , and continued enmity to vigilancy and repentance do you express , when you were told an unquestionable truth , and but warned of an unquestionable danger and duty , to reject all so senslesly , and that with such false retortions . tell your followers , 1. is it false or true , that sufferings have their temptations as well as prosperity ; and in particular to drive us into uncharitableness and extreams from them that we suffer by ? 2. are not you and others that suffer in danger of such temptations , and sin in sufferings ? 3. should not such temptation and sin be carefully watcht against ? is there any falshood in all this ? 4. and is he fit to glory in the cleansing fruit of sufferings , that shall falsly say , that such a necessary warning is an inveighing against sufferings ? &c. 5. do you believe that they that turned quakers in prison are gainers by their sufferings ? or they that lose more of their love , than of their liberties ? 3. if i never experienced the comfort or cleansing of sufferings , i have cause of great lamentation , as having suffered very much in vain . i will not with paul here glory in my infirmities , but i shall confess , that they greatly aggravate my sin , if your words be true : for i have born the yoke from my youth : since fourteen years of age i have not been a year free from suffering , and since twenty two but few dayes , and since 1646. ( which is about twenty five years , i have had but few hours free from pain , ( though through gods mercy , not intolerable . ) i have had sufferings in peace , and sufferings four years in war : the first year i preached the gospel , my life was sought by malice for my ministerial work , and dissent from others : the next place i came to ( where i was after more blest , and spent my labours ) the first year i was hooted at in the streets , but for preaching the original sin and misery of mankind ( which this man feigneth me to extenuate , if not deny . ) the next year my life was sought by an armed tumult , and strangely preserved , while others were knockt down in the streets , but for looking after my safety . the same year my life was sought more publickly , and i was forced into a garrison from my habitation , through the fury that still sought my life . and since then , o what wholsome and constant sufferings have been measured out unto me , almost continually night and day . i will say no more , but that above all the external disposals of my most wise and gracious god , i humbly , and heartily , and daily thank him for my sufferings . but surely this man is not 〈◊〉 or permitted to write this in vain . alas , my god , it calleth my sin , my unfruitfulness to my remembrance ! my cleansing , nor my comfort have not been answerable to the sharp but gracious helps and warnings which thou hast so long vouchsafed me : it is true , too true , that i have sinned so much under sufferings , and been so unfruitful after sufferings , that i have little cause to boast of cleansing , and less experience of comfort , than otherwise i might have had . but yet i have so much experience as obligeth me to thankfulness , and assuredly to number this saying with his vntruths that he utters ; even the twenty sixth in number ; and i think the crime of usurping the prerogative of god , of knowing the heart , should be repented of . can any of your followers themselves believe , that you that never saw me till of late years , and never thrice spake with me ( that i know of ) and that lived at so great a distance from me , and that were unborn when my sufferings began , and were a child when i was in the greatest of my sufferings many years , i say that you , should be able peremptorily , without any exception to conclude , that [ i never yet have experienced either the comfort or the cleansing of them ] when you know how much cleansing peter acknowledgeth the very apostates sometimes had , and even they that are most terribly cautioned , heb. 6. had tasted of the powers of the world to come . some cleansing and comfort even a miserable man may have . 4. as for your fear that i have not courage or integrity enough to venture the tryal , i thank you for your warning , and shall beg integrity and courage of god ; but to add that you speak it to my shame , is but to shew that you could hardly speak with any caution many sentences together : for your fear doth but speak your uncertainty : ( and to have pretended to a certainty were to pretend to be a god. ) and why should you think that i must be ashamed of that which you are uncertain of ? i doubt you speak it more to your own shame . sect. 26. e. b. p. 8. you should have spared the dead , and not disturbed the dust of my fellow prisoner mr. powel , by reproaching his memory with so abusive and disgraceful a mention of him , as if he were a false prophet , and acted by a deluding spirit : for you lay to his charge , that many years ago , he prophesied of some things which we do not yet see fulfilled . r. b. 1. though it was printed since his death , it was written before ever i heard of his death , and i think many weeks before he dyed . 2. you made it in a manner necessary to me to convince you by some instance that was near enough for your observation ; and do you blame me when you have done ? 3. i named not mr. vavasor powell ; but only your companion and fellow prisoner ; and its like you had more than one , and few could know that it was he : but you have disgraced him by naming him . 4. i called him not a false prophet ; but warned you not thus to abuse gods people , and bring reproach upon religion , by fathering rashnesses and deceits on the spirit of god ? and have you so little sense of the honour of god and religion , as to be angry at that ! alas sir , what would you have said if i had told you how common this was in the army ? to set up and pull down , do and undo , own and disown , as by the spirit of god ? if i should have told you of the sad instances of mr. erbury , mr. saltmarsh , mr. dell , mr. william sedgwick , ( who as from god wrote one week to the army against their putting the king to death , and the next or same week wrote to them quite on the other side ; and that set london by a prophecy or vision on looking for the day of judgement on a set day , ) to say nothing of abundance such ; besides mrs. hutchinson in new england , and the ranters and quakers in our dayes . can you have any love to souls , and any zeal for god and for religion , and not be grieved to think that gods spirit should be thus reproached , and infidels hardned in a contempt of the spirit , as if it were but a fancy ! o wo to the world because of offences ! 5. you shew more of the relicts of modesty here , than in most that i have yet met with , in that you do not deny the truth of what i said of him . but yet your intimations are deceitful , as if his prophecies had not been absolute , but conditional , or else not for the present , but the future . but the case was this , as learned and understanding hearers will yet testifie ; that at clifton upon thame in worcestershire , quickly after worcester fight , in his sermon he said , that he would tell them these things as from god , that they should have no more king , nor pay any more taxes , nor pay any more tythes , and laying his hand upon his bible , he added [ and this i have otherwise than from hence ] which shewed that the scripture was not his rule , for all you accuse others of making it an imperfect rule . 6. and do you not yet perceive your partiality and respect of persons ? it seemeth your duty to open the faults of the prelats and conformists , and to calumniate us non-conformists that dissent from you , and to feign that which you think will serve you for reproach . but if your companions publick false prophecying be but mentioned upon your own instigation , you cry out of abuse and disgrace to his memory . sir , was it true or false ? if it be true , that thus he did ( which is mentioned as no rarity ) should you not rather take part with god than him ? and if an aaron will make the people naked to their shame , will not god record it to his shame ? is not the honour of the spirit of god more tenderly to be preserved than his , or yours , or mine , or any mans ? o do not injure god , for man. sect. 27. e. b. p. 8. but 1. may not a good man , yea , a true prophet , be sometime mistaken ? was not samuel so , when he took eliab to be the lords anointed ? was not nathan deceived , when he encouraged david to build the temple ? — r. b. 1. yes , they may be deceived when they speak in their own names , and judge by their own spirit or reason : but do you think they may be deceived when they prophesie as from god. if so , then what certainty can we have of the truth of any of their prophecies , if they may speak falsly to us in the name of god ? 2. will not your followers think you yet see your partiality , who in one page reproach others as denying scripture to be a perfect rule , and in another can thus seek to parallel gods prophets , with one that rashly in the pulpit prophesieth three falshoods together in the name of god ? is it not gods direction to us , to take him for a false prophet who prophesieth that which cometh not to pass ? every one that foretelleth that which doth come to pass is not a true prophet , deut. 13. 23. but every one that absolutely prophesieth that which doth not come to pass , is a false prophet , deut. 18. 20 , 21 , 22. but the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name , which i have not commanded him to speak — even that prophet shall dye . ( mark whether god do judge as you do . ) and if thou say in thy heart , how shall we know the word which the lord hath spoken , when a prophet speaketh in the name of the lord , if the thing follow not , nor come to pass , that is the thing which the lord hath not spoken , but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously : thou shalt not be afraid of him . sect. 28. e. b. 2. may not many prophets truly foretell things to come , and yet those things be a long time suspended and delayed because of the sins of the people ? is not this condition to be understood in most scripture prophecies , expressed , zach. 6. 15. and this shall come to pass , if you will diligently obey , &c. r. b. 1. a conditional promise or prediction may be not only delayed , but never fulfilled ( so as that the thing shall not come to pass ) if the condition never come to pass , 2. promises are oftner to be expounded as conditional , than peremptory prophecies , when no condition is expressed . but what words can more exclude both conditions and delayes , than [ i tell you from god , that you shall never more , &c. when 1. they never ceased paying tythes from that day to this : 2. and their taxes were then upon them , and i think they believe not that they never paid more . 3. and that we have a king his subjects all acknowledge . indeed the jews say that the promise of the messiah is delayed because of their sins ; and by such pretences what true prophecy may not be perverted , and false excused ? as for what you say of mr. powels religiousness , diligence , and worthiness , i never said a word against it : and i desire to promote , and not to cloud the true honour of his name : and your calling that an unchristian calumny which you cannot deny to be a proved truth , is but an unmanly calumny of your own . and for your prophecy of my memory dying before me , i am not solicitous of the matter ; let god do with my memory what he please : nor am i regardful of your prophecy , who defend false prophecying , being commanded not to fear such , deut. 18. 22. sect. 29. e. b. the pride of your heart , discovered by your writings is so apparent , that it cannot but be known and read of all men : to go no further for instances than your last books , what needed you have told the world in print , that you chase once on easter day to communicate in a very populous church , purposely that it might be the further known . is not this like the hypocrites to blow a trumpet before , and to do your actions that they may be seen of men ? what other end could you have in doing that so publickly then , or in declaring it now , but a vain glorious hope , that doubting and unsatisfied christians might look upon your example , as their pole-star , and accordingly direct their course ? r. b. 1. as to the pride of my heart , i shall first say this in general ; that i am past doubt i have too much of it : as no man is wholly cured of that odious vice , so i am one that have no cause to say that i am perfect . but these things i can confidently say , 1. that so far as i am proud , i sin as much against my own judgement , i imagine , as most men alive do ; there being sew that ever i was acquainted with , that have said and written more against it than i have done : i have had these thirty years and more , more odious conceptions of that sin , and a deeper sense of its commonness and prevalency in the world , and the wofull ruines which it makes in the church and state and souls ; and how frequently it sheweth it self even in men of great piety and worth , than of almost any other sin . i have had so many thousand thoughts and words against it , as make me much more culpable , if i be proud . 2. and i shall sin as much against my conscience in being proud as most men in the world . as my judgement is so much against the sin , so my conscience commandeth me a very low and constant self-abasement : it telleth me , that whether i look to a corruptible painfull flesh , or to an ignorant understanding , or to a sinful will , or to a sinful and unprofitable life , i have so little to be proud of , as will render my pride exceeding odious . 3. i do evidently see the odiousness of this sin in others : were it not for seeming to retort your charge , i should say , that though i cannot as you do conclude of the heart , yet the usual ensigns of pride ( with temerity and injudiciousness , boldness and blindness ) do appear to me so monstrous in your writings , above the size that ordinary sinners ever fall to , as maketh me the more apprehend , how dreadful it is to give way to pride in the beginnings ; and methinks i see as written on the front of your writings , be not high-minded , but fear . therefore i am still the more culpable , if i abound with that which is so terrible a warning to me , in your self , and other such as you . 4. and as i every day watch and pray against it ( and if ever i knew any thing of my self in the world , i am certain that i live in an habituate and ordinary apprehension of my baseness and unworthiness , and of the utter vanity of humane applause ) so i find my self partly glad that you tell me of my pride , that ( whatever you mean ) i may have one more check to keep it under ; and if it be a messenger of satan to buffet me , i hope it will not be in vain . 5. and i can assure you , that these writings which so exasperate you , had never come from me , if i had not first so far conquered the esteem of man , and love of reputation , as to be willing to cast my self upon reproach , and to be much indifferent as to the opinion of man ? for i was not so ignorant as not to foresee that such as you would take the detection and reproof of their errors for a heinous injury , and be angry at him that called them to repent , and would furiously scatter the fetide excrements of their gall , in revilings of such as contradict them . methinks then you should see , that i laid by some pride , when i cared so little for your good word , and exposed my self so readily to your calumnies . 2. and i must tell you that though you do as much to cure my pride , as almost any mortal man that ever i had to do with , by the way of open demonstration of the ensigns of it by your self ( as the sight of a leprosie would cure one that were in love with it ; ) yet you are too blame for tempting me so much to pride as you do on the other side , while you decry it : for what is it else but an inviting and tempting a man to be proud , to tell the world , that you have nothing to charge him with to prove it , but such silly calumnies as these of yours ? 3. and yet i will say , that i see now that a mans enemies may be more useful to him than his friends : for i can hear that of my pride from you , which never friend by word or letter to my remembrance told me in my life . the more too blame they , if you be not mistaken . 2. but next let us see your evidence or proof : your first is , [ what need i have told the world , &c. ] would you have an answer to your question or not ? if not , why do you ask it ? if you would , why did you not take an answer when i gave it you ; nor so much as mention it , as if you read it not , when you call for another ? is it because that you remembred , that many that read your papers , will never read mine , and so will not know what i have said , nor how deceivingly you use them ? it may be so : but will that do your work , and hold at last ? if i repeat my answer , i shall offend my readers , for writing the same thing twice , because you take no notice of the first . but this much i will return you now : 1. my avoiding publick communion for fear of bringing more suffering on those that scrupled it , ( and that so many years together , ) was a scandal and temptation to others , and tended to make them think , that i held it to be unlawful ; as peters separation was a scandal to barnabas and others : and do you think every man that avoideth scandalizing , is therefore proud : are not humble men bound to avoid scandal as well as others ? if a man by many years forbearing all publick prayer or sacrament , should tempt others to think that he is against them , or accounts them needless , how should he cure that scandal , but by doing that openly , and open pleading for it , which he is supposed to be against ? doth paul make scandal to be the destroying of anothers soul , and a thing to be avoided on such hard terms as he mentioneth , and do you think that the open avoiding it , is to be charged with pride ? how directly do you set your self against the way of the spirit of god ? 2. i had for the same reason become a scandal also to our governours , and to many sober conformable men , who were tempted by my omission , to think the non-conformists to be pievish dividers , who follow parties and passion , more than their own consciences ? and would any thing cure this scandal also , that had not been notified ? or is the scandal of so many such persons no evil to be avoided ; nor their mis-judging of the non-conformists to be cured by such as did occasion it ? 3. is not every minister of christ a publick person ? should they not be the lights of the world , that cannot and should not be hid ? is every man proud , that is not mad ? whether my actions be noted , is a matter of fact ? the question is not , whether i be so regardable , as to be worthy notice ? but whether de facto any do note what i do ? and do you doubt of it ? why then do you write two invectives to cure their esteem of me ? do you not perceive here how your work contradicts your self ? and must i needs as my duty , be so mad , as not to know that any observe me , or regard what i do , for fear of being proud ? you might as well make it a duty to go naked in the streets , lest i be proud if i think that any one will observe me . 4. and are not ministers bound to teach the people by example , as well as by doctrine ? you dare not deny it . and is that example , which is unknown ? will you teach men to say against gods command , i must not be so proud as to think that my example will be observed or regarded ? god saith , 1 tim. 4. 12. be thou an example of the believers in word , in conversation , in charity , in spirit , in faith , in purity : must none that think meanly of themselves obey this ? o but , you will reply , is not this like hypocrites , to do your actions to be seen of men ? christ will have us all to let our light so shine before men ( not with the hypocrite to get their applause to our selves , but for their own good and gods glory ) that they may see our good works , and glorifie our father which is in heaven . o but saith mr. bagshaw , what other end can you have in doing this , but a vain-glorious hope , that doubting christians may look on your example as their pole-star , &c and indeed will such a scorn of e. b. disoblige all christs ministers from obeying their lord , and allow them to live in open scandal , for fear of thinking it lawful to be exemplary ? 5. do you think indeed that you are not noted your self ? do you neither in life nor in your sufferings , intend to be publickly exemplary ? do you not forbear the publick assemblies , the rather that your example may move others ? thus still a perverse spirit condemneth it self . 6. if doctrine and example be the two means commanded , by which ministers must edifie the church , is it not pride as well to expect that our words should be heeded , as our examples ? and could an atheist deal more impudently and prophanely , than to tell all ministers , you are notoriously proud in expecting that all the congregation should take heed of what you say ? do you not preach or talk to your own auditors , and expect observation ? what if another e. b. were among them and should say , how proud are you to expect that we should all regard your words , as if you were our pole-star ? these are not meet lessons for a sufferer to teach the people . sect. 30. e. b. i look upon it also as a strange piece of boasting , when you tell us , that men of all judgements have written against you : — is it indeed true that you offend all , and please none , and can you glory that you are accounted the ishmael of the age ? r. b. alas , poor man ! is this conscience scrupulous of communion with us publicans and sinners ? here are no less than three more visible vntruths thrast together . 1. that i say , [ that men of all judgements have written against me ] when my words are these [ whereas our differences in doctrine , worship and discipline have engaged men of several minds in such writings against me . ] where did i say , that men of the judgement of peter or paul , of augustine or prosper , wrote against me ? are those infidels , quakers , with the &c. [ all ] ? 2. that i glory that i am accounted the ishmael of the age ( which is intimated in the question ) or boast of mens contradiction ? which is so notorious a falshood , that i mention it only as other mens contradiction of each other ( who blame me for contrary things ) and as my own trouble . i only told you , how impossible it is for me to please all men , while men expect so many contrary things of me : the anabaptists are quite displeased with me for writing for infants baptism : the conformists are angry , because i will not subscribe that [ it is certain by gods word , that children which are baptized , dying before they commit actuall sin , are undoubtedly saved ] without excepting those that are wrongfully baptized , turks , heathens , &c. the antinomians are offended with me for opposing their subversion of the gospel under pretence of extolling free grace : and others are angry that i come so near them , as to the cessation of moses law. and so it is with all the rest . how vain therefore is it to turn a man-pleaser , when the task is as impossible as unprofitable . but o , saith e. b. what a strange boast is this , to tell us that men of all judgements have written against you ! that which i recite as my tryal and trouble , he falsly tells the world , i boast of . 3. the third known falshood is ( intimated ) that [ i offend all and please none . ] as if he did believe that those whom i mentioned ( even with an &c. ) were [ all ] and there were no others in the world ? 2. but besides these falshoods , he again condemneth himself for his accusation . for 1. if it be a matter of pride to declare that i am written against , why will this man write himself against me , and tempt me to be more proud , when he accuseth me of pride ? is not his writing published by himself ? why then will he publish that which himself supposeth to be my glorying ? and so advance my reputation ? ( which few adversaries ever did more effectually ) 2. and if i offend all and please none , what need he be at all this labour to save men from being pleased by me ? but it is fatal or natural to men of his vice , to have bad memories . the former untruth he again implyeth , [ you would be grieved for grieving them , and not put it in among your triumphs , that you had provoked so many able worthy men . ] he that hath once ventured upon an untruth , may do it boldlier the second time , and may come at last to believe himself . as for the worthy opponents whom he nameth , 1. i can honour and love them as much as he , without thinking them infallible : and i can . differ from them without disaffection . 2. which of them is it that the man would have me grieve for grieving ? doubtless those that are in the points controverted of his mind ! so kind is he to them or himself . it cannot be all , unless he would have me , either say nothing of the matter , or write contrary things to please contrary parties . 3. and doth he not differ from most whom he nameth himself , by his separation ? and yet he sticketh not thus to grieve many more than them . sect. 31. e. b. p. 9. [ when i said in one of my exceptions , that i feared you were not sound in the doctrine of justification by faith alone without works , instead of answering directly , and satisfying my scruple ( which you might have done in few words ) you refer me to five or more treatises , which you say you have written on that subject . — r. b. 1. did you believe when you wrote this , that this reference was a proof of my pride ? 2. why would you no more regard your reputation , than to recite such a passage as this ? will your reader doubt whether you should repent of such things as words of impudency unbeseeming a man of understanding ? for 1. was it modesty in you to divulge such an accusation as this [ i am afraid you are not sound in the doctrine of justification ] without reciting one word of mine which you accuse , or telling the reader or me any reason of your fears ? 2. and could you expect that he that had written so many books to declare his judgement in that point , must write part of another , to tell you what he holds , and consequently write as many , or as oft as men shall so by their fears invite him ? 3. and do you not at that very time prove me proud for writing so many books , when by this and other passages you call for an answer , that is , for more ? 4. could you think that [ a few words ] would open a mans mind so plainly , as many books can do ? 5. could humane ingenuity expect more from one thus slightly questioned , than to be referred to those books , which were purposely written both to stand as a full confession of my faith in that point after other mens suspicions , and also to give the reasons of it , and to defend it against all that 's said against it ? and could i expect , that he that will disdain to read these books , will read another that repeateth the same things ? and shall i write more to remove his fears , who will rather blindly vent them by calumny , than read for his satisfaction what i have said ? if you have read them , why would you say you fear , which signifieth uncertainty ? when you might have come to a certain knowledge ? if you read them not , why would you not use a visible means to discuss your fears , before you divulged them ? and if this way be right in the eyes of others , what made dr. owen , and other congregational brethren , admonish your brother mr. powell for preaching openly ( almost as soon as he came out of prison ) particularly against me and another ( then thought to have been mr. nie , but he said he meant mr. tombs ) by description ; and the description of me was [ he that is not sound in the doctrine of justification ] or to that sense . and what made them threaten to disown him if he would not cease such wayes ? did ever sober men go about with such general accusations , and expect that men answer to they know not what ? 6. but what are the few words that would satisfie you ? a yea , or a nay ? what if i say , sir i think i am sound in the doctrine of justification , and i think you speak evil of the things you know not ] would that have satisfied you ? sect. 32. e. b. and in another place you tell me that you have written the better part of above fifty books against the prophane , the jews and the mahumetans : ( i will not enquire to what purpose ; for i am very confident none of those did ever read what you have written against them : ) but add to these your several other treatises — your books will in all amount to as many volumes as tostatus writ , concerning whom , and all such kind of writers , you once gave this true character , though since you have most unhappily forgotten it [ i cannot but account all those tostatus's as impudently proud , who think the world should read no bodies works but theirs . pray sir read this passage again , and compare it with what you have already written , and what as i hear you do yet further intend to write , and then tell me in earnest what you think of your self — r. b. 1. seeing our debates about church-dividing must needs be turned to this , whether i am proud , i grant you the conclusion that i am proud , and what would you have more ? 2. your ductile followers that never saw tostatus know not how you cheat them by these words ; and that you measure by number , and not by bulk ; and twenty of some of my books , will not make one of tostatus's for bigness : if you go to number , how many more wrote origen ? but a sheet is not so big as a large volume in folio . 3. i never accused augustine , chrysostom , calvin , zanchy , &c. as imitating tostatus ; and i have not wrote so much as they . 4. the best way to cure one that writeth too much , is to perswade men not to buy and read it , and then the booksellers will not print it . and till you can do that , you see that all men are not of your mind : and by what obligation am i bound to be of your mind alone , rather than of many thousands that are of another , and those that still importune me to write more ? is it pride only to differ from you , and to write against your judgement ? or were not the fathers and divines fore-mentioned , ( with rivet , chamier , beza , luther , &c. yea , and dr. owen too , proud , if large writings be a sign of pride . 5. when you question to what purpose it is to write books against the prophane , and jews , and mahumetans , that is , against infidelity , and to defend the christian faith , you shew what a guide you are to the church . 6. when you are confident that none of the prophane , &c. did ever read what i wrote against them , either you believe your self , or not . if you do , how unfit are you to be believed of any that know no better what is credible in a matter of fact ? could you think for instance , that my call to the vnconverted hath been printed so oft , i think some scores of thousands , and translated into french by mr. eliots ( as he said he was doing ) into the indian tongue , and no prophane person ever read it ? you will take this very instance its like for my pride , which you make necessary to shew your temerity and deceit . but if you do not believe your self , how much less should others believe you ? 7. will no sober readers think that you set your self to do the devils work , against the service of the church of god , by seeking to silence us from writing by your contumely and scorns , ( even from writing against the prophane and infidels ) at a time when we are by others silenced from publick preaching ? let your conscience tell you , if i had obeyed you from the first , and never written , whether the devil or most that have made use of what i wrote , would have thankt you more ? 8. did not the primitive teachers , apostles and others leave us their examples for writing , as well as for vocal teaching ? and are they not two wayes of predicating or publishing the same gospel ? and if so , would he serve god or the devil , that would scorn us all as proud for preaching so much , as the best men do ? 9. and do you not yet see how much you have of the same silencing spirit which you profess to separate from ? 10. but your warning for a review hath brought me to repent of , and retract that passage against tostatus , as being too rashly uttered : because 1. he wrote when good writers were more scarce than now . 2. because he might be willing that other mens works should be preferred before his , and that his own should not be wholly read , but partly perused on particulas occasions . 3. and it is unseemly to reprove industry . now we come to the question after all this . sect. 33. in stating of this question , you do e. b p. 10. your self grant so much , that you scarce leave any thing to be either disputed or denyed — r. b. remember reader , that my professed design ( on the title page ) is , 1. to invite all sound and sober christians , by what names soever called , to receive each other to communion in the same churches . 2. and where that ( which is first desireable ) cannot be attained , to bear with each other in their distinct assemblies , and to manage them all in christian love. 3. and that under the first head , i particularly prove , that it is lawful to hold communion with such christian churches , as have worthy or tolerable pastors , notwithstanding the parochial order of them , and the ministers conformity and use of the common-prayer book . this last is the true state of the question which i affirm ; with these two limitations or explications . that is , 1. that it is lawful statedly to communicate as a member , with such a parish church , where we cannot consideratis considerandis have communion with a better upon lawful termes . 2. that those that can have stated communion with a better , may yet lawfully communicate sometimes with such a parish church , as we may do on just occasion with a church of neighbours or strangers where we live or come . yea that we ought to do so when some special reasons ( as from authority scandal , &c. ) do require it . these are the summ of my assertions . though my main cause oblige me as much to prove to a conformist that he may have communion with a church of non-conformists , yet i had no call to prosecute that particularly , as i had to the other , for the reasons which i rendred at large . and this being the case , judge now of this mans dissent and furious opposition , whether sober people have reason to regard it , when he himself beginneth with this confession , that i scarce leave any thing to be disputed or denyed . what honesty then is there in his denyals and disputes . sect. 34. e. b. 1. you grant that we are not to have communion with a diocesane church as such , and that we are not to own diocesane bishops ? r. b. here are two more untruths ! i only said , that these are no part of our question ; they are things that i assert not ; and that i meddled not with : and you feign me to grant the negative , when i only say , i meddle not with it . i only say , that i hold no communion my self with a diocesane church as such , in that form , &c. and that i perswade no others to it . sect 35. e. b. 2. you allow that we are not to have communion with persecutors , nor with such as have consented to our silencing . r. b. i never wrote such a word , but only told you it was none of our question , and that i did not affirm it , and that it is none of the thing that i am perswading men to . and yet with this intimation pag. 9. that neither your selves nor i do avoid . communion with all persecutors ; seeing most parties have been guilty of it . the common-wealths men persecuted me and others , so far as to make orders to sequester us , for not taking the engagement , and for not keeping their fasts and thanksgivings for the warrs against scotland ; and yet i am not so rigid as to refuse communion with all that did it , or consented to it . my old special friend did persecute mr. sam. fisher and mr. blake , when he turned them both out of shrewsbury , from their churches , labour , dwellings and maintenance , even when the plague was begun and the people doubly sensible of their loss . and yet i refused not all communion with such as did it . it s like you know who persecuted mr. caughton , dr. drake , mr. nalton , mr. arthur jackson , mr. watson , mr. jenkins , &c. and mr. love and gibbons ; and yet who scrupleth communion with them ? again i tell you , i mention not these for reproach , but only to set us in the impartial sense of the question . sect. 36. e. b. p. 11. all this and more — being granted , i scarce see what it is that you contend for — r. b. what eyes then have you that cannot see that which i copiously and expresly speak ? sect. 37. e. b. from these grounds separation at this day may be easily justified . r. b. this is the undertaking by which you have drawn me to renew this debate , and therefore i shall try your proof . sect. 38. e. b. every parish church is part of the diocesane : and if a diocesane church as such is not to be communicated with , then a parish church as such is to be separated from ; since there is the same reason of the parts as of the whole : and you must find out a new logick before you can prove , that if the whole be corrupt , any of the parts are clean , and fit for our communion . r. b. the name of logick is incongruously used in such an argument , as is so palpably fallacious . a parish church stands before us in three respects . 1. as it is a true church of christians , having all things essential in pastours and people . 2. as these christians live in the bounds of a parish . 3. as this parish church by the laws of the land is subject to the diocesane , and so a part of his diocess . both the latter are meerly accidental , and it hath all that is essential to a church without them . as mr. jacob instanceth in ordination , and so in marriage ; he that is marryed truly , is truly a husband , though a priest or ring or some unnecessary accident was adjoyned . your reason is , 1. ridiculously fallacious , 2. and if all were granted , reacheth not the case . 1. it is ridiculous , to argue , if a diocesane church as such is not to be communicated with , then a parish church as such is to be separated from . for the [ as such ] in the antecedent and consequent denoteth two several things : you should only have inferred [ then a parish church as part of a diocesane is not to be communicated with ] which is nothing to the question . and when you say that there is the same reason of the parts and whole ; i answer , that must be only as they are parts ; but not in all other alien respects . if a parish church be to be disclaimed or not owned only as it is a part of a diocesane church , yet it may be owned , 1. as a true church of christians , in its constitution . 2. and as a parish church , limited by those bounds , without respect to the diocesane . 2. and if it were to be disowned as a parish church , that also is nothing to the question ; for it may yet be owned for its constitutive parts as a christian church . i will shew you your argument in another case . suppose that usurpers should alter the form of kingly government , and set up themselves in another form , and should allow all the independent churches in the land , but set over them civil officers in every county of their own ; and should make a law , that none shall be a member of a church that liveth not within five miles of the meeting place . in this case , the church is a church in its own constitution ; and that it is confirmed to a parochial circuit , or that it is under usurping magistrates is an accidental thing , which doth not nullifie it . and if you argue [ if the vsurpers commonwealth as such , be not to be communicated with or owned , then the church which is part of it is not to be owned . yes , as a church , but not as a part of the common-wealth . if independent churches were under the turks government , they may be parts of an infidel and perhaps usurped kingdom , and yet be true churches and to be owned . if presbyterian classical churches be supposed sinful , and the law said that all the independent or particular churches shall be under the several classes , and be part of those churches , the churches will be true churches nevertheless . for , 1. perhaps most of them consent not to the laws determination , but only forbear an open contradiction . 2. and in others of them the people may not consent though the pastor do . 3. and if they do consent , and it be their sin , it will not nullifie the particular church ; being but an unwarrantable accident . if vniversities were as unlawful as many separatists judge them , yet dr. goodwins church , e. g. in oxford might have been part of the university , and yet a true church , and to be disowned as part of the university , and yet not as a church . if you were a member of an unlawful society , army , church , &c. you may be disowned as a member of that society , and yet not as a christian , or as a man. now would not the boyes laugh at you if you should reason thus : an usurped heathenish kingdom or common-wealth , as such is unlawful , and not to be communicated with ; a classical church as such is not to be communicated with ; an university as such is not to be communicated with : therefore such or such a particular church as such is not to be communicated with , which is a part of that kingdom , that classis , that university ! e. b. a christian is a member of a society which is not to be owned : ergo e. b. a christian as such is not to be owned . what more apparent than that the consequent should be but this ? therefore such a church should not be owned , as it is a part of such a kingdom , classis , vniversity , &c. which is all accidental to the church . so that here is a double equivocation , and more than four terms : 1. [ as such ] speaketh ( as i said ) one essence in the antecedent , and another in the consequent . 2. the word [ communicating ] speaketh several things in the antecedent and in the consequent . for to communicate with a diocesane church , is not to assemble with it in publick worship : for a diocess ( in our sense ) cannot so assemble : but it is to own the diocesane relation , and prelats . but to communicate with a particular church in a parish , is to have personal communion in the worship of the assembly . so that this is your argument if put in plain words : [ if it be unlawful to communicate with a diocesane church as such , by owning the diocesanes and the relation to them , then it is unlawful to communicate with a true particular church in a parish , ( or bounded parochially ) in the assembly worship as it is such a particular church , which is part of that diocesane church : but , &c. ] answ . yes , it may be unlawful to communicate with it as a part , and that by diocesane communion ; but not as a true church of christians by assembly communion . or thus [ it is unlawful , e. g. to have communion with the army of maximus , cromwel , &c. as such : but many christians are parts of the army of maximus , cromwel , &c. therefore it is unlawful to have communion with those christians : because there is the same reason of the parts as of the whole . ans . 1. christians are not parts of the army as christians , but as those souldiers . 2. it is unlawful to have military communion with them as parts of that army ; but not to have christian communion with them as christians . may not even the simple now easily see ( if you will not ) by what ignorant erroneous reasons you zealously labour to deceive the people of god , to divide the churches ? sect. 39. e. b. 2. a parish minister is ( in that station and office ) but a servant of the diocesane bishop ; and therefore rightly called a curate , and if we may not own ( as you grant ) the bishop , i think it will necessarily follow , that his substitute and curate hath no reason to expect any respect from us — r. b. the same fallacy is so palpable that a small measure of reason may discern it . 1. it is false that he is in that office [ but a servant ] the truth is , the law maketh him not a servant at all , but only an ecclesiastical subject . but if you had said , he is but a subject , it had not been true , if [ but ] be exclusive of his other pastoral relation . for he is by the law , the priest , the teacher , the rector of that parish church in subordination to the bishop . 2. but whatever he be by the law of the land , or by the bishops will , the faithful ministers in parish churches are by christs own commission , the true pastors of the flocks ; having all things essential to that relation . 3. but deceive not your reader by intimating , that i speak of a parochial minister as parochial , ( not quâ but qui : ) for parish bounds are but accidents of the churches : it is christian churches as such , though parochial or so bounded , that i speak of . a christian pastor with his christian flock ( e. g. mr. gataker , mr. marshall , dr. stoughtion , dr. seaman , mr. sedgwicke , dr. gouge and such like ) do constitute a true christian church , though in parish bounds . and as such pastours they are the ministers of christ , and not servants to diocesanes : and their subordination to diocesans by the law is but accidental to their pastoral office . how many volumes of the old non-conformists give you this answer ? and if you have read them , why would you dissemble it , and give no reply to it ? if you never read them , is it modesty to despise them ? sect. 40. e. b. p. 11. [ if persecutors are not to be communicated with , nor such as have consented to our silencing ( which you also allow ) ( though i could wish you had proved it better than by the obscure & disputable example of martin ) then i think very few , if any of the parish-ministers , but must even upon that account also be separated from ; since either by open consent , or else by an vndoing and pernicious silence they have all made themselves guilty of that grievous sin : there being but little difference in the sight of god , between the persecuting brethren our selves , and ( by not sharply reproving it ) seeming to approve of it in others . r. b. 1. your repeated mistake of my [ allowing ] that which i only meddle not with , but exclude from the question ; or oppose not , i pass by . 2. every one that is by remote consequence guilty of our silencing doth not consent to it . otherwise you , and i , and all the silenced ministers in england do consent to it . for he is blindly impenitent that will deny that we are any way guilty of it . 3. you do but cover one open sin with another ; even separation with uncharitable slander of many hundred godly conformable ministers , whom you accuse of this consent . i know scarce any one of my acquaintance whom i take for a faithful diligent pastor , and whom i perswade men to hear , but they are grieved at the heart for the silencing of so many and such . i hear some complain of it privately , and some lament it publickly , and earnestly pray that god would restore them ; but i never heard one of them own it . 4. i plead not for vndoing , pernicious silence : i think too many are deeply guilty by it : my testimony in this case is visible among the writings whose number you prove me proud by . but if you make this a proof of the duty of separation , you will make mad work of it . for , 1. you know not mens opportunities to speak : and where there is no opportunity , there it s no duty . 2. you know not who hath spoken their dissent plainly and who not . it may he some have done it in the convocation : it may be some have done it privately , and some publickly already in due season . and we are not to expect an account from them of all that they say . 3. to whom is it that you would have all the countrey ministers speak against our silencing ? to those that did it they have no access ; and they are out of hearing . and must they needs talk to the people of their superiours actions , and speak against them behind their backs ? 4. if we know that one , two , twenty have spoken or written plainly in reproof of a sin , are all the ministers in the land bound to do the same over again ? must they all leave their flocks to come up to london to do it ? or must they every one publish his reproof in print ? 5. all silence , or not-reproving is not a seeming consent : much less in gods sight little different from persecution . were all the churches in the empire persecutors , or to be separated from , which did not reprove the emperours for banishing athanasius , and chrysostom and such others ? of all the silenced ministers in london or england , how small a number is there that have [ sharply reproved ] the silencers ? and perhaps they that have done it most sharply may have been more sharp than did beseem them . to conclude readers , mark here by this reason how few you must hold communion with in the land or in the world , if you will be the disciples of mr. bagshaw ; away from conformists and non-conformists that have [ sharply reproved ] persecutors . this is the way to be able to guess at the names and numbers of those that by his rule you must communicate with . 5. but what if they have sharply reproved this one sin ? you cannot prove that they themselves have done so by all other sins : even you your self have left some unreproved : and will not the want of the sharp reproving of other sins as well as of persecution , make your communion with such unlawful ? 6. but at the worst ; not reproving can be but a particular sin ? and it is not every particular sin that maketh communion unlawful . 7. and have you first admonished them of that sin , and tryed all these ministers whether they be penitent ? yea or ever heard them speak for themselves ? or do you reject matth. 18. 15. and make to your self and followers a new law , that whomsoever you shall suspect or accuse of sin , you must also separate from ? 8. but by this rule of yours , methinks few if any should be liker to be accepted in your communion than my self , if reproving persecution would serve turn . and yet even i also am rejected by you , as being not wise or good enough to communicate with such as you , but as one of the worst of hereticks to be rejected of all . 9. but i beseech you give your readers leave here to remember , if you will not , that your own doctrine imposeth it on me as my duty , to reprove you sharply as i have done ; while you teach the world , that it is but little different in the sight of god , to persecute , and not sharply to reprove it , and so disown it . for if it make the sins of my superiours mine , if i do not sharply reprove them , and make me almost as guilty as they , i shall not be innocent if i reprove not you sharply , when it is to me that you direct your words . and i had rather be thought too sharp , than be guilty of all the crimes and falshoods of this your script , especially when you are the accuser of my silence your self . sect. 41. e. b. lastly , admitting there are some worthy and able men , among the parish ministers ( which for my own part i believe never a whit the more because you affirm it ) yet this we must say , that their sin is great in submitting to so undue a way of entering into the ministry ; and therefore we both forbear our selves , and warn all others not to hear them ; because we cannot think our lord christ ever sent such to preach in his name , who directly and by a solemn oath have renounced their christian liberty under pretence of preaching christ ; and are indeed nothing else ( as to the whole discharge and exercise of their office ) but servants of men — in consistent with being servants of christ . r. b. 1. either you think there are some worthy able men among them , or you do not . if you do , why should you be so malignant as to question the assertion of it , and so loth to grant it ? if you do not , how unfit is so false and malignant an accuser of the brethren , to be the conducter of souls , or the historian of the age , that will not know a thing so publick and notorious . 2. as for your not believing me , no men are so hardly brought to believe the truth from others , as they that are conscious of ordinary falshood from themselves . 3. i think i could prove their sin as effectually as you can : but must we separate from all sinners ? or from all that sin in their entrance into the ministry ? and why not as well from all other sins of equal greatness ? do you warn all others not to hear your self ? or do you yet take your self to be no sinner ? or no great sinner ? what if the presbyterians think the independents way of entrance to be undue ? and the independents think so of the presbyterians ? and both of the anabaptists ? and the anabaptists of them both , &c. must they all therefore warm all men not to hear each other ? mr. nye thought not so , when he wrote for such hearing publick ministers . is it fit for the author of two books of calumnies and bold untruths , besides false doctrines and other crimes , to say [ their sin is great , &c. and therefore we both forbear our selves , and warn all others not to hear them ? ] 4. most that i speak of did enter into the ministry in the presbyterian or independent way heretofore , and do but continue on the terms which i dissent from as well as you . how then can you say they unduely enter into the ministry ? 5. did you know before you wrote this , that all such as we perswade men to hear , have by oath renounced their christian liberty ? what oath is it that you mean ? if you mean the oath of supremacy or allegiance , unless popery be christian liberty , we know of none such which these renounce . and i know of no other oath , except that of canonical obedience in licitis & honestis . and for that , 1. i find not that the act , or canons do impose it on those that come for ordination ; ( nor am so well skil'd in the law as to know by what law it is done ; ) 2. i know that men have been ordinarily ordained without it . and to such your reason for separation is vain . 3. mr. bradshaw and other old non-conformists were wont to say that they obeyed the diocesanes , and so did promise them obedience , only as they are the kings officers , deputed for the exercise of that civil or coercive power which magistrates have in causes called ecclesiastical . and what liberty doth that give away ? 4. but suppose that you are the wiser man , and that those that are more ignorant do mistakingly think that canonical obedience , and the oath ( with that of supremacy ) to be their duty , and no renouncing of their christian liberty ▪ is it not false doctrine to conclude , that christ never sent out any that had as great a sin as this ? what none ? when he sent out judas himself , who was first a thief and after a traytor ? do you think then that christ ever sent out lyars , railers , furious church-dividers , false accusers , & c ? 5. that indeed they are nothing else , as to the whole discharge and exercise of their office , but the servants of men , is another slander and untruth . he that is a servant of christ , and a true pastor of a christian church , and a sound preacher of the gospel , and an helper of believers faith , and a lover of the peoples souls , and a diligent upright labourer for mens salvation , is something else than a servant of man ( even in the discharge of their ministerial office . ) but such are many of the conformable ministers : ergo — prove if you can that dr. preston , sibbes , stoughton , whittaker , mr. bolton , whateley , gataker , fenner , and all the late assembly save eight or nine at most ( being all conformists ) were nothing else but the servants of men , and not at all the servants of christ . your father thought otherwise of mr. bolton , and perhaps they were both as wise as you . prove now that mr. gurnal , mr. trap , dr. lightfoot , dr. walker , mr. langley , and many others that i can name that are worthy men in london and round about it , are nothing else but the servants of men ? and will it not be as hard to prove one to be a servant of christ who serveth satan by falshood and malice , and calumniating christs churches and servants , as those that are thus the servants of men . sect. 42. e. b. for the question is not ( as you weakly and insignificantly word it ) whether a defective , faulty , true church may ordinarily ( or at least sometimes be joyned with ] but whether a defective , faulty , imposing church is not to be separated from . ] r. b. 1. you begin here with another untruth : i was the stater of the question , and did not referr it to you to state it : i chose that question to dispute which i thought fittest : therefore to tell me that it not the question , which is the question , is untrue . 2. we have here another taste of your insolency : to call them magisterially [ weak and insignificant ] words , which you design not to examine , nor once notifie to the reader , wherein the weakness or insignificancy is , nay which we suppose you in the next sentence use your self , expresly in all the words save one , and implicitly as to that : for defective and faulty are words that you condescend to use : and when you say [ a church ] you must mean a church that hath truth of essence ▪ or else you speak equivocally or contradiction . and may not a true church be faulty and defective ? where then is the insignificancy of these words ? 3. and as to the predicate , is there a difference between the questions , whether such a church may be joyned with ? and whether it must be separated from ? if there be , i will put the question as hath least ambiguity . i mean [ such separation , as consisteth , 1. in holding that such a church may not be joyned with . 2. and as consisteth in a privative not-joyning , or refusing communion as unlawful . ] if you mean any thing else , you talk not to me , and to my question . 4. but is all the stress of separation laid upon the word [ imposing ? ] i undertook to prove that the parish ministers that i speak of , do not impose upon the people ; unless officiating be imposing : as separatists themselves impose their own words of prayer , upon the people that are to joyn with them ; it being the ministers office to word his prayers and praises , he imposeth them on the people : and all other circumstances in which the pastor doth and must guide the flock ( as what chapter shall be read , what psalm , meeter , tune , time , &c. ) i think the separatists impose . and i know not that the minister whom i hear doth impose any more on me : therefore by your own rule ▪ i am not bound to separate from this parish church , because it is no imposing church . it is imposed on , but it doth not impose that i know of . sect. 43. e. b. this we affirm , 1. because we know not how else to preserve our christian liberty ( which it is an indispensible duty to maintain ) but by separating from those that would unduly take it from us . r. b. these universal terms not limited nor expounded are to be taken universally ; and so here are two false doctrines ; one that it is indispensible duty to maintain all our christian liberty , and the other that we know not how else to maintain it ▪ but if by this liberty , you mean but some sort of liberty , and not all , you should have distinguished , if you would not deceive . and if by [ we know not ] you intend only a confession of your own ignorance , that would be no proof of the point in hand , because that may be true , which you know not . 1. there is a liberty called christian , because it is essential to christianity ; ( as to be freed from the covenant of works , and from the guilt and reign of sin , and from the power of satan , and the state of enmity against god , &c. ) 2. there is a liberty called christian , because it is procured and given us by christ , though not essential to christianity ; ( as to eat of this meat or that , flesh or herbs , to be free from the observation of certain dayes , and customs , and ceremonies , not sinful in themselves . ) 3. there is a liberty called christian , because christians have it in common with all other men , or with many : ( as to marry or not marry ; to live in this countrey , or that ; to be free from oppression , injuries , slanders , persecution , when they can . ) and we must distinguish of the word [ our ] that is , we must shew how far this liberty is ours indeed . 1. it is one thing to be ours necessarily , or as you say indispensibly , and another thing to be ours when we can get it , keep it , or use it , without a greater loss than it will compensate , or a greater hurt to others . it is one thing to be ours in fundamental right , to be used at fit times , and another thing to be ours , to be alwayes used . prop. 1. the liberty which is essential to our christianity or godliness , is indispensibly to be maintained and exercised , gal. 5. 1. prop. 2. all degrees of the same liberty must be maintained , as well as the essentials ; that is , we must labour to be as free as we can from all the degrees of sin , and misery : but we cannot here have what we would . prop. 3. there is a liberty to use certain things as statedly or ordinarily indifferent , which is none of ours ( to use them ) in several cases , which take away the indifferency , ( as in case of scandal , or greater hurt to others or our selves , or of the restraint of just authority . ) prop. 4. the same must be said of forbearing things indifferent . prop. 5. our liberty from persecution , oppression , injuries , slanders , must be patiently let go , as being none of ours , when it cannot be kept by lawful means , or without a greater hurt , acts 22. 28 , &c. prop. 6. but our liberty in either of these three last mentioned cases , ought not causelesly to be taken from us by others , nor must be causelesly cast away by our selves ; nor should we yield to false teachers , who would deceive the churches , by telling them that they are under divine obligations , when they are not ; and make them believe that things lawful are unlawful , and things indifferent are necessary , gal. 2. 4 , 5. col. 2. 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. acts 15. 1 cor. 7. 21 , 22. the third proposition is it that i am to prove . and pauls becoming all things to all men , to save some , a jew to the jews , his shaving his head , his circumcising timothy , with the reasons of it , his resolution to forbear the eating of flesh , rather than offend the weak , and his perswading others to do the like , do fully prove it . he maintaineth the christians right of liberty against false teachers ; but he maintaineth not the exercise of it , when he had reason to let it go : for liberty is not necessity , 1 cor. 9. 1. am i not free ? 4 , 5. have we not power to eat and to drink ? have we not power to lead about a sister , a wife , as well as other apostles ? 12. if others be partakers of this power over you , are not we rather ? nevertheless we have not used this power , but suffered all things lest we should hinder the gospel of christ . — 15. but i have used none of these things — 19 ▪ for though i be free from all men , yet have i made my self servant to all , that i might gain the more : and unto the jews i became a jew , that i might gain the jews ; to them that are under the law , as under the law , that i might gain them that are under the law : to them that are without the law , as without law , that i might gain them that are without law. to the weak i became as weak , that i might gain the weak : i am made all things to all men , that i might by all means save some . and this i do for the gospels sake — see 1 cor. 8. 13. rom. 14. 21. it is good neither to eat flesh , nor to drink wine , nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth , or is offended , or is made weak . christ himself saith , matth. 17. 26. then are the children free : notwithstanding lest we should offend , go thou , &c. and give them for me and thee . 1 pet. 2. 16. as free , ( that is , as such as by christ are freed from true bondage , but not from order and subjection , and therefore [ not having or using liberty for a cloak of maliciousness , but as the servants of god. no man hath liberty to be unruly or hurtfull . rom. 7. 3. if her husband be dead , she is free from that law , and yet may give away that freedom . yea , of the very liberty from the jewish law , the apostle saith , gal. 5. 13. for ye have been called unto liberty ( q. d. therefore let not false teachers perswade you that you are bound to that which you are freed from ) only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh , but by love serve one another ] q. d. in the exercise of this liberty you must do or not do the things you are at liberty in , as may do most good , according as the law of love requireth , and not as your own carnal interest and lust inclineth you : for all the law is fulfilled in one word , in this , thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self . 1 cor. 16. 25 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31. whatsoever is sold in the shambles eat , asking no question for conscience sake — but if any man say unto you , this is offered in sacrifice to idols , eat not , for his sake that shewed it , and for conscience sake ( thus our liberty is not to be exercised against love : for we have no liberty to hurt our brethren ) 29. conscience i say , not thine own , but of the others : thus others by weakness , and consequently rulers by authority may restrain the exercise of our liberty ) for why is my liberty judged of another mans conscience ? that is , not that his conscience is the rule of my right , or his judgement taketh away my title to liberty ; but his interest and the law of love , do take away my right of using my liberty to anothers hurt . 3. for if i by grace be a partaker ( that is , lawfully according to my christian liberty ) why am i evil spoken of for that for which i give thanks , ( that is , it is a fault in those that accuse me of sin , when i do that which is lawful , in it self , abstracted from the consequents or scandal ) : whether therefore ye eat or drink , ( which are things indifferent as to the kind of food ) or whatsoever ye do ( how lawful in it self soever ) do all to the glory of god ( for the interest of the end must guide and restrain you in the use even of things in themselves indifferent : for no man hath liberty to dishonour god , nor to hurt another , ( nor to disobey just power . ) i beseech you therefore while you promise men liberty , be not your self , and make not them the servants of sin , 2 pet. 2. 19. and take notice that liberty must be distinguished as to right , and as to vse , and that the use must often be denyed , and not maintained . 2. let us next see whether there be no way but separation in our case , to preserve our liberty ? paul hath here shewed you another way : 1. by doctrinal defence to defend it against false teachers , that would doctrinally brings us into bondage . to maintain against such as you who add to gods laws , that we are not bound to do that which is not commanded , or to forbear that which is not by god forbidden , though you say we are . 2. to use our liberty as it tendeth to gods glory and mans good , and disuse it when it crosseth these , ( but not deny our right . ) this is the scripture way of preserving it : and not to think that we have no way to preserve it , but by doing hurt , or crossing love by church-divisions . 3. no falshood is a just defence of our christian liberty : but to say , that a true church is no true church , or true worship is no true worship , or that it is not lawful to communicate where it is lawful , is a falshood . therefore it is no just defence of our liberty . sect. 44. e. b. p. 12. 2. being present where those things are used in the worship of god , which god hath not commanded , this would involve us in the guilt and contagion of them : nor do we believe ( however we have your word for the contrary ) the lord will otherwise interpret it ; since he hath so strictly charged us , to keep far from a false matter , and not to partake in other mens sins . r. b. here are two more false doctrines intimated : 1. that to use things in the worship of god which he hath not commanded ( without exception ) is a sin . 2. that being present where they are used , involveth us in the guilt . where note , 1. that it is not part of the worship , but things used in the worship , that he speaketh of . 2. that i proved the contrary to both these at large , and the man saith only that he hath my word for the contrary , and giveth not a syllable of answer to my twenty instances , and many undenyable reasons to the contrary . doth he not either highly esteem his own reason and authority , that thinketh it should be received , if he do but say the word , without attempting to answer what 's said against him : or else doth he not greatly despise his own readers and followers , in taking them for such credulous ductile souls , as will take his bare word without expecting any reason from him to confute what is said on the other side ? or is all this on presumption , that his reader will not know what i have said ? sermon notes , meeters , tunes , printed bibles ( as printed ) and divided into chapters and verses , the words of a sermon or prayer , the particular method , cups , tables , &c. are used in the worship of god without any particular command , or any command for this , rather than that , in cases of indifferency : and yet all these are not therefore unlawful . and i proved that all ministers , and families sin in gods worship , and yet that it is not therefore lawful to separate from them all . if you your self say that you say nothing in preaching or praying but what is commanded you , and that your worship hath no sin , you deceive your self , and the truth is not in you . but if you think it a sin for any to hear you , or have communion with you , why do you not plainly tell your hearers so ? to keep far from a false matter , ( as from writing falshoods by the dozens ) and not to partake of other mens sins , is one thing ; and for children to tell their fathers , or people their pastors , we must not worship god with you , because in forms , words , method , you do something not commanded , yea , because through error you do somewhat sinful , is another thing . sect. 45. e. b. lastly , whatever pretences may be used , for the keeping of peace , yet ( to speak strictly so as to satisfie conscience ) peace is but ill bought , if we must purchase it at so dear a rate as the loss of truth : and this truth concerning the sole soveraign power of our lord christ in appointing all matters of his worship — is a point so necessary to be maintained , and so utterly inconsistent with the supposing that any thing is to be obtruded which he hath not commanded , that we dare not allow our selves in the practice of any thing which may prejudice that fundamental . r. b. 1. how oft have i answered that saying about selling truth for peace , and must hear it again in the old confusion without any notice of what hath been said . see my treatise of infant baptism on that point particularly . do i fell thirty three truths , when i read thirty three untruths in your writings ? do i sell truth , if i should hear you preach or pray erroneously , and impose your confused prayers on the people ? or impose this or that metre or tune on them in singing of psalms ? 2. here you say [ matters of worship ] before it was [ in worship . ] and even the word . [ worship ] is taken so variously , as calls for explication , before we determine whether man may appoint matters of worship : for if you will call [ putting off the hat ] and reverent gestures , in particular , and metres , and tunes , and the method and words of the particular prayer or sermon , by the name of worship , then man may appoint it . 3. it is an untrue supposition , and but a begging of the question , that our presence with any thing obtruded unlawfully , is a prejudice to that fundamental of the soveraignty of christ . all men that sin do sin against his soveraignty : and all that obtrude any thing unlawfully , sin against it by that obtrusion . but if you obtrude a rash and passionate prayer on the people , or an erroneous or disorderly prayer , or an ill-composed hymn or psalm , their presence is no approbation of your error , nor denying of christs soveraignty . do you , or can you believe and make all your followers believe , that the synagogue-worship , and the temple-worship were kept so pure , by the priests , levites , and pharisees in christs dayes , as that there was nothing of humane tradition obtruded ? or nothing but what god commanded ? can you believe this ? or can you believe that christ was not usually or often present there ? see luke 4. 16. at nazareth where he had been brought up , as his custom was , he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day — and of paul its said , acts 17. 2. as his manner was , he went in to them , and three sabbath dayes reasoned — or do you believe , that christ was a sinner ? and that he contradicted his own soveraignty ? what! and yet be a perfect saviour ? who is it now that prejudiceth fundamentalls ? sect. 46. e. b. and we judge we have sufficient warrant from what the apostles did in a like case , acts 15. 24. for if they reproved such as preached up circumcision and other legal ceremonies , at that day , when as the apostles had given them no such commandment , saying of them , that they subverted or spoiled the souls of the disciples , then may we affirm the like of those men now , who in things equally indispensible , do act with every whit as little authority , from whom on that very account we think it our duty to separate . r. b. 1. the authority of the king and lawful magistrates is more about the circumstantials of worship ( as whether abiathar shall be high priest , &c. ) than the false teachers was about that doctrine . 2. the apostles do indeed declare that they sent them not to preach , or not such doctrine : but that 's not the thing on which they lay the great accusation , but on the false and dividing doctrine which they preached . christ saith of one that cast out devils in his name , and followed him not , let him alone ; he that is not against us , is for us : and moses wisht all the lords people were prophets : but these false teachers would have made the keeping of moses law to be necessary to salvation : and can you prove that the minister doth so , whom i use to hear ? do all the parish ministers do so ? can you see no difference between one that saith , the law or cannons command me to use this surplice or form as an indifferent thing : ] and one that saith [ except you do this or that , you break gods law and cannot be saved : except you separate from all parish churches , you sin against god , and prejudice a fundamental ? sure it is one thing to say , god saith this , or binds you to this , or forbids you this ? and it s another thing to say , the king , or the bishop saith it . 3. and what is it that keepeth you from seeing how strongly you confute your self ? is there a word in acts 15. to forbid all church communion with those that taught even this subverting false doctrine ? how many texts be there that intimate that the churches long ( without a prohibition ) held communion with the erronious judaizing christians ? till they grew obstinate , and grew up to a heresie , and were the separaters themselves , and did subvert the gospel and faith of christ . but yet prove that such doctrine is held by our parish churches , and i will leave them : do not the independents offer to subscribe the doctrine of the church of england ? sure then they think its doctrinals to be sound . sect. 47. e. b. by two arguments you labour to defend your irregular way of communion : 1. that in the primitive churches there were many corruptions , which the apostle writes against , but doth not advise any because of them to separate . but i answer — it is not corruption or error barely considered as such , that we account to be a sufficient ground of separation : but the imposing of that error with on high hand , and making a submission to it ( at least in our practice and outward observance ) the very condition of communion : this we say , is a thing which necessitates us to make a separation . r. b. mark that you distinguish not of corruption or error , nor except any , but what is imposed . and when i had answered all this so fully , why will you deign to confute a book , while you disdain to take notice what it saith ? 1. who would have thought that you are so much looser in your communion than we are ? i will separate from that church which in the essential matter ( pastor , or all the flock ) after admonition retaineth such corruption and error , as is directly contrary to any essential point of christianity , though they impose it not on others : but by these words it seems , as scrupulous as you are , you would not separate from hereticks or ungodly ones , if they do not impose their heresie and impiety ! 2. how oft have i urged you to prove , that our publick parish ministers whom i advise men to hear , do impose any more than you your self do ? by choosing what chapter to read , you impose on the people to hear that chapter then or none ? by choosing what place , hour , method , words , ye● , matter , and metre , tune , &c. you impose upon the people to joyn in all these , or not to have communion with you therein . and so our teacher doth by reading common-prayer and wearing the surplice , impose on us to hear him so reading , or to stay away . but he maketh no laws : he commandeth us no ceremony : they are commanded by others , and not by him : and it is not in your own practice of any thing forbidden of god , that i advise men to have communion with such ; but only in gods true worship , though in the circumstances or manner the minister himself , say or do something that is forbidden ; as every teacher in the world doth , though not in the same degree . it is one thing to submit to be present at the worship , which the pastor performeth in some faulty manner : and another thing wilfully to do evil your self , or to approve of his failings or your own . sect. 48. e. b. to which i add only this , that however the presenting our bodies at a worship which we do not inwardly approve of , may render us excusable , and justiste us among men , yet we are sure it will not in the sight of god who hates hypocrisie — r. b. though you confound , i must distinguish the essentials of the worship from the circumstances , and outward imperfections in the manner . i do inwardly approve of the matter or substance of the worship which i joyn in , in the main ; and labour to pray with my heart when i joyn in the common-prayer ; though i consent not to the whole method , nor to the defects . and when i hear a man in free prayer use confusion , disorder , unseemly words , and when i hear one man drop the error of an arminian , or a lutheran , another of an antinomian , another of an anabaptist , another of a separatist , &c. in his prayer , i do not inwardly approve of that error or disorder , any more than of the defects of forms : and yet if it were hypocrisie to be present , i would joyn with no man living . can all your hearers inwardly approve of all that you say , if you preach and pray but as you write ? if they can , its time to pitty them . and are they hypocrites else for joyning with you ? sect. 49 e. b. p. 14. 1. this is clear in scripture , that our lord christ ( who was himself holy and separated from sinners ) did never call or design his church to be an impure mixt body of holy and unholy without any distinction , blended and hudled up together , but — to be an holy separate people — and to depart from unrighteousness . r. b. 1. remember reader , ( for he will not remember ) that but even now he told us , that it is not corruption and error barely as such , that is a sufficient ground of separation , without imposition : and now here is nothing but mixture of holy and vnholy . reconcile these if you can . 2. christ that was perfectly separated from sinners , had yet ordinary communion with sinners in a sinful or culpable manner of performance ( unless the jews were all perfect ) therefore our separation must be such as christs was , in our measure . 3. impurity , and unholiness , and sin is not the matter of gods call , or designment either in the church or out ; but of his permission : but communion with those churches which by permission have sin and impurity in them , is a commanded thing . and they that must depart from iniquity , must not alwayes depart from the worshipping assembly where some unrighteous persons are . your argument , if it be any , must run this : christ did never call or design his church to be an impure mixt body of holy and unholy . the parish churches which you perswade us to communion with , are impure mixt bodies : therefore the parish churches are such as christ never called or designed them to be . suppose we grant you the conclusion : whoever is a sinner is such as christ never called or designed him to be . but your question intimateth that you would argue thus . [ whatever church is such as christ did not call it or design it to be , is not to be communicated with : but all the parish churches are such as christ did not call or design them to be ; ergo — the minor you prove , whatever church is an impure mixt body of holy and unholy , &c. is such as christ did not call or design them to be : but the parish churches are such — but i answer you ; 1. a church is no church that wants the essentials required by christ : but he that will not communicate with church or person that wants the perfection which christ calleth them to , shall communicate with no church or person on earth . 2. the word [ mixt ] is ambiguous ; and implyeth a double act ; one of the impure part , and that christ designeth not , but forbiddeth : the other of the holy , who joyn with some that are unholy ; and that in some cases christ commandeth , and did practise himself . 3. without distinction indeed it should not be : for discipline is appointed to distinguish regularly . 4. take home the argument , and try it on your self . [ whatever church is such as christ did not call and design it to be , is not to be communicated with : but a church that hath an erroneous preacher , or an erroneous sinful people is such as christ did not call or design it to be : ergo — and will you then communicate with any in the world , or any with you ? sect. 50. e. b. p. 14. though through the corruption of men and negligence of church-officers , many ungodly prophane formalists and hypocrites did ( and daily do ) creep in ; yet there is a strict command given to put such out of the church , and turn aside from them — if such are to be withdrawn from , then if any church which is admonished concerning them shall still maintain , abett and countenance them , that church is defiled , and unfit to be communicated with , 1 cor. 5. 7. eccles . 9. 18. heb. 12. 15. r. b. 1. it is only gross sinners , after just admonition upon proof , that are to be put out . the officers ought not to do it without proof . 2. have you or others rightly admonished every parish minister that you call us to separate from , and convicted them upon proof , when you have heard them speak for themselves ? 3. and who gave you authority so to examine other pastors , being but a single person ? 4. we easily grant ( and earnestly desire ) that true church-justice should make a difference : but in case the officers do not their duty , it is none of the peoples duty to separate therefore , haveing done their own part , except in these cases : 1. that the error or crime be so great , as to be inconsistent with christianity , or church communion . 2. that the church do not only neglect it , but deliberately own that error or crime in its aggravated state , as it is so inconsistent with christianity or communion ; not only being consequentially guilty of it , ( as the best man may be of the most heinous sin of another , by some omission of his duty to cure it ) but making it their profession or practice . 3. that this be done , not by some particular members only , but by an essential part of the church , that is , either by the pastor , or by the main body of the people . 4. that this be fully proved , or so notorious as to need no proof . 5. that they be impenitent herein after due admonition : when these five things concur , it is a duty to separate from a church as unfit for christian communion . ( and in lower cases it is a duty to prefer a better , when we can have it . ) but it s much higher ( or lower rather ) that you go : you say [ a church which after admonition and discovery of offenders , will not use her authority to cast them out . ] this may be by mis-information on the sinners side , or by meer negligence , as in eli's case , and may be a great sin , and yet not the same in kind , as that which should be censured ; nor such as will unchurch that church , nor make its communion unlawful to the innocent . as to your proofs , the texts you ▪ cite are all written to the whole churches as churches , who are bid put them away , &c. save that to timothy , and rev. 2. which is to the church-rulers . and it followeth not , that if a church , or church-rulers who have the power of the keyes , are bid to reject or cast out , or not suffer an heretick or wicked person , and to have no fellowship with them , therefore every member is forbidden to have communion with that church in gods worship , unless they cast such a one out . i did by many scripture instances , rev. 2. & 3. & 1 cor. 11. & 15 , &c. prove the contrary , to which you give no answer . 5. let all sober readers note how few in the world we shall have communion with on your terms . how certainly you will turn all churches into strife and bitter envyings , confusion , and every evil work . for railers and covetous among the rest , are those that must be avoided : and if any member of the church shall think that one railer , or one covetous person is kept in unjustly , away they must go , and condemn the church as unworthy of communion . and who will not think that read your book , that you would be one of the first accused of railing ? yea , how few even of the strictest separating churches are they , that neglect not discipline upon some one person ? it may be it may be a rich or powerful man , that will persecute or divide the church if he be cast out ? is there no gathered churches ( as they are called ) that have one railing woman in , or one covetous person ? 6. but sir , our question is not only of the communion of members , but also of strangers occasionally and rarely : and what call hath a stranger to try the discipline of another church ? or what opportunity hath he to know all their members crimes , and to admonish them ? why may not i in my travail communicate with a church whose members and discipline i know not ? at least all parish churches have not been thus admonished by you . sect. 51. e. b. p. 14. lastly , which will fully answer the scruple , it is to be considered , that the primitive churches were setled by the apostles , and constituted according to the divine pattern , having all the ordinances of christ , and true officers rightly established among them ; so that though many scandalous sins did break out , and were visible among some of the members , yet a power was still retained in each church for the keeping themselves pure by casting out offenders ; whereby they were kept to the institution and orders of christ , without any universal innovation or degenerating in those essentials of order as well as doctrine , which they fell into in the ages after ; and when antichristianism ( which was then working ) did manifestly shew it self , not only in rejecting truth , 2 thess . 2. but in imposing error , rev. 13. 16 , 17. then was separation made necessary . r. b. reader , this confused huddle of words it seems is the thing he trusteth to as a full answer to the scruple . but 1. if such churches are to be communicated with , as yet retain all the essentials of office , order and doctrine , then those are to be communicated with , that are now in question : but the former seemeth here intimated by himself , that our said churches have all such essentials , is thus proved . whereever there are true pastors and a christian flock related mutually as such , receiving the holy scriptures as such , there are all things essential to a true church , for office , order and doctrine . but it is so 〈◊〉 the parish churches in question : to stay here to write a particular proof of the validity of the ministers calling , any further than to put the accuser if he can to prove , that any essential part is wanting ( whether in qualification , ordination , or consent ) would be vain , it being done so largely by the old non-conformists . 2. but is there a power retained in such churches to cast out offendors ? answ . yes ; a power divine , or given by christ . remember that ( as i have proved disp . of ordinat . ) men are not the makers of the office of the sacred ministry , nor the measurers or givers of the power ; but only the choosers of the person that shall receive what christ by institution giveth , and the ministerial investers of the person in that power . therefore , whoever receiveth the office of a pastor receiveth the power of the keyes , to take in and cast out ( though not arbitrarily nor ungoverned by himself ) but the parish ministers ( or very many of them ) now in question do receive the office of pastors : therefore they receive the power of the keyes to take in and cast out . if you say that the bishops intend it not in ordaining them : i answer , 1. it sufficeth that christ intendeth it , who is the only maker and giver of the power : the book of ordination maketh them solemnly covenant to give faithful diligence alwayes so to minister the doctrine , and sacraments , and the discipline of christ as the lord hath ●●●manded , &c. and to teach nothing as required of necessity to eternal salvation , but that which they are perswaded may be concluded and proved by the scripture , as containing all such necessary doctrine : and to be ready with all faithful diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to gods word : and to use both publick and private monitions and exhortations as well to the sick , as the whole : and to be diligent in prayers and reading the holy scriptures , and in such studies as help to the knowledge of the same , laying aside the study of the world and the flesh . and that they will be diligent to frame and fashion themselves and their families , according to the doctrine of christ , and to make both themselves and them , as much as they can , wholesome examples to the flock , &c. and till lately the said book recited acts 20. 28. to the presbyters at their ordination . and the canon 26. saith [ no minister shall in any wise admit to the receiving of the holy communion any of his cure or flock , which be openly known to live in sin notorious without repentance ; besides what the rubrick saith to that purpose . and now ( though i think this one of the greatest sores which you have touched ) yet judge whether even the laws and canons concede no power to the ministers . 3. but if they did not , the power of office is one thing , and the liberty of exercising it is another : we have power from christ to preach : and if we be silenced and our liberty restrained by men , that proveth us not to be no true ministers . if you mean that no church is to be communicated with where the pastor is hindered by men from the full discharge of his office , you mistake , and can never prove it . 4. they that voluntarily neglect their office ( without hinderance by the force of men ) are more to be blamed than those that are so forced . but in the primitive churches discipline was lamentably neglected voluntarily ; as appeareth in the case of most of the seven churches , rev. 2. & 3. for which they are threatned by christ , and in the corinthians case : yea , corrupted by such as diotrophes . and do you think that the church that hath power to do well , and will not , is therefore to be communicated with because it can ? that is , because it sinneth not through disability , but negligence or wilfulness ? 5. but the core of your erroneous reasoning is behind ; you say , they were — without any vniversal innovation or degenerating in those essentials of order as well as doctrine which they fell into in the ages after , &c. an vniversal degenerating in the essentials even of doctrine and order too , is a big and a sad word : and the time pointed at by you being so early , if i can understand you , you do ( as the seekers ) unchurch the universal church of christ . for if it degenerated vniversally in the essentials of doctrine , it vniversally apostatized from christianity : for where any essential part is lost , the essence and just name is lost . and i beseech you , let not rashness or passion blind you to over-overlook the dreadfulness of this doctrine . 1. if christ had then no church ( as he had not , if the essential degeneration was vniversal ) then he was no king of the church on earth , no lord , no teacher , no saviour of the church ; no intercessor for it in the heavens ? and do you not then dethrone him , and deny him indeed to be the christ ? what , a head without a body ? a king without a kingdom ? 2. so you will make all gods promises of his churches perpetuity , as built on the rock , against which hell gates should not prevail , and of being with them to the end of the world , &c. to be false and fail . and if the whole church failed , and the promises made to it , what particular soul can trust gods promises . 3. if all the church apostatized , how shall we know that apostates did not corrupt all the copies of scripture that are come down to us ? 4. and then the article [ i believe the holy catholick church ] would have been a falshood or error . 5. and then there could be no baptism , no sacrament of the lords supper , &c. 6. and then there must be new apostles with miracles to make a new church . and thus we have mr. williams doctrine , whose story i recited in my last book . sect. 52. e. b. p. 15. [ this necessity of separation which began then continueth still , since our churches , though reformed from popery ( that is , from antichristianism ) in some points , yet are not restored to the primitive pattern and purity . ] r. b. 1. whether by [ our churches ] you mean only the parish churches of godly ministers , or also all the protestant churches , and all other vniversally through the world , i am not sure : but as far as i can conjecture by your words you mean ; all. because you speak of them as in a continuance in part in the vniversal degeneration in essentials ; and you speak of them as avoiding popery but in part , and call them [ our churches , ] and mention no church in the world here that you own as a true church ( and whether any where in all your writings i remember not . ) i confess i pretend not to know the mind of so careless a writer by any words , but very plain ones : but if this be your mind as it seemeth to be , you would do well ( being so bold a man ) to tell the world your mind more plainly : and you that think that no truth is to be sold ( as you call it ) for peace , let independents , presbyterians , separatists , anabaptists , &c. know it , if indeed you think that all their churches are to be separated from , as well as the parish churches . if this be your mind , i suppose you are but a preacher to auditors your self , and not a pastor to any church . he that thinks no truth should be concealed for fear of suffering , should not carry it in darkness and dissimulation to the pastors and churches about him , if really he believe them to be no pastors or churches , or not to be communicated with . but i think that you better deserve to be disowned by them , than they by you . certainly few or no protestant church , that i have known , will say that it is restored to the primitive pattern and purity in degree . if that therefore be your meaning , you do separate from all the churches in the world . but if you mean not , in degree , but in essence , i still challenge you to prove that the churches in question want any thing essential ; or need a restoration to that which they never lost ? sect. 52. e. b. p. 15. [ so that more may be said for separation now ( when whole churches are out of order and corrupt ) than could be at that time when corruption had infected only particular members . ] r. b. 1. is it now come to that ? is it the number corrupted that must decide the case ? who can tell where to find this proteus ? sometime it is the mixture of holy and unholy : sometime it is not bare corruption without imposition : and now it is the numbers corrupted , ( whole churches : ) and in the next sentence — you shall see what ? 2. is the whole church any thing besides the particular members ? is there any other matter ? or any form besides the relation of the particular members ? 3. i challenge you if you can to prove any corruption in the churches in question , which is not consistent with the essence ? i know not so much errour or harm , in the people of the church that i now joyn with , where i live , as paul chargeth on the corinthians or galathians : ( though i suppose the primitive ministry and gifts more excellent than any of ours . ) sect. 53. e. b. [ for it is not , as i said before , corruption barely , no nor imposition barely , that is a sufficient ground for any to separate ( for where some lesser errours are held but not imposed ; or , where only necessary things are imposed , we shall not forbear communion . ) but when errour is once imposed , and by a strong hand forcibly maintained ( notwithstanding all admonitions and endeavours of reformation , ) here we must separate or consent to sin . — r. b. better and better : here it is granted that neither corruption barely , nor imposition barely , will justifie separation . but by corruption and imposition barely seemeth to be meant such formaliter quoad actum , without including the degree of the matter . for it is expounded of [ lesser errours ] held and not imposed ; or of necessary things imposed . so that if it be imposed on us to worship god , it will not prove us no christians : we are beholden to you for this clemency . and if we should mistake a point of genealogie or chronologie it will not un-church us . this is something . 2. well , but what is the crime that maketh our communion unlawful ? [ when errour is once imposed , &c. ] so then ( if you can speak sense ) any errour imposed will do it . what if it be imposed on the church , to use a translation of the bible that hath some errour in ( and is there any without ? ) must that church needs be separated from ? and yet the church that used the same voluntarily ( and therefore more sinfully ) is not to be separated from ? what if erroneously it be imposed on the church to meet at an inconvenient time or place ? what if some flaw or errour in chronologie on smaller-matters , were in their imposed confession , which the pastour erroneously subscribeth to ? it seems an infallible imposing church may be communicated with , and no other . but do you not know that there is a ministerial as well as a magistratical forcing imposition ? every pastour that speaketh as by commission from christ , imposeth somewhat on the people ! he imposeth doctrine , and method , and words in prayer , and times , places , utensils , orders , metres , tunes , as aforesaid . must all these be separated from ( that is almost all the pastors in the world ; ) and is there no remedie ? 3. but perhaps you lay all the stress [ on a strong hand and force ! ] if so , prove that your ministerial imposition of errour in your prayer or conduct , doth not make communion unlawful ; and yet that forcible imposition doth ? as if voluntary reception made less the sin ! prove that the church of the jews was nullified whenever any errour was imposed by authority ! or when the pharisees then in power had corrupted it in christs time by force . if this were your meaning , then separation could scarce be lawful , till there was a constantine , a christian emperour , who ( being not infallible ) might force or impose something amiss , whereas you before talk of an early universal failing , necessitating separation . it seems then that no countries are so unhappy as those that have christian magistrates , who being fallible , impose some errour : and that in all the ages and countries that have heathen or infidel rulers , ( notwithstanding church corruptions not forced ) separation is a sin . 4. but i would fain know , whether it be the imposition , that nullifieth the church , or makes communion unlawful , or only the obeying that imposition ? if it be the imposition , then a heathen prince may nullifie the church at pleasure . if it be only the obedience , then , 1. must it be once obeying or continual ? what if aurelian or dioclesian forbid church-assemblies : will once obeying them nullifie all the churches , or make their communion unlawful ? 2. why will not obeying a minister or de●●ver make it as unlawful as obeying a king ? 3. why doth not the doing it without constraint ( as is said ) make it as unlawful as obedience ? 5. is it the king and parliament , or the bishops whose impositions have this sad effect ? if the former , then ( as is said ) it was 300 years after christ , before separation was lawful . if the latter , then it is not force only that doth it ; and independent , or anabaptist or presbyterian pastors may impose as well as bishops . for the bishops disclaim all coercive power in the church , ( as i have shewed to dr. moulin . ) sect. 54. e. b. the second argument is the example of the former non-conformists , who you say were all against separation , &c. r. b. here you cite a passage of mr. hildershams , that the authority of man is not to be set against gods , and that we may know more than those that went before us , &c. and did not ) i tell you so my self ? who dissenteth from you in this ? bring your proof from scripture against them and us , and we will hear you . or give us but good proof that you are a wiser and better man than they , and are better taught of god , and we will yield this by-reason from authority . but to bring mr. hildershams acknowledgement of gods authority above mans , against mr. hildershams arguments against separation , and his perswasions to come to the beginning of the churches prayers , and to imply that you know more than those worthy men , when you give the world so little evidence of it , doth prove the goodness of your cause as much as it proveth your humility or self-acquaintance . sect. 55. e. b. p. 17 , 18. [ the former non-conformists held arminianisme so fundamental and dangerous an errour , &c. but you do not only speak favourably of it , but also proudly tell us that you are confident , not one of many hundreds , who speak against communion with arminians , do understand what arminianisme is — as if — plain christians could not easily come to know it . r. b. 1. as under church-tyrants all is schisme , which contradicts their schisme , so with some men all is proudly spoken which contradicteth their pride , and supposeth them to be but half as ignorant as they are . 2. were all the non-conformists of one mind about arminianisme ? was not arminius himself against prelacy and ceremonies ? and many of his followers ? who were the great antiadiaphorists in germany , but iliricus , amsdorsius , gallus and other lutherans ? is not mr. dury a non-conformist who hath forty years laboured to bring the lutherans ( who are as far from us as arminius ) and the calvinists to communion ? 3. who would be at the labour to read over the many volumes that are written about pre-determination , free-will , concurse , and grace , by which such ignorant souls as i , cannot to this day tell what they mean , nor in many or most points wherein they differ , when this man , and his plain followers ( women and boyes ) so easily know it ! but like the pope that can infallibly expound the scriptures , but is so wise that he will not do it . le blank , and many more might have spared their pains of right stating the controversies , if they had this mans key . i never yet met with the man that could but make me well understand , what it is that is meant by free-will , nor what by the power which they dispute of , to do good , much less open all their meanings de scientia media , de concursu prae-determinations , &c. but here 's one can easily tell us all . but i warrant him he will not . some men ( alas , and some treachers ) will be wise , and humble , in despight of wisdom and humility ; and christians in despight of love , unity and peace . sect. 56. e. b. p. 18. his own free-will hath not the least power to receive the things of god. r. b. 1. what not sanctified free-will ? 2. what! not a receiving obediential power ? a receiving power is a passive power ( as it is strictly taken . ) hath a free-agent less power to receive grace , than a marble to receive the engraving of the work-man ? doth no man ever receive grace ? or do they receive what they cannot receive ? hath a man no more receptive power than a block or stone ? i know its said [ the natural man receiveth not , &c. ] that is , vnderstandeth not , believeth not , and loveth not in sensu composito : but it s never said , that [ our free-will hath not the least power to receive . ] but i have said so much of this , and the next point ( the badness of nature ) to which he giveth not any answer at all , that i wonder that the man thinks that one that is all tongue and no eares or eyes , is fit for credit or humane converse . sect. 57. e. b. you , jesuite like , are not afraid to say , the scipture tells us not sufficiently and particularly which books in it self are canonical , nor that the various readings are the right , nor whether every text be brought to us uncorrupted . ] r. b. 1. and by implying your assertion of the contrary , you become a false teacher of pernicious doctrine ; as if you designed to make men jesuits or infidels , by renouncing the scriptures , as soon as they find , that these things are not sufficiently there done and thence to be proved , without subordinate testimonies . 2. why do not you save such as dr. j. reignolds , chamier , and others their great labour , and prove out of scripture it self , which of all the various readings mentioned by beza , capelus , and others , and found in various copies , is the right ? and so of the rest ? sect. 58. e. b. so that in effect you do resolve the credit of the holy scriptures into the truth of church-history — which words are so contrary to the true protestant doctrine — so fully agreeing with the doctrine of the jesuits , &c. r. b. 1. as to agreeing with the jesuits fully , &c. all that know their writings , know it is an untruth . 2. true protestants usually say the same things that i do . though you may meet with some few like your self that do not . 3. i have fully opened in the preface to the 2d . edit . &c. of my saints rest , how ambiguous that word [ resolving into ] is , and how far your saying is true or false . he that enquireth what laws are in force in england , must distinguish of these two questions , 1. which are the laws ? which are the statutes in force ? what words are false printed , and what right ? what copies most perfect ? and , 2. what authority are these statutes of ? the authority of them is all resolved into the authority of the king and parliament . but we that are not so wise as you , must be beholden to various copies , records , printers , lawyers , to know which are the statutes in force ? and whether any words be falsly printed ; and if we find so many hundred various readings as be in the bible , we cannot know in every one which is right ▪ and which is wrong , by the bare inspection of the book it self . and , if you have any considering faculty left , and your free-will hath the least power to receive any truth , or stop you in your errour , me-thinks these questions should force you into your witts . qu. 1. shall he that by the book alone can resolve all these doubts , see it in the original , or only in translations ? if in the original , 2. shall he see the autographs or only the transcripts ? or impressions ? 3. if the autographs be not to be seen , but only transcripts , hath god promised unerring infallibility to all the scribes and printers in the world , or to some only , or to none ? 4. if to all ; where is the promise ? if to some , how shall we know them ? if to none , may they not all erre ? 5. when many copies so much differ as they do , is it not certain that some of them erred ? 6. can all women and unlearned persons or ministers , judge by the original transcripts who understand not the original tongues ? 7. must he that shall be certain see all the various copies , or will it serve turn to see some one only ? 8. if he must see all , who is he or she in the world that can be certain ? if they must see many , who knows how many and which ? 9. if they must see but one copy , how shall he know that it is the truest copy that falleth into his hands , and that all that differ from that are false ? do not corrupt copies come to other mens hands ? why then might they not do so to his ? 10. how can he judge of the various readings of all the rest of the copies , which he never saw ? 11. if a translation will serve him to judge of the various readings in the original , are they not in the translation fore-judged of to his hand ? 12. is any man infallible in translating ? is there a promise of infallibility to them ? 13. do not the translations differ ? 14. how shall men know which translation is truest ; ( when none is perfect ? ) 15. must he see all translations that shall judge ? or will one serve ( as aforesaid ) and how shall he judge of those he seeth not ? 16. is it by inspiration from heaven , such as the prophets had , that the true reading must be known ? or to ordinary ( at least sanctified ) reason by evidence in the text it self ? if the former , none but prophets can know it . if the later , you can prove it to a rational or sanctified man , from some intrinsick evidence . for instance suppose a man never saw but two printed english bibles , and was never told which is right by others , and in one is printed , heb. 12. 2. he [ despised the same ] viz. the cross , and in the other [ he despised the shame ] ( for so two of them do differ : ) how shall he prove which printer erred ? 17. do all the men and women that are godly actually know the true and uncorrupt copies and readings , by the book it self without mans testimony ? or what is the name of that one man or woman in the world that you know , who without ever hearing it from man , could tell all the true readings from the false , or could tell that the canticles or ecclesiastes or the book of jonas were canonical , and that the book of baruck , wisdom , and pauls epistle to the laodiceans , and clemens to the corinthians , were not . do you know his name , that ever knew this by reading the bible only , without being ever told it by any ? if not , and if it be sine quâ non to mens receiving of the bible it self , that some one brings it to their hands ; judge how wisely and fairly you deal with poor souls to talk at such a confident and yet confused rate . and , 18. let me ask you one question more ; is it necessary to salvation that men be able to read ? hath god promised it to all or most that shall be saved ? faith cometh by hearing , as the most ordinary way of old : and he that will preach the gospel to most nations under heaven , must convert more than can read , or but a few . and if you preach the gospel to a congregation that cannot read , do you recite all the various readings in the hebrew and greek to them ? if not , can they judge of that they never heard ? if you do , are they ever the wiser as to know of themselves which of them is the right ? 19. but if you say that you suppose not only grace but great learning and study to discern these things , how cometh it to pass that the most learned , studious and godly men do still so much differ about the various readings ? ( as lud. capellus , vsher , heinsius , bootius , de dieu , and others . ) and how come the churches in the ages next the apostles to leave out so many books of the canon as many of them did , while others received them ? and luther , althamar and others , to set no more by james's epistle than they did ? and so many godly men long , and yet , to receive much of the apocrypha ? 20. how durst you that speak so hardly of the jesuits , honour them so much as to make your silly ones believe , that their doctrine in this is no worse than mine , when in so many books , i have left that at large which may confute you ? and you ( wisely ) ask me to tell you whether i will take the jesuits into my communion , because they hold the same with the arminians with whom i will communicate ! so they hold the same with all christians , that there is a god , and a christ and the scripture true ? but it is not for this that i renounce their communion , but for some things else . will you communicate with none that holdeth any thing ( yea any errour ) which the jesuits hold ? or did you dream that the arminians hold all that the jesuits hold ? or did you dream that the arminians hold all that the jesuits hold ? sir , i am ashamed to spend time-upon such triflings ? sect. 59. e. b. the former non-conformists thought there was no possibility of salvation for a papist — but you tell us that you affect not the honour of this orthodoxness . r. b. it is confutation enough of such an accuser to recite the words which he accuseth ; which are [ vnless you do ( as mr. perkins doth to make it good ) be so charitable to all the millions else among them , as not to call them papists , except they practically hold the most pernicious opinions of their councils and divines . i confess i affect none of the honour of that orthodoxness which consisteth in sentencing millions and kingdoms to hell whom i am unacquainted with . ] so that i distinguish of papists properly so called who practically hold all the popish errours , and nominal papists that call themselves such or are called so by others , who know not or practically hold not the pernicious part of their errours : these latter i refused to undertake to judge to hell , and consequently to damn all in france , spain , italy , germany , &c. who are called papists . and if this accuser be more valiant , and dare damn them all , i do not wonder that he dare damn me for not damning them : for he that can eat and digest an oxe , will never stick at one crumme more . but he should not be also so cruel to the reader as to put him to read my words twice over , because he dismembers them , to make them seem to have some loathed sense . sect. 60. e. b. p. 19. the former non-formists said , the filth of nature cannot be sufficiently spoken of ? — but you , &c. r. b. 1. when you tell us in what common confession of theirs they say so , i shall try whether you say any truer than in the rest . 2. reader , i answered him on this point before , by no less than twenty instances , proving that nature may be too ill spoken of , and he saith nothing to any of them , but sings over his old song again . is not this a fine man to dispute with ? sect. 61. e. b. i shall conclude with mentioning one thing more : i affirmed that by flesh you had told us [ war only meant , the sensitive appetite ] this you reply is an untruth and a meer fiction , for you never said so . sir , you had need have a good memory , for you have writ many books ; in which as containing many words , there cannot want much sin and vanity . and indeed had you meditated strictly upon a quarter of what you have writ , you could not be guilty of so strange forgetfulness . for in your premonition to the saints rest you have these very words , [ many think that by flesh is meant only indwelling sin ; when , alas , it is the sensitive appetite that it chargeth us to subdue ; ] for which you quote , rom. 8. 3 , 4 , 5 , &c. r. b. you begin comfortably , with a promise to conclude ; but you proceed sadly . 1. is not the inference as strong against many words in your preaching as in mine and other mens writings , that in many words there cannot want much sin ? 2. you proclaim the aggravation of your sin , when you speak for meditating strictly on what we write . can you heap up untruths in book after book , and commit all these crimes , even when you have strictly meditated what you write ? do you sin so studyedly and deliberately , and yet will you not repent ? 3. reader , if ever thou wilt pitty a poor self-conceited troubler of the church , pitty this poor man , who here openly tells thee , that either he understands not common sense , or else takes no heed what he saith , but bringeth a new untruth to justifie a former , even into the open light , and triumpheth in his act . he telleth you the charge which he undertaketh to prove ; viz. that i have written , that [ by flesh is only meant the sensitive appetite . ] he now undertaketh to prove that i said so , in the premon . to the saints rest ( which is another vntruth ) because i said [ many think that by flesh the scripture meaneth only our indwelling sin , when , alas , it is the inordinate sensitive appetite which it chargeth us to subdue . ] here he first leaveth out several words , especially the word [ inordinate ] because he read not the later editions ; and yet he put in the word [ only ] which the printer in the last editions hath left out , and which openly sheweth the falshood of his charge . is it all one to say , that [ by flesh is meant not only indwelling sin , and to say it is not meant at all ? ] do you think he took any heed of the word [ only ] when he wrote it ? my business ( not in the premonition as he mis-reports , but in the epistle ) was to prove the sinfulness of flesh-pleasing , and that when the scripture bids us subdue the flesh , and make no provision for it , &c. it doth not only mean , subdue the habits of indwelling sin in the understanding and will , and make no provision for them , but also that we must prevent actual sin by subduing the sensitive appetite unto reason , and ruling it by faith , and that even original and habitual sin it self consisteth partly in the inordinateness of that appetite ; and here i implyed this proof from the notation of the name ; q. d. [ if the sin to be subdued be called flesh , then the fleshly appetite is not wholly to be excluded ; for there is some reason why sin is called flesh , rather than spirit . and what can the reason be , but that 1. the sensitive appetite it self is inordinate , and so part of the seat of sin ; and 2. the understanding and will are enslaved to the sense or flesh , and are vitiated with a sinful inclination to serve the flesh or sense it self : and therefore he that readeth in scripture such passages as require us to subdue the flesh , he must not deceive himself by thinking that it is only indwelling sin ( that is in the superiour faculties ) that is meant by flesh , and that the sensitive appetite is not here meant at all , when as 1. original sin it self is partly in the sensitive appetite ; and , 2. actual sin is to be resisted by subduing the sensitive appetite to reason , and bringing the body into subjection as well as indwelling sin . to be extirpated . and if the name of flesh be put upon indwelling sin , from the fleshly interest and inordinate appetite , then surely this it self is not wholly to be excluded , as no part of the sense of the word flesh in scripture . and when my words plainly express this sense , with what face could this man , not only put other words upon me , which were none of my own , but also another sense , and a sense clean contrary to the words ? and this to justifie a former falshood ; and this after that in divers writings i have fully , and plainly disputed of original sin as it ] is the corruption of the superiour faculties ; and in divers books about conversion shewed the necessity of the cleansing and renewing of those faculties ! and here the word [ only ] was before his eyes , a confutation of his calumny ? sect. 62. e. b. and indeed sir , that i may confess a secret to you , this very passage of yours i looked on as so conceited and singular , and many years agoe it gave me so great offence , that i threw away your book upon it , and never would read it over , as not thinking it possible that one who erred in the very entrance in so plain a truth , was able to instruct me in any thing that was worth my knowing . — r. b. 1. the book was written about twenty one or twenty two years agoe , and you are a young man yet : you surely begun very early to be past possibility of being taught any thing by such as i. is this only to declare your humility ? or that you speak evil of the books which you never read ? and that you are the fittest man to be the accuser of them ? 2. it may be there was some early antipathy between our judgements . for i will confess such another secret to you , that about twelve years ago a latine small discourse came to my hand as famed to be yours , against the species of monarchical government , and the arguments against monarchy in it seemed to me such poor injudicious slender stuff , that ( though i did not as you cast away the book till i came to the end ) it was one occasion of my writing the twenty arguments against democrasie , which i put into the book which i have revoked ( my polit. aph. — ) 3. do you not tell the world how fit a champion you are for any truth or reformation , who when you read [ not only indwelling sin ] expound it [ not at all indwelling sin , ] and then glory that you cast away the book as that which could not possibly teach you — . and are you not by this time an excellent scholar and a very wise man , if you did so by all your other books ? sect. 63. e. b. p. 26. i am much confirmed in that judgement of your book , since a person yet living , and one worthy of credit , accuainted me , that when the learned and judicious mr. herle had read that cryed-up book of yours , he told him , it had been happy for the church of god if your friends had never sent you to school . mr. cawdry had the same opinion of it ; and another person as knowing in the mysterie of godliness as either of them told a friend of mine , that notwithstanding the noise about you , you would end in flesh and blood . r. b. 1. a worthy question ! what a book is which you never read ! i will help you out , and mend your cause . you dispraise it that never read it ; and you name some that read it and dispraised it ; and i that wrote it am far from praising it . therefore i hope you are gratified ▪ and who will now contradict you ? ( though i confess for my own part , i think i shall not think my self fit to tell the world in print what any mans book is , at the same time when i confess that i never read it : but you may possibly avoid that way because it is mine . ) 2. but he that employeth you shall miss of his design , of engaging me against the names of mr. herle and mr. cawdrey , and against your unnamed person : it is sufficient to me that i honour their names , and abhort all motions contrary to the laws of christian love ; but i was not bound that they should love or honour me , and if they did not , that is not my sin : but if my sin deserve it , i have farr greater accounts on which to be displeased with that sin . and i do with hearty willingness hear the prophesie of him that told your friend , i would end in flesh and blood , to awaken me the more to the necessary fear and vigilancy , lest his prophesie should prove true . but whether these stories be true or not , it little concerneth me to enquire . if they be not , i pray name not the reporters or witnesses . sect. 64. e. b. you have promised me that you will make no reply — r. b. it was but conditionally [ if you write at the former rates . ] and your alterations ( by venturing to dispute for separation ) have declared me not obliged . and because i fear you were by those words encouraged the more to all your untruths , i will promise you silence no more , though i purpose it . i have done this that you might have a second admonition to repent , and the simple may not believe your multiplyed falshoods : but now , he that will be hereafter deceived by you , let him be deceived . sect. 65. e. b. 20. when you write next i intreat — 1. that you will be short , 2. and significant . r. b. your counsel is prudent sir , but all men cannot attain to your exactness and significancy ! nor will i follow your rule till i see better effects of it . nor pretend brevity for leaving a book almost wholly unanswered , which i pretend to answer as you do : and i will better shew that i understand common english , before i call to others for significancy . sect. 66. e. b. 1. that you will not mistake the thing you write about , but labour clearly to understand the question . r. b. but i will not undertake to make you understand it . sect. 67. e. b. do not ramble and talk of nature as it is pure , when you should write about nature corrupted . r. b. 1. remember that it is not you but i that am the respondent , and had the stateing of the question . here therefore are two more falshoods intimated , 1. that the question was only about nature as corrupted . 2. that i spake of nature as pure , and not as corrupted . for the question put by me was about nature as nature ; and that men should not so speak against the corruption , as to dishonour gods part , nature as nature , nor yet as it is corrupted , to make it worse than it is . so that i spake not of it as pure ; but i spake of it both abstractedly as nature , and also as corrupt . sect. 68. e. b. do not discourse about free-will at large , when you should only handle free-will in the things of god. r. b. this implyeth another untruth , that i did not speak of free-will in the things of god. to forbear the breaking of some of gods laws , and to do somewhat commanded are the things of god : i shew that men have some free-will to forbear murder , adultery , theft , treason , perjury , perfecution , yea , and writing falshoods . if not , why do you cry out of persecution , silencing , atheism , when men have not the least free-will to forbear them ! why do you refuse the imputation of your own untruths , if you have not the least free-will to forbear them ? your words were [ now we see one firm reason to deny the least allowance of free-will in the things of god , since those that hold it in any degree — ] ▪ the synod of dort taught other doctrine : and so doth mr. fenner in his book of wilful impenitence . and in the second sheet of mr. dods sayings , when one had been restrained from swearing at dinner by his presence contrary to his use , he took occasion to shew , that men can do more than they do , and can forbear more evil than they forbear . sect. 69. e. b. and because many professors of christianity are ignorant and injudicious , do not think that therefore you do well to call christians , considered as christians so . these are evident and apparent sophisms which abound in your last treatise . r. b. these are deliberate written words : and if all this be the meer fiction of your brain ; if i have not one syllable that hath any such importance ; nor one word in my books have the least shew of such a thing ; nay , if the clean contrary be most openly and plainly expressed in them , and yet rather than confess your former falshood , you fear not before god and man to second it with this most immodest additional forgery , which hath no cloak , let your reader judge , and let your conscience judge at last , whether repentance was your duty . he that saith christians considered as christians are ignorant , injudicious , &c. layeth his charge on christianity , more than on the men : had you no way to hide your former falshood , but by this impudent forgery that i speak against christianity it self ? had not repentance been a better reparation of your prostituted honour , than this . sect. 70. e. b. do not love to jumble absurd and insignificant phrases together : as to say [ a defective , faulty , true church . ] r. b. reader , if thou expect that he should tell thee , the absurdity or insignificancy of any one of all these words , thou must not put him to so much condescension , but take it on his word , or rest unsatisfied . whether defective , or faulty , be insignificant words , or whether no true church be defective and faulty , if you believe him , perhaps you may hear in his time . sect. 71. e. b. to mention a political , spiritual , constitutive head. r. b. more wisdom still ! which of these is the non-sense ? is it that the pope pretendeth to be a political head ? consult . d. lud. moulins jugulum causae , and all goldastus his three volumes , with chamier , rivet , whitaker , blondel , and all that write against him . or is it that he claimeth to be a spiritual head or governour ? then all his own defenders and all our opposers of him wrong him , till mr. bagshaw came to reform this language : or is it because he claimeth not to be the constitutive head of the church ? ask all those papists that say it is essential to a member of the church to be subject to the pope . reader , is not this man uncharitable , that will neither give us his leave to use our old words , nor teach us better ; but intimate that we speak nonsense , and he can speak better if he would ! we have hitherto been used to call a governed church a political society , as distinct from a meer concourse or community of christians . and why not ? if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 come from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : and if god hath prepared for them a city , whose god he is not ashamed to be called , heb. 11. 16. and if it be well said , phil. 1. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : and if our political conversations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , be in heaven , why may not a church , at least such a one as the pope doth claim , be called a political body or society ! or at least , why may not the pope be said to lay such a claim ? we have been used to call that government spiritual , which is done by the word and church keyes , and consequently the governours spiritual ? and why must this be non-sense now ? we have been used to call that governour a constitutive head , without whom the society is not essentiated in specie , as a king in a kingdom . o unkind teacher , that will leave us all in this ignorance , and not vouchsafe one word to help us out . sect. 72. e. b. and do not think to excuse your self from writing non-sense , by saying you meant a thing objectively , and not subjectively . r. b. nay then i despair of scaping non-sense ! if the object and the subject must needs be all one , and if sense in the book or argument , and sense or reason in the reader be all one , i am not the first that was deceived : no nor if it be all one to say you understand not the sense or reason of my argument , and [ you have no sense or reason . ] but new lords new laws . sect. 73. e. b. and do not make philosophy ridiculous as you do when you tell us , that our acts of knowing exterior things are as philosophers affirm , objectively organicall , though not efficiently and formally . sir i am sure no wise man talks thus ; and if philosophers do , its time we left them , &c. r. b. when you once begin to say you are sure , and no wise man is against you , i begin to think you talk more ignorantly than when you seem to doubt ; i will not prophane a point so little understood by you , and so much scorned , as to dispute it with you . enjoy your ignorance and scorn . sect. 74. e. b. lastly , when truth is to be examined , and the nature of a thing strictly to be considered , do not argue against it from some ill consequence — as what you desperately urge against the scriptures being a perfect rule , which foundation of faith and practice you labour to overthrow , by tragically infisting on the consequences that will follow — sir this in the end will be found perfect folly and madness ; therefore leave it in time , lest the lord reprove you , and you be found a lyar . r. b. 1. alas , that your pen could write the last word without the more prevalent rebuke of your conscience ? after so many untruths ? yea , and when in the same paragraph you are renewing the same sin ? in saying i deny the scripture to be a perfect rule , when i still say , [ it is a perfect rule so far as it is a rule ! 2. if you intend sense and truth , your argument must run thus [ he that saith the scripture is not a particular rule , commanding the thing in particular , but only a general rule , for the metre and tunes of psalms , for the dividing of it self into chapters and verses , for the hour and place of meetings , for the choice of a text to preach on , and words and method of sermon and prayer , for the naming or determining the person that shall be a pastor , for the form of pulpits , tables , cups , &c. yea , for the making of a clock , or watch , or hour-glass , to measure the time by , or for building the house to preach in , &c. he that saith these are not determined of particularly in scripture , but only under the general rule of doing all things to gods glory , to edification , decently and in order , &c. this man doth deny scripture to be a perfect rule , and laboureth to overthrow the foundation of faith and practice , and proveing what he saith by the ill consequences that else will follow , will in the end be found in perfect folly and madness , reproved by god , and found a lyar : but such a one is r. b. therefore , &c. ] reader , if this be sound doctrine , if after all gods warnings of the danger of levity and ignorant pride , thou canst yet receive such errors and revilings , as a defence of the foundation , thy case also is to be lamented . 3. when def. par . 1. pag. 98 , &c. i had fully described the opinion which i rejected , and had given in fifteen reasons against it , what doth this easie confident disputer , but instead of offering an answer to any one of them , calls it perfect folly and madness so to confute it by ill consequences ? doth this disputing satisfie any sober enquirer after truth ? doth he not reproach his followers in the eye of the world about him , while he thus openly seemeth to expect , that they will rest in such reasonings or replyes as these ? and really if we prove against the papists , that though they directly deny not christ and his office , yet that such consequents will follow upon divers of their errors , will this man that talketh so much of antichristianism , say that it is perfect folly and madness to charge such consequents upon them ? if i prove that any opinion doth consequentially deny god , or the souls immortality , or subvert all our faith , do i deserve no better an answer than that ? this is my perfect folly and madness , and i shall be proved a lyar . what need is there of learning reason , sobriety or modesty to enable any man to dispute and seem orthodox at this rate ? sect. 75. e. b. you may see by this brief taste , how easie it is for me to defend my self — r. b. o wonderful blinding power of self-conceit ! sect. 76. e. b. p. 21. it is not a lessening of your reputation that i mainly aim at : much less at the advancing of my own upon the ruine of yours . but i thought the truth of christ worth my vindicating : and when i saw that your name did stand in the way of it — the whole design of this letter is ( as to others ) to perswade all to look upon you , not only as a fallible , but a mistaken man — r. b. i have long ago done wondering that such men as you can deliberately choose and use such means , when once they have dared to intitle god and his glory to their false doctrines : for what is it that they will not think lawful to do for god and truth ? if some serve him by killing his servants , no wonder if others do it by slandering them , and perswading all to separate from them : and if they say [ rom. 3. 7. if the truth of god hath more abounded through my lye unto his glory , why yet am i also judged as a sinner ? ] but god and truth may be better served by truth . but falshood must by falshood be upheld . but sir my reputation is at your service for an honester use ; but seeing it was but for the destruction of christian love and peace that you designed to make a stepping-stone of it , try whether you be not slipt beside it into the dirt . sect. 77. e. b. i thought it my duty to reprove you , and to see your sin ( and error herein ) in order before you — r. b. i have much more sin than you are aware of , which all such invitations do call me to renew my sorrow for , and vigilancy against : but when i once take the principles of christian love and vnity for sin , and the principles and practice of enmity and division for my duty , i shall then avoid sin as sinfully and lamentably as many in this age have done . sect. 78. e. b. if you will still go on , and under pretence of writing for love , do what you can to keep up a mixed , disorderly , persecuting and imperfect church-state , leaveing us no hope nor possibility of reformation — r. b. 1. this is another implyed untruth , that i keep up a persecuting church-state , when i have written so much more than you against it : yea , that i do what i can to do it ; as if you thought that we can do no more evil than we do , and our power were as small to sin as you make it to be to good . but you will find at last that separating from churches for mixture , and imperfection , and such disorder as we have now in question , and to cloak this with slandering the honest conforming ministers with persecution , who lament it in others , and never practise it ( though i am not one that take them to be blameless ) this will prove a greater hinderance to reformation than a sober peaceable christian conversation will be . 2. and thus unskilful builders do pull down ! did our separations and church-divisions these six and twenty years last past promote our reformation ? wonderful ! that men can yet take that for the reforming way , which hath destroyed reformation , and brought us into all the confusions we are in ? will all this experience teach us nothing ? i will cease wondering at the words , luke 16. 31. if they hear not moses and the prophets , neither will they be perswaded , though one rose from the dead . ] and do you not know how your erronious reasonings and practices do occasion men even to scorn at your talk of reformation ? and if we did not disown you and renounce your errors , and mis-doings , the non-conformists were like to be exposed to common derision for your sake , and accounted a sort of men at enmity with sobriety and peace ; and multitudes were like to be hardened by you into greater evils and enmities than i will name . and can any ignorant mountebanks more mortally and perniciously practise physick , than you thus practise the reformation of the churches ? which are wounded and torn by such reformers ? sect. 79. e. b. my miscalling you learned , judicious , mortified — is indeed the only ( untruth ) which you can justly charge me with — r. b. alas sir , is that sin such a jesting matter ? will you end as you begun ? when you said you had done , will you not have done writing untruths ? when you have no other matter for vntruths , will you make this another , to say that no one of thirty three which i named to you , can be justly charged on you ? — ask any sober impartial man who hath read your book and mine , whether you have cleared your self of any one of them , or spoken any thing that is considerable and probable to such a purpose ? sect. 80. r. b. 23. mr. bagshaw having done , begins again to call me to recant unseemly abuses of mr. brown , and one that a book prefaced by him is written of : and he reciteth both their letters . as to mrs. — letter , i give her this account of my thoughts of her and the book that 's written of her : 1. that i make no doubt but all the holy truth which she hath learned , all the mortification of sin , and reformation of life , all the faith in christ , and love to god and holiness , which is in her , are the true fruits of the spirit of god , and he is a wretched person that will ascribe these to melancholy : 2. and i doubt not but in a melancholy distemper , as satan findeth his advantage for some special temptations , so god can make his advantage to further the sanctification of such a soul . 3. but he that giveth me that book to read , and would have me ignorant that melancholy had a great hand in her fastings , temptations and several conceits , there mentioned , and this after my experience of multitudes in the like condition , yea , when i am still wearied out with the cases of such , from time to time , doth put an utter impossibility upon me : for if my ignorance herein would gratifie such , it is not in my power to be ignorant when i will : but i can bear with it in others . therefore her words [ if this be the effect of melancholy ] go on an untrue supposition . i have told you what were the effects . and her sorrow that [ i am found deriding ] the effects she mentioneth , is the effect of worse than melancholly , as being founded in her untruth . next this woman accuseth me with all these following untruths . 1. that brother browne was the author of that book . answ . not a true word : i only said that it was published by him , as uncontrolled fame affirmed ; ] but not that he was the author : i can find no such word in my writings : if you can , tell me where . and doth not his epistle before it shew that he was one of the publishers ? 2. that i was suddenly moved to go hear mr. baxter . answ . false again : i only said [ was suddenly moved to go into the church ; ] that is , as she was passing by in the street , not knowing who preached . 3. that ought of his sermon had any impression upon me ( which i could not attend to , because i was so terrified with the words of the text , rom. 6. 21. ) answ . false again : i have no such words that ought of my sermon had any impression on her ? but only of the time , that before the sermon was done she oould hardly forbear crying out . 4. that i went away resolved upon a holy life . answ . another mistake : i said only , [ she went home a changed person ; resolved , ( that is , did resolve ) for a holy life . that she went home changed she denyeth not , for her terrours were some change : that she resolved for a holy life , her self and her book profess ; but whether as soon as she went home , or how many dayes after , i never undertook to tell ! but how could she be converted without resolving of a holy life ? 5. that brother browne instructed me in the fifth monarchy principle , whereas he then opposed it . answ . i said [ mr. browne and others were her instructers , who were very zealous for the way called the fifth monarchy , and having instructed her in those opinions , &c. if i did mistake here i recant my errour ; but i will tell you my grounds . 1. that the others were of that opinion as they deny not , so i have heard no others deny . 2. at the publishing of that book , same spake the same of mr. browne and of his companion . 3. the book doth plead for that opinion . 4. his epistle is before the book as a publishing applause of it . 5. he professeth that opinion to this day . and all these appearances might induce such a judgement of him . but if he took it up between the action , and the publication of the book , on what day or week , it is none of my business to declare : he better knoweth those himself . [ 6. that i imposed abstinence upon my self as to meat ( when i would gladly have eaten but durst not , because i apprehended i had no right to the creature being out of christ ) this is all false and untrue ; and i am astonished that mr. baxter should with so much confidence affirm these things . ] answ . 1. the good woman understandeth not that she contradicteth her self : she did not impose abstinence on her self ; but she durst not eat for the reason here given : that is , she did not impose abstinence on her self , but she did impose it for fear upon this reason . these untruths and nonsence in a woman are more excusable than in her teachers : why doth she render a reason why she durst not eat , if by that fear and for that reason she did not impose abstinence on her self ? did any other impose it , or shut her mouth ? is not that our own doing which we give a reason of , and say that we did it through fear ? doth not he that giveth a thief his purse , consent himself to it , and make it his own act to save his life ? if she knew not what she did , why is she angry for being thought melancholy , ( which is many a godly persons case ? ) if she did know , why doth she falsly call it an untruth , that she imposed it on her self ? by this taste you may see that even in well-meaning people the same principles will oft have the same practices , when here are five untruths in this short letter , and four at least of her accusation of my words are visible untruths . but i would know of mr. e. b. or her , whether it be true doctrine , that one out of christ should not eat , because they have no right , and whether almost to consume her self with famine was well done ? if so , must all wicked men do so ? if it be false doctrine ( as undoubtedly it is ) i further ask , whether it was the spirit of god , or satan that was the author of it ? i hope she dare not father sin and falshood on gods spirit : and if it was a temptation of satan ( as it was ) i ask whether to yield so far to a temptation so much against the light of scripture , nature , and self-preservation , in a case so plain that common people know the errour of it , and to proceed so long almost to famishment in that errour and sin , i say , whether this shewed not some flaw at that time in natural understanding and reasoning as well as in grace ? if it did ( as sure it did ) what could it be less than melancholy ? and i hope it was never the mind of mr. jordan , or mr. browne in that book , to father this opinion or practice on gods spirit . i doubt not but god thus oft tryeth his own ; but it is as little doubt but that he oft leaveth them under melancholy as the tempters opportunity and advantage . and its pitty that poor souls should be angry with those that know their case , better than they themselves , and truly pitty them . sect. 81. r. b. i come now to mr. brownes letter ; wherein i will not reckon it ( as it is ) with his untruths , that my [ two last treatises give great occasion to the adversaries of truth and purity to reproach and blaspheme god and his people ] for the man speaketh as his ill cause and principles have made him think . and that this is no more than some of my disciples have suggested to him , whether it be true or false i know not . what men that i have been eleven years driven from , may be drawn to by cruelties on the one hand , and seducers on the other , i can give no account of at this distance : let them answer for themselves . the first untruth i charge him with is that i have uttered many falshoods of himself and others . the case is anon to be tryed . sect. 82. mr. browne . p. 27. [ how the present conformists can be excused from some degree of idolatry remains to be better proved — r. b. an answer to what i said had been more congruous than this put-off . and that you take it for no railing to call almost all christs churches on earth ( even the reformed ) idolatrous , and yet take it for railing to be told that you so accuse them ignorantly , rashly and self-conceitedly , doth but shew the blinding power of selfishness and dividing principles , when there is so vast a disparity , 1. in the matter of the charge . 2. and in the persons charged . that your brother bagshaw liath as you call it , now deceived your expectation and wronged his cause , that is , hath been fain to leave his untruths unjustified , i suppose you cannot deny in consistence with your own expressions . sect. 83. mr. browne . p. 28. [ indeed sir , in two lines there are no less than two vntruths published to the world concerning me : the first is that i am the author and publisher of that book , which is affirmed by him against the most notorious evidence in the world to the contrary : the author mr. timothy jordain — and all that i did was , being desired to write an epistle wherein i acquaint the reader that i am not the author of it , but only did joyne in testimony to signifie what was recorded in the ensuing treatise was true . r. b. reader , wouldst thou think it possible for a man that voluminously accuseth the churches , and chargeth them with idolatry , and had read my detection of his brothers untruths , to face men down with such words as these that i say that which i never said ! i have many times over read my own words , and i can find no syllable of what he saith , that i affirm him to be the author of that book . i only said [ the publisher ] and he addeth [ the author ] as may presently by the readers eye-sight be convicted . i say , [ published by mr. browne as is uncountroledly affirmed . ] and is not this also a rash and careless man , that no better heedeth what he readeth and what he writeth ? and doth he not here declare himself a publisher of it , when he confesseth he put an epistle to it , to joyne in testimony , that what was recorded was true . and is this printed epistle and testimony no publication ? sect. 84. mr. bowne . the second untruth is , that i am uncontrolledly affirmed so to be , when i believe he had never a second in the world that either will or can affirm it . r. b. here are two more falshoods , 1. that it is an vntruth that i said of him . 2. that i said it was uncontrolledly affirmed that he was the author . but that he was a publisher you have now his own confession of his epistle , which i had read , and mr. joseph baker gave me the book , and told me it was published by mr. jordain , and mr. browne , and this report i oft after heard , and it never was controlled to me ; which is all that i can reasonably mean my [ uncontrolled . ] for how is it possible for me to know what is said of him to all others , in every distant place and corner ? sect. 85. mr. browne . as for the book it self and the matter of fact contained in it , i never yet met with any judicious sober christian that had seriously perused it , who durst adventure to pronounce either of the whole or any considerable part of it , that it was an effect of melancholy . r. b. who talkt of the whole ? but what part you will call considerable who knows ? is not this a concession that some part is so judged of ? and must your ignorance of such matters as melancholly have so great influence into your divinity ? but you may say true , for most now adayes converse with few but those of their own mind . and the book is not to be got in any shop that i can hear of . sect. 86. mr. browne . whether this decrying of experiences , this slighting the work of gods spirit in the soul , the crying out that these things are but the effects of melancholy , be not the ready way to make all supernatural conversion derided , and the whole mysterie of godliness contemned — consider — . r. b. 1. here is implyed a fourth untruth , that i decry experiences , and the rest here mentioned . 2. alas , must the poor church of christ have such miserable guides , that build hay and stubble , and think if it be burnt the church must fall ! i tell you sir , such rash and ignorant teachers , as your writings shew you to be , are the men that do so much towards the very same effects which you seem to fear , even to tempt men to deride all supernatural conversion , as that i scarce know a more powerful way . if you heard one man say [ satan as an angel of light stirred up the quakers to pretend miracles , prophesies and spiritual raptures , purposely to tempt the world to infidelity , by perswading them that the spirit in the prophets and apostles was but the like ] and if you heard james naylor say , [ your calling the spirit in us a vain imagination or deceit , is the way to perswade men that the spirit in the prophets and apostles was but imagination and deceit ; ] which of these two sayings would you believe ? i take the case which i spake of to be the like . i tell you still , that all the truth and goodness that your book mentioneth truly , was wrought by the spirit of god. but if men will make the world believe that any false doctrine , or any sin , or any false exposition of scripture is of the spirit , or that their unproved impulses which are not agreeable to the word , but are against it or besides it , must be believed to be of god , and will describe these as experiences and gods way of converting souls , their ignorance will as effectually serve the devil to bring true conversion and the spirit into scorn , as the derisions of a drunkard will do , if not more . it is no new thing for satan to deceive as an angel of light , and his ministers as ministers of righteousness . and if you know not his wiles , expect not that we should all concur with you in exposing spirituality and holiness to the scorn of such as now abhorr it , or as of late have taken such advantages against those that are better than themselves . sect. 87. r. b. whether you instructed her in those principles you know best : if you deny it , i retract it . that you were very zealous in them is past doubt ; but just the day when you began , whether before that book was begun , or before it was finished , or when , i leave to your own report . sect. 88. mr. browne . indeed it is now my opinion that there is a glorious state of the church yet to come , before the last end of all things , when all oppression and oppressours shall cease , and every thing of man shall be laid down in subserviency to the interest of christ , and the kingdom of the world shall become his . r. b. amen! it is my earnest desire as well as yours ; but desire and belief are not all one . the prophesies that you suppose foretell all this , i thought i almost understood thirty two years agoe ; but since i perceive i did not : but i contradict not that which i do not understand , nor never did . who will plead for oppression ? and what christian desireth not the greatest holiness and righteousness in the world ? i freely confess my ignorance in the point , whether on this side the general resurrection , there shall be so perfect and universal righteousness as you describe , as that all oppression shall cease . my greatest hope is in the three petitions of the lords prayer , thy name be hallowed , thy kingdom come , thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven : and i am sure this will warrant my desires . and i the better like those opinions of a perfect age , because hope will set men upon praying for it . but as i detest all rebellions against just authority on pretence that they are not truly godly , and all setting up mens selves on pretence of setting up christ , and using unlawful means on pretence of good ends , so i am afraid of being tempted down from the heavenly hopes and comforts , by looking for more on earth than is indeed to be expected . sect. 89. mr. browne . p. 29. [ he tells us first that she was suddenly moved to come to hear him preach — r. b. a meer untruth : as i have before shewed . i said not so . sect. 90. mr. browne . that she had such convictions from his sermon ( for so he seems to intimate , ) &c. r. b. untrue again : as is before shewed : nor will your seeming salve it . sect. 91. mr. browne . that she desired to speak with him is another untruth . r. b. of that i shall speak anon . sect. 92. mr. browne . that she did impose on her self abstinence from meat — r. r. here he contradicts himself as she did , and saith she durst not eat , and yet falsly chargeth me with untruth for saying the same sence . sect. 93. mr. browne . lastly , she never fell in so among the quakers as to be one of them ; though it is true that through the power of temptations she was somewhat enclined to them . r. b. here he untruly intimated that i said more , who never said so much ; but only that she thought they lived strictlyer than we , and fell in among them . and now reader i shall again tell thee my reasons for all that i said of her . mr. joseph baker then preacher in worcester ( a man of unquestionable prudence and credit , now with christ ) told me all that i have said of this woman , and that she had not been at church of a long time before , and was passing along the streets , and was suddenly moved to go in to the church at lecture time ; and that she was struck as aforesaid at the hearing of the text , and before sermon was done could hardly forbear crying out in church ; and that she had on the conceit of their strictness faln in among the quakers ; and been often at their meetings ; but hearing them speak against scriptures and ministers was troubled , and thought that they spake that which her experience would not suffer her to consent to : and that she was like in these perplexities to fall into great melancholy , and her body also to be weakened by the troubles of her mind , and that through his motion or perswasion she was desirous to speak with me : i had no reason to deny belief to him : when i came next to his house the gentle-woman came to me , and he and she together repeated the substance of all this again , and she spake not a syllable against it : and speaking a few words to disswade her from the quakers in haste , i never saw her more : the said mr. baker told me after of all her sad and melancholy abstinence and weakness , and of mr. browne and mr. jordanes frequency with her ; and shortly after shewed me the book , with mr. brownes epistle to it , and told me that which they now thus quarrel with , that mr. browne was one of the publishers of it , and was for the doctrine in it . though i discerned by the book that she her self was taken with that point . these things i long heard affirmed and confirmed , and never contradicted till this day , and now you hear that the timeing of mr. brownes opinion and endeavours , is all that they can say any thing against themselves . and thus much i thought meet to say against their rash occasions on this by-occasion . sect. 94. r. b. p. 30. i have not yet done with mr. bagshaw : he comes on again in a postscript with more untruths ; and first he tells you how little commendation it is to my honesty to have yet such easie access now to the licensers and press that he can print two books before another man can publish a few sheets — answ . 1. i never spake with the licensor , nor saw him ; and if neither of those two books were licensed ( when he wrote this at least ) is not this still a fearless heedless man ? 2. is not honesty among these men become a word of a new signification ? and is it any wonder if our dishonesty make us unworthy of their communion , when our honesty is questionable for the licensing of our books ? if it be a sign of dishonesty to do any thing which our rulers will but allow of , it may next be dishonesty to speak any thing that they think worthy to be believed , and to preach the gospel if they do but allow it . and may not your honesty be as reasonably questioned because you are suffered to preach ? sure the licensers are not so bad men , as to prove all dishonest whose books they license ? sect. 95. e. b. his last book about the sabbath — might have been wholly spared , dr. owen having judiciously and accurately handled that question before him . ] r. b. 1. the wisdom from above is without partiality and without hypocrisie . was it a blot on dr. owens honesty that his books are licensed ? o forgetful man ! 2. who made the law , that no man must write on a subject after dr. owen ? was dr. owen to be blamed for needless work , because he wrote on the sabbath after dr. bound , dr. young , dr. twisse , mr. eaton , mr. bifield , mr. shephard , and many more ? 3. mine was written and in the press before dr. owens was abroad : ( though i had before seen mr. hughes his accurate treatise that then came out . ) sect. 96. e. b. his last book about the sabbath — doth make so full a discovery of mr. baxters spirit in pleading for saints dayes , ( that is , for will-worship . ) r. b. 1. remember , reader , that it is my own book , and not his , that discovereth my spirit . fetch thy judgement of it thence and spare not . 2. and if thou find cause to put down the commemoration of the powder-plot or such other dayes for fear of will-worship , do not therefore renounce all see houres for secret and family-prayer and lectures ; it being equally will-worship to appoint a set hour as a set day , which god in scripture hath not appointed . sect. 97. e. b. [ and in atheistically arguing against the ▪ * divine and self-evidencing authority of the holy scriptures ( which he doth for many pages together ) that henceforth i hope he will no longer be a snare , but justly he rejected of all as one of the worst sort of hereticks ; since under the notion of being a christian and a protestant , * be doth with his utmost ▪ industry and cunning labour to overthrow our foundation , in that he puts the credit of scripture on the truth of history , and * denies any certainty but what may be gathered from that : which dangerous doctrine i could not but warn thee , christian reader , as thou lovest thy peace and comfort , as well as the truth of christ , that thou wilt diligently beware of . and i must leave it to thee to judge , whether that conformity which such a person pleads for , is not justly to be suspected . r. b. here are three more visible untruths in point of fact , 1. that i argue against the divine authority of the scripture ; yea or the self-evidencing either ; which i have written for at large in three several treatises . 1. in the 2d part of my saints rest . 2. in a book called the unreasonableness of infidelity . 3. in my reasons of the christian religion , most fully : but never wrote a word against it . 2. that i do with my industry and cunning labour to overthrow our foundation : hath this man written more for the foundation than those three books ? 3. that i deny any certainty but what may be gathered from the truth of history : for which he citeth not one word in which i ever said so , nor can : but the contrary is legible in the forecited volumes , at large . as to the matter of his accusation i will not here write another book , to tell men what i have written in the former : read my own words , even those he accuseth , and my treatise for the christian religion , and judge as you see cause ; but for them that will believe him to save them the labour of reading it in my own books , as if another man were liker to tell rightly what i have written than the books themselves , i leave them to judge , and do as they are , and as such men lead them . and how far tradition or history , or humane aide and testimony is necessary to our reception of the scripture , i have long agoe opened at large in the preface to the second part of my saints rest , and shewed you that dr. whitaker , chemnitius , davenant , rob. baronius and other protestants usually say the same that i do , and that otherwise by casting away such subordinate means , proud-ignorance and pievish wrangling will cut the throat of faith it self , and undermine the church of god. reader , i will conclude also with an admonition as my accuser doth ; as thou lovest christianity , scripture and thy soul , take heed of those ignorant destroying-defenders of the scripture , who would tell the infidel world , that they may continue infidels till we can prove , that the scripture alone by its own light , without humane testimony , history or tradition , will bring it self to all mens hands without mans bringing it , and will translate it self , without mans translating it , or in the original tongues will make all english men , and all that cannot read at all , to understand it ; or being translated will tell you sufficiently which is the true translation ; and where the translater failed ; or will tell you among many hundred divers readings which is the right , and which copy is the truest , and which particular text is uncorrupted , or rightly translated ? for instance , whether it should be in luke 17. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , when it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in matth. 24. 18. and beza saith , in uno exemplari & apud theophilactum scriptum est , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , id est cadaver ; sicut etiam in nonnullis codicibus testatur selegisse erasmus ; videturque haec lectio magis accomodata , &c. hundreds of such may be named . and believe not these men till they can name you one man that ever knew before some man told him , by the book alone whether esther and the canticles were canonical , and the book of wisdom and pauls epistle to the laodioaeans apocryphal ; and knew what was the sense of the original text , and what copies , and readings , and translations were true , and what false ? yea or that knew these particular books were the same that the apostles wrote , without alteration , till some one told it them ? would not that man reduce the church into less than one single person , who would have no man believe the scripture , nor take it for gods word , till he can do it without any help of man , or humane history , or testimony or tradition ? but of this i put him twenty questions before . it shall now suffice to tell you this much of the plain truth , that such furious false teachers as shall take the foresaid course may not utterly subvert your faith . the scripture and christian religion taken together as one frame or body , hath that in it self which may prove that frame , and all the essential parts of our religion to be of god ; and the true proof of the divine authority of the scripture , is by the evidence of the spirit ; not a new revelation of the spirit ; but by a double impression of gods own image made by the holy ghost , one upon the scripture it self , the other by the scripture in its continued efficacy on belivers souls : and both these images are the impresses of the trinity of divine principles , even of the power , wisdom , and goodness of god ; which are unimitably done in both . this is the true proof that scripture is the word of god. but this proof excludeth not but supposeth the ministry and testimony of man as a subservient help and means ; even to bring it to us , to translate it , to teach us how to know both the sense and verity of it , and to testifie which is the true canon , copies , reading , translation , &c. and they are ignorant subverting deceivers and destroyers of your souls , who would separate the word , the spirit and the ministry which christ hath conjoyned as necessary together for your faith : and that would cast out subservient helps as unnecessary under pretence of the sufficiency of the scripture . as if printing it were needless , because scripture is sufficient of it self . and the fore-said self-evidencing light is not sufficient without humane help and testimony to make you know every canonical book from the apocryphal , nor to know the truest copies in the original , nor the rightest readings , nor this or that particular verse , to be uncorrupted ; nor the translation to be true , nor this or that to be the true meaning of the greek or hebrew word ; nor that the minister readeth truly to the unlearned that cannot try it by his own skill , nor read himself . and he that would make the contrary supposition to be the foundation of your faith , would destroy your faith , the church and you . postscript . reader , since the writing of this , two things have faln out which make it a more displeasing work to me than it was before ; and i am sorry that mr. bagshaw made it necessary . the one is , that ( as the current report saith ) he is again in prison , for refusing the oath of allegiance : and i naturally abhorre to trample upon a suffering person ( which hath caused me to say so little against the armies and sectarian miscarriages since their dissolution and dejection in comparison of what i did before in the time of their prosperity . ) the other is , the printing of the life of mr. vavasor powel , which hath so many good things in it , that i fear lest the mention of his false prophecies ( extorted by mr. bagshaw , who first published also his name as the author of them ) should abate their exemplary use . but yet i must give this notice to forreigners and posterity , that they must not judge either of the judgement or the sufferings of the non-conformists by these mens : it is not for refusing the oath of allegiance that they are silenced , and suffer as they do : nor do they consent to the words which conclude the life of mr. powel , that since such a time he hath learnt that we must pray for our present rulers as sinners , but not as magistrates . no man can truly say that such doctrines as these have been proved against any considerable part of the ministers that are now cast out , or that they were deposed and silenced for such things , seeing they commonly take the oathes of allegiance and supremacy . and how far the ejected ministers of scotland are from the principles of separation , mr. browne a learned scottish divine hath shewed in the preface of a learned treatise newly published in latine against wolzogius and velthusius , ( even while he saith most against receding from a reformation ; ) overthrowing the tenents maintained by our two or three english brownes , which formerly were called brownisme . ( though the same mans numerous reasonings against the derivation of the magistrates office from the power of the mediator , i waite for leisure to refell . ) finis . errata . in the contents , page . 2. sect. 24. for meant , r. recant . sect. 5. p. 5. after and , adde into . epist . p. 4. l. 27. for that , r. and. p. 41. l. 2. r. writings shew . p. 43. l. 22. for quod , r. quid . p. 86. l. 15. r. and by mr. eliot . p. 93. l. 12. for confirmed , r. confined . p. 100. l. 1. r. have not . p. 105. l. 21. for designe , r. deigne . p. 120. l. 9. for your , r. their . p. 146. blot out the two first lines ( repeated ) p. 181. l. 16. for occasions , r. accusations . less litteral errours are past by . but i have one thing more to advertise the reader of , that i was too blame to believe mr. bagshaw in his recitation of my own words , in his pag. 5. where he saith that [ of cromwell himself , though he dyed in his sinful usurpation without manifesting any repentance , i give this saint-like character in my pref. to the army , the late protector did prudently , piously , &c. exercise the government . ] having noted that i spake against oliver a few leaves distant , i too rashly believed mr. bagshaw that this passage was spoken of him too . but upon perusal i find it is most notorious that i spake it of his son , when the army had brought him to a resignation , which any man may see that will peruse the place . hereafter therefore i will not so hastily believe so common a — in what he writeth of the most visible subject , of my self or others . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a27032-e3690 1st . false doctrine . 1st . falsehood ( in fact . ) second false doctrine . third false doctrine . second falshood . 1. crime . a slander of many hundreds . 3. falshood . 2. crime : justifying or excusing sin under judgements . 3. crime taking a call to repentance for a heinous wrong . 4th . false doctrine . 5th . false doctrine . 4th . visible falshood . 5th . visible falshood . 4th crime . impudent calumny . 6th & 7th falshoods . 8th falsehood . 9th falsehood . 10th notorious falshood and a calumny . 11th and 12th falsehood and calumny . 5th crime , calumniating insinuation . my word to the army heretofore . 13th & 14th falshood . 6th rash calumny . 15th falsehood . 7th self-condemning calumny . 16th , 17th , 18th , 19th , and 20th visible falshoods . 21st falsehood implyed . 22d . falsehood implyed . 8 self confutation & calumny . 23d falsehood . 24th self-d●clared falshood . 24th falsehood , and a calumny repeated . 25th and 26th falsehoods . 9th crime , rejecting and slandering readful warning . 10th crime self-denying . 11th crime excusing false prophecying to the dishonour of gods spirit . 12th crime paralleling false prophecies with the prophets words in scripture . 13. crime , scrip●ures eluded . 14 crime , duty reproached , and scandal made a duty . of pride . the reasons of my publick communicating . 27 , 28. & 29. visible untruths . 15. crime , impudency in calumniating . of justification . 16 crime , resisting and reproaching other mens labours for the service of god , and the good of souls , with confidence in notorious falsehood . of much writing . the case , of separation ! self-condemnation . 30th and 31st visible untruths . 32d & 33d untru●hs . blind sophistry and palpable fallacy . how a parish church is or is not part of a diocesane church . the same fallacy with an untruth . whether a parish minister be but a servant to the diocesane . whether all the parish ministers consent to persecution . slander . of reproving sharply the sins of others . narrow communion . mr. bagshaw obligeth me to reprove him sharply , left i be guilty of his sin . all sinners are not to be separated from . 6th false doctrine . 34th falshood and slander . 35th falshood . 7. false doctrines at lest implyed . q. 1. whether it is an indispensible duty to maintain all our christ●an liberty , or what ? luke 14. 18. isa . 61. 1. 2 pet. 2. 19 , 20 , 21. act. 18. 26. 2 tim. 2. 26. 2 cor. 3. 17. heb. 2. 14 , 15. gal. 4 ▪ 3 , 9. romans 8. 15 , 2. iohn 8 ▪ 31 , 36. romans 6. 16 , 18 , 22. q. 2. whether there be no way but separation , to preserve our christian liberty ? 8. false doctrine . 9. false doctrine . whether not separating be prejudicial to a fundamental , viz christs soveraignty ? the case acts 15. acts 15. against the sparatists . mr. bagshaw's too loose communion with all hereticks that impose not . his own imposing . of approving what we joyn in . whether he be an hypocrite , who joyneth with any manner of worship which he approveth not ? self-contradiction . whether no church may be communicated with that is not such as christ called and designed it to be ? when a church is to be separated from for approving sin ? 10. f. doctrin 11. dreadful false doctrine . read and fear the tendency of separation . mr. william's doctrine . more of the causes of separation . boasting ignorance . 12. false doctrine and pernicious . 36th untruth . whether the true reading and uncorruptness of particular texts be sufficiently known by the light of the scripture alone ? a lame deceitful recital , and 17. crime , cruel judging millions unknown without a call. 18. crime justifying a falshood , while you openly your self detect it . 37. untruth implyed . 38. & 39. untruths implyed . 40. untruth implyed . 41. untruth , notorious . wisdom and humility in the dark . phil. ●● 26. 42. untruth 43. untruth 44 untruth ▪ 1. untruth of mrs. — 2. untruth . 3d untruth . 4th untruth . 5th untruth . 1st . untruth . 2d untruth . 3d untruth . 4th untruth . see jer. 28. 6. 5th untruth . 6th untruth . 7th untruth . 45th untruth by e. b. a new sort of honesty . envy and partiality . superstition . * 46th untruth . * 47th untruth . * 48th untruth . the self-evidencing light of scripture , what it is . an answer to mr. dodwell and dr. sherlocke, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical and monarchical, as church-tyranny and popery : and defending dr. isaac barrow's treatise against it by richard baxter ; preparatory to a fuller treatise against such an universal soveraignty as contrary to reason, christianity, the protestant profession, and the church of england, though the corrupters usurp that title. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 401 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 88 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26860 wing b1184 estc r16768 11733763 ocm 11733763 48440 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26860) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 48440) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 11:8) an answer to mr. dodwell and dr. sherlocke, confuting an universal humane church-supremacy aristocratical and monarchical, as church-tyranny and popery : and defending dr. isaac barrow's treatise against it by richard baxter ; preparatory to a fuller treatise against such an universal soveraignty as contrary to reason, christianity, the protestant profession, and the church of england, though the corrupters usurp that title. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [24], 151 p. printed for thomas parkhurst ..., london : 1682. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng barrow, isaac, 1630-1677. -treatise of the pope's supremacy. catholic church -controversial literature. papacy. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-05 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an answer to mr. dodwell and dr. sherlocke ; confuting an universal humane church-supremacy , aristocratical and monarchical ; as church-tyranny and popery : and defending dr. isaac barrow's treatise against it . by richard baxter . preparatory to a fuller treatise against such an universal soveraignty , as contrary to reason , christianity , the protestant profession , and the church of england ; though the corrupters usurp that title . london : printed for thomas parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns , at the lower end of cheapside , near mercers chappel , 1682. reader , though the difference between mr. dodwell ( and mr. thorndike , and such others ) , and those condemned by them , be very great , i would not have it seem greater than it is . the sum of it is as followeth : 1. mr. dodwell thinketh that there is no true ministry , church-sacraments , nor covenant-right to pardon and salvation , but where there is a ministry delivering the sacraments , who were ordained by bishops ( in his sense of bishops ) , who had their ordination from other bishops , and they from others , by an uninterrupted chain of succession from the apostles . we know , that by this doctrine he condemneth , or unchurcheth , not only the reformed churches , the greeks and other easterns , but the church of rome it self , and leaveth no certainty of the very being of any one church on earth . and we maintain , that the sacred scripture is the universal law of christ , in which he hath described and instituted the office and work of the sacred ministry , and appointed the way of their continuance in the world , by necessary qualification , election , consent , and ordinarily regular ordination . that as presbyters now lay on hands with the bishop , so senior pastors are the ordainers , as the colledg of physicians license physicians , and the convocation of doctors make doctors ( and man generateth man ) . but to avoid contention and division , the churches have used to make one of these presbyters or pastors a president , and partly a ruler in each colledg and church , and given him a negative voice in ordinations ; against which we strive not , but maintain , 1. that his consent is not so necessary , as that no one can be a true presbyter that hath it not . as the clergy at rome in cyprian's days long governed when they had no bishop ; so if the bishop be dead , or refuse to ordain , or would ordain none but here●icks , or uncapable men , or would tyrannize and impose men not consented to , the ordination is valid that is made without him . and 2. that the true chief pastor of every particular formed church , is a true bishop , though diocesans should deny it . 3. and that even ordination it self is necessary but for order where it may be had , and not to the being of the ministry where it cannot be had on lawful terms , no more than coronation to the king , or publick solemnization to marriage . 4. and we are assured , that if regular ordination were interrupted by death , heresie , refusal , neglect , e. g. at antioch , alexandria , constantinople , jerusalem , &c. christs charter , or scripture-law would presently restore it to persons duly qualified , chosen and ordained by the fittest there that can be had . 5. if this were not so ( as multitudes of schismatical and unlawful popes ordinations at rome would be invalid , e. g. john 13. and 21. and 23. and eugenius 4th deposed as a heretick by a general council , &c. ) so every usurping bishop that pretendeth falsly , that he was himself lawfully ordained , would nullifie churches , ministry and sacraments of all ordained by him . and many have falsly pretended to orders . 6. and that if men must refuse the government and sacraments of all bishops and presbyters that do not prove to them a regular ordination uninterrupted for 1600. years , all the ministry on earth may be refused : and none for so doing should be called schismaticks . i never yet heard or saw a bishop prove such a succession , nor ever knew one that would take his oath on it , that he was a true bishop on such terms . ii. mr. dodwell thinks that the presbyters , yea and bishops , were not given by god. pag. 60. saith he , but where do they find , that god ever gave bishops , presbyters and deacons ? where note , that it is of the office in specie that we speake . but we think that god hath made or instituted the office and its work . and if he did not , 1. who did ? if men , was it clerg-ymen or lay-men ? if lay-men , was it christians or infidels ? and by what authority ? do the children beget the fathers , and yet may not presbyters propagate their species ? if clergy-men , who were they ? if not apostles , or prophets , or evangelists , they were none . if these , then it seems the apostles did it not as bishops ; for it is the making of the first bishops that we question . and what the apostles did ( not as bishops , but ) as commissioned apostles , christ did by his spirit . and they that will do the like , must have the like office , authority and spirit . if god gave not bishops , because the apostles made them , then god gave us not the scripture , because the apostles and evangelists wrote it . and is not this the same or worse doctrine than that which the italian iesuits would have had pass at trent , against gods making bishops or their office ? and if god gave not bishops or presbyters , they that reject them , reject no gift or institution of god. and if men made them , how come they to be essential to the church ? did not christ and his spirit in the apostles , institute so much as the church-essentials ? and if men made bishops and presbyters in specie , may not man unmake them ? iii. mr. dodwell maintaineth , that the power of presbyters is to be measured by the intention of the ordainers who give it them , and not by any scripture-institution , charter or description . we maintain the contrary , that god having instituted and described the office of bishops , pastors , presbyters , gods law in scripture is the rule by which the office-power , and obligation , and work in the essentials , must be known . otherwise , 1. it would be supposed , that god made not the office of bishops or presbyters ; which is false . 2. that ordainers may make new churches , bishops or presbyters in specie ; yea , as many species of them as they shall intend . 3. that they may abrogate or change the ancient species . they may make one office only for preaching , another only for praying , another only for baptism , another only for the lords supper , and others for new work of their own . the papists themselves abhor this doctrine . 4. then no man can know the measure of his authority , not knowing the intentions of the ordainers . perhaps three or ten ordainihg bishops may have three or ten several intents . 5. then the bishop may put down gods worship or sacraments , by limiting the priests power . 6. it 's contrary to all ministerial investitures . the investing minister is not the owner or the donor , but delivereth possession of what the owner and donor contracted for , or gave . if the archbishop , crowning the king , would infringe his prerogative , it 's a nullity , because he is not the giver of it ; nor is his intention , but the kingdoms constitution , the measure of it . if the priest would make the man whom he marrieth to a woman , no governour of her , it 's a nullity : for it is not his intent that makes the power . 7. if this were otherwise , i call and call again ( but in vain ) to mr. dodwell , and all his party , to tell me , how the bishops and priests of the church of england in the days of henry the 8th , and edward the 6th , and queen elizabeth came to have power to put down the mass , to set up the liturgie , to take down images , and to reform as they did , when it was certainly contrary to the intention of their ordainers ? 8. and setting this point together with the other , ( that ordination of presbyters is null ) i ask them , ( and ask again , but all in vain ; ) 1. do not bishops generate their species , and make bishops their equals ? 2. who then can give his office to the archhishop , if he have no superior in england , unless his inferiors give it , or you fly to a forreign iurisdiction ? 3. whose intention is it that giveth power to the pope , if he be greatest ? or to the general council , if it be greatest ? if there be none above them , either god or inferiours give them their power ? 4. and what if these inferiours that make popes , primates , or councils , by intention would take down half their power ? is it then done ? what self-contradiction and confusion would some men rather run into , than grant christ to be christ ? that is , the only vniversal head and legislator to the church on earth . iv. accordingly mr. d. holdeth , that there is a supreme authority in man over the universal church , from whose intention and sense it is not lawful for us to appeal so much as to the sacred scripture , no nor to the day of iudgment , for any practice different from them . see his reply , p. 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85. though we hold that no unjust appeal should suspend the authorised acts of a governour , this doctrine seems to me to be worse than antichristian , and to put down god. if god indeed be the vniversal soveraign lawgiver , and the final iudge ; if god be god , and man be man and not above him , to say that we must not obey him before man , and disobey man that commands what he forbids , or that we must not appeal from mans subordinate law to his supreme law , nor from mans judgment to his final judgment ; and to say , ( as he and thorndike do ) that to do so , and practise accordingly , is inconsistent with all government , are things that i had hoped my ears or eyes should never have seen or heard delivered by a sober christian. papists most commo●ly abhor it , save some few flatterers of the pope . if ●his be so , a man must not only worship images , swear to the pope , and do all that councils command ; but also curse christ if the turkish rulers bid him , blaspheme god if heathen rulers bid him , and condemn all the martyrs as rebels that did subvert all government , by practising contrary to it and appealing to god. and then man must be every where of the rulers religion , and do whatever wickedness he commandeth , dan. 1. and 3.6 . and the church for three hundred years and more tell us of other kind of examples . v. mr. d. holdeth this absolute destructive power to be essentially necessary to the vnity of the catholick church : which is the sum of thorndike's book . i would not go further from them or the french , in the point of vnity , than i needs must . i shall therefore tell you what is our judgment of it . 1. we grant them , that christ's church on earth is one , and its vnity is part of its very essence ( as the vnity of the parts of a house , ship , &c. ) 2. we hold that this essential vnity consisteth in the vnion of all christians with christ , the only unifying vniversal head ; and that the vnity described ephes. 4.4 , 5 , 6. sufficeth to it , viz. one body ( of christ ) one spirit , one hope ( of grace and glory ) one lord , one faith , one baptism , one god and father , &c. and that all this is prescribed in the gospel , and every true christian hath all this . 3. that all must endeavour to keep this vnity in the bond of peace , and to be in every lesser matter of one mind , as far as they can : and the pastors of the churches to beautifie and strengthen the church , by as much concord as they can well obtain . 4. but that perfect concord being the fruit of personal perfection , will never be had on earth : and the differences of the infirm that cannot be cured , must be tolerated in tender brotherly love. and to persecute or destroy christians , who unite in christ and the essentials of christianity , because they are not of one size of knowledg , and differ in lesser things , is the work of satan the enemy of love , and the great destroyer . 5. we believe that synods or councils are so far good and useful , as they are needful to the foresaid strength and concord of the churches : but that they are for agreement , and not for direct regiment , as archbishop usher was wont to say , councils are not for government of the several bishops by the majority , but for consultation and concord : and they that cannot in all things consent to them in accidentals , or lesser matters , are not therefore cut off from christ's vniversal church : but it is a fault peevishly and causelesly to dissent and be singular , a breach of christ's general law , of doing our work as much as we can in love and concord . plainly , reader , do you know the difference between the senate of rome or venice , and the assembly at nimmegen , ratisbone , or frankford ? the said senate is una persona politica , though plures naturales , and hath the supreme government by vote in legislation and iudgment ; and it is rebellion there to disown their power , and a crime not to obey it . at nimmegen , ratisbone , &c. many princes or their agents meet for peace and christian concord . it is a sin for any of them to be causelesly against any vote that is useful to those ends . but no one of them , nor the major vote , is governour of the rest ; nor is any one to be dispossest of his dominion , that seeth reason to dissent . this is plain truth ; though dr. sherlock find fault with the learned and iudicious dr. barrow , for asserting it in his treatise against the papacy . and it being not regiment but concord that is the end of synods ( as over bishops ) there is no more use than possibility of an vniversal council , or one vniversal colledge ; but the necessity and aptitude of councils for strengthning concord , must measure their extent . what mr. d's opinion is of the degree of corporal punishment , which he would have used to his ends , i know not : mr. thorndike is against death and banishment . for my part , the two greatest things that have alienated me from popery are ; 1. that it cherisheth ignorance , and i am sure that is the soil of all wickedness ; god , christ , the spirit and scripture , are light ; and satan is the prince of darkness . 2. that it liveth like the leech on blood , hating and destroying the most holy persons who differ from them : to these my soul is unreconcilable . i hate cruelty to papists or infidels , much more to godly faithful persons , that do hurt to none . and i think i have convinced mr. dodwell himself that i am not inclined for the avoiding of popery , to run into any contrary extreme ; nor to imitate them tha● ignorantly call truth , or harmless things , antichristian or popish . the name of popery doth not affright me from any truth of god : what i have written in many books , especially in the last part of my catholick theology , and what censures i have suffered for it , ( which never moved me to comply with the censurers ) i think prove it . i again and again profess , that if the papists , or such as i now deal with , would but prove , that god ever made or allowed such a church as they plead for in the world , that is an vniversal church , constituted or unified by any one head or supreme governing p●r● ( monarchical or aristocratical ) under christ , the dispute whether it be pope , or council , or cardinals , or colledge of bishops in all the world , shall not hinder me from a chearful and joyful declaring my self a papist without partiality , fear or shame , in the sense that the word papist hath still signified with such as i converse with . these things i have taken the boldness to ask some of the greatest , that on the fore mentioned terms appropriate the name of the church of england to their sect or party , and i could get no answer from them , viz. whether they took the councils of constance and basil for papists ? and whether they now take the bishops and church of france for papists ? and whether they took gerson , cusanus , cassander , erasmus , for papists , or not ? 2. if yea , what is the difference between the said papists church-form and government , and that which these call the church catholick , and dispute for ? 3. if not , then is not the controversie de nomine , whether the french bishops and church , and the said councils being of the same form and religion with the church of england , ( as called by these men ) ought to be called papists , or not ? and for that i shall strive with none : let every man call them as he seeth cause ; or if he will , as they will call themselves . let them be papists in france , and protestants in england ; i contend not for names . but i wonder not at these church-men , if they unchurch the french protestants , and condemn their ministry and sacraments as none ; how else could their persecution be justified ? and , o that they would tell us , what churches they be that they live in communion with ? whether the french , spanish , italian , greeks , nestorians , jacobites , copties , abassines , be in their communion , or not ? if yea , whether the reformed churches be not as worthy of their communion ? if not , whether the church of england be all the catholick church in their account ? o that we could long more for god's righteous final iudgment , ( to which we appeal , though mr. dodwell be against it ) and for the world of perfect light , and love , and union ! dated septemb. 2. 1681. ( appointed a publick fast for the burning of london . ) i have not time to gather the errata of the press ; i cast my eye on these , pag. 9. l. 19. for natures , r. names . p. 10. l. antep . dele and. p. 11. l. antep . r. is in . p. 17. l. 1. for or , r. over . p. 5. l. 29. after excommunicating , r. christ's servants for not forsaking their faithful pastors . p. 10. l. ult . for of , r. by . p. 16. l. 32. for our r. one . p. 90. l. 12 r. temerity . p. 139. l. 17. for by , r. to . pag. 151. l. 4. for by , r. my , &c. the contents . a late letter of mr. dodwell's , with the answer , written since the rest was printed . chap. 1. of mr. dodwell's displeasure against me , as if i accused him to be a papist , and wronged the councils of bishops . p. 1. chap. 2. his schismatical church-destroying scheme , the sum of his great schismatical book confuted . p. 7 chap. 3. the consequents of mr. dodwell's foresaid doctrine . p. 21 chap. 4. my words of gods collation of ministerial authority vindicated from the forgeries and fallacies of mr. dodwell . p. 27 what my assertion is of the cause of church power . p. 29. the contrary , p. 32. the truth proved , p 33 , &c. his objections answered , p. 36. &c. bishops are of god , p. 46. &c. his sad qualification of ministers , p. 48. preferring god is no wrong to government , p. 54. what succession we have , p. 54. of aidan and finans episcopacy , p. 57. his assertion of supreme church-power , from whom there is no appeal to scripture , to god , or the life to come , and whose intention is the measure of the power of all ordained by them , examined , p. 57 , &c. whether the church on earth be one visible society under one visible humane government , p. 59. whether divine authority may not be pretended for practising contrary to some superiors , p. 60 chap. 5. wherein mr dodwell's deceits , and their danger lie . p. 63. whether there be but one sense of all terms , which causes obliging men to mean , all that have skill in causes are to understand , p. 63. twelve great doctrinal articles in which we differ from mr. dodwell , p. 65. some questions put to him , p. 68 his second letter to me from ireland , p. 70. my answer to it , p. 75. proving the impossibtlity of just discipline in the diocesan way , which i dissent from . the short answer to mr. dodwell's long letter ( which dr ▪ sherlocke and mr. morrice extol ) , which is fully answered in my treatise of episcopacy , p. 90. a letter sent to mr. dodwell mar. 12 1681. a letter to mr. dodwell nov. 15. 1680. anoth●r to him of july 9. 1677. opening many of our chief differences . p. 100. another after a personal conference sent to him , but returned , because he was gone into the country ; debating with him eleven of our great differences : in which mr. dodwell may be known . p. 118. an account of my dissent from dr. sherlocke his doctrine , accusations and argumentation ; specially about the essence of the universal , a national and single church , and the nature of schism , &c. chap. 1. the historical proem . chap. 2. my ●etter and couns●l to mr. sherlocke many years ago , advising him to expound or retract his words , which seem to deny the three articles of our baptismal covenant , our belief in god the father , the son and the holy ghost , p. 162 his answer , p. 173 chap. 3. of the ill manner of these mens confutations . p. 174 chap. 4. the main part of our difference , viz. what is the essential form of the catholick , national and single churches , p. 182 chap. 5. what is the catholick church , as described by arch-bishop bramhall , bishop gunning , dr. saywell , mr. thorndike , mr. dodwell , mr. sherlocke and the french papists , p. 193. some notes on dr. saywell's communion , p. 198. more on dr. sherlocke's . p. 203 chap. 6. what is the vnion and necessary communion of the catholick church , according to this accusing defender ? p. 207. his unsatisfactory solutions manifested , and dr. isaac barrow's excellent treatise of church-vnity , published by dr. tillotson , defended against his vain exceptions . chap. 7. of the rest of his book . p. 228. a late letter from mr. dodwell , calling for more answer , with the answer to it , written since the rest was printed , though it be here placed . reverend sir , i am now in the country , and as yet in so unsetled a condition , as obliges me to be a stranger to new works . however , by the short view i have when i come into shops , i find you put me off for a reply to mr. clarksons little pamphlet concerning diocesan jurisdiction : i have got it and perused it , and the design of my writing at present is , to acquaint you with the reason why i think my self unconcerned in it , if that be all i must expect from you in answer to my yet unanswered letters . you must excuse me , if i cannot think that book an answer , which as it was written before them by your own confession , so neither doth it foresee the accounts given in those letters , nor provide against them : whether it do so , let the reader judge . but to return to the account intended , why i cannot think my self concerned in this new pamphlet of mr. clarkson's , be pleased to understand , that the excellent dean of st. pauls being engaged against you on the same argument of my letters , was pleased to put himself to the trouble of perusing my papers , as they came from the press , purposely that he might avoid repeating what had been said by me . this being so , you may easily understand how far i am concerned in what is said to him , when it was indeed wholly distinct from mine . not that i should have been unwilling to serve that great person , but that i know he is in much better hands already . mr. clarkson in this pamphlet , as he has only mentioned dr. stillingfleets name , so he hath confined himself to his arguments , and hath taken notice of nothing in my letters not considered by the doctor . if he will be pleased to engage further , i confess i like his temper better than any i have seen of your late brethren , except dr. owen . such an adversary i should desire , as would confine himself to the cause , without digressing to personal slanders . there is one mistake in him , which you may be pleased to acquaint him with , and that is his translating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thousands more than once , and sometimes where his argument is grounded on it , that it may appear to be his mistake rather than the printers . the mistake is small and separable from the main cause , but withal is very evident . but according to his candour in acknowledging it , so i shall see what candour i may expect from him in the main cause , if he think fit to engage with me in it . as to your answers to my objections against your ministry in our oral debates , had they been unproved assertions , i should then have thought them sufficiently answered with denials . but you know the assertions are proved in the body of my book ; and till i see my principles unravelled , and answers more distinctly applied to the junctures , where the proof may seem to fail , i am not likely to see any reason to change my minde . till you attempt this , i am content the reader judg , whether what you have done , or shall hereafter do in the like way , deserve the name of a confutation . if i must never expect any further satisfaction from you for the slanders you have raised against me , all the return i intend , is my hearty prayer to god , to qualifie you for your forgiveness , not only of that sin , but of the many others of your late writings , by your re-union to the church from which you are fallen , on which account alone i have proved that you can expect forgiveness . i am obliged not only on my own account , but to the publick , to which you have shewn your self an enemy on this occasion , to reflect on you ; but i desire to leave no monuments against you to posterity . god may yet have mercy on you , and let you see the mischief you are doing , before it be too late . that he will do so , is the most unfeigned request of him , who , notwithstanding your many and great provocations , will still endeavour to approve himself shrewsbury , sept. 19 , 1681. yours , as far as is consistent with his duty to the publick , henry dodwell . when you have occasion to write to me , send your lettrs to be left with mr. took sir , i received not yours of septemb. 19 , 1681. till octob. 21. through the miscarriage of one that should have delivered it . what you have to say to mr. clarkson , write to himself and not to me : as to your call for more answer to your books , you shall have more . i had wrote one long ago , and cast it by : men are weary of our controversies , and had rather all of us gave over . but if i should shew the errour and impertinency of every such word in your great book , it might be a years work ; when i look not to live so long ; and it might make so great a volume in folio , that few i think would buy or read ! and what great good will it do the world , to tell them how grossly you abuse the chuch , and how confidently and voluminously you err ? as to your charge of slandering you , and wronging the church , and being unqualified for forgiveness , i have the same accusations from quakers , anabaptists , antinomians and papists , almost in the same words : within these two hours an ancient doctor sent me as hard words [ as being a self condemned person , to be forsaken , as opposing the commands of god , and the faith of iesus , ] for not yielding to his [ asserting of the seventh-day-sabbath , and condemning the lords-days observation . ] i have these thirty six years lived under such accusations : it is no new thing for seducers to use affrighting words instead of proof , and to say , [ except ye be circumcised and keep the law of moses , you cannot be saved . it 's the cry of most sects , [ you cannot be saved but in our way ] sir , no man living hath more cause to be loath to err , and to be willing to know the truth . i am as sure , as i can be , if i know any thing of my own minde , that i am not only willing to know the truth , but to know it at a far dearer rate than it was ever like to cost me in this world . i am sure that i have not been slothful in seeking it : i am sure that i would joyfully recant any errour that you or any man can convince me of , with hearty thanks for so great a benefit . i have considered your books ; you are confident of my erring and wronging the church ; and i am as confident of yours : that you are a misleader of an extraordinary size , that would set up an vniversal humane supreme government , which protestants have taken for popery and treason against christ ; and who falsly unchurch the reformed churches , and deny them all covenant-right to salvation , while you tol● me your self , that it is not for the christian interest to hold , th●● the roman bishops ordination ( as you require it ) hath had an intercision . is it a crime to speak truth of you or a slander to say , that the doctrine of an humane , absolute , vniversal soveraignty , is the most fundamental part of popery ? and is it no sin or slander for you to condemn so many millions falsly , even the purest and holiest of the churches on earth ? if not the whole ( by self-contradiction ? ) is it a damning sin not to feed , cloath , and visit in prison one of christ's little ones ? and is it a meritorious virtue in mr. dodwell to unchurch , or unchristen , or degrade , if not condemn to hell all the reformed churches , ( nominally but not really excepting england ? ) yea , and to go about with a persecuting spirit and diligence , to provoke magistrates to lay them in jayls with rogues , because they dare not give over preaching the gospel , to which they were devoted in their ordition ? reproach●ng those magistrates as contemners of religion , who will not punish us as deceivers , as if it were not you that is the deceiver ? should i presume to judge , that so many and such men through christendom , as you condemn , were all so ignorant and so bad , as not to know the common verities necessary to the essence of the ministry , and to salvation , and that 't is i that can teach it them , by such media as mr dodwell useth , ( while he knoweth that voetius hath answered a far abler defender of his cause ) i should sure be reputed a man so extremely proud , as that no complemental humble deportment would excuse . as for the question , whether you are a papist , what obligation lieth on me to decide it ? why should you expect that i should say you are none ? do you not better know your self ? and is not your own word fitter to tell your minde ? i do but tell what your doctrine is . and i will speak so much plainer than i did , as to say , that 1. to hold a humane universal church-supremacy , aristocratical or monarchical . 2. and that this power is so absolute , that there is no appeal from it to scripture , or gods judgment . 3. and that this power doth make universal laws for all the church by general councils . 4. and that the pope hath the primacy or presidentship in those councils ordinarily . 5. and that he is the principium vnitatis . 6. and that it belongs to the president antecedently to call councils , and to him alone ; so that they are but unlawful routs , or rebellious , if they assemble without his call. and that they are schismaticks , who dissent and disobey this supremacy . 8. and that the reformed churches , for want of your episcopal ordination uninterrupted from the apostles times ▪ are no true churches , have no true ministry , or sacraments , or covenant-right to salvation ; but by pretending them , do sin against the holy ghost . 9 but that the church of rome , by vertue of an uninterrupted episcopal succession , is a true church , hath a true ministry , and sacraments , and covenant right to salvation . 10. and that the french-church ( which we call papists ) are safer than the protestants there . 11. and imply , that the said french clergy , and the councils of constance and basil were no papists . 12. and that the said protestants being schismaticks , and sinning against the holy ghost , the magistrates that will not be contemners of religion , are bound to punish them . ( as if in england and france your bellows were needful to blow the fire . ) these things asserted among you by bishop bramhall , heylin , mr. thorndike , and you and such others , the protestants have been hitherto used to call popery : but i will not dispute with you a mere question of the fitness of the name . if you had rather , call it church tyranny , cruelty , or diabolism . and is all this a virtue in you ? and is it a sin in me to defend christ's flock , and the true unity of his church , and to detect such deceivers , and bear my testimony for truth , love and concord against such dividers and destroyers ? it 's a hard case then , that such as ● are in , that the more unfeignedly we desire to know god's will , and the more diligently and impartially we study it , and the more it costeth us , the greater sinners we are : and no sins have been so loudly charged on me , as praying , and preaching the gospel , and laborious vindicating god's truth and servants . it doth not follow , if you hate them , or would have them ruined , that every man sinneth that doth not as you do ▪ and whereas you would get some countenance to your writings ▪ by the name of dr. stillingfleet , as having perused them , &c. either he is , or is not of your mind ? if not , this doth but adde to your deceit . if he be , your cause will do more against the conscience and reputation of dr. stillingfleet , than far greater parts and reputation than his can do for your cause . and sir , what should i get , should i give a voluminous answer to all your books ? when i have confuted you as far as i have done , i have but lost my labour . the church-men that i hear from , despise it , and say , what is mr. dodwell to us ? he is an unordained man ( he knoweth why ) , and his book was rejected by the bishop of london . his opinions are odd , and the church of england is not of his mind : yea , mr. cheny would perswade us , that you are a singular contemned fellow . but it 's a useful way , to set such an one as you to do mens business , and to boast , as dr sherlocke and mr. morrice do , of your performance , and yet to disown you when their cause requireth it . but it is an abuse of us that dissent from you , to connive only at your published books , and then to boast of them as unanswerable . and when we have lost our precious time in shewing their deceit and schismatical love-destroying tendency , then to say to us , you have done nothing : vvhat is this to us ? mr. dodwell is an odd disowned man , and none of the english clergy . if god and conscience would give me leave , i could presently be a good man , and a pardoned sinner with you : it is but honouring you , and saying as you say ; i could so be extoll'd by almost any sect , papist , quaker , &c. but it must be but by one : for all the rest would nevertheless revile , accuse me and condemn me , as you do the protestant churches . and the quakers , like you , say , we sin against the holy ghost . the old sabbatarian dr. before-named , in his first letter accused me as aforesaid ; and when i profest my self willing to learn of him , as his disciple , i was in his next , the unwearied labourer in christs harvest , and his marvellous joy , &c. and in the rest , when i could not receive his reasonings , i became worse and more m●serable than ever . it 's a wonderful meritoriou● excellency with such men , to become their proselytes and admirers . as true charity and piety would fain propagate tru●h , goodness and happiness ; so pride , self-conceit , and a sectarian spirit , are like the inordinate lust of fornicators , impatient longer than they are propagating their spurious kind . and indeed the inordinate height of your self-conceitedness and confidence in gross confounding error , will make chast souls afraid of your procacious sollicitations . had you sought my corporal destruction , and not the churches ruin , for which you profess a zeal , i might silently have let you take your course . but the sober world so well knoweth , that satan and papists are so much against the plain and serious preaching of the gospel , and so much for blood or cruelty towards dissenters , how faithful and truly religious soever , that if you go on to be like them , 1. in la●bouring us to cease preaching . and 2. to call for punishment ( we know what ) to those that will not cease , you will cherish men in the opinion that you are a papist , more than all your friends and talk can make them believe that you are not . sir , when sin groweth crying and common , i am one that dare not preach impenitency by hiding it , and saying , it is a doubtful or a little thing , though i expect that guilt should be impatient , and some doctors should go on to say behind my back , that less than this is unchristian and intemperate passion or abuse . methinks you who judg millions of true believers , and lovers of god and holiness , to damnation ; and by printing this , go about to have all men think them such , and consequently to love them no better than the damnable should be loved , should never be so partially tender , as not to endure to be but told what you say and do . and will you be angry with sober christians for startling at such a doctrine , that all our other qualifications , though we believe and love god , &c. will not save us , unless we have the sacrament from a minister ordained by a bishop of your described species , and he from such another , &c. to the beginning ? can christian ears relish the description of such a hell as containeth the believing christian lovers of god and holiness , who call'd upon his name , and sought first his kingdom and righteousness , and forsook all for christ , but were damned for want of an uninterrupted diocesan ordination of the priest that gave them the sacrament , and all his predecessors ? sure christians hitherto han't believed that diocesans sacraments will make a heaven of wicked ungodly men , nor the want of them make a hell of saints . and will you be angry with me , for not believing that god is such a one , as will for ever hate and damn in hell the souls that loved him above all ? will he take that love from them when they die ? or do they continue in hell to love him , while he hateth and tormenteth them ? were not that to call him worse than the devil , whom they do not love ? you only tell us , that they cannot be saved for want of your species of sacramenters . but if you meant not by this their damnation , but a purgatory or annihilation , it 's meet you should deal plainly , and tell us what it is . they are articles of our faith and religion , that whoever believeth ( sincerely ) in christ , shall not perish , but have everlasting life : and that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth : and that eye hath not seen , &c. what god hath prepared for them that love him . when dr. vvilkins once preached in pauls church an excellent sermon for peace and concord , on mutual forbearance , on rom. 14.17 . the kingdom of god is not meat and drink . but righteousness , and peace , and joy in the holy ghost ; for he that in these things serveth christ , is accepted of god and approved of men , he accosted me at the pulpit foot with these true words , i am sure this sermon pleased you . if dr. tillotson will publish that sermon , as he hath done dr. isaac barrow's , those two books will more shame your love-killing , schismatical doctrine , than all that i have said against you . and if the fore-mentioned moderating doctors , go on to publish me to be a man of unpeaceable provoking language , for saying , that such doctrines and practices are great sins , they will seem to me , to take the preaching of repentance for reviling , and that he is the sinner that tells men of sin ; and that the laity are far happier men , who may be called to repentance for their vices , than the clergy , or church-corrupters , who are heinously wronged if their sins be named , and they be but intreated to consider and repent ; yea , if we but tell the reason , why we dare not do as they , in a time when we have cause to study such texts as ezek. 9.4 . perhaps god may permit your principles to get the upper hand . but if he do , i shall love them never the better , but the worse , and shall better love the world which forsake not god , nor is forsaken by him . mr. dodwel's leviathan , or absolute destructive prelacy , the son of abaddon apollyon , and not of iesvs christ , &c. chap. i. of mr. dodwel's displeasure against me , as if i accused him to be a papist ; and accused unjustly the councils of bishops . § . 1. when mr. dodwell , in a tedious volume , did null the reformed churches , their ministry , sacraments , and covenant-title to salvation , meerly for want of uninterrupted succession down from the apostles , of ordination , by such as he appropriateth the name of bishops to , i aggravated his fault , as being one that professeth himself a protestant . he took this to be an accusation of popery : i published , to satisfie him , that i meant no such thing ; but de nomine will call him what he calls himself , and de re will be no judg of any thing but his books and words , to which i leave the reader to know him : this satisfieth him not , but he continueth so much concerned , that i doubt he will make men think there is some tender place that is so impatient of a mis-supposed touch . i have nothing to do with him , or his religion , as his , further than he assaulteth us by his writings : and he is the accuser , and the accusation is of no less moment than aforesaid , and sinning against the holy ghost , and of schism , and subverting all government , if we do but practice differently from the prelates will , and alledg scripture and gods authority for it , and appeal to christ. i am but on the defence against all this . § . 2. i profess it is not meer education , prejudices , custom , or worldly interest which keep me from popery , or his way of absolute obedience to prelates . i have studied what may be said for it as well as against it ; and i never met but with two objections , which seemed to me worthy of much further search : one was , that seeing de facto popery and high prelacy have so far and long ruled in the church , whether it be credible that christ would so permit it , if he hated it , and give his church , de facto , no better government ? 2. whether mens great proneness to discord , make not popery ( italian , or french ) a prudent course . and to these , 1. i am sure that christ came to destroy the works of the devil , and save his people from their sins , and make them holy , a peculiar people , zealous of good works , and gather a church of such out of the world , and rule them in a communion of saints , till he bring them to perfection . therefore i have great reason to suspect those men , and that order and course of government , which cherisheth ignorance and sin in ministers and people , and hunteth , and silenceth faithful ministers , and suppresseth , persecuteth , tormenteth , burneth the most conscionable christians , that for fear of offending god , disobey them , that turn serious religion and spiriritual worship of god , into bodily exercises , and meer conformity to their wills , and outward taking sacraments , and using commanded ceremonies and words ; under the shadow whereof , for 1000. years , piety hath withered , and impiety prospered . christ promised to be with his servants to the end of the world , mat 28.30 . and i cannot but think that he is most with those that are most acquainted with his gospel , and most love him and obey him , and are most holy and heavenly , and walk not after the flesh , but the spirit , rather than with the ignorant , fleshly , worldly malignant persecutors , that set them against serious godliness and godly men . § . 3. and i take not any notices of the time present from any thing but certain experience ; nor of the ages past , from enemies , or suspected , but of the eldest times from all our common church-history , and of the last 1000 , or 1200 ▪ years , as to the worst part of their actions , from their own greatest friends and flatterers , such as baronius , binnius , platina , petavius , and others . § 4. and the matter of fact , i confess , hath had much power on my judgment : had the popes , and lording sort of diocesans been promoters of love and holiness in the church , and not the woful scandal of it , and the enemies of good men , and serious piety , i should have been stronglier tempted to own their form of government to be of god ; though i am assured that nature maketh one man , or one council uncapable of proper government over all the earth ; i should never have opposed that which doth good . but destruction , silencing , persecuting , cruelties , rebellions , worldliness , ignorance , malignity , and cherishing sin , and suppressing piety , and the very word of god , i am sure are all the work of the devil , what name or titles soever are pretended for them . § . 5. and the fact being to me past dispute , i quietly submit to the dreadful providence of god that permitteth it , considering , 1. the church on earth is no better than the angels ; of heaven were ; and if so many of the angels kept not their first estate , but fell by pride , what wonder if many bishops do so ? 2. if adam and eve both fell from innocency , and that so soon , it is not incredible that the serpent should beguile some bishops to depart from the simplicity that is in christ. 3. and if the first born man , cain , murdered his righteous brother by malignant envy for his true religion , it 's no wonder if some clergy-men are such . 4. and if the whole world so soon was drowned in wickedness , that only noah and his house were meet to be saved from the flood , what wonder if the church had too great a deluge of iniquity ? 5. and to be short , if noah himself fall after such deliverance , and a cham be cursed that had been saved , and their posterity proved so bad , that all the canaanites , &c. must be destroyed ; if sodom's flames too , better warned lot , or his wife and children ; if abraham have an ismael , and isaac an esau , and iacob envious sons , and two murderers , and two adulterers ; if israel sin , and die in the wilderness ; if aaron after that he had seen , make them an idol ; if nadab and abihu die , as they did ; if eli's and samuel's sons proved all so bad ; and in the days of the judges there were so many revolts and ruins ; if the first king , saul , so soon revolted ; if david so fell , and absolom so sinned , and solomon himself : if ten tribes so quickly broke off from david's house , and left him but two ; if those two proved as bad as the prophets tell us , and went into captivity : and if the nation rebelled against christ , and be cursed and scattered over the earth , what wonder if the pope and proudest prelate did corrupt the church of god ? if christs chosen twelve had a iudas among them ; if the rest strove who should be greatest ; if peter denied him , and they all forsook him and fled ; if heresies swarmed in the apostles days , and iewish teachers would have subjected the gentiles to moses's law ; if all forsook paul in his tryal , and many accused him before , and such as diotrephes cast out the brethren , and prated maliciously against iohn ; if christ tell us of a little flock , and not many noble and great are called ; if it be as hard for the rich to be saved as christ saith ; if for three hundred years the church was a persecuted people ; and if the patriarchs and bishops themselves , for many hundred years after accused one another in councils , and accused such councils themselves of heresies , and other crimes , as much as is yet visible they did , why should i be scandalized at the badness of bishops and councils , and the woful corruptions of the church ? especially considering , 1. that it was chiefly but the worldly proud domineering sort that thus miscarried , as the very angels did . 2. that god kept up still a great number of humble and holy bishops and presbyters , that joined not in usurpations and pride with the rest . 3. and that god blest their labours to the saving of so many millions of souls , and propagating true serious religion to this day . yea , some of the great patriarchs themselves have been holy humble men . 4. and when god preserved , by an humble ministry , so many christians , as the albigenses , waldenses , and many among the papists themselves , from the liking and guilt of the roman corruptions . 5. and when god hath raised so learned , humble , and holy a ministry to reform the churches , and blest their labours in europe , and specially in england , as he hath done ; even those that mr. dodwell degradeth ; yea , many pious diocesans here and elsewhere , who yet cannot prove their title by his pretended way of successive canonical ordinations ; nor durst have sworn that they had such a call . § . 6. i am sure that the work of christ is the restoring of gods image , holy life , and light , and love ; and that the destroying of these , by hiding the scriptures , unintelligible worships , imagery , dead hypocrisie , silencing , and persecuting , and killing gods servants , making dividing engines to tear , and canons to batter the peace of the church , and this by an ignorant , ungodly , worldly ministry , seeking not the things of god , but of men ; all this is the devils work ; and to do the devils work against christ , is not a sign of christs servants ; he bids us judg of our selves and others by the fruits ; his servants we are whom we obey : if a peter once give christ such worldly fleshly counsel , he shall hear worse than i said of church-tyrants , get thee behind me satan , thou art an offence unto me ; for thou savourest not the things that be of god , but those that be of men , mat. 16.22 hating the good , silencing thousands of faithful ministers , excommunicating , and sinning against god , in obedience to prelates , and for using the needful means of their own salvation , and serving god but as peter and paul did ; this is the devils work , if he have any in the world . and mr. dodwell must trust more to swords than words to keep it up ; for there is a spirit in true christians that will never suffer them to believe that it is pleasing to god , what name soever is pretended for it . § . 7. i will reverence the iews visible church , to whom were committed the oracles of god , but will not say , that they sinned not in persecuting christ and his apostles ; nor say , that they are not now under their own curse , and cut off from the church , who once cast out christians from their synagogues . i will give due honour to primogeniture , and yet not equal cain and abel , ismael and isaac , esau and iacob , &c. but expect , that as he that was born after the flesh did persecute him that was born after the spirit ; even so it will be now : and the world was the world still , when it was taken into the church . the heathen romans were less persecutors than the iews , and so are the turks than the papists . § 8. i shall , in due place , take notice of mr. d's confining the essence of the ministry to transacting between god and man , in covenanting , requiring essentially no more skill than any man is capable of , who is but capable of understanding the common dealings of the world , p. 73 , 74. and that immoralities of such mens lives excuse us not from schism , for turning from such to better teachers , p. 72. contrary to the epistle of the carthage council , in the case of martial and basilides , and even of popes and councils , that forbid hearing mass from a fornicator . and his denying the ●cripture to be intended or designed to be a charter to appeal to for all future generations , and for the extent of offices , and preventing litigious dispute about government and subjection , p. 80 , 81. but that recourse ought now to be had to the intention of the ordainers for these . and what he saith , p. 81. against appealing to writings ( as he calls them ) , against the sense of all the visible authority of this life , as unreconcilable to the practice of any visible government on earth , p. 81. and that subjects cannot preserve their subordination to their superiors , if they practice differently , and defend their practices , and pretend divine authority for them , where he speaketh indefinitely , and excepteth no practices . and if we may not appeal from man to god and scripture , we may appeal from scripture to man. and if mans law be above gods , it is not from him ; for the inferior maketh not his superior . and the root of all this i● , p 82 ▪ that god hath made his church ( and not only particular churches that are parts of his church ) a visible society , and constituted a visible government in it . did i know what mr. d. taketh this one visible government to be , whether general council , or pope , or all the bishops of the world by a major vote , or all the people of the christian world , or what , i should know what to say to him . but for this i must not hope . § . 9. but i shall after speak to his securing subterfuge , p. 90. that there is but one sense of all terms , which causes oblige men to mean ; and that every one ought to know who pretends to skill in causes . which i am so defective in , that i know not at all what his cause is till he tell me : nor know i among many senses of most of his chief terms , which it is that he meaneth . i know not what he meaneth by a papist ; and whether he take those for papists that are , as the councils of constance , and basil , and the french , for the supremacy of a council , the pope being president , or principium vnitatis , and patriarch of us in the west . i know not who he meaneth by the supreme church-power in the visible universal church . i know not by what he essentiateth the very episcopacy which he so much pleads for ; no , nor their ordination . i know not what he taketh to be the supreme church-power over the church of england . and how can i know by the bare general name , when dr. stillingfleet denieth any such thing ? chap. ii. his schiswatical church destroying scheme confuted . § . 1. because he dealeth so falsly with my doctrine , by pretence of putting it into his words and order , i will deal better with him , and deal with his scheme word by word as he hath laid it down . as for his exceptions , th●t i refel not his charge of the sin against the holy ghost , &c. i am not yet so idle , ( having formerly written a treatise of that sin . ) his wilful refusal to answer voetius de desperata causa papalus , when he knoweth that this plea is the papists chief strength , and iansenius is so fully answered , is but a dishonourable tergiversation . and it 's like he knoweth how melancthon in his epistles copiously shameth mr. dodwell's cause as trusted to by the papists ; when yet the protestants here plead melancthon's judgment for their reformation . and though mr. d. told me , that it is not for the christian interest to hold that the roman successive ordination hath been interrupted ; i think they that believe their own most flattering historians , must believe that the intercision there hath been more notorious , than in those reformed churches which mr. dodwell nulleth , or than those german and danish bishops whom bugenhagius a presbyter ordained . but i will briefly examine the words of his destructive deceiving frame . 1. that all are obliged to submit to all unsinful conditions of the episcopal communion where they live , if imposed by the ecclesiasiastical governours thereof . and , 2. that the nature of this obligation is such , as will make them who rather than they will submit to such conditions , either separate themselves , or suffer themselves to be excluded from communion by such governours for such a refusal of submission , guilty of the sin of schism . here are two parts . a 1. that all are obliged to submit to all unsinful conditions of the episcopal communion where they live , if imposed by the ecclesiastical government thereof . this proved by these two degrees . 1. that the supposition of their being less secure of salvation out of this episcopal communion than in it , is sufficient to prove them obliged to submit to all terms not directly sinful , however unexpedient , rather than separate themselves , or suffer themselves to be excluded from this communion , chap. 1. § . 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. 2. that there is indeed less security of salvation to be had even on performance of the moral conditions of salvation , out of this episcopal communion , than in it . this proved from two things . 1. that they cannot be so well assured of their salvation in the use of extraordinary as of ordinary means ; nay that they being left to extraordinaries , is a condition either very hazardous , or at least very uncomfortable at present , whatever it may prove hereafter , ch. ii. 2. that these ordinary means of salvation are , in respect of every particular person , confined to the episcopal communion of the place he lives in , as long as he lives in it . this proved from two things . 1. that these ordinary means of salvation are confined to the external communion of the visible church . this proved from four things . 1. we cannot be assured that god will do for us what is necessary for our salvation on his part , otherwise than by his express promises that he will do it , chap. iii. § . 1 , 2. 2. the ordinary means how we may assure our selves of our interest in his promises , is by our interest in his covenant , by which they are conveyed to us , chap. iii. from § . 5. to the end . 3. the ordinary means by which we may assure our selves of our interest in this covenant with him , is by our partaking in these external solemnities , by which this covenant is transacted and maintained , chap. iv , v , vi , vii . 4. the participation in these external solemnities , with any legal validity , is only to be had in the external communion of the visible church , chap. viii . b. ( ii. ) that this visible church , to whose external communion these ordinary means of salvation are confined , is no other than the episcopal communion of the place where any one lives , whilest he lives there . this proved in two parts . a ( 1. ) that the visible church , to whose external communion these ordinary means of salvation are consined , is the episcopal communion . this proved by these degrees . ( a. ) 1. that salvation is not ordinarily to be expected without an external participation of the sacraments . 1. negatively , not by those other popular means , which ordinary persons are apt to trust in , to the neglect of the sacraments ; that is , 1. not by hearing the word preached , chap. ix . 2. not by private prayer , nor indeed by any out of the communion of the church , chap. x , xi , xii , xiii . xiv . 2. positively , that salvation is ordinarily to be expected only by this external participation of the sacraments . 1. proved concerning baptism , chap. xv. 2. concerning the lords supper , chap. xvi , xvii . ii. that the validity of the sacraments depends on the authority of the persons by whom they are administred , chap. xviii . iii. no other ministers have the authority of administring the sacraments , but only they who receive their orders in episcopal communion . this proved by four degrees . 1. that the authority of administring the sacraments must be derived from god , chap. xix . 2. that though it be derived from god , yet it is not so derived without the mediation of those men to whom it was at first committed , chap. xx. 3. that it cannot be so derived from those men to whom it was first committed , without a continued succession of persons , orderly receiving authority from those who had authority to give it them from those first times of the apostles to ours at present , chap. xxi . 4. that this authority is not now to be expected any where but in the episcopal communion , chap. xxii , xxiii , xxiv , xxv . b. ( 2. ) that the episcopal communion , to which every particular person is obliged to joyn himself , as he would enjoy the ordinary means of his own particular salvation , is the episcopal communion of the place wherein he lives , whilest he lives in it , chap. xxvi . b. ii. that the nature of this obligation to unsinful conditions of their episcopal communion , is such as will make them guilty of the sin of schism , who rather than they will submit to such conditions , either separate themselves , or suffer themselves to be excluded from communion by their respective diocesan ordinaries , chap. xxvii . here is episcopal communion talkt of , without telling what is the episcopacy , or what the communion which he means , and how both are known . confusion 1. there are usurping bishops not truly called or chosen . 2. there are heretical bishops . 3. there may be divers bishops in one city or county ; which of these mean you ? 4. he may be one fit for others , and not for me , nor am i to take him for my pastor . as the greek bishop in london , and many latine bishops , that spake not english heretofore ; or his faultiness may make it my duty to chuse a better . 5. what if the king and law command the contrary ? 6. all this is nothing for submitting to sinful conditions . 2. as it is a duty to refuse sinful conditions , so of many particular churches to chuse the fittest for our communion . the french , and dutch , and greeks in london , are not schismaticks for not being subject to this bishop , or locally communicating with him . 2. you tell us not how a man shall know he is of the bishops communion among a thousand parish-churches that differ in many things , and own the bishop in some things , and not in others . 3. few of the diocess ever locally communicate with our bishops ; and mentally the nonconformists communicate in essentials at least . 4. most christians on earth are guilty of schism , and yet are not prevalently schismaticks , but still members of the catholick church . 5. the bishops , e. g. in france , are more guilty of the schism than the protestants . see dr. stillingfleet's defence of laud. 1. this is false in the fore-excepted cases : 1. if he be a bishop to others , and not to me ( unless communion include not subjection ; for so we communicate with many other bishops ) . 2. if the condition imposed be a thing which a superior power forbiddeth , ( king , or in some cases parents . ) the matter and consequences are so weighty , as tell us it is not well done to abuse dull readers thus with the deceitful unexplained nature of episcopacy , and communion . the love of truth and souls forbid such deceit . 1. if some receive only parish-bishops ( of the old sort ) and others also their archbishops , and others such diocesans as put down all parish-bishops , which of these have episcopal communion ? 2. when of old , many ages , voting , and fighting , could not tell men which was the true bishop among many competitors , and when at rome there were oft two or three at once ; and when the worst oft carried the possession ; and councils themselves were for divers ; whih was the episcopal communion ? 3. is communion and subjection all one with him , or divers ? if divers , i have communion with many bishops that i am not subject to ▪ if the same , how many must each man be subject to ? and in what order and cases ? 4. communion is 1. mental or local ; and the first , 1. in essentials . 2. integrals . 3. accidents of christianity . i have communion with all christians in essentials , with the best in most integrals ; with none in all , nor in all accidents . 4. i am more secure in the mental communion of many bishops , than of some one , and of all in essentials , and certain things , than of some one in suspected things , especially in universal communion with christ and his whole church . 2. he that hath no communion with any true bishops of gods institution , in his judgment , will , and profession , hath no communion with christs church : but if they are , 1. of a false species , 2. incapable , 3. unordained , 4. obtruders not consented to by the clergy and the flock , it 's safest to disown them . 5. and ●f they turn wolves , thorns , and thistles , or hereticks . 2. it 's dangerous to refuse communion with the true episcopi gregis , but not with such as depose them . 3. and its doubtful as to the episcopi episcoporum . 1. it 's but deceit to distinguish only ordinary and extraordinary , in speaking of the necessity of means . the gospel written or preached , is an ordinary means , which to want is hazardous indeed ; so is meditation , prayer , and sacraments , where they may well be had , and pastors to administer them . but there are many lesser means that may be wanting or ignorantly refused , where salvation is safe . the church of england thinks preaching to be such , which forbiddeth men to go for preaching , and from a bare reader in his own parish . and the indians converted by frumentius and edesius , might have certain salvation before they had any pastor . and so may they that cannot know among contenders which is the true pastor either as to the species or individual . but 2. comunion in every lawful thing is no ordinary requisite means of salvation . mark reader that he said , that suffer themselves to be excluded from communion by such governours , for refusing submission to unsinful things . and dr. saywell , bishop gunnings chaplain , and this man , make such refusal and schism damnable . now mark here , how they make all indifferent imposed things consequently necessary to salvation , and make all such indifferences to be articles of faith , or necessary to salvation to be believed . e.g. if organs , the cross in baptism , surplices , church-images , exorcisms , and five hundred such , be indifferent , and commanded by the bishop , he that is excommunicated for not conforming to them , or withdraweth for it , is a damnable schismatick : ergo , it is necessary to salvation to conform to every one of them in that case : ergo , it 's necessary to salvation to hold them to be lawful ( or else to use them while i verily take them to be sins ) . to what a mass now have these men brought the a●ticles or necessaries to salvation ! doth any living man know all lawful things to be such ? 1. then in abassia , where there is but one abuna bishop , local communion with him is impossible to most . 2. and how is the patriarch of alexandria , who ordaineth him of that place that is another kingdom . 2. then in one place-communion with papists , in another with greeks , moscovites , abisines , armenians , &c. is necessary in unsinful things . 3. who will judg , but the excommunicator , what is unsinful as to his act ? 4. what a case were men in at rome , under formosus stephen , sergius , eugenius 4. iohn 12. and 22. &c. and at alexandria under peter , meletius , paulinus , flavianus , and so oft in other schisms , and nullities ? 5. the novatians , and ioannites had the ordinary means of salvation in constantinople , under separate pastors . but it 's true , that the ordinary means are confined to the visible church , and its external communion where it may be had . of which more anon . 1. some think that if god had only commanded men to love him , call upon him , hate sin , seek life eternal , without an express promise , one might be sure it should not be done in vain . 2 but god hath expresly promised salvation to all that truly love , trust , and obey him , and seek first gods kingdom , and are pure in heart , holy , and love all men , though they were excommunicate for not crossing , subscribing , or thinking diocesans unlawful . chap. 3. the promises of god , and his covenant on his part , are all one . those that god promiseth to save , shall certainly be sav●d : who those are , the gospel fully t●lls us , yea , and told men before the particular churches were fixed under their proper pastors , called elders and bishops in the scripture . 3 transaction is an ambiguous word . 1. it was transacted by making the promise by christ on earth . 2. it is transacted by giving the consenting penitent believer a right , before god , to christ and salvation , when he first truly so consenteth . 3. it is transacted by a solemn m●nisterial investiture , sealing and delivering that right for the fuller comfort of the consenter , and in soro ecclesiae , to give the right of external communion , as a tessara , when the person is baptiz●d . 4. it is transacted by renewed confirmation , and for further grace , daily in the eucharist . i love not to offend you ; but i must be true to truth and souls , and therefore tell men , that these generals and confusions are but cheats . 3. would you have men believe that external solemnities are necessary to the right of heart ▪ covenanters before god , as to salvetion ? or that all external solemnities are of the same necessity ? the church of england takes confirmation to de an external solemnity , for assuring men of gods favour , by the sign of imposition of a diocesans hands ; and yet bind you to profess that it is not necessary to salvation , but the baptized infants are certainly and undoubtedly saved without it . litanies , processions , and many external solemnities are not essential to external communion with the visible church . chap. 8 o tremendous ! is it no other ? is not the universal visible church , consisting of all professed christians , headed only by christ , the only universal church visible in the world ? is there no communion with this as such ? had the baptized eunuch ( by philip the evangelist ) no communion with the visible church , nor promise of salvation ; nor the iberians , indians , and many others that were baptized before they knew , or had a bishop ? do not baptizing presbyters ( and lay-men say , turtullian and the papists ) assure men of salvation , though they should not hear of a bishop ? why was not diocesan episcopacy in the creed , if the belief and obedience be necessary to salvation ? a ( 1. ) 1. apostles and evangelists took men into the visible communion of the universal church , before they had particular church-bishops . 2. fixed church-communion was exercised universally under congregational , or parochial bishops or pastors , without such as our diocesans . it must be pastoral , or true episcopal regular communion . 3. many individual bishops , separating from one another , have been , and may be in one city . 4. if e. g. the bishop of lincoln , have many counties , and one differing from him , were chosen by the clergy at leicester , hartford , &c. as he was by the king , which of them is the bishop on the place ? if gloucester clergy and people had chose another when goodman , a papist , was bishop , which was the bishop ? 1. 1. salvation is pronounced by conformists to be certain upon baptism , without any other sacrament . 2. popes and papists are as much as any for tying salvation to sacraments ; and yet a pope victor and his council , at benevent , 1078. decree , that rather than communicate with a simonist , they should persist without visible communion , and in mind joined to christ , have his communion . 3. what shall they do ordinarily in italy , spain , france , &c. that have none but papist bishops . 1. wilful neglect of any known means , sheweth wilful disobedience against god. but many means may be ignorantly neglected without destroying assurance of salvation . turtullian thought children should stay from baptism , unless in danger of death : and nazianzen was for some years delay . this ignorance damned not the practisers . apocryphal books , divers sacraments , ceremonies , church-offices , doctrines , have been controverted means among true christians . 2. faith comes by hearing , rom. 10. christ blesseth them that hear and do it : thousands are mentioned as believing by hearing , and salvation is promised to faith. 2. 1. whoever shall call on the name of the lord , shall be saved : ask and ye shall have . true faith and conversion , wrought by hearing gods word , and working by true love and prayer , hath many a promise of pardon and salvation . 2. is a baptized praying believer out of the communion of christs church , though he doubt of diocesans , or patriarchs ? he is not . 2. 1. ordinarily faith comes by hearing , and hearing by preaching ; and he that truly believeth shall be saved , iohn 13.16 . 2. i think many score , or hundreds of protestant divines have proved that baptism giveth not the first right to life , but only solemnly confirmeth , sealeth , and by ministerial investiture publickly delivereth that which true faith received before . see gataker's two tracts on dr. ward 's and dr. davenant's theses . 3. what 's baptism to episcopacy ; till king iames alter'd it , women might baptize in england , and priests still may . and are men baptized into the name , or belief of diocesans ( as bellarmine saith , baptism binds them to the pope ) . prove this if you can . 2. if baptism undoubtedly save , at what age doth the effect cease ? 2. the lords supper is necessary for corroboration , and for expressing true obedience , and living by faith on christ , where it can lawfully be had , and the need and use of it is understood . ( b. ) this is false : if they be given by a lay-man , falsly pretending orders , or by one who hath no authority through uncapacity , or usurpation ; yet the receiver loseth not his right ; he taketh it as from god : and if his ignorance be not culpable , there is not so much as disobedience in it . 2. if i prove that papists have no such authority as you plead for , are all their baptisms and ordinations null ? iii. episcopal communion is the cothurnus , the hose drawn over your ulcer and snare . 1. we have mental communion , in essentials , with all true bishops in the world . 2. we have subject communion with true parish-bishops . 3. and with their ruling bishops , at least as magistrates . 4. novatians , luciferians , donatists , and others , in time of schisms , had all orders in episcopal communion , and so have papists , greeks , moscovites , armenians . 5. parish-bishops have more proof of authority from christ than the diocesans , or many hundred congregations that have no other bishops . 6. authority may be given by god , without any ordination , where it cannot be had , or not without sinning . 1. no doubt but all true authority must be derived from god. 2. those to whom it was first given , were the twelve apostles . they are considered , 1. as the inspired prophetical declarers and recorders of the laws , and doctrine , and promises of christ. 2. as chief pastors of the church , to gather and rule it . all gods gifts and graces that come to us by the mediation of the gospel , come by the apostles mediation in the first sense , as declaring christs will , how ministers shall be made in all ages . and as chief pastors , gathering , and setling the first churches , which , by christs charter , shall call their pastors , and so others , to the end of the world ; they may be said to be mediators herein . 3. but they mediate not as the donors of the pastoral power , as being pastors themselves , but only as ministerial investers . the sacraments come not to us without the mediation of the apostles , but they made them not , nor make them effectual , nor make new apostles to deliver them . 3. this is deceitful confusion . 1. authority to administer sacraments , and authority to call others to administer them , are different things . 2. and so is succession of apostolical power , and succession of common ministry . 3. and so is giving power , as the donor , and giving it as an investing servant . 4. and proper giving it , and improper , which is but qualifying the persons to receive it . 1. apostolical prophetical conveyance harh no such succession . 2. the flock that have no authority to administer sacraments , partake of the authority to call others to do it . 3. inferiors may have authority to call superiors ( else the highest could not be made ) 4. none of these people give the power , but their election is part of the receivers qualifications , to whom god giveth it by his law or charter ; and then as ser●ants , they solemnize the investiture . 5. the power of this law or charter is never interrupted : but if all pastors were dead an hundred years , it would renew pastoral power in the church , without uninterrupted donors or investers . 4. this conveying power is where-ever gods law , and capable receivers are : a capable receiver is , 1. one personally qualified with sufficiency and willingness . 2. and that hath the churches and ordainers necessary consent , when ordinary for order sake , the ordainers then must invest him by declaring him authorized by god , &c. the regular ordination ( like publick matrimony after contract ) is to be by authorized ordainers ; and most bishops , diocesan , papists , greeks , moscovites , armenian , &c. are of more doubtful authority than congregational , or parish bishops , though the former usurp the name , as appropriated to them . b. 2. 1. then men in rome , italy , spain , france , &c. must be of the papists prelates churches and communion . 2. paulinus and flavian , donatists , novatians , arrians , &c. may have bishops in the same place . and the orthodox , two , or more at once : grotius thought as many as there were synagogues in a city . 3. then if i prove the chief pastor of a parish , or city-church , to be a true bishop by vertue of gods law ; and if he have better qualification , and election , and ordination , to be of surer authority than the diocesan , it 's his communion that we must prefer . 4. but indeed baptism and salvation are ordinarily given before episcopal communion of any sort . 5. they that thought the pope antichrist ( as most protestant bishops long did ) , thought it a duty to reject the communion of the bishops of the places where they lived : and denmark , and other countries set up others against them that were ordained by bugenhagius , and other prsbyters . 6. parochial and diocesan bounds are humane mutable institutions . 7. if the bishop of the place be a schismatick , the communion of a better near is better . b. ii. 1. all causleless separation from any christians , or causleless disobedience to any pastor , or neglect of any christian duty , needful to the churches peace and concord , and every opinion and practice that is against them doth make a man guilty of sinful division , or schism in some degree . and while every christian hath many errors and sins , which all tend to some sinful breach ( as the least sore is solutio continui ) , i cannot see but every man living hath some guilt of schism ; nor that there is any church on earth that hath not some such guilt : but every degree of guilt denominateth not the man , or church a schismatick , in a predominant or mortal sense . and in charity , i hope that even some of those heinous schismaticks may be saved , that divide the churches by their usurpation , obtrusion , sinful impositions , and worldly domination ; yea , some that in blind zeal put down parish-bishops , and smite and silence the pastors , and scatter the flocks . and if i must have communion with none that 's guilty of schism , with what church or bishop should i joyn ? and if their sacraments be invalid , what a case is italy , spain , france , yea and england in ? must all be baptized again that they baptized ? 2. but it 's no schism but a duty for the people as far to forsake a sinful bishop ( much more an usurper ) as cyprian and that council advised them to do in the case of martial and basilides . 3. and after all this deceitful confusion , note reader , that he denieth not our disobedience to be lawful in case of sinful conditions imposed . and if we fully prove not this to be our case , let our accusers silence us , and let our guilt be our shame . 4. and if people that had parish-bishops on the place where they lived , lawfully called , shall forsake them to obey a diocesan that is not on the place , but perhaps forty , or fifty , or sixty miles off , and never saw them , and was obtruded contrary to the ancient canons , which nullifie such , and sets himself to silence faithful pastors , and persecute them , and other godly christians , for not sinning heinously upon deliberate choice and covenant , doth not even this man conclude such to be schismaticks that are out of the ordinary way and hope of salvation . chap. iii. the consequence of mr. dodwell's foresaid doctrine . 1. those that live under the popish bishops in italy , spain , france , &c. must live in their communion , and under their command in all unsinful things . 2. the protestant churches that have not episcopal ordination , are no true churches , and have no true ministers or sacraments , nor any covenant-right to salvation . 3. the protestant churches are in the same unchurched damnable case that have bishops , if they have not an uninterrupted succession of such from the apostles canonically ordained . 4. therefore the churches of denmark , germany , &c. that have superintendents ordained at the reformation by bugenhagius , pomeranus a presbyter , and all the rest whose succession was interrupted , are in the same case . 5. it is schism , and rejecting sacraments , and covenant-right to salvation , in all the people that continue in such protestant churches , and communicate with them . 6. it is better for the protestants in france to joyn with the papists , than to live as they do without sacraments or church-communion . 7. yet ( by self contradiction ) it will follow , that certainly the church of rome , and all that derive their ordination from that church , have no true bishops , ministers , sacraments , churches , nor covenant-right to salvation ; for it 's certain their true succession hath been oft interrupted , 1. by such utterly uncapable persons as all history describeth , and even baronius calleth apostaticos non apostolicos ; and such as divers general councils judged hereticks , infidels , simoniaks , &c. e g. eugenius 4. who yet kept in . 2. by such whose false ordination the canons expresly null . 3. by many schisms , two or three popes at once , of whom none can tell who had the right , or whether any . 4 by the popes taking on him to be christs universal vicar , an office in specie usurpt , which he maketh his episcopacy , and as such giveth his orders . and all his presbyters have turned the true ministry into the false one of mass-priests ; and being no true ministers , can give no true sacraments by his rule . 8. yea it is certain , that few , if any churches on earth , can prove such an uninterrupted succession as he and the papists describe , and most it s known have no such thing . 9. therefore if any have such a succession , they cannot know it , it being a thing that cannot be proved ; and so cannot be sure that they are true churches , &c. 10. for the certainty of any true ministry , church , sacraments and salvation , dependeth on such knowledg of history as is not in the world : viz. to know that this bishop and his ordainer , and his ordainer , and his ordainer , and so up to the apostles , were every one true bishops , and truly ordained ; which no mortal man can know . 11. men that by a prince , against even the nullifying canons , can but get possession of patriarchal and diocesan churches , without the clergy or peoples choice , have thereby the power of damning men that fear god , at their pleasure . for , 1. they must pass for the bishops of the place . 2. they may command any unsinful thing , and excommunicate him that doth not obey . 3. he is a schismatick that suffers himself so to be excommunicate , and so is in a damnable state . 4. he cannot hinder it , not knowing the thing to be unsinful . 12. for by this whoever will escape damnable schism , must be one that knoweth the unsinfulness ( as he speaks ) of all things in the world that are such , which a prelate may command ; or else he must do any thing which he judgeth sin , if a prelate command it . but that is wicked idolizing man. 13. and therefore by this rule , no man living can be saved that a prelate hath a mind to damn ; or from his damning impositions . for no man living knoweth the lawfulness of all lawful things , and therefore may take a commanded thing for sin that is not : and then if he wilfully do that which he judgeth sin , he rebelleth against god ; if he do it not , the prelate may excommunicate him , and unresistibly make him a damnable schismatick . 14. and hereby there are as many hundred new articles of faith made , as there are things lawful which a prelate will command . for though all is not to be done that is to be believed , yet all must be believed to be lawful and duty which must be done as such : e. g. we cannot love god , worship him , hear and read his word , &c. as by divine obedience , unless we believe it to be our duty by a divine command . therefore when as mr. dodwell , dr. saywell , and such others tell us what damning schism it is to disobey such commands of the bishops , or to suffer our selves to be excommunicate , it plainly includeth that it is as damning a sin to take any lawful thing to be a sin , and not to believe it to be lawful whatever the bishop shall command . and so to how many hundred indifferent things may the articles of our faith be extended , while it is made ordinarily necessary to salvation to do them , and therefore to believe them to be lawful ? 15 ▪ by this he confoundeth communion and obedience : i may have communion with many bishops whom i am not bound to obey : but i cannot hinder them from excommunicating me without obeying them . 16. yea , he maketh communion and salvation to lye not only on such obedience , but on such perfection of obedience as reacheth to every lawful indifferent thing . whereas god himself under the gospel accepteth of sincerity , instead of perfection which the law required of perfect man. 17. this is the way to make bishops absolute lords of kings and states , and all the world , if they can make them believe that on pain of damnation for schism , all must obey them even in every indifferent thing . 18. if you would ferret him out of his burrough , ask mr. dodwell , what if the bishop of the place where i live contradict the archbishop , or the synod , or most of the bishops in the land , which must i obey to escape damning schism ? doubtless he will allow me to disobey my bishop . but what if the national synod gainsay the provincial ? he will say , i may disobey the provincial ? but what if a council of many nations , called general , gainsay the national ? and it be known that our national church is gainsayed by the far greatest part of the bishops in the world ? which must i obey ? if the national , why not a provincial against them ? and why are not they schismaticks for disobeying a general council ? if it be the greater council that i must obey , 1. what 's become then of his doctrine of obeying the episcopacy of the place where we live ? 2. and then we are brought under a foreign jurisdiction . 3. and who but the pope must call that general council , preside , approve , & c. ? 4. and among all the erroneous and contradicting councils called general , how shall all christians know which of them to obey ? we see whither all will come at last . but saith bishop bilson , to such councils called general , we owe respect for concord , if they abuse us not by error or usurpation ; but subjection and obedience we owe them none . 19. how hardly will these men ever resolve one's conscience which is to be taken for the episcopacy of the place , when there are in the same place both different species of bishops , and also divers bishops of the same species , and all pretending to be right . in ireland both the papist and protestant bishops pretend to just succession ; and so they did in bohemia , poland , transylvania , hungary , &c. and doth salvation lye on mens knowledg who hath right ? 20. and how contrary is it to the way of christ , and the ancient church ( that made the baptismal covenant the terms of salvation ) for men to make it necessary for every poor man and woman that will have covenant-right to salvation , and escape damning schism , to be able to decide the controversies between all such pretenders , and to know whether their bishops be of a true species , and have true ordination , and to be such rare historians as to know that all the line of ordainers down from the apostles to their bishops , were truly ordained ? o difficult terms ! 21. doth he not condemn all those ancient and modern christians as fautors o● damning doctrine , who thought that when there were none of the clergy to do it , lay-men might baptize and give the lords supper ? grotius told us his judgment for it in dissertat . de caenae administrat . ubi pastores non sunt : and he hath vindicated tertullian's judgment for it , confessed by rigaltius . anton. govea tells us it was the case of the christians of malabar , &c. called of st. thomas , whose bishops being all destroyed , they caused a deacon to administer the eucharist , as the bishops and presbyters had done ( which grotius also repeateth ) . ionan . antiochenus magnified by socrates , lib. 6. cap. 3. when at antioch there were two churches , with two bishops , meletius and paulinus , stuck to meletius till he died , and after , for three years , would communicate with neither . did he by this become a damned schismatick , or lose his covenant-right to salvation ? 22. many of old were chosen for bishops before they were baptized ( the cases of ambrose , nectarius , synesius , &c. are known ) : if the church thought them all to be in a state of damnation , for want of the sacrament , it 's strange that they would choose them to be their bishops ( though it was irregular ) . indeed it 's true that grotius saith ( ibid. in fine ) , that chrysostomes , nazianzenes , and others cases tell us , that it was ordinary in the greek-church to delay baptizing even the children of the faithful , till at full years ( about twenty ) . were they all that while without any promise of salvation , or ordinary hope ? 23. what a task will it be for mr. dodwell to tell us what state the baptized are in till they receive the lords supper ? baptism saveth them once ; but yet till they receive the lords supper by a minister , in successive episcopal orders , they have no covenant-title to salvation , by his way . but some communicate not till thirty years old , some not till one and twenty , and in england scarce any before sixteen . are they all this while the children of god , or of the devil ? and when is it that their christianity ceaseth for want of the other sacrament ? i believe that if they truly believe , they are gods children before they come to the second sacrament ( or the third , as some call it . ) was constantine mag. in a state of damnation , who was not baptized till near his death ? or the good emperour , valentinian , who died unbaptiz●d , but taken by ambrose for a blessed man ? what absurdities are men fain to use , to get the mastery of the christian world , by making men believe that they can save or damn them by the power of sacraments ? 24. and how is this man for conformity , by which they subscribe assent to the certain salvation of infants , so dying without confirmation ; and ordain that the lords supper be not administred to any till they are ready to be confirmed , by learning the catechism , and recognizing the covenant ? &c. 25. doth he not make the chief bishops and reformers of the church of england , to be the promoters of the doctrine which he accounteth so damnable , when dr. stillingfleet in his irenicon recites the words of cranmer , and others of them , at a consultation , down-right against not only the necessity of his uninterrupted succ●ssion , but also even of episcopal ordination it self ? and i have elsewhere cited about fourteen of them , for the validity of ordination without bishops : and dr. stillingfleet , bishop edw. reignnolds , and many more , held that no form of government was of divine determination . did all these plead for damning schism , against all title to salvation ? 26. and what could more directly contradict the main tenor of the gospel , which tells us of the saving power of the word preached , how it converteth souls , and promiseth salvation to all that truly believe and repent ? insomuch that paul thanks god that he baptiz●d few of the corinthians , because god sent him not to baptize , but to preach the gospel ? 27. but his doctrine feigneth , that god will damn them that truly believe , repent , love god , forsake sin , for want of the sacrament : or else that the word converteth none , but only sacraments convert men . 28. and then it will follow , that none but unbelievers , impenitent wicked men should be first admitted to the sacrament ; for if that only converteth , then it is only the unconverted that must first be received to it . 29 when all 's done , he doth but contradict his end ; for it 's hard to find a national episcopacy on earth , which imposeth no unlawful thing on ministers or people : and with all such he speaketh not for our communion . 30. either ordination , and collation of church-power , must be given by superiors , or by equals : if by equals , why may not presbyters make presbyters ? if by superiors , then who shall give the pope his power ? or if you think any other be the highest , who makes them such ? who giveth the archbishop of canterbury his power ? 31. in short , as far as i can understand , these men deny all covenant-right to salvation to all men living , and all true sacraments and church-communion , or at least , all knowledg of any such thing ; seeing , as it is certain , that in most churches such ordination as they describe , hath not had an uninterrupted succession , so no man is sure that any one church or man hath had such . and they that silence us for not subscribing , declaring and swearing obedience to our diocesans , and other ordinaries , are bold men , if they dare swear themselves , that they are true bishops , and have any authority to rule and command us , by an uninterrupted succession of a canonical episcopal ordination down from the apostles . but i have already in my book of concord , part 3. chap. 9. opened so many palpable , and pernicious absurdities , and ill consequents of mr. dodwell's doctrine , which he dare not undertake to answer , but s●ly passeth by , that i must expect the reader will there peruse them , who will judg uprightly between him and me ; and therefore will hear what both have said . and those that will judg falsly upon partial trust , to save themselves the labour of tryal , are out of the reach of ordinary means to be saved from deceivers . chap. iv. my words of gods collation of ministerial authority , vindicated from the forgeries and fallacies of mr. dodwell . § . 1. christ hath taught me to judg of prophets , or teachers , by their fruits more than by their cloathing , mat. 7. and the fruits which are of god , are those which express the divine nature and image , viz. holy light and truth , holy love , and holy life and practice , and the promoting of these in the world . and christ hath taught me , that the devil is , 1. against holy light and truth , the prince of darkness , and a lyar , and the father of lyes . 2. against holy love , accusing , slandring , and rendring as odious the servants and ways of christ. 3. against holy , righteous , and sober living ; and an opposer of it , and a persecutor and murderer of the saints . and those that are likest satan in these three parts of his image , and whose works are more certainly the works of these three diabolical principles , i am taught by christ to judg of by their fruits ▪ so much as there is in mr. dodwell's labours , of holy truth , holy love , and helps to holy living , so much sure is of god. but so much as there is in his , or any of his parties cause , of deceit and falshood , and defence of ignorance , so much as there is of malignity , calumny , or making odious the servants of christ ; so much as there is of cruelty and destruction , and silencing faithful ministers , and promoting ungodliness , by upholding its defences , i am obliged to resist , as being from him , against whom in my baptismal covenant i was engaged . § . 2. he giveth his reader the sum of my doctrine in this point , p. 29 , &c. a chain of forgeries , or putid falshoods . either he knew that he wrote falsly , or he did not ; if yea , then it seems he thinks that god or his church needed his lyes : if not , how unfit is he to write against what he understandeth not ? but what made him devise a frame of his own words of above six pages , to express my words by , if he meant not to deceive those that would believe his writing without reading mine ? § . 3. and whether it be from the lord of love , or the enemy of love , that he goeth so far to the unchurching and damning of so many of the reformed churches , besides the churches of the southern and eastern parts of the world ( if not of all churches on earth ) let the sons of love consider . § . 4. and whether his endeavours to persuade all the nonconformists to give over preaching christs gospel , and all publick worship of god , till they can conscionably conform , and his reasonings for that frame that hath long excluded true discipline , and sheltered ignorance and ungodliness , be of god , and all his copious discourses to that end , are to save souls , or to starve and murder them , i leave to mens impartial trial . § . 5. i so often and fully repeated my judgment of the calling of the ministry , as leaveth his forgeries inexcusable . the sum is this . 1. there is no power but of god. 2. gods universal laws are the prime laws , and the only universal laws of the church or world . 3. in his laws god hath established or instituted the work and the species of that ecclesiastical ministry which he will have to teach and guide his church to the end of the world . and therein signified his owning of them as sent by him , and promised them his help and blessing . 4. in that law he hath told us what men they are that he will thus own and bless , and described the essentials and the integrals of their receptive disposition or qualifications . 5. he hath in that law told us who shall be the tryers and judgers of the personal qualifications ; and that ordinis gratia , ordinarily their approbation , choice , or consent , shall be a relative part of their receptive qualification . 6. god himself giveth all the personal qualifications . 7 he is ready to help the approvers and chusers to discern all these , and to judg aright of them . 8. the person being thus made a capable recipient by personal qualifications and relative ( due approbation , election and consent ) god's donation or law doth give him right , and oblige him to the office-work . and the electors , approvers , and consenters , are none of the proper efficient donors or causes of this right and obligation , but only efficient causes of his relative receptive capacity . 9. that therefore the right and obligation is immediately from gods law by resultancy , as the established medium of gods conveyance ; but not immediately without any means of his receptively , to make him materiam dispositam . 10. that all this is true both of soveraign civil power , and of church-power in bishops and pastors . 11. that yet besides approbation and election , god hath for the publick notice and order of the church , appointed a regular ministerial investiture , by which the approved shall be solemnly put into possession ( as kings are crowned , and ministers instituted ) : and ordination usually containeth both the approbation , part of the election , and the investiture . 12 but this investiture being but a ministerial delivery of possession , proveth not the investor to be any donor of the power to the king , or to the bishop or pastor . 13. nor is it necessary save ordinis gratia , and in foro ecclesiae , to avoid intrusion and confusion ▪ but not when it is set against the end , or the end may and must be sought without it . 14. who it is that hath the power of this ordination ( approbation and investiture ) is much of the controversie of these times : some say it is the magistrate : but those that say it is the bishops , are not agreed what species of bishops it is ; whether the chief pastors of each particular parish true church , or only a diocesan that is the sole bishop of many parishes that are no true churches ; or only diocesans that are archbishops over many true parish-churches and bishops . 15. but the fundamentum juris being christs statute-law or grant , and all that is left to man being but qualitatively or relatively to make the person an immediately capable recipient , and ministerially invest him ; therefore it follows , that if at alexandria , antioch , ierusalem , cesarea , constantinople , london , all the old bishops were dead or hereticks , a just title may be restored without the ordination of one that had successive canonical ordination ; because there needeth no efficient donor but christ and his law , and the receptive capacity may be without such ordination where it is not to be had ( as among papists that will not ordain one on lawful terms , &c. ) for order it self is but for the thing ordered , and not against it : and i will have mercy and not sacrifice ●morals before rituals ) ; and all power is to edification , &c. are certain rules . and god never made men judges in partem utram libet , whether there shall be churches , and pastors , and worship , or none ; or whether there shall be civil government or none ; no , nor of what the species the church-offices shall be . 16. i use to explain this by many expository , similitudes . 1. if the laws of god authorize soveraignty , and the constitution of the kingdom say it shall be monarchy ; were it elective , the electors are not efficients of power , but determiners of the recipient : and if it be hereditary or elective , the investers by coronation , are no efficients of the power ; but ministerial deliverers of possession , and that but necessary ad ordinem , and not ad esse potestatis . 2. if the king by a charter to the university , state the power of the chancellor , vicechancellor , proctors , and all the masters of colledges , and then tell them who shall be capable , and how chosen , and how inve●ted ; here his power is immediately from the kings charter , as the efficient instrument ; and all that others do is but to determine of the recipient , and invest him . 3. so it is as to the power of the lord mayor of london , and the mayors and bailiffs of all corporations . 4. so it is in the essential power of the husband over the wife ; the woman chuseth who shall have it ; and the parson that marrieth them , investeth him in it ; but god only is the efficient donor of his law. 17. therefore it is not in the power of the electors , approvers , or investors , to alter any of the power established by god. if both the woman and the priest say , that the man shall be her husband , but shall have no government of her , it is a nullity ; gods law shall stand . if the city and the recorder say , you shall be lord mayor , but not have all the power given by the kings charter , its vain , and he shall have all that the charter giveth him . if the a bp crown the king , and say , you shall be king , but not have all the power stated by the constitution on the king , this depriveth not the king of his power , ( unless he give away that which god hath not stated on him , but men ) so if an ordaining prelate , patron , or parish say , this is a true parish church , and we choose , and ordain you the true pastor of it , but you shall have but part of the true pastoral power stablished on the office by god , it 's null : gods institution shall be the measure of his power . 18. but i confess , that if god had left church-officers as much to the will of men as he hath done the civil , the case had been otherwise ; for monarchy , aristocracy , and democracy , are all lawful : and the king , or other supreme power may make new species of judges , and magistrates , and officers , and alter them as they see cause . and it would have been so in the church , if as the italians at trent would have carried it , christ had immediately instituted only the papacy , and left it to the pope to make bishops , and to bishops to make priests : and yet i would not wrong the worst . i cannot say , that they would have empowered the pope to change the species of priests or bishops . but god hath fixed the species , by making a setled law for all the work , and all the authority to do it , though accidentals may be altered in work and office. § . 6. this is the clear state of my assertions , which how grosly mr. dodwell hath falsified in his forged description , i will not stay to open . but it is a great stress and fabrick that he layeth on the contrary supposition , that his species of bishops are the givers of the powers , and so we can have no other , or more than they are willing to give us : and let him that thinks he spoke a sentence of truth and sense , to prove it , enjoy his error . i would quickly prove the contrary to him , if i knew what he denieth . § . 7. i. if he deny that god hath instituted the office of the sacred ministry , and pastorship in his law , 1. the scripture will shame him to all that believe , and understand it . 2. and if it be not divinely established , men may alter it ; and what is all this stir about , to keep up their domination ? § . 8. ii. if he think that god hath only instituted teachers , or rectors , in genere , but not in specie , then i give him the same answer as before . scripture will shame him , and men may make new species of church-pastors , and unmake , or alter them ; and how many , or how oft , who knows ? and who be the men that have this office-changing-power , that we may know whether , and how far , and how long we are bound to obey them ? § . 9. iii. if he think that gods law hath not described the essential qualifications of the recipient , then prelates may make pastors of infidels , mahometans , bedlams , or blasphemers , if not of horses or dogs . § . 10. iv. if he think that gods law hath determined of no way of election , approbation , or judging who is capable , then every man may make himself a bishop or priest , and the turk may make bishops for christians , or a company of lay-enemies and persecutors may do it ; and then the bishops judgment and ordination will have no divine authority . § . 11. v. if when the recipient is duly qualified , and chosen , and capable , he does not think that gods law , or grant , is a sufficient signification of his donative will , and a fundamentum juris , and an obliging instrument , 1. he must deny the very nature and force of gods law , and grant. and 2. he maketh it less effective than the laws , charters , and donations of men are ; for which he cannot have the least shew of true reason . § . 12. vi. can he devise any other sort of power in the ordainers , than i have named ? what is it ? if he say , that they give the office-power ; i ask , is the controversie about the word [ give ] or the act ? if that which i have named be called giving , let him use his liberty , and call it how he will. 1. but as to the thing , what is it more than i have described ? it is god , and not man that made the office in genere & specie . did our bishops make the universal law , which stablisheth the office in the world ? 2. and the bishop never had that power , and therefore cannot give that which he had not : it 's dr. hammond's reason against presbyters ordaining , n●mo dat quod non habet . the word office or power and duty , signifieth an accident , which cannot transire a subjecto in subjectum . the orda●ners have their own power , but they have not another mans . 3. do they give it as masters and owners , or only as the donors ministers ? no doubt they will say as his ministers and do i need to prove to mr. dodwell , that servants are not the donors , and give not their own , but deliver their masters ? stewards themselves are but entrusted with the performance of their masters will , in delivering his goods as he requireth them . § . 13. and this is so evident a truth , that the papists themselves , who would fain have all power flow from the pope , are yet forced to plead for it , ( as you may see in w iohnson's , alias terret's answer to my first ) because else they cannot defend the papal power . for the pope hath been sometimes chosen by the roman people , sometime by the roman presbyters , sometimes by people and presbyters , sometime by the italian bishops , sometimes by emperors , and now by cardinals ; and none of all these were popes , nor had papal power ; and if they were the givers , must give what they never had : whereupon the papists are fo●c't to grant that the electors do but determine who shall be the recipient , but that the power floweth to him ●m●edi●tely from gods law or institution . § . 14. and the prelatists must needs say the same , or else grant , that inferiors , that never had superior power , may yet give it others ; for how else shall the supreme ecclesiastical power , in every national church , be given ? if it be in a primate , or a synod , those that have not the supreme power must give it ; for there is none above them , or equal to do it : and so archbishops are chosen , and councils called . § . 15. and thus almost all societies , by contract , are formed . e. g. the king giveth commission to several men to list voluntary souldiers , and be their captains , and command them : every souldier chooseth his own captain , and thereby subjecteth himself to him ; but it is not by giving him his power , for that floweth immediately from the kings commission ; but by making himself a subject to it , and so ma●ing the captain relatively , a recipient of power from god , and the king , over this particular man ; for the soldiers have no governing-power to give , nor are superiors to their captain ▪ § . 16. and thus servants imprope●ly only make men their masters , not by giving them a domestick ruling-power ( which they never had themselves ) , but by making themselves the correlate subjects , and so putting their masters into the relation , to which gods l●w immediately giveth the ruling-power . all the power is from god : and god doth not first give it the servant , souldier , &c. to give the master , or captain , but the servants , or souldiers consent is , a causa sine quae non , dispos●tiva recipientis , to make the receiver capable of it from god. § . 17. and indeed all kings and soveraigns thus hold their soveraignty from god. though god hath not made the form , in specie , necessary ; all power is of god , and the soveraignty from him , by no mediate efficient below his law : it 's a falshood in politicks to say ▪ that the people , as such , efficiently give the soveraign his power , and that he is universis minor in authority , though he is not universis melior ; and therefore their common good is more than his , the finis regiminis ▪ nor is it true , that richard hooker saith , that in defect of heirs it escheateth to the people ; but only that it belongeth to the people to choose a new recipient , to whom the power shall flow from gods law , and not from them . i do not think that the king of france , spain , or england , will believe that their power is given ●fficiently by , and floweth from their people , parliaments , or the prelate that crowneth them . and the case is evidently the ●am as to the ministry . § . 18. and the french papists ( by some called protestants ) , who are for the ecclesiastical soveraignty of general councils above the pope , do not believe that the pope giveth them their power , though he may call them : but whoever calleth them , or chooseth them , they suppose that god only giveth them their power . § . 19. and in all these cases , it is notorious , that an interr●ption of due election and investiture , hindereth not the restoration of interrupted power . if the law say , whoever is thus and thus chosen to be lord chancellor , lord chief iustice , lord admiral , &c. shall have such , and such power , and be thus , and thus invested in the place , if there were an intercision of an hundred y●ars , the next person , so chosen , will from the law immediately receive his power . and the investiture is but for publick order , and the investers regular succession ( no nor the act it self ) , never necessary , ad esse , where it cannot be had , as i proved against mr. d. in my book of concord . the archbishops succession that crowneth him , is not necessary to the power of the king. § . 20. and obligation to the office-work , is as essential to the officer , as is the power to do it : and it is only the governours that lay on another an obligation to duty ( except what by contract a man layeth on himself ) : and none are the obliging governours of the highest powers , civil or ecclesiastical , but god ; therefore theirs must flow only from god. therefore the thing is not unusual . and if bishops were as much superior to parish-pastors , as the lord chancellor is to a constable , yet they were but governours of them , in tantum quoad exercitum , and not donors of their power : the constables power is immediately from the soveraigns law , and so is the ministers from christ ; for he is the only universal soveraign . § . 21. mr. dodwell saith , these are bare similies . ans. these are plain explications of the conveyance of power from the soveraign of all . he saith , that the power is not properly given by the ordainer , is but begged by me . ans. a begging affirmer may easily write books at that rate . but saith ●e , they connot give an instance from humane charters , where the acts of men , not invested , are valid in law. ans. 1. will you tell the king so to his saace , that before his coronation no act is valid that he doth ? 2. no doubt but ( as publick matrimony after secret marriage is necessary , in foro civili ordinis gratiâ , where it may be had , and yet when it was done by a justice , without a priest , yea , or by the persons publick contract only , it was no nullity , no , nor coram deo before , so ) to regular order , the most orderly investiture is needful , but not ad esse , much less that all the investers circumstances also , and all his predecessors , have been regular . 3. investing here , is the act of a servant only , solemnizing the entrance , or delivery of possession : but such a servant is not the owner , and don●● of th● power . 4. the papists and protestants confess that the power of inv●sting is so humane and mutable , that it cannot be necessary , ad esse potestatis . i told you how oft the power of choosing ●nd investing popes hath beeen changed . and the old canons make the act of three bishops necessary to invest , or consecrate one . but did god determin● of three ? or can you prove on● bishops ordination a nullity ? 5. in the civil state some officers are made without any investiture ( as constables , headboroughs , church wardens and others ) , and some the charter imposeth investiture on : but whether if recorders , stewards , town clerks , that by charter are to invest , be dead , or refuse their act , the mayor , bayliff , or other officers be therefore none , and the government be dead , let lawyers tell you . 6. sure i am that hen. 4. and the rest of the germane emperors , who fought , and strove so long against hildebrand , and his adherents , for the investing-power , were no bishops ; and all the councils of bishops , who stood for the emperors , never took them for b●shops ; and therefore thought not that ivesting was an act proper to episcopal-power . 7. i have before proved , that ancient writers , and papists , and many protestants agree , that baptism is valid administred by lay-men , that i say not women . 8. mr. dodwell , self-condemningly saith , that a presumptuous ordination of the priest serves to the validity of sacraments , though indeed he were not ordained ; and that god is bound to make such acts to the people good . 9. mr. d. must beg belief instead of proving it , if he tell us , that the stated teaching of gods word to a church , is not as truly the work of the pastor , as is the admistring the sacraments of baptism and the lords supper . it is one of the principal of the jesuits jugglings , to make the people think , that till they can prove their teachers the rightly ordained ministers of christ , they are not bound to hear them , or believe them . our parents ( mostly ) were never ordained bishops , or priests : must not children therefore hear them , and believe them ( fide humanâ ) ? and hath not that god , who appointed parents to teach his law to their children , lying down , and rising up , and to educate them in the nurture and admonition of the lord , thereby signified , that parents instruction is the first ordinary means appointed by god for the conveying of saving knowledg , and faith ? and if the help of parents , though unordained , be gods ordinary means of the first saving faith , shall we say with such men as mr. dodwell , that we have no covenant right to salvation , till we have the sacrament from the hand of a minister that had a regular ordination , uninterruptedly down from the apostles ? 10. did the three hundred , act. 2. and the eunuch , act. 8. refuse baptism till they were satisfied by proof , that the baptizers were rightly called ministers ? paul tells those that questioned his apostolick power , that he was an apostle to them whatever he was to others ; and that they should know first , whether christ were in them , and so whether he were not a true minister , and not begin at the trying of the ministry , 2 cor. 13.4 , 5 , 6 , 7. gal. 3.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. &c. 11. the acts of the parliament , called irregularly by general monk , were they that restored king charles the 2 d and were confirmed by him as valid , through the defect of a regular summons , and by necessity . 12. i have fully proved in my treatise of episcopacy , that the species of bishops , which mr. dodwell pleaded for , is not the same which the churches had for 200. or 300. years . and then where is his regular succession from the apostles ? § 22. he saith also , p. 37. they cannot give an instance ( of any power setled by charter ) , whereupon the acts of any persons , lawfully invested , though confessedly less qualified , are not thought valid : a plain sign that their investiture doth properly confer such power . ans. words fitted to deceive . 1. he that is unqualified is not lawfully invested , and yet the act of the invester may be right , had the recipient been lawful . 2. he saith , less qualified ; when he knew that our question is of the unqualified . 3. investiture giveth it , as the act of the power and donor , by a servant delivering orderly possession , but doth not make , or prove the investing minister the owner , or donor , no more than he was that from the emperor henry delivered the bishops the staff and ring ; or the priest that marrieth the persons 4. burroughs and cities choose , and return burgesses for parliament by charter ; yet if they are unqualified when they come thither , the choice is judged null . if a city choose , and invest a proclaimed rebel for mayor , i will believe it null , or invalid , though mr. d. will not : and if he write forty books with such streams of confident words , to prove , that the election , and investiture of the d●●lared heretick bishops at alexandria , antioch , constantinople , and most of the empire in many ages ( arrians , eutichians , &c. ) were yet judged valid by the councils of the orthodox , no man that ever read the councils will believe him . 5. nor will i believe him , that any bishops ordination can make a true bishop , or priest , of a woman , an infant , or a professed heathen , infidel , or proper heretick , or any uncapable person , any more than he can make a woman to be a husband , or a dumb man the university orator . § . 23. he saith , they cannot give an instance of any power setled by charter , whereupon a failure of all who are by the charter empowred to dispose of offices , the power must devolve to those who are not by the charter empowred to dispose of them and where such a charter is not thought in law to fail , by becoming unpracticable , till the supreme power interpose , &c. ans. still the same fraud : if all empowred to dispose of offices , is an ambiguous word . the prince disposeth of them , by giving the power , and the electors by choosing the receivers , and the minister by delivering the insignia : if electors , and all die indeed , there are none to determine of the receiver : and yet if the plague kill most of the electors at age , and leave not a due number , when the rest left come to age , and choose , the charter will renew the office-power . 2. but if it be only the ministerial invester that faileth , the sense of the lawgiver must be judged of by the words , and by other notices , and the light of common reason . e. g. whether it be the meaning of the charter which saith , that the recorder shall give the oath , or the former mayor shall deliver the insignia , that if the recorder , or mayor be dead , or sick , or mad , or wilfully refuse , the city shall have no mayor ; or if no priest will marry folks , all england must live unmarried ; or if the archbishops and bishops will ordain none but hereticks , all the churches must have no other ministers . and here nature and christ teach us , that the means is only for the end , and order for the thing ordered ; and god will have us understand his own laws so , as that rituals give place to morals : i will have mercy , and not sacrifice . and sure if the king of spains charter , for the making of governours at the west indies , should not express , or reasonably imply a remedy , in case of the failure of circumstances of meer order , his countrey might be lost before they could send to spain for a new charter or new power . and mr. d. saith , which is the very case impugned by me of the nonconformists : and so judg whether he must not turn a seeker , and say , that all ministry , churches , and sacraments cease , till a new commission comes from heaven , upon the failure of every such circumstance ; yea , when almost all the churches charge each other with failures and intercisions , and the very species of the ordainers is so much altered . if the king send his army into the indies ( or his navies ) , and mention no power but the generals , as chief , or no way of choosing a new general , but by the field-officers choice , and giving him an oath by the secretary , &c. yet no man doubteth but it was his meaning , that if the general die , or turn rebel , yea , and the major part of the field-officers , or the secretary , the army should choose another general , rather than perish , and the kings service miscarry . § . 24. he addeth , they cannot give an instance of any humane charter , that ever allows any person empowered , to extend his own power by a private exposition of the charter , against the sense of all the visible supreme powers of the society . ans. this opens the core of the aposthume . 1. we deny , as confidently as any french , or italians affirm , that there is any such thing at a supreme visible power over the universal church , under jesus christ ; and therefore none such is disobeyed , or contradicted . 2. and we maintain , that by divine appointment there is no visible national supreme church-power , but that of the civil christian soveraign ; and therefore none such disobeyed . 3. and we hold , that no man can extend his own power further than christs own law extendeth it . false expositions give no power . 4. and therefore we prove by your own rule , that ( christ being the only supreme universal ruler , and having described and specified the office of a pastor , and order of a church ) no bishops can by their private exposition ▪ turn a single church into a diocesan , or a presbyter of christs description into an half presbyter of their own making : but if they make a man a pastor , his power and work shall be what christ saith , and not what the orda●ner will. investing-ministers acts are null , if they contradict the order of the donor : if the king give you a parsonage of 300. l. a year , and the instituter say , you shall have but 100. l. out of it , it 's vain ; he instituteth you but as the donors instrument in the same benefice , and power given by him . § 25. he addeth , p. 38. where can they find such a charter for the power of presbyters in scripture as they speak of ? ans. nay , then we are far from agreeing , if you think that the very species of a pastors office is not found in scripture , as of christs institution . th●n it seems , the bishops make the very species : the italian bishops at trent scarce gave so much to the pope . then why may not the bishops put down presbyters , if they make the species , or make as many species as they please ? indeed dr. hammond thought that there was no evidence of the order of subject presbyters in scripture-times . and if god instituted none , let us have none . but i have told you before , and often , where in scripture the true pastors office is described . § . 26. he adds , they may find some actual practices ; but will they call that a charter ? ans. this is indeed to strike at our foundation . if we prove not christ to be king , and lawgiver , and that his laws , or governing-precepts , were partly given by himself , and partly by his spirit , in his commissioned apostles , and these recorded , sealed , and delivered in scripture : if we prove not , that these , as the authorized agents of christ , delivered his will by words and practice , in setling , and describing the pastors of his churches , then take the ministry , and spare not for mans invention . i cited you before , the texts that are our proof . but if the office , which you call priestly , be of mans making in specie , i doubt the diocesans will prove so much more ; for many papists doubt of the divine right of prelacy , that doubt not of the divine unalterable right of the priestly , or presbyter-power and work . and will this cure men of schism , to tell them , that god hath not so much as made , and specified the parish-pastors office , and it is but a humane invention which you forsake ? § . 27. and i would crave of this confident man to consider , whether he reach not high , and horrid sacriledg , if he make the invester to be first the owner , and then the donor ? did we devote our selves to patrons in our ministry , or to diocesans , or immediately to god ? if we covenanted only to be gods ministers , for the churches good , then let them take heed that claim propriety in us as priests . and if tythes and glebes were devoted to god , and not to princes , or patrons , i doubt he that maketh patrons the proprietaries , and proper donors , will prove sacrilegious , and be convinced at last , that he should only have taken princes and pastors for such trustees as determine of the receiver , but give not the things . § . 28. if it be otherwise , princes , patrons , and prelates , are greater and richer than i ever thought them 1. then , all the bishopricks in england are the king 's , till he give them . 2. then all the tythes , glebes , and temples in england , are the patrons , till they give them ; or else the bishops , or chancellors , who investeth men in them by institution and induction . and the patron and bishop may have a hard suit to determine which is the proprietor . 3. and then a bishop that ordaineth a thousand priests , was the owner of all their relations before ; and so as they that are for the pre-existence of souls , dispute , whether they pre-existed individually , or only in animâ universali ; so these that are for the pre existence of priesthoods in the diocesans , must dispute , whether they were in the prelate a thousand individual priesthoods before , or but one common priesthood , that fell into individuals by ordination . if they say , that they were but virtually in the prelate , that kills their cause ; for then they did not pre-exist ( for existere est esse extra causas ) . and this only saith , that the prelate had an effective vertue that could make them . but the species was made before ; and so was the obliging , and donative law ; therefore the prelate had not power to do what god had done before . § . 29. i take it for granted ( because i know him ) , that all this is nothing to mr. dodwell ; but to me it is moreover something , 1. that the highest esteemers of diocesans ordination , make it but a sacrament . 2 and that the investing minister is not the owner and donor of the relation and gift in any of their seven sacraments . 1. in baptism god only giveth the right and relation , which the minister by investiture solemnizeth , but giveth it not as his own : else every lay-man and woman by their judgment , should have multitudes of christendoms of their own to bestow . 2. in confirmation the priest never pretendeth to be the giver of the spirit , but by his act to fit the person to receive it : the holy ghost is said to fall on them that heard the word ( before baptism ) , act. 10.44 , 45 and they were after baptized : he fell on them , act. 11.15 . and peter and iohn prayed for the samaritans , that they might receive the holy ghost , act. 8.15 . and they laid hands on them , and they received the holy ghost , v. 17. but not that they gave the holy ghost , though by the laying on of their hands , and their prayers , he was given , as he was on them without , act. 2. 3. and in matrimony it 's confessed , that the priest is not the owner and donor of the husbands power , but a ministerial invester . 4. and in the eucharist , even they that think the bread is made god , take not the priest as the efficient cause , but a disposing instrument ; nor that he giveth god to the receiver , as the owner , or donor , but delivereth him as a minister . 5. the same is true of penance , extreme unction , and therefore must be so also in ordination . if the king send a thousand commissions to captains , judges , justices , &c. the messenger is not the owner , or donor of them all ; nor may make any alteration of them : yea , if he intrust the chancellor to name all the justices , he doth thereby but determine of the person that shall receive the commission , but altereth nothing of the office , nor is the donor of it . all this is plain to us , but not to mr. dodwell . § . 30. saith he , p. 39. are not many actual practices grounded on circumstances ? are not many of those circumstances obnoxious to great mutability ? are not ordinary governours the competent iudges of their actual change ? ans. 1. and did not christ promise , his spirit to his apostles , for the performance of their commissions ? and were not those commissions to gather , and settle his churches , and teach them all that he commanded them ? and did not christ by that spirit make pastors and teachers , as is before proved ? and did not the apostles faithfully perform their trust ? 2. and doth he not see , that by this he also subverteth his foundation of prelatical power also , as having no better institution than the priesthood ? and then who are those governours of the church that he talks of , that must judg ? and how prove they their jugding-power ? 3. and it were a kindness , if he would tell us what change it is that th● diocesans may make in the priestly office and work , and tell us the bounds of their power , if it have any ? and whether they may put down the preaching part , the praying part , the sacraments , or which of them ? and whether this be the power that hath put out the sacramental cup , and made all the changes that are made in the church . to tell us of these ordinary governours changing-power , is a hard word to us , that took christs laws , delivered by his spirit , to be perfect , and unchangeable ; however , some circumstances are changed , which were noted to be but occasional . § . 31. to return his consequence , p. 40. since it is certain , that the power of o●daining others , was not given to , nor for some hundred years exercised by that species of diocesans , who were neither the bishops of single churches , associated for personal present communion , nor were the overseers of such bishops , but the bishops of diocesses , that have many score , or hundred unbishoped stated worshipping assemblies , it will follow by his arguing , that these never had their office from the apostles , and much less a continued succession of it . § . 32. he next pleadeth the nullity of the presbyterians ordination . 1. because if they had ordaining power , it is only in assemblies where bishops are presidents , and edict them . 2. and because they carry it not by plurality of voices . but i am a weary with answering such trifling things , and the later part is a known mistake . i never heard of one contradicting voice against the ordination of any that was ordained in our synods . § . 33. and he hath half disabled me to answer him from p. 50. forwards , where he feigneth me to maintain , that authority must necessarily result from true qualifications : for it is taken for uncivil to give his words their proper name . but if the reader will pardon the repetition , i may remind him , how probable it is , that mr. dodwell trusted that his reader would believe his words without perusing what i wrote ; where he might have seen , 1. that i say , that the authority resulteth not from the qualifications , but from christs law , grant , or charter . 2. that personal qualifications ( of gifts , or grace ) are but part of the necessary dispasitio recipientis ; but that moreover there is needful , 1. opportunity . 2. and need of his office. 3. and to a bishop the flocks consent , if not election . and ordinis gratia , ( where moral necessi●y dispenseth not with order ) the ordainers approbation and consent . 5. and to regular possession , where it may be had , a due investiture ; so that there is a relative part as well as a qualitative of the receptive disposition necessary . and all the following leaves in which he disputeth against me , as maintaining a power resulting from meer qualities , are so unbeseeming a divine , and a c●ristian , that i will not soul my paper with their due confutation . but they are suitable to that man who thinks himself wise , good and fit enough to unchurch and condemn so much as he doth of the christian world , on pretence of pleading for obedience to the diocesans . § . 34. and where he adds , p. 50. [ or that it so depends on them ( qualifications ) as that where the persons ordained may want any of them , there the whol : ordination must be null , because of the incapacity of the matter . ] this also he denieth . ans. 1. i still distinguish between the qualifications necessary ad esse , and those only ad bene esse , or integral . if he would perswade the reader that i null ordination for want of the latter , his weakness , or designed ill intent is such as warneth his readers to take heed of believing him . if he mean it only of the former , as i speak , i have before confuted him that dare say that no qualification is necessary ad esse . then a pope ioan , or woman-priest or prelate , or a professed enemy of god or christ may be a priest. and he may be a pastor of a church to feed them by the word , who never heard or know what was the word or church . cannot the best believer go to heaven , if all your priests will but deny him the sacrament ? and yet may a man be validly a bishop , and the key keeper of heaven that believeth not that there is a god , a christ or heaven , and so professeth ? this maketh me remember the old roman canons , how no bishop must be deposed for lying with his own sister , unless a great multitude of witnesses testifie it ; and the councils that decreed no layman shall witness against a clergy-man , &c. but election , consent , the ordainers approbation ( ordinarily ) are part of my qualifications . and if these be unnecessary , what doth the man plead for ? and is a false approbation of a man that wanteth essentials , more necessary than having them ? how contrary is this to the doctrine of the council of carthage in the epistle in cyprian , of martial and basilides ; and to many honest councils ? § 35. p. 90. at the end of this insinuated false accusation , he asketh , [ where do we find that god ever gave bishops , presbyters and deacons , ( though he gave apostles , pastors and teachers ) ? those extraordinary offices indeed seem to have been made neither of man , nor by man , but by god immediately , &c. ans. 1. hath he said a word to prove that pastors and teachers are not ordinary officers , contrary to the common judgment of the church in all ages ? 2. whether he mean [ bishops ] in the dative case , or the accusative , i know not . if the later , let him speak out and say , god gave not bishops . but how proveth he that presbyters ( and bishops ) are not pastors or teachers ? 3. the text tells you , ephes. 4.14 , 15 , 16. that these offices were given for the continued stated use of the church : for the perfecting of the saints , the work of the ministry , for the edifying the body of christ , till we all come in the unity of the faith , and the knowledg of the son of god , to a perfect man , &c. was this temporary ? 4. it seems he disclaimeth bishops being made , in making apostles . 5. christ by his spirit in the apostles ordered the churches . § . 36. p. 65. he saith [ they never find any of those officers to whom succession is at present pretended , made immediately by god , but by the intervention of men , &c. ] ans. still deceiving confusion : 1. intervention is a word of fraud , and may signifie only that act which determineth of , and qualifieth the receiver ; and it may signifie the donation , or making of the office . it is this that we speak of . 2. the intervention of infallibly inspired men , commissioned to deliver and record christs own will , hath an efficiency instrumental in making the office , in that the spirit in them doth it , and they do make instrumentally the charter or law which giveth the power ; and christ doth what they did by his commission and spirit . if you can prove that our diocesans have this commission , spirit and power , if they write new sacred scriptures , or make new sacraments , and church-forms , and offices , we will obey them . but prove it well . 3. did any man but christ send forth the seventy ? yet most prelatists hold , that those were the predecessors of the presbyters . 4. by this it seems he again denieth , that christ himself instituted the order of bishops , by making apostles . and if so , he will sorely shake his standing ; for then they must prove all their power from the apostles ( or following persons ) institutions , and not make them successors of the apostles own office ( for they made not their own office ) . and dr. stillingfleet thinks there were no bishops , or few made in the apostles times , as dr. hammond thinks of subject-presbyters . and if christs spirit in the apostles made not these offices ( who made the scripture , which is gods law ) , i despair of seeing it proved , that any since them were authorized to make them . and if men only made the episcopal and presbyters office , men may unmake them . § . 37. a case put to me within this hour , remindeth me , how much these men prefer ordination , not only in it self , but in this circumstance of prelatical uninterrupted succession , before baptism , which is our christning . there are some godly young men that have communicated in the lords supper , that were the children of quakers and anabaptists ; some were never baptized , and some know not whether they were , or not ; and being born near two hundred miles hence , cannot learn or come to any certainty . the question is , whether these that have communicated , should yet be baptized ? which is to make christians of christians ? or whether the higher sacrament do not eminently contain the lower , as making a man a bishop , containeth making him a presbyter , and that containeth eminently his deaconship ( as some say ) ? if they must be baptized , yet , it implieth the nullity of their sacramental communion before : and if so , mr. dodwell must confess , that priestly exhibition , or investiture is null to an uncapable subject . but i think most will say , that he should not be baptized , it being done interpretatively . and if so , is his prelatical mode of ordination more necessary than actual baptism ? besides , that ( as is said ) they make lay-mens or womens baptizing sufficient ad esse . and yet the church of england professeth , that only the two sacramens , baptism and the lords supper , are generally necessary to salvation . § . 38. pag. 67 , 68. he would persuade us that the imposition of hands in ordination signifieth what he asserteth . but he giveth us not one word of proof of it . was it the holy ghost which was in the imposing apostle or prelate that was given by him , and out of him into the ordained ? no , he was never in scripture said to be the ownor , donor , or efficient conveyer of the holy ghost . but gods will made the imposition of the apostles hand , a conditional act to qualifie the recipient to receive the holy ghost immediately from god , as the texts before cited , and many more prove . what if it be once said that [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ] when many other texts expound it ? it 's well known that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth many other causes , mediums , conditions , as well as efficient conveying causes . is it like to signifie more here than in the doctrine of justification , when it is so oft said that we are justified by faith ? and yet faith there , is no efficient instrument conveying or giving us pardon and relative justification , but only a necessary qualification of the recipient ( called by dr. twisse , causa dispositiva , which is part of the materialis ) upon which gods covenant immediately pardoneth and justifieth the believer ; so both there and here it is by or through the act of man , as a moral qualification of the recipient , made a condition by god. § . 39. after all this , the man cometh himself pag. 72. to distinguish of qualifications necessary to the being of the office , and to the well-being ; yea , and hath the face to say , that i should have distinguished them ; as if i had not ever done it . is it not an unprofitable toil to dispute with such men that will pretend that a case by me constantly stated was not stated , and then will long dispute himself for the unqualified without distinction , and after all distinguish in the fag end ? this beseemeth not any man that will pretend to plead for truth . but yet he will not be over-liberal to us ▪ he saith p. 13. all the skill that is requisite essentially , is only in general to know the benefits to be pe●formed on gods part , and the duties to be promised on mans , and the nature and obligation of covenants in general ; and the particular solemnities of ecclesiastical covenanting . and of this how can any one be uncapable , that is but capable of understanding the common dealings of the world ? ans. 1. and yet must we have universities ? and must the holy ghost be given by the bishops for this ? and is there any need to open the bible to know it ? and must so much riches and honour maintain this much ? and all be damned schismaticks that turn to better ? 2. set this qualified ministry and his great zeal to perswade the nonconformists to cease preaching , and his unchurching the reformed churches altogether ; and it 's easie to see what this humble diligent man is labouring for . 3. do not many millions understand the common dealings of the world that understand not the gospel ? the natural man receiveth not the things that be of god , for they are spiritually discerned . 4 is not this a plain design to set up a carnal kingdom of ignorant , vicious clergy-men , such as st. paul saith , rom. 8 neither are nor can be subject to gods law , instead of a holy catholick church and communion of saints ? and to make mahometans think that they are saints in comparison of us , and that christians are an unholy sort of men ? 5. either he includeth all that is necessary to the things named by him , or not . if not , then his priest must know the benefits of gods covenant , without knowing what god is , or that christ is the purchaser , covenanter , &c. if yea , ( which i doubt not he will say ) then , o what an excellent body of theology is included in these few general words ! then he must know all those attributes of god and his relations to man , by which he is said to be our god. he must know all the necessary articles of faith , about the person of christ , as god and man in two natures and one person , his incarnation , birth , life , sufferings , death , burial ! his doctrine , his merits , his resurrection , ascension , glory , intercession , kingly and prophetical office , and last judgment , and glorious kingdom . he must know what covenant god formerly made , and man broke ; and what sin , original and actual , and what curse and condemnation followed on mankind . and oh how many great and mysterious things are contained in gods covenant-benefits ! on union with christ , reconciliation , justification , adoption , sanctification ; the doctrine of the holy ghost as the third person in the trinity , and as the inspirer of prophets and apostles , and inditer and confirmer of the scriptures , and the witness of christ , and the sanctifier and comforter of the elect , besides resurrection , glorification , &c. and what a deal is contained in mans necessary qualification ( faith , repentance ) , and promised duty ? and the true nature and use of the sacraments themselves ? and is all this such a small or easie matter as he seems to intimate ? 6. but hath he yet proved that a true minister of christ hath no necessary work but thus to administer sacraments ? i will yet believe , 2 tim. 4.1 , 2. that he must preach the word in season , out of season , reprove , rebuke , exhort , partly to convert the unconverted , partly to confirm and guide believers ; and that the people should ask the law at his mouth as being the messenger of the lord of hosts . and that the very essence of his office is to be a minister under the teaching , priestly and ruling office of christ. 7. and if he had proved that a sorry priest hath all that is essential to his office , that proveth not that i must take him for my pastor , no not though the diocesan command me . souls are more worth than to be wilfully made the priests and prelates merchandize . if a man have all essential to a physician , and no more , i will not trust my life to his skill , which is less than my soul , though the bishop bid me . if a woman have all that 's essential to a woman , he is a fool that will take her for his wife , because the bishop bids him , if she have no more . the priests that the pope sent from italy into england ●hat could speak no english , knew what you mention perhaps . but it 's necessary also that the pastor teach all this knowledg to all the flock , which is not done with saying few words . this man minds me of the saying of an atheistical ph●sician , what needs there all this preaching and stir ? i can tell them all in three words , it is but think well , and say well , and do well . dr. saywell , and mr dodwell that are so much for our silence , seem to be too near to this mans mind . but saith st. paul , who is sufficient for these things ! 8. yet this sort of men that can accept of so little of god in the priests , so be it they will but be ruled by the prelate ( who i suppose need ad esse be no wiser or better himself in their opinion ) are the rigidest silencers and excommunicators of others the wisest and holiest pastors and christians , as schismaticks , or hereticks , if they obey not the diocesan in every indifferent thing , or be not of their mind in what they decree ; such odds is in their demands for god , and for the prelates . he that doth but understand the common dealings of the world , is capable of saying over the liturgy of the sacrament ; and a little knowledg , and no honesty or piety , may serve ad esse . but if the councils of prelates , yea or his single diocesan command him never so many things as indifferent , which the poor priest feareth are perjury , lying , false worship , or other heinous sins , he is to be excommunicated from christian society , and cast out of the ministry , and as a schismatick not only to be silenced , but to be damned , if such as mr. saywell and mr. dodwell , and their masters be to be believed . § . 40. but saith he , p. 74. how can they prove that preaching is at all any essential part of the office ? &c. ans. 1. from christs own practice , and his command to those whom he called and sent , and from their practice , and the holy ghosts determination by them , mat. 4.17 . & 10.7 . & 11.1 . mar. 1.4 , 38. & 3.14 . luk. 4.18 , 19 , 43. & 9.2 , 60. act. 5.42 . & 10.42 . rom. 10.8 , 10 , 14 , 15. mat. 28.19 mar. 16.16 , 20. act. 30.20 . & 8 5 , 2● , 40 & 9.20 . & 13.5 , 42. & 20.7 , 20 , to the end . phil. 1.17 , 18. 1 tim. 3.16 . 2 tim. 3.16 . 2 tim. 4.1 , 2. 1 cor 1.21 . 2 tim. 2.2 , 24. tit. 2.3 . where do you find that ever any one in the new testament was ordained a mass priest , or sacrament priest , and not a teacher ? 2. when did you prove that actual giving the sacrament was essential to a bishop or presbyter ? not only ; paul baptized few , but many parish priests leave that work to their curates , and some bishop● leave both the sacraments to their chaplains or priests . i suppose you know that in the ancient churches one assembly had usually a bishop with many presbyters and deacons ; and usually the bishop did both preach and celebrate the eucharist ? can you prove that the rest did any 〈◊〉 celebrate than preach ? 3. but if you are willing , you may easily know that we take preaching to ●ave more modes than making a set sermon in the pulpit . the presbyters of old were all preachers ; sometimes in the pulpit when the bishop or chief speaker was absent , sick or required it ; sometimes to smaller parties in houses or chappels , or lesser meetings ; sometime by conference , as christ preached to the woman , iob. 4. and if you think otherwise , yet i am confident by experience , that it is an easier thing , and requireth less skill to make a pulpit studied sermon , than to deal convincingly in conference with particular persons that need our teaching . and a man may learn to say mass or liturgies , that hath no tolerable fitness to teach . 4. but if preaching and teaching be all one with you as they are with me , is it not a strange question to ask , how we prove that preaching , that is , teaching , is at all essential to their office ? as if you should ask , how we prove that teaching is essential to a schoolmaster or tutor ? or that to rule is essential to a ruler ; or to give physick essential to a physician ? what can you take the office to be that includeth not teaching ? neither christs apostles , nor the ancient church ever ordained any to give sacraments without teaching , ( however papists make the essence of the priesthood to be in the power of making the body and blood of god. ) nay , how can they celebrate the sacraments without preaching or teaching ? can they justly baptize the adult , and not teach them the great articles of the creed which they must profess ? and the great and many duties to be done ? and the great and many benefits to be received ? and doth he think it such a small and easie matter to teach men all the articles of the creed , the sense of the lords prayer , the ten commandments , and the nature of the sacrament of baptism , and the lords-supper ? it may be h● will say , that it is some other preaching that he meaneth . but he speaketh to me , who ( in the hearing of d● warmstrie , and of mr. th. baldwin , who is yet living ) did offer bishop morley when he ●orbad me to preach in his diocess , to promise him to preach only the catechism-doctrine , on baptism , the creed , the lords prayer , the ten c●mmandments , and the lords supper . archbishop vsher in his ●ermon before king iames , on eph●s 4 3. boldly affi●●●th , that l●t the learneds● of them all try it when they will , they shall find that it requireth greater skill to open to the ●gnora●t intelligi●ly these cat●chism common truths , than to handle points of controverted school-divinity . § . 41. it may be objected , 1 cor. 12. are all teachers ? and rom. 12. he that teacheth on teaching . ans. it 's evident that teachers or doctors are there put for some eminently gifted above others in opening and defending sound doctrine , and not for all teachers in general . for exhortation is distinguished from it , which yet is the greatest p●rt of most sermons . paul was the chief speaker , yet barnabas was a teacher . we are more than he is , for many ministers in each church , where the chief speaker shall usually preach ; but the other as assistants in their time and place , and not to be meer sacramenters . § . 42. his next recollections run all upon such intimated or expressed untruths meerly forged by him contrary to my copious explications , and against the rules of common honesty , that i will not lose my own and the readers time in particular answers to them . he would perswade the readers that i affirm that power immediately results from gifts , who never had such a thought , but say it neither resulteth from them , mediately nor immediately . this dealing is so grosly false , that it is neither credit to his cause nor him . would he make men think that i take him to have most authority or power , that hath the best gifts ? as if the wisest and best man had right to the crown or church-power ? if copious discourses to the contrary will not hinder such busie disputers from such inhumane slanders , are they meet to be disputed with ? i have over and over said that , 1. gifts , or the best abilities . 2. and due election or approbation of the ordainers . 3. and the peoples election and consent , all set together , do but make up the qualification or receptive disposition of the recipient . 4. yea , and his consent conjoined ; and that where all these in the necessary degree concur , the power resulteth to that cap●ble person from none of them all , but immediately from god law , which is his instrument giving power to persons so qualified . and that besides all these , ministerial investiture for orders sake , when it may be had , should introduce him into possession ; yea , and the magistrate must be judg whom he will countenance , protect or tolerate . but the case of ordination and investiture are necessary only where they may be had lawfully , and without crossing their end ; as sacrifice was compared with mercy , and the rest of the sabbath compared to works of charity and necessity . § . 43. and as it is the trick of such dealers , p. 81. he must have governours to do his work ; and therefore must not leave out that which may make us odious to them ; but tells men , that our hypothesis is unreconcilable with government in this life , in that it permits persons to assume authority , and to extend it as far as they think fit , by appealing to writings against the sense of all the visible authority of this life . ans. 1. but ●f this hypothesis be none of his adversaries , but come out of the meal-tub , or forge of inventers , what shall such men be called ? 2. we permit no person to assume authority . but writings are not so contemptible to us in comparison of that which you take to be all the visible authority of the church . it is your richard hooker that saith , that the law maketh the king , and giveth and measureth his power , and that it's usurpation which obligeth no mans conscience , when power is taken , and us●d which the law never gave . what i think of this , i have elsewhere shewed . the statutes are not so contemptible in this case , but the great lawyers think they may be appealed to from visible rulers in several cases . and you must talk at other rates than you have done in your tedious fallacious vagaries , before wise christians will believe that we may not appeal from prelates to the written word of god , when the power used by them is justly questioned . if not , how ca●e the reformed churches to justifie their reformation ? was it not by appealing to scripture against the visible church rulers , that were commonly against them ? were not p●pes , council , prelates , and priests against them , for the far greatest part ? did it overthrow all government of the world to appeal from these to the ●cripture ? i hereby undertake to prove , that neither popes , prelates , or priests , have any church-authority , b●t what god hat● given them by his word ▪ and is it not th●● necessary to try it by that word ? must we take th●●r own words for all that popes , or prelates c●●im ? and it will put the pope and council hard to it , to prove any authority from god , if the scripture do not give it them : and if it give it them , it may give it others . § 44. and wh●n 〈◊〉 , done , we are far from granting , that we have les● to sh●● for our succession from the apostle● , than popes or 〈…〉 have . 1 we are 〈◊〉 that we have the same ●aptism , eucharist , creed , l●●ds pra●●r , d●calogue , and script●re , delivered down from the a●ostles . 2. we are sure that we have a ministry of the same species which christ and his ●pirit in the apostles instituted . 3. we know that our churches , and worship , and doctrine , are the ●ame that are described , and setled by the apostles . 4. we know that our present ministers are qualified as the apost●●● requi●ed . 5. and that they are elected , or 〈◊〉 to by the 〈◊〉 , is the apostles required . 6. and that they have as good an ordination , and investiture , as the apostles ever made necessary to the ministry : that is , 1. they have the approbation of senior pastors , and many of them of diocesans . all that were put into any places by the parliament , when the bishops were down , were to have the westminster assemblies approbation under their hands . and that assembly , as called , consisted of many diocesans , with many score grave eminent divines , though the diocesans were not actually present . and a signed approbation , and allowance , hath the essence of all that is of absolute necessity in ordination . 2. they were ordained by true bishops . 1. all true presbyters are episcopi gregis , and joyn in ordination here in enggland . 2 the chief pastors of city-churches , having curates under them , are episcopi eminentes vel praesides , such as ordained for above two hundred years after the apostles . and 3. the chosen presidents of synods were such bishops . but all these concurred in the nonconformists ordinations when the diocesans were down . they were ordained at , and by a synod of presbyters in some great town , or city , where the moderator , and the chief city-pastors were part . 3. many of them were ordained by diocesans . 4. many ordained , as aforesaid , were after approved by diocesans , some by imposition of hands , and all by word , or writing ▪ for archbishop vsher did in my hearing by word and in writing more publickly declare his opinion of such presbyters ordination as valid ●though he excused not such as deposed the diocesans from the guilt of schism ) ; and so did the many other bishops , whom i formerly cited ; yea , even bancroft himself . and surely all this hath all that is essential to ordination . 5. and we know that such a ministry hath continued to propagate the church and gospel in the world since the apostles days . but we confess , 1. that we cannot prove , that such ministers have still succe●ded in the same towns. 2. nor that no one , from whom their ordination came down from the apostles , did pretend to have orders , or authority when he had none . 3. or that no one of them in 1660. years was an heretick , or a schismatick , or a papist . 4. or that no one ordained in wrong words . 5. or that no one ordained contrary to the canons , out of his own limits , or without three bishops , or without the presbyters . 6. or that no competitors were ordained by several bishops . mr. dodwell is a great historian ; when he hath proved all this of all , or any of his clergy-friends , he hath done something more than multiply words . § . 45. but on the other side , we can easily prove , and have proved , 1. that our diocesans are not of the same species with those of old . 2 that the apostles did not make them . i think mr. dodwell will say , that the presbyters first made them by consent ( the children begot the fathers ) . 3 and dr. hammond will defend it , that there is no certainty , that any subject presbyters were made by the apostles in scripture times . so that the very species of their clergy hath no such succession , as distinct from ours . 4. and he that will read the church-history , and councils , declaring the multitude of doleful intercisions in east and west by heresies , the patriarchs of alexandria , antioch , constantinople , ierusalem and rome , and most of the chief seats of bishops , having been judged hereticks , simoniacks , or no bishops by general councils ; yea , roman bishops judged some of them infidels , and diabolical by the councils of constance bas●l , &c. i say , he that knoweth this history , must know , that the diocesans that from these derive their succession , have certainly had frequent and notorious intercisions . § . 46. and this leads me to another part of mr. dodwell's work : viz. his proof that aidan and finan were bishops . as if this had been a great part of his cause . such diverting noise is a great part of the art of deceiving . because i had said , that aiden and finan were not bishops , but presbyters , that is , when they came out of scotland into northumberland , i apprehended that some men of his g●●ius and design , would be willing to mistake me , and therefore printed an explication of the words in the end of my first answer to dr. stillingfleet . but mr. d would have men think that i said , that they were never made and called bishops at all ; and that i read not beda , from whom alone ( near five and thirty years ago ) i took almost all that i assert concerning them . let the reader see my foresaid explication . if mr. dodwell will give us more than noise and mist about this matter : 1. let him prove that it was diocesan bishops that ordained these scots before they came into england , when beda saith they were sent from those monasteries that were ruled by presbyters , and which would not so much as eat or communicate with the roman bishops . 2. let him prove that any bishops in england consecrated hem , or made them bishops here , when beda tells us that they were the first in the north , and therefore had none here to ordain them . 3. let him prove that they were here made true diocesan bishops of our species : when , 1. they had no presbyters at first under them , and therefore ruled none , and had but one congregation ; for one man can be but in one place at once . 2. their church in lindisfarne was not made of stone , but of wood , covered or thatcht with reeds , and they are not said to have any other church under them . 3. they went indeed to preach all over the country , but not as to a church , but as to heathens to convert them . 4. let him prove that ever they took themselves to be of a distinct order from presbyters . 5. at a synod ( bed. c. 25. ) we find no more but the king and his son , and hilda a woman-abbess , and three or four of this sort of bishops , ( far below our ordaining city-presbyters and their synods . ) but unlearned men that value books by interest and preconceived opinions , may think that by such talk mr. dodwell hath done some great matter . § . 47. but ( saith he , p. 81 , 82. ) our hypothesis obliging inferiour governours to prove their title to their office , and the extent of it , from the intention of their supream governours , does oblige all to a strict dependance on the supreme visible power , so as to leave no place for appeal concerning the practice of such government ( which as it lasts only for this life , so it ought not to admit of disputes more lasting than its practice ) , &c. ans. alas for the poor world and church that will be cheated at so gross a rate ! 1. did you not know that the grand error that protestants charge papists with , is the asserting of any such thing as a supreme visible power over the church universal besides christ. and did you think that your roteing over the name to them that deny the thing , would make a wise man change his religion ? 2. by your hypothesis then no man can prove his title to his office , who either believeth not that there is any such universal supreme , or that knoweth not who it is ( i know no competitors but the pope , and general councils , unless the patriarch of constantinople be one . ) 3. and he that knoweth not the intention of this supreme power , is still unable to prove his office . 4. and he that knoweth the intention of the ordaining diocesan , is never the better if he know not the intention of the supreme . and what if the intention of the supreme , and of the diocesan are contrary ? 5. but by your hypothesis the governours may alter the very species of the priesthood as they please ; and what ever god saith of it in his institution or law , it must be to us no other in kind or extent , than the governours intend . if they say , i ordain thee to baptize , but not to teach ; or to do both , but not to celebrate the lords-supper ; or to do that , but not to pray or praise god ; or not to use the keys of the church , our power is limited accordingly ; then if the prelates make mass-priests , their intention is the measure of their power . answer the papists then that ask , was it ever the intention of the pope and his prelates , that the english bishops should disclaim the pope , or the mass , or reform without them as they did ? 6. seeing the english bishops , by you , derive their succession from willfred , and augustine , and rome , is not the church of rome the ●ittest judg of the extent of their power , as knowing their own intentions ? nay , if they were so blind as to intend them power to pull down themselves , may they not recall it ? 7. did ever protestant preach this doctrine , that there is no appeal from the supreme prelates , to god ? o dreadful ! what may men come to ? and what error so great that a former may not introduce ? disgrace not the church of england so much as thus to intimate , that they set up themselves so as that there is no appeal to scripture , or god himself from them ? god hath commanded preaching , praying , praises , baptism , the lords-supper , holy assemblies , &c. if the supreme prelates interdict and forbid all these , is there no appeal to god ? i have told you how much robert grosthead abhor'd this doctrine , and so told pope innocent the 4 th . what absolute blind obedience to prelates is this ! 8. and what a reason brings he , that the practice lasteth only for this life , and therefore , & c ? doth any of our actions here last longer than while they are doing ? praying , praise , sacraments , obeying the king , doing good to the poor , &c. and so swearing , cursing , adultery , rebellion , atheism , blasphemy here , last only for this life . must we therefore obey men without appeal to god , if they forbid us all duty , and command all sin ? 9. and what did the man mean when he said , that it ought not to admit of disputes more lasting than its practice . is this the rate of these mens wise disputations ? 1. a murderers practice may be disputed at the assizes when his act is past . 2. shall not all the actions of men in this world be examined and judged of by christ hereafter ? what ? no men judged according to their works , or for any thing done in the body ? 3. or did he mean that god will justifie us for any villany that we shall do in obedience to the supreme clergy ? 4. or did he think that by appealing to gods judgment , we challenge them there to dispute with us ? what to make of this mans demonstrations , little do i know . § . 48. he adds , p. 82. for how fallible soever they may be conceived to be in expounding scripture , yet none can deny them to be the most certain , as well as the most competent iudges of their own intentions . ans. 1. that 's true . and if their intentions may make doctrine , worship , and priesthood , what they please , it much concerneth us that they conceal not their intentions ! but i would i knew whose intention this must be ; whether the supreme clergies , or the ordainers ; and what to do if divers mens intentions differ ; and what bounds are set to their intentions ; and how many hundred sorts of priests doctrine or worship they may make . 2. you touch their fallibility tenderly , as a thing that some may conceive . but it seems let them never so falsely expound scripture , their own intentions still shall prevail against all the word of god ? i would you would answer dr. stillingfleet's rational account , which confuteth you . § . 49. he proceeds , as certainly therefore as god hath made his church a visible society , and constituted a visible government in it , so certainly it is to be presumed that their hypothesis must be false , &c. ans. 1. trifle not at this deceiving rate with plain men that love the light . if by a visible society with a visible government , you mean ( as we have great reason to think ) , with a visible government over it besides christ , do not thus as mr. thorndike and others of you do , go on to beg it , and build vast structures on it , but prove it to us and we will yield ; prove to me that the vniversal church is a society that must have one vis●ble supreme government under christ , and i here declare to you , that i will turn papist presently , and will not wrangle against any man for calling me a papist ( though i may not own all that popes say and do , as those do that grotius called papists . ) i will not talk with bishop gunning of a collegium pastorum , governing all the christian world per literas formatas ; nor be so moderate as those french papists that make an vniversal council ( which never was , nor ever must be ) the supreme church-power . i will presently be for the pope , though not as absolute . but why answer you not what we have said against it ? particularly my sermon in the morning-lectures against popery . 2. but if by a visible power in the church , you mean not one over the church , the independents deny it not ; while every city hath its proper mayor , ( and so every church its pastor ) it is a visible power in the kingdom , but not over it as a kingdom . all the justices of peace are visible powers in the kingdom , but not supreme , nor as one aristocracy over the whole . seeing all my dissent from popery , and from you , is founded in my judgment against any one universal supreme besides christ , ( monarch , aristocracy , or democracy , i seriously intreat you to write your strongest arguments on that subject to convince me , and answer what i have said to mr. iohnson , and you may spare all the rest of your labour as to me . this will do all . § . 50. p. 83. he adds , how can subjects preserve their due subordination to their superiors if they practice differently ? and while they defend their practices , and pretend divine authority for them ? ans. 1. as the three confessors did , dan. 3. and as daniel did , dan. 6. and as the apostles did , act. 2. & 3. & 4. and as all the bishops and churches did for three hundred years . and as the orthodox did under valens , constantine , theodosius junior , anastasius , philippicus , &c. 2. they may defend it by proving , that there is a god , who is supreme , and that there is no power but of him , and none against him ; and that man is not god , and therefore hath no power but limited ; and that to disobey usurpation , is not to disobey power ; and that god must be obeyed before man. 3. this is high language , and harsh to protestant and christian ears , what! are you serious ? must none in rome , italy , spain , france , &c. practise contrary to their governours ? nor in turky neither ? nor in china , iapan , & c ? is it unlawful to read the scripture , to pray , to worship god , to be baptized , to profess our selves christians , to speak a good word , or do a good deed , to feed our children , or relieve our parents , &c. if governours forbid us ? this is far worse than to forbid the scripture in a known tongue , if when we know it , we must not obey it if governours forbid us , nor so much as plead divine authority for doing what gods word commandeth us ? is gods authority so contemptible in comparison of prelates . or doth it so little concern us , as that we may not so much as plead it for any practice forbidden us by superiours ? this doctrine must needs startle a christians heart . it 's far unlike bishop bilsons of subjection , and such others . if you really mean so , that whatever god commandeth us in scripture , we must do none of it if the governours forbid us , or else we overthrow all governments , speak it out , and prove it ; but christians will abhor it . and yet this same man calleth the martyrs saints , when his argument makes them rebels . w. iohnson would not have talkt at this rate . § . 51. and i would fain know , whether he that first saith , that it subverteth all government , and after nameth [ supreme church-government ] do really mean it of all , or of church-government only ? 1. if of all , the man is no papist , i will gratifie him to proclaim it ; for he is no christian. he that thinks that men must not plead gods authority for doing any thing different from the wills of turkish , iewish , or heathen governours , surely is no christian : no , nor if he had confined this power to christian governours . 2. but if he mean it only of church-governours , how come they to have so absolute a power more than civil magistrates ? may we plead gods authority against a king , and not against the prelates ? what proof was ever given of this ? then the prelates is far above the kings : then the prelate is an absolute governour of the king himself . let kings and parliaments but understand these men , and we fear not their deceits . are they willing to give over all worship of god , and confessing christ , and all duties of religion , justice , or charity , if the supreme clergy will but forbid them ? see i beseech you , worthy country-men , what sort of men and doctrine you have to do with . § . 52. and why doth the man talk only against different practice ? doth he not know , that government commandeth duty , as well as forbiddeth the contrary ? is not omission against government as well as commission ? if the king command taxes , military service , &c. may we disobey , and call it passive obedience ? what if the bishops only forbid us to confess christ , to come to church , to pray , to give alms , to do any good ? may we forbear , sobeit we do not the contrary ? doubtless if gods word and authority may not be pleaded for any duty which god commandeth , and the prelates forbid , neither may it be pleaded for the omission of any villany commanded by prelates ( no , not inquisition , torments , or massacres ) , which god forbids . but this man hath the gramatical skill to call omissive obedience by the name of passive . § . 53. it 's like he will next say , that i make odious suppositions , that the supreme church-power may command any villanies , and forbid christian duties . ans. 1. i despair of getting any of these designers to tell me , which is the supreme universal church-power , so as to be well understood . i never heard of any pretenders but pope , and general councils , and as bishop guning holds , the colledg of all the bishops in the world . and certainly pope and councils have set up heresies , and decreed even the exterminating of all that will not dis-believe all their senses , and deny bread to be bread , and wine to be wine . they have decreed deposing kings , absolving subjects from their allegiance , adoring images , &c. and what is it that yet they may not do ? if they say with peter , if all men deny thee , i will not ; how shall i know that they say true ? doth not the church of england tell us , that councils have erred , & c ? § . 54. and be not these very honest sons of the church of england , that affirm it irreconcilable to government , to alledg divine authority of any different practices , without exception , and at the same time to subscribe to art. 21.19.6.18 . of the sufficiency of scripture . that the churches of jerusalem , alexandria , antioch , rome , have erred in matters of faith ; that the church may not ordain any thing contrary to gods written word : that general councils may err , and have erred ; and that things ordained by them , as necessary to salvation , have neither strength , nor authority , unless it may be declared , that they are taken out of the holy scripture : and those are accursed that presume to say , that every man may be saved by the law , or sect which he professeth . and why not , if he must do all that the governours require , or nothing divers to them ? § . 55. my reason forbids me to trace such a writer as this any further . to tell men of every vain harangue , and confident discourse , that 's full of gross error , or false report , is work unworthy of time and labour ; but i will a little more open the coar of his deceit . chap. v. wherein mr. dodwell's deceits , and the danger of them do consist . § . 1. as to his method of disputing , that you may detect his fallacies , he hath got this absurd ptetence , p. 90. that there is but one sense of all terms , which causes oblige men to mean ; and that every one ought to know , who pretends to have skill in causes . ans. would you have thought that ever a man should publickly use such a cothurnus among the learned ? what a man is obliged to mean , is one thing , and what he doth mean is another . and is there any one that knoweth what humane language is , that knoweth not that almost all words have various significations ? doth he not know by how good reason the schools oblige disputants , first to explain their terms ? and what need there is of definition to explain them ? he instanceth in the words bishops , and the church of england ; and might have added , the catholick church . and doth he not know that it is the species of bishops that we differ about ? and will the general name here explain each parties sense ? when we are for one sort of bishops , and against another ? and is it not such fraud as souls should not be abused by , to refuse wilfully to define the episcopacy that he meaneth , and then plead that all should understand him ? and why is it not as much ignorance in him not to understand me , as in me not to understand him , when i use distinct explication , which he obstinately refuseth ? and doth not dr. stillingfleet's case shame what he saith of the church of england , who was hardly brought to explain it , and at last denieth the very being of the church in mr. dodwell's sense ? which of you was to blame to meddle with the word till you had skill in causes , to understand it without a definition ? and doth not dr. stillingfleet take it as the introduction of popery , to hold a constitutive regent church-government , national , or catholick ? and so he , and mr. dodwell mean not the same thing by the church catholick ( nor bishop guning , mr. thorndike , or the church of rome , who are all for an universal humane supreme power ) . and who is he that hath read dr. challoners credo eccles. cathol . chillingworth , bishop mortons grand imposture , bishop bilson , dr. white , dr. whitaker , dr. sutliffe , bishop andrews , bishop carlton , &c. chamier , sadeel , melancthon , bucer , &c. who knoweth not that the papists and prorestants , by the name of the catholick church , do mean several things , and that we deny the very being of any such church as they call the catholick ? and is this the bold and happy disputant , that will save the schools and world the labour of explaining terms , and foreagreeing of the sense , and put men on disputing , where the subj●ct is denied , and fill a book with tedious confident harangues , and then hide all the fraud by saying , that there is but one sense of all terms , which causes oblige m●n to mean ; and that every one ought to know , who pretend to have skill in causes ? when the cause disputed is only managed by words , as they signifie the minds of the speakers about the real matters ▪ § 2. and as to the material fundamental difference between mr. dodwell's party and us , it lyeth in these following things : i. we totally differ about the nature of gods government of man. ii. and about the use of the holy scripture , and gods laws . iii. about the nature and extent of all humane government . iv. about the form of moral good and evil . v. about the essential form of the catholick church . vi. about gods ordinary means of saving grace . vii . about the use of preaching . viii . about the duty of worshipping god in sacred assemblies , or the communion of saints . ix . about the difference of apostles , and the office of the bishops . x. about the office of a presbyter or parish-pastor . xi . about the necessaries to ministry , churches , christianity , and ordinary title to salvation . xii . and about the final judgment . if all these be little tollerable differences , why may not we be tollerated ? if not , judg reader who they be that are intollerable , when you hear them plead against tolleration . § . 3. i. for the first , we judg that there is a god , who is the governour of the world by an universal law , which is above all humane laws or will , and that he is the fountain of all power , and there is none but what he giveth and limiteth , and that no man is above him , nor hath true authority against his laws . but mr. dodwell saith , that it is irreconcileable to government in this life , or to due subordination of subjects to superiours , to practice differently , and defend it by pretending divine authority , and appealing to writings , ( scriptures is our word by excellency so called ) . and so god shall be god , and be obeyed , if the clergy please . § . 4. ii. as to the second , we suppose that the holy scriptures are gods laws , indited and recorded by the holy ghost to be the first obliging rule of faith , and holy living , which all men are to be obedient to , before and against all contrary laws of men . but mr. dodwell as aforesaid , alloweth no such prime obligation as will warrant an appeal to the word of god , from the visible church-governours that contradict it . § . 5. iii. and for the third , we suppose that all humane powers are derived from god , and have no authority but what he giveth them , and are more under him and his laws , than the justices are under the king and his laws , and can oblige no man against the laws of god. but how far mr. dodwell thinks otherwise , you have heard . he saith not indeed that we must break gods laws , but we must not pretend them , or appeal to them against our governours . in charity i hope he meaneth no worse , but that we must take our rulers word or exposition , and judg nothing to be in the scripture , contrary to their commands . and whether he give them the same dominion also over the law of nature , let him tell you . paul disclaimed dominion over mens saith , and the written law of god. § . 6. iv. and for the fourth , we take moral good to be a conformity to gods law ▪ and moral evil or sin to be a breach of it . but mr. dodwell is for measuring them by the clergies or governours will , though gods law be against theirs . § . 7. v. and for the fifth , we take the catholick church to have no supreme government but god , and our glorified redeemer god and man ; and that there is no such thing as a catholick-church of gods making under any other supreme rulers . but that as god is the invisible king of this visible world , and kings are subordinate supremes in their kingdom , but neither one of them , or many conjunct in an aristocracy , supreme over all the earth ; so christ is the partly visible , and partly invisible supreme ruler of the visible church of christians , and each pastor is under him over his proper flock ( bound to keep concord and peace ) ; but none under him supreme over all , whether monarch ( as the pope ) or aristocracy , as councils , cardinals , or ' others . but mr. dodwell is for a visible society , with a visible humane supreme . but who the supreme is , i despair of getting him to acquaint us . § . 8. vi. and for the sixth , we suppose that god sent forth preachers to convert the world , and turn them from darkness to light , and the power of satan to god , and that faith comes by hearing , and hearing by the word preached , and that whoever believeth shall be saved ; and the word of god is powerful to this end , and sufficient to make us wise to salvation . but mr. dodwell thinks that it is not preaching , but the delivering men the sacraments , that giveth them the first true saving grace and title to salvation . and that none in the world have this sacrament or covenant-title to life , but those that receive it from a hand that had an ordination by bishops in his sense , of uninterrupted succession from the apostles by the like ordination . § . 8. vii . accordingly we hold that preaching is for the converting of souls , and the means of saving faith and holiness . but what he thinks it is good for , i know not well ; nor whether he would send the indians the sacraments instead of preachers . § . 10. viii . we take it to be our duty , though men forbid us , to confess christ , and assemble for gods worship , to read and hear the scripture , and to praise god : but he thinks we must not practice differently from the ruling clergies will , if they forbid us , nor alledg divine authority for it . § . 11. ix . we suppose that the office of a prophetical ministry bringing new doctrines or laws from god , and the office of the teachers and rulers by these laws , are greatly different , and must necessarily be distinguished . moses was a prophetical mediator in legislation , and he confirm●d his mediation by uncontrouled miracles . the prophets afterward came but on particular applicatory messages . but the priests and levites as such were no prophets , nor had power to make any new additions or alterations of the law , but only to teach it the people , and as guides apply it to their several cases ; so christ and his apostles commissioned to deliver and record all his doctrines and commands to the following ages , did by the holy ghost prophetically deliver to the world that body of doctrine and law , which must rule them to the end , and judg them ; and thus sealed and confirmed all by a multitude of uncontrouled miracles ; but all following bishops and pastors are not to do the like , nor add or alter , nor are such legislators , being not prophets nor workers of miracles , but only to teach and apply the laws already recorded in scripture , and guide their congregations in variable circumstances ( time , place , translations , &c. ) according to the general rules of gods law. this is the truth . but how much mr. dodwell equals the bishops and apostles , and sets their words above the scripture as to obligation , you have seen before . § . 12. x. and as he giveth bishops power to silence presbyters , and forbid the preaching of the gospel , and gods worship , so how little knowledg or godliness , or common sobriety or honesty , he requireth to a saving sacramenting priest , who must not be separated from , you heard before , contrary to cyprian , and many a councils canons . but we know that paul had no power to destruction , but only to edification . and they have no more . § . 13. xi . we suppose that we must love , honour , and communicate with all such as true ministers or churches , who have true faith and repentance , and sincere obedience to christs laws , and are able , godly , willing pastors , chosen or consented to by the flocks , approved and ordained by senior pastors , ( especially in synods where city-pastors preside ) , and especially if also authorized by the christian magistrate . ) but he thinks if they have not also successiv● ordination from the apostles by bishops of his species , they are no ministers , or churches , and have no sacrament , and covenant title to salvation , but are schismaticks , and by their ministry sin against the holy ghost . and so destroyeth all certainty of title to salvation , and of church-communion , ministry and sacraments , to all the christian world. § . 14 xii . lastly , we think that men shall be judged by their keeping or breaking gods law , and according to what they did in the body . but he would have us obey the supreme clergy , and not plead scripture or divine authority for our different practice ; because the government that lasteth but for this life , ought not to admit of disputes more lasting than its practice . § . 15. i conclude with a request to him to resolve me these doubts . 1. whether prophets having immediate messages from heaven , were not differenced from the teaching priests and pastors . 2. whether false prophets were not grievously threatened among the iews ; and whether christ did not command us to beware of false prophets ? 3. whether he be not a false prophet ( worse than a false teacher ) that falsely pretendeth to that which is proper to a prophet ? 4. whether it be not proper to a prophet to deliver as immediately from god , new laws to the universal church , yea or to any church , which are not in the scripture , nor are revealed by it as gods means , ( besides the determination of circumstances left to humane prudence variable pro re nata ) if moses and the apostles in legislation acted as prophets , do not they so that pretend to do the like ? 5. whether the general councils of bishops and the pope have not done the work proper to the prophetical office , when they have made laws for the unversal church , and this as by divine authority , and undertaken to give all the church the sense of scripture , which only shall be obligatory to them thereby ? for it is the maker of the sense that is the maker of the law ; especially when they pretend to infallibility , or to be secured from erring in faith , by divine inspiration , how ignorant or bad soever they be singly . is not this pretended authority and inspiration that of prophets , as different from meer teachers and guides by gods law already made ? 6. if it be so , how many such papal councils , arrogating such power , have been false prophets ? 7. but if they pretend not inspiration , nor prophetical authority from god , nor yet authority given them by the scriptures , or laws of god already made , ( or falsly pretend such ) then is not this to usurp christs own authority , and so instead of being false prophets , to be partly vice-christs , ( or law-givers to his universal church ) called commonly antichrists ? i would willingly have things so cleared , that men may be freed from all such suspicions . but if you are still confident that the universal church hath a visible supreme government besides christs , i should be glad , 1. to see it proved . 2. to know whose it is , and how we may know them . 3. and to know its true extent . if you intend no fraud , you cannot refuse me this , when i promise you , if performed , i will let fall the suit , and no more trouble you with lesser controversies . i have no copy of my first letter to mr. dodwell upon a book which he sent me . this is his answer . reverend and worthy sir , i have received your very kind letter , wherein i hardly know whether i should be more thankful for your approbation or your reproof , both of them being in their kind so useful , and both of them being by you performed with so great civility . i am confident that if our modern disputes had been moderated with that candor , men would certainly have been more peaceful , and very orthodox , than now we find them . i could very heartily have wished that the opinions wherein we differ , had not been of that nature as to s●parate communion , ( for this i look upon as the only circumstance that can make such differences grievous to a pious person ; for as for those others which exasperate many that dissenters are not so wise to discern the truth , or so fortunate in avoiding prejudices , or lighting on faithful informations , in a time when they are cap●ble of receiving them ; or that they are not so submissive as themselves expect to that pope which luther has long since observed in every mans ●eart , &c. are reasons either sinful , or at least insufficient to excuse the sin of uncharitableness upon such an account ) but as they a●e , considering them as tempered with that piety and moderation which may expiate their other malignities , that they are rather alledged as apologies for your selves , than as obligations on others , rather to excuse your deformity in assisting at our altars , than erecting others in opposition to them ; that you are still i●quisitive and desirous of further information , and ready to lay down your mistakes where you are convinced that they are such ; that still you preserve a p●aceable mind , and embrace our communion it s●lf in voto , though perhaps not actually ; these are so valuable considerations , even before god as well as man , for excusing from the guilt of error , as that whatever i may think of your op●nions , i hope it shall not hinder me from a cordial respect and veneration for your person . as i do very much esteem the good opinion of so great a lover of p●●ce and piety as your self , and should have been sorry to have given any ju●t occasion of offence to you ▪ so i am not a little glad that upon a review of the particulars mentioned in your letter , i find my self so very innocent . for as for my preface , the main parts of it wherein the disrepect of the clergy is shewn to have been an introductory to the atheism of the age we live in ; and that the conformable clergy , that is , such as would answer the design of the church not only as to their exterior demeanor in publick solemn assemblies , but also as to the qualifications of their persons , and the conduct of their whole lives , could not prove either trifling in their preaching or scandalous in their examples , and therefore that the church is not responsible for their misdemeanors where they prove otherwise ; and that the laity are in their proportion obliged to the same duties with the clergy , and therefore may make use of the advices there prescribed ; or where the errors of our modern school-divinity are touched , and some proposals made for their reformation ; in these things , i say , i can see no occasion of offence , but rather some preservatives against it . the only thing i suppose you aim at , is my taxing some opinions of nonconformists , and that with as little personal reflection as i was able , which i conceived prejudicial to church-authority ; which because you seem to disown , i do not see why you should apprehend your self as particularly concerned , especially there being nothing in the discourse whereby you could conclude either your self or any of your moderate temper to have been intended . i will assure you i intended none but such as were guilty , and with being so , i charged none particularly . but that not only the old puritans and separatists of queen elizabeths times , &c. but also very many of ours now are guilty of them , is too notorious to suppose you ignorant of it . i could heartily wish that the number of better principled and more peaceable dissenters were greater than i fear it is . nor do i see that what is there said can make it unuseful even to the persons truly concerned , that value truth more than any , however beloved party ; seeing it may either let them see the ill consequence of their principles , and their influence on that athei●m and prophaneness which i am confident themselves do most cordially detest , which i conceive to be more likely to prevail with them than other arguments , as being more suited to their pious disp●sitions ; or supposing that my fears were indeed groundless of the introduction of prophaneness by the contempt of government , or of contempt of government by their disobedience to it , yet might it at least warn them from confining on such dangerous consequ●nces , or from coming to them unawares by an abuse of principles generally true , but obnoxious to particular inconveniences when unwarily managed . i mean it may put them in mind of the greater momentousness of good government and peace than many of their differences , and consequently of the great engagements incumbent on them for their preservation ; and that they would therefore so take care to oppose the particular abusive constitutions of government , as not to bring their government into contempt , nor to sugg●st unanswerable apologies to factious persons for the future , when they are unwilling to be obedient . these are abuses which i believe your self would wish redressed in the causers of our church-divisions . but if it could not be useful to them , yet could it not be prejudicial to them , nothing being urged , either invidiously , or imperiously , and therefore no harm being done if i should prove utterly mistaken . that you should marvel how reviving discipline could by me be expected from the constitution of our present ecclesiastical government , does seem no less marvellous to me , especially as to the exception you make against it ; for if it were impossible to maintain discipline under a government so far monarchical , as to appropriate the decretory power of the government of many to a single person , though the execution be intrusted to many ; then it would follow , that the secular discipline under a secular monarch of any extent , were impossible also to be observed , seeing it is as impossible for any such prince to have a particular cognizance of every particular cause , much more of every particular person in his dominions , as for a bishop in his diocess . as there it appears by experience ( i shall instance in a scripture-example , because i know that will be liable to least exception ) , that david in an extent more vast , and a people more numerous th●n that of the largest diocesses , 120. miles in length , and 60 ▪ miles in bre●dth , and rather better in david's days , where were accounted 1300000 men sit for war , besides artificers , and such others , not coming under that account , was yet able to give a go●d account of his government , without particular inspection into all causes , or communication of his pow●r to numerous co-ordinate presbyteries ; so i do not see , why it may not as well hold for a possibility of discipline , under an ecclesiastical monarch of a much narrower extent ; for the reason produced by you , seems to proceed from the nature of government in general , and therefore must proceed with the same force in seculars as ecclesiasticals , there being no ingredient peculiarly rela●ing to religion , much less to christianity ▪ which might alter the case , or argue a disparity ; for certainly princes , as well as bishops , are responsible for the miscarriage of their particular ●ubjects ; for they may be prevented by moral diligence , and yet you will not thence conclude that every particular must come under his immediate personal care and cognizance ; nor is it proved , that the bishop is otherwise obliged to such a care upon pe●uliar respects besides , that it is plainly against experience , even in ecclesistasticals ; for as it has fallen out in some places , where there were many cities , the bishops were propor●ionally multiplied , as in affrica and ireland ; so that it was not upon account of the impossibility of managing the charge of much greater multitudes than the inhabitants of those small cities , appears , in that even in the very same places the greatness of no city was thought sufficient for multiplying the bishops , though it was for the inferior clergy . i need not tell you how great rome was ▪ and how full of christians , even in decius's time , under cornelius , which required the united endeavours of above a thousand clergies , as appears from the said cornelius's epistle to fabius , of antioch , in euseb. yet was one bishop thought sufficient for all ; nay , the erecting another in the same see , was thought to be formal schism , as appears from the controversies of those ages , betwixt cornelius , and novatian , and st. cyprian , and felicissimus the same also might have been shewn in several other cities , exceeding numerous , and abounding with christians , as antioch , and alexandria , and carthage ▪ &c. which even in those early ages , when discipline was at the greatest rigour , were yet governed by single bishops : nay ▪ whole nations were sometimes governed only by one , as the got●s by vlpilas , and the indians by aedesius , and the arabians by moses , which is an argument insisted on by some presbyterians , for shewing the probability of ordinations by bare presby●●rs . y●t are there no complaints of dissolution of discipline in such places , upon account of the greatness of their charge , which to me seem sufficient convictions , that the multitude of persons governed , is not the reason of our present neglects in that particular . when i said , that ignatius's epistles were questioned by the presbyterians , i never said , nor intended it concerning all ( for i knew of vedelius's apology for them ) , much less did i lay it particularly to your charge : so that if you had here forborn assuming to your self what was spoken of others , many of whose opinions i am confident you will not undertake to justifie , there had been no occasion of this exception . that other presbyterians , and those by far the greatest number , have denied them , cannot be questioned . as for the reasons for nonconformity alledged by you , and your brethren , of the savoy conference in 1660. if i might without offence , presume to interpose my own thoughts , they are as followeth : 1. for the approving , not only submitting to such things as you disliked , and that by an oath , i am sure there are many conformists themselves , that understand no more to have been intended by the church , but only an exterior submission , not an internal approbation of the particulars . and particularly , i have been in●ormed by a letter from a very worthy credible person , who pretends to have had it from the bishop himself , that bishop sanderson , who was a member of your conference , interposed those words in the act of parliament , where it is required , that ministers declare their unfeigned assent and consent to the use of all things in the book of common-prayer , &c. designedly that this objection might be prevented . the new article of faith , inserted in the rubrick , i do not know , nor can i now get the books that past betwixt you at the conference , to find what you mean. that lay-chancellors were put down , and that the bishops did more consult their presbyteries , i could for my own part h●artily wish . but ● cannot think abuses momentous enough to warrant a schism , and i know your self are for bearing with some things that are not so w●ll liked of , rather than that the church of god should be divided for them . in brief , i do not understand any of the six particulars mentioned as the reasons that keep you off , though indeed you disapprove them , both because you do not undertake to determine what they might be to others , but only what they are to persons of your mind ( though i confess , this may be understood as a modest declining to judg of others ) ; and because you conceive piety the most likely means to unite us , which could not be if we imposed any thing on you against your consciences . so that the only one may be presumed to have been thought sufficient by you to this purpose , seems to have been another , which because you intimate somewhat obscurely , i do not know whether you would be willing that it should be taken notice of . but however i suppose that it self does i suppose only deprive us of your clerical , not your laical communion . god give us all to discern the things that belong to peace . as for other questions , we may patiently await our lords leisure , who when he comes shall tell us all things ; and in the mean time preserve charity , and be wise unto sobriety . i hope , sir , you will excuse my freedom , and let me know whether i may in any thing be serviceable to you ; and above all things reserve a portion in your prayers for trin. col. near dublin , decemb. 14. 1672. your unfeigned well-wisher , henry dodwell . for the worthy and much honoured mr. henry dodwell , at trinity colledg near dublin in ireland . worthy sir , i heartily thank you for your patience with my free expressions , and for your grave and kind reply . as to the main cause of the nonconformists , should i enter upon that which i cannot prosecute , i should greatly injure it , my self and you : i must again crave your patience with my freedom . the sins which they fear ( whether justly is the question ) are so heinous , that they dare not mention them , lest their condemners and afflicters cannot bear it ; and so many , that to open them justly , will require a great volume , and therefore not by me to be done in a letter . only to what you have said , let me mind you in transitu . 1. that you mistake me if you think that i excepted against your preface as medling with me , any otherwise than as i am one of those nonconformists with whom i am acquainted , who are mostly of my mind . ( and i suppose you would take it for no honour to be thought to be better acquainted with the most of them in england , than i am . ) 2. that your intimations about the old nonconformists are not to our business , seeing the name of nonconformists maketh not , nor proveth all or many so named to be of the same mind . nor is your mention of our treaty or papers of 1660 , more pertinent , it being the old cause only that we had to do with , the new laws of conformity being not then existent , which have made it quite another thing . only i assure you , if my superiours would not take it for a crime and inj●ry to do what iustin , 〈…〉 for their mistaken cause ) , 〈…〉 it , i would endeavour to shew another 〈…〉 , and nonconformity , than is commonly taken 〈…〉 also to give you ( who so well understand antiquity ) 〈…〉 evidence of our conformity to the ancient 〈…〉 300 , and mostly for 600 years after christ. 〈◊〉 ( ●hat i may not say nothing to you ) 〈…〉 only employ 〈◊〉 lines about your sug●●●tions concerning the possibility of tru● disc●pline by d●●●esans as they are with us . and still you m●st pardon my 〈◊〉 of speech . i must say , that it is the c●●amity of churches , when their prelates and pastors are men that never were acquainted with the flocks , but spend one half 〈◊〉 their days in schools and colle●ges , and the other in noblen●●●● or gentlemens houses , and then talk confidently of the p●or people whom they know not , and the discipline which they ●●ver tryed . even you whom i honour as a person of extraordinary worth , constrain me by this your letter to think that i di●pute as about war with one that never stormed a garison , nor fought a battel ; or as about navigation with one that was never one month at ●ea . i. our first question is , what the pastoral office is , and especially discipline ? ii our next is , whether it may be delegated to , or done by one that is not of gods institution for the doing of it . iii. and then we shall soon see whether it be possible for our diocesans to do it , or any considerable part of it ? i. if the erastians be in the right , that none of our discipline is necessary besides that by the sword , ( and our preaching ) then we may put up the controversie on both sides . but if that be the work of bishops now , which was so in scripture-times , the matter will hold no long dispute . to shorten th●t work , i desire you to peruse ( its like you have done ) dr. hammonds paraphrase on all the texts that mention bishops and presbyters , with his treatise of the keys , where he will tell you , that it was the bishops office to be the ordinary preacher , to pray , to celebrate the eucharist , to visit the sick , to keep and distribute the alms and offerings of the church , as curators for the poor , with much more work . and that every single congregation had such a bishop , that ever met to celebrate gods publick worship ; and that there was not a mee●ing of a christian church without such ( for the said worship in scripture-times ) for he saith that there is no proof that there were any other presbyters in scripture-times . and for discipline , it is past doubt : 1. that as to the matter of 〈◊〉 , i● must consist of a personal watch over each member of ●he 〈◊〉 ; that every one in it that liveth in gross sin , or infidel , or heathenish , or her●tical error and ignorance , be orderly admonished , first m●re privately , afterward more openly , and last●y most 〈◊〉 ; and that he be by convincing reasons and ●xhortations perswaded to repentance . that the penitent mu●t be 〈◊〉 and confirmed , the obstinately impenitent rejected , as u●meet for the communion of the church . and for the manner , it is agreed that it must be done with condescending tenderness , patience , plain evidence , earnest exhortations , no means left untried to reduce a sinful miserable soul. and all this with the time and patience which so great a work requireth . ( and sure if the congregation must avoid the sinner , they should know why . ) one such person will hold the pastor work from first to last many an hour and day . n●xt , let us think how many such as by christs law must be th●s dealt with , are in a diocess . i had the most reformed people ( as to sins of commission and omission ) that ever i knew in england . our custom being to have each family come by turns to us to be personally catechised and instructed . i had full opportunity to know them all . many score of them that came daily to church , knew not the essentials of christianity and baptism . when i came first to them , i suppose some thousands lived in gross ignorance , open impiety and prophaneness . and even at last some scores i fear lived in gross sin . some were notorious drunkards , raging weekly twice or thrice in the open streets . some quieter drunkards . many profane swearers . too many railers , fighters , slanderers , &c. three or four apostate-infidels . the parishes about me were far worse . a great part of the people know not who christ is , nor what he doth , as the saviour of the world , nor understand one of many articles of the creed , or petitions of the lords prayer ; much less do any thing like christians for children or servants in their families . the diocess that i now live in , hath above 1100 parishes , some have half as many ; some parishes have 3000 , some 10000 people . in london some 20000 , 30000 , and the country smaller parishes usually about 400 , 500 , or 1000. i do warrantably conjecture that in the diocess where i now live , there may be about 50000 souls that by christs law should be admonished and disciplined for gross sin . and about 80000 , or 100000 that are grosly ignorant of christianity . it 's ten to one ( experience tells it me ) that five conventions will scarce serve with each obstinate sinner , to bring the work to the issue of a due excommunication or absolution . some parts of the diocess that i am in , are about 120 miles from other parts . the diocesan then that doth all this himself , ( but there is no such ) if he sit half the year , must either speak to 10000 , or 20000 persons at once , or in a few minutes , or else he must let all the rest lye and rot in their sins , till he hath done with the first . and indeed ( i have tried it ) a sober pastoral course of conviction and discipline with each one , will take up so much time , that seven years are not enough for him to go over all this diocess if he did as much in a month as ever i knew a bishop do in his life , except against godly nonconformists , or conscientious dissenters . but if you consider how far every accusing minister and churchwarden , and every accused sinner , have to travel , some 20 , some 40 miles , &c. ) and that witnesses also must travel as far ; and how long they must attend , and how few can bear the charge of this ; and that the old and weak sort of sinners are unable for the journey , and who shall do the parish ministers work the while ; and how likely it i● that of 10000 such sinners , 5000 may be dead , or the witnesses at least , before the re●t are tried and well dispatched ; or t●e case grown old , and the same m●n drunken twent● times again , before he can be judged for the first . 〈◊〉 al●o how strange a course this is to humble , convince , and save a soul — wonderful ! — that it should with any man living be a controversie , whether one bishop be sufficient for all this ? and what need we more than common experience ? the work is every where undone . lay the blame where you will , not one common gross sinner of a thousand is disciplin'd or judged as in question . that which can be done , and should be done , some one good bishop will do but none that ever i knew did ever see the face , and speak to one of a thousand gross sinners of his diocess , ( unless perhaps as he preached to one or few congregations ) nor do i know any that take it for their work , ( if they could do it ) , but leave it to the lay-chancellor as his part . if you say that excommunication must not be on many : i answer , 1. the bishops trying and conviction of gross sinners is first for their repentance , and not their excommunication , except in case of the last obstinacy , which cannot be foreknown till tried . 2. if christ would not have such discipline at all , there needs no bishop to do it . if he would , when twenty drunkards , fornicators , &c. are notoriously guilty , is it his will that one of these only be admonished , convinced , excommunicated , and all the rest let alone that are equally guilty ? sure the law of god doth not so distinguish , but say of all alike , if any called a brother be a fornicator , &c. and will such partiality either reform men , or honour religion , or rather make it a scorn , and make him that is singled out , hate the partial prosecutor . if you say it 's long of churchwardens that accuse not men : i answer , 1. and it will be so , while the thing is unfeasable ; who will be hated to do no good ? 2. some churchwardens of late to some articles have presented all the parish without ▪ exception . and so no man heard of it any more . ii. and whether the bishop may delegate his office , or do his work per alios , would be no controversie if scripture were our rule , or it were known what a pastors office is . if he may delegate it , either to a layman in sensu composito , or to a clergy man : if to a layman , than a layman and a clergy-man are all one . for there is nothing but the work to define the authority and obligation by , which constituteth the office. a bishop is one authorized and obliged to do the work of a bishop , and so is a layman too by this supposition . if to a clergy-man , either to one of the same order and office with the bishop , or of another . if of the same ( before or now made so ) datur quaesitum , then he is not the sole bishop . if of another in sensu composito , then another clergy man is not another ; for he that is authorized to the same work , is of the same office. if you say that he may not delegate the whole work , de specie , but a part ; i ask which part ? either the essential part , or but an integral common part . if the former ? 1 either ●o such as god in scripture by office authorizeth to that part , or not . if the former , then the bishop cometh too late to that which god hath done already . and then that is no proper work of bishops which god hath made common to another office. if the later , than a man may make new priestly o●fices and orders , even to the same work that god hath ●ade officers to do already . and then we need not say , ●that orders are iure divino ] if the bishop may make more at his pleasure ; but quo jure ; and what shall set his bounds and end ? this seemeth more ( in kind ) than the italians at trent would have given to the pope over bishops . an● if they do not themselves also that same essential part of their office which they give to others , they degrade themselves for the ceasing or alienation of an essential part , changeth the specie● . but i suppose you will say 〈◊〉 is pre●byters to whom they may delegate this work . and 〈◊〉 , either it is a wor● which god hath made part of the presbyters office , or not . if it be , then that presbyter doth his ow● 〈◊〉 appointed him by god , and not another 〈…〉 not , 〈◊〉 he maketh a new officer , who is ●either 〈…〉 . but the 〈…〉 the office 〈◊〉 , that it may not be 〈◊〉 ( tho●gh bishop may ordain men to an office of 〈…〉 the king or church may make new officers 〈…〉 , clock keepers ostiaries , &c. ) ; 〈…〉 , and obligation to personal duty , to be done 〈◊〉 person●l abi●●ty ] as is the office of a physician , a judg , a school 〈…〉 , a pilot , &c where he that author●zeth and oblig●th another statedly to do his work , doth thereby make that other a physician , judg , school-master , pilot , &c. this is but ordin●tio● . and if a bishop be but one that may appoint others to do the episcopal work , then 1. why is not every king a bishop , for he may appoint men to do a bishops work ? and why is he not also a physician , musician , pilot , &c. because he may do the like by them ? 2. and then the bishop appointed by the king , is no more a bishop indeed than one appointed by a bishop is . but this delegation that i speak against , is a smaller sin than such men choose . to depute others to exercise discipline , whom god appointed not de specie thereto , is but sacriledg and usurpation , ( by alienating it from the true office , and setting up a false one ) : but yet the thing might some how be done , if any were to do it . but the almost total deposition and destruction of the discipline it self , and letting none do it , by pretending the sole authority of doing it , is another kind of sin . now to your answer from the similitude of civil monarchs , i reply , it is no wonder if we never agree about church-offices , if we no better agree of the general nature of them , and their work . of which if you will please to read a sheet or two which i wrote the last year to ludov. molinaeus , of the difference of magistracy , and church-power , and also read the lord bacons considerations , you will excuse me for here passing by what is there said . i. the standing of the magistrates office is by the law of nature , which therefore alloweth variety and mutations of inferior orders , as there is cause . but the standing of the clergy is by supernatural institution . our book of ordination saith there are three orders , &c. therefore man may not alter them , or make more of that same kind . ii. kingly power requireth not ad dispositionem materiae , such personal ability as the pastoral-office doth . a child may be a king , and it may serve turn if he be but the head of power , and give others commission to do all the rest of the governing work . but it is not so with a judg , a physician , an orator , or a bishop ; who is not subjectum capax of the essence of the office , without personal aptitude . iii. god hath described the bishops office in scripture as consisting of three parts , viz. teaching , priestly , ( or about worship and sacraments ) and ruling ; as under christs prophetical , priestly and kingly office. and he hath no where made one more proper to a bishop than another ; nor said this is essential , and that is but integral . therefore the bishop may as well allow a layman to administer the sacraments , &c. as one not appointed to it by god , to rule by the keys . iv. the bishops pastoral rule is only by gods word upon the conscience ( as bishop bilson of obed. sheweth at large , and all protestants agree ) , and not by any mulcts or corporal force . if he use the sword , or constraint , it is not as a bishop , but as a magistrate . but the kings is by the sword . and will it follow that because the king may appoint another to apprehend men , and carry them to prison , &c. that therefore a bishop appointed by god to preach , worship and rule , and therein to draw the impenitent to repentance by patient exhortations , and reproofs , &c. may commit this to another , never appointed to it of god ? v. either it is the bishops work ( as was said ) that is delegated by him , or some other . if properly his own , than either he maketh more bishops , ( and that 's all we plead for ) , or else a presbyter or layman may do a bishops proper work . and then what need of a bishop ( to pass by the contradiction . ) vi. but my chief answer to you is , the king as supreme magistrate doth appoint and rule by others that are truly magistrates : they have every one a judicial power in their several places under him , even every justice of peace . but you suppose the bishop to set up no bishops , nor no church-governours under him at all . a king can rule a kingdom by supremo judgment , when he hath hundreds of judges under him who do it by his authority . and if this had been all our dispute , whether a patriarch or archbishop can rule a thousand churches by a thousand inferior bishops , or church-rulers , you had said something ? but doth it follow that your church monarch can over-see them all himself without any sub-oversees , or rule them ( by gods word on the conscience ) without any sub-rulers ? you appropriate the decretory power to your monarch ; and communicate only the executive . hold to that . the whole government is but legislatio & iudicium ; legislation now we meddle not with , ( yet our bishops allow it to the presbyters in convocation , for they take canons to be church-laws . ) it is a lower power that is denied to them , that they grant the higher to . bare execution is no government . a hangman is no governour . a governour may also be executioner , but a meer executioner is no governour . the people are executioners of excommunications , while they withdraw from the excommunicate , and with such do not eat , &c. as 1 cor. 5. and the parish-priest is an executioner , while he ( as a cryer ) proclaimeth or readeth the chancellors excommunication in the church , and when he denieth the sacrament to those that he is bid deny it to . i grant you that this is communicated . but it is the judicial power it self which i have been proving the bishop uncapable of . exploration is part of the judicial work . i know you include not that in execution ( which follows it ) if you did , it would be a sad office for a bishop to sentence all men , upon other mens trial and word . as if the bishop must excommunicate all that some body else saith he must excommunicate . this turneth decreeing into a hangman-like execution . and the nature of the cause forbiddeth it . no man is to be excommunicate for any other crime as such , but for impenitence in some crime ; nor to be absolved after , but upon repentance . now if it were , but whether a man de facto have been drunk , or fornicated , or perjured , &c. it were hard judging sententially meerly on trust from others ; but yet perhaps that might sometimes be done : but when the case is , whether the man be penitent , personal trial is necessary to a rational and ecclesiastical administration of the sentence . i conclude therefore , that as a king can judg by many hundred judges , and a general command an army by many hundred commanders , but not without any one by himself alone , having executioners under him . so is it here . vii . and i pray you note one other difference : in the kingdom it is not one subject of an hundred , or many hundreds , that hath law suits with others once in a year , or seven years , or his life . nor one of some hundreds ( where i have lived ) that findeth the magistrate work as criminal . and in this we differ even from the physician , who in a city hath not one of many that is sick , but we are all of a sinning corrupt disposition , and the pastor hath few of his flock that need not some personal applications in one degree or other . and even as to gross sins lived in , and ignorance or heresie against the very essence of christianity , it is a good parish where a considerable part of it are not guilty ; so that it is easier for one justice of peace to send two or three thieves in a year to a gaol , and bind two or three to the good behaviour , than for one bishop to admonish , exhort , convince and judg 10000 impenitent sinners in a little time , and hear all the witnesses , &c. if you should have said , that the parish priest is to reprove , exhort , convince them first , till he prove them impenitent , and he is to instruct the ignorant , infidels and hereticks : i answer , 1. that is more than an executive power . 2. we desire no more at all from bishop● or any , and know no other episcopal power over the people , but thus personally to convince men , and declare to the congregation upon proof , the fitness or unfitnss of men for their communion , by penitence ▪ or impenitence . but this is it that the ministers are hindred from , or denied . they have no power to speak with any one ignorant , heretical , infidel , or scandalous sinner in the parish , but such as are willing . and few of the guilty are willing . they will neither come to the minister , nor suffer him to come to them , but shut their doors on him if they know that he cometh on such a work , or else they will not be within . or if they be , will tell him , that they will not answer him . when i came first to kederminster , the rabble multitude curst me in the streets , and rose up against me , but for saying , that infants originally have that sin and misery which needs a saviour ; yet such ( if they scorn to speak with us ) must be our communicants for want of pastoral power . there is no law or penalty that i ever knew of , to constrain any to come to us , receive us , hear us , or answer us , if we had never so much cause to question them of , or fortifie them against infidelity , heresie , ignorance , or wicked lives . and if any other accuse them to us ( as few will ) we must not judg them without trial . it may be you will say . would you have them constrained by force to speak with the pastor , or give him any account of their faith , life , or knowledg , besides coming with others into the church ? i answer , no , we would have no force , as we have none . but then we would not be forced our selves by the church-lords and monarchs to take our selves for the pastors of such as refuse our pastoral office , and to give the sacrament , and all priviledges of church-communion , to every one in the parish , who upon just suspicion of gross scandal , heresie , infidelity or ignorance , obstinately refuseth to speak to us , and give us any account , or to be tried . i that have yearly tried my parish by personal conference , know that thousands and thousands among us know not ( and therefore believe not ) whether christ be god or man , or angel , or what ; nor who the holy ghost is , or why christ died , rose ; nor scarce any supernaturally revealed article of the christian faith . and that many that understand them , believe them not . and i desire no church-power , but not to take those , 1. for christians ; 2. and for my especial christian flock , 1. who are no christians ; 2. who themselves refuse it . without their consent the minister is forced on them . they a●e forced by the sword to say that they are christians , and to come to church and communicate . the old christian profession was , i will be a christian , and hold communion with the church , though i go to prison or death for it . the prelatical christian profession is , i will rather be a christian and communicate , than i will lye in gaol , and have all my estate confiscate . seeing then that we have not the due power of a pastor to deny our office-administrations in sacraments to those that refuse us in the other parts aforesaid , we are utterly disabled from so much as preparing men for the bishops , or chancellors examination . 3. but if it were otherwise , that must not satisfie the church-monarch , who must judg himself , and therefore must hear by himself . but you tell me , it is plainly against experience in ecclesiasticks . ans. it 's hard then to know any thing . for i dispute all this while , as if the question were , whether men in england speak english. and if i herein err , i am uncurable , and therefore i allow you to despair of me . you say , the greatness of no city was thought sufficient to multiply bishops . ans. 1. gods institution was , that every church have a bishop , act. 14.23 , &c. 2. a particular church then was , a society of neighbour-christians , combined for personal communion in gods worship , and holy living , consisting of pastor and flock . 3. for 250 years i think , you cannot prove that any one bishop in the world , save at alexandria and romr , had more such congregations and altars than one ; nor these for a long time after the apostles ; nor in many churches of ome hundred years longer . 4. at antioch ( the third patriarchate ) ignatius professeth that every church had one altar , and one bishop with his presbyters and deacons , fellow-servants . and that in this one church the bishop must enquire of all by name , even servant-men and maids , and see that they absented not themselves from the church . why is not ignatius confuted if he erred ? vid. mede on the point . 5. alexandria and rome by not multiplying bishops as churches or converts needed it , began the grand sin and calamity which hath undone us , and therefore are not to be our pattern . orbis major est urbe . 6. were bishops necessarily to be distributed by cities , the empires that have few , or no cities , must have few , or no bishops ; and an emperor might , aliud ag●ndo , depose all the bishops by dis franchizing the cities . 7. but every corporation , oppidum , like our market-towns , was then truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : and if you will but procure every such city with us , to have a bishop , and the office of such bishops to be to drive men from sin , and not to it , and to silence blasphemers , and not faithful preachers of the gospel , all our controversies of prelacy are then at an end . 8. and you must remember , that great cities had long but few christians , in comparison of the heathens ( till constantine's time , and mostly long after ) . and when patrick with his own hand ordained three hundred and fifty bishops in your ireland , they were but ecclesiarum fundatores , and with them he founded but septingentas ecclesias , and ordained five thousand clerks , if ioceline be true , vit. patri● . cap. 185. and not rather the far more credible report of antonin . in chr●n . tit . 11. cap. 18. § 2. and vincent . specul . histor . lib. 20. cap. 23. who say , that ecclesias fun●avit 365. ●rdinavit episcopos eodem numero 365. et eo amplius in quibus spiritus dei crat . presbyteros autem usque ad 3●00 ▪ ordinavit a● vsher ●●ceth them , de primord . eccl. br. p 9●7 . which is ninius number there . so that here is no more church●s th●n ●ishops ▪ and about nine presbyters to a bishop . you tell me of above one thousand clergy-men at rome , in cor●elius's 〈◊〉 . ans. 1. this was above two hundred and fifty years after christs birth . 2. i never took all the impotent persons , poor , and widows in the church , to be clergy-men , and clergy-women . cornelius his account is , that there are six and forty presbyters , seven deacons , seven sub-deacons , two and forty acolytes , two and fifty exorcists , and readers , with porters , widows , and impotent persons , above one thousand and fifty souls , considering , 1. how their meetings were then obscure , and small , in houses ( as the tolerated churches in london ) . and in so vast a city , in how many distant places . besides the sub-urbicarian assemblies ▪ 4 ▪ and how many presbyters used still to be with the bishop in the same assembly ? 5. and that here are in all but seven deacons . 6. and that many then were presbyters that used not to preach , but for privater over-sight , and as the bishops assessors . 7. and that the poorer sort most commonly received the gospel . 8. and that none of these , but the six and forty presbyters , had any power in the discipline . 9. and that by all this reckoning , the whole church maintained not , besides the officers , near a thousand poor ; we may probably conjecture , that the whole church of that bishop was not bigger than some one london-parish ( stepney , giles , cripplegate , martins , &c. ) where are about fifty thousand souls . 10. and when none were christians but persecuted volunteers , they were the holiest , and best of men ; and i have tryed , that six hundred such make less work for discipline , than ten of the rabble that are driven into our churches , and choose them rather than the goal . but when all 's done , two cities under the power of great temptation , are not to be our rule against gods word , and the state of all other churches in the world , and undeniable experience . it 's true that you say , that to erect another altar was counted schism ; that is , altare contra altare ; because when the phrase came up , no church had more than one altar . your instances intimated of antioch and carthage , i believe not ; and can give you ( had i liberty ) a volume of proof from antiquity , that for two hundred and fifty years , if not much longer , ignatius's rule was true , that every church had one altar , and one bishop , at least , except the two aforesaid . vlphilas was but an arrian bishop , of a few goths newly turned arrians , and the first that translated the scriptures into the gothick tongue ; so that no churches among them had the scripture , till after his translating ; and these few were presently persecuted to rhe death by athanarichus ( ut socrat . lib. 4 cap. 32. ) you may call these few , a kingdom , if you please . how few of the indians were converted when frumentius ( not aedesius , as you say ) was made their bishop , it 's easie to gather by the history . scythia and persia used to have each a bishop , and he lived in the roman empire , as near them as he durst , as not being tolerated usually in their land. and as few , it 's like , mos●s had among the arabians ; there being no mention in the history of any thing to perswade us , that he had many churches under him , that i remember . and the work of these b●shops was to ordain presbyters , who had the power of the keys , & exceptae ordinatione , did all that bishops did , as hierome saith . so that then a diocess had not one sole church-governour ; and therefore where you gather that yet discipline was not dissolved : i answer : 1. in all this you leave out a matter of chief consideration : viz. that all the presbyters then were assistants in discipline , and had a true church-government over the people , which now they have not . 2. it 's strange that we that have eyes and ears must be sent to the indians and ancient history , to know whether one bishop can hear , and try , and admonish so many thousands at once , as we see by experience are those objects of discipline which the scripture describeth , and when we see that it is not done . and after all this , we have talk't but of a ●hantasm ; for it is not one bishop , but one lay man , a chancellor , that useth this decretory power of the keys , over all these fouls , so far as they are used , as to the ordinary court-tryals and exerci●e ; and the bishop rarely medleth with it . again , nonconformists doubt not to prove , that the diocesan frame , whi●h they dare not swear to , 1. doth depose the species of churches of gods institution . 2 and the discipline it self almost totally . 3. and the species of presbyters . 4. and the old species of bishops . and instead of each of these , setteth up a new species of man's invention , wholly different , and inconsistent . and that they are not willing to swear , subscribe , or deliberately and solemnly enter into a church-covenant , that in their places and callings they will never endeavour any alteration of this , no not by a request or word , you may less wonder than if some were then loath to swear or covenant never to endeavour to take down the priests of dan and bethel , or reform the high places . it 's dangerous making a solemn ministerial covenant , never to obey god in any one great matter , and never to repent of so doing . again , our reasons at the savoy were , 1. about another ma●ter : 2. few of them received , or ever published to the world . and all that i have said to you is very little of our cause ; which i will not touch , unless i might prosecute it . your information about bishop sanderson , and the word , vse of all things , &c. is as the rest , to conquer our sense and experience . 1. the words in the act are most plain , and bishop sanderson de iuram , concludeth , that oaths ( and covenants ) must be taken in the plain and proper sense . 2. it is notorious , that after the lords in a proviso of another act , would have so expounded the act of uniformity , ( that it is meant but of consent to use , &c ) and the commons rejected it as intolerable , and upon a meeting of both houses satisfied the lords by their reasons , who acquiesced in the rejection of that exposition . and shall we still stretch our sense against the plain words , when the parliament long after hath rejected such an exposition ? sir , it is much more ( especially about separation ) which your lines invite me to say , and the cause requireth ; but i fear i have wronged you by prolixity already ; and much more by my freedom of speech , which is from my inclination to speak of things as they are , and is truly joined with a very great respect and honour of your self , commanded by your excellent book , and judicious peaceable stile and temper . i rest , jan. 5. 1672. your unworthy fellow-servant , ( worthy to be silenced ) , ri. baxter . the short answer to mr. dodwell's long letter , fully answered in my treatise of episcopacy . for the worthy and much honoured mr. henry dodwell , at trinity colledg near dublin in ireland . worthy sir , i thankfully received yours of 28 pages , from the hand of mr. teate . that i may not be again guilty of such hastiness in writing as you take notice of , i premise this to acquaint you , that your warning , with my backwardness to such work , and the multitude of employments in which i am pre-engaged , shall keep me a while from that error , and you from the trouble . and if i take not your concluding counsel to avoid both timerity and partiality in this cause , i shall notoriously contradict mine own interest . i have studied the point as diligently as i could , almost thirty years longer than you have lived in the world , ( if the bearer of yours give me a true account of your age . ) and yet i truly think it very possible that one of such admirable parts and diligence as your self , ( evident in your great reading and accurate stile ) may know much more in half that time . but if i can know my own thoughts , i have studied with a desire whatever it cost me , to know the truth . i dare not say , ( impartially ) altogether . for i have flesh and blood , and who can choose but have a little partiality for that way which all his worldly interest pleadeth for ? could i have proved conformity lawful ( not to have contained a covenant against the church-form , church-offices , and church-discipline of christs institutions , and for upholding that church usurpation and tyranny which began and still continueth the divisions of the christian world ; nor the deliberate ministerial owning of the perjury of many thousands , &c. ) i need not have undergone the common scorn and hatred that i have born , nor to have been deprived of all ministerial maintenance , and silenced for eleven years of that part of my life , which should have been most serviceable ( to add no more ) ; my reputation with those on the other extreme , i did voluntarily cast away , by opposing them ( when i could as easily have kept it as most i know ) lest it should be any snare or tempting interest to me . i assure you , that i have not wanted bread , is a thing that i owe to thanks to any party for , either prelatists , presbyterians or independents , &c. i confess i have read what the antiprelatists say , such as beza , gerson , bucer , didoclav . parker , bains , iacob blondel , salmasius , &c. but i have more diligently studied , since i was twenty years of age , the chiefest on the other side , saravia , bilson , downham , hooker , burges , covel , bridg , bancroft , vvhitgift , spalatensis , and since petavius , hammond , and multitudes more . and i have now , as you desired , read over all yours , that i might see the end , before i past my judgment on the beginning . but our apprehensions are various , as our preconceptions are ; i find that we are all forestalled , and readiest to learn of our selves , who are not always the happiest teachers of our selves . what we have first laid in , is usually made the standard of all that followeth ; and all must be reduced into a due conformity and subserviency to our former sentiments . you have shewed great learning , ingenuity and piety , and in a very fluent stile expressed what was in your mind ; and made me remember what one answereth him that said , hooker was yet unanswered , viz. reduce what you would have answered , to argument , and it will soon be done . i find , that it had been much better to have said nothing , than to have begun in such a manner of dispute , in which the further we go , the less we understand one another , and make each other molestation , instead of edification : for plainly i find , that ( though much may be learned out of so rare a discourse as you have vouchsafed me , yet ) it doth very little at all to any dispatch of our pres●nt controversie , but might easily deceive me by avocation , if i would forget what it is that i dispute about : for i perceive , 1. that we agree not in our sense of the terms which we make use of : and from thence you infer some great and dangerous errors in my judgment . 2. we agree least of all in common and obvious matters of fact , which are before our eyes , and the things of which i have had almost an ages experience . 3. i find , that a very great part , if not the far greatest of all your discourse , is written upon a mis-understanding of my words and judgment . and if one were to publish such kind of writings , how tiresome would it be to the reader , should i set down a particular account of all your passages that are besides the question , and all that proceed from such misunderstanding ? i speak not by way of blaming you ; for we are not competent judges of other mens actions , till we know the reasons of them : that may be laudable , which crosseth our desires . perhaps you had reasons to pass by the chief part of my explications of my sense , and of the matter of fact , and say nothing to them : and perhaps you had reasons when i had told you our country-distribution of acts of government , into legislative , and judicial , and executive , to make use still of the equivocal word decretory , and to understand by it ( as you saw cause ) only the legislative power , and to leave out the iudicial , which was all that i controverted : it may be you had reason , when i talk of a single , or parochial church , to say , i supposed in it but a single pastor : you are not accountable to me for such errors , be they never so causless in my opinion . it may be you had reason to write against the old nonconformists that are in another world ; and to think , that for the names sake it concerned us : and to plead , that conformity to all the present covenants , and oaths , and subscriptions , is necessary , because you could wish the discipline more regular , as if we were to subscribe to what is in your wishes . it may be you had reason to suppose the parish-priests to have the government of the people , even the power of the church-keys ( and yet sometimes to unsay it again ) , without answering my proof to the contrary , when i take it for the chief supposition that causeth my nonconformity : and to prove copiously , that a bishop may govern a diocess when he hath a governor under him in every parish , without answering my proofs , that he hath no such under him , but hath , quantum in se , half degraded the presbyters . and when i said , that discipline is not possible under such diocesans as are with us , you might have reason that i know not of , to leave out , as are with us , and to prove it possible with other diocesans that have governing presbyters under them . perhaps you had reason to confound the convincing , perswasive , declarative power of a iudg , with that of a private man , and thence to raise the supposition which you raise . perhaps you know some medium between corporal force , and mulcts , proper to the magistrate , and authoritative perswasion , and prevailing on the conscience by the reverence of gods laws , though i know none : and you were not bound to teach me what you know . perhaps you had reason to think that i may subscribe , that no man in three kingdoms that hath vowed it , is bound to endeavour to alter our church-government by lay-chancellors , because you defend it not , but wish it altered : and it may be you have reasons unknown to me , that none but irregular endeavours are there disclaimed , and that our lawgivers spake universally , and would be interpreted particularly , with many such like . but abscondita & quae supra nos , nihil ad nos — what i may not pretend to understand , i will not presume to censure , but only say , that i am uncapable of being informed by them . this i am satisfied of , that my schismatical principles take into church-communion such as you , and those that are in knowledg below , not only you , but me , even the weakest true christians but upon your catholick terms , no man of my measure of knowledg must be tolerated to be a preacher , or a christian in church-communion , nor live at least out of goal , or some such penalty . and if one at muscovy can get a courtier to make him a bishop , he and such other are the church ( which why you still put it in the feminine gender when it consisteth of masculine court-bishops , i know not . ) and if he command us to do that which we account the most inhumane perjury , if he think it to be but the renunciation of an unlawful oath , as i understand you , we are schismaticks if we obey him not . whether in cases of commanded blasphemy , and all other crimes , we must accordingly renounce our understandings , i know not . though there be somewhat of irony in all this , there is nothing but what is consistent with the high estimation of your extraordinary worth . and i must say , that our different educations , i doubt not , is a great cause of our different sentiments . had i never been a pastor , nor lived out of a colledg , ( and had met with such a taking orator ) i might have thought as you do . and had you converst with as many country-people as i have done , and such , i think you would have thought as i do . my great deceiver is sense and experience . i am inclined to look near me , in judging of present matters of fact : as if our controversie were , whether one schoolmaster can govern a thousand schools without any but monitors under him , and teachers that have no government . and your way is from old histories , to prove that some body did so 1400 years ago , or a thousand , in some places of the world , if stories deceive us not ; and therefore it may be so now . though none of those excellent men do it , who are put into the places of the silenced schismatical ministers , nor none of the excellent bishops that are over us , who are so good that one of them no doubt would do it , were it possible . but seriously i take it for a great mercy of god , that honest christians of little learning have that experience in the practicals of religion , which the studied accurate plausible orations of contradictors cannot overcome , though they are not so well skill'd at the same weapons as to answer them . sir , pardon and accept this short and thankful acknowledgment , that i have received your learned tractate , till i take the leisure ( if i so long live ) to return you an answer suitable to your discourse and expectations . i rest , aug. 5. 1673. your servant , rich. baxter . mr. dodwell desiring me not to make haste in answering him , i sent him only this , intending more ; but want of time , and the quality of the task , ( being put but to answer a multitude of words ) delayed it till he came to london , and then i thought we might talk it out , which we oft tried to little purpose . his great proof of large churches , of many altars , from the only two that swelled first , rome and alexandria , are so fully answered in this annexed letter which worthy mr. clerkson wrote to me , that i think he needs no other answer ; since published by me : as is a f●ll discourse on the subject , by mr. clerkson himself , against dr. st●llingfleet . a copy of the letter to mr. dodwell , march 12. 1681. sir , since your speech with me , i have thought again of what you insisted on , and find it consist of these four points : 1. whether i charge you with popery , or at least , do not vindicate you when so accused . 2. your reasons against answering voetius and me . 3. your desire to know my terms of concord . 4. your perswading me to give over preaching . lest words be mis-understood , or forgotten , i send you my answer to each of these . i. i take it to be none of my business , to tell what religion other men are of , till i am called to it : and then i take my self bound to judg every man what he professeth to be , till i can disprove it . 2. i distinguish the name ( e. g. of protestant , or papist ) from the thing . accordingly , 1. i am sure you deny your self to be a papist , and i believe you . 2. what you mean by the word , i refer all men that talk of it to your books , which are fitter to tell your mind than i am , that know no mans heart : grotius took a papist to be one that flattered popes , taking all to be just which they said and did , and not one that consented to all the general councils . 3. you shall chuse what name i shall call you by : if it be protestant , far be it from me to deny it you ; but as your book publisheth your judgment to the world , you will give me leave to tell men what is in it : and to profess my self , that i am no such protestant , as takes the church of rome to be a true church of uninterrupted succession , which gave our bishops their office and power ; and that all the reformed that have not diocesan bishops , are no churches , no ministers , have no sacraments , no pardon of sin , or hope of salvation , by promise , and known ordinary grounds , which the roman church hath . yea , that they sin against the holy ghost : yea , and that this is the case of the episcopal protestants , that have not had an uninterrupted succession of episcopal ordination ; and that the french protestants were better turn papists , than to continue such protestants as they are . i take all this for your judgment : but i vindicate you so far as to say , that you oft contradict your self , and so possibly may yet come off . if you should say , that neither such protestants , nor papists , have sacraments , and part in the covenant of grace , pardon , and salvation , you would leave so few for heaven , and so many for hell , as i will not imagine you to be guilty o● . ii. as to the second , i must tell all , that i take it but for trifling , to call us to answer the same things again , which are answered so long ago , and have no reply from papists , or any other . and i doubt not , but you know that it is the main charge which the papists assault the reformed churches with , and put their chief trust in , which you also bring against them : and we still believe , that iansenius did it much stronglier than you ; and much more than yours , is by vo●tius against him fully answered ; and your denial moveth us not . iii. to satisfie your third demand , i remember a small script , which i published 1659 , or 1660 , and therewith send it you ; by which ( with what i read to you ) you may conjecture at my terms , specially if you joyn my preface to cathol . theologie , i take it for granted , that it will not satisfie you . but pardon my freedom for saying that , while i perceive your confidence ordinarily to go quite beyond your proofs ; and while my principles call me to love more as brethren , than yours do , and engage me not to justifie persecution of men better than my self , i shall think never the worse of them for that . iv. as to your judgment for my ceasing to preach , i dare not obey it : i think if i say , these men forbid me , god will not take it for an excuse , after such charges as scripture layeth down , and such promises as in ordination i made , and such necessity of souls as i am sure of , and such encouragements as god hath given me . i fear hearing , thou slothful servant , &c. as much as the guilt of other heinous sins : i have not lived idly ; and if i silence my self , i invite god by death to silence me , and judg me , as obeying man against him . i am past doubt , that satan and my flesh give me the same counsel as you do . i have abundant arguments for my preaching , which i never heard a ●ational answer of , and which such a poor objection as , then there will be no order , will not confute , especially when all the ministers of england are bound to be nonconformists , and consequently to ●ease preaching , if i am so bound . and why not next , all christians to cease hearing , and praying , if so forbidden ? if it be only christs gospel that i preach , i cannot but suspect the voice that saith , give over preaching . accept this account of the sense of your friend , rich. baxter . to mr. dodwell , nov. 15th 1680. sir , yours of oct. 16 th i received , nov. 11 th , which intimateth the second edition of your letters , which i hear not of ; your last letter to me , signifying your purpose to publish your long letter from ireland to me , caused me to print an old treatise of episcopacy , which i had cast by , and now send you as an answer to that letter . i thank you for your admonition , and desire of my repentance : it shall make me , if i can , search yet more diligently ; but i find no probability of being able ; the like lamentations of my sin , and wrong to the church , i have long had from papists , antinomians , anabaptists , and separatists , and some quakers , and seekers ; and i despair of satisfying them ; nor can i be of all their minds : and i find here but one argument to draw me to yours , ( viz ) my taking the oath of canonical obedience . and 1. you know not that i took it : many ordained men did not . to tell you the truth , i entered so rawly , that though i well remember my subscription , i remember not that i took that oath : i remember i took it not for my ordination , but at the same time taking a license for a school , some oath the register suddenly thrust on me , and i remember not what it was ( which was , and is my sin ) . 2. if i took it , surely i never intended to bind my self to any but my true ordinary . and when he is dead and the very order for near twenty years publickly ( though culpably ) put down , and none existent where i lived , i never saw it proved , that i am sworn to all that after are set up over others , by the king , without the clergies , or peoples choice , or consent , contrary to the judgment of the church for one thousand years , and that without , and against my own consent : and that he that sweareth obedience to his present ordinary , is thereby sworn , though he never dream't of it to all that ever shall succeed him , what changes soever be made , and though judging them usurpers , i renounce them . if it be said , that i virtually consent by the convocation ; i deny it , nor did the city of london consent ; for they had not one chosen clerk there . they chose mr. calamy and me , and we were both refused by the bishop , and only the dignitaries of the city admitted . what if i had sworn obedience in 1639. to the presbytery in scotland , or 1649. in england ; and after they are put down , and i find them to be an unlawful power , and they are restored again , doth my first oath bind me to the latter stock against my consent ? 3. the english ecclesiastical law-books , which i have read , do tell me , that the chancellor , official , commissary , archdeacons , and every iudex ordinarius is my ordinary ( whatever you say against it ) : and some bishops themselves have judged the lay-chancellors judgment , by the use of the keys , to be a great sin . quest. whether then an ignorant oath to obey such usurpers , repented of , do bind to obey them still ? what if in france i had sworn obedience to their bishops , and after see that it was an unlawful oath , quod materiam , am i bound by it till death ? 4. i swore to obey them but in licitis & honestis . and i do not know that ever i therein disobeyed those that i sware to ; no , nor the latter reduced stock : either i have proved the degenerate sort , described in this treatise , to be a heinously sinful depravation of the church , and its government , and an injury against christ , by deposing his church form , discipline , and officers , or not : if not , evince it , and i will thank you ; if yea , to comply with such sin , or in any calling to forbear detecting it by writing , is an omission which is not licitum vel honestum . an unlawful oath against a thing indifferent , will not bind me , if the king do but command that indifferent thing ; much less will an ignorant oath to obey church-usurpers , and corrupters , oblige me against christs commands . nor do i think it licitum vel honestum , to renounce my ministry , sacrilegiously , and perfidiously break my ordination-vow to god , and forbear preaching christs gospel to needy souls , because they forbid me . in a word , sir , i unfeignedly thank you for your desire to save me from dying in sin . i have great reason to make it my greatest care . constant pain and languor , call to me , neither to dissemble , nor delay : when i cannot know my own heart so well as you do , i may come to believe you , that it is unruly pride . till then i am past doubt , that could any abasement , any labour , any cost , help me to know that you are in the right , and i in the wrong , i would most joyfully undertake it : but such warnings as your's awaken my conscience , so that i dare not die in the guilt of active , or omissive compliance with those men , 1. whose degenerate state i confidently judg to be the dangerous malady of the church , and destructive to a right church-state , church-officers and government . 2. whose canons of government are such as they are . 3. who have since i had any understanding , done that against serious godliness in england which they did , and these ( near ) twenty years , done what they have done , procuring the silencing , and outward ruin of about two thousand such ministers of christ , as i know to have been the most pious , faithful , and successful in true ministerial work , of any that ever i could know ; and such as i am fully perswaded no nation under heaven have two thousand better . and yours , or other mens accusations , or contrary judgment , cannot make me ignorant of this , which experience , and great acquaintance have told me . 4. and church-history , which tells me what such have done in former ages , increase my fear of dying in the guilt of participating of their sin . i know of no other motives that i have . the sum of my request to you is ; that instead of telling me what the pope , or any usurper may say , that i should be humble and obedient , you will but tell me what means i should use , which i have omitted , to get my judgment informed , if i err , and to become of your mind , and as wise as you . i again intreat you to tell me the way , and i shall give you most hearty thanks . did i not know your judgment and mine to be so distant , as puts me out of hope of attaining my end , i would have sent you nine or ten proposals , for the meer reducing of the parish churches to their necessary state , without altering any thing of the diocesans power or grandure , save only their power of the sword , which yet as they are magistrates we submit to . that your former letters brought me not to your judgment , you may see , by the book which i send you , cometh not to pass by hasty judging , nor without that which seemeth reason to me after my long and best consideration . i am fully assured , not byassed hereto by worldly interest , which hath long lain on the other side . accept this account from nov. 15. 1680. your unfeigned , though dissenting friend , ri. baxter . july 9. 1677 ▪ for my much honoured friend mr. henry dodwell . sir , since the writing of my last to you , your own words have acquainted me , 1. that you take my principles to have some inconsistence or contradiction . 2. that you think i have not yet told you what church-government it is that i would have , or how it can attain its end . 3. that you suppose that denying men the sacrament of the lords supper is a coercive power sufficient to force unwilling men to obey church-governours . 4. that you hold that all religious assemblies not allowed by the bishops , are unlawful , and therefore that we must rather use none than such . i. as to the first , no reason obligeth me to believe you till you prove it ; which must be by citing the inconsistent words . how easie is it to tell you or any man , that you speak contradictions ? is accusing , proving ? and you have told me by experience that mistaking hearers and readers understand not mens words so well as the speakers or writers do . when you so widely mistook a speech of mine , when i had told you that as far as i could learn by my own acquaintance , and the report of the members themselves , there was but one known presbyterian in the house of commons when the wars began , ( i named you a credible witness yet living ) , and you report that i said , there was but one presbyterian in the assembly of divines ? may not my writing be as much mistaken by you ? prove your charge , and i will confe●s my contradictions , and give you thanks . ii. as to the second i was afraid i had used more words than needs ; if all that i have said tell you not what i mean , you may excuse me from adding more , which are like to be no more significant ; you must name me the particulars that you are unsatisfied in , before i can know what is needful to be added . one particular you did name , viz. whether i hold a power in the church to deny men the sacrament that would have it ? i left you no reason to make a doubt of it . if this be it , pardon the repetitions which you make me guilty of , and i shall renew my account . 1. i believe that christ hath instituted the office of the sacred ministry ( which the ancients called sacerdotium ) , as subordinate to his teaching , ruling , and sacerdotal office ; and that being obliged to disciple and baptize the nations , and to teach them christs commands , and to guide them in holy doctrine , worship and discipline , they are authorized to all that they are obliged to ; and that it is their office-work to administer baptism and the lords supper , and that they have the church-keys to judg whom to take in by baptism , what food to feed the children of the church with , and whom to cast out of its communion . 2. i believe that this power is limited and regulated by christs own universal laws , and that they are not lawless or arbitrary ; but he hath bound them by a just description , whom to take in , what food to give them , and whom to cast out . and that he hath given them no power to cross or violate these his laws . and if they do it notoriously , it is null and worse , and no act of authority but of sin . e. g. if bishops baptize unconverted infidels , or give the other sacrament to such , or to notorious wicked impenitent persons . 3. i believe that if one or many bishops or priests do disobey these laws of christ , their sin doth not oblige all other persons to rebel or sin with them , or disoblige them from their duty . e. g. if some bishops should refuse to receive penitent believers and their ●eed into the church by baptism , others are nevertheless bound to receive them , and not all the bishops in the world to keep them out because some do it sinfully ? so if some bishops would feed them with un●ound doctrine , or corrupt gods worship , ( e. g. with image-worship , or language unint●lligible , &c. ) others must not follow them , but do better . and if some bishops turn christs sheep out of his sold and pasture unjustly , denying them communion , others must not do wickedly with them , but must receive such ; else one tyrant might oblige all the churches to tyranny . 4. but while the power of the keys is lawfully used , he that is justly cast out of the communion of one church , should not be received to communion with any other that hath just notice of his exclusion , till the cause be removed . 5. but the notice of it concerneth not those that living out of reach , are uncapable of communion with that person . if a woman in this parish be excommunicated as a scold , or a man as a drunkard , &c. the bishop is not bound to send notice of their names and case to ethiopia or armenia , nor to all the christian world ; no nor to all england . nor do they use to do it to all the parishes in the diocess , but only to that one where the person liveth . but i doubt not but all that church should know of it , of which he was a communicating member , ( by the way , why is not all the diocess told of it , but that men are conscious that he hath not personal communion with them ; and therefore need not be so excommunicated ? ) 6. therefore mens limited capacity allowing them personal communion but in a narrow compass , there needs no confederacy of all the christian world for the rejecting of those that one of them hath first rejected . 7. but in well-ordered agreeing churches none should be received presently into the communion of another church , without due notice of his aptitude or capacity ; which regularly should be by the certificates of the church whence he came , called communicatory letters ; or if he was never before admitted to the sacrament because not at age , his own personal profession giveth him right ; and so it doth in the countries where through neglect such certificates or testimonies are not in use , sobeit there come in no proof against him , that he stands excommunicate , or deserveth it . a professing christian hath right to communion if he travel through all the churches in the world , till his profession be disproved , or his claim disabled by just testimony . if a man be excommunicate in , e. g. lincoln-diocess in one parish-church , above a thousand parishes more of the same church diocesan , may receive him for want of notice , unless they are bound to receive no stranger of another parish ; and that is a kind of excommunicating of all christians from the communion of all the christian world , except one parish . 8. the legal excommunication , which is only a general pronunciation that such or such sinners in specie shall be actually excommunicate , is done already by god himself in his universal laws . and no man ought to make laws to excommunicate any that gods laws do not decree to be excommunicate , save that when there is a difficulty in discerning whether this or that doctrine or practice be indeed the sin so condemned in gods laws , mens laws may expound it ▪ to remove that difficulty . if all were excommunicate that gods own laws do require to be excommunicate , alas ! how great would the number be ? so little need is there , that voluminous councils should excommunicate many more ; and that councils should be added to councils to the end of the world , to make new laws for excommunicating men . 9. where god hath commanded all christians in his laws , to avoid any sort of wicked men , and with such not to eat , the fact being once notorious , the person is so far , ipso jure , excommunicate , as that all are bound to avoid familiarity with that person , though no bishop sentence him : but the pastors having the church keys , we must not go out of the church , because such a man is there ; for who shall be in the church , is at his judgment ; but who shall be at my table , is at mine . 10. but if the church it self be essentiated of such as god thus commandeth all to avoid , and this be notorious , every christian must avoid that church . the essentials of a church are the pars regens & pars subdita , the pastors , and the body of the flock . if either be so far corrupt , the church is corupt : when any one essential part is wanting ▪ or depraved , then the essence is wanting , or depraved : therefore where many pastors make up the pars regens of a particular church , it is not the heresie , or wickedness of some one only that will warrant a separation ; because one is but an integral , and not an essential part : but where one bishop only is the essential regent constitutive part , there that one mans heresie , or notorious wickedness ( such as we are commanded to have no communion with ) will allow us to avoid that church , as a church , though not each member of it , who are parts still of the universal church . if i knew what further explication of my thoughts it is that you desire , i should be ready to give it you . iii. as to the coercive power which you talk of , it is strange if we can differ about the nature of it ; but we greatly differ , i suppose , about the extent of it . pardon me , if to avoid confusion , i first speak of the name , and then of the thing . 1. though our ordinary use of the words , coactive and coercive , be to signifie that which worketh either on the body , and its provision only , or on the mind by force upon the body , or estate ; yet if you will but tell me what you mean by it , so distinctly that we may not be entangled with logomachy , take it in what sense you will. the words which you use are the signification of your mind : i desire but to understand , and to be understood : i follow bishop bilson ( of christ. obed. ) , and others commonly , that distinguish the power of magistrates and pastors , by the names of the power of the sword , and of the word ▪ by the first , they mean all power of corporal mul●ts and penalties , directly such ( for he that griev●th the mind , consequently troubleth the body ) . by the latter , they mean all that official power of gods word and sacraments which worketh by the senses of hearing , seeing and tasting , upon the conscience , that is , on the understanding and will , and by these reformeth practice . the word is thus de●ivered , either generally , by common doctrine , which is historical , assertive , precepts , prohibitions , promises or threatnings , or by personal application of these . 1. by meer words , as in personal instruction , precept , threatning , &c. and by declaration , that this person proved and judged guilty of impenitency , in such and such sin , is uncapable of church-communion , therefore by au●hority from christ i command him to forbear , and you to avoid him . and such a one being proved innocent or penitent , hath by gods law right to communion with his church , therefore i absolve him , invite him , receive him , and command you in christs name to hold loving communion with him . 2. or it is the application of words and sacramental signs toget●er , by solemn tradition and investiture ; or the denying of such sacraments . briefly , magistrates by mulcts , prisons , exile , 〈◊〉 , &c. work on the body ; pastors have no such power , b●t by general doctrine and personal application by words and sacraments ( given or denied ) work on the mind or conscience ; 〈◊〉 which some call a perswasive power ; distinguishing ( as camero 〈◊〉 ) between private perswasion of an equal , &c. and doct●ral , pastoral , official , perswasion , whose force is by the divine authority of the perswader , used in teaching , disciplinary judging , and sacraments . if you will call this last coercive , or by any other name , you have your liberty . i will do my part that you may understand me , if i may not understand you . 2. now ad rem , can we disagree how far this constraineth the unwilling ? not without some great neglect or culpable defect . i may suppose then that we are agreed of all these particulars : 1. that gods laws have told us who must or must not have sacramental communion , which we must obey , whatever be the effects . 2. that excommunication is not only , nor alway chiefly , to bring the person excommunicated to obedience ( no more than hanging ) but to keep the purity and reputation of the church , and the safety of the members , and to warn others . 3. that the way by which it is to affect the offender , is , 1. by shaming him ; 2. by striking his conscience with the sense of gods displeasure declared thus by his ministers . 4. so far as the sacrament is a means of conveying grace , to deny it , is not to reform but to destroy . but when the person hath made himself uncapable of the benefit of the sacrament , and apt to receive it abusively to his hurt , then it may possibly humble him to be denied it . 5. if the denial of the sacrament work not on a mans conscience morally ( as threatnings do ) it no way compelleth him to his duty , nor saveth him from sin . 6. de facto many hundred thousands of ignorant wicked members of episcopal churches are so far from being constrained to goodness by being without the sacrament , that they are content to be without it , and loth to be forced to it . 7. the more sin and wickedness any man hath , the less true conscience ; and the less conscience , the less doth he regard a due excommunication . 8. the bishops themselves are conscious of the insufficiency of their excommunications alone to compel any to obedience , while they confess that without the secular power of the sword to back it , they would be but laught at , and despised by the most . nor durst they ever try to govern by their church keys alone among us without the enforcement of the sword . and at the same time while they excommunicate them from the sacrament , they have a law to lay them in gaol , and utterly ruin them if they will not receive it . how loth are the bishops to lose this compelling law. 9. i think few of my acquaintance in england do believe that any great number are brought to holy reformation , no nor to episcopal obedience , by the fear of being kept from the sacrament , but that which they fear is the corporal penalty that followeth ; lay by that , and you may try . 10. if you will trust to that spiritual power alone , & valeat quantum valere potest , without corporal force , few that i know of will resist you , ( but many thousands will despise you , as the bishops well foresee ) bring as many to obedience by it as you can . but if you mean that you must needs have the magistrate to second you , as your lictor or executioner , and to imprison , fine , banish , burn , &c. it would be too gross hypocrisie to call the effects of this coercive power , the effects of excommunication , and to call it coercive power to deny a man the sacrament , because he feareth the sword . 11. de facto , there are supposed to be in the parish that you dwell in , above 60000 souls , suppose 10000 of these yearly receive the sacrament ( though some say it is not 5000. ) are the other 40000 compelled to obedience by not communicating . 12. all those forbear your sacrament without any sense of coercion or loss , 1. who believe ( as you do ) that sacramental communion is a sin , where it cannot lawfully be had ( that is , say you , where the bishops forbid it ; say they , where gods laws forbid it , by reason of adherent sin . 2. and that , take the bishops who forbid it them to be usurpers , that have no true calling ( as all the papists do of our bishops , and many others . ) 3. who take it to be more eligible , yea a necessary duty to hold communion with purer societies . 4. besides all those sectaries that make light of sacraments in general . what papists , quakers , anabaptist , separatists , &c. are compelled to any good by the bishops denying them the sacrament ? 13. nothing but ignorance or impudence can deny that the difficulty of knowing whose excommunication it is that is to be dreaded as owned by god , hath encouraged professed christians so confusedly to excommunicate one another , as that this excommunication hath been so far from constraining most to repentance , that it hath made christianity a horrid scandal to infidels and heathens , by setting the christian world in the odious confusion of excommunicating one another . to give some instances how far excommunication is not coercive . 1. who but the devil was the gainer of pope victor's excommunicating the asians about easter-day ? did it compel them to obedience ? 2. when the orthodox excommunicated the arrians , did it force them to obey ? when they got almost all the bishops for them , and excommunicated and destroyed their excommunicators ? 3. when the cecilians ( or orthodox ) and the donatists for so many ages excommunicated one another , meerly upon the difference which party had the true ordained bishops , did excommunications force them to obedience ? 4. ( to pass forty other sects ) when rome excommunicated , yea and prosecuted the novatians , did it compel them to obey ? and did not atticus , sisinnius and proclus win more by allowing them their own communion , and living with them in love and peace ? chrysostome since threatned the novatian bishop that he would silence him ; but he quickly recalled his word before they parted , and durst not do it . 5. did cyril's counsel against the ioannites win them , or harden them ? was it not atticus and proclus love and lenity that ended that division ? 6. did the excommunicating of the nestorians by cyril , compell them to obedience , when so much of the east are nestorians to this day , and requite the orthodox with their excommunications ? 7. did the excommunicating of those that rejected the council of calcedon , ( the eutychians , and acephali ) compel them to obedience , when many emperours took their part , and the greater number of bishops joined with them , and they equally damned those that received the council for many princes reigns . and when so great a part of christians as are the iacobites , abassines , &c. own dioscorus , and condemn that council to this day ? 8. did the excommunicating of the old hereticks , gnosticks , basilidians , valentinians , paulinists , apollinarians , eunomians , aetians , photinians , macedonians , priscillians , &c. compel them to obedience at all ? or did they regard it ? 9. did the excommunicating of the parties that were for silence ( the acacians as to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and those that were for zeno's henoticon ) compel them to obedience ? 10 d●d the mutual damnations of the phantasticks , iustinian's and g●mas party , and the corrupticolae , force either to obedience ? 11. did the excommunications of the monothelites compel them to obedience ? when in the days of philippicus they had a council , saith binnius , of innumerable bishops ? and he saith , that the general council at trul called quini●extum was of the same men that were in the approved sixth general council , and that they were monothelites . 12 did the several excommunications of the constantinopolitan bishop , by the roman , and of the roman again by them , and the alexandrian , &c compel either party to obedience ? 13. had the pope excommunicated the africans in the long fraction in the days of aurelius and austin , would it have compeled them to obedience ? 14. when the pope ( at last ) joined with iu●tinians general council against the tria capitula , and condemned the refusers of it , did it compel his own neighbour-bishops to obedience , when they so generally forsook him , that there were not three bishops to consecrate the pope , but he was fain to use a presbyter ; and when they set up a patriarch at aquileia as their chief , and condemned or forsook the pope for near an hundred years ? 15. did the popes excommunicating of the goths in spain and and other parts , compel them to obey him ? 16. did augustines rejection of the britains , and the britains and scots long refusing communion with the romanists , compel either party to obey ? 17. did the excommunicating of leo isaurus , constantine , and the rest of the iconoclasts , compel them to obey ? 18. did the excommunicating of the albigenses and waldenses , bring them to obedience ? or was it not ( say some historians ) the murder of about two millions , that solitudinem fecit , quam vocarunt pacem ? 19. did the excommunications of the emperours , frederick , henry , &c. and their adherents , as the venetian interdict , compel them to obedience ? 20. did the excommunicating of the german protestants , and queen elizabeth , and the english protestants , bring them to obedience ? how many such instances may i give you ? if you say , to what purpose is all this ? i shall say , no doubt so knowing a man can tell . it is to tell you why i expect no more coercive power from meer excommunication than experience and reason will allow me to expect . and no such perfect obedience and universal concord by it , as your words import . and some questions i here crave your answer of . qu. 1. the same that you so much urge on me : seeing this matter of fact is undeniable , and excommunication hath done no more than it hath done , is all church-government therefore vain ? or what is your own way of remedy ? qu. 2. seeing it is bishops themselves , that for so many hundred years excommunicated one another as hereticks and schismaticks , how shall they , or their flocks be certain which bishops they be , whose excommunications they must take , as gods act , and which not ? i pray answer it plainly . 1. if any say , it must be the majority , or greater number , then so were the arrians too long , so were the eutychians , so were the monothelites , so were the iconoclasts ; so the papists say they are now . if you say , the bishops in a general council , that 's almost all one . what wars were there between many general councils ; and how long was it the religion of one side , to be for one , and curse the other ; and of the other side , to curse all that did not receive that ? how shall we know which council to obey ? if you say as binnius , that all councils have just so much power as the pope giveth them , how shall we know that this is true ? but i suppose that will not be your answer . if you say , we must obey that which is orthodox , who is the judg ? if every man , then they that judg the excommunicating-bishops , or councils , not orthodox , will not obey them . truly i know not what answer to expect from you . qu. 3. can that man expect , that excommunicating should set all right , and bring men to obedience now in the end of the world , who is constrained ( against his will ) to be certain , that abused excommunications have been the great means of setting the christian world into pernicious sch●sms and confusions ? qu. 4. at this day , when the papal church unchurches all the christian churches that are not subjects to the pope ; and when the greek church excommunitcateth the papal , and most continue damning one another , can you think , that even excommunicating is the remedy to cure these schisms , and set all right ? qu. 5. if denying men the sacrament , will constrain men to obedience , why do not the episcopal churches through the world , cure the peoples sins by keeping them from the sacrament , when so great numbers are prophane , and sensual , and worldlings , and wicked , how easie a means of conversion were it to forbid them all the sacrament ? qu. 6. is it no contradiction to say , that the sacrament is gods means of giving sanctification ? and yet that keeping men from it is the means ? qu. 7. but if you mean not constraining to obey god , but only to obey the bishop , and not god , what good will such obedience do the mans soul , that will not save him ? i confess the magistrate that hath the sword , may compel men to the use of the necessary suitable means of conversion and grace ; and those means may further sanctification . iv. as to the fourth point , i have said enough of it to you heretofore . 1. if no religious assemblies for preaching , praying , and sacraments , be lawful , but what the bishops allow , then god hath put it into the bishops power , whether he shall have any such publick worship , or any shall be obliged so to worship him , or not . but the consequent is false ; ergo , so is the antecedent . true pastors have but the power to promote , and order gods worship , but not to exclude , or forbid it to any ( much less to all , or 1000. ) without necessary cause . 2. and then if preaching , and hearing , and sacraments , be ordinarily necessary to mens salvation , then god hath left it to the will , or power of the bishops , whether any of the people shall be ( ordinarily ) saved . but that is not so . 3. and then if the king should license , or command us to preach , pray , and communicate , and the bishop forbid it , it were sin . but that i will not believe , unless the cause , more than the authority , make the difference . to cooclude , i hold , that just use of the keys is very necessary , and that it is the great sin of england to reject it : but that a false usurped use of excomunication hath been the incendiary of the christian world , which hath broken it to pieces , caused horrid schisms , rebellions , treasons , murders , and bloody wars . i. the just use is , 1. when a scandalous or great sinner is with convincing evidence told of his error , and with seriousness , yet with love and compassion , intreated to repent , and either prevailed with , and so absolved , or after due patience , authoritatively pronounced uncapable of church-communion , and bound over to answer it at the bar of christ , in terror if he repent not , and this by the pastor of that particular church , which either statedly , or pro tempore , he belongeth to . 2. and when this is duly notified to such neighbour-pastors as he may seek communion with , and they agree not to receive any justly cast out by others , but to receive and relieve the injured and falsly condemned . 3. and when the king and his justices , permit not the ejected violently to intrude , and take the sacrament , or joyn with the church by force , but preserveth forcibly the peace and priviledges of the churches . ii. the excommunication that hath turned the church into factions , and undone almost east and west , is , 1. when a bishop , because of his humane superiory , as patriark , primate , or pope , claimeth the power of excommunicating other bishops , as his subjects , whose sentence must stand because of his regent power . 2. or at least , gathering a council where he shall preside , and that council shall take themselves to have a governing power of the keys over the particular bishop , not only to renounce communion with them themselves , but to oblige all others to stand to their judicial sentence . 3. when bishops shall meddle causelesly in other bishops churches , and make themseves judges either of distant , unknown persons , and cases , or of such as they have nothing to do to try . yea , judg men of other countries , or so distant , as the witnesses and causes cannot without oppression be brought to their bar. 4. when they disgrace gods universal laws of communion , as ins●ffici●nt , and make a multitude of unnecessary , ensnaring , dividing laws of their own , according to which they must be mens judges . 5. when these laws are not made only for their own flocks and selves , but for all the christian world , or for absent , or dissenting persons . 6. when men excommunicate others for hard words , not understood , that deserve it not as to real matter . 7. or do it to keep up an unlawful usurped power over those churches that never consented to take them for their pastors , and to rule where they have no true authority but such as standeth on a forcing strength . 8. when lay-chancellors use the keys of the church . 9. when men excommunicate others wickedly , for doing their duty to god and man , or unjustly without sufficient cause . 10. when unjust excommunicators force ministers against their consciences to publish their condemnations against those that they know to be not worthy of that sentence , if not the best of their flocks . 11. and when they damn all as hereticks , schismaticks , &c. that communicate with any that they thus unjustly damn . 12. when they dishonour kings , and higher pwers , by disgracing excommunications ; much more when they depose them . 13. when they tell princes , that it is their duty to banish , imprison ▪ or destroy men , because excommunicate , and not reconciled ; and make kings their executioners . and so of old , when a bishop was excommunicate , he must presently be banished : and they say , the scots horning is of the same nature . if all had been either banished , or imprisoned , that were excommunicate , a●d unreconciled in the pursuit of the general councils of old , how great a diminution would it have made of the free subjects of the empire ? and if princes must strike with the sword , all that stand excommunicate , without trying , and judging the persons themselves , it is no wonder if such prelates , as can first so debase them to be their lictors , can next depose them . he is like to be a great persecuter , that will imprison or banish all that a proud contentious clergy will excommunicate . as corruptio optimi est pessima , i doubt not but a wise , humble , holy , spiritual , loving , heavenly , zealous , patient , exemplary sort of pastors is the means of continuing christs kingdom in the world , and such are the pillars and basis of truth in the house of god ( as it is said of timothy , not of the church as is commonly mistaken ) . so an ignorant , worldly , carnal , proud , usurping , domineering , hypocritical sort of pastors , have been the great plagues , and causes of schism , confusion , and common calamity : and that when satan can be the chuser of pastors for christs church , he will ( and too oft hath ) ever chuse such as shall most succesfully serve him in christs name . and i doubt not , but such holy discipline , as shall keep clean the church of christ , and keep off the reproach of wickedness and uncleanness from the christian religion , and manifest duly to the flock the difference between the precious and the vile , is a great ordinance of god ( which one man cannot exercise over many hundred parishes , and unknown people ) . but an usurped domineering use of excommunication , to subdue kings , princes , nobles , and people to the jurisdiction , opinions , and canons of popes , patriarchs , prelates , or their councils , i think hath done not the least part of satans work in the world . and i must tell you , that i have lived now near 62. ( now near 66. ) years , and i never saw one man or woman reformed or converted by excommunication ( and i hope i have known thousands converted from their sin by preaching , even by some that are now forbidden to preach ) . all that ever i knew excommunicate , were of two sorts . 1. dissenters from the opinions of the bishops , or conscientious refusers of their commands : and these all rejoice in their sufferings , applying , blessed are ye , when they cast out your names , &c. say all evil of you falsly , &c. or they take their censure for wicked persecution . the papists laugh at their excommunicators , and say , what an odd conditioned church have you , that will cast us out that never came in , and because we will not come in ? 2. ungodly impenitent sinners : and these hate the excommunicators for disgracing them , and are driven further off from godliness than before : but they will say , they repent at any time , rather than go to the gaol . i never saw one person brought to publick confession in the assembly , by the bishops discipline ; but i heard i was young , of one , or two , that for adultery stood in a white sheet in the church , laughing at the sport , or hating the imposers . when there were no bishops among us , about 1650. many episcopal , presbyterians , &c. agreed , where i lived , to exercise so much discipline , as we were all agreed belonged to presbyters . hereupon i found good success , in bringing some to repentance by admonition , but never of any one that stood it out to an excommunication ( so far as we went , which was only to admonish , and pray for their repentance publickly , and after to declare them unmeet for christian communion , and to require the people to avoid them accordingly , till they repent ) . after this they hated us more than before ( and one of them laid hands on me in the church-yard , to have killed me ) . and i am sure that they reverenced those ministers more than now lay-chancellors ( if not bishops ) are by such reverenced : so that experience convinced me , that the penalty of excommunication is much more beneficial to others , than to the excommunicate . and how many thousands in your parish do now voluntarily excommunicate themselves from the sacrament , and church-assemblies , and find no remorse , or reformation by it ? and if all of both sorts ( conscientious dissenters , and prophane despisers , and sinners ) were excommunicated now by the church of england , without any corporal penalty adjoyned , what do you think it would do upon them ? would they not laugh at you , or pity you ? do not the bishops believe this , and therefore will not trust to their excommunications at all without the sword ? i cannot magnifie the discipline of such men as count themselves the power of the keys to be but a leaden sword , a vain thing , without the annexed enforcement of corporal penalties : if it be but outward obedience to their commands , which they drive men to ▪ without the heart , 1. men of no conscience will soonest obey them , as forced against their consciences . 2. and why do they abuse the name of the keys , as if it were the cause of that which it is no cause of , but is done only by the magistrates sword ? it is the writ de excom . cap. that doth it , and not the keys . and they that think unwilling persons have right to the great benefit of church communion ; yea , all that had rather come ●o church than lie in gaol , shall never have my assent . if really your meaning be to set up the power of the keys by themselves , to do their proper work , and not expect that magistrates must joyn their forcing power , to punish a man meerly because he beareth the bishops punishment patiently , without changing his mind ; let it prevail as far as it can prevail ; who will fear it ( save for the schism that it may cause ) ? but if it be your meaning all this while , that under the name of denying the sacrament , it is confiscation or the gaol that must do the work , i should wish for more of the spirit of christianity , and less inclination to the inquisition-way . persecution never yet escaped its due odium , or penalty , by disowning its proper name . i am more of st. martin's mind than of ithacius's . v. one word more i add , that i like not your making so light as you seem to me to do , of the badness of some ministers and people that are in the allowed churches . i know that the papists speak much of the holiness of a pope , when perhaps a general council saith , he is a murderer , adulterer , heretick , &c. and so call their church relatively holy . i deny not that relative holiness , which is founded in meer profession : but i believe , that christ came to gather a people to another sort of godliness , and by his spirit to fill them with divine and heavenly life , light , and love ( to god and man ) . and i believe , that all that have this ( though excommunicate ) shall be glorified : and that without this , all the obedience to bishops that they give , will never keep them out of hell. and i take it to be no great priviledg to march in an orderly army to damnation , or to be at peace in satans power . hell will be hell which way ever we come to it . i confess , were these bishops in the right , that sancta clara citeth , that say , the ignorant people might merit by hating god , as an act of obedience , if their pastors should tell them it is their duty ; then this external obedience to them were more considerable : but i had rather go in the company that goeth to heaven ( as all do that are true lovers of god and man ) than in that which goeth to hell ( as do the most regular of the ungodly ) . and yet i account true obedience , and regularity , a great duty of the godly , and a great help to godliness . and therefore i value the means for the end , concord for piety and salvation . and i cannot think , that there is not now in london , a very laudable degree of concord among all those that , though in different assemblies , and with difference of opinions about small matters , do hold one body , one spirit , one lord , one faith , one baptism , one celestial hope , and one god and father of all , and live in love , and peace and patience towards each other : this is far greater concord than the thousands of people , that deserving excommunication for their wicked lives , do hold in the bosom of the church , which receiveth them as children thereof . and o! were it not for that uncharitable impatience , which an ill selfish spirit doth contain , why should it seem to us a matter of such odium , envy , or out-cry , for men to hear the same gospel from another man , which for some differing opinion they will not hear from us ? or for men to communicate , e. g. standing , or sitting in a congregation of that mind , that ( weakly ) scruple to kneel at it with others ( the old canons countenancing their gesture of standing , more than kneeling ) what harm will it do me , if ( under the strictest laws of peace ) men worshipped god by themselves , that scruple some word , or action in our worship ? e. g. a nestorian that should think , that it is improper to say , that the virgin mary was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and that the denomination should be a ratione formali , rather than a materiali : would liberty in such matters , with love and peace , do more hurt to the churches than schismatical excommunications have done ? and indeed it is hard to make people able to reconcile a conjunct earn●stness , in driving the same men into the church , and casting them out ; yea , of excommunicating them , ipso facto , by divers canons ( sine sententia ) , and accusing them for not communicating . if it be for not repenting , 1. can you bring all the sinners about us to repentance , by excommunications ? why then are the openly wicked so numerous ? 2. do you think men can change their judgment , meerly because they are commanded , or excommunicated ? if a man study , and pray , and endeavour to the utmost , to know the truth , and you say , that yet he erreth , will a censure cure his understanding ? e. g. a nestorian , a monothelite , an anabaptist , &c. much less when a man knoweth that he is in the right , and the censurer fighteth againd truth and duty . men in some diseases will rage at the sight of certain things , which would not much trouble them , if the disease were cured . macedonius , and nestorius , that were judged hereticks themselves , could not bear the bishops , and meetings of the novatians ; but atticus could , and they lived together in christian love. i know those places now in england , where a conformable and nonconformable minister , live in so great love , and the latter go still to the parish-churches , and the former sometimes come to them , as that no considerable trouble ariseth by their difference : and i know other places , where the publick ministers cannot bear any that hear not themselves , yea , or that constantly hearing them , hear any other that dissenteth . but they seek to win dissenters , as fowlers would bring birds to the net , by showting , and throwing stones at them ; and anglers would catch fish , by beating the waters . vi. i will tell you also , that i much dissent from you , in that when i told you , that the tyranny of prelates hath done more hurt than the disobedience and discord of the people towards them , you said , you do not think so . qu. do you think that thieves have killed as many men as wars have done ? if it be true , that iulius caesar , and his armies killed 1192000. persons , besides those that he slew in the civil wars . that darius lost at once 200 000 , and abundance of such instances in lower degrees may be given ; sure poor thieves and murderers come far short of this account . and so it is in the present case . gregory nazian ▪ was a wise , and good man , who saith , the people were factious , and too unruly , but ( at const. ) were honest , and meant well . but how sadly doth he describe the bishops , as rage●ing even in their councils , and as the far greater causes of all calamity ! judg by the twenty instances that i before gave you , about their excommunication : how few heresies , or schisms , were there of old , that the bishops were not the notorious causes of ? the samosatinians , apollinarians , macedonians , nestorians , acephali , the monothelites , yea , the donatists , novatians , the phantasiasticks , and almost all : the arrians began by a presbyter ; but if petavius cites them truly ( as he doth ) too many bishops led him the way , and most of the bishops followed , and were the men that kept up , and increased the heresie , far beyond the people , or the presbyters . eutychus , a monk , began his cause ; but he was quickly contemned by his followers , and did little in comparison of dioscorus , severus , and many hundred more bishops . and is it the people , or the bishops , that now keep east and west in mutual damnations ? have the peoples divisions done more harm than the papal schism , and usurpations , and cruelties , killing about 2000000. as is said of albigenses and waldenses , the inquisitions , bloody wars against the germane emperors , and many english kings , the rebellion against the greek emperor , leo isaurus , and destruction of the eastern empire , our smithfield bone-fires , and innumerable other cruelties , desolations , heresies and schisms ? are all these less than the abuse of liberty by inferiors , in praying , preaching , or disorders ? judg hale saith , that he had a friend that stored a very great pond of three or four acres , with a great number of fish , and at seven years end only put in two very small pikes , and at the draught of his pond , there was not one fish left , but the two pikes grown to an excessive bigness , and all the rest with their millions of fry devoured by the pair of tyrants . hale of the orig. of man , sect. 2. cap. 9 pag. 208. the block had been a better ruler . the lord forgive the presbyterians their over-keenness against sects , before the pikes have made an end of them . pardon truth to your servant , ri. baxter . for the learned mr. henry dowell ( after a personal conference with him ) . sir , concord and peace are so very desirable to the ends of christianity , that i am glad to hear you speak for them in the general , though i take your way to be certainly destructive of them ; and because you think the like of mine , and so while we are agreed for the end , we greatly differ about the means , i shall here perform what i last offered you , viz. i. an explication of my own sense of the way of church-concord ( because you said i am still upon the destructive part ) viz. 1. my fundamental principles . 2. the way of concord , which i suppose to be sufficient , and only likely ( as appointed by god ) to attain that end . ii. the reasons of my utter dissent from your way . iii. a proposal for our further debating of these differences . i. i hope if you are a man of charity or impartiality , it will be no hard matter to you to believe that i am willing to be acquainted with healing truth ( that i say not as willing as you ) ; and if i be unhappy in the success of my enquiries , it is not for want of searching diligence . and your parts assure me , that it is so with you . but it is the usual effect of one received error , to let in many more ; and it is so either with me or you . and lest it should prove my unhappiness , i shall thankfully accept your remedying informations . 1. the principles which i presuppose , are such as these . 1. as god as creator , so christ as redeemer is the universal king and head over all things to the church , which is his body , ephes. 1.22 , 23. ioh. 17.2 , &c. 2. he hath made vniversal laws to be means of this universal government . 3. his universal laws are in suo genere sufficient to their proper use . 4. there is no other universal king or ruler of the world , or of the church , whether personal or collective . and therefore none that hath power of universal legislation , or jurisdiction . 5. much less any that hath a superiour power to alter gods universal laws by abrogation , subrogation , suspension , or dispensation . nor will god himself alter them , and substitute new ones . as tertullian saith , we at first believe this , that no more is to be believed . 6. these laws of our universal governour are partly of natural revelation , and partly of supernatural , viz. by himself , and by his spirit in his apostles given in an extraordinary measure to this end , to lead them into all truth , which is delivered to us in their scripture-records . 7. some local precepts , whose matter was narrow and temporary , even the mutable customs of that time and place were also narrow and temporary ; ( as the washing of feet , anointing , vailing women , the kiss of peace , &c ) which maketh nothing for the mutability of the universal laws . 8. no pastors since the apostles , are by office or power appointed to make any universal laws for the church , nor any of the same kind and reason with gods own laws , whose reason or cause was existent in the apostles times , but only to explain the word of god , and apply it to particular persons and cases , as ministers under christ in his teaching , priestly and governing office ; nor have the apostles any other kind of successors . 9. christ made not peter or any one of his apostles governour of the rest : but when they strove who should be the chief , rebuked that expectation , and determined , that among them preeminence should consist in excelling in humility and service . 10. when the corinthians were sick of the like disease , paul rebuked them for saying , i am of cephas , and determineth that apostles are but particular members of the body , of which christ only is the head ; and not the lords , but ministers and helpers of their faith . 11 ▪ no pastors ( as such ) have forcing power , either to touch mens bodies , or estates , or inflict by the sword corporal penalties , or mulcts . but only by the word ( by which the power of the keys is exercised ) to instruct men , and urge gods precepts , promises and threats upon their consciences . 12. the apostles were bishops eminenter , in that they called , gathered , and while they stayed with them , governed churches . but not formaliter as taking any one particular church for their proper charge : but setled such fixed bishops over them . and though they distributed their labours about the world prudently , and as the spirit of christ guided them ; yet we find not any probability that ever they divided the world into twelve or thirteen provinces , or ever setled twelve or thirteen chief metropolitical seats in the world , which their proper successors as such should govern in preeminence . nor doth any history intimate such a thing ; nor yet that any apostle took any city for his proper diocess , where another apostle might not come and exercise equal power . 13. it seemeth that christs sending out his seventy disciples by two and two , and the apostles staying together much at ierusalem , and paul and barnabas's going forth together , and after paul & silas , and barnabas and mark , & peter and paul ( supposed ) to be together at rome , &c. that the spirit of god did purposely prevent the intentions of any afterward of being the metropolitical successors of single apostles or disciples of christs immediate sending , in this or that city as their proper seat . 14. as grotius thinks that the churches were instituted after the likeness of the synagogues , of which one city had many ; so dr. hammond endeavours to evince , not only that peter and paul were bishops of two distinct churches of rome , one of the iews , and the other of the gentile christians ; but also that it was so in other cities . dissertat . 15. the patriarchs were not 12 or 13 , but three first , and five afterward ; and none of them pretended to any power as especial successors of any one apostle , but antioch and rome of peter ; ( and that was not their first claim or title , but an honorary reason why men afterward advanced them . ) alexandria claimed succession but from st. mark , and ierusalem from iames ( no apostle , if dr. hammond and others be not much mistaken ) and constantinople from none . 16. the 28 canon of calcedon tels us enough of the foundation , title and reason of patriarchal power , and all church-history that the metropolitical powers were granted by emperours , either immediately , or empowering councils thereto . 17. these emperours having no power out of the empire , neither by themselves , nor by councils , gave not any power that extended further than the empire , or that could by that title continue to any city which fell under the government of another prince . 18 a● the●e never was a council truly universal , so the name vniversal or oec●menical was not of old given them , in respect to the whole christian world , but to the whole empire ; as the power that called them , and the names of the bishops subscribed , &c. fully prove . 19. before christian princes did empower them , councils were but for counsel , concord and correspondency , and particular pastors were bound by their decrees only : 1. for the evidence of truth which they made known : 2. and by the general law of god , to maintain unity and peace , and help each other . but afterward , by vertu● of the princes law , or will , they exercised a direct government over the particular bishops , and those were oft banished that did not submit to them . 20. while councils met but for counsel and concord , and also when afterwards they were but provincial , or national under kings , where none of the patriarchal spirit and interest did corrupt them , they made excellent orders , and were a great blessing to the churches : of the first sort , e. g. were divers african , and of the latter divers spanish , and french , when neither emperor , nor pop● ▪ did over-rule them , but the gothish , and french kings moderately govern them . but though i deny not any good which the councils , called general , did , especially the fir●● nicene ; yet i must profess , that the history of the patriarchal seats , and the history of the general councils , and the church-wars then , and after them managed by four of the patriarchs especially , and their bishops ▪ the confusion caused in most of the churches , the anathematiz●ng of one another , the blood that hath been shed in the open streets , of monks ▪ and common people ; yea , the fighting , and fury of bishops at the councils , to the death of some of them , their ●iring out the endeavours of such emperors , and their officers , that would have kept peace and concord among them , do all put me out of hope , that the peace and concord of the christian world , should ever be setled by popes , patriarchs , or such kind of councils , which all have so long filled the christian world with most calamitous divisions , contentions , and blood-shed , and made the snares , which continue its divisions and distractions to this day . ii. i conceive , that the means of church-concord , appointed by god , is as follows ▪ but i premise , 1. it must be pre-supposed , that no perfect concord will be had on earth ; yea ▪ that there will unavoidably be very many differences , which must be born . so great is the diversity of mens natural capacity and temper , their education , company , teachers , helps , interests , callings , temptations , &c. that it is not probable that any two men in all the world , are in every particular of the same mind : and every man that groweth in knowledg , will more and more differ from himself , and not be of the same mind as he was when he knew less . 2. yet must our increase in knowledg , and concord , be our continual endeavour ; and it is the use of teaching to bring these differences , caused by ignorance , to as small a number as we can . 3. there is scarce a more effectual means of division , and confusion , and church-ruin , to be devised , than to suppose a more extensive concord to be possible , and necessary , than indeed is ; and so to set up an impossible end , and means , and to deny concord and peace to all that cannot have it on those terms . if all should be denied to be the kings subjects , who dare not profess assent , consent , and approbation of every law , and part , or word of the laws , or that agree not of the meaning of every law , or that differ in any matters of religion , what a schism , confusion , and ruine would it unavoidably make in the kingdom ? and how few subjects would it leave the king ? even as if none but men of the same stature , visage , or wit , should be subjects . 4 ▪ the necessary union and concord of christians , is a matter of so great importance , that it cannot be supposed , that christ is the sole universal lawgiver , and yet hath not ordained , or determined what shall be the terms of necessary christian unity and concord : and indeed he hath determined it . viz. i. he hath ordained baptism himself , to be our christning , or our visible investiture in the church universal ; that is , our relation to christ , as the head of his universal kingdom , or body . and every rightfully baptized person ( till by violating that covenant he forfeit his benefits ) , is to be taken by us as a member of christ , a child of god , and an heir of heaven ; and we are bound to love him as a brother , and use him accordingly , in all due offices of love. and because the church , into which baptism entereth us , consists of christian pastors and people , apostles and prophets , having been as foundations , infallibly delivering us , now recorded in scripture the word of life ; and ordinary pastors being appointed to teach , and guide the people in holy doctrine , worship , and conversation ; therefore it is implied , that the baptized person at age , understandeth this , and consenteth thereunto ; that is , to receive , as infallible , the recorded sacred doctrine of the infallible persons , apostles and prophets , and the ordinary ministry of such ordinary pastors and teachers , as he shall discern to be set over him by the word and spirit of christ. whether this consent to the pastoral-office , be necessary to the being of a christian , or only to the well-being , is a controversie with which i need not stop , or length●n in this account . but baptism , as such , doth not enter us into any particular church . ii. 1. christ ( by himself , and his ●pirit in the apostles ) hath ordained , that christians shall be associated into particular churches , consisting of the aforesaid ordinary pastors and their flocks , for personal communion in holy d●ctrine , worship , and conversation ; in all which these pastors are their guides , according to the laws , or word of christ , already delivered by the in●allible ministry of the apostles and prophets ; against , or beyond which , christ hath given them no power . their office is of his own making , and describing ; and their power to determine undetermined useful circumstances in gods worship , and church-discipline , is but a power to obey christs general commands ( to do all thing● in love , peace , order , decency , and to edification ) , which they may not violate . 2. every christian that hath opportunity , should be a member of some such particular church ; statedly , if it may be ; if not , yet transiently : but some may want such opportunity ( as single persons converted , or cast among infidels ; travellers , embassadors , factors , and other merchants , ( among infidels ) or where christianity is so corrupted by the p●stors , as that they will not allow men communion without sinful oaths , covenants , professions , words , or practices . 3. no one at age can be a member of the universal , or of any particular church ( and so the subj●ct of that pastor ) against his will , or without his own consent ( however antecedent obligations may bind men to consent ) . 4. every such church should have its proper bishop ; and in ignatius's time , its unity was describ●d by one altar , and one bishop , with his fellow presbyters , and deacons . 5. such b●shops , or pastors were to be ordained by senior bishops , or p●stors , and received by the e●ection , or consent of the whole church ; and for many hundred years no churches received their bishops on any other terms . the ordainers , and the people or church receiving him , having each a necessary consent , as a double key for the security of the church ; to which afterwards the christian magi●●rates consent was added according to gods word , so far as protecting and countenancing of the bishop did require , the senior bishops must consent to his ordination , the people must consent to him as formally related to themselves as their pastor ; and the magistrate as to one to be protected by him . 6 as without mutual consent the relation of pastor and flock is not founded ; so gods providence must direct every man to know what particular church he should be of , and whom by consent to take for the guide of his soul. in england men may freely chuse what church and pastor they will stand related to ; every man having liberty to dwell in what parish or diocess he please , without asking leave of the bishop to remove . 7. the individuating or distingu●shing of particular churches by peculiar circuits , or proper spaces of ground , is no further of gods institution , than it is the performance of the general commands of doing all in order to edification , &c. and as in prosperous times under godly peaceable princes , it is greatly convenient and desirable ; so in several cases of division , church-corruption by heresie , or tyranny , persecution , &c. it is inconvenient , and it becomes a necessary duty to gather churches in the same space of ground where only some other pastor had a church before . the cases in which this is lawful , and the cases in which separation is unlawful , having written largely in another paper , i shall offer it to you when you desire it . 8. it is not of absolute necessity that all the members of a particular church , do always or usually meet in one place , ( though it be very convenient and desirable where it may be done ) ; for persecution may prohibit it , or want of a large capacious place , or the great d●stance of some of the inhabitants , or the age , or weakness of others ; and therefore in the ancient churches , though at first they usually were all assembled in one place , yet after when they encreased , the canons required all the people to assemble with the bishop but at certain chief festivals in the year , having chappels or oratories in the villages where they m●t on other days . and with us many parishes of great extent have many chappels of ease . 9. but that the end of the association be not only for distan● communion by delegates or letters , or meer relation to one common ruler as all the empire had to the emperour , but for personal commvnion of pastor and flock , so that they may at least per vices meet together , or live within the reach of each others personal notice , and converse , and communion in doctrine , worship and discipline , this is essential to a partiicular church , primi ordinis , of divine institution , of which i now treat . iii. 1. as christians must gather into particular churches , under their proper bishops ; so these churches must hold a certain communion among themselves , so much as is necessary to their mutual edification and preservation , of which synods , and communicatory letters and messengers , are the means . 2. an association of several churches for communion of churches , doth tota specie differ from an association of individual christians into one church primae speciei . and it differeth in the matter , end , and kind of communion . 3. if these several churches agree in the same baptismal covenant , in the same ancient creed or articles of faith , and in the same love and holy desires summed up by christ in the lords-prayer , and in taking the commands of christ for the rule of their conversation , and receiving gods revelations recorded in the holy scriptures so far as they understand them , renouncing all contraries to any of this so soon as they perceive them so to be , this should suffice to their loving and comfortable communion , without any desires of domination or government over one another . and though i will not do any thing unpeaceably against patriarchs , metropolitans , archbishops or diocesans , if they govern according to the laws of god ; yet i know no divine right that any of them have to be the rulers of the particular bishops and churches . though a humane presidency for order we deny not , nor that junior bishops do owe some respect and submission to the seniors . 4. though the general laws of christ ( for concord , edification , &c. ) do enable magistrates by command , or pastors by contract to chuse and make new officers of their own ( which god never particularly instituted ) for the determining and executing such circumstantials as god hath left to humane prudence , ( as presidents , moderators , churchwardens , summoners , &c. ) yet i deny , 1. that any officer of meer humane institution hath a superior proper ecclesiastical power of the keys , to be a bishop of bishops , and to govern the governou●s of the particular churches by excommunications , depositions , and absolutions , seeing ex ratione rei , it belongeth to the same legislator , who instituted the inferiour order , to have instituted the superiour , if he would have had it . 2. and i peremptorily deny that any such pretended superiour ( patriarch , primate , metropolitan , archbishop , &c. ) hath any power ( save diabolical ) to deprive any particular churches , bishops , or christians , of any of the priviledges setled on them by christs vniversal laws , or to disoblige them from any duties required by christ. iv. it belongeth to the office of princes and magistrates only to rule all , both clergy and laity , by the sword or force ; even to drive ministers to do their certain duty , and to punish them for sin . and they are to keep peace among the churches ; and ( as bad as the secular powers have been ) had they not kept peace better than the bishops have done , i am possest with horrour to think what a field of blood the churches had been throughout the world , since the exaltation of the clergy . v. christ only is ( as the universal legislator , so ) the universal final judg , from whom there is no appeal . vi. every christian as a rational agent hath a judgment of discerning , by which he must judg whether his rulers commands be according to christs commands or not . and if they be , must obey christ in them . if not , must not obey them against christ , but appeal to him . and if any do this erroneously , it is his sin ; if justly , it is his duty . these six particulars i take to be the sufficient means which christ hath appointed for the concord of the church ; and that the seven points of concord mentioned by the apostle should satisfie us herein , viz. 1. one body . 2. one spirit . 3. one hope of our calling . 4 one lord. 5. one faith. 6. one baptism . 7. one god and father of all . and they that agree in these , are bound to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace ; as knowing that the kingdom of god consisteth not in meats and d●inks , but in righteousness , peace and joy in the holy ghost . and he that in these serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and ( should be ) approved of men , rom. 14.17 , 18. ephes. 4.6 , 7 , &c. nor is it lawful for any to hate , persecute , silence , or excommunicate their brethren that agree in these ; or to divide , distract , or confound the churches for the interest of their several preeminences , or provinces , which have no higher than humane authority , perhaps questionable , at least unquestionably below the authority of god , and null when it is against it . i am sure by the church-history of all ages since christ , the great divider of the christian world hath been the pride of a worldly ( too ignorant ) clergy . 1. striving who should be greatest . 2. striving about ambiguous words . 3. imposing unnecessary things by their authority upon the churches ; to be ignorant of this , is impossible to me when once i have read the history of the church ; which warneth me what to suspect as the causes of our distractions ; for the things that had been , are . and how unexcusable these three evils are , and how contrary to christ , these texts do tell me : i. luk 22.24 , 25 , 26 1 pet. 5.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. 1 cor. 3.5 , 6 , 7 , 22. 2 cor. 1.24 . ii. 2 tim. 2.14 , 16 , 23 , 24 , 25. 1 tim. 1.4 , 5 , 6. iii. 2 cor. 11.3 . act. 15.28 . revel . 2.24 , 25 , mat. 15.8 , 9. rom. 14 , & 15 , throughout . to tell you , that i am not only as you say , on the destructive part , i have thus told you briefly what i assert as the way to peace . and now i shall destructively tell you why i differ from your principles as truly destructive of truth , unity and peace . some of the principles which i have heard from your mouth , which i dissent from , are these : i. that the church must have some ecclesiastical governours that are absolute , from whom no man may appeal to an invisible power . ii. that diocesan churches are the first in order of divine institution ▪ iii. that diocesan-bishops by consent may make other church-forms , as national , patriarchal , &c. and that such churches are not made by princes , but by the consent of prelates . iv. that these church-forms of mans making , stand in a governing superiority over those of gods making . v. that where by such consent of diocesans such superior jurisdictions are once setled , it is a sin for any to gather assemblies within the local bounds of their jurisdiction without their consent . vi. that you cannot see how those that do so , can be saved . vii . that if i preach on the account of my ministerial office , and the peoples necessity , to such as else would have no preaching , nor any publick worship of god , ( e. g. in a parish where there are 40000 more than can hear in the parish-church ) , though i must conclude that according to the ordinary way of salvation such could not be brought to faith , holiness and salvation , for want of teaching , it is yet my sin to preach to them , and my duty to let them rather be damned , if i have not the bishops consent to teach them ; and that because it is the bishop and not i that shall answer for their damnation . viii . that it is disputable with you whether those to whom church power is given ( viz. diocesans ) may not change ( not only the local temporary circumstances , but ) the very church-forms , and suspend laws of christ. ix . that baptism entreth the baptized into some particular church , and consequently under this fore-described church-government . x. that in the case of preaching the gospel , ministers may in many cases do it , though emperours and kings forbid them , ( as in the days of constantius , valens , yea and better men ) ; but not if the bishop forbid them , or consent not . xi . that circa sacra , if the king command the churches for uniformity , one translation of the bible , one version or meter of the psalms , one liturgy , one time , or place of worship , &c. and the bishop another , we ought to obey the bishop against the command of the king. xii . that the required subscriptions , declarations , rubricks and canons , are primarily the laws of the church , which the king and parliament do confirm by their sanction ; and therefore the church is the expounder of them . these are some of your assertions , which i cannot yet receive . i. my reasons against the first are these : 1. because this maketh gods of men , and so is idolatry , giving them gods proper power and prerogative . 2. yea , it taketh down god ( or his laws ) , and setteth them above him : for there cannot be two absolute governors that have not one will. if i must not appeal from them to god , then i must appeal from god to them ; that is , i must break his law , if they bid me , or else they are not absolute . 3. this maketh all gods laws at the will of ma● , as alterable , or dispensible : man may forbid all that god commandeth , and i must obey . 4. then all villanies may be made virtues , or duties , at the will of man : if they command us to curse god , or blaspheme , or be perjured , or commit fornication , murder , or idolatry , it would become a duty . 5. then the power , and lives of kings would be at the clergies mercy ; for if their power be absolute , they may make treason and rebellion a duty . 6. and all family-societies , and civil converse , migbt be overthrown , while an absolute clergy may disoblige men from all duty to one another . 7. then the council at lateran , which you have excellently proved in your considerations , to be the author of its canons , doth , or did oblige princes to exterminate their reformed subjects , and disoblige subjects from their allegiance to princes that obey not the pope herein , and are excommunicate . so of greg. 7 th's council . rom. 8. then did the church , or kingdom of england well , to disobey , or forsake the roman power , that was over them ? 9. were not our martyrs rather rebels , that died for disobeying an absolute power ? 10. how should two contradicting absolute powers ( viz. general councils ) be both obeyed ? e. g nicen. 1. and arimini ▪ sirm. and tyr. or ephes. 2 and calced ▪ 11. how will this stand with the judgment and practice of the apostles , that said , whether it be meet that we obey god , or man , judg ye ? 12. how will it stand with conformity to the church of england , that in the articles saith , that general councils may err , and have erred in matter of faith ? &c. 13. is it not against the sense of all mankind , even the common light of nature , where utter atheism hath not prevailed ? say not , that i wrong you , by laying all this odium on your self . i lay it but on your words : and i doubt not , but ( though disputing interest draw such words from you ) on consideration you will re-call them by some limitations . ii. my reasons against your second , must pre-suppose , that we understand one another as to the sense of the word , diocesan church , which being your ●erm , had i been with you , i must have desired you first to explain . the word , diocess of old , you know , signified a part of the empire , larger than a province , and that had many metropolitans in it . i suppose that is not your sense . sometimes now it is taken for that space of ground which we call , a diocess ; sometimes for all the people in that space . and with us , a diocesan church , is a church of the lowest order , containing in it , a multitude of fixed parochial congregations , which have every one their stated presbyter , who is no bishop , and vnum altare , and are no churches , but parts of a church , and which is individuated by one bishop , and the measuring-space of ground , whose inhabitants are its members . till you tell me the contrary , i must take this for your sense ; for you profess to me , that you speak of such diocesan churches as ours ( and they have some above a thousand , others many hundred parishes ) , and you say our parishes are not churches , but parts of a church , and so families are . 2. either you mean , that a diocesan church is the first in order of execution and existence , or else in order of intention , and so last in existence and execution . i know not your meaning , and therefore must speak to both . i. that a diocesan church is first in intention , is denied by me , and disproved ( though it belong to you to prove it ) . 1. intentions no where declared of god in mature or supernatural revelations , are not to be asserted of him as truths . but a prime intention of a diocesan church is no where declared of god : ergo , not to be asserted of him as truth . 2. it is the end or ultimum rei complementum , which is first in intention ( where there is ordo intentionis . ) but a diocesan church is not the end or ultimum rei complementum : ergo , not first intended . the major is not deniable : the minor hath the consent as far i as know , of all the world . for they are all either for the hierarchy , or against it . they that are for it , say that a metropolitan is above a diocesan , and a provincial above a metropolitan , and a patriarchal above a provincial , and a national ( which hath patriarchs , as the empire had ) above that ; and ●ay the new catholicks , an humane universal above a national church , as the complement or perfection ; and therefore must be first intended . but those that are against the hierarchy , think that all these are church-corruptions , or humane policies set up by usurpation , and therefore not of prime divine intention . 3. if you should go this way , i would first debate the question with you , how far there is such a thing as ordo intentionis to be ascribed to god. for though st. thomas ( as you use to call him ) assert such intentions , it is with many limitations ; and others deny it , and all confess that it needeth much explication to be understood . ii. but if it be a priority of existence in order of execution . that you mean , it disproveth it self . for , 1. it is contrary to the nature of production , that two , or twenty , or an hundred stated congregations , should be before on t ; as it is that i should write a page before a line , and a line before a word , and a word before a letter . 2. it is contrary to the scripture-history , which telleth us that christ called his disciples by degrees , a few first , and more after ; and that the apostles accordingly converted men ; from the number of 120 , they rose to 3000 more ; and after to 5000 , &c. and that ordinarily the churches in scripture-times were such as could , and often did meet in one place , ( though that be n●t necessary as i said before ) hath so copious evidence , as that i will not here trouble you with it . 3. either the apostles ordained bishops before subject presbyters , or such presbyters before bishops , or both at once . if both at once as two orders , it 's strange that they called both orders promiscuously by the same names , sometimes bishops , sometimes presbyters , and sometimes pastors and teachers , without any distinguishing epithete or notice . and it 's strange that we never find any mention of the two sorts of congregations , one the bishops cathedral , and the other the parish presbyters congregation . if you say that they were the bishops themselves , and first ordained only subject-presbyters under them , that cannot hold . for doubtless there were more than twelve or thirteen churches ( the number of apostles in their times ; nor were they fixed bishops , but indefinite gatherers and edifiers of the churches . and either those elders first ordained by the apostles were bishops , or else there were churches without bishops , for they ordained elders in every city , and in every church . and either the elders first ordained by the apostles had the power of ordaining others , or not . if they had , then either they were bishops , or else subject-presbyters were ordained to be ordainers ; yea to ordain bishops ( if such were to be after ordained . ) and so indeed it would be suitable to your concei● , that the inferiour order of diocesans do by consent make superior metropolitans , provincials , nationals , and patriarchs to rule them ; and with hieromes report ad evagr. that the alexandrian presbyters made the bishops , as the army doth a general . but this making of children to beget fathers , is so commonly denied , that i need not more dispute against it . 3 ▪ but i think most of the hierarchical way will say , that the apostles first ordained bishops , that those bishops might ordain subject-presbyters . and if so , the churches could be but single congregation at the first till the subject-presbyters were ordained yea , dr. hammond ( as aforesaid ) asserteth ( in act. 11. and in dissert . &c. ) that there is no proof there were any of the order of subject-presbyters in scripture-times ; and he thinketh that most of his party were of his mind ; and that the name bishop , elder and pastor in scripture signifie only those that we now call bishops . and in this he followeth dion . petavius , and fr. a sancta clara de episcop . who saith that it came from scotus . and if this be so , then in all scripture-times there was no church of more than one worshipping congregation . for we are agreed that church-meetings were for the publick worship of god , and celebration of sacraments , and exercise of discipline , which no meer lay-man might lawfully guide the people in , and perform as such assemblies did require . and one bishop could be but in one place at once . and if there were many bishops , there were many churches . so that according to dr. hammond and all of his mind , there was no church in scripture-times of more than one stated ordinary worshipping congregation , because there were no subject-presbyters . if you say that yet this was a diocesan church , because it had a diocesan bishop ; i answer , why is he called a diocesan bishop if he had not a diocesan church ? if you mean that he was designed to turn his single congregation into many by increase : 1. that must not be said only , but proved . 2. and that supposeth that his one congregation was first before the many . and i hope you ●ake not infidels for parts of the church , because they are to be converted hereafter . those that are no members of the church make not the church , and so make it not to be diocesan . one congregation is not an hundred or a thousand , because so many will be hereafter . if you mean that such a space of ground was assigned to the bishops to gather and govern churches in . i answer , 1. gathering churches is a work antecedent to episcopacy . 2. the ground is no part of the church . it is a church of men , and not of soil and houses that we speak of . 3. nor indeed will you ever prove that the apostles measured out or distinguished churches by the space of ground . so that the first churches were not diocesan . iii. as to your third opinion , 1. officers are denominated from the work which they are to do . there are works to be done , circa sacra , about the holy ministerial works , as accidental : as to 〈◊〉 to church buildings , utensils , and lands , to summon synods , and register their acts ; to moderate in disputations , and to take votes , &c. these the magistrate may appoint officers to pe●●orm ; and if he do not , the churches , by his permission , may do it by consent . and there are works proper to the magistrate , viz. to force men to their duty by mulcts , or corporal penalties . i deny none of these . but the works of ordination , pastoral guidance , excommunication and absolution , by the power of the keys , are proper to the sacred office , which christ hath instituted . and i shall not believe , till i see it proved , that any men have power to make any new order , or office of this sort , which christ never made by himseelf , or his spirit in his apostles ; much less that inferiors may make superior offices : for 1. it belongeth to the same power to make one ( especially the superior ) church-office , which made the other of the same general nature . if without christs institution , no man could be episcopus gregis , and have the power of the keys over the people , then by parity of reason , without his institution no man can be episcopus episcoporum , and have the power of the keys over the bishops . 2. dr. hammond's argument against presbyters ordination is , nemo dat quod non habet ; which though it serve not his turn on several accounts ( both because 1. they have the order which they confer . 2. because ordination is not giving , but ministerial delivery by investiture ) ; yet in this case it will hold ; for 1. this is supposed to be a new institution of an office. 2. and that of an higher power than ever the institutors had themselves : the king giveth all his officers their power , but all of them cannot give the king his power . the patriarch cannot make a pope , nor the metropolitans a patriarch , that shall have a power over them , which they never had themselves . and what i say of superior orders , and offices , i say of synods ; for whether the power be monarchica● , or aristocratical , or democratical , there is need of the same power in the cause that maketh it : no man can give that which he hath not to give . if you should fly to such popular principles , as the episcopal champion , richard hooker , doth , and the jesuites in their politicks , and many ; yea , most other writers of politicks , and say , that as the people are the givers of power to the soveraign , though they are no governours themselves , so the bishops give power to the episcopi episcoporum ( personal , or synodical ) , i answer , the principle is false about civil policy , as i have proved against mr. hooker , in my christian directory , and as dr. hammond hath proved in the kings cause , against iohn goodwin . the power every man hath over himself , doth so specifically differ from the power of governing-societies , that the latter is not caused by all mens contribution of the former ; and much more in church-government , which god hath left less the will of man ( as mr. dan. cawdr●y hath proved ) . to conclude , i grant the superiority of magistrates , and of their officers , circa sacra , but not that inferior clergy-men may by consent , make a superior species of rulers ( or episcopos episcoporum ) by the keys , in eodem genere . but i confess , that how far christ himself hath made apostolick successors , or archbishops , as to the ordinary part of governing many churches , is a question to me of much more difficulty , and moment . as for the patriarchal , and other superior church-power in the roman empire , that it was made partly by the emperors themselves ( as the instances of the two iustiniana's , and many others shew ) , and partly by councils , authorized thereto by the emperors , is past all doubt . iv. as to your fourth opinion , i include the reason of my denial of it , in the description of it . whether you confess particular worshipping churches , that have each unum altare , to be of divine institution , i cannot tell : but that you take the diocesan to be so divine , you have told me ; and that you take the superior ruling-churches , to be made by them . now that churches of mans making ( universal , or national , or patriarchal , &c ) should be the rightful governors ( by the keys ) over the churches of gods making , must be either jure divino , or humano : not jure humano ; for 1. man cannot give the power of the keys without god. 2. and mans grant cannot over top gods. indeed there is no power but of god. 2. not jure divino ; for if god give them the power , god maketh that species that containeth that power . for god not to make the office , and not to give the power , is all one . 3. at least , what satisfying proof you will give us , that indeed god giveth power to church-officers of his own making , themseves to make nobler superior officers or churches than themselves , i cannot foresee . and till it 's proved , it is not to be believed . 4. yea it confoundeth the inferiours and the superiors . for the diocesans are so far the superiors to the provincial , national , patriarchal , &c. in that they make them ▪ or give them their power , and yet inferior in that they are to be subjects to them . more nonconformists do deny the power of men to make new species of churches , and church rulers , than their power to make new ceremonies . v. your next mention'd opinion , ( that it is a sin to preach and congregate people within the local bounds of diocesan or provincial , or other superior jurisdictions without their consent ) falleth of it self , if those foregoing fall , which it is built upon . 1. if it prove true that they that made these superior jurisdictions had no power to make them , but gave that which they had not to give , then your foundation faileth . 2. if it be proved that neither christ nor his apostles ever made a law that bishops jurisdictions shall be limited , measured and distributed by space of ground , as our parishes and diocesses are , so that all in such a compass shall be proper to one pastor , much less did ever divide our diocesses or parishes ; ( which me thinks none should deny ) then preaching in that space of ground is no sin against such an order of christ. 3. if it be proved ( as i undertake to do ) that this distribution by spaces of ground , is a work that the king and his officers are to do , ( or the churches by his permission by way of contract , if he leave it to them ) , and this in obedience to gods general laws ( of order , peace , concord and edification ) , then these things will follow , 1. that if the king give us licenses to preach within such a space of ground , we have good authority , and break not the restraining law : and yet such as you accused us of schism as well when the king licensed us , as since . 2. that this law of local bounds doth bind us but as other humane laws do ; which is , say many casuists , not at all out of the case of scandal , when they make not for the bonum publicum . but say others more safely , not when they notoriously make against , 1. either the bonum publicum , which is finis regiminis : 2. or the general law of god which must authorize them , ( being against edification , peace , &c. ) 3. when they are contrary to the great , certain and indi●pensible laws of god himself . and that in such cases patient suffering the penalty which men inflict is instead of obedience to the prohibition , ( and as in daniels case , dan. 6 and ●he apostles , &c. ) therefore i am 〈…〉 to give you , 1. my concessions in what cases it 〈…〉 to 〈◊〉 the magistrate in preaching where he forbiddeth 〈◊〉 . 2. 〈◊〉 in what cases it is a great duty . but to say that it is a sin because that the clergy forbiddeth it , must have better proof ●●an i have seen , even , 1. that such clergy-men are truly called by god. 2. and that they have from him the assignation of this space of ground . and 3. are by him empowered to forbid all others to preach on their land . 4. and that even when gods general laws do make it our duty , that they can suspend the obligation of such laws , even the greatest : i am ready upon any just occasion to prove to you , that i were a heinous sinner , if i should have ceased such preaching as i have used upon all the reasons that you alledg against it . and wo to them that make our greatest and dearest duties to pass for sin , and our greatest sin , isa. 5.20 . were it but one of the least commands , i would be loth to break it , and teach men so to do , much less one of the greatest ; when men whose consciences tell them , that they are totally devoted to god ; as christians and as ordained ministers , deny their worldly interest and preferments , and serve him in poverty , beholden for their daily bread , and to the ruin of their worldly estates , and the hazard of their lives in the common goals , endeavour nothing but to preach christs gospel to save mens souls from ignorance , unbelief , sensuality , worldliness , &c. in case of the peoples undeniable necessity ; i say , when such meet with men of the same profession , who think not the common goals among rogues , and the forfeiture of forty pound a sermon , as enacted by law , to be enough to restrain them , but also as in the name of christ they will charge us with heinous sin unless we will perfidiously break our obligations to christ , and sacrilegiously alienate our selves from the work which we are devoted to ( many of us under the bishops hands ) and unless we will be cruel to miserable souls , and shut up the bowels of our compassion from them , while we see them in need and in danger of damnation , what fortitude do we need against such kind of tempters , and such temptations ? if drunkards and boys in the street only scorn'd me as a puritan , or precisian , it were less . if turkish rulers did persecute me for my preaching christ , it were less . if mistaken christian rulers made me the scorn of the nation , and stript me of all my worldly maintenance , and laid me with malefactors in prisons , it were a less temptation , than for a man to come in the name of christ , to tell me that i sin against him , unless i will forsake my calling , break my vows , cease preaching his gospel , betray thousands of souls to satan and damnation , and encourage all that endeavour it by yielding to all their temptations , and giving them success . but as christ must be accused of sin , as well as crucified , and not allowed the honour of suffering as innocent , so must his servants . i will venture upon one argument on the by that may be somewhat by others , though nothing to you for the invalidating of your accusation . i saw from the hands of a noble lord , an excellent truly learned manuscript said by him to be the bishop of lincolns , to satisfie you who are said to judg it unlawful to subscribe to athanasius's creed . what else you refuse i know not ; but by that much i perceive you are a strange kind of nonconformist . now if it be unlawful for you to subscribe and conform , or unlawful for me , ( which i here undertake to prove before any equal competent judges ) then it is unlawful for all the ministers of england ; for none of them may do evil that good may come by it . and then all the ministers in england ought to cease preaching , if i ought to cease , when they are forbidden . the consequence will be denied by others , though not by you . ( and by the way , how can you take the bishops for absolute , from whom there is no appeal to an invisible power , and yet disobey them , if they bid you subscribe athanasius creed . ) if it be a sin in me not to cease preaching when i am silenced for nonconformity , and yet nonconformity be a duty , then it is a sin in all the ministers of england not to be nonformists , and so not to cease preaching . but the latter part of the consequent is false : ergo , so is the antecedent . 2. yea , directly your assertion puts it in the power of one superior to put down the preaching of the gospel , and all gods publick worship , in whole countries or kingdoms , ( if not in the world ) , and so christ must be at their mercy whether he shall have any church , and so whether he shall be christ ; and god , whether he shall have any publick worship in ethiopia ( though brierwood saith that yet after the decay of the abassine empire , it is as big as italy , germany , france and spain ) they have but one bishop , called their abuna and if he forbad all preaching or publick worship in the empire , it is a sin to obey him . and it is a great duty to gather churches within his church . it is a sin in the empire of muscovie , that all their clergy obey their patriarch and prince in forbearing to preach . if all the bishops of england should agree to reduce the kingdom to one only bishoprick , and one church , and turn all the rest into parish-chappels , it were a duty to disobey them , and gather churches in that one church . if the patriarch of alexandria , antioch , or constantinople , had forbidden all in their limits to preach and worship god publickly , it had been a wickedness to obey them . when severus antioch , the eutychian , forbad the orthodox to preach in his patriarchate , it had been their sin to obey him , ( yea or if theodosius or anastasius the emperours had done it ) : yea , though a general council of ephes. 2. ( if not ephes. 1. ) was on his side . if the pope ( whether as pope or as patriarch of the west ) , interdict all the preachers and churches in venice , or in britain , it were a sin to obey him . the reasons are , because their power is derived and limited ( to pass by the no power of usurpers ) the greatest have it for edification , and not for destruction . none of them have power to make void the least ( continued ) law of god by their doctrines , precepts or traditions . all men must take heed of the leven of their false doctrine , and must beware of false prophets , and must prove all things , and hold fast that which is good . there is no true power but of god , and therefore none against him . it is better to obey god than men . but of this you may in season have larger proof , if you desire it . vi. your excluding us from salvation , that will not cease preaching the gospel of salvation , and worshipping god , remembreth us : 1. what a mercy it is that neither pope , nor any such condemner is made our final judg. 2. how most sects agree ( papists , quakers , &c. ) in damning those that dance not after their pipe. 3. what various wiles of temptations satan useth to hinder christs gospel , and mens salvation . at once i have , 1. a backward flesh , that is the worst of all , that saith , favour thy self , and expose not thy self to all this labour , obloquie , hatred , suffering , loss and danger of death for nothing , but that work which thy superiours think needless , and forbid . 2. i feel satan setting in with the flesh , and saying the same . 3. carnal and worldly friends say the same ( as peter to christ , mat. 16. ) 4. displeased sinners and sectaries wish me silent . 5. what superiors say and do , i need not mention . 6. and to perfect all , some preachers in press and pulpit , and you in discourse , declare us in danger of damnation , as schismaticks , unless we will give over preaching the gospel . o how easie were it to me to avoid that damnation ! and if i incur it , how dearly do i purchase it ! it is a sad case that such poor souls as we are in , that would fain know gods will whatever study or suffering it cost us , and after our most earnest search and prayers , believe that if we forsook our trust , and office , and the peoples souls , we should be judged as sacrilegious , perfidious hypocrites , and yet we are told by wiser and greater men , that our labours and sufferings do but damn us ; may not a man be damned at a cheaper rate than forty pound a sermon , or the loss of all his worldly estate , and lying with malefactors , and perhaps dying in a goal , under the published sacred infamy of being schismaticks and enemies of the publick government and peace , & c ? but this also we must be fortified against . for satan is sometime utterly impudent , and will say , damn your selves by perfidiousness , and let the people be damned quietly , or else you shall be damned for schismaticks . but the long noise of damning papists and quakers have somewhat hardned or emboldened us . it was an early trick , act. 15. except ye be circumcised and keep the law of moses , ye cannot be saved . when lands and livings will not prevail ; when profit , pleasure and honour fail ; when poverty , reproach and prisons will not serve , then comes , you cannot else be saved . how many sects say , say as we say , and do as we do , and follow us , or you cannot be saved ? but saith st. paul , it is a small thing with me to be judged of man , or at mans day : i have one that judgeth me , even the lord , ( to whom we will appeal whatever you say against it . ) but you must give me leave to think , that to draw men from their great duty , and the saving souls , to heinous sin , as in the name of christ , and to frighten men into hell with the fear of damnation , and the abused word of god , hath heinous aggravations , which enticing men by sensuality to drunkenness , whoredom or theft , hath not . vii . to the next , the matter of fact , and antecedent suppositions cannot be denied , viz. 1. that it is probably supposed that there are inhabitants more than can hear the preachers voice in the parish-churches , in martins parish about 40000 , in stepney parish near as many , in giles cripplegate 30000 , in giles in the fields near 20000 , in sepulchres , algate , white-chappel , andrews holborn , and many other out-parishes very many thousands . the last bill of mortality that i saw , saith there died in stepney parish as many wanting one , as in all the ninety-seven parishes of london , and in martins as many within six , and in giles cripplegate as many within eight , or thereabout . 2. how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed ? and how shall they believe if they hear not ? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? if the gospel be hid , it is hid to them that are lost : where vision faileth , the people perish , even for lack of knowledg . 3. yet people by our church laws must be presented and prosecuted as recusants if they come not to church , and so 40000 or 30000 should be presented and punished for want of room ; but it is a greater punishment to be strangers unto the gospel . 4. the canon forbiddeth them going to , and communicating in other parishes , and forbiddeth the ministers to receive them . 5. the children of christians are born with no more knowledg than the children of heathens ; and need teaching as well as theirs , to bring them to knowledg when they grow up . 6. god will not save any adult person that is an infidel , impenitent , unsanctified , because he is bred up among christians , and churches , or born of christians , and baptized ; but it will go worse with such unholy persons in the day of judgment , that have had the greatest means . 7. if you can cast the fault on the people , and say that they might remove their dwellings , or ( break the law , and ) go to other parishes , or read at home , &c. that excuseth us not . for the worse they are , the more need they have of help . if they were faultless , what need had they of us ? 8. as to my own case whom you condemn , i have told you , that i have the ordination of a bishop , and the license of the bishop of this diocess ( not nulled or recalled ) which by your principles one would think might serve if it had been against gods own laws . and yet gods law and the bishops license will not serve . 9. some other may say , what 's your case to many others ? i answer : to pass by a great deal not now to be said , let it be understood that the case is this . men are first silenced and excommunicated , and so forbidden the publick churches , and all publick worship of god ; and then the excommunicate are prosecuted and accused for not coming to church . divers canons do ipso facto ( that is , sine sententiâ ) excommunicate all that do but say that any thing in the liturgy or discipline is unlawful , or may not be done with a good conscience ( which all nonconformists hold ) . and it is not possible for us to repent of that as a wicked error , which after all means that we can possibly use , appeareth unto us an undoubted truth , that so our excommunication may be taken off . now these silenced men are assured , that god disobligeth them not from the duty of preaching ; and these excommunicate men are assured that god doth not disoblige them from the duty of publick worship and church-communion . therefore they must use it as they can , when they may not use it as they would . men say the papists should not call us schismaticks , because they cast us out , and went from us ; and will you silence and excommunicate men , as they undertake to prove , for obeying god , and then call them schismaticks for not communicating with you , or for worshipping god in such church-communion as they can ? indeed many of us communicate with you , because we think not our selves bound , tho' you excommunicate us ipso facto , to do execution on our selves , or to go further from you than necessity compelleth us ( tho' i must profess that cyprians 68. epistle , p. 200. and st. martin's separation from the bishops , confirmed by miracle , sometimes sticks in my stomack ) . but i cannot make so light as you do , 1. of such texts as 2 tim. 4.1 , 2. i cha●g● thee before god , and the lord iesus christ , who shall judg the quick and the dead at his appearing , and his kingdom , preach the word , be instant in season , out of season , reprove , rebuke , exhort , with all long-suffering and doctrine . 2. nor of the murderous famishing of thousands of souls , when to murder one child by famine deserveth death and hell . 3. nor of christs law of preferring mercy before sacrifice , necessary morals before rituals , circumstantials or ordinals , which are all but propter rem ordinatam . i remember you have told me , that if the bishop forbad all gods publick worship in the assemblies , we must forbear . such sayings , and this , that i must let so many souls be untaught though they be damned , because it is the bishops fault and not mine , do make me ready to tremble to think of them . if christs works be saving , whose work is it to make so light of mans damnation ? is it any wonder if such principles be called antichristian ? i cannot but perceive from whom they come , when the damnation of poor people must be so easily submitted to , if the bishop do but command the means . methinks you wrong the bishops by such odious suppositions and assertions , as if you would make men believe that they are the grievous wolves that spare not the flock , and the thorns and thistles that are made to prick and rend the people . but i believe that the bishops faultiness in mens damnation would be no exeuse to me if i be accessory . 4. and i doubt not but if you unjustly ipso facto excommunicate men , it neither depriveth them of the right , nor absolveth them from the duty of publick worship , and church-communion . and i am ashamed to read and hear preachers publickly reproaching them for not holding constant communion with the parish-churches , when it 's notorious that the canon hath thus excommunicated them , yea though it were their duty sometime to intrude . and i beseech you judg as a christian or a man , whether you can think such arguments should draw the people themselves to be of your mind : go to them and speak out , neighbours , i confess that while you live in ignorance and sin for want of teaching and publick worship , you are in the way to damnation ; but it is the bishop , and not the silenced preacher that shall answer for it . will they not reply , and shall not the bishop then he damned instead of us , as well as instead of the silenced preacher ? viii . your doubt about mens power to change christs setled form of church-government , is but a consequent of your first , of mens absolute power . but 1. if they change gods laws , or instituted church-forms or government , may they not change their own ? and if so , there is some hope of a reformation . but why then did the canons of 1640. in the et caetera oath , swear the clergy never to consent to change ? and why are we now to swear in the oxford oath , that we will never endeavour any alteration of church-government ( tho' the keys be in the power of lay-chancellors , and tho' the king may command us to endeavour it ) must the nation or clergy swear never ( in their own places ) to endeavour any alteration of the bishops institutions ( as you take them ) , and yet may the bishops alter the very form of government , and churches made by our universal king ? 2. what an uncertain mutable thing may christs laws or church-government prove , while mutable men may change it at their pleasure . 3. to what purpose is antiquity and tradition so much pleaded by hierarchical divines , as if that were the test to know the right government and church , if the bishops may alter it ? 4. if thus much of christs laws and institutions may be altered by prelates , how shall we be sure that all the rest is not also at their will and mercy ? or which is it that they may alter , and which not ? 5. doth not this set man so far above god , or equal with him , as will still tempt men to think that more are antichristian than the pope ? if you say that it is by gods own grant , i wait for your proof , that god granteth power to any man above his laws : those that he made but local or temporary himself , are not abrogated or changed by man where they bind not ; for they never bound any but their proper subjects , e. g. the iewish laws , as such , never bound the gentile world ; and the command of washing feet , bound only th●se where the use of going bare-leg'd with sandals in a hot country , made it an office of kindness ; and so of other temporary precepts . 6. how contrary is this to the common christian doctrine , that we must obey none that command us to sin against god ? for by the first assertion , and this , it seemeth that it cannot be a sin which the bishops command . 7. i pray you put in an exception for the power and lives of kings , and the laws of the land , and the property and liberty of the subjects ; and one word for the protestant religion . for we english-men think god to be greater than the king , or st. patrick ; and gods laws to be firmer than the statutes of king and parliament . and yet i doubt that the king and some parliament will be angry if you do but say that the bishops by consent may change their statutes , or lawful officers and powers ; and bishops , if you say that episcopacy may be changed . ix . baptism , as such , entereth not the baptized into any particular church , but only into the vniversal , headed by christ ; yet a man may at the same time ; be entered into the vniversal , and into a particular church , but that is by a double consent , and not by baptism as such . in this i know none that agree with you but some few of the independents in new-england , and some of the papists . i confess bellarmine saith , that by baptism we are virtually obliged to the pope , being baptized by a ministry , and into a church , of which he is the head. but the contrary is proved , 1. from the express form of the baptismal covenant , which only tyeth us to christ and his universal church , and maketh us christians . but to be a christian dedicated to the father , son , and holy ghost , is one thing , and to be a part of the pastoral charge of a. b. or n. n. is another thing . 2. what particular church was the eunuch , act. 8. baptized into ? not that of ierusalem , for he was going from it , never like to see it more . not that in ethiopia , for there was none till he began it . if you say , of philips church : 1. i pray you , where was that ? 2. and how prove you it ? 3. specially if it was philip the deacon that had no church , being no bishop . 3. may not men be baptized in turkey , or among other infidels , or indians , where there is no church ? and is the first baptized man among them , a church himself ? paul thanketh god that he baptized no more of the corinthians , lest they should think that he baptized into his own name . and doth every baptizer baptize to himself , or to his bishop ? a man may baptize out of all diocesses , or in another's . x. as to your next assertion , i grant , that when a bishop or a beggar speaketh the commands of god , and a king speaketh against it , we must follow that bishop or beggar , rather than the king , because this is but obeying god before men . but supposing that it is a thing indifferent , and but circa sacra , and not a proper part of the agent pastors office , i confess to you , i will obey the king before the bishop . 1. because it is a thing that is under the power of the king to command ; and if so , the king is the supreme , and not the bishop . 2. bishops themselves are subjects of the king , and owe him obedience . therefore rule not over or before him in matters belonging to his office. 3. bishops are chosen by the king , ( for i suppose no man takes the dean and chapters choice for more than a ceremony , that knoweth it ) ; if the king command me to preach at one hour , or one place , and the bishop at another , or to use for uniformity such a translation , metre , liturgy , utensils , garments , &c and the bishops others , i will obey the king before the bishop . but if either or both command me to sin , i will obey neither so ; and if they would take me off from that which christ hath made a real part of my own office ( as commanding that i shall preach and pray in no words but such as they prescribe , &c. ) i think neither hath power to do this . but bishop bilson of christian obedience , and bishop andrews in his tortura toetis , and buckeridg of rochester , and grotius de imprrio sum ▪ potest . circa sacra , have said so much of the power of kings about religion , as that i think i need not add any more . and by the same arguments that you will absolve me from obeying if the king forbid me to preach , by the same you absolve , if the bishop forbid me . if i may disobey constantius and valens , i may disobey eusebius nicomed . theognis maris . if i may disobey theodosius junior , anastasius , zeno , iustinian , i may disobey petrus moggus , dioscorus , severus , &c. but you will much cross your ●nds if you tell the londoners that they may preach and worship god though the king forbid them , but not at all if the bishop forbid them . for he that exalteth himself , or is sinfully exalted by others , shall be brought low . if the reverence of the king were not greater in england than of the bishops , the consciences of many thousands would stick but little at disobedience . there are so many cases first to be resolved . as , 1. whether such diocesans deposing all parochial churches ( and bishops ) and reducing them to chappels or parts only of a church , be not against christs law ? 2. whether they destroy not the ancient order of particular churches ( bishops ) and discipline ? 3. who made their office , and by what power ? 4. who chose and called them to it ? 5. whether their commands be not null , as contrary to gods ? 6 ▪ how far communion with them that silence hundreds of faithful ministers , and set up in their stead — &c. is lawful ? many such questions the people are not so easily satisfied in , as you are . xi . and the three last all set together , look with an ill design : the preface to dr. rich. cousins tables , tells the king , that the church-government here is the kings , or derived from him , and dependant on him ; and grotius de imperio sum ▪ potest . proveth at large the power of kings circa sacra , as doth spalatensis , and many more ; and that canons are but good counsel , till the king make them laws . and we know no law-makers but the king and parliament . but if the church be the expounders of the liturgy , rubrick and canons , articles and acts of uniformity , and out of convocation-time , the bishops be the church , and the archbishops be the rulers of the bishops , ( that swear obedience to them ) this hath a dangerous aspect : for then it is in the power of the bishops ( if not of the archbishops only ) to put a sense upon our 39 articles , rubricks , &c. consistent with popery or heresie , and so to change the religion of the kingdom , without king or parliament , or against them at their pleasure . and thus officers of mans making , who become a church of mans devising , may have advantage by this and the former articles , to destroy godliness , christianity and humanity . indeed by the preface to the liturgy , the bishop is made the expounder of any thing doubtful in the book ; and by the index the act of uniformity is made part of the book . but this affrighteth me the more from declaring : 1. because i must consent to all the penalties and impositions of the act it self . 2. and the bishop , exposition is limited , so that it must be contrary to nothing in the book . thus i have given you the reasons of my destructive conference . if i had been with you , and we had been to enter upon any dispute that tendeth to satisfaction , i would have endeavoured to avoid the common frustraters of disputes , 1. by ambiguous words : 2. and subjects that are no subjects : therefore if you desire any such dispute : i. i intreat you to write me down your sense of some terms which we shall frequently use , ( and i will do the like of any at your desire ) : as what you mean , 1. by the word bishop . 2. by a church . 3. by a particular church . 4. by a diocess and diocesan church . 5. by a national church . 6. by the vniversal church . 7. by church government and iurisdiction . 8. by schism . i shall dispute no terms unexplained , lest one take them in one sense , and the other in another , and so we dispute but about a sound of words . ii. i desire that the denied subject of the question may not be taken for granted , instead of being proved . on these terms ( supposing the common laws of disputation , especially avoiding words that have no determinate sense ) i shall not refuse whenever you invite me ; and i am able to debate with you any of these points that i am concerned in ; especially , whether my preaching christs gospel as i do , be my sin , or my duty ? and if our great distance in principles put either of us upon r●●sons that seem dishonouring to the person opposed , we shall i hope 〈…〉 that it is the opinion only that is directly intended . but 〈…〉 opinion is the persons opinion , if it be bad , is a dish●n●●r , whi●● the owner only is guilty of , and the opponent ca●not 〈…〉 must not forbear to open the evil of the cause , for avoiding the dishonour of the owner ; but must the rather open it , in hope that the owner will disown it , when he understandeth truly what it is . for i suppose it is evidence of truth that we desire . in conclusion , remember i pray you , 1. that it is not the ancient episcopacy ( which was in cyprians days ; yea , which agreeth with epiphanius's intimations , and petavius excellent notes thereon , in haeres . 69. ) which i deny . and i conjecture that at this day in england there are more episcopal than presbyterian silenced non-conformists . 2. that what sort of prelacy or higher rulers i dare not subscribe to , yet i can live quietly and submissively under , though not obey them by sinning against god , or breaking my vows of baptism or ordination , and perfidiously leaving souls to satan . nothing more threateneth the subversion of the church-government than swearing men to approve of all th●t's in it . many can submit and live in peace , that dare not subscribe or swear approbation . it was the & caet●ra oath 1640 , that constrained me to th●se searches which 〈◊〉 me a nonconformist . it is an easie ma●●er for overdoers to add but a cla●se or two more to their oaths and subscriptions , which shall ma●e almost all the conscionable ministers of the kingdom nonconformists . 3. whenever notorious necessity ceaseth by the sufficient number and q●ality of conforming preachers , i will cease preaching in england ( but death is liker first to silence me . ) though i take my conforming to be a complex of heinous sins , should i be guilty of it ; yet till i am called , i perswade none to nonformity for fear of casting them ( occasionally ) out of the ministry , preferring their work before the change of their judgment till such endeavours are clearly made by duty . ) but all your endeavour , as far as ever i perceived , is not so much to draw us to conformity , as to persuade us to give over preaching christs gospel , so contrary are our designs . 1 thes· 2.15 , 16. methinks is a fearful text. and so are the words of the liturgy before the sacrament , if any of you be a hinderer of gods word — repent — or take not this sacrament , lest satan enter into you , as he did into judas , and fill you , &c. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26860-e17060 this was written long ago . the earl of orery . ☜ catholick vnity, or, the only way to bring us all to be of one religion by rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1660 approx. 345 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 210 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26885 wing b1210 estc r14402 11713547 ocm 11713547 48302 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26885) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 48302) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 524:14) catholick vnity, or, the only way to bring us all to be of one religion by rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 29, [4], 379 p. printed by r. w. for thomas underhill and francis tyton ..., london : 1660. reproduction of original in cambridge university library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng concord. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 melanie sanders sampled and proofread 2004-05 melanie sanders text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion catholick vnity : or the only way to bring us all to be of one religion . by rich. baxter . to be read by such as are offended at the differences in religion and are willing to do their part to heal them . james 3.17 . but the wisdom that is from above , is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , easie to be intreated , &c. london , printed by r. w. for thomas underhill and francis tyton , and are to be sold at the sign of the anchor and bible in pauls church-yard , and at the three daggers in fleet-street . 1660. to all those in the severall parishes of these nations , that complain of the disagreements in matters of religion . men and brethren , as in the midst of all the impiety and dishonesty of the world , it is some comfort to us , that yet the names of piety and honesty are still in credit , and ungodliness and dishonesty are terms of disgrace ; so that those that will be ungodly and dishonest , are fain to use the mask and vail of better names , to hide their wickedness ; so also it is some comfort to us , in the midst of the uncharitableness and discords of this age , that yet the names of love and concord ●ound so well , and are honoured by those that are furthest from the things : for thus we seem agreed in the main cause , and have this advantage in our debates , that whatever shall be proved to be against love , and unit● , and peace , we are all o● us obliged by our professions to d●sown . i may suppose that all that read these words will speak against the uncharitableness and content●ons , and divisions of the present times as well as i. doth it grieve my soul to hear professed christians so censoriously condemning , and passionately reviling one another , while they are proudly justifying themselves ? i suppose you 'l say , it grieves you also ? do i mourn in secret , to see so many divisions and subdivisions ? and church set up against church , and pastors against pastors , in the same parishes ; and each party labouring to disgrace the other and their way , that they may promote their own ? i suppose you will say , you do so t●o . do i lament it as the nations shame , that in religion men are of so many minds , and manage their differences so unpeaceably , that it is become the stumbling block to the ungodly , the grief of our friends , and the der●sion of our enemies ? i know you will say , that this also is your lamentation . and is it not a wonder indeed , that such a misery should be continued , which all men are against ; and which cannot be continued but by our wilfull choice ? is it not strange that we are so long without so great a blessing as unity and peace , while all men say they love it , ●nd desire it , and while we may have it if we will ? but the cause is evident : while men love unity , they hate the holiness in which we must unite : while they love peace , they hate the necessary means by which it must be obtained and maintained : the way of peace they have not known ; or knowing it , they do abhor it . as well as they love unity and peace , they love the causes of discord and division much better . the drunkard , and whore-monger , and worldling say they love the salvation of their souls : but yet while they love and keep their sins , they will miss of the salvation which they say they love . and so while men love their ungodliness and dividing wayes , we are little the better for their love of peace . if men love health , and yet love poyson , and hate both medicine and wholsom food , they may miss of health , notwithstanding they love it . where know you a parish in england , that hath no disagreements in matters of religion ? in this parish where i live , we have not several congregations , nor are we divided into such parties as in many other places ; but we have here the great division : some are for heaven , and some for earth : some love a holy diligent life , and others hate it : some pray in their families , and teath them the word and fear of god , and others do not : some spend the lords day in holy exercises , and others spend much of it in idleness and vanity : some take the service of god for their delight ; and others are weary of it ; and live in ignorance , because they will not be at the pains to learn. some make it the principal care and business of their lives , to prepare for death , and make sure of everlasting life ; and others will venture their souls on the wrath of god , and cheat themselves by their own presumption , rather then be at this sweet and necessary labour to be saved . some hate sin , and make it their dayly work to root out the relicts of it from their hearts and lives : and others love it and will not leave it , but hate those that reprove them , and endeavour their salvation . and as long as this great division is unhealed , what other means can bring us to any happy unity ? it would make a mans heart bleed to consider of the folly of the ungodly rout , that think it would be a happy union , if we could all agree to read one form of prayer , while some love , and others hate the holiness which they pray for : and if we could all agree to use the sign of the cross in baptism , while one half either understand not the baptismall covenant , or wilfully violate it , and neglect , or hate , and scorn that mortified holy life , which by that solemn vow and covenant they are engaged to . they are solicitous to bring us all to unity in the gesture of receiving the sacrament of the lords supper , while some take christ and life , and others take their own damnation . when they should first agree in being all the faithfull servants of one master , they make a great matter of it , that the servants of christ , and of the devil may use the same bodily posture in that worship where their hearts are as different as spirit and flesh . poor people think that it is the want of uniformity in certain ceremonies of mans invention , that is the cause of our great divisions and distractions ; when , alas , it is the want of unity in matters of greater consequence , even of faith , and love , and holiness , as i have here shewed . if once we were all children of one father , and living members of one christ , and all renewed by one sanctifying spirit , and aimed at one end , and walked by one rule ( the word of god , ) and had that special love to one another which christ hath made the mark of his disciples , this were an agreement to be rejoyced in indeed , which would hold us together in the most comfortable relations , and assure us that we shall live together with christ in everlasting blessedness . but , alas , if our agreement be no better , then to sit together in the same seats , and say the same words , and use the same gestures and ceremonies , our hearts will be still distant from each other , our natures will be contrary , and the malignity of ungodly hearts will be breaking out on all occasions . and as now you hear men scorning at the practice of that religion which themselves profess , so if god prevent it not , you may shortly see another war take off their restraint and let them loose , and then they will seek the blood of those that now they seem to be agreed with . at furthest we are sure , that very shortly we shall be separated as far as heaven and hell , if there be not now a nearer agreement then in words and outward shews and ceremonies . it being then past doubt , that there is no happy lasting unity , but in the spirit and a holy life , what hindereth us from so safe , so sweet , so sure a peace ? why might not all our parishes agree on such necessary , honourable and reasonable terms ? why is there in most places , but here and there a person , or a family , that will yield to the terms of an everlasting peace , & live as men that believe they have a god to serve and please , and immortall souls to save or lose ? is not god willing that all should be saved , and come to the knowledge of the truth , 1 tim. 2.4 . and that all should agree in so safe a path ? why then doth he invite all , and tender them his saving mercy , and send his messengers to command and importune them to this holy concord ? he would take them all into the bond of his covenant : how oft would christ have gathered all the children of ierusalem to him , as the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings ? but it was they that would not , mat. 23.37 . he would have the gospel preached to every creature , mar. 16.15 , 16. & would have the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of the lord and of his christ. what then is the cause of this sad division in our parishes ? are ministers unwilling that their people should all agree in holiness ? no , it would be the greatest favor you could do them , and the greatest joy that you could bring to their hearts : they would be gladder to see such a blessed unity , then if you gave them all that you have in the world . o how a poor minister would boast and glory of such a parish ! he would bless the day that ever he came among them ; and that ever he was called to the ministry ; and that ever he was born into the world for their sakes . how easie would all his studies and labours be , if they were but sweetned with such success ? how easily could he bear his scorns , and threatnings , and abuses , and persecutions from others , if he saw but such a holy unity among his people to encourage him ? so far are your teachers from excluding you from this happiness , that it is the end of their studies , & preaching , & prayers , yea and of their lives , to bring you to partake of it . and glad would they be to preach to you , and exhort you , in hunger and thirst , in cold and nakedness , in all the contempt and derision of the world , if thereby they could but bring their parishes to agree in a life of faith and holiness . and sure our difference is not because the godly will not admit you to joyn with them in the waies of god ; for they cannot hinder you if they would ; and they would not if they could . it is their joy to see the house of god filled with guests that have o● the wedding garment . we must conclude therefor● that it is the ungodly that a● the wilfull and obstinate div●ders . they might be unite to christ , and reconciled 〈◊〉 god , and they will not . the might be admitted into th● communion of saints , an● into the houshold of go● and partake of the priv●ledges of his children ; an● they will not . they have lea● to read , and pray , and meditate , and walk with god in a heavenly conversation , as well as any of their neighbours ; but they will not . it is themselves that are the refusers , and continue the division , to the displeasing of god , and the grief of their friends , and the gratifying of satan , and the perdition of their own immortall souls . we might all be united , and our divisions be healed , and god much honoured , and ministers and good christians be exceedingly comforted , and the church and commonwealth be delivered and highly honoured , and themselves be saved from everlasting misery , if we could but get the hearty consent of these foolish obstinate ungodly men . what say you , wretched souls , can you deny it ? how long have your teachers been labouring in vain , to bring you to the hearty love o● god , and heaven , and serious holiness ? how long have they been perswading you to set up reading , and catechizing and constant fervent prayer i● your families , and yet it is undone ? how long have they in vain been perswading the worldling from his worldliness ; and the proud person to humility , and the sensual beast from his tipling , and gluttony , and other fleshly pleasures ? and besides this , most of the disorders and divisions in the churches are caused by ungodly men . i will instance in a few particulars . 1. when we ask any godly diligent ministers , either in london , or the country , why they do not unanimously catechize , instruct and confer with all the inhabitants of their parishes , man by man , to help them to try their spirituall state , and to prepare in health for death and judgement ? they usually answer us , that alas their people will not consent , but many would revile them if they should attempt it . 2. when we ask them why they do not set up the practice of discipline , which they so unanimously plead for ? and why they do not call their people to confirmation , or open profession of faith and holiness in order thereto ; they tell us , that their people will not endure it ; but many will rather set themselves against the ministry , and strengthen the enemy that now endangereth the churches safety , or turn to any licentious sect , then they will thus submit to the undoubted ordinance of christ , which the churches are so commonly agreed in as a duty . 3. we have an ancien● too-imperfect version of the psalms , which we sing in the congregations ; & in the judgment of all divines that ever i spoke with about it ( of what side soever ) it is our duty to use a better version , and not to perform so excellent a part of the publick worship , so lamely , and with so many blemishes . and if you ask the ministers why they do not unanimously agree on a reformed corrected version , most of them will tell you , that their people will not bear it , but proudly and turbulently reproach them , as if they were changing the word of god. 4. in many places the sacrament of baptism is ofter used in private houses , then in the publick assemblies ; and if we ask the reason of so great a disorder , the ministers will tell us that it is the unruliness and wilfulness of the people , that proudly set themselves above their guides , and instead of obeying them , must rule them , and have their humors and conceits fulfilled , even in the holy things of god , or else they will revile the pastors , and make divisions in the church : and this is done by them that in other cases do seem sufficiently to reverence the place of publick assembly as the house of god , and that speak against private meetings , though but for prayer , repeating sermons , or singing to the praise of god , while yet themselves are wilfully bent for such private meetings as are set up in opposition to the publick , and that for the administration of so great an ordinance as the sacrament of baptism , and in cases where there is no necessity of pr●vacy : and who knows not that our sacramentall covenant with god , and engagement to a christian life ▪ and reception into a christian state and priviledges , is fitter to be done with the most honourable solemnity , then in a conventicle , in a private house ? too many more such instances i could give you , which shew who they be that are the enemies of our unity ; even those that cry out against divisions while they cau●e them , and cry up unity , concord and obedience , while they destroy them . and shall we thus continue a division that doth prognosticate our everlasting division ? is there no remedy for so great a misery , when yet our poor ungodly neighbours m●y heal it if they will ? what if the ministers of the severall parishes , should appoint one day of publick conference with all the people of their parishes together , and desire all th●t are fit to speak , to debate the case , and give their reasons , why they concur not in their hearts and lives with the holy diligent servants of the lord ? and let them he●r the reasons why the godly dare not , and cannot come over to their negligent ungodly course ? and so try who it is long of among them , that they ar● not of one mind and way ? what if the ministers then urged it on them , to agree all before they parted , to unite on the terms which god will own , and all u●animously to take that course that shall be found most agreeable to his word ; and whoever doth bring the fullest proof that his course is best in reason , the rest should promise to joyn w●th him what if we call the people together , and bespeak them as elijah did , 1 kings ●8 . 21 . how long halt ye between two opinions ? if the lord be god , follow him : but if baal , then follow him . [ if a car●less , ungodly , worldly , fleshly life be best , and most please god , and will comfort you most at death and judgement , then hold on in the way that you are in , and never purpose hereafter to repent of it , but let us all become as sensuall as you . but if it be only the life of faith and holiness , and seeking first the kingdom and righteousness of god that god , and scripture , and reason will justifie , and that will comfort the soul in the hour of extremity , and that you shall with a thousand times you had followed , ( in everlasting misery , when wishing is too late ) if now you continue to neglect it ; doth not c●mmon reason then require , that we all now agree to go that way which all will desire to be found in at the last ? ] one would think , if a minister should treat thus with his parishioners , and urge such a motion as this upon them , they should not have the hearts or faces , to deny , or delay such a necessary agreement and engagement , that would make their parish and their souls so happy , and which nothing but the devil and the befooled corrupted minds of sinners hath any thing to say against ! and yet its likely we should either have such an answer as elijah had , even silence , ( v. 21. the people answered him not a word . ) or else some plausible promise , while we have them in a good mood , which would quickly be broken & come to nothing . for indeed , they are all engaged already , by their baptismall covenant and profession of christianity , to the very same thing : and yet we see how little they regard it . but yet because it is our duty to use the means for the salvation and concord of our people , and wait on god by prayer for the success , i have here shewed you the only way to both . read it impartially , and then be your selves the judges , on whom the blame of our greatest and most dangerous divisions will be laid ; and for shame , either give over complaining that men are of so many minds , and profess your selves the enemies of unity and peace ; or else give over your damning , and dividing course , and yield to the spirit of christ , that would unite you to his body , and walk in communion with his saints : and let not these warnings be hereafter a witness against you to your confusion , which are intended for your salvation , and the healing of our discords by an unworthy servant of jesus christ , for the calling and edifying of his members , rich. baxter . decem. 10. 1659. the contents . the introduction and explication of the text , to p. 14 d●ct . the true vnity of the catholick church of christ consisteth in this , that they have all one sanctified spirit within them , p. 14 explic●tory propositions , p. 16 twenty arguments to prove that ungodliness is the great divider , and that if ever there be a vnion , it must be by the ungodlies comeing ov●r to a holy life , p. 19 use 1. shewing plainly who are the causes of our great divisions , p. 37 vngodliness is all heretical opinions combined and reduced to practice , p. 43 , &c. it is against every article of the creed , and every one of the commandments , and every petition of the lords prayer , and every ordinance of worship , p 65 they are worse then meer sectaries , p. 73 use 2. how little cause the papists have to glory , when they draw an ungodly man meerly into their church , p. 80 use 3. how falsly papists and quakers tell us that the ungodly persons are the fruit of our ministery , p. 83 use 4. a serious motion for vnity and peace , to all that would have us of one religion , p. 88 some more undenyable reasons to prove that there is no other way of vnity but this one , p. 100 quest. what is that godliness that we must all unite in , p. 136 quest. what the nearer an agreement should we be ? do not the godly differ among themselves ? p. 178 use 5. how little hope of perfect vnity on earth ; and how much vnity may be expected among the godly , p. 195 quest. whether vnity in the profession of one faith , government and worship , may serve turn ? ten discoveries of the insufficiency of a vnion , in meer profession , p. 203 how much true godliness would conduce to heal our lesser differences ; and that we might do well notwithstanding them , p. 234 manifested in twenty four particulars . quest. how then comes it to pass that there are so many differences among those that you call godly , answered , p. 288 advice to the godly , p. 308 rom. 14.1 . explained , p. 313 doct. it is the will of god that the vnity of the church should not be laid on indifferent , small or d●ubtfull things : but that true believers that differ in such things , should yet have inward charity and outward communion with each other not censuring , nor despising , nor dividing upon this account , p. 323 convincing reasons , p. 326 several vses or consectaries : and an exhortation applied to our difference about christmas day , p. 358 errata . page 90. l. 9. r. enquire : p. 91. l. 6. r. except : p. 192. l. 7. for now , r. in time : p. 275. l. 16 for or , r. as : p. 366. l. 12. for it , r. them : p. 377. l. 12. dele in . catholick vnity . ephes. 4.3 . endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace . it seems that vnity and felicity are near kin , in that the world is so like affected to them both . as our felicity is in god , and we lost it by falling from god ; so our vnity is in god , and we lost it by departing from this center of unity . and as all men have still a natural desire after felicity in general ; but god who is their felicity , they neither know nor desire ; so have we still a natural desire after vnity in it self considered ; but god who is our unity , is little known or desired by the most . and as nature can perceive the evil of misery which is contrary to felicity , and cry out against it , and yet doth cherish the certain causes of it , and will not be perswaded to let them go : so nature can perceive the evil of division , which is contrary to vnity , and cry out against it , and yet will not forbear the causes of division . and therefore as we say of felicity , nature by philosophy seeks it , divinity findeth it , and religion possesseth it : so may we say of true vnity ; philosophy or nature seeks it , divinity findeth it , and religion or holiness possesseth it . and as most of the world do miss of felicity , for all their high esteem of it , and fall into misery for all their hatred of it , because they love not the object and way of felicity , and hate not the matter and way of misery . even so most of the world do miss of vnity , for all their high esteem of unity , and fall into miserable distractions and divisions for all their hatred of division , because they love not the center and way of vnity , and hate not the occasion and causes of division . and as the very reason why the most are shut out of happiness , is their own wilful refusing of the true matter and means of happiness , and no one could undo them but themselves , for all that they are loth to be undone : even so the very reason why the world attaineth not to unity , is their own wilful refusing of the true center and means of unity ; and it is themselves that are the wilful causes of their own divisions , even when they cry out against divisions . and as there 's no way to happiness , but by turning to god from whom we fell , that in him we may be happy ; and no way to god but by iesus christ as the saviour , and the h●ly-ghost as the sanctifier ; so there is no way to true vnity , but by turning to god that we may be one in him ; and no way to him , but being united to christ , and being quickned by that one most holy spirit that animateth his members . and yet as poor souls do weary themselves in vain , in seeking felicity in their own wayes and devices ; so do they deceive themselves in seeking vnity in wayes that are quite destructive to unity . one thinks we must be united in the pope ; and another , in a general council ; another saith , we shall never have unity till the magistrate force us all one way ; ( and yet they would not be forced from their own way . ) another turns atheist , or infidel , or impious , by observing the divisions that be among christians , and saith , [ it is this scripture , and religion , and christ , that hath set the world together by the ears ; and we shall never have unity till we all live according to nature , and cast off their needless cares and fears of another life . ] and thus the miserable deluded world are groping in the dark after vnity and felicity , while both are at hand , and they wickedly reject them ; and many of them become so mad , as to run away from god , from christ , from the spirit , as if he were the cause of misery and division , who is the only center of felicity and vnity . and thus as it is but few that arrive at happiness for all their desire of it ; so it is but few that attain to vnity ; to such a unity as is worth the attaining to . i dare presume to take it for granted , that all you that hear me this day , would fain have divisions taken away , and have unity , and concord , and peace through the world . what say you ? would you not have us all of one ●i●d , and of one religion ? and would you not fain have an agreement , if it might be , through all the world ? i am confident you would . but you little think that its you and such as you that are the hinderers of it . all the question is , what mind that is that all should be one in ? and what religion that is that all men s●ould agree in ? every man would have all men of one mind , and one religion ; but then it must be of his mind , and of his religion ; and so we are never the nearer an agreement , well! what would you give now to be certainly told the only way to unity and agreement ? there is but one way ; when you have sought about as long as you will , you must come to that one way , or you will be never the nearer it . what would you give to know undoubtedly , which is that one way ! o that the world were but willing to know it , and to follow it when they know it . well! i dare promise you from the information of the holy-ghost here given us in this text that now i have read to to you , to tell you the only way to true unity ; and blessed is he that learneth it , and walketh in it . this text is a precept containing the work required of us , with its double object ; the one the means to the other . the next verse is an exposition of this . as the natural man hath one body , and one soul , which constitute it a man ; so the church which is the mystical body of christ , is one body , consisting of many members united by one spirit . every common-wealth or political body hath 1. it s constitutive causes that give it its being and its unity ; and 2. it s administration and preserving causes , as laws , execution , obedience , &c. that exercise and preserve , and perfect its being . the constitutive cause is the soveraign and the subject conjoyned in their relation . so is it with the church , which is a political body , ( but of a transcendent kind of policy . ) the constitutive cause of the church are christ and the members united in one spirit : and this is the final part of the duty here required [ to keep the vnity of the spirit ] the preserving cause is the peaceable behaviour of the members : and this is the mediate duty here required , [ in the bond of peace ] our own endeavours are hereto required ; because as every natural body must by eating , and drinking , and fit exercise and usage , be a cause of its own preservation , and not forbear these under pretence of trusting the all-sufficiency of god ; and as every political body , must by government and arms in case of need preserve themselves under god ; so must the body of christ , the church , be diligent in using their best endeavours to preserve the being and well-being of the whole . so that you see here are two causes of the churches unity expressed : 1. the principal constitutive cause in which our unity consisteth ; and that is [ the spirit . ] 2. the preserving cause , by which our unity is cherished , and that is [ peace ] which therefore is called [ the bond ] of it . the fifth and sixth verses do open this vnity of spirit , in its parts , effects and ends . [ there is one hope of our calling ] that is , one heaven or life eternal , which is the end of our christianity and church constitution [ there is one lord ] jesus christ ; one head , one saviour , one soveraign redeemer , to whom by this spirit the members are all united . [ there is one faith ] both one summe of holy doctrine , which all that will be saved must believe ( which was used to be professed by the adult at baptism ) and one internal saving faith , which this spirit causeth in our spirits , and useth it as a means of our union with christ in whom we do believe . [ there is one baptism ] or solemn covenanting with god , the father , son and holy-ghost ; and the same promise there to be made by all . and [ there is one god the father of all ] from whom we fell , and to whom we must be recovered , and who is the end of all , and to whom christ and all these means are the way . so that all these are implyed in , and conjunct with [ the vnity of the spirit . ] the sense of the text then briefly is this : [ as all the living true members of christ and the church have one spirit ( and so one faith ) by which they are all united to christ the head , and so to the father in and by him , which vnion in one spirit is your very life , and it that constituteth you true members of christ and his church ; so it must be your care and great endeavour to preserve this spirit in you , and this vital vnity which by this spirit you have with christ and one another : and the way to preserve it , is by the bond of peace among your selves . ] it is here evident then that all the members of christ and his body have one spirit , and in that is their union . all the question is , what spirit this is ? and that 's left past all doubt in the chapter : for though the common gifts of the spirit are sometime called by that name , yet these are no further meant in the text then as appurtenances or additions to greater gifts : as godliness hath the promise of the common mercies of this life , as well as of the special mercies of the life to come ; but yet with great difference ; the later being absolutely promised , and the former but limitedly ( so far as god sees best for us ) : even so the spirit gave to the members of the church both sanctifying grace , and common gifts ; but with great difference : giving sanctification to all and only the members of christ ; but giving common gifts also to some others , and to them but with limitation , for sort , and season , and measure , and continuance , as god should see good . it is then the same holy-ghost as our sanctifier into whose name we are baptized , as wel as into the name of the ●ather and the son , and in whom we all profess to believe , that is here meant in my text. and it is only the sanctified that are the people united to christ and to one another . this is proved expresly by that which fo●loweth , vers . 6 , 7. it is those that have the one hope , one lord , one faith , one baptism , one god the father , vers . 12. it is the saints and body of christ that are to be perfected by the ministry , vers . 13 , 15 , 16. it is those that must come in the vnity of faith and knowledge of the son of god to a perfect man , to the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ ; and that grow up in all things in christ the head : it is the body that is vnited to him , and compacted in love , and edifieth itself in love : vers . 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24. it is those that h●v● so le●rned christ as to put off t●e ●ld man th●t is c●rrupt , ●nd are r●newe● in the spirit of their ●in●s , and put on the n●w man , which ●fter god is re●t●● in righteou●ne●s and true holiness . if there●●re any words be plain , its plain t●at its true ●aints only that are here spoken of , that have the vnity of spirit which they must preserve in the bond of peace . and therefore i shall make this observation the ground of my discourse . doct. the true vnity of the catholick church of christ consisteth in this , that they have all one sanctifying spirit within them . by the holy-ghost within them they are all united to christ and to one another : by this one spirit they are all made ●aints , or an holy people , having one heaven for the matter of their hopes , one christ their head , one summe of christian doctrine , which they believe , containing all the essentials of christian faith ; and one living principle of faith to believe it ; one solemn covenant with christ ; and one god the ●ather their end and all. it is only the sanctified that have true christian vnity ; and it is unholiness or ungodliness that is the cause of the miserable divisions of the world . now , sirs , you see the only way to vnity : even to have one sanctifying spirit within us , and be all an holy people ; and there is no way but this : now you see the principal cause of division ; even unholiness , and refusing the spirit of grace . in handling this point , 1. i shall give you some propositions that are necessary for the fuller understanding of it . 2. i shall demonstrate the point to you , by fuller evidence of reason . 3. i shall make application of it . i. prop . 1. though it be only the sanctified that have the true un●on of members w●th chr●st and the body ; yet all that make profession of sanctification , and null not that pro●ession , have an extr●nsick , analogical union in profession : as the wooden or dead leg is united to the body , and the dead branch to the vine : and so even hypocrites must not only dwell among us , but be of the same visible church with us , as the chaff and tares are in the same corn-field . and as long as they seem saints we must value them , and use them as saints , and love them , and have communion with them as saints : not as conceiving them certainly to be such , but probably , and by that humane faith , by which we are bound to believe their profession ; not as we believe god , who is infallible ; but as men that are fallible : and this in several degrees , according to the several degrees of their credibility , and the probability of their profession . so that you must not after this m●stake me , as if i tyed our external church-communion only to true saints ; for then we must have communion with none ; because being not able to search the hearts , we know not what professors are sincere . but yet even this external church-communion belongs only to them that make profession of love and holiness , as well as of belief ; and no lower profession must serve the turn . prop. 2. there is a common vnity of humane nature that we have with all men , and a common peace that as much as in us lyeth we must hold with all , rom. 12.18 . but this is nothing to the unity in quest●on , which belongeth to our happiness . the devils have a unity of nature , and some order and accord in evil ; for if satan be divided , how can his kingdom stand ? mat. 12.26 . prop. 3. the unity of the saints in the spirit of holiness , consisteth in this life with much imperfection and discord , according to the imperfection of their holiness . but as grace is the seed of glory , and the beginning of eternal life , for all its weakness , and the sins that accompany it ( iohn 17.3 . ) ; so the unity of the spirit of holiness , is the seed and beginning of the perfect unity in heaven , for all the differences and discord that here accompany it . ii. having shewed you the only bond of unity , i come now by fuller evidence to convince you of the truth of what is said , and even to force it into your understandings , if you will but use your reason , and believe the word of god. it is unholiness and ungodliness that causeth our discord ; and it is the spirit of holiness that is the vniting principle ; and there 's no true christian vnity to be had with ungodly men : never think of vnity by any other way then sanctification : you are as on the other side of the river , and cannot be united to the servants of christ , till the spirit convert you , and pass you over . you are dead men , and unfit to be united to the living ; and it s the spirit that quickneth , and this life must be our vnion . you madly rail against division , and yet stand at a distance from christ and his church , and maintain the greatest division in the world . believe it , you do but doat and dream , if you think to have true christian vnity on any other terms , then by the sanctifying spirit of christ. and this i shall now evince as followeth . 1. you know sure that there can be no christian unity , but in god as your father , and the center of vnity : all the true members of the catholick church must say [ our father ] and be as his children united in him . if you will have unity without the favour of god , it must be the unity of rebels , and such a concord as is in hell : the family of god do all unite in him : as all the kingdom is united in one king ; so is all the church in god. can you think it possible to have unity , as long as you will not unite in god ? well then ; there 's nothing plainer in the scripture , then that all men by nature are departed from god , and none are united to him but those that are regenerate and made new creatures , not a man is his child by grace , and in his favour , but only those that are sanctified by his spirit , ioh. 3.3 , 5. mat. 18.3 . 2 cor. 5.17 . heb. 12.14 . so that there 's no true vnity without s●nctification , because there 's no reconciliation with god , nor unity with him , without it . 2. there can be no true christian vnity but in christ the redeemer and head of the church : for how can the members be united but in the head ? or the schollars but in their teacher ? or the subjects but in their soveraign ? you know there 's no christian vnity but in christ. well then ; what unity can we have with those that are not in christ ? the unsanctified have indeed the name of christians : but what is that to the nature ? some branches not bearing fruit are said to be in him the vine , by outward profession : but they are dead and withered , and must be cut off and cast away for the fire : and so are unfit for communion with the vine , iohn 15. he that is in christ is a new creature : old things are past away , behold all things are become new . 2 cor. 5.17 . if any man have not the spirit of christ ( which is this sanctifying spirit ) the same is none of his . i pray you mark the plainness of these passages . all you that are unconverted and unsanfied , are out of christ , and none of his , though you may talk and boast of him as long as you will. and therefore you cannot have vnity with christians , till you will first have unity with christ himself . till you are engraffed into him , you are not engraffed into the catholick church , but only seem to be what you are not . 3. the dead cannot be united to the living : who will be married to a dead corpse ? or would be tyed to it , and carry it about ? it is life that must unite us : the unsanctified are dead in sin , eph. 2.5 . and the spirit is given to quicken the dead , that they may be fit for converse . what union can there be between a block and a man ; or a beast that hath but a sensitive life , and a man that hath a rational soul ? so what union between the sensual world and the sanctified believer ? if you could have vnity without the sanctifying spirit , why are you then baptized into the name of the holy-ghost as your sanctifier ? to have a vnity of being is common to us with the devils ; for they are gods creatures , and so are we . to have a vnion of specifick being is common to us with all the damned , for they are men as well as we ; and common to the devils among themselves . but it must be a unity in the spirit of holiness that must prove us happy , and afford us comfort . 4. there is no possibility of having unity with those that have not the same ultimate principal end . but the sanctified and the unsanctified have not the same end , nay have contrary ends . if one of you will go to york , and the other to london , how can you possibly go one way ? this is the great difference that sets the world and the sanctified by the ears : you serve mammon , and they serve god : you have one portion , and they another : your portion is in this life , psalm 17.14 . here you have your good things , luke 16.25 . and here you lay up your treasure , mat. 6.19 , 21. your belly is your god , and you mind earthly things . phil. 3.18 . but it is the lord that is the portion of the saints , psal. 16.5 . they lay up a treasure in heaven , mat. 6.20 . and there they have their conversations , phil. 3.20 . being risen with christ , they seek the things that are above , where christ sitteth at the right hand of god ; for they are dead , and their life is hid with christ in god , col. 3.1 , 3 , 4. the business that the saints , and that the ungodly have in the world , is clean contrary . their business is for heaven ; and yours is for earth ; they are sowing to the spirit in hope of everlasting life , and you are sowing to the flesh , and shall reap corruption , gal. 6.6 , 7. they are making provision for another life , that never shall have end ; and you are making provision for the flesh , to satisfie its desires , rom. 13.14 . and how is it possible for these to be united ? what concord between light and darkness ? or christ and belial ? or righteousness with unrighteousness ? 2 cor. 6.14 , 15. can two wal● together except they be agreed ? amo. 3.3 . we must better agree of our business in the world , and of our journeys end , before we can keep company with you . while you are for earth and we for heaven , it is not possible that we should go one way . while one is for the world and another for god , they must needs differ : for god and the world are masters that are unreconcileable . if you will cleave to one , you must despise the other . the work of the butcher and the souldier is to kill : and the work of the surgeon and physitian is to cure . and do you think these will ever take one course ? the souldier studies how to wound and kill : the surgeon studies how to close these wounds and heal them . and surely these must go contrary wayes . sirs , as long as your business is principally for the flesh and the world ; and the business of the sanctified is against the flesh and world , and for the spirit and the world to come , how is it possible that you should be agreed ? you must bring heaven and earth together first ; yea heaven and hell together first , before you can have a christian unity and agreement between the sanctified and the unsanctified . 5. there is no vnity to be had , but in the gospel . the apostle tels us , there is one faith , eph. 4.5 . if an angel from heaven would preach another gospel , he must be accursed , gal. 1.10 , 11. but the unsanctified do not truly and heartily entertain this gospel . you think and say you truly believe it , when you do not . if you truly believed it , your lives would shew it . he that indeed believes an everlasting glory , will sure look after it , more then after the world or the flesh . 6. there is no christian unity but in the christian nature . contrary natures cannot close . fir● and water , the woolf and the lamb , the bear and the dog , wi● not well unite . the sanctified hav● a new , divine and heavenly nature ioh. 3.6 . 2 pet. 1.4 . 2 cor. 5 . 1● their disposition is another way then it was before . but the unsanctified have the old corrupt fleshly nature still . one is as the fire , still bending upward ; the other as the earth or stone , still bending downward to the earth : and how can these agree together ? 7. there is no christian vnity to be had , where the affections run quite contrary wayes . but so it is with the sanctified and the unsanctified . one loves god above all , and cannot live without holy communion with him , and retireth into him from the distractions of the world , and maketh him his rest , content and solace : the other mentions the goodness of god , but findeth no such sweetness in him , nor desires after him . one treads the world underfoot as dirt , or valueth and useth it but as a help to heaven : and the other makes it his happiness , and sets his heart on it . one delighteth in holiness , and the other hateth it , or regardeth it not . one hateth sin as a serpent , or as death ; and the other makes it his meat , and drink , and business . and how is it possible for men of such contrary affections to be agreed ? and natures at such enmity to unite ? 8. the sanctified and unsanctified are moved by contrary objects : one lives by faith on things that are out of sight , and strives for heaven as if he saw it , and strives against hell as if he saw it ; for his faith is the evidence of things not seen . heb. 11.1 , 7. we live by faith , and not by sight , 2 cor. 5.7 . 2 cor. 4.18 . but the unsanctified live upon things that are seen , and things believed little move them , because they are not heartily believed . 9. the holy and the unholy do live by contrary laws . one liveth by the law of god , and there asketh counsel what he must think , or say , or do , resolving to obey god , before his flesh , and all the world . the other will say , he will be ruled by gods law , till his flesh and carnal interest contradict it , and then he will take his lusts for his law : his pride is a law to him , and the pleasures and profits of the world are a law to him , and the will of great ones , and the customs of men are his law. and how is it possible for m●n to agree that walk by such contrary rules as these ? 10. there is no true vnity but in the covenant with christ. as marriage vniteth man and wife ; so every truly sanctified man , hath delivered up himself to christ in a peremptory absolute covenant , and hath quit all claim of interest in himself , and is wholly gods. but the unsanctified will not be brought to this , any further then the lips , and therefore they cannot be well united . 11. the true members of the church are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets , eph. 2.20 , 21. but the unsanctified regard them not , if they cross their minds . 12. there is no true christian vnity , but with the holy catholick church . the body is but one , 1 cor. 12.12 , 13. eph. 4.4 . but the unsanctified are not of the holy catholick church , but only in the visible external communion of it . 13. there can be no true christian vnity with the saints , without a special love to the saints for by this we know that we are passed from death to life , because we love the brethren ; he that lovet● not his brother abideth in death , 1 john 3.14 . by this must all men know that we are christs disciples , john 13.35 . love is the bond and cement of the church . he that doth not heartily love a godly sanctified man , because he is such , hath no true unity with the church . but the ungodly love them not as such : they see no such beauty and loveliness in holiness . though scripture call it gods image , they be not in love with gods image ; but think it a conceit , or hypocritical pretence , or a wearysom thing . why ! poor carnal wretches , do you hate the godly , and yet would you have unity with them ? do you hate them , and yet cry out against divisions , when your hearts are thus divided from god and his servants ? you must learn to love them with a special love , and christ in them , before you can be united with them . 14. there is no unity to be had wi●hout a love to the body that you are united to . you must love the church and long for its prosperity , and the success of the gospel , and the downfall of wickedness . thus do the saints : but thus do not the ungodly . nay many of them are glad when they hear of any evil befall the godly . 15. there is no true vnity without a singular respect to the special members that are the ligaments and chief instruments of unity ; even the officers of the church and most useful members . the overseers of the church must be highly esteemed in love for their work sake , 1 thes. 5.12 . th●s do the godly , but not the ungodly . 16. there must be an inward inclination to the communion of saints ▪ before there can be any agreement and unity . all that are of the holy catholick church , must desire the communion of saints . their delight must be in them , psal. 16.3 . but the ungodly have no such delight in their communion . 17. if you will have vnity and communion with the church , you must have a love to the holy ordinances , which are the means of communion : as to the word of god , heard and read , to prayer , sacraments , confession , &c. but the ungodly have either a distaste of these , or but a common delight in the outside , and not in the spirit of the ordinance . and therefore they cannot agree with the church : when you loath that which is our m●at and drink , and we cannot feed at one table together , what agreement can there be ? 18. if you will agree , you must w●rk in the same vineyard , and labour in the same employment , and walk the same way as the sanctified do : and that is in a way of holiness and righteousness , giving all diligence to make your calling and election sure , 2 pet. 1.10 . if you live to the flesh , and they live to the spirit , ( rom. 8.5 , 13. ) what unity and agreement can there be ? 19. there is no unity to be had , unless you will joyn in a defensive and offensive league , and in an opposition to that which would tend to our destruction . what common-wealth will unite with them that defend their enemies and rebels ? there is an enmity put in the beginning between the seed of the woman and of the serpent , gen. 3.15 . because we are not of the world , the world will hate us , iohn 15.19 . if you will be united to the church and people of christ , you must be at enmity with sin , and hate it , and joyn for the destroying of it ; and you must be souldiers in christs army , which the devil and his army fight against ; and you must fight against the flesh , the world , and the devil , and not live in friendship with them . but this the unsanctified will not do . 20. and therefore because you will not be united to them in the state and kingdom of grace , you shall not be united with them , in the state and kingdom of glory . and thus i have made it plain to you , that none can have true union with the church of christ , but only they that are sanctified by the spirit . use i. by this time you may see , if you are willing to see , who it is long of that the world is all in pieces by divisions , and who are the greatest hinderers of unity . even unsanctified , ungodly men . and you may see how fit these men are to cry out against divisions , that are the principal causes of them : and how wisely they deal to cry up unity , and in the mean time resist the only ground and way of unity : as ioshua said to achan , 7.25 . [ why hast thou troubled us ? the lord shall trouble thee this day . ] so i may say to all the ungodly , why trouble you the church , and hinder vnity ? you shall one day have trouble your selves for this . they cry out against the ministry and others that fear god , as ahab did to elijah , art thou he that troubleth israel ? but saith elijah , it is thou and thy fathers house that trouble israel , in that ye have forsaken the commandment of the lord , 1 king. 18.17 , 18. sirs , i tell you , ( and i may confidently tell you when i have proved it so fully ) , that it is the ungodly that are the great dividers of the world . it s you that make the breach , and keep it open . we are willing to agree to any thing that is reasonable or p●ssible ; but there is no possibility of agreeing with the ungodly , unless they will turn . it would make any honest heart to ake , to see these wre●ches set all on fire , and then cry out against others as the authors of it . as nero set rome on fire , and then persecuted the christians for it , as if it had been done by them . they pluck up the foundations , and hold most damnable practical errours ; and when they have done , they go about reviling other men as erroneous . i speak not in the excuse or extenuation of other mens errours . i have spoke my part against them also : but i tell you , it is the prophane and ignorant rabble , and all the ungodly , whether gentlemen , schollars , or of what rank soever , that are the great dividers , and stand at the greatest distance from christian unity . o what a happy church should we have , for all the sects that trouble us so much , if it were not for ungodliness that animateth some of those sects , and virtually containeth many more ! had we none but men fearing god to deal with , we should have no opposition to the essentials of religion ; and we should still have the comfort of agreeing with them in all things necessary to salvation . they would carry on their differences in christian meekness , charity and moderation : and at the worst our agreement would be greater then our disagreement . but when we have to deal with haters of holiness , or at least with men that are strangers to the sanctifying work of the spirit , we have predominant pride , and selfishness , and covetousness to strive against : we have radicated infidelity , and enmity to god and holiness , giving life and strength to all their errours , and making them stubborn , and wilful , and scornful , against the clearest truths that can be shewed them . there is no dealing effectually with a carnal heart , for any but god himself . unless we can create light in them , as well as reveal the truth to them , what good can we do them ? what good doth the sun to a man that is blind ? they have understandings left , and therefore they can err : but they have no heavenly light in them , and therefore they cannot choose but err : they have wills , and therefore are capable of sin : but they have no holy rectitude of them , and therefore sin they will with obstinacy . when we dispute with the godly , that err through weakness , we deal with men that have eyes in their heads , and life in their souls , and some favour and experience of the matters of god. but when we dispute with the ungodly , we deal with the blind , we talk to the dead , we offer the bread of life to men that have no appetite , or savour of it : yea we speak for god , to enemies of god ; and for truth , to the natural enemies of such truths ; and the more obstinate enemies , because they know it not . had we nothing but mistakes to argue against , and had we but to do with men that have the free use of their reason , we should do well enough with them . but when we must perswade the deaf , the distracted and the dead ; when we must dispute with pride , and passion , and enmity , and perswade a lyon to become a lamb , and a serpent to lay by his venom , no wonder if we find a difficult task of it . had we none but the godly to deal with , we should have abundant advantage for success ; we should deal with men that love the truth , and are willing to use right means to discover it : they would pray with us for truth , as well as dispute ; they would with meekness search the scripture , and see whether these things be so or not : they would yield to light when it appeareth to them , and not in prison it in unrighteousness . and it would move us to more tender dealing with them , while we see and love christ in them , and when we remember that the men that we now dispute with , we must live with in heaven , and join with in the everlasting praises of the lord. i profess sirs , i speak to you from sad experience , i have been troubled with antinomians , and anabaptists , and other errours in well-meaning men , as much as most : and many a daies work they have made me in writing and disputing against them . but alas , this is nothing to the trouble that the profane , ungodly do put me to . i thank god , i have dealt with all these errours with so good success , that i live in peace by them ; and i know not of an anabaptist , or socinian , or arminian , or quaker , or separatist , or any such sect in the town where i live ; except half a dozen papists that never heard me but infidels , atheists , ungodly wretches i am pestered with still one heresie called drunkenness that denyeth the use of reason it self , doth still walk the streets in despight of all that i can say , or all that the magistrates will do ; and none of us all are able to confute them . in one hours time they will fetch more arguments from the alehouse , then all the reason in the town can effectually answer . and as the ungodly are most desperately principled of any hereticks in the world , both for the quality and the radication of their errours , so there are far greater numbers of them , then of all other heresies set together . it may be we have one or two anabaptists in a parish , and in some parishes none ; in some few it may be twenty : but o that i could say , i had not twenty , and twenty , and twenty , and twice twenty more unsanctified ungodly persons in my parish ! though i hope there is as many better , as in any parish i know . alas , sirs , into how many parishes may you go , and find gross ignorance , profaneness , worldliness , contempt of god and heavenly things , to be their common air which they breath in , and the natural complexion of the inhabitants , as blackness is to ethiopians . it is a blessed parish , that of three thousand inhabitants , hath not above two thousand natural hereticks ; even ungodly persons that are strangers to sanctification . and who then do you think is likest to be the cause of our distractions and divisions ? moreover , let me tell you , profaneness and ungodliness is not a single errour or heresie ; but it is the summe of all the heresies in the world . you will think this strange , when you see so many that joyn with us in a sound profession , and some of them zealous defenders of the truth ; and many of them cry out against errours : but alas , they believe not that which they think they do believe . they hold not that which they say they hold . there 's much in their creed , that was never in their belief . doubtless ungodliness is the nest of all the heresies in the world . will you give me leave to instance in some particulars . the greatest errour in the world is atheism , when men deny the godhead it self . and do not the most of the ungodly deny him in their hearts ? if he be not just , he is not god : and they deny and hate his justice : if he be not holy , he is not god : and they deny in their hearts , and hate his holiness : if he be not true , he is not god : and they commonly believe that he is not true : shew them where he hath said , that none but the converted , the sanctified , the regenerate , the heavenly , the self-denying shall be saved ; and they will not believe that this will be made good , but hope its false . if he be not wise , and be not the governour of the world , he is not god. and these wretches qua●rel with his holy laws , as if they could tell how to mend them themselves , and were wiser to make a law then god is ; and by flat rebellion deny his government . so that we may truly say with david , psal. 14. that these fools say in their hearts that there is no god : or else they durst not say and do in his presence as they do . moreover idolatry , which is the setting up of false gods , is a most abominable damning sin . and every ungodly man is guilty of it . covetousness is idolatry , eph. 5.5 . and the sensual make their belly their god , phil. 3.18 . and pride and selfishness which are the heart of the old man , are nothing else but making our selves our idols . every unsanctified man is his own idol ; giving to himself the honour , and pleasure , and love that 's due to god alone ; and setting up his own will instead of gods. polutheism , which is the feigning of many gods , is a most damnable errour : and how many gods have all that are ungodly ? no man departeth from the one true god , but he makes to himself many false gods in his stead . his wealth , and his credit , and his throat , and his recreation . 〈◊〉 rulers that are capable of h●rting him , are all as his gods , and to them he gives that which is due to god only . infidelity is one of the most damning errours in the world ; when men believe not in christ that bought them : but this is the case of all the unsanctified . an opinion they have that the gospel is true ; and christ is the only lord and saviour : but infidelity is predominant in them , and therefore should denominate them ; or else they should be saved , if they were true believers . never did they give an hours true entertainment to christ in their hearts . to set up a false christ , is one of the most damning sins in the world . and what else do all the ungodly , that place their hopes for pardon and salvation , either in their own good works , or carna● shifts , or at least , by false conceptions do make christ not indeed to be christ ? to have many saviours , is a damnable errour . and how many do the ungodly make to themselves , while they depart from the lord christ ? to deny the holy-ghost , is a damnable errour . and what el●e do all the ungodly in the world that will not be sanctified by him : this is the most palpable errour that they are guilty of : they are baptized into the name of the holy-ghost as their sanctifier , and yet they will not be sanctified by him : nay some of them make a mock of the spirit , and of sanctification . and some of them w● hearken to false deceiving spirits instead of the holy spirit o● god. some hereticks have denyed some parts of the scripture , and infidels deny it all . and what less do all ungodly men , that believe it not heartily , and will not obey it , but deny it in parts , and refuse subjection to it ? they will not be so holy , not they , let scripture say what it will. are not all the ungodly against the scripture ? many a time have i heard them , when the times more encouraged them , deriding the bible , and those that did but carry a bible , or speak of the scripture , or read it in their houses . certainly , he that fights against scripture in his life , is more against it , then he that only denies it with his tongue . moreover , the pelagian hereticks denyed original sin , and justified mans nature : and so doth profaness in a very great measure . never were the ungodly truly humbled for their original sin , nor saw any such matter in themselves , as to make them abhor themselves ! and what is this but actually to deny it ? the same pelagians made light of grace , which is gods image upon the soul. but in this the ungodly go quite beyond them : they make a matter of nothing of holiness , but account it a fancy , or a needless thing ; and many of them hate it , and if the times did but favour their malice , there were no living near them for any that fear god : in this they are de●●h in flesh ; i cannot liken them to any heresie , but devilism , they go so far beyond the professions of them all . one sect is against those that are their opposers , and another see against their opposers ; but ungodliness is against all that are godly of every party whatsoever : and is in open arms or secret enmity against the army of christ , and against himself . the simonians , and nicolaitan● and gnosticks of old , did hold that men might do any outward action , when there is no other way to escape suffering , as long as they keep their hearts to god. so think the ungodly , as appeareth by their practice : before they will lose their estates and be brought to poverty , or before they will lie in prison , or be burnt at a stake , they will say any thing , or do any thing : they would worship a piece of bread as if it were god : they would turn to papists or any that can do them a mischief , if it were the turks . alas , the particular sects among us , do play a small game in comparison of the ungodly ; and hold but petty errours to theirs : one sect is against one ordinance , and another sect is against another ordinance ; but the ungodly are against all . the sectaries are against something in the manner or out-side of the work : but the ungodly are against the spirit and life , and substance of the duty it self : one sect depraveth the doctrine of faith ; and another the doctrine of repentance , and another the doctrine of obedience : but the ungodly deprave all the doctrine of godliness ; yea deny it , and not only deprave it : they sweep away all before them , and go by whole-sale : they stand not to speak as other hereticks , against this grace or that grace , but against all : it is godliness it self that the ungodly are against . the sectaries oppose all parts of the catholick church saving their own : but the ungodly are against the holy catholick church it self ; as it is a church , and as it is holy , they are against it . the church is a society combined for holy obedience to christ : and the ungodly are against that holy obedience . the sectaries would have no communion of saints , but in their own way . but the ungodly are against the communion of saints in it self : for they are against the saints that hold this communion . the papists and quakers are against our ministry , and rail at them , and labour to bring them into hatred . so do the worser sort of the ungodly : even of them that say they are protestants , of our own rel●gion . in their houses and in the ale-houses , in their ordinary discourse , they are cavilling against the ministers , or reproaching them : and some of them are more bitter haters and revilers of them , then almost any hereticks that we meet with : yea some of them are glad to hear the quakers and anabaptists reproach them , and secretly set them on : only they are ashamed to own these revilers , because they see them come off in the end with so much disgrace . but if they were but sure that papists , or quakers , or any sect that is against a godly ministry , had power in their hands to go through with their work , the multitude of the ungodly among us would soon joyn with them . how plainly did this appear in our la● wars ? when few ministers of noted diligence and piety , that de●ired to have lived at home in quietness , could be suffered to live among them ; but the ungodly rise up against them as if they h●d been turks or jews , and drove them into garrisons to save their lives . the separatists , and quakers , and other sects dispute against the ministry with cavils and railings ; but the ungodly would dispute them down with halters and hatchets , with fire and sword , if the merciful governour of the world did not tye their hands . the quakers and many anabaptists and separatists are against tythes , and all settled maintenance of the ministry . and do i need to tell you that the ungodly covetous worldlings are of the same mind ? what need had ministers else to sue for their ty●hes ? were it not for fear of treble damages , the ministers in many parishes of england should not have bread to their mouthes , nor cloathes to their backs , before they got it by suit at law. how commonly do they think that all is woon , and is currently their own , that they can but defraud the minister of ? if it were not that they are under disgrace , the quakers would soon have disciples enow upon this very account , because they are against tythes . and gladly do the ungodly covetous people hearken to that doctrine , and get their books , and would fain have that opinion take as orthodox . if the prince , and parliament would but turn quakers , and cry down tythes , yea and ministry too , the miserable ungodly multitude would quickly be of that religion , and entertain their laws with ringing of be●ls , and showts , and bone-fires . another heresie there is ( eve● the old sect of anabaptists ) th● are against a christian magistracy and another heresie ( the li●e●tines ) that would have the mag●strates give men leave to sin . an● are not all the profane of the sam● opinion ? they dare not speak freely indeed against the mag●strate as against the ministry ( unless when they are up in arm against him ) but their very hear● detest that magistrate that take part with godliness , and promo●e religion , and puts down al● houses , and punisheth swearers , and drunkards , and profaners 〈◊〉 the lords day . they are commonly for the doctrine that 〈◊〉 preacht to the parliament , that they should let christ alone wit● reformati●n , and let him do 〈◊〉 work himself : or as another hath written , that he will never serve such a god that is not able to defend his own cause without the magistrates sword . the wretches might as well have said [ we will have no such god as cannot govern us himself without a magistrate : or cannot defend us against enemies without wars : or cannot preserve our estates without the charge and trouble of law-suits : or save our goods or lives , without punishing thieves or murderers : or that cannot teach the world without ministers ; or give us corn without plowing and sowing : we will never serve such a god as cannot preserve our lives without meat , and drink , and cloathes ; and lighten the world himself without a sun. ] god can do all this ! but must these dunghill worms impose it on him , and give him a law , and take down his creatures , and 〈◊〉 , and means , and bid him do all without them himself , or else he is 〈◊〉 god. o wretched blasphemers why how much of this blasphem● are the ungodly guilty of , that ha●● the magistrate or any other that executes gods laws , and woul● hinder them from sin , and driv● them to the means that shou●● make them better ! the antinomians corrupt t●● doctrine of faith , and take it to b● a believing that their sins are pa●doned , that christ hath even repented and believed in their stea● and he that hath this belief they think is safe , and that a man cannot thus believe too much or too soon and this is just the common faith of the ungodly : they trust in christ to save and pardon them even without sanctification or convers●on : and trust they will let ministers say what they can presumption is taken to be true believing , and by it they think to be saved . they believe that god will save them , and therefore they think they are true believers . the antinomians say , that no man should be discouraged from such a belief by any sin whatsoever . and this the ungodly hold and practice . the antinomians hold that no man should stay for any evidences of grace in himself , before he thus believe that he is a child of god , and justified . and this the ungodly hold and practice . they believe and hope they are justified and shall be saved , when they have not a word of proof for their hopes , nor any reason why they should be saved more then the rest of the world that will be condemned . only they believe it and hope it , and that they think shall serve the turn . the antinomians are against repenting and grieving for sin , and confessing it , as a means of pardon . and i am sure the ungodly are practically against it . repent , and mourn , and turn from sin , they will not ; nor confess any more but what they know not how to deny ; but as much as they can they will hide it , excuse it and defend it . the antinomians would not have one of their believers , if he fall into the grossest sins , to make the least question of his pardon and justified state for that . and so is it wi●h the ungodly : they will confess , when they swear , or are drunk , that they sin ( because they cannot deny it : ) but they w●ll not believe that they are graceless and unpardoned : but all are sinners ; and the best have their faults , and so have they : and this is the worst they make of their sin . the pelagians say that the will of man is so free , that he can turn and become a new creature at any time . and if this were not the opinion of the ungodly , how could they put off conversion , and say , its time enough hereafter ? but that it seems they think they can turn at any time , as if they had the spirit and grace of god at their command . and yet they hold the contrary to this . ( and this is no wonder : for there is a very babel of confusion in the soul of the unsanctified . ) the antinomians say , that man can do nothing to his own conversion , but is meerly passive : if god have justified him before he was born , he shall be a justified person ; and if god will give him grace , well and good ; if not , he cannot help it . just so say many of the ungodly : if we are elected we shall be saved : if not , let us do what we can , we cannot be saved : if god will not give us grace , we cannot have it ; and if we perish what remedy ? ] as if god did deny his grace to any of you , but those that forfeit it by wilful sin ? or as if your wilful resisting of it were no fault or forfeiture : or as if god did predestinate any besides the sanctified to salvation . abundance more such heresies i might reckon up , that are all comprized in ungodliness . some infidels question the immortality of the soul : and so do many of the ungodly : i have heard some of them flatly deny it : and others of them do not well believe it . some infidels question whether there be any hell. and so do the ungodly in their hearts , or else they durst never so boldly venture on it , and so merrily live in the sudden danger of it . some infidels question the joyes of heaven . and if the ungodly did not so in their hearts , they would not think an holy life too much ado to get it , nor would they part with it for the pleasure of a filthy sin . there is never an article of the creed but some heretick or other doth oppose it : and the ungodly are against them altogether , even while they profess to believe them all . there is never a one of the ten commandments , but ungodliness is against it . there is never a petition in the lords prayer , but ungodliness is against it ; for all that they are content to use the words . instead of hallowing the name of god , they dishonour it , and instead of living to the glory of god , they seek themselves and their own honour . the kingdom of christ they are enemies to : in the church without them , they love not his government . in their hearts within , they will not endure it : and the coming of his glorious kingdom they are afraid of . instead of doing his will , they quarrel with it , and murmur at it , and disobey it , and do their own wills , and would have god do their wills too , and have all others do them . instead of being content with daily bread to fit them for gods service , they drown themselves in pleasures , or in worldly cares to make provision to satisfie their flesh . instead of valuing and accepting the forgiveness of sin , as purchased by christ , and offered in the gospel , they have slight apprehensions of so great a mercy , and refuse the conditions of it as too hard , and run deeper into debt , and wilfully sin more . instead of avoiding temp●ations , and flying to christ for deliverance from evil , they tempt themselves , and run into temptations , and seek after them , and love the evil of sin , and are loth to leave it and be delivered from it . so that they are against every petition in the lords prayer , though they use the words . they are also against every ordinance of god , and lick up the vomit of all sects that do oppose them . one sect is against the lords day : and so are the ungodly against the sanctifying of it , and spending it in holy worship , and delighting themselves thereon in god. else what need so many acts to restrain them from sports and other profanation of it ? and all will not do . another sect is against praying but by the book , and would have min●sters restrained from praying in any other words , then are commanded him . and the ungodly easily receive this opinion , an● reproach all other prayers as 〈◊〉 temporate and disorderly . another sect is against church government by any but mag●strates ; these are called erastian and the ungodly are not onl● against it , but detest it , and reproach it . let them be called 〈◊〉 publick repentance and confession for any publick sin , and 〈◊〉 whether they be not against th● discipline . i know no outward d●ty that they are more against . the will hear us preach with some patience and quietness : but when w● come to reprove them personally and recover them from scandalous sins by necessary discipline , they storm and rage against us , and w● not endure it . some separatists are for the peoples governing of the church by a major vote ; and consequently ruling those that god doth ca● their rulers , and commandeth them to obey , heb. 13.17 . and so are the ungodly ; they would rule their rulers , the ministers , and have them administer the ordinances of god according to their fancies ; but they will not be ruled by them : let the minister but require them to come to him to be instructed or catechized , and they will not be ruled by him , they are too old to be catechized : let him call them to any necessary profession or other duty , and they will do what their list . let him but cross any of their conceits and customs , and they will sooner revile him then be ruled by him . the separatists will withdraw themselves from our churches and gods ordinances , if things be not suited to their mind . and so will many of the ungodly . most parishes in england , that i hear of , where any kind of discipline is exercised , have more separatists then communicants . the fa● greater part of many parishe● forbear the communion of the church in the lords supper , an● have done many years together even because they cannot be admitted without examination , or without some necessary or lawfu● profession , or because they cannot have the sacrament kneeling , or put into their hands , or the like . they will separate and be without the sacrament , or take it in a separate society , rather then they will be ruled by the pastors of the church in a gesture or undoubtedly lawful thing . another sect of late will not sing davids psalms : and the ungodly will not do it heartily and reverently , but only with the voice . another sect ( the anabaptists ) are against baptizing infants . and the ungodly do not holily and heartily devote themselves and their infants to god : they do not themselves renounce the world , the flesh and the devil , and take god for their god , and christ for their saviour , to heal and rule them , and the holy-ghost for their sanctifier to make them holy : and how then can they do this for their children , which they refuse themselves ? when they have offered their children to god in baptism , they bring them to the flesh , and the world , and the devil in their lives , and teach them to break the covenant which they made . so that they are far worse then anabaptists . another late sect will not pray morning and evening in their families , nor crave gods blessing on their meat , nor teach children and servants the duties of religion ; and so is it with the ungodly : how many of you that hear me 〈◊〉 day , have prayerless families ? th●● let your people go about their l●bours as an ox to the yoak , without calling upon god ? how fe● use to instruct and admonish the families , and help to prepare the● for death and judgement ? all th●● are about you , may see that yo● are guilty of this heresie . another sect alate is risen up that will not keep any const●● times of prayer neither in fam●●● or in private , but only when they find themselves in a good mood , then they will pray . and so it with many of the profane . i am aweary of mentioning these desperate errours : more of them might be mentioned ; and the case made plain , that almost all the heresies in the world are me● together in the ungodly and unsanctified . would you see the summe of all my charge in order ? it is this : 1. many sects that trouble us much , do yet hold no errours but what may stand with christianity and salvation . but the ungodly err in the essentials , and overthrow the very foundation of religion . their errours will not consist with grace or salvation : they are damnable heresies . yea beside all that the sects aforesaid hold , they have many damning heresies of their own . these deadly hereticks hold , that the world is rather to be sought then everlasting glory ; that the pleasure of sin is to be chosen before the holiness of the saints : that their flesh is to be pleased before god ; that its better venture on their beloved sins , and keep them yet a little long●r , then presently forsake them ; that the way to heaven which god commandeth , and ch●●st and all his apostles we●t in , is 〈◊〉 a●d preciseness ; and godliness is mo●● ado then needs ; and that the bod● must have more care and diligen● then the soul ; and the trifles 〈◊〉 this world be more looked a●ter then the one thing necess●ry ! these and abundance such damnable heresies do dwell in our c●ties and countries , in the minds 〈◊〉 those that cry out against heresie● ungodliness is the greatest heres●● in all the world . 2. other hereticks have some of them but one or two errours but the ungodly have all these together : they are the sink of al● errours : as all gods graces ma●e up the new creature in the sanctified ; so all deadly errours an● vices go to make up the body o● ungodliness , when it is compleat its name is legion ; for there are many of these evil spirits in it . the anabaptist hath a scab ; and the separatist hath a wound ; but the common ungodly multitude have the leprosie , and plague-sores from top to toe . profaneness is a hodge-podge and gally-mawfry of all the heresies of the world in one . 3. many other hereticks do err but in speculation , and only the brain is infected , and they do not at the heart digest their own mistakes . but the heresies of the profane ungodly people are practical , and have mastered the will : the poyson is working in the heart and vital parts ; so that it is far the more mortal for this . 4. many sects at least do not practise their errours ; but the ungodly live upon them . yea their lives are worse then their opinions : they say bad , and do worse . you may see more heresie , then you can hear from them . 5. some erring persons have the substance of christian truth mixt with their errour , by which the power of the venom is abated , and they do good in the church as well as hurt : but the ungodly do not savingly , heartily and practically hold fast any the most fundamental truth . 6. some sects are meek and temperate in their way . but the ungodly are carried on with fury and malice , against the whole body of the holy catholick church . 7. and some hereticks are so thin and few , that where we have one of them to do hurt , we have an hundred or a thous●nd to contradict them . but the unsanctified and ungodly are the greater number , and think they should rule because they are the most ; and the flock of christ is a little flock . and so many thousands swarming all over the world , and making up the far greatest part of the world is like to do more against truth and peace , then here and there a poor sectary in a corner . 8. and lastly , the errours of some others are easier cured : but the whole nature of the ungodly is turned as it were into errour ; it is rooted so at the heart , that no power on earth is able to cure it , till god almighty by insuperable light and life of grace will do the cure . and now i beseech you , judge impartially who they be that are the deadly and dangerous hereticks : and who are the hinderers of unity in the church . and how unfit these miserable people are to call for vnity , and cry out against our many religions , who are heartily of no religion themselves , but against the life and practice of all . to hear an ungodly man go crying out of sects , of separatists , of anabaptists , and this and that , is as if we should hear a blackamore scorn one for a spot on his face ; or a murderer rebuke a man for an angry word ; or a souldier that kills as many as he can , cry out of the surgeons for curing no more , or blame others for a foul word ; or a common whore reproach another for a wanton word , or uncomely garments : or as if a mad man should revile men for every slip he findeth in their speeches , and call them fools . o that we knew how to cast out this master devil of vngodliness ! this beelzebub the prince of devils ! and then i should not fear the rest ; no not all the sects and errours in the world that are found with true godliness . yet still remember these two cautions : 1. i do not excuse the errours of the best : and i lament that they have lamentably wronged the church , and in some respects they have the greatest aggravations . 2. and i still confess that some of the unsanctified are so civil and orthodox , as to be very usefull in the church , and helpfull against sects and heresies : because they are right in the brain as to speculation , and right in the tongue ; and their errour is kept buryed deep in the heart , and therefore they err more to themselves then to others . i doubt not but many such are profitable preachers and defenders of the truth ; and the church must be thankfull to god for their gifts . and yet all that i have affirmed standeth good , that ungodliness is the transcendent heresie and schism . use 2. by what hath been said you may easily perceive , how little cause the papists , or ceremonious , or any others , have to glory in such members of their churches as i have described . can they expect a unity of the spirit with these ? if they glory that they have men and multitudes on th●ir side ; so may the turks that have more then they : and so may the heathens that have more then either . and yet when a papist hath deceived a poor licentious , or ignorant man , or a proud or vitious silly woman , they glory in their convert . never yet did i know any prot●stant turn papist , that was not an ungodly wretch before , and without the power of the religion which he professed . do not say i speak censoriously or uncharitably in this ; for i think upon consideration all papists will confess it : for they teach that all that be not of their church are void of charity , and cannot so be saved : and that all must therefore come into their church , because there is no charity or salvation without it . though this be false , yet you see by it that they confess that never any but graceless unsanctified protestants did turn to them : nor can they invite any to them but ungodly people . and who ever turneth papist , doth thereby confess that he was ungodly before , and that he was not an honest godly man. for in turning papist , he professeth to go into that church out of which there is no salvation , and consequently no charity or saving grace . and if indeed you desire none but the ungodly to turn to you , take them if they will needs go , and try whether you can do any more good on them then we have done . i think we have little cause ( but for their own sakes ) to lament our loss of such as these : and that you have little cause to glory in your proselites . and i have yet seen none that shew us any more holiness since their change , then they had before . a fair church you have , that is the common stie for all that will come to you ; and that is glad of any to make up the number , that you may have that in quantity , that is wanting in quality . use 3. from hence also let quakers , and papists , and all reproachers of our churches take notice , how groundlesly they hit us in the teeth with the ungodly that live among us . [ these are your protestants , say they ; these are your churches : these are the fruit of your ministry ! say the quakers . ] no ; these are the enemies of our ministry and doctrine : these are they that joyn with you , and such as you , to reproach us and revile us ! these are the obstinate despisers of our ministry ; that instead of learning of us , do revile us ; and instead of obeying our doctrine , do make a mock at it . if they are any of them brought to a sound confession , and restrained from any vice , they may thank the doctrine which we preach for that ( unless they do it only for fear of the laws . ) but their profaneness is it that we have endeavoured to cure them of , and cannot ; for they are obstinate . if papists or quakers accuse our doctrine as dead and weak , because it cannot cure all our hearers ; what forgetful dotards are they that observe not how they condemn themselves ? do the quakers or papists change us all to their opinions by their books or preaching ? beyond sea they are fain to keep men in their church by fire and sword for fear of losing them : and here , it is but here and there an ignorant ungodly wretch , or a proud raw novice , that turns to them . you may therefore as well hit us in the teeth with your selves that revile us and say , [ we are the fruit of your ministry ] as with the ungodly , and tell us that [ they are the fruit ] of our ministry . for though they live among us , they are not of us . and we teach men no more to be ungodly , then to be quakers or papists . if you say , that they are in our churches ; i answer , where discipline is exercised , the most of them are out ; and the rest we weed up as fast as they so discover themselves , that we may do it without danger of pulling up the wheat with them . many of us reject them by discipline : and all of us rebuke and disown them by doctrine . if jews and heathens were among us , we could not preach more against them , then we do against the ungodly ; nor could we labour harder to cure them . tell us not therefore of them : they are none of ours : they disown us , and we disown them : they are our persecutors as you are , that hate us when we have done our best for them , and love us least when we love them most ; and cast back all our instructions in our faces , or cast it behind their backs , and tread it under feet . they are those against whom we shake off the dust of our feet : they are not our disciples ; but such as refuse to be christs own disciples . nay i wonder that papists and quakers do not to their shame observe , that it is like to be some evil spirit that sets them a work to rail against us ; seeing all the drunkards , and whore-mongers , and covetous wretches , and ungodly malicious people in our parishes be of their mind , and rail against us as they do : it s like to be the same cause that hath the same effect . if it be the devil that sets the profane to rev●le us , judge who it is that sets these sects to spake the same or like words against the same persons ? and you that are profane and ungodly , i pray you here take notice what a case you are in ! you are so vile that a few besides your selves will own you . we disown you : you are none of ours ; because you will be none of christs . and the very quakers and other sects disown you , and hit us in the teeth with you , as if you were our shame : all these bear witness against your ungodliness : and therefore if yet you will be ungodly , when quakers are against you , and all are against you almost as well as we ; if you will hear neither ministers nor sectaries , neither teachers nor railers , how many witnesses will rise up against you , and how speechless will you be ? use 4. i have been all this while but about preparatives : and now i come to the work that i intended . do not think that i have spoken all this of the ungodly to hinder a union and christian concord , but to prepare for it , by telling you the reason of our distance , and division , and what must be removed before we can be one. truly sirs , i come to you with peaceable intentions . i come upon a treaty with you , to see whether you will become one with us , and be reconciled or not ? for the lords sake attend me considerately and impartially , for it is a weighty buness that i have to propound to you , and a most excellent motion that i have to make . as you regard the god of unity that sends to you , and christ the prince of peace , and the spirit who is the principle of unity , and the church that is the seat of unity , and your selves that may have the blessing of unity , hearken to the motion of peace and unity that i have to make to you from the lord. sirs , what think you ! hath the world been long enough divided or not ! are our distances from one another broken into pieces enow or not ? are we cut into shreds enow , and great enough , and our spirits bitter enough or not ? is it not time think you to sound a retreat to our foolish wars ? you call for unity : y●u talk for unity , and against sects and divisions : do you mean as you speak ? and are you in good sadness , or are you not ? would you have us to be all of one mind and way , or not ? you talk against being of so many religions : is it the true desire of your hearts that we should be all of one religion ? if it be , hold fast to this : so far we are agreed : let us lay this as a g●ound-work ; we must be all of one church , one faith , one religion , if we will be saved . well the● , it lyes next before us in order to enquiry , what one religion and way we must be of ? and what is our distance , and what course must be taken to make us one ? are you willing to lay by passion , and scorn and hatred , and bitterness , and come to a treaty about the matter ? o sirs , if you were but all truly willing to search out the business , and to be ruled by god and reason , we should soon be agreed , for all our differences . and how happy would this be for the troubled church ? how happy for the offended distracted world ? how happy for your own souls ? well! what terms shall we agree upon ? some body must begin the motion ; sitting still will not heal us . i will make a motion that never a man of you that hath the face of a christian , can tell what justly to accept against . let us set the word of god before us , and take the best helps on both sides to understand it , and let this decide the case with us : what say you ? will you stand to the word of god ? shall we app●al all to christ , and try our differences by his revealed word ? if this may carry it , we shall soon be agreed . but if any of you have catcht the popish perversness , and say [ the scripture is dark , and a dead letter ; every sect pleads scripture for their way ; this will not serve our turn ; we must have a living judge ] i answer such a one as followeth . 1. is the scripture the law of god or not ? if you say not , you may as well say you are infidels . if you confess it is , then it must have the use of a law. and , 2. must not subjects understand a law to live by it , though they be not judges ? and when estate and life depends on our obedience to the law ; if this law now be so dark that the subjects cannot understand it , then it is no law , as not being capable of the use and ends of a law. and so if our salvation or damnation lye on our obedience to gods word and law , it s an intolerable reproach to god and it , to say it is such as we cannot understand . 3. must we not be judged by this law ? undoubtedly we must . and then should we not measure our causes by it now ? 4. may not arbitrators make use of a law to decide a controversie , before it come to the jud●e ? doubtless they may . 5. what judge would you have ? there are but two in the world that pretend to be the universal infallible judge of controversies : and that is the pope , and a general council . for a general council , there is none now in the world , nor like to be to the end of the world : god forbid we should defer our peace till then . and its decrees are as dark , and much more uncertain then the word of god. and for the pope , he is head of a sect or party , and therefore not fit to be judge : you may well know he will judge on his own side . he must be judged by this word of god himself . he is too far off , of all conscience , for us to go or send to . where rome is , the most of you know not : a shorter journey may better dispatch our work . the papists themselves tell us that many popes have been murderers , adulterers , simonists , perjured persons , and some hereticks and infidels . and must such as these be our only judges ? they have erred oft already , and therefore they may deceive us : and if you send for the popes sentence , you must take the messengers word that he was there , and that its true . but yet if all this will not serve turn , i will make a motion that none can gainsay that hath the face of a christian. let us first agree in all those points that papists and protestants , calvinists and lutherans , arminians and anabaptists , and seperatists , and all parties that deserve to be called christians , are agreed in ! what say you , is not this a reasonable motion ! o happy you , and happy the places where you live , if you would but stand to it ! and let us consider of this motion first in the general state of our difference , and then in the particular parts of it ! truly sirs , the main difference in this world is between the godly and the vngodly ; and all other differences that are not parts of this , are nothing to this , being of lesser danger , and easier toleration or cure . the whole world is divided into two armies : christ is the captain general of one , and the saints only his true souldiers , and the seeming saints his seeming souldiers : the devil is the general of the other , and all the unregenerate or ungodly are his souldiers . an enmity is put since the beginning between the seed of the woman and of the serpent , gen. 3.15 . and there is no middle state , nor one man on earth that is not in one of these armies . i come not to reconcile the commanders , christ and satan ; for they are unreconcileable ; but to reconcile you to christ , and draw you from a deceiver . i tell you , ●irs , this great difference between the holy and the unholy , is the first that must be healed . we can go no further with you , if you will not begin here at the heart of the difference . when this is do●e , you shall see before i have done with you , that i will quickly tell you how we may do well , for all our other differences . you know if one of us believe that there is a god , and another that there is none , i● were foolery for us to dispute how god must be worshipped , before we are agreed that there is a god. so here ; when it is the nature of ungodliness to make men false to the very truths that they do profess , and heartily to be of no religion at all , it is in vain to dispute about circumstances and mode ▪ with such kind of men . who would dispute whether infants should be baptized , with a man tha● knows not wh●● baptism is ? [ ev●n an accepting of god for ou● god , and christ for our lord and saviour , and the holy ghost for our s●nctifier ; and an absolute delivering up our selves to the blessed trinity in these relations , by a solemn covenant professed ●nd sealed by water , renouncing the flesh , the world and the devil . ] o were but this much practically known , we should be all united in this one baptism . still i say , unholiness is th● great point of difference , and the dung●on of confusion , and puddle where all the heresies of the world are blend●d and made into a body that is something worse then heresie . when you cry up unity , and cry down holiness , you are distracted and know not what you say . you talk of joyning us together , and you cast away ●he glue and soder . you talk of building the church in unity , and you cast away the lime and morter , the pins and nails , and all that should fasten them . you complain that the garment of christ is rent , and you throw away the needle and thred that should sow it up . you see our wounds and blood , and take on you to have pitty on the church , and call for healing , but you hate and cast away the only salve . do you not yet know that the churches unity is a unity of the spirit , and of holiness ? and that there is no way in the world for us and you to be united , unless you will be sanctified , and live in the spirit , as you have done in the flesh ? sirs , let us come nearer the matter : ● know our towns and countries have two sorts of persons in them ; some are converted , and some unconverted ; some holy , and some unholy ; some live for heaven . and some are all for earth ; some are ruled by the word of god , and some by their own flesh or wills . if ever these agree and be united , one party must come over to the other . either the godly must become ungodly , or the ungodly must become saints and godly : which must it be ? which do you think in your consciences is the way ? must we yield to you ; or should you 〈◊〉 away to us ? ( pardon that i 〈◊〉 my self with the sanctified ; 〈◊〉 dare not deny the mercies of god , and the priviledges of his house ) let us come fairly to debate the case , and lay our reasons together ; and i will here protest to you , if you can give us better reasons why we should forsake a godly life , i 'le turn to you : and if we can give you better reasons why you should embrace an holy life , will you here promise to turn to us ? and let them carry it that have the better cause , and let us be resolved to go away united ; and fall all together into that one way that shall be proved to be the best . well , let us come to a debate , and see whether we must come to you , or you to us . 1. if we ever agree and unite , you know it must be on terms that are possible . he that propoundeth impossibilities to be agreed on , is the enemy of agreement . but it is impossible for us to come to you , and so to unite with you . th●s i now prove . 1. ●t is impossible to have any vniversal vnity but in an vniversal head and center , and that is only god , the father , son , and holy-ghost . as i told you , the army must unite in the general , the kingdom in the soveraign , the family in the master , the school in the school-master . in order of nature , you must unite with god in the redeemer by the sanctifying spirit , before you can unite with us . but while you are unsanctified you are divided from god. do you not feel your minds strange to him , your hearts draw back from him , and find by his strangeness to you that there is a division ? it s impossible for us to be united to you , till christ be united to you . for , 1. it s against nature , seeing he is the center , and the head and fountain of life : and what good would it do you to be one with us and not with him ? 2. god is against any unity without him : if you will not begin with him , he will take it but as a treasonable conspiracy , and will break it . we dare not go without him , lest he be angry and destroy us : souldiers must not make either peace or war , not so much as treat without the general . do you not remember how iehosaphat had like to have sped by a friendship and confederacy with ahab ? 2. moreover the godly and ungodly are of contrary natures : i told you god hath put an enmi●y between them . you must chan●e your nature or we ou●s , before we can unite . you may as well think else to unite fire and water , or to build in the air , or to incorpo●●●● fire and gun-powder ; or to reconcile men and serp●nts , and ma●ry the dog and the bear together sirs , these ●hings are meer imposs●bilities . 2 cor. 16.14 . there is no agreement between christ and belial , righteousness and unrighteousness , light and darkness , d●ath and life , the members of christ , and the members of an harlot or a drunkard , or such like : we have contrary spirits ; how then can we be one ? one hath the spirit of holiness , and the other the spir●● of profaneness ; one is led by the spirit of god , and the o●her by the flesh : we live not by one law. gods will revealed in h●s word is our law : and the will of the flesh and the course of the world is your law. we live not on one sort of food ; how then can we accord together ? christ and his heavenly truth , and holy spirit , and ordinances , is the meat and drink of the saints : they cannot live without them : and the world and fleshly delights are your food ; you cannot be without it . your food would be our poyson ; your worldly cares , your drunkenness , and profaneness would be a torment to an honest heart . they cannot live without some communion with god in faith and love by prayer and ●editation : and your heart is against it . they have not the same ●nd as you have . their work is all for heaven , and yours is all principally for earth . their work and yours are contrary . th●y go one way , and you another . so that its impossible to be united and agree , till one side change . and we cannot possibly turn to you : god holds us fast by his love and spirit , and will not let us go ▪ nor suffer us ever to be willing to go . do you not read christ ●elling you , that its impossible to deceive the elect ? that is , so far as to turn them away from christ. we are kept by the mighty power of god through faith to salvation . 1 pet. 1.5 . and who can break away from the upholding arms of almighty power ? christ hath such hold of us that he is resolved none shall take us out of his hands , ioh. 10.28 . so that we cannot come over again to you . but you may come over to us if you will. god calls you , and christ would welcome you , and the holy ghost would h●●p y●u : the door is set open by the bl●od of christ : the promise is ●o you and to your children , that you may and shall have christ and life if you will come in , and accept the offer . the devil cannot hinder you against your wills ; he holds you but in the fetters of your own wilfulness , by his meer deceits . seeing therefore that you may come over to the sanctified , and they cannot possibly come to you , let any reasonable man be judge on what terms we should unite and agree . 2. moreover if we agree , it must be on terms of wisdom and honesty . a dish●n●st agreement is not to be desired , but abhorred . for you to l●ave your ungodliness , and turn to the love and fear of god , is an honest cours● of agreement ; for it is but to have dishonesty it sel● and become honest . i hope none of you dare charge the way of god and godliness with any dishonesty : god calls you to nothing but what is holy , and just , and good : and therefore honesty requireth you to yield . but for the s●nctified 〈◊〉 unsanctified ; for the 〈…〉 b●come ungodly , to be one 〈◊〉 you , this were the b●s●st dish●●●sty in the world . we know your way to be of the devil and 〈◊〉 flesh ; and is it honest then to joyn with you in it ? we have ●yed too long already in the d●●es o● our ignorance , and have found it dishonest and deceitful : and would you have us go against our own experience ? we were once in the way that you are in , and were forced to renounce it , or else we had been undone body and soul for ever ; and should we ●●ck up the vomit which we were forced to cast out ? we were once agreed with you , and god constrained us to break that agreement : and shall we renew it again ? alas , your way hath cost us dear ; many a bitter repenting day , and many a sad thought , to the breaking of our hearts , and the very sense of gods displeasure ; a taste of hell was cast into our consciences ; many a groan , and ●ear , and prayer it cost us , before we could recover the hurt that we c●t●ht in the way of ungodlin●ss ; and yet we have not fully recovered it to this day . and would you have us stark mad to forget so soon our former sorrows , and turn to a h●e that hath cost us so 〈◊〉 already ? no , we have paid too dear for it , and smarted too much for it , to go that way any more : it brought us to the very brink of hell ; and if we had but dyed in that condition , we had been damned at this hour ; and would you be so unreasonable as to wish us to go back again ? no ; by that time you know as much of an unsanctified state as we do , you will run from it your selves as fast as you can run ; as ●he israelites did from the cry of the company of dathan and abiram , lest the earth should swallow them up also , numb . 16.34 . we are cer●●in that the lord whom we serve is the only god ; and that he , and none but he should rule us ; and that we have grievously wronged him by disobeying him so long . and yet would you have us again forsake him ? if we should lie in tears till we die , it were too little to satis●●e his justice for one of the sin● we have already committed ; and if it had not been for the wonderful ●ave and suff●●ing of the son of god , we had been lost for ever : and yet must we turn to this course again ? god forbid . it was not so wise nor honest a course . we our selves , saith paul , were sometime foolish , disobedient , deceived , serving divers lusts and pleasures , living in malice and envy , hateful and hating one another ( you hear how he calls his former life ) but after that the kindness and love of god our saviour toward man appeared , not by works of righteousness which we have done , but according to his mercy he s●ved us , by the washing of reg●neration and ren●wing of the holy ghost , tit. 3.3 , 4 , 5. and should paul have turned a fool again , and be deceived and disobedient again , to ag●ee with the rest of the deceived world ? o sirs , we have seen that which you have not seen , and tasted that which you never tasted . had you seen and tasted the love of god in christ , and the delightful hopes of eternal life , and felt the comfort of his service , and the joyes of the holy ghost , you would never wish us to come back again to agree with you in sin , but you would abhorr your selves the very thoughts of your former folly . why , you may better perswade a man to repent that he was born , and ●o go into the womb again , 〈◊〉 perswade us to ●epent tha● we are new-born , and return to our 〈◊〉 sta●e of death . dea●h is not so ●weet to us ; ●or h●ll , ●or the w●a●● or 〈◊〉 so 〈◊〉 , ●or sin w●●h 〈◊〉 ple●sure so 〈…〉 tha● we should turn to them again for ●ea●e with you . if we have scaped them 〈◊〉 , and will not take that for a warning , to come ●here no more , we dese●ve to pay for it . why sirs , we have made a solemn covenant with god , in the face of the congregation in our baptism , and oft renewed it in the lo●ds supper , and vowed that we would be his , and absolutely and unreservedly his . and would you wish us to break so solemn a covenant ? what honesty is in such persidiousness ? we have renounced the flesh , the world and the devil ; and should we turn to them aga●n for peace with you ? o what a cursed peace were that ! let me tell you , that we have not found god so ●ad a master , as to forsake him for the sake of you or any creature . we have tryed h●m , ●nd fou●d him 〈◊〉 to us then all ●he wo●ld he hath never given us cau●e to fors●●e him . and if we should now af●er all ●he tryals of his love , turn back to the way of sin and ungodliness , the devil himself would charge us with dishonesty . what! must the godly turn drunkards , and worldlings , and hate●s of godliness to have peace with you ? why you may next perswade us even to turn devils , that we may be reconciled to you . the god that made us , hath forbid us upon pain of his hot displeasure , to walk in your wayes . he saith to every one of us , as to ieremy , 15.19 . [ let them return unto thee , but return not thou unto them . ] and should we obey god or men ? judge you whether . why sirs , are you so utterly unreasonable , as to wish us or any man living to love you better then god , or to regard you more then god , or obey you before god ? or should we be so much worse then mad , as to yield to you if you did desire it ? why what are you in comparison with the almighty ! o poor worms , that are even dying while you are speaking ! that are but as bubbles ready to burst , when you are swelled to the highest in ungodly pride ! that even while you are eating , and drinking , and making merry , are passing on apace to weeping and gnashing of teeth , and everlasting woes and lamentations ! what should we regard such dust and dirt as you are before the glorious god! it were far greater wisdom and honesty , for your children to set up a dog or a toad , and say , this is more to be loved and honoured then my father . if a traytor against an earthly prince deserve to be hang'd drawn and quartered ; certainly that man that would forsake god and his laws to please such silly worms as you , did deserve to be hang'd in the flames of hell , and to be tormented by infernal fiends , and ground to powder by the wrath of the almighty ! well! if you have eyes that can see , you may see now past doubt , that we cannot turn to you that are ungodly , with any wisdom or honesty in the world , nor without the highest madness and dishonesty . but can you say so of your turning in to us ? is it contrary either to wisdom or honesty for you to turn unfeignedly to god , and to become a sancti●ied godly people ? me thinks you should not have such a thought in you● hearts . and therefore if we be not all of a mind , and go not all one way , it is most apparent that it is not long of us , but of you . 3. if we do vnite and agree , it must be upon terms of safety . this much i hope you cannot deny us . you would not sure wish us to agree to our own destruction , and to make a bargain with you that we may all joyn together in cutting our own throats ? do you think that this were a wise combination ? how much less should we make an agreement to go the certain way to hell , and to joyn together in damning our own souls for ever ? sirs , if you dislike the way of holiness , do but find out any other way that will safely bring a man to heaven , and we will promise you to joyn in it . but unholiness will never do it . god hath told us as plain as can be spoken , th●t except a man be born again , and be converted , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven , joh. 3.3.5 . mat. 18.3 . an● that without h●liness no man s● 〈◊〉 the lord , h●b . 12.14 . and that the righteous th●mselves are s●●reely s●rv●d , 1 pet. 4.18 . and that if any man be in christ , he is a new creature ; old things are past away , and all things become new , 2 cor. 5.17 . and that if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his , rom. 8.9 . so that if god know who shall be saved , it is as certain as any thing in the world , that no unsanctified man can be saved . if leaping into the water be the way to drowning , or leaping into the fire be the way to burning , or leaping down from the top of a st●●ple be the way to break your necks , as sure is an unholy life the ●ay to everlasting torment . and would you wish us to undo our s●lv●s everlastingly for your ●ri●ndship ? what can you say to this now if you say that your way is not so dangerous , it is bu● our precise uncharitable conc●it . we have shewed you the word of god for it ; and fourty times mo●e we could easily shew you ▪ and shall we believe you or such as you before god ? you are lyars ; but god cannot lye . you see not what is done in another world ; but god seeth it . you know not what is in heaven or hell : but god knoweth . and shall we not believe god that knoweth and disposeth of all . better then moles that never saw it . and ignorant souls that never knew it ? god saith , that fornicators , adulterers , drunkards , covet●us persons , revilers , or the like , shall not inherit the kingdom of god. 1 cor. 6.10.11 . and that they that are in the fl●sh cannot please god ; and that if you live after the flesh ye shall 〈◊〉 rom. 8.5.6 , 7 , 13. and would you have us believe you that there is no danger in a fleshly life ? sirs , we desire heartily to be united and agreed with you ; but we are loth to buy it so dear , as the loss of god and heaven com●s to . we are willing of concord with you ; but we are loth to be damned with you : and do you blame us for this ? and , alas , if you should tell us a thousand times that you hope there is no such danger , or that you hope to scape as well as the godly , this is but poor security to us . shall we be so ●ad as to venture our selves on such words as these against the word of the ruler of the world ? what s●curity can you give us that we shall scape damnation if we turn ungodly ? are you able to save us from the wrath of god ? will you undertake to stand between us and his displeasure ? what say you ? if we will forsake an holy life , and live as careless worldlings do , and neglect god and our souls , and please the world and our flesh , w●ll you undertak●●o answer for us in judgm●nt ? and will you 〈…〉 bear the punishme●t 〈…〉 should bear 〈◊〉 you 〈…〉 ●o save ●s ha●mless , 〈…〉 will you per●wade ●s to 〈…〉 do ? nay , ●f you 〈…〉 it , he were a mad man 〈…〉 trust you , and 〈…〉 on 〈◊〉 such under●●●● 〈…〉 know you are not 〈…〉 ma●●th 〈…〉 how unable w●ll 〈…〉 your selves ? 〈…〉 an hour 〈…〉 , whe● 〈…〉 commission to car●y you● 〈…〉 and shall we trust 〈…〉 your ●oa●●●g words , when 〈◊〉 kn●w you are 〈…〉 help yo●r selves ? let us see 〈◊〉 what yo● can do f●r our selves or us agai●●● the prefer●●and of god. 〈◊〉 you keep off death , and 〈◊〉 diseases , and live here in heal●h and wealth for ever , whether god will or no ? how comes it to pass th●n that here is never a one of you near two hundred years of age ? let us see you chide back approaching death , and raise the dead bodies from their graves , and heal all the diseases that out off mankind : if you cannot do these smaller matters , would you have us b●lieve that you can save●s from damnation ? why , sirs , must your ne●ghbours lie some of them in poverty , and some in pain , some sick of one disease , and some of another , and you look on them and cannot cure them or relieve them , and yet must we venture our souls upon your words ! you cannot make an old man young again , and can you make the word of god prove false , or save those that god hath said shall perish , and bring unsanctified men to heaven whether god will or no ? well , sirs , let them that hate their souls , ●r care not whether they are ●aved ●r damned , forsake the lord and an holy life , and joyn with you , and see whether you can sa●e the●e but for my part i believe the w●r● of god , and upon th●s word 〈◊〉 i am resolved to build my hop●s ▪ and venture my soul and a●l 〈◊〉 little that i have in this 〈◊〉 trust you on what you please , 〈◊〉 shall be my trust : and they 〈◊〉 can find a surer ground to 〈◊〉 upon , let them take the●r course . but i must tell you , that if you would wish us all to cast aw●y god , and christ , and heaven , to agree with you ▪ you are mo●ite●● and not men ; and if you are s● cruel as to desire us to damn our souls for company , we must be so careful of our selves as to abhor your motion , and ra●her to ha●e the dearest thing or person in the world , as they would draw us from christ and everlasting life , luke 14.26 . you see than what it is that standeth in our way , to hinder us from turning back to you . but what dang●r would you be in if you should turn to us ? would it hurt or hazzard you to forsake your sensual ungodly lives ? is there any danger in turning to god , and living an holy heavenly life ? what is the danger ? forsooth you may lose your estat●s or lives ! a great matter indeed in comparison of eternal life : and must you not lose them shortly whether you will or not ? and are they not in the pow●r of god ? and cannot he pr●s●rve th●m if he please ? and if it be good for them , he is liker to do it for his own , then for his enemies ! but indeed he hath told you himself , that he th●t will save his life shall lose it , and he that loseth his life for his sake , shall find it , even in life everlasting , mat. 16.25 . & 10.39 . and yet as the world now goeth in england , through the mercy of god , your lives are in no danger . it is but the scorn of ignorant miserable men that you must endure . and will you stick at this , in the cause of god and your salvation ? nay indeed you are in most dreadful danger every day and night , and hour , till you forsake your former fleshly lives , and turn to christ ! you are all the while even within a step of death and hell , till you are converted and made an holy people ; it is but one stroak of death to put an end to your lives and hopes , and you are gone for ever . so that you have nothing to lose , but an heaven to gain , if you joyn with the godly . there is no danger can come to to you by turning , unless it be the loss of your sins ; and that is a loss no more to be f●ared , then a man should fear to lose the plague , or pox , or leprosie that hath it . now i beseech you sirs , as men of conscience or of reason , set both together , and equally consider how the case stands between us . if we joyn with the unholy , we run into hell , and lose god , and christ , and grace , and salvation for evermore : but if you turn to the godly , you get out of danger , and make the gainfullest match that ever was made by mortal men ; and you can lose nothing but the sensual pleasures of sin , which are but exchanged for the joyes of saints , as sickness is exchanged for health . and which now do you think in reason is the fitter , that you turn to the godly , or they to you ? truly , if you make so great a matter of leaving your sins , which are viler then your dung , that you will rather break with god and us , you must give us leave to make so great a matter of leaving christ and h●s holy wayes and people , that we will much rath●r break with you a●d all the wicked in the world ▪ and with o●● carnal selves , and that which is ●ost dear to them : and i think we have good reason for it . 4. moreover , th●s must be considered in our treaty , that if we agree , it is fit that our dearest frien● be taken into the agreemen● should we cast off them to agre● with adversaries , and leave our ol● friends in hope of new ? but if we come over to you , and turn unholy we shall never have gods consent to the agreement , we must leave him out , and utterly lose him when , alas , we cannot live , no● move , nor breath without him ▪ w● cannot have our daily bread , or one nights rest but by his gift . and such a friend is not to be lost for you . and we shall lose the lord jesus and the holy ghost , a●●●he communion of saints , are the peace of our own consciences . o what a peal would conscience ring us night and day ! it would open hell to us : it would kindle the fire of gods wrath in our bosoms ; and be scorching us as we lie down and as we ris● up : and who would endure such a life as this , for all the world ? 〈◊〉 like it is not t●us with you : but that is because you know not what a case you are in , nor what a dreadful thing ungodliness is ; but we know it : and therefore what shift soever you make to keep your consciences asleep , i know not how i should quiet mine , if i were in your case , and kn●w but what i know of it . but now if you will joyn with christ and us , your true fri●nds w●ll be glad of it : you should no● lose one friend in the world by it , unles● you take the devil and his servants for your friends , that would destroy you . judge then whether you should come to us , or we to you . 5. moreover , this must be considered in our treaty , that if we agree with you , we have some regard to our honour . and what honour is it to us to become the servants of sin and the devil , and be forsaken of god , and return to the slavery that lately we were delivered from ? a hang-man is ten thousand times more honourable then this . but on the other side , if you will turn to christ , you will come out of the greatest shame , and obtain the greatest honours that you are capable of : you will be the sons of god , and heirs of heaven , coheirs with christ , fellow-citizens of the saints , and of the houshold of god , iohn 1.12 . rom. 8.17 . eph. 2.19 . and be built up an habitation of god through the spirit , eph. 2.22 . 6. moreover , this is most considerable in our treaty , that if we agree , it must be upon vniversal terms that all will agree upon ; or else it can be no vniversal agreement . if a few should agree with you , this would not make a unity in the world . we must have terms that are fit for all to agree upon . and in good sadness , would you have all the world be such as you ? tell me , you that are covetous and proud , would you have all the world become proud and covetous to agree with you ? nay if they should , when they are likest you , they would not agree with you : ●or the proud will envy the proud , and their pride will set them together by the ears . and the covetous would be greedily snatching the prey out of one anothers jaws and their mammon would be the matter of their strife . tell me also you that are drunkards or unclean , would you have all the world become drunkards and unclean for unity with you ? you that are careless about your souls , and p●ayerles● in your families , and forget the matters of eve●lasting life , would you have all the world set as light by god , and christ , and heaven as you ? could the worst of you all have the face to make such a motion as this ? what! would you have all holiness and heavenly-mindedness banished out of the world , because you have banished it from your selves ? would you have all men shut their bibles as much as you , and instruct their children and servants no more then you , and love god and serve him no more then you ? is it possible that such an heart as this can be in the breast of the worst on earth ? what! would you have all the world be drunkards , or fornicators , or haters of godliness , or at least unsanctified , because you are so ! how quickly then would earth turn hell , and the flames of the wrath of god consume it ? how certainly then would god forsake the world , as a man would be gone from roads and serpents ? can there be such cruelty in any but the devils , as to wish all the world to be damned with you for company , or to agree with you on such terms , that you may go hand in hand together to damnation ! or if you had such devilish hearts within you , as to desire such an agreement as this , can you think that all the godly would yield to it ? no ; let me tell you , not one of them in all the world will yield to it . if you set ●o more by the love of god , be blood of christ , the presence and comforts of the holy-ghost , and the hopes of glory , yet they do , and will do . if you will run into hell , you shall never get them thither with you for company . but on the other side , there is nothing in the way of holiness , but what is fit for all men to agree upon . i know all will not ; and therefore we expect not an agreement with all . but that is their unhappiness . there is no fit means of agreement but this . 7. lastly , this also must be considered in our treaty ; that we agree upon terms that are like to hold , and not to be repented of hereafter . for what good will it do to agree today , and to break it or bewail it tomorrow ? why , alas sirs , we know as sure as we breath , that if we should agree with you in unholiness , we should quickly repent it , either by grace , or in hell-fire . nay we know that you will repent of those unholy wayes and hearts your selves , either by grace or judgement . nay there are even now some kind of purposes in many of you to repent . i have heard abundance of ungodly men profess that they hope to repent hereafter , and mend their lives , and leave their sins . and would you wish us to come and joyn with you in a way that you hope to forsake your selves , and in a way that you purpose hereafter to repent of ? i know as sure as that the sun will set , that every ungodly soul among you , will shortly change their false opinions ; and they that derid●d the servants of christ , would wish then they might but be door-keepers among them : you will wish and wish a thousand times that you had done as they did , and lived as holily as the best on earth : you will then wish , [ o that it were to do again ! and that my life were again to be lived ; and god would but try me on earth once more . ] those tongues that railed against religion , will a thousand times more reproach your selves for those reproaches , and the neglect of this religion . you will then cry out [ where was my wit and reason , when i made so mad a change , as of god for the creature , christ for sin , and heaven for hell ] do you think sirs , that it were any wisdom for us to agree with you now in that , for which you will fall out with your selves for ever ? and to go with you in that loose ungodly way which you will wish your selves that you had never known ? besides , we know that it is only the saints that we must live with for ever ; and therefore you must become saints , if you would be unit●d to us here . what! should we be so careful to agree with you a while , and be separated from you eternally , or do worse by suffering with you ! but if you will unite with us in christ and holiness , this will be a lasting unity ; which you will never have occasion to repent of . the union between the lord jesus and his members , shall never be dissolved . heartily joyn with his servants now in the wayes of holiness , and you shall certainly joyn with them in the state of happiness , and in the joyful fruition and praises of the lord. well sirs , in this much of our treaty i have layed the case plain and open before you , and shewed you , that we cannot come over to you : it is not possible , nor honest , nor safe ; we cannot forsake an holy life without forsaking god , and our redeemer , and our salvation , which no man that is a man indeed , should desire us to do nor can we do it till we first forsake our understandings : but o● your side the case is o●herwi●e ▪ you may turn to god and an holy life , without any hurt or wrong to you at all ▪ nay it is the only way to your felicity , and if you do it not , you are undone for ever : so that the case is past all controversie before you , that there is no way in the world to unity , but by consent in piety ? if half the common-wealth turn rebels , and so shall make a division in the body , the way to unite them is by the returning of the rebels to their allegiance , and not for the true and lawful subjects to turn all rebels and joyn with them . for without the head there cannot be a union . so that if the world be still divided and disagreed , it is not long of the godly , but of the ungodly : and if you would have an agreement , it s you that must yield , who cause the disagreement . you may do it , and must do it , or do worse ; but the godly may not yield to you . what say you now , would you have unity or division ? would you have peace or no peace ? you complain that the world is of so many minds : would you have them all reconciled and of one mind ? if you would , let us see it . the work sticks with you ; on your hands it lyeth , and it is you that must do it , if ever it be done . if you would have all ungodly , you deserve not to live on the earth . shall we then without any more ado agree all upon a life of holiness ? o that our towns and parishes would all joyn together in this agreement ! and it must be this or none . but perhaps some of you will say , what need you make so many words about a matter that no bo●y doth deny ? we all kn●w we should ●e holy and godly , and n●ne should be ung●●ly ; who doubts of this ? but the question is , what holin●ss and godliness is ? tell us th●refore wh●t you me●n by it , ●n● who those be that you tak● to be the godly sanctified people ? answ. if we are all agreed of the necessity of holiness , then those that are not yet agreed to be holy themselves , do sin against their own consciences , and condemn themselves in the things which they allow , and wilfully divide themselves from christ and from his church . and if any of you have been so long baptized into the name of the holy-ghost as your sanctifier , and yet know not what sanctification is , and who are to be accounted sanctified and godly , you shew that you have perfidiously cast away and broak your covenant with god ; and made but an ●ll use of your baptism or any means and ordinances since . but if you know not who are godly or ungodly , i shall quickly tell you . a godly man is one that being formerly in a state of sin and misery , both strange and backward to god , and heaven , and an holy life , and prone to earthly , fles●ly pleasures , is now by the powerful w●rk of the word and spirit of god , converted to unfeigned faith and repentance , broaken-hearted for his former sin and misery , flying to christ as the only hope an● physitian of his soul , and so is made a new creature , having his heart set upon god and everlasting life , and contemning all the pleasures of the flesh and the things of this world in comparison of his hopes of glory ; hating all known sin , and not wilfully living in any ; and loving the highest degree of holiness and willing to use the means that god hath appointed to destroy the remnants of sin , and bring him nearer to perfection ; this is a truly godly man. and he that is not such , is ungodly . he that yet remaineth in his natural depraved state , and is unacquainted with this great and holy change , that hath any sin that he had rather keep then leave , and any that he wilfully liveth in , and wilfully neglecteth known duties , as one that had rather be free from them then perform them , and had rather live a fleshly life , then a sp●ritual and an holy life , and is more in love with the creature , then with god ; with his life on earth in flesh and sin , then a life in heaven wi●h god and his ●aints in perfect holiness ; this man is undoubtedly a wicked and ungodly man , how evilly or religiously soever he may seem to live in the world . and so i have in a few words told you , who they be that are godly , and who are the ungodly . the question now that we are treating about , is , whether we shall all agree together to be godly ? do you not believe it to be best and necessary ? if not , you are blind : if you do , let us agree on it without delay . you tell us with many great complaints of the many differences and divisions that are among us : but shall we agree so far as we are agreed ? that is , shall we agree in heart and practice , so far as we are agreed in opinion and profession ? o that you would make a solemn covenant , that you will but consent and go along with the godly so far as you confess you ought to do ; and would but unite with us in faithfulness to the truths which you cannot deny . i think it will be best to call you to the tryal in some particulars . 1. i hope we are all agreed that there is one only god that ma●e us , and preserveth us , and redeemed us : and therefore that we are wholly his , and should resign our selves and all that we have absolutely to him for his service . he is not worthy the name of a man , that denyeth this : and shall we a●l agree now in the practice of this much ? shall we wholly resign our selves and all that we have to god ? and labour to know what god would have us be and do , and that let us resolve upon , whatever the flesh or the world say to the contrary . were but this much well resolved on , we were in a fair way to a full agreement . 2. we are all agreed in opinion or profession , that this god is our only happiness , and his favour is better then all the world , and that he is infinitely wise , and good , and powerful ; and therefore that he must be loved above all things whatsoever , and must be most feared , and served , and trusted , and depended on . and shall we but agree all in the practice of this much ? o that you would but heartily consent and do it ! did we but joyn together in loving god above all , and fearing , and trusting , and serving him before all , we should quickly be of one heart and soul , and in a very fair way to a perfect agre●ment . 3. we are all agreed ( that profess christianity ) that sin hath made us miserable , and brought us under the wrath and curse of god , and that the lord jesus christ having redeemed us by his blood , is the only physitian and remedy for our souls , and having manifested such infinite love in our redemption , and also purchased dominion over us , we are strongly bound to rejoyce in his salvation , and fly to him for safety and rest upon him , and live in the thankful admirations of his love , and in careful obedience to his gracious laws . and shall we all agree in the practice of this much ? will you fly to christ with broken bleeding hearts , for safety from sin , and wrath , and hell , and set more by him then by all the world ? will you study with all saints to comprehend his love ? eph. 3.18 , 19 and admire him and his mercies , and devote your selves to him and be ruled by him ? o that we were but all agreed in this much ? 4. we are all agreed in opinion or profession , that the holy ghost is the sanctifier of gods elect , or of all that shall be saved , and that except a man be born again by the spirit , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven , and that without holiness none shall see god ; and that no man is the son of god , that hath not in him the spirit of his son , 1 cor. 12.12 , 13. eph. 4.5 . ioh. 3.5 , 6. heb. 12.14 . rom. 8.9 . gal. 4.4 . were we but all such now as we are agreed we must be , and would you but all consent to this sanctification and newness of life , the great difference were healed , and the work were done . 5. moreover we are all agreed , or seem to be so , that the holy scripture is the word of god , and of infallible truth , and therefore must be believed and made the rule of our judgements and our lives . shall we all agree now in the practice of this ? will you appeal to the scripture ! and shall it be our rule ? if the flesh perswade you to another course , and murmur at the strictness of gods word ; if custom be against it , and the greater number be against it ; if your profits , or pleasures , or worldly honours be against it , and your former opinions and practice have been against it , will you yet believe the scripture before all , and be ruled by it above all the world ? you are agreed i hope that god is to be obeyed rather then men , or then the flesh and the devil ? will you resolve that 〈◊〉 shall be so ? o if the word of god might be the rule , how quickly should we be agreed ? for all the popish cavils at its difficulty , and mens divers expositions , yet how soon should we be agreed ? 6. we are all agreed in opinion or profession , that there is a heaven for the sanctified , even an endless unconceivable glory with god , in the seeing of his face , and enjoying him in perfect love and joyes ; and that the seeking of this everlasting glory should be the main and principal business of our lives , which all things must give place to . he that will deny this , can have no pretence to call himself a christian. o that we might but all agree in the practising of this ! and that the principal love and desire of our souls were set upon the heavenly blessedness , and the chiefest of our care and labour might be laid out for the obtaining of it . agree in this , and all will be agreed at last . 7. we are all agreed in our profession , that there is an hell , or state of endless torments , where all the finally unsanctified and ungodly must be for ever . but why do we not agree in the diligent avoiding of such a dreadful misery , and using our best endeavours to escape it ? 8. we are all agreed in profession , that the flesh is our enemy , and must be mortified . but will you agree in the practice of this mortification ? we are agreed i● profession , that the world is our enemy and must be contemned ▪ and that it is a vain and worthless thing , compared with the glory that is to come : but yet m●n 〈◊〉 not agree to renounce the world unfeignedly , and to be stranger to it , and part with all rather th●● with god and a good conscience but while men sp●ak contemptuously of the world , they seek 〈◊〉 far more eagerly then heaven . we are agreed that the devil is our enemy , and yet men will not forsa●● his service . 9. we are all agreed in profession , that sin is a most hateful thing hated of god , condemned by his word , and the only cause of the damnation of souls : and yet men love it , and live in it with delight sha●l we agree all to deal with sin as we speak of it ? will magistrates , and ministers , and people joyn together , to banish it out of town and countrey ? particularly we are agreed i hope , that whoredom , and wantonness , and gluttony , and drunkenness , and strife , and envying , and lying , and deceit , and cursing , and swearing , and railing , and backbiting , and speaking against an holy life , are all gro●s , hateful , damning sins , which every christian must abhor . but why do you not agree in the hateing , and forsaking , and beating down of these sins ? but town and countrey swarmeth with them as a carkase doth with maggots , or a stinking pond with frogs and toads : so that magistrates and ministers , punishments and perswasions , the laws of the land , and the laws of god , can do but little to rid the countrey of them ; but the same men that confess all these to be great and grievous sins , will keep them and delight in them , as if it were in despight of god and man , or as if they bore a deadly grudge to their own immortal souls . 10. there is none of you that bears the face of a christian , but must agree with us in profession , that one thing is needful , and that we must seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness , and labour most for the food that will not perish . luke 10.41 , 42. matth. 6 , 33. iohn 6.27 . and that god should be loved with all our heart , and soul , and might , and that no man can love him too much , nor serve him too carefully , nor be too diligent in the seeking of his salvation . why then will you not all agree to do thus ? but the very same tongues that confess all this , will yet speak against the service of god , and call it puritanism and preciseness , and say its more ado then needs : why sirs , if you will say and unsay , there is no hold to be taken of your words , and therefore what agreement can be with you ? will you confess that all should take more care for their souls then for their bodies , and take more care for heaven then earth , and yet will you not agree to do it , but rather speak against them that do it , when you confess that it is b●st ? why , if you can agree no better with your selves , how can you agree with us ? if your own opinions and profession be at such odds with your wills and practices , no wonder if you be at odds with others . more particularly , i hope you will all confess , that it is the duty of all that can , to hear the word of god , and frequently to read it , and labour to understand it , and to meditate in it day and night ; and for parents daily to teach it their children at home and abroad , lying down and rising up : deut. 6.6 , 7 , 8. & 11.18 , 19. psalm 1.2 , 3. and to pray in their families , and in private , even alwaies or frequently to pray , and not to wax faint , but in all things to make known their requests to god , that all things might be sanctified to them by the word and prayer . all this is plain in the word of god , dan. 6.10 , 11. luke 18.1 . 1 thes. 5.17 . psalm 55.17 . 1 tim. 4.5 . phil. 4.6 . but will you all agree with us in the practice of these things ? will all the families in town and countrey agree together to pray morning and evening reverently to god , and to banish profaneness out of their doors , and to instruct their children and servants in the fear of god , and spend the lords day in holy exercises , and help one another to pr●pare for death and judgement , and exhort one another daily while it is called to day , lest any be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin ● heb. 3.13 . to what purpose should i mention any more particulars , till we see whether you will unite and agree in these ? all these are your own professions . i know you cannot deny any one of them ; and yet we cannot perswade you to consent with us in the practice of what : your selves profess : no , nor scarce to forbear the open opposing of it : either resolve now that you will all agree with us in these things which you confess the lord hath made your duty , or else tell us plainly that you are the deadly enemies of unity and peace , that we may take you to be as you are , and troubl● our selves no more ab●●● you . if you are res●lved against agreement and vnity , tell us so , and save us the labour of any further tr●aties with you . talk no more childishly about our petty differences in ceremonies and forms of worship , about bishops and common-prayer books , and holy-daies , and such like , as long as you refuse agreement in the main . there 's a difference between you that is an hundred times greater then these ; some of you are for heaven , and some for earth ; some of you live to the spirit , and some to the flesh ; some of you are hearing , reading or meditating on the word of god , when others think it needless , and had rather have a pair of cards or dice in their hands , some of you make gods law your rule , and some are ruled by the world and the flesh ; some are drunkards , gluttons , wan●ons , worldlings ; and some are sober , temperate , chaste and heavenly ; some think almost any thing enough in the worship of god , and for the saving of their souls ; and others think the best they can do too littl● ▪ and when they have done most , lament that they do no more ; some families use daily prayer , reading , and holy instructions ; and others use daily swearing , railing , ribaldry , and pe●haps deriding of holiness it self . in a word , some give up themselves to god and heaven , and others to the world , the flesh and the devil ; some are converted and become new creatures by the sanctifying work of the holy ghost ; and others are yet in the state of nature , and never knew a true conversion . this is the great differ●nce of the world sirs : till this be healed , it is in vain to talk of the healing of our pet●y differences . and therefore once more i tell you , if you will not be converted to an holy life , and unite with us on these terms , you are the enemies of peace and unity , and the great incendaries of the world . and now having proceeded thus far in the treaty with you , because i will either bring you to agreement , or leave you at least without excuse , i will here annex some further reasons to move you , if it may be to so happy a work . 1. consider i pray you , that if you will not agree with us in the things that you make profession of , and confess to be your duty , you are then treacherous and false to god , and to your selves , and therefore not fit for any to make agreement with , till you change your minds . do you know that god is best , and yet will you not love him better then the world ? do you know that heaven is the only happiness , and yet will you not seek it more then earth ? do you know that an holy life is best , and yet will you be unholy ? do you know sin is the worst and most dangerous thing in the world , and yet will you not let it go ? who will trust such men as you , that will go against their own knowledge and confessions ? if you will be false to god , and false to your own souls , no wonder if you be false to us . 2. moreover all your pretended desires of unity and concord are base hypocrisie , as long as you refuse to unite with us in the way and state of holiness : to take on you that you are troubled at the divisions of the world , and to wish that we were all of one religion , and to talk against sects and opinions as you do , is me●r self-condemning , and such gross dissembling as exposeth you to shame . what! would you have us think you are against divisions , when you divide from god , and christ , and the holy ghost , from the scripture , from the holy catholick church , and from the communion of saints ? can you for shame say that you are for unity and agre●ment , when you are dividing from us , and will not agree with us , unless we will be as mad as you , and damn our souls for company with you ? to hear these ungodly men talk against sects and divisions in the church , is as if we heard a man that hath the leprosie cry out against those that have the itch , or a murderer childe another for foul words . 3. and i must tell you while you remain ungodly , you are the great hereticks and separatists that trouble the church of god , more then abundance of those that you reproach . i excuse not the least ; but none of them are like you : as death is worse then sickness , as being that which all sickness tends to , and the worst that it can do ; so ungodliness is worse then sects and particular errours or heresies , it being the worst that any errour can do , to make a man ungodly . there are no such separatists in the world as you . it is not only from a particular church or ordinance that you separate , but as i said even now , you separate from god that made you , from christ that bought you , from the spirit that should sanctifie you , from the word of god that must rule you or condemn you , from the body of christ , and the holy communion of his people . the church would have you joyn with them in holy worship ; and your godly neighbours would have you joyn with them in prayer and holy lives , and you will not , but separate from them all . they cannot have your help against the sins of the time and place you live in : they cannot have your company in the way to heaven ; but when they go one way , you go another way . you are the great troubl●rs of the world , and break the peace of church and state , and of all that you have to do with . you trouble magistrates and make work for lawyers ; you trouble ministers , and frustrate their labours , and make their lives grievous to them , when it is much in your hands to make them joyous . you trouble all the godly that are about you ; and you will find at last that you have most of all troubled your own souls . for shame therefore before you speak any more against sects and separatists , or any other troublers of the church , give over the ungodly separation which you continue in , and come in to the unity of the church your selves , and live in that communion of saints which you say you do believe , and do not go on to trouble the church abundance more then those that you speak against . 4. consider also , whether you have not as much reason to live a diligent holy life , and seek god and your salvation with all your might , as any of your neighbours have ? and therefore whether your own necessity doth not call aloud to you , to vnite with them and to do as they do ? your godly neighbours are meditating on the word of god , when you are thinking of the world or on vanity : they are discoursing of the life to come , when you are talking of your worldly business , or pouring out a company of idle words . ask your conferences now wh●ther you have not as much need to study the scripture and prepare for the life to come as they your godly ne●ghbours are at prayer , when you are sinning and drowned in the inordinate cares of the wo●ld , and have no heart to th●ir employment . let conscience speak whether you have not as much need to pray as they . they abhor sin and are afraid of it , when you boldly venture on it . let conscience tell you . whether you have not as much cause to be afraid of sin as they ? yea and an hundred times more ; for you are under the guilt and power of it . o wonderful madness of the ungodly world ! that the example of the godly should not bring them to some consideration . a man that is converted and reconciled to god , and hath a pardon of all his sins , and is in a state of salvation , and walketh humbly and uprightly with god ; doth yet think all too little that he can do , but fasteth , and prayeth , and watcheth against temptations , and humbl●th his flesh , and followeth after god continually , and lamenteth after all that he is so bad , & can do no more . and his neighbor that liveth by him , is an ignorant stupid sinner , unconverted , and under the guilt of his sin , and under the curse and wrath of god , having no assurance of salvation ; nay it is certain that he would be cast into hell the next hour if he die in that condition ; and yet this man feels not any such need of prayer , and holy meditation , and conference , and so religious and str●ct a life . he that hath lost almost all the time of his life , and is not only quite behind-hand in knowledge and abilities , but is an unsanctified miserable wretch , not sure to be out of hell an hour , this man perceiveth no such necessity of an holy life , nor why he should make so much ado . as if a rich man should be put to daily labour , and a man that hath nothing should think it needless : or as if a man that hath the tooth-ake or a slight disease , should send to the physitian , and he that hath the plague should sit still and say , what needs this trouble ? sirs , i beseech you look upon the holiest and most heavenly neighbours you have , and bethink you whether you have not much more need to be diligent then they ? have not you immortal souls to save or lose as well as they ? are not you in danger of damnation as much and an hundred times more then they ? should not god be your master as well as theirs ? and his law your rule as well as theirs ? and heaven be as dear to you as to them ? bethink your selves when you hear them praying , or reading , or repeating sermons , and sanctifying the lords day , and fearing to offend , [ have not i as much need to do all this as any of them ? ] if then you have as much cause and need to live a godly life as others , joyn with them in it , and let all the town agree together , and none withdraw but he that can say , i have no need of it . 5. and i pray you consider also , how easie it would make the way to heaven , if we would but all vnite and agree to go together in it . this is it that discourageth the weak , and mak●s it so hard a matter to be saved , because there are so few that are godly : but if one or two poor people be resolved to seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness , and to please god and save their souls , the rest do either look on and refuse to joyn with them , or else speak against them and make them their ordinary scorn . and thus he that will be saved , must not only go to heaven without the company of the most of his neighbours , but must go through their opposition , and reproaches , and discouragements : and ( the lord be merciful to the miserable world ) most places that one shall come into , are more agreed against holiness and salvation then for it ; and had rather that all the parish would agree together against a godly life ( which is indeed against christ , and heaven , and their own souls ) then for it . and some places are so miserable , that you may h●ar them thank god that they have not one puritan in their ●arish , or but few at most ; meaning by puritans , men that seek heav●n above ear●h , a●d had rather leave their sins then be damned and this d●s●ea●teneth many that have some mind to godliness , to see almost all the town and parish against it . but now if you had all but so much wit and grace , as to meet together and make an agreement , that you will all be a holy people to the lord , and you will all joyn together in a godly life , and you will all be the sworn professed enemies of the way to hell , and joyn together against your ignorance , and pride , and covetousness , and drunkenness , and swearing , and railing , and all profaneness and iniquity ; and if you would all agree together , to set up prayer , and reading , and holy exercises in every house in town and parish , and that you will all redeem the time for your souls , especially that you will wholly spend the lords day in the necessary delightful work of god ; then what abundance of your difficulties would be removed ? and how easie and pleasant would the way to heaven be ! then there would be none to discourage poor ignorant souls , by deriding at a godly life ; nor none to entice them to wicked courses , nor none to tempt them by their ill examples ; and the number of the godly would encourage men , as the fewness of them now discourageth . th●s troubleth men in the●r passage to heaven , when we are ill-yoaked toge●her , and one draws backward as the oth●r draws forward : and if the husband be for god , the wife is for the world ; or if the wife be for heaven , the husband will needs go the way to hell and if one neighbour be godly , the two , if not ten or twenty next him will be ungodly : and as the israelites spies , they raise up false reports of the land , of the state of godliness , and of the persons themselves , to discourage others : whereas if you would all agree together , you might march on comfortably without all this ado . o how sweet and pleasant a life is it to see brethren dwell together in such an holy unity as this ? psal. 133.1 . happy are they that dwell in such towns and parishes as these ! if there be any such in the world : where neighbours go all hand in hand together towards heaven ; and take sweet counsel together ; and go to the house of god in company ; and when others meet in ale-houses , and about fooleries and profaneness , they will meet together to talk of their meeting in the presence of god , and the joy and praises of the living god , and the communion with christ , and with angels , and with one another , which we shall then possess : when they will pray together , and comfort one another with such words , 1 thes. 4.18 . and when others are talking idly or of the world , they will be admonishing and exhorting one another , and speaking words that are edifying to the hearers , col. 3.16 . ephes. 4.29 . and opening their cases and experiences to each other , and fai●hfully watching over one another , agreeing to tell one another plainly and lovingly of their sins , and to take it thankfully of those that do so , and endeavour presently to amend ! what a sweet and blessed life were this , if all our towns and parishes would agree in it ! who would not rather live with bread and water in such a town as this , then be a lord or prince among the ungodly ! well sirs , it is much in your hands now to make your own and your neighbours lives thus sweet and comfortable , and to make the way to heaven thus easie : why then will you not agree and do it ? 6. moreover such an holy unity and concord would be the highest honour to your towns and countries , that in this world they can possibly receive . it is the highest glory of the kingdoms of the world , to become the kingdoms of the lord and of his christ , rev. 11.15 . you think it a great honour for your towns to be rich and have fair buildings , and to have worldly priviledges : bu● , alas , these are bawbles in c●mparison of the other ! o if it were but the happiness of this town and parish to be brought to such an holy agreement as i mentioned , that you would all joy● together in a godly life , and every family agree to worship god with holy reverence , and all set together against p●ofa●eness and all known sin , what an honour would it be to you of this place ? how would your fame go through all the land ! all countries would ring of ked●rminster , what a victory christ had gotten there , and what an overthrow the devil and sin had there received ! and what a blessed place and people it is , where they are all agreed to be holy and to be saved , and are all like the antient primitive believers , that were of one heart and one soul , acts 4.32 . o how the world would ring of such a town where there is not one family that is ungodly , that serveth the devil by worldliness , swearing , drunkenness , or any ungodly course : but all are united in christ and holiness , and are like to live together in heaven ! truly neighbours , this would be a greater honour to you , and to the town , then if you were every man a lord or prince ! in the eyes of god and all wise men , it would be the greatest honour in the world . and o what an excellent example would it be to all the towns and parishes in the land ! when they see your holy unity and peace , or hear of a place that is so happily agreed , it may shame them out of their ungodliness , and kindle in them a strong desire to be like you , and agree together as you have done . o that you would but give them such an example , and try the issue ! 7. and i desire every one singly to consider , that it is the unspeakable mercy of god , that he calleth you to this holy union with christ , and communion of saints ; and that he doth not thrust you away , and forbid you coming near , but will give you leave to be of the holy society , fellow-citizens with the saints , and of the houshold of god. god hath made his promise and offer so large , that you may have part in it as well as others , if you will not wilfully shut out your selves . the feast is prepared ; all things are ready , and you are every man and woman invit●d ! christ hath opened to you a door of admittance and access to god. and will you now re●use and undo your selves . the sanct●fied are gods jewels , mal. 3.17 his treasure and pecul●ar people : the beloved of his soul , and his delight : and the only people in the world that shall be saved . this is true ; for god hath spoken it : and you may be of this blessed number if you will. god hath not separated you from them or shut you out by forbidding you to come among them . o do not you separate and shut out your selves . you see your godly ne●g●bours in possession of this priviledge : and may not you have it if you will ? may not you study the w●rd of god , and call upon him in prayer , and se● your selves for heaven as well as they ? where do●h the ●cripture command them to it , any mor● then you ? or forb●d y●u any more then them ? the door ●s open , you may come in if you will. you have the same means , and call , and offer , and 〈◊〉 ▪ ●nd leave to 〈…〉 life as th●y . and w●ll you 〈…〉 much of thediff●ren●● y●●rselves , as to be the only r●●users ? god hath done so much for you by the de●●h of christ , and so order●d the matter in the promises and offers of the gospel , that none of you shall be able to say at ●●st , [ i w●uld ●uin have b●en 〈◊〉 the bl●ssed 〈◊〉 , an●●ain h●v● liv●d in the vni●n and communi●● of saints , but i 〈…〉 n●t give 〈◊〉 ; and christ ●nd his church w●ul● n●t r●ceiv●●e and entert●in me . ] not a man ●r woman of you shall have this excuse . and th●refor● come in and joyn with the saints ; & thank god that you may . 8. and consider also , that if you will not agree with us in matter of holiness , we can never well make up the rest of our differences : our smaller controversies will never be well agreed , if you will not agree in the main . but if this were agreed , we should in season certainly heal the rest . it would make a mans heart ake , to h●ar wretched sinners talk of our differences about bishops , and ceremonies , and common-prayer , and holy-daies , and infant-baptism , and the like , that are dead in their sins , and are yet disagreed from us in the very bent of heart and life . alas sirs , you have other matters then these first to talk of , and trouble your selves with . a man that is ready to die of a consumption , should not be taking care to cure the warts or freckles in his face . we have greater matters wherein we differ from you , then kneeling at the sacrament , or observation of daies , or other ceremonies , or doubtful opinions in matters of doctrine . let us first be agreed all to serve one master , and seek one end , and be ruled by one law , and hate known sin , and live a holy life , and then we shall be ready to treat with you about a further agreement . but to talk of small matters , when we differ in the greatest matters in the world , as much as your souls are worth , and in matters which heaven or hell lyeth on ; this is but childish trifling , and whatever we may do for the peace of the church with such , yet to your selves that will be small advantage . nay i must tell you , that it is usually but the cunning of the devil and the hypocrisie of your own hearts , that makes you turn your talk to these controversies , when the great breach is unhealed between christ and you . it s commonly made a shift to delude and quiet a debauched conscience . our poor people will not by any perswasion be drawn to an holy heavenly life , but live in worldliness , and fleshliness , ●n swearing and drunkenness , and lying and deceit , and filthiness and pro●an●ness , and hate the minister or christian that doth reprove them ; and then forsooth they talk of common-prayer bo●k , and holy-dayes , and bishops , and kn●eling at the sacrament , to mak● o●hers , and perhaps ●heir deluded hearts believe , that this is the controversie and diff●rence . and so a wretched drunka●d or worldling peswades hims●lf that he is a r●ligious man , as if the difference between him and he godly were but about these ceremonies or church-orders : when alas we differ in greater matter● , as light and darkness , life and death , yea next to the difference between heaven and hell. and i must tell you , that you do but wrong the party or cause that you pretend to , when you will ●eeds engage your selves among them . what hath done more to the dishonour of the bishops , and common-prayer book , and other late orders and ceremonies of the church , then to see and hear the rabble of drunkards , swearers , scorners at holiness , and such like , to pl●ad for them , and be violent defenders of them ? if you would devise how to shame these things , and bring them down , you can scarce contrive a more effectual wa● , th●n ●o set all the ungodly scandalous wretches to cry th●m up , and become the●r patrons : for it w●ll make abund●nce of soberer people begin to question whether it be li●ely to be good , that hath such defenders on one side , and adversaries on the other side . and therefore sirs , let us begin our closure and agreement in the main , if you would be ever th● better for it , and have unity indeed . and if you say , [ what the ne●rer shall we be for agreement in the other things ? do not the godly still differ about church-government , and orders , and ceremonies ? ] i answer , 1. if we never should be agreed in these on earth , we might bear it the more quietly , because our very hearts and souls are united in the main , even in matters abundance greater ; and in all that salvation is laid upon ; and therefore we have this comfort in th● midst of our differences , that we shall all shortly come to heaven , and that perfection and blessed face of god will unite and perfectly agree us in all things . 2 in the m●an time , we could hold a holy communion with them in the substance of gods worship ; and we have a daily communion with them in the spirit , and and an endeared love to one another , 3. and the holiness of their natures will encline them to mannage our remaining differences with meekness , humility , self-denyal , moderation ▪ and with great r●spect to the safety of the whole church , and the honour of god and of the gospel . 4. and yet i must add , that with such there is a far greater advantage to h●al the smallest difference that remains , then with any other . when we have one god to aw● us , and one heaven to draw us , and one christ for our head , ●nd one spirit and new nature to princip●e us and dispose us , and one law to rule us , and have all one ultima●e end and interest ▪ he●e is a gre●● advantage for healing of any particular differences that may arise . if the liv●r , or spl●●n , or stomack , or brain , or lungs be unsound , the sores that are without will hardly be cured ; yea if there were none , these inward diseases may breed th●m : but when all is well within , the strength of nature without a medicine will do much to cure such small distempers that arise without . the life of ●aith , the love of god , the love of brethren , and the churches peace and welfare , with the humility and self-d●nyal that is in every christian , will do a great deal to the healing of divisions among the godly . they will be content to meet together in love , and pray it out , and refer the matter to the holy scripture , and they have all some special illumination of the spirit . but perhaps you will say , [ why are they not then more fully agreed ? ] i answer , 1. because there are such a multitude of ungodly persons among them , that hinder them from opportunities and advantages for agreement . and many of these ungodly ones are hypocrites , that take on them to be godly , and so are traytors in our bosoms , and hinder peace the more by seeming to be godly when they are not . 2. because of the remnant of sin that is yet in the sanctified , and because they are not yet perfect , and in heaven . if they had no sin , they would have no divisions : and as their sin is healed as to the dominion of it , but not perfectly till they come to heaven ; so their divisions are healed in the main , but not perfectly till they are perfectly united to god in glory . 9. consider also i beseech you , what a joy it would be to christ , and to the angels of heaven , and to all good men , if you would but all make such an agreement , and heartily joyn together in holiness ! the whole 15. chapter of luk● ●s by divers parables to tell you this , w●at joy there is in heaven it self for the convers●on of one sinner ▪ o what would there be then , if towns and countries would agree in holiness ! and i am certain it should be a joy to the princes and rulers of the ear●h ; for such a unity only will ●old , and be a blessing to their dominions . plutarch makes it ag●sil●us his reason why the spartans had no walls , because the people being 〈◊〉 of one minde , had no need or walls . and pliny tells us of a stone that will swim if it be whole , and sink if it be broken . and so will common-wealths that are broke● f●om christ , and void of the cement of the spirit that should ●nite them . and to the ministers of the gospel , and all good christian● , such an unity as this would be an unspeakable joy . somewhat i know of other mens hearts by mine own . could i but prevail with this nation , yea with this one town and parish , to meet all together and hear●ily consent , agree and resolve to joyn all together in an heavenly life , i should more rejoyce in it , then if i had the house full of gold and silver , yea ( as to mine own interest ) then if i were lord of all the world . o what a joyful day were this , if i could this d●y bring you to this holy unity and agreement ? how comfortably should i spend the few remaining dayes of my pilgrimage among you , if you would but all be brought to this ? whereas i may now say as david , psalm 120.5 . for all the godly that are among you , [ wo is me th●t i s●journ in mesech , that i dwell in the t●nt● of kedar ! my soul ●ath too long dwelt with him that hateth ▪ this holy ) peace , i am for peace , but when i speak ( and perswade men to it ) they are for war , and continuance in the dividing course 〈◊〉 ungodliness alas it grieveth us to see such divisions in all the churches and nations of the christian world : and o that we did know how to heal them ! but when we cannot heal the most ungodly separations and divisions of one town and parish , it discourageth us from hoping for any great matters of such large extent . some attempts i have made , and more i would fain make , to further a union and peace among the church●s through the land : but when i cannot procure the unity of this one town and parish , what hope can i have to look any further ? ●l●s what a shame is this to you , and what a grief to us , that we cannot bring one parish , one village that ever i knew of , in all england , to be all of a mind in thos● great , those weighty , needful things , where it is worse th●n a madness for men to b● unresolved or dis●greed ? as melanthus made a je●t of a great man that went about to reconcile all greece , and bring all the princes and st●tes to pe●ce , when he could not bring h●s wi●e and her servant-maid to agreement in his own house . so with what hopes can we attempt any publick peace , when we cannot bring one parish , one village , y●a but very few ●amilies , to agree in that which they must agree in , or else the refusers will be certainly condemned ! i beseech you ●irs make glad the 〈…〉 of your teachers ●nd of all good m●n , by your agreement . you owe us this comfort : and you owe it to christ , and the angels of heaven : deny us not our due , but without any more delay agree toge●her to live as saints . what a joy it would be to your pastors , you are not easily able to believe . when gregory thaumatu●gus came first to be bishop of neoc●sarea , he found but seventeen chr●stians in the city ; and when he lay on his death-bed , he desired them to make enquiry how many infidels were unconverted ; and they found but just s●venteen infidels left , and all the rest were converted to christianity : and though he rejoyced that he left but just as many unconverted infidels as he found converted christians , yet he grieved withall , that he should leave those seventeen in the power of the devil . when i came to you , i found you all professed christians ; but oh that i could say that i shall leave but seventeen unconverted when i am called from you , for all that ! o that there were no more th●t are infidels or impious under the name of christians ! but i and you are unworthy of so great a mercy . 10. and i pray you consider this in time , that all of you that now refuse this agreement in holiness , will wish ere long that you had heartily embraced it , and joyned with the godly , and done as they . and why will you not be of the mind that you will be shortly of ? and why will you be of that way and company , that you will wish at last you had not been of ? the prodigal in luke 15. did think it a slavery to be kept up so strictly by his fathers eye ; he must have his portion in his own possession , and abroad he must be gone ▪ but when smart had taught him another lesson , and misery had b●ought him to himself , then he is glad to be an hired servant , and casteth himself at his fathers feet in the confession of his unworthiness to be called a son . god grant that th●s may prove your case . but let me tell it you for a certain truth , the●e is not one of you that now , 〈…〉 t● become so 〈◊〉 , and joyn your selves in the wayes of god , but ●he time is a hand when 〈…〉 gr●ce or hell shall make you ●i●h and wish ●gain , tha● you might have but ●he poore●● lowest place in 〈…〉 which you so desp●sed 〈◊〉 what i say to you , sirs , in the name of god. if the lo●d of heaven do not shortly make the dullest heart , the greatest dender of godl●ness among you , that heareth these words , to wish and wish an hundred times , that he had lived as holy an● heavenly a life as the strictest of those that he fo●merly derided , ●hen call me a false prophet for ever , and spare not . wh●n you feel the misery of unholy souls , and see the happines● of the saints above you , then o that you had been but such as they , and lived as they , whatever it cost you ! and as bala●m you will shortly say , o that i might ill the death of the righteous , and that my last and may b● as his ! numb . 23.10 . there is never a one of you all but would fain be among the saints at judgement , and receive their sentence and reward ; and therefore its best for you joyn with them now ▪ or it will be too la●e to wish i● then . 11. if all this will not serve the turn , but you will needs stand off , and separate your selves f●om the servants of christ , be it known to you , you shall ere long have separation enough , and be further from them then your hearts can wish . as you would not be united to them , and joyn with ●hem in holines● , so you shall not be partakers with them of their happiness . one heaven will not hold you both ; and there is but one to hold you : and therefore an everlasting separation shall be made : between them and you will a great gulf be set , so that they that would pass from you to them shall never be able , luke 16.26 . when they stand on the right hand , you shall be set upon the left : and when they hear [ come ye blessed ] you shall hear [ go ye cursed ] and when they go aw●y into lif● etern●l , you shall go ●way into ev●rlasting punishment , mat. 25.31 , 32 , 41 , 46. then you shall see that [ the man is blessed that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly , nor standeth in the way of sinners , n●r sitteth in the seat of the scornful ; but his delight is in the law of the lord , and in his law doth he me●itate day and night — the ungodly ar● 〈◊〉 so ; but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away : therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the iudgement , nor sinners in the congr●gation of the righteous : for the lord knoweth the way of the righteous , but the way ●f the ungodly shall perish , psalm 1. ] then you will say to them that now you differ from [ give us of your oyl , for our lamps ●re gone out . ] oh that we had part in your holiness and your hopes ! but they will answer you [ not so , lest there be not enough for us and you . ] we have little enough for our selves , you should have done as we did : but then it will be too late , mat. 25.8 , 9 , 10. it will then make the proudest heart to shake , to hear , depart from me , all ye that are workers of iniquity , i never knew you , matth. 7.23 . you departed from me , and would not live in the communion of saints , and now christ himself of whom you boasted , and in whom you trusted , will not know you , but cause you to depart much further then you desired , both from his ●aints and him . these are the true revelations of god , which may be laught at and sl●ghted now , but will certainly be made good on all that are not now united to christ and his church . 12. and let me tell you , to consummate your m●se●y , when that day of everlasting separation comes , those servants of christ wh●m you refused to joyn with in an holy life , will be so i● any witnesses against you to your condemnation : as christ tells you , mat. 25. he will say [ in as much as you 〈…〉 to one of th●s● , you 〈◊〉 it n●t me ] ●o in as much as you r●fused the communion of saints , and pe●haps derided them , you refu●ed commun●on 〈◊〉 ch●ist h●mself a●d derided him . then ●hey 〈◊〉 test●fie 〈…〉 you , [ we were willing to h●v● had his company in the way ●f holiness , but he refused it . ] and when you see them set so far above you , then your own consciences will say , [ we might have been of this bl●ss●d society , and would not : we might have done as th●y , and now sp●●l as they ; we were often entreat●d 〈◊〉 by our teachers ▪ ●nd full glad would the godly h●ve been of our comp●●y in an holy life ; but we ●estinately refused all ! wr●t he●th●● we are ▪ we refused all ! w● th●●ght i● re●●l●ss ; our h●arts w●r●●g●inst it , we pr●ferr●d 〈…〉 , an● pr●fits , and cre●it , 〈…〉 ●f the worl● b●f●re it an● 〈…〉 ●ustly do w● p●rish in ●ur 〈…〉 lie in yo●der ●urnin● 〈◊〉 ▪ and be separated as far as h●●l is ●●om h●●ven , fr●m th●se that we willfully ●epar●t●● f●om on ●arth . ] ●eloved hearers , i were not a believer , if i did n●t foresee this d●e●d●ul day : and i were n●t a man , if i did not desire that you might escape this misery ; and therefore i could do no less then warn you , as you love your selves , and would not be separated from them for ever , that you would presently be united to the godly , and live in the true communion of the saints , and withdraw your selves from the wayes of the ungodly , lest you be found among them , and perish with them . i have done my part in telling you the truth , and now must leave the success to god. use ult . but i must conclude with a word of advice to the godly : i have made a very large ambitious motion , for the conversion of all at once : but alas , it is far from my expectation that it should prevail . i am not so unacquainted with the power of sin , and the subtilty of the devil , and the wilfulness of blind unsanctified men , and the ordinary course of providence in this work , as to cherish any hopes that all the town and parish should consent . if many or any more do , i shall be glad . but plurima quaeras , ut pauca feras : an high motion when reasonable , may be serviceable to lower hopes . by what i have here said , you may see how little hope there is that ever the church should have any such peace on earth as we desire . if unho●iness be the hinderance , and the greatest part of the world are so unholy , and so our unity is like to rise no higher then our piety , you may see then how much unity to look for . but for your own parts , be sure among your selves to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace . love the brother-hood , even saints as saints . and because you are not the searchers of the heart , proceed according to the word of god. let all that profess themselves a sanctified people , and live so as that you cannot certainly disprove their profession , be used as saints by you , and leave the infallible judgement to god. it is only ●eal saints that have the internal special unity of the spirit , and saving communion ; but its professors of faith and holiness tha● must have external communion wi●h us in ordinances , as they have a visible union of profession with the church . but if they profess not holiness , they ought not to have any christian communion at all . o christians , keep close to christ the cente● of your unity , and the scripture , which is the rule of it , and cherish the ●pirit which is the vital cause ; walk evenly and uprightly in a dark generation , and give no offence to those without , nor to the church of god. know them that are over you in the lord , and be at peace among your selves , and the god of peace shall be with you , 1 thes. 5.12 . phil , 4.8.9 . object . bvt may not a profession of the same faith procure a sufficient vnity among us , though all be not saints , and savingly regenerate ? let us first be of one religion , and then we may come to be sincere in the practice of that religion by degrees . answ. 1. for the churches sake , we are thankful to god , when we see a common concord in profession , though most are false in and to the religion which they profess . many wayes god doth good to his church by unfound professors . 1. their professing the same faith doth somewhat tye their hands from persecuting it . and of the two , we can better bear hypocrites then persecutors . 2. and it somewhat tyeth their tongues from reproaching the faith , and arguing against it , and seducing others from it . and of the two , it would be more hurtful to the church to have these men open enemies to the truth , and bend their wits and tongues against it , and to have the multitude assaulting their neighbours with invectives and cavils against religion , then to have them falsly pretend to be religious . 3. and it is a great mercy to the church , hereby to have the benefit of these mens common parts and interests . when they profess the same religion with us , though unsoundly , yet it engageth them to stand for the religion which they profess ; and their illumination and conviction may lead them to do much service for the truth . by this means many hands are at work to build up the church of christ. and by this means the lives of many faithful christians are preserved and their estates much spared . many have skill in building , that are not true heirs of the house which they build . many have excellent gifts for preaching and expounding scripture , by which the church may be edified , and the truth defended against the adversaries , when yet the same men may themselves be destitute of the power of this truth . the church hath great cause to be thankful to god for the gifts of many an unsanctified man : had the church been denyed the min●stry and gifts of all m●n except saints , it would have been confined to a narrower room , and many a soul might have be●n unconv●rted , that have been called by the ministry of unsanctified men . by some such did god work miracles themselves for the confirmation of the christian faith. and in times of war , if the church had none but saints to fight for them , it could not stand without a continued miracle . and if we had not the daily help of others in civil and secular affairs , we should find by the miss of it , what a mercy we undervalued . were every unregenerate man an open enemy to the church , we should live as patridges and such other birds , that must hide themselves from every passenger . 4. moreover , this profession of hypocrites doth much restrain them from many a sin , by which god would be much dishonoured , and the church more wronged , and the godly more grieved , and the open enemies more encouraged . 5. and also it is some honour to the gospel in the eyes of men , to have a multitude of professors . should christs visible church be as narrow as the mystical , and should none be professors of the faith , but those few that are sanctified believers , the paucity of christians , and narrowness of the church , would be a dishonour to christ in the eyes of the world , and would hinder the conversion of many a soul. all this i have said , that you may see that we do not despise a unity in profession : and that we are not of those that would have all hypocrites and common professors shut out : yea that we take our selves bound to be very thankful to god for the mercy , which he vouchsafeth us by the gifts , and favour , and help , and interest of many such professors . and such a unity of profession we shall endeavour to our power heartily to promote , as knowing that the church as visible consisteth of such professours . 2. but yet for all this , i must come closer to your objection , and tell you , that this vnity of meer profession is comparatively so poor a kind of unity , that this will not , this must not satisfie us and serve the turn , which i desire you to observe in these discoveries . 1. this unity in meer profession is properly no christian vnity , because you are not properly christians . if this be all , it is but in the bark and shell that we are agreed : it is but a seeming agreement , from the teeth outward : but not an hearty agreement to be christians . what! shall we all agree to say we are christians ? when with most it is not so : for all this agreement , you will still have one father , and we another . you will not be united with us in christ the head : you will not have the same holy spirit , who is the life of the new creature : you will be contrary to us in nature or disposition . you will not have the same intention and ultimate end with us , but you will a●m at one thing , and we at another : you will not go the same way , nor walk by the same rule and law as we : it will be but a tying ●og●ther the living and the dead . bell●r●ine himself confesseth that the ungodly are but dead members . it is not life that uniteth a dead member to the living . you will b● stil● either openly or secretly betraying the body to which you profess your selves united , and taking part with its deadly enemies , the flesh , the world and the devil ! your very hearts and ours will still be contrary : you will love the sin that we hate and set our selves against ; and you will dis-relish that holy heavenly life , which must be our business and delight . your affections will go one way , and ours another . you will live by sense , when we must live by faith ; and you will be laying up a treasure on earth , when we are laying up a treasure in heaven : you will be asking counsel of flesh and blood , when we must advise with god and his holy word . you will look first to your bodies , when we must look first and principally to our souls . it will be your business to feed those sins , which it is our daily work to kill . you will make and apprehend it to be your interest to go contrary to us : and what agreement can there be , where there are contrary interests ? under all your outward profession , you will still retain a secret enmity and hatred to the life of holiness : and will not have that hearty love to the saints , as beseems all those that are members of christ , and of the holy catholick church . so that when you have communion with the saints , it will be but an external and superficial communion in some common things ; but you will have no communion with them in the same head , and spirit , and promise , and holy nature , and saving benefits of the gospel . and shall this be called vnity , that leaveth you at so sad a distance as this ? this is but such a union as a wooden leg hath to the body ; or as the vessels of honour and dishonour have by being in the same house together . in their highest professions , the lord himself saith of unsanctified professors , that they are none of christs , rom. 8.9 . and that they cannot be his disciples , luke 14.33 . that they are not israel , though of israel , nor are they children of god , nor the seed of promise , rom. 9.6 , 7 , 8. and when they plead their highest priviledges , at last , christ will tell them that he knoweth them not , mat. 7.23 . & 25.12 . psalm 1.5 , 6. and if in mercy to the church god cause the lyon and the lambs to lie down together , yet will he not therefore mistake the lyon for a lamb. so that you see what a poor kind of unity , and next to none it is that meer profession maketh . and therefore this will not serve our turn . 2. moreover , if we have no other unity , we are unlike to live in peace together . though it be our duty to endeavour to have peace with all men , yet we can have but little hope of it . as long as there is so much difference and contrariety as i have mentioned ; and as long as there is a secret enmity at the heart , it will be working into dissention , if god for the sake of his church restrain it not . the godly will be crossing your carnal interest , and hindering you in the sinful wayes of your commodity , pleasure or vain-glory ! they will be calling you to self-denyal , which you cannot endure : and putting you upon duties of holiness , righteousness and mercy , which your sinful flesh will utterly refuse . if you are scandalous , you will be called to confession , repentance , and reformation , or by church-censures be cut off from them to your shame : and the magistrate also must trouble you by the penalties of the law. the very examples of a strict and holy living , which are given you by the godly , will displease you , because they are so unlike to your lives , and therefore witness against your negligence and ungodliness . so that it is not possible that we should avoid offending you ; for our very obedience to god will offend you , and our studying and following the holy scripture will offend you , and our diligent labour to save our souls will offend you ; and our hateing and avoiding the poyson of sin will offend you . and how then should we live in peace with such ? if you yoak a swine and a sheep together , one will be drawing to the wash-tub , when the other would be at grass : and one will be drawing to lie down in the mire , when the other would lie clean : one will be rooting in the earth , and eating dung , which the others nature is against . it is christ , before me , that calleth the wicked by the name of swine , and the godly sheep : and if you will come no nearer us then this , we are like to have but poor agreement . and as our wayes will displease you , so your galled malicious hearts will manifest the offence , and will be girding , and maligning , if not slandering , deriding , or openly persecuting , as far as you have power , those that thus offend you . and what unity is this ? 3. if reason perswade you not , do but ask experience it self , whether in all ages , men that profess the same religion with zealous godly men , have not been their persecutors , and oft-times more cruel then infidels themselves ? the arrians that called themselves christians , were as cruel to the true believers as the heathens . the papists profess the same christianity as we , and take the whole scripture as the word of god : and yet none of the heathenish persecutions do match or come near to their french massacrees , and spanish inquisition , and the cruelty that in ireland , england , and their part of the christian world , they have exercised upon the sheep of christ. the many ministers that were silenced in germany , and some imprisoned , and many families undone , was by the lutherans , against men that were protestants as well as they . and they that cast out so many learned , holy ministers in england , and occasioned the expulsion of so many thousand persons fearing god , were professed protestants as well as we . and that there may not be the appearance so much as of a difference in ceremonies to cover their proceedings , abundance of conformable men are troubled and undone as well as others , and they gave out that [ none were worse then the conformable puritans . ] it was a holy observation of the lords day , and opposition to the abuse of it by dancings , and it was hearing sermons , and instructing mens families , and praying together , that were the things enquired after , that occasioned our troubles . and ( who ever was in the right or wrong ) you all know that the late miserable wars among us , was between men that professed themselves to be of the same religion , not only as christians , but as protestant , and reformed ( in the main . ) to this day you see among our selves in towns and countries , that those that do not only dwell with us , and come to the same ass●mblies with us , and profess themselves of the same protestant reformed r●ligion , have yet many of them a s●cret malignity against the godly , that will not be as loose and negligent as they , and will not as madly cast away their souls : and also even ma●y greater hypocrites , that rank themselves with us in the same church-order , and seem to own all ordinances of god , and government of the church , yet when this government crosseth them in their carnal wayes , and these ordinances open the nakedness of their miscarriages , they prove stark enemies to the government , officers and ordinances themselves . indeed however we may abide together ( as the clean and unclean creatures in noahs ark ) yet still at the heart there is so much enmity or distance , and in our ends and interests there is so much contrariety , that if the ministers and other followers of christ , will faithfully discharge the duty that is required of them , they will certainly be persecuted by men of the same profession in religion ; especially by the prouder and loftyer sort of wicked men . because some will receive the same truth better from one then from another . i will give you my assertion in the words of a man that you shall confess did speak impartially , and not out of any intemperance or singularity ; who in a prosperous university , in peaceable times , being himself in favour , and of that judgement and of such learning as was likely to continue him in favour , did yet write thus concerning persecution : i mean doctor iackson , in his book of saving faith , sect . 2. chap. 4. pag. 185. [ the ministers of christ may deny christ , or manifest their ashamedness of his gospel , as directly by not laying his law as closely to the great herods of the world , as john baptist did ( suppose the case be as notorious , and as well known to them ) as if they had been afraid to confess him , for fear of being put out of the synagogues , or said with those other iews , we know that god spake with moses , and gave authority to magistrates ; but this man we know not whence he is , nor do we care for his counsels . yet were john baptists kind of preaching used in many kingdoms , though by such as profess the same religion with the potentates , they should offend with their boldness , i think it would prove matter of martyrdom in the end . that any age since christian religion was first propagated , hath wanted store of martyrs , is more to be attributed to the negligence , ignorance , and hypocrisie , or want of courage in christs embassadors , or appointed pastors , then unto the sincerity , mildness or fidelity of the flock ; especially of the bell-weathers or chief ring-leaders . or if satan had not abated the edge of primitive zeal and resolution by that dishonourable peace concluded between christianity and gentilism , after the settling of goths and vandals in these parts of christendom ; had he not utterly benummed mankind by locking up their spiritual senses in midnight darkness , and fettering their souls in superstition , since the time he himself was let loose : rome christian had seen more martyrs , even of such as did not much dissent from her in most opinions held within six hundred years of christ , in one year , then rome heathen at any time had known in ten . even in churches best reformed , it would be much easier , i think , to find store of just matter of martyrdom , then of men fit to make martyrs . and he that hath lived any long time in these quiet mansions , and seats of muses , secure from mars his broyls , or external violence , hath great cause either to magnifie the tender mercies of his gracious god , or suspect himself for an hypocrite , if he have not suffered some degrees of martyrdom : but unto such as have been exercised therein , it bringeth forth the quiet fruit of righteousness . ] thus you see this learned doctor , though in favour with the rulers of the age he lived in , did think that a man that would not be an hypocrite , but faithfully discharge his duty , was likely to suffer martyrdom from those of the same profession with himself , and that it must be by very great mercy from god , or by hypocrisie and unfaithfulness in us , if any minister do scape the hands of the wicked that are of his own profession . so that you may see that meer profession will make but a poor agreement or union among us : sin will be sin still , and the flesh will rage still after its prey in unmortified professors ; and the word of god will still disgrace them and condemn them , and consequently trouble them and exasperate them ; so that if you come no nearer to us then a profession of the christian protestant religion , you will still be souldiers in the army of the devil , and be still flying in the faces of true believers , whenever they do but cross you in your sins . 3. consider also , what a poor benefit comparatively it is to your selves , to be joyned with the saints by a bare profession , and no more will it make you happy to see their faces , or live among them ? so do the bruit beasts , and so do their persecutors : will it make you happy to be called by the name of christians ? no more then it maketh a picture rational to be called by the name of a man. and what if by your parts and moral vertues , you are some way helpful to the church ? so is the wooden leg to the body , which yet is not a member , but a crutch . 4. yea me thinks it should rather double your sorrows , that you are so miserable among the happy . you live with them that have part in christ , when you have none in him . you joyn with those that have the spirit of god , and an holy disposition and conversation , when you have none : you kneel by them whose spirits are importunate with god in prayer , when your hearts are dead : you sit by them that are quickned and sanctified by the word , which to you is but a dead and empty sound . you are famished among them that are feasting upon christ , and upon the precious promises of eternal life . you are but as carkases among the living : their company maketh not you alive ; but your noysom conversation is grievous unto them , unless it be some of you that are embalmed and beflowered with some common graces , for the sakes of those that else would be more troubled with you . and is this so great a comfort to you , to be dead among the living , and to be heirs of hell in the midst of them that are heirs of heaven ? methinks ( till you are sanctified ) it should be a daily horrour to you , to look them in the faces , and think that they have christ and grace , and you have none ; and to hear in the holy assemblies the mention of their happiness , and the name of that god , that christ , that heaven where they must live for ever , and in which their blessedness consisteth , when you must be turned out into everlasting misery . that you may not think i am singular in all this , i will add here some humane testimony for confirmation of it . zenoras , comment ▪ in epist. canon . can. 45. ex basil. m. epist. 2. ad amphiloch . give● us this as one of the canons of the greek church received from basi● [ if any one receiving the name o● christianity , shall be a reproach i● christ ( that is , saith zonaras , by ● wi●ked life ) his name or appellation is no profit at all to him . ] an● even in the roman ca●on law this is one canon taken out of augustine , [ parvulus qui b●ptiz tur si ad annos rationales veniens , n●crediderit , nec ab illiritis abstinuerit , nihil ei prodest quod parvulus accepit . decret . part 3. dist . 3. p. 1241. ] that is [ a baptized infant , if when he comes to years of discretion , doth not believe , nor abstain from things unlawful , it profiteth him nothing which he received in his infancy . ] if it were needful after the canons both of the greek and latine church to give you the like words from particular fathers , i could soon perform it . 5. you are so far from being happy by your visible church-state and outward profession , and communion with the church , that you have the greater sin , and w●ll have the sorer punishment , because among such examples , such means , and calls , and mercies , you yet resist the grace of christ , and are void of that holiness which your tongues profess . the poor indians hear not that which you daily or weekly hear ; nor have the opportunities in publick and private that you have had . if they lie in ignorance and unbelief , they can say , it is because they never read or heard the scripture , nor ever had a man to tell them of the blessed tidings of redemption , or open to them the way to life : but so cannot you say for your selves . they were the less excusable , if they had seen but one of your dayes , or joyned but once in those holy assemblies which you profane . the mouth of christ himself hath told us concerning the rejecters of his ministers and his gospel , that it shall be easier for sodom in the day of judgement then for them , mat. 10.15 . you will find a hotter place in hell , that pass thither from those seats , from this assembly , from such a neighbourhood , and such a nation , then if you had passed thither from among the turks o● indians . 6. moreover , there is in some respects , less hope of your salvation , that have long lived unconverted in the outward communion of the church , then of other men . as a sick man is in a more desperate case that hath long used the best and only means , and all in vain , then he that never used any . i confess you have the advantage of being still under the means ; and that is your hope ( as long as it lasteth ) : but then you have the dreadful symptom of frustrating these means ; and that is your terrour , above those that yet remain without . 7. moreover , if you agree with us but in profession and outward communion , you will be thereby more capable of doing us the greater mischief . i know god doth benefit his church by many of the unsanctified , as i said before . but many others of them are the greatest plagues to it . one enemy in our own armies , or in our councils , may do more against us , then ten thousand open enemies abroad . false-hearted bishops , pastors , yea and magistra●es , that have the name and not the nature of christians , are they that have betrayed the church , and broken it in pieces , and made the cause of christ a stepping-stone to their worldly ends . it was a doeg that betrayed david and abimelech : it was a iudas that betrayed christ himself . you are now our daily hearers , and live some of you civilly among us , and take your selves confidently for christians and saints as well as others , and secr●tly scorn those that would rob you of that honour , as appropriating it unto themselves , and say as zedekiah to micaiah when he struck him , 1 king. 22.24 . [ whi●h way went the spirit of the lord from me to speeak unto thee ? ] but if the times should turn , and you had but your will , at least if you were but forced or driven by authority , we should soon find many of you to be blood-thirsty enemies , that now are so confident that you are christians and true servants of god. a little money would hire those iudas'es to betray christ , and his cause and church , that now are our familiars , and put their hands into the same dish with the true disciples . while they are among us , they are not of us : and therefore when temptations come , they will be gone from us . it s well if half this assembly that are now hearing me , would stick to godliness , if godliness were but the persecuted , scorned way of the times : yea if they would not forsake even the name it self of christian , and forsake these assemblies and outward worship , if the rulers were against it , and did but persecute it , so that it must cost them any thing dear to hold it . 8. moreover , these hollow-hearted christians , that agree with us but in the outside and the name , are capable of dishonouring christ and the gospel , much more then if they were open enemies . if a professed heathen or infidel live wickedly , this cannot be cast upon the gospel or the christian name , nor can christ and his servants be hit in the teeth with it , or reproached by it : but when those that take on them to be christians , and joyn with christians in their publike worship , shall live like heathens , or worse then some of them , what greater wrong can be done to christ ? will he not one day take such wretches by the throats , and ( s●y , [ if thou must have thy pride , and drunkenness , and coveteousness ; if thou must needs swear and curse and rail , or live an ungodly fleshy life , thou shouldest have kept thee out of my church , and not have called thy self a christian , and taken an easier place in hell : must thou bring thy wickedness into my house , and among my servants , to dishonour me ? must i and my servants be reproached with thy crimes ? ] and this is one great cause why christ hath appointed discipline in his church to admonish and reform , or reject the scandalous : and this is the reason ( among many others ) why faithful christians , ( though they would make no unjust divisions and separations ) would yet have the church of christ kept clean , by use of holy discipline , as he hath appointed ; because it is from such false-hearted professors ( usually ) that the name of christ is reproached in the world : these are they for the most part that make turkes and jewes and all other enemies say , that christians are as bad as others , because those that are as bad as others , do take on them to be christians . when drunkards , and fornicators , and covetous persons , and profane , do come to the congregation , and say they are christians , when in heart and deed they are not , what wonder then if infidels and enemies of the church reproach us and say , you see what christians are ? how could a papist do the protestants a cunninger and surer mischief , then to take on him a protestant , and then commit fornication or other horrid lewdness , or joyn with some abominable sect , to make men think that the protestants are such as these ! and how can you do christ a greater wrong then to carry the dung of the world into his church ; and to cover all the crimes of infidels , with the name and garb of christianity , that it may be said , all these are the crimes of christians ! and therefore it is that christ and his faithful ministers , though they would have as many as is possible to be saved , yet are not so forward to take in all , as others be : for christ needeth not servants , but it s they that need him ; and he had rather have a few that will honour him by mortifyed holy lives then a multitude that will but cause his name and gospel to be reproached . it is certain from church-history , that the holy life of some one or few persons ( as gregory thaumaturgus , macarius , and many the like ) hath drawn in multitudes and converted countries to the faith : when the wickedness of whole towns and countries of professed christians , hath caused many to fall off , and caused the enemie to insult . we will not for all this break our rule , nor presume to search the hearts of men , any further then they appear in outward evidence . we will still take all professors of christianity as christians , that null not their own profession . basil was advised by athanasius himself to receive the arrians themselves into communion , if they did but disown their former errors , and subscribe to the nicene creed , and seek the communion of the churches . and he practised this , though many were offended at it . but yet we must needs say , that it is better for the church to have a few that are holy and answer the nature of their holy calling , then to have multitudes that will but prove our shame , and make the infidel world believe that christianity is not what it is . yea and these are they most commonly too ( though they may proceed to a higher profession ) that are carried about with every wind of doctrine , and that turn to heresies , and cause and continue the divisions of the church : for they that are such , serve not the lord iesus , when they profess to serve him , rom. 16.17 . when heresies do arise , it is such chaff as this that is carried away , that the approved christians indeed may be made manifest , 1 cor. 11.19 . abundance of proud unsanctified persons , do us as much good in the church as fire in our thatch , or as mutinous souldiers that are but the enemies agents in the army , to set all the souldiers together by the ears , or discover their councils , or blow up their magazins . and would you have us contented with such a kind of agreement and communion with you as this , which you and we are like to be so little the better for , if not the worse ? 9. furthermore , it is not this meer ageerment in profession that will satisfie christ himself , and therefore it must not satisfie us . it is not in this that he attaineth the principal ends of his redemption , nor seeth the travaile of his soul. alas , the blood of christ is lost to you , and all the ordinances and means are lost , and all the labour of ministers is but lost to you as to any pardon of sin , or life , or heaven that ever you shall have by them , if you goe no further . and would you have us be contented with such an agreement as this ? 10. lastly , consider that if we agree no further then in an outward profession of the christian faith , alas , it will be but a short agreement . we may be together here a while in the church , as fishes good and bad in one net ; but when it is drawn to the shore , a separation will be made . here you may sit and kneel among us a while , and go away with the name of christians : but alas , it is but a little while till this agreement will be broken , and a dreadful everlasting separation must be made . dreadful to the unsanctified , but joyful to the saints . and what great good will it do to you or us , to be tyed together a little while , by words and shews , and then to be everlastingly separated , as far as light from darkness , heaven from hell , and the greatest joys from the greatest sorrows . o blame us not if we motion to you , and beg of you , a far neerer union and agreement then this . i think i have now sufficiently proved , that if we will be indeed of one religion , and ever come to a right agreement , it is the vnity of the sanctifying spirit that must do it . it must be a union and agreement in true conversion and holiness of life , and nothing lower will serve the turn . if god do us any good by the profession , gifts or interest of hypocrites and unsanctified professors , we 'l thank him for it , and take it as a mercy : but it is a higher design that must be in our hearts ; and woe be to them that come no nearer the holy catholik church and the unity of the spirit and the communion of saints , then by an outward profession and participation of sacraments , and such like outward ordinances of communion . quest. bvt suppose we should be vnited in the spirit , and agree in holiness , do you think this would heal the divisions of the church ? doe you not see that the most godly are all in pieces , as well as others ? is it not such that have been the principal causers of our late divisions ? you promised to shew us , how we might do well , for all our other differences if we were bu● agreed in holiness ; will you now shew us what advantage that would be ? answ. to be agreed in holiness , and to be heartily one in the essentials of christianity , is an exceeding advantage to us in all our disagreements about lesser things . as 1. were we but once vnited in the main and sanctified by the vniting spirit of christ , our principal differences were healed already . we should no longer be of different minds , whether sin or holiness be best ; or whether earth or heaven should be chosen for our portion ; nor whether god or the flesh or world should be obeyed . you little think what abundance of differences are at once reconciled in the very hour of a sinners conversion . before that hour , we differed in judgement from all wise men , from all the saints of god , from all the holy prophets , apostles and martyrs , as well as from all the godly about us ; and from all men of right reason , and faith and experience ; yea we differed from the holy ghost , from christ , from god himself ; yea from none so much as him . wicked wretches ! you differ from the godly because they agree with god ; but you differ more from god then from them . when you despise a holy life , are his thoughts like your thoughts ? when you revile his servants , and scorn his yoak and burden as too heavy , are you then of the mind of christ ? o no ; your darkness and his light , are far more distant then you are able to conceive . were you but once reconciled to god , by converting sanctifying light , you would at once be reconciled to his servants ; for in the matters of chief concernment to the soul , they are all of his mind ; for he is their instructer . and then what a day of healing would that be ! oh what abundance of differences are ended upon the day of true conversion ? and withal what abundance of differences would be new made ? for now you agree with the devil and with your fleshly desires , and with distracted wicked men , and all this agreement would then be broke : for this friendship with the world is enmity to god , iam. 4.4 . and such divisions as these christ tells us that he came to send , luke 12.51 . but you would presently be agreed with god , with the holy scriptures , with all the apostles and servants of the lord , and with all men of spiritual wisdom and experience in the world , in the great and principal matters of your lives . and it is a multitude of particulars that is contained in this agreement that 's made when a sinner is truly sanctified . 2. if once you were united in the spirit , and agreed in a holy life , you would differ in nothing that could keep you out of heaven . and if we have some small differences on earth , as long as they are such as cannot hinder our salvation , they may be the more easily born . paul and barnabas had a little falling out : but o how sweetly are they now reconciled ! hierom and chrysostom , epiphanius and iohn of hierusalem , theophilus and chrysostom , were at odds ; luther and zuinglius had their disagreements ; but oh how happily are they now agreed ! our imperfection of knowledge causeth us here to erre and differ in part : but if we are all united in christ , and agreed in the main , how quickly shall we see that blessed light that will reconcile all our controversies ! marvail not to find some contests among the most learned and most godly , unless you 'l marvail that earth is not heaven ; or that in that body we see not the face of god , which is the all-disclosing reconciling light . if we were all here together in the dark , and were of many opinions about the things before us ; if one did but come in among us with a candle , it might end all our differences in a moment . when we are newly out of this obscuring flesh , and this dark deceitful earthly world , o what an unconceiveable reconciliation will be made by that blessed light ! there 's no contending or quarrelling : for there are none of those errors or passions that should occasion it . as imperfect holiness produceth an answerable imperfect unity , so perfect holiness will prfectly unite . and is not this then the only way to unity , which will help us here to what is here attainable , and secure us of eternal perfect concord , in the world that we are passing to ? o see that you be once agreed in the things that are necessary to salvation , and then the hour is neer at hand that will end all your differences , and agree you in the rest . 3. if once you be but agreed in holiness , you will have no difference left , that shall destroy any grace in you , that 's necessary to salvation . the power of divine faith , and love and hope , and fear and zeal , will still be safe . your diseas●s will not destroy your vital faculties . and if the head , the heart , and principal parts be sound , you may the better bear a small distemper . the disagreements of the ungodly from god , from scripture and the saints , are mortal to them , and prove them under the power of darkness and of satan , that leads them captive at his will , ( 2 tim. 2.26 . eph. 2.23 . acts 26.18 . ) but the differences of the sanctified , are but as the different complexions or statures of children , or at worst but as their falling out , which will not cause the father to turn them out of his family ; so that as long as faith , and love , and hope and other graces are kept sound , we shall certainly do well for all our differences . and this is the benefit of agreeing in holiness . 4. moreover , if once we were all agreed in the spirit , and in holiness of heart and life , we should escape all heresies , or errors that effectually subvert the essentials of the christian faith . mistaken we might be ; but heretikes we could not be . i stick not upon the bare word , whether smaller errors may be called heresie ; but taking heresie as commonly it s taken , a sanctified person cannot ( at least habitually ) be a heretick . for should a man so hold a point inconsistent with any one essential point of the christian faith ( at least habitually and practically hold it , ) it s as impossible that this man should be then a christian as that contradictories should be true . and therefore certainly whosoever is a true christian , is fr●e from such heresies . and therefore as , if you are sure a man so holds a heresie , you have no reason to believe his shews of holiness ; so where you see a great appearance of real holiness , you must long deliberate and have good evidence , before you judg● that man a heretick : for this is the certain priviledge of the sanctified , that they cannot be hereticks , though they may have many errors ( as in sensu composito all confess ) . 5. morover if we were but all agreed in true holiness , we should be freed from most of those scandalous sins which are the common occasion of our reproaches and divisions . it is sin that is the grea● trouble of the church , and of the world ( iohn 7.25 . ) this breeds our quarrels this setteth all into a flame . when a drunkard , or an unclean person , or a slanderer , or a raise● , or any scandalous person , is r●proved , or openly admonished , or for impenitency rejected , then the devil and sin bestir themselves , and rage against the church and officers and ordinances of god. it is sin within that animateth the malignant to b● contentious : and it is to defend and take part with sin , that they fall out with god and his word and servants . now holiness is contrary to this sin that troubleth us . mortification of sin is part of sanctification . if therefore we were agreed in holiness , it were as ready a way to procure our peace , as quenching the fire in your thatch , is the ready way to save your house . i know there are too many scandals given by the best . but it is commonly but by the weaker worser sort of the best . and it is not a common thing with them neither . and none of them make a trade of sinning , nor have any unmortified reigning sin . if a noach , a lot , a david , be once scandalous in all his life , this is not the case of all the godly ; and it is not like the case of the ungodly that are either often , or impenitent in it . and therefore though it may disturbe the church : yet not so much as the frequent and impenitent scandals of the ungodly . o could we but all agree against this make-bate , this great disturber and troubler of the world , what peace might we enjoy ? 6. and also , if once we could agree in holiness , the matter and occasion of offences , separations and contentions would cease . what caused the donatists separation of old , but the scandals in the church : and the receiving of such upon repentance into communion or ministry ? and so the novatian schism also was occasioned . and though the donatists and novatians were too blame to be against the ordination or reception of such penitents ; yet the prevention of the sin , would have been the prevention of the breach . what hath caused so many to turn separatists in england , but seeing so many ungodly persons in our churches and communion ? you that are most offended at schisms and private churches , are the common occasions of it your selves . if such ungodly persons were not in our assemblies , few godly persons would separate from them . though i do not justifie them , yet i must needs condemn you as the cause . were it not for you , we should be more of a mind among our selves . but when your rotten ulcers and corrupted lives have raised a stink in our assemblies , this causeth our division : the separatists stop their noses and are gone , and will come here no more ; and the rest of us think that for your sakes and the peace of the church , we should stay as long as well we can , like patient surgeons that will not forsake their patient because of a rotten stinking sore , as long as there is any hope of cure , or of saving the body , by cutting off the rotten member . and thus while some are more patient and charitable towards you , and some are more impatient of your sin , or else afraid of gods displeasure for having communion with you , here comes our divisions among our selves , for your sakes . and therefore if we were but agreed in holiness , all this were ended . there would then be no habituated drunkard , or worldling , or railer , or swearer , or other ungodly persons in our churches ; and then who could scruple communion with them ? and so what should hinder but we might all be one ? and yet will you not agree in this ? 7. yea if we were united in the spirit of holiness , the very dividing unpeaceable disposition of men would it self be healed , and so we should have peace . for an uncharitable , dividing disposition is part of the old man , and of that unholiness which we must forsake . and charity and meekness , and a peaceable healing temper , is holiness it self . and therefore this must needs do much to heal and reconcile us . read but iames 3. throughout , and it will satisfie you of this , if you will be satisfied . those that pretend to be wiser then the rest of the godly , and to have more illumination , if yet they have bitter envying and strife in their hearts , they glory in vain , and lie against the truth : for this wisdom descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensual and devilish . he that is truly wise and endued with knowledg in the church , must shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom . for the wisdom that is from above , is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , easy to be intreated , full of mercy and good fruits , without partiality , and without hypocrsie . but where envying and strife is , there is confusion , and every evil work , james 3.13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. see here what a spirit sanctification doth contain , and whether this be not the only healing way . it is first indeed pure : but next it is peaceable , gentle and easy to be intreated . they that cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which is taught ; do not serve the lord iesus , what ever they may pretend or think . peace and holiness must be followed together , heb. 12.14 . yea peace with all men , if it be possible , and in our power , rom. 12.18 . so that by changing the unpeaceable disposition , and drying up the fountain of our strifes , an agreement in the spirit would reconcile us . 8. moreover , if we would all agree in the spirit of holiness , it would destroy that carnal selfish disposition , and that end which is the dividing interest , and take away the bone of our contentions . it is selfishness that causeth the great divisions in church and state , and sets the world together in wars and quarrels : every unsanctified man is selfish : his self and selfish interest is more to him then god and his interest . and such men as these will never live with any man in peace , any longer then they may have their will and way . they will not agree with neighbours if self be but toucht by any . they will have the magistrate when ever he would punish them . they will hate the pastors of the church if they faithfully discharge their offices , in reproving them , and calling them to repentance and such confession as is necessary to their cure . if it were father or mother , a selfish person cannot bear it , if they go against his selfish interest . there 's no living at peace with selfish men , if you do but cross them in their credit or profit or sensual delights : and this we must do , unless we will incur the displeasure of our lord. we are cast upon an impossibility of living in peace with wicked men . for god hath commanded us to to rebuke them plainly , and not to suffer sin upon them . and if we disobey god to please men , it will cost us dearer then their favour can repay . but if we obey god and do our duty , we are as sure to be hated and reproached with the most , as that the earth is under our feet . give a wicked selfish sinner as plain scripture and reason as can be given , and you shall not stir him from his selfish interest : if you punish him , or reprove him openly , or exercise church-censures on him , or any way touch his carnal selfish interest , and when you have done go about to satisfie him with reason , you may as well almost go reason a hungry dog from his carrion , or reason a wolf into the nature of a lamb , or reason a mastiff to be friends with a bear. many a tryal i have made ; and many a time i have stopt their mouthes , and satisfied them in reason , that they ought to deny themselves , and confess and forsake their sins , and yield to god ( or made them confess so much at the least ) but their selfish minds were no more satisfied , for all that , then if i had never spoken to them . scripture is no scripture , nor reason is no reason to them ; nor god shall be no god to them , if self do but contradict it ; and that is , when ever he contradicteth self . they can no more believe and like , and love that doctrine or duty or counsel or course of life that crosseth self , and calls them to any great self-denial , then a child can love to be corrected . so that self being so certain a peace-breaker and disturber of the world ; and yet being the reigning principle in all that are unsanctified , you may easily see that this is the hindrance of our vnity and concord ; and that sanctification must needs be the principal remedy . for sanctification is the destruction of selfishness , and teacheth men self-denial , and centreth all men in one interest which is god. among the unsanctified there are as many ends and interests as men : for every one of them hath a self to please : and then what unity can there be ? but the sanctified are all united in god , as their common principle , end and all : and therefore must needs be reconciled . 9. moreover , if we could but all agree in the spirit of holiness , we should then overcome that pride and self-conceitedness , that breaks our peace , and raiseth errors , and puts us into dissentions . what makes us all so hardly to agree , and to be of so many minds and ways , but that every man naturally is proud and self-conceited , and wise in his own eyes , and confident of every fancy of his own ? all his own reasons seem strong to him : and gods own reasons do seem unreasonable to him : and can we ever agree with such men as these , that think themselves wiser then god and scripture , and dare prefer the very folly of their own muddy brains , before the word and wisdom of their maker ? give these men as plain scripture and reason as you will , they have more wit ( as they think ) then to believe you ; and what they want in reason , they have in pride and self-conceit ; and therefore your wisdom is folly to them . but now when the spirit of holiness comes , it takes them down , and abaseth and humbleth the proud and self-conceited , and makes them ashamed of the folly and weakness of their own understandings , so that a man may speak to them now as to men of reason , and have a hearing and consideration of his words . a humble godly man is low in his own eyes ; and therefore suspicious of his own understanding , in doubtfull things ; and therefore is more flexible and yielding to the truth ; when others are so stiffened by pride , that they are readier to deride the wisest that shall contradict them : if therefore we could but all agree in holy meekness and humility , what readier way could there be in the world , to draw to an end of our differences and divisions ! 10. moreover , if we could but agree in holiness , it would free us from that uncharitableness that causeth our disagreement in other things ; and it would possess us with a special endeared love one to another : and who knoweth not that love is a uniting healing thing ? sanctification principally consisteth in love to god and man , and this the unsanctifyed principally want . it s want of love that makes men surmise the worst of one another , and make the worst of all that they say & do , and draw matter of contention from that which never gave them cause . love would put a better sence upon mens words and deeds , or at least would bear them far more easily . but instead of love , there is a natural enmity in all that are unsanctified to all the servants and the ways of god. and can we ever be agreed with our natural enemies ? why malice will so pervert their understandings , that all that we say or do will be misconstrued : and as a man that looks through a red glass thinks all things to be red that he looks upon ; so these men through the distemper of their malicious minds , will finde matter of quarrelling with all that we can say or do . ill will never saith well . our very obedience to the law of god , and seeking to save our own souls , will be matter of quarrel , and taken to be our crime . if we will not run into hell fire with them , and think there is no danger , when we know the contrary , it will be a fault sufficient for their malice to reproach us with : so that if we should agree with ungodly men , in all our opinions of religion ; yet if we will not damn our souls , and make no bones of displeasing the great and dreadfull god , there is no peace to be had with them . they have no peace with god , and they have no solid peace with themselves ( for god hath professed that there is no peace to the wicked , isa. 48.22 . ) and how then can we expect that they should have peace with us ? but sanctification doth beget that eff●ctual love , that is as healing to a divided church , or to disagreeing persons , as the most precious balsom or wound-selve is to bodily wounds . love will not let you rest in wrath , but will keep you under smart and disquietness , till you are either at peace , or have done your part to have procured it ▪ husband and wife , parents and children , brethren and sisters do seldomer fall into greater dissentions then strangers do : and when they do fall out they are easilier reconciled . the spirit of grace doth possess unfained christians , with as dear a love to one another , as is between the nearest relations . for by our new birth the saints are brethren in christ. if you saw an army fighting , or a company of people quarrelling and scolding at one another , do you think there could be a readier way to make them all friends and end their quarrels , then to possess them all with a dear and tender love to one another ? if it were in my power to cause all contenders to love those that they contend with as themselves , do you think i should not soon agree them ? why , you know , if you know any thing in christianity , that sanctification causeth men to love their neighbors as themselves , and to love one another with a pure heart fervently , 1 pet. 1.22 . for by this we know that we are passed from death to life , because we love the brethren : he that loveth not his brother abideth in death , joh. 3 , 14. and therefore it is a case exceeding plain , that the readiest way in the world , to reconcile our lesser differences , is , to be united in the spirit , and to agree upon a holy life . 11. moreover , were we all united in the spirit , we should have all one god , one master of our faith , and one law-giver and iudge of all our controversies : and this would be an exceeding help to unity . the principal cause of divisions in the world , are the multitude of rulers and masters and judges . for with unsanctified men , their own conceits and carnal interest is their counsellor and judge . the rulers of the world , that have the power of the sword , and can do them good or hurt in their estates , are the masters of their religion , more then god. they will follow this man or that man , that best pleaseth their fancies and fleshly desires ; and so will never be of one minde . but sanctification takes down all other masters of our faith , save christ and those that declare his will. let flesh and blood say what it will , let all the world say what they will , if god say the contrary , his word shall stand and be a law to them . and can there be a readier way to unity , then to bring us all into one school , and subject us all to one lord and master , and to bring us all to refer our differences to one most wise infallible judge ? though we do not yet understand his will in all things , yet when we understand it in the main , and are resolved to search after the knowledge of the rest , it is a great preparative to our agreement , when we all look but to one for the deciding of our controversies . whereas the unsanctified have as many judges and guides , as persons ; for every man is a guid and judge to himself . 12. moreover , were we but once agreed in holiness , we should all have one light for the ending of our differences : and that light would be the true infallible light. for we should all have the same holy word of god as the extrinsick light , which is most true , as coming from the lord of truth : and we should all have the spirit of truth within , to teach us the meaning of that word without , and to help our understandings , and assist us in the application , and destroy the corruptions that blind us and hinder us from perceiving the truth : whereas the unsanctified are all in the dark : and what wonder , if there they disagree , and are of many minds ! they be not guided by the word and spirit , and they are strangers to the light that must reconcile us , if ever we be reconciled . it s true , too true , that the godly are illuminated but in part , and therefore as yet they differ in part . but yet this imperfect illumination , doth more to a true and safe agreement , then all the world can do besides . if you would stop your ears against the flesh , & yield all to the teachings of the word and spirit , we should be sooner agreed . 13. and if we were once united in the spirit and holiness , we should all have the use and benefit of all the reconciling , healing means and ordinances of god ; which would be an exceeding great advantage to us . the unsanctified have but the outside , the sound , and shell of ordinances ; but it is the sanctified that have the light and life and fruit of them . every chapter that you read , and every sermon that you hear , will do somewhat towards the healing of our breaches : it will further our knowledge and our love. the communion of the saints in all holy duties , especially at the lords supper , when they partake of one christ , will enflame their love , and humble them for their divisions , and soder and glue their hearts together , as being all one bread and one body : and so they will be all as of one heart and soul , acts 4.32 . 1 cor. 10.16 , 17. acts 2.42 , 43 , 44 , 46. when we hear of the tender love of christ to his weakest members , how can we choose but love them if we be his disciples ! when we hear how much , and how freely he hath forgiven us , how can we choose but forgive them ! mat. 18.35 . when we have communion with them in holy worship , as servants of the same lord , as members of the same body , how can we choose but have the affections of fellow-members ! 1 cor. 12.26 . when we joyn with them in prayer , or holy conference , and perceive the fragrant odour of their graces , and the holy breathings of their souls after god , we cannot choose but love christ in them . as the new commandment so frequently pressed in the gospel , is the law of love , ( ioh. 15.12 , 17. ) and the new nature of the saints is a disposition of love ( for this they are taught of god effectually , 1 thes. 4.9 . ) so the ordinances do all of them exercise that love , and engage us to it . we must leave our gift at the altar , and go first and be reconciled to our brother , if we remember he hath any thing against us , matth. 5.23 , 24. we must pray for forgiveness , but on condition that we do forgive . differences and divisions that make a breach in christian charity , are so insufferable among the saints , that they long for healing , and smart as the wounded body doth , till the time of healing ; and are pained as a bone out of joynt , till it be set again . and as they cannot bear it themselves ( when they are themselves ) so the church cannot bear it , but is engaged to watch over them , and to set them in joynt again ; so that god hath hedged in his servants into one holy society , that they should not straggle from him or from each other , and hath set pastors over them for this very end , to guide them and keep them in holy unity , ephes. 4.11 , 12 , 13 , 14. now all these uniting healing ordinances are effectual upon the sanctified : for their hearts are open to them , and their new nature is suited to the new commandment and work : but to others they are in a manner as food or physick to the dead : they hate the power of them ; they break the holy enclosure of discipline , and proudly rebel against their guides : and say , let us break their bands , and cast away their cores from us , psal. 2.3 . what must we be ruled by such and such ? it is but the outside of sacraments , praises and prayers that they are acquainted with : and these have no such healing force . so that in this you see the great advantage that we should have for full agreement , if we were but once agreed in the main , and united by the sanctifying spirit . 14. moreover , if once we were united in the spirit , and in holyness , we should manage all our differences in a holy manner , and be awakened and disposed to seek after healing in a healing way . it would put us upon enquiring after peace , and studying the meetest terms of peace , till we had found out the way in which we should accord . the spirit of love and holiness would provoke us , to begin and seek for peace with those that will not seek to us , and that seem averse to it ; and to follow after peace , when it flyeth from us , heb. 12 , 14. and even to lie down at the feet of men , and deny our honour and worldly interest , if it might procure brotherly love and peace . whereas a proud unsanctifyed heart will scorn to stoop , especially to those that are below them , or have wronged them , and will scorn to ask forgiveness of those that they have wronged ! when you have shewed them the plainest word of god for it , and perswaded them to it with undeniable reasons , you lose your labour , and may almost as well perswade the fire to be cold . if you will stoop and humble your self to him , and ask him forgiveness , and give him the honour , or change your minde and be of his opinion , and say as he saith , and do as he would have you , perhaps you may have some peace with the most ungodly man. but the servants of christ have a spirit of meekness and humility and self-denyal ; and therefore if there be fallings out among them , they can humble themselves and seek for reconciliation . if there be difference in judgement about any weighty matters , they will go or send to one another as brethren , and confer about it in love and meekness , and search the scripture , and seek after truth , and compare their evidences , and pray together for that light and love that must reconcile them : if they fall out , they can say to one another [ we are brethren , and must not live at a distance , nor suffer any wounds in our affections , or any breach of charity to remain : the sun must not go down upon our wrath : come , l●t us go together in private , and beg of god that he would repair our love , and reconcile us , and prevent such breaches for the time to come . ] and thus they can pray themselves friends again . i am perswaded that one quarter of an hours fervent prayer , would do more to quiet our distempered minds , and reconcile us , if thus we would get together in private , then many hours debates without it . now the spirit of holiness , is a spirit of prayer ; and therefore disposeth the servants of christ , as meekly and lovingly to search for truth , so earnestly to pray themselves into agreement . 15. moreover , were we once united in the spirit , we should be under the promise of divine assistance , which the unsanctified have no part in . when we pray for light and peace and concord , we have a promise to be heard and helpt , at least , in the time and measure as shall be fittest ; we have a promise of the spirit to be our teacher , and to lead us into truth : we have promises for the maintaining and repairing of our healing graces , and our communion-graces ; our love to christ and one another ; our patience and meekness and the rest . aud this must needs be a great advantage to unity and agreement . for god is partly engaged for it . 16. and if we were united in the spirit and agreed in the main , the great truths which we are agreed in would very much direct us , to find out the rest which yet we differ in . for these have an influence into all the rest ; and the rest are all connext to these , and also linkt and knit together , that we may finde out many by the help of one . all holy truths do befriend each other ; but especially the great and master points which the rest depend upon , and flow from : there is no way to a right agreement in other points , but by agreeing first in these fundamental rudiments . 17. also , if we were once agreed in holiness , we should have that continually within us and before us , that would much take us off from vain contendings , and from an over-zealous minding of sm●ller things . we should have so much to do with god in holy duties , and so much to do with our own hearts in searching them , & watching them , and exciting them , and mending them , reproving and correcting them , supporting and comforting them by the application of the promises , that we should have less time for quarrelling , and less minde of it then the unsanctifyed have . we should have so many great and practical truths to digest and live upon , that lesser and unnecessary matters , which are the common causes of contention , would find less room : or at least , we should allow each truth its due proportion of our study and talk and zeal : and so that lesser would have comparatively so small a share , and be so exceeding seldom and remissly medled with , that their would be the less danger of contentions . 18. yea , if once we were united in the spirit , the very forethought of an everlasting vnion in heaven , would have a continual influence upon our hearts , for the healing of our breaches . we should be thinking with our selves [ shall we not shortly be all of one mind and heart ! and all be perfected with the blessed vision , and reconciling light of the face of god! there will then be no dissention or division , or unbrotherly censures , or separations . and should we now live so unlike our future life ! shall we now be so unlike to what we must be for ever ! shall we now cherish those heart-burnings and dissentions , that must not enter with us into heaven , but be cast off among the rest of our miseries , and shut out with the rest of our enemies , and hated for ever by god and us ? must we there be closed in perfect love , and be all imployed in the same holy praise of god and our redeemer ; and does it beseem us now to be censuring , contending and separating from each other ? thus the belief of the life to come , will be a more effectual means with the godly for agreement , then any that unsanctified men can use . 19. moreover , they that have the spirit of holiness , have a dear and special love to truth as well as unto peace . and therefore they have a great advantage for the receiving of it in all debates : and consequently they are fairer for a just agreement . they are friends with the most searching spiritual truths : but the ungodly have at enmity to all that truth that would shew them their sin and misery and duty , and make them holy and lead them up from the creature unto god. and as the proverb is , he that would not know , cannot understand . when you deal with a wicked graceless heart , you do not set reason against reason ( for it that were all , we should soon have done ) but you set reason against will and passion and appetite and fleshly interest : and when you have convinced them , you are little the neerer prevailing with them . you may as well think to satisfie a hungry belly with reasons , or to tame a wild beast with reasons , or to humble the proud , and bring the sensual person to self-denial , by all your reasons , for they love not the truth , because they love not the duty that it would perswade them to , and because they love the sin that it would take from them . there are two sorts of satan in a wicked man that none but god can batter , so as to win them : that is , a proud and ignorant mind , and a hard and sensual heart . many a year have i been battering them by the word of god , from this place , and yet with many can do no good . but the sanctified heart that loveth the truth will meet it , and welcome it , and thankfully entertain it . love maketh a diligent hearer , and a good schollar , and giveth us hope that informations and debates may be succesful . a godly man is so far from hating truth and flying from it , that he would give all the riches of the world to purchase it : he prayes and reads and studyeth for it : and therefore hath great advantage to attain it . 20. moreover , if we were all agreed in holiness , and united in the spirit of christ , we should love the truth in a practical manner , and we should know that every truth of god hath its proper work to do upon the soul ; and therefore we should love the end of each truth , better then the truth it self . and therefore we could not pretend the truth against the ends of truth . and therefore we should see to the security of those ends in all our debates and controversies . we should not make havock of the church of christ , nor easily be guilty of divisions , nor quench our love of god and of our brethren , under pretence of standing for the truth ; which unsanctified men will easily do . truth is for holiness and love as its proper end . ungodly men will tread down love and holiness , or at least disadvantage it and hinder it in the world , for the exalting of their own conceits , under the name of truth . they will cure the church by cutting it in pieces , or by cutting the throat of it , and are presently dismembering for every sore : but with the godly it is not so . 21. moreover , the sanctified have a great advantage for agreement , in that they have hearts that are subject to the truth , and will be true to it when they understand it . did they but know the right way , they would presently walk in it . nothing is so dear to them that should not be forsaken for it , or sacrificed to it . but the wicked are false to the truths which they are acquainted with . they hold it or imprison it in unrighteousness , rom. 1.18 . and therefore is wrath revealed against them . they like not to retain god in their knowledge ; and therefore god doth oft give them up to a reprobate mind , rom. 1.28 . they receive not the truth in the love of it that they might be saved : no wonder therefore if god give them up to strong delusions to believe a lye , that all they might be damned that believed not the truth , but had pleasure in unrighteousness , 2 thes. 2.10 , 11. when they know the iudgement of god , that they that do such things are worthy of death ; yet they do them and have pleasure in them that do them , rom. 1.32 . we may well think that god will sooner reveal his truth to them that will obey it , then to them that will but bury it in the dunghil of a corrupted heart . and that he will rather hold the candle to his servants that will work by it , then to loyterers that will but play by it ; or thieves , or fornicators , that had rather it were put out ; or to enemies that would do mischief by it , and will throw away the candlesticks ( the ministers ) and put the candle into the thatch . is there not many an ungodly person that hears me this day , that is convinced in his conscience that a holy life is best , and yet will not follow it and obey his conscience ? are there not convictions at the bottom , that the diligent heavenly christian whom thou reproachest , is in a safer condition then thy self ? and yet thou wilt not imitate such . can you expect that god should acquaint such with his truth , that are so false to it ? 22. if we were but all agreed in true holiness , we should have the great advantage of a tender conscience , together with an illuminated mind . for spiritual wisdom , with tenderness of conscience , is a great part of sanctification . and it is a great advantage in controversies and debates , to be wise and tende-conscienced : for wisdom makes men able to discern , and a tender conscience will make them afraid of mistaking and contradicting the truth : and will keep them from rashness , and unadvisedness , and levity ; so that such an one dare not venture so easily upon new conceits , and will be more suspicious of himself , and of any thing wherein himself is much concerned . especially if he see gr●at probabilities against it , or the judgment of the universal church , or of many wise and godly men against it , and see that its like to have ill effects ; in all such cases a godly man will be tender-conscienced , and therefore cautelous . but is it so with the ungodly ? no : but clean contrary . none so bold as the blind . solomons words describe them exactly , prov. 14.16 . the fool rageth and is confident . if he be in an error , or entangled in any evil cause or way , you know not what to say to him for his recovery . the less he knows , the more he despiseth knowledge , and sets his face against his teachers , as if they were but fools to him , and scorns to be ruled by such as they whom god hath made his rulers . will you go to dispute or debate the case with one of these ? why be sure of it , they will put you down and have the day . it would do a man good to dispute with a wise and learned or sober rational man , and to be overcome by reason and by truth : but no man will have so sure a conquest against you , as he that hath the least of sense or reason . he will go away and boast that you could not convince him : as if a mad man should boast that the physicians could not all of them cure him . an obstreperous proud selfconceited fellow , will never yield to the clearest reason , nor never be put down . we have a proverb , that ther 's no gaping against an oven , especially if it be hot . if he have passion as well as ignorance , and a tongue , he will have the best . he that speaks nonsence sayth nothing while he seems to speak . these men have the faculty of saying nothing an hour or two together in abundance of words . and there 's no confuting a man that saith nothing . nonsence is unanswerable , if there be but enough of it . who would dispute against a pair of bagpipes , or against a company of boyes that whoote at him ! if you will make a match at barking or biteing , a curre will be too hard for you : and if you will try your skil or strength at kicking , a horse will be too hard for you . and if you will contend with multitude of words , or by rage and confidence , a fool will be too hard for you ( as you may see by solomons descriptions and by daily experience ) but if you will dispute by equal sober reasoning , it is only a wiser man by evidence of truth that can overcome you : and to be thus overcome is better then to conquer : for you have the better if truth overcome you ; and you have the worse if you overcome the truth . so that you may easily perceive what an exceeding hindrance to unity and peace it is to have to do with ungodly persons , that are blind and proud , and brazen-faced , and of feared consciences , that fear not god , and therefore dare say anything , as if they could out-face the truth , and the god of truth . but the sanctified have illuminated minds , and therefore are the more capable of further information ; and they have tender consciences , and therefore dare not be unadvised and contentious , and strive against the light ; and therefore have great advantage for agreement . 23. and if all these advantages should not yet so far prevail as to bring us up to a full agreement , yet if we be but united in the spirit and a holy life , we should be the more easily able to bear with one another under all our lesser differences , until the time of full agreement come . we should hold our differences ( as brethren their diversity of statures and complexions , or at least as common human frailties ) with love and compassion , and not with hatred and divisions ▪ we should lovingly consult together upon rules or terms on which we might manage our unavoidable differences , to the least disadvantage to the cause of christ and to the common truths that we all maintain , and to the work of god for other mens conversion , and to the least advantage to sin and satan and the malice of ungodly men . and i think this is a fair agreement for imperfect persons , short of heaven ; to have unity in the spirit , and agreement in things of greatest weight , and to bear with one another in smaller matters , and manage our differences with meekness and with peace . 24. lastly , if all this be not enough , there is yet more for our encouragement . 1. if we are but once united in the spirit , and agree in an holy heart and life , we have the infallible promise of god that we shall shortly all arrive in heaven at the place and state of full perfection , where all our differences will be ended , and we shall be perfectly agreed in mind and will , being one in him that is the only center of universal peace and concord . and it s a great comfort to us in our darkness and differences , that we are in the sure and ready way to perfect light and harmony of mind . 2. yea and till we do come thither , we are still on the mending hand ; and if we do but thrive in holiness , we shall certainly thrive in concord and in peace . and it s a comfort to a sick man , not only to be certain of a full recovery , but to feel himself daily on the mending hand . 3. and in the mean time god himself will bear with all our differences , though not so far as to approve or cherish them , yet so far as to own us for his children , though we are too often falling out with one another ; and so far as to pitty our frailty and infirmity , and to pardon us , and deal as a father with us : and if our quarrels cause him to use the rod , it is but to keep us in quietness afterwards ; that as we had the taste of the four fruits of our contentions , so we may after have the quiet fruits of righteousness . and thus i have given you in four and twenty particular discoveries , a sufficient proof , that a vnity in the spirit , and an agreement in holiness , hath abundant advantages for our further agreement in lowers things ; and such as all other men are destitute of ; and therefore that there is no way possible for a just , a safe , a durable agreement , but that we all agree in a holy life , and be united in the sanctifying spirit of christ. but perhaps you will object ; if all this be so , whence comes it to pass that there are so many differences still among those that you call the sanctified ? do we not see that they are more contentious , and divided into partyes , and make more stir about religion then any others ? answ. 1. the differences among the godly , are nothing for number , or greatness , or weight , in comparison of yours . i have shewed you in my discourse of the catholick church , twenty great and weighty points in which they all agree together , and in which the ungodly agree not with them . what if they agree not , whether church-government should be exercised by the elders only , the flock consenting ; or by all the flock , the pastours guiding ? or whether one among the pastours should be of a superior degree , or of a superior order , or whether they should only be of the same degree and order , though chosen to preside and moderate for the time ? what if one think that its necessary to read the publick prayers out of a book ; and another think its necessary to pray without book ; and a third more truly thinks it is in it self indifferent whether it be within book or without ? with other suchlike differences as these , which will keep no man out of heaven . are these like our differences with ungodly men ? our differences with you are , whether heaven or eath is chiefly to be loved and sought after ? whether grace and holiness , or sin and carelesness be the better ? whether it be the more sweet and desirable life , to be heavenly minded and live in the love and service of god , and to be much in holy communion with him , and meditating upon his law , and upon the life to come ; or on the contrary , to live to the world and to the flesh ? whether it be better to obey the word of god , and his ministers that speak it in his name ; or obey our fleshly desires and the proud conceits of ignorant minds ? in a word , our difference with the ungodly , though they will not confess it and speak out , is plainly this , whether heaven or earth be better ? and whether god be god and shall be our god ? and whether christ be christ and shall be our christ ? and whether the holy ghost shall be our sanctifier ? or whether we shall live after the flesh and rule our selves , against the will and word of god ? and so in effect , whether god be god , and man be man ? and whether we should live as men or as beasts ? and so whether we should choose salvation or damnation ? if you could but understand your selves , and the depth of your deceitful hearts , you would see that here lyeth the difference . for though some of the unsanctified have a fair and plausible deportment , and will speak handsomly of the christian religion , because they have had ingenuous christian education ; yet all this is indeed but little more then formal complement , so far are they from a heavenly mind and a heart that 's truly set on god , as their careless lives , and carnal unsavory conference sheweth , if not their scorns at a state of holiness . so that our differences are nothing in comparison of the difference with you . 2. moreover , the servants of god do mind the matters of religion more seriously then others do ; and therefore their differences are brought to light , and made more observable to the world . their very heart is set upon these heavenly things , and therefore they cannot make light of the smallest truth of god ; and this may be some occasion of their difference : whereas the ungodly differ not about religion , because they have heartily no religion to to differ about : they trouble not themselves about these matters , because they do not much regard them . and is this a unity and peace to be desired ? i had rather have the discord of the saints , then such a concord of the wicked . they are so careful about their duty that they are afraid of missing it in the least particular ; and this ( with their imperfect light ) is the reason of their disputings about these matters . but you that are careless of your duty , can easily agree upon a way of sin , or take any thing that comes next to hand . they honour the worship of god so much , that they would not have any thing out of order ; but you set so little by it , that you will be of the religion that the king is of , let it be what it will be : and its easy to agree in such an ungodly careless course . astronomers have many controversies about the positions and motions of the heavens ▪ and all philosophers have many controversies about the matter of their sciences : when ignorant men have none of their controversies , because they understand not , and therefore regard not the things that the learned differ about . and will you think ever the better of ignorance , or ever the worse of learning for this ? the controversies of lawyers , of historians , chronologers , geographerr , physicians , and such like , do no never trouble the brains of the ignorant : but for all that , i had rather be in controversie with the learned , then without such controversie with you . if you scatter a handful of gold or diamonds in the street , perhaps men will scramble for them , and fall out about them , when swine will trample on them and quietly despise them , because they do not know their worth : will you therefore think that swine are happier then men ? the living are vext with strifes and controversies , about almost all the matters in the world ; when the dead carkasses in the grave lie still in peace , and are not troubled with any of these differences . and will you say therefore that the dead corps is happyer then the living ? sirs , the case is very plain , if you will see , that thus it is as to the matter in hand . it is a death in sin , and complyance with the times and carnal interest , and a disesteem of spiritual holy things , that is the cause of the agreement of the wicked . but the godly know the worth of the things that you set light by , and therefore make a greater matter of them then you , and therefore no wonder if they have more debates and controversies about them . 3. and this also is another reason of the difference . it is the interest of satan to divide the servants of christ , but to keep his own in unity and peace : and therefore he will do what he can to accomplish it . he knows that a kingdom divided cannot stand : and therefore he will do his worst to divide christs kingdom , and to keep his own from being divided . by a deceitful peace it is that he keeps his servants to him . and by casting among them the matter of contentions and divisions he hopeth to get christs followers from him . so that the devil himself is the promoter of your unity and concord , but the destroyer of ours ; and therefore no wonder if you have fewer differences . 4. besides , the way that ungodly men go in , is so suited to the common corruption of nature , that it is no wonder if they be all agreed . all the world can agree to eat and drink and sleep : and therefore all the sensual sinners in the world may easily agree upon an overloving of meat and drink and sleep , and so of riches and honours and pleasures . and as its easy , so it is not much desirable ; no more then if you should all agree to cast your selves headlong into the sea : when every house is infected with the plague , there is an agreement among them : but had you not rather be one of those that , disagree from them ? but to agree in a holy heavenly life , is contrary to corrupted nature ; and therfore no marvail if it be more difficult . when a physician hath an hundred patients in hand , he may easily get them all to agree to eat and drink that which they desire : but if he require them to forbear the things that they most love , because they will hurt them , the understanding sort will agree to him , but so will not the rest . in a rotten house , the fall of one bearer may occasion the fall of all the house ; because their weight inclines them downward : but if you take up one stone and cast it upward , all the rest of the stones in the heap , will not flie upward with it . it s easier to draw others with us down hill , then up the hill . 5. and it is considerable that the differences among the servants of christ , are not alwayes from themselves , but from the ungodly enemies that contrive their dissentions , and set them together by the ears , that they may fish in troubled waters , and the better attain their wicked ends . it is the envious man that soweth these tares while we are asleep , and casteth in this wildfire among us . 6. moreover , one of the greatest causes of the troublesome breaches and divisions in the church , is because there are so many unsanctified persons among us , that seem to be of us , and to be truly godly , when it is not so . you think it is the godly that have these divisions , when the most and worst of all our divisions proceed from the ungodly that have an unsound and unrenewed heart , under the cloak of piety and zeal : for if they were truly gracious persons , they durst not do as many of them do . 1. they durst not so rashly and easily venture on novelties as they do , without deliberation and reading and hearing what can be said on the other side . 2. they durst not so easily make a division in the church of christ. 3. nor so easily cast a stumbling-block before the weak ; and matter of reproach to our christian profession before the wicked . 4. nor durst they so easily reproach and condemn and cast off the unanimous faithful ministers of christ. 5. nor durst they so easily censure the universal church in former ages , as many of them do . 6. nor durst they sacrifice the success and honour of the gospel and the common acknowledged truths , and the saving of mens souls thereby , to their private opinions , and ends . 7. nor durst they make so great a breach in charity , nor so arrogantly condemne or slight their brethren , whose piety and soberness they cannot deny . these with many other evidences , do let us know that ungodly men crept in among us , are the causes of most of our most dangerous divisions . and will you lay the blame of this upon religion , which the devil and the secret enemies of religion do perform ? it s your d●shonour and not ours : for these men are of your party , though they seem to be of us . satan knows well enough , that if he have not some of his followers to be spies in christs army , and to raise mutinies there and betray the rest , he is like to be the more unsuccesful in his attempts , was iudas more a dishonour to christ , or to the devil ? he was among the followers of christ indeed ; but he told them beforehand of him , that he was a devil ; and he never betrayed christ till satan had entered into him . 7. lastly , the saints themselves are sanctified but in part , and many in a low degree ; and being imperfect in holiness , must needs be as imperfect in holy unity and peace it is not their holiness that causeth their contentions , but the remnants of their sin . and therefore it s but small credit to the way of sinners . were we but perfectly rid of the vices which you cherish , and perfectly separated from the waies that you so much delight in , and had we no remnants of your disease and sinful nature in us , we should then have perfect unity and peace . do you think that its long of our religion , that we disagree ? no : if we were but perfectly religious we should be perfectly agreed . it is because we are holy in no greater a measure , and not because we are holy at all . it is not because of the way of godliness that we have chosen ; but because we walk no faster , and no more carefully in that way . it is our too oft stepping out of it , and not our walking in it , that breaketh our peace with god and man , and our own consciences . search all the scripture , and see where you can find , that ever god encouraged his servants to divisions . no : but on the contrary he oft and earnestly cries them down , and warneth all his followers to avoid them , and the causers and fomenters of them . there was never master so much for unity as christ , and never was there a law or a religion that did so much condemne divisions , and command brotherly love , and peace and concord , and forbearing and forgiving one another , as the christian law and religion doth . and will you yet say that our divisions are long of our religion , or of christ the author of it ? you may as wisely say , that eating is the cause of weakness , because that some are weak for all their meat . but you will find that none can live without it . or you may say as wisely that physicians are the causes of the diseases of the world , because they do not cure them all . i tell you there is none in all the world that have done so much for unity and peace , as christ hath done . no : all the world set together have not done half so much for it as he . he hath preached peace and unity , forgiving and forbearing and loving one another , yea loving our enemies ; and he hath gone before us in the perfect practice of what he taught . he hath offered himself a sacrifice to the justice of his father , that by his blood he might reconcile us unto god. he is the great peacemaker between god and man , between jews and gentiles , taking away the enmity , and becoming himself the head of our unity ; and giving us one spirit , one faith , one baptism , that we might be one in him who is one with the father . so that to charge the center of unity with our divisions , and the prince of peace himself with our discords , or his holy word or waies with our disagreements , is all one as to charge the sun with darkness , and to say that our law-givers and laws are the causes of theft and murder and adultery , which condemne them to death that are proved guilty of them . the cause of all our disagreements and divisions , is , because we are no more holy then we are , and because we are no more religious . so that i may leave it now as a proved truth that we must unite in the spirit , and agree in holiness of heart and life , if ever we will have true unity and agreement . and now sirs , you have seen the only way of unity opened to you : it s plain and past all doubt before you . if yet you will divide from god and his servants , and if yet you will be numbered with the straglers or quarrellers , do not say but peace was opened and offered to you . do not say , you could not have peace , but that you would not . do not say any more hereafter , that there were so many religions and so many waies that you could not tell which to joyn with ! never more pretend the differences of the godly as a cloak for your ungodliness . i have opened the nakedness of such pretences . you shall not be able when your lives are scan'd , to look god in the face with such an unreasonable impudent pretence . your consciences and the world shall then be witnesses of your shame ; that while you cryed out of sects and heresies , and were offended at the divisions of the church , it was your selves that were the cause of it : it was you and such as you that were the great dividers ; and that obstinately proceeded in your divisions , when the way of peace was opened to you ; and would not be united in the spirit to christ , nor would not agree in holiness with his church , when you were acquainted that there was no other way to peace . would you but have joyned in a firm and everlaling covenant to god the father , son , and holy ghost , as your only creator , redeemer and sanctifyer , as members of the holy catholick church , and have lived in the communion of the saints , you should have received the forgiveness of sins , the resurrection of the just , and everlasting life : but in refusing , and obstinate refusing these , you refused all your hopes of blessedness , and wilfully cast your selves on the wrath of god : and therefore must endure it for ever . the last advice that i have to give , upon the ground of this doctrine , is , to all that are united in the spirit , and agreed upon an holy life . i mean to say but little to you now ; but briefly to tender you these two requests . 1. i beseech you christians but to live as christians , in that holy unity as your principles and profession do engage you to . hath true christianity and holiness such abundance of advantages against division , and yet will you be guilty of it ? against all these bonds and healing principles and helps , will you be dividers ? doth it not grieve you and even break your hearts , to hear ungodly persons say that professors are of so many minds and partyes , that they know not which of them to follow ? and that we had never concord since you bore sway ? o do not seek by your contentious wayes , to perswade people that holiness is a dividing thing , and that religion doth but tend to set the world together by the eares . is it not a precious mercy to us of this place , that we have among us but one church , and one religion , and and have not church against church , and christian against christian ! i charge you from the lord that you be thankful for this benefit ; and that you look upon divided places , and compare their case with yours , that if ever dividers come amongst you , the sense of your felicity in this blessed unity may cause you to reject them ; and that you do not suffer any dalilah to rob you of your strength and glory . were you but once here in pieces among your selves , what a scorn would you be to all the ungodly ? what sport would it be to them , to hear you disputing against one another , and reproaching and condemning one another , as bitterly as the wicked do reproach you all ? do you not pitty those places where divisions have made religion to be a scorn , and the tender love and unity of the saints is turned into uncharitable censures and separations ? take warning then that you come not to the like . if you should , you would be as unexcusable as any people in the world , because you have tryed and tasted so much of the sweetness and benefits of unity as you have done : shew men by your lives , that holiness is the most certain way to unity , as ever you desire either to propagate holiness , or to have any evidence of it in your selves . 2. judge by this undoubted truth , of any doctrine that shall be offered you , and of the wayes of men and of your selves . 1. suspect that doctrine that tendeth to divisions in the church . if it be not for unity , it is not of god , rom , 16.17 . christ came to heal and reconcile , and is the prince of peace ; and therefore sendeth not his servants on a contrary errand . he will justifie your dividing from the unbelieving world ; but he hateth dividing among his servants . he that 's for church-division , is not ( in that ) for christ or you . 2. what ever holiness they may pretend to , adhere not to those men , and think not too highly of them that are for divisions among the churches , or servants of the lord. you 'l see them repent , or come to shame and confusion at the last . you flie from christ , if you flie from unity . 3. think not that you have any more of the spirit or of holiness , than you have of love to the unity of the saints . it is the spirit of satan and not of christ that leadeth you to church-divisions : it is a counterfeit holiness that maketh you not desirous of unity with all the saints . if you be not first pure and then peaceable , your wisdom is not from above . as you would all take that man to be an enemy to holiness , that is an enemy to chastity , temperance or common honesty ; so have you reason to think of him that is an enemy to the churches unity and peace . shew that you have the spirit by the unity of the spirit : and shew that you are holy by loving the union and communion of the saints . rom. 14.1 . him that is weak in the faith receive ye , but not to doubtful disputations . i have already proved to you in the foregoing discourse . 1. that the true unity of the church of christ is a unity of the spirit , and that the unsanctified are the causes of our divisions . 2. that a unity in meer profession , is but a low and miserable unity , which will not satisfie nor serve the turn . 3. that a unity in the spirit of holiness , is a great advantage for the healing of all our lesser differences , or that we may do well for all those differences , if we are truly sanctified . i come now to the fourth and last part of my discourse , which is to shew you , that it is not the will of god that the vnity of his church should consist in things indifferent , or in the smaller matters , or in points of doubtfull disputation . to which end i have chosen this text , in which paul doth purposely and plainly lay down this point , in order to the reconciling of a difference that was then among the romans ; i shall not now stand to discuss whether the weak that paul here speaks of , were some christians tainted with a pythagorear ▪ conceit , and guilty of some excessive austerities ( which some have thought , 1. because here is no mention of circumcision , 2. and because they are said to eat herbs only ) or whether it were some converts of the jews , that scrupled the forsaking of their ancient ceremonies ( which is the common and likelier exposition . ) 1. the person here spoken of is [ him that i● weak in the faith ] that is , who is yet so ignorant in the doctrine of ●aith , as not to know that these ceremonies are abolished , or these matters are no part of duty , which he placeth duty in ; and consequently , who is so weak in conscience as that he dare not omit the observation of these days and ceremonies . the points in which the weakness of these persons is said to be manifested , are , 1. in their abstaining from flesh , and eating herbs , 2. in their observation of certain days as holy. 2. the thing commanded is , that these persons for all their weakness be received , that is , 1. into brotherly internal charity . 2. into christian external communion . for it seems , that by reason of this their weakness , there grew divisions in the church . the weak were so self-conceited , as to censure the strong , because they did not observe their ceremonies . and the strong were too contemptuous of the weak , and made light of them as a superstitious people , unfit for their communion : paul chides them both : the weak for censuring the strong , and the strong for contemning the weak : and commandeth that for the future , the weak forbear his judging , and the strong receive the weak whom they contemned , and so that they joyn in inward love , and external communion . 3. and he addeth this caution , for the manner of their reception and behaviour , that it must not be [ to doubtfull disputations ] either to the censuring of one another , or to unseasonable uncharitable contendings and disputes , about these smaller things . three things paul seemeth to suppose in the matter of their controversie . 1. that they were matter of some indifferency . 2. that they were small , and of lowest consideration in religion . 3. that to the weak they were so dark and doubtfull , as to be the matter of disputes . but for all these , he would have no breach in their charity or communion . one doubt we must not overp●ss : and that is , how this will stand with what he saith in the epistle to the galathians . here he saith [ let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not : one man esteemeth one day above another : another esteemeth every day alike : let every man be fully perswaded in his own minde : ] but there he saith [ ye observe days and moneths , and times , and years ; i am afraid of you , lest i have bestowed upon you labour in vain , gal. 4.10 , 11. ] and of circumcision , gal. 5.2 , 3. [ behold i paul say unto you , if ye be circumcised , christ shall profit you nothing ; for i testifie again to every man that is circumcised , that he is a debtor to do the whole law. ] ●or the understanding of this you must observe , 1. that there is a great difference between circumcision , and the ceremonies here spoken of . 2. and between the outward act of circumcision , and the sacrament of circumcision as appointed by god. 3. and there is a great difference between the using it as necessary to justification , and the using the outward part only for some lawfull end . 4. and between the time when the gospel was but newly revealed , and the time when it was oft and fully declared to the world . 5. and between those that are ignorant for want of full information , and those that are obstinate after long instruction . 6. and between those that scruple the omission of such ceremonies themselves ; and those that would obtrude them as necessary upon others . observing these distinctions , you may see the difficulty plainly resolved , as followeth , 1. in this text , rom. 14. paul speaketh not of circumcision , but of meats and days only . for circumcision engaged men further to moses law , then these single ceremonies . 2. when paul saith , he was afraid of the galathians , because of their observation of days and weeks , and moneths , he means because they still adhered to the abrogated law , after so long and plain instruction . 3. and though he circumcised timothy , acts 16.3 . and yet speak against it , gal. 5.2 , 3. the difference of the cases is exceeding great . for 1. it was but the outward circumcision of the flesh that he used with timothy ( as with one that did not intend by it any engagement to moses , or necessity of it to justification . ) but it was the entire sacrament of circumcision which was pretended to continue necessary , by the false teachers , and which he exhorted the galathians to refuse . and circumcision as a sacrament , doth signifie two principal things . 1. an engagement to and profession of faith in the promised seed , as promised and future . 2. an engagement to moses law ( for this use it had after the law was given . ) now when christ was come , that man that would still be circumcised into , and profess to expect a messiah yet to come , and that would engage himself to that law , which contained the types of a future messiah , and was but a school-master to lead to christ , i say that person that was thus circumcised ( as all were that received it according to the institution ) did plainly deny , that christ was come , and therefore christ could profit them nothing . but yet a man that used but the outward sign to avoid an impediment to the gospel ( as paul did in the case of timothy ; ) or if it were erroneously as a meer custom , as the abassines now do , might yet be saved by christ nevertheless . 2. and when paul used it , it was as an indifferent thing : but he condemned it as supposed necessary . 3. when he used it , it was in the beginning of the publication of the gospel , that ( as austin speaks ) he might give the ceremonies an honourable burial : but when he condemned it , it was after the full publication of the abolition of the law , against those that would have raked it out of the grave again . 4. he bore with it in the weak ; but he condemned it in the wilfull . 5. he bore with it in those that scrupled the forsaking it as they were jews : but he condemned it in those that would have laid this yoke as necessary on the gentiles . object . but it seems here that paul is against the necessary observation of the lords day , when he is for esteeming all days alike . answ. if you understand the subject of the debate , you will understand his speech . it is only jewish holy-days that was the matter in question , and therefore of these only is he to be understood . as for the lords day , its plain in the new testament , that christ did not only rise upon it , and appear to his disciples on it , and send down the holy ghost upon it ▪ but that the disciples presently after christs resurrection , began their religious assemblies on it , and so continued them , by the guidance of the holy ghost ; and so setled that day for the use of the holy assemblies of the church , calling it the lords day , ioh. 21.19 , 26. act. 2.1 . & 20.7 . 1 cor. 16.2 . rev. 1.10 . and it is past all doubt in the history of the church , that since the apostles days till now , the church hath constantly kept this day as thus established , by the name of the lords day : which the fathers called the christian sabbath , as they applyed the name of an altar to the table , and of a sacrifice to the supper of the lord : so that he that will reject the observation of the lords day , must take on him to be wiser then the holy ghost in the apostles , and then all the catholick church of christ , from the beginning , till these contentious persons did arise . the text being thus explained , the doctrine before mentioned is plain in it before us , viz. doctrine . it is the will of god that the vnity of the church should not be laid upon indifferent , small , and doubtfull points : but that true believers who differ in such things should notwithstanding have inward charity and outward communion with one another , not censuring , nor despising , nor dividing from each other upon this account . in handling this point i shall briefly shew you , 1. what i mean by things indifferent ; 2. what i mean by [ smaller matter 's ] 3. what by [ doubtfull things or disputations ] and then i shall give you the reasons of it , and then apply it . 1. for the explication , 1. by [ things indifferent ] i do not mean [ things hic & nunc , indifferent in the use ] but [ things that are not ordinarily in themselves either commanded as duties , or forbidden as sins , but left as lawfull or indifferent by the scriptures , unless as some accident or circumstance may make them to be good or evil . 2. by [ smaller matter 's ] its none of my intent to perswade you that any thing that is but an appurtenance to faith or piety is absolutely small : but they are small in comparison of the far greater things , and so small that many are saved without them , and they are not of flat necessity to salvation ; and the greater matters must be preferred before them . 3. by [ things doubtfull ] i do not mean such as are not certainly revealed in the scripture , nor yet such as perverse heretical men do raise doubts about when they are plain in themselves : but i mean such points as are revealed certainly , but more darkly then the greater points , and therefore cannot be so clearly known ; so that the sum is this , 1. indifferent things must not be taken to be necessary , or sinful , but to be indifferent : 2. lower and lesser points must not be taken to be greater or weightier then they are . 3. points of less certainty that are more darkly revealed ; must not be taken to be more clear and certain to us , then they are . 4. and it is not on such darker smaller matters that god hath laid our salvation ; or that the churches unity and peace dependeth . ii. for the fuller demonstration of this , let these reasons be observed . 1. if our unity were laid on these smaller matters , the multitude of them is such , that we should never agree in all . the essentials of christianity are so few that all men may well be expected to learn and know and entertain them . but the smaller points are so many that there is no hope of an universal agreement in them all . you know in the body of man or beast , the great master veins that are the stock of all the rest , are but a few ; but follow them further , and you shall have so many divisions , and sub-divisions , till you find them to be many hundreds or thousands . so is it with the arteries , and with the nerves . the body of a tree is but one , and the first division perhaps is but into two or three parts ; but follow it to the very ends of the branches , and you may find many thousands . so is it in divinity : and therefore if none should be in unity with the church , but those that understand every branch of christian verity , what hope of union could there be ? 2. moreover the smaller points are far less discernable then the greater be : and therefore there is the less hope that ever the church should have unity in these . the great armes of a tree are easily discerned , when the extremities of the branches are very small . the trunks of the master-veins are great and easily seen , but the points and capillar veins are so small , as hardly to be perceived . so god in mercy hath made very plain those few essential points of faith that salvation lyeth on : but if you follow on these generals to all the particulars and appurtenances , you shall find them run so small as well as so many , as that it is impossible that unity should consist in these . 3. furthermore , if our unity were laid on these , religion would be for none but the learned , and ( as the ancients ordinarily argue against the heathens that cavilled at the plainness of the scripture ) god should be then partial , and should make a way to heaven that poor men cannot go . for the poor cannot possibly attain to so much learning , and spend so much of their lives in study , as may bring them to the knowledge of all these lower difficult points . 4. yea if our unity or salvation lay on these , it is certain it would shut us out all , both from unity and salvation : so that there would no two be at unity in all the world , and no one be saved . for all men on earth are ignorant in many lesser truths , even such as are revealed to us in the scripture , and we should endeavour to understand . what man dare affirm that he understandeth every word of the holy scripture ? did the pope himself think that he had attained to this infallibility , he would ere this have written us an infallible commentary . if the best must say with paul himself , we know but in part , then sure those smaller doubtful things which all the truly sanctified know not , are not the matter of the unity of the church . 5. i have shewed in my discourse of the catholick church , that to shut out all from the church and our communion that differ from us in such lower things , is utterly against the design of christ , and the tenour of the gospel , and very dishonourable to him and to his church : god hath more mercy then to shut out the weak : and will you dishonour him so far as to perswade the world , that he hath no such mercy . the design of the gospel is grace and love ! how tender was christ even of his little ones that believe in him ? how compassionate is he to them in their infirmities ? and would you go about to perswade the world that he hath so little of this compassion , as that he will admit none to heaven , or to the communion of his church but those that attain to knowledge and agreement in all these lesser doubtful controversies , and indifferent things ? the church is small enough already ; but if you would cut off all , that do not agree in every circumstance , you would make it small indeed . this is no better , then under pretence of faith and unity , to un-church the church , and damn your selves , and all the world . 6. the arguments in the text are very forcible , verse 3. [ for god hath received him ] as if he should say , dare you despise or cast out him that god receiveth ? ver . 4. who art thou that judgest another mans servant ? ver . 10. why dost thou judge thy brother ? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother ? we shall all stand before the judgement seat of christ ? the church doth not censure men for small or doubtful things : nor must we condemn those that god doth not condemn . 7. the laying such stress on smaller things , doth multiply controversies , and fill the minds of men with scruples , and ensnare their consciences , and engage men in parties against each other to the certain breach of charity , and ruine of the peace of the church , and of their souls . the fire of contention will never go out for want of fewel , if unnecessary things be made necessary , and small things pretended to be great , & uncertain things pretended to be certain . abundance of vice will be daily set and kept at work , upon this borrowed stock . 8. and what a world of precious time will be wasted by this means , while men are studying and reading to maintain their own opinions ; and when they must waste their hours when they are together , in conferences and wrangling-disputations , to the discomposing of their own and others minds , and certain troubling the church of god! oh what use have we for those precious hours , for surer , greater , and more needful things ? 9. the things that our salvation and the churches peace are indeed laid upon , are so great , so necessary , so pleasant , and so profitable , that it leaveth us the more without excuse , to waste our time in things unnecessary . we have our great creator to know and honour : we have the mysterie of redemption to search into and admire : we have the nature , and life , and death , and resurrection , and ascension , and glorification , and intercession of christ to study and believe ; and all the love and wisdom of god , the mercy , and the holiness , and justice that was revealed in him : we have judgment to prepare for ; & all the graces of the spirit of christ to be received , or cherished , increased and exercised in our souls . we have a hell to scape , and a heaven to obtain , and the foreseen glory of it to feed upon , for the strengthning and delighting of our souls : we have many particular duties of holiness and righteousness to attend : and in the midst of all this great employment , should we make more work and trouble to our selves , and that about unnecessary things ? 10. these unnecessary or lower things , when once they are advanced above their ranck , do undermine and wrong the greater matters , which they pretended to befriend . they divert the thoughts and speeches from them , and take up the affections , and will not be contented with their due proportion : but are , as the proverb is , like a begger on horse-back , that will never light . if men be but set upon ceremonies , or private opinions of their own , they are upon it in all companies ; and you shall sometimes have almost nothing else from them . and that 's not all ; but the interest of their unnecessary , or lower points , is ordinarily set up against the interest of that body of christian verities which we are all agreed in ; so that they can be contented that christianity lose much advantage in the greater points , that their cause may be advantaged . if this were not so , we should not have had ceremonies & formalities have cast out such abundance of excellent preachers heretofore : nor private opinions have set so many against the labours of faithful ministers , as , to our grief and shame , we have lately seen : and the mischief is , that unnecessary things made necessary , do so involve the imposers interest with their own , that they think they are necessitated to drive them on , and see their impositions obeyed , or else their wisdom or authority is 〈◊〉 . ●1 . and thus they directly lead men to persecution , and occasion those that must needs have their wills , to lord it over gods heritage , ( 1 pet. 5.3 . ) when the desire of being the churches god , hath prevailed so far with any of its members , as to set them upon a course of law-giving and domineering , and bringing others into a conformity to their wills ; they look upon all men as sinners that disobey them , and think that their power will warrant them to force ●●edience to their commands , or 〈◊〉 to deprive the church of her pastors . many a congregation have i known change preachers for ceremonies ; when as if gods will and word in necessary things to mens salvation , had but been preferred to the will and word of the bishops , about things called indifferent by themselves , the case had been altered ; and they would rather have let the ignorant have been without a ceremony then a sermon . it is the unhappy fate of almost all that are set upon unnecessary things , that they cannot endure that others should have the liberty of differing from them . it is not enough to them to enjoy the freedom of their own consciences , about meats , or holydaies , or gestures or vestures , or other formalities , unless all others be compelled to do as they do . when they are but moved to comply with others , though plain scripture and the practice of the primitive cathilick church be justly alledged for it , yet it moveth them little or nothing . but if others will not comply with them , they cry out against them as enemies to unity and peace ; and say , it is not fit to suffer men to be of so many minds and waies . that is , it is fit all should be compelled to do as they would have them . 12. and another mischief that followeth the making unnecessary things to be necessary , is , that it openeth a gap to so many more of the same kind , that no man knows how to stop it , nor when we have ceremonies and inventions enough : but upon the same ground that these are brought in to day , the next pope or bishop thinks he may bring another tomorrow ; and so we can never tell when we have all , nor when will be an end . 13. and then in the multitude of things unnecessary , we shall be in danger of losing the things that are necessary , they will be so buryed or obscured in the crowd : the substance will scarce be perceived for the ceremony . 14. and me thinks it is such height of pride for mortal men to arrogate such a power , and to desire and endeavour such a thing , that i wonder how they dare attempt it . i mean to make universal or unnecessary laws for the church in the matters of faith or worship . can a man that hath one spark of humility left in him , desire that his will may be a law to all others , in doubtful or indifferent things ? and proceed so far as to desire that none may have liberty in the church that are not of his opinion , or will not be ruled by him , in things indifferent or of no necessity ! surely a man of any humility would think with himself , am not i also imperfect in knowledge ? and may i not be mistaken ? what is my judgement that it should be a law to the church , and that i should be so highly conceited and confident of it , as to turn out godly ministers or people from the church or worship of god , for not conforming themselves to my opinion in things of such a low indifferent nature ! he that would be the law-giver to the church , and suffer none but those of his own opinion in such points , would be the lord of the church , which can know the voice of none but christ , and owneth no other lord but him . 15. and the sin is the greater because they have so little interest or pretence to lead them to these usurpations : they must have their will though it get them nothing . who made them law-givers to the church of christ ? cannot they allow christ this part of the soveraignty , to make laws for his church ? and cannot they be content with a ministerial power , to proclaim and promote the laws of christ , and according to these to guide his church ? 16. and hereby men are drawn to a humane kind of religion : and they do more properly believe , obey and worship these imposers then jesus christ : when they must fetch the very matter of their religion , not from the bible , but the canons or decrees of men , their conscience , obedience and reward will be according thereunto . 17. and hereby the adversaries of the church have occasion to insult over us , and think our differences to be more then indeed they are . when the unity of the church is laid upon things indifferent or of smalest moment , there will presently be disagreements , and these will be the enemies matter of reproach . it is this that makes the papists tell us of our differences among our selves , because we have made them seem something to them , when they are next to nothing . o say they , where is your church of england now ? why ! what 's the matter ? is the church of england dead ? or is any thing taken down that was essential to the church of england ! was a prelacy ruling by a lay-chancelor over many hundred parishes , chosen and governing without the body of the clergy , essential to the church of england ? i am confident the most of the sober godly ministers in england , are for the apostolical primitive episcopacy still . was the book of canons , or the book of common prayer , or the ceremonies essential to the church of england ? sure they were not ; and if so , its living still . but if any say that these were essential to it , we may thank them for the death of it , that made it of such a humane mortal frame , which any prince might spurn down at his pleasure . surely the church or churches of christ in england , are of a more heavenly durable frame , that may be persecuted , but hardly destroyed , while the men are living , of whom it doth consist . hence also it is that the papists tell us that we have changed all our worship . and wherein ? why we have not the same baptism that we had ; nor the same administration of the lords supper , nor the same publick prayer , nor the same way of marrying , churching , burying , &c. and what 's the difference ? is it that we say not at every time the very same words ? why so you may as well say , that paul was mutable , because he wrot not the same words in every one of his epistles , nor spoke not the same words in all his prayers , no not in publick . and so both you and we are mutable , because we preach not the same words every day in our sermons . god hath bid us pray ; but he hath prescribed us no necessary form of words , but the lords prayer . if the difference be that we use not the common prayer book ; doth that make a different sort of worship ? is it not the same sort of worship if we say the same words , or words to the same sence , either on the book or off it ? if once men lay the nature of worship and the unity of the church upon things unnecessary , then what changes will seem to be in our worship , when indeed there 's none ? then the papists may tell us of our divisions in worship , because one man sitteth at the singing of psalms and another stands ; and one readeth with spectacles and another without ; and one weareth a cap , and another weareth none ; and one preacheth on one text and another upon another : but be it known to all the papists in the world , that our religion is not changed at all : our worship is the same whether within book or without . our prayers are the same for matter with those in the common prayer book . and if i should one day use the common prayer book , and another day forbear it , i should not change the worship of god. to pray is part of his worship : but whether it be on a book or off it , is no part at all , but only a mode , or circumstance , which may be altered as occasion serveth . i doubt not but a book is fittest for some ; but not for all . and do they think that we know not what adding and chopping and changing they have made with their mass book ? who is it then that hath changed their worship ? is it like the same book that it was before the changes made by gregory the great ? it was so ordinary a thing to change the manner and forms of worshp , that private bishops did it without any synods : whence else had the world the forms that are now in use ? tell us how many of those in the biblioth . patrum were made by apostle , or general council , if you can . when basil the great had set up a new way of singing to god , and made some other changes in worship , the clergy of neocesarea were offended with him for the novelty , and told him that none of that was used in gregory's dayes : to whom he answers that neither was their own letany known in gregory's dayes , ( who yet had lived not 140 years before , and was the famous founder of their church by miracles . ) basil epist. 63. and basil added to the clergie of neocesara . [ but how can you tell that these things were not in use in gregories daies , when you have kept nothing unchanged which he was used to ? ] and that you may see his mind in this , he adds [ but i pardon all these things , ( though god will examine all : ) only let the principal things be kept safe . ] if we had changed the sacraments as the papists have done , viz. a commemorative sacrifice into a real sacrifice of christ himself ; the sacramental body and blood of christ into the real body and blood ; the administration of it in both kinds , into one kind alone , defrauding the people of the cup ; the communion into a private mass , the people only looking on the priest , when he receiveth alone himself , &c. i say , had we made such changes as these , they might have called us changelings indeed , and have told us of novelties in the worship of god. 18. moreover this laying so much upon lower or unnecessary things , doth impoverish the soul , and make it low and empty and formal , according to the matter that it hath to work upon . as the great unquestionable truths of god , are they that sanctifie and elevate the soul , and leave their image on it ; so will contending about private opinions , or laying out our zeal in ceremonies and shaddows , depress the soul and famish it , and turn our religion into a shaddow . we find by sad experience that people are so prone to turn all religion into meer words and shews and customary formalityes , that when we have done our best , we cannot cure them of this mortal sin : god is a spirit , and will have such worshippers as worship him in spirit and in truth , john 4.23 . we have little need to cherish this disease of hypocrisie & seeming histrionical outside religiousness , when we see so many perish by it after all that we can do for their deliverance . 19. and this making a religion of unnecessary things , or laying the churches unity thereon , is a dangerous snare to delude the ignorant and ungodly , and make them believe that they are godly people , and in the way to heaven as well as others . i use not this or any argument against the profitable use of any forms in order to the understanding of the matter ; nor against the due circumstantiating of the worship of god : but if profitable forms , and gods own ordinances are somwhat lyable to this abuse , we cannot devise how to increase the danger , and quite enthral these miserable souls more certainly then by multiplying unnecessary formalityes , and placing religion and unity in them . for they that are most ignorant , and empty of the love and fear of god , and the bitterest enemies to a heavenly life , will presently set in with these formalities , and make themselves a religion of these ; and then they will take themselves as godly as the best . you shall never make them believe that they are ungodly . they think the difference lyeth but in the way and manner of serving god : you serve him one way , and they another ; but yet they serve him as well as you : yea they will overdo in these indifferent things , that they may make up that which is wanting in true godliness ; and then they will think that they are better and righter then you . thus did the heathens cry out against the ancient christians with a tollite impios , away with the ungodly ; and killed them and cast them to wild beast to be torn by them , because they would not worship their idols . and so many ungodly wretches now that will not be perswaded to a holy life , will yet cry dow others as impious because they observe not all the ceremonies which they observe . when we have used all the means we can to bring them to the study of the scripture , and to meditate in the law of the lord , and to holy conference , and servent prayer ; to hatred of sin , the contempt of the world , the mortifying of the flesh , to the love of god above all , to a thankful admiration of the love of christ , and the great mystery of redemption , to the believing , delightful forethoughts of everlasting life , and preparation for it , &c. i say , when we have done all to bring them to this which is godlyness indeed , we lose our labour , and leave them as we find them . they cannot away with so precise a life : but yet a religion they will have instead of it , to deceive their souls , and quiet them in the way to hell. for instance , i must speak it with grief of heart , that i meet with no small number among us that know not who christ is ; some say he is god and not man ; some say , he is man and not god ; some say he was made both god and man at once : some say he is neither god nor man , but a spirit : some say , he is not god , but the son of god , and hath the power of god given him : abundance say that he is god only and not man , now he is in heaven , though he was both on earth : and very many know not what christianity is , nor wherein the christian religion doth consist . and yet all these persons , that are heathens rather then christians , are the most zealous keepers of christmass ( as it is called , ) and the bitterest condemners of those that do not ; and so do make themselves believe that they are christians as well as others . the same persons that know not who christ is , nor what it is to be a christian , are so much for kneeling at the taking of the lords supper , that they dare not be so unreverent as to sit or stand ; but will ra●her never receive at all : ( nor are they fit till they change in a greater matter then the gesture : ) and yet , poor souls , they think themselves to be very religious , and more reverent then others , and that here lyeth the difference between them . it would grieve the heart of a considerate man , to see a multitude of miserable sinners , to live in wickedness , in cursing , swearing , drunkenness , filthiness , neglect of god and a holy life , drowned in worldly-mindedness , and as regardless of the life to come as if they thought they should die like the beasts : and even hating those that will not be ungodly as well as they ; and yet as hot for ceremonies , and holy-days , and kneeling at the sacrament , and the common-prayer-book , as if they were more devout then others and it seems they have made themselves believe in good earnest that they are true christians and godly men , because in the depth of their ungodliness they can make a stir against those that will not be of their mind , and use these ceremonies as well as they . if any of you say , that i am now speaking against your opinions or ceremonies themselves , as if i could not give you leave to use them , you will but shew your selves mistaking hearers , and false reporters . no , it is the laying too much stress on these matters , and making indifferent things seem necessary , as if gods worship , or the unity of the church lay on them , which i speak against : and therefore i must needs say , that both sides may be guilty of this sin : principally the imposers of them , that would have all men forc't to do as they do ; and next them there may be too much guilt in those that make indifferent things seem evil , or lesser evils to be much greater then they are , and so would make a religion of avoiding what others make it their religion to observe . and whether your religion lie in being for or against these points in question ( such as the apostle speaks of in my text ) is no great difference : for the religion of both will prove but a meer shadow : yea an over hot opposing of such middle things , doth teach those that are for them to believe that they are matters of very great moment , or else they think you would not make so great a matter of them . and then when you have taught them by your fierce opposition , to make a great matter of them ; and custom and their party hath taught them to think their way is best ; both these set together do delude their souls , and make them think that because of their formalities , they are godly men , in the depths of their ignorance , ungodliness and misery . 20. lastly , observe how we sin against the sad experience of the church in all ages , by laying our religion or unity upon these smaller or unnecessary things . what hath distracted the church so much as contendings about their ceremonies and orders , and precedency and superiority ! heresies i know have done their part ( especially the arrians : ) but smaller matters have had two great a hand in it : what plentifull evidence could i give you of this ? the lamentable divisions of the christian world about easter day , which the first general council was fain to meet about and decide , is too sad an instance . but , alas , the present age it self hath given us too sad and plenteous proofs of it . by a heap of ceremonies , and unnecessary things , the roman church hath almost drownd both the doctrine , worship and discipline of christ , and miserably torn the church in pieces , and so continues to do . and what work this mistake hath made in england , i have no minde to tell you , while our smart and sufferings tell you of it more plainly then is fit for me to do . indifferent things have shut out that which was better then indifferent . consider well these twenty reasons , and then judge whether the religion or vnity of the church should be placed in unnecessary things . the imposing of them i shall speak of by it self . vse . from the text and doctrine explained and confirmed , we may see these following consectaries arise . 1. hence we see the tender mercy of god to them that are sincere in the faith , though weak . if their understandings be dark , and their judgements in lesser things mistaken , and their consciences therein erroneous ; yet if they be but true believers , and right in the main , and willing to know the mind of god and to obey it , god would not have them excluded from the communion of the saints , but rather received with charity and compassion ; and would have the stranger bear with their infirmities ( rom. 15.1 . ) he will not himself reject them ; and therefore he would not have them rejected or despised by his servants . vse 2. hence also we may see , that god will bear more , and so must his church , with smaller errors , then with the uncharitable or dividing management of those errors . though men should erre about meats or days or such like matters , we must yet receive them and love them as believers : but yet if they will hereupon despise , or censure one another to the breach of charity , and trouble of the church , for this they must be sharply rebuked , as paul here doth . vse 3. hence also you may learn , how far men should desire and enjoy a liberty in matters of religion , and how far the magistrate should interpose with force , and how far not . a liberty to live in sin , or to subvert the gospel , and the souls of others , the magistrate should give to none : but a toleration in things of a lower nature , that hazardeth not mens souls , nor the unity of the church , should be granted to the weak . can we be bound with charity to receive them , and yet to provoke the magistrate to punish them , and deal severelyer with them then we ! this may not be desired . vse 4. hence also you may see what an enemy popery is to the unity of the church , and how impossible it is that the church should have unity upon their terms : when they have composed a religion of so many ceremonies , and unnecessary things , and new devised articles and sacraments ; and none must be a catholick christian with them that will not be of th●s ●●●●gion , and vow or practise all their novelties . so far are they 〈◊〉 practising the doctrine of my tex● , that they set themselves in op●osition to it , and place their relig●on and the unity of their church in such things as paul here requireth us not so much as to judge one another in ; or in worse then these . a catholick unity is impossible : on their terms . vse 5. to conclude , i advise all that are unfeigned friends to the unity of the church , to practise the wholsom doctrine of this text. if you have zeal , there 's sin enough in your selves and o●hers to lay i● out upon : bear not with infidelity , sensuality , impenitency or any ungodly course . if men be not so much as weak believers , and seem not saints at least of the lower form , receive not these into your communion ; but leave them under your common compassionate charity . if you can prove that god receiveth them not , then do not you receive them . but as you are christians , take heed of cutting off or despising the members of christ ; and of giving a bill of divorce to any soul that is truly espoused to him : you have drunkards , and railers , and notorious ungodly ones enough to exercise all your zeal , if you joyn both head and heart and hand against them : and can you find in your hearts to fall upon one another for indifferent things , or smaller matters , which the unity of the church doth not consist in ? i speak to both sides impartially ; and i beseech you so understand me . what if thy weak brother pray upon a book , darest thou therefore despise him ? and what if thy brother pray without book , darest thou therefore judge him ? nay darest thou desire that none but such should have liberty to preach or worship in the church ? what if thy weak brother dare not receive the sacrament unless he kneel in the act of receiving it ? darest thou therefore despise him ? and what if thy brother on the other side , do rather take it in another gesture , because he is sure that christ and his apostles sinned not in so doing , and because he finds that our kneeling is contrary to the practice of the ancient church ( yea ad hominem , i may say ) contrary to general councils , yea to the last canon of the first general council it self , which even the canonists say that no provincial council , or bishops can repeal ( with many other reasons ; ) dare you therefore judge him , because he dare not imitate you rather then christ and his apostles , and the primitive church for many hundred years ? if any imagine that i go against this necessary toleration my self , because all here receive the sacrament sitting ; i answer , let them prove that ever i refused one person meerly because they would take it kneeling , if they can . if you say , why then are not all admitted to take it kneeling ? i answer , soft and fair ; there are greater matters then kneeling in the way . do but first let go your vicious courses , and agree with us in a holy life , & turn unfeignedly to god , and live in the church order that he hath plainly commanded ; and then , if i cannot give you satisfaction , you shall have liberty to take it in the gesture that you desire , so be it you will grant me my liberty as i grant you yours . one instance more , tomorrow is the day called christmass day , and many days called holy days do follow it ; if you will but read and mark this chapter , rom. 14. i am perswaded it may prevent a great deal of sin , that many of you on both sides may be guilty of . is it not a wonder that after so large and plain a decision by the holy ghost , as here you find , there should yet be any controversie among us about this case ? do you take the word of god for your rule or not ? if you do , why then doth it not rule you , and end the difference ? do you not read the apostl●s words , ver . 14. [ one man esteemeth one day above another : another esteemeth every day alike : let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind . ] if you were papists that would say the scripture is obscure , and therefore you must have a general council , you could scarce devise how a council should speak more plain then this . but nothing will serve some men , but their own wills . dare you on the one side , despise your weak brother now for esteeming ●hese days above the rest ? why perhaps it is to god that he esteemeth it : and the ancient custom of the church , and practice of many godly persons , do perswade him that it is right : and dare you on the other side condemn or reproach them that make not this difference of days as you do ? if we are contented that you have your liberty ( which truly i would not deprive you of , if it were in my power ) cannot you be contented that we have ours ? there are three opinions about these holy days . 1. some think the observance of them a necessary religious duty . 2. some think the very outward observance to be an intolerable sin . 3. some know that both these extreams are erroneous , and therefore they take the thing in it self to be indifferent , but as circumstances or accidents may make it good or evil : and these are in the right . they that are in the middle can bear with others , but the other cannot bear with them , nor with each other . there is no proof that ever i saw , that the church observed any of these days , of many hundred years after christ. for the clement , the dionysius , the cyprian that are cited for it , are known to be spurious . and it is unlikely that none of these would have been mentioned as well as the lords day , if they had been then observed , when there was so much ado about the time of easter day . yea it is certain that of divers hundred years after christ , it was not agreed on , which was the day of christs nativity ; some thought it was on ianuary 6. and therefore called it the epiphany , or appearance : and of old both the birth day and circumcision of christ were supposed to be on that same day , that is , on the sixth of ianuary . caessianus witnesseth that the egyptians were of that mind : collat. l. 10. c. 11. and epiphanius witnesseth the same of the greek and asian and syrian churches . epiphanius himself and n●zianzen , and many others were of this mind , that it was on ianuary 6. and that thence it was called the epiphanis . and chrys●stom in hom. in natal . d●m . tells us that it was but ten years before he wrote it , that the romans had perswaded the church of constantinople to change the day to december 25. and yet the countryes about ierusalem held to the 6. of ianuary , as causabon hath shewed , exercit. 2. cap. 4. p. 170 , 171. & cap. 11. p. 186 , 187. yea indeed the day of christs nativity is yet unknown , as if god had kept us ignorant of purpose : many very learned men , as broughton , helvicus , scaliger , beroaldus , think that the day was about autumn in the beginning of october : calvisius , paraeus , and many more are for other times then december 25. and iac. cappellus and many others still go the old way for ianuary 6. and th. lydiat out of clem. alexandr . is for may 20. scultetus , clopenburgius and many others do shew that indeed the time is utterly uncertain . and no wonder if the day be uncertain when the very year is so uncertain , that there is no probability of ever comeing to a full agreement about it among the learned in chronologie till the last comeing of christ agree them . our late most learned chronologer ( bishop vsher ) was confident that we were about four years too late in our common account , as in his annals may be seen . and what man can reveal the things that god hath purposely concealed ? for my part , i dare not judge men for keeping or not keeping such daies as these . but if any will make it a necessary thing to the vniversal church , i must resist that usurpation ; as paul that had circumcised timothy , did cry down circumcision when some would have obtruded it as a necessary thing . and for this i have an argument that sustaineth my religion it self even the sufficiency of the holy scripture . if this be not the law of god , then farewel christianity : if it be his law , it is sufficient in its kind , and to its ends , which is 1. to determine of all things that were then fit to be determined of : 2. and to determine of all that the universal church in all times after must be bound to . there is no universal law-giver but christ. if this day be of necessity , it was so then as well as now , and it is so to one country as well as another : for there is the same reason for it in one age and place as in another . and therefore if scripture be not a sufficient rule for universal duties of religion , then we are utterly at a loss ; and as popery will come first in , so infidelity is likely to come next . i doubt not but pro re nata , upon emergent occasions , church-governours may appoin● religious anniversary solemni●●es . for the occasion of these being 1. to some one place or pro●●●ce only : 2. and not existent 〈◊〉 scrip●ure times ; it did not bel●●● to the universal law to determine of them . but in cas●s that equally belong to the universal church , and where the reason and occa●●on was existent in the apostles daies as well as now , if there we have not their determination , no others can come after them and make it universally necessary . and indeed neither general councils nor apostolick tradition can be pleaded for the necessity . and sure i am that the one day in seven , even the lords-day , of his own appointment , which the universal church hath constantly observed , is a festival for the commemoration of the whole work of redemption , and therefore of the birth of christ , though especially of the resurrection : and therefore we are not without a day for this use . i speak not all this to condemne any that use these daies ; but to excuse those that use them not , and by telling you a few of those many reasons which they have to give for themselves , to perswade you both to lay by the opinion of necessity , and to forbear condemning those that differ from you , and be content that they have their liberty , as we are freely content that you have yours ; and lay not the vnity and peace of the church upon such things as these , when the holy ghost hath so plainly decided the case . and i could heartily wish that the lords own day were not most wilfully neglected by many that are most forward for other holy-daies . it s a fearful self-delusion of ungodly people that no means can bring them to a new , a holy and heavenly life ; and yet they will make themselves believe that they are religious , by pleading for forms , and dayes and ceremonies . alass poor soul , if thy eyes were but opened , thou wouldst see that thou hast other kind of matters first to look after ! it would grieve one to hear a man contending for kneeling and holy-dayes , and prayer-books , that is in a state of unregeneracy , and a stranger to sanctification , and under the dominion of his sins , and under the curse and wrath of god. get first a new and holy nature ; make sure of the pardon of sin , and of peace with god , and then the discourse of lower matters will be more seasonable and more savoury . is it not a shameful self-condemning to keep holy-dayes for the dead saints , and to hate and rail against the living ? do you know what kind of men those were that are called saints , and holy-dayes were kept in remembrance of them ? they were such as those that now are hated by the world , and took the course in a holy and diligent care of their salvation , as these do , and therefore were hated by the world , as the godly now are ; and when wicked men had put them to death , the godly that survived would keep a day in remembrance of their martyrdom , to encourage others to constancy for christ. and also because the unruly multitude were so set upon their pleasure , that they kept the idols festivals for their sport sake ; therefore some pastors of the church did think it better to let them have festivals for the saints to take their pleasure in , to turn them off from the idols festivals . so gregory nyssen tells us of gregory thaumaturgus in his oration of his life , that he made holy-dayes for his neighbours of neocesarea , when the roman fury had martyred many ; and he used this as a pious wile to draw the licencious vulgar from the idols festivals , by letting them play on the martyrs dayes , till they could be drawn up to a holy observation of them . whether the course were right or wrong , by this you may see the original of such dayes . and gregory the great of rome , would for this very end , have all the heathens festivals turned into christian festivals . but if any of you will hate a saint , and refuse the communion of saints , and will not imitate them in holiness , and yet will keep holy-dayes for them that are dead , christ himself hath given you your doom , matth. 23.29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33. which i desire you to read . well sirs , i have said enough , if enough will serve , to prove that the unity of the church must not be laid on things indifferent , nor upon low or doubtful points ; but it must be a unity in the spirit of sanctification . it is in the few , the great , the certain and the necessary points , that we must all agree in if ever we will agree , and compassionately tolerate the differences that are tolerable . if after all this , there be any so proud , and selfish , and ungodly , and unmerciful , that they will set up their own conceits and wills against the plain commands of god , the long and sad experience of the world , and against the peace of their brethren , and the unity of the church , and will have no agreement unless all others will be conformed to their wills , i shall now say no more to such , but that these are not the sons of peace , nor the living compassionate members of the church , but self-idolizers that god is engaged to pull down : and it is not by such as these that the church must be healed and repaired : but it is by them that are sensible of their own infirmities , and compassionate to others , that are of a christian catholick spirit , and have catholick principles and affections , and see such a beauty in the image of christ , that they can heartily love a gracious person , notwithstanding his many tolerable infirmities , and think themselves more unworthy to be tolerated by others , then such as i have described to be tolerated by them . preached december 24. 1657. finis . church concord containing i. a disswasive from unnecessary division and separation, and the real concord of the moderate independents with the presbyterians, instanced in ten seeming differences, ii. by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1691 approx. 289 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 48 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26897 wing b1223 estc r14982 12542481 ocm 12542481 62991 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26897) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62991) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:2) church concord containing i. a disswasive from unnecessary division and separation, and the real concord of the moderate independents with the presbyterians, instanced in ten seeming differences, ii. by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [16], 76 p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1691. reproduction of original in princeton theological seminary library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng concord -religious aspects. christian union -england. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 john latta sampled and proofread 2004-05 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion church concord : containing , i. a disswasive from unnecessary division and separation , and the real concord of the moderate independents with the presbyterians , instanced in ten seeming differences . ii. the terms necessary for concord among all true churches and christians . the first part written 1655. the second part 1667. and published this 1691. to second a late agreement of the london protestant nonconformists : and a former treatise called [ the true and only terms of church-concord . ] by richard baxter . mat. 5. 9. blessed are the peace-makers , for they shall be called the children of god. 1 thess. 5. 12 , 13. we beseech you , brethren , to know them who labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you : and esteem them very highly in love for their works sake ; and be at peace among your selves . phil. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. if there be any consolation in christ , if any comfort of love , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies , fulfil ye my joy , that ye be like minded , having the same love , being of one accord , of one mind . let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory : but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves . 1 cor. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. and i , brethren , could not speak to you as to spiritual but as to carnal ; to babes in christ — for whereas there is among you envying and strife , are ye not carnal and walk as men ? london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside near mercers chapel . 1691. the preface . § 1. iowe some satisfactory account to the reader , of the reasons of my publishing this book , which i have cast by about thirty four years . it cannot be well understood , without the knowledge of the case we were then in , and the occasion of my writing it . the ministers of the churches were then ( as is usual ) of divers opinions about church-government . 1. some men for our diocesane episcopacy as stated by the reformation . 2. some were for a more reformed episcopacy , described by bucer in script . angl. 1. archbishop usher , &c. 3. some were for diocesans in a higher strain , as subject to a foreign iurisdiction , and as parts of an universal church , headed by a humane head , the pope being principium unitatis . 4. some were for national and classical government by presbyters only , without bishops . 5. and some were for a parity of ministers and churches , without any superior bishops , or synods , or governours ; but to have every congregation to have all governing power in their proper pastors . 6. and some were for each congregation to be governed by the major vote of the people ; the pastor being but to gather and declare their votes ; among all these , the 3d sort , the foreigners were utterly unreconcileable ; and of the 6th we had no great hopes : but with the other four we attempted such a measure of agreements as might be useful in a loose unsettled time , to keep up christian love and so much concord , as that our differences should not so much weaken us , as to frustrate all our ministerial labours . § 2. to this end i attempted a double work of concord in worcester-shire : 1. for the willing ministers episcopal , presbyterian and independent to associate , in the practice of so much of the ministerial office , as they were agreed did belong to presbyters : ii. to catechize or personally by conference instruct , all the families and capable persons in our parishes , who would come to us , or admit us to come to them , in order at due appointed times . god gave our people ( in many parishes ) willing minds , and encouraged us by unexpected great success : the most laborious ministers took the hint , and seconded us in many counties : first and chiefly in westmorland and cumberland , and then in dorsetshire , wil●shire , hampshire and essex , ( and dr. winter , and others in ireland ) ▪ the terms of our association , the reader may see printed at large 1653. but theirs of westmorland and cumberland more large , and worthy the consideration of the present tolerated churches . i pray you read them . § 3. but when it came to closest practice , as the foreigners , ( prelatists ) and popular called brownists kept off , so but few of the rigid presbyterians or independents joyned with us ; ( and indeed worcestershire and the adjoyning counties had but few of either sort , ) but the main body of our association were men that thought the episcopal , presbyterians and independents , had each of them some good in which they excelled the other two parties , and each of them some mistakes : and that to select out of all three the best part , and leave the worst , was the most desireable ( and ancient ) form of government . but that so much as might unite them in the comfortable service of christ was common to them all : the most of our ministers were young men bred at the universities during the wars , and engaged in no faction , nor studied much in such kind of controversies ; but of solid iudgment and zealous preachers , and eminently prudent , pious and peaceable : and with them there joyned many that had conformed , and thought both the common-prayer and the directory , episcopacy and presbytery tolerable : and these in 1660. did conform ; but most of the rest were ejected and silenced . though of near ten thousand that the parliament left in possession , there were but two thousand cast out by the prelates , we strongly conjectured before hand who those would be : satan desired to have power to sift us , as wheat , and the chaff and the bran stayed in , and made that which some called the best in the world : and indeed much of the bran is honoured by us as very useful : but the simila was too fine and precise for the pallates of the great churchmen , and was cast out in the sifting : and the sifters did but call the [ similago ] simulatio ] and such other names , and out it went with scorns and devestation : and the hatred of it is propagated as the natural progeny of revived true simulation and revenge . but though fur-fur be a name of no honourable sound ( or sence , as it looks to brethren and the church ) yet for my part i do with thanks for england , and with lamentation for other lands , consent with them that say , few churches are so well fed : god can use this for the cleansing and drying up the hydropical tympanite of this land : and christ , i hope , will remember the penitent part of them , when he cometh in his kingdom , and they that rob'd others of their civil and church rites , may yet be with christ in paradise . furfure pinguescunt pulli si lacte madescat . even those that read this praise with displeasure , taking repentance for a disgrace , and being loth to think they need it , may yet by grace repent and live . through god's great mercy the excussed simila hath been childrens food , though the milstones have made it unfit for seed . but god will aliunde provide seed : though we cannot but dread the abundance and malignity of the seminary tares . § 4. but our trouble ( next to the ignorance and badness that we found most parishes in ) was antichurches , or separatists , that in great towns and where they found entertainment , did gather congregations out of the parochial congregations ; which being gathered on pretence that the communion of our churches was unlawful , employed so much of their preaching and converse in labouring to prove it so , and in magnifying their own opinions and ways , and vilifying others , as made many towns become places of meer strife , that i say not of almost hostility . § 5. these separating antichurches were of divers sorts : but of these it was two parties that most hindred our concord and success . the laudian prelatists , and the rigid independents : the former set up mostly in great mens houses , that had been against the parliament ; with whom they had the great advantage of the prejudice and exasperation of minds that had suffered with and for them ; and of their power over the people that as tenants or servants depended on them , and the countenances of their greatness , and a comfortable and honourable entertainment with them . these told the people that the parish ministers were schismaticks and but lay men , ( except the old ones that were ordained by diocesans . ) the other sort pretended sometimes faultiness in our churches , as not so pure as they ; and sometime liberty to gather the willing into churches of their conduct , because parish bounds were not of divine right . the anabaptists also made us no small trouble ; but the quakers that made the loudest noise , by railing at us in our assemblies and markets , did little harm , being contemned because of the grossness of their behaviour : especially when we had admitted them to publick disputes , and shamed them before all the people . § 6. our care was therefore to offer love and peace to the laudians and the rigid independents . to the first sort , we offered to consine our ministration to that which they had nothing against , though we could not do all that they thought best : we constantly used to read the psalms and scripture lessons , some hymns , the creed , lord's prayer , decalogue , &c. and offered them the sacrament kneeling that were capable and willing : and some of us permitted and maintained the bare reading curates that in chapels read the liturgy to them . and petitioned that all intolerable priests of what side soever might be removed for better ; but that no man might be ejected for being for the king. but we spake to the deaf ; and sought peace of the unpeaceable . we would have had them to set up tolerated bishops over all volunteers that desired it : but that they were utterly against , as thinking that the party that would constitute their churches would but shame them by their ignorance and vice , such a leaden sword did they take their discipline to be , laying all on the force of the magistrates sword , when yet the keys , which they durst not bear without the sword ( as it was done three hundred years ) must have the honour and name . § 7. and as to the other separatists , we treated with their chief leaders for union and concord ; and that occasioned the writing of this book . but we little prevailed with the old conductors , or the young self-conceited sort of novices . i will not dishonour the dead so far as to name them that i treated with , and the terms offered to them , and the pretences on which they by tergiversation refused it . their confidence in the soldiery that failed and shamed them , i think was it that hardened them into that errour . and had not the sword for a time upheld them , all these sects had quickly come to nothing ( as indeed most of them did ) by the parts , interest and concord of the united ministry : for my own part i had little hinderance , nor any antichurch nor striving party . § 8. the present conformists i know will take occasion to call our congregations such antichurches now , as i wrote against then . and some on the other side will say , what need was there now to publish your old disswasives from separation : i will speak briefly to both these . § 9. i. i know none now that are so much against schism and sinful separation , as the moderate nonconformists ; nor any more guilty of it than those ( papists and tories ) that most fiercely talk against it . had we not been greatly against schism , we had never done and suffered so much as we have done to have prevented or healed it : and to have kept the church from tearing laws , and canons that have battered peace and concord : we had never written and stoopt and humbly beg'd for unity and peace of malicious , ambitious , revengeful men , that made all our endeavours fuel to increase the flames of their cruelty . we foresaw what the legion was like to do , to make the church and land like the man among the tombes , that ragingly cut and tore himself : but the cure is too hard for us . is it lawful and good to shut the churches doors against us , and throw stones at us to drive us away , and banish us five miles from all the churches of the cities and corporations of the land , and all places where of long time we had preached , and to order the iailers to keep us from the churches , and informers to accuse us if we come there ; and then to call us schismaticks for not coming : and is it schism for men thus used , to worship god elsewhere ? is there no separation that is a duty , because some separation is a sin ? is it schism to separate from heathens or infidels , or from the papal church , or from arrians ? the case was not then as it hath been since : the separating party had nothing imposed upon them , that they could themselves say was against the word of god. they had no canons that excommunicated them ipso facto , if they should call the churches practice sinful . they were not cast out for not declaring assent and consent to all things contained in and prescribed by three books of fallible imposers ; they were not forced to covenant never to endeavour any alteration , ( that is , amendment of the present church government : nor to subscribe that if a king should commission a french or irish army to invade the land , to deliver it to a foreign prelate , it is unlawful for the land to resist such an army . the corporations of england were not then constituted , by means of an oath , that neither king , lords , or any person have any obligation to be against schism , popery or prophaneness , or to repent of sin , by swearing and vowing it , if that oath hath a confederacy also against the english prelacy , and was imposed and taken against law. the separatists that were against bishops , liturgies and ceremonies , were then at liberty to forbear them , and to disown them . and what pretence had they then for separation ? § 10. ii. but to the other side , i answer , 1. the loud accusations of schism or separation published against us by such as then did separate themselves from the publick churches , require us to undeceive those that are deceived by them , by making them know our constant enmity to schism ; and that it is they that drive us away , and not we that are driven , that are the schismaticks ▪ in england , as i proved in a writing called [ a search for the schismatick ▪ ] to humble them that are the cause , it is still necessary to shew the evil of that sin. it made not the apostles schismaticks , to be cast out of the synagogues ; no , nor paul for separating the christians from the blaspheming iews , into the meeting in tyrannus school . 2. and the surviving of the old sectarian spirit of division , maketh it a duty to shew still the evil of it : some cannot endure to hear those former miscarriages blamed , but by enmity to repentance make them their own , and encourage the evil spirit of division : and some still keep up the dividing principle , of the peoples power of the keys , and are ready to separate from those pastors that will not allow the whole congregation to be tryers or iudges of the state of all that are to be baptized or admitted to communion . and if we never have more admission into more publick allowance , the world shall see that it was not long of us : but if god have so much mercy for this land , as to strengthen us by publick concord , and unlock to us the doors of the publick churches , when i am dead , i would leave this testimony against such as shall then refuse or resist any lawful and desirable concord . and as to my terms of peace then offered to the independents , i think it seasonable now to publish them , when god in mercy hath newly brought us to publish our concord in a very hopeful and comfortable form and manner , to drive home the nail , and to be a witness against them that yet will divide . § 11. and because both old and late experience telleth me who those be , though i have hereafter spoken to their case , i will speak again though i seem guilty of repetition . it is the raw ignorant flashy self-conceited sort of reformers that we are in danger of , as to frustrate our concord and reformation . such whether ministers or people have torn us , and continue so to do , and are like to do so still . paul knew what he said , and why , when he told us a bishop must not be a novice , ( or a young raw christian ) lest being puft up with pride , be fall into the condemnation of the devil . and act. 20. of your own selves shall men rise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them . ignorant unstudyed preachers , that attain to a laudable fervency in speaking what they know meet with injudicious hearers , that being of their own temper , discern not their ignorance , but value their zeal , and these grow up into dividing parties and churches , and cherish the vices of each other , as if it were wisdom and holy zeal . the great dividing errour of these people is unruliness , 1 thess. 5. 14. warn them that are unruly ] ti● . 1. 10. there are many unruly and vain alkers , iam. 3. 8. their tongue● are an unruly evil ] . they take it for a doctrine of christ , that they ought not only to be unruly , but to be rulers of the church , and of their rulers , and to usurp a chief part of the pastors office , to the churches confusion and their own : they think that the t●yal of all that are received into the church by baptism , or to it's communion in the lord's supper , and of all that are admonished , suspended , excommunicated or absolved , belongeth to the major vote of the people : and where this is denied them , they will have ●o peace . it 's no time to palliate this mischievous errour . i resolve here to deal plainly though briefly with the guilty , and therefore ask them , § 12. q. 1. if gross ignorance deserve casting out , do not you deserve it that are so grosly ignorant , even in a point so plain , and of such practical moment ? q. 2. could you possibly be so proud as to think your selves capable of this , if you had ever had true humility , or knowledge of your selves ? q. 3. do not you forfeit even the right of choosing your pastors that know no better what a pastor is , and that to be your rulers is essential to their office ? q. 4. with what eyes and minds do you read the scripture , that cannot there see , that you are commanded to obey them that have the rule over you , for they watch for your souls , as those that must give account , that they may do it with joy and not grief , for that is unprofitable to you , heb. 3. 17. & v. 7. remember them which have the rule over you ; who have spoken to you the word of god. and v. 24. salute all them that have the rule over you , 1 tim. 3. 5. a bishop must be one that ruleth well his own house , else how shall he take care of the church of god. and ( as the steward of god. tit. 1. 7. to give the children their meat in due season , 1 thess. 5. 12 , 13. know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , &c. 1 cor. 4. 1 , 2. let a man so esteem of us as of the ministers of christ , and stewards of the mysteries of god : it 's required of stewa●●s that a man be found faithful ? q. 5. do you know what the word pastor signifyeth ? do the sheep rule the shepherd and themselves ? q. 6. the pastor being but one , and you , having the major vote , are you not his rulers ? and are you able to rule him aright ? why do you not tell him what and whom to reprove , &c. q. 7. is it not sacrilege to usurp a sacred office ? like uzzah's incense , and c●rah's sin ? q. 8. who hath required this at your hands ? who gave you commission to rule the church ? q. 9 ▪ do you not tremble to think what a charge you usurp , and what a dreadful account you undertake to give ? will you answer for all that are un●neetly baptized , received to communion , excommunicated , restored , &c. do you not know that this is a greater and harder part of the pastors office , than an hours preaching ( which a well furnished man can do in the way that you like with little or no study ) if he must wholly attend this work , must not you do so , if you undertake it ? do you know what it is to try so many men and womens knowledge and professions and lives , and to hear witnesses , and hear each person● plea for himself , and judge ? must you not leave your trades for it , or be treacherous ? even all of you , because the major vote must judge . o fearful self-condemnation ! q. 10. do you not know how certainly this will turn churches into confusion , and the scorn of the world ? will you all agree in your tryals ? or will not one think that person not holy enough , nor that profession of conversion satisfactory , which another approveth ? q. 11. and where hath god given the major vote the government of the minor ? if you can rest in ● wrong judgment of the usurping majority , why not of the lawful pastors ? q. 12. why would you chuse pastors that be not wi●●r to govern than your selves ? q. 13. do you not imitate those diocesan● that take on them the sole government of more churches than they can govern : and do not you also undertake what you cannot do ? q. 14. do you think it is not lawful for a great lord like abraham , that hath a hundred or many hundred servants , to make a church of his family ? and do you think his children and servants should rule it by vote , and try their lord and ladies graces ? q. 15. do you not know that baptism entereth into the universal church as such , and not into any particular church without a further contract ? and who made you rulers of the church universal ? why you rather than another church . did the people try and judge by vote the baptizing of the three thousand , act. 3. and of cornelius , and the e●much , and the iailor , or the samaritans , or any one person ? prove it if you can , and defie not god's word . q. 16. what if the minister that must baptize and give the lord's supper be unsatisfied in your iudgment ? must he go against his conscience in obedience to you ? q. 17. is one abused text [ tell , and hear the church ] ignorantly repeated , enough to blind you against all this evidence ? if the king send to the city of london to cast out an ill member , doth it follow that all the people must do it by equal power or vote , or some as rulers , and others as obedient consenters ? your freedom and your choice of rulers is not a power to rule . papists and all sects abuse this text. § 13. is not your liberty to be governed only as consenting volunteers enough for you , unless being many masters you receive the greater condemnation , jam. 3. 1. i would you would read the third chapter of james , and the fourth to the ephesians , and the second to the philippians , on your knees , begging of god to cause the scales to fall from your eyes , and to give you his eye salve , that you may see that you are poor , and miserable , and blind and naked : when the greatest millenaries say , this is spoken of the new jerusalem in another world in paradise , do not repine that i apply it to you . § 14. and that you may not be proud of your church liberty it self ( not to be forced to sacraments and communion , let me tell you , what it is . it is a liberty to be sinful , disorderly and unhappy , resulting from that necessity which god in nature and scripture hath founded , in that he will make no one happy without his voluntary consent : if you will you may renounce your baptism , and your childrens church-membership , and your own : you may after a first and second admonition excommunicate and condemn your selves , and renounce communion with the universal church , and with christ himself ; you have liberty to forsake the assemblies and communion of the church , and the help and conduct of true pastors : you have liberty to forsake god , and to be damned : o woful liberty ! god will not pardon , or save you against your wills : and kings and bishops should not force you to take a sealed pardon , or any of the childrens peculiar part without your voluntary consent . as much as you blindly cry down freewill , i think you deny not , but men have a will free and able to sin , and to choose destruction , till grace cure that freedom . and verily i think to such ignorant proud dividers as you , it is but such a freedom to choose your own teachers , where christian magistrates have more wisdom to choose for you : not much more than for boys to choose their own schoolmasters or tutors , or servants in a great mans family-church , yea or sons , to choose their pastor . your most desireable liberty is to have wiser governours and choosers , and to have wit , humility and grace to obey them . ( but yet to be the discerning iudges of your duty , and to do nothing against god's law ) . q. 18. i would know why you do not also your selves baptize and administer the lord's supper ? do you not know that the ministerial power of the keys lyeth more in judging decisively who should receive these sacraments , than in the actual delivering them . do you not as the lay chancellours do by the parish ministers , make them but the executioners of their decrees : you must iudge , and your pastors execute , or as cryers proclaim your iudgments . q. 19. when all the church must try the repentance or conversion of a sinner , must he open his sin before you all ? if not , you will take him i doubt for no true penitent . if yea , then by what right can you make his secret sins to be openly known . auricular confession is better than such : and if an aged person for want of use be uncapable of handsom expressions about religion , must he be put to shame before you all ? and as mr. noyes ▪ saith , shall lads thus uncover their father's nakedness ? q. 20. are you sure that upon a wiser examination than yours , most of this masterly party would not be cast out themselves . in many things we offend all : and he that sheweth not his religious wisdom out of a good conversation by works of meekness , but hath bitter envying and strifes , his glorying is a lying against the truth : such wisdom is not from above , but is earthly , sensual and devilish : for where envying and strife is , there is confusion and every evil work . i would advise the pastors of such masterly people , to try and examine these tryers : i have given them a catalogue of questions for them at the end of my reformed pastor : try whether they can tell you , whether christ hath one ▪ or two , or three natures ? whether he was man before the world ? in what nature he made all things ? how the godhead and manhood are one person ? whether each be a part of christ's person ? what the soul is ? how they will prove against an infidel that christ is the son of god ? and that scripture is true ? what the definition of faith is ? and of iustification , and of regeneration ? and the covenant of grace ? whether it be the substance of the holy ghost that is given in to the faithful , or only his effects ? an hundred such questions , i doubt you will find them ignorant answerers of . it 's a sad case to have those try mens regeneration that know not what regeneration is . if you will abuse the letter of the text , the women must govern : are not they of the church ? you 'l say , they are forbid to speak . ans. that 's as teachers ; but what 's that to iudging ? and are not you forbid to rule , when you are commanded to obey ? the church that must be heard , is it that must be told and iudge . but it is the pastors that must be heard : for if all the people be the speaking reprovers , it will be a clamorous church . and how without such clamour can the multitude be heard ? and must not all dissenters have leave to enter their dissent against the major vote . what if twenty be of one mind and twenty one of another ? will one voice satisfie the consciences of the rest to acquiesce . q. 21. you build all this on the foundation of rebellion against god and governours ; as if the people were the first receivers of ruling power , and were by nature made the rulers ( or law-makers ) by a majority over the minor part : which is so false , that as people they have no ruling power to use or give . all power is of god , and none have it but by his gift : and he never gave power to the children and servants to rule the master of the family ; nor to the people to rule the pastor or church , nor to the people to rule the iustices or iudges , &c. god made governours so early , as prevented the peoples making them in the essential part of the office . it 's enough that they choose him ( in cases not natural ) that shall receive it from god. but i wonder not that brownists and ignorant sectaries receive this false principle of the bodies ruling power by a major vote , when even archbishop laud and dr. beveridge , yea , and judicious richard hooker , yea and many papist and protestant authors of politicks ; and some lawyers have published it : to the deceiving of the undistinguishing ignorant , and the confounding of societies , civil and ecclesiastical , and the robbing god of his prerogative , and feigning all government as a mushroom to spring out of the earth , which cometh down from heaven : power is by descent from above . q. 22. i will ask you but this question more , whether now the brethren called congregational , the most . able and zealous have consented to a form of concord which excludeth the peoples government , can your consciences chuse but accuse you as proud , and enemies of concord , if as wiser than all these you be so foolish as to continue the divisions . and also when it 's known that it was men of your principles and tempers that caused our former confusions , and pull'd down after the king , the parliaments of all sorts , the protector and one another , till they set up their quarters over the gates , and pluckt up the floodgates that have these thirty years overwhelmed us , and hazarded all the reformation : is there after all this any excuse for dividers , or any pretence to extenuate their sin ? a sin that hath cost england , holland , germany , poland , and many other nations dear . yea , a sin that tore the very apostolick churches , and grieved the hearts of the apostles , and caused them to record their vehement obtestations against it . [ if there be any consolation in christ , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies , fulfil ye my joy , that ye be like minded , having the same love , being of one accord and of one mind : let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory , but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves : look not every man on his own things , but every man also on the things of others . ] had you not been ignorant of church history , but known what the churches from the apostles days till now , have suffered by an hundred sort of sects and heresies , and what the woful effects of them have been , and what a scandal they proved to the beholders , and how shamefully they all ended , you would have feared the very appearance of so direful an evil , and would not have cherished a worm of so many feet in your bowels , even that ignorant pride which hath caused all this . what is there in this odious sin , and this contentions church state , that should make men professing godliness love it , and make the cure of it so hard . is ruling a work of ease ? is there nothing but honour in it ? is it not dreadful to be accountable for the ill managing of it ? do you not reproach pastors as dumb dogs and treacherous , that neglect their duty : yea , and kings and magistrates if they miscarry : and are not you afraid of your account of a usurped mis-performed government ? can you judge whether your pastors understand the gospel in the language that the holy ghost hath given it in ? and whether they rightly expound a thousand difficult texts ? and whether they decide doctrinal controversies truly or erroneously ? or do you not rather cry up men that are of your opinion , be it right or wrong , and love those that are sick of your disease , and tempt such ignorant teachers to speak and do that which pleaseth the people , for fear of incurring their censure , ●●●●● losing their maintenance . it grieveth me ●o hear that some are drawn so far to concur in the peoples guilt , that they will reject from their communion all that will communicate with the most godly conformists ; and make adversaries say , that the question between us is , whether bishops or women , or at least ignorant voters , should govern the church . they say , the publick churches have faults and forms . and have you no faults ? had the iews church no forms ? is not the whole bible a form of words for instruction and prayer and praise ? obj. but they are god's words . ans. then god was for forms . but your bibles are all man's words : do you think that moses , the prophets , or christ were englishmen ? or was any of the scripture written or spoken in english by them , or by the apostles ? do you not take every word in your bibles on trust from english conformists , or such men ? it was conformists ( all save one ) that made the translation of the bible which you use . the papists say , it is a false translation ? how will you confute them , and prove that you have any gospel or word of god ? and is not taking all your bible as to the words on trust from conformists a greater degree of communion with them , than receiving the sacrament at their hands in form ? i advise all sober persons to be no members of any such church , as will engage them to have no communion with any others , but to be as guilty of separation a● they are themselves . i mean , that you make not or perform any such wicked covenant or condition of communion with them , though their leader should seem the most zealous and devout : to renounce communion with all the church of christ , save such à schismatical sect , yea , or with all that have not purer worship than our liturgy , or that are not purer churches , is a sin so heinous , as should deter you from it . though better be to be preferred , renounce not communion with all that have not better , lest yours prove worse . had not the publick church-men been guilty of schismatical separation , calling men from all churches and worship save their own , and appropriating all church title and communion to themselves , they had been more blameless than they are . but while some silence , and others separate , concord is banished more and more . and if the imposing party well consider this late agreement , they will find that there is nothing in , it that may make them think , that the same men will be averse , to any just terms of a further agreement , with those that have been their ejecters . they have agreed to take no members out of any of your true pastoral consenting churches , without a just hearing and satisfactory reasons to them . but i hope you take not all your parishioners , even atheists , papists and infidels for your church members ; no● yet all your auditors and catechumens , but only your communicants : and is it not better that they be members of nonconformists churches than of none ? i have elsewhere cited you the canons of a council decreeing , that if the bishop of the place convert not any heathens or unbelievers , and another convert them , they shall be his flock that did convert them , ( in my hist. of councils . ) would they but first admit the excluded to publick lectures where the incumbent consenteth , it would prepare the way for further concord . the great reconciler will in due time reconcile and closely unite his own . amen . apr. 11. 1691. ri. baxter . to the united protestant nonconformists in london . though i was , by the confinement of decrepit age , and pain , hindred from having any part , in the form or contract of your agreement , i think it my duty to signifie my sence of what you have done , and by the publication of my old endeavours of that kind , to promote the execution . i greatly rejoyce in your very attempt : that god exciteth you to a practical desire of speedy healing our pernicious , shameful strifes : much more that you have so skilfully made the present plaister for the wound : no man doth any thing so well , but it might be better done : you must look that it should be assaulted by cavil and reproach : those that these thirty years have denied you brotherly communion with them , will be loth you should be thought to have any union among your selves : and the potent schismaticks that to divert the infamy from themselves , have stigmatized you with their own name , will be loth that your concord should confute them : while you offer your reasons to prove that what they make necessary terms of ministration and communion , would be to you if obeyed ( not medling with them ) no less than [ deliberate covenanted perjury or lying and renunciation of repentance and amendment of church-corruptions , and of the law of nature and nations , and the kingdoms self-defence ; ] they must stretch their wits , and gift of tongue , to make all this seem but a melancholy or feigned fear , and that it is but things indifferent that you refuse : as they call me antiepiscopal , and against the church , because i would have more bishops over a thousand or many hundred churches than one , and would have as many hands to do the work , at least as are necessary to the hundredth part of it ; and would have more churches in a diocess than one , and would have incumbents to be pastors and rectors : but dreaming men that build cities , or travel in their sleep , can build more or go further in an hour ( specially if they lye soft in a university or a great man's house , than a waking man can do in a year or in his life . my own judgment of episcopacy and church constitution i have oft published , and you may see it in lascitius and commenius books of the bohemian waldenses church-government . brethren , i hope you fix not your bounds of pacification , in the words or limits of this form of concord , with a ne plus ultra . either ( when i am dead ) the publick church doors will be unlock'd to your lawful communion or not : if yea , it will be so great a mercy , that the prospect of a possibility of it , will justifie my publishing my old reasons against unnecessary antichurches , or militant contentious gatherings ; but if god have not so much mercy for this land , but that the doors be lock'd up against desired concord , or venient romani , our foreign jurisdiction men will prevail to deliver up the land to a pretended universal foreign power , and make all believe that it is treason to resist either a french or irish army , if they be but commissioned to perform it ; then your concord with such as are not enemies to peace , will be a comfortable help to your patient sufferings , and may keep up some sparks of the reformed religion from being utterly extinguished : and while you dwell in the secret of the most high , you may lodge under the shadow of the almighty : and may enter into your chambers , and shut the doors on you , for a little moment till the indignation be over-past ; and god be known by the judgments which he executeth , when the wicked are insnared in the work of their own hands . thus praying god to save you from violating the concord you consent to , and from being perverted by the ignorant dividing sort of teachers or people , and that you will study mr. meade's reasons against division , well and seasonably urged , i bid you farewel . your quondam fellow-labourer , ri. baxter . london , april 23. 1691. the contents of the first part. chap. i. the necessity of concord , and mischief of unnecessary separations manifested , in twenty of the ill effects . pag. 1. ch. ii. what is incumbent on the pastors for the prevention and cure hereof . p. 13. ch. iii. the first difference with the independents reconciled , viz. of the necessary qualification of church members . p. 15. ch. iv. the second difference reconciled : of a church covenant . p. 19. ch. v. the third difference reconciled : of the extent of a particular church . p. 21. ch. vi. the fourth difference reconciled , whether a particular church hath power in it self to ordain and impose hands on their chosen pastors . p. 23. ch. vii . the fifth difference reconciled : of the first subject of the power of the keys ; or of right to govern and censure . p. 25. ch. viii . the sixth difference reconciled : whether a pastor of one church may do the work of a pastor in other churches for that time , being called to it . p. 32. ch. ix . the seventh difference reconciled : whether each particular church hath power to exercise all government and church ordinances within it self , without subjection to synods or any other clergy governours as over them . p. 33. ch. x. the eighth difference reconciled : whether lay-men may preach in the church ; or as sent to gather churches . p. 38. ch. xi . the ninth difference reconciled : whether the parish churches are true churches . p. 41. ch. xii . the tenth difference reconciled : of taking members out of other churches , and of gathering churches in other mens parishes . p. 42. ch. xiii . the sum of this agreement reduced to practice . p. 55. the contents of the second part. q. 1. vvhat are the necessary terms of communion of christians as members of the universal church ? p 62. q. 2. what are the necessary terms of the communion of christians personally in a particular church ? q. 3. what are the terms on which neighbour churches may hold communion with one another ? q. 4. what are the terms of communion between the churches of several kingdoms ? ( foreign iurisdiction is confuted in another book . ) q. 5. what is the magistrates power and duty about religion and the churches and ministers of christ : and the peoples to magistrates , ( further opened in a treatise of national churches . ) chap. i. the necessity of concord . the judgments of all wise and sober men must needs disallow both the practice of division and unwarrantable separation from the churches of christ , and the common liberty for gathering churches out of churches now pleaded for , and too much practised by many ; and also the occasioning of divisions and separations by over rigorous proceedings with tender consciences , and imposition of unnecessary things and too much severity against those that through infirmity are guilty of some culpable divisions and uncharitableness : for it 's not this oil that will quench these flames . in order to the healing of our dangerous divisions , i think it meet to deliver my thoughts in the ensuing method . 1. to shew the evil of our divisions , and of the common practice of private separated churches , where in publick there are able , godly , faithful ministers , and such publick churches as may lawfully be owned : for i meddle with no other case . 2. to shew what the agreeing publick ministers should do on their parts for the prevention and cure of these distractions . 3. to give you the true state of the differences that have occasioned them . 4. to propound those terms by which a safe reconciliation may be made . 5. to which i should add ( if it were not for being thought too bold or confident ) the magistrates duty , both in order to our agreement , and in case we will not be agreed . i. though i take not a private meeting , or a tolerated private church for so odious a thing in it self considered as some do , but confess that such may be good or evil , as the cause of the assemblies , — the aspect of the times , and other circumstances and accidents shall make them , and doubt not but there may be warrantable separations from one or many particular churches , where the blame may lie upon the churches , and the private assemblies sometimes may be more justifiable than the allowed publick ones ; yet as unnecessary separations and divisions are a great transgression ; so what the aggravations of that transgression are , and what wrong the cause of god receives from the differences among the godly themselves , and the divided and private congregations that are gathered by occasion of these differences , in many parts of england , i shall briefly shew . 1. when in one and the same parishes ( the boundaries of the ordinary churches , as to habitation ) there shall be divers churches , one publick , and one private , it will ordinarily cause great disaffection and contention among the christians of that place : there will be pastor against pastor , and people against people ; and one will be accusing another according to their several apprehensions , and making the waies , and consequently the persons of each other to he odious or unacceptable to others : and hereby christian love will be much quenched , and unity and concord much overthrown , and all the effects of love abated , and the odious remnants of uncharitableness , malice and emulations will revive . too common and sad experience puts this out of doubt . alas ! what factious doctrine , for parties and against parties are usually managed in publick and private , where these divisions once appear ? what unconscionable censures pass too often on one side or both ? what bitter unchristian taunts and scorns , and reproachful words ? when publick writings so abound with these , and the press is become the common scold , and the most unchristian language is spoken so familiarly to all the land , and uncharitableness and fury are afraid of being concealed , no wonder if in private among those that are pleased with such discourse , the preacher sit in the scorners chair . 2. uncharitableness and divisions , are as plainly , urgently and frequently prohibited , and condemned in the word of god , as almost any sins that are : and love and unity , peace and concord are prest as much as any duty of man to man. certainly these great obligations are such as smaller matters cannot dispense with . and wonderful it is , that so many thousand , that abhor the popes dispensing with oaths and promises , and subjects duties , and with some of the positive commands of god , can yet without remor●e of conscience so easily , so long , so confidently dispense with the greatest duties of man towards man , even with charity it self , and the effects of charity . he that must owe nothing else , must owe love , rom. 13. 8. love is the fulfilling of the law. verse 10. every commandment of the second table is briefly fulfilled in loving our neighbours as our selves . verse 9. yea he loveth not god that loveth not his brother . 1 iohn 4 ▪ 21. love is of god ; and every one that loveth is born of god and knoweth god : he that loveth not , knoweth not god : for god is love. 1 iohn 4 ▪ 7 , 8. if we love one another , god dwelleth in us , and his love is perfected in us . verse 12. god is love , and he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god , and god in him . verse 16. if any man say , i love god and hateth his brother , he is a liar : for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen , how can he love god whom he hath not seen : and this commandment have we from him , that he that loveth god , love his brother also . verse 20 , 21. every one that loveth him that begat , loveth him that is begotten also . 1 iohn 5. 1. we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren : he that loveth not his brother abideth in death . whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer , and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him . 1 iohn 3. 14 , 15. yea we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren . verse 16. this is the new and frequently urged command of christ , that we love one another . iohn 13. 34. and 15. 12 , 17. gal. 5. 14. iam. 2. 8. this is it that we must provoke each other to . heb. 10. 24. and that must continue ▪ heb. 13. 1. we must love one another with a pure heart ●ervently . 1 pet. 1. 2● . yea by love we must serve one another . gal. 5. 13. and paul took this to be so essential to our sanctification that he tells the thessalonians , 1 thes. 4. 9. that [ as touching brotherly love , he need not write to them , for they were taught of god to love one another . ] and can that be the way of god that dispenseth with so essential a part of holiness , or that secretly and unobservedly extinguisheth this holy love ! let experience teach you , whether the present way of private separated churches , be not the opening a shop , or forge , for military engines against each other ? and under pretence of defending truth , whether they be not the nurseries of uncharitable wars among the servants of the lord ? and then as love is extinguished , so the sinful fruits of the contrary vice do by such divisions prosper and abound ! and what weekly bills of heinous sins might we see , that are committed on these occasions , if all the envious , slanderous , censorious , and other uncharitable words were open to our view that many that profess the fear of god , are frequently guilty of . it is a sad condition that tempteth christians to so much sin , and quieteth their consciences in it , as if their horrid iniquity were their piety ; and that bringeth too many separated churches under some such reputation as alehouses are faln into ( i speak it not in contempt but lamentation ) which are taken to be lawful , but places where so much sin is committed , that it is a suspicious sign for a m●n to be oft seen in them , especially near home . as swearing and excess of drink are the ordinary sins of alehouses , so church dividing , censorious , envious words , with more that i shall anon mention , are the too common sins of these dividing congregations . and then as love ▪ so unity and concord is importunately urged on us in the holy scriptures , and the contrary condemned . o read and study that prayer of christ , that his servants may be one , iohn 17. 11 , 21 , 22 , 23. how high he drives it , and how much he insisteth on it . his church was then most spiritual and pure , when it had the greatest unity , act. 2. 1. [ they were all with one accord in one place ] when the holy ghost did fall upon them ! act. 2 ▪ 42. [ they continued stedfast in the apostles doctrine and fellowship , and breaking of bread and prayer ] verse 44. [ all that believed were together ( yea and by the power of love , though not by levelling destruction of propriety ) had all things common . ] vers. 46. [ they continued daily with one accord in the temple — ] act. 4. 31 , 32. they were together [ praying when the place was shaken , and they were all filled with the holy ghost : and the multitud● of them that believed were of one heart and soul. ] so act. 5. 12. many great faults we find had tainted the church of the corinthians , the galatians , and too many more ; when yet we find not that any separated churches were gathered by the godly , for the avoiding these corruptions ( nor that i remember , on any other occasion . ) no where do i read in the same precincts or cities , of any churches separated from the first churches , but only the societies of hereticks , that are so much reprehended and branded with infamy by the spirit of god. not one that ever i could find of the true believers , did take this to be his duty : name any church that was separated from a former church in scripture , and held divided assemblies in the same precincts , and was approved by the lord. i find divisions in the churches too many ; some saying , i am of paul , and some , i am of apollo ; but i find none but those condemned of heresie , that divided from the churches . separation from the world was the practice of the churches ; but separation from the churches was the practice of hereticks only , as far as i remember ; or those that are charged with schism at least ; though i remember not that meer schism then rose so high . they that had the apostles among them could not easily fall to such a crime , till they fell from the apostles . and far were the apostles when they reprehended the corruptions of the churches , from perswading men to separate from them . ( though it's possible for such a case to be , when that may be a duty , yet all those faults enumerated by paul , did not make it so . ) but contrarily they charge them not to forsake the assembling of themselves together , as the manner of some ( the hereticks ) was . heb. 10. 25. and [ beseech them by the name of the lord jesus christ to speak all the same thing , and that there be no divisions among them ; but that they be perfectly joined together in the same mind , and in the same judgment . i cor. 1. 10. 11. [ that they be all of one mind , having compassion one of another , loving as brethren , being pitiful and courteous , not rendring evil for evil , or railing for railing , but contrariwise blessing , &c. ] 1 pet. 3. 8 , 9. o how constant , and how earnest were the apostles in these exhortations , and in answerable prayers to god. phil. 2. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. [ if there be therefore any consolation in christ , if any comfort of love , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies , fulfil ye my joy , ( and what was paul's so much desired joy ? ) that ye be like minded , having the same love , being of one accord , of one mind : let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory ; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves : look not every one on his own things , but every man also on the things of others . ] rom. 15. 5 , 6. [ now the god of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to christ jesus , that you may with one mind , and one mouth glorifie god. rom. 16. 17. now i beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned , and avoid them : for they that are such serve not the lord jesus , but their own bellies , and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple . ] so 1 thes. 5. 12 , 13. study . iam. 3. throughout . abundance of such passages are before us in the word , which tell us that this great and necessary command of love and unity , is not to be dispensed with , nor divisions among christians to be accounted small things . and shall men professing the fear of god , go against such a stream of holy precepts ? and be sensible of a swearers or a drunkards sin , and not of so great a course of sin of their own ? 3. the nature of gods graces in his servants souls is contrary to a way of separation and division : as fire would to fire , and water to water , so would christian to christian : grace is sociable , and abhors division as well as nature . wounding is not its delight . love is an essential part of the new man. the living members rejoyce together , and suffer together , and be not easily set against each other ; but it 's hurt to all that 's hurt to one . 4. divided churches are the seminaries of private dividing principles ; as they proceed from such principles , so do they cherish and increase them . they espouse an interest that 's contrary to catholicism and christian concord ; and therefore we find that they make it much of their business to propagate it . whatever opinion drew from the communion of the church , must be there pleaded for against the peace of the church . and to have a mutineer in the army of our lord is bad ; but to have schools and nurseries of mutineers dispersed through the land , and favoured by godly men , is far worse . 5. and certainly so far to forsake the catholick principles and interest , and be so void of a catholick spirit and love , as to set a part against the whole , or a smaller part against the profit of the main part of christ's body , is a thing much unlike the christian nature , and unbeseeming a sensible member of christ. with what hearts do such dividing brethren read all those passages of scripture that speak of the unity of the catholick church ? we have all one end , one hope , one law. [ there is one body , and one spirit , even as we are called in one hope of our calling : one lord , one faith , one baptism ( one baptismal coveanting with god ) eph. 4. 4 , 5 , 6. one god and father of all ; who is above all , through all , and in us all ; therefore must we endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace ] v. 3. [ for as the body is one and hath many members , and all the members of that one body being many , are one body : so also is christ : for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body — ] 1 cor. 12. 12 , 13. and the spirit and ministry are given to this one body [ for the perfecting of the saints , for the work of the ministry , for the edifying of the body of christ , till we all come in the unity of the faith , and of the knowledge of the son of god , unto a perfect man , unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ , that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro , and carried about with every wind of doctrine , by the fleight of men , and cunning craftiness , whereby they lye in wait to deceive ; but speaking the truth in love , may grow up in him , in all things , which is the head , even christ ; from whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth , according to the effectual working in the measure of every part , maketh increase of the body to the edifying of it self in love. ] eph. 4. 12 , 13 14 , 15. note here the unity of the catholick body , and who is the center of the church , and in what way it prospereth to perfection ? and all will tell you of unity in christ , and communion of the several parts in love. [ god hath tempered the body together , having given more abundant honour to that part that locked ; that there should be no schism in the body , but that the members should have the same care one for ●nother : and whether one member suffer , all the members suffer with it , or one member be honoured , all the members rejoyce with it : now ye are the body of christ and members in particular , 1 cor. 12 24 , 25 , 26 , 27. o how much the nature and unity of the church universal , even the body of christ , is forgotten by most men , that withdraw into separated assemblies upon those grounds and terms , as condemn or cost off most of the universal church of christ. and how do they look upon the face of the world , if indeed they know what state it is in , and hath been in , when they can find in their hearts to keep up our divisions ? ( of which more anon ) . 6. moreover our divisions and separations do much destroy the power of godliness : partly as is said , by destroying love and all the operations of love , wherein it principally consisteth : and partly by diverting professors of religion from practical doctrine , conference and meditation , and filling them with fancies and opinions and passions . so that when once in a town there is church against church , and pastor against pastor , almost all ( or too much ) of their time is taken up in wrangling and contending and making their cause good against each other ; and they strive not to overcome each other by meekness , patience and love : it is the raising of an ecclesiastick war through all the quarters of the land ! and few thrive by these wars above any wars . mark whether holiness , love and heavenliness appear as much in their families and lives , where this war is raised , and fire kindled , as it did before . 7. moreover , it keepeth out too often a saving work of grace , and turns off many that were coming on , and crusheth fair hopes too often in the bud . many a minister hath rejoyced in the hopes of a conversion which seemed to be begun , on the younger sort especially of his hearers : and when they have seemed to be somewhat humbled , changed , resolved for a holy life , suddenly some divider or other layeth hold on them , and turneth the stream of their thoughts and z●al , upon opinions and barren controversies , and spoileth our hopes of the work of grace , and formeth them up into contentious hypocrites . and alas how apt are such separated assemblies to ●empt men to this miserable case ? even as ale houses are to make men drunk . sober men may be there ; but there 's the nursery of opinionative religion . 8. but there is no effect so grievous to my thoughts , as the common hardening of the ungodly . who sees not how it makes them think unbelievingly or contemptuously of all religion , when they see so many churches and ways , and hear them so condemn each other , they think they may warrantably condemn them all , and say as bad by them , or speak as contemptuously of them as they do of each other . they think they are as well already , as turning to such a divided people can make them ? and when they think of turning , the tempter asketh them , as the papists use to do , which party will you turn to ? why rather to this , than all the rest ? ] what a readiness did i see to entertain the way of godliness presently after the wars in many places , that had before been under the power that most reproacht it ! till they saw us by the ears among our selves , and see us fall into so many parties , and then they turned their reverence into contempt . let no man fly to god's decrees here , and say , that [ offences must be , and heresies must arise that the approved may be manifested , and that the elect cannot be deceived to perdition ] for sin is sin , and misery for all this : they may on those grounds as well let physicions have leave to give men poison , or any m●n to set our towns on fire , because nothing can be done against god's decrees ? it is as true among the indians and turks , that the elect cannot be deceived to perdition , and that god knoweth who are his , as here : and yet i hope all christians will lament the sin and misery of the world of infidels , and idolaters , and pray and endeavour ( as far as they can ) their recovery by the gospel : we must fetch no such conclusions from any decrees of god , as shall hinder from praying that his name may be hallowed , his kingdom come , and his will be done in the earth as it is in heaven : such as may encourage us to dig pits for the blind , and cast such stumbling blocks in their way , and be servants to the tempter and enemy of souls in hindering them from salvation . and what can we to hinder them more , than to bring the churches and holy worship and ways of god into doubt or contempt among them ? 9. our divisions make us and the cause of god to be our adversaries reproach , and his name is evil spoken of among them through us . they have taken it up as their common argument to draw men to popery , ( and now at last to infidelity ) , that we are a babel of confusion , and have no unity among us , and they point to our several parties , and ask men , how they know that this is in the right more than all the rest ? and why he will cleave rather to one of them than to another ? can a tender conscience , and one that regardeth the interest of christ , forbear to mourn while the name of god is daily reproached , and his servants made the song of drunkards , the scorn of papists and all their adversaries , and the by-word of the prophane , by our divisions ? 10. these divisions and antichurches do hinder the holy order and discipline of families , when the husband is of one church and the wife of another ; or the parents of one , and the children of another ; or the master of one and the servants of another ; or one child and servant of one church and another of another : this hindereth the governours from seeing effectually that their families be soundly instructed , and kept from heresies , or neglect of ordinances : it hindereth them from taking a due account of their children and servants of what they learn : it divideth families , and induceth the children and servants to refuse to joyn in family prayer and other duties with their parents and masters , and to refuse to hear them repeat those sermons , which they refused to hear from the minister himself : and it turneth the holy conference , and charitable communion of families , into perverse contendings about their several ways . 11. and these separated churches do much hinder the labours of the ministers of christ , and the true reformation of the churches . it grieveth the souls of faithful pastors , to see that their children , or those that they hope have somewhat of christ in them , shall be the instruments of satan to hinder their labours ; and it grievously weakeneth the builders hands when they are thus opposed by those for whom they have spent themselves , and in whom they should have comfort after their travels , and from whom they should have help for the promoting of their work with others ; drunkards and swearers in some places , hinder not the ministers work so much as antichurches , that make it their work to draw men to themselves , and to that ●nd do find themselves engaged to speak against the publick church and ministry , and to that end to quarrel with or reproach the doctrine or worship there performed . and how can th●se ministers reform their churches , that are forsaken ( yea and opposed ) by so many of those that should be the materials of their churches , and should be their strength against the prophane , and help them in reforming , and in the exercise of discipline ? it making discipline it self ( on both parts ) also to be of almost no effect , when he that is cast out of one church can presently step into another , and perhaps under pretence of greater holiness , and there reject those that rejected him , and seem more innocent than they . 12. these private separated churches also do give great advantage to the secret enemies of the truth , and corrupters of sound doctrine , to creep in and sow the tares of heresies among poor christians that have no pastor at hand to contradict deceivers . and most of the horrid errours of these times , that have poysoned souls , dishonoured god , divided us and disturb'd our peace , have crept in at these back doors : few have made their entrance at the publick assemblies , in comparison of those that have come in at private meetings . and here it is that papists and other adversaries have opportunity to play their games , and to lay their trains of gun. powder to blow up both church and state , without the odium of being traitors and powder-plotters , yea , by the countenance and favour of the state. it will not secure us , that papists are excepted from liberty among us , as long as a vizir , or another name , and some equivocation shall be to them a patent for liberty and toleration . 13. moreover , our separations tend to the grievous pollution of the ordinances of god , by setting up prophane persons as ministers , and encouraging prophane administrations , and societies , and so dis●o●ouring the christian name , and hardening the ignorant and ungodly by these means . for when those that are most zealous against prophaness are withdrawn , and leave the ignorant careless people to themselves , they will have ministers like themselves ( if such are to●erated ) and they will make up such churches as are uncapable of discipline , and will go on as smoothly in the abuse of sacraments , and the praises of god and all holy ordinances , as if they were the only christians in the land , and theirs the only regular churches , and none but sectaries differed from them . or if they were not allowed the publick holding of undisciplined churches , and prophanation of holy ordinances , yet as long as all may have what private assemblies they please , they will there at least have their ignorant unworthy ministers to fit all their humours , and there they will prophane the name and holy things of god. and o what abundance of provoking sin will be committed in england every week , and this through the separations of pious persons , and the toleration of the state , as for their indulgence ? do we make laws against the prophanation of the holy name of god , by swearing and cursing ? and shall men fearing god let loose , ( yea further ) the rabble of the ungodly through the land , in the prophaning of the same name , and holy ordinances , and the office of the ministery , under a pretence of worship ? the case of nadab and abihu , and the bethshemites and uzza , do tell us , that god is more jealous about his holy things , than in our common affairs . 14. moreover , it is an actual reproaching of all our solemn assemblies , to separate from them ; as if you openly proclaimed them to be such , that an honest man may not lawfully hold communion with . whereas the interest of christ is so great among them , so much of his acceptable worship , and so many of his faithful beloved ones are there , that he will not take such usage well . if we must needs have private separated assemblies , let the servants of christ so close together , that the ungodly and not they may be the separated part , and may be driven into corners : let the holy ordered assemblies of the saints be the publick assemblies , and let not the ungoverned have that honour . 15. it is an unspeakable mischief of these antichurches and divisions , that they are the great impediment to universal communion of all the servants of christ in the land : which is a work of great necessity to the common good , and exceeding desirable to all christians . were we but one , one body by some common bond and communion , our rulers would quickly be resolved in the point of toleration , heresies might be easier extinguished , and prophaneness might through all the land lye under such discouragement as might much abate it ; whilest every where the unanimous servants of the lord did keep out all the obstinate impenitent persons from the publick communion ; and he that is cast out of one church is cast out of all ; and none in any country would entertain him : whereas now they have ordinarily a room in the most publick assemblies , or if one church reject them , when they travail into other parts , they are as acceptable as others : and so communicatory letters are made useless . but the principal thing that i here intend is , that excellent security of the gospel and godliness to our posterity , and the welfare of the nation that might be happily promoted by this unity : for then the church and commonwealth might be so complicate and commensurate as would be the strength and glory of them both : they may hold in life , but never attain that stability and glory that god hath propounded to them , and given them means for , till ( for the generality ) the members of the church and the freemen of the commonwealth are the same : ( i say not [ the subjects ] but [ the freemen ] that is , those that shall be capable of governing or electing governors . ) then will not the interest of church and state be set in opposition against each other , nor rulers keep up sinful jealousies against the gospel and ministers of christ , then will the magistrate support and second the ministry and church , and the ministers and church be the faithfullest obeyers and defenders of the magistrate : and then we shall not need to fear when one parliament hath made us wholsom laws , and own'd the gospel , left a majority of malignant impious choosers should give us another that will undo all , and cast out the chief blessing and glory of the land. were church and common-wealth but duly commensurate ( as aforesaid ) then sober men and faithful to the interest of christ would choose our parliaments , and so a succession of righteous governours might be secured to the land ! a mercy of inestimable value , that would advance britain yet much higher above any nation under heaven ! and what clear reasons could i give for this ; and how easily could i answer all considerable objections , and how easily might it be quickly put in execution , if it were not for this one most lamentable evil , even the unreconciled parties , and the undisciplined churches and antichurches among us ? till then , we hold our precious mercies on such slippery terms , as should awaken all honest men to look after a better security : god can make wolves befriend his lambs , and the serpentine brood that are haters of piety to choose pious governours : but wonders of mercy are fitter for a grateful remembrance , than for secure expectations , when we wilfully cause our peril . 16. and it is an aggravation of the sin of these dividing ways , that they are continued in such a time and place as this ! when men have nothing forced on them that they were wont to complain of ; and nothing wanting but what they have such more than ordinary helps to procure in the publick churches ▪ formerly it was the prelacy , and li●urgy and ceremonies that by the separ●tists was pretended as a justifying cause of their separation : ( and yet then the ancient nonconformists themselves did write against them more than any did ) : but now they can pretend no such things as these : who forceth any thing upon their consciences , which the tenderest conscience of understanding people hath cause to refuse ? and if discipline be wanting , they have much encouragement to endeavour and hope for a supply : if the ministers be bad , they may cast them out : we all desire it : if they be faithful , they will be willing to go as far as they can in the exercise of discipline : and it is the discouragements , divisions , and withdrawings of those that should help them that doth much disable them . and it seems to me a great aggravation that usually this sin is the fruit of so many other sine ! how oft is it brought forth by a proud over-valuing of mens own opinions , parts and piety ? and by uncharitable censoriousness of others , and a vil●f●ing extenuation of all that is good in them ! and how ordinarily doth it bring forth disobedience , murmuring , and disdain of those that were their teachers ? and evil speaking against the things that they understand not ? and too commonly it proceeds from laziness ! when they will not be at the trouble and cost of doing their parts to reform the churches where they are , they will lazily separate , to save them a labour : it is a harder work and requireth much more self-denyal to joyn in the admonishing of the several ungodly persons in the churches , and follow it in god's way till they are reclaimed or cast out , than to get in private among a few that will put us to no such trouble . i see not but these persons while they cry up discipline , would destroy it . as some on one extream refuse to exercise it , so these on the other extream will be members only of such societies when they shall have little or no use for it , and consequently exclude it , or at least where it shall not cost them much . lay this together , and consider whether in such times as these , when godly magistrates are ready to encourage us , and godly ministers willing to do what they can in reformation , and no burdens are forced on their consciences , and we refuse not their communion that differ from us in tolerable points , that yet in these times men will fly from our assemblies , and set up antichurches as they do ! alas , what pievish children are in the family of god. one part now separate into private churches , because we have not prelacy , liturgy and ceremonies ; and another part separate , even when they are cast out , because they be not pleased in all things , that look to the other extream ! doubtless the separatists in our days of reformation and liberty , are much more unexcusable , than they were in the times of ceremonies and violence . what! cannot all the endeavour● of magistrates and ministers by such a reformation , that many others think too much , yet sweep the churches clean enough for you to enter ? in other ages it was the affliction of the godly to be cast out of the church by evil governours : but now how many do cast out themselves ? the jews persecuted the disciples by casting them out of their synagogues , ioh. 16. 2. and 12. 42. and will you cast out your selves from the true churches of christ ? and that from such principles , and with such concomitant aggravating faults as those forementioned ? 17. and it is an aggravation of this sin that it is continued against so much and long experience . have we not long found by experience how it quencheth charity , and hindereth the gospel , and cherisheth errors , and causeth the rest of the forementioned evils ? and shall we love it , when we have found it evil ? 18. and it is no small aggravation of this sin , to consider what england is , and what all the rest of the world is at this day , and what it hath been from the beginning until now : had it not been the greater sin to have separated from ▪ the jewish church ( much worse than english congregations ) when all the rest of the world were aliens , and much further from god than they ? five parts of the world are idolatrous heathens , and mahometans : a sixth part only make any profession of the christian name : not a quarter ( i think ) of that sixth part are protestants : how ignorant and rude the eastern and southern churches are , is lamentable to relate : few of them have any preaching , but only homilies and liturgies read . what the papists are i need not tell you . not the twentieth part of the world ●●● adm●●●nts : and among these , alas , how few have so much of the life of ●ining th●●●mong them as the meaner sort of our english congregations ? and hath go● called this spot of earth , this narrow island , a corner of the world , to honour with the greatest lustre of the gospel , and true reformation and godliness ? and yet will these men withdraw from the publick churches here , as if no publick church on earth ( but the few of their way ) were worthy of their presence : are they no more thankful for england's singular privileges ? nor no more humbly sensible of their own unworthiness ? and would they separate from all the publick churches almost in the world ? 19. these continued divisions among our selves are a great discouragement to our highest rulers from seeking the healing of the churches abroad . the greatest service they can do to god , is to reconcile the churches , and bring them to agreement , and strengthen them thereby against their adversaries . and all good men desire this of them , that they would improve their interest to this end . but alas , with what heart can they set upon it ; as long as they are unable to reconcile and unite the best of the subjects here at home ; it was the grecians jest upon a great man among them , that he went about to reconcile all the princes and states of greece , and could not reconcile his wife and her maid that lived unquietly at home . and do not we prepare such entertainment for our governours attempts in so good a work ? 20. lastly , i heartily desire that our divisions and antichurches may not prepare renewed wars , and calamities to the commonwealth . certainly the body of the nation is much disaffected to them : and i wish that for their sakes they grow not disaffected to the government , and ready for enterprizes that beseem them not . but i much more fear , left animosities among the several parties should make them busie and bold in their enterprizes against each other , and still seeking opportunities to oppress one another , and to advance themselves . and lest the several parties be to their prince , like the many wives that some of the jews had to their husbands , that were still jealous of his affections , lest he loved this or that wife better than the rest : every one looketh to be most esteemed . and jealousie is apt to break its bounds . but i will not prognosticate , but forewarn : if unity be our strength , and division our destruction , let us pity the calamitous church , and not set fire on the commonwealth . and let all christians ( that are such indeed ) lament our distances , and lay to heart the sin and calamity of our long divisions ; and at last let catholick principles and affections be entertained by us , and let us pray , and study , and seek , and submit and deny our selves for the unity of christians , and the churches peace . for my part i have spoken much of this from certain experience : the evils of divisions and antichurches i have seen abroad : the ease and comfort of unity and peace i enjoy at home ! o what a mercy is it to me , and the poor flock that christ hath committed to my charge ; what a help to my labours and to their souls , that we have not minister against minister , nor church against ch 〈…〉 any separating parties to ensnare men ; but that we serve the lord ●●● , to ●● heart and soul , one mind and mouth . if i can procure the e●●●●t of this mercy no further , i will compassionate the church , and rejoyce in it at home . chap. ii. the second part of my task i shall briefly dispatch , which is , to shew what is incumbent on the pastors of the church , for the prevention of such separations , or their increase . having spoken the most that i think necessary of this , in the end of my catholick key , part 2. i shall refer the reader thither for the rules of the churches peace , and the terms on which they must be put in execution . i shall only here reassume these few particulars , suitable to our case . i. if we would prevent our peoples separations , we must not make the door of the church so narrow as to shut out the faithful , though infirm . if we keep them ou● , we cannot for shame childe them for not coming in . the principal thing that here we must avoid , is large and particular professions of faith , containing controvertible opinions , and points that many true believers are unsatisfied in ; and also the imposing of unnecessary ceremonies . the holy ghost hath decided this difficulty to our hands , and left it us as a standing rule , rom. 14. 1. that we must receive even him that is weak in the faith , but not to doubtful disputations . and that we must [ be like minded one towards another , according to christ jesus , and therefore receive one another as christ also received us , to the glory of god. ] rom. 15. 6 , 7. men must be called to no profession but of points plainly contained in the holy scriptures , and the ancient simplicity must recover us to the ancient charity and unity : and though more knowledge be necessary to the pastors than to all the flock , yet must the scripture sufficiency be maintained , and necessary things distinguished from unnecessary , and those that are necessary to the being of the ministry , from those that are necessary but to the better being ; and nothing should be imposed on pastors themselves as necessary to the communion of churches , but points that indeed are necessary to such communion , and those ( if possible ) in scripture phrase . but because hereticks will subscribe to scripture and to ancient creeds , and simple confessions of faith , therefore many have thought that other kind of confessions must be made which they cannot subscribe to : but by that course the mischief of heresie is not so much avoided , as the mischief of divisions caused ; and all because the right way of obviating heresies is mistaken and overlookt . heresie in the mind is cured only by doctrine , and is not it that we have here to obviate ; but heresie in the mouth must be corrected by discipline ; and it is not a better rule or law than scripture for them to subscribe that is the remedy , but a careful execution of that law against them , 1. by casting them out of our communion after a first and second admonition , when they are proved guilty , and 2. by the magistrates restraining them according to the quality of their offence . he that hath a conscience to subscribe to all the scriptures , and yet contradict them by his heresie , may do so by any form that you can impose on him , that hath any appearance of fitness to be so imposed . we must not make new laws , every time the old ones are misinterpreted or broken . our great danger in england is of popery , above any thing except impiety it self . and the strength and upshot of all the papists arguings , is [ where was your religion and church before luther ? ] which by their exposition is , [ where was your thirty nine articles , or your assemblies confession , or any church that successively from the apostles held them . ] this is their all , ( which indeed is nothing . ) let us own as the rule of our religion but the holy scriptures , and express our belief in scripture phrase , ( without distorting it to look towards any heretical or erroneous sense , ) and then we may easily tell a papist where our religion and church was before luther ; ] yea the simplest women , that understand but what christianity is , may thus be able to defend their religion against the cavils of these learned adversaries : let us not therefore give away so great an advantage , and withal divide the church of god , by departing from the sufficiency of the scripture , when it is the principal point wherein a protestant differeth from a papist , and that wherein we unanimously oppose them . ii. if we would avoid separations , we must keep up holy discipline , and not leave the churches so polluted by the abundance of impenitent impious persons as may frighten tender consciences from us : discipline that is pleaded for must be faithfully practised . we must not step out of the way of god by unj●st rigor to please any men , nor to avoid their offence ; but we must cast out those that should not be in the church , the rather lest those withdraw that should be in : and herein a principal part of our care must be , to set godly people a-work upon their own duty , in a loving , humble admonishing of offenders , that we may convince them how sinful a course it is to expect that men should be cast out , before they have been dealt with on the terms , and by the degrees that christ hath appointed ; and to run away from the church because they will not do their duties . iii. to this end that our churches may be capable of discipline , the duty of confirmation , must be so far restored , and faithfully practised , that none may be admitted into the number of adult members for the communion proper to such , till they have made a credible profession of their faith and repentance , and renewed their baptismal covenant , ( consenting to the state and duty of church members , if they are stated in a particular church ) and so are approved by the pastors of the church . without this discipline cannot be exercised , as i have shewed in a treatise for confirmation . iv. lastly , if we will prevent antichurches and separations , ministers must be studious , that they may be able to confound gainsayers , and then they must be holy , harmless , humble , self-denying , charitable , manifesting tender love to all that they deal with , prudent , and very vigilant and industrious , thinking no cost or pains too great for their so great ends . because we have neglected these four necessary things , separations have afflicted us . chap. iii. difference i. the third part of my task is , to state the controversies that occasion our present divisions in england : there are ( besides intolerable hereticks , as seekers , quakers , &c. ) but three parties that i remember that trouble us much with unjust separations and antichurches . the first is that new prelatical party that unchurch our churches , and nullifie our ministry , and ministerial performances ; and draw into private meetings , supposing that only laymen or schismaticks with whom they must not communicate , ( because they are not ordained by english prelates ) have possession of the publick churches . to these i have spoken in my disputation of church government , and therefore shall say nothing here . the second sort of separatists are those called anabaptists , that deny communion with our churches , supposing us to be unbaptized : to these i shall speak by themselves in the offer of an agreement . the difference is sufficiently made known . the third sort are those that of old were peculiarly named separatists , together with some of those that are now called congregational or independents , who withdraw upon some differences in points of discipline , which differences ▪ it shall now be my work to state : and because i would be brief , i will annex the accommodations to the differences . i. the first point of difference , which i think is no difference , and yet is it that indeed makes almost all the difference , is about the necessary qualification of church members . that this makes almost all our difference ( except what disowned neglects of discipline , and other such faults among us occasion ) is known to us by experience , who hear the members of the private churches alledge this as the principal point of difference , for our accusation and their own justification , that we take those for godly that they take not for such . that doctrinally here is no difference between the parties , but what is between the persons in the same parties , is in their words apparent . the independents say that the members of the church must be [ visible saints . ] the presbyterians deny it not . the presbyterians say that sincerity or real sanctity is not of necessity to visible church members : the independents say so to , and no wonder ; for else the visible church would not be visible , nor could any man be known to be a member , because we know not their sincerity or real holiness . master norton resp. ad . apollon . p. 7. 11 , 12. thus fully openeth their mind ; that [ all and only those competentes that are ecclesiastically 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 believers , and walk orderly are the next matter of a visible church and to be admitted . ] by ecclesiastically believers he tells us that he meaneth [ such as are faithful in the judgment of the church , or such as towards whom whether they are positively faithful or not , we are bound to carry our selves in common church duties as if they were faithful . ] to this he takes these four things necessary . [ 1. a confession of the fundamentals , and other points of religion , which are of necessity to avoid a scandalous life . 2. such a declaration of the experimental work of faith which contains the substance of conversion , though it may be counterfeit . 3. a conversation not scandalous . 4. a testified subjection to the gospel of christ , and his government . ] there is nothing in all this but what the presbyterians consent to , with these explications , which we doubt not but will be allowed . 1. that this excludeth not the infants of believers from being infant members of the church without these qualifications in their persons . 2. that if infant members grow up and claim a place among the adult , it will then be meet that all this be done by them . 3. but yet that it 's one thing to admit them into the number of the adult members of the church universal , ( as the eunuch , acts 8. and others were by baptism , ) and another thing to admit them into a particular church also and that the consent to christianity is it that is necessary to the first , and the consent to the duty of a particular member in that church , is necessary only to the second , ( which supposeth also the first ) 4. that there is great difference between a baptized person that needs but confirmation or repentance , and a converted ●nfidel , that 's to be baptized : it is meet to have some testimony of the life of the former , because he is in covenant already : but the life of the latter is not to be supposed to be upright , but ungodly , and therefore we may not require of him a testimony of his upright life , but a confession and lamentation of his ungodly life , with a consent and resolution for new obedience : upon this much the apostles baptized their converts , without delay to try their lives . 5. and there 's difference to be put between what is necessary ad esse , & ad bene esse : necessitate medii & praecepti . and the profession of christianity , that is , of present faith and repentance , and this by any tolerable intimation or signification , is all that is necessary to the being of such adult members : and that the testimony of his good life is only necessary ( when it may be sought ) to the performance of our duty , and the purity of the church . if we admit a man of another countrey without testimony or tryal , upon his meer profession , or if we do so through haste , or negligence , or multitude of persons that we have to deal with in populous places , this doth not nullifie his membership : nor yet if we admit him upon a dark and less express confession . and , 6. it is a mans profession that is his title ▪ condition to visible membership ; and his life is but a confirmation of that ; and where there is not opportunity of enquiring after mens lives , it is sufficient even in point of duty , that we receive his profession , if no man will bring witness of a life so vicious as may invalidate that profession . 7. and i think we may take it for granted that mr. norton's second demand of [ a declaration of the experimental work of faith , or substance of conversion ] is satisfied in the profession of faith and repentance , or in our renewing our baptismal covenant : for doubtless all the substance of conversion is contained in these : he that professeth that he believeth in god the father , son , and holy ghost , renouncing the flesh , the world , and the devil , or that he believeth and repenteth , and is willing to live a holy life , doth profess conversion . the sum of all is this , which we are agreed in : [ a credible profession of christianity , that is , of faith and repentance , or of holiness , ] is that which is the title-condition to our membership in the church universal , and its priviledges : and [ a credible profession of consent to be a member of this particular church ] added to the former is the condition of our right to admittance into such a church . and a careful pastor will and should consider how mens lives do answer their profession : but if nothing be brought from the life to invalidate it , the profession it self must be accepted : and therefore if no such omissions or commissions are proved against the person that desireth our communion as are of sufficient weight to prove that the persons profession is incredible , it is to be received , because every man is supposed to be better acquainted with his own heart , than the church is or can be : and every man is to be supposed credible till he can be proved incredible by evidences that in foro ecclesiae are satisfactory : especially when men have to do with a heart-searching god , and their everlasting life or death lyeth at the stake , and when the holy life that they engage themselves to live , is so contrary to flesh and blood , and seldom are there times so good , in which it is not reproached at least by the ungodly , we have reason fide humand to believe mens profession in such a case . and as god will have mens salvation or damnation lye more upon their own choice , than upon any other mans , so is it his wise and gracious order , that their church mercies or judgments , their standing in the church or being out of it , shall lye more upon their own chusing or refusing than on the churches or any others : and therefore if men dissemble in their profession , the church is blameless , and it is themselves that bear the blame and suffering : and so if they keep out themselves , or force the church by their impenitency to cast them out . but if the church should keep out men that would come in , that do not wilfully refuse gods terms , these persons would lay the blame on the church , and say , lord , i would fain have entred , but could not be received . let any man read mr. norton , and such others , and he will allow me to conclude , that de lege in this point we are agreed , even in two words , that [ a credible profession ] is the condition or qualification requisite in the adult . yea and we are agreed also what are the qualifications that must make a profession credible : viz. that it be ( or seem to us to be ) tolerably understanding , deliberate , free or voluntary , serious , and not invalidate by contradictory words or practice , sufficiently proved . and for the matter of it , we are agreed , that it must be a profession of all the essentials of christianity , and that it must be a consent to present and not only to a distant future holiness . even as a promise to become a husband or wife to another a month hence , is not marriage , but a promise of marriage . we are agreed also that extremes in the execution of this rule , must be cautelously avoided . as on one side , that we do not take that to be a profession that is none , and that we take not that for credible that is incredible ; and that we take not that for understood that is not tolerably understood , or that for deliberate , voluntary or serious that is not so , or appeareth not so : and that we be not careless when it may be done , in inquiring how men have kept their baptismal covenant , and what their lives are , before we confirm them , or approve them for the communion of the adult : and that we refuse not to hear what just exceptions can be brought against them : lest we frustrate church order and ordinances , and nullifie discipline , and pollute the church . and on the other side we are ( in the doctrine ) agreed , that hypocrites will be in the visible church , and that we must not refuse those that have the least knowledge of the essentials , though they are not able in the congregation to express it , nor privately in any but broken and unhandsom words ; and that withal make the most imperfect credible profession of faith and repentance , and resolution for obedience : and that we must not break the bruised reed , nor reject the least of the lambs of christ , but receive them that are weak in the faith , and not of our own heads reject any persons profession as incredible , without sufficient reasons for such a judgment of it . indeed there is abundance of difference in these points , but 1. it is in the iudgment of particular persons and cases , and not in the law or rule of our proceedings . and , 2. it is a difference between persons , and not between parties : some of the congregational way are more rigid than many of the presbyterians , in iudging who are credible professors , and who not : some will hear the reports of a change , when most presbyterians , will be satisfied with the profession of holiness , though it have grown up with the person from his infancy , and he knew of no change : some look for such evidence from a holy life , as may it self directly suffice to ingenerate in the church a persuasion that the person hath saving grace , and so they make the life to be testimonium primarium , vel primario aequale : when most presbyterians take the profession for the primary testimony , or condition of right ; and so receive it directly as credible , by such a humane faith , as one man credits another by in all civil transactions in the world : and they look at the life but as a secondary testimony , which may confirm or invalidate the former : though after church entrance , the life is directly looked after in the discipline of the church . but this difference is between men of the same parties ; independents differ from independents , and presbyterians from presbyterians ; and perhaps a hundred men of the same congregational way , may most of them gradually differ from each other in the strictness or laxness of their executions , as one is more or less charitable than another , or more or less tender , compassionate , strict , or rigid , censorious , or remiss , &c. which may occasion difference . i conclude therefore that about the great disturbing point , viz. the matter of the church or qualification necessary to members , presbyterians and independents , differ not doctrinally ( though practically persons of each party differ among themselves ; ) and therefore that here is no need of a reconciliation . chap. iv. difference ii. the second point supposed to be a difference , is about the necessity of a church covenant . here is no difference at all between the learned of each party , that i am able to discover . we are agreed , 1. that our consent to the covenant of grace is it that makes us christians , and so members of the universal church ; and the profession of that consent ( which regularly is to be done in baptism , parents professing their consent for their infants benefit ; and the adult professing their own consent , doth instate them in their visible membership , 1. the baptized person being offered to god , and so solemnizing his own covenant act ; and god by his minister accepting him into his church . 2. and we are agreed that a signified consent is necessary to membership in a particular church : that is , a consent to the relation of a member ; which includeth a consent to the necessary duties of that relation , and an acceptance of the benefits . 3. and we are agreed that any tolerable signification of this consent is all that is absolutely necessary . and that an express church covenant is not necessary to the being of a church or member : but that one that by actual submission and communion hath signified his consent , may be truly a member . 4. and yet we are agreed , ( because ignorantis non est consensus , and for many other weighty reasons , expressed in my book of confirmation ) that where we can require and procure it , without a greater accidental detriment to the church , it is needful ad bene esse to the churches reformation , and to the persons firmer engagement , to the satisfaction of others , and the due execution of discipline , &c. that the consent be as open and express as may be : as nothing is more necessary , excellent , honourable , reasonable , than a holy life , and nothing that less feareth the light than the cause of god , so he would have his cause to be openly owned , and managed above board , and would be confessed before men , and have all men know what they do , that take him for their master . it is an honour to god and the gospel , and an excellent advantage to the ordering of the church , and the saving of the people , to have all brought to as serious and solemn an engagement to the living god , as conveniently can be procured . i doubt not but the presbyterians would joyn with their brethren , to petition the soveraign rulers that all our people may be brought to this . let no man think so uncharitably of them , as if they desired that christ should be but darkly and implicitely owned by the churches , and as if they would not have church members know what they do ; doubtless they cannot but be sensible how much it would further their ministry with the people , if magistracy would but assist them herein against the stubborness of ignorant and wilful men ; that men might be compelled to submit to instruction and approbation , and make a credible profession of christianity , owning their baptismal covenant , and by this engage themselves to submit to the officers , discipline and ordinances of christ , in the churches where they desire communion . the thing that the presbyterians have stood upon is no more , but to vindicate the truth of our churches against separatists , that have denyed them to be true churches , because they had not an explicite covenant . they deny not that such a covenant may conduce much to the well-being of the church ; especially if we have the magistrates help to take off the peoples prejudice . note here also , that by [ a covenant ] we mean nothing but [ exprest consent ] and that [ exprest consent ] is indeed [ a covenant ] . and that by [ an ▪ implicite covenant ] we mean but [ a consent that is less express ] and not [ that is not exprest at all ] : for consent cannot be known to the church without some expression . i conclude therefore , that ( whatever some particular persons may be guilty of ) there is no real difference between the presbyterians and independents in the point of a church covenant : and therefore here is no work for a reconciler . god forbid that any faithful ministers of christ should fight against that much which is profitable to the well being of the church , meerly because without it the church may have a being . then must we plead for hunger and want and calamitous diseases that leave us but the being of men . nature and the scripture presidents in the old testament , and the doctrine of the apostles , and ancient practice of the churches , do satisfie us of the usefulness of holy covenants , prudently , seasonably and seriously made . of this i have said more in my treatise of confirmation . chap. v. difference iii. of the extent of a particular church . the third point wherein they seem to differ , is about the extent of a particular political church , viz. whether it be a single congregation , or divers congregations ? whether the ecclesia prima or a particular church of the first generation , as distinct from a combination of churches , should be no more than can meet in one place , and hold personal communion in the worship of god ? here is an appearance of some difference , but really none that will find a reconciler work . some presbyterians distinguish indeed between a worshipping church , and a governed church : and they would have a single congregation to be one worshipping church , but many conjoyned in their pastors to be the first or lowest governing church . but that is but in cases of necessity , when there are not elders enough in the single worshipping church . so that really both parties are agreed , 1. that a particular church may consist of one single congregation if it be but furnished with more than one elder for the work of government . ( though for my own part i am quite out of doubt that where one man only is the pastor or governour of a church , that man only may govern that church , and do the work of a pastor to that church ▪ ) 2. and they are agreed , that a church that doth not or cannot ordinarily meet in one place , may yet be a true particular church . in times of persecution when the church dare not publickly appear , or hath no capacious rooms to meet in , but are forced to meet dispersedly in houses , it may not only be lawful but most convenient , for some that meet in one house and some in another , and some in a third , a fourth , a fifth , to be all united in the same pastors , that shall visit them severally as they see cause and have opportunity , and rule them all . and in a well ordered church there is none denyeth , but that in less publick meetings the church may be distributed into several houses : and that the aged , sick or lame , or any that by distance cannot frequently come to the same most publick meeting , may yet have chappels of ease , or be allowed to meet in houses rather than not at all : this all agree in . and i think few presbyterians , if any , will deny , that it is most convenient , regular , and suitable to the ends of a particular church , ( which is personal communion in worship , and holy order ) that where it can be procured , the whole church ( except the sick or lame , or necessarilyhindered ) may frequently , if not most usually meet in one assembly . so that either here is no work for a reconciler , or a very easie work . for the presbyterians say , that a particular church may consist of one congregation ( and i believe they will say that ordinarily it is most fit ) : and the independents say , it must consist but of one congregation , or as many as may meet together for personal communion in worship , if they have liberty ; but that this is not essential to the church . either then here is no difference , or if there be , it is thus reconciled in a word . the presbyterians [ may be ] shall yield to the independents [ must be ] : the licet to the oportet . secure them but of more than one elder in a church , and i dare warrant you that all the sober moderate presbyterians shall readily and heartily yield to this . they have no conceit , that there must needs go many congregations to make a particular political church . if any presbyterians refuse to condescend so far for reconciliation , another easie remedy is at hand . let each have liberty to hold that church which in the extent is suited to their judgment . let them that needs must have a church of many congregations , hold it , if the people do consent ( as few will ) so they will faithfully do the pastoral work . if they will joyn three or four parishes together as the lowest governed church , let them have their liberty ( exercising just discipline in them ) . but let others also have their liberty that think it meeter , if not necessary , that the church be but of one congregation . the distance and quality of people may very much alter the case in this point . in places where four parishes at great distance would afford but enough for one particular church ( if any such parishes be ) it may be the more tolerable to have ordinary meetings in the several parishes for worship , and discipline administred ( and sometime the lord's supper ) in a fuller meeting of all the church : but i hope we are in no necessity that this should be an ordinary case . but liberty in these cases may well be granted . chap. vi. difference iv. the fourth point of difference is , whether a particular church hath power in it self to ordain and impose hands on their chosen pastors ? this difference is easily reconciled . for , 1. the presbyterians hold that regularly it is fittest that the pastors of divers churches conjunct do ordain , because of the interest and relation which they suppose each minister hath to the church catholick , yet withal they deny not but he hath a true ordination , that is ordained by more than one pastor of the same church . 2. though they deny ( and justly ) that imposition of hands in ordination belongeth to the people , yet they judge not an irregularity in that ceremony of force to nullifie the calling of the pastor . 3. if a man that is duely elected and qualified , be in possession of the ministry , without a regular just ordination ( as if it were but by ruling elders , or by one such with the people ) , though such an ordination is not to be it self approved of , yet being upon a doctrinal mistake , we may well hold communion with such churches , leaving the guilt of their errour on themselves , when we cannot remedy it . 4. the congregational brethren hold that in case they have no officers in that church , the counsel and help of other pastors may , and ordinarily ought to be made use of : and that ordinarily they are not to be held true pastors , that be not ordained by true pastors , and that in a constituted church the act of ordination belongeth to the presbyters : and that the multitude confer not the power of the keys , but christ immediately . and that the counsel of neighbour pastors is requisite , not only to a weak church , because of their insufficiency to judge , but also for the safety of a well furnished church , by the amplitude of advice , and in all churches , for the communion of churches . and i think , they grant it lawful , though not necessary , that these neighbor pastors lay on hands as well as counsel . this much being doctrinally agreed on , our practical agreement is easie ; thus , 1. let the doctrinal point of the necessity of more pastors to ordain be let alone , and left to each mans liberty ( it being no article of our creed , nor a credendum of absolute necessity ; ) and seeing the congregational party hold that more ( from neighbour churches ) may join in ordaining , and the presbyterians hold that , they must ( in point of duty , ) in all reason the may be should yield to the must : and therefore let the congregational de facto on their own principles admit of neighbour presbyters herein : if they will not yield in a thing by themselves confessed lawful for the reconciliation , and communion of the churches , the guilt of unpeaceableness will be theirs . especially while they have the election of their offices , and no detriment is like to arise by it to their churches . 2. but if any of them have not so much love to peace and communion of churches as to yield to this , the presbyterians can in consistency with their principles , hold communion with them for all this , as churches , though deficient , having first disowned their disorder . and therefore their pastors may join with us in our assemblies , and we may as brethren hold a loving correspondency , though we own not their defects . other differences ( doctrinally not the least ) there are among us . 1. whether a man may not be ordained a minister , sine titulo , without relation to a particular church , but to the world and the church universal ? and so , 2. whether such may not be ordained without popular election ? and , 3. whether therefore a man be not sometime in time , a minister of christ , before he be the pastor of this particular church . 4. and so whether the peoples election be not only to make him their pastor , and not a minister of christ in general . 5. and whether such an unfixed general minister , may not preach , baptize ; and also pro tempore administer the lords supper , yea and govern a particular church that pro tempore calleth him thereto ; the peoples call or consent being necessary for the exercise , but not alway to the being of the office or intrinsick power : ( as a physicion licensed to practise in general must have mens personal consent before he be their physicion ) but , 1. these i cannot call properly differences between the parties , because i think the congregational are not themselves agreed about them . 2. if they were , yet they are such whose practice our reconciliation is not much concerned in . let every man in these opinions be left to his liberty , and it need not hinder our agreement or communion . for my own opinion about most of them , i have expressed it , disput. of church government 1. and 2. and about some more of this nature . chap. vii . difference v. the fifth point of difference is , about the first subject of the power of the keys ? or more plainly and limitedly , of the right of church government , and in particular of censures . and here the difference seemeth greater than in any of the rest : and with some it is so . some have made the congregation by a major vote the governours of the church . against this as intolerable we have much to say . 1. there is no power but of god : but the power of church governing is not given to the people by god ; therefore it is none . the minor is good till a power be proved , and the peoples commission produced ; which never yet hath been attempted with any considerable appearance of truth . obj. the keys were given to the church in peter , mat. 16. ] ans. * 1. the most learned and moderate of these brethren say , that there is no such thing as a lawful representative church , therefore peter was none . 2. it lyeth on them to prove that peter represented the major vote of a congregation , in receiving the keys . till they have proved it , we take them to have said nothing . it sufficeth us for a disproof . 1. that no such thing is spoken . 2. that the keys of the kingdom , are in scripture phrase significant of stewardly government , which is in scripture assigned to the pastors over the people . 3. that peter was not a private member himself , much less a congregation ; but a pastor , and a single pastor , bishop or apostle . 4. that the same power is elsewhere given to all the apostles , ( iohn 20. 21. ) but not to private members , or to congregations of such . 5. that iohn 20 , 21 , 22. the power is described to be a power of remitting and retaining sins , annext to their ministerial mission , and therefore such as belongeth not to private men. obj. 1. cor. 5 , 4 , 13. the church is commanded to deliver the incestuous person to satan , and to put away the wicked person from among them . ] ans. 1. that was but executively , paul having himself most solemnly past the sentence , v. 3 , 4. [ for i verily as absent in body , but present in spirit , have judged already as though i were present concerning him that hath so done this deed , ( paul you see doth judge : and that ) in the name of our lord jesus christ , when ye are gathered together , and my spirit , ( what then doth he decree to do ? ) with the power of our lord jesus christ , to deliver such an one to satan , &c. ] which with the excommunication , it is most probable contained a corporal miraculous penalty ( as elimas was struck blind , and ananias and saphira dead , &c. ) so that [ to deliver ] is the act that paul himself resolved to perform , at their meeting : the text [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] is not [ i have judged concerning him , ] but [ i have judged him ] even [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. ] [ to deliver such a one . ] but if any will rather take [ delivering ] here to be the churches act than pauls , yet it is plain that it is after his judgment or sentence , or [ condemnation ] as the syriack hath it ; and therefore that it is but , 1. the solemn declaration . 2. and execution of the sentence already past . 2. but if paul had left the work to them he wrote to , there would have been no proof that the censure had been committed to the people : here are two works to be done : the sentence , and the execution , ( that is , avoiding communion , &c. ) and accordingly two parts of the church to do it , the pastors to censure , and the people to execute it , by actual avoiding or putting away . now if paul write to an organized , governed society to [ deliver to satan and put away ] no man can hence prove that he committeth the same parts of the work equally to all the parts of the society : no more than he can prove , if the prince write to this burrough [ to cast out a turbulent member ] that he intendeth to equal the people with the magistrates in the work , or to commit the same part of the work to one as to another : but rather it plainly importeth ( and no more ) that every man in his place obey the command . obj. matth. 18. tell the church ] authoriz●th the people . ans. 1. it is incumbent on the affirmers to prove that it is the whole body of the people that is there meant . and some think this argument disproveth it , [ that church which must be heard , must be told ( if he hear not the church . ) but the whole congregation is not the church that is to be heard ; therefore it is not the church that is to be told . ] the major seems plain , because else the equivocation in the word [ church ] would make the matter not intelligible . the minor they prove , because the whole congregation cannot speak ▪ and be heard , without confusion : nor are the representers of the people in speaking : if they be , then here 's a word for a ministerial representative church . 2. but yet for my part i shall yield that it is this whole congregation that is here meant that must be told . but my answer then is the same as the last to the last objected text : it is the same church that hath officers and people , the same body that hath eyes , and ears , and hands : but it doth not follow that the ears , and eyes , and hands , are the same members : or if the man have a command to hear , see , and work , that he is therefore commanded to do all these by the same parts . the church may first hear by her officers , and lastly hear by the congregated people , and execute by them , and yet not censure or admonish , or absolve by them . all the church must hear at last , and each part do its proper work in casting out . arg. 2. if god have made the pastors the stewards , overseers , and rulers of the churches , commanding them to rule well , and the people to obey them as their rulers , then is it not the people that god hath made the rulers . but the antecedent is express , 1 cor. 4. 12. heb. 13. 7 , 17 , 24. acts 20. 28. 1 thes. 5. 12 , 13. 1 tim. 5. 17. and 3. 1 , 5. 1 pet. 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 5. it is intolerable abuse of scripture to suppose that it is so self-contradictory as to make the same persons the rulers and the ruled , and to command them to obey others as their rulers whom it would have to rule them , and be obeyed , and to command them to rule well whom it would have to be subject . arg. 3. ( to be briefer in the rest . ) this doctrine of popular rule destroyeth the very essence of a political church : for as in a civil political body the pars imperans , and pars subdita are essential to it , so are the ruling and ruled part in a political church : so that the being is gone , and the body dissolved into a community , or ungoverned company , if the governing part be taken down : as here it is : for the people are made governours , whom god never made so , and so indeed are none . and the officers being a few to the people , are supposed to be subject . arg. 4. and this course introduceth ( having destroyed that of gods institution ) a new species of a church . arg. 5. and it setteth the people on a work that they are uncapable of . their parts allow them not to judge some cases , but secondarily as obedient to their guides , ( as some heresies against the original text , &c. ) their callings and necessities allow them not time for all that work that to a faithful government is required , it being such as taketh up with ministers , a great part of their time . arg. 6. and it setteth up an hundred and one , to be governours of ●n●…ty nine , without any scripture command or president , if not to the oppres●… or dividing of the church . where did men go to voting in scripture for acts of government ? and where find we that the lesser part are to be ruled by the greater ? what if the lesser part be the wiser , or in the right , and say as god saith ( in judging of a heretick or such like ) and the greater part be more ignorant and partial , and contradict god , and cast out an orthodox man as an heretick ? by what word of god are the smaller number bound to take them for their rulers that can but get the casting voice ? but yet though some do thus differ from us in the essentials of church policy , we are here in no danger , i think , of a continued distance from the congregational party , but may quickly be reconciled , if indeed there be any real difference among us . for , 1. the brethren that we have to do with do expresly reject and write against this doctrine as brownism ( it is their own word ) * which say they [ doth in effect put the chief ( if not the whole ) of the rule and government into the hands of the people , and drowns the elders votes , which are but few , in the major vote of theirs . ] and they [ give unto the elders or presbytery , a binding power of rule and authority proper and peculiar to them . † ] 2. it is usually confessed by the most learned of them that the elders are the rulers of the church , ( for the express scripture cannot be denied ) and that ( say they ) two or three , or more select persons should be put into an office , and be trusted with an intire interest of power for a multitude , to which that multitude ought , by a command from christ , to be subject , and obedient , as ●o an ordinance to guide ▪ them in their consent , and in whose sentence the ultimate formal ministerial act , of binding or loosing should consist : this power must needs be esteemed and acknowledged in these few to have the proper notion and character of authority , in comparison of that power ( which must yet concur with theirs ) that is in a whole body or multitude of men , which have a greater and nearer interest in those affairs , over which these few are set as rulers . {inverted †} ] and as long as they confess that the pastors are the rulers and the people must obey , i think ▪ in sense we are agreed . 3. and though many of them say that the power of the keys are in the church or people , yet they usually tell us that it is but priviledge and liberty which they mean by power and by keys , and that as distinct from authority : so that it is but a misuse of terms , and a false exposition of a text , that they are guilty of , rather than an error in the thing it self . 4. and * they confess also that this power of the pastors [ they have immediately from christ ( in respect of a mediation of delegation or dependance on each other ) and are the first subjects of the power allotted them . ] they say that [ the office of rectors is received immediately from christ , and to be exercised in the name of christ ] and that [ it is the designation of the person that is from the church , but the application of the office from christ. ] mr. noxton addeth , p. 75. [ distingu●ndum accurate inter officium ipsum , & conjunctionem personae cum officio : officium est à christo conjunctio talis personae cum tali officio est ab ecclesia : christus confert authoritatem illi personae quam eligit ad hec munus , & quasi praesentat christo ecclesia , ] that this is the very truth , supposing ordination also to have its place ) i have manifested disput , of ordinat . the truth * is , the people have not the least degree of governing power : ( but each man of self-government , and parents , and masters of family-government ) it is christ that appointeth ministers as his ambassadors , stewards and officers , and commandeth them to speak in his name and stead , and the people to hear and obey him in them . so that the gainsaying of this truth , would be of unspeakable injury to the church : ( besides what is forementioned ) 1 ▪ it would rob christ of his government , which is exercised by his stewards and ministers . 2. it will engage the godly people in rebellion . 3. yea , and in usurpation of his government . 4. and it will deprive the church of the very life of all that edification and consolation which they should have by the ministry . this is our joy in baptism , that as we deliver up our selves or children to christ , so christ there by his authorized ▪ minister actually receiveth us or them . this is our joy in the lord's supper , that christ by his authorized minister , saith to us , [ take ye , eat ye , this is my body , &c. ] and actually delivereth himself to us . this is our joy in ministerial preaching of the gospel , that by a special officer christ proclaimeth to us the offer of free pardon and eternal life . this is our comfort in ministerial absolution ( which should be as solemn as excommunication ) that christ by his messenger doth pronounce us pardoned by name , and receive us into mercy and church communion , supposing that our repentance be true as we profess it . and so this is the terrour of excommunication , that christ by his officer doth pronounce men bound , and bind them over to answer it at his bar , and cast them by his sentence out of his house . if you make all these to be but humane administrations , they are made vain . and therefore blame not the presbyterians if they have been jealous of christ's interest , and his peoples comfort , and the life and honour of all the ordinances performed by the minister . but yet the peoples liberties are secured , and the congregational brethren may have their desires . for who will deny that the ministerial government being not coercive by external force , the people therefore must consent , or else we cannot govern them . we can lay an obligation on them from god ( e. g. to avoid such a heretick ) : but we cannot force them to obey it : and therefore there can be no executive excommunication , that is , avoiding of the offenders , without the peoples consent ! but this is their sin , when they answer not the command of god , and not their power to govern. we grant also that they are not to be blindly led , and take all carelesly upon their pastor's words ; but must have ( ordinarily ) cognisance of the case before a person be cast out and they obliged to avoid him : so that they have a iudicium discretionis , as the pastors have the iudicium directionis . but yet ( as i have shewed in pref. to the reform ▪ past. ) the sinful dissent of the people will not alway disable or excuse the pastors from their part . if a man be proved an heretick , and the major vote of the people do absolve him , in some cases , it may be the pastor's duty , openly to pronounce him a heretick , and ( if impenitent ) unfit for the communion of the church , and to bind him over to god's judgment , and charge him to depart , and the church to avoid him . if the church will not do their duty ( by consenting ) that will not alway excuse me from mine ( which is this now described ) . yea , and in the execution i will do my part , and leave them in the guilt of omitting theirs : that is , i will avoid familiarity with him , and will not personally give him the sacrament , and if he intrude and take it , i will openly disclaim him ; otherwise , 1. i must not preach and apply god's word , unless the major vote consent . for all this is but the preaching of god's word about avoiding hereticks ( or other offenders ) and applying it to this case ( supposing the matter of fact past doubt . ) 2. and then a major vote might warrant me and the minor part to break the express commands of god , ( and so make a god of a sinning people ) : for god saith [ a man that is an heretick reject : with such a one eat not : keep not company with him , that he may be ashamed : from such turn away , &c. ] and may i disobey all these express commands , if the majority be but against them ? may i give him personally the sacrament , or absolve him , or be familiar with him , & c ? indeed , 1. i would not forsake the church , nor make a division in it from every such miscarriage ; but when i have done my own duty , leave the guilt on them , if they refused to do theirs . 2. and i would not so much as pass the sentence , or do what i have before said , in case it might by breeding a division do more hurt than good in the church , ( for no duty is at all times a duty ) , but would be contented soberly to have entered my dissent , to free my self from the peoples sin. 3. at upon these grounds we will grant a use of voting in the church ( though would have as little need of it as i could ) though we will acknowledge 〈◊〉 governing votes , yet for peace and concord we will acknowledge that things indifferent a minor part should submit to the major part : for in ord to unity , a majority should have force , though among subjects in ord of regiment , ten thousand have no more authority ( i mean , ius regend than one . and both in receiving , rejecting and absolving members , as the governi●… power is only in the pastors , when the people are to obey , and who are bou●… by office to attend on the work , so it is plain that the obligation to obedien● bindeth the people to submit to the direction and judgment of their pasto●… if they know them not to go against the word of god. and if the people 〈◊〉 intrust the officers or any delegates of their own in conjunction with them , judge of those that are to be taken in or cast out , or if their own incapaci disable them from a sufficient discussion of the case , or their business allo them not so much leisure as the work requireth , they are bound to acquies in the judgment of their rulers . i prove it ad hominem ( the nature of g●vernment and obedience proving it undeniably ad rem ) . if a minor part ( 99. ) is bound ( by your own opinion ) to submit to the major part ( as 10●… that yet have no governing power , when they dissent themselves ( and captivate their consciences to a vulgar vote ) , much more should the people a case not understood ( where conscience therefore hath nothing against t●… sentence ) submit to the judgment of the stewards of christ whom he hath co●manded them as their rulers to obey : but the former is their own : therefo●… i conclude this ( on which i have been larger in reasoning , because of t●● weight of it ) that here is no room for any other reconciliation , than to 〈◊〉 our agreements , and to leave each other to the liberty of practising accordi●● to the small differences of our judgments . we are agreed that the pastors a the rulers , and the people the ruled that must obey : and that the peop must be governed as rational free agents , and have a freedom from arbitra●● government , and from all commands or sentences that are contrary to 〈◊〉 word of god , but not a freedom from obedience , nor from the blessing of p storal conduct . and we are agreed that , in order to unity , the major vo in lawful things must be submitted to : and that a minister ( having enter●… his dissent ) may forbear such reproofs or censures of a heretick or impious ma as would break the peace of the church , and do more harm than good , becau of the peoples sinful adhering to him ; so be it , they own not the sin it se●● nor do thus ordinarily to the excluding of discipline : for then i would lea●… that people . what farther need then of a reconciliation in order to our co●…munion ? if any will not take in , or cast out a member without the peop●● major vote , let them take their liberty : and if any people had rather tr●… their pastors and delegates with this care , and will more acquiesce in th●● judgments ; till they see cause to suspect them , let them also have their lib●●ty ; we can do nothing against the peoples wills , but by proposal ! and if the pastors and people consent in these modal or circumstantial things , it little concerneth associated churches . let this therefore be unmentioned and we are agreed . chap. viii . difference vi. the sixth difference is , whether a pastor of one church , may do the work of a pastor in other churches when he hath their consent and call ? some have made a stir about this , and dream'd that a pastor may preach out of his own church , but only as a private man , and therefore may not baptize , administer the lord's supper , or exercise discipline in any other church . but the learned and sober part of the dissenters , are become consenters in the most of this , so that here is little work for a reconcilement . for they confess that ministers may as ministers preach and administer the sacraments to other churches . indeed they say , that this is only charitativè , not authoritativè . herein they mistake : for though such have not a stated authority over another church , yet have they a temporary authority , as they are called . for he that hath the call and power of office , and a call pro tempore to exercise that office , hath authority to exercise it , and doth exercise an authority ( for the office essentially is an authority . ) but every true minister of christ that pro tempore is called to the ministerial work in another church , hath an office ( which is authority ) and a call to exercise it . therefore , but saith mr. norton , p. 83. [ hence it would follow either that there are occasional and partial ministers pro tempore , or that the same man is the fixed minister of many churches at once , or that he is not the minister of that church where yet he hath ministerial authority . ] ans. none of all these will follow : but only this , that he that is either a stated minister in the church universal , or also a fixed pastor of a particular church , may also be the temporary pastor of another particular church . as a fixed physicion of one hospital , or schoolmaster of one school , may upon a call both charitativè & authoritativè , be for a day or a week the physicion of another hospital , or the schoolmaster of another school . it is a contradiction to say , [ he may exercise his office , and not authoritatively . ] obj. but saith mr. n. the minister of this church , is not the minister of another church by the constitution of the holy ghost , by whom every minister is tyed to one certain flock . ] ans. 1. a great errour . there should yet be general ministers in the church that should be itinerant , and no more fixed ( where the churches state so requireth it ) than paul , barnabas , apollo , titus , timothy , and abundance more then were . your own argument is , pag. 80 , 81. [ ex analogia potestatis ministrorum erga alias ecclesias cum potestatè ministeriali erga omnes gentes , sive omnem creaturam : si ministri ordinarii virtute instituti habent potestatem ministerialem , non ecclesiasticam modo debito , erga omnem creaturam , habent aliquam potestatem ministerialem ecclesiasticam modo debito erga omnem ecclesiam . at , &c. ] what need we more ? is not potestas ministerialis authority ? then i know not what authority is ! authority is either rational ex virtute & aestimatione donorum ; or it is imperial or official , which in all subordinate officers is ius agendi actus ejus officii . ministerial power is ius ministrandi : ministerial authority is ius ministrandi : therefore he that hath ministerial power , hath ministerial authority . 2. no minister is so tyed by the holy ghost to one certain flock ( any more than one schoolmaster or physicion ) as not to exercise his office by authority pro tempore in another flock when he hath a call. charity and authority go together . charity obligeth him to exercise his office , that is , his authority . the rest of the objections there an ordinary reader may answer without help . but yet here is nothing to hinder our communion . for , 1. they grant us in substance what we desire , that is , the temporary exercise of the ministerial office , to the world , or to other churches according to their capacities . 2. if yet there be any difference in principles , let them that think ministers have no power out of their congregation , practice accordingly , and stay at home : let them give us our liberty in this , and take theirs , and the matter need not hinder our communion . chap. ix . difference vii . the seventh difference is , about the power of a particular church to exercise all government and church ordinances within it self , without subordination to synods or any other as extrinsick ecclesiastical superiour governours . this is pleaded for by the independents in ordinary cases ( whence mr. cotton owns the name of independency , keys , p. 29. 53. ) saith he , [ a church of a particular congregation , consisting of elders and brethren , and walking in the truth and peace of the gospel , as it is the first subject of all church power , needful to be exercised within it self ; so it is independent upon any other ( church or synod ) for the exercising of the same ] . some of the episcopal and presbyterians deny them this , and affirm , that synods are a superiour power , and that particular congregations without the lower sort of synods called classes may not excommunicate , and that in an ordinary regimental order , congregations are under the government of synods ( and consequently say the episcopal , of the heads of those synods ) . but the more moderate both episcopal and presbyterians hold that synods oblige directly but gratia unitatis & communionis ecclesiarum , and not directly by a superiour governing power . so bishop usher profest his judgment to me : and that a particular bishop or church was not subject to a synod as their superiour governour , but bound in lawful things to consent for unity and communion . and mr. cotton granteth , for ought i see , as much , if not more than this comes to ; and mr. t. goodwin and mr. nye , i think as much in their preface to his book , saith mr. cotton , p. 53. [ a fourth corollary touching the independency of churches is , that a church fallen into any offence ( whether it be the whole church , or a strong party in it ) is not independent in the exercise of church power , but is subject both to the admonition of any other church , and to the determination and iudicial sentence of a synod , for direction into a way of truth and peace ] [ for ( saith he ) ecclesia litigans non ligat , that is , if christ hath not given to a particular church a promise to bind and loose in heaven , what they bind and loose on earth , unless they agree together , and agree in his name , then such a church is not independent in their proceedings , as do fail in either : for all the independency that can be claimed is founded upon that promise , what ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven , &c. ] the fifth corollary affirmeth , that [ though the church of a particular congregation consisting of elders and brethren , and walking with a right foot in the truth and peace of the gospel , be the first subject of all church power needful to be exercised within it self , and consequently be independent from any other church or synod in the use of it ; yet it is a safe and wholesom and holy ordinance of christ , for such particular churches to joyn together in holy covenant or communion , and consolation ( consociation or consultation it should be ) amongst themselves , to administer all their church affairs ( which are of weighty and difficult and common concernment ) not without common consultation and consent of other churches about them . now church affairs of weighty and difficult and common concernment , we account to be , the election and ordination of elders , excommunication of an elder , or any person of publick note , and employment ; the translation of an elder from one church to another , or the like . in which case we conceive it safe and wholesom , and an holy ordinance , to proceed with common consultation and consent . ] and so he proceedeth distinctly to prove this , 1. safe . 2. wholsom . 3. an ordinance , adding this caution , which we accept . [ to see that this consociation of churches be not perverted , either to the oppression or diminution of the just liberty and authority of each particular church within it self : who being well supplied with a faithful and expert presbytery of their own , do walk in their integrity , according to the truth and peace of the gospel . let synods have their just authority in all churches , how pure soever ▪ in determining such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as are requisite for the edification of all christ's churches according to god. but in the election and ordination of officers , and censure of offenders , let it suffice the churches consociate to assist one another , with their counsel and right han●… of fellowship , when they see a particular church to use their liberty an●… power aright . but let them not put forth the power of their community●… either to take such church acts out of their hands , or to hinder them in the●… lawful course , unless they see them ( through ignorance or weakness ) to abu●… their liberty or authority in the gospel — they may indeed prevent the abu●… of their liberties , and direct in the lawful use of them , but not take the●… away , though themselves should be willing ] so also before , pag. 47. he sai●… [ 4th propos. in case a particular church be disturbed with errour or scanda●… and the same maintained by a faction amongst them : now a synod 〈◊〉 churches , or of their messengers , is the first subject of that power and a●thority whereby errour is judicially convinced and condemned , the trut●… searched out and determined , and the way of truth and peace declared , an●… imposed upon the churches ] which he proceeds to prove . and dr. goodwin and mr. nye in their preface approving of this , sayin●… that these synods have [ a due measure of power committed to them , suite and proportioned to those , and are furnished , not only with ability to giv●… counsel and advice , but further , upon such occasions with a ministerial pow●… and authority , to determine , declare and enjoyn such things as may tend to th●… reducing such congregations to right order and peace . ] and whereas they put it in as a caution , that yet synods may not exco●municate , i answer , that as long as they grant that they may renounce communion with such a church , and doctrinally apply to them their portion , an●… doctrinally enjoyn the people to avoid the impenitent offenders ( by applyin●… the scriptures to them that enjoyn it ) we have no mind to disagree wit●… them about the rest . i conclude therefore , that we are dogmatically agreed in this great poin●… as far as is necessary to our loving communion . let us in our consociation●… either keep our principles to our selves , of the degree of a synods power , 〈◊〉 else let all have liberty to write them down in the register book of the syno●… and so to proceed in concordant practice . perhaps some may be found th●… think synods are the proper superiour governours of the pastors of particul●… churches , yea , and their ordinary governours : others may think that the●… are not necessary , nor any ordinance of god ; but yet a lawful thing that ma● for peace be used . and others ( that i think are in the truth ) may think th●… synods are not the direct governours of the particular pastors , but are god●… ordinance for the communion of churches , and so indirectly bind in lawf●… agreements , both as our own consents oblige us , and as god's general co●mand of doing all things in unity and peace and concord , doth animate the●… agreements . let us impose none of our principles here on others ; but agr●… to hold communion in synods , for mutual edification , and corroboration , a●… such like ends of communion as mr. cotton mentioneth ; and to be accou●… table to the brethren in cases of offence , so far as to tender them due satisfactio● and hear their brotherly admonitions ; in a word , let us but maintain th● necessary communion of churches which the ends and nature of the church require , and we shall press no more . obj. but , being free , why should we desire to be bound , in associations ? answ. you are not free from brotherly charity , & the communion of saints , and the concordant doing the works of god , of common concernment . nor do we desire you to bind your selves to any thing but what is antecedently your duty , and you 're already bound to by god. object . but perhaps if we associate with you , you will be rigid for your own ways and be the major part , and then if we displease you , our communion shall be rejected to our disgrace . ] ans. 1. the churches can pass as disgraceful a sentence on you , if you come not near them , as if you joyned with them . yea , and they will no doubt take it to be their duty , if they have proof of the heresies or scandals of any neighbour minister , ( aggravated by the shunning of their brethrens communion ) , to disown them , and warn their people of the danger . if you joyn with us , you are more like to escape such censures or injurious reflections , than by keeping from us : for familiarity kindleth love : and your presence may awe many , and your words satisfie those that could not be so well satisfied , if they had not heard you speaking for your selves . 2. moreover , you have opportunity to prevent such abuse as you fear , in your terms of entring the association . 3. surely brethren that so earnestly desire your communion for the churches peace , will not be hasty to renounce communion with you . 4. by their accepting you , they are engaged not to reject you , for any opinion or practice which they knew you guilty of when they accepted you : for if it were not of weight to hinder your reception , it may not be of weight to cause your rejection . obj. but under the name of a communion of churches , you seem to set up a provincial church , with a discipline of taking in and casting out . ans. * is it the name of a church that you fear , or the thing ? not the name , for we use it not , nor do you charge this on us . if the thing tells us what you mean by a church . if such a thing as you use to define it to be , we deny that we set up such a church . but if you will call the officers and delegates of the churches , met for communion , by the name of a church , you may use your liberty : we hold this communion for no higher ends , than your own forecited words allow : and therefore it is but such an assembly as you may allow . take mr. norton's yet larger concessions , pag. 110 , &c. [ ecclesiae particulares mutuam communionem inter se inire possunt , & in eis causae communes omnium ecclesiarum , i. e. talis res quae omnibus ecclesiis particularibus communes sunt , quamvis immediatè unam tantum ecclesiam tangunt , ut sunt pastorum vocationes , membrorum excommunicationes , &c. vel etiam tales res quae immediatè omnes ecclesias ex aequo tangunt communiter ) communi consensu ecclesiarum dijudicentur & discernantur ] — pag. 111. [ solummodò inde colligimus ei potestatem supremam decidendi quaestiones fidei debitam , quod & promptè damus — ] pag. 112. de necessitate synodorum . tametsi , concilia non sint ita absolutè necessaria , ut ecclesia sine illis nunquam bene esse possit ; tamen in tantâ hominum malitia , & temporum perversitate , non tantum insigniter sunt utilia , sed etiam quodammodo necessaria : ita ut ecclesia salutari hoc remedio non possit carere ; sine insigni veritatis , pietatis & concordiae christianae detrimento . nemo , inquit parkerus , quod sciam , ecclesiae alicujus reformatae alumnus ante hugonem grotium , negavit synodos esse necessarias : quibus nos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 libenter profitemur , sequentibus freti rationibus . 1. a natura duce ; cujus dictamine in controversiis difficilioribus & grandioribus à judicio inferiori ad . praecellentius confugimus . hinc jus appellationum in causis gravioribus ab inferiori ad superiorem sententiam . parker : cum in causis & personis ecclesiasticis multae lites oriantur , jus appellationum necessariò concedendum quis neget ? appellationes sunt juris divini , & naturalis , & in omni societate admodum necessariae , propter multorum judicum iniquitatem & ignorantiam . 2. a fine concilii — 3. ab exemplo , &c. 4. a praecellentia concilii , &c. 5. a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ecclesiarum ; quam valde tuetur unio sententiarum in synodis ; unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suavissima & diuturna , cum doctrina & mores probantur ad invicem : sin autem singulis ecclesiis particularibus juxta sententias proprias incedere licet , nulla habita vicinarum ratione , quam facilè in partes & dissidia abiturae sunt ? 6. a fructu administrationum : quae si caeteris ecclesiis consentientibus fiant , spes est etiam fore efficaces : sin dissentientibus timendum ne inefficaces sint . e. g. in casu excommunicationis vicinis comprobantibus excommunicatus argutus ab omnibus , dijudicatus ab omnibus , procidens , &c. — pag. 118. quatenus particulares ecclesiae s●se subjicere debent sententiae synodi . r. legitimis synodi decretis ab omnibus ecclesiis h. e. à majori parte ecclesiarum receptis , & à magistratu christiano approbatis , tenentur particulares ecclesiae acquiescere , 1. sub periculo reatus ordinis publici turbati . 2. sub poena non communionis cum aliis ecclesiis . 3. sub poena correctionis per poenas civiles à magistratu . then he comes to the q. what if the synod conclude against the truth , and the church stand for it ? and answereth , 1. that it 's not easily to be supposed in reformed times , and 2. uti in civilibus , est veritas absoluta & iudicialis : & sententia supremi judicis vera est quoad homines , licet non sit vera absolutè : ita in ecclesiasticis veritas est absoluta & synodalis : synodus autem cum sit supremus judex quaestionis , sententi● synodalis licet non sit vera ▪ absolutè , est tamen vera ecclesiasticè : si in foro exteriore . — pag. 119. statuendum est ordinem publicum prae●erendum esse praesenti obedientiae ergo praeceptum affirmativum , non fundamentale . — hîc obtinet illud ( ames . ) gravissima in ▪ commoda fac●unt aliquando ut praeceptum affirmativum desinat obligare , quod aliàs non possit non observari sine peccato . ordini igitur tali● ecclesia in hoc casu sese subjicere & potest & debet : sed tamen sine peccato . ] — is not here enough for our agreement in this point ? i should have feared censures if i had said as much . but i hope you deny not the power of christian kings , nor that a christian soveraign and christian subjects are a christian kingdom , and de nomine may be called a national church . and moses , david , solomon , iosiah , had a governing power over the priests , though not to change the species of their office. and if i and others think that apostles and evangelists have successors to the end of the world in the ordinary parts of their office , and in superiority you may with peace hold your opinion and leave us to ours : of which elsewhere . chap. x. difference viii . the eighth supposed difference is , about private mens preaching : and it hath two parts . 1. whether private men , may preach in the church ? 2. whether the church may send them out as private men unordained , to preach in the parishes of england , or to the heathens or unbelievers ? the presbyterians deny not but private men may preach in some cases . none that fear god do desire any to bury their talent , nor would hinder men from doing the work of god. but they would have bona bene , god's work done in god's order . on these conditions we allow private men to preach . 1. if they do it but ex charitate , and pretend not to the ministerial office. 2. and if they do it occasionally , and not as men separated to that work as their calling ( for then they become ministers indeed while they disclaim it in name . 3. if they do it not needlesly , to a proud ostentation of their parts ; but only when abler men , or ministers are not to be had , or else on some urgent weighty cause . 4. if they make not themselves the judges of their own fitness , but expect the approbation of the judicious , faithful , concordant ministers that know them . 5. if they undertake no more than they can perform , and suppose not themselves fitter than they are , and so run not beyond their knowledge , nor dishonour not the work of god. 6. if they thrust not themselves into any church to preach without a call , nor ordinarily without the pastors consent . 7. if they do it not unseasonably when by offending they are likely to do more hurt than good . 8. if in the manner , season and continuance they submit to the guidance of the pastors of the church ( if it be more than ordinary teaching , and not such as every able . master of a family may there do ) . with these cautions we grant that private men may preach many episcopal divines grant it : and the presbyterians ordinarily permit it in their expectants that are trained up for the ministery . a maid begun the conversion of the iberians by conference ; and interlocutory preaching is truly preaching . edesius and frumentius converted the indians . alexander bishop of ierusalem , and theoctistus of caesaria , maintained origene's teaching while he was a private man : and that in the church before the bishops . and when demetrius of alexandria reprehended them , affirming it to be an unknown case , that a layman should preach in the presence of a bishop , they gainsay him , and produce the examples of neon a bishop that required evelpius to teach , and of celsus that set paulinus to preach at iconium , and of a●●icus that set theodorus to teach at synnadorum . and , saith dr. fulke , demetrius himself doth seem to allow , that when no bishop was present , a layman might preach , euseb. hist. li. 6. c. 20. but that every proud unworthy man , and every seducing heretick , should preach , yea and thrust himself into other mens charges , or that any should preach besides the forementioned rules , this we deny , and take it for a dangerous usurpation . but are we not agreed in this ? hear and judge : mr. cotton so downright denieth ordinary private men to prophesie , interpreting 1 cor. 14. 31. of extraordinarily gifted prophets ( of which see his keys , pag. 20 , 21. ) that mr. goodwin and mr. nye thought meet to signifie some dissent , pref. p. 6. and yet they grant , that this must be performed by private men , [ 1. only occasionally , not in an ordinary course . 2. by men of such abilities as are fit for office. 3. and not assuming this of themselves , but judged such by those that have the power , and so allowed and designed to it . and , 4. so as their doctrine be subjected ( for the judging of it ) in an especial manner , to the teaching elders of that church . ] and i think that this is enough to signifie , that here we shall have no cause of a breach with them . mr. norton speaks to the same purpose , pag. 123 , 124 , 125. and joins with mr. cotton in denying prophesie to private men , and expounding 1 cor. 14. of extraordinarily gifted prophets only : in this therefore doctrinally we agree . 2. but the second seemeth the more dangerous difference : that their churches should presume to send abroad preachers not in office , for the conversion of souls , by setting them apart to that work , and directing or allowing them to be stated ordinary teachers . their excuses are , that pastors are proper to particular churches ; and it is not into churches but parishes that they send them ; not to rule or teach a church , but to convert souls and gather churches . ans. but , 1. it is not your calling parishes [ no churches ] that makes or proves them none . you are not the judges , when they profess themselves churches . if others send men to preach in your churches , it will not excuse them with you , if they face you down that they are no churches , and therefore they may preach in them . 2. but suppose they were all heathens , you have never yet proved that to be a stated preacher for their conversion , is not to be a proper ministerial officer . contrarily , 1. in the days of the apostles and all their helpers , it was part of the office of a minister , ( yea and of the chief ministers ) to be stated preachers for the conversion of unbelievers , and gathering souls to christ : but the office of the ministry is now the same as then . therefore ▪ 2. to go and teach , and disciple the nations is as true a part of the ministers commission as to teach the church ( matth. 28. 19. ) therefore it is not common to private m●n . 3. ordinary baptizing is no work for private men : therefore not preaching . the reason of the consequence is , 1. because they are conjoyned in the minsterial commission , ( matth. 28. 19. ) 2. because if pastors go not abroad the world with these private men to preach to infidels , then when they have converted any , they must be unbaptized till pastors can come to them : which is contrary to all scripture example that baptism should be so long delayed after conversion ordinarily . 4. to be separated to the gospel of god , is a chief part of the description of a minister ( by office ) rom. 1. 1. but these private preachers are by the churches separated to the gospel of god ( by right or by wrong ) therefore they are made ministers by office. indeed the first object of the true ministerial office ( in order of nature ) is the uncalled world ; and the calling of them is as eminent a part of their office as preaching to a church . this is the most eminent evangelizing , to declare the glad-tydings of salvation to the world : and this is the preaching that requireth sending , rom. 10. on this work were the twelve and the seventy sent : on this work specially did the apostles lay out themselves . and not only they , but apollo , luke , mark , timothy , titus , silas , and abundance of the chiefest ministers of christ. but yet we have no matter to excuse a division or alienation , from this difference . for , 1. i cannot prove it a difference between the parties : for i know not that the congregational party have owned and espoused the opinion which i here oppose ; though some particular persons do : and therefore i do not charge it on them . 2. if they did , yet infidels are so far from us , that irregular endeavours to convert them , will be no matter of a breach : and were we nearer them , we might leave others to practise according to their judgments , as long as we are not guilty of the error . 3. they do not pretend to sorce themselves into our parish churches ( ordinarily ) against his will that is the allowed teacher there . 4. while they do in name disclaim ordaining them , they actually ordain them . for they set them apart to the office of the ministry , and it is pastors that do it : and this is the substance of ordination : imposition of hands is but the investing ceremony . and if they say that a stated preacher is no officer , that makes him not to be none : and if they say , that they ordain him not when they approve and appoint him by an instrument to that office , that makes it not to be no ordaining ; no more than if they should appoint men to a pastoral charge , in one of their own churches , and say , it is no office , or ordination . 5. and when the peoples consent is afterward added , the man is more fully separated to the work. 6. but however , as long as they allow us our liberty of ordination , and thrust none upon our communion as pastors that are no pastors , we have no pretence to make this a stop to our communion . let us close together , and pass this by , and god will further inform us , and dispel our darkness when we walk together in holy love and peace . chap. xi . difference ix . the ninth seeming difference is , about our parishes in england , whether they are true churches of christ , or not . but here is little or no difference that is stood to whatever any particular persons may think , it is not a difference between the parties . for , 1. it is not desired of them to grant that a parish as a parish ( that is , the people , yea the christians inhabiting such a space of ground ) is a church . it 's possible they may be of many churches , or of none ( but the universal . ) 2. nor is it desired that they take every member of the parish , no nor every hearer , for a member of the church . men of several churches , or of no church may live in the parish , and hear together . 3. nor are they desired to take any parish for a true political church that hath not a true pastor , with a competent number of professed christians joined together for personal communion in gods worship . but that our ordinary parishes in england that have true ministers are true churches is so familiarly granted by the congregational party , that to recite their words seems needless : and therefore they utterly disclaim separating from us as no true churches . 1. that our want of a church covenant nullifieth not these churches , i told you before they grant , because our consent is our covenant : and our ordinary practice tolerably signifieth that consent . saith mr , norton , p. 21. [ siuna externa fidei professione , veritatis & sanctitatis praxi , eodem baptismate uniantur , & eundem publicum cultum uno in loco frequentent , iisdem inspectoribus ecclesiae subsint , &c. ] see the place , where he acknowledgeth this a church without an explicit covenant . 2. and that the impiety of our parishes , or other incapacity of the members is not such as to nullifie our churches they confess . because a good church may have some bad members : and where the greater number are bad , the pastor and the better ( smaller ) part may denominate the church , and it may be true , though polluted . what doctrinal and practical corruptions were in the churches of corinth , galatia , and divers of the asian churches , rev. 2. and 3. is so plain , and hath been so often mentioned that it 's needless to recite the texts . saith mr. norton , 28 , 29. immo tantum abest , ut ob defectum foederis expliciti ( salva vel ungulae religione in rebus iesu christi ) ullas congregationes ex ecclesiarum albo expungamus ; ut caetus multò graviora passos , essentialibus dei gratia adhuc in tuto positis tanquam non ecclesias judicare , salvâ conscientiâ nullos posse , sanctè testemur . distinguendum inter ecclesiam puram , impuram , impurissimam , & nullam ▪ — fundamentalia sive essentialia sunt materia & forma ecclesiae particularis . materia sunt homines profitentes doctrinam salutaris fidei : forma est mutuus consensus politicus ad incedendum in illa fide , vel verbis , vel factis , modo aliquo visibiliter significatus : adeo ut non sufficit subitanea aliqua conjunctio , & sanctae communionis exercitium , ad ecclesiam constituendam , nisi constantia illa accedat , saltem quoad intentionem , quae statum adfert corporis & membrorum in spirituali quadam politia : qualem consensum nos foedus vocare jam toties diximus . ] as this proveth our parishes true churches , so that greater corruptions than the vices of some , even fundamental errors in the church it self , doth not presently destroy the church is his opinion , and parker's cited by him : ibid. saith he , [ neque tamen ecclesiam errores fundamentales statim destruunt , donec eis addatur contumacia in foro exteriori . ecclesia in fundamento aberrans tamdiu manet ecclesia quamdiu non est pertinax . ] certainly here is as large a judgment of charity as we can reasonably expect , and so large as without some distinction , will be liable to controversie . we easily confess that most of our churches need much reformation , and that all in our parishes are not church members : but yet i may well suppose that we are agreed that those of them that have true pastors are true churches , and that this is the case of our parishes ordinarily , or very many at least ( yea some such dissenters think that they may be true churches without pastors ) so that here between the parties there is no disagreement , whatever particular persons hold . many are more afraid lest a great many parishes should be made no true churches ( in a political sense ) by setting over them such as are no true ministers , than be proved none before they are made none . but i see no danger of this , while we have liberty of election and ordination . chap. xii . difference x. the tenth controversie , is about , 1. taking members out of other churches , 2. and separating from the parish churches , by gathering out of them a select number to be a distinct church . and here there is a practical difference to our woe : but in order to reconcilement , i should hope that i might suppose our agreement in all the other points of difference to be sufficient , and that being satisfied in those the brethren that have been for withdrawing from our churches , will be satisfied to join with us for their reformation , and not do as they have some of them done . for we have therefore come as near them as we can in the rest , that they might have no just occasion to depart from us : and if that yet they will depart , when the offence is removed , then it would be as if they should say , we are against concord and unity as such : and our judgment for division as such , that is , for dividing without cause . when we have answered all that our brethren alledge for their withdrawing , we may expect that they should return to an orderly communion . this controversie is de fine , and seeing we grant them much in the rest for this , therefore we cannot grant them this : if in war we grant all that is desired for peace , it is supposed that we will not grant the continuance of the war ; nor in reason must that be one of the demands . i speak all this but of unjust separations : for there is a separation which we are all agreed to be lawful ( as far as i know ) as , 1. we all agree that where christians live in the midst of infidels , they must come out from among them ( by faith and repentance ) and be separated ( by the baptismal engagement first , and the communion of saints after ) and not touch the unclean thing . the church must be separated from the world , or it is no church . 2. we are agreed that when a true church visibly ceaseth to be a true church , by loss of its essentials statedly , it is our duty to judge it to be no true church ( that is but to judge it as it is ) and forsake it accordingly . 3. when we cannot hold local communion with a true church without committing some sin , which they would force upon us , and which we may escape by leaving them , we ought to withdraw from the local communion of that church ( for we must not wilfully sin , nor do evil that good may come by it : ) yet so as that still we must hold internal , and also external distant communion , by owning them as a true church , and corresponding with them as a neighbour church . 4. if a true church in the corruption of the materials become uncapable of its ends , and we have with sufficient patience tryed the means of its reformation without success , it is ordinarily ( unless some greater matter hinder accidentally ) our duty to forsake it : yea and to esteem it no more a true church , if it be the principal ends that it 's become uncapable of . as if the body were fallen into an opinion against communion and publick worship , and yet should think they might hold their relations : this were a contradiction . if they would in publick , worship god with a worship false in the essentials , and which is no church-worship , but impiety or deceit . and though i will not now determine how far discipline is necessary to a church , more than to say that the power is essential to the pastors office , yet i may boldly conclude that in point of duty . if a church be so corrupted by heresie or impiety that discipline cannot be exercised in it , because the greater part do own the heresie or sin , or the sinners in their sin , and this be not in one or a few acts , but they are against the course of discipline in the main , and vote for wickedness , or against piety , or the publick censures of the church , or refuse to execute them ; and if after sufficient patience i cannot reform them , i shall take it to be my duty to take with me the better part of the church , and forsake the rest , as to local communion , and perhaps first to cast them out from us ( as to their relation ) though we are the lesser part : unless in some cases , where publick good requireth a delay , and suspendeth my duty for the time . 5. if a pastor be despised by the church , and refused , or if they desire his stay , and yet wilfully disobey him , and his labours are unprofitable among them , that are like to be profitable elsewhere , we doubt not but he may remove , as being rejected and forsaken first by them . 6. if a pastor and some choice members with him have a call to a far more eminent service of god , conducing much more to the publick good , we doubt not but they may remove , though the rest dissent . god is the master of his ministers and people more than men are . 7. if the necessities of a mans family ( ministers or people ) require him to remove his habitation , i doubt not but he may remove , though the church dissent : unless in some cases where by accident his removal may more dishonour god , or hinder publick good , than his estate or the preservation of his family can countervail : the church hath not power to tye men to ruine their families , nor to continue with them during life , nor during their pleasure : nor is it implied in the consent of membership , which is to be no more , but that [ i will hold communion with this church as a member , while i here cohabit , or i have no call from god to remove . ] it is so in civil corporations ▪ cohabitation is an antecedent part of our aptitude for church communion ; and many just causes may deprive us of that aptitude , and make the persons to be materia indisposita & incapax , and so destroy his relation of it self . 8. if persons that have a weak pastor , or a corrupt society , can to the great advantage of their souls remove , they may do it whether the church will consent or not , in case their removal do not accidentally do more hurt against the honour of god , and the publick good , than their profit can countervail : and still supposing , that the churches consent be first orderly sought . 9. the same i say of them that have pastors that will not exercise any competent discipline , though with sufficient patience importuned thereunto . in one word , in no case is a man bound to stay with any church to the certain prejudice or danger of his soul , or the souls of his family , unless in the foresaid case , ( if such a case there be ) when the publick good and the cause of god will receive more detriment by our removal than our benefit will countervail . 10. lastly , if we be unjustly cast out of any church , and persecuted by them , and have no just redress at home , no doubt but we may joyn with another church . as if a pastor that is for rebaptizing would take none but who will be rebaptized , or having taken some in , will cast them out : or if a pastor be set over us , of an uncharitable spirit , that will take in none for godly but those of his opinion , or some few of a higher form , and denieth communion to all the rest , in this case it is he that doth the wrong , and they are necessitated to join with another church , that will receive them ; and another church may justly receive them , if first they cannot prevail for their reception at home . all this we grant for a removal from a church without the guilt of schism or sinful separation . but on the other side we must needs desire , 1. that men will not rashly and self-conceitedly judge any of these cases to be where they are not : and therefore that they will take the advice of the next unanimous , peaceable , faithful pastors . and for this , saith mr. norton , p. 167. [ but when this or that congregation is to be taken for no church , let the judgment be in the hands of a council , or in an ordinate state of the churches . ] 2. we desire that whole churches may not be taken for no churches without proof , nor before they are heard speak for themselves : and that those that have possession of the publick maintenance and temples , ( i know no fitter name for them ) will not gather a part of the people into a new church , as if there were none before , till it be proved upon equal hearing : nor that they would not dissolve the old church , instead of reforming it , nor withdraw from them , instead of casting out the unfit in an orderly way of discipline ; unless where discipline and reformation cannot be had : if we propose the exercise of discipline to a parish , and the most will rather disown ( or refuse to own ) their relations as members , than live under discipline , and so separate themselves from us , ( or profess that they never took themselves for members ) then the blame will lye on them , and they are the separatists : but if they own their relations , and offer to live as christians under discipline , in holy communion , surely they must be cast out upon proved accusations , man by man , in christs way , matth. 18. or not at all . i confess by drawing out a few from the rest , we may scape a great deal of labour , trouble , and ill will of those that should be cast out : but the selfish , easie way is not like to be the way of god. 3. we desire that pastors that preach the faith , may not be the lowest in charity , nor uncharitably censure all those as ungodly and unfit for church communion , that want but distinct conceptions , and fit expressions , through the lowness or neglect of their education ; or that are not able , to be the mouth of a family in prayer , while they are willing to perform the duty , if they could , and to learn that they may perform it : and that the weak in faith may be received , and the little ones suffered to come to christ , even all that are willing to give up themselves to him , and of those that so come to him none may in any wise be rejected , or cast out till they turn from christ and the holy covenant : that the lambs may be carried in our arms , and the bruised reed may not be broken ; and that the tenderness of christ to the least of his members may be remembred , and the price of souls , and our own former weakness ; and also how much more grievous it should be to us , to keep or cast out one of our weak brethren that christ would have received , than to let in many intruding hypocrites , who shall be made serviceable to the church , and their masks shall be our just excuse , though not their own ▪ and specially remember that it is christ that is the lord of the family , and we are but servants , and therefore we must take all our directions from him , and shut out none but those that we are sure he would have shut out : and remember that in doubtful cases , we are allowed to incline to the more charitable side . force not men unjustly by refusing them , to seek acceptance in other churches . though i intended at first more brevity than will consist with long citati●ons , i shall recite a few words of judicious mr. noyes of new-england : temple measured , p. 63 , 64. saith he , no wheat must be pulled up with the tares , the tares must rather be tolerated — that rule which requireth more than is necessary in the weakest believer , must needs exclude the called of god : and that rule which necessarily or absolutely requireth unnecessary experiences , savoriness of speech , suitableness of spirit to our tempers , persuasion of sound conversion , &c. such a rule i say requires much more than is necessary or competible to the weakest believer . to require a persuasion in our hearts of the conversion of all that are admitted , is too much ; unless we can meet with a rule , that will admit all saints , and also afford such a persuasion . it will contradict the rule of our admission , to make our apprehensions part of the rule . our fancies are a leaden rule ; and if we are severe , and have no certain rule to regulate us , we shall exclude the weak more often than we shall receive them . 4. the lowest degree of absolute probability that a person is converted should be satisfactory . the weakest christians are to be received , rom. 14. 1. and the weakest can hold forth no more than the least degree of an absolute probability ; the strongest can hold forth no more than the highest degree of probability . again , either the highest , or the lowest , or some middle degree of probability is requisite : the highest is not : and what rule is there for some middle degree ? if it be not in our power to require a years experience for more degrees of probability , why a months experience ? ] i have elsewhere proved that the true condition ( which mr. n. here calls the rule ) is nothing but [ a credible profession ] and that it being to be received upon a humane belief , that hath a fallible object , [ it is to be taken for a credible profession , which cannot be proved false or incredible . ] this is the scripture-way , and this is the ancient way of the churches : and if you will needs on either hand forsake these terms , i presume to prognosticate , you shall but wrong your brethren , and your souls , and the church and christ , and bewilder your selves , and make work for repentance . with confidence after long consideration and disputing the point i speak it . but i return to mr. noyes . page 64. [ the practise of the apostles , acts 2 , &c. must confine our prudence : they were better directed and instructed than we are : and they expected no testimony , nor a days experience : they could not in so short a time make any inquisitions , or hear any perswasive relations . the youngest converts must be instantly imbraced : therefore some days of experience or testimonies are not necessary . some are ignorant and of an arid constitution and expression : therefore an explicit savour of language is not equally requisite in all — the apostolical rule was large : it suffered many corrupt members to creep in — none , as far as we read , were put by : yet converts were many , young , ignorant , rude ; and conversions were sudden and passionate — if ample relations of the work of grace be necessary , then either for satisfaction or for edification . not for satisfaction , as hath been proved : not for edification — for , 1. would it not be as profitable for all members to come about again at certain seasons ? 2. such relations do uncover the nakedness of brethren and fathers . 3. they slander such as are not gifted ; such as cannot express themselves in good language . 4. pride is set on the stage in the house of god. 5. hypocrites are provoked to paint and act themselves . 6. such relations are known to afflict the afflicted , who came to us , and with us in love , and we here hide our faces from them . 7. the eloquent , and such as have athletick constitutions carry away undeserved respect from countrey christians . materiam superabat opus . hence issue comparisons : nay we foster , ( instead of preventing ) suspicious partiality . 8. young men exalt themselves over the faith of their ancients . 9. some are sent to their graves frustrate of their hopes , we being in a way to admit no more in many years , than were admitted by the apostles in one day — 10. to grieve such as ought to be comforted , to defame such as deserve honour , to judge one another for infirmities , is unjust . rom. 14. the apostle thought it just to think well of all , phil. 1. 17 , &c. — the apostles were diligent and faithful in directing and exhorting , and rebuking : and why are they then so silent in point of admission ? yea when the churches were corrupted , and pestered with corrupt members , such as made their bellies their gods , phil. 3. jude 4. 1 cor. 15. and 13. surely admission hath never been deemed in the churches so momentous as with us : and yet we commit it to the dissident and multiformons fancies of members , without a rule — the apostles were never acquainted with those questions , [ how , when , where , and whereby , and by whom conversion was wrought ? ] the church is a tender mother , cant. 7. and speedily embraceth her infant by admission into her arms , and layeth it to her breasts of consolations . experience telleth us that a man will not easily make protestations before god , and subject himself to discipline , unless it be resolved with him . if it be resolved , he shall be saved — happy is he that is resolved to slee from the wrath to come , to the ark , to z●ar , to the cities of refuge : and open we the gate readily ( without many expostulations ) to rescue him from the avenger of blood : yea the way is to be made easie to encourage him to come . we must not have such a rule of admission , as may in an ordinary way disinherit saints of their right and priviledges in the kingdom of god. ] so far mr. noyes . 3. we crave , and expect our brethrens consent , that we may not have the gospel hindered through the land , by unnecessary sinful private antichurches : that every town or city where are men professing godliness , may not be as a pitcht field ; and holy exercises turned into contendings ; nor christian assemblies turned into schools of war , or scolding places . let us not be many masters , lest we receive the greater condemnation . the wisdom from above is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , easie to be intreated , &c. where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work . this wisdom descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensual , devilish . ] iam. 3. let us agree then to do what lyeth in our power , that the churches may be reduced to the primitive patterns , that met all in one place , and there were of one heart and soul. where find you in all the scriptures , that there were two distinct churches , ( especially distinguished or divided by differences ) in one city ; and that when for the number they might have joyned in one ? where find you that the worst church had any good men that separated from it into a distinct church in that place ? is scripture our common rule ? i beseech you then be able well to resolve these questions , before you venture in your practice to contradict the word . if we drive you from our churches causelessly , the shame be on us ! but if you causelessly depart into antichurches , the blame shall lye on you . do not stagger and confound our poor people , by shewing them in each town , minister against minister , and church against church ; and entice not young novices into an opinionative religiousness , and draw not the nation from the power of godliness , and practice of charity , into doting about questions . 4. for order sake , let parishes be the ordinary bounds of churches ; not so as if all in the parish , are therefore of the church , but so as that ordinarily we take none out of others parishes . let us not do it without just cause , nor do it when it will tend more to publick hurt , than any persons good can compensate . if you could prove parishes no churches , yet they that preach to them for their conversion , caeteris paribus , are fittest to be their guides , when they are converted . tell us if you can , wherever you found one instance in scripture or the primitive times , of one soul that forsook the church that was congregated in the city of his habitation , and was a member of any other church , in a place where he dwelt not ; except the hereticks that iude saith did [ separate themselves , being sensual , having not the spirit ] whose manner it was to forsake the assemblies , heb. 10. 25. cohabitation is requisite to the ends of churches , even the exercise of communion , and the offices of members one towards another . how can we watch over men that live out of our reach ? how know we what their conversation is ? but especially when a parish hath a faithful minister , that undertaketh to prove the members that you receive to be part of his pastoral charge or church , it will no more warrant any man irregularly to receive them , because he affirms that it is no church , or they no members , than such an affirmation concerning your own churches or members will warrant others to receive your members . 5. and that justice may be exercised , and order observed , let no member remove till he have sought the consent of the church where he is , or heard them give their reasons against it : and let none be received from another church or parish , but either upon communicatory letters or certificates , or else after a just discussion of the cause with the church or teachers from whom they do withdraw . 6. and as it is agreeable to our several principles , and the great thing that is now desired , that we may all correspond in brotherly associations , and have synods at fit seasons for the communion of the churches that are link'd together ; let us there be responsible ( not as to our governours , but as to associated brethren , and churches ) , for our actions that are of publick offence , or of which we shall be there accused ; and in particular for this , of taking members out of other churches , that the cause may have an equal hearing . 7. or if any of you shall refuse to meet in constant synods , yet do this much at least : let your churches and ours be so far consociate as to own each other for true churches , ( though we take the liberty to disown any notable distemper that we may see each other guilty of ) , and let communicatory letters be necessary for any that be received from one church to another , unless in special cases : and deny not to appear at least on such an extraordinary occasion at a synod , to satisfie the churches when you are accused . 8. and let us agree on such rules for the peaceable management of our remaining differences , as are necessary to the security of the common truths , and the common cause of christianity and piety which we own , that we hinder not god's work , and harden not the ungodly , and weaken not each others hands , and prove not at last the unwise destroyers of the church , and betrayers of the gospel and our liberties to the enemies , by our obstinate divisions and contentions . if the worst be supposed of a resolved distance ( which we dare not be so uncharitable as to suppose ) we may yet expect an agreement to such terms as are here after offered to the anabaptists . if yet it be insisted on by any , that [ by holding communion with us in synods , and being there responsible for offences , you shall be proceeded against to a non-communion ] : i further answer , 1. will you choose a non-communion to escape it ? yea , to escape a possibility of it ? and shall it be by your own act and guilt , lest it should be by other mens ? 2. again , i tell you , they can declare their avoiding your communion whether you associate or not : and will have the more occasion , when you wilfully divide and refuse to be responsible , than when you live among them as brethren in charitable correspondencies and communion , and walk in order . and there will be far more probability that things will be carried on against you in their synods , in your absence , than in your presence , when you speak for your selves . 3. they will allow you in any of the ten fore-allowed cases to take members out of other parishes and churches , and also out of all those parishes that have no tolerable pastors , or where the people have any warrantable cause to depart ; yea , in case the person will but remove his habitation , they will not contend ( though he do it causelesly . ) ( and surely the publick order and peace of the churches , is of greater moment than the riches and worldly accommodations of a particular man : and therefore in most cases reason it self will tell us that it is fitter such incur some incommodity by removing their habitations , than that the church incurr dammage by their breaking order , and crossing all the scripture presidents , where men were ever members of the church that was in the places where they lived , or next to them , and there none but hereticks had antichurches , or separated assemblies ) . moreover , if you do disorderly receive any members out of other churches , the brethren associated may by evidence of reason satisfie and reduce you ; if they do not so , they will understand on what account you do it ; and so if it be but on some tolerable mistake or infirmity , they will be satisfied in the disowning your sin , without disowning your communion . but if it be on an intolerable ground , and such as signifieth you to be uncapable of their communion ( as if you ●hould cherish heresie or ungodliness , and cast out men for sound belief and piety ) , they can but in the extremity declare you uncapable of their communion , and warn your people to take heed of you ; and so they can do , whether you associate or not . so that i may conclude , 1. that difference in practice will necessitate a toleration of postors taking members in certain cases , out of other parishes . 2. but differences in any principles between the several parties will occasion none , if we could exactly practise our own principles . 1. that difference in practice will is evident : 1. because it is impossible that all men of the same parties should have the same degrees of prudence , moderation , charity , zeal , &c. which will make some to exclude abundance of persons that others of the same party will admit . 2. because if the pastor should be moderate , he cannot promise that his congregation will be so : and if they too rigorously refuse any members , he is not able alone to retain them . 3. and if abundance of tolerable christians be refused , there is no reason that for the rigour of others , they should wholly be deprived of the communion of the church , and the ordinances of god. i easily foresee , that whoever was first guilty of it , it is the more charitable churches that will be put most upon the receiving of members out of other parishes : for the uncharitable will take perhaps an hundred , and leave out and reject two hundred of their parishioners that should be accepted : and then the next adjoyning church cannot conscionably refuse their entertainment . but let us have these three points at least agreed on , 1. that the neighbour pastors and churches may be consulted with and heard , before such rejections be made , or at least afterward upon the complaint of the rejected . 2. that those that are refused in one parish , joyn with the publick church in the next , and that , without necessity , they do not either draw into private churches , nor yet joyn themselves to publick churches so distant , as are uncapable of holding such communion with them as church-ends require . 3. and that the neighbour pastors do not promiscuously receive all that are rejected by the publick pastor at home ; but only such as upon just tryal are found fit . q. but what shall the people of the parish do that are put upon such straits , as to joyn with another parish far off , because they have a minister at home that refuseth them ( as possibly an anabaptist that requireth them to be rebaptized , or an uncharitable rejecter of all except such as have voluble tongues , &c. ) answ. 1. he that is chosen to be the pastor , is chosen to the pastoral work , and therefore is trusted with the oversight and government of the church : which must not be taken out of the pastors hands , because of the miscarriages of some . 2. but this must be prevented in the choice . patrons must choose none but prudent pious men , that will not intolerably wrong the church : and the approvers must let no others in . but if patrons or people choose such men , and the approvers let them in , there 's no remedy , but shift for your selves , unless you can get them out again . 3. if therefore they be so grosly injurious , procure the magistrates to punish such for maleadministration : for to them it doth belong : ( though it should be a very gross and proved abuse that must warrant them to punish the pastors . ) let the cause be heard , and the commissioners have power to remove them , if after warning they are uncurable . 4. and if the magistrates will not do so , but keep them in , all that the neighbour churches can do , is to hear the case , and if it be gross and intolerable , to disclaim communion with them , and receive such christians as the uncharitable do reject . this is all that can be done . but the best way is to be careful in the choice . for it is an intolerable course that some are harping on , that pastors should not be trusted with church guidance and administrations ( that is , to do the work of pastors ) , any further than magistrates make them rules , because they may possibly be too imprudent , or injurious to the people . surely as long as the patrons or people choose , and the magistrate guards the door , and also may punish or reject maleadministrators as the cause requireth , there needs no more . 2. and that difference in principles between the parties as thus principled cannot be here a cause to break us , i shall further evince , when i have given you the concessions of the independent brethren : which i shall do in mr. norton's words englished : pag. 156 , 157 , &c. cap. 16. [ a believer may lawfully adjoyn himself into the communion of that church , in which he cannot enjoy all god's ordinances : or in which some corruption is tolerated in god's publick worship without due reformation ; or when such are admitted to the participation of sacraments , that give no evident signs or works of repentance and faith , but in many things hold forth the love of the world : and if he joyn himself to such a church , he is not therefore involved in guilt , and defiled with the impurities of others ; nor must he therefore depart , that is , separate from such a church . — schism is an unlawful separation from the communion of the church : it 's always a great sin. ] this he proveth pag. 158 , &c. 1. in case of inculpable want of ordinances : 2. of culpable want by negligence ; 3. of culpable want by refusal of god's ordinances : saith he [ in the iewish church god's ordinances could not be enjoyed : for the priests and elders rejected , not only john , but the doctrine and baptism of john : and yet it was then lawful for men to joyn themselves to them , matth. 21. 25. the scribes rejected john's baptism , mark 11. 27. 31. and yet the scribes sitting in moses chair are to be heard , mat. 23. 2 , 3. the hearing of whom , such as is meant in that place , importeth a conjunction to the iewish church . by comparing a church that tolerateth the rejection of an article of faith , with a church rejecting an ordinance of god. a temporary rejection of an article of faith tolerated in a church is a greater evil , than the rejection of some ordinance . in the church of corinth many denyed and derided the resurrection of the dead ; and this corruption is tolerated in the church , and yet in the reformation of that church , the apostle doth neither presently forbid union with the church , nor command separation from the church . in the churches of galatia the rejection of the doctrine of iustification by faith was tolerated at least : there being such as judged that beside faith , moral and ceremonial works were necessary to salvation : which other doctrine he calls another gospel , gal. 1. 6. but this was a greater evil than not to have granted the enjoyment of some ordinance : and yet they did not therefore cease to be churches . and therefore it was yet lawful to be a member in a galatian , much more in the corinthian church , and consequently they were not bound under the guilt of sin , to present separation , but might with a good conscience in their station yet expect a reformation : and why might not a man in the same hope with a safe conscience adjoyn himself either to the galatian churches , or that at corinth , even in that time of their defection ? especially if an opportunity of communion with other churches were shut up ? 2. we say , that a believer may lawfully adjoyn himself into the communion of that church in which some corruption in god's publick worship , is tolerated without due reformation . the children of israel going a whoring , judg. 8. 27. after the ephod set up by gideon , was a tolerated corruption of worship . the custom of sacrificing in the high places , from the days of solomon , till the times of hezekiah , was a tolerated corruption in publick worship . the same is to be iudged of the translation of the passover , to the following next sabbath , lest they should feast on two days together . which translation appeareth in the paschal observation by christ , different from the iews observation . the wrong ministry of the scribes and pharisees sitting in moses chair , was such a corruption : for the chair of moses , that is , the office of publick teaching moses law , and the books of the prophets in the church was by god's institution ordinarily proper to the priests and levites : yet christ commandeth to hear them , but not to separate from them . to this may be added the observation of circumcision and the ceremonial law after christ's resurrection , and with an opinion of necessity to salvation , gal. 4. 21. 10. & 5. 2. but all these were corruptions in god's publick worship tolerated without due reformation . and who in those times did judge either the churches union to be not-lawful , or non-separation to be unlawful ? to one bears witness the pious practice of so many proselites coming to the church , and of the church receiving them : to the other , the very state of the godly remaining in the church . by comparing the corruption in an article of faith , with corruption in publick worship , &c. ] here he repeateth the argument forecited , adding [ p. 161. it is the duty of every believer to adjoyn himself to some church : by adjoyning our selves to the church , we adjoyn not our selves to the impurities of the church . a believer joyning himself to a church not pure , specially when he cannot enjoy a purer , sinneth not . the sin of the church exempteth not a believer from duty , which may be performed without sin or grievous incommodity . as some corruption of the communicants must not drive away from the supper , a believer prepared worthily to eat . so neither must some corruption in the church drive away the faithful from union with that church . 3. believers may joyn themselves lawfully into the communion of that church , in which such are admitted to partake of the sacraments , that hold forth no evident signs or works of repentance and faith , but shew in many things the love of the world. 1. whatever others do , it is the duty of every member at age , to examine themselves , and so to eat of that bread , and drink of that cup. 2. the sin of one cannot deprive another brother ( that communicateth not in his sin ) of his benefit , much less absolve him from his duty . 3. if trying our selves and coming worthily as much as in us lyeth , we do in our places endeavour by lawful means that the old leaven may be purged out , and we may be a new lump ; the communion is not defiled by other mens coming unworthily , though our comfort be diminished . — the church of corinth was not pure in worship : women spake , that is , taught in the church . it was corrupt in doctrine , many denied the resurrection of the dead . most corrupt in manners ; when besides fornication , sects , and many other vices , some also shewed the love of the world , whence strifes before heathen iudges about corporal things . yet the apostle commands not the prepared to abstain from the supper ; but he correcteth the abuses about the supper , commanding every man to examine himself , and so to eat . ] so he proceeds to other proofs from the church at jerusalem [ where holy things were administred by priests that were stark naught , and very many arrant knaves were present ; and yet christ and his apostles go into the same temple for the publick exercises of religion : they use the same worship with the rest of the people ; neither the desperate ungodliness of the pharisees , nor the dissolute licentiousness of the rest of the peoples lives , could drive them from communion with the rest of the people in holy things : and why ? because the lord and the apostles well knew that the consciences of the godly are not defiled with the society of the wicked ; if with a pure conscience they communicate in the same holy things . ] next he proveth the 4th branch , that he that joyneth to such a church , doth not therefore sin , nor is defiled with other mens impurities , p. 163 ▪ 164. then p. 164 , 165. he pr●… the 5th branch [ that a believer that hath joyned himself to such a church , must not therefore depart , that i●s separate from such a church , and that under this danger of guilt ] but it is too long to recite all . it is not men of such principle● and practices as these that we account separatists ! what do presbyterians say more than this eminent independent brother , in a writing purposely written in latin by the perswasion of others in new england , to vindicate their churches against apollonius , and commended to us by mr. t. goodwin , mr. p. nye , and mr. s. simpson . yet lest any think him too loose , i will add his last leaf of rules [ how in a less pure church communion must be continued with a safe conscience ? answ. 1. we must still aim and endeavour according to : our places , that the church may be purifie●● according to christ's mind . not without seasonable and due warning the church of its defects . the defects are to be lamented with holy sighs and sorrows . in no way approving , but prudently and patiently tolerating defects in that church , which we c●n neither cure , nor depart from without a greater evil. — when singular evils , cannot be cured without a greater publick evil ; that must be born which cannot be amended . in the churches reformation this doctrine must be observed ( paraeus in matth. 13. ) that those that press for too much exactness ( or strictness ) do more hurt the church , than profit it . the spirit of our lord iesus christ is a spirit of truth , peace and communion ; so loving peace , that he commandeth communion with a true church though impure : and so loving truth , that he forbiddeth impurity in every church . we reject the separatists , that distinguish not between a church and the impurities of a church . schism is a grievous crime . we reject the formalists not sufficiently distinguishing a church from no church , not separating the pretious from the vile : what is this but confusion ? confusion and schism are the scylla and charybdis : peace and truth are the jachin and boaz of the christian cause : the obtaining of which must be endeavoured under him , and implored and expected from him , who is peace , way , and truth , alone able ; among so many and ( alas ) too hot contentions , and differing opinions of the learned and godly , to reach us the mete-wand , and direct his servants into concord , and into the perfect measure of the temple , altar and worshippers : preserving us men , brethren , searching after truth in love , both from the left hand of confusion , and the right hand of separation . ] so far mr. norton , and so ends his book . and thus i have shewed the nearness of both parties ; and easiness of reconciliation , as to their principles , and that there is nothing among them , owned by either party , that should hinder a loving consociation , correspondency and communion of the churches , for their mutual strengthening , and the healing of the mischiefs that divisions , emulations , and contentions have long caused among us . nothing remains then to be feared , but lest mens minds are further distant than their principles , and that charity doth not effectually dispose them to agree in communion as far as their professed principles will permit them . but , though experience make this undeniable , yet their piety and their professions do put us in hope , that there are such habitual principles of charity , as better encouragements and opportunities will undoubtedly revive , to our reconciliation . the congregational men profess their desire of reconciliation . read but mr. cotton's preface to mr. norton ; and mr. norton's epistle to apollonius : but especially the practice of such moderate men as mr. firmin , and divers that of late hence associated with the presbyterians , doth give us a more certain demonstration of their readiness for peace . and if many are otherwise minded , it should be no prejudice to the peaceable . and for the presbyterians readiness to the works of peace , besides the many motions that they have made , and the joyning of some in associations with their brethren , i shall now add but the affectionate profession , which they make of their desire of reconcilement both with the congregational , and moderate episcopal party , in the epistle to their ius divinum minist . 1. concerning them of the congregational way , they say [ that this disagreement shall not hinder us from any christian accord with them in affection . that we can willingly write upon our study doors , that motto which mr. jeremiah burroughes ( who a little before his death did ambitiously endeavour after union , amongst brethren , as some of us can testifie ) perswades all scholars unto . opinionum varietas , & opinantium unitas , non sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and that we shall be willing to entertain any sincere motion ( as we have also formerly declared in cur printed vindication ) that shall further a happy accommodation between us . then speaking of the godly moderate episcopal men , they add [ though herein we differ from them , yet we are far from thinking that this difference should hinder a happy union between them and us . nay , we crave leave to profess to the world , that it will never ( as we humbly conceive ) be well with england till there be an union endeavoured , and effected between all those that are orthodox in doctrine , though differing among themselves in some circumstances about church government . and the lord hath strangely made way for this long desired union , by the bitter , woful and unutterable fruits of our divisions , which have almost destroyed , not only the ministry , but even the very heart and life of religion and godliness . ] read there the rest . you see then that we are all resolv'd for peace and concord ; and devoted to it , and intent upon it : and you see how small a matter will do it : yea , that it is done already , except the actual execution of our doctrinal agreements . what then is wanting , but that we be up and doing , and practice as we profess , and that magistrates , and especially the protector and parliament now assembled , that have so fair an opportunity , and from whom it is commonly expected , do call them to the work , and help to remove the hinderances , and further them by the countenance and assistance of their authority . the sum of our agreement reduced to practice . 1. we are agreed that adult church members , must be such as make [ a credible profession ] of faith and repentance , and so of holy resolved obedience : or such as personally own and accept the covenant of grace , and give up themselves to god the father , son , and holy ghost . let us therefore take up with this description in our future agreements ; and in the practice , the prudent , and charitable will not presume to censure any mans profession as incredible , coram ecclesiâ without proof . let us therefore unanimously set up confirmation , or ( if you dislike the name ) the tryal and approbation of the profession of all that are entered among the adult church members . and if any are too loose on one side , or too rigid on the other in the practical part ; the judging , and accepting or refusing of the tryed , let the matter be debated , at the synods of the consociate pastors , if there be any accusatio● put in . 2. we are agreed that consent is necessary to church-membership : and that it must be a signified consent : and that the most express consent is best to the well being of the church caeteris paribus ; but yet that a darker way of signifying may serve to the being of the church . let us therefore thank god that we live in days of liberty , wherein we may all use the most edifying way , and accordingly let us agree to call our people to an express consent . but if any deny this , let them not be thereupon disowned , but forborn , so be it they will perform the whole work of their ministry faithfully towards all that they take for their charge . 3. we are agreed that it 's lawful for a particular church to consist of no more than can meet in one place : and yet that it is not necessary to its being that actually they do all meet in a place . let us therefore resolve to confine our particular churches ordinarily to a parish : unless it be where parishes are so small , or fit persons so few , that it is fit to lay divers of them together , as to church ends . yet so that if any refuse this agreement , and will needs take four or five parishes for distinct worshipping churches , and yet but one governing church , ( in the officers ) we bear with them , and allow them the liberty of their way , so be it they will faithfully perform the work both of worship and discipline to them all . 4. we are agreed that it is lawful and meet that neighbour pastors be advisers and helpers in the ordinations of presbyters ; and yet that they are truly presbyters if they be ordained but by the presbyters of a particular church . ( and in cases of necessity , if unordained . ) let us therefore agree in practice that ordinations be ordinarily performed by the advice and assistance of the synod of the associated pastors , or some deputed members of it . ( the case of ordination by bishops i handle elsewhere , and not here . ) and if any refuse this , let them be forborn , so be it they be ordained by lawful presbyters , of their own church or any other with whom we be not bound to avoid communion . and if any congregation through error have no true officers ( in the judgment of the synod ) for want of true ordination , yet let us hold such communion with that congregation ( if other things correspond ) as is due to a neighbour community of christians , though not as is due to a political society . 5. we are agreed that the pastors are by commission from christ appointed to be the rulors of the churches , and the people commanded to obey them : and that it is they that are the authorized teachers of the flocks , and are to administer the sacraments , and ministerially to bind or loose : and yet that the people are to be governed as freemen , and are not to obey apparently unrighteous censures , and therefore are by an obediential judgment , to discern what is fit to be obeyed , and what not . let us therefore practise according to this agreement ; and let the pastors rule , and let the people obey ; but not obey against gods word : and therefore let the people have so far cognizance of the cause , and their conse be required , as is necessary to their free , discerning , safe obedience , and to the churches peace . and if any pastors will make more use of the peoples consent , and others less , let us forbear each other , till some ill consequents produce an accusation at the synod ; and then let the case be heard and judg'd . 6. we are agreed that a pastor of one church may exercise divers acts of the pastoral office in another if he be called to such exercise pro tempore . we need not therefore mention this in our further forms of concord ; but leave each man to his liberty . if any pastor think he may not exercise his pastoral office abroad , let him stay at home : but let them have liberty that are otherwise minded . 7. we are agreed that a particular church that hath a presbytery , may exercise all acts of worship and government within it self , that are appertaining only to it self . and that synods should be used for communion of churches , where things that concern the churches in common , or their communion with one another , should be heard and judged . let us therefore give way to particular churches to enjoy their liberty ; and let all the churches be link'd together , and the pastors associate , and meet in synods for such communion . yet so that if any one in weakness shall refuse to associate , or be an ordinary member of such synods , ( being caetera sanus ) we shall not therefore withdraw our brotherly love , nor that distant sort of communion of which he is capable : though we must disown his way , lest others be tempted to the like division . 8. we are agreed that no men should bury their talents , and that the gifts of our people that are suited to the profiting of others , should be used to as publick benefit as may be , so it be orderly , regularly , in their callings , in a due subordination to the ministry , and under their direction , for the helping and not the hindering of their work ( according to the forementioned limitations . ) there is no difference therefore among us here that is needful to be taken notice of in our form of concord , it being between particular persons , and not parties that the difference lyeth . and actual miscarriages are to be enquired after as other crimes in the several churches and associations . 9. we are agreed that all parishes that have in them a people professing christianity , and consent to live as particular churches in communion for gods worship , are true churches , as that word doth signifie a community of christians : and if they have true pastors , they are true churches , as the word [ church ] doth signifie a political society of christians , capable of the ordinary actual worshipping of god in the publick use of all church ordinances . but because it is not to be expected that we should all be acquainted with the qualifications , consent or practice of the people in all the parishes of the land , nor of the ministers call ; it is not therefore to be expected that we be made judges of the state of all parishes , nor that we put our judgment of all , or any of them by name , into our form of concord . but if practically any of us shall either slander any particular church to be no church , or shall use it as no church , the case must be heard and judged of in our churches and associations . 10. we are agreed that no member should forsake a church and be received into another , without sufficient reason to be given to the church that he forsaketh ; if they require it : and that much less should any part of a church make an unnecessary separation from the rest , and become a distinct church by themselves : and we are agreed that private antichurches , ( i mean , separated assemblies set up against the publick assemblies , and as rivals drawing persons to themselves and keeping up faction , and contention in the place ) should be carefully avoided by us all ; unless there were a certain necessity of such separations . we are agreed also that no publick pastors or churches should refuse the communion of any of their neighbours , that are [ credible professors of faith and repentance , and holiness of life ; ] much less should they cast off the greatest part of their parishes that are such ! and yet we are agreed that there are several cases in which persons may withdraw from churches ; or for those of one parish to join with a church in another parish ; though the bounds of our habitations are usually meet to be observed for the bounding of our churches ( not that all in the parish be therefore of the church , but that ordinarily none be of the church that is not in the parish . ) let us therefore put only the necessary generals into the form of our agreement , and leave the particular cases of any that shall be accused of any violalation thereof , to be heard at the synods of the associations : where if the accused will appear , they may have a brotherly hearing ; if not , the case may be judged according to the evidence that shall be given in ▪ and the associated brethren proceed accordingly , in admonishing the offenders , and holding or not holding communion with them , and declaring this . the yet briefer sum of our agreement is , 1. to avoid unnecessary separations and contentions . 2. to hold an ordinary course in synods , for the communion of churches , and strengthning each other for the work of god. for the attainment of these we must yield as far as lawfully we may in lesser things : but to deny us these , viz. union , and communion , and peace , is to-deny us our end , and all . yet note , that it is not our intention to impose upon all others , all points that these two parties are agreed in , nor to put all their agreements into our form of concord , as if we regarded agreement with no others . for instance , both parties are agreed of the divine institution of meer ruling elders : but so are not all others that are fit for their communion . and therefore let that point be left out , to the liberty of each church . so both parties are agreed that the moderators ( or presidents ) of the associated synods , should rather ( in point of convenience at least ) be temporary , than stated , and that they should have no negative voice in ordination . but others that are fit for our communion think otherwise : and therefore let this be left out of the form of concord to our brethrens liberty . if they will hold communion in the associations that have but temporary presidents , let them be received : and if those that own not stated presidents , or at least such as exercise a negative voice in ordination ; will yet hold communion in synods ( with a signification of their dissent in that point ) with them that are of a contrary mind , they are to be received ; and will be , by such as more regard the honour of god , and the churches peace , and the interest of christian charity , piety and common truths , than their own conceits , and carnal interests . i shall therefore next adjoin the necessary terms of an universal concord between all the faithful pastors and churches of christ in these nations , which yet need not be subscribed , but taken as presupposed ; there being in the following form of concord , for the general peace and communion of the churches , enough for subscription , or express consent . church concord about government and order . the second part. the just terms of agreement between all sober , serious christians ( by what names soever now distinguished : ) in point , 1. of catholick communion . 2. of particular church communion . 3. of the communion of neighbour churches ; 4. and of churches of several kingdoms . 5. and of their duty as good subjects to their prince . humbly offered to all the christian churches as the true and sufficient remedy of their divisions , if not rejected or neglected : and as a standing witness before god and man , against dividing zeal and church tyranny . by richard baxter , a servant of the god of love and peace . we that are strong , ought to bear the infirmities of the weak , and not to please our selves : let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification — that ye may with one mind , and one mouth glorifie god — wherefore receive ye one another as christ also received us to the glory of god , rom. 15. 1 , 2 , 6 , 7. be of one mind , live in peace , and the god of love and peace shall be with you , 2 cor. 13. 11. london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside near mercers chapel . 1691. to the reader . countreymen , my saviour having made me believe , that every kingdom divided against it self is brought to desolation , mat. 12. 25. i shall the less regard the ministers of satan , who will say that such attempts to unite the true subjects of christ and the king , is a dangerous plot to strengthen rebels against the king , by their union . if such fiends should do their will upon me , as faith is but a means to the final perfective grace of love , so i shall as much rejoice , to be a sacrifice or martyr , for christian love , as for the christian faith : and if peacemakers shall be called the children of god ( by those that are his children at least , ) i am contented with that blessedness , ( mat. 5. 9. ) and envy not their kind of honour or prosperity . if this attempt shall speed no better , than many which i have formerly made have done , as to any publick reconciliation i shall not yet think it vain , while the private minds of many christians are formed into more peaceable apprehensions and dispositions . but if it should succeed for any publick or common healing , how great would be my ioy ? while the conciliatory writings and precious names , of usher ▪ hall , davenant , dury , bergius , burroughs , &c. are so sweet to me ; let envy gnash the te●th , and dividing malice do its worst , i hope in this delightful work to live and die . one thing i must warn the reader of , that i have omitted scripture proofs of my assertions , because they are self-evident or past controversie , and because that the proofs which are fetcht from two or three texts compared , will not be understood , by the usual sleighty readings of such , as expect the very syllables : of the assertions in the proofs . therefore for brevity i take it to be the better way , ●● this time to offer here a full sufficient proof of any one of these assertions , which shall be questioned , to such as shall soberly demand it . a servant of christ for his churches unity and peace , richard baxter . acton , nov. 2● , 1688. q. seeing you have oft affirmed publickly that the terms of concord among christians are easie to be known , if their unwillingness to practise them were not the hinderance , you are desired to answer these questions following . 1. what are the necessary terms of catholick communion of christians as members of the church universal ? 2. what are the necessary terms of the communion of christians personally , in a particular church ? 3. what are the terms on which neighbour churches may hold communion with one another ? 4. what are the terms of communion between the churches of several kingdoms ? 5. what is the magistrates power and duty about religion , and the churches and ministers of christ ? i. it is to be understood that the universal church is considered as spiritual or as visible : as spiritual , it is the universality of true spiritual or regenerate believers , as headed by jesus christ. as visible , it is the universality of the baptized , or professors of true faith , as headed by christ , ( the author and object of that faith. ) and accordingly christians are to be distinguished . and that the question is of the visible church and christians . 2. this being supposed i answer , that catholick visible communion consisteth , 1. fundamentally , in being all baptized or entered into the same covenant of grace , with god the father , the son , and the holy ghost , and so being joyned to the same head , and entered into the same universal body , and professing the same faith , and love , and obedience contained in that covenant , and not falling away from that profession , or any essential part thereof . 2. and consequently that we all acknowledge the extraordinary ministry of the prophets and apostles , and receive their testimony and doctrine recorded in the sacred scriptures : at least the foresaid essentials of the covenant ; and so much more as we understand , and are convinced to be canonical scriptures , or written by the inspiration of the holy ghost . 3. and also that we acknowledge a stated ordinary ministry in the church , appointed by christ to disciple and baptize the nations of the world , and then to teach them to observe all his commands . and that we profess our willingness to join in christian assemblies under the conduct of such ministers , for the worshipping of god , and furthering our own and others salvation ; if we have opportunity so to do : and that we do accordingly . ii. q. 1. we speak only of visible christians in this second question also ( of church communion . ) 2. [ a particular church ] signifieth either , 1. a community of christians agreed to live under pastora● guidance , before they have a pastor , or have practised that agreement . this is not the church here mean● . 2. or a political society of christian pastor and people professedly associated for personal communion , exercise of these relations as such in the publick worshipping of god , and for the furtherance of love and obedience in each other . the ends difference it from all civil societies of christians ; and from the associations of many churches for communion by delegates . the necessary terms of this church communion are these . 1. the pastor ( whether one or more ) must have all things essential to his office. 1. as to his qualifications , that is , 1. that he understand at least the essential points of christianity and church communion . 2. that he be able to teach them to others in some competent degree . 3. that he be willing to do it ; and this for gods honour , the churches good , and mens salvation . 2. as to his call , that he have a true notification of the will of god , that he should undertake this office ; which is ordinarily done . 1. by the ordination , ( that is , the approbation and investiture ) of bishops or pastors . 2. and ( in this case of his relation to a particular church ) by the peoples consent : all this in truth is needful before god , and in appearance and profession before the church . 2. the people must be baptized persons , sacramentally engaged into covenant with god , the father , son , and holy ghost ; and such as have not professedly deserted that covenant by apostasie ; nor are proved before a lawful judicature to be deserters of any essential part thereof . ( whether open professed covenanting may not serve without baptism in cases of necessity , where baptism cannot be had , is a case so extraordinary that we need not here meddle with it . ) 3. he that was baptized in infancy , and yet having opportunity at full age doth make no profession of christianity , nor own his baptismal covenant openly by word or deed , is to be numbered with deserters . 4. though the most plain and open profession is usually best , where it may be ●ad ; yet a profession less explicite may serve to the being of church-members ; such as is their actual joyning with those churches , who purposely assemble to make publick profession of the christian religion ( faith , love and obedience . ) 5. there must be also a signification of consent to their particular church-relation : either more express and plain , or at least by such actions which may be reasonably presumed to signifie it . ( as ordinary joining in church-worship with that particular church , and submitting to the necessary guidance of the pastors . ) 6. he that thus consenteth to his relation to the pastor and that church , is a member , though he consent not to the membership or presence of many particular members thereof : because they are but integral and not essential parts of the church . 7. but if a usual mixture ( in the assemblies ) of hereticks or strangers which are not members of that church , or any other confounding cause do give the pastors sufficient reason to call all or part of the people to an express signification of their consent to their relation , to put it out of doubt ; they that causelesly refuse such signification , do seem to deny their consent , and allow the pastor and church to judge of them accordingly . 8. the office of the bishops or pastors is subordinate to the teaching , and interceeding and ruling office of christ ; and their work is to teach the people the word of god ; to be their mouth and guide in publick worship , in prayer , and in thanksgiving and praise to god , and to administer his holy sacraments , and to exercise that power of the keys which christ hath committed to their trust , in the prudent and cautelous use of church-discipline : and all this according to the laws of christ , recorded in the holy scriptures . these therefore must be the works and ends , for which these churches must ( professedly ) assemble : especially on the lord's days , which are separated to these holy uses . 9. the general command ( in nature and scripture ) that all be done to edification , decently and in order , do require the church with prudence to determine of such undetermined circumstances , modes and orders , as fall under those generals : as what translation of the scriptures to use ; what metre of the psalms ; what tunes ; whether to divide the scriptures into chapters and verses ; what chapters to read ; what psalms to sing , and when and how many : what particular method to use in preaching ; and what words : what helps for memory ? whether written notes ? in length or briefly ? at what hour to begin : how long to preach and pray : in what words to pray . in what decent habit , and in what gesture to preach or sing god's praises , &c. what utensils to use , as pulpit , font , table , cloth , cups , &c. in what place , &c. in all which the pastors are the guides by office , and in many the agents : and it is no sinful will-worship or adding to the word of god , to determine in such cases : and they that will not stand to such determinations cannot be members of their flocks : as if any will not meet at that time , or place where the church doth meet , or will not use the same psalms , or translations , or hear the pastor in such a method , or with such notes , &c. he thereby refuseth the communion of that church ; which must have some determinate time and place , &c. but yet the pastors power being for edification , and not for destruction , he must take the peoples consent in all , so far as the churches good requireth it , to their edification and peace , and guide them as a father by love , and in humility as the servant of all , and not as lording it over the flock : and if his determination should be so perverse as to be destructive of the church or of the worship of god , the people must seek the due remedy ( of which more anon ) . 10. as the keys of the church are committed by christ to the pastors , for intromission , guidance and sentential excommunication , that is , for the government of the church ; so the people must not usurp any part of their office : they are not obliged to try the faith or holiness of such as are to be baptized , or such as are to be received into their publick communion ; but may rest in the pastors judgment , whose office it is to try them : supposing still that they have their due remedy , in case of corrupting or destructive male ▪ administration . and that their needful assistance in their places should be used . 11. if any member of the church do live in any heresie or other great sin , contrary to his covenant with god , those who are acquainted with it , must admonish him and seek to bring him to repentance , in the order appointed by christ ; and if he repent not , they must tell the church ; and if being duely admonished by the pastors , he yet repent not , the pastors as the church guides , must pronounce him unfit for the communion of the church , and require him to forbear it , and the people to avoid him ; which the people must obey . yet so , as that if the people have sufficient cause to doubt whether a censure be not contrary to the word of god , they may enquire into the cause ; and if they find it contrary indeed , they must not execute that sentence , by any of those private acts of alienation , which are in their own power : and they may seek due reparation of the publick breach . 12. if one pastor of a church where there are many do perniciously and notably corrupt the faith or the worship , or the discipline of the church , the other pastors must admonish him , and both they and the people disown him , if after a first and second admonition , he repent not . and the same must the people do by all the pastors , if all be guilty in the same kind ; and must trust their souls with more faithful pastors . but this must not be done mistakingly , headily or rashly , nor as an act of government over the pastors or the church ; but as an act of obedience to god , for the preservation of their souls , and of the interest of christ : nor must it be done without such consultation with , and assistance of the neighbour churches , or the magistrates , as their case shall make necessary or profitable to their right ends. nor by a violation of any lawful orders of the magistrates . 13. if a pastor preach some unsound doctrines , or faultily perform the publick worship , or neglect just discipline , and receive the unworthy to the communion of the church , or reject the worthy , the presence of the innocent members , ( who make not the fault their own by consent , or by neglecting their duties to reform it ) maketh none of this to be their sin , nor is to be taken for a sign of their consent : nor will the presence of the unworthy deprive the godly of the blessing or comfort of god's ordinance : nor are they bound to separate from that church , because of these corruptions , unless they are so great as to unchurch that church , or make their worship and communion such , as god himself rejecteth and will not accept : or unless by imposing sin upon them , or some other way , the church expel them ; or they have accidentally some other reason to remove . 14. the members of the same church must live so near to one another , as that they may be capable of the communion and duties of their relation . but whether parish-bounds shall be church-bounds , and whether there shall be one church only , or more in the same parish , is a thing which god hath not directly determined , but only by general rules to direct our prudence , as cases are by circumstances varied . where the magistrates laws thus bound the churches , and the conveniences of numbers , maintenance , place , and common expectation require it ; and where it is commonly taken for scandalous disobedience , or disorder or schism , to do otherwise , prudence forbiddeth us to violate these bounds and orders , without true necessity . not taking all for church-members who are parishioners , but taking none but parishioners into that church , nor setting up other churches in that parish . but when there are no such laws and reasons for it , and where there are plainly greater reasons or necessity to do otherwise ; we should not make such a law to our selves . 15. when true sound churches are first settled , all unneoessary and causeless separation from them , or setting up of new churches in the same towns or parishes , by way of disclaiming them , or in opposition to them , should be avoided by all christians . because , 1. we find not in scripture times , that any one city had many such churches , approved of god : ( the numbers of christians being but enow for one ) . 2. because it taketh up more ministers than the interest of the universal church can allow to so few . 3. because it proceedeth from a sinful want of love and unity ; and tendeth to the further decrease of both : long and sad experlence having shewed , that each of those churches think it to be their duty to stablish their several perswasions , and oppose the contrary ; whereby they are carried as for the interest of the truth , to make their adversaries be thought to be ignorant , erroneous , or bad , and so to make one another seem less amiable ; to the ruine of love and the division and danger of the churches . and because love and unity are so frequently and vehemently pressed in the scriptures : and divisions or schism so much forbidden . 16. all these are sinful schismatical separations , but in very different degrees . 1. when the interest of some heresie , or lesser errour , and the disclaiming of some truth , doth cause men to separate . 2. when they slander a true ministry as no true ministry , and so separate . 3. when they slander a true church as no true church . 4. when they separate because they accuse true worship to be idolatry , or lawful worship to be unlawful . 5. when they falsly accuse the churches faith , worship or order to be defective , and to want some necessary part ( as the papists do by the protestants , who take up with the scripture-religion alone . ) 6. when they accuse some tolerable failing in the church , to be intolerable , and such as maketh their communion unlawful . 7. when they separate from the church because of the holiness and strictness of its doctrine and just discipline , which crosseth them in their sin ; or because they hate the purity of its worship and obedience . 8. when they separate because that they have not a part in the government of the church themselves , in receiving members , or censuring them ; or because they may not be teachers of the church , or otherwise invade the pastoral office. 9. when pride or coveteousness maketh them separate , through personal distaste at the pastors or any members , for want of respect or honour , or gain , or upon supposed injuries . 10. when the minor part separate , because they have not their own will against the major part , in the choice of ministers , or in other church-affairs , in which they have just cause to acquiesce . 11. when they over-value their own conceits and doubtful opinions , and their own indifferent modes or words of circumstances of worship or order , so that they think it needful to separate to enjoy them . 12. when they expect that the pastors should excommunicate , or deny the communion of the church , to such as they account unfit , without any accusation and proof , or true church-justice ; and do separate from the communion where such are received ; as unlawful for themselves . 13. when they separate upon this false supposition , that their presence maketh them guilty as consenters , of all the ministers errours in the doctrine or method or words of his preaching , praying or other administrations . 14. when they separate because the church will not forbear the singing of david's psalms , the baptizing of infants , or some other such part or order of god's worship . 15. when they separate because they will not consent to the lawful circumstances of time , place , translation , metre , tunes , utensils , or methods which the church doth use . these all are unlawful separations . but the great aggravations are , when they separate to set up heretical doctrine , and teachers , or false church-orders and worship corrupted in the essentials ; or to promote ungodliness , or to rail at others from whom they separate , and to cherish divisions to the injury of the common christian cause . 17. these following are lawful causes of separation . 1. when the pastors are really no ministers of christ , but uncapable , or uncalled usurpers , or hereticks or infidels ; or open enemies to piety , who do more harm than good , and set themselves to destroy the church of god , and the ends of their ministry 2. when the church maketh not profession of the christian faith , or are not baptized or visible christians . 3. when the worship of the church is idolatry , or such for the substance as god will not accept , nor it is not lawful to joyn in . 4. when the church renounceth , or omitteth any ordinance of god , which the whole church must ordinarily perform , and which all things considered , it is not lawful to omit . 5. when ( after due admonition ) the church is turned into a theatre of contention , and a school of malignity and reviling the brethren , and of destroying christian love to others ; or of promoting schism to the intolerable wrong of the people , and of others , and of the cause and churches of christ. 6. when ( after due admonition and patience ) the church so far renounceth discipline , as openly to own and justifie such wickedness or heinous sins , as are inconsistent with the true profession of christianity and godliness . 18. and if the unsoundness , badness or weakness of the pastors , and the faultiness of the worship , order or discipline , be not so great as to make communion with the church sunply unlawful ; yet any free man whose edification is greatly hindered by it , and can elsewhere have far greater helps for his salvation , and joyn with a church which walketh more conformably to the christian rule , may lawfully remove himself to such a ministry and church ; when it is not to the greater hurt of others , than his own good . especially such whose ignorance , weakness and deadness , maketh a lively and convincing ministry more needful to their safety and welfare , than it is to others : for it is a sin , caeteris paribus , to prefer the worse before the better ; and a sin to neglect the best means for our souls which we can lawfully enjoy : and the soul is more precious than to be hazarded or left in sin and darkness for an unnecessary circumstance . nor is it any sinful separation , or disorder , for the members of one church to communicate occasionally with other churches of christ ; seeing our relation to the universal church is more strict and inviolable than to any particular church as such . also in case of removal of our habitations , or change of our family relations , or other the like reasons , it is lawful to remove from one church to another ( without any unjust censuring of that which we remove from : ) and if the first church will not consent ( after due means for their satisfaction ) we may remove without their consent . 19. he that is denied communion with the church , unless he will speak or subscribe some falshood , or take any false oath , or make any unlawful promise , or commit any other sin , is sinfully cast out or repulsed by the imposer , and is not guilty of schism or sinful separation , by denying to commit such imposed sin . and he that only removeth from the place of meeting , with the pastor and church when they remove , and doth not withdraw from the church it self ; or that adhereth to his lawful pastor and part of the church , when the rest of the church adhere to an usurper , is not to be judged guilty of schism ; for such avoiding of schism . 20. the principal care for the avoiding of schism , and for maintaining unity and love , is incumbent on the pastors of the church ; whose first work must be to preserve this love and unity in their particular churches , to prevent withdrawing into separating churches . to which end , their first care must be to give no just cause , by corrupting of doctrine , worship or discipline , to any to withdraw ; and not to impose any unnecessary thing as necessary to communion ; but to unite in things necessary , and to give liberty in things unnecessary ▪ ( a means approved in all ages by peacemakers : ) and to guide the church by the paternal government of reason and love , and not by tyranny to make themselves hateful : and to be much in preaching love and concord , that the people may know the sin and danger of factions and divisions ; and to avoid all factiousness and contentiousness themselves . and their next care must be to labour after a laudable ( if they cannot reach an eminent ) degree , of ability in teaching , and exemplariness in a holy and charitable life , that they may win the esteem and love of the flock , and may give them no occasion to think that the necessity of their souls , requireth them to seek for better helps . but if differing ( though tolerable ) opinions , do so possess any of the peoples minds , that no means can satisfie them , to continue in the same assemblies ; and their presence will be more hurtful than their absence ; or if the pastor or church be so over-rigid as not to tolerate their dissent ; the next thing to be done , is to permit them to worship in other assemblies , ( though their withdrawing may not be justifiable ; ) and to take care that love and peace be maintained with them , as with neighbour churches ; though perhaps weak and faulty ; which bringeth us up to the next question . q. 3. what are the terms on which neighbour churches , may hold communion with one another ? a. what these particular churches in the question are is shewed before . the communion in question consisteth , 1. in holding the same faith. 2. in the same worship of god , in the necessary parts . 3. in the same profession of obedience to god. 4. in a professed estimation of each other as brethren , and as true churches of christ. 5. and in a professed love to one another as such . 6. and in such communion and mutual assistance , as tend to the preservation of the church universal , and the benefit of each other . the terms therefore and means must be these following . 1. they must publickly profess the same christian religion , in all the essential parts ; which is no more , but [ that we continue our consent to our baptismal covenant , with god the father , son , and holy ghost , renouncing the devil , the world and the flesh : particularly professing to believe all the articles of the ancient creed , and to desire all that is contained in the lords prayer , and sincerely to endeavour to live towards god and men according to the ten commandments : believing also the sacred canonical scriptures to be true , and taking them for the intire rule of our divine belief , and worship , and obedience . ] and we renounce , so far as we can know them , all heresies , errors and practices contrary hereto . ] this is all the profession that is to be required of any person in order to the catholick communion of christians as such ; or of the members of a particular church , ( besides their consent to their particular church relation ; ) or of neighbour churches for their communion with each other . except when any scandal obligeth us to clear our selves ( whether it be suspected heresie or wickedness of life ) by a just purgation or repentance . and the requiring of larger unnecessary professions , hath been the grand engine of church divisions through many generations . 2. yet as there are christians of divers degrees of knowledge , and soundness in the same church , so there are churches also as different : and though we must own them all as christian churches , which are such indeed , yet must we not judge them equally sound or pure ; but must disown the gross corruptions of doctrine , worship or discipline which are proved to be in any of them ; and must specially honour those that are more faithful , pure and entire . 3. no one particular single church must claim or usurp a right of dominion or government over other churches , as given them by god ; seeing that all such true churches are as cities or corporations in one kingdom ; which are all governed by one king , but are none of them rightful rulers of the rest . nor must any men of their own heads set up such forms of government as of humane right , in conformity to the secular governments of the world , ( and this as spiritual in the exercise of the keys which christ committed to his ministers ) tho' one eminent minister may instruct and admonish many others , and have some care of many churches ) contrary to , or inconsistent with , the orders setled by christ or his apostles , who were commissioned by him for the setling of all universally necessarily church government , and infallibly guided therein by the holy ghost , much less may the unity and peace of the church be laid upon such invented policies , as it is by the papists , who make their forged . head , pope or council , a constitutive essential part of the catholick church , and seign all the christian world to be schismaticks , who will not be his subjects . 4. but love , and concord , and peace must be maintained among the equal parts of the catholick church . seeing it is the strength of the churches and their beauty , and the exercise and help of the life and holiness of all the parts : therefore such correspondencies must be maintained among them , as tend to a right understanding of each other , and to a just furtherance of these happy ends : and as in particular churches , the determinations of useful circumstances according to gods general rules , is no sinful addition to gods word or ordinances , so neither is it here to be so judged , if magistrates by laws or churches by consent , do determine of useful undetermined circumstances , for the ordering of these correspondencies , and preventing contentions , factions and divisions . 5. the ordinary means of these correspondencies , are messengers and synods , ( or councils ) and letters testimonial or certificates . if one church be offended with another , upon suspicion of heresie or scandalous practices , they may by messengers admonish them , and these may by messengers make their purgation or confession . as also if they desire advice or help from one another ; but if in common and weighty cases , there be need of more common and judicious consultations , or significations of consent and concord , synods are the means thereto . and if one member travel into other parts , or remove his dwelling , or be to be received by other churches ; especially in suspicious times and cases , communicatory letters and certificates are the means , that hereticks and deceivers abuse not the churches . 6. whether these synods shall be held at certain stated times , or variously as occasions vary ? and whether they shall have a president ? and whether he shall be mutable or fixed ? and of how many churches they shall be composed ? and how oft they shall meet , and how long they shall sit ; with such like , are circumstances left to humane prudence , under the general laws of christ. but the use of synods is so ordinary and great , that in sound and peaceable countreys , where heresie or church-tyranny doth not turn them against their proper ends ; and where state-iealousies cause not rulers to forbid them , the statedness and frequency of them will be of very great advantage to the churches : but in the contrary cases it may be quite contrary . 7. though no one of these bishops or pastors in councils ( nor many conjunct ) be by divine right the proper governour over the rest , and therefore as to one another their canons , are agreements for union , rather than the laws of superior governours , yet do they not by their assembling lose their governing power over their several flocks , but meet to exercise it with the greater consideration and force : and therefore their lawful determinations and agreements may be truely obligatory to their several flocks . 8. the largeness of these councils should be suited to the occasion and necessity : as the scandals , heresies , schisms or contentions do require . but to make proper universal councils to be the ordinary supreme governing law-givers to a body politick called the universal church is a device of those who would do christs work in their own mistaking way , and for the preserving of the churches unity , will desperately divide , corrupt and injure it . there is no necessity of it , christs universal laws being sufficient , with the civil government of princes , and the circumstantial determinations of the particular churches : and it is pernicious , if not impossible : the many thousand miles distance of the churches , the paucity of the pastors , and necessity of their presence in many churches ; the many years that must be spent in travel ; the opposition of heathen and infidel princes whose subjects they are , or through whose countreys they must travel ; the wars and jealousies of princes ; the probability of the death of the ablest pastors in such a voyage ; they being usually aged men and weak ; their diversity of tongues , and unintelligibleness to one another ; their long continuance in such councils ; their incapacity to meet and hear together in any one room ; the probability that the numerousness of the nearest bishops , and paucity of the remote , will make a faction go for the council ; the improbability that ever they will return to bring home the decrees ; the unsatisfiedness of the churches in their decrees , when a thousand , or an hundred pastors who chuse one single delegate , know not whether he will speak their sense or not ; with many such reasons , make it as pernicious as unnecessary . nor have the christian churches ever had such councils ( the meetings of the twelve apostles being nothing to this purpose : ) but as all men know that the roman emperors had no power to summon the pastors who were the subjects of other princes ; so the recorded suffrages of all the councils certifie us , that they were none such ; but the subjects only of the roman empire , ( or those that had been such ) with a very inconsiderable number of some adjacent bishops , and that but very seldom : so that those councils were universal only as to the empire of rome ( and that but very rarely , if ever ) but never as to the christian world. 9. if a plurality of hereticks , schismaticks , or ungodly bishops or pastors , should by the advantage of their councils oppress the churches or the truth , the sound and faithful pastors must hold on in the way of duty , and not forsake the truth or the flocks , in obedience to such councils . 10. if any church or pastor be accused or defamed to the neighbour churches , of any heresie , schism , scandal , or injury , either to any person of that church , or to any neighbour church or person , the general precepts of christian charity , concord , humility , submission , &c. do oblige such accused persons , to tender to their offended brethren ( especially if it be many churches ) due satisfaction , and to hear their reasons and admonitions , and to acknowledge their own faults , and amend if they have erred ; and in lawful things to yield to others , for peace and concord , and to avoid offence , where greater accidents make it not then unlawful so to do . 11. if any pastors or neighbour churches , remain impenitent , under such proved heresie , impiety or crimes , as are inconsistent with the true profession of godliness , the synods , or neighbour churches ( after due admonition and pationce ) should openly disown their sins , and if they be inconsistent with the essentials of christian communion , should also disclaim communion with them ; and should send to the innocent part to exhort them to save themselves by separation from the rest ; or to forsake such heretical and impenitent pastors : and should motion them to better pastors , and send some to instruct them in the mean time , if they be accepted . but none of this must be done , in case of tolerable infirmities or failings . 12. a truely ordained minister of christ , being called or accepted by a church for the present time , to teach them , and guide them in publick worship and sacramental communion , in the sickness , or absence of their stated pastors , or in a vacancy , ought to assist them , and is to be esteemed as a minister of christ in those administrations . and when a church is destitute of pastors , it is ( ordinarily ) the peoples duty , to desire the faithful neighbour pastors , to assist them for supply ; especially in the tryal of such parts of pastoral sufficiency , which they are unable to try themselves ; and to ordain ( by approbation and solemn investiture ) such a person to the ministry as they consent to , if he be not before ordained ; or if he be ; yet by prayer to desire god , to bless him in that special charge . q. 4. what are the terms of communion between the churches of several kingdoms ? a. this needs no more addition to the former answer but this . 1. that their communion in the main must be the same in faith and love and obedience to god , as if they were under the same civil government . 2. but they must not busie themselves needlesly with the distant and unknown cases and business of others ; nor 3. must they violate the lawful restraints of their civil governours , nor disturb the peace of kingdoms , upon pretences of the churches privileges or interest : 4. and if they are offended at the doctrine , worship or practice of other churches ; they should send to them for satisfaction , and those churches should send them the forementioned confession of the christian religion , and either purge themselves from the crimes of which they are accused , or confess them and forsake them . but when the pastors which in several countries , have drunk in differing opinions , shall expect that all others should speak as they do , in all controverted points of tolerable difference ; and by their odious imagined consequences , shall slander other churches or pastors , as holding that which they disclaim , or as denying that which in their publick confessions they profess as their very religion , and by their passions , unskilfulness and uncharitableness , shall make all differences ( though but in words , or very narrow ) seem more material , wide and dangerous than they are , and shall hereupon proclaim their brethren to be heretical or blasphemous , and use to revile them , and renounce communion with them , and would silence the pastors if it were in their power ; these under the name of the ministers of christ , do powerfully militate for the devil against the love and peace of christians ; and are the pernicious incendiaries in the churches of christ. q. 5. what is the magistrates power and duty about religion , and the churches and ministers of christ ? answ. i shall say more as to their power , than as to their duty , because i know not how it will be endured ; or how that counsel will be taken or followed , which is not desired . it more concerneth us to consider of our own duty to them . 1. all the forcing power about matters ecclesiastical , ( whether by corporal penalties or forced mulcts ) belongeth only to the magistrate : ( besides what parents and masters may do ) . and if any pastors use it , it must be as magistrates , receiving it from the soveraign . and the sword is so unseemly in a pastors hand , and so ill taken by the people , and so adverse to the persuasive loving government which he must exercise , and hath ever been of such unhappy effects to the world ; that it were to be wished that princes would keep their sword from the clergy to themselves , and commit it to such officers , as have not so much other work to do , and are not so likely to abuse it . 2. if any pastors will declare that princes are bound to punish men , meerly as excommunicated by them , without any tryal of the cause before themselves or officers ; and will excommunicate magistrates for not imprisoning , banishing or burning , or otherwise afflicting those whom the clergy have excommunicated , or judged to be so used ; much more if any will teach and declare that excommunicate kings are no kings , ( yea , though a foreigner that hath no power over them excommunicate them ) ; or that they may be kill'd as tyrants ; or that the pope or any other , have power to depose them , and dispose of their dominions ( see the council at lateran under innocent 3d. can. 3. and the council at rome under gregor . 7. ) if such be subjects , they are injurious to the civil power ; if they are foreigners , they are open declared enemies . 3. the office and power of kings and other magistrates is from god ; and their lawful commands are to be obeyed for conscience sake ; and not to avoid their punishments only . 4. their office is to promote obedience to god and to his laws , by making subordinate laws of their own , and to be a terrour to evil-doers , and a praise and encouragement to them that do well . 5. the clergy as well as others must be subject to kings and magistrates : nor is it tolerable doctrine which would exempt their persons or estates , except it be by the king's consent . 6. princes must not only promote natural obedience to the true god , but also the special faith and obedience of the gospel , by means which are suitable thereunto . 7. princes may make laws , forbidding the publication of all pernicious damning doctrines , and the practice of idolatry , and of all great and notable crimes against the law of god , and may correct the offenders by convenient penalties , with prudence and moderation . 8. if heretical , covetous , or lazy pastors , corrupt god's word and worship notoriously , or neglect their certain duty , to the betraying or endangering of the flocks , or are persons uncapable of the office ; the magistrate may drive them on to their duties , and ( moderately and prudently ) punish them for their negligence and unfaithfulness ; and may forbid the uncapable to exercise that office. 9. such circumstances of worship , and orders of assemblies ( before instanced ) as are fit for common determination and agreement in all the churches ; being such whose determination is not proper to the pastors office , may ( on moderate terms , and by religious advice ) be determined of by magistrates ; and all their lawful determinations must be obeyed . 10. there needeth not the device of popes or patriarchs , to call councils , or to keep peace among the pastors of the church : for the magistrate must do it , as a great part of the work of his office. every soveraign may call such pastors unto councils as are his subjects : and several princes by agreement may call their respective subjects together when there is cause ; and proper universal councils ( as is shewed ) are things which never were known , nor are not to be expected : and it must be a very extraordinary necessity , which must warrant the pastors of several kingdoms , to hold councils together , when they are forbidden by their kings : princes also may correct church-tyrants and usurpers , and destroyers of faith , or piety or peace : they ought to restrain such pastors as would raise seditions or rebellions , or persecutions of the innocent , or that pretend religion for the open and obstinate revilings of their brethren , and are proved to be unquiet firebrands to kindle dissentions , and destroy mens love to one another , or arbitrarily to oppress the flocks . 11. when any question , who must be iudge , in cases of heresie , infidelity or idolatry as divulged or practised , the true answer is obvious and easie . 1. in regard of publick ecclesiastical judgment , and the sentence of excommunication or absolution , the pastors of the church are the proper judges , by virtue of the power of the keys . 2. in regard of publick civil judgment in order to corporal forcible punishment or impunity ( as there is just cause ) the magistrate is the only publick judge . 3. in regard of that private judgment of discerning , by which every rational person must know his own duty , both to god and man , and discern when and how far to obey man , without disobeying god , every such rational person is a iudge ; that is , a discerner of what he ought to do . and christ always the final judge . 12. yet may not the magistrate invade the pastoral office it self ; nor ordain or d●grade minister● , ( in that spiritual sense as it is committed to church-guides ; ) nor administer the sacraments , nor exercise the proper power of the church keys , which christ committed to church officers , by such excommunications or absolutions as are proper to that power ; nor may they hinder the ●astors from the due performance of their office , in matter or manner : nor forbid the necessary preaching of the gospel , or publick worshipping of god , by all or any of his ministers : but are bound to promote it with studious diligence , as patrons of the church . 13. but if they should forbid us the necessary preaching of god's word , or necessary assembling for god's publick worship , ( as we must not account , those seasons and circumstances necessary which are unnecessary , so that which is necessary indeed , we must not desert , till we are disabled to perform it ; seeing it is greater sacrilege , if we alienate a person consecrated to god in so sacred an office , than if we should alienate conseorated goods or lands ; which are not so nearly related to a holy use . and seeing we took not up our calling upon meer tryal for a time ▪ and seeing it is more cruelty in us , to see thousands perish in ignorance and ungodliness , while we deny them our necessary help , than to shut up the bowels of our compassion to them , who are in corporal distress : and seeing christ's threefold charge to peter , doth teach us , also , as we love him to feed his lambs . and all that are truly called to the ministry , may say of their duty as paul of his apostolical works , [ necessity is laid upon me , yea , woe is unto me , if i preach not the gospel ] joh. 21. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. 1 cor. 9. 16. but there is no absolute necessity of our liberties , maintenance , ease or lives . and those that are indeed the servants of god , and fear his judgment , and look for their reward and felicity from him , must ( with dan. ch . 6. and the apostles act. 4. 18 , 19. & 5. 29. ) hear god and obey him before men : luk. 12. 4. and fear hell fire more than death , as christ commandeth ; and love mens salvation and christ's kingdom better than our lives : luk ▪ 14. 26. 33. 1 ioh. 3. 16. yet must we take heed that we over-value not our own labours , and that we pretend not a necessity of them when there is none : and that we invade not the publick temples or maintenance , which are at the magistrates disposal : and that we be not too querulous under our own sufferings , to make the rulers odious to the people ; nor any way stir up sedition under pretence of saving souls ; nor carry on any carnal interest and work of our own , under the name of the work and interest of christ. and as to the places , seasons , numbers , and other circumstances of our ministerial duties , they must be fitted to the churches good , which is their end , and varied according to the variety of cases ; and we must not expect that all men and in all cases do observe the same which some must do . 14. but where we may not actively obey , we must either fly to another city , mat. 10. 23. or patiently suffer , and not resist , rom. 13. 3. 5. matth. 5. 10 , 11 , 12. we must not revile when we are reviled , nor curse ( no not in our hearts ) the rulers of our people , nor secretly or openly dishonour them ; because their honour is more necessary to the common good than our vindication is : 1. pet. 2. 23. act. 23. 5. eccl. 10. 20. much less may we raise any seditions or rebellions ▪ or revenge or defend our selves by wars against them , or against their truly authorized officers : the christian religion being so far from justifying any disloyalty , that it most strongly obligeth us to honour our superiours , upon the highest accoun●● ; and to give place to wrath and evil , rom. 12. 17. 19. 21. and to pray for kings and all in authority , that we may live a quiet and peaceable ▪ life , in all godliness and honesty . and though among christians as some tha● bear that name are vicious and sensual ; so some are t●rbulent and seditious ; and some that are better may be ens●ared by the differences of statesmen and lawyers ; and it hath ever been satan's grand design to raise jealousies against christianity and godliness in the rulers of the earth , and to make them believe , that the most serious and godly christians are the worst and most dangerous subjects ; yet the very nature and laws of christianity , do make it most evident that the best and the entirest christians , and the most godly and heavenly men , must needs be the most loyal faithful subjects ; and he that is truest to god , will ( so far as he understandeth ) be truest both to king and kingdom : and as our obedience to the fifth commandment is part of our religion , so the promoting of all due obedience unto our governours , and the preventing of all rebellions and disloyalty , must be part of the work of all true pastors , in their publick teaching and their private converse . 15. all christian magistrates must know that their subjects are , i. approveable . ii. tolerable . iii. intollerable : specially as teachers . i. the approveable they must encourage and maintain . ii. the tolerable they must tolerate . iii. the intollerable they must suppress . but if they mis-judge , god will judge them for it . 16. it is not credible that all the patrons in england are such men , as god hath entrusted to choose pastors for all mens souls , and as will choose such as all are bound to commit the pastoral conduct of their souls to : and that bishops will institute no others ; nor yet impose any thing , which a good christian may think sinful : nor yet that all christians are bound to venture their souls on the conduct of any that patrons choose , or on the practice of all that is imposed . therefore pastors of their own choosing should be licensed to tolerated churches . 1. subscribing the essentials of christianity . 2. living under laws of peace and loyalty . 3. paying their parish dues . 17. they whose labours do more good , than their mistakes and faults do hurt , should be corrected only by such moderate penalties as hinder them not from their ministerial work. 18. when all 's done , good rulers will do good , and promote truth ▪ piety and peace , and suppress the intolerable , and restrain the envious proud tyrannical clergy . and bad rulers will judge the best men to be the worst , and take them for intolerable , and serve satan by labouring to disable or destroy them . the god of love and peace , make rulers , teachers , and people to be men of love and peace ; or make us long for that world where all are such in full perfection , amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26897-e3120 ☜ ☞ notes for div a26897-e4400 see rutherford peaceable plea , p. 92. &c. no●es temple measured , p. 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66. excellently disputeth this point . of the judgment of all sorts of protestant divines on this , see my dispu● . of right to sacraments . twisse vind. grat. l. 3. er. 8. § 6. p. 77. agnosco libenter : fid●les dici minimè merenter , apud illos , quotquot fucatam ipsorum professionem po●●runt dignoscere . gilespi● aar . rod , p. 514. i believe no consciencious minister , would adventure to baptize one who hath manifest and infallible signs of unregeneration . sure we cannot be answerable to god if we should minister baptism to a man whose works and words do manifestly declare him to be an unregenerated unconverted person . and if we may not initiate such a one , how shall we bring him to the lords table ? thes. s●lmur , vol. 3. p. 59 ▪ th. 39. [ sacramenta non conseruntur nisi iis qui vel fidem habent , vel saltem ●am prae se ferunt , adeo ut nullis certis argumentis compertum esse possit eam esse ementitam . ] rutherford due right , p ▪ 231. [ such ( as are ignorant of the first rudiments and foundation of religion ) are materially not of the visible church , and have not a profession , and are to be taught ; and if they willfully remain in that darkness are to be cast out . notes for div a26897-e5300 norton . resp. p. 28. ●3 . de veritate talis ecclesiae to nomine dubitare peccatum ducimus . q. 3. quale saedus sufficit ad formam ecclesiae ? r. faedus implicitum sufficit ad esse : faedus explicitam ad magis ordinatum esse desideratur . rutherford plea , pag. 85 , 86. an explicite vocal covenant whereby we bind our selves — by entring in a new relation to such a pastor , and to such a flock , we deny not , as if the thing were unlawful — nor deny we that at the election of a pastor , the pastor and people tye themselves by reciprocation of oaths to each other ; the one to fulfil faithfully the ministry he hath received of the lord ; the other to submit to his ministry in the lord : — 5. any professor removing from one congregation to another , and so coming under a new relation to such a church , or such a ministry , is in a tacite and virtual covenant to discharge himself in all the duties of a member of that congregation . — notes for div a26897-e5550 norton . illius eccl●siae constitutio quae uno in loco ordinario ad eultum ▪ dei celebrandum convenire requeat ( ob suam multitudinem ) est illegitim● , ● non tamen quoad ●jus essentiam sed quoad adjunctum numerositatis . rutherford due right , pag. 301 , 302. [ 1. the ordinary power of jurisdiction because of nearest vicinity and contignity of members is given by jesus christ to one congregation in an isle . 1. because that church is a church properly so called . — a congregation is a church wanting nothing of the being and essence of a church . yet is it in compleat lond. minist . ius div. minist . part 2. p. 82. [ these angels were congregational , not diocesane . ib ▪ the asian angels were not diocesane bishops , but congregational presbyters seated each of them i● one church , not any of them in more than one. see mr. hooker's concession of many meetings in one church , in mr. cawdrey's review , p. 148. notes for div a26897-e5810 norton . resp. p. 99. toti multitudini ecclesiae competit examen pastorum per mannuum impositionem , eorundem ordinatio in eccl●sia homogenea sed non in officium ecclesiasticum ; quia officium ecclesiasticum recipitur invocatione , non ordinatione , idque à christo immediatè , non à totâ multitudine . id. p. 100. vicinis insuper ordinariè consultis in ecclesia homogenea competit fraternitati auxilio & consilio presbyterorum vici●orum , & prudentum aliarum ecclesiarum , p. 101. populus in judicando dirigi potest ac ordinarie debet à judicio aliorum pastorum , electionem vel prae●unte vel concomitante . requiritur con●ilium aliorum presbyterorum & prudentum propter insufficientiam in ecclesia infirmiori : propter salatem in amplitudin● consiliarii in ecclesia instructiori : in omnibus propter communionem ecclesiarum . p. 103. propositio illa b●llarmini [ non sunt veri pastores , qui non sunt à veris p●storibus ordinati , ] vera est ordinariè ; se● extra ordin●m minimè necessaria . ju● . ib. p. 105. quam vis in ecclesia bene constituta non debet , aliis quàm presbyteris ordinandi munus mandari , in defectu t●●e● idoneorum presbyterorum , potest non-presbyteris mandari . ames . in ecclesia constituta actum ipsum ordinandi ad presbyteros pertinere ultro concedimus . p. 106. toti multitudini ecclesiae 〈◊〉 competit collatio potestatis claviu● in ministr●s , aut tota , illa potestas , qu● ministri● officium ecclesiasticum tribuit . notes for div a26897-e6180 against the peoples power of the keys rutherford peaceable plea , and in his due right of presbyteries , and many more have written at large , and unanswerably taking the keys for [ government or pastoral administrations . ] rutherford's plea , p. 6. the power of the keys is given to the church of believers , as to the end , [ for the edifying of the body of christ , eph. 4. ] * * mr. norton p. 45. [ sin per ecclesiam representtaivam intelligitur ecclesia talis proprie dicta ▪ h. e. ecclesia virtualis , vic●-ecclesia , ecclesiam repraesentatam subjectivè repraesentans , atque ad●o vi delegationis habens potestatem ●arum negotia ex●quendi jure d●i ; hoc sensu simpliciter negamus ecclesiam repraesentativam . ] p. 4. their power of chusing is a power about the keys , but not of the keys : and it is common to all believers who are not to take pastors as the market goeth upon a blind hearsay , &c. it 's commonly granted them , that the people regularly should chuse their officers , where some unfitness of their own doth not forbid it ; but that necessarily they must consent to his relation , or else he cannot exercise his office on them . and it is granted them commonly [ according to cyprian's words , ] that the people also have a great hand in the rejection of unworthy pastors , and that in case they prove intolerable , and they have no more regular way to depose them , after sufficient patience and warning they must forsake them . but none of these are acts of church government no more than for a corporation to chuse the major , or for the servant while he is free to chuse his master , or a scholar his school-master , or a patient his physicion , or for the soldiers to forsake a traiterous commander that would deliver up their lives unto the enemy . it 's one thing to be a church governor , and another thing to chuse or refuse a church governor . dr. owen was at last against all governing power in the people , and for the pastors government only . * * see dr. taylor 's 2d disswasive very ▪ well on the text , dic ecclesiae . mr. t. goodwin , and mr. nye pref. to mr. cotton's keys , p. 5. it 's no contemptible case that mr. cawdrey puts review , p. 151. are not a company of women with the pastors a true church , having all things essential to it ? and have they the ordaining , admitting , governing power by vote or not ? if not , then is it not in a church of saints as such , but in the true governours by office , or in none . † † ibid p. 4. i must profess that scripture and reason speak so plainly that pastors are gods officers to rule . rulers must rule , and the ruled obey , that i admire that wise and good men can find a temptation to err in so plain a case . a church in a prince's or noblemans house , will consist of perhaps a lord and lady and their children , and a hundred or two hundred servants : now can any man think it agreeable to gods word , that the servants because they are the major vote , ( and the children a● age with them ) shall question , examine , and censure by excommunication their parents and rulers ? it 's a true and weighty speech of mr. cawdrey , ib. p. 155. [ these destructive courses of levelling church and state , proceed from the placing of all power originally in the people — ] it hath been made a controversie whether bishops or pastors may excommu●…te a prince : but if his own family 〈◊〉 just and meet ) should be a church , ●…ave him examined and excommu●…ed by his own servants out of that family-church methinks should seem a ●a●der case ▪ {inverted †} {inverted †} jid. ibid p. 7. co●ton keys ' , p. 33. the brethren of the church are the first subject of church liberty , and the elders thereof of church authority : and both together of all church power needful to be exercised within themselves . * * jid. ib. p. 3. norton pag. 74 , 75. * * iudicium de coercendo poenis corporalibus , est magistratus : iudicium , de actionibus pastoralibus praestandis , an non , est pasto●um : iudicium de obediendo vel non obediendo est subditorum . d● propriis actionibus unusquisque praejudicat , officium discernendo . notes for div a26897-e7440 see mr. norton at large proving that a minister of a particular church , may ( not only by virtue of his gifts ) and the common bond of christian charity , but also by virtue of his calling , exercise in another church the acts of his office , charitativè non authoritativè , p. 76. c. 6. of this see my disput. of ordination , and 3d of episcopacy . notes for div a26897-e7790 * * nort. p. 45. si ecclesia representativa sumitur pro mutua consultatione , consotiatione & confoederatione ecclesiarum particularium in synodis per legatos , nova ecclesiae forma non addita , & libertate ecclesi● salvâ , rem agnoscimus . of the immortality of mans soul, and the nature of it and other spirits. two discourses, one in a letter to an unknown doubter, the other in a reply to dr. henry moore's animadversions on a private letter to him, which he published in his second edition of mr. joseph glanvil's sadducismus triumphatus, or, history of apparitions by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 253 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 96 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26976 wing b1331 wing b1333 estc r5878 11893638 ocm 11893638 50488 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26976) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 50488) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 53:9b) of the immortality of mans soul, and the nature of it and other spirits. two discourses, one in a letter to an unknown doubter, the other in a reply to dr. henry moore's animadversions on a private letter to him, which he published in his second edition of mr. joseph glanvil's sadducismus triumphatus, or, history of apparitions by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [8], 3-72 p. printed for b. simons ..., london : 1682. errata: p. 72. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. with: baxter, r. of the nature of spirits. london, b. simmons, 1682. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng more, henry, 1614-1687. -answer to a letter of a learned psychopyrist concerning the true notion of a spirit. glanvill, joseph, 1636-1680. -saducismus triumphatus, or, full and plain evidence concerning witches and apparitions. immortality. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-09 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion of the nature of spirits ; especially mans soul . in a placid collation with the learned dr. henry more , in a reply to his answer to a private letter , printed in his second edition of mr. glanviles sadduceismus triumphatus . by richard baxter . london , printed for b. simmons , at the three golden cocks at the west end of st. pauls . 1682. a letter to the reverend dr. henry more at christs-colledge in cambridge . reverend sir , i had answered your desire sooner , but having lent out the sadduc . triumph . i staid till now to have ●ad it returned ( being loth to buy another , it costing me 6s . ) but i was fain to get another at last , and ●n the review i find that i have ex●resly given you my thoughts already ●f your notion of a spirit in my methodus , having noted it in your book of atheism , and your ench. metaphys . in short . 1. i think you and i are agreed that we cannot conceive of a spirit unico conceptu , but must have two inadequate conceptions of it : of which one is that which dr. glisson de vita naturae , calls conceptus fundamentalis , and is that which we call substantia : for we can scarce think of a virtus formalis , which is not substantiae alicujus virtus , but qua virtus simpliciter existeth of itself ; ( unless we must so think with some of god. ) and though this maketh not an actual composition , as matter and form in mixtis , yet intellectually we must take it as a distinct inadequate conceptus . the other inadequate conceptus i● formal ; and i think you and i ar● agreed that this is virtus una-trina● as described by me , viz. virtus v●●talis , vitaliter activa , perceptiva● appetitiva , as dr. glisson speaks ( of which i make three species a● described . ) and i am my self fa● better acquainted with the nature ● a spirit by the essential virtus formalis , known to us by its acts ; ( for nothing doth that which it cannot do ) than from the notion of substantiality . and yet i dare not say that a self-moving principle is proper to a spirit . nor do i consent to campanella de sensu rerum , and dr glisson that would make all things alive by an essentiating form in the very elements . i distinguish natures into active and passive ; and passivity is a word that serveth me as well as materiality : but whence the descensus gravium is , i despair of knowing ; and if it be of an innate principle , i call it not therefore a spirit , because it is but passivorum motus aggregativus ad unionem in quiete , when spirits motion is vital and so essential to them , that they tend not to union in quiescence , but in everlasting activity ; quiescence in inactivity , being as much against their nature as motion against a stones . so that i think we are agreed of the formal notice of a spirit in general , and of an intellective , sensitive , and vegetative in specie . but truly i am at a loss about the conceptus fundamentalis , wherein the true difference lieth between substantia and materia . do we by — substantia mean a conceptus realis , or only relative . to say it doth substare accidentibus , speaks but a relation directly , and leaves the question unanswered , quid est quod substat accidentibus . to say it is not an accident , tells us not what it is , but what it is not . to say it doth subsist per se , either saith no more than that it is ens reale , or else tells us not what it is that doth subsist . quoad notationem nominis distinct from use ▪ doth not materia and substantia signify the same fundamental conceptus ? and is not the form the notifying difference ? you difference substance and matter antecedently to the formal difference by penetrability & impenetrability , indivisibility & divisibility . but 1. i despair knowing in this life , how far spiritual substances are penetrable and indivisible . i grant you such an extension as shall free them from being nothing substantial , and from being infinite as god is . 2. we grant spirits a quantitas discreta ; they are numerous , individuate ; and formae se multiplicant . generation is the work of spirits , and not of bodies . and how can i tell that god that can make many out of one , cannot make many into one , and unite and divide them as well as matter ? but if he should , that would be no destruction of their species , as the mixtorum dissolutio is ; but as every drop of divided water is water , & one candle lighting many , and many joyned in one , are all the same fire ; so much more would it be with spirits , were they united or divided ; and their locality and penetrability are past our conceit . 3. but were we sure of what we say therein ; these two ( penetrability and indivisibility ) speak but accidents , though proper ; and therefore are no satisfying notice of the notion of substance spiritual as distinct from matter . i am hitherto therefore constrained to contain many thoughts in the following compass . 1. i know spirits best by the virtus vitalis formalis una trina . 2. i hold that of created spirits substantia as notisying a basis realis , must be the conceptus fundamentalis . 3. the word immaterial signifying nothing ( but a negation ) and materia being by many antients used in the same sense as we do substantia , i usually lay by the words . 4. i hold to the distinction of natures , or substances passive and active . 5. i distinguish spiritual substances as such by the purity of the substance , besides the formal difference . 6. yet i doubt not but all created spirits are somewhat passive , quia influxum causae primae recipiunt : and you grant them a spissitude and extension , which signifie as much as many mean that call them material . but custom having made materia , but specially corpus , to signifie onely such grosser substance as the three passive elements have , i yield so to say , that spirits are not corporeal or material . 7. though i run not into the excess of ludov. le grand de igne ( nor of telesius or patricius ) i would ignis were better studied : but this room will not serve me to say what i think of it . but in brief , he that knoweth that ignis is a substance , whose form is the potentia activa movendi , illuminandi , calesaciendi , these as received in a gross passive body , being but their accidents oft , but the igneous substance in act operating on them , and conceiveth of spirits , but as ignis eminenter , that is , of a purer substance than ignis is , which we best conceive of ( next the formal virtue ) by its similitude , i think knows as much as i can reach of the substance of created spirits . and the greek fathers that called spirits fire , and distinguished ignem per formas into intellective , sensitive , and vegetative or visible fire , ( as it is in aere ignito , ) allowing an incomprehensible ●urity of substance in the higher above the lower ( as in passives air hath above water , &c. ) i think did speak tolerably , and as informingly as are the notions of penetrability and indivisibility ; though perhaps th●se also may be useful . sir , i crave your pardon of these curt expressions of the thoughts which you desired concerning the description of a spirit . if god make us truly holy , we shall quickly know more to our satisfaction . i rest nov. 17. 1681. your obliged servant , rich. baxter . you make [ a spirit to be ens , ideoque , unum , verum , and that true denotes the answerableness of the thing to its proper idea , and implies right matter and form duly conjoined . ] q. do you not here make spirits material ? but no doubt whether to be called material or substantial , the form is not an adjoyned thing , but the form of a simple essence is but an inadequate conceptus , making no composition . of the nature of spirits : a placid collation with the learned dr henry more ; upon his answer to à private letter , published in the second edition of mr. glanviles sadduceismus triumphatus . reverend sir , § 1. that my hasty letter should occasion you to benefit the world with more of your information , in so considerable a point , as is the nature of a spirit , was more than i thought of , or could hope for : had i imagined that you would have so far honoured it , i should have so written it , as might have drawn out more of your instruction , and made your animadversions yet more edifying . § 2. i desired you to have forborn the title of psychopyrist , for these reasons : 1. because it tendeth plainly to misinform the reader , as if i held that souls ( or spirits ) are fire ; whereas in my books and letters , i still say otherwise . and that they may be so called not formaliter , or univoce , but only eminenter and analogice . and when a name on the title page , & through the whole , and a supposition in much of your arguing , implyeth that i hold what i renounce , it may wrong your reader 's understanding , though i am below the capacity of being wronged . 2. and the fastning of nick-names on one another in controversies of religion , hath so much caused schisms , and other mischiefs , that i confess i the less like it about philosophy . but i must submit . § 3. my understanding is grown so suspicious of ambiguity in almost all words , that i must confess that what you say also against those whom you call holenmerians and nullibists satisfieth me not , unless many terms used in the controversies , were farther explained than i find them here , or in your metaphysicks ( your books against judge hale i have not seen . ) but i may take it for granted that you know that they who use the saying of [ tota in toto , & tota in qualibet parte ] ordinarily tell us ; 1. that they use the word tota relatively , and improperly ; seeing that which hath no parts is improperly called tota . 2. that they mean it but negatively , viz. that the soul is not in the parts of the body , per partes , part in one part , and part in another , but indivisibly . and one would think this should suit with your own hypothesis . and when i better know in what sense locus is used , i shall be fitter to enquire whether spirits be in loco . when some take it for a circumscribing body , and some for a subjective body ( on which it operateth ) and some for a meer room possest in vacuo , and some for god himself in whom are all things , the name of a nullibist is as ambiguous to me . § 4. you tell your reader that [ all created spirits are souls in all probability , and actuate some matter or other . ] sir , philosophers freedom is usually taken easilyer than divines ; i will therefore presume that our mutual freedom shall not be in the least distastful to either of us : and so i must tell you that i have long taken it for a matter of very great use to distinguish unknown things from known , and to bridle my understanding from presuming to enquire into unrevealed things : and i take that holdness of philosophers to have had a great hand in corrupting divinity . secret things are for god , and things revealed for us and our children , saith moses . and when i presume most , i do but most lose my self , and misuse my understanding : nothing is good for that which it was not made for : our understandings as our eyes are made only for things revealed . in many of your books i take this to be an excess ; and i have oft wondred at your friend , and ( sometime ) mine , mr. glanvile , that after his scepsis scientifica , he could talk ▪ and write of doubtful things with that strange degree of confidence , and censuring of dissenters as he did . i am accused of overdoing , and curiosity my self : but i endeavour to confine my enquiries to things revealed . this premised i say , undoubtedly it is utterly unrevealed , either as to any certainty or probability , that all spirits are souls , and actuate matter . alass how should we come to know it . neither nature nor scripture tells it us . but 1. if this be so , the difference between you and the psychopyrists must be opened as it is ( much like that of mammertus and faustus , ) whether the soul ( or a spirit ) have matter by composition , or simply uncompounded : for a body you suppose it still to have . is it separable from a body or not ? if it be , why should you think that it is never separated ? if it can subsist without a body , who can say that it doth not ? if it cannot but be inseparable , it is a strange composition that god cannot dissolve . and if it perish upon the dissolution , then it was but an accident of the body , and not a compounding substance . dr. glissons and campanella's way is as probable as this ; and i marvel that when you have dealt with so many sorts of dessenters you meddle not with so subtile a piece as that old doctor 's de vita naturae : i have talkt with divers high pretenders to philosophy here of the new strain , and askt them their judgment of dr. glissons book , and i found that none of them understood it , but neglected it as too hard for them , and yet contemned it . he supposeth all matter to be animated without composition , the matter and form being but conceptus inadequati , of an uncompounded being , however that matter as such be divisible , into atomes , every atome still being uncompounded living matter . you suppose all spirit to be in matter . but by way of composition as distinct substances . i go the middle way , and suppose that substance ( simple ) is active or passive : that the three passive elements , earth , water and air are animated only by composition , or operation of the active ; but that the active substances have no composition , ( but intellectual ) but substance and form are conceptus ejusdem inadequati . so that what dr. glisson saith of every clod and stone , i say only of spirits , ( of fire i shall speak after . ) 2. and do you think that the soul carrieth a body out of the body inseparable with it , or only that it receiveth a new body when it passeth out of the old . if the latter , is there any instant of time between the dispossession of the old , and the possession of the new . if any , then the soul is sometime without a body : and how can you tell how long . if not what body is it that you can imagine so ready to receive it without any interposition ? i have not been without temptations to over inquisitive thoughts about these matters : and i never had so much ado to overcome any such temptation , as that to the opinion of averrhoes , that as extinguished candles go all into one illuminated air , so separated souls go all into one common anima mundi , and lose their individuation , and that materia receptiva individuat . and then indeed your notion would be probable ; for the anima mundi mundum semper animat , and so my separated soul should be still imbodyed in the world , and should have its part in the worlds animation ; but both scripture and apparitions assure us of the individuation of spirits , and separate souls . and i confess to you that i have oft told the sadduces and infidels , that urge seeming impossibilities against the resurrection , and the activity of separate souls for want of organs , that they are not sure that the soul taketh not with it , at its departure hence , some seminal material spirits ( ethereal and airy ; ) and so that this spirituous or igneous body , which it carrieth hence , is a semen to the body , which it shall have at the resurrection , no man knoweth the contrary , and no man knoweth that it is so . the soul is many months here in organizing its own body in generation , and more in nourishing it to a useful state : that particular organical bodies are made ready to receive them just at death , is hard to be believed : that the matter of the vniverse is still ready is past doubt . but how organized , or how the soul worketh without organs , we shall better know hereafter . your opinion much favoureth the pythagoreans ; if the soul be never out of a body , is it not as like to come into one new forming in the womb , as into we know not what or where ? § 5. i could wish you had printed my letter wholly by it self before you had annexed your answer , that the reader might have understood it ; which i can hardly do my self as you have parcel'd it . but we must not have what we would have from wiser men . i take it for an odd method , when i never asserted spirits to be fire , but denyed it , first to be in your epistle feigned to have said it , and yet in the end of it for you to say that [ i mean not ordinary fire , but that my meaning is more subtile and refined ] and never tell the reader what it is before you dispute it , and then through the whole answer to dispute ▪ on a wrong supposition , and in the end of the book to confess again that i say not that spirits are fire or material . § 6. had i been to choose an edifying method , we would first have stated our question , and agreed on the meaning of our terms ; but i must follow your steps ; though i had rather have done otherwise . ad sect . i. § 1. that my notions are like those of judge hale , is no wonder ; we were no strangers to each others thoughts about these matters ; and though he and you have had some peaceable velitations , i take it for no dishonour to be of his mind . 1. de nomine : there is no such agreement among philosophers of the name matter as you suppose . i refer you for brevity , but to a very small book of a very learned author ( advanced by the preface of one eminent for subtilty ) the metaphysicks of dr. rich. crakenthorp , who tells you at large , that matter is taken either properly ( as you and i do substance ) and so spirits are material , or improperly and narrowly for that only which hath the three dimensions ; and so spirits are not material . it 's unprofitable to cite many more to to the same purpose : and i suppose you know , that not only tertullian , but many other of the fathers ( many of whom you may find cited by faustus reg. whom mammertus answereth ) so used both matter and corpus also . § 2. the word [ form ] is as ambiguous ; you and i are not the only persons that use it not in the same sense . matter in its first conceptus called primus , hath no form ; that is , is conceived of abstracted from all form. matter in its next conceptus is conceived of as diversified by accidents , as quantity , figure , &c. and so the 3 passive elements , earth , air & water , are diversified by many accidents , making up that consistence , which is called their several forms , known only by sensse , and capable of no perfect definition . many such passive materials conjunct have their relative form , which is that contexture in which consisteth their aptitude for their use : as a house , a ship , a gun , a watch. in compositions where the active natures are added , and operate unitedly on the passive , there the active is the form of the compound , quite in another sense than any of the former , viz. as it is principium motus . you and i are enquiring of the different forms of matter and spirit : you say that impenetrability , and divisibility are the form of matter , and the contrary of spirit : i say , that 1. substance as substance , ( and matter taken for substance , which dr. crakenthorpe thinketh is the properest sense ) as such hath no form , that is , in conceptu primo . 2. that substance distinguished by subtilty & crassitude , visibility and invisibility , quantity , shape , motion , &c. doth herein differ modally : and this mode may well enough be called the form , before it have another form : and as the divers foresaid elements thus differ , so the substance of spirits no doubt hath some modal excellency above all bodies or matter strictly or narrowly so called : and if you will call this a form , i contend not about the word , but it is but equivocally so called , spirits having another nobler sort of form. 3. nothing hath two forms univocally so called : but spirits have all that virtus formalis , which i oft described ▪ which is their very form : there is no spirit without it : it 's not a compounding part , but the form of a simple substance . vital virtue , vis , potentia activa , signifieth not the same thing with penetrability , and indiscerpibility ; therefore both cannot be the form univocally so called : and how you could put both these your self into one definition , as a kind of compounded form i wonder . yea , your two words themselves signify not the same thing : penetrable and indiscerpible are not words of one signification . and surely you will grant that these two , penetrable and indiscerpible can be no otherwise a form to spirits , than impenetrable and discerpible are a form to matter . and it 's apparent that the first is but a modal conceptus , and the latter a relative notion of matter , and neither one nor both are contrary to virtus vitalis in a spirit ( or virtus activa : ) meer passive potentiality is rather the contrary difference here . and i know not why you might not as well have named divers other accidents or modes , especially quantity , and the trina dimensio , and called them all the form of matter , as well as your two . indeed when we have from sense a true notion of matter , we must know that it hath quantity , and is somewhere , and therefore that one part of it , and another part cannot possess just the same place ; and so we grant you the impenetrability : and how far you prove spirits to be such substances as are extended , and have amplitude ( as you say pag. 105. ) and spissitude , and be in loco , and in more or less space variously , and yet that they have no dimensions which the divine intellect or power itself can measure ; and whether all the spirits in the universe can be in eodem puncto , and all that are finite , contracted into that one point , i leave this to wits more subtil than mine to judge of . for to tell you the truth , i know nothing at all without the mediation of sense , except the immediate sensation it self , & the acts of intellection & volition or nolition , & what the intellect inferreth of the like , by the perception of these . i have seen & felt how water differeth from earth , and from that sensation my intellect hath that idea of the difference which it hath : but without that seeing and feeling it , all the definitions in the world , and all the names of hard and soft , and dry and moist , would have given me no true notice of the formal difference . now hence i infer , that i have no sense at all of the difference of a spirits substantiality in such modes and accidents from that of matter ; and therefore how can i know it ? i know by knowing what knowing is , and by willing what willing is : and i know that these acts prove a power ( for nothing doth that which it cannot do , ) and that act and power prove a substance , ( for nothing hath nothing , and can do nothing : ) ab est tertii ▪ adjecti ad est secundi valet argumentum : and i know , that unless light might be called spirit , spirits are to me invisible : and so i can knowingly say , 1. what they do , 2. what they can do , 3. what they are in the genus of substantiality , 4. and what they are not as to many attributes proper to visible substances or bodies ; 5. and i have elsewhere fully proved in a special dispute ( in methodo theol. ) that the power of vital action , intellection and volition , is not a meer accident of them , but their very essential form . but as to that modification of their substance which is contrary to impenetrability and divisibility , i may grope , but i cannot know it positively , for want of sensation . § 2. is an atom matter ? or is it not ? if one atom be no matter , then two is none , and then there is none . if an atom be matter , is it discerpible or not ? if not , how is this the form of matter ? if it be divisible , it is not an atom ; that 's a contradiction . and if every atom be divisible in infinitum , it is as great , or greater than the world , and then there are as many infinites as atoms . that three atoms united cannot be divided just in the middle , etiam per divinam potentiam , is because it implieth a contradiction , viz. that an atom is divisible ; so that by you an atom is a spirit . do you take the word [ penetrable ] actively , or passively , or both ? if actively according to you matter is penetrable ; for it can penetrate a spirit , that is , possess the same place . but i perceive you mean that spirits can penetrate bodies , & also that they can penetrate one another . and i suppose that by penetration you mean not that which separateth parts , of the matter , & cometh in between these parts , but you mean possessing the same place , as is said : and if so , do you put no limitation ? or what ? i ask before , can all the created spirits in heaven and earth be in the same atom of matter ? if so , are they then absent from all other place ? or is every spirit ubiquitary ? you confute the nullibists by the operation of the soul on the body : ibi operatur , ergo ibi est : and do you think that all the angels in heaven , and all created souls may be in one body by penetration ? if so , are they one soul there , or innumerable in one man ? and if they may be all in one point , and so be all one , may they not be divided again ? i confess my ignorance of the consistence of spiritual substance is so great , that i am not able to say , that god who hath given souls quantitatem discretam , and made them innumerable , is not able to make one of two , or many , and to turn that one into two , or many again : i am not sure that it is a contradiction ; especially if it be true that sennertus , and many more say of the multiplication of forms by generation . but if you take penetrability passively , then you mean that spirits may be penetrated by bodies , or by one another , or both . no doubt you mean both , and so , as i said , bodies also are penetrable , both actively and passively ; that is , bodies can penetrate spirits , and be penetrated by spirits . whether any bodies penetrate each other , viz. whether light or its vehicle at least be a body , and whether it penetrate the body of glass or chrystal , with more about these matters , i have heretofore spoken in my reasons of the christian religion append. obj. 2. p. 525. and forward . § 3. to conclude this ; as in natural mixt bodies , there are three principles , materia , materiae dispositio ( for that i think is a fitter expression than privatio ) & forma ; so in simple beings there are three ( not parts , but ) conceptus inadaequati answerable hereto ; viz. i. in the three passive elements , earth , water and air , there is in each , 1. the matter , 2. the disposition of that matter by contexture , and various modes , of which impenetrability and divisibility are parts ; 3. the passive form resulting from all these , which consisteth in their various aptitude to their uses ; especially their receptivity of the influx of the active natures . here you put two attributes together , which are both but parts of the materiae dispositio , and call them two the form. ii. in the active natures , there is , 1. the substantiality , 2. the substantiae dispositio , 3. the form. of the first ( not part , but ) inadequate conceptus , substantiality , we agree , of the second conceptus we differ : that such substances have an incomprehensible purity , of which we can have no distinct idea for want of sensation , but a general conception only ; and that this purity ( whatever it be ) is not the form of spirits , but the substantiae dispositio , is that which i say : and you say that penetrability and indivisibility are the form , which ( at most ) are but the dispositio substantiae ; and yet you joyn the vital virtue as part of the formal conception too , which is quite of another conception . and so we differ of the third conceptus , viz. the form also ; which i affirm of all simple active natures to be the virtus activa : and if they are vital , the virtus vitalis . of the name vita , there is a controversie , which must be distinguished from that de re . if it be true that dr. glisson saith , that every atom of matter hath in it a motive principle without composition , then the motive virtue is the form of all matter as well as of spirit . if all be to be called living or spirit , which hath a virtus motiva for its essential form , then ignis ( or aether ) is vital and spirit ; for it hath an essential motive principle as its form. therefore the question whether ignis or aether ) be life or spirit , is but a question de nomine ( such as too many usually in disputes manage , as if it were de re . ) it is no life or spirit , if by those names you mean only sensitive and intellectual natures : but it is life and spirit , if by that name you mean only an essential formal motive principle . i have oft professed that i am ignorant whether ignis and vegetative spirit be all one ( to which i most incline ) or whether ignis be an active nature , made to be the instrument by which the three spiritual natures , vegetative , sensitive and mental work on the three passive natures : and though i was wont to think , that what i knew not my self , all men of great learning knew , specially such as you , in the points which you have with singular industry studied ; yet now experience hath banished that modest errour , and convinced me that other men must be content with an humble ignoramus as well as i. § 4. and here i must note , that § 18. p. 127. where you purposely define a spirit , you agree with me : your definition is [ a spirit is an immaterial substance intrinsecally endued with life , and the faculty of motion . ] forgive me for thinking that you are not strict enough in your terms for a definition ; but plainly you seem to mean the same as i do . you should , i think , have mentioned a spirit as a simple substance differing from a mixt ; and have said , not only [ intrinsecally ] endued , for so is every animal who is body as well as spirit , but also endued with it as its simple formal essence : and whether all faculty of motion ( e. g. gravitation ) be life , i am in doubt . but here 1. you agree with me in the first conceptus [ substance ; ] and 2. as to that mode of substance which i call the dispositio substantiae ad formam , you call it but [ immaterial ] which is a negative , and speaketh nothing positively ; which is such an honest confession as we poor ignorants apertly make , that what the excellent purity or modal consistence of spiritual substance is as compared to material ( or corporeal ) because we never saw or felt it as we do corporeal ; we do not formally know , and therefore only tell men de genere , that it is most pure and excellent ; but in special , that we have no true idea of it , and therefore only tell men what it is not [ not material ] and not what it is . 3. but you name no formal difference but life : when you add [ the faculty of motion ] it is a defective explication of the virtus vitalis , which is ever vnica-triplex , viz. activa-pe●ceptiva-appetitiva , when it operateth to generation or augmentation . and do you think that life and immateriality are synonyma's ? or that life and penetrable and indiscerpible , are synonyma's ? or that the form of a spirit is a compound of such and so many heterogeneals ? had you held to this definition , i think you had done best . § 5. pag. 129. you seem to explain immaterial so as to make indiscerpibility an immediate attribute , and expound it , it is indiscerpible into real physical parts : ( so is an atom . ) but as physical signifieth corporeal , some will say , it may yet be per potentiam divinam divided into spiritual parts . and you expound penetrability actively , that it can penetrate the matter and things of its own kind , that is , pass through spiritual substances : and such any gross body can pass through . § 6. when answ . p. 3. you say of a spirit , that it is [ so subtil as to be in such sort penetrable . ] and in sect. 31. to which you refer us , you make the difference of spirit penetrating , and body impenetrable to be subtilty and crassitude . ] could any of us have said more whom you contradict ? is subtilty and crassitude the difference between spiritual substance and material in their consistency ? i have not said so much as this . § 7. as to your oft-mentioned per se & non per aliud , as proper to spirits , i am past doubt , that spirits more depend on god for being and motion , than matter doth on spirits ( created . ) but it 's difference enough that god giveth them an essential formal virtue self-moving receptive of his moving influx , when passives move only as moved by self-movers : ( unless the aggregative motion must be excepted , of which afterward . ) ad sect . ii. § 1. three faults , of which one is a mischief , you find with my conceptus formalis . 1. that it leaveth out what is contained in the conceptus formalis of a spirit in general , penetrability and indiscerpibility . ans . 1. it is but the dispositio substantiae at most , and not a proper conceptus formalis . 2. you leave out other modifications as essential . 3. it leaveth none out that is known , while i say that it is substantia purissima , which containeth your modes and attributes with more if they be true , if not , it avoideth the errours . § 2. 2. you say , [ it puts in perception , and we have no assurance that a plastick spirit hath perception , but as such hath none : else the soul would perceive the organization of its own body . ans . dr. glisson , de vita naturae and campanella , have said so much against you of this , that supposing the reader to have perused them , i will not repeat it . did you think that there is no perception but sensitive or intellectual ? such indeed the vegetative spirit hath not ; but it hath a vegetative perception . a plant groweth in a soil of various qualities : it attracteth to itself that part of nutriment which is congruous to it , and digesteth that so attracted : and therefore it hath an answerable perception , which sort is congruous to it , and which not , when it neglecteth one sort , and draweth another . it doth not see or feel it , nor understand it , but insensibly perceiveth it . 3. you say , you [ do not easily assent to that conceit of a trinity in this conceptus formalis which i make to consist in virtute una-trina , vitali , perceptiva , appetitiva . ] ans . nor did i easily assent to it ; nor did dr. glisson after 80 years of age , easily procure men to assent to it , nor campanella take so marvellously with others as he did with our commenius and some such . and far be it from me to expect you should easily assent to it , when i come not to you as a teacher . but whereas you say , that these make three no more than animal , homo , and brutum , or cupiditas , desiderium , and fuga , you silence me ; for it beseemeth me not to speak to you in a teaching language , and there is no other to convince you . and if all that i have said in method . theol. will not do it , i confess it will not easily be done , animal , homo , and brutum , are three words containing only a generical , and specifick nature in two distinct species of subjects : if you think that in the sun virtus-motiva , illuminativa , & calefactiva , or in mans soul a vegetative , sensitive , and intellective power , or in the latter , mentally-active , intellective , and volitive virtue , are no other , i will not persuade you to change your mind , much less give you any answer to your simile of cupiditas , desiderium , fuga , save that you might almost as well have named any three words . § 3. but you say [ the omission of immaterial in your conceptus formalis , or which is all one of penetrability and indiscerpibility is not only a mistake but a mischief ; it implying that the virtus appetitiva & perceptiva may be in a substance though material , which betrays much of the succours which philosophy affords to religion , &c. ans . melancholy may cause fears by seeming apparitions . i hope no body will be damned for using or not using the word material or immaterial : it 's easie to use either to prevent such danger . and i am not willing again to examine the sense of these words every time you use them . you know i said not that spirits are material : and you say they are substances of extension , amplitude , spissitude , locality , and subtilty , as opposite to crassitude . and what if another think just so of them , ( or not so grosly ) and yet call them matter , will the word undoe him ? but you say i omitt immaterial . ans . see my append. to reas . of christ . rel. whether i omit it : but is a bare negative essential to a just definition here ? why then not many negatives more , ( as invisible , insensible , &c. ) to say that air is not water , or water is not earth , was never taken for defining , nor any mischief to omit it . but that the positive term purissima doth not include immaterial , and is not as good , you have not as yet proved . is substantia purissima material ? do not you by that intimation do more to assert the materiality of spirits than ever i did ? have you read what i have answered to 20 objections of the somatists in the aforesaid append. but you say , it implyeth that virtus perceptiva , &c. may be in a substance material . ans . negatur . if i leave out 20 negatives in my definition , it followeth not that the form may be with their positives . but can you excuse your self from what you call a mischief , when you intimate that substantia purissima may be material ? because i only called it purissima , you say i imply it may be material . but i confess i am too dull to be sure that god cannot endue matter itself with the formal virtue of perception : that you say the cartesians hold the contrary , and that your writings prove it , certifieth me not . o the marvellous difference of mens conceptions ! such great wits as campanella , dr. glisson , &c. were confident that no matter in the world was without the una-trina virtus , viz. perceptive , appetitive , and motive ; i agree not with them : but you on the contrary say , that materia qualitercunque modificata is uncapable of perception . i doubt not , materia qua materia , or yet qua mere modificata hath no life : but that it is uncapable of it ; and that almighty god cannot make perceptive living matter , and that by informing it without mixture , i cannot prove , nor i think you : where is the contradiction that makes it impossible ? nor do i believe that it giveth a man any more cause to doubt ( as you add ) of the existence of god , or the immortality of the soul , than your opinion that saith , god cannot do this . to pass by many other i will but recite the words of micraelius ethnophron , li. 1. c. 13. p. 23 , 24. instancing in many that held the soul to be pure matter . [ eam sententiam inter veteres , probavit apud macrobium , heraclitus physicus , cui anima est essentiae stellaris scintilla ; et hipparchus apud plinium , cui est coeli pars : et africanus apud ciceronem qui detrahit animum ex illis sempiternis ignibus quae sidera vocamus ; quaeque globosae & rotundae divinis animatae mentibus circules suos orbesque conficiunt celeritate mirabili : et seneca qui descendisse eam ex illo coelesti spiritu ait ; et plato ipse qui alicubi animam vocat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , radians & splendidum vehiculum : et epictetus qui astra vocat nobis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , amica & cognata elementa : ipseque cum peripateticis aristoteles qui eam quinta essentia constare , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in animabus inesse dicit : inter nostrates quoque scaliger vocat animam naturam coelestem & quintam essentiam , alia quidem à quatuor elementis naturâ praeditam , sed non sine omni materia : eadem opinio arridet roherto de fluctibus , &c. and what many fathers say i have elsewhere shewed . and yet on condition you will not make the name substance to signifie no real being , but a meer relation , or quality , i think you and i shall scarce differ in sense . § 4. but you magnifie our difference , saying [ in this you and i fundamentally differ , in that you omit , but i include , penetrability and indiscerpibility in the conceptus formalis of a spirit . ans . i think you mean better than you speak , and err not fundamentally . 1. i do not think that your two hard words are fundamentals , nor that one or both are synonyma to immaterial . 2. i do not think but purissima includeth all that is true in them , and so leaveth them not out . 3. i do not leave them out of the dispositio vel modus substantiae , though i leave them out of the conceptus formalis . 4. your self affirm the vital virtue to be the conceptus formalis . and hath a spirit more forms than one ! you know of no existent spirit in the world that hath not its proper specifick form : and if your two words had been a generical form , that 's no form to the species , but a substantiae dispositio . doth he fundamentally err that saith corpus humanum organicum is not forma hominis ? or that the puritas vel subtilitas materiae is not forma ●gnis vel solis , but only the materiae dispositio ? if our little self made words were so dangerous on either side , i should fear more hurt by making the form of a spirit 1. to be but the consistence or mode of the substance , 2. and that to consist in divers accidents conjunct , 3. and those uncertain in part , or unintelligible , 4. and spirits to have two forms , or one made up of divers things , 5. and to place the form in a negation of matter . what a jumble is here , when the true definition of a spirit is obvious ? § 5. you say , [ penetrability maketh it pliant and subtil , and to a substance of such oneness and subtility is rationally attributed , whatever activity , sympathy , synenergy , appetite and perception is found in the world . ans . there is oneness in matter ( in atoms at least ) and doth penetrability make subtilty ? and is subtilty the difference ? sure , if you make any sense of this , it must favour the conceit of materiality more than my term purissima . but do you verily believe that penetrability or subtilty is a sufficient , efficient , or formal cause of vitality , perception , appetite ? and so of intellection and volition ? i hope you do not : it is the essential virtus formalis ( including potentiam activam , vim & inclinationem ) which must immediately cause the acts ; subtilty and penetrability else will not do it : no man will grant you that the proposition is good , ex vi causalitatis , [ quodcunque penetrabile vel subtile est , ideo necessario vivit , percipit , appetit ] unless it proceed à necessitate concomitantiae & existentiae . yet where you are most out of the way , you are at it again , that this mistake is a mischief . ad sect . iii. & iv. § 1. your third section i am not concerned in : i tell you still i deny not your penetrability and indiscerpibility , though i lay not the stress on them as to certainty or importance , as you do , and am past doubt that they do but defectively speak the substantiality sub conceptu modali & dispositivo , and are unskilfully called the forma spiritus . § 2. your 4th section i had rather not have seen . 1. you dislike that i say , that [ a self-moving principle i dare not say is proper to a spirit . ] i hope ignorance is never the worse for being confest : all are not so wise as you . i deny it not ; but i am not certain that stones , earth , and other heavy things , move not to the earth by a self-moving principle . i am not sure that if a stone in the air fall down , it is by a spirits motion , and that god hath not made gravitation , and other aggravative motion of passives , to be an essential self-moving principle . few men i think have thought otherwise . and yet i am not sure that all stones and clods are alive . if you are , bear with our ignorance ; for that is no errour . § 3. when i say [ i consent not to campanella de sensu rerum , or dr. glisson , that would make all things alive by an essentiating form in the very elements . ] here you talk of foul play , to make one part fish , and the other flesh ; one part of matter self-moved , and other not . ] ans . but , worthy sir , the foul play is yours , that seem to tell your reader that i do so , which i never do : that is scant fair play . i said not that spirits are matter , and i do but say i am ignorant whether gravitation be from the motion of a spirit thrusting down the stone , &c. or from an essential principle in the matter . may not one be ignorant where he cannot chuse ? i cannot but much difference the motus aggregativus , such as gravitation causeth , which is only the tendency of the parts to the whole , that they may there rest from motion , from the natural motion of known life , which abhorreth cessation : i take motus to be no entity , but a mode of substance ; to be in motion or quiescence , are several modes of it ; and that mode which is most stated , most sheweth nature . i see no contradiction in it , that a stone should fall without life : i dare not say , that god cannot make a rock or clod to fall by an intrinsick principle of gravitation , without vital motion . and yet i am most inclined to your opinion : but the stream of dissenters obligeth such a one as i am to more modesty than must be expected from one of your degree . § 4. next you complain of [ horrible confusion . ] what 's the matter ? why , to include life in the conceptus formalis of a spirit ( of which self-motion is certainly an effect ) and yet say it is not proper to a spirit . ans . it 's worse than confusion to intimate that i said what i did not . your saying [ it 's certain ] is no conviction of me , that there is no self-motion but by life . you think not that fire liveth ; and i am not sure that a stone is a self-mover : i only say , i know not . i never yet saw your proof , that god is able to make no self-mover but vital ! and if he can , how know i that he doth not ? the world suffers so much by mens taking on them to know more than they do , that i fear it in my self , as one of the worst diseases of mankind . § 5. you conclude [ we are to deny self-motion in the matter it self every where as not belonging thereto , but to spirit ] ans . no doubt but materia qua talis est mere passiva : but that god can put no motive inclination in it , or that he cannot give a spiritual vitality to any matter , are conclusions fitter for you than for me . § 6. to shew why i oft neglect the name [ material ] ( some taking it for the same with substance , and some only for corporeit ) i said , that the distinction of natures into active and passive , serveth as well . ] to this you say [ materiality is a notion more strict , distinct and steady . ] ans . the contrary is commonly known , and before and elsewhere proved ; when materia is not only a very hard ambiguous word ( and you have not yet enabled me by all your words , to know what you mean by it ) but even such great men as before named make the more general sense ( equal to substance ) to be the more proper : had all used it , as you do , and you made us understand what you mean by it , i would hold to it accordingly . you say , passivity belongs to things immaterial . ans . 1. passivity as exclusive of activity , or as predominant , doth not . 2. no passivity belongeth to that which is not matter in the foresaid large sense of matter , of which more anon . ad sect . v , vi. § 1. i confest my ignorance of the cause of the descensus gravium ; whether it be from a principle made by god essential to the matter that descendeth , or from an intrinsick compounding active nature , or only from an extrinsick mover . you here bid me not despair , for it is demonstrable that the descensus gravium is not from any principle springing from their own matter , but from an immaterial principle distinct therefrom . ans . 1. all doth not demonstrate to me , which some call demonstration ; i perceive you note not at all what is my doubt , and how can you then solve it ? i do not think that the gravitation is from a principle springing from the matter . how can a principle of motion spring from matter ? but the doubt is of the several waies forenamed : 1. whether it be from a principle in the matter , as dr. glisson thought , as a conceptus inadaequatus of its essence , or at least an inseparable quality or accident . 2. or whether it be by an essential compounding principle , as anima in homine : 3. or by an extrinsick agent only ; did you think that you had answered these ? you say , [ which principle to be the mover of the matter of the vniverse , i have over and over again demonstrated in ench. metaph. ] ans . i would have had it plainer , but must take it as it is . it seems then that you think that it is only the anima mundi , without any subordinate moving principle : but you should have spoken out . i will not wrong you so much as to suppose that you think any indiscerpible spirit proper to a stone , or a fox , or an ass , moveth all the world : therefore i must judge that to the motion of all the stones , clods , &c. in the world , there is none but an universal mover . i confess i think ( as dr. gilbert de magn. ) and many others , that the whole tellus hath one active principle ( which i plainly think is fire ; ) and if he call it anima telluris , i leave him to his liberty . but i think there are subordinate particular moving principles besides the universal ? do you think that only the anima mundi animateth all animals ? i think you do not ; else all apparitions should be but by one soul. besides an anima vniversalis , there must be a particular ( or singular ) soul in every man , beast , bird , &c. there must be more than the universal soul , to make you write , speak , do better than others : and if so , how am i sure that nothing under the universal spirit moveth descendentia gravia ? in motu projectorum ( another instance of my ignorance ) there is sure some causality in anima singulari projicientis . the universal cause is ever one , but excludeth not subordinate moving causes . my old friend mr. sam. got ( on mosis philos . ) supposeth each element to have its special spirit : i am not so well skilled in such things , as to come to that certainty which others pretend to : i think to an equal common motion an universal cause may suffice ; but when motions differ , i know not the different causes so well as some think they do . how you answered judge hale of the rundle in the water , i know not : but you that think fire in the sun to be no spirit but matter , i am confident will never make me believe , that fire and sun are moved only by the universal mover , without any motive principle in themselves . your metaphys . c. 13. i have perused , and am past doubt of a spiritual moving power : but two things i see not proved ; 1. that there are not particular moving principles subordinate to the more universal . 2. that the god of nature hath not put into the passive elements , a strong inclination of the parts to union with the whole , and to aggregative motion when forcibly separated ; which inclination dr. glisson calleth their essential life ; but i think is somewhat that deserveth not that name . i have not read your vol. philos . nor adnot am . nor answer to judge hale . § 2. sect. 6. you say , this is to joyn the property of a spirit to matter . answ . that 's it that i doubt of , whether all self-motion ( under the universal mover ) be proper to a spirit , or only vital self-motion . § 3. your assurance of the earth's motion , assureth not me : i have seen a m. s. of your antagonist's judge hale , that inclineth me to deny it ; and nothing more than the igneous nature of the sun , to which motion is natural , and the torpid nature of earth ; god making every thing fit for its use . but of this , as my judgment is of little value , so i profess ignorance . § 4. that there is activity in fixed thoughts , i grant ; for thinking is acting . but that there is as much activity in the not-acting of a rock , e.g. i deny . § 5. again , you are at the mischief of leaving out your penetrability , and indiscerpibility , and immateriality ; to which i have oft answered . and i now add , you make it an absurdity to name that as a form , which is not proper to the thing : but immateriality , penetrability , or indiscerpibility in your own judgment ( i think ) are none of them proper to spirit . for they are common to divers accidents in your account , viz. light , heat , cold , &c. are all these . ad sect . vii , viii . § 1. you come to the main thing which i importuned you to bless the world with your explication of , viz. the true difference of substance and matter . and you say , it 's obvious to any observing eye . they differ as genus and species . ans . i would i had an observing eye . if by matter you mean sensible matter , such as man can see , feel , or measure , &c. the difference indeed is obvious : my doubt is here ; seeing you confess that substare accidentibus is but a relative notion ; ( and it 's commonly said that god hath no accidents , and yet is a substance : how true i say not , ) and all your notice of it , besides negatives is , that [ substance is a being subsisting by it self ] and call this [ a compleat definition ; ] 1. how you can call that a compleat definition of that which indeed is not definable , for want of a genus : for you say metaph. c. 2. that ens quatenus ens non posse esse objectum metaphysicae cum tam generale sit ut & ordine & naturae & doctrinae res physicas antecedat , &c. but this i stick not at : things not definable may be partly known . but 2. whereas it 's granted by you , that substantia and vita ( or virtus activa ) are two inadequate conceptus of a spirit , do you hold that the conceptus of substantiality hath any more in it of real entity , than the bare conceptus of virtus activa ( or vitalis ) alone ? or whether the meaning be , that as it is res the virtus activa is its total conceptus , and substantia is but added to signifie that res illa quae dicitur vita vel virtus vitalis subsistit per se , & non in alio , id est , non est accidens . if this be the meaning that the word vis , or virtus , speak all that is res , and substance speak only its state , as being no accident , but a self-being ; this is intelligible , and it agreeth with some mens thoughts of god himself . but this seemeth neither to be true ( at least of creatures ) nor to be your sense . not true ; for a created virtus ( vel vita ) quae non est alicujus substantiae virtus , vel ut forma vel ut accidens , seemeth above our reach to conceive . though i know many call god purus actus , & the schools mostly agree that substantia is not univocally spoken of god and us , and deny it to be properly said of god ; and i can easily grant that god is utterly above all formal knowledge of ours ; yet that created spirits should be a meer virtus ( or potentia activa , or actus ) seemeth hard to believe . and many words intimate that it is not your judgment , but that substantiality signifieth not only the modus of the existence of the actus entitativus , or virtus , but is the first half and fundamental conceptus of a spirit as res , speaking halfly its entity . in this i think we agree . and now if this be so , this very conceptus of fundamental reality , is but that same which schibler , and abundance others call materia metaphysica , as different from materia physica ; and which dr. crakenthorpe , & many others , take the general and most proper sense of materia to contain . & therefore i say but , that you should not take an equivocal word for univocal , and lay so great a stress on an ambiguous name . and i confess still all your names of indiscerpibility , penetrability and immateriality , give me no scientifical notion of the true difference between the lowest substantiality of a spirit , and the highest of fire or aether , or aristotelis quinta essentia ( which you call matter . ) but i am fully satisfied of an incomprehensible purity of substance ; 2. and of the true form of a soul ; and i find my self to need no more . § 2. the thomists take the faculties of the soul to be but accidents ( as mr. pemble de orig. formar . doth the souls of brutes to be but qualities of matter ) which i have elsewhere confuted : and these must needs think that the notion of 〈◊〉 is almost all of the soul. § 3. you add out of your ethicks , nulliu●● 〈◊〉 in●●mam nudamque essentiam cognosci posse , sed attributa tantum essentialia , essentialesque habitudines . we are not any way able to discover the very bare essence or substance of any thing . ] ans . yet you say before , [ what can be more plain ? ] and [ it 's obvious to every observing eye . ] i contess i understand you not : i know no essentia that is not intima : and if by nudam you mean accidentibus nudatam , we know no substance so , because there is none such created : but we can abstract the essence from the accidents . and if we know not the nudam essentiam of any accident we know nothing . essential attributes , and habitudes are hard words : if by the attributes you mean the names or second signal notions , we know the essence of letters , names , sentences ; but by them ut per signa we know the things themselves , but scientia abstractiva non intuitivâ . but this is true knowledge of the essence signified . if by the attributes you mean any accidents signified by those names , those are not essential attributes . but if you mean the essence signified you say and unsay . i am past doubt that we know the essences of the immediate objects of sense , and also of our own intellectual acts. but how ? there is scientia adaequata and inadaequata : i am past doubt that nihil scitur scientiâ adaequatâ , ( but only inadaequata : and so stricte , res ipsa non scitur quia tot a ejus essentia non scitur ; but aliquid rerum scitur ; and this is true of the essence itself . all our knowledge is partial and imperfect , a half science , but it reacheth essences . ad sect . viii . § 1. whereas i think that only vsage must expound the difference between the sense of substance and matter , you deny it not , but still mis-suppose that use taketh matter but in one sense , and never applieth it to spiritual substance . all this de nomine is to little purpose , but i will recite some words of your own : ench. metaph. c. 2. p. 8 , 9 , 10. essentia quae nihil aliud est quam materia & forma simul sumptae — duo principia illa entis interna & incomplexa quatenus ens est , esse materiam & formam logicam — et uniuscujusque rei quatenus ens est essentia consistit ex amplitudine & differentia quae amplitudinem ab amplitudine discriminat . nam quod res quaelibet aliquatenus ampla sit , ex eo patet , tum quod id voci materiae valde consonum sit quae tanquam principium entis quatenus ens est consideratur ; tum etiam quod nullam aliam ideam menti nostrae ea afferre potest praeter hanc amplitudinem ; nec revera quicquam ab animis nostris concipi omni amplitudine destitutum — p. 10. ex quibus omnibus tandem profluit praeclarum hoc consectarium quod omne ens quatenus ens est — quantum , quale — ens dicitut respectu formae , legitimaeque conditionis materiae . — quod omne ens sit quantum , ex illius materiâ intelligitur — then you blame them qui imaginantur quaedam entia omni materia carentia , etiam hac logica , omnique ad materiam relatione . — p. 12. omnis substantia ex eo quod ens sit , materiam quandam vel amplitudinem in se includat . you see here how much more now you write against your self than me : i never said that spirits are material , nor that every substance hath some matter , as you do . § 2. but this is but materia logica . ans . and those that i excuse do but call it materia metaphysica : and what 's the meaning of materia logica ? if logick or grammar use second notions , names , and signs , if they be not rebus aptata they are false . what is it now but the aptitude of the name that we speak of ? yea , you that make spatium to be god , calling it locus internus , really distinct from bodies , yet say that you prove by apodectical arguments , that it is tribus dimensionibus praeditum : and no doubt god is a spirit , so that you your self make a spirit , even the father of spirits , to be matter that hath amplitude , quantity , and the three dimensions ; and yet write a book against one as asserting spirits to be matter , who never asserted it , unless the word matter signifie but substance : for i ascribe no more to it than your amplitude , if so much . and yet i take the word amplitude to signifie no form at all , no more than quantity or dimensions , or indivisibility , or penetrability , but to be the consistent dispositio substantiae ▪ and you once hit on that true notion of the conditio materiae as a necessary conceptus entis praeter ipsam materiam & formam , metaphys . c. 2. p. 10. [ verum ens dicitur respectu formae , legitimaeque conditionis materiae : neque enim galea ex tenui papyro fabricata & concinnata vera galea est , sed potius ludicrum illius imitamentum . and so elsewhere . yet now you make the 〈…〉 to be the form. 〈…〉 you make all spirits to 〈…〉 some matter , you 〈…〉 to be but anima mund●● 〈…〉 it either as a 〈…〉 substance , as we say 〈…〉 the body , or else as the forma 〈…〉 which is but conceptus inadaequatu● . 〈◊〉 vitality is forma animae . if in the first 〈◊〉 , you that say that operation of the soul proveth locality , and ascribe amplitude and quantity to god , and the three dimensions , do seem to make him intellectually though not actually divisible : that is , the intellect may conceive of god as partly in the sun , and partly on earth , &c. or else you must ask pardon of your opposed holenmerians as you name them , and say as they , that god is totus in toto & totus in qualibet parte . if in the 2d sense , then you make the matter only to be substance , and god to be but the form of that substance ( or as some dreams a quality . ) and then i confess your notions of indiscerpible and penetrable are very easily intelligible , as agreeing to the meer form , ( vitality , active-power , wisdom , and love. ) but how either of these notions will stand , either with gods existence ut spatium infinitum , beyond all matter , ( which you sometime hint ) or the infiniteness of matter , but with intermixt vacuities , which ( pag. 44. metaph. ) you seem to suppose to be communi naturae voce confirmatum ) i know not : for then the vacuum is deus extra materiam , and so all spirit is not in matter . i think that all matter and spirit is in god ; and that he is much more than anima mundi & omnium animarum . ad sect . ix . § 1. to your indiscerpibility i further say , i distinguish , 1. between actual and intellectual dividing ; 2. between what god can do , and what a creature can do , and 3. between the father of spirits and created spirits : and so i say , 1. that if you had spoken of the meer virtus vitalis of a spirit , i think it is a contradiction to say that it is discerpible or impenetrable ; but seeing you ascribe amplitude , quantity , and dimensions , and logical materiality to the substantiality of spirits , i see not but that you make them intellectually divisible ; that is , that one may think of one part as here and another there . 2. and if so , though man cannot separate or divide them , if it be no contradiction god can . various elements vary in divisibility : earth is most divisible : water more hardly , the parts more inclining to the closest contact : air yet more hardly : and if as you think the substance of fire be material , no doubt the discerpibility is yet harder . and if god have made a creture so strongly inclin'd to the unity of all the parts , that no other creture can separate them but god only , as if a soul were such ; it 's plain that such a being need not fear a dissolution by separation of parts : for it s own nature hath no tendency to it , but to the contrary , and no fellow creature hath power to do it , and god will not do it . god maketh all things apt for their use , and useth things as he hath made them , he made not marble and sand alike , nor useth them alike . and if he should make a spirit ( e. g. an anima hujus vorticis , solis , stellae , &c. ) such as he only can divide , but hath no natural tendency to division , but so much indiscerpibility as no creature can overcome , this ( besides scripture ) intimateth gods purpose about it . 3. but doubtless god and creatures are both called spirits equivocally or analogically and not univocally : and it is the vilest contradiction to say that god is capable of division : but whether it be so with created spirits i know not : they have passivity and god hath none . it 's no great wisdom to confess ones ignorance ; but not to confess it is very great folly . i am scarce of your mind , that a man may be in the like puzzle in another world as he was in this , if he methodize not his thoughts aright . but if it be so , you are best think again . § 2. for penetrability you say , that one spirit may have a greater amplitude than another , and that the parts , as i may so call them , of the same spirit , may in the contraction of it self penetrate one another , so that there may be a reduplication of essence through the whole spirit . ans . you tempt me to doubt lest you talk so much against materiality of spirits to hide the name of your own opinion , for that which others call materiality . if spirits have parts which may be extended and contracted , you 'l hardly so easily prove as say , that god cannot divide them . and when in your writings shall i find satisfaction , into how much space one spirit may be extended , and into how little it may be contracted ? and whether the whole spirit of the world may be contracted into a nut-shell , or a box , and the spirit of a flea may be extended to the convexe of all the world. ad sect . x. § 1. i said , [ we grant that spirits have a quantitas discreta ; they are numerous , individuate , and formae se multiplicant : generation is the work of spirits , and not of bodies . and how can i tell , that that god that can make many out of one , cannot make many into one , and unite and divide them as well as matter . ] you say , [ this passage is worth our attentive consideration . and 1. you hence infer amplitude and dimension of spirits . answ . i meddle not for you , nor against you : what 's this to me ? § 2. you ask what are the formae quae se multiplicant ? ans . sensitive and rational as well as vegetative spirits : you say , that must be creation , or self-division . ans . no ; it is but generation . and in append. to the reas . of christian religion , i have partly shewed that generation is from god as the prime cause , and yet the parents souls as a second cause , so that somewhat of a sort of creation and traduction concur : which having further opened in method . theol. i here pretermit . § 3. but to my question , why god cannot make two of one , or one of two , you put me off with this lean answer , that we be not bound to puzzle our selves about it . ans . i think that answer might serve to much of your philosophical disputes . but if you will puzzle us with a naked assertion of indiscerpibility , we must ask your proof of it , why god cannot divide and unite extended ample quantitative spirits ? and if he can , how you know that he doth not ? or that indivisibility is the form of a spirit ; when as if water be divided into drops , every drop is water still . ad sect . xi . § 1. in your further thoughts of this sect. 11. you do first mis-suppose that my question intimateth such a divisibility of souls , as of terrene bodies into atoms , or a contrary union . terrene atoms have the most imperfect union . all the sands on the shoar are not only divisible , but partly divided : i cannot say , that all the parts of the air are so ; much less of the fire . there is a far closer union of all the substance of that lucid calefactive element , than of earth , water , or air. § 2. and here i must insert , that after long thoughts , i doubt not but all things created are truly one , and truly many : no one particle of the universe is independent on the rest : parts they are ; as every part of a clock or watch : every leaf , and grape , and apple on the tree hath a certain individuate or numerical being , and yet every one is a part of the tree : and every herb and tree is a part of the garden or orchard , and that a part of england , &c. and all a part of the earth in which they grow ; and no doubt the earth is as dependant on other parts of the universe ; and all on god. we dream of no total separation of any creature from the rest , much less spirits . but all the illuminated air , is more one flamma tenuis ( though compound of air and fire , and called by us light ) than the sands are one earth : and i doubt not but that fire , which is the motive , illuminative , and calefactive substance , in all the air , and elsewhere , is yet much less divisible than the air , and souls than it : so that should god make many into one , they would be many individuals no more , but one again divisible by god himself . § 3. and you mis-suppose me to suppose that the whole substance of all humane souls , are but the same which once in adam was but one , and from him divided . writing is a tedious work , because it so hardly causeth men to understand us . i suppose that a continued creative emanation from the father of spirits , giveth out all that spiritual substantiality which becometh new souls ; but that god hath ordained that the generating souls shall first receive this divine emanation , and be organical ☞ in communicating it to the semen ▪ and so to new organical bodies ; not that the parents souls only dispose the seminal recipient matter , but are themselves partly receptive , and then active in the communication : it will be a defective similitude if i say , as a burning-glass by a receptive contraction of the sun beams , is instrumental in kindling combustible matter : rather as one candle kindleth a thousand , and yet the substance of the lucid and calid being , is communicated from the ignite air by the means of that one candle . ( for that it is only motus a motu , i believe not . ) that you have drawn me thus effutire quae circa generationem , opinor , must help you to be patient with my tediousness . and the rather , because to avoid offending you , i will now pass by any further answer to your queries , whether adam 's soul was a legion ? which else was adam 's soul ? how come they to be male and female ? was that number of souls expanded or contracted ? what a change by venery ? what becomes of the many souls in the chast ? and the rest . i would not by a particular answer disgrace your questions , or the jocular urgent amplifications . no doubt lights are too low illustrations ; but the highest within the reach of sense . there was not a legion of candles in that which lighted a legion : nor need i tell you which of the lighted candles was that which lighted it ; nor why lighting more consumed not the first ; nor why it kindled a wax-candle , and a tallow-candle , &c. i knew not till now that you thought souls differed in sex , because the persons do . but i will not strive against your conceit . the soul of a male and female i better understand , than a male and female soul. § 4. but you tell me , i must consider the nature of light throughly , and i shall find it nothing , but a certain motion of a medium , whose particles are so or so qualified , some such way as cartesianism drives at : but here 's not substances but motion communicated , &c. ans . i had as willingly have heard cartesius tell me any dream else that ever came into his brain : for this i greatly despise : and wonder not that any man is ignorant of the nature of spirits , who is so grosly ignorant of the igneous analogical nature as he was . i have said so much in divers books against it , that i will not here in transitu any further touch so noble a subject , than to tell you that if you have studied the old stoicks , platonists , &c. and patricius , telesius , campanella , lud. le grand , &c. as much as cartesius , i pitty you for believing him . i doubt not the substance of fire hath a virtus motiva , as well as illuminativa & catefactiva : and consequently that light and heat are neither of them without motion : but that they are a tripple operation of the vna-trina forma ignea , i am past doubt , ( after as hard study as you can advise me to . ) but your terms [ certain motion ] and an ( unnamed ) medium , and particles so and so qualified , and some way , &c. are not notifying terms to me . that lumen is ipse motus methinks a man of half cartesius's age should never dream : that it 's an effect of motion many say , and think it so , as much as intellection is an effect of mental-vitality , and volition of intellection . but ( to lay no stress on sir ken. digby's arguments ) i make no doubt ignis lucens is as truly a substance as a spirit is . if light be an act or quality it hath some immediate agent or subject : it doth not exist separated from them . it is in the air but as the recipient , as it is in the oil of the candle . the air shineth not of itself ( as the night informeth us . ) it is therefore a substance that moveth and illuminateth the air : and if cartes will call that substance gl●buli aetherei , or mat eria subtilis , i need not a game at such toyish words : as motus causeth sensation , and intellection , which yet by meer motion would never have been caused , without the conjunct acts of the sensitive and intellective faculties as such ; so is it of light. really when i read how far you have escaped the delusions of cartesianism , i am sorry that you yet stick in so gross a part of it as this is ; when he that knoweth no more than motion in the nature of fire , which is the active principle by which mental and sensitive nature operateth on man , and bruits , and vegetables , and all the passive elements , ( if it be not ipsa forma telluris ) and all the visible actions in this lower world are performed , what can that mans philosophy be worth ? i therefore return your counsel , study more throughly the nature of aethereal fire . i find cause to imagine ( by your writings ) that you are ( as mr. glanvile ) for the pre-existence of souls before generation . and when do you think they were all made ? and what bodies did all the souls that have ever since been in the world animate , when there was no human body but adam's and eve's ? can you conjecture what animal's they were before they were men's ? if you on the one extream ( thinking that god made as many souls , yea animals the first week , as ever are in being to the end of the world ) and the averrhoists on the other extream ( who think all souls are but one individuated by receptive matter , as one sun lighteth many candles by a burning-glass , and all return as candles put out , into one again ) were to dispute it out by meer philosophy ( without the experience of apparitions , ) i know not which would get the better . ad sect . xii , xiii . the 12. section being all meer fiction needs no further answer . § 1. it seems you call that the [ excited spirit of nature , ] lighting every candle which other men call fire : and so you will number fire with spirits . § 2. your 13. section is strange . 1. you say penetrability and indivisibility are not accidents at all , no more than rationale of a man. ans . anima rationalis is forma hominis in the strict proper sense of forma as an active principle . indivisible is a negative , and it and penetrable are the consistency or mode of the substance ( or , as you call it , matter : ) as amplitude , quantity , spissitude , dimensions , locality are by you said to be , which are called forms in another sense , as the passive elements differ from each other . but the principium activum being the true and only form of a spirit , these modalities and consistencies are but conditio materiae , as you call it , or substantiae as i call it , as to the form. yet that dispositio materiae is essential i have asserted . § 3. and yet though all along i deny not your two words to be the conditio omnis substantiae spiritualis ( joined with more ) i still tell you that difficulties make me not lay so much on them as you do . to add one more , as i told you quality is penetrable ; as well as spirit , e. g. heat , so yet though we commonly say , it is indivisible , i wish you would solve this objection : you prove the locality of spirits by their operation on this or that body , ( and doubtless you may well prove that the recipient body is in loco , and consequently the agent relatively . ) but how shall we avoid the division of qualities or spirits ex divisione materiae subjectivae . e. g. if a red hot iron be penetrated by the heat , yet if this iron be cut in two , while hot , and each part set ( per potentiam superiorem ) at 20 miles distance . is not the heat divided with the iron ? so if a mans head be struck off , and ( by such a quick mover as you think moveth the earth ) the head in a moment were carried far off , while both parts of the body are yet alive , is not the soul in each part ? and if the parts were 20 or 100 miles a sunder , is it still one undivided soul ? i can say somwhat to satisfie my self of this ; but hardly without crossing somwhat that you say . § 4. again when my chief dissent from you is more against your confidence than your verity , yet you again tell us , that we know not bare essences , but essential attributes . i tell you i take not these to be notifying expressions : we know some essences either intuitively ( as ockam saith ) or without signs , immediately , e. g. what it is to see , taste , hear , smell , &c. and what to understand and will. and we know other essences scientia abstractiva per signa . and what good would the knowledge of attributes else do us . attributes in notione prima are the thing itself : and to know an essential attribute , and to know ipsam essentiam scientia inadaequata is all one . but an essential attribute as notio secunda , is but signum per quod res significata cognoscenda est : and this is knowing the essence too , but scientia abstractivâ : and all is scientia valde imperfectâ . § 5. you say , that neither the faculty nor operation of reasoning is the essence , and consequently not rationale . ans . things of so great moment should not not be obtruded on the world with a bare ipse dico . the act of intellection or reasoning is but the essence in hoc modo : but the faculty is the essential form of the soul. when you have confuted the scotists , and my peculiar disput . in meth. theol. where i think i fully disprove what you say , i may hear you further . ad sect . xiv , xv , xvi . § 1 here you would first know , how i know that the vitalitas formalis belongs not to matter , unless i have an antecedent notion of spirit distinct from matter . ans . 1. i consent not to dr. glisson , who thought all . matter had a vital form. but i undertake not to prove that god cannot endow any matter with a vital form. and forma denominat ; where i find the form of a spirit i 'le call it spirit . 2. dr. henry moore in his metaph. would ask me , how i know that a helmet may not be made of paper ; and he and i would agree that paper is not materia disposita , and yet we would not call it galeae formam . § 2. your denial of substantiality to be ex traduce , i answered before ; telling you that i think it is both ex emanatione creativa , & ex traduce , but not by either alone ; nor all souls that ever will be , created in indisce●pible individuality at once , and transmuted from body to body . § 3. when i say , the negative immaterial notifieth not the form , you say that immaterial implieth positiveness . ans . therefore give us the positive notion , or you give us no definition , nor any notifying word . § 4. when you say , [ you believe it is not easie to give an example that materia is put in lieu of substantia in that adequate sense . ] what abundance of authors could i name you , yea , have i oft named , besides dr. crakenthorp ? § 5. when you say , [ all created substance is both active and passive in some sense or other . ] it 's but to say , all words are ambiguous . so all created substance is matter in some sense or other . but one would have thought by your oft repeated denial of the self-moving power of matter , that you had thought only spirits have a self-moving power . and if so , will you yet say , that [ this is a distinction which distinguisheth nothing ? ] i think thus , natura activa as meet a name as spiritus . and that yet it hath some passivity , damascene , yea , and augustine , de spir. & anim. c. 8. say that is because the soul [ respectu incorporei dei corporea est . ] though in respect to our bodies it is incorporeal : other fathers say much more , but i justify not their words . § 6. ad 15. sect. i pretend not to have such an idaea of spiritual substance , as to denominate its consistence more fitly than by purity , a word which you also use , yet not denying your several attributes . § 7. as to your doctrine of atomes , i think no wise man dare say that god made matter first in divided atomes , and after set them together . but that god is able to divide all matter into atomes or indivisible parts i doubt not . the virtus formalis of spirits ( and so some qualities ) consist not of atomes : but how far god can divide the ample substance of them , i only tell you , that i know not ; and to pretend to know it would be none of my wisdom . your attributes of amplitude , quantity , dimensions , imply that god made some spirits bigger in amplitude than others , as well as virtutis sortioris . you think i suppose that which you call the spirit of the world , or nature , bigger in amplitude than the spirit of a wren . § 8. ad sect. 16. you that say , spirits have extension and spissitude , say that spissitude signifieth more substance in less compass . and these phrases sound liker to corporeity than any that i have used : more substance and less substance , spissitude by contraction signifie much change , and signifie that which the intellect may distinguish into partes extra partes , though undivided which would increase a mans doubt , whether god be not able to make a bigger spirit less , and a less bigger , and to separate the parts that are so distinguishable in amplitude , and to make one into two , or two into one . § 9. whether aether or fire be material , methinks you should be as uncertain at least as i. for you say light is but motus , of somwhat exciting the spirit of the world. if it be the spirit of the world that is the nearest cause of illumination by way of natural activity , than that which you call the spirit of the world , i call fire ; and so we differ but de nomine . but i have oft profest my ignorance whether fire , and the vegetative nature be all one , ( which i encline to think ) or whether fire be a middle active nature between the spiritual and the meer passive , by which spirits work on bodies . i think i shall quickly know all this better than you do . ad sect . xvii , xviii , xix . § 1. of your doctrine of atomes i spake before : i have no mind to examine the weight of your reasons publickly . § 2. i thought you that so extol the atomists doctrine , would have deigned to read at least some of the leaders of the various sects : and my undervaluing them is no excuse to you : for as you knew not my judgment , so i suppose you do not much esteem it . that which i blame them for , is , that lud. le grand over-magnifieth fire , telesius and campanella over-magnifie heat , patricius over-magnifieth light , as cartesius doth motion : but if the one principle of motion , light , and heat , had been better handled as one , ( as it is ) it had been sounder . § 3. i need not your hydrostatical experiment of the rising rundle to convince me of the motion of the matter of the world by a spiritual power : i doubt as little of spirits as of bodies : but i understand not what greater wonder there is in the rising of your rundle , than in the rising of a piece of timber from the bottom of the sea ; or that the heaviest body should sink lowest if it have way . whether water consist of oblong flexible bodies , i am not much regardful to know : each of those oblong ones are divisible into atomes . § 4. but as to what hence you infer of fire , i make no doubt but the flames and the red hot iron are compouud things ; and that the oily or sulphureous matter moved and heated , is the substance which we see . but i believe not that bare motion as motion , were it never so swift , wo'd cause this : but that these effects are caused in the capable matter by the special action of a permeant substance in itself invisible as substance , whose form is the active virtue of moving , illuminating , and heating , and so is sensible only in this triple effect . and if you call this a spirit i leave you to your liberty . ad sect . xx. xxi . § 1. the seven propositions which you find in my words i own , save that the fourth should be thus formed [ that the substantiae dispositio in fire distinct from the form , beareth some such analogy to a spirit ( if it be not one , viz. vegetative ) that may somewhat serve us to conceive of it thereby , and they that from this analogy , call it ignis non formaliter sed eminenter , are excusable ; though it can be no strict proper name that cometh not a forma . § . 2. ad sect . 21. but you ask [ whether by active power i mean a power alwaies exerting itself into act , so that this fire is alwaies moving , enlightning , and hot formaliter , else why should it be called ignis ? ] ans . answer your self , when you speak of a power of sensation , and intellection and volition in a soul , do you mean a power alwaies exerting itself into sensation , intellection and volition , else why is it called a soul. ] ans . 2. i mean a power which hath alwaies an inclination to act ; & hath its own secret immanent act , & alwaies acts ad extra , when it hath fit recipient objects . as to your oft mentioned confutation of judge hale , having not read it , i am no judge of your performance . you question what is this new igneous substance never heard of before ] while in all ages it hath been so famous a controversy ; when not only the stoicks but most old philosophers gave to it so much more than meet ; when lud. le grand , would make us believe that it was almost the only god of all the heathen world , under various names , and while so many new sects have written so many volumes of it , who would have believed that even dr. henry more had never heard of it before ? to your question , is it material or immaterial ? ] i still answer , material is a word of larger or narrower sense , ambiguous : i know that it hath the aforesaid actions : and by them i know that it hath the power so to act : and by both i know it is a substance capable of such power & acts : and i know that the substance is invisible in se , but seen in its effects . and my brain is too dark to be confident of more : let him that knoweth more boast of it . § 3. you say [ a material fire distinct from the flame of a candle , or fire-stick , or red hot iron , there is no more ground for , than material water distinct from wells , rivers , seas , &c. ] ans . do you not take cartesius materia subtilis , if not globuli aetherei , to be invisible , & not alwaies appearing in candles or fire-sticks ? if a soul may be a sensitive and intellective substance , and yet not be alwaies feeling or understanding , why may there not be fire where it shineth not . it seemeth you take not the illuminated air to be ignite , because it is not a candle or fire-stick : i doubt not but fire is a substance permeant and existent in all mixt bodies on earth ; & in ipsa tellure ; in minerals ; in your blood it is the prime part of that called the spirits , which are nothing but the igneous principle in a pure aerial vehicle , and is the organ of the sensitive faculties of the soul : and if the soul carry away any vehicle with it , it 's like to be some of this . i doubt you take the same thing to be the spirit of the world , while you seem to vilifie it . § 4. it 's strange when i tell you that i conceive of a spirit but as ignis eminenter , and not formaliter , that you should still ask whether i take it not for ignis formaliter ? i have often said , that i think substances differ so gradually , that the lower ●ath still some analogy to the higher : and i still say that natura mentalis , & sensitiva are not ignis formaliter ; but whether the natura vegetativa be any other than ipse ignis i know not ; but think it is no other . do you that better know its consistence call it spirit or not as you please . ad sect. 22. 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27. § 1. you puzzle me more and more : before you said , fire is nothing but motion of sulphureous particles , and only in candles , fire-sticks , hot irons , &c. and yet now [ the vehicles of angels are igneous or aethereal . ] is an angel only in a candle or hot iron , &c. is motion , yea motion of sulphureous particles their vehicle ? if they are animals , and have bodies , as you think , they are such as deserve a nobler character . § 2. i tell you still , the greek fathers i think , as well as i , call'd mental and sensitive spirits , ignis , but analogically , which you call symbolically : if that satisfy you what have you all this while disputed against ? and if fire be the vehicle of angels it is a substance . and when you se● the motion , light , and feel the heat , d● you think , what ever is the recipient moved matter , that the invisible mover is not present and contiguous ? it is that immediate mover which i call fire , and am fully satisfied doth it not by motion only , but the exerting of its triple virtue . § 3. you confess , sect. 24. the common use of the name of fire applied to souls by the old philosophers : and still you say it was but symbolically : and did they find no reason to make fire a symbol rather than earth or water . when i still tell you that it is only analogically that souls may be called fire , did you fairly to pretend the contrary ? § 4. yea sect. 25. you are at it again , saying that [ i seem to conceive the fathers to speak not symbolically , but properly . ] ans . where and when did i say any such thing ? will you tell the world that a man holds that which he never said , and hath oft written against , and write a book against him on such a supposition , and at last have nothing to say but putarem ? i use not the words symbolical and proper ; they are not precise enough for this subject : i said more when i said that souls and angels are called fire , only eminenter & analogice , but not formaliter : and forma dat nomen . but you are offended that i say those greek fathers spake tolerably and informingly , and you say , it was mischievously , inducing men to believe the soul mortal . for light may be blown out , and hot iron cooled . ans . alas ! what dry philosophy is this of fire ? is any thing annihilated when the candle goeth out ? was there not an invisible active principle moving your supposed sulphureous particles , which was as immediate an agent as your soul is of sensation or intellection : which remaineth the same ? but indeed it is air and not sulphur which is the first and nearest recipient of the illuminating act , and is conjux ignis , i suppose you 'l say , the spirit of the world doth this . ans . call it by what name you will , it is a pure active substance , whose form is the virtus motiva , illuminativa & calefactiva ; i think the same which when it operateth on due seminal matter is vegetative . but the world hath spiritual natures more noble than this ; viz. sensitive and intellective . § 5. ad sect. 26. you say against the fathers , [ when we enquire into the distinct nature of things we must bid adieu to metaphors . ] ans . when i am ignorant of my own ignorance , i will hear you , i am far from dreaming that i have one formal conception of god , but only analogical : only that of ens is disputed between the thomists and scotists , whether it be univocal de deo & creaturis . and here analogical is but metaphorical : and yet it is not nothing to see as in a glass & enigmatically . and when i can perceive that your two hard words do not only signifie more than negatively and modally , or qualitatively , but also give us an idea of a spirit which hath nothing metaphorical , but all formal , i shall magnifie them more than i do . § 6. you say we must search out the adequate defi●ition . ] ans . that [ adequate ] is a word too big for me : i dare say that you have not an adequate knowledg of any thing in the world ; not of one fly or flea or pile of grass : and can you make adequate definitions of angels and all spirits ? even who before twice told us that we know not the intimate essence of things , but the attributes ? indeed i perceive your attributes are such as will not notifie essences . i ask my own experience whether indiscerpible is a word that giveth any idea of the essence , save negative ( that it cannot be torn into pieces ) and modal ? and i find no other that it maketh on my mind . the common note of matter is , that it hath partes extra partes : and i think you thus make spirits material . you make them parts of the compound animal : and you deny them to be toti in toto ; and you give them locality , & amplitude , & quantity . and if so , though they be indiscerpible , they have continued parts intelligible ; and that part of the soul is not in one hand which is in the other : and as partes animalis they are actually separable from the matter . the spiritus mundi you suppose to be a great continued amplitude or extended substance . and atomes are in some elements a closely continued substance . you seem to make all substance to be atomes , spiritual atomes and material atomes . and i am not sure that god cannot make material atomes so continued a matter as that no creature can discerp them : is it any contradiction ? and i doubt not but souls and angels are so indivisible , as that their nature tendeth to continued , undivided unity , and no creature can divide them . but that god cannot do it i cannot say . even of the souls mortality not only arnobius , but many other christian writers maintain , that it is mortal naturâ , but immortal ex dono ; which is unfitly spoken but well meant : that is , god hath made their natures such as have no tendency in themselves to a dissolution or destruction , but not such as he cannot dissolve or destroy ; yea i doubt not but without a continued divine sustentation , all the world would in a moment be annihilated ; preservation being a continued sort of creation . your owning nothing in fire but what 's visible , i have spoke to . ad sect . xxviii . § 1. that spirits are each ens unum per se , so as to have no divided parts , or such as tend to dissolution i doubt not : that they are each one by the continued uniting influx of that god who continueth their being , and so far per aliud , is past doubt . you here make metaphysical monades absurd and ridiculous . but is not that a monad and atome which is one and indivisible ? though it be not minimum : and if your penetrability imply not that all the singular spirits can contract themselves ▪ into a punctum ; yea , that all the spirit of the world may be so contracted , i find it not yet sufficiently explained : for you never tell us into how little parts only it may be contracted : and if you put any limits i will suppose that one spirit hath contracted itself into the least compass possible ; and then i ask , cannot another and another spirit be in the same compass by their penetration ; if not , spirits may have a contracted spissitude which is not penetrable , and spirits cannot penetrate contracted spirits , but only dilated ones . if yea , then quaero whether all created spirits may not be so contracted . and i should hope that your definition of spirit excludeth not god ; and yet that you do not think that his essence may be contracted and dilated . o that we knew how little we know ! and as to your rejection of metaphors i say , the very name spiritus which you use is a metaphor : rhe first sense being our breath à spirando , or the air or wind : martinius nameth no fewer than fifteen senses of it , and wisdom itself said , 1 cor. 15. there is a natural body , and there is a spiritual body . § 2. you add , [ if you will say , that if he should create such a spirit with metaphysical amplitude , which though so large himself cannot divide , and sever into parts , he would thereby puzzle his own omnipotency , at this rate he shall be allowed to create nothing , no not so much as matter , nor himself indeed to be . ans . i had rather tremble at this than boldly answer it . whatever is a contradiction cannot be ; and it is not for want of power that god cannot do it : it is no work of power : had you proved it a contradiction for god , to make two spirits of one , or one of two , you had done that part in an easier way , which i should not gainsay . but this speech of yours is as if you said , [ he denieth god to be the creator , or to be god , who saith that god is able to divide an ample spiritual substance ; that is , who saith , that this is no contradiction , and that god is almighty : when our creed saith , that god is the father almighty maker of heaven and earth . cannot he alter or annihilate his own works : before he made the world , he could have made the ample substance of the spirit of the world into many spirits : and is he less able so to change it ? if spirits be unified as the bodies which they animate , cannot god make many bodies into one ? cannot he make many stars into one ? and then would that one have many unifying spirits , or but one ? it 's a thing so high as required some shew of proof , to intimate that god cannot be god , if he be almighty , and cannot conquer his own omnipotency . § 3. your words like an intended reason are [ for that cannot be god , from whom all other things are not produced & created . ] ans . 1. relatively ( as a god to us ) it 's true ; though quoad existentiam essentiae he was god before the creation . 2. but did you take this for any shew of a proof ? the sense implied is this , [ all things are not produced and created by god , if a spiritual ample substance be divisible by his omnipotency that made it : yea , then he is not god. negatur consequentia . ad sect . xxix , xxx , xxxi . § 1. you say your definition is more informing than defining a spirit by fire , viz. [ a spirit is an immaterial substance indued with life , and the faculty of motion ] and virtually containing in it penetrability , and indiscerpibility ] ans . 1. your definition is common , good and true , allowing for its little imperfections , and the common imperfection of mans knowledge of spirits . the same things need not be so very oft repeated in answer to you : but briefly i say ; if by immaterial you mean not [ without substance ] it signifieth truth : but a negation speaketh not a formal essence . 2. spirit is itself but a metaphor . 3. intrinsecal , indued with life , tells us not that it is the form : qualities and proper accidents are intrinsecal . 4. the [ faculty of motion ] is either a tautology included in life , or else if explicatory of life , it is defective ; or if it distribute spirits into two sorts , vital and motive , it should not be in the common definition . 5. no man can understand that the negative [ immaterial ] by the terms , includeth penetrability and indiscerpibility . 6 you do not say here that they are the form , but elsewhere you do : and the form should be exprest , and not only virtually contained as you speak . 7. they are not the form , but the dispositio vel conditio ad formam . 8. if such modalities or consistence were the form , more such should be added which are left out . 9. penetrability and indiscerpibility are two notions , and you should not give us a compound form . 10. yea you compound them with a quite different notion , [ life and the faculty of motion : ] which is truly the form , and is one thing , and not compounded of notions so different , as consistence and virtue or power . ] 11. you say life intrinsecally issues from this immaterial substance : but the form is concreated with it , and issues not from it . you mean well : it is informing truth which you intend , and offer to the world . and we are all greatly beholden to you for so industrious calling foolish sensualists to the study and notion of invisible beings , without which what a carkass or nothing were the world . but all our conceptions here must have their allowances , and we must confess their weakness . and you might have informed us of all that you know , without fathering opinions on others , which they never owned , and then nicknaming them from your own fiction : as if we said that souls are fire , and also took fire as you do for candles , and hot irons , &c. only . § 2. now i that pretend not to a perfect definition repeat that which is the nearest to it that i understand . and first i am for agreeing on the sense of words before we use them in definitions . 1. i take not the word [ spirit ] to be of univocal signification here , but so analogical as to be equivocal . god and creatures are not univocally called [ spirits . ] 2. i know not ( and i think no other ) that all created spirits in the universe are so far of one substantial consistence as that the word [ spirit ] univocally fits them all , as a genus among the 15 senses of the word before said mentioned by martinius ; when we confine it to one , men are apt to boggle at the ambiguity : yet when we have defined it , the name is to be used . 3. materia is as ambiguous as spiritus ; and is oft used for res or substantia , which is fundamental to modes and qualities and active forms : and oft for substance of such a consistence as is sensible ( to the highest senses ) and as a mind in the flesh can have an idea of in its consistence ; and if you will , such as you call impenetrable and discerpible . 4. the word [ substance ] itself , if used only to signifie , either quoddity and not quiddity ; ( as ens for quod est , and not quid est , and subsistit for aliquid subsistit ; not telling what ) or relatively only for quod substat accidentibus ; or negatively for quod non est accidens ; sed aliquid subsistens in se , and include not the notion of res fundamentalis , is not fit here to be used as a genus ; but in this sense it is . 5. forma being oft taken for substantiae figura , and oft for the contexture of corporeal parts making it receptive of motion , and oft for the union of the moving and the moved parts , and oft for the moving principle in a compound , and oft for the motive or active virtue in a simple substance , but ever strictly for the specifick constitutive cause , per quam res est id quod est ; i take it to be but improperly and equivocally applied to the meer receptive consistence presupposed to the form . these things supposed . i presume not to give a definition of god , but such a description as we can reach . supposing the word [ nature ] to signify in general [ quoddity and quiddity ] i first distinguish [ nature ] into active and passive : by active i mean that nature which hath a formal power , virtue , and inclination to activity . by passive i mean that nature which having no such active form , is formed to receive the influx of the active . i refuse not to call the first spirit : but because they so greatly differ , i choose rather the common name of active nature ; being not metaphorical . 2. i suppose there is no such thing as spirit ( or active nature ) which is not some species of spirit : therefore i give no definition of [ spirit ] or active na-nature in general , for where there is no form and no species there is no proper definition . and all spirit being actually mental , sensitive or vegetative , and every thing having but one univocal form , i name no form but of each species , but as in compounds , so in simples we mentally distinguish the materia ( vel substantia ) dispositio & forma . therefore defining only the species , i define , naturam mentalem to be [ substantia purissima virtuosissima , virtute scilicet formali vitaliter-activa , intellectiva , volitiva ( una-trina : ) i define naturam animalem seu sensitivam , to be [ substantia purior virtuosior , scilicet , virtute vitali-activa sensitiva , perceptiva-sensitiva , appetitiva-sensitiva . i have told you oft enough why i say purissima , including as much of your [ immaterial , penetrable , indiscerpible ] and more , as is really the substantiae dispositio ; and if you will call it as some do forma dispositiva , i quarrel not : but i use [ purissima ] 1. to avoid many words , and 2. to avoid pretending to more distinct conceptions of spiritual consistencies than i find any idea of in my mind . i use but the comparative degree of [ purior and virtuosior ] to sensitives , not being sure that there is not a gradual difference in both consistency and virtue in these species of spirits . i define the vegetative nature , supposing it to be ipse ignis , to be [ substantia pura , virtu●sa , scilicet virtute formali activa , illuminativa , calefactiva ; by which prime operations it causeth vegetation , & thereby in plants , discretionem , attractionem , digestionem , &c. by an analagous perception , appetite and motion . but these actions belong to compounds ; and i still profess my self in this also uncertain , whether natura vegetativa and ignea be all one : or whether ignis be natura organica by which the three superior operate on the passive . but i incline most to think that they are all one ; when i see what a glorious fire the sun is , and what operation it hath on earth , and how unlikely it is that so glorious a substance , should not have as noble a formal nature as a plant . and i take all the superior virtues to be the inferior , eminenter , and the inferior to have analogy to the superiour . your frequent repetitions draw me to this repetition . if we agree in the definitions , i will not contend about any name . and i confess if you could prove that indivisibility is proper to any species , then it would be a contradiction for it to be that species , and yet to be divisible , and so it would be no act of omnipotency to do it . but as in materials , so as far as i can conceive in spirituals , to make two into one is no change of the nature of the things , nor to make one into two . this belongs to individuation , and not to specification . who can doubt but god being all in all things , he is as intimate to us as our souls to our bodies , and more : and tho the schools commonly say , that god hath no accidents , pardon my dissent who doubt not he hath the accidents of relations , and dare not say that all the world is not dei accidens , while in him we live , and move , and have our being : for i will not , and i do not think that it is pars dei , as if he were but anima mundi , and yet i will not say that the world hath no entity or substance ; nor yet that the entity of god and the world , is more than the entity ( or substance ) of god alone ; for to be minor or pars is below god. but accidents though no parts are substantiae accidentia . and though i think the fryar ( benedictus de benedictis ) in regula perfectionis speaketh fanatically when he taketh it to be perfection to suppose we see and know no being but god ; yet we must know nothing quite separate from god , and that hath not some dependent union with him . and yet while all things are in god , and so inseparable from him that nothing but annihilation can totally separate them , yet they are multitudes in themselves , and wicked men and devils are separated from the influx of his grace and glory . and the human nature of christ hath some nearer union with god than other creatures have . and so i doubt not but every creature is so united to the universe , that nothing but annihilation can totally separate it from the rest ; and yet this is consistent with individuation . i remember when i told him whom you so oft mention of augustines words de anima , in which he seemeth to favour the saying that [ all souls are one , and yet many ] rather than that [ all souls are one and not many ] or [ many and not one ] he seemed much taken with it : all which i mention to infer that there is a separability ( from god and the universe ) which is no way possible but by annihilation ; and in compounds some separation of parts will change the species ; and if it were proveable which aquinas holds , that no two angels are not of distinct species , then every alteration of the individual might alter the species ; but yet it wo'd be a spirit . and i have long thought that so much selfishness as is our sin or imperfection , is a potent cause of making all men more regardful of individuation and fearful of losing it by union of spirits than they ought ; and that holy souls will be nearlier one with christ and one another than we can here desire or conceive ; and yet individuation secundum quid at least , shall be continued . but yet i say , while there is numerus animarum , and it is uncertain whether also each orb hath not one , and you plead for amplitude , and minority , ( quantity ) and the bodies animated may as vastly differ as a flea , or a wren , or a pigmy , and the sun , it is quite above my reach to know that a change of individuals , by making one many , or many one , is a contradiction , and so impossible . and as to penetrability i repeat , that seeing by penetration i suppose you mean not piercing inter partes , but possessing the same place with other things , and contraction of itself , into less amplitude , as i know not how a thing that hath no parts ( and that extra partes ) can contract itself into less space , ( which is to contract parts that are no parts ) so i cannot see but such contraction and colocality must needs be limited , so as that all the world cannot be deserted and mortified by all spirits contraction to one narrow space ; nor yet that at once every spirit is every where ; and when the contraction and colocality is come to the narrowest possible , in that state spirits must needs be further impenetrable , that is , no more can be in that space . so that while i am past doubt , that god hath made spirits of no kind of parts but what do naturally abhor separation , and so are inseparable , unless god will separate them , and so there is no fear of altering the individuation much less the species of souls ; i there stop and will put no more into my definitions of souls or spirits than i know , at least as strongly probable , much less by laying the formal essence on a composition of hard & doubtful words , tempt all to believe tkat the very being of spirits is as doubtful as those words are . ad sect . xxiii . § 1. you said , [ that a spirit is ens , ideoque verum , and that true implieth a right matter and form duly conjoined . ] to which i said , [ do you not here make spirits material ? ] you answered , [ i do not make spirits material in any sense derogatory to their nature and perfections . ] reply . nor do those that i excused : so then after all these sections , you make spirits consist of matter and form , in a sense agreeable to their nature and perfection : and so de nomine , you come nearer those that you accuse than i do . § 2. but you say , [ that matter and form i there speak of , is a matter and form that belongs to ens quatenus ens — in a most general notion prescinded from all kinds of being whatever , and therefore belongs to beings immaterial . ] ans . if you may say quidvis de quovis , lay not too great stress on words . ens quatenus ens hath no form , nor proper matter . ens is that terminus incomplexus , to whose conception all other are resolved . therefore every other conception incomplex or complex , must add somwhat to it . it can be no genu● , or species : if it have any kind of matter and form it is more than ens quatenus ens : and sure that which is [ prescinded from all particular kinds of being , is prescinded from material and immaterial , unless the word [ particular ] be a cothurnus . to say that ens hath matter and form , is to say more than ens , a most general notion , as you call it . but if ens as the most general notion , have matter and form , then so hath spirits , and every subordinate ; for the general is in them all . § 3. but you say , [ it 's only materia & forma logica . ] to which i answered before . that 's but to say , it is notio secunda , which if it be not fitted ad primam , or ut signum ad rem significandam , it is false . and we suppose you to mean to speak truly and aptly . if you should mean neither materia ex qua , nor in qua , but circa quam , so form may be matter . § 4. you say , [ nor is the form adjoined in a physical sense to the matter , unless where the form and matter are substances really distinct . ans . 1. i believe not this to be true : if it be , then only compounds have form and matter ; but i think simples have matter and form , that are not two substances but one . as i have oft said , dr. glisson after others most subtilly laboureth to prove it of every simple substance , that its matter and form are not compounding parts , but conceptus inadaequati : if the intellect compound and divide its own conceptions that maketh not a real composition of two substances in the objects , but as the scotists call it , of two formalities , or conceptus objectivi : which if you will call a logical composition or intellectual , if you explain it , the matter is small . but besides that earth , water and air have their matter and differencing forms , which are not two substances , so hath fire in a more noble sense if it be material : and by your application of the word [ physical ] you seem to extend it to spirits : and if so , i am past doubt that the substance and form of spirits are not two distinct conjoined substances . too many logicians have hitherto taken the potentia naturalis , or faculties of the soul to be accidents in the predicament of quality : let them call them qualities if they please , but the scotists have fully prov'd them to be no accidents , but the formal essence of the soul , ( and i have answered all zabarell's arguments ubi sup . ) and this virtus formalis , ( vel facultas , vel potentia activa ) is not a substance joined to a substance , but the form of a simple substance . but i perceive by your next words that you approve all this , and speak only of mental composition as to spirits . and i say that the mind should conceive , and the tongue speak of things as they are , and not at once deny materiality to spirits , and call them logically material ; or at least bear with others that say but the same . if logical matter speak not substantiality at least , it is delusive . your interminata amplitudo sounds so like infinita , that i am not willing to say that no spirit hath any terminos substantiae . ad sect . xxxiii , xxxiv . the conclusion . § 1. you say that i wrote not so curtly , but that i have sufficiently conveyed my mind to you . ] ans . i would have done so , had i dream'd of your printing it . but that i did not , appeareth by your grand mistake , as if i 〈◊〉 asserted that materiality of spirits which is proper to bodies . § . 2. as in all , our difference lieth in a much smaller matter than you thought . so in your great design of convincing the blinded sadduces of this age , and in the truly pious conclusion in your 34. sect. i not only agree with you , but in my own name , and many others , humbly tender you unfeigned thanks . § 3. and because i would not seem more distant from you than i am , i shall first tell you , that on these subjects your thoughts and mine have been so long working to the same ends & much in the same way , that , 1655. your book against atheism and my popular discourses of the unreasonableness of infidelity coming out together , we both used many of the same histories of apparitions , witches , &c. for confirmation ; and in that book of yours , you have these following words , which if they are not ( as i think they are not ) mischievous , it 's like mine of the same importance are not so , nor are more so proved by you than your own . antid . li. 1. p. 17. [ the parts of a spirit can be no more separated though they be dilated , than you can cut off the rays of the sun by a pair of scissars made of pellucide chrystal . ] appen . p. 304. [ suppose a point of light , from which rayes out a luminous orb according to the known principles of optiques : this orb of light doth very much resemble the nature of a spirit , which is diffused and extended , and yet indivisible : for wee 'l suppose in this spirit the center of life to be indivisible , and yet to diffuse itself by a kind of circumscribed omnipotency , as the point of light is discernible in every point of the luminous sphere . and yet supposing that central lucid point indivisible , there is nothing divisible in all that sphere of light. for it is ridiculous to think of any engine or art whatsoever to separate the luminous raies from the shining center , and keep them apart by themselves , as any man will acknowledge that does but consider the thing we speak of . now there is no difficulty to imagine such an orb as this , as substance as well as a quality . and indeed this sphere of light itself , it not inhering in any subject in the place it occupieth , looks far more like a substance than any accident . and what we fanry unadvisedly to befal light and colours , that any point of them will thus ray orbicularly , is more rationally to be admitted in spiritual substances , whose central essence spreads out into a secondary substance , as the luminous rays are conceived to shoot out from a lucid point . from whence we are enabled to return an answer to the greatest difficulty in the foregoing objection , viz. that the conceived parts in a spirit have an inseparable dependance on the central essence , from which they flow , and in which they are radically contained ; and therefore though there be an extension of this whole substantial power , yet one part is not separable or discerpible from another , but the entire substance , as well secondary as primary , or central , is indivisible . but let us again cast our eyes on this lucid point and radiant orb we have made use of : it is manifest that those raies that are hindered from shooting out so far as they would , need not lose their virtue or being , but only be reflected back toward their shining center ; and the obstacle being removed they may shoot out to their full length again : so that there is no generation of a new ray. — and p. 357. [ when i speak of indivisibility that imagination create not new troubles to her self , i mean not such an indivisibility as is fancied in a mathematical point , but as we conceive in a sphere of light made from one lucid point or radiant center . for that sphere or orb of light , though it be in some sense extended , yet it is truly indivisible , supposing the center such . for there is no means imaginable to discerpe or separate any one ray of this orb , and keep it apart by itself disjoined from the center . now a little to invert the property of this luminous orb , when we would apply it to a soul or spirit : as there can be no alteration in the radiant center , but therewith it is necessarily in every part of the orb , so there is also that vnity and indivisibility of the exterior parts , if i may so call them , of a spirit or soul , with their inmost center , that if any of them be affected , the center of life is thereby also necessarily affected , and these exteriour parts of the soul being affected by the parts of the object with such circumstances as they are in , the inward center receives all so circumstantiated , that it hath necessarily the entire and unconfused images of things without , though they be contrived into so small a compass , and are in the very center of this spiritual substance . this symbolical representation i used before , and i cannot excogitate any thing that will better set off the nature of a spirit , &c. ] here is the same and more than i have said , unless you think light here to be no fire ; but take light for a substance , and fire but for motion : which if you say , i am willing to believe you will recal . and that a spirit is in its contraction impenetrable , let your words testifie , p. 312. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i define thus : a power in a spirit of offering so near to a corporeal emanation from the center of life , that it will so perfectly fill the receptivity of matter into which it has penetrated , that it is very difficult or impossible for any other spirit to possess the same , and of hereby becoming so firmly and closely united to a body , as both to actuate and be acted upon , to affect and be affected thereby . so here is a spirit when it hath filled a body , that can no more be penetrated by another spirit or body ; and so in this contracted state is impenetrable . so that this is but bringing diffused parts closer together , and then no other can be in the same place . and is this the necessary form of a spirit ? but may not this extension and indivisibili●y also be omitted as too hard , without all the mischief mentioned by you , and a truer notifying form found out ? let us hear your self , p. 359. [ to prevent all such cavils we shall omit the spinosities of the extension or indivisibility of a soul or spirit , and conclude briefly thus : that the manifold contradictions and repugnancies we find in the nature of matter , to be able to either think or spontaneously to move itself , do well assure us that these operations belong not to it , but to some other substance : wherefore we finding those operations in us , it is manifest that we have in us an immaterial being really distinct from the body , which we ordinarily call a soul : the speculation of whose bare essence , though it may well puzzle us , yet those properties that we find incompetible to a body , do sufficiently inform us of the different nature thereof : for it is plain she is a substance indued with the power of cogitation , that is , of perceiving and thinking of objects , as also of penetrating and spontaneously moving of a body ; which properties are as immediate to her as impenetrability and separability of parts to the matter , and we are not to demand the cause of the one any more than of the other . ] so here we have the true form as sufficient notice . and if voluntary motion be proper to a spirit , i think meer fire ( solar or aethereal ) is no spirit ; but if all self-moving power be proper to a spirit , fire is a spirit . and from the form will i denominate , while you oft tell us , that the essence of substance is unknown . ( by essence meaning somwhat else than that which i can fully prove to be the form. to conclude , there are these different opinions before us . i. that the whole entity or conceptus realis of a spirit is virtus vitalis , and is mera sorma , or rather simplex actus entitativus ; and that substantia is added not as a partial real conceptus , but as respective , to notifie that this virtus vitalis is no accident , but a thing that may subsist of itself . some hold this true only of god , and some of all spirits : if this be true , your notions of penetrability and indivisibility are most easily defended . ii. that spirits have two inadequate , real conceptus , and that substantia is the fundamental as truly as materia is in meer bodies , and an incomprehensible purity of substance ( or that it is immaterial , not having partes extra partes with the trine dimension ) is substantiae dispositio ; ( yet that this hath degrees as the forms have , all spirits not being of equal purity ; ) and that virtus vitalis is the partial conceptus , viz. formalis . and this i encline to , as to created spirits . iii. that the conceptus formalis of spirit is this virtus vitalis , vel motiva , perceptiva , appetitiva , but that all matter is essentially informed by that vitality , and so matter and vitality are the inadequate conceptus of every substance , and that not by composition , but as of one simple thing . and this is dr. glisson's and some others . iv. that a spirit is both a real substance , ( as the fundamental conceptus ) and informed both by immateriality , penetrability , and indiscerpibility , and also by a vital and moving power : but that it existeth only in bodies or matter , and so always makes up a compound of two substances , ( saving that god is infinite , beyond all matter . ) and that all such spirits were at first made together indivisible individuals , both that of the least creature and of the greatest , but changed from body to body , and so are parts of animals . this i suppose is your opinion . our chief difference is , that i profess to be ignorant of the consistency and incorporation which you talk of , and must be so : though i am assured of the substantiality and form , which satisfieth me ; for christ knoweth all the rest for me . finis . of the immortality of mans soul , and the nature of it , and other spirits . two discourses : one in a letter to an unknown doubter ; the other in a reply to dr ▪ henry moore 's animadversions on a private letter to him ; which he published in his second edition of mr joseph glanvil's sadducismus triumphatus , or history of apparitions by richard baxter . london : printed for b. simons , at the three golden cocks at the west end of st. pauls . 1682. the preface . § . 1. the author of the letter which i answer , being wholly unknown to me , and making me no return of his sense of my answer , i suppose it can be no wrong to him that i publish it . i have formerly thought , that it is safer to keep such objections , and false reasonings , from mens notice , than publickly to confute them . but now in london they are so commonly known , and published in open discourse and writing , that whether silencing them be desirable or not , it is become impossible . and tho i have said so much more , especially in two books ( the reasons of the christian religion , and the unreasonableness of infidelity ) as may make this needless to them that read those ; yet most infidels and sadduces being so self conceited , and fastidious , as to disdain , or cast by all that will cost them long reading and consideration , it may be this short letter may so far prevail against their sloth , as to invite them to read more . i would true christianity were as common as the profession of it : there would then be fewer that need such discourses . but alas ! how numerous are th●se christians that are no christians , no more than a carcass or a picture is a man ; yea , worse christians , who hate christianity , whose godfathers and godmothers ( not parents , but neighbours ) did promise and vow three things in their names . 1. that they should renounce the devil . and all his works , the pomps and vanities of this wicked world , and all the sinful lusts of the flesh . 2. that they should believe all the articles of the christian faith. 3. that they should keep gods holy will and commandments , and walk in the same all the days of their lives . yea , before they could speak , the mouth of these godfathers speaking for them , did not only promise , that they should believe , but profess in the infants name , that even then they did stedfastly believe the articles of the christian faith. the infant is said to make both the promise and profession by these godfathers ; who also undertake to provide , that they shall [ learn all things which a christian ought to know and believe to his souls health , and shall be virtuously brought up , to lead a godly and a christian life ] . whether these godfathers ever intend to perform this , or the parents use to expect it of them , i need not tell you : but how little most of the baptized perform of it , is too notorious . and what wonder is it , if we have christians that in satans image fight against christ , even perjured , malignant , persecuting christians , haters of those that seriously practice the baptismal vow , when they are perjured and perfidious violaters of it themselves , as to the prevalent bent of heart and life . these hypocrite nominal ceremony christians , become the great hinderance of the cure of infidelity in the world . it is the spirit by its supernatural works , which is the great witness of christ , and the infallible proof of supernatural revelation . these witnessing works of the spirit , are these five : 1. his antecedent prophecies . 2. his inherent divine impress on the person , works , and gospel of christ . 3. his concomitant testimony in christs uncontrolled numerous miracles , resurrection and ascension . 4. his subsequent testimony in the numerous uncontrolled miracles of the apostles , and supernatural gifts to the christians of that age. but tho the history of these be as infallibly delivered to us , as any in the world ; 〈◊〉 the distance hindereth the belief of some , who have not this history well opened to them . 5. therefore god hath continued to the end of the world a more excellent testimony than miracles ( thought not so apt to work on sense ) even the special regenerating sanctifying work of the spirit of christ , on the souls of all sincere believers : the raising of souls to a divine and heavenly disposition , and conversation , to live to god and the common good , in the comfortable hopes of an everlasting heavenly glory , as purchased and given by our redeemer , conquering the allurements of the world and flesh , the temptations of satan , and all the flatteries and frowns of the ungodly ; this is a work that none but god can do and will do , which beareth his image and superscription . but now these hypocrites , obscure it to themselves and other unbelievers , and tempt men to say , are not christans as bad as heathens ? and mahometans . are they not as fleshly , and worldly , and false , and perjured , and malicious , and hurtful , and pernicious to others and themselves ? but i answer , no , they are not : these are no more christians , than images are men : they are the enemies of christians , that under christs banner , and in his livery and name , do the most perfideously hate him and fight against him : who will tell them , inasmuch as you did it to the least of these , you did it to me . they betray him for money , as judas , by hail-master and a kiss . i challenge any infidel to find me one that seriously believeth the gospel of christ , as perceiving the certain evidence of its truth , who is not a person of a holy and obedient heavenly life : how can a man sincerely believe that god sent his son from heaven in flesh , to redeem man , and to bring us to glory , and that he sealed his doctrine by all his miracles , resurrection and ascensi●n , and the holy ghost , and that he is our head in heaven , with whom we shall live in joy for ever ; and is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him , i say : how can a man believe this seriously , and not esteem , and choose and seek it , before all the shadows and vanitie to this world . it is not christians , but false hypocrites , whose lives represent christianity , blasphemously as no better than heathenism or mahometanism ; it is but for worldly interest , and reputation , or because it is the religion of the king , countrey , or ancestors , that they take up so much as the name and badg of christianity . and will you judg of our religion by its enemies ? do you not see in their drunkenness , sensuality , covetousness , ungodliness , how unlike their lives are to the baptismal vow ; and that they hate , and seek to destroy them that are serious in keeping that vow , and living as christians ? § 2. and as i publish this for the use of unbelievers , so i must let the reader know , that it is become one of the usual tricks of the popish deceivers , to put on the vizor of an infidel , and to dispute about the immortality of the soul , and the greatest difficulties of religion : and it is to puzzle men , and convince them , that by reasoning they can never attain to satisfaction in these matters ; and then to infer , [ you have no way left , but to believe the church ; & we are that church . if you leave that easie quiet way , you will never come to any certainty ] . why do they not try the same triek about all the difficulties in philosophy , astronomy , physick , history , & c ? for every s●●ence , and art , hath its difficulties . but are not all these as gaeat difficulties to the pope and his prelates , as they are to us ? but god hath given us a more clear and satisfactory way of the solution of such doubts . § . 3. i must further give notice to the reader , that it was the publishing of dr. h. more 's answer to a letter of mine , which occasioned the publishing of this . when i was put on the one , i thought it not unprofitable to premise the other , as being of much greater use . it seemed good to the worthy dr. to desire my thoughts of his description of a spirit , which he laid down in the first edition of mr. glanvile of apparitions : which i gave him in a hasty letter , which he thought meet ▪ without my knowledg , to publish an answer to , in his second edition of mr. glanvile . our difference is scarce worth the readers notice . and our velitation is only friendly , and philosophical . but yet it may possibly be useful to some at least to excite them to a more profitable search than i have made . and it explaineth some passages in my methodus theologiae . but i much more commend to the reading of the sadduces and infidels , the histories themselves of apparitiins , and watchcrafts , which mr. glanvile and dr. more have there delivered ; many of them , at least , with undeniable evidence and proof . to which , if he will but add the devil of mascon and bodin , and remigius of witches ; he will scarce be able to deny belief to the existence and individuation of spirits , and the future life of separated souls . sir , i have reason to judg you no stranger to such addresses as these : and therefore have adventured more boldly to apply my self to you . others would , it may be , rigedly censure this attempt ; but your more christian temper will induce you , i hope , to judg more charitably , did you but understand with what reluctancy i undertook this task . i have had many disputes with my self , whether or no i should stifle these doubts , or seek satisfaction . shame to own such principles bid me do the first ; but the weight of the concern obliged me to the last . for i could not with any chearfulness , or with that vigor i thought did become me , pursue those unseen substances , those objects of faith religion holds forth , except i did really believe their existence , and my own capacity of enjoyning them . i thought at first to satisfie my self in the certainty of the things i did believe ; to confirm and establish my faith by these studies , that i might be able to render a reason of the hope that is in me : but instead of building up , i am shaken ; and instead of a clearer evidence , i am invironed with uncertainties . unhappy that i am ! i had better have taken all upon trust , could i so have satisfied my reason , than thus to have involved my self in an endless study . for such i am afraid it will prove without help : for that i may not in this concern rest without satisfaction ; and yet the more i consider , and weigh things , the more are my doubts multiplied . i call them only doubts , not to palliate any opinions ; for i have not yet espoused any ; but because they have not yet attained so much maturity or strength , as to take me off those things , my doubts being satisfied , i should conclude of indispensable necessity ; they are but yet in the womb : assist to make them abortives . i have not been wanting to my self , but in the use of all means to me known , have sought satisfaction , both by prayer , reading , and meditation . i have weighed and consulted things according to my capacity . i have been as faithful to my self in all my reasonings , as i could , and void of prejudice , have passed impartial censures on the things in debate , so far as that light i have would enable me ; and what to do more , i know not , except this course i now take , prove effectual , you inclining to assist me , that i know have studied these things . my request to you therefore is , if your more publick studies will permit you , that you would condescend to satisfie me in the particulars i shall mention . i assure you , i have no other design , but to know the truth : which in things of such moment , certainly cannot be difficult , tho to my unfurnished head they have proved so : i hope my shaking may prove my establishment . that i may therefore put you to as little trouble as i can , i will first tell you what i do believe , and then what i stick at . first , therefore , i do really believe , and am very well satisfied , that there is a god , or a first cause that hath created all things , and given to every thing its being . for i am not acquainted with any independent being . i know not any thing that is able to subsist without the contribution of its fellow-creatures . i am conscio●s to my self , when sickness invades me , and death summons my compound to a dissolution , i can do nothing to the preservation of the being i enjoy . and if i cannot preserve my self as i am , much less could i make my self what i am : for when i was nothing , i could do nothing . and experience and sense tells me , as it is with me , so it is with others ; as there is none can preserve their beings , so there is none could acquire to themselves the being they have ; and if none , then not the first man. and indeed that was it i enquired after , from whence every species had at first their beings ; the way , how , and means by which they are continued . i know not any cause of the being of any thing , of which again i may not enquire the cause : and so from cause to cause , till through a multitude of causes , i necessarily arrive at the first cause of all causes , a being wholly uncaused , and without cause , except what it was unto it self . my next enquiry was into my self ; and my next business , to find what concern i have with my creator : which i knew no better way to attain , than by searching the bounds of humane capacity . for i concluded it reasonable to judg those attainments i was capable of in my creation , i was designed for . now if man is nothing more than what is visible , or may be made so by anatomy or pharmacy , he is no subject capable of enjoying , or loving god , nor consequently of a life of retrobution . in this enquiry i found man consisted of something visible and invisible ; the body which is visible , and something else that invisibly actuates the same . for i have seen the body , the visible part of man ; when the invisible , either through indisposition of its orgains , or its self , or being expelled its mansion , hath ceased to act ( i speak as one in doubt ) : the body hath been left to outward appearance the same ; it was yet really void of sense , and wholly debilitated of all power to act : but then what this invisible is , what to conclude of it , i know not : here i am at a stand , and in a labyrinth , without a clue : for i find no help any where . many have , i acknowledg , defended the souls immortality ; but none have proved the existence of such a being , and a life of retrobution , and that copiously enough ; but none have proved a subject capable of it . i know all our superior faculties and actings , are usually attributed to the soul ; but what it is in man they call so , they tell us not . to say it is that by which i reason , or that now dictates to me what i write , is not satisfactory : for i look for a definition , and such an one , as may not to ought else be appropriated . is it therefore a real being , really different from the body , and able to be without it ? or is it not ? if not , whatever it be , i matter not . if it be , is it a pure spirit , or meerly material ? if meerly material , and different only from the body gradually , and in some few degrees of subtilty , it is then a question , whether or not that we call death , and suppose a separation of the compound , be not rather a concentration of this active principle in its own body , which through some indisposition of the whole , or stoppage in its orgains , through gross corporeity , hath suffocated its actings . if it be a pure spirit , i would then know , what is meant by spirit ? and whether or no all things invisible , and imperceptable to sense , are accounted such ? if so , it is then only a term to distinguish between things evident to sense , and things not . if otherwise , how shall i distinguish between the highest degree of material , and the lowest degree of spiritual beings , or know how they are diversified , or be certain the being of the soul is rightly appropriated . for to me , an immaterial and spiritual being , seems but a kind of hocus , and a substance stript of all materiality , a substantial nothing . for all things at first had their origine from the deep dark waters : witness moses philosophy , in the 1st of genesis , on which the spirit of god is said to move . i am far from believing those waters such as that element we daily make use of ; but that they were material , appears by those multitudes of material productions they brought forth . and if those waters were material , such were all things they d●d produce , among which was man , of whom the text asserts nothing more plain ; for it saith , god created man of the dust of the earth ; the most gross part and sedement of those waters , after all things else were created . now the body only is not man ; for man is a living creature : it is that therefore by which the body lives and acts , that constitutes the man. now the apostle mentioneth man to consist of body , soul and spirit . my argument then is this , god created man of the dust of the earth . but man consists of a body soul and spirit : therefore body , soul and spirit are made of the dust , &c. and are material . the major and minor are undeniable ; and therefore the conclusion . yet do i not therefore conclude its annihilation : for i know all matter is eternal ; but am rather perswaded of its concentration ( as afore ) in its own body . but of its real being , purely spiritual , and stript of all materiality , really distinct from its body , i doubt . because that by several accidents happening to the body , the man is incapacited from acting rationally , as before ; as in those we call ideots , there is not in some of them so much a sign of a reasonable soul , as to distinguish them from bruits : whereas were the soul such as represented , it would rather cease to act , than act at a rate below it self . did it know its excellencies , such as we make them , it would as soon desert its being , as degrade its self by such bruitish acts : it is not any defect in its organs could rob the soul of its reason , its essential faculty . tho the workman breaks his tools , his hands do not lose their skill , but ceaseth to act , rather than to do ought irregularly : so likewise would the soul then act contrary to its own nature . secondly , because all the species both of the mineral , vegitable , and animal kingdoms , appear to me , but as the more eminent works of a most excellent operator , as engines of the most accurate engineer ; they all live , and have a principle of life manifest in their growth and augmentation , and so far as they are living weights , as i can perceive from the same source . but then comes in those natures and faculties whereby each is distinguished from other , even like several pieces of clock , or watch-work : the one shews the hour of the day , and no more ; the next shews the hour and minutes , another shews both the former , and likewise the age of the moon ; another hath not only the three former motions , but an addition of the rise and fall of tides ; yet all this , and many more that in that way are performed , are several distinct motions , arising all from the same cause , the spring or weight , the principle of motion in them . so among living weights , the first do only grow and augment their bulk , and have no possibility in nature to augment their kind ; the next , to wit , vegitables , do not only grow and increase their bulk , but likewise have a power of propagating their like : the third family , i mean the animal kingdom , do not only live and encrease their kind , but likewise are made sensative . and lastly , we our selves that are not only possest of all the former , but of something , i know not what , we think more excellent , and call reason , and all this from the same source ; namely , that we live ; which if we did not , we could not perform any of these acts . for life in us is the same as the spring or weight in the watch or clock , which ceasing , all other motion ceaseth , as in a watch or clock , the spring or weight being down . as life therefore is the cause of all motion , and all natural operation and faculties ; yet those multifarious operations and faculties , manifest in , and proper to the particular species of the three kingdoms , requires not divers principles of life , no more than divers motions specified in a watch or clock , requires divers weights or springs . and as the diversity of motion in watch or clock , ariseth not from diversity of weights or springs , but rather from other means : so those diversities of natures and faculties , manifest throughout the three kingdoms , arise not from divers principles of life , but from one principle of life , manifesting its power in bodies diversly organized . so that a tree or herb that only vegitates and propagates its kind , hath no other principle of life than an animal that hath sense , and more eminent faculties . the difference only , as i conceive , is , this principle of life in the vegitable , is bound up in a body organized to no other eud , by which life is hindred exerting any other power : but in the animal it 's kindled in a purer matter , by which it 's capacitated to frame more excellent orgains , in order to the exerting more eminent acts. for the principle of life can no more act rationally in matter capable of naught but vegitation ( for it acts in matter according to the nature thereof , advancing it to its utmost excellency ) , than a man can saw with a coult-staff , or file with an hatcher , or make a watch with a betle and wedges . i am apt to believe those rare endowments , and eminent faculties , wherewith men seem to excel meer sensatives , are only the improvement of speech , wherein we have the advantage of them , and the result of reiterated acts , until they become habits . for by the first we are able to communicate our conceptions and experiments each to other ; and by the other we do gradually ascend to the knowledg of things . for is all the knowledg either in the acts , liberal or mechanical , any more than this acts reiterated , until they become habits ; which when they are , we are said to know them ? and what is all our reasoning , but an argument in discourse tossed from one to another , till the truth be found , like a ball between two rackets , till at last a lucky blow puts an end to the sport ? we come into the world hardly men ; and many whose natures want cultivation , live , having nothing to distinguish them from brutes , but the outward form , speech , and some little dexterity , such as in apes or monkeys , in the things they have been taught , and the affairs they have been bred to . and could we imagine any man to have lived twenty or thirty years in the world , without the benefit of humane converse , what would appear then , think you , of a rational soul ? which the wise man well saw when he asserted the condition of men and beasts to be the same what a meer ignorant hath ; moses himself made of adam , that in his supposed best state , knew not that he was naked : but i believe the nine hundred and thirty years experience of his own , and the continual experiments of posterity , in that time communicated to him , might quicken his intellect . so that he died with more reason than he was created , and humane nature in his posterity . the next generation was imbellished with his attainments , to which their own experiences still made a new addition . the next generation built on their foundation , and the next on their ; and so on : and we are got on the shoulders of them all . so that it 's rather a wonder , that we know no more , than that we know so much . so that what we have , seems rather times product , through the means aforesaid , than what our natures were at first enricht with . the which appears likewise in those whose memory fails , and in whom the vestigia of things is wore out ; the habits they had contracted , and manner of working in their several acts being forgotten , what silly animals are they ? whereas were the soul such as represented , who could rob it of its endowments ? it 's true the debilitating of a hand , may impead a manual labour ; but rase what hath formerly been done out of the memory , and you render man a perfect bruit , or worse : for he knows not how to give a signification of his own mind . and indeed , i know not any thing wherein man excels the beasts , but may be referred to the benefit of speech and hands , capable of effecting its conceptions ; nor find any better way to attain a right knowledg of our selves , but by beholding our selves in adam , and enquiring , what nature had endued him with , which will fall far short of what we now admire in our selves . but now supposing all this answer'd , what will it avail us to a life of retrobution , if all return to one element , and be there immerged as brooks and rivers in the sea ? if we lose our individuation ; and all the souls that have existed , be swallowed up of one , where are the rewards and punishments of each individual . and we have reason to judg it will be thus , rather than otherwise , because we see every thing tends to its own centre , the water to the sea , and all that was of the earth to the earth , from whence they were taken . and solomon saith , the spirit returns to god that gave it . every thing then returning to its own element , ioseth its individuation . for we see all bodies returning to the earth , are no more individual bodies , but earth : have we not reason then to judg the same of spirits returning to their own element ? and what happiness then can we hope for , more than a deliverance from the present calamity ? or what misery are we eapable of , more than what is common to all ? the same is more evident in the body with which we converse , and are more sensibly acquainted with , seems wholly uncapable of either , &c. for all bodies are material , and matter it self is not capable of multiplication , but of being changed . therefore nature cannot multiply bodies , but changeth them ; as some bodies arise , others perish . natures expence in continual productions being constantly supplied by the dissolution of other compounds : were it otherwise , her store-house would be exhausted ; for it s by continual circulations , heaven and earth is maintain'd ; and by her even circular motion , she keeps her self imployed on the same stock of matter , and maintains every species . there is no body the same to day it was yesterday , matter being in a continual flux ; neither immediately on the dissolution of a compound , and corruption of the body , doth the earth thereof retain any specifick difference of that body it once was , but is immediately bestowed by nature , and ordered to the new production of other things . that part of matter therefore which constituteth a humane body , in a short time is putrified , and made earth , which again produceth either other inferior animals , or grass , or corn , for the nourishment of beasts and fowl , which again are the nourishment of men . thus circularly innumerable times round , nature continually impressing new forms of the same matter . so that that matter that now constitutes my body , it may be a thousand years ago was the matter of some other mans , or it may be of divers mens , then putrified ; which in this time hath suffered infinite changes , as it may be sometime grass , or corn , or an herb , or bird , or beast , or divers of them , or all , and that divers times over , before my body was framed ; who then can say , why this matter so changeable , should at last be restored , my body rather than his , whose formerly it was , or the body of a bird , or other animal ? for by the same reasons that the body of man is proved to arise again , may , i think , be proved the restoration of all other bodies , which is equally incredible to me ( if understood at one time ) . for natures stock of matter being all at first exhausted , she could not employ her self in new productions , without destroying some of the old ; much less can she at once fabricate out of the same quantity of matter , all the bodies that ever were , are , or shall be ; which yet , notwithstanding could she , they could not be said to be the same bodies , because all bodies suffer such alteration daily , that they cannot be said to be the same to day they were yesterday ; how then can they be capable of reward or punishment ? these are now my doubts ; but are they the fruits of diligence ? and am i thus rewarded for not believing at a common rate ? a great deal cheaper could i have sate down , and believed as the church believes ; without a why , or a wherefore , have been ignorant of these disputes , and never have emerged my self in this gulf , than thus by reflection to create my own disturbance . had i been made a meer animal , i had had none of these doubts nor fears that thus torment my mind ; for doubting , happy bruits happy , far more happy than my self ! with you is none of this ; with you only is serenity of mind , and you only void of anxieties ; you only enjoy what this world is able to accommodate with , and it may be too have those caresses we know not of , while we , your poor purveyors , go drooping and disponding , doubting , fearing , and caring about , and our whole lives only a preying on one another , and tormenting our selves . you have the carnal content and satisfaction ; we nothing but the shell , a vain glorious boast of our lordship over you , with which we seek to satisfie our selves , as prodigals , with husks , while the truth is , we are afraid to confront our vassals , except we first by craft and treachery beguile them from whom likewise we flee , if once enraged : and what a poor comfort is this ? is this a priviledg to boast of ? is this all reason advanceth to , only a purveyor to beasts , and to make my life more miserable , by how much more sensible of misery ! well might solomon prefer the dead before the living ; and those that had not been , before both ; intimating thereby , that being best , least capable of misery ; that is , of trees , of herbs , of stones , and all inanimates , which wanting sense , are insensible of misery . better any thing than man therefore , since that every brute and inanimate stock or stone , are more happy in that measure : they are less capable of misery . what the advantage then , what the benefit that occurs to us from them , or what preheminence have we above them , seeing as dieth the one , so dieth the other , and that they have all one breath ? pardon this degression ; the real sense and apprehension i have of things , extort it from me . for i , as job , cannot refrain my mouth , but speak in the bitterness of my spirit , and complain in the anguish of my soul , why died i not from the womb ? why did i not give up the ghost when i came out of the belly ? why did the knees prevent me ? or why the breasts , that i should suck ? i had then been among solomon 's happy ones : i should now have lain still and been quiet ; i should have slept , and been at rest : whereas now i am weary of life . for tho i speak , my grief is not asswaged ; and tho i forbear , i am not eased ; but now he hath made me weary , and made desolate all my company : he hath filled me with wrinkles , which is a witness against me ; and my leanness rising up in me , beareth witness to my face , god hath delivered me to the ungodly , and turned me over into the hand of the wicked , and my familiar friends have forgotten me . i said , i shall die in my nest , and shall multiply my days as the sand , when my root was spread out by the waters , and the dew lay all night on my branch ; when my glory was fresh , and my bow was renewed in my hand : but i find while my flesh is upon me , i shall have pain , and while my soul is in me , it shall mourn . have pity upon me , o my friend ! for the hand of god hath touched me . the wicked live , and become old ; yea , they are mighty in power , their seed is established in their sight with them , and their off-spring before their eyes ; their houses are safe from fear , neither is the rod of god upon them , &c. they are planted , and take root , they grew ; yea , they bring forth fruit , yet god is never in their mouth , and far from their reins . in vain then do i wash my hands in innocency , seeing all things come alike to all . there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked , to the good , to the clean , and to the unclean ; to him that sacrificeth , and to him that sacrificeth not : as is the good , so is the sinner ; and he that sweareth , as he that feareth an oath . i have now done ( tho i hardly know how ) , lest i too far trouble you ; and only beg your perusal of these lines , and two or three in answer of them by this bearer , who shall at your appointment wait on you for the same . let me farther ●eg these two things of you : first , that you would consider you have not to do with a sophistick wrangler , or with one that would willingly err , but with one that desires to know the truth . let therefore your answer be , as much as you can , void of scholastick terms , or notions that may lead me more into the dark . and then , as job did beg , that god would withdraw his hand far from him , and that his dread might not make him afraid ; so i. and further , that you would not awe me with his greatness , nor suppress my arguments with his omnipotence . then call thou , and i will answer ; or let me speak , and answer thou me . thus begging the divine influence to direct you , and enlighten me , i subscribe my self , sir , § . 1. it is your wisdom in cases of so great moment , to use all just endeavours for satisfaction ; and i think you did but your duty , to study this as hard as you say you have done . but 1. i wish you had studied it better ; for then you would not have been a stranger to many books which afford a just solution of your doubts , as i must suppose you are , by your taking no notice of what they have said . 2. and i wish you had known , that between the solving of all your objections , and taking all on trust from men , or believing as the church believeth , there are two other ways to satisfaction ( which must be conjunct ) : 1. discerning the unanswerable evidences in nature and providence , of the souls future life . 2. and taking it on trust from divine revelation ; which is otherwise to be proved , than by believing as the church by authority requireth you . i have written on this subject so much ●●ready , that i had rather you had told me , why you think it unsatisfactory , than desire me to transcribe it , while print is as legible as manuscript . if you have not read it , i humbly offer it to your consideration . it is most in two books : the first which i intreat you to read , is called , the reasons of the christian religion : the other is called , the unreasonableness of infidelity . if you think this too much labour , you are not so hard or faithful a student of this weighty case , as it deserveth , and you pretend to be . if you will read them ( or the first at least ) , and after come to me , that we may fairly debate your remaining doubts , it will be a likelier way for us to be useful to each other , than my going over all the mistakes of your paper will be . and i suppose you know , that we have full assurance of a multitude of verities , against which many objections may be raised , which no mortal man can fully solve , especially from modes and accidents . nay , perhaps there is nothing in the world which is not liable to some such objections . and yet i will not neglect , your writing . § . 2. when you were convinc'd , that there is a first cause , it would have been an orderly progress to think what that cause is ; and whether his works do not prove his infinite perfection , having all that eminently which he giveth formally to the whole world , as far as it belongeth to perfection to have it . for none can give more than he hath . and then you should have thought what this god is to man , as manifest in his works : and you should have considered what of man is past doubt , and thence in what relation he stands to god , and to his fellow-creatures : and this would have led you to know mans certain duty : and that would have assured you of a future life of retribution . is not this a just progress ? § . 3. but you would know a definition of the soul. but do you know nothing but by definitions ? are all men that cannot define , therefore void of all knowledg ? you know not at all what seeing is , or what light is , or what feeling , smelling , tasting , hearing is , what sound or odor is , what sweet or bitter , nor what thinking , or knowing , or willing , or loving is , if you know it not before defining tell you , and better than bare defining can ever tell you . every vital faculty hath a self-perception in its acting ; which is an eminent sense : intuition also of outward sensible objects , or immediate perception of them , as sensata & imaginata , is before all argument and definition , or reasoning action . by seeing , we perceive that we see ; and by understanding , we perceive that we understand . i dare say , that you know the acts of your own soul by acting , tho when you come to reasoning or defining , you say you know not what they are . you can give no definition what substance is , or ens at least , much less what god is . and yet what is more certain than that there is substance , entity , and god ? § . 4. but i 'le tell you what the soul of m●n is : it is a vital , intellectual , volitive spirit , animating a humane organized body . when it is separated , it is not formally a soul , but a spirit still . § . 5. qu. but what is such a mental spirit ? it is a most pure substance , whose form is a power or virtue of vital action , intellection , and volition ( three in one ) . § . 6. i. are you not certain of all these acts , viz. that you act vitall , understand and will ? if not , you are not sure that you see , that you doubt , that you wrote to me , or that you are any thing . ii. if you act these , it is certain that you have the power of so acting . for nothing doth that which it cannot do . iii. it is certain , that it is a substance which hath this power : for nothing can do nothing . iv. it is evident , that it is not the visible body , as composed of earth , water and air , which is this mental substance . neither any one of them , nor all together have life , understanding , or will. they are passive beings , and act not at all of themselves , but as acted by invisible powers . they have an aggregative inclination to u●ion , and no other . were it not for the igneous nature which is active , or for spirits , they would be cessant . therefore you are thus far past the dark , that there is in man an invisible substance , which hath , yea , which is a power or virtue of vital action , intellection , and volition . v. and that this active power is a distinct thing from meer passive power , or mobilitie per aliud , experience puts past doubt . there is in every living thing a power , or virtue of self-moving , else life were not life . vi. and that this is not a meer accident of the soul , but its essential form , i have proved so fully in my methodus theologiae , in a peculiar disputation , that i will not here repeat it . it 's evident , that even in the igneous substance , the vis motiva , illuminativa , calefactiva , is more than an accident , even its essential form : but were it otherwise , it would but follow , that if the very accidental acts or qualities of a soul be so noble , its essential must be greater . vii . but it is certain , that neither souls , nor any thing , have either being , power , or action , but in constant receptive dependence on the continued emanation of the prime cause ; and so no inviduation is a total separation from him , or an independence , or a self-sufficiency . thus far natural light tells you what souls are . § . 7. you add you self , that those attainments which you were made capable of , you were designed to . very right . god maketh not such noble faculties or capacities in vain ; much less to engage all men to a life of duty , which shall prove deceit and misery . but you have faculties capable of thinking of god , as your beginning , guide , and end , as your maker , ruler , and benefactor ; and of studying your duty to him , in hope of reward , and of thinking what will become of you after death , and of hoping for future blessedness , and fearing future misery : all which no bruit was ever capable of . therefore god designed you to such ends which you are thus capable of . § . 8. you say ( p. 3. ) many have defended the souls immortality ; but none have proved a subject capable of a life of retribution . it 's a contradiction to be immortal , or rewarded , and not to be a subject capable . for nothing hath no accidents . nothing hath that which it is not capable of haing . § . 9. you say , none tell us what it is . how many score volumes have told it us ? i have now briefly told you what it is . you say , [ to say it is that by which i reason , is not satisfactory . i look for a definition ] . but on condition you look not to see or feel it , as you do trees or stones , you may be satisfied . i have given you a definition . the genus is substantia purissima ; the differentia is virtus vitalis , activa , intellectiva , volitiva ( trinum a imago creatoris ) . what 's here wanting to a definition ? i have told you , that there is an antecedent more certain perception , than by definition ; by which i know that i see , hear , taste , am , and by which the soul , in act , is conscious of it self . § . 10. you ask , 1. is it a real being ? answ . i told you , nothing can do nothing . 2. is it really different from the body ? answ . a substance which hath in it self an essential principle of life , intellection , and volition , and that which hath not , are really different . try whether you can make a body feel , or understand without a soul. 2. those that are seperable , are really different . 3. you ask , is it able to be without it ? answ . what should hinder it ? the body made not the soul : a viler substance giveth not being to a nobler . 2. nothing at all can be without continued divine sustentation . but we see , juxta naturam , god annihilateth no substance : changes are but by composition , and separation , and action , but not by annihilation . an atome of earth or water , is not annihilated ; and why should we suspect , that a spiritual substance is ? yea , the contrary is fully evident , tho god is able to annihilate all things . § . 11. you say , if it be meerly material , and differ from the body but gradually , death may be but its concentration of this active principle in its own body . answ . if you understand your own words , it 's well . 1. do you know what material signifieth ? see crakenthorp's metaphysicks , and he will tell you in part , it 's an ambiguous word . sometime it signifieth the same as substantia ; and so souls are material . sometime it signifieth only that sort of substance which is called corporeal . dr. more tells you , that penetrability , and indivisibility , difference them . but what if fire should differ from air materially , but in degree of subtilty and purity , or sensitive souls from igneous , and mental from sensitive , but in higher degrees of purity of matter ; is it not the form that maketh the specifick difference ? air hath not the igneous virtue of motion , ●●umination , and calefaction ; nor ig●●s , the sensitive virtues , nor meer sensi●●ves the rational virtues aforesaid . for●● dat esse & nomen . this maketh not ●meer gradual difference , but a speci●● . there is in compounds matter , and materiae dispositio receptiva , & forma . there is somewhat answerable 〈◊〉 spiritual uncompounded beings . there is substantia , and substantiae dispositio , & forma . these are but intellectually distinct , and not 〈◊〉 , and are but inadequate conceptions of one thing . that substantia is conceptus fundamentalis , is confest . some make penetr●●bility and indivisibility , substantiae concep●●● dispositi●● . but the virtus vitalis activa , intol● 〈◊〉 , volitiva , in one , is the conceptus formatis . 2. but what mean you by [ the active principles concentration in its own body ] ? it is a strange fxpression . 1. if you mean , that it 's annihilated , then it remaineth not . 〈◊〉 if you mean , that it remaineth an active principle , you mean a substance , or acci●●●t . if 〈◊〉 substance , it seems you acknow●●●g it a self-subsisting being , only not separate from its carcass . and if they be two , why are they not separable ? if separable , why not separated ? when the dust of the carcass is scattered , is the soul concentred in every atome , or but in one ? and is it many , or one concentred soul ? if you mean , that it 's but an accident , that 's disprov'd before ; what accident is it ? if con●●ntred in the body , the body , and every dust of it , is vital and intellectual . and if so , every clod and stone is so ; which i will not so much wrong you , as to imagine that you think . § . 12. but you would know what 's meant by a spirit , whether all that is not evident to sense ? ans . it is a pure substance ( saith dr. more , penetrable and indivisible ) essentially vital , perceptive and appetitive . § . 13. you add , [ how shall i know the difference between the highest degree of materials , and lowest of immaterials ? to me an immaterial , and spiritual being , seems a kind of hccus , a substantial nothing . ans . if you take matter for the same with substance , it is material . but not if you take matter , as it 's usually taken , for corporeal ; or gross , and impenetrable , and divisible substance , uncapable of essential , vital , self-moving perception and appetite . if this seems nothing to you , god seems nothing to you , and true nature , which is principium motus , seems nothing to you : and all that performeth all the action which you see in the world ; seems nothing to you . it 's pity that you have converst so little with god and your self , as to think both to be nothing . § . 14. what you say out of gen. 1. is little else but mistake , when you say [ all was made out of the deep waters by the spirit of god ] . the text nameth what was made of them . it saith nothing of the creation of angels , or spirits , out of them ( no , nor of the light , or earth , or firmament ) . and whereas you say , [ god made man of the dust of the ground ; but the body only is not man , ergo . ans . you use your self too unkindly , to leave out half the words , gen. 2. 7. and the lord god formed man of the dust of the ground , and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life , and man became a living soul ; when the text tells us the two works by which god made man , will you leave out one , and then argue exclusively against it ? what if i said , [ the chandler made a candle of tallow , and then by another kindled it ] ? or [ a man made an house of bricks , and cemented them with mortar , &c. ] ? will you thence prove , that he made a candle burning without fire , or the house without mortar ? words are useless to such expositors . § . 15. page 4. you say ; you know all matter is eternal . but you know no such thing . if it be eternal , it hath one divine perfection : and if so , it must have the rest , and so should be god. but what 's your proof ? you again ( believe the souls concentration in its body ] ▪ ans . words insignificant . it 's idem or aliud . if idem , then dust is essentially vital and intellectual . deny not spiritual forms , if every clod or stone have them . if aliud , how prove you it to be there , rather than elsewhere ? and if you considered well , you would not believe essential , substantial life and mind , to lye dead and unactive , so long as the dust is so . § . 16. you come to the hardest objecti [ the souls defective acting in infants , ideots , the sick , &c. and say , [ it would rather not act , if it were as represented . ] ans . 1. it cannot be denied , but the operations of the soul here , are much of them upon the organized body ; and tho not organical , as if they acted by an organ , yet organical , as acting on an organ ; which is the material spirit ▪ primarily . and so there go various causes to some effects , called acts. 2. and the soul doth nothing independently , but as dependent on god , in being and operation : and therefore doth what god knoweth , and useth it too , as his instrument , in the forming of the body ; and in what it knoweth not it self . and as god , as fons naturae necessitateth the natural agency of the soul , as he doth the soul of bruits . but as the wise and free governor of the world , he hath to moral acts , given mans soul free-will , and therefore conducting reason ; which it needs not to necessitated acts , as digestion , motion of the blood , formation of the body , &c. and as it is not made to do all its acts freely and rationally , so neither at all times , as in apoplexies , infancy , sleep , &c. it is essential to the soul , to have the active power or virtue of intellection and free-will , but not always to use it . as it is essential to the substance of fire , tho latent in a flint , to have the power of motion , lighe and heat . and its considerable , that as a traveller in his journey , thinking and talking only of other things , retaineth still a secret act of intending his end , ( else he would not go on ) when he perceiveth and observeth it not at all . he that playeth on the lute or harpsical , ceaseth when his instrument is , out of tune ; because he acteth by free-will . but the soul of an idiot or mad-man acteth only per modum naturae , not by free-acts , but necessitated by god by the order of nature . only moral acts are free ; and that some other are but brutish , and some but vegitative , is no-more a wonder , than that it should understand in the head , and be sensible only in the most of the body , and vegitative only in the hairs and nails . it operateth in all the body by the spirits , as calid ; but about the eyes , and open sensoria , by spirits also as lucid , for that use . § . 14. but never forget this , that nothing at any time doth what it cannot do : but many can do that which they do not . tho the soul in the womb , or sleep , remember not , or reason not ; if ever it do it , that proveth it had the power of doiug it . and that power is not a novel accident , tho the act may be so . § . 18. to your explications p. 4. i say , 1. none doubts , but all the world is the work of one prime operating cause ; whom i hope you see in them , is of perfect power , wisdom aud goodness , the chief efficient dirigent and final cause of all . 2. i doubt not , but the created universe is all one thing or frame ; and no one atome or part totally separated from , and independent on the rest . 3. but yet the parts are multitudes , and heterogeneous , and have their individuation , and are at once many and one in several respects . and the unity of the universe , or of inferior universal causes ( as the sun , or an anima telluris , &c. ) are certainly consistent with the specifick and individual differences of the parts . e. g. many individual apples grow on the same tree ; yea , crabs and apples by divers grafts , nourished on the same stock : one may rot , or be sower , and not another . millions of trees , as also of herbs and flowers , good and poysonous , all grow in the same earth . here is unity , and great diversity . and tho self-moving animals be not fixed on the earth , no doubr they have a contiguity , or continuity , as parts with the universe . but for all that , a toad is not a man , nor a man in torment , undifferenced from another at ease , nor a bad man all one with a good . § . 19. and if any should have a conce●● , that there is nothing but god and matter . i have fully confuted it in the appendix to reas . of christian religion . matter is no such omnipotent sapiential thing in it self , as to need no cause or maker , any more than compounds . and to think , that the infinite god would make no nobler creature than dead matter , no liker himself , to glorifie him , is antecedently absurd , but consequently notoriously false . for tho nothing be acted without him , it 's evident that he hath made active natures with a principle of self-moving in themselves . the sun differs from a clod , by more than being matter variously moved by god , even by a self-moving power also . else there were no living creature , but bodies in themselves dead , animated by god. but it would be too tedious to say all against this that 's to be said . § . 20. when you tell us of [ one life in all , differenc'd only by diversity of organs ] , you mean god , or a common created soul. if god , i tell you where i have confuted it . it 's pity to torment or punish god in a murderer , or call him wicked in a wicked man : or that one man should be hang'd , and another prais'd , because the engines of their bodies are diverse . but the best anatomists say , that nothing is to be seen in the brain of other animals , why they might not be as rational as men. and if it be an anim● creata communis that you mean , either 〈◊〉 think it is a universal soul to the univers●● world , or only to this earth or vortex . if to all the world , you feign it to have 〈◊〉 prerogative . if to part of the world , 〈◊〉 each vortex , sun , star , &c. have a dist●●● individuate superior soul , why not 〈◊〉 so inferiors ? and why may not millions of individual spirits consist with more common or universal spirits , as well as the life 〈◊〉 worms in your belly with yours . that which hath no soul or spirit of its own , 〈◊〉 not fit for such reception and communion with superior spirits , as that which hath . communion requireth some similitude . we see god useth not all things alike , because he makes them not like . § . 21. but if the difference between beasts , trees , stones , and men , be only the organical contexture of the body ; then 1. either all these have but one soul , and 〈◊〉 are but one , save corporeally . 2. or 〈◊〉 very stone , tree and beast hath an intellectual soul : for it is evident that man hath by its operations . i. had you made but virtue and vice to be only the effects of the bodies contexture , sure you would only blame the maker ●f your body , and not your self , for any of your crimes : for yon did not make your own body , if you were nothing . is the common light and sense of nature no evidence ? doth not all the world difference virtue and vice , moral good and evil ? is it only the difference of an instrument in tune , and out of tune ? either then all called sin is good ; or god , or the universal soul , only is to be blamed . then to call you a knave , or a lyar , or perjured , &c. is no more disgrace , than to say , that you are sick , or blind . then all laws are made only to bind god , or the amima mundi ; and all punishment is threatned to god , or this common soul. and it is god , or the common soul only in a body , which sorroweth , feareth , feeleth pain or pleasure . ii. and if you equal the souls of beasts , trees , stones and men , you must make them all to have an intellectual soul. if man had not , he could never understand . and if they have so also , frustra fit potentia quae nunquam producitur in actum . it is certain that it is not the body ( earth , air or water ) that feeleth , much less that understandeth or willeth . if therefore all men have but one soul , why is it not you that are in pain or joy , when any , or all others are so ? tour suffering and joys are as much theirs . you hurt your self when you hurt a malefactor . why are you not answerable for the crimes of every thief , if all be one ? § . 22. you vainly liken several natures and faculties to several pieces of clock-work , for natures and faculties are self-acting principles under the prime agent : but a clock is only passive , moved by another : whether the motus gravitationis in the poise , be by an intrinslck principle , or by another 〈◊〉 active nature , is all that 's controvertible there . all that your similitude will infer , is this , that as the gravitation of one poise , moves every wheel according to its receptive aptitude ; so god , the universal spirit , moveth all that is moved , according to their several aptitudes , passives as passive , actives as active , vitals as self-movers , intellectuals as intellectual-free-self-movers under him . no art can make a clock feel , see or understand . but if the world have but one soul , what mean you by its concentring in the carcass ? is the universal soul there fallen asleep , or imprisoned in a grave , or what is it ? § . 23. add page 5. you well say , that life is the cause of all motion : yea , infinite life , wisdom and love , is the cause of all : but there be second causes under it : plurima ex uno . and it maketh things various , which it moveth variously ; and maketh them vital , sensitive or mental , which he will move to vital , sensitive and mental acts . operari sequitur esse . § . 24. you are apt to believe , that those eminent faculties wherewith men seem meer sensitives , are only the improvement of speech , and reiterated acts , till they become habits . ans . 1. i had a parrot that spoke so very plainly , that no man could discern but he could have spoke as well as a man , if he had but had the intellect of a man ; and quickly would learn new words , but shewed no understanding of them . 2. many men born deaf and dumb , are of a strong understanding ( enquire of a brother of sir richard dyett's , a son of mr. peter whalley of northampton , a son in law of the lord wharton's , &c. 3. the faculty and the habit are two things . the faculty is the essential form of the substance . the habit , or act , is but an accident . the faculty is nothing but the active power . and the power goeth before the act. doth acting , without power to act , cause the power ? what need you the power , if you can act without it ? and what 's a contradiction , if this be not , to say , i do that which i cannot do , or i can do that which i have no power to do ? you are not a man without the faculty , but you are without the act ; or else you are no man in your sleep . the act then is but the faculties act ; and habits are nothing but the faculties promptitude to act . and this indeed is caused sometime by very strong acts , and sometime , and usually , by frequent acts ; and sometime suddenly , by a special divine operation . no doubt , but oratory , and all arts and sciences , are caused by frequent acts , and their objects : but those acts are caused by humane faculties , under god , the first cause . you can never cause a carcass , or a parrot , or any bruit , to think of god , and the glory to come , nor to do any proper humane act . credible history assureth us , that devils , or separate souls , have acted carcasses , and discoursed in them , and seemed to commit fornication in them , and left them dead behind them ; and they were known to be the same that were lately executed , or dead , and were re-buried . here the dead organ was capable , when a spirit did but use it . you too much confound intelléction and ratiocination . the prime acts of intellective perception are before ratiocination . and there are a multitude of complex verities , which all sound men know without syllogisms . the disposition to know them , is so strong , that some call it actual knowledg . § . 25. add page 6. it 's well known , that the natives in new england , the most barbarous abassines , gallanes , &c. in ethicpia , have as good natural capacities as the europeans . so far are they from being but like apes and monkeys ; if they be not ideots , or mad , they sometime shame learned men in their words and deeds . i have known those that have been so coursly clad , and so clownishly bred , even as to speech , looks and carriages , that gentlemen and scholars , at the first congress , have esteemed them much according to your description , when in discourse they have proved more ingenious than they . and if improvement can bring them to arts , the faculty was there before . when will you shew us an ape or a monkey , that was ever brought to the acts or habits before mentioned of men ? yea , of those that were born deaf and dumb ? § . 26. your mistake of adam's cas●● and solomon's words , is so gross , that i will not confute it , lest the description of it offend you . § . 17. the case of failing memories is answered before , in the case of infancy and apop●exies , &c. our memory faileth in our sleep : and yet when we awake , we find that there remains the same knowledg of arts and sciences . they did not end at night , and were not all new made tne next morning . the acts ceased , because the receptivity of the passive organ ceased : but the habit and faculty continued . and when memory in old men faileth about names , and words , and little matters , their judgments about great things are usually stronger ( by better habits ) than young mens . § . 28. you say , you know nothing wherein man excels beasts , but may be referred to the benefit of speech and hands , capable of effecting its conceptions . ans . this is answered before . those conceptions are the cause of words and actions : and is there no cause of those conceptions ? and if mans conceptions differ from the beasts , the causes differed . and if the first conceptions did not differ , the subsequent would not differ neither , without a difference in the causal faculties . why do not beasts speak as well as men ? parrots shew , that it is not in all for want of a speaking organ . if one be born dumb , and not deaf , he will know but little the less for his dumbness . if he be born deaf and dumb , and not blind , he will still be rational , as dr. wallis can tell you , who hath taught such to talk and converse intelligibly by their fingers , and other signs , without words . i confess , if all the outward senses were stopt from the birth , i see not how the soul could know outward sensible things , as being no objects to it . and how it would work on it self alone , we know not ; but understand , and will , we are sure it doth : and therefore can do it . and it 's one thing to prove beasts to be men , or rational , and another thing to prove men to be beasts , or irrational . if you could prove the former , viz. that beasts have souls that can think of god , and the life to come , if they could but speak , this would rather prove them immortal , than prove man unreasonable , or of a mortal soul. your whole speech makes more to advance bruits , than to deny the reason of man. § . 29. you say , you know no better way to attain a right knowledg of our selves , than by beholding our selves in adam , and enquiring what nature had endued him with , which will fall far short of what we now admire in our selves . answ . 1. as a multitude of objects , and experiences , more tend to wisdom than one alone ; so to know both what adam was , and what all men are , and do , doth evidence more to our information , than to know adam's first case alone . 2. adam's first powers are to be known by his acts ; and his acts were not to be done at once , in a minute , or a day : and we have not the history of his life much after his fall. but we may be sure , that adam's nature in innocency , was no baser than ours corrupted . and therefore adam had the powers of doing whatever other men since have done . 3. but let us come to your test : 1. adam was made a living soul by the breath of god , after the making of his body of the earth . 2. adam and eve were blessed with a generative multiplying faculty : but they did not generate god ; nor did every bruit that had also that faculty . therefore there is a soul which is not god , in every animal , ( nor yet an universal soul ) . 3. adam , no doubt , could not know external sensible objects , till they were brought within the reach of his sense : no more can we . 4. adam knew the creatures as soon as he saw them ; and gave them names suitable . this is more than we could so soon do . 5. adam had a law given him ; and therefore knew that god was his ruler . he knew that god was to be obeyed ; he knew what was his law : else it had been no sin to break it . he knew that he ought to love , and believe , and trust god , and cleave to him : else it bad been no sin to forsake him , and to believe the tempter , and to love the forbidden fruit better than god. he knew that death was the threatned wages of sin. in a word , he was made in the image of god : and paul tells us , it is that image into which we are renewed by christ : and he describeth it to consist in wisdom , righteousness , and true holiness . 6. and we have great reason to think , that it was adam that taught abel to offer sacrifice in faith , and delivered to his posterity the traditions which he had from god. tho adam did not do all this at once , he did not receive a new soul or faculty for every new act . can apes and monkeys do all this ? doth god give them laws to know and keep as moral free-agents ? but you say , adam knew not that he was naked . ans . what! and yet knew god and his law , and how to name the creatures , and how to dress and keep the garden ? he knew not that nakedness was shameful ; for he had newly made it shameful . perhaps you think of adam's forbidden desire of knowledg , and his miserable attainment of it . but that did not make him a new soul , that had no such faculty before . adam was the son of god by creation , luk. 3. and it was his duty and interest to live as a son , in absolute trust on his fathers care and love : and instead of this , he was tempted to self-dependance , and must needs know more than his duty , & his fathers love and reward : he must know good and evil for himself : like a child that must know what food , and rayment , and work is fittest for him , which he should know only by trusting his fa●thers choice ; or as a patient that must needs know every ingredient in his physick , and the nature and reason of it , before he will take it , when he should implicitly trust his physician . man should have waited on god for all his notices , and sought to know no more than he revealed . but a distrustful , and a selfish knowledg , and busy enquiring into unrevealed things , is become our sin and misery . § . 36. you say , suppose all this answered : what will it avail , as to a life of retribution , if all return to one element , and be there immerged as brooks and rivers in the sea , and we lose our individuation . ans . i answer'd this in the appendix to the reas . of the christian religion . i add 1. do you believe , that each one hath now one individual soul , or not ? if not , how can we lose that which we never had ? if we have but all one universal mover , which moveth us as engines , as the wind and water move mills , how come some motions to be so swift ( as a swallow ) , and others so slow , or none at all ; in as mobile a body ) ? yea , how cometh motion to be so much in our power , that we can sit still when we will , and rise , and go , and run , and speak when we will , and cease , or change it when we will ? a stone that falls , or an arrow that is shot , cannot do so . sure it is some inward formal principle ; and not a material mechanical mobility of the matter , which can cause this difference . indeed if we have all but one soul , it 's easie to love our neighbours as our selves , because our neighbours are our selves . but it 's as easie to hate our selves as our enemies , and the good as the bad , if all be one ( for forma dat nomen & esse ) . but it 's strange , that either god , or the soul of the world , shall hate it self , and put it self to pain , and fight against it self , as in wars , &c. but if you think still , that there is nothing but god and dead matter actuated by him , i would beg your answer to these few questions . 1. do you really believe , that there is a god ? that is , an eternal infinite self-being , who hath all that power , knowledg , and goodness of will , in transcendent eminency , which any creature hath formally , and is the efficient governor of all else that is . if not , all the world condemneth you : for it is not an uncaused being , and can have nothing but from its cause , who can give nothing greater than it self . 2. do you think this god can make a creature that hath a subordinate soul , or spirit , to be the principle of its own vital action , intellection , and volition , or not ? cannot god make a spirit ? if not , it is either because it is a contradiction ( which none can pretend ) , or because god is not omnipotent ; that is , is not god ; and so there is no god ; and so you deny what you granted . but if god can make a spirit , 3. why should you think he would not ? some of your mind say , that he doth all the good that he can ; or else he were not perfectly good . certainly his goodness is equal to his greatness , and is commmunicative . 4. hath he not imprinted his perfections in some measure , in his works ? do they not shew his glory ? judg of his greatness by the sun , stars , and heavens ; and of his wisdom , by the wonderful order , contexture , and goverument of all things . even the fabrick of a fly , or any animal , poseth us . and do you think , that his love and goodness hath no answerable effect ? 5. do you think , that passive matter doth as much manifest gods perfection , and honour the efficient , as vital and intellectual spirits ? if it be a far nobler work for god to make a free , vital , mental spirit , to act under him freely , mentally , and vitally , than to make meer atomes , why should you think that god will not do it ? 6. and do you not dishonour , or blaspheme the prime cause , by such dishonouring of his work , as to say , he never made any thing more noble than atomes , and compositions of them . 7. is there not in the creature a communicative disposition to cause their like ? animals generate their like : fire kindleth fire : wise men would make others wise : god is essential infinite life , wisdom and love : and can he , or would he make nothing liker to himself than dead atomes ? yea , you feign him to make nothing but by composition , while you say , that matter it self is eternal . 8. but when the matter of fact is evident , and we see by the actions , that there is a difference between things moved by god , some having a created life and mind , and some none , what needs then any further proof ? § . 31. but if you hold , that we have now distinct spirits , which are individual substances , why should you fear the loss of our individuation , any more than our annihilation , or specifick alteration ? if god made as many substantial individual souls , as men , is there any thing in nature or scripture , which thteatneth the loss of individuation ? i have shewed you , and shall further shew you enough against it . § . 32. you say , page 7. every thing returneth to its element , and loseth its individuation : earth to earth , water to the sea , the spirit to god that gave it . what happiness then can we hope for more than deliverance from the present calamity ; or what misery are we capable of , more than is common to all ? ans . 1. bodies lose but their composition , and spiritual forms . do you think , that any atome loseth its individuation ? if it be still divisible in partes infinitas , it is infinite . and if every atome be infinite , it is as much , or more than all the world ; and so is no part of the world ; and so there would be as many worlds , or infinites , as atomes . it is but an aggregative motion which you mention . birds of a feather will flock together , and yet are individuals still . do you think any dust , or drop , any atome of earth or water , loseth any thing of it self , by its union with the rest ? is any substance lost ? is the simple nature changed ? is it not earth and water still ? is not the haecceity , as they call it , continued ? doth not god know every dust , and every drop from the rest ? can he not separate them when he will ? and if nature in all things tend to aggregation , or union , it is then the perfection of every thing . and why should we fear perfection ? 2. but earth , and water , and air , are partible matter . earth is easily separable : the parts of water more hardly , by the means of some terrene separaror : the parts of air yet more hardly : and the sun-beams , or substance of fire , yet harder than that ( tho it's contraction and effects are very different ) : and spirits either yet harder , or not at all . some make it essential to them to be indiscerptible ; and all must say , that there is nothing in the nature of them , tending to division , or separation . and therefore tho god , who can annihilate them , can divide them into parts , if it be no contradiction ; yet it will never be , because he useth every thing according to its nature , till he cometh to miracles . therefore their dissilution of parts is no more to be feared , than their annihilation . 3. but if you take souls to be partible and unible , then you must suppose every part to have still its own existence in the whole . and do you think , that this doth not more advance souls than abase them ? yea , you seem to deifie them ; while you make them all to return into god , as drops into the sea. and if you feign god to be partible , is it not more honour and joy to be a part of god , who is joy it self , than to be a created soul ? if a thousand candles were put out , and their light turned into one luminary , as great as they all , every part would have its share in the enlightning of the place about it . is it any loss to a single soldier , to become part of a victorious army . 4. but indeed this is too high a glory for the soul of man to desire , or hope for . it is enough to have a blessed union with christ , and the holy society , consistent with our individuation . like will to like , and yet be it self . rivers go to the sea , and not to the earth . earth turns to earth , and not to the sun , or fire . and the holy and blessed , go to the holy and blessed : and i believe , that their union will be nearer than we can now well conceive , or than this selfish state of man desireth : but as every drop in the sea , is the same water it was , so every soul will be the same soul. 2. and as to the incapacity of misery which you talk of , why should you think it more hereafter than here ? if you think all souls now to be but one , doth not an aking tooth , or a gouty foot , or a calculous bladder , suffer pain , tho it be not the body that feeleth ; but the same sensitive soul is pain'd in one part , and pleas'd in another . and if all souls be now but god in divers bodies , or the anima mundi , try if you can comfort a man under the torment of the stone , or other malady , or on the rack , or in terror of conscience , by telling him , that his soul is a part of god. will this make a captive bear his captivity , or a malefactor his death ? if not here , why should you think that their misery hereafter will be ever the less , or more tolerable for your conceit , that they are parts of god ? they will be no more parts of him then , than they were here . but it 's like , that they also will have an uniting inclination , even to such as themselves ; or that god , will separate them from all true unity , and say , go you cursed into everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels , &c. § . 33. no doubt it 's true , that you say , page 7 , and 8. that matter is still the same , and liable to all the changes which you mention . but it 's an unchanged god , who doth all this by spirits , as second causes , who are not of such a changeable , dissoluble , partible nature , as bodies are : it is spirits that do all that 's done in the world . and i conjecture , as well as you , that universal spirits are universal causes . i suppose , that this earth hath a vegitative form , which maketh it as a matrix to receive the seeds , and the more active influx of the sun. but earth and sun are but general causes . only god , and the seminal virtue , cause the species , as such . the sun causeth every plant to grow ; but it causeth not the difference between the rose , and the nettle ▪ and the oak . the wonderful unsearchable virtue of the seed causeth that . and if you would know that virtue , you must know it by the effects . you cannot tell by the seed only of a rose , a vine , an oak , what is in it . but when you see the plants in ripeness , you may see that the seeds had a specifying virtue , by the influx of the general cause , to bring forth those plants , flowers , &c. neither can you know what is in the egg , but by the ripe bird ; nor what the soul of an infant is , but by manhood and its acts. § . 34. you here pag. 7. divert from the point of the immortality or nature of the soul , to that of the resurrection of the body : of which i will now say but this ; christ rose , and hath promised us a resurrection , and nothing is difficult to god. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oft signifieth our living another life after this . the body hath more parts than earth and water . the spirits as we call them , which are the igneous parts , lodged in the purest aereal in the blood , &c. are that body in and by which the soul doth operate on the rest . how much of these material spirits the soul may retain with it after death , we know not : and if it have such a body ▪ it hath partly the same ; and god can make what addition he please , which shall not contradict identity : paul saith of corn , god giveth it a body as pleaseth him , in some respect the same , &c. in some not the same that was sown . we do not hold , that all the flesh that ever a man had , shall be raised as that mans . if one man that was fat , grow lean in his sickness , we do not say , that all the flesh that sickness wasted , shall rise : it shall rise a spiritual body . god knoweth that which you and i know not . § . 35. you add , how easie it would have been to you to believe as the church believeth , and not to have immerged your self in these difficulties ? ans . 1. the church is nothing but all individual christians ; and it is their belief which makes them capable of being of the church : as we must be men in order of nature , before we are a kingdom of men ; so we are believers before we are a church of believers . a kingdom or policy maketh us not men , but is made of men ; and church-society or policy maketh us not believers , but is made up of believers . therefore belief is first , and is not caused by that which followeth it ? and why doth the church believe ? is it because they believe ? and whom do they believe ? is it themselves ? i doubt you have fallen into acquaintance with those whose interest hath made it their trade to puzzle and confound men about things as hard to themselves as others , that they may bring them to trust the church , and then tell them that it 's they that are that church , as a necessary means to the quieting their minds . and they tell them , you are never able by reason to comprehend the mysteries of faith ; the more you search , the more you are confounded . but if you believe as the church believeth , you shall speed as the church speedeth . , but it 's one thing to believe the same thing which the church believeth ; and another to believe it with the same faith , and upon the same authority . if a man believe all the articles of the creed only because men tell him that they are true , it is but a human faith , as resting only on mans authority ; but the true members of the church believe all the same things , because god revealeth and attesteth them ; and this is a divine faith : and so must you . if you love light more than darkness and deceit , distinguish , 1. believing men for authority . 2. believing men for their honesty , 3. believing men ▪ for the natural impossibility of their deceiving . and the foundation of this difference is here : mans soul hath two sorts of acts , necessary and contingent , or mutably free . to love our selves , to be unwilling to be miserable , and willing to be happy ; to love god as good , if known , &c. are acts of the soul as necessary , as for fire to burn combustible contiguous matter ; or for a bruit to eat ; so that all the testimonies which is produced by these necessary acts by knowing men , hath a physical certainty , the contrary being impossible . and this is infallible historical knowledg of matter of fact . thus we know there is such a city as rome , paris , venice , &c. and that there was such a man as k. james , ed. 6. hen. 8. william the conqueror , &c. and that the statutes now ascribed to ed. 3. and other kings and their parliaments are genuine . for judges judge by them ; lawyers plead them , kings own them , all men hold their estates and lives by them . contrary mens interest by lawyers are daily pleaded by them against each other ; and if any one would deny , forge or corrupt a statute ▪ interest would engage the rest against him to detect his fraud . 1. the certain effect of natural necessary causes hath natural necessary evidence of truth . but when all knowing men of contrary dispositions and interests . acknowledg a thing true , this is the effect of nataral necessary causes . ergo it hath natural necessary evidence of truth . 2. it is impossible there should be an effect without a sufficient cause . but that a thing should be false which all knowing men of contrary dispositions and interests acknowledg to be true , would be an effect without a cause ; for there is no cause in nature to effect it . it is impossible in nature that all men in england should agree to say , there was a king james , k. edward , q. mary , or that these statutes were made by them , if it were false . this is infallible historical testimony . it were not so strong if it were only by one party , and not by enemies also , or men of contrary minds and interests . and thus we know the history of the gospel ; and this tradition is naturally infallible . ii. but all the testimony which dependeth on humane acts , not necessary , but free , have but an uncertain moral humane credibility . for so all men are lyars ; i.e. fallible , and not fully to be trusted . and i. those testimonies which depend on mens honesty , are no farther credible , than we know the honesty of the men : which in some is great , in some is 〈◊〉 , in most is mixt , and lubricous , and doubtful , alas ! what abundance of false history is in the world ! who can trust the honesty of such men , as multitudes of popes , prelates , and priests have been ? will they stick at a lye , that stick not at blood , or any wickedness ? besides , the ignorance which invalidates their testimony . ii. and to pretend authority to rule our faith , is the most unsatisfactory way of all . for before you can believe that jesus is the christ , and his word true , how many impossibilities have you to believe ? 1. you must believe that christ hath a church . 2. and hath authorized them to determine what is to be believed , before you believe that he is christ . 3. you must know who they be whom you must believe ; whether all , or some , or a major vote . whether out of all the world , or a party . 4. and how far their authority extendeth ? whether to judg whether there be a god , or no god ; a christ , or no christ ; a heaven , or none ; a gospel , or none : or what . 5. and how their determinations out of all the world may come with certainty to us : and where to find them . 6. and when countreys and councils contradict and condemn each other , which is to be believed . many such impossibilities in the roman way , must be believed , before a m●n can believe that jesus is the christ . in a word , you must not puzzle your head to know what a man is , or whether he have an immortal soul ; but you must , 1. believe the church of believers , before you are a believer in christ . 2. and you must believe , that christ was god and man , and came to save man , before you believe that there is such a creature as man , or what he is , and whether he have a soul capable of salvation . but i have oft elsewhere opened these absurdities and contradictions ; where you may see them confuted , if you are willing . § . 36. your question about the souls nature , existence , and individuation , may be resolved by a surer and easier way : as followeth : i. by your own certain experience . 1. you perceive that you see , feel , understand , will and execute . 2. you may know , as is oft said , that therefore you have an active power to do these . 3. you may thence know , that it is a substance which hath that power . nothing can do nothing . 4. you may perceive , that it is not the terrene substance , but an invisible substance , actuating the body . 5. you may know , that there is no probability , that so noble a substance should be annihilated . 6. or that a pure and simple substance should be dissolved by the separation of parts ( or if that were , every part would be a spirit still ) . 7. you have no cause to suspect , that this substance should lose those powers or faculties which are its essential form , and be turned into some other species , or thing . 8. and you have as little cause to suspect , that an essential vital intellective power , will not be active , when active inclination is its essence . 9. you have no cause to suspect , that it will want objects to action in a world of such variety of objects . 10. and you have as little cause to suspect , that it will be unactive , for want of organs , when god hath made its essence active ; and either can make new organs ; or that which can act on matter , can act without , or on other matter . he that can play on a lute , can do somewhat as good , if that be broken . 11. and experience might satisfie you , that several men have several souls , by the several and contrary operations . 12. and you have no reason to suspect , that god will turn many , from being many ▪ into one ; or that unity should be any of their loss . all this , reason tells you , beginning at your own experience , as i have ( and elsewhere more fully ) opened . § . 37. ii. and you have at hand sensible proof of the individuation of spirits , by witches , contracts , and apparitions : of which the world has unquestionable proof , tho there be very many cheats . read mr. glanvill's new book , published by dr. moore , lavater de spectris , zanchy de angilii , manlii collect. bodin's daemonolog . remigius of witches , besides all the mallei malificorum , and doubt if you can . if you do , i can give you yet more , with full proof . § . 38. iii. but all that i have said to you , is but the least part , in comparison of the assurance which you may have by the full revelats on of jesus christ , who hath brought life and immortality to light in the gospel ▪ where the state , the doom , the rewards and punishment of souls is asserted . and without dark and long ambages , or roman juggles , we prove the truth of this gospel , briefly and infallibly thus : i. the history of christ's life , miracles , doctrine , death , resurrection , ascension , the apostles miracles , &c. is proved by such forementioned evidence , as hath physical certainty : not such as dependeth only on mens honesty , or moral argument , much less on a pretended determining authority ; but such as dependeth on necessary acts of man , even the consent of all sorts of contrary minds and interests , as we know the statutes of the land , or other certain history . but we are so far from needing to ask , which part of christians it is that is this church , that is to be believed , that it tendeth to the assertaining of us , that all the christian world , papists , protestants , greeks , moscovites , armenians , jacobites , nestorians , &c. herein agree , even while they oppose each other . to know whether there was a julius , or augustus caesar , a virgil , ovid cicero , and which are their works ; yea , which are the acts of councils ▪ no man goeth to an authorized determining judg for the matter of fact , but to historical proof . and this we have most full . ii. and if the history be true , the doctrine must needs be true , seeing it is fully proved by the matters of fact. christ being proved to be christ , all his words must needs be true . § . 39. the gospel of christ , hath these four parts of its infallible evidence . i. the antecedent and inhererent prophecies fulfilled . ii. the inherent impress of divinity on the gospel it self , unimitable by man. it hath gods image and superscription ; and its excellency , propria luce , is discernible . iii. all the miracles , and resurrection , and ascention of christ , the gift of his spirit , and extraordinary miracles of the apostles , and first churches . iv. the sanctifying work of the spirit by this gospel , on all believers in all ages of the world , by which they have the witness in themselves . a full constant unimitable testimony . § . 40. and now how highly soever you think of bruits , think not too basely of men , for whom christ became a saviour : and yet think not so highly of men , bruits and stones , as to think that they are god. and think not that your true diligence hath confounded you , but either your negligence , or seducers , or the unhappy stifling of obvious truth , by the ill ordering of your thoughts . and i beseech you remember , that gods revelationt are suited to mans use , and our true knowledg to his revtlations . he hath not told us all that man would know , but what we must know . nothing is more known to us than that of god which is necessary for us : yet nothing so incomprehensible as god. there is much of the nature of spirits , and the world to come , unsearchable to us , which will pose all our wits : yet we have sufficient certainty of so much as tells us our duty and our hopes . god hath given us souls to use , and to know only so far as is useful . he that made your watch , taught not you how it 's made ; but how to use it . instead therefore of your concluding complaints of your condition , thank god , who hath made man capable to seek him , serve him , love him , prai●e him , and rejoyce in hope of promised perfection . live not as a willful stranger to your soul and god. use faithfully the faculties which he hath given you : sin not willfully against the truth revealed , and leave things secret to god , till you come into the clearer light : and you shall have no cause to complain , that god ▪ whose goodness is equal to his greatness , hath dealt hardly with mankind . instead of trusting fallible man , trust christ , who hath fully proved his trustiness ; and his spirit will advance you to higher things than bruits are capable of . god be merciful to us dark unthankful sinners ▪ mar. 14. 1681. ri. baxter . errata . in the second part , p ▪ 12. l. 9. for primus r. primae p. 16. l. 21. for is r. are . i have not leisure to gather the rest , if there be any . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26976-e16530 here 〈◊〉 wha● wan● 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 cop● compassionate counsel to all young men especially i. london apprentices, ii. students of divinity, physick, and law, iii. the sons of magistrates and rich men / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1681 approx. 250 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 106 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26903 wing b1229 estc r170462 10547713 ocm 10547713 45238 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26903) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 45238) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1395:26) compassionate counsel to all young men especially i. london apprentices, ii. students of divinity, physick, and law, iii. the sons of magistrates and rich men / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 192, [8] p. printed by t.s. and are to be sold by b. simmons and jonath. greenwood, london : 1681. reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng young men -conduct of life. christian life -presbyterian authors. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-06 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2004-06 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion compassionate counsel to all young-men . especially , i. london-apprentices . ii. students of divinity , physick , and law. iii. the sons of magistrates and rich men. by richard baxter . london , printed by t. s. and are to be sold by b. simmons , and ionath . greenwood , at the three golden cocks at the west end of st. pauls , and at the crown in the poultry . 1681. the contents . chap. 1. prefatory . ch. 2. of what grand importance the case of youth is to themselves , that betimes they live to god. ch. 3. of what publick concernment the quality of youth is . ch. 4. how the case standeth with our youth in matter of fact. ch. 5. how sad the case of many of them is . ch. 6. the joyful state and blessing of good children to themselves and others . ch. 7. vndeniable reasons for the speedy repentance of those that have miscarried : by way of exhortation . ch. 8. directions to them that are willing to amend . ch. 9. special counsel to the candidates for the ministry . ch. 10. short counsel to young students in physick . ch. 11. short counsel to young men in the inns of court , that study the law. ch. 12. short counsel to the sons of nobles and magistrates . ch. 13. some memorials to parents . ch. 14. a short word to church ministers for youth . to the youth of london , ( and the rest of england ) richard baxter's last and compassionate warning and advice . chap. i. there is no man that ever understood the interest of mankind , of families , cities , kingdoms , churches , and of jesus christ the king and saviour , but he must needs know that the right instruction , education , and sanctification of youth is of unspeakable consequence to them all . in the place where god most blest my labours ( at kidderminster , in worcester-shire ) my first and greatest success was upon the youth . and ( which was a marvellous way of divine mercy ) when god had toucht the hearts of young men and girles with a love of goodness , and delightful obedience to the truth , the parents and grandfathers who had grown old in an ignorant worldly state , did many of them fall into liking and love of piety , induced by the love of their children , whom they perceived to be made by it , much wiser and better , and more dutiful to them . and god by his unexpected disposing providence , having now twenty years placed me in and near london , where in variety of places and conditions , ( sometimes under restraint by men , and sometimes at more liberty ) i have preached but as to strangers , in other mens pulpits as i could , and not to any special flock of mine , i have been less capable of judging of my success : but by much experience have been made more sensible of the necessity of warning and instructing youth , than i was before . the sad reports of fame have taught it me : the sad complaints of mournful parents have taught it me : the sad observation of the wilful impenitence of some of my acquaintances tells it me . the many score if not hundred bills that have been publickly put up to me , to pray for wicked and obstinate children have told it me . and by the grace of god , the penitent confessions , lamentations , and restitutions of many converts have more particularly acquainted me with their case . which moved me on my thursdays lecture a while to design the first of every month , to speak to youth and those that educate them . and though i have already loaded the world with books , finding that god seems to be about ending my life and labours , i am urged in my mind by the greatness of the case to add yet this epistle to the younger sort . which shall contain i. the great importance of the case of youth . ii. how it stands with them in matter of fact . iii. what are the causes of their sin and dangerous degeneracy . iv. how great a blessing wise and godly youth are to themselves and others . v. how great a plague and calamity the ungodly are . vi. what great reason ungodly sensual youth have , presently to repent and turn to god. vii . directions to them how to do it . viii . and some directions to parents about their education . and all must be with the brevity of an epistle . chap. ii. to begin betimes to live to god , is of unspeakable importance ▪ to your selves . for , 1. you were betimes solemnly dedicated to god , as your god , your father , your saviour ▪ and your sanctifier , by your baptismal vow . and as that was a great mercy , it obliged you to great duty : you were capable in infancy of that holy dedication and relation ; and your parents were presently obliged as to dedicate you to god , so to educate you for god : and as soon as you are capable of performance , the vow is upon your selves to do it . if your childhood is not presently obliged to holiness , according to your natural capacity , no doubt your vow and baptism should have been also delayed . little think many that talk against anabaptists , how they condemn themselves by the sacred name of christians , while they by perfidious sacriledge deny god that which they vowed to him . 2. all your time and life is given you by god , for one end and use ; and all is little enough ; and will you alienate the very beginning , and be rebels so soon ? 3. the youngest have not assurance of life for a day , or an hour . thousands go out of the world in youth . alas , the flesh of young men is corruptible , liable to hundreds of diseases , as well as the old . how quickly may a vein break , and cold seize on your head and lungs , and turn to an uncurable consumption ? how quickly may a fever , a pleurisie , an impostume , or one of a thousand accidents , turn your bodies to corruption ? and o that i knew how to make you sensible how dreadful a thing it is to die in an unholy state , and in the guilt of any unpardoned sin ? an unsanctified soul , that hath lived here but to the flesh , and the world , will be but fewel for the fire of hell , and the wrathful justice of the most holy god. and though in the course of undisturb'd nature , young men may live longer than the old , yet nature hath so many disturbances and crosses , that our lives are still like a candle in a broken lanthorn , which a blast of wind may soon blow out . to tell you that you are not certain in an unsanctified state ; to be one day or hour more out of hell , i expect will not move you so much as the weight of the case deserveth , because meer possibility of the greatest hurt , doth not affect men when they think there is no probability of it . you have long been well , and long you hope to be so : but did you think how many hundred veins , arteries , nerves , must be kept constantly in order , and all the blood and humours in due temper ; and how the stopping of one vein , or distemper of the blood , may quickly end you ; it would rather teach you to admire the merciful providence of god , that such a body should be kept alive one year . 4. but were you sure to live to maturity of age , alas ! how quickly will it come ? what haste makes time ? how fast do daies and years roll on ? methinks it is but as a few daies since i was playing with my school-fellows , who now am in the 66th year of my age : had i no service done for god , that i could now look back upon , i should seem as if i had not lived . a thousand years , and one hour , are all one ( that is , nothing ) when they are past . and every year , day and hour of your lives hath its proper work : and how will you answer for it ? every day offereth you more and more mercies ; and will you despise and lose them ? if you were heirs to land , or had an annuity , which amounted but to an hundred pounds a year , and you were every day to receive a proportionable part of it , or lose it ; would you lose it through neglect , and say , i will begin to receive it when i am old ? poor labourers will work hard all the day , that at night they may have their wages : and will you contemptuously lose your every daies mercies , your safety , your communion with god , your daily blessings and his grace , which you should daily beg , and may daily receive ? 5. either you will repent and live to god , or not ; if not , you are undone for ever : oh how much less miserable is a dog , or a toad , than such a sinner ! but if god will shew you so great mercy , oh how will it grieve you to think of the precious time of youth , which you madly cast away in sin ! then you will think , o what knowledge , what holiness might i then have got ! what a comfortable life might i have lived ! o what daies and years of mercy did i cast away for nothing ! yea , when god hath given you the pardon of your sin , the tast of his love , and the hopes of heaven , it will wound your hearts to think that you should so long , so unthankfully , so heinously offend so good a god , and neglect so merciful a saviour , and trample upon infinite divine love , for the love of so base a freshly pleasure . that ever you should be so bad , as to find more pleasure in sinning , than in living unto god. 6. and be it known to you , if god in mercy convert and save you , yet the bitter fruit of your youthful folly may follow you in this world to the grave . god may forgive the pains of hell to a penitent sinner , and not forgive the temporal chastisement to his flesh . if you waste your estate in youth , you may be poor at age : if you marry a wicked wife , you may feel it till death , notwithstanding your repentance : if by drinking , gluttony , idleness , or filthy lust , you contract any uncurable diseases in youth , repentance may not cure them till death . all this might easily have been prevented , if you had but had fore-seeing wisdom . beggary , prisons , shame , consumptions , dropsies , stone , gout , pox , which make the lives of many miserable , are usually caused by youthful sins . 7. and if ever you think to be men of any great wisdom , and usefulness in the world , to your selves or others , your preparations must be made in youth . great wisdom is not got in a little time . who ever was an able lawyer , physician , or philosopher , without long and hard study ? if you will not learn in the grammar-schools in your childhood , you will be unfit for the university at riper age ; and if when you should be doctors , you are to learn to spell and read , your shame will tell you , that you should have sooner begun . o that you well knew how much of the safety , fruitfulness and comfort of all your after-life , dependeth on the preparations of your youth ! on the wisdom and the grace which you should then obtain ! as mens after trading doth on their apprentiship ! 8. and o what a dreadful danger is it , lest your youthful sin become remediless , and custom harden you , and deceivers blind you , and god forsake you for your wilful resistance of his grace ! god may convert old hardened sinners : but how ordinarily do we find , that age doth but answer the preparations of youth , and the vessel ever after savoureth of the liquor which first throughly tainted it : and men are but such as they learned to be and do at first . if you will be perfidious breakers of your baptismal vows , it 's just with god to leave you to your selves , to a deluded understanding , to think evil good , and good evil , to a seared conscience , and a hardened heart , and as past feeling , to work uncleanness with greediness , ephes. 3.18 . and to fight against grace and your own salvation , till death and hell convince you of your madness . o sport not with the justice of a sin-hating god! play not with sin , and with the unquenchable fire ! forsaking god , is the way to be forsaken of him . and what is a forsaken soul , but a miserable slave of satan ? 9. yea , did you but know of what moment it is , to prevent all the heinous sins , that else you will commit , you would make haste to repent , though you were sure to be forgiven . forgiveness maketh not sin to be no sin , or to be no evil , no shame , no grief to the soul that hath committed it . you will cry out , o that i had never known it ! to look back on such an ill-spent life , will be no pleasant thought . repentance , though a healing work , is bitter ; yea , oft-times exceeding bitter : make not work for it , if you love your peace . 10. and is it a small thing to you , that you are all this while doing hurt to others ? and drawing them to sin , and plunging them into that dangerous guilt , which can no way be pardoned but by the blood of christ , upon true conversion : and when they have joyned with you in lust and fleshly pleasure , it is not in your power to turn them , that they may joyn with you in sound repentance : and if not , they must lie in hell for ever : and can you make a sport of your own and other mens damnation ? but this leadeth me to the second point . i have shewed you of what vast concernment it is to your selves to begin betimes a holy life . i will next shew you of what concernment it is to others . chap. iii. of what publick concernment the quality of youth is . § 1. the welfare of the world is of far greater worth than of any single person ; and he hath put off humanity who doth not more earnestly desire it . if this world consisted but of one generation , then to make that generation wise and good , would be enough to make it a happy world. but it is not so : in heaven , and in the future glorious kingdom , there is neither marrying , nor giving in marriage , but they are as the angels , in a fixed everlasting state , and one continued generation maketh up the new ierusalem : being once holy and happy , they are so for ever : but here it is not so : one generation cometh , and another goeth : if the father be as wise as solomon , the son may be as foolish as rehoboam : o what a great work it is to make a man truly wise and good ! how many years study doth it usually require ? what wisdom and diligence in teachers ? what teachableness and diligence in learners ; and especially the grace of god! and when all is done , the man quickly dieth , and obtaineth his ends in another world : but his children are born as ignorant , and perhaps as bad as he was born : he can neither leave them his knowledge ; nor his grace . they must have all the same teaching , and labour , and blessing as he had , to bring them to the same attainments : the mercy and covenant of god taketh them into his church , where they have great advantages and helps , and promiseth them more mercy for their relation to a faithful parent , if he or they do make no forfeiture of it : but as their nature is the same with others , so their actual wisdom must come by gods blessing on the use of the same means , which are necessary to the children of the worst men . a christian's child is born with no more knowledge than a heathen's , and must have as much labour and study to make him wise . § 2. it is certain then that the welfare of this world lyeth on a good succession of the several generations : and that all the endeavours of one generation , with god's greatest blessing on them , will not serve for the ages following : all must begin anew , and be done over again , or all will be as undone to the next age : and it is not the least blessing on the faithful that their faith and godliness disposeth them to have a care of posterity , and to devote their children wholly to god , as well as themselves , and to educate them in his fear . if nature had not taught birds and beasts to feed their young , as well as to generate them , their kind would be soon extinct . o what a blessed world were it , if the blessings of men famous for wisdom and godliness , were entailed on all that should spring from them ! and if this were the common case ! § 3. but the doleful miseries of the world have come from the degenerating of good mens posterity . adam hath his cain , and noah his cham , and david his absalom ; solomon , hezekiah , iosiah , left not their like behind them . the present state of the eastern churches is a dreadful instance . what places on earth were more honourable for faith and piety , than alexandria , antioch , ierusalem , constantinople , ephesus , philadelphia , and the rest of those great and noble countries ; and these also strengthened with the powerfullest christian empire that ever was on earth : and now they are places of barbarism , tyranny , and foolish mahometanism , where the name of christ is made a scorn , and the few christians that keep up that sacred profession , by tyranny kept in so great ignorance , that , alas ! the vices of most of them dishonour their profession , as much as their enemies persecutions do . o what a doleful difference is there between that great part of the world now , and what it was 1400 or 1000 years ago ? and alas ! were it not for the name of a pompous christian-church , how plain an instance would rome be of the same degeneracy ? and some countries that received the blessing of reformation , have revolted into the darkness of popery . what a change was in england by queen mary's reign ? and how many particular cities & towns are grown ignorant and malignant , which in former times were famous for religion ? the lord grant it may never be the case of london ! yea , how many persons of honourable and great families have so far degenerated from the famous wisdom and piety of their grandfathers , yea and fathers , as to hate that which their parents loved , and persecute those whom their ancestors honoured . the names of many great men stand honoured in history , for their holiness to god , and their service to their countries , whose posterity are the men that we are most in danger of : alas ! in how few such houses hath piety kept any long succession ; yea , some take their fathers virtues to be so much their dishonour , that they turn malignant persecutors , to free themselves from the supposed reproach of their relations . yea , some preachers of the gospel , devoted to god by pious parents , become revilers of their own parents , and despisers of their piety , as the effect of factious ignorance . § 4. and on the other side , when piety hath successively as a river kept its course , what a blessing hath it proved ? ( but how rare is that ? ) and when children have proved better than their parents , it hath been the beginning of welfare to the places where they lived . how marvellously did the reformation prevail in germany in luther's time , when god brought out of popish monasteries many excellent instruments of his service ? and princes became wise and pious , whose parents had been blind or impious ? godliness or wickedness , welfare or calamity , follow the changes and quality of posterity . and men live so short a time , that the work of educating youth aright , is one half the great business of man's life : he that hath a plantation of oaks , may work for twenty generations : but he that planteth gardens and orchards with plants that live but a little time , must be still planting , watering , and defending them . § 5. among the antient sages of the world , the greeks and romans , and much more among the israelites , the care of posterity , and publick welfare , was the great thing which differenced the virtuous and laudable , from those of a base , selfish , sensual disposition . he was the bravest citizen of rome , that did most love , and best serve his country : and he was the saint among the jews , who most loved sion , and the security and succession of its holy and peaceable posterity . and the christian faith , and hope , and interest , doth lead us herein to a much higher pitch , and to a greater zeal for publick good , in following him that whipt out prophaners from the temple ; even a zeal of god's house , which eateth us up : it teacheth us by the cross most effectually to deny our selves , and to think nothing too dear to part with , to edifie the church of god ; nor any labour or suffering too great for common good . it teacheth us to pray for the hallowing of god's name , the coming of his kingdom , and the doing of his will on earth , as it is done in heaven , before our daily bread , and any other personal interest of our own . therefore the families of christians should be as so many schools , or churches , to train up a succession of persons meet for the great communicative works which god calleth all believers to , in their several measures : it is eminently teachers , but it is also all others in their several ranks , who must be the salt of the earth , and the lights of the world. and indeed the spirit of holiness is so eminently the spirit of love to god and man , that it inclineth every sanctified person to a communicative zeal , to make others wise , and good , and ●appy . § 6. and god in great mercy hath ●lanted yet more deeply and fixedly , the natural love of parents to their children , ●hat it might be in them a spring of all this ●uty ; so that though fleshly vice may make men mistake their childrens good , ●s most ungodly men do their own , and ●hink that it consisteth in that which it doth not ; yet still the general desire of their childrens well-fare , as well as of their own , is deeply rooted , and will work for their well-fare , as soon as they well know wherein it doth consist . and god hath not given them this love only for the good of the individual children ; but much more for the common-wealth , and church , that as many sticks make one fire , and many exercised souldiers one army , so many well educated children , may make up one peaceable and holy society . § 7. and accordingly it is much to be observed , that god hath not given children a natural love and submissiveness to parents , only for the personal benefit of their provision , and other helps ; but especially that hereby they may be teachable and obedient to those instructions of their parents , by which they may become blessings in their generations , and may conjunctly make up wise and holy societies , families , churches , and common-wealths . for these ends it is , that god hath bound you , as to reverence your masters , tutors and pastors , so especially both to reverence and love your parents , that you may be the more capable of their necessary instruction and advice . § 8. yea , the great strictness of god , in condemning polygamy , adultery and fornication , seemeth to be especially for the securing of the good education of children , for their souls , and for the publick good : for it is notorious , that confusion in marriages and generation , would many ways tend to the depraving of humane education , while mothers had not the necessary encouragement to perform their part : the younger women would be a while esteemed , and afterward be cast off , and made most miserable , and families be like wandring beggars , or like exposed orphans ▪ disorder , and confusion would deprive children of much of their necessary helps , and barbarousness and bruitishness corrupt mankind . by all this it is most evident , that the great means of the wellfare of the world , must be the faithful and holy endeavours of parents , and the willing teachableness ●nd obedience of children , that they may escape the snares of folly and fleshly lusts , and may betimes get that wisdom and ●ove of goodness , which may make them fit to be blessings to the places where they ●ive . chap. iv. how the case standeth with our youth in matter of fact. § 1. through the great mercy of god , many families are sacred nurseries for church and kingdom ; and many parents have great comfort in the grace of god appearing in their children . from their early childhood many are of humble , obedient dispositions , and have a love to knowledge , and a love to the word of god , and to those that are good and virtuous persons . they have inward convictions of the evil of sin , and a fear of sinning , and a great dislike of wicked persons , and a great love and reverend obedience to their parents , and when they grow up , they diligently learn in private , and in publick : they increase in their love to the scriptures and good books , and to godly teachers , and godly company , and god saveth them from temptations , and worldly deceits , and fleshly lusts , and they live to god , and are blessings to the land , the joy of their friends , and exemplary and useful to those whom they converse with . § 2. but all , even religious parents have not the like blessing in their children . 1. some of them , though religious otherwise , are lamentably careless of the duty which they promised to perform ( at baptism ) in the education of their children , and do but superficially and formally instruct them , and are too faulty as to the example which they should give them , and seem to think that god must bless them , because they are theirs , and because they are baptised , while they neglect their promised endeavours . 2. and some children when they grow up , and are bound to resist temptations , and to use gods appointed means for their own good , do wilfully resist gods grace , and run into temptations , and neglect , and wretchedly betray themselves , and forfeit the mercies which they needed . § 3. in all my observation god hath most blessed the children of those parents , who have educated them as followeth : 1. those that have been particularly sensible what they promised for them in the baptismal vow , and made conscience of performing it . 2. those that have had more care of their souls than of their outward wealth . 3. those that have been most careful to teach them the pravity of corrupted nature by original sin , and to humble them and teach them the need of a saviour , and his renewing as well as pardoning grace , and to tell them the work of the spirit of sanctification , and teach them above all to look to the inward state of their souls . 4. those that have most seriously minded them of death , judgment , and the life to come . 5. those that have always spoken of god with the greatest reverence , affection and delight . 6. those that have most wisely laboured to make all the knowledge and practice of religion pleasant unto them , by the suitableness of doctrines and duties to their capacity . 7. those that have most disgraced sin to them , especially base and fleshly pleasures . 8. those that have kept them from the baits of sensuality , not gratifying their appetites in meats and drink , to bring them to an unruly habit ; but used them to a habit of temperance , and neglect of appetite . 9. those that have most disgraced worldliness and pride to them , and used them so low things in apparel and possession , and told them how the proud are hateful to god , and set before them the example of a crucified christ , and opened to them the doctrine of mortification , and self-denial , and the great necessity of true humility . 10. those that have been most watchful to know their childrens particular inclinations and temptations , and apply answerable remedies , and not carelesly leave them to themselves . 11. those that have been most careful to keep them from ill company , especially , ( 1. ) of wicked youths , of their own grouth and neighbourhood , ( 2. ) and of tempting women . 12. those that have most wisely used them to the meetest publick teachers , and help them to remember and understand what they hear , especially the fundamental truths in the catechism . 13. those that have most wisely engaged them into the familiarity and frequent converse of some suitable , godly , exemplary companions . 14. those that have most conscionably spent the lords days in publick and in their families . 15. those that have done all this , as with reverend gravity , so especially with tender , endearing love to their children , convincing them , that it is all done for their own good : and that do not by imprudent weaknesses ignorance , passions , or scandal , frustrate their own endeavours . 16. those that use not their children as meer patients , only to hear what their parents say ; but ingage them to constant endeavours of their own , for their own good ; especially in the reading of scripture , and the most suitable books , and meditating on them , and daily personal prayer to god. 17. lastly , those that pray most heartily and believingly for gods grace and his blessing on their endeavours : such mens children are usually blessed . § 4. but it is no wonder , where such means are neglected , much more when parents are ungodly , fleshly , worldly persons , and perhaps enemies to a holy life , if the children of such are ignorant , deluded , ungodly , and drown'd in fleshly lusts. and , alas ! it is the multitude of such , and their sad conditions , which is the occasion of my writing this epistle . § 5. 1. we see , to our grief , that many children are of a stupid and unteachable disposition , and almost uncapable of instruction , who yet can as quickly learn to talk of common matters , as other persons , and can as easily learn a trade , or how to do any ordinary business . and though some inconsiderate persons overlook the causality of the more immediate parents sins , in such judgments on their children , as if it were only adam's sin that hurt them , i have elsewhere proved , that this is their great and dangerous mistake . as david's child dyed for the fathers sin , the children of gluttons , drunkards , fornicators , oft contract such bodily distempers , as greatly tend to stupifie or further vitiate the mind . and their souls may have sad additions to the common humane pravity . 2. accordingly many children have more violent passions , and carnal desires , than others , which run them into wicked ways impetuously , as if they were almost bruits that had no reason or power to resist . and all words and corrections are to them of little force , but they are as blocks , that when you have said and done what you can , go away as if they had not heard you . 3. and some have cross and crooked natures , addicted to that which is naught , and the more , by how much the more you do contradict them : froward and obstinate , as if it were a desirable victory to them , to overcome their parents , and escape all that would make them wise and good : dogged , sour , proud , self-willed , and utterly disobedient . 4. and too many have so great an enmity and aversness to all that is holy , spiritual and heavenly , that they are weary to hear you talk of it , and you persuade them to learn , to read , to pray , to meditate , or consider , as you persuade a sick man to the meat which he doth loath , or a man to dwell with those that he hateth . they have no appetite to such things ; no pleasure in them ; when you have said all of god , and christ , and glory , they believe it not , or they savour it not : they are things above their reach and love , yea , things against their carnal minds : you tire them worse than if you talk'd in a strange language to them , such enmity is in the heart of corrupted man to god and heaven , till the grace of the great reconciler overcome it by a new life , and light and love. 5. and when custom is added to all these vicious dispositions , alas , what slaves and drudges of satan doth it make them ! for instance , 1. some are so corrupted with the love of sport , that gaming or stage-plays , or one such foolery or another , becometh so pleasant to them , that they can understand or believe nothing that is said against it by god or man ; their diseased phantasie hath so conquered reason , that they cannot restrain themselves ; but in their callings and in religious exercises they are weary , and long to be at their sports , and must be gone ; neither god , nor holiness , nor the joys of heaven are half so sweet to their thoughts as these are : for they have that mark of misery , 2 tim. 3 4. they are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of god. the same i say of sinful mirth , and the company which doth cherish it . little do they believe solomon , eccles. 7.2 , 3 , 4. it is better to go to the house of mourning , than to go to the house of feasting : for that is the end of all men , and the living will lay it to his heart . sorrow is better than laughter : for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better : the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning , but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth . it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise , than for a man to hear the song of fools : for as the crackling of thorns under a pot , so is the laughter of fools . it 's true , that mirth is very desirable to nature : and god is not against it , but much more for it than sinners will believe : but it is a rational mirth which beseemeth a rational creature ; and such as he can justifie , and as will make him better , and tends to felicity , and everlasting mirth ; and not the causeless mirth of mad men , that set their house on fire , and then laugh and sing over it , nor like the mirth of a drunken man , whose shame exposeth him to pitty or derision , nor any such mirth as leadeth a man from god to sin , and keepeth him from the way of man-like and everlasting joy , and prepareth for the greatest sorrows . 2. there are some so enslaved to their appetites , that their reason hath no power to rule them ; but like bruits they must needs have what the belly and throat desire : and if they be the children of the rich , who have always full and pleasant food , constant flesh-pleasing , and true gluttony , is taken for no sin ; and like swine , they do but live to eat , whereas they should but eat to live , and chearfully serve god. but it 's never so dangerous as when it turneth to the love of drink ; then the pleasing of the throat , & the pleasing of the brain by mirth going together , do so much corrupt the appetite and fantasie , that their thoughts run after it , and reason hath no power to shut their mouths , nor keep them from the house of sin. some sin against an accusing conscience , and under their convictions and terrors do drink on , which yet they could forbear , if they knew there were poison in the cup. some are more miserable , and have sinned themselves into fearedness of conscience , and past feeling , and perhaps into infidelity , and a blinded mind , persuading them that there is no great harm or danger in the sin , and that it is but some precise people that make so great a matter of it : and some that have purposes to forsake the sin , when appetite stirs forget it all ; and when company enticeth , and when they see the cup , they have no power to forbear . o what a pittiful sight it is , to see men in the flower of youth and strength , when they should most rejoyce in god and holiness , to be still thirsty after a forbidden pleasure , and hasting to the tavern or alehouse , as a bird to the snare of the fowler , and sweetly and greedily swallowing the poisonous cup which god forbiddeth ! and that false repentance which conscience and experience force them to sometimes , is forgotten the next day when the temptation is renewed : yea , the throat-madness , and the merry and belly-devils are within them a continual temptation , which the miserable slaves cannot resist . 3. and these beastly , fleshly sins , do usually make them weary of their callings , and of any honest labour : the devil hath by this time got possession of their thoughts , by the byass of delight and sinful lust ; and they are thinking of meat , or drink , or play , or merry company , when they should be diligently at work : and so idleness becomes the nursery of temptation , and of all their other vice , as well as a constant sin of omission , and loss of hasty precious time . and custom increaseth the habits , and maketh them good for nothing , and like dead men to all that life is given them for , and only alive to prepare by sin for endless misery . 4. and usually pride also takes its part , to make the sin of sodom in them compleat , ezek. 16.49 . pride , fulness , and idleness . they that must be in their jovial company , must not seem despicable among them , but must be in the mode and fashion , what ever it cost . when they make themselves odious in the sight of god , and the pitty of all wise men , and a terror to themselves , yet they must be some body to their sottish companions , especially of the female sex : lest the image of the devil , and his victory over them should not be perfect , if pride were left out , how unreasonable soever . 5. and by this time they have ( usually here amongst the rich and idle , ) a further step towards hell to go , and yet a deep gulf to fall into ; fleshly lust next entangleth them in immodest converse with women , and thence into filthy fornication . the devil will seldom lose a soul for want of a temptation : either he will provide them one abroad among their lewd companions , or at home some daughter or servant of the house , where they can oft get opportunity , first for uncivil sights and touches , and then for actual fornication . and if they have done it once , they are usually like the bird that 's fast in the lime-twigs : conscience may struggle , but lust holds them fast , and the devil saith , if once may be pardoned , why not twice , and if twice , why not thrice ; and so they go on as an ox to the slaughter , and a fool to the correction of the stocks , and know not that it is for their lives . prov. 7.21 , 22 , 23. till they mourn at last ( perhaps ) when flesh and body are consumed , and say , how have i hated instruction , and my heart despised reproof , and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers , nor inclined my ears to them that instructed me ? i was almost in all evil , &c. pro. 5.12 , 13 , 14. and it 's well for the wretches if this repentance be true and in time , that though the flesh be destroyed , the spirit may be saved : for solomon saith , prov. 2.18 , 19. her house enclineth to death , and her paths to the dead : none that go unto her return again , neither take they hold of the paths of life . god , i doubt not , recovereth some , but the case is dangerous : for though age and sickness cure lust , usually before that the conscience is seared and debauched , and they being past feeling work vncleanness with greediness , and forsaking god are so forsaken by him , that all other sin , sensuality , and enmity against a holy life prevaileth against them , and the unclean devil lets in many more . most debauched drunkards , gluttons and fornicators are so enslaved to satan , that they think , say , and do what he would have them , and become the enemies and persecutors of those that are against their sin , and the blinded sodomites go on to grope for the door of lot , as one that reproveth them , till the flames of justice stop the rage . 6. and when all these sins have enslaved sensual youths , they must have money to maintain them ; and if they have it not of their own , and be not the sons of great men , that will maintain them in the service of the flesh , they must steal to get it , which usually is either by thievish borrowing when they cannot pay , or by robbing their parents or masters . if all the masters in london knew what thieves their apprentices vices are , for their own sakes they would take greater care to watch over them , and keep them from ill company , drunkenness and plays , and would teach them to seek pleasure in good books , good company , and serving god. i had not known it my self , if the confessions and restitution of many penitent converts had not made me know it . i thank god that he recovereth any , yea , so many ; but i must tell foolish youth , that repentance itself , especially when it must have restitution , is so bitter , that they would prevent that need of it , if they had but the use of reason and foresight . o what heart-tearing confessions , and sad letters have i had from many young apprentices in this city ▪ much adoe to escape utter despair they had , when conscience was awakened to remember all their sin and danger ▪ and when they knew that they must restore , if possible , all that ever they deceived or robbed their masters or any others of ; o what difficulties hath it put them to , both as to the shame of confession , and the actual restitution ! some have not money ; and to go and confess the sin and debt , and promise to pay it if ever they are able , seemeth hard , but must be done . some have rough masters that will disgrace them when they confess it . some have parents that paid dear to set them apprentices , and would go near to cast them off if they knew their case . some marry after , and it will grieve their wives to know what they have been , and how much they must restore . wisdom might have prevented this ; but if the thorn be got into the conscience , it must come out , and if the poison be swallowed , it must come up , what gripes soever the vomit cost . there is no playing with hell fire , nor jeasting with the justice of the most holy god. one penitent review of fleshly lust , and sinful pleasure , and falshood , and deceit , ( though wholsom if true and rimely ) will turn it all into gall and wormwood ▪ for the end of sinful mirth is sorrow . 7. and too many there be that escape the gross and disgraceful part of the foresaid sensuality and unrighteousness , that yet do but choose another idol , and set themselves wholly to rise in the world , and riches , preferment , and honour have almost all their hearts and care : that have no delight in god and holiness ; nor doth the state of their souls , or the thought of their everlasting state , affect them in any measure , according to its unspeakable weight , nor so much as these shadows which , they pursue . and when great travellers , that have seen much of the world , and old men , and dying men , that have had all that it can do , are forced by experience to call all vanity and vexation , unexperienced youth , that are taken up with the hopes of long prosperity , and provision for all that the flesh desireth , have other thoughts of it , and will not know that it is deceitful vanity , till it hath deceived them of their chiefest hope and treasure . and when they have overtaken the shadow which they pursue so greedily , they find it what others have done before them , the sweeter the more dangerous , and the parting will be the more bitter : whereas had they sought first gods kingdom and its righteousness , and six days laboured in obedience to god , and referred all corporal blessings to spiritual uses , and everlasting ends , taking them as from god to serve him by them , they might have had enough as an overplus to their satisfying treasure . chap. v. how sad a case it is that i have described . i have told you the very lamentable case of too many young men , especially rich mens sons , and apprentices in this city : i told you before of what concern the state of youth is to themselves and others . from thence ( and alas from sad experience ) it 's easy to gather the dolefulness of the case of those that are drowned in fleshly lust , and have sinned themselves into the guilt and danger which i have described . but i will name some parts of the misery more particularly again . § 1. review the second chapter , and think what a doleful case this is to your selves . 1. do you not know that you are not beasts but men ? that have reason given them to know , and love , and serve their maker ? and how sad ▪ is it to see a man forget all this , and wilfully brutify himself . were the poets fictions true of men turned into trees , and birds , and beasts , how small were the misery in comparison of yours . it is no sin in bruits to lust , or to eat and drink too much . they have not reason to restrain and rule them ; but lest they should kill themselves by excess , god hath made reasonable man their governor , and moderateth their appetite in the temper of their natures : but for a reasonable creature to subject himself to fleshly appetite , and wilfully degrade his soul to the rank of bruits , is worse than if he had been made with the body and the unreasonableness of bruits . are you capable of no better things than these ? § 2. and what an odious thing is it , when god hath chosen you out of the world to be members of his visible church , and given you the great priviledge of early entrance into his holy covenant , and washt you in the laver of visible regeneration , and you are vowed to christ , renouncing the lusts of the flesh , the world and the devil , that you might follow a crucified christ in the way of holiness to everlasting life , that you should so soon prove false , perfidious traitors and rebels against him that is your only hope , and by wickedness and covenant breaking , make your sin greater than that of infidels , turks and heathens , that never were taken into the church and covenant of christ , nor ever broke the vows which you have broken , nor so cast away the mercys which you had received . § 3. and what a doleful case is it , that so much of your minds , and love , and delight , which were all made for god , should be so misimployed ▪ even in your strength when they should be most vigorous ? and all worse than cast away on filth and folly ? if your souls be more worth than your money , it is more folly and loss to misimploy and abuse your souls , your reason , love , and your delight , than to abuse or cast away your money . and what a traitor or murderer deserveth , that would give his money to hire one to kill the king , or his neighbour , i suppose you know ; and what deserveth he that will use not only his mony , but himself , his soul , his thoughts , his love , his desire and pleasure against the most glorious god that made him . that you cannot hurt him is no thanks to you ; while you break his laws , and deny him your love and duty , and love more that one thing which only he hateth , and will never be reconciled to . § 4. and how doleful a case is it , that all the care , and love , and labour of your parents , masters , and teachers should be lost upon you ? god hath made all this their great duty for your good ; and will you despise god and them , and wilfully for nothing reject it all ? shall all the pain of a child-bearing mother , and all her trouble and labour to breed you up , and all your parents care to provide for you , be but to breed up a slave for the flesh , the world , and the devil , and a firebrand for hell ? shall godly parents prayers for you , and teaching , and counsel of you , and all their desire and care for your salvation , be despised by you , and all forgotten and cast away for a swinish lust ? § 5. and how doleful a case is it , that so much of so short a life should be lost , and a thousand times worse than lost ; even turned into sin , to prepare for misery , when alas the longest life is little enough for our important work , and quickly gone , and the reckoning and judge are hard at hand ? all the wealth , wit or power in the world , cannot bring or buy you back one hour ▪ of all that precious time , which you now so basely cast away . o how glad would you be of a little of it ere long , on the tearms that now you have it , when you lie dying , and perceive that your souls are unready to appear before a righteous god! then o for one year more of precious time ! o that you knew how to call again the time which you cast away on sin ! you will then perceive with a terrified conscience , that time was not so little worth as you once thought it , nor given you for so base a work ; yea , if god in mercy bring you hereafter to true conversion , o how it will wound your hearts , to think how much of your youth was so madly cast away , while your god , your souls , and everlasting hopes , were all neglected and despised ! § 6. and alas , if you should be cut off in that unholy , miserable estate , no heart on earth can sufficiently bewail your case ! how many thousand die young , that promised themselves longer pleasure in sin , and repentance after it ? o foolish sinners ! cannot you so long borrow the use of your reason , as to think seriously whither you must go next ? do you never think when the small pox or a feaver hath taken away one of your companions , whither it is that his soul is gone ? have you your wit for nothing but to taste the sweetness of drink or lust , which is as pleasant to a dog or swine as to you ? o little you know what it is to die ! what it is for a soul to leave the body , and enter into an endless world ! to come to judgment for all his sins , and all his ill spent days and hours , and for choosing the pleasures of a swine before heaven , and the pleasures of a saint . little know you what it is for devils presently to take away to hell a wretched soul which they have long deceived . i tell you the thought of appearing before god , and christ , and angels in another world , and entring on an endless state , is so dreadful , even to many that have spent their lives in holy preparation , and are indeed in a safe condition , that they have much ado to overcome the terror of death . even some of gods own faithful servants are almost overwhelmed , when they think of so great a change : and though the belief of god's love and the heavenly glory do support them , and should make them long to be with christ , yet , alas , faith is weak , and the change is great beyond our comprehension , and therefore feared . o then in what a case is a wicked , unpardoned , unprepared wretch , when his guilty soul must be torn from his body , and dragged in terror to hear its doom , and so to the dreadful execution ? sinners ! is this a light matter to you ? doth it not concern you ? are you not here mortal ? do you not know what flesh is , and what a grave is ? and are not your abused souls immortal ? are you so mad as to forget this ? or so bad as not to believe it ? will your not believing it make void the justice and the law of god , and save you from that hell , which only believing could have saved you from ? will not the fire burn you , or the sea drown you , if you can but run into it drunk or winking ? is feeling , remediless feeling easier than believing god in time ? alas ! what should your believing friends do to save you ? they see by faith whither you are posting : they foresee your terror and undone case ; and fain , if possible , they would prevent it : but they cannot do it without you . if you will not consent and help your selves , it is not the holyest nor wisest friends in the world that can help you . they would pull you out of the fire in fear , and out of the mouth of the roaring lion , but you will not be delivered ! they call and cry to you , o fear god , and turn to him while there is hope ; and you will not let conscience and reason be awakened ; but those that go asleep to hell , will be past sleeping there for ever . o run not madly into the everlasting fire . § 7. and indeed your sleepy security and presumption doth make your case more dangerous in itself , and more pittiful to all that know it . o what a sight is it to see a man go merry and laughing towards damnation , and make a jeast of his own undoing ? to see him at the brink of hell , and will not believe it ? like a mad man boasting of his wit , or a drunken man of his sobriety : or as the swine is delighted when the butcher is shaving his throat to cut it : or as the fatted lambs are skipping in the pasture , that to morrow must be kill'd and eaten : or as the bird sits singing when the gun is levelled to kill him : or as the greedy fish runs striving which shall catch the bait , that must presently be snatched out of her element , and lie dying on the bank. but because i touch'd much of this in the second chapter , i will pass by the rest of your own concerns , and a little further consider how sad the case of such wretched youths is also unto others . § 8. and if parents be wise and godly , and understand such childrens case , what a grief must it needs be to their hearts , to think that they have begot and bred up a chlld for sin and hell , and cannot make him willing to prevent it ? to see their counsel set at nought , their teaching lost , their tears despised , and an obstinate lad seem wiser to himself than all his teachers , even when he is swallowing the devil's bait , and cruelly murdering his own soul. [ ah! thinks a believing father and mother , have i brought thee into the world for this ? hath all my tender , natural love so sad an issue ? is this the fruit of all my sorrows , my care , and kindness , to see the child of my bowels , whom i dedicated in baptism to christ , to make himself the child of the devil , the slave of the flesh and world , the enemy of god and holiness , and his own destroyer ? and all this wilfully , obstinately and against all the counsel , and means that i can use . alas ! must i breed up a child to become an enemy to the church of god , into which he was baptized ? and a souldier for satan against christ ? must i breed up a child for hell , and see him miserable for ever ? and cannot persuade him to be willing to be saved . ] o what a heart breaking must this be to those , that nature and grace have taught to love them , with tenderness , even as themselves ! § 9. but if they be wicked parents , and as bad themselves , the misery is far greater , though they yet feel it not : for , 1. as the thief on the cross said to his companion , luk. 23.40 , 41. thou art in the same condemnation , and we suffer justly ; for we receive the due reward of our deeds . wicked parents , and wicked children are in the same gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity ! they sinned together , and they must suffer for ever together , if true faith and conversion do not prevent it . 2. and it is their wickedness which was much of the cause of their childrens sin and misery : and their own deep guilt will be more to them than their childrens suffering : god and conscience will say to them ere long , [ o cruel parents ! that had no mercy on your children , or your selves ! what did nature teach you to love more , than your selves and your children ? and would you wilfully and obstinately be the ruine of both ? you would not have done as the mad idolaters , that offered their children in fire to moloch : and will you offer them by sin to satan and to hell ? had a serpent stung them , or a bear devoured them , they had done but according to their nature : but was it natural in you to further their damnation ? this was work too bloody for a cannibal , too cruel for an enemy , fitter for a devil than a father or mother . as your child had from you his vicious nature , it was your part to have endeavoured his sanctification and recovery : you should have taught him betime to know the corruption of his nature , and to seek and beg the grace of christ ; to know his god , his duty , the evil of sin , the danger of temptations , and his everlasting hopes and fears : you should have taught him to know what man hath done against himself , by disobeying and departing from his god , and what jesus christ hath done for his redemption , and what he himself must do to be saved : you should have taught him early how to live , and how to die , and what to seek , and what to shun : you should have given him the example of a holy and heavenly mind and life : you should have watch'd over him for his safety , and unweariedly instructed him for his salvation : but you led him the way to despise god's word , and set light by christ , and holiness , and heaven , to hate instruction and reproof , to spend the lords day in idleness or worldly vanity , and to seek first the world , and the prosperity of the body , and glut the flesh with sinful pleasure . what wonder if a serpent breed a serpent , and quickly teach him to hiss and sting , and if swine teach their young to feed on dung and wallow in the mire ? this is part of the fruit of your worldliness , fleshliness , ungodliness , and neglect of your own ▪ salvation and your childs . now he is as you are , a slave of sin , and an heir of hell : was this it that you vowed him for to god in baptism ? was it to serve the flesh , the world , and the devil , against our god , our saviour , and our sanctifier ? or did the mistake of the liturgy deceive you , to think that it was not you , but the god-fathers , that were bound by charge and vow to bring him up in the faith and fear of god , and teach him all that a christian should know for his soul's health : was it not you that god bound to all this ? the sin and misery of your child now is so far your curse , as you are guilty of it and will add to your misery for ever . ] such are the sorrows that wicked parents and wicked children do prepare , and heap on one another . such miseries will come ; but woe to those by whom they come , it had been good for that man that he had never been born . § 10. and it is no small grief to faithful ministers , to see their labour so much lost ; and to see so much evil among their flocks , and such sad prognosticks of worse to come . he is no true minister of christ ( as to his own acceptance and salvation ) whose heart is not set on the winning , and sanctifying , and saving of souls . what else do we study for , preach for , live for , long for , suffer for in our work ? all faithful-teachers can say with paul , that they are willing to spend and be spent for them , and now we live if ye stand fast in the lord. 2 cor. 12.15 . 1 thes. 3.8 . he told them weeping of those that were enemies to the cross of christ , whose god was their belly , who glory in their shame , and mind earthly things , instead of a conversation in heaven . phil. 3.18 , 19. when god hath blessed us with the comfortable enjoyment of many ancient , holy christians , who are the beauty and honour of the assemblies , and death calls home one of them after another to christ , and the rest are ready to depart : alas ! must a seed of serpents come after them ? must those take their places to our grief and shame , who are bred up to the world and flesh , in drunkenness , fornication , and enmity to god and a holy life ? o what a woful change is this ! and if any be like to be the stain and plague of the church , it is such as these : if we preach holy truth to them , lust cannot love it : if we tell them of gods word , the fleshly mind doth not savour it , nor can be subject to it . rom. 8.5 , 6 , 7. if we reprove them sharply , they smart and hate us : if we call them to confession and repentance , their pride and carnality cannot bear it : if we excommunicate them for impenitency , as christ requireth , or but deny them the sacrament as unmeet , they rage against us as our fiercest enemies : if we neglect discipline , and admit swine to the communion of saints , we harden and deceive them , and flatter them in their sin , pollute the church , and endanger our souls by displeasing the chief pastor . what then shall we do with these self-murthering , ungodly men ? many of them have so much reverence of a sacrament , or so little regard of it , that they never seek it , but keep away themselves : perhaps they are afraid , left they eat and drink damnation to themselves , by the prophanation of holy things : but do they think , that it is safe to be out of the church and communion of saints , because it 's dangerous to abuse it ? are infidels safe , because false hearted christians perish ? what if breaking your vows and covenant be damnable ? is it not so to be out of the holy covenant ? what if god be a consuming fire to those that draw near him in unrepented heinous sin ? is it therefore wise or safe to avoid him ? neither those that come not to him , nor those that come in their hypocrisie and reigning sin shall be saved . and yet what to do with these self-suspenders we know not ? are they still members of the churches , or are they not ? if they are , we are bound to call them to repentance , for forsaking the communion of saints in christs commanded ordinance : if they are not , we should make it known , that christians and no christians may not be confounded , and they themselves may understand their case . and neither of these can they endure : but for dwelling in the parish , and hearing the liturgy and sermons , must still pass for church members , lest discipline should exasperate and further lose them . this is that discipline which is thought worthy the honour of episcopal dignity and revennues , and is supposed to make the church of england the best in the world , by the same men that would rage , were discipline exercised on them ; and must either be admitted to the sacrament in a life of fornication , drunkenness , sensuality , and prophaneness , without any open confession , repentance , and reformation , or else must pass for church members without any exercise of discipline , while they shun the sacramental communion of the church . such work doth wickedness make among us . § 11. indeed these are the men that are the trouble of families , the trouble of neighbours , the trouble of good magistrates , the shame of bad ones , and the great danger of the land. all the foreign enemies whom we talk so much against , and fear , are not so hurtful and dangerous to us as these : these that spring out of your own bowels : these that are bred up with care , and tenderness , and cost in your houses : these that should succeed godly ancestors in wisdom and well doing , and be their glory . who plot against us but home bred sinners ? who more hate the good and persecute them ? who are more malignant enemies of godliness , and scorners of a holy life , and hinderers of the word of god , and patrons of prophaneness , and of ministers and people that are of the same mind ? if england be undone ( as the eastern churches , and much of the western are undone ) it will be by your own carnal , ungodly posterity . he that is once a slave to satan and his fleshly lust , is ready for preferment , or a reward , to be a slave to the lust of any other . he that is false to his god and saviour , after his baptismal vows , is unlike to be true to his country , or his king , if he have but the bait of a strong temptation : and he that will sell his soul , his god , and heaven for a whore , or for to please his appetite , it 's like will not stick to betray church , or state , or his dearest friend , for provision to satisfie these lusts. can you expect that he should love any man better than himself ? a wicked , fleshly , worldly man is a soil for satan to sow the seeds in , of any sort of actual sin , and is fuel dryed or tinder for the sparks of hell to kindle in . will he suffer much for god or his country , who will sell heaven for nothing ? an evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. if he hath the heart of an achan , a gehazi , an achitophel , no wonder if he hath their actions and their reward . if he be a thief and bear the bag , no wonder if iudas sell his master . § 12. and these wretches if they live , are like to be a plague to their own posterity : woe to the woman that hath such an husband ! and how are the children like to be bred , that have such a father ? doth not god threaten punishment to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him , and to visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children ? were not the children of the old world drowned , and those of sodom and gomorrah burned , and achans stoned , & dathans & abirams swallowed up , and gehazi's struck with leprosie , &c. for their fathers sins ? and the amalekites children all destroyed , and the posterity of the infidel jews forsaken ▪ the curse coming on them and on their children ? and as their children are like to speed the worse for such parents sins , so are such parents like to be requited by their children . as you shamed and grieved the hearts of your parents , so may your children do by you : and by that time it 's like , if grace convert you not , though you have no hatred to your own sins , worldly interest may make you dislike your childrens . their lust and appetite doth not tempt and deceive you , as your own did : perhaps when they shame your family , debauch themselves with drink and whores , and consume the estates which you sold your souls for , you may perceive that sin ▪ is an evil and destructive thing , especially when they proceed to despise and abuse your persons also , and to desire your death , and be a weary of you ; sooner or later you shall know better what sin is . chap. vi. the joyful state and blessing of good children , to themselves and others . § 1. from what is said chap. 2. and 5. it 's easie to gather , how joyful a case to themselves , and what a blessing to parents and others it is , when children betime are sober , wise , and godly , and obedient . the difference doth most appear at age , and when they come to bring forth to themselves and others the fruits of their dispositions : and the end and life to come will shew the greatest difference : but yet even here , and that betime , the difference is very great . § 2. i. as to themselves : how blessed a state is it to be quickly delivered from the danger of damnation , and gods displeasure , that they need not lie down and rise in fear , lest they be in hell whenever death removeth them from the body ? can one too soon be out of so dreadful a state ? can one that is in a house on fire , or falln into the sea , make too much haste to be delivered ? if a man deep in debt be restless till it be paid , and glad when it is discharged ; if a man in danger of sickness or a condemning sentence of the judge , be glad when the fear of death is over ; how glad should you be to be safe from the great danger of damnation ? and till you are sanctified by grace , you are far from safety . § 3. and if a mans sickness , pain , or distraction be a calamity , the cure of which brings ease and joy ; how much more ease and joy may it bring , to be cured from all the grievous maladies of reigning sin ? sanctification will cure your minds of spiritual blindness and madness , that is , of damnable ignorance , unbelief , and error : it will cure your affections of idolatrous , distracting , carnal love ; of the itch of fleshly desires or lusts ; of the feaver of revengeful passions , and malignant hatred to goodness and good men ; and of self vexing envy and malice against others ; of the greedy worm of covetousness , and the drunken desire of ambitious and imperious minds : it will cure your wills of their fleshly servitude and biass , and of that mortal backwardness to god and holy things , and that sluggish dulness and lothness to choose and do what you are convinced must be done : it will make good things easie and pleasant to you ; so that you will no more think you have need to beg mirth from the devil , or steal it from sin , as if god , grace and glory had none for you : but it will be so easie to you , to love and find pleasure in the bible and good books , in good company and good discourse , in spiritual meditations and thoughts , in holy sermons , prayers , and church communion and sacraments , even in christ , in god , and the fore-thoughts of heaven , that you will be sorry and ashamed to think that ever you forsook such joys for fleshly pleasure , and defiled your souls with filthy and forbidden things . and is not the itch of lust better cured than scratch'd ? is not the feaverish and dropsie thirst after drink , and wealth , and honour , better cured than pleased to the sinners death ? and is not a lazy backwardness to duty , better cured by spiritual health , than pleased with idleness and sleep ? § 4. and certainly you cannot too soon attain the delights of faith and hope , and love , of holy knowledge and communion with god and saints : you cannot too soon have the great blessing of righteousness , peace , and joy in the holy ghost ; and live night and day in peace of conscience , in assurance that all your sins are pardoned , and that you are the adopted sons of god , and heirs of heaven , sealed by his spirit , accepted in your prayers , welcome to god through christ , and when you die shall be with him : can you make too great haste from the folly and filth of sin , and the danger of hell , into so safe and good a state as this ? § 5. and it will be a great comfort to you , thus to find at age and use of reason , that your baptismal blessings ceased not with your infancy , by your own rejection ; but that you are now by your own consent in the bond of god's covenant , and have a right to all the blessings of it , which the sacrament of christs body and blood will confirm ; as you had your entrance by your parents consent and accepted dedication : for the covenant of grace is our certain charter for grace and glory . § 6. and is it not a joy to you to be your parents joy ? to find them love you not only as their children , but as gods ? love maketh it sweet to us to please and be beloved by those whom we love . if it be not your grief to grieve your parents , and your pleasure to please them , you love them not , but are void of natural affection . § 7. and o what a mercy will you find it , when you come to age and business in the world ! 1. that you come with a clear conscience , not clogged , terrified , and shamed with the sins of your youth . 2. and that you come not utterly unfurnished with the knowledge , righteousness and virtue , which you must make use of in every condition all your lives : when others are like lads , that will go to the universities before they can so much as read or write . to live in a family of your own , and to trade and converse in the world ▪ and specially to go to church , to hear , to pray , to communicate , in private to pray , to meditate , in a word , to live or die like a christian , like a man , without the furniture of wisdom , faith , and serious godliness , is more impossible and unwise , than to go to sea without provision , or to war without arms , or to become a priest without book or understanding . § 8. ii. and you that are young men can scarce conceive , what a joy a wise and godly child is to his wise and godly parents ! read but pro. 10.1 & 13.1 . & 17.2 , 25. & 19.13 , 26. & 27.11 . & 23.15 , 19 , 24 , &c. the prayers and instructions of your parents are comfortable to them , when they see the happy fruit and answer . they fear not gods judgments upon their houses , as they would do if you were cains , or chams , or absaloms : they labour comfortably , and comfortably leave you their estates at death , when they see that they do not get and leave it for those that will serve the devil with it , and consume it on their lusts ; but will use it for god , for the gospel , and their salvation : if you fall sick and die before them , they can rejoyce that you are gone to christ , and need not mourn as david , for absalom , that you go to hell. if you overlive them , they leave the world the easier , when they leave as it were part of themselves here behind them , who will carry on the work of god which they lived for , and be blessings to the world when they are gone . § 9. iii. and o what a mercy is it to church and state , to have our posterity prove better than we have been , and do god more service than we have done , and take warning by our faults to avoid the like ? solomon tells us of one poor wise man that saved a city : and god would have spared sodom , had there been but ten righteous persons in it . wherever yet i lived , a few persons have proved the great blessings of the place ; to be teachers , guides , and exemplary to others , as the little leaven that leaveneth the lump , and as the stomach , liver , and other nutritive parts are to the body . blessed is that church , that city , that country , that kingdom , that hath a wise , and just , and holy people . the nearest good and evil are the greatest : our estates are not so near us as wives and children , nor they so near us as our bodies , nor they so much to us as our souls : it 's more to a person , house , or country , what they are , than what they have , or what others do for them or against them . it is these that are gods children as well as ours , that are the blessing so often mentioned in the scripture , who will as the rechabites obey their fathers wholsom counsels , rather than their lusts and carnal companions , and god before all : who walk not in the counsel of the vngodly , nor stand in the way of sinners , nor sit in the seat of the scornful : but their delight is in the law of the lord , and in that law they meditate day and night . psal. 1. lo , such children are an heritage of the lord ; such fruit of the womb is his reward . they are as arrows in the hand of a mighty man ; happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them . they shall not be ashamed ; but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate . psal. 127.3 , 4 , 5. were it not for wise and godly children to succeed us , religion , and peace , and all publick good , would be but as we frail mortals are , like the grass or flowers of a few days or years continuance ; and the difference between a church and no church , between a kingdom of christians and of infidels , would be but like the difference between our waking and our sleeping time , so short , as would make it the less considerable . chap. vii . vndeniable reasons for repentance and speedy amendment , of those that have lived a fleshly and ungodly life : by way of exhortation . § 1. and now the commands of god , the love of my country and the church , the love of piety , true prosperity and peace , and the love of mankind , even of your own souls and bodies , do all command me to become once more an earnest suiter to the youth of this land , especially of london , who have hitherto miscarried , and lived a fleshly , sinful life . thousands such as you are dead in sin , and past our warning , and past all hope and help for ever . thousands that laught at judgment and damnation , are now feeling that which they would not believe . by the great mercy of god it is not yet the case of you who read these words ; but how soon it may be , if you are yet unsanctified , you little know : o that you knew what a mercy it is to be yet alive , and after so many sins and dangers , to have one to warn you , and offer you salvation , and to be yet in possibility , and in a state of hope : in the name of christ i most earnestly intreat you , a little while trie to use your reason , and use it seriously in retired , sober consideration , till you have first well perused the whole course of your lives , and remembred what you have done and how : till you have thought what you have got or lost by sinning , and why you did it , and whether it was justifiable reason which led you to it , and such as you will stand to in your sober thoughts , yea , such as you will stand to before god at last . consider seriously what comes next , and whither you are going , and whether your life have fitted you for your journeys end , and how your ways will be reviewed ere long , and how they will appear to you , and tast at death , judgment , and in the world to come . hold on and think soberly a little while , what is in your hearts , and what is their condition , what you most love , and what you hate , and whether god or sinful pleasure be dearer and more delightful to you , and how you stand affected and related to the world that you are very near . sure reason would be reason if you would but use it , sure light would come in , if you would not shut the windows , and draw the curtains on you , and rather choose to sleep in darkness . is there nothing within you that grudgeth at your folly , and threateneth you for being wilfully besides your selves ? if you would but spend one half hour in a day , or a week , in sober thinking whither you are going , and what you have done , and what you are , and what you must shortly see and be ; how could you chuse but be deeply offended with your selves , for living like men quite void of understanding , against your god , against your selves , against all the ends and obligations of life , and this for nothing ? but it may be the distinctness of your consideration may make it the more effectual : and if i put my motives by way of questions , will you consider them till you have well answered them all . § 2. qu. 1. are you not fully convinced , that there is a god of infinite power , knowledge , and goodness , who is the perfect governour of all the world ? god forbid that any of you should be so bad , so mad , as seriously to doubt of this , which the devils believe , while they would draw you to unbelief . to doubt of a perfect governing god , is to wink and doubt whether there be a sun ; to stop your ears against the notorious testimony of heaven and earth , and every creature : you may next doubt whether there be any thing , if you doubt of god : for atomes and shadows are hardlier perceived with certainty , than the earth , the heavens , and sun. qu. 2. and if you believe that there is a governing god , do you not believe that he hath governing laws or notifications of his will ? and that we owe this god more full , more absolute , exact obedience , than can be due to any prince on earth ? and greater love than to our dearest friend , he being infinitely good and love it self ? can you owe more to your flesh , or to any , than to your god , that made you men , by whom you have life , and health , and time , and all the good that ever you received ? and can you give him too much love and obedience ? or can you think that you need to fear being losers by him , and that your faithful duty should be in vain ? qu. 3. is it god that needeth you , or you that need him ? can you give him any thing that he wants , or do you want what he hath to give ? can you live an hour without him ? or be kept without him from pain , misery , or death ? is it not for your own need , and your own good , that he requireth your service ? do you know what his service is ? it is thankfully to receive his greatest gifts : to take his medicines to save your souls : to feast on his prepared comforts . he calls you to far better and needfuller obedience for your selves , than when you command your child to take his meat , or wear his cloaths , or when he is sick , to take a necessary remedy . and is such obedience to be refused ? qu. 4. hath not nature taught you to love your selves ? surely you cannot be willing to be damned ? nor be indifferent whether you go to heaven or hell ? and can you believe , that god would set you on that which would do you hurt , and that the devil is your friend , and would save you from him ? can you believe that to please your throat and lust till death snatch away your souls to judgment , is more for your own good , than to live here in holiness and the love of god , and hereafter to ▪ live for ever in glory ? do you think you have lived as if you truly loved your selves , or as self destroyers ? all the devils in hell , or enemies on earth , could never have done so much against you , as by your sensuality , ungodliness , and sloth , you have done against your selves . o poor sinner ▪ as ever thou wouldst have mercy from god in thy extremity , be intreated to shew some mercy on thy self ! qu. 5. hath not nature deeply taught all the world , to make a great difference between virtue and vice , between moral good and evil ? if the good and bad do not greatly differ , what makes all mankind , even the sons of pride , to be so impatient of being called or accounted bad ? and love to be accounted wise and good ? how tenderly do most men bear a reproof , or to hear that they do amiss ? to be called a wicked man , a lyar , a perjured man , a knave , how ill is it taken by all mankind ? this certainly proveth that the conscience of the great difference between the good and bad , is a common natural notice . and will not god make a greater difference , who better knoweth it than man ? qu. 6. if god had only commanded you duty , even a holy , righteous , and sober life , and forbidden you the contrary , and had only bid you seek everlasting happiness , and made you no promise of it , should you not in reason seek it chearfully in hope ? our folly leadeth us to do much in vain ; but god setteth no man on any vain employment : if he do but bid you resist temptation , mortifie lust , learn his word , pray to him , and praise him , you may be sure it is not to your loss : a reward you may be sure of , if you knew not what it will be . yea , if he set you upon the hardest work , or to pass the greatest danger , or serve him at the dearest rate , or lose your estate for him , and life itself , what reason can fear being losers by obeying god ? yea , the dearest service hath the greatest reward : but when he hath moreover ascertained your reward by a promise , a covenant , sworn and sealed by his miracles , by christs blood , by his sacraments , by his spirit , if yet you will be ungodly because you cannot trust him , you have no excuse . qu. 7 do you know the difference between a man and a bruit ? bruits have no capacity to think of a god , and a saviour , and a life to come , and to know gods law , and study obedience , and fear hell , and sin , nor reason to rule their appetites and lusts , nor any hope or joy in foreseen glory : but man is made capable of all this : and can you think god maketh such noble faculties in vain ? or should we live like bruits that have none such ? qu. 8. do you not certainly know that you must die ? all the world cannot hinder it : you must die . and is it not near , as well as sure ? how swift is time ? o how quickly shall we all be at our race and warfares end ? and where then is the pleasure of pride , and appetite , and lust ? neither the dismal carkass , nor the dust or bones retain or taste it : and alas the unconverted soul must pay for it for ever . and can you think that so short a bruitish pleasure , that hath so sure and sad an end , is worthy the grieving of your friends , the offending god , the hazard of your souls , the loss of heaven , and the suffering of gods justice in hell for ever . o foolish sinners ! i beseech you , think in time how mad a bargain you are making . o what an exchange ! for a filthy lust or fleshly pleasure , to sell a god , a saviour , a comforter , a soul , a heaven , and all your hopes ? qu. 9 , if the devil or deceivers should make you doubt whether there be any judgment and life to come , should not the meer possibility and probability of such a day and life , be far more regarded by you than all fleshly pleasure , which is certainly short and base . did you ever hear a man so mad as to say , i am sure there is no heaven or hell for souls ? but you are sure that your flesh must not in a dark grave : you are sure that death will quickly put an end to all that this world can afford you : house and land , and all that now deceive poor worldlings , will be nothing to you : no more than if you had never seen them , save the terrible reckoning that the soul must make . sport , and mirth , and meat , and drink , and filthy lusts are ready all to leave you to the final sentence of your judge : and is not even an uncertain hope of heaven more worth than certain transitory vanity ? is not an uncertain hell to be more feared and avoided ▪ than the forsaking of these certain trifles and deceits ? much more when god hath so certainly revealed to us the life to come . qu. 10. is it a wise and reasonable expectation , that the righteous god should give that man everlasting glory , who will not leave his whores , his drunkenness , or the basest vanity , for all his love , and for all his mercies , for the sake of christ , nor for the hopes of all this glory ? heaven is the greatest reward of holiness , and of the diligent and patient seekers of it : heaven is the greatest gift of the great love of god : and can you believe that he will give it to the slaves of the devil , and to contemning wilful rebels ? may not you next think that the devils may be saved ? if you say that god is merciful , it 's most true ; and this will be the unconverted mans damnation , that he would for a base lust offend so merciful a god , and sell everlasting mercy for nothing , and abuse so much mercy all his life . abused and refused mercy will be the fewel to feed the flames of hell , and torment the conscience of the impenitent for ever . doth not god know his own mercy better than you do ? can he not be merciful , and yet be holy and just ? is the king unmerciful if he make use of jails and gallows for malefactors ? it 's mercy to the land to destroy such , as would destroy others : the bosom of eternal love is not a place for any but the holy : the heavenly paradise is not like mahomet's , a place of lust and sensual delights . you blaspheme the most just and holy god , if you make him seem indifferent to the holy and the unholy , to his faithful servants and to the despisers of his grace . qu. 11. if there were any possibility , that unsanctified souls should be sanctified and saved in another world , is it not a madness to cast everlasting life upon so great uncertainty or improbability , when we have life , and time , and helps to make our salvation sure ? god hath called you to give all diligence to make it sure , 2 pet. 1.10 . he hath made infallible promises of it , to sanctified believers : he calleth you to examine and judge your selves , 2 cor. 13.5 . and do you know the difference between certainty and uncertainty in so great a case ? o none can now sufficiently conceive what a difference there is , between a soul that is going out of the body with joyful assurance that christ will presently receive him , and a soul that in the guilt of sin , must say , i am going to an endless life , and know not but it may be an endless misery ! i am here now , and know not but i may be presently with devils that here deceived me : just fear of passing presently to hell fire , is a dreadful case , to be avoided above all earthly sufferings . luk. 12.4 . and 14.33 . much more when gods threatnings to the impenitent are most sure . qu. 12. do you think in your hearts that you have more pleasure , and sound content , and peace with your whores , and in your sports , and drink , or riches , than true believers have in god , in christ , in a holy life , and the hopes of everlasting glory ? judge but by the cause : is not the love of that god that is the lord of life , and death , and all , and the pleasure of pleasing him , and the sense of pardon and mercy through christ , and the firm expectation of endless joy , by a promise of god , sealed by his son , his sacraments , and his spirit ; i say , is not all this matter more worthy to rejoyce a soul , than money , and meat , and drink , and lust ? have not you those secret gripes of conscience , when you think how short the sport will be , and that for all these things you must come to judgment , which much abateth the pleasure of your sin ? had you spent that time in seeking first the kingdom of god and its righteousness , and in honest , obedient labouring in your callings , you need not have lookt back on it with the gripes of an accusing conscience . if you see a true believer sorrowful , it is not for serving and obeying god , or being holy and hating sin ; but for serving god no better , and hating sin no more . qu. 13. have you not oft secret wishes in your hearts , that you were in the case of those persons that you judge to be of the most holy and heavenly hearts and conversations ? do you not think they are in a far safer and better case than you ? unless you are forsaken to blindness of mind , it is certainly so . and doth not this shew that you chuse and follow that which is worse , when your consciences tell you it is worse ? and refuse that which your consciences tell you is best ? but it is not such sluggish wishes that will serve : to lye still and live idle , and wish your selves as rich as the industrious , is not the way to make you so . qu. 14. at least , if you have no such wishes now , do you not think that you shall wish it at death or judgment ? do not your consciences now tell you , that you shall shortly wish , o that i had hated sinful pleasure ? o that i had spent my short life in obeying and trusting god ? will you not say with balaam , let me die the death of the righteous , and let my last end be like his ? o that i were in the case of those that mortified the flesh , and lived to god , and laid not up their treasure on earth , but in heaven ? and why choose you not now that which you know you shall deeply wish that you had chosen ? qu. 15. i take it for granted , that your merry , and sensual , and worldly tempters and companions , deride all this , and persuade you to despise it , as if it were but needless , melancholy , troublesom talk : but tell me , do you think in conscience that it is sound reason that they give you , and such as should satisfie a sober man , that careth what becomes of his soul for ever ? if it be , i make a motion to you . bring any of them to me , or any such man , and in your hearing let the case be soberly debated : i will hear all that they can say against a holy , sober life , for the world , and for their fleshly pleasure : and you shall hear what i can say on the contrary , and then do but use the reason of a man , and judge as you see cause . as elias said to the israelites , why halt you between two opinions : if the lord be god , follow him ; if baal be god , follow him . if money , preferment , drink , and lust be best , take it : but if god , heaven , christ , faith , hope , and holiness be best , at your peril refuse them not , and halt no longer . i suppose you sometime think of the case , ( or else you are dead in sin . ) i pray you tell me , or tell your selves , which cause seemeth best upon the deepest thoughts and consideration : but if you will take the laughter or scorns of ignorant sots , instead of reason , and instead of sober consideration , you are well worthy of the damnation which you so wilfully choose . qu. 16. but if you think highly of their wit or learning , who sin as you , and who encourage and deceive you , i pray you answer these two questions . 1. which side is christ , and his prophets , and apostles on ? which side doth the scripture speak for ? which way went all the saints whose names are now honoured ? were they for the fleshly or the spiritual life ? were they for the love of pleasures more than god ? doth christ from heaven teach you an earthly or a heavenly choice and life ? did he come to cherish sin , or to destroy it , and save us from it ? you can make no doubt of this , if ever you read or heard the bible . and 2. which do you think were the wiser and better men , and worthy to be believed and followed ? whether christ and all his apostles , and saints , that ever were in the world to this day , or the drunkards , and whoremongers , and worldlings , who deride the doctrine sent from heaven ? if there be a heaven , is drunkenness or sobriety liker to be the way to it ? but if indeed you will take the mocks of a swinish sot to be wiser than god , than christ , than prophets , and apostles , and all that ever went to heaven , and their jears to be more credible than all god's word , what can a man say to convince such wretches with any hope ? qu. 17. i further ask you , have you not some secret purposes hereafter to repent ? if not , alas , how far are you from it ? and how forlorn is your case ? but if you have , conscience is a witness against you , that you choose and live in that case and course which you know is worst : were it not worst , you need not purpose to repent of it : and will you wilfully choose known evil , when the very nature of mans will is to love good ? qu. 18. and if you believe that the faithful are in a happier case than you , tell me , what hindereth yet but you may be like them , and yet be happy as well as they ? hath god put any exception against you in his word ? is not mercy and salvation proclaimed and offered to you as freely as to them ? did any thing make you so bad as you are , but your own choice and doing ? and can any thing yet hinder you from pardon and salvation , if you your selves were but truly willing ? what if your parents were bad , and bred you up amiss ? god hath told you , in ezek. 18. and 33. that if you will but do your own part yet , and take warning and avoid your parents sin , and give up your selves unfeignedly to him , he will save you whatever your parents were . what if princes , or lords , or learned men , should be your tempters by words or example ? none of them can force you to one sin : god is greater and wiser than they , and more to be believed and obeyed ; and your salvation is not in any of their power . what if your old companions tempt you ? they can but tempt you ; they cannot constrain you to any evil . all the devils in hell , or men on earth cannot damn you , no nor make you sinners , if you do it not your selves . refuse not christ , and he will not refuse you : and when he is willing , if you be but willing , truly willing to be saved from sin and misery , and to have christ , grace , and glory in the use of the means which god hath appointed you , neither earth nor hell can hinder your salvation : who but your selves keep you from forsaking the company , house , or baits which have deceived you ? who but your selves keep you from lamenting your sin , and flying to christ , and begging mercy , and giving your selves to god ? if you think that serious christians are the happiest , refuse not to be such your selves . it will be your own doing , your own wilful obstinacy if you perish : but of this i have already said more in my call to the vnconverted . qu. 19. dare you deliberately resolve or bargain to take your fleshly pleasures for your part , instead of all your hopes of heaven ? i hope none of you are yet so mad : i think it is but few , if any , of the witches that make so express a bargain with the devil : if they did , o how they would tremble when they see their glass almost run out , and death at hand ! if you dare not make such a bargain in plain words , o do not do the same in the choice of your hearts and the practice of your lives , and deceive your selves by thinking that you do it not , when you do . it is god and not you that maketh the conditions of salvation and damnation . if you choose that life which god hath told us is the condition of damnation , and finally refuse that life which god hath made the condition of salvation , it will in effect be all one as to chuse damnation , and refuse salvation . he that chooseth deadly poison , or refuseth his necessary food , chooseth death , and refuseth life in effect . god hath said , if ye live after the flesh ye shall die , but if by the spirit you mortifie the deeds of the body , you shall live . rom. 8. christ tells you that unless you are born again and converted , you cannot enter into his kingdom . ioh. 3 3 , 5. matth. 18.3 . and that without holiness none shall see god. refuse these , and choose the world and sinful pleasures , and you refuse salvation , and shall have no better than you choose . what you judge best choose resolvedly , and do not cheat your selves . qu. 20. have you no natural love to your parents or your country ? o what inhumane cruelty is it , to break the hearts of those from whom you had your being , and who were tender of you , when you could not help your selves ? doubtless one reason why god hath put so strong a love in parents to their children , and made your birth and breeding so costly to your mothers , and made the milk which is formed in her own body to be the first nourishment of your lives , is to oblige you to answerable love and obedience : and if after all this you prove worse than bruits , and become the grief of their souls , that thus bred , and loved , and nourished you , do you think god will not at last make this far sadder to you , than ever it was to them ? if cruelty to an enemy , much more to a stranger , to a neighbour , to a friend , be so hateful to the god of love , that it goeth not unrevenged , o what will unnatural cruelty to parents bring upon you ? yea , even in this life , as honouring father and mother hath a special promise of prosperity and long life , so dishonouring and grieving parents is usually punished with some notable calamity , as a forerunner of the great revenge hereafter . and you cannot but perceive that such as live in sensuality , and lust , and wickedness , are the great troublers of church , and state : god himself hath said it , there is no peace to the wicked , isa. 48.52 . and 57 21. for the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest , whose waters cast up mire and dirt ▪ there is no peace , saith my god , to the wicked . v. 22. isa. 59.8 . the way of peace they know not ; there is no judgment in their goings : they have made them crooked paths ; whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace . they give no peace to others , and god will deny peace to themselves : yea , the nature of their own sin denieth it them , as broken bones , and griping sickness deny ease to the body . and can you think you shall become the shame of the church , and the troublers of the land , and that god will not trouble you for it ? if you will be enemies of god and your country , you will prove the sorest enemies to your selves . and who is the gainer by all this ? no one in the world ; unless you will call it the devil's gain , to have his malicious , cruel will fulfilled : and sure the pleasing the devil and a fleshly lust , fancy , or appetite , can never compensate all your losses , nor comfort you under the sufferings , which you wilfully bring upon your selves . young men , the reason i thus deal with you by way of question is , that i may , if possible , engage your own thoughts in answering them : for i find most are aptest to learn of themselves : and indeed without your selves , and your own serious thoughts , we cannot help you to true understanding . he that readeth the wisest lecture to boys or men , that take no heed to what is said , yea , or that will not make it their own study to understand and remember , doth but cast away his labour . it 's hard saving any man from himself ; but there is no saving any man without himself , and his own consent and labour . if you will but now take these twenty questions in secret into your serious thoughts , and consider of them , till you can give them such an answer as reason should allow , and as you will stand to before god , when the mouth of all iniquity shall be stopt , i should not doubt but you will reap the benefit . o what should a man do that pittieth blind and wilful sinners , to make them willing of their own recovery ? here all stops : and must it stop at this ? are you not willing ? and will you not so much as consider of the reasons that should make you willing , when heaven or hell must be the consequence ? o what a thing is a blind mind , and a dead and hardened heart ? what a befooling thing is fleshly lust ? o what need had mankind of a saviour ? and what need have all of a sanctifier , and of his holy word , and of all the holy means of grace ? poor sinners ! o let not your teachers , and your parents counsel and tears be brought in as witnesses against you to your condemnation ! o add not this to all their griefs , that their counsel and their sorrows must sink you deeper into hell ! alas , it were sadness enough to them to see that it is all in vain ! let not this counsel of mine to you be rejected to the increase of your guilt and misery : if it do you no good , it will leave you worse . were i present with you , i should not think it too much , would that prevail , to kneel to you , to beg , that you would but well consider your own case and ways , and think before of what will follow : and that you will study a wise and satisfactory answer to the questions put to you , till you are resolved . your case is not desperate : mercy is yet offered you : the day of grace is not yet past ; god is not unwilling to receive you ; christ is not unwilling to be your saviour if you consent : no difficulty in the world maketh us afraid of your damnation , but your own foolish choice and wicked wills. our care is not to make god merciful , nor to make christs merits and sacrifice sufficient , nor to get god to promise you pardon if you repent and come to him by christ : all this is done already ; but that which is undone is to make you considerate and truly willing , and to live as those that indeed are willing to let go the poisonous pleasures of sin , and to take god and heaven for your hope and port on , and to be saved and ruled by christ , and sanctified by his spirit , and to receive his daily help and mercies to this end , in the use of his appointed means , and without this you are undone for ever . and is there any hurt in all this ? if there were , is it worse than the filth of sin , and the plagues that follow here and for ever ! worthy is he to bear at last , depart from me thou worker of iniquity , and to be thrust away from the hopes of heaven , that after all that can be said and done , chuseth sin as more desirable than this god , this saviour , this sanctifier , and this glory . chap. viii . general directions to the willing . though the blindness and obstinacy of fleshly sinners too oft frustrate great endeavours , yet we may well hope , that the prayers and tears of parents , and the calls of god , may prevail with many ; and i may hope , that some that have read what is before written , will say , we are willing to hear and learn that we may be saved : tell us what it is that we must do . and on that hope , i shall give such miscarrying youth some general advice , and some counsel about their particular cases , and all as briefly as i may . o that the lord would make you that read this , truly willing to practise these ten directions following ! how happy yet may you be ! i. set your vnderstandings seriously , and diligently to the work which they are made for , and consider well what is your interest and your duty , till you come to a fixed resolution , what is for your good , and what is for your hurt , and what that good or hurt will be . ] should it be a hard thing to persuade a man in his wits to love himself , and to think what is good or hurtful to himself , especially for everlasting ? why are you men if you will live like dogs ? what do you with understandings if you will not use them ? what will you use them for , if not for your own good , and to avoid misery ? what good will you desire , if not everlasting joy and glory ? and what hurt will you avoid , if not hell fire ? have you reason , and can you live as if these were not worth the thinking on ? will you bestow your thoughts all the day and year upon you know not what , nor why , and not one hour soberly think of such important things as these ? o sirs ! will you go out of the world before you well think whither you must go ? will you appear before the judge of souls , to give up your great account before you think of it , and how it must be done ? is he worthy of the help of grace , that will not use his natural reason ? i beg it of you as ever you care what becomes of you for ever , that you will some time alone set your selves for one hour seriously to think , [ who made you , and why ; what you owe him ; how much you depend on him ; what you have done against him ; how you have spent your time ; what case your souls are in ; what christ hath done for you ; and what he is or would be to you ; whether you are sanctified and forgiven ; what gods spirit must do for you ; and what you must be and do if you will be saved ; and if it be otherwise , whither it is that you must go . ii. therefore i next advise you and intreat you , that you live not as at a great distance from eternity , nor foolishly flatter your selves with the deceitful promises of long life : and were it sure to be an hundred years , remember how quickly and certainly they will end . o time is nothing ! therefore think of nothing in this world as separated from the world to come . whatever you are doing , or saying , or thinking , the boat is hasting to the gulf : you are posting to death and judgment : which way ever you go , by wealth or poverty , health or sickness , busie or idle , single or married , you are going still to the grave and to eternity . judge then of every thing as it tendeth to that end : and think of nothing as not related as a means , to the near and everlasting end : o choose and do that which reason and conscience telleth you , that you will at last earnestly wish that you had chosen and done ; when you are tempted to be prayerless and averse to good , or to run to lust or sinful pleasure , ask your selves seriously ; how will this look in the final review ? what shall i think of this at last ? will it be my comfort , or my torment ? o judge as you will judge at last . iii. my third counsel is , if your consciences tell you that you have foolishly sinned against god and your salvation , make not light of it ; but presently , and openly , go to your parents or masters , and penitently confess your sinful life in general , and your known or open sins particularly : but such secret sins which wronged not them , and will blast your reputation , you are not bound to confess openly , unless the ease or future direction of your doubtful and troubled consciences require it : but when your vicious fleshly life is known , excuse it not , hide not the evil by lies or extenuation , when you have wronged your parents or masters by disobedience , and by robbing them of part of your time and service , if not also of their money or goods , go to them with sorrow and shame , and confess how foolishly you have served the flesh , to the injury of them , to the offending of god , and to the unspeakable hurt of your own souls : lament your sin , and ask them forgiveness , and intreat their prayers , and their careful government of you for the time to come , and sincerely promise them reformation and obedience . yea , if you have had familiar companions in your sin , go to them , and tell them , [ god and reason have convinced me of my sinful folly , that for bruitish , fleshly pleasure , have wilfully broken the laws of my creator and redeemer , and for nothing undone and lost my soul , if christ do not recover me by found repentance . o how madly have we despised our salvation ? how easily might we have known , had we but searcht and considered the word of god , that we were displeasing god , undoing our selves , and making work for future sorrows ? should i , when i know this , and when i know that i am going to death and judgment , yet obstinately go on , and be a hardened rebel against christ and grace , what can i expect , but to be forsaken of god and lost for ever ? o therefore as we have sinned together , let us repent together ! you have been a snare to me , and i to you : we have been agents of the devil to draw each other to sin and misery : certainly all this must sooner or later be repented of . o let us joyn together in sorrow , and reformation , and a holy , obedient life . if you will not consent , i here declare to you before god , ( for i know that he seeth and heareth me ) that i will be your companion in sin no more : i beg pardon for tempting you : i resolve by gods grace to prefer my salvation and my obedience to god , before a base and beastly pleasure : whatever you say against it , i will never more forsake my salvation to follow you , nor ever take you to be wiser than god , nor better friends to me than my saviour , nor your words more regardable than gods word , nor a whore , or a merry cup , or vanity , to be better than heaven , nor temperance and holiness to be worse than hell. if you will not be undeceived with me , i will pray for you ; but i renounce your sinful company , and my warning will be a witness against you to your confusion . stick not at the scorn of fools , nor at the shame of such repentance and confession : it may profit others : but however it is no more than in hope you owe them , whom you have wronged and endangered by sin : and it will lay some new obligation on your selves , to amend by doing what you have so professed : and sure conscience and shame will somewhat the more hinder you , from evermore joyning with them in the sin which you have so bewailed and renounced . and think not this too much , for there is no jeasting with god , and with everlasting joy or misery . iv. my next counsel is , presently , understandingly , and considerately , renew the covenant which you made in baptism with god your creator , redeemer , and sanctifier . consider whether to be a christian is not necessary to your salvation ; and then consider what it is to be a christian , and whether it be not a far higher thing , than meerly to take that name upon you , and be of that party , and to joyn with the right church , and to have the bare words and picture of believers : and then consider whether god will be mocked with shews , and ceremonies , and dead formalities , and false professions ; and whether the lifeless carkass or image of christianity will be taken by god instead of the life and power of it ; and will ever save a soul. yea , whether a false counterfeit christian , bred up under christian instructions and examples , do not make your guilt far greater , and your case more miserable than americans or indians , that never heard what you have heard : and when perhaps you have spoken against hypocrites your selves , whether there be any more notorious hypocrites than such as you , who say you are christians , and yet live to the flesh in the odious sins which christ abhorreth ; think what a dreadful thing it is to profess a religion which condemneth you , and to say over that creed which you believe not , and those petitions in the lords prayer which you desire not , and those commandments which you break and will condemn you : to rebel against god while you say you believe in him : to despise christs government while you say you trust him for salvation : to ask for his grace when you would not have it , to sanctifie you , and save you from your sin : to beg mercy of god , and to reject this mercy , and to have no mercy on your selves . o think what a doleful case it is to see distracted sinners such hypocrites , playing with such contradictions , so near gods bar , and in his sight : and to make no better use of prayers and the name of christians , and the profession of the truth , than to give the devil more matter to accuse you , and conscience to torment you , and a righteous god to say to you at last , out of thy own mouth will i judge thee , thou wicked rebel . didst thou not confess , that jesus was the christ , and that thou didst believe the gospel and the life to come ; and yet didst live in the wilful disobeying of christ and the gospel , and base contempt of god and thy salvation ? and when you have considered the sad case of hypocrites , that call themselves christians to their own condemnation , when they are none such , then think seriously what the covenant was , which was made for you in your baptism , and you have taken on you to own . think what it is devotedly to trust to god as your reconciled father , and devotedly to trust to christ as your saviour , your great teacher , governour , and mediator with the father ; what it is devotedly to trust the holy spirit to illuminate , sanctifie and quicken you in a holy life , and to strenthen and comfort you against , and under , all your trials . consider what it is to take the flesh , the world , and the devil , as they are against this holy life and heavenly hope , for your enemies , and to list your selves under christ in a vowed war to the death against them . think how you have perfidiously broken this covenant , on which all the hope of your salvation lieth . and then if you dare not utterly renounce all that hope , presently and resolvedly renew this covenant . lament your violation of it to god : do it not only in a passion , but upon serious consideration make that choice and resolution , which you dare stand to at a dying hour , and on which you may believe , that god for christs sake will accept you , and forgive you . o think what a mercy it is to have a saviour , who after all your heinous sins , will bring you reconciled as sons to god , for the merits of his sacrifice and righteousness , and by his powerful intercession , and will send from heaven the spirit of god into your hearts , to renew those blind , dead , carnal minds to god's holy image , and will dwell in you , and carry on your sanctification to the end . thankfully and joyfully accept this covenant and grace , and again give up your selves to god , your father , saviour and sanctifier ; but be sure that you do it absolutely , without deceitful exceptions and reserves ; and that you do it resolvedly , and not only in a frightened mood ; and yet that you do it as in the strength of the grace of christ , not trusting the stedfastness of your own deceitful , mutable hearts . and when you can truly say , that you unfeignedly consent , and renew this covenant in your hearts , then go the next opportunity to the sacrament of the lords supper , and there penitently and faithfully renew it openly in the solemn way that christ hath appointed you ; thankfully profess your trust in christ , and receive a sealed pardon of your sins , and title to everlasting life ; and settle your conversation in the communion of saints , as you hope to live with such for ever . v. hence forward set your selves as the true schollars of christ , to learn his doctrine , and as his true subjects to know his laws , and as those that trust their souls into his hand , to understand , and firmly believe his promises for this life , and that which is to come : and as the blessed man , psal. 1 , 2 , 3. to delight in the law of the lord , and meditate in it day and night . as you were wont to steal some hours from god and your masters , to go to the house of sin and death , so now get such hours as lawfully you can , from your other employments and diversions ; but especially on the lords-days ; and get alone , and beg mercy and grace from god , and set your selves to read the bible , and with it read some catechisms , and some sound and serious treatises of divinity which are most suitable to your state . it is young men that have miscarried , and being convinced are willing to turn to god , that i am now directing . and therefore supposing that you will ask me what books i would commend to you , i will answer you accordingly ( supposing still that you prefer the bible . ) 1. for the full resolving of your hearts to a sound repentance , and a holy life , read ioseph allenes book of conversion , richard allens vindication of godliness , and their book of covenanting with god , and his victory over the world , mr. whateleys new birth , and some of the old sermons of repentance , such , as mr. stocks , mr. perkins , mr. dikes , mr. marburys , bunny's correction of parsons book for resolution , iohn rogers doctrine of faith , william fenners books , sam. smith on the first , and the fifty first psalms , and his great assize , and on the eunuchs conversion , bifields marrow , mr. how 's blessedness of the righteous , and of delighting in god. and if you would have any of mine , read the call to the vnconverted , or the treatise of conversion , and the directions for sound conversion , and now or never , and a saint or a bruit , or which of all these gods providence shall afford you . ii. if you would have help to try your hearts , lest they be deceived , read alleins foresaid book of the covenant , and pinkes tryal of sincere love to christ , many books of marks are extant , bifields , rogers , harsnets , berries , &c. and mr. chishull and mr. mead of being almost christians . if you would have any of mine , read the right method for peace of conscience , and directions for weak christians , where are the characters of the false , the weak , and the strong . iii. for the dayly government of heart and life , read the practice of piety , scudders daily walk , mr. reyners directions , ( three excellent books ) mr. corbets small private thoughts . and if you would have any of mine , read my family book , and the divine life , the life of faith , or the saints rest , and for those that can read great ones , my christian directory . iv. and it will not be unuseful to read some profitable history , especially the lives of exemplary persons , and the funeral sermons which characterize them . i have prefaced to two , which are eminently worth your reading , and most true , both young men , that is , iohn ianeway's life , and ioseph alleins , and given you the true exemplary characters in their funeral sermons of mr. ashurst , ( an excellent pattern for apprentices and tradesmen , ) mr. stubs , mr. corbet , and of mr. wadsworth , and mrs. baker . read mr. samuel clarks lives , and his martyrology , and his mirrour , dr. beards examples , or fox's book of martyrs . some church history , and history of the reformation , and the history of our own country , will be useful . v. as you grow up to more judgment you may read methodical sums of divinity , especially ames his marrow , and his cases of conscience , ( which are in english translated ) and commentaries . great store of all sorts of good books through the great mercy of god are common among us : he that cannot buy , may borrow . but take heed that you lose not your time in reading romances , play books , vain jests , or seducing or reviling disputes , or needless controversies . this course of reading scripture and good books will be many ways to your great advantage . 1. it will above all other ways increase your knowledge . 2. it will help your resolutions and holy affections and direct your lives . 3. it will make your lives pleasant ; the knowledge , the usefulness , the variety will be a continual recreation to you , unless you are utterly besotted or debaucht . 4. the pleasure of this will turn you from your filthy fleshly pleasure . you will have no need to go for delight to a play-house , a drinking-house or to beastly lusts . 5. it will keep you from the sinful loss of time , by idleness or unprofitable employment or pastimes . you will cast away cards and dice when you find the sweetness of useful learning . but be sure that you choose the most useful and necessary subjects , and that you seek knowledge for the love of holiness and obedience . vi. the sixth part of my advise is , forsake ill company and converse with such as will be helps to your knowledge , holiness , and obedience , and not such as will draw you to sin and misery . you have found by sad experience what power ill company hath on fools , with such a merry tale , a laughter , a jest , a scorn : a merry cup , and a bad example and perswasion , doth more than reason , or gods authority , or the love of their souls . a physician may go among the sick and mad to cure them ; and a wiseman that seeth these will pitty them , and hate sin the more . but what do you do there , where you have already catcht the infection of their disease . the mind of a man is known much by the company which he chooseth , and if you choose ill , no wonder if you speed ill , pro. 13.20 . he that walketh with wise men shall be wise ; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed . prov. 28.7 . whoso keepeth the law is a wise son , but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father . psal. 119.63 . david saith , i am a companion of all them that fear thee , and of them that keep thy precepts . 26.4 , 5. i have not sate with vain persons . neither will i go in with dissemblers , i have hated the congregation of evil doers , and will not sit with the wicked . 119.115 . depart from me ye evil doers , for i will keep the commandments of my god. vii . especially be sure that you run not willfully upon temptation , but keep as far from every tempting bait , and object as you can , fire and gunpowder , or straw must be kept at a sufficient distance , no man is long safe at the very brink of danger , especially if it be his own choice , and more especially if it be a sin that his nature is much inclined to . no wise man will trust corrupted nature very far , especially where he hath often faln already . the best man that is should live in fear , when an enticing bait of sin is near him . if david that prayed , turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity , had better practiced it , o! what heynous sin had he escaped ; had he made a covenant with his eyes , as iob did , what wounds had he prevented ? the feast that you see not , the cup that is a mile off , the person that is far distant , the words which you hear not , are not they that you are most in danger of ? but when tempting meat and drink are before you , and the tempting person hath secret familiarity with you , and tempting or provoking words are at your ears , then alas many have need of more grace , resolution , and mortification than they have . if you knew well what sin is , and what is the consequence , you would be more watchful and resolved against temptations than against thieves or fire , or the places infected by the plague . viii . make it the cheif study of your lives to understand what mans everlasting hope is , and to get a lively well setled belief of it ; and to bring your souls to take it joyfully for your true felicity and end , and thence daily to fetch the powerful motives of your duty and your patience , and your contenting comfort in life and at your death . the end is the life of all the means . if heavenly blessedness be not the chief end that you live , hope and labour for in the world , your whole lives will be but carnal , vain and the way to misery : for the means can be no better than the end. god that is the beginning is our end ; we are made and governed by him and for him. heavenly glory is the sight of his glory , and the everlasting perfection and pleasure of joyful mutual love. but we are not the noblest creatures next to god in excellency and desert , yea we are sinners who have deserved to be cast out from his love. and therefore as in the way we must come to him by a saviour , so at the blessed end we must enjoy him by a mediator , and to see gods glory in christ and the heavenly ierusalem , the blessed society of saints and angels , continually flaming in love , joy and praises to the most holy god. this , this is the felicity for which we labour , suffer and hope . 2. and o! how great , and how needful a work it is , to search , study and pray for so firm a belief of this unseen glory , as may so resolve , engage , and comfort us in some good measure , as if we had seen it with these eyes ? o! what men would one hours being in heaven make us , or one clear sight of it ? faith hath a greater work to do than a dreaming or dead opinion can perform . if it be not well grounded first , and well exercised upon gods love , promise and glory from day to day , you will find cause ( sadly ) to lament the weakness of it . for this use you have great need of the help of such books , as open clearly the evident proofs of the christian verity , which i have breifly done in the beginning of the 2d . part of my life of faith , and more largely in 2 other books , viz. the unreasonableness of infidelity , and the reasons of the christian religion . a firm b●lief of the world to come , is it that must ●ake us serious christians , and over come the snares of worldly vanity . and your faith being well setled , set your selves dayly to use it , and live by it , dwell in the joyful hopes of the heavenly glory . what is a man that liveth not in the use of reason ? and you must know that you have as daily use for your faith , as for your reason . without reason you can neither safely eat or drink , nor converse with men as a man , but as a bedlam , not do any business that concerneth you ; and therefore you must live by your reason . and without faith you cannot please god , nor obtain salvation , no nor use your reason for any thing higher than to serve your appetites and purvey for the flesh , and therefore you must live by faith , or live like beasts , and worse than beasts , and cannot otherwise live to god , nor live in the hopes of blessedness hereafter . o! consider that the difference between living chiefly upon and for an earthly fleshly felicity , or a heavenly ; is the great difference between the holy and the unholy , and the fore-goer of the difference between those in heaven and those in hell. ix . still remember that the great means , of all the good that here or hereafter you can expect , is the great mediator , the great teacher , ruler and intercessor for his people . and therefore out of him you can do nothing . all duty that you offer to god must be by his mediation , and so must all mercy which you receive from god. to come to god by him , who is the way , the truth , and the life , must be your daily work of faith. his blood must wash you from all sin past , and from the guilt of daily failings , and infirmities . none but he can effectually teach you to know god and your selves , your duty and your everlasting hopes . none but he can render your persons , praises and actions acceptable to god , because you are sinners , and unmeet for gods acceptance without a mediator . all power in heaven and earth is given him , and your lives and souls are at his will ; and it is he that must judge you , and with whom you hope to live in glory . therefore you must so live by the faith of the son of god , who hath loved you and and given himself for you , that you may say it is he that liveth in you , gal. 2.2021 . this is the fountain from whence you must daily fetch your strength and comfort . x. and still remember that it is by the operation of the holy spirit , that the father and the son do sanctifie souls , and regenerate and breed them up for glory . it is by the holy ghost , that god dwelleth in us by love , and christ by faith. therefore see that you rest not in corrupted nature , and trust not to your selves , or to the flesh. your souls are dead to god and holiness , and your duties dead , till the spirit of christ do quicken them . you are blind to god and mad in sin , till the spirit illuminate you , and give you understanding . you are like enemies out of love with god , heaven and holiness , till this spirit reconcile you and sanctifie your wills . you will have no manlike spiritual holy pleasure , till the holy spirit renew your hearts , and make them fit to delight in god. o that men knew the great necessity of the illuminating , quickning , sanctifying , comforting influence of the spirit of god , how far would they be from deriding it , as some prophane ones do . by this holy spirit the sacred records were written , and by miracles of christ and his apostles , and evangelists and prophets , sealed and delivered to the churches . and by this spirit the orders and government of the church were setled . and by him we are inlightned to understand the scripture , and inclined to love them and delightfully believe them and obey them . study therefore obediently these writings of the holy ghost , and confidently trust them . o! be not found among the resisters , or neglecters of the spirits help and motions , when proud self-confidence or fleshly lusts do rise against them . christs bodily presence is taken from the earth , he promised instead of it ( which was but in one place at once ) to send his spirit which is to the soul more than the sun light to the eye , and can shine in all the world at once . this is his agent on earth , by whom ( in teachers and learners ) he carrieth on his saving work . this is his advocate who pleadeth his cause effectually against unbeleif and fleshly lusts , and worldly wisdom . this is the well of living water , springing up in us to everlasting life ; the name , the mark of god on souls , the divine regenerator , the author of gods holy image , and the divine nature , even divine life , and light and love , the conqueror of the world and flesh , the strengthner of the weak , the confirmer of the wavering , the comforter of the sad , and the pledge , earnest and first fruits of everlasting life . o therefore pray earnestly for the spirit of grace , and carefully obey him , and joyfully praise god , in the sence of his holy encouragement and help . chap. ix . additional counsel to youngmen , who are bred up to learning , and publick work , especially to the sacred ministry in the vniversities and schools . § . 1 it was the case of the london apprentices , who are nearest me , and i have oft to do with , which first provoked me to this work , and therefore which was chief in my intention . but had i as near opportunity to be a counsellor to others , there are three sorts whom i should have preferred , for the sake of the church and kingdom , to which they are of greater signification . i. those in the schools and universities , who are bred up for the sacred ministry . ii. those there , and in the inns of court that are bred up to the knowledge of the law. iii. the sons of noblemen , knights and others , that are bred up for some places of government in the kingdom , according to their several ranks . and of these it is the first that i shall most freely speak to . § . 2. and first i shall mention the importance of their case , and secondly the danger that they are in of miscarrying , and what they should do to escape it . § . 3. i. and indeed their condition as they prove good or bad , is of unspeakable importance . 1. to the church and the souls of men . 2. to the peace of the kingdom . 3. to themselves . and , 4. to their parents , above the common case of others . § . 4. 1. of how great importance the quality of the clergy is to the church and mens salvation , many thousands have found to their joy and happiness , and i fear many more thousands to their sorrow and destruction . and then of what importance the quality of scholars and young candidates , is to the soundness of the clergy , i need not many words to make men of reason and experience know . § . 5. 2. god who hath instituted the sacred office , and by his spirit qualifieth men for the work , doth usually work according to the fitness of their work , and qualifications . as he doth the works of nature according to the fitness of natural second causes , ( giving more light by the sun , than by a star or candle , &c. so he doth the works of morality , according to the fitness of moral causes . holiness is the true morality , and usually wrought by holy means . and though it be so supernatural in several respects ( as it is wrought by the supernatural revelation , or doctrine , or a supernatural teacher christ , by the operation of the holy ghost , a supernatural agent , commonly called infusion , and raising the soul to god a supernatural object ; and to a better state than that of corrupted nature ) yet we are natural recipients , and agents , and it is our natural faculties which grace reneweth , and being renewed exercise the acts of holiness ; and god worketh on us according to our nature , and by causes suited to our capacities and to the work . as he useth not to give men the knowledge of languages , philosophy or any art , by the teaching of the ignorant and unskilful , so much as by learned skilful teachers , we must say the same of our teachers of sacred truth : and though grace be the gift of the holy ghost , experience constraineth all sorts of christians almost to acknowledge what i here assert . why else do they so earnestly contend , that they may live under the teachers which they count the best ? will hereticks teach men the truth as well as the orthodox ; why then is there such a stir made against hereticks in the world ? and why are the clergy so eager to silence such as preach down that , which they approve . will papists choose protestant teachers , or protestants choose papists . and as men are unfit to teach others , that which they know not themselves , so unbelieving men , and unholy men , are far less fit to perswade the hearers to faith and holiness , than believing holy teachers are . though some of them may be furnished with the same notions and words which serious godly teachers use , yet usually , even in that , they are greatly wanting : because they have not so throughly studied saving truth , nor percieved its evidence , nor set their hearts upon it , nor deeply recieved and retained it . for serious affection quickneth the mind to serious consideration , and causeth men speedily and deeply to recieve that truth , which others recieve but slowly , superficially , or not at all . how eagerly and prosperously do men study that which they strongly love ? and how hardly do they learn that , which they have no delight in ? much more which they hate , and their very natures are against ? but if an hypocrite should have good notions and words , yet he will usually be greatly wanting in that serious delivery , which is ordinarily needfull to make the hearers serious christians . it seldom reacheth the heart of the hearer , which cometh not from the heart of the speaker . as light causeth light , so heat causeth heat ; and the dead are unfit to generate life . the arrow will not go far or deep , if both the bow and arm be not strong that shoot it ; constant experience telleth us undeniably , of the different successe of the reading or saying of a pulpit-lesson , or a dull , or a mere affected speech , & of the judicious , serious explication , & application of well chosen matter ; which the experienced speaker well understandeth , and which he uttereth from the feeling of his soul. and the love of a benefice , no , nor of applause neither , will not make a man preach in that manner , as the love of god , and the lively belief of heaven and hell , and as the desire of saving souls will do . the means will be chosen and used , and the work done , agreeably to the principle and the end . but if a stage-hypocrite should learn the knack , or art of preaching , with affected fervency , and seeming zeal , yet , art and paint will not reach the power and beauty of nature : usually affectation bewrayeth it self ; and when it is discerned , the hypocrisie is loathed : and it faileth ordinarily , in point of constancie : will the hypocrite pray alwaies . iob 27.10 . art will not hold out like nature : ( when the motives of gain ( which is their godliness ) ceaseth , the pleasure of applause , the means will cease . yea , usually it turneth to a malignant reviling of the serious piety which they counterfeited before , or of the persons , whose applause they did affect : for where the hypocrisie of the preacher is discovered , by his contrary self-condemning words , or life ; and the people accordingly judg of him as he is , his proud heart cannot bear it , but he turneth a malicious reproacher of those , whose applause he sought , thinking by disgraceing them , to defend his own esteem , by making their censure of him incredible , or contemptible . and if the hypocrite should hold on his stage affectation , with plausible art , yet it will not reach to an answerable discharge of the rest of his ministerial work : it is from men , that he expecteth his reward , and in the sight of men , on the publick stage that he appeareth in his borrowed glory . but in his family , or his conversation , or his ministerial duty to men in private , he answereth not his publick shew . he will not set himself to instruct , and win the ignorant and impenitent , and zealously to save men from their sins , and to raise mens earthly minds to heaven , by praying with them , and by heavenly discourse , and by a heavenly conversation : nor will he be at much cost , or labour to do good . § . 6. but alas , the far greatest part of bad unexperienced clergie men , do prove so hurtful to the church , that they have not so much as the hypocrites seeming zeal and holyness to cloak their sin , or profit their people with . the sad case of the christian world proclaimeth this ; not only in the southern and eastern churches ( abassia , egypt , syria , armenia , the greeks , and moscovites , &c. nor only the papists priests in the west , but too great a number in the reformed churches . and it is more lamentable than wonderful : for there goeth so much to the general planting of a worthy faithful ministry , that it is the great mercy of god , that such are not more rare . 1. if they have not natural capacity , there is not matter for art and ordinary grace to elevate . 2. and if this capacity be not improved by diligent and long study ( which most will not undergo ) it is no wonder if it be useless , or much worse . 3. and if it be not directed by a sound and skilful teacher , but fall into the hands of an erroneous , or bad guide ; you may conjecture what the fruits will be . 4. and if that good parts and studies be not kept from the mischievous enmity of a worldly mind , and fleshly lusts , how easily are they corrupted , and turned against their use and end , to the great hurt of the church , and of themselves . 5. and if those that choose prelates , or church-governours should be either of corrupted judgments , wicked hearts , or vicious lives , how probable is it , that they will choose such as themselves , or at least , such as will not much cross their lusts. 6. and if such worldly and wicked prelates be the ordainers , examiners , judges , and institutors of the inferior clergie , or be their rulers , it 's easie to know what sort of men they will introduce and countenance , and what sort they will silence , and discourage . 7. and if lay-patrons have the choice of parish pastors , and most , or many of them should be such , as christ tells us the rich most usually are , a worldly , and sensual sort of men , or such as have no lively sense of heavenly things , we may easily conjecture , what men such are likely to present . 8. and if the people have any where , ( as anciently ) the choice when most of them are bad , what men will they choose . or if they have not the choice , yet they are so considerable , that their consent , or dissent , love , or hatred , will sway much with those that much live among them . but i must afterward say more of these impediments . § . 7. and as all these impediments are like to make worthy pastors to be rare , so its certain that their naughtiness of such is like to make them exceeding hurtful , which is easily gathered from 1. what they will be . 2. what they will do . 3. in what manner they will do it . in all which , the effects may be probably foreseen . and , 1. it is supposed that they will be worldly minded men , that will take gain for godliness , and will judge that to be the best cause , and those the best persons , who most befriend their worldly interest . they will love the fleece more than the safety of the flock , and their benefices , more than the benefit of the people's souls ; they will serve their bellies more than christ , phil. 3.18 . rom. 16.17 . and being lovers of the world , they will be real enemies to god. the love of money , in them , will be the root of all evil. as achan , and gehezi , they will think they have reason for what they do ; and if tempted , will with iudas betray their master . 2. and their fleshly desires will have little restraints , but what one sin doth put upon another , or gods controuling providence give them . their reputation may make them avoid that which would be their disgrace : but secretly , they will serve their appetites , and fleshly lusts. for they will not have gods effectual grace , nor much tenderness of conscience to restrain them . 3. and pride will be their very nature . esteem and applause will be taken for their due , and seem as necessary to them , almost as the air , and as vvater to a fish. ambition will be their complexion ; and will actuate their thoughts : and all these vices will so corrupt their judgments , that there will want little more , than worldly interest and temptations , to turn them to any heresie , or ill design . and it is much to be feared , that their prophanation of holy things will make them worse , and more impenitent than other men . partly , by the righteous judgment of god forsaking them ; and partly , by the hardning of their own hearts , by long abuse of that truth which should have sanctified them : for when they have imprisoned it in unrighteousness , and long plaid , as hypocrites , with that , which they preached and professed to believe , custom will so harden them , that their knowledge will have little power on their hearts . § . 2ly . and no wonder if the fruit be like the tree these vices will not be idle , nor bring forth holy , or just effects . 1. it 's likely they will make it the chief care of their minds , to get that , which they most love . and that they will study preferment ( which is the clergie-mans nearest way to wealth . ) 2. and then they must be flatterers of those that can preferr them . or at least , must not seriously call them to repentance , or tell them of their sin . 3. in all differences , of what consequence soever , they will usually pass their judgment on the side of such as can preferr , or hurt them . 4. in religious controversies they will usually be on the side , that is for their wordly interest , be it right , or wrong . 5. they will harden great men in their sins , by flattering them . 6. they will harden the prophane , by pleasing them in their ignorance and ungodliness , to get them on their side . 7. they will be enemies to the serious religious people , because they discern the vice and hypocrisie , which they would conceal , and because they honour such as fear the lord , while vile persons are contemned in their eyes , psal. 15.4 . 8. they will turn their preaching against such , partly to vent their malignant spleen , and partly to overcome them as their enemies . hereupon they will describe their serious piety , as faction , self opinion , and hypocrisie , and will raise jealousies against them in the minds of rulers , and increase the rabbles malignity and rage , and will extenuate the sin and danger of the most ungodly sort , that take their own part . 9. they will shame their office and profession , by base mutability , turning with the time and tide , as temptations from their worldly interest lead them . 10. they will by their making light of godliness , and by the scandal , or unholyness of their own conversations , make the vulgar believe that godliness is either a cheat , or a matter of meer words , and outward observances , and to be of the religion of their rulers , and a thing to keep men in some awe and order in a worldly life . 11. their ignorance oft makes them unfit for hard controversies , and yet their pride and malignity will make them forward to talk of what they understand not , and to take thence an occasion to revile those whom they dislike , and speaking evil of what they never knew , they will make up their want of knowledge , with outward titles , pretended authority , confident affirmation , censorious reproach , and violently oppressing by power the gainsayers . 12. if any mans conscience be awakned to call him to true repentance , they will either tell him it is needless melancholy trouble , and give him an opiate of some flattering false comfort , or preach him asleep again , with unsuitable things , or a cold , dull , formal kind of managing holy things . § . 9. and such are too often the plagues of the church and state , as well as injurious to individual souls . 1. their ignorance , or scandalous ambition , covetousness , and other sins , do render them so contemptible in the eyes of many , that it tends to make the church , and all religion so . and when nobles , gentlemen , and people think basely of the ministry , church , and religion for their sakes , how sad is the case of such a people . the gospel is half taken away from a nation , when 't is taken out of their esteem , and brought under their reproach and scorn : and a scorned clergie will prepare for the scorning of religion : and an ignorant , or worldly ambitious , fleshly , scandalous clergie , will be a scorned clergy with two many . erasmus much disgraced the germane protestants , when he described some of them , as having a bottle of wine at their girdle , and his translation of the new testament in their hands , ready to dispute for it with blows : and so do many that tell the world how many of the lutheran ministers are given to excess of drink , and unpeaceable reviling of dissenters . and the same erasmus much depreciated either bishops , or scotists , when speaking of the scotist bishop of london , who was dr. collets adversary , he saith , i have known some such whom i would not call knaves , but never one , whom i could call a christian . not only drunkenness and bruitish sins , but factitiousness , envy , unpeaceableness , contentiousness , and especially a proud and wordly mind , will be in most mens eeyes , more ugly in a minister , than others : for where there is a double dedication to god , that which is common , will seem vnclean , and when there should be a double holyness , sin will appear to be double sin . 2. and indeed a carnal wordly clergie are oft the most powerful and obstinate hinderers of the peace , and quietness of church and state. 1. by fitting themselves to the humours of those , in whose power their preferments are , be it never so much to the injury of mens souls , bodies , or estates , or against the publick good and safety ! or else , leading the people into errour for popular applause . 2. by a domineering humour , in matters of religion : taking themselves law-givers to others , and taking their witts and wills for uncontroulable ; laying heaven and hell upon their own inventions or conceits , and the controversies which they endlesly make , but understand not , and hereticating , or anathematizing such as take them not for oracles , or rabbi's , that must not be gainsay'd . 3. and by corrupting the christian religion , and church , by departing from the christian simplicity , and purity ; and forming doctrine , worship , and government , according to their own carnal worldly minds and interest . 4. and than militating against the best that contradict them , or stoop not to them , though it be to the distraction and division of the churches . and usually they are the hardest to be brought to peace , and reconciliation , and do most against it , when ever it is attempted by peace-makers , who pitty the woeful case of such a self-disturbing people . § . 10. all this hath been so long manifested to the sad experience of mankind , in most nations , and ages of the christian world , that it is not to be denyed , or concealed . and should we pretend the honour of the church and clergie , for the denying , or the hiding of such grievous sins , it would but make us partakers of the guilt , and displease the most holy god , who will have sin in whomsoever shamed , and harden others who are ready to imitate them . the holy scriptures open and shame the sins even of adam , of noe , of lot , of david , of solomon , of peter , and of gods chosen people the iews : and this was not a faulty uncovering of their nakedness , but a necessary disgrace of sin , and manifestation of the holyness and justice of god , and a warning to others that we should not sin with such examples before our eyes . 1 cor. 10.6 , 7 , 8. i have written the history of the bishops , and councils of former ages , in which , with their virtues , i have opened their miscarriages : some blame it , as if it were uncovering their nakedness . but i have said nothing but what is openly proclaimed of them long agoe , by their own greatest flatterers ; and it was christ himself that said remember lot 's wife : the pit which so many have fallen into , must be uncovered , and god , and holyness must be honoured , rather than those that dishonour them by sin : sin confessed and forsaken , is not so dangerous , as sin denyed , and extenuated : he that hideth it , shall not prosper . sin is a reproach to any people , pro. 14.34 . and 6.33 . even god that forgiveth it to the penitent , will shame it , to keep others from committing it . he that minceth , or hideth it , tempteth others to imitate it . alas , what work have a worldly , proud , and ignorant clergie made in most christian nations , these thirteen hundred years . athanasius , chrysostoms , isidore-pelusiota , &c. but especially , excellent gregory nazianzene have told it us , even of their flourishing times , more plainly than i now intend to do : they have loved this present world : some set themselves by venting new and odd opinions , to draw disciples after them for applause ; some furiously hereticating them that differed from them by ambiguous words ; and making themselves lords of the faith of others , and making their ignorant dictates the oracles of the church : striving who should be thought wisest and best , but especially who should be greatest , as if christ had never judged in that controversie : flattering emperours and princes , till they got wealth and power by them , and then over-topping them , and troubling the world by rebellious , and bloody warrs . tearing the churches in pieces , on pretence of union , and killing , and burning men on pretence of faith and charity , and cursing from christ his faithful servants , on pretence of using the keyes of christs kingdom ; setting up themselves , and a worldly kingdom , on pretence of the spiritual government of christ ; making merchandize of souls , on pretence of feeding , and ruling them , cherishing the people in ignorance , and sloth , and carnality , that they might be more obedient to their tyranny , and lesse capable of opposing it ; hating , and destroying the most conscionable christians , as hereticks , or schismaticks , because they are the greatest enemies to their sin , and desires of reformation ; provoking princes to become the bloody persecutors of such , for the upholding of their worldly state and dignity , yea , making them their lictors or executioners , to destroy such as they condemn . such work as this , hath destroyed the greeks , or eastern churches , set up turkish tyranny , by dividing christians , weakning , and ruining the emperors , making religion a meer image of lifeless formality , and ceremony , and a powerless dying thing . such a clergie hath darkned , and lamentably brought low the christian churches in moscovie , armenia , georgia , mengrelia , syria , abassia , and extirpated them in nubia , and brought them in italy , poland , hungary , spain , france , and most of germany to what they are : such a clergie have brought ireland from the laudable state which it was in , in the days of malachias , as bernard described it , into the barbarous , briutish , ignorance and bloody inhumanity at which it is now arrived ; and had the chief hand in the murder of two hundred thousand persons in the late rebellious insurrection ; such a clergy had a chief hand in the civil wars in england in the reign of william rufus , king stephen , hen. 3. king iohn , &c. the subject of pryns history of the treasons of prelates : and alas such a corrupt sort of ministers keepeth up the division of the german protestants , under the name of lutherans and calvinists , about consubstantiation , church-images , and doctrines of predestination not understood . and had the low-countries ever had the stirs between remonstrants and contra-remonstrants , or england and scotland ever had the miserable contentions , warres and cruelties between the former episcopal parties , and the laudians , or between them and the presbyterians and independents , and all the silencings , and woefull contentions and schisms that have thence followed , if the vices of the clergy had not been the cause . and had we continued in this case these twenty years last , silencing , reviling and prosecuting about two thousand conscionable preachers , and writing and preaching still for executing the lawes against them , and the prosecuted people flying from such a clergy as ravening wolves , and some censuring the innocent with the guilty , could all this have been done by a wise , holy , and peaceable clergy , that served god in selfdenyal , and knew what it is to seek the good of church and souls ? when we yet continue under the same distractions and convulsions , and all cry out that a flood of misery is breaking in on the land , and like to overwhelm us all , and still it is the clergy that cannot or will not be reconciled , but animate rulers and people against each other , and cannot or will not find the way of peace ; yea all would be soon healed in probability , could the nation but procure the clergy to consent ; certainly there is some grievous disease in our selves , which is like to pove mortal to such a kingdom , and that while so many pray and strive for peace . those men that have no more skill or will to heal the wounds , and stop the blood of a fainting church and state , nor wil by any reason or humble importunity be intreated to consent to the cheap and necessary cure , no nor to hold their hands from continued tearing of us , do tell all the world that they are sadly wanting in fitness for their sacred office , and that this unfitness is like to cost an endangered nation dear . wo , wo , wo , to that church , that hath hypocrites , ungodly , unexperienced , proud , worldly , fleshly , unskilful , unfaithful and malignant pastors , and that hath wolves instead of shepherds ; wo to the land that hath such . wo to the prince and states that have and follow such counsellors , and to the souls that are subverted by them . alas ! from a bad clergy hath sprung the greatest calamities of the churches , in all places to this very day . § . 11. but will such mens sins prove less woful to themselves than others . no. 1. it is the sin and guilt it self , which is the greatest evil . 2. they aggravate their sin and guilt by a perfidious violating a double vow , their baptismal vow of christianity , and their ordination vow to be faithful ministers of christ. 3. they aggravate their guilt by their nearness to god in their office , and works , as aarons two sons that were struck dead , lev. 10.2 , 3. for god will be sanctifyed in them , that come nigh him , and before all the people he will be glorifyed . the examples of the beth-shemites , vzza , vzziah , the bad priests and false prophets of old are terrible . 4. and it greatly addeth to the guilt to do all this or much of it as in the name of god , or by his commission . this is a dreadful taking of gods name in vain , for which he will not hold them guiltless . to pretend , that it is by gods command , that they set up that which he abhorreth ; that they corrupt his doctrine , or worship , or church order that they set up their own wills and sinful laws instead of and against his laws ; that they tear his church by proud impositions , and wicked anathema's , and interdicts of whole kingdoms , excommunicating and deposing kings , absolving men from their oaths of allegiance , tormenting and murdering godly men as hereticks , silencing faithful ministers , smiting the shepherds and scattering the flocks , and then reviling them as schismaticks , and all this to uphold a worldly kingdom of their own , and keep up their pride , domination and self-will , and to have riches for provision for fleshly lusts ; i say to do all this as in the name of christ , with a sic dicit dominus , and as for the church and truth , and souls , is a most heynous aggravation . 5. indeed while a poor blind clergy man as his trade , for applause and gain , doth study and preach that word of god which is against him , how dreadful is it to think , how all that he doth and saith is self-condemnation , and that out of his own mouth he must be judged , and that all the woes which he pronounceth against hypocrites , and impenitent carnal worldly men , his own tongue pronounceth them against himself . § . 12. and when satan hath once got such instruments , how great an advantage hath he for the success against themselves , against the flock , and against the church and cause of christ , above what he might expect by other servants . 1. they are farre hardlier brought to repentance than others . ( 1. ) because they have by wit and study , bended that doctrine to defend their sin , which should be used to bring them to repentance . ( 2. ) and because their aggravated sin against light , doth most forfeit that help of grace which should work repentance in them . ( 3. ) and because being taken for wise learned men , and preachers of truth , and teachers of others , and reprovers of errors , their reputation is much concerned in it , and their unhumbled souls , which look all others should assent and consent to their prescripts , will hardly be brought to confesse sin and errour ; but will sooner ( as papists ) plead-infallibility , or conclude as some councils have done that a lay man must not accuse a clergy man , be he never so bad . repentance is hard to all men of carnal interest , but to few more than to an unhumbled clergy man. and 2. whoever accuseth or reproveth them of sin , will be represented as an enemy to the church , & a dishonourer of his ghostly fathers , and one that openeth their nakedness which he should cover : and so their ulcers are as a noli me tangere ; and fret as a gangreen unremedied . 3. and their place , office , titles , and learning with many will give sin reputation and advantage . if a drunkard in the alehouse deride godly men , as hereticks , schismaticks , hypocrites , or puritanes , sober men will not much regard it : but they think they owe more belief and reverence , to a learned reverend preacher in the pulpit , even when he preacheth against preaching , and against those that practise what he teacheth them at other times . o how much of his work hath satan done in the world by corrupting sacred offices , and by getting his servants into rvle and ministry , to do his work as for christ , and his church , and by his authority and in his name . our natural enmity with the serpent disswadeth him from speaking or sending to us in his own name . should one say in the pulpit [ thus saith the devil , hate christs servants ; silence his ministers , call serious godliness hypocrisie , ] ( which is the contrary to hypocrisie ) i should not much fear his success with any . but if he be a lying spirit in the mouth of ahabs prophets , and can get a prophet to smite michaiah for pretending to more of the spirit than he had ; or if he can get men in the sacred office to say ( thus saith the lord ) when they speak for sin or against the lord , this is the devils prosperous way . § . 13. ii. i have told you what plagues bad clergy men will be , and still have been to themselves , to the souls of men , and to the publick state of churches and kingdoms ; and were it not lest my writing should be too large , i should tell you what blessings on the contrary able and faithful ministers are . briefly 1. christ maketh them the cheif instruments for the propagating of his truth and kingdom in the world , for the gathering of churches , and preserving and defending contradicted truth . they are the lights of the world , and the salt of the earth . all christians are bound to teach or help each others in charity ; but christs ministers are set in his church ( as parents in families ) to do it by office. and therefore must be qualified above others for it , and be wholly dedicated to it , and attend continually on it ; as a physitian differeth from every neighbour , who may help you in your sores or sickness as they can , so do the pastors of the church differ from private helpers of your souls . the scripture is preserved and delivered down by the private means of all the faithful , but eminently by the publick office of the pastors . it may be expounded and applyed privately by any able christian , but the pastors do it eminently by office ; and to them especially ( though to all christians commonly ) are committed the oracles of god. the priests lips must preserve knowledge , and men should enquire of the law at his mouth ; for he is the messenger of the lord of hosts , mal. 2.7 . never yet was the gospel well propagated nor continued in any country in the world , but by the means of the ministers of christ : and o! what difference hath there been in their successes as they differed in ability , piety and diligence ! and how great an honour is it to be such blessed instruments of building up the house of god , and propagating the gospel and the kingdom of christ , and the christian faith and godliness in the world. 2. and thus god useth them as his special instruments for the convincing , converting , edifying , comforting and saving of souls . others may be blest herein : but the special blessing goeth along with those that are specially obliged to the work ; which is parents in families , and pastors in the church . o how many thousand souls in heaven , will for ever rejoyce in the effects of the labours of faithful ministers , and bless god for them . and what an honour , what a comfort is it to have a hand in such a work . he that converteth a sinner from the errour of his way , doth save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins , jam. last . 3. and in this they are co-workers with jesus christ the great saviour of souls , and with the holy spirit , the regenerator and sanctifier . yea christ doth very much of the work of his salvation by them , when he ascended on high he gave gifts to men , for the edifying of his body , till they come to a perfect man ; eph. 4.6 . to 16. and when the chief shephard shall appear , they shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away , 1 pet. 5.4 . and shall hear well done good and faithful servant . hence are the streams of consolation , that make glad the city of god , and daily refresh many thousand precious souls . for how shall men believe without a preacher , and how shall they preach unless they be sent ( qualified , obliged and authorized by christ ) rom. 10. 4. in a word churches , states and christian kingdoms are chiefly blest and preserved by the labour of the faithful part of the ministry : for ( 1 ) if we have the rare blessing of a wise and holy and loving magistracy , it is usually by the success of the labours of the ministry . ( 2 ) and there is no better means to bring the subjects to the conscionable performance of their duty to superiours . ( 3 ) and by the blessing of their labour the sins of a nation are prevented or healed , which would else bring down gods heavy judgments . ( 4 ) they teach people to live in love and peace with one another , and to abhor contention , cruelty , oppression , injury , and revenge , and all to do their several duties to promote the common good. ( 5 ) when the ignorant and slothful and scandalous sort of bad ministers betray souls and would bring the ministry and religion into contempt , it is a wise and holy ministry that counter-worketh them by labouring while others are idle , and doing that wisely which others do foolishly , and shewing in their lives the power of that truth which others disgrace , and the reality of that holiness , love , justice , peace and concord , which others would banish out of the world , by making it seem but a name or image . ( 6 ) vvhen proud men tear the church by the engines of their domineering vvits and vvills , these humble pastors as the servants of all , will labour to heal it , by christian meekness and condescension : vvhen malignant priests seek to strengthen themselves by the multitude of the ungodly , and to bring serious piety into contempt which doth molest them , these faithful pastors open the just disgrace of sin , and the great necessity and honour of holiness , endeavouring that vile persons may be contemned , and those may be honoured that fear the lord , psal. 15.4 . and distinguishing the precious from the vile , the righteous from the wicked , and him that sweareth from him that feareth an oath , and him that serveth god from him that serveth him not , god saith , they are as his mouth , jer. 15.19 . mal. 3.17 , 18. eccl. 9.2 . to be short , as an ignorant , worldly , carnal , proud , vnholy sort of prelates and priests , are and have been the great plague of the churches these 1300 years at least , so the skilful , holy , humble , faithful , laborious , patient ministers of christ , have been and still are , the great blessings of the world ; for saving souls , promoting knowledge , faith , holiness , love and peace , opposing errour , pride , oppression , vvorldliness , sensuality and contention : diverting gods judgments by faith and prayer ; forsaking all for christ , and patiently suffering for well doing , and by doctrine and example teaching men to difference the creator from the creature , holiness from sin , heaven from earth , soul from the body , the spirit from the flesh , and helping men to prepare by a mortified heavenly heart and life , for a comfortable death and endless happiness . of such vast importance is it to the world whether the clergy be good or bad , skilful or unskilful , holy or worldly ; and he is not a true christian that is insensible of the difference , or thinks it small . and now do i need to say any more , to shew young men designed for the ministry of what importance it is that they be well prepared and qualified for it : god can and sometime doth turn vvolves into faithful shepherds , and convert those , that being unconverted , undertake the work that should convert others , and give wisdom and grace to ignorant and graceless preachers of wisdom and grace . but this is not ordinarily to be expected . but as youth is trained up and disposed , they commonly prove when they come to age : their first notions lie deepest , and make way for their like ; and resist all that is contrary be it never so true and good and necessary : experience tells this to all the world : those that in youth are trained in heathenism , mahometanism , popery , or any distinct sect of christians , they commonly continue such especially if they live among those who are for it , and so make it their interest in reputation or wealth . and if the rulers and times should be but erroneous , heretical or malignant , at enmity to truth and serious holiness , alas , how hard is it for ill-taught youth , to resist the stream ! how hard is it to unteach them the errours which they first learnt ! a vomit may easily bring up that which was but lately eaten , but the yellow and the green humors that lie deep , must cost heart-gripes , before they will be cast up . false opinions as well as truths are usually linkt together ; and the chain is neither easily cast off nor broken . and they that have received errours , have received their defensatives : these are like the shell-fish that carry their house about them . they have studied what to say for it , but not what can be said against it : or which is worse , by a slight and false consideration of the arguments for truth they have disabled them from doing them any good . and if they had never so true notions in their memories , if they come not in power on their hearts , and make them not new , spiritual , holy men , these will not master fleshly lusts , nor overcome ambitious and worldly inclinations , nor make men fit to propagate that faith and holiness which they never had . and it is now that you must get those eminent qualifications of knowledge and holiness which you must after use . and how will you use , that which you have not ? and yet proud hearts , how empty soever , will be desirous of esteem and reputation , and will hardly bear vilifying , contempt or disregard . when as though some few prudent hearers will encourage such young men as they think are hopeful , yet most will judge of things and persons as they find them ; the ignorant , dry and lifeless orations of unexperienced , carnal preachers , will not be magnified by such as know what iudgment and holy seriousness that place and sacred work require . few will much praise or feed on unsavoury or insippid food , meerly to flatter and please the cook. and then when you find that you are slighted for your slight and unskilful work , your stomachs will rise against those that slight you , and so by selfishness you will turn malignant , and become enemies to those that you take for enemies to you , because they are not contented with your unholy trifling : and all your enmity will turn against your self , and be like satans against the members of christs which is but his own self-tormenting . § . 15. ii. the case being so important i shall briefly conjoyn your danger and your remedy , beseeching you as you have any care for your souls , your country , or the church of god , or any thing which faith or reason should regard , that you will soberly weigh the counsel that i give you . i. the first of your dangers which i shall mention lieth in a too hasty resolving for the sacred ministry . pious and prudent desires and purposes i would not discourage : but two sorts of parents in this prove greatly injurious to the church : first , worldly men , that set their sons to the universities in order to their worldly maintenance and preferment , looking at the ministry meerly as a profession or trade to live by ; secondly , and many honest , godly parents ignorantly think it a good work to design their children to the ministry , and call it a devoting them to god , without due considering whether they are like to be fit for it or not . and when they have bin some years at the university , they think a parsonage or vicarage is their due ; ordained they must be ; what have they else studied for : it s too late now to change their purposes , when they have been at seven years cost and labour , to prepare for the ministry : they are too old and too proud to go apprentices or servants . husbandmen they cannot be . they are used to an idler kind of life . to be lawyers will cost them more time and study than they can now afford having lost so much : and there are more already than can have practice . physicians are already so many that the younger sort know not how to live , though they would for money venture on their neighbours lives to their greater danger than i am willing to express . so that there is no way left but for a benefice to become church mountebanks and quacks , and undertake the pastoral care of souls : before they well know what souls are , or what they are made for , or whither they are going , or how they must be conducted and prepared for their endless state . and it seems to some , the glory of a nation , to have many thousand such lads at the universities more than there be cures or churches in the land ▪ all expecting that their friends should procure them benefices . and they must be very ignorant and bad indeed that cannot find some ministers so bad as to certifie that they are sober and of good lives , and some patrons so bad as to like such as they , and for favour or somewhat worse to present them ; and some bishops chaplain bad enough to be favourable in examining them , and then some bishop bad enough to ordain and institute them . and by that time nine thousand such youths have got benefices , alas , what a case will the churches and the poor peoples souls be in . § . 16. i. and what remedy is there for this ? that which i have now to propose is , first to tell you , who they be , that should be devoted to the ministry , and next what both parents and you should do . 1. the work is so high , and requireth such qualifications , and miscarrying in it is of such dreadful consequence , that no youth should be resolvedly devoted to the ministry , that hath not all these following endowments ? ( 1. ) he must have a good natural wit and capacity ; it should be somewhat above the ordinary degree ; but it must needs be of the better rank of ordinary wits , for grace supposeth nature ; and by sanctifying it turns it the right way ; but doth not use to make wise teachers of natural drones or weak headed lads , that have not wit enough to learn . how many and how great things have they to learn and teach . ( 2. ) they must have some competent readiness of speech , to utter the knowledge they have got . one that cannot readily speak his mind in common things , is not like to come to that ready utterance which will be necessary to a preacher . ( 3. ) he must be one that is so far hopeful for godliness . 1. as to be captivated by no gross sin . 2. to have a love not only to learning , but to religion , to the word of god , and good company , and prayer , and good books ; and a setled dislike of the things , words and persons that are against these . ( 3. ) and he must shew some sence of the concerns or his soul , and regard of the life to come , and that his conscience is under some effectual convictions of the evil of sin , and the goodness and necessity of a godly life . the youth that hath not these three qualifications , should not be intended or devoted to the ministry . to devote an uncapable person , an ungodly person , to such a holy state and work is worse than of old to have offered god the unclean which he abhorred for a sacrifice . and to design a graceless lad for the ministry on pretence of hoping that he may have grace hereafter is a presumptious profanation , and worse than to design a coward to be a soldier , a wicked unsuitable person to be a husband or wife , in hope they may be fit hereafter . § . 17. ii. therefore if your parents have been so unwise as to devote that to god which was unfit for his acceptance , it concerneth you quickly to look better to your selves , and not to run into the consuming fire . you should be conscious of your own condition ; if you may know that you want . 1. a competency of natural capacity and ingenuity . 2. or of ready speech . 3. or of serious piety , love to godliness , and heart devotedness to god , do not meddle with that calling which requireth all these . § . 18. obj. but ( you may say ) what shall we do , we have gone so farre that we are fit for nothing else . answ. you are less fit for the ministry than for any thing . that which requireth the highest qualifications , will most shame you and condemn you if you want them . if you are not fit for physick or law , be some great mans servant ; if not that , it s better that you turn to the basest trade or laborious imployment , than to run into the sad case of hophni , and phinehas , or nadab and abihu ! to the utter undoing of your selves and the loss and danger of many others . but if your unfitness be not in your disability but your ungodliness , whether you be ministers or not , you will be for ever miserable unless you consider well the great things that should change your hearts and lives , and turn unfeignedly to god : and when that is done , i am no discourager of you . but believe , it it is farre better to be a cobler , or chimney sweeper , or to beg your bread , than to be an ungodly clergy man , with the greatest preferments , riches and applause . § . 19. obj. but ( parents may say ) if we devote none to the ministry till godliness appear in them , how few will be so devoted , children seldom shew much savour of religion , and some that seem young saints prove old devils . answ. 1. at the present we have so many supernumeraries , that we need not fear a want of number . 2. children cannot be expected to shew that understanding in religion which men must have . but if they shew not a love to it , and a conscience regardful of gods authority and the life to come , and a dislike of ungodliness and sin , you have no reason to presume that they will be fit for the ministry . if they had never been baptized , you ought not to baptize them in such a state . they must credibly profess faith and repentance before they can be adult christians , and so dedicated to god in baptism , much more before they are dedicated to him as the guides of the christian churches . 3. and you can judge but according to probabilities , if they prove bad after a probable profession , it will not be charged upon you ; but we all know that a hopeful youth is a great preparation to an honest age . § . 20. ii. my next advise to you is , abhorre sloth and idleness , when you are at countrey schools , your masters drive you on by fear , but when you are in the universities and at riper age , you are more trusted with your selves : and then all the diligence which fear constrained , will be left off , and if you be not carryed on with constant pleasure and love of knowledge , the flesh will preferre its ease , and unwillingness , and weariness will go so slow a pace , as will bring you to no high degree of wisdom . and when you have spent your appointed time , and are void of that , which you should have attained , your emptiness and ignorance will presently appear , when you are called out to the use of that knowledge which you have not . and it is not your canonical habit , nor seven or seventeen years spent in the university , nor the title of master of arts , batchelor of divinity , or doctor , no nor bishop , that will pass with men , in their right wits , instead of knowledge , diligence , humility , patience , and charity ; nor that without these will do the work to which you are devoted . and then when you find that other men discern that weakness and badness , which you are loth to know your selves , it will be like to exasperate you into diabolical malignity . beleive it , the high and needful accomplishments of a true divine , are not easily or speedily attained . § . 21. iii. my next warning is , fear and fly from sensuality , and fleshly lusts , and all the baits and temptations , that may endanger you therein . sence and appetite is born with us , and it is inordinate in our corrupted nature , and the reason and will , that should resist and rule it , are weakened and depraved ; labouring poor countrey men are not in such danger in this as you are : your bodies are not tired and tamed with labours nor your thoughts taken up with wants and cares . while your bodies are at ease , and your studies are arbitrary , fleshly lust and appetite hath time and room to sollicite your phantasies , and incline you to interrupt your studies , and think of the matters of sensual delight , either with what to please your appetite in eating , or of strong drinks or wine that also exhilarates , or of some needless or hurtful pastime called recreation , cards , dice , gaming , &c. or to think of women and filthy lusts , or to read romances , play-books or other corrupting vanities . more idle scholars far , are strongly haunted with temptations to self-pollution , and other filthy lusts , than the poor and afflicted sort of men . and if these should prevail , alas ! you are undone , they will offend god , expell his grace , either wound or seare your consciences , destroy all spiritual affections and delights , turn down your hearts from heaven and holiness , to filth and folly ; and beasts will be unfit for the pleasures or the work of saints . § . 22. away therefore from idleness , pamper not the flesh with fulness or delights ; abhorre all time wasting , needless recreations ; away from the baits of fleshly lust ; be no more indifferent herein and unresolved , than you would be about drinking poyson , or leaping into a coal-pit , or willfully going among murderers or theives . presume not on your own strength : he is safest that is furthest from the danger . gunpowder must not stand near the fire . § . 23. iv. be sure to make a prudent choice of your companions , especially of your bosom friends . it is supposed that a man loveth the company which he chooseth , ( though not which he constrainedly is cast upon . ) and love and familiarity will give them great advantage over you . if they be wise they will teach you wisdom , if they be holy & spiritual , they will be drawing you towards god , and setling you in the resolved hatred of sin , and love of holiness . but if they be worldly and ambitious , they will be filling your heads with ambitious worldly projects ; and if they be ungodly hypocrites that have but the dead image and name of christians , they will be opposing or deriding serious godliness , and pleading for the carkass and formalities of piety as better than serious spiritual devotion : and if they be hardned malignants , they will be trying to make you such as they by lies , revilings or plausible cavils , against the things and persons that are spiritually contrary to their fleshly minds and interests . and while you hear not what can be said on the other side , it will possess your minds ( if god preserve you not ) with false thoughts of gods servants , and with scorn or contempt of such as you hear described falsly ; as papists think of protestants as hereticks , you will take serious godliness , for fanatical self-conceit , and think of the best christians as you do of quakers or others , that are mad with fear or pride . wise and religious companions and bosom friends are an unspeakable blessing , but the merciful providence of god doth usually choose them for us , yet so as that usually we must also be faithful choosers for our selves . ill company is a dangerous snare , and god often tryeth us by casting us where such are , but if we choose it not , and love it not , god will provide us of an antidote , and we may converse with him even in the presence of the ungodly , and he will teach us by the experience of their folly , and sin , to dislike it more than if we had never seen it . § . 24. v. especially be most careful in the choice of your tutors and instructors . though it be first your parents part to choose them for you , it is yours to do your best herein , to save your selves if your parents by ignorance or malignity do mischoose . and the rulers that allow not men to choose their own pastors , yet hitherto allow the parents or the sons to choose their own tutors , and domestick instructors . but this is the grand danger and misery of mankind , that the ignorant know not what teachers to choose : yea the more they need the help of the best , the less they know who those are ; but i 'le tell you are far as you are capable of discerning . 1. usually the common report of men that are sober and impartial commendeth worthy men above others , for knowledge and goodness is like light , a self discovering thing . 2. choose not a teacher that preferreth humane wisdom before divine , but one that maketh it his business to expound the scripture , and teach you what is the will of god , and how to please him and to be saved . 3. choose not one that is of a worldly and ambitions mind ; and will teach you that which most conduceth to get preferment and worldly wealth , and not that which best helpeth you to heaven . 4 , choose not one that is factious and uncharitable , violent for a party , either because it is uppermost , or because it standeth for some odd opinion or causeless singularity ; but one that is of a christian catholick charity , and loveth a godly man as such , even as himself , and is for wronging none . but doing good to all , and maintaining unity and peace . § . 25. vi , watch with great fear against pride , ambition and worldly ends , in your own hearts and lives . the roots of these mortal sins , are born in us , and lie very deep . and they not only live , but damnably reign where they are little discerned , bewailed or suspected ; but woe to him that is conquered by them . ye cannot serve god and mammon . the love of the world is enmity to god , if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him , paul spake weeping of such whose god was their belly , who gloried in their shame , who minded earthly things , being enemies to the cross of christ , when their conversation should have been in heaven , phil. 3.18 , 19 , 20. a surprize in passion even of an ugly sin , is less dangerous than such an habit of worldliness and pride . and alas how many that have escaped the temptations of sloth and sensuality , have been flattered and overcome by this . those that have had better wits than others , and got more learning , have thought now that preferment is their due . and if they fall into times ( which have not been rare ) when the malignity of church or state governours , it hath made it the way to preferment to declaim against some truth , or the most religious men , that are against a carnal sinful interest , and to revile gods best servants , and cry up some notion or errour of their own , and magnifie the worst that promote their worldly ends and hopes , alas ! how doth this stream usually carry down the pregnantest wits into the gulf of perdition : yea some that seemed very humble and mortified when they had no great temptation ; when wealth and honour have been set before them , have lost vertue and wit before they were well aware . and worldly interest hath secretly bribed and byassed their understandings , to take the greatest truth for errour , duty for sin , and errour for truth , and sin for duty , and they have talkt , and preacht , and wrote for it , and seem to believe that indeed they are in the right ; and cannot discern that they are perverted by interest , when an impartial stander by , may easily see the byass , by the current of their course . and if you be servants of the flesh and the world , woe to you when your masters turn you off , and you must receive your wages . § . 26. vii . above all therefore choose like real christians , and take god and heaven for your hope , your all . if you do not so you are not christians indeed , nor stand to your baptismal covenant , and if you be here fixed by the grace of god , and your sober consideration and belief , you will then know what to choose and do . it will teach you to referre all worldly things to spiritual and heavenly ends and uses ; and to count all things loss and dung for christ , and to choose the one thing needful , which shall never be taken from you ; even that which will guide you in just and safe ways , and save you from the greatest evil , and give your minds continual peace , even that which passeth understanding , and will be best at last , when sinners are forsaken . § . 27. viii . my next counsel therefore is for the order of your studies ; begin then with your catechism and practical divinity , to settle your own souls in a safe condition for life or death . and deal not so foolishly as to wast many years in inferior arts and sciences , before you have studied how to please god and to be saved . i unfeignedly thank god that by sickness and his grace , he called me early to learn how to die , and therefore to learn what i must be and how to live , and thereby drew me to study the sacred scriptures , and abundance of practical spiritual english books , till i had somewhat setled the resolution , and the peace of my own soul , before i had gone farre in humane learning : and then i found more leisure and more capacity to take in subservient knowledge in its proper time and place . and indeed i had lost most of my studies of philosophy and difficult controversies in theology ; if i had faln on them too young , before i came to due capacity , and so had been prepossessed with crude or unsound notions , for they had kept out that which required a riper judgment to recieve it . such books as i before commended to the apprentices contain the essentials of religion , plainly , affectionately , and practically delivered , in a manner tending to deep impression , renovation of the soul and spiritual experience , without which you will be but like sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal . the art of theology without the power , consisting in holy life , and light , and love , is the make of the hypocrite . yet before you come to lay exact systems of theology in due method in your minds , much help of subservient arts and sciences is necessary . how ever a council of ancient bishops once forbad the reading of the gentiles books . § . 28. ix . and here next i advise you , throughly to study the evidences and nature of the christian faith , but not to hasten too soon over confidently on hard controversies , as if your judgment of them at maturity , must have no change ; but still suppose that greater light by longer study may cause in you much different thoughts of such difficulties . § . 29. lastly , i advise you , that you begin not the exercise of your ministry too boldly , in publick , great or judicious auditories . over much confidence signifieth pride and ignorance of your imperfection , and of the greatness of the work , and the dreadfulness of the most holy majesty . but ( if you can ) at first settle a competent time in the house with some ancient experienced pastor , that hath some small country chappel , that needs your help . and 1. there you may learn as well as teach , and learn by his practice that which you must practice , which in a great house as a chaplain you will hardly do , but must cast your self into a farre different mould . 2. by preaching some years to a small ignorant people where you fear not critical judgments , you will get boldness of speech , and freedom of utterance , without that servile study of words , and learning your written notes without book , which will be tiresome , time-wasting and lifeless . and when freedom and use hath brought you to a habit of ready speaking of the great and necessary things , and acquaintance with ignorant countrey people hath taught you to understand their case , you will have a better preparation for more publick places ( when you are clearly called to them ) than you were ever like to get either in universities , among schollars , or in great mens houses . compassion to the church that is plagued with bad ministers , and by the weak undergo exceeding great loss , and the sence of the grand importance of the pastors qualifications to the happiness or misery of souls and kingdoms , have drawn me to say more to young students that intend the ministry than i at first intended . and therefore with the other two sorts i shall be very brief . ☞ one earnest warning to you , and all young men , i adde , [ know that one of the most common and pernicious maladies of mankind , ] is an unhumbled understanding , rashly confident of its own apprehensions , though false , hasty judging and presidence , the brat of ignorance and pride ; of a multitude of persons differing , how few are not obstinately confident that they are in the right . even lads that are past twenty years of age ; o! dread this vice , and suspect your understanding : be humble , take time & trie , and hear before you judge : labour for knowledge , but take not on you to be sure where you are not , but doubt and trie till you are sure . chap. x. counsel to young students in physick . supposing what is said to others , which equally concerneth you , i briefly add . i. make not the getting of money , and your own worldly prosperity , so much of your end as the doing good in the world , by the preservation of mens health and lives , and the pleasing of god thereby . selfish low ends shew a selfish mind , that liveth not to god or publick good . ii. undertake not the practice of physick without all these qualifications . 1. a special sagacity , or natural searching conjecturing judgment . for almost all your work lyeth in the dark , and is manageed by conjecture . 2. much reading , especially of observators , that you may know what hath been the experience of all ages , and eminent men before you . 3. the experience of other mens practice : and therefore if possible , stay some time first in the house with some eminent practitioner , whose experiences you may see , and hear his counsel . iii. begin with plain and easy cases , and meddle only with safe and harmless remedies ; and think not your selves physicians indeed , till you have got considerable experience your selves , there is no satisfactory trusting to other mens experiences alone . iv. in cases too hard for you , send your patients to abler physicians , and prefer not your reputation or gain before their lives . v. study simples throughly , especially the most powerful ; and affect not such compositions , as by the mixture of the less powerful , do frustrate the ingredients , which would else be more effectual . vi. forget not the poverty of most patients , who have not money to pay large chargeable bills of the apothecary , nor give large fees to a physician ; multitudes neglect physick and venture without it , because physicians require so much , and are so much for their apothecaries gain , that they have it not to pay . vii . take heed of self conceitedness and rash confidence , and too hasty judging . most of your work is hard ; many things , which you think not on , may occasion your mistake . causes and diseases have marvellous diversities . most that are quick judges , and suddenly confident that all their first apprehensions are true , do prove but proud self-ignorant fools , and kill more by ignorances and temerity , than high-way robbers or designing murderers do . and though the grave hide you mistakes , they are known to god. viii . give not too much physick nor too often , or without need , nor venture on things dangerous ; mans life is precious , and nature is the chief physician , which art must but help . the body is tender and easily distempered , rather do too little than too much . oft tampering useth to kill at last . as he that dayly washeth a glass , at last breaketh it ; and as seamen are bold because they have oft escaped , but many , if not most , are drown'd at last ; and as soldiers that have oft escaped are bold to venture , but kill'd at last . it s usually so with them that oft take physick except from a very cautelous skillful man. therefore were i a woman i would not marry a physitian , lest his nearness and kindness should cause him to be tampering with me so oft , till a mistake did kill me : all your neighbours may mistake your disease without your hurt , but your physitians mistake may be your present death . ix . direct men first as faithful friends , to the things which may prevent the need of physick . viz. 1. a temperate and wholesome diet , avoiding fullness and hurtful things . 2. sufficient labour to suscitate natural heat , keep pure the humors , and expell excrements ; avoiding idleness . 3. keeping warm , and avoiding occasions of cold , especially cold drink , cold places , and cold cloathing , either when they are hot , or in winter when nature needeth help . 4. contentedness and quietness of mind , and chearful converse . 5. direct them to such familiar remedies at home , in their drinks and diet as is suitable to their distempers , for preservation , and are safe and harmless , and put them not to a needless dependance on your frequent help , make not use of weak womens fears , to make them miserable by needless medicining , and so to make them as tenants to you , to pay you a constant rent to quiet them . x. give them good counsel for their souls that need it ; flatter them not with false hopes of life , when it tendeth to hinder their preparations for death . they and you are hasting to so great a change , as requireth great and careful forethoughts : it s sad to go out of the world , and not at all to know whither , and what will be their next habitation ; much more to be in a certain state of misery . those will hear a physitian that will not send for a divine , and it is not a work unbeseeming your profession , but such as christian faith and charity bespeaks . chap. xi . counsel to young students of the law in london . god hath made much use of honest lawyers , as the instruments of our safety , and of the just and orderly government of the land. 1. they are not bred up in meer idleness and luxury , as too many are of higher birth , but in such diligent study as improveth their understandings , and keepeth them from that debauchery which idleness and fulness cherish . 2. and their studies and callings make it their interest , as to know , so also to maintain the laws ; and that is to maintain propriety , just liberty and order , and so to preserve justice and the common peace ( except in countries that have pernicious laws ) injustice in judges and lawyers is like heresie , ungodliness and persecution in pastors of the church ; clean contrary to their very calling and profession ; but more easily and commonly seen and hated , because it is against the well known interest of mankind . shame therefore and common hatred of the unjust , is here a great restraint of evil . but bad men , for all this , will do badly , and turn even the rules of justice to oppression , to serve the wills and lusts of those that can promote them , that by them they may serve their own . therefore that young men , that study the law , may prove wise and honest , is of great importance to the common good , as well as to their own . i. and here first i warn all such to take heed of the sins of sensuality . alas ! london doth so abound with temptations , that without grace and wise resolution you are unsafe . there are so many sensual , proud , and ungodly young men ready to entice you , so many play houses , taverns , and filthy houses to entertain you , that if you go without grace and wit , the flesh and the devil , will soon precipitate you into the slavery of brutish flesh. and then you forfeit gods favour and protection , and he may leave you to more sin and misery , or to grow up to be the servants of oppression , the enemies of piety , and the plagues of the commonwealth . ii. study hard ; for idleness never made good lawyers , nor very useful men . iii. abhorre and avoid ill company , especially of two sorts . 1. those that would entice you to the places , and practises , aforesaid , of voluptuousness . 2. those that being themselves deceived would deceive you , against religion and your salvation . it s too well known that such persons in london are not rare , though the danger by them is not known enough . even those that are so unchristian and inhumane , as to prate against the christian faith , the truth , the authority or sufficiency of the sacred scripture , the life to come , the souls immortality , if not also against the government and providence of god , will yet talk as confidently , as if they were in their wits , yea and were the greatest wits among us . for my part i could never yet get one man of them soberly to joyn with me in a fair disquisition of the truth , and follow it on till we came to see the just conclusion : commonly they will fly from me , and refuse disputes , or turn all to some rambling rant or jest , or when they are stated , be gone and go no further , and come no more . young unfurnished heads are unfit to dispute with the devil or any such messengers of his . a pest house is not more dangerous to you . but if they have perplexed you , desire some well studied minister of christ , either to meet them , or to resolve your doubts . and if you will read what i have written on that subject , you may find enough to resolve , if it be justly received , viz. 1. in my reasons for the christian religion . 2. in my vnreasonableness of infidelity . 3. in my life of faith. 4. in more reasons for the christian religion . and avoid also the snares of those that would draw you into uncharitable factions , on pretense of right religion , to hate , or censure , or fly from all that are not just of their sect and way ; especially the proud faction of church-tyrants , that on pretence of order and piety , would set up a lifeless image of formality , and burn , banish , silence , or persecute all that are not for domination , and usurpation , and worldly interest . iv. let not rising and riches be the chief end of your studies , but to serve god in the just service of your king and country , to promote justice , and do good in the world. v. live in the familiarity of the most useful men of your profession , that is , the wise and the most conscionable ; and choose those pastors for your best helpers in religion , who keep closest to gods word , and warp not after any dangerous singularities , or worldly preferments , or unpeaceable tearing impositions on their brethren ; and that live as they preach in love , peace and holiness , as men that set their hearts and hopes on future blessedness ; and labour for the churches edification and concord , and the saving mens souls . chap. xii . counsel to the sons of the nobility and magistrates . though men of your rank , are furthest out of the hearing of such as i , and usually the greatest contemners of our counsel , yet will not that excuse us from due compassion to the land our of nativity , nor from love and pity to your selves , nor from any probable ministerial attempt to do you good . your dangers are much greater than other mens ; or else christ had never so often told us , how hard it is for rich men to be saved ; and how few such escape the idolatrous damning love of the world , and become sincere believers and followers of a crucified saviour , luke 12. and 16. &c. i. one part of your great danger is , that you are commonly bred up among the baits of sensuality . it is not for nothing that fulness of bread is made one of the sins of sodom , ezek. 16.49 . and that he that after lay in the flames of hell is described , as richly cloathed and faring sumptuously every day . not that all rich cloathes or sumptuous seasonable feasting is a sin , but that these use both to signifie sensuality and to cherish it . it s the sure brand of the ungodly , to be lovers of pleasure more than of god. they that but seldom come where tempting plenty is , of delicious meats and drinks are too often overcome : but they that are bred up , where plenty of both these is daily before them , are in greater danger , lest their table and their drink become a snare . feast not therefore without fear , remember that flesh-pleasing sensuality is as damnable in the rich as in the poor , and that the greatest wealth will not allow you to take any more for quantity or quality , than standeth with temperance , and truly tendeth to fit you for your duty , your riches are given you in trust as god's stewards , to serve your countrey , and relieve the poor , and to promote good uses , but not to serve your fleshly lusts , nor to be abused to excess or cherish sin . to be sober and temperate is the interest of your own souls and bodies , and under your great temptations the more laudable . ii. another of your dangers is the ill examples of too many persons of your rank . you are apt to think that their wealth and pomp and power makes them more imitable than others , as being more honourable . and if they wallow in drunkenness or filthy lust , or talk prophanely , you may think that such sins are the less disgraceful . but can you dream that they are the less dangerous and damnable . will god fear them or spare them . must they not die and be judged as well as the lowest . is it not an aggravation of their sin , that it s done by men that had the greatest mercies , and were put in trust and honour purposely to suppress sin in the world. as their places signifie more than others , so do their sins ; and accordingly shall they be punished : doth the quondam wealth , honour or pleasures of a dives , a pharaoh , an ahab , a herod , a pilate , a nero , ease a lost tormented soul. iii. another of your temptations will be pride , and overvaluing of your selves , because of wealth and worldly honour . but this is so foolish a sin and against such notorious humbling evidence , that as it is the devils image , it is natures shame . is not your flesh as corruptible as a beggars . do you not think what is within that skin ? and how a leprosie , or the small pox , would make you look , and how you must shortly leave all your glory , and your bodies become unpleasant spectacles ? do you not think what it is to lye rotting in a grave and turn to earth ? and do you not know how much more loathsome a thing all the vice and unholiness of your souls is ; and what it is to have to do with a holy god , and to be near to judgment and an endless state. he is mad in sin that such considerations will not humble . iv. another of your dangers is from flatterers , that will be pleasing and praising you , but never tell you of that which should humble you and awake you , to the sence of your everlasting concerns . but none here are so dangerous as a flattering clergy , who being themselvs carnal worldlings would serve that flesh which is their master , by your favour and beneficence . ahab had such prophets that said go and prosper ; in whose mouths the devil was a lying spirit . how many sincere men have been undone by such . remember then what it is to be a sinful man , and what need you have of vigilant friends and pastors , that will deal faithfully with you , as if it were on your death bed : and encourage such , and abhorre worldly flatterers . your souls have need of as strong physick , and as plain dealing as the poorest mens , and therefore bear it , and thankfully accept it . v. and one of your greatest dangers here will be , that your own fleshly minds and this worldly sort of men , especially if of the clergy , will be drawing you to false contemptuous thoughts of serious godliness , and of serious godly men . when as if you be not such your selves you are undone for ever , and all your flatterers , your big names , wealth and honour will neither save you nor ease your pains in hell. as ever you believe there is a god , believe that you owe him the utmost reverence , obedience and love , that your faculties can perform . and as ever you care what becomes of you for ever , pay him this great due , and hate all that would divert you ; and much more all those diabolical suggestions , which would draw you to think that a needless thing which must be your life and all . vi. but above all i beseech you fear and watch , lest you be drawn to espouse any thing as your interest , which is against the interest , and command of christ , and against his kingdom , or the good of his church , or the commonwealth . as the devil first undid the world , by making deceived eve believe , that gods command was against her interest , so doth he to this day , but with none so much as with nobles and rich men . god hath commanded you nothing but what is for your own good , nor forbidden you any thing but what is for your own and others hurt . he needs not you or any ; but you must allow him to be god , and therefore to be wiser and better than you , & to know better what is best & fittest for you and others : but satan will slander to you gods laws , ways and servants ; for he is for your enmity and separation from god , and therefore would draw you to believe , that that he and his ways are enemies to you , and against your pleasure , honour , domination , commodity or ease . o how many princes and great men have been utterly undone , by believing the flesh , the devil and his ministers , that christianity is against their power , honour or other interests , and that the scripture is too precise , and that conscience , obeying god before them , is against their power and prerogative , and so have set them as enemies to keep under conscience and serious godliness , lest obedience to their wills be thereby hindred . yea how many also so dote , as to think that the interest of head , heart , stomack and members , of rulers and subjects , stand not in union , but in contrariety and victory against each other . wo to the land that hath such rulers , and to the poor tenants that have such land-lords . but much more wo to such selfish oppressours , that had rather be feared than loved , and take it for their honour to be free and able to do mischief , and destroy those , whose common welfare should be more pleasant to them than their own . and to them especially that take serious godliness , and godly men to be against them , and therefore bend their wit and power to suppress them ; as if they said as luke 19.27 . we will not have this man reign over us , whom christ will destroy as his unthankful enemies , and will break them with his iron rod , and dash in peices as a potters vessel , psal. 2. vii . as you love your selves and the common good , get good men about you , read ps. 101.15 , 16. especially faithful teachers , and next godly friends and servants , and companions , and read much the histories of the lives of wise and godly men , such as k. edw. 6th . and the lord harrington , young men , imitate such excellent persons as scripture and other history justly commend to your imitation . it will be profitable to read the lives of worthy men , such as are gathered by mr. clerk , dr. fuller , thuanus , beza , yea of the martyrs ; and of such christian princes as constantine m. theodosius , &c. maximilian 2d . emperor , iohn frederick of saxony , philip of hassia , ludov. pius of france , yea such heathens as titus , trajan , adrian , but especially m. aurel. antonine and alex. severus : yea and such lawyers , philosophers , physicians , but especially divines , as melchior adamus in four volums hath recorded ; and of such bishops as cyprian , nazianzene , ambrose austin , basil , chrysostome , and our vsher and such others . viii . live not in idleness ( as the sons of rich men too oft do ) for that will rust and corrupt your minds , and cherish besotting , damning lusts , and render you worthless and useless in the world , and consequently the greatest plagues of your country , to which you should be the greatest helps and blessings . make as much conscience of improving your hours , as if you were the poorest men : you have most wages , and should do god most work . let holy and useful studies one part of the day , and doing good to others another part , and necessary refreshment and exercise another , take up your time ; you have none allowed you for any thing unprofitable , much less hurtfull . o what a blessing to the world are wise godly magistrates , and what a curse are the foolish and ungodly . ix . remember that the grand design of the devil and all deceivers is to delude and corrupt the rulers of the people , knowing how much they signifie by their laws , power and examples : and how sad it will be to be judged as a persecutor or a captain of iniquity . and therefore you must have a greater self-suspicion , and fear of seduction and sin than others ; and must watch more carefully against wicked counsel and example , but especially the temptations of your own flesh , and corrupted nature , and of your vvealth and place . chap. xiii . counsel to parents ( and tutors of youth . ) should i now say , to parents and teachers , what on their parts is necessary , to their great duty , and the good of youth , it would be more than all that i have said already ; but that is not the present work , and you may see much of it done in my christian directory . but because so much lyeth on their hands , i beseech all such that read these lines , to remember . i. how near their relation to their children is , and that for a parent to betray their souls to sin and hell , by neglect or by ill means , seems more unexcusable cruelty , than for the devil a known enemy to do it . ii. how very much their welfare is entrusted to your care , you have the teaching of them before the ministers , and have them alwaies nearer with you , and have greater power over them . o! that you knew what holy instructions , and heavenly excitations and good example god requireth of you for their good : and how much of the hopes of the church and world lie on the holy skill and fidelity of parents , in the right education of youth . iii. o feed not their sinful desires and lusts ; use them not to pride , to idleness , to too much fulness or pleasing of the appetite ; but teach them the reasons of temperance , and mortification , and the sin and mischief of all sensuality . iv. yet use them with tender fatherly love , and make them perceive that it is for their own good , and cherish their profitable delights ; study how to make all good delightful to them , encourage and reward them . tell them of the wisdom and goodness of gods word , and let them read the lives of holy men . v. choose them both callings , habitations and relations which make most for the common good , and for the advantage of their souls , and not those that most serve covetousness , pride or slothfulness . vi. know their particular inclinations , corruptions and temptations , and accordingly watch and keep them , as you would do against death . vii . settle them under wise and godly pastors , and in the familiar company of godly persons , especially of their age and usual converse . viii . keep them as much as possible from temptations at home and abroad , especially those that tend to sensuality and to impiety or corrupting their judgments against religion . thrust them not beyond sea or elsewhere unfortified among deceivers , for a meer ornament , as some cruelly do . ix . remember how you dedicated them to christ in baptism , and what was promised , and what renounced , and what you bound yourselves to do . x. remember still how much the happiness or misery of church , and kingdoms , and of the world , doth lie on the right or wrong educating of youth by parents ; much more than our universities or schools . xi . remember that your own comfort or sorrow in them , lyeth most on your own duty or neglect ; if they prove wicked and plagues of the world , and you are the cause , it may tear your hearts , but what a joy is it to be the means of their salvation , and of their publick service in the world. xii . disgrace sin to them , and commend holiness by word and practice , and be your selves what you would have them be . and pray daily for them and your selves . the lord bless this counsel to them and you . chap. xiv . what are mens duties to each other as elder and yonger . § . 1. it is most clear in scripture and reason that there are many special duties , which the elder and younger , as such , owe to each other . the elder are bound . 1. to be wiser than the younger , as having longer time , and so to be their instructers in their several places . 2. and especially to deliver down to them the sacred scripture which they received , and the memorials of gods works , done for his church in their dayes , and which they received from their fathers . 3. and to go before them in the example of a holy and heavenly life , iob 32.4 , and 8.8 . heb. 5.14 . tit. 2.2.3 . 1 io. 2.13 , 14. iudg. 6.13 . psal. 44.1 . and 78.3 , 5. deut. 1. 21. exod. 12.26 . deut. 11.19 . ios. 4.6.21 , 22. ioel. 1.3 . § . 2. and nature and scripture tell us that the younger owe much duty to the elder sum'd up , 1 pet. 5.5 . ye younger submit your selves to the elder ; this submission includeth especially , a reverence to their judgments , preferring them before their own , and supposing that ordinarily they are wiser than the younger , and therefore living towards their elders in a humble learning disposition , and not proudly setting their unfurnished wits against their greater experience without very evident reason . for the understanding of which note . § . 3. 1. that it is certain that meer age doth not make men wise or good , none are more sottishly and uncurably ignorant than the aged ignorants ; and few so bad as the old obstinate sinners . for they grow worse deceiving and being deceived , and more and more abuse gods mercy , and are still going further from him , as the faithful are growing better and nearer to him . 2. and it is certain that god greatly blesseth some young mens understandings , and maketh them wiser than the aged and their teachers . 3. and such a one is not bound to think that he knoweth not what he knoweth ; nor to believe that every old man is wiser than he ; all this we grant . § . 4. but though , eccl. 4.13 , better is a poor and a wise child , than an old and foolish king who will no more be admonished . yet , 1. it is certain that knowledge cometh much by experience ; and long experience and use , is farre more powerful than the short : and time and converse is necessary to it ; naturally or ordinarily long learning and use increaseth knowledge . do not all take it for granted that usually the boys who have been many years at school are better who scholars than beginners ; and so in all other acquisitions . therefore it was the elders that were commonly the rulers of the people in church and commonwealth , and the pastors and rulers are thence called elders : and if they were not ordinarily the wisest , why did not god make the children the ordinary teachers and rulers of their parents , but the parents of the children ? old men may be ignorant and erroneous as well as wicked : but young men cannot be ripe in wisdom without a miracle ; we are not therefore now to suppose unusual things to be usual . ordinarily youth is ignorant and raw ; their conceptions undigested , not well fixed or improved : it is but few things that they know , and their ignorance of the rest , maketh them lyable to many errours , heb. 5.11 , 12. for the time ye ought to have been teachers , fitness to teach supposeth time , the young cannot digest strong meats , a novice must not be a bishop , the reason may seem strange , lest he be lift up with pride , and fall into the condemnation of the devil , 1 tim. 3.6 . one would think youth should be most humble as conscious of defectiveness . but because the ignorant know not that more is to be known than ever they attained , therefore they know not their own ignorance . 2. and this provd ignorance is so odious a sin , and the nurse of so many more , and so great an enemy to wisdom and all good , that it is no wonder that it is the way to the condemnation of the devil . § . 5. therefore though young men should not receive any falshood , heresie , or ill example from the aged , yet they should still reber that caeteris paribus , age hath the great advantage for knowledge , and youth must needs live in an humble teachable sence of ignorance ; other , mens abuse of time , and aged folly will not prove them miraculously wise . the aged are alwaies the wisest if they equally improve their time and helps . § . 6. it is so odious a sin for lads and young students to be self-conceited , and unteachable ; and set up their apprehensions with ungrounded confidence against their elders , that all should be very fearful of that guilt , and have such humble thoughts of their own understandings , as to be jealous of their conceptions ; for all these vices make up their self-conceited prefidence . 1. it is both great ignorance of the darkness of mens understanding , and great ignorance of themselves , to be ignorant that they are ignorant , and to think they are sure of that which they know not . 2. it is an odious sort of pride , to over-value an ignorant understanding , and to be proudly confident of that which they have not . 3. it is folly to think that truth can be known , without sufficient time and tryal ; and contrary to the worlds continual experience . 4. it is an absurd , an inhumane , a subverting of the order of world , for lads to set up their wits by groundless self-conceitedness against their elders , as for subjects to set their wills against rulers . 5. it is a continual unrighteousness ; there is a justice required in our common private judging , as well as in judges publick judgment . and all should be heard and tryed before we peremptorily judge . 6. it is a nest of continual errour in the mind , which is the souls deformity , and contrary to natures love of truth . § . 7. and it hath abundance of mischievous effects . 1. it keepeth out that truth or knowledge which should be received . it obstinately resisteth necessary teaching , whereas the willingest entertainment is little enough to get true knowledge , even by slow degrees . as god giveth birds an instinct to feed their young , so the young ones by instinct hunger , and open their mouths . but if they abhorr'd their meat and must be cram'd , they would commonly perish , that knowledge , that such get , must be from themselves , in their own thinking and observation only : where their minds are yet unfurnished with those truths that must let in more , and daily objects will occasion errour or confusion in their minds that are unprepared to improve them , and their own lusts will pervert them , and one errour draw in more , whereas the help of those that by long and successful study , have rightly ordered and digested their conceptions , might be an exceeding help to willing learners . 2. and such by pride do forfeit the grace of god , which he giveth to the humble , and resisteth the proud ; and are oft given up to the self-conceitedness which they so defend , till their own counsels and ways be their confusion . 3. and the devil hath advantage to set in , and even possesse such proud , prepared ignorant minds , and become their teacher , and lead them almost to what he will , against truth , and the church , and themselves , and god. 4. and self-conceit , and hasty confidence maketh them continual lyers ; even while they rage for what they say as true : for being usually mistaken for want of patient tryal , they say what they think , and are not to be much believed in their prefidence . § . 8. but seeing many old men are ignorant and erroneous , and some young men have sounder understandings , how shall i know when i am guilty of proud , self-conceit , and prefidence , and refusing others judgment . answ. 1. when you rashly neglect their judgement and counsel , who have had as good helps and parts as you , and far longer time and experience , without so much as hearing what they have to say , and taking time to trye the cause according to its weight , especially if they be such as nature or relation obliged you to learn of . 2. when you easilier suspect such than your own understandings . 3. when your confidence of your understandings is so unproportionable to your time and studies , that you must suppose you know by a miracle or some rare capacity and wit ; as if you had got more in a few years than the rest of mankind doth in many . 4. when you judge suddenly before you take time to think , and may know that you never heard what may be said against you . 5. when you talk most in a bold asserting or a teaching way , as if you were oracles to be heard and reverenced , and not in a humble enquiring way , with that necessary doubting which beseemeth learners ; except ye become as little children in teachable humility , you are not fit for the school of christ , matth. 18.3 . even he that is a teacher must be a learner still ; as conscious of his remaining ignorance , and not think himself above it , nor set himself to dispute against all that he understands not , but continue humbly to search and trie . 6. when those reasons of your own seem good and cogent , which are sufficiently confuted , and you cannot see it , or which men of the most approved learning & fitness to judg do judg to be but folly ; & when other mens soundest reasons seem light to you , because you judg by a proud and selfish understanding , confident and tenacious of all that is your own , and contemning that which is against you . 7. when you can too easily without certain cogent reason dissent from the judgment , not only of those whose light and integrity , hath by self-manifestation convinced the world , but also from the generality of such as are commonly known to be the wise , godly and impartial ; yea perhaps from all the church of christ. 8. when the most and wisest men that know you , think you not so wise as you think your selves , nor your reason so good ; but pity your self-conceitedness , and yet this brings you not to suspect and trie . 9. when you are hardly and rarely brought to an humble confession of your errours , but in all debates you seem still , what ever the cause be , to be in the right , and when you have once said it you will stand to it , and justifie untruths , or extenuate and excuse them . 10. when you too much affect the esteem of wisdom , and love to have your judgments a rule to others , and are unfit for true subjection . in a word when instead of being swift to hear , slow to speak , and slow to wrath , you are swift to speak and dictate , slow to hear and learn , and swift to wrathful censure of dissenters . § . 9. so common and hurtful is this sin in mankind , that you should still be duely fearful of it ; errour i fear taketh up the greater half of the thoughts of men , and most are rather deceived than in the right , and mans mind in flesh is in great darkness , and therefore provd ignorance is a monstrous and pernicious vice ; and most of the confusions and miseries of the world , of kingdoms , churches and all societies come from it . yea though it seems most contrary to scepticism , it tendeth at last to infidelity or atheism . for when experience hath convinced such , that their most confident rage , was but a mistake , they turn to think that there is nothing certain , and deny the greatest truths . it is by this one sin of proud self-conceitedness in false thoughts , that kingdoms , churches and the world by obstinacy seems remediless , and the wisest men that would cure them can do no good , but on themselves and few . § . 10. but it is no where more unnatural than in children against their parents counsel , and scholars against their tutors , and ignorant persons , against the common consent of the most able godly pastors . what an odious thing is it to see an ignorant lad run against all his fathers words , and think that he is wiser and always in the right ; and to hear ignorant persons magisterially judge and despise their wise and faithful teachers , before they are capable to understand them , or the matter of which they talk ? oh! how happily might parents , and pastors , and wise men promote knowledge and goodness in the world , were it not , for this selfish prefidence which shuts the door against their necessary helps . chap. xv. the conclusion , to ministers . there is another sort of helpers , on whom the wellfare of youth much depends ; even the ministers of christ. but i presume not here to teach them : in my reformed pastor , i have spoken somewhat freely when i had leave . i cannot expect that those that silence me should hear me ; nor will i think that able faithfull ministers need my counsell . but all that i will now say is , humbly to intreat those who take no great pains with the young persons in their parishes , and will not be admonished by such as i , but to read martin bucer ( who had so great a hand in counselling our reformers that made the liturgy ) his book de regno dei , his censure of the liturgy , especially of baptism , confirmation , ordination and discipline , and his vehement pressing the necessity of congregational discipline , and denying the sacrament to the unmeet , and the necessity of keeping baptized youths among the catechumens , till at age they come to true understanding of the covenant , which they made and must renew , and till they give credible signs of real godlyness by a godly life , and of what mischievous effects it is to confirm them , and admit them to the lords supper , on their bare saying the words of the catechism , the creeds , lords prayer and decalogue , without tryed vnderstanding and serious piety ; and what a wrong it is to the christian church and religion , to confound and corrupt our communion for want of parish discipline and distinctions . and how little good all canons or laws for reformation or religious duty will do , if the ministry be ignorant , worldly and ungodly , and the churches be not taught and guided by able godly , humble , self-denying and loving pastors . i beseech you read him diligently , he was no violent man , and his books here mentioned were purposely written for k. edward , and the bishops , and church of england , and accepted kindly by them . his burnt bones were honourably vindicated by the publick praise , and his memory by many in cambridge solemnly commended to posterity : i beseech you let his counsel in these books be revived , and true reformation be tryed by their light. i hope they will hear that great and moderate reformer that will not hear me , or such as i. and if you will adde the reading of old salvian , and of nic. clemangis , it may do you good , and excite you to do good to others , and promote the ends of this advise to youth . march 25. 1681. finis . a catalogue of mr. baxter's books , to satisfie some foreigners . and are to be sold by b. simmons at the three golden cocks at the west end of st. pauls . i. doctrinal . 1. a phorisms of the covenants and justification ( suspended for some imperfections . ) 12 mo . 2. the reasons of the christian religion . 4 to . 3. the unreasonableness of infidelity ; how the spirit is christs witness : of the sin against the holy ghost . 8 vo . 4. more reasons for the christian religion , confuting the ld. herbert de veritate . 12 mo . 5. a confession of his faith against antinomians . 4 to . 6. the vindication of gods goodness against some melancholy exceptions . 12 mo . 7. how far holiness is the design of christianity . 4 to . 8. a latine methodus theologiae christianae , ( which with the body of practical divinity maketh an entire system , ) it consists of 73 tables or methodical schemes , pretending to a juster methodizing of christian verities , according to the matter and scripture , than is yet extant ; furnishing men with necessary distinctions on every subject ; shewing that trinity in unity is imprinted on the whole creation , and that trichotomising is the just distribution in naturals and morals . the 1st part , of the kingdom of nature . the 2d of the kingdom of grace before christs incarnation . the 3d of the kingdom of grace and the spirit since the incarnation . the 4th of the kingdom of glory . all in the political method , in the efficience , constition , and administration , viz. legislation , judgment , and execution . the first part mostly philosophical , with a full scheme of philosophy , or ontology . the doctrine de anima most largely handled ; with above 200 select disputations , prolixe ones of the trinity , predetermination , the faculties of the soul , original sin : and a multitude of controversies briefly decided . in fol. ii. practicals for all sorts . 9. a christian directory , or body of practical divinity . 1. christian ethicks . 2. oeconomicks . 3. ecclesiasticks . 4. politicks : resolving multitudes of cases on each subject . fol. 10. the saints everlasting rest. 4 to . 11. a treatise of self-denial . 4 to . 12. the crucifying of the world by the cross of christ. 4 to . 13. the mischiefs of self-ignorance . 8 vo 14. a sermon of repentance preached to the commons the day before they voted the king's return . 4 to . 15. right rejoycing , a thanksgiving sermon at st. pauls : foretelling the danger of their turning all into greater calamity . 4 to . 16. the vain religion of the formal hypocrite : and the fools prosperity . 12 mo . 17. a sermon of faith , before the king ▪ 4 to . 18. the poor mans family book , ( for them that cannot buy many : ) a familiar dialogue , shewing the unconverted how to become true christians , and the converted how to live and die as such : with a catechism , prayers , and psalms . 8 vo . iii. practicals for the vnconverted . 19. a call to the unconverted to turn and live. 12 mo . 20. directions and persuasions to a sound conversion . 8 vo . 21. now or never . 12 mo . 22. a treatise of conversion . 4 to . 23. a saint or a bruit . 4 to . 24. a sermon of making light of christ. 8 vo . 25. a treatise of judgment . 8 vo . 26. true christianity : christs absolute dominion , and mans subjection . assize sermons . 12 mo . 27. catholick unity : how to be all of one religion : ungodliness the great divider , 12 mo . iv. practicals for the faithful . 28. the right method for settled peace of conscience , and spiritual comfort . 8 vo . 29. the weak christian , strong christian , and hypocrite characterized . 8 vo . 30. the divine life . 1. a treatise of the knowledge of god and use of his attributes . 2. of walking with god. 3. conversing with god in solitude . 4 to 31. the life of faith in every state. 4 to . 32. mrs. bakers funeral sermon : death the last enemy . 8 vo . 33. mr. hen. stubs funeral sermon . 12 mo . 34. mrs. coxes funeral sermon . 4 to . 35. alderman ashursts funeral sermon . 4 to . 36. mr. io. corbets funeral sermon . 4 to . 37. mrs. baxters life , and her mothers funeral sermon : the last work of a believer . 4 to . 38. poetical fragments : partly thanksgiving , partly the groans of the afflicted . 8 vo . v. controversies against popery . 39. the safe religion : three disputations . 8 vo . 40. one sheet of reasons against popery . 8 vo . 41. a key for catholicks to open the juglings of the jesuits : the first part answering all their common sophisms : the second against the soveraignty and necessity of general councils . 4 to . 42. the certainty of christianity without popery . 8 vo . 43. full and easie satisfaction , which is the true religion : transubstantiation shamed . 8 vo . 44. naked popery : answering mr. hutchinson . 4 to . 45. the true catholick church : a popular sermon of its unity . 12 mo . 46. the successive visibility of the church , where it hath been in all ages : an answer to w. iohnson alias terret . 8 vo . 47. which is the true church : a full answer to his reply : proving that the general councils and the popes primacy were but in one empire . 4 to . 48. the grotian religion discovered . 12 mo . 49. the history of bishops and their councils abridged , and of the popes . 4 to . vi. english church controversies . 50. gildas salvianus : the reformed pastor , shewing the nature of the pastoral office , especially of personal instruction . 8 vo . 51. christian concord : the agreement of the associated pastors , and churches of worcestershire . 4 to . 52. their agreement for catechising and personal instructing their parishes . 8 vo . 53. disputations of right to sacraments . 4 to . 54. disputations of church government , liturgies , and ceremonies . 4 to . 55. of confirmation rightly used : it s great use to our reformation . 8 vo . 56. a worcestershire petition for the ministry defended against quakers . 4 to . 57. the quakers catechised . 4 to . 58. one sheet against the quakers . 8 vo . 59. short advice to some parliament men. 4 to . 60. a letter of pacification to mr. dury . 4 to . 61. universal concord , ( imperfect . ) 8 vo . 62. the magistrates and pastors offices distinguished against erastians : to lud. moulin . 4 to . 63. the cure of church divisions 8 vo . 64. the defence of it against edw. bagshaw . 8 vo . 65. a 2d admonition to mr. bagshaw . 8 vo . 66. plain scripture proof of infants church-membership and baptism ; with a defence of it against mr. tombes . 4 to . 67. more reasons for infants church-membership , &c. against mr. tombes , and mr. danvers . 8 vo . 68. the nonconformists papers 1660 , and 1661 , with the bishops in their ( fruitless ) treaty for concord : ( some are yet unprinted . ) 4 to . 69. the nonconformists judgment of the interest of reason in religion . 4 to . 70. the nonconformists plea for peace : naming the things which they dare not conform to . 4 to . 71. their 2d plea for peace , fully opening their judgment for the power of kings , and the obedience of subjects ; of church-power , of scandal , of morality and grace , &c. 4 to . 72. a defence of the first plea against mr. cheny . 8 vo . 73. a further defence in answer to mr. hinkly , ( about the causers of the late war ; ) mr. cheny the impleader , the reflecter , &c. 8 vo . 74. sacrilegious desertion of the ministry rebuked , and our preaching justified . 8 vo . 75. an answer to dr. stillingfleet's sermon , accusing him of separation . 4 to . 76. a reply to dr. stillingfleet in a 2d defence . 4 to . 77. the true and only terms of concord of all the churches : a full treatise , confuting all false terms , especially mr. dodwell's . 8 vo . 78. a full treatise of episcopacy , shewing what episcopacy we own , and what is in the english diocesan frame , for which we dare not swear never to endeavour any alteration of it ; in our places . 4 to . 79. a moral prognostication of the future state of the church . 4 to . 80. an apology for the nonconformists preaching , though forbidden : with an answer to the accusations of bishop morley , bp. gunning , h. fowlis , dr. parker , the debate maker , durell , saywell , dodwell , asheton , and abundance more such accusers . 4 to . 81. a search for the english schismatick ; comparing the canoneers and nonconformists . 4 to . 82. an answer to mr. dodwell , and dr. sherloke , confuting an vniversal-humane church soveraignty , aristocratical and monarchical , as church tiranny and popery : and defending dr. iz. barrows excellent treatise . 4 to . 82. universal church soveraignty , and foreign jurisdiction , the great points of the late differences in the church of england : who were for it . this church against it : reasons proving it tyranny and popery , ( not yet published . ) 4 to . vii . doctrinal controversies . 84. disputations of justification . 4 to 85. of saving faith , whether it differ from common faith in degree or kind : against dr. barlow . 86. an apology against the exceptions of mr. crandon , mr. eyres , dr. kendall , and others . 4 to . 87. an account of his present thoughts about perseverance and falling away . 4 to . 88. the divine appointment of the lords day , and cessation of the 7 th day sabbath proved . 8 vo . 89. an answer to mr. firmins accusation of his urging men to meditation . 4 to . 90. two disputations of original sin : one of the prime original , the other of the additional by the sin of nearer parents . 12 mo . 91. a treatise of justification , imputation of righteousness , and imputation of our parents sins : against the accusations of dr. tully . 8 vo . 92. catholick theology ; for reconciling the controversies about prescience , predestination , redemption , grace , free-will , perseverance , and justification : first stating the reconciling truths ; and then by way of dialogue applying them , and proving their ignorance who have aggravated the differences about these , on both sides . fol. 93. reconciling truths epitomized , to end these and many other controversies , ( not yet printed . ) 94. short counsel to corporation justices . a sheet . 95. this compassionate counsel to young men , especially , apprentices , students , and rich mens sons , belongs to the 3d classis ▪ 8 vo . 96. the political aphorisms , or principles , of government divine and humane , &c. are suspended . called a holy common-wealth . more treatises not yet printed . 97. a treatise of knowledge and love : or against presidence , and for necessary doubting : shewing that hasty judging , and self-conceitedness of knowing what we know not , is one of the most calamitous diseases of mans soul. 98. a short solution of all the controversies about justification . 99. a collection of some histories of appaparitions and witches . 100. troublesome neednots reprehended : sermons on luke 10.42 . an addition to a saint or a bruit . 101. on iud. 10. speaking evil of the things they know not . 102. on gen. 45.75 . gods use of sin . 103. repent o england . 104. universal concord : a breviate of the just terms of christian concord . 105. how far all sober parties in england are agreed in church matters . 106. the catechising of families : a teacher of housholders how to teach their housholds : useful also to tutors . being a full and familiar exposition of the creed , lords prayer and commandments , baptism , and the lords supper : by question and answer . 107. r. b's dying thoughts : preparatory to his approaching change. finis . two treatises the first of death, on i cor. 15:26, the second of judgment on 2 cor. 5:10, 11 / by rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1672 approx. 253 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 103 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27061 wing b1442 estc r6576 12323647 ocm 12323647 59502 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27061) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59502) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:19) two treatises the first of death, on i cor. 15:26, the second of judgment on 2 cor. 5:10, 11 / by rich. baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. treatise of death. [5], 32, [4], 159 p., [16], 174 p. printed for nevil simmons ..., london : 1672. each treatise has special t.p. and separate paging. reproduction of original in british library. imperfect: the second treatise (p. [16], 174) is lacking on film. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng death -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2005-10 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion two treatises : the first of death , on 1 cor. 15. 26. the second of judgment , on 2 cor. 5. 10 , 11. by rich. baxter . london printed for nevil simmons , at the princes-arms in st. pauls church-yard , 1672. a treatise of death , the last enemy to be destroyed . shewing wherein its enmity consisteth , and how it is destroyed . part of it was preached at the funerals of elizabeth the late wife of mr. joseph baker , pastor of the church at saint andrews in worcester . by rich. baxter . with some few passages of the life of the said mrs. baker , observed . psal . 15. 4. in whose eyes a vile person is contemned : but he honoureth them that fear the lord. 1 cor. 15. 55 , 56 , 57. o death , where is thy sting ! o grave , where is thy victory ? the sting of death is sin ; and the strength of sin is the law. but thanks be to god which giveth us the victory , through our lord jesus christ . london printed for nevil simmons , at the princes-arms in st. pauls church-yard , 1672. to the worshipfull the major , aldermen and sheriff of the city of worcester , with the rest of the inhabitants ; especially those of the parishes of andrews and hellens . worshipfull and the rest beloved , the chief part of this following discourse , being preached among you , and that upon an occasion which you are obliged to consider , ( isa . 57. 1. ) being called to publish it , i thought it meet to direct it first to your hands , and to take this opportunity , plainly and seriously to exhort you in some matters that your present and everlasting peace is much concerned in . credible fame reporteth you to be a people not all of one mind , or temper in the matters of god : but that 1. some of you are godly , sobe , and peaceable : 2. some well-meaning and zealous , but addicted to divisions . 3. some papists . 4. some hiders , seduced by your late deceased neighbour clement writer , ( to whom the quakers do approach in many opinions , ) . 5. and too many prophane and obstinate persons , that are heartily and seriously of no religion , but take occasion from the divisions of the rest , to despise or neglect the ordinances of god , and join themselves to no assemblies . 1. to the first sort ( having least need of my exhortation , ) i say no more , but , as you have received christ jesus the lord , so walk ye in him , rooted and built up in him , and stablished in the faith , as ye have been taught , abounding therein with thanksgiving : and beware lest any man spoil you by deceit , &c. ] col. 2. 6 , 7 , 8. walk as a chosen generation , a royal priest-hood , a holy nation , a peculiar people , to shew forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light ; having your conversation honest among the ungodly , that whereas they are apt to speak against you as evil doers , they may by your good works which they shall behold , glorifie god in the day of visitation ; for so is the will of god , that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men , 1 pet. 2. 9 , 11 , 12 , 15. your labour and patience is known to the lord ; and how ye cannot bear them which are evill , but have tried them which say they speak from the lord , and are apostles , and are not , and have found them lyars ; even the woman jezabel , that is suffered to teach and seduce the people , calling her self a prophetess , who shall be cast into a bed of tribulation , and all that commit adultery with her , except they repent ; and her children shall be killed with death ; and all the churches shall know that christ is he which searcheth the reines and hearts ; and will give to every one according to their work . as for your selves , we put upon you no other burden , but that which you have already ; hold fast till the lord come , rev. 2. be watchfull , that ye fall not from your first love : and if any have declined and grown remiss , remember how you have received and heard , and hold fast , and repent , and strengthen the things that remain , which are ready to die , lest your candlestick should be removed , rev. 3. 2 , 3 , &c. ] and beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked , fall from your own stedfastness ; but grow in grace , and in the knowledge of our lord and saviour jesus christ , 2 pet. 3. 17 , 18. and i beseech you brethren , do all things without murmurings and disputings , that ye may be blameless , and harmless , the sons of god without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation , among whom you ( and your brethren ) shine as lights in the world , phil. 2. 14 , 15. and if in well doing you suffer , think it not strange , but rejoyce that ye are partakers of the sufferings of christ , that when his glory shall be revealed , ye may be glad also with exceeding joy . if ye be reproached for the name of christ , ye are happy , for the spirit of glory and of god resteth upon you , being glorified on your part , while he is evil spoken of on theirs , 1 pet. 4. 12 , 13 , 14. 2. to the second sort ( inclinable to divisions ) let me tender the counsel of the holy ghost , jam. 3. 1. my brethren be not many masters ( or teachers ) knowing that ye shall receive the greater condemnation . ] the wisdom that is from above , is first pure , and then peaceable , gentle and easie to be intreated , full of mercy & good fruits , without partiality , and without hipocrisie : and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace , of them that make peace . who then is the wise and knowing man amongst you ? let him shew out of a good conversation , his works with meekness of wisdom . but if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts , glory not , and lye not against the truth : this wisdom descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensuall , devilish : for where envying and strife is , there is confusion , and every evil work . ] look on those assemblies , where the people professing the fear of god are of one heart and mind , and walk together in love and holy order , and people give due honour and obedience to their faithful guides ; and compare them with the congregations where professors are self-conceited , unruly , proud , and addicted to ostentation of themselves , and to divisions : and see which is likest to the primitive pattern , and in which it is that the power of godliness prospereth best , and the beauty of religion most appears , and christians walk as christians indeed . if pride had not brought the heavy judgment of infatuation or insensibility on many ; the too clear discoveries of the fruits of divisions in the numerous and sad experiences of this age , would have caused them to be abhorred as odious and destructive , by those that now think they do but transcend their lower brethren in holiness and zeal . [ i beseech you therefore brethren , by the name of the lord jesus christ , that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you , but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same mind , and in the same judgment , 1 cor. 1. 10. ] the god of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another , acording to christ jesus ; that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie god , ] rom. 15. 5 , 6. and i beseech you brethren , to know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you : and esteem them very highly in love for their works sake , and be at peace among your selves , 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. and mark those that cause divisions and offences , contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned , & avoid them rom. 16. 17. and if there be any consolaton in christ , if any comfort of love , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels and mercies , fulfil ye our joy , that ye may be like minded having the same love , being of one accord , of one mind : let nothing be done through strife or vain glory , but in lowliness of mind , let each esteemother better then themselves . look not every man on his own things ( his own gifts and graces ) but every man also on the things ( the graces and gifts ) of others ; let this mind be in you which was in christ jesus , who being in the form of god , thought it not robbery to be equal with god ; but made himself of no reputation ( or , emptied himself of all worldly glory , isa . 53. 2 , 3 , 4. as if he had had no form or comliness , and no beauty to the eye , for which we should desire him : but was despised & rejected of men , & not esteemed , ) phil. 2. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. it is not ( as you imagine ) your extraordinary knowledg , zeal , and holiness , that inclineth you to divisions , and to censuring of your brethren ; but it is pride , and ignorance , and want of love : and if you grow to any ripeness in knowledg , humility , self-denial , and charity , you will bewail your divideing inclinations and courses ; and reckon them among the greater and grievous of your sins , and cry out against them as much as your more charitable and experienced brethren do . 3. to the third sort , ( the papists ) i shall say nothing here , because i cannot expect they should read it and consider it : and because we are so far disagreed in our principles that we cannot treat with them on those rational terms as we may do with the rest of the inhabitants of the world , whether christians , infidels or heathens . as long as they build their faith and salvation on this supposition that the eyes , and taste , and feeling of all the sound men in the world , are deceived in judging of bread and wine ; and as long as they deny the certaine experience of true believers ( telling us that we are void of charity and unjustified because we are not of their church ; ) and as long as they fly from the judgment and tradition of the ancient and present church ( unless their small part may be taken for the whole , or the major vote ; ) and as long as they reject our appeal to the holy scriptures : i know not well what we can say to them which we can expect they should regard , any more than musick is regarded by the deaf , or light by the blind , or argument by the distracted . if they had the moderation and charity impartially to peruse our writings , i durst confidently promise the recovery of multitudes of them , by the three writings which i have already published , and the more that others have said against them . 4. and for the fourth sort ( the hiders , and the quakers ) i have said enough to them already ( in my book against infidelity and those against popery and quakers , ) but in vain to those that have sinned unto death . 5. it is the fifth sort therefore that i shall cheifly address my speech to ; who , i fear are not the smallest part . it is an astonishing consideration to men that are awake , to observe the unreasonableness and stupidity of the ignorant , careless , sensual part of men ; how little they love or fear the god whom their tongues confess ; how little they value , or mind , or seek the everlasting glory , which they take on them to believe ; how little they fear and shun those flames which must feed for ever on the impenitent and unholy ; how little they care or labour for their immortal soules , as if they were of the religion of their beasts : how bitterly many of them hate the holy wayes commanded by the lord : while yet they pretend to be themselves his servants , and to take the scriptures to be his word : how sottishly and contemptuously they neglect and sleight the holiness without which there is no salvation ; heb. 12. 14. how eagerly they desire and seek the pleasing of their flesh , and the matters of this transitory life , while they call them vanity and vexation ; how madly they will fall out with their own salvation ; and from the errours and sins of hypocrites or others , will pick quarrels against the doctrine , and ordinances , and waies of god ; as if other mens faults should be exceeded by you , while you pretend to loath them . if it be a sin to crack our faith by some particular error , what is it to dash it all to peices ? if it be odious in your eyes , to denie some particular ordinance of god , what is it to neglect or prophane them all ? if it be their sin that quarrel in the way to heaven , and walk not in companie as love requireth them ; what is it in you to run towards hell , and turn your backs on the holie laws and waies of god ? if it be so lamentable to the nation and themselves , that so many have faln into schism and disorder ; what is it then that so many are ungodlie , sensual , and worldlie , and have no true religion at all , in sincerity , and life , and power ? ungodliness is all heresie transcendently in the lump , and that in practice . a man that is so foolish as to plead that arsnick is better then bread , may yet live himself if he do not take it : but so cannot he that eateth it instead of bread . hereticks only in speculation may be saved : but practical hereticks cannot . you think it hainous to denie with the mouth that there is a god , who made us , and is our only lord and happiness ( and so it is . ) and is it not hainous then to denie him with the heart and life ; and to denie him the love and obedience that is properly due to god ? it is odious idolatrie to bow to a creature as to god ; and is it not odious to love , and honour , and obey a creature before him , and to seek it more eagerly , and mind it more seriously then god ? if it be damnable infidelity to denie christ to be the redeemer , it is not much less to turn away from him , and make light of him and refuse his grace , while you seem to honour him . if it be damnable blasphemy to deny the holy ghost ; what is it to resist and refuse him when he would sanctifie you , and perhaps to make a scorn of holiness ? if it be heresie to denie the holy catholick church , and the communion of saints ; what is it to hate the holy members of the church , and to avoid , if not deride , the communion of saints ? be not deceived , god is not mocked : a mock-religion , and the name of christianity will never save you . do you know how near you are to judgement , and will you fearlesly thus heap up wrath , and lay in fewel for the everlasting flames ? do you know how speedily you shall wish in the bitterness of your souls , that you had heard , and prayed , and laboured as for your lives , and redeemed your time , and obeyed your teachers ? and yet will you now stand loitering ; and quarrelling , and jesting , and dallying in the matters of salvation ? and will you live as if you had nothing but the world to mind , when you are even readie to step into the endless world ? o sirs , do you know what you are doing ? you are abusing the living god , and wronging the lord jesus , and trampling upon that mercy which would comfort you in your extremity , a drop of which you would then be glad of : you are grieving your poor friends , and teachers , and preparing for your endless grief . alas , what should a faithfull minister do , for the saving of your souls ? he seeth you befooled in your security , and carelesly passing on towards hell , and cannot help it : he sees you posting to your misery , where you will be out of the reach of all our exhortations , and where mercie will not follow you to be accepted or rejected : and though he see you almost past remedie , he cannot help you . he knoweth not , when he speaks to you , whether ever he shall speak unto you more , and whether ever you shall have another call and offer ; and therefore he would fain speak effectually if he could ; but it is not in his power . he knows , that the matter sticks all at your own wills , and that if he could but procure your own consent , to the most reasonable and necessary business in the world , the work were done , and you might scape the everlasting flames : and yet this is it that he cannot procure ! o wonderful , that any man should be damned ; yea that many men , and most men should be damned , when they might be saved if they would , and will not ! yea that no saying will serve to procure their consent , and make them willing ! that we must look on our poor miserable neighbours in hell , and say , they might have been saved once , but would not ! they had time , and leave to turn to god , and to be holy and happy as well as others , but we could never prevaile with them to consent , and know the day of their visitation ! o what should we do for the saving if careless , senseless souls ? must we let them go ? is there no remedie ? shall ministers study to meet with their necessities , and tell them with all possible plainness and compassion , of the evil that is a little before them , & teach them how they may escape it ? why , this they do from day to day , and some will not hear them , but are tipling , or idleing or making a jeast of the preacher at home , and others are hearing with prejudice and contempt , and most are hardned into a senseless deadness , and all seems to them but as an emptie sound : and they are so used to hear of heaven and hell , that they make as light of them as if there were no such states ! alas , that while millions are weeping and wailing in utter desperation , for the neglecting of their day of grace , and turning away from him that called them , our poor hearers at the same time should wilfully follow them , when they are told from god what others suffer ! alas , that you should besleepy & dead under those means , that should waken you to prevent eternal death ! and that ever you should make merry so near damnation , and be sporting your selves with the same kind of sins that others at the same hour are tormented for ? and is such madness as this remediless , in people that seem as wise as others for worldly things ! alas , for any thing that we can do , experience tells us that with the most it is remediless ! could we remedie it , our poor people should not wilfully run from christ , and lie in the flames of hell for ever . could our perswasions and entreaties help it , they should not for ever be shut out of heaven , when it s offered to them as well as others . we bewail it from our hearts before the lord , that we can entreat them no more earnestly , and beg not of them as for our lives to look before them , and hearken to the voice of grace that they may be saved . and a thousand times in secret we call our selves hard-hearted , unmerciful , and unfaithful , ( in too great a measure ) that speak no more importunatelie for the saving of mens souls , when we know not whether we shall ever speak to them any more . is this all that we can say or do in so terrible a case , and in a matter of such weight as mens salvation ! the lord forgive our great insensibilitie , & awaken us , that we may be fit to waken others ; but yet for all this , with grief we must complain , that our people feel not when we feel , and that they are senseless or asleep when we speak to them as seriously as we can , and that tears and moans do not prevail , but they go home and live as stupidlie in an unconverted state , as if all were well with them , and they were not the men we speak to . o that you knew what a fearful judgment it is , to be forsaken of god , because you would have none of him ; and to be given up to your hearts lusts , to walk in your own counsells , because you would not hearken to his voice , psa . 81. 11 , 12 , 13. and to have god say , let those wretches be ignorant , and careless , and fleshly , and worldly , and filthy still , rev. 22. 11. o that you knew ( but not by experience ) what a heavie plague it is to be so forsaken , as to have eyes that see not , or seeing do not percieve ; and to have ears that hear not , or to hear and not understand , and so to be unconverted and unhealed , mark 4. 12. and to be hardned and condemned by the word , and patience , and mercies that do soften and save others , and should have saved you ! take heed lest christ say , [ i have sent them my messenger , long enough in vaine ; from henceforth never fruit grow on them : because they would not be converted , they shall not . ] take heed lest he take you away from means , and quickly put an end to your opportunities . you see how fast men pass away , but little do you know how manie are lamenting that they made no better use of time , and helps , and mercies while they had them . o hear while you may hear , for it will not be long : read while you may read , and pray while you may pray , and turn while you may turn , and go to your christian friends & teachers , and enquire of them , what you must do to be saved , before enquiring be too late . spend the lords day , and what other time you can redeem , in holy preparations for your endless rest , while you have such a happie day to spend . o sleep no longer in your sins , while god stands over you , lest before you are aware you awake in hell. patience and mercie have their appointed time , and will not alway wait and be despised . o let not your teachers be forced to say , [ we would have taught them publikelie and privatelie , but they would not : we would have catechized the ignorant , and exhorted the negligent , but some of them would not come near us , and others of them gave us but the hearing , and went away such as they came . ] if once by forfeiting the gospel the teachers whom you slight be taken from you , you may then sin on and take your course , till time , and help , and hope are past . the providence that called me to this work , was some warning to you . though it was not the calling away your teacher , it was a removing of his helper , a pattern of meekness , and godliness , and charitie ; and he is left the more disconsolate in the prosecution of his work . god hath made him faithful to your souls , and careful for your happiness : he walks before you in humilitie and self-denial , and patience , and peaceableness , and in an upright inoffensive life : he is willing to teach you publicklie and privatelie , in season and out of season : he manageth the work of god with prudence & moderation , and yet with zeal , carefullie avoiding both ungodliness and schism , or the countenancing of either of them : were he not of eminent wisdom and integritie , his name would not be so unspotted in a place where dividers , and disputers , papists , and quakers , and so manie bitter enemies of godliness , do watch for matter of accusation and reproach against the faithful ministers of christ . as you love the safetie and happiness of your city , and of your souls , undervalue not such mercies , nor think it enough to put them off with your commendations and good word : it is not that which they live , and preach , and labour for ; but for the conversion , edification , and salvation of your souls . let them have this , or they have nothing , if you should give them all you have . the enemies of the gospel have no wiser cavil against the painful labourers of the lord , then to call them hirelings , and blame them for looking after tithes , and great matters in the world . but as among all the faithful ministers of this countrie , through the great mercie of god these adversaries are now almost ashamed to open their mouths with an accusation of covetousness : so this your reverend , faithful teacher , hath stopt the mouth of all such calumnie , as to him . when i invited him from a place of less work , and a competent maintenance , to accept of less then half that maintenance , with a far greater burden of work among you , he never stuck at it , as thinking he might be more serviceable to god , and win that which is better then the riches of this world . and if now you will frustrate his expectations , and disappoint his labours and hopes of your salvation , it will be easier for sodom in the day of judgment then for you . alas how sad is it to see a faithful minister longing and labouring for mens salvation , and manie of them neglecting him , and others picking groundless quarrels ; and the proud unrulie selfish part , rebelling and turning their backs upon their teachers when ever they will not humour them in their own wayes , or when they deal but faithfullie with their souls ! some ( even of those that speak against disobedience , conventicles , and schism , ) turn away in disdain , if their children may not be needleslie baptized in private houses , and if that solemn ordinance may not be celebrated in a parlour-conventicle . how manie refuse to come to the minister in private to be instructed or catechised , or to confer with him about their necesarie preparation for death and judgement ! is not this the case of manie among you ? must not your teachers say , he sent to you , and was willing to have done his part , and you refused ? little will ye now believe how heavie this will lie upon you one day , and how dear you shall pay for the causless grieving and disappointment of your guides . it is not your surliness and passions that will then serve turn to answer god. nor shall it save you to say , that ministers were of so manie minds and wayes , that you knew not which of them to regard : for it was but one way , that god in the holy scripture did prescribe you : and all faithful ministers were agreed in the things which you reject , and in which you practicallie differ from them all . what ? are we not all agreed , that god is to be preferred before the world ? and that you must first seek the kingdom of god & his righteousness ? & that no man can be saved except he be converted and born again ? and that he that hath not the spirit of christ is none of his , mat. 6. 33 john 3. 3 , 5. mat. 18. 3. rom. 8. 9. and that you and your housholds should serve the lord , josh . 24. 15. are we not all agreed that the law of the lord must be your delight and that you must meditate in it day and night ? psal . 1. 2 , 3. and that you must be constant and fervent in prayer ? 1 thes . 5. 17. luke 18. 1. &c. and that all that name the name of christ , must depart from iniquitie ? and that if you live after the flesh ye shall die ? 2 tim. 2. 19. rom. 8. 13. you shall find one day , that it was you only , & such as you , that practicallie differed from us in these points ; but we differed not in these , or such as these , among our selves . i never read that a man shall not see god , because he is episcopal , presbyterian , independant , no nor anabaptist : or because he readeth not his prayers , or such like : but i read that no man shall see god without holiness , hebrews 12. 14. it will not serve your turn in judgement , to say that you were for this side , or that side , and therefore you hearkened not to the other side ; as long as all those sides agree in the necessitie of holiness which you neglect . why did you not learn of your own side , at least to forsake your tipling , and swearing , and worldly-mindedness , and to make it the daily trade of your lives to provide for life everlasting , and make sure work in the matter of your salvation ? if you had learnt but this much of any side , you would cast away your siding more , and have loved and honoured them that fear the lord , of what side soever , psal . 15. 4. and have contemned the ungodlie as vile persons , though they had been of your side . the catholick church is one , and containeth all that heartilie and practicallie believe in god the father , son , and holy ghost , the creator , redeemer , and sanctifier , and live a holy heavenlie life . leave off your siding , & keep this blessed simple unity ▪ & you will then be wiser then in a passion to cast your selves into hell , because some fall out in the way to heaven . nor will it serve your turn at the bar of god , to talk of the miscarriages or scandalls of some , that took on them to be godly , no more then to run out of the ark for the sake of cham , on out of christs familie for the sake of judas . what ever men are , god is just , and will do you no wrong ; and you are called to believe in god , and to serve him , and not to believe in men . nothing but wickedness could so far blind men , as to make them think they may cast off their love & service to the lord , because some others have dishonoured him : or that they may cast away their souls by carelesness , because some others have wounded their souls by particular sins . do you dislike the sins of professors of godliness ? so much the better : we desire you not to agree with them in sinning : joyn with them in a holy life , and imitate them so far as they obey the lord ; & go as far beyond them in avoiding the sins that you are offended at , as you can , and this is it that we desire . supose they were covetous , or liars , or schismatical : imitate them in holy duties , and fly as far from covetousness , lying , and schism , as you will. you have had learned and godly bishops of this city : search the writings of those of them that have left any of their labours to posterity , and see whether they speak not for the same substantials of faith and godliness , which are now preacht to you , by those that you set so light by . bishop laitmer , parrey , babington , &c. while they were bishops ; and rob. abbot , hall , &c. before they were bishops , all excellent , learned , godly men , have here been preachers to your ancestors : read their books , and you will find that they call men to that strictness and holiness of life which you cannot abide . read your bishop babington on the commandments , and see there how zealously he condemneth the prophaners of the lords day , and those that make it a day of idleness or sports . and what if one man think that one bishop should have hundreds of churches under his sole jurisdiction , and another man think that every full parish-church should have a bishop of their own , and that one parish will find him work enough , be he what he will be , ( which is the difference now amongst us ) is this so heinous a disagreement , as should frighten you from a holy life which all agree for ? to conclude , remember this is the day of your salvation : ministers are your helpers : christ and holiness are your way : scripture is your rule : the godly must be your company , and the communion of saints must be your desire : if now any scandals , divisions , displeasures , or any seducements of secret or open adversaries of the truth , or temptations of satan , the world , or flesh whatsoever , shall prevaile with you to lose your day , to refuse your mercies , and to neglect christ and your immortal souls , you are conquered and undone ; and your enemy hath his will ; and the more confidently and fearlesly you brave it out , the more is your misery ; for the harder are your hearts ; and the harder is your cure ; and the surer and sorer will be your damnation . i have purposely avoided the enticing words of worldly wisdom , and a stile that tends to claw your ears , and gain applause with aery wits ; and have chosen these familiar words , and dealt thus plainly and freely with you , because the greatness of the cause perswaded me , i could not be too serious . whether many of you will read it , & what success it shall have upon them , or how those that read it will take it , i cannot tell : but i know that i intended it for your good ; and that whether you will hear , or whether you will forbear , the ministers of christ must not forbear to do their duty , nor be rebellious themselves : but our labours shall be acceptable with our lord , and you shall know , that his ministers were among you , ezek. 2. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. [ yet a little while is the lightwith you : walk while ye have the light , lest darkness come upon you ; for he that walketh in darkness , knoweth not whither he goeth . ] joh. 12. 35. o take this warning from christ , and from an earnest desirer of your everlasting peace , rich. baxter . the contents . the introduction p. 1. what is meant by [ an enemy ] and how death is an enemy to nature , p. 4 , 5. how death is an enemy to grace , and to our salvation : discovered in ten particulars , p. 10. how christ conquereth this enemy , p. 23. four antidotes given us against the enmity of death , at our conversion , p. 26. how death is made a destruction of it self , p. 36. the full destruction at the resurrection , p. 39. the first use to resolve the doubt , whether death be a punishment to believers , p. 41. use 2. to shew us the malignity of sin , and how we should esteem and use it , p. 43. use 3. to teach us that man hath now a need of grace for difficulties , which were not before him in his state of innocency , p. 47 use 4. to inform us of the reasons of the sufferings and death of christ , p. 50. use 5. to rectifie the mistakes of some true believers , that think they have no saving grace , because the fears of death deterr them from desiring to be with christ , p. 53. use 6. to teach us to study and magnifie our redeemers conquering grace , that overcometh death , and makes it our advantage p. 62. use 7. to direct us how to prepare for death , and overcome the enmity , and fear of it ▪ p. 71 direct . 1. make sure that conversion be sound , p. 74. direct . 2. live by faith on christ the conquerour , p. 75 direct . 3. live also by faith on the heavenly glory , p. 77. direct . 4. labour to encrease and exercise divine love ▪ p. 80. direct . 5. keep conscience clear , or if it be wounded , presently seek the cure , p. 82. direct . 6. redeem and improve your precious time , p. 84. direct . 7. crucifie the flesh , and die to the world , p. 85. direct . 8. a conformity to god in the hatred of sin , and love of holiness : and especially in the point of justice p. 87. direct . 9. the due consideration of the restlesness , and troubles of this life , and of the manifold evils that end at death , p. 89. direct . 10. resign your wills entirely to the will of god , and acquiesce in it , as your safety , felicity , and rest p. 103. use 8. great comfort to believers , that they have no enemy but what they are sure shall be conquered at last , p. 106. object . but what comfort is all this to me that know not whether i have part in christ or no ? answered , to satisfie the doubts , and further the assurance of the troubled christian , p. 111 use 9. what a mercy the resurrection of christ was to the world , and how we should use it to strengthen our faith , p. 129 the lords day honourable , p. 130. use 10. how earnestly we should pray for the second coming of christ , though death be terrible , p. 134 some imitable passages of the life of elizabeth , late wife of mr. joseph baker , whose funerals occasioned this discourse , p. 144. 1 cor. 15. 26. the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death . death is the occasion of this days meeting : and death may be the subject of our present meditations . i must speak of that which will shortly silence me ; and you must hear of that which will speedily stop your ears ▪ and we must spend this hour on that which waits to cut our thred ▪ and take down our glasse , and end our time , and tell us we have spent our last . but as it hath now done good by doing hurt , so are we to consider , of the accidental benefits , as well as of the natural evil , from which the heavenly wisdome doth 〈…〉 them . death-hath now bereaved a body of its soul ; but thereby it hath sent that 〈◊〉 to christ ; where it hath now experience how good it is to be absent from the body , and present with the lord , 2 cor. 5. 8. it hath separated a faithful wife from a beloved husband : but it hath sent her to a husband dearlier beloved ; and taught her now by experience to say , that to be with christ is best of all , phil. 1. 23. it hath deprived a sorrowful husband of a wife , & deprived us all of a faithful friend : but it hath thereby brought us to the house of mourning , which is better for us than the house of teasting , ( a paradox to the flesh , but an undoubted truth : ) for here we may see the end of all men , and we that are yet living may lay it to our hearts , eceles . 7. 2 , 3. yes , it hath brought us to the house of god ; and occasioned this serious address to his holiness , that we may be instructed by his word , as we are warned by his works ; and that we may be wise to understand , and to consider our latter end , deut. 32. 29. it s like you 'l think to tell men of the evil or enmity of death , is as needlesse a discourse as any could be chosen : for who is there that is not naturally too sensible of this ? and who doth not dread the name , or at least the face of death ? but there is accidentally a greater evil in it , than that which nature teacheth men to fear : and while it is the king of terrours to the world , the most are ignorant of the greatest hurt that it doth them , or can do them ; or at least it is but little thought on ; which hath made me think it a needful work , to tell you yet of much more evil , in that which you abhor as the greatest evil : but so as withall to magnifie our redeemer , that overshooteth death in its own bow ; and causeth it , when it hits the mark , to miss it : and that causeth health by loathsome medicines ; and by the dung of our bodily corruption manureth his church to the greater felicity . such excellent skill of our wise physician , we find exprest and exercised in this chapter ▪ where an unhappy errour against the resurrection , hath happily occasioned an excellent discourse on that weighty subject , which may stablish many a thousand souls , and serve to shame and destroy such heresies , till the resurrection come , and prove it self . the great argument which the apostle most insisteth on , to prove the resurrection , is christs own resurrection ▪ where he entereth into a comparison between christ and adam ; shewing that as adam first brought death upon himself , and then upon his posterity ; so christ ( that was made a quickening 〈◊〉 ) did first rise himself as the first-fruits ▪ and their at his coming will raise his own : and , as in adam all die , so in christ shall all be made alive . and this christ will do ; as our victorious king , and the captain of our salvation , who when he hath subdued every enemy , will then deliver up the kingdom to the father : and the last enemy which he wil subdue , is death , & therefore our resurrection is his final conquest . the terms of the text have no difficulty in them . the doctrine which they expresse , must be thus unfolded . 1 , i must shew you that death is an enemy , and what is meant by this expression , and wherein its enmity doth consist . 2 , i shall shew you that it is an enemy to be destroyed ; though last , and how , and by what degrees it is destroyed . and then we shall make application of it to your further instruction and edification . 1. that you may know what is meant by an enemy here , you must observe , that man being fallen into sin and misery , and christ having undertaken the work of our redemption , the scripture oft speaketh of our misery and recovery metaphorically in military terms : and so satan is said to take us captive , and we to be his slaves , and christ to be the captain of our salvation , and to redeem us from our bondage , and thus our sin and misery , and all that hindereth the blessed ends of his undertaking , are called enemies . death therefore is called an enemy to be destroyed , that is , a ●●●al evil to be removed by the redeemer in order to our recovery and the glory of his grace . 1. it is an evil. 2. a punishment procured by our sin , and executed by gods justice . 3. it is an evil that hindereth our felicity . these three things are included in the enmity . that death is an enemy to nature , is a thing that all understand : but all consider not how it is an enemy to our souls to the exercise of grace , and consequently to the attainment of glory . i shall therefore , having first spoken briefly of the sormer , insist a little longer upon the latter . ● . how great an enemy death is unto nature , doth easily appear , in that . it is the dissolution of the man. it maketh a man to become no man ▪ by separating the soul from the body and dissolving the body into its principles . it pulls down in a moment , a curious frame that nature was long ▪ building and tenderly cherishing and preserving .. the mother long nourishes it in her bowels and painfully brings it forth ▪ and carefully brings it up . what 〈◊〉 doth it cost our ▪ parents ▪ and our selves to make provision for this life ? and death in a moment cuts it off . how careful are we to keep in these lamps , and to maintain the oyl ? and death extinguisheth them at a blast . how noble a creature doth it destroy ? to day our parts are all in order , and busie about their several tasks ; our hearts are moving , our lungs are breathing , our stomacks are digesting , our blood and spirits by assimilation making more : and to morrow death takes off the poise , and all stands still ; or draws the pins , and all the frame doth fall to pieces . we shall breath no more ; nor speak , nor think , nor walk no more : our pulse will beat no more : our eyes shall see the light no more : our ears shall hear the voice of man , delightful sounds and melody , no more : we shall taste no more our meat or drink : our appetite is gone : our strength is gone : our natural warmth is turned into an earthly cold : our comeliness and beauty is turned into a ghastly loathsome deformity : our white and red doth soon turn into horrid blackness : our tender flesh hath lost its feeling : and is become a senseless lump , that feeleth not whether it is carried , nor how it is used : that must be hidden in the earth , lest it annoy the living : that quickly turns to loathsome putresaction ; and after that to common earth . were all the once-comely bodies that now are rotting in one church-yard , uncovered , and here presented to your view , the fight would tell you more effectually than my words do , what an enemy death is to our nature . when corruption hath finished its work , you see the earth that once was flesh : you see the bones ▪ you see the skulls ; you see the holes where once were brains , and eyes , and mouth : this change death makes : and that universally , and unavoidably . the prince cannot resist it by his majesty ; for he hath sinned against the highest majesty : the strong cannot resist it by their strength : for it is the messenger of the almighty . the commanders must obey it : the conquerours must be conquered by it . the rich cannot bribe it : the learned orator cannot perswade it to pass him by . the skilful physician cannot save himself from the mortal stroke . neither fields nor gardens , earth or sea affordeth any medicine to prevent it . all have sinned , and all must die : dust we are , and to dust we must return , gen. 3. 19. and thus should we remain , if the lord of life should not revive us . 2. and it is not only to the body , but to the soul also that death is naturally an enemy . the soul hath naturally a love and inclination to its body : and therefore it feareth a separation before , and desireth a restauration afterward . abstracting joy and torment , heaven and hell , in our consideration , the state of separation as such , is a natural evil : even to the humane soul of christ it was so , while his body remained in the grave : which separated state is the hades , that our english calleth hell , that christ is said to have gone into . and though ( the soul of christ , and ) the souls of those that die in him , do passe into a far more happy state , than they had in flesh , yet that is accidentally , from rewarding justice , and the bounty of the lord , and not at all from death as death : the separation as such is still an evil . and therefore the soul is still desirous of the bodies resurrection , and knoweth that its felicity will then be greater , when the re-union , and glorification hath perfected the whole man. so that death as death is unwelcome to the soul it self , though death as accidentally gainful may be desired . 3. and to the unpardoned unrenewed soul , death is the passage to everlasting misery , and in this regard is far more terrible , than in all that hitherto hath been spoken . oh could the guilty soul be sure that there is no justice to to take hold on it after death , and no more pain and sorrow to be felt , but that man dieth as a beast , that hath no more to feel or lose then death would seem a tolerable evil . but it s the living death , the dying life , the endless woe , to which death leads the guilty soul , that makes it to be unspeakably terrible . the utter darkness , the unquenchable fire , the worm that dieth not , the everlasting flames of the wrath of god , these are the chief horrour and sting of death , to the ungodly . o were it but to be turned into trees or stones , or earth , or nothing , it were nothing in comparison of this . but i pass by this , because it is not ( directly ) intended in my text. 4. the saints themselves being sanctified but in part , are but imperfectly assured of their salvation ▪ and therefore in that measure as they remain in doubt , or unassured , death may be a double terror to them . they believe the threatenings , and know more than unbelievers do , what an ●sufferable 〈◊〉 it is to be deprived of the celestial glory and what an unspeakable misery it is , to bear the endless wrath of god! and therefore so far as they have such fears , it must needs make death a terrour to them . 5. but if there were nothing but death it self to be our enemy , foreknowledge of it would increase the misery . a beast that knoweth not that he must die is not tormented with the fears of death ( though nature hath possessed them with a self preserving fear , for the avoiding of an invading evil . ) but man foreknoweth , that he must die : he hath still occasion to anticipate his terrors : that which will be , and certainly and shortly will be , is in a manner , as if it were already . and therefore fore-knowledge makes us as if we were alway dying : we see our graves , our weeping friends , our sore-described corruption and dismal state , and so our life is a continual death . and thus death is an enemy to nature . 2. but this is not all , nor the greatest enmity that death hath to the godly . it is a lamentable hinderance to the work of grace , as i shall shew you next in ten particulars . 1● the fears of death do much abate our desires after god , as he is to be enjoyed by the separated soul . though every believing holy soul , do love god above all , and take heaven for his home , and therefore sincerely longeth after it ; yet when we know that death stands in the way , and that there is no coming thither , but through this dreadful narrow passage , this stoppeth , and lamentably dulleth our desires : and so the natural enmity , turneth to a spiritual sorer enmity . for let a man be never so much a saint , be will be still a man , and therefore as death will still be death , so nature will still be nature . and therefore death as death will be abhorred . and we are such timerous sluggards , that we are easily discouraged by this lyon in the way . the ugly p●●er affrighted us from those grateful thoug●● of the new jerusalem , the city of god , the heavenly inheritance , which otherwise the blessed object would produce . our sanctified affections would be mounting upwards , and holy love would be working towards its blessed object : but death standing in the way , suppresseth our desires , and turns us back ; and frighteneth us from our fathers presence . we look up to christ and the holy city , as to a precious pearl in the bottom of the sea ; or as to a dear and faithful friend , that is beyond some dreadful gulf : fain we would enjoy him , but we dare not venture ; we fear this dismal enemy in the way . he that can recover his health by a pleasant medicine , doth take it without any great reluctancy : but if a leg or an arm must be out off , or a stone cut out by a painful dangerous incision , what a striving doth it cause between the contrary passions , the love of life , and the love of ease , the fear of death , and the fear of suffering ? could we but come to heaven as easily as innocent adam might have done if he had conquered , what wings would it add to our desires ? might we be translated as henoch or conveyed thither in the chariot of el●●● what saint is there that would not long to see the face and glory of the lord ? were it but to go to the top of a mountain , and there see christ with moses and elias , in a glimpse of glory , as he did the three disciples , who would not make haste , and say , it is good for us : to be here , matth , 17. 1 , 4 ? but to travel so chearfully with abraham to the mount of moriah ; to sacrifice an only son , or with a martyr to the flames , is a harder task . this is the principal enmity of death ; it deterreth our desires and thoughts from heaven : and maketh it a far harder matter to us , to long after god , than otherwise it would be : yea it causeth us to flie from him , even when we truly love him : and , where faith and love do work so strongly as to overcome these fears , yet do they meet with them as an enemy , and must fight before they overcome . 2. and as this enemy dulleth our desires , so doth it consequently cool our love , as to the exercise ; and it hindereth our hope , and much abateth the complacency and joy that we should have in the believing thoughts of heaven : when we should be rejoycing in hope of the glory of god , ( rom. 5. 2. ) the face of death appearing to our thoughts , is naturally an enemy to our joy : when we think of the grave , and of dissolution and corruption , and of our long abode in the places of darkness , of our contemned dust , and scattered bones , this damps our joyful thoughts of heaven , if supernatural grace do not make us conquerours . but if we might pass from earth to heaven , as from one room to another , what haste should we make in our desires ? how joyfully should we think and speak of heaven ? then we might live in the joy of the holy ghost , and easily delight our selves in god , and comfort would be our daily food . 3. moreover , as our natural enemy doth thus occasion the abatement of desire , and love , and joy , so also of our thankfulnesse for the glory that is promised us . god would have more praise from us , if we had more pleasing joyful thoughts of our inheritance . we should magnifie him from day to day , when we remember how we shall magnifie him for ever . our hearts would be turned into thankfulnesse , and our tongues would be extolling our dear redeemer , and sounding forth his praise whom we must praise for ever , if dreadful death did not draw a veil , to hide the heavenly glory from us . 4. and thus the dismal face of death , doth hinder the heavenlinesse of our conversation . our thoughts will be diverted , when our complacency and desire is abated : our minds be willinger to grow strange to heaven , when death still mingleth terrour in our meditations : whereas if we could have come to god in the way that was first appointed us , and could be cloathed with glory , without being stript of our present cloathing , by this terrible hand , how familiarly should we then converse above ? how readily would our thoughts run out to christ ? meditation of that glory would not be then so hard a work : our hearts would not be so backward to it , as now they are . 5. faith is much hindered , and infidelity much advantaged by death : look either to the state of soul or body , and you will easily perceive the truth of this . the state of a soul incorporated , we know by long experience : what kind of apprehensions , volitions , and affections belong to a soul while it acteth in the body , we feel or understand : but what manner of knowledge , will , or love ; what joy , what sorrow , belong to souls that are separated from the bodies , it is not possible for us now distinctly and formally to conceive . and when men find themselves at a loss about the manner , they are tempted to doubt of the thing it self . the swarms of irreligious infidels , that have denied the immortality and separated existence of the soul , are too full a proof of this : and good men have been haunted with this horrible temptation . had there been no death , we had not been liable to this dangerous assault . the opinion of the sleeping of the soul , till the resurrection , is but a step to flat infidelity ; and both of them hence receive their life , because a soul in flesh , when it cannot conceive , to its satisfaction , of the being , state , or action of a separated soul , is the easier drawn to question or deny it . and in regard of the body , the difficulty and tryal is as great : that a corps resolved into dust , and perhaps first devoured by some other body , and turned into its substance , should be re-united to its soul , and so become a glorified body , is a point not easie for unsanctified nature to believe . when paul preached of the resurrection , to the learned athenians , some mocked ; and others turned off that discourse , acts 17. 32. it is no easier to believe the resurrection of the body , than the immortality or separated existence of the soul. most of the world , even heathens and infidels do confess the latter , but few of them comparatively believe the former . and if sin had not let in death upon our nature , th●● perilous difficulty had been prevented : then we should not have been puzled with the thoughts of either a corrupted body , or a separated soul. 6. and consequently by all this already mentioned , our endeavors meet with a great impediment . if death weaken faith , desire , and hope , it must needs dull our endeavors . the deterred , discouraged soul moves slowly in the way of life : whereas if death were not in our way , how chearfully should we run towards heaven ? our thoughts of it would be still sweet , and these would be a powerful spring to action ? when the will goes with full sails , the commanded faculty will the more easily follow . we should long so earnestly to be in heaven , if death were not in the way , that nothing could easily stop us in our course . how earnestly we should pray ? how seriously should we meditate and confer of heaven ? and part with any thing to attain it ? but that which dulls our desires of the end , must needs be an enemy to holy diligence , and dull us in the use of means . 7. this enemy also doth dangerously tempt us to fall in love with present things , and to take up the miserable portion of the worldling : when it hath weakened faith , and cooled our desires to the life to come , we shall be : tempted to think that its best take such pleasure as may here be had , and feed on that where a sensual mind hath less discouragement . whereas , if death did not stand in the way , and darken heaven to us , and turn back our desires , how easily should we get above these triftes , and perceive the vanity of all below , and how unworthy they are to be once regarded ! 8. moreover , it is much long of ! this last enemy , that god is so dishonoured by the fears and droopings of believers . they are but imperfectly yet freed from this bondage ▪ and accordingly they walk . whereas if the king of terrours were removed , we should have less of fear , and more of love , as living more in the sight and sense of love : and then we should glorifie the god of love , and appear to the world as men of another world , and shew them the faith and hope of saints , in the heavenly chearfulness of our lives ; and no more dishonour the lord and our profession , by our uncomfortable despondencies as we do . 9. moreover , it is much long of this last enemy that many true christians cannot perceive their own sincerity , but are overwholm'd with doubts and troublesome fears , lest they have not the faith and hope of saints , and lest the love of god abide not in them , and lest their hearts are more on earth than heaven . when they find themselves afraid of dying , and to have dark amazing thoughts about eternity , and to think , with less trouble and fear , of earth than of the life to come ; this makes them think that they are yet but worldlings , and have not placed their happiness with god : when perhaps it is but the fear of death that causeth these unjust conclusions . christian , i shall tell thee more anon , that god may be truly loved and desired by thee , and heaven may be much more valued than earth , and yet the natural fears of death that standeth in thy way may much perplex thee , and make thee think that thou art averse from god , when indeed thou art but averse from death , because yet this enemy is not overcome . 10. lastly , this enemy is not the smallest cause of many of our particular sins , and of the apostacy of many hypocrites . indeed it is one of the strongest of our temptations . before man sinned , none could take away his life but god , and god would not have done it for any thing but sin . so that man had no temptation from the malice of enemies , or the pride of conquerours , or the sury of the passionate , or the power of tyrants to be afraid of death , and to use any unlawful means to scape it . an avoidable death from the hand of god , he was obliged moderately to fear ; that is , to be afraid of sinning lest he die ( else god would not have threatned him , if he would not have had him make use of a preventing fear . ) but now we have an unavoidable death to fear , and also an untimely death from the hand of man by gods permission : and the fear of these is a powerful temptation . otherwise abraham would not have distructively equivocated as he did to save his life , gen. 20. 11. and isaac after him do the same , when he sojourned in the same place , gen. 26. 7. if the fear of death were not a strong temptation , peter would not have thrice denyed christ , and that after so late a warning and engagement : nor would all his disciples have forsaken him and fled , matth. 26. 56. nor would martyrs have a special reward , nor would christ have been put to call upon his disciples , that they fear not them that can kill the body , luke 12. 4. and to declare to men the necessity of self-denyal in this point of life , and that none can be his disciple , that loves his life before him , matth. 16. 39. luke 14. 26. he is a christian indeed that so loveth god , that he will not sin to save his life . but what is it that an hypocrite will not do to escape death ? he will equivocate and forswear himself with the jesuite and familist : he will forsake not only his dearest friend , but christ also and his conscience . what a multitude of the most hainous sins are daily committed through the fears of death ? thousands where the inquisition ruleth are kept in popery by it : and thousands are kept in mahometanism by it : thousands are drawn by it to betray their countries ; to deny the truth ; to betray the church and cause of christ ; and finally to betray their souls unto perdition : some of them presume to deny christ wilfully , because that peter had pardon that denied him through surprize , and through infirmity : but they will not repent with peter , and die for him after their repentance . he that hath the power of an hypocrites life , may prescribe him what he shall believe and do ; may write him down the rule of his religion , and tell him what changes he shall make , what oaths he shall take , what party he shall side with , and command him so many sins a day , as you make your horse go so many miles . satan , no doubt , had much experience of the power of this temptation , when he boasted so confidently of it against job ( 2. 4. ) skin for skin , and all that a man hath ; he will give for his life : and its true , no doubt , of those that love nothing better than their lives . satan thought that the fear of death would make a man do any thing : and of too many he may boldly make this boast , [ let me but have power of their lives , and i will make them say any thing , and swear any thing , and be for any cause or party , and do any thing against god or man. ] when lesser matters can do so much , as common sad experience sheweth us ; no wonder if the fear of death can do it . in brief , you may see by what is said , that death is become an enemy to our souls , by being first the enemy of our natures : the interest of our bodies works much on our souls , much more the interest of the whole man. the principle of self-love was planted in nature in order to self-preservation , and the government of the world : nature doth necessarily abhor its own destruction . and therefore this destruction standing in the way , is become an exceeding great hinderance to our affections , which takes them off from the life to come . 1. it is a very great hinderance to the conversion of those that are yet carnal , imprisoned in their unbelief . it is hard to win their hearts to such a state of happiness , that cannot be obtained but by yielding unto death . 2. and to the truly godly it is naturally an impediment , & a great temptation in the points before expressed : and though it prevail not against them , it exceedingly hindereth them . and thus i have shewed you , that death is an enemy , further than , i doubt , the most consider of . if the unbeliever shall here tell me , that death is not the fruit of sin , but natural to man , though he had never sinned , and therefore that i lay all this on god : i answer him , that mortality , as it signifieth a posse mori , a natural capacity of dying , was natural to us in our innocency : or else death could not be threatned as a penalty : and if i grant as much of a natural disposition in the body to a dissolution , if not prevented by a glorifying change , it will no whit advantage their impious cause . but withall , man was then so far immortal , as that he had a posse non mori , a natural capacity of not dying , and the mo ietur vel non morietur , the actual event of life or death , was laid by the lord of life and death , upon his obedience or disobedience . and man having sinned , justice must be done , and so we came under a non posse non mori , an impossibility of escaping death ( ordinarily ) because of the peremptory sentence of our judge : but the day of our deliverance is at hand , when we shall attain a non posse mori , a certain consummate immortality , when the last enemy death shall be destroyed : and how that is done , i shall next enquire . sect . ii. you have seen the ugly face of death ; you are next to see a little of the love of our great redeemer . you have heard what sin hath done : you are next to hear what grace hath done , and what it will do . you have seen the strength of the enemy : you are now to take notice of the victory of the redeemer , and see how he conquereth all this strength . 1. the beginning of the conquest is in this world : 2. the perfection will not be till the day of resurrection , when this last enemy shall be destroyed . 1. meritoriously death is conquered by death . the death of sinners , by the mediators death . not that he intended in his meritorious work , to save us from the stroke of death by a prevention , but to deliver us from it after by a resurrection . for since by man came death , by man also came the resurrection from the dead , 1 cor. 15. 21. for as much as the children were partakers of flesh and blood , he also himself likewise took part with them , that he might destroy him through death , that had the power of death , that is , the devil ; and deliver them , who through fear of death were all their life time subject unto bondage , heb. 2. 14 , 15. satan as gods executioner , and as the prosperous tempter , is said to have had the power of death : the fears of this dreadful executioner , are a continual bondage , which we are liable to through all our lives , till we perceive the deliverance which the death of the lord of life hath purchased us . 1. by death christ hath stisfied the justice that was armed by sin against us . 2. by death he hath shewed us , that death is a tolerable evil , and to be yielded to in hope of following life . 2. actually he conquered death by his resurrection . this was the day of grace's triumph : this day he shewed to heaven , to hell , and to earth , that death was conquerable ; yea , that his personal death was actually overcome . the blessed souls beheld it to their joy , beholding in the resurrection of their head , a virtual resurrection of their own bodies . the devils saw it , and therefore saw that they had no hopes of holding the bodies of the saints in the power of the grave . the damned souls were acquainted with it , and therefore knew that their sinful bodies must be restored to bear their part in suffering . the believing saints on earth perceive it , and therefore see that their bonds are broken , and that to the righteous there is hope in death , and that our head being actually risen , assureth us that we shall also rise . for if we believe that jesus died and rose again ; even so them also which sleep in jesus , will god bring with him , 1 thes . 4. 14. and as christ being raised from the dead , dieth no more , death hath no more dominion over him : so shall we rsie and die no more . this was the beginning of the churches triumph . this is the day that the lord hath made ( even the day which the church on earth must celebrate , with joy and praise , till the day of our resurrection ) we will be glad and rejoyce therein , psal . 118. 24. the resurrection of our lord hath 1. assured us of the consummation of his satisfacttion . 2. of the truth of all his word , and so of his promises of our resurrection . 3. that death is actually conquered , and a resurrection possible . 4. that believers shall certainly rise , when their head and saviour is risen , to prepare them an everlasting kingdome , and to assure them , that thus he will raise them at the last . a bare promise would not have been so strong a help to faith , as to the actual rising of christ , as a pledge of the performance : but now christ is risen and become the first fruits of them that sleep , 1 cor. 15. 20. for because he liveth , we shall live also , john 14. 19. 3. the next degree of destruction to this enemy , was by the gift of his justifying and sanctifying grace . four special benefits were then bestowed on us , which are antidotes against the enmity of death . 1. one is , the gift of saving faith , by which we look beyond the grave , as far as to eternity . and this doth most powerfully disable death to terrifie and discourage us ; and raiseth us above our natural fears , and sheweth us ( though but in a glass ) the exceeding eternal weight of glory which churlish death shall help us to . so that when the eye of the unbeliever looketh no further than the grave , believing souls can enter into heaven , and see their glorified lord , and thence fetch love , and hope , and joy , notwithstanding the terrours of interposing death . the eye of faith foreseeth the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time , and causeth us therein greatly to rejoyce , though now for a season ( if need be ) we are in heaviness through manifold temptations . and so victorious is this faith against all the storms that do assault us , that the tryal of it , though with fire , doth but discover that ●t is much more precious than gold that pe●isheth , and it shall be found unto praise and ●onour , and glory at the appearing of jesus christ ; whom having never seen in the flesh we ●ove , and though now we see him not , yet believing we rejoyce with unspeakable glorious joy , 1 pet. 1. 5 , 6 , 7 ; 8 , 9. and shall shortly receive the end of our faith , the salvation of our souls . thus faith , though it destroy not death it self , destroyeth the malignity and enmity of death : while it seeth the hings that are beyond it , and the time when ●eath shall be destroyed , and the life where death shall be no more . faith is like david's three mighty men , that brake thorow the host of the philistines , to fetch him the waters of bethlehem , for which he longed , 2 sam. 23. 15 , 16. when the thirsty soul saith , o that ●ne would give me drink of the waters of salvation ! faith breaks thorow death which standeth in the way , and fetcheth these living waters to the soul . we may say of death , as it is said of the world , 1 john 5. 4 , 5. whatsoever is born of god overcometh the world : and this is the victory that overcometh the world , even our faith : who is he that overcometh ; but he that believeth ? &c. for greater is he that is in us , than he that is in the world : 1 john 4. 4. the believing soul foreseeing the day when death shall be swallow'd up in victory , may sing beforehand the triumphing song , o death , where is thy sting ! o grave , where is thy victory ! 1 cor. 15. 54 , 55. for this cause we faint not , though our outward man perish , our inward man is renewed day by day : for our light affliction ( though it reach to death ) which is but for a moment , worketh for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory ; while we look not at the things that are seen ; but at the things which are not seen : for the hings which are seen are temporal ( and therefore not worthy to be looked at ) but the things that are not seen are eternal , and therefore , more prevalent with a believing soul , than either the enticing pleasures of sin for a season , or the light and short afflictions , or the death that standeth in our way , 2 cor. 5. 16 , 17 , 18. heb. 11. 24 , 25 , 26. 2. a second antidote against the enmity of death , that is given us at the time of our conversion , is , the pardon of our sins , and justification of our persons , by the blood and merits of jesus christ . when once we are forgiven , we are out of the reach of the greatest terrour , being saved from the second death , though we must feel the killing stroke , we are delivered from the damning stroke . yea more than so , it shall save us by destroying us : it shall let us into the glorious presence of our lord , by taking us from the presence of our mortal friends : it shall help us into eternity , by cutting off our time. for in the hour that we were justified , and made the adopted sons of god , we were also made the heirs of heaven , even coheirs with christ , and shall be glorified with him , when we have suffered with him , rom. 8. 17. as death was promoting the life of the world , when it was killing the lord of life himself : so is it hastnening the deliverance of believers , when it seems to be undoing them . no wonder if death be that mans terrour , that must be conveyed by it into hell , or that imagineth that he shall perish as the beast : but to him that knows , it will be his passage into rest ; and that angels shall convey his soul to christ , what an antidote is there ready for his faith to use against the enmity and excess of fears ? hence faith proceedeth in its triumph , 1 cor. 15. 56 , 57. the sting of death is sin , and the strength of sin is the law : but thanks be to god that giveth us the victory through our lord jesus christ . let him inordinately fear death , that is loth to be with christ , or that is yet the heir of death eternal : let him fear that is yet in the bondage of his sin , and in the power of the prince of darkness , and is not by justification delivered from the curse : but joy and holy triumph are more seemly for the justified . 3. a third antidote against the enmity of death , is the holiness of the soul : by this the power of sin is mortified ; and therefore the fears of death cannot actuate and use it , as in others they may do : by this the interest of the flesh is cast aside as nothing , and the flesh it self is crucified with christ : and therefore the destruction of the flesh will seem the more tolerable , and the fears of it will be a less temptation to the soul. by this we are already crucified to the world , and the world to us : and therefore we can more easily leave the world : we now live by another life than we did before ; being dead in our selves , our life is hid with christ in god ; and being crucified with christ , we now so live , as that it is not we , but christ liveth in us : the life which we live in the flesh is by the faith of the son of god that hath loved us , gal. 2. 20. the things that made this life too dear to us , are now as it were annihilated to us ; and when we see they are nothing , they can do nothing with us . sanctification also maketh us so weary of sin , as being our hated enemy , that we are the more willing to die , that it may die that causeth us to die . and especially , the holy ghost , which we then receive , is in us a divine and heavenly nature , and so inclineth us to god and heaven . this nature principally consisteth in the superlative love of god. and love carrieth out the soul to the beloved . as the nature of a prisoner in a dungeon carrieth him to desire liberty and light ; so the nature of a holy soul in flesh , inclineth it to desire to be with christ . as love maketh husband and wife , and dearest friends to think the time long while they are asunder ; so doth the love of the soul to god. how fain would the holy loving soul behold the pleased face of god , and be glorified in the beholding of his glory , and live under the fullest influences of his love ! this is our conquest over the enmity of death . as strong as death is , love is stronger , eccles . 8. 6 , 7. love is strong as death — the coals thereof are coals of fire , a most vehement flame ( which will not by the terrible face of death be hindered from ascending up to god. ) many waters cannot quench love , neither can the floods drown it : if a man would give all the substance of his house for love ( that is , to bribe it and divert it from its object ) it would utterly be contemned . if the love of david could carry jonathan to hazard his life , and deny a kingdom for him , and the love of david to absalom made him wish that he had died for him , and the love of friends , ( yea lustful love ) hath carried many to cast away their lives ; no wonder if the love of god in his saints prevail against the fear of death . the power of holy love made moses say , else let my name be blotted out of the book of life . and it made paul say , that he could wish that he were accursed from christ , for his brethren and kindred according to the flesh . ] rom. 9. 3. and doubtless he felt the fire burning in his breast , when he broke out into that triumphant challenge , rom. 8. 35 , 36. to the end [ who shall separate us from the love of god ? shall tribulation , or distress , or persecution , or famine , or nakedness , or peril , or sword ? ( as it is written , for thy sake we are killed all the day long , we are counted as sheep to the slaughter . ) nay in all this we are more then conquerours through him that loved us : for i am perswaded that neither death nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come , nor height , nor depth , nor any other creature , shall be able to separate us from the love of god , which is in christ jesus our lord. ] you see here what it is that conquereth the enmity of death , in our sanctification ; even that powerful love of god that is then given us , which will go to him through the most cruel death . 4. a fourth antidote that is given us by christ , against the enmity of death , is the holy ghost , as he is the comforter of the saints . he makes it his work to corroborate and confirm them : as sin hath woven calamities into our lives , and filled us with troubles , and griefs , and fears ; so christ doth send his spirit to undo these works of satan , and to be a comforter as well as a sanctifier to his members . as the sanctifying spirit striveth against the entising sinful flesh , so the comforting spirit striveth against the troubling flesh ; as also against the persecuting , as well as the tempting world ; and the vexing as well as the tempting devil . and greater is he that is in us , than he that is in the world ; 1 john 4. 4. the spirit of christ overcomes the disquieting as well as the tempting spirit : but with some difference ; because our comforts are not in this life so necessary to us as our holiness : joy , being part of our reward , is not to be expected certainly or constantly , in any high degree , till we come to the state of our reward : and therefore , though the holy ghost will carry on the work of sanctification , universally , constantly , and certainly in the elect ; yet in many of them his comforting work is more obscure , and interrupted : and yet he is a conquerour here . for his works must be judged of in reference to their ends : and our comfort on earth is given us for our encouragement in holy wayes , that we be not stopt or diverted by the fear of enemies : and also to help on our love to god , and to quicken us in thanks , and praise , and draw up our hearts to the life to come , and make us more serviceable to others : and such a measure of comfort we shall have as conduceth to these ends , and is suitable to our present state , and the employment god hath for us in the world , if we do not wilfully grieve our comforter , and quench our joyes . so that when death and the grave appear before , and our flesh is terrified with the sight of these anakims , and say , [ we are not able to overcome them ] and so brings up an evil report upon the promised land , and casts us sometime into murmuring , lamentation and weakning-discouragements , yet doth the ho-ghost cause faith and hope ( as caleb and joshua ) to still the soul , ( numb . 13. ) and causeth us to contemn these gyants , and say [ let us go up and possess it , for we are well able to overcome it . ] ver. 30. the comforting spirit sheweth us his death , that conquered death , ( heb. 2. 14 , 15. ) even the cross on which he triumphed openly , when he seemed to be conquered , col. 2. 15. he sheweth us the glorious resurrection of our head , and his promise of our own resurrection : he sheweth us our glorified lord , to whom we may boldly and confidently commend our departing souls , acts 7. 59. and he sheweth us the angels that are ready to be their convoy : and he maketh all these considerations effectual , and inwardly exciteth our love and heavenly desires , and giveth us a triumphing courage and consolation : so that death doth not encounter us alone , and in our own strength , but finds us armed and led on by the lord of life , who helps us by a sling and stone to conquer this goliah . if a draught of wine , or some spiritful reviving liquor can take off fears , and make men bold ; what then may the spirit of christ do by his powerful encouragements and comforts on the soul ? did we but see christ or an angel standing by our sick-beds , and saying [ fear not : i will convoy thy soul to god : this day shalt thou be with me in paradise . ] what an unspeakable comfort would this be to a dying man ? why , the spirit is christ's agent here on earth : and what the spirit speaks , christ speaks : and therefore we may take its comforting words , as spoken to us by christ himself ; who spoke the like to the penitent thief , to shew bellevers the virtue of his cross , and what they also may expect from him in their extremity . and our physician is most wise , and keeps his cordials for a fainting time : the spirit useth so sustain and comfort us most , in our greatest necessities . we need not comforts against death , so much in the time of prosperity and health , as when death draws neer . in health we have ordinarily more need of quickening than of comforting : and more need to be awakened from security to a due preparation for death , than to be freed from the terrible fore-thoughts of it : though inordinate fears of death be hurtful to us , security and deadness hurts us more . and therefore the spirit worketh according to our necessities : and when death is neerest , and like to be most dreadful , he usually giveth the liveliest sense of the joyes beyond it , to abate the enmity , and encourage the departing soul . and if the comfort be but small , it is precious , because it is most pure , as being then mixed with no carnal joyes ; and because it is most seasonable in so great a strait . if we have no more but meer support , it will be yet a precious mercy . and thus i have done with the third degree of the destruction of deaths enmity , by these four antidotes , which we receive at our conversion , and the consequents thereof . 4. the fourth degree of this enemies destruction is , by it self , or rather by christ at the time , and by the means of death , which contrary to its nature , shall advantage our felicity . when death hath done its worst , it hath half killed it self in killing us : it hath then dismissed our imprisoned souls , and ended even our fears of death , and our fears of all the evils of this life . it hath ended our cares , and griefs , and groans . it hath finished our work , and ended all our weariness and trouble . and more then this , it ends our sinning , and so destroyeth that which caused it , and that which the inordinate fears of it self , had caused in us . it is the time when sin shall gasp its last , and so far our physitian will perfect the cure ; and our greatest enemy shall follow us no further . it is the door by which the soul must pass to christ in paradise . if any papist shall hence plead that therefore allmenmust be perfect without sin before death or else go to purgatory to be cleansed , because as we die , so christ will find us : or if they ask , how death can perfect us ? i answer them : it is christ our physitian that finisheth the cure , and death is the time in which he doth it . and if he undertake then do it , it concerns not us to be too inquisitive , how he doth it . what if the patient understand not how blood-letting cureth the infected blood that is left behind ? must he therefore plead against his physician ? and say , it will not be done , because he knoweth not how it s done ? we feel that here we have our sinful imperfections : we have for all that a promise that we shall be with christ , when death hath made its separation ; and we are assured that no sin doth enter there . and is not this enough for us to know ? but yet i see not why the difficulty of the objection should trouble us at all . death doth remove us from this sinful flesh , and admits the soul into the sight of god. and in the very instant of its remove , it must needs be perfected , even by that remove , and by the first appearance of his blessed face . if you bring a candle into a dark room , the access of the light expelleth the darkness , at the same instant : and you cannot say that they consist together one moment of time . so , cold is expelled by the approach of heat . and thus when death hath opened the door , and let us into the immortal light , neither before nor after , but in that instant all the darkness and sinful imperfections of our souls are dissipated . throw an empty bottle into the sea , and the emptiness ceaseth by the filling of the water ; neither before nor after but in that instant . if this should not satisfie any , let it satisfie them , that the holy ghost in the instant of death can perfect his work . so that we need not assert a perfection on earth , ( which on their grounds , must be the case of all that will escape hell and purgatory ; ) nor yet any purgatory-torments after death , for the deliverance of the soul from the relicts of sin ; seeing at the instant of death , by the spirit , or by the deposition of the flesh , or by the sight of god , or by the sight of our glorified redeemer , or by all , this work will be easily and infallibly accomplished . 5. the last degree and perfect conquest will be at the resurrection . and this is the victory that is mentioned in my text. all that is fore-mentioned doth abate the enmity , and conquer death in some degree : but the enmity , and the enemy it self is conquered at the resurrection , and not till then . and therefore death is the last enemy to be destroyed . the body lyeth under the penal effects of sin , till the the resurrection . and it is penal to the soul to be in a state of separation from the body , though it be a state of glory that its in with christ : for it is deprived of the fulness of glory , which it shall attain at the resurrection , when the whole man shall be perfected and glorified together . then it is that the mediators work will be accomplished ; and all things shall be restored ; all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the son of god , and shall come forth , john 5. 28. for this is the fathers will that sent him , that of all that he hath given him , he should lose nothing , but should raise it up at the last day , john 6. 39 , 40. we have hope towards god , that there shall be a resurrection of the dead , both of the just and unjust , acts 25. 15. as by man came death , so by man came also the resurrection from the dead , 1 cor. 15. 21. then shall there be no more death , nor sorrow , nor crying , nor pain , rev. 21. 4. no more diseases , or fears of death , or grave , or of corruption . no terrible enemy shall stand betwixt us and our lord , to frighten our hearts from looking towards him . o what a birth-day will that be ! when graves shall bring forth so many millions of sons for glory ! how joyfully will the soul and body meet , that were separated so long ? then sin hath done its worst , and can do no more ! then christ hath done all , and hath no more to do , as our redeemer , but to justifie us in judgement , and give us possession of the joy that he is preparing . and then he will deliver up the kingdom to the father . if you expect now that i should give you resons why death is the last enemy to be destroyed , though much might be said from the nature of the matter , the wisdom and will of god shall be to me instead of all other reasons , being the fountain and the summ of all . he knows best the order that is agreeable to his works and ends , to his honour , and to our good : and therefore to his wisdom we submit , in the patient expectance of the accomplishment of his promises . sect . iii. use 1. i now come to shew you the usefulness of this doctrine , the for further information of our understandings , the well ordering of our hearts , and the reforming of our lives . and first , you may hence be easily resolved ; whether death be truly penal to the godly ? which some have been pleased to make a controversie of late : though i am past doubt , but the hearts of those men do apprehend it as a punishment , whose tongues and pens do plead for the contrary . dust thou art , and to dust shalt thou return , was part of the sentence past on adam and all his posterity ; which then proved it a punishment , and it was not remitted to adam , that at the same time had the promise of a redeemer , nor is it remitted to any of us all . were it not for sin , god would not inflict it ; who hath sworn that he takes no pleasure in the death of sinners ; and that he afflicts not willingly , nor grieves the sons of men . but my text it self decides the controversie : sin and punishment are the evils that christ removeth : and if death were no punishment ( as it is no sin , ) how could it be an enemy , and the last enemy to be destroyed by the redeemer ? when we feel the enmity before described against our souls , and also know its enmity to our bodies , we cannot think that god would do all this , were it not for sin : especially when we read that death passeth upon all , for that all have sinned , rom. 5. 11 , 12. and that death is the wages of sin , rom. 6. 23. though christ do us good by it , that proveth it not to be no punishment : for castigatory punishments are purposely to do good to the chastised . indeed we may say , o death , where is thy sting ? because that the mortal evil to the soul is taken out ; and because we foresee the resurrection by faith , when we shall have the victory by christ . but thence to conclude that death hath no sting now to a believer , is not only besides , but against the text ; which telling us that the sting of death is sin , and that the strength of sin is the law , doth inform us , that death could not kill us , and be death to us , if sin gave it not a sting to do it with : as sin could not oblige us to this punishment , if the threatning of the law were not its strength . but christ hath begun the conquest and will finish it . sect . iv. use 2. from all this enmity in death , we may see what it is that sin hath done : and consequently how vile and odious it is , and how we should esteem and use it . sin hath not only forfeited our happiness , but laid those impediments in the way of our recovery , which will find us work , and cause our danger and sorrow while we live . and death is not the least of these impediments . o foolish man , that still will love such a mortal enemy ▪ if another would rob them but of a groat , or defame them , or deprive them of any accommodation , how easily can they hate them , and how hardly are they reconciled to them ? but sin depriveth them of their lives , and separates the soul and body asunder , and forfeiteth their everlasting happiness , and sets death betwixt them and the glory that is purchased by christ , and yet they love it , and will not leave it . though god have made them , and do sustain them , and provide for them , and all their hope and help is in him , they are not so easily drawn to love him : and yet they can love the sin that would undo them . though christ would deliver them , and bring them to everlasting blessedness , and hath assumed flesh , and laid down his life , to testifie his love to them , yet are they not easily brought to love him ; but the sin that made them enemies to god , and hath brought them so near to everlasting misery , this they can love , that deserves no love . a minister or other friend that would draw them from their sin to god , and help to save them , they quarrel against , as if he were their enemy : but their foolish companions , that can laugh and jest with them at the door of hell , and clap them on the back , and drive away the care of their salvation and harden them against the fear of god , these are the only acceptable men to them . o christians leave this folly to the world , and do you judge of sin by its sad effects . you feel ( if you have any feeling in you ) in some measure , what it hath done against your souls ! the weakness of your faith and love ; the distance of your hearts from god ; your doubts and troubles tell you that it is not your friend ; you must shortly know what it will do to your bodies . as it keeps them in pain , and weariness , and weakness , so it will ere long deliver them up to the jaws of death , which will spare them no more then the beasts that perish . had it not been for sin , we should have had no cause to fear a dissolution ; nor have we had any use for a coffin or a winding-sheet , nor been beholden to a grave , to hide our carkasses from the sight and smell of the living . but as henoch and elias were translated when they had walked with god , even so should we : as those shall that are alive and remain at the coming of christ , shall be caught up together in the clouds , to meet the lord in the air : and so shall they ever be with the lord , 1 thes . 4. 17. use sin therefore as it will use you . spare it not , for it will not spare you . it is your murderer , and the murderer of the world : use it therefore as a murderer should be used . kill it before it kills you ; and then , though it kill your bodies , it shall not be able to kill your souls ; and though it bring you to the grave , as it did your head , it shall not be able to keep you there . if the thoughts of death , and the grave , and rottenness be not pleasant to you , let not the thoughts of sin be pleasant . hearken to every temptation to sin , as you would hearken to a temptation to self-murder : and as you would do if the devil brought you a knife , and tempted you to cut your throat with it ; so do when he offereth you the bait of sin . you love not death : love not the cause of death . be ashamed to stand weeping over a buried friend , and never to weep over a sinning or ungodly friend , nor once to give them a compassionate earnest exhortation , to save their souls . is it nothing to be dead in sins and trespasses ? ephes . 2. 1 , 5. col. 2. 13. yea , it is a worse death than this , that is the wages of sin , and the fruit which it brings forth , rom. 6. 21 , 23. and 7. 5. surely , god would never thus use mens bodies , and forsake them soul and body for ever , if sin were not a most odious thing . what a poyson is this that kills so many millions , and damneth so many millions , and cannot be cured but by the blood of christ ! that killed our physician that never tasted it , because he came so near to us ! o unbelieving stupid souls , that smart and sin , and groan and sin , and weep and lament our bodily sufferings , and yet sin still ! that fear a grave , and fear not sin ! that have heard , and seen , and felt so much of the sad effects , and yet sin still ! psal . 78. 32. alas that murderers should be so common , and that we should be no wiser , when we have paid so dear a price for wisdom ! sect . v. use 3. from the enmity of death we may further learn that man hath now a need of grace for such exceeding difficulties which were not before him in his state of innocency . though adam was able to have obeyed perfectly , without sin , and had grace sufficient to have upheld him , and conquered temptations , if he had done his part , which by that grace he might have done ; yet whether that grace was sufficient to the works that we are called to , is a doubt that many have been much troubled with . it is certain that he was able to have done any thing that was suitable to his present state , if it were commanded him : and it is certain , that much that is now our duty , would have been unsuitable to his state . but whether it belonged to his perfection , to be able and fit for such duties ( that were then unsuitable to him ) on supposition they had been suitable and duties , this is the difficulty : which some make use of to prove that such works cannot now be required of us , without suitable help , because we lost no such grace in adam . but this need not trouble us : for 1 , though adam was put on no such difficulty in particular , as to encounter death ; yet the perfect obedience to the whole law , required a great degree of internal habitual holiness : and to determine the case , whether our particular difficulties , or his sinless perfect obedience , required greater strength and help , is a matter of more difficulty then use . for 2. it is but about the degrees of holiness in him and us , and not about the kind , that the difficulty lyeth . for it is the same end that he was created for and disposed to by nature , and that we are redeemed for and disposed to supernaturally . but yet it is worthy our observation , what a difficulty sin hath cast before us in the way of life , which adam was unacquainted with : that so we may see the nature of our works , and the excellency of the redeemers grace . adam was but to seek the continuance of his life , and a translation to glory , without the terrors of interposing death : he was never called to prepare to die ; nor to think of the state of a separated soul ; nor to mind , and love , and seek a glory to which there is no ( ordinary ) passage but by death . this is the difficulty that sin hath caused , against which we have need of the special assistance , of the example , and doctrine , and promse , and spirit of the redeemer . adam was never put to study how to get over this dreadful gulf . the threatning of death was to raise such a fear in him as was necessary to prevent it : but those fears did rather hold him closer to the way of life , then stand between him and life to his discouragement . but we have a death to fear that must be suffered , that cannot be avoided . the strange condition of a separated soul ( so unlike to its state while resident in the body ) doth require in us , a special faith to apprehend it , and a special revelation to discover it . to desire , and love , and long for , and labour after such a time as this , when one part of us must lie rotting in the grave , and the separated soul must be with christ alone till the resurrection , and to believe and hope for that resurrection , and to deny our selves , and forsake all the world , and lay down our lives when christ requireth it , by the power of this faith and hope ; this is a work that innocent adam never knew : this is the high employment of a christian . to have our hearts and conversations in heaven , ( matth. 6. 21. phil. 3. 20 ) when death must first dissolve us , before we can possess it , here is the noble work of faith . sect . vi. use 4. moreover , this enmity of death may help us to understand the reason of the sufferings and death of christ . that he gave his life a ransome for us , and a sacrifice for sin , and so to make satisfaction to the offended majesty , is a truth that every christian doth believe . but there was another reason of his death , that all of us do not duly consider of , and improve to the promoting of our sanctification as we ought . death is so great an enemy , as you have heard , and so powerful to deter our hearts from god , and dull our desires to the heavenly felicity , that christ was fain to go before us , to embolden the hearts of believers to follow him : he suffered death ( with the rest of his afflictions ) to shew us that it is a tolerable evil : had he not gone before and overcome it , it would have detained us its captives : had he not merited and purchased us a blessed resurrection , and opened heaven to all believers , and by death overcome him that had the power of death ( as gods executioner ) that is , the devil , we should all our life time have been still subjected unto bondage by the fears of death , heb. 2. 14. but when we see that christ hath led the way , as the victorious captain of our salvation , and that he is made perfect by sufferings ( in his advancement unto glory ) and that for the sufferings of death ( which by the grace of god he tasted for every man ) he is crowned with glory and honour , heb. 2. 9 , 10. this puts a holy valour into the soul , and causeth us chearfully to follow him . had we gone first , and the task of conquering death been ours , we had been overcome . but he that hath led us on , hath hew'd down the enemy before him , and first prepared us the way , and then called us to follow him , and to pass the way that he hath first made safe , and also shewed us by his example that it is now made passable . for it was one in our nature , that calleth us his brethren , that took not the nature of angels , but of the seed of abraham , that is one with us , as the sanctifier and the sanctified are , and to whom as children we are given , who hath passed through death and the grave before us , and therefre we may the boldlier follow him , heb. 2. 11 ; 12 , 13 , 16. being found in fashion as a man , he humbled himself , and became obedient unto death , even the death of the cross , and therefore god hath highly exalted him , and given him a name above every name , phil. 2. 8 , 9. hereby he hath shewed us that death is not so dreadful a thing , but that voluntary obedience may and must submit unto it . as abraham's faith and obedience was tryed , in the offering up his son to death , at gods command : so the children of abraham and the heirs of the promise , must follow him in offering up themselves , if god require it , and in submitting to our natural death ( for that he doth require of all . ) examples work more then bare precepts : and the experiments of others , do take more with us than meer directions . it satisfieth a sick man more to read a book of medicinal observations , where he meets with many that were in his own case , and finds what cured them , then to read the praxis or medicinal receipts alone . it encourageth the patient much , when the physitian tells him , [ i have cured many of your disease , by such a medicine ; nay i was cured thus of the same my self . ] so doth it embolden a believer to lay down his life , when he hath not only a promise of a better life , but seeth that the promiser went that way to heaven before him . o therefore let us learn and use this choise remedy , against the immoderate fear of death ! let faith take a view of him that was dead and is alive , that was buried and is risen , and was humbled and is now exalted ? think with your selves , when you must think of dying , that you are but following your conquering lord , and going the way that he hath gone before you , and suffering what he underwent and conquered : and therefore though you walk through the valley of the shaddow of death , resolve that you will fear no evil , psal . 23. 4. and if he call you after him , follow him with a christian boldness , as peter cast hinself into the sea , and walkt on the waters , when he saw christ walk there , and had his command ; so let us venture on the jaws of death , while we trace his steps , and hear his encouraging commands and promises , john 21. 7. mat. 14. 28 , 29. sect . vii . use 5. moreover from this doctrine we may be informed , of the mistakes of many christians , that think they have no saving grace , because they are afraid of dying , and because these fears deterr their souls from desiring to be with christ : and hence they may perceive that there is another cause of these distempers , even the enmimy of death that standeth in the way . you think that if you had any love to christ , you should more desire to be with him ; and that if your treasure were in heaven , your hearts would be more there ; and that if you truly took it for your felicity , you could not be so unwilling to be removed to it ; for no man is unwilling to be happy , or to attain his end . but stay a little , and better consider of your case . is it christ that your heart is thus a verse to , or is it only death that standeth in the way ? you are not , i hope , unwilling to see the face of god , nor unwilling to be translated from earth to heaven , but unwilling to die . it is not because you love the creature better then the creator , but because you are afraid of death . you may love god , and long to be perfected in holiness , and to see his glory , and to have the most near communion with him , and yet at the same time you may fear this enemy that standeth in your way : i mean , not only the pain of death , but principally the dissolution of our natures , and the separation of the soul from the body , and its abode in a separated state , and the bodies abode in dust and darkness . grace it self is not given us to reconcile us to corruption , and make death as death to seem desirable , but to cause us patiently to bear the evil , because of the good that is beyond it . it is not our duty to love death as death . had it not been naturally an evil to be dreaded and avoided , god would not have made it the matter of his threatning ; nor would it have been a fit means to restrain men from transgression . to threaten a man with a benefit as such , is a contradiction . enquire therefore into your hearts , whether there be not a belief of heaven , a love to god , a desire to enjoy and please him , even while you draw back and seem to be a verse ? and whether it be not only a lothness to die , and not a lothness to be with christ ? for the fuller discovery of this ( because i find that our comfort much dependeth on it ) i shall try you by these following questions . quest . 1. what is it that is ungrateful to you in your meditations of your change ? is it god and heaven , or is it death ? if it be only death , it seems it is not the want of love to god , and heaven , that causeth your averseness : if it be god himself that is ungrateful to your thoughts , it is because you desire not his nearer presence , or communion with him in the state of glory ? or is it only because you fear lest you have no interest in his love , and shall not attain the blessedness which you desire ? if it be the first , i must confess it proves a graceless soul , and signifieth the want of love to god. but if it be the latter only , it may stand with grace : for desire is a true signification of love , though there be doubts and fears lest we shall miss the attainment of those desires . quest . 2. would you not gladly hear the news of your removal , if you might be changed without death ; and translated to heaven as henoch and elias were , and as christ at his ascension ? had you not far rather be thus changed then abide on earth ? if so , then it seems , it is not god and heaven that you are against , but death . nay if you could reach heaven by travelling a thousand miles , would you not gladly take the journey as soon as you had got assurance of your title to it , and done the work of god on earth ? if it were but a peter , james and john , to go with christ into an exceeding high mountain , and there to see him in glory , ( mat. 17. 12. ) would you not gladly do it ? it seems that thou desirest to see the lord , and thy love is to him , though thou be afraid of death . quest . 3. consider of the nature of the heavenly felicity , and try whether thou love it in the several parts . one part is our personal perfection ; that oursouls shall be free from ignorance , and error , and sin , and sorrow , and enlarged for the perfect love of god ; and our bodies at the resurrection , made like the glorious body of our lord , phil. 3. 21. and wouldst thou not be thus perfected in soul and body ? another part is , that we shall live with the society of angels and glorified saints : and wouldst thou not have such company of sinners , and enemies , and imperfect saints on earth ? another part is , we shall see our glorified head , and be with him where he is , that we may behold his glory . and doth not thy heart desire this ? but the perfection of our happiness is , that we shall see the face of the glory of god , which is the light of that world , as truly as the sun is the light of this : and that we shall be filled up with the feeling of his love and abound with love to him again , and perfectly delighted in this communion of love , and express in the praises of the lord , and thus make up the new jerusalem , where god will place his glorious presence , and in which he will for evermore take pleasure . and is there any thing in this that thy soul is against , and which dost not value above this world ? if thou find that all the parts are sweet , and the description of heaven is most grateful to thee , and that this is the state that thou wouldst be in , it seems then it is not heaven but death that thou art averse from , and that maketh thee so loth to hear the tydings of thy change . quest . 4. couldst thou not joyfully see the coming of christ , if it were this day ( if thou have done thy work , and art assured of his love ? ) the apostle hath told us by the word of the lord , that the lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout , with the voice of the archangel , and with the trump of god : and the dead in christ shall rise first : and then they which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds , to meet the lord in the air , and so shall we ever be with the lord , ] 1 thes . 4. 15 , 16 , 17. and this is the doctrine that comforteth believers , verse 18. would it not rejoyce your hearts , if you were sure to live , to see the coming of the lord , and to see his glorious appearing and retinue ? if you were not to die , but to be caught up thus to meet the lord , and to be changed immediately into an immortal , incorruptible glorious state , would you be averse to this ? would it not be the greatest joy that you could desire ? for my own part , i must confess to you , that death as death appeareth to me as an enemy , and my nature doth abhor and fear it : but the thoughts of the coming of the lord are most sweet and joyful to me , so that if i were but sure that i should live to see it ; and that the trumpet should sound , and the dead should rise , and the lord appear before the period of my age , it would be the joyfullest tydings to me in the world . o that i might see his kingdome come ! it is the character of his saints to love his appearing , 2 tim. 4. 8 , and to look for the blessed hope , and the glorious appearing of the great god , and our saviour jesus christ , tit. 2. 13. the spirit and the bride say , come : come lord jesus , come quickly ] is the voice of faith , and hope , and love , revel . 22. 17 , 20. but i find not that his servants are thus characterized , by their desires to die . it is therefore the presence of their lord that they desire : but it is death that they abhor : and therefore ( though they can submit to death ) it is the coming of christ that they love and long for ; and it is interposing death that causeth them to draw back . let not christians be discouraged by mistakes , and think that they love not god and glory , because they love not this enemy in the way : nor think that they are gracenor think that they are graceless or unbelieving worldlings , because they are afraid of death as death . but perhaps you will say , that if grace prevail not against the fears of death , then fear is predominant , and we are not sincere . to which i answer , that you must distinguish between such a prevailing as maintaineth our sincerity , and such a prevailing as also procureth our fortitude and joy . if grace prevail not to keep us upright in a holy life , renouncing the world , and crucifying the flesh , and devoting our selves entirely to god , though the fear of death would draw us from it , then it is a sign that we are not sincere . but if grace do this much , and yet prevail not against all fears and unwillingness to die , but leave us under uncomfortable hideous thoughts of death , this proves us not to be unsound . for the soul may savingly love god , that is afraid of death : and he may truly love the end , that fears this dark and dismal way . yet must there be so much to prove our uprightness , as that in our deliberate choice , we will rather voluntarily pass through death ( either natural or violent ) then lose the happiness beyond it : though we love not death , yet we love god and heaven so well , that we will submit to it : and though we fear it and abhor it , yet not so much as we fear and abhor the loss of heaven . let not poor christians therefore wrong themselves , and deny the graces of the spirit , as if they had more mind of earth then heaven , and of things temporal then of things eternal , because they are afraid to die . all suffering is grievous , and not joyous to our nature . paul himself desired not to be uncloathed , but clothed upon with our house which is from heaven , that mortality might be swallowed up of life , 2 cor. 5. 2 , 4. it being better to be absent from the body , and present with the lord. even christ himself had a will that desired that the cup might have passed from will , if it had been agreeable to his fathers will , and the ends of his undertaken office , matth. 26. 41 , 42. raise therefore no unjust conclusions from these natural fears , nor from the imperfection of our conquest : but praise him that relieveth us , and abateth the enmity of death , and furnisheth us with his antidotes and will destroy this enemy at last . sect . viii . use 6. from the enmity of death we may further learn to study and magnifie the victorious grace of our redeemer : which overcometh the enemy , and turneth our hurt into our benefit , and maketh death a door of life . though death be the enemy that seemeth to conquer us , and to destroy and utterly undo us , yet being conquered it self by christ , it is used by him to our great advantage , and sanctified to be a very great help to our salvation . the suffering of christ himself was in the hour of his enemies , and the power of darkness , luke 22. 53. which seemed to have prevailed against him ; when yet it was but a destroying of death by death , and the purchasing of life and salvation for the world . so also in our death , though sin and satan seem to conquer , it is they that are conquered , and not we , who are supervictors through him that hath loved us , romans 8. 37. they destroy themselves when they seem to have destroyed us . as the serpent bruised but the heel of christ , who bruised his head ; so doth he bruise but our heel , who in that conflict , and by the means of his own execution through the strength of christ , do bruise his head , gen. 3. 15. and this is the upshot of all his enmity , against the womans holy seed . though death was unsuitable to innocent man , and is still a natural enemy to us all ; yet unto sinners it is an evil that is suitable and fit to destroy the greater evil that did cause it , and to prevent the everlasting evil . the fore-knowledee of our certain death , is a very great help to keep us humble ; and disgrace all the seducing pleasures of the flesh , and all the profits and honours of the world , and so to enervate all temptations . it is a singular help to quicken a stupid careless , siuner , and to awaken men to prepare for the life to come , and to excite them to seek first the kingdom of god , and to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure ; and to consider , seeing all these things must be dissolved , what manner of persons they ought to be , in all holy conversation and godliness , looking for , and hastening to the coming of the day of god , 2 pet. 3 , 11 , 12. when we drop asleep , the remembrance of death may quickly awake us ; when we grow slack , it is our spur to put us on , to mend our pace . who is so mad , as wilfully to sin with death in his eye ? or who so dead , as with death in his eye , to refuse to live a godly life , if he have any spiritual light and feeling ? experience telleth us , that when health and folly cause us to promise our selves long life , and think that death is a great way off , it lamentably cools our zeal , and strengtheneth our temptations , and dulls our souls to holy operations : and the approach of death puts life into all our apprehensions and affections . it is a wonderful hard thing to maintain our lively apprehensions , and strong affections , and tenderness of conscience , and self-denyal , and easie contempt of earthly things , when we put far from us the day of death . we see what a stir men make for the profits and honours of this world , and how fast they hold their fleshly pleasures , while they are in health , and how contemptuously they speak of all , and bitterly complain of the vanity and vexation , when they come to dye . and if our lives and the world be brought hereby into such disorders , when men live so shore a time on earth , what monsters of ambition , and covetousnesse , and luxury would men be , if they lived as long as before the flood , even to eight hundred , or nine hundred years of age ? doubtless long life was so great a temptation then to man , ( in his corrupted state ) that it is no wonder if his wickedness was great upon the earth ; and if it prepared for that great destruction of the universal deluge . should men live now but to the age of three hundred , or four hundred years : i fear it would so tempt them to over-value the world , and so embolden them to delay repentance , that one would be as a wolf to another , and the weak , but be a prey to the strong , and wickedness would overwhelm the world , despising the reins , and bearing down religious and civil opposition . but when we stand over the grave , and see our friends laid in the dust ; how mortified do we seem ? how do we even shake the head at the folly of ambitious and covetous worldlings , and are ashamed to think of fleshly lusts ! so far are men from owning their vanities , when that silent teacher standeth by . it is death that helps to humble . the proud , and abate the arrogancy and obstinacy of the wicked , and make them regard the messengers of christ , that before despised them and their message . it is death that allayeth the ebullition of destracting thoughts and passions , and helpeth to bring men to themselves , and fixeth giddy discomposed minds , and helps to settle the light and the unsettled ; and to restrain the worst . as we are beholden to the gallows for our purses and our lives ; so are we to the grave and hell , for much of the order that is in the world , and our peace and freedom procured thereby . but it is a greater good that it procureth to believers . if you ask , how is all this to be ascribed to christ ? i answer , many wayes : 1. it is he that hath now the keys or power of death and hell , even he that liveth and was dead , and that liveth for evermore , rev. 1. 18. and therefore is to be feared by the world . 2. it is he that hath by his blood and covenant brought us the hope of everlasting life ; which is it that gives the efficacy to death . without this , men would be but desperate , and think that it is better have a little pleasure , than none at all ; and so would give up themselves to sin , and desperately gratifie their flesh by all the wickedness they could devise . 3. and it ls christ that teacheth men the right use of death , by his holy doctrine ; having brought life and immortality to light by his gospel . 4. and it is christ that sendeth forth the holy spirit , which only doth so illuminate the mind , and quicken and dispose the heart , that death may be savingly improved . the poyson is our own , but it is his skill and love that hath made a soveraign antidote of it . and let our bodies dye , so our sin may dye . if the foresight of death destroy our sin , and further our sanctification , and the hour of death doth end our fears , and enter us into the state of glory , though we will love death as death never the better for this , much less the sin that caused it ; yet must we admire the love of our redeemer . and it is not only the peril but also the terrous of death that we are in part delivered from . though christ himself was in a bloody sweat , in his agony before his death , and cryed out on the cross , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ; because he bore the sins of the world : yet death is welcome to many of his followers , that drink of his cup , and are baptized with his baptism : for they taste not of these dreggs which he drunk up , and they are strengthned by his supporting grace . he that doth comfort them against sin and hell , doth also comfort them against death . so great is the glory that he hath promised them , and so great is his comforting , confirming grace , that dreadful death is not great enough to prevail against them . as it was too weak to conquer christ ; so is it too weak to conquer his spirit in his peoples souls . without christ we could not live , and we durst not die : but through him we can do and suffer all things , and can boldly pass through this dark and shady vail of death ; yea , we can desire to depart and to be with christ as best for us : for to live is christ , and to die is gain , phil. 1. 21 , 23. for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved , we have a building of god , an house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens . and therefore sometimes we can earnestly groan , desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven . and we are alwayes confident , knowing that whilest we are at home in the body , we are absent from the lord : we are confident , i say , and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the lord : and therefore labour , that whether present , or absent , we may be accepted of him : for we walk by faith , and not by sight : and it is god that hath wrought us for the self same thing , who also hath given us the earnest of the spirit , 2 cor. 5. 1 , to 10. though we long not to dye , yet we long to see the face of god. and though we lay down our bodies with natural unwillingness , yet we lay down our sin and sorrows with gladness and spiritual delight . and though our hearts are ready to faint , as peter's , when he walked to christ upon the waters , yet christ puts forth his hand of love , and soon recovereth us from our fear and danger . melancholy and impatience may make men weary of their lives , and rush upon death with a false conceit that it will end their sorrows : but this is not to conquer death , but to be conquered by a lesser evil : and it is not an effect of fortitude , but of an imbecillity and impotency of mind . and if a brutus , a cato , or a seneca , be his own executioner , they do but chuse a lesser evil , ( in their conceits ) even a death which they accounted honourable , before a more ignominious death , or a life of shame , and scorn , and misery . but the true believer is raised above the fears of death , by the love of god , and the hopes of glory ; and death ( though ungrateful in it self ) is welcome to him , as the way to his felicity . let tyrants and souldiers take it for their glory , that they can take away mens lives , ( that is they have the power of a serpent , or of rats-bane ) as if it were their honour to be their countries pestilence ; and a ruler and a dose of poyson , were things of equal strength and use : but it is the glory of christ to enable his disciples to conquer death , and bear the fury of the most cruel persecutors . the martyrs have been more joyful in their sufferings , than the judges that condemned them in their pomp and glory . when we are pressed above strength , and despair of life , and have the sentence of death in our selves ; we are then taught to trust in the living god that raiseth the dead 2 cor. 1. 8 , 9 , 10. the saints by faith have been tortured , not accepting deliverance , that they might obtain a better resurrection : they have had tryal of cruel mockings and scourgings ; yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment ; they were stoned , they were sawn asunder , were tempted , were slain with the sword , heb. 11. 35 , 36 , 37. thanks be to god which giveth us the victory through our lord jesus christ , 1 cor. 15. 57. they overcome by the blood of the lamb — and love not their lives unto the death , rev. 12. 11. they fear not them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do , luke 124. they trust upon his promise that hath said , [ i will ransome them from the power of the grave ; i will redeem them from death . o death , i will be thy plagues ! o grave , i will be thy destruction , hos . 13. 14. precious in the sight of the lord is the death of his saints , psal . 116. 15. blessed are the dead which dye in the lord , from henceforth ; yea saith the spirit , that they may rest from their labours , and their works do follow them , rev. 14. 13. sect . ix . use 7. moreover from the enmity of death , we may be directed which way to bend our cares : and seeing where our difficulty most lyeth , we may see which way our most diligent preparations must be turned . death cannot be prevented , but the malignant influence of it on our souls may be much abated . if you let it work without an antidote , it will make you live like unbelieving worldlings : it will deterr your hearts from heaven , and dull your love to god himself , and make your meditations of him , and of your everlasting rest , to be seldom , and ungrateful to you ; and it will make you say , it s good to be here ; and have sweeter thoughts of this present life , than of your inheritance : it will rob you of much of your heavenly delights , and fill you with slavish fears of death , and subject you unto bondage all your lives , and make you dye with agony and horrour , so that your lives and deaths will be dishonourable to your holy faith , and to your lord. if it were meerly our own suffering by fears and horrours , or meerly our loss of spiritual delights , the matter were ( great , but ) not so great : but it is more than this . for when our joyes are overwhelmed with the fears of death , and turned into sorrows ; our love to god will be abated , and we shall deny him the thanks and cheerful praises , which should be much of the employment of our lives : and we shall be much discomposed and unfitted for his service , and shall much dishonour him in the world : and shall strengthen our temptations to the overvaluing of earthly things . think it not therefore a small , or an indifferent matter , to fortifie your souls against these malignant fears of death . make this your daily care and work ; your peace , your safety , your innocency , and usefulness , and the honour of god , do much lie on it . and it is a work of such exceeding difficulty , that it requireth the best of your skill and diligence ; and when all is done , it must be the illuminating quickning beams of grace , and the shining face of the eternal love , that must dothe work ; though yet your diligence is necessary , to attend the spirit , and use the means in subservience to grace , and in expectation of these oelestiall rayes . and above all , take heed lest you should think , that carnall mirth , or meer security , and casting away the thoughts of death will serve to overcome these fears ; or that it is enough that you resolve against them . for it is your safety that must be lookt to , as well as your present ease and peace : and fear must be so overcome , as that a greater misery may not follow : presumption and security will be of very short continuance . to dye without fear , and pass into into endless desperation , which fear should have wakened you to prevent , is no desirable kind of dying . and besides resolving against the terrours of death , will not prevent them . when death draws near , it will amaze you ; in despight of all your resolutions , if you are not furnished with a better antidote . the more jocund you have been in carnal mirth , and the more you have presumptuously slighted death , it is likely your horrour will be the greater when it comes . and therefore see that you make a wise and safe preparation ; and that you groundedly and methodically cure these fears , and not securely cast them away . though i have given you , to this end , some directions in other writings ( in the saints rest , and in the treatise of self-denyal , and that of crucifying the world , ) yet i shall add here these following helps , which faithfully observed and practised , will much promote your victory over death , which conquereth all the strength of flesh , and glory of this world . direction i. if you would overcome the danger and the fears of death , make sure of your conversion , that it is sound ; and see that you be absolutely devoted unto god , without reserves . should you be deceived in your foundations , your life , and hopes , and joyes , would all be delusory things . till sin be mortified , and your souls reconciled to god in christ , you are still in danger of worse than death : and it is but the senselesness of your dead condition , that keepeth you from the terrours of damnation . but if you are sure that you are quickened by renewing grace , and possessed by the sanctifying spirit , and made partakers of the divine nature , you have then the earnest of your inheritance , ephes . 1. 14. 2 cor. 1. 22. & 5. 5. and the fire is kindled in your breast , that in despight of death , will mount you up to god. direction ii. to conquer the enmity of death , you must live by faith in jesus christ : as men that are emptied of themselves , and ransomed from his hands that had the power of death ; and as men that are redeemed from the curse , and are now made heirs of the grace of life , being made his members , who is the lord of life , even the second adam , who is a quickning spirit . the serious believing study of his design and office , ( to destroy sin and death , and to bring many sons to glory ) and also of his voluntary suffering , and his obedience to the death of the cross , may raise us above the fears of death . when we live by faith as branches of this blessed vine , and are righteous with his righteousness , justified by his blood and merits , and sanctified by his word and spirit , and find that we are united to him , we may then be sure that death cannot conquer us , and nothing can take us out of his hands : for our life being hid with christ in god , we know that we shall live , because he liveth , col. 3. 3. joh. 14. 19. and that when christ who is our life appeareth , we shall also appear with him in glory , col. 3. 4. and that he will change our vile bodies , and make them like to his glorious body , by his mighty power , by which he is able to subdue all things to himself , phil. 3. 20 , 21. in our own strength we dare not stand the charge of death , and with it the charge of the law , and of our consciences ▪ how dreadfully should we then be foiled and nonplust , if we must be found in no other righteousness , but what we have received from the first adam , and have wrought by the strength received from him ! but being gathered under the wings of christ , as the chickens under the wings of the hen , ( mat. 23. 37. ) and being found then in him , having the righteousness which is through the faith of christ , the righteousness which is of god by faith , we may boldly answer to all that can be charged on us to our terrour . if we know him , and the power of his resurrection , and the fellowship of his sufferings , and are made conformable to his death , ( phil. 3. 9 , 10. ) if we are dead with him to the world , and risen with him to a holy life ; if we have believingly traced him in his sufferings and conquest , and perceive by faith how we participate in his victories , we shall then be able to grapple with the hands of death ; and though we know the grave must be for a while the prison of our flesh , we can by faith foresee the opening of our prison-doors , and the loosing of our bonds , and the day of our last and full redemption . it strengtheneth us exceedingly to look unto jesus , the author and finisher of our faith , who for the joy that was set before him , endured the cross , despising the shame , and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god. ] when we consider what he endured against himself , we shall not be weary nor faint in our minds , heb. 12. 2 , 3. direction iii. live also by faith on the heavenly glory . as one eye of faith must be on an humbled crucified christ , so must the other be on heaven , on a glorified christ , and on the glory and everlasting love of god ; which we shall there enjoy . this is it that conquereth the fears of death , when we belive that we shall pass thorow it into everlasting life if a man for health will take the most ungrateful potion , ( the bitterness being short , and the benefit long ; ) and if he will suffer the surgeon to let out his blood , and in case of necessity to cut of a member ; how light should we make of death , that have the assured hopes of glory to encourage us ! what door so streight that we would not pass thorow if we could , to our dearest friend ! what way so soul , that we would not travel to our beloved home ! and shall death seem intolerable to us , that letteth in our souls to christ ! well might paul say [ to dye is gain , ] phil. 1. 21. when we gain deliverance from all those sins that did here beset us , & all those sorows that sin had bred : we gain the accomplishment of our desires & the end of our faith , the salvation of oursouls : we gain the crown that fadeth not away ; a place before the throne of christ , in the temple of god , in the city of god the new jerusalem ; to eat of the hidden manna , and of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of god , rev. 2. & 3. we gain the place prepared for us by christ , in his fathers house , joqn 14. 1 , 2. for we shall be with him where he is , that we may behold his glory , joh. 17. 24. we shall gain the sight of the glory of god , and the feeling of his most precious love , and the fulness of joy that is in his presence , and the everlasting pleasures at his right hond , psal . 16. 11. and shall we think much to dye ▪ for such a gain ? we will put off our cloaths , and welcome sleep , which is the image of death , that our bodies may have rest , and refuse not thus to dye every night , that we may rise more refreshed for our employments in the morning . and shall we stick at the uncloathing of our souls , in ord●● to their everlasting rest ? set but the eye of faith to the prospective of the promise , and take a serious frequent view of the promised land : and this , if any thing , will make death more welcome than physick to the sick , than uncloathing to a beggar , that puts on new or better cloaths . shall a poor man chearfully ply his labour all day in hope of a little wages at night ; and shall not a believer chearfully yield to death , in hope of everlasting glory ? so far as heaven is soundly believed , and our conversations , and hearts are there , the fears of death will be asswaged ; and nothing else will well asswage them . direction . iv. moreover , if you will conquer the enmity of death , do all that you can to encrease and exercise the love of god in you . for love will so encline you to the blessed object of it , that death will not be able to keep down the flame . were god set as a seal upon our hearts , we should find that love is as strong as death , and the coals thereof are coals of fire , and the flame is vehement : many waters cannot quench it , nor can the floods drown it , cant. 8. 6 , 7. if carnal love have made the amorous to chuse death that they might passionately express it , especially when they have heard if the death of their beloved ; and if natural fortitude and love to their country , have made many valiant men , though heathens , to contemn death , and readily lay down lives , and if the love of fame and vain glory in a surviving name , have caused many to dye through pride : how much more will the powerful love of god ; put on the soul to leave this flesh , and pass through death , that we may see his face , and fully enjoy the object of our love ? so much as you love god , so much will you be above the terrours of the grave , and past through death for the enjoyment of your beloved . perfect love casteth out fear ; and he tqat feareth is not made perfect in love : in death and judgement , we shall have boldness , if our love be perfect , 1 john 4. 17 , 18. this maketh the martyrs chearfully lay down their lives for christ ; and love is glad of so precious an opportunity for its exercise and manifestation . love is a restless working thing , that will give you no rest , till your desires are attained , and you be with god. nothing is so valiant as love ! it rejoyceth when it meeteth with difficulties , which it may encounter for the sake of our beloved ! it contemneth dangers : it glorieth in sufferings : though it be humble , and layeth by all thoughts of merit , yet it rejoyceth in sufferings ; for christ , and glorieth in the cross , and in the participation of his sufferings , and in the honourable wounds and fears which we receive for him that died for us . direction v. to overcome the terrours and enmity of death , it is necessary that we keep the conscience clear from the guilt of wilful sin , and of impenitency . if it may be , see that you wound it not ; if you have ▪ wounded it , presently seek a cure : and live not in a wounded state . the face of death will waken conscience , and cause it to speak much lowder than it did in health and in prosperity : and then sin will seem another thing , and wrath more terrible than it did in your security . conscience will do much to make your burden light or heavy . if conscience groundedly speak peace , and all be sound and well at home , death will be less terrible , the heart being fortified against its enmity . but to have a pained body , and a pained soul ; a dying body , and a scorched conscience that is afraid of everlasting death ; this is a terrible case indeed . speedily therefore get rid of sin , and get your consciences throughly cleansed , by sound repentance and the blood of christ . for so much sin as you bring to your death-bed , so much bitterness will there be in death . away then with that sin that conscience tells you of , and touch the forbidden fruit no more , and kindle not the sparks of hell in your souls , to make the sting of death more venemous . as it will quiet a believing soul through christ , when he can say with hezekiah , isa . 38. 3. remember now , o lord , i beseech thee , how i have walked before thee in truth , and with a perfect heart , and have done that which is good in thy sight ] and it will be our rejoycing if we have the testimony of our consciences , that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world , 2 cor. 1. 12. so will it be most terrible to dye in the fears of unpardoned sin , and to have conscience scourging us with the remembrance of our folly , when god is afflicting us , and we have need of a well-composed mind , to bear the troubles of our flesh . a little from without is grievous , when any thing is amiss within : get home therefore to christ without delay : and cease not till you have peace in him , that death may find your consciences whole . direction vi. redeeming time , is another means to prevent the hurtful fears of death . when we foreknow that it will shortly end our time , let us make the best of time while we have it . and then when we find that our work is done , and that we did not loyter nor lose the time that god vouchsafed us , the end of it will be less grievous to us . a man that studieth his duty , and spareth for no cost or pains , and is as loath to lose an hours , time as a covetous man is to lose an hundred pound , will look back on his life , and look before him to his death , with greater peace , and less perplexity , than another man. but the thoughts of death must needs be terrible , to a man that hath trifled away his life , and been an unthrift of his time . to think when you must dye , that now you are at your last day or hour ; and withall , to think how many hours you vainly lost , and that you knew not the worth of time , till it was gone , will make death more bitter than now you can imagine . what else is deaah but the ending of our time ? and what can be more necessary to a comfortable end , then faithfully to use it while we have it ? direction vii . another help against the enmity of death is the crucifying of the flesh , with its affections and lusts ; and the conquest of the world by the life of faith , and crucifying it by the cross of christ ; and dying daily by the patient suffering of the cross our selves . when we are loose from all things under the sun , and there is nothing that entangleth our affections on earth , a great part of the difficulty is then removed . but death will tear the heart that is glued to any thing in this world . possess therefore as if you possessed not , and rejoyce as if you rejoyced not , and use the world as not abusingit : for the fashion of this world doth pass away , 1 cor. 7. 29 , 30 , 31. it is much for the sake of our flesh that must perish , that death doth seem so bitter to us : if therefore we can throughly subdue the flesh , and live above its pleasure and desires , we shall the more easily bear its dissolution . shut up your senses then a little more , and let your hearts grow stranger to this world ; and if you have known any persons , relations , accomodations after the flesh , from henceforth know them so no more . how terrible is death to an earthly-minded man , that had neglected his soul for a treasure here , which must then be dissipated in a moment ? how easie is death to a heavenly-mind , that is throughly weaned from this world , and taketh it but for his pilgrimage or passage unto life , and it hath made it the business of his dayes , to lay up for himself a treasure in heaven : he that hath unfeignedly made heaven his end in the course of his life , will most readily pass to it on the hardest terms : for every man is willing to attain his end . direction vi. it will much help us against the enmity of death , to be duly conformed to the image of god , in the hatred of sin , and love of holiness ; and in special in the point of justice . when we hate sin throughly , and find it so incorporated into our flesh , that they must live and dye together , it will make death the more easie to us , because it will be the dath of sin ; even of that sin which we most hate , and that god hateth , and that hath cost us so dear as it hath done . when we are in love with holiness , and know that we shall never be perfect in it , till after death ; it will make death the more welcome , as the passage to our desired life . when the justice , even the castigatory and vindictive justice of god , is more amiable in our eyes , and we are not blinded by self-love , to judge of god and of his wayes , according to the interest of our flesh ; we shall then consent to his dissolving stroke , and that see the bitterness of death proceedeth from that which is good in god , though from that which is evil in our selves . doubtless , as justice is one of the blessed attributes of god , so should it be amiable to man , there being nothing in god but what is lovely . it is the prevalency of self-love , that makes men so insensible of the excellency of divine justice , while they speak so respectfully of his mercy . so far as men are carnal and selfish they cannot love that by which they smart , or of which they are in danger . but the soul that is got above it self , and is united unto god in christ , and hath that image of god , which containeth the impress and effect of all his attributes , hath such an habit of impartial justice in himself , and such a hatred of sin , and such a desire that the honour of god should be vindicated and maintained , and such an approbation of the justice of god , that he can the more easily consent or submit to the dissolving stroke of death : he hateth his own sin , and loatheth himself for all his abominations , and is possessed with that justice that provoketh him to self revenge in an ordinate sort , and therefore doth love and honour that justice that inflicteth on him the penalty of death ; ( especially since mercy hath made it a useful castigation . ) as some penitent malefactors have been so sensible of their crimes , that they have not deprecated death , but consented to it as a needful work of justice , ( as it s written of the penitent murderer lately hanged at london . ) so , holiness doth contain such a hatred of our own sins , and such impartial justice on gods behalf ; that it will cause us to subscribe to the righteousness of his sentence , and the more quietly to yield to the stroke of death . direction . ix . it will somewhat abate the fears of death , to consider the restlesness and troubles of this life , and the manifold evils that end at death . and because this consideration is little available with men in prosperity , it pleaseth god to exercise us with adversity , that when we find there no is hope of rest on earth , we may look after it where it is , and venture on death by the impulse of necessity . here we are continually burdened with our selves , anonyed by our corruptions , and pained by the diseases of our souls ; or endangered most ; when pained least . and would we be thus still ? we live in the continual smart of the fruit of our own folly , and the hurts that we catch by our careless or inconsiderate walking , like children that often fall and cry ; and would we still live such a life as this ? the weakness of our faith , the darkness of our minds , the distance and strangeness of our souls to god , are a continual languishing and trouble to our hearts ▪ how grievous is it to us that we can love him nomore , nor be more assured of his love to us ? that we find continually so much of the creature , and so little of god upon our hearts ? that carnal affections are so easily kindled in us , and the love of god will scarce be kept in any life , by the richest mercies , the most powerful means , and by our greatest diligence ? oh what a death is it to our hearts , that so many odious temptations should have such free access , such ready entertainment , such small resistance , and so great success ? that such horrid thoughts of unbelief should look into our minds , and stay so long , and be so familiar with us , that the blessed mysteries of the gospel , and the state of separated souls , and the happiness of the life to come , are known so slightly , and believed so weakly and imperfectly , and meet with so many carnal questionings and doubts ? that when we should be solacing our souls in the fore-thoughts of heaven , we look toward it with such strangeness and amazement , as if we staggered at the promise of god through unbelief ; and there is so much atheism in our affections , god being almost as no god to them sometime , and heaven almost as no heaven to them , that it shews there is too much in our understandings . o what a death is it to our minds , that when we should live in the love of infinite goodness , we find such a remnant of carnal enmity , and god hath such resistance , and so narrow , so short , so cold , so unkind entertainment in those hearts that were made to love him , and that should know and own no love but his ? what a bondage is it , that our souls are so entangled with the creatures ? and so detained from the love of god ? and that we draggle on this earth , and can reach no higher , and the delightful communion with god , and a conversation in heaven , are things that we have so small experience of ? alas , that we that are made for god , and should live to him , and be still upon his work , and know no other ; should be so byassed by the flesh , and captivated by self-love , and lost at home , that our affections and intentions do hardly get above our selves , but there we are too prone to terminate them all ; and lose our god , even in a seeming religiousness , while we will be gods to our selves ! how grievous is it that such wonders and glorious appearances of god , as are contained in the incarnation , life and death of christ ; and in all the parts of the work of our redemption , should no more affect us than they do , nor take up our souls in more thankful admiration , nor ravish us into higher joyes ! alas , that heaven commands our souls no more from earth ! that such an infinite glory is so near us , and we enjoy so little of it , and have no more savour of it upon our souls ! that in the hands of god , and before his face , we do no more regard him ! that the great and wonderful matters of our faith , do so little affect us , that we are tempted thereby to question the sincerity of our faith , if not the reality of the things believed : and that so little of these great and wondrous things appeareth in our lives , that we tempt the world to think our faith is but a fancy . is not all this grievous to an honest heart ? and should we not be so far weary of such a life as this , as to be willing to depart and be with christ . if it would so much rejoyce a gracious soul , to have a stonger faith , a more lively hope , a more tender conscience , a more humble self-abhorring heart , to be more fervent in prayer , more resolute against temptations , and more successfully to fight against them ; with what desire and joy then should we look towards heaven , where we shall be above our strongest faith and hope , and have no more need of the healing graces , or the healing ordinances , nor be put upon self-afflicting work , nor troubled with the temptations , nor terrified by the face of any enemy . now , if we will vigorously appear for god , against a sinful generation , how many will appear against us ? how bitterly will they reproach us ? how falsly will they slander us , and say all manner of evil against us ? and it is well if we scape the violence of their hands ! and what should be our joy in all these sufferings , but that great is our reward in heaven ! matth. 11. 12. alas ! how are we continually here annoyed , by the presence , and the motions and the success of sin in our selves and others ! it dwelleth in us night and day ; we cannot get it to stay behind , no , not when we address our selves to god ; not in our publick worship , or our secret prayers : not for the space of one lords day , or one sermon , or one sacrament ; in ordinary or extraordinary duty . o what a blessed day and duty would it be , in which we could leave our sin behind us ; and converse with god in spotless innocency , and worship and adore him without that darkness , and strangeness , and unbelief , and dulness , and doubtings , and distractions , that are now our daily miseries ? can we have grace and not be weary of these corruptions ? can we have life , and not be pained with these diseases ? and can we live in daily pain and weariness , and not be willing of release ? is there a gracious soul , that groaneth not under the burden of these miseries ? yea , in every prayer , what do we else but confess them , and lament them , and groan for help , and for deliverance ? and yet shall we fear our day of freedom , and be loth that death should bring us news , that our prayers are heard , and our groans have reached up to heaven , and that the bonds of flesh and sin shall be dissolved , and we shall have need to watch , and strive , and fear , and complain , and sigh , and weep no more ? shall the face of death discourage us from desiring such a blessed day ? when we have so full assurance , that at last this enemy also shall be destroyed ? the lord heal and pardon the hypocrisie of our complaints , together with the unbelief and cowardliness of our souls ! do we speak so much , and hear so much , and seem to do so much against sin , and yet had we rather keep it still , then be stript of it , together with the rags of our mortality ? and yet had we rather dwell with sin , in tempting , troubling , corruptible flesh , then lay them by , and dwell with christ ? o lord , how lamentably have we lost our wisdom , and drowned our minds in flesh and folly , by forsaking thee our light and life ! how come our reasonable souls to be so bewitched , as after all our convictions , complaints , and prayers , to be still more willing of our sickness then of the remedy , and more afraid of this bitter cup , then of the poyson that lodgeth in our bowels , which it would expel ! and that after all the labour we have used , we had yet rather dwell with our greatest enemy , then by a less to be transmitted to our dearest friend ! and had rather continue in a troublesome , weary , restless life , then by the sleep of death to pass to rest . and this sin in others also is our trouble , though not so much as in our selves . it maketh those our bitter enemies , whose good we most desire and endeavour , and causeth the unthankful world to requite us with malicious usage , for telling them the ungrateful truth , and seeking their salvation . it makes our friends to be but half-friends ; and some of them too , like our enemies . it puts a sting into the sweetest friendship , and mixeth smart with all our pleasures ; it worketh us grief from precious mercies ; and abateth the comfort of our near relations ; so that our smart by the pricks , is often greater then our pleasure in the sweetness of the rose . no friend is so smoothed , and squared to the temper and interest of another , but that some inequality and unevenness doth remain , which makes the closure to be less near and stedfast . even family-relations are usually so imperfectly jointed and cemented , that when the when the winds of tryal are any thing high they shake the frame ; and though they are but low , they find an entrance , and cause such a coldness of affections , as is contrary to the nature and duty of the relations . either a contrariety of opinions , or of natural temperature and humours , or else of the dispositions of the mind ; sometime cross interests , and sometime passions and cross words , do cause such discontents and sowrness , such frowns , or jealousies , or distances , that our nearest friends are but as sackloth on our skins , and as a shoo too strait for us , or as a garment that is unmeet , which pinch and trouble us in their use : and those that should be to us as the apple of our eyes , are as the dust or smoak to them , that vex or blind them . and the more we love them , the more it grieveth us to be crossed in our love . there is scarce any friend so wise , so good , so suitable to us , or so near , that we can alwayes please . and the displeasure of a friend is as gravell in our shoos , or as nettles in our bed , oft-times more grievous then the malice of an enemy . there is no such doing as this in heaven : because there is no such guest as sin . we shall love each other far more then we do here ; and yet that love shall never be inordinate , nor in the least divert our love from god , but every saint and angel in the society , shall be loved with most chaste and pure affections , in a perfect subordination to the love of god , and so as that god himself in them , shall be the chiefest object of that love . it is there that our friends being freed from all their imperfections , do neither tempt us to a carnal love , nor have any thing in them to discourage the love that is spiritual and pure . we have here our passionate friends , our self-conceited friends , our unkind , unthankfull , selfish friends ; our mutable and unfaithful friends ; our contentions friends that are like to enemies : and who have used us more hardly then our friends ; but when we come to god , we shall have friends that are like god , that are wholly good , and are participatively turned into love ; and having left behind them all that was unclean and noysome , and troublesome to themselves , they have also cast off all that could be troublesome to us . our love will be there without suspicions , without interruptions , unkindnesses and discontents , without disappointments , frustrations and dissatisfactions : for god himself will fully satisfie us ; and we shall love his goodness and glory in his saints , as well as immediately in himself . our friends are now lost at the turning of a straw : the change of their interest , their company , their opinions , the slanders of back-biters , and mis-representations of malicious men , can cool their love , and kill their friendship . but heaven is a place of constant love : the love of saints , as all things else , is there eternal : and yet it declineth not with age . it is a world of love that we are hasting to : it is a life of love that we must there live ; and a work of love , and perfect love that we must be there employed in for ever . if here we have a pure , a dear , a faithful friend ; that is without false-heartedness and deceit , that loveth us as his own soul , how quickly is he snatcht away by death ? and leaves us melted into tears , and mourning over his earthly relicts , and looking upward with grieved hearts , as the disciples did after their ascending lord , acts 1. 9 , 10 , 11. we are left almost as lifeless by such friends , as the body is left by the departed soul : we have nothing but grief to tell us that we live , and that our souls are not departed with them : we are left in greater lamentation , then if we had never known a faithful friends . and alas , how quickly are they gone , when once god sees them ripe for heaven ? when droans and dullards live much longer . if we see a saint that 's clear of judgement , and low in humility , and naked-hearted in sincerity , and that abounds in love to god and man , that 's faithful and constant to their friend , and is above the pride and vanities of this world , and doth converse by a life of faith , above , and is usefull and exemplary in their generation ; alas how soon are they snatcht away ! and we are left in our temptations , ripening and murmuring at god , as jonah , when his gourd was withered , as if the lord had destinated this world to be the dwelling of unfaithfull , worthless men , and envied us the presence of one eminent saint , one faithful friend , and one that ( a● moses when he had talkt with god ) hath a face that shineth with the reflected raies of the heavenly glory : when indeed it is because this world is unworthy of them , ( heb. 11. 38. ) not knowing their worth , nor how to use them , nor how to make use of them for their good : and because when they are ripe and mellow for eternity , it is fit that god be served before us , and that heaven have the best , and that be left on earth that is earthly : must heaven be deprived of its inhabitants ? must a saint that is ripe be kept from christ , and so long kept from his inheritance , from the company of angels , and the face of god , and all , lest we should be displeased , and grudge at god for glorifying those , whom he destinated to glory before the foundations of the world ; and whom he purchased and prepared for glory ? must there a place be empty , and a voice be wanting in the heavenly chore , iest we should miss our friends on earth ? are we not hasting after them at the heels , and do we not hope to live with them for ever ? and shall we grudge that they are gone a day , or week , or year , before us ? o foolish unbelieving souls ! we mourn for them that are past mourning : and lament for our friends that are gone to rest , when we are left our selves in a vexatious , restless , howling wilderness ! as if it were better to be here ! we mourn and weep for the souls that are triumphing in their masters joy ! and yet we say , we believe , and hope , and labour , and wait for the same felicity ! shall the happiness of our friends be our sorrow and lamentation ? o did we but see these blessed souls , and where they are , and what they are enjoying , and what they are doing , we should be ashamed to mourn thus for their change ! do you think they would wish themselves again on earth ? or would they take it kindly of you , if you could bring them down again into this world , though it were to reign in wealth and honour ? o how would they disdain or abhor the motion , unless the commanding will of god did make it a part of their obedience ! and shall we grieve that they are not here , when to be here , would be their grief ? but thus our lives are filled with griefs . thus smiles and frowns , desires and denyals , hopes and frustrations , indeavours and disappointments , do make a quotidian ague of our lives . the persons and the things we love , do contribute to our sorrows , as well as those we hate . if our friends are bad , or prove unkind , they gall and grieve us while they live : if they excell in holiness , fidelity and suitableness , the dart that kills them deeply woundeth us ; and the sweeter they were to us in their lives , the bitterer to us is their death . we cannot keep mercy , but sin is ready to take it from us , or else to marr in , and turn it into vinegar and gall. and doth not death ( accidentally ) befriend us , that puts an end to all these troubles , and lands us safe on the celestial shore , and puts us into the bosome of perpetual rest , where all is calm , and the storms and billows that tost us here , shall 〈◊〉 or trouble us no more ? and thus death shall make us some recompence at last , for the wrong it did us ; and the mortal blow shall hurt us less then did the dreadful apparition of it in our fore-thoughts . let not our fears then exceed the cause ; though we fear the pangs and throws of travel , let us withal remember , that we shall presently rejoyce , and all the holy angels with us , that a soul is born into the world of glory : and death shall gain us much more then it deprived us of . direction x. the last direction that i shall give you , to conquer the enmity of death , is this : give up your wills entirely to the will of god , as knowing that his will is your beginning and your end , your safety , your felicity and rest , in which you should gladly aquiesce . when you think of death , remember who it is that sends it ; it is our fathers messenger , and is sent but to execute his will. and can there be any thing in the will of god , that his servants should inordinately fear ? doubtless , his will is much safer and better for us then our own . and if in generall it were offered to our choice , whether all particulars of our lives should be disposed of by gods will or by ours , common reason might teach us to desire , to be rather in gods hands then our own . the fulfilling of his will is the care and business of our lives : and therefore it should be a support and satisfaction to us at our death , that it is but the fulfilling of his will. his justice and punishing will is good , though selfishness maketh it ungratefull to the offendor . but his children that are dear to him , and tast no evil but that which worketh for their good , have no cause to quarrell at his will : whatsoever our surest dearest friends would have us take , or do , or suffer , we are ready to submit to , as being confident they will do nothing for our hurt , ( if they do but know what is for our good . ) and shall we not more boldly trust the will of god then of our dearest friend ? he knows what he hath to do with us , and how he will dispose of us , and whither he will bring us ; and his interest in us is more then ours in our selves ; and shall we then distrust him , as if we had to do with an enemy , or one that were evil , and not with love and infinite goodness ? it is the will of god that must be the everlasting rest , the heaven , the pleasure of our souls : and shall we now so fear it , and fly from it : as if it were our ruine ? look which way you will through all the world , your souls will never find repose , nor satisfying quietness and content but in the will of god. let us therefore commit our souls to him , as to a faithful creator ; and desire unfeignedly the fulfilling of his will , and believe that there is no ground of confidence more firm . abraham may boldly trust his son , his only son , on the will of god : and christ himself when he was to drink the bitter cup , submitteth his own naturall love of life to his fathers will , saying , not my will , but thine be done . 't is a most unworthy abuse of god , that we could be quiet and rejoyce , if our own wills , or our dearest friends might , dispose of our lives , and yet are distressed when they are at the dispose of the will of god. but perhaps you will say , it is the error of my own will that hath procured my death : if it had been meerly the fruit of the will of god , i could be easily satisfied . answ . wo to us , if we had not ground of comfort against the errors of our own wills . when our destruction is of our selves , our help is of god. so much as is of our selves in it , is evil : but so much as is of god is good . i do not say that you should rest in your own wills , nor in your own wayes ; but in the will and wayes of god. the rod is good , though the fault that makes it necessary , be bad . the chastising will is good , though the sinning will be evil : and it is good that is intended to us , and shall be performed in the event . object . but how can we rest in the angry afflicting will of god ; when it is this that we must be humbled under : and it is the will of god that is the condemnation of the wicked . ans . the effect being from a twofold cause ( the sinning will of man , and the punishing will of god ) is accordingly good as from the latter , and so far should be loved and consented to by all ; and evil as from the former , and so may be abhorred : but to the saints there is yet greater consolation : though affliction is their grief , as it signifieth gods displeasure , and causeth the smart or destruction of the flesh ; yet it is their mercy , as it proceedeth from the love of god , and prepareth them for the greatest mercies . and therefore seeing god never bringeth evil on them that love him , but what is preparatory to a far greater good , we may well take comfort in our death , that it is our fathers will it should be so . use 8. if death shall be conquered as the last enemy , from hence christians may receive exceeding consolation , as knowing that they have no enemy to their happiness , but such as shall be conquered by christ ; sooner or later he will overcome them all . let faith therefore foresee the conquest in the conflict ; and let us not with too much despondency hang down our heads before any enemy that we know shall be trodden down at last . we have burdensome corruptions , that exercise our graces , and grieve the spirit , and wrong our lord ; but all these shall be overcome . though we have heard , and read , and prayed , and meditated , and yet our sins remain alive , they shall be conquered at last . our love , and joy , and praise shall be everlasting ; but our ignorance , and unbelief , and pride , and passion shall not be everlasting : our holiness shall be perfected and have no end : but our sin shall be abolished , and have an end . our friends shall abide with us for ever , and the holy love and communion of saints shall be perfected in heaven ; but our enemies shall not abide with ●s for ever , nor malice follow us to our re●t . the wicked have no comforts but what will have an end ; and the fore-thought of that is sufficient to imbitter even the present sweetness . and the godly have no sorrows but such as are of short continuance : and nethinks the fore-sight of their end , should sweeten the present bitter cup , and make our sorrows next to none : we sit wee●ing now in the midst of manifold afflictions : but we fore-see the day when we shall weep no more , but all tears shall be wiped from our eyes , by the tender hand of our merciful redeemer . we are now afraid of love it self , even of our dear and blessed father , lest he should hate us ; or be angry with us for ever . but heaven will banish all these fears , when the perfect fruition of the eternal love hath perfected our love . our doubtings and perplexities of mind are many and grievous , but they will be but short . when we have full possession , we shall be past our doubts . our work is now to pour out our grieved souls into the bosome of some faithful friend ; or ease our troubled minds by complaining of our miseries to our faithful pastors , that from them we may have some words of direction and consolation : but o how different a work is it that we shall have in heaven ? where no more complainings shall be heard from our mouths , nor no more sorrow shall possess our hearts ? and we shall have no need of men to comfort us ; but shall have comfort as naturally from the face of god , as we have light and heat in the summer from the sun . when we all make one celestial chore , to sing the praises of the king of saints , how unlike will that melody be to the broken musick of sighs , and groans , and lamentations , which we now take to be almost our best ! we are now glad when we can find but words , and groans , and tears , to lament our sin and misery : but then our joy shall know no sorrow , nor our voice any sad and mournful tune . and may we not bear a while the sorrows that shall have so good an end ? we shall shortly have laid by the hard , unprofitable , barren hearts , that are now our continual burden and disease . love not your corruptions , christians ; but yet be patient under the unavoidable relicts that offend you ; remembring that your conflict will end in conquest , and your faith , and watchfulness , and patience will be put to it but a little while . who would not enter willingly into the fight , when he may before hand be assured , that the field shall be cleared of every enemy ? all this must be ascribed to our dear redeemer . had not he wrought the conquest , the enemies that vex us would have destroyed us , and the serpent that now doth but bruise our heel , would have bruised our head : and the sorrows that are wholesome , sanctified , and short , would have been mortal , venemous , and endless . what suffering then can be so great , in which a believer should not rejoyce , when he is before hand promised a gracious end ? what though at the present it be not joyous , but greivous ( in it self ? ) we should bear it with patience , when we know that at last it shall bring forth the peaceable fruits , of righteousness to all them that are exercised thereby , heb. 12. 11. if we should be alwayes abused , and alwayes unthankfully and unkindly dealth with , or alwayes under the scorns or slanders , or persecutions of unreasonable men , or alwayes under our poverty , and toilsome labours , or alwayes under our pains and pining sicknesses , we might then in deed dismiss our comforts : but when we know that it will be but a little while , and that all will end in rest and joy ; and that our sorrows are but preparing for those joyes ; even reason it self is taught by faith , to bid us rejoyce in all our tribulations , and to lift up the hands that hang down , and the feeble knees , heb. 12. 12. we make nothing to endure a sudden prick , that by blood-letting we may prevent a long disease . the short pain of pulling out a tooth , is ordinarily endured , to prevent a longer . a woman doth bear the pains of her travail , because it is short , and tends to the bringing of a child into the world . who would not submit to any labour or toyl for a day , that he might win a life of plenty and delight by it ? who would not be spit upon , and made the scorn of the world for a day , if he might have his will for it as long as he liveth on earth ? and should we not then cheerfully submit to our momentany afflictions , and the troubles of a few dayes , ( which are light , and mixt with a world of mercies , ) when we know that they are working for us , a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory ? 2 cor. 4. 17. our clamorous and malicious enemies , our quarrelsome brethren , our peevish friends , our burdensome corruptions and imperfections will shortly trouble us no more . as our life is short , and but a dream and shadow , and therefore the pleasures of this world are no better ; so our troubles also will be no longer , and are but sad dreams , and dark shadows , that quickly pass away : our lord that hath begun and gone on so far , will finish his victories , and the last enemy shall shortly be destroyed . and if the fearful doubting soul shall say ; i know this is comfort to them that are in christ ; but what is it to me , that know not whether i have any part in him ? i answer , 1. the foundation of god still standeth sure : the lord knoweth his own , even when some of them know not that they are his own . he knoweth his mark upon his sheep , when they know it not themselves . god doubteth not of his interest in thee , though thou doubt of thy interest in him : and thou art faster in the arms of his love , then by the arms of thy own faith : as the child is surer in the mothers arms , then by its holding of the mother . and moreover your doubts and fears are part of the evil that shall be removed , and your bitterest sorrows that hence proceed , shall with the rest of the enemies be destroyed . 2. but yet take heed that you unthankfully plead not against the mercies which you have received , and be not friends to those doubts and fears which are your enemies , and that you take not part with the enemy of your comforts . why dost thou doubt ( poor humbled soul ) of thy interest in christ , that must make the conquest ? answer me but these few questions from thy heart . 1. did christ ever shew himself unkind to thee ? or unwilling to receive thee , and have mercy on thee ? did he ever give thee cause to think so poorly of his love and grace , as thy doubts do intimate thou dost ? hast thou not found him kind when thou wast unkind ? and that he thought on thee when thou didst not think on him ? and will he now forget thee , and end in wrath that begun in love ? he desired thee when thou didst not desire him , and gave thee all thy desires after him : and will he now cross and deny the desires which he hath caused ? he was found of thee , ( or rather found thee ) when thou soughtest not after him : and can he reject thee now thou cryest and callest for his grace ? o think not hardly of his wonderous grace , till he give thee cause . let thy sweet experiences be remembred , to the shame of thy causless doubts and fears ; and let him that hath loved thee to the death , be thought on as he is , and not as the unbelieving flesh would misrepresent him . quest . 2. if thou say that it is not his unkindness , but thy own that feeds thy doubts ; i further ask thee , is he not kind to the unkind ? especially when they lament their own unkindness ? thou art not so unkind to him as thou wast in thy unconverted state : and yet he then exprest his love in thy conversion : he then sought thee when thou wentest astray , and brought thee carefully home into his fold , and there he hath kept thee ever since : and is he less kind now when thou art returned home ? dost thou not know that all his children have their forwardness , and are guilty of their unkindnesses to him ? and yet he doth not therefore disown them , and turn them out of his family ; but is tender of them in their froward weakness ; because they are his own ? how dealt he with the peevish prophet jonah , that was [ exceedingly displeased , and very angry , ] that god spared nineveh lest it should be a dishonour to his prophesie ; in so much that he wisht that he might die and not live : and after repined at the withering of his gourd , and the scorching of the sun that beat upon him ? the lord doth gently question with him [ dost thou well to be angry ? ] and after hence convince him that the mercy which he valued to himself , he should not envy to so many , jonah 4. how dealt he with the disciples , that fell a sleep ; when they should have watcht with christ in the night of his great agony ? he doth not tell them , [ you are none of mine , because you could not watch with me one hour ; ] but tenderly excuseth that which they durst not excuse themselves , [ the spirit is willing , but the flesh is weak ; ] when he was on the cross , though they all forsook him and fled , he was then so far from forsaking them , that he was manifesting to admiration that exceeding love , that never would forsake them . and knowest thou not poor complaining soul , that the kindness of christ overcometh all the unkindness of his children ? and that his blood and grace is sufficient to save thee , from greater sins then those that trouble thee ? if thou hadst no sin , what use hadst thou of a saviour ? will thy physitian therefore cast thee off , because thou art sick ? quest . 3. yea hath not christ already subdued so many of thy enemies , as may assure thee he will subdue the rest ? and begun that life in thee , which may assure thee of eternal life ? once thou wast a despiser of god and his holy wayes : but now it is far otherwise with thee ? hath he not broken the heart of thy pride and worldliness , and sensuality and made thee a new creature ? and is not this a pledge that he will do the rest ? tell me plainly , hadst thou rather keep thy sin , or leave it ? hadst thou rather have liberty to commit it , or be delivered from it ? dost thou not hate it , and set thy self against it as thy enemy ? art thou not delivered from the reign and tyranny of it , which thou wast once under ? and will not he perfect the conquest which he hath begun ? he that hath thus far delivered thee from sin , thy greatest enemy , will deliver thee from all the sad effects of it . the blessed work of the spirit in thy conversion , did deliver thee from the bondage of the devil , from the power of darkness , and translated thee into the kingdom of jesus christ ; then didst thou enter the holy warfare , under his banners that was never overcome , in the victorious army that shall shortly begin their everlasting triumph . the sin which thou hatest and longest to be delivered from , and art willing to use gods means against it , is the conquered enemy , which may assure thee of a full and final conquest , supposing that thy hatred is against all known sin , and that there is none so sweet or profitable in thy account , which thou hadst not far rather leave then keep . quest . 4. moreover , art thou not truly willing to yield to all the terms of grace ? thou hast heard of the yoak and burden of christ , and of the conditions of the gospel , on which peace is offered to the sinful world : and what christ requireth of such as will be his disciples . what saith thy heart now to those terms ? do they seem so hard and grievous to thee , that thou wilt venture thy soul in thy state of sin , rather then accept of them ? if this were so , thou hadst yet no part in christ indeed . but if there be nothing that christ requireth of thee , that is not desirable in thy eyes : or which thou dost not stick at , so far as to turn away from him , and forsake him , and refuse his covenant and grace rather then submit to such conditions , thou art then in covenant with him , and the blessings of the covenant belong to thee . canst thou think that christ hath purchased , and offered , and promised that which he will not give ? hath he sent forth his ministers , and commanded them to make the motion in his name , and to invite and compell men to come in , and to beseech them to be reconciled to god , and that yet he is unwilling to accept thee when thou dost consent ? if christ had been unwilling , he had not so dearly made the way , nor begun as a suitor to thy soul , nor so diligently sought thee as he hath done . if the blessings of the covenant are thine , then heaven is thine , which is the chiefest blessing : and if they be not thine , it is not because christ is unwilling , but because thou art unwilling of his blessings on his terms : nothing can deprive thee of them but thy refusal : know therefore assuredly , whether thou dost consent thy self to the terms of christ , and whether thou art truly willing that he be thy saviour ; and if thy conscience bear thee faithful witness , that it is so ; dishonour not christ then so far as to question , whether be be willing , who hath done so much to put it out of doubt . the stop is at thy will , and not at his . if thou know that thou art willing , thou mayst know that christ & his benefits are thine ; & if thou be not willing , what makes theewish , & groan , & pray ; & labour in the use of means ? is it not for christ & his benefits , that thy heart thus worketh , and thou dost all this ? fear not then if thy own hand be to the covenant , it is most certain that the hand of christ is at it . quest . 5. moreover . i would ask thee , whether thou see not a beauty in holiness , which is the image of christ , and whether thy soul do not desire it even in perfection ? so that thou hadst rather , if thou hadst thy choice , be more holy , then more rich or honourable in the world ! if so , be assured that it is not without holyness , that thou choosest and preferrest holyness ? hadst thou not rather have more faith , and hope , and love to god , and patience and contentment , and communion with christ , then have more of the favour and applause of man , or of the riches or pleasures of this world ? if so , i would know of thee , whether this be not from the spirit of christ within thee ? and be not his image it self upon thee ? and the motions of the new and heavenly nature , which is begotten in thee by the holy ghost ? undoubtedly it is . and the spirit of christ thus dwelling in thee , is the earnest of thy inheritance . dost thou find the spirit of christ thus working in thee , causing thee to love holiness , and hate all sin , and yet canst thou doubt of thy part in christ ? quest . 6. moreover canst thou not truly say , that christs friends ; so far as thou knowest them , are thy friends , and that whinh is against him , thou takest as against thy self ? if so , undoubtedly , thy enemies also are to him as his enemies , and he will lay them at thy feet . thy troubles are as his troubles , and in all thy afflictions he is as careful of thy good , as if he himself were thereby afflicted . fear not those enemies that christ takes as his own . it is he that is engaged to overcome them . and now when conscience it self beareth witness , that thus it is with thy soul , and that thou wouldst fain be what god would have thee be , and desirest nothing more then to be more like him , and nearer to him , and desirest no kind of life so much , as that in which thou maist be most serviceable to him : consider what a wrong it is then to christ , and to the honour of his covenant and grace , and to thy poor dejected soul , that thou shouldst lie questioning his love and thy part in him , and looking about for matter of accusation or causeless suspition against his spirit working in thee ? and that thou shouldst cast away the joy of the lord which is thy strength , and gratifie the enemy of thy peace ? when sickness is upon thee , and death draws nigh , thou shouldst then with joy lift up thy head , because thy warfare is almost accomplished , and thy saviour ready to deliver thee the crown . is this a time to fear and mourn , when thou art entring into endless joy ? is it a time of lamentation , when thou art almost at thy journeys end , ready to see thy saviours face , and to take thy place in the heavenly jerusalem , amongst those millions of holy souls that are gone before thee ? is it seemly for thee to lament thus at the door , when they are feasted with such unconceivable joys within ? dost thou know what thy brethren are now enjoying , and what the heavenly host are doing ? how full they are of god and how they are ravished with his light and love ? and canst thou think it seemly to be so unlike them , that are passing to them ? i know there is such difference between imperfection and perfection , and between earth and heaven , that it justifieth our moderate sorrows , and commandeth us to take up infinitely short of their delights , till we are with them . but yet let there not be too great a disproportion between the members of jesus christ . we have the same lord , and the same spirit , and all that is theirs in possession , is in right and title ours . they are our elder brethren , and being at age , have possession of the inheritance : but we that are yet in the lap of the church on earth , our mother , and in the arms of our fathers grace , are of the same family , and have the same nature in our low degree . they were once on earth as low as we : and we shall be shortly in heaven , as high as they : am i now in flesh , in fears , in griefs ? so was david , and paul , and all the saints , a while ago : yea and christ himself . am i beset with sin , and compassed with infirmities , and racked by my own distempered passion ? so were the many saints now glorified , but the other day elias was a man subject ( saith james , ) to like passions as we are , james 5. 17. am i maliced by dissenting adversaries ? do they privily lay snares for me , and watch my halting , and seek advantage against my name , and liberty and life ? so did they by david , and many other now with christ ? but now these enemies are overcome . art thou under pains , and consuming sicknesses ? are thine eyes held waking ; and doth trouble and sorrow wast thy spirits ? doth thy flesh and thy heart fail thee , and thy friends prove silly comforters to thee ? so was it with those thousands that are now in heaven , where the night of calamities is past , and the just have dominion in the morning ; and glory , hath banished all their griefs , and joyes have made them forget their sorrows ; unless as the remembrance of them doth promote those joyes . are thy friends lamenting thee , and grieved to see the signs of thy approaching death ? do they weep when they see thy pale face , and consumed body , and when they hear thy sighs and groans ? why thus it was once with the millions that are now triumphing with their lord ? they lay in sickness , and underwent the pains , and were lamented by their friends , as as thou art now . even christ himself was once in his agony , and some shake the head at him , and others pitied him , who should rather have wept for themselves , than for him . this is but the passage from the womb of mortality , into the life of immortality , which all the saints have past before thee , that are now with christ . dost thou fear the dreafdul face of death ? must thy tender flesh be turned to rottenness and dust ? and must thou lie in darkness till the resurrection , and thy body remain as the common earth ? and is not this the case of all those millions , whose souls now see the face of christ ? did they not lie as thou dost , and die as thou must , and pass by death to the life which they have now attained ? o then commit thy soul to christ , and be quiet and comforted in his care and love . trust him as the mid-wife of thy departing soul , who will bring it safe into the light and life , which thou are yet such a stranger to . but it is not strange to him , though it be strange to thee . what was it that that rejoyced thee all thy life , in thy prayers , and sufferings , and labours ? was it not the hopes of heaven ? and was heaven the spring and motive of thy obedience , and the comfort of thy life ? and yet wilt thou pass into it with heaviness ? and shall thy approaches to it be thy sorrows ? didst thou pray for that which thou wouldst not have ? hast thou laboured for it , and denyed thy self the pleasures of the world for it ? and now art thou afraid to enter in ? fear not , poor soul ! thy lord is there ; thy husband , and thy head , and life is there . thou hast more there , a thousand fold more , than thou hast here . here thou must leave poor mourning friends , that languish in their own infimities , and troubled thee as well as comforted thee , while thou wast with them , and that are hasting after thee , and will shortly overtake thee . but there thou shalt find the souls of all the blessed saints , that have lived since the creation till this age : that are all uncloathed of the rags of their mortality , and have laid by their frailties with their flesh , and are made up of holiness , and prepard for joy , and will be suitable companions for thee in thy joyes . why shouldst thou be afraid to go the way that all the saints have gone before thee ? where there is one on earth , how many are there in heaven ? and one of them is worth many of us . art thou better then noah , and abraham , and david ? then peter and paul and all the saints ? or dost thou not love their names , and wouldst thou not be with them ? art thou loath to leave thy friends on earth ? and hast thou not far better and more in heaven ? why then art thou not as loath to stay from them ? suppose that i , and such as i , were the friends that thou art loath to leave : what if we had dyed long before thee ? if it be our company that thou lovest , thou shouldst then be willing to die , that thou mayst be with us . and if so , why then shouldst thou not be more willing to die , and be with christ and all his holy ones , that are so much more excellent than we ? wouldst thou have our company ? remove then willingly to that place , where thou shalt have it to everlasting : and be not so loath to go from hence , where neither thou nor we can stay . hadst thou rather travel with us , than dwell with us ? and rather here suffer with us , than reign in heaven with christ and us ? o what a brutish thing is flesh ? what an unreasonable thing is unbelief ? shall we believe , and fly from the end of our belief ? shall we hope , and be loath to enjoy our hopes ? shall we desire and pray , and be afraid of attaining our desires , and lest our prayers should be heard ? shall we spend our lives in labour and travel , and be afraid of comming to our journeys end ? do you love life , or do you not ? if not , why are you afraid of death ? if you do , why then are you loath to pass into everlasting life ? you know there is no hope of immortality on earth : hence you must pass whether you will or not , as all your fathers have done before you ; it is therefore in heaven or no where , that endless life is to be had . if you can live here for ever , do . hope for it , if any have done so before you . go to some man of a thousand years old , and ask him how he made shift to draw out his life so long : but if you know that man walketh here in a vain shew , and that his life is a shadow , a dream , a post ; and that all these things shall be dissolved , and the fashion of them passeth away ; is it not more reasonable that we should set our hearts on the place where there is hopes of our continuance , than where there is none ? and where we must live for ever , than where we must be but for so short a time ? alas poor darkned , troubled soul ! is the presence of christ less desirable in thy eyes , than the presence of such sinful worms as we , whom thou art loath to part with ? is it more grievous to thee to be absent from us , than from thy lord ; from earth , than from heaven ; from sinners , than from blessed saints ; from trouble and frailty , than from glory ? hast thou any thing here that thou shalt want in heaven ? alas , that we should thus draw back from happiness , and follow christ so heavily and sadly into life ! but all this is long of the enemies that now molest our peace : indwelling sin , and a flattering world , and a brutish flesh , and interposing death , are our discouragements that drive us back . but all these enemies shall shortly be overcome . fear not death then , let it do its worst . it can give thee but one deadly gripe that shall kill it self , and prove thy life : as the wasp that leaves its sting behind , and can sting no more . it shall but snuff the candle of thy life , and make it shine brighter when it seems to be put out . it is but an undressing , and a gentle sleep . that which thou couldst not here attain , by all our preaching , and all thy prayers , and cares , and pains , thou shalt speedily attain by the help of death . it is but the messenger of thy gracious lord , and calleth thee to him , to the place that he hath prepared . hearken not now to the great deceiver , that would draw thee to unbelief , and cause thee to stagger at the promises of god , when thou hast followed him so far , and they are near to the full performance . believe it as sure as thou believest that the sun doth shine upon thee , that god cannot lye ; he is no deceiver : it was his meer love and bounty that caused him to make the promises , when he had no need for himself to make them : and shall he be then unfaithful , and not fulfil the promises which he hath freely made ? believe it , faith is no delusion : it may be folly to trust man ; but it is worse than folly not to trust god. believe it , heaven is not a shadow , nor the life of faith and holiness a dream . these sensible things have least reality : these grosser substances are most drossy , delusory and base . god is a spirit , who is the prime being , and the cause of all created beings . and the angels and other celestial inhabitants , that are nearest to him , are furthest from corporeity ; and are spirits likest unto god. the further any thing is from spirituality , the further from that excellency and perfection , which the creatures nearest god partake of the earth is baser than the air and fire : the drossy flesh is baser than the soul . and this lumpish , dirty , visible world ▪ is incomparably below that spiritual world , which we believe and wait for : and though thy conceptions of spirits , and the spiritual world , are low , and dark , and much unsatisfying ; remember still that thy head is there ; and it belongeth to him to know what thou shalt be , till thou art fit to know it , which will not be till thou art fit to enjoy it . be satisfied that thy father is in heaven , and that thy lord is there , and that the spirit that hath been so long at work within thee , preparing thee for it , dwelleth there : and let it suffice thee , that christ knoweth what he will do with thee , and how he will employ thee to all eternity . and thou shalt very shortly see his face , and in his light thou shalt behold that light that shall fully satisfie thee , and shame all thy present doubts and fears ; and if there were shame in heaven , would shame thee for them . use 9. from the enmity of death , and the necessity of a conquest , we may see what a wonderful mercy the resurrection of christ himself was to the church , and what use we should make of it for the strengthening of our faith. it was not only impossible to man to conquer death by his own strength , and therefore it must be conquered by christ ; but it was also beyond out power to believe it , that ever the dead should rise to life , if christ had not risen as the first fruits , and convinced man , by eye-sight , or certain testimony , that the thing is possible and already done . but now what a pillar is here for faith ? what a word of hope and joy is this , that [ christ is risen ? ] with this we will answer a thousand cavi's of the tempter , and stop the mouth of the enemies of our faith , and profligate our infidelity . as unlikely as it seems to flesh and blood , shall we ever doubt whether we shall rise again ; when the lord came down in flesh among us , that he might die and rise again himself , to shew us as to our faces that we shall rise ? this is the very gospel which we preach , and by which we must be saved ; that christ dyed for our sins according to the scriptures , and was buried , and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures ; and that he was seen of cephas , then of the twelve , and after that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once , of whom the greater part remained alive , when paul wrote this , who was the last that saw him , 1 cor. 15. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. read over this chapter again and again , where our resurrection is proved by the resurrection of christ . no wonder therefore that the church in all ages ever since the very day of christs resurrection , hath kept the first day of the week , as a holy festival , in remembrance of it : wherein , though they commemorated the whole work of our redemption , yet was it from the resurrection as the most glorious part , that the spirit of christ did chuse the day . this hath been the joyful day to the church this 1625 years , or thereabouts : in which the ancient christians would assemble themselves together , saluting one another with this joyful word , [ the lord is risen . ] and this is the day that the lord hath blessed , with the new-birth , and resurrection of millions of souls . so that it is most probable that all the six dayes of the week have not begot half so many souls for heaven , as this blessed day of the lords resurrection hath done . let infidels then despise it , that believe not christs resurrection ; but let it still be the churches joyful day . this was the lords doing , and it is marvelous in our eyes : this is the day which the lord hath made : we will be glad and rejoyce therein , psal . 118. 23 , 24. in it , let us sing unto the lord , let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation . let us come before his presence with thanksgiving , and make a joyful noise to him with psalms , psal . 95. 1 , 2. every day let us remember the lords resurrection : but on this day let the joyful commemoration of it be our work . we may see by the witness of the apostles , and their frequent preaching the resurrection of christ ; as if it were the summ of all the gospel , that this is a point that faith must especially build and feed upon , and that we must make the matter of our most frequent meditations . oh what vigour it addeth to our faith , when we are encountred by the sight of death , and of a grave , to remember seriously that [ christ is risen . ] did he take flesh purposely that he might dye and rise , and shew us how he will raise his members ? and will he after all this , break his promise , and leave us in the dust for ever ? it cannot be . hath he conquered death for himself alone , and not for us ? hath he taken our nature into heaven , to be there alone , and will he not have all his members with him ? remember then , christian , when thou lookest on thy grave , that christ was buried ; and hath made the grave a bed of rest , that shall give up her trust , when his trumpet sounds : and that his resurrection is the pledge of ours . keep therefore thy rising and glorified lord continually in thy eye . if christ were not risen , our preaching were vain , and your faith were vain , and all men were miserable , but we most miserable , that suffer so much for a life which we had no ground to hope for , 1 cor. 15 ▪ 14 , 17 , 19. but now we have an argument , that infidelity it self is ashamed to encounter with ; that hath been the means of the conversion of the nations unto christ ; by which we may put even death it self to a defiance ; as knowing it is now a conquered thing . if it could have held christ captive , it might also have held us . but he being risen , we shall surely rise . write it therefore , christians , upon your hearts ; mention it more in your conference for the encouragement of your faith ; write it on the grave-stones of your friends , that [ christ is risen , ] and that [ because he liveth we shall live also , ] and that [ our life is hid with christ in god ] though we are dead ; and when he shall appear who is our life , we shall also appear with him in glory , ] john 14. 19. col. 3. 3 , 4. though we must be sown in corruption , in weakness , and dishonour , we shall be raised in incorruption , strength , and honour , 1 cor. 1. 15. 42 , 43. while our souls behold the lord in glory , we may bear with the winter that befalls our flesh till the sping of resurrection come . [ knowing that he that raised up the lord jesus , shall also raise us up by jesus — for which cause we faint not ; but , though our outward man perish , yet the inner man is renewed day by day , — while we look not at the things which are seen , but at the things which are not seen : for the things which are seen are temporal , but the things which are not seen are eternal , 2 cor. 4. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. ] as we are risen with christ to newness of life , so we shall rise with him to glory . use 10. lastly , if death be the last enemy to be destroyed at the resurrection , we may learn hence , how earnestly believers should long and pray for the second coming of christ ; when this full and final conquest shall be made . death shall do much for us ; but the resurrection shall do more . death sends the separated soul to christ : but at his coming , both soul and body shall be glorified . there is somewhat in death that is penal , even to believers : but in the coming of christ , and their resurrection , there is nothing but glorifying grace . death is the effect of sin , and of the first sentence passed upon sinners : but the resurrection of the just is the final destruction of the effects of sin . and therefore , though the fears of death may perplex us , me-thinks we should long for the coming of christ , there being nothing in that , but what tends to the deliverance and glory of the saints . whether he will come before the general resurrection , and reign on earth a thousand years , which some expect , i shall not presume to pass my determination . but sure i am , it is the work of faith , and character of his people , to love his appearance , 2 tim. 4. 8. and to wait for the son of god from heaven , whom he raised from the dead , even jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come , 1 thes . 1. 10. and to wait for the coming of our lord jesus christ , 1 cor. 1. 7. and to wait for the adoption , the redemption of our bodies , with inward groanings , rom. 8. 23. o therefore let us pray more earnestly for the coming of our lord ! and that [ the lord would direct our hearts into the love of god , and into the patient waiting for christ ] 2 thes . 3. 5. o blessed day , when the glorious appearing of our lord shall put away all his servants shame , and shall communicate glory to his members , even to the bodies that had laid so long in dust , that to the eye of flesh there seemed to be no hope ! though the majesty and glory will cause our reverence , yet it will not be our terrour , to the diminution of our joy . it is his enemies that would not have him rule over them , whom he cometh to destroy , lu. 19. 27. [ behold the lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints , to execute judgement upon all , & to convince all that are ungodly among them , of all their ungodly deeds , which they have ungodlily committed , and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him ; as henoch the seventh from noah , prophesied , jud. 14. 15. but the precious faith of the saints , shall be found to praise , and honour , and glory at the appearing of jesus christ , 1 pet. 1. 7. when the chief shepherd shall appear , we shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away , 1 pet. 5. 4. he that was once offered to bear the sins of many , ( and now appeareth for us in the presence of god ) shall unto them that look for him appear the second time , without sin , to salvation , ] heb. 9. 24. 28. and when christ who is our life shall appear , then shall we also appear with him in glory , col. 3. 4. the lord shall then come to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that believe , in that day , 2 thes . 1. 10. this is the day that all believers should long , and hope , and wait for , as being the accomplishment of all the work of their redemption , and all the desires and endeavours of their souls . it is the hope of this day that animateth the holy diligence of our lives , and makes us turn from the carelesness and sensuality of the world . [ for the grace of god that bringeth salvation , hath appeared unto all men ; teaching us , that denying ungodliness , and worldly lusts , we should live soberly , righteously , and godlily in this present world : looking for that blessed hope , and the glorious appearing of our great god , and our saviour jesus christ , ] tit. 2. 11 , 12 , 13. the heavens and the earth that are now , are kept in store by the word of god , reserved unto fire , against the day of judgment , and perdition of ungodly men . and though the lord seem to delay , he is not slack of his promise ( as some men count slackness : ) for a day is with him as a thousand years , and a thousand years but as a day . but the day of the lord will come as a thiefin the night , in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise , and the elements shall melt with fervent heat : the earth also and the works that are therein , shall be burnt up . seeing then all these things shall be dissolved , what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness ; looking for , and hasting unto the coming of the day of god , wherein the heavens being on fire , shall be dissolved , and the elements melt with fervent heat ! but we , according to his promise , look for new heavens , and a new earth , wherein dwelleth righteousness ] 2 pet. 3. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. beza marvelleth at tertullian for saying that the christians in their holy . assemblics prayed pro mora finis , ( apologet. c. 39. ) and so he might well enough , if it were not that to christians the glory of god is dearer than their own felicity , and the salvation of millions more precious than the meer hastening of their own ; and the glory of the church more desirable than our personal glory , and the hallowing of gods name were not to be prayed for before the coming of his kingdom ; and the kingdom of grace must not necessarily go before the kingdom of glory . but as much as we long for the coming of our lord , we are content to wait till the elect be gathered ; and can pray that he will delay it , till the universal body be made up , and all are called that shall be glorified . but to our selves , that are brought out of aegypt into the wilderness , how desirable is the promised land ? when we think on our own interest , we cry [ come lord jesus , come quickly : ] the sooner the better . then shall our eyes behold him , in whom we have believed : not as he was beheld on earth in his despised state ; but as the glorious king of saints , accompanied with the celestial host , coming in flaming fire to render vengeance to the rebellious , and rest and joy to believing souls , that waited for this day of his appearance . then faith and patience shall give up their work ; and sight and fruition , and perfect love , shall everlastingly succeed them . the rage of persecutors shall no more affright us : the folly of the multitude shall no more annoy us : the falseness of our seeming selfish friends shall no more betray us : the pride of self-conceited men shall no more disturb us : the turbulency of men distracted by ambition , shall cast us no more into confusions . the kingdom that we shall possess , shall not be lyable to mutations , nor be tossed with pride and faction , as are these below . there is no monthly ( or annual ) change of governours and laws , as is in lunatick common-wealths : but there will be the same lord and king , and the same laws and government , and the same subjects and obedience , without any mutinies , rebellions , or discontents , to all eternity . the church of which we shall then be members , shall not be divided into parties , and factions , nor the members look strangely at each other , because of difference of opinions , or distance of affections , as now we find it , to our daily grief , in the militant church . we shall then need no tedious debates to reconcile us : unity will be then quickly and easily procured . there will be no falling out in the presence of our lord. there will be none of that darkness , uncharitableness ; selfishness , or passion left , that now causeth our dissentions . when we have perfect light , and perfect love , the perfect peace will be easily attained , which here we labour for in vain . now there is no peace in church or state , in cities or countries , in families or scarce in our own souls . but when the glorious king of peace hath put all his enemies under his feet , what then is left to make disturbance ? our enemies can injure us no more , for it is then their portion to suffer for all their former injuries to christ and us : our friends will not injure us ( as here they do ; ) because their corruption and weakness is put off , and the relicks of sin , that caused the trouble , are left behind . o that is the sight that faith prepareth for , that is the day , the blessed day , that all our dayes are spent in seeking , and waiting , and praying for ; then shall the glory of holiness appear , and the wisdom of the saints be justified by all , that now is justified by her children ! then it shall be known , whether faith or unbelief , whether a heavenly or earthly mind and life , was the wiser and more justifiable course : then shall all the world discern between the righteous and the wicked , between them that serve god , and them that serve him not , mal. 3. 18. then sin ( that is now so obstinately defended , and justified by such foolish cunning ) shall never more find a tongue to plead for it , or a patron to defend it more . then where is the man that will stand forth , and break a jest at godliness , or make a scorn of the holy diligence of believers ? how pale then will those faces look , that here were wont to jear at piety ! what terrour will seize upon those hearts , that here were wont to make themselves sport at the weaknesses of the upright servants of the lord ? that is the day that shall rectifie all judgements , and cure the errours and contemptuous thoughts of an holy life , which no perswasions now can cure ; that is the day that shall set all straight , that now seems crooked ; and shall satisfie us to the full , that god was just , even when he prospered his enemies , and afflicted the souls that loved him , and walkt in their integrity before him . we shall then see that which shall fully satisfie us of the reason and equity of all our sufferings , which here we underwent ; we shall marvel no more that god lets us weep , and groan , and pray , and turns away his face , and seems not to regard us . we shall then find that all our groans were heard , and all our tears and prayers did succeed , which we suspected had been lost . we shall then find that a duty performed in sincerity , through all our lives , was never lost ; no nor a holy thought ; nor a cup of cold water , that from holy love we gave to a disciple . we shall then see that our murmurings , and discontents , and jealous unbelieving thoughts of god , which sickness , or poverty , or crosses , did occasion , were all injurious to the lord , and the fruit of infirmity ; and that when we questioned his love on such accounts , we knew not what we said . we shall then see that death , and grave , and devils were all but matter for the glorifying of grace , and for the triumph of our lord and us . up then my soul , and shake off thy unbelief and dulness : look up , and long , and meet thy lord. the more thou art afraid of death , the more desire that blessed day , when mortality shall be swallowed up of life , and the name of death shall be terrible no more : though death be thy enemy , there is nothing but friendly in the coming of thy lord. though death dissolve thy nature , the resurrection shall restore it , and make thee full reparation with advantage . how glad would i have been to have seen christ , but with the wise men in the manger ! or to have seen him disputing with the doctors in his child-hood in the temple ; or to have seen him do his miracles , or heard him preach ; much more to have seen him as the three disciples , in his transfiguration ; or to have seen him after his resurrection , and when he ascended up to heaven . but how far is all this below the sight that we shall have of him when he comes in glory ! when the brightness of his shining face shall make us think the sun was darkness : and the glory of his attendants shall make us think what a sorbid thing , and childish foolery was all the glory of this world ! the face of love shall be then unvailed , and ravish us into the highest love and joy , that our natures are capable of . then doubt , and fear , and grieve , if thou canst ! what then wilt thou think of all these disquieting , distrustful thoughts that now so wrong thy lord and thee ? if going into the sanctuary , and foreseeing the end , can cure our brutish mis-apprehensions of gods providences , ( psal . 73. 17. ) how perfectly will they be cured , when we see the glorious face of christ , and behold the new jerusalem in its glory , and when we are numbred with the saints that judge the world ? we shall never more be tempted then , to condemn the generation of the just , nor to think it vain to serve the lord , nor to envy the prosperity of the wicked , nor to stagger at the promise through unbelief ; nor to think that our sickness , death and grave , were any signs of unkindness or unmercifulness in god. we shall then be convinced that sight and flesh were unfit to censure the wayes of god , or to be our guides . hasten , o lord , this blessed day ! stay not till faith have left the earth ; and infidelity , and impiety , and tyranny have conquered the rest of thine inheritance ! stay not till selfish uncharitable pride hath vanquished love and self-denyal and planted its colonies of heresie , confusion and cruelty in thy dominions : and earth and hell be turned into one . stay not till the eyes of thy servants fail , and their hearts and hopes do faint and languish with looking and waiting for thy salvation . but if yet the day be not at hand , o keep up faith , and hope , and love , till the sun of perfect love arise , and time hath prepared us for eternity , and grace for glory . finis . some imitable passages of the life of elizabeth , late wife of mr. joseph baker . though i spoke so little as was next to nothing , of our dear deceased friend ; it was not because i wanted matter , or thought it unmeet : but i use it but seldom , lest i raise expectations of the like , where i cannot conscionably perform it . but he that hath promised to honour those that serve and honour him , ( joh. 12. 26. 1 sam. 2. 30. ) and will come at last to be glorified in his saints , and admired in all them that do believe , ( 2 thes . 1. 10. ) i know , will take it as a great and acceptable act of service , to proclaim the honour of his grace , and to give his servants their due on earth , whose souls are glorified with christ in heaven ; though serpentine enmity will repine and play the envious accuser . it is not the history of the life of this precious servant of the lord which i intend to give you : for i ( was not many years acquainted with her : ) but only some passages , which either upon my certain knowledge , or her own diurnal of her course , or the most credible testimony of her most intimate judicious godly friends , i may boldly publish as true , and imitable in this untoward distempered generation . she was born novem. 1634. in southwark near london : the only child of mr. john godeschalk , alias godscall . her father dying in her child-hood , she was left an orphane to the chamber of london . her mother after married mr. isaac barton , with whom she had the benefit of religious education . but between sixteen and seventeen years of age , by the serious reading of the book called the saints everlasting rest , she was more throughly awakened , and brought to set her heart on god , and to seek salvation with her chiefest care : from that time forward she was a more constant , diligent serious hearer of the ablest ministers in london , rising early , and going far to hear them on the week dayes , waiting on god for his confirming grace in the use of those ordinances , which empty unexperienced hypocrites are easily tempted to despise : the sermons which she constantly wrote , she diligently repeated at home for the benefit of others ; and every week read over some of those that she had heard long before , that the fruit of them might be retained and renewed : it being not novelty that she minded . in the year 1654. being near one and twenty years of age , after seeking god , and waiting for his resolving satisfying directions , she consented to be joyned in marriage to mr. joseph baker , by the approbation of her nearest friends : god having taken away her mother the year before . with him she approved herself indeed such a wife as paul ( no papist ) describeth as meet for a bishop or pastor of the church , 1 tim. 3. 11. [ even so must their wives be grave , not slanderers , sober , faithful in all things . some instances i shall give , for the imitation of others . 1. she was very exemplary in self-denial and humility : and having said thus much , what abundance have i comprehended ? o what a beauty doth self-denyal and humility put on souls ! nay what a treasure of everlasting consequence do these two words express ? i shall give you a few of the discoveries . 1. it appeared in her accompanying in london with the holiest , how mean soever , avoiding them that were proud , and vain , and carnal : she desired most to be acquainted with those that she perceived were best acquainted with god , neglecting the pomp and vain glory of the world . 2. when she was called to a married state , though her portion and other advantages invited persons of greater estates in the world , she chose rather to marry a minister of known integrity , that might be a near , and constant guide , and stay and comfort to her , in the matters which she valued more than riches . and she missed not of her expectations , for the few years that she lived with him . even in this age , when the serpent is hissing in every corner at faithful ministers , and they are cnotemned both by prophane and heretical malignants . she preferred a mean life with such a one , for her spiritual safety and solace , before the grandeur of the world . 3. when some inhabitants of the city of worcester were earnest with me to help them to an able minister ; mr. baker then living in kent had about an hundred pound per annum : and when at my motion he was readily willing to take a great charge in worcester , upon a promise from two men to make the maintenance fifty pounds a year by a voluntary contribution , of the continuance of which he had no security ; his wife was a promoter , and no discourager of his self denyal , and never tempted him to lookafter greater things . and afterward , when i was afraid lest the smalness and uncertainty of the means , together with his discouragements from some of his people , might have occasioned his remove ; and have heard of richer places mentioned to him , as he still answered that he had enough , and minded not removing without necessity : so was she ever of the same mind , and still seconded and confirmed him in such resolutions , even to follow gods work while they had a competency of their own , and to mind no more . 4. her very speech and behaviour did so manifest meekness , and humility that in a little converse with her it might easily be discerned . 5. she thought nothing too mean for her , that belonged to her in her family and relation , no employment food , &c. saying often , that [ what god had made her duty , was not too low a work for her . ] and indeed , when we know once that it is a work that god sets us upon , it signifieth much forgetfulness of him and our selves , if we think it too base , or think our selves too good to stoop to it . 6. no neighbour did seem too mean or poor for her familiar converse , if they were but willing . 7. she had a true esteem , and chearful love for the meanest of her husbands relations , and much rejoyced in her comfort in his kindred , recording it among her experienced mercies . 2. she was very constant and diligent in doing her part of family duties : teaching all the inferiours of her family , and labouring to season them with principles of holiness , and admonishing them of their sin and danger : never failing on the lords day at night to hear them read the scriptures and recite their catechisms , when publick duty , and all other family duty was ended : and in her husbands absence praying with them . how much the imitation of such examples would conduce to the sanctifying of families , is easie to be apprehended ? 3. in secret duty she was very constant , and lived much in those two great soul-advancing works ; meditation and prayer : in which she would not admit of interruptions . this inward holy diligence was it that maintained spiritual life within , which is the spring of outward acceptable works . when communion with god , and daily labour upon our own hearts is laid aside , or negligently and remisly followed , grace languisheth first within , and then unfruitfulness , if not disorders and scandals appear without . 4. her love to the lord jesus was evidenced by her great affection to his ordinances , and wayes , and servants : a very hearty love she manifested to those on whom the image of god did appear , even the poorest and meanest , as well as the rich or eminent in the world : nor did a difference in lesser matters , or any tolerable mistakes , alienate her affections from them . 5. she was a christian of much plainness , simplicity & singleness of heart : far from a subtil erafty dissembling frame , & also from loquacity or ostentation . and the world was very low in her eyes to which she was long crucified , and on which she looked as a lifeless thing : sensuality and pampering the flesh , she much loathed : when she was invited to feasts , she would oft complain , that they occasioned a difficulty in maintaining a sence of the presence of god , whose company in all her company , she preferred . 6. she was a very careful esteemer and redeemer of her time . at home in her family , the works of her general and particular calling took her up : when necessary business , and greater duties gave way , she was seldom without a book in her hand , or some edifying discourse in her mouth , if there were opportunity . and abroad she was very weary of barren company that spent the time in common chatt , and dry discourses . 7. she used good company practically and profitably , making use of what she heard for her own spiritual advantage . when i understood out of her diary , that she wrote down some of my familiar discourses , with serious application to her self , it struck exceeding deep to my heart , how much i have sinned all my dayes , since i undertook the person of a minister of christ , by the slightness and unprofitableness of my discourse ; and how exceeding careful ministers should be of their words , and how deliberately , wisely and seriously they should speak about the things of god , and how diligently they should take all fit opportunities to that end , when we know not how silent hearers are affected with what we say : for ought we know , there may be some that will write down what we say in their books , or hearts , or both : and god and conscience write down all . 8. in her course of reading she was still laying in for use and practise . her course was , when she read the scriptures , to gather out passages , and sort and refer them to their several uses , as some that were fit subjects for her meditations : some for encouragement to prayer , and other duties : promises suited to various conditions and wants , as her papers shew . and for other books , she would meddle with none but the sound and practical , and had no itch after the empty books , which make ostentation of novelty , and which opinionists are now so taken with ; nor did she like writing or preaching in envy and strife . and of good books , she chose to read but few , and those very often over , that all might be well digested . which is a course ( for private christians ) that tends to avoid luxuriancy , and make them sincere and solid , and established . 9. she had the great blessing of a tender conscience . she did not slightly pass over small sins without penitent observation . her diary records her trouble , when causelesly she had neglected any ordinance ; or was hindered by rain or small occasions : or if she had overslept her self , and lost a morning-exercise in london , or came too late ; or if she were distracted in secret duty : and if she mist of a fast ▪ through mis-information and disappointments , and found not her heart duly sensible of the loss , that also she recorded . so did she her stirrings of anger , and her very angry looks , resolving to take more heed against them . though all ought not to spend so much time in writing down their failings ; yet all should watch , and renew repentance . 10. she was very solicitous for the souls of her friends : as for instance , her brothers in law ; over whom she exercised a motherly care , instructing them , and watching over them , and telling them of miscarriages , and counselling them : causing them to keep a constant course of reading the holy scriptures ▪ and meditating on it ( as far as she could : ) causing them to learn many chapters without book : and to read other good books in season : earnestly praying for them in particular : much desiring one or both should be ministers : and when her father-in-law appointed the eldest to go to france , she was much troubled for fear of his miscarriage among strangers , especially those of the romish way . 11. she was a serious mourner for the sins of the time and place she lived in . 12. in sum , for strict , close , watchfull , holy walking with god , even her husband professeth that she was a pattern to him . as i hinted before , she kept a daily acount in writing , ( which is now to be seen from the beginning of the year 1654. ) especially of these particulars . 1. of the frame of her heart in every dayes duty ; in meditation , prayer , hearing , reading &c. whether lively , of dull &c. 2. of those sins which she had especially to repent of , and watch against . 3. of her resolutions and promises , and how she kept them . 4. of all special providences to her self , husband , brothers , and others , and the improvement of them . as at the death of her son , who died with great sighs and groans , she recorded her sense of the special necessity of holy armour , and great preparation for that encounter when her turn should come to be so removed to the everlasting habitation . 5. of her returns of prayer , what answers , and grant of them she found . 6. of the state of her soul upon examination : how she found it , and what was the issue of each examination ; and in this it seems she was very exact and punctual . in which , though many times fears and doubtings did arise , yet hath she frequent records of the discovery of evidences , and comfortable assurance of sincerity . somtime when she hath heard sermons in london , that helped her in her search : and somtimes when she had been reading writings that tended that way , she recorded what evidences she found , and in what degree the discovery was : if imperfect , resolving to take it up and follow the search further : and if she had much joy ; she received it with jealousie , and expectation of some humbling consequent . when any grace languished , she presently turned to some apt remedy . as for instance , it s one of her notes , novemb. 1658. [ i found thoughts of eternity slight and strange , and ordinary imployments very desirable : at which i read mr. bs. crucifixion & was awakened to mortification and humiliation , &c. ] the last time that she had opportunity for this work , was two or three dayes before her delivery in child-bearing ; where she finally recorded the apprehensions she had both of her bodily and spiritual state in these words , [ drawing near the time of my delivery , i am fallen into such weakness , that my life is in hazzard . i find some fears of death , but not very great , hoping ( through grace ) i die in the lord. ] i only mention these hints , to shew the method she used in her daily accounts . to those christians that have full leisure , this course is good : but i urge it not upon all . those that have so great duties to take up that time , that they cannot spare so much to record their ordinary passages ; such must remember what others record , and daily renew repentance for their daily failings , and record only the extraordinary , observable , and more remarkable and memorable passages of their lives , lest they lose time from works of greater moment . but this excellent work of watchfulness must be performed by all . and i think it was a considerable expression of her true wisdom , and care of her immortal soul , that when any extraordinary necessity required it , and she found such doubts , as of her self she was not able to deal with , she would go to some able experienced minister , to open her case , and seek assistance ( as she did more than once to my dear and ancient friend , mr. cross , who in full age is since gone after her to christ ) and therefore chose a minister in marriage , that he might be a ready assistant in such cases of necessity , as well as a continual help . at last came that death to summon her soul away to christ , for which she had so seriously been preparing , and which she oft called a dark entry to her fathers palace . after the death of her children , when she seemed to be somewhat repaired after her last delivery , a violent convulsion suddenly surprized her , which in a few dayes brought her to her end . her understanding , by the fits , being at last debilitated , she finding it somewhat hard to speak sensibly , excused it , and said , [ i shall ere long speak another language ] which were the last words which she spake with a tongue of flesh ; and lying speechless eighteen hours after , she departed august 17. 1659. blessed are the dead that die in the lord , from henceforth , yea saith the spirit , that they may rest from their labours , and their works do follow them . our turn is coming : shortly we shall also lay by flesh : this is our day of preparation : there is no preparing time but this . did men but know the difference between the death of the holy and the unholy , which doth not appear to fleshly eyes , how speedily would they turn ! how seriously would they meditate ! how fervently would they pray ! how carefully would they live ! how constantly , painfully and resolvedly would they labour ! did they well consider the difference between dying prepared and unprepared , and of what difficulty and yet everlasting consequence it is to die well ; o then , what manner of persons would men be , in all manner of holy conversation and godliness ? and all their lives would then be a continued preparation for death ; as all their life is a hasting towards it . and now i shall only desire you , for the right understanding of all that i have here said , and to prevent the cavils of blinded malice , to observe these three or four particulars . 1. that though i knew so much of her as easily maketh me believe the rest , upon so sure a testimony , and saw her diary , yet the most of this history of her life , is the collection and observation of such faithful witnesses , as had much better opportunity than i to know the secrets of her soul and life . 2. that it is no wonder if many that knew her , perceived not all this by her , that is here expressed : for that knowledg of our outward carriage at a distance , will not tell our neighbours what we do in our closets : where god hath commanded us to shut our door upon us , that our father which seeth in secret , may reward us openly . and many of the most humble and sincere servants of the lord , are so afraid of hypocrisie , and hate ostentation , that their justification and glory is only to be expected from the searcher of hearts , ( and a few of their more intimate acquaintance : ) though this was not the case before us ; the example described being more conspicuous . 3. that i over-pass the large expessions of her charity , which you may hear from the poor and her intimate acquaintance , as i have done ; that i may not grate upon the modesty of her surviving friends , who must participate in the commendations . 4. that it is the benefit of the living that is my principal end ; scripture it self is written much in history , that we may have matter of imitation before our eyes . 5. if any say , that here is no mention of her faults ; i answer , though i had acquaintance with her , i knew them not , nor ever heard from any other so much as might enable me to accuse her , if i were her enemy . yet i doubt not but she was imperfect , and had faults , though unknown to me . the example of holiness i have briefly proposed : they that would see examples of iniquity , may look abroad in the world , and find enough : i need not be the accuser of the saints to furnish them . and i think if they enquire here of any thing notable , they will he hard put to it to find enough to cover the accusers shame . 6. it is the honour of christ and grace in his members , more than the honour of his servant that i seek . 7. and i would not speak that in commendation of the living which i do of the dead who are out of the reach of all temptations , of being lifted up with pride thereby : unless it be such whose reputation the interest of christ and the gospel commandeth me to vindicate . 8. lastly , i am so far from lifting up one above the rest of the members of christ , by these commendations , and from abasing others whose names i mention not , that i intend the honour of all in one , and think that in the substance i describe all saints , in describing one . i am not about a popish work of making a wonder of a saint , as of a phoenix , or some rare unusual thing . saints with them must be canonized , and their names put in the calender : and yet their blind malice tels the world , that there are no such things as saints among us . but i rejoyce in the many that i have communion with , and the many that have lately stept before me into heaven , and are safe there out of the reach of malice , and of sin , and all the enemies of their peace ; and have left me mourning , and yet rejoycing ; fearing , and yet hoping ; and with some desires , looking after them here behind : and the faster christ calls away his chosen ones , whose graces were amiable in mine eyes , the more willing he maketh me to follow them , and to leave this world of darkness , confusion , wickedness , danger , vanity and vexation , and to meet these precious souls in life , where we shall rejoyce that we are past this howling wilderness , and shall for ever be with the lord. finis . evangelium armatum, a specimen, or short collection of several doctrines and positions destructive to our government, both civil and ecclesiastical preached and vented by the known leaders and abetters of the pretended reformation such as mr. calamy, mr. jenkins, mr. case, mr. baxter, mr. caryll, mr. marshall, and others, &c. assheton, william, 1641-1711. 1663 approx. 149 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 36 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-05 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26065 wing a4033 estc r4907 12499749 ocm 12499749 62657 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26065) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62657) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 303:15) evangelium armatum, a specimen, or short collection of several doctrines and positions destructive to our government, both civil and ecclesiastical preached and vented by the known leaders and abetters of the pretended reformation such as mr. calamy, mr. jenkins, mr. case, mr. baxter, mr. caryll, mr. marshall, and others, &c. assheton, william, 1641-1711. calamy, edmund, 1600-1666. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [12], 59 p. : ports. printed for william garret, london : 1663. written by w. assheton. cf. halkett & laing (2nd ed.). reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng great britain -history -puritan revolution, 1642-1660. 2003-01 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-01 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-02 john latta sampled and proofread 2003-02 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion evangelium armatum . a specimen ; or short collection of several doctrines and positions destructive to our government both civil and ecclesiastical ; preached and vented by the known leaders and abetters of the pretended reformation such as , mr. calamy . mr. jenkins . mr. case . mr. baxter . mr. caryll . mr. marshall . and others , &c. london , printed for william garret , 1663. the preface to the reader . at this notable season and great crisis both of church and state , in which parties are so high , factions so restless , and discontents so general , i know none so likely a means to resettle and confirm our shaking fabrick , as to disabuse the people , and to redeem their understandings from a captivity to those guides , who have preached and lectured them into these miseries and confusions . i have observed , though it be true piety alone that must save men , yet it is the shew and pretence of piety that governs them . a maxim so verified by the late transactions among us , that the great basis and ground-work of all the villany that has been acted upon the stage of these miserable kingdoms , has been to beget and fix in the people this belief , that the great design drove on by the actors of it , was the advancement of the purity of religion , and the power of godliness . so that the people were brought at length to digest civil war , the cutting of throats , wresting away estates , and the murder and banishment of princes , so long as all this was called reformation but since it is not imaginable , how men could quit the first infusions of honest education , and debauch the known principles of nature and religion , so as not at first to tremble and start at these villanies , it follows that they must needs have been insensibly wrought up to them by some predominant perswasion , that by degrees lessened , and at length totally subdued those preconceived dictates of nature and religion to a compliance with such practices : and this was no other than a blind and furious opinion of the extraordinary piety of those teachers , who pretending more intimate acquaintance with god , and immediate possession by his spirit , as plenipotentiary commissioners , and embassadors from almighty god , animated the people to the late rebellion . and still they endeavour to captivate their pity , by a bold and impudent insinuation of these two things , that they are the people of god , and that they are persecuted . for experience shews that the opinion of persecution naturally moves men to pity , and pity presently turns into love , and whom men love , they are easily brought to defend . but i doubt not to any unprejudiced reader so to divest them of these pretences , and stripping them of their sheeps cloathing to represent them as naked as truth , & as deformed as error & seduction . for the first of these , their being the people of god. i demand whether true piety is consistent with the known abetment of principles and practices directly contrary to the law of nature , and the word of god : and then whether the preaching taking up arms , and raising a war against our lawfull prince , be not a sin deeply dyed with both these qualifications . that the latter of these is undeniable , and the former justly chargeable upon them , let the ensuing system of principles speak , which they vented from the pulpit , and their auditors commented upon by all the hideous massacres since acted by them in the strength of those doctrines and assertions . i say , let men impartially read them over and see , whether that religion can be called pure , that is so far from peaceable . and for a further test of their piety ; i demand whether an oath be not the most sacred and dreadfull obligation that can be fastned upon the conscience of man : and whether their oath of allegiance were not such an one ? upon which concessions , i demand further , what strain of piety could warrant these ministers to send their congregations ( as the chief of them did ) with full discharge from the bonds of that oath , to wage war against their king ? what prerogative in religion could authorise them to obtrude an oath and covenant contradictory to their former oaths , upon those consciences , that groaned with horror and reluctancy under the sense of their former obligations ? till they can here either deny the matter of fact , which has been writ in characters of bloud legible to all the world ; or can reconcile these matters of fact to christianity , i demand of them in the presence of god and man , what account they will give before the great tribunal of god for having with so much solemnity of prayer , shew of piety ; and profession of zeal , deceived the people into these execrable practices , enough to stink the protestant name out of the world ; and what excuse the clear light of reason , and of the word , can leave to those who resigned themselves up to be deceived by them ? but as the conscience being once broken up , easily lyes open to any after breach : so they having deflowred it with the first perjury of the covenant , stuck not much at the engagement , a promise as contradictory to the covenant , as the covenant it self had been to their oaths of allegiance and canonical obedience : and lastly their recognising and doing homage to cromwell , who had setled himself with the power , though not the title of king , and with an house of lords , seemed no less to throw off , and contradict their engagement . we see here the compass of their religious swallow . all oaths could down with them , but none hold them : out of all which they could with the greatest facility find a way to creep forth , and interpret away the obligation of an oath , as easily , as if it were an act of parliament . but the only thing these thorough-paced swearers at length stick at , is the subscription lately required by law , made and enacted by parliament , and confirmed by the royal assent , that is , by all the legislative power this nation owns . this they cannot subscribe to : why ? because they cannot renounce an oath imposed by part of a rebell parliament , without , and against the royal assent , and by which they swore off all former lawfull oaths , binding themselves to prosecute that rebellious war. this they will not , they cannot renounce ; and therefore desire only for a while to be dispenced with , and indulged , till they come to be in a capacity once more to put it in execution . how far persons owning such an obliga●…ion , and venting such maxims and doctrines as are here faithfully and truely represented out of their printed sermons , are like to advance , or perhaps at all to comport with , the peace of the kingdom , is left to the serious consideration of those , with whom the preservation of that peace is entrusted , & whose prudence being alarm d with such spiritual fire-balls , will ( we hope ) begin to look about , & to distinguish between conscience & contempt . if any should now plead their being instrumental to the reduction of his majesty , for their vindication from the charge of these assertions , too notorious to be denyed , and too impious to be defended ; though i could answer , that i am not at all beholding to a chirurgeon for setting that leg , which he himself first put out of joynt : yet i desire them to remember that they never attempted the restauration of his majesty , till they were visibly in the very jaws of the fanaticks , who were then seizing upon their tythes and churches , the last morsell of the spiritual revenue ; so that it is shrewdly to be suspected , that had not the tythe-pig cryed lowder in their ears , than either their conscience , or the word of god , they had never been awakened to attempt that , which since it has been effected , so many of them have not obscurely repented of . and so much may suffice to answer their pretences to piety , and the power of godliness . to their next plea , that they are now persecuted , i shall only make this reply ; that i desire the world to take notice , that those persons , who turned almost all out of their livings , that adhered to their lawfull soveraign ; who sent suc●… , with their wives and families a begging , as durst not deflower their consciences with down-right perjury ; and having sworn canonical obedience to the most reformed church in the world , durst not by a contrary oath , swear and endeavour its extirpation . those also who procured that murdering order from a bloudy tyrant and usurper , that every episcopal divine should not only be uncapable of a benefice , but also disabled to exercise any act of his ministerial function , as preaching , baptizing , or the like , nor yet suffered to get some little subsistence by teaching school : no , nor lastly to live in any gentlemans house , who out of pity might take him in to keep him from starving . all which are such unheard-of instances of barbarous tyranny , that the spight of the heathen neros , dioclesians , julians , ( all circumstances considered ) was much inferiour to them . now , i say , i desire the world to take notice , that those who were partly the authors , partly the procurers of these hideous , remorseless actions , are those poor , gentle , suffering lambs of christ that now bleat out persecution . having thus answered their pleas , or rather their noise , i shall in a word or two give an account of the following book . it presents us first with a short collection of the sayings and doctrines of the great leaders and abetters of the presbyterian reformation , of their pious and peaceable maxims , which like razors set with oyl , cut the throat of majesty with so keen a smoothness : and then to bring up the rear of this spiritual brigade , and withall , to shew further , that the cause of our church is so united to that of the crown , that the same who malign one , strike as boldly at the other , i have thought fit to bring the papists and the hobbians upon the same stage , as venting doctrines no less pernicious to the civil , than to the ecclesiastical state. for a testimony of which , i have here given a taste of each of them : of the first , out of mr. white : of the second , out of the author of the leviathan , and great propagator of the kingdom of darkness . i selected the writings of mr. white , as being the most compendious and effectual way of probation . for if he who writes , and pretends enmity against the jesuites , for being disturbers of the peace of states and kingdoms , and underminers of the prerogative of kings , and so by this , catches at the reputation of being moderate ; i say , if this person shall yet be found a pestilent assertor of such maxims as eat out the rights and titles of all lawfull princes , then let men take an estimate of their known treasons and king-killing doctrines , from the poyson and virulence of their very moderation . and therefore i earnestly entreat the reader diligently to peruse that paragraph that exhibits to him the collection of mr. whites principles . i have this now in the last place to add , that the reader must not here expect a full rehersal of thes●… mens doctrines , but only a taste , or specimen . he that can endure the raking of dunghils longer than i can , let him have recourse to their writings , let him lanch out into the ocean of the presbyterian pamphlets and sermons , an ocean in which the papists may see the face of their disloyal doctrines , as in a glass , and in which the leviathan himself may sport , and take his pastime . there seems to be a more than ordinary significance in that saying of the prophet , that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft , and that , i conceive , not only for its equal malignity , but also for its peculiar analogy and cognation : for if we reflect upon the late instances of it amongst our selves , we shall find that the people could never be brought to rebell , till their preachers had first bewitched them . but i hope the world will be so far unbewitched , as to read this collection , with their farewell-sermons lately printed together , and exposed to sale with so much ostenta●…ion : of which i shall say this , that they may very properly be called fare-well-sermons , since experience is like to manifest , that their con-gregations never fared so well , as when such seducers preached their last . mr edmund calamies theses . pag. 22. the lords and commons are as the master of the house . 2. the parliament whom the people chuse are the great and only conservators of the peoples liberties . p. 38. they are the chief magistrate , custodes & vindices utriusque tabulae , p. 37. for they are the ministers of god for good , and revengers to execute wrath upon him that does evill , rom. 13. 4. ( which being by saint paul expressly spoken of the highest powers , he applies to that part of the two houses that sat at westminster , without , nay , against the kings command . ) p. 9. that all those that fought under the kings banner , against this parliament , fought themselves into slavery , and did endeavour by all bloudy and treacherous waies to subvert religion and liberties . p. 12. that the king , that should have been a head of gold , was an iron head to crush its own body in pieces . p. 18. those that made their peace with him at oxford ( by returning to their loyaltie , ) were judasses of england , and it were just with god to give them their portion with judas . p. 13. those that ingaged in this cause , and in the covenant ( which was an oath for their goods , ) were unjustly charged with rebellion . p. 38. that it was gods cause , and it shall prevail at last . p. 29. that it is commendable to fight for peace and reformation , against the kings command . these are mr. calamies doctrines in his sermon preached before the lords , dec. 25. 1644. printed by ●…hristopher meredith by his own appointment ; directly contrary to st. peter , who tells us , that the king is the supreme , and not any one , or two houses of parl●…ament without him ; contrary to st. paul , who ●…ells us , that whosoever ( severally , or conjunctly ) shall resist , much more that shall fight against this highest power , resist the ordinance of god , and shall receive damnation ; and contrary to our oath of allegiance , wherein we acknowledge the king , to be the only supreme governour of this nation . mr. jenkins theses out of his humble petition , when he was prisoner ; printed octob. 15. 1651. 1. that the parliament of the common wealth of england without the king , 1651. were the supreme authority of this nation . 2 that gods providences , ( that is , his permission of events and success ) are antecedent declarations of his good will and approbation . 3 that the providences of god as evidently appeared in removing the king , and then investing their honours with the government of this nation , as ever they appeared in the taking away , or bestowing of any government in any history of any age of the world. 4 that a refusal to be subject to this authority , under the pretence of upholding the title of any one upon earth , is a refusal to acquiesce in the wise and righteous pleasure of god , such an opposing of the government set up by the soverein lord of heaven and earth , as none can have peace , either in acting in , or suffering for . 5 that it is our duty to yield to this authority all active and chearfull obedience in the lord , even for conscience sake . mr. marshal serm. on ps. 102. v. 16 , 17. march 26. 1645. p. 39. 1. those in authority , in things of this life , have command , and may act ad modum imperii ; in matters of religion , all their power is ad modum ministerii , they must not dispose of the affairs of the church , but at the direction of the word only . 2 they are limited to the word , and men under their authority , must , before they obey their orders , examine them by the word , and find them both lawfull and expedient in their use for edification . p. 41. 3. as josia put to death those that followed baal , so may the parliament those , that will not return to the lord , and leave antichristianism . p. 45. that antichristianism that was sworn in the covenant to be ●…ooted out ( was the established government in the church . ) mr. edmund calamies speech at guild-hall , october the sixth , 1643. gentlemen , you have heard a worthy gentleman of the house of commons , it is desired by this grave and reverend assembly of ministers , that three of the ministers of this assembly should likewise speak unto you concerning this great business , and notwithstanding my indisposition of body , being required by them , though that gentleman of the house of commons hath spoken so abundantly to the purpose , yet notwithstanding i am here come to speak something , the rather to declare my willingness to appear in this cause , that is every way so just , and every way so honest , and so good , that i may truly say , as the martyr did , that if i had as many lives , as i have hairs on my head , i would be willing to sacrifize all these lives in this cause ; you know the story of craesus , that though he never spake in his life , yet when he saw his father ready to be killed , it untyed the strings of his tongue , and then he cryed out , that they would not kill his father ; you are not ignorant that england and ireland lye a dying , and though i never appeared in this place , yet i bless god that hath given me that health , this day , to speak something in this cause , for the reviving of the dying condition of england , and ireland ; it is such a cause as is able to make a very infant eloquenr , and a dumb man to speak that never spake in all his lise ; the matter i am desired to speak to , is , concerning the contribution , to perswade you to be liberal towards the bringing in of the scots , to help us in this our great necessity ; the truth is , it is a great shame that england should stand in need of another nation , to help it to preserve its religion and liberties : that england , that hath been enriched with the gospel of peace , and the peace of the gospel for so many years ; that england , that hath been blessed with so many rare ministers of god , so many precious , and powerful servants , that have preached the word of god in season and out of season ; that england , that hath professed the gospel with so much power and purity ; that england should stand in need of the help of their brethren of scotland , for to preserve that gospel that they have professed so many years ; i confess to me it seems a very strange prodigie , and a strange wonder ; but it hath pleased almighty god for the sins of england , for our great unthankfulness , and for our unthankfulness under these means , and for the great blood-guiltiness , and idolatry , and superstition of this nation , it hath pleased god to suffer a gre●…t ●…art of th●… kingdom to be blinded , especially those parts , where the word os god hath not been preached in a powerful manner ; and there are many in th●… king●…om , that will not be perswaded , that there is an intention to bring in pop●…ry , and to bring in slavery ; many of them ( i say ) think that though the popish army should prevail , and the plundering army shoul●… 〈◊〉 , yet they think all would go well with religion , and with their liber●…es ; i say it hath pleas●…d god to ●…uffer abundance in the kingdom , to be blinded with this opinion , out of a just judgement to punish us for our unthankfuln●…ss , and for our ingr●…titude ; and this is the reason that so many men stand neuters , and that ●…o many are malignants , and disaffected to this great cause , in so much that i am concluded under this , that there i●…ittle probability to finish this cause , without the coming in of the scots , ( as you heard so worthily by that member of the house of commons ; ) the sons of zerviah are grown so strong , what through our fearfulness , what through our covetousness , what through our malignity , that there is little hope ( i say ) to finish this great cause , or to bring it to a desired peace , without the help of another nation , and by the assistance of god , by the help of another nation it may be done ; these are two mighty , two omnipotent arguments , to prevail with you to contribute your utmost aid and assistance to that cause ; since it cannot speedily be done without their help , and by gods blessing , it may speedily be done by their help . what would the kings party do , if they could engage another nation to their help ? 21000. if they could engage them to our ruine , what would they not do ? how much more should we be willing to contribute our greatest help to engage a nation , that indeed is part of our own nation , within the same island , and our brethren so 〈◊〉 , and so well affected to this cause , what should we not be willing to do to ingage so great a party ? i would intreat you to rememb●…r , that it is not many years ago , since our brethren of scotland came hither into england , in a war-like manner , and yet with peaceable affections , and that you would remind your selves ▪ what good they did to you when they were then in england , they were the chief causes of this parlament , that now we do enjoy and of all the good that hath been reaped by this parlament ; ( as you may well remember ) by their coming in you know this parlament was procured , and their se●…ond coming in ( through gods mercy ) may be a means to confi●…m this parlament , and to establish it , and to uphold it in its dignity , and in the privileges of it , and to keep it from being ruined ; and if the parlament be ruined , you all well know that our religion , and our liberties are ruined , for the parlament is the great conservatour of religion and liberties ; and i may truly say ( s you know caligula did once wish , that all rome were one n●…ck that he might cut it of●… at one blow ) they that intend to ruine the parl●…ment , th●…y ruine your religion and liberties , and all england at on●… blow ; now ( i say ) as their first coming was a means to produce this parlament so th●…ir second coming in ( through gods blessing ) may be a means to 〈◊〉 it , and to confirm it ; and when they were here , you know how faithfully th●…y carried themselves , and when they had done their work , how willingly they went away without doing any hurt , and i doubt not of the same faithfulness , nay , you ought all to believe , that they will likewise , when they have done the work they are calle●… to in england , they will likewise with the same faithfulness depart , for it is religion that brings them here , and the same religion will make them willingly leave us , and go home to their own countrey , when they have done that work for which they came . i am assured that the great hope at oxford is , that they will never prevail for the getting of money for to bring them in ; and if they once see the matter of money effected , and if they once hear of the scot●… coming in , it will work such a terror there , as i am assured , that it will ( through gods mercy ) produce a notable complyance of that party with the parlament for an effectual peace , such as all the godly of the land shall bless god for . i foresee there are many objections that may be brought to hinder this work , many mountains of opposition that will lie in the way : and likewise that the malignants will buz many things in your ears , if it be possible to put some great rub in the way , to hinder the effecting of this work but i hope , the love you have to god , and to your religion , and to the gospel , and to your wives and children , will sw●…llow down all these objections , and conquer them all ; i le name some few objections , and give you some short answer . some it may be , will put you in mind , to call in question the lawfulness of contributing towards the bringing in of the scots to this nation ; but for this , i le give you an easie answer , certainly gentlemen , it is as lawful for the parlament to call in our brethren of scotland to their help , as it is lawful for me , when my house is on fire , and not able to quench it my self , to call in my neighbour to quench my house , that is ready to burn down ; the kingdom is all on fire , we are not able with that speed to quench it , as we wish , we call in our brethren in scotland to help us to quench the flames that are kindled among us ; it is as lawful as it is for the master and mariners of a ship , when it is ready to sink through a mighty tempest , to call in other mariners to help to keep the ship from sinking ; it is the condition of our kingdom now , it is ready to sink , and it is our desire that our brethren of scotland would come in to our aid , to keep it from sinking . others it may be will object and say to you , it is rebellion , especially to call in another nation to your help . but i beseech you give me leave to put you in mind , that when the scots came last into england , there was a proclamation out against them , wherein they were called rebels , and there were prayers to be said in our churches ( as you well remember ) in which we were to pray against them as rebels , and there was money likewise contributed then , for to hinder their coming in , and to raise an army to drive them out of the kingdom , and i doubt not but you may remember , all the ill-affected did contribute money to keep them out of this kingdom , and from tarrying in ; but it pleased almighty god through his great mercy , so to change and alter the state of things , that within a little while , the nation of scotland , even by act of parlament , they were proclamed and made the true and loyal subjects of the king , and in those churches in which they were prayed against as rebels , even in those very churches , they were pronounced the good subjects of the king ; this i doubt not but you remember , and i doubt not , but through the mercy of god , the lord raising up our hearts , i doubt not but the same effect will come of their second coming into this kingdom ; and they that now tell you they are rebels , and you do an act of rebellion , in the contribution to the bringing of them in , i doubt not but you shall see an act of parlament to call them his loyal subjects , ( wherein i hope our king will concur with his parlament ) and likewise prayers made , nay , a day of thanksgiving , as was after their first coming , a day of thanksgiving for the mercy of god , in stirring up their hearts to be willing to come unto our help . but it may be some others will object and say , why should we that are ministers , engage our s●…lves so much in this business ? to see a reverend assembly of grave ministers to appear here in so great an assembly . this it may be , will be a mighty objection to some , but i beseech you give me leave to give you a short answer ; did i not think that that shall be said this day , would mightily conduce to peace , for my part , i would not have been the mouth of the assembly ; did i think any other way to produce a solid and a setled peace , a religious peace , i that am a minister of peace , an ambassador of peace , i would not have been a trumpeter to this business this day : the truth is , if you would have peace with popery , a peace with slavery ; if you would have a judas peace , or a joab his peace , you know the story , he kiss'd amasa , and then killed him ; if you would have a peace that may bring a massacre with it , a french peace , if you would have such a peace , it may be had easily ; but if you would have a peace that may continue the gospel among you , and may bring in a reformation , such as all the godly in the kingdom do desire , i am concluded under this , and am confident that such a peace cannot be had without contribution towards the bringing in of the scots , and that is the reason , for the promoting of this peace , this blessed peace , that we have appeared here this day : and me-thinks ( gentlemen ) the very sight of these worthy divines , methinks so many divines , so many orators , so many silent orators to plead with you , to be willing to engage your selves to the utmost to help forward the nation of scotland to come to our help . and likewise i would put you in mind of the 10 th . of numbers , there you shall read that there were two silver trumpets ; and as there were priests appointed for the convocation of their assemblies , so there were priests to sound the silver trumpets to proclame the war. and likewise in the 20 th . of deuteronomy , you shall finde there , that when the children of israel would . go out to war , the sons of levi , one of the priests , was to make a speech to encourage them . and certainly , if this were the way of god in the old testament , certainly much more in such a cause as this , in which cause religion is so intwin'd , and indeed so interlac'd , that religion and this cause , they are like hippocrates his twins , they must live and dye together . and ( gentlemen ) if religion were not concerned in this cause , and mightily concerned ; and if religion did not live and dye with it , we had not appeared this day ; and i hope this will be a sufficient answer unto this objection . but there is another objection which i will answer , and then briefly give leave to my other reverend brethren , that likewise are prepared to speak here . the great objection of all is this , that the city is already exhausted , and so much money hath been lent already , that there is no hope of lending any more ; this is the grand objection . but truly ( gentlemen ) for my part , this is one of the chief arguments i have to perswade you to lend a little more , because you have lent so much : give me leave to put you in mind of that story , in the 2 kings 13. the story of king j●…ash , that came to visit the prophet elisha , when he was ready to breath out his last , the prophet elisha gives him a bow and arrows , and bids him shoot , he shoots , and bids him smite , he smites the ground thrice , and then he ceased , the prophet was exceeding angry with him , and tells him , you should have smote the ground 5 or 6 times , and then you should have utterly consumed the assyrians , whereas now you shall smite them but three times . give me leave to apply this , gentlemen , you have smote the ground thrice , you have lent once , twice , and thrice , indeed you have been the fame of england , and the repairers of england , and the ornaments of england , you have lent much , but let me tell you , you must smite the ground 5 or 6 times , if ever you look to consume the assyrians , if ever you look to bring this war to a happy peace , that your posterities may rejoyce in this peace , you must shoot one arrow more , and then through gods blessing , you may utterly consume these enemies , that you and your posterity may rejoyce in a happy peace ; it is a famous story of johannes eleemozinarius , that when he had given even almost all he had to the poor , his friends were exceeding angry with him , and told him he had undone himself , what was his answer ? o ( saith he ) i have not yet shed my blood for jesus christ ; jesus christ he emptied himself of his divinity , to make us rich , he became poor , and shed his blood for you ; you have not yet made your selves so poor as jesus christ was , that had no house to lodge in , and he did all this for your sakes ; you have not yet shed your blood for the cause of christ ; we read that moses was willing to be blotted out of the book of life , for the cause of god ; and we read of paul , that he was w●…lling to be accursed , for the people of israels sake ; and will you not be willing to venture your earthly provisions for so good a cause as this is , which ( i say ) england was never engaged in the like ? religion hath produced all the wealth you have , all your wealth is but the child of religion ; we have a saying , religio peperit divitias , & divitiae devorarunt matrem ; religion hath begot wealth , and the daughter hath devoured the mother ; & filia devoravit matrem ; but give me leave , and i hope ( through gods blessing ) you will invert this saying , religion hath got you all the wealth you have , you gentlemen , and i hope the daughter now will preserve the mother ; i hope riches will preserve religion , and not destroy religion . a famous example of polanus nolinus , that when he had given all that he had away , and being asked , why he would give so much to the poor ? he gave this answer , ut levius ascenderem scalam jacobi , that i might the easier get up jacobs ladder ; and let me assure you , in the word of a minister , the contributing to this cause for gods sake , and for the glory of god , and for the peace of the gospel , ( i say ) will be a means to make you the sooner ascend up jacobs ladder ; not for the giving of the money , but for the evidence of your faith , through the merits of the lord jesus christ , by your giving of the money ; and certainly that man will never get up jacobs ladder , that hath the rust of his money to bear witness against him , at the day of judgement , especially at such a time as this . give me leav●… to put you in mind of one other story , and that is of one bernardinus ocanus , that was so liberal to the poor , that every peny that he gave to the poor , he would call it a holy peny , and a happy peny , and he would bless god , that he had that peny to give ; indeed he was a papist , and his ordinary spe●…ch was , o happy peny , that hath purchased immortality to me ; inde●…d this speech was not good , for it is not our money that doth purchase heaven , that is an evidence of the truth of our faith , that lays hold upon chris●… for salvation ; but let me tell you , if ever ( gentlemen ) you might use this speech , o happy peny , you may use it now ; happy money that will purchase my gospel , happy money that will purchase religion , and purchase a reformation , to my posterity , o happy money , and blessed be god that i have it to lend ! and i count it the greatest opportunity that ever god did offer to the godly of this kingdom , to give them some money to lend to this cause ; and i remember in this ordinance of parliament , you call it advance money ; it is called an ordinance to advance money towards the maintaining of the parlaments forces ; and truly it is the highest advance of money , to make money an instrument to advance my religion ; the lord give you hearts to believe this . you shall have the faiths of both kingdoms ingaged in this cause , the kingdom of scotland , and the kingdom of england , and surely the publick faith of scotland will secure the publick faith of england ; i speak now of secondary causes through gods blessing . i am informed by the commissioners of scotland , that the nation of scotland are now tak●…ng the covenant , ( that we took the last lords day in this city : ) and you know that a scotch covenanter is a terrible thing ; you know what mighty things they did , by their last covenant ; you know that the name of a covenanter , the very name of it , did do wonders ; and i am assured by them , that there is not one person in the kingdom of scotland , that is not a covenanter , and there shall not one abide among them , that wi●…l not take this covenant , and there shall not one of those 21000 that are to come over in this cause , not one of them shall come , that will not take this covenant , but they must take th●…s covenant before they come ; o that the consideration of these things , might work up your hearts to a high degree of charity , to a superlative degree , and that the lord would make you more active and more liberal in this great cause ; for my part , i speak it in the name of my self , and in the name of these reverend ministers , we will not only speak to perswade you to contribute , but every one of us , that god hath given any estate to , we will all to our utmost power , we will not only say ite , but venite , we will not only speak to you to lend , but every one of us , as we have already lent , so we will lend to our utmost power , and bless god that we have it to lend ; for indeed it is now a time of action , and not of speaking only , because it is an extraordinary business , therefore here is an extraordinary appearance of so many ministers , to encourage you in this cause , that you may see how real the godly ministery in england is unto this ca●…se . the gospel it is called a pearl of price , by our saviour christ , and i hope all you merchants will part with your goodly pearls to buy this pearl of pr●…ce ; you tradesmen , the gospel is called a treasure hid in the field , so our saviour christ calls it , i hope you will be willing to part with your earthly treasures , to preserve this blessed treasure that is hid in the field ; you have parted with some goodly pearls already , i hope you will part with your other goodly pearls . there is an excellent story of one nonius a roman senator , that had a pearl that 〈◊〉 did prize above his life , and when anthony the triumvir , one that was then in great power , when he sent to nonius to have the pearl , he would not send it him , and he told him , that if he would banish him , he would be willingly banished , so he might save his pearl , if he would take away his life , he would die with his pearl ; he did not regard his countrey , so he might have his pearl ; he regarded nothing , so he might have his pearl ; but he would not part with his pearl , what-ever he parted withall ; this pearl it is the gospel of jesus christ , that you have professed in this city , and i hope you have professed it with power ; and certainly , you have the name of those that have professed the gospel in the greatest purity of any under heaven ; this pearl is this gospel , i hope you will part with all willingly and cheerfully , rather than part with the gospel , though you go to prison , carry the gospel with you , nay , though you lose your lives , it shall be with the gospel , and for the gospel ; i hope so . there is one argument more , and then i have done , and that is from the inveterate hatred they have at oxford , against the city of london , and against you for your good , because you have been so well-affected to this cause . gentlemen , i beseech you give me leave ( that am no statesman , nor acquainted with the affairs of policy , yet give me leave ) to put you in mind of this , that surely the plundering army at oxford conceive that they shall find a great treasure here in the city , though many pretend they have no money ; though certainly you have done well , and lent much , yet the plnndering army give out , that if they get possession of the city , they shall find a treasury to be able to pay all they have been at : and if ever you should be driven ( which god forbid ) to make your peace , it would cost you twenty times as much then to procure your peace , and such a pe●…ce it may be , that would be rather a war than a peace , and a death better than that peace , which now you may have for a very little , a most happy peace . there is a famous story of zelimus emperour of constantinople , that after he had taken aegypt , he found a great deal of tre●…sure there , and the souldiers came to him , and asked him , what shall we do with the citizens of aegypt , for we have found a great treasure among them , and we have taken their riches ? o ( saith he ) hang them all up , for they are too rich to be made slaves ; and this was all the thanks they had for the riches they were spoiled os ; and it may be , though some of you that stand neuters , or some of you that are disaffected to the cause of the parlament , may think that if the lord for our sins , should give up this city unto the army that is with the king , you may think that you shall escape , yet be assured that your goods will be roundheads , though you be not , your goods will be gybellins , though you be guelfs , as the story is ; certainly , there will be no distinction , in the plundering of your goods , between you and others ; and therefore let me beseech you , that as the lord hath made you instruments to do a great deal of good already , for indeed you are the preservers of our religion , and you are the preservers of our parlament , by your liberality , and by your former contributions , and by your assistance , and the lord hath made you mighty instruments of our good , let me beseech you , that you would persevere , and now we are come to the sheat anchor , we are now come to the last cast , i beseech you , you would persevere , and hold out ; and o that my words might add somewhat to help forward this contribution ! it hath pleased god to make me a setled minister in this city , and i have now been here almost five years in this city , and though i had never ●…one any good in my place , i should now think it a great fruit of my coming to this city , if after five years unprofitableness , i might speak somewhat this afternoon , that might enlarge your hearts to a greater measure of liberality ; all i will say is this : we divines say , that perseverance is the onely grace that crowns a christian ; methushelah lived nine hundred ninety and nine years , if he had fallen away from grace , at the nine hundred ninety and nine years end , all the good that he had done before , had been quite forgotten ; i know that god will so uphold his children , that they shall never fall away , but i bring it as a supposition , that suppose that methushelah had forsaken his righteousness , all he had done before , had been quite forgotten ; but god hath made a promise , never to forsake his children , and that grace he hath begun in them , he will finish , and i doubt not but that god , that hath put it into your hearts to be so liberal already , and do so much in this cause , and to be so cordial , and so real , and to exceed àll other parts of the kingdom , i hope that same god will now finish that good work he hath begun , and will crown all his graces in you , with the grace of perseverance ; and that god that hath been the author of all the good you have done , i doubt not but that god will be the finisher : and i beseech god to give a blessing to that hath been spoken . mr. baxter's theses of government and governours in general , collected out of his book called the holy common-wealth . i. governours are some limited , some de facto unlimited : the unlimited are tyrants and have no right to that unlimited government . p. 106. thes. 101. ii. the 3. qualifications of necessity to the being of soveraign power are , 1. so much understanding , 2. so much will or goodness in himself , 3. so much strength or executive power by his interest in the people or others , as are necessary to the said ends of government . p. 130. thes. 133. iii. from whence he deduceth 3. corollaries , ( viz. ) 1. when providence depriveth a man of his understanding and intellectual capacity , and that statedly or to his ordinary temper , it maketh him materiam indispositam and uncapable of government , though ●…ot of the name . thes. 135. 2. if god permit princes to turn sowicked as to be uncapable of governing so as is consistent with the ends of government , he permits them to depose themselves . thes. 136. 3. if providence statedly disable him that was the soveraign from the executing of the law , protecting the just , and other ends of government , it makes him an uncapable subject of the power , and so desposeth him . thes. 137. iv. vvhereunto he subjoyns , that though it is possible and likely that the guilt is or may be theirs , who have disabled their ruler by delerting him , yet he is dismissed and disobliged from the charge of government ; and particular innocent members are disobliged from being governed by him . v. if the person ( viz. the soveraign ) be justly dispossest , as by a lawful war , in which he loseth his right , especially if he violate the constitution and enter into a military state against the people themselves , and by them be conquered , they are not obliged to restore him , unless there be some special obligation upon them besides their allegiance . thes. 145. vi. if the person dispossess'd , though it were unjustly , do afterwards become uncapable of government , it is not the duty of his subjects to seek his restitution . thes. 146. no not although ( saith he ) the incapacity be but accidental , as if he cannot be restored but by the arms of the enemies or god or of the common-wealth . vii . if an army ( of neighbours , inhabitants , or whoever ) do ( though injuriously ) expel the soveraign , and resolve to ruine the common-wealth , rather than he shall be restored ; and if the common-wealth may prosper without his restauration , it is the duty of such an injured prince for the common good to resign his government , and if he will not , the people ought to judge him as made uncapable by providence , and not to seek his restitution to the apparent ruine of the common-wealth . thes. 147. vvhere by the way we are to note , he makes the people judge of this and all other incapacities of the prince , and consequently when or for what he is to be depos'd , or not restored by them . viii . if therefore the rightful governour be so long dispossess'd , that the common-wealth can be no longer without , but to the apparent hazard of its ruine , we ( that is , we the people , or we the rebels that dispossess'd him ) are to judge that providence hath dispossess'd the former , and presently to consent to another . thes. 149. ix . when the people are without a governour , it may be the duty of such as have most strength , ex charitate , to protect the rest from injury . thes. 150. and consequently they are to submit themselves to the parlament , or to that army which deposed or dispossess'd or murdered the rightful governour . x. providence by conquest or other means doth use so to qualifie some persons above others for the government when the place is void , that no other persons shall be capable competitors , and the persons ( doth not he mean the cromwels ? ) shall be as good as named by providence , whom the people are bound by god to choose , or consent to , so that they are usually brought under a divine obligation to submit to such or such , and take them for their governous , before those persons have an actual right to govern. thes. 151. xi . any thing that is a sufficient sign of the will of god , that this is the person , by whom we must be governed , is enough ( as joyned to gods laws ) to oblige us to consent and obey him as our governour . thes. 153. xii . when god doth not notably declare any person or persons qualified above others , there the people must judge as well as they are able according to gods general rules . thes. 157. xiii . and yet all the people have not this right of choosing their governours , but commonly a part of every nation must be compelled to consent , &c. xiv . those that are known enemies of the common good in the chiefest parts of it , are unmeet to govern or choose governours , but such are multitudes of ungodly vicious men . pag. 174. so that if those that are strongest ( though fewest ) call themselves the godly party , all others besides themselves are to be excluded from governing or choosing of governours . and amongst the ungodly that are to be thus excluded , he reckons all those that will not hearken to their pastors ( he means the presbyterian classis ) or that are despisers of the lords-day , that is , all such as are not sabbatarians , or will not keep the lords-day after the jewish manner , which they prescribe , and which is condemned for judaism by all even of the presbyterian perswasion in the world , but those of england and scotland ouely . xv. if a people that by oath and duty are obliged to a soveraign , shall sinfully disposse's him , and contrary to their covenants , choose and covenant with another , they may be obliged by their latter covenant notwithstanding their former ; and particular subjects that consented not in the breaking of their former covenants , may yet be obliged by occasion of their latter choice to the person whom they choose . thes. 181. xvi . if a nation injuriously deprive themselves of a worthy prince , the hurt will be their own , and they punish themselves ; but if it be necessarily to their well-fare , it is no injury to him . but a king that by war will seek reparations from the body of the people , doth put himself into an hostile state , and tells them actually that he looks to his own good more than theirs , and bids them take him for their enemy , and so defend themselves if they can . pag. 424. xvii . though a nation wrong their king , and so quoad meritum causa , they are on the worser side , yet may he not lawfully war against the publick good on that account , nor any help him in such a war , because propter finem he hath the worser cause . thes. 352. and yet as he tells us ( pag. 476. ) we were to believe the parlaments declarations and professions which they made , that the war which they raised was not against the king , either in respect of his authority , or of his person ; but onely against the delinquent subjects , and yet they actually fought against the king in person , and we are to believe ( saith mr. baxter pag. 422. ) that men would kill them whom they fight against . mr. baxter's doctrine concerning the government of england in particular . he denies the government of england to be monarchical in these words . i. the real soveraignty here amongst was us in king , lords , and commons . pag. 72. ii. as to them that argue from the oath of supremacy and the title given the king , i refer them ( saith mr. baxter ) to mr. lawson's answer to hobb's politicks , where he sheweth that the title is often given to the single person for the honour of the common-wealth , and his encouragement , because he hath an eminent interest : but will not prove the whole soveraignty to be in him : and the oath excludeth all others from without , not those whose interest is implied as conjunct with his — the eminent dignity and interest of the king above others allowed the name of a monarchy or kingdom to the common-wealth , though indeed the soveraignty was mix'd in the hands of the lords and commons . pag. 88. iii. he calls it a false supposition , 1. that the soveraign power was onely in the king , and so that it was an absolute monarchy . 2. that the parlament had but onely the proposing of laws , and that they were enacted onely by the kings authority upon their request . 3. that the power of arms and of war and peace was in the king alone . and therefore ( saith he ) those that argue from these false suppositions , conclude that the parlament being subjects , may not take up arms without him , and that it is rebellion to resist him ; and most of this they gather from the oath of supremacy , and from the parlaments calling of themselves his subjects ; but their grounds ( saith he ) are sandy , and their superstructure false . pag. 459 , & 460. and therefore mr. baxter tells u●… , that though the parlament are subjects in one capacity , yet have they their part in the soveraignty also in their higher capacity , ibid. and upon this fa●…se and trayterous supposition he endeavours to justisie the late rebellion , and his own more than ordinary activeness in it . for , iv. where the soveraignty ( saith he ) is distributed into several hands ( as the kings and parlaments ) and the king invades the others part , they may lawfully defend their own by war , and the subject lawfully assist them , yea though the power of the militia be expresly given to the king , unless it be also exprest that it shall not be in the other . thes. 363. the conclusion ( saith he ) needs no proof , because soveraignty , as such , hath the power of arms and of the laws themselves . the law that saith the king shall have the militia , supposeth it to be against enemies , and not against the common-wealth , nor them that have part of the soveraignty with him . to resist him here is not to resist power , but usurpation and private will ; in such a case the parlament is no more to be resisted than he . ibid. v. if the king raise war against such a parlament , upon their declaration of the dangers of the common-wealth , the people are to take it as raised against the common-wealth . thes. 358. and in that case ( saith he ) the king may not only be resisted , but ceaseth to be a king , and entreth into a state of war with the people . thes. 368. vi. again , if a prince that hath not the whole soveraignty be conquered by a senate that hath the other part , and that in a just defensive war , that senate cannot assume the whole soveraignty , but supposeth that government in specie to remain , and therefore another king must be chosen , if the former be incapable , ( thes. 374. ) as he tells us , he is , by ceasing to be king , in the immediately precedent thes. vii . and yet in the preface to this book he tells us that the king withdrawing ( so he call the murdering of one king and the casting off of another ) the lords and commons ruled alone ; was not this to change the species of the government ? which in the immediate words before he had affirmed to be in king , lords and commons ; which constitution ( saith he ) we were sworn , and sworn , and sworn again to be faithful to and to defend . and yet speaking of that parlament which contrary to their oaths changed this government by ruling alone , and taking upon them the supremacy , he tells us that they were the best governours in all the world , and such as it is forbidden to subjects to depose upon pain of damnation . vvhat then was he that deposed them ? one would think mr. baxter should have called him a traytor , but he calls h●…m in the same preface , the lord prorector , adding , that he did prudently , piously , faithfully , and to his immortal honour exercise the government , which he left to his son , to whom ( as mr. baxter saith pag. 481. ) he is bound to submit as set over us by god , and to obey for conscience sake , and to behave himself as a loyal subject towards him , because ( as he saith in the same place ) a sull and free parlament had owned him : thereby implying , that a maimed and manacled house of commons , without king and lords , and notwithstanding the violent expulsion of the secluded members , were a full and free parlament ; and consequently , that if such a parlament should have taken arms against the king , he must have sided with them . yea , though they had been never so much in fault , and though they had been the beginners of the vvar , for he tells us in plain and express terms , viii . that if he had known the parlament had been the beginners of the war and in most fault , yet the ruine of the trustees and representatives , and so of all the security of the nation being a punishment greater than any faults of theirs against the king could deserve from him , their faults could not disoblige him ( meaning himself ) from defending the common-wealth . pag. 480. and that he might do this lawfully , and with a good conscience , he seems to be so confident , that in his preface , he makes as it were a challenge , saying , that if any man can prove that the king was the highest power in the time of those divisions , and that he had power to make that war which he made , he will offer his head to justice as a rebel . as if in those times of division th●… king had lost or sorfeited his soveraignty , and the parlament had not onely a part , but the whole soveraignty in themselves . ix . finally mr. baxter tells us , pag. 486. that having often searched into his heart , whether he did lawfully engage into the war or not , and whether he did lawfully encourage so many thousands to it ; he tells us , i say , that the issue of all his search was but this , — that he cannot yet see that he was mistaken in the main cause , nor dares he repent of it , nor forbear doing the same , if it were to do again in the same state of things . he tells us indeed in the same place , that if he could be convinced he had sinned in this matter , he would as gladly make a publick recantation , as he would eat or drink : which seeing he hath not yet done , it is ●…vident he is still of the same mind , and consequently would upon the same occasion do the same things , viz. sight , and encourage as many thousands as he could to fight against the king , for any thing that calls it self , or which he is pleased to call a full and free parlament : as likewise that he would own and submit to any usurper of the soveraignty as set up by god , although he came to it by the murder of his master , and by trampling upon the parlament . lastly , that he would hinder as much as possibly he could the restoring of the rightful heir unto the crown . and now whether a man of this judgement , and of these affections , ought to be permitted to preach or no , let any , but himself , judge . mr. stephen marshal in his thanksgiving sermon on psal. 124. vers . 6 , 7 , 8. before the house of commons , sept. 7. 1641. upon the peace concluded between england and scotland . page 40 , 41. many are grieved at the great things god has done for us , as in the eighth of ezekiel v. 14. a company of women sate weeping for tammuz , cause they had lost their idol . pag. 45. this year have we seen broken the yokes which lay upon our estates , liberties , religion , and conscience . pag. 49. look to your families , do as jacob did at bethel , when he payed his vow of thanksgiving unto god , he made all his family bury their idols under an oak . mr. stephen marshal in his sermon preach'd to the house of commons at their day of thanksgiving , june 15. 1643. for the discovery of a dangerous , desperate , and bloody design , tending to the utter subersion of the parlament , and of the famous city of london . the viol now pouring out is the lords work , and he will see it done , doubt ye not . pag. 9. the first engineers that battered the walls of this great babylon , who were they but the poorer and meaner sort of people that at the first joyn'd with the ministers to raise the building of reformation ? pag. 15. in scotland what great things hath the lord lately done , by very weak means , hardly the fift part of the nobility appearing for them , scarce one fourth part of the kingdom owning the cause ? pag. 18. were not the book of service , and the book of canons obtruded on them , the occasion of their late mercies ? and the tyranny of a few of their prelates , a means to unburthen them of their whole prelacy ? pag. 18. to what a dead low ebb were we brought , our liberty almost swallowed up , and turned into slavery , our religion into popery ? pag. 18. the prelates late canons and oath , purposely contrived for the perpetuating of their hierarchy , and their other treacherous endeavours against the state , joyning with the papists , and with them labouring to bring all into confusion , hath helped thus far toward the taking them away both root and branch . pag. 19. the roman emperors wasted the saints in ten several persecutions , but all these were nothing in comparison of this destroyer , all their loins not so heavy as the little fiuger of anti-christ . pag. 25. you are in part ( honorable and well-beloved ) one of the angels who are to pour out the vial of the wrath of god. pag. 37. had this bloody contrivance took effect , this honorable assembly had been made as a parlament of paris , the greatest instruments of the kingdoms slavery and vassallage for time to come . pag. 39. think now how deeply you are engaged , and brought under the curse of god , if you perform not this solemn covenant , think how horrid a thing it will prove sor any of you to stand perjured men before god in matters of such consequence . pag. 41. all protestant writers do agree , that we are under the pouring out of some one or more of these seven vials , some think the fourth vial is now pouring out on the anti-christian world , others the fift on the throne of the beast . pag. 44. i dare speak it as confidently as i believe the revelation to be divine scripture , that what viol so ever is now pouring out , the issue will be , anti-christ shall lose , and christ shall gain . pag. 45. mr. stephen marshal in his sacred panegyrick , preached to the two houses of parlament , his excellency the earl of essex , lord maior , court of aldermen , &c. upon occasion of their feasting , to testifie their thankfulness to god , for their union and concord , janu. 18. 1643. on 1. chron. 12. 38 , 39 , 40. all these came with a perfect heart to hebron to make david king over israel , &c. david persecuted by saul did not onely take up arms for his own defence , but many of the choisest men of the tribes did joyn with him , and all this while king saul was alive , and david but a private man , and one that had sworn allegiance to him . pag. 7. now beloved give me leave to speak my thoughts freely , i will set aside my text , and the matter i have in hand , and yet i will confidently affirm , that our days now are better than they were seven years ago , because it is better to see the lord executing judgement , then to see men working wickedness , and to behold a people lie wallowing in their blood , rather than apostating from god , and embracing idolatry and superstition , and banishing the lord jesus from amongst them . pag. 18. if there be any in this assembly that thinks not this a sufficient retribution and satisfaction for all his twentieth part , for all his contributions , for all his payments and hazards , i s●…y he is blind , i s●…y his heart is not right with god , he hath no share in this business . pag. 20. carry on the work still , leave not a rag that belongs to popery , lay not a bit of the lords building with any thing that belongs to anti-christ , but away with it , root and branch , head and tail , till you can say , now is christ set upon his throne . pag. 21. * noble and resolute commanders , go on to fight the battels of the lord jesus christ , for so i will not now fear to call them . pag. 21. — * all christendom , except the malignants in england , do now see that the question in england , is , whether christ or anti-christ shall be lord and king. pag. 21. ten thousand times cursed are they who have provoked our soveraign to raise arms to destroy his nobles , and commons , and divines , and this most honoured city , and even all who have been faithful . pag. 28. mr. stephen marshal after naseby fight , in a thanksgiving sermon , on psal. 102. 18. all the countries where the gospel had prevail'd , have faithsully stood to god in his cause , the rest nurst up under popery and superstition , both lords commons and gentlemen , and whole commons , did endeavour to fight themselves into slavery , and labour to des●…roy the parlament , that is themselves , and all that is theirs . mr. marshal in his sermon on micah . 7. 1 , 2. 1644. believe this cause must prosper , though we were all dead , our armies overthrown , and even our palaments dissolved , this cause must prevail . mr. edmund calamy in his sermon before the house of peers , june 15. 1643. on joshua 24. 15. religion is that which is pretended on all hands , the defence of the protestant religion , this news we hear daily from oxford , and for this purpose there is an army of papists to defend protestant religion , just as the gun-powder treason , that would have blown up the parlament for the good of the catholike religion . pag. 24. few noblemen and gentlemen appear on the parlament side , not many mighty , not many noble , thus it was in christs time , the great men and great scholars crucified christ. pag. 30. the cause you mannage , is the cause of god , the glory of god is embark'd in the same ship in which this cause is , and you may lawfully say as joshua does , josh. 7. 9. what wilt thou do unto thy great name ? and numb . 14. 15 , 16. and as joshua said to israel , numb . 14. 7. so doth god to you , fear not , fear not , the people of the land , for they are bread for us , their defence is departed from them , and the lord is with us , fear them not . pag. 53. i may say without uncharitableness , you have the major part of gods people on your side . pag. 55. he that dies fighting the lords battel , dies a martyr . pag. 57. mr. thomas case in his epistle dedicatory to the commons house in parlament , before his sermon on ezek. 20. 25. god in you hath graciously begun to make good that evangelical promise , zech. 12. 8. in defending this his english hierusalem he hath made him that was weak among you , as david , you have conquer'd the lyon a●…d the bear , and shall not that uncircumcised philistine ( that numerous beast ) who hath not ceast to blaspheme the armies os the living god , become like one of these ? behold ●… he lies groveling at your feet , there wants nothing but cutting off his head . they cryed down the s●…bbath as a ridiculous , or at least , a superfluous ceremony . pag. xi . * thus they make the king glad with their wickedness , and he that could bring jeroboam an argument to justifie his idolatry he was a well-come man at court. pag. 12. mr. case on ezra 10. 2 , 3. preach'd before the house of commons . some have sinn'd seducingly : and jesuites could never have been more desperate , i am sure they might have been less guilty , they have sinn'd against their light , murthered their principles they have suck'd in with their mothers milk* spare them not i beseech you , though they crouch and cringe , and worship you as much as they have done their high altars . pag. 15. ah brethren ! i would not have you redeem their lives with your own heads . pag. 16. how the presence and preaching of christ did scorch and blast those cathedral priests , that unhallowed generation of * scribes and pharisees , and perfected their rebellion , into that unpardonable sin against the holy ghost . pag. 33. mr. case on dan. xi . 32. 1644. before the house of commons on a day of thanksgiving , for the victory given to sir william waller against the army of sir ralph hopton . had not the spirit of the lord wrought to a wonder of wisdom and power , we might have sate down long before this , made our wills , an●… bequeath'd our poor children , every one of them popery and slavery for their sorrowful patrimony . pag. 9. cursed be he that withholdeth his sword from blood , that spares , when god saith strike ; that suffers those to escape whom god has appointed to destruction . pag. 24. mr. case on isa. 43. 4. in a thanksgiving for taking bridgwater and sherbourn . * what a sad thing is it my brethren , to see our king in the head of an army of bahylonians , refusing as it were to be call'd the king of england , scotland , ireland , and chusing rather to be call'd the king of babylon ? pag. 18. prelacy and prelatical clergy , priests and jesuites , ceremonies and service-book , star-chamber and high commission court , were mighty impediments in the way of reformation , god hath mightily brought them down . pag. 19. * the father having given to him ( vid. christ ) all power both in heaven and in earth , and the rule and regiment of this kingdom he hath committed to monarchies , aristocracies , or democracies , as the several combinations and associations of the people shall between themselves think good to elect and erect . god leaves people to their own liberty in this case . pag. 26. mr. thomas case , psal. 107. 30 , 31. in his thanksgiving sermon for surrender of chester . * alas , alas , they have put out the eyes of his majesty , and carried him away captive ; our king is in babylon among idolaters and murtherers ; we have no king. mr. joseph caryl in his sermon on nehe. chap. 9. vers . 38. preach'd at the taking of the covenant , octob. 6. 1643. there is much sin in making a covenant on sinful grounds , and there is more sin in keeping it ; but when the preservation of true religion , and the vindication of just liberties , meet in the ground-work , yea may swear , and not repent , yea if you swear , yea must not repent . pag. 18. take the covenant , and ye take babylon , the towers of babylon shall quake , and her seven hills shall move . pag. 21. it is shiboleth to distinguish ephramites from gileadites . pag. 22. when we provoke god to bring evil upon us , he stays his hand by considering the covenant . gen. 9. 15. now as the remembrance of the covenant on gods part stays his hand , so the remembrance of the covenant will be very effectual , on our part , to stay our hands , tongues , hearts from sin . pag. 27. not onely is that covenant which god hath made with us , founded in the blood of christ , but that also which we make with god. pag. 33. mr. caryl on revel . xi . vers . 16 , 17. before the house of commons , april 23. 1644. our war has been proved over and over ( to unbiast consciences ) to be just . pag. 15. we may answer all queries about the reign of christ thus , the blind begin to have their eyes unscal'd , the lame do walk at liberty , proud ones are ab●…s'd , the mighty ones are put from their seats , errors discountenanc'd , ●…ruths inquir'd after , ceremonies and superstitions are cast out , monuments of popery and paganism cast down . pag. 35. mr. caryl on luke 10. 20. rejoyce not that the spirits are made subject unt●… you , &c. * there is very little difference between devils and wicked men . i may say without breach of charity , devils incarnate are made subject this day , and their subjection is the subject of this days rejoycing . pag. 22. mr. charles herle before the house of lords , jan. 15. 1643. on psal. 95. 1. o come let us sing unto the lord , &c. * in vain shall you in your fasts , with joshua , lie on your faces , unless you lay your achans on their backs , in vain are the high praises of god in your mouthes , without a two edged sword in your hand . pag. 31. the same again he has in sermon on gen. 22. vors . 2. before the lord maior and aldermen , pag. 23. adding * the blood that ahab spared in benhad ad stuck as deep and heavily on him , as that which he spilt in naboth . mr. herle in his preface before his sermon on 2 sam. 21. 16 , 17. preach'd before the commons , novemb. 5. 1644. he is neither true protestant nor true english-man , that doth not with all thankfulness and admiration , look upon the greatness of the contribution , which the concurrent streams of our sister nation of scotland brings to both those interests of church and state. pag. 14. * do justice to the greatest . sauls sons are not spared , no nor may agag or benhadad , though themselves kings . zimri and cosbi , though princes of the people , must be pursu'd into their tents . this is the way to consecrate your selves to god. pag. 16. mr. herle on 1 kings 22. 22. i will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets ; before the commons , 1644. * if the devil can but once get a prophet to leave gods service for the kings , he hath taken a blew already , and is ready for as deep a black as hell can give him . pag. 28. * there can be nothing plainer than that the houses of parlament without the kings personal concurrence are still a court of judgement . pag. 38. * the houses are not onely requisite to the acting of this power of making laws , but co-ordinate with his majesty in the very power of acting . pag. 42. mr. jerem. burroughs on isa. 66. vers . 10. in a thansgiving . there was corruption both in church and common-wealth , idols were set up in dan and bethel , i. e. in the places of judgement , and in the house of god. pag. 37. * the greatest blow that ever was given to anti-christian government , is that which now it hath had , babylon is fallen , is sallen , so fallen as it shall never rise again . pag. 44. this is the curse of god on that party , notwithstanding god sets himself against them , yet they will not come in and repent , for god takes no pleasure in them , to give them repentance . pag. 58 , 59. mr. obed. sedgewick on esther 9. vers . 1. in a thanksgiving sermon , jan. 15. 1643. * never were there grosser idols in rome than those things as they were used by some , and what is abus'd by superstition ought not to be retain'd . pag. 33. mr. alexander henderson before the lords and commons , thursday 18. of july 1644. on mat. 14. 21. in his preface to that sermon . the principal theam and matter of the solemnity of the day , we take for an answer of the prayers of the faithful in the three kingdoms . mr. john strickland of new sarum in his thanksgiving , novemb. 5. 1644. on psal. 46. 7. * the execution of judgement is the lords work , and they shall be cursed that do it negligently , and cursed shall they be that keep back their sword from blood in this cause , you know the story of gods message unto ahab for letting benhadad go upon composition . pag. 26. * such a generation of men there were amongst us , that by compliances with idols and idolatry went about to drive god away , and what consistence can there be between the ark and dagon , between god and idols ? pag. 32. mr. matthew newcomen on neh. 4. xi . novemb. 5. 1642. a dam ●…ontzen a jesuite has drawn a plot , for cheating of a people of the true religion by art of legerdemain , the method this , be pleased to observe how exactly the late times have moved according to these rules . when abbies were demolish'd they found in their vaults and ponds heaps of sculs and bones , monuments of their smother'd cruelty , i doubt not but the abolishers of high commission have found as manifest evidence of their cruel practices , heaps of the blood of innocents . pag. 30. those traytors ( of the fift of november ) laid their fire-works in the bowels of the earth , these have laid theirs in the bosom of our soveraign , whereby they have captivated not onely the multitude , but the throne it self . pag. 35. mr. joh. ward before the house , of lords on deut. 33. 16. 't is n●…w more than manifest that rome and hell had long since taken counsel , by working to extirpate all protestant religion ; as for dissolving our laws , the introducing arbitrary government , it was but a design on the by to cajole and hire the court to their party . pag. 16. * the scots were necessitated to take up arms for their just defence , and against anti-christ and the popish priests . pag. 18. a lamp hath been seen to walk between the divided pieces , many testimonies of the goodness of our god in the remembrance of his covenant . pag. 21. mr. john bond master of the savoy , before the house of commons , on isaiah 25. 9. 1645. octob. 8. * come hither you malignant atheists , come hither , g●…ash your teeth , and let your eyes rot in their holes . pag. 5. my sute is ( concerning the covenant ) that it may not be obtrude●… without due preparation , as the spaniards baptized the americans b●… droves . pag. 36. give them time first to disgorge themselves of their direful anti-covenant perjurious combinations . pag. 36. let them ●…irst shave their heads , and pair their nails , as the strang●… virgin of old was commanded to do , and so let them enter into that sacred and dreadful covenant . pag. 37. if hereafter the tide of victory shall turn again , and you shall b●… brought low , yet i beseech you remember this day in which you are to give thanks for five victories , that there was a day when god serv'd you in with five pheasants in a dish , with a feast of fat things . pag. 38. mr. francis woodcock before the house of commons , feb. 19. 1645. on gen. 49. 23. in his preface to the county and city of chester aster the surrender of chester . the church in the foremost times was harrased by rome heathen , in these last days by rome anti-christian . pag. 8. have not we of this kingdom been bought and sold hath it not been attempted , yea effected in great measure to bring us , as joseph , into egyptian slavery , were they not english prelates that conspired to sel●… their brethren into romish slavery ? pag. 12. some of your brethren have come in and submitted to you , stars of the first magnitude , and may it not be expected the sun and moon nill do so too ? if they do not , they may do worse , if they do not , it will never be worse for you . pag. 20. mr. samuel faircloth , on josh. 7. 25. before divers of the house of commons . moses fell on his f●…ce , as joshua here , and makes god cry out let me alone ; will this cure it ? no , moses sees for all his prayers , israel will not be cured without a full and total extirpation of all the accursed things and persons also . pag. 25. * the lord rent the kingdom from saul for sparing one agag , and for w●…nt of thorow extirpation of all the accursed things , he lost both than●…s for what he had done and kingdom also . pag. 27. 't is not partial reformation , and execution of justice upon some offenders will afford us help , except those in authority extirpate all achans with baby lomsh garments , orders , ceremonies , gestures , be rooted out from among us . pag. 28. * to you of the honourable house , up , for the matter belongs to you , we , even all the godly ministers of the country , will be with you . pag. 29. think of it , in your committees , to save them and theirs from trouble by troubl●…ng them , as joshua , to wit , by a thorow abolishment , and extirpation of them . pag. 29. the east wind did not sooner cure egypt of the frogs of nilus , than this course would england of all the achans and frogs of tiber — there being no vertue wherein men resemble the lord more lively , as in executing of justice , and in extirpation of those achans you will cut off the wicked , and procure the felicity of the chosen . pag. 34. trouble they will bring upon us for time to come , if they be not now cut off , all may see that an universal destruction , extirpation of us , our religion , peace , and laws , was intended by them , and shall not joshua justly extirpate achans eye for eye , tooth for tooth ? that justice may measure them , the measure they would have measrr'd to us , is not onely 〈◊〉 but necessary , if ninety and nine were taken away , and but on●… a●…han left , he would trouble us . pag. 36. consecrate your selves to day unto the lord , and if all achans could be hang'd up coram isto sole , let none remain until too morrow however . pag. 47. the lord is persuing you , if you execute not vengeance on them betimes . pag. 48. why should life be further granted to them whose very life brings death to all about them . pag. 50. mr. will. bridges on revel . 4. 8. babylon is fallen , as rome in her latitude with all her merchants , and those that symbolize with her is here to be understood .. pag. 6. worthies of israel , it lies on you to enquire out this babylonish company , and to repay them an eye for an eye , tooth for tooth , burning for burning , ear for ear , liberty for liberty , and blood for blood . pag. 10. though as little ones , they call for pitty , yet as babylonish they call for justice even to blood . pag. xi . if a thing be indifferent in it's own nature , and the doing thereof offensive to a weak brother , authority can not write jus divinum upon it , for to offend a weak brother is to destroy him . pag. 15. whensoever you shall behold the hand of god in the fall of babylon , say , true , here is a babylonish priest crying out alas , alas , my living , i have wife and children to maintain , i but all this is to perform the judgement of the lord. pag. 30. there shall be , who when the vial shall be poured out on the beast , shall gnaw their tongues , and blaspheme the god of heaven . pag. 33. nath. homes doctor in divinity , on 2 pet. 3. vers . 13. 1641. an ill scholar is not said to be gone from the university , till he be gone eum pannis with his clothes , no more is enormity gone from the universality of ecclesiasticks , till it be gone cum pannis , not a rag of superstition left behind . pag. 31. this position that humane honest intention may devise forms of devotion , hath brought all the judaism , turcism , and papism into the church . pag. 33. these ecclesiastical offices , ceremonies , and discipline , are set up by the pope , and are an appendix , or tail of anti-christ . pag. 33. now is the promised time of the churches reformation in christendom . p. 34. mr. h. burton in his sermon on psal. 53. 7 , 8. jun : 20. 1641. after the first-born of egypt were slain , the children of israel were deliver'd , and for the chiefest of these incendiaries , certainly the primogenit being taken away we may well hope for a glorious deliverance . pag. xi . * god 's people lie under bondage of conscience in point of liturgy . secondly , in bondage of conscience under ceremonies . thirdly , of conscience under discipline . fourthly , of conscience under government . pag. 21. mr. s. sympson on prov. 8 , 15 , 16. by me kings reign . * let no law hinder you , si jus violandum , and if law be to be broken , it is for a crown , and therefore for religion . pag. 23. * you are set over kingdoms , to root out , pull down , destroy and throw down , do it quickly , do it thorowly . pag. 24. * that which is best , though evil , will be counted good after reformation , as he is counted innocent , who scapes at trial . pag. 25. * among the jews all were in the church that were fit to live , now none must be but saints . pag. 29. one thing that has hindred the church , hath been too much respect to antiquity . pag. 30. an other thing that hinders the church , hath been a desire of uniformity by this , judaism and gentilism got into the church , that they might accord together . pag. 31. mr. case in his sermon on 2 chron. 19. 6 , 7. concerning jehosaphats caveat to his judges ; preaching to a court martial . you know , said he , how the midianites ( the king and his party ) with whom you have to do , have vext you with their wiles , and laboured to obstruct you , yet to cut us all off in our passage into the land of promise , that blessed reformation , which the parlament consult for , assembly dispute for , armies fight for , and all good christians pray for ; oh! therefore do you honour god in avenging your brethren upon these midianites in doing execution on the enemies of christ and the kingdom . out of the book called scripture and reason pleaded for defensive arms , or the whole controversie about subjects taking up of arms ; published by divers of their learnedst divines , and ordered to be printed by the committee of the house of commons , april 14. 1643. which order is subscribed by john white . to doctor fern : 's objection , that though it be said , they intend not to hurt the kings person , yet might i not as well have hurt his person in the day of battel , a●… any of them that were swept away from ab●…ut him by the fury of the ordnance , which put no difference twixt king and common souldiers . pag. 19. they answer by faying , that though this is the hardest case that can be put against defensive armes , yet , ( first ) by what rule of conscience or god is a state bound to sacrifize religion , laws , and liberties , rather than endure that the prince his life should come into any possibilities of hazard , by defending them against those that in his name are bent to subdue them ? pag. 18. secondly , if he wi●…l needs thrust himself upon the hazard , when he needs not , whose fault is that ? — and ( a little after in the same answer , ) as if a king disguized should offer any private violence , a watchman that would not ( or even might not ) hurt him being known , were without blame , if he knock'd him down or killed him , as he might in like case a disorderly private person . now in battel , to many or most , ( and especially to the gunners that give fire to the ordnance ) he is altogether disguised , and so they are blameless in reference to his personal hurt ; that fault is wholly his own , and those wicked counsellors that have thrust him upon the fury of the battel . pag. 20. to doctor ferne's saying , it is a marvellous thing , that among so many prophets reprehending the kings of israel and judah for their idolatry , cruelty , and oppression , none should call upon the elders of the people , for this duty of resistance . they answer , that even in the reign of the best kings , not onely the peoples hearts were usually unprepared , and in their greatest seemings , hypocritical and treacherous , — but also the princes elders and nobles were exceedingly corrupt , — now if they were so bad in good times , who can marvel if they were stark naught , where the king was naught , and helpers , forwarders of his idolatries , cruelties , and oppressions ? and why should it then be expected that the prophets should call upon them to resist the king , being on their side , and they on his . pag. 20. 21. it is not absolutely true , that men are bound universally , as by an ordinance of god , to set up , live under government , in the doctors sense , that is absolutely , and without power to resist . pag. 31. either all mankind are not bound to be under government ( and all the doctors te●…ts and reasons are alleged in vain ) or else kings and monarchs are also under some government , at least of the representative body of their people , according to what was before alleged from our lawyers , rex non habet superiorem praeter legem , & * curiam comitum & baronum , &c. pag. 32. we argue not that the people have power to recall that regal authority wholly , upon any case of mal-administration ; all that we plead for is , power to administer a part of it upon necessity , which he will not administer for good , but rather for evil . and there are not many things that were altogether ours , and in our disposing before we part with them , but are still so far ours , to use them again in our necessity , for that turn at least . ( pag. 35. ) a prince onely inherits what was given the first of the nation , or others since by consent of the people ; and by written law or custome he must claim any power he will exercise , or else he cannot plead any right title to it , and his qualification of power admits of increase or decrease , as he and the people agree and consent . his power is altogether derived by election and consent , first and last , whence i will infer no more but as before , that therefore in case of necessity the people may use so much of it as may suffice to save themselves from ruine . ( pag. 39. ) the late usurpers own'd as a holy state set up by almighty god. master sam. slater in a sermon preached at s. edmunds bury in suffolk upon the 13. of octob. 1658. being a day set apart for solemn fasting and humiliation , and seeking a blessing upon his highness the lord protector . this sermon he intitles the protectors protection , or the pious prince guarded by a praying people . in this sermon , pag. 57 , & 58. he hath these words , oh! pray for your governours , and in a more special manner , for him whom god hath made chief over you , and by his providence called to the supreme place of magistracy in the nation . god hath been pleased of late to make a sad breach among us , taking away from us our former pilot , the late renowned protector , who when he had fought the nations battels , carried us thorow the wilderness , preserved us from the rage and fury of our enemies , and brought us within s●…ght of the promised land , gave up the ghost , laid down his leading staff , and his life together , with whose fall the nation was shaken : his death covered all the faces of sober and considerate persons with paleness , and their hearts with sadness , as if peace , prosperity , resormation , the gospel , all lay drawing on , and would be buried in the same grave with him . but b●…essed be god , divine grace vouchsafed to cast an eye towards us , and to visit us in our low estate : there is another pilot placed in his room ; vvhile he directs the course , let us fill the sails with our praying breath . moses , it is true , is dead , but we have a joshua succeeding him ; let us pray that what the other happily begun , this may more happily finish , and bring the accomplishment of all your right-bred hopes : and what they said to joshua , let us say unto his highness , according as we hearkned unto moses in all things , so will we hearken unto thee , onely the lord they god be with thee , as he was with moses . jos. 1. 17. and pag. 60. our prince riseth gloriously , pray that he might n●…t set in a cloud : our hopes concerning him are great , pray that they may not be blasted . thus he. mr. baxter in his five disputations of church-government and worship , in the epistle dedicatory to richard cromwel , he delivers the sense of his party in these words . many are perswaded you have been strangely kept from participating in any of our late bloody contentions , that god might make you a healer of our breaches , and imploy you in that temple-work , which david himself might not be honour'd with . and he adds — this would be the way to lift you highest in the esteem and love of all your people , and make them see that you are appointed by god to be an healer and restorer , and to glory in you , and to bless god for you as the instrument of our chiefest good . — my earnest prayers for your higness shall be , that you may rule us as one that is ruled by god , &c. the same mr. baxter in his holy common-wealth , in the epistle dedicatory or preface to the army , ( pag. 6. ) he call'd those usurping powers , that were then laid by , the best governours in all the world , that have the supremacy , whom to resist or depose is forbidden to subjects on pain of damnation , and pag. 8. he crys out , shall the best of governours , the greatest of mercies seem intolerable ? o how happy would the best of ohe nations under heaven be , if they had the rulers that our ingratitude hath cast off . and pag. 484. speaking of the usurpers ( whomsoever he meant ) he saith , he is bound to submit to the present government , as set over us by god , and to obey for conscience , and to behave himself as a loyal subject towards them . in the book intitled , the marrow of modern divivinity , * publickly commended by mr. caryl , mr. burroughs , mr. strong , mr. sprigg , and mr. samuel prittie . evangelista ( in the dialogue ) being a minister of the gospel , doth instruct neophytus or the young christian in these following words . pag. 201. in case you be at any time by reason of the weakness of your faith , and strength of your temptations , drawn aside , and prevailed with to transgress any of christs commandments , beware you do not thereupon take occasion to call christs love to you into question , but believe as firmly that he loves you as dearly as he did before you thus transgressed : for this is a certain truth , as no good in you , or done by you , did or can move christ to love you the more , so no evil in you or done by you , can move him to love you the less , &c. there are other things in that book , as that * the law of christ neither justifies nor condemns . and that in the covenant betwixt christ and his , there is no more for man to do , but onely to know and believe that christ hath done all for him . out of mr. baxters five disput. of right to sacraments , dispute 3. pag. 329. he that hath oftentimes been drunk may have true grace , and be in number of the godly , and pag. 330. how many professors will rashly rail , and lie in their passions ; how few will take well a reproof , but rather defend their sin ? how many in these times that we doubt not to be godly have been guilty of disobedience to their guides , and of schism , and doing much to the hurt of the church ? a very great sin . peter , lot , and 't is like david did oft commit greater sins . and pag. 326 , 327. a man must be guilty of more sin than peter was in denying , and forsivearing christ , that is notoriously ungodly , ye●… , then lot was , who was drunk two nights together , and committed incest twice with his own daughters , and that after the miraculous destruction of sodom , of his own wife , and his own miraculous deliverance ; nay , a man that is notoriously ungodly ( in the sense in hand ) or unsanctified , must be a greater sinner th●…n solomon was , with his seven hundred wives , and his three hundred concubines , and gross idolatries , when his heart was turned away from the lord god of israel , which appeared to him twice , and commanded not to go after other gods , but he kept not that which the lord commanded . mr. baxters five disputations of church government and worship , are thus dedicated , to his highness richard lord protector of the common-wealth of england , scotland , and ireland ; the epistle begins , sir , these papers are ambitlous of accompaning those against popery into your highness presence for the tender of their service . this would be the way to lift you highest in the esteem and love of all your people , and make them see , that you are * appointed by god to be an hea'er and restorer , and to glory in you , and to bless god for you as the instrument of our chiefest good . your zeal for god will kindle in your subjects a zeal for you . parlaments will love and honour you , ministers will heartily pray for you , and teach all the people to love , and honour , and obey you . i crave your highness favourable aceptance of the tendered service of a ●… faithful subject to your highness , rich. baxter in mr. baxters key for catholikes , and epistle dedicatory to the same richard. it is onely the necessary defence of your life , and * dignity , and the lives of all the protestants that a●…e under your protection and government , and the souls of men that * i desire : — you have your goverment , and we our lives , because the * papists are not strong enough — give not leave * to every seducer to do his worst to damn mens souls , when ●…ou will not tolerate every traytor to draw * your armies or people into * rebellion — if you ask who it is that presumeth thus to be your monitor , it is one that * rejoyceth in the present happiness of england , and * earnestly * wisheth that it were but as well with the rest of the world , and that † honoureth * all the providences of god , by which we have been brought to what we are ; and he is one that * concurring in the common hopes of greater blessings yet to these nations under * your government , was encouraged to do what you daily allow your preachers to do , and to concur with the rest in the tenders ( and some performance ) of his service — that god will make you a ruler and preserver of his churches here at home , and a successful helper to his churches abroad is the earnest prayer of your highness * faithful subject , richard baxter . out of the quarrel of the covenant delivered in three sermons , sept. 27. & 30. oct. 1. 1643. by thomas case , one of the assembly of divines . to murmur at the covenant mr. case calls the voice of rebellion . pag. 19. the covenant it self he calls a pure and heaven'y ordi●…ance . pag. 21. out of mr. case his book of the covenant , delivered in three sermons . a. d. 1643. is prelacy indeed the way of gospel-government , & c ? what is it then that hath destroy'd all gospel orde●… , and government , and vvorship in these kingdoms , as in other places of the christian world , even down to the ground , hath it not been prelacy ? pag. 45. object . but there be that will tell us these have been the faults of the persons and not of the calling . pag. 46. answ. 5. was not that calling as bad as the men ? you may as well say so of the papacy in rome , for surely the prelacy of england which we swore to extir ate , was the very same fabrick , and model of ●…cclesiastical regiment , that is in the antichristian world ; yea , such an evil it is , that some divines , venerable for their g●…eat learning , as well as for their eminent holmess , did conceive sole episcopal jurisdiction to be the very seat of the beast , upon which the fifth angel is now pouring out his vial , which is the reason that the men of that kingdom gnaw their ●…ongues for pain , and blaspheme the god of heaven . pag. 47. his majesty is bound by his coronation oath to confirm these laws , quas vulgus elegerit , which the commons shall agree upon , and present unto his majesty . pag. 49. so hath prelacy flatter'd it self , finding such a party to stand up on it's side among the * rotten lords and commons , the debauched gentry , and abused people of the kingdom . — as thy sword prelacy hath made many women childless , many a faithful minister peop'eless , ( &c. ) so thy mother papacy shall be made childless among harlots , ●… your diocess bishop'ess , and your sees lordless , and your places shall know you no more . come my brethren , i say ▪ and fear not to take this * agag ( prelacy i mean , not the prelates ) and * hew it in pieces before the lord. pag. 51. none can withdraw from , much less oppose this service , but such as bear evil will to sion , and would be unwilling to see th●… ruine and downfall of anti-christ , which this blessed covenant doth so evidently threaten . pag. 63. a fift motive to quicken us to this duty , may be even the practice of the anti-christian state and kingdom ; popery hath been dextrous to propagate and spred it self by this means — and prelacy ( that * whelp ) hath learned this policy of it's mother papacy that lioness , to corrobate and raise it self to that height we have seen and suffered , by these artifice●… — it being an inconfiderable number either of ministers , or people , ( the lord be merciful to us in this thing ) that have had eyes to discover the mystery of iniquity which these men have driven . pag. 64. * he that hath been a malignant or neutral let him be so no more , for i protest against every man that after his striking of this so solemn and sacred a covenant with the most high god , shall dare knowingly , to persist in any of these mentioned abominations ( that is , adheering to the king , &c. ) he is an enemy to jesus christ , a traytor to the kingdoms , a state murderer , and a destroyer of himself and his posterity , and at his hands if they miscarry god will require the blood of all these . pag. 101. * it brings letters of testimonial with it , &c. the waters of this covenant hath been a notable purgation to the rebels there , ( in scotland ) it hath been a shibboleth to discover them , and a sword in the hand of the angel of the covenant to chase or slay them . the walls of jericho have fallen flat before it . the dagon of the bishops service-book brake it's neck before this ark of the covenant . prelacy and * prerogative have bowed down , and given up the ghost at it's feet ; and what changes hath it wrought in the church and state ! what a reformation hath follow'd at the heels of this glorious ordinance ? pag. 65 , 66. epist. dedicat. thousands of your nation are preparing their brotherly addresses to pay the same debt to the whole kingdom , now almost in as great an exigence as ever the gibeonites were when their five kings with all their united fo●…ces were within few days march , to take a bloody and unnatural revenge for their entring into covenant with joshua onely ; we beseech you account it not our distrust or jealousie , if sometimes you hear us complaining with the mother of sisera , why are their chariots so long in com●…ng , why stay the wheels of their chariots ? that is , why come not in the scotish a●…my against the king ? out of the trial of mr. love , before the high-court of justice in westminster-hall . printed aug. 1652. major huntington in his examination as witness against love , says thus , pag. 32. i was told by major alford , that bain●… ( another witness ) told them , he was very sorry he should meddle in that business , and that they would never prosper that had any thing to do with him ( meaning the king ) for that the sins of him and his father were so great . mr. love told adams a witness against him , thus , that if the presbyterians were in arms again , by the blessing of god , the cava●…eering party might be prevented from getting the day . pag. 38. mr. love in his defence says thus , god is my witness , i never drove a malignant design , i never carried on a malignant interest , i detest both ; i still retain my old covenanting principles , from which through the grace of god i will never depart , for any terror or perswasion whatsoever , &c. i do retain as great a keeness , and shall whilest i live , and as strong an opposition against a malignant interest , whether in scotland or in england or in any part of the world , against the nation where i live , and have to ●…his day , as ever i did in former times . i have all along engaged my estate and life in the parlaments quarrel against the forces raised by the king. i gave my all : and i did not onely deem it my duty to preach for the lawfulness of a defensive war , but unless my books and wearing apparel , i contributed all that i had in the world . — i have at this day a great sum due to me from the state , which is still kept from me , and now my life endeavoured to be taken from me . and yet for all this i repent not of what i have done ; though i could from my soul wish , that the ends of that just war , had been better accomplished , &c. pag. 67. when i was scholar in oxon and master of arts ( i do not speak it out of vain ostentation , but meerly to represent unto you , that what i ●…as i am , and what i am i was ) i was the first scholar that i know o●… , or ever heard of in oxon , who did publikely refuse in the congregation-house to subscribe unto those impositions , or canons , imposed by the arch-bishop touching the prelates & common prayers ; and for which though they would not deny me my degree , yet i was expelled the congregation-house , never to sit as a member among them , &c. about the beginning of the wars between the late king and the parl●…ment , i was the first minister that i knew of in england , who w●…s accused of preaching of treason and rebellion , meerly for maintaining in a sermon in kent , at tenerden , the lawfulness of a defensive war , * at the first breaking out and irruption of our troubles . i , &c. t●…at have in my measure ventur'd my all , in the same quarrel that you were e●…gaged in , and lifted up my hands in the same covenant , that took sweet counsel together , and walked in fellowship one with another , &c. attourney general ( prideaux ) in pag. 102. thus , the treason is in this , the scots come in with intent to subvert the government ( meaning cromwels ) charles s●…ewart to be made king , to subvert the government , &c. i have prayed unto god many a day , and kept many a fast , wherein i have sought god that there might be an agreement between the king and the scots upon the interest of religion , and terms of the covenant . pag. 125. thus , i die cleaving to all those oaths , vows , covenants and protestations that were imposed by the two houses of parlament , as owning them , and dying with my judgement for them ; to the protestation the vow and covenant , the solemn league and covenant . and this i tell you all , i had rather die a covenant-keeper , th●…n live a covenant-breaker . pag. 162. thus , i die with this perswasion , that the presbyterial government makes most for purity , and unity , throughout the churches of the saints . mr. marshal in a sermon before the house of peers , octob. 28. 1646. on that text psal. 8. 2. out of the mouth of babes — hast thou ordained strength — that thou mightest still the enemy , &c. he propounds this quaere , wherein lyes the power which proceedeth out of the mouth of these babes ? his answer is , there are sive things , which all are the fruit of the mouth , & by them the●…e babes have overcome the enemy and the avenger , 1. preaching , 2. confessing or professing , the name , truth and cause of god , and his christ. 3. praising , singing out praise , &c. 4. praying , and 5. covenanting . then he brings in an objection , if these be all the weapons and strength whereby the saints do overcome , why do you use any other means to overcome your enemies ? why rest you not contented with this ? either these are not all , or you are not christians , nor true to your principles ; — time was when preces and lachrymae , prayers and tears , were all the weapons which the church did use ; but now when you have spoke all these things of the power of preaching , and praying , and consessing , and covenanting , you are glad to betake your selves to arms , to see what they will do , to help those out , whence it 's apparent , you dare not rest in these as sufficient helps . to this mr. marshal * answers thus , we acknowledge , that as we are christians ( in that capacity ; for as they distinguish'd the king into a double capacity , so they did themselves too , into a natural and a christian capacity , and in that capacity , saith he ) we use no other weapons than these we have told you of , these onely are proper and peculiar to us ●…s we are christians ; but the weapons which we enjoy as we are christians , do not deprive us of those we enjoy in the capacity as men. — and we challenge in this no more than we may lawfully use , if we were papists or turks , if we were pagans , jews or indians : we challenge not this to belong to christianity , as peculiar to it , we have learn'd , that by the law of nature and nations , men may defend themselves against unjust violence ; if the turks should invade a countrey of christians , they will tell him , that as they are christians , their praying and professing and singing & covenanting , these spiritual weapons out of their mouth will quell them ; but as they are men , they have a liberty to defend themselves against him , & vim vi repellere ; or if a christian man were travelling upon the high way , and a thief should demand of him , how as a christian , he could defend himself from his enemies ; he would tell him , by faith , by prayer , by the word of god , by weapons out of his mouth ; but if the thief assault him and take his life or his purse , ●…s he is a man he will use his sword , and christianity will sanc●…ifie this use of his sword to him , &c. thus mr. marshal ubi supra . pag. 27 , 28. and to secure his party from fear of future vengeance , or damnanation , threatned to the resisters of soveraign authority , rom. 13. 2. he interprets that text , not of the damnation of hell , but of the sentence * of the soveraign power ; and that they might not b●… frighted with the fear of that temporal judg●…ment neither , he promiseth them success and victory , in the name of almighty god , as abovesaid . out of mr. calamyes apology against mr. burton . 1646. for my own particular i crave leav●… to declare to all that shall read these lines , what i have done to manifest my repentance , and let master burton then judge whether it be a repentance to be repented of , or no. first , i went to bury , and there made in a sermon , a recantation , and retraction of what i had done , in the hearing of thousands . and this i did before the times turned against episcopacy , not out of discontent , nor because i was disappointed of my expected preferment at court. secondly , after my coming to london at the beginning of this parlament i was one of those that did joyn in making smectymnuus , which was the first deadly blow to episcopacy in england of late years . thirdly , my house was a receptacle for godly ministers in the worst of times : here was the remo●…strance framed against the prelates : here were all meetings . i was the first that openly before a committee of parlament did defend that our bishops were not onely not an order distinct from presbyters , but that in scripture a bishop and presbyter were all one . i blush to speak of these things , but the judicious reader will consider how i am provoked to it , and will pardon me . as for the service-book , let m. burton know , that at a meeting at my house , it was resolved by above a hundred ministers , after a long debate upon divers weighty considerations , that all that could in their judgements submit to the reading of some part of it , should be intreated for a while to continue so to do . to this our dissenting brethren , then present did agree , and one of them made a speech to manifest his concordance . this is enough to give any man satisfaction for the late laying of it down . out of mr. jeremiah burroughes his speech in guild-hall on friday the sixt of october , 1643. a people they are ( speaking of the scots ) that began to rise for their liberties , when the generality of this people here , were ready basely to bow down th●…ir backs , and put their necks under the yoke : and had it not been that they had been willing to have endured the brunt , we had all been slaves ( it is like ) at this day . their liberties are setled , why they , though on the other side of jordan , they are not therein satisfied , to sit still , but are willing to come themselves , and come into the brunt , and hazard themselves , for the se●…ling of their brethren in the inheritance of the lord likew●…se . what warrant have we to take up arms to maintain religion ? that is not at present to be discussed , but onely this , to satisfie and stop all their mouths with one word : thus far none can deny it , but it is lawful to take up arms , to maintain that civil right we have to our religion , and this we do ; for we have not onely a right to our religion , by the law of god , but we have a civil right to this our religion , that other christians have not had . if it shall be said , i , but a great deal is done , but to little purpose all this while ; o ( my brethren ) say not so , it is an unthankful voyce , this , for much hath been done , there hath been a check given to the adversary , the stream of tyranny and slavery it hath been stopped , your lives have all this while been preserved by what hath been done . little cause have we to be discouraged , for those we have to deal with , their spirits are base and vile ; why should we fear those uncircumcised philistines ? if you say , well , but were it not better we bent all our forces to some accommodation ? to that we answer you thus : you have to deal not onely with his majesty , but with a popish party that are about him , and what security you can ever have of your peace , ( as was worthily said before ) except the scotish nation comes in for to fasten it , it is easie for any one to judge . i will tell you but one story about that , and because it is suitable unto you , i will therefore relate it here : it is a story that i find in the chronicles , that in the days of king edward the sixt , king edward sends to this city for assistance against the lords ; and the lords send to the city for their assistance likewise ; and the common-councel was called , ( i suppose in this place , ) and there stands up , as the story saith , a wise discreet citizen , in the common-councel , and makes this speech unto them ; first , he acknowledges that the cause was right for the lords , for the kingdom , though it were against the will of the king , because the king would not then put in execution those laws that should be , but hindered them , but yet ( saith he ) let me remind you of that that i have read in fabians chronicle , ( it was one george stadley that stood up , let me remind you of that ) when there was a fight between the lords and the king , the lords send for assistance to the city , the city granted their assistance , the lords prevailed , the king was taken , and his son a prisoner ; afterwards they were both released upon composition , and amongst other things , this was one , that howsoever the city should be preserved , that the city should suffer nothing for what they had done ; and this composition was confirmed by act of parlament , but ( saith this citizen ) what came of it ? did the king forgive ? no , nor forget , for afterwards all our liberties were taken away , strangers were set over us , for our heads and governours ; the bodies and the estates of the citizens were given away , and one misery followed after another ; and so we were most miserably persecuted ; and here was their accommodation . have not many of you spent your blood in this cause , yea , how many young ones in this city have lost their blood ? me-thinks a spirit of indignation should rise in you , to vindicate the loss of the blood of your servants and children , many precious ones , that might have lived many years , to have done good service for the lord. know there shall come a day , wherein you shall be calling and crying to god for mercy ; the success of this evenings work will be recorded against that day , when you shall cry for mercy . out of mr. obadiah sedgewick his speech in guild-hall on friday the sixt of october , 1643. i know many objections might be made ; you have done much already , and the sum is great ; i say no more , there is nothing great , to a mind that is great , and the cause is great , and though the sum of money be great , yet their love is greater , than all you can lay out to answer their love ; and say not ( grumbling ) we have done often and often ; i say to you , as christ said to him that asked him , how often must i forgive my brother ? why , seventy times seven times ; so will i say for this publique cause , you must do , and you must do , and yet you must do , and yet you must do , as long as there is a penny in thy purse , as long as there is strength in thy hand , as long as there is breath in thy body , you must be all servants to christ , and servants to the churches of jesus christ. the independents conclusions from the presbyterian principles . mr. john dury's considerations concerning the present engagement ; with mr. caryl's imprimatur , an. dom. 1649. the oath of allegiance , as you know , did bind all men as subjects in law , to be true and faithful to the kings person , to his heirs and successors , as they were invested with the authority which the law did give them : nor was it ever meant by the parlament which enacted the oath of allegiance , that any should be absolutely bound to the king and his heirs , as they were men , to be true and faithful to their personal wills ; but onely to them and their wills , as they had a legal standing : that is , to the authority conferred upon them by the consent of the people , which was testified in and under a law ; whereunto the king and his heirs were bound for the kingdoms good by oath . so that the obligations of king and subjects are mutual , and must needs stand and fall together , according as the condition by which they are begotten is kept or broken ; which is nothing else but the law , according to which he and his subjects agree , that he shall be their king , and they shall be his subjects . for as you were sworn to the king , so he was sworn to you ; as you were bound to be faithful to him , so he was bound to be faithful to his trust ; nor is he your liege further than he is faithful thereunto . if then he be found unfaithful to his trust , you are ipso facto absolved from your allegiance unto him ; and if , according to law , he receives not his authority , you are not in law his subjects at all . now the just and natural foundation of all laws , is the reason of the body of every nation in their parlament , which hath the sole right to propose and chuse the laws by which they will be ruled . where it hath been ( as i suppose ) a perpetual custom in this nation , for the commons at all times , to ask and propose the making of laws ; and for the lords and king to give their consent thereunto : the lords as the judges in cases of transgression , and the king as the executor and publick trustee for the administration of the common good and wealth thereby ; for in a kingdom there is a common-wealth , as the intrinsical substance of the being thereof ; for which all things are to be done by king and lords , as the publick servants thereof ; and ministers not masters of state therein . if the king then should set himself wilfully to be above this reason of the nation , which is the onely original of the law , and refuse obstinately the laws which they shall chuse to be setled , he puts himself ipso facto , out of the capacity of being a king any more unto them ; and if this can be made out , to have been the way wherein the late king set himself , and that it was the design of the house of lords , to uphold and enable him to follow that way , it is evident , that so far as he did by that means actually un-king himself , as to this nation , so far also they that assisted him in that design , did un-lord themselves in the state thereof ; and if this was the guilt of the house of lords , by other practices and proceedings more than by an indifferencie and compliance with the hamiltonian invasion , to help the king to such a power , i know not what to answer for them ▪ it is then undeniable that the third article of that national covenant , was ●…ever meant by those that made it , or that took ir , to be opposite to the sense of the oath of allegiance , but altogether agreeable thereunto . what then the meaning of that article is , must needs also be the true sense of the oath of allegiance . that article then doth oblige you , to preserve the right and privileges of the parlament , and the liberties of the kingdom in your calling , absolutely and without any limitation ; but as for the kings person and authority , it doth oblige you onely thereunto , conditionally , and with a limitation ; namely , in the preservation and defence of the true religion and liberties of this kingdom . if then the king did not give to the representatives of the nation that assurance which was satisfactory and necessary that their religion and liberties should be preserved , none of his subjects were bound either by their allegiance or covenant , to defend his person and the authority which was conferred upon him . the oath of allegiance therefore was bottomed upon the laws , which the representatives of the nation in parlament had chosen to be observed concerning their religion , and the liberties of the kingdom ; which he refractorily either casting off , or seeming to yield unto , in such a way that no trust could be given him , that he would keep what he yielded unto ; the parlament did actually lay him aside , and voted , that no more addresses should be made unto him , from which time forward he was no more an object of your oath of allegiance , but to be look'd upon as a private man : and your oath by which you were engaged to be true and faithful to the law , by which the religion and liberty of the kingdom was to be preserved , did still remain in force : which if it may be the true substantial sense of the present engagement , which you think is contradictory to this oath and to the national covenant , then you are to look well to it , that you be not mistaken ; for to an indifferent eye , it may be thought so far from being opposite to the true sense of either , that it may be rather a confirmation of the ground , for which both the oath of allegiance , and the third article of the national covenant was then binding . and then also this i am confident of , to be able to let you see further , that although you may think that the effect of this engagement is materially contrary to some intention which you had in the third article of the covenant ; yet that by the act of the engagement , you are so far from breaking your covenant , that except you take it , and observe it faithfully , you will not onely materially , but formally break that very article of the covenant , for which you scruple the taking of the engagement . for the words must be taken in the sense which they can directly bear , ●…nd which do impart the main end for which the covenant was taken ; for the main end of this very article whereof you make a scruple , was evidently to preserve the parlament and common-wealth for it self , and ( i●… need so required ) also without the king. now this is that which the engagement doth directly also require ; for which cause i say , that by vertue of this very promise , you are bound to take the present engagement ; and if you take it not , that you make your self a transgressor of that very article which you pretend to keep ; for if you refuse to be true and faithful to the common-wealth as it is now established , you do what in you lyeth to make the remaining knights of parlament , and the beginnings of our settlement void ; which though at first it was not intended to be without a king , yet it was cleerly presupposed in the article it self , as possible to be without him , and consequently , that although he should not be , yet that the common-wealth by the rights of parlament and the liberties of the nation should be preserved , which is all that now is sought for by the engagement . where you may take notice , that although you and i as private men , ought not to make our selves judges of the rights which superiors pretend to have , in and to their places ; yet that they are not without a judicature over them in those places , for the subordinate officers belonging to a state , are bound to judge of the rights of those that are over them ; both by which they stand in their places of supremacy , and by which they proceed in their actings toward subjects , lest they be made the instruments of arbitrary power and tyranny , and then also the law-making power , which in all nations resides by the law of nature in the convention of the representatives of the whole body of the people ( whether it be made up of the heads of families , or of chosen deputies , who are intrusted with a delegated power from all the rest ) doth make or unmake rights , in all places and persons within it self , as it from time to time doth see cause . having thus surveyed the dangerous positions and principles of the presbyterians & their brethren , that it may be evident to the world that the enemies of our church , are equally enemies to our monarchy , it will not be amiss to lay down some of the principles of the papists and the hobbians . in which not to multiply citations , we will , for one of the first of these take father white , who is counted the most moderate of them , in his book intitled the grounds of obedience and government ; and for the next mr. hobbs himself , in his books , one called leviathan , and the other de cive , which he so magnifies , that he affirms that part of philosophy to which the handling of the elements of government and civil societies belongs , is no older than that book . of the dispossession of a supreme former governour , and of his right , by mr. white a romanist , pag. 132. &c. in his grounds of obedience , &c. now , our question supposeth the governour not to have come to that extremity : but , either to have been good or innocent : or that it is doubtful whether his excesses deserved expulsion : or , at least , if they did deserve it of themselves , yet the circumstances were not fitting for it ; but the expulsion hapned either by the invasion of a stranger , or the ambition of a subject , or some popular headless tumult ; for , these three ways a magistrate comes , forcibly and unjustly , to be outed of his power . and first , if the magistrate have truly deserved to be dispossessed ; or it be rationally doubted that he hath deserved it , and he be actually out of possession : in the former case it is certain , the subject hath no obligation to hazard for his restitution , but rather to hinder it : for , since it is the common good that both the magistrate and the subject are to aim at ; and clearly , out of what is expressed , it is the common harm , to admit again of such a magistrate ; every one , to his power , is bound to resist him . the next case is , if he be innocent and wrongfully depos'd , nay let us add , one who had governed well and deserved much of the common-wealth : yet he is totally dispossess'd ; and so , that , it is plain , in these circumstances , it were better for the common good to stay as they are , than to venture the restoring him , because of the publick hazard . it is clear , in this case , there is comparison between the general good of the common-wealth , on the one side , and the particular of this man or family on the other . let us , then , put the case on his part ; and see , if he be generous , if he hath setled in his heart that every single man ought to prefer the common interest before his particular safety , profit , or honour ; if he be fit for a governour , that is , one that is to espouse the common good as his own individual ; what he will , in honour and conscience , resolve : whether he be not obliged absolutely to renounce all right and claim to government ; and , if he does not , he be not worse than an infidel : for , if he that hath no care of his domesticks , be reputed so ; with how much more reason , he that is ready to plunge a whole nation in blood , for his own interest ? let us cast the accounts on the other side ; and see , that the subjects aim ought to be the publique peace , and quiet enjoyment of their lives and interests : it will appear that , if he be bound to renounce his claim , they cannot be oblig'd to maintain it : and besides , that they are wilfully blind , if , where the whole concernments of themselves , their wives and children , lie at the stake , they will venture all for an aereal fancy , without regard to the end of government , publick peace ; meerly for the means , this mans government , without whom the end may be obtain'd . it cannot , therefore , be rational on either side , for a dispossess'd governour to be restor'd with hazard . but , the capital in this matter is , that truly there is no justice on either the magistrates or peoples side , to bind to the restoring him : both these depending on the promise made , and the force of the promise being none , since the ground of it is changed . for , the substance of the promise made to a magistrate , is , to obey him as a magistrate , that is , as far as is fitting for the common-wealth and peace ; he being nothing but the instrument of the common good : now , take away that fitness for the common-wealth , and that which gave strength to the promise is gone , and the promise it self is no more a promise , nor can any obligation arise from it . who knows not , that the promise of any man depends on his intention , his intention on his knowledge , his knowledge reacheth no farther than his consideration and present memory when he maketh the promise ? so that , in nature , a promise reacheth onely to presupposed and thought on circumstances : and who , when he sweareth to a magistrate , expecteth to see him dispossessed and turned off ? so that , this is manifest , a magistrate actually dispossessed hath no right to be restored , nor the subject any obligation to seek to restore , but oppose him . for , what is man , or rather mankind ( for , so we have styled a nation ) better than a herd of sheep or oxen , if it be to be owned , like them , by masters ? what difference is there between their masters selling them to the butcher , and obliging them to venture their lives and livelyhoods for his private interest ? we know it is natural , that the part should venture for the whole ; but that the whole should venture the loss of it self to save the part , i cannot understand . the governour is the highest and noblest part , yet but a part ; the people is the whole , the end , ( though not by office , yet by worth and dignity ) the master and lord , for whom those who are lords by office are to be vested and devested in lordship , when it is necessary for the common good . who thinks otherwise , deserves not the name of a man. of a supreme governour dispossessed , pag. 147. &c. mr. whites grounds of obedience , &c. when the structure of the common-wealth is dissolved , that is , disjoynted from him , then any who hath suffered wrong in the fore-declared manner may be party against him and proceed as if there were no common-wealth ; by the law , which , in a wilderness , warranteth us to kill a tyger or robber that seeketh to kill us , not pretending law for our action , but that it is manlike and rational . neither ought it be called punishment that is done against a d●…spossessed magistrate , but rather revenge , or some other name that includeth no order to law. we must proceed upon other principles , that is , the forelaid and main basis of our discourse , that the common good ought to be the rule of the magistrates title , and the subjects obedience . out of which this followeth , that when ever ( considering all things ) the common good is cleerly on the possessors side , then the dispossessed hath no claim . neither ought we expect till we have assurance , that it will not be better for the subject if the late owner ( after great dangers , ) gaineth his former power : for , first , this it self is uncertain ; secondly , the success of endeavours to restore him must be hazardous ; thirdly , many and great mischiefs , during the time of the attempt , are altogether unavoidable ; and all this to be ballanced against those uncertain hopes . nor , again , must we expect that the wills of all the subjects concur , actually , to the acceptance of the new governour : for that is either impossible , or of so long expectation , as to ruine all by dissensions and jealousies in the mean time : nay , the vulgar sort are so easily led by fancy , that they understand not the common good , nor what they should wish . but you may demand , how shall it be known when the common good holdeth it self on the possessour's hand ? i answer , we must first see who are the common , whose welfare is to be preferred before private interests . and presently it appeareth that , dividing the whole people into governours and governed ; the governed part is the publick to whose good the governours are to direct their paines : and that these are they that spend their lives in seeking their own profits , either by improving the land , or in arts and handicrafts : whence , it followes , when their good stands on the possessours side , then cleerly he begins to gain right and power ; and this is plain to be , when the merchant , the husbandman , and tradesman , with their appendices , are in an undisturbed practice of their functions , and begin to be afraid of change upon the noise of an invasion . this resolution could not be doubted , were it not that one might object , that what is said seems true , abstracting from circumstances ; but it ought to be considered , that such men see nothing but the outward appearances of what passes in humane negotiations , and so there may many circumstances lye hidden from them , which would make them think or with otherwise if they knew them : as , for example , home-discontents and forein conspiracies ; which if understood , would make these honest men preferr a war , after which there is to follow a peace far exceeding the present quiet , and such a one as deserves the intervening disturbance and damages . and indeed , i allow these men understand not such mysteries of state , nor penetrate the value of the hazard : but , if they do not , why are they not also exempted from engaging on those motives ? and then the rest of the common-wealth will be but so many private men , who must follow the common . again , if they think themselves well , they manifestly consent to the present government , and therefore cut off the title of the dispossessed governour . besides , who can answer they shall be better by the retu●…n of the dispossessed party ? surely , by common presumption , the gainer is like to defend them better than he who lost it . but what if an open enemy should come , could or ought the subjects joyn against him with their new magistrate ? if not , the whole publick must perish : if they may , then the case is the same against their old magistrate ; since his right stood upon the common peace , and that is transferr'd from him to his rivall by the title of quiet possession . the authority of lawyers insufficient in this question . no laws made by the power or agreement of men , can judge betwixt subject and soveraign , in dispute of the common good and government ; but only the tribunals of god and nature , or divinity and the science of politicks : and therefore , the maximes of law have no force in these questions ; now , if princes lose their pretences by the force of nature , it is ridiculous for private men to build hopes , upon rotten titles of ages long passed , upon weak maximes of law , after nature , by her revolutions , hath cast all law and moral acts and agreements . now as the malignity & poyson of these anti-monarchical assertions render this author a very unfit prescriber of political principles & rules of government & subjection to the rest of mankind ; so circumstance of their writing & publication ( they being published when cromwell was in possession of the government , and the king dispossessed , and in banishment ) makes them look so like a publick disswasion of the people to endeavour the restauration of his majesty ( who by his principles ought to have renounced his title to the government , ) that we leave it to the world to judge whether such a man , unless he repent , and renounce these wicked assertions , be worthy of his majesties protection , being restored to that government to which , he affirms , that the subjects ought not to endeavour to restore their prince , being once ( though never so unjustly ) dispossessed . out of bishop bramhall's book against mr. hobs , call'd , the catching of the leviathan . the obligation of a subject to the soveraign , lasteth no longer , than the power by which he is able to protect him , bramhall , p. 517. when in a war forein or intestine the enemies get a final victory , so as ( the forces of the common-wealth keeping the field no longer , ) there is no protection of subjects in their loyaltie , then is the common-wealth dissolved , and every man at liberty to protect himself by such courses as his own discretion shall suggest to him , p. 517. he that hath no obligation to his former soveraign , but that of an ordinary subject , hath liberty to submit to a conquerour , when the means of his life is within the guards and garrisons of his enemy , for it is then that he hath no longer protection from him . and concludeth , — that their total submission is as lawfull as a contribution , p. 518. that they who live under the protection of a conquerour , openly are understood to submit to his government : and that in the act of receiving protection openly , and not renouncing it openly , they do oblige themselves to obey the laws of their protector , to which in receiving protection , they have assented , p. 518. if the common-wealth come into the power of its enemies , so that they cannot be resisted , he who had the soveraignty before , is understood to have lost it , p. 517. security is the end for which men make themselves subjects to others ; which if he in joy not , his subjection ceaseth , and he loseth not right to defend himself at his own discretion ; neither is any man understood to have bound himself to any thing , or to have relinquished his right over all things , before his own security be provided for , p. 513. it is manifest , that they do against conscience , and wish the eternal damnation of their subjects , who do not cause such doctrine , and such worship to be exhibited to them , as they themselves do believe to conduce to their salvation , or tolerate the contrary to be taught and exhibited , p. 514. no man is bound by his pacts , whatsoever they be , not to resist him , who bringeth upon him death or wounds , or any bodily damage , p. 514. seeing no man is bound to impossibilities , they who are to suffer corporal damage , and are not constant enough to endure it , are not obliged to suffer it . and more fully , — in case a great many men together have rebelled , or committed some other capital crime , for which every one of them expecteth death , whether have not they the liberty to joyn together and assist and defend one another ? certainly they have , for they do but defend their lives with the guilty , as well as the innocent may do . there was indeed injustice in their first breach of duty , their bearing arms subsequent to it , though to maintain what they have done , is no unjust act , p. 514. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26065-e4340 he might have referr'd them to himsel●… ; p. 460. where he g●…ves the same answer to the same objection . vid. presace to the holycommonwealth . p. 6. notes for div a26065-e10240 ☞ * the law saith●… 〈◊〉 h●…bet rex superior●…m praeter deum . ☜ ☜ ☜ ☜ notes for div a26065-e11130 he ressembleth richa●…d to solomen and oliver to david . notes for div a26065-e11430 * by eulogies and approbations printed before the book which commend it to all readers . * pag. 161. pag. 119. notes for div a26065-e11590 ☞ notes for div a26065-e11760 ☞ ☞ ☞ notes for div a26065-e12030 ☜ * the king and his pa●…ty clea●…ly meant to be th●… papists ▪ ☜ ☜ † ●… clea●…ly abetting the murdering of the king. ☜ ☜ notes for div a26065-e12390 ☞ ☞ ☞ ☞ ☜ notes for div a26065-e13110 ☞ ☞ notes for div a26065-e13670 * he makes it law●…ul to do that a●… men , which we are 〈◊〉 to do by 〈◊〉 l●…ws of ch●…istianity . ●…e 〈◊〉 the 5 commandment . swe●…t incourage●…ent . excellent comp●…risons ●… between ones natural prince ( to whom he hath 〈◊〉 ) and a turk , or a thief . * see dr. ham. of resisting the magistra●…e under 〈◊〉 of relig●…on . notes for div a26065-e15280 hobs his lev. p. 114. lev. le. p. 190. le. p. 137. hobs de civ . c. 7. sect. 18. ci. c. 13. sect. 3. ci. c. 13. sect. 5. ci. c. 2. sect. 18. le. p. 112. the grand debate between the most reverend bishops and the presbyterian divines appointed by his sacred majesty as commissioners for the review and alteration of the book of common prayer, &c. : being an exact account of their whole proceedings : the most perfect copy. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1661 approx. 417 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 83 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a69535 wing b1278a wing e3841 estc r7198 12802316 ocm 12802316 94077 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a69535) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 94077) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 370:11b, 416:11, or 1518:8) the grand debate between the most reverend bishops and the presbyterian divines appointed by his sacred majesty as commissioners for the review and alteration of the book of common prayer, &c. : being an exact account of their whole proceedings : the most perfect copy. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. commission for the review and alteration of the book of common prayer. [8], 148 p. [s.n.], london printed : 1661. "the grand debate" (wing b1278a) can be found at reels 370:11b, 416:11, and 1518:8. the copy at reel 416:11 lacks t.p. at front and first [8] p.: "a copy of his majesties commission." "the papers that passed between the commissioners appointed by his majesty for the alteration of the common prayer, &c." is on p. 33 in the grand debate. "the exceptions of the presbyterian-brethren, against some passages in the present litury" (wing e3841) is on p. 1 in the grand debate. numerous errors in paging. reproduction of original in the union theological seminary library, new york, and yale university library. entry cancelled for b1337 in wing (2nd ed.). created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng commission for the review and alteration of the book of common prayer. church of england. -book of common prayer. church of england -liturgy. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-09 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the grand debate between the most reverend the bishops , and the presbyterian divines , appointed by his sacred majesty , as commissioners for the review and alteration of the book of common prayer , &c. being an exact account of their whole proceedings . the most perfect copy . london , printed 1661. a copy of his majesties commission . charles the second by the grace of god king of england , scotland , france & ireland , defender of the faith , &c. to our trusty and wel-beloved , the most reverend father in god , accepted arch-bishop of york , the right reverend fathers in god , gilbert bishop of london , john bishop of durham , john bishop of rochester , humphrey bishop of sarum , george bishop of worcester , robert bishop of lincoln , benjamin bishop of peterborough , brian bishop of chester , richard bishop of carlile , john bishop of exeter , edward bishop of norwich , & to our trusty and wel-beloved , the reverend anthony tuckney d. d. john conant d. d. william spurstow d. d. john wallis d. d. thomas manton , d. d. edmund calamy b. d. richard baxter clerke , arthur juckson , tho. case , samuel clarke , matthew newcomen , clerkes ; and to our trusty and wel-beloved dr. earle dean of westminster , peter heylin , d. d. joh. hacket , d. d. joh. berwick d. d. peter gunning d. d. john pearson d. d. tho. pierce d. d. anthony sparrow , herbert thorndike d. d. thomas horton d. d. thomas jacomb , d. d. william bate , john rawlinson , william cooper , clerkes , d. john light foot , d. john collings , d. benjamin woodbridg ; and vvilliam drake clerke , greeting . whereas by our declaration of the 25 of october last concerning ecclesiasticall affaires , we did ( amongst other things ) express our esteem of the liturgy of the church of england , contained in the book of common prayer ; and yet since we find exceptions made against several things therein , we did by our said declaration declare we would appoint an equal number of learned divines , of both perswasions , to review the same : we therefore in accomplishment of our said wil and intent , and of our continued and constant care and study for the peace and unity of the churches within our dominions , & for removal of all exceptions and differences , and the occasions of such differences , and exceptions from among our good subjects , for or concerning the said book of common prayer , or any thing therein contained , doe by these our letters patents require , authorize , constitute , and appoint you the said , &c. to advise upon and review the said book of common prayer , comparing the same with the most ancient liturgies which have been used in the church in the primitive and purest times . and to that end to assemble and meet together , from time to time , and at such time within the space of foure calendar moneths now next ensuing , in the masters lodging in the savoy in the strand in the county of middlesex , or in such other place or places as to you shall be thought fit and convenient , to take into your serious and grave considerations the several directions and rules , forms of prayer , and things in the said book of common prayer contained , and to advise , consult upon , and about the same , and the several objections and exceptions , which shall now be raised against the same , and ( if occasion be ) to make such reasonable and necessary alterations , corrections and amendments therein as by and between you the said arch-bishop , bishops , doctors , and persons hereby required and authorized to meet and advise as aforesaid , shall be agreed upon to be needfull and expedient , for the giving satisfaction to tender consciences , and the restoring and continuance of peace and unity in the churches under our protection and government ; but avoyding ( as much as may be ) all unnecessary abreviations of the forms and liturgy wherewith the people are altogether acquainted , and have so long received in the church of england . and our will and pleasure is , that when you the said arch-bishop , bishops , doctours , and persons authorized and appointed by these our letters patents to meet , advise , and consult upon and about the premises , as aforesaid , shall have drawn your consultations to any resolution and determination which you shall agree upon as needfull or expedient to be done for the altering , diminishing , or inlarging , the said book of common prayer , or any part thereof , that then forthwith you certifie and present to us in writing under your severall hands the matters and things whereupon you shall so determine , for our approbation , and to the end the same or so much thereof as shall be approved by us , may be established , and for as much as the said archbishop & bishops have severall great charges to attend , which we would not dispense with , or that the same should be neglected upon any great occasion whatsoever , and some of them being of great age and infirmities , may not be able constantly to attend the execution of the service and authority hereby given and required by us , in the meeting and consultation aforesaid ; we will therefore and hereby require you the said dr. earles , &c. to supply the place and places of such of the arch-bishop and bishops ( other then the said edward bishop of norwich ) as shall by age , sickness , infirmity , or other occasion be hindred from attending the said meeting or consultation ( that is to say ) that one of you the said dr. earles , &c. shall from time to time supply the place of each one of them , the said arch-bishop and bishops ( other then the said edward bishop of norwich ) which shall happen to be hindred or to be absent from the said meetings , or consultations , and shall and may advise , consult and determine , and also certifie and execute all and singular the powers and authorities before mentioned in and about the premises , as fully and absolutely as such arch-bishop and bishops which shal so happen to be absent should or might doe by vertue of these our letters patents , or any thing herein contained , in case he or they were personally present . and whereas in regard of the distance of some , the infirmity of others , the multitude of constant imployment , and other incidental impediments , some of you the said edward bishop of norwich , &c. may be hindred from the constant attendance in the execution of the service aforesaid , we therefore wil and doe hereby require and authorize you the said thomas horton , &c. to supply the place or places of such the commissioners last before mentioned , as shal by the means aforesaid or any other occasion be hindred from the said meeting and consultations that one of you , the said thomas horton , &c. shal from time to time supply the places of each one of the said commissioners last mentioned , which shal happen to be hindered or absent from the said meeting and consultations : and shal and may advise consult and determine , and also certifie and execute all and singular the powers and authorities before mentioned in and about the premises as fully and absolutely as such of the said last mentioned commissioners , which shall so happen to be absent , should or might doe by vertue of these our letters patents or any thing therein contained , in case he or they were personally present . in witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patents , witness our self at vvestminster the 25 day of march in the thirteenth year of our reign . per ipsum regem . barker . the exceptions of the presbyterian brethren , against some passages in the present liturgy . acknowledging , with all humility and thankfulness , his majesties most princely condescention and indulgence to very many of his loyall subjects , as well in his majesties most gracious declaration , as particularly in this present commission issued forth in pursuance thereof ; we doubt not but the right reverend bishops , and all the rest of his majesties commissioners intrusted in this work , will in imitation of his majesties most prudent and christian moderation and clemency , judge it their duty ( that we find to be the apostles own practice ) in a speciall manner to be tender to the churches peace , to bear with the infirmities of the weak , and not to please themselves , nor to measure the consciences of other men by the light and latitude of their own , but seriously and readily to consider , and advise of such expedients as may most conduce to the healing of our breaches , and uniting those that differ . and albeit we have an high and honourable esteem of those godly and learned bishops , and others , who were the first compilers of the publick liturgy , and doe look upon it as an excellent and worthy work , for that time , when the church of england made her first step out of such a mist of popish ignorance and superstition , wherein it formerly was involved ; yet considering , that all humane works do gradually arrive at their maturity and perfection , and this in particular being a work of that nature , hath already admitted several emendations since the first compiling thereof , it cannot be thought any disparagement , or derogation either to the work it self , or to the compilers of it , or to those who have hitherto used it , if after more than one hundred years since its first composure such further emendations be now made therein , as may be judged necessary for satisfying the scruples of a multitude of sober persons , who cannot at all ( or very hardly ) comply with the use of it as now it is , and may best suit with the present times , after so long an enjoyment of the glorious light of the gospel , and so happy a reformations especially considering that many godly and learned men , have from the beginning all along desired the alteration of many things therein , and very many of his majesty's pious peaceable and loyal subjects , after so long a discontinuance of it , are more averse from it than heretofore ; the satisfying of whom ( as far as may be ) will very much conduce to that peace and unity which is so much desired by all good men , and so much endeavoured by his most excellent majesty . and therefore in pursuance of this his majesty's most gracious commission for the satisfying of tender consciences , and the procuring of peace and unity amongst our selves , we judge meet to propose , i. that all the prayers , and other materials of the liturgy , may consist of nothing doubtful or questioned amongst pious , learned and orthodox persons , inasmuch as the professed end of composing them is , for the declaring of unity and consent of all who joyn in the publick worship , it being too evident , that the limiting church-communion to things of doubtful disputation , hath been in all ages the ground of schism and separation , according to the saying of a learned man. to load our publick forms with the private fancies upon which we differ , is the most sovereign way to perpetuate schism to the worlds end . prayer , confession , thanksgiving , reading of the scriptures , and administration of the sacraments in the plainest and simplest manner were matter enough to furnish out a sufficient liturgy , though nothing either of private opinion , or of church pomp , of garments , or prescribed gestures , of imagery , of musick , of matter concerning the dead , of many superfluities which creep into the church under the name of order and decency did interpose it self . to charge churches or litnrgies with things unnecessary was the first beginning of all superstition ; and when scruple of conscience began to be made , or pretended , then schisme began to break in . if the speciall guides and fathers of the church would be a little sparing of incumbring churches with superfluities , or not over-rigid , either in reviving obsolete customs , or imposing new , there would be far less cause of schism , or superstition , and all the inconvenience likely to ensue would be but this ; they should in so doing yield a little to the imbecility of their inferiours , a thing which s. paul would never have rrefused to doe , mean while , wheresoever false or suspected opinions are made a piece of church-liturgy , he that separates is not the schismatick ; for , it is alike unlawful to make profession of known or suspected falshood , as to put in practice unlawful or suspected actions . ii. further , we humbly desire , that it may be seriously considered , that as our first reformers out of their great wisdome did at that time so compose the liturgy as to win upon the papists , and to draw them into their church-communion , by varying as little as well they could from the romish forms before in use ; so whether in the present constitution and state of things amongst us we should not according to the same rule of prudence and charity have our liturgy so composed , as to gain upon the judgement and affections of all those who in the substantials of the protestant religion are of the same perswasions with our selves . in as much as a more firm union and consent of all such , as well in woship as in doctrine , would greatly strengthen the protestant interest against all those dangers and temptations which our intestine divisions and animosities do expose us unto from the common adversary . iii. that the repetitions and responsals of the clerk and people , and the alternate reading of the psalms and hymns with a confused murmure in the congregation , whereby what is read is less intelligible , and therefore unedifying , may be omitted , the minister being appointed for the people in all publick services appertaining unto god , and the holy scriptures both of the old and new testament , intimating the peoples part in publick prayer , to be only with silence and reverence , to attend thereunto , and to declare their consent in the close , by saying , amon. iv. that in regard the letany ( though otherwise containing in it many holy petitions ) is so framed , that the petitions , for a great part , are uttered onely by the people , which we think not to be so consonant to scripture , which makes the minister the mouth of the people to god in prayer , the particulars thereof may be composed into one solemn prayer to be offered by the minister unto god for the people . v. that there may be nothing in the liturgy which may seem to countenance the observation of lent , as a religious fast , the example of christ's fasting forty dayes and nights being no more imitable , nor intended for the imitation of christians , than any other of his miraculous works were , or than moses his forty dayes fast was for the jewes , and the act of parliament 5 eliz. forbidding abstinence from flesh to be observed upon any other than a politick consideration , and punishing all those who by preaching , teaching , writing , or open speech shall notifie , that the forbearing of flesh is of any necessity for the saving of the soul , or that it is the service of god otherwise than as other politick laws are . vi. that the religious observation of saints dayes appointed to be kept as holy dayes and the vigils thereof , without any foundations ( as we conceive ) in scripture , may be omitted , that if any be retained they may be called festival , and not holy dayes , nor made equal with the lords day , nor have any peculiar service appointed for them , nor that the people be upon such days enforced wholly to abstain from work ; and that the names of all others not inserted in the callendar , which are not in the first and second books of edward the sixth , may be left out . vii . that the gift of prayer being one special qualification for the work of the ministery bestowed by christ in order to the edification of his church , and to be exercised for the profit and benefit thereof according to its various and emergent necessities . it is desired that there may be no such imposition of the liturgy , as that the exercise of that gift be thereby totally excluded in any part of publick worship ; and further , that considering the great age of some ministers , and the infirmities of others , and the variety of several services oft time occurring upon the same day , whereby it may be inexpedient to require every minister at all times to read the whole ; it may be left to the discretion of the minister to omit it , as occasion shall require , which liberty we find to be allowed even in the first common prayer book of edward the sixth . viii . that in regard of the many defects which have been observed in that version of the scriptures which is used throughout the liturgy , ( many fold instances whereof may be produced ) as in the epistle for the first sunday after epiphany , taken out of rom. 12. 1. be you changed in your shape . and the epistle for the sunday next before easter , taken out of phil. 2. 5. found in his apparel as a man ; as also the epistle for the first sunday in lent , taken out of the fourth of the galatians , mount sinai is agar in arabia , and bordereth upon the city which is now called jerusalem . the epistle for saint matthews day being taken out of the second epistle of the corinthians and the fourth , we go not out of kind . the gospel for the second sunday after epiphany , taken out of the second of john , when men be drunk . the gospel for the third sunday in lent , taken out of the eleventh of luke , one house doth fall upon another . the gospel for the annunciation , taken out of the first of luke , this is the sixth month which is called barren , and many other places ; we therefore desire instead thereof the translation allowed of by authority may alone be used . ix . that in as much as the holy scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation to furnish us thoroughly unto all good works , and contain in them all things necessary either in doctrine to be believed , or in duty to be practised ; whereas divers chapters of the apocryphal books appointed to be read , are charged to be in both respects of dubious and uncertain credit : it is therefore desired that nothing be read in the church for lessons , but the holy scriptures in the old and new testament . x. that the minister be not required to rehearse any part of the liturgy at the communion table , save onely those parts which properly belong to the lords supper , and that at such time onely when the holy supper is administrated . xi . that the word ( minister ) and not ( priest ) or ( curate ) is used in the absolution , and in divers other places ; it may thoroughout the whole book be used instead of those two words , and that instead of the word ( sunday ) the word ( lords day ) may be every where used . xii . because singing of psalms is a considerable part of publick worship , we desire that the version set forth and allowed to be sung in churches may be amended , or that we may have leave to make use of a purer version . xiii . that all obsolete words in the common prayer , and such whose use is changed from their first significancy ( as read who smote thee ) used in the gospels for the monday and wednesday before easter ( then opened be their witts ) used in the gospel for easter tuesday , &c. may be altered into other words generally received , and better understood . xiv . that no portions of the old testament , or the acts of the apostles be called epistles ; or read as such . xv. that whereas throughout the severall offices the phrase is such as presumes all persons ( within the communion of the church ) to be regenerated , converted , and in an actuall state of grace , which had ecclesiasticall discipline been truly and vigorously executed in the exclusion of scandalous and obstinate sinners might be better supposed ; but that there having been , and still being a confessed want of that ( as in the liturgy is acknowledged ) it cannot rationally be admitted in the utmost latitude of charity : we desire that this may be reformed . xvi . that whereas orderly connexion of prayers and of particular petitions and expressions , together with a competent length of the formes used , are tending much to edification , and to gain the reverence of people to them : there appears to us too great neglect of this order , and of other just laws of method particularly . 1. the collects are generally short , many of them consisting but of one or two sentences of petition , and those generally usherd in with a repeated mention of the name and attributes of god , and presently concluding with the name and merits of christ whence are caused many unnecessary intercessions and abruptions , which when many petitions are to be offered at the same time , are neither agreeable to scripturall example , nor suted to the gravity and seriousness of that holy duty . 2. the prefaces of many collects have not any clear and speciall respect to the following petitions ; and particular petitions are put together , which have not any due order or evident connexion one with another , nor suitable with the occasions upon which they are used , but seem to have fallen in rather casually , than from any orderly codtinuance . it is desired that instead of these various collects , there may be one methodicall and entire form of prayer composed out of many of them . xvii . that whereas the puplick liturgy of a church should in reason comprehend the summe of all such sins as are ordinarily in prayer by the church to be confessed , and of such petitions and thanksgiving as are ordinarily by the church to be put up to god , and that puplick catechismes or systemes of doctrine should summarily comprehend all such doctrines as are necessarily to be believed , and these explicitely set down . the present liturgy , as to all these seems very defective particularly : 1. there is no preparatory prayer in your addresses to god for assistance or acceptance ; yet many collects in the midst of the worship have little or nothing else . 2. the confession is very defective , not clearly expressing originall sin , nor sufficiently enumerating actuall sins with their aggrivations , but consisting only of generals , whereas confession being the exercise of repentance ought to be more particular . 3. there is also great defect , as to such forms of publick prayers and thanksgivings as are suitable to gospel-worship . 4. the whole body of the common prayer also consisteth very much of meer generals , as to have our prayers heard , to be kept from all evil , and from all enemies and all adversities , that we may do gods will without any mention of the particulars wherein these generals exist . 5. the catechism is defective as to many necessary doctrines of our religion , some even of the essentials of christianity not mentioned , except in the creed , and there not so explicite as ought to be in the catechism . xviii . because this liturgy containeth the imposition of divers ceremonies , which from the first reformation have by sundry learned and pious men been judged unwarrantable : as , 1. that publick worship may not be celebrated by any minister that dares not wear a surplice . 2. that none may baptise , or be baptised without the transient image of the cross , which hath at least the semblance of a sacrament of humane institution , being used as an engaging sign in our first and solemn covenanting with christ , and the duties whereunto we are really obliged by baptism , being more expresly affixed to that aery fign than to the holy sacrament . 3. that none may receive the lords supper that dares not kneel in the act of receiving , but the minister must exclude all such from the communion , although such kneeling not only differs from the practice of christ and of his apostles ; but ( at least on the lords daies ) is contrry to the practice of the catholick church for many hundred years after , and forbid by the most venerable councila that ever were in the christian world . all which impositions are made yet more grievous by that subscription to their lawfulness , which the cannon exacts , and by the heavy punishments , upon the non observance of them , which the act for uniformity inflicts . and it being doubtfull , whether god hath given power unto men to institute in his worship such mysticall teaching signs , which not being necessary in genere , fall not under the rule of doing all things decently , orderly , and to edification , and which once granted , will upon the same reason open a door to the arbitrary imposition of numerous ceremonies of which st. aug. complained in his dayes , and the things in controversie being in the judgement of the imposers confessed indifferent , who dare not so much as pretend any real goodness in themselves , otherwise than what is derived from their being imposed , and consesequently the imposition ceasing , that will cease also , and the worship of god not become indecent without them ; whereas on the other hand in the judgement of the opposers , they are by some held sinful and unlawful in themselves , by others very inconvenient and unsuitable to the simplicity of gospel-worship , and by all of them very grievous and burdensome , and therefore not at all fit to put in balance with the peace of the church , which is more likely to be promoted by their removal than continuance , considering also how tender our lord and saviour himself is of weak brethren , declaring it to be much better for a man to have a milstone to be hanged about his neck , and to be cast into the depth of the sea , than to offend one of his little ones , and how the apostle paul ( who had as great a legislative power in the church as any under christ ) held himself obliged by that common rule of charity , not to lay a stumbling block , or an occasion of offence before a weak brother , chusing rather not to cat flesh while the world stands ( though in it self a thing lawful ) than offend his brother , for whom christ dyed ; we cannot but desire that these ceremonies may not be imposed on them who judge such impositions a violation of the royalty of christ , and an impeachment of his laws as insufficient , and are under the holy law of that which is written , deut. 12. 32. vvhat thing soever i command you , observe to do it , thou shalt not adde thereto , nor diminish from it ; but that there may be either a total abolishion of them , or at least such a liberty , that those who are unsatisfied concerning their lawfulness , or expedency , may not be compolled to the practice of them or subscription to them ; but may be permitted to enjoy their ministerial functions and communion with the church without them . the rather because these ceremonies have for above an hundred years been the fountain of manifold evils in this church and nation , occasioning sad divisions between ministers and ministers , and also between ministers and people , exposing many orthodox , pious , and peaceable ministers to the displeasure of their rulers , casting them upon the edge of the penal statutes , to the loss not only of their livings and liberties , but also of their opportunities for the service of christ and his church , and forcing people either to worship god in such a manner as their own consciences condemn , or doubt of , or else to forsake our assemblies , as thousands have done , and no better fruits than these can be lookt for from the retaining and imposing these ceremonies . unless we could presume that all his majesties subjects should have the same subtilty of judgement to discern even to a ceremony how farr the power extends in the things of god. which is not to be expected , or should yeeld obedience to all the impositions of men concerning them , without enquiring into the will of god , which is not to be desired . we do therefore most earnestly intreat the right reverend fathers and brethren , to whom these papers are delivered , as they tender the glory of god , the honour of religion , the peace of the church , the service of his majesty in the accomplishment of that happy union which his majesty hath so abundantly testified his desires of , to joyn with us in importuning his most excellent majesty that his most gracious indulgence , as to these ceremonies granted in his royall declaration , may be comfirmed and continued to us , and our posterities , and extended to such as do not yet enjoy the benefit thereof . xix . as to that passage in his majesties commission , wherein we are authorized and required to compare the present liturgy with the most ancient liturgy , which have been used in the church in the purest and most primitive times ; we have in obedience to his majesties commission made inquiry , but cannot find any records of known credit concerning any entire forms of liturgies within the first 300 years , which are confessed to be as the most primitive , so the purest ages of the church ; nor any imposition of liturgies upon any national church ; for some hundred years after we find indeed liturgical forms fathered upon st. basil , st. chrysostome , and st. ambrose ; but we have not seen any copies of them , but such as give us sufficient evidence to conclude them either wholly spurious , or so interpolated , that we cannot make a judgement what in them hath any primitive authority . having thus in general expressed our desire , we come to particulars , which we find numerous , and of a various nature ; some we grant are of an inferiour consideration , verbal rather than material , which were they not in she publick liturgy of so famous a church , we should not have mentioned ; others dubions and disputable , as not having a clear foundation in scripture for their warrant ; but some there be that seem to be corrupt , and to carry in them a repugnancy to the rule of the gospel , and therefore have administred just matter of exception and offence to many truly religious and peaceable , not of a private station only , but learned & judicious divines , aswel of other reformed churches , as of the church of england , ever since the reformation . we know much hath been spoken and written by way of apology in answer to many things that have been obiected , but yet the doubts and scuples of tender consciences still continue , or rather are increased : we do therefore humbly conceive it therefore a work worthy of those wonders of salvation which god hath wrought for his majesty , now on the throne , and for the whole kingdome , and exceedingly becoming the ministers of the gospel of peace , with all holy moderation and tenderness to endeavour the removal of every thing out of the worship of god , which may justly offend or grieve the spirits of sober and godly people ; the things themselves that we desire to be removed , not being of the foundation of religion , nor the essentials of publick worship , nor the removal of them any way tending to the prejudice of the church or state ; therefore their continuance and rigorous imposition can no ways be able to countervail the laying aside of so many pious and able ministers , and the unconceivable grief that will arise to multitudes of his majesties most loyal and peaceable subjects , who upon all accasions are ready to serve him with their prayers , estates , and lives : for the preventing of which evils , we humbly desire that these particulars following may be taken into serious and tender consideration . concerning morning and evening prayer . 1. rub. that morning and evening prayer shall be used in the accustomed place of the church , chancel , or chappel , except it shall be otherwise determined by the ordinary of the place , and the chancel shall remain as in times past . we desire that the words of the first rub. may be expressed , as in the book established by authority of parliament 5 & 6 edwardi 6. thus ; the morning and evening prayer shall be used in such place of the church , chappel , or chancel , and the minister shall so turn himself , as the people may best hear ; and if there be any controversies therein , the matter shall be referred to the ordinary . 2. rub. and here it is to be noted , that the minister at the time of the cimmunion , and at other times in his ministration , shall use such ornaments in the church as were in use by authority of parliament , in the second year of the reign of edward the sixth , according to the act of parliament , &c. for as much as the rubrick seemeth to bring back the cope , albe , and other vestments , forbidden in the common prayer book , 5. 6. of edw. 6. and for the reasons alledged against ceremonies under our 18. general exception , we desire it may be wholly left out . the lords prayer after the absolution ends thus : deliver us from evill . we desire that these words , for thine is the kingdome , the power and the glory , for ever and ever , amen , may be always added unto the lords prayer , and that this prayer may not be enjoyned to be so often used in the morning and evening service . and at the end of every psalm throughout the year , and likewise in the end of the benedictus . benedicite magnificat , &c. nunc dimittis , shall be repeated , glory be to the father , &c. by this rubrick , and other places in the common prayer book the gloria patri is appointed to be said six times ordinarily in every morning and evening services , frequently eight times in a morning , sometimes ten , which we think carries with it at least an appearance of that vain repetition which christ forbids ; for the avoiding of which appearance of evil , we desire it may be used but once in the morning , and once in the evening . rubr. in such places where they do sing , there shall the lessons be sung in a plain tune , and likewise the epistle and gospel . or this canticle , benedicite omnia opera . except . the lessons , and the epistles , and gospels , being for the most part neither psalms nor hymns ; we know no warrant why they should be sung in any place , and conceive that the distinct reading of them with an audible voyce , tends more to the edification of the church : we desire that some psalm or scripture hymn may be appointed instead of that apocryphal . in the letany ; from fornication , and other deadly sins . except . in regard that the wages of sin is death ; we desire that this clause may be thus altered . from fornication and all other beynous ( or grievous ) sins . from battle and murther , and from sudden death . except . because this expression ( of sudden death ) hath been so often excepted against ; we desire ( if it be thought fit ) it may be thus read : from battle and murther , and from dying suddainly and unprepared . that it may please thee to preserve all that travel by land and by water , all women labouring with child , all sick persons and young children , and to shew thy pity upon all prisoners and captives . we desire that the term all , may be advised upon as seeming liable to just exceptions , and that it may be considered whether it may not better be put indefinitely , those that travel , &c. rather then universally . the collect of christmas day . almighty god which best given us thy only begotten son to take our nature upon him , and this day to be born of a pure virgin , &c : the rubrick . then shall follow the collect of the nativity which shall be said continually unto new-years-day . the collect for vvhitsunday . god which upon this day , &c. we desire that in both collects the words ( this day ) may be left out , it being according to vulgar acceptation a contradiction . rubrick . the same collect to be read on monday and tuesday in whitsun week . the two collects for st. johns and innocents , the collects for the first day in lent , for the fourth sunday after easter , for trinity sunday , for the sixth and twelfth sunday after trinity , for st. lukes day and michaelmas day . we desire that these collects may be further considered and debated , as having in them divers things that we judge fit to be altered . the order for the administration of the lords supper . so many as intend to be partakers of the holy communion shall signifie their name to the curate over night , or else in the morning before the beginning of morning prayer . the time here assigned for notice to be given to the minister is not sufficient . and if any of these be an open and notorious evil liver , the curate having knowledge thereof , shall call him and advertize him in any wise not to presume to come to the lords table . we desire the ministers power both to admit and keep from the lords table , may be according to his majesties declaration of the 25. octob. 1660. in these words , the minister shall admit none to the lords supper till they have made a credible profession of their faith , and promised obedience to the will of god , according as is expressed in the consideration of the rubrick before the catechisme ; and that all possible diligence be used as is for the instruction and reformation of seandalous offendors , whom the minister shall not suffer to partake of the lords table , untill they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty lives , as is partly expressed in the rubrick , and more fully in the cannons . then shall the priest rehearse distinctly all the ten commandments , and the people kneeling shall after every commandment ask god mercy for transgressing the same . we desire , first , that the preface prefixed by god himself to the ten commandments may be restored . secondly , that the fourth commandment may be read , as in exodus 20. deut. 5. he blessed the sabbath day . thirdly , that neither minister nor people may be enjoyned to kneel more at the reading of this , then of any other parts of scripture : the rather because many ignorant persons are thereby induced to use the ten commandments as a prayer . fourthly , that instead of those short prayers of the people intermixed with the several commandments , the minister after the reading of all may conclude with a suitable prayer . after the creed , if there be no sermon , she ll follow one of the homilies already set forth , or hereafter to be set forth by common authority we desire that the preaching of the word may be strictly injoyned , and not left so indifferent at the administration of the sacrament , as also that ministers may not be bound to those things which are as yet but future , and not in being . after the sermon , homily , or exhortation , the curate shall declare , &c. and earnestly exhort them to remember the poor , saying one or more of these sentences following . two of the sentences here cited are apocryphal , and four of them more proper to draw out their peoples bounty to their minister , then their charity to the poor . then shall the church-wardens , or some other by them appointed gather the devetion of the people . collection for the poor may be better made at or a little before the departing of the communicants . we be come together at this time to feed at the lords supper , to the which in gods behalf i bid you all that be here present , and beseech you for the lord jesus christs sake , that you will not refuse to come . if it be intended that these exhortations should be read at the communion , they seem to us unreasonable . the way and means thereto is , first to examine our lives , & conversations , and if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as be not only against god , but also against our neighbours , then you shall reconcile your selves unto them , and be ready to make restitution and satisfaction . and because it is requisite that no man should come to the holy communion , but with a full trust in gods mercy , and with a quiet conscience . we fear this may discourage many from comming to the sacrament who lye under a doubting and troubled conscience . then shall this general confession be made in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy communion , either by one of them or by one of the ministers , or by the priest himself . we desire it may be made by the minister only . then shall the priest or the bishop being present stand up , and turning himself to the people , say thus . the ministers turning himself to the people is most convenient throughout the whole ministration . before the prefaces on christmas day and seven daies after . because thou didst give jesus christ thine only son to be born as this day for us , &c. first , we cannot peremptorily fix the nativity of our saviour to this or that particular day . secondly , it seems incongruous to affirm the birth of christ , and the descending of the holy ghost to be on this day , for seven or eight daies together : upon whitsunday and six daies after . according to whose most true promise the holy ghost came down this day from heaven ; grant us that our sinfull bodies may be made clean by his body and our soul washed by his most precious blood . we desire that whereas these words seem to give a greater efficacy to the blood then to the body of christ , may be altered thus , that our sinful souls and bodies may be cleansed through his precious body and blood . prayer at the consecration . hear us o merciful father , &c. who in the same night that he was betrayed took bread , and when he had given thanks , he brake it , and gave it to his disciples , saying , take , eat , &c. we conceive that the manner of consecrating of the elements is not here explicite and distinct enough : and the ministers breaking of the bread is not so much as mentioned . then shall the minister first receive the communion in both kinds , &c. and after deliver it to the people in their hands kneeling ; and when he delivereth the bread , he shall say , the body of our lord jesus christ which was given for thee , preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life , and take , and eat this in remembrance , &c. we desire that at the distribution of the bread & wine to the communicants we may use the words of our saviour as near as may be , and that the minister be not required to deliver the bread & wine into every particular communicants hand , and to repeat the words to eachone in the singular number , but that it may suffice to speak them to divers joyntly , according to our saviours example . we also desire that kneeling at the sacrament ( it not being the gesture which the apostles used , though christ was personally present amongst them , nor that which was used in the purest and primitive times of the church ) may be left free , as it was 1 & 2 ea. 6. as touching kneeling , &c. they may be used or left , as every mans devotion serveth , without blame . and note , that every parishioner shall communicate , at the least , three times in the year , of which easter shall be one ; and after shall receive the sacraments , and other rites , according to the orders in this book appointed . forasmuch as all parishioners are not duely qualified for the lords supper ; and those habitually prepared , are not at all times actually disposed , but may be hindred by the providence of god , and some by the distempers of their own spirits ; we desire this rubrick may be wholly omitted ▪ or they altered . every minister shall be bound to administer the sacrament of the lords supper , at the least , thrice a year : provided there be a due number of communicants manifesting their desires to receive . and we desire that the following rubrick in the common-prayer-book in 5 & 6 ed. 6. established by law as much as any other part of the common-prayer-book , may be restored for the vindication of our church in the matter of kneeling at the sacrament ( although the gesture be left in different ) ( although no order can be so perfectly devised , but it may be of some , either for their ignorance and infirmity , or else of malice and obstinacy misconstrued and depraved , and interpreted in a wrong part . and yet because that brotherly charity willeth , that ( so much as conveniently may be ) offences should be taken away ; therefore we willing to do the same whereas it is ordered in the book of common-prayer in the administration of the lords supper , that the communicants kneeling should receive the holy communion ; which thing being well meant for the signification of the humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefit of christ given to the worthy receivers , and to avoid the prophanation and disorder , which about the holy communion might else ensue ) lest yet the same kneeling might be thought , or taken otherwise : we do declare that it is not meant thereby , that any adoration is done , or ought to be done , either unto the sacramental bread or wine , there bodily received , or unto any real and essential presence there being of christs natural flesh and blood , forasmuch as concerning the sacramental bread and wine they remain still in their very natural substance , and therefore may not be adored ; for that were idolatry to be aborred of all faithful christians : and as concerning the natural body and blood of our saviour christ , they are in heaven , and not here ; for it is against the truth of christs natural body to be in more places than in one at one time . of publick baptism . there being divers learned , pious and peaceable ministers , who do not only judg it unlawful to baptize children , whose parents both of them are atheists , infidels , hereticks , or unbaptized ; but also such , whose parents are excommunicate persons ; fornieators , or otherwise notorious and scandalous sinners . we desire they may not be inforced to baptize the children of such , until they have made open profession of their repentance before baptism . parents shall give notice over night , or else in the morning . vve desire that more timely notice may be given . and then the godfathers and the godmothers , and the people with their children , here is no mention of the parents in whose right the child is baptized , and who are fittest both to dedicate it to god , and to undertake to god and the church for it . we do not know that any persons ( except the parents , or some other appointed by them ) have any power to consent for the children , or to enter anto covenant we desire it may be left free to parents , whether they will have sureties to undertake for their children in baptism . ready at the font. vve desire it may be so placed , as all the congregation may best see and hear the whole administration . in the first prayer . by the baptism of thy well beloved son , &c. didst sanctifie the flood jordan , and all other waters to the mystical washing away of sin . it being doubtful whether either the flood jordan , or any other waters were sanctified to a sacramental use by christs being baptized and not necessary to be altered : vve desire this may be otherwise expressed . the third exhoreation . do promise by you that are their sureties . the questions . dost thou forsake ? &c. dost thou believe ? &c. vvilt thou be baptized ? &c. vve know not by what right the sureties do promise and answer in the name of the infant : it seemeth to us also to countenance the anabaptistical opinion , of the necessity of an actual profession of faith and repentance in order to baptism . th●s such a profession may be required of the parents in their own name , and now solemnly renewed when they present their children to baptism , we willingly grant : but the asking of one for another , is a practice , whose warrant we doubt : and we desire that the two first interrogatories may be put to the parents to be answered in their own names ; and the last propounded to the parents , or pro-parents , thus ; will you have this child baptized into this faith ? in the second prayer before baptism . may receive remission of sins by spiritual regeneration . this expression seeming incovenient , we desire it may be changed into this , may be regenerated , and receive remission of sins . in the prayer after baptism . that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this infant by thy holy spirit . we cannot in faith say , that every child that is baptized , is regenerated by gods holy spirit ; at least , it is a disputable point , and therefore we desire that it may be otherwise expressed . after baptism . then shall the priest make a cross . concerning the cross in baptism , we refer to our eighteenth general . of private baptism . vve desire that baptism may not be administred in a private place at any time , unless by a lawful minister , and in the presence of a competent number : that where it is evident that any child hath been so baptized , no part of the administration may be reiterated in publick under any limitation ; and therefore we see no need of any lyturgy in that case . of the catechism . quest . 1 vvhat is your name ? quest . 2. who gave you that name ? answ . my godfathers and my godmothers in my baptism . qust . 3. what did your godfathers and godmothers do for you in baptism ? we desire that these three first questions may be altered , considering that the for greater number of persons baptized within these twenty years last past , had no godfathers nor godmothers at their baptism . the like to be done in the seventh question . answ . 2. in my baptism wherein i was made a child of god , a member of christ , and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven . vve conceive it might more safely be expressed thus ; wherein i was visibly admitted into the number of the members of christ , the children of god , and the heirs ( rather than the inheritors ) of the kingdom of heaven . of the rehearsal of the ten commandements . vve desire that the commandements may be inserted according to the new translation of the bible . 10. answ . my duty towards god , is to believe in him , &c. in this answer there seems particular respect to be had to the several commandements of the first table , as in the following answer to those of the second ; and therefore we desire it may be advised upon , whether to the last words of this answer , may not be added particularly , on the lords day , otherwise there being nothing in all this answer that refers to the fourth commandement . qu. 14. how many sacraments hath christ ordained ? answ . two only as generally necessary to salvation . that these words may be omitted , and answer thus given , two only , baptism and the lords supper . qu. 19. what is required of persons to be baptized ? answ . repentance , whereby they forsake sin : and faith , whereby they stedfastly believe the promise of god. qu. 20. why then are infants baptized , when by reason of their tender age they cannot perform them ? answ . yes , they doe perform them by their sureties , who promise and vow them both in their names . we desire that the entring of infants into gods covenant . may be more warily expressed , and that the words may not seem to found their baptism upon a real actual faith and repentance of their own . and we desire that a promise may not be taken for the performance of such faith and repentance ; especially that it be not asserted , that they perform these by the promise of their sureties , it being to the seed of believers that the covenant of god is made , and not ( that we can find ) to all that have such believing sureties , who are neither parents nor pro-parents of their children . in the generall ; wee observe that the doctrine of the sacraments was added upon the conference at hampton court , is much more fully and particularly delivered , then the other parts of the catechism in short answers , fitted to the memories of children , and thereupon wee offer it to be confidered . 1. whether there should not be a more distinct and full explieation of the creed , the commandements , and the lords prayer . 2. whether it were not convtnient to adde ( what seemes to be wanting ) somewhat particularly concerning the nature of faith , of repentance , of the two covenants , justification , sanctification , adoption and regeneration . of confirmation . the last rubrick before the catechism . and that no man should think that any detriment shall come to children by deferring of their confirmation , he shall know for truth , that it is certain by gods word , that children by being baptized , have all things necessary for their salvation , and be undoubtedly saved . although wee charitably suppose the meaning of these words was only to exclude the necessity of any other sacraments to baptized infants ; yet these words are dangerous , as to the misleading of the vulgar , and therefore we desire they may be expunged . after the catechism . so soon as the children can say in their mother tongue the articles of the faith , the lords prayer , and the ten commandements , and can answer to such other questions of the short catechsm , &c : then shall they be brought to the bishop , and the bishop shall confirm them . we conceive that it is not a sufficient qualification for confirmation , that children be able memoriter to repeat the articles of the faith , commonly called the apostles creed , the lords prayer , and the ten commandements , and to answer to some questions of the short catechism ; for it s often found , that children are able to doe all this at four or five years old : 2. it crosses what is said in the third reason of the first rubrick before confirmation , concerning the usage of the church in times past , ordaining that confirmation should be administred to them that are of perfect age , that they being instructed in christian religion , should openly professe their own faith , and promise to be obedient to the will of god. thirdly , vve desire that none may be confirmed , but according to his majesties declaration . viz. that confirmatioin be rightly and solemnly performed by the information , and with the consent of the minister of the place . rubrick . after the catechism . then shall they be brought to the bishop by one that shall he his god-father or god-mother , this seems to bring in a second sort of god-fathers and god-mothers , beside , those made use of at baptism , and we see no need either of the one or other . the prayer before imposition of hands . who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by water and the holy ghost , and hast given them the forgivenesse of all their sins . this supposeth all the children who are brought to be confirmed , have the spirit of christ , and the forgivenesse of all their fins : whereas a great number of children of that age having committed many sins since their baptism , doe shew no evidence of serious repentance , or of any speciall saving grace : and therefore this confirmation ( if administred to such ) would be a perillous and gross abuse . rub. before the imposition of hands . the bishop shall lay his hand upon each child severally . this seems to put a higher value upon confirmation than upon baptism or the lords supper ; for according to the rules and orders of the common-prayer-book , every deacon may baptize , and every minister may consecrate and administer the lords supper ; but the bishop only may confirm . the prayer after imposition of hands . vve make our humble supplication to thee for these children , upon whom after the example of thy holy apostles , we have laid our hands to certifie them by this signe of thy favour and gracious goodness towards them . we desire that the practice of the apostles may not be alledged as a ground of the imposition of hands for the confirmation of children , both because the apostles did never use it in that ease , as also because the articles of the church of england declare it to be a corrupt imitation of the apostles practice . art. 25. vve desire that imposition of hands may not be made ( as here it is a signe to certifie children of gods grace and favour towards them , because this serms to speak it a sacrament , and is contrary to that fore mentioned 25. art. which sayes , that confirmation hath no visible signe appointed by god. the rub. after confirmation . none shall be admitted to the holy communion , until such time as he can say the catechism and be confirmed . vve desire that confirmation may not be made so necessary to the holy communion , as that none should be admitted to it , unless they be confirmed . of the form of solemnization of matrimony . the man shall give the woman a ring , &c. shall surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made , whereof the ring given and received is a token and pledge , &c. seeing the ceremony of the ring in marriage is made necessary to it , and a significant sign of the vow and covenant betwixt the parties : and romish ritualists give such reasons for the institution and use of the ring , as are either frivolous or superstitious : it is desired that this ceremony of the ring in marriage may be left indifferent to be used or forborn . the man shall say with my body i thee worship , &c. this word ( worship ) being much altered in the use of it , since this form was first drawn up . we desire some other word may be used instead of it . in the name of the father , and of the sonne , and of the holy ghost &c. these words being only used in baptism , and here in the solemnization of matrimony , and in the absolution of the sick , we desire it may be considered whither they should not here be omitted , lest they should seem to favour those that count matrimony a sacrament . till death us depart . this word depart is here improperly used . then the mioister or clerke going to the lords table shall say or sing this psalm . the psalm ended , & the man and woman kneeling before the lords table , the priest standing at the table , and turning his face , &c. we conceive the change of place and posture mentioned in these two rubricks , is needless , and therefore desire it to be omitted . consecrated the state of matrimony to such an excellent mystery . seeing the institution of matrimony was before the fall , and so before the promise of christ , as also for that the said passage in the collect seems to countenance the opinion of making matrimony a sacrament , we desire that clause may be altered or omitted . then shall begin the communion , and after the gospel shall be said a sermon , &c. the new married persons , the same day of their marriage must receive the holy communion . this rubrick doth either inform all such as are unfit for the sacrament to forbear marriage , contrary to scripture , which approves the marriage of all men , or else compels all that marry to come to the lords table though never so unprepared . and therefore we desire it may be omitted , the rather because that marriage festivals are too often accompanied with such divertisements as are unsutable to those christian duties , which ought to be before and follow after the receiving that holy sacrament . of the order for the visitation of the sick . before absolution , here shall the sick person make a special confession &c. after which confession the priest shall absolve him after this sort . our lord jesus christ , &c. and by his authority committed to me , i absolve thee . forasmuch as the conditions of sick persons be very various and different , the minister may not onely in the exhortation , but in the prayer also be directed to apply himself to the particular condition of the person as he shall find most suitable to the present occasion , with due regard had both to his spiritual condition and bodily weaknesse , and that the absolution may be onely recommended to the minister to be used or omitted as he shall see occasion . that the form of the absolution be declaratory and conditional , as ( i pronounce thee absolved ) instead ( i absolve thee ) if thou dost truly repent and believe . of the communion of the sick . but if the sick person be not able to come to church , yet is desirous to receive the communion in his house , then must he give knowledge over night , or early in the morning to the curate , and having a convenient place in the sick mans house , he shall there administer the holy communion . considering that many sick persons , either by their ignorance or vicious life , without any evident manifestation of repentance , or by the nature of the disease disturbing their intellectuals , be unmeet for receiving the sacrament : it is proposed that the minister be not injoyned to administer the sacrament to every sick person that shall desire it , but onely as he shall judge expedient . of the order for the buriall of the dead . we desire it may be expressed in the rubrick that the prayers and exhortations here are not for the benefit of the dead , but onely for instruction and comfort of the living . the priest meeting the cords at the church-stile shall say or else the priest and clerk shall sing , &c. we desire that ministers may be left to use their discretions in these circumstances , and to perform the whole service in the church , if they think fit for the preventing of those inconveniencies , which many times both minister and people are exposed unto standing in the open aire . for asmuch as it hath pleased almighty god of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed , we therefore commit his body to the ground , &c. in sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life . these words cannot in truth be said of persons living and dying in open and notorious sins . the first prayer . we give thee thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our brother out of the misery of this sinful world . that we with this our brother and all other departed in the true faith of thy holy name may have our perfect consummation and blisse . these words may harden the wicked and are inconsistent with the largest charity . the last prayer . that when we depart this life we may rest with him , as our hope is this our brother doth . these words cannot be used with respect to those persons who have not by their actual repentance given any ground for the hope of their blessed hope . of the thanksgiving of women after child-birth commonly called the churching of women . the woman shall come into the church , and there shall kneel down in some convenient place nigh unto the place where the table stands , and the priest standing by shall say . in regard that the woman's kneeling where the table is in many churches inconvenient ; we desire that those words may be left out , and that the minister may perform that service in the deske or pulpit . then the priest shall say this psalme &c. this psalm seems not so pertinent as some others : as psal . 113. and psal . 128. &c. lord save this woman thy servant , which putteth her trust in thee . it may fall out that a woman may come to give thanks for a child born in adultery or fornication ; and therefore we defire that something may be required of her by way of profession of her humiliation as well as of her thanksgiving . the woman that comes to give thanks must offer her accustomed offerings . this may seem too like a jewish purification , rather then a christian thanksgiving . and if there be a communion it is convenient that she receive the holy communion . we desire this may be interpreted ( if duly qualified ) for a scandalous sinner may come to make this thanksgiving . thus have we in all humble pursuance of his majesties most gracious endeavours for the publick weal of this church , drawn up our thoughts and desires in this weighty affair , which we most humbly offer to his majesties commissioners for their serious and grave confideration : wherein we have not the least thoughts of depraving or reproaching the book of common-prayer , but a sincere desire to contribute our endeavours towards leading the distempers ( and as far as may be ) reconciling the minds of brethren . and in as much as his majesty hath in his gracious declaration ond commission mentioned new forms to be made and suited to the several parts of worship : we have made a considerable progresse therein , and shall by gods assistance offer them to the reverend commissioners with all convenient speed . and if the lord shall graciously please to give his blessing to these our endeavours , we doubt not but that the peace of this church will be shortly setled , the hearts of ministers and people comforted and composed , and the great mercy of unity and stability ( to the immortal honour of our most dear soveraign ) bestowed upon us , and our posterity after us . august 30. 1661. finis . to the most reverend archbishop and bishops and the reverend their assistants , commissioned by his majesty , to treat about the alteration of the book of common prayer . most reverend father and reverend brethren ; when we received your papers , and were told that they conteined not onely an answer to our exceptition against the present liturgy ; but also severall concessions , wherein you seem willing to joyn with us in the alteration and reformation of it ; our expectations were so far raised , as that we promised our selves , to find our concessions so considerable , as would have greatly conduced to the healing of our much to be lamented divivisions , the setling of the nation in peace , and the satisfaction of tender consciences , according to his majesties most gracious declaration , and his royal commission in pursuance thereof : but having taken a survey of them , we find our selves exceedingly disappointed , and that they will fall far short of attaining those happy ends , for which this meeting was first designed ; as may appear both by the paucity of the concessions , and the inconsiderablenesse of them , they being for the most part , verbal and literal , rather then real , and substantial ; for in them you all allow not the laying aside of the reading of the apocrypha for lessons , though it shut out some bundreds of chapters of holy scripture , and sometimes the scripture it self is made to give way to the apochryphal chapters ; you plead against the addition of the doxology unto the lord's prayer , you give no liberty to omit the too frequent repetition of gloria patria , nor of the lord's prayer in the same publick service , nor do you yield the psalmes be read in the new translation , nor the word priest to be changed for minister or presbyter , though both have been yielded unto in the scottish liturgy ; you grant not the omission of the responsals , no not in the let any it self , though the petitions be so framed , as the people make the prayer , and not the minister ; nor to read the communion service in the desk , when there is no communion , but in the late form instead thereof , it is enjoyned to be done at the table , through there be no rubrick in the common prayer book requiring it ; you plead for the bolinesse of lent , contrary to the statute ; you indulge not the omission of any one ceremony ; you will force men to kneel at the sacrament , and yet not put in that excellent rubr. in the v. and vj. of edw. 6. which would much conduce to the satisfaction of many that scruple it . and whereas divers reverend bishops and doctours , in a paper in print before these unhappy wars began , yielded to the laying aside of the crosse , and the making many material alterations you after xx . years sad calamities and divisions , seem unwilling to grant what they of their own accord then offered ; you seem not to grant that the clause of the fourth commandement in the common prayer book ( the lord blessed the seventh day ) should be altered according to the hebr. exod. 20. the lord blessed the sabbath day ; you will not change the word sunday into the lord 's day , nor adde any thing to make a difference between holidaies that are of humane institution : and the lord's day , that is questionlesse of apostolicall practise ; you will not alter deadly sin in the letany into heynous sin , though it hints to us that some sins are in their own nature venial ; nor that answer in the catech. of two sacraments onely generally necessary to salvation , although it intimates that there are new testament sacraments , though two onely necessary to salvation ; you speak of singing david 's psalmes , allowed by authority , by way of contempt calling them hopkins psalmes ; and though singing of psalmes be an ordinance of god , yet you call it one of our principal parts of vvorship , as if it were disclaimed by you . and are so far from countenancing the use of conceived prayer in the publick vvorship of god ( though we never intended thereby the excluding of set forms ) as that you seem to dislike the use of it even in the pulpit , and heartily desire a total restaint of it in the church ; you will not allow the omission of the benedicite , nor a psalm to be read instead of it ; nor so much as abate the reading of the chapters out of the old testament , and the acts for the epistles ; but rather then you will gratifie us therein , you have found out a new device , that the minister shall say ( for the epistle ) you will not so much as leave out in the collect for christmas day these words ( this day ) though at least it must be a great uncertainty , and cannot be true stylo veteri , & novo . in publick baptism you are so far from giving a liberty to the parent to answer for his own child ( which seems most reasonable ) as that you force him to the use of sureties , and cause them to answer in the name of the infant , that he doth believe , and repent , and forsake the devil and all his worke , which doth much favour the anabaptistical opinion for the necessity of an actual profession of faith and repentance in order to baptism ; you will not leave the minister in the visitation of the sick to use his judgment of discretion in absolving the sick person , or in giving the sacrament to him , but enjoyn both of them , though the person to his own judgment seem never so unfit ; neither do you allow the minister to pronounce the absolution in a declarative and conditional way ; but absolutely , and conditionately . and even in one of our concessions in which we suppose you intend to accommodate with us , you rather widen then heal the breach , for in your last rubr. before the catech you would have the words thus altered , that children being baptized , have all things necessary for salvation , and dying before they commit any actual sin , be undoubtedly saved , though they be not confirmed , which assertion , if understood of all infants even of heathen , is certainly false , and if only of the infants of christians , is doubtfull and contrary to the judgment of many learned protestants , and will give little satisfaction to us or others ; some more we might name , which for brevity sake we omit : all which considered we altogether despair of that happy success which thousands hope & wait for from this his majesties commission ; unless god shall incline your hearts for the peace and union of the nation to a more considerable & satisfactory alteration of the liturgie . in which that we may the better prevail , we here tender an answer to your reply , both against our general and particular exceptions , of which we desire a serious perusal and candid interpretation . we have divided both your preface and reply into several sections , that so you might more easily understand to which of the particulars both in the one and in the otoer our answer doth refer . the papers that passed between the commissioners appointed by his majesty for the alteration of the common prayer , &c. the strain of these papers we fear is like to perswade many that your design is not the same with ours : being assured , that it is our duty to do what we can to the peace and concord of believers , especially when we had the past & present calamities of these nations to urge us , and his majesty's commands , & gracious promises to encourage us , we judged the fittest means to be by making known the hinderances of our concord , and without reviving the remembrance of those things that tend to exasperate , to apply our selves with due submission to those that may contribute much to our recovery , and without personal reflections to propose the remedies which we knew would be most effectual , and humbly and earnestly to petition you for your consent . but instead of consent or amicable debates in order to the removal of our differences , we have received from you a paper abounding with sharp accusations , as if your work were to prove us bad , and make us odious , which as it is attempted upon mistake , by unrighteous means , so were it accomplisht , we know not how it will conduce to the concord which ought to be our common end . if we understand christs commission , or the kings , and our duty as christians , or as ministers , our work now assigned us , was not to search after & aggravate the faults of one onother , ( though of our own in season we are willing to hear ) but to review the liturgy , and agree upon such alterations , diminutions , and enlargement , as are needfull to our common unity & peace . what is amiss in us we shall thankfully accept your charitable assistance to discover , but we take not that for the question which his majesty called us to debate : nor do our judgements or dispositions lead us to recriminations , nor to cast such impediments in the way of our desired accord : and were it not that our calling and our masters work are concerned somewhat in our just vindication , we should not trouble you with so low , so private , and unnecessary a work , but leave such causes to the righteous judge , who will quickly , impartially , infallibly and finally decide them . preface . [ before we come to the proposals , it will be perhaps necessary to say a word or two to the preface , wherein they begin with a thankefull acknowledgement of his majesties most princely condescention , to which we shall only say , that we conceive the most real expression of their thankfulness had been an hearty compliance with his majesties earnest and passionate request for the use of the present liturgy , at least so much of it as they acknowledge by these papers to be lawful : how far they have in this expressed their thankefulness , the world sees , we need not say . ] the reply to your preface . 1. as we hope it is no matter of offence to acknowledge his majesties gracious condescention , so when his majesty by his declaration hath granted us some liberty as to the use of the liturgy before the alteration , and hath by his commission engaged us in a consultation for the alteration of it , we conceive our brethren ( nor the world to whose observation they appeal ) had no warrant to censure us as unthankful to his majesty , because of our present forbearance to use it , or part of it before the intended alteration : at least till they had heard us speak for our selves , and render an account of the reasons of our forbearance , and they had gone before us more exemplarily in their own obedience to his majesty's declaration . as to our own conscience , if we thought not the common-prayer book to be guilty of the general and particular faults which we have layd open to you , we durst not have found fault with it ; and while we took it to be a defective , disorderly , and inconvenient mode of worship , it would be our sin to use it of choice , while we may prefer a more convenient way , what ever we ought to do in case of necessity , when we must worship god inconveniently , or not at all . and as to our people , for whose edification , and not destruction , we have our power or offices , we have taken that course , as far as we are able to understand , which most probably tended to their good , and to prevent their hurt and separation from the church : and consequently that course which did most conduce to his majesty's ends , and to his real service , and the churches peace : none of which would be promoted by our obtruding that upon our people , which we know them unable to digest , or by our hasty offending them with the use of that , which we are forced to blame , and are endeavouring to correct and alter . and we see not how it can be justly intimated that we use no part of it , when we use the lords prayer , the creed , the commandments , the psalms , the chapters , and some other parts ; and how much more you expect we should have used , that we might have escaped this brand of ingratitude , we know not . but we know that charity suffereth long and thinketh no evil , ( 1 cor. 13. 4 , 5. ) and that we have not attempted to obtrude any mode of worship on our brethren , but desired the liberty to use things of that nature as may conduce to the benefit of our flocks : and as we leave them to judge what is most beneficial to their own flocks , who know them , and are upon the place ; so it is but the like freedome which we desire , we are loath to hurt our people knowingly . the time is short , if you will answer our reasonable proposals , it will not be too late at the expiration of our commission , or the date of the reformed liturgy to use it : greater liberty hath been used about liturgies in purer times of the church , with less offence and accusation . [ it can be no just cause of offence to minde them of their duty as they do us of ours , telling us , it is our duty to imitate the apostles practise in a special manner , to be tender of the churches peace , and to advise of such expedients , as may conduce to the healing of breaches , and uniting those that differ ; for preserving of the churches peace we know no better nor more efficatious way than our set liturgy , there being no such way to keep us from schism as to speak all the same thing according to the apostle . ] reply . if you look to the time past , by our duties we suppose you mean our faults ; for it is not duty when it 's past : if you in these words respect only the time present and to come , we reply , 1. the liturgy we are assured will not be a less , but a more probable means of concord after the desired reformation than before ; the defects and inconveniencies make it less fit to attain the end . 2ly . whether the apostle by speaking the same thing did mean either ( all using this liturgy of ours ) or [ all using any one form of liturgy as to the words ] may easily be determined . this is of much later date , unless you will denominate the whole form of the lords prayer , and some little parts . and those that affirm , that the apostles then had any other , must undertake the task of proving it , and excusing the churches for losing and dis-using so precious a relict ; which if preserved would have prevented all our strifes about these things . and in the mean time they must satisfie our arguments for the negative : as 1. if a liturgy had been indited by the apostles for the churches , being by universal officers inspired by the holy ghost , and so of universal use , it would have been used and preserved by the church as the holy scriptures were . but so it was not . ergo no such liturgy , was indited by them for the churches . 2ly . if a prescript form of words had been delivered them , there would have been no such need of exhorting them to speak the same thing , for the liturgy would have held them close enough to that . and if the meaning had been ( see that you use the same liturgy ) some word or other to some of the churches would have acquainted us with the existence of such a thing , and some reproofs we should have found of those that used various liturgies , or formed liturgies of their own , or used extemporary prayers : and some express exhortations to use the same liturgie or forms : but the holy scripture is silent in all those matters : it is apparent therefore that the churches then had no liturgy , but took liberty of extemporate expressions , and spoke in the things of god , as men do in other matters , with a natural plainess and seriousness , suiting their expressions to the subjects and occasions . and though divisions began to disturb their peace and holy orders , the apostle instead of prescribing them a form of divine services for their unity and concord , do exhort them to use their gifts and liberties aright , and speake the same thing for matter , avoiding disagreements , though they used not the same words . 3. just . martyr , tertull. and others sufficiently intimate to us , that the churches quickly after the apostles did use the personal abilities of their pastors in prayer , and give us no hint of any such liturgy of apostolical fabrication and imposition , and therefore doubtlesse there was nothing , for it could not have been so soon lost or neglected . 4. it is ordinary with those of the contrary judgment , to tell us that the extraordinary gifts of the primitive christians , were the reason why there were no prescribed forms in those times , and that such liturgies came in upon the ceasing of those gifts : and 1 cor. 14. describeth a way of publick worshiping , unlike to prescript forms of liturgy : so that the matter of fact is proved and confessed . and then how fairly the words of the apostles , exhorting them ( to speake the same thing ) are used to prove that he would have them use the same forms or liturgy ; we shall not tell you by any provoking aggravations of such abuse of scripture . and indeed for all the miraculous gifts of those times , if prescript forms had been judged by the apostles to be the fittest means for the concord of the churches , it is most probable they would have prescribed such : considering 1. that the said miraculous gifts were extraordinary , and belonged not to all , nor to any at all times , and therefore could not suffice for the ordinary publick worship . 2. and those gifts began even betimes to be abused , and need the apostles canons for their regulation , which he giveth them in that 1 cor. 14. without a prescript liturgy . 3. because even then divisions had made not only an entrance , but an unhappy progress in the churches , to cure which the apostle exhorts them oft to unanimity and concord , without exhorting them to read the same or any common-prayer-book . 4. because that the apostles knew that perillous times would come , in which men would have itching ears , and would have heaps of teachers , and would be self-willed , and unruly , and divisions , and offences , and heresies would encrease : and ergo , as upon such fore-sight they indited the holy scriptures to keep the church in all generations , from error and divisions in points of doctrine , so the same reason and care would have moved them to do the same to keep the churches in unity in point of worship , if indeed they had taken prescribed forms to be needfull to such an unity : they knew that after departure the church would never have the like advantage , infallible , authorized , and enabled for delivering the universal laws of christ : and seeing in those parts of worship , which are of stated use , and still the same forms might have suited all ages as this age , and all countries as this country : ( in the substance ) there can no reason be given , why the apostles should leave this undone , and not have performed it themselves , if they had judged such forms to be necessary , or the most desirable means of unity . if they had prescribed them , 1. the church had been secured from error in them . 2. believers had been preserved from divisions , about the lawfulnesse and fitnesse of them , as receiving them from god. 3. all churches and countries might had one liturgy , as they have one scripture , and so have all spoke the same things . 4. all ages would have had the same without innovation , ( in all the parts that require not alteration ) whereas now on the contrary , 1. our liturgies being the writings of fallible men , are lyable to error , and we have cause to fear subscribing to them , as having nothing contrary to the word of god. 2. and matters of humane institution have become the matter of scruple , and contention . 3. and the churches have had great diversity of liturgies . 4. and one age hath been mending what they supposed they received from the former faulty , and imperfect : so that our own which you are so loath to change , hath not continued yet three generations . and it is most evident that the apostles being entrusted with the delivery of the entire rule of faith and worship , and having such great advantages for our unity and peace , would never have omited the forming of a liturgy of universal usefulnesse , to avoid all the foresaid inconveniences , if they had taken this course of unity to be so needfull , or desirable as you seem to do . whereas therefore you say you know no better or more efficatious way than our liturgy , &c. we reply , 1. the apostles knew the best way of unity , and of speaking the same thing in the matters of god : but the apostles knew not our liturgy , ( nor any common-prayer-book , for ought hath yet been proved ) ergo the said liturgy is not the best way of unity , or speaking the same thing , &c. 2. the primitive church in the next ages after the apostles , knew the best way of unity , &c. but they knew not our liturgy , ergo our liturgy ( not known till lately ) is not the best way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . if it be said that our liturgy is antient , because the sursum corda , the gloria patri &c. are antient . we answer , if indeed it be those ancient sentences that denominate our liturgy , we crave the justice to be esteemed users of the liturgy , and not to suffer as refusers of it , as long as we use all that is found in it of such true antiquity . [ this experience of former and latter times hath taught us , when the liturgy was duly observed , we lived in peace , since that was layd aside , there hath been as many modes and fashions of publick worship , as fancies , we have had continual dissention , which vaeriety of services must needs produce , whilest every one naturally desires and endeavours not only to maintain , but to prefer his own way before all others ; whence we conceive there is no such way to the preservation of peace , as for all to return to the strict use and practise of the form . ] reply . pardon us while we desire you to examine whether you speak as members that suffer with those that suffer , or rather as insensible of the calamities of your brethren , that is as uncharitable : you say you lived in peace , but so did not the many thousands that were fain to seek them peaceable habitations in holland , and in the desarts of america , nor the many thousands that lived in danger of the high commission , or bishops courts at home , and so in danger of every malicious neighbour that would accuse them , hearing sermons abroad , when they had none at home , or of meeting in a neighbours house to pray , or of not kneeling in the receiving of the sacrament , &c. we would not have remembred you of these things , but that you necessitate us by pleading your peace in those dayes , as an argument for the imposing of the liturgy . 2. might not scotland as strongly argue from this medium against the liturgy , and say , before the liturgy was imposed on us , we had peace , but since then we have had no peace . 3. when the strict imposing of the strict use and practice of these forms , was the very thing that disquieted this nation , ( taking in the concomitant ceremonies and subscription ) when this was it that bred the divisions which you complain of , and caused the separations from the churches , and the troubles in the churches ; it is no better arguing to say , we must return to the strict use of that form if we will have peace , than it was in the israelites to say , we will worship the queen of heaven , because then we had peace and plenty , when that was it that deprived them of peace and plenty , ( we compare not the causes , but the arguments ) nor is it any better an argument , than if a man in a dropsie , or ague , that catcht it with voracity , or intemperance , should say , while i did eat and drink liberally , i had no dropsie or ague , but since my appetite is gone , and i have lived temperately , i have had no health , ergo i must return to my intemperance , as the only way to health . alas , is this the use that is made of all our experiences of the causes and progresse of our calamities ? what have you , and we , and all smarted as we have done , and are you so speedily ready to return to the way that will engage you in violence against them that should be suffered to live in peace ? if the furnace that should have refined us , and purified us all to a greater height of love , have but inflamed us to greater wrath , wo to us and to the land that beareth us ! what dolefull things doth this prognosticate you , that prisons or other penalties will not change mens judgements ? and if it drive some to comply against their consciences , and destroy their souls , and drive the more conscientious out of the land , or destroy their bodies , and breed in the minds of men a rooted opinion , that bishops that are still hurting and afficting them , ( even for the things in which they exercise the best of their understanding , and cautelously to avoid sin against god ) are no fathers , friends , or edifyers , but destroyers . alas ! who will have the gain of this ? o let us no more bite , and devour one another , least we be devoured one of another . gal. 5. 15. or christ be provoked to decide the controversie more sharply than we desire or expect . 4. but really hath liberty to forbear the liturgy produced such divisions as you mention ? the licence or connivance that was granted to hereticks , apostates , and foul-mouthed raylers against the scripture , ministry , and all gods ordinances , indeed bred confusions in the land ; but it is to us matter of admiration to observe ( clean contrary to your intimation ) how little discord there was in prayer , and other parts of worship among all the churches throughout the three nations , that agreed in doctrine , and that forbore the liturgy . it is wonderfull to us in the review to consider , with what love , and peace , and concord , they all spoke the same things , that were tyed to no form of words , even those that differed in some points of discipline , even to a with-drawing from locall communion with us , yet strangely agreed with us in worship . and where have there been lesse heresies , schisms , than in scotland , where there was no such liturgy to unite them ? if you tell us of those that differ from us in doctrine , and are not of us , it is as impertinent to the point of our own agreement in worship , as to tell us of the papists . [ and the best expedients to unite us all to that again , and so to peace , are , besides our prayers to the god of peace , to make us all of one mind in an house , to labour to get true humility , which would make us think our guides wiser , and fitter to order us than we our selves , and christian charity , which would teach us to think no evil of our superiors , but to judge them rather carefull guides , and fathers to us , which being obtained , nothing can be imagined justly to binder us from a ready complyance to this method of service appointed by them , and so live in unity . reply . prayer and humility are indeed the necessarie means of peace : but if you will let us pray for peace in no words but what are in the common-prayer-book , their brevitie and unaptness , and the customariness , that will take off the edge of fervour , with humane nature , will not give leave ( or help sufficient ) to our souls to work towards god , upon this subject , with that enlargedness , copiousness , and freedom , as is necessary to due fervour . a brief transient touch , and away , is not enough to warm the heart arigne ; and cold prayers are like to have a cold return , and therefore , even for peace sake , let us pray more copiously and heartily than the common-prayer-book will help us to do . and whether this be that cause , or whether it be that the common-prayer-book hath never a prayer for it self , we find that its prayers prevail not to reconcile many sober , serious persons to it that live in faithfull fervent prayer . 2. and for humility , we humbly conceive it would most effectually heal us , and by causing the pastors of the church to know that they are not to rule the flocks as lords , but as ensamples , not by constraint , but willingly , 1 pet. 5. 2 , 3. and it would cause them not to think so highly of themselves , and so meanly of their brethren , as to judge no words fit to be used to god in the publick worship , but what they prescribe , and put into our mouths , and that other men are generally unable to speak sensibly , or suitably , unless they tell us what to say ; or , that all others are unfit to be trusted with the expressing of their own desires : humilitie would perswade the pastors of the church at least to undertake no more than the apostles did , and no more to obtrude or impose their own words upon all others in the publick worship : if they found any unfit to be trusted with the expression of their mindes in publick prayer , they would do what they could to get meeter men in their places , and till then they would restrain and help such as need it , and not upon that pretence as much restrain all the ablest ministers , as if the whole church were to be nominated , measured , or used , according to the quality of the most unworthy . and it is also true , that humility in private persons and inferiors , would do much to our peace , by keeping them in due submission , and obedience , and keeping them from all contentions and divisions , which proceed from self-conceitedness and pride . but yet , 1. the humblest , surest subjects may stumble upon the scruple , whether bishops differ not from presbyters only in degree , and not in order or office , ( it being a controversie , and no resolved point of faith even amongst the papists , whose faith is too extensive , and favour too ecclesiastical , ambition too great ) and consequently they may doubt whether men in the same order , do , by divine appointment , owe obedience unto those that gradually go before them . 2. and they may scruple whether such making themselves the governours of their brethren , make not themselves indeed of a different order or office , and so incroach not on the authority of christ , who only maketh officers purely ecclesiastical ; and whether it be no disloyalty to christ to own such officers . 3. and among those divines that are for a threefold episcopacy , ( besides that of presbyters , who are episcopi gregis ) viz. general unfixed bishops , like the evangelists or apostles , ( in their measure ) and the fixed bishops of parochial churches , that have presbyters to assist them , to whom they do preside , and also the presidents of larger synods ) yet is it a matter of very great doubt , whether a fixed diocesan being the pastor of many hundred churches , having none under him , that hath the power of jurisdiction or ordination , be indeed a governour of christs appointment or approbation , and whether christ will give us any more thanks for owning them as such , than the king will give us for owning an usurper . humility alone will not seem to subject these men to such a government . 4. and though their coercive magistratical power be easily submitted to , as being from the king , ( how unfit subjects soever church men are of such a power ) yet he that knoweth his superiours best , doth honour god more , and supposeth god more infallible than man , and will feel himself most indispensibly bound by gods commands , and bound not to obey man against the lord. and whereas there is much sayd against the peoples taking on them to judge of the lawfulness of things commanded them by superiors ; we add , 5. that humble men may believe that their superiors are fallible ; that it is no impossibility to command things that god forbids , that in such cases , if we have sufficient means to discern the sinfulness of such commands , we must make use of them , and must obey god rather than men ; that when the apostles acted according to such a resolution , acts 4. 19. and daniel and the three witnesses , dan. 6. and 3. they all exercised a judgement of discerning upon the matter of their superiors commands ; that not to do so at all , is to make subjects bruits , and so no subjects , because not rational free agents , or to make all governors to be gods . and lastly , that it will not save us from hell , nor justifie us at judgement for sinning against god , to say , that superiors commanded us , nor will it prove all the martyrs to be sinners and condemned , because they judged of their superiors commands , and disobeyed them . all which we say to shew the insufficiency of the remedy , hereby you propounded , ( the humility of inferiors ) unless you will also add your help , without obedience there is no order or lasting concord to be expected : and by abasing the eternal god , so far as to set him and his laws below a creature , under pretence of obedience to the creature , no good can be expected , because no peace with heaven , without which , peace with men is but a confederacy hastning each party to destruction : and therefore absolute obedience must be given only to god the absolute sovereign . in all this we suppose that we are all agreed : and therefore , 6. and lastly , we must say , that the way to make us think the bishops to be so wise , and careful guides and fathers to us , is not for them to seem wiser than the apostles , and make those things of standing necessity to the churches unity , which the apostles never made so , nor to forbid all to preach the gospel , or to hold communion with the church , that dare not conform to things unnecessary . love and tenderness are not used to express themselves by hurting and destroying men for nothing ; and to silence and reject from church communion for a ceremony , and in the mean time to perswade men that they love them , is but to stab or famish all the sick persons in the hospital or family , whose stomachs cannot take down the dish we offer them , or whose throats are too narrow to swallow so big a morsel as we send them ; and when we have done , to tell them , the only remedy is for them to believe we love them , and are tender of them . and who knows not that a man may think well of his superiors , that yet may question whether all that he teacheth or commandeth him , be lawful . [ if it be objected , that the liturgy is in any way sinful and unlawful for us to joyn with , it is but reason that this be first proved evidently , before any thing be altered : it is no argument to say , that multitudes of sober pious persons scruple the use of it , unless it be made to appear by evident reasons , that the liturgy gave the just grounds to make such scruples . for if the bare pretence of scruples be sufficient to exempt us from obedience , all law and order is gone . ] reply . to this passage we humbly crave your consideration of these answers ; 1. we have not only sayd , ( that sober pious persons scruple the liturgy ) but we have opened to you those defects , and disorders , and corruptions , which must needs make the imposing of it unlawful , when god might be more fitly served . 2. it is strange , that you must see it first evidently proved unlawful for men to joyn with the liturgy ( you mean , we suppose , to joyn with you in the using of it , or when you use it , ) before you will see reason to alter any thing in it : what if it be only proved unlawful for you to impose it , though not for others to joyn with you when you do impose it , is this no reason to alter it ? should you not have some care to avoid sin your selves , as well as to preserve others from it ? an inconvenient mode of worship is a sin in the imposer , and in the chooser , and voluntary user , that might offer god better , and will not , mal. 1. 13 , 14. and yet it may not be only lawful , but a duty to him that by violence is necessitated to offer up that or none . and yet we suppose the imposers should see cause to make an alteration . if you lived where you must receive the lords supper sitting , or not at all , it 's like you would be of this minde your selves . 3. why should it be called a [ bare pretence of scruples ] as if you search'd the hearts , and knew ( not only that they are upon mistake , but ) that they are not real , when the persons not only profess them real , but are willing to use all just means that tend to their satisfaction , they study , read , pray , and will be glad of conference with you , at any time , upon equal tearms , if they may be themselves believed . 4. even groundless scruples about the matter of an unnecessary law , which hath that which to the weak both is and will be an appearance of evil , may be sufficient to make it the duty of rulers to reverse their impositions , though they be not sufficient to justifie the scrupulous . 5. if a man should think that he ought not to obey man , even when he thinketh it is against the commands of god , though he be uncertain , ( as in case of going on an unquestioned warfare , or doing doeg's execution , &c. ) yet it followeth not , that [ all law and order is gone ] as long as all laws and orders stand that are visibly subservient to the laws of god , and to his sovereignty , or consistent with them , and when the subject submitteth to suffering where he dare not obey . [ on the contrary we judge , that if the liturgy should be altered as is there required , not only a multitude , but the generality of the soberest and most loyal children of the church of england would justly be offended , since such an alteration would be a virtual confession that this liturgy were an intollerable burden to tender consciences , a direct cause of schism a superstitious usage ( upon which pretences it is here desired to be altered ) which would at once both justifie all those which have so obstinately separated from it , as the only pious , tender conscienced men , and condemn all those that have adhered to that , in conscience of their duty and loyalty , with their loss or hazard of estates , lives , and fortunes , as men superstitious , schismatical , and void of religion and conscience . for this reason and those that follow , we cannot consent to such an alteration as is desired , till these pretences be proved , which we conceive in no wise to be done in these papers , and shall give reasons for this our judgment . ] reply . if the liturgie should be altered , as is here required , and desired by us , that it could be no just offence to the generality ( or any ) of the soberest and most loyal children of the church ( as you speak ) is easie to be proved , by laying together the considerations following : because it is by themselves confessed to be alterable , as not having it self its former constitution , till less than two hundred years ago . 2. and themselves affirm it to be not necessary to salvation , but a thing indifferent , while they exclude all higher institutions from the power of the church . 3. they confess it lawful to serve god without this liturgie , without which he was served by other churches above 1460 years , and without which he is now served by other churches , when the contrary minded doubt whether with it he be lawfully served . 4. those that desire the alteration , desire no more than to serve god as the churches did in the daies of the apostles , that had their most infallible conduct . 5. and they offer also such formes as are more unquestionable as to their congruency to the word of god , and to the nature of the several parts of worship . 6. and yet though they desire the surest concord and an universal reformation ) they desire not to impose on others what they offer , but can thankfully accept a liberty to use what is to their own consciences most unquestionably safe , while other men use that which they like better . so that set all this together , with the consideration of the necessity of the preaching the word , and communion that is hereupon denied , and you may see it proved , that to have such a liturgy so altered , that is confessed alterable , for so desirable an end , to the use only of those that cannot well use it , without urging others to any thing that they do themselves account unlawful , cannot be a matter of just offence to the generality of sober children of the church , nor to any one . and as to the reason given , it is apparently none . for , 1. of those that scruple the unlawfulness of it , there are many that will not peremptorily affirm it unlawful , and condemn all that use it , but they dare not use it doubtingly themselves . 2. when our papers were before you , we think it not just that you should say , that it 's here desired to be altered , on the pretence that it is a direct cause of schism and a superstitious usage : have we any such expressions ? if we have , let them be recited ; if not , it is hard that this should even by you be thus affirmed , as is sayd by us , which we have not sayd : we have sayd [ that the ceremonies have been the fountain of much evil , occasioning divisions , but not what you charge us to have sayd in words or sense . 3. and may not you alter them without approving , or seeming to approve the reason upon which the alteration is desired , when you have so great store of other reasons ? the king in his declaration is far enough from seeming to own the charge against the things which he was pleased graciously to alter so far as is there exprest . if a patient have a conceit that some one thing would kill him , if he took it , the physitian may well forbear him in that one thing , when it is not necessary to his health , without owning his reasons against it : if his majesty have subjects so weak as to contend about things indifferent , and if both sides err , one thinking them necessary , and the other sinful , may he not gratifie either of them , without seeming to reprove their errour . by this reason of yours he is by other men in such a case necessitated to sin ; for if he settle those things which some count necessary , he seems to approve of their opinion , that they are necessary : if he take them down when others call them sinful , he seems to own their charge of the sinfulness . but indeed he needeth not to do either , he may take them down , or leave them indifferent , professedly for unity and peace , and professedly disown the errors on both sides . we are sorry if any did esteem these forms and ceremonies any better than mutable indifferent modes and circumstances of worship : and did hazard estate or life for them as any otherwise esteemed : and we are sorry , that by our divisions the adversary of peace hath gotten so great an advantage against us , as that the argument against necessary charitable forberance is fetch'd from the interest of the reputation of the contending parties , that things may not be abated to others which you confess are indifferent and alterable , and which many of them durst not use , though to save their lives . and this because it will make them thought the pious , tender concienc'd men , and make others thought worse of . but with whom will it have these effects ? those that you call the generality of the sober loyal children of the church will think never the worse of themselves , because others have libertie to live by them without these things . and the rest , whose liberties you denie , will think rather the worse of you , than the better , for denying them their libertie in the worshipping of god. you undoubtedly argue here against the interest of reputation , which you stand for , your prefaces to your indulgencies , and your open professions ; and ( if you will needs have it so ) your own practises , will tell the world loud enough , that the things which you adhered to with so great hazards are still lawfull in your judgement , and it will be your honour , and add to your reputation , to abate them to others , when it is in your power to be more severe . and if you refuse it , their sufferings will tell the world loud enough , that for their parts they still take them to be things unlawful . as for the reasons by them produced to prove them sinfull , they have been publickly made known in the writings of many of them ; in ames his fresh sute against the ceremonies , and in the abridgement , &c. and in bradshaw's , nicols , and other mens writings . [ to the first general proposal we answer , that as to that part of it which requires , that the matter of the liturgie may not be private opinion or fancy , that being the way to perpetuate schism ; the church hath been carefull to put nothing into the liturgie , but that which is either evidently the word of god , or what hath been generally received in the catholick church , neither of which can be called private opinion : and if the contrary can be proved , we wish it out of the liturgie . ] reply . we call those opinions which are not determined certainties , and though the greater number should hold them as opinions , they are not therefore the doctrines of the church , and therefore might be called private opinions ; but indeed we used not the word ( that we can find : ) the thing we desired , was , that the materials of the liturgie may consist of nothing doubtfull , or questioned among pious learned and orthodox persons . ] we said also ( that the limiting church communion to things of doubtfull disputation , hath been in all ages the ground of schisme and separation ( which is not to say , that the liturgy it self , is a superstitious usage , or a directs cause of schisme , ) and we cited the words of a learned man ( mr. hales ) not as making every word our own , but as a testimony ad hominem , because he was so highly valued by your selves ( as we suppose ) and therefore we thought his words might be more regarded by you than our own . 2. where you say [ that the church hath been carefull to put nothing in the liturgy , but that which is either evidently the word of god , or that which had been generally received in the catholick church . ] we reply , 1. we suppose there is little or nothing now controverted between us , which you will say is evidently the word of god , either the forms or ceremonies , or any of the rest . 2. if by [ in the church ] you mean [ not by the church ] but [ by any part in the church ] how shall we know that they did well . and if by [ the generality ] you mean not all , but the greater part , you undertake the proof of that which is not easie to be proved . it being so hard to judge of the majority of persons in the catholick church in any notable differences . we do take it for granted , that you limit not the catholick church , as the papists do , to the confines of the roman empire , but indeed we can only wish , that your assertion were true , while we must shew it to be untrue , if you speak of the primitive church , or of an universality of time , as well as place , ( if not its more against you , that the primitive catholick church was against you . ) the very thing in question that containeth the rest [ that it s needfull to the peace of the church , that all the churches under one prince should use one form of liturgy ] was not received by the catholick church , nor by the generality in it : when it is so well known that they used diversity of liturgies and customes in the roman empire . the generality in the catholick church received not the lords supper kneeling , at least on any lords dayes , when it was forbidden by divers generall councills , and when this prohibition was generally received as an apostolical tradition : we have not heard it prov'd , that the surplice or cross , as used with us , wree received by the universal church ; it is a private opinion not received by the catholick church , that [ it is requisite that no man should come to the holy communion , but with a full trust in gods mercy , and with a quiet conscience , ] though it be every mans duty to be perfect pro statu viatoris , yet it is not requisite that no man come till he be perfect . he that hath but a weak faith ( though not a full trust ) must come to have it strenthned : and he that hath an unquiet conscience , must come to receive that mercy which may quiet it . it is a private opinion , and not generally received in the catholick church [ that one of the people ] may make the publick confession at the sacrament , in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy communion ] it is a private and not generally received distinction , that the body of christ makes clean our bodies , and his blood washeth our souls . ] it is a doubtful opinion , to speak easily , that when the lords supper is delivered with a prayer not made in the receivers name , but thus directed to him by the minister [ the body of our lord jesus christ , &c. preserve thy body and soul , ] it is so intollerable a thing for the receiver not to kneel , in hearing the prayer , that he must else be thrust from the communion of the church , and yet that no minister shall kneel , that indeed doth pray : but he may pray standing , and the hearers be cast out for standing at the same words . it is not a generally received , but a private opinion , [ that every parishioner ( though impenitent , and conscious of his utter unfitness , and though he be in despair , and think he shall take his own damnation ) must be forced to receive thrice a year : when yet even those that have not [ a full trust in gods mercy ] or [ have not a quiet conscience ] were before pronounced so uncapable , as that none such should come to the communion . ] abundance more such instances may be given to shew how far from truth the assertion is , that [ the church hath been careful to put nothing into the liturgie , but that which is either evidently the word of god , or which hath been generally received in the catholick church ] unless you speak of some unhappie unsuccesful carefulness . but we thankfully accept of your following words , [ and if the contrary can be proved we wish it out of the liturgie ] which we entreat you to perform , and impartially receive our proofs . but then we must also entreat you ; 1. that the primitive churches judgment and practice may be preferred before the present declined , much corrupted state. and 2. if gods law rather than the sinful practises of men breaking that law may be the churches rule for worship : for you call us to subscribe to art. 19. that [ as the church of jerusalem , alexandria , and antioch hath erred , so also the church of rome hath erred , not only in their living , and manner of ceremonies , but also in matters of faith : and saith rogers , in art. 20. they are out of the way , which think that either one man , as the pope , or any certain calling of men , as the clergie , hath power to decree , and appoint rites or ceremonies , though of themselves good , unto the whole church of god , dispersed over the universal world , ] and indeed if you would have all that corruption brought into our liturgie , and discipline , and doctrine , which the papists , greeks , and others , that undoubtedly make up the far greater number of the now universal church do use : you would deserve no more thanks of god , or man , than he that would have all kings , and nobles , and gentry , levelled with the poor commons , because the latter are the greater number , or than he that would have the healthful conformed to the sick , when an epidemical disease hath made them the majority , or than he that would teach us to follow a multitude to do evil , and to break more than the least commands , because the greater number break them ; we pray you therefore to take it for no justication of any uncertain or faulty passage in our liturgie , though the greater number now are guilty of it . 3. and we must beseech you , if the churches judgment or practice must be urged , that you would do us the justice , as to imitate the ancient churches in your sense of the quality , and the mode and measure of using , and imposing things , as well as in the materials used , and imposed consider not only [ whether you finde such things received by the ancient churches , ] but also consider how they were received , esteemed , and used , ] whether as necessary or indifferent , as points of faith , or doubtful opinions , whether forced on others , or left to their free choice : if you finde that the generality of the ancient churches received the white garment after baptism , and the tasting of milk and honie as ceremonies freely , though generally used , you should not therefore force men to use them : if you finde that the doctrine of the millennium , or of angels corporeity was generally received as an opinion , it will not warrant you to receive either of them as a certain necessary truth . if you finde that the general councels forbad kneeling in any adoration on the lords daies , but without force against dissenters , you may not go denie the sacrament to all that kneel , nor yet forbid them to kneel in praying . so if you find some little parcels of our liturgie , or some of our ceremonies used as things indifferent , left to choice , forced upon none , but one church differing from another in such usages or observances , this will not warrant you to use the same things as necessarie to order , unitie , or peace , and to be forced upon all ; use them no otherwise than the churches used them . [ we heartily desire , that according to this proposal , great care may be taken to suppress these private conceptions of prayers before and after sermon , lest private opinions be made the matter of prayer in publick , as hath , and will be , if private persons take liberty to make publick prayers . ] reply . the desire of your hearts is the grief of our hearts , the conceptions of prayer by a publick person , according to a publick rule , for a publick use , are not to be rejected as private conceptions : we had hoped you had designed no such innovation as this in the church : when we have heard any say that it would come to this , and that you designed the suppression of the free prayers of ministers in the pulpit , suited to the varietie of subjects and occasions , we have rebuked them as uncharitable in passing so heavie a censure on you : and what would have been said of us a year ago , if we should have said that this was in your hearts ? nothing will more alienate the hearts of many holy prudent persons from the common-prayer , than to perceive that it is framed and used as an instrument to shut out all other prayers , as the ministers private conceptions . such an end and design will make it under the notion of a means , another thing than else it would be , and afford men such an argument against it , as we desire them not to have : but we hope you speak not the publick sense . as the apostles desired ( as aforesaid ) that all would speak the same things , without giving them ( that ever was proved ) a form of words to speak them in , so might we propose to you , that uncertain opinions be made no part of our liturgie without putting all their words into their mouths , in which their desires must be uttered . your heartie desire , and the reason of it , makes not only against extemporarie prayer , but all prepared , or written forms , or liturgies , that were indited only by one man , and have not the consent antecedently of others . and do you think this was the course of the primitive times ? basil thus used his private conceptions at caesarea , and greg. thaumaturgus before him at neocesarea , and all pastors in justin martyrs and tertullians daies . and how injurious is it to the publick officers of christ , the bishops and pastors of the churches , to be called private men , who are publick persons in the church , if they be not ? every single person is not a private person , else kings and judges would be so . and have you not better means to shut out private opinions , than the forbidding ministers praying in the pulpit , according to the varietie of subjects and occasions : you have first the examination of persons to be ordained , and may see that they be able to speak sense , and fit to mannage their proper works with judgement and discretion , before you ordain them ; and some confidence may be put in a man in his proper calling and work , to which he is admitted with so great care , as we hope ( or desire ) you will admit them ; if you are necessitated to admit some few that are injudicious , or unmeet , we beseech you ( not only to restore the many hundred worthy men laid by , to a capacity , but that you will not so dishonour the whole church , as to suppose all such , and to use all as such , but restrain those that deserve restraint , and not all others for their sakes : and next you have a publick rule ( the holy scripture ) for these men to pray by , and if any of them be intollerably guiltie of weaknesses or rashness , or other miscarriages , the words being spoken in publick , you have witnesse enow , and sure there is power enough in magistrates and bishops to punish them , and if they prove incorrigible , to cast them out . in all other professions these means are thought sufficient to regulate the professors , his majestie thinks it enough to regulate his judges , that he may choose able men , and fit to be trusted in their proper work , and that they are responsible for all their maladministrations , without prescribing them forms , beyond which they may not speak any thing in their charge . physitians being first tried , and responsible for their doings , are constantly trusted with the lives of high and low , without tying them to give no counsel , or medicine , but by the prescript of a book , or determination of a colledge : and it is so undeniable , that your reason makes more against preaching , and for only reading homilies , as that we must like it the worse , if not fear what will become of preaching also . for 1. it is known that in preaching a man hath far greater opportunity , and liberty to vent a false or private opinion , than in prayer . 2. it is known de eventu , that it is much more ordinary . and if you say [ that he speaks not the words of the church , but his own , nor unto god , but man , and therefore it is less matter . ] we answer , it is as considerable , if not much more , from whom he speaks , than to whom , he speaks as the minister of christ , in his stead and name , 2 cor. 5. 19 , 20. and it is as a higher , so a more reverend thing to speak in gods name to the people , than in the peoples name to god ; and to speak that which we call gods word , or truth , or message , than that which we call but our own desire : we make god a lyer , or corrupt in his words , if we speak a falshood in his name ; we make but our selves lyers , if we speak a falshood to him in our own names ; the former therefore is the more heynous and dreadfull abuse , and more to be avoided : or if but equally , it shews the tendency of your reason , ( for we will not say of your design , as hoping you intend not to make us russians ) we do therefore for the sake of the poor threatened church , beseech you that you will be pleased to repent of these desires , and not to prosecute them , considering that to avoid a lesser evil ( avoidable by safer means ) you will bring a far greater evil on the churches , and such as is like to strip these nations of the glory in which they have excelled the rest of the world , even a learned , able , holy ministry , and a people sincere , and serious , and understanding in the matters of their salvation . for 1. as it is well known that an ignorant man may read a prayer and homily as distinctly and laudably as a learned divine , and so may do the work of a minister , if this be it ; so it is known that mans nature is so addicted to ease and sensual diversions , as that multitudes will make no better preparations , when they find that no more is necessary , when they are as capable of their places and maintenance if they can but read , and are forced upon no exercise of their parts , which may detect and shame their ignorance , but the same words are to be read by the ablest and ignorantest man ; it is certain that this will make multitudes idle in their academical studies , and multitudes to spend their time idly all the year , in the course of their ministry : and when they have no necessity that they are sensible of , of diligent studies , it will let loose their fleshly voluptuous inclinations , and they will spend their time in sports , and drinking , and prating , and idlenesse , and this will be a seminary of lust : or they will follow the world , and drown themselves in covetousnesse and ambition , and their hearts will be like their studies : as its the way to have a holy , able ministry , to engage them to holy studies , to meditate on gods law day and night , so it s the way to have an ignorant , prophane and scandalous ministry ( and consequently enemies to serious godlinesse in others ) to impose upon them but such a work , as in ignorance and idlenesse , they may perform as well as the judicious and the diligent . if it be said [ that their parts may be tried and exercised some other way ] we answer , where should a ministers parts be exercised , if not in the pulpit , or the church , and in catechising , in private baptism , and communion , and in the visitation of the sick ? their work also is such as a school-boy may do as well as they , their ignorance having the same cloak , as in publick . if it be said [ that a ministers work is not to shew his parts ] we answer , but his ministerial work is , to shew men their sins , and to preach the wonderfull mysteries of the gospel , to help men to search , and understand the scriptures , and to search , and to know their hearts , and to know god in christ , and to hope for the glory that is to be revealed : and fervently to pray for the successe of his endeavours , and the blessings of the gospel on the people , and chearfully to praise god for his various benefits , which cannot be well done without abilities . a physitians work is not to shew his parts ultimately , but it is to do that for the cure of diseases which without parts he cannot do , and in the exercise of his parts , on which the issue much depends , to save mens lives . the ostentation of his good works , is not the work of a good christian : and yet he must so let his light shine before men , that they may see his good works , and glorifie god. and undeniable experience tells us , that god ordinarily proportioneth the successe and blessing , to the skill , and holinesse and diligence of the instruments , and blesseth not the labours of ignorant , ungodly drones , as he doth the labours of able faithfull ministers . and also that the readiest way to bring the gospel into contempt into the world , and cause all religion to dwindle away into formality first , and then to barbarism and brutishnesse , is to let in an ignorant , idle , vicious ministry , that will become the peoples scorn : yea , this is the way to extirpate christianity out of any country in the world , which is decaying a pace when men grow ignorant of the nature and reasons of it , and unexperienced in its power and delightfull fruits , and when the teachers themselves grow unable to defend it . and we must add , that whatsoever can be expected duly to affect the heart , must keep the intellect , and all the faculties awake in diligent attention , and exercise : and in the use of a form , which we have frequently heard and read , the faculties are not so necessitated and urged to attention , and serious exercise , as they be when from our own understanding we are set about the natural work of representing to others what we discern and feel . mans mind is naturally sloathfull , and will take its ease , and remit its seriousnesse longer than it is urged by necessity , or drawn out by delight , when we know before-hand , that we have no more to do , but read a prayer , or homilie , we shall ordinarily be in danger of letting our mindes go another way , and think of other matters , and be senceless of the work in hand . though he is but an hypocrite that is carried on by no greater motive than mans observation , and approbation ; yet is it a help not to be depised , when even a necessity of avoiding just shame with men , shall necessarily awake our invention , and all our faculties to the work , and be a concurrent help with spiritual motives . and common experience tells us , that the best are apt to lose a great deal of their affection , by the constant use of the same words or forms ; let the same sermon be preached an hundred times over , and trie whether an hundred for one will not be much less moved by it , than they were at first . it is not only the common corruption of our nature , but somewhat of innocent infirmity that is the cause of this . and man must cease to be man , or to be mortal , before it will be otherwise ; so that the nature of the thing , and the common experience of our own dispositions , and of the effect on others , assureth us , that understanding serious godliness , is like to be extinguished , if only forms be allowed in the church , on pretence of extinguishing errors and divisions : and though we have concurred to offer you our more corrected nepenthes , yet must we before god and men , protest against the dose of opium which you here prescribe or wish for , as that which plainly tendeth to cure the disease by the extinguishing of life , and to unite us all in a dead religion . and when the prayers that avail must be effectual and servent , jam. 5. 16. and god will be worshipped in spirit and truth , and more regardeth the frame of the heart , than the comeliness of expression ; we have no reason to be taken with any thing that pretends to help the tongue , while we are sure it ordinarily hurts the heart : and it is not the affirmations of any men in the world , perswading us of the harmlesness of such a course that can so far un-man us , as to make us dis-believe both our own experience , and common observation of the effect on others . yet we confess that some forms have their laudable use , to cure that error and vice , that lieth on the other extreme . and might we but sometimes have the liberty to interpose such words as are needful to call home and quicken attention and affection , we should think that a convenient conjunction of both , might be a well tempered means to the common constitutions of most . but still we see the world will run into extreams , what ever be said or done to hinder it . it is but lately that we were put to it , against one extreme , to defend the lawfulness of a form of liturgie ; now the other extreme it troubleth us , that we are forced against you , even such as you , to defend the use of such prayers of the pastors of the churches , as are necessarily varied according to subjects and occasions , while you would have no prayer at all in the church , but such prescribed forms . and why may we not add , that whoever maketh the forms imposed on us , if he use them , is guilty as well as we of praying according to his private conceptions ? and that we never said it proved from scripture , that christ appointed any to such an office , as to make prayers for other pastors and churches to offer up to god : and that this being none of the work of the apostolick , or common ministerial office in the primitive church , is no work of any office of divine institution . [ to that part of the proposal , that the prayers may consist of nothing doubtful , or questioned by pious , learned , and orthodox persons ; they not determining who be those orthodox persons , we must either take all them for orthodox persons , who shall confidently affirm themselves to be such , and then we say ; first , the demand is unreasonable , for some such as call themselves orthodox , have questioned the prime article of our creed , even the divinity of the son of god , and yet there is no reason we should part with our creed for that . besides , the proposal requires impossiblity , for there never was , nor is , nor can be such prayers made , as have not been , nor will be questioned by some who call themselves , pious , learned , and orthodox : if by orthodox be meant those who adhere to scripture , and the catholick consent of antiquity , we do not yet know that any part of our liturgy hath been questioned by such . ] reply . and may we not thus mention orthodox persons to men that profess they agree with us in doctrinals , unless we digress to tell you who they be ? what if we were pleading for civil concord among all that are loyal to the king , must we needs digress to tell you who are loyal ? we are agreed in one rule of faith , in one holy scripture , and one creed , and differ not ( you say ) about the doctrinal part of the 39. art. and will not all this seem to tell you who are orthodox . if you are resolved to make all that a matter of contention , which we desire to make a means of peace , there is no remedy while you have the ball before you , and have the wind and sun , and the power of contending without controll . but we perceive , [ that the catholick consent of antiquity ] must go into your definition of the orthodox , but how hard it is to get a reconciling determination , what ages shall go with you , and us , for the true antiquity , and what is necessary to that consent that must be called catholick , is unknown to none but the unexperienced . and indeed we think a man that searcheth the holy scripture , and sincerely and unreservedly gives up his soul to understand , love and obey it , may be orthodox , without the knowledge of church-history ; we know no universal law-giver , nor law to the church , but one , and that law is the sufficient rule of faith , and consequently the test of the truly orthodox , though we refuse not church-history , or other means that may help us to understand it . and to acquaint you with what you do not know , we our selves ( after many pastors of the reformed churches ) do question your liturgie , as far as is expressed in our papers : and we profess [ to adhere to scripture , and the catholick consent of antiquity ] ( as described by vincentius liniensis ) if you will say , that our pretence and claim is unjust , we call for your authority to judge our hearts , or depose us from the number of the orthodox , or else for your proofs to make good your accusation . but however you judge , we rejoice in the expectation of the righteous judgment , that shall finally decide the controversie ; to which , from this aspertion , we appeal . [ to those generals , loading publick form with ch. pomp , garm . imagery , and many superfluities that creep into the church under the name of order and decency , incumbring churches with superfluities , over ridgid reviving of obsolete customes , &c. we say , that if these generals be intended as applyable to our liturgy in particular , they are gross and foul slanders , contrary to their profession , page ult . and so either that or this contrary to their conscience , if not , they signifie nothing to the present business , and so might with more prudence and candor have been omitted . ] reply . you needed not go a fishing for our charge ; what we had to say against the liturgie , which we now desired you to observe , was here plainly laid before you ; answer to this , and suppose us not to say , what we do not , to make your selves matter of reproaching us with gross and foul slanders . only we pray you answer mr. hales , as mr. hales , ( whom we took to be a person of much esteem with you ) , especially that passage of his which you take no notice of , as not being so easie to be answered , for the weight and strength which it carries with it ; viz. that the li mitting of the church communion to things of doubtful disputation , hath been in all ages the ground of schism and separation , and that he that separates from suspected opinions is not the separatist . and may we not cite such words of one that we thought you honored , and would hear without contradicting our profession , of not intending depravation or reproach against the book without going against our consciences ? if we cite the words of an author for a particular use ( as to perswade you of the evil of laying the churches unity upon unnecessary things ) must we be responsible therefore for all that you can say against his words in other respects ? we suppose you would be loath your words should have such interpretations , and that you should be under such a law for all your citations ; do as you would be done by . [ it was the wisdome of our reformers to draw up such a liturgy as neither romanist , nor protestant could justly excopt against , and therefore as the first never charged it with any positive errors , but only the want of something they conceived necessary : so it was never found fault with by those to whom the name of protestants most properly belongs , those that profess the augustine confession : and for those who unlawfully and sinfully brought it into dislike with some people to urge the present stave of affaires , as an argument why the booke should be altered , to give them satisfaction , and so that they should take advantage by their own unwarrantable acts , is not reasonable . ] reply . if it be blameless , no man can justly except against it ; but that de facto the romanists never charged it with any positive errors , is an assertion that maketh them reformed , and reconcilable to us , beyond all belief : is not the very using it in our own tongue a positive error in their account ? is it no positive error in the papists account , that we profess [ to receive these creatures of bread and wine ? ] do they think we have no positive error in our catechism about the sacraments , that affirmeth it to be bread and wine after the consecration , and makes but two sacraments necessary ? &c. ] 2. and unless we were nearlier agreed than we are , it seemeth to us no commendation of a liturgie , that the papists charge it with no positive error . 3. that no divines , or private men at home , or of foreign churches [ that ever found fault with the liturgie , are such to whom the name of protestant properly belongeth ] is an assertion that proveth not what authoritie of judgeing your brethren you have , but what you assume , and commendeth your charitie no more than it commendeth the papists , that they denie us to be catholicks . calvin and bucer subscribed the augustine confession , and so have others that have found fault with our liturgie . 4. if any of us have blamed it to the people , it is but with such a sort of blame , as we have here exprest against it to your selves ; and whether it be [ unlawfull , and sinfull ] the impartial comparing of your words with ours , will help the willing reader to discern . but if we prove indeed that it is [ defective and faultie , that you bring for an offering to god ] when you or your neighbours have a better , which you will not bring , nor suffer them that would ( mal. 1. 13. ) and that you call evil good in justifying its blemishes , which in humble modestie we besought you to amend , or excuse us from offering , then god will better judge of the unlawfull act than you have done . but you have not proved , that all , or most of us , have caused the people at all to dislike it ; if any of us have , yet weigh our argument , though from the present state of affairs : or , if you will not hear us , we beseech you hear the many ministers in england , that never medled against the liturgie , and the many moderate episcopal divines that have used it , and can do still , and yet would earnestly entreat you to alter it , partly because of what in it needs alteration , and partly in respect to the commodity of others ; or at least we beseech you recant , and obliterate such passages as would hinder all your selves from any act of reformation hereabout , that if any man among you would find fault with some of the grosser things , which we laid open to you ( tenderly and spiringly ) and would reform them : he may not presently forfeit the reputation of being a protestant : and lastly , we beseech you denie not again the name of protestants to the primate of ireland , the archbishop of york , and the many others that had divers meetings for the reformation of the liturgy , and who drew up that catalogue of faults , or points , that needed mending , which is yet to be seeu in print ; they took not advantage of their own unwarrantable acts for the attempting of that alteration . [ the third and fourth proposals may go together , the demand in both being against responsals , and alternate readings , in hymns and psalmes , and letany , &c. and that upon such reason as doth in truth enforce the necessity of continuing them as they are , namely , for edification . they would take these away , because they do not edifie , and upon that very reason they should continue , because they do edifie : if not by informing of our reasons and understandings , ( the prayers and hymns were never made for a catechism ) yet by quickening , continuing , and uniting our devotion , which is apt to freeze , or sleep , or flat in a long continued prayer , or form ; it is necessary therefore for the edifying of us therein , to be often called upon and awakened by frequent amens , to be excited and stirred up by mutual exultations , provocations , petitions , holy contentions and strivings , which shall most shew his own , and stir up others zeal to the glory of god. for this purpose alternate reading , repetitions and responsals , are far better than a long tedious prayer : nor is this our opinion only , but the judgement of former ages , as appears by the practice of ancient christian churches , and of the jewes also . but it seems they say to be against the scripture , wherein the minister is appointed for the people in publick prayers , the peoples part being to attend with silence , and to declare their assent in the cloze , by saying amen ; if they mean that the people in publick services must only say this word amen , as they can no more prove it in scriptures , so it doth certainly seem to them , that it cannot be proved ; for they directly practise the contrary in one of their principal parts of worship , singing of psalms , where the people bear as great a part as the minister . if this way be done in hopkin's , why not in david's pslams ? if in meetre , why not in prose ? if in a psalm , why not in a letany ? ] reply . what is most for edification , is best known by experience , and by the reason of the thing ; for the former , you are not the masters of all mens experience , but of your own , and others that have acquainted you with the same , as theirs : we also may warrantably professe in the name of our selves , and many thousands of sober pious persons , that we experience that these things are against our edification , and we beseech you do not by us , what you would not do by the poor labouring servants of your family , to measure them all their dyet for quality or quantity , according to your own appetites , which they think are diseased , and would be better , if you work'd as hard as they ; and we gave you some of the reasons of our judgment . 1. though we have not said that the people may not in psalmes to god concur in voice , ( we speak of prayer which you should have observed ) and though we only concluded it agreeable to the scripture practice , for the people in prayer to say but their amen , yet knowing not from whom to understand the will of god , and what is pleasing to him , better than from himself , we considered what the scripture saith of the ordinary way of publick worship ; and finding ordinarily that the people spoke no more in prayer ( as distinct from psalmes and praise ) than their amen , or meer consent , we desired to imitate the surest pattern . 2. as we find that the minister is the mouth of the people to god in publick ( which scripture , and the necessity of order , do require ) so we were loath to countenance the peoples invading of that sacred office , so far as they seem to us to do ; 1. by reading half the psalmes and hymnes ; 2. by saying half the prayers , as the minister doth the other half ; 3. by being one of them the mouth of all the rest in the confession at the lords supper ; 4. by being the only petitioners , in the far greatest part of all the letanie , by their [ good lord deliver us ] and [ we beseech thee to hear us good lord ] while the minister only reciteth the matter of the prayer , and maketh none of the request at all , we fear lest by parity of reason , the people will claim the work of preaching , and other parts of the ministerial office ; 3. and we mentioned that which all our ears are witnesses of , that while half the psalmes , and hymnes , &c. are said by such of the people as can say them , the murmure of their voices in most congregations , is so intelligible and confused , as must hinder the edification of all the rest ; for who is edified by that which he cannot understand ? we know not what you mean by citing 2 chron. 7. 1 , 4. ezra 3. 11. where there is not a word of publick prayer , but in one place of an acclamation , upon an extraordinary sight of the glory of the lord , which made them praise the lord , and say , [ he is good , for his mercy is for ever ] when the prayer that went before was such as you call [ a long tedious prayer ] uttered by solomon alone without such breaks , and discants ; and in the other places is no mention of prayer at all , but of singing praise , and that not by the people , but by the priests , and levites , saying the same words [ for he is good , for his mercy endures for ever towards israel . ] the people are said to do no more than shout with a great shout , because the foundation of the house was laid : and if shouting be it that you would prove , it 's not the thing in question . let the ordinary mode of praying in scripture be observed , in the prayers of david , solomon , ezra , daniel , or any other , and if they were by breaks , and frequent beginnings and endings , and alternate interlocutions of the people , as yours are , then we will conform to your mode , which now offends us ; but if they were not , we beseech you reduce yours to the examples in the scripture : we desire no other rule to decide the controversie by . as to your citation , 1 socrat. there tells us of the alternate singing of the aruians in the reproach of the orthodox , and that chrysostome ( not a synod ) compiled hymnes to be sung in opposition to them in the streets , which came in the end to a tumult and bloodshed . and hereupon he tells us of the original of alternate singing . viz. a pretended vision of ignatius , that heard angels sing in that order . and what is all this to alternate reading , and praying , or to a divine institution , when here is no mention of reading , or praying , but of singing hymnes ? and that not upon pretence of apostolical tradition , but a vision of uncertain credit . theodor. also speaketh only of singing psalmes alternately , and not a word of reading or praying so ; and he fetcheth that way of singing also as socrat. doth , but from the church at antioch , and not from any pretended doctrine , or practise of the apostles ; and neither of them speaks a word of the necessitie of it , or of forcing any to it , so that all these your citations , speaking not a word so much as of the very subjects in question , are marvellously impertinent . the words [ their worship ] seem to intimate , that singing psalms is part ( of our worship ) and not of yours , we hope you disown it not ; for our parts we are not ashamed of it , your distinction between hopkin's and david's psalms , as if the meetre allowed by authority to be sung in churches made them to be no more david's psalms , seemeth to us a very hard saying . if it be because it is a translation , then the prose should be none of david's psalms neither , nor any translation be the scripture . if it be because it is in meetre , then the exactest translation in meetre should be none of the scripture . if because it 's done imperfectly , then the old translation of the bible , used by the common-prayer-book , should not be scripture . as to your reason for the supposed priority , 1. scripture examples telling us , that the people had more part in the psalms , than in the prayers or readings , satisfie us , that god and his church then saw a disparity of reason . 2. common observation tells us , that there is more order and less hindrance of edification in the peoples singing , than in their reading , and praying together vocally . [ it is desired that nothing should be in the liturgy , which so much us seems to countenance the observation of lent as a religious fast , and this as an expedient to peace , which is in effect to desire , that this our church may be contentious for peace sake , and to divide from the church catholick , that we may live at unity among our selves : for saint paul reckons them amongst the lovers of contention , who shall oppose themselves against the custome of the churches of god ; that the religious observation of lent was a custome of the churches of god , appeares by the testimonies following , chrysost . ser. 11. in heb. 10. cyrill . catec . myst . 5. st. august . ep. 119. ut 40. dies ante pascha observetur , ecclesiae consuetudo roboravit : and st. hierom ad marcell , saies , it was secundum traditionem apostolorum ; this demand then tends not to peace , but dissention . the fasting forty daies may be in imitation of our saviour , for all that is here said to the contrary ; for though we cannot arrive to his perfection , abstaining wholly from meat so long , yet we may fast forty daies together , either cornelius his fast , till three of the clock afternoon , or saint peter 's fast till noon , or at least daniel 's fast , abstaining from meats and drinks of delight , and thus far imitate our lord. ] reply . if we had said , that the church is contentious , if it adore god in kneeling on the lords daies , or use not the white garment , milk and honey after baptism , which had more pretence of apostolical tradition , and were generally used more anciently than lent , would you not have thought we wronged the church ? if the purer times of the church have one custome , and later times a contrary , which must we follow ? or must we necessarily be contentious for not following both ? or rather may we not by the example of the church that changeth them , be allowed to take such things to be matters of liberty , and not necessity ? if we must needs conform to the custome of other churches in such things , or be contentious , it is either because god hath so commanded , or because he hath given those churches authority to command it : if the former , then what churches or what ages must we conforme to ? if all must concurr to be our patterne , it will be hard for us to be acquainted with them so far as to know of such concurrences : and in our case we know that many do it not ; if it must be the most , we would know where god commandeth us to imitate the greater number , though the worse ; or hath secured us that they shall not be the worst ? or why we are not tied rather to imitate the purer ages than the more corrupt ? if it be said , that the church hath authority to command us , we desire to know what church that is , and where to be found , and heard , that may command england , and all the churches of his majesty's dominions . if it be said to be a general council ; 1. no general council can pretend to more authority than that of nice , whose 20th canon , back'd with tradition and common pratice , now bindes not us , and was laid by without any repeal by following councils . 2. we know of no such things as general councils , at least that have bound us to the religious observation of lent. the bishops of one empire could not make a general council . 3. nor do we know of any such power that they have ever the universal church , there being no visible head of it , or governours to make universal laws , but christ , ( as rogers on the 20. article fore-cited shews ) our 21. article saith that [ general councils may not be gathered together without the commandment and will of princes ] and doubtless all the heathen , and mahomitans , and all the contending christian princes , will never agree together , ( nor never did ) to let all their christian subjects concurre to hold a general council . it saith also [ and when they be gathered together ( forasmuch as they be an assembly of men , whereof all be not governed with the spirit and word of god ) they may erre , and sometimes have erred , even in things pertaining unto god ; therefore things ordained by them , as necessary to salvation , have neither strength nor authority , unlesse it may be declared that they be taken out of the holy scriptures ; ] and if they may erre in things pertaining unto god , and ordained by them as necessary to salvation ] much more in lesser things . and are we contentious if we erre not with them ? our . 39. article determineth this controversie , saying , [ it is not necessary that traditions and ceremonies be in all places one , or utterly like ; for at all times they have been divers , and changed according to the diversity of countryes , times , and mens manners , so that nothing be ordained against gods word . ] and after [ every particular , or national church , hath authority to ordain , change , or abolish ceremonies , or rites of the church , ordained only by mans authority , so that all things be done to edifying ] they that believe not this , should not subscribe it , nor require it of others . as for the testimonies cited by you , they are to little purpose : we deny not that the custom of observing lent , either fewer dayes or more , was as antient as those authors . but 1. that lent was not known or kept in the 2d . or 3d. ages , you may see as followeth , tertul. de jejun . l. 2. cap. 14. pleading for the montanists , [ si omnem in totum devotionem temporum , & dierum , & mensium , & annorum erasit apostolus , cur pascha celeramus anno circulo in mense primo ? cur quodragin●a inde diebus in omni exultatione decurrimus ? cur stationibus quartam & sextam , sabbati dicamus ? & jejunits parasceven ? quanquam vos etiam sabbatum si quando continuatis ; nunquam risi in pascha jejunandum , &c. and cap. 15. excusing that rigor of their fasts [ quontula est apud ncs interdictio ciborum , duus in anno . hebdomadas xerophagiarum nec totas ; excaptis scilicet sabbatis , & dominicis offerimus deo ; the old general fast at that time was only the voluntary unconstrained fasting on good friday , & after that on one or two dayes more , and then on six ; iraeneus in a fragment of an epist . in euseb . hist . lib. 5. cap. 26. gr. lat. 23. saith , ( the controversy is not only of the day of easter , but of the kind of fast it self : for some think they should fast one day , some two , others more , some measure their day by 40. hours of day and night ; and this variety of those that observe these fasts began not now in our age , but long before us with our ancestors , who as is most like , propagated to posterity the custom which they retein , as brought in by a certain simplicity , and private will ; and yet all these lived peaceably among themselves , and we keep peace among our selves , and the difference of fasting is so far from violating the consonancy of faith , as that it even commendeth it . ] thus iraeneus , ( read the rest of the chapter ) thus is the true reading confessed by bellarmine , rigaltius , &c. and dionis . alexand. ep. can. ad basil . pag. 881. balsam . saith , [ nor do all equally and alike sustain those six dayes of fasting ; but some passe them all fasting , some two , somethree , some four , some more ; ] and the catholicks in tert. de jejun , cap. 2. say , neque de caetero differentur jejunandum , ex arbitrio , non ex imperio nova disciplinae , pro temporibus & causis uniuscujusque sic & apostolos observasse , nullum aliud imponentes jugum certorum , & in commune omnibus obeundorum jejuniorum ; and socrat. admireth at many countries , that all differed about the number of dayes , and yet all called it quadragesima , lib. 5. c. 22. eat . gr. 21. so sozomen lib. 7. c. 19. gr. & niceph. lib. 12. cap. 34. which may help you to expound hierom , and the rest cited by you , as rigalitus doth ad tertul. de jejun . 128. as shewing that they did it with respect to christs 40. dayes fast , but not as intending any such thing themselves as any fast of 40. dayes . it is against the montanists , that the quadrages . was but once a year that hierom useth the title of apostolick tradition . and how to expound him , see epist . ad lucin. [ u●aqueque provincia abundet in suo sensu , & precepta majorum leges apostolicus arbitictur ; ] but saith august . ad casulan . ep. 86. [ in evangelicis & apostolicis literis , totoque instrumento quod appellatur testamentum novum , animo id revolens video preceptum esse jejunium : quibus autem diebus non oportet jejunare , & quibus oporteas , precepto domini vel apostolorum non invenio definitum . ] and that christ ans abstinance in lent was voluntary [ quanto magis quisque vel minus voluerit , vel potuerit . ] august . affirmeth , cont . faustum manich. lib. 30. cap. 5. and soerat . ubi supr . saith . [ ac quontam nemo de eâre praeceptum literarum monumentis proditam potest ostendete , perspicuum est apostolos liberam potestatem in eadem cujusque menti , ac arbitrio permississe : ut quisque nec metu , nec necessitate inductus quod bonum sit ageret . ] and prosper de vit . contempl. li. 2. c. 24 veruntamen sic jejunare , vel abstinere debemus ut nos non jejunandi , vel abstinendi necessitate subdamus , ne jam deveti , sed inviti , rem voluntariam faciamus . ] and cossianus , lib. 2. col . 21. cap. 30. saith in primitivâ ecclesiâ equale fuisse jejunium per totum annum : ac frigescente devotione , cum negligerentur jejunia inductum quadragiâ sacer dotibus . but when you come to describe your fast , you make amends for the length , by making it indeed no fast ; to abstain from meats and drinks of delight , ] where neither the thing , not the delight , is profitable to further us in our duty to god , is that which we take to be the duty of every christian all the year , as being a part of our mortification , and self denyal , who are commanded to crucifie the flesh , and to make no provision to satisfie the lusts of it , and to subdue our bodies ; but when those meats and drinks , do more help than hinder us in the service of god , we take it to be our duty to use them , unless when some other accident forbids it , that would make it otherwise more hurtful ; and for fasting till noon , we suppose it is the ordinary way of dyet to multitudes of sedentary persons , both students , and tradesmen , that find one meal a day sufficient for nature : if you call this fasting , your poor brethren fast all their life time , and never knew that it was fasting ; but to command hard labourers to do so , is but to make it a fault to have health , or to do their necessary work . we beseech you bring not the clergy under the suspition of gluttony , by calling our ordinary wholesome temperance by the name of fasting : sure princes may feed as fully and delightfully as we ; yet solomon saith [ woe to thee o land when thy king is a child , and thy princes eat in the morning ; blessed art thou o land when thy king is the son of nobles , and thy princes eat in due season , for strength , & not for drunkenesse : for meer sensual delight it is never lawful ; and when it is for strength it is not to be forbidden , unless when by accident it will infer a greater good to abstain , eccl. 20. 16. 17. so prov. 31. 4. 6. it is not for kings to drink wine , not for princes strong drink ; give strong drink to him that is ready to perish , and wine to those that be of heavy hearts . ] [ nor does the act of parliament 5 elizab. forbid it , we dare not think a parliament did intend to forbid that which christ his church hath commanded ; nor does the act determine any thing about lent fast , but only provide for the maintenance of the navy , and of fishing in order thereunto , as is plain by the act. besides we conceive that we must not so interpret , one act , as to contradict another , being still in force and unrepealed . now the act of 1 eliz. confirmes the whole liturgy , and in that the religious keeping of lent , with a severe penalty upon all those , who shall by open words speak any thing in derogation of any part thereof , and therefore that other act of 5 elizab. must not be interpreted to forbid the religious keeping of lent. ] reply . if when the expresse words of a statute are cited , you can so easily put it off , by saying ( it does not forbid it , ) and you dare not think that a parliament did intend to forbid that which christ his church hath commanded , ) and ( you must not interpret it as contradicting that act which confirms the liturgy , ) we must think that indeed we are no lesse regardful of the laws of the governours than you ; but first , we understand not what authority this is that you set against the king and parliament , as supposing they will not forbid what it commands ? you call it christs church , we suppose you mean not christ himself , by his apostles infallibly directed and inspired : if it be the national church of england , they are the kings subjects ; and why may he not forbid a ceremony which they command ; or why should they command it if he forbid it ? if it be any foreign church , ther 's none hath power over us . if it be any pretended head of the church universal , whether pope or general council , having power to make laws that bind the whole church , it is a thing so copiously disproved by protestants against both the italian and french papists , that we think it needlesse to confute it , nor indeed dare imagine that you intend it . we know not the refore what you mean ; but whatever you mean you seem to contradict the forecited article of the church of england , that makes all humane laws about rites and ceremonies of the church to be unchangeable , by each particular national church ; and that it is not necessary that ceremonies or traditions be in all places one , or utterly like ▪ we most earnestly beseech you be cautious how you obtrude upon us a foreign power , under the name of christs church , that may command ceremonies which king and parliament may not forbid , whether it be one man or a thousand , we fear it is against our oathes of allegiance and supremacy , for us do own any such power . and ( not presuming upon any immodest challenge ) we are ready in the defence of those oathes , and the protestant religion , to prove against any in an equal conference , that there is no such power , and for the statute , let the words themselves decide the controversy , which are these [ be it enacted that who soever shall by preaching , teaching , writing , or open speech , notifie that any eating of fish , or forbearing of flesh , mentioned in this statuie , is of any necessity for the saving of the soul of man , or that it is the service of god , otherwise than as other politick laws are , and be , that than such persons are and shall be punished , as the spreaders of false news are , and ought to be . ] and whereas you say the act determines not any thing about lent fast , it speaks against eating flesh , ( on any days now usually observed as fish days : and lent is such , and the senfe of the act for the lituigy may better be tryed by this , which is plain , than thus reduced to that which is more obscure . [ the observation of saints dayes , is not as of divine , but ecclesiastical institution , and therefore it is not necessary that they should have any other ground in scripture , than all other institutions of the same nature , so that they be agreeable to the scriptare in the general end , for the promoting piety , and the observation of them was antient , as appears by the rituals , and liturgies , and by the joynt consent of antiquity , and by the antient translation of the bible , as the syriack and ethiopick , where the lessons appointed for holydayes , are noted and set down , the former of which was made near the apostles times , besides our saviour himself , kept a feast of the churches institution , viz. the feast of the dedication , s. jo. 12. 22. the choice end of these dayes being not feasting , but the exercise of holy duties , they are fitter called holydayes , than festivals , and though they be all of like nature , it doth not follow that they are equal ; the people may be dispensed with for their work , after the service , as authority pleaseth , the other names are left in the calender , not that they should be so kept as holydayes , but they are useful for the preservation of their memories , and for other reasons , as for leases , law-dayes , &c. ] reply . the antiquity of the translations mentioned is far from being of determinate certainty : we rather wish than hope that the syriack could be proved to be made near the apostles times ; but however , the things being confessed of humane institution , and no forreign power having any authority to command his majesties subjects , and so the imposition being only by our own governours , we humbly crave that they may be left indifferent , and the unity or peace of the church , or liberty of the ministers not laid upon them . [ this makes the liturgy void , if every , minister may put in , and leave out all at his discretion . ] repl. you mistake us : we speak not of putting in , and leaving out , of the liturgy , but of having leave to intermix some exhortations or prayers besides , to take off the deadnesse which will follow , if there be nothing but the stinted forms ; we would avoid both the extreme that would have no forms , and the contrary extremes that would have nothing but forms ; but if we can have nothing but extremes , there 's no remedy , it s not our fault . and this moderation and mixture which we move for , is so far from making all the liturgy void , that it will do very much to make it attain its end , and would heal much of the distemper which it occasioneth , and consequently would do much to preserve the reputation of it . as for instance , it besides the forms in the liturgy , the minister might at baptism , the lords supper , marriage , &c. interpose some suitable exhortation or prayer upon special occasion when he finds it needful . should you deny this at the visitation of the sick , it would seem strange , and why may it not be granted at other times : it is a matter of far greater trouble to us , that you would deny us and all ministers the liberty of using any other prayers besides the liturgy then that you impose these [ the gift or rather spirit of prayer consists in the inward graces of the spirit , not in ex tempore expressions , which any man of natural parts , having a voluable tongue , and audacity , may attain to without any special gift . ] repl. all inward graces of the spirit , are not properly called the spirit of prayer , nor is the spirit of prayer that gift of prayer which we speak of ; nor did we call it by the name of a special gift , ) nor did we deny that ordinary men of natural parts and voluable tongues may attain it ; but yet we humbly conceive that as there is a gift of preaching , so also of prayer , which god bestows in the use of means , diversified much according to mens natural parts , & their diligence , as other acquired abilities are , but also much depending on that grace that is indeed special , which maketh men love and relish the holy subjects of such spiritual studies , and the holy exercise of those graces that are the soul of prayer , and consequently making men follow on such exercises with delight and diligence , and therefore with success ; and also god is free in giving , or denying his blessing to mans endeavours . if you think there be no gift of preaching , you will too dishonourably level the ministry : if reading be all the gift of prayer or preaching , there needs no great understanding or learning to it . nor should cobblers and tinkers be so unfit men for ministers as they are thought ; nor would the reason be very apparent , why a woman might not speak by preaching , or praying in the church . [ but if there be any such gift as is pretended , it is to be subject to the prophets , and to the order of the church . ] repl. the text speaks ( as dr. hammond well shews ) of a subjection to that prophet himself , who was the speaker ; inspiration excluded not the prudent exercise of reason ; but it is a strange ordering , that totally excludeth the thing ordered . the gift of preaching ( as distinct from reading ) is to be orderly and with due subjection exercised ; but not to be on that pretence extinguished and cast out of the church : and indeed if you should command it , you are not to be obeyed , whatever we suffer ; and why then should the gift of prayer ( distinct from reading ) be cast out . [ the mischiefs that come by idle , impertinent , ridiculous , sometimes seditious , impious , and blasphemous expressions under pretence of the gift , to the dishonour of god , and scorn of religion , being far greater than the pretended good of exercising the gift : it is fit that they who desire such liberty in publike devotions , should first give the church security , that no private opinions ; should be put into their prayers , as is desired in the first proposal , and that nothing contrary to the faith should be uttered before god , or offered up to him in the church . ] repl. the mischiefs which you pretend , are inconveniencies attending humane imperfection , which you would cure with a mischief ; your argument from the abuse against the use is a palpable fallacy , which cast out phisicians in some countries , and rooted up vines in others , and condemneth the reading of the scriptures in a known . tongue among the papists ; if the apostles ( that complained then so much of divisions , and preaching false doctrines , and in envy and strife , &c. ) had thought the way of cure had been , in sending ministers about the world , with a prayer-book , and sermon-book , and to have tied them only to read either one or both of these , no doubt but they would have been so regardful of the church , as to have composed such a prayer-book , or sermon-book themselves , and not lest us to the uncertainties of an authority not infallible , nor to the divisions that follow the impositions of a questionable power , or that which unquestionably is not universal , and therefore can procure no universal concord . if one man among you draw up a form of prayer , it is his single conception : and why a man as learned and able may not be trusted to conceive a prayer , for the use of a single congregation , without the dangers mentioned by you , as one man to conceive a prayer for all the churches in a diocess or a nation ? we know not ; these words ( that the mischief is greater than the pretended good ) seem to expresse an unjust accusation , of ordinary conceived prayer , and a great undervaluing of the benefits : if you would intimate that the crimes expressed by you are ordinarily found in ministers prayers , we that hear so much more frequently than you , must profess we have not found it so ( allowing men their different measures of exactness , as you have even in writing ) nay to the praise of god we must say , that multitudes of private men can ordinarily pray without any such imperfection , as should nauseate a sober person , and with such seriousness , and aptness of expression as is greatly to the benefit and comfort of ourselves , when we joyn with them ; and if such general accusations may serve in a matter of publick , and common fact , there is no way for the justification of the innocent . and that it is no such common guilt , will seem more probable to them that consider , that such conceived prayers , both prepared and extemperate , have been ordinarily used in the pulpits in england , and scotland , before our dayes till now , and there hath been power enough in the bishops and others , before the wars , to punish those that speak ridiculously , seditiously , impiously , or blasphemously ; and yet so few are the instances ( even when jealousie was most busy ) of ministers punished , or once accused of any such fault in prayer , as that we find it not easy to remember any considerable number of them : there being great numbers punished for not reading the book , for playing on the lords dayes , or for preaching too oft , and such like , for one that was ever questioned for such kind of praying . and the former shewed that it was not for want of will to be severe , that they spared them as to the latter . and if it be but few that are guilty of any intolerable faults of that nature in their prayers , we hope you will not go on to believe , that the mischiefs that come by the failings of those few , are far greater than the benefit of conceived prayer by all others . we presume not to make our experiences , the measure of yours , or of other mens . you may tell us what doth most good , or hurt to your selves , and those that have so communicated their experiences to you ; but we also may speak our own , and theirs that have discovered them to us . and we must seriously profess , that we have found far more benefit to our selves , and to our congregations ( as far as our conference , and converse with them , and our observation of the effects alloweth us to discern ) by conceived prayers , than by the common-prayer-book , we find that the benefit of conceived prayer is to keep the mind in serious employment , and to awaken the affections , and to make us fervent , and importunate , and the inconvenience is that some weak men are apt as in preaching and conference , so in prayer to shew their weaknesse , by some unapt expressions , or disorder , which is an evil no way to be compared , with the fore-mentioned . good , considering that it is but in the weak , and that if that weaknesse be so great as to require it , forms may be imposed on those few , without imposing them on all for their sakes ( as we force not all to use spectacles , or crutches , because some are purblind or lame ) and considering that god heareth not prayers , for the rhetorick , and handsome cadencies , and neatnesse of expression , but will bear more with some incuriosity of words ( which yet we plead not for ) than with an hypocritical , formal heartlesse , lip-service ; for he knoweth the meaning of the spirit even in the groans , which are not uttered in words ; and for the common-prayer our observation telleth us , that though some can use it judiciously , seriously , and we doubt not profitably , yet as to the most of the vulgar , it occasioneth a relaxing of their attention , and intention , and a lazie taking up with a corps , or image of devotion , even the service of the lips , while the heart is little sensible of what is said . and had we not known it we should have thought it incredible , how , utterly ignorant abundance are of the sence of the words which they hear , and repeat themselves from day to day even about christ himself , and the essentials of christianity . it is wonderful to us to observe that rational creatures can so commonly seperate the words from all the sense and life , so great a help or hinderance even to the understanding , is the awakening or not awakening of the affections about the things of god ; and we have already shewed you many unfit expressions in the common-prayer-book , especially in the epistles and gospels , through the faultinesse of your translations , as eph. 3. 15. ( father of all , that is called , father in heaven and earth ) and that christ was found in his apparel as a man ) that mount sinai is agar in arabia , and bordereth upon the city now called jerusalem ) gal. 4. 25. ( this is the sixth month which is called barren ) luke 1. ( and when men be drunk ) john 2. with many such like , which are parts of your publick worship ; and would you have us hence conclude , that the mischiefs of such expressions are worse , than all the benefits of that worship : and yet there is this difference in the cases , that weak & rash ministers were but here and there one ; but the common-prayer is the service of every church , and every day had we heard any in extemporary prayer use such unmeet expressions , we should have thought him worthy of sharp reprehension , yea though he had been of the younger or weaker sort ; divers other unfit expressions , are mentioned in the exceptions of the late arch-bishop of york , and primate of ireland , and others ( before spoken of ) and there is much in the prejudice or diseased curiosity of some hearers , to make words seem idle , impertinent , or ridiculous which are not so ( and which perhaps they understand not ) some thought so of the inserting in the late prayer-book , the private opinion of the souls departed praying for us ; and our praying for the benefit of their prayers ; as for the security which you call for , ( though ( as is shewed ) you have given us none at all against such errors in your forms , yet ) we have before shewed you , that you have as much as among imperfect men can be expected : the same that you have , that physitians shall not murther men , and that lawyers and judges shall not undoe men , and that your pilate shall not cast away the ship , you have the power in your hands of taking or refusing as they please or displease you , and of judging them by a known law for their proved miscarriages , according to the quality of them , and what would you have more . [ to prevent which mischief the former ages know no better way , than to forbid any prayers in publick , but such as were prescribed by publick authority : con. carthag . can. 106. milen . can. 12. ] repl. to what you allege out of two councils , we answer , 1. the acts of more venerable councils are not now at all observed ( as nice 1. can. ult . &c. ) nor many of these same which you cite . 2. the scripture , and the constant practice of the more antient church allowed what they forbid . 3. even these canons shew that then the churches thought not our liturgy to be necessary to their concord : nor indeed had then any such form imposed on all , or many churches to that end . for the can. of counc . carth. ) we suppose you meant council 3. can. 23. ) mentioneth prayers even at the alter , and alloweth any man to describe and use his own prayers , so he do but first , cum instructionibus fratribus eas conferre , take advice about them with the abler brethren . if there had been a stated form before imposed on the churches , what room could there be for this course . and even this much seems but a caution , made newly upon some late abuse of prayer . the same we may say de concil . male can. 12. : if they were but a prudentioribus tractata , vel comprobata in synodo , new prayers might by any man at any time be brought in , which sheweth they had no such stated publick liturgy as is now pleaded for . and even this seemeth occasioned by pelagianisme , which by this caution they would keep out . we hope your omission of our 8th . desire ( for the use of the new translation ) intimateth your grant that it shall be so ; but we marvel then that we find among your concessions , the alteration of no part but the epistles and gospels . [ as they would have no saints dayes observed by the church , so no apocriphal chapter read in the church , but upon such a reason , as would exclude all sermons , as well as apocripha , viz. because the holy scriptures contain in them all things necessary either in doctrine to be believed , or in duty to be practised ; if so , why so many unnecessary sermons ? why any more but reading of scriptures ? if notwithstanding their sufficiency , sermons be necessary , there is no reason why these apocriphal chapters should not be as useful , most of them containing excellent discourses , and rules of mortality , it is heartily to be wished that sermons were as good ; if their fear be that by this mean● those books may come to be of equal esteem with the canon , they may be secured against that by the title which the church hath put upon them , calling them apocriphal , and it is the church's testimony which teacheth us this difference , and to leave them out , were to cross the practice of the church in former ages . ] repl. we hoped when our desires were delivered in writing they would have been better observed and understood : we asked not ( that no apocriphal chapter may be read in the church , ) but that none may be read ( as lessons ) for so the chapters of holy scripture there read , are called in the book , and to read them in the same place under the same title , without any sufficient note of distinction , or notice given to the people that they are not canonical scripture , they being also bound with our bibles ) is such a temptation to the vulgar to take them for gods word , as doth much prevail , and is like to do so still . and when papists second it with their confident affirmations , that the apocriphal bookes are canonical , well refelled by one of you , the r. reverend bishop of durham , ) we should not needlesly help on their successe . if you cite the apocripha as you do other humane writings , or read them as homilies , ( when and where there is reason to read such ) we speak not against it , ) to say that the people are secured by the churches calling them apocripha , is of no force , till experience be proved to be dis-regardable , and till you have proved that the ministers is to tell the people at the reading of every such chapter that it is but apocriphal , and that the people all understand greek so well as to know what apocripha signifieth . the more sacred and honourable are these dictates of the holy ghost recorded in scripture , the greater is the sin , by reading the apocripha , without sufficient distinction to make the people believe that the writings of man are the revelation and laws of god ; and also we speak against the reading of the apocripha , as it excludeth much of the canonical scriptures , and taketh in such books in their stead , as are commonly reputed fabulous . by this much you may see how you lost your answer by mistaking us , and how much you will sin against god , and the church , by denying our desire . [ that the minister should not read the communion service at the communion table , is not reasonable to demand , since all the primitive church used it , and if we do not observe that golden rule , of the venerable council of nice , let antient customes prevail , till reason plainly requires the contrary : we shall give offence to sober christians by a causelesse departure from catholick usage , and a great advantage to enemies of our church , than our brethren i hope would willingly grant , the priest standing at the communion table , seemeth to give us an invitation to the holy sacrament , and minds us of our duty , viz. to receive the holy communion , some at least every sunday , and though we neglect our duty , it is fit the church should keep her standing . ] repl. we doubt not but one place in it self is as lawful as another , but when you make such differences as have misleading intimations , we desire it may be forborn . that all the primitive church used when there was no communion in the sacrament , to say service at the communion table , is a crude assertion , that must have better proof before we take it for convincing , and it is not probable , because they had a communion every lords day : and if this be not your meaning , you say nothing to the purpose : to prove that they used it when there was none ; and you your selves devise many things more universally practised than this can at all be fairly pretended to have been . the council of nice gives no such golden rule as you mention ; a rule is a general applyable to particular cases , the council only speaks of one particular ; let the antient custom continue in aegypt , lybia , and pentapolis , that the bishop of alexandria have the power of them all ; ) the council here confirmeth this particular custom , but doth not determine in general of the authority of custom . that this should be called a catholic usage shews us how partially the word ( catholick ) is sometimes taken . and that this much cannot be granted , as least we advantage the enemies of the church , doth make us wonder whom you take for its enemies , and what is that advantage which this will give them ; but we thank you that here we find our selves called brethren , when before we are not so much as spoken to , but your speech is directed to some other ( we know not whom ) concerning us , your reason is that which is our reason to the contrary , you say ( the priest standing at the communion table seems to give us an invitation to the holy communion , &c. ) what when there is no sacrament by himself or us intended ? no warning of any given ? no bread and wine prepared ? be not deceived , god is not mocked . therefore we desire that there may be no such service at the table when no communion is intended , because we would not have such grosse dissimulation used in so holy things , as thereby to seem ( as you say ) to invite guests when the feast is not prepared , and if they came we would turn them empty away . indeed if it were to be a private mass , and the priest were to receive alone for want of company , and it were really desired that the people should come , it were another matter ; moreover there is no rubrick requiring this service at the table . [ it is not reasonable that the word minister should be only used in the liturgy , for since some parts of the liturgy may be performed by a deacon , others by none under the order of a priest , viz. absolution , consecration , it is fit that some such word as priest , should be used for those offices , and not minister , which signifies at large every one that ministers in that holy office , of what order soever he be ; the word curate signifying properly all those who are trusted by the bishops , with cure of souls , as antiently it signified , is a very fit word to be used , and can offend no sober person . the word sunday is antient . just . mart. ap. 2. and therefore not to be left off . ] repl. the word ( minister ) may well be used in stead of priest and curates , , though the word ( deacon ) for necessary distinction stand ; yet we doubt not but ( priest ) as it is but the english of presbyter ) is lawful ; but it is from the common danger of mistake , and abuse that we argue . that all pastors else are but the bishops curates , is a doctrine that declares , the heavy charge and account of the bishops , and tends much to the ease of the presbyters minds if it could be proved . if by ( curates ) you mean such as have not directly by divine obligation the cure of souls , but only by the bishops delegation . ) but if the office of a presbyter be not of divine right , and so if they be not the curates of christ , and pastors of the church , none are ; and for the antient use of it , we find not that it was so from the beginning : and as there 's difference , between the antient bishops of one single church and a diocesan that hath many hundred , so is there between their curates . but why will you not yield so much , as to change the word ( sunday ) into the ( lords day ) when you know that the latter is the name used by the holy ghost in scripture , and commonly by the antient writers of the church , and more becoming christians . just . mart. speaking to infidels , tells how they called the day , and not how christians called it ; all he saith is that on sunday , that is so called by heathens , the christians hold their meetings . see the usage of the church in this point in august . cont. faustum manithaeum . lib. 18. cap. 5. [ singing of psalms in meeter is no part of the liturgy , and so no part of our commission . ] repl. if the word liturgy signifie the publick worship , god forbid we should exclude the singing of psalms : and sure you have no fitter way of singing than in meeter ) when these and all prayers conceived by private men ( as you call the pastors ) whether prepared or excemporate , ( and by purity of reason-preaching ) are cast out , what will your liturgy be ? we hope you make no question , whether singing psalms , and hymns were part of the primitive liturgy , and seeing they are set forth , and allowed to be sung in all churches of all the people together ) why should they be denyed to be part of the liturgy ; we understand not the reason of this [ n. 13. 14. ] the 13. and 14. we suppose you grant by passing them by . [ the phrase is such , &c. ] the church in her prayers useth no more offensive phrase , than st. paul uses , when he writes to the corinthians , galathians , and others , calling them in general the churches of god , sanctified in christ jesus , by vocation saints , amongst whom notwithstanding there were many , who by their known sins ( which the apostle endeavoured to amend in them ) were not properly such , yet he gives the denomination to the whole , from the greater part , to whom in charity it was due . and puts the rest in mind what they have by their baptisme undertaken to be , and what they profess themselves to be , and our prayers and the phrase of them , surely supposes no more than that they are saints by calling , sanctified in christ jesus , by their baptisme admitted into christs congregation , and so to be reckoned members of that soeiety , till either they shall separate themselves by willful schisme , or be separated by legal excommunication , which they seem earnestly to desire , and so do we . ] repl. but is there not a very great difference between the titles , given to the whole church ( as you say from the greater part ; as the truth is from the better part , though it were the lesse ) and the titles given to individual members , where there is no such reason ? we call the field a corn field , though there be much tares in it , because of the better part , which denominateth : but we will not call every one of these tares by the name of corn. when we speak of the church , we will call it holy , as paul doth : but when we speak to simon magus , we will not call him holy , but say ( thou art in the gall of bitternesse , and the bond of iniquity , and hast no part or lot in this matter , &c. ) we will not perswade the people that every notorious drunkard , fornicator , worldling , &c. that is burried as a brother , of whose resurtection to life eternal , we have sure and certain hope , and all because you will not excommunicate them . we are glad to hear of your desire of such discipline : but when shall we see more than desire : and the edge of it be turned from those that fear sinning , to those that fear it not . [ the connexion of the parts of our liturgy is conformable to the example of the churches of god before us , and have as much dependence as is usually to be seen in many petitions of the same psalm , and we conceive the order and method to be excellent and must do so till they tell us what that order is which prayers ought to have , which is not done here . ] repl. there are two rules of prayer , one is the nature of the things , compared ( in matter and order ) with nature and necessity : the other is the revealed will of god in his word : in general the holy scripture ; more especially the lords prayer : the liturgy ( for the greatest part of the prayers for daily use ) is confused , by which soever of those you measure it ; you seem much to honour the lords prayer , by your frequent use of it ( or part of it ) we beseech you dishonour it not practically by denying it for matter , and order to be the only ordinary perfect rule we know about particular administrations , when it is but certain select requests that we are to put up , suited to the particular subject , and occasion , we cannot follow the whole method of the lords prayer , which containeth the heads of all the parts ; where we are not to take in all the parts , we cannot take them in that order ; but that none of all your prayers should be formed to the perfect rule , that your let any which is the comprehensive prayer , and that the body of your daily prayers ( broken into several collects ) should not ( as set together , ) have any considerable respect unto that order , nor yet to the order which reason and the nature of the thing requireth , which is observed in all things else , and yet that you should admire this , and be so tenacious of that , which in conceived prayer you would call by worse names than confusions , this shews us the wonderful power of prejudice ; we were thus brief in this exception , lest we should offend by instances : but seeing you conceive the order and method to be excellent , and to be willing to hear more , as to this and the following exception , we shall annex a catalogue of defects , and disorders , which we before forbore to give you : the psalmes have ordinarily an observabe method : if you find any whose parts you cannot so well set together , as to see the beauty of method , will you turn your eye from the rest , and from the lords prayer , and choose that one to be your president ! or excuse disorder on that pretence . [ the collects are made short as being best for devotion as we observed before , and cannot be accounted faulty , for being like those short but prevalent prayers in scripture ; lord be merciful to me a sinner ; son of david have mercy on us ; lord encrease our faith. ] repl. we do in common speech call that a prayer , which containeth all the substance of what in that businesse and addresse we have to say unto god , and that a petition which containeth one single request ; usually a prayer hath many petitions . now if you intend in your addresse to god , to do no more than speak a transient request or ejaculation ( which we may do in the midst of other businesse ) then indeed your instances are pertinent . but why then do you not give over when you seem to have done , but come again and again and offer as many prayers , almost as petitions . this is to make the prayer short , ( as a sermon is that is cut into single sentences , every sentence having an exordium , and epilogue as a sermon , ) but it is to make the prayers much longer than is needful or suitable to the matter ; do you find this the way of the saints in scripture ? indeed abraham did so , when gods interlocution answering the first prayer , called him to vary his request , gen. 18. but that 's not our case : the psalms and prayers of david , solomon , hezekiah , asa , ezra , nehemiah , daniel , and the other prophets , of christ himself , joh. 17. are usually one continued speech , and not like yours , ( as we said before . ) [ why the repeated mention of the name and attributes of god , should not be more pleasing to any godly person , we cannot imagine , or what burden it should seem , when david magnified one attribute of gods mercy , 26. times together . psal . 36. nor can we conceive why the name and merits of jesus , with which all our prayers should end , should not be as sweet to us as to former saints and martyrs , with which here they complain our prayers do so frequently end : since the attributes of god are the ground of our hope , of obtaining all our petitions such prefaces of prayers as are taken from them , though they have no special respect to the petitions following are not to be termed unsuitable , or said to have fallen rather casually , than orderly . repl. as we took it to be no controversy between us , whether the mention of gods name is deservedly sweet to all his servants ; so we thought it was none , that this reverend name is reverently to be used , and not too lightly , and therefore not with a causelesse frequency tossed in mens mouthes , even in prayer itself ; and that tautologies and vain repetitions , are not the better but the worse , because gods name is made the matter of them . it is not you that have expressed your offence ( as well as we ) against those weak ministers that repeat too frequently the name and attributes of god , in their extemporate prayers ? and is it ill in them ? and is the same , and much more well in the common prayer ? o have not the faith or worship of our glorious god in respect of persons . let not that be called ridiculous idle , impertinent , or worse in one , which is accounted commendable in others . do you think it were not a faulty crossing , of the mind and method of jesus christ , if you should make 6. prayers of it he 6. petitions of the lords prayer , and set the preface and conclusion unto each ? as ( our father , which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name , for thine is the kingdome , &c. and so over all the rest ; yet we know that the same words may be oft repeated ( as david doth gods enduring mercy , ) without such tautological vanity : when it is not from emptinesse or neglect of order , or affectation ; but in psalms or hymns where affections are to be elevated by such figurative elegancies , and strains as are best beseeming poetry or rapture , we are not against such repetitions ; but if we may ( according to the common-prayer-book ) begin and end , and begin and seem to withdraw again , and make a prayer of every petition or two , and begin and end every such petition , with gods name , and christs merits , as making up half the form , or near , nothing is an affected empty tossing of gods name in prayer if this be not : we are perswaded if you should hear a man in a known extemporate prayer do thus , it would seem strange and harsh even to your selves . [ there are besides a preparative exhortation , several preparatory prayers : 1. despise not o lord humble and contrite hearts . which is one of the sentences in the preface ; and this , that those things may please him , which we do at this present ) at the end of the absolution : and again immediately after the lords prayer before the psalmody , o lord open thou our lips. &c. ] repl. despise not o lord humble and contrite hearts ) is not prayer , for assistance , and acceptance in that worship , suited to the duty of a people addressing themselves to god : but it is recited as a scripture invitation to repentance , and ( that those things may please him which we do at this present ) are no words of prayer , but part of an exhortation to the people ; ( and o lord open thou our lips ) comes after the exhortation , confession , absolution , and lords prayer , and ergo , is not in the place of such an address , as we are speaking of , what will not seem to justify , what we have a mind to justify ; and to condemn that which we have a mind to condemn ? [ this which they call a defect , others think they have reason to account the perfection of the liturgy , the offices of which being intended for common and general services , would cease to be such , by descending to particulars , as in confession of sin , while it is general , all persons may and must joyn in it , since in many things we offend all ; but if there be a particular enumeration of sins , it cannot be so general a confession , because it may happen that some or other may by gods grace have been preserved from some of those sins enumerated , and therefore should by confessing themselves guilty , tell god a lye , which needs a new confession . ] repl. if general words be its perfection , it s very culpable in tediousnesse and vain repetitions ; for what need you more than ( lord be merciful to us sinners . ) there 's together a general confession of sin , and a general prayer for mercy , which comprehend all the particulars of the peoples sins , and wants . we gave you our reason , which you answer not ; confession is the exercise of repentance , and also the helper of it ; and it is noe true repentance which is not particular , but only general . if you say that you repent that you have sinned , and know not where , or do not repent of any particular sin , you do not indeed repent , for sin is not existent but in the individuals : and if you ask for grace , and know nor what grace , or desire no particular graces ; indeed you desire not grace at all : we know there is time and use for general confessions , and requests ; but still as implying particulars , as having gone before , or following , or at least it must be supposed , that the people understand the particulars included and have inward confessions and desires of them : which cannot here be supposed , when they are not all mentioned , not can the people generally be supposed to have such quick and comprehensive minds , nor is there leisure to exercise such particular repentance or desire , while a general is named : and we beseech you let scripture be judge , whether the confessions and prayers of the servants of god have not been particular ; as to your objection or reason , we answer ; 1. there are general prayers with the particular , or without them . 2 , there are particular confessions and prayers proper to some few christians , and there are others common to all ; it is these that we expect , and not the former . 3. the churches prayers must be suited to the body of the assembly , though perhaps some one , or few may be in a state not fit for such expressions : what a lamentable liturgy will you have , if you have nothing in it , but what every one in the congregation may say as true of and suitable to themselves ? then you must leave out all thanksgiving for our justification and forgivenesse of sin , and adoption , and title to glory , &c. because many in the assembly are hipocrites , and have no such mercies , and many more that are sincere , are mistaken in their own condition , and know not that they have the mercies which they have , and therefore dare not give thanks for them , lest they speak an untruth : then the liturgy that now speaks as in the persons of the sanctified must be changed , that the two fore-mentioned sorts , ( or the latter at least ) may consent ; and when you have done , it will be unsuitable to those that are in a better state , and have the knowledge of their justification . this is the argument which the sectaries used against singing of davids psalms in the congregations , because there is much in them , that many cannot truly say of themselves . but the church must not go out of that way of worship prescribed by god , and suired to the state of the ordinary sort of the spiritual worshippers , because of the distempers , or the super-eminent excellencies of some few : it were easy to go over davids psalms and your own liturgy , and shew you very much that by this argument must be cast out : he that finds any passage unsuitable to himself , is not to speak it of himself . [ as for original sin , though we think it an evil custom springing from false doctrine , to use any such expressions as may lead people to think that to the persons baptized ( in whose persons only our prayers are offered up , ) original sin is not forgiven in their holy baptisme ; yet for that there remains in the regenerate some reliques of that which are to be bewailed , the church in her confession acknowledgeth such desires of our own hearts as render us miserable by following them ; that there is no health in us , that without gods help our frailty cannot but fall . that our mortal nature can do no good thing without him ; which is a clear acknowledgment of original sin . ] repl. 1. he that hath his original sin forgiven him , may well confesse that he was born in iniquity and conceived in sin , and was by nature a child of wrath , and that by one man sin entred into the world , and that judgment came on all men to condemnation , &c. the pardoned may confesse what once they were , and from what rock they were hewn : even actual sins must be confessed , after they are forgiven , ( unless the antimonians hold the truth against us in such points . 2. all is not false doctrine that crosseth mens private opinions , which you seem here to obtrude upon us . we know that the papists ( and perhaps some others ) hold that all the baptised are delivered from the guilt of original sin ; but ( as they are in the dark , and disagreed in the explicatio of it ) so we have more reason to incline to either of the ordinary opinions of the protestants , than to this of theirs , 3. some learned protestants hold that visibly all the baptised are church members ; pardoned and justified , which is but that they are probably justified indeed , and are to be used by the church ( upon a judgment of charity ) as those that are really justified . but that we have indeed no certainty that they are so ; god keeping that as a secret to himself concerning individuals , till by actual faith and repentance , it be manifest to themselves . another opinion of many protestants is , that all persons that are children of the promise , or that have the conditions of pardon and justification in the covenant mentioned , are to receive that pardon by baptisme : and all such are pardoned , and certainly in a state of justification and salvation thereupon : and that the promise of pardon is made to the faithful and to their seed : and therefore that all the faithful and their seed in infancy have this pardon given them by the promise , and solemnly delivered them , and sealed to them by baptism , which investeth them in the benefits of the covenant . but withall that first , the professed infidel and his seed as such , are not the children of the promise , and therefore if the parent ludicruosly or forcedly , or the child by errour be baptised , they have not thereby the pardon of their sin before god. 2. that the hypocrite that is not a true believer at the heart , though he professe it , hath no pardon by baptisme before god , as being not an heir of the promise , nor yet any infant of his as such : but though such are not pardoned , the church that judgeth by profession , taking professors for believers , must accordingly use them & their seed , 3. but though the church judge thus charitably of each professor in particular , till his hypocrisy be detected , yet doth it understand that hypocrites there are , & still will be in the church , though we know them not by name . and that therefore there are many externally baptised , and in communion , that never had the pardon of sin , indeed before god ; as not having the condition of the promise of pardon : such as simon magus was . we have less reason to take this doctrine for false , than that which pronounceth certain pardon , and salvation to all baptised infants whatsoever : and were we of their judgment , we should think it the most charitable act in the world to take the infants of heathens , and baptise them ; and if any should then dispatch them all to prevent their lapse , they were all certainly saved . we hope by ( some reliques ) you mean that which is truly and properly sin . for our parts we believe according to the ninth article , that original sin standeth in the corruption of the nature of every man , whereby man is far gone from original righteousnesse , and inclined to evil ; and that this infection of nature doth remain in the regenerate ; and though there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptised , yet concupisence and lust , hath of it self the nature of sin . ) you say , ( the church acknowledgeth such desires , &c. ) devices , and desires are actual sins and not original , which consisteth in privation , and corrupt inclination : the next words ( there is no health in us ) it seems the translators that put it into the liturgy mis-understood ; but however you seem here plainly by your mis-interpretation to mis-understand it . nulla salus in nobis , is spoken actively and not possessively or passively , the plain sence is , that there is no help deliverance and salvation in our selves : we cannot help our selves out of this misery , but must have a better saviour ; as christ is oft called our salvation , so we are denied to be our own : so that yet here is no confession at all of original sin , but of the effects ; the two next sentences confesse a debility , and privation , but not that it was ab origine , but may for any thing that 's there said be taken to be since contracted ; nor are the words in this confession , but in some other collects else where , which proves not that this confession saith any thing of original sin . [ we know not what publick prayers are wanting , nor do they tell us , the usual complaint hath been , that there were too many : neither do we conceive any want of publick thanksgivings there being in the liturgy , te deum , benedictus , magnificat , benedicite , glory be to god on high , therefore with angels and arch-angels , the doxology , glory be to the father , &c. all peculiar as they require , to gospel worship , and fit to expresse our thanks and honour to god upon every particular occasion , and occasional thanksgivings after the letany , of the frequency whereof themselves elsewhere complain , who here complain of defect ; if there he any forms wanting the church will provide . ] repl. we have shewed you in the forms which we offered you , what we judge wanting , the right reverend bishop of exeter hath taken notice of the same want , and proposed a supply , those you name are either but general sentences , or extend but to some few particulars , as being suited to the persons and particular occasions of them , and none save the ( te deum ) designed to be the distinct praise of the church for the benefits of redemption , as the sutable and sufficient performance of this great part of the liturgy ; however it will do you no harm that your brethren be gratified , with fuller expressions and variety . they that have complained of too many ( because you shred your petitions into almost as many prayers , and so the thanksgivings into such briefs ) yet complained not of too much ; but that too many ( by the multitudes of prefaces , and epilogues ) was the the cause of too little . [ they complain that the liturgy contains too many generalls , without mention of the particulars , and the instances are such petitions as those , that we may do gods will ; to be kept from all evil , almost the very terms of the petitions of the lords prayer : so that they must reform that , before they can pretend to mend our liturgy in these petitions . ] repl. we complain not that there are generals , but that there is nothing but generalls in so great a part of your prayers and therefore they are very defective : and if really these generalls suffice you , a few lines may serve instead of your whole book , instead of all your confessions , it may serve to say ( that we have greatly sinned ) and no more : instead of all your let any or deprecations it is enough to say ( deliver us from all evil ) instead of all your petitions for grace , peace , rain , fair-weather , health , &c. it is enough to say ( give us the good we want ) indeed the lords prayer hath general requests , because it is the design of it , to be a rule of prayer , and so contain but the heads to which all prayers are to be reduced ; but if therefore you will have no more particulars , why do you use any prayer but the lords prayer ; we hope you do not think to supply any defects pretended to be found in its generals , not to correct the order of it ; if it be but because you would not on every particular occasion be so long , as to say the whole , you may take that head. which suiteth that occasion : and so ( give us this day our daily bread ) may serve instead of all the collects for temporal supplies : and all your offices may be blotted out , and one of the petitions of the lords prayer placed in the stead of each of them . [ we have deferred this to the proper place as you might have done . ] repl. it was the proper place under the head of defectivenesse , to instance in this as well as other defects . [ we are now come to the main and principal demand as is pretended viz. the abolishing the laws which impose any ceremonies , especially three , the surplice , the sign of the crosse , and kneeling ; these are the yoak which if removed , there might be peace . it is to be suspected , and there is reason for it , from their own words , that somewhat else pinches , and that if these ceremonies were laid aside and these or any other prayers strictly enjoyned without them , it would be deemed a burden intollerable , it seems so by n. 7. where they desire that when the liturgy is altered , according to the rest of their proposals , the minister may have liberty to adde , and leave out what he pleases ; yet because the imposition of these ceremonies is pretended to be the insupportable grievance , we must of necessity either yield that demand , or shew reason why we do not ; and that we may proceed the better in this undertaking , we shall reduce the sum of their complaint , to these several heads , as we find them in their papers ; the law for imposing these ceremonies , they would have abrogated for these reasons . ] repl. to what you object , to intimate your suspition of us ) from n. 7. we have before answered : we must confesse the abatement of ceremonies , with the exclusion of all prayers , and exhortations , besides what 's read will not satisfie us . the liberty which we desired in all the parts of worship ( not to adde to the liturgy , nor take from it ) but to interpose upon just occasion , such words of prayer , or exhortation , as are requisite , and not to be tyed at any time to read the whole , we are assured will do much to preserve the liturgy , and bring it into more profitable use and take off much of mens offence . and pardon us while we tell you this certain truth , that if once it be known that you have a design to work out all prayers ( even those of the pulpit ) except such as you prescribe , it will make many thousand people , fearing god , to be averse to that which else they would have submitted to , and to distaste both your endeavours and ours , as if we were about drawing them into so great a snare . and as the proverb is ; you may as well think to make a coat for the moon , as to make a liturgy that shall be sufficiently suited to the variety of places , times , subjects , accidents , without the liberty of intermixing such prayers or exhortations , as alterations and diversities require . [ 1. it is doubtful whether god hath given power to men to impose such signified signs , which though they call them significant , yet have in them no real goodness , in the judgement of the imposers themselves , being called by them things indifferent , and therefore fall not under st. pauls rule of omnia decenter , nor are suitable to the simplicity of the gospel worship . 2. because it is a violation of the royalty of christ , and an impeachment of his laws as unsufficient , and so those that are under the law of deut. 12. whatsoever i command you , observe to do , you shall take nothing from it , nor adde any thing to it ; you do not observe these . 3. because sundry learned pious , and orthodox men , have ever since the reformation judged them unwarrantable , and we ought to be as our lord was , tender of weak brethren , not to offend his little ones , nor to lay a stumbling-black before a weak brother . 4. because these ceremonies have been the fountain of many evils in this church and nation , occasioning sad divisions betwixt minister , & minister ; betwixt minister and people , exposing many orthodox preachers to the displeasure of rulers ; and no other fruits than these can be looked for from the retaining these ceremonies . repl. we had rather you had taken our reasons as we laid them down , than to have so altered them ; ergo having told you that some hold them unlawful , and others inconvenient , &c. and desired that they may not be imposed on such , who judge such impositions a violation of the royalty of christ , &c. you seem to take this as our own sense , and that of all the ceremonies , of which we there made no mention ; you referre us to hooker , since whose writings , ames in his fresh suit , and bradshaw , and parker , and many others have written that against the ceremonies , that never was answered , that we know of , but deserve your consideration . [ before we give particular answer to these several reasons , it will not be unnecessary to lay down some certain general premises , or rules , which will be useful in our whole discourse . 1. that god hath not given a power only , but a command also of imposing whatsoever should be truly decent , and becomming his publick service , 1 cor. 14. after st , paul had ordered some particular rules for praying , praising , prophesying , &c. he concludes with this general canon , let all things be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a fit scheme , habit , or fashion , decently , and that there may be uniformity in those decent performances , let there be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rule or canon for that purpose . ] repl. as to your first rule we answer . 1. it is one thing to impose in general , that all be done decently and in order . this god himself hath imposed by his apostle : and it s another thing to impose in particular , that this or that be used , as decent and orderly . concerning this we adde , it is in the text said , let it be done , but not let it be imposed , yet from other scriptures we doubt not but circumstances of meer decency & order , as determined time , place , utensils , &c. which are common to things civil , and sacred , though not the symbolical ceremonies . which afterwards we confute ) may be imposed with the necessary cautions and limitations afterward laid down . but 1. that if any usurpers will pretend a power from christ , to impose such things on the church , though the things be lawful , we must take heed how we acknowledge an usurped power by formal obedience . 2. a just power may impose them but to just ends , as the preservation and successe of the modified worship , or ordinances . and if they really conduce not to those ends , they sin in imposing them . 3. yet the subjects are bound to obey a true authority in such impositions , where the matter belongs to the cognizance , and office of the ruler , and where the mistake is not so great , as to bring greater mischiefs to the church , than the suspending of our active obedience would do . 4. but if these things be determined under pretence of order and decency , to the plain destruction of the ordinances modified , and of the intended end , they cease to be means , and we must not use them . 5. or if under the names of things decent , and of order , men will meddle with things that belong not to their office , as to institute a new worship for god , new sacraments , or any thing forbidden in the general prohibition of adding or diminishing , this is a usurpation , and not an act of authority , and we are bound in obedience to god to disobey them . 6. where governours may command at set times , and by proportionable penalties enforce , if they command when it will destroy the end , or enforce by such penalties , as destroy or crosse it , they greatly sin , by such commands . thus we have more distinctly given you our sense , about the matter of your first rule . [ not inferiours but superiours must iudge what is convenient and decent ; they who must order that all be done decently , must of necessity , first judge what is convenient , and decent to be ordered . ] repl. your second rule also is too crudely delivered , and therefore we must adde : 1. a judgement is a sentence , in order to some execution , and judgements are specified from the ends , to which they are such means ; when the question is either , what law shall be made , or what penalty shall be exercised ? the magistrate is the only judge , and not the bishop or other subject , in the first he exercises his judicium discretionis in order to a publick act. in the second he exerciseth a publick judgement : when the question is , what order pro tempore is fittest in circumstantials for this present congregation ; the proper presbyters or pastors of that congregation , are the directive judges , by gods appointment . 3. the magistrate is ruler of these pastors , as he is of physicians , pailosophers , and other subjects . he may make them such general rules , especially for restraint , to go by , as may not destroy the exercise of their own pastoral power : as he may forbid a physician to use some dangerous medicine on his subjects , and may punish him when he wilfully killeth any of them : but may not on that presence appoint him what , and how , and when , and to whom he shall administer , and so become phisician himself alone . 4. when the question is , who shall be excluded from the communion of a particular church ? the pastors of the church ( or congregation ) are the first proper judges . 5. when the question is , who shall be excluded from , ( or received into ) the communion of all the associated churches , of which we are naturally capable of communion ? the associated pastors or bishops of these churches in synods are judg●● ; beyond this there are no judges . 6. when the question is , whether the laws of magistrates , or canons of bishops , are agreeable or not to the word of god , and so the obedience is lawful or unlawful , the conscience of each individual subject is the judge , per judicium discretionis , as to his own practise ; and if men had not this judgement of discerning , but must act upon absolute implicite obedience , then first man were ruled as unreasonable , secondly , the magistrate were made a god , or such a leviathan as hobbs describeth him ; thirdly , and then all sin might lawfully be committed , if commanded : but we are assured none of this your sense . [ these rules and canons for decency made and urged by superiours , are to be obeyed by inferiours , till it be made as clear that now they are not bound to obey , as it is evident in general , that they ought to obey superiours ; for if the exemption from obedience be not as evident as the command to obey , it must needs be sin not to obey . ] repl. to your third rule we adde ; it is first considerable what the thing is , and then how it is apprehended , if it be really lawful , and well commanded , and to be obeyed , it is no ignorance , doubt or errour of the subject that can exempt him from the duty of obeying ; but it may ensnare him in a certainty of sinning , whether he obey , or disobey : for as god commandeth him to obey , and also not to do that which man commandeth , when god forbiddeth it ; so he obligeth the erronious , first to lay down his errours , and so to obey . but if a thing he forbidden of god , and commanded of man , and one man erroniously thinke it lawful , and that he should obey , and another is in doubt between both , it is neither a duty , nor lawful for either of them here to obey for mans errour changeth nor gods laws , nor disobligeth himself from obedience ; but this mans duty is both to lay by that errour , and to refuse obedience but if the question be only of the order of such a persons duty , we answer ; if the thing be really lawful , and obedience a duty , then he that doubteth or erreth , should , if possible , suddenly lay by his errours or doubt , and so obey : but if that cannot be , he should first go about the fittest means , for his better information till he be resolved , and so obey . and so on the contrary , if really the thing commanded be unlawful , if he be sure of it , he must resolve against it ; if he hesitate he is not therefore allowed to do a thing forbidden , because he is ignorant : for his ignorance is suposed culpable it self , but he is first to consult and use the best means , for his instruction , till he know the truth , and in the mean time to suspend his act. but yet because of humane frailty , between several faults , we must consider when we cannot avoid all as we would , in what order most safely to watch , and to avoid them . and so when i have done my best , and cannot discern whether a command be just , and the thing lawful or not ; if it have the face of idolatry , blasphemy , or some hainous sin ; that is commanded , and our dis-obedience have the appearance , but of an effect of involuntary ignorance , it is more excusable in us to fear the greater sin , and so to suspend till we are better satisfied , than to do that which we suspect , to be so hainous a sin , though in leed it prove no sin ; so on the contrary , if our disobedience be like to bring infamy , or calamity on the church , and our obedience appear to be but about a very small sin , if we doubt of it , it is more excusable to obey , than to disobey , though both be faulty , supposing the thing to be indeed unlawful , and we discern it not . so that your rule of obeying , where you are not as sure , &c , is an unsure rule , unless as we have fullyer cautioned it . [ pretence of conscience is no exemption from obedience , for the law as long as it is a law , certainly binds to obedience ; rom. 13. ye must needs be subject , and this pretence of a tender gainsaying conscience cannot abrogate the law , since it can neither take away the authority of the law-maker , nor make the matter of the law in it self unlawful ; besides if pretence of conscience did exempt from obedience , laws were uselesse , whosoever had not list to obey might pretend tenderness of conscience , and be thereby set at liberty , which if once granted , anarchy and confusion must needs follow . ] repl neither pretence of conscience , nor real errour of conscience exempteth from the obligation , to obey : though sometime it may so ensnare , as that obeying shall become of the two the greater sin ; so also real errours , or pretence of conscience will justifie no man for obeying when it is by god forbidden . [ though charity will move to pity , and relieve those that are truly perplexed or scrupulous : yet we must not break gods command , in charity to them , and therefore we must not perform publick services undecently or disorderly for the ease of tender consciences . ] repl. o that you would but do all that god alloweth you , yea that he hath commanded you , for these ends ! how happy would you make your selves , and these poor afflicted churches . but as to the instance of your rule we answer . 1. when the indecency and disorder is so small as that it will not crosse the ends , so much as our disobedience would , we are here so far more conformable , and peaceable than you , as that we would even in gods worship , do some things indecent , and disorderly , rather than disobey ; and so should you do rather than destroy your brethren , or hinder that peace , and healing of the church . for order is for the thing ordered , and not contrarily . for example , there is much disorder lies in the common-prayer book , yet we would obey in it , as far as the ends of our calling do require . it would be undecent to come without a band , or other handsome raiment into the assembly : yet rather than nor worship god at all , we would obey if that were commanded us ; we are as confident that surplices , and copes are undecent , and kneeling at the lords table is disorderly , as you are of the contrary : and yet if the magistrate would be advised by us ( supposing himself addicted against you ) we would advise him to be more charitable to you , , than you here advise him to be to us : we would have him , if your conscience require it , to forbear you in this undecent and disorderly way ; but to speak more distinctly . 1. there are some things decent and orderly , when the opposite species is not undecent or disorderly . 2. there are some things undecent , and disorderly , in a small and tolerable degree : and some things in a degree intolerable . 1. when things decent are commanded , whose opposites would not be at all undecent , there charity and peace , and edification , may command a relaxation ; or rather should at first restrain from too severe impositions : as it is decent to wear either a cloak or a gown , a cassock buttoned , or unbutton'd , with a girdle or without , to sit , stand , or kneel in singing of a psalm , to sit or stand in hearing the word read , or preached &c. 2. when a circumstance is undecent or disorderly , but in a tollerable degree , to an inconvenience , obedience , or charity , or edification , may command us to do it , and make it not only lawful , but a duty pro hic , & nunc , while the preponderating accident prevaileth . christs instances go at least as far as this , about the priests in the temple breaking the sabbath blamelesly and davids eating the shew bread , which was lawful for none to eate ordinarily , but the priests : and the disciples rubbing the ears of corn : ( i will have mercy & not sacrifice ) is a leston that he sets us to learn , when two duties come together , to prefer the greater , if we would escape sin ; and sure to keep an able preacher in the church , or a private christian in communion , is a greater duty caeteris paribus than to use a ceremony , which we conceive to be decent ; it is more orderly to use the better translation of the scripture , than the worse as the common-prayer-book doth ; and yet we would have no man cast out , for using the worse : it is more orderly decent , and edifying , for the minister to read all the psalms , than for the people to read each second verse ; and yet we would not cast out men from the church or ministry meerly for that disorder , it is more orderly , and decent to be uncovered in divine worship , than covered : and yet rather than a man should take cold , we could allow him to hear a chapter or sermon covered : why ( not much more ) rather than he should be cast out . but let us come to the application . it is no undecent disorderly worshiping of god , to worship him without our crosse , surplice , and kneeling in the reception of the sacrament . 1. if it were , than christ , and his apostles bad worship undecently and disorderly ; and the primitive church that used not the surplice , nor the transient image of the cro●e in baptisme ( but in an unguent ) yea the church for many hundred years that received the sacrament without kneeling . 2. then if the king , parliament , and con●ocation should change these ceremonies , it seems you would take your selves bound to retain them ; for you say you must not worship god undecently : but that they may be changed by authority our articles determine , and therefore charity may well require the magistrate to change them without any wrong to the worship of god. 3. we appeal to the common judgment of the impartial , whether in the nature of the thing , there be any thing that tells them , that it is undecent , to pray without a surplice in the reading place , and not undecent to pray without in th● pulpit ; and that it is undecent to baptise without crossing , and not to receive the lords supper without : and that it is undecent for the receiver to take the lords supper without kneeling , and not for the minister to give it him standing that prayeth in the delivery . [ these premised we answer to your first reason , that those things which we call indifferent , because neither expresly commanded nor forbiden by god , have in them a real goodnesse , a fitnesse , and decency , and for that cause , are imposed , and may be so by the rule of st. paul , by which rule and many others , in scripture a power is given , to men to impose signs , which are never the worse surely , because they signifie something that is decent and comely , and so it is not doubtful whether such power be given ; it would rather be doubtful , whether the church could impose such idle signs , if any such there be , as signifie nothing . ] repl. to your first answer we reply . 1. we suppose you speak of a moral goodnesse ; and if they are such indeed , as are within their power and really good , that is of their own nature , fi●ter than their opposites , they may be imposed by just authority by equal means , though not by usurpers , nor by penalties that will do more harm than the things will do good . 2. signs that signifie nothing , we understand not : it is one thing to be decent , and another ( to signifie something that is decent : what you mean by that we know not . the crosse signifieth our not being ashamed to profess the faith of christ crucified , &c. do you call that ( something that is decent ) it is something necessary to salvation . 3. signs are exceeding various : at present we use but two distinctions . 1. some are signs , ex primaria intentione instituentis , purposed , and primarily instituted to signify ▪ ( as an esoucheon , or a sign at an inne door in common matters : and as the sacrament , and cross in sacred matters ) and some are signs but consequently secondarily , and not essentially as intended by the institutor ( so hills and trees may shew us what a clock it is : and so every creature signifyeth some good of mercy or duty , and may be an object of holy meditation : so the colour and shape of our clothes , may mind us of some good , which yet was none of the primary , or proper end of the maker or wearer , ) 2. signs are either arbitrary expressions , of a mans own mind in a matter , where he is let free , or they are covenanting signs between us and god in the covenant of grace , to work grace on us as moral causes , and to engage us sacramentally to him ; such we conceive the cross in baptisme to be . the preface to the common prayer-book saith ( they are apt to teach and excite , &c. which is a moral operation of grace : and the canon saith it is an honourable badge , whereby the infant is dedicated to him that died on the cross , we are signed with it ( in token that hereafter we shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of christ crucified , and manfully to fight , &c. ) now if a thing may be commanded meerly as a decent circumstance of worship , yet it is unproved that a thing , that in its nature as instituted , and in the primary intention is thus sacramentally to dedicate and ingage us in covenant to god , by signifying the grace and duty of the covenant be lawfully commanded by man. 1. decent circumstances are necessary in genere ; there must be some fit time , place , gesture , vesture , ( as such ) utensils , &c. but that there be some such dedicating engaging signs , in our covenanting with god signifying the grace of the covenant , and our state and duty as souldiers under christ ( besides gods sacraments ) this is not necessary in genere , and therefore it is not left to man to determine de specie . 2. if there be any reason for this use of the cross , it must be such as was in the apostles days , and concerneth the universal church in all ages and places , and then the apostles would have taken care of it ; thus much here in brief of signs , and more anon when you again call us to it . [ to the second ) that it is not a violation of christs royalty to make such laws for decercy , but an exercise of his power and authority , which he hath given to the church : and the disobedience to such commands of euperiours is plainly a violation of his royalty . as it is no violation of the kings authority , when his magistrates command things according to his laws ; but disobedience to the command of those injunctions of his deputies , is violation of his authority ; again , it can be no impeachment of christs laws as insufficient , to make such laws for decency , since our saviour as is evident by the precepts themselves , did not intend by them to determine , every minute and circumstance of time , place , manner of performance , and the like , but only to command in general the substance of those duties , and the right ends that should be aimed at in the performance , and then left every man in particular ( whom for that purpose he made reasonable ) to guide himself by rules of reason , for private services ; and appointed governours of the church , to determine such particularities for the publick : thus our lord commanded prayers , fasting , &c. for the times and places of performance ; he did not determine every of them , but left them to be guided as we have said ; so that it is no impeachment of his laws as insufficient , to make laws for determining those particulars of decency , which himself did not , as is plain by his precepts , intend to determine but left us governours for that purpose , to whom he said , as my father , sent me , even so send i you , and let all things be done decently , and in order ; of whom he hath said to us , obey those that have the over sight over you ; and told us that if we will not hear his church we must not be accounted as christians , but heathens and publicans ; and yet nevertheless they will not hear it , and obey it in so small a matter , as a circumstance of time , place , habit , or the like , which she thinks decent and fit , and yet will be accounted for the best christians , and tell us that it is the very awe of gods law , deut. 12. 32. that keeps them from obedience to the church in these commands , not well considering that it cannot be any adding to the word of god , to command things for order and decency which the word of god commands to be done so as they be not commanded as gods immediate word , but as the laws of men , but that it is undenyably adding to the word of god , to say that superiours may not command such things , which god hath no where forbidden , and taking from the word of god , to deny that power to men , which gods word hath forgiven them . ] repl. to make laws [ to determine of undetermined circumstances necessary in genere , to be some way determined and left to magistrates , or ministers de specie , and to do this according to the general rules of scripture , and in order to the main end , and not against it . and is not against the royalty or will of christ ; but to make new dedicating covenanting symboles , to signify the doctrine of the covenant of grace , and solemnly ingage us unto god , and place those in the publick worship , which are not meet circumstances , but substantial institutions , not necessary in genere ( that there should be any such at all , besides gods sacraments , ) we fear this is a violation of the royalty of christ , and a reflection on his laws as insufficient : for first , if it belong to the power proper to christ , then it is a violation of his royalty for any man to exercise it ; but it belongeth to the power proper to christ : ergo , &c. the minor is proved thus , if it belong to the universal head , or ruler of the church as such , then it belongs to the power proper to christ ( for we are ready to prove there is none under him , no universal head or ruler personally , or collectively and civilly one , ) but &c. if in the reason of it , it should be the matter of an universal law , if of any then it should be the work of the universal lawgiver , if any : but &c. if in the reason of it , it be equally useful to the church universal , as to any particular church or age , then it should according to the reason of it , be the matter of an universal law , if of any : but , &c. it hath the same aptitude , to engage us to a duty of universal necessity , and hath no reason proper to this age or place for it , but common to all . moreover it is no where committed to the power or care of man , ergo it is proper to the care and power of christ , no text is shewed that giveth man power in such things : to do all things decently and orderly , and to edification is no giving of power on that pretence to make new covenanting dedicating signes , to do gods work decently , &c. is not to make more such of our own heads : it is but the right modifying of the work already set us . and to do all decently , orderly , and to edification , was a duty in moses time , when yet such things as these in question might not be added by any but god : ( when we say by god , we mean by his inspired instruments , and when we say by christ , we mean by his inspired instruments : ) if we should make laws that every one is publickly to tast vinegar , and gall , as a sign that we are not ashamed of , but resolved through all flesh displeasing difficulties to follow christ , that died so , and thus to engage , and dedicate our selves to him , this were to do more , then to do [ all things decently , and orderly which he appointed : if milk were to be publickly sucked or drunk , by all in profession , that we will feed on the sincere milk of his word , and so dedicate us to him by covenant , or if we were to put on an helmet , & other armour in token that we will be his souldiers to the death , and manfully fight under , &c. these engagements by such publick signs , are sacraments in the sense , as the word was used of old , when it signified a souldiers solemn lysting or covenanting with his commander . thus by distinguishing decent and orderly modes , and circumstances necessary in genere , from new ordinances , even solemn dedicating , covenanting or such like mystical signs , we have shewed you what we grant , and where you fail , and what is indeed a wrong to christ , and an accusation of his laws and what not : and how unjust your following accusation of us is : ( who never yet told you , we would be accounted the best christians , but to desire to please christ as near as we can , is not blame worthy . ) abundance of things of lesser moment than these are commanded by god in the law , to which he added that sanction deut 12. 32. what ever things i command thee , &c. and we conceive that the words [ as my father sent me so &c. ] had some what proper to the extraordinary mission : and if he hear not the church &c. is neither spoken of a church universal , nor of magistrates making laws for such ceremonies , or signs . but if he hear not the church , with which he was in communion , and which admonisheth him for his sin , let the church reject him from their communion . [ the command for decent ceremonies may still continue in the church , notwithstanding the 12. of deut. and so it may too for all the exceptions taken against them , by sundry learned , pious , and orthodox persons who have judged them , they say , unwarrantable . and if laws may be abrogated assoon as those that list not to obey will except against them , the world must run into confusion . but those that except are weak brethren , whom by christs precept and example we must not offend . if by weak we understand ignorant , they would take it ill to be so accounted , and it is their own fault if they be , there having been much written , as may satisfy any that have a mind to be satisfied : and as king james of blessed memory said at hampton-court . if after so many years preaching of the gospel , there be any yet unsatisfied , i doubt it proceeds rather out of stubbornesse of opinion than out of tendernesse of conscience , if by tendernesse of conscience they mean , a fearfulnesse to sin , this would make them most easy to be satisfied , because most fearful to disobey superiours . but suppose there be any so scrupulous as not satisfied with what hath been written , the church may still without sin urge her command for these decent ceremonies , and not be guilty of offending her weak brother , for since the scandal is taken by him , not given by her , it is he that by vain scrupulosity offends himself , and layes the stumbling-block in his own way . ] repl. but the command for mans institution of a new worship of god , or of rites sacramental , or so like to sacraments as the crosse is , or for the unnecessary imposition of unnecessary things , which should be left to every prudent ministers discretion , and this upon pain of being cast out of the church or ministry , and the law for subscribing that all these are lawful , and for swearing obedience to the bishops , all these laws are not to be found in scripture . if you should but command your servant to do what you bid him decently and orderly , you would think he mistook you , if upon that pretence he would do any other work , which he could but say tended to the decency of yours . and we would gladly hear what you think your selves is forbidden in deut. 12. 32. if not such humane ordinances ? and why you forbear giving the truer sense of the text. it is a sad case with the poor church , when gods wisdome , that made a few and necessary things the matter of his churches concord , is no more valued ; but we will be wiser , and when the experience of the church that hath been torn into pieces 1400. years , by mens inventions , and needless usages , and impositions , is yet of no more force with us that come after them , but what ever can be said or done , or seen , we will still make laws , that all men shall be tantum non , unchristened and damned , ( that is cast out of the ministry or church communion ) that will not wear this or that , or bow thus or thus , or look this way or that way , or say this word or that word ; and when we have laid such a needless snare , we will uncharitably cry out the world will be brought into cofusion , because men that list not to obey , would have the laws abrogated . where hath christ set you to make such laws ? is it not work enough for us & you to obey the laws that he hath made ? why made he none for postures , and vestures , & words & teaching signs of this nature , if he would have had them : if he had not told us that there is one lawgiver , one lord , and that his word is able to make us wise unto salvation , and that he would lay no greater burden on us , than necessary things , and would not have us despise , or judge each other on such occasions : if he had but told us , that he left any officers after his inspired apostles , for the making of ceremonies , or new laws of worship , or teaching engaging signs for the church , we would as gladly understand and obey his will in these things as you , what hurt is it to us , to use a crosse , or other ceremony , if it were not for fear of disobeying god ? enforce gods laws upon us zealously , if you will , and see if we will disobey . but that the world shall run into confusion , rather than we shall have leave to serve god as peter and paul did , without crossing , surplices , and kneeling at the sacrament , and then that we shall be reproached as the cause of all by our disobedience , god hath told the world by his word , and will tell them by his judgements that this is not his way to unity and peace . as to the argument from your brethrens weaknesse we say first , it is not your strength to slight it or them : nor is it their weaknesse that they are willing to be esteemed weak . the apostle called those weak that placed a necessity in indifferent things , rom. 14 , and not those that understood their indifferency ; but the truth is the nature of things indifferent , is not well undestood by all on either side , some may think evil of some things that deserve it not , and in this they are weak , though in other matters they may be strong . and for the rest we speak according to the worst that you your selves can charitably suppose , you can say no more of them , but that they are weaker , that is , in this know lesse than you , though perhaps we may take them to be stronger , that is , to be more in the right , yet are we nor so confident as to censure you , or others ; but speak of things difficult , and doubtful as they are . but how prove you it , we would take it ill , to be our selves , or have those we speak of accounted ignorant , in such things as these use us no worse than the ignorant should be used : and till you would turn a man out of the ministry , or church for being ignorant of the nature of a ceremony , ( which never was in his creed , the decalogue or scripture ) dealt not so by us , that would be wiser if we knew how . that all our ignorance is our own fault we deny not , but it is an expresse of confidence and uncharitablenesse to rell us , that there is so very much written as may satisfie any man that hath a mind to be satisfied , and when we professe in his sight that knoweth the hearts , that we have a mind to be satisfied , and would know the truth at what rate soever if we knew how , what would you have us do that we do not , to be satisfied ? do we not read as much for ceremonies , as the dissenters use to do against them ? many books against them are yet unanswered , and we never shunned any publick , or private conference with any of you , and such reasonings as these are not like to convince us . if you will be the judges of your brethrens hearts , and say it is not tendernesse of conscience , but stubbornnesse , we shall refer that to the day when your hearts , and ours , shall be opened , must none be tender conscienc'd that dare not venture to obey you in such things ? when you may with undoubted safety forbear the imposing of your ceremonies , and so forbear the casting out of your brethren , if you will not , who shews lesse tendernesse of conscience ? that the scandal is taken and not given , is still the thing in question , as to many things : and if it were not just occasion of oftence , you ought not to lay that which anothers weaknesse will turn into a stumbling block unnecessarily before them ; if the apostles argument be good rom. 14. the church may not urge unlawful things , nor things meerly lawful upon such penalties as will exclude things necessary . if an idle word be to be accounted for , an idle law is not laudable , much less when all men must be excluded the ministry , or communion that scruple it : when yet a man may be a prophan swearer , for 12 pence an oath , and may swear an hundred times before he payes that 12 pence . a papist shall pay 12 pence for not coming to church , and a protestant be thrust out of your communion , for not kneeling at the sacrament , and a minister suspended , imprisoned , undone for not crossing a child or wearing a surplice : may magistrates , or the church thus urge their commands ? can any thing be spoken plainer , than the scripture speaks against this course ? and would you make the world believe that the brethren that do not all that you bid them are so unreasonably and obstinately scrupulons , as to have no matter of offence , but what they lay before themselves ? when they have the practice of the apostles , and the custom of the primitive church , for many hundred years against you , and this called by them an apostolical tradition , and decreed by the most uncharitable councils that ever were . if you had but one of these ( the decree of a general council , or practise of all the purest churches alone ) for one of your ceremonies , you would think him uncharitable , that so reproached you for pretending conscience . sect. 11. the case of st. paul not eating of flesh , if it offended his brother , is nothing to the purpose , who there speaks of things not commanded either by god , or by his church , neither having in them any thing of decency , or fignificancy to serve in the church , st. paul would deny himself his own liberty , rather than offend his brother , but if any man breaks a just law or custom of the church , he brands her for a lover of schism , and sedition , 1 cor. 11. 16. reply . but because at our last meeting it was said with so much confidence by one , that the case in rom , 14. and 15. was nothing to ours , we shall here say the more to what you say , that st. pauls not eating flesh is nothing to the purpose : your reasons are , first , because he speaks of nothing commanded by god or his church . secondly , not of any thing of decency or significancy to serve in the church . to the first , we have oft told you , that which is undenyable ; first , that paul was a governour of that church himself , that had no superiour to controule him . if you say that he then wrote not as a governour ; we answer , yes : for he wrote as an apostle , and wrote the epistle that was to be a standing law or canon to them : if this be not an act of his office , and authority , there was none such ; and then you must say the like of all the rest of the epistles . 2ly : moreover , as paul the apostle excludeth all such impositions ; so he wrote to all the resident pastours that were at rome , for he wrote to the whole church : and therefore these commands extend to the governours , that they make not such things the matter of contempt or censuces , or any uncharitable course , but bear with one another in them . will you call men obstinate self-offenders , that differ from you , when you have no better answers then these , to the plain decisions of the holy ghost ? what we speak of rom. 14. 15. we speak also of 1 cor. 8. and 3ly . it is to the rulers of the church , that we are speaking , and it is they that answer us : and shall the rulers say [ if it were not a thing commanded we might bear with you ] when it is themselves that command them ecclesiastically ; and we intreat them but to forbear that , and to concurre with us in petitioning the king , to forbear commanding them coercively , who no doubt will easily for bear it , if they do their part . 4ly . yea , à fortiori , it layeth a heavier charge on such governours , then others : if it be so heynous a sin as paul maketh it , to censure or despise one another , for meat , and daies , and such like things ; how much more to excommunicate , silence , and undo one another , & deprive thousands of souls of the preaching of the gospel that consented not to their pastours non-conformity ? 5ly . paul letteth you know , that these things are not the center , or matter of our necessary concord , but of mutual forbearance , & therefore condemneth all that will make them necessary to our united ministry , or communion . and the difference is wholly to the advantage of our cause : for those that paul spake to , were not come so high as to go about to force others to do as they did : but only to despise them for not doing it . 2. and therefore to your second reason we answer . 1. if the things had been different , yet so was pauls injunction different from our request ; for paul goeth so high as to command them to deny their own liberty in not eating lawfull meats themselves , lest they offend and hurt their brethren : whereas we are now desiring you , that you would not force others to do that which they take to be a sin , and that with penalties that fall heavier on the church then on them . they had on both sides fairer pretences then you have : the cases before us to be compared , are four ; the case of the refusers of meats , and observers of daies then ; the case of the users of those meats and non-observers of those daies ; the case of our imposers ; and the case of non-conformists . the pretence of their refusers of meats had in 1 cor. 8. was that being offered to idols ; they thought it made them partakers of the idolatry , & so they sinn'd through weakness in being offended at others , and censuring them that used their liberty : and had they not here a fairer pretence , for their offence and censures , than you for your impositions ? you cannot shew half so great an appearance of good in the things commanded , as they could do of evil in the things for which they were offended . and the offended censurer in rom. 14. had this pretence , that the thing was forbidden in gods own law , even the meats , which he refused ; and the daies commanded which he observed : and he knew not that the law in these matters of order & ceremony was abrogated ( which peter was ignorant of , when he refused to eat things common and unclean . ) but you have no pretence of gods own command , for the matter of your impositions , as these men had for the matter of their offence and censure , so that here you are in the worser-side . and for the other party that in 1 cor. 8. abused their liberty , and rom. 14. despised their brethren , they had a double pretence : one was that it was their liberty , and if every scrupulous party should drive them from their lawfull meat and drink , they knew not whither they might drive them : another was , that the law was abrogated by christ ; and therefore if they complied in practice with the scrupulous , or did not shew their difference , they might seem to be guilty of the restoring of the law , and complying with the jews , and the hereticks , that both then were enemies to the church , and agreed in this : had not these men now a far fairer pretence for eating 1 cor. 8. and for the dissent shewed rom. 14. then you ever yet produced for forcing others from ministry and church into sin and hell , if they will not obey you against their consciences , and all for that which you never pretended to shew a command of god for , and others shew you , as they think , scripture and councils , and customes against . to tell us then that paul spake of things [ not decent , and sign ficant ] is [ pardon our plainess ] to say much less then nothing : for it was not against imposing that paul spake , but using , and not using censuring , and despising ; and their arguments were ( sutable to their cause ) of another kind of moment , then decency , or indecency , significancy or insignificancy , even from supposed idolatry , rejecting gods law , and complying with the jews and hereticks , in restoring the law , and casting away the liberties purchased by christ even in their private eating , & drinking . to be no more tedious now , we humbly offer in any way convenient to try out with that reverend brother tha● so confidently asserted the disparity of the cases , and to prove that these scriptures , most plainly condemn your impositions now in question , though we should have thought that one impartial reading of them might end the controversy , and save the church and you from the sad effects . as to that 1 cor. 11. 16. we answer , first , it is uncertain whether the word custom referr to the matter of hair , or to contention : so many expositours judge ( q. d. the churches of god are not contentious ) 2d . here is no institution ( muchless by fallible men ) of new covenanting , dedicating , or teaching symbols or ceremony , nor is here any unnecessary thing enjoyned : but that which nature , and the custom of the countrey , had made so decent as that the opposite would have been abusively undecent : this is not your case . a cross or surplice , is not decent by nature , or common reputation , but by institution ( that is not all : for if it be not instituted because decent , it will not be decent because instituted ) ; nor are these sodecent , as the opposite to be indecent . the apostles worshipped god as decently without them , as you do with them ; the minister prayeth in the pulpit as decently without the surplice , as in the reading place with it . 3d. paul doth but exhort them to this undoubted comliness , ( as you may well do , if men will do any thing which nature or common reputation makes to be slovenly , unmannerly or indecent , as being covered in prayer or singing psalms , or any such like , about which we will never differ with you , ) but even here he talks not of force , or such penalties as tend to the greater hurt of the church , and the ruine of the person . sect. 12. a. 4. that these ceremonies have occasioned many divisions , is no more fault of theirs , then it was of the gospel that the preaching of it occasioned strife , betwixt father and son , &c. the true cause of those divisions is the cause of ours , which s. jam. tels us is last , and inordinate desires of honors or wealth , or licentiousness , or the like ; were these ceremonies laid aside , there would be the same divisions , if some , who think moses and aaron took too much upon them , may be suffered to deceive the people , and to raise in them vain fears and jealousies of their governours : but if all men would as they ought , study peace and quietness , they would find other and better fruits of these laws of rites and ceremonies ; as edification , decency , order and beauty in the service and worship of god. reply . whether the ceremonies be as innocent , as to divisions , as the gospel , ( a strange assertion ) will better appear when what we have said , and what is more fully said by dr. ames , bradshaw , and others , is well answered . if the true cause of our divisions , be as you say ( lust and inordinate desires of honours or wealth , or licentiousness ) then the party that is most lustfull , ambitious , covetous , and licentious , are likest to be most the cause . and for lust , and licentiousness , we should take it for a great attainment of our ends , if you will be intreated to turn the edge of your severity against the lustfull , and licentious : o that you would keep them out of the pulpits , and out of the communion of the church , till they reform ! and for our selves , we shall take your admonitions , or severities , thankfully , when ever we are convicted by you of any such sins : we are loath to enter upon such comparison , between the ministers ejected ( for the most part ) , and those that are in their rooms , as tends to shew by this rule who are likest to be the dividers . and for inordinate desire of honors and wealth , between your lordships and us ; we are contented that this cause be decided by all england , even by our enemies at the first hearing , without any further vindication of our selves ; and so let it be judged who are the dividers : only we must say , that your intimation of this charge on us that seek not for bishopricks , deaneries , archdeaconries , or any of your preferments ; that desire not , nor could accept pluralities of benefices , with cure of souls ; that never sought for more then food and raiment with the liberty of our ministery , even one place with a tolerable maintenance , whose provoking cause hath been our constant opposition , to the honors , wealth , lordships , and pluralities of the clergy ; yea who would be glad , on the behalf of the poor congregations , if many of our brethren might have leave to preach to their flocks for nothing ; we say , your intimation maketh us lift up our hearts , and hands to heaven , and think , oh what is man ! what may not by some history be told the world ! oh how desirable is the blessed day of the righteous universal judgment of the lord ! how small a matter till then , should it be to us to be judged of man ? we hope upon pretence of not suffering us to deceive the people , you will not deny us liberty to preach the necessary saving truths of the gospel , considering how terrible a symptom , and prognostick , this was in the jews , 1 thes . 2 15 , 16. who both killed the lord jesus , and their own prophets , and persecuted the apostles , and god they pleased not , and were contrary to all men , forbidding to preach to the gentiles , that they might be saved , to fill up their sins alwaies : for wrath was come upon them to the utmost . we can as easily bear what ever you can inflict upon us , as the hinderers of the gospel , and silencers of faithfull ministers , and troublers of the churches , can bear what god will inflict on them . and so the will of the lord be done . sect. 13. cer. 3. there hath been so much said not only of the lawfulness , but also of the conveniencies of those ceremonies mentioned , that nothing can be added : this in brief may here suffice for the surplice , that reason and experience teaches , that decent ornaments , and habits , preserve reverence and awe ; held therefore necessary to the solemnity of royal acts , and acts of justice : and why not as well to the solemnity of religious worship ? and in particular no habit more suitable then white linnen which resembles purity , and beauty , wherein angels have appeared , rev. 15. fit for those whom the scripture calls angels ; and this habit was ancient ; chryso . ho. 60. ad pop . antioch . repl. first , if nothing can be added , then we doubt the unanswered writings extant against these impositions , will never be well answered . 2ly . we are desirous , that no indecent vestures or habits , be used in gods service . those that scruple the surplice do it not as it is a habit determined of , as decent ; but as they think it is made a holy vestment , and so part of external worship , as aarons vestments were ( as may be seen in the arguments of cotton , and nicholls lately printed together . ) sect. 14. the cross was alwaies used in the church , in immortali lavacro , tertul. and therefore to testify our communion with them , as we are taught to do in our creed , as also in token that we shall not be ashamed of the cross of christ , it is fit to be used still , and we conceive cannot trouble the conscience of any that have a mind to be satisfied . repl. that the cross was alwaies used in the church in baptism is an assertion certainly untrue , and such as we never heard or read till now : do you believe it was used in the baptism of the eunuch , lydia , the jaylor , cornelius , the 300. acts 3. or in those times ? and when it did come up , it was with chrism , and not ever any transient image , and therefore you so far differ from the users . 2ly . the condemnation of genu flection on the lords daies in adoration , was at least as ancient and universall , and commanded by councils when the cross was not , and yet you can dispense with that , and many such usages . and if you will your selves fall in with custome , yet every ancient common custome , was never intended to be a matter of necessity to union or toleration of our brethren : use no other force about the cross , than the church then did . 3ly . your saying that [ you conceive it cannot trouble the conscience of any that have a mind to be satisfied ] doth but express your uncharitable censoriousness , while your brethren have studied and prayed and conferred for satisfaction , ( its like as much as you , ) and profess their earnest desire of it , and their readiness to hear or read any thing that you have to say in order to their satisfaction . sect. 15. the posture of kneeling best suites at the communion , as the most convenient , and so most decent for us , when we are to receive , as it were from gods hand , the greatest of seals of the kingdom of heaven : he that thinks he may do this sitting , let him remember the prophet mal. offer this to thy prince to receive his seal , from his own hand sitting , see if he will accept of it . when the church did stand at her prayers , the manner of receiving was more adorantiun . s. aug. psal . 98. cyril . catech. mystag . 5. rahter more then at prayers , since standing at prayer hath been generally left , and kneeling used instead of that , ( as the church may vary in such indifferent things ) ; now to stand at communion , when we keel at prayers were not decent , much lesse to sit , which was never the use of the best times . reply . to all this about kneeling we say first , we have considered the text in mal. and what you say , and yet first , we find that our betters even christs apostles , and the universal church for many hundred years thought not kneeling more decent , nor did the church in the first age think sitting unmeet in that service to the king of the church ; and we hope you reprehend them not . 2ly . you require not the adult that are baptized , to receive that seal or sacrament kneeling . 3ly . when kneeling at prayers was in use , in the apostles times , yet kneeling in the reception of the sacrament was not . 4ly . why can you so lightly put off both the practice , and canons of the church , in this more then in other such things ? however you cannot here deny de facto , but that kneeling on the lords dayes in the receiving of the sacrament was for many hundred yeares of the purer times of the church dis-used , and condemned ; and why do you not tell us what other general council repealed this , that we may see whether it be such as we are any way bound by ? when you say [ the church may vary in such indifferent things . ] first , if kneeling or standing at prayer be an indifferent thing , then so are they at this sacrament . 2ly . then you follow the changes , and we the old pattern . 3ly . then the canons of general councils , and customes pretended to be from apostolical tradition may be changed . 4ly . what is it that you call the church , that changeth , or may change these ? a council or a popular custome ? bring us not under a forraign power . 5ly . the thing then being so indifferent and changeable , you may change it if you please for ends that are not indifferent . 6ly . and if now the ministers may pray standing , why may not the people receive standing . 7ly . when you say that to sit was never the use of the best times ] you deny the apostles and primitive times to be the best : as to the extent of the church they were not the best , but as to purity of administrations they were . sect. 16. that there were ancient liturgies in the church is evident , s. chrysostom , s. basil , and others , and the greeks tells us of s. james's , much older then they ; and though we find not in all ages whole liturgies , yet it is certain that there were such in the oldest times , by those parts which are extant , as sursum corda , &c. gloria patri , &c. benedicite , hymnus , cherubinus , &c. verè dignum & justum , &c. dominus vobiscum . et cum spiritu tuo , with divers others . though those that are extant may be interpolated , yet such things as are found in them all consistent to catholick and primitive doctrine , may well be presumed to have been from the first , especially since we find no original of these liturgies from general councils . reply . we know there wanteth not a lindanus , a coccius , to tell the world of s. peters liturgy , which yet prayeth that by the intercession of s. peter , and paul , we may be defended , &c , and mentioneth linus , cletus , clemens , cornelius , cyprian , lucia , barbara , and abundance such : shall we therefore conclude , that there were liturgies from the first ? and that what is here consentient to antiquity , was in it ? there wants not a marg. de la bigne , à greg. de valent. à coccius to commend to us the liturgy of mark , that prayeth , protege civitatem istam proper martyrem tuum & evangelistam marcum , &c. and tells us , that the king where the authour lived was an orthodox christian , and prayeth for the pope , subdeacons , lelors , cantors , monks , &c. must we therefore believe that all that 's orthodox in it is ancient ? so there wants not a bign . bellarm. &c. to tell us of s. james his liturgy , that mentions the confessours , the deiparam , the anchorets , &c. which made bellarm. himself say [ de liturgia jacobi sic sentio , eam aut non esse ejus , aut multa à posterioribus eidem addita sunt ] . and must we prove the antiquity of liturgies by this , or try ours by it ? there wants not a sainctetius , a bellarm. a valentia , a peresius to predicate the liturgy of s. basil , as bearing witnesse to transubstantiation , for the sacrifice of the masse for praying to saints , &c. when yet the exceeding disagreement of copies , the difference of some forms from basils ordinary forms , the prayers for the most pious and faithful emperours , shew it unlikely to have been basils : many predicate chrysostomes masse or liturgie , as making for praying to the dead , and for them , the propitiatory sacrifice of the masse , &c. when in one edition , chrysostom is prayed to in it , saith cook : in another . nicolaus , and alexius that lived 1080 is mentioned : in another , doctrines are contained ( as de contaminata maria ) &c. clean contrary to chrysostoms doctrine : must we now conclude that all is ancient , that is orthodox , when one copy is scarce like another ? or can we try our liturgies by such as this ? the shreds cited by you prove a liturgie indeed , such as we have used while the common prayer-book was not used , where the psalms , the words of baptism , and the words of consecration , commemoration and delivery of the lords supper , and many other , were used in a constant form , when other parts were used as the minister found most meet so sursum corda was but a warning before , or in the midst of devotion , such as our [ let us pray ] and will no more prove that the substance of prayer was not left to the minister's present or prepared conceptions , than ite missa est , will prove it . the gloria patri bellarm. himself saith , according to the common opinion was formed in the council of nice , which was in the 4th century . and even then such a particular testimony against the arrians might well stand with a body of unimposed prayers , and rather shewes that in other things they were left at liberty ; if the benedicite , the hymnes , or other passages here mentioned , will prove such a liturgy as pleaseth you , we pray you bear with our way of worship , which hath more of hymnes and other forms then these come to ; that these liturgies had no original from generall councils addes nothing with us to their authority , but sheweth that they had an arbitrary original : and all set together , shews that then they had many liturgies in one prince's dominion , and those alterable , and not forced , and that they took not one liturgy to be any necessary means to the churches unity or peace , but bore with those that used various at discretion . we well remember that tertull , tells the heathens that christians shewed by their conceived hymnes , that they were sober at their religious feasts , it being their custome [ ut quisque de scripturis sanctis , vel de proprio ingenio potest , provocetur in medium deo canere ] apol. cap. 39. note here 1. that though there be more need of forms for singing then for praying . yet even in this , the christians in publick had then a liberty of doing it de proprio ingenio , and by their own wit or parts . 2. that those that did not de proprio ingenio , did it de scripturis sanctis , and that there is no mention of any other liturgy , from which they fetch so much as their hymnes . and the same tertul. apol. cap. 30. describing the christians publick prayers saith [ sine monitore , quia de pectore , oramus ] [ we pray without a monitor or promptor , because we do it from the heart , or from our own breast , ] and before him just . mart. ap. 2. p. 77. saith , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . but if all these words seem not plain enough to some , it is no wonder when they rest not in the greater plainness of the holy scriptures , where prayer is so frequently mentioned , as much of the imployment of believers ; and so many directions , encouragements and exhortations given about it : and yet no liturgy or stinted forms , except the lords prayer , is prescribed to them , or once made mention of , no man directed here to use such , no man exhorted to get him a prayer-book , or to read or learn it , or to beware that he adde or diminish not : whereas the holy scriptures that were then given to the church , men are exhorted to read , and study , and meditate in , and discourse of , and make it their continual delight : and it 's a wonder that david , that mentions it so oft in the 119. psalm , doth never mention the liturgy , or common-prayer-book , if they had any : and that solomon , when he dedicated the house of prayer without a prayer-book , would onely begge of god , to hear [ what prayers , or what supplication soever , shall be made of any man , or of all the people of israel , when every one shall know his own sore , and his own grief , and shall spread forth his hands in that house ] 2 chron. 6. 29. and that he giveth no hint of any liturgie or form , so much as in those common calamities ; and talkes of no other book then the knowledge of their own sores , and their own griefs : and in the case of psalmes , or singing unto god ; where it is certain , that they had a liturgy or form , ( as we have , ) they are carefully collected , preserved , and delivered to us , as a choise part of the holy scripture . and would it not have been so with the prayers ? or would they have been altogether unmentioned , if they also had been there prescribed to , and used by , the church , as the psalmes were ? would christ and his apostles , even where they were purposely giving rules for prayer , and correcting its abuse , as matth. 6. 1 cor. 14. &c. have never mentioned any forms but the lord's prayer , if they had appointed such , or desired such to be imposed , and observed ? these things are incredible to us when we most impartially consider them . for our own parts , as we think it uncharitable to forbid the use of spectacles to them that have weak eyes , or of crutches to them that have weak limbs ; and as uncharitable to undo all that will not use them , whether they need them or not : so we can think no better of them , that will suffer none to use such forms , that need them ; or that will suffer none to pray , but in the words of other mens prescribing , though they are at least , as able as the prescribers . and to conclude , we humbly crave , that ancient customes may not be used against themselves , and us ; and that you will not innovate , under the shelter of the name of antiquity . let those things be freely used among us , that were so used in the purest primitive times . let unity and peace be laid on nothing , on which they laid them not ; let diversity of liturgies , and ceremonies be allowed , where they allowed it . may we but have love and peace , on the terms as the ancient church enjoyed them , we shall then hope we may yet escape the hands of uncharitable destroying zeal : we therefore humbly recommend to your observation the concurrent testimony of the best histories of the church concerning the diversity of liturgies , ceremonies , and modal observances in the several churches under one and the same civil government : and how they then took it to be their duty to forbear each other in these matters , and how they made them not the test of their communion , or center of their peace . concerning the observation of easter it self , when other holy dayes , and ceremonies were urged , were lesse stood upon , you have the judgement of irenaeus , and the french bishops , in whose name he wrote in euseb . hist . eccl. l. 5. c : 23. where they reprehend victor for breaking peace with the churches , that differed about the day , and the antecedent time of fasting , and tell him that the variety began , before their times , when yet they neverthelesse retained peace , and yet retain it ; and the discord in their fasting declared , or commended the concord of their faith , that no man was rejected from communion by victor's , predecessors on that account , but they gave them the sacrament , and maintained peace with them , and particularly polycarp , and anicetus , held communion in the eucharist , notwithstanding this difference . basil epist . 63 doth plead his cause with the presbyters , and whole clergy of neocaesarea , that were offended at his new psalmodie , and his new order of monasticks : but he only defendeth himself , and urgeth none of them to imitate him , but telleth him also of the novelty of their own liturgy , that it was not known in the time of their own late renowned bp. greg thaumaturgus , telling them that they had kept nothing unchanged to that day of all that he was used to , ( so great alterations in 40. years were made in the same congregation ) as he professeth to pardon all such things , so be it the principal things be kept safe . socrat. hist . eccl. l. 5● . c. 21. about the easter difference saith , that neither the apostles , nor the gospels , do impose a yoke of bondage on those that betake themselves to the doctrine of christ , but left the feast of easter , and other festivals , to the observation of the free and equal judgement of them that had received the benefits . and therefore because men use to keep some festivals , for the relaxing themselves from labours , several persons in several places , do celebrate , of custom , the memorials of christs passion arbitrarily , or at their own choice . for neither our saviour , nor the apostles commanded the keeping of them by any law , nor threaten any mulct , or penalty , &c. it was the purpose of the apostles not to make laws for the keeping of festivals , but to be authours to us of the reason of right living , and of piety . and having shewed that it came up by private custom , and not by law , and having cited irenaeus , as before he addeth , [ that those that agree in the same faith , do differ in point of rites and ceremonies ] and instancing in divers , he concludeth that because no man can shew in the monuments of writings , any command concerning this , it is plain , that the apostles herein permitted free power to every ones mind and will ; that every man might do that which was good , without being induced by fear , or by necessity . ] and having spoken of the diversity of customes , about the assemblies , marriage , baptism , &c. he tells us that even among the novatians themselves , there is a diversity in their manner of their praying [ and that among all the forms of religions and parties , you can no where find two , that consent among themselves in the manner of their praying . ] and repeating the decree of the holy ghost , acts 15. [ to impose no other burden but things necessary ] he reprehendeth them that , neglecting this , will take fornication as a thing indifferent ; but strive about festivals , as if it were a matter of life , overturning gods laws , and making laws to themselves . ] &c. and sozomen hist . eccles . l. 7. c. 18. and 19. speaketh to the same purpose , and tells us that the novatians themselves determined in a synod at sangar in bythinia , that the difference about easter being not a sufficient cause for breach of communion , all should abide in the same concord , and in the same assembly , and every one should celebrate this feast as pleased himself : and this canon they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and c. 19. he saith of victor , and polycarp , that [ they deservedly judged it frivolous , or absur'd , that those should be separated on the account of a custom , that consented in the principal heads of religion : for you cannot find the same traditions in all things alike , in all churches , though they agree among themselves ] and instancing in some countries , where there is but one bishop in many cities , and in other bishops are ordained in the villages . ] after many other instances , he adds that they use not the same prayers , singings or readings , nor observe the same time of using them . ] and what liturgy was imposed upon constantine the emperour , or what bishops or synods , were then the makers of lyturgies , when he himself made publick prayers for himself and auditory , and for his souldiers ? euseb . de vit . constantini , l. 4. c. 18. 20 , &c. but the diversity , liberty , and change of lyturgies in the churches under the same prince , are things so well known , as that we may suppose any further proof of it to be needless . in the conclusion therefore , we humbly beseech you , that as antiquity and the custom of the churches in the first ages , is that which is most commonly , and confidently pleaded against us , that your mistake of antiquity may not be to our cost , or paid so dear for , as the loss of our freedom , for the serving of god in the work of the ministery to which we are called ; we beseech you let us not be silenced or cast out of the ministery or church , for not using the liturgy , cross , surplice , kneeling at the sacrament , till ye have either shewed the world that the practice or canons of the catholick church hav● led you the way as doing it , or requiring it to be done . and make not that to necessary as to force men to it on such dreadful terms , which the ancient churches used with diversity , and indifferency of liberty ; we beseech you shew the world some proof , that the ancient churches did ever use to force , or require ministers to subscribe to their liturgies , as having nothing in them contrary to the word of god , or to swear obedience to their bishops , before you impose such things on us , while yet you pretend to imitate antiquity . and have but that moderation towards your brethren : as in suffering , or at death , or judgement , you would most appear . remember how unpleasing the remembrance of such differences about ceremonies was to bp. ridley , as towards bp. hooper , when they were in prison : and how the arrians fury made the orthodox gladly to go to the churches of the novatians , and meet with them and joyn with them in prayer , and had almost been united with them in the bond of concord , if the novatians , in a stiffe maintaining of their old customes had not utterly refused it ; but yet in other matters they embraced each other with so singular a benevolence and love , that they would willingly have died for each other ] as socrat , tels us hist . l. 2. c. 30. and may we not all here see our duty ? when atticus was urged to deny to the novations the liberty of then meetings within the city , he refused it , because they had suffered for the faith , in the arrians persecution ; & changed nothing in the faith , though they separated from the church : and was so far from violence against dissenters , as that he gave large relief to them , that differed from him in religion , socrates hist . l. 7 c. 25. it was the much praised saying of theodosius to him that asked him , why he put none to death that wronged him . [ i would i could rather make them that are dead alive ] socrates l. 7. c. 22. much more should christian bps. be enemies to cruelty who know that charity is more essentiall to christianity then this , or that form of liturgy , or ceremonies . if you think it unsufferable that we should have differences about such things , remember that there will be no perfect unity till there is perfect charity , and sanctity ; and that destroying one another , and consequently destroying charity , is an unhappy way to unity . and that unity is to be held in things necessary , & liberty in things unnecessary , and charity in both : remember that it was in a far greater difference , where constantine perswadeth the christians to mutuall forbearance by the example of the philosophers , that suffered differences in abundance of their opinions , euseb . de vita constant . l. 2. c. 67. and that valens the arrian was made more moderate , and abated his persecution of the orthodox by the oration of themistius , who bid him not wonder at the dissentions of christians ; for they were small if compared with the multitude & cloud of opinions that are among the heathen philosophers , as being more then 300. and that god will by his diversity of opinions manifest his glory and make men the more reverence him , who is so hardly known ] socrat. l. 4. c. 27. those that dissent from you in these colerable cases cannot change their own opinions ; but you can , if you will , forbear hurting of your brethren . do that which you can do ; rather then urge them by unsutable means to that which they cannot do . these are not matters sufficient to justify contention , & uncharitable usage of your brethren . when many of the macedonian faction petitioned the good emperour jovianus to depose those that affirmed the son to be unlike the father , and to put their party in their places , he gave them no answer but this [ i hate contention ; and i love and honor them that are addicted to concord ] socrat. l. 4. c. 21. [ then , saith euseb hist . l 8. c. 1. did the lord obscure the daughter of sion , and cast down the glory of israel , &c. when those that seemed our pastors , rejecting the rule of godliness , were inflamed among themselves with mutual contentions , & drove on only those contentions , threatnings , emulations , mutual hatred and enmity , & the like , tyrants prosecuted their ambitions ] . we thought it no impertinent digression here to take this occasion again to crave your exercise of the ancient charity , and our enjoyment of the ancient liberty , instead of forcing the anciently free liturgy , and ceremonies , and that by improportionable penalties ; and if yet we cannot prevaile with you , we shall still beg for peace of the god of peace , where we have better hopes to be heard and shall hold on in seeking it , how ill soever our endeavours may be interpreted or succeed . and as the good man wept , socrat. l. 4. c. 18. when he saw a woman pompously adorned , because he was not so carefull to please god , as she was to allure men : so we shall confess we ought to weep , that we cannot be more charitable , & laborious in building up the church in holiness and peace , then others are by uncharitable courses , to afflict it . and it shal be our hope that whether by their labours , or their sufferings , god will serve and honor himself , by those many faithful servants of his , whom he hath called into his work , and whose cause we plead , and that however they are used they shal not be unuseful to the ends of their vocation . as theodoret observes hist l. 4. c. 30. that in a calamitous time , [ the moderator of the universe raised up such guides as were sufficient , in so great a fluctuation , and opposed the valour of the leaders , to the greatness of the enemies incursion , & gave the best remedies in the hardest times of pestilence . ] so that the banished pastors did from the uttermost parts of the earth corroborate their own , and refute the adversaries by their writings ] and for ourselves , as we were truly desirous to do our parts to preserve your reputation with the flocks , in order to the success of your government for their good , and never envied you , even that worldly honour or revenew , which yet some have thought unsutable to the simplicity and employment of christs ministers : so if you will neither suffer us quietly to serve god or conscionably to serve you , we shal be the less sollicitous for that part of our task , from which you have power to discharge us . and as basil said to valens the emperour that would have him pray for the life of his son [ if thou wilt receive the true faith , & restore the churches to concord , thy son shal live , which when he refused , he said [ the will of god then be done with thy son , ] so we say to you : if you will put on charity , and promote your brethrens and the churches peace , god will honour you , and good men will honour you , and your calling will have advantage by it . but if you will do contrary , the will of the lord be done with your honours . but know that them that honour him , he will honour , and those that despise him shall be lightly esteemed : and that by the course of uncharitable violence , which we deprecate , you will most deeply wound the cause of your preheminence , even more than its adversaries could have done . and if it be the will of god , that suffering at home where we have served him , must be our lot , we doubt not but he will furnish us with strength , and patience , and we shall remember such ensamples as ruffin recordeth , hist . l. 2. c. 3. when a military bishop sent his souldiers , to assault 300 scattered christians , there appeared a strange kind of warfare , when the assaulted offered their necks , saying only , amice , ad quid venistr ? friend , why camest thou thither ? or if we must be removed from the land of our nativity , as maris told julian , he thank't god that had deprived him of his sight , that he might not see the face of such a man , socrat. hist . l. 3. c. 10. so we shall take it as a little abatement of our affliction , that we see not the sins , and calamities of the people , whose peace and welfare we so much desire . having taking this opportunity here to conclude this part with these requests and warnings ; we now proceed to the second part , containing the particulars of our exceptions , and your answers . concerning morning and evening prayer . sect. 1. [ rubr. 1. we think it fit that the rubrick stand as it is and all to be left to the discretion of the ordinary . ] reply . we thought the end and use more considerable than custom and that the ordinary himself should be under the rule of doing to edification . sect. 2. rub. [ for the reasons given in our answer to the 18th general , whither you refer us , we think it fit that the rubrick continue as it is . ] reply . we have given you reason enough against the imposition of the usual ceremonies ; and would you draw forth those absolute ones to increase the burden ? sect. 3. lords pr. [ deliver us from evil . these words , for thine is the kingdom , &c. are not in s. luke , nor in the antient copies of st. matth. never mentioned in the antient comments , nor used in the latin church , and therefore questioned whether they be part of the gospel : there is no reason that they should be alwayes used . ] reply . we shall not be so over-credulous as to believe you , that these words are not in the antient copies : it is enough that we believe that some few antient copies have them not ; but that the most ( even the generality except those few ) have them . the judgement of our english translators , and almost all other translators of matth. and of the reverend b of chester , among your selves , putting the copy that hath it in his bible , ( as that which is most receiv'd , and approved by the church ) do shew on which side is the chief authority : if the few copies that want it had been thought more arthentick and credible , the church of england and most other churches would not have preferred the copies that have this doxology . and why will you in this contradict the later judgement of the church , expressed in the translation allowed and imposed ? the syriack , ethiopick , and persian translations also have it : and if the syriack be as antient as you your selves even now asserted , then the antiquity of doxology is there evident : and it is not altogether to be neglected , which by chemnitius and others is conjectured , that pauls words in tim. 4. 18. were spoken as in reference to this doxology . and as pareus and other protestants conclude , it is more probable the latrines neglected , than that the greeks inserted of their own heads this sentence . the socinians and arrians have as fair pretence for their exception a ainst 1 john 5 , 6 , 7. masculus saith , [ non cogitant vero similius esse , ut graecorum ecclesia magis quàm latina , quod ab evangelistis graece scriptum est , integrum servârit , nihilque de suo adjecerit . quid de graeca ecclesia dico ? vidi ipse vetustissimum evangelium secundum matth. codicem chaldaeis & elementis , & verbis conscriptum , in quo coronis ista perinde atque in graecis legebatur . nec chaldaei solum , sed & drabes christiani paciformiter cum graecis orant , & exemplar hebraeum à docto & celebri d. sebast . munstero vulgatum , hanc ipsam coronidem habet ; cum ergo consentiunt hâc in re hebraeorum , chaldaeorum , arabum , & graecorum ecolesiae contra omnes reliquas , tantum tribuitur authoritatis , ut quod s●la diversum legit , ab evangelitis traditum esse credatur : quod vero reliquae omnes concorditer habent & orant , pro addititio & peregrino habeatur . and that luke hath it not , will no more prove that it was not a part of the lords prayer , than all other omissions of one evangelist , will prove that such words are corruptions in the other , that have them . all set together give us the gospel fully , and from all we must gather it . sect. 4. lords pr●often used . [ it is used but twice in the morning , and twice in the evening service , and twice cannot be called often , much lesse so often . for the letany , communion , baptism , &c. they are offices distinct from morning and evening prayer , and it is not sit that any of them should want the lord , prayer . ] reply . we may better say , we are required to use it six times every morning than but twice , for it is twice in the common morning prayer , and once in the letany , & once in the communion service , & once at baptism , ( which in great parishes is usual every day ) and once to be used by the preacher in the pulpit . and if you call these distinct offices , that maketh not the lords prayer the seldomer used : sure we are , the apostles thought it fit that many of their prayers should be without the lords prayer . sect. 5. glor. patri . [ this doxology being a solemn confession of the blessed trinity should not be thought a burden to any christian liturgy , especially being so short as it is : neither is the repetition of it to be thought a vain repetition , more than his mercy endureth for ever , so often repeated psal . 136. we cannot give god too much glory ; that being the end of our creation , and should be the end of all our services . ] reply . though we cannot give god too much glory , we may too often repeat a form of words , wherein his name and glory is mentioned : there is great difference between a psalm of praise , and the praise in our ordinary prayers : more liberty of repetition may be taken in psalms , and be an ornament ; and there is difference between that which is unusual ( in one psalm of 150. ) and that which is our daily course of worship . when you have well proved that christs prohibition of battology extendeth not to this ( matth. 6. ) ; we shall acquiesce . sect. 6. p. 15. ru. 2. [ in such places where they do sing , &c. ] the rubr. directs only such singing , as is after the manner of distinct reading , and we never heard of any inconvenience thereby , and therefore conceive this demand to be needlesse . ] reply . it tempteth men to think they should read in a singing tone : and to turn reading scripture into singing , hath the inconvenience of turning the edifying simplicity and plainness of gods service into such affected unnatural strains and tones , as is used by the mimical , and ludicious , or such as feign themselves in raptures : and the highest things ( such as words and modes that signifie raptures ) are most loathsome , when forced , feigned , and hypocritically affected ; and therefore not fit for congregations , that cannot be supposed to be in such raptures ; this we apply also to the sententious mode of prayers . sect. 7. benedicite . [ this hymn was used all the church over , conc. tolet. can. 13. and therefore should be continued still , as well as te deum , ( ruffin . apol. cont . hieron . ) or veni creator , which they do not object against as apocryphal . ] reply . you much discourage us in these great straits of time to give us such loose and troublesome citations ; you turn us to ruffin apol. in gross , and tell us not which of the councils of tolet ( among at least 13. ) you mean : but we find the words in council 4. but that provincial spanish council , was no meet judge of the affairs of the universal church , unto the universal church : nor is it certain by their words whether ( quem ) refer not to ( eadem ) rather than to ( hymnum ) : but if you so regard that council , remember that can. 9. it is but once a day that the lords prayer is in joyned , against them that used it on the lords day only ; and that can. 17. it is implyed , that it was said but once on that day . the benedicite is somewhat more cautelously to be used than humane compositions that professe to be but humane ; when the apocryphal writings that are by the papists to be canonical , and used so like the canon in our church , we have the more cause to desire that a sufficient distinction be still made . in the letany . sect. 1. the alterations here desired are so nice , as if they that made them were given to change . reply . we bear your censure : but professe , that if you will desert the products of changers , and stick to the unchangeable rule delivered by the holy ghost , we shall joyfully agree with you . let them that prove most given to change , from the unchangeable rule and ensamples , be taken for the hinderers of our unity and peace . sect. 2. from all other deadly sin , is better , than , from all other hainous sin ] upon the reason here given ; because the wages of sin is death . reply . there is so much mortal poison in the popish distinction of mortal , and venial sin , ( by which abundance of sins are denied to be sins at all properly , but only analogically ) that the stomack that feareth it , is not to be charged with niceness . the words here seem to be used by way of distinction , and all [ deadly sin ] seemeth not to be spoken of [ all sin . ] and if so , your reason from rom. 6. 23. is vain , and ours firm . sect. 3. from sudden death , as good as , from dying suddenly , which therefore we pray against , that we may not be unprepared . reply . we added [ unprepared ] as expository , or hinting to shew the reason why sudden death is prayed against , and so to limit our prayers to that sudden death , which we are unprepared for ; there being some wayes of sudden death no more to be prayed against , than death it self simply considered may . when you say [ from sudden death ] is as good as [ from dying suddenly ] we confess it is . but not so good as [ from dying suddenly , and unpreparedly : we hope you intend not to make any believe , that out turning the adjective to an adverb was our reformation . and yet we wondred to hear this made a common jest upon us , as from those that had seen our papers : would you have had us said [ from sudden and unprepared death ? ] you would then have had more matter of just exception against the words [ unprepared death ] than now you have against dying suddenly : a man may be well prepared to die suddenly by martyrdom for christ , or by war for his prince , and many other wayes . sect. 4. [ all that travel , ] as little lyable to exception as [ those that travel , ] and more agreeable to the phrase of scripture , 1 tim. 1. 2. i will that prayers be made for all men . ] reply . an universal is to be understood properly , as comprehending all the individuals , and so is not an indefinite ; and we know not that we are bound to pray for thieves , and pyrates , and traytors that travel by land , or water , on such errands as faux , or the other powder-plotters , or the spanish armado in 88. or as parry , or any that should travel on the errand as clement or raviliac did to the two king henry's of france ; are these niceties with you ? sect. 5. p. 16. [ the 2d . collect , &c. ] we do not find , nor do they say , what is to be amended in these collects ; therefore to say any thing particularly , were to answer to we know not what . ] reply . we are glad that one word in the proper collects , hath appeared such to you as needs a reformation , especially when you told us before that the liturgy ws never found fault with by those to whom the name of protestant most properly belongs ] ; which lookt upon our hopes of reformation , almost as destructively as the papists doctrine of infallibility doth , when we dealt with them . as for the collects mentioned by us , you should not wonder that we brought not in a particular charge against them : for first , we had a conceit that it was best for us to deal as gently & tenderly as we could with the faults of the liturgy , and therefore we have under our generals , hid abundance of particulars , which you may find in the abridgement of the lincolnshire ministers , and in many other books ; and secondly , we had a conceit , that you would have vouchsafed to treate with us personally in presence , according to the sense of his majestie 's commission , and then we thought to have told you particularly of such matters : but you have forc'd us to confess , that we find our selves deceived . the communion service . sect. 1. p. 17. kyries . to say [ lord have mercy upon us ] after every commandment is more quick and active , than to say it once at the close , and why christian people should not upon their knees ask their pardor for their life forfeited for the breach of every commandment , and pray for grace to keep them for the time to come , they must be more than ignorant that can cruple . reply . we thank you for saying nothing against our four first requests : though we are thought more than ignorant for our scruple , we can truly say , we are willing to learn. but your bare opinion is not enough to cure ignorance , and more . by your reason , you may make kneeling the gesture for hearing the scriptures read , and hearing sermons , and all ; if you will but interweave prayers , he must be more than ignorant that will not kneel . the universal church of christ was more than ignorant for many hundred years , that not only neglected , but prohibited genuflexion in all adoration each lords day : when now the 20th . of exod. or 5th . of deut. may not be heard or read without kneeling , save only by the clergy . sect. 2. p. 18. homilies . some livings are so small , that they are not able to maintain a licenced preacher , and in such and the like cases this provision is necessary : nor can any reason be given , why the minister's reading a homily , set forth by common authority , should not be accompted preaching of the word , as well as his reading ( or pronouncing by heart ) a homilie , or sermon of his own , or any other mans . repl. when the usurper would quickly have brought livings to that competency , as would have maintained able preachers , we may not question whether just authority will do it . 2ly . when abundance of able ministers cast out , would be glad of liberty to preach for nothing , this pretence hath no taste , or sense in it . 3ly . when we may not without the imputation of uncharitableness once imagine , that your lordships with your deans , and other officers , do not value the saving of souls above money , we may conclude , that you will voluntarily allow so much out of your ample revenues , as will supply such places or many of them ; the rather because we find you charging them , as desiring inordinately the honours , and wealth of the world , that would have had all ministers to have had 100. li. or 80. li. per annum a piece : and therefore may conclude that you will take no more , if you hate that sin , more than they do that are accused of it . but the next place of your answer frighteth us more : to which we say , that we will not differ with you for the name , whether reading homilies may be called preaching . but we take the boldnesse to say , that it is another manner of preaching that christ and his apostles sent men to perform , and which the church hath gloried in , and been edified by , to this day , and which thousands of souls have been brought to heaven by , and which we again desire may be enjoyned , and not left so indifferent . sect. 3. sentences . [ the sentences tend all to exhort the people to pious liberalitie , whether the object be the minister , or the poor , and though some of the sentences be apocryphal , they may be useful for that purpose . ] why collection for the poor , should be made at another time , there is no reason given , onely change desired . reply . 1. we have oft told you why the apocrypha should be cautelously used in the church : that usurper that should pretend to the crown , and have a more numerous party then the king , ( that hath the undoubted right ) will be lookt on more suspitiously then ordinary subjects . 2. it is a sordid thing for ministers to love money ; and its sordid , unlesse in extraordinay necessities , to have them beg , and beg for themselves , and beg under pretence of serving god , even in times when the clergy seems advanced . 3. we confesse our selves deceived , in thinking we should have free personal debates with you , which made us reserve many of our reasons . reasons are , 1. for lesse disturbance . 2. because the peoples affections are much more raised usually , and so fitter for returns , when they have received . 3. because especially it is most seasonable to do the acts of gratitude , when we have received the obliging benefits ; and so say ( what shall i give the lord for all his benefits ? ) when we have partaked of them , and to offer our selves first , and with our selves , what he giveth us , unto him , when we have received him , and his grace offered to us . these are the reasons that brought us under your censure of desiring a change . sect. 4. p. 19. 3. exhort . [ the first and third exhortations are very seasonable before the communion , to put men in mind how they ought to be prepared , and in what danger they are , to come unprepared ; that , if they be not duly qualified , they may depart , and be better prepared another time . reply . but is it not more seasonable , that , in so great businesse , such warning go a considerable time before ? is there leisure of self-examination , and making restitution , and satisfaction , and going to the minister for counsel to quiet his conscience , &c. in order to the present sacrament ? we yet desire those things may be sooner told them . sect. 5. exc. 1. [ we fear this may discourage many ] certainly themselves cannot desire , that men should come to the holy communion with a troubled conscience , and therefore have no reason to blame the church for saying , it is requisite , that men come with a quiet conscience , and prescribing meanes for quieting thereof : if this be to discourage men , it is fit they should be discouraged and deterred , and kept from the communion , till they have done all that is here directed by the church , which they may well do , considering that this exhortation shall be read in the church , the sunday , or holiday before ] . reply . but we can , and do , desire that many that have a troubled conscience , and cannot otherwise quiet it , should come to the communion for remedy and not be discouraged , or kept away . sect. 6. minister's turning . [ the minister's turning to the people , is not most convenient throughout the whole ministration : when he speaks to them as in lessons , absolution , and benedictions , it is convenient that he turn to them ; when he speaks for them to god , it is fit that they should all turn another way , as the ancient church ever did ; the reasons of which you may see , aug. lib. 2 , de ser. dom. in monte . reply , it is not yet understood by us , why the ministers , or people , ( for , which you mean by [ they all ] we know not ) should turn another way in prayer : we think , the people should hear the prayers of the minister ; if not , latine prayers may serve ; and then you need not except against extemporate prayers , because the people cannot own them ; for how can most of them own what they hear not , whatever it be ? as for august . reason for looking towards the east , when we pray , ( ut admoneatur animus ad naturam excellentiorem se convertere , id est , ad dominum ; cum ipsum corpus ejus , quod est terrenum , ad corpus excellentius , id est , ad corpus celeste convertitur ) : we suppose you will not expect that we should be much moved by it ; if we should , why should not we worship towards any of the creatures visible , when we can pretend such reasons for it , as minding us of superiour things ? and why should not we look southward , when the sun is in the south ? and we fear the worshipping towards the sun , as representing or minding us of christ's heavenly body , is too like to the prohibited worshiping before an image , and too like that worshipping before the host of heaven , in which the old idolatry consisted , or at least which was the introduction of it ; of which our protestant writers treat at large against the papists , on the point of image-worship ; see also v●ssius de idololatriâ , lib. 2. cap. 23. &c. sect. 7. exc. 3. [ it appears by the greatest evidences of antiquity , that it was upon the 25. day of decemb. s. aug. in psal . 132. ] reply . it is not aug. alone in psal . 132. that must tell us which way the greatest evidences of antiquity go : and his reasoning that john must decrease , and christ must increase , as proved by john's being born when the days decrease , and christs being born when the days increase , doth not much invite us to receive his testimony . we conceive the ancient opinion of jerusalem , and other eastern churches that were nearest to the place , is a greater argument for the contrary , then you have here given us for what you thus affirm : we might set epiphanius against augustine , and all the greek church , till in the midst of chrysostom's time , when they changed their opinion . and in our time the judgment of the famous chronologers , scaliger , beroaldus , broughton , capellus , clopenburgius , with many others , are not contemptible , as set against such an unproved assertion as this . sect. 8. [ that our sinful bodies , &c. ) it can no more be said , those words do give greater efficacy to the blood , then to the body of christ , then when our lord saith , this is my blood which is shed for you , and for many , for the remission of sins , &c. and saith not so explicitly of the body . ] reply . sure christ there intimateth no such distinction as is here intimated : there his body is said to [ be broken for us ] and not only for [ our bodies ] sect. 9. 20. com. kneel . [ it is most requisite that the minister deliver the bread and wine into every particular communicant's band , and repeat the words in the singular number ; for so much as it is the propriety of sacraments to make particular obsignation to each believer , and it is our visible profession , that by the grace of god , christ tasted death for every man. reply . 1. did not christ know the propriety of sacraments better than we , and yet he delivered it in the plural number to all at once , with a [ take ye , eat ye , drink ye [ all of it ] ; we had rather study to be obedient to our master , than to be wiser than he . 2. as god maketh the general offer , which giveth to no man a personal interest , till his own acceptance first appropriate it ; so it is fit , that the minister that is gods agent , imitate him , when his example , and the reason of it so concern to ingage us to it ; clemens alexandr . stromat . lib. 1. prope . in it giveth a reason ( as we understand him ) for the contrary ; that man being a free agent , must be the chooser or refuser for himself , — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . quemadmodum eucharistiam cum quidam , ut mos est diviserint , permittunt unicuique ex populo ejus partem sumere : and after rendreth this reason , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad accuratè enim perfecteque eligendum ac fugiendum , optima est conscientia . and that thing is so agreeable to your own doctrinal principles , that we fear you dis-relish it , because it comes from us . sect. 10. kneel at sacra . [ concerning kneeling at the sacrament we have given account already : only thus much we adde , that we conceive it an errour to say that the scripture affirms the apostles to have received not-kneeling . the posture of the paschal supper we know , but the institution of the holy sacrament was after supper ; and what posture was then used the scripture is silent . the rubr. at the end of the 1. ed. c. that leaves kneeling , crossing , &c. indifferent , is meant only at such times as they are not prescribed , and required . but at the eucharist , kneeling is expresly required in the rubr. following . ] reply . doubtless , when matthew and mark say it was [ as they did eat ] to which before it is said , that [ they sate down ] ; and when interpreters generally agree upon it , this would easily have satisfied you , if you had been as willing to believe it , as to believe the contrary . matth. 26. 20 , 21 , 26. the same phrase is used v. 26. as in vers . 21. where it sheweth , they were still sitting : for the sense of the rubr. if you prove that the makers so interpret it , we shall not deny it ; but the reason of both seems the same . sect. 11. com. three times a year . [ this desire to have the parishioners at liberty , whether they will ever receive the communion or not , savours of too much neglect , and coldness of affection towards the holy sacrament : it is more fitting that order should be taken to bring it into more frequent use , as it was in the first , and best times ; our rubr. is directly according to the ancient council of eliberis c. 81. gratian. de consecrat . no man is to be accounted a good catholick christian that does not receive three times in the year : the distempers which indispose men to it , must be corrected , not the receiving of the sacrament therefore omitted : it is a pitifull pretence to say , they are not fit , and make their sin their excuse ; formerly our church was quarrelled at for not compelling men to the communion , now for urging men ; how should she please ? reply . we confess it is desireable that all our distempers , and unfitnesses should be healed ; and we desire with you that sacraments may be oftner : but that every person in the parish that is unfit , be forced to receive , is that which we cannot concurre with you to be guilty of . two sorts we think unfit , to be so forced ( at least . ) first , abundance of people , grossely ignorant and scandalous , that will eat and drink judgment to themselves , not discerning the lords body . secondly , many melancholy , and otherwise troubled doubting souls , that if they should receive the sacrament before they find themselves more fit , would be in danger to go out of their wits , with fear , lest it would seal them to destruction , and as the liturgy saith , lest the devil enter into them as into judas : or at least it would grievously deject them . as formerly , so now , there is great reason at once to desire , that the unprepared be not forced to the sacrament , and yet that so great a part of the body of the church may not be let alone in your communion , without due admonition and discipline , that ordinarily neglect or refuse the churches communion in this sacrament : those that are so prophane should be kept away , but withall they should be proceeded with by discipline , till they repent , or are cast out of the church . sect. 12. [ this rubr. is not in the liturgy of queen elizabeth , nor confirmed by law , nor is there any great need of restoring it ; the world being now in more danger of profanation , then of idolatry : besides the sense of it , is declared sufficiently in the 28. article of the church of england : the time appointed we conceive sufficient . ] reply . can there be any hurt or danger in the people's being taught to understand the church aright ? hath not bishop hall taught you in his life of a romanist , that would have faced him down , that the church of england is for transubstantiation , because of kneeling , p. 20. and the same bishop ( greatly differing from you ) saith in the same book , p 294. but to put all scruples out of the mind of any reader concerning this point , let that serve for the upshot of all , which is expresly set down in the fifth rubrick in the end of the communion set forth , as the judgment of the church of england , both in king edward and queen elizabeth's times ( note that ) though lately upon negligence ( note upon negligence ) omitted in the impression ] and so recites the words . where you say , there is no great need , &c. we reply , 1. profaneness may be opposed nevertheless for our instructing the people against idolatry . 2. the abounding of papists who in this point seem to us idolatrous , sheweth that there is danger of it . 3. the commonness of idolatry through the world , and the case of the israelites of old , shew that mans nature is prone to it . 4. prophaneness and idolatry befriend each other ; as god is jealous against idolatry , so should all faithfull pastors of the church be , and not refuse such a caution to the people and say , there is no great need of it . publike baptism . untill they have made due profession of repentance , &c. we think this desire to be very hard and uncharitable , punishing the poor infants for the parents sakes ; and giving also too great and arbitrary a power to judge which of his parishioners he pleaseth , atheists , 〈…〉 hereticks , &c. and then in that name to reject their children from b 〈…〉 baptized : our church concludes more charitably , that christ will 〈…〉 vourably accept every infant to baptism , that is presented by the church according to our present order : and this she concludes out of holy scriptures , ( as you may see in the office of baptism ) according to the practise and doctrine of the catholick church , cypr. ep. 59. august . ep. 28. & de verb. apost . ser. 14. reply . we perceive you will stick with us in more then ceremonies ; to your reasons we reply , 1. by that reason , all the children of all heathens or infidels in the world should be admitted to baptism ; because they should not be punished for the parents sakes . 2. but we deny that it is ( among christians that believe original sin ) any absurdity to say , that children are punished for their parents sakes . 3. but yet we deny this to be any such punishment at all , unless you will call , their non-deliverance a punishment . they are the children of wrath by nature , and have original sin ; the covenant of grace that giveth the saving benefits of christ , is made to none but the faithfull , and their seed ; will you call this a punishing them for their fathers sakes , that god hath extended his covenant to no more ? their parents infidelity doth but leave them in their original sin , and misery , and is not further it self imputed to them . if you know of any covenant or promise of salvation made to all without condition , or to infants , or any other condition or qualification , but that they be the seed of the faithfull dedicated to god ; you should do well to shew it us , and not so slightly pass things of so great moment , in which you might much help the world out of darkness , if you can make good what you intimate ; if indeed you mean as you seem to speak , that its uncharitableness to punish any infants for the parents faults , & that a non-liberation is such a punishment ; then you must suppose that all the infants of heathens , jews , & turks are saved ( that die in infancy ) , or else christ is uncharitable ; and if they are all saved without baptism , then baptism is of no such use , or necessity ; as you seem to think : what then is their priviledge , of the seed of the faithfull , that they are holy , and that the covenant is made with them , & god will be their god ? we fear you will again revive the opinion of the anabaptists among the people , when they observe that you have no more to say for the baptizing of the children of the faithfull , then of infidles , heathens , & atheists . to your second objection we answer ; you will drive many a faithfull labourer from the work of christ , if he may not be in the ministry , unless he will baptise the children of heathens , infidels , and excommunicate ones , before their parents do repent : and the first question is not , who shall be the judge ? but , whether we must be all thus forced ? is not the question as great , who shall be the judge of the unfitness of persons for the lords supper ? and yet , there , you think it not a taking too much upon us to keep away the scandalous , if they have their appeals to you ? and is it indeed ( a power too great & arbitrary ) to have a judiciam discretionis about our own acts ; and not to be forced to baptize the children of heathens against our consciences ? who judged for the baptizers in the primitive church , what persons they should baptize ? we act but as engines under you , not as men , if we must not use our reason ; and we are more miserable then brutes or men , if we must be forced to go against our consciences , unless you will save us harmless before god : o that in a fair debate you would prove to us that such children as are described are to be baptized , and that the ministers that baptize them , must not have power to discern whom to baptize . but who mean you by the churches , that must present every infant that christ may accept them ? is every infant first in the promise of pardon ? ( if so , shew us that promise ) and then sure god will make good that promise , though heathen parents present not their children to him , ( as your grounds suppose ) ; if not , then will the sign save those that are not in the promise : but is it the godfathers that are the church ? who ever called them so ? and if by the church you mean the minister , and by presenting , you mean baptizing them , then any heathen's child that a minister can catch up and baptize shall be saved : which if it could be proved , would perswade us to go hunt for children in turkie , tartary , or america , and secretly baptize them in a habit , that should not make us known . but there is more of fancy then charity in this ; and christ never invited any to him , but the children of the promise to be thus presented and baptized . sect. 3. p. 23. [ and then the godfathers , &c. ) it is an erronious doctrine , and the ground of many others , and of many of your exceptions , that children have no other right to baptism then in their parents right . the churches primitive practise forbids it to be left to the pleasure of parents , whether there shall be other sareties or no ? it is fit we should observe carefully the practice of venerable antiquity , as they desire prop. 18. ] reply . we conjecture the words that conclude your former subject being mis-placed , are intended as your answer to this : and if all the children of any sort in the world that are brought to us , must by us be baptized without distinction , indeed it 's no great matter what time we have notice of it . it seems we differ in doctrine , though we subscribe the same articles we earnestly desire you distinctly to tell us , what is the infants title : to baptism , if it be not to be found in the parent ? assign it , and prove it when you have done , as well as we prove their right as they are ( the seed of believers dedicated by them to god ) , and then we promise to consent : it s strange to us to hear so much of the churches primitive practice , where so litle evidence of it is produced , aug. ep . 23. talketh not of primitive practice : ab initio non fuit sic ; was it so in the apostles daies ? and afterwards you prove not that it was the judgment of the catholick church , that bare sponsors instead of parents . pro-parents or owners of the children , might procure to the children of all infidels a title to baptism , and its benefits . such susceptors as became the owners or adopters of the children , are to be distinguished from those that pro forma stand by for an hour during the baptizing of the children , and ever after leave them to their parents : who as they have the naturall interest in them , and power of their disposall , and the education of them , so are fittest to covenant in their names . [ the font usually stands as it did in primitive times , at or near the church door , to signify that baptism was the entrance into the church mysticall , we are all baptized into one body , 1 cor. 12. 13. and the people may hear well enough . if jordan and all other waters be not so far sanctified by christ , as to be the matter of baptism , what authority have we to baptise ? and sure his baptism was dedicatio baptismi . ] reply . our less difference of the font , and flood jordan , is almost drowned in the greater before going : but to the first we say that we conceive the usual scituation for the people's hearing , is to be preferred before your ceremonious position of it . and to the second we say , that dedicatio baptismi , is an unfitting phrase : and yet , if it were not , what 's that to the sanctification of jordan , and all other waters ? did christ sanctify all corn or bread , or grapes or wine to an holy use , when he administred the lords supper ? sanctifying is separating to an holy use ; but the flood jordan and all other water , is not separated to this holy use , in any proper sense : no more than all mankind is sanctified to the priestly office , because men were made priests . [ it hath been accounted reasonable , and allowed by the best laws , that guardians should covenant and contract for their minors to their benefit : by the same right , the church hath appointed sureties to undertake for children , when they enter into covenant with god by baptism ; and this generall practice of the church is enough to satisfy those that doubt . ] repl. 1. who made those sureties guardians of the infants that are neither parents , nor pro-parents , nor owners of them ? we are not now speaking against sponsors : but you know that the very original of those sponsors , is a great controversie : and whether they were not at first most properly sponsors for the parents that they should perform that part they undertook ( because many parents were desertors , and many proved negligent ) sponsors then excluded not parents from their proper undertaking , but joyned with them ; god-fathers are not the infants guardians with us and therefore have not power thus to covenant and vow in their name : vve intreat you to take heed of leaving any children indeed out of the mutual covenant that are baptized ; how are those in the covenant that cannot consent themselves , and do it not by any that truly represent them , nor have any authority to act as in their names ? the authority of parents being most unquestionable ( who by nature , and the word of god , have the power of disposing of their children , and consequently of choosing and covenanting for them ) , vvhy should it not be preferred ? at lest you may give leave to those parents that desire it , to be the dedicators of , and covenanters for , their own children , and not force others on them whether they will or no. 2. but the question is not of covenanting , but professing present actual believing , forsaking , &c. in which , though we believe the churches sense was sound , yet we desire that all things , that may render it lyable to mis-understanding , may be avoyded . receive remission of sins by spiritual regeneration ] . most proper for baptism is our spiritual regeneration , s. john 3. unlesse a man be born again of water and the spirit , &c. and by this is received remission of sins , acts 2. 3. repent , and be baptized every one of you , for the remission of sins 's so the creed [ one baptism for the remission of sins . ] repl. baptism , as an outward administration , is our visible sacramental regeneration : baptism as containing , with the sign , the thing signified , is our spiritual real regeneration . as we are regenerated before baptism , ( as , you know , adult believers are ) , so we cannot pray to receive remission of sins by that same regeneration renewed . as we are regenerated really in baptism ; that regeneration and remission , are conjunct benefits : but if baptism at once give regeneration and remission , it follows not that it gives remission by regeneration : but as regeneration comprehendeth the whole change ( reall or physical ) and relative ; so we acknowledge , that as the part is given by the whole , you may say that remission is given by regeneration , but more fitly in it than by it ; but we are not willing to make more adoe about words than needs . [ we cannot in faith say that every child that is baptized is regenerate , &c. ] . seeing that gods sacraments have their effects , where the receiver doth not ponere obicem , put any bar against them ( which children cannot do ) ; we may say in faith of every child that is baptized , that it is regenerated by gods holy spirit , and the denial of it tends to anabaptism , and the contempt of this holy sacrament , as nothing worthy nor material , whether it be administred to children or no : concerning the cross , we refer to our answer to the same in general . repl. all gods sacraments attain their proper end : but whether the infants of infidels be the due subjects , and whether their ends be to seal up grace and salvation to them that have no promise of it , or whether it be only to seal the covenant to believers and their seed , are questions yet undecided , wherein we must intreat you not to expect that we should implicitly believe you ; and it is as easy for us to tell you , that you are promoting anabaptism , and much more easy to prove it : we take those but for words of course . private baptism . [ we desire that baptism may not be administred in a private place ] . and so do we , where it may be brought into the publick congregation . but since our lord hath said , s. joh 3. unlesse one be born of water and the holy ghost , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven . we think it fit that they should be baptized in private , rather than not at all ; it is appointed now to be done by the lawful minister . repl. we must needs suppose you are disputing with protestants , who ordinarily shew the papists that that text , joh. 3. asserteth no absolute necessity of baptisme to salvation . but we believe as well as you , that it is the regular way of solemn initiation into the covenant and church of christ , which none that indeed are the children of the promise should neglect . as coronation solemnizeth his entrance upon the kingdome , that had before the title ; and as marriage solemnizeth that which before was done by consent ; so baptism solemnizeth the mutual covenant , which before had a mutual consent , and none is authorised to consent for infants but those that by nature , and gods law , have the power of disposing of them , and whose will is in sensu-forensi , the childrens will : it solemnly investeth us in what we had an antecedent right to , and therefore belongs to none but those that have that right ; and this we are ready to make good by any fair debate that you will allow us . [ nor is any thing done in private reiterated in publick , but the solemn reception into the congregation , with the prayers for him , and the publick declaration before the congregation of the infants now made by the god-fathers , that the whole congregation may testify against him , if he does not perform it , which the ancients made great use of . [ repl. do you not say in the rubr. ( and let them not doubt , but the child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized , and ought not to be baptized again ) . and after ( i certify you that in this case all is well done , &c. ) and yet you do not renew all the baptismal covenant , renouncing the flesh , &c. and ingaging into the christian belief ; and that you may see that the church of england taketh not all infants infallibly to be regenerated by baptism ( unlesse you grant that they repent to the substance of baptism ) the baptismal prayer is here used , for the fore-baptized , [ that god will give his holy spirit to this infant , that he being born again , and made heir of everlasting salvation , &c. ] which sheweth that he is now supposed to be regenerandus , non regeneratus . do they pray for his regeneration , whom they account regenerate already ? you must either confess that there they repeat much of the substance of baptism , and take the child as not baptized , or else that they take the baptized child to be not-regenerate . and then we may well take them for unregnerate , that shew no signs of it , at years of discretion , but live a carnal and ungodly life , though they can say the catechism , and seek confirmation . of the catechism . [ though divers have been of late baptized without god-fathers , yet many have been baptized with them , and those may answer the questions , as they are : the rest must answer , according to truth . but there 's no reason to alter the rule of the catechism , for some mens irregularities . reply . if you will have a catechism proper to those that had god-fathers , give leave to others to use one that will teach them , as you say , to answer according to truth : and let us , in the same , have that liberty , of leaving out the doubtful opinion of god-fathers and god-mothers , and that which we think too childish a beginning , [ what is your name , ] and let us use one that speaks more of the necessary doctrines of salvation , and nothing but necessaries . [ we conceive this expression as safe as that which they desire , and more fully expressing the efficacy of the sacrament , according to s. paul , the 26 , and 27. of gal. 3. where s. paul proves them all to be children of god , because they were baptized , and in their baptism had put on christ ; if children , then heirs , or , which is all one , inheritors , rom. 8. 17. reply . by baptism paul means not the carkase of baptism , but the baptismal dedication , and covenanting with god ; they that do this by themselves , if at age , or by parents , or pro-parents authorized ( if infants ) sincerely , are truly members of christ , and children of god , and heirs of heaven ; they that do this but hypocritically , and verbally , as simon magus did , are visibly such as the others are really . but really are still in the gall of bitternesse , and bond of iniquity , and have no part or lot in this businesse , their hearts being not right in the sight of god. this is that truth which we are ready to make good . [ we conceive the present translation to be agreeable to many antie●● copies , therefore the change to be needlesse . ] repl. what antient copy hath ( the seventh day ) in the end of the fourth commandment , instead of the sabbath day ? did king james cause the bible to be new translated to so little purpose ? we must bear you witnesse , that in some cases you are not given to change . [ my duty towards god , &c. ] it is not true that there is nothing in that answer which refers to the 4th commandment ; for the last words of the answer do orderlie relate to the last commandment of the first table , which is the fourth . repl. and think you , indeed , that the 4th . commandment obligeth you no more to one day in seven , than equally ( to all the dayes of your life ) ? this exposition may make us think that some are more serious , than else we could have imagined in praying after that commandment , lord have mercy upon us , and encline our hearts to keep this law. [ two only as generally necessary to salvation , &c. these words are a reason of the answer that there are two only , and therefore not to be left out . ] repl. the words seem to imply by distinction , that there may be others not so necessary : and the lords supper was not by the antients taken to be necessary to the salvation of all . [ we desire that the entring of infants , &c. ] the effect of childrens baptism , depends neither upon their own present actual faith and repentance , which the catechism saith expresly , they cannot perform ; nor upon the faith and repentance of their natural parents , or pro-parents , or of their godfathers or godmothers ; but upon the ordinance and institution of christ : but it is requisite that when they come to age , they should perform these conditions of faith and repentance , for which also their godfathers and godmothers charitably undertook on their behalf . and what they do for the infant in this case , the infant himself is truly said to do , as in the courts of this kingdom daily , the infant does answer by his guardian , and it is usual for to do homage by proxy , and for princes to marry by proxy . for the further justification of this answer , see st. aug. ep. 23. ad bonifac. nihil aliud credere quam sidem habere ; ac per hoc cum respondetur parvulum credere qui fidei nondum habet effectum , respondetur fidem habere propter fidei sacramentum , & convertere se ad deum propter conversionis sacramentum , quia & ipsa responsio ad celebrationem pertinet sacramenti : itaque parvulum , etsi nondum fides illa , quae in credentium voluntate consistit , tamen ipsius sidei sacramentum , fidelem facit . ] repl. 1. you remove not all the inconvenience of the words that seemeth to import what you your selves disclaim . 2. we know that the effects of baptism , do depend on all the necessary con-causes on gods mercy , or christs merits , on the institution , and on baptism it self according to its use , as a delivering investing sign , and seal ; and they depend upon the promise sealed by baptism ; and the promise supposeth the qualified subject , or requisite condition in him , that shall have the benefit of it . to tell us therefore of a common cause , on which the effect depends , viz. the institution of baptism it self , when we are inquiring after the special condition that proveth the person to be the due subject , to whom both promise and baptism doth belong ; this is but to seem to make an answer . either all baptized absolutely are justified and saved , or not : if yea , then christianity is another kind of thing than peter or paul understood , that thought it was not the washing of water , but the answer of a good conscience to god : then let us catch heathens and dip them , and save them in despite of them ; but if any condition be requisite ( as we are sure there is ) our question is , what it is ? and you tell us of baptism it self . did ever august jure , vel injuria was to be esteemed a believer ? we grant with austin , that infants of believers , propter sacramentum fidei , are visibly and professedly to be numbred with believers ; but neither austin , nor we , will ever grant you that this is true of all that you can catch , and use this form of baptism over . the seal will not save them that have no part in the promise . [ the catechism is not intended as a whole body of divinity ; but as a comprehension of the articles of faith , and other doctrines most necessary to salvation ; and being short , is fittest for children , and common people ; and as it was thought sufficient upon mature deliberation , and so is by us . ] repl. the creed , the decalogue , and the lords prayer , contain all that is absolutely necessary to salvation at least . if you intended no more , what need you make a catechism ? if you intend more , why have you no more ? but , except in the verie words of the creed , the essentials of christianity are left out ; if no explication be necessary , trouble them with no more than the text of the creed , &c. if explication be necessary , let them have it ; at least in a larger catechism , fitter for the riper . confirmation . [ it is evident that the meaning of these words is , that children baptized , and dying before they commit actual sin , are undoubtedly saved , though they be not confirmed ; wherein we see not what danger there can be of misleading the vulgar , by teaching them truth : but there may be danger in this desire of having these words expunged , as if they were false ; for st. austin saies , he is an infidel that desires them to be true , ep. 23. ad bonifac. ] repl. what ? all children saved whether they be children of the promise or no ? or , can you shew us a text that saith ( whoever is baptized , shall be saved ) ? the common-prayer-book plainly speaks of the non-necessity of unction , confirmation , and other popish ceremonies and sacraments , and meaneth that , ex parte ecclesiae , they have all things necessary to salvation , and are undoubtedly saved , supposing them the due subjects , and that nothing be wanting ex parte sui ; which certainly is not the case of such as are not children of the promise , and covenant . the child of an heathen doth not ponere obicem actually quo minus baptizetur , and yet being baptized is not saved , on your own reckoning , ( as we understand you ) ; therefore the parent can ponere obicem , and either hinder the baptism or effect , to his infant . austin speaks not there of all children whatever , but those that are offered per aliorum spiritualem voluntatem , by the parents usually , or by those that own them after the parents be dead , or they exposed , or become theirs : he speaks also of what may be done , & de eo quod fieri non posse arbitratur : but our question is , what is done ? and not , what god can do : our great question is , what children they be that baptism belongeth to ? [ after the catechism we conceive that it is not a sufficient qualification , &c. ] we conceive that this qualification is required rather as necessary , than as sufficient ; and therefore it is the duty of the minister of the place , can. 61. to prepare children in the best manner to be presented to the bishop for confirmation , and to inform the bishop of their fitnesse ; but submitting the judgement to the bishop , both of this , and other qualifications , and not that the bishop should be tyed to the ministers consent . compare this rubr. to the second rubr. before the catechism , and there is required what is further necessary and sufficient . repl. 1. if we have all necessary ordinarily , we have that which is sufficient ad esse : there is more ordinarily necessary , than to say those words . 2. do you owe the king no more obedience ? already do you contradict his declaration , which saith , confirmation shall be performed ( by the information , and with the consent of the minister of the place ? ) but if the ministers consent shall not be necessary , take all the charge upon your own souls , and let your souls be answerable for all . they see no need of godf. here ] the compilers of the liturgie did , and so doth the church ; that there may be a witnesse of the confirmation . ] repl. it is like to be your own work as you will use it , and we cannot hinder you from doing it in your own way . but are godfathers no more than witnesses ? &c. [ this supposeth that all children , &c. ] it supposeth , and that truly , that all children were at their baptism , regenerate by water , and the holy ghost , and had given unto them the forgivenesse of all their sins ; and it is charitably presumed , that , notwithstanding the frailties and slips of their childhood , they have not totally lost , what was in baptism conferred upon them , and therefore addes , strengthen them we beseech thee , o lord , with the holy ghost , the comforter , and daily encrease in them their manifold gifts of grace , &c. none that lives in open sin ought to be confirmed . ] repl. 1. children baptized without right , cannot be presumed to be really regenerate , and pardoned . 2. we speak only of those that by living in open sin , do shew themselves to be unjustified ; and these you confesse should not be confirmed . o that you would but practise that ; if not , this confession will witnesse against you . [ before the imposition of hands , &c. ] confirmation is reserved to the bishop , in honorem ordinis ; to blesse , being an act of authority ; so was it of old . st. hierom , dialog . adv. lucifer . saies , it was totius orbis consensio in hanc partem . and st. cyprian to the same purpose , ep. 73. and our church doth every where professe , as she ought , to conform to the catholick usages of the primitive times ; from which causelesly to depart , argues rather love of contention than of peace . the reserving of confirmation to the bishop , doth argue the dignity of the bishop above presbyters , who are not allowed to confirm ; but does not argue any excellency in confirmation , above the sacraments . st. hierom argues the quite contray , ad lucif . cap. 4. that because baptism was allowed to be performed by a deacon , but confirmation only by a bishop ; therefore baptism was most necessary , and of the greatest value ; the mercy of god allowing the most necessary means of salvation , to be administred by inferiour orders , and restraining the lesse necessary , to the higher , for the honour of their order . ] reply . o that we had the primitive episcopacy , and that bishops had no more churches to oversee , than in the primitive times they had ; and then we would never speak against this reservation of confirmation to the honour of the bishop : but when that bishop of one church , is turned into that bishop of many hundred churches ; and when he is now a bishop of the lowest rank , that was an arch-bishop , when arch-bishops first came up , and so we have not really existent , any meer bishops , ( such as the antients knew ) at all , but only arch-bishops and their curates ; marvel not , if we would not have confirmation proper to arch-bishops , nor one man undertake more than an hundred can perform : but if you will do it , there is no remedie , we have acquit our selves . prayer after the imposition of hands , is grounded upon the practice of the apostles , heb. 6. 2. & acts 8. 17. nor doth 25. article say , that confirmation is a corrupt imitation of the apostles practice , but that the 5. commonly called sacraments have ground partly on the corrupt following the apostles , &c. which may be applied to some other of those 5 ; but cannot be applied to confirmation , unless we make the church speak contradictions . reply . but the question is not of imposition of hands in generall ; but this imposition in particular : and you have never proved , that this sort of imposition , called confirmation , is mentioned in those texts : and the 25. article cannot more probably be thought to speak of any one of the 5. as proceeding from the corrupt imitation of the apostles , than of confirmation as a supposed sacrament . we know no harm in speaking the language of holy scripture , acts 8. 15. they laid their hands upon them , and they received the holy ghost ; and though impositions of hands be not a sacrament , yet it is a very fit sign , to certifie the persons what is then done for them , as the prayer speaks . reply . it is fit to speak the scripture language in scripture sense ; but if those that have no such power to give the holy ghost , will say , receive the holy ghost , it were better for them to abuse other language , than scripture language . after confirmation . there is no inconvenience that confirmation should be required before the communion , when it may be ordinarily obtained : that which you here fault , you elsewhere desire . reply . we desire that , the credible approved profession of faith , and repentance , be made necessaries : but not that all the thousands in england that never yet came under the bishops hands ( as not one of many ever did , even when they were at the highest ) may be kept from the lords supper : for some cannot have that imposition , and others will not , that yet are fit for communion with the church . the ring is a significant sign , only of humane institution , and was alwayes given as a pledge of fidelity , and constant love , and here is no reason given why it should be taken away ; nor are the reasons mentioned in the roman ritualits given in our common-prayer-book . repl. we crave not your own forbearance of the ring ; but the indifferencie in our use of a thing so mis-used , and unnecessary . [ these words ( in the name of the father , son , and holy ghost ) if they seem to make matrimony a sacrament ; may as well make all sacred , yea civil actions of weight to be sacraments , they being usual at the beginning and ending of all such . it was never heard before now , that those words make a sacrament . ] reply . is there no force in an argument drawn from the appearance of evil , the offence and the danger of abuses , when other words enow may serve turn ? they go to the lords table , because the communion is to follow . reply . they must go to the table , whether there be a communion or not . [ consecrated the estate of matrimony to such an excellent mystery , &c. ] though the institution of marriage was before the fall , yet it may be now , and is consecrated by god to such an excellent mystery , as the representation of the spiritual marriage , between christ and his church , eph. 5. 23. we are sorry that the words of scripture , will not please . the church in the 25. article , hath taken away the fear of making it for a sacrament . ] reply . when was marriage thus consecrated ? if all things , used to set forth christs offices , or benefits , by way of similitude , be consecrated ; then a judge , a father , a friend , a vine , a door , a way , &c. are all consecrated things : scripture phrase pleaseth us , in scripture sense . the new married persons the same day of their marriage must receive the holy communion . ] this inforces none to forbear marriage , but presumes ( as well it may ) that all persons marriageable ought to be also fit to receive the holy sacrament ; and marriage being so solemn a covenant of god , they that undertake it in the fear of god , will not stick to seal it by receiving the holy communion , and accordingly prepare themselves for it . is were more christian , to desire that those licentious festivities might be supprest , and the communion more generally used by those that marry : the happiness would be greater then can easily be exprest . unde sufficiat ad enarrandum felicitatem ejus matrimonii , quod ecclesia conciliat , & confirmat oblatio . tertul. lib. 2. ad uxorem . reply . indeed ! will you phrase and modify your administrations upon such a supposition , that all men are such as they ought to be , and do what they ought to do ? then take all the world for saints , and use them accordingly , and blot out the doctrine of reproof , excommunication , and damnation from your bibles ; is it not most certain that very many married persons are unfit for the lords supper , and will be when you and we have done our best ? and is it fit then to compell them to it ? but the more unexpected the more welcom is your motion , of that more christian course of suppressing of licentious festivities . when shall we see such reformation undertaken ? visitation of the sick : for as much as the condition , &c. ] all which is here desired , is already presumed , namely , that the minister shall apply himself to the particular condition of the person ; but this must be done according to the rule of prudence and justice , and not according to his pleasure : therefore if the sick person shew himself truly penitent , it ought not to be left to the ministers pleasure to deny him absolution , if he desire it . our churches direction , is according to the 13. can. of the venerable council of nice , both here , and in the next that follows . reply . but the question is whether he shew himself truly penitent or not . if we have not here neither , a judgment of discretion , for the conduct of our own actions , what do we with reason ? why are we trusted in the office ? and , whose judgment must we follow ? the bishop cannot have leisure to become the judge whether this man be penitent . it must then be the minister , or the man himself ; and must we absolve every man that saith he repenteth ? then we must believe an incredible profession , which is against reason : some are known infidels , and in their health profess that they believe not the scripture to be true , and make a mock at jesus christ ; and perhaps , in a sickness , that they apprehend no danger in , will send for the minister in scorn , to say [ i repent ] and force him to absolve them , that they may deride him , and the gospel . some of us have known too many of those that have for twenty , or thirty years been common drunkards , seldom sober a week together , and still say when they came to themselves , that they were sorry for it , and did unfeignedly repent ; and as they said in health , so they said in sickness , dying with in a few daies or weeks after they were last drunk : must we absolve all these ? some dye with a manifest hatred of an holy life , reviling at those that are carefull to please god ; yet saying , they hate them not as holy , but because they are all hypocrites , or the like : and yet will say , they repent of their sins . some forbear not their accustomed swearing and cursing while they profess repentance . some make no restitution for the wrong which they say they repent of : and must we take all these for truly penitent ? if not ; the minister must judge . what you mean by your saying , ( our churches direction is according to the 13th canon of the venerable council of nice , both here and in the next that follows ) we know not : the second council of nice you cannot mean ( its can. being uncertain ) and the 13th is of no such sense . and the 13th can. of the first council of nice , is only , that lapsed catechumens shall be 3 , years inter and ientes before they pray again with the catechumens . this shews they then took not up with every word of seeming penitence as true repentance , but what it is to your purpose we know not , nor is here any other can. in that council for you : the 11th can. is sufficiently against you . the lapsed that truly repented , were to remain among the penitent for three years ; and seaven years more , if they were fideles , &c. ( ab omnibus vero illud praecipue observetur , ut animus eorum , & fructus poenitentiae attendatur : quicunque enim cum omni timore , & lacrimis perseverantibus , & operibus bonis , conversationem suam , non verbis solis sed opere & veritate demonstrant , cum tempus statutum etiam ab his fuerit impletum , & orationibus jam coeperint communicare , licebit etiam episcopo humanius circa res aliquot cogitare : ) we know this rigor as to time was unjust , and that to the dying it was abated : but you see here that bare words ( that were not by seriousness and by deeds , made credible ) were not to be taken , as sufficient marks of penitence , of which it was not the person himself that was to be the judge . the form of absolution in the liturgy , is more agreeable to the scriptures , then that which they desire ; it being said , in st. john 20. whose sins you remit they are remitted , not , whose sins you pronounce remitted ; and the condition needs not to be expressed , being alway necessarily understood . reply . it is a controversy among the learnedst expositors , how much of that of john 20. was proper to the apostles , and such others as were then to have the spirit in an extraordinary manner , who did remit sin effectively by remitting the punishment of it , by casting out devils , healing the sick , &c. according to that of jam. 5. 14 , 15. is any sick among you , let him call for the elders of the church , and let them pray for him , and anoint him with oyl , in the name of the lord ; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick , and the lord shall raise him up ; and if he have committed sins , they shall be forgiven him . if besides this remitting them effectively , the rest be no other then a ministerial pronouncing them forgiven by god according to his covenant in the gospel , then you cannot plead the phrase of a text , which respecteth another way of remission then we pretend to : but must phrase it according to the nature of the thing , and the sense of other scriptures also that fullier open it ; there are three waies of pardoning , 1. by grant or guift , ( whether by a general act of pardon , or a particular . ) 2. by sentence . 3. by execution ; that is , preventing , or taking off , the penalty : the first of these is done already by god in the gospel . the second , god doth principally , and his ministers instrumentally as his messengers : the third ( the taking off the penalty ) they can do no otherwise in the case before us , then by praying that god will take it off , and using his ordinary means . so that it is most evident , that this absolution that ministers are to perform , can be no other then to pronounce the penitent believer to be absolved by god according to his covenant : and if there be no other , should we not speak as intelligibly as we can ? indeed there is more in absolving the excommunicate ; for then the church both judiciously , and executively , remitteth the penalty of excommunication ( to which also the text john 20. may have much respect ) but the penalty of damnation can be no otherwise remitted by us , then as is expressed . and indeed the thing is of such exceeding weight , that it behoveth us to deal as intelligibly and openly in it , as we can . and therefore we admire that you should say ( the condition needs not be expressed , being always necessarily understood ) by necessarily do you mean , necessitate naturali , & irresistibili ? so that all the wicked men in the world cannot chuse but understand us , to speak conditionally ? surely this is none of your meaning ; if it were , it were far from truth : or do you mean not de necessitate vel actitudine eventus , but de debito ex obligatione ? no doubt but it is necessary as a duty , and also ad finem as a means : and therefore it is , that we desire it may be expressed . and doubtless you think not that all men do their duties , and understand all that they ought to understand : no not in this particular . if you mean that all sick men may be rationally supposed to understand it ; this can never be believed by us that are acquainted personally ( and have been ) with so many of whom it is not true . how many think the minister's absolution , and the sacrament , will serve turn , with their unsound hypocritical repentance ? how easily is that understood absolutely , or as bad , while they take you to take it for granted , that they have the condition , which is absolutely expressed . it is not fit the minister should have power to deny this viation , or holy communion to any that humbly desire it , according to the rubrick ; which no man disturbed in his wits can do , and whosoever does , must in charity be presumed to be penitent , and fit to receive . repl. there is no condition mentioned in the rubrick , but that he ( be desirous to receive the communion in his house ) humbly is not there : and why may not a man disturbed in his wits desire the communion ? you deny things that ordinarily fall out , and yet lay the weight of your cause on that denial . but why must we give the sacrament to those that have lived in gross ignorance , infidelity , and prophaneness , and never manifested credibly , that they repent ? you say that ( whosoever desireth the sacrament , according to the rubrick , must in charity be presumed to be penitent . ) but where hath god commanded or approved so blind & dangerous an act as this , under the name of charity ? the ordinary observations of our lives , is not to be confuted by mens assertions : we know by sad experience , that there 's abundance of the worst of men among us , that are desirous to receive this sacrament when they are sick , that give no credible evidence of true repentance ; but some in the ignorance , & deceit of their hearts ; & some as conscious of their impiety , for which they seek any shifting remedy to quiet their consciences , for the time , are much more eager for this sacrament in their sickness , then many better and more penitent persons . and must we judge all these penitent , and give them the sacrament as such ? we must needs professe that we think this course would not be the least effectual service unto satan , to deceive poor sinners , and keep them from knowing their misery , and seeking aright after the true remedy in time . pardon us , while we lay together the parts of your doctrine , as we understand it here delivered ; and leave it to your consideration , what a church , and what a ministry it would make . 1. all infants of any parents in the world that we can baptize , are undoubtedly regenerate , and in a state of life , and shall be saved , if they so die . 2. the holy ghost , and forgivenesse of sin , being then given them ; it is charitably presumed that they have not totally lost this , notwithstanding the frailties and slips of their child-hood ; and so when they can say the catechism , they are to be confirmed . 3. being confirmed , they are to be admitted to the lords supper . 4. all that marry , and others , thrice a year must receive the lords supper ( though unfit . ) 5. the minister must absolve all the sick , that say they repent : ( if we understand you ) for we suppose you allow not the minister to be judge . 6. this absolution must be absolutely expressely ( i absolve thee from all thy sins ) without the condition ( if thou repent and believe . ) 7. whosoever desireth the communion in his sickness , must in charity be presumed to be penitent , and fit to receive . 8. the minister must not have power to forbear such baptizing , absolving , or delivering the communion as aforesaid ( we now omit what 's said of the dead at burial . ) and if this be not the ready way to hinder thousands , from the necessary knowledge of their unrenewed hearts , and lives , and from true repentance , and from valuing christ as the remedy , and from making a necessary preparation for death , and also the way to lay by abundance of faithful conscionable ministers , that dare not take such a deceiving dangerous course ; we must confess our selves much mistaken in the nature of mans corruption , and misery , and the use of gods ordinances for his recovery . the burial of the dead . it is not fit so much should be left to the discretion of every minister : and the desire that all may be said in the church , being not pretended to be for the ease of tender consciences , but of tender heads , may be helped by a cap , better then a rubr. reply . we marvel that you say nothing at all to our desire , ( that it be expressed in a rubrick , that prayers and exhortations there used , be not for the benefit of the dead , but only for the instruction &c. comfort of the living . ) you intend to have a very indiscreet ministry , if such a needlesse circumstance may not be left to their discretion . the contrivance of a cap instead of a rubr. sheweth that you are all unacquainted with the subject , of which you speak : and if you speak for want of experience of the case of souls , as you now do about the case of mens bodies , we could wish you some of our experience of one sort ( by more converse with all the members of the flock ) though not of the other . but we would here put these three or four questions to you . 1. whether such of our selves as cannot stand still in the cold winter at the grave , half so long as the office of burial requireth , without the certain hazard of our lives , ( though while we are in motion , we can stay out longer ) are bound to believe your lordships , that a cap will cure this better then a rubr. though we have proved the contrary to our cost ? and know it as well as we know that cold is cold do you think no place but that which a cap or clothes do cover , is capable of letting in the excessively refrigerating air ? 2. whether a man that hath the most rational probability , if not a moral certainty , that it would be his death , or dangerous sickness ( though he wore 20. caps ) is bound to obey you in this case . 3. whether usually the most studious laborious ministers , be not the most invaletudinary and infirm ? and 4ly , whether the health of such should be made a jest of , by the more healthful ; and be made so light of , as to be cast away , rather then a ceremony sometime be left to their discretion ? and whether it be a sign of the right and genuine spirit of religion , to subject to such a ceremony , both the life of godliness , and the lives of ministers , and the peoples souls ? much of this concerneth the people also : as well as the ministers . we see not why these words may not be said of any person , who we dare not say is damned ; and it were a breach of charity to say so , even of those whose repentance we do not see : for whether they do not inwardly , and heartily repent , even at the last act , who knowes ? and that god will not even then pardon them upon such repentance , who dares say ? it is better to be charitable , and hope the best , then rashly to condemn . reply . we spoke of persons , living and dying in notorious sins ; suppose they were whoredom , perjury , oppression , yea infidelity , or atheism , &c. but suppose we cannot be infallibly certain , that the man is damned , because it is possible that he may repent , though he never did express it : will you therefore take him for a brother whose soul is taken to god in mercy ? you are not sure that an excommunicate person , or an heathen , doth not truly repent after he is speechless : but will you therefore say , that all such die thus happily ? this is a most delusory principle . the church judgeth not of things undiscovered : non esse & non apparere , are all one as to our judgment ; we conclude not peremptorily , because we pretend not here to infallibility . as we are not sure that any man is truly penitent , that we give the sacrament to ; so we are not sure that any man dieth impenitently . but yet we must use those as penitent , that seem so to reason , judging by ordinary means , and so must we judge those as impenitent , that have declared their sin , and never declared their repentance . it seems by you , that you will form your liturgy , so as to say , that every man is saved , that you are not sure is damned , though he shew you no repentance ; and so the church shall say , that all things are , that are but possible , if they conceit that charity requireth it . but if the living by this be kept from conversion , and flattered into hell , will they there call it charity , that brought them thither ? o lamentable charity , that smoothers mens way to hell , and keepeth them ignorant of their danger , till they are past remedy ! millions are now suffering for such a sort of charity . lay this to the formentioned propositions , and the world will see that indeed we differ in greater things then ceremonies , and forms of prayer . churching women . it is fit that the woman performing especial service of thanksgiving , should have a speciall place for it , where she may be perspicuous to the whole congregation ; and neer the holy table , in regard of the offering she is there to make : they need not fear popery in this , since in the church of rome she is to kneel at the church door . reply . those that are delivered from impenitency , from sickness , &c. perform a special service of thanksgiving , &c. yet need not stand in a special place : but if you will have all your ceremonies , why must all others be forced to imitate you ? we mentioned not the church of rome . [ the psalm 121. is more fit and pertinent , then those others named , as 113 , 128. and therefore not to be changed . ] reply . we have poposed to you what we think meetest in our last pages ; if you like your own better , we pray you give us leave to think otherwise , and to use what we propounded . if the woman be such as is here mentioned , she is to do her penance before she be churched . ] reply . that is , if she be accused , prosecuted , and judged by the bishop's court to do penance first , which happeneth not to one of a multitude ; and what shall the minister do with all the rest ? all tends to take away the difference between the precious and the vile , between those that fear god , and that fear him not . [ offerings are required as well under the gospel , as the law : and amongst other times most fit it is , that oblations should be , when we come to give thanks for some special blessing , psal . 76. 10 , 11. such is the deliverance in child-bearing . ] reply . oblations should be free , and not forced : to some special use , and not to ostentation . [ this is needless since the rubr. and comm. require that no notorious person be admitted . ] reply . we gladly accept so fair an interpretation , as freeth the book from self-contradiction , and us from trouble ; but we think it would do no hurt but good , to be more express . the concessions . we are willing that all the epistles and gospels be used according to the last translation . reply . we still beseech you , that all the psalms , and other scriptures in the liturgy recited , may ( for the same reason ) be used according to the last translation . that when any thing is read for an epistle , which is not in the epistles , the superscription be , [ for the epistle . ] repl. we beseech you , speak as the vulgar may understand you : [ for the epistle ] signifieth not plain enough to such , that is indeed none of the epistles . that the psalms be collated with the former translation , mentioned in rubr. and printed according to it . reply . we understand not what translation , or rubr. you mean. that the words ( this day ) both in the collects , and prefaces , be used only upon the day itself , and for the following dayes , it be said ( as about this time . ) reply . and yet there is no certainty , which was the day it self . that a longer time be required for signification of the names of the com. and the words of the rubr. be changed into these ( at least some time the day before . ) reply . ( sometime the day before ) may be , near or at night , which will not allow any leisure at all , to take notice of the proofs of peoples scandals or to help them in preparation . that the power of keeping scandalous sinners from the communion , may be expressed in the rubr. according to the 26. and 27. canons , so the minister be obliged to give an account of the same immediately after to the ordinary . reply . we were about returning you our very great thanks , for granting us the benefit of the 26. canon , as that which exceedeth all the rest of your concessious ; but we see you will not make us too much beholden to you : and poor christians that will not receive the sacrament contrary to the example of christ and his apostles , and the custom of the catholick primitive church , and the canons of general councils ) must be also used as the notorious impenitent sinners . but the canon requireth us not to signifie the cause , but upon complaint , or being required by the ordinary that the whole preface be prefixed to the commandments . reply . and why not the word ( sabbath day ) be put for the ( seventh day ) in the end . must not such a falsification be amended ? that the second exhortation be read some sunday , or holy-day , before the celebration of the communion , at the discretion of the minister . that the general confession at the communion be pronounced by one of the ministers , the people saying after him , all kneeling humbly upon their knees . that the manner of consecrating the elements , may be made more explicit , and express ; and to that purpose , those words be put into the rub. [ then shall he put his hand upon the bread , & break it ] then shall he put his hand unto the cup. ] that if the font be so placed as the congregation cannot hear , it may be referred to the ordinary , to place it more conveniently . that those words [ yes they do perform them , &c. ] nay be altered thus : [ because they promise them both , by their sureties , &c. that the words of the last rubr before the catechism , may be thus altered , ( that children being baptized have all things necessary for their salvation , and dying before they commit any actual sins , be undoubtedly saved , though they be not confirmed . ] that to the rubr. after confirmation , these words may be added ( or be ready , and desirous to be confirmed . ] that those words ( with my body i thee worship ) may be altered thus : ( with my body i thee honour . ) that those words ( til death us depart ) be thus altered ( till death us do part . ) that the words ( sure and certain ) may be left out . reply . for all the rest we thank you , but have given our reasons against your sense expressed in sect. 13. before , and for satisfactoriness of the last : and we must say , in the conclusion , that , if these be all the abatements and amendments you will admit , you sell your innocency , and the churche's peace for nothing . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a69535-e700 excep . excep . excep . rub. excep . rub. excep . rub. excep : rub. excep . rub. excep . rub. excep . rub. excep . 2. exhor 3. exhor excep . rub. before the confession . excep . rub. excep . rub. excep . prayer before that which is at the consecration . excep . excep . rub. excep . rub , excep . rub. excep . excep . rub. excep . excep , excep . except . excep . excep . excep . excep . excep . excep . excep . rub. except . rub , except , except . excep . except . except , excep . rub. excep . excep . excep . excep . rub. next rub. excep . collect. excep . rub. lastrub . excep . rub. rub. excep . rub. excep . rub. excep . rub. excep . excep . excep . rub. excep . rub. excep . ans . excep . rub. excep . the same rubrick . excep . notes for div a69535-e6730 sect. 1. sect. 2. sect. 3. sect 5. sect. 6. prop. u. 1. sect. 5. sect. 2. sect. 3. sect. 4. sect. 2. n. 3 , 4. socrat. 1. 6. cap. 8. theodor. 1. 2. c. 24. 2 chron. 7. 1 , 4. ezra 3. 11. n. 5. sect. 1. n. 6. n. 7. s. 1. s. 2. 4. 3. §. 4. §. 5. n. 9. n. 10. n. 11. n. 1● . n. 17. n. 16. §. 1. ●● § §. 3. n. 17. §. 1. exc. 1. §. 2. exc. 2. §. 3. §. 7. exc. 3. §. 5. exc. 4. §. 6. exc. 5. n. 18. §. 1. §. 2. cor. 11. 2. see hooker li. 3. sect. 4. 3. 4. see hookli . 4 , sect. 1. s. 3. r. 1. §. 4. rul . 2. §. 5. r. l. 3. heb. 13. 17. rom. 13. §. 6. rul . 4. §. 7. rul . 5. §. 8. answ . 1. 1. cor. 14. §. 9. ● . 2. §. 10. a. 3. hooker . l. 5. sect. 6. 8. s. aug. ep. 23. sect 6. pag. 24. sect. 7. pag 24. tit. 3. 5. sect 8. sect , 1. p. 2. 26. an. 3. sect. a. 2. cor. sect. 4 pag. 27. sect. 5. sect. 6. sect. 7. pa. 28. sect. 1. rub. 1. sect. 2. rubr. sect. 3. ex. 1 ▪ sect. 5. p. 30. rub. sect. 6. ex. 1. sect. 7. ex. 2. sect. 8. marriage the ring . sect. 1. p. 31. sect. 2. p● . 32. ex. 1. sect. 3. se. 4. col. se. 5. p. 33. rubr. 18. sect. 1. sect. 2. sect. 3. p. 34 , exc. 1. sect. 2. p. 2. sect 3. p. 33. sect. 1. p. 36. exc. 1. sect. 2. exc. 2. sect. 3. exc. 3. sect. 4. exc. 4. sect. 5. exc. 5. sect. 1. sect. 2. sect. 3. sect. 4. sect. 5. sect 6. sect. 7. sect. 8. sect. 9. sect. 10. sect. 11. sect. 12. sect. 13. sect. 14. sect. 15. sect. 16. sect. 17. the death of ministers improved. or, an exhortation to the inhabitants of horsley on glocester-shire, and others, on the much lamented death of that reverend and faithful minister of the gospel, mr. henry stubbs by tho. vincent, john turner, rob. perrott, m. pemberton. to which is added a sermon upon that occasion, by richard baxter. vincent, thomas, 1634-1678. 1678 approx. 122 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 54 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-03 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a64984 wing v430 estc r221906 99833151 99833151 37626 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a64984) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 37626) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 2159:6) the death of ministers improved. or, an exhortation to the inhabitants of horsley on glocester-shire, and others, on the much lamented death of that reverend and faithful minister of the gospel, mr. henry stubbs by tho. vincent, john turner, rob. perrott, m. pemberton. to which is added a sermon upon that occasion, by richard baxter. vincent, thomas, 1634-1678. turner, robert, b. 1649 or 50, 4aut. r. p. (robert perrot) aut. pemberton, matthew, d. 1691. aut. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 48, 54 p. s.n.], [london : printed in the year 1678. place of publication from wing. the words "tho. ... pemberton." are bracketed together on title page. "a sermon preached at the funeral of that holy, painful, and fruitful minister of christ, mr. henry stubbs" has separate dated title page and pagination; register is continuous. tightly bound. reproduction of the original in dr. williams' library, london. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng stubbes, henry, 1606?-1678 -early works to 1800. sermons, english -17th century. 2003-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2003-08 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2003-10 john latta sampled and proofread 2003-10 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-12 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the death of ministers improved . or , an exhortation to the inhabitants of horsley in glocester-shire , and others , on the much lamented death of that reverend and faithful minister of the gospel , mr. henry stubbs . by tho. vincent , iohn turner , rob. perrott , m. pemberton . to which is added a sermon upon that occasion , by richard baxter . printed in the year 1678. to the inhabitants of horsley in glocestershire , and other places of the country , who did ordinarily attend upon the ministry of mr. henry stubbs , late deceased . beloved friends , although you , whose habitation is so remote , are unknown by face unto us , as we whose work and ministry is in london , are unto you ; yet because of the great love which mr. henry stubbs your most worthy and laborious pastor , and our most dear friend and reverend brother ) ●id bear towards you , whilst he had the oversight of you ; we are willing to give some testimony of our great respects to the party deceased , whose memory will always be pre●ious to us , by shewing our respects to you in sending you some lines to further your im●rovement of this sad providence which hath ●aken away your minister ; looking upon our ●elves as under a particular obligation to pay ●ur mite , by endeavouring to promote the spiritual benefit of mr. stubbs's hearers in the countrey , after he hath taken such indefatigable pains for the advantage and soul-welfare of our hearers in the city . we want words to express this so great and publick loss , of this so great and excellent minister ; who as he was generally known by the best of people in the city , and adjacent parts ; and as his ministry was highly prised , although but sometimes tasted when he came occasionally to london : so his death both by ministers and people here hath been greatly lamented . but what tongue can utter your loss , who were more especially under his pastoral charge and inspection , his care and instruction ! we suppose it was grievous to you to part with him for a while when he came last to the city although it were with hopes of receiving him again : but when you heard from london that your ●astor was fallen sick , taken sick in preaching , so sick that he could not preach ( and then he was sick indeed ) , when you heard of his feaver , the violence of it and his danger ; o what thoughts of heart had you ? what fears di● there then arise in your hearts ? wha● wr●stlings at the throne of grace ? lord spare him ! lord restore him to us again ! lord try us again a ●●●tle longer with this mercy ! what care was there among you , and solicitude abou● his health and recovery ! not without some hopes , that the lord might be entreated , and ●end a gracious ear to the many prayers both ●n city and country put up in his behalf , so as to raise him and rescue him from the jaws of death , in order to his further serviceableness in the land of the living . but when the doleful tidings came to you that mr. stubbs was departed , that your pastor was dead , that he had finished his course , and resigned up his spirit ; what were your looks , your thoughts , your speeches then ? what ●ighs , what sorrows , what tears , what bitter mournings and lamentations were there generally then to be found amongst his acquaintance and hearers in the country ? and is he gone ●ndeed ? shall we no more see his face ? no more hear his voice ? will he pray amongst us , and pray for us , no more ? will he appear in the pulpit and preach to us no more ? did we think that the last sermon which he preached before his last ●ourney , would be the last sermon which we should have and hear from him ? he lately preached to us of praying without ceasing , and did we think he would so soon cease to pray himself ? he called upon us with great importunity that we would pray fervently , and he lived in the practice of his own sermons ; we have heard of his constant secret devotions , his dayly prayers with his wife , and in his family ; and he did bear us upon his heart in his private addresses unto god ; but o how did this good man waste and spend his spirits in his fervent prayers with us and upon our account , when he prayed amongst us on ordinary and extraordinary occasions ? we have often known him to continue five or six hours together in preaching , chiefly in prayer on fasting-days ( being in the country destitute of the help of any other minister ) and that without impertinencies , tautologies , tedious repetitions , or any crude , raw , rude , and nauseating expressions , but with a great and delightful variety of holy pleas and arguments ; and if our base hearts have been tyred sometimes with the length of his administrations , yet he himself hath seemed to be little tyred , at least his spirit hath been unwearied with all his pains and labour . we remember how affectionately be used to make acknowledgment of sin , of our sins , which he was more grieved for than our selves ; we remember his sighs and groans which from an oppressed heart brake forth at his mouth , signifying an inward sense beyond the utterance of words : we remember how the tears did often steal from his eyes , and run dow● his old cheeks , how he hath often wept for us when our eyes have been dry , our hearts stupi● and hard like a stone within us . we remember his humble petitions , his fervent supplications a● the throne of grace for us , how he would wrestl● with god like jacob ; and when we thought he ha● been quite spent , how he hath recovered his strength , and renewed his hold , as one resolved to take no denyal , and not to let the lord go , without his blessing for us as well as for himself . and did we think that these extraordinary motions and affections in one so ancient did presage his near approaching death ? that he was come now very nigh to the end of his race ? that being so ripe for heaven , he would not be long out of heaven , in the suburbs of which he seem'd to be , when he was in his devotions ? did we think that the lord would so soon gather him and receive him to himself , and say to him , pray no more for this people ? we remember his introductions to his work when he first entred his pulpit , beyond the ordinary custome of other ministers ( and indeed there were many things extraordinary in him ) how before his sermon and prayer too , he used to be speak our attention , and endeavoured to incite and stir up our affection with various arguments ; sometimes minding us of gods omnipre●ence and his all-seeing eye ; sometimes of the divine authority of the word which he was to preach , that it was indeed the word of god by which we should be judged at the last day ; sometimes minding us of the worth of time , especially of such seasons of grace ; sometimes of the worth of our souls , which the gain of all the world could not compensate the loss of ; sometimes of the worth of grace beyond all the treasures of the earth , which we were capable of gaining by our diligent hearing ; sometimes minding us of our death and the eternity which we should enter upon immediately after the separation of our soul from our body ; but did we think his own death was so near , and that he would enter into eternity so soon himself ? we remember with what gravity , seriousness and sincerity he used to preach unto us , with what plainness he did accommodate the word to our capacity , with what zeal and fervency he did make application to us of the great truths of religion ; how he pressed sins upon our consciences by a clear , close and powerful conviction , adding the most moving considerations to awaken us vnto a sense of them , a hearty grief and repentance for them . we remember how feelingly he made known to us the glad tidings of salvation by faith in iesus christ ; how earnestly he urged upon us our duty towards god , and one towards another , backing his exhortations with the most cogent arguments ; and how notably he did insinuate what he spake hereby into our affections : we remember how he taught us not only by his doctrine , but also by his example , going before us in the way of duty and the way to heaven ; but did we think however in heaven he would be above us , that he would be also in heaven before us ? he came to my house not long before he went to london ( it may be one may say , and another may say , and possibly many of you may say ) ●lthough i were unworthy to receive such a one under my roof ; and methought his face did look ●ike the face of an angel. i remember his ●umble grave look , his image is still upon my ●ind , as if his person were still before mine eye ; ● remember his kind pleasing countenance , his ●weet and obliging speeches ; he came not to eat of my bread , but to feed me with the bread of life , ●nd how did he entertain me with holy and ●eavenly discourse ; he spake to my self , and he ●pake to my wife about our souls , i hope i shall ●ever forget his last words so long as i have breath and a memory to retain any thing ; he spake to my children and my servants , he would needs ●ave them all called , that he might give them some words of instruction , that he might speak something to awaken and quicken them to mind ●heir souls and salvation ; he told us all of ●eath and judgment , how near we were to eter●ity , but did i think his own glass was so near ●un out , and that he would so quickly be himself ●n that eternity which he spake of so frequently ●nd affectionately to others ? when he went forth ●f my doors , did i think he would never set foot ●ithin them again ? and that when he went ●way , he was going and was so near unto his long ●ome ? the last lords day of his preaching to us , ●e gave us notice of his journey that he intended on the monday , and desired to see us the nex● morning , not at his house , but in the church that there he might take leave of us ; and ther● several of us came together to see him , and ther● we heard his last sermon to us : his text was prov 3.6 . in all thy ways acknowledg him and he shall direct thy paths ; we well remembe● the words that dropped then from his mouth , bu● did we think they wou●d be his last words to us ▪ did we think when god was directing his path t● london , that he was thereby directing his way so soon to heaven ? did we think that when he took his farewell of us , that it was his last farewel , and that we should meet him no more until the heavens shall be no more ? o that we ha● perswaded him ( for he was a man easy to be entreated ) that he would have stayed in the countrey with us some weeks longer , and have forborn such frequent preaching , until the hea● of the season were over , which his old body and wasted spirits could not so well brook , although he thought himself able to bear it well enough and that he should go thorow it as he had done in former times . had we foreseen the issue and ven● of this journey to london , rather than fail we would have raised the whole countrey of his acquaintance , and come about him with earnest desires and requests to stay him here ; we would have hung about his arms and neck , we would have ta●en hold of his hands and his feet , and forcibly ( if we could not otherwise ) have detained him among us , that he might have escaped that arrow and stroke of death which was prepared for him in london : if he had been resolved to go , that he might hasten home to his fathers house , we would have used our endeavour to alter his resolutions , we would have wept , and cry'd , and prayed with importunity , good sir don't leave us yet , good sir stay with us a little longer ; pity such and such ignorant families , which when you are gone are like to perish for want of instruction ; pity such and such unconverted persons , who are hastning and rushing forward in ways of sin to their own damnation ; and although they have not hearkened to former calls , it may be some further calls from your mouth may ( through gods blessing ) prevail with them , and be effectual to convert and save them . pity your wise who is like to be left a widow , and what a sorrowful widow is she like to be ? pity your children which will be fatherless , and if some of them be provided for , yet you know who of them are low and shiftless , and quickly will feel your loss , and all of them will greatly miss your company and your help of them in heavens way . pity your spiritual children , some of whom are but new born babes in christ , who are not like to thrive should they be so soon wean'd from the breast , who have need that you should give them more of the sincere milk of the word ( which they have tasted and so well relish ) in order to their spiritual growth and nourishment ; pity your poor flock which you are leaving , think what grievous wolves , when you are gone , may enter amongst them to rend and tear them : some of them are sorrowful , and they have need of you to comfort them , and how will their sadness and sorrow be encreased when they hear of your decease ? some of them are weak , and they have need of you to strengthen them ; some of them are staggering , they have need of you to establish them ; yea , some have lost their way already , and are wandring , and they have need of you to reduce them : some of them are bruised , and they have need of you to bind them up ; and the most of them are exceedingly diseased , all have their spiritual maladies , and they have need of you to administer soul-physick to them in order to their cure and healing ; and will you leave your flock in such a condition , when there is so much need of such a pastor , and they are not like in hast to get another to succeed you , who will watch over and feed them as you have done ? indeed after so much toil and labour , you may well long to be at rest ; after so much work , you may well look and long for your reward ; but will not your rest be the sweeter if you ●abour a little more ? will not your reward ●e the greater , if you add further work to what you have done already ? if you long to be in heaven , o stay a little for us till we be more fitted for that place ; good sir abide a little longer with us , that you may gain more souls for christ , who will add to your glory and joy at the day of christs glorious appearance . thus we might have argued and pleaded with him to stay , had we known that he was going from us , not to london only , but also unto heaven . but it was the will of god , he should take this journey to london and that he should finish his course there ; his glass was run , his work was done , the bounds of his years and days were determined , over which he could not pass , had both he and we never so much desired it . he is gone , he is gone ; never to return to us again in this world. we have lost a most dear , tender hearted , faithful , laborious and painful minister ; but our loss is his gain ; he is happy , we do not envy his happiness , but he hath left us behind forlorn and sorrowful in a world of sin and misery . such language as this we may suppose to have been amongst you in the country ; and as you are most deeply concerned in the loss of mr. stubbs , so that you have been greatly affected therewith beyond what we can set forth . two funeral sermons on mr. stubbs death have been preached in the city , one on the lords day by mr. thomas watson , the other on the week day by mr. richard baxter , both which we suppose will come to your hands . the character which mr. baxter in his hath given ( the only sermon of the two , which we have seen ) of mr. stubbs his spirit , doctrine , manner of life , conversation ; his great diligence and unwearied pains in publick preaching and private instruction , when the sermon doth come forth , will sufficiently evidence to others as well as your selves , what a loss above others you have sustained . should we employ our pens in drawing further lineaments of this excellent person , they might prove but shadows , not to set off , but obscure the picture of his spirit already drawn so lively by a far more skilful hand ; and therefore we forbear any further commendations of him , who is above our commendation . our design and business is to mind you of your duty in reference to this sad providence which hath bereaved you of such a pastor as mr. stubbs was unto you . one great duty is to lament and lay to heart your pastors death ; to affect you herewith , what we have already written hath a tendency ; we know all of you have reason to grieve , but are there not too many of you unsensible of this great loss ? and is not this loss the greatest to such ? when good old iacob dyed , his death was lamented sorely , not only by his own children , but also by the egyptians , gen. 50. 10 , 11. when moses and aaron dyed , the israelites mourned for each of them thirty days , numb . 20.29 . deut. 34.8 . when the good king iosiah was slain , there was a great mourning for him amongst the iews , called the mourning of hadadrimmon in the valley of megiddon . when elisha the prophet lay on his death-bed ioash although a wicked king did weep over him . 2 kings 13.14 . now elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he dyed : and joash the king came down to him , and wept over his face and said , o my father , my father , the chariot of israel and horsemen thereof . and we read , act. 8.2 . when stephen the protomartyr was stoned by the iews , devout men carryed stephen to his burial , and made great lamentation over him . eccles. 12.5 . man goeth to his long home , and the mourners go about the streets . but when such men go , men of god , embassadours , ministers , such eminent ministers as yours was , o what mourning should there be for him : you have lost a soul friend , yea a soul-father , an old disciple , a soul-counsellor , a true shepherd , a soul feeder , a sincere nathanael , a barnabas , a soul comforter ; you have lost an angel , a steward , a labourer , a watchman , a builder , one that studied for your souls , preached , prayed for your souls watched for your souls : wept for your souls spent himself for your souls good , and shall not such a loss be bewailed ? as paul said to the ephesians concerning himself , we may say to you concerning mr. stubbs , act. 20.25 . behold all ye amongst whom he hath gone for some year● preaching the kingdom of god , ye shall see hi● face no more : and it is said , verse 37.38 . and they all wept sore , and fell on pauls neck , and kissed him ; sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake , that they should see his face no more . mr. stubbs hath several times come to the city and returned to you again , but now he will return to you no more ; he hath done preaching to you , he hath done praying for you , he will weep and wrestle for you no more , he will never more instruct and counsel you , never more warn and admonish you , never more exhort and perswade you , never more comfort and encourage you ; the doors are now shut , the doors of your ears have been too often shut against his message , and now the doors of his lips are shut up , and never will they be open to you any more . it would have been a just cause of great trouble if your minister had been removed into a corner , or had been thrust into a prison , although there you might have visited him sometimes and received a spiritual benefit by his private converse , and not have been without hopes of his deliverance and enjoying the fruit of his labours again ; but now he is gone from whence he will not return ; his soul is fled beyond your reach , and his body is gone down to the place of silence , the lord hath put him to silence ; men could not do it , he would preach so long as he had a tongue to speak : but god hath silenced him in the grave , so that now you must not look that he should pray more , and put up further supplications for you , or preach more , and give further instructions unto you : this is a lamentation and should be for a lamentation . especially you should lament your sins which have procured this loss , this sad stroke : have you not sinned away your minister by your unteachableness under the word which hath been taught by his mouth ; your unfruitfulness under gods showing upon you , gods dressing and manuring of you by his hands ? we have had our loss too here in the city not only of him , but also of many other eminent and faithful ministers ; our glory is in a great measure departed , our strength is decayed , our moses's , our iacobs , our praying our wrestling ministers are many of them gone lately to god , and have we not reason to fear that god is about to remove his gospel , when he calls home his embassadours so fast ? that a great storm is near when he houseth so many of his servants ? is not our hedg in danger of falling , when so many stakes are pluckt up ? and our houses of tumbling , when so many pillars are thrown down ? when the righteous perish , not only righteous men but preachers of righteousness , doth it not presage some great evil at hand , which they are taken from to a place of rest and safety ? the times did look with a bad face before , but do not they look worse and worse , when so many ministers are removed , who by their prayers and ministerial labours , might have been helpful to prevent those judgments which we are in such danger of ? the clouds do now gather blackness faster and faster , and dreadful thunder storms do seem to be in their bowels , and the lord knows how soon all faces may gather paleness : the most serious christians and the most understanding and considering persons , do look with trembling expectations , when this island will crack and break with a ter●ible voice over us , and beat down with a fierce tempest , it may be in showers of blood upon us . the loss of our dear brethren in the ministry doth weaken our hands that are ministers , who have lost the advantage of their company and help ; but the loss is most near , most sore to them who were under their charge ; and the loss of this our lately deceased brother and fellow-labourer should be bewailed especially , and laid to heart by you who were under his care and ministry . there are two sorts of persons amongst you , whom mr. stubbs hath left behind , unconverted , and converted persons ; we will speak to both . first , are there not many unconverted persons , whom your minister after all his soul-travel and pains in preaching hath left unconverted ? are there not many grosly ignorant persons with you , notwithstanding all his catechizing and instructions ? are there not many openly vicious persons , notwithstanding all his reproofs and admonitions ? are there no profane persons among you , no swearers ? are there no unclean persons , no adulterers ? are there no intemperate persons , no drunkards ? are there no unrighteous persons , none that are fraudulent in their dealings ? and amongst those who are civilized and outwardly reformed , are there none among you , who are secretly wicked ? none who are covetous , under the reigning power of that sin which is inconsistent with the power of godliness ? are there no hypocrites among you , painted sepulchres , rotten at heart , whatever your outward show and profession of religion is ? are there not too many among you who mind your bodies , but neglect your souls ? who make provision for your flesh , but neglect your salvation ? alas ! alas ! what is like to become of you who are still unconverted , and have not been wrought upon effectually by such preaching , such a ministry , now this minister is removed ? if you were not converted whilst you had such powerful means , are you now like to be converted , when the means are gone , and you are never like to have such powerful means of grace again ? did not your minister whilst alive call upon you frequently , and that with earnestness and importunity that you would repent , and turn from your evil ways presently , and that you would not delay , lest god should leave off calling you , and take away the means of your conversion from you ? and hath not god left off calling you now by his mouth ? and if you should not be effectually called at all , if you should not be converted whilst you live ( which now seems very unlikely to be ) better had it been for you that you had never been born ; better you had been dogs , or swine , or worms , or toads , rather than men and women with immortal souls , because of the dreadful miseries coming upon you , which inferiour creatures will escape . without conversion , there is no salvation ; without repentance and faith in jesus christ , and love to god and a holy life , there is no escaping the damnation of hell. our design is not to drive you to despair , only to awaken you , who have been so long and so fast asleep under such an awakening ministry ; if you sleep still and are not startled by the loss of your minister , we much fear the next thing will be the loss of your souls . awake ! awake ! ye drowsy , secure , sleepy sinners , god calls upon you once more , by us he calls you to awake , to repent and turn from sin before it be too late , and the door of mercy be shut , and death hath unexpectedly surprised you in your sins . god by us doth command the vilest of you to repent , act. 17.30 . and he threatneth death if you disobey him : should an earthly king command you to come out of a dirty way into a clean path , and that upon pain of temporal death , would not you obey ? and when god who is the king of kings , doth command you to repent , to come out of the dirty ways of sin into the clean ways of holiness , and that upon pain of eternal death , of everlasting torment and punishment in hell will you not obey , will you not repent ? will you chuse to dishonour god , and damn your own souls rather than to repent of your sins ? shall the threatnings of a weak man have more force with you , than the threatnings of the great and glorious iehovah who made heaven and earth ? shall the threatnings of lesser evils which are but for a moment , have more place with you , than the threatnings of the most dreadful evils and eternal plagues shall have ? moreover god doth invite you to repent and useth arguments to prevail with you ezek. 33.11 . say unto them , thus saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turn from his way and live : turn ye , turn ye from your evil ways , for why will ye die , o house of israel ? god doth encourage you to repent by his promises ; all the promises which you will find in the scripture of remission , of adoption , of salvation , of spiritual priviledges here , and eternal happiness hereafter , are made to those that repent and believe ; both which are always in conjunction , see prov. 28.13 . isa. 55.17 . chap. 1.16 , 17 , 18. and will not gods invitations , gods promises , and none of the rich gospel priveledges move you to repent ? will you slight pardoning mercy , and chuse rather to abide under guilt ? is it good to keep wounds in your consciences when you may have them healed ? is it good to have god your enemy , when you may be reconciled ? is it desirable to continue children of the devil , when you may be made the children of god ? will you prefer raggs before robes to cover you ? and chuse poverty when you may have jewels to enrich you ? and eternal misery , when by repentance you may attain everlasting happiness ? there are three sorts of unconverted and impenitent persons among you ; some of you are young , some in your middle age , and some of you are arived unto old age , we would apply this call to every one . first , you that are young men and young women , repent of your sins , and turn from your evil ways whilst you are young ; as you ought to remember your creator so as to turn to him in the days of your youth , so you ought to remember your sins so as to turn from them , in the days of your youth . had any of you been born without sin , and lived without sin , there would have been no occasion for your repentance ; but who among you can say he is innocent ? have you not original sin and actual sin to repent of ? will not your consciences witness the corruption of your natures , how averse naturally you are to good , how prone to evil . is there not a register in your bosomes of sins committed in your childhood , together with your more late and more aggiavated youthful transgressions ? and do you not then need to repent ? are you too young to repent , when you are not too young to sin ? you have heard of iosiah , who had a tender heart in his tender years ; and of timothy who when a child did know the holy scriptures , which taught him the lesson of repentance ; and if others have attained repentance in their childhood and youth , why may not you attain it ? the devil will perswade you it is too soon , and the flesh will perswade you it is too soon to repent ; and your companions in sin will perswade you to hold on with them still in your sinfull practices : many carnal arguments you may find out to move and plead for indulgence of your selves still in your sensual and sinful delights ; and you may be prone to think graver years will be most sutable for the serious and severe work of repentance ; and you may presumingly hope , when you are grown up to years of more maturity , then you will mourn for your iniquity , then you will turn over a new leaf , return unto god and lead a new life . but doth god allow you to procrastinate your repentance ? doth god give you a dispensation to sin , so long as you are so young ? if it be a duty to repent hereafter , is it not now as much your duty ? if it be good to repent at all , is it not good to repent whilst you are young ? are you sure to live till you are grown men , and grown women ? did you never see or hear that others have died as young as your selves , and as likely to live , and that notwithstanding their hopes and presumptions of long life ? indeed you may live to be old , but think also that you may die whilst you are young ; you may die suddenly before you have time to call upon god for mercy , and if you die in your impenitency you will most certainly be thrown for your sins into hell , that place of most horrible and unspeakable misery ; and will you venture your everlasting damnation on presumption of long life , and future repentance ? besides , are you sure to repent , should your life be continued ? is repentance in your own power ? if you have not hearkned unto former calls of your deceased minister , and if you will not hearken to the call of divers ministers now together , are you sure god will call you any more , that he will send any other minister to you ? or if he should , may not he withhold his blessing , and swear in his wrath that his spirit which hath been striving with you so long , shall strive with you no more ? moreover , can there be a more fit , a more reasonable time for your repentance , than whilst you are young ? will not your repentance now be with the less difficulty ? if it be difficult to repent when your sins are fewer , will not the difficulty encrease when your sins are encreased and grown more numerous ? if it be difficult to repent when your sins are lesser , will not the difficulty greaten when your sins are greatned and grown more heinous ? is not a twig more easily bended , than a grown tree ? will not long custom in sin added to your natural propensity , add to the difficulty of your repentance ? is it not easier to repent when you have less sin and more time , than when you shall have less time and more sin ? will not sin be more easily mortified whilst it is more weak , than when by long continuance it hath gathered more strength ? will it not be very hard to remove long contracted hardness ? do you think the devil will be easily cast out , when he hath had long possession . or can your last repentance , if it were easily attainable , be so pleasing and acceptable unto god , as repentance in your youth ? doth not god call for your first fruits ? shall the devil , and the flesh , and the world ravish your virgin-affections , and then will you repent ? hath not god work enough for you to do although you begin never so young ? and will you chuse rather to serve the devil and your own lusts in the spring , the prime , and vigour of your years , than to serve the glorious iehovah , when the service of the former is such slavery , such drudgery , and the ways will be eternal death , and the service of the latter is so honourable , so beneficial , and its reward eternal life . may this call , these arguments prevail with all of you that are young , without any further delay to repent of your sins , and to day , whilst it is called to day to hearken unto gods voice , and no longer to harden your hearts through the deceitfullness of sin . secondly , you that have continued in your sinful ways and practices to your middle age ; it is high time that you should repent . if your spring be over , and your summer be come , and hitherto you have neglected your souls , and allowed your selves in your sins ; o delay no longer time , repent of your sins , and repent that you have repented no sooner . god stretcheth sorth his hand all the day long to a stubborn and gainsaying people ; if you have been stubborn hitherto ; if you have deafned your ear to former calls , don't deafen your ear to this call , which may be your last call . god hath been very patient with you , he might have cut you off in your sins long ago , and think where your souls would have been now . have not some of you been visited with sickness , and brought down to the sides of the pit , and been raised again beyond your own and others expectations ? have not others of you escaped great perils and dangers , and been wonderfully preserved when your lives were in great jeopardy ? and shall your restoration or your preservation , be but a reservation unto more dreadful destruction ? or rather shall not gods patience and goodness lead you to repentance ? will you return evil for good ? because god doth not speedily execute his vengeance upon you , shall your hearts be fully set in you to do evil ? if your youth hath been given away from god don't give the strength of your years too . let the time past be sufficient wherein you have served divers lusts , and let the remaining part of your days be devoted unto god it is likely that many of you are now got into intanglements , and will be hindred by incumbring business in the work , which is like to be more difficult than if you had begun betimes : but think , although the difficulty of repentance be never so great , yet the necessity of repentance is far greater ; repentance is both universally and absolutely , altogether indispensably necessary ; you must repent , all of you must repent , otherwise you are lost irrecoverably , and will perish everlastingly ; it may be hard to you now , and grievous to unravel all your sinful works , to undo what hither to you have been doing , to begin another life now after you have spent , or rather mispent so much of your time ; it may be very grievous to you to cut off your right hands , to pluck out your right eyes , but better do so than that the whole body be cast into the fire ; we mean , it is better to part with your most beloved lusts , called in the scripture , and by our saviour , the right hands , and the right eyes , than that the soul should perish in sin , and be tormented in hell ; surely hells torments is far more grievous than repenting work and converting work can be . o be not befooled by the deluding devil , and your own deceitful hearts , to defer so great and necessary work any longer ; you have thought to repent at this time , and thought to repent at that time , and yet this time hath come , and that time hath come , and both have slipt and are gone , and still you are where you were ; as far from repentance , yea further from it , more indisposed , more averse to it than at the beginning . sinners , what do you resolve upon ? will you hold fast sin still ? will you pursue your lusts to the burning lake ? or will you defer again this work of repentance until a fitter season ? what season can be more fit than the present season , when god calleth you , commandeth you , and stretcheth forth his hand to encourage you unto this duty . thirdly , and lastly . we shall add one word to call old sinners to repentance : your spring is past , your summer is ended , your winter is come , and yet you have not repented , yet have not amended . and what do you think now to do ? are you resolved to finish your course as you have begun it ? are you resolved to fill up the measure of your sin , with your days ; and will you deafen your ears against all gods calls unto the last ? you have one foot in the grave , and don 't you sometimes think of death ? can you think to live here always ? don't you feel your strength to decay ? have you no harbingers and forerunners of death with you ? do not your silver hairs mind you of the loosing of the silver cord ? and your daily breakings through the infirmities of old age , of the breaking of the golden bowl and pitcher at the fountain , and wheel at the cistern , whom dust shall return to the earth as it was , and the spirit to god that gave it , that by him you may be judged ? eccl. 12.6 , 7. young ones may die in youth , but you must die in old age : you cannot last much longer ; in a moment you may go down into your dust , and what do you think will become of your souls when they are separated from your bodies ? will not god call you to an account for all your sins ? shall you not receive according to what you have done in the body ? can you be content that god should banish you from his presence for ever , and punish you amongst devils in hell ? can you dwell with devouring fire ? can you inhabit everlasting burnings ? can you endure to be tormented and that to eternity , and that with extremity of torments ? but you will say , is there no hope ? i answer , the devil may tell you there is no hope ; when you were young the devel perswaded you it was too soon to repent ; and in the strength of your years , that it was too soon , time enough hereafter ; and now it may be he would perswade you it is too late ; yet however grey-headed converts are very rare , some such there are and have been found : we read , math. 20.6 . of some called to work in the vineyard at the eleventh hour . indeed your repentance now will be with the greatest difficulty ; but consider what hath been said of its necessity , and you may take same encouragement from its possibility . it is possible for you to obtain repentance , and remission , and salvation , if without further delay you seek it , if you diligently seek it . you have need to ransack your hearts , to read over the register of your consciences , to draw up bills of inditement against your selves : you have need to retire within , to go down into your spirits with the candle of the lord in one hand , and the word of the lord in the other hand , that you may find out , and bring out , and slay those lusts there , which war against you , and which if they be not slain , will be your ruin : you have need to humble your selves greatly before the lord , to lie very low , to cry very loud , to mourn and weep , to grieve and lament over so many sins , and those so highly aggravated as yours have been ; and then know there is mercy enough in store for such as you , free-grace can save the oldest and greatest sinner ; the merits of christ are sufficient for your pardon ; the promises of the covenant are large and may reach the worst of you . o then break off your sins by repentance , and lay hold on the lord jesus by faith , and devote what remaineth of your life unto god , and it is possible that such as you may get into the kingdom of heaven , and eternally admire the infinite riches of gods free grace in your salvation . our letter would swell too much should we add particular directions in order to this work ; we therefore exhort you to call to remembrance what your own pastor hath preached to you for your guidance and help , and it is possible that the seed which he sowed whilst alive , may spring up after his death ; and the sermons which he hath preached amongst you and the counsels which he hath given to you , may ( through gods blessing and your remembrance , and application ) have their effect even now he is gone , in your conversion and salvation . besides unconverted persons , we hope there are many true converts , truly gracious persons among you , and not a few who have been the seal of mr. stubbs's ministry . some of you are new born , others well grown christians ; some of you are in a declining state , others are thriving christians ; we might be as large in our writing to you , as we have been in our call of the unconverted ; we might give particular counsel and advice , in order to the healing of wounded consciences , the reviving decay'd graces and affections , the resolving and removing groundless doubts , and perplexing fears concerning your spiritual condition ; the arming you against satans temptations ; the guiding of you in the dark night of desertion , and when under the eclipse of th● light of gods countenance ; and for your quickning and encouragement under affliction● and all oppositions and difficulties which you do or may meet withall in heavens way . but should we write particularly and fully to you of these things , our letter would grow into a treatise , which is beyond our design ; therefore we must refer you for counsel , in these things , unto the word of god , and those books in our english tongue , which are written on these subjects ; and particularly to call to remembrance what your dear pastor hath taught you and advised you , who was the best acquainted with the state of your souls . all that we shall further add , is to mind you of some duties , and to suggest some considerations for your comfort and encouragement under this so great a loss . the duties which god calleth you more especially unto , after his taking away your pastor from you , are , 1 watchfulness . 2 fruitfulness . 3 prayer . 4 family-instruction . first , watchfulness : all ministers are , or ●ught to be the lords watchmen ; the watch●●n ; whom the lord set over you , was emi●ently faithful , but he is now gone and will ●●itch over you no longer , and therefore you ●●ve the more need , and are now called to ●atch over your selves the more diligently , ●nd to watch over one another . 1. watch over your selves ; guard your ●●nses which are the inlets of sin , and keep ●our hearts with all diligence , from whence ●re the issues of sin ; it is not long since you ●ad the eye of your minister over you , ●ho was a faithful reprover ; now he is removed , take heed you give not your selves the more liberty either to neglect duties , or to comply with temptations , whereby you may be enticed unto any sin ; were mr. stubbs alive , and by you , it may be you would not yield to such and such temptations , lest you should offend him , and be reproved by him ; but think with your selves , that god is by you always ; and being infinitely holy , is more highly offended with sin , than the most holy man on earth can be ; and you have also an observer within you , a reprover , we mean your own consciences , and take heed of offending them in offending of god , for if god and conscience should be against you , it is a thousand times worse than to have all the men on earth and all the devils in hell against you . watch not only against grosser , and more scandalou● sins , but also against lesser sins , and such as a●● of more ordinary practice in the world , an● that not only amongst the profane , but all amongst professors of religion themselve● amongst whom too many hypocrites will b● found at the last day . watch also again● errours , especially such as are damnable , su● as are in the foundations of religion , whi●● should you entertain , would be mor● effectual to ruin your souls , than if you we●● guilty of the grossest immoralities . havin● received the truth , hold it fast , prize it abo●● silver and gold , as being far more preciou● yea above life it self , and let all go rather tha● let any truth go ; let truths be rooted in you● hearts , imbrace them with love and delight otherwise you may be imposed upon with e●rours by some cunning impostors , and be tosse● to and fro with divers winds of doctrine● by the flight of men and cunning craftiness 〈◊〉 such as lie in wait to deceive ; always suspec● them as dangerously erroneous , who endeavou● to bring the ministry of christ's appointme●● into contempt , and perswade you to a neglec● thereof , which you have reason above othe● ●ighly to esteem and keep close unto , having ●●d so eminent and faithful a minister amongst ●ou . secondly , as you ought to watch over ●our selves , so also to watch over one another , ●hat so instead of one , there may be many ●atchmen amongst you . watch over one ●nother in reference to sin , and in reference to ●uty . in reference to sin , both to prevent sin 〈◊〉 one another , and to restore such as are fallen 〈◊〉 it . watch to prevent sin , so far as you have ●ower ; say not with cain , am i my brothers ●eeper ? as you ought not to murder the ●odies of any , nor to suffer any ( if you can ●inder it ) to murder themselves ; so you ought ●ot to murder the souls of any , nor to permit ●hem ( if you can hinder it ) to murder their ●wn souls : should you see any of your neigh●ours , or acquaintance , take swords , or dag●ers , and therewith to gash and wound them●lves , lift up their hands to thrust them into ●heir hearts , would not you run to them , and ●atch away those weapons and instruments of ●eath from them ? would not you argue and ●ead with them , to forbear the laying such ●●olent hands upon themselves ? by sin your ●●ighbours wound themselves ; if they wound 〈◊〉 their flesh , they wound their spirit ; if they wound not their bodies , they wound their souls ; and as those wounds are most inward , so they are the most deep and dangerous ; the wounds of sin are mortal wounds , and not only temporal death but eternal will be the effect of them , without a seasonable application of the blood of christ. o do what you can to prevent sin in your friends , do what you can to arm them against temptations , and to encourage them to resist the devil ; to expose themselves to any kind of sufferings and pains and to deny themselves any kind of delights and gains , rather than to offend god , and wound their consciences by their sins . but if any of your brethren have been tempted and have yielded , if they are falle● and wounded , watch to restore such ; and there in follow the direction of the apostle , gal. 6 . 1● brethren , if a man be overtaken in a fault , 〈◊〉 which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness , considering thy self lest tho● also be tempted . if you hear of a fault in any of your neighbours , be not forward to believe it , unless the thing be evident by clear proof , or the parties own confession , and then think what the law of love doth require , lev. 19.17 . thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart , thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour , and not suffer sin upon him . when your neighbours lie under guilt , let love to their souls prompt you to use your endeavour for the removal thereof ; don 't speak of their faults behind their backs to their defamation , and the wounding of their names ; but speak of their faults to themselves in your plain and faithful reproofs , in order to their amendment and the healing of the wounds in their consciences : and that your reproofs may be successful , they must be managed with much prudence , with a due consideration of the fault , the person , the place , the time , and the manner ; as to the manner the , apostle directs you to do it in the spirit of meekness , don't use opprobrious terms , railing angry accusations , remembring that the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of god , and anger in your reproof is apt to beget anger in the parties reproved , the effect of which is like to be excuse and extenuation of their faults , a hardning of them in their sins , recriminations and retorts on your selves : whereas if you reprove them mildly in a spirit of meekness , and they perceive your love therein , and design of their good , you may the more probably reach their consciences , and through gods blessing imprint a conviction upon them , and be instrumental for their restoring ; a soft tongue breaketh a bone , and a mild reproof may mollify a heart that is like a bone , or like a stone in hardness . and as you ought to watch over one another in reference to sin , so also in reference to duty ; as you occasionally or purposely meet together , watch to advise and counsel one another , to quicken and encourage one another in your duties both to god and man , read mal. 3.16 . then they that feared the lord , spake often one to another , and the lord hearkned and heard it , and a book of remembrance was written before him , for them that feared the lord , and that thought upon his name . here you have , 1. your duty , to speak often one to another ; and what it is you should speak : the wicked speak often one to another , but they speak vanity and sin , as if their tongues were their own , and they had no lord over them ; their discourse is froth and filth , they have a treasure of evil things in their hearts , and thence they bring forth that which is evil ; but you who fear the lord , have a treasure of good things in your hearts , and thence you should bring forth that which is good : your words should be like choice silver to enrich one another ; your lips like a tree of righteousness to feed one another , your discourse should be alway with grace unto your mutual edification , that you may excite one another in the ways and service of the lord. 2. here 's a motive to quicken unto the duty , the lord hearkneth , taketh especial notice hereof , records this on his book , in order to the reward he intends and hath prepared for such in the other world. look into another scripture . heb. 10.24 , 25. let us consider one another to provoke ( not to anger , but ) unto love and good works ; not forsaking the assembling of our selves together , as the manner of some is , but exhorting one another , and so much the more as you see the day approaching . we have not room in this letter to enlarge in exposition of this scripture , but must leave it with your selves to do it in your meditations , must also contract in the other particulars . secondly , the second duty which god calleth you unto , on the loss of your minister , is fruitfulness . your minister was a spiritual sower , and we hardly know any who hath sown so much seed of the word , as he used to do in all places where he came ; none more frequent in preaching on the sabbath days , on the week days , on ordinary , on extraordinary occasions , publickly , and from house to house , he ceased not , whilst he had a tongue and breath , to preach the word . we need not tell you how much seed he hath sown amongst you ; and what it is that god doth look for , after such a seed-time as you have had . but that the harvest of your fruitfulness should be in some measure answerable hereunto ; that as you have had more seed scattered among you than others , so you should bring sorth more fruit than others : take heed now your minister is dead , that his sermons don't die with him , and be forgotten by you , as if they had never been preached , never been heard . take heed you be not found barren after such sowings ; that you be not found dry after such droppings ; that you be not like pharaohs kine , lean after such plenty of spiritual food , and such abundant means of spiritual nourishment as you have enjoyed . the fruits which god doth look for , are the fruits of repentance , humility , meekness , self-denyal , patience , contentment , diligence , righteousness , filial fear of god , faith in christ , love to god , and one to another , zeal for gods honour , lively hope of heaven , thankfulness for mercies . god looks that you should be fruitful in good words , and in good works ; let the seed your minister hath sown , spring up after his death in such fruits as these ; such things he hath often taught you , and exhorted you unto , in his sermons , and he hath gone before you in the practice of them in his life ; ye are witnesses and god also , how holily , and justly , and unblamably he behaved himself among you , and how he exhorted , and charged you as a father doth his children : and be ye followers of him who through faith and patience doth now inherit the promises . thirdly , the third duty which god doth now call you especially unto , is prayer . your minister whilst alive did pray much with you , and he pray'd more for you ; he was one of the most prayerful ministers in england ; he gave himself as to the ministry of the word , so also unto prayer : but now his praying work on earth , is changed into praising work in heaven ; you have lost a praying friend , you have therefore now so much the more need to pray for your selves , pray secretly , pray frequently , pray fervently . pray against sin , and pray for larger effusions of the spirit upon you . pray against sin ; do as , hos. 14.2 . take with you words and turn to the lord ; say unto him , take away all iniquity , and receive us graciously . god hath taken away your minister , o beg of him that he would take away your iniquity , the cause of this so great a loss . say , lord thou hast taken away him who was our glory , o take away our sins which are our ignominy and shame ; thou hast taken away him who endeavoured to save us , o take away our sins , which if not taken away will destroy us . shall our ministers go , and our sins stay ? shall our glory depart , and our shame abide ? our blessings go , and our curse continue ? our builders go , and our destroyers remain ? god forbid . pray earnestly that god would take away the guilt of sin , and deliver you from the power of sin ; not only the reign , but also from the rage of it ; not only from its dominion , but also from its tyranny . and pray also for larger effusions of the spirit upon you , for the teachings of the spirit , the witness of the spirit , more of the graces , more of the comforts of the spirit , forget not zion in your prayers , and the land of your nativity ; bear also your particular friends on your hearts when you are before god on your knees . fourthly , the fourth duty we would mind you of , is family instruction , the catechizing of children , and servants , and bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the lord : and here we must not enlarge in motives and directions , only we desire you to remember what the counsels , perswasions and practice of your deceased pastor was in this particular , and accordingly let your practice be . and now it is high time to draw to a close ; we shall add only one word or two , for your support and comfort under this sad providence ; your loss is great , and we doubt not but this loss is very grievous to many of you , that you do and will feel it more and more , that you feel it on the lords days , and feel it on the week days , when you miss him in the pulpit , and miss him in your families . but none of you ought to be over-whelmed with sorrow upon this account , considering , first , that your loss is his gain : if he had continued still in the flesh , and further exercised his ministry amongst you , it might have been more profitable for you ; but his dissolution and departure was best for himself . his body is decently interred here , and is fallen asleep , asleep in the bed of his grave , his wearied body doth sleep now quietly without any disease or pain , and will abide in rest until it be raised up in glory in the morning of the resurrection . his soul immediately after its separation had the attendance of angels upon it to be its convoy into the heavenly paradice , and think what joy there was in heaven at his arrival there ; if there were joy in heaven at his conversion , surely there was great joy at his coronation , after he had done his work and been instrumental in the conversion of so many , some there before him , and others whom he hath left behind ; but o how full of joy was he himself ! how ravished and transported with joy , when he appeared in the presence of the glorious iehovah , and was welcomed into heaven by his dear redeemer ; when he first viewed the glorious place he was brought into , and saw the glorious face of god , and perceived such glory to be put upon himself , which we want thoughts to conceive and think how full his enlarged soul is now of joy ; you are weeping , but he is rejoycing , and he might say ( could he make known his mind ) as our saviour to the daughters of ierusalem , weep not for me but for your selves . what , do you grieve that your minister is so highly promoted ? will you mourn for him , as if he were lost or annihilated ? could you wish that he were alive again ? surely he would not for a world change his place ; nothing could perswade him to come out of the bosom of christ , and assume again a body of sin and death ; and could you wish that he would lay aside his glorious robes , and clothe himself again with black garments ? you should rather joy in the ●houghts of his joy , than grieve inordinately for the loss ; especially when you think he is ●ut gone before , and you may and will arrive at the same place of felicity , if you follow his example , and walk in the same way as he walked . consider also , that although your minister be gone from you , yet the word of god doth remain with you , to guide and counsel you ; to quicken and comfort you , and you have or may have ordinances with you , if you look after them ; indeed they will be no more dispensed by him , but you ought to bless god and rejoyce that they have been dispensed by him so long , that ever you had such a minister amongst you ; you ought to rejoyce in the good you have received by his ministry , and you may receive further good by the ministry of others , if you seek after it , and give your diligent attendance . chiefly , consider although your minister is gone , yet god is not gone ; if you are truly gracious , god will never remove his gracious presence from you . if you walk in gods ways according to the teachings and example of your deceased minister , you will have both the gracious and com●orting presence of god with you in those ways . therefore what things you have learned , and received , and heard , and seen him do ; and then though so eminent an em●bassadour of peace be gone from you , th● god of peace shall yet be with you , which the hearty prayer of your unfeigned and assured soul friends , tho. vincent , iohn turner , rob. perrott , m. pemberton . a sermon preached at the funeral of that holy , painful , and fruitful minister of christ , mr. henry stubbs ; about fifty years a succesful preacher at bristol , wells , chew , dursley , london , and divers others places . by his unworthy fellow-servant , hasting after him , richard baxter . printed in the year , 1678. act. 20.24 . but none of these things move me , neither count i my life dear unto my self , so that i might finish my course with joy , and the ministry which i have received of the lord iesus , to testifie the gospel of the grace of god. this hour being designed to such a commemoration of our deceased friend , mr. stubbs , as is laudably used at such mens funerals , i have chosen words of this text , which the heart and life of this holy man did so constantly express , that doubtless the same spirit suggested them to blessed paul and him . they are the profession of a full devotedness to god , in his christian and ministerial work , notwithstanding all expected difficulties and oppositions , which he resolved with unmoved patience to undergo to the joyful finishing of his course . the witness of the holy ghost , with his own experience did teach him to expect bonds , and afflictions at ierusalem , it being the ordinary entertainment which every where did abide him : but how much worse might come he knew not , but was resolvedly prepared for all ; the joyful finishing of his course was so desirable to him , that no suffering , though it were the loss of life it self , did seem too dear or hard a means for its accomplishment . here is then , first , the great and desirable prize for which nothing could be too dear . secondly , the chearful resolution of the apostle to go on , and part with life it self to attain it . the first , though the words have no great dfficulty , yet as to the matter may need to some , a brief explication . viz. 1. what is meant by his course . 2. what by his ministry and testifying the gospel of the grace of god , 3. how this was received of the lord iesus . 4. what is meant by the finishing of his course . 5. how it was to be done with joy. 6. why he was not moved by foreseen sufferings , no● accounted his life dear , to attain this end . and for brevity , i shall now observe thi● method , to add the instructions and other applications , to each part of the text as i explain it . first , the word translated course , signifieth a race to be swiftly run . and a threefold race is here included . 1. the race of human life ; which is short and uncertain : we are not born for nothing ; nor doth god give us life , and time , and maintenance , to live in idleness , or to serve the flesh . the sun stands not still whether we sleep or wake : our breath , our pulse are still in motion , our glass is running ; and o how quickly shall we see and hear , that time on earth shall be to us no more . this course will be certainly and quickly finished ; but whether with ioy , it concerneth us timely to foresee . for the review of time , of precious time , and the work of time , will be no contemptible part of our everlasting work . secondly , the course ( or race ) o● christianity , is the necessary improvement of our time. this is not a play , nor an idle , brutish or a jesting life . it is a great work for a self-destroying undone sinner , to believe in a saviour , and such a saviour , and wholly to trust his merits , sacrifice , counsel and conduct , his powerful operations , and effectual intercessions for all our present and our future hopes . it was not a dream of war that we were listed for in our baptism under the captain of our salvation . the resisting of temptations , the quenching of the devils fiery darts , the denyal of our selves , and forsaking friends , reputation , estate , and liberty , and life , for the sake of christ , and renouncing the flesh the world and the devil , for the hopes of a promised unseen glory , is a real work . to believe in christ and his promise of heaven , to the forsaking of all wordly hopes , is a serious business . to love god above all , and our neighbour as our selves , and to do as we would be done by , how easily soever mentioned and professed , are works not unworthy to be ascribed to the spirit of the living god , and to the grace of the almighty . he that well finisheth the christian course , shall certainly receive the crown of righteousness : and though none of these works do in the least participate in the office of the justifying sacrifice , merits or grace of jesus christ , yet shall we be judged according to them ; and we must live to christ , if we will live with christ. thirdly , the apostolical ministerial course was also to be finished with joy . his call was wonderful , his office honourable , his gifts powerful , his sufferings great , his labours greater ; his successes , by miracles in themselves miraculous : yet all this would not have saved himself , if he had not faithfully finished his course . to begin hopefully is more common than to end happily . the sun of persecution withereth much fruit that seemed flourishing : iudas his end did more difference him from the rest of the apostles , than his beginning . his ministry was considerable as common to all the clergy , or as apostolical . to preach the word as he commanded timothy , to be instant in season and out of season , to reprove , rebuke , exhort with all long suffering and doctrine , to rule well , and labour in the word and doctrine , to take heed to our selves and unto doctrine , and continue therein , that we may save our selves and them that hear us ; to take heed to our selves , and all the flock , to hold back nothing profitable to them , but to teach them publickly , and from house to house , day and night with tears , ( act. 20. ) in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves , if god at any time will give them repentance , all this is not a dream or play . and to go over much of the world , from nation to nation , by sea and land , to preach this gospel to strangers of various languages , through all difficulties and sufferings , to confirm all by miracles , to leave this sacred doctrine infallibly in records to the church , as a rule to the end of the world , to teach men to observe all things . christ had commanded them , as well as to disciple nations , and baptize them , and to settle the orders and goverment of the churches according to the will of christ , this was the extraordinary part of his ministry . thirdly , this ministry was received of the lord iesus , by an extraordinary call , a voice from heaven , and an inspiration of others that were ministerially to send him , and the special inspiration of his own soul , for apostolical qualifications . but do not ordinary ministers also receive their office from the lord iesus ! yes ; and though the way of their reception differ , their obligation to finish their course is divine as well as pauls . christ called paul by himself and by inspired prophets . and he calleth us by his qualifying grace , and by his stated law ( as the king maketh maior● and bayliffs of corporations by his charters ) wherein the ordainers and electors , orderly determine of the recipient persons , and th● ordainers ministerially invest them ; but th● office , power and obligation is directly from the law of christ. and if any breach o● interuption should be made in human ordination and tradition , the law still standeth to direct men in the choice and investiture , and to confer authority , and to oblige , as well as the holy ghost , to give men the necessaries thereto . therefore as we receive our office from christ , we must use it for christ , and not for carnal self , nor as the servants of men ; and we must use it according to the laws of christ , whose laws soever shall gainsay them . fourthly , the finishing of pauls course , is the bringing his work of christianity and ministry to the desired joyful end . 1. to the end of duration : not to be weary of well doing , nor having put his hand to christs plow , to look back and repent , nor forsake the warfare in which he was engaged . he that endureth to the end shall be saved : and in due time we shall reap if we faint not . 2. to the end of intention . 1. to do his own appointed work , that his grace being exercised and increased , he may be acceptable to god , and fit with joy to meet the lord. 2. to call and save sinners ; and to build up saints , and to gather churches unto christ , and edifie them , and leave to all ages his doctrin and example , a certain word and powerful motive . 3. to glorifie christ and god the father in all this not to sit warm in a reverend habit , for me● to honour for the sake of the office , and bar● name of an apostle . but to testifie the gospel of the grace of god to declare the truth of it , the necessity of it the priviledges , and the honour , the grea● love of god , revealed by the son of his lo● to sinners , and the great and manifold benefi● given them in christ , the hope of glory s● before them , and the just and reasonable mea● and conditions of obtaining it . thus did ●● as immediately sent , and thus must we as se● by christs appointed order in his law , testifie the gospel of the grace of god. fifthly , concerning pauls finishing ●● course with joy , we must consider . 1. wh● joy it is that is here meant ? 2. how mu●● of this joy each faithful minister may expec● 3. and whence and on what account he m● expect it ? first , the ioy here meant which paul e●pected is , 1. the joy which the nature of 〈◊〉 work affordeth : divine certain , great a● holy truth is pleasant to him that understan● eth it , believeth it , and is exercised in 〈◊〉 ●erious meditation of it . it is sweet to read , and think and speak of the essential love of god ; and of his unspeakable grace in christ , of his free reconciliation , justification , adoption , and salvation of those that were his enemies : of the wonderful mysteries , and methods of gods love in our redemption and salvation , of the heavenly glory which we and all the elect of god shall enjoy for ever . what sweeter food or business for our minds , than such things as these ? secondly , the success of our work is an addition to our joy . the success of it on our own souls , while they increase in holiness , and are raised to the greater knowledg of god , and greater love to him and communion with him . and our success on others while they are brought home to god and saved : ●f it be pleasant to a succesful physician to save mens lives , it must be more so to a succesful minister of christ , to further mens regeneration , and to save mens souls . to add more to the number of them that love the lord jesus , that are his members , that are enemies to sin , examples of holiness , that pray for the world , and that shall live in glory ; ●● not this a joyful work ? there is joy among the angels in heaven for every sinner that repenteth , luk. 15.10 . christ rejoiceth in it , and all good men that know it rejoyce in it , and shall not the minister of it then rejoyce ? 3 iob. 2 3. i rejoyced greatly , saith st. john , and i have no greater joy . 1 thes. 2.19 . ye are our joy and crown of rejoycing . thirdly , the honour of christ , and the pleasing of god in our labours , and the success , is the top of all our joy . 2 cor. 5.9 . heb. 12.28 . eph. 5.10 . heb. 13.21 . & 11.5 . for to please god , and to be perfectly pleased in him , is our heavenly felicity it self . fourthly , it is our joy to foresee the blessed end , the everlasting glorious reward . to live in the belief and hope of this , and to taste the love of god in christ , which is the first fruits . all this is the joy in which we may hope to finish our course . ii. how much of this joy may we here expect . answ. 1. so much as shall satisfie us that in our dedication of our selves to god , we made a wise and happy choice , which we need not to repent of ; though we might easily have chosen a way more likely for wealth and pleasure to the flesh , and in which we should not have kindled the indignation of so many against us ; nor have brought on our selves so much envy and malice , so much slanders and reproaches , to name no worse , yet experience tells us , that god taught us to chuse the most pleasant life , as our deceased brother and i have truly oft told one another , that we have found it . even when we are sorrowful , we are always rejoycing , 2 cor. 6.10 . when we are falsly reported of , our rejoycing is this the testimony of our consciences , that in simplicity and godly sincerity , and not in fleshly wisdom , we have had our conversation in the world. 2 cor. 1.12 . paul and silas could sing with their backsfore with scourging , and their feet fast in the stocks , act. 16. and the apostles rejoyced that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach and abuse for christ , act. 5.41 . never yet did difficulty , or suffering much tempt me , to repent that i had not chosen another calling ; much less to repent of the christian choice ; for saith peter , joh. 6. whither shall we go , lord thou hast the words of eternal life . secondly , we may expect so much joy , as shall make the duties of christianity and ministry easie and delightful to us , psal. 1. 2. and make us say , that , a day in his courts is better than a thousand , and to be a door-keeper in his house , than to dwell in the tents or palaces of wickedness . and that it is good for us to draw near to god : and if any time our diseased appetites shall lose their pleasure , we are yet sure that we have chosen the only wholesome and delicious food ; and god hath physick that can recover our appetites . thirdly , we may expect so much joy as shall keep us from thirsting again for the world , or longing for the forbidden pleasures of sin , and as shall make even the house of mourning and godly sorrow , pleasanter to us than mirth and feasting is to the ungodly , and never desire to partake of their delights . fourthly , we may expect so much joy as shall make all our sufferings very tollerable , especially those that are for truth and righteousness , mat. 5.10 , 11 , 12. believers took joyfully the spoiling of their goods , and accepted not offered deliverence , heb. 11. as seeing him that is invisible , and expecting a better and more enduring substance . and that which is not joyous , but grievous at the present , will bring forth the quiet fruit of righteousness , heb. 12. fifthly , we may expect so much joy , as ●all encourage us to hold out to the end , and ever to forsake christ and a holy life , as weary ●as hoping for a better . sixthly , we may expect so much joy , as ●all be some foretast of the heavenly joy , and ●ome reward here of all our labours . yea some ●ay be filled with joy , and peace in believing , ●nd have unspeakable glorious joy . rom. 15.13 . pet. 1.7 , 8. seventhly , we may expect so much as shall convince the ungodly , that we live a more com●ortable life than they : paul and silas singing ● the stocks , its like , had some part in the con●iction of the j●ylor . iii. whence and on what accounts may we expect this ioy ? answ. this may be gathered from what is ●id before . 1. from the love and acceptance ●f the father . 2. from the grace of the son. from the communion of the holy spirit . ●nd therefore , 1. from the goodness of ●ur work before mentioned . 2. from the ●uth of the promises of god. 3. from the communion of saints . 4. from the continued protection ; and other mercies of god. 5. and from the certain hopes of glory . all which i must now but thus only name . there is another kind of joy , which too many seek in this sacred office , thereby corrupting and prophaning it : and the bes● things corrupted become the worst , and such men most pernicious to mankind , and thes● rotten pillars the greatest betrayers and enemies to the church ; i mean such as gregor● nazianzene sadly describeth in his time , eve● at the first general council at constantinople and such as isidore pelusiota in his epistles t● zosimus , and some such others freely reprehendeth ; and such as gildas describeth i● this land ; and such as salvian rebuketh ; an● such as the canons of abundance of council tell us swarmed heretofore . first , had there not been prelates an● priests , that had placed their joy in dominio● over their brethren , and getting into exalte● thrones , in being rich and idle , and bowed t● even by princes , and mastering kings an● kingdoms by cursing them from christ making themselves as the soul , and prince as the body , themselves as the sun , and prince as the moon and stars , abusing ( tibi da●● claves ) and ( the disciple is not above his master ) to the mastering of kings and states as their sheep and disciples ; a great part of the church history had been unwritten , or otherwise written than it is . secondly , yea far be it from any minister of christ , to expect their joy from humane applause , and the multitude of followers or disciples ; to be accounted a learned , or a holy man , an excellent preacher , and so to have the respect and love of many . a good name and love are not to be despised , when they follow fidelity as its shadow ; and as they signifie the good of those that profit by the word . the galatians would once have even pulled out their eyes for paul : but alas , what is the thought and breath of man , that is hasting to the dust , and to the impartial judge ! how small a matter should it be to us to be judged of many , that are so near the final judgment ! and what a terrible sentence is it to the hypocrites , mat. 11.6 . verily they have their reward : o poor and miserable reward ! and yet what age hath not seen that verified , act. 20.30 . of your own selves shall men arise , that shall speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them . and rom. 16.17 . such still have been as have caused divisions and offences , contrary to apostolical doctrine , not serving the lord jesus , but their own bellies ( being ever fleshly , worldly men ) and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple . and men that have had the form of godliness ( or the lifeless image ) but deny the power of it by wicked lives , are those from whom we must turn away . thirdly , yea and far be it from any faithful minister , or christian , to take up his ioy from a conceit , that he hath commutatively merited of god , by the excellency of his faith or labours . alas ! who is sufficient for these things ? and what have we that we have not received ? or who hath given to god that it may be repaid him ? or what faithful minister of christ , did ever come out of the pulpit , or from his private duty , without grief and shame that his faith and love , his skill and zeal , have been so vastly unsuitable to such great and excellent things that he was about ? and yet the conscience of simplicity and godly sincerity , and gods forgiveness , assistance and acceptance , may set our ioy above that shame and grief . fourthly , and now it is easie to see the reason why paul accounted not his life dear , nor was moved by the foresight of any sufferings , so he might but finish his course with ioy. for first , he well knew that the end would pay for all , and no man shall ever lose by god ; nor shall the most abundant labour be in vain , 1 cor. 15.48 . is there any repentance in heaven for their labours or sufferings for christ on earth ? do they think that god is in their debt ? faith ever reckoneth that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us , rom. 8.18 . for which cause we faeint not ; but though our outward man perish , yet the inward man is renewed day by day : for our light affliction which is but for a moment , worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory : while we look not at the things which are seen which are temporal , but at the unseen things which are eternal , 2 cor. 4.16 , 17 , 18. secondly , and paul well knew that he and all the world were in the hands of god , and that he served such a master as could easily perserve him as far as he saw meet , from all his enemies and sufferings . and that sufferings chosen for us by god , are better than if w● had the kingdoms of the world by the gif● of satan , mat. 4. balaaks words to balaa●● methinks were words of honour and joy ( t●e lord hath kept thee from honour . ) o● who would not be ambitious of being so kep● from honour ? the poverty and shame tha● is by , and for god , is better than the prefer●ment and honour of men : and the reproac● of christ is greater riches , than the treasure● of egypt . and if god see it best , he knowet● how to save the righteous from trouble ; and if not , to give them suffering strength and joy. and it is a wonder of providence how god preserveth their names and honour , that despise honour and life for him : so that ever they that killed the present prophets and jus● men , yet build the sepulchres of those that were killed by their fathers , and say , if w● had lived in the days of our fathers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets , mat. 23.27 , 28. the wonder of that foreigner in h. 8's . days , deus bon● quomodo hic vivunt gentes , that saw men kill'd for being protestants , and for being papists ; was not so contradictory a subject as the papists usage of the saints , a stupendious instance of mans madness and satans methods , that at the same time can rack , and burn , and murder saints , and yet honour the relicks , names and memories of the dead that were before them . that while they zealously cast away mens lives and treasure , to recover the holy land where saints had lived , at the same time murdered those by thousands that did most nearly imitate them : and to this day kill the living saints under the name of schismaticks or heriticks ( for not obeying the king of rome before god ) and keep holy days for the dead , and reverence their shrines and relicks : what contempt did poor st. martin undergo from his neighbour bishops , as suspected of priscilleanisme , and as an unlearned hypocrite , that was for liberty for hereticks : so that he separated from their synods and communion ? and yet what a name hath he left behind him even in that church , whose prelates thus dispised him ? thirdly , moreover paul had now tryed both the ways , of being against christ , and being for him ; and was so fully convinced by experience and revelation of the evil of the one , and the goodness of the other , that he had great reason to be resolved and unmoved , as knowing that no suffering can make the servants of christ as miserable as his enemies ; nor any preferment or prosperity make any one of the worldlings as happy as the poorest saint . because he had rather be lazarus than dives hereafter , and had rather stand on the right hand of christ than on the left , therefore he accordingly made his choice . for he well knew how bad a bargain it would prove , to win all the world and lose his soul ; and to lay up a treasure on earth so , as also to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath ; and to prepare for such an even-song , as luk. 12. thou fool , this night shall they require thy soul , and then whose are the things that thou hast provided ? alas ! what gain is it to save an estate a little while , that at death must certainly be forsaken ? to save a life this year , this month , this day , that may be gone on sadder terms the next , and certainly will ere long be gone ? is not the bishop of winchester and london , gardiner and boner now dead , as well as the martyrs whom they burnt ? is not alexander the third , and innocent the third and fourth , and such other persecuting popes now dead , as well as all the godly christians whom they murdered ? alas ! what a nothing is time ! and how little difference between to day and to morrow , this year and next ! that which hath been , that which is , and that which will be ! shall a man part with his god , and his everlasting hopes , that he may be able to say in hell , i was once a lord , a man of honour ; i had once full provision for the flesh , i had pleasure in the way to the torment which i undergo ? in the expounding of these words of st. paul , i have but given you the image , or rather the spirit of mr. stubbs . funeral praises by flatterers brought into disgrace , will be here blamed by no wise man that knew the person , no more than in nazianzene for his orations for cyprian , basil , and others ; unless it be for the defect , which is unavoidable . first , this faithful servant of christ hath run his race ; what that was and how he performed it , the county of glocester knoweth , and the city of wells in somerset shire knoweth , and this city , and this congregation partly know . and i will speak but little of him , but what i know my self , and have by unquestionable testimony . his birth , parentage , and youthful life i am not acquainted with . he was a minister of christ about fifty years , dying at the age of seventy three . his studies , and parts , and labours lay not in the critical or controversal way : and as he was so happy as not to waste his time in contentious studies ; so he was so humble and honest , as not to trouble his auditory with such matters , nor to pretend to have studied what he had not ; nor , like many proud ignorants , to boast or contend most where they know least . his soul was taken up with the great things of religion . his preaching was most on the baptismal covenant , on the articles of the creed , the lords prayer and decalogue , and such necessary things which essentially constitute a christian. i never heard him meddle with controversies in publick , or in his private talks ; but all , how to know god in christ , and how to seek and serve him , and how to resist temptations and sin , and what a life we shall live with christ for ever : and how to live in love , righteousness , peace and profitableness to one another ; especially how to serve god intirely , and in what state , we shall live with him for ever . he was the freest of most that ever i knew , from that deceit of the serpent mentioned 2 cor. 11.3 . who corrupteth men by drawing them from the simplicity which is in christ. his breath , his life , his preaching , his prayers , his conference , his conversation , was christian implicity and sincerity . not as the world ●alleth simplicity , folly ; but as it is contrary ●o hypocrisie , to a counterfeit zeal , to meer ●ffectation , to a divided heart . he knew not how to dissemble , nor wear a mask ; his face , his mouth , his whole conversation , laid bare his heart . while he passed by all quarrels , and controversies , few quarrelled with him ; and he had the happiness to take up head , heart and time , with only great , sure , and necessary things . ii. of all men that ever i knew , he seemed to me one of the most humble . his preaching , his discourse , his garb , and all his behaviour , spake pure humility , and were far from pride ; never did i hear from him a word of oftentation , much less of envy at the precedence of others ; he came to christ as a teachable child , and preached as a learner , and i never heard that he strove with any . he had learnt of christ to be meek and lowly , and to make himself of no reputation , nor seek the honour that is of man. o how far was he from striving to be above his brethren , or troubling the church , by a proud , imperious , or turbulent spirit ! iii. he was exceeding peaceable in his principles , and in his practice : never contending with opiniators , or those that cry down this and that error of their brethren , to get the reputation of being free from errors . he put not his finger into the fire of contention nor ever that i heard of made himself of a sect or faction , nor preacht for this party against that , except for christs party against the devils . nor did i ever hear him in his private talk , back bite any ; nor exercise the too common liberty against others , in carping at their infirmities , or making himself their judg : had the church had no more unpeaceable pastors , we had not been in the sad condition that we are in , denying peace and concord obstinately to the servants of christ , and militating by forbidden arms against one another . long would it have been before he would have reviled , vexed , or hindered any true minister of christ , from preaching his gospel , or living in peace . iv. he was an honourer of his superiours , and obedient to authority , as far as would stand with his obedience to god. i never heard that publikely or privately he spake a disloyal or irreverent word of the king , or others in authority . after he had here preached awhile in london , he had a preferment to a parish-church in glocestershire , of eight pound per annum maintenance , and it had many and many years had no minister ; and by the honest connivence or forbearance of the reverend bishop of glocester , he there preached for some years past in peace ; of which i am past doubt that bishop hath no cause to repent . he used part of the liturgy , not sticking at the censure of them that called this as their judgments led them . his judgment , his work , his age and experience , set him above all factions inducements , and taught him to please god , whoever were displeased : and when at last he was driven away , i never heard him speak of it with any bitterness . he is now where gods praises are celebrated , and whence no holy soul shall ever be cast out . v. his labour was such as be seemed one absolutely devoted to god : his preaching was very plain and familiar , fitted rather to country-auditors , than to curious ears ; and he chose accordingly ; but it was wholly for faith , love and holiness . he was much in catechising , and very moving in his familiar exhortations , setting his whole heart upon the winning and edifying of souls , and longing for the success , as much as covetous merchants do for rich returns . he kept a private weekly meeting for the young people , to deal with them as a catechizer , by way of familiar questions ; which was much of his labour where ever he came : and he much rejoyced in the young peoples willingness and his success . the greatest benefice cannot please one that worketh for the fleece , so much as he was pleased that his unwearied labour profited his flock . how thankful was he to god , and the bishops connivence for that short liberty to work . and to their honour i must say , that he praised not only the friendly peaceableness of the magistrates and gentry of the county , but also of his neighbour conformable ministers that lived by him in love , and envyed not his liberty . this holy man so little cared for the hypocrites reward , that no reproach of men did move him ; nor did he count his great labour or life dear to him , that he might subserve him that came to seek and save the lost . he took that for the joyful finishing of his course , from which satan and many mistaken men would have discouraged him : as it was one of the greatest aggravations of christs sufferings , that he was crucified as a reputed sinner , even as a blasphemer and an enemy to ( caesar , and a contemner of the law ; so he knew that all things must be accounted dung that we may be found in christ , and conformed to him even in his sufferings . and if a seneca could say , that no man more sheweth himself to be a good man , than he that will lose the reputation of being a good man , left he should lose his goodness it self , and defile his conscience ; no wonder if this holy man accounted not his fame too dear to preserve his conscience . and indeed his friends and physicians suppose that his labours hastened his death . he came from the country to london , again to work , and after his journey , preaching almost every day , and some days twice , even after he began to be ill , no wonder if the feaver and dysentery that followed , dispatcht him . at first he fell down in the pulpit ; but recovering , went on ; and so again after , till he was disabled . some will censure him for imprudence in such labours ; but they must consider what it is to be above the inordinate love of life , and to long for the good of souls . and withal , that which much emboldened him was , that he was wont to go somewhat ill into the pulpit , and to come better out : but the heat of the season , seventy and three years of age , gave advantage to the messenger which god did send to end his labours and all his sufferings . two things especially i commend to imitation . 1. that he was more in instructing and catechizing children by familiar questions , than almost any man that i have known ; which shewed that he laboured not for applause . 2. he prayed as constantly as he preached , and no wonder then that his labours had much success . he omitted not his duty to god in his family , by the greatness of his publick labours . and a man of prayer is a man of power with god. for my part i never saw him till his coming to live in london , i think not seven years ago , though i long heard of his succesful preaching . but to shew you how great his charity was , and what a loss i have my self , and how faulty i and others are in too much forgetting of our friends , i will tell you , that he hath oft told me that ( as i remember , above twenty years ) he never went to god in prayer but he particularly remembred me . but his love hath not tempted me to say a word of him , which i verily believe not to be true . and i conclude it with this profession , that i scarce remember the man that ever i knew , that served god with more absolute resignation and devotedness , in simplicity and godly sincerity , and not with fleshly wisdom , and lived like the primitive christians , without any pride or worldly motives , or in whose case i had rather die . and therfore no wonder that he lived in peace of conscience , and dyed with pauls words , i have fought a good fight , i have finished my course : henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness , which god the righteous iudg shall give : which both paul and he might say without any injury to christ , or grace , or free ●ustification . thus did he finish his course in eminent fidelity , and constant peace of conscience ; and what was wanting in fuller joy , ●s now made up . vse 1. and what use should we make of all , but to imitate such examples , and not to be moved by any tryals , nor count our lives dear that we may finish our course with joy , and the ministry which we have received of the lord jesus christ , to testifie the gospel of the grace of god ? run the same race , and you may have the same joy and blessed end . would you have more particular counsel how to finish your course with joy ? i shall briefly give you some : the lord cause you and me to follow it . i. he that never began well , cannot finish well : search the scriptures , and advise with the wise ; prove all things , and hold fast tha● which is good . take heed that you take no● evil for good , and good for evil : set out in the way of truth . if you are out of the way the faster and the further you go , the more you have to repent of , and lament . be honest and faithful in seeking truth , and god wil● not forsake you . but go not with balaam● coveteous heart , and pre-engaged purpose . o● fear a false heart , and false teachers , especially men that plainly prosecute a worldly interest and design . ii. if god , christ , grace and glory be no● enough for you , and seem not a sufficient portion unless you have also prosperity to the flesh undertake not the ministry , nor profess christianity : for without self-denyal , contempt of the world , taking up the cross , and forsaking all , you have but the delusory name and image of christianity . absolutely devote your selves to god , and hope not for great matters in the world : except nothing from him , suspect and fear the hypocrites reserves , serve christ and trust him : trust him with estate , and liberty , and life , and soul and all : study your duty for your part , and cast your care on him for his part . take no thought what ye shall eat or drink , but seek first gods kingdom and the righteousness thereof . you will never finish your course with joy , if you be not absolutely devoted to god. iii. preach to your selves first , before you preach to the people , and with greater zeal . o lord save thy church from worldly pastors , that study and learn the art of christianity , and ministry ; but never had the christian divine nature , nor the vital principle which must difference them and their services from the dead . do you love other mens souls more than your own ? will a dead nurse give warm and vital milk ? nothing doth more to make you good preachers , than that which doth most to make you good christians : i thank the lord for the method of his grace and providence , that cast me divers years into the care of my own soul , before i purposed to preach to others , and made me read over the most of all our honest english practical divines , to make me a christian indeed , before set my self to the artificial part . i repent ●ot of this unusual method . iv. let your joyful part of religion bemost of your meditations : the infinite goodness of god , who is love ; the wonder of mans redemption ; the freeness and fulness of th● promise ; and the certainty and glory of ou● future state ; these are the chief part of ou● religion , and of chiefest use : which must resolve us , fix us , quicken us , and help us to live in thankfulness and joy . v. above all , labour to strengthen faith in christ , his word , and the life to come , and to live in the constant exercise thereof . faith is it that sheweth us the matter and reason of our duty and our joy : and if believing meditation have too long intermissions , our jo● will also intermit . and if affliction or weakness make our present state to be grievous to u● and keep us from much present joy , yet faith and hope can see that which is to come . man● of gods faithful servants labour in peace ●● conscience and in hope , who through infimities of the flesh have no great joys : and y●● may be well said to finish their course with joy because everlasting joy is the end , which at t●● finishing of it they obtain . vi. stick not at labour or suffering : hearten not to the repining and seducing flesh . think nothing too much or too dear ; your work is good , and much better wages in it self , than fleshly pleasure . labour for god and ●ouls , and keep out selfishness and carnal ends , ●nd god will secure your reward . labour ●aithfully , and trust god confidently ; fulfil his ●●mmanding will , whoever countermand you : ●nd then rest in his accepting , disposing and re●arding will , whatever befal you in the world. his will is the only infallible rule ; ●nd his will is the only secure and felicitating ●●st . they that conscionably do his will , may ●●mfortably say , the will of the lord be done ; ●our brother in his sickness often did . his will made us , his will hath maintained ●●d preserved us , and multiplied mercies to us . 〈◊〉 his will we live , and by his will we die , ●●d in his will we hope to rest for ever . mr. ●●ubbs is gone before ; this will hath guided 〈◊〉 , and this will hath received him . in 〈◊〉 same good hand , i am closely follow 〈◊〉 him . our separation is like to be very ●●rt . and none of you will stay long behind : ●●rewel vain vexatious world : farewel ●●lignant , lying , cruel , world ! welcome 〈◊〉 , light and love , delightful perfect and eternal . let it be our care so to finish our course with joy , that we may hear , well don● good and faithful servant , enter thou into t●● joy of thy lord. blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing come lord jesus , come quickly , amen . vse 2. but methinks i should not let you , th●● have been the hearers of mr. stub●● and such as he , go without some ▪ notice , wh● it is that this text , and this providence of g●● do call you specially to consider . which 〈◊〉 1. whether you have furthered the joy 〈◊〉 your teachers course . 2. whether you ta●● care that your own course may be finish with joy , and why it must be done , 〈◊〉 how . i. do not think that you are not m● concerned in the matter , whether your t●●chers live and die in joy ; neither say w●●● they are dead , it is too late to mind that wh●● is past and gone . as much as it is past , yo● account is not past . you may hear of 〈◊〉 again in another manner than now you do●● . you are concerned in it , 1. for your own interest . 2. for their relation to you , and labours for you , in gratitude and humanity . 3. as you are obliged to the church of christ , and regard its interest . and 4. as you are men , and lovers of mankind . i. what is their ministry but the seeking of your salvation ? and what is their joy , but their success , ( next gods acceptance of their labours ) and if they miss of this , is it not you that will be the greatest sufferers ? if you fall out with your physician , or cast ●way , or cast up the only physick that can cure ●ou , is not death more to you , than the loss of his labour and physick to him ? shall the physician mourn over his dying patient , and ●hall the patient think it nothing to him ? if ●he child prosper not , or die , the nurses sor●ow is a smaller matter than the childs death . ●s your unconverted , unpardoned , miserable ●ate , and your danger of damnation , more ●o us than to you ? will your hell be no more ●ainful than our compassion ? and when your ●orm never dyeth , and your fire will be un●uenchable , our compassion will cease , and we ●hall grieve for you no more . the god that forbad samuel to mourn any more for saul , will cause us to approve of hi● righteous judgment , and to rejoice in th● glorifying of his justice on you . abraham did but upbraid dives with his former sinfu● pleasures . your teachers , yea your own parents will not mourn in heaven for all th● torments that you undergo in hell , not consent to ease you by a drop of water . luk. ● 16. o what a pitiful sight it is now to see a teacher or parent mourning over the misery of ignorant , careless , wilful sinners , and they themselves rejoycing and despising compassion and laughing at the brink of hell ? i hea●● of a passionate wife that cut her own throa● to anger her husband . and they tell us that the circumcellian donatists ( that separated from other christians , in a prelatical ze●● for their own bishop ) did murder themselve● to bring the odium upon their adversaries a● persecutors . but that poor sinners should merrily run towards hell , to anger their teachers , yea tha● multitudes should do thus , what an instance is it of the madness of corrupted minds ? on● saith , i will never hear him more : and another saith , shall i be catechized like a boy ? and another saith , these preachers would make us mad , if we should believe and lay to heart what they say : and another saith , cannot one drink , and be merry , and please his flesh , but he must be damned for it ? are none saved but puritans and precisians ? and who is it that will have the worst of this at last ? god will not condemn us for your sins ? if you will needs be miserable for ever , our desires and endeavours to have saved you , shall not be lost at all to us . o how dear will impenitent sinners pay for all the tears and groans which now they do constrain from their compassionate teachers ? that god who is love it self , and putteth love into parents for the education of their children , hath also put a tender love to souls , and especially to their own flocks , into every faithful minister of christ. which maketh all their study , and labour , and sufferings , easie to them , or tolerable at least , for the comfortable hope which they have of mens salvation . o may we but serve the saviour of the world , in the gathering of his chosen flock , and in bringing sinners from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god , in making reconciled and adopted sons , of those that were the enemies of god and holiness , what a joy would it be to every true minister of christ ? did a damned wretch cry , send lazarus to warn my brethren , that they come not to this place of torments ? and shall not we rejoyce if we cannot only keep sinners from those flames , but also help them to live in joy with christ and holy spirits for ever . may we see souls in heaven for ever praising god , and know that this is the fruit of our labours and gods grace . yea may we here see holy persons living to god , and calling upon his name , and rejoycing in hope , and serving , and honouring him in a wicked world , and say , these are they that god hath given to christ by our embassage ; how much sweeter will this be to us , than fleshly pleasures ? and will you not allow us the joy of your salvation ? if so , judg your selves whether the loss of christ , and grace , and heaven , and happiness , and all hope , will be a smaller loss to you , than the loss of such comfort , in your hoped well-fare will be to us . o all you that are yet unconverted , fleshly , worldly persons , strangers to a holy heavenly life , under the ministry of such holy men as i am speaking of , think in time i beseech you of these two particulars . first , what a loss is it to lose the blessing and fruit of a holy ministry ? god giveth not such to all the world. many kingdoms of heathens and infidels have no such helps . nay most of the christian world have too little such : all ears are not so happy as to hear the joyful tidings , the sound instructions , the close convictions , the earnest exhortations which you have heard ; and these not mixt with the poyson of heresies . and will you lose , will you wilfully lose all this ? what! have the best of physicians , and be yet unhealed ? have the best of teachers , that long , and labour , and pray for your salvation , and yet by ignorant unbelievers , or base neglectters of this great salvation ? will you as capernaum , be lift up to heaven in mercies , and cast down to hell by your contempt . o that you knew in time how great a loss it is to lose one counsel , one sermon , much more all the life and labours of one such a minister of christ , that prayed , and studied , and laboured for your souls . do you ever hope to be saved , or not ? if not , despair is a beginning of hell. if yea , do you hope to be saved without preaching , or by it ? if without it , what reason have you for such hopes , when god hath made this his ordinary means ? what ever hope they may have that can have no preaching , you can have none that might have had it , and would not ; or that had it , and despised and disobeyed it . but if it be by preaching that you hope to be instructed , converted and saved , what preaching is it ? do you look for better than such as you have lost ? or is smaller and weaker remedies like to cure you , that to the last despised greater ? secondly , and remember that all this will aggravate your sin , and rise up in judgment against you to your condemnation : do you think all these sermons , and prayers , and tears , shall never more be thought on ? yes ! god that sent his ministers , sets not so light by their labours as you do . he knoweth , and thy conscience shall one day consider what importunate exhortations thou didst neglect : how on such a day , on such a text , his minister earnestly pleaded with thy soul , and thou hadst nothing to say against the word , and yet thou wentest on and didst not repent . o for your souls sake , put us not to come in against you as witnesses to your condemnation , instead of rejoicing in your sanctification and salvation . o put us not to shake off the dust of our feet against you ! turn not all our love and labours , to kindle a greater fire for your misery . remember , that even the merciful saviour of souls hath said , that it shall be easier yet for sodom and gomorra , in the day of judgment than for such . fire from heaven declared the wrath of god against sodom and gomorrah : and will you yet have a more dreadful fire ? and what moveth you to all this ? do they perswade you to any thing dishonest or to your hurt ? will you despise all our counsel , and go to hell rather than love god , and learn and do his holy will , and live in the delightful hopes of heaven , and in love , peace and good works towards one another ? this is all that we perswade you to . and will it not torment your consciences for ever to remember , that this was all that you fled from god for , and that you avoided more than sin and hell ? secondly , i have told you that your own interest is more concerned in the success of our ministry , than our joy ; i next tell you , that it is inhumane ingratitude to deny us such a joy as this . our relation and labours for you make it our due ; shall children deny their parents the comfort of their love , when it is only their well doing and happiness that they desire ? as christ and angels rejoice at a sinners conversion , so do true ministers in their degree . and is it not base ingratitude to deny christ , angels and ministers this joy , by refusing obstinately to be saved ? thirdly , and why do you take on you to be christians , and no more regard the interest of the church of christ ? those are the churches enemies that will not give up themselves to christ , that would not have him to reign over them , and subdue their fleshly minds and lusts , luk. 19.27 . rom. 8.6 , 7 , 13. that hinder the success of the ministers of christ , that would build up his church . and what is our building , but to bring home souls ? our office is not of man but of christ : he giveth us our commission , though man deliver it us . he commandeth you to receive and obey his word which we deliver you , and terribly threatneth those that will not , heb. 13.17 . iob. 13.20 . mat. 9.36 , 37. luk. 9.18 . &c. is it not rebellion against him then to be refusers ? nay what do you but as much as in you lyeth to destroy the ministerial office , and so destroy the church of god. for if we are but to stand here and talk to you a while , and not to win your souls to god , this is but an image or carkass of the ministry , as to the success and end . as you mortifie all gods ordinances , and turn them into a lifeless image , so you do the ministry to you ; and make it to you , but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal : is it worth your tythes , or are we worthy of your reverence , meerly to talk to you , and never to convert and save you ? o the blindness of the minds of the ungodly . if the seekers or other hereticks do but cry down ministers , and universities , you justly rise up against them as enemies to christianity , and the church ; and yet you your selves destroy their ministry as to your selves , and would have but the name , and garb , and image ; he that would have the tenth part of all mens revenues to be setled to maintain physicians in the land , and yet would not have men be healed by them , is a foolisher and worse enemy to the country , than he that would have none at all . fourthly , and as you are lovers of mankind , you should not deny us so reasonable a joy , as your own salvation ; especially to such as for the hope of this , renounce the pleasures and honours of the world . if you could do well enough without instructors , christ would not have appointed them , nor if there had been any better way for your salvation . and for our parts , we could have found out work and callings that would better have served us for worldly ends ; and we could live idle , and seek preferment , and flatter , and please you , and neglect your souls in this calling that we are in . but then wo to us as well as you . o remember who hath said , obey them that have the rule over you , for they watch for your souls , as they that must give account , that they may do it with joy , and not with grief , for that is unprofitable for you , heb. 13.17 . he is not worthy to be called a man , that will deny any joy or good to his neighbour , which doth no hurt to himself or others ? but consider whether he be not herein worse than a devil , that will deny another the comfort of seeing him happy , and freely doing him the greatest good ? do you not see now , how much you are concerned , that you further our joyful finishing of our course ? i beseech you let conscience judg you , before god judg you : speak as before god ; have you been turned by them from darkness to light , and from unbelief to a lively faith , and from a fleshly , to a spiritual life ; and from worldly love and hopes , to the love of god , and the hope of endless joys in heaven ? are you at a point with the flattering world , and fleshly lusts ? and have you heartily taken god and heaven for your portion , and christ for your saviour , and the holy spirit for your sanctifier and comforter ; and the word of god for your law and charter , and the servants of god for your pleasantest company , and the service and praises of god for your best and pleasantest work , and sin for your worst and greatest enemy ? if this be so , bless god that made the word so effectual to you . but if it be not , you have wronged your teachers in robbing them of the joy which was their due . this is it that we studyed , prayed and preached for : this is it that we live and labour for . this was to have been the chief part of our reward from you . it is not your tythes and mony without this , that will satisfie any but an hireling . many old canons of the church forbad ministers to receive any offerings or gifts from unbelievers and wicked men ; as if they had said , keep your mony to your selves , and think not to stop our mouths with gifts . give up your selves to christ , or you give u● nothing . i tell you it is you that are our great afflicters : and you shall answer for it . it i● much more to us to lose the joy of your salvations , than to lose our estates or liberties , o● worldly honour and reputation . and you can never be saved if you will not be sanctified , nor happy if you will not be holy . oyet look back and remember what counsel● god sent you by his ministers ; and what importunities they used with you ; and if you have denyed them yet their joy , o pity your selves , if you regard not them : and deny not your selves still the present joy of a holy life , and the everlasting joy of heavenly glory , which yet you may attain . ii. and have not you also a course that should be finished with joy , as well as we ? o sirs , time is precious , short and hasty . this race is for all eternity , and is to be run but once . heaven will be quickly won or lost for ever . can any one hear and believe this , that hath the heart of a man , and not be awakened presently to make hast ? dare you die in an unholy unpardoned state ? dare you go out of the world more foolishly than the unjust steward out of his stewardship , before you have provided another habitation ? dare you appear before god without his spirit , and image , and without the wedding garment of sincere holiness , and so without a part in christ ? o sirs , no heart can now conceive what a dreadful appearing that will be . alas sirs , we are dying , we are all dying , one to day , and another to morrow , and we are all quickly gone : and do you take no care whither you shall go next , when god bids you care in a manner for nothing else ? your course will soon be finished : shall it be with joy , or the beginning of everlasting misery ? o resolve now , resolve this day , as you would speed for ever . gods grace must save you , but it lieth more on your present choice and resolution , than careless sinners will well consider of . quest. but how should i finish my course with ioy. answ. you may gather it from what is said already . are you willing , if i tell you , to do your part ? asking questions will not serve instead of work . i. will you see that you perish not through your own meer carelesness , and wilful neglect of what you can do for your soul : if you will not do what you can , what good will directions do you ? if men will live as if they had not reason and self-love , and knew not that they must die , or care not what becomes of them for ever , what can one do for the safety of such men ? as men cannot dispute , that agree not in some granted principles , so we cannot lead you to christ by the gospel , if you agree not in some principles of humanity and self preservation . a sottis● carelesness is the undoing of the most . ii. set your selves to study the gospel o● christ , till you understand what salvation is , and what is the way to it , and know the nature of true religion . and then you will see in it so much truth , so much necessity , so much amiable beauty and fitness to make you wise , good and happy , that it will win your hearts to love and pleasure in it . iii. study throughly the true meaning o● your baptismal covenant , and solemnly before god consent to it with tongue and heart and live as under the obligation of it all your days . and also live in the belief of all the promises of it , and expectation of all the benefits promised . the sum of all your religion for duty and comfort is comprized in your baptismal covenant . though it be an errour to be oft baptized , it is a hundred times worse errour , never truly to understand , consent and practice , after so solemn a vow and covenant . iv. when you have given up your selves to god , as your god and father , your saviour and your sanctifier , remember that your great relations have engaged you in the greatest business and the highest hopes in all the world. and therefore now live as fellow citizens of the saints and the houshold of god , that have nobler converse , work and hope , than worldly unbelievers . remember now with whom and what you have to do ; and that it is not a by and trifling business , but the best and greatest that you have undertaken . v. joyn with those , that are for heaven , whose counsel and company may be your help ; separate from no christians by way of division , further than god commandeth you ; and do not easily forsake the judgment of the generality of godly men . but make few your familiar friends , and those such as are most wise , and humble , and sincere , and cheerful in the belief , and hopes of glory , and suitable to your use and converse . vi. in all doubts , and difficulties of religion , judg not hastily before you have throughly heard and tryed . prefer a suspended judgment , that stayeth till it have tryed , before a rash and hasty judgment of what you know not , and may repent of . vii . carefully govern your fleshly appetites and sense , and avoid needless temptations , especially to sinful ●leasure . for lust will conceive else , and bring forth sin ; and sin being finished will bring forth death . you will find sin and comfort contrary . viii . especially fear the flatteries of the world , and hopes of a pleasant life to the flesh on earth , and an itch after riches , plenty or preferment , and designs for the attaining them ; love not the world , nor the things that are in the world , the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eyes , and pride of life , the portion of the wicked , for if any man love the world ( for the flesh and it self , ) so far the love of the father is not in him , 1 ioh. 2.15 , 16. ix . value precious time , and live not in idleness : spend time as you would hear of it at last , and as those that know what it is to have but one short life to determine where they shall live for ever . hear and abhor all pastimes and triflings , that would rob you of your time . x. converse daily in heaven while you are on earth : let faith still see it ; let hope still make after it , and let love desire it , and delightfully remember it . there is our father , our saviour , our comforter , our friends , with whom we must live for ever . there let our hearts be as the place of all our hopes . and let the strain of your religion be as heavenly as you can ; let it consist in love , in unity and concord , in the joyful praises of iehovah , and in a pure holy life . this will raise you above the sinful love of this transitory life , and the fear of death , and give you the soretasts of heaven on earth , while you do gods will on earth as it is done in heaven . but it is the spirit and grace of christ which you must beg and seek , and on which you must obediently depend , for the performance of all this , and not upon your unconstant wills : without christ we can do nothing ; but by his strengthening us , we can do all things necessary to our salvation ; and we are more than conquerors even in our patient sufferings , through the captain of our salvation who hath conquered for us . thus we may finish our course with joy. finis . of national churches their description, institution, use, preservation, danger, maladies and cure, partly applied to england / written by richard baxter for promoting peace ... and for the fuller explication of the treaty for concord in 1660 and 1661, and of the kings gracious declaration about ecclesiastical affairs ... and for further explication of his treatise of episcopacy ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1691 approx. 192 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 41 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26975 wing b1329 estc r13726 12389681 ocm 12389681 60966 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26975) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60966) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:15) of national churches their description, institution, use, preservation, danger, maladies and cure, partly applied to england / written by richard baxter for promoting peace ... and for the fuller explication of the treaty for concord in 1660 and 1661, and of the kings gracious declaration about ecclesiastical affairs ... and for further explication of his treatise of episcopacy ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [9], 72 p. printed by t. snowden for thomas parkhurst ..., london : 1691. errata on p. [6]. advertisement on p. [8]-[9]. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng established churches. established churches -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-09 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion of national churches : their description , institution , use , preservation , danger , maladies and cure : partly applied to england . written by richard baxter , for promoting peace when the pacifying day shall come , by healing their extremes that are willing of peace and healing . and for the fuller explication of the treaty for concord in 1660 and 1661. and of the kings gracious declaration about ecclesiastical affairs , for which he had publick thanks , by them that afterward rejected it . and for further explication of his treatise of episcopacy , and many others written for peace and rejected . rev. 11. 15. the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our lord , and of his christ , and he shall reign for ever and ever . chap. 19. 16. king of kings and lord of lords . matth. 5. 9. blessed are the peace-makers ; for they shall be called the children of god. jam. 3. 17. the wisdom that is from above is first pure and then peaceable , &c. london , printed by t. snowden , for thomas parkhurst at the bible and three crowns , the lower end of cheapside . 1691. the epistle to the reader . reader , this short discourse cometh not from the expectation of pleasing any of the extremes , the tyrannical or the confounders . and therefore in a time and countrey where those that escape extremes are few , it must expect but the private approbation of those few . but those few and their cause , are so considerable , as that if god mean not to forsake the land , they may yet become the agents and stamina of a happy concordant reformation . of which in the appearance of second causes , there is yet no great prospect , nor like to be , unless god cause the supreme power , by wisdom and righteousness , or by their own constraining interest and necessity , to drive the worldly unpeaceable sort , to obey healing precepts for their own advantage , contrary to their temptations and inclinations . if such a day come when i am dead , these principles will be of use . they are not lately taken up by me , as you may see in my five disputations of church government , &c. in my treatise of episcopacy , nonconformity stated , &c. and in our frustrated treaty for concord 1660 , 1661. in the state that we are in while we have none to whom we have any call or hope to address our selves for publick concord , let us keep our selves from the guilt of unpeaceableness , and bear the slanders and wrongs of false accusers , and thank god for checking the power of persecutors , and let us make peace among those that we may speak to with any hope , and wait on god till he shew us whether he be saving or forsaking the land , and the rest of the reformed ( unreformed ) churches . and to them that will be offended with me for saying so much for bishops and archbishops , let them know that this book is but an attendant on a bigger , written against a foreign jurisdiction or popery , which sheweth that i am no more for the extremes of others ' than of theirs . as also my treatise of episcopacy hath shewn : and here i have proved that popery is but a fabrick built on the ruins of national churches or christian kingdoms : and if it ever fall it must be by their restoration . the lord pity the blind , malignant , self-destroying world , and prepare us better for a better society . london , march 26. 1691. richard baxter . let the reader note that § 7 , 8 , 9 , and 10. of the xii th . chapter are misplaced , and must be read as the end of the ix th . chapter . the rest of the errata's i have not time togather . the contents . chap. i. what a national church is . ch. ii. that christ instituted such a church form. ch. iii. in the execution as well as embrio judea was such . ch. iv. particular churches and pastors how far essential to a national church , and what are its materials . ch. v. the pastors or bishops of national churches are to be of three ranks . apostolick successors . ch. vi. who must be the lay-members of national churches . ch. vii . what is the confederacy or concord needful to a national church . ch. viii . how far this confederacy and concord bindeth the members of a national church to conformity . ch. ix . that christ hath instituted no ecclesiastical government in man of any larger extent than national ; much less universal nor of foreign jurisdiction : and that the french aristocracy with the popes primacy and patriarchate is as bad as papal monarchy . ch. x. whether universal church government ( more than per partes ) be of apostolick succession . ch. xi . whether national church primacy or aristocracy , infer universal . ch. xii . 1. whether the romans church policy should be chosen as strengthning the common christian interest . 2. whether protestants differences and divisions make the roman way of concord necessary . 3. whether protestants or papists have more errors . chap. xiii . what are the dangerous diseases of a national church . chap. xiv . whether the present church of england be of a sound constitution , and what is necessary to its welfare , safety , strength , and peace . chap. xv. the case answered , of tolerating dissenters , from the laws or customs of a national church . books printed for and sold by tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside near mercers chapel . baxter's catholick theology plain , pure , peaceable , for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours in three books , folio . — his church history of government of bishops and their councils abbreviated , quarto . — his true history of councils enlarged and defended , quarto . — his treatise of episcopacy , quarto . — his saints everlasting rest in four parts , quarto . — his paraphrase on the new testament , quarto . — his life of faith in three parts , quarto . — his answer to dodwel and sherlock , quarto . — his catholick communion in five parts , quarto . — catholick communion doubly defended , &c. — whether parish congregations be true christian churches defended against both extremes & unnecessary divisions , quarto . — his apology for non-conforming ministers , quarto . — his naked popery &c. quarto . — his treatise of knowledge and love , compared &c. in two parts , quarto . — his english non-conformity as under king charles the second and king james the second , truely stated and argued , the second edition , quarto . — his treatise of self-denial , octavo . — his defence of non-conformists plea for peace , octavo . — his full and easy satisfaction , which is the true and safe religion , octavo . — his key for catholicks , opening the juglings of the jesuits , octavo . — his catechizing of families , octavo . — his scriptures gospel defended , and christ , grace , and free justification vindicated against the libertines , octavo . — his two disputations of original sin , octavo . — his cain and abel malignity , that is , enmity to serious godliness , &c. octavo . — his call to the unconverted to turn and live , &c. octavo . — his glorious kingdom of christ described and clearly vindicated , &c. quarto . stitcht . — his reply to mr. beverly's answer to my reasons against his doctrine of a thousand years , quarto stitcht . — his farewel sermon prepared to have been preached to his hearers , at kederminster at his departure , but forbidden , quarto . published by himself . — moral prognostication . 1st . what shall befall churches on earth till conquered by restitution of primitive purity , simplicity and charity . 2. how the restitution is like to be made ( if ever ) and what shall befall them thenceforth to the end , in that golden age of love. quarto stitcht . — his search for the english schismatick , quarto stitcht . — his immortality of the soul , octavo . — his treatise of justifying righteousness in two books , octavo . — his revolt to a foreign jurisdiction , in two parts , octavo ? joseph alleine of conversion , in octavo , large print , with cases of conscience . — alleine of conversion , in twelves , smaller print , with cases of conscience . alleine's sure guide , in twelves . mr. steel of old age. vincent of conversion . — touchstone of grace and nature . — of conscience . — the spirit of prayer . — of love among christians . — three funeral sermons . — principles of the doctrine of christ . chap. i. what a national church is . § 1. a national church and a christian kingdom constituted of a christian soveraign magistrate , and of christian subjects worshiping god ( ordinarily ) in true particular pastoral churches , ) is the same thing . § 2. the ignorance of this hath confounded the christian world , by two extreams . on one side a double mischief hath been by this ignorance introduced . first , that of popery , which first prophaneth the sacred office of kings and magistrates , feigning them to be but a sort of secular animals , that have the care only of mens bodies and trading and worldly affairs , and not of souls , or of mens everlasting safety ; as if this belonged only to priests ; whereby they make kings to be as much baser than priests , as the body is viler than the soul , and teach the subjects accordingly to dishonour and contemn them . 2. and while they confine princes to the bounds of their own dominions , they pretend that the whole world must have one church soveraign , either monarchical , aristocratical , or mixt ; which yet humane nature is utterly uncapable of ; so that truly popery is founded on the degrading of princes and states , and overthrowing true national church-bounds , to set up an absurdly pretended universal soveraignty instead of it , under sacerdotal heads . § 3. and this mistake hath corrupted the late innovating prelatists , that would be called the church of england ; who have learnt of the papists to appropriate the name of the church , or at least church-government , to the clergy ; and so think that a national church must be unified and constituted by a national sacerdotal head , either single or collective : and that a prince is not sacred enough to be a national church head. that this novel opinion is contrary to the laws , and the sense of lawyers , and the doctrine of the church of england , and the very oaths of allegiance and supremacy , is so well known , as forbids me to lose any time in proving it . it 's true , that queen elizabeth , and our kings and doctors have justly appropriated the power of the word , sacraments , and the keys of admission to christian communion , and of excommunication and absolution , to the pastoral office , and have proved that christ did himself institute that office , and not leave it to the will or power of princes to institute , abrogate or alter it : but it is as true , that princes are the governours of those pastors , and may punish them for male-administration , and dispose of the things circasacra undetermined by christ . § 4. by this mischievous errour also the clergy have been drawn to tempt kings and magistrates to think that they are but civil officers , and have not much need to be very studious to understand the scriptures , but must leave that to bishops and priests , and take it on their words : by which they have been perverted and let loose to ungodliness and debauchery , wasting that time in luxury , and sports , and idleness , which should have been spent in studying of the word of god ; and govern by erroneous ungodly laws , because they know not the law of the lord : whereas god hath commanded kings and rulers to study his law diligently , and keep it alwaies before their eyes and on their hearts , and to govern according to it , and make it the chief work of their office to promote the obedience of it . § 5. moses was more the mediator between god , as legislator , and the people than aaron was , and was better acquainted with the law , and the meaning of it , than aaron was : it was he that is called king in jesurun : and god instituted a prophetical succession of such , which the israelites sinned in changing for kings : a prophet shall the lord your god raise up to you like to me , him shall you hear ] tho' it meant christ remotely and eminently , it meant his successors proximately . joshua was commanded the study of god's law : and david and solomon are undeniable instances to prove that kings were by god appointed to be more wise and holy persons than the priests . and indeed if kings be not better skill'd in god's word than most of the popish priests are , no wonder if they be the subjects of priests , and be lightly esteemed as unmeet to govern ; especially if mr. dodwell's doctrine were true , that [ the essential work of the ministry , according to my principles is to transact between god and man ; to seal covenants on behalf of god , and to accept of those which are made by men ; and to oblige them to perform their part of the covenant by otherwise authoritatively excluding them from god's part . hence results the whole power of ecclesiastical government : and for this no great gifts and abilities are essential . all the skill that is requisite essentially , is only in general to know the benefits to be performed on god's part , and the duties to be performed on man's , and the nature and obligation of covenants in general , and the particular solemnities of ecclesiastical covenants . and of this how any man can be uncapable , who is but capable of understanding the common dealings of the world , &c. ] if it be much more knowledge than this that is commanded to kings and rulers , then are they the more sacred persons , and fitter to be heads of a national church , than such priests are . § 6. bishops or pastors may be the constitutive heads of particular churches , and yet not of national , nor therefore cease as such to be under the government of christian princes ; nor princes thereby be made priests . a school-master , a colledge-master , an hospital-governour , a philosopher , may be the head of his particular society , and yet under a prince that is not of his art. the king is no physicion , and yet ruleth physicions , not as a chief physicion , but by the general government of a king. the masters of sciences and arts ( as such ) govern none but volunteers , and therefore not by the sword : it 's princes that do that . § 7. though moses law , as such , bind not us , nor any , further than christ hath put it into his law , and many things in their policy , are unsuitable to our times and places , and more in their way of worship ; yet the true nature of such a national church as christ did institute , must be known by knowing what the jews church was as national , and how far christ would have continued that form of government , and what change it was that he was for . § 8. 1. christ would not have the jewish nation to retain their peculiarity as distinct from the catholick church , for he came to call the gentile world. 2. he intended not to make jerusalem the seat of a regent church over the rest of the world , as it then was over the jews ; for he knew that it was to be destroyed . 3. he intended not to settle one high priest over the whole catholick church , nor over the national church : for defacto he did it not ; and he knew that the high priest did typifie himself only . 4. he intended not to continue the law of moses as such ; nor its ceremonious worship ; but only so much of it as was of the law of nature common to others ; and so much of the policy as by parity of cases and reason , is suited to others as well as to the jews . § 9. but 1. he offered to be king over them as a holy national kingdom-church . 2. he accordingly appointed the number of twelve and seventy under him , as related to the twelve tribes , and to their great council . 3. he sent these first to work upon them by doctrine and perswasion , his kingdom being a government of love , mercy and free grace , that would have none but volunteers . 4. he gave them laws by which he would govern them , with promises of reward , and threats of penalty . 5. he extended this offered state and priviledge to them and their children . 6. he intended to set up his government in power by christian princes , as soon as his word and providence had ripened the church for it . § 10. i shall prove all this in the next chapter , when i have told you first , that as the papal party hath been set up in their usurpation ( universal and national ) for want of understanding christ's institution of kingdom-churches ; so the separating and dividing part of the nonconformists have by this oversight , run into many hurtful errours , and unpeaceable and unjustifiable ways . 1. how much the very name of a national church is distasted by very many zealous persons through meer ignorance , is too commonly known . 2. and in independents , and too many presbyterians , the custom prevaileth , of calling the exercise of pastoral discipline , by the name of the kingly government of christ , as distinct not only from his prophetical and priestly office , but also from his government by magistrates : as if christ governed not as king , as much and more eminently by princes as by priests , or pastors . 3. and if a man speaketh but what scripture speaketh for christ's government of the churches by magistrates , they call him an erastian : whereas the errour of erastus ( an excellent protestant physicion ) was not his being for the government of princes , but his taking down the power of the keys too much , which was the office of pastors , and making church-communion over-common , and too much denying excommunication : ( of which i have written a peculiar treatise to dr. ludov. molinaeus , shewing the true difference between the power of magistrates and pastors . ) 4. and hence great disorder hath arisen from the undervaluing of the confederacy of all particular churches in the same kingdom ; and from a disobedience to the lawful determinations of princes in church affairs , and even from the causless singularity of every humorous sect , as slighting the concord of the confederate churches ; what abundance of schisms had it prevented ( with their dismal effects ) if men had but retained . a due reverence to church confederacies and concord , and to the christian magistrates power ? which caused the presbyterians in scotland and ireland , so marvelously to keep up concord , and keep out sects , though they were against diocesans , because they maintained national church confederacy . § 11. it may perhaps be useful to others that i here confess my own ignorance and errour , that i once thought that the scots way of a national church confederacy and general assemblies , was but a sadling the horse for papal usurpation to ride upon : for i considered not that national churches truly stated were christ's institution , and the principal way to keep out popery . § 12. and whereas in my defences against dr. stillingsleet and dr. sherlock , i called the christian magistrate an accidental head , and urged them hard to name the essential national church-head ; i spake on supposition of their opinion which i opposed , that bishops only were such essential heads , from whom a national church must be unified and specified : but i still professed to own a national church as a christian kingdom , containing confederate pastoral churches : and of this the soveraign power is the essentiating head. § 13. the names of distinction of civil and ecclesiastical as differencing the office of the christian magistrates and pastors , may be used as well understood ; but is too popish , and used by papists and some others , to obscure and debase christ's government by magistrates , as if they were only for secular uses : whereas indeed in a church as national the prince is the chief ecclesiastical officer of christ . and the true differencing terms are fetcht , not from the subject matter , so much as from the mode of government , one being forcible by the sword , and the other only on conscience by the word , doctrinally opened , and personally applied by the keys . and ruling is called civil , because it is the regiment over cives quâ tales , so it is ecclesiastical as it is over cives quâ christianos , and over particular churches and pastors ; and for souls more than for bodies , and worldly estates . § 14. a national church containeth not all that dwell in the land , but all that are burgesses or free-men in church respects . all be not citizens that dwell in the city ; but they that are denisons , and have city-rights and priviledges . as christ is head over all things , to his church , eph. 1. 23. so a christian king is head over his inhabiting enemies and aliens , and head to all civil denisons as he is a king ; and head to all christian church denisons as he is a christian king. § 15. in what cases subjects may be civil denisons that are not christian denisons , or church members , requireth so many words and cautions to open , that i omit the decision of it : but were a christian kingdom such as it ought to be , none should be a civil burgess with any trust belonging to government , but such as are baptized or professed christians , and are communicating members in some churches or assemblies allowed or tolerated , or that ought to be tolerated . for a kingdom and church as formally christian , should be ruled by none but visible christians . this is true both of magistrates , pastors , and the chusers of of them . but none should for this be forced or drawn to profess christianity , or communicate against their wills , it being a priviledge that none have right to but those that earnestly desired it : nor did the antient churches grant it to any other : nor would so much as receive oblations for maintenance of ministers from others . chap. ii. that christ instituted such a church-form . § 1. that christ instituted such a kingdom or national church , i prove as followeth . 1. he was by the prophets still described as such before his coming , as was to be the king of israel , and israel under him a national church . moses was king in jesurun , deut , 33. 5. and said , a prophet shall the lord your god raise up to you like to me , viz. that was a prophet and king. melchizedeck was the type of christ that was king of salem , and priest , psal . 110. heb. 8. david was herein a type of christ , and christ was promised to sit on his throne , psal . 2. 6. yet have i set my king on my holy hill of sion , ezek. 37. 24. david my servant shall be king over them , and they shall all have one shepherd , &c. my servant david shall be their prince for ever . so v. 27 , 28. so hos . 3. 5. exod. 19. 6. ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests , dan. 2. 44. mark 11. 10. psal . 33. 12. blessed is the nation whose god is the lord. 2. christ is proclaimed the king of the jews , and claimed that title and their subjection to him , matth. 2. 2. & 27. 11. mark 15. 2. he was of the line of david , and had right to his kingdom . he was scorned and crucified for that claim , mat. 27. 29 , 37. mark 15. 9 , 12 , 18 , 26. luke 23. 37. john 19. 21. the people acknowledged him king by their hosanna . he destroyeth them as enemies that would not he should reign over them , luke 19. 14 , 27. 3. he laid the foundation of his offered national kingdom among them : he owned the title , and chose twelve apostles in relation to the twelve tribes ; and the seventy disciples related to their great council : he would preach to none but israel , till they rejected him : he would have gathered all jerusalem and her children as the hen gathereth her chickens ; but they would not , mat. 23. 37. he destroyed them for refusing him . 4. he commissioned his apostles to stay at jerusalem till they rejected them . they made up the broken number of twelve as related to the twelve tribes by matthias , though joses and others had also followed christ . 5. he appointed them to preach the gospel to nations , and to disciple nations , mat. 28. mark 16. 6. he planted the gentiles into the same olive-tree that the jews were broken off from , rom. 11. 7. the jews had not been broken off from their national church-state , but for unbelief , rom. 11. 8. he translated the kingdom from them , to a nation that would bring forth the fruits of it . 9. in due time the kingdoms of the world were made the ringdoms of the lord and of his christ , rev. 11. & 19. 10. kings are to be the churches nursing fathers . 11. all power in heaven and earth is given to christ , mat. 28. and by him kings reign . he is king of kings , and not of single persons only . 12. but what need there any other proof , while all christians confess that all kings are bound to be christian kings , and to promote christianity to their power ; and all magistrates and subjects to be christians : and are not they then bound to be christian kingdoms ; and that is national churches ? § 2. when he had prepared them to be voluntary subjects , by the preaching of the gospel , and the church came to maturity , christ actually set up national kingdom-churches ; and ruled by constantine & successive christian princes : and heaven and earth rejoyced that he had taken to him his great power and reigned , and that the kingdoms of the world were become his kingdoms , rev. 17. & 18. & 19. infancy is fitter for instruction than to govern. man is made to use reason ; but he useth little in infancy , or till maturity . that which was first in intention , is last in execution . mature reason in man , and princely government in kingdom-churches , was first in intention , tho' not in execution . who would wish that pagans had still reigned ? what christian wisheth not that the persians , indians , turks , tartars , &c. were all christian kingdoms ? why else do the millennies hope for such a state of holy government ? § 3. obj. but tho' there be no doubt of the command , institution and duty , what hope have we of the constitution , and event that kingdoms should become christian ? ans . our question is of the institution and duty : confess that , and let us do our endeavour . 2. is not this a christian kingdom , while king and subjects are baptized professed christians ? are we a protestant kingdom , and not a christian kingdom ? and are not others such ? obj. but these be mostly but nominal hypocrite christians . ans . they are visible professed christians . the corn is not without straw and chaff . do you look for kingdoms that consist only of the sincere ? obj. but churches must consist only of those that seem sincere . ans . all seem sincere that profess sincerity , till it be by tryal and witness publickly disproved . there are several degrees of seeming ; some by fuller evidences than others ; but all that vow it , and stand to that vow , do seem and profess it till disproved . obj. but how prove you that a christian kingdom is a church ? ans . doth your question mean de re , or de nomine ? i told you what i mean by a church , no other than a christian kingdom consisting of a christian soveraign , and christian subjects , worshiping god in confederate particular churches ( ordinarily ) will you deny the being or the duty of such ? if it be the name , 1. the word ecclesia is used for even common assemblies , and therefore much more for christian societies . 2. the israelites were called the church in the wilderness ; much more when more fully stablished . 3. if you have any reason against the name , disprove it . 4. if the name be all the difference , call it as you please . but make it not your pretence that only priests are persons holy enough to be heads of churches , and not kings ; and therefore that it is no national church that hath not a clergy head , monarchical or aristocratical ; for that 's the popish doctrine which i have confuted . chap. iii. in the execution , judea was such a church . § 1. in the execution of his institution , christ in the time of constantine , and after , made judea it self a national church as far as a province of the empire may be called a nation . the empire , as christian , headed by one christian soveraign , and materiated by christian subjects obeying christ both singly and in sacred assemblies under their bishops or elders , was all one national church , that is , one christian kingdom , long before promised by christ , and prepared for : but as the emperors allowed some provinces to have subject tributary kings , and others to enjoy most of their antient laws and liberties , so they might secundum quid be called kingdoms and national churches , though they were but provinces and parts of the imperial church . and thus judea became a national church . § 2. it is past question that many kings who had given up their kingdom to the pagan beast , followed the success of constantine , and afterward did give up their power to christ , yet no kingdom was wholly converted at once , nor of many years : but yet while the soveraign power and confederate christian pastors and subjects had the chief power , it was truly a christian kingdom : for the form in capable matter doth denominate . and tho' many heathens were long permitted in government , that doth but prove that the kingdom had two sorts of free subjects ; one sort that were christians , and so were the chief members , who in all matters of religion were exempted from pagan judicatures ; and the other heathens who had a freedom in things secular . § 3. judea then was more eminently christian than any other nation of no greater extent : there were arch bishops , and bishops , and presbyters , and after a patriarch : and there were more monasteries and religious societies , and more temples built there , than in any countrey that was no greater : and more christians flockt thither from other nations out of a veneration for the place : and indeed it was the mother-church out of which all other churches sprang : therefore if any province might be called a national church , it was judea . § 4. this was when the fulness of the gentiles came in ; that is , when the gentile empire turned christian : and so the gentile powers turned christian , provoked the jews to emulation , and requited them by becoming nursing fathers to them , and bringing their glory to jerusalem : and so all israel was saved ; that is , the body of abraham's natural seed , and also the faithful gentiles that were the spiritual seed , were unitedly gathered to christ . § 5. obj. but they were mostly gentiles that then dwelt there : and that proveth no conversion of the jews . ans . the scattered jews were in many countreys of the roman empire : and most of them had neither mind nor means to return to a small and barren land : but as many as were willing and were zealous for their countrey did live there , and none were forbidden : and it is far most probable that the most that were there left , were such as kept their old habitations : and the most that were kill'd were the military part : in the days of constantine , and after their churches flourished : and what greater encouragement could they have now to return , were they converted , than they had ? none would make them go against their wills : if gentile , christians and jews were there mixt , they did the more fitly suit a catholick church-state ; when moses policy and their peculiarity ceased . should they in the feigned fifth monarchy-state , be confined to that countrey , which is like our wales , how contemptible a nation would they be , in comparison of what constantine allowed them , both in judea , and throughout all the empire ? no nation was wholly converted at the first ; and if the christian jews that lost their name , being catholicks , had no great mind to go to judea , it is no wonder . chap. iv. particular churches and pastors how far essential to a national church , and what are its materials . § 1. there is more essential to a national church than the meer formal cause or soveraign : matter is essential as well as form : yet not all parts of the matter neither , though all be parts integral . as in the body , a man cannot be a man without a stomach , liver , and lungs , and heart ; but he may without a finger , or a hand , or leg . § 2. i doubt not but i have proved that the soveraign magistrate is the formal humane head of his kingdom , and as christian of the kingdom as christian : and nothing remaineth disputable but de nomine , whether a christian kingdom must be named a church : which custom , etymology and scripture put past question . our civilians ( such as dr. zouch , dr. rich. cousins , &c. and our lawyers say trulier than most have believed , that the king is persona mixta , & custos utriusque tabulae , and head of the church as a christian kingdom . and for want of knowing this , and the true nature and bounds of his office , how foully many have miscarried , i have shewed . 1. those called erastians , carry it too far , and give the magistrate part of the office of the pastors , even the keys of admission into the church as a church , and of excommunication ; which god hath put into the hand of the pastors , by as immediate a commission , as he hath put the sword into the hand of the magistrate . and by this over-doing they undo : they would ruine the prince on pretence of defending his power : for all authority hath also obligation to duty : and must princes and magistrates be put on the task of trying the faith and repentance of all that are to be baptized , confirmed , absolved or excommunicated ? then they must leave their own calling , for they will here find work enough . this is like the separatists making the people judges , by which they would undo them , calling them from their callings , to take on them a work of which they are uncapable , and about which they will never long agree , and making them responsible to god for all their male-administration : as if the king must not only be governour of physicions , but must be a physicion himself , and give medicines , and be answerable for the patients lives : or must be a schoolmaster because he governeth schoolmasters : and this puts them on a necessity of casting out true discipline , and holding the opinion that sacramental communication should be common to the godly , and the openly wicked , as being a converting ordinance ; and that excommunication is but tyranny . just as those diocesans that will have no bishops but one over a thousand or many score or hundred parishes , by pleading for their sole episcopal power , take on them the sole obligation to episcopal duty , and so make themselves responsible for that work which requireth many hundred men , and under themselves while they undo the churches , and leave all true discipline undone , and mock ( not god , but ) men and themselves with names and ceremonious shadows . 2. and the papal and french prelatists , have by this ignorance , got a fixed false opinion , that , as pastors are the constitutive heads of particular churches , so they must be of national churches , and that every national church must be unified and specified by one clergy soveraignty , in one person , or in a colledge or aristocracy : or else that a christian kingdom is not properly a church ; because it hath not a priestly head. it 's true , that it is not univocally a church of the same species or rank as a pastoral church is , but is more eminently , and as fitly called a church , as israel was . 3. and the independent separatists and anabaptists , for want of understanding this , as i said before , cry down national churches with scorn , and run away from national concord , into endless divisions and sects , while at the same time they pray and wait for national churches in the millennium as the fifth monarchy . and none of them will deny it to be the duty of all kings and kingdoms to be christians ; and so that christian kingdoms are christ's institution and command . § 3. but the soveraign is the judge , what pastors and churches he shall allow and maintain as parts of the national church or kingdom . as the colledge is to judge who is fit to be a physicion , and the patient who shall be his physicion , and the trusted physicion , what medicine he shall give : but the king to judge whom he will allow in his kingdom , and to make laws forbidding poisonous drugs and abuses of physicions . even so the ordainers are judges who are fit to be pastors , and the people whom they will trust their souls with as their pastors , and the trusted pastors to judge what doctrine to preach , and whom to receive to communion , or to excommunicate ; but the king to judge whom he will allow , maintain , or tolerate as members of the christian kingdom or national church . § 4. that all essential parts of a national church , are not the form that denominateth ( as aforesaid ) needs no more proof , than that matter and privation ( by which aristotle meant dispositio materiae receptiva ) are not the form of a natural body : so that confederate pastoral churches are necessary , yea essential matter of a national church or christian kingdom , when it is past being a meer embrio , or unshapen mass , and is come to be a well shapen politick body : till then it is but as the body in the womb , while the punctum saiiens first maketh the heart , eyes , brain and arteries , before it hath made the stomach , liver , lungs and intestines . it is not yet come to shew what christ's institution of a church was . § 5. but our great controversies are , i. who be the organical pastors that must make up a national church . ii. who must be the lay-members of those churches . iii. what that confederacy must be that must unite them . iv. how far the members are bound by that confederacy . and because ignorance hath made these points of so much controversie and consequence , i will open them distinctly . by which i conjecture it will appear , that dr. stillingfleet differed but about the right wording of the definition of a national church . chap. v. of pastors or the bishops of national churches , that they are to be of three ranks . § 1. that pastors are the prime necessary part of the matter of a kingdom-church ( tho' not the unifying form ) is plain in scripture , and in the nature of their office , and of a church . § 2. the independent separatists therefore shew gross ignorance , when they make a meer community unorganized to be a church in sensu politico , and then must have a lay-man that was of the universal church before , to be by the peoples votes chosen a member of that church while it hath no pastor , and then chosen their pastor after . whereas a meer community is no more a political church without a pastor , than a community is a kingdom that hath no king ( individual or collective , existent or virtual . ) or than this can be a school without a schoolmaster , or a family without a head of it . § 3. as nature first formeth by the soul and spirits ex materia seminis , the heart and prime organical parts , and by them formeth all the rest , and last of all formeth the stomach and intestines to be the organs of future nutrition , and then putteth in the nutriment , ( which in the chicken is the yelk of the egg , the bodily stamina being first made of the white ) and then closeth up the before enclosed stomach upon that food ; so christ did first by his calband spirit make some prime organical general or indefinite ministers , and by them make others , fixed in particular churches and offices , and by them edifie and feed , and perfect the body by their official ministration , and fit the people to digest the received food for their continued nutrition . and as the king first maketh general officers for his intended army , and then by them , or immediately commissioneth generals and captains to raise their several regiments and companies , and doth not make the common souldiers before the officers , that are to rule them ; so was it done by christ at the gathering of his church . but when a church is gathered ( or an army raised ) they are not to be dissolved ( or disbanded ) when the pastor ( the captains or generals ) die , but continue in the existent state of a community , and the state of a virtual policy till a pastor ( or ruler ) be chosen , because the legal institution de specie , keeps up a virtual or intentional policy still . § 4. christ's first instituted officers were apostles , and after the inferior official disciples , immediately from himself , to convert souls , and make them fit matter for his kingdom-church ; and these were afterward to gather into distinct regular congregate churches , such as were so converted by their ministry , and to place fixed elders over them . § 5. these twelve apostles and seventy disciples were first instituted in and for a national church state . christ found the jews under a national form , and therefore did not at first change that form , but only changed the laws and ordinances made for their infant state of peculiarity , which he had fulfilled for them , they being but a paedagogy to lead to and till christ . § 6. it 's plain that the number of twelve and seventy were chosen as related to the twelve tribes ( all then in being and known ) and of the sanedrim or great council : and therefore a national form of church-officers , and not yet universal nor congregational . § 7. therefore christ himself would not preach beyond the tribes of israel , nor give the childrens bread to dogs till he was finally rejected by the children of the kingdom , and ' so the kingdom taken from them , and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruits of it . and he forbad his apostles to go among the gentiles , and confined them to the lost sheep of the house of israel . § 8. it is plain that christ would have this just number of twelve kept up in relation to the twelve tribes , till the kingdom was taken from them , because one , and but one was to be chosen in judas room , and so the due number of the twelve to be kept up . this proveth the institution of a disparity of ministers . § 8. the keys of the kingdom were given first to the apostles , before the empowering of the seventy , and that as to distinct superior officers . and the word keys signifieth government , when christ is said to have the keys , it is expounded by his opening and no man shutteth , and shutteth and no man openeth . the government was laid on his shoulders as king and counseller , isa . 9. 6 , 7 , 8. and as his father gave the keys and sent him , so he sent his apostles and gave power to them . § . 9. but there is no doubt but this power called the keys or governing power , extended both to the ordinary and the extraordinary part of the apostles office , and included even such miraculous power as peter executed on ananias and sapphira , and paul on elymas , and which is called giving up to satan , that the flesh may be destroyed , and they may learn not to blaspheme . when there were no christian magistrates , christ made his apostles the executioners of his justice , ( as to sentence , as satan was in executing their sentence ) not when and how they pleased , but as the spirit determined them . § . 10. that the office of the apostles was partly for an ordinary sort of work , to be continued to the end of the world , and partly for the extraordinary work , which ended with them , or is now ceased , is past dispute . 1. the extraordinary work was , 1. to be immediately sent by christs own mouth , and to go upon that mission , and act by that commission , ( in which also the seventy did concur . ) 2. to be the witnesses of what they had seen christ do , and of what they had heard him say . 3. to deliver this to the world by preaching and writing as such first witnesses . 4. to do this under a promise of christ , that he would give them his spirit to bring all things to remembrance , and to lead them infallibly into all truth . 5. to speak the languages which they had never learnt by art or use . 6. to work miracles to confirm their testimony and doctrine ; and to have the gifts of prophecy , healing , &c. in which tho others did partake with them , yet it was but for a time , and not as a standing office and power . 7. to sentence some men ( as aforesaid ) to satans execution . 8. to be the first planters of congregate churches , and ordainers of their pastors or elders , and authorized to institute such orders and subordinate officers , ( deacons , deaconnesses , ) by the inspiration of the holy ghost , as should continue . 9. to be inspired infallible expounders of the prophecies and types of the old testament . and the infallible deciders of controversies . 10. to be instrumental by imposition of hands in giving the extraordinary miraculous gifts of the holy ghost to others . all these are works that god hath made no promise of continuing to the end , and therefore this part of their office ceaseth . § . 11. ii. these following works of the apostles cease not , and therefore in these they have successours to the end . 1. to preach gods word , and publish the gospel by voice or writing . 2. indefinitely to teach and make disciples of all nations , ( tho' they could not universally go to all , yet to go as far as they could , and as they were called . ) 3. to gather churches of the converted , and settle elders over them , and to be chief ( tho' not sole ) agents and guides in ordaining them . 4. to take care and oversight as general pastors of the churches gathered and ordered ; as being not confined to be officers only of this or that single congregation , ( tho' they might also divide their provinces for order sake , and have their most usual habitation fixed . ) 5. to administer the sacraments of baptism and the lords supper where ever they came , as general ministers . 6. to censure or use discipline authoritatively in various churches . 7. to try causes upon appeals from several congregations . 8. to do all this as instituted officers superior to the interior particular fixed elders and churches . all these continue . § . 12. that all these are works to be continued is plain in scripture . 1. the first is common to them with all christs ministers in the office of elders . and so is the fifth . 2. the second must be done by all occasionally and as far as the work of their particular churches will allow ; but that differeth much from doing it as the work of a general officer specially commissioned for such general indefinite work , and tied to no one setled church , save for temporary service . as we use to say , [ that which is every mans work is well done by none , in comparison of that which some are specially appointed to . ] others may do it : these must do it . others will make it their second work , but these their first . 3. the same i say of gathering and setling particular churches : others may do it : these must do it . 4. the fourth is proper to general officers , to take a stated official care and oversight of many churches as confined to no one . others must secondarily take a brotherly care ; but general officers take a fatherly stated care of them as their province or charge . it would be tedious to cite all the texts that mention pauls and barnabas and such others care to preserve and edifie the several churches which they had planted . paul staid at ephesus some years to carry on this edifying setling work : so did john and other apostles in their provinces . this was not to play the bishop in other mens diocess , as it would be in a common pastor if he should intrude without the particular pastors consent ; which yet a general officer may do . 5. the same i say of censuring . 6. and of trying causes officially in various congregations . there is the same reason for these in all ages as there was in the first . 7. and that all this be done as by general officers superior to the particular fixed elders , hath the same reason for it now as it had at the first . all these are works that may still be done ; and therefore must have officers to do them . § 13. that christ intended a setled institution of such disparity of ministers as to the ordinary part of the apostolick office , i prove as followeth . 1. because having found a disparity before in the jewish church , he offered not to repeal it , when he offered to gather all that church to himself , as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings . yea he sent the lepers to the priests and bid men hear them in moses chair ; and owned the disparity . § 14. because he formed a disparity himself , as is aforesaid between the twelve apostles and the seventy , and that in some conformity to the jewish church policy . and tells his apostles that they shall judge the twelve tribes of israel . § 15. because he suiteth his governing laws and discipline much to what he found among the jews . this is evident in mat. 5. where he doth but vindicate the law from the pharisees abuse : and mat. 18. 15. where he formeth his discipline much to their method . and many learned men have proved that the jews baptized proselites before john and christ baptized . and they had the ten commandments before : and selden and others shew that they had a prayer before very like the lords prayer . and grotius sheweth that they had synagogues in every city , even to small numbers , like our parish churches or chappels . and christ submitted to the rulers of the synagogues for his own leave to preach . § 16. i once doubted ( in my dispute of church government ) whether the apostles superiority was not only for their peculiar advantages of knowledge and gifts , rather than a setled superiority of office , and whether any pastors might not do all their ordinary continued work . but ( besides the singularity of that doubt ) i was soon convinced of an official superiority and disparity , not only because a judas had been one , but because the number of twelve in superiority was to be kept up , by the choice of his successor ; even one from among those that had been witnesses of christs words and works as well as he . and by pauls being made a thirteenth apostle when the gospel was to be carried further than to the jews : and his claim of apostolical power and priviledges . § 17. especially because i find christ , mat. 28. 19 , 20. describing the general office as well as the particular , even going into all the world to disciple whole nations , as well as to teach them to observe christs commands , promising to be with them to the end of the world. § 18. and also because it is apparent that preaching the gospel to heathen and infidel nations is a work still to be done , and for want of men purposely appointed to do it , the progress of the gospel hath been wofully stopt ; few doing any thing in it but mr. eliots and a few honest men in new england , and they say some of the dutch , and the jesuits and fryers that do it corruptly . particular church work is below this . § 19. and i am fully confirmed when i find that the apostles themselves setled a general sort of ministers in superiority and general work to succeed them . as christ himself by his spirit made barnabas an apostle , so he gave to his church also evangelists who were general helpers of the apostles , and were put in a state of disparity and superiority . sil as and mark , and luke , and apollos , and many more are named . the texts that mention the general office and superior power of timothy and titus are so well known and oft cited , that it 's needless to repeat them . the charge of setling and overseeing many churches ( as in crete ) and of caution in imposition of hands , receiving accusations , rebuking sharply , ruling them well , ordaining bishops and deacons : and much more the like . i never thought saravia and the kings arguments in the isle of wight well answered . mr. prins and the common answer is , that these were not bishops , but evangelists . i grant it , but that confirmeth me . for the name bishop was then ordinarily appropriated to fixed particular church elders : but our question is not de nomine but de re , an apostle & evangelist were above such bishops . call them apostles ( as dr. hammond proveth that the fathers oft call them ) or call them evangelists , or arch bishops or general bishops or diocesans or provincial bishops , it is not the name that is our controversie . it proveth that the apostles did settle a sort of general overseers to gather and take care of many inferior bishops and churches , to succeed them in the ordinary part of their office. § 20. but another argument fixeth me in this opinion , and that is , that when it is fully proved that christ instituted such a disparity and superiority he that will affirm that this doth not now continue and bind us , must prove the repeal or revocation , or prove that he did make this establishment but for a time , and how long that was . but scripture plainly asserteth that he then appointed the foresaid disparity , and hath any as plainly proved that he repealed it , or confined it to that age ? it is not proved that i have seen . and to assert this without proof is , 1. to make christs institutions to signifie but what mans fancy thinks meet , and make us the masters of his laws , before we will be ruled by them . 2. it is a charging christ with temerity or dishonourable mutability , as instituting one form of church ministry and government for one age , and changing it presently for another . 3. it seemeth a dangerous taking gods name in vain , by affirming such a mutability of him , and change of his laws , without any proof . 4. it defameth the state of his church when it was under persecution , and when heaven and earth after rejoiced in its deliverance , as if all that time it had been corrupt by owning the foresaid disparity . and it 's dangerous presumption to father on god that which he never did , and never owned . § 21. but no doubt but the circumstances of this superior office or degree of ministry , are undetermined by god ( save as by general rules ) and may be altered . as 1. whether there shall be one only or two such general ministers in one and the same diocess or province . christ sent out his preachers by two and two . paul and barnabas , and paul , and silas , and barnabas and mark went out by couples . peter and paul were together at rome . and grotius and dr. hammond think that for the first times , till the christian jews and gentiles became one communion , the great cities ( rome , alexandria , antioch , &c. ) had each two congregate churches , and two bishops ( were it but for language sake . ) and as i think the jewish and gentile christian ministers , during the time of miraculous gifts , ( while no christian magistrates ruled ) were the two witnesses mentioned in the apocalypse , so i conjecture that peter and paul were the radical instances of them . and when two join together it may take off envy from each . yet this is undetermined in scripture and left to humane prudence . if two cannot agree , how will such agree others ? § 22. the scots had at first a general visiter , that was really a general bishop . but the visitors aspiring and abuse changed that way . but i am told that in ulster in ireland each classical synod chuse two grave divines , and send them out to preach in any congregation in that classis , where they see cause . as where there are young raw men , or men suspected of heresy , or men of scandalous fame ; and to admonish and counsel such ; and to tell the people that if they had any thing against their ministers , they should tell them , and they would try them in the classical synod : i think this is real and laudable episcopacy , whatever name it have . § 23. it is also undetermined how large the diocess be of the said general minister ( while he excludeth not inferiors . ) as prudence would teach the apostles to preach in several countreys , and not all in one ( when they left jerusalem . ) so natural reason teacheth men still to divide and know their several provinces . § 24. it is undetermined how long each one shall stay in one city or place : as paul did long at ephesus . § 25. and it is left to prudence how many subordinate pastors and churches there , shall each oversee , so they overthrow not the said subordinate officers and churches . § 26. and it is left to prudence what secular lands or riches they shall have ( called glebe . ) and what secular honour they shall have . as to be barons and lords , or to sit in parliaments , though reason saith that laws about religion and the church affairs , should not be made without the advice of them who are so greatly intrusted with religion ; and yet that their riches should be such as may not be too strong a temptation to sensuality , worldliness , pride and tyrannizing over their brethren . § 27. there are three ranks of bishops : two if not all three of divine institution ; and when any one of the three would suppress the other two , they are corrupted into a sinful tyranny . i. the ordinary presbyters are episcopi gregis , bishops over the flocks : so called and proved not only by grotius ( passim ) but by most papists , and protestants ; specially expositors on phil. 1. and 1 tim. 3. and 1 pet. 5. &c. ii. the churches being first gathered usually under some one pastor , and he taking in the ripest of his converts or disciples to become his assisting presbyters , and to avoid divisions , that one ( or some other ) was chosen to be episcopus praeses , the president bishop of that particular congregate church : as the incumbents in big parishes are with us . and tho i can prove no institution of this but by gods general commands ( of doing all in order , unity and to edification ) yet we have reason to believe that it was begun in the apostles days , if jerom say true about mark at alexandria , who died before john. and i find no party of christians against it of many hundred years , perhaps not of a thousand , for even aerius called it not unlawful : and the novatians , donatists , and other sects were zealous for this sort of episcopacy . iii. and that a superior sort of successors to the apostles and evangelists were of divine institution i have proved before . § 28. the appropriating the name of bishops to this general rank , here called the diocesanes , contrary to scripture and truth , hath proved a mischievous snare for deceit and tyranny . for hereby first our innovators have denied the parish incumbents to be true pastors ; secondly , and the parish churches to be true political churches for want of proper bishops or pastors , but only parts of the diocesan church ; as if that were infimae specei . 3. by this they have made the ignorant laity believe that those ordained by the proestotes , the parochial president bishops , are ordained by no bishops at all , and so must be re-ordained . and 4. they are become the grand enemies of episcopacy , putting down many hundred bishops to set up one alone . and yet perfrictâ fronte have called such as are for more , antiepiscopal and themselves the episcopal party . just as if one schoolmaster or physition , should put down many hundred that he may be the only schoolmaster and physition , or one judge put down all the justices and mayors , and then impudently say that they are against physitions , schoolmasters and justices , and he only is for them . but who can expect truth or modesty from ungodly , worldly , proud , tyrannical men. tho it is not the name that is our controversie ; i allow them the name of diocesanes . yet abuse of names hath been of mischievous effects . § 29. such diocesane or general bishops as put down all the particular fixed bishops and churches , are not only no sort of bishops of christs institution , but are pernicious enemies to episcopacy and the churches . as nominal apostles would have been had they put down all the particular churches and bishops which they should oversee ; or a general commander that would put down all the collonels and captains . § 30. to refuse to be ordained by such usurping enemies , and to disown them , is not to refuse true episcopacy . § 31. if these usurping bishops would swear men to obey them , and refuse to ordain any that will not assent , consent , subscribe or covenant , to sin against god by omission or commission , especially many great and hainous sins , he that refuseth such ordination may truly say , he could not be so ordained ; the bishop was the refuser and not he : and he hath better ordination that is ordained by parish bishops on lawful terms . § 32. yet if the christian prince make a true diocesan that putteth not down the parish churches , to be of the quorums , and have a negative voice in ordinations , of such as he will own and maintain ; i think none should scruple submission : for while diocesans are good men , it seemeth to be a way safe and orderly . § 33. there are two degrees of deposing the parish pastors : i. when somewhat essential to their office it self is denied de specie . ( as mr. dodwell would have the office made and specified by the will and intention of the ordainer . ) this only the innovaters are guilty of . ii. when the essentials of the office are owned , but the exercise sinfully restrained . this the old english canons and bishops were guilty of . but it unhappily was by fitting their canons to the state of the parish priests that came newly out of popery , and were by ignorance and errour unfit for their office and work. but of all this i treated with unquestionable evidence of truth in my treatise of episcopacy , which is yet unanswered . § 34. those that only abusively restrain the parish pastors in the exercise of their offices , and are but misgoverning diocesans , may yet be owned as true ministers de specie tho we must not own their sinful misgovernment : but those that destroy the very office of the parish pastors in any essential part , and their churches , are no true ministers of christ de specie , nor to be owned as such while they will be the sole pastors of many hundred congregations . § 35. how came this general episcopacy that was to gather and fix churches to be so much ceased ? a. 1. by the difficulty and costliness of the work of apostolick travels and labours : ministers chose the easier state of a fixed particular ministry . 2. the particular bishops living among heathens , found work enough on those within their reach , and so by degrees conjoined the two offices of general and particular episcopacy into one . 3. and when the heathen near them were converted , ambition drew them to enlarge their particular churches into one diocesan church , instead of gathering the new swarms into a new hive , under a true particular bishop . and thus satan hath by subtilty , reduced the churches to be too like to the heathen world , by killing religion , and turning it into hypocritical ceremony and meer names , while one bishop will needs undertake the work of many score or hundreds , which he cannot possibly perform . § 36. q. how prove you that the largeness of the diocess altereth the species of episcopacy and churches ? a. it doth not at all if it put not down the subordinate parish pastors and churches ; but if it turn them into half-pastors and chappels , by destroying their essence it is easily proved : because it is two sorts of communion that specifie the two sorts of churches and pastors . the lowest particular sort is for presential personal communion , of such as may personally converse and may know each other , and may at least sometime assemble for such communion : but national , provincial or diocesane communion is but by distant agreement in the same profession , among persons perhaps many hundred miles distant that never see each other . and the ministerial work doth accordingly differ . dr. hammond maintaineth that in scripture times there were no bishops that had any more than a congregation to whom he preached and personally officiated . chap. vi. who must be the lay-members of national churches . § 1. infidels and heathens may be free members of a kingdom as a kingdom , and in a kingdom as christians may be tolerated when they cannot be cured ; and may be used as inferior officers in such secular affairs as they are capable of . but a christian kingdom and church as such , consisteth of no denisons , burgesses or men free and empowered in matters of religion , but only such as are baptized or openly professed christians ( and their children ) and are not proved to have nullified that profession by heresie or such sin as rendreth their profession incredible and invalid . and all these baptized visible christians must be taken for such members . § 2. where the essentials of christianity are visibly professed there may be a great difference of members in gifts and soundness . some may be eminently laudable and useful , and some may be so faulty as are fit for rebuke and punishment , and yet all members . § 3. the priviledges of some that are not disfranchised or excommunicate , may yet be suspended while they are under trial . for as nothing but capital crimes or excommunication for impenitence after due admonition doth cut them off , so while they have rendered this justly questionable , just legal tryal must needs suspend their questioned right , till judgment decide it , whether they be impenitent or not , or their crime be capital . § 4. in the jewish state , many hainous sins were to be punished with death . as murder , blasphemy , worshiping false gods , drawing men from the true god , cursing parents , willful , and obstinate gluttony , and drunkenness , and debauchery after parents patient endeavours to reform them , adultery , incest , sodomy , some perjuries . and dead men can be no church members on earth : therefore this death for sin was an excommunication and more . therefore they that plead that any such should be tolerated because the jews were often such and not excommunicated , is to plead the example of criminals against the express letter of the law , and argue à facto prohibito contra legem prohibentem . and whether mr. galaspi and others have proved any more than church-suspension against any but those that were to be put to death , i leave the reader to consider . § 5. it is a controversie , whether the church be in the common wealth ( or kingdom ) or the common wealth in the church : and the former is by most asserted . ans . 1. under infidel or heathen kings that are out of the church themselves , the church is in the common wealth . 2. and under christian kings or other soveraigns , the particular churches are in the common wealth as parts in the whole . 3. and as the common wealth is taken so largely as to comprehend pagans in inferior magistracy ( as in the days of the first christian emperors ; there the church is in the common wealth . but take the common wealth as meerly and truly christian , and it is the same thing with the national church , and one is not in the other , being but two names for one thing . § 6. the appropriating the name of the church to the clergy as distinct from the laity , is the plot or part of popish tyranny and fallacy : implying falsly that the national church must be specified and unified by a priestly head , monarchical or aristocratical ; and that a king is not a person sacred enough to be the supream head in his own national church ; nor the people holy enough to be its materials : as if lords , commons , citizens and other lay christians were no parts of the church , when great magistrates are nobler parts than a multitude of ignorant vicious curates and priests . § 7. from this cheat they have claimed the sole power as of divine right , of making canons that shall be obliging laws , and of being the sole determiners of religious cases . too many presbyterians , and independants are for this clergy claim , calling only the ministers work , the exercise of christs kingly office. but the frenchified prelatists much more . § 8. hence is the common sence and abuse of the distinction of civil and ecclesiastical government ; intimating that kings are not to govern the church , not meddle beyond civil and secular concerns . but of this before . § 9. the power of the sword or force , belongeth only to the magistrate to be used by him as judge and not as the clergies lictor or executioner , the bishops and clergy have no forcing sword power unless the king give it them : for which mostly they are unmeet having proper work enough of their own : tho some cases may be excepted . chap. vii . what is the confederacy or concord needful to a national church . § 1. affirmatively . 1. a baptismal confederacy , to be all the true subjects of one god , one christ and holy ghost , against the devil , world and flesh . § 2. 2. a consent to live as christians in love to one another ; and to addict our selves to the good of one another , specially to the welfare of the whole body , and to do as we would ( justly ) be done by . § 3. 3. to be all the loyal subjects of one christian soveraigns power . § 4. 4. to be all for the publick worshiping of god and our redeemer in christian assemblies , guided and ruled by christian pastors ( or bishops ) qualified and described by christ in his word the instituter of the pastoral office , and not of any new sort of humane ministry , or uncapable persons that are wanting in any thing essential to the office. § 5. 5. to take the sacred scripture for the word of god , and the sufficent rule of divine faith and holy living ; and to profess an explicite belief of the creed as it was transmitted to us from the apostolick churches , and to take the lords prayer for the summary rule of our desires and hopes ; and the decalogue as owned and expounded by christ , for the summary rule of our obedience , with the sacraments instituted by him . § 6. 6. to profess obedience to true authority in parents , magistrates and pastors and all true governours , so far as they are empowered by god , and to obey god above all , and no men against him and his laws . and rulers to profess to obey god , and rule as his ministers for the common welfare and to promote the obedience of gods laws . § 7. 7. for magistrates , pastors and parents , to profess their endeavour to promote the true preaching of the gospel , and the transmitting of it in purity to posterity , and to encourage and not unjustly forbid or hinder the publication and practice of it . § 8. negatively , 1. it is not meet that this confederacy so appropriate the body of the national church , to any one party or sect though it should be ( or thought to be ) sounder or better than the rest , excluding any that have all the necessaries before named , though they have many tolerable errors and imperfections . § 9. it is not lawful to make things unnecessary to be taken or used as necessary to the national church unity . nor to make snares and impose them by such needless laws , to silence or eject any true and tolerable ministers ; much less the soundest ; imposing things sinful or needless , or that are unfit to be the conditions of unity , and so unavoidably excluding capable conscionable worthy men for want of complying with those terms , is the commonest cause of schism in the christian world , and the effect of ignorance , pride and tyranny , none being more worthy to be excluded than such schismatical excluders , that make the laws that should be the bonds of concord , to be the greatest engines of division . § 10. the present orthodox protestant nonconformists , are as truely members of the church of england , justly so called , as any diocesans or conformists in the land , and if they be not better confuted than hitherto they have been , they may truely be said to be the soundest , most judicious , and most conscionable , and the most peaceable members of this church . and to deny such nonconformists to be true and honourable parts of the church of england , is but such an effect of ignorant arrogance and slanders as is the shame of the speaker , and implieth some dishonourable definition of the said church . and they that make their mutable forms and ceremonies essential to the church , make a ceremony of the church it self , and cannot answer the papists that challenge us to prove its antiquity : our liturgy is not so old as luthers time . as rome by claiming to be the whole church , hath made many think that it is not so much as a part ; so conformists calling themselves the whole church of england , hath tempted many to take them for no part . § 11. but yet unsound and hurtful members may be restrained and corrected , when they are not silenced or cast out : and proving them true parts doth not prove them to be sound parts , or such as must not be rebuked . but tender avoiding sin , by preferring gods law before mans , and founding our concord on christs instituted capable terms , and not on the sand of ensnaring humane impositions , is far from being the mark of unsound members . yet meerly to tolerate them to preach in deep poverty that deserve most encouragement , is not free from injury and schism . chap. viii . how far this confederacy and concord bindeth the members of a national church to conformity to the common sence and practice . § 1 vvhoever is convinced that christian kingdoms or national churches are of christs institution , must needs know that it is the duty of all its members , to do their best to preserve them and promote their welfare as considered in that form ; and not only to seek their own salvation , or the prospering of their particular churches or parties , not only to seek the common good of christians as such in community ; but to keep up the national polity in all lawful things in the way of their several places and callings . for he is unworthy to be a denison in any lawful society , that promoteth not its well faring . § 2. and here it is a grand duty to know the distinct rights of the governing and the governed part . and to know that though they are distinct , they ought not to be opposite but conjunct . a fancy hath been by one of late divulged , that it is a heinous crime to say that the king and people have a separate or separable interest ; so far may rashness precipitate the ignorant : that king and subjects have a distinct interest is past all doubt : that these interests ought not to be opposite or set against each other is also doubtless . and that they are divisible is doubtless ; else they would never fall out about them . and that they are faultily divided : and no doubt but they may and must be divided numerally and notionally , so they be not opposite . § 3. what i say of kings i must say of parents and pastors , and tutors : when the subjects are various and really divided numerically , there the accidents are divers and divided : for the accidents cannot be the same and indivisible that are in various subjects . but the rights of rulers and subjects are diverse ; and the persons or subjects of these rights are diverse and separate in sensu physico : therefore the rights are diverse and physically seperate . § 4. the genus and fixed part of the species being ordained by god himself , the mutable form ( monarchy , aristocracy and mixt , ) and the determination of the person or line is by men , and that is by mutual consent and contract . none can force a man to be king , or pastor against his will. and government is a state of great care and great danger to soul and body : and will any man in his wits undertake it without security to his own interest ? the kings distinct and separate interest , is 1. his own life , to be secured against treason . 2. his honour as gods chief officer , and in a sort representer , which is therefore gods own honour in him . this is made distinct and physically separate ( tho not opposite ) in the fifth commandment . and the doubt whether that commandement be part of the first or second table , or rather partly of each as the cardo utrinsque , doth make it a hard question , what interest is the highest : of which michael hudson hath subtilly treated . the king also hath a distinct interest 3. in his family and personal estate . 4. and in such necessary aid of men and tribute , as may enable him to govern and defend the land : tho the subjects may as proprietors make limiting contracts to secure their own propriety and interest . and the peoples right is in general the common good and safety , and particularly to be defended , and their contracted form of government not overthrown ; nor the kingdom to be given up to a foreign power , or any usurper , much more that none that will execute such papal tyranny as is determined of in the general council at laterane sub innoc. 3. to destroy or exterminate the kingdom unless they would damn their souls by forsaking sound religion ; i say that no such be their king , or potent governour . because regere and perdere are inconsistent : and they who design it and profess their subjection to any power or law or religion that obligeth to it , are to be supposed to be doing it : especially if their preparations shew their purposes , and magistrates be set in power that are under the same obligations : and though a party or person must fly or suffer rather than embroil the kingdom in war or rebellion for their defence ; yet a whole kingdom , cannot be deprived of the right of self defence , unless by gods sentence on their notorious forfeiture of life . § 5. the kings interest is chief in majority , in genere cause efficientis . and the kingdoms chief in meliority , in genere causae finalis , it is false that the king who is singulis major , is universis minor in authority or jure regendi : but it is true that the king tho singulis melior ( melioritate relativd ) is not universis melior ) for finaliter , the king was made for the kingdom , rather than the kingdom for the king : and yet both king and kingdom are made by god and for god ; that is , for his will or pleasure and his glory and honour : and as it is the honour of gods soveraignty , wisdom and justice that is glorified in the magistracy , so even the honour of magistracy is part of the final meliority : as gods love glorified in the common good , is another part of it : and so god is the beginning and the end , and all in all. and this is the rulers interest . § 6. the people have no jus regendi , governing authority to use themselves , or to give to others : so false is the principle of mr. hooker and laud , and many others , that make them the fountain of power . they have the power called strength ( in which a horse excelleth a man ) but not authority . if any nation be democratical it is not because men are born with any right to political government , but only to private self-government . but because contract hath so ordered the form of government . and indeed tho a city may be democratically governed , i know not how any great nation can possibly be so : so that i think there is scarce any true democracy in the world. for to chuse governours is not to govern : and those that by the people are chosen are an aristocracy . rome was not all the roman empire : what right then had the populus romanus to govern the empire ? this was not like democracy , where the majority of the whole body governs . the same i may say of venice as they govern all that are under them . it is truely an aristocracy . § 7. mankind is by dullness and sloth , so far drowned in ignorance , that the great concerns of souls , bodies and kingdoms are disordered and almost hopelesly confounded by the ignorance of those that will be the rulers of them . i. soul matters and church matters are ravelled by ignorant proud self-conceited priests , and have been so above 1300 years : the things of religion being mysterious , and students dull and impatient of hard study . ii. the diseases and concerns of the body are so abstruse , that if among one thousand that practise physick there be ten that do not kill any of their patients , they escape well that escape their hands : all the neighbours about us hurt us not , because we trust them not : but physicions kill far more than enemies . iii. and i would it were not so with politicians , who will be the determiners of the affairs of kingdoms and churches : where an error may be pernicious to the society and nation . the best politician that ever i knew was wont to lament , that lawyers and divines usually studied what the law of the land saith , and what gods law saith , and never well studied what a law in genere is , what government and the several causes of it are , and being ignorant in political doctrine , understand not the words or things that they talk of : and all through uncapableness and sloth . § 8. how commonly do such dispute the foresaid case , whether the prince or people be the chief , without distinguishing majority and meliority ? how oft do they speak of their different right , without distinguishing , separate or distinct from opposite ? how oft do they falsly tell us that the people are the fountain of power ? and how oft do they tell us that government ( monarchical or aristocratical ) are a meer trust , and rulers only the peoples trustees , without distinguishing what is of god in it , and what is of man , and what trust god committeth to them , and what men commit ? and what power people have by nature , and what by contract . § 9. i have oft proved that political government of societies , is so far different from self-government , that it is not the contribution of the self-governing power of individuals given up to one , that maketh political power . it 's fully proved , 1. in that god is the prime soveraign , from whom all power is given . there is no power but of god. 2. and god hath gone before man , and hath instituted government himself , by the law of nature and of scripture , and hath not staid for man to do it ? how can man be the fountain of that which god hath instituted before him ? he hath not left man to his own choice whether he will have government or not ; but hath prevented him by the obligations of necessity and command . 3. and god hath made universal political laws , for societies and legislation is the first part of government . 4. and he maketh rulers as his ministers and instituteth their office in specie to be for the promoting of obedience to his own law and for his glory and the common good : so that it is of gods institution i. that there be humane governors as gods officers . ii. that finally they be for his glory , and the common welfare . iii. and that materially they take god's laws for the prime laws of their government : as that they punish sins against the ten commandments , according to their weight : and thus far they are god's trustees . and if the people forbid any of this , it is but nullity and rebellion against god. but the people are proprietors , and may limit the ruler in the dispose of their propriety : and they have the choice of the person , or line , and family that shall rule them ; who it shall be , and whether one , or many , or how many : for these and other circumstances god hath not previously determined , ( save that his providence making some one by conquest or strength to be only able to rule and protect them , imposeth on them a necessity of consenting to that one. ) and in these things the ruler is the trustee of the people , but not in the former ; so that in the prime essential parts of power the people are but the objects , and the king is to them ( in different degrees ) the trustee of god for the people , as the shepherd is his masters trustee for the sheep , and not the trustee of the sheep . the same i say of true pastors of the churches : god hath specified their office , tho' the people may circumstantiate it . § 10. princes having the power of legislation even about the undetermined circumstances of religion , as well as things secular , and also to enforce obedience to god's laws , all subjects are bound to obey them herein ; yea tho' they so far mistake as to chuse the circumstances that might have been better chosen , if they command not sin : for who doth any thing so well but it might have been done better ? for instance , should they chuse a tolerable , but less perfect version and meeter of psalms , or translation of scripture , or form of publick worship , or time , place , utensils , ministers , &c. concord in those otherwise not the best , may be better and a greater duty , than for better to be singular , disobedient and dividers , or the encouragers of other mens singularity and divisions . § 11. if there were no law or mandate of the prince for such concord as aforesaid ; yet because a national church should have the comfort , beauty and strength of as much concord as can be attained without greater hurt than it will compensate ; all the members of it ought to study the maintenance of such unity , concord and harmony ; and if the pastors and churches agree on any such lawful circumstances , to comply and conform to such agreement ; and to shun affected causless singularity . in such cases augustine rightly resolved to do as the church did where he came : it being a disturbing discord , for one man to be odd against a lawful custom without cause . as for instance , if one would affect to be covered with his hat at prayer or psalmody when the rest are uncovered ; or to use a gesture contrary to all the rest . conformity in things lawful , beseemeth them that profess themselves members of such national churches as consist of united confederate congregations . § 12. but if on pretence of concord or confederacy , yea or laws , any would tyrannically impose sinful things , or else make things lawful so much more necessary than in themselves they are , as to become the necessary conditions of union or communion , excommunicating , persecuting , or unchurching all that differ from them , and appropriating national church membership only to those that obey such ensnaring canons or agreements ; it is not lawful to own or countenance such usurpation and tyranny , nor to deny those that they deny or condemn , to be true parts of the national church : it being only concord in things essential that is necessary to the essence , and concord in parts integral that is necessary to integrity , and concord in convenient accidents that is necessary to the accidental comeliness of the church . and contrarily , concord against essentials nullifieth a church , and discord against essentials nullifieth a member ; and want of integrals rendereth it maimed ; and want of due accidents uncomely ; and ill accidents ( in concord or discord , ) partly scabbed and less beautiful . § 13. i earnestly entreat therefore all sober christians to take heed lest the secret desire of seeming more pious or tender conscienced than other godly people , and of getting applause for such tenderness , and of being reputed stricter than others , should tempt them into opinions or practices of unnecessary distance , singularity and division . pride is a deep rooted sin in nature ; and it maketh our reputation with the stricter people , oft to become a selfish interest , as strong as riches and wordly preferments are with the looser sort of men : and it maketh it to such as hard to undergo the sharp censures of the censorious , and to bear the imputation of want of piety and conscience , as to undergo imprisonment and want . and hereby , young ignorant apprentice lads and women , being usually the most censorious , such become the real governours of their pastors , and of the church ; especially if persecution also cast them for a livelihood on the peoples charity : and so it seemeth to make it the controversie , whether the churches and pastors should be governed by bishops , or by censorious women and boys . satan hath more baits to angle with than one ; and more than one way of deceiving . those that are above the sordid bait of riches or preferment , or great mens favour , may yet be overcome by the over-valuing the love and praise of a sect , or of mistaken religious persons ; especially in a time when the clergy is grown infamous and contemptible by ignorance , worldliness , or malignity , and it is become a disgrace to be numbred with them . § 14. but satan hath taught no small part of our academick students and our clergy , a way to frustrate all that i have said , by accusations against my self , as if it were sufficient to turn all into scorn , if they could charge any sin on my person , or by impudent falshoods either feign me to contradict my self , or if they do the work of the father of lies by his proper act and imitation . on one side i am daily reviled by the separatists and antinomians , as over-conformable . on the other side i am reviled for non-conformity , and told , that my practice is contrary to all that i write and preach for peace : and it is answer enough for them to calumniate , and say that i condemn my self , as if this did justifie , both extreams in their impenitent persevering in enmity to peace . § 15. to mr. long therefore , and such other calumniators , who instead of a rational confutation of my arguments , answer by accusing me as of a contradicting unpeaceable life . i say , 1. one would think with men that have any pretence to reason , honesty or honour , it should be easie to know that when the controversie is , about church-government , oaths , subscriptions , ministration , what i am is nothing to the question in hand . if they take me for as errant a knave or rogue as judge jeffreys or mr. long have pronounced me , what 's this to the common cause of truth and peace ? 2. if my forty five years labour for peace , my forbearing these thirty years to gather any church , my communion with my parish-church in liturgy and sacrament ( kneeling at the altar ) all my writings against schism and separation , and for the reconciling of word-warriours , my quiet submission to their oft imprisoning me , and seizing on , and selling all my goods , bed and books , as for preaching when i was twenty miles off , and for such occasional sermons as the lord chief justice sanders , and the new lord chief justice polixfen gave not under their hands that i was authorized to preach , by the bishops license not revoked nor forfeit , and all this by sir james smith , and sir james butlers warrants , who neither of them ever told me who accused me , nor ever called me to speak for my self ; if the like warrant before by sir thomas davis ; if my imprisonment before by justice rosse and philips ; if my being tost from session to session , and bound in six hundred pound to the behaviour by justices that openly declared they had nothing against me , but took me for innocent ; if my banishment out of the county , and five miles from all corporations ; if my attendance at judge jeffreys bar in daily pain , to hear my self reviled , being forbidden to speak a word for my self , and the lawyers reviled and threatned that spake for me ; if my confinement in the kings bench prison for near two years , and a great deal more such usage , after they had in 1661. offered me a bishoprick , and sworn me to be the king's chaplain in ordinary : and after bishop morley had silenced me , and published a letter of palpable falshoods against me , which i answered , and for peace laid it by these 28 years ; i say , if all this prove me unpeaceable , and them peaceable ; and if my concessions in my english non-conformity do the same in the judgment of these accusers , the lord be judge . chap. ix . that christ hath instituted no true ecclesiastical government in man , of any larger extent than national , much less universal ; nor of foreign jurisdiction : and that the french pretended aristocracy , with the popes primacy and patriarchate , is as bad or worse than papal monarchy . § 1. popery and clergy usurpation which have corrupted , and broken and confounded the christian churches , on pretence of government , unity and order , have risen out of the ruines of christian magistracy : the true unifying heads of christian kingdoms and national churches , being deposed by the pope and clergy , their power hath faln into the hands of the deposers . § 2. the means by which this was accomplished were these . 1. when there was no christian magistracy , the christians by voluntary consent , to avoid pagan tribunals , made their bishops their chosen arbitrators to decide their differences . and constantine finding them in possession of it , and having no lay-men so wise , and good , and meet , continued them in it ; yet without the power of the sword. 2. the pious christians were desirous that their own freely chosen pastors should rule them , having no others so fit . 3. the princes were so taken up with wars , and secular things , that they had no leisure to mind it . 4. princes and rulers grew so ignorant , wicked and debaucht , that themselves and all others almost thought them unmeet for such holy work . they neglected the study of the word of god , which should have made them wise . 5. the clergy not only took the advantage of the ignorance and viciousness of princes , but cherished them herein , and told them scripture and holy work , were for the priests and not for princes . 6. they debased and prophaned the order of magistrates , falsly pretending , that their office was but for the body , &c. for worldly peace , and the office of priests only was for the soul. 7. they by degrees turned the communion and concord of several foreign churches and nations , into one government over all . 8. when the roman empire was broken into many kingdoms , the national pretence of the pope or councils could reach but to some one of them ; and so the pope slightly pretended to all , and turned the imperial universality , into a terrestrial universality , and the roman world into the whole world , or else they had fallen . 9. in all this they took the advantage of the ignorance of princes and lords . 10. and of the wars and enmity against each other striking in with the side that was likest to advance them . § 2. to this day popery is upheld by the same means by which it was set up ; especially by the ignorance , ungodliness , and slothfulness of kings and lords : did they exceed the clergy as much as moses , joshua , david , solomon , jehosaphat , hezekiah , josiah , nehemiah , zorobbabel , did the priests , and as much as the heathen emperors , titus , trajan , adrian , antoninus pius , antoninus philosophus , alexander severus , &c. did their priests , they would be honoured above the priests as they were : the emperors then were thought fit to be pontifices maximi ; and as in the times of the ancient family-power , an abraham , an isaac , and a jacob , and a job , and a melchizedeck , were thought fit to have the highest government in matters of religion , so would it be still . and a samuel would be prophet , and king. but as god will honour those that honour him , so those that despise him shall be lightly esteemed . § 3. the true way therefore to put down popery , is for the prince and magistrates to claim their proper power ( yet not to usurp the priesthood ) and to study , love , and practise the law of god , and take their power and laws to be only and meerly subservient to the power and laws of god : and to strive to understand these so clearly , as to be able to judge sound preachers from unsound , and to know whom to countenance , whom to tolerate , and whom to suppress . it is kings that have set up popes , by putting down themselves , and popes have set in to pull them down , to set up themselves : and it is kings that must pull down popes by reassuming their own power and work ; and that must be by becoming fit for it . § 4. that prince who granteth that his office is but for the body , and for secular ends , and the priests only for the soul , inviteth all his subjects to honour every priest before him , and to account him base as worldly things are to be accounted as dung in comparison of the things of the spirit and eternity : yea every good christian who is commanded to exhort each other daily , and to comfort one another with the remembrance that we shall be for ever with the lord , would be far more honourable than a king ; as the soul is above the body , and heaven better than earth . § 5. he is not worthy of parental honour from his children , that careth only for their bodies , and seeketh not to make them the children of god , and the heirs of heaven , and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the lord : and if princes be below the work of parents , they are below their honour : and if they will not be included in the work of the fifth commandment , how can men give them the honour of that commandment . § 6. they that will have a universal prelate or council to govern the matters of religion through all the world because of the unskilfulness of kings and magistrates should in reason , also be willing on the same grounds to have an universal king or parliament to govern all kings , because some are ignorant or slothful ; or an universal physicion , philosopher or schoolmaster . § 7. god hath given the world often such counsellors and such judges , as have been fit to judge in matters of religion , and to judge bishops and preachers : why else do our laws subject them to kings and judges ? had all lands but such judges as through gods mercy england hath now , or such as were sir matthew hale , and divers others in our age , and such counsellors as queen elizabeth had for the most part , or such lawyers as france it self hath had , and the palatinate , and holland , it would convince the world that laymen may be fit to judge the clergy , even in matters of religion . and why may not princes attain as much wisdom and honesty as their counsellors and judges ? the christian nations have been more beholden to a constantine , jovian , valentinian , theodosius senior , theodosius junior , marcian , leo , anastasius , and many other such ; and spain to recaredus , and divers of his successors , and france to carolus mag. ludov. pius ( save their compliance with the pope ) than to any bishops or councils , even for reformation , against heresies and clergies sins . chap. x. whether an universal church-government be of apostolick succession in the continued parts of their office ? § 1. though those that take it for mutability and backsliding to change their judgments after that the school , or their leaders or interest hath once fixed them , do censure me for changing and repenting , that temptation shall not prevail with me , to deny learning and repenting , till i know at what age we must fix our ne ultra , or who be the teachers that we must believe as infallible , while we dispute against humane as well as papal infallibility . § 2. i therefore penitently confess that i was long aversly suspicious of national churches , and national church-goververnours , because i could not see how those that held these could confute popery : for i thought that by the same reason that presbyters must have bishops over them , and bishops , arch-bishops , and they metropolitans or patriarchs ; these also must have some body over them , to ordain them , and to govern them . and because i denied the latter , i denied also the former , and thought episcopacy would infer popery . § 3. and lest any should fall by the like temptation , and papists should plead my principles as for them , or should infer that if national churches and prelacy be jure divino , universal church soveraignty is so also , i shall here tell those that may have the like temptations , how i escaped this : and i will add the rest of the difficulties that ever seemed to me to be of considerable weight to tempt an impartial man to popery , and tell the less studied how to answer them better than the most can do . § 4. i have long known that popery doth not essentially consist in the other errours about doctrine or worship , as images , praying to saints and angels , masses , relicts , merits , justification , free-will , purgatory , transubstantiation , &c. if a greek , or armenian , or abassine , hold these and no more , he is not therefore a papist . you may call them integral parts of popery if you will , but not essential . the essence is only the opinion of universal humane church soveraignty , and a church universal unified and formally constituted thereby . § 5. this is considerable , 1. quoad rationem rei ; 2. and quoad rationem nominis . 1. as to the thing , it is such a soveraignty feigned , whether in a monarchy , aristocracy , or any mixt or other form , as being an usurpation of christ's office , and making a vice-christ , which is an antichrist . 2. as to the name , it is called popery from them that place this soveraignty in the roman pope ( though it would be the same thing , if they placed it in the bishop of constantinople . ) § 6. of these there are three sorts of papists : 1. some place it in the pope alone : 2. some in the pope and a general council or clergy agreeing : 3. and some in a general council , the pope being only principium unitatis , as having the primam sedem , priviledged ordinarily to call them , and moderate . and in the intervals of such councils , in an aristocratical colledge of all the bishops in the world , governing per literas formatas : this last as most irrational i have at large confuted : it is the other two that deserve further confutation . § 7. and seeing it is the summa potestas , or soveraignty that is the unifying and denominating form of a political society , it clearly followeth that those that now go under the name of papists or roman catholicks , are indeed of three distinct sort of churches , and not as they pretend of one. but names not understood delude the ignorant , saying it is but one church , maketh it not one. § 8. they uncharitably and very hurtfully mistake , 1. who say that popery essentially began when god and constantine exalted the bishops , and pride in many abused that mercy . 2. and they that say it essentially began when image-worship began . 3. and they that date it from the assumed name of universal bishop , or head of the universal church ( which leo i. assumed and phocas gave boniface ) as long as they meant not the universal church on all the earth , but only the universal in the empire , which was long meant . § 9. now among all temptations to popery , i never found any of difficult weight but these . i. the apostolical office continueth in its ordinary continued part and work. but universal church government is an ordinary continued part and work of the apostolick office. ergo universal church-government ( continueth ) ( that is , de jure divino . ) ii. the superiority of one national church government is jure divino . ergo , so is the superiority of an universal church government . iii. the roman policy seemeth greatly advantageous for the preservation , honour and propagation of christianity in the world , and hath much upheld it . iv. the scandalous divisions of the reformed and other churches , are so dishonourable and weakening , and dangerous to christianity , as seemeth to make the roman policy and unity necessary . v. the errors of the protestants in their opposition to popery , are so many and gross , and their unjust accusations of the papists so palpable , especially their exposition of the revelation so partial , erroneous and hostile as seemeth much to make their cause more suspected than the papists . § 10. these reasons which prevailed with such great men as erasmus , cassander , grotius , and many others , need a more accurate answer than most protestants are prepared to give , which we should find were the papists by liberty of religion let loose to open disputes among us : i have tryed some judicious ministers with the first of these , and have had but such answers as are defective and insufficient . § 11. the answer which satisfieth me is this . we must distinguish , 1. the apostles power as promulgators of christs law , and a legislative power to make laws of their own . 2. between a legislative and a judicial and executive power . 3. between an universal and an indefinite power and exercise . 4. between a power to be used personally , disjunct , each one his part in his own province , and a power in many conjunct making one political person or supreme , as in an aristocracy . 5. between proper regiment , where authorit as imperantis is the formal object of the subjects obedience ; and contract or consent for brotherly agreement and communion . and so between a confederacy and a political society ; and between inequality in teachers and perswaders , and inequality in commanders . § 12. this much presupposed , we must enquire what the apostles power was , that we may know how much of it is continued as ordinary . and , i. names used by christ and the holy ghost , were not useless to the notifying of the things signified by them . and apostolus signified much more than episcopus . to be an apostle was by christs own mouth , or special revelation from heaven , to be one sent indefinitely to be his special witness and messenger to publish his gospel to infidels , and work miracles to confirm it , and gather churches hereby . but a bishop as such had not this mission and power . § 13. ii. the apostles power to speak of christ , his words and works as eye and ear-witnesses , is not continued to successors ; no more than the confirming power of miracles . § 14. iii. the number of twelve and seventy two were a national form fitted to the jewish state , and not an universal : and this national form went before that part of the apostles work and power , which was to be universal or indefinite . § 15. iv. the apostles made no universal laws of their own , but only promulgated the laws of christ ; which by his word and spirit he taught them : and to that end , he promised and gave them his spirit to lead them into all truth , and bring all to their remembrance ; and they were sent to all nations ( indefinitely ) to convert them and baptize them , and to teach them to observe all things that christ had commanded them . the cryer is not the law-maker , though he proclaim the law. the obligations to infant-baptism and the lords day , alledged by some as apostolical laws , are from christ himself ( as i have proved elsewhere at large ) the apostles being authorized witnesses and promulgators . and had they done it by the extraordinary promised spirit , it had so been christs own law-giving ; no other having that promise of the spirit to make a new word of god , or universal law , by bringing all his commands to remembrance , and leading them into all truth . the determinations , acts 15. were also the delivery of the law of christ , the holy ghost giving them the certain understanding of it : and it 's like that as two of the four cases ( fornication and idol-communion ) were of known morality , so the other two ( strangled and blood-eating ) if not so , were not of universal obligation ; but only to those gentiles that lived among the offended jews . the like may be said about the institution of deacons , and bishops of single churches : if they did not institute them as in christs name , by his command or spirit , but had authority from him to do it as apostles . it was under the promise of the spirits infallible guidance , and a temporary work , in which they have no successors : for christs church would never be formed , nor his laws and word setled perfect , if we must have men in all ages , to add to his church ordinances and officers , and to make him new laws and a new word : how big would his bible be then at the last ? why have no new scriptures as his been so made these 1600 years . i hope our volumes of councils will not go for such . § 16. v. the occasional determination of questions about mutable circumstances ( as long hair , the vails , the love-feasts , the time of collections for charity , and divers such were not universal but local , and not of immutable but occasional mutable obligation ; and were but such as national and congregational governors may determine , without any universal supreme power . the genus or rule by which they must be determined ( edification , love , concord , peace , decency , order , ) being gods laws . § 17. vi. there is great difference between what the apostles did as segregate or dis-junct each one in his province , and what they did as an aristocratical person or college unitedly . they ordained elders , gave the holy ghost , setled churches , decided controversies , wrote books and epistles , singly each one in his province , and met not to write any one book or epistle by a major college-vote in one body . and though their books now oblige all the church that have them , yet , 1. at the first writing they obliged only the churches or persons to whom they were written , and only after by parity of reason bind others that have them . and every ordinary pastor that writeth a book that is sound divinity , bringeth an obligation on all that read it , to obey it according to the evidence of truth . the obligation of the apostles books and theirs , is extensively , indefinite or universal to all that read or hear it : but the degree of the obligation intensively is greater from the apostles writings , because of their extraordinary spirit . § 18. vii . the decision , acts 15. was not by a general council nor a pope ; no such council was called : but they were sent and appealed to , as men of most infallible fitness to decide that case ; and if they did it as a college , it was only as a national church college , such as de formâ the jews nation had , in which relation they were first setled : for as twelve they were only so related ; others being added to be sent with them to the centiles . and besides and after that , we never read that they did any thing but in their separate provinces and personal capacity . § 10 viii . and as they never did as an universal aristocratical college , by vote make new universal laws to the church , much less by any ordinary continued power , so neither did they as such a college , exercise judicial or executive power , but did it in their single capacities only in their proper provinces ; and that was partly by an ordinary power ( of reproof and excommunication ) which continueth ; and partly by an extraordinary miraculous power , of delivering to satan for corporal punishment , which power is ceased with them ( tho' papists in a mock-imitation , deliver the excommunicate to the secular powers , to be kill'd , as if these were devils . ) as for the universal laws that tell whom to excommunicate , they are christs own laws , and rules of judgment : to which if men may add the like , no wonder if they make sin and heresie as they please , and excommunicate and deliver to satan ( their magistrates ) whom they will ; and if he that was an orthodox saint this year , be burnt ( without change ) as an heretick the next ; and it be never certain till the end of the world , what is heresie or sin , and what not . § 20. ix . it being certain then that the apostles did not , as an aristocratical supreme power over the universal church , exercise legislation , judgment and execution , much less by any ordinary continued power , it followeth that they have no successors that have such power ; and all government being contained in these three parts , there is de jure no universal governour . § 21. x. the power of moses and aaron were of equal extent , and both of divine institution ; but aaron was under moses government : and christ gave the twelve and seventy at first no larger provinces or power : and when he added more and sent them to the gentiles , he commanded every soul to be subject to the princes power as of god : therefore their power in the empire was limited and subject to the imperial government , and so in other lands : they were bound to fear god and honour the king. they might by doctoral and nunciative authority perswade emperors , and deliver gods commands , and so still may any ordinary teacher , but not by imperant , judicial and executive power govern them , unless by self-subjecting they make them their governors as pupils do their tutors and patients their physicions . yea they could make no man a christian but by persuasion to voluntary consent ; and till they were christians , they could not govern them as christians : and they were not governors of the world but monitors , and persuaders . § 22. xi . indefinite ( and were it possible universal ) concord , love and communion ; all christians must endeavour ; which ministers do with greater obligation and advantage than the people , and apostles above both . and kings and states are as much obliged to it as bishops : but they are not on that pretence to make one universal king or senate , to be a soveraign power to them and all the earth or church : but only by diets or confederacies to join their powers and endeavours to so good an end : and so is it with bishops and churches . § 23. if they say , that it is union and concord with the pope or rome , or their councils that we are bound to , let them but renounce their pretence to government of all , and we shall easily decide the other difference : if we must not unite to them as governors , but as brethren , they are as much bound to love and union with us , as we with them . and christ is sufficient to be the center of union to the whole body , and hath made them the sufficient and only laws of universal concord among themselves . § 24. obj. to be obliged by gods law to concord , and to have councils and bishops determine in what we must agree , inferreth our duty to agree in those points which cometh to all one as government by them . ans . 1. if they be not governors but equals , we have as much power to propose articles of agreement to them , as they to us . 2. there are no articles of universal agreement in all the churches on earth , necessary , but what christ hath made such . and to pretend to make such , and usurp his prerogative , is a sin that we must not agree with . 3. the vanity of their talk of true universal councils i have oft at large detected . 4. we grant submission to the true power of national governors and councils , but universal we know not . 5. just national laws must be obeyed : but conciliar canons of concord by equals , bind us not to agreement , when mistake maketh them against the common good and ends of concord . nor do mens laws or agreements bind us to any thing against the laws of god. § 25. xii . we all own an universal church government , partite , or exercised by parts , as all the physicions medicate all england , and all the school-masters teach them , and all the judges and justices judge them : and so cyprian meant that episcopatus unus est , of which each one hath a part : that is , 1. in specie institutâ . 2. quoad objectum , all the particular churches governed make one universal church . 3. quoad finem . but no man , nor any senate or college , or council , as una persona politica , is soveraign . we have no universal king but christ . chap. xi . whether a national church soveraignty infer the need or lawfulness of a humane universal church soveraignty . § 1. ans . no : for , 1. man is capable of one , but uncapable of the other . 2. christ hath given commission for one , but not for the other . 3. every kingdom hath one humane soveraignty in sword government : but so hath not all the world one . and there is less reason for , and less possibility of one humane governing soveraignty by the word and keys . 4. god set one moses , and one aaron or priesthood over israel ; but not over all the world. if adam or noah was such while the world was but a family , or tribe , he would not have it so when it was uncapable of it . 5. the summons and subscriptions , and the limits of the imperial power tell us that the most general councils were but imperial , that is , national in extent ( as i have proved against johnson . ) and therefore no more can be claimed since . § 2. obj. but if a presbyter must be ordained by a bishop as superior , and a bishop by an archbishop , and he by a patriarch , what superior shall make him but a pope or council ? ans . 1. you may next ask , who then must make or consecrate a pope ? is it a superior ? contrarily , if a pope may be made by inferiors ( as they do ) a patriarch , a metropolitan , an archbishop and a bishop may quoad esse be validly made by men of the same order . yea and presbyters too where politick order and church safety forbid it not . § 3. it is so far from being true ( as i once foolishly thought ) that national church supremacy inferreth popery , that it is a necessary or very great means against it , without which ( though particular souls may be saved from popery ) a nation cannot long , nor ever was that i have read of . for popery is but the invading of the power of all other bishops and kings : and for each one to reassume his own power , is the direct deposing of the pope . as if one king or senate claimed the government of all kings and senates , how should these usurpers be deposed but by every king and parliaments reassuming their own ? § 4. but then every party that differeth in the form of national government , must not pretend that it is only their form , that is the bulwark against popery . national church concord and strength may be kept up by a supreme christian prince or state with a concordant ministry , whether among themselves united as the scots in general assemblies , or as in england by archbishops , bishops and convocations , obeying the laws of christ , and the just laws of the king and state that are made for determining needful circumstances ; supposing such bishops qualified and chosen justly , and usurping none of the sword-bearers power . § 5. that national laws about matters of religion may and must be made , and that princes consulting with pastors must make them , and that these are not to extend to all the world , is a truth unquestionable . in england the law must command us to use english bibles , but not all over the world. it is meet to bind the churches to use one translation of the scriptures . else one will say , your text or what you alledge is not in my bible , and another , it is not in mine . and many inconveniences would follow . and one form of catechism , one form of confession , one metre of singing psalms , and about the sacraments and other offices one form moderately imposed or agreed on is convenient . but if one part will too rigorously impose things needless , or command things sinful , or justly suspected ; or the other side refuse things lawful and fit because imposed , national concord will be broken . chap. xii . the three other reasons for popery answered briefly . quest . iii. should not the roman church policy in reason be owned for the advantage of christianity against infidels ? ans . 1. we deny not but unity , concord , power and riches , and the great number of adherents , is a great advantage to christianity against infidels : and all these are gods gifts , and as such do good . 2. but the abuse of them though it do not quite frustrate the genuine effects , yet so depraveth them , that it 's a doubt whether the hurt to the common christianity be not greater than the advantage . if unity were maintained in christs way it would have far better effects than in the papists way . 3. yet we deny not but the providence of god hath made use of the roman power , numbers , concord and riches , to uphold the common cause . but all is not good that god over-ruleth and useth to good , permitting man to cause the evil. as a man may use the cruelty without causing it , of a hound , a ferret , or a hawk , against the prey , to fulfil his just will. had national kingdom churches been kept up under true christian kings and pastors , and these kings and pastors in dyets and councils , kept due confederacies by consultation and contract without mutual jurisdiction , the common cause had been better promoted than it hath been by popery , that hath shamed it and weakened it by persecutions , divisions , treasons and wars . quest . iv. whether the divisions of other christians render the roman government desireable for concord ? ans . 1. there are more that unite in mahometanism , and far more in paganism , than all the christians in the world. and satan knoweth how to advantage his kingdom by concord , as well as to weaken christs kingdom by division . 2. the bishops have made the greatest schisms and division in the church that ever was made , by sinful usurpation and corruption , and impositions , and persecutions , unchurching the far greatest part of christians , and appropriating the church title to his own sect alone . all the bloody murders of the waldenses , bohemians , and other protestants , the inquisition , the present wars that france hath involved europe in , are on pretence of unity : we like not the unity that satan maintaineth , and that at such a rate of blood. 3. but i have before and elsewhere proved that the protestants for all their divisions have a far better unity than the papal church hath , so that this question is elsewhere and here sufficiently answered . quest . v. whether the errors of the protestants do not so disparage them as to make the roman church more honourable ? ans . 1. that is , should not men chuse a leprosie to cure an itch ? we deny not but where controversies shew our differences among our selves , one party must needs be in an error , either de re , or de nomine . but we agree in all that 's necessary to salvation and brotherly love : and pride , and envy , and malignity , are more the causes of our disagreement than our religion . especially unskilfulness in words and stating cases . i have endeavoured to shew in many books ( especially my end of doctrinal controversies , my catholick theology and methodus theologiae ) that our differences are most in words whose sence is not mutually understood . how many loads of controversal volumes are written by papists against each other ? and what heavy charges of simony , filthiness , heresie , &c. have even general councils and historians laid on the popes and many councils ? and note , that the pope or council is the essentiating form of the papal church as such ; and therefore an unholy or debauch'd , or heretick head , proveth that the church is unholy or heretical : because the form denominateth ; and is essential . but it is not so with the protestants , that own no universal head but christ , who is infallible and perfect . this much i thought needful to add against them , that pretend an institution of christ , for a political universal head , and a foreign jurisdiction ; above a national church or christian kingdom . he that would compare papists errors with protestants , let him read chamier , blondel de ecclesia , molinaeus of the novelty of popery , rivet , downame de antichristo , jewel , whitaker , and other such . § 7. how few bishops or church doctors are for learning equal to boetius , joh. picus , francis . picus , erasmus , hutten , goldastus , freherus , pistorius , faber , stephanus , ( father and son , ) mornay , lord du plessis , mich. hospitalius , thuanus , the two scaliger's , salmasius , grotius , sarravius , justellus , and many other lay-men ? and are kings and magistrates uncapable of wisdom ? § 8. how vast is the difference between governing one kingdom , and governing all the world ? do i need to aggravate it ? and is not one king with wise judges , and justices , as capable of governing one kingdom , as an utopian college of bishops ( that some dream of , ) or a pope ( and cardinals ) of governing all the world. can such ignorant , vicious monsters as councils have condemned for the most odious wickedness and heresie , better rule at abassia , armenia , or the antipodes , than a good king can rule in england ? § 9. councils consist of the subjects of many foreign princes ; and usually their princes chuse who shall go : and they that are near the place of meeting will be the most : and none can come against their princes wills : and few bishops will disobey their lords that send them , or that they live under : and must such subjects of papists , turks , infidels , heathens , be masters of england , of king and people , and of all the religion in the world ? § 10. cannot bishops at hand here better try the cause of one accused for heresie , fornication , treason , murder , &c. and that by virtue of a commission from god , than a meeting of bishops out of all the world , a thousand mile off can try it ? § 11. but i shall here pass by my chief proof of this ( that god hath ordained no humane government ( distinct from meer consultation or concord and communion , ) above national , headed by christian soveraignty . ) because i have ready for the press a full treatise of it , in two books . the first proving historically by their own words , that archbishop land , archbishop bromhall , bishop guning , bishop sparrow , bishop sam. parker , dr. pet. heylin , mr. thorndike , dr. saywell , and divers others have written for a foreign and universal jurisdiction . the second book fully disproving it , and proving that the kingdom and church is sworn against it , and that the parliaments and the church of england till laud's days were against it : and that this very parliament and convention having taken a new oath against it besides the old oaths of supremacy , to stigmatize the church and nation with the foresaid perjury , would dangerously presage the rune of the perjured , if not of the land. chap. xiii . what are the dangerous diseases of a national church . § 1. death cometh on bodies politick , as on natural bodies , by degrees , as diseases weaken and break them . and while they are diseased , they are in an unlovely troublesome condition . gods word , and history , and experience hath told us , what diseases they be that are the usual presages of confusion or dissolution . § 2. in general , all sin is to the soul what sickness is to the body , and hath some tendency to destruction . and the increase and abounding of sin , is a dangerous prognostick : sins of sensuality , gluttony , drunkenness , and fornication , when they grow common and impudent , seldom go unpunished . o how dangerous then is the case of england , in which the sin of adultery and fornication , is commonly said to be so increased , that multitudes are guilty now , for one that was ever suspected of it before the reign of k. charles the second . and brutish wretches scarce take it for a shame . sins of injustice and unmercifulness , especially rich mens oppression of the poor , landlords grinding their poor tenants , and judges , justices and lawyers unrighteousness in suits and judgments , are sins threatned by the prophets as the fore-runners of destruction . § 3. but especially when rulers are the leaders in sin , and the patrons of the wicked . the sins of men in publick place are publick sins , and sooner bring publick judgments , than the sins of private men. the publick authors of the late calamitous wars of ireland , scotland and england , had a deep part in the punishment as they had in the guilt . o what a torrent of guilt in the reign of charles the second did from king and court over-flow this land , by the shameless filth of all uncleanness ! when men shall affectedly keep whores as the way to please the court by conformity to the king , as if it were an honour or no great dishonour ; what can be expected from such horrid wickedness , but publick , divine , revenging justice ? § 4. when did it ever go well with judah or israel when they had a foolish wicked king ? how easie is it for such a king and a foolish wicked senate or parliament to undo a nation , by laws of heresie , cruelty , persecution , division and iniquity ? how ordinarily do such make snares for the conscionable , by commanding them on pain of fining , imprisonment , or death , or banishment , to do something that god forbiddeth , or not to do what god commandeth ; and then to cry them down , reproach and ruine them , as unruly , disobedient , despisers of all order and government , schismaticks and rebels ? and who may call them so with less contradiction , than they that can at their pleasure make them seem such , and few dare contradict them ? § 5. great is the advantage that supreme rulers have , to put the name of evil upon good , and of good on evil , and to procure the vulgar to say as they ? saving that the innocency and worth of the upright ( especially of wise and charitable persons ) constraineth approbation from those that know them , and are not deplorate in diabolism . the foolish words of princes seem wise to ignorant flatterers . but he that will dwell in gods tabernacle , and be a blessing and not a plague to the church , must be a contemner of vile persons , and an honourer of them that fear the lord , psal . 15. antishenes could say that the nation is hopeless , that cannot difference good men from bad . what maketh almost all under papist rulers to be papists , and under turks to be mahometans , and under heathens to be heathens , but the interest of the opinion , example and power of their rulers ? § 6. in england and most nations that are christian , the king and rich patrons , or the pope and his servants , have the choice of archbishops , bishops , deans and pastors . and can it be expected that bad men , and covetous men , and the haters of serious piety , should chuse men that will promote the doctrine and practice which they hate ? if the king make the church of england , is it like if he be a papist or malignant , that he will chuse a protestant and pious church ? or that a covetous , drunken , filthy , licentious patron will chuse a man that will zealously preach against his sins ? § 7. but the great cause of the ruine of a national church , is the ignorance , viciousness , pride , malignity , covetousness , and persecuting cruelty , of a degenerate , carnal , worldly clergy . magistracy and ministry are gods great ordinances , by which as his instruments , and partly representatives , he doth by an established order , govern and keep up order and piety in the world. magistrates represent him in his super-eminence and ruling power : and ministers in his guiding and sanctifying wisdom and love. and god ( that will not ordinarily turn setled order into miracles ) worketh by these , according to the aptitude of the instruments , and the receivers . and where there is kept up a wise and holy magistracy and ministry , when and where did it ever go ill with such a people , by any publick desolation ? § 8. if ministers be ignorant , or unskilful in their publick work , they will be despised . if they be worldly and covetous the poor will reproach them . if they be drunkards , gluttons , unclean , idle , or any way sensual , they will become the common scorn : but if they be enemies to serious godliness , or revilers , or persecutors of godly men , the wicked will be encouraged to be like them and hardned in their sin ; but pious and sober men will abhor them as the servants of satan , though they will not therefore cast off their honour to the true ministerial office and work. it is not an honourable office , or a reverend garb , and name and title , that will hide the shame of ignorance , ungodliness , sensuality or malignity . their white cloathing and sacred titles , which render their filthiness more visible and odious . bad men will prove a greater injury to sacred offices , than open enemies . and it is not the holiness of the office , or the goodness of laws and order , that will serve to reform or make happy a church or nation , in the hands of wicked men. § 9. therefore when bishops shall be such , who ordain and govern the inferior clergy , that church or nation is near lost and ruined . if bad princes chuse bad prelates ; and they ordain bad ministers , and savouring nothing but wealth and reputation , shall prove the jealous adversaries of piety , and persecutors of the most serious christians , and encouragers of the malignant , vicious and profane , that church and nation is next to dead , though it have a name to live , and be called , honourable and rich ; how comely soever its order and ornaments may be , and though its doctrine and profest opinions be orthodox . § 10. and it will yet render the case more desperate , if the same carnal , worldly , malignant bishops and clergy shall grow justly reputed the adversaries of the most learned , judicious , godly , and laborious , and powerful preachers , and shall seek to silence , disgrace and oppress them . the sober part of the nation will then be tempted to take them as the devils militia , armed against christ and mens salvation ; and this the more wickedly as doing it in christs livery and in his name . § 11. and if such a clergy shall in enmity to the godly , flatter the profane lords , knights and rich men of the world , and make them their upholders and patrons and party , to strengthen them in their sin , the confederacy will threaten gods vengeance on them all . § 12. and yet the case will be more desperate , if the wicked in such power shall bring an universal infection of idleness , sensuality , and factious enmity to serious godliness , on the universities and other schools of learning , and shall make them to be nurseries of ignorance , errour , impiety and malignity . and if the prelates and priests shall teach their pupils and candidates to account men of conscience that obey not their sinful impositions , to be fanatical schismaticks , and on pretence of bringing schism into disgrace , shall cast their dirt in the face of piety , and so train up youth into an enmity and scorn of that which should have their chiefest love and labour . alas , if such a serpentine generation , shall for staying so many years in idleness and lust in universities , be thought to have right to take the charge of multitudes of souls , that never took just care of their own , and to have right to church dignity and maintenance , if any bad patron will but present them ; how sad a case is such a church and nation in ? they will bring their ignorance and malice into the pulpit , and then those hearers that know bitter from sweet , and the unclean from the clean , will loath their folly : and when the priest seeth that he is despised or loathed , he will become the enemy of those that disesteem him ; and so he will become a wolf to the flock : and then it is the ungodly part that must be his friends and companions in sin , whom he will harden to their own destruction : thus hath a bad clergy been the ruine of many churches . § 13. and this will prove so strong a temptation to the religious part , to disaffect the ministry , and to go too far in separations , as that schisms and pernicious divisions will be soon multiplied : and then persecution must be tryed on them instead of light and love. § 14. but the immediate dividing and dissolving of churches and overthrow of the peace of christian kingdoms , is by ignorant , malicious or tyrannical laws or canons , that impose things forbidden of god , on pain of ejecting , and silencing the most faithful ministers , and scorning and ruining the most religious people , that will not sell their souls for worldly interest , nor to humour the ill designs of tyrants . these snares are often made by meer malice and revenge , as daniel was forbid to pray ; because they could find no fault or accusation against him except it were concerning the law of his god. especially when , some great quarrels have exasperated revenge . § 15. but usually error concurreth with malice , while ignorance and pride make prelates and priests still confident that all their opinions and impositions are just and blameless ; and that all are willfully erroneous that refuse them : so rare is a humble understanding . § 16. and it fixeth a national church in this way to ruine , when such an unworthy ministry must be continued till they die , and there is no great visible hope of removing them . how many difficulties must be overcome , before one parish can get a cure of such ? § 17. and yet worse is it , when there is small hope of a better when the bad priest is dead ; but the corrupt fountain is still sending forth polluted streams ; and money and friendship chuse the man : and when the worst man that hath but money enough to buy a patronage shall have the choice of a pastor for mens souls . § 18. and yet worse will it go , when the keys , which are the most peculiar part of the priviledge and office of the pastors , shall be exercised by lay civilians , in the bishops name , without his judging or consent . and government by the word is managed by such men , in the manner that secular affairs are managed , without due reverence to holy things . § 19. and worst of all is it , when the body of the nation is by such means brought to so much ignorance and sinfulness , that they would have it so ; and are glad to have so much countenance to their malignity and sin ; and follow their malicious military leaders . § 20. and last of all when their madness hath drawn their own swords against each other , or provoked god to let in a foreign enemy on them , then they must expect that god avenge the quarrel of his covenant ; specially when after great mercy and long patience they would not know the time of their visitation , nor in their day the things that belong to their peace , but defend their sin . chap. xiv . whether the national church of england be at the present of a sound constitution . and what is necessary to its welfare , safety , reformation and peace . § 1. to tell what particulars need reformation , i have done so oft to the great displeasure of the guilty , that i have no encouragement to offend them more , by doing it again . § 2. and to give the true history of original , causes , and progress of our corruptions , disorders and divisions , will not be endured by them that still justifie their own and predecessours sin , and can see no fault in any but those that they first make and then call their adversaries . i have found that the most notorious matters of fact will be denyed furiously by such men , even what hath been said and done in their presence and mine , before a multitude of witnesses , bishops , doctors and divers others : yea things said and done in parliaments and armies and publickly notified , are by such men contradicted with rage . therefore i will not here tell the world , either what or who have been the causes of our sufferings and dangers ; having long purposed to have done it in a treatise by it self , called [ repent , o england ] and therein i. to declare my own repentance . ii. to tell those called presbyterians what they must repent of . iii. and those called separatists . iv. and those called antinomians . v. and those called prelatical , especially the ruling part . but god seemeth to deny me time for that intended work. § 3. that which i shall now add , is , i. to shew what there now is in the english constitution , fitted to christs institution of a true national church . ii. what is yet wanting . iii. and what are the remedies . § 4. i. i begin with that which is good and laudable : not only to avoid offence by unprofitable finding faults , but especially to rectifie those prejudiced censures that call good evil , and run away from gods mercies under the false name of sin. this hath had no small hand in our divisions , ever since the troubles at frank-ford and our first reformation . the adversaries of popery did lay more of the personal crimes of the papists bishops and priests ( and monks too ) on the office and order than they should have done . § 5. i. the national church of england is rightly constituted under one supreme royal government as the unifying head , as i have proved . § 6. ii. it is duely constituted of professed baptized christians , and churches as the subject matter . § 7. iii. it hath national laws which profess their subserviency to the law of christ , and the nullity of all that is against it . § 8. iv. it maketh none magistrates but professed christians : no nor burgesses and choosers of magistrates . § 9. v. it hath diocesans that are general overseers of many particular churches , as successors to the apostles and evangelists in the ordinary parts of their office , which i before proved to be christs institution . § 10. vi. it justly maketh bishops members of parliament , it being unfit to make laws for religion without the pastors notice and advice . § 11. vii . it justly giveth large maintenance and honours to the superior clergy , that they may be a protection to the inferior , and a relief to the poor , and keep up religion from the contempt and scorn of worldly men . § 12. viii . the king is justly the donor of such honours and great revenues . § 13. ix . the parish ministers according to the true legal reformed church of englaend , are acknowledged true pastors , as to all the essentials of the pastoral office ( word , sacraments , keys , discipline and ordinations . ) 14. x. the inferior ministers in tythes and glebe have mostly a laudable maintenance . § 15. xi . all the parish churches are to distinguish communicating members from non-communicating inhabitants , and to refuse the scandalous and unconfirmed , not ready or desiring confirmation . and the offices of absolution and burial are fitted to the faithful , were discipline executed . 16. xii . yet our law for dissenters assemblies , acknowledgeth them all true members of the church of england , who agree in the essentials , notwithstanding their dissent in divers lesser things ( as no doubt they are . ) § 17. xiii . we use one and the same translation of scripture , and usually the same version of psalms , time , place , utensils , so far as allowed . all these are laudable parts of the constitution of a national church . 18. xiv . to which i may add that we all renounce all humane universal and forreign jurisdiction , civil and ecclesiastical : and all traditions that pretend to be supplemental and perfecting to the scripture ; and all infallibility of popes and councils . none of this therefore needeth a reformation . but what then doth ? § 19. ans . all these things following . i. the entrance into the church by baptism of infants , is done so lightly and rashly while the parents are forbidden to speak a word there , as dedicating their children to god or covenanting for them , but all is laid on such godfathers as never own the children , nor ever intend to do what they vow . and baptism is refused if crossing be refused . ii. the bishop only being to confirm all in many hundred or score parishes , where one of many hundred is not known to him , much less examined by him ; confirmation is commonly made a deceiving ceremony , and the transition from the state of infant members into the state of adult communicants is made so wide , that the church too little differeth from catechumens , that i say not from those without . iii. the parishes are many so large , that the incumbent knoweth not his church-communicants , nor how many hundreds or thousands stay away . iv. the canons , though they nullifie not the incumbents pastorship , yet fetter him by unjust restraint from the due exercise of it . v. faithful , able , godly men , are kept and cast out of the ministry , for not sinning against god , or not obeying unnecessary and unfit terms of ministration . vi. and on the same account thousands of the religious laity are denied communion , and cast into prisons ; and ruined by fines ; and till lately forbidden all publick worship ( above four . ) vii . the decretive power of the keys of excommunication and absolution is in the hands of lay-men used pro formâ in the bishops name . viii . patrons have too much power in chusing parish pastors for all the land , without the flocks consent , and sufficient caution of the patrons qualifications . ix . bishops are chosen without due consent or election of the synods or people . x. ordinations are made by bishops without synods , or any presbyters but a few whom the bishop taketh pro formâ . xi . the episcopacy of incumbents being denied by many , it is grown a common imagination that none are ordained by bishops that are not ordained by diocesans . xii . the personal ignorance , viciousness , and disability of a great part of the ministry is of all the rest the worst and hardest to be reformed . xiii . the too loose tryal of the ordained , and their necessary qualification much causeth this . xiv . and the corruption of the universities is the seminary and nursery of our sins and dangers . xv. many dangerous oaths or covenants and professions are hurtfully imposed on the ministers and people , by which guilt and divisions are increased . xvi . and to compleat our dangers , an enmity or deep jealousie is setled between the publick priests , and a great part of the most seriously religious people of the land. this distance hath long been causing , and the causes are still continued . the badness of priests in the time of popery , and their contemptible insufficiency in the beginning of the reformation tempted many zealous protestants to too hard thoughts of the generality of them . no party hath been faultless . it fell out that the exiles in germany , who were most zealous in religion against popery and all ungodliness , followed geneva , and set themselves too much against bishops and our liturgy , that they might not partake of the sins of popery . but dr. ri cox that had been k. edw. 6. tutor , and had a great hand in making our liturgy , drew horn and others to him , and forced our liturgy on them at frankford , and prevailing against them , drove them to geneva , thinking that reformation should receive as much of the antient forms and ceremonies , as were not true popery , nor forbidden of god , that the papists might not challenge us as novelists . on these terms of difference they came over into england , being on both sides generally godly protestants . the queen ( eliz. ) took part with the conformists , and made them bishops and dignitaries , and discountenanced the nonconformists . the first race of these good bishops loved the godly nonconforming preachers , and connived at them , and encouraged them in their fervent , plain preaching , and pious living . but as that race wore out by death , bishopricks having great honour , power and wealth , had many seekers ; and seekers had many friends : and he that loveth wealth and honour most , is like to seek it most ; and he that most seeketh is likest to find : and the greatest lovers of the world are the worst men : and so bishops ( not all at once , but ) by degrees were altered . then the nonconformists not only refusing to be bishops , but too many declaring their judgments to be for their fall , the bishops having more power , resolved first to cast them down , and to do their utmost to root them out : and made their book of canons and acts of uniformity fitted to that use . and so the enmity turned into a ruining war , became remediless , save that on both sides the godly and moderate lived peaceably , lamenting the extreams of the rest . qu. eliz. and k. james i. having silenced many hundred dissenters that were of great worth & extraordinary piety , and the bishops causing this , and in jealousie of the strictest people forbidding them to fast and pray together , and some other exercises of piety , and in k. charles i. days carrying it yet higher to greater severity , and this setled them in an enmity to bishops as the enemies of serious piety , and the bishops more sought to root them out of the land : till laud carrying it further , and seeking a coalition with those that were for a foreign jurisdiction ( universal councils with a pretorian power , &c. ) raised jealousies in parliaments , who being for their liberties against arbitrary government , were the more against those bishops that seemed to be for it ; till innovation provoking the scots , the english lords encouraged by them , and the irish murdering two hundred thousand protestants , affrighted england into a miserable war , and made the most zealous adversaries of popery and ungodliness , think that the papists would destroy them all , if they did not help the parliament to defend them . and the scots would not help them , unless the parliament would engage in the scots covenant against the english prelacy , which proved a sinful snare of division to all the land. and the war ending in the parliaments conquest , and they conquered again and cast out by their own army , many divines of the diocesan judgment besides the scandalous were cast out : and the restored parliament recalling k. charles ii. ( with his clergy ) the exasperated came back with a resolution of revenge , and the grand design of some was to begin where laud left , and to extirpate puritans , and to that end to get all power in church and universities , into the hands of the greatest enemies of the nonconformists , and to get laws of doubled cruelty made accordingly to root them out ; which so far prospered , that universities and ministry are sufficiently disposed into a contempt and opposition to the nonconformists ; who are too ready to think that they and their well-wishers are ( though not the only serious religious part of the land , yet the main body of them many to one ; and that the main body of the hot adherents to their adversaries , are the generality of the sensual , wordly , and profane ; who use their ceremonies as solomon's whore did her sacrifices and vows , to encourage her to take her fill of love till morning . and the differing manner of the religious devotions of these two parties , maketh the distance seem remediless , if some moderate peace-makers prove not the cement . one sort are all for praying by habit , called extempore ; as judges , parliament and lawyers speak their minds ; and say that forms and liturgies daily repeated are usually said without life or fervency , as boys say an oration , and little move men . the other are for the same liturgy and words , and too many deride all other praying : whereas sober unprejudiced men can make a serious use of both . but thus a clergy modelled at the entrance of king charles the second into a set opposition to the way of the zealously religious people called puritans ( specially by the interest and wrath of a few hot doctors after made bishops , ) are taken by the said people for the captains of prophaneness . § 20. having seen what our diseases are , it is easy to know what must be the cure : but so hard to accomplish it , that i must name the remedies with despair , unless the almighty god will do it by means yet quite beyond our prospect , yea to cure any one of all these maladies requireth a power more than mans. qu. but is not our first reformation and our canons and present laws of conformity , a sufficient means of concord without any new reformation ? ans . 1. if so , why did king edward the sixth require bucer to write for more , which he hath done in his scripta anglicana ? and why was the reformatio legum eccles . ( prefaced by john fox ) written by men commissioned by him ? 2. are the same canons fit for papists , priests and protestant preachers ? dr. burnet tells you that of nine thousand parish priests , ( besides all others ordained ) there did not much above eight hundred take the reforming oaths to keep their livings , so that there were above eight thousand papists parish priests in our reformed church ; unless that oath made them all true protestants and what wonder if these were excused from preaching , and forbidden to preach till they were further licensed . but shall the best church in the world , called the stupor mundi , be all forbidden therefore after ordination till licensed to preach or expound any doctrine or matter in the church or elsewhere , but barely to read. i will venture , though i know it will displease the impenitent to say , that i will pitty that minister more than a poor publican or drunkard , who will justifie , 1. all our canons . 2. and all the laws made as for uniformity and against nonconformists , and their execution to the silencing of about two thousand such ministers , and the death of many of them in and by imprisonment , and the ruine of the estates of them and many more thousand godly people , 3. and the present state of the parish churches , where the alterations of the liturgy shew that the incumbents must not be called pastors , and such as dr. fuller dean of lincoln are allowed to publish , that [ inauditus erat parochorum pastoratus ante hujus seculi & antecedentis delirium ] the pastor-ship of parish priests was never heard of before the dotage ( or madness ) of this and the foregoing age. and so there is but one pastor and church in a diocess . either mr. clerksons book unanswered of the primitive episcopacy , or this and such other doctors are impudent beyond the degree of humane pravity . and whereas they that yet delay to answer my english non-conformity stated , take up usually with the reproaching one question in it , what church the 800 were of , that one doctor printeth that he cured of the french pox , should i tell them of the quality and far greater number of persons that doctor lower hath thrice together affirmed to have that disease , that with the commoner whoredom , drunkenness , swearing , self-damning , scorning godliness , yea and gods word it self , may warrant a man that hath any love to the church and souls , to intreate the curates though they be not pastors to bethink them , 1. whether they know who are the members of their churches ? 2. whether it be they or the bishop that must know them personally ? 3. if all that dwell in the parish , are not all the papists , atheists , hobbists , deboisht and sectaries of their churches ? 4. if only communicants , do they know when they come to the altar whether they are of their flocks or strangers ? 5. if all that communicate not be no members ( perhaps two thousand if not four thousand in a parish of six thousand or eight thousand ) are the rest well permitted quietly to be of no parish communion ? 6. how many of all these and the debauched have been excommunicated or openly brought to repentance in london these thirty years , according to the canon . 7. have the nonconformists more deserved it , for going from their own parishes , or communicating with godly dissenting protestants . i speak all this only if possible to procure some repentance of the sins and divisions that threaten our ruines after the sad experience of more than the last thirty years effects . for god will not pardon us without repentance . § 21. i. christening by baptism , must not be made an infant ceremony , but used as one of the greatest actions of all the life of man : parents being seriously taught to know what it is to enter their child into the holy covenant , and to dedicate their child to god the father , son and holy ghost , renouncing the world , the devil , and the flesh : and the parents or pro-parents , and not perfidious dissembling god-fathers , must solemnly promise their careful education . § 22. ii. the transition of those baptized in infancy into the state of adult communicants , must be made by an understanding and solemn owning of their baptismal covenant , and that by such pastors as have time to examine and instruct them , and not made a deceitful ceremony called confirmation , by a diocesan that hath perhaps many hundred thousands in his diocess . § 23. iii. the parishes must be known to the pastors that take the charge of them , and the three sorts of inhabitants distinguished . 1. those that are of another church ( as papists &c. ) or of no church . 2. those that are catechumens and submit to be catechized and hear , 3. those that are communicants . and each parish must have ministers for number and quality suited to the number of souls , and fit to know them and perform their undertaken office. § 24. iv. the partial unrighteous canons must be cast away . § 25. v. nothing sinful or unnecessary to ministry or communion , must be imposed as necessary terms , nor godly able ministers silenced or persecuted causelesly , that do more good than hurt . § 26. vi. they that worship not god in all our forms and ceremonies , or that are too scrupulous , must be tolerated to worship as they can by themselves , so be it , their doctrine and worship and conversation , and unpeaceableness be not intolerable . § 27. vii . the keys must be exercised only by the clergy : and if the chancellors or civilians courts be kept up , they must be the kings magistrates , and use only such power as magistrates may use . § 28. viii . those that by the laws are to be excluded from the communion of the churches ( publick and tolerated ) should not have the power of choosing incumbents : nor those that exclude themselves . nor should those patrons that choose the incumbent that shall have the place and tythes , hinder any person from choosing to whom he will voluntarily trust the peculiar pastoral care of his own soul ; nor should men be hindered from the publick or tolerated ministry of such as they so choose . § 29. ix . ordinations should be made after sufficient tryal of the learning and abilities of the ordained , in preaching and praying , as well as upon a full testimony of his pious and upright conversation , and no institution to a title granted till the parishioners have leave , warning and time , to know the man , and shew their acceptance or dissent , and be impartially heard . § 30. x. bishops should usually ordain in synods or with their concurrence : or at least with such as the synods choose to represent them . § 31. xi . parish churches must be acknowledged true churches , and the presbyters to be episcopi gregis , and the incumbent that hath curates to be episcopus praeses , as well as the diocesans to be general or archbishops . and ordination by president bishops not called null , or said to be no episcopal ordination : but the corruption of the ministry by unqualified men is so dangerous a thing , that if the supreme power give the diocesane a negative power as of the quorum , without whom no ordination shall entitle any man to any benefice , ( leaving incumbents only to choose their own curates , and to concur with the diocesan in other ordinations ) there will be no just cause of refusing such diocesans power or ordination . § 32. xii . an utterly insufficient , heretical , malignant , ungodly scandalous minister is not to be maintained nor tolerated ; and due means must be used to keep and cast such out . § 33. xiii . the purging of the universities , and the appropriating of their government and tutoring to godly , wise and conscionable men , is one of the greatest points of necessary reformation . and till this be done , no man should be forbidden to choose godly careful tutors for his children in his house or elsewhere . § 34. xiv . the sad disaffection like enmity between the ministry and the most religious people must be healed : which will be easily done in those parishes , where the ministers preach judiciously , experimentally , spiritually and powerfully , and live piously , charitibly , justly and temperately , and love good men , and rebuke the wicked , and put due difference between the precious and the vile , those that serve god and those that serve him not , those that swear and those that fear an oath : and make not the church like the commons or wilderness . and where the diocesans are the encouragers of serious godliness , and duely rebuke the enemies and neglecters of it , and the vicious and profane . i have never seen the place where such an exemplary worthy ministry did not win the hearts of the nonconformists , and became not very dear and amiable to them , and usually drew them to concord where before they differed . § 35. but it must be a wise and godly king that must be the principal means to accomplish all this , if ever it be done ; such a one that understandeth gods law and interest and his own and kingdoms real welfare , may do that by good laws and prudent government , which shall be to parties of erroneous opinions , a powerful byas to incline their judgments to go right : one man we may have more hope of making wise than of multitudes . i had rather have a uniting settlement by the choice of a wise prince and parliament , yea or of diocesanes of wisdom , piety and peace , than by the choice of any of the extreams , whether separatists , or the laudian new church men , that are for a forreign jurisdiction . but through gods great mercy the most of the godly able nonconformists ministers , falsly called presbyterians , of my acquaintance , are so much for truth and peace and concord , that they would rejoice to live under such bishops , as were nazianzene , basil , chrysostom , austin , or such as beadle , usher , downame , ( tho an angry man ) jewel , dr. parker , grindal , pilkinton , sandies , g. abbot , rob. abbot , hall , carlton , morton , davenant , brownrig and such like . and are most episcopal nonconformists , and would choose none but healing terms . § 36. and now what shall i gain by this discourse ? i am sure of the censure of both the extreams . and i expect that few should much regard what i have said : but that scorners will scorn still , and fools hate knowledge , and that lies carry on murders and he that is the father of both , by both carries on his work in the world. but great is the truth and will prevail at last , but whether on this side the new heaven and earth i know not . § 37. i conclude with an earnest request to godly peaceable men that they consider well before they speak against a national church , or for any above national under one humane government , and that they will read my old dispute of church government about apostolick successions with the additions of this commentary and fuller proof , and mr. beverly's little treatise called the whole duty of nations . and when they hear two parties claiming the name of the church of england , they will judge by the reformers law and judgment which is worthy of that name , and that the nonconformists that are sound are as honourable sound parts of the true church of england as the conformists at least . and that by this distinction of bishops they will expound my treatise of episcopacy , and my church history of councils and former bishops . the lord pitty a self-destroying clergy . chap. xv. the case of toleration of dissenters from the common laws and customs of a national church more particularly answered . § 1. this case about toleration in and from a national church hath been oft put to me and oft and largely answered . and to what use such a work will serve i am unable to conjecture , except it be to satisfie the writers conscience , and set right the thoughts of them that desire what they cannot obtain ; and whether god will ever raise up a generation , that wearied with divisions and the direful effects , and forced by some prince of piety or interest , to consent to a healing peace and concord , god knoweth and not i. § 2. but i will once more venture to repeat a moral prognostication , that i think it ( ex causis ) exceeding probable that either england will have popery setled in power by a french conquest in the french fashion , by the compliance of those of the english clergy who are for a foreign church jurisdiction : or else god will constrain the present governours by the sense of their own interest if not of the interest of religion and the common good , to open the publick church doors to that concord which they have been lockt against by the act of uniformity and such like above thirty years , and the unplacable enemies of peace will cast down themselves . for i am past doubt of what my dear friend judge hale said to me , that [ it must be a new act of uniformity that must heal this church . ] § 3. and should we treat of such a subject as concord and toleration , with whom should it be ? if it be not with fit persons , we have found that it will be in vain and worse . it 's god that must make peace between the wolf or lion , and the lamb , and not such as i. § 4. 1. if we treat with proud men , they will have no concord but by mens granting their unjust demands , and submitting to their wills , whatever god and reason say against it . and they must be in rule and the most worthy and innocent be at their mercy . § 5. 2. if we treat with worldlings and self-seeking men , their worldly interest must be the measure of concord : and how various , mutable and unrighteous is that like to be ? § 6. 3. if we treat with malignants their terms of peace , will be directly or indirectly the suppression of serious godliness . § 7. 4. if we treat with factious schismaticks , hereticks or papists , their terms will be only that which furthereth and strengthneth their sects . § 8. 5. if we treat with fools , they will not understand the case nor the reason that is urged : they will not distinguish of places , times , persons , causes , the sence of words , but rage and be confident in confusion . § 9. 6. if we deal with timorous cowardly hypocrites , or low and self-saving spirits , they will but be nicodemites , and not venture on danger or difficulty , but stay till they see which way will be strongest and most for their advantage : or till governors drive them on . and then it 's well if they do but consent . § 10. 7. shall we then leave all to the sober godly peaceable men ? it may that way do some personal and private good , but i fear they will be so low as to be contemned and so few that in the crowd and noise of rage , they will not be heard , nor regarded , unless as little zaccheus , they get up into a tree by the help of some extraordinary superior : so that there is so little hope of the success of any such attempt , and i have written so much of it long ago , almost in vain , that i will say now but this little following . § 11. 1. the terms of toleration must differ according to the different case of the superiors and imposers . 2. and according to different causes of dissenters . 3. and according to their different capacities and relations . 4. and according to their different temper and behaviour in managing their cause . 5. and as rulers are able or unable to suppress them without more hurt than good . § 12. i. if superiors have made dissenters by sinful laws , the peace must be more than a toleration , by changing those laws . shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with god , when they frame mischief by a law ? § 13. ii. a dissenter that opposeth the essentials of religion , or teacheth damnable or treasonable doctrines , must be differenced from those that only refuse to be perjured , or lie , and make a sinful covenant and promise , or profession , or that scruple some small unnecessary thing which to them seemeth sin against gods laws . § 14. iii. a poor weak woman or unlearned man , must not be imposed on and dealt with on the same terms as a man of wit and learning : nor the laity as the clergy . § 15. iv. those of a meek and quiet spirit may be more suffered than turbulent unpeaceable men , though it be in the same material points that they dissent . therefore much must be left to the will of the rulers , who can difference between man and man when the law cannot . § 16. v. in a country where the preaching of faulty men ( though elsewhere useful ) is unnecessary by reason of a full number of better ( if such a land there were ) the silencing of such men is more allowable than elsewhere . and even heresie and many faults may have impunity , though not a justifying toleration , in a time and place where punishment and suppression cannot be used without apparent doing more hurt than good . rulers are not bound to do what they cannot do . and they cannot do that which they must not do , because it will do more hurt than good . § 17. vi. in a country where the publick ministry and churches are so depraved that the interest of the church and religion lieth more in saving people from them than in uniting with them , there the tolerated must be most countenanced and strengthen'd ; but in a country or age where the interest of religion lyeth most in the publick churches , and the dissenters are a weak mistaken sort of scrupulous honest people , there the tolerated churches should be like so many hopitals where weak people are cherished ; but it 's not desireable that it be the common case of all the city or country . § 18. obj. but such toleration will multiply separatists , and weaken the church : they will be still reproaching it . ans . persecution will not make them of your mind , but do more mischief , and you will not know where to stop , till cruelty have made you odious to humanity . and it will not make them fear you more than god : and if it did , that 's but a sad conversion . 2. your excelling them in piety , and worth and works , will do more than s●o● to silence reproachers . 3. if the sober godly conformists and dissenting ministers were once united , then sober understanding laity would follow them ; and so strengthen them , that the tolerated , though pious and zealous in their way , would divindle away in a little time as full experience hath proved in this land. it would not be the many that would chuse a life of unmaintained poverty , and censure : their worth , labour , reputation , 〈◊〉 the magistrates countenance would make the united so strong , that the rest ( though loved and tolerated ) would wither away . § 19. obj. but long experience telleth us that such a work is impossible . ans . it only telleth us that it is unlikely : because , pride , worldliness , malignity , selfishness and madcess have got so large possession on earth ; and forsaking god's government hath given satan power over so much of mankind . but god can cast out satan , and interpose days with nights , and summers with winters , and turn bedia as into sober societies : it is but bringing men to their wits , as the prodigal was . to give so great a number of great men , clergy men , students , and debauched ignorant persons , true grace as the healing of national churches , as in most of the christian world are , now the mortal enemies of peace ( while they cry it up . ) this i confess is so unlikely , as scarce to be hoped for : but god can force them by their own argument : he can make them know that they must give peace to their friends that in vain have long begg'd it , or suffer from their enemies worse than they have done to their innocent brethren . if we will not open the church doors to unity , that have long been shut against it , god hath keys that can open and no man shut them . even heathen rulers oft saved the apostles and primitive christians from the zealous cruel blinded jews , and gallio drave them from the judgment seat. christian jews were saved , when vespatian , titus , trajan , and adrian destroyed about three missions of the infidels . and if our frenchified foreign-jurisdiction-men , should think to escape and prosper by a bargain of coalition , they may be mistaken , or speed worse than if they suffered . but i hope god will rather convince a prevailing part that all that they have got these thirty years ( or thrice thirty ) by their way of silencing , ruinating , reproach and violence , hath not been a due compensation , for all that they have done by it , against ministers , people , rulers , and themselves , and the unity , love , strength and safety of the land : and that if they will hear none at home , god will so feelingly preach to them from abroad , as to tell them , that if love and peace with brethren sounder than they , at home seem hateful to them , yet worse it worse , and great foreign enemies are more terrible . they that can bear reboboam's yoke , may under pharaoh's beforced to sad cryes . thunder awakeneth when soft talk will not . it 's a thundering voice that can be heard over sea and land. cannons are as loud as thunder , or may be heard as far . § 20. but what is the difficulty in the way to concord ? had those that could easily do it , but opened the church doors at first but to the liberty of preaching a lecture when the incumbent consented ; much more had they made a new healing act of uniformity , which should have eased conscience of the fears of deliberate perjury , lying and profaning holy things , and had the conforming by petitioning rulers , shewed that this was their desire , what would have rendered it impossible ? but forma non recipitur in materiam indispositam : it 's in vain to talk of healing to yet ancapable men . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26975-e10240 the reader must note that by mistake § 7. and to the end of the chapter this is misplaced , and is the end of the ixth . chapter . the divine appointment of the lords day proved as a separated day for holy worship, especially in the church assemblies, and consequently the cessation of the seventh day sabbath : written for the satisfaction of some religious persons who are lately drawn into error or doubting in both these points / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1671 approx. 383 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 130 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26918 wing b1253 estc r3169 12309958 ocm 12309958 59348 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26918) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59348) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 200:18) the divine appointment of the lords day proved as a separated day for holy worship, especially in the church assemblies, and consequently the cessation of the seventh day sabbath : written for the satisfaction of some religious persons who are lately drawn into error or doubting in both these points / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [16], 237 p. printed for nevil simmons ..., london : 1671. errata on p. 237. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sunday. 2004-04 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-05 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-06 melanie sanders sampled and proofread 2004-06 melanie sanders text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the divine appointment of the lords day proved : as a separated day for holy worship ; especially in the church assemblies . and consequently the cessation of the seventh day sabbath . written for the satisfaction of some religious persons who are lately drawn into error or doubting in both these points . by richard baxter . rev. 1. 10. i was in the spirit on the loras day . col. 2. 16 , 17. let no 〈◊〉 judge you in meat , or in driak , or in respect of an holy day , ( or feast ) or of the new 〈◊〉 , or sabbaths , which are a shadow of things to come , but the body is of christ. london , printed for nevil simmons , at the three crowns near holborn conduit . 1671. the preface . reader , if thou think this treatise both superfluous and defective , when so many larger have better done the work already , i shall not at all gainsay the latter , nor much the former . the reason of my writing it was the necessity and request of some very upright godly persons , who are lately faln into doubt or errour , in point of the sabbath day , conceiving that because the fourth commandment was written in stone , it is wholly unchangeable , and consequently the seventh day sabbath in force , and that the lords day is not a day separated by god to holy worship . i knew that there was enough written on this subject long agoe ; but , 1. much of it is in latine ; 2. some writings which prove the abrogation of the jewish sabbath , do withal treat so loosly of the lords day , as that they require a confutation in the latter as well as a commendation for the former . 3. some are so large that the persons that i write for will hardly be brought to read them . 4. most go upon those grounds , which i take to be less clear ; and build so much more than i can do on the fourth commandment and on many passages of the old testament , and plead so much for the old sabbatical notion and rest , that i fear this is the chief occasion of many peoples errours ; who when they find themselves in a wood of difficulties , and nothing plain and convincing that is pleaded with them , do therefore think it safest to stick to the old jewish sabbath the friends and acquaintance of some of these persons importuning me , to take the plainest and nearest way to satisfie such honest doubters , i have here done it according to my judgement : not contending against any that go another way to work , but thinking my self that this is very clear and satisfactory ; viz. to prove , 1. that christ did commission his apostles to teach us all things which he commanded , and to settle orders in his church , 2. and that he gave them his spirit to enable them to do all this infallibly , by bringing all his words to their remembrance , and by leading them into all truth . 3. and that his apostles by this spirit did de facto separate the lords day , for holy worship , especially in church-assemblies , and declared the cessation of the jewish sabbaths . 4. and that as this change had the very same author as the holy scriptures ( the holy ghost in the apostles ) so that fact hath the same kind of proof , that we have of the canon and the integrity and uncorruptness of the particular scripture books and texts : and that , if so much scripture as mencioneth the keeping of the lords day , expounded by the concent , and practice of the universal church from the dayes of the apostles , ( all keeping this day as holy , without the dissent of any one sect , or single person that i remember to have read of , ) i say if all this history will not fully prove the point of fact , that this day was kept in the apostles times , and consequently by their appointment , then the same proof will not serve to evince that any text of scripture is canonical , and uncorrupted ; nor can we think that any thing in the world , that is past , can have historical proof . i have been put to say somewhat particularly out of antiquity for this evidence of the fact , because it is that which i lay the greatest stress upon . but i have not done it so largely as might be done , 1. because i would not lose the unlearned reader in a wood of history , nor overwhelm him instead of edifying him . 2. because it is done already in latine by dr. young in his dies dominica ( under the name of theophilus loncardiensis ; ) which i take to be the moderatest , soundest and strongest treatise on this subject that i have seen ; though mr. cawdry , and palmer ( joyntly ) have done well and at greater length : and mr. eaton , mr. shephard , dr. bound , wallaeus , rivet , and my dear friend mr. george abbot against broad have said very much : and in their way , dr. white , dr. heylin , bishop ironside , mr. brierwood , &c. 3. i chose most of the same citations which dr. heylin himself produceth , because he being the man that i am most put to defend my self against , his confessions are my advantage . 4. and if i had been willing , i could not have been so full in this , as the subject will bespeak , because i have almost eleven years been separated from my library , and long from the neighbourhood of any ones else . i much pitty and wonder at those godly men , who are so much for stretching the words of scripture , to a sense that other men cannot find in them , as that in the word [ graven images ] in the second commandment , they can find all set formes of prayer , all composed studyed sermons , and all things about worship of mans invention to be images or idolatry ; and yet they cannot find the abrogation of the jewish sabbath in the express words of col. 2. 16. nor the other texts which i have cited ; nor can they find the institution of the lords day in all the texts and evidences produced for it . but though satan may somewhat disturbe our concord and tempt some mens charity to remissness , by these differences , he shall never keep them out of heaven , who worship god , through christ , by the spirit , even in spirit and truth : nor , shall he , i hope ever draw me , to think such holy persons as herein differ from me , to be worse than my self , though i think them in this to be unhappily mistaken : much less to approve either of their own separation from others , or of other mens condemning them as hereticks , and inflicting severities upon them , for these their opinions sake . the contents . chap. 1. the state of the question , with the summary proof of the divine separation of the lords day , page 1. chap ii. that christ commissioned his apostles as his principal church-ministers , to teach the churches all his doctrine , and to deliver them all his commands and orders , and so to settle and guide the first churches . p. 5. chap. iii. christ promised his spirit to his apostles to enable them to do what he had commissioned them to do , by leading them into all truth , and bringing his words and deeds to their remembrance , and by guiding them at his churches guides . p. 9. chap. iv. christ performed all these promises to his apostles , and gave them his spirit to enable them to all their commissioned work . p. 11 chap. v. the apostles did actually separate and appoint the first day of the week for holy worship , especially in church assemblies . which is explained in several subordinate propositions ; and proved 1. by scripture ; 2. by unquestionable history ; and the validity of this proof evinced ; and the denyers of it proved to subvert the churches certainty of greater matters . p. 12 chap. vi. this act of the apostles appointing the lords day for holy worship , was done by the especial inspiration and guidance of the holy ghost . p. 69 chap. vii . whether the seventh day sabbath should be still kept by christians , as of divine obligation ? neg. proved . where is shewed how far the fourth commandment is abrogated ( and all the law of moses . ) p. 71 chap. viii . of the beginning of the day . p. 91 chap. ix . how the lords day should be kept . of the length of the time , and the objection about weariness . p. 93 chap. x. how the lords day should not be spent or what is unlawful on it ; of worldly business : of recreations : of idleness , &c. p. 108 chap. xi . what things should not be scrupled as un lawful on the lords day . p. 129 chap. xii . of what importance the due observing of the lords day is . many great reasons for it . p. 139 chap. xiii . what other church festivals , or separated dayes are lawful . p. 148 the contents of the appendix . chap. i. an answer to certain objections against the lords day , p. 157 chap. ii. an answer to more arguments for the seventh day sabbath , p. 180 chap. iii. whether the seventh day sabbath be part of the law of nature ; or only a positive law ? p. 202 chap. iv. whether every word in the decalogue be of the law of nature ? and of perpetual obligation ? and whether all that was of the law of nature was in the decalogue ? p. 214 chap. v. whether the truest antiquity be for the seventh day sabbath , as kept by the churches of christ ? p. 220 the divine appointment of the lords day , proved , as a separated day for holy worship , especially in the church-assemblies : and consequently the cessation of the seventh-day-sabbath . chap. i. though the principal thing desired by the enquirers is , that i would prove to them the cessation of the seventh-day sabbath , yet because they cast off the lords day , which i take to be a far greater error and sin , than the observation of both dayes ; and because that when i have proved the institution of the lords day , i shall the more easily take them off the other , by proving that there are not two weekly dayes set apart by god for holy worship : therefore i will begin with the first question , whether the lords day , or first day of the week , be separated by gods institution for holy worship , especially in publick church-conventions ? aff. and here for the right stating of the question , let it be noted , 1. that it is not the name of a sabbath that we now meddle with , or stand upon . let us agree in the thing , and we shall easily bear a difference about the name . grant that it is [ a day separated by gods institution for holy assemblies and worship ] and then call it a sabbath or [ the lords day ] as you please . though for my self , i add that [ the lords day ] is the name that the holy ghost hath set upon it , and the name which the first churches principally used ; and that they call it also sometimes by the name of the christian sabbath ; but that is only analogically , as it is resembled to the jewish sabbath ; and as they used the names [ sacrifice and altar ] * at the same time , for the christians commemoration of christs sacrifice in the sacrament of the lords supper , and for the table , or as dr. young saith , pag. 23. as in scripture , baptism is called circumcision . and that very rarely too . 2. that the question of the manner of observing the lords day , and what exercises of worship it must be spent in , and what diversions are lawful or unlawful , as also when the day beginneth , are not to be here medled with in the beginning , but afterwards , when the divine institution of the day it self is , first sufficiently proved . which is done as followeth . arg. that day which was separated to holy worship by the holy ghost , was separated to holy worship by god the father and the son. but the first day of the week was separated to holy worship by the holy ghost : therefore the first day of the week was separated to holy worship , by god the father and the son. the minor only needeth proof among christians . that day which was separated to holy worship by the apostles , by the inspiration of the holy ghost , was separated to holy worship by the holy ghost . but the first day of the week was separated to holy worship by the apostles by the inspiration of the holy ghost . therefore the first day of the week was separated to holy worship by the holy ghost . the minor which only needeth proof , is thus proved . that day which was separated to holy worship by the apostles who had the holy ghost promised them by christ , and given them , to lead them into all truth , and to bring all his doctrines to their remembrance , and to teach the churches to do all his commands , and to feed , and guide , and order them , as his principal commissioned church-minister , was separated to holy worship by the apostles by the inspiration of the holy ghost . but such is the first day of the week : therefore the first day of the week is separated to holy worship by the apostles by the inspiration of the holy ghost . i have five propositions now distinctly to be proved : four for the proof of the major , and one for the proof of the minor. the first proposition is , that christ commissioned his apostles as his principal church-ministers , to teach the churches all his doctrine , and deliver them all his commands and orders , and so to settle and guide the first churches . the second proposition is , that christ promised them his spirit , to enable them to do what he had commissioned them to do , by leading them into all truth , and bringing his words and deeds to their remembrance , and by guiding them as his churches guides . the third proposition is , that christ performed this promise , and gave his spirit accordingly to his apostles , to enable them to all their commissioned work . the fourth proposition is , that the apostles did actually separate or appoint the first day of the week , for holy worship , especially in church-assemblies . the fifth proposition is , that this act of theirs was done by the guidance or inspiration of the holy ghost , which was given them . and when i have distinctly proved these five things , no sober understanding christian can expect that i should prove any more , towards the proof of the question in hand , whether the first day of the week be separated by gods institution for holy worship , especially in church-assemblies ? chap. ii. prop. i. that christ commissioned his apostles , or his principal church-ministers , to teach the churches all his doctrine , and deliver them all his commands and orders , and so to settle and guide the first churches . this i prove , 1. by their commission it self : 2. by their performance with its proper seal . 3. by the consent of all the christian world . 1. luke 6. 13. he called to him his disciples , and of them he chose twelve , whom also he named apostles . their first commission is recited , matth. 10. at large . matth. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. all authority is given me in heaven and in earth : go ye therefore and disciple all nations , baptizing them in the name of the father , and of the son , and of the holy ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i have commanded you . and , loe , i am with you alway , even unto the end of the world ; amen . john 20. 21. then said jesus to them again , peace be unto you ; as the father hath sent me , even so send i you : and when he had said this , he breathed on them , and said , receive ye the holy ghost : whosesoever sins ye remit , they are remitted unto them , and whosesoever sins ye retain , they are retained . luke 10. 16. even of the seventy it is said , he that heareth you , heareth me , and he that despiseth you , despiseth me , and he that despiseth me , despiseth him that sent me . and to the twelve , matth. 10. 40. he that receiveth you , receiveth me , &c. acts 26. 17. delivering thee from the people , and from the gentiles , to whom now i send thee , to open their eyes . 1 cor. 15. 3. for i delivered to you first of all that which i also received , &c. 1 cor. 11. 23. for i received of the lord , that which also i delivered unto you . 1 cor. 4. 1 , 2. let a man so account of us as of the ministers of christ , and stewards of the mysteries of god. gal. 1. 11 , 12. but i certifie you , brethren , that the gospel which was preached of me , is not after man ; for i neither received it of man , neither was i taught it , but by the revelation of jesus christ. john 21. 15 , 16 , 17. simon son of jonas lovest thou me — feed my lambs . matth. 16. 19. i will give unto thee the keyes of the kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth , shall be bound in heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth , shall be loosed in heaven . john 17. 18. as thou hast sent me into the world , so have i also sent them into the world . see john 13. 16 , 20. acts 1. 24 , 25. shew whether of these two thou hast chosen , that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship , from which judas by transgression fell . gal. 1. 1. paul an apostle , not of men , neither by man , but by jesus christ and god the father . acts 1. 2. after that he through the holy ghost , had given commandment to the apostles whom he had chosen ; to whom also he presented himself alive after his passion , by many infallible proofs , being seen of them forty dayes , and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of god. acts 2. 42. they continued stedfast in the apostles doctrine and fellowship , &c. eph. 4. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. he gave some apostles , some prophets , &c. 1 cor. 12. 28 , 29. first apostles , secondarily prophets , &c. are all apostles , &c. eph. 2. 20. being built on the foundation of the apostles , &c. 2. pet. 3. 2. that ye may be mindfull of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets , and of the commandments of us the apostles of the lord and saviour . acts 10. 5. send men to joppa , and call for simon , &c. and be shall tell thee , &c. they that will not take all this plain evidence of scripture for a proof of this first proposition , i suppose would not be ever the more moved by it , if i should be so needlesly tedious , as to stay to fetch arguments from each text. 2. the apostles exercised such a power , as the proposition mentioneth , and god s●t to it , the seal of miracles . therefore such a power or office was given them by christ. the consequence is undenyable . the antecedent of this enthimeme is so plainly expressed in scripture , that i am loth to take up much of my own or the readers time , in proving so known a thing . they founded the churches ; they delivered them the doctrine and commands of christ ; they setled the churches , as to officers , orders , and discipline , according to christs commands and the spirits determinations : thus they ordained the new office of deacons , and deaconeffes or widows ; and they ordained them elders in every church , or city ; and they determined of church controversies ; and gave the church decrees ; and delivered the will of christ about the sacrament , church-assemblies , prophecyings , &c. acts 2. & 14. 23. acts 6. 3 , 4 , &c. 1 tim. 3. titus 1. acts 15. 1 cor. 11. 1 cor. 14 &c. 3. that all christians ( save hereticks ) did acknowledge their power , and acquiesce in their decrees and conduct , being a matter of fact , needs no other proof , than the common history of former ages , and practice of this . which are so well known , that i will not injure the reader by proving it . chap. iii. prop. 2. christ promised his spirit to his apostles , to enable them to do , what be had commissioned them to do , by leading them into all truth , and bringing his words and deeds to their remembrance , and by guiding them as his churches guides . in the old testament it is prophesied and promised , jer. 3. 15. and i will give you pastors according to mine heart , which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding . see all the texts that promise the pouring out of the spirit , isa. 44. 3. ezck. 36. 27. & 37. 14. & 39. 29. joel 2. 28 , 29. which were principally fulfilled on the apostles . luke 24. 49. and behold , i send the promise of my father upon you : but tarry ye in the city of jerusalem , untill ye be endued with power from on high . john 15. 26 , 27. but , when the advocate is come , whom i will send unto you from the father , he shall testifie of me : and ye also shall bear witness , because ye have been with me from the beginning . john 16. 7 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. it is expedient for you , that i go away ; for if i go not away , the advocate will not come unto you : but if i depart , i will send him unto you — i have yet many things to say unto you , but ye cannot bear them now . ho●beit when he , the spirit of truth is come , he will guide you into all the truth . for he shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear , that shall he speak : and he shall shew you things to come . he shall glorifie me ; for he shall receive of mine , and shew it unto you . all things that the father hath are mine . therefore said i that he shall take of mine , and shall shew it unto you . john 17. 8. i have given to them the words which thou gavest me , and they have received them — v. 17 , 18. 〈◊〉 then through thy truth : thy word is truth : as thou hast sent me into the world , so have i also sent them into the world : and for their sakes i 〈◊〉 my self , that they also might be sanctified through the truth . matth. 28. 20. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i have commanded you ; and loe i am with you alwayes to the end of the world . acts 1. 4. and being assembled together with them , commanded them that they should not depart from jerusalem , but wait for the promise of the father which ye have heard of me . for john truly baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the holy ghost not many dayes hence . v. 8. but ye shall receive power after that the holy ghost is come upon you , and ye shall be witnesses uitto me , both in jerusalem , and to all judaea , and in samaria , and unto the uttermost parts of the earth . by these texts it is most evident that christ promiseth the apostles an extraordinary spirit , or measure of the spirit , so to enable them to deliver his commands , and execute their commission , as that he will own what they do by the guidance thereof ; and the churches may rest upon it as the infallible revelation of the will of god. chap. iv. prop. 3. christ performed all these promises to his apostles , and gave them his spirit to enable them for all their commissioned work . this is proved both from the fidelity of christ , and from the express assertions of the scripture . he is faithful that hath promised . heb. 10. 23. titus 1. 2. god that cannot lye hath promised . 2 cor. 1. 18. as god is true — rev. 6. 10. h w long o lord , holy and true — rev. 19. 11. he was called faithful and true — rom. 3. 4. let god be true , and every man a lyar — 1 john 5. 10 he that believeth not god , hath made him a lyar . john 20. 22. he breathed on them , and saith unto them , receive ye the holy ghost . acts 2. containeth the narrative of the comeing down of the holy ghost upon them , at large . acts 15. 28. seemed good to the holy ghost and to us — heb. 2. 4. god also bearing them witness , both with signs and wonders , and with divers mighty works , and distributions of the holy ghost according to his own will. 1 pet. 1. 12. the things which are now reported unto you , by them that have preached the gospel unto you , by the holy ghost sent down from heaven — rom. 15. 19 , 20. through mighty signs and wonders , by the power of the spirit of god , so that from jerusalem , and round about to illyricum i have fully preached the gospel of christ. read all the texts in acts and elsewhere , that speak of all the apostles miracles , and their giving of the holy ghost , &c. and 1 cor. 7. 40. acts 4. 8 , 31. acts 5. 3. & 6. 3. & 7. 51 , 55. & 8. 15 , 17 , 18 , 19. & 9. 17. & 10. 44 , 45 , 47. & 11. 15 , 16 , 24. & 13. 2 , 4 , 9 , 52. & 16. 6. rom. 5. 5. & 9. 1. 1 cor. 2. 13. 2 tim. 1. 14. 1 cor. 12. eph. 4. 7 , 8 , &c. & 3. 5. but this proposition is confessed by all christians . chap. v. prop. 4. the apostles did actually separate and appoint the first day of the week for holy worship , especially in church-assemblies . here the reader must remember , that it is 〈◊〉 matter of fact , that is to be proved in the proof of this proposition ; and that all till this , is clearly and undenyably proved ; so that the whole controversie resteth upon the proof of the fact ! that indeed the apostles did separate 〈◊〉 set apart this day for ordinary ( publick ) worship . and in order to the fuller proof of this , i have these 〈◊〉 propositions to prove . prop. 1. matter of past fact is to be known to us by history ( written , verbal or practical . ) this is evident in the nature of the thing . history is the narration of facts that are past . we speak not of the fact of meer natural agents , but of moral or humane facts . it may be known without history what eclipses there have been of the sun ; what changes of the moon , &c. but not what in particular morals have been done by man. the necessity of other distinct wayes of knowledge , are easily disproved . 1. it need not be known by divine supernatural revelation . otherwise no men could know what is past , but prophets or inspired persons : nor prophets but in few things : for it cannot be proved , that god ever revealed to prophets or inspired persons , the general knowledge of things past ; but only some particulars of special use ( as the creation to moses , &c. ) so that if revelation by inspiration , voice or visions , were necessary , scripture it self could be understood by none but inspired persons , or that had such revelation . 2. it is not known by natural causes , and by arguing from the natural cause to the effects . it is no more possible to know all things past this way , ( by knowing the causes ) than all things future . therefore it must be ordinarily known by humane report , which we call history or tradition . prop. 2. scripture history is not the only certain history ; much less the only credible . without scripture history we may be certain , that there was in 1666. a great fire in london , and a great plague in 1665. and that there were wars in england , 1642 , 1643 , &c. and that there have been parliaments in england which have made the statutes now in force ; and that there have been such kings of england for many ages , as our records and histories mention , &c. prop. 3. scripture history is not the only certain history of the things of the ages in which it was written , or of former ages ; much less the only credible history of them . we may know by other history certainly , that there were such persons as cyrus , alexander , &c. that the macedonians had a large extended empire ; that the romans after by many victories obtained a spacious empire ; that there were such persons as julius caesar , augustus , tiberius , nero , cicero , virgil , horace , ovid , &c. prop. 4. scripture history is not the only means appointed by god , to help us to the knowledge of ecclesiastical matters of fact , transacted in scripture times . 1. for if humane history be certain or credible in other cases , it is certain or credible in these . there being no reason why these things , or much of them , should not be as capable of a certain delivery to us by humane history as other matters . as that there were christians in those times , may be known by what tacitus , suetonius , &c. say . and the antient writers oft appeal in many cases to the heathens own history . and no man pretendeth as to the civil matters mentioned in the scriptures , that no other history of the same is credible or certain . as of the government of augustus , tiberius , herod , pilate , foelix , festus , &c. 2. there are other certain means known to us ; of which i must refer the reader to what i have written in my reasons of the christian religion , part 2. cap. 7. specially pag. 335. to 340. 3. no man can doubt but that the christians of that same age , ( as till the year one hundred ) might easily and certainly know such a matter of publick fact , as whether the lords day was constantly set apart and observed by all the christian churches for holy worship : for 1. it is certain that they did know it by sight and sense , and therefore had no need of history . 2. it is certain that they knew it before the scriptures were written , which we now speak of : for it is not possible that for all those years time before any of the new testament was written , the christians who assembled to worship god , should not know on what day they used to assemble . and if they knew it in the year 100. they must needs know it as well in the year 101. & 102. & 103. and so on . for those that were young christians fifty years after christ , would be aged at an hundred : and those that were young at an hundred , would be aged at an hundred and fifty , and so on . so that an age of people , not ending at the age of a single person , congregations and societies are like rivers , that keep the same channel , and name , while one part of water followeth another . nay , some of the same men are there anno 100. who were there anno 50. some anno 150. who were there anno 100. and so on . ten thousand thousand men , women and children , can tell on what day the congregations of england use to assemble ; whereas if an apostle were among us , and should write on what day we assemble ; fewer would know it by that means ; and they that knew it but by his writing , would know it less confidently , than they that knew it by sense and experience . yet , forget not , that i am far from ascribing a certainty or a credibility to all humane history : much more from equalling any with the credit of divine history . but only i say , 1. that sense is more assuring , as to the subject , than any history whatever : 2. and that some history besides divine is certain : 3. and that much history is credible : 4. and that this instance of the day on which all churches in the world assembled for holy worship , is one of the most palpable for certainty that possibly could be imagined . 4. and i add , that if some humane history or tradition be not certain , there can be no certainty of much of the divine history , to any but the persons who were themselves inspired , or that saw the visions , or miracles that confirmed them . for as internal sense or intuition must assure the inspired persons themselves , and external sense must assure those that saw the matters of fact ; so all the rest have no way to know them , but either still by a succession of new revelations from heaven , ( which god doth not give ) or else by report . and i can no otherwise know what was revealed to an apostle , nor what was done in those times : ( of which more anon . ) prop. 5. the first institution of church offices , and orders , and so of the lords day , was not by scripture . the proof is undeniable : because the old testament did not contain the institution , ( e. g. of particular churches , sacraments , presbyters , deacons , deaconesses , and the lords day , &c. ) and the new testament was none of it written till anno 40. at soonest when some ( as bucholtzer , bellarm , &c. ) think matthews gospel was written , though others say many years after , ) and it was not all written till ann . 99. now it is certain that the church was not all these years without the orders now in question , nor without a day to meet on for publick worship . even as baptism and the lords supper were instituted by christ himself , long before the writing of any part of the new testament , and the church was in long possession of them , upon the bare verbal declaration of the apostles . prop. 6. therefore it is certain that no part of the new testament was written to any such end as to institute sacraments , or church offices , or standing orders ; but to instruct men about those that were already instituted , ( as to the use of those times . ) for it could not be written to institute that which was instituted before , so many years . prop. 7. no part of the new testament was written to make known to the churches of those times , the said sacraments , offices , stated orders , and time of worship ; ( still observe that by a part i mean any book ; and i except the decree , written in a letter of the apostles , elders and brethren , act. 15. concerning circumcision , not to be imposed on the gentiles ; which yet made no new institution , nor declared any , but only determined of the continued forbearance of some things forbidden before of god , in the precepts called noah's ; and pauls epistles , which reduce the churches to orders before setled , and urge them to duty , and decide some doubts about particular cases of conscience . ) the proof is visible , 1. in the writings themselves : 2. in that all the churches were in the possession and use of all the things in question , long before : ( for mutable orders and circumstances are none of the things in question . ) it would be vain to write a history now , to tell english men of this present age , that the lords day is used in england as a day set apart for publike worship ; or that persons are baptized , or receive the lords supper in england . for seeing it is the common usage of all the christians almost of the land , it is needless to tell men among us by writing that it is so ( unless it be to inferr somewhat else from it . ) prop. 8. yet those holy scriptures which were written to men of those times , were also intended for the instruction of all succeeding ages ; and so the foure evangelists wrote the history of christ , and luke wrote the history of paul till his coming to rome and longer , and of some more of the apostles ; and on the by , in the epistles extant , the churches customes of those times are much intimated , and all this together with the subordinate history and the universal tenure and practice of the churches , is that history by which we must know the matters of fact of those times ; nor is there any room left for a rational pretense of rome or any other church , to produce divine institutions , which were committed only to them , or entrusted to their particular keeping only , and were not delivered in scripture , nor in common to the whole church . prop. 9. thus according to the use of the writings of the new testament , the matter of fact in question ( of the lords dayes separation ) is historically touched on , and proved ; though but briefly and on the by , as a thing as well known to the church before , as what day goeth over their head . the historical hints of the new testament must be taken together , and not a part only ; that they may prove a usage . and , 1. that christ rose on that day is past doubt among christians . joh. 20. 1. luk. 24. 1. mar. 16. 2. matth. 28. 1. 2. on that same day he taught the two disciples , luk. 24. 13. and the same day he appeared to the disciples , and instructed them , and did eate with them , luk. 24. 33 , 36. the● the disciples were assembled , and the● he blessed them , gave them their commission , and the holy ghost , joh. 20. 19 , 20 , 21 , 22. 3. the next first day of the week christ chose to appear to them again , when thomas was with them , and convinced him , joh. 20. 26. 4. in act. 20. 7. it is mentioned as the day of their assembling to break bread ( which though they did oft on other daies , yet no day else was peculiarly appointed for it , ) as for the dissenters cavil about the translation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . beza hath given them reason enough against it ; and grotius and almost all expositors are against them : and most that translate it literally una sabbatorum , take vna and prima here to be all one . and calvin with others noteth , that the same phrase being used of the day of the resurrection , matth. 26. 1. luk. 24. 1. joh. 20. 1. will direct us to expound this ; unless you mean also to deny the resurrection to have been on the first day . and 1 cor. 16. 1 , 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must needs have the same signification ; and mark 26. 9. compared with the other evangelists so expounds them as beza noteth ; who also telleth us that in one old copy he found added [ the lords day ] and citeth hierome adv . vigilant . saying [ per unam sabbati ; hoc est , in die dominico , &c. ] and dr. hammond well noteth that it plainly relateth to the christian assemblies , to which they were not to come empty , but to deposite what they brought into the treasury of the church ; or if it were in their private repositories , it doth not much difference the case . calvins exception against chrysostome here is groundless , as the reasons before evince . so that by this text the custome of holding church meetings on the lords day , as a peculiar day , is intimated , though but on the by , as most expositors agree . and the denomination of the lords day , joh. 1. 10. being the same which the christian churches ever used of the first day , puts it yet further out of doubt . as for his conjecture who doubteth whether it may be meant of the anniversary day of christs resurrection , when as the constant use of the name by all the churches , sheweth that it was taken ever since for the weekly day , it deserveth no other refutation . now though all this set together shew that scripture is not silent of the matter of fact ; yet it is the full and unquestionable expository evidence of the practice of all churches in the world , since the very daies of the apostles , which beyond all doubt assureth us that de facto the lords day was by the apostles separated for holy worship , especially in publick church-assemblies . but these several intimations being seconded with so full an exposition , tell us that the scripture is not silent in the case , nor doth pass it by . i was loth to name the day of the sending down of the holy ghost as a proof : because that some do controvert it . but it seemeth to me a very considerable thing . 1. that the day ( that year ) 〈…〉 of pentecost on which the holy ghost was given , was indeed the first day of the week , even dr. heylin granteth without any question or stop . and the churches observation of whitsunday as the day , and that so very early as epiphanius and many others say , from the apostles , doth seem a very credible history or tradition of it . 2. it s agreed on that the passoever that year fell on the sabboth day , and that pentecost was fifty daies after the passover : which falleth out on the lords day . and grotius noteth from exod. 19. 1. that it was the day that the law was given on , and so on which the spirit was given for the new law. 3. and considering that this great gift of the holy ghost which was to make the apostles infallible , and to enable them for their commission-work , and bring all christs doctrines and commands to their remembrance , was so memorable a thing , that it was as it were the beginning of the full gospel-state of the church , and kingdom of christ , ( which through all christs abode on earth , was as the infant , existent indeed but in the womb , and on this day was as it were born before the world , and brought into the open light ; ) the lords day also seemeth to me to be as it were conceived on the day of christs resurrection , but born on this day of the holy ghosts descent . but dr. heylin hath one poor reason against it , viz. because it was but an accidental thing that the day fell out that year on the first day . answ. 1. was it not according to the course of nature ? how then can that be called accidental ? 2. but however it was no contingent accidental thing ( in his sense ) that the holy ghost was sent down on that day rather than another . if a sparrow fall not to the ground without gods providence , did god choose that day he knew not why ? or did it fall out hap hazard or by chance ? i need not insist on the confutation of his cavi●s about the other texts forecited . note only , 1. that as to his exception about christs travel on his resurrection day , i have after answered it . 2. that he freely granteth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , signifi●th the first day of the week , both in act. 20. 7. and 1 cor. 16. 2. 3. that he himself citeth afterward many testimonies that oblations and contributions were in the churches a usual lords dayes work . 4. that he confesseth that rev. 10. 1. is meant of the lords day , as by that time grown into reputation . 5. that he thinketh it was in small reputation before , because paul chose the sabbath so often to preach on , to the jews and hellenists , or greeks : whereas he himself is forced to confess that it was not for the days sake , but the assemblies , to do them good . 6. that he vainly conceiteth [ that because the lords day was kept on the account of christs resurrection , ] it implyeth that it was not kept by gods command , which needeth no confutation . 7. that his labour to prove that paul meant the jewish sabbath as abrogated is vain ; for we deny it not . 8. that he cannot deny that christians had all that time of the apostles a stated day ( as pliny himself witnesseth ) for solemn worship , above other daies . 9. that he vainly snatcheth a little countenance from calvin and beza , &c. when as no man since cochlaeus writeth more detestably of them . 10. that after he confesseth that [ its no doubt but the religious observation of the day began in the apostles age with their approbation and authority , and hath since continued in the same respect . ] and what needs he more for confutation ? and as to his allegations of the judgement of the reformed , lutheran and roman church , 1. we take none of them for our rule ( so impartial are we ) but , 2. he himself citeth beza , mercer , paraeus , cuchlinus , simler , hospinian , zanchius , &c. as holding that it was , an apostolical and truly divine tradition , that the apostles turned the sabbath into the lords day , that it was an apostolical custome , or a custome received in the apostles times , &c. and whereas afterward he would perswade us that they spent but a little of the day in holy worship , he himself cited mr. george sandys travels ; saying of the copties , that [ on saturday presently after midnight , they repair unto their churches , where they remain well nigh till sunday at noon ( of the evening he speaketh not , but of their first meeting ) during which time they neither sit nor kneel , but support themselves on crutches ; and they sing over the most part of davids psalms at every meeting with divers parcels of the new testament ] ( this is like the old way ; and such a liturgie we do not contradict nor scruple . ) sandys also informeth us of the armenianchristians that coming into the place of the assembly on sunday in the afternoon ( no doubt they had been there in the morning ) be found one sitting in the midst of the congregation , in habit not differing from the rest , reading on a bible in the chaldaean tongue : that anon after , came the bishop in a hood or vest of black , with a staffe in his hand ? that first he prayed , and then sung certain psalms assisted by two or three . after all of them singing joyntly , at interims praying to themselves , the bishop all this while with his bands erected and his face towards the altar ; that service being ended , they all kissed his hand , and bestowed their almes , he laying his other hand on their heads , and blessing them , &c. and of the abaffines he reciteth out of brierwood , ( and he from damianus a goes ) that they honour the lords day as the christian sabbath , and the saturday as the jews sabbath , because they receive the canons called the apostles which speak for both . and king edgar in england ordained that the sabbath should begin ou saturday at three a clock afternoon , and continue till break a day on munday . these laws for the sabbath of alfred , edgar , &c. were confirmed by etheldred , and more fully by canutus . but of these things i shall say more anon under the proposition following ; in the mean time only remembring you , 1. that it is well that we are required after the fourth commandment to pray [ lord have mercy upon us , and encline our hearts to keep this law ] and we accept his concession , that this includeth all of that commandment which is the law of nature ( though i have told you that it reacheth somewhat further . ) 2. that we approve of the plain doctrine of the english homilies on this point , and stand to the exposition of sober impartiality . prop. 10. it hath been the constant practice of all christs churches in the whole world , ever since the daies of the apostles to this day , to assemble for publick worship on the lords day , as a day set apart thereunts by the apostles . yea so universal was this judgement and practice , that there is no one church , no one writer , or one heretick ( that i remember to have read of ) that can be proved ever to have dissented or gainsaid it , till of late times . the proof of this is needless to any one that is versed in the writings of the ancients ; and others cannot try what we shall produce . i have been these ten years separated from my library , and am therefore less furnished for this task than is requisite : but i will desire no man to receive more , than the testimonies produced by dr. pet. heylin himself , which with pittiful weakness he would pervert . and he being the grand adversary with whom i do now contend , i shall only premise these few observations , as sufficient to confute all his cavils and evasions . 1. when his great work is to prove that the lords day was not called the sabbath ( unless by allusion ) we grant it him ( as to a jewish sabbath ) as nothing to the purpose . 2. whereas he strenuously proveth that the lords day was not taken for a sabbath de re , we grant it him also , taking the word in the primitive jewish sense . 3. when he laboureth to prove that christians met on other daies of the week besides the lords day ( though not for the lords supper ) we grant it him as nothing to the purpose . so calvin preached or lectured daily at geneva , and yet kept not every day as a holy day separated to gods worship , as they did the lords day , though too remisly . so we do still keep week-day lectures , and the church of england requireth the reading of common prayer on wednesdayes and fridays , and holy day evens ; do they therefore keep them holy as the lords day ? 4. when he tells us that clemens alexandrinus and origen , plead against them that would hear and pray on that day only , we grant it him ; and we are ready to say as they do , that we should not confine gods service to one day only , as if we might be profane and worldly on all other daies ; but should take all fit opportunities for religious helps , and should all the week keep our minds as near as we can in a holy frame and temper . of the rest of his objections i shall say more in due place . 5. but i must note in the beginning that he granteth the main cause which i plead for , acknowledging , hist. sab. l. 2. page 30. it thus ; [ so that the religious observation of this day , beginning in the age of the apostles , no doubt but with their approbation and authority , and since continuing in the same respect for so many ages , may be very well accounted amongst those apostolical traditions , which have been universally received in the church of god. ] and what need we more than the religious observation , in the apostles time , by the apostles approbation and authority , and this delivered to us by the universal church , as an apostolical tradition . but yet he saith that the apostles made it not a sabbath . answ. give us the religious observation , and call it by what name you please . we are not fond of the name of the sabbath . 6 and therefore we grant all that he laboriously proveth of the abolition of the jewish sabbath , and that the ancients commonly consent , that by the abolished sabbath , col. 2. 16. is meant inclusively the weekly jewish sabbath : epiphan . l. 1. haeres . 33. n. 11. ambros. in loc . hieron . epist. ad algus . qu. 10. chrysost. hom. 13. in haebr . 7. august . cont . jud. cap. 2. & cont . faust. manich. l. 16. c. 28. i recite the places for them that doubt of it . now let us peruse the particular testimonies . 1. i begin with ignatius , ( though dallaeus have said so much to prove the best copy of him of latter date and spurious ; because others think otherwise , and that copy is by him thought to be written cent. 3. ) who saith [ let us not keep the sabbath in a jewish manner in sloth and idleness , but after a spiritual manner ; not in bodily ease , but in the study of the law ; not eating meat drest yesterday , or drinking warm drinks , and walking out a limited space , but in the contemplation of the works of god — and after the sabbath let every one that loveth christ keep the lords day festival , the resurrection day , the queen and empress of all daies , in which our life was raised again , and death was overcome by our lord and saviour . ] either these epist. of ignatius ( ad philip. &c. ) are genuine or spurious . if genuine , than note how clearly it is asserted that the lords day was to be observed as the queen of all daies , by all that were lovers of christ. and that the seventh day sabbath was kept with it then and there ( in asia so near the apostles daies ) no wonder ; when it was but the honourable , gradual , receding from the mosaical ceremonies , with an avoiding the scandalous hinderance of the jews conversion . and dr. heylin well noteth , that it was only the eastern churches next the jews that for a time kept both daies , but not the western , who rather turned the sabbath to a fast . but if ignatius ep. be spurious written cent. 3. then as dallaeus would prove , they were written by some heretical or heterodox person ; and so it will be no wonder that holy dayes are pleaded for , when ( as dr. heylin observeth ) cerinthus and his followers in the apostles times , stood up for the jewish sabbath and ceremonies , and so were for both daies : but it will be our confirmation that even the hereticks held with the universal church for the lords day . 2. the great controversie about the day of easter , which spread so early through all the churches is a full confirmation of our matter of fact . for when the western churches were for the passover day ( the better to content the jews saith heylin ) the eastern thought it intollerable that it should not be kept on a lords day , because that was the weekly day observed on the same account of the resurrection : the eastern churches never questioned their supposition of the lords day ; and the western ( after victors rash excommunicating the asian bishops ) never rested till they brought them to keep it on the lords day : pius , anicetus , victor , &c. prosecuting the cause . 3. the book ( though perished ) which melito wrote of the lords day , euseb. l. 4. c. 25. by the title may be well supposed to confirm at least the matter of fact or usage . 4. all those little councils , mentioned by heylin , p. 48. held at osroena , corinth , in gaul , in pontus , in rome prove this , the canons of them all , saith heylin , being extant in eusebius ' s time , and in all which it was concluded for the sunday . but saith heylin by this [ you see that the sunday and the sabbath were long in striving for the victory ] p. 49. answ. i see that some men can out-face the clearest light . here was no striving at all which day should be the weekly day set apart for holy worship , but only whether easter should follow the time of 〈◊〉 , or be confined to the lords day . 5. justin martyrs testimony is so express and so commonly cited , that i need not recite the words at large [ vpon the sunday all of us assemble in the congregation — vpon the day called sunday all within be cities or in the countrey , do meet together in some place , where , &c. ] he proceedeth to shew the worship there performed . now 1. here being mention of no other day , no man can question but that this day was set apart for these holy assemblies in a peculiar manner as the other week dayes were not . 2. this being the writing of one of the most learned and antient of all the christian writers . 3. and being purposely written to one of the wisest of all the emperours , as an apologie for all the christians : 4. and being written at rome , where the matter of fact was easily known , deserveth as much credit as any christian history or writing since the apostles can deserve . nor hath heylin any thing to say against it . 6. the next remembred by heylin is dionysius corinth . who lived 175. cited out of eusebius hist. l. 4. c. 22. [ to day we keep the holy lords day , wherein we read the epistle you wrote to us , &c. ] against this heylin saith not a word . 7. the next is clemens alexander . who expresly asserteth the matter of fact , that the lords day was then kept by christians . yea , heylin derideth him for fetching it as far as plato strom. l. 7. but heylin thinks he was against keeping any dayes : but he that will examine his words shall find , that he speaketh only against them that would be ceremonious observers of the day , more than of the work of the day , and would be religious on that day alone . and therefore he saith , that [ he that leadeth his life according to the ordinances of the gospel doth keep the lords day , when he casteth away every evil thought , and doing things with knowledge and understanding , doth glorifie the lord in his resurrection . ] this is not to speak against the day , but to shew how it ought to be sincerely kept . but if he had been against it , it s all one to my cause , who only prove that de facto all christian churches kept it . 8. the next witness is tertullian , who oft asserteth this to be the holy day of the christians church-assemblies , and holy worship : his testimony in apolog. cap. 16. is so commonly known that i need not recite it . it is the same in sense with justin martyrs , and written in an apology for the christians , purposely describing their custom of meeting and worshipping on the sunday ( as he calls it there ) as justin did . and that it was not an hours work only , he shews in saying , that the day was kept as a day of rejoicing , and then describeth the work . and de idolol . c. 14. he saith , that every eighth day was the christians festival . and de coron . mil. c. 3. and oft he calleth it the lords day , and saith it was a crime to fast upon it . and the work of the day described by justin , and by him apolog. c. 39. is just the same that we desire now the day to be spent in : we plead for no other . but most grosly saith heylin , pag. 55. [ but sure it is that their assemblies held no longer than our morning service ; that they met only before noon ; for justin saith , that when they met they used to receive the sacrament , and that the service being done , every man went again to his daily labours . ] answ. is this a proof to conclude a [ certainty ] from ? most certainly abundance of testimonies might be produced to prove that they came together early in the morning , and stayed till evening , if not till within night . the former pliny and many others witness : and the later many accusations of the heathens , that censured them for night-crimes at their meetings : and all that report it almost , tell us of the sacrament administred , and tertullian and others , of their feasting together ( their love feasts ) as a supper before they parted : now let but the time be measured by the work : by that time the scriptures of the old testament and new were read , and all the prayers then made , and all the preaching and exhortations , and then all the prayers and praises at the celebration of the lords supper ( especially if they were half as long as the liturgies ascribed to basil , chrysostom , and the rest in the biblioth . patrum ) and by that time the sacrament it self was administred , with all the action and singing of psalms , and all the oblations and collections made ; and besides this , all the church discipline on particular persons exercised , where questions and answers and proofs must take up a great deal of time , sure one day would be at an end , or very near it . and after when the love feasts were left off , and the church met twice , and made an intermission , they did as we do now . and the very custom of preaching all the morning to the audientes and catechumens , till almost noon , when they were dismist with a missa est , and spending the rest of the day in teaching the church , and celebrating the sacrament with all the larger eucharistical acts , do fully shew how the day was spent : which i would quickly prove by particular testimonies , but that i am separated from my library ; and dr. young hath fully done it to my hand . the very context of these testimonies , with what albaspinaeus hath of their catechizing and church order will soon satisfie the impartial searcher . as for what he saith out of justin , of returning to their labours , i can find no such word in him ; nor do i believe there is any such to be found , unless of returning to their six dayes weekly labour , when the religious work was ended with the day : and i imagine the reader will find no more , if so much . 9. the next proof is universal , even the consent of all the christian churches without one contradicting vote that ever i read of , that the lords dayes worship was to be performed standing , and that it was not allowed them to pray or worship kneeling , upon any lords day in the year ( or any week day between easter and whitsontide ) : and the difficulty of these stations is expressed ( see albaspinaeus of it ) which sheweth that it was for a long time . whatever they did in hearing ( its like they sate , for justin saith , we rise to pray ) but it is certain they stood in worshipping acts , as prayer and praise . this justin martyr hath before mentioned : tertullian hath it expresly , and heylin himself citeth him de coron . mil. & basil l. de spir. s. c. 27. & hieron . advers . luciferian . august . epist. 118. hilar. praef. in psal. ambros. serm. 62. to which he may add epiphanius , and divers councils , especially nic. 1. & trul. of which after . ( i once pleaded this ancient custom with them that would have all excluded from the sacrament that kneel not , to prove that kneeling at the sacrament on the lords dayes could not be in the church of many hundred years after the apostles , when the universal church condemned kneeling on all lords dayes worship . ) and dr. heylin himself saith [ what time this custom was laid by i can hardly say ; but sure i am , it was not laid aside in a long time after ; not till the time of pope alexander the third , who lived about the year 1160. &c. ] now from all this it is most evident that the lords day was then observed . 10. in this place though by anticipation i add the two general councils now named : the first great general council at nice , can. 20. which reneweth and confirmeth this antient custom of not kneeling in prayer on the lords dayes , that there might be an uniformity kept in the churches . and the cano● . con●●● trul. have the same again ; which proveth what we seek , the matter of fact of the dayes general observation . 11. the next is origen , who is not denyed to witness to the matter of fact ; but heylin thinks he was against the right of it : but his mistake is the same , as about clemens alex. origen did but desire that other dayes might be kept also as profitably as they could ; as our lecture dayes are . 12. cyprian is the next , whose testimonies for matter of fact are full , and heylin hath nothing to say against him , but that it is his private opinion , that the lords day was prefigured in the eighth day destined to circumcision . which is nothing at all to our business in hand . 13. and he himself cites pope fabians decretal anno 237. ( a testimony therefore that he is not to refuse ) [ for every man and woman on the lords dayes to bring a quantity of bread and wine to be first offered on the altar , and then distributed in the sacrament ] the canon of clem. before mentioned i now pretermit . but saith dr. heylin 1. all days between easter and whitsunday had adoration by genuflection also prohibited on them . 2. and the church had other festivals also . answ. 1. the reason of station was to signifie christs resurrection and ours : therefore it continued for these dayes : but that was for the short occasional meetings of those dayes , which he himself will not say were separated to worship . 2. and the other festivals of the church make nothing against us : for 1. some of them ( as easter and whitsunday ) were but the same lords day . 2. and some of them were but anniversary , and not weekly holy dayes ; as the nativity , &c. 3. and he confesseth even these were brought in long after the apostles dayes , and therefore can lay no claim to apostolical institution . pag. 62. he himself saith , that [ the feast of christs nativity was ordained or instituted in the second century , and that of his incarnation in the third . ] and besides easter and whitsunday ( which are the lords day ) christmas is all that he nameth out of beda ( so long after ) as the majora solennia . the eves were but hours for preparation . 14. to these ( though in the fourth century ) i may add epiphanius , who recordeth the station ( and adoration to the east ) on the lords dayes as those traditions received by the universal church . and here i would have it specially noted , that when tertullian , epiphanius and others note standing on the lords dayes to be an unwritten tradition received by the whole church , they do not say the same of the lords day it self , ( though the antients oft say , that we received it from the apostles : ) now by this it is plain , that they took the lords day to be of apostolick institution past all question , and the unwritten vniversal traditions to be somewhat lower ( which there was no scripture for at all . ) ( among which the white garment , and the milk and honey to the baptized , and the adoration toward the east are numbred . ) for he that is appointed to worship on the lords dayes standing , or toward the east , is supposed to know that on that day he is to worship . if the mode on that day be of universal tradition as a ceremony , the day is supposed to be somewhat more than of unwritten tradition . 15. i add here also ( though in the fourth century , because it looks back to the institution ) the words of athanasius cited by heylin himself , homil. de semente ( though nannius question it ) [ that our lord transferred the sabbath to the lords day . ] but saith dr. heylin [ this must be understood , not as if done by his commandment , but on his occasion : the resurrection of our lord on that day , being the principal motive which did influence his church to make choice thereof for the assemblies — for otherwise it would cross what formerly had been said by athanasius in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. ] answ. it expresseth the common judgement of the church , that christ himself made the change by these degrees : 1. fundamentally and as an exemplar by his own resurrection on that day ; giving the first cause of it , as the creation-rest did of the seventh day : 2. secretly commanding it to his apostles . 3. commissioning them to promulgate all his commands . 4. sending down the spirit on that very day . 5. and by that spirit determining them by promulgation to determine publickly of the day , and settle all the churches in long possession of it before their death . that which is thus done , may well be said to be done by christ , 2. and what shew of contradiction hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to this ? [ it was commanded at first that the sabbath day should be observed in memory of the accomplishment of the world : so do we celebrate the lords day as a memorial of the beginning of a new creation . ] had not he a creating head here that out of these words could gather , that we celebrate the lords day without a command voluntarily ? one would think [ so ] should signifie the contrary . but ib. pag. 8. he citeth socrates for the same , saying that [ the designe of the apostles was not to busie themselves in prescribing festival daies , but to instruct the people in the wayes of godliness . ] answ. socrates plainly rebuketh the busie ceremonious arrogancy of after ages , for making new holy dayes ; and doth not at all mean the lords day ; but saith that to make festivals , that is , other and more , as since they did , was none of the apostles business . nor is this any thing at all to the matter of fact , which none denyed . 16. i will add that as another testimony which p. 9. he citeth against it . the council at paris , an. 829. c. 50. which as he speaketh ascribeth the keeping of the lords day to apostolical tradition , confirmed by the authority of the church : the words are [ ut creditur apostolorum traditione , immo ecclesiae authoritate descendu , &c. ] now i have proved that if the apostles did it , they did it by the holy ghost , and by authority from christ , but he citeth p. 7 , 8. the words of athanasius , maximus taurinensis and augustine , saying that [ we honour the lords day for the resurrection , and because christ rose , and ( aug. ) the lords day was declared to christians by the resurrection of our lord , and from that ( or from him rather ) began to have its festivity ] from whence he gathereth that it was only done by the authority of the church and not by any precept of our saviour . answ. as if christs resurrection could not be the fundamental occasion , and yet christs law the obliging cause ? would any else have thus argued , [ the jews observed the seventh day sabbath , because the creator rested the seventh day : therefore they had no command from god for it ? ] woe to the churches that have such expositors of gods commands ! or as if christ who both commissioned and inspired the apostles by the holy ghost , to teach all his commands , and settle church orders , were not thus the chief author of what they did by his commission and spirit : what church can shew the like commission or the like miraculous and infallible spirit as they had ? see further august . de civitat . dei l. 22. c. 30. & serm. 15. de verb. apostol . but , saith he , christ and two of his disciples travelled on the day of his resurrection from jerusalem to emaus , seven miles , and back again , which they would not have done if it had been a sabbath . answ. 1. they would not have done it if it had been a jewish sabbath of ceremonial rest ; but those that you count too precise will go as far now in case of need to hear a sermon : and remember that they spent the time in christs preaching and their hearing and conferring after of it . 2. but we grant that though the foundation was laid by christs resurrection , yet it was not a law fully promulgate to , and understood by the apostles till the coming down of the holy ghost ( nor many greater matters neither ) who was promised and given to teach them all things &c. and it is worth the noting how heylin beginneth his chap. 3. l. 2. [ the lords day taken up by the common consent of the church , not instituted or established by any text of scripture , or edict of emperour , or decree of council , save that some few councils did reflect upon it : in that which follows we shall find both emperours and councils very frequent in ordering things about this day and the service of it . ] answ. note reader , what could possibly besides christ and the holy ghost in the apostles be the instituter of a day , which neither emperour nor council instituted , and yet was received by the common consent of all churches in the world , even from and in the apostles dayes ? yea , as this man confesseth by their approbation and authority ? but hence forward in the fourth century i am prevented from bringing in my most numerous witnesses , by heylins confession that now emperours , councils and all were for it . but yet let the reader remember , 1. how few and small records be left of the second century , and not many of the third . 2. and that historical copious testimonies of the fourth century , that is emperours , councils , and the most pious and learned fathers , attesting that the universal church received it from the apostles , is not vain or a small evidence ; when as the fourth century began but 200 years after st. johns death , or within less than a year . and that the first christian emperour finding all christians unanimous in the possession of the day , should make a law ( as our kings do ) for the due observing of it ; and that the first general council should establish uniformity in the very gesture of worship on that day , are strong confirmations of the matter of fact , that the churches unanimously agreed in the holy use of it as a separated day even from and in the apostles dayes . obj. but the emperour constantines edict alloweth husbandmen to labour . answ. only in case of apparent hazard lest the fruits of the earth be lost ; as we allow sea-men to work at sea , in case of necessity . and so though by his second edict manumission was allowed to the judges as an act of charity , yet they were forbidden judging in all other ordinary causes , lest the day be profaned by wranglings . gratian , valentinian , and theodosius by their edict forbad publick spectacles or shews on the lords day . and all seeking and judging of debts and litigious suits . and afterward valentinian and valens make an edict that no christian should on that day be convented by the exactors or receivers . ob. but ( saith h. ) for 300. years there was no law to bind men to that day . answ. the apostles institution was a law of christ by his spirit , mat. 28. 20. and how should there be a humane law before there was a christian magistracie ? obj. saith h. p. 95. the powers which raised it up , may take it lower if they please , yea take it quite away , &c. ans. true : that is , christ may : and when he doth it by himself , or by new apostles , who confirm their commission by miracles , we will obey : but we expect his presence with the apostolical constitutions to the end of the world , mat. 28. 20. theodosius also enacted that on the lords day and in the christmas , and on easter and to whitsuntide the publike cirques and theaters should be shut up . ( for we grant that when christian magistrates took the matter in hand , other holy dayes were brought in by degrees ; whereas before the christians indeed met ( yea and communicated ) as oft as they could , even most daies in the week ; but did not separate the daies as holy to gods service as they did the lords day : only christmas day , and the memorials of those martyrs that were neer them ( to encourage the people to constancy ) they honoured somewhat early ; but those were anniversary , and not weekly . and the wednesdays , and fridays , were kept by them but as we keep them now , or as a lecture day . i grant also that when christian magistracie arose , as the holy dayes multiplied , the manner of the dayes observation altered . for whereas from the beginning , the christians used to stay together from morning till night , ( partly through devotion , and partly for fear of persecution , if they were noted to go in and out ; ) afterward being free , they met twice a day , with intermission as we do now . not that their whole dayes service was but an hour or two as heylin would prove from a perverted word of chrysostomes and another of origenes ( or ruffinus ) and from the length of their published homilies : for he perverteth what was spoken of the length of the sermon , as spoken of the length of all the service of the whole day : whereas there was much more time spent in the eucharistical and liturgick offices , of prayer , praise , sacraments , and exhortations proper to the church , than was in the sermon . when i was suffered to exercise my ministry my self , having four hundred or five hundred if not six hundred to administer the sacrament to ( though twice the number kept themselves away ) it took up the time of two sermons usually to administer it , besides all the ordinary readings , prayers and praises morning and evening . heylin noteth by the way , 1. that now officiating in a white garment begun ; 2. and kneeling at the sacrament ; which last he proveth from two or three words where adoration only is named : but , 1. a late treatise hath fully proved that the white garment was not a religious ceremony then at all , but the ordinary splendid apparel of honourable persons in those times , which were thought meet for the honour of the ministry when christian princes did advance them . 2. and he quite forgot that adoration on the lords dayes was ever used standing , and that he had said before , that it was above a thousand years before the custome was altered . the inclinations to overmuch strictness on the lords day . the destruction of the gothish army by the romans in africa because they would not fight on that day , &c. see in heylin , p. 112 , 113 , &c. his translation of the words of the synod or council at mascon , 588. i think worthy the transcribing . [ it is observed that christian people do very rashly slight and neglect the lords day ; giving themselves thereon as on other dayes , to continual labours , &c. therefore let every christian , in case he carry not that name in vain , give eare to our instruction ; knowing that we have care that you should do well , as well as the power to bridle you , that you do not ill . it followeth , custodite diem dominicum qui nos denuo peperit , &c. keep the lords day , the day of our new birth , whereon we were delivered from the snares of sin . let no man meddle in litigious controversies , or deal in actions or law suites ▪ or put himself at all on such an exigent , that needs he must prepare his oxen for their daily work , but exercise your selves in hymnes , and singing praises unto god ; being intent thereon both in mind and body . if any have a church at hand , let him go unto it , and there pour forth his soul in tears and prayers ; his eyes and hands being all that day lifted up to god. it is the everlasting day of rest , insinuating to us under the shadow of the seventh day or sabbath , in the law and prophets : and therefore it is very meet that we should celebrate this day with one accord , whereon we have been made what at first we were not . let us then offer to god our free and voluntary service , by whose great goodness we are freed from the goal of error : not that the lord exacts it of us , that we should celebrate this day in a corporal abstinence or rest from labour , who only looks that we do yield obedience to his holy will , by which contemning earthly things , he may conduct us to the heavens of his infinite mercy . however if any man shall set at naught this our exhortation , be he assured , that god shall punish him as he hath deserved ; and that he shall be also subject unto the censures of the church . in case he be a lawyer , he shall lose his cause ; if that he be an husbandman , or servant , he shall be corporally punished for it : but if a clergy-man or monk , he shall be six moneths separated from the congregation . ] his reproof of gregorius turonensis for his strictness for the lords day , sheweth but his own dissent from him and from the churches of that age. king alfreds laws for the observation of the lords day , and against dicing , drinking , &c. on it , are visible in our own constitutions , in spelman and others . and many more edicts and laws are recited by h. himself of other countreys . two are worthy the observation for the reasons of them . 1. a law of cl●tharius king of france , forbidding servile labours on the lords day [ because the law forbids it , and the holy scripture wholly contradicteth it . ] 2. a constitution of the emperour leo philosophus , to the same purpose [ secundum quod spiritui sancto ab ipsoque institutis apostolis placuit ; as it pleased the holy ghost and the apostles instructed by him . ] you see that then christian princes judged the lords day to be of divine institution . yea , to these he addeth two more princes of the same mind , confessing that leo was himself a scholar , and charles the great had as learned men about him , as the times then bred , and yet were thus perswaded of the day ; yea , and that many miracles were pretended in confirmation of it ; yet he affirmeth , that the church and the most learned men in it were of another mind . let us hear his proofs . 1. saith he , isidore a bishop of sevil makes it an apostolical sanction only , no divine commandment : a day designed by the apostles , for religious exercises in honour of our saviours resurrection ; and it was called the lords day therefore : to this end and purpose , that resting in the same from all earthly acts and the temptations of the world , we might intend gods holy worship , giving this day due honour for the hope of the resurrection which we have therein . the same verbatim is repeated by beds l. de offic. and by raban . maurus l. de inst . chr. l. 2. c. 24. and by alcuinus de die offic. c. 24. which plainly shews , that all these took it only for an apostolical usage , &c. answ. reader , is not here a strange kind of proof ? this is but just the same that we assert , and i am proving ; save that he most grosly puts an apostolical usage , and sanction ( sanxerunt ) as distinct from , and exclusive of a command , which i have fully proved to be christs own act and law to us , by vertue of 1. their commission : 2. and the infallible spirit given them . and having brought the history to so fair an account by our chief adversaries own citations and confessions , i will not tire my self and the reader with any more ; but only wish every christian to consider , whether they that thus distinguish between apostolical sanctions , and divine institutions as this man doth , do not teach men to deny all the holy scriptures of the new testament , as being but apostolical writings : and go far to deny or subvert christianity it self ; by denying the divine authority of these commissioned inspired men , who are foundations of the church , and sealed their doctrine by miracles , and from whom it is that our christian faith , and laws , and church constitutions which are universal and divine , are received . i only remember you of pliny a heathens testimony , of the christians practice stato die . no man can question pliny on the account of partiality : and therefore though a heathen , his historical testimony as joyned with all the christian church history , hath its credibility . he telleth trajan , that it was the use of christians on a stated day , before it was light to meet together , to sing a hymn to christ as to god secum invicem , among themselves by turns ; and to bind themselves by a sacrament , not to do any wickedness , but that they commit not thefts , robberies , adulteries ; that they break not their word ( or trust ) that they deny not the pledge ( or pawn ) ; which being ended they used to depart , and to come again together to take meat , but promiscuous and harmless . ] epist. 97. p. 306 , 307. where note , 1. that by a stated day , he can mean no other than the lords day , as the consent of all other history will prove . 2. that this is much like the testimonies of justin and tertullian , and ( supposing what they say of the use of reading the scripture , and instructing the church ) it sheweth that their chief work on that day , was the praises of god for our redemption by christ , and the celebration of the lords supper ; and the disciplinary exercises of covenanters thereto belonging . 3. that they had at that time where pliny was two meetings that day , that is , they went home , and came again to their feast of love , in the evening . ( which , no doubt , was varied , as several times , and places , and occasions required ; sometimes departing and coming again , and sometimes staying together all day . ) 4. that this epistle of pliny was written in trajans dayes , and it is supposed in his second year : and trajan was emperour the year that st. john the apostle died , if not a year before ; so that it is the churches custom in the end of the apostles dayes , which pliny here writeth of . 5. that he had the fullest testimony of what he wrote , it being the consent of the christians whom he , as judge , examined ; even of the timorous that denyed their religion , as well as of the rest . and many of them upon his prohibition forbore these meetings . 6. and the number of them he telleth trajan in city and countrey was great , of persons of all degrees and ranks . so that when 1. christian history , 2. and heathen , acquaint us with the matter of fact , that the day was kept in the apostles time ; 3. yea , when no hereticks or sects of christians are found contradicting it , but the churches then and after universally practised it without any controversie ; what fuller historical evidence can there be ? and to say , that 1. the apostles would not have reproved this , if it had not been their own doing : 2. or that it could be done , and they not know it : 3. and that all christians who acknowledged their authority , would have consented in such a practice superstitiously before their faces , and against their wills , and no testimony be left us of one faithful church or christian that contradicted it , and stuck to the apostolical authority , even where the churches received their writings , and publickly read them , all this is such , as is not by sober christians to be believed . but the great objection will be , that other things also were then taken for apostolical traditions , and were customs of the universal church , as well as this ; which things we now renounce as superstitious . answ. though i answered this briefly before , i now give you this fuller answer : i. it is but few things that come under this charge , viz. the unction , white garment , with the taste of milk and honey at baptism , adoration towards the east , and that standing ; and not kneeling on the lords dayes , and the anniversary observation of easter and whitsuntide : and the last is but the keeping of one or two lords dayes in the year with some note of distinction from the rest , so far as there was any agreement in it . 2. that these are not usually by the antients called apostolical traditions , but customs of the vniversal church : 3. that when they are called traditions from the apostles , it is not with any assertion that the apostles instituted them , but that they are supposed to be from their times , because their original is not known . 4. that the antients joyn not the lords day with these , but take the lords day for an apostolical institution written in scripture , though the universal practice of all churches fullier deliver the certain history of it : but the rest they take for unwritten customs , as distinct from scripture ordinances . ( as epiphanius fully sheweth . ) 5. that most christians are agreed , that if these later could be proved apostolical institutions for the church universal , it would be our duty to use them , though they were not in scripture . so that we reject them only for want of such proof : but the proof of the lords dayes separation being far better ( by concurrence of scripture and all antient history ) it followeth not that we must doubt of that which hath full and certain proof , because we must doubt of that which wants it . 6. and if it were necessary that they stood or fell together ( as it is not ) it were necessary that we did receive those three or four ceremonies , for the sake of the lords day , which ●ath so great evidence , rather than that we cast off the lords day , because of these ceremonies . not only because there is more good in the lords d●y , than there is evil to be any way suspected by a doubter in these ceremonies ; but especially because the evidence for the day is so great , that if the said ceremonies had but the same , they were undoubtedly of divine authority or institution . in a word , i have shewed you somewhat of the evidence for the lords day ; do you now shew me the like for them , and then i will prove that both must be received : but if you cannot , do not pretend a parity . 7. and the same churches laying by the customs aforesaid , or most of them , did shew that they ●●ok them not indeed for apostolical institutions , as they did the lords day which they continued to observe ; not as a ceremony , but as a necessary thing . 8. and the ancient churches did believe , that even in the apostles dayes some things were used as indifferent which were mutable , and were not laws , but temporary customs . and some things were necessary , setled by law for perpetuity : of the former kind they thought were , the greeting one another with a holy kiss , the womens praying covered with a veil , ( of which the apostle saith , that it was then and there so decent , that the contrary would have been unseemly , and the churches of god had no such custom , ( by which he answereth the contentious ) yet in other countreys , where custom altereth the signification , it may be otherwise : also that a man wear not long hair ; and that they have a love feast on the lords day , ( which yet paul seemeth to begin to alter in his rebuke of the abusers of it , 1 cor. 11. ) and if these ancient churches thought the milk and honey , and the white garment , and the station and adoration eastwards , to be also such like indifferent mutable customs , as it is apparent they did , this is nothing at all to invalidate our proof , that the lords day was used ( and consequently appointed ) in the dayes of the apostles . obj. at least it will prove it mutable as they were . answ. no such matter : because the very nature of such circumstances , having no stated necessity or usefulness , sheweth them to be mutable . but the reason of the lords dayes use is perpetual : and it is founded partly in the law of nature , which telleth us that some stated dayes should be set apart for holy things ; and partly in the positive part of the fourth commandment ; which telleth us , that once god determined of one day in seven , yea , and this upon the ground of his own cessation of his creation-work , that man on that day might observe a holy rest in the worshipping of the great creator , which is a reason belonging not to the jews only , but to the whole world . yea , and that reason ( whatever dr. heylin say to the contrary , from the meer silence of the former history in genesis ) doth seem plainly to intimate that this is but the repetition of that law of the sabbath which was given to adam : for why should god begin two thousand years after to give men a sabbath upon the reason of his rest from the creation , and for the commemoration of it , if he had never called man to that commemoration before . and it is certain that the sabbath was observed at the falling of manna before the giving of the law : and let any considerate christian judge between dr. heylin and us in this ; 1. whether the not fal●ing of manna , or the rest of god after the creation , was like to be the original reason of the sabbath . 2. and whether if it had been the first , it would not have been said , remember to keep holy the sabbath day ; for on six dayes manna fell , and not on the seventh , ] rather than [ for in six dayes god created heaven and earth , &c. and rested the seventh day . ] and it is causally added , [ wherefore the lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it . ] nay , consider whether this annexed reason intimate not , that the day on this ground being hallowed before , therefore it was that god sent not down the manna on that day , and that he prohibited the people from seeking it . and he that considereth the brevity of the history in genesis , will think he is very bold , that obtrudeth on the world his negative argument : [ the sabbath is not there mentioned : therefore it was not then kept . ] and if it was a positive law given to adam on the reason of the creation rest , it was then such a positive , as must be next to a law of nature , and was given to all mankind in adam , and adam must needs be obliged to deliver it down to the world . so that though the mosaical law ( even as given in stone ) be ceased , yea , and adams positives too , formally as such ; yet this is sure , that once god himself determined by a law , that one stated day in seven , was the fittest proportion of time to be separated to holy worship . and if it was so once , yea , to all the world from the creation , it is so still : because there is still the same reason for it : and we are bound to judge gods determination of the proportion to be wiser than any that we can make . and so by parity of reason consequentially even those abrogated laws do thus far bind us still ; not so far as abrogated ; but because the record and reason of them , is still a signification of the due proportion of time , and consequently of our duty . now the lords day , supposing one weekly day to be due , and being but that day determined of , and this upon the reason of the resurrection , and for the commemoration of our redemption , and that by such inspired and authorized persons , it followeth clearly , that this is no such mutable ceremony , as a love feast , or the kiss of love , or the veil , or the washing of feet , or the anointing of the sick , which were mostly occasionall actions and customs taken up upon reasons proper to those times and places . obj. but by the reason aforesaid , you will prove the continuance of the seventh day sabbath ; as grounded on the creation rest . answ. this is anom to be answered in due place . i only prove that it continued , till a successive dispensation , and gods own change did put an end to it ; but no longer . obj. but to commemorate the creation , and praise the creator is a moral work , and therefore ceaseth not . answ. true : but that it be done on the seventh day ; is that which ceaseth . for the same work is transferred to the lords day ; and the creator and redeemer to be honoured together in our commemoration . for the son is the only way to the father ; who hath restored us to peace with our creator ; and as no man cometh to the father but by the son , and as we must not now worship god , as a creator and father never offended , but as a creator and father reconciled by christ , so is it the appointment of christ by the holy ghost , that we commemorate the work of creation now as repaired and restored by the work of redemption , on the lords day , which is now separated to these works . that the sabbath was appointed to adam , wallaeus on the fourth commandment , cap. 3. and rivet dissert . de sab . c. 1. have most copiously proved . and clem. alex. strom. l. 5. out of homer , hesiod , callimachus and others proveth that the heathens knew of it . we may therefore summ up the prerogatives of the lords day , as leo did , ep. 81. c. 1. on this day the world began ; on this day by christs resurrection , death did receive death , and life its beginning ; on this day the apostles take the trumpet of the gospel to be preached to all nations ; on this day the holy ghost came from the lord to the apostles , &c. see more in athanas. de sab. & circ . & august . serm. 154. de tempore . therefore saith isychius in levit. l. 2. c. 9. the church setteth apart the lords day for holy assemblies . and in the times of heathenish persecution , when men were asked , whether they were christians , and kept the lords dayes , they answered that they were , and kept the lords day , which christians must not omit : as you may see act. marty● . apud baron . an . 303. n. 37 , 38 , 39. they would die rather than not keep the holy assemblies and the lords dayes : for saith ignatius , after the sabbath every lover of christ celebrateth the lord● day 〈◊〉 to ( or by ) the lords resurrection , the queen and chief of 〈◊〉 d●yes ( as is afore cited . ) for saith augustine , the lords resurrection hath promised us an eternal day , and consecrated to us the lords day ; which is called the lords , and properly belongeth to the lord , serm. 15. de verb. apost . and saith hilary pr●leg . in psalm . though the name and observance of a sabbath was placed to the seventh day , yet is it the eighth day , which is also the first , on which we rejoyce with the perfect festivity of the sabbath . of the f●●l keeping of the whole day , and of the several exercises in which it was spent , and of the more numerous testimonies of antiquity hereupon . dr. y●ung in his dies dominica hath said so much , with so much evidence and judgement ▪ 〈◊〉 i purposely omit abundance of such testimonies , because i will not do that which he hath already done ; the learned reader may there find unanswerable proof , of the matter of fact , that the lords day was kept in the apostles dayes , and ever since as by their appointment ; and for the unlearned reader , i fear lest i have too much interrupted him with citations already . i only tell him in the conclusion , that if scripture hi●tory interpreted and seconded by fullest practice and history of all the churches of christ , and by the consent of heathens and heretick● , and not contradicted by any sect in the world , be to be believed , then we must say , that the lords day was commonly kept by the christians in and from the apostles times . prop. 11. this evidence of the churches universal constant usage , is a full and sufficient proof of the matter of fact , that it was a day set apart by the apostles for holy worship , especially in the publick church-assemblies . 1. it is a full proof , that such assemblies were held on that day above others , as a separated day . for if it was the usage in anno 100. ( in which the apostle john dyed ) it must needs be the usage in the year 99. in which he wrote his revelations , where he calleth it the lords day : for all the churches could not silently agree on a sudden to take up a new day , without debate and publick notice , which could not be concealed . and if it was the universal usage in the dayes of ignatius or justin martyr , it was so also in the dayes of st. john , ( and so before ) for the churches were then so far dispersed over the world , that it would have taken up much time to have had councils and meetings or any other means for agreement on such things . and it is utterly improbable that there would have been no dissenters ? for , 1. did no christians in the world so neer to the apostles daies make any scruple of superstition ? or of such an addition to divine institutions ? 2. was there no countrey , nor no persons whose interest would not better suit with another day , or an uncertain day ? or at least their opinions ? when we find it now so hard a matter to bring men in one countrey , to be all of one opinion . 3. and there was then no magistrate to f●rce them to such an union ; and therefore it mast be voluntary . 4. and they had in the second age such pastors as the apostles themselves had ordained , and as had conversed with them , and been trained up by them and knew their mind , and cannot soberly be thought likely to consent all on a sudden to such a new institution , without and contrary to the apostles sense and practice . 5. yea , they had yet ministers that had that extraordinary spirit which was given by the laying on of the apostles hands : for if the aged apostles ordained young men , it is to be supposed that most of those young men , ( such as timothy ) overlived them . 6. yea and the ordinary christians in those times had those extraordinary gifts by the laying on of the apostles hands , as appeareth evidently in the case of samaria , act. 8. and of the corinthians , 1 cor. 12. & 14. and of the galathians , gal. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. and it is not to be suspected that all these inspired ministers and people would consent to a superstitious innovation , without and against the apostles minds . 2. therefore this history is a full proof , that these things were done by the consent and appointment of the apostles . for , 1. as is said , the inspired persons and churches could not so suddenly be brought to forsake them universally in such a case . 2. the churches had all so high an esteem of the apostles , that they took their authority for the highest , and their judgement for infallible , and therefore received their writings as canonical and divine . 3. the churches professed to observe the lords day as an apostolical ordinance , and they cannot be all supposed to have conspired in a lie , yea to have belyed the holy ghost . 4. the apostles themselves would have controlled this course , if it had not been by their own appointment . for i have proved that the usage was in their own daies . and they were not so careless of the preservation of christs ordinances and churches , as to let such things be done , without contradiction ; when it is known how paul strove to resist and retrench all the corruptions of church-order in the churches to which he wrote . if the apostles , silently connived at such corruptions , how could we rest on their authority ? especially the apostle john in an . 99 would rather have written against it as the superstition of usurpers ( as he checkt diotrephes for contempt of him ) than have said that he was in the spirit on the lords day when he saw christ , and received his revelation and message to the churches . 5. and if the churches had taken up this practice universally without the apostles , it is utterly improbable that no church writer would have committed to memory either that one church that begun the custome , or the council or means used for a sudden confederacy therein . if it had begun with some one church , it would have been long before the rest would have been brought to an agreeing consent . it was many hundred years before they all agreed of the time of easter ; and it was till the middle of chrysostomes time ( for he saith it was but ten years agoe , when he wrote it ) that they agreed of the time of christs nativity . but if it had been done by confederacy at once , the motion , the council called about it , the debates , and the dissenters and resistances would all have been matter of fact , so notable , as would have found a place in some author or church history : whereas there is not a syllable of any such thing ; either of council , letter , messenger , debate , resistance , &c. therefore it is evident that the thing was done by the apostles . prop. 12. they that will deny the validity of 〈◊〉 historical evidence , do by consequence betray the christian faith , or give away or deny the necessary means of proving the truth of it , and of many great particulars of religion . i suppose that in my book called the reasons of the christian religion , i have proved that christianity is proved true , by the spirit as the great witness of christ , and of the christian verity ; but i have proved withall , the necessity and certainty of historical means , to bring the matters of fact to our notice , as sense it self did bring them to the notice of the first receivers . for instance , i. without such historical evidence and certainty , we cannot be certain what 〈◊〉 of scripture are truly canonical and of divine authority , and what not . this protestants grant to papists in the controversie of tradition . though the canon be it self compleat , and tradition is no supplement to make up the scriptures , as if they were i● su● genere imperfect , yet it is commonly granted that our fathers and teachers tradition is the hand to deliver us this perfect rule , and to tell us what parts make up the canon . if any say that the books do prove themselves to be canonical or divine , i answer , 1. what man alive could tell without historical proof that the canticles , or esther , are canonical ? yea or ecclesiastes , or the proverbs , and not the books of wisdome and ecclesiasticus ? 2. how can any man know that the scripture histories are canonical ? the suitableness of them to a holy soul , will do much to confirm one that is already holy , of the truth of the doctrines : but if the spirit within us assure us immediately of the truth of the history , it must be by inspiration and revelation , which no christians have , that ever i was yet acquainted with . for instance , that the books of chronicles are canonical , or the book of either , or the books of the kings , or samuel , or judges . and how much doth the doctrine of christianity depend on the history ? as of the creation , of the israelites bondage , and deliverance , and the giving of the law , and moses miracles , and of chronologie and christs genealogie ; and of the history of christs own nativity , miracles and life ; and the history of the apostles afterward ? to say that the very history so far proveth its own truth , as that without subsequent history we can be sure of it , and must be , is to reduce all christs church of right believers into a narrow room ; when i never knew the man that ( as far as i could perceive ) did know the history to be divine by its proper evidence , without tradition , and subsequent history . 3. and how can any man know the ceremonial law to be divine , by its proper evidence alone ? who is he that readeth over exodus , leviticus and numbers , that will say that without knowing by history that th●● is a divin● record , he could have certainly perceived by the book it self , that all these were indeed divine institutions or laws ? 4. and how can any meer positive institutions o● the new testament be known proprio lumine , by their own evidence to be divine ? as the institution of sacraments , officers , orders , &c. what is there in them that can infallibly prove it to us ? 5. and how can any prophecies be known by their own evidence to be divine , ( till they are fulfilled and that shall prove it . ) i know that the whole frame together of the christian religion 〈◊〉 its sufficient evidence , but we must not be guilty of a peevish rejecting it . the 〈◊〉 part 〈◊〉 its witness within us , in that state of holiness which it imprinteth on the soul ; and the rest are witnessed , to or proved partly by that , and partly by miracles , and those and the records by historical evidence . but when god hath made many things necessary to the full evidence , and wranglers through partiality and contention against each others will some throw away one part and some another , they will all prove destroyers of the faith ( as all dividers be . ) if the papist will say , it is tradition and not inhaerent evidence , or if others will say that it is inhaerent evidence alone , and not history or tradition , where god hath made both needful hereunto , both will be found injurious to the faith . ii. without this historical evidence we cannot prove that any of the books of scripture are not maimed or depraved . that they come to our hands as the apostles and evangelists wrote them , uncorrupted . it is certain by history , that many hereticks did deprave and c●rrupt them , and would have obtruded those copies or corruptions on the churches : and how we shall certainly prove that they did not prevail , or that their copies are false , and ours are true , i know not without the help of history . mahomet and his followers ( more numerous than the christians ) pretend that mahomets name was in the gospel of john as the paraclet or comforter promised by christ , and that the christians have blotted it out , and altered the writings of the gospel . and how shall we disprove them but by historical evidence ? as the arrians , and socinians pretend that we have added , 1 john 5. 7. for the trinity , so others say of other texts ; and how shall we confute them without historical evidence ? iii. therefore we cannot make good the authority of any one single verse or text of scripture which we shall alledge , without historical evidence . because we are not certain of that particular text , ( or words , ) whether it have been altered or added , or corrupted , by the fraud of hereticks , or the partiality of some christians , or the oversight of scribes : for if a custome of setting apart one day weekly , even the first , for publick worship , might creep into all the churches in the world , and no man know how , nor when ; much more might one or a few corrupt copies become the exemplar of those that follow . for , what day all the churches meet , men , women , and children know ; learned and unlearned know ; the orthodox and hereticks know ; and they so know , as that they cannot choose but know . but the alterations of a text , may b● u●●nown to all save the learned , and the observing ●iligent part of the learned only , and 〈◊〉 that they tell it to . and besides origen ( 〈◊〉 a heretick ) and hierome , alas , how few of the fathers were ●ble and diligent examiners of such things ? therefore in the case of various re●dings such as ludov. capellus treats of in his 〈◊〉 sacra , contradicted in many things by bishop vsher and others , who are those divines that have hitherto appealed either to the spirit , or to the proper light of the words , for a decision ? who is it that doth not presently fly to historical evidence ? and what that cannot determine we all con●ess to be uncertain ? and if copies and history had delivered to us as various readings o● every text as they have done of some , every text would have remained uncertain to us . let none say that this leaveth the christian religion , or the scriptures uncertain : i have fully answered that elsewhere . 1. christian religion , that is , the material parts of the scripture on which our salvation lyeth , hath much fuller evidence , than each particular text or canonical book hath . and we need not regard the perverse zeal for the scriptures of those men that would make all our christianity as uncertain , as the authority of a particular text or book is . and therefore god in mercy hath so ordered it , that a thousand texts may be uncertain to us , or not understood ( no not by any or many divines ) and yet the christian faith be not at all shaken , or ever the more uncertain for this : when as he that understandeth not or believeth not every essential article of the faith , is no christian. 2. and those books and texts of scripture , are fully certain by the subservient help of history and usage , which would be uncertain without them . therefore it is the act of an enemy of the scriptures , to cast away , and dispute against that history which is necessary to our knowledge of its certainty , and afterwards to plead that they who take in those necessary helps do make it uncertain : even as if they should go about to prove that all writings are uncertain , and therefore that they make christs doctrine uncertain , who rest upon the credit of writings , that is , the sacred scriptures . iv. without historical notice , how should we know that these books were written by any of the same men that bear their names ? as matthew , mark , luke , john , paul , peter , &c. especially when the hereticks did put forth the gospel of thomas , nicodemus , the itinerary of peter and many books under venerable names ? or when the name of the author is not notified to all christians certainly , either by the spirit within us , or by the matter ? and though our salvation depend not on the notice of the pen-man , yet it is of great moment in the matter of faith . v. and how should we be certain that no other sacred books are lost , the knowledge of which would tell us of that which these contain not , and would help us to the better understanding of these ? i know that a priore we may argue from gods goodness , that he will not so forsake his church , as a jew might have done before christs incarnation , that the gospel should be written , because it is best for the world or church . but when we consider how much of the world and church , god hath forsaken , since the creation , and how dark we are in such prognosticks , and how little we know what the churches sins may provoke god to , we should be less confident of such reasonings , than we are of historical evidence , which tells us de facto what god hath done . so much of the use of the history , as to the cause of the scriptures themselves . next you may observe that the denyal of the certainty of humane history and usage , doth disadvantage christianity in many great particular concernments . as , 1. without it we should not fully know whether de facto the church and ministry dyed , or almost dyed with the apostles ? and whether there have been any true churches since then till our own dayes ? christs promise indeed tells us much ; but if we had no history of the performance of it , we should be ready to doubt that it might be yet unperformed ; as far as the promise to adam ( gen. 3. 15. ) and to abraham ( in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ) were till the coming of christ. nor could we easily confute the roman or any hereticall usurpation , which would pretend possession since the apostles daies , and that all that are since gone to heaven , have gone thither by their way , and not by ours . ii. nor could we much better tell de facto , whether baptism have been administred in the form appointed by christ , in the name of the father , of the son , and of the holy ghost ? indeed we may well and truly argue a priore , christ commanded it , ergo the apostles obeyed him : but , 1. that argument would hold good as to none or few but the apostles : and , 2. it would as to them , be though true , yet much more dark than now it is , because , 1. we read that peter disobeyed his command , in gal. 2. and , 2. that after he had commanded them to preach the gospel to every creature , and all the world , peter scrupled still going to the gentiles , act. 10. and , 3. that when he said to them , pray thus [ our father , &c. ] yet we never read that they after used that form of words ; so when he said to them [ baptize in the name of the father , &c. ] yet the scripture never mentioneth that they or any other person , ever used that form of words . but yet usage and history assureth us that they did . iii. nor have we any fuller scripture proof , that the apostles used to require of those that were to be baptized any more than a general profession of the substance of the christian faith , in god the father , the son , and the holy ghost ; or of the ancient use of the christian creed , either in the words now used , or any of the same importance . from whence many would inferr that any one is to be baptized , who will but say , that [ i believe that jesus christ is the son of god ] with the eunuch , act. 8. 37. or that christ is come in the flesh , 1 joh. 4. 2 , 3. but historical evidence assureth us , that it was usual in those times , to require of men a more explicite understanding profession of the christian faith before they were admitted to baptisme ; and that they had a summary or symbole , fitted to that use , commonly called the apostles creed ; at least as to the constant tenour of the matter , though some words might be left to the speakers will , and some little subordinate articles may be since added . and that it was long after the use to keep men in the state of catechised persons , till they understood that creed . and it is in it self exceeding probable that though among the intelligent jews , who had long expected the messiah , the apostles did baptize thousands in a day , act. 2. yet where the miraculous communication of the spirit did not antecede ( as it did act. 10. ) they would make poor heathens who had been bred in ignorance to understand what they did first , and would require of them an understanding profession of their belief in god the father , son , and holy ghost ; which could not possibly ( if understanding ) contain much less than the symbolum fid●i , the apostles creed . iv. nor have we any scripture proof , ( except by inferring obedience from the precept ) that ever the lords prayer was used in words , after christ commanded or delivered it : whence some inferr that it should not be so used : but church history putteth that past doubt . other such instances i pretermit . i think now that i have fully proved to sober considerate christians , that the matter of fact ( that the lords day was appointed by the apostles peculiarly for church-worship ) is certain to us by historical evidence , added to the historical intimations in scripture as a full exposition and confirmation of it : and that this is a proof that no christian can deny without unsufferable injury to the scriptures and the christian cause . chap. vi. prop. 5. this act of the apostles appointing the lords day for christian worship , was done by the special inspiration or guidance of the holy ghost . this is proved , 1. because it is one of those acts or works of their office , to which the holy ghost was promised them . 2. because that such like or smaller things are by them ascribed to the holy ghost , act. 15. 28. [ i● seemed good to the holy ghost and us ] when they did but declare an antecedent duty , and decide a controversie thereabout . see also , act. 4. 8. act. 5. 3. & 6. 3. with 7. 55. act. 13. 2 , 4. & 16. 6 , 7. & 20. 23 , 28. & 21. 11. 2 tim. 1. 14. jud. 20. act. 11. 12 , 28. & 19. 21. & 20. 22. 1 cor. 5. 3 , 4. & 14. 2 , 15 , 16. and 1 cor. 7. 40. when paul doth but counsel to a single life , he ascribeth it to the spirit of god. 3. and if any will presume to say , that men purposely indued with the spirit , for the works of their commission , did notwithstanding do such great things as this , without the conduct of that spirit , they may by the same way of proceeding pretend it to be as uncertain , of every particular book and chapter in the new testament , whether or no they wrote it by the spirit : for if it be a sound inference , [ they had the promise and gift of the spirit , that they might infallibly leave in writing to the churches , the doctrines and precepts , of christ : ergo whatever they have left in writing to the churches as the doctrine and precepts of christ , is infallibly done by the guidance of that spirit , ] then it will be as good an inference [ they had the promise and gift of the spirit , that they might infallibly settle church-orders for all the churches universal●y : ergo , whatever church-orders they setled for all the churches universally , they setled them by the infallible guidance of that spirit . ] but this few christians will deny , except some papists , who would bring down apostolical constitutions to a lower rank and rate , that the pope and his general council may be capable of ●●ying claim to the like themselves ; and so may make as many more laws for the church as they please , and pretend such an authority for it as the apostles had for theirs . by which pre●ense many would make too little distinction between gods laws , given by his spirit , and the laws 〈◊〉 a pope and popish council ; and call then all but the laws of the church . whereas there is no universal head of the church but christ , who hath reserved universal legislation to himself alone , to be performed by himself personally , and by his advocate the holy ghost , in his authorized and infallibly-inspired apostles , who were the promulgators and recorders of them ; all following pastors , being but ( as the jewish priests were to moses and the prophets ) the preservers , the expositers , and the applyers of that law. chap. vii . qu. 2. whether the seventh day sabbath should be still kept by christians , as of divine obligation ? neg. i shall here premise , that as some superstition is less dangerous than prophaneness ( though it be troublesome , and have ill consequents , ) so the errour of them who keep both daies as of divine appointment , is much less dangerous than theirs that keep none : yea and less dangerous , i think , than theirs who reject the lords day , and keep the seventh day only . because these latter are guilty of two sins , ( the rejecting of the right day , and the keeping of the wrong ; but the other are guilty but of one ( the keeping of the wrong day . ) besides that if it were not done , with a superstitious conceit ( that it is gods law ) in some cases a day may be voluntarily set apart for holy duties , as daies of thanksgiving and humiliation now are . but yet , though the rejecting of the lords day be the greater fault ( and i have no uncharitable censures of them that through weakness keep both daies ) i must conclude it as the truth , that we are not obliged to the observation of the saturday or seventh day as a sabbath , or separated day of holy worship . arg. 1. that dayes observation which we are not obliged to , either by the law of nature , the positive law given to adam , the positive law given to noah , the law of moses , nor the law of christ incarnate , we are not obliged to by any law of god ( as distinct from humane laws : ) but such is the observation of the seventh day as a sabbath : ergo we are not obliged to the observation of the seventh day as a sabbath by any law of god. the minor i must prove by parts ( for i think none will deny the sufficient enumeration in the major . ) and , 1. that the law of nature bindeth us not to the seventh , or any one day of the seven more than other , appeareth , 1. in the nature and reason of the thing : there is nothing in nature to evidence it to us to be gods will. 2. by every christians experience : no man findeth himself convinced of any such thing by meer nature . 3. by all the worlds experience : no man can say that a man of that opinion can bring any cogent evidence or argument from nature alone to convince another , that the seventh day must be the sabbath . nor is it any where received as a law of nature , but only as a tradition among some few heathens , and as law positive by the jews , and some few christians . i am not solicitous to prosecute this argument any further ; because i can consent that all they take the seventh day for the sabbath , who can prove it to be so by meer natural evidence : which will not be one . ii. that the positive law made to adam ( before or after the fall ) or to noah , bindeth not us to keep the seventh day as a sabbath , is proved . 1. because we are under a more perfect subsequent law ; which being in force , the former more imperfect ceaseth . as the force of the promise of the incarnation of christ is ceased by his incarnation , and so is the precept which bound men to believe that he should de future be incarnate ; and the law of sacrificing ( which abel doubtless received from adam , though one of late would make it to be but will-worship ; ) so also is the sabbath day , as giving place to the day in which our redemption is primarily commemorated , as the imperfect is done away when that which is more perfect cometh . 2. because that the law of christ containeth an express revocation of the seventh day sabbath , as shall be shewed anon . 3. because god never required two dayes in seven to be kept as holy : therefore the first day being proved to be of divine institution , the cessation of the seventh is thereby proved : for to keep two dayes is contrary to the command which they themselves do build upon , which requireth us to sanctifie a sabbath , and labour six dayes . 4. and when it is not probable that most or many infidels are bound to adams day , for want of notice ( at least ; ) for no law can bind without promulgation ( though i now pass by the question , how far a promulgation of a positive to our first parents may be said to bind their posterity , that have no intermediate notice ) it seemeth leís probable that christians should be bound by it , who have a more perfect law promulgate to them . 5. nor is it probable that christ and his apostles and all the following pastors of the churches would have passed by this positive law to adam , without any mention of it , if our universal obligation had been thence to be collected . nay i never yet heard a sabbatarian plead this law , any otherwise than as supposed to be implyed or exemplified in the fourth commandment . iii. and that the fourth commandment of moses law bindeth us not to the seventh day sabbath is proved . 1. because that moses law never bound any to it but the jews , and those proselites that made themselves inhabitants of their land , or voluntarily subjected themselves to their policy . for moses was ruler of none but the jews ; nor a legislator or deputed officer from god to any other nation . the decalogue was but part of the jewish law , if you consider it not as it is written in nature , but in tables of stone : and the jewish law was given as a law to no other people but to them . it was a national law , as they were a peculiar people and holy nation . so that even in moses daies it bound no other nations of the world. therefore it needed not any abrogation to the gentiles , but a declaration that it did not bind them . 2. the whole law of moses formally as such is ceased or abrogated by christ. i say , as such , because materialy , the same things that are in that law , may be the matter of the law of nature , and of the law of christ : of which more anon . that the whole law of moses as such is abrogated , is most clearly proved , 1. by the frequent arguings of paul , who ever speaketh of that law as ceased without excepting any part , and christ saith , luke 16. 16. the law and the prophets were untill john , that is , were the chief doctrine of the church till then , joh. 1. 17. the law was given by moses , but grace and truth cometh by jesus christ. no jew would have understood this , if the word [ law ] had not contained the decalogue . so joh. 7. 19 , 23. act. 15. 5 , 24. it was the whole law of moses , as such which by circumcision they would have bound men to . gal. 5. 3. the gentiles are said to sin without law , even when they broke the law of nature , meaning [ without the law of moses ] rom. 2. 12 , 14 , 15 , 16. in all these following places its not part but the whole law of moses , which paul excludeth ( which i ever acknowledged to the antinomians , though they take me for their too great adversary , ) rom. 3. 19 , 20 , 21 , 27 , 28 , 31 , & 4. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. & 5. 13. 20. & 7. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 16. & 9. 4 , 31 , 32. & 10. 5. gal. 2. 16 , 19 , 21. & 3. 2 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 19 , 21 , 24. & 4. 21. & 5. 3 , 4 , 14 , 23. & 6. 13. eph. 2. 15. phil. 3. 6 , 9. heb. 7 , 11 , 12 , 19. & 9. 19. & 10. 28. 1 cor. 9. 21. 2. more particularly there are some texts which express the cessation of the decalogue as it was moses law , 2 cor. 3. 3 , 7 , 11. not in tables of stone , but in fleshly tables of the heart — but if the ministration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious , so that the children of israel could not stedfastly behold the face of moses for the glory of his countenance , which was to be done away ( or is done away . ) they that say the glory , and not the law is here said to be done away , speak against the plain scope of the text : for the glory of moses face , and the glorious manner of deliverance ceased in a few daies , which is not the cessation here intended ; but ( as dr. hammond speaketh it ) [ that glory and that law so gloriously delivered is done away ] and this the eleventh verse fullyer expresseth [ for if that which is done away was glorious ( or , by glory , ) much more that which remaineth is glorious , or ( in glory ) so that as it is not only the glory , but the glorious law , gospel or testament which is said to remain , so it is not only the glory , but the law which was delivered by glory which is expresly said to be done away : and this is the law which was written in stone — nothing but partial violence can evade the force of this text. so heb. 7. 11 , 12. [ vnder it ( the levitical priesthood ) the people received the law — and the priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 18. for there is verily a disanulling of the commandment going before , for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof . for the law made nothing perfect ; but the bringing in of a better hope — 22. by so much was jesus made a surety of a better testament ] in all this it is plain that it is the whole frame of the mosaical law that is changed , and the new testament set up in its stead . heb. 9. 18 , 19. neither was the first dedicated without blood ; for when moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law , &c. here the law which is before said to be changed is said to contain every precept . and eph. 2. 15. it is the law of commandments contained in ordinances , which christ abolished in his flesh ; which cannot be exclusive of the chief part of that law. obj. this is the doctrine of the antinomians , that the law is abrogated , even the moral law. ans. it is the doctrine of the true antinomians that we are under no divine law , neither of nature nor of christ ; but it is the doctrine of paul and all christians , that the jewish mosaical law as such is abolished . obj. but do not all divines say that the moral law is of perpetual obligation ? ans. yes ; because it is gods law of nature , and also the law of christ. obj. but do not most say that the decalogue written in stone , is the moral law and of perpetual obligation . answ. yes : for by the word [ moral ] they mean [ natural , ] and so take moral , not in the large sense as it signifieth a law de moribus as all laws are whatsoever , but in a narrower sense as signifying , that which by nature is of vniversal and perpetual obligation . so that they mean not that it is perpetual as it is moses law and written in stone formally , but as it is moral , that is natural ; and they mean that materially the decalogue containeth the same law which is the law of nature , and therefore is materially still in force : but they still except certain points and circumstances in it , as the prefatory reason [ i am the lord that brought thee out of the land of aegypt , &c. ] and especially this of the seventh day sabbath . q 1. how far then are we bound by the decalogue ? answ. 1. as it is the law of nature ; 2. as it is owned by christ , and made part of his law. therefore no more of it bindeth directly , than we can prove to be either the law of nature , or the law of christ. 3. as it was once a law of god to the jews , and was given them upon a● reason common to them with us or all mankind , we must still judge , that it was once a divine determination of what is most meet , and an exposition of a law of nature , and therefore consequentially , and as that which intimateth by what god once commanded , what we should take for his will , and is most meet , it obligeth still . and so when the law of nature forbiddeth incest , or too near marriages , and god once told the jews what degrees were to be accounted too near , this being once a law to them directly , is a doctrine and exposition of the law of nature still to us ; and so is consequentially a law , by parity of reason . and so we shall shew anon that it is by the fourth commandment . iv. the law of christ bindeth us not to the observation of the seventh day sabbath . proved . 1. because it is proved that christ abrogated moses law as such ; and it is no where proved that he reassumed this , as a part of his own law. for it is no part of the law of nature ( as is proved ) ( which we confess now to be part of his law. ) object . christ saith , that he came not to destroy the law and prophets , but to fulfill them , and that a jot or tittle shall not pass till all be fulfilled . answ. he is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth , rom. 10. 4. the law was a schoolmaster to bring us to christ , gal. 3. 24. he hath therefore fulfilled the law according to his word , by his incarnation , life , death and resurrection . it is past away , but not unfulfilled : and fulfilling it , is not destroying it . the ends of it are all attained by him : 2. and though having attained its end , it ceaseth formally , as moses law ; yet materially , all that is of natural obligation continueth under another form ; that is , as part of his perfect law. therefore as our childish knowledge is said , as knowledge to be increased and not done away ; when we come to maturity ; but as childish to be done away , so the mosaical jewish law , as gods law in general is perfected by the cessation of the parts which were fitted to the state of bondage , and by addition of more perfect parts ( the natural part of it is made a part of a better covenant or frame : ) but yet as mosaical and imperfect it is abolished . briefly this much sufficeth for the answer of all the allegations , by which any would prove the continuation of moses law , or any part of it formally as such . i only add , that all moses law , even the decalogue was political , even gods law for the government of that particular theocrcratical policy , as a political body . therefore when the kingdom or policy ceased , the law as political could not continue . 2. it is proved that christ by his spirit in his apostles did institute another day . and seeing the spirit was given them to bring his words to remembrance , and to enable them to teach the churches all things whatsoever he commanded them , it is most probable that this was at first one of christs own personal precepts . 3. and to put all out of doubt , that neither the law of nature , nor any positive law , to adam , noah , or moses , or by christ doth oblige us to the seventh day sabbath , it is expresly repealed by the holy ghost , col. 2. 16. [ let no man therefore judge you in meats or in drink , or in respect of an holy day ( or feast ) or of the new moon , or of the sabbaths , which are a shadow of things to came ; but the body is of christ. ] i know many of late say , that by sabbaths here is not meant the weekly sabbath , but only other holy dayes , as monethly or jubilee rests : but 1. this is to limit without any proof from the word of god : when god speaks of sabbaths in general without exception , what is man that he should put in exceptions without any proof of authority from god ? by such boldness we may pervert all his laws . read dr. young upon this text. 2. yea , when it was the weekly sabbath , which then was principally known by the name of a sabbath , above all other festivals whatsoever , it is yet greater boldness without proof to exclude the principal part , from whence the rest did receive the name . 3. besides the feasts and new moons being here named as distinct from the sabbath , are like to include so much of the other separated dayes , as will leave it still more unmeet to exclude the weekly sabbath in the explication of that word [ sabbaths ] when so many feasts are first distinguished : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incuit grotius , hic sunt azyma dies omer , scenopegia , dies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . obj. but the sabbath mentioned in the decalogue could not be included . answ. this is spoken without proof , and the contrary is before proved . obj. by this you will make the christian sabbath also to be excluded . is not the lords day a sabbath ? answ. i am here to speak but of the name ; of which i say , that the common sense of the word sabbath was , a day so appointed to rest , as that the bodily rest of it , was a primary part of its observation , to be kept for it self ; and such the jewish sabbaths were . though spiritual worship was then also commanded , yet the corporal rest was more expresly or frequently urged in the law , and this not only subordinately as an advantage to the spiritual worship , but for it self , as an immediate and most visible and notable part of sabbatizing . even as other ceremonies under the law were commanded , not only as doctrinal types of things spiritual , but as external acts of ceremonious operous obedience suited to the jews minority , which is after called the yoke which they and their fathers were unable to bear , acts 15. whereas the lords day is appointed but as a seasonable time subserviently to the spiritual work of the day ; and the bodily rest , not required as primary obedience for it self , but only for the spiritual work sake : and therefore no bodily labour is now unlawful , but such as 〈◊〉 hinderance to the spiritual work of the day , 〈◊〉 or accidentally a scandal and temptation to others ) whereas the breach of the outward rest of the jews sabbath , was a sin directly of it self , without hinderance of , or respect to the spiritual worship . so that the first notion and sense of a sabbath in those dayes being ( in common use ) a day of such ceremonial corporal rest , as the jewish sabbath was , the lords day is never in scripture called by that name ; but the proper name is [ the lords day . ] and the ancient churches called it constantly by that name , and never called it the sabbath , but when they spake analogically by allusion to the jews sabbath ; even as they called the holy table , the altar , and the bread and wine , the sacrifice . therefore it is plain , that paul is to be understood of all proper sabbaths , and not of the lords day , which was then and long after distinguished from the sabbath . and this ceremonial , sabbatizing of the jews was so strict , that the ceremonicusness made them the scorn of the heathens , as appeareth by the derisions of horat. li. 1. sat . 9. persius sat . 5. juvenal . sat . 6. martial . lib. 4. and others : whereas they derided not the christians for the ceremonious rest , but for their worship on that day . the lords day being not called a sabbath in the old sense then only in use , but distinguished from the sabbath cannot be meant by the apostle in his exclusion of the sabbath . obj. but the apostles then met in the synagogues with the jews on the sabbaths ; therefore it is not those dayes that he meaneth here col. 2. 16. answ 1. you might as well say , that therefore he is not for the cessation of the jewish manner of worship , or communion with them in it , because he met with them . 2. and you may as well say , that he was for the continuance of circumcision and purification , because he purified himself and circumcised timothy . 3. or that he was for the continuance of their other feasts , in which also he refused not to joyn with them . 4. but paul did not keep their sabbaths formally as sabbaths , but only take the advantage of their assemblies , to teach them and convince them ; and to keep an interest in them : and not scandalize them by an unseasonable violation and contradiction . 5. and you must note also , that the text saith not [ observe not sabbath dayes ] but [ let no man judge you ] that is , let none take it for your sin , that you observe them not ; nor do you receive any such doctrine of the necessity of keeping the law of moses . ] the case seemeth like that of things strangled and blood , which were to be forborn among the jews while they were offensive , and the use of them hindred their conversion . obj. but the ancient christians did observe both dayes . answ. 1. in the first ages they did as the apostles did ; that is , 1. they observed no day strictly as a sabbath in the notion then in use : 2. they observed the lords day , as a day set apart by the holy ghost for christian worship . 3. they so far observed the jews sabbath materialy , as to avoid their scandal , and to take opportunity to win them . 2. but those that lived far from all jews , and those that lived after the law was sufficiently taken down , did keep but one day , even the lords day , as separated to holy uses : except some christians who differed from the rest , as the followers of papias did in the millenary point . 3. and note that even these dissenters , did still make no question of keeping the lords day , which sheweth that it was on foot from the times of the apostles . 〈◊〉 ( whoever it was , and whenever he wrote ) saith that [ after the sabbath we keep the lords day . ] and pseudo-clemens can. 33. saith [ servants work five dayes , but on the sabbath and lords day , they keep holy day in the church , for the doctrine ( or learning ) of godliness ] the text of gal. 4. 10. is of the same sense with col. 2. 16. against the jews sabbath , and therefore needeth no other defence . and i would have you consider , whether as christs resurrection was the foundation of the lords day ; so christs lying dead and buried in a grave on the seventh day sabbath , was not a fundamental abrogation of it : i say not the actual and plenary abrogation : for it was the command of christ by his word , spirit , or both to the apostles before proved , which fully made the change : but as the resurrection was the ground of the new day so his burial seemeth to intimate , that the day with all the jewish law which it was the symbolical profession of , lay dead and buried with him . sure i am that he saith , when the bridegroom is taken from them , then shall they fast and mourn ; but he was most notably taken from them , when he lay dead in the grave ; and if they must fast and mourn that day , they could not keep it as a sabbath , which was a day of joy therefore as by death he overcame him that had the power of death , heb. 2. 14. and as he nailed the hand-writing of ordinances to his cross ; so he buried the sabbath in his grave , by lying buried on that day . and therefore the western churches , who had fewer jews among them , did fast on the sabbath day , to shew the change that christs burial intimated : though the eastern churches did not , lest they should offend the jews . and that the ancient christians were not for sabbatizing on the seventh day , is visible in the writings of most , save the eastern ones before mentioned . tertull. cont . marcion li. 1. cap. 20. & chrysost. theodoret , primasius , &c. on gal. 4. expound that text , as that by dayes is meant the jewish sabbath , and by moneths , the new moons , &c. cyprian 59. epist. ad hidum saith , that the eighth day is to christians , what the sabbath was to the jews , and calleth the sabbath , the image of the lords day . athanasius de sab. & circumcis . is full and plain on it . see tertullian advers . judae . c. 4. ambros. in eph. 2. august . ep. 118. ch●ys●st . in gal. 1. & h●m . 12. ad pop . hilary before cited prolog . in psalm . origen hom. 23. in num. item tertull. de idol . c. 14. epipban . l. 1. num . 30. noting the nazaraei and ebionaei hereticks , that they kept the jews sabbath . in a word , the council of laodi●aea doth anathematize them that did judaize by forbearing their labours on the sabbath or seventh day . and as sozomen tells us , that at alexandria and rome they used no assemblies on the sabbath , so where they did , in most churches they communicated not in the sacrament . yea , that ignatius himself ( true or false ) who saith as aforecited [ after the sabbath let every lover of christ celebrate the lords day ] doth yet in the same epistle ( ad magnes . ) before say [ old things are passed away , behold all things are made new : for if we yet live after the jewish law , and the circumcision of the flesh , we deny that we have received grace — let us not therefore keep the sabbath ( or sabbatize ) jewishly , as delighting in idleness ( or rest from labour . ) for be that will not labour , let him not eat . in the sweat if thy brows thou shalt cat thy bread . ] i confess i take the cited texts to have been added since the body of the epistle was written ; but though the writer favour of the eastern custom , yet he sheweth they did not sabbatize on the account of the fourth commandment , or supposed continuation of the jewish sabbath as a sabbath : for bodily labour was strictly forbidden in the fourth commandment . dionysius alexandr . hath an epistle to basilides a bishop on the question , when the sabbath fast must end , and the observation of the lords day begin , biblioth . patr. graec. lat. vol. 1. p. 306. in which he is against them that end their fast too soon . and plainly intimateth that the seventh day was to be kept , but as a preparatory fast ( being the day that christ lay in the grave ) and not as a sabbath , or as the lords day . i cite not any of these , as a humane authority to be set against the authority of the fourth commandment ; but as the certain history of the change of the day which the apostles made . qu. how far then is the fourth commandment moral ? you seem to subvert the old foundation , which most others build the lords day upon . answ. let us not entangle our selves with the ambiguities of the word [ moral ] which most properly signifieth ethical , as distinct from physical , &c. by moral here is meant that which is ( on what ground soever ) of perpetual or continued obligation : and so it is all one as to ask how far it is still obligatory or in force ; to which i answer , 1. it is a part of the law of nature , that god be solemnly worshipped , in families and in holy assemblies . 2. it is a part of the law of nature , that where greater things do not forbid it , a stated time be appointed for this service , and that it be not left at randome to every mans will. 3. it is of the law of nature , that where greater matters do not hinder it , this day be one and the same in the same countreys ; yea , if it may be through the world . 4. it is of the law of nature , that this day be not so rarely as to hinder the ends of the day , nor yet so frequently as to deprive us of opportunity for our necessary corporal labour . 5. it is of the law of nature , that the holy duties of this day be n●t hindered by any corporal work , or fleshly pleasure , or any unnecessary thing which contradi●teth the holy ends of the day . 6. it is of the law of nature , that rulers , and in special masters of families , do take care that their inferiours thus observe it . in all these points the fourth commandment being but a transcript of the law of nature , which we can yet prove from the nature of the reason of the thing , the matter of it continueth ( not as jewish , but ) as natural . 7. besides all this , when no man of himself could tell , whether one day in six or seven or eight were his duty to observe , god hath come in , and 1. by doctrine or history told us , that he made the world in six dayes , and rested the seventh . 2. by law ; and bath commanded one day in seven to the jews ; by which he hath made known consequential●y to all men , that one day in seven is the fittest proportion of time . and the case being thus determined by god , by a law to others , doth consequentially become a law to us , because it is the determination of divine wisdom ; unless it were done upon some reasons in which their condition differeth from ours . and thus the doctrine and reasons of an abrogated law , continuing , may induce on us an obligation to duty . and in this sense the fourth commandment may be said still to bind us to one day in seven . but in two points the obligation ( even as to the matter ) ceaseth . 1. we are not bound to the seventh day , because god our redeemer who is lord of the sabbath , hath made a change . 2. we are not bound to a sabbath in the old notion , that is , to a day of ceremonial rest for it self required ; but to a day to be spent in evangelical worship . and though i am not of their mind who say , that the seventh day is not commanded in the fourth commandment , but a sabbath only ; yet , i think that it is evident in the words , that the ratio sabbati , and the ratio diei septimi are distinguishable : and that the sabbath as a sabbath , is first in the precept , and the particular day is there but secondarily , and so mutably ; as if god had said , i will have a particular day set apart for a holy rest , and for my worship , and that day shall be one in seven , and the seventh also on which i rested from my works . and thus i have said as much as i think needful to satisfie the considerate about the day : again professing 1. that i believe that he is in the right that maketh conscience of the lords day only . 2. but yet i will not break charity with any brother that shall in tenderness of conscience keep both dayes ; especially in times of prophaness when few will be brought to the true observation of one . 3. but i think him that keepeth the seventh day only and neglecteth the lords day , to sin against very evident light , with many aggravations . 4. but i think him that keepeth no day ( whether professedly , or practising contrary to his profession ; whether on pretence of avoiding superstition , or on pretence of keeping every day as a sabbath ) to be far the worst of all . i shall now add somewhat to some appendant questions . chap. viii . of the beginning of the day . quest. 1. when doth the lords day begin ? answ. 1. if we can tell when any day beginneth , we may know when that beginneth . if we cannot , the necessity of our ignorance , will shorten the trouble of our scruples by excusing us . 2. because the lords day is not to be kept as a jewish sabbath ceremoniously , but the time and the rest are here commanded subserviently for the work sake , therefore we have not so much reason to be scrupulous about the hours of beginning and ending , as the jews had about their sabbath . 3. i think he that judgeth of the beginning and ending of the day , according to the common estimation of the countrey where he liveth , will best answer the ends of the institution . for he will still keep the same proportion of time ; and so much as is ordinarily allowed on other dayes for work , he will spend this day in holy works ; and so much in rest as is used to be spent in rest on other dayes ; ( which may ordinarily satisfie a well informed conscience ) and if any extraordinary occasions ( as journeying or the like ) require him to doubt of any hours of the night , whether they be part of the lords day or not , 1. it will be but his sleeping time , and not his worshipping time , which he will be in doubt of : and 2. he will avoid all scandal and tempting others to break the day , if he measure the day by the common estimate : whereas if the countrey where he liveth do esteem the day to begin at sun-setting , and he suppose it to begin at midnight , he may be scandalous by doing that which in the common opinion is a violation of the day . if i thought that this short kind of solution , were not the fittest to afford just quietness to the minds of sober christians in this point , i would take the pains to scan the controversie about the true beginning of dayes : but left it more puzzle and perplex , than edifie or resolve and quiet the conscience , i save my self and the reader that trouble . chap. ix . quest. 2. how should the lords day be kept or used ? answ. the practical directions i have given in another treatise . i shall now give you but these generals . i. the day being separated or set apart for holy worship , must accordingly be spent therein . to sanctifie it , is to spend it in holy exercises : how else should it be used as a holy day ? i was in the spirit on the lords day , saith st. john , rev. 1. 10. ii. the principal work of the day is , the communion of christians in the publick exercises of gods worship . it is principally to be spent in holy assemblies . and this is the use that the scripture expresly mentioneth , acts 20. 7. and intimateth 1 co● . 16. 1 , 2. and as most expotors think , john 21. when the disciples were gathered together with the door shut for fear of the jews . and all church history assureth us , that in these holy assemblies principally , the day was spent by the ancient christians . they spent almost all the day together . 3. it is not only to be spent in holy exercises , but also in such special holy exercises as are suitable to the purposes of the day . that is , it is a day of commemorating the whole wo●● of our redemption ; but especially the resurrection of christ. therefore it is a day of thanksgiving and praise ; and the special services 〈◊〉 it must be laudatory and joyful exercises . 4. but yet because it is sinners that are called to their work , who are not yet fully delivered from their sin and misery , these praises must be mixed with penitent confessions , and with earnest petitions , and with diligent learning the will of god. more particularly , the publick exercises of the day are 1. humble and penitent confessions of sin . 2. the faithful and fervent prayers of the church . 3. the reading , preaching and hearing of the word of god. 4. the communion of the church in the lords supper . 5. the laudatory exhortations which attend it . and the singing and speaking of the praises of our creator and redeemer and sanctifier ; with joyful thanksgiving for his wonderful benefits . 6. the seasonable exercise of holy discipline on particular persons , for comforting the weak , reforming the scandalous , casting out the obstinately impenitent , and absolving and receiving the penitent . 7. the pastors blessing the people in the name of the lord. 8. and as an appurtenance in due season , oblations or contributions for holy and charitable uses , even for the church and poor , which yet may be put off to other dayes , when it is more convenient so to do . qu. but who is it that must be present in all these exercises ? answ. where there is no church yet called , the whole day may be spent in preaching to , and teaching the unconverted infidels : but where there is a church , and no other persons mixt , the whole exercises of the day must be such as are fitted to the state of the church . but where there is a church and other persons ( infidels , or impenitent ones ) with them , the day must be spent proportionably in exercises suitable to the good of both ; yet so that church-exercises should be the principal work of the day . and the ancient laudable practice of the churches was , to preach to the infidel auditors and catechumens in the morning , on such subjects as were most suitable to them , and then to dismiss them , and retain the faithful ( or baptized ) only ; and to teach them all the commands of christ ; to stir them up to the joyful commemoration of christ and his resurrection , and to sing gods praises , and celebrate the lords supper with eucharistical acknowledgments and joy . and they never kept a lords day in the church , without the lords supper ; in which the bare administration of the signes was not their whole work ; but all their thanksgiving and praising exercises , were principally then used , and connexed to the lords supper ; which the liturgies yet extant do at large express . and i know no reason but thus it should be still ; or at least but that this course should be the ordinary celebration of the day . qu. but seeing the sabbath was instituted in the beginning , to commemorate the work of the creation , must that be laid by now , because of our commemoration of the work of our redemption ? answ. no : our redeemers work is to restore us to the acknowledgement and love of our creator . and the commemoration of our redemption fitteth us to a holy acknowledgement of the almighty creator in his works : these therefore are still to go together ; according to their several proper places : even as the son is the way to the father , and we must never separate them in the exercise of our faith , obedience or love. a christian is a sanctified philosopher : and no man knoweth or acknowledgeth gods works of creation and providence aright , in their true sense , but he that seeth god the creator and redeemer , the beginning , the governour and the end of all . other philosophers are but as those children , that play with the book and letters , but understand not the matter contained in it ; or like one that teacheth boyes ●litide literas pingere , to write a curious hand , while he understands not what he writeth . obj. but to spend so much of the day in publick as you speak of , will tire out the minister by speaking so long ▪ few men are able to endure it . answ. 1. how did the christians in the primitive churches ? they met in the morning , and often ( as far as i can gat●●er ) parted not till night , ( and when they did go home between the morning and evening service , it was but for a little time . ) obj. then they made it a fast and not a festival . answ. it was not the use then to eat dinners in those hot countreys ; much less three meals a day , as we do now . and they accounted it a sufficient feasting , to feast once , at supper , which they did at the first all together at their church-meeting , with the sacrament ; but afterward finding the inconvenience of that they feasted at home , and used only the sacrament in the church : which change was not made without the allowance of the apostles ; paul saying , 1. cor. 11. have ye not houses to eat and drink in ? or despise ye the church of god ? 2. i further answer that the work of the day being done according to the primitive use , it will be no excessive labour to the minister : because in the celebration of the lords supper , he is not still in one continued speech , but hath the intermission of action , and useth shorter speeches which do not so much spend him . and the people bear a considerable part , to wit , in gods praises , which were spoken then in their laudatory tone , and are now uttered by the singing of psalms ( which should not be the least part of the work . ) and though their manner of singing was not like ours , in rithmes and tunes mel●diously , ( as neither were the hebrew , greek or latine poems so sung ; ) but as most think , more like to our cathedral singing , or saying ; yet it followeth not that this is the best way for us , seeing use hath made our tunes and meeter , and way of singing more meet for the ends to which we use them , that is , for the chearful consent of all the church ; neither should any think that it is a humane unlawful invention , and a sinful change , to turn the old way of singing ( used in scripture times and long after ) into ours ; for the old way of singing was not a divine institution , but a use ; and several countreys had their several uses herein : and god commandeth us but to praise him , and sing psalmes , but doth not tell us what meeter or tunes we shall use , or manner of singing , but leaveth this to the use and convenience of every countrey : and if our way and tunes be to us by custome more convenient than those of other nations in scripture times , we have no reason to forsake them , and return to the old ( though yet the old way is not to be judged a thing forbidden . ) and we see that custome hath so far prevailed with us , that many thousand religious people , do cheerfully sing psalmes in the church in our tunes and way , who cannot endure to sing in the cathedral or the ancient scripture or primitive way , nor to use so much as the laudatory responses . 3. and i further answer that every church should have more ministers than one , as the ancient churches had besides their readers ; and then one may in speaking ease another . 4. but lastly i answer , that these circumstances being alterable according to the state of countreys & conveniences , i do not discommend the custome of our countrey , and of most christian churches in our times , in making an intermission , and going home to dinner ; as being fittest to our condition . and then there remaineth the less force in the objection , as to the weariness of the ministers , or the people . i 〈◊〉 to say more of the publick church-performances , having described them all in a small book called vniversal concord , and having exemplified all except . preaching , in our reformed liturgie given in to the bishops at the savoy . only here , i will answer them , who object much that the ancient churches spent not the whole day in exercises of religion , nor farbad other exercises out of the time of publick worship , because we read of little other observation of it by them , but what was done in the publick assemblies . answ. 1. we find that they took it to be a sanctified or separated day ; and they never distinguish , and say , that part of the day only was separated and sanctified to such uses . if they did , which part is the sanctified part of the day ? what houres were they which they thought thus separated ? but there is no such distinction or limitation , in the writings of the ancient doctors . 2. what need you find much mention , what they did out of the time of publick worship , when they spent all the day frequently at first , and almost all the day in after times ( with small intermission ) in publick worship ? do you stay but as long at church as they did , even almost from morning till night , and then you will find little time to dance or play in . but yet , 3. there want not testimonies that they thought it unlawful to spend any part of the day , in unnecessary diversions from holy things , as dr. young hath shewed . iii. so much of the day as can be spared from publick church-worship , ( and diversions of necessity ) should be next spent most in holy family-exercises . and in those unhappy places where the publick worship is slenderly and negligently performed , ( on some small part only of the day ) or not at all , or not so as it is lawful to joyne in it , ( as in idolatrous worship , &c. ) there family worship must take up most of the day : and in better places , it must take up so much as the publick worship spareth . and here the summ of holy exercises in families is this ( which having elsewhere directed you in , i must but briefly name . ) 1. to see that the family rise as early on this day as on others , and make it not a day of sleep and idleness : and not to suffer them to violate prophane or neglect the day , by any of the sins hereafter named . 2. to call them together before they go to the solemn assembly , and to pray with them and praise god , and if there be time , to read the scripture , and tell them what they have to do in publick . 3. to see that dinner and other common employments make no longer an intermission than is needful ; and to advise them that at their meat and necessary business , they shew by their holy speeches , that their minds do not forget the day , and the employments of it . 4. to sing gods praises with them , if there be time , and bring them again together to the church-assembly . 5. when they return either to take some account of them what they have learned , or to call them together to pray for a blessing on what they have heard , and to sing praises to god , and to urge the things which they have heard upon them . 6. at supper to behave themselves soberly and piously : and after supper to shut up the day in prayer and praise ; and either then or before , either to examine or exhort inferiours , according as the case of the persons and families shall require ( for in some families it will be best on the same day to take an account of their profiting , and to catechize them : and in other families that have leisure , other daies may be more convenient for catechising and examinations , that the greater works of the lords day may not be shortened . ) iv. so much of the day as can be spared from publick and family worship , must be spent in secret , holy duties : such as are , 1. secret prayer . 2. reading of the scriptures and good books . 3. holy meditation ; 4. and the secret conference of bosome friends . of which i further adde ▪ 1. that where publick or family worship cannot be had ( as in impious places ) there secret duties must be the chief , and make up the defect of others . and it is a great happiness of good christians who have willing minds , that they have such secret substitutes and supplies ; that they have bibles and so many good books to read , that they may have a friend to talk with of holy things ; but much more that they have a god to go to , and a heaven to meditate on , besides so many sacred verities . 2. that my judgement is , that in those places where the publick worship taketh up almost all the day , it is no sin to attend on it to the utmost , and to omit all such family and secret exercises as cannot be done , without omission of the publick . and that where the publick exercises allow but a little time at home , the family duties should take up all that little time , except what some shorter secret prayers or meditations may have , which will not hinder family duties . and that it is a sinful disorder to do otherwise . because the lords day is principally set apart for publick worship ; and the more private or secret is as it were included in the publick : your families are at church with you ; the same prayers which you would put up in secret , you may ( usually ) put up in publick , and in families : and it is a turning gods worship into a ceremony and superstition , to think that you must necessarily put up the same prayers in a closet , which you put up in the family or church , when you have not time for both . ( though when you have time , secret prayer , hath its proper advantages , which are not to be neglected . ) and also , what secret or family duty you have not time for on that day , you may do on another day , when you cannot come to church assemblies . and therefore it is an errour to think that the day must be divided in equal proportions , between publick , family , and secret duties : though yet i think it not amiss that some convenient time for family and secret duties be left on that day ; but not so much as is spent in publick , nor nothing neer it . if any shall now object , [ i do not believe that we are bound to all this ado , nor so to tire out our selves in religious exercises : where is all this ado commanded us ? ] i answer , 1. i have proved to you that in nature and in scripture set together as great a proportion of time as this for holy exercises is required . 2. but o what a carnal unthankful heart ; doth this objection signifie ? what , do you account your love to god , and the commemoration of his love in christ , a toile ? what if god had only given you leave , to lay by your worldly business , and idle talk and childish play , for one dayes time , and to learn how to be like christ and angels , and how to make sure of a heavenly glory , should you not gladly have accepted it as an unspeakable benefit ? o what hearts have these wretched men that must be constrained by fear to all that is good , and holy , and spiritual ; and will have none of gods greatest mercies , unless it be for fear of hell ( and they shall never have them indeed till they love them ! ) what hearts have those men , that had rather be in an ale-house , or a play-house , or asleep , than to be in heart with god ? that can find so much pleasure in jesting and idle talking and foolery , that they can better endure it , than to peruse a map of heaven , and to read and hear the sacred oracles ! who think it a toile to praise their maker and redeemer , and a pleasure to game and dance and drink ! who turn the glass upon the preacher , and grudge if he exceed his hour ; and can sit at a tavern or alehouse , or hold on in any thing that 's vain , many hours and never complain of weariness ! do they not tell the world what enemies they are to god , who love a pair of cards , or dice , or wanton dalliance , better than his word and worship ? who think six dayes together little enough for their worldly work and profit , and one day in seven too much to spend in the thoughts of god and life eternal ? who love the dung of this present world , so much better than all the joyes above , as that they are weary to hear of heaven above an hour at a time , and long to be wallowing in the dirt again ? is it not made by the holy ghost , a mark not only of wicked men , but of men notoriously wicked , to be lovers of pleasures more than of god ? 2 tim. 3. 4. o sinners , that in these workings of the wickedness and malignity of your hearts , you would at last but know your selves ! is it not the carnal mind that is thus at enmity to god , and neither is nor can be subject to his law , rom. 8. 6 , 7 , 8 ? which will you take to be your friend ; him that loveth your company , or him that is a weary of it , and is glad when he hath done with you , and is got away ? what would you think of wife , or child , or friend , if they should reason as you do , and say , what law doth bind 〈◊〉 to be so many hours in the house , or company , or 〈◊〉 of my husband , my father , or my friend● you do not use if you have a feast , or a cup of wine before you , to ask , where doth god command me to eat or drink it ? you can do this without a command ! if you hear but of a gainful market ▪ you ask not , where doth god make it my duty to go to it ? if one would give you money or land , you would scarcely ask , how prove you that i am bound to take it ? you would be glad of leave , without commands . if the king should say to you ▪ ask what you will , and i will give it you , you would not say , where am i bound of god to ask ? and when god saith , ask and it shall be given you , you say , how prove you that i am bound to ask ? you can sing ribbald songs , and dance without a command ; you can feast , and play , and prate , and sleep , and loyter in idleness without a command ; but you cannot learn how to be saved , nor praise your . redeemer without a command . a thief can steal , a fornicator can play the bruit , a drunkard can be drunk , an oppressour can make himself hateful to the oppressed , not only without law , but against it ? but you cannot rejoice in god , nor live one day together in his love and service , without a law , no nor with it neither . for because you had rather not love him , it is certain that you do not love him : and because you had rather play than pray , and serve the flesh than serve your maker ; it is a certain sign that you do not serve him , with any thing which he will accept as service . for while he hath not your hearts , he hath nothing which he accepteth . your knee and tongue only is forced against your will to that which you call serving him : but your hearts or wills cannot be forced . when you had rather be elsewhere , and say when will the sermon and prayer be done , that i may be at my work or play ? god taketh it as if you were there where you had rather be . i pray you deal openly , and tell me , you that think a day too long for god , and are weary of all holy work , what would you be doing that while , if you had your choice ? is it any thing which you dare say is better ? dare you say , that playing is better than praying , and a piper or dancing is better than praising god with psalms ? or that your sleep , or games , or chat or worldly business is better than the contemplation of god and glory ! and will those deceivers of the people also say this , who teach them that it is a tedious uncommanded thing , to serve god so long ? i think they dare not speak it out . if they dare , let them not grudge that they must be for ever shut out of heaven , where there will be nothing else but holiness . but if you dare not say so , why will you choose the worse , before the better ? why will you be weary of well doing , that you may do ill ? why are you not more weary of every thing than of holiness , unless you think every thing better than holiness . especially those men , 1. whose judgement is for will-worship , should not ask , where is there a command , for any good which they are willing of . but doth not this shew that you had rather there were no command for it ? be judges your selves . 2. and they that are for making the churches a great deal more work than god hath made them , ( o what abundance hath popery made ; and what a multitude of new religious particles ! ) methinks should not for shame say that god hath tired them out , and made them too much work already ? do you cry out , what a weariness is this one day , when you would adde of your own such a multitude of more dayes , and more work ? yet though i talk of doing it willingly if you had no forcing law of god , but bare leave to receive such benefits , my meaning is not that god hath left any such things indifferent or made them only the matter of counsels and not of commands : for he hath made it our duty to receive our own benefits , and to do that which tendeth to our own good and salvation . but if it had been so , that we had only leave to receive so great mercies without any other penalty for refusing , than the loss of them , it should be enough to men that love themselves , and know what is for their good . much more when commands concurr . chap. x. how the lords day should not be spent : or , what is unlawful on it ? as to the resolving of this question also , i would wish for no greater advantage on him that i dispute with , but that he be a man that loveth god and holiness , and knoweth somewhat of the difference between things temporal and things eternal ; and knoweth what is for the good of his soul ; and preferreth it before his body ; and hath an appetite to relish the delights of wisdom , and of things most excellent and divine . and that he be one that knoweth his own necessities , and repenteth of his former loss of time ; and liveth in a daily preparation for death ; that is , that he be a real christian ; and then by all this it will appear , how the lords day must not be spent ; or what things are unlawful to be done thereon . i. undoubtedly it must not be spent in wickedness : in gluttony or drunkenness , chambering or wantonness , strife or envying , or any of those works of the flesh , which are at all times sinful . an evil work is most unsuitable to a holy day . and yet , alas , what day hath more ryotting and excess , of meat , and drink , and wantonness , and sloth , and lust , than it ? ii. it ought not to be spent in our worldly businesses , which are the labours allowed us on the six dayes ; unless necessity or mercy make them at any time become such duties of the law of nature , as positives must for that time give place to . for how is it a day separated to holy employments , if we spend it in the common business of the world ? it is the great advantage that we have by such a separated day , that we may wholly call off our minds from the world , and set them on the world to come , and exercise them in holy communion with god and his church , without the interruptions and distractions of any earthly cogitations . a divided mind doth never perform any holy work , with that integrity and life , as the nature of it requireth . heavenly contemplations are never well managed with the intermixture of diverting wordly thoughts : so great a work as to converse in heaven , to be rapt up in the admirations of the divine perfections , to kindle a fervent love to god , by the contemplation of his love and goodness , to triumph over sin and satan with our triumphing glorified head , to commemorate his resurrection , and the whole work of our redemption with a lively working faith , doth require the whole heart , and will not consist with aliene thoughts , and the diversion of fleshly employments or delights . nay , had we no higher work to do , than to search our hearts , and lament our sins , and beg for mercy , and learn gods word , and treat with our redeemer about the saving of our souls , and to prepare for death and judgement , surely it should challenge all our faculties , and tell us that voluntary diversions , do too much savour of impiety and contempt . it is the great mercy of god , that we have leave to lay by these clogs and impediments of the soul , and to seek his face with greater freedom , than the incumbrances of our week day labours will allow us . no slave can be so glad of a sabbaths ease from his sorest toil and basest drudgery , as a believer should be to be released from his earthly thoughts and business , that he may freely , entirely and delightfully converse with god. iii. the lords day must not be spent in tempting , diverting , unnecessary recreations , or pleasures of the flesh . 1. for these are as great an impediment to the holy employment of the soul , as worldly labours , if not much more . it is easier for a man to be exercised in heavenly cogitations , at the plow or cart , or other such labours of his place and calling , than at bowls , or hunting , or cards , or dice , or stage-playes , or races , or dancing , or bear-baitings , or cock-fights , or any such sensual sports . i need no proof of this to any man , that hath himself any experience , of the holy employments of a believing soul , or that ever knew what it was to spend one day of the lord aright ; and no proof will suffice them that have no experience , because they know not effectually what it is that they talk of . 2. we find that even on other daies , the worst men are most addicted to these sports , and are the greatest pleaders for them , and that the more they use them the worse they grow ; yea that the times of using them are frequently the times of the eruption of many heynous sins . i have lived in my youth in many places where sometimes shews or uncouth spectacles have been their sports at certain seasons of the year , and sometimes morrice-dancings , and sometimes stage-playes , and sometimes wakes and revels ; and all men observed that these were the times of the most flagitious crimes , and that there was then more drunkenness , more fighting , more horrid oathes and curses uttered than in many weeks at other times ; then it was that the enraged sensualists did act the part of furious devils , in scorning and reviling all that were soberer and better than themselves , and railing at those that minded god and their everlasting state , as precisians , puritans and hypocrites ; then it was that they were ready in their fury , if they durst , to assault the very persons and houses of them that would not do as they did . whatever is done in such crowdes and tumults , is done with the impetuosity of rage and passion , and with the greatest audacity , and the violation of all laws and regulating restraints . as many waters make a furious stream , and great fires where much fuel is conjunct do disdain restraint , and quickly devour all before them ; so is it with the raging folly of youth , when voluptuous persons once get together , and their lusts take fire , and they fall into a torrent of profuse sensuality . yea those that at other times are sober , and when they come home do seem of another mind , yet do as the rest when they are among them , and seem as bad and furious as they : as we see among the london apprentices on the day called goodtides tuesday , or may day , when they once get out together and are in motion , they seem all alike , and those that are most sober and timerous alone , in the rowt are heightened to the audacity of the rest ; and as in an army the sight of the multitude , and the noise of drums and guns , puts valour into the fearful ; and they will go on with others , that else would run away from a proportionable single combate and danger ; and as boyes at school that fear to offend singly , yet fear not to barr out their master in a combination when all concurr ; so all seem wicked in a crowd and rowt of wicked persons ; and sensuality and licentiousness is not the smallest part of wickedness . o how unfit is youth in such a crowd , to think of god , or eternity , or death ; or to hear the sober warnings of a preacher , in comparison of what the same persons be , when they are at church , and congregated purposely to hear gods word . go among them and try them then , with any grave and wholesome counsel : ask them whether they are penitent converts , and whether they are prepared for another world . try what answer they will give you , and whether they will not deride you more than at another time ? i would those that write and plead for this under the name of harmless recreations , would go amongst them sometimes with sober counsel , and learn to be wise by their own experience ; that their errours might not be of such pernicious consequence to mens souls as it hath been . reason it self hath no place or audience in the noise of youthful furious lusts . they will laugh at reason , as well as at scripture ; and scorn sobriety , as well ( though not so much ) as holiness . if even in the meetings of grave persons , it have ever been observed that individual persons are apt to be carryed by the stream , and otherwise than their talk importeth at other times when they are single , what wonder if it be so in evil with unbridled youth ? if you say that the law forbiddeth rowts and riots , and it is no such unruly assemblies that we defend . answ. disclaim not the name only while you defend the thing . be not like them that say , we perswade men to voluntary untruths but not to lying ; to break their vows and oathes in lawful matters , but not to perjury ; to kill those that anger them , but not to murder ; to take other mens goods by force , but not to robbery , &c. is not a wakes and revels and morrice-dances , and dancing-assemblies , and spectacles , and stage playes , and the like , such a concourse as i am speaking of . do you limit dancers , and players to any numbers ? i speak not of the laws . i am too much unacquainted with them . if they say , that above four meeting to dance or drink on the lords day shall be accounted a conventicle or unlawful assembly , it is more than ever i heard of , but i am speaking of the common practice of the contrary , and of those that ordinarily defend it , and labour to bring both godly ministers , and sober people , under the scorn of foolish preciseness and superstition , because they would hinder the sin and ruine of the people . if you will allow them to assemble for their dancings , shews , and sports , you will encourage them to break the laws both of god and man , though you pretend never so much care that they be observed . you may as well allow them to be drunk , and when you have done , forbid them to break gods laws and the kings in their drunkenness . there are few in such sportful assemblies that are not drunk with concupiscence , and whose reason is not drowned in voluptuousness and vain imaginations . let those divines ( if i may so call the advocates of sensuality and sin ) which are otherwise minded , give us leave to oppose against all their cavils , and the false names of harmless recreations , but , 1. our own experience , who in our youth , have alwaies found such sports and revelling assemblies to be corrupters of our minds , and temptations to evil , and quenchers of every holy motion , and enemies to all that 's good . 2. the experience of the visibly corrupted undone sensual youth , that are round about us , in all countreys where we have lived . 3. and the judgement of s●lomon , ( who saith as much for pleasure as any sacred writer ) eccl. 7. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. it is better to go to the house of mourning , than to the house of feasting : for that is the end of all men , and the living will lay it to his heart : sorrow is better than laughter ; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better . the heart of the wise is in the house of mou●ning , but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth ( i pray you do not say i raile at you by the reciting of these words , nor that i diminish the honour of the reverend advocates for wakes and lords day sports and dancings : ) it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise , than for a man to hear the song of fools . for as the sound of thorns under a pot , so is the laughter of the fool . ] 3. moreover , these sports , and pleasures , and riotings , are worse than plowing and labouring on the lords day , because ( as they are more adverse to spiritual and heavenly joyes , so ) they do less good to recompense the hurt . a carpenter , a mason , a plowman , &c. may do some good by his unlawful , unseasonable labour ; some one may be the better for it : but , dancing , and sports , and gaming , do no good but hurt . they corrupt the fantasie ; they imprint upon the thinking faculty , so strong an inclination to run out after such things ; and upon the appetite so strong a list and longing for them , that carnality is much encreased by them , mortification hindred ; concupiscence gratified ; the flesh prevaileth , the spirit is quenched ; and the soul made as unfit for heavenly things , as a school-boy is for his book , whose heart is set upon his play : yea abundance more ; as nature by corruption is more averse to spiritual things , than to the things of art or nature . 4. these dancings , and playes , and wakes and other riotous sports , are a strong temptation also to them that are not of the riotous societies , but have convictions on their hearts , that they have greater and better things to mind . without accusing others , i may say that i know this by bad experience . i cannot forget , when my conscience was against their courses , and called me to better things , how hardly when i was young , i passed by the dancing , and the playing congregations ; and especially when in the passage i must bear their scorn . and i was one year a school-master , and found how hard it was for the poor children , to avoid such snares , even when they were sure to be whipt the next day for their pleasures . 5. and those riots and playes are injurious to the pious and sober persons who dislike them . for it is they that shall be made the rabbles scorn , and the drunkards song ; besides that the noise oft times annoyeth them when they should be calmely serving god. and they are hindered from governing and instructing their families , while their children and servants are thus tempted to be gone , and their hearts are all the while in the playing place . never did a hungry dog more grudge at his restraint from meat , than children and young servants usually grudge , to be catechised , or kept to holy exercises , when they hear the pipe , or the noise of the licentious multitude in the streets . i cannot forget , that in my youth in those late times , when we lost the labours of some of our conformable godly teachers , for not reading publickly the book for sports and dancing on the lords dayes , one of my fathers own tenants was the town piper , hired by the year ( for many years together ) and the place of the dancing assembly was not an hundred yards from our door ; and we could not on the lords day , either read a chapter , or pray , or sing a psalm , or catechise or instruct a servant , but with the noise of the pipe and taber , and the whootings in the street , continually in our ears ; and even among a tractable people , we were the common scorn of all the rabble in the streets , and called puritans , precisians and hypocrites , because we rather chose but to read the scriptures , than to do as they did ( though there was no favour of any non-conformity in our family . ) and when the people by the book were allowed to play and dance , out of publick service-time , they could so hardly break off their sports , that many a time the reader was fain to stay till the piper and players would give over ; and sometimes the morrice-dancers would come into the church , in all their linnen and scarfs and antick dresses , with morrice-bells jingling at their leggs . and as soon as common prayer was read , did haste out presently to their play again . was this a heavenly coversation ? was this a help to holiness and devotion ? or to the mortification of fleshly lusts ? was this the way to train up youth in the nurture and admonition of the lord ? and were such assemblies like to the primitive churches ? or such families governed christianly and in the fear of god ? o lord set wise and holy pastors over thy poor flocks , that have learnt themselves the holy doctrine which they preach , and who love , ( or at least abhorr not ) the service and imitation of a crucified christ , and the practice of that religion which they themselves profess . obj. but poor labouring people must have some recreation , and they cannot through their poverty have leisure any other day . answ. 1. a sad argument to be used by them that by racking of rents do keep them in poverty . they that cannot live without all those superfluities , which requireth many hundred pounds a year to maintain them must for this gratifying pride and fleshly lusts , set such bargains to their poor tenants , as that they confess they cannot live , without taking the lords day to recreate them from the toile and weariness of their excessive labours : and will not god judge such self-condemning oppressours as these are ? 2. but is this an argument fit for the mouth of a minister or any christian , who knoweth how much the soul is more worth than the body ? and eternity more valuable than the pleasures of this little time ? if poverty deny the people liberty to play on the week dayes , doth it not as much deny them liberty to pray , and to read the scriptures , and to learn their catechisms , and the word of god ? surely it better beseemeth any man that believeth another life , a heaven and a hell , to say , poor labourers have so little time , to learn , to meditate , to read , to pray , on the week dayes , that if they do not follow it close upon the lords day , they are like to perish in their ignorance : ( for if the gospel be hid , it is hid to them that are lost , 2 cor. 4. 3. ) which do you think it better to leave undone , if one of them must be left undone ? whether the learning of gods word , or the pleasures and recreations of the flesh ? 3. it is either their bodies or their minds , that need recreation . when the body is tired with toilesome labour , it is ease , rather than toilesome dancings or plays , that are fit to recreate it . or else god will be charged with mistake in the reasons of the ancient sabbath . but if it be the mind that needeth recreation , why should not the learning of heavenly truth , and the joyful commemoration of our redemption , and the foresight of heaven and the praises of god , be more delightful than the noise of thornes under a pott ; even than the laughter and sport of fools , or than the dancings and games that now you plead for ? but the truth is , it is not the minds of poor labouring men , that are over-workt and tired on the week dayes , but it is their bodies : and therefore there is no recreation so suitable to them , as the ease of the body , and the holy and joyful exercise of the mind , upon their creator , their redeemer , and their everlasting rest. 4. but if you will needs have daies of temptation and sinful sports and pleasures for them , let landlords abate their tenants as much rent , as one dayes vacancy from labour in a month or a fortnight will amount to , or let the common ` saints dayes , which of the two are more at mans disposal , be made their sporting dayes , and rob not their souls of that one weekly day , which god hath separated for his worship . obj. but there are students , and lawyers , and ministers , and gentlemen , whose labour is most that of the brain , and not the plow-mans bodily toile ; and these have need of bodily recreation . answ. and there are few of these so poor but they can take their bodily recreation on the week dayes : and many of them need as much the whole lords day for their souls edification as any others : and no one that knoweth himself will say that he needs it not . if any men need remission of studies , and bodily exercise it is ministers themselves : and is it themselves that they plead for sports and dancing for ? would they be companions of the vain in such like vanities ? obj. but the mind of man is not able to endure a constant intension and elevation of devotion all the day long without recreation and intermission ; and putting men upon more than they can do , will but hinder them ; when a little recreation will make them more fresh and fervent when they return to god. answ. o what an advantage is it to know by experience what one talketh of ? and what an inconvenience to talk of holiness and heavenliness by hearsay only ! 1. to poor people that have but one day in seven , that one day should not seem too long . 2. if it be from a carnal enemity to god and spiritual things , shortness and seldomeness will be no cure. but they have need rather to be provoked to diligence till they are cured , than to be indulged in that averseness and floth , which till its cured will prevail , when you have done your best against it . 3. but if it be a weariness of the flesh ; as the disciples when they slept while christ was praying ; or a weariness through such imperfection of grace and remnant of carnality , which the sincere are lyable to , then giving way to it will increase it , and resisting it is the way to overcome it . 4. how many necessary intermissions are there , which confute this pretense of weariness ? some time is taken up in dressing ; and some with poor servants in waiting on their masters and mistrisses , and in preparing meat and drink ; some in going to church and coming home ; some in eating , usually more than once ; some in preparing again for sleep ; besides what cattle and by-occasions will require ? and is the remainder of one day in a week yet too much for the business which we are created , preserved , and redeemed for , and on which our endless life dependeth ? o that we knew what the love of god is ? and what it is to regard our souls according to their worth ! would not a soul ▪ that loveth god rather say , alas , how short is the lords day ? how quickly is it gone ? how many interruptions hinder my delight ? shall i think a week short enough for my worldly labours , ) and one day ( thus parcelled ) too long to seek the face of god ? i see blind worldlings and sensualists can be longer unwearied at market , in their shops and fields , especially when their gain comes in ; and at cards and dice , and bowling and idle prating , &c. and shall i be weary so soon of the most noble and necessary work , and of the sweetest pleasures upon earth ? an hypocrite that draweth near to god but with the lips , whilest his heart is far from him , as he never truly seeketh god , so he never truly findeth him , and hath none of the true spiritual delights of holiness , nor ever feeleth the pleasure of exercising his love to god by the help of faith , in the hopes of heaven : and therefore no wonder if he be weary of such unprofitable , sapless and unpleasant work , as his dead formalities and affectations are . but it is not so with the sincere experienced christian , who serving god in spirit and truth , hath true and spiritual recreation , pleasure and benefit in and by his service . and therefore we see that the holy experienced believers , are still averse to these sensual diversions , and do not think the lords da ▪ or his service too long . and o christian what happy advantage in such controversies have you , in your holy sincerity and sweet experience ? 5. but yet i am not such a stranger to man , to my self or others , as to deny that our naughty hearts are inclined to be weary of well doing : but mark what a cure god in wisdom and mercy hath provided for us : as it is but one day in seven which is thus to be wholly employed with god , and as much of this day is taken up with the bodily necessaries aforesaid ; so for the rest , god appointeth us variety of exercises , that when we are weary of one , another may be our recreation . when we have heard we must pray , and when we have prayed we must hear again : we must read , we must sing and speak gods praises , we must celebrate the memorial of christs death in the sacrament ; we must meditate ; we must conferr , we must instruct our families : and we have variety of subjects for each of these . as a student that is weary hath variety of books and studies to recreate his mind ; so hath every christian variety of holy employment on the lords day . and all of it excellent profitable and delightful ! christian , believe not that minister or man whatever he be , that telleth thee that christs yoak is heavy , or that his commandments are grievous . hath he done so much to deliver us from the strait yoak , the heavy burden , and the grievous commandments ? and now shall we accuse him of bringing us under a toylesome task ? is it a toile to love or count your money ? to love and look upon your corn and cattle ? to love and converse with your friend ? to feast your body on the pleasantest food ? if not , why should it be a toile to any but a wicked heart , to spend a day in loving god , and hearing the messages of his love to us , and in the foresight and foretasts of everlasting love . caviller , come but unto christ , and cast off the wearisome , toilesome burden of thy sin , and satans drudgery , and take christs yoak and burden on thee , and learn of him , and try then whether his daies and work be grievous . come and spend but a day in loving god , as thou dost in talking of him , and try whether love , and the holiest love , be a wearisome work . but if thou wilt make a religion of all shell and no kernel , all carkass and no life , like that which the jansenists charge the jesuites with , that say , we are bound to love god but once in four or five years , or once in all our lives , no wonder if thou be weary of such a religion . 6. but i will tell them that are the teachers of the people , an honester way to cure the peoples weariness , than to send them to a piper or to a play to cure it . preach with such life and awakening seriousness ; preach with such grateful holy eloquence , and with such easie method , and with such variety of wholesome matter , that the people may never be aweary of you . pour out the rehearsal of the love and benefits of god , open so to them the priviledges of faith , and the joyes of hope , that they may never be aweary . how oft have i heard the people say of such as these , i could hear him all day and never be aweary ! they are troubled at the shortness of such sermons and wish they had been longer . pray with that heavenly life and fervour as may rap up the souls of those that joyne with you , and try then whether they will be aweary : praise god with that joyful alacrity which beseemeth one that is ready to pass into glory , and try whether this will not cure the peoples weariness . misunderstand me not . i am now speaking to none but guilty hypocrites , and not to any faithful holy ministers ; and to such i say , when you have done nothing but coldly read over the publick prayers , or as coldly and crudely added your own , and tired the hearers , with a dry , a sapless , lifeless , unexperienced discourse , and then send them as a wearied people , to dancing and sports for a needful recreation , is this like the work of a pastour of souls . when you have cryed down other mens praying and preaching , and then tell the people that the praying and preacing which you recommend to them as better , will not digest well , without a dance or recreation after it , to expel the peoples weariness ; is not this to disgrace your own prayers and preaching which you before commended to them ? and when you have done , if after this you speak against others for their long praying , and for so much preaching and hearing , as if they never had enough , is not this to commend what you discommend ? and to tell the people that those mens praying and preaching whom you revile , is such as doth not weary their auditours ; when yours is such , as will tiremen , if it be long , or if they be not recreated after it with a piper , a ●idler , or a dance ? o that the ithacian bishops of the world , and all the clergie of their mind , would at least hear hooker in the preface to his eccles. pol. how little their cause is beholden to such patrons , and how well it might spare them ! for my own part , as my flesh is weak , so my heart is too bad , too backward to these divine and heavenly works ! and yet i never have time to spare . god knoweth that it is my daily groans , how great is work , yea and how sweet ; and how short is the day , the week , the year ! how quickly is it night ! how fast do weeks and years roll away ! and shall any man that is called a minister of christ , perswade poor labourers and servants who have but one day for retirement from the world , to converse with god without distraction , that this one day is too long , and that their work must be ●ased by carnal sports ? nay shall a man that would be called a minister or a christian , perswade men against all the experience of the world , that the diversions and interruptions of a dance or may game , or a race or a comedie , will dispose their minds to return to god with more heavenly alacrity and purity than before , or than variety of holy exercises will do ? or rather , are we constrained to say ( though it displease ) that hypocrites are all for imagery and hypocritical religion ; and that whether he be at church or at home , in praying or in drinking and sensuality and voluptuosness , a worldling is every where a worldling still , and an hypocrite is an hypocrite still ; and it is not his book or pulpit that maketh him another man. and that as the man is , such will be his work. operari sequitur esse . and that the jesuites are not the only men in the world , that would make a religion to suite mens lusts , and would serve satan and the flesh , in the livery of christ. but i fear i have been too long on this objection . iv. the lords day must not be spent in idleness : not in unnecessary sleep , or in vain walking , or vain talking , or long dressings , or too long feastings , or any thing unnecessary which diverteth our souls from their sacred seasonable work . it is not a jewish ceremonious sabbath of bodily rest which we are to keep : but it is a day of holy and spiritual works : of the needfullest work in all the world : to do that which is ten thousand times more necessary and excellent , than all our labours and provision for the flesh . and if no man hath time to spare on the week day , but he that knoweth not aright what it is to be a christian or a man or why god maintaineth and continueth him in the world ; what shall we think of them that can find time to spare on the lords own day , and can walk and idle away the most precious of all their time ? if it be folly to cast away your silver , it is not wisdom to cast away your gold . o that god would but open mens eyes , to see what is before them , and how near to eternity they stand , and awaken mens sleepy sensual souls , to live as men that do not dream of another world , but unfeignedly believe it ; and then a little reasoning would serve turn to convince them , that the lords day should be spent in the duties of serious holiness , and not in idleness , or unnecessary works or sports . obj. but by all this you seem to cast a great reproach on calvin , beza , and most of the great divines of the forreign churches , who have not been so strict for the observation of the lords day . answ. let these things be observed by the impartial reader . 1. it cannot be proved to be most of them , that were so faulty herein as the objection intimateth . many of them have written much for the holy spending of the day . 2. it must be noted , that it is a superstitious ceremonious sabbatizing which many of them write against , who seem to the unobservant to mean more . it is not the spending of the day in spiritual exercises . 3. and you must remember that they came newly out of popery , and had seen the lords day and a superabundance of other humane holy dayes imposed on the churches to be ceremoniously observed , and they did not all of them so clearly as they ought , discern the difference between the lords day and those holy dayes or church festivals , and so did too promiscuously conjoine them in their reproofs of the burdens imposed on the church . and it being the papists ceremoniousness , and their multitude of festivals that stood all together in their eye , it tempted them to too undistinguishing and unaccurate a reformation . 4. and for calvin you must know that he spent every day so like to a lords day , in hard study , and prayer , and numerous writings , and publick preaching , or lecturing and disputings , either every day in the week , or very near it , scarce allowing himself time for his one only spare meale a day , that he might the easilier be tempted , to make less difference in his judgement between the lords day and other dayes , than he should have done ▪ and to plead for more recreation on that day for others , than he took on any day himself . 5. and then his followers having also many of the same temptations , were apt to tread in his steps through the deserved estimation of his worth and judgement and lest they should seem to be of different minds . but as england hath been the happyest in this piece of reformation , so all men are unexcusable that will encourage idleness , sensuality or neglect of the important duties of the day . chap. xi . what things should not be scrupled as unlawful on the lords day . as i have told you the lords day is not a sabbath in the jewish sense , or a day of ceremonious rest , but a day of worshiping our creator and redeemer with thankful commemorations and with holy joy , &c. and a day of vacancy from such earthly things as may be any hinderance to this holy work ; so now i must resolve the question first in the general , that nothing lawful at another time is unlawful on this day , which hath not the nature of an impediment to the holy duties of the day ; unless it be accidentally on the account of scandal or ill example unto others , or disobeying the laws of magistrates , or crossing the concord of the churches , or such like . therefore hence i deduce these particular resolutions following . i. it is not unlawful to be at such bodily or mental labour as is needful to the spiritual duties of the day . if the priests in the temple ( saith christ ) did break the sabbath and were blameless ( that is , not the command of god to them for keeping the sabbath , but the external rest of the sabbath , which was commanded to others with an exception to their case , ) we may well say that it is no sin , for a minister now to spend his strength in laborious preaching and praying ; or for the people to travel as far as is needful , to the church assemblies : nor do we need to tye our selves to a sabbath dayes journey , ( that is , according to the scribes 2000 cubits , which is 3000 feet , and quinque stadia : ) it is lawful to go many miles when it is necessary to the work of the day . ii. it is not unlawful to be at the labour of dressing our selves somewhat more ornately or comely than on another day . because it is suitable to the rejoycing of a festival . but to waste time needlesly in curjosity , and proud attiring , to the hinderance of greater things , is detestable . iii. it is not unlawful to dress meat , even in some fuller and better manner than on other dayes ; because it is a festival , or day of thanksgiving . and it is a vain self-contradiction of some men , who think that another day of thanksgiving is not well kept , if there be not two feasting meals at least , and yet think it unlawful to dress one on the lords day : but yet to make it a day of gluttony , or to waste more of the day in eating or dressing meat than is agreeable to the spiritual work of the day , which is our end ; or to make our selves sleepy by fulness , or to use our servants like beasts , to provide for our bellies , with the neglect of their own souls ; or to pamper the flesh to the satisfaction and irritation of its lusts ; all this is to be detested . iv. it is not unlawful to do the necessary works of mercy to our selves or others , to man or beast ; those which must be done , and cannot be delayed without more hurt than the doing of them will procure ( for that is the description of a necessary work . ) as to eat and drink and cloth our selves , and our children ; to carry meat to the poor that are in present necessity ; to give or take physick ; and to go for advice to the physician or surgeon : to travel upon a business of importance and necessity ; to quench a fire ; or prop a house that is about to fall ; to march or fight in a necessary case of warr ; to saile or labour at sea in cases of necessity ; to boat-men over a river that go to church ; to pursue a robber , or defend him that is assaulted ; to pull a man out of fire or water ; to dress a mans sores , or to give physick to the sick ; to pull an oxe or horse or other cattle out of a pit or water ; to drive or lead them to water , and to give them meat : to save cattle , corne or hay from the sudden inundations of the sea , or of rivers , or from floods ; to drive cattle or swine out of the grounds where they break in to spoile ; such necessary actions are not unlawful but a duty ; it being a moral or natural precept , which christ twice bid the ceremonious pharises learn [ i will have mercy and not sacrifice . ] and it is not only works of necessity to a mans life , that are here meant by necessary works ▪ but such also as are necessary to a smaller and lower end or use . and yet it is not all such necessity neither that will allow us to do the thing . otherwise a tradesman or plowman might say that his labour is necessary to the getting or saving of this or that small commodity ; i shall be a loser if i do not work . and on the other side , if it were only a necessity for life , limbs or livelihood that would allow us labour , than it would be unlawful to dress meat , and to drive cattle out of the corn , and many such things before mentioned ; and then it would be lawful to give meat only 〈◊〉 oxen or horses of great pri●e , and not to hens , ducks , geese , dogs , and other animals of little value . therefore there is a great deal of prudent discretion necessary to the avoiding of extream● god hath not enumerated all the particulars which are allowed or forbidden in their generals . what then shall we do ? shall we violate the outward rest of the day for the worth of 〈◊〉 groat or two pence ( as the feeding of hens or such like may be ? ) or shall we suffer the lo●● of many pounds rather than sti●r to save them ? as for instance , is it lawful to open , or turn , 〈◊〉 carry in corn or hay , which in all rational probability ( though not certainly ) is like to be lost o● very much spoiled , if it be let alone to the next day ? the cor● or hay may be of many pounds value , when the feeding of swine o● hens may be little : the cor● or hay is like to be lost ; when the swine , or hens , or horses , or oxen , may easily recover the hunger or abstinence of a day ? what must be done in such cases as these ? i answer , 1. it is necessary to know that where god hath not made particular determinations , yet general laws do still oblige us . 2. and that christian prudence is necessary to the right discarning how far our actions fall under those general laws of god. 3. that he that will discern these things must be a man , that truly understandeth , valueth and loveth the true ends and work of the lords day , and not a man that hateth it , or careth not for it ; and a man that hath a right estimate also of those outward things , which stand in question to be medled with . and he must be one that hath no superstitious jewish conceits of the external rest of the day : and he must be one that looketh , not only to one thing or a few , but to all things how numerous soever which the determination of his case dependeth on . 4. and because very few are such , it is needful that those few that are such , be casuists and advisers to the rest , and that the more ignorant consult with them ( especially if they be their proper pastors ) as they do with physicians and lawyers for their health and their estates . 5. it must be known that oft times the laws of the land do interpose in such cases ; and if they do determine so strictly , as to forbid that which else would to some be lawful , they must be obeyed ; because bad men cannot be kept from doing ill by excesses unless some good men be hindered by the same laws from some things that are to them indifferent , nay possibly eligible , if there were no such law. 6. and accordingly the case of scandal or temptation to others , that will turn our example to their sin , must be considered in our practice . yea it is not only things meerly indifferent that we must deny our liberty in , to prevent anothers fall , but oft times that which would else be a duty may become a sin , when it will scandalize another , or tempt him to a farr greater and more dangerous sin . as it may be my duty to speak some word , or do some action , as most useful and beneficial , when there is nothing against it ; and yet if i may foresee that another will turn that speech or action to his ruine , to the hatred of piety , or to take occasion from it to exercise cruelty upon other christians , &c. it may become my hainous sin . so it must here be considered , who will know of the action which you do ? and what use they are like to make of it ? 7. and a little publick hurt must be more regarded than more private benefit ; and the hurt of a mans soul cannot be countervailed by your corporal commodities . 8. these things being premised , i suppose that the great rule to guide you in such undetermined circumstances is the interest of the end ; all things must be done to the glory of god , and to edification . a truly impartial prudent man can discern by comparing all the circumstances whether his action ( as if it were carrying in endangered corn ) were likely to do more good or harm ? on one side you must put in the ballance the value of the thing to be saved ; your own necessity of it ; the poors need of it ; and christs command , gather up the fragments that nothing be lost : on the other side you must consider , how far it will hinder your spiritual benefit and duty ; and how far the example may be like to encourage such as will do such things without just cause ; and so try which is the way of gods honour and your own and your neighbours good ; and that is the way which you must take ( as in the disciples rubbing the ears of corn , &c. ) for the rule is , that your labour is then lawful and a duty , when in the judgement of a truly judicious person , it is like to do more good than hurt ; and it is then sinful when it is like to do more hurt than good . though all cannot discern this , yet ( as far as i know ) this is the true rule , to judge such actions by . as for them that suppose our lords day to be under the same laws of rest with the jewish sabbath , and so think that they have a readyer way to decide these doubts , i will not contend with them , but i have told you why i am not of their mind . v. from hence i further conclude , that whereas there are some actions which bring some little benefit , but yet are no apparent hinderances of any of the work of the day , it seemeth to me too much ceremoniousness , and too ungospel-like , to trouble our own or other mens consciences , by concluding such things to be unlawful . if one have a word to speak of some considerable worldly business , which may be forgotten if it be not presently spoken ; or if i meet one with whom i must speak the next day about some worldly business , and if i then wish him not to come speak with me , i must send a great way to him afterwards , i will not say that it is a sin to speak such a word . i will first look at a mans positive duties on the lords day , how he heareth , and readeth , and prayeth , and spendeth his time , and how he instructeth and helpeth his family ; and if he be diligent in seeking god , ( heb. 11. 6. ) and ply his heavenly business , i shall be very backward to judge him for a word or action about wordly things that falls in on the by without any hinderance to his spiritual work . and if another speak not a word of any common thing , and yet do little in spiritual things , for his own or others edification , i shall think him a great abuser or neglecter of the lords day . a few words about a common thing that falleth in the way , may be spoken without any hinderance of any holy duty : but still we must see that it be not a scandalous temptation to others . if i see a man that unexpectedly findeth some uncomely hole or rent in his cloaths , either pin it up , or few it up before he goeth abroad , i will not blame him : but if he do it so as to embolden another who useth needlesly to mend his cloaths on the lords day , it will be a sin of scandal . if i see one cut some undecent stragling haires before he go forth , i will not blame him : but if he do it before one who will be encouraged by it , to be barbed needlesly on that day , he will offend . and so in other cases . vi. by these same rules also we may judge of recreations on the lords day . the recreations of the mind must be the various holy employments of the day . no bodily recreations are lawful which needlesly waste time , or hinder our duty , or divert our minds from holy things , or are a snare to others . unless it be some weak persons whose health requireth bodily motion , few persons need any other than holy recreations on that day . i know no one man that so much needeth it as my self , who these twenty years cannot digest one dayes meat , unless i walk , or run , or exercise my body before it , till i am hot or sweat ; and therefore necessity requireth me to walk or fast : but i do it privately on that day , left i tempt others to sin . but i will not censure one whom i see walking at fit houres , when for ought i know he may be taken up in some fruitful meditation . but if persons will walk in the streets or fields in idleness , or for vain delight , or discourse , as if the day were too long for them , and they had no business to do for their souls , this is not only a sin , but a very ill sign of one that is senseless of his souls necessity and his duty . vii . to read history , philosophy , or common things , unnecessarily on the lords day , is a sinful diversion from the more spiritual work of it ; and unsuitable to the appointed uses of the day ( much more romances , play books , or idle stories : ) yea or those parts of divinity it self , which are less practical and useful to the raising of thankful and heavenly affections . but yet sometimes such other matter may fall in , at a sermon , or conference , or in meditation , which will require a present satisfaction in some point of history , philosophie , or controversal divinity , which may be subserviently used to edification , without sin . here therefore we must judge prudently . viii , a thing that may be lawful singly in it self , unless it be of great necessity is unlawful when he that serveth us in it is drawn or encouraged to make a trade of it . as to use a barber to cut your hair ; or a tailor to mend your cloaths , or a coblar to mend your shooes : because if you may use him ; so may others as well as you , and so he will follow his calling on the lords day . and yet i dare not say , if when you are to travel to church , you find your shooes or boots by breaking something , to make you uncapable of going out , but you may get them mended privately , where it may be done without this inconvenience . and though cooks and bakers should not be unnecessarily used in their trade , yet is it not alwaies unlawful , but sometimes very well . because as one servant in the kitchin may be used to dress meat for all the family , so one baker or cooke may serve many families , and save ten times as many persons the labour which else they must be at ; and perhaps with easier and quicker dispatch than others . the trade of the apothecary , surgeon and physician is ordinarily used but for necessity . ix . there is no sufficient avoidance of such abuses , but by careful foresight , and prevention and preparation the week before ; which therefore must be conscionably done . chap. xii . of what importance the due observation of the lords day is . these singular benefits of keeping the lords day aright , should make all that love god , or holiness or the church , or their own or other mens souls , take heed how they grow into a neglect or abuse of it ; much more that they plead not for such negligence or abuse . i. the due observation of the lords day is needful to keep up the solemn worship of god , and publick owning and honouring him in the world : if all men were left to themselves , what time they would bestow in the worshipping of god , the greatest part would cast off all , and grow into atheisme or utter prophaneness ; and the rest would grow into confusion . and if all princes and rulers or churches in the world were left to their own wills to appoint the people on what dayes to meet , some kingdoms and churches would have one day , in eight , or nine , or ten , or twenty , and some only now and then an hour , and some one day , and some another , and some next to none at all . for there is no one universal monareh on earth to make laws for them all ( whatever the pope or his nominal-general councils may pretend to : ) and they would never all come to any reasonable agreement voluntarily among themselves . therefore the light of nature telleth us , that as a day is meet and needful to be stated , so it is meet that god himself the true universal monarch should determine of it ; which accordingly he hath done . and this is the very hedge and defensative of gods publick worship . when he hath made a law that one whole day in seven shall be spent in it , men are engaged to attend it . o what a happy acknowledgement of god our creatour and redeemer is it , and an honouring of his blessed name , when all the churches throughout all the world , are at once praising the same god , with the same praises , and hearing and learning the same gospel , and professing the same faith , and thankfully commemorating the same benefits ! the church is then indeed , like an army with banners . and were it not for this dayes observation , alas , how different would the case be ? and what greater thing can man be bound to , than thus , to keep up the solemn acknowledgement and worship of god and our redeemer in the world ? ii. the due sanctification of the lords day , doth tend to make religion vniversal , as to countreys and individual persons , which else would be of narrower extent . when all the world are under a divine obligation , to spend one day every week in the exercises of religion , ( and superiours see to the performance of their subjects obedience to this law , ) it will make men to be in some sort religious whether they will or not : though they cannot be truly religious against their will , it will make them visibly religious . yea gods own law , if mans did nothing , would lay arrawe on the consciences of most , who believe that there is a god that made that law. and the weekly assemblies keep up the knowledge and profession of the christian faith , and keep god and heaven in the peoples remembrance , and keep sin under constant rebukes and disgrace : and were it not for this , heathenisme , infidelity and prophaneness would quickly overspread the world . the lords day keepeth up the christian religion in the world. iii. the lamentable ignorance of the generality in the world , doth require the strict and diligent observation of the whole lords day . children and servants , and ordinary countrey people , yea and too many of higher quality , are so exceeding ignorant of the things of god and their salvation , that all the constantest diligence that can be used with them , in preaching , exhorting , catechizing , &c. will not overcome it with the most . the most diligent masters of families lament it , how ignorant their families are when they have done the best they can . let those that plead for dancing and sporting away much of the day , but do like men that do not secretly scorn christianity , nor despise their servants souls , and let them but try what measure of knowledge the bare hearing of common prayer , yea and a sermon or two with it , will beget in their servants , if the rest of the day be spent in sports ; and let them judge according to experience . if ever knowledge be propagated to such , and families made fit to live like christians , it is likest to be by the holy improvement of this day , in the diligent teaching and learning the substance of religion , and in the sacred exercises thereof . iv. the great carnality , wordliness and carelesness of the most , and their great averseness to the things of god , doth require that they be called and kept to a close and diligent improvement of the lords day . whatever unexperienced or carnal persons may pretend , that such constant duty so long together will make them worse and more averse , reason , experience and scripture are all against them . if there be some backwardness at the first , it is not sports and idleness that will cure it , but resisting of the slothful humour , and keeping to the work . for there is that in religion that tendeth to overcome mens averseness to religion ; and it must be overcome by religion , and not by playing or idleness , if ever it be overcome . it is want of knowledge and experience of it , which maketh them loath it or be weary of it : when they have tryed it more and know it better , they will ( if ever ) be reconciled to it . six dayes in a week are a sufficient diversion . apprentices , and pupils and school-boyes will hold on in learning , though they be averse ; and you think not all the six dayes too much to hold them to it . a school-boy must learn daily , eight or nine hours in a day ; and yet some wretched men ( yea teachers ) would perswade poor souls that must learn how to be saved or perish for ever , that less than eight hours one day in seven , is too much to be spent in the needfullest , excellentest and pleasantest matters in all the world. if you say that the sublimity or difficulty maketh it wearisome , i answer , that philosophers do much longer hold on in harder speculations . if you say divinity being unsuitable to carnal minds , their sick stomachs must take no more than they can digest , i answer , 1. cannot a carnal preacher for his gain , and honour , and fancy , hold on all the year in the study even of divinity , perhaps eight or ten hours every day in the week ? and may not ignorant people be brought one day to endure to be taught as long ? 2. that which you call digesting , is but vnderstanding , and believing , and receiving it : and one truth tendeth to introduce another ; and he that cannot learn with an hours labour may learn more in two . 3. and it is hearing and exercise that must cure their want of appetite . experience telleth us , that when people take the liberty of playes , and sports , and idleness for a recreation , they come back with much more want of love to holy exercises , than they that continue longer at them . gratifying sloth and sensuality , increaseth it , and increaseth an averseness to all that is good ; for who are more averse than they that are most voluptuous ? if ever people be made seriously holy , it is a due observation of the whole lords day , that is like to bring them to it ( i mean observing it in such learning and seeking duties as they are capable of , till they can do better ) for when the mind long dwelleth on the truth , it will sink in and work ; and many strokes will drive the nail to the head . let the adversaries of this day and diligence but observe , and if true experience tell not the world that more souls are converted on the lords dayes than on all other dayes besides , and that religion best prospereth both as to the number and the knowledge and serious holiness of the professours of it , where the lords day is carefully sanctified , rather than where idleness and playing do make intermission , than i will confess that i am uncapable of knowing any thing of this nature by experiences . but if it be so , fight not against the common light . v. the poverty , servitude and worldly necessities of the most , do require a strict observation of the whole lords day . tenants , and labourers , carters and carryers , and abundance of tradesmen are so poor , that they can hardly spare any other considerable proportion of time : much less all their children and servants , whose subjection , with their parents and masters poverty , restraineth them . alas , they are fain to rise early and hasten to their work , and scarce have leisure to eat and sleep as nature requireth : and they are so toiled and wearied with hard labour , that if they have at night a quarter of an hour to read a chapter and pray , they can scarce hold open their eyes from sleeping . what time hath the minister then to come and teach them ( if we had such ministers again as would be at the pains to do it ? ) and what time have they to hear or learn ? you must teach them on the lords day , or scarcely at all . almost all that they must learn , must be then learnt . i deny not but in those former years , when the law forbad me not to preach the gospel , the people came to me on the week day , house by house , and also that they learned much in their shops while they were working . but , 1. it came to each families turn but one hour , or little more in a whole year ( for about fourteen families a week so catechized and instructed , did no sooner bring their course about . ) 2. and our people were mostly weavers , whose labour was not like the plowmans , masons , carpenters , carryers , &c. to take up their thoughts ; but they could lay a book before them and read , or meditate , or discourse to edification whilest they were working . but this is not the case of the multitude . and let any sober man but consider , whether with people so ignorant and averse as the most are , should he be never so diligent on the lords day , the six dayes intermission be not a great cooling of affection , and a great delayer of their growth in knowledge ; when they are like by the weeks end to forget all that they had learned on the lords day . what then would these poor people come to , if the lords day it self must be alsoloitered or played away ? vi. the tyranny of many masters maketh the lords day a great mercy to the world : for if god had not made a law for their rest and liberty , abundance of worldly impious persons , would have allowed them little rest for their bodies , and less opportunity for the good of their souls . therefore they have cause with great thankfulness to improve the holy liberty which god hath given them , and not cast it away on play or idleness . vii . the full improvement of the lords dayes doth tend to breed and keep up an able faithful ministry in the churches ( on which the preservation and glory of religion much dependeth . ) when there is a necessity of full ecclesiastical performances imposed on ministers , they are also necessitated to prepare themselves with answerable abilities and fitness . but when no more is required of them , but to read the liturgie , or to say a short and dry discourse , they that know no more is necessary ( to their ends ) are so strongly tempted to get ability and preparations for no more , that few will overcome the temptation . and therefore the world knoweth that in moscovy , abassia , and for the most part of the greek and armenian churches , as nothing or little more than reading is required , so little more ability than to read is laboured after , and the ministers are ordinarily so ignorant and weak , as is the scorn and decay of the christian religion . viii . yea it will strongly encline masters of families to labour more for abilities , to instruct and catechise their families , and pray with them , and guide them in the fear of god , when they know that the whole day must be improved to the spiritual good of their families . and so knowledge , abilities , and family-holiness will increase : whereas those that think themselves under no such obligations , what ignorant , profane and ungodly families have they ? because for the most part , they are such themselves . ix . a multitude of gross sins will be prevented by the due observation of the lords day . nothing more usual than for the sports , riots , idleness and sensuality of that day , to be nurseries of oathes , curses , ribaldry , fornication , gluttony , drunkenness , frayes and bloodshed . and is not gods service better work than these ? x. lastly , this holy order and prosperity of the churches , and this knowledge and piety in individual subjects , will become the safety , beauty , order and felicity , of kingdomes , and all civil societies of men . for when the people are fit but duly to use and sanctifie the lords day , they are fit to use all things in a sanctified manner , and to be an honour to their countrey , and an ease , and comfort to their governours , and a common blessing to all about them . chap. xiii . what other church festivals or separated daies are lawful . i shall conclude this discourse with the brief answer of this question . i. no sober christian doubteth , but that some part of every day is to be spent in religious exercises ; and that even our earthly business must be done with a spiritual intent and mind . and that every day must be kept as like to the lords day , as our weakness , and our other duties , which god hath laid upon us , will allow . ii. few make any question but the whole dayes of humiliation and of thanksgiving may and must be kept upon great and extraordinary occasions , of judgements or of mercies . and that many churches may agree in these . and i know no just reason why the magistrate may not ( with charity and moderation to the weak ) impose them , and command such an agreement among his subjects . iii. few doubt but the commemoration of great mer●ies or judgements may be made anniversary , and of long continuance . as the powder-plot day ( nov. 5. ) is now made among us , to preserve the memorial of that deliverance . and why may it not be continued , whilest the great sense of the benefit should be continued ? and so the second of sept. is set apart for the anniversary humbling remembrance , of the firing of london . and so in divers other cases . iv. the great blessing of an apostolick ministry , and of the stability of the martyrs in their sufferings for christ , being so rare and notable a mercy to the church , i confess i know no reason why the churches of all succeeding ages may not keep an anniversary day of thanksgiving to god for peter or paul , or stephen , as well as for the powder plot-deliverance . i know not where god hath forbidden it , directly or indirectly . if his instituting the lords day were a virtual prohibition for man to separate any more , or if the prohibition of adding to gods word were against it , they would be against other daies of humiliation and thanksgiving , especially anniversarily ; which we confess they are not . if the reason be scandal , lest the men should have the honour instead of god , i answer , 1. an honour is due to apostles and martyrs in their places , in meet subordination to god. 2. where the case of scandal is notorious , it may become by that accident unlawful , and yet not be so in other times and places . v. the devil h●th here been a great vndoer by overdoing : when he knew not how else to cast out the holy observation of the lords day , with zealous people he found out the trick of devising so many dayes called holy dayes to set up by it , that the people might perceive that the observation of them all as holy , was never to be expected . and so the lords day was jumbled in the heap of holy dayes , and all turned into ceremony , by the papists and too many other churches in the world. which became calvins temptation ( as his own words make plain ) to think too meanly of the lords day with the rest . vi. in the lawful observation of daies , it is most orderly to do as the churches do which we live among and are to joine with . vii . but if church tyranny would overwhelm any place with over-numerous daies ( or ceremonies which are ( singly considered ) lawful , we should do nothing needlesly to countenance and encourage such usurpation . viii . yet is it lawful to hear a sermon , which shall be preached on a humane holy day , which is imposed by usurpation . seeing such a a moral duty may be done , and so great a benefit received , without any approbation of the inconvenient season . ix . and when we think it unlawful to joyne in the positive celebration of unlawful dayes ( as the mahometan sabbath , ) yet it may become a duty for the civil peace and our own safety , to obey the magistrate in forbearing open opposition or contempt , or working upon that day ? and so paul justifieth himself against the jews accusations , that they found him not in the temple disputing with any man , nor raising up the people , nor in the synagogues , nor in the city , act. 24. 12. unless it be when we have a special call , to reprove the errour which we forbear complying with . x. it is long agoe decided by the holy ghost , rom. 14. & 15. that we must not be contentious , contemptuous , nor censorious against one another , about things of no greater moment , than the jewish dayes were , though some observed them without just cause : because the kingdom of god consisteth not in meats , and drinks , and daies , but in righteousness and peaceableness and joy in the holy ghost . and he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god ( and received by him ) and approved of ( wise ) men , and should be received to communion with them , rom. 14. 17 , 18. & 15. 7. we must therefore follow after the things that make for peace , and things wherewith one may edifie another , rom. 14. 19. xi . the controversie , whether it be lawful to separate an anniversary day for the commemoration of christs nativity , circumcision and such like things which were equally existent in th● apostles dayes , and the reason for observing them equal with following times , ( and so the apostles had the same reason to have appointed such dayes had they thought it best , as we have ) i acknowledge too hard for me to determine ▪ not being able to prove it lawful , i cannot own and justifie it ; and not seeing a plain prohibition i will not condemn it , nor be guilty of unpeaceable opposing church customes or authority in it , but behave my self as a peaceable doubter . xii . but that no earthly power may appoint a weekly day , in commemoration of any part of our redemption , besides the lords day , and so make another separated weekly stated holy day , i think plainly unlawful , because it is a doing the same thing for one day which god hath done already by another ; and so seemeth to me , 1. an usurpation of a power not given , and 2. an accusation of christ and the holy ghost , as if he had not done his work sufficiently , but man must come after and do it better . but especially if such ( or any day or ceremony ) be by an universal law imposed on the universal church , it is arrogant usurpation of the divine authority ; there being no vicarious head or monarch under christ of all the world or all the church , nor any universal governour who may exercise such legislation , whether personal or collective . the same i may say of any that would presume to abrogate the lords day . and so much shall suffice in great haste of this subject . and to thee o most glorious and gracious creatour and redeemer , i humbly return my unfeigned thanks , for the unspeakable mercies which i have received on thy day ; and much more for so great a mercy to all thy churches and the world : and craving the pardon ( among the rest ) of the sins which i have committed on thy day , i beseech thee to continue this exceeding mercy , to thy churches and to me ; and restore me and other of thy servants , to the priviledges , and comforts of this day ; which we have forfeited and lost ; and let me serve thee in the life , and light , and love of thy spirit , in these thy holy dayes on earth , till i be prepared for , and received to , the everlasting rest in heavenly glory , amen . octob. 11. 1670. finis . an appendix for further confirmation of gods own separation of the lords day , and disproving the continuation of the jewish seventh day sabbath . written since the treatise went to the press , upon the invitations of some latter objections . heb. 7. 12. for the priesthood being changed , there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 2 cor. 3. 7 , 11. but if the minist●ation of death , in letters engraven in stones was glorious , &c. if that which was done away was glorious , much more that which remaineth is glorious . act. 15. 28. it seemed good to the holy ghost and to us , to lay upon you no greater bu●den than these necessary things — col. 2. 16. let no man judge you in mat , or in drink , or in respect of an holy day , or of the new moon , or of the sabbath , which are a shadow of things to come , but the body is of christ. london , printed for nevil simmons , at the three crowns near holborn conduit . 1671. chap. i. an answer to certain objections against the lords day . though they are answered before , the reader must pardon me , if upon the particular urgencies of some objectors , i again make answer to these that follow . obj. act. 20. 7. the first day 〈◊〉 the week ; gr. [ one of the sabbaths ] that 〈◊〉 breaking of bread there was common eating , ●mpare the like greek phrase , act. 27. 35. & ● 42. see esa. 58. 7. however it was but an ●ample of preaching , and breaking bread , upon a ●ecial occasion . answ. 1. that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signi●●●th on the first day of the week , the generality 〈◊〉 the ancients both greek and latine agree , ●hose testimony about the sense of a word , is the ●st dictionary and evidence that we can expect . ●nd the same phrase used of the day of christs ●surrection by the evangelists proveth it . ●hough i am sorry to hear of one that denyeth ●at also , and asserteth that christ rose on the second day morning , because else he could not as jonah , be three dayes and nights buried . but i am not so proud as to think my self capable of convincing that man in such a matter of fact , who will not believe the historical witness of the whole church of christ , and expecteth to be believed against them all , at ●uch a distance in the end of the world. 2. there is no doubt but that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 breaking of bread , was both a common and a sacred action : and the phrase is to be interpreted by the context , to know when it signifieth the common , and when the sacred . in act. 27. 35. the context teacheth us to interpret i● of common eating : but that it doth not so , act. 2. 42 , 46. or act. 20. is plain to him that considereth , 1. that it was then usual to communicate sacramentally in all their church assemblies . 2. that these mentioned were church-assemblies ; the church being met purposely for sacred works . yet it is to be remembred , that the love feasts did usually concurr in the beginning with the sacrament , and the name might be used with respect to both . 3. that it was not a meer occasional meeting ▪ is apparent to the unprejudiced , 1. because they stayed at ●roas seven dayes , v. 6. and in all the seven make no mention of this exercise , but on one only , which was the first , 2. because as is said it was not a family , or by-meeting , but a church●meeting ; [ the disciples came or assembled together● 3. because it said that they assembled for this very end , to b●●●k bread [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] 4. the great length of time which was spent in the holy exercises : besides the rest of the worship , and breaking of bread , paul preaching till midnight : which intimateth that such work took up the day . 5. because it is mentioned as a matter of their custome : they did not assemble because paul called them to hear him only , as being to depart on the morrow ; but paul assembled with them at the time of their assembling to break bread ; and it seemeth that he deferred his journey for that opportunity . 6. because other texts as joyned with this , and infallible church history following , do prove past all doubt that it was the constant custome of all the churches so to do . obj. 1 cor. 16. 1 , 2. the first day of the week , &c. gr . one of the sabbaths . it is an ordinance to lay aside for charitable uses ; but not one word about changing of the sabbath . answ. the abolition of the sabbath we prove not by this text , but by others : all that we bring this for , is but to shew in conjunction with others , as part of the sacred history , that the first day was the churches separated day . and i pray mark the strength of the proof , that the apostle did [ give order that all the churches of galatia as well as the corinthians , should deposite ] their almes on one and the same day , viz. on the first day : was it not enough to tie them to the contribution , but he must tie them all to one set day to lay it by , or deposite it ? if it had not been because the churches used to assemble on this day , and not to appear before god empty ( as dr. hammond noteth on the text ? ) whoever heard else that god or man tyed several countreys to one set day for the private depositing of their own moneys afterward to be distributed ? with such sacrifices god is well pleased ; and therefore it was ever accounted by christians a fit work for the sanctified day : but no other day was ever appointed peculiarly for the set time of laying by mens gifts of charity . obj. rev. 1. 10. john was in the spirit on the lords day . compare exod. 20. 10 , &c. esa. 58. 13 , &c. luk. 6. 5. mark 2. 28. mat. 12. 8 , &c. and if the scriptures be the rule to judge , resolve whether that day be not the lords day , of which day , ( and of which only as distinguished from the other dayes of the week , ) the son of man is lord. answ. we are not upon a controversie of title or propriety , whether god be lord of other dayes : for so no doubt , he is lord of all , and therefore no more of one than another , because his propriety in each one is absolute ; and it can be no more in any . thus also he is absolute lord of all things , all places , all persons , &c. and yet some things , some places , some persons have been separated to his service by a peculiar dedication and relation ; and thence have been peculiarly called the lords . and the texts cited by you out of the old testament prove that such was the seventh day sabbath then : but not that it is so now ; or was to be so for perpetuity . and the words of the new testament cited [ the son of man is lord also , or even of the sabbath day , ] shews no more , then that it was in his power : he giveth it as a reason for his doing that which the pharises counted sabbath-breaking ( by which he oftentimes offended them ; ) and not as a reason of his astablishing it . and it seemeth plainly to mean , that being but a positive law , and a law of moses , he had power to change it , and dispense with it , as well as with other positives and mosaical laws . as it is said , ephes. 1. 22 , 23. he hath made him head over all things to the church ; not head to all things ; so he is lord over , or of all dayes ; but all are not separated to his worship . as it is said , joh. 17. 2. as thou hast given him power over all flesh , that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him : so it may be said , he hath power over all dayes , that he may sanctifie one to his peculiar service , and use the rest in more common works . but that which we bring this text for is but to know what day is notified to the world by this title of the lords day , and consequently was then accounted his separated peculiar day . now the signification of words is known but by use : they are not natural signes , but arbitrary : you know not the sense of one word of hebrew , greek , or latine , but by the history of their use , by dictionaries , authors or other tradition . now it is unquestionable to any man verst in antiquity , that all the churches , and authors , greek and latine , syriack , aethiopick , persian , arabick , that have been known among us , and speak of such things , do unanimously call the first day of the week by the name of the lords day , as being so called from the beginning , even from the apostles ; and all old expositors so interpret this present text. and you may as well question what day the word sabbath signified in the old testament almost , as what day the name of [ the lords day ] signified in the new ; or what sort of people they were that were called christians first at antioch , when only one sort hath ever since been notified by that name ; even the disciples of christ. the greek , with the syriack translation , the arabick , the vulgar latine , have all [ the lords day ; ] and the ethiopick as equipollent , hath [ the first day ] and dr. heylin ( who would find something against it if any thing were to be found ) speaking of some of late that otherwise expound it , is so ingenious as to say ( par. 2. cap. 1. p. 37. ) touching this we will not meddle ; let them that own it look to it : the rather since st. john hath generally been expounded in the other sense , aretas , and andr. caesariensis on the place , and by bedae de rat . temp . c. 6. and by the suffrage of the church , the best expositor of the word of god ; wherein this day hath constantly since the time of the apostles been honoured with that name above other daies ] and i know no one man ( nor many ) that at 1600 years distance almost , is so worthy to be believed for the bare sense of a word , as the constant use and universal testimony of all ages from that time till now . as christ is the lord of all our suppers , yet all are not named the lords supper ; so is it in this case . i must needs conclude therefore , that if i should cast off the evidence of this text , upon no greater reason than you offer me , i think , i should resist the holy ghost , and use violence against gods word which i should obey . obj. there is no law in the scripture to observe the first day , no promise made to observers of it , no threatning against the breakers of it , &c. shew it . and if no law , no transgression , rom. 4. 15. sin is a transgression of the law. answ. i have shewed you full proof of a law for it before . though it is not christs way to enact his laws in that majestick commanding forms as god did to moses on the mount : but as he condescended into flesh , to be a teacher and saviour , in the form of a servant , under the law himself , to redeem those that were under it , so he maketh his laws in a merciful teaching stile . all that is revealed by him as his will appointing our duty is his law. but that we observe the lords day is revealed by him as his will , making it our duty . these are his laws requiring us to hear and obey his spirit in his apostles , joh. 20. 21 , 22. as the father hath sent me , so send i you : and when he had said this , be breathed on them and said , receive ye the holy ghost ; &c. luk. 10. 16. he that heareth you , heareth me . and this is his law requiring his apostles by that spirit to promulgate his laws , and make known his will. mat. 28. 19 , 20. go , disciple me all nations , baptizing them , &c. teaching them to observe all things whatever i have commanded you , and loe i am with you alwaies to the end of the world ( or age ) with the other texts forecited . and that the spirit in the apostles hath setled the lords day , as the separated day for holy assemblies and worship , i have proved to you , both by the texts which you now sought in vain to make void , and by the unquestionable practice and history of the universal church , from that age untill this . and withal by other texts which you omit : which ( not alone , but ) all set together make up the proof , because it is historical evidence of a matter of fact , which we have to seek after . 1. christs resurrection laid the foundation , or gave the cause ; as gods ceasing from his works did of the sabbath . 2. christs appearing to them assembled on that day , began the actual separation . 3. the holy ghost coming down on them , on that day , did more notably sanctifie it . 4. the holy ghost as an infallible spirit in them , did cause them to make a publick settlement of that day in all the churches , which was the full and actual establishment . 5. this settlement is fully proved de facto in scripture and infallible history . 6. and that there are promises and threatnings , to the obeyers and rejecters , of christs commands , ( whom the father commanded us to hear , and who is the great prophet of the church , ) i hope you believe . rev. 20. 14. happy are they who do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life , &c. heb. 12. 25. see that yee refuse not him that speaketh ; for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth , much more , &c. act. 3. 23. it shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that prophet , shall be destroyed from among the people : 1 joh. 4. 6. we are of god : he that knoweth god heareth us : he that is not of god , heareth not us : hereby know we the spirit of truth , and the spirit of errour . if besides all this you must have particular precepts , promises and threatnings in the form which you imagine to be fittest , you may for want of those deny many other gospel laws as well as this . have you not much more for the separation of the lords day , than you have for infants baptism , for a christian magistrate , for christians wageing warr , for prohibited degrees as to marriage , &c. i am perswaded the sober study of these points would do much to convince the contrary minded , 1. how much of christs work as to the settlement of church-orders , was committed to the apostles to be done , and how little he publickly setled himself in person , before his resurrection . 2. how much the gospel administration excelleth that of the law. and what eminent glory god designeth to himself by the work of mans redemption , and how much more now he calleth man to read , and study and know him in the face of jesus christ , than in the creation , and how largely the change of the covenant is proved in the epistle to the hebrews . 3. what a change is made herein as to mans duty , since the fall of man under the wrath of the creator , who is not now his rest , but his terrour and a consuming fire , till reconciled and adopting us in christ ; and since the earth is cursed to us as a punishment for our sins . 4. how much of the certainty , and glory of the christian faith , and of all our rest and consolation in it , is laid in the gospel on the resurrection of our lord , as beginning a new world , or creation as it were , and as conquering and triumphing over death and satan , and sealing the promise and bringing life and immortality to light , and opening the kingdom of heaven to believers . 5. how much of christs legislation , and administration of his church-settlement and government was to be done by the holy ghost ! and how glorious this office of the holy ghost is , and of what grand importance to be understood : as he was the promised paraclete or advocate or agent of our glorified lord , to do his work on earth in his bodily absence ; to whom the infallibility of the scriptures , the sealing operation of miracles , the sanctification of believers , and forming them for glory in the image of god , is to be ascribed : whom to blaspheme is the unpardonable sin . 6. how dangerous a thing it is made by the holy ghost to seek to set up moses law , ( as the whole epistle to the gal. besides most of the other epistles testifie ) as intimating a denyal of christ , and a falling from grace , and a perverse setting up of that which christ came to take down , as part of our own redemption . and how large and plain paul is upon this subject ; and how the spirit in all the apostles did determine it , act. 15. and how the cerinthians , nicolaitans , ebionites , nazaraeans , and many more of the condemned heresies of that age , which troubled the churches , and whom the apostles wrote against , went all that way of mingling the jewish law with the gospel . 7. how plainly and expresly paul numbreth sabbaths with the shaddows that cease , col. 2. 16. ( to pass by other texts ) and what violence mens own wits must use , in denying the evidence of so plain a text. their reason , that he saith not sabbath but sabbaths , is against themselves ; the plural number being most comprehensive , and other sabbaths receiving their name from this ; and the word sabbath alwaies used in scripture , for a rest which was partly ceremonial . see what dr. young in his excellent dies domin saith of this text ( though i know some say otherwise to the injury of their own cause , ] 8. how many years together the churches had been in possession , and consequently in the undoubted knowledge , of the true established day of holy worship , before a word of the new testament was written . and therefore that it was not written to be the first enacting of this day or change ; but for other uses . 9. and yet how much evidence of the fact there is in the scripture it self , that really such a day was used for the ordinary church-assemblies , as a peculiar separated day ; even by the common order of the apostles in the churches , as 1 cor. 16. 1 , 2. speaks . 10. and how impossible it is that all the churches in the world should from their beginning keep this as the separated day , even by the apostles and from their times , if it had not been so ordered by them indeed . and whether it be possible that in no age neer the original hereof , no pastor , no christian , no heretick , no enemy would have detected the fraud or common errour , or once have written , that this day was not separated or used by the apostles or apostolical churches ; no nor any one ( that i know of , that denyed not the resurrection ) ever to have scrupled or opposed the day . 11. whether they that can reject such historical evidence as this is , do not unwittingly cast away the holy scriptures , what zeal soever they pretend or have for their honour and perfection . 12. whether they that can reject all this evidence , and yet can find in the second commandment , the prohibition of all formes of prayer , sermons , catechismes , & all modal inventions of men , as images , if not idols , are without partiality , or do not walk as men , by very different measures ; and partial conceptions . i would on my knees intreat some most dear and worthy friends , on their knees to ponder these twelve particulars . but because by their preterition of the text , act. 2. 1 , 2. i perceive they observe not , that the holy ghost came down on the lords day , let them consider that the passeover was on the sabbath day that year , and therefore it must needs be just fifty dayes to that lords day , and it must be the day of pentecost . and it is not a trifle , that the first sermon to 〈◊〉 people was preached by peter on that day , and ●000 converted by it and baptized dr. heyli●s own words are these , [ part. 2. p. 13. the first particular passage which did occ●●● in holy scriptur● touching the first day of the week , is that upon that day the holy ghost did first come down on the apostles , and that on the same day st. peter preached his first sermon , to the jews , and baptized such as believed , there being added to the church that day 3000 souls ] and to prove the day he saith , p. 14. [ the rule being this , that on what day soever the second of the passover did fall , on that also fell the great feast of pentecost ( as scaliger de emend . temp. l. 2. ) so that as often as the passover did fall on the sabbath , as this year it did , then pentecost fell on the sunday . ] the last part of our objections are from history ; and it is said , obj. [ qu. whether the observation of the first day was not brought into this island by antichrist , about 408 or 409 years agoe ? roger hoveden about an . 1202 ( above 1200 years after christ ) mentioneth a council held in scotland for the initiation or first bringing in that which he calls the dominical day : see this testimony mentioned by binius in his councils , and somewhat enlarged by matth. paris the old impression fol. 192 , 193. and the last edition fol. 200 and 201 ; and how the king of england and the nobility would not then receive this alteration . — i conceive that in the first centuries the great controversie relating to this was about translating the keeping the passover , which they now call easter , from the fourteenth day of the first moon , &c. ( under the colour of honouring christ ) to the first day of the week as the dominical day ; which the popes first set themselves with great vehemency to introduce — and as the pope obtained his purpose for one day in a year , so by degrees in some places , came in one day in a week , the first day to be observed , and the seventh day by one of the popes turned from a festival 〈◊〉 fast , whilest many of the eastern and some of the western churches did still retain withall the observation of the seventh-day sabbath together with the first day , and others of the churches in the east and west kept only to the seventh day as the christian sabbath , &c. answ. how much more desirable an adversary is heylin by his acquaintance with history ! 1. were any of the authors i before cited either antichristian or 1200 years after christ ? ignatius , if genuine was about an . 102. if not , as dalaeus thinks then he was about 300. the canons called the apostles , and the constitutions called the apostles , very ancient . justin martyr wrote his apol , an . 150. about 50 years after st. johns death ; where his testimony is as plain as can be spoken . to which plinyes who wrote about 107. some seven years after st. johns death , may be joyned that he may be understood of the day . clemens alexand. about 94 years after st. john , an . 194. tertullian who is most express , and full , and frequent , about 198 , that is , 98 years after st. john. origen about 206 began his teaching . cyprian about an . 250. athanasius who wrote largely of it , about an . 330. to what purpose should i mention again eusebius , greg. nazianzen , nyssen , and all the rest . it was but about an . 309 , that constantine began his raign , who made laws for the lords day , which other christian emperours enlarged . but how much earlier were all those synods which eusebius mentioned , which in the determination of easter owned the lords day ? and that of nice was but about an . 327. the council of laodicea but about an . 314 or 320. the council of eliberis about an . 307. can. 21. saith , if any that live in the cities shall stay from church three lords daies , let him be so long suspended from the sacrament , till he be sensible of his punishment . after this how many councils and how many imperial laws take care of the lords dayes ? it is tedious to cite them . to these may be added , 1. the common agreement that it is founded in the resurrection , and was from that time . 2. the early contest for keeping easter only on that day , which you note , as being a day by all christians received . 3. the common detestation of fasting on that day . 4. and the universal custome of not kneeling in adoration on that day : which all shew that the day was specially observed . athanasius saith de sab . & circ . even as at the first it was commanded that the sabbath should be observed in memory of the finishing of the world , so do we celebrate the lords day as the commemoration of the beginning of a new creation . and hom. de sem. the lord transferred the sabbath to the lords day . though nannius question the hom. de semente , so do few others ▪ and none that i know of , question that de sab. & circ . greg. nyss. orat. in s. pasc. saith , as god rested on the sabbath from all his works which he had done in the creation , so did the only begotten son of god rest in truth from all his works , &c. august . epist. 119. the lords day was declared to christians by the lords resurrection . from that time ( or thence ) it began to have its festivity . maximus taurinensis saith , hom. 3. de pentec . the lords day is therefore set apart because on it our saviour as the rising sun , discussing the infernal darkness , did shine forth in his resurrection . and for fasting , tertul. de cor. mil. c. 3. saith , we account it unlawful to fast on the lords day . and though the montanists fasted excessively , they excepted the lords day , tertul. adv . psych . c. 15. ignatius and the apost . const. & can. are forecited of this . austin saith , ep. 86. it is a great scandal to fast on the lords day . ( which the manichees were accused of . ) the concil . gangr . can. 18. saith . if any on pretense of abstinence fast on the lords day , let him be anathema . the concil . caesar-august . c. 2. is against fasting on the lords day either for the sake of any time ( as lent ) or perswasion , or superstition whatsoever . so the concil . agath . c. 12. concil . aurel. 4. c. 2. and the concil . carth. an . 398. can. 64. let him be taken for no catholick who purposely fasteth on the lords day . and the prohibition of kneeling in adoration , i have opened before , ex concil . nic. c. 20. concil . trul● . epiphan . &c. to which i adde collect. can. joh●n . antioch . sub titulo l. tertul. de cor. mil. c. 3. ( now cited ) hieronym . adv . lucifer . cap. 4. die dominico & per omnem pentecosten nec de geniculis adorare , & jejunium solvere , multaque alia que non script● sunt , rationabilis sibi observatio vindicavit . ( yet paul kneeled , act. 20. in that time , vid. justell . ad can. 20. conc. nic. ) question . ad orthod . inter justin. opera qu. 115. p. 283. die dominico genua non flectere symbolum est resurrectionis , &c. germanus constantinop . in theoria eccles. p. 149. our not kneeling on the lords day , signifieth our erection from our fall , by christs resurrection , &c. see also basil de spir . sanc. c. 27. to. 2. p. 112 , 113. & balsamon theron p. 1032. & zonari . in c. 20. conc. nic. p. 66. see casp. suicerus de bisce sacr . observ . c. 6. 2. your historical observations are utterly mistaken . the observation of the lords day was in all the churches past all controversie from the beginning , while the time of easter was in controversie , as i have proved . why would you not name those churches in east and west ( which i never read or heard of ) yea or that person , that was for the seventh day alone ? i am confident because you could not do it . indeed all churches called the seventh day alone by the old name sabbath , while they maintained the sabbath to be ceased ; but under the name of the lords day , the first was solemnly observed . 3. in hoveden and mat. paris , there is not a word of what you say ; so much do you mis-cite history . there is indeed an . 1201. ( which as i remember is hovedens last ) the story that many authors talk of , and heylin mentioneth , of one that sound a letter pretended from heaven upon the altar , reproving the crying sins of the times , and especially the prophanation of the lords day , and requiring them to keep it strictly for the time to come : which was so far from being the initiation of the lords day , that it was about 1167 years after it . and how could men pretend such a divine reproof for such a sin , if the day not been received before ? i pray read heylins history against us , which will set you righter in the matter of fact . and there is no mention of any such council as you talk of , for the initiation of the lords day , nor any resistance of the kings , or scots : there is nothing of all this in hoveden or mat. paris . 4. but what if england had been ignorant of the lords day till then ( which is utterly untrue ) it followeth not that they kept the sabbath on the seventh day . nor would a barbarous remote corner of the world , prejudice the testimony of all christs churches in every age . 5. but that you may see how greatly you mistake the case of england ; read but our eldest english historian , beda hist. eccles. as l. 1. 26. he mentioneth an old church named st. martins built in the romans time , and cap. 33. a church built by the ancient faithful romans ; ( and by the way , i think it most probable that the roman souldiers first brought christianity into brittain ) so he oft describeth the worship as agreeable to other churches : and l. 2. c. 2. he begins his reproof of the britains for not keeping easter on the due lords day , but never reproveth them for not keeping the lords day it self . and though the britans and the scots had so little regard of the english bishops sent from rome , that they awhile refused so much as to eat with them , yea or to eate in the same inne ( cap. 4. li. 2. ) yet about the lords day there was no controversie . lib. 3. c. 4. he tells you that the scots difference about easter day continued till , an . 716. for want of intelligence from other churches , though columbanus and his followers were very holy persons . and ( that you may see you errour ) he there tells you that they did not keep easter day with the jews on the fourteenth day still , as some thought , but on the lords day ; but not in the right week : for ( saith he ) they knew ( as being christians ) that the lords resurrection which was on the first day of the week , was alwaies to be celebrated on the first day of the week ; but being barbarous and rusticks , they had not yet learned when that same first day of the week , which is now called the lords day , did come . here you see that it was past controversie with them that the lords day must be celebrated in memorial of christs resurrection , and the scots kept not easter on any other week day ; and that they had not been like christians , if they had not owned and kept the lords day ; only they had not skill enough in calculating the times , so as to know when the true anniversary lords day came about , but kept easter on a wrong lords day . the same he saith again in the praise of f●nan lib. 3. cap. 17. that though he kept not easter at the due time , yet he did not , as some fals●y think , keep it on any week day in the fourteenth moon with the jews ; but he alwayes kept it on the lords day , from the fourteenth moon to the twentieth , because of the belief of the lords resurrection , which the church truly believed was on the first day of the week for the hope of our resurrection , and which ( they believed ) will fall out on the same first day , of the week , which is now called the lords day . so cap. 25. the king and the queen kept easter on several lords dayes , and the difference made the stir : and wilfrid in his speech there saith the same , that the scots kept ester only on the lords day ; ( by whom the king at that time was changed . ) and li. 3. c. 26. beda saith that tuda , ( another holy follower of the scots ) being made bishop , on the lords daies the people flockt by crowds together either to the church , or to the monasteries , not to refresh their bodies , but to learn the word of god ; and if any priest hapt to come into a village , presently the inhabitants , congregati in unum , gathered together , took care to seek from him the word of life . ] cap. 2. li. 4. theodorus his consecration on the lords day is mentioned . lib. 4. cap. 5. in the synod at herudford the first canon is that all keep easter on the lords day next after the fourteenth moon of the first month. lib. 5. cap. 22. ceolfridus sendeth an epistle to the king of the picts , in which are these words [ postquam verò pas●ha nostrum immolatus est christus , diemque nobis dominicam , quae apud antiqu●t una 〈◊〉 prima sabbati sive sabbatorum vocatur , gaudio suae resurrectionis fecit esse solennem ; ita hanc nunc apostolica traditio festis paschalibus inseruit . ] that is , [ but when christ our passover was sacrificed for us , and by the joy of his resurrection made the lords day , which by the ancients was called one or the first of the sabbath or sabbaths , to be a solemn day to us ; so now apostolical tradition hath ingraffed it into the paschal festivals : ] where you see that the lords day settled as solemn by the resurrection , he taketh for uncontroverted , but the graffing it into the easter festivals , he ascribeth to apostolical tradition , meaning st. peters . and after in the same epistle [ qui tertia post immolationem suae passionis die resurgens à mortuis , hanc dominicam vocari , & in eâ nos annuatim paschalia ejusdem resurrectionis voluit festa celebrare ; ] that is , [ christ rising from the dead , the third day after the sacrifice of his passion , would have this called the lords day , and would have us on it to celebrate the paschal feast of his resurrection . ] the like is after again in that epistle , with this addition , that we hold that our own resurrection will be on the lords day . by this epistle the king of the picts was brought to conformity in that day and made laws for it : and cap. 23. the scots of hy who stood out so long , were brought to it by the perswasion of eigbertus . judge now of your historical note of england . but that you may see more of this , you may read beda's mind that lived in england in other of his works . on act 20. [ in una sabbathi eum convenissemus ad fraugendum p●nem ; id est , die dominico qui est primus a sabbate , cum ad mysteria celebrandae congreg●ti essemus ; ] that is , [ on the lords day , which is the first from the sabbath , when we were congregated to celebrate the mysteries ] — and he thinks it called , the lords day , because it is the remembrance of the lords resurrection or ours . and on luc. 6. fol. 78. he saith [ the observation of the legal sabbath , ought of it self to cease , and the natural liberty of a sabbath to be restored , which till moses time was like other dayes . that as it is not circumcision or the ceremonies of the law that save the church but the faith of abraham working by love , by which being uncircumcised he was justified , so he calleth the second sabbath after the first , no other but the spiritual sabbath , in which as on other daies , it is lawful to do any profitable work , for distinction from the jewish sabbath , in which it was not lawful to travel , to gather wood , nor to do other needful things ] pardon his errour about that word ; i only cite it for the historical use . and on luc. 24. 1. fol. 143. [ one of the sabbaths , or the first of the sabbaths , is the first day after the sabbath , which the christian custome hath called the lords day , because of the lords resurrection . ] and ibid. fol. 143. [ whence ecclesiastical custome hath obtained , that either in memory of christs resurrection , or for the hope of ours , we pray not with bended knees , but only with faces declined towards the earth , on every lords day , and all the quadragesimae . ] and in act. 2. 1. [ the holy ghost sent — the example of the ancient sign returning , did himself by his own coming most manifestly consecrate the lords day . ] and on col. 2. fol. 308. he sheweth that the sabbath was a shadow , and christ that made it was lord of it and ended it ; and that to abstain from sin is now our sabbath . see him also on rev. 1. 10. heb. 4. fol. 308. 2 cor. 3. fol. 176. d. and because he was a scot , i will adde sedulius who lived 430. in col. 2. fol 91. [ the sabbath being a shadow ceased when the body came , because the truth being present , the image is needless . and on heb. 4 9. there remaineth a rest , that is , the eternal rest which the jewish sabbath signified . ] see philastrius h●res . 8. abundance more of this kind i might cite , but for making the book tedious to those that need it not . and so much of the history , to satisfie your objections and mistakes . chap. ii. an answer to more arguments for the seventh day sabbath . reasons . 1. that the lord jesus christ is jehovah , zach. 11. 13. & 12 , 4 , — 10. gen. 19. 24. act. 2. 25. compared with psal. 16. 8 , &c. the lord our righteousness , jer. 23. 6. answers . 1. this is no controversie among us , meaning of christs divine nature ; and his person in respect thereof . reasons . 2. that the world was made by jehovah christ , joh. 1. 3 , 10. heb. 1. 2 , 3 , 10. col. 1. 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. eph. 3. 9. psal. 102. 22 , 24 , 25. heb. 3. 4. rom. 11. 36. 1 cor. 8. 6. gen. 2. 4 , &c. answers . 2. nor is this any controversie , if meant of the second person in the eternal trinity , not yet incarnate , nor in the flesh annointed ( christ. ) reasons . 3. the seventh day sabbath was instituted by jehovah christ , and kept by him , gen. 2. 2 , 3 , 4. whilest man was in innocency , before the fall , gen. 3. 6. ( and before any types . ) answers . 3. though this have long been doubted in the church , some thinking it mentioned but by anticipation yet i deny it not , but believe that it was sanctified and kept from the beginning , because the reason of the consecration was from the beginning . but , 1. the second person is not called christ before the fall , nor without respect to his humane nature . 2. it is uncertain whether it was before the fall ; because we know not whether man fell on the same day in which he was created , which is the commonest opinion , ( though unproved ) whereupon mr. ● . walker in his treat . of the sabbath maintaineth , that the fall and promise went before the sabbath , and so that gods rest had respect to christ promised , as the perfection of his works , and that the sabbath was first founded on christ and the promise . but because all this is unproved opinion , i incline to the objectors , and the common sense . reasons . 4. the seventh day sabbath was kept by abraham , gen. 26. 5. by the israelites , exod. 5. 5. the law for the seventh day was repeated exod. 16. 22 , 23. answers . 4. i am of the same opinion ; but it is uncertain ; so far as it is uncertain whether it was instituted actually at first . but the rest , ex. 5. 5. seemeth plainly to referr to no sabbath , but to the peoples neglect of their tasks , while moses kept them in hope of deliverance , and treated for them . and their tasks , with their desire , to go into the wilderness to sacrifice , maketh it probable that pharaoh never allowed them the sabbaths rest . reasons . 5. the decalogue was spoken by jehovah christ , exod. 20. 1. ( see the assemblies lesser catechisme on the preamble in the commands : ) because the lord is our god , &c. redeemer , &c. therefore we are bound to keep , &c. exod. 19. 3. compared with act. 7. 38. esa. 63. 9. ex. 19. 17. the decalogue written by his finger , ex. 31. 18. on tables of stone , ex. 32. 15 , 16 , 19. & 34 , 1 , 28. and kept by all the prophets . answers . 5. all true , and uncontroverted , with these suppositions : 1. that the father as well as the son gave the decalogue : 2. that the second person was not 〈◊〉 incarnate , ( christ. ) 3. that the law was given by the ministration of angels , who its like are called the voice and finger of god. 4. that god our redeemer did variously govern his kingdom , by his law and covenant in various editions : of which more anon . reasons . 6. the decalogue was confirmed by jehovah , christ , ma● . 5. 17 , 18 , 19. luk. 16. 17. mat. 28. 20. joh. 14. 15. & 15. 14. rom 3. 31. & 7. 12. jam. 2. 8 , 12. newcovenant , heb. 8. 10. 1 joh. 3. 22 , 24. 1 joh. 5. 3. 2 ep. joh. 5. 6. rev. 12. 17. & 14. 12. & 22. 14 , 18. compared with mal. 4. 4. answers . 6. here beginneth our fundamental difference : i shall first tell you what we take for the truth , and then consider of what you alledge against it . 1. we hold that every law is the law of some one ; some law-maker or soveraign power : and therefore christ being now the head over all things to the church , eph. 1. 22 , 23. whatever law is now in being to the church , must needs be the law of christ. 2. we hold that christs redeemed kingdom hath been governed by him , with variety of administrations , by various editions of his law or covenant : that is , i. universally to mankind ; viz. 1. before his incarnation : which was ; first , to adam , and secondly to noah , and to mankind in them both : 2. after his incarnation . ii. particularly , to the seed of abraham even the jews as a particular political society ; chosen out of the world ( not as the only people or church of god on earth , but ) for peculiar extraordinary mercies as a peculiar people . 3. we believe that each of these administrations was fittest for its proper time and subject , according to the manifold wisdom of god : but yet the alterations were many and great , and all tended towards perfection : so that the last edition of the covenant by christ incarnate and his holy spirit , much excelled all that went before , in the kingdom of the mediatour . and all these changes were made by god-redeemer himself . 4. as it was the work of the redeemer to be the repairer of nature , and recoverer of man to god ; so in all the several administrations , the great laws of nature containing mans duty to god , resulting from and manifested in our nature as related to god , and in the natura rerum or the works of god , was still made the chief part of the redeemers law : so that this law of nature , whose summe is the love of god , and of his image , is ever the primitive unchangeable law ; and the rest are secondary subservient laws , either positive , or remedying , or both . and no tittle of this shall ever cease , if nature cease not . 5. but yet there are temporary laws of nature , which are about temporary things ; or where the nature of the thing it self is mutable , from whence the natural duty doth result . as it was a duty by the then law of nature it self ; for adams sons and daughters to marry [ increase and multiply ] being made a natural benediction , and the means a natural duty . and yet now , it is incest against the law of nature , for brother and sister to marry . so it was a natural duty for adam and eve before their fall to love each other as innocent ; but not so when they ceased to be innocent : for cessanie materiâ cessat obligatio . 6. so also some positive commands made to adam in innocence ceased on the fall , and sentence ; ( as to dress that garden . ) and some positives of the first administrations of grace , did cease by the supervening of a more perfect administration . as the two symbolical or sacramental trees in the garden , were no longer such to man when he was turned out ; so no positive ordinance of grace , was any longer in force , when god himself repealed it , by the introduction of a more perfect administration . 7. accordingly we hold , that a change is now made of the sanctified day . where note , 1. that we take not the seventh day , ( no nor one day in seven , though that be nothing to our controversie ) to be a duty by the proper law of nature , but by a positive law : 2. that the seventh day is never called a sahbath till moses time , but only a sanctified and blessed day ; the word sabbath being ever taken in scripture for a day of ceremonial rest , as well as of spiritual rest and worship . 3. that christ himself hath continued a seventh day , but changed the seventh day to the first ; not as a sabbath , that is , a day of ceremonial rest , for he hath ended all sabbaths as shadows of things that were to come , even of rest which remained for the people of god , heb. 4. 9. col. 2. 16. and this is it which is incumbent upon us to prove , and i think i have fully proved already . 4. that having proved the thing done ( the positive law of the seventh day changed by the holy ghost to the first day ) it concerneth us not much to give the reasons of gods doings : but yet this reason may secondarily be observed : that god having made the whole frame of nature very good , did thereby make it the glass in which he was to be seen by man , and the book which he would have man chiefly study , for the knowledge of his maker and his will. but sin having introduced , disorder , confusion and a curse upon part of the creation for mans sake , god purposed at once , both to notifie to man , what he had done by sin , in bringing disorder and a curse upon the creature , and blotting the book of nature which he should have chiefly used , and also that it was his good pleasure to set up a clearer glass , even christ incarnate , in which man might see his makers face , in a representation suitable to our need ; not now as smileing upon an innocent man , nor as frowning on a guilty man , but as reconciled to redeemed man ; and to write a book in which his will should be more plainly read , than in the blotted book of nature : yea in which he that in the creature appeared most eminently in power , might now appear most eminently in love , even redeeming , reconciling , adopting , justifying and saving love. so that , though god did not change the day , till the person of the incarnate mediator , with his perfect last edition of the covenant , was exhibited , and set up as this clearer glass and book , yet then as the seasonable time of reformation ( heb. 9 , 10 , 11. ) he did it . to teach man that though still he must honour god as the creator , and know him in the glass and book of the creature , yet that must be now but his secondary study ; for he must primarily study god in christ ; where he is revealed in love , even most conspicuous , wonderous love. and how suitable this is to man after sin and cur●e and wrath , may thus evidently appear . 1. we were so dead in sin , and utterly deprived of the spiritual life , that the book of the creatures , was not a sufficient means of our reviving : but as we must have the quickning spirit of jesus the mediator , so we must have a suitable means for that spirit to work by : which that the cursed mortified creature is not , appeareth in the experience of the case of heathens 2. we were so dark in sin , that the creature was not a sufficient means of our illumination : but as we must have the illuminating spirit of jesus , so we must have a glass and book that was suited to that illuminating work . 3. we were so alienated from god , by enmity and malignity , and loss of love , that as it must be the spirit of jesus which must regenerate us unto love , so it must be a clearer demonstration of love than the creature maketh in its cursed state , which must be the fit means for the spirit to work by in the restitution of our love . where further note , 1. that love is holiness and happiness it self : and the operations of divine love are his perfective operations , and so fit for the last perfective act . 2. that man had many wayes fallen from love : as he had actually and habitually turned away his own heart from god ; and as he had fallen under gods wrath , and so lost those fullest emanations of gods love , which should cherish his own love to god ; and as he had forfeited the assistance of the spirit which should repair it ; and as he was fallen in love with the accursed creature , and lastly as he was under the curse or threatning himself , and the penalties begun ; it being impossible to humane nature , to love a god who we think will damn us , and feel doth punish us in order thereunto . so that nothing could be more suitable to lapsed man , or more perfective of the appearance and operations of god , than this demonstration of reconciling saving love , in our incarnate crucified , raised , glorified , interceding redeemer . all which sheweth that gods removal of the sanctified day from the seventh to the first of the week , and his preferring the commemoration of redemption , and our use of the glass and book of an incarnate saviour before that of the now accursed creature , is a work of the admirable wisdom of god , and exceeding suitable to the nature of the things . ii. now i come to consider of what you say against all this . you cite the numbers of many chapters and verses ( contrary to your grand principles , these divisions being humane inventions ; ) in all which there is nothing about the controversie in hand . the texts speak not of the decalogue only , but of the law , and of gods commandments , and christs commandments . now i must tell you before-hand , that i will take no mans word for the word of god , nor believe any thing that you say , god speaketh ; without proof . prove it , or it goeth for nothing with me . for as i know that adding to gods word is cursed , rev. 22. 18. as well as taking away ; so it i must once come to believe that god saith this or that without proof , i shall never know whom to believe : for twenty men may tell me twenty several tales , and say that god saith them all . i expect your proof then of one of these two assertions ( for which it is that you hold , no man can gather by your own words , or citations . ) 1. that all the law which was in being at christs incarnation , was confirmed and continued by him ( which yet i do not imagine you to hold ▪ 〈◊〉 all pauls epistles , and especially the ep. to the heb. do so fully plead against it . ) 2. or else that by the law in all those texts is meant all the decalogue , and the decalogue alone . the texts cited by you prove no more than what we hold as confidently as you : viz , 1. that all the law of nature , ( where the matter or nature of the things continue ) is continued by christ , and is his principal law. 2. that the decalogue as to that matter of it , is continued as it is the law of nature ( which is almost all that is in it , ) but not as the jewish law given by moses hands to the political body . 3. that the natural part of all the rest of moses law is continued as well as the decalogue . 4. that all moses law as well as the decalogue shall be fullfilled , and heaven and earth shall sooner pass away than one jot or tittle of it shall pass till it be fulfilled . 5. that the elements , shadows , predictions , preparations , &c. are all fulfilled by the coming of christ , and by a more perfect administration . for christ fulfilled all righteousness , mat. 3. 15. ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes put materially for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ) 6. that a change may be two waies made , 1. by destroying a thing . 2. by perfecting it . and that by the law in matth. 5. 17 , &c. christ meaneth , the whole body of gods law then in force to the jews , considered as one frame , consisting of natural and positive parts . of which he saith , that he came not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to dissolve , pull in pieces or destroy the law , as a licentious teacher , that would take off gods obligations , and leave the wills and lusts of men to a lawless liberty ( which was it that the pharises imputed to such as were against the law : ) but that he came to bring in a greater strictness , a righteousness not only exceeding that of his accusers , v. 20. but instead of destroying it , to perfect the law it self , that is , to bring in a perfecter administration and edition of the law. so that as generation turneth semen in suppositum , and so doth do away the seed , not by destroying it , but by changing it into a perfecter being ; and as paul saith , 1 cor. 13. 16 , 17 , 18. when that which is perfect is come , then that which is in part shall be done away ; when i was a child , i spake as a child , i understood ( or was affected ) as a child , i thought ( or reasoned ) as a child ; but when i became a man i put away childish things , &c. not that the child or his knowledge is destroyed , but perfected , and changed into better ; and yet many acts of his childish reasonings may cease ; and as he that would repair the temple to a greater glory , may take away the brass , and put gold instead of it , and so not change one pin of the temple by a destructive change but by a perfecting change , which ( to the frame ) is to edifie , and not to destroy ; even so christ professeth that he came not to gratifie the lusts of men , nor to destroy the law in the smallest point , but 1. himself to fulfill it in the very letter , and 2. to accomplish the shadows , predictions and types , by coming himself as the truth and end , which when they had attained they were fulfilled ; and 3. by a more perfect edition and spiritual administration , advancing the law to a higher degree of excellency ; by which not the law is said to be put away , or destroyed , but the imperfections or weaknesses of it to be done away . not but that all gods laws are perfect is to the time and subject which they are fitted to ; but not in comparison of the future time , and degrees to be added . it is a better testament that christ bringeth in ; heb. 7. 22 & 8. 6. established on better promises , and procured by better sacrifice , and bringing a better hope , heb. 8. 6. & 7. 19. and better things that are provided for us , that they without us should not be made perfect , heb. 11. 40. so that when moses law is considered as such , in that imperfect state , it is essentially or formally all done away ; but not materially , for it is done away but by changing it into a better testament and more perfect administration , which retaineth all that is natural in it , and addeth better positives suited to riper times . so that the law as denominated from the nobler natural part , and as signifying the whole law or systeme of precepts , then in force , is not destroyed , but perfected ; but the law as signifying that called jewish delivered by moses to that republick , as such , though part of the said systeme , yet is the imperfect part , and is taken down and is now no law , though it be not destroyed , but fulfilled , and turned into a more perfect testament and administration . now that by the law and commandments i am not to understand the decalogue only , in any of your cited texts , i thus prove . 1. from the notation of the name . the word [ law ] in its usual proper sense , doth signifie the whole , or other parts as well as that ; and not that one part only . therefore i must so take it , till you prove that in any text it hath a limited sense . else i shall turn gods universal or indefinite terms into particular , and pervert his word , by limiting by my own invention where god hath not limited . 2. because the common sense in which the jewes , ( against whom christ spake ) did take the word [ law ] was not for the decalogue only but for the pentateuch , or all moses law. and if christ speak to them , he is to be supposed to speak intelligibly , and therefore in their sense . 3. because christ in this very chapter , mat. 5. extendeth the sense further than the decalogue : as v. 17. he adjoynes the prophets equally with the law , which he came not to destroy . and thus he speaketh as the jews , who distributed the old testament into the law and prophets , when by the law they meant the pentateuch . now it is certain that all the prophesies that say [ the messiah is not yet come , but shall come , and be incarnate , and that shew the time and manner , ] &c. are not now true de futuro , as they then spake ; and yet they are not destroyed but fulfilled , and so cease as prophecies of things yet future . and so it is with the positives of moses law. 2. v. 18. he saith universaly , till all he fulfilled , and not the decalogue only . 3. v. 19. he extendeth it to the least command . 4. v. 20. he extendeth it to all the pharises righteousness , which was righteousness indeed . 5. v. 21. [ whosoever shall kill , shall be in danger of the judgement , ] hath the political penalty in it , above the bare sixth commandment . 6. v. 31. whosoever shall put away his wife , let him give her a writing of divorcement , is not the bare seventh commandment , but fetcht from deut. 24. 1. and this instance it self expoundeth , v. 17 , 18. for when christ had protested against destroying an iota or tittle of the law , yet he changeth this very law now cited by himself , so far as it indulgeth putting away ; so that it is hence evident that be meaneth not that he came not to make a perfective change , but that he came not to indulge licentiousness , and lust by a destructive change . luk. 16. 18. 1 cor. 7. 10. mat. 19. 9. so 7. v. 33. thou shalt not forswear thy self , &c. is fetcht from , lev. 19. 12 , &c. 8. v. 38. an eye for an eye , &c. is fetcht from exod. 21. 24. lev. 24. 20. deut. 19. 21. and not from the decalogue alone . 9. so v. 43. is from lev. 19. 18. and other places . 4. because in all pauls epistles , and commonly in all the new testament the word law is ordinarily , if not alwayes , taken more extensively than the decalogue : therefore to expound it for the decalogue only , is to contradict the constant use of the scripture , under pretense of expounding the scripture . if then by the law , be meant either the whole systeme of gods laws , natural and positive , or all moses law , or the pentateuch , then i may thus argue . it is most certain that much of this law of moses is ceased or abrogate . therefore it is certain , that it was none of christs meaning that he would abrogate none of that law which he speaketh of , or change it for a better . that all and every word of the decalogue is not of the dureable law of nature , i shall prove anon . that by the word [ law ] the scripture meaneth more than the meer decalogue these texts among others prove , exod. 13. 9. & 24. 12. deut. 1. 5. & 4. 8. & 17. 18 , 19. & 28. 61. & 29. 29. & 31. 9. 2 king. 17. 37. & 23. 〈◊〉 25. 2 chron. 31. 21. & 33. 18. & 34. 19. 〈◊〉 7. 6. & 14. 26. & 10. 3 neh. 8. 2 , 7 , 9 , 〈…〉 & 10. 29 & 13. 3. mal. 2. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. 〈…〉 11. 13. & 12. 5. & 26. 36 , 40. 〈…〉 luk 2. 22. 27. joh. 1. 17 , 45. & 7 , 19. 23. ●1 . & 8. 5. & 10. 34. & 12. 34. & ●5 25 act. 6. 13. & 13. 15 , 39. & 15. 5 , 24. & 21. 20 , 28. & 22. 3 , 12. & 23. 3 , 29 & 〈◊〉 . 23. rom. 2. 12 , 13 , 14 , 17 , 18 , 20 , 23. & 3. 19 , 20 , 21 , 28 , 31. & 4. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. & 5. 13. & 7. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. 5 , 6 , &c. and so to the end of the new testament ; which i need not f●rther number . 7. that the seventh day sabbath was kept by the lord jehovah christ during his life , ma●k . 1. 21. & 6. 2. luk. 4 31. & 6. 6. 1. 5. & 13. 10. mat. 12. 1 , 9. & 13. 1 , 2. and constantly , luk. 4. 16. 17. see christs counsel ▪ which was to come to pass about forty years after his death . mat. 24. 20. 7. 1. so christ was circumcised , and joyned in the synagogue worship , and held communion with the jewish church , and priesthood , and observed all the law of moses , never violating any part ; for he was made under the law to redeem them that were under the law , gal. 4. 4 , 5. do you think that all this is established for us ? 2. and his counsel , mat. 24. 20. had respect to the jews misery and not to their duty . he therefore foretelleth their destruction , because they would reject him and his law , in a perverse zeal for moses law ; and therefore intimateth that even moses should condemn them , and their misery should be increased by their zeal for his law ; for their city was taken on the sabbath day , which increased their calamity , who scrupled on that day to fight or fly . and can you think christ approved of that opinion , who had so oft before condemned the like , about their over rigid sabbatizing ? or as dr. hammond thinks , it is liker to be spoken of a sabbath year , when the war and famine would come together . however it be , it only supposeth their adherence to their law and sabbath , but justifieth it not at all : though yet the total and full abrogation of the jewish law , was not fully declared , till , at that time of the destruction of their city and temple , their policy more fully ceased . 8. that after jehovah had finished the work of redemption , joh. 19 30. his body rested in the grave , mat. 27. 66. and himself in heaven , luk. 23. 42 , 43. as he rested when he ended the work of creation , gen. 2. 2 , 4. 8. you again adde to the word of god : it is not said that he had finished the work of redemption . but only [ it is finished ] which seemeth to mean but that , 1. this was the last act of his life , in which he was actively to fulfill the law and offer himself a sacrifice for man ; 2. and in which all the law and prophets were fulfilled which foretold this sacrifice . for that it is not meant of the whole work of redemption as finished when he spoke those words , is evident , 1. because after those words he was to die ; 2. because his state in death and his burial were part of his humiliation as is implyed , 1 cor. 15. 4. joh. 17 7. rom. 6. 4. col. 2. 12. isa. 53. 9. 1 cor. 1● . 35. act. 2. 24. 1 cor. 15. 26. phil. 3. 10. 2 tim. 1. 10. heb. 2. 14 , 15. 3. because his resurrection was his victorious act , and a part of the work of mans redemption ; 4. and so is his intercession . for redemption is larger than humiliation or sacrifice for sin . as exod. 6 6. luk. 24. 21. rom. 3. 24. & 8. 23. 1 cor. 1. 30. eph. 1. 14. luk. 21. 28. it is the resurrection by which we are made righteous and receive our hope of life , and victory over death and satan , rom. 1. 4. phil. 3. 10 , 11. 1 pet. 1. 3. & 3. 21. rom. 4. 25. 2. the clean contrary therefore to your collection is true : viz. that god did indeed end the work of his creation on the sixth day , and rested in it , as finished on the seventh : but christ was so far from ending his on the sixth , and resting in it on the seventh , that on that day above all other he seemed conquered by men and by him that had the power of death , heb. 2. 14 and was held as captive by the grave , so that his disciples hopes did seem dead with him , luk. 24. 21. this state of death being not the least , if not the lowest part of his humiliation : whence came the churches article that he descended into hades . 3. i did more probably before prove from christs own words compared with his burial , a casting down of the seventh day sabbath , thus . that day on which the disciples are to fast , is not to be kept as a sabbath ( for that is a day of thanksgiving ) but on the day of christs burial , the disciples were to fast , ( that is , to walk heavily : ) which appeareth from mark. 2. 20. when the bridegroom is taken from them , then they shall fast . now though this meant not to command any one day for fasting , much less the whole time of his bodily absence , yet both the sense of the words themselves , and the interpretation of the event tell us , that as there was no day in which he was so sadly taken from them as that sabbath day , which almost broke their hearts and hopes , ( for the next day he was restored to them ) so there was no day in which they were so dejected , and unlike to the celebraters of a gospel day of joy , or sabbath . do you call the day of satans power , and triumph , and of the discples greatest fear and grief that ever befell them , the celebration of a sabbath rest ? it had indeed somewhat like an outward rest , but so as seemed plainly to burie in his grave the seventh day ceremonial sabbath . and from the reasons now pleaded it was that the western churches kept the seventh day as a fast. 9. whilest the lord jehovah christ rested , private believers rested according to the commandment , luk. 23. 55 , 56. mar. 15. 42. & 16. 1. compared . 9 a. they did indeed keep yet the jewish sabbath , till christs resurrection , and the coming down of the holy ghost : and so they did the rest of the jewish law. for they yet knew not that it was abrogated ; but must we do so too ? you may as well argue from their keeping the sabbath before christs death , as on that day when he was dead . the change of the day was made by degrees , by three several acts or means . 1. the resurrection of christ , was the founding act , which gave the cause of changing it ; like gods finishing his works of creation at first . 2. the inspiration of the holy ghost in the apostles doth teach them , and bring all things to their remembrance which christ commanded , and was the authorising means of the change : and the apostles actual settlement thereupon was the promulgation . 3. the gradual notification by the preachers to the churches , and finally the destruction of the jewish policie , and temple , and priesthood , were the fuller proclamation of it , and the way of bringing the change that was made by command into fuller execution . 10. the seventh day sabbath was observed by the apostles after the resurrection and ascension , act. 13. 14 , 15 , 16 , 42 , 44. & 16. 13 , 14. and constantly , act. 17. 2. ( the same greek phrase with that luk. 14. 16. for christ constant keeping the seventh day sabbath as before ) act. 18. 1 , 4. &c. 10 a. 1. but withal , in this time they stablished the lords day , as soon as ( on that day ) the holy ghost came down upon them . 2. so all that while they kept other parts of the jewish law : they scrupled , yea refused a while communion with the gentiles as act. 10. shews . they so carryed it to the jews that paul made it his defence , that he had not offended any thing at all , either against the law of the jews or against the temple , act. 25. 8. and when he circumcised tim●thy , purified himself , shaved his head , for his vow , &c. do you think that all these are duties to believers ? 3. none of the texts cited by you do prove that the apostles kept the sabbath at all as a sabbath , that is , a day on which it was their duty to rest ; but only that they preached on that day in the synagogues , and to the people ; for when should they preach to them but when they were congregated , and capable of hearing ? they took it for no sin to preach on the sabbath no more than i would do to preach christ on friday , which is their sabbath , to the turks , if they would hear me . but sabbatizing according to the law , was something else than preaching . 4. and it is most evident that for a long time the christian jews did still keep the law of moses : and that all that the apostles did against it then , was , but 1. to declare that christ was the end of the law , and so to declare the keeping of it to be unnecessary to salvation , but not unlawful , laying by the opinion of necessity . 2. that the gentile christians should not be brought to use it , because it was unnecessary . for the apostles act. 15. do not forbid it to the jews , but only to the gentiles , ( who were never under it . ) therefore the apostles who lived among the jews no doubt did so far comply with them to win them , as to keep the law externally , though not as a necessary thing , that is , not as a law in force obliging them , but as a thing yet lawful to further the gospel . and therefore no wonder if peter went so far as to withdraw from the gentiles when the jews were present , when even paul the apostle of the gentiles who speaketh so much more than all the rest against the law , doth yet as aforesaid circumcise timothy , shave his head , purifie himself , &c. and as he became all things to all men , so to the jews he became a jew . but when the jews policie and temple ceased , the change was executively yet further made , and the jewish christians themselves were weaned from their law. in the mean time paul and john , rev. 2. & 3. do openly rebuke the judaizing hereticks , the ebionites and cerinthians , and nicolaitans , and shew the perniciousness of their conceits . 11. the holy spirit calls the seventh day ( and no other day ) the sabbath , throughout the scriptures , before and after the death , resurrection and ascension of the lord jehovah christ , gen. 2. 2 , 3 , 4. exod. 20. 10 , &c. act. 13. 14 , 15 , 16 , 42 , 44. & 16. 13 , 14. & 17. 2. & 18. 1 , 4. 11. a. though it be not true that the seventh is called the sabbath , gen. 2. and though others deny the sufficiency of your enumeration , yet i grant your assertion as true . and therefore am satisfied that it is the seventh day which is put down , when sabbatizing was put down ; and that it could be none but the seventh day which paul meant , col. 2. 16. let no man judge you in mea●s , &c. and sabbaths which were shadows of things to come . for the first day is never called a sabbath as you truly say ; therefore it was not put down with the sabbath . see dr. youngs dies dom. on col. 2. 16. 12. the seventh day sabbath was prophaned by the church heretofore and reformed : neh. 10. 28 , 29 , 31. & 13. 15 , 17 , 18 , 22. see belg. annot. on dan. 7. 25 , &c. as prophesied who would change it . 12. this is all granted . sacrificing also was then prophaned and reformed , and polluted and destroyed by antiochus ; and yet we are not still under the obligation of sacrificing . we are not under the law , but under grace . chap. iii. whether the seventh day sabbath be part of the law of nature ; or only a positive law ? it is but few that i have any controversie with on this point : but yet one there is , who objecteth and argueth as followeth . god hath put this into nature , ex. 20. 10. thy stranger . deut. 5. 14. the three first chapters of romans . particularly chap. 2. 14 , 15 , 26 , 27. & 3. 9. 21. 1 cor. 11. 14. nature hath its teachings . the humane nature in the first adam was made and framed to the perfection of the ten words ; some notions whereof are still retained , even in the corrupt state of fallen man. gen. 1. 26 , 27. eccl. 7. 29. eph. 4. 20. col. 3. 10. the law of the seventh day sabbath was given before the ten words were proclaimed at sinai , exod. 16. 23. even from the creation . gen. 2. 2 , 3. given to adam in respect of his humane nature , and in him to all the world of humane creatures , gen. 1. 14. psalm 104. 19 lev. 10. 23. numb . 28. 2 , 9 , 10. 't is the 〈◊〉 word in the original . se● times of divine appointment f●r solemn asse●●●ing , and for gods instituted service are directed to and pointed at , by those great lights which the creator hath set up in the heavens , psal. 19. with rom. 10. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. 8 , 18 , 19 , 20. deut. 30. 10 , 15. john 1. 9. every man hath a light and law of nature which he carrieth about him , and is born and bred together with him : these seeds of truth and light , though they will not justifie in the sight of god , and bring a soul throughly and safely h●me to glory , rom. 1. 20. yet there are even since adams fall , those reliques and dark letters of this holy law of the ten words , to preserve the memory of our first created dignity , and for some other ends , though these seeds are utterly corrupted now , titus 1. 15. natural reason will tell men , that seeing all men in all nations , do measure their time by weeks , and their weeks by seven dayes , they should ( besides what of their time they offer up as due to god every day ) give one whole day of every week to their maker , who hath allowed them so liberal a portion of time , wherein to provide for themselves and their families . there being no other proportion of time that can so well provide for the necessities of families , as six dayes of every week , and that is so well fitted to all functions , callings and employments . and the light of nature ( when cleared up ) will tell men , that all labour and motion being in order to rest , and rest being the perfection and end of labour , into which labour work and motion doth pass , that therefore the seventh day which is the last day in every week is the fittest and properest day for a religious rest unto the creator , for his worship , gen. 2. 1 , &c. exod. 20. 9. deut. 5. 13 , 14. heb. 4. 1. 11. exod. 31. 17. rom. 14. 13. exod. 23. 12. & 34. 21. answ. how far a day is of natural due , i have shewed before : in all the words of this reason ( which i set down as i received them ) there is much which is no matter of controversie betwen us ; as that there is a light and law of nature ( which few men doubt of , who are worthy to be called men ) and that by this law of nature god should be solemnly worshipped , and that at a set or separated time . i hope the reader will not expect that i weary him with examining the texts which prove this before it is denyed . but the thing denyed by us is , that the seventh day sabbath as the seventh , is of natural obligation . the proofs which are brought for this i must examine : for indeed this is the very hindge of all our controversie : for if this be once proved , we shall easily confess that it is not abrogate : for christ came not to abrogate any of the law of nature ( though as i have said , such particles of it may cease , whose matter ceaseth , by a change in nature it self . ) the first proof is exod. 20. 10. the stranger . to which i answer , our question is not whether the sabbath was to be rested on● by strangers that are among the jews , but , whether it was part of the law of nature ? if it be intended that [ whatever such strangers were bound to , was of the law of nature : but strangers were bound to keep the sabbath — ergo — ] i deny the major , which they offer not to prove : and i do more than deny it : i disprove it by the instances of ex●d . 12. 19. was eating leavened bread forbidden by the law of nature ? v. 48. 49. one law shall be to him that is home-born , and to the stranger that sojourneth among you : circumcision was not of the law of nature . lev. 16. 29. resting from all work on the tenth day of the seventh moneth , was not of the law of nature , though made also the strangers duty . so eating blood , and that which dyeth , or was torn , lev. 17. 12 , 15. so lev. 25. 6. numb . 15. 14 , 15 , 16 , 26. 29. & 19. 10. & 35. 15. deut. 31. 12. jos. 8. 33 , 34 , 35. & 20. 9 , &c. the next pretended proof is , rom. 2. 14 , &c. where there is not one syllable mentioning the decalogue as such , but only in general , the law , so far as it was written in the gentiles hearts . but where is it proved , that the law or the decalogue are words of the same signification , or extent ; any more , than the whole and a part are ? or where is it proved , that none of the rest of the law is written in nature , but the decalogue only ? or else that every word in the decalogue it self is part of the law of nature , ( which is the question . ) i shall prove the contrary anon : in the mean time , the bare numbring of chapters and verses is no proof . 3. it is next said , that [ adam was made and framed to the perfection of the ten words . ] answ. adam was made in the image of god , before the ten words were given in stone : but so much of them as is of the law of nature , and had matter existent in adams dayes , no doubt , was a law to him as well as it is to us . but that 's nothing to the question , whether all things in the ten words are of natural obligation ? 4. it is said , that the law of the seventh day sabbath was given before the ten words were preclaimed in sinai . answ. so was circumcision ; and so was sacrificing : yea , so was the law about the dressing of the garden of eden , and about the eating or not eating of the fruit thereof , even in innocency ; which yet were no parts of natures laws , but positives which now cease . 5. it is said , that it was given to adam in respect of his humane nature , and in him to all the world of humane creatures . answ. so was the covenant of works , or innocency , which yet is at an end . but what respect is it ( to his humane nature ) that you mean. if you suppose this proposition , [ whatever law is given with respect to humane nature , and to all men , is of natural and perpetual obligation ] i deny it . the law of s●crinces and oblations was given with respect to humane nature , that is , in order to its reparation , and it was given to mankind , and yet not of natural perpetual obligation . the law of distinguishing clean beasts from unclean , and the law against eating blood , were given to noah and to all mankind , with respect to humane nature . gen. 8. 20. & 9. 4. and yet not wholly of natural or perpetual obligation . all common laws have some respect to humane nature . but if your meaning be , that this law was given in and with the nature of man himself , or that it is founded in , and provable by the very essentials of mans nature , or any thing permanent , either in the nature of man , or the nature of the world , i still deny it , and call for your proof . positives may have respect to humane nature as obliged by them ; and yet not be written in humane nature , nor provable by any meer natural evidence . 6. it is said [ set times of divine appointment for solemn assembling , &c. are directed to by the great lights , &c. psal. 19. rom. 10 , &c. ] ans. but the question is not of set times in general ( that some there be ) but of this set time , the seventh day in particular . it will be long before you can f●tch any cogent evidence from the lights of heaven for it . nor do any of the texts cited mention any such thing , or any thing that can tempt a man into such an opinion . it must be the divine appointment and institution ( which you mention , ) that must prove our obligation to a particular day , and not any nature within us or without us . 7. the only appearance of a proof is at the end , that time being measured by weeks , and the end of the weeks being fittest for rest , therefore nature points us to the last day . answ. but 1. you do not at all prove , that nature teacheth all men to measure their time by weeks . 2. nor is your philosophy true , that all motion is in order to rest . indeed all labour is , that is , all the motion of any creature which is out of its proper place , and moveth towards it . but if you will call the action of active natures , such as our souls are , by the name of spiritual motion , or metaphysical motion , as many do , then no doubt but cessation is as contrary to their nature , as corporal motion is to the nature of a stone : and the rest , that is , the perfection , pleasure and felicity of spirits , consisteth in their greatest activity in good ; they rest not saying , holy , holy , &c. 3. you transfer the case from a day of worship to a day of rest. and so make your cause worse : because nature saith much for one stated day of worship ; but not for one stated day of rest from labour , further than the worship it self must have a vacancy from other things . for reason can prove no necessity to humane nature of resting a whole day , any more than for a due proportioning of rest unto labour every day . the rest of one hour in seven , is as much as the rest of one day in seven . or if some more additional conveniences may be found for dayes than hours , there being no convenience without its inconvenience , this will but shew us , that the law is well made when it is made , but not prove a priore that there is or must be such an universal law. as you can never prove , that nature teacheth men the distribution of time by weeks ( 1. it being a thing of tradition , custom and consent . 2. and no man naturally knoweth it , till others tell him of it . 3. and many nations do not so measure their time . 4. and no man can bring a natural reason to prove that it must be so , which they might do if it were a law of natural reason ) so also that every family , or countrey at least , should not have leave to vary their dayes of rest , according to diversity of riches and poverty , health and sickness , youth and age , peace and war , and other such cases , you cannot prove necessary by nature alone , though you may prove it well done when it is done . 4 you cannot prove the last day more necessary for rest , than the first , or any other . for there are few countreys , where wars , or some other necessities , have not constrained them sometimes to violate the sabbaths rest : which when they have done , it is as many dayes from the third day to the third , as from the seventh to the seventh . 5. if time were naturally measured by weeks , yet it followeth not , that rest must be so : some countreys are strong and can labour longer , and others tender and weak , and can labour less . 6. and seeing that the reason of a day for worshipping assemblies , is greater and more noble , than the reason of a day for bodily rest , nature will rather tell us , that god should have the first day , than the last ; a jove principium : as god was to have the first born , the first fruits , &c. 7. if we might frame laws for divine worship by such conceits of convenience , as this is of the last day in seven as fittest for rest , and call them all the laws of nature , what a multitude of additions would be made , and of how great diversity ? whilst every mans conceit went for reason , and reason for nature , and so we should have as many laws of nature , as there are diversities of conceits . and yet that there is such a thing as a law of nature in which all reason should agree , we doubt not . but having in vain expected your proof , that the seventh day sabbath is the law of nature , or of universal natural obligation , i shall briefly prove the negative ( that it is not ) 1. that which is of natural obligation may be proved by natural reason ( that is , by reason arguing from the nature of the thing ) to be a duty . but that the seventh day must be kept holy as a sabbath , cannot be proved from the nature of the thing . therefore it is not of natural obligation . he that will deny the minor , let him instance in his natural proof . 2. that is not an universal law of nature , which learned , godly men , and the greatest number of these , yea , almost all the world , know no such thing by , and confess they cannot prove by nature . but such is the seventh day sabbath — &c. it is not i alone that know nothing of any such law , nor am able by any natural evidence to prove it , but also all the divines and other christians that i am or ever was acquainted with : nay , i never knew one man that could say , that he either had such a law in his own nature ( unless some one did take his conceit for a law ) nor that he could shew such 3 law in natura rerum . and it is a strange law of nature , which is to be found in no ones nature , but perhaps twenty mens or very few in a whole age ; nor is discerned by all the rest of the world . if you say , that few understand nature or improve their reason : i answer 1. if it be such a law of nature as is obliterated in almost all mankind , it is a very great argument that nature being changed , the law is changed . how can that oblige which cannot be known ? 2. are not we men as well as you ? have not several ages had as great improvers of nature as you ? if grace must be the improver , are there , or have there been none as gracious ? if learning must be the improver , have there been none as learned ? if diligence or impartiality must be the improvers of nature , have there not been many as diligent , studious and impartial as your selves ? let all rational men judge which of these is the better argument , [ i and twenty men more in the world do discern in nature an universal obligation on mankind to keep the seventh day sabbath : therefore it is the law of nature . ] or [ the world of mankind , godly and ungodly , learned and unlearned , discern no such natural obligation , except you and the few of your mind : therefore it is no law of nature . ] 3. that is not like to be an universal law of nature , which no one man since the creation can be proved to have known and received as such by meer natural reasons without tradition . but no one man since the creation can be proved to have known and received the seventh day sabbath by meer natural reason without tradition : therefore it is not like to be an universal law of nature . if you know any man , name him and prove it ; for i never read or heard of such a man. 4. if the text mention it only as a positive institution , then it is not to be accounted a law of nature . but the text mentioneth it only as a positive institution — as is plain , gen. 2. 3. god blessed the seventh day and sanctified it , because that in it he had rested from all his work , &c. if it had been a law of nature , it had been made in nature , and the making of nature would have been the making of the law. but here are two arguments against that in the text. 1. blessing and sanctifying are positive acts of supernatural institution , superadded to the works of nature : they are not divine creating acts , but divine instituting acts . 2. that which is blessed and sanctified , because god rested in it from all his works , is not blessed and sanctified meerly by those works or that rest : and if neither the works of nature , nor the rest of god from those works did sanctifie it , then it is not of natural sanctification , and so not of natural obligation . 5. if the very reason of the day be not of natural , but of supernatural revelation , then the sanctification of the day is not of natural , but supernatural revelation and obligation . but the former is certain . for no man breathing ever did or can prove by nature , without supernatural revelation , that god made and finished his works in six dayes , and rested the seventh . aristotle had been like to have escaped his opinion of the worlds eternity , if he could have found out this by nature . 6. the distinction of weeks is not known by nature , to be any necessary measure of our time ; therefore much less , that the seventh day of the week must be a sabbath . the antecedent is sufficiently proved , in that no man can give a cogent reason for the necessity of such a measure . and because it hath been unknown to a great part of the world . the peruvians , mexicans , and many such others knew not the measure of weeks . and heylin noteth out of jos. scaliger de emend . temp. li. 3. & 4. and rossinus antiq. and dion , that neither the chaldees , the persians , greeks , nor romans did of old observe weeks ; and that the romans measured their times by eights , as the jews did by sevens . hist. sab. p. 1. ch. 4. p. 83 , 84. and p. 78. he citeth dr. bounds own words , p. 65. ed. 2. confessing the like , citing beroaldus for it as to the roman custom . yea , he asserteth that till near the time of dionys. exig . an . 500. they divided not their time into weeks as now . in which he must needs except the christians and consequently the ruling powers since constantine . and if they were so unsetled through the world in their measure by moneths , as bishop vsher at large openeth in his dissert . de macedonum & asianorum anno solari , ( see especially his ephemeris in the end , where all the dayes of each moneth are named without weeks ) the other will be no won-wonder . i conclude therefore 1. that one day in seven , rather than in six or eight , may be reason be discerned to be convenient when god hath so instituted it : but cannot by nature be known to be of natural universal obligation . 2. that this one day should be the seventh , no light of nature doth discover : therefore dr. bound , dr. ames , and the generality of the defenders of one day in seven against the anti-sabbatarians , do unanimously assert it to be of positive supernatural institution , and not any part of the law of nature : though stated dayes at a convenient distance is of the law of nature . chap. iv. whether every word in the decalogue be of the law of nature ? and of perpetual obligation ? and whether all that was of the law of nature was in the decalogue ? but the great argument to prove it the law of nature is , because it was part of the ten words written in stone . to which i say , that the decalogue is an excellent summary of the generals of the law of nature , as to the ends to which it was given ; but that , i. it hath more in it than the law of nature . ii. it hath less in it than the law of nature : and therefore was never intended for a meer or perfect transcript of the law of nature : but for a perfect general summary of so much of that law as god thought meet to give the jews by supernatural revelation , containing the chief heads of natures law ( lest they should not be clear enough in nature it self ) with the addition of something more . i. that the decalogue written in stone hath more than the law of nature , is proved 1. by these instances ; 1. that god brought them out of the land of egypt , and out the house of servants , and that he is to be worshipped in that relation , is none of the law of nature , universally so called . 2. that god is merciful ( and therefore reconciled ) to thousand generations of them that love him , notwithstanding mans natural state of sin and misery , and all mens actual sin , this is of supernatural grace , and not the law of meer nature . 3. the great difference between the wayes of justice and mercy , expressed by the third and fourth generation , compared to thousands , is more than the meer law of nature . 4. those divines who take all gods positive institutions of worship , to be contained in the affirmative part of the second commandment , must needs think that it containeth more than the law of nature ( though i say not as they ; but only that as a general law , it obligeth us to perform them , when another law hath instituted them . ) 5. to rest one day in seven is more than the law of nature . 6. to rest the seventh day rather than the sixth or first is more than the law of nature . 7. the strictness of the rest , to do no manner of work , is more than a law of nature . 8. that there be man servants , and maid servants , besides natural inferiours , is not of the primitive or universal law of nature . 9. the distinction of the israelites from strangers within their gates , was not by the law of nature . 10. that cattle should do no manner of work ( as for a dog to turn the spit in a wheel , or such like ) is more than a law of nature . 11. that god made heaven , and earth in six dayes and rested the seventh , is not of natural revelation . 12. that this was the reason wherefore god blessed the sabbath day aud hallowed it , is not of natural revelation . 13. some will say that more relations than natural being meant in the fifth commandment , maketh it more than a law of nature . 14. that the land of canaan is made their reward , is a positive respecting the israelites only . 15. that length of dayes in that land should be given by promise , is an act of grace , and not of nature only . 16. that this promise of length of dayes in that land , is made more to the honouring of superiours , than to the other commanded duties , is more than natural . 2. i prove it also by the abrogation of the law written in stone , which i proved before ; if the decalogue had been the only and perfect law of nature , it would not have been so far done away , as the apostle saith it is ( of which before . ) ii. all the law of nature was not in the tables of stone . here i premise these suppositions . 1. that a general law alone , obligeth not to all particulars , without a particular law. e. g. if the second command say , thou shalt perform all gods instituted worship : or , thou shalt worship me , as i appoint thee ? this bindeth no man to baptism , the lords supper , &c. till another law appoint them . therefore there is not so much in the general law alone , as is in that and the particular also . 2. all that is presupposed in a particular law , is not part of that law. 3. it is not so much to inferr a duty indirectly and by far fetcht consequences , as to command it directly . now i prove the assertion by instances . all these following are natural duties , and commanded also in other parts of scripture , and yet are not in the law of moses as written in stone . 1. to believe that the soul is immortal . 2. to believe that there is a heaven where we shall be perfectly blessed in the knowledge , love and fruition of god. 3. to believe that there is a hell , or life of future punishment for all the impenitent . 4. to love ourselves , with a just and necessary love , as such . 5. to take greatest care to save our souls , above our bodies . 6. to tame and mortifie all our fleshly lusts in order to our own salvation . 7. to deny all bodily pleasure , profit , honour , liberty and life , for the securing of our salvation . 8. to forbear all outward acts of gluttony , drunkenness , sloth , &c. as they tend to our own damnation . 9. to rejoice in persecution because of our great reward in heaven . 10. to pray constantly , and servently for heaven , as the means of our obtaining it . let none say that many of these same things are commanded in order to god , and our neighbour . for i grant that the same material acts be so ; as they are expressions of love to god and man : but to do them in love to our selves and for our own salvation , is another principle and end , not contrary to , but necessarily conjunct with the former two : and indeed all the duties of self-love as such are past by ( as supposed ) in moses decalogue ; because they are deeply written in mans nature , and because the law was written as political , for another use . obj. but these are all supposed in the first command of loving god , and in the second table , thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self . answ. 1. these last are not the words of the decalogue : but a part of the summary of all the law. 2. both tables indeed suppose the love of our selves , but that which is supposed , is not a part of them . obj. but it is the socinians that say the old testament speaketh of no reward or punishment but in this life . answ. true : but camero ( de tripl . faed . ) and others that rightly understand the matter affirm , that , 1. the law of nature containeth future rewards and punishments in another life , 2. and so doth the covenant of grace made with adam and all mankind in him , and renewed to noah , abraham and the israelites , which by paul is called the promise as distinct from the law. 3. but the law of moses in its own proper nature as such , was only political , and spake but of temporal rewards and punishments . 4. though yet all the faithful were bound to take the law and promise together , and so to have respect both to temporal and eternal things . for the law it self connoted and supposed things eternal as our great concernment . iii. there is more of the law of nature in other parts of moses law , conjunct with the decalogue , than is in the decalogue alone . i will stay no longer in the proof of this , than to cite the places as you do . exod. 23. 13 , 32. & 22. 18 , 20. lev. 20. 1 , 4 , 6. deut. 13. & 17. exod. 23. 24. deut. 12. & 23. lev. 24. & 23. 3. exod. 12. 16. deut. 23. 18. exod. 22. 28. & 23. 20. & 21. 15 , 17. lev. 19. 32. deut. 21. & 1. & 16. & 6. & 11. exod. 21. 12 , 13 , 18 , 20 , 22 , &c. & 22. 2 , 3. lev. 13. 14. & 17. deut. 21. exod. 22. 19. lev. 18. & 19. 29. & 20. deut. 22. exod. 21. 16 , 21 , 32 , 35. & 22. 1. 4. to 17. lev. 19. 30 , 35. deut. 24. & 29. 14. & 21. & 25. exod. 23. 1. to 9. deut. 23. & 24. lev. 19. 11 , 15. exod. 22. 21 , 22. & 25. & 26. & 23. 4. lev. 19. 14 , 16 , 18 , &c. by all this i shew you why , 1. i allow not of your making the word law in the new testament to signifie the decalogue only , or taking them for equipollent terms . 2. why i take not the decalogue and the law of nature , for equipollent termes , or their matter to be of the same extent : and consequently why i take it for no proof that all things in the decalogue are perpetual , because all things in the law of nature are so . chap. v. whether the truest antiquity be for the seventh day sabbath as kept by the churches of christ ? it is here further objected that the seventh day sabbath hath the truest testimonies of antiquity : that it is controvertible when and how the lords day came in ; but the antiquity of the seventh day sabbath is past controversie : that the eastern christians long observed it , and antichrist in the west did turn it into a fast : that the empire of abassia keepeth it to this day . answ. there is enough said of this before , were it not that some objectors causlesly look for more . i answer therefore , 1. that it is true that the sabbath is more ancient than the lords day ; and so is moses more ancient than christ incarnate , and his law than the gospel as delivered by christ and his apostles , and circumcision than baptism , and the passover than the lords supper ; and so every mans conception , nativity , infancie and ignorance was before his maturity and knowledge . and what can you gather from all this ? thus the papists say that their way of religion was in england before ours , and that the reliques of it in our monuments [ orate pro animabus , &c. ] is their standing witness , which we cannot totally deface : and its true , if by our way they mean the reformation of theirs as such : for the cure is ever after the disease : though its false if they speak of our religion it self ; which was here before their errours , as health is before sickness . but they should consider , that by this prerogative the heathens excell us both : and that they may say , you have yet many monuments of our more ancient religion , which you have not been able to obliterate : you still call your week dayes by our ancient names , sunday , munday , &c. your adoration towards the east was fetcht from us , and so were abundance of your customes : which we hope may recover the reputation of our religion . 2. i have shewed you already how and why the eastern christians kept the sabbath : 1. they kept it not as a sabbath , but only met on that day as they did on the fourth and the sixth dayes , ( wednesdayes and fridayes ) as it is used in england to this day . and for the most part they celebrated not the lords supper on that day . and they abhorred the keeping it as a day of rest. 2. they met on that day for all these reasons . 1. because having been used in the beginning to meet every day in the week ( when they had all things common , and were to shew the power of the evangelical doctrine to the height , act. 2. 44 , 45 , 46. & 4. 33 , 34 , 35. ) as they found cause to retrive their community , so did they to meet seldomer , and yet not so seldome as once a week : and therefore as we now keep other meetings for lectures and prayers , besides the lords day , so did they then on wednesdayes , fridayes , and saturdayes . 2. because the conversion of the jews was a great part of their work and hope : and therefore to win them , they would with paul become jews , that is , not affect an unnecessary distance , but come as neer them as lawfully they could . 3. because converted jews were no small part of the eastern churches : who could not easily be quite brought off from jewish customes ; and the rest were unwilling to offend them , being taught not to despise the weak that observed meats and days , rom. 14. & 15. gal. 2. 4. because the assemblies on the seventh day were taken as fit preparatories to the sanctifying of the lords day , on which account the church of england now appointeth them . these things one that is acquainted with church history needeth no proof of . and they are sufficiently proved before . ignatius words before cited are full . and those of the council of laodicea , can. 29. are more full , who do at once appoint meetings on the seventh day , and yet anathematize them that judaize thereon , by bodily rest ; and would have men labour on it , and preferr the lords day before it . justin martyr in his dialogue with trypho , doth largely shew that circumcision and the sabbath are ceased by the coming of christ , and his institutions , and are not now to be used by christians . and what writer have we of full reputation and credibility more ancient than justin , from whom any testimony in this case might be sought ? tertullian ( one of the next ) li. 2. against marcion saith , that the sabbath was for that time , and present occasion , or use , and not for perpetuity . athanasius was one that was for meeting on the sabbath : and yet writeth his book de sab. & circum . purposely to prove that the sabbath is ceased with circumcision as a shadow , and that now the lords day is the sanctified day . and the like he hath most expresly in homil. de semente , as is cited before , saying that , the master being come , the vsher was out of use ; and the sun being risen the lamps are darkened . basil ep. 74. writeth against apollinaris for holding that after the resurrection , we should keep sabbaths , and judaize● ; as if that were the perfection to which christ would restore men . see greg. nazianz. orat. 43. and chrysoft . hom. 19. in mat. 12. against the use of the sabbath . cyril . hieros . cat . 4. & epiphan . against the nazaraei , condemn them for keeping the sabbath and circumcision , though withal they kept the lords day . the same doth epiphanius li. 1. haer. 30. n● 2. and before him eusebius hist. li. 3. say of the ebionites . augustine oft telleth us , that the observation or keeping of the seventh day sabbath is ceased , and not to be done by christians . qu. ex . n. test. 69. ad bonif. l. 3. contr. faust. manich. li. 6. c. 4. de genes . ad lit . l. 4. c. 13. de spir . & lit . c. 14. de util . cred. c. 3. 3. and as for the abassians keeping the sabbath , it s true , they keep that day in some sort : but it is as true , that they use circumcision , and many other jewish ceremonies ; besides oft baptizings ; and that they profess not to use these as the jews do , but only as ancient customes , and as paul did while he complyed with them , using the outward action for other ends than judaizers do . and the rather because they think their emperours descended from solomon . but the lords day they keep on the same account as other christians . and if this instance make any thing for sabbatizing , it will make as much for circumcising , and other jewish rites , but nothing against the sanctifying of the lords day . 4. and as for the matter of fasting on the sabbath , the churches greatly varyed in their customes . the eastern churches , and millan in the west , were against fasting on the sabbath on two accounts , 1. because , as is said , they would not offend the jewes . even as many peaceable non-conformists , who are against many holy dayes now established , do yet forbear labouring and opening their shops on those dayes , because they will not give offence ; yea and go to hear the sermons on those dayes , though they keep them not holy as such dayes . 2. because there were many sorts of hereticks in those times , who held that the world was made by an evil god , and thence came evil , and so they fasted on the seventh day on that reason : which made the christians avoid it lest they should symbolize with those hereticks . and therefore the ( real or pretended ) ignatius speaketh so severely against fasting on the sabbath , as well as on the lords day . and so do the constitutions called the apostles ; yea and the canons called theirs , can. 65. but in the western churches , ( as is aforesaid ) both jews and hereticks were more distant , or less considerable for numbers ; and therefore they fasted on the seventh day , and that the rather lest they should seem by sabbatizing to judaize . which was before antichrists appearing , unless you think all the holy doctors before cited , and all the western churches to be antichristian . having gone thus far i here add two more scripture arguments to prove the abolition of the jewish sabbath . the first is because it is frequently made ( as circumcision is ) a sign of the particular covenant between god , and that nation as they were a political body , and peculiar people . therefore if their policy cease , and gods relation to them as a political body , and peculiar people , and so that political covenant with them , then also the signe of the covenant and relation ceaseth . and though the word [ for ever ] is sometime added , it is no other than is oft added also to the jewish law and ceremonies . 2. from act. 15. where the case is determined by a council of apostles , elders and brethren , yea by the holy ghost . v. 28. it appeareth by v. 24. that the thing asserted by the false teachers was , [ that the gentiles must be circumcised and keep the law ; that is , of moses ] v. 1. now the seventh day sabbath was part of that law ( as sacrificing was , though it was a law before . ) but the holy ghost determineth the case , [ to lay on them no greater burden than these necessary things , ] after named ; where the sabbath is none of them , and therefore hereby shut out . the precepts given to noah are named ( of which the sabbath was not one . ) obj. by this exposition you may say that the rest of the decalogue is excluded : for idolatry , murder , &c. are not here forbidden by name . answ. i have fully proved that the decalogue as written in stone , and part of the law or covenant of moses is not at all in force , especially to the gentiles , nor yet as part of the covenant ( or promise ) of works , made with adam in innocency : for the form of the promissory covenant of works ceased upon mans sin , and the promise of a saviour ; and the form of the mosaical law or covenant never reached to the gentile nations and is ceased to the jews : therefore the matter must cease as it constituted the same covenant , when the forme ceased : and paul saith expresly that this law written in stone is done away : but , 1. the law of nature as a meer law never ceased : 2. and christ hath taken it into his covenant , as part of the matter of it : so that it is wholly in force , though not as part of the covenant of works , either adamical or mosaical . but the sabbath as to the seventh day , was no part of the law of nature , as is proved : and paul expresly saith that it was a shadow of things to come , and is therefore vanished away , col. 2. 16. had it been part of the law of nature , it had bound us as such and as christs law : or had it been one of the enumerated particulars , act. 15. it had bound the neighbour gentiles , pro tempore at least . but being neither , that council dischargeth christians from the observation of it , as far as i can understand the text. finis . postscript . it is long since the foregoing treatise was promised to a person of honourable rank , who was enclined to the jewish sabbath ; but before it was finished , or well begun , i had a sight of a treatise on the same subject , by the late reverend worthy servant of christ mr. hughes of plimouth , which enclined me to take my promised work as unnecessary . but yet some reasons moved me to reassume it . near two moneths after it went from me to the press , the said treatise of mr. hughes first , and after another on the same subject by dr. i. owen came abroad . yet do i not reverse mine , because many witnesses in an age of enmity and neglect , can be no injury to a truth so serviceable to the cause of christianity , and the prosperity of the church , and the good of souls . though if i were one that took the churches prosperity to consist in the riches , grandeur , ease and domination of empire of papal pastors , rather than in the humble , holy , heavenly , self-denying imitation of a crucified christ , i would have forborn a subject which is all for our preparation for a heavenly sabbatism , and carrieth men above the sensual rest of fleshly men , and therefore is so much disrelished by them , rom. 8. 6 , 7 , 8. but supposing it my duty to do what i have done , i think meet to advertise the reader , that when several men treat of the same subject , though they speak the same things in the main , yet usually each of them bringeth some considerable light , which is omitted by the rest : and as the same spirit sets them all on work , so all together give suller evidence to the truth , than any one of them alone . and i hope the concourse of these three tractates doth prognosticate , that ( though the devil hath so contrived the business for the prophane , that like papists , they will hear and read none , but those that are not like to change them ; yet ) god will awaken the sober and serious believers of this age , to a more holy and fruitful improvement of his day ; which will greatly tend to the encrease of real godliness , and consequently to the recovery of the dying hopes of this apostatizing and divided age. but that which moveth me to write this postscript , is to acquaint thee , for the prevention of scandal by any seeming differences in our writings , 1. that it cannot be expected , that all who plead the same cause , should say just the same things for it , for matter and manner of argumentation . 2. that if i own the name sabbath less than some others , and adhere more to the name of the lords day , i do not thereby oppose the use of the name of sabbath absolutely ; nor is that in it self a controversie about the matter , but the name , which though not contemptible , yet is of far less moment than the thing . 3. that if i make not use of so many old testament texts as some others , i do not thereby deny the usefulness of them , nor call you off from the consideration of any argumentation or evidence thence offered you . 4. that if i seem to be more for the cessation of moses law than some others , even of that part which was written in stone , yet no part of the law of nature is thereby denyed by me any more than by any of them ; and they that are angry with me , for writing so much against the antinomians , should not also be angry with me for going no further from them , than the force of truth constraineth me . 5. that you must pardon me for my purposely avoiding the name of the [ moral law ] mr. cawdry and mr. palmer who have written most largely of the sabbath , have told you the reason . i love not such names , as are not fitted to the nature of things , but are fitted to signifie almost what the speaker pleaseth . i know no law which is not formally moral , as being regula actionum moralium . and men may if they will , as well confine the signification of the word [ law ] it self , as of a [ moral law ] nor doth use it self sufficiently notifie the distinguishing signification of it : for one meaneth by that name , all the law of nature as such . another meaneth only so much of the law of nature as is common to all mankind . another meaneth all positive laws of supernatural revelation , which are perpetual and universal , as well as the law of nature . therefore without finding fault with others , it sufficeth me to distinguish laws by such names as plainly signifie the intended difference . and though by the law of nature , i mean not formally the same thing that some others do , i have sufficiently opened my sense and the reasons of it , in my reasons of the christian religion . 6. that they who say , that the old covenant , or the covenant of works made by moses with the jews is abrogate or ceased , and the decalogue as a part of , or belonging to that covenant , do say the same thing that i do , when i maintain that the decalogue and whole law as mosaical is ceased , but that all the natural part is by christ assumed into his law or covenant of grace . for it is the same thing which is denominated the law ( of moses , or of christ ) from the preceptive part , and and a covenant from the terms , or sanction , especially the promissory part . nor is there any part of the law of moses , which was not a part of the mosaical covenant . and if the form cease which denominateth , the being and denomination ceaseeth , and all the parts as parts of that which ceaseth . so that if the covenant of works made with the jews cease ( which camero calleth a third or middle covenant , and several men do variously denominate , but the scripture calleth the old , or former covenant , or testament , or disposition ) then all the law as part of that covenant ceaseth : and that is as much as to say also that it ceaseth as meerly mosaical , or political to the jews . and then the argument is vain , this or that word was written in the tables of stone : therefore it is of perpetual obligation . for as it was written in stone , it was mosaical , and is done away ; and under the new covenant all that is natural and continued , shall by the spirit be written upon the heart ; whence sin at first did obliterate it . 7. that as the rest of god in the creation is described by a cessation from his work , with a complacency in the goodness of it : but christs rest is described more by vital activity and operation , than by cessation from work , even his triumphant resurrection as the conquest of death , and beginning of a new life : so i think the old sabbath is more described by such corporeal rest , or cessation from work , which was partly ceremonial , or a signifying shadow , and that the word sabbath is never used in the scripture , but for such a day of ceremonial rest ( though including holy worship ) . but that the lords day and its due observation is more described by spiritual activity and operation , in the spiritual resurrection of the soul , and its new life to god ; and that the bodily rest is no longer ceremonial or shadowy , but fitted to the promoting and subserving of the spiritual activity and complacency in god and holy exercises of the mind , as the body it self is to the service of the soul. 8. that i am not ignorant that many of the english divines long ago expound matth. 24. 20. of the christian sabbath , and col. 2. 16. as exclusive of the jewish weekly sabbath : but so do not most expositors , for which i think they give very good reasons , which i will not stand here to repeat . 9. that i intended not a full and elaborate treatise of the lords day , but a brief explication of that method of proof which i conceive most easie and convincing , and fittest for the use of doubting christians ; who are many of them lost in doubts in the multitude and obscurity of arguments from the old testament : when i think that the speedy and satisfactory dispatch of the controversie is best made by a plain proof of the institution of christ by the holy ghost in the apostles ; which i thought to have shewed in two or three sheets , but that the necessity of producing some evidence of the fact , and answering other mens objections , drew it out to greater length . and my method required me to say more of the practice of antiquity , than some other mens . but again , i must give notice that dr. t. ysoungs dies dominica is the book which i agree with in the method and middle way of determining this controversie , and which i take to be the strongest written of it : and that i omit most which he hath , as taking mine but as an appendix to his , and desire him that will write against mine , to answer both together , or else i shall suppose his work to be undone . errata . page 19 line 23 and 24 for there put the● . p 21 l 20 blo●t out ( of the conclusion ) p 30 l 10 for pentecost r passov●● . p 35 l. 4 r ( canon . council . trul. ) p 181 l 13 r george walker . and in my defence of the principles of love the errata being not gathered , the reader is desired part : 2. page 92 line 3 for the verb to read the word . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26918-e1260 * * i speak only de facto , how the antients used these words . the christians converse with god, or, the insufficiency and uncertainty of human friendship and the improvement of solitude in converse with god with some of the author's breathings after him / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1693 approx. 208 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 92 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26896 wing b1222 estc r14884 12542378 ocm 12542378 62989 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26896) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62989) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:1) the christians converse with god, or, the insufficiency and uncertainty of human friendship and the improvement of solitude in converse with god with some of the author's breathings after him / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. divine life. viii, [4], 167, [1] p. printed for john salusbury ..., london : 1693. the third treatise of: the divine life. cf. bm. page 5 print faded in the filmed copy. pages 1-25 photographed from bodleian library copy and inserted at the end. advertisements: p. [3]-[4] at beginning and p. [1] at end. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng god -worship and love. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 melanie sanders sampled and proofread 2004-05 melanie sanders text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the christians converse with god , or , the insufficiency and vncertainty of human friendship and the improvement of solitude in converse with god ; with some of the author's breathings after him . by richard baxter . recommended to the reader 's serious thoughts when at the house of mourning , and in retirement . by mr. matth. silvester . london , printed for john salusbury , at the rising sun over against the royal exchange in cornhill . 1693. to the reader· this excellent discourse , breathing the excellence of it's ( now deceased ) authors spirit , craves thy most serious perusal ; and it will plentifully reward the hours which shall be spent thereon . it greatly savours of deep thoughts , strict observations , and long and great experience of god , of things , and persons . creatures look best when at a distance , and in prospect ; but when nearer to us , they are then easily looked through , and seldom found to correspond with their appearances to us , and with our expectations from them . but god is such a deep and boundless abyss of perfection , as most delightfully will endure and recompence all the severity and closeness of our eternal thoughts about him . perfected spirits are all thought concerning god , and find their hearts enflamed , and all their powers invigorated thereby eternally , to inexpressible satisfaction : and what varieties of pleasant thoughts the innumerable instances and mirrours of divine excellencies in the heavens will endlesly minister unto , i do not know , nor dare i guess too boldly at them . but how those souls can look for heaven , or truly be accounted gracious , who never retire solemnly to converse with god , i know not . surely , where god is not more than all to us , he can be comfortably nothing : and our religious exercises and pretences must needs be mean and dull , whilst god is triflingly and seldom thought on , and conversed with by us . can holy walking be preserved and promoted without love ? can love to god and christ , and to the invisible state , be kindled , cherished , and continually advanced without faith ? can faith be any thing but fancy and presumption , without thought and knowledge ? and can the life of faith , hope , love , and holy walking , be fixt and vigorous , and proficient , without our serious and frequent representations of god unto our selves by solemn contemplations of his excellent perfections , free communications , plentiful provisions , and glorious designs , whereto he hath entitled us , seeing our religion and devotions in all the parts thereof can have no life and soul but this ? what is it to converse with god in solitude , but to actuate our thoughts of what we know concerning god in christ , and to accomodate them to all the needful and useful purposes of religion and devotion ; and to make thoughts solemnly serviceable to the great ends thereof , viz. our due and seasonable representations of our god to us , and of our selves to him in christ , pursuant to the stated and occasional ends and interests of christian godliness , as the matter may require ? conversing thus with god , wants not its great advantages in life and death . and if these thoughts contained in this book , ( which did so greatly reconcile the author to the thoughts of his then approaching , but now experienced death , ) were more in exercise at funeral solemnities , and this book then put into the hands of mourners , it would be no matter of repentance that i know of . these are the hasty thoughts and sentiments of thine in and for the lord , whilst matthew sylvester . london , sept. 12. 1692. the contents· the context opened . p. 1 why christ was forsaken by his disciples . p. 6. use 1. expect by the forsaking of your friends to be conformed unto christ : reasons for your expectation . p. 12 the aggravations of their forsaking you . p. 34 some quieting considerations . p. 38 the order of forms in the school of christ. p. 51 the disciples scattered every man to his own . p. 57. selfishness contrary to friendly fidelity . p. 58. considerations to quiet us in the death of faithful friends . p. 60 whether we shall know them in heaven . p. 71 whether creatures be any matter of our comfort in heaven . p. 73. quest. shall i have any more comfort in present friends than in others ? p. 76 doct. 3. when all forsake us , and leave us ( as to them ) alone , we are far from being simply alone , because god is with us . p. 80. the advantages of having god with us . p. 81 quest. how he is with us . p. 82 use. 1. imitate christ : live upon god alone , though men forsake you ; yet thrust not your selves into solitude uncalled . p. 91 in what cases solitude is lawful and good . p. 92 reasons against unnecessary solitude . p. 94 the comfort of converse with god in necessary solitude . the benefits of solitude . the reasons from god. improved largely in some meditations . p. 102.111 directions for conversing with god in solitude . p. 149 concluded in further meditation . p. 160 a caution . p. 166 books printed for john salusbury in cornhill . the certainty of the worlds of spirits , fully evinced by unquestionable histories of apparitions and witchcrafts , operations , voices , &c. proving the immortality of souls , the malice and miseries of the devils and the damned , and the blessedness of the justified . by richard baxter . an end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches , by ●econciling explication without much disputing . by richard baxter . the protestant religion truly stated and justified , by the late reverend divine mr. richard baxter : whereunto is added by way of an epistle , some account of the learned author , never before published . by mr. matth. sylvester and mr. daniel williams . the harmony of the divine attributes , in the contrivance and accomplishment of mans redemption by the lord jesus christ. by william bates , d. d. the changableness of this world , with respect to nations , families , and particular persons ; with a practial application thereof to the various conditions of this mortal life . by timothy rogers , m. a. the christian lover , or a discourse opening the nature of participation with , and demonstrating the necessity of purification by christ. by t. cruse . the duty and blessing of a tender conscience , plainly stated and earnestly recommended to all that regard acceptance with god , and the prosperity of their souls . by the same author . five sermons on various occasions . by the same author . the mirrour of divine love unvail'd , in a paraphrase on the high and misterious song of solomon . by robert fleming . v. d. m. the mourners memorial , in two sermons on the death of the truly pious mrs. susannah some . with some account of her life and death . by t. wright , and robert fleming . v. d. m. a new examination of the accidence and grammar , in english and latin , wherein all the rules of properi quae maribus , que genus , as in presenti , sintax , and praesodia , are made plain and easie , that the meanest capacity may speedily learn the latin tongue . of conversing with god , &c. joh. xvi . 32 . behold , the hour cometh , ye● is come ▪ that ye shall be scattered every man to his own , and shall leave me alone ▪ and yet i am not alone , because the father is with me . i am this day to handle the instance of [ christ's being forsaken by his friends and followers . ] he thought meet to foret●ll them , how they should ▪ manifest their infirmity and untrustiness in this temporary forsaking of him , that so he might fullyer convince them , that he knew what was in man , and that he knew future contingencies ( or things to come , which seem most dependent on the will of man ) and that he voluntarily submitted to his deserted state , and expected no support from creatures , but that man should then do least for christ , when christ was doing most for man ; that man by an unthankful forsaking christ , should then manifest his forsaken deplorate state , when christ was to make atonement for his reconciliation to god , and was preparing the most costly remedy for his recovery . he foretold them of the fruit which their infirmity would produce , to humble them that were apt to think too highly of themselves for the late free confession they had made of christ , when they had newly said [ now we are sure that thou knowest all things : by this we are sure , that thou comest forth from god , ver . 30. he answereth them [ do ye now believe ? behold , the hour cometh , &c. ] not that christ would not have his servants know his graces in them , but he would also have them know the corruption that is latent , and the infirmity consistent with their grace . we are very apt to judge of all that is in us , and of all that we shall do hereafter , by what we feel at the present upon our hearts . as when we feel the stirring of some corruption , we are apt to think that there 〈◊〉 nothing else , and hardly perceive the contrary grace , and are apt to think it will never be better with us : so when we feel the exercise of faith , desire or love , we are apt to overlook the contrary corruptions , and to think that we shall never feel them more . but christ would keep us both humble and vigilant ▪ by acquainting us with the mutability and unconstancy of our minds . when it goes well with us , we forget that the time is coming when it may go worse . as christ said to his disciples , he●e in the case of believing , we may say to our selves in that and other 〈◊〉 ▪ do we now believe ? it is well● but the time may be coming in which we may be brought to shake with th● stirrings of our remaining unbelief , and shrewdly tempted to question the 〈◊〉 of ch●istianity it self , and of the ●oly scriptures , and of the life to come . do we now rejoyce in the persuasions of the love of god ? the time may be coming when we may think our selves forsaken and undone , and think he will esteem and use us as his enemies . do we now pray with fervour , and pour out our souls enlargedly to god ? it is well : but the time may be coming when we shall seem to be as dumb and prayerless , and say , we cannot pray , or else we find no audience and acceptance of our prayers . christ knoweth that in us which we little know by our selves ; and therefore may foreknow , that we will commit such sins , or fall into such dangers , as we little fear . what christ here prophesieth to them did afterwards all come to pass . as soon as ever danger and trouble did appear , they began to flag , and to shew how ill they could adhere unto him or suffer with him , without his special corroborating grace . in the garden when he was sweating blood in prayer , they were sleeping ; though the spirit was willing , the flesh was weak : they could not ▪ watch with him one hour , mat. 26.40 , 41. when he was apprehended , they shifted each man for himself , mat. 26.56 . [ then all the disciples forsook him and fled . and as this is said to be that the scriptures might be fulfilled , mat. 26.54 , 56. so it might be said to be , that this prediction of christ himself might be fulfilled . not that scripture prophesies did cause the sin by which they were fulfilled , nor that god caused the sin to fulfill his own predictions , but that god cannot be deceived who foretold in scriptures long before , that thus it would come to pass : when it is said , that [ thus it must be , that the scripture may be fulfilled ] the meaning is not that [ thus god 〈…〉 but only necess●●● 〈…〉 ; a logical necessity in 〈…〉 noscendi & dicendi ; nor a 〈…〉 in ordine essendi : 〈…〉 of the thing it self as caused by 〈◊〉 prediction or decree ; but a 〈◊〉 of the truth of this 〈…〉 ; [ such a thing will b● , 〈…〉 hath decreed , foreknown or foretold 〈◊〉 or [ whatever god foretelleth , must nescessarily come to pass , that is , will certainly come to pass : but this god hath foretold ; therefore this will come to pass . ] here are three observable points in the text , that are worthy our distinct consideration , though for brevity sake i shall handle them together . 1. that christ was forsaken by his own disciples , and left alone . 2. when the disciples left christ , they were scattered every one to his own . they returned to their old habitations , and old acquaintance , and old employment , as if their hopes and hearts had been almost broken , and they had lost all their labour in following christ so long : yet the root of faith and love that still remained , caused them to enquire further of the end , and to come together in secret to confer about these matters . 3. when christ was forsaken of his disciples , and left alone , yet was he not forsaken of his father , nor left so alone as to be separated from him or his love . we 〈◊〉 ●ow ●o consider of this , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a part of christs humiliation , 〈…〉 as a point in which we must 〈◊〉 to be conformed to him . it may possibly seem strange to us , that christ would suffer all his disciples to forsake him in his extremity ; and i doubt it will seem strange to us , when in our extremity , and our suffering for christ ( and perhaps for them ) we shall find our selves forsaken by those that we most highly valued , and had the greatest familiarity with . but there are many reasons of this permissive providence open to our observation . 1. no wonder , if when christ was suffering for sin , he would even then permit the power and odiousness of sin to break forth , that it might be known he suffered not in vain . no wonder , if he permitted his followers to 〈◊〉 him , and to shew the latent 〈◊〉 and selfishness , and unthankfulness tha● remained in them , that so they might know , that the death of christ was as necessary for them as for others ; and the universality of the disease might shew the need that the remedy should be vniversal . and it is none of christs intent to make his servants to seem better than they are , to themselves or others , or to honour himself by the hiding of their faults , but to magnifie his pardoning and healing grace , by the means or occasion of the sins which he pardoneth and healeth . 2. h●reby he will bring his followers to the fuller knowledge of themselves , and shew them that which all their days should keep them humble , and watchful , and save them from p●●●sumption and trusting in themselves : when we have made any full confession of christ , or done him any considerable service , we are apt to say with the disciples , mat. 19.27 . [ behold , we have forsaken all , and followed thee ; vvhat shall we have ? ] as if they had rather been givers to christ , than receivers from him ; and had highly 〈…〉 his hands : but when 〈…〉 him , and the rest shift for them●●lves , and when they come to themselves after such cowardly and ungrateful dealings , then they will be●ter understand their weakness , and know on whom they must de●end . 3. hereby also they shall better understand what they would have been , if god had le●t them to themselves , that so they may be thankful for grace received , and may not boast themselves against the miserable world , as if they had made themselves to differ , and had not received all that grace by which they excel the common sort : when our falls have hu●t us and shamed us , we shall know to whom we must be beholden to support us . 4. christ would permit his disciples thus far to forsake him , because he would have no support from man , in his sufferings for man : this was part of his voluntary humiliation , to ●e deprived of all earthly comforts , and to be●r affliction even from those few , that b●t lately were his faithful servants : that men dealing like men , and sinners , while he was doing like god , and as a saviour , no man might challenge to himself the honour of contributing to the redemption of the world , so much as by encouraging the redeemer . 5. christ did permit the faith and courage of his disciples thus far to fail , that their witness to him might be of the greater credit and authority , when his actual resurrection and the communication of the spirit should compel them to believe : when all their doubts were dissipated , they that had doubted themselves , and yet were constrained to believe , wo●ld be received as the most impartial witnesses by the doubting world . 6. lastly , by the desertion and dissipation of his disciples , christ would teach us whenever we are called to follow him in suffering , what to expect from the best of men ; even to know that of themselves they are untrusty , and may fail us : and therefore not to look for too much assistance or encouragement from them . paul lived in a time when christians were more self-denying and stedfast than they are now : and paul was one that might better expect to be faithfully accompanied in his sufferings for christ , than any of us : and yet he saith , 2 tim. 4.16 . [ at my first answer no man stood with me , but all men forsook me : ] and prayeth , that it be not laid to their charge : thus you have seen some reasons why christ consented to be left of all , and permitted his disciples to desert him in his sufferings . yet note here , that it is but a partial temporary forsaking that christ permitteth ▪ and not a total or final forsaking or apostasie . though he will let them see that they are yet men , yet will he not leave them to be but as other men : nor will he quite cast them off , or suffer them to perish . nor is it all alike that thus forsake him ; peter doth not do as iudas : the sincere may manifest their infirmity ; but the hypocrites will manifest their hypocrisie . and accordingly in our sufferings our familiars that were fals-hearted ( as being worldlings and carnal at the heart may perhaps betray us , and set against us , or forsake the cause of christ , and follow the way of gain and honour : when our tempted shrinking friends that yet may have some sincerity , may perhaps look strange at us , and seem not to know us , and may hide their heads , and shew their fears ; and perhaps also begin to study some self-deceiving arguments and distinctions , and to stretch their consciences , and venture on some sin , because they are afraid to venture on affliction ; till christ shall cast a gracious rebuking quickning aspect on them , and shame them for their sinful shame , & fear them from their sinful fears , and inflame their love to him by the motions of his love to them , and destroy the love that turned them for him : and then the same men that dishonourably failed christ and us , and began to shrink , will turn back and re-assume their arms , and by patient suffering overcome , and win the crown as we have done before them . vse . christians , expect to be conformed to your lord in this part of his humiliation also : are your friends yet fast and friendly to you ? for all that expect that many of them at least should prove less friendly : and promise not your selves an unchanged constancy in them : are they yet useful to you ? expect the time when they cannot help you : are they your comforters and delight , and is their company much of your solace upon earth ? be ready for the time when they may become your sharpest scourges , and most heart-peircing grief● , or at least whom you shall say , we have no pleasure in them . have any of them , or all , already failed you ? what wonder ? are they not men , and sinners ? to whom were they ever so constant . as not to fail them ? rebuke your selves for your unwarrantable expectations from them ▪ and learn hereafter to know what man is ; and expect that friends should use you as followeth . 1· some of them that you thought sincere , shall prove perhaps unfaithful and dissemblers , and upon fallings out , or matters of self-interest may seek your ruine . are you better than david that had an achitophel ? or than paul that had a domas ? or than christ that had a iudas ? some will forsake god : what wonder then if they forsake you ? because iniquity shall abound , the love of many shall wax cold , mat. 24.12 ▪ where pride and vain glory , and sensuality and worldliness are unmortified at the heart , there is no trustiness in such persons : for their wealth , or honour , or fleshly interest , they will part with god and their salvation ; much more with their best deserving friends . why may not you as well as iob have occasion to complain , [ he hath put my brethren far from me , and my acquaintance are very estranged from me : my kin●folk have failed , and my familiar friends have ●●●actten me : they that dwell in my house , and my maiden● count me for a stranger , i am an alien in their sight : i called my servant , and he gave me no answer , i intreated him with my mouth● my breath is strange to my wife ; though i intreated for the childrens sake of my own body : yea , young children dispised me : i arose , and they spake ●gainst me : all my inward friends abhorred me : and they whom i loved are turned against me , job 19.13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 1● , 19. why may not you as well as david be put to sav , yea mine own familiar friend in whom i trusted , which did eat of my bread , hath lift up his heel against me ! ] psal. 41.9 . those that have been most acquainted with the secrets of your soul , and privy to your very thoughts , may be the persons that shall betray you , or grow strange to you . those that you have most obliged by benefits , may prove your greatest enemies . you may find some of your friends like birds of prey , that hover about you for what they can get , and when they have catcht it , fly away . if you have given them all that you have , they will forsake you , and perhaps reproach you , because you have no more to give them . they are your friends more for what they yet expect from you , than for what they have already received . if you cannot still be helpful to them , or feed their covetous desires , or supply their wants , you are to them but as one that they had never known . many a faithful minister of christ hath studied , and preacht , and prayed , and wept for their peoples souls , and after all have been taken for their enemies , and used as such ; yea even because they have done so much for them . like the patient , that being cured of a mortal sickness , sued his physician at law for making him sick with the physick ( but it is indeed our uncured patients only that are offended with us . ) paul was accounted an enemy to the galathians , because he told them the truth . ungrateful truth maketh the faithfullest preachers most ungrateful . it must seem no wonder to a preacher of the gospel , when he hath entreated , prayed , and wept night and day for miserable souls , and laid his hands as it were under their feet in hopes of their conversion and salvation , to find them after all , his bitter enemies , and seeking his destruction , that could have laid down his life for their salvation . ieremy seemed too impatient under this affliction , when he said [ give heed to me , o lord , and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me : shall evil be recompensed for good ? remember that i stood before thee to speak good for them , and to turn away thy wrath from them : therefore deliver up their children to the famine , and pour out their blood by the force of the s●●ond , &c. jer. 18 , 19 , 20. thus may ingratitude afflict you , and kindness be requited with unkindness , and the greatest benefits be forgotten , and requited with the greatest wrongs : your old familiars may be your foes : and you may be put to say as ieremy [ for i heard the defaming of many : fear on every side : report , say they , and we will report it : all my familiars watched for my halting , saying , peradventure he will be enticed , and we shall prevail against him , and we shall take our revenge on him . ] jer. 20.10 . thus must the servants of christ be used , in conformity to their suffering head. 2. and some that are sincere , and whose hearts are with you , may yet be drawn by temptation to disown you : when malice is slandering you , timerous friendship may perhaps be silent ▪ and afrai● to just●fie you or take your part . when a peter in such imbecility and fear can disown and deny his suffering lord , what wonder if faint hearted friends disown you , or me , that may give them too much occasion or pretence ? why may not you and i be put to say as david did , psal. 38.11 , 12. [ my lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore , and my kinsmen stand afar off : they that seek after my life lay snares for me : and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things , and imagine deceits all the day long . ] they that in fearfulness will ●ail their maker and redeemer , and hazard their salvation , may by a smaller temptation be drawn to fail such friends as we . 3. moreover , a hundred things may 〈…〉 action or 〈…〉 may cause passions in 〈…〉 these may grow so high till 〈…〉 seem to one another to be like 〈◊〉 : paul and barnabas may grow so hot , as to fall out to a parture . how easily can satan let fire on the tinder which he findeth in the best and gentlest natures , if god permit him ? no friends so near and dear , that passionate weaknesses may not either alienate or make a grief to one another ; how apt are we to take unkindnesses at one another , and to be suspicious of ou● friends , or offended with them ? and how apt to give occasion of such offence ? how apt are we to censure one another , and to misinterpret the words and actions of our friends ? and how apt to give occasion of such mistakes and cutting censures ? and the more kindness we have found in , or expected from our friends , the more their real or supposed injuries will affect us . we are apt to say , [ had it been a stranger , i could have born it : but to be used thus by my bosom or familiar friend , goes near my heart . ] and indeed the unkindness of friends is no small affliction● th● suffering going usually as near the hea●t , as the person that caused it was near it : especially when our own weakness causeth us to forget the frailty and infirmities of man , and with what allowances and expectations we must choose and use our friends ; and when we forget the love that remaineth in the midst of passions . 4. also cross interests and unsuitableness may exceedingly interrupt the fastest friend●hip . friendship is very much founded in suitableness , and maintained by it : and among mortals , there is no perfect s●it●bleness to be found ; but much unsuitablen●ss still remaineth . that which pleaseth one , is displeasing to another : one li●eth this place , and the other that : one liketh this habit , and the other that : one is for mirth , and the other fo● sadness : one for talk , and the other for silence : one for a publick , and the other for a private life . and their personallity or individuation having self love as inseparable , will unavoidably ●●use a contrariety of interests . the creature is insufficient for us : if one have it , perhaps the other must want it : like a covering too narrow for the bed . sometimes our ●●puta●ions seem to stand a 〈◊〉 , so that one mans is diminished by anothers : and then how apt is envy to create a grudge , and raise unfriendly jealousies and distastes . sometimes the commodity of one is the discommodity of the other : and then [ mine and thine ] ( which are contrary to the community of friendship ) may divide and alienate , and make two of those that seemed one . the instances of abraham and lot ( upon the differen●e among their servants ) and of isaac and ishmael , and of ●acob and esau , and of ●ban and iacob , and of leah and rachel● and of ioseph and his brethren , and of saul and david , and of ziba mephibosheth and david , with many oth●rs tell us this . it is rare to meet with a ionathan , that will endearedly love that man to the death , who is appointed to deprive him of a kingdom . if one can but say [ i suffer by him , or i am a looser by him ] it seemeth enough to excuse unfriendly thoughts and actions . when you can gratifie the desires of all the covetous , ambitious , self-seeking persons in the world , or else cure their diseases , and possess their minds with perfect c●●rity , then ●ll the 〈…〉 hath over and over again given 〈…〉 as full and sad demonstrations of th● 〈◊〉 of cross opinions , to alienate 〈◊〉 and make divisions , as most ages of the world have ever had . if your friend 〈◊〉 proud , it 's wonderful how he will ●ligh● you , and withdraw his love , if you 〈◊〉 not of his mind ▪ if he be zealous , he is easily tempted , to think it a part of his duty to god , to disown you if you differ from him , as taking you for one that disowneth the truth of god , and therefore one that god himself disowneth ; or at least to grow cold in his affection toward you , and to decline from you , as he that thinks you do from god. as agreement in opinions doth strangely reconcile affections ; so disagreement doth secretly and strangely alienate them ; even before you are well aware , your friend hath lost possession of your hearts , because of an unavoidable diversity of apprehensions : when all your friends have the same intellectual complexion and temperature , and measure of understanding with your selves , then you may have hope to escape the ruptures , which unlikeliness and differences of apprehensions might else cause . 6. moreover , some of your friends may so far overgrow you in wisdom , or wealth , or honour , or worth , in their own conceits , that they may begin to take you to be unsuitable for them , and unmeet for their further special friendship . alas poor man , they will pity thee that thou art no wiser , and that thou hast no greater light to change thy mind as fast as they , or that thou art so weak and ignorant as not to see what seems to them so clear a truth ; or that thou art so simple to cast away thy self by crossing them that might prefer thee , or to f●ll under the displeasure of those that have power to raise or ruine thee : but if thou be so simple , thou mayest be the object of their lamentation , but art no familiar friend for them . they think it fittest to close and converse with those of their own rank and stature , and not with such shrubs and children , that may prove their trouble and dishonour . 7. and some of your friends will think that by a more through acquaintance with you , they have found out more of your infirmities or faults ; and therefore have found that you are less aimable and valuable than at first they judged you : they will think that by distance , unacquaintedness , and an over-hasty love and judgment , they were mistaken in you ; and that now they see reason to repent of the love which they think was guilty of some errors and excess : when they come nearer you , and have had more tryal of you , they will think they are fitter to judge of you than before : and indeed our defects are so many , and all our infirmities so great , that the more men know us , the more they may see in us that deserveth pity or reproof ; and as pictures , we appear less beautiful at the nearest view : though this will not warrant the withdrawing of that love which is due to friends , and to vertue even in the imperfect : nor will excuse that alienation and decay of friendship that is caused by the pride of such as overlook , perhaps much greater failings and weaknesses in themselves , which need forgiveness . 8. and perhaps some of your friends will grow weary of their friendship , having that infirmity of humane nature , not to be much pleased with one thing long . their love is a flower that quickly withereth : it is a short liv'd thing that soon groweth old . it must be novelty that must feed their love and their delight . 9. and perhaps they may have got some better friends in their apprehensions , that may have so much interest as to take them up , and leave no room for antient friends . it may be they have met with those that are more suitable , or can be more useful to them : that have more learning , or wit , or wealth , or power , than you have , and therefore seem more worthy of their friendship . 10. and some of them may think when you ( are in a low and suffering state , and in danger of worse , that it is part of their duty of self-preservation to be strange to you though in heart they wish you well ) they will think they are not bound to hazard themselves upon the displeasure of superiours , to own or befriend you or any other : though they must not desert christ , they think they may desert a man for their own preservation . to avoid both extreams in such a case , men must both study to understand which way is most serviceable to christ , and to his church , and withal to be able to deny themselves , and also must study to understand what christ meaneth in his final sentence [ in as much as you did it ( or did it not ) to one of the least of these my brethren , you did it ( or did it not ( to me . ] as if it were to visit the contagious , we must neither cast away our lives to do no good , or for that which in value holdeth no proportion with them ; nor yet must we deny to run any hazard when it is indeed our duty : so is it in our visiting those that suffer for the cause of christ : ( but that here the owning them being the co●fessing of him , we need more seldom to fear being too forward . ) 11. and some of your friends may cover their faithfulness with the pretence of some fault that you have been guilty of , some errour that you hold , or some unhansom or culpable act that you have done , or some duty that you have left undone or failed in . for they think there is not a better shelter for their unfaithfulness , then to pretend for it the name and cause of god , and so to make a duty of their sin . who would not justifie them , if they can but prove , that god requireth them , and religion o●ligeth th●m to forsake you f●r your faults ? there are few crimes in the world that by some are not fathered on god ( that most hateth them ) as thinking no name can so much honour them . false friends therefore use this means as well as other hypocrites : and though god is love , and condemneth nothing more than uncharitableness & malice , yet these are commonly by falsha●ted hypocrites , called by pious vertuous names , and god himself is entitled to them : so that few worldlings , ambitious persons or timeservers , but will confidently pretend religion for all their falshood to their friends , or bloody cruelty to the servants of christ , that comply not with their carnal interest . 12. perhaps some of your friends may really mistake your case , and think that you suffer as evil doers , and instead of comforting you , may be your sharpest censurers : this is one of the most notable things set out to our observation in the book of iob : it was not the smallest part of his affliction , that when the hand of god was heavy upon him , and then if ever was the time for his friends to have been his comforters , and friends indeed , on the contrary they became his scourge , and by unjust accusations , and misinterpretations of the providence of god , did greatly add to his affliction ! when god had taken away his children , wealth and health , his friends would take away the reputation and comfort of his integrity ; and under pretence of bringing him to repentance , did charge him with that which he was never guilty of ; they wounded his good name , and would have wounded his conscience , and deprived him of his inward peace : censorious false accusing friends do cut deeper then malicious slandring enemies . it is no wonder if strangers or enemies do misjudge and misreport our actions : but when your bosom friends , that should most intimately know you , and be the cheif witness of your innocency against all others , shall in their jealousie , or envy , or peevishness ▪ or falling out , be your chief reproachers and unjust accusers , as it makes it serve more credible to others , so it will come nearest to your selves . and yet this is a thing that must be expected : yea even your most self-denying acts of obedience to god , may be so misunderstood by godly men , and real friends , as by them to be taken for your great miscarriage , and turned to your rebuke : as davids dancing before the ark was by his wife ; which yet did but make him resolve to be yet more vile : if you be cast into poverty , or disgrace , or prison , or banishment , for your necessary obedience to christ , perhaps your friend or wife may become your accuser for this greatest service , and say , this is your own doing : your rashness , or indiscretion , or self-conceitedness , or willfulness hath brought it upon you : what need had you to say such words , or to do this or that ? why could not you have yeilded in so small a matter ? ] perhaps your costliest and most excellent obedience shall by your nearest friends be called the fruits of pride , or humour , or passion , or some corrupt affection , or at least of folly and inconsiderateness . when flesh and blood hath long been striving in you against your duty , and saying , [ do not cast away thy self : o serve not god at so dear a rate : god doth not require thee to undo thy self : why shouldest thou not avoid so great inconveniences ? ] when with much ado you have conquered all your carnal reasonings , and denyed your selves and your carnal interest ; you must expect even from some religious friends , to be accused for these very actions , and perhaps their accusations may fasten such a blot upon your names , as shall never be washed out till the day of judgment . by difference of interests , or apprehensions , and b● unacquaintedness with your hearts , and actions , the righteousness of of the righteous may be thus taking from him , and friends may do the work of enemies , yea of satan himself the accuser of the brethren ; and may prove as thorns in your bed , and gravel in your shoes , yea in your eyes , and wrong you much more than open adversaries could have done . how is it like to go with that mans reputation , you may easily judge , whose friends are like iobs , and his enemies like davids , that lay snares before him , and diligently watch for matter of reproach : yet this may befall the best of men . 13. you may be permitted by god to fall into some real crime , and then your friends may possibly think it is their duty to disown you , so far as you have wronged god : when you provoke god to frown upon you , he may cause your friends to frown upon you : if you fall out with him , and grow strange to him , no marvel if your truest friends fall out with you , and grow strange to you . they love you for your godliness , and for the sake of christ ; and therefore must abate their love if you abate your godliness ; and must for the sake of christ be displeased with you for your sins . and if in such a case of real guilt , you should be displeased at their displeasure , and should expect that your friend should befriend your sin , or carry himself towards you in your guilt as if you were innocent , you will but shew that you understand not the nature of true friendship , nor the use of a true friend ; and are yet your selves too friendly to your sins . 14. moreover , those few friends that are truest to you , may be utterly unable to relieve you in your distress , or to give you ease , or do you any good . the case may be such that they can but pity you and lament your sorrows , and weep over you : you may see in them that man is not as god , whose friendship can accomplish all the good that he desireth to his friends . the wisest and greatest and best of men are silly comforters , and uneffectual helps : you may be sick , and pained , and grieved , and distressed , notwithstanding any thing that they can do for you : nay , perhaps in their ingnorance , they may increase your misery , while they desire your relief ; and by striving indirectly to help and ease you , may tye the knot faster and make you worse . they may provoke those more against you that oppress you , while they think they speak that which would tend to set you free : they may think to ease your troubled minds by such words as shall increase the trouble : or to deliver you as peter would have delivered christ , and saved his saviour , first by carnal counsel , math. 16.22 . [ be it far from thee lord , this shall not be unto thee ] and then by carnal unjust force , ( by drawing his sword against the officers . ) love and good meaning will not prevent the mischiefs of ignorance and mistake . if your friend cut your throat while he thought to cut but a vein to cure your disease , it is not his friendly meaning that will save your lives . many a thousand sick people are killed by their friends , that attend them with an earnest desire of their life ; while they ignorantly give them that which is contrary to their disease , and will not be the ●ess pernicious for the good meaning of the giver . who have more tender affections than mothers to their children ? and yet a great part of the calamity of the world of sickness , and the misery of mans life , proceedeth from the ignorant and erroneous indulgence of mothers to their children , who to please them , let them eat and drink what they will , and use them to excess and gluttony in their childhood , till nature be abused and ma●tered and clogged with those superfluities and crudities , which are the dunghill matter of most of the following diseases of their lives . i might here also remember you how your friends may themselves be overcome with a temptation , and then become the more dangerous tempters of you , by how much the greater their interest is in your affections . if they be infected with error , they are the likest persons to ensnare you : if they be tainted with covetousness or pride , there is none so likely to draw you to the same sin : and so your friends may be in effect your most deadly enemies , deceivers and destroyers . 15. and if you have friends that are never so firm and constant , they may prove ( not only unable to relieve you ) but very increasing to your grief . if they are afflicted in the participation of your sufferings , as your troubles are become theirs ( without your ease ) so their trouble for you will become yours , and so your stock of sorrow will be encreased and they are mortals , and liable to distress as well as you . and therefore they are like to bear their share in several sorts of sufferings : and so friendship will make their sufferings to be yours : their sicknesses and pains , their fears and griefs , their wants and dangers will all be yours . and the more they are your hearty friends , the more they will be yours . and so you will have as many additions to the proper burden of your griefs , as you have suffering friends : when you do but hear that they are dead , you say as thomas , joh. 11.16 . [ let us also go that we may die with him . ] and having many such friends you will almost always have one or other of them in distress ; and so be seldom free from sorrow ; besides all that which is properly your own . 16. lastly , if you have a friend that is both true and useful , yet you may be sure he must stay with you but a little while . the godly men will cease , and the faithful fail from among the children of men ; while men of lying flattering lips , and double hearts survive , and the wicked walk on every side while the vilest men are exalted , psal. 12.1 , 2 , 8. while swarms of false malicious men , are left round about you , perhaps god will take away your dearest friends : if among a multitude of unfaithful ones , you have but one that is your friend indeed , perhaps god will take away that one . he may be separated from you into another country ; or taken away to god by death . not that god doth grudge you the mercy of a faithful friend ; but that he would be your all , and would not have you hurt your selves with too much affection to any creature , and for other reasons to be named anon . and to be forsaken of your friends , is not all your affliction ; but to be so forsaken is a great aggravation of it . 1. for they use to forsake us in our greatest sufferings and streights , when we have the greatest need of them . 2. they fail us most at a dying hour , when all other worldly comfort faileth : as we must leave our houses , lands and wealth , so must we for the present leave our friends : and as all the rest are silly comforters , when we have once received our citation to appear before the lord , so also are our friends but silly comforters : they can weep over us , but they cannot with all their care , delay the separating stroak of death , one day or hour . only by their prayers , and holy advice , remembring us of everlasting things , and provoking us in the work of preparation , they may prove to us friends indeed . and therefore we must value a holy , heavenly , faithful friend , as one of the greatest treasures upon earth . and while we take notice how as men they may forsake us , we must not deny but that as saints they are precious , and of singular use to us ; and christ useth by them to communicate his mercies ; and if any creatures in the world may be blessings to us , it is holy persons , that have most of god in their hearts and lives . 3. and it is an aggravation of the cross , that they often fail us , when we are most faithful in our duty , and stumble most upon the most excellent acts of our obedience . 4. and those are the persons that oft-times fail us , of whom we have deserved best , and from whom we might have expected most . review the experiences of the choicest servants that christ hath had in the world , and you shall find enough to confirm you of the vanity of man , and the instability of the dearest friends . how highly was athanasius esteemed ? and yet at last deserted and banished even by the famous constantine himself ! how excellent a man was gregory nazianzene , and highly valued in the church ? and yet by reproach and discouragements driven away from his church at constantinople whither he was chosen : and envyed by the bishops round about him . how worthy a man was the eloquent chrysostom , and highly valued in the church ! and yet how bitterly was he prosecuted by hierome and epiphanius ; and banished , and dyed in a second banishment , by the provocation of factious contentious bishops , and an empress impatient of his plain reproofs ? what person more generally esteemed and honoured for learning , piety and peaceableness then melanchthon ? and yet by the contentions of illyricus and his party , he was made aweary of his life . as highly as calvin was ( deservedly ) valued at geneva , yet once in a popular lunacy and displeasure , they drove him out of their city , and in contempt of him some called their dogs by the name of calvin ; ( though after they were glad to intreat him to return . ) how much our grindal and abbot were esteemed , it appeareth by their advancement to the archbishoprick of canterbury : and yet who knoweth not that their eminent piety sufficed not to keep them from dejecting frowns ! and if you say , that it is no wonder if with princes through interest , and with people through levity , it be thus ; i might keep up instances of the like untrustiness of particular friends : but all history and the experiences of the most , do so much abound with them , that i think it needless . which of us must not say with david that [ all men are lyars ] psal. 116. that is , deceitful and untrusty , either through unfaithfulness , weakness or insufficiency ; that either will forsake us , or cannot help us in the time of need ? was christ forsaken in his extremity by his own disciples , to teach us what to expect , or bear ? think it not strange then to be conformed to your lord in this , as well as in other parts of his humiliation . expect that men should prove deceitful : not that you should entertain censorious suspicions of your particular friends : but remember in general that man is frail , and the best too selfish and uncertain ; and that it is no wonder if those should prove your greatest grief , from whom you had the highest expectations . are you better then iob , or david , or christ ? and are your friends more firm and unchangeable then theirs ? consider , 1. that creatures must be set at a sufficient distance from their creator . all-sufficiency , immutability and indefectible fidelity , are proper to jehovah . as it is no wonder for the sun to set or be eclipsed , as glorious a body as it is ; so it is no wonder for a friend , a pious friend , to fail us , for a time , in the hour of our distress . there are some that will not : but there is none but may , if god should leave them to their weakness . man is not your rock : he hath no stability but what is derived , dependant , and uncertain , and defectible . learn therefore to rest on god alone , and lean not too hard or confidently upon any mortal might . 2. and god will have the common infirmity of man to be known , that so the weakest may not be utterly discouraged , nor take their weakness to be gracelesness , whilst they see that the strongest also have their infirmities , though not so great as theirs . if any of god's servants lives in constant holiness and fidelity , without any shakings or stumbling in their way , it would tempt some self-accusing troubled souls , to think that they were altogether graceless , because they are so far short of others . but when we read of a peters denying his master in so horrid a manner , with swearing and cursing that he knew not the man , mat. 26.74 . and of his dissimulation and not walking uprightly , gal. 2. and of a davids unfriendly and unrighteous dealing with mephibosheth , the seed of ionathan ; and of his most vile and treacherous dealing with vriah , a faithful and deserving subject ; it may both abate our wonder and offence at the unfaithfulness of our friends , and teach us to compassionate their frailty , when they desert us ; and also somewhat abate our immoderate dejectedness and trouble , when we have failed god or man our selves . 3. moreover , consider , how the odiousness of that sin , which is the root and cause of such unfaithfulness , is greatly manifested by the failing of our friends . god will have the odiousness of the remnants of our self-love and carnal mindedness , and cowardize appear . we should not discern it in the seed and root , if we did not see , and taste it in the fruits . seeing without tasting will not sufficiently convince us . a crab looks as beautiful as an apple ; but when you taste it , you better know the difference . when you must your selves be unkindly used by your friends , and forsaken by them in your distress , and you have tasted the fruits of the remnants of their worldliness , selfishness and carnal fears , you will better know the odiousness of these vices , which thus break forth against all obligations to god and you , and notwithstanding the light , the conscience , and perhaps the grace , that doth resist them . 4. are you not prone to overvalue and overlove your friends ? if so , is not this the meerest remedy for your disease ? in the loving of god , we are in no danger of excess ; and therefore have no need of any thing to quench it . and in the loving of the godly purely upon the account of christ , and in loving saints as saints , we are not apt to go too far . but yet our understandings may mistake , and we may think that saints have more of sanctity than indeed they have ; and we are exceeding apt to mix a selfish common love with that which is spiritual and holy ; and at the same time , when we love a christian as a christian , we are apt not only to love him ( as we ought ) but to overlove him , because he is our friend , and loveth us . those christians that have no special love to us , we are apt to undervalue and neglect , and love them below their holiness and worth : but those that we think entirely love us , we love above their proper worth , as they stand in the esteem of god : not but that we may love those that love us , and add this love to that which is purely for the sake of christ ; but we should not let our own interest prevail and overtop the interest of christ , nor love any so much for loving us , as for loving christ : and if we do so , no wonder if god shall use such remedies as he seeth meet , to abate our excuse of selfish love. o how highly are we apt to think of all that good which is found in those who are the highest esteemers of us , and most dearly love us ; when perhaps in it self it is but some ordinary good , or ordinary degree of goodness which is in them ! their love to us unresistibly procureth our love to them : and when we love them , it is wonderful to observe , how easily we are brought to think well of almost all they do , and highly to value their judgments , graces , parts and works : when greater excellencies in another perhaps are scarce observed , or regarded but as a common thing : and therefore the destruction or want of love , is apparent in the vilifying thoughts and speeches , that most men have one of another ; and in the low esteem of the judgments , and performances , and lives of other men ; ( much more in their contempt , reproaches , and cruel persecutions . ) now though god will have us encrease in our love of christ in his members , and in our pure love of christians as such , and in our common charity to all , yea , and in our just fidelity to our friend ; yet would he have us suspect and moderate our selfish and excessive love , and inordinate partial esteem of one above another , when it is but for our selves , and on our own account . and therefore as he will make us know , that we our selves are no such excellent persons , as that it should make another so laudable , or advance his worth , because he loveth us ; so he will make us know , that our friends , whom we overvalue , are but like other men : if we exalt them too highly in our esteem , it is a sign that god must cast them down . and as their love to us was it that made us so exalt them ; so their unkindness or unfaithfulness to us , is the fittest means to bring them lower in our estimation and affection . god is very jealous of our hearts , as to our overvaluing and overloving any of his creatures . what we give inordinately and excessively to them , is some way or other taken from him , and given them to his injury , and therefore to his offence . though i know , that to be void of natural , friendly or social affections , is an odious extreme on the other side ; yet god will rebuke us , if we are guilty of excess . and it 's the greater and more inexcusable fault to over-love the creature , because our love to god is so cold , and hardly kindled and kept alive . he cannot take it well to see us dote upon dust and frailty like our selves , at the same time when all his wondrous kindness , and attractive goodness , do cause but such a faint and languid love to him , which we ourselves can scarcely feel . if therefore he cures us by permitting our friends to shew us what they are , and how little they deserve such excessive love ( when god hath so little ) it is no more wonder , than it is , that he is tender of his glory , and merciful to his servants souls . 5 by the failing and unfaithfulness of our friends , the wonderful patience of god will be observed and honoured , as it is shewed both to them and us . when they forsake us in our distress , ( especially when we suffer for the cause of christ ) it is god that they injure more than us : and therefore if he bear with them , and forgive their weakness upon repentance , why should not we do so , that are much less injured ? the worlds perfideousness should make us think , how great and wonderful is the patience of god , that beareth with , and beareth up so vile , ungrateful , treacherous men that abuse him , to whom they are infinitely obliged ? and it should make us consider , when men deal treacherously with us , how great is that mercy that hath born with , and pardoned greater wrongs , which i my self have done to god , than these can be which men have done to me ! it was the remembrance of david's sin , that had provoked god to raise up his own son against him ( of whom he had been too fond ) which made him so easily bear the curses and reproach of shimei . it will make us bear abuse from others , to remember how ill we have dealt with god , and how ill we have deserved at his hands our selves . 6. and i have observed another of the reasons of god's permitting the failing of our friends , in the season and success . it is , that the love of our friends may not hinder us when we are called to suffer or die . when we over-love them , it teareth our very hearts to leave them : and therefore it is a strong temptation to draw us from our duty , and to be unfaithful to the cause of christ , lest we should be taken from our too-dear friends , or lest our suffering cause their too-much grief . it is so hard a thing to die with willingness and peace , that it must needs be a mercy to be saved from the impediments which make us backward : and the excessive love of friends and relations , is not the least of these impediments . o how loth is many a one to die , when they think of parting with wife , or husband or children , or dear and faithful friends ! now i have often observed , that a little before their death or sickness , it is ordinary with god to permit some unkindness between such too dear friends to arise , by which he moderated and abated their affections , and made them a great deal the willinger to dye . then we are ready to say , it is time for me to leave the world , when not only the rest of the world , but my dearest friends have first forsaken me ! this helpeth us to remember our dearest everlasting friend , and to be grieved at the heart that we have been no truer our selves to him , who would not have forsaken us in our extremity . and sometimes it makes us ev'n weary of the world , and to say as elias , lord take away my life , &c. 1 king 19.4.10 , 14. when we must say , i thought i had one friend left , and behold even he forsaketh me in my distress . ] as the love of friends intangleth our affections to this world , so to be weaned by their unkindnesses from our friends , is a great help to loosen us from the world , and proveth oft a very great mercy to a soul that is ready to depart . and as the friends that love us most , and have most interest in your esteem and love , may do more than others , in tempting us to be unfaithful to our lord , to to entertain any errour , to commit any sin , or to flinch in suffering ; so when god had permitted them to forsake us , and to lose their too great interest in us , we are fortified against all temptations from them . i have known where a former intimate friend hath grown strange , and broken former friendship , and quickly after turned to such dangerous ways and errours , as convinced the other of the mercifulness of god , in weakning his temptation by his friends desertion ; who might else have drawn him along with him into sin . and i have often observed , that when the husbands have turned from religion to infidelity , familism , or some dangerous heresie , that god hath permitted them to hate and abuse their wives so inhumanly , as that it preserveth the poor women from the temptation of following them in their apostasie or sin : when as some other women with whom their husbands have dealt more kindly , have been drawn away with them into pernicious paths . therefore still i must say , we were undone if we had the disposing of our own conditions . it would belong before we should have been willing our selves to be thus unkindly dealt with by our friends : and yet god hath made it to many a soul , a notable me●●s of preserving them from being undone for ever . yea the unfaithfulness of all our friends , and the malice and cruelty of all our enemies , doth us not usually so much harm , as the love and temptation of some one deluded ●●ring friend , whom we are ready to follow into the gulf . 7. lastly , consider that it is not desirable or suitable to our state , to have too much of our comfort by any creature : not only because it is most pure and sweet which is most immediately from god ; but also because we are very prone to over-love the creature ; and if it should but seem to be very commodious to us , by serving our necessities or desires , it would seem the more amiable , and therefore be the stronger snare : the work of mortification doth much consist in the annihilation or deadness of all the creatures as to any power to draw away our hearts from god , or to entangle us and detain us from our duty . and the more excellent and lovely the creature appeareth ●o us , the less it is dead to us , or we to it ; and the more will it be able to hinder or ensnare us . when you have well considered all these things , i suppose you will admire the wisdom of god in leaving you under this kind of tryal , and weaning you from every creature , and teaching you by his providence as well as by his word , to cease from man , whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherein is he to be accounted of ? ] and you will see that it 's no great wonder that corrupted souls , that live in other sins , should be guilty of this unfaithfulness to their friends : and that he that dare unthankfully trample upon the unspeakable kindness of the lord should deal unkindly with the best of men . you make no great wonder at other kind of sins , when you see the world continually commit them ; why then should you make a greater or a stranger matter of this than of the rest ? are you better than god ? must unfaithfulness to you be made more hainous , than that unfaithfulness to him , which yet you daily see and slight ? the least wrong to god is a thousand fold more than the greatest that can be done to you , as such . have you done that for your nearest friend , which god hath done for him and you , and all men ? their obligations to you are nothing in comparison of their great and manifold obligations to god. and you know that you have more wronged god , your selves , than any man ever wronged you : and if yet for all that he bear with you , have you not great reasons to bear with others ? yea , you have not been innocent towards men your selves : did you never wrong or fail another ? or rather , are you not apter to see and aggravate the wrong that others do to you , than that which you have done to others ? may you not call to mind your own neglects , and say , as adonizebeck , judg. 1.7 . [ threescore and ten kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off , gathered their meat under my table : as i have done , so god hath requited me . ] many a one have i failed or wronged : and no wonder if others fail and wrong me . ] nay you have been much more unfaithful and injurious to your selves , than ever any other hath been to you . no friend was so near you , as your selves : none had such a charge of you : none had such helps and advantages to do you good or hurt : and yet all the enemies you have in the world , even in earth or hell , have not wronged and hurt you half so much as you have done your selves . o , methinks the man or woman that knoweth themselves , and knoweth what it is to repent ; that ever saw the greatness of their sin and folly , should have no great mind or leisure , or aggravate the failings of their friends , to the injuries of their enemies , considering what they have proved to themselves ! have i forfeited my own salvation , and deserved everlasting wrath , and sold my saviour and my soul for so base a thing as sinful pleasure , and shall i ever make a wonder of it , that another man doth me some temporal hurt ? was any friend so near to me as my self ? or more obliged to me ? o sinful soul , let thy own , rather then thy friends deceit and treachery , and neglects , be the matter of thy displeasure , wonder and complaints ! and let thy confirmity herein to jesus christ , be thy holy ambition and delight : not as it is thy suffering , nor as it is caused by mens sin : but as it is thy confirmity and fellowship in the sufferings of thy lord , and caused by his love. i have already shewed you that sufferers for christ , are in the highest form among his disciples . the order of his followers usually is this ; 1. at our entrance , and in the lowest form , we are exercised with the fears of hell , and gods displeasure , and in the works of repentance for the sin that we have done . 2. in the second form , we come to think more seriously of the remedy , and to enquire what we shall do to be saved , and to understand better what christ hath done and suffered , and what he is and will be to us ; and to value him and his love and grace . and here we are much enquiring how we may know our own sincerity , and our interest in christ , and are labouring for some assurance , and looking after signs of grace . 3. in the next form or order we are searching after further knowledge , and labouring better to understand the mysteries of religion , and to get above the rudiments and first principles : and here if we escape turning bare opinionists or hereticks by the snare of controversie or curiosity , it 's well . 4. in the next form we set our selves to the fuller improvement of all our further degrees of knowledge ; and to digest it all , and turn it into stronger faith , and love , and hope , and greater humility , patience , self-denial , mortification , and contempt of earthly vanities , and hatred of sin ; and to walk more watchfully and holily , and to be more in holy duty . 5. in the next form we grow to be more publick-spirited : to set our hearts on the churches welfare , and long more for the progress of the gospel , and for the good of others : and to do all the good 〈◊〉 the world that we are able , for mens souls or bodies , but especially to long and lay out our selves for the conversion , and salvation of ignorant , secure , unconverted souls . the counterfeit of this , is , an eager desire to proselyte others to our opinions or that religion which we have chosen , by the direction of flesh and blood , or which is not of god , nor according unto godliness , but doth subserve our carnal ends. 6. in the next form we grow to study more the pure and wonderful love of god in christ , and to relish and admire that love , and to be taken up with the goodness and tender mercies of the lord , and to be kindling the flames of holy love to him that hath thus loved us ; and to keep our souls in the exercise of that love : and withal to live in joy , and thanks , and praise to him that hath redeemed us and loved us . and also , by faith to converse in heaven , and to live in holy contemplation , beholding the glory of the father and the redeemer in the glass , which is fitted to our present use , till we come to see him face to face . those that are the highest in this form , do so walk with god , and burn in love , and 〈◊〉 so much above inferiour vanities , and are so conversant by faith in heaven , that their hearts even dwell there , and there they long to be forever . 7. and in the highest form in the school of christ , we are exercising this confirmed faith and love , in sufferings , especially for christ. in following him with our cross , and being conformed to him , and glorifying god in the fullest exercise and discovery of his graces in us , and in an actual trampling upon all that standeth up against him , for our hearts ; and in bearing the fullest witness to his truth and cause , by constant enduring , though to the death . not but that the weakest that are sincere , must suffer for christ , if he call them to it . martyrdom it self is not proper to the strong believers : whoever forsaketh not all that he hath for christ , cannot be his disciple , luke 14.33 . but to suffer with that faith and love forementioned , and in that manner , is proper to the strong : and usually god doth not try and exercise his young and weak ones with the tryals of the strong ; nor set his infants on so hard a service , nor put them in the front or hottest of the battel , as he doth the ripe confirmed christians . the sufferings of their inward doubts and fears doth take up such . it is the strong that ordinarily are called to sufferings for christ , at least in any high degree ; i have digrest thus far to make it plain to you , that our conformity to christ , and fellowship with him in his sufferings , in any notable degree , is the lot of his best confirmed servants , and the highest form in his school , among his disciples : and therefore not to be inordinately feared or abhorred , nor to be the matter of impatiency , but of holy joy ; and in such infirmities we may glory . and if it be so of sufferings in the general ( for christ ) then is it so of this particular sort of suffering , even to be forsaken of all our best and nearest , dearest friends , when we come to be most abused by the enemies . for my own part , i must confess that as i am much wanting in other parts of my conformity to christ , so i take my self to be yet much short of what i expect he should advance me to , as long as my friends no more forsake me ▪ it is not long since i found my self in a low ( if not a doubting ) case , because i had so few enemies and so little sufferings for the cause of christ ( though i had much of other sorts : ) and now that doubt is removed by the multitude of furies which god hath let loose against me . but yet , methinks , while my friends themselves are so friendly to me , i am much short of what i think i must at last attain to . but let us look further in the text , and see what is the cause of the failing and forsaking christ in the disciples ; and what it is that they betake themselves to , when they leave him . [ ye shall be scattered every man to his own. ] self-denyal was not perfect in them , selfishness therefore in this hour of temptation did prevail . they had before forsaken all to follow christ ; they had left their parents , their families , their estates , their trades , to be his disciples : but though they believed him to be the christ , yet they dreamt of a visible kingdom , and did all this with too carnal expectations of being great men on earth , when christ should begin his reign . and therefore when they saw his apprehension and ignominious suffering , and thought now they were frustrate of their hopes , they seem to repent that they had followed him ( though not by apostacy and an habitual or plenary change of mind● yet ) by a sudden passionate , frightful apprehension , which vanished when grace performed its part . they now began to think , that they had lives of their own to save , and families of their own to mind , and business of their own to do . they had before forsaken their private interests and affairs , and gathered themselves to jesus christ , and lived in communion with him , and one another . but now they return to their trades and callings , and are scattered every man to his own . selfishness is the great enemy of all societies , of all fidelity and friendship . there is no trusting that person in whom it is predominant . and the remnants of it where it doth not reign , do make men walk unevenly and unstedfastly towards god and men . they will certainly deny both god and their friends , in a time of tryal who are not able to deny themselves : or rather , he never was a real friend to any , that is predominantly selfish . they have alway some interest of their own , which their friend must needs contradict , or is insufficient to satisfie . their houses , their lands , their moneys , their children , their honour , or something which they call their own , will be frequently the matter of contention ; and are so near them , that they can for the sake of these cast off the nearest friend . contract no special friendship with a selfish man : nor put no confidence in him , whatever friendship he may profess . he is so confined to himself , that he hath no true love to spare for others : if he seem to love a friend , it is not as a friend , but as a servant , or at best as a benefactor : he loveth you for himself , as he loveth his mony , or horse , or house , because you may be serviceable to him : or as a horse or dog doth love his keeper , for feeding him . and therefore when your provender is gone , his love is gone ; when you have done feeding him , he hath done loving you . when you have no more for him , he hath no more for you . object . but ( some will say ) it is not the falseness of my friend that i lament , but the separation , or the loss of one that was most faithful : i have found the deceitfulness of ordinary friends ; and therefore the more highly pri●e those few that are sincere . i had but one true friend among abundance of self-seekers ; and that one is dead , or taken from me , and i am l●ft as in a wilderness , having no mortal man that i can trust or take much comfort in . answ. is this your case ? i pray you answer these few questions , and suffer the truth to have its proper work upon your mind . quest. 1. who was it that deprived you of your friend ? was it not god ? did not he that gave him you take him from you ? was it not his lord and owner that call'd him home ? and can god do any thing injuriously or amiss ? will you not give him leave to do as he list with his own ? dare you think that there was wanting either wisdom or goodness , iustice or mercy in god's disposal of your friend ? or will you ever have rest , if you cannot have rest in the will of god ? 2. how know you what sin your friend might have fallen into , if he had lived as long as you would have him ? you 'll say , that god could have preserved him from sin . it 's true : but god preserveth sapientially , by means , as well as omnipotentially : and sometime he seeth that the temptations to that person are like to be so strong , and his corruption like to get such advantage , and that no means is so fit as death it self , for his preservation . and if god had permitted your friend by temptation to have fallen into some scandalous sin , or course of evil , or into errors , or false ways , would it not have been much worse than death to him and you ? god might have suffered your friend that was so faithful , to have been sifted and shaken as peter was , and to have denied his lord ; and to have seemed in your own eyes , as odious as he before seemed amiable . 3. how know you what unkindness to your self , your dearest friend might have been guilty of ? alas ! there is greater frailty and inconstancy in man , than you are aware of . and there are sadder roots of corruption unmortified , that may spring up into bitter fruits , than most of us ever discover in our selves . many a mother hath her heart broken by the unnaturalness of such a child , or the unkindness of such a husband , as if they had died before , would have been lamented by her , with great impatience and excess . how confident soever you may be of the future fidelity of your friend , you little know what tryal might have discovered . many a one hath failed god and man that once were as confident of themselves , as ever you were of your friend . and which of us see not reason to be distrustful of our selves ? and can we know another better than our selves ? or promise more concerning him ? 4. how know you what great calamity might have befallen your friend , if he had lived as long as you desired ? when the righteous seem to men to perish , and merciful men are taken away , it is from the evil to come that they are taken , isa. 57.1 . how many of my friends have i lamented as if they had dyed unseasonably , concerning whom some following providence quickly shewed me , that it would have been a grievous misery to them to have lived longer ! little know you what calamities were imminent on his person , his family , kindred , neighbours , country , that would have broke his heart : what if a friend of yours had died immediately before some calamitous subversion of a kingdom , some ruines of the church , &c. and if ignorantly he had done that which brought these things to pass , can you imagin how lamentably sad his life would have been to him , to have seen the church , the gospel , and his country in so sad a case ? especially if it had been long of him ? many that have unawares done that which hath ruined but a particular friend , have lived in so much grief and trouble , as made them consent that death should both revenge the injured on them , and conclude their misery . what then would it have been to have seen the publick good subverted , and the faithful overwhelmed in misery , and the gospel hindred , and holy worship changed for deceit and vanity ; and for conscience to have been daily saying , [ i had a hand in all this misery : i kindled the fire that hath burned up all . ] what comfort can you think such friends if they had survived , would have ●ound on earth ? unless it were a comfort to hear the complaints of the afflicted , to see and hear such odious sins as sometimes vexed righteous l●t to see and hear ; or to hear of the scandals of one friend , and the apostasie of another , and the sinful compliances and declinings of a third ; and to be under temptations , reproaches ; and afflictions themselves ? is it a matter to be so much lamented that god hath prevented their greater miseries and wo ? 5. what was the world to your friends while they did enjoy it ? or what is it now , or like to be hereafter to your selves ? was it so good and kind to them , as that you should lament their separation from it ? was it not to them a place of toil and trouble , of envy and vexation , of enmity and poison ? of successive cares and fears and griefs ? and worst of all , a place of sin ? did they groan under the burden of a sinful nature , a distempered , tempte● , troubled heart of languishings and weakness of every grace ; of the rebukes of god , the wounds of conscience , and the malice of a wicked vvorld ? and would you have them under these again ? or is their deliverance become your grief ? did you not often joyn in prayer with them , for deliverance from malice , calamities , troubles , imperfections , temptations and sin ? and now those prayers are answered in their deliverance : and do you now grieve at that which then you prayed for ? doth the vvorld use your selves so well and kindly , as that you should be sorry that your friends partake not of the feast ? are you not groaning from day to day your selves ? and are you grieved that your friends are taken from your griefs ? you are not well pleased with your own condition : vvhen you look into your hearts , you are displeased and complain ; when you look into your lives , you are displeased and complain : when you look into your families , into your neighbourhoods , unto your friends , unto the church , unto the kingdom , unto the world , you are displeased and complain : and are you also displeased that your friends are not under the same displeasedness and complaints as you ? is the world a place of rest or trouble to you ? and would you have your friends to be as far from rest as you ? and if you have some ease and peace at present , you little know what storms are near ! you may see the days , you may hear the tydings , you may feel the griping griefs and pains , which may make you call for death your selves , and make you say that a life on earth is no felicity , and make you confess that they are bl●ssed that are dead in the lord , as resting from their labours , and being past these troubles , griefs and fears . many a poor troubled soul is in so great distress , as that they t●ke their own lives to have some taste of hell : and yet at the same time , are grieving because their friends are ●aken from them , who would have been grieved for their griefs , and for ought they know might have fallen into as sad a st●te as they themselves are now l●menting . 6. do you think it is for the hurt or the go●d of your friend , that he is removed hence ? it cannot be for his hurt unless he be in hell. ( at least , it is uncertain whether to live would have been for his good , by an increase of grace , and so for greater glory ▪ ) and if he be in hell , he was no fit person for you to take much pleasure in upon earth : he might be indeed a fit object for your compassion , but not for your complacency . sure you are not undone for want of such company as god will not endure in his sight , and you must be separated from for ever . but if they be in heaven , you are scarce their friends if you would wish them th●nce . friendship hath as great respect to the good of our friends as of our selves . and do you pretend to friendship , and yet lament the removal of your friend to his greatest happiness ! do you set more by your own enjoying his company , then by enjoying god in perfect blessedness ? this sheweth a very culpable defect either in faith or friendship ; and therefore beseemeth not christians and friends . if love teacheth us to mourn with them that mourn , and to rejoyce with them that rejoyce ; can it be an act of rational love to mourn for them that are possessed of the highest everlasting joyes ? 7. god will not honour himself by one only , but by many : he knoweth best when his work is done : when our friends have finished all that god intended them for , when he put them into the world , is it not time for them to be gone , and for others to take their places , and finish their work also in their time ? god will have a succession of his servants in the world. would you not come down , and give place to him that is to follow you , when your part is played , and his is to begin ? if david had n●t dyed , there had been no solomon , no i●hoshaphat , no hezekiah , no iosiah , to succeed him and honour god in the same throne . you may as wisely grudge that one day only takes not up all the week , and that the clock str●keth not the same hour still , but proceedeth from one to two , from two to three , &c. as to murmur that one man only continueth not to do the work of his place excl●ding his successors . 8. you must 〈◊〉 have all your mercies by one messenger or hand : god will not have you confine your love to one only of his servants : and therefore he will not make one only useful to you : but when one hath delivered his message and done his part , perhaps god will send you other mercies by another hand : and it belongeth to him to choose the messenger who gives the gift . and if you will childishly dote upon the first messenger , and say you will have no more , your frowardness more deserveth correction than compassion : and if you be kept fasting till you can thankfully take your food , from any hand that your father sends it by , it is a correction very suitable to your sin . 9. do you so highly value your friends for god , or for them , or for your selves , in the final consideration ? if it was for god , what reason of trouble have you , that god hath disposed of them , according to his wisdom and unerring will ? should you not then be more pleased that god hath them , and employeth them in his highest service , than displeased that you want them ? but if you value them and love them for themselves , they are now more lovely when they are more perfect ; and they are now fitter for your content and joy , when they have themselves unchangeable content and joy , than they could be in their sin and sorrows . but if you valued and loved them but for your selves only , it is just with god to take them from you , to teach you to value men to righter ends , and upon better considerations : and both to prefer god before your selves , and better to understand the nature of true friendship , and better to know that your own felicity is not in the hands of any creature , but of god alone . 10. did you improve your friends while you had them ? or did you only love them , while you made but little use of them for your souls ? if you used them not , it was just with god for all your love to take them from you . they were given you as your candle , not only to love it , but to work by the light of it : and as your garments ; not only to love them , but to wear them ; and as your meat , not only to love it , but to feed upon it . did you receive their counsel , and hearken to their reproofs , and pray with them , and confer with them upon those holy truths that tended to elevate your minds to god , and to inflame your breasts with sacred love ? if not , be it now known to you , that god gave you not such helps and mercies only to talk of , or look upon , and love , but also to improve for the benefit of your souls . 11. do you not seem to forget both where you are your selves , and where you must shortly and for ever live ? where would you have your friends , but where you must be your sel●es ? do you mourn that they are taken hence ? why , if they had staid here a thousand years , how little of that time should you have had their company ? when you are almost leaving the world your selves , would you not send your treasure before you to the place where you must abide ? how quickly will you pass from hence to god , where you shall find your friends that you lamented as if they had been lost , and there shall dwell with them for ever ! o foolish mourners ! would you not have your friends at home ! at their home and your home , with their father , and your father ; their god , and your god ? shall you not there enjoy them long enough ! can you so much miss them for one day , that must live with them to all eternity ? and is not eternity long enough for you to enjoy your friends in ? obj. but i do not know whether ever i shall there have any distinct knowledge of them , or love to them , and whether god shall not there be so far all in all , as th●t we shall need or fetch no comfort from the creature . answ. there is no reason for either of these doubts . for , 1. you cannot justly think that the knowledge of the glorified shall be more confused or imperfect than the knowledge of natural men on earth . we shall know much more , but not so much less . heaven exceedeth earth in knowledge , as much as it doth in joy . 2. the angels in heaven have now a distinct particular knowledge of the least believers ; rejoycing particularly in their conversion , and being called by christ himself [ their angels . ] therefore when we shall be equal to the angels , we shall certainly know our nearest friends that there dwell with us , and are employed in the same attendance . 3. abraham knew the rich man in hell , and the man knew abraham and lazarus : therefore we shall have as distinct a knowledge . 4. the two disciples knew moses and elias in the mount , whom they had never seen before : though it is possible christ told them who they were , yet there is no such thing expressed : and therefore it is as probable that they knew them by the communication of their irradiating glory . much more shall we be then illuminated to a clearer knowledge . 5. it is said expresly , 1 cor. 13.10 , 11 , 12. that our present knowledge shall be done away only in regard of its imperfection ; and not of it self , which shall be perfected : [ when that which is perfect is come , then that which is in part shall be done away : ] as we put away childish thoughts and speeches , when we become men : the change will be from [ seeing in a glass ] to [ seeing face to face ] and from [ knowing in part ] to [ knowing even as we are known . ] 2. and that we shall both know , and love and rejoyce in creatures even in heaven , notwithstanding that god is all in all , apeareth further thus . 1. christ in his glorified humanity is a creature : and yet there is no doubt but all his members will there know and love him in his glorified humanity , without any derogation from the glory of the deity . 2. the body of christ will continue its unity , and every member will be so nearly related , even in heaven , that they cannot choose but know and love each other . shall we be ignorant of the members of our body ? and not be concerned in their felicity , with whom we are so nearly one ? 3. the state and felicity of the church hereafter , is frequently described in scripture as consistent in society . it is a kingdom , the city of god , the heavenly ierusalem : and it is mentioned as part of our happiness to be of that society , heb. 12.22 , 23 , 24 , &c. 4. the saints are called kings themselves : and it is said that they shall judge the world , and the angels ( and judging in scripture is frequently put for governing ) therefore , ( whether there will be another world of mortals which they shall govern as angles now govern men ; or whether the misery of damned men and angels will partly consist in as base a subjection to the glorified saints , as dogs now have to men , or wicked reprobates on earth to angles ; or whether in respect of both these together , the saints shall then be kings , and rule and judge ; or whether it be only the participation of the glory of christ , that is called a kingdom , i will not here determine , but ) it is most clear that they will have a distinct particular knowledge of the world , which they themselves must judge ; and some concernment in that work . 5. it is put into the description of the happiness of the saints , that they shall come from the east , and from the west , and shall sit down with abraham , isaac , and jacob , in the kingdom of god. therefore they shall know them , and take some comfort in their presence . 6. love ( even to the saints as well as unto god ) is one of the graces that shall endure for ever , 1 cor. 13. it is exercised upon an immortal object ( the image , and children of the most high ) and therefore must be one of the immortal graces . for grace in the nature of it dyeth not : and therefore if the object cease not , how should the grace cease , unless you will call it's perfecting a ceasing ? it is a state too high for such as we , and i think for any meer creature to live so immediately and only upon god , as to have no use for any fellow creature , nor no comfort in them . god can make use of glorified creatures , in such subserviency and subordination to himself , as shall be no diminution to his all-sufficiency or honour , nor to our glory and felicity . we must take heed of fancying even such a heaven it self , as is above the capacity of a creature ; as some very wise divines think they have ●one , that tell us we shall immediately see gods essence ( his glory being that which is provided for our intuition and felicity , and is distinct from his essence ; being not every where as his essence is ) and as those do that tell us because that god will be all in all , therefore we shall there have none of our comfort by any creature . though flesh and blood shall not enter into that kingdom , but our bodies will then be spiritual bodies ; yet will they be really the same as now , and distinct from our souls : and therefore must have a felicity suitable to a body glorified : and if the soul did immediately see god's essence , yet as no reason can conclude that it can see nothing else , or that it can see even created good , and not love it , so the body however must have objects and felicity fit for a body . obj. but it is said , if we knew christ after the flesh , henceforth know we him no more . answ. no doubt but all the carnality in principles , matter , manner and ends of our knowledge will then cease as it's imperfection : but that a carnal knowledge be turned into a spiritual , is no more a diminution to it , than it is to the glory of our bodies , to be made like the stars in the firmament of our father . obj. but then i shall have no more comfort in my present friends than in any other . answ. 1. if you had none in them , it is no diminution to our happiness , if indeed we should have all in god immediately and alone . 2. but if you have as much in others that you never knew before , that will not diminish any of your comfort in your antient friends . 3. but it is most probable to us , that as there is a twofold object for our love in the glorified saints ; one is their holiness , and the other is the relation which they stood in between god and us , being made ▪ his instruments for our conversion and salvation , so that we shall love saints in heaven in both respects : and in the first respect ( which is the chiefest ) we shall love those most that have most of god , and the greatest glory ( though such as we never knew on earth . ) and in the second respect , we shall love those most that were employed by god for our greatest good . and that we shall not there lay by so much respect to our selves , as to forget or disregard our benefactors , is manifest , 1. in that we shall forever remember christ , and love him , and praise him , as one that formerly redeemed us , and washed us in his blood , and hath made us kings and priests to god : and therefore we may also in just subordination to christ , remember them with love and thankfulness , that were his inst●uments for the collation of these benefits . 2. and this kind of self-love ( to be sensible of good and evil to our selves ) is none of the sinful or imperfect selfishness to be renounced or laid by , but part of our very natures , and as inseparable from us , as we are from our selves . much more , were it not digress●ve , might be said on this subject ; but i shall only add , that as god doth draw us to every holy duty , by shewing us the excellency of that duty ; and as perpetu●ty is not the smallest excellency ; so he hath purposely mentioned that love endureth for ever ( when he had described the love of one another ) as a principle motive to kindle and encrease this love. and therefore those that think they shall have no personal knowledge of one another , nor personal love to one another ( for we cannot love person●lly , if we know not personally ) do take a most effectual course to destroy in their souls all holy special love to saints , by casting away that principal or very great motive given them by the holy ghost , i a● not ●ble to love mu●h where i f●●eknow that i shall not love long . i cannot love a comely inn , so well as a nearer dwelling of my own , because i must be gone to morrow therefore must i love my bible better than my lawbooks or physickbooks , &c. because it leadeth to eternity . and therefore i must love holiness in my self and others , better than meat and drink , and wealth , and honour , and beauty and pleasure ; because it must be loved for ever , when the love of these must needs be transitory , as they are transitory . i must profess from the very experience of my soul , that it is the belief that i shall love my friends in heaven , that principally kindleth my love to them on earth : and if i thought i should never know them after death , and consequently never love them more , when this life is ended , i should in reason number them with temporal things , and love them comparatively but a little ; even as i love other transitory things ( allowing for the excellency in the nature of grace ) but now i converse with some delight with my godly friends , as believing i shall converse with them for ever , and take comfort in the very dead and absent , as believing we shall shortly meet in heaven : and i love them , i hope , with a love that is of a heavenly nature , while i love them as the heirs of heaven , with a love which i expect shall there be perfected , and more fully and for ever exercised , 12. the last reason that i give you , to move you to bear the loss or absence of your friends , is , that it gives you the loudest call to retire from the world , and to converse with god himself , and to long for heaven , where you shall be seperated from your friends no more . and your forsaken state will somewhat assist you to that solitary converse with god , which it calls you to : but this brings us up to the third part of the text. and yet i am not alone , because the father is with me . ] doct. when all forsake us and leave us ( as to them ) alone , we are far from being simply alone ; because god is with us . he is not without company , that is with the king ▪ though twenty others have turned him off . he is not without light that hath the shining sun , though all his candles be put out . if god be our god , he is our all , and is enough for us : and if he be our all , we shall not much find the want of creatures while he is with us . for 1. he is with us , who is every-where , and therefore is never from us ; and knoweth all the ways and projects of our enemies ; being with them in wrath , as he is with us in mercy . 2. he is with us who is almighty , sufficient to preserve us , conquerable by none ? and therefore while he is with us , we need not fear what man can do unto us : for they can do nothing but what he will : no danger , no sickness , no trouble or want can be so great as to make it any difficulty to god to deliver us when and how he please . 3. he is with us who is infinitely wise , and therefore we need not fear the subtilty of enemies ; nor shall any of his undertaken works for his church or us , miscarry for want of foresight , or through any oversight . we shall be preserved even from our own folly , as well as from our enemies subtilty : for it is not our own wisdome that our greatest concernments do principally rest upon , nor that our safety and peace are chiefly secured by ; but it is the wisdome of our great preserver . he knoweth what to do with us , and what paths to lead us in , and what is best for us in all conditions : and he hath promised to teach us , and will be our sure infallible guide . 4. he is with us who is infinitely good , and therefore is only fit to be a continual delight and satisfaction to our souls : that hath nothing in him to disaffect us , or discourage us : whom we may love without fear of over-loving ; and need not set any bounds to our love , the object of it being infinite . 5. he is with us , who is most nearly related to us , and most dearly loveth us ; and therefore will never be wanting to us in any thing that is fit for us to have . this is he that is with us , when all have left us , and as to man we are alone ; and therefore we may well say that we are not alone . of this i shall say more anon in the application . quest. but how is he with us ? answ. 1. he is with us not only in his essential presence , as he is every where , but as by his gracious fatherly presence : we are in his family , attending on him : even as the eye of a servant is to the hand of his master : we are always with him , and ( as he phraseth it himself in the parable ) luke 15. all that he hath in ours , that is , all that is fit to be communicated to us , and all the provisions of his bounty for his children . when we awake , we should be still with him : when we go abroad we should be always as before him : our life and works should be a walking with god. 2. he is always with us efficiently to do us good ; though we have none else that careth for us , yet will he never cast us out of his care , but biddeth us cast our care on him , as promising that he will care for us . though we have none else to provide for us , he is always with us , and our father knoweth what we want , and will make the best provision for us , mat. 6.32 , 33. though we have none else to defend us against the power of our enemies , he is always with us to be our sure defence : he is the rock to which we fly , and upon which we are surely built . he gathereth us to himself as the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings , mat. 2.37 , 3. and sure while love is thus protecting us , we may well say that the father himself is with us . though in all our wants we have no other to supply us , yet he is still with us to perform his promise , that no good thing shall be wanting to them that fear him . though we may have none else to strengthen and help us , and support us in our weakness , yet he is always with us , whose grace is sufficient for us , to manifest his strength in weakness . though we have no other to teach us , and to resolve our doubts , yet he is with us that is our chiefest master , and hath taken us to be his disciples , and will be our light and guide , and will lead us into the truth . though we have none else to be our comforters , in our agony , darkness or distress ; but all forsake us , or are taken from us , and we are exposed as hagar with ishmael in a wilderness ; yet still the father of all consolations is with us ; his spirit who is the comforter is in us : and he that so often speaketh the words of comfort to us in his gospel , and saith , [ be of good chear ; let not your hearts be troubled , neither be afraid , &c. ] will speak them ( in the season and measure which is fittest for them ) unto our hearts . though all friends turn enemies , and would destroy us , or turn false accusers , as iob's friends , in their ignorance or passion ; though all of them should add affliction to our affliction , yet is our redeemer and justifier still with us , and will lay his restraining hand upon our enemies , and say to their proudest fury [ hitherto and no further shall thou go ] he is angry with iob's accusing friends , notwithstanding their friendship and good meaning , and though they seemed to plead for god and godliness against iob's sin : and who shall be against us while god is for us ? or who shall condemn us when it is he that justifieth us ? though we be put to say as david , psal. 142.4 . [ i looked on my right hand and beheld , but there was no man that would know me ; refuge failed me ; no man cared for my soul : ] yet we may say with him , vers . 5. and 7. [ i cryed unto thee , o lord ; i said , thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living : bring my soul out of prison that i may praise thy name : the righteous shall compass me about : for thou shalt deal bountifully with me : 2 , 3. i poured out my complaint before him ; i shewed before him my trouble : when my spirit was overwhelmed within me , then thou knewest my path : in the way wherein i walked have they privily laid a snare for me . ] thus [ god is our refuge and strength ; a very present help in trouble . ] psal. 46.1 . therefore should we not fear though the earth were removed , and though the mountains were carried into the mi●st of the sea ; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled , &c. vers . 2.3 . though a● david saith , psal. 41.5 , 6 , 7. [ mine enemies speak evil of me : when shall he dye , and his name perish ? and if he come to see me , he speaketh vanity : his heart gathereth iniquity to it self ; when he goeth abroad he tell●th it : all that ●●te me whisper t●gether against me : against me do they devise my hurt : an evil disease , say they , cleaveth fast unto him ; and now that he lyeth , he sh●ll rise up no more : yea , my own familiar friend in whom i trusted , that did eat of my bread , hath lift up his heel against me — ] yet we may add a● he , v. 12. [ and as for me , thou upholdest me in mine integrity , and settest me before thy face forever . ] though ( as psal. 35.7 , &c. without cause they have hid for me their net in a pit , which without cause they have digged for my soul : 11. and false witnesses did rise up , they laid to my charge things that i knew not ; they rewarded me evil for good : 15 , 16. in my adversity they rejoyced , and gathered themselves together ; the objects gathered themselves together against me , and i knew it not ; they did tear and ceased not ; with hypocritical mockers in feas●s , they gnashed upon me with their teeth : 20. for they speak not peace , but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. ] yet verse 9. [ my soul shall be joyful in the lord ; it shall rejoyce in his salvation : 10. all my bones shal● say , lord , who is like unto thee , who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him , yea the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him . ] though friends be far off , the lord is nigh to them that are of a brok●n heart , and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit : many are the afflictions of the righteous ; but the lord delivereth him out of them all . ] psal. 34.18 , 19. the lord redeemeth the soul of his servants ; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate . ] v. 22. therefore [ i will be glad and rejoyce in his mercy , for he hath considered my trouble , and hath known ( and owned ) my soul in adversity : and hath not shut me in the hand of the enemy . — when my life was spent with grief , and my years with sighing ; my strength failed because of mine iniquity , and my bones were consumed ; i was a reproach among all mine enemies , but especially among my neighbours , and a fear to mine acquaintance ; they that did see me without fled from me : i was forgotten , and as a dead man out of mind : i was like a broken vessel : i heard the slander of many : fear was on every side ; while they took counsel together against me , they devised to take away my life : but i trusted in thee , o lord : i said , thou art my god : my times are in thy hand : deliver me from the hand of mine enemies , and from them that persecute me : make thy face to shine upon thy servant : save me for thy mercies sake . — o how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee , which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men ! thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man : thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues , psal. 31. ] thus god is with us when men are far from us , or against us : his people find by happy experience , that they are not alone . because he is nigh them , evil shall not come nigh them , unless as it worketh for their good . he is their hiding place to preserve them from trouble : the great water-floods shall not come nigh them : he will compass them about with songs of deliverance . ] psal. 32.6 , 7. 3. and as god is with us thus relatively and efficiently , so also objectively for our holy converse . wherever our friends are , god is still at hand to be the most profitable , honourable and delightful object of our thoughts . there is enough in him to take up all the faculties of my soul. he that is but in a well furnished library , may find great and excellent employment for his thoughts many years together : and so may he that liveth in the open world , and hath all the visible works of god to meditate upon : but all this were nothing , if god were not the sense of books and creatures , and the matter of all these noble studies : he that is alone , and hath only god himself to study , hath the matter and sense of all the books and creatures in the world , to employ his thoughts upon . he never need to want matter for his meditation , that hath god to meditate on . he need not want matter of discourse ( whether mental or vocal ) that hath god to talk of , though he have not the name of any other friend to mention . all our affections may have in him the highest and most pleasant work . the soul of man cannot have a more sweet and excellent work than to love him : he wanteth neither work nor pleasure , that in his solitude is taken up in the believing contemplations of eternal love , and of all his blessed attributes and works . o then what happy and delightful converse may a believer have with god alone ! he is always present , and always at leisure to be spoken with ; and always willing of our access and audience : he hath no interest cross to our felicity , which should move him to reject us ( as worldly great ones often have ▪ ) he never misunderstandeth us , nor chargeth that upon us which we were never guilty of : if we converse with men , their mistakes , and interests , and passions , and insufficiencies , do make the trouble so great , and the benefit so small , that many have become thereby aweary of the world , or of human society , and have spent the rest of their days alone in desert places . indeed , so much of god as appears in men , so much is their converse excellent and delightful ; and theirs is the best that have most of god. but there is so much of vanity , and self ▪ and flesh , and sin in the most or all of of us , as very much darkneth our light , and dampeth the pleasure , and blasteth the fruit of our societies and converse . o how oft have i been solaced in god , when i found nothing but deceit and darkness in the world ! how oft hath he comforted me , when it was past the power of man ! how oft hath he relieved and delivered me , when all the help of man was vain ! it hath been my stay and rest , to look to him , when the creature hath been a broken staff , and deceitful friend● have been but as a broken tooth , or a foot that is out of joint ( as solomon speaketh of confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble , prov. 25.29 . ) verily , as the world were but an horrid dungeon without the sun , so it were a howling wilderness , a place of no considerable employment or delight , were it not that in it we may live to god and do him service , and sometime be refreshed with the light of his countenance , and the communications of his love . but of this more ano● . vse 1. we see our example , and our encouragements . let us now as followers of christ , endeavour to imitate him in this , and to live upon god , when men forsake us , and to know that while god is with us , we are not alone , nor indeed forsaken while he forsakes us not . i shall , 1. shew you here negatively , what you must not do . 2. affirmatively , what you must do ; for the performance of your duty in this imitation of christ. 1. you must not make this any pretence for the undervaluing of your useful friends ; nor for your unthankfulness for so great a benefit as a godly friend : nor for the neglect of your duty in improving the company and help of friends : two is better then one : the communion of saints , and help of those that are wise and faithful , is a mercy highly to be esteemed . and the undervaluing of it , is at least a sign of a declining soul. 2. you must not hence fetch any pretence to slight your friends , and disoblige them , or neglect any duty that you owe them , or any means therein necessary to the continuation of their friendship . 3. you must not causelesly withdraw from humane society into solitude . a weariness of converse with men , is oft conjunct with a weariness of our duty : and a retiring voluntarily into solitude , when god doth not call or drive us thither , is oft but a retiring from the place and work which god hath appointed us : and consequently a retiring rather from god , than to god. like some idle servants , that think they should not work so hard , because it is but worldly business , and think their masters deal not religiously by them , unless they let them neglect their labour , that they may spend more time in serving god : as if it were no serving god to be faithful in their masters service . i deny not but very holy persons have lived in a state of retirement from humane converse : in such cases as these it may become a duty , 1. in case of such persecution as at present leaveth us no opportunity of serving or honouring god so much in any other place or state . 2 in case that natural infirmity , or disability , or any other accident shall make one less serviceable to god and his church in society than he is in solitude . 3. in case he hath committed a sin so heinous and of indelible scandal and reproach , as that it is not fit for the servants of christ any more to receive him into their local communion , though he repent : ( for as to local communion , i think , such a case may be . ) 4. in case a man through custom and ill company be so captivated to some fleshly lust , as that he is not able to bear the temptations that are found in humane converse ; but falleth by them into frequent heinous sinning : in this case the right hand or eye is rather to be parted with , than their salvation . and though a meer restraint by distance of temptations and opportunities of sinning , will not prove a man sanctified , nor save the soul that loveth the sin and fain would live in it ; yet , 1. grace may sometime appear in the strength and self denyal which is exercised in the very avoiding of temptations , when yet perhaps the person hath not strength enough to have stood against the temptation if it had not been avoided . and 2. the distance of temptations , & opportunity of serious and frequent consideration , may be a mean● to help to sincerity that want it . 5. in case a man by age or sickness find himself so near to death , as that he hath now a more special call to look after his present actual preparation , than to endeavour any more the good of others ; and find withall , that solitude will help him in his preparations , his society being such as would but hinder him . in these five cases i suppose it lawful to retire from humane converse into solitude . but when there is no such necessity or call , it usually proceedeth from one of these vicious distempers : 1. from cowardize and fear of suffering , when the souldiers of christ do hide their heads , instead of confessing him before men . 2. from a laziness of mind and weariness of duty : when slothful unprofitable servants hide their talents , pretending their fear of the austerity of their lord. it s easier to run away from our work , then do it : and to go out of the reach of ignorance , malice , contradiction and ungodliness , than to encounter them , and conquer them by truth and holy lives . so many persons as we converse with , so many are there to whom we owe some duty : and this is not so easie as it is to over run our work , and to hide our selves in some wilderness or cell , whilst others are fighting the battels of the lord. 3. or it may proceed from meer impatience : when men cannot bear the frown , and scorns , and violence of the ungodly , they fly from sufferings , which by patience they should overcome . 4. or it may come from humour and mutability of mind , and discontent with ones condition : many retire from humane converse to please a discontented passionate mind ; or expecting to find that privacy , which in publick they could not find , nor is any where to be found on earth . 5. and some do it in melancholy , meerly to please a sick imagination , which is vexed in company , and a little easeth it self in living as the possessed man among the tombs . 6. and somtimes it proceedeth from self ignorance , and an unhumbled state of a soul : when men think much better of themselves than others , they think they can more comfortably converse with themselves than with others : whereas if they well understood that they are the worst or greatest enemies , or troubles to themselves , they would more fear their own company than other mens : they would then consider what proud , and fleshly , and worldly , and selfish , and disordered hearts they are like to carry with them into their solitude , and there to be annoyed with from day to day : and that the nearest enemy is the worst , and the nearest trouble is the greatest . these vices or infirmities carry many into solitude ; and if they live where popish vanity may seduce them , they will perhaps imagine , that they are serving god , and entring in perfection , when they are but sinfully obeying their corruptions : and that they are advanced above others in degrees of grace , while they are pleasing a diseased fancy , and entring into a dangerous course of sin . no doubt but the duties of a publick life are more in number , and greater in weight , and of more excellent consequence and tendency ( even to the most publick good , and greatest honour of god ) than the duties of privacy or retirement . vir bonus est commune bonum : a good man is a common good . and ( saith seneca ) nulla essent communia nisi pars illorum pertineret ad singulos ] if every one have not some share or interest in them , how are they common ? let me add these few cons●derations , to shew you the evil of voluntary unnecessary solitude . 1. you less contribute to the honour of your redeemer , and less promote his kingdom in the world , and less subserve his death and office , while you do good but to few , and live but almost to your selves . 2. you live in the poorest exercise of the grace of charity ; and therefore in a low undesirable condition . 3. you will want the communion of saints , and benefit of publick ordinances ( for i account not a colledge life a solitary life . ) and you will want the help of the charity , graces and gifts of others , by which you might be benefited . 4. it will be a life of smaller comfort , as it is a life of smaller benefit to others . they that do but little good ( according to their ability ) must expect but little comfort . they have usually most peace and comfort to themselves , that are the most profitable to others . [ non potest quisquam bene degere qui se tantum intuetur : alteri vivas oportet , si tibi vis vivere : sen. ] no man can live well , that looketh but to himself : thou must live to another , if thou wilt live to thy self . ] o the delight that there is in doing good to many ! none knoweth it that hath not tryed it : not upon any account of merit ; but as it pleaseth god , and as goodness it self is amiable and sweet ; and as we receive by communicating ; and as we are under promise ; and as charity makes all the good that 's done to another to be to us as our own ! 5. we are dark and partial , and heedless of our selves , and hardly brought or kept in acquaintance with our hearts ; and therefore have the more need of the eye of others : and even an enemies eye may be useful , though malicious ; and may do us good while he intends us evil , saith bernard [ malum quod nemo videt nemo arguit : vbi autem non timetur reprehensor , securus accedit tenat●r ; licentius perpetratur iniquitas ] [ the evil that none seeth , none reproveth : and where the reprover is not feared , the temper cometh more boldly , and the sin is committed the more licentiously . ] it 's hard to know the spots in our own faces , when we have no glass or beholder to accquaint us with them . saith chrysostom ' [ solitude is velamen omnium vitiorum ] the cover of all vices ] in company this cover is laid aside , and vice being more naked , is more ashamed . it is beholders that cause shame ; which solitude is not acquainted with : and it 's a piece of impenitency not to be shamed of sin . 6. and we are for the most part so weak and sickly , that we are unable to subsist without the help of others . sen. nemo est ex imprudentibus qui relinqui sibi debet ] unwise men ( or infants , or sick-like men ) must not be left to themselves . ] and god hath let some impotency , insufficiency and necessity upon all that should keep men sociable , & make them acknowledge their need of others , and be thankful for assistance from them , and be ready to do good to others , as we would have others do to us . he that feeleth not the need of others , is so unhumb●ed as to have the greater need of them . 7. pride will have great advantage in private , and repentance great disadvantage , while our sins seem to be all dead , because there is not a temptation to draw them out , or an observer to reprove them . [ tam diu patiens quisque sibi videtur & humi●is , donec nullius hominum consortio commiscetur ; ad naturam pristinam reversurus quum interpellaverit cujuslibet occasionis commotio , inquit cassianus ] many a man seems to himself patient and humble , while he keeps out of company ? who would return to his own nature if the commotion of any occasion did but provoke him . ] it 's hard to know what sin or grace is in us ▪ if we have not such tryals as are not to be found in solitude . 8. flying from the observation and judgment of others , is a kind of self-accusation ; as if we confest our selves so bad as that we cannot stand the tryal of the light. ] bona conscientia turbam advocat : mala in solitudine anxia est & sollicita : si honesta sunt que facis omnes sciant : siturpia , quid refert neminem scire : cum tu scias ! o te miserum si contemnis hunc testem : inquit seneca . ] that is [ a good conscience will call in the croud ( or witnesses , not caring who seeth : ) a bad conscience is anxious and sollicitous even in solitude : if they be things honest which thou doest , let all men know : if the be dishonest , what good doth it thee that no man else knoweth it , when thou knowest it thy self ! o miserable man if thou dispise this witness ! ] something is suspected to be amiss with those that are always in their chambers , and are never seen . tell not men that you cannot bear the light : it is he that doeth evil that hateth the light , lest his deeds should be reproved . 9. solitude is too like to death , to be desirable : he liveth that doth good ; and he is dead that is useless . [ vivit is qui multis usu● est : vivit is qui sentitur : qui vero latitant & torpent , mortem suam antecesserint , inquit sen. ] [ he liveth that is profitable to many : he liveth that is observed or perceived : but they that lye hid and drowsie do anticipate their death . ] and it is the most culpable death , and therefore the worst , to have life , and not to use it . 10. a life of holy communion is likest unto heaven , where none shall be solitary , but all as members of the heavenly ierusalem , shall in harmony love and praise their maker . these reasons seem to me sufficient to satifie you that no man should choose a solitude without a special necessity or call : nor yet should it be taken for a life of greater perfection , then a faithful serving of god ●n publick , and doing good to more . i shall now come to the affirmative , and tell you for all this , that [ if god call us into solitude , or men forsake us , we may rejoice in this , that we are not alone , but the father is with us . ] fear not such solitude , but be ready to improve it , if you be cast upon it . if god be your god , reconciled to you in christ , and his spirit be in you , you are provided for solitude , and need not fear if all the world should cast you off . if you be banished , imprisoned , or left alone , it is but a relaxation from your greatest labours ; which though you may not cast off your selves , you may lawfully be sensible of your ease , if god take off your burden . it is but a cessation from your sharpest conflicts , and removal from a multitude of great temptations . and though you may not cowardly retreat or shift your selves from the fight and danger , yet if god will dispense with you , and let you live in greater peace and safety , you have no cause to murmur at his dealing . a fruit tree that groweth by the high-way side , doth seldom keep its fruit to ripeness , while so many passengers have each his stone or cudgel to cast at it : seneca could say [ nunquam a turba mores quos extuli refero : aliquid ex eo quod composu● turbatur ; aliquid ex his quae fugavi redit : inimica est multorum conversatio ] i never bring home well from a crowd the manners which i took out with me : something is disordered of that which i had set in order : something of that which i had banished doth return : the conversation of many i find an enemy to me . ] o how many vain and foolish words corrupt the minds of those that converse with an ungodly world , when your ears and minds who live in solitude , are free from such temptations ! you live not in so corrupt an air as they : you hear not the filthy ribbald speeches , which fight against modesty and chastity , and are the bellows of lust : you hear not the discontented complaining words of the impatient ; nor the passionate provoking words of the offended ; nor the wrangling quarrelsom words of the contentious ; nor the censorious , or slanderous , or reproachful words of the malicious , who think it their interest to have their brethren taken to be bad , and to have others hate them , because they them selves hate them ; and who are as zealous to quench the charity of others , when it is destroyed in themselves , as holy persons are zealous to provoke others to love , which dwe●●eth and ruleth in themselves . in your solitude with god , you shall not hear the lyes and malicious revilings of the ungodly against the generation of the just : nor the subtile cheating words of hereticks , who being themselves deceived , would deceive others of their faith , and corrupt their lives . you shall not there be distracted with the noise and clamours of contending uncharitable professors of religion , endeavouring to make odious first the opinions , and then the persons of one another : one saying , here is the church , and another , there is the church : one saying , this is the true church government , and another saying nay , but that is it : one saying , god will be worshipped thus , and another , not so , but thus or thus : you shall not there be drawn to side with one against another , nor to joyn with any faction , or be guilty of divisions : you shall not be troubled with the oaths and blasphemies of the wicked , nor with the imprudent miscarriages of the weak ; with the persecutions of enemies , or the falling out of friends . you shall not see the cruelty of proud oppressors , that set up lyes by armed violence , and care not what they say or do , nor how much other men are injured or suffer , so that themselves may tyrannize , and their wills and words may rule the world , when they do so unhappily rule themselves . in your solitude with god , you shall not see the prosperity of the wicked to move you to envy , nor the adversity of the just to be your grief : you shall see no worldly pomp and splendor to be fool you ; nor adorned beauty to entice you , nor wasting calamities to afflict you : you shall not hear the laughter of fools , nor the sick mans groans , nor the wronged mans complaints , nor the poor mans murmurings , nor the proud mans boastings , nor the angry mans abusive ragings . as you lose the help of your gracious friends , so you are freed from the fruits of their peevishness and passions ; of their differing opinion and ways and tempers ; of their inequality , unsuitableness , and contrariety of minds or interests ; of their levity and unconstancy , and the powerful temptations of their friendship , to draw you to the errors or other sins which they are tainted with themselves . in a word , you are there half delivered from the vanity and vexation of the world ; and were it not that you are yet undelivered from your selves , and that you take distempered corrupted hearts with you , o what a felicity would your solitude be ! but , alas , we cannot overrun our own diseases , we must carry with us the remnants of our corrupted nature ; our deadness , and dulness , our selfishness and earthly minds , our impatience and discontents ; and worst of all ▪ our lamentable weakness of faith and love and heavenly mindedness , and our strangeness to god , and backwardness to the matters of eternal life . o that i could escape these , though i were in the hands of the cruellest enemies ! o that such a heart could be left behind ! how gladly would i overrun both house , and land , and honour , and all sensual delights , that i might but overrun it ! o where is the place where there is none of this darkness , nor disaffection , nor distance , nor estrangedness from god! o that i knew it ! o that i could find it ! o that i might there dwell ! though i should never more see the face of mortals ; nor ever hear a human voice , nor ever taste of the delights of flesh ! alas , foolish soul : such a place there is , that hath all this , and more than this ▪ but it is not in a wilderness , but in paradise , not here on earth , but above with christ ! and yet am i so loath to die ? yet am i no more desirous of the blessed day , when i shall b● uncloathed of flesh and sin ? o death , what an enemy art thou even to my soul ▪ by affrighting me from the presence of my lord , and hindring my desires and willingness to be gone , thou wrongest me much more , than by laying my flesh to rot in darkness . fain i would know god , and fain i would more love him and enjoy him : but o this hurtful love of life ! o this unreasonable fear of dying , detaineth my desires from pressing on to the happy place where all this may be had ! o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death ! this carnal unbelieving heart , that sometime can think more delightfully of a wilderness then of heaven ; that can go seek after god in desert solitude , among the birds and beasts and trees , and yet is so backward to be loosed from flesh that i may find him and enjoy him in the world of glory : can i expect that heaven come down to earth ! and that the lord of glory should remove his court , and either leave the retinue of his celestial courtiers , or bring them all down into this drosly world of flesh and sin , and this to satisfie my fleshly foolish mind ! or can i expect the translation of henoch or the chariot of elias ? is it not enough that my lord hath conquered death , and sanctifyed the passage , and prepared the place of my perpetual abode . well! for all this , though a wilderness is not heaven , it shall be sweet and welcom for the sake of heaven , if thence i may but have a clearer prospect of it : and if by retiring from the crowd and noise of folly , i may but be more composed and better disposed to converse above , and to use my faith ( alas , my too weak languid faith ) until the beatifical vision and fruition come . if there may be but more of god , or readier access to him , or more heart quickning flames of love , or more heart-comforting intimations of his favour , in a wilderness than in a city , in a prison than in a palace ; let that wilderness be my city , and let that prison be my palace , while i must abide on earth . if in solitude i may have henochs walk with god , i shall in due season have such a translation as shall bring me to the same felicity which he enjoyeth : and in the mean time as well as after , it is no incommodity , if by mortal eyes i be seen no more . if the chariot of contemplation will in solitude raise me to more believing affectionate converse with heaven , than i could expect in tumults and temptations , it shall reconcile me unto solitude , and make it my paradise on earth , till angels instead of the chariot of elias , shall convey me to the presence of my glorified head , in the celestial paradise . object . but it is grievous to one that hath been used to much company , to be alone . answ. company may so use you , that it may be more grievous to you not to be alone . the society of wasps and serpents may be spared ; and bees themselves have such stings as make some that have felt them think they bought the hony dear . but can you say , you are alone , while you are with god ? is his presence nothing to you ? doth it not signifie more than the company of all men in the world ? saith hierom , [ sapions nunquam solus esse potest : habet enim secum omnes qui sunt , & qui fuerunt boni — & si h●minum sit inopia , loquitur cum deo ] viz. a wise man cannot be alone : for he hath with him the good men that are or have been — and if there be a want of men , he speaks with god. ] he should rather have said , there can be no want of man , when we may speak with god : and were it not that god is here revealed to us as in a glass , and that we do converse with god in man , we should think human converse little worth . object . o but solitude is disconsolate to a sociable mind . answ. but the most desirable society is no solitude : saith hierom , [ infinita cremi vas●itas te terret ? sed tu paradisum mente de ambula : quotiescunque cogitatione ac mente illuc conscenderi● , toties in eremo non e●is ] that is [ doth the infinite vastness of the wilderness terrifie thee ? but do thou ( ascend ) in mind and walk in paradise : as oft as thou ascendest thither in thought and mind , so oft thou shalt not be in the wilderness . ] if god be nothing to thee , thou art not a christian but an atheist . if god be god to thee , he is all in all to thee ; and then should not his presence be instead of all ? o that i might get one step nearer unto god , though i receded many from all the world ! o that i could find that place on earth where a soul may have nearest access unto him , and fullest knowledge and enjoyment of him , though i never more saw the face of friends ! i should chearfully say with my blessed saviour [ i am not alone , for the father is with me . ] and i should say so for these reasons following . 1. if god be with me , the maker , and ruler , and disposer of all is with me : so that all things are virtually with me in him . i have that in gold and jewels which i seem to want in silver , lead , and dross . i can want no friend if god vouchsafe to be my friend ; and i can enjoy no benefit by all my friends , if god be my enemy . i need not fear the greatest enemies , if god be reconciled to me . i shall not miss the light of the candle , if i have this blessed sun. the creature is nothing but what it is from god , and in god : and it is worth nothing , or good for nothing , but what it's worth in order unto god , as it declareth him , and helps the soul to know him , serve him , or draw nearer to him : as it is idolatry in the unhappy worldling , to thirst after the creature with the neglect of god , and so to make the world his god ; so doth it savour of the same hainous sin to lament our loss of creatures more than the displeasure of god. if god be my enemy , or i am fallen under his indignation , i have then so much greater matters to lament than the loss , or absence , or frowns of man , as should almost make me forget that there is such a thing as man to be regarded : but if god be my father , and my friend in christ , i have then so much to think of with delight , and to recreate and content my soul , as will procl●im it most incongruous and absurd to lament mordinately the absence of a wo●m , while i have his love and presence who is all in all. if god cannot content me , and be not enough for me , how is he then my god ? or how shall he be my heaven and everlasting h●ppiness ? 2. if god be with me , he is with me to whom i am absolutely devoted . i am wholly his , and have acknowledged his interest in me , and long ago disclaimed all usurpers , and repented of alienations , and unreservedly resigned my self to him : and where shoul● i dwell but with him that is my owner , and with whom i have made the solemnest covenant that ever i made ? i never gave my self to any other , but in subordination to him , and with a salvo for his highest inviolable right . where should my goods be but in my own house ? with whom should a servant dwell but with his master ? and a wife , but with her husband ? and children but with thei● father ? i am nearlier related to my god and to my saviour , than i am to any of my relations in this world . i owe more to him than to all the world : i have renounced all the world , as they stand in any competition or comparison with him ; and can i want their company then while i am with him ? how shall i hate father and mother , and wife and children , and brother and sister for his sake , if i cannot spare them , or be without them to enjoy him ? to hate them is but to use them as men do hated things , that is , to cast them away with contempt as they would alienate me from christ , and to cleave to him , and be satisfied in him alone . i am now married to christ , and therefore must chearfully leave father and mother , and my native place , and all to cleave to him : and with whom should i now delight to dwell , but with him who hath t●ken me into so near relation , to be , as it were , one flesh with him ! o my dear lord , hide not thou thy face from an unkind an unworthy sinner ! let me but dwell with thee and see thy face , and feel the gracious embracements of thy love , and then let me be cast off by all the world , if thou see it meetest for me ; or let all other friends be where they will , so that my soul may be with thee : i have agreed for thy sake to forsake all , even the dearest that shall stand against thee ; and i resolve by thy grace to stand to this agreement . 3. if god be with me , i am not alone , for he is with me that loveth me best . ] the love of all the friends on earth is nothing to his love. o how plainly hath he declared that he loveth me , in the strange condescention , the sufferings , death , and intercession of his son ? what love hath he declared in the communications of his spirit , and the operations of his grace , and the near relations into which he brought me ? what love hath he declared in the course of his providences ? in many and wonderful preservations and deliverances ? in the conduct of his wisdom , and in a life of mercies ? what love appeareth in his precious promises , and the glorious provisions he hath made for me with himself to all eternity ? o my lord , i am ashamed that thy love is so much lost ; that it hath no better return from an unkind unthankful heart ; that i am not more delighted in thee , and swallowed up in the contemplation of thy love ; i can contentedly let go the society and converse of all others , for the converse of some one bosom friend , that is dearer to me than they all , as ionathan to david : and can i not much more be sati●fied in thee alone , and let go all if i m●y continue with thee ? my very dog will gladly forsake all the town , and all persons in the world , to follow me alone ! and have i not yet found so much love and goo● ness in thee my dear and blessed god , as to be willing to converse alone with thee ? all men delight most in the company of those that love them best : they choose not to converse with the multitude when they look for solace and content , but with their dearest friends : and should any be so dear to me as god ? o were not thy love unworthily neglecte● by an unthankful heart , i should never ●e so unsatisfied in thee , but should take up , or seek my comforts in thee : i should then say , whom have i in heaven but thee , and there is none on earth that i desire besides thee ! though not only my friends , but my flesh and heart themselves should fail me , it is thou that will still be the strength of my heart , and my portion forever : it is good therefore for me to draw near to thee , how far soever i am from man : o let me there dwell where thou wilt not be strange , for thy loving kindness is better than life . instead of the multitude of my ●u●moiling thoughts , let me be taken up in the believing views of thy reconciled face , and in the glad attendance upon thy grace ; or at least in the multitude of my thoughts within me , let thy celestial comforts delight my soul. let me dwell as in thy family ; and when i awake , let me be still with thee ! let me go no whither but where i am still following thee : let me ●o nothing but thy work , nor serve any other but when i may truly call it a serving thee : let me hear nothing ●ut thy voice , and let me know thy voice by whatever instrument thou shalt speak : let me never see a●y thing but thy self and the glass that representeth thee , and the books in in which i may read thy name : and let me never play with the out-side , and gaze on words and letters as insignificant , and not observe ●hy name which is the sense . whether it be in company or in solitude , let me be continually with thee , and do thou vouchs●fe to hold me by my right hand : and guide me with thy counsel , and afterwards receive me unto thy glory , psal. 73.23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 28. psal. 63.3 . 4. if god be with me i am not alone ; for i shall be with him whose love is of greater use and benefit to me , than the love of all my friends in the world . their love may perhaps be some little comfort , as it floweth from his : but it is his love by which and upon which i live. it is his love that gives me life and time , and health and food , and preservation ; that gives me books , gives me books and giveth me understanding : that giveth me provision , and saveth me from turning it to pernicious fleshliness and excess ; that giveth me even my friends themselves , and saveth me from that abuse which might make them to me worse than enemies . the sun , the earth , the air is not so useful or needful to me as his love. the love of all my friends cannot make me well when i am sick : it cannot forgive the smallest of my sins ; nor yet assure me of gods forgiveness : it cannot heal the maladies of my soul , nor give a solid lasting peace to the conscience which is troubled : if all my friends stand about me when i am dying , they cannot take away the fears of death , nor secure my passage to everlasting life : death will be death still , and danger will be danger , when all my friends have done their best . but my almighty friend is all sufficient : he can prevent my sickness , or rebuke and cure it , or make it so good to me , that i shall thank him for it : he can blot out my transgressions , and forgive all my sin ; and justifie me when the world and my conscience do condemn me : he can teach me to believe , to repent , to pray , to hope , to suffer , and to overcome : he can quiet my soul in the midst of trouble , and give me a well grounded everlasting peace , and a joy which no man can take from me . he can deliver me from all the corruptions and distempers of my froward heart ; and ease me and secure me in the troublesom war which is daily managed in my breast . he can make it as easie a thing to dye , as to lye down and take my rest when i am weary , or to undress me at night and go to bed . he can teach death to lay by its terrible aspect , and to speak with a mild and comfortable voice , & to bring me the joyfullest tydings that ever came unto my ears ; and to preach to me the last and sweetest sermon , even the same that our ●aviour preached on the cross [ luke 23.43 . verily i say unto thee , to day shalt thou be with christ in paradise . ] and is this the difference between the love of man and of god ? and yet do i lament the loss of man ! and yet am i so backward to converse with god , and to be satisfied in his love alone ! ah my god , how justly mayest thou withhold that love which i thus undervalue ; and refuse that converse which i have first refused ? and turn me over to man , to silly man , to sinful man , whose converse i so much desire , till i have learnt by dear experience the difference between man and god , and between an earthly and an heavenly friend ! alas , have i not tryed it oft enough , to have known it better before this day ! have ● not 〈◊〉 enough sound what man is in a time of tryal ! have i not been tol● it over and over , and told it to the quick , by deceitful friends , by self-seeking friends , by mutable , erroneous , deceived , scandalous , backslding friends , by proud and selfconceited friends ; by passionate , quarrelsom , vexatious friends , by self-grieved , troubled friend● , that have but brought me all their calamities and griefs to be additions to my own ; by tempting friends , that have drawn me to sin more effectually than enemies ; by tender , faithful , but unable friends , that have but fetcht fire from my calamities and sorrows to kindle their own , not equally sharing , but each one taking all my trouble entirely to himself : that have been willing , but insufficient to relieve me ; and therefore the greater was their love , the greater was their own , and consequently mine affliction , that would have been with me , but could not ; that would fain have eased my pain , and strengthened my languishing body , but could not ; that would fain have removed all my troubles , and comforted my cast down mind , but could not . o how often have i found that humane friendship is a sweet desired addition to our woe ; a beloved calamity , and an affliction which nature will not be without , not because it loveth evil , nor because it is wholly deceived in its choice ( for there is good in friendship , and delight in holy love ) but because the good which is here accompanied with so much evil , is the beginn●ng of a more high and durable frendship , and pointeth us up to the blessed delightful society and converse which in the heavenly ierusalem we shall have with christ. but o how much better have i found the friendship of the all-sufficient god! his love hath not only pitited me , but relieved me : he hath not only been as it were afflicted with me in my afflictions , but he hath delivered me seasonably , and powerfully , and sweetly hath he delivered me : and when he had once told me that my afflictions were his own , i had no reason to doubt of a deliverance . my burdened mind hath been eased by his love , which was but more burdened by the fruitless love of all my friends . oft have i come to man for help , and ease , and comfort , and gone away as from an empty cistern , that had no water to cool my thirst ; but god hath been a present help : could i but get near him , i was sure of light , how great soever was my former darkness : could i but get near him , i was sure of warming quickning life , how dead soever i had been before : but all my misery was , that i could not get near him ! my darkened estranged guilty soul , could not get quiet●ng and satisfying acquaintance : my lumpish heart lay dead on earth , and would not stir , or quickly fall down again , if by any celestial force it began to be drawn up , and move a little towards him : my carnal mind was entangled in diverting vanities : and thus i have been kept from communion with my god. kept ! not by force or humane tyranny ; not by bars or bolts , or distance of a place , or by the lowness of my condition ; nor by any misrepresentations o● reproach of man ; but , alas , by my self , by the darkness and deadness , and sluggishness , and earthliness , and fleshliness , and passions of a naughty heart . these have been my bars , and bolts , and jaylors ; these are they that have kept me from my god : had it not been for these i might have got nearer to him ; i might have walkt with him , and dwelt with him ; yea dwelt in him , and he in me : and then i should not have mist any friends , nor felt mine enemies : and is it my sinful distance from my god that hath been my loss , my wilderness , my woe ! and is it a nearer admittance to the presence of his love that must be my recovery and my joy , if ever i attain to joy ! o then my soul , lay hold on christ the reconciler , and in him and by him draw near to god : and cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils : love god in his saints , and delightfully converse with christ in them , while thou hast opportunity . but remember thou livest not upon them , or on their love , but upon god , and therefore desire their company but for his : and if thou have his , be content if thou have not theirs . he wants not man that enjoyeth god. gather up all the love , and thoughts , and desires which have been scattered and lost upon the creatures , and set them all on god himself , and press into his presence , and converse with him , and thou shalt find the mistake of thy present discontents , and sweet experience shall tell thee thou hast made a happy change . 5. if god be with me , i am not alone , because he is with me with whom my greatest business lyeth : and what company should i desire , but theirs with whom i have my daily necessary work to do ? i have more to do with god , than with all the world : yea more and greater business with him in one day , than with all the world in all my life . i have business with man about house , or lands , or food , or raiment , or labour , or journying , or recreations , about society and publick peace : but what are these to my business with god! indeed with holy men i have holy business ; but that is but as they are messengers from god , and come to me on his business , and so they must be dearly welcome : but even then my business is much more with god then with them ; with him that sent them , then with the messenger . indeed my business with god is so great , that if i had not a mediator to encourage and assist me , to do my work and procure me acceptance , the thoughts of it would overwhelm my soul. o therefore my soul , let man stand by : it is the eternal god that i have to do with : and with whom am i to transact in this little time the business of my endless life . i have to deal with god through christ , for the pardon of my sins , of all my great and grievous sins ; and wo to me if i speed not , that ever i was born : i have some hopes of pardon , but intermixt with many perplexing fears : i have evidences much blotted , and not easily understood : i want assurance that he is indeed my father , and reconciled to me , and will receive me to himself when the world forsaketh me : i have many languishing graces to be strengthened ; and alas , what radicated , obstinate , vexatious corruptions to be cured ! can i look into my heart , into such an unbelieving , dead , and earthly heart , into such a proud and peevish and disordered heart , into such a trembling , perplexed , self-accusing heart , and yet not understand how great my business is with god! can i peruse my sins , or feel my wants , and sink under my weaknesses , and yet not discern how great my business is with god! can i look back upon all the time that i have lost , and all the grace that i unthankfully resisted , and all the mercies that i trod under foot , or fool'd away , and can i look before me and see how near my time is to an end , and yet not understand how great my business is with god ; can i think of the malice and diligence of satan , the number , power and subtilty of mine enemies , the many snares and dangers that are still before me , the strength and number of temptations , and my ignorance , unwatchfulness and weakness to resist , and yet not know that my greatest business is with god : can i feel my afflictions and lament them , and think my burden greater than i can bear , and find that man cannot relieve me ; can i go mourning in the heaviness of my soul , and water my bed with tears , and fill the air with my groans and lamentations , or feel my soul overwhelmed within me , so that my words are intercepted , and i am readier to break than speak , and yet not perceive that my greatest business is with god ? can i think of dying ? can i draw near to judgment ? can i think of everlasting joys in heaven ? and of everlasting pains in hell , and yet not feel that my greatest business is with god ? o then , my soul , the case is easily resolved , with whom it is that thou must most desirously and seriously converse . where shouldst thou be but where thy business is , and so great business ! alas , what have i to do with man ! what can it do but make my head ake , to hear a deal of senseless chat , about preferments , lands and dignities , about the words and thoughts of men , and a thousand toys that are utterly impertinent to my great imployments , and signifie nothing but that the dreaming world is not awake ! what pleasure is it to see the busles of a bedlam world ? what a stir they make to prove or make themselves unhappy ? how low and of how little weight , are the learned discourses about syllables and words , and names and notions , and mood and figure , yea , or about the highest planets , when all are not referred unto god ? were it not that some converse with men , doth further my converse with god ; and that god did transact much of his business by his messengers and servants , it were no matter whether ever i more saw the face of man : were it not that my master hath placed me in society , and appointed me and much of my work for others , and with others , and much of his mercy is conveyed by others , man might stand by , and solitude were better then the best society , and god alone should take me up . o nothing is so much my misery and shame , as that i am no more willing , nor better skilled in the management of my great important business ! that my work is with god , and my heart is no more with him ! o what might i do in holy meditation or prayer one hour ; if i were as ready for prayer , and as good at prayer as one that hath so long opportunity and so great necessity to converse with god , should be ! a prayerless heart , a heart that flyeth away from god , is most excusable in such a one as i , that hath so much important business with him : it is work that must be done ; and if well done , will never be repented of : i use not to return from the presence of god ( when indeed i have drawn near him ) as i do from the company of empty men , repenting that i have lost my time , and trembled that my mind is discomposed or depressed by the vanity and earthly savour of their discourse : i oft repent that i have prayed to him so coldly , and conversed with him so negligently , and served him so remisly ; but i never repent of the time , the cares , the afflictions , or the diligence imployed in his holy work . many a time i have repented that ever i spent so much time with man , and wisht i had never seen the faces of some that are eminent in the world , whose favour and converse others are ambitious of : but it is my greif and shame that so small a part of all my life , hath been spent with god ; and that fervent prayer and heavenly contemplations , have been so seldom and so short . o that i had lived more with god , though i had been less with my dearest of my friends ! how much more blameless , regular and pure ! how much more fruitful , and answerable to my obligations and professions ! how much more comfortable to my review ! how many falls , and hurts , and wounds , and greifs , and groans might i have escaped ! o how much more pleasing is it now to my remembrance , to think of the hours in which i have lain at the feet of god , though it were in tears and groans , than to think of the time which i have spent in any common converse with the greatest , or the learnedest , or the dearest of my acquaintance ! and as my greatest business is with god , so my daily-business is also with him : he purposely leaveth me under wants , and suffers necessities daily to return , and enemies to assault me , and affliction to surprize me , that i may be daily driven to him : he loveth to hear from me : he would have me be no stranger with him : i have business with him every hour : i need not want employment for all the faculties of my soul , if i know what it is to converse in heaven . even prayer , and every holy thought of god , hath an object so great and excellent , as should wholly take me up . nothing must be thought or spoken lightly about the lord. his name must not be taken in vain : nothing that is common beseemeth his worshipers . he will be sanctified of all that shall draw near him : he must be loved with all the heart and might . his servants need not be wearied for want of employment , nor through the lightness or unprofitableness of their employment : if i had cities to build , or kingdoms to govern , i might better complain for want of employment for the faculties of my soul , than i can when i am to converse in heaven . in other studies the delight abateth , when i have reached my desire , and know all that i can know : but in god there is infinitely more to be known , when i know the most . i am never satiated with the easiness of knowing , nor are my desires abated by any unusefulness or unworthiness in the object ; but i am drawn to it by it's highest excellencies , and drawn on to desire more and more by the infiniteness of the light which i have not yet beheld , and the infiniteness of the good which yet i have not enjoyed . if i be idle , or seem to want employment , when i am to contemplate all the attributes , relations , mercies , works , and revealed perfections of the lord , it 's sure for want of eyes to see , or a heart enclined to my business : if god be not enough to employ my soul , then all the persons and things on earth are not enough . and when i have infinite goodness to delight in , where my soul may freely let out it self , and never need to fear excess of love ; how sweet should this employment be ? as knowledge , so love is never stinted here , by the narrowness of the object : can never love him in any proportion either to his goodness and amiableness in himself , or to his love to us . what need have i then of any other company or business , when i have infinite goodness to delight in , and to love ( further than they subserve this greatest work ? ) come home then , o my soul , to god : converse in heaven : turn away thine eyes from beholding vanity : let not thy affections kindle upon straw or bryars , that go out when they have made a flash or noise , and leave thee to thy cold and darkness : but come and dwell upon celestial beauties , and make it thy daily and most diligent work , to kindle thy affections on the infinite everlasting good ; and then they will never be extinguished or decay for want of fewel ; but the further they go , and the longer they burn , the greater will be the flame . though thou find it hard while love is but a spark to make it burn , and complain that thy cold and backward heart is hardly warmed with the love of god , yet when the whole pile hath taken fire , and the flame ascendeth , fire will breed fire , love will cause love ; and all the malice of hell it self shall never be able to suppress or quench it unto all eternity . 6. and it is a great encouragement to my converse with god , that no misunderstanding , no malice of enemies , no former sin or present● frailty , no , nor the infinite distance of the most holy glorious god , can hinder my access to him , or turn away his ear or love , or interrupt my leave and liberty of converse . if i converse with the poor , their wants afflict me , being greater than i can supply : their complaints and expectations which i cannot satisfie , are my trouble . if i would converse with great ones , it is not easie to get access : and less easie to have their favour , unless i would purchase it at too dear a rate : how strangely and contemptuously do they look at their inferiours ! great friends must be made for a word or smile : and if you be not quickly gone , they are aweary of you : and if you seek any thing of them , or would put them to any cost or trouble , you are as welcom to them as so many vermin or noisom creatures . they please them best that drive you away . with how much labour and difficulty must you clime , if you will see the top of one of these mountains ? and when you are there , you are but in a place of barrenness ; and have nothing to satisfie you for your pains , but a larger prospect and vertiginous despect of the lower grounds which are not your own : it is seldom that these great ones are to be spoken with : and perhaps their speech is but a denyal of your requests , if not some snappish and contemptuous rejection , that makes you glad when you are got far enough from them , and makes you the better like and love the accessible calm & fruitful plains . but , o how much greater encouragements hath my soul to converse with god! company never hindereth him from harkning to my suit : he is infinite and omnipotent , and as sufficient for every individual soul , as if he had no other to look after in the world : when he is taken up with the attendance and praises of his heavenly host , he is as free and ready to attend and answer the groans and prayers of a contrite soul , as if he had no nobler creatures , nor no higher service to regard . i am oft unready , but god is never unready : i am unready to pray , but he is not unready to hear : i am unready to come to god , to walk with him , and to solace my soul with him ; but he is never unready to entertain me . many a time my conscience would have driven me away , when he hath called me to him , and rebuked my accusing fearful conscience . many a time i have called my self a prodigal , a companion of swine , a miserable hard-hearted sinner , unworthy to be called his son , when he hath called me child , and chid me for my questioning his love. he hath readily forgiven the sins which i thought would have made my soul fuel of hell : he hath entertained me with joy , with musick and a feast , when i better deserved to have been among the dogs without his doors . he hath embraced me in his sustaining consolatory arms , when he might have spurned my guilty soul to hell , and said , depart from me , thou worker of iniquity , i know thee not . o little did i think , that he could ever have forgotten the vanity and villany of my youth ; yea , so easily have forgotten my most aggravated sins . when i had sinned against light ; when i had resisted conscience ; when i had frequently and wilfully injured love , i thought he would never have forgotten it : but the greatness of his love and mercy , and the blood and intercession of his son , hath cancelled all . o how many mercies have i tasted since i thought i had sinned away all mercies ! how patiently hath he born with me , since i thought he would never have put up more ? and yet besides my sins and the withdrawings of my own heart , there hath been nothing to interrupt our converse . though he be god , and i a worm , yet that would not have kept me out : though he be in heaven , yet he is near to succour me on earth , in all that i call upon him for : though he have the praise of angels , he disdaineth not my tears and groans : though he have the perfect love of perfect souls , he knoweth the little spark in my breast , and despiseth not my weak and languid love : though i injure and dishonour him by loving him no more ; though i oft forget him , and have been out of the way when he hath come or called me ; though i have disobediently turned away mine ears , and unkindly refused the entertainments of his love , and unfaithfully plaid with those whose company he forbad me , he hath not divorced me , nor turned me out of doors . o wonderful ! that heaven will be familiar with earth ! and god with man ! the highest with a worm ! and the most holy with an unconstant sinner ! man refuseth me , when god will entertain me : man , that is no wiser or better than my self . those that i never wronged or deserved ill off , reject me with reproach : and god whom i have unspeakably injured , doth invite me , and intreat me , and condescendeth to me , as if he were beholden to me to be saved : men that i have deserved well of , do abhor me : and god that i have deserved hell of , doth accept me . the best of them are briars , and as a thorny hedge , and he is love , and rest , and joy : and yet i can be more welcom to him , tho●gh i have offended h●m , than i can to them whom i have obliged : i have freer leave to cast my slef into my fathers arms , than to tumble in those briars , or wallow in the dirt. i upbraid my self with my sins , but he doth not upbraid me with them . i condemn my self for them , but he condemns me not : he forgivet● me so●n●r than i can forgive my self : i have peace with him , before i can have peace of conscience . o therefore my soul , draw near to him that is so willing of thy company ! that frowneth thee not away , unless it be when thou hast fallen into the dirt , that tho● mayst wash thee from thy filthiness , and the fitter for his converse . draw near to him that will not wrong thee , by believing misreports of enemies , or laying to thy charge the things thou knewest not : but will forgive the wrongs thou hast done to him , and justifie thee from the sin , that conscience layeth to thy charge . come to him that by his word and spirit , his ministers and mercies calleth thee to come ; and hath promised , that those that come to him , he will in no wise shut out . o walk with him that will bear thee up , and lead thee as by the right hand ( psal. 73.23 . ) and carry his infants when they cannot go ! o speak to him that teacheth thee to speak , and understandeth and accepts thy stammering ; and helpeth thine infirmities when thou knowest not what to pray for as thou oughtest ; and giveth thee groans when thou hast not words , and knowe●h the meaning of his spirit in thy groans : that cannot be contained in the heaven of heavens , and yet hath respect to the contrite soul , that trembleth at his word , and feareth his displeasure : that pityeth the tears , and despiseth not the sighing of a broken heart , nor the desires of the sorrowful . o walk with him that is never weary of the converse of an up●ight soul ! that is never angry with thee , but for flying from him , or for drawing back , or being too strange , and refusing the kindness and felicity of his presence . the day is coming when the proudest of the sons of men would be glad of a good look from him , that thou hast leave to walk with : even they that would not look on thee , and they that injured and abused thee , and they that inferiours could have no access to ; o how glad would they be then of a smile , or a word of hope and mercy from thy father ! draw near then to him , on whom the whole creation doth d●pend ; whose favour at last the proudest and the worst would purchase with the loudest cries , when all their pomp and pleasure is gone , and can purchase nothing . o walk with him that is love it self , and think him not unwilling-or unlovely ; and let not the deceiver by hideous misrepresentations drive thee from him : when thou hast felt a while the storms abroad , me thinks thou shouldst say , how good , how safe , how sweet is it to draw near to god! 7. with whom should i so desirously converse , as with him whom i must live with for ever ? if i take pleasure in my house , or land , or country , my walks , my books or friends themselves as cloathed with flesh , i must possess this pleasure but a little while ; henceforth know we no man after the flesh : had we known christ himself after the flesh , we must know him so no more for ever . ( though his glorified spiritual body we shall know . ) do you converse with father or mother ? with wives or children ? with pastors and teachers ? though you may converse with these as glorified saints , when you come to christ , yet in these relations that they stand in to you now , you shall converse with them but a little while : for the time is short : it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none ; and they that weep as though they wept not ; and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not ; and they that buy as though they possessed not ; and they that use the world , as not abusing it ( or as though they used it not : ) for the fashion of this world doth pass away . ] 1 cor. 7.29 , 30 , 31. why then should i so much regard , a converse of so short continuance ? why should i be so familiar in my inn , and so in love with that familiarity , as to grieve when i must but think of leaving it , or talk of going home , and look forward to the place where i must dwell for ever ? shall i be fond of the company of a passenger that i travel with ( yea perhaps one that doth but meet me in the way , and goeth to a contrary place ) and shall i not take more pleasure to remember home ? i will not be so uncivil as to deny those i meet a short salute , or to be friendly with my fellow-travellers : but remember , o my soul , that thou dost not dwell but travel here , and that it is thy fathers house where thou must abide forever : yea and he is nearer thee than man ( though invisible ) even in thy way . o see him then that is invisible : hearken to him when he spea●eth : obey his voice : observe his way : speak to him boldly , though humbly and reverently , a● his child , about the great concernments of thy state : tell him what it is that aileth thee : and seeing all thy smart is the fruit of thy own sin , confess thy folly and unkindness , crave his forgiveness , and remember him what his son hath suffered , and for what : treat with him about thy future course : desire his grace , and give up thy self to his conduct and his cure : weep over in his ears the history of thy misdoings and unthankful course : tell it him with penitential tears and groans : but tell him also the advantage that he hath for the honouring of his grace , if it may now abound where sin aboundeth : tell him that thou art most offended with thy self , for that which he is most offended with : that thou art angry with thy disobedient unthankful heart : that thou art even a weary of that heart that loveth him no more : and that it shall never please thee , till it love him better and be more desirous to please him : tell him of thy enemies , and crave the protection of his love : tell him of thy frailties , infirmities and passions , and crave not only his tender forbearance , but his help : tell him that without him thou canst do nothing ; and crave the grace that is sufficient for thee , that through him that strengtheneth thee thou mayest do all things : when thou fallest , despair not , but crave his helping hand to raise thee . speak to him especially of the everlasting things , and thank him for his promises , and for thy hopes : for what thou shalt be , and have , and do among his holy ones for ever . express thy joys in the promise of those joys ; that thou must see his glory , and love him , and praise him better than thou canst now desire . begin those praises , and as thou walkest with him , take pleasure in the mention of his perfections ; be thankful to him and speak good of his name : solace thy self in remembring what a god , what a defence and portion all believers have : and in considering whither he is now conducting thee , and what he will do with thee , and what use he will make of thee forever : speak with rejoycing of the glory of his works , and the righteousness of his judgmen●s , and the holiness and evenness of his ways : sing forth his praises with a joyfull heart , and pleasant and triumphing voice ; and frown away all slavish fears , all importune malicious suggestions or doubts , all peevish hurtful nipping griefs , that would mar or interrupt the melody ; and would untune or unstring a raised well composed soul. thy father loveth thy very moans and tears : but how much more doth he love thy thanks and praise ? or if indeed it be a winter time , a stormy day with thee , and he seem to chide or hide his face because thou hast offended him , let the cloud that is gathered by thy folly come down in tears , and tell him , thou hast sinned against heaven and before him , and art no more worthy to be called his son ; but yet fly not from him , but beg his pardon and the priviledges of a servant : and thou wilt find embracements , when thou fearest condemnation : and find that he is merciful and ready to forgive : only return , and keep closer to him for the time to come . if the breach through thy neglect be gone so far , as that thou seemest to have lost thy god , and to be cast off , and left forsaken ; despair not yet ; for he doth but hide his face till thou repent : he doth not forsake thee , but only tell thee what it is to walk so carelesly as if thou wouldst forsake him : thou art faster and surer in his love and covenant then thou canst believe or apprehend . thy lord was as dear as ever to his father , when he cryed out , my god , why hast thou forsaken me . but yet neglect him not , and be not regardless of his withdrawings and of thy loss : lift up thy voice and cry but [ father ; ] in despight of unbelief , cry out [ my father , my saviour , my god , ] and thou shalt hear him answer thee at last [ my child : ] cry out [ o why dost thou hide thy face ? and why hast thou forsaken me ! o what shall i do here without thee ! o leave me not , lose me not in this bowling wilderness ! let me not be a prey to any ravening beast ! to my sin , to satan , to my foes and thine ! ] lift up thy voice and weep , and tell him , they are the tears and lamentation of his child : o beg of him , that thy wanderings and childish folly , may not be taken as acts of enmity , or at least that they may be pardoned ; and though he correct thee , that he will return and not forsake thee , but still take thee and use thee as his child . or if thou hast not words to pour out before him , at least smite upon thy breast , and though thou be ashamed or afraid to look up toward heaven , look down and say , [ o lord , be merciful to me a sinner , ] and he will take it for an acceptable suit , that tendeth to thy pardon and justification , and will number such a sentance with the prayers which he cannot deny . or if thou cry , and canst not hear of him , and hast long called out upon thy fathers name , and hearest not his voice and hast no return ; enquire after him of those thou meetest : ask for him of them that know him and are acquainted with his way ! make thy moan unto the watchmen ; and ask them , where thou mayst find thy lord. and at last he will appear to thee , and find thee first , that thou mayst find him , and shew thee where it was that thou didst lose him , by losing thy self and turning from him ! seek him and thou shalt find him : wait and he will appear in kindness : for he never faileth or forsaketh those that wait upon him . this kind of converse , o my soul , thou hast to prosecute with thy god. thou hast also the concernments of all his servants ; his aff●icted ones , his broken hearted ones , his diseased ones , his persecuted ones , to tell him of : tell him also of the concernments of his kingdom , the fury of his enemies , the dishonour they cast upon his name , the matters of his gospel , cause and interest in the world : but still let his righteous judgment be remembred , and all be terminated in the glorious everlasting kingdom . is it not much better thus to converse with him that i must be with for ever , about the place , and the company , and work , and concernments of my perpetual abode , then to be taken up with strangers in my way , and detained by their impertinencies ? i have form'd my self so long in these meditations , that i will but name the rest , and tell you what i had further to have treated on , and leave the enlargement to your own meditations . 8. i have no reason to be weary of converse with god , seeing it is that for which all human converse is regardable . converse with man is only so far desirable as it tendeth to our converse with god : and therefore the end must be preferred before the means . 9. it is the office of christ , and the work of the holy ghost , and the use of all the means of grace , and of all creatures , mercies and afflictions , to reduce our straying souls to god , that we may converse with him and enjoy him . 10. converse with god is most suitable to those that are so near to death ; it best prepareth for it : it is likest to the work that we are next to do . we had rather when death comes , be found conversing with god then with man : it is god that a dying man hath principally to do with : it is his judgment that he is going to ; and his mercy that he hath to trust upon : and therefore it concerneth us to draw near him now , and be no strangers to him , lest strangeness then should be our terrour . 11. how wonderful a condescension is it that god should be willing to converse with me ! with such a worm and sinful wretch : and therefore how unexcusable is my crime , if i refuse his company , and so great a mercy ! 12. lastly , heaven it self is but our converse with god and his glorified ones , ( though in a more perfect manner then we can here conceive . ) and therefore our holy converse with him here is the state that is likest heaven , and that prepareth for it , and all the heaven that is on earth . it remaineth now that i briefly tell you , what you should do to attain and manage this converse with god , in the improvement of your solitude . ( for directions in general for walking with god , i reserve for another place . ) at present let these few suffice . direct . 1. if you would comfortably converse with god , make sure that you are reconciled to him in christ , and that he is indeed your friend and father . can two walk together except they be agreed ? can you take pleasure in dwelling with the consuming fire ? or conversing with the most dreadful enemy ? yet this i must add , that every doubting or self-accusing soul may not find a pretence to fly from god. 1. that god ceaseth not to be a father when ever a fearful soul is drawn to question it or deny it . 2. that in the universal love and grace of god to miserable sinners , and in the universal act of conditional pardon and oblivion , and in the offers of grace , and the readiness of god to receive the penitent , there is glad tidings that should exceedingly rejoyce a a sinner ; and there is sufficient encouragement to draw the most guilty miserable sinner to seek to god , and sue for mercy . but yet the sweetest converse is for children , & for those that have some assurance that they are children . but perhaps you will say , that this is not easily attained : how shall we know that he is our friend ? in brief , i answer , if you are unfeignedly friends to god , it is because he first loved you . prefer him before all other friends , and all the wealth and vanity of the world ; provoke him not by wilfulness or neglect : use him as your best friend , and abuse him not by disobedience or ingratitude ; own him before all , at the dearest rates , whenever you are called to it : desire his presence : lament his absence : love him from the bottom of your hearts : think not hardly of him : suspect him not ; misunderstand him not : hearken not to his enemies : receive not any false reports against him : take him to be really better for you than all the world : do these , and doubt not but you are friends with god , & god with you : in a word , be but heartily willing to be friends to god , and that god should be your cheifest friend , and you may be sure that it is so indeed , and that you are and have what you desire . and then how delightfully may you converse with god! direct . 2. wholly depend on the mediation of christ , the great reconciler : without him there is no coming near to god : but in his beloved you shall be accepted . whatever fear of his displeasure shall surprize you , fly presently for safety unto christ : whatever guilt shall look you in the face , commit your self and cause to christ , and desire him to answer for you : when the doors of mercy seem to be shut up against you , fly to him that bears the keyes , and can at any time open to you , and let you in : desire him to answer for you to god , to your consciences , and against all accusers : by him alone you may boldly and comfortably converse with god : but god will not know you out of him . direct . 3. take heed of bringing particular guilt into the presence of god , if you would have sweet communion with him : christ himself never reconciled god to sin : and the sinner and sin are so nearly related , that for all the death of christ , you shall feel that iniquity dwelleth not with god ; but he hateth the works of it , and the foolish shall not stand in his sight ▪ and that if you will presume to sin because you are his children , be sure your sin will find you out . o what fears , what shame , what self-abhorrence and self-revenge will guilt raise in a penitent soul , when it comes into the light of the presence of the lord ; it will unavoidable abate your boldness and your comforts : when you should be sweetly delighting in his pleased face , and promised glory , you will be be fooling your selves for your former sin , and ready even to tear your flesh , to think that ever you should do as you have done , and use him as you would not have used a common friend , and cast your selves upon his wrath . but an innocent soul , or pacified conscience , doth walk with god in quietness and delight , without those frowns and fears which are a taste of hell to others . direct . 4. if you would comfortably converse with god , be sure that you bring not idols in your hearts : take heed of inordinate affection to any creature . let all things else be nothing to you , that you may have none to take up your thoughts but god. let your minds be further seperate from them than your bodies : bring not into solitude or to contemplation , a proud , or lustful , or covetous mind : it much more concerneth thee , what heart thou bringest , that what place thou art in , or what work thou art upon . a mind that is drowned in ambition , sensuality or passion , will scarce find god any sooner in any wilderness than in a croud ( unless he be there returning from those sins to god ) where-ever he seeth him , god will not own and be familiar with so foul a soul. seneca could say [ quid prodest totious regionis silentium , si affectus fremunt ? ] what good doth the silence of all the country do thee , if thou have the noise of raging affections within ? ] and gregory saith [ qui corpore remotus vivit , &c. he that in body is far enough from the tumult of human conversation , is not in solitude , if he busie himself with earthly cogitations and desires : and he is not in the city that is not troubled with the tumult of worldly cares or fears , though he be pressed with the popular crouds . ] bring not thy house , or land , or credit , or carnal friend along with thee in thy heart , if thou desire and expect to walk in heaven , and to converse with god. direct . 5. live still by faith ; let faith lay heaven and earth as it were together : look not at god as if he were far off : set him aways as before you , even as at your right hand ; psal. 16.8 . be still with him when you awake , psal. 139.18 . in the morning thank him for your rest ; and deliver up your self to his conduct and service for that day ▪ go forth as with him , and to do his work : do every action , with the command of god , and the promise of heaven before your eyes , and upon your hearts : live as those that have incomparably more to do with god and heaven , than all this world ; that you may say with david , psal. 37.25 , 26. ( as aforecited ) whom have i in heaven but thee ! and there is none on earth that i desire besides thee : ] and with paul , phil. 1.21 . [ to me to live is christ , and to dye is gain . ] you must shut up the eye of sense ( save as subordinate to faith ) and live by faith upon a god , a christ , and a world that is unseen , if you would know by experience what it is to be above the brutish life of sensualists , and to converse with god. o christian , if thou hadst rightly learned this blessed life , what a high and noble soul-conversation wouldst thou have ! how easily wouldst thou spare , and how little wouldst thou miss the favour of the greatest , the presence of any worldly comfort ! city or solitude would be much alike to thee , saving that the place and state would be best to thee , where thou hast the greatest help and freedom to converse with god. thou wouldst say of human society as seneca [ vnus pro populo mihi est , & populus pro uno : mihi satis est unus , satis est nullus . ] [ one is instead of all the people to me , and the people as one ; one is enough for me , and none is enough . ] thus being taken up with god , thou mightest live in prison as at liberty , and in a wilderness as in a city , and in a place of banishment as in thy native land : for the earth is the lords , and the fulness thereof : and everywhere thou mayest find him , and converse with him , and lift up pure hands unto him : in every place thou art within the sight of home ; and heaven is in thine eye , and thou art conversing with that god , in whose converse the highest angels do place their highest felicity and delight . how little cause then have all the churches enemies to triumph , that can never shut up a true believer from the presence of his god ? nor banish him into such a place where he cannot have his conversation in heaven ? the stones that were cast at holy stephen , could not hinder him from seeing the heavens opened , and christ sitting at the right hand of god. a patmos allowed holy iohn communion with christ , being there in the spirit on the lords day , rev. 1.9 , 10. christ never so speedily and comfortably owneth his servants , as when the world disowneth them , and abuseth them for his sake , and hurls them up and down as the scorn and off-scouring of all . he quickly found the blind man that he had cured , when once the jews had cast him out , ioh. 9.35 . persecutors do but promote the blessedness and exceeding joy of sufferers for christ , mat. 5.11.12 . and how little reason then have christians to shun such sufferings by unlawful means , which turn to their so great advantage ? and to give so dear as the hazard of their souls by wilful sin , to escape the honour , and safety , and commodity of martyrdom ? and indeed we judge not , we love not , we ●ive not as sanctified ones must do , if we judge not that the truest liberty , and love it not as the best condition , in which we may best converse with god. and o how much harder is it to walk with god , in a court , in the midst of sensual delights , than in a prison or wilderness , where we have none to interrupt us , and nothing else to take us up ? it is our prepossessed minds , our earthly hearts , our carnal affections and concupisence , and the pleasures of a prosperous state , that are the prison and the jaylors of our souls . were it not for these , how free should we be , though our bodies were confined to the straightest room ! he is at liberty that can walk in heaven , and have access to god , and make use of all the creatures in the world , to the promoting of this his heavenly conversation . and he is the prisoner whose soul is chained to flesh and earth , and confined to his lands and houses , and feedeth on the dust of worldly riches , or walloweth in the dung and filth of gluttony , drunkenness and lust : that are far from god , and desire not to be near him ; but say to him , depart from us , we would not have the knowledge of thy ways : that love their prisons and chains so well , that they would not be set free , but hate those with the cruellest hatred that endeavour their deliverance . those are the poor prisoners of satan , that have not liberty to believe , nor to love god , nor converse in heaven , nor seriously to mind or seek the things that are high and honourable : that have not liberty to meditate or pray , or seriously to speak of holy things , nor to love and converse with those that do so : that are tyed so hard to the drudgery of sin , that they have not liberty one month , or week , or day , to leave it , and walk with god so much as for recreation ! but he that liveth in the family of god , and is employed in attending him , and doth converse with christ , and the host of holy ones above , in reason should not much complain of his want of friends , or company or accommodations , nor yet be too impatient of any corporal confinement . lastly , be sure then most narrowly to watch your hearts , that nothing have entertainment there , which is against your liberty of converse with god. fill not those hearts with worldly trash , which are made and new-made to be the dwelling place of god. desire not the company which would diminish your heavenly acquaintance and correspondency . be not unfriendly , nor conceited of a self-sufficiency ; but yet beware lest under the honest ingenuous title of a friend , a special , faithful , prudent , faithful friend , you should entertain an idol , or an enemy to your love of god , or a corrival and competitor with your highest friend : for if you do , it is not the specious title of a friend that will save you from the thorns and bryars of disquietment , and from greater troubles than ever you found from open enemies . o blessed be that high and everlasting friend , who is every way suited to the upright souls ! to their minds , their memories , their delight , their love , &c. by surest truth , by fullest goodness , by clearest light , by dearest love , by firmest constancy , &c. — o why hath my drowsie and dark-sighted soul been so seldom with him ! why hath it so often , so strangely , and so unthankfully passed by , and not observed him , nor hearkened to his kindest calls ! o what is all this trash and trouble that hath filled my memory , and employed my mind , and cheated and corrupted my affections , while my dearest lord hath been days and nights so unworthily forgotten , so contemptuously neglected , and disregarded , and loved as if i loved him not ! o that these drowsie and those waking nights , those loitered , lost , and empty hours , had been spent in the humblest converse with him , which have been dreamed and doted away upon — now i know not what ! o my god , how much wiser and happier had i been , had i rather chosen to mourn with thee , than to rejoyce and sport with any other ! o that i had rather wept with thee , than laughed with the creature ! for the time to come , let that be my friend , that most befriendeth my dark , and dull , and backward soul , in its undertaken progress , and heavenly conversation ! or if there be none such upon earth , let me here take one for my friend ! o blot out every name from my corrupted heart , which hindereth the deeper engraving of thy name ! ah lord , what a stone , what a blind ungrateful thing , is a heart not touched with celestial love ! yet shall i not run to thee , when i have none else that will know me ! shall i not draw near thee , when all fly from me ! when daily experience cryeth out so loud [ none but christ : god or nothing . ] ah foolish heart , that hast thought of it [ where is that place , that cave or desert , where i might soonest find thee , and fullest enjoy thee ? is it in the wilderness that thou walkest , or in the croud : in the closet , or in the church ; where is it that i might soonest meet with god ? ] but alas , i now perceive , that i have a heart to find , before i am like to find my lord ! o loveless , lifeless , stony heart ! that 's dead to him that gave it life ! and to none but him ! could i not love , or think , or feel at all , methinks i were less dead than now ? less dead , if dead , than now i am alive ? i had almost said [ lord , let me never love more till i can love thee ? nor think more on any thing till i can more willingly think of thee ? ] but i must suppress that wish ; for life will act : and the mercies and motions of nature are necessary to those of grace . and therefore in the life of nature , and in the glimmerings of thy light , i will wait for more of the celestial life ! my god , thou hast my consent ! it is here attested under my hand : separate me from what and whom thou wilt , so i may but be nearer thee ! let me love thee more , and feel more of thy love , and then let me love or be beloved of the world , as little as thou wilt . i thought self-love had been a more predominant thing : but now i find that repentance hath its anger , its hatred and its revenge ! i am truly angry with that heart that hath so oft and foolishly offended thee ! methinks i hate that heart that is so cold and backward in thy love , and almost grudge it a dwelling in my breast ! alas when love should be the life of prayer , the life of holy meditation , the life of sermons and of holy conference , and my soul in these should long to meet thee , and delight to mention thee , i straggle lord , i know not whether ! or i sit still and wish , but do not rise and run and follow thee , yea , i do not what i seem to do . all 's dead , all 's dead , for want of love ! i often cry , o where is that place , where the quickening beams of heaven are warmest , that my soul night seek it out ! but whether ever i go , to city or to solitude , alas , i find it is not place that makes the difference . i know that christ is perfectly replenished with life and light , and love divine : and i hear him as our head and treasure proclaimed and offered to us in the gospel ! this is thy record , that he that hath the son hath life ! o why then is my barren soul so empty ! i thought i had long ago consented to thy offer ; and then according to thy covenant , both he and life in him are mine ! and yet must i still be dark and dead ! ah dearest lord , i say not that i have too long waited ! but if i continue thus to wait , wilt thou never find the time of love ? and come and own thy gasping worm ? wilt thou never dissipate these clouds , and shine upon this dead and darkened soul ? hath my night no day ? thrust me not from thee , o my god! for that 's a hell , to be thrust from god. but sure the cause is all at home , could i find it out , or ra●her could i cure it ! it is sure my face that 's turned from god , when i say , his face is turned from me . but if my life must here be out of sight , and hidden in the root ( with christ in god , ) and if all the rest be reserved for that better world , and i must here have but these small beginnings , o make me more to love , and long for the blessed day of thine appearing , and not to fear the time of my deliverance , nor unbelievingly to linger in this sodom , as one that had rather stay with sin , then come to thee ! though sin hath made me backward to the fight , let it not make me backward to receive the crown ; though it hath made me a loiterer in thy work , let it not make me backward to receive that wages , which thy love will give to our pardoned , poor , accepted services . though i have too oft drawn back , when i should have come unto thee , and walked with thee in thy ways of grace , yet heal that unbelief , and disaffection , which would make me to draw back , when thou callest me to possess thy glory ? though the sickness and lameness of my soul have hindered me in my journy , yet let their painfulness help me to desire to be delivered from them , and to be at home , where ( without the interposing nights of thy displeasure ) i shall fully feel thy fullest love , and walk with thy glorified on●s in the light of thy glory , triumphing in thy praise for evermore . amen . but now i have given you these few directions for the improvement of your solitude for converse with god , lest i should occasion the hurt of those that are unfit for the lesson i have given , i must conclude with this caution ( which i have formerly also published , ) that it is not malencholly or weak-headed persons , who are not able to bear such exercises , for whom i have written these directions . those that are not able to be much in serious solitary thoughtfulness , without confusions and distracting suggestions , and hurrying vexatious thoughts , must set themselves for the most part to those duties which are to be done in company by the help of others ; and must be very little in solitary duties : for to them whose natural faculties are so diseased or weak , it is no duty , as being no means to do them the desired good ; but while they strive to do that which they are naturally unable to endure , they will but confound and distract themselves , and make themselves unable for those other duties which yet they are not utterly unfit for . to such persons therefore instead of ordered , well-digested meditations , and much time spent in secret thoughtfulness , it must suffice that they be brief in secret prayer , and take up with such occasional abrupter . meditations as they are capable of , and that they be the more in reading , hearing , conference , and praying and praising god with others : untill their melancholly distempers are so far overcome , as that ( by the direction of their spiritual guides ) they may judge themselves fit for this improvement of their solitude . finis . books printed for iohn salusbury in cornhill . 〈…〉 opened , 〈…〉 supper of the parable discovered , 〈◊〉 several sermons . by ioseph hussey , pastor in cambridge . an inquiry after religion , or a veiw of all religions and sects in the world. by a member of the royal society . a word to poor , ignorant , and careless people , that mind not the salvation of their precious souls ; containing directions for a holy life ; with a catechism and prayers for families , and graces before and after meat . the church told of mr. ed. bagshaw's scandals and warned of the dangerous snares of satan now laid for them in his love-killing principles with a farther proof that it is our common duty to keep up the interest of the christian religion and protestant cause in the parish churches, and not to imprison them by a confinement to tolerated meetings alone / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1672 approx. 84 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 19 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26901 wing b1226 estc r1907 12306494 ocm 12306494 59274 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26901) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59274) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 200:13) the church told of mr. ed. bagshaw's scandals and warned of the dangerous snares of satan now laid for them in his love-killing principles with a farther proof that it is our common duty to keep up the interest of the christian religion and protestant cause in the parish churches, and not to imprison them by a confinement to tolerated meetings alone / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [2], 32 p. [s.n.], london : 1672. errata on p. [2]. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bagshaw, edward, 1629-1671. religious tolerance -england -early works to 1800. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-04 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2004-04 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the church told of mr. ed. bagshaw's scandals , and warned of the dangerous snares of satan , now laid for them , in his love-killing principles : with a farther proof that it is our common duty to keep up the interest of the christian religion , and protestant cause , in the parish churches ; and not to imprison them , by a confinement to tolerated meetings alone . by richard baxter , a militant servant of christ , for faith , hope , and love , unity , concord , and peace , against their contraries on both extremes . london , printed in the year mdc lxx ii. errata . page 13. l. 32. for amareduci . r. amazedness . p. 25. l. 6. for care. r. cure. & l. 13. for impertinently . r. impenitently p. 31. l. 12. for perry . r. peury . p. 33. l. 2. r. up by some . & l. 3. dele the. & l. 13. r. live . & l. 38. for unmeasurably . r. unanswerably . the church told of mr. bagshaw's scandals , and warned of his dangerous snares . the svmme . 1 cor. 5. 6. your glorying is not good : know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump ? rom. 3. 8. let not us do evil that good may come : whose damnation is just . jam. 1. 20. for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of god. jam. 3. 6 , 8 , 9 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. the tongue is a fire ; a world of iniquity : so is the tongue among our members , that it defileth the whole body : and setteth on fire the course of nature , and it is set on fire of hell — the tongue can no man tame : it is an unruly evil : full of deadly poison : out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing — who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you ? let him shew out of a good conversation his works , with meckness of wisdome . but if ye have bitter ( zeal ) envying and strife in your hearts , glory not , and lye not against the truth . this wisdome descendeth not from above , but is earthly , sensual , devillish . for where envying and strife is , there is confusion , and every evil work . rom. 16. 17 , 18. now , i beseech you , brethren , mark them which cause divisions and offences , contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned , and avoid them ( but not the churches , or the innocent for their sake ) for they that are such serve not the lord iesus christ , but their own belly , and by good words and fair speeches , deceive the hearts of the simple . act. 20. 30. also of your own selves shall men arise , speaking perv●rse things , to draw away disciples after them . 1 cor. 11. 19. for there must be also heresies ( or sects ) among you , that they which are approved , may be made manifest among you . matth. 22. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. then went the pharisees and took counsel , how they might entangle him in his talk — is it lawful to give tribute to caesar or not ? but iesus perceived their wickedness , and said , why tempt ye me , ye hypocrites ? shew me the tribute-money — render to caesar the things that are caesars , and to god the things that are gods. matth. 17. 26 , 27. then are the children free . notwithstanding lest we should offend them . rev. 22. 15. for without are dogs — and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye . psal. 15. 2 , 3. lord , who shall abide in thy tabernacles , who shall dwell in thy holy hill ? he that walketh uprightly , and worketh righteousness , and speaketh the truth in his heart , that backbiteth not with his tongue , nor doth evil to his neighbour , nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour . christs own doctrine and practice . luke 4. 16. as his custome was , he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day , and stood up for to read — john 18. 20. i spake openly to the world ; i ever taught in the synogogue , and in the temple , whither the iews alwayes resort , and in secret have i said nothing . mark 1. 44. shew thy self to the priest , and offer for thy cleansing ... matth. 23. 2. 3. the scribes and pharisees sit in moses seat : all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe , observe and do : but do not ye after their works ; for they say and do not . ( what they were , see in the rest of the chapt. ) mat. 7. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. iudge not , that ye be not judged : for with what judgement ye judge , ye shall be judged , and with what measure ye measure , it shall be measured to you again : and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye , but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye ? — thou hypocrite , first cast out the beam out of thy own eye . — to the church and to posterity . chap. i. had i seen , as i have done , the spring , multiplication , growth , and fruits of dividing . principles , dispositions , and practices in these kingdomes , not being totally innocent therein my self , in my unexperienced youth ; had i seen so much bloud shed , so many governments overturned , and so many ministers openly reviled , abused , ejected , silenced , and so many damnable heresies risen up ; and all this done in the name of god ; had i my self been one of them that have been cast out of my publick ministry and maintenance , with about 1800 more at once , and seen the pittiful case of too many congregations in the land ; and all this as the fruit of former church-divisions , obstinately continued twenty years , ( to look no farther ) and the new effect of the same spirit still working in both extremes ; i say , had i seen and felt all this , and yet taken the spirit , the principles and practises of division , in one side or other , for a virtue , or a little sin , i had been guilty of such horrid , wilful blindness , as every christian's soul should hate : and had i seen what strong temptations are lately given to propagate these evils ; and what advantage satan hath got by the malignity of some , to increase the bitter censoriousness of others , and to pull down the good old principles of concord , on pretence that now the case is changed ? had i seen the fruits of gods indignation against a self-destroying people , in londons plague , and dreadful flames , and in our present church-convulsions ? had i seen what visible dangers are over us , of a condition yet worser than all this ? had i seen how many thousand honest christians are in danger of being sinners or sufferers by this evil ; i say , had i stood by , and seen all this , and held my tongue , and let men sight like dog and bear , and not interposed a word of counsel or controulment to the wasting fire ? i had been guilty of an obduratious self-saving , and perfidious silence , unbeseeming the ministry , or the christian name . having therefore begun long ago to publish my testimony and council against the dividing-evils ; in 1660 fore-seeing the critical day and danger , i took the liberty of the season once more , to discharge my conscience , though with slender hopes , and to reason , and even beg for peace ; that had it been possible as much as in us lay , we might have lived peaceably with all . when those opportunities and hopes were gone , ( and some glimmering once and again since vanished , ) one side having discharged me from speaking to them any more , and god i think discharged me at present , i saw nothing more to be attempted but with the other ; whose duty for concord and christian love ( after many years silence ) i opened in a treatise called the cure of church-divisions : but yet would not publish it without an addition of the duty of those pastors that most complain against separation , lest i should exasperate their minds against those that i instructed , and should tempt them to overlook their own miscarriages . but more of this then i there adjoyned , it could not be expected that the licenser should pass . the only man that rose up against this writing with furious indignation , was mr. edw. bagshaw , a man that had before written against bishop morley's letter published against me , and lain in prison many years . and gave the world a notable proof of one of the chief passages displeasing to them in my book ; viz. that there is a marvellous affinity between the spirit of persecution , and of sinful separation , though several opinions or capacities cause them to operate several wayes . by this time i discerned the guilty from the innocent , by the cry which signified their smart . i had seen so much of the workings of that spirit , that i expected not to escape their sharpest censure . and verily , i expected neither preferment , nor so much as liberty to preach , as a reward from the other side , instead of the favour of those that i knew i was to lose . nor yet had i such a contempt of them , or a desire to be bitterly censured and reviled , as to invite men to it ( as the circumcellians importuned men to kill them . ) i foresaw that some interessed men would be angry , as supposing that i would hinder their alienating work , though they could not deny but that i spake the truth : i foresaw that many that look but to the present day and place , would say , it was unseasonable , and served the prelates design , not considering that their design is not to bad , but that some things which seem their design , do also seem the design of christ , and his churches good , and mens salvation . i foreknew those that make uncharitable divisions their very religion , would make it a part of their religious dutys to call me as bad as their distempers do incline them . these things i prognosticated in my preface . as tertullian saith of the christians martyrdome , it is more the choice of our own will , than the effect of your power . i. e. we dye because we will dye , rather than not do our duty , by the omission of which we could escape : so i say , i could easily have kept as large an interest in the favour and applause of all the parties that ever railed at me , as most men of my profession , as their own words have told me . what did it gain me in the world , to do what i have done , to lose the favour of the papists , the ithacian prelatists , the anabaptists , the separatists , the quakers , the seekers , &c. but i saw whither the temptations of this age did tend . and this was a work that some body must do , ( or else woe to the ministry that in their very sufferings would be so unfaithful . ) and i thought my reputation with the uncurable as fit to be cast away , and my self as fit to bear their slanders , as most of my brethrens , who had more use for an interest in them than i had . and i remembred that ill-gotten goods must be restored ; and without restitution , no remission : though i can truly say , that i disliked and decryed this spirit from my beginnings , yet when i preached first , the favour and loud applause of some good people , tainted a little with this disease , did tempt me to please them too often , by exclaiming too smartly against the corruptions of the church : though i said nothing but what i was confident was true , yet i think i did not well to cherish their inor●inate censoriousness in such matters . and having gotten sometime a great stock of estimation with such angry persons , by means which i dare not wholly justifie , ( though it made me the more capable to do them good ) i did voluntarily surrender it to them again , before they took it from me ; and i did yield to serve god at the rate of so small a part of self-denial , rather than be silent at such a time as this . i have long ago preached to drunkards and other ungodly people , till they openly rose against me in tumults in the streets , and sought my life . and shall i forbear to speak that truth to ignorant-proud dividers , which is necessary to heal the church and them , and all for fear lest their passion and partiality should shew their guilt , by their calling me what they are themselves . they call out for valiantness in suffering themselves : and shall i be so cowardly as to fear their false reports ? they cry out against the fear of man : and shall i fear their impotent revilings ? they will be my witnesses , that it is a duty to deny our selves , and to forsake all for the cause of christ : and i am as certain that love and unity are his cause , as i am that he is the christ : and shall i think the good thoughts and words of some of his froward children , too great a matter to forsake and lose : they themselves think that we should rather suffer a prison or death , then joyn with the holiest minister and people in the use of the common prayer : and should i that know the difference think , that love and concord are not matters more worthy to be suffered for ? when first the city and countrey had sounded with abundance of untruths about my book , while it was yet but in the press , at last the man that openly assaulted it when it came forth , did use the same instruments which himself decryed , and filled his libel with as many untruths as ever i saw heaped up in so small a room ( except once in such another piece , that was about eight years elder . ) and the cause it self he shamefully slip'd over ; as if his spirit and interest had directed him to no other means , but only to attempt to asperse the person that was against him : i wondred that no soberer a man rose up to defend dividing-principles . and i was glad , that in an age of such temptations , he had no more approvers among the ministers . when i had answered that libel , he sent forth another , which instead of professing repentance , did double the number of his vntruths , and cast out more of his bilious excrements , but pretended also to say somewhat for his separating . principles and cause . when i had replyed to that , and admonished him to repent of his false doctrines and crimes , and above fourscore visible vntruths , he hath vented a third libel , of which i am now to give you a more particular account . chap. ii. i must needs again remember the readers , 1. that the design of my book was not particular , to reconcile men only to the parish churches ; but universal , against those principles in mens minds , which cause divisions in all other churches , as well as that , and will never suffer christians to unite and agree where they prevail . 2. that i was so far from perswading any minister to the present conformity , that i perswaded not the readers , 1. either to use the ceremonies ; 2. or to communicate with any persecutors ; 3. or to own diocesans ; 4. nor to communicate with , or own a diocesan church ; 5. nor to communicate with , or own any parish minister , that is intolerable , through insufficiency , heresie , or wickedness ; 6. nor to speak one false word , nor to do one sinful action , to obtain communion with the best church in the world ; 7. nor to prefer communion with a worse church and minister , before communion with a better , where it may be had , without greater loss than benefit ; 8. nor to forbear any lawful endeavours in private for each others good ; 9. nor to forsake a lawful faithful pastor , merely because he is cast out of the tythes and temple ; 10. nor to take a man for your pastor , merely because he hath possession of the tythes and temple ; 11. nor that a lawful faithful minister should give over his ministerial work , or not perform it to the best edificacation of the church , whoever is displeased by it , or whatever it cost him ; which i take to be downright perfidiousness against his ordination , and sacrilege , as being the alienation of a devoted consecrated person ; ( yea , greater sacrilege than alienating church lands . ) 12. nor did i perswade any minister , that instead of flying to another city ( as christ once commanded ) he must needs fly from all cities : ( for the diocesans that think cities only were the seats of churches and bishops , might inferr , that if it be lawful to desert the souls of all in cities and corporations , it is but a little step farther to d●sert the villages also . ) 13. nor did i ever perswade any minister to go to a parish church in city or corporation , who is by law forbidden to come within five miles of it ; and who by appearing there , doth put himself into prison for six months in the common jayl . 14. nor did i ever perswade any to hear the common prayer , or go to the parish churches , merely for fear of punishment , and to save themselves . none of all these were the matters i that medled with . 3. but the things that i perswaded men to , were these ; 1. to disclaim the foresaid love-killing and church-dividing principles . 2. particularly to joyn with a parish church , that hath a good minister , and that ordinarily , in case you can enjoy no better , without more loss than the benefit is like to be . 3. and extraordinarily to joyn sometimes with such a parish , even when you have a better , to shew by what principles you walk ; unless when some apparent hurt forbid it , which for that time is like to be greater than the good . pardon this repetition of the state of my case ; for without it i cannot be understood , and his repeated untruths require it . and now to his third libel , called the review . sect. 1. the title page speaks of [ all my immodest calumnies confuted ] when 1. he neither proveth one calumny in my book ; nor confuteth one detection of his untruths . sect. 2. he cunningly tells you , in an advertisement , that ten or eleven have read his present , citations of my words ; as if that justified fourscore falshoods before written . sect. 3. pag. 1. he confesseth it is [ foolish and wicked ] to publish fourscore vntruths in five or six sheets of paper ; and yet thinks not himself obliged ( it seems ) any farther to vindicate himself , by one considerable word , but as it were by hoping his readers will not believe that he was [ so foolish and wicked . ] doth church-discipline require no better defence ? nor no more repentance for above fourscore published untruths than this ? sect. 4. instead of repentance , he inviteth his readers to usurp gods prerogative , as he doth , and to judge my heart , that it was never truly humbled , and that my repentance is hypocritical . sect. 5. thus lying down impenitently under all the crimes , false doctrines , and untruths which he published , he now puts them off as bye-matters , and taketh on him to return to the question , which he saith was first designedly handled between us , which he saith is , [ whether conformity at this day upon conscientious grounds , can be defended by any , or at least with any kind of honesty , be contended for by you ] thus he will play small game no more , nor write untruths by parcels , but let you know , that it is not one untruth shall be the substance of his discourse . if telling the church be a duty , it is not railing to name the sin . i therefore desire the church to consider whether it be easie among the parties that he separateth from , or worse than they to meet with so great impudency in forgeries . i know by equivocation almost any words may be verified ; but when there is no explication adjoyned , the rule of humane speech is , that analogum per se positum stat prosignificato famosiore : that is , analogous , ( or equivocal ) words put alone without an ex exposition , are to be taken in the most common or famous sense . now the word [ conformity ] in its old and usual sense doth signifie , that conformity by subscriptions , oaths , and ceremonies , which distinguish the people called non-conformists from the conformists , who yet were notoriously distinguished from the separatists . it 's true , that it may be called conformity , if we are baptized , if we profess christianity , if we read the scriptures , if we use the common translation , if we go to hear a sermon in publick , if we use the lords prayer , &c. in all this we do as the church of england doth . but this is not it that is notified by the common use of this name . now do but note the front of the man. 1. the world knoweth that i never conformed , as the law obligeth ministers to do ; that i lose my whole ministerial maintenance , ( much more than ever he did , all things considered ) and which is a thousand times more , the liberty of my ministry in publick , because i do not conform . 2. he knoweth that i have professed in all the three books , which he writeth against , that i neither am for conformity , nor ever wrote for it . he knoweth how distinctly i excluded that from the question , and stated the question far otherwise , which i meddle with . yet dare this man make this false profession of our difference . 3. yea , when it is [ separation ] in plain words , and not mere non-conformity , which he undertakes to defend on his very title page . 4. and that i have oft professed to plead for the same cause that dod , hildersham , cartwright , paget , bradshaw , brightman , ball , gifford , and the other nonconformists defended , against the separatists of those times . ●●d will you believe him if he say that they pleaded for [ conf●rmity . ] sect. 6. he again repeateth his most palpable untruth , in comparing me in the warrs with [ any one whomsoever ] passing over my answers , [ adding , that generals or parliament would have signified little , had they not had such chaplains ] when i had told him , ( and he durst not deny it ) that the armies were raised , before i ever spake to parliament man or officer , or ever preached to them ; yea , two years before i was in the army , whither i went with an open profession to disswade them from the changes which they made : my judgment forsaking their cause in 1644. when their commission at the new-modelling left out [ for the king ] which before had run [ for the defence of the kings person , &c. ] and the rest of their intentions evidently to me appearing . till then , in coventry garison , i did speak all that which in the book cited by him i expressed . nor did i ever say , i did but little , as he vainly intimateth . sect. 7. pag. 3. by a false representation of my repentance , ( whether ignorantly or maliciously ) he would insinuate , that i repent of good as well as of evil ; or else that such as he , and his adherents the separatists , have none of that sort of culpability to repent of ; or else that they disclaim so inglorious a thing as repentance is , and will stand to their sins at death and judgment , let god say against them what he will. the first is an intimation which maketh no small part of his book to be one continued untruth . when one part is spent in making the ignorant and suspicious believe that i wrote for conformity ; the next is constituted of another untruth , in the false description of my repentance . but i know the design of his railing , is to draw me to talk of those matters over rashly , ( about wars and governments ) ( which i repent of talking of so much already ) that he may catch somewhat for his malice to make use of to a farther end : fain he would make the world believe that i must speak treason , or be a coward or a turn coat : not with the simplicity as children dare one another into the dirt ; but with the kindness that traps and snares are set for birds , to catch and kill them . and if murderous malice , and lying be made by christ the devils sins , and the marks of his children , ioh. 8. 48. 1 ioh. 3. 8. i think those that are notoriously thus self-stigmatized , are fitter to be separated from , than to separate from others , as unworthy of their good company . i must profess , that as in my answers to divers such men as this , i have as near as i could , imitated my great example , so i cannot see but this man , and others that have led him this same way , have exactly imitated the malicious pharisees ; and let him be also their imitator , who thinketh them wiser and more stout and valiant men than christ ; matth. 22. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. then went the pharisees and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk , ( that they might either accuse him of treason , as after they did , or else make the people hate him , as a favourer of the roman tyranny , as they accounted it ) master , we know that thou art true , and teachest the way of god in truth ( and wilt not hide thy judgement by dark speeches , nor bauk plain truth : ) neither carest thou for any man ; for thou regardest not the persons of men : ( o malicious commendations ! ) tell us therefore what thinkest thou : is it lawful to give tribute unto caesar , or not ? but iesus perceived their wickedness , and said , why tempt ye me , ye hypocrites ? shew me the tribute money : and they shewed him a penny . and he saith unto them , whose is this image and superscription ? they say unto him caesars . then saith he unto them , render therefore unto caesar the things that are caesars , and unto god the things that are gods. i hope mr. bagshaw will neither say , that christ here plainly decided the controversie intended by the questioners ; nor yet deny but he seemeth to do it , so far as silenced his adversaries then , and as putteth expositors hard to it now , to understand his meaning : ( see dr. hammond on the words . ) and i am in some hope yet , that as foul-mouth'd as he is , he will not call christ a lyar , or dissembler , or a favourer of tyranny , or a coward ; that would say any thing to escape sufferings ; but rather of the two think that he is not deceived , who thinketh his own way somewhat like to the murderous-tempting-hypocrites in the text. as for my repenting , which he ignorantly and maliciously talketh of , i shall now say no more to the reader , but this : 1. that i expect that the enemies of repentance be enemies to me . 2. that i little regard such censures as this man , who either cannot through ignorance , or will not through malice or passion , understand plain english when he readeth it ; nor know the difference between the disowning of evil , and of good. sect. 8. pag. 4. he intimateth by a question this visible falshood , that i said , [ i thought nothing of divinity in the cause , ] so hard is it for ignorance and rashness to speak truth . this is because i said that [ i knew of no controversie in divinity about it , but in politicks and law. ] and can one that hath ever learned to read english , and ever exercised his thoughts of such matters , be possibly so ignorant , as to think this is all one as to say , that there was nothing of divinity in the cause ? their controversies were , whether the parliament had authority to raise their arms against the kings will , prohibition , and opposition ? and , whether the king had authority to raise his arms against theirs ? and is this a controversie in divinity ? poor souls ! will you be seduced to think that christ or paul must decide all controversies of forms and degrees of power in republicks ? which text is it that telleth you , that the militia belonged to the parliament , or what degree of power the courts of justice have ? did paul , rom. 13. tell you , whether nero or the senate were the higher power ? did christ tell the tempting hypocrites , whether caesar justly coined money in , or for iudaea ? but what ? hath divinity therefore nothing to do in law controversies ? yes surely , both about the efficient , end , and motives . politicks and law tell us which is the highest power ; and divinity telleth us , that we must obey it , and that for conscience-sake , as being of god. divinity telleth you , that religious interest may be the just end and motive of a war : but withall , that it must be made by those only that have just power to do it : but who hath just power , the laws must tell us . thus , reader , the mans ignorance and false speaking have lengthened thy trouble . sect. 9. ib. [ that my love of ease and fear of suffering ] cause strange changes in my corrupt and carnal understanding , is at least a single untruth , and may be a double one , for ought he knows , that knoweth not the heart : i am sure it is a fault , even in mr. bagshaw , to make himself a heart-searching-god , while he maketh the prayers of his betters to be idolatry . sect. 10. ib. but he professeth , that he dealeth thus [ in zeal to the glory of god , love to the cause of christ and non-conformity , which i have deserted . ] where , 1. it is a repeated falshood that i have deserted the cause of non-conformity : i challenge him openly to name even one point of it , in which i have changed my judgment these 31 yeares : ( which i speak not as my praise , who in those things have grown no wiser , except in knowing the same things better ) to this day . 2. what sin will you call it to father all these falshoods on [ the glory of god , and the cause of christ ? doth his cause and glory need mens lies ? how many hundreds thus in a few more libels may you publish , if satan bless them , as hitherto he hath done , with an increase and multiply . ] sect. 11. pag. 5. he reciteth many words of my disputations of church government , and laboureth ( whether by gross ignorance or malice , i know not ) to perswade the reader that i retract or contradict them ; and saith [ we stand amazed you should so soon and so much forget all that you have said . ] this is not a single falshood , but maketh up no small part of his book . reader , do but hear , and judge whether any thing except his amareduci can excuse such horrid deliberate untruths ? 1. i never retracted any of that book , setting aside the dedication . 2. i do still profess that i am of the same judgment which that book expresseth . 3. i have in the greatest audience told the bishops , that i stand to it , and provoked them to answer it . 4. there is not a word of contradiction to that book , in my cure of church-divisions , which he writes against : and am i not as like to understand my own writings as this man is ? 5. that very book pleadeth as much , and much more for a moderate episcopacy , the lawfulness of a liturgy , and those circumstances or ceremonies which i judge lawful , ( as kneeling at the sacrament ) than my later books have done . 6. it was to me a considerable providence which drew me , when the sectaries were at the very highest , to write that book , which had i written since the king returned , they would have imputed to temporizing , or a change . 7. the very same men that now rail so loud against me , said nothing that ever i could hear of , against that book , that contained more than now i have written for ; but then it passed uncontradicted by them that now rail at half as much . so , is it not a strange fate which that poor book incurreth , that the men of both sides plead it as for them , and commend it , whilst they condemn the author , as if he were himself against it . the reverend bishop whom mr. bagshaw wrote against , alledged it in the greatest audience ( before his majesty , dukes , lords , and bishops ) with no less commendation than these words , [ no man hath spoken better of this than mr. baxter . ] and now mr. bagshaw citeth it with applause : reader , who is in such a case as i ? the bishop is for my book : mr. bagshaw is for it : and i am the man that am against my self , whilst i openly tell them both that i still stand to it as my judgment ( only not owning any words that any party shall justly find to be too sharp . ) surely , they labour to bring me to that reputation among these contenders , as plato was among the philosophers , whom every sect took to be the second , or next the best . sect. 12. but pag. 6. he thinks that he talketh like a man of brains , when he inferreth , that [ if they be such kind of persons as i have represented them , they ought immediately to be forsaken , and forborn , as to any acts of church-communion ] answ. but , 1. i never said of them , that they printed , besides false doctrines , fourscore untruths in two small libels , as you have done , and give the world neither vindication nor repentance : and yet you , or your disciples , will not inferr thus against your self . 2. deceitful man ! did i ever lay the charge you mention , against all the honest conformable pastors of the parish churches in the land , who have no hand in any thing that you can call an imposition , or a persecution ? nay , that own not ( as they think ) the diocesan prelacy as such , but only episcopacy in general , and diocesans , as the kings officers ? did i ever lay that charge against all the christians in the parish churches ? no , nor against all the bishops neither . 3. and must all the churches in a kingdome be excommunicated or forsaken , for the cause of a few men , whom few of them ever knew or saw . this is like the popes interdicting kingdomes . 4. and if you separated but from the individual offenders , should it not be done in a regular way ? why go you about to blind the ignorant with such palpable fallacies as these . is it truth , that men must be thus cheated into with errours ? sect. 13. pag. 6. from what i said [ the episcopal churches would then have been , if they had but had a meer toleration in the times that openly discountenanced them , when the countenanced parties should set up by themselves : ] he inferreth , as if i had called them such now , when no other are tolerated , and that in all those parishes where are good ministers , and no other churches . thus palpable falshood is the very life of all his libel . sect. 14. ib. the self-contradicting man professeth , to follow the light which i once had in this , and yet that my present light is nothing else but confusion of darkness ; when i said the same then in that very book that now i do , and now own that book which i wrote then ; and all to carry on a cheating falshood , as if in this i had changed my judgment . sect. 15. i had almost pass'd over a shameless falshood , pag. 4. and that you may know i do not speak at randome , particularly , when at gloucester you preached upon [ curse ye meroz , ] and now you say you do repent : do you expect ever to be believed again ? ] which is a mere composition of vntruths . 1. i never preached on [ curse ye meroz ] in my life , if he mean that text , or those words : i never was at gloucester but about one month before the wars : in which i preached thrice or four times : of which one on a fast , had respect to the times : which was on ezek. 37. 3. son of man , can these bones live ? and my business was to shew the difficulty of the reparation and reformation of a sinful lapsed church : in which i mentioned many things , and sorts of people that would hinder it , but neither my notes , ( which i yet have by me ) or memory , have any thing at all that tended unto war , or resistance of authority . yet if any other sermon there , did touch the times , which i remember not , i am sure it was not on that text which i never preached on . 2. and he as falsly insinuateth that i [ say i repent ] of what i preached at gloucester ; so hard is it to him to speak that which is not utterly false . sect. 16. pag. 7. in a parenthesis , he saith [ if there be any ( difference between you and us . ) ] the libeller filling three pamphlets with heinous charges , and after ( and before also ) questioning , whether indeed there be any difference between him and me ? sect. 17. pag. 8 , with as insolent ignorance doth he feign me to make that which he calleth [ devised worship ] viz. the liturgy to be idolatry in my foresaid book , and now to repent of , and oppose what i held : and all because disp. p. 378. i say to such as they would suspend , silence , excommunicate , punish , all such as will not pray to god in the words that they impose on them ; that if reasons will not allay their impious distemper , but will domineer over mens consciences , and the church of god , we must leave them to him , that being the lord and law-giver of the church , is jealous of his prerogative , and abhorreth idols . remember that i spake of none but the clergy . and is there any man that excelleth not in ignorance and rashness , that would have thought here , that it is a form of prayer , or liturgy , that i call [ idols ] ? or that could not see at the first reading , that i call the persons only the idols , that usurp the prerogative of god. and will this pittiful man still falsly insinuate or suppose , that all the honest christians or ministers of all the parish churches in england are such usurping imperious idols ? yea , or all the bishops either ? even martyn himself as well as ithacius ? thus are poor souls abused by deceivers . yea , note that in the same disputation cited by him , i largely prove the lawfulness of liturgies and forms , and the necessity of them in some cases . sect. 18. ib. yet doth he again most falsly say , that [ i have unworthily receded from what i wrote , and yet addeth , that i have not , that he knoweth of , repented of it . receded from it , and yet not repented of : what a forgetful self-contradicter is this man ? and so he thanketh god that i was heretofore stirred up to write so much , which now condemneth me , even for the same that i there and then did write , and never repented of . sect. 19. his next subject , where he saith that [ i argue against the divine and self-evidencing authority of the holy scripture ] is one of the visiblest lyes that ever i saw written by a man : when i had not only said the contrary , but told where i had voluminously proved it , to give me not a word of sense in answer , but write as if he had never read my reply . being to tell the church , i must desire them to consider , whether a more impudent studied lye , impenitently insisted in , after a double detection , without an answer , was ever presented to their view ? and , whether they can name me a christian writer in the world more infamously self-stigmatized with this vice ? the rest that he writeth of it , i cannot perswade my self to tire the reader with an answer to . only i note that he citeth mr. hildersham's words , with the false intimation that i contradict them , while the same worthy man is both applauded by him , and suppositively taken for a patron of idolatry , as one that perswadeth men not onely to come to church and common-prayer , but to come to the beginning . false speakers do thus ordinarily contradict themselves . sect. 20. when pag. 11. he saith , that a papist is worse than of no religion , i say no more to him , but that overdoing is the devils last way of undoing , and that such men be they that multiply and confirm the papists . sect. 21. ibid. p. 11. he would have you know what religion he is of , and how he meaneth to save his disciples from idolatry , saying , had not i learned the truth of christian religion , from better arguments , and a more certain way of reasoning than any your books afford , i had still been plunged in the depths of atheism . ] now , 1. note that reasoning in a certain way , preserveth him from atheism . 2. that he seemeth to say , that he was an atheist , by saying [ i had still continued so . ] but you must not expect such base mutability from him , as when he hath denied the living god , to confess it plainly , and profess repentance . 3. note that he will be an atheist still , and it seems perswade the separatists to be such , till he hath better reasons than my books afford . now the reasons that my books afford are these ( note them reader . ) first , from the witness of god the creator in the frame of nature . secondly , from the witness of god our redeemer , in his supernatural revelations . 3. from the witness of god the holy ghost , on the scriptures , and in the soul. first , printing on the scripture the image of gods power , wisdome , and goodness ( which is its self-evidence . ) and next by the scripture printing the said image of gods power , wisdom , and goodness on every holy soul , ( which none but god is able to do . ) these three testimonies of the father , son , and holy ghost , is the sum of my evidence enlarged . now mr. bagshaw will be an atheist still , and it seems perswade the separatists to be such , till he hath better reasons for his faith , than the witness of the creator , the redeemer , and the sanctisier ; god the father , son , and holy ghost . this is his zeal for the glory of god , and the cause of christ , and the good of souls . sect. 22. yet pag. 13. with much railing , he insinuateth this abominable falshood and calumny against christs excellent servants , that calvin , preston , hildersham , perkins , &c. would have no more done in asserting a deity and christianity , than to tell men , [ that all is true that god speaketh in his word , and that propria luce , it is evident that the scripture is his word , and that to all gods elect he will give his spirit to discern it , and thus much alone is better than all these disputes and reasonings . ] whereas , 1. these same men have all of them said much more themselves in their writings . 2. and paul preached otherwise to the athenians , acts 17. and to others . 3. and what kind of preaching would this man make among turks and heathens that deny the scriptures ? you see , 1. he will leave out all the natural evidences of a deiy , and of mans immortal state , and so all the principles in which we are agreed with them . 2. he will leave out all the historical proofs that these books were written by christs apostles and evangelists , and are not altered since . and 3. that he will leave out the use of mans ministry , in translating or preaching ; and will let the illiterate reader look on a hebrew and greek bible , till propria luce , they know it is of god ; or at least , that the minister , when they say , how shall i know that this is gods word ? shall only bid them read it , ( whether they can or not ) and if they be elect , the spirit will cause them to discern that propria luce it will shew it self to be gods word ; but if they be not elect , they have no remedy . and what need preachers to tell men this ? bibles may be sent by other hands ; and will be bibles whether we preach or not . and the elect are elect before we preach to them . and if the man know that light here is but a metaphor , what can he mean by it but [ objective evidence . ] and must we only tell heathens , that the scriptures have their proper evidence , and not tell them what that evidence is ? is this his preaching ? yet , that you may see what such men would bring the church & world to , he adds , p. 13. [ if understand anything of the true nature of religion , &c. and warneth all persons most earnestly that they go his way ; and most falsly addeth , that i lay my foundation in the corrupt will of man , and build my superstructure in the carnal understanding , and leave no room for true holiness and mortification , but the root of sin within remaineth untouched . and is not this , like the pope , the most uncharitable man of infallibility , who hath better reasonings against atheism , and for a holy state of souls , and ( unless to forbid all reasoning be it ) will not vouchsafe to open them to the church , or bless mankind by a noble communication of them . sect. 23. pag. 14. having ended , he beginneth again with his witticismes : and 1. i speak absurdly and insignificantly , for saying of his rash , and carelesly uttered untruth , that it 's privatively voluntary , that is , when the will omits its office . where ( saith this learned man ) i am much to seek what can be meant by privatively voluntary ; or how any action can be done where the will omits its office . ans. and i have no mind to take such a person for my scholar ; and therefore let me be excused , if i leave him ( and such proud ignorant persons ) in his beloved ignorance . let him believe that a man is a beast , and that his rational faculties were not made to rule the sensitive , or that the will either never omits its ruling office , or if it do , the sensitive cannot act ; or that the will is not the principle quoad exercitium , of humane acts , as the intellect is quoad specificationem ; or that if the will omit this imperate act , ad exercitium , and the sense lead men never so far , that yet the act is not reputatively voluntary ; that is , that mans will not guilty of any privation or omission of loving god , of feeding our children , of giving to the poor , of praying , meditating , &c. or that such omissions are not imputable to the will as sins : when all say that all sin is voluntary . i do not wonder that this man is against bishops tooth and nail ; even as they are ordainers : for , as loose as they are said to be in their ordinations , i doubt whether they would not reject him for utter ignorance and insu●●icience , who hath no more knowledge of the nature of sin , and no more reason to cure his atheism . sect. 24. his next high witticisme is , that i mention [ areceiving obediential power in a carnal will ; which receiving you call ( saith he ) a passive power ; where the comment is harder than the text. answ. reader , dost thou not blush , that among men that have been at an university , there should be found a man so ignorant , ( and so proud of it ) as not to know what potentia obedientialis is , in common use of philosophers and divines ; or not to know that every creature is passive in receiving the divine influx , or operation ; or that recipere est pati , unless when we take the word recipere analogically and morally . if these things were but hard to the man , why is he so proud as to disdain them ? sect. 25. the next and last is , when he had said that [ it is not corruption barely , nor imposition barely , that is a sufficient ground for any to separate ; i had no rag to cover his [ barely ] with , but charitably to interpret him , as meaning by barely [ the quatenus , or the act formally as such , without taking in the greatness of the matter of that corruption or imposition : that is , that it is not corruption formally , as corruption , but the greatness of the matter corrupted ; nor imposition formally , as an act of imposition , but as an imposition of some ill or unsufferable thing : i could not have put sense on his words by any other interpretation : yet doth he so disdain my kindness , and to have so much sense imputed to him , that he pronounceth the sentence that [ i and the schools may call these distinctions , but indeed they are nothing but learned nonsence . and if the reader be not yet convinced that pride is the father , and ignorance the mother of our errours , contentions , divisions , scandals and confusions , he shuts his eyes here against a most convincing instance . sect. 26. p. 15. for saying upon the invitation of his sophistry , that i am perswaded if christ came personally and visibly to demand it , the king would yield up his crown to him ; instead of defending his errour , which this reason did detect , he only sentenceth me to be like the mockers that deride the promise of his coming . sect. 27. ib. he next compareth me to boyes and children , as pretending to know no difference in point of imposition , between one that useth a form of his own , and he that is imposed on to use only the form of another , p. 119. 120. thus the man and his ten or eleven friends , whom he chargeth in his premonition with attesting his veracity , are all made falsities by him . there is not a word of my pretending to know no difference : nor was my comparison at all [ between one that useth a form of his own , and he ( he meaneth him ) that is imposed on , to use only the form of another , as he is himself imposed on by that other , but only as both impose upon the people . no doubt there is a difference in the passive part , between the minister that is imposed on , and him that is not . but i still provoke him to tell me any difference in their several impositions on the people , which at all concerneth our present controversie . yes , he addeth [ in the one case the hearer is alwayes at perfect liberty how far and how often he will joyn : in the other he is alwayes tied up , and must either joyn in such a prescript form of words , or none at all ; and this he knoweth before hand , &c. ] answ. here are two differences pretended . 1. reader , is there in the first any shadow of the truth at all ? yet are there some men that such words will take with , contrary to the common sense of mankind ; as if it were not the papists only that can believe against all common sense . what reason can he give why one that is present is not as free to joyn , or not to joyn in heart , with any passage in the common prayer , as in a free prayer of the minister ? i do seriously wonder what made the man speak these words . when the minister prayeth freely , i may in heart either joyn with him , neglect him , or dissent : and what hinders me from doing so at common-prayer ? he saith , i must joyn in that form , or none at all . true ; and so must i when the minister either prayeth freely , or in a stinted form of his own . you must joyn in that or none at all for that time . i told him of old mr. fen , ( a zealous non-conformist at coventry ) that would say amen loud to every prayer of the liturgy , save that for the bishops : did he not use as much liberty here as he could have done at free prayer ? 2. and for fore knowledge , he passeth by all the answer i oft gave to that objection , and singeth over the same song again . fore-knowing what will be said , doth more enable me to know what clause to forbear my consent to , than in sudden prayer not foreknown . and what if by his constant custome i foreknow , that iohn simpson , randal , iohn goodwin , saltmarsh , dr. crisp , canne , iohnson , blackwood , or any other tolerable opinionist , will put his opinion into his prayers ? doth not that make them in this all one with an imposed prayer , as to fore-knowledge ? and when i fore-know that the matter of the liturgy ( used on the lords dayes by the minister and people ) is sound , this fore-knowledge maketh it not evil in the use . sect. 28. when i gave him no less than twenty queries containing plain evictions of the falseness of his doctrine about the scriptures , his answer is , that he will answer them , when i have satisfied him that i sinned not greatly in raising such mists and doubts : and when i give him security that i will not ask him as many more . reader , is not this man an easie disputant ; did you ever know any that answered all with less ado , than so silly a reason , why he should not answer it ? sect. 29. he concludeth , by telling us , that he [ is ( to say no more ) your best , your equal ] i know what he meaneth , though not what he saith : and really it was but need that he should tell the world how good or worthy a man he is , or else a sober person that had but read one of his three libels , would hardly have believed it . sect. 30. having ended the second time , he begins again with a postscript , to tell us his reasons for his refusing the oath of allegiance , which he is imprisoned for . but i have no mind to meddle with him where i have no call . and shall only say , that had it been more , even the oath of supremacy it self , if he will regard either non-conformist , independents or anabaptist , mr. bradshaw , mr. nie and mr. tombes have each written enough to teach him better to understand that english. chap. iv. an admonition to that part of the church which is inclined to mr. bagshaw's errours . sect. 1. vvere it not my present duty to tell the church , i should take it to be as inconvenient as unpleasing , to open mr. bagshaw's sins . but as christ did it by the pharisees , yea , and peter himself ; and as paul in his epistles , did it by many ; so i think it is now become my duty , though he and his believers be displeased by it . i shall but desire the impartial sober readers , that have perused his writings and mine to judge . 1. whether so great ignorance as he discovereth in himself , be not scandalous in a preacher of the gospel . 2. whether such dangerous errours in doctrine , against the very foundations of our faith , with many other proved against him , make him not an unsafe guid for souls ? and give not incomparably greater occasion for renouncing him as an heretick , to such as are apt to take such occasion , than most called hereticks in the ancient churches gave . 3. whether it be not rare among the worst of men , to meet with so many evidences of insolent pride , above the common measure of proud men , as his three libels do contain . 4. whether it be not a hard matter to find among the worst of men on earth , two libels so small , containing above fourscore visible vntruths in matter of fact ; and a third to follow them , substantially constituted of the like vntruths ; scarce now to be numbred , any more than drops that are aggregate in a pond . 5. whether it be not rare to meet with more malicious contrived snares , to make up his ends upon the person , instead of defending of his cause . 6. whether ever you saw a controversie so managed by any sort of men , of what heresie soever , that said so little for their cause as he hath done for his love-killing principles . i confess i remember not one , no not excepting the very quakers . read over several debates , and see whether ever a cause so hotly contended for , had so little said for it ? 7. whether ever you saw books so answered as mine are by him ? in all his three libels , not medling at all with any considerable part of my books , as to any answer ; but silently passing them over , as if he had never read them . and yet going on to repeat the same things , which i had confuted ? 8. whether his calumny , or false accusations of me , and of calvin , perkins , hildersham , preston , &c. be not an unchristian act ? 9. whether it be not rare among the worst to find such footsteps of great impenitence , as he giveth in so silent a passing over his guilt of the fore-mentioned fourscore vntruths , without any considerable vindication : and after admonition , adding so many worse ? 10. whether it be not rare to meet with so much audacious impudence in sinning ? 11. whether the slandring of so many millions , yea , almost all christs churches on earth , as differ from him in point of forms , &c. as guilty of idolatry , be not a most heinous sin against christ and them , as representing them as odious in the world ? 12. and is it not a sin to draw so many poor souls as will beieve him , so far towards the hatred of christs churches , and ●om communion with them , and to confine all their communion 〈◊〉 so narrow a compass ? 13. whether fathering all this on god and religion , make ●●t the sin to be yet greater ? 14. whether , according to his power , he shew not as cru●● and bloudy , and silencing a disposition , as any of those that 〈◊〉 he accused of it . 15. whether he do not injuriously , to labour by his insi●tions , to bring many honest well-meaning christians , 〈◊〉 into the same guilt with himself , or into the shame●● reputation of it ? insomuch that ●lready the common 〈◊〉 dishonoureth many of the semi-separatists , saying , that they 〈◊〉 rejoyce at his writings , and so hate my treatise against church-dividing principles , as that for the sake of it , they will read no other of my books : ( and if that hurt them no more than me , the matter is but small . ) sect. 2. and when you have well considered of these things , i shall next desire you to consider , whether this man hath not brought you as great a care or caution against unlawful separations and divisions , as most men ever did in the world ? for 1. here you see how much you must bear with , unless you will separate from your own leaders : deal but impartially : is there one parish minister , yea , or one parish church member of many , that was ever convict of so much sin , as mr. bagshaw hath published , and silently , but impertinently lyeth down under ? is there many of them that ever defended half so much sin so obstinately , without confession , and yet so impotently without sence ? separate from no ministers or people that are not proved as guilty as this man , and i will never more write against your separation . 2. and now the world and posterity shall see in this mans writings , how the cause of unlawful separation was defended in this age . i openly profess , that this is a great reason that drew me to defend my cure of church divisions , by three following defences ; that posterity may see what interest and passion will not now suffer some to see . i look to the times to come . and if there be any wiser men among them , that can say more for the separating-cause , they are best set to it ; for if they leave it on such hands as mr. bagshaws , it is easie to foresee that it will be shamed for ever . yet do i solemnly profess that to my utmost remembrance , i never in my life did venture upon , or manage one dispute by word or writing , through a confidence in my own ability to make good what i undertook , but in a confidence of the goodness of my cause , and of the great advantage which the evidence of plain truth doth give to any man of good reason to defend it , even against the cunningest sophister that shall oppose it . sect. 3. and now i shall add my admonition to you , as not being quite ignorant of satans wiles , to tell you what a snare is laid for you all in mr. bagshaw's writings ; and as one that hath no interest , but christs and the churches to move him to it , to tell you how great the danger is , if you swallow the bait . 1. if he prevail with you , he will draw you into the guilt of all those sins of his own fore-mentioned , by your approbation & consent . and how great an addition will that be to your load ? 2. it would draw you to the entertainment of all those love-killing , malignant , and dividing principles , which i cast down , and he sets up . and you little know what an evil it is , to have an understanding so blinded , and a heart so defiled . 3. by this means that true universal love to godly men and christians as such will be destroyed : and when you should bear gods image , who is love it self ; you will be made like satan , the enemy of god and love : and instead of loving your neighbour as your self , you will take your neighbours , yea , christs members , for your enemies . 4. and as love is the fulfilling of the law , so your death of love will be the death of all your true obedience , and lead you to the breach of every law. you will deny all the acts of love in word or deed to others that you owe them to ; you will censure , you will backbite freely , you will receive false reports , and vend them again to others . and christ may say to you , inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least ( mark the least ) of these my brethren , you did it not to me . 5. you will be tempted into treason against christ , under pretence of piety , denying his interest in almost all his churches in the world ; even as if you should say , that the king is king of one or two towns only in all his kingdoms , on pretence that all the rest are not good enough to be his subjects . i profess openly , that nothing in the world more moveth me to do what i do , than this ; that there is much within me that will not suffer me without abhorrence , to think of either unchurching all churches in the world , that use a set liturgy ( yea that use one worse than ours ) or yet to hold that they should all be separated from . and had i ever vowed and covenanted to do this ( as i did not ) it had been a sinful vow . 6. and moreover , it will possess you with a degenerate and false kind of religion , consisting in sidings , and partial opinions , and obeying your selves instead of god. 7. and it will make you satans instruments to disturb all churches that you joyn with , if you do not want occasion and temptation . for the principles which i wrote against will let no church be quiet where they prevail : and a kingdom or house divided cannot stand . 8. you will be drawn from true spiritual worshipping of god ; and your worship and church-communion will be corrupted : instead of holy and heavenly sermons , prayers , praises , &c. you will be infected with a contending and envying passion , and puffed up with the conceit of your own judgments , and grow zealous for your personal opinions , and your parties , and turn your preaching and praying into a strain that savoureth of this disease , and defile them with unsounder passages for your errours or divided interests , than any can be found in the common prayers which you shun . 9. and if you be thus overcome , it will heinously aggravate your sin , that you will do all this as a part of your religion , and so will father it all on god , as if such doing pleased him , and proceeded from his spirit , and were commanded by his word . and as matth. 12. it is made the unpardonable sin to blaspheme the holy ghost , by ascribing his miracles to satan , so though it be pardonable , you should easily see that it cannot be small , to say that those things which are pleasing to the devil , and proceed from his will , and malicious suggestions , are pleasing to god , and proceed from his spirit and word . 10. by these means satan would make your churches to do his work against the lord whom they profess to worship , and and to be the very nests where pride and ignorance shall breed their like , and shall cherish sinful love killing principles and passions , and animosities against your brethren : and so your assemblies will be acted too much by his suggestions , and become his work-houses , while you think that they are serving god ; and mens wisdom will be earthly ▪ sensual , and diabolical , when they verily think it is from above , iam. 3 , 15 , 16. 11. thus he would fain bring an odium upon your selves , and cause you to go under such a character as the munster anabaptists , and the familists , quakers , and such others do : that men may say of you , that while you take on you to be stricter than others , it is but in abhorring other mens prayers , and extolling your own ; and that sin is no sin when you find it in your own party , or your selves . and that lyars , and most impudent calumniators and proud revilers , &c. go among your selves for godly persons , while the uprightest men that use the common prayer , do go for idolaters and ungodly . and if satan can but get such an odious character fastened on you , what mischievous advantage will he make of it ? 12. for then next he will hope to bring all the non-conformists ( or the greater part while a few only are excepted ) under the same character for your sakes : that they may be all thought to be men of irrational , uncharitable , and unpeaceable principles and spirits ; whose religion consisteth but in fanaticisme , and self-conceit , and foolish condemning the things which they understand not , because their party hath done so before them . and if satan can thus far obtain his ends , he hath laid the eggs of a world of farther sin and sufferings . 13. then all that are against them will be exceedingly confirmed in all those things and wayes , which i need not name unto you , and for which it is that you separate from them : and will think that your condemnation of them is but a commendation . 14. yea , ministers of loose and vicious lives will be hardened by you against repentance , and will think that they are better than you , and that though they sometimes are drunk , or idle , yet they are pardoned , because you that own such greater sins , do pass for godly , and because chiefly such as you condemn them . 15. yea , ( which will be a doleful mischief ) you will afford matter for every carnal preacher to make a sermon of , against those that go for strict and godly , and to perswade the people that all that profess much strictness , are but such as you , and that hypocrisie is the cover for their sins , which are worse than other mens . thus , while the word puritan ( as fanatick now ) was first taken up to signifie an errour ( a conceit of self-perfection , &c. ) at last it grew that which mr. robert bolton hath so often told the world , a word of scorn in wicked mens mouths , against all that truly feared god. and thus while you fly from all the parish assemblies , as desiled , you will be the men that will make them far worse , when some pulpits will be made stages , on which the actors may set forth all those religious men , that in any thing dissent from them in a ridiculous and odious dress , to the derision and loathing of the auditors . 16. by which means thousands of ignorant people will be tempted into a contempt of piety it self , and their conversion wonderfully hindered : and prejudice will make them turn from that way with scorn and obloquy , which should save them . o how many thousands have in england f●●merly been hindred from true repentance , by hearing strict religious people both talk'd and preached against , as hypocrites , and a sort of proud self-opinioned men ! 17. and the common people will learn quickly to overgo the preachers , and will make the godly in streets and ale-house ; their common scorn : and satan will have almost as many preachers to make piety odious , and hinder mens repentance , as there be wicked men . as when the preacher by a puritan heretofore meant a non-conformist , the ignorant rabble expounded and applied it , of all that were not such as they . 18. and by this means the devil hopeth to disaffect and exasperate many learned men that differ from you , to turn the strength and reputation of their parts and learning , to make you contemptible and vile . bishop overall , whitgift , mountague , &c. were very learned men : but exasperation set their parts and pens in that military strain , as was not pleasing to their antagonists : as it did mr. hooker's and many more , who by love and meekness , and a peaceable familiarity ( without sin ) might have been disarmed . i need not go beyond sea , to tell you how the learned ios. scaliger was exasperated to revile the puritans by mr. lidiates opposition ( vid. praef. ad cam. isagog . ) nor to mention salmatius , grotius , or any others there ; nor to look back as far as erasmus , much less to many , ( too many ) of the ancient bishops and doctors of the church . 19. yea , while you fear persecution , you will take the readiest way in the world to bring it on your selves , and others for your sakes : for the consciences of rulers will ( perhaps ) little scruple the hurting of such men as are taken to be so bad : they being gods ministers to use the sword for a terrour to evil doers , and if you once pass for notorious evil doers , you will hardly scape . and it will be but a foolish fruitless course to do the evil your selves , and then lay the blame of all your sufferings on them that tell you of it , and that take it to be evil , and will not commend your sins as so many acts of piety : as if the assumed name of virtue would hide the odiousness of vice : for nature and scripture will help men to see your nakedness through so thin a vail , and god himself will not suffer sin to keep up its credit by usurped names . it is not silencing the reprovers that will do the work of any sinners . it must be the avoiding of the sin it self . 20. and if you take this sinful dividing course , you will make more papists , and such others as you your selves , most fly from and disclaim , than almost any other way could do . nothing that i know of in the world , doth so strongly tempt some sober consciencious men , to think poperty necessary for the concord of the churches , and a violent church government necessary to our peace , as the woful experience of the errours and schisms , the mad and manifold sects that arise among those that are most against them . thousands have been made papists in england , scotland , and ireland , within these twenty years , that have been driven from us by our shameful sects ; yea , many of the sectaries themselves , when they have run themselves through as many sects as they could try . i am perswaded that mr. bagshaws libels are as powerful writings to cross his own desires , and turn many from non-conformity , and others unto popery , as most that have been published in this age . multitudes that read them will say , here you see the spirit of non conformity ( though i have proved it a calumny : ) others will say , you see how mad men grow when they unite not with the cathalick church , and live not under a strict church government . 21. and by all this satan hopeth to turn the non-conformists sufferings to their shame : and to make the world believe that as this man suffereth for refusing the oath of allegiance , so do the rest for some self-conceits , and unwarrantable fancies of their own . 22. and he will put hard to bring church diseipline it self into disgrace and scorn , by you that most desire and plead for it . for men will say , these are they that cry out for discipline , and separate from our church because it wanteth or corrupteth it . when in their own churches and leaders , such crimes ( as bagshaws books contain ) are tolerable , as consistent with religious zeal , and perhaps is all ascribed unto godliness ? what more effectual way could be devised , to make church-discipline contemptible to the world ? 23. and all this will tend to disable the ministers of christ , both conformable and non-conformable , from doing any good , and winning any souls to true repentance . when the conformable preachers should do good , the people will be taught by you to shun them , or despise them as idolaters : when the non-conformists should do any good , they will be taught by your practice and other mens calumny , to turn away from them , as such as afore described . and then how much hath satan gained ? i know another sort of men are at least as deeply guilty of all these consequents , as you : but that is no excuse of yours . and though it must be that offence come , yet wo to them by whom it cometh . 24. and indeed it would be a heinous aggravation of your sin , if you should defie gods providence , and the large and lamentable experience of the mischiefs of love-killing dividing-principles and wayes . this spirit and way was of old blasted in england and holland ; it troubled new-england ; it injured the non conformists , and put them to write many books against it ( more than the conformists did . ) the books of mr. perry ( martin mar-prelate ) full of jears and scorn , were unsavoury to all sober men ; and his death the more dishonourable . scotland kept them out thence by discipline . in our late wars , martin-mar-priest ( overton , as was thought , with prince , lilburn , &c. ) quite exceeded martin-mar-prelate , and the ministers were more scorned than ever were the bishops : seekers , quakers , and ranters , have all been generated ( for the most part ) by the foresaid separating principles and spirit . i will tell you no more now , what effects it then had on the churches and kingdom , nor what it hath brought on themselves and us . but reason should tell it you ; and i will tell you , that now , even now , to run violently further into the same fire which first burnt up so much of our concord , peace , and glory , and turned us into ashes , and then burnt up the men that kindled it , and is not quenched to this day , nor like to be in haste ; i say to blow this fire still , and run into it , and back-bite even non-conformable ministers themselves , that would but disswade you , and desire you to quench it , will be an obdurateness so like to pharaoh's , as may be a doleful prognostick to the guilty , if not to all the land. 25. you little know what a pernicious design the devil hath upon you , in perswading you to desire and endeavour to pull down the interest of christ and religion , which is upheld in the parish churches of the land ; and to think that it is best to bring them as low in reality or reputation as you can , and to contract the religious interest all into private meetings : by which means , 1. the privacy shall keep it under obloquy , suspicion , and contempt : 2. and shall level the sound with all the rotten sects in their reputation : 3. and shall leave them no security in law for their continuance an hour : 4. and shall keep them still under the censures , discountenance and dangers of the law. 5. and young rash intemperate spirits among your selves , will be continual endangerers of your liberties . 6. or a malicious enemy may at any time put on the vizor of a friend , and come among you and act a furious part , to make you odious and overthrow you : 7. and few of the young , the ignorant or licentious sorts will be your auditors ; and how will the work of repentance then be carried on by you ? the most will go to the publick churches , when you have done the most against it you can . 8. and when the present generation of non-conformists are dead , do you think it likely that so many will survive them of their mind , as are sufficient without the publick assemblies to keep up the christian and protestant religion in the land ? you are ignorant if you think it probable . i know that god can do what he will ; but his promise is the measuring object of our faith : and i think he hath promised no such thing . and i have long feared lest twenty years wilful contentions , wantonness , &c. will not be punished with a short rebuke . if you know how great a number was silenced in king iames his time , and yet that in 1640 there were not found near half so many non conformable ministers as are counties in england , you may think it is possible it may be so again . and would you have but one minister in a county or two , to keep up all the interest of religion ? i am not without hope that god will make men so wise as to unite us , before such a day : but of that we have no certainty . 9. yea , could you wish at this day that the christian and protestant religion were kept up by none but the unconformable ministers in private ? no honest man can wish it , who considereth how many of the 1800 are dead already , and how few are left in most counties of the land , in comparison of the congregations that need instruction ? i know that it is commonly said , that god blesseth not their ministry to the conversion of any souls , and therefore it is as good be without the conformists . but this is foolishly spoken . for , 1. many of them are as wise and as good men as you . 2. you have no satisfactory account what hearts are secretly wrought on by their ministry . they come not all to you to be confessed . 3. and the worser sort of them are not worse than iudas , whom christ sent forth . 4. and there is much done to keep up the christian and protestant doctrine in soundness , against infidelity and popery , where few are brought to sound conversion . and so gods publick worship , and the hopes of our posterity are kept up . if any of you had rather that all turned open infidels or mah●metans , my soul shall not enter into your counsels . 10. and the publick churches will be kept up some or other . if you would have the protestant interest in them fall , the popery will find them as a house ready swept and garnished , and will make our latter end worse than our beginning : 11. and i am perswaded few can be so sottish as to be ignorant , that it greatly pleaseth the papists that you are forced into corners , and hold your exercises of religion by connivance , against law ; and much more you will gratifie and rejoyce them , if you could help them to get down all the protestant interest in the parish churches . and do your leaders yet think that the papists are pleased with that which will promote the protestant cause ? 12. many a man as wise and good as you , whose judgment is non-conformable , who liveth where there are no other churches , would take it for an unspeakable loss to be deprived of the benefit of the parish churches . for all these reasons , though i desire reformation , and will never swear not to endeavour it in my place and calling ; yet i will do the best i can to get the best pastors into the parish churches , and to promote their reputation , and the labours of the ministers there , and bless god for what is yet there left us ; and yet will be one that shall mourn for the reproach of the solemn assemblies . 26. moreover , it is one of satans plots upon you , to prepare for the reproach of the non conformists , when greater necessity shall drive them to the parish assemblies and communion . do not you make any doubt of it , but that if the wrath or rigour of superiours should bring them to the same condition , as the old non-conformists were , the most of the present non-conformists would come to the parish churches , even in common prayer and sacraments as they did . and you are preparing reproach for them , that they may then be called changelings , who forsake their former principles and cause . 27. and verily you will keep up the papists hope , that by an universal toleration they may at last come in on equal terms with you , or by connivance be endured as much as you . and if they be equal in england with you , their transmarine advantages will make them more than equal , notwithstanding their disadvantages in their cause , and in their contrariety to kingly interest ( which henry fowlis hath in folio most fully and unanswerably laid open . ) 28. and though god in mercy hath at present given us a king that owneth the protestant cause , so resolvedly , as to make a law against any that shall report him inclined to popery , england hath no promise that it shall be so for ever : and if we should ever have a king more indifferent in his religion , do you know what a temptation it would be to him , to pull down the protestant religion , if he found it but in corners , under a connivance , and found it under the reproach of such crimes as b●gshaw's books contain ? it were the next way to procure the fatal word , down with them even to the ground ; though i know we have the greater security against this , because popery is so much against princes interest , and is the del●vering up the kingdome in part to a foreign power . 29. in a word , satan is playing by mr. bagshaw no lower a game , than by turning all the people from the parish assemblies , ( while there are not in england ( had they liberty 〈◊〉 ministers enow to supply the tenth part of the church●● ) to 〈◊〉 the generality of them to live like open atheists , that give god no publick worship at all ; and so to extinguish knowledge , christianity , and all religion , in most of the land. these things i see , and because i see them i do as i have done . 30. there is another reason that sticks much with me , as knowing what silly peevish souls are employed in against themselves , but i will add no more . brethren , i have discharged my conscience ; some will hear : i will bear the censures and obloquy of the rest . your sins are no more lovely to me , than the sins of other men ; nor no more merciful to england : we all suffer by and for such sins as i have reproved . i am one of the sufferers , and therefore should have leave to speak . i am long ago engaged in the cause of concord , love , and peace , and will not betray it for the shadow of purity , nor for the pleasing of any party whatsoever ; though no duty when such is to be omitted , nor any sin committed for peace . and to prevent the calumny of papists , and the mis-information of posterity , i add , that besides one hot-headed , honest young man ( mr. brown ) i hear of no non-conformable minister in england that openly owneth mr. bagshaw's 〈◊〉 , or secondeth him in his defence of the love killing principles of unlawful separation ; which , with the other evidences of quietness and patience in the private assemblies of these times , i take to be a marvellous thing , considering mens great and manifold temptations , which in time i hope god will abate . finis . mr. richard baxter's paraphrase on the psalms of david in metre with other hymns / left fitted for the press by his own hand. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1692 approx. 511 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 151 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27939 wing b2580 estc r43060 26726735 ocm 26726735 109763 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27939) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 109763) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1712:2) mr. richard baxter's paraphrase on the psalms of david in metre with other hymns / left fitted for the press by his own hand. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [22], 276 p. printed for thomas parkhurst ... and jonathan robinson ..., london : 1692. reproduction of original in bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -o.t. -psalms -paraphrases, english. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-11 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-11 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion mr. richard baxter 's paraphrase on the psalms of david in metre , with other hymns . left fitted for the press under his own hand . licensed june 2d . 1692. london : printed for thomas parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , near mercers-chappel ; and jonathan robinson , at the golden lion in st. paul's church-yard . 1692. an advertisement . these are to assure the reader , that that this paraphrastical translation of the psalms is the genuine work and product of the late reverend mr. richard baxter , and left ( together with the preface and the annexed hymns ) compleated by him , and written with his own hand fairly and accurately for the press . the author was well known to multitudes , and famed deservedly for his eminent knowledge , judgment , godliness , and utterance , and for all things constituent of an exemplary christian , and for the extraordinariness of his ministerial unction , diligence , faithfulness , and success . singing of psalms he called , and used as his recreation . when his sleep was intermitted or removed in the night , he then sang much , and relished this course and practice greatly well : and on the lord's days ( whilst with me in the free-will offerings of his ministerial assistance in charter-house-yard for betwixt four and five years , where at my house he preached his last sermon , and in his own house near to mine , he breathed his last breath ) he thought the lord's-day's service very defective without some considerable time 's being spent in this divine melodious exercise of singing psalms , wherein his heart was warm and chearful . and i have heard him say in sence equivalent unto the import of these words , that he believingly expected that his angelical convoy would conduct him through all the intermediate regions to his determined mansion in his heavenly father's house with most melodious hallelujahs , or with something equally delightful . for what angels are , how they appear to separated souls , and after what manner they express their joys and praises , are things as yet beyond our reach and knowledge . but that there are such things as publick , solemn , and harmonious praises offered unto the great jehovah and the enthroned lamb by the whole heavenly chorus , i see no cause to doubt . but at the manner of this great performance i have not confidence enough to guess , much less dare i dogmatically or magisterially determine : for i forget not what mr. b. said repeatedly to me , and with great accents of a pathetical concern upon his heart , we know nothing . we know nothing . and this when near his end . as to the work it self , when i press'd him to the publication of it , he modestly replyed , that others had done so well , as that he thought his own work thence less needful and acceptable . but after that , he committed it to my perusal , telling me , that his great solicitousness was about reaching and representing david's inspired sence aright . and he told me , that he was most for that wherein there was least of man , and most of god : so that if he be out-done in poetry by others , yet perhaps none will be found in an essay of this kind more genuinely breathing david's sence and spirit , nor any thing more fitted to the genuine gravity and decorum of this chearing and edifying ordinance than what here is offered . and i hope it will not fare the worse for being a part of that useful mantle which he left , when god remomoved him hence . as to ( his other works , and particularly ) his life ; did those who earnestly expect it , know its bulk and worth as i do , as on the one hand their appetites would be sharper , because of the rational and judicious accounts he gives of god's gracious dealing with his soul , with the stupendious instances and methods of his peculiar providence towards that , with much more that i could pertinently hint : so on the other hand , none would severely censure me as delatory or neglectful , that knew my pressing hindrances , and the greatness of the work. but i assure the reader , that all meet care , and hast , and faithfulness in this affair , and in the seasonable production of his other works , in all observance of his own orders and directions communicated to me by his own word and writing , shall be pursued by london , august 2. 1692. matthew sylvester . the preface . 1. poetry ( as all inferiour things ) hath its conveniences and its inconveniences . the inconveniences are , that matter is oft forc'd too much to stoop to words and syllables ; and that conciseness keeps the matter from a full perception with any but well-prepared understandings . the conveniences are , that is spareth words , avoiding the redundancies and repetitions which oratory is usually guilty of ; and teacheth exactness of expression . and that the delight of harmony ( except in persons whose phantasie is herein impotent and maimed , or minds diseased by prejudice or melancholy ) doth make the phantasie helpful to the mind ; and as it expresseth affections , so doth it raise them . § 2. the tempter knowing this , hath made great use of lascivitus , vain , and foolish poetry , yea , and malignant , to corrupt more the minds that are already corrupt and vain , and to prepossess them against better things . and god knowing it , hath by his spirit indited sacred hymns and psalms , both for his publick and private worship , and excitation of holy desires and delights : which of old was done with the greatest helps that the musical and vocal melody could give . the singing of morning hymns to christ was the note by which pliny describeth to trajan the persecuted christians in his time , in their houses and their meetings ( then called conventicles ; ) of which see the apology of the church of england , chap. 1. ( and specially justin's and tertullian's apologies . ) and godly families have still been differenced from the ungodly by open singing the praises of god , when the other sing wanton and idle songs . good christians will not ( among christians at least ) be ashamed , that such psalms of praise be heard by their neighbours into the streets , when players , or ballad-singers are not ashamed ▪ more openly to sing amorous , foolish , ungodly , or abusive songs . our psalms in metre were set forth by authority , to be used both in church and house , laying apart all ungodly songs and ballads , &c. § 3. some stumble at the singing of david's psalms , because there are many words not suited to their case . but , 1. may they not as well scruple reading or saying them in prose ? singing them in metre , is no more an owning of all we say , as our case , than saying or reading them is . and by that reason they must not say , the songs of moses , the book of job , canticles , lamentations , or the gospel-hymns , or scripture-prayers . 2. that may be recited as the common case of the church , yea , or as a narration of his case that wrote them , which is not spoken as of our selves . 3. and if this satisfie not , such may choose at home psalms suitable to them , and in the church be silent at the words which they dare not speak . § 4. some are stumbled that david's psalms have so little about the life to come , and speak with so great concernedness about prosperity and adversity here , and especially that he saith so much through almost all the book against his enemies , and the oppression and cruelties of wicked men , and his great danger of them , and sufferings by them , even cursing them and their posterity . answ . as to this , it must be considered , 1. that it is most certain that not only david , but the jews generally , except the sadducees , believed the immortality of the soul , and the rewards and punishments of the other life : and many passages in the psalms prove it . and so do the histories of enoch and elias , and saul's seeking to dead samuel , and the raising of divers dead men ; and herod thought that john was risen , and others that christ was one of the old prophets . all which had been impossible , had not the soul survived . he that ask'd christ , what he should do to inherit eternal life ▪ spake but on the principle of the jews faith. 2. but the future state of souls being not near so fully revealed under the law , as it was after by christ , who brought life and immortality more to light by the gospel ; god saw it meet to give men under the law more motives to obedience and against sin ( both by his word and works ) from outward mercies and punishments , than under the gospel , which much more teacheth us the doctrine of the cross. 3. and david was a king , whose concerns therefore were publick , even the churches and kingdoms as well as his own . and all christians must be greatly affected with publick church concerns . and as he was a type of christ , his enemies are cursed as christ's enemies ; which yet he seemeth oft to do but prophetically . 4. and it must be noted , that it is not their damnation that is his usual curse and wish , ( though he foretel it of the impenitent ) but their destruction on earth , for the churches deliverance by the utter extirpation of them and their posterity . 5. and though christ teach us to love our enemies , and bless them that curse us , and pray for them that hate and persecute us , yet he forbids us not to desire deliverance from them , nor to hate their diabolical lying , malignity and cruelty , and enmity to the gospel , and to obedience to god it 's a great duty to note the universal war in all lands and ages between the serpent's and the woman's seed , and to know that brutishness first , and cainism and diabolism next , are the serpent's progency , as naturally prospering in corrupted graceless men , as maggots in a carkass . and they that live in an age and land where these prevail , and are in power , will have a sensible commentary of david's psalms : and in prisons , and in wars and fields of blood , and torments , many have confessed , that now they understood the psalms of david , which they never soundly understood before . 6. lastly , though david say not so much of the life to come as we could wish , he saith very much of the way to it , and the necessary means . he knew that heaven is ready for us , if we be but ready for it : and all that must be done for it by us is in this short hasty life : and as a traveller doth not all the way talk and think so much of his journeys end , as of all passages in his way , and yet doth all this for the end ; so a good christian that layeth out his care and labour in obeying god's word , and avoiding sin , and doing all the good he can in the world , and this in faith and hope of heavenly felicity , doth better than be that neglecteth present means on pretence of only contemplating the end . we are all in our baptism listed in christ's army as cross-bearers , against the devil , world , and flesh : and he that lamenteth not the successes of satan , and the greatness of his kingdom , the vastness of the dominions of heathens and infidels , the fewness of christians , the greater paucity of those that are christians indeed , sincere and serious , that are more for heaven than for earth , and mortifie the lusts of the flesh by the spirit , and how wofully satan hath prevailed to make hypocritical , nominal christians , more false , malignant , and blood-thirsty than many turks and heathens , and how lamentably in many christian nations he hath so far got power and ministry on his side , as to be the most effectual hinderers of the serious practice of that christian religion which themselves profess . i say , he that is not sensible of this , is not a genuine disciple of christ , and a skilful souldier in his army . and he that is , will understand david's psalms ; but yet christ will teach him , that it is by faith and patience that christians must be more than conquerours , while they are killed all the day long , and counted as sheep to the slaughter , while nothing can seperate them from the love of god. § 5. quest . but are not the psalms sufficiently by translation and metre , already fitted to the churches use ? what need any more help of yours ? answ . i am not so vain as to expect that my version should be of publick church-use : others have done well in several respects ; i delight to read them , and love and honour all the authors . i wrote for my own use , not intending any publication , and that in my restraint , when my soul 's great concerns made it my chief and necessary employment : when it was my interest and daily work to speak to god. and i found the psalms so fitted to my use , as if they had been purposely made for me . when i used not to sleep one minute is many nights , through pain and disturbance , these psalms were my recreation : and when meditations of the same things still grow customary and dull , psalms , especially of praise , revived and exhilerated my soul , both night and day . and we are bound while we we have time to do good to all men , and grace as well as nature is communicative : and charity to souls is more excellent than to bodies . i have no hope of reaching the seraphick strain of mr. george sandys , ( especially on job . ) but he hath not fitted his metres to the usual tunes , so that to the vulgar they are almost useless . bishop king's are very good , but the unusual-way of making the rythme of the next verse meet , maketh it by disuse unpleasant to the most . mr. white 's , the scots , and mr. row's his second , are an excellent translation of the hebrew text : but the ear desireth greater melody , than their strict versions will allow . mr. william barton hath done excellently , of whom i have made much use : but his great labour for rythmes hath made it ( though more excellent to some , yet ) less grave , and less taking to many others . mr. woodford's , and sandy's , and patrick's , and davision's , and some others , that have taken a larger paraphrastical liberty than i have done , are much more pleasant , and useful to many . but when i perused all these and others for my own daily devotion and delight , i found none of them that wholly answered my expectations . i could not rest in the unpleasant harshness of the strictest versions ; seeing psalms lose their ends that lose their affecting pleasure . i durst not venture on the paraphrastical great liberty of others ; i durst make hymns of my own , or explain the apocryphal ; but i feared adding to god's word , and making my own to-pass for god's . yet i scrupled not giving the sence of the hebrew text more fully than our strict translation hath done , by the addition of adjectives and adverbs ; because oft-times a hebrew word doth signifie more than one greek , latin , or english word can open , without such an explicatory adjective or adverb . so that my labour hath been both to avoid the harshness and unpleasantness of strict versions , and the boldness of copious paraphrases . and as i did it for my own use ▪ under my constant dying pains , and solitude , so i leave it for the secret or family-use of those with whose condition and spirits it best suiteth , without disparaging the more excellent labours of any others . that is best for some ( in private ) that is not so for others . § 6. i have in the end shewed why i have done that which no man ever did before me , to fit the same psalms to various tunes and measures , longer and shorter , specially to gratifie them by variety , that are used to be dull'd with customariness in the same ; and to give them expository notes , who use but obscure abbreviation and conciseness in words . and i hope the printer will make so visible a difference in the characters , that the additional words shall stumble none . § 7. i have added the apocryphal hymns , 1. for their excellency and usefulness . 2. to confute them that think that no forms of worship but those found in scripture may be used , or imposed . 3. to confute the casuists , that tell the world that we are against all such liturgick forms . those that published the old church-psalms , added many useful hymns , that are still printed with the psalms in metre . and doubtless paul meaneth not only david's psalms , when he bids men sing with grace in their hearts , psalms , and hymns , and spiritual songs : yea , it is past doubt , that hymns more suitable to gospel-times , may and ought to be now used : and if used , they must be premeditated ; how else ▪ shall congregations sing them ? and if premeditated , they must be some way imposed ; how else shall the congregations all joyn in the same ? i plead not for imposing by cruel penalties , nor laying the churches love and communion on a tune or metre . there are three sorts of imposing such liturgick forms ; of psalms , praise , or prayer . 1. one is , when the pastor is left free to his own discretion , but yet his words of prayer or praise are a form to the congregation , which he imposeth on them by the authority of his office , obliging them to concur . for if every one speak there his own words , it will be liker a bedlam than a church . 2. a second way of imposing , is , when the united churches of a nation , for edification and amiableness of concord , agree all on one translation , version , metre , or form of words : which is useful , first , when heresies are abroad to keep them out of the publick worship . and secondly , that people may know before-hand what the worship of the church is in which they are to joyn , and may not say , we know not what worship you will offer to god , till the minister have spoken , and the words be past ; and so there may be as many sorts of worship as there are speakers . and thirdly , fore-knowledge may make amiable concord easie to them . and no doubt such an agreement of churches is good and amiable . 3. and the third way of imposing is by the laws of christian magistrates . and who can say that they may not command that amiable concord , which the churches might of themselves agree in , should the magistrate leave them to their choice . i do not say , that rulers should hang , burn , or ruine all persons that by weakness are against a commanded version , metre , or tune , or form. but good christians should abhor all such vain scruples , and self-conceits , and affected singularity and disobedience , as are against the sweet concord of the church . § 8. it is a doleful case that satan by subtilty hath so far prevailed with many honest christians , as to place their religion in negative superstition , that they may avoid positive superstition . touch not , tast not , handle not , kneel not , stand not up , bow not , use not those forms which the common congregations use , &c. and many by this are tempted to think that they are holyer than others , because they avoid by erroneous singularity the lawful words and actions of others . and they think men prophane and carnal , that are not as superstitiously singular as they : not comparing the men , but the cause , i think it much less blameable to say with the pharisee , god , i thank thee that i am not as other men , extortioners , unjust , adulterers , or even as this publican : than to say , god , i thank thee that i am not as other christians , that pray in a prescribed form , or use responses , or communicate in the parish-churches , or kneel at the lord's table , or stand up at the creed or gospel , &c. the difference between these two cases is very notable . the first sort are proud of that which is good . the second take conceited erroneous singularity for a mark of piety . not that we should commit the least sin for complyance with any , but as augustine resolved in lawful customs to do as the church doth where he comes , so should all the lovers of peace and concord . but ( as the late lord chief justice , sir matthew hale ▪ in his judgment of religion and its corruptions ( who was no schismatick , and whose m.s. i keep ) saith ) the christian religion is a plain and holy thing , fit for the salvation and the concord of all that sincerely own it : but mens additions have proved the corrupters and dividers : and while one sort make a religion of their own inventions , and think that it is no good church-government that maketh not some new religion , fitter for mens consciences : and another sort thinketh that it is sin to do any thing that is not in scripture , which men command us ; and so all sects are turned superstitious , and make duties and sins which god never made : instead of god's religion , which is plain , saving , and uniting , the world is torn by mens dividing engines , supposed by ignorance to be the means to heal it ; even by the positive superstition of one party , and the negative superstition of the other . the sense of their error that refuse david's psalms , and separate from all churches that have any imposed forms of liturgie , hath occasioned this digression . i confess my metre , and tunes , and apocryphal hymns are not in words found in the scriptures , nor are the words of my ordinary preaching and prayers there . but they are commanded by the general precepts of the scripture : let all be done to edification , and exhort one another in psalms , and hymns , and spiritual songs , singing with grace in your hearts to the lord , col. 3.16 . what sweeter foretaste of the heavenly everlasting praises ? there is no exercise that i had rather live and dye in , than singing praises to our redeemer and jehovah , while i might in the holy assemblies , and now when i may not , as paul and silas in my bonds , and my dying pains , which are far heavier than my bonds . lord jesus receive my praise and supplications first , and lastly , my departing soul. amen . what is the sum of my desires ? to know and love and live to god , to please him , and be pleas'd in him to long for heaven , and bear his rod. richard baxter . mr. baxter's paraphrase on the psalms . psalm i. to the tune of old 100. 1 blest is the man who doth avoid the counsel of ungodly mates ; who stands not in the sinners way , nor sitteth in the scorners seats . 2 but in the holy law of god doth choose and place his chief delight ; and ( with sincere obedient heart ) meditates in it day and night . 3 we shall be like the prosp'ring tree that planted by a rivers side , in season yieldeth plenteous fruit , whose leaf doth always green abide . 4 the lord will prosper this mans work , but the ungodly are not so , but like rejected worthless chaff , which every wind drives to and fro . 5 therefore th' ungodly shall not stand , but fall , when judgment gives their doom ; nor sinners in the righteous mens blessed assembly ever come . 6 because the way of righteous men , the lord with approbation knows ; but the way of ungodly men to their own just destruction goes . psalm ii. 1 why do the rebel nations rage , and [ people ] hatch a vain design ? 2 the kings of earth do set themselves , and [ wicked ] rulers do combine , against god and his christ they say , let us cast off [ and break ] the bands , 3 and cast away those cords ( his laws ) which tye up hearts [ and tongues ] and hands ▪ 4 but he whose glory is in heaven , their [ rebel ] counsels shall deride , their purposes the lord will scorn , their [ boasting ] tongues he will divide . 5 then shall he speak in wrath to those his [ gentle ] yoak who could not bear ; his sore displeasure shall them vex when they this [ divine ] sentence hear . 6 yet have i set my chosen king on sion's [ sacred ] hill to reign . his kingdom 's glory i 'le declare , and god's decree [ i will ] proclaim . 7 the lord almighty uttered it , and he [ himself ] thus said to me , thou art my son , and this same day have i [ rais'd and ] begotten thee . 8 ask me , and i 'le the heathen give for thy [ enlarg'd ] inheritance ; and to possess the utmost parts of [ all the ] earth i 'le thee advance . 9 the rebels with an iron rod thou shalt [ bruise and ] asunder shake , like brittle earthen vessels them thou shalt [ dash and ] in pieces break . 10 be wise now , o ye mortal kings ; learn [ all ye ] judges of the earth . 11 serve god with true religious fear , joyn [ awful ] trembling with your mirth . 12 now kiss the son , left in his wrath you [ die and ] perish from the way , if once his anger kindled be , [ then all ] who trust him , blest are they . psalm iii. 1 lord , how are they increas'd that are mine enemies , many there be that trouble me , and do against me rise . 2 many say of my soul , he hath no help in god ; 3 but thou my shield and glory art , and liftest up my head . 4 i with my mournful voice unto the lord did cry , and he out of his holy place did hear me graciously . 5 i laid me down and slept ; i wak'd and rose again , for it is god in whom i trust that doth me still sustain . 6 and though ten thousand foes were round about me laid , ( while god is for me , and my help ) why should i be afraid . 7 arise and save me , lord , my god the cheek-bone strake of all my foes ; and wicked mens devouring teeth did break . 8 to save his chosen doth belong to god alone ; thy blessing shall for evermore thy people rest upon . psalm iv. 1 o hear me when to thee i call , god of my [ help and ] righteousness : have mercy on me , hear my prayer , thou sav'dst me in [ my great ] distress . 2 o sons of men , how long will ye [ the great ] god's glory vilifie ? how long will ye love vanity , and seek and trust a [ flatt'ring ] lie ? 3 but know that god doth for himself the godly [ choose and ] set apart ; the lord will hear when i to him do call [ in faith ] with fervent heart . 4 fear god therefore : take heed of sin : [ use to ] consider with your hearts : in secret silence of the night in bed , when sleep [ from you ] departs . 5 offer to god the sacrifice of love and [ sincere ] righteousness , and then put all your trust in him to save [ and help ] you in distress . 6 deceived men enquire for good , [ but where ] to find it cannot tell : lord , let the glory of thy face shine forth [ on us ] and we are well . 7 thy love and grace into my heart hath put more joy and [ solid ] peace , then all their wealth will them afford , when corn and wine [ do most ] increase . 8 i will both lay me down in peace , and hope for [ quiet ] rest and sleep , trusting alone that thou lord wilt me and my dwelling [ safely ] keep . psalm v. 1 give ear unto my words , o lord , my [ doleful ] meditation weigh , 2 and hear my voice , my king , my god , for unto thee i [ cry and ] pray . 3 at morning thou shalt hear my voice , my [ morning ] prayer i 'le direct to thee , o lord ; and looking up thy [ gracious ] answer will expect . 4 for thou , the holy god , dost not in [ any ] wickedness delight , neither shall evil dwell with thee , 5 or [ wicked ] fools stand in thy sight . 6 thou hatest wicked workers all , [ and ] lyars [ all ] thou wilt subvert ; the lord abhorreth men of blood , and the deceitful [ tongue and ] heart . 7 in thine abundant mercies i will in thy [ sacred ] house appear , and tow'rd thy holy temple i will worship thee in [ holy ] fear . 8 lead me , lord , in thy righteousness , before my watchful [ envious ] foe ; before my face do thou make strait the way wherein i [ ought to ] go . 9 their mouth no credit doth deserve , [ their ] inward [ part ] is wickedness , their throat is like an open grave , their tongues do [ flattering ] lies express . 10 by their own counsels let them fall ; destroy them [ lord , and ] them expel in their abundant sins ; for they against thee [ madly ] did rebel . 11 let all rejoyce and shout for joy , who [ firmly ] put their trust in thee , for them thou keepest . let them that love thy [ holy ] name still joyful be . 12 for thou , lord , wilt the righteous bless , and with thy [ special ] favour own ; thou as a shield wilt him defend , and with thy [ loving ] kindness crown . psalm vi. 1 lord in thy wrath rebuke me not i earnestly [ do thee ] desire , ( though my great sin do it deserve ) correct me not in [ burning ] ire . 2 lord pity me a feeble wretch , whom [ sin and ] dolour weakned hath ; o heal my pained flesh and bones , vexed by sin , and [ by thy ] wrath . 3 my guilty soul doth bear its part with [ pained ] flesh in sin and grief ; lord do not over-long delay to ease them [ both ] with [ thy ] relief . 4 return , o lord , deliver me ; do not this [ sinful ] soul forsake , pity and save a humbled wretch , for thy own [ tender ] mercies sake . 5 the lifeless corps in silent dust remember not thy [ holy ] name ; in darksome graves who give thee thanks ▪ or do thy [ glorious ] praise proclaim . 6 my flesh and soul are tired out with painful groans and [ sinful ] fears , the night i spend in woful moans , and wash my bed [ and touch ] with tears . 7 my feeble eyes do fail with grief , consumed by my [ daily ] woes , untimely dimness closeth them , increased by my [ cruel ] foes . 8 but workers of iniquity shall all [ with shame ] from me depart ; for god doth hear my tears and cries , and will relieve my [ grieved ] heart . 9 he hath , and will receive my suit ; lord tame thy [ servant's ] enemies , turn them with humbling grief and shame , who [ truth and ] righteousness despise ▪ psalm vii . 1 o lord my god , in thee i trust , [ me ] from [ my ] persecutors save ; 2 deliver me , lest they me tear like lions , and [ there 's ] none [ to ] save . 3 lord ▪ if this ill deed i have done , [ and ] guilty [ be ] of wickedness ; 4 if i with hurt did him reward , who liv'd by me in [ quiet ] peace , ( yea , lord , thou knowest that i have [ vs'd ] kindly [ and ] deliver'd those who now are causelesly become my [ cruel ] persecuting foes . ) 5 then let me foes me persecute , and take my life ; and [ let them ] thrust , and tread me down on earth , and lay my [ name and ] honour in the dust . 6 rise , lord , in wrath , lift up thy self , because of [ all mine ] enemies rage ; and for that right which thou command'st do thou thy [ wakened ] power engage . 7 so shall the peoples lovely crowd [ about ] with praise encompass thee , for their sakes therefore take thy seat on high to [ judge and ] succour me . 8 the lord shall all the people judge , do thou , o [ righteous ] lord , judge me ; according to my righteousness , and [ after ] mine integrity . 9 o let the heinous wickedness of wicked [ men ] come to [ an ] end ; thou , lord , who try'st the hearts and reins , the just do thou [ stay and ] defend . 10 of god is my defence , who saves men upright in their [ heart and ] way ; 11 as god doth judge the just , so he [ with sin ] is angry every day . 12 if men turn not , he 'll whet his sword ; the bow is [ vent and ] ready made , the executing instruments of death he [ also ] hath prepar'd . 13 against the persecutors he his [ sharpned ] arrows doth ordain for such as with iniquity do travel as [ it were ] in pain . 14 mischief in secret they conceived , and brought forth fals [ hood and ] deceit ; 15 they made a pit , and digg'd a ditch , and are [ themselves ] fallen into it . 16 his mischief upon his own head [ in time ] shall be returned home ; his violent dealing at the last , [ down up ] on his own pate shall come . 17 i 'le praise the lord according to his truth and [ all his ] righteous ways , and to the name of god most high , sing joyful songs of [ thanks and ] praise . psalm viii . 1 o lord our lord through all the earth , how excellent is thy [ great ] name , who hast thy glory high advanc'd above the [ heavens and ] starry frame . 2 from infants and from childrens mouths thou [ wisdomes ] power didst ordain for thy foes sake ; that so thou might'st the [ cruel ] wrath of them restrain . 3 when i consider well the heav'ns , which thy own [ hand and ] power fram'd ; the moon and the bright shining stars , all which [ were by ] thy word ordain'd . 4 then say i , what is man , that thou of him hast [ daily ] mindful been ? and what 's the son of man , that thou [ so much ] regard'st and visit'st him ? 5 thou mad'st him little lower than the [ blessed ] angels in degree , and hast with honour crowned him , and [ with some ] rays of majesty . 6 thou gavest him dominion o're [ all ] these [ great ] works of thy hand ; thou hast subjected all to him to be at this [ ruling ] command . 7 the pasture flocks , the oxen strong , [ do all ] to him obedience yield ; and thou subjectest unto him the [ very ] wild beasts of the field ; 8 the fowl that flyeth in the air , [ the ] fish that in [ the ] seas do play , and whatsoever through the deeps of the [ great ] ocean makes its way . 9 our owner and our governour [ art thou ] the lord of this great frame , how excellent through all the earth is thy most [ holy ] glorious name . psalm ix . 1 i 'le praise the lord with my whole heart , thy wonders i 'le [ abroad ] proclaim : 2 with gladness i 'le rejoyce in thee , [ most high ] and sing unto thy name . 3 mine enemies do turn their back , they [ fall and ] perish at thy sight . 4 thou sat'st a just judge on thy throne . and hast maintain'd my [ cause and ] right . 5 the heathen thou rebuked hast , the wicked [ thou hast ] overthrown ; their very names thou hast put out , [ only ] to be as odious known . 6 o enemy , thy destroying work is now [ at last ] come to an end : they ruin'd cities , but to death their memory did [ with them ] descend . 7 but god for ever shall endure , for judgment [ he hath ] set his throne : 8 he 'll judge the world in righteousness , in uprightness [ he 'll judge ] each one . 9 the lord will be a high defence for those that are [ by men ] opprest : in times of trouble he will be a refuge and a [ secure ] rest . 10 and they that know thy name , in thee their confidence will [ wholly ] place , for thou didst never them forsake , who truly sought thy [ saving ] grace . 11 sing praises to the lord most high , who doth in [ holy ] sion dwell ; the wondrous things which he hath done , among the people [ daily ] tell . 12 he will at last enquire for blood , and then [ he will ] remember them ; and surely he doth not forget the [ mournful ] cry of humble men . 13 have mercy , lord , think on my grief [ and wrong ] which i from them sustain who hate me : thou that liftest me [ vp ] from [ the ] gates of death again . 14 that in the gates of sion's seed i may shew forth thy [ glorious ] praise ; and in thy great salvation i will [ trust and ] rejoyce always . 15 the heathen are sunk in the pit which they [ themselves ] for us had made ; and in the net which they had hid [ justly ] their own foot is ensnar'd . 16 the lord is by the judgment known , which he in wisdom [ justly ] wrought ; the wicked's hands did make the snare , in which [ at last ] themselves are caught . 17 to be cast off and turn'd to hell , this is the wicked's [ final ] lot , and all the nations of the world that god [ with fear ] remember not . 18 the needy ( though a while distrest ) shall not [ by thee ] be still forgot ; the expectations of the poor , [ though long ] defer'd , yet perish not . 19 rise , lord , and let not men prevail , who trust in fraud or [ worldly ] might ; let heathens and ungodly men be [ even here ] judged in thy sight . 20 put senseless ones in fear , o lord , that the ungodly [ nations ] then may humbled be , and know themselves to be but [ feeble ] dying men . psalm x. 1 why standest thou , lord , as far off , and seem'st [ from us ] thy self to hide , 2 in troublous times when wicked men do persecute [ the poor ] in pride . but let these proud and wicked men [ themselves ] be taken and surpriz'd , even in the same destructive trap which they [ in craft ] for us devis'd . 3 the wicked of his hearts desire doth boast , in prosperous [ worldly ] state the covetous worldling he doth praise , whom yet the [ righteous ] lord doth hate . 4 the wicked puffed up with pride , is to such [ sottish ] folly brought , that he disdains to seek the lord , god is not in his [ bruitish ] thought . 5 hurtfulness is in all his ways , [ for ] thine are [ all ] above his sight ; all that he takes for enemies he puffs at with [ scorn and ] despight . 6 he saith in his self-flattering heart , [ surely ] i never mov'd shall be ; my prosperous state shall not decay , nor shall i [ ever ] trouble see . 7 his mouth 's with rage and cursing full , and with deceit and [ guileful ] lies , under his wicked tongue is hatcht mischief [ falshood ] and vanities . 8 he lurks in towns and villages to [ catch and ] kill the innocent ; in secret his malicious eyes against the [ helpless ] poor are ben● . 9 he lion-like lurks in his den , and waits the [ humbled ] poor to take , and drawn into his own made net , him as his [ lawful ] prey doth make . 10 he crowcheth low , that so the poor in his strong [ cruel ] paws may fall : 11 his heart saith , god doth not regard , but [ winks and ] will not see at all . 12 forget not humble men , o lord ; lift up thy hand , [ for them ] arise , 13 because they think thou 'lt not them judge , [ therefore ] the wicked thee despise . 14 mischief and spight thou dost behold , [ and with ] thy hand wilt it repay . the poor commits himself to thee , thou art the orphans [ help and ] stay . 15 break thou the arm of wicked men , and [ take down ] those that evil be ; seek out their wickedness , until [ thou find ] none 's unreveng'd by thee . 16 the lord is king for evermore , the heathen by his [ mighty ] hand and wicked all are perished . and cast out of his [ holy ] land . 17 the humble man's righteous desires [ o lord ] thou graciously didst hear ; thou wilt prepare and fix their hearts , and [ thou wilt ] yield a hearing ear . 18 to judge and help the fatherless , and the opprest and [ humble ] poor , that so these men of earth may vex and terrifie [ the just ] no more . psalm xi . 1 in god i put my trust , why then in scorn say ye , to god for help as silly birds , unto your mountain flee ? 2 the wicked bend their bow , their arrows they prepare , that in the dark they may them shoot at those that upright are . 3 if by their violence foundations be destroy'd , what can the grieved righteous do the ruins to avoid ? 4 god in his temple is ; the lord's throne is in heaven ; his eyes behold , his eye-lids try the sons of mortal men . 5 the lord the just man tries , but he the wicked hates ; and him that loveth violence his soul abominates . 6 snares , fire and brimstone he on wicked men will rain : this is the portion and the cup that doth for them remain . 7 for the just lord doth love just things as his delight , and with a pleased countenance beholdeth the upright . psalm xii . 1 help , lord , for upright godly men [ from us ] are taken hence away ; and from among the sons of men the faithful [ daily ] do decay . 2 unto his neighbour every one dont speak with [ lies and ] vanity ; with a false double heart they talk , and lips of [ fraud and ] flattery . 3 god will cut off all flattering lips , [ and ] the [ proud ] tongue that speaketh thus , 4 our word shall stand ; our tongue is ours , what lord is [ ruler ] over us ? 5 for the oppression of the poor , and needy's sighs , i 'le [ now a ] rise , and them in safety set , saith god , from those that them [ with scorn ] despise . 6 the words of god are words most pure ; like [ purest ] silver fully try'd in earthen furnace , many times refin'd and [ throughly ] purify'd . 7 lord , thou wilt thine save and preserve for ever from this [ wicked ] race . 8 the wicked then are bold and brisk , when vile men get in highest place . psalm xiii . 1 how long wilt thou forget me , lord ? [ o ] shall it thus [ for ] ever be ? how long wilt thou displeasedly thus hide thy [ pleased ] face from me ? 2 how long shall thoughts disturb my soul , and [ daily ] grief my heart assail ? how long shall cruel enemies [ by pow'r ] thus over me prevail ? 3 pity my case , o lord my god , [ hear me ] and lighten thou mine eyes , left me as by fatal sleep , untimely [ feared ] death surprize . 4 left my triumphing foes should say we have prevail'd [ our work ] it 's done : and those that trouble me rejoyce , [ and boast ] when i am overthrown . 5 but in thy tender mercy , lord , my [ troubled ] soul her trust doth place ; o let my raised hearty rejoyce in thy defence and [ saving ] grace . 6 because the lord hath bounteously dealt well [ with me ] in every thing , to him my saved thankful soul shall joyful [ endless ] praises sing . psalm xiv . 1 the hearts and lives of wicked fools tell us they no god [ truly ] own : corrupt are they ; their works are vile , [ of them ] that do good there is none . 2 upon the worldly sons of men from heav'n god lookt [ and searcht ] abroad , to see if any understood , and seriously sought [ after ] god. 3 they wholly filthy are become , they all [ from him ] aside are gone ; none of them liveth to do good , of all these [ wordly ] men , not one . 4 have all these men of wicked works no [ wit or ] knowledge left at all ? who eat my people up as bread , on god they never [ truly ] call . 5 yet oft in sin they have great fear ; for god's among [ and for ] the just . 6 they shame the counsels of poor saints , because to god they [ seek and ] trust . 7 o that our help from god were come ! when god brings back the [ captives ] sad , then jacob shall therein rejoyce , and israel shall [ in him ] be glad . psalm xv. 1 lord , in thy tabernacle who shall inhabit still ? and whom wilt thou receive to dwell in thy most holy hill ? 2 he that walks uprightly , and worketh righteousness , and the truth which is in his heart , doth with his tongue express . 3 he that backbiteth not , nor doth his neighbour hurt , nor yet against his neighbour doth receive an ill report . 4 in whose discerning eyes vile persons are contemn'd , but those that truly fear the lord , doth honour and commend . his righteous oath and word that keepeth faithfully , although he made his covenant so , that he doth lose thereby . 5 on hurtfull usury his money hath not lent ; nor taketh a reward or brib . against the innocent . he that these things observes , which god would have be done , shall never be by fraud or force moved and overthrown . psalm xvi . 1 lord keep me , for i trust in thee , my refuge and my [ chosen ] part . 2 my soul by thy command hath said that thou my [ lord and ] saviour art . 3 my goodness cannot profit thee , but it may reach [ to men ] on earth ; to such as are my great delight , thy [ precious ] saints of heavenly birth . 4 they that in any other trust do [ their own ] sorrows multiply ; their idols service i detest , their names i [ hate and ] vilifie . 5 the lord my part and portion is , he bounteously [ for me ] provides ; thou doft maintain my happy lot , [ thou art ] my hope , and none besides . 6 the place which mercy for me chose , [ to me ] hath good and pleasant been ; the heritage by grace assign'd , excels all that [ by eyes ] is seen . 7 i thankfully do bless the lord , [ who was ] my counsellor and light , whereby my reins and secret thoughts instruct me in the [ silent ] night . 8 i set the lord before me still , [ because ] he is at my right hand in all assaults , in lowest state [ i hope ] i shall unmoved stand . 9 therefore my heart in me is glad ; joy's by my [ glorying ] tongue exprest , in hope and confidence on god [ my pain'd ] my dying flesh shall rest . 10 thou wilt not cast my soul to hell , nor [ shall the ] grave my life detain ; my lord corruption did not see , nor shall i there [ in still ] remain . 11 thou wilt shew me the path of life , full [ ness of ] joy thy presence gives ; at thy right hand the blessed church in [ ever ] lasting pleasures lives . psalm xvii . 1 lord hear the right , attend my cry ; unto my [ humble ] suit give heed , which doth not from hypocrisie or [ false and ] feigned lips proceed . 2 and let my sentence in judgment come [ forth ] from thy [ own ] righteous mouth ; and let thine eye behold and judge [ all things ] in equity and truth . 3 my heart thou many ways hast prov'd and visited in [ waking ] night ; thou hast try'd me , and nothing found [ i hope ] but what 's in men upright . to keep my mouth , left it transgress , my [ watchful ] soul resolved hath ; 4 thy word kept me from bad mens works , and the destroyers [ hurtful ] path . 5 hold up my goings in thy paths , left that my [ sliding ] foot offend . 6 i call'd on thee , for thou wilt hear ; [ o god ] to my request attend . 7 shew me thy loving kindness great , [ o thou ] that sav'st by thy right hand those that do trust thee , from the men that do against them [ rise and ] stand ▪ 8 keep me as th' apple of the eye ▪ hide me under thy [ shady ] wing , 9 from wicked men that me oppress , and [ deadly ] foes encompassing . 10 they are inclos'd in their own fat ; their [ boasting ] mouth doth speak proudly : 11 us they have compass'd in our steps , [ down-lookt ] to earth they set their eye . 12 like lions greedy of their prey , and like the [ lurking ] lion's whelp ; 13 rise , lord , and disappoint these men , cast them down ; [ and ] be [ thou ] my help ▪ 14 deliver thou my threatned life from those [ ill men ] that are thy sword ; men of the world , who are thy hand , and [ can but ] do thy will , o lord. they have their portion in this life , and seem with [ many ] children blest ; their bellies thy provision fills , [ dying ] their children have the rest . 15 but as for me , in righteousness thy [ pleased ] face i hope to see ; and with thy likeness when i wake i [ fully ] satisfy'd shall be . psalm xviii . 1 thee will i love , o lord , my strength . 2 the lord is my strong rock and fort , my god , my saviour , and my strength , to whom by trust i will resort . he is a buckler unto me ; it is alone by his great power that i am saved from all ill , he is my high defending tower . 3 unto the lord , who worthy is of all our praises , i will cry ; and then i shall preserved be from every hurtful enemy . 4 floods of bad men made me afraid , the pangs of death about me went : 5 the fears of hell encompass'd me , the snares of death did me prevent . 6 in my distress i call'd on god , i cry'd , and he my voice did hear out of his temple , and my cry before him came into his ear . 7 the earth then as affrighted shook , and trembling great upon it seiz'd ; the hills foundations shook as mov'd , because he was wroth and displeas'd . 8 up from his nostrils went a smoak , and from his dreadful mouth there came devouring fire , and coals by it were kindled into burning flame . 9 he bow'd the heav'ns , and did come down ; under his feet thick darkness was . 10 he flying on a cherub rode , on the wind 's wings did flying pass . 11 he made darkness his secret place , even his pavilion : round about were waters dark and thickned clouds , which passed all the skies throughout . 12 at the bright lightnings which brake forth , and on before his presence went , his thick clouds also passed on , hail-stones and coals of fire were sent . 13 the lord also from heav'n above frightfully thundred , as in ire ; the highest gave his dreadful voice , hail-stones and burning coals of fire . 14 his piercing arrows he sent out , and speedily them scattered ; his lightnings he shot abroad , and quickly them discomfited . 15 the water's channels then were seen , the world's foundations opened were ; at thy rebuke , lord , at thy blast of nostrils breath they were laid bare . 16 but from above he did send down , and took me from these storms below ; from many waters great and deep , that me they might not overflow . 17 and from my potent enemy he saved me , and set me free ; and from all them which did me hate , because they were too strong for me . 18 they me prevented by their speed , unfurnisht in my troublous day : but god ( who always is at hand ) was my defence and constant stay . 19 he brought me forth into a place that very spacious is , and free ; because in me he did delight , he saved and delivered me . 20 according to my righteousness , the righteous lord did me regard ; after the cleanness of my hands his recompense did me reward . 21 for i have kept the ways of god , and turn'd not from him wickedly ; 22 his judgments all before me were , his statutes i did not cast by . 23 i uprightly before him walkt , kept me from mine iniquity ; 24 he judg'd me as my cause was just , and innocent before his eye . 25 thou gracious to the gracious art ; to upright men thou'lt upright be : 26 pure to the pure ; but striv'st with them that froward are , and strive with thee . 27 for thou wilt the afflicted save , but bring down him that looketh high : 28 my candle thou wilt light ; god will by light my darkness clarifie . 29 by thee through armed troops i brake , and have discomfited them all ; and by the strength of thee , my god , i scal'd and leapt over the wall . 30 most perfect is the way of god , his word is as refin'd and try'd ; he is a buckler to all those who faithfully in him confide . 31 for who is god except the lord ? who but our god's a rock and stay ? 32 he 's god that girdeth me with strength , and guides , and perfecteth my way . 33 he makes my feet as swift as hinds , and sets me up on high from harms , 34 my hands he doth instruct for war , a steel bow 's broken by my arms . 35 the shield of thy salvation thou freely didst on me bestow ; and thy right hand hath held me up , thy gentleness hath made me grow . 36 my steps enlarg'd , my feet confirm'd . 37 i have parsu'd mine enemies , them overtook , nor did turn back , till they were fallen , and could not rise . 38 they wounded are fallen at my feet ; with strength thou girdest me for war : 39 and those that up against me rose , to me by thee subdued are . 40 mine enemies necks thou gavest me , that i my haters might cut down : 41 they cry'd , but there was none to save , to god , but he would not them own . 42 i beat them then in pieces small , as dust before the wind that flies ; and i did cast them out as dirt which in the street despised lies 43 thou sav'st me from the peoples strife , made'st me the heathens head to be ; a people whom i have not known shall subject servants be to me . 44 at the first hearing they 'l obey ; the strangers shall to me submit : 45 and they through fear shall fade away , who now in their close places sit . 46 the lord still lives : blest be my rock ; let god my help exalted be : 47 god doth avenge me , and he doth subdue the people under me . 48 he saves me from mine enemies ; above all those thou liftest me that rise against me : from the man of violence thou set'st me free . 49 therefore among the heathen , lord , i will with praise my thanks proclaim ; and unto thee i publickly will sing the praises of thy name . 50 he great deliverance gives his king , and mercy to him doth extend ; to david his anointed one , and to his seed even without end . psalm xix . 1 the glory of almighty god the [ vast and ] glorious heav'ns declare : behold the starry firmament , and see what his [ sublime ] works are . 2 day unto day doth utter speech : night unto night [ doth teach ] god's fear ; all nations of whatever tongue , these [ publick ] teachers words may hear . 3 their teaching character and line doth through [ out all ] the earth extend ; 4 their visible convincing words go forth the world's [ utmost ] end . a tabernacle there he set [ in them ] for the great glorious sun ; 5 which as a bridegroom-and strong man , comes forth [ with joy ] his race to run . 6 from end to end of the vast heav'n , its rise [ progress ] and circuit is ; nothing 's hid fron its lively heat , nor [ potent ] influence doth miss . 7 the law of god most perfect is , turns [ sinful ] souls from vanities : god's testimony is most sure , and maketh [ simple ] sinners wise . 8 the statutes of the lord are right , and do rejoyce the [ upright ] heart : the lord's commandements are pure , and light to [ darkned ] eyes impart . 9 the fear of god is pure and clean , and doth [ in force ] endure for ever . the judgments of the lord are true , [ holy ] and righteous altogether . 10 much more desirable than gold , than [ much and ] finest gold they are ; than honey and the honey-comb , sweeter to [ holy ] souls by far . 11 in all his doubts and dangers here , they are thy servants [ guide and ] guard ; they that sincerely them observe , shall have a great [ and sure ] reward . 12 who can his errors understand ? o cleanse my [ life and ] soul within from secret faults : thy servant , lord , 13 keep [ thou ] from [ all ] presumptuous sin . let them not have dominion , [ consent ] and conquest over me ; and then from great and damning sin i shall [ by grace ] delivered be . 14 lord let the service of my mouth , the [ thoughts and ] studies of my heart , be acceptable in thy sight , who my [ strength and ] redeemer art . psalm xx. 1 lord hear thee in the day when trouble he doth send ; and let the name of jacob's god , thy keeper , thee defend . 2 from his high sanctuary let him thy keeeper be ; and out of sion let the lord support and strengthen thee . 3 thy gifts and offerings let him remember still , and let thy sacrifices find his kind accepting will. 4 after thy just desire ▪ let him grant unto thee : let all thy righteous counsels still by him fulfilled be . 5 in thy salvation we rejoice in the god's name will : our banners we 'll set up : the lord all thy requests fulfil . 6 now know i that the lord his own anointed saves ; and with his saving strength from heaven will grant him what he craves . 7 in chariots some do trust , some horses trust upon ; but we remember will the name of our lord god alone . 8 we raised stand upright , they are brought down and fall : 9 save , lord , and let our blessed king hear us when we do call . psalm xxi . 1 the king shall joyful be , lord , in thy strength alone : how greatly shall his heart rejoice in thy salvation ? 2 for thou hast given him his own heart's whole desire ; and nothing hast from him with-held of what he did require . 3 with good thou him prevent'st with blessings manifold ; and thou upon his head hast set a crown of purest gold. 4 he asked life of thee , thou it to him dist give ; even such a length of days , that he for evermore shall live . 5 in thy salvation his glory is made great ; honour and royal majesty hast thou upon him set . 6 for thou for evermore most blessed hast him made ; and with thy gracious countenance made him exceeding glad . 7 because upon the lord the king his trust doth lay ; he through the grace of the most high , shall not be mov'd away . 8 thy hand shall find out all thine enemies that be : yea , thy right hand shall find out those that haters are of thee . 9 make them like hearths of fire , in thy revenging hour ; the lord shall swallow them in wrath , the fire shall them devour : 10 their fruit shalt thou destroy , from earth their wicked race ; among the sons of men their seed shall find no resting place . 11 for they against thee did mischief plot , and intend a wicked purpose , which yet they could not bring to an end . 12 therefore thou shalt make them to turn their backs in chase ; and make thine arrows on the strings , ready against their face . 13 in thine own strength , o lord , thy matchless glory raise ; so shall our joyful songs rehearse thy power 's deserved praise . psalm xxii . 1 my god , my god , o why hast thou forsaken me ? why from my roaring voice so far help and salvation be ? 2 thou hear'st me not , though i call to thee day by day ; and in the seasons of the night i do not cease to pray . 3 but thou art holy , who inhabit'st israel's praise : 4 of old our fathers trusted thee , and thou didst help always . 5 they trusted unto thee , from thee deliverance came : they wholly put their trust in thee , and were not put to shame . 6 but i am a poor worm , not worth the name of man ; ev'n mens reproach , and much despis'd i of the people am . 7 all they that look on me laugh me to scorn ; and they shoot out the lip , and shake the head , and thus against me say : 8 this man did trust in god to save him : in our sight now let his god deliver him , if he in him delight . 9 thou took'st me from the womb ; thou wast my hope and rest when i a seeble infant hang'd upon my mother's breast . 10 i was cast on thy care , even from my birth till now ; and from the womb that did me bear my god and guide art thou . 11 be not far off , for grief is near , and no help found . 12 many bulls compass me ; fat bulls of bashan me surround . 13 their mouth they open'd wide , upon me gaped they , like to a lion's ravening , and roaring for his prey . 14 my bones are out of joynt , like water i am spilt ; among my pained intestines my heart like wax doth melt . 15 like a potsherd my strength is dry'd : my tongue cleaveth unto my jaws , and thou hast brought me to the dust of death . 16 for dogs have compass'd me , and the assembled bands of wicked men enclosed me ; they pierc'd my feet and hands . 17 i may count all my bones , on me they look and stare . 18 upon my vesture they cast lots , my cloaths among them share . 19 be not far from me , lord , my strength , to help me hast : 20 my soul deliver from the sword , do not to dogs me cast . 21 save me from lying mouths , for thou hast oft heard me ; even from the horns of unicorns i have been sav'd by thee . 22 unto my brethren i will yet declare thy name ; and with the congregation great i 'le joyn to praise the same . 23 ye that fear god , praise him , his great name glorifie all jacob's seed ; and fear ye him israel's posterity . 24 for he hath not despis'd th' afflicted's misery ; nor hid his face from him , but heard when he to him did cry . 25 in the assemblies great my praise shall be of thee ; and before them that do thee fear , my vows perform'd shall be . 26 the meek shall be suffic'd with food : all praise shall give to god , who him do truly seek , your hearts shall ever live . 27 all lands remember shall , and turn unto the lord ; and by all kindreds of the earth our god shall be ador'd . 28 the kingdom is the lord's , he governs nations all ; all that on earth by him are fed , before him down shall fall . 29 all shall before him bow , that down to dust descend ; none can of all the sons of men his life from death defend . 30 but still a holy seed the lord shall truly serve ; and god will them his chosen flock account and still preserve . 31 they shall come , and his work of righteousness make known unto a people yet unborn , that this the lord hath done . psalm xxiii . 1 the lord himself my shepherd is , who doth me feed and [ safely ] keep ; what can i want that 's truly good , while i am [ one of ] his own sheep ? 2 he makes me to lie down and rest in [ pleasant ] pastures , tender grass ; he keeps and gently leadeth me near [ the sweet ] streams of quietness . 3 my failing soul he doth restore , and lead in [ safe and ] righteous ways ; and all this freely , that his grace and [ holy ] name may have the praise . 4 and though my daily walk do lie through death's [ dark ] vale [ yet ] thou art there ; all being managed by thee , [ therefore ] no evil will i fear . for in my lowest darkest state the lord [ of love ] is with me still : thy rod and staff shall comfort me , and keep me from all [ deadly ] ill . 5 thy bounty doth my table spread in presence of my [ envious ] foes ; my head refreshing oyl anoints ; my [ plenteous ] cup still overflows . 6 goodness and mercy all my days shall [ surely ] keep and follow me ; and in the house of god always my [ joyful ] dwelling-place shall be . the same by mr. george herbert . 1 the god of love my shepherd is , and he that doth me feed ; while he is mine , and i am his , what can i want or need ? 2 he leads me to the tender grass , where i both feed and rest ; then to the streams that gently pass , in both i have the best . 3 and if i stray , he doth convert and bring my mind in frame , and all this not for my desert , but for his holy name . 4 and in death's shady black abode well may i walk , not fear ; for thou art with me , and thy rod to guide , thy staff to bear . 5 thou makest me to sit and dine even in mine enemies fight ; my head with oyl , my cup with wine flows over day and night . 6 surely thy sweet and wondrous love shall measure all my days ; and as it never shall remove , so neither shall my praise . psalm xxiv . 1 the earth is all the lord's , its fulness all is his ; the world , with all that are therein , his own creation is . 2 for he the liquid seas hath its foundation made , and it upon the water-floods hath stablished and staid . 3 into god's sacred mount who 's he that shall ascend ? and in his place of holiness who shall accepted stand ? 4 whose heart 's pure , and hands clean , and unto vanity , he who hath not lift up his soul , nor sworn deceitfully . 5 this man a blessing great from god shall surely have : righteous and gracious usage from the god that will him save . 6 of them that seek the lord , this is the holy race ; such are the men of jacob's god , who seek thy pleased face . 7 lift up your heads , ye gates , you lasting doors make way , that so the great desired king of glory enter may . 8 who is this glorious king ? who may this monarch be ? the strong and mighty god ; the lord mighty in war is he . 9 lift up your heads ▪ ye gates ; you lasting doors make way , that so the great and mighty king of glory enter may . 10 who is he that is king of glory ? who is this ? the lord of hosts , and he alone the king of glory is . psalm xxv . 1 i lift my heart to thee , my god and guide most just ; 2 o let me never be asham'd , for in thee do i trust . let not my foes rejoyce and triumph over me : 3 and let not any be asham'd that trust and wait on thee . but let them shamed be who causelesly transgress . 4 shew me thy ways ; lord teach thou me thy paths of righteousness . 5 direct me in thy truth , and teach me , i thee pray ; thou art my god and saviour , on thee i wait alway . 6 remember , o my god , thy mercies manifold ; and thy great loving kindnesses , for they have been of old . 7 my sins and faults of youth , o keep not on record : in mercy for thy goodness sake , remember me o lord. 8 perfectly good is god , a sure and upright guide ; therefore he 'll teach sinners his way , that they go not aside . 9 the humble he will guide , who do his counsels seek ; and he will teach his way unto the lowly and the meek . 10 for all the paths of god are truth and mercy sure to them that do his covenant keep , and testimonies pure . 11 for thy names-sake , o lord , i humbly thee intreat to pardon my iniquity , for it is very great . 12 whoso doth fear the lord , the lord will him direct to choose that way , and walk therein , where god will him accept . 13 his soul preserv'd by god shall dwell in holy peace : his covenant keeping seed shall here on earth enough possess . 14 to such as fear the lord he will his secret show ; and his true saving covenant the lord will make them know . 15 mine eyes upon the lord continually are set , for it is he who shall bring forth my feet out of the net . 16 lord , turn thee unto me ; on me thy mercy shew : for i in grief am desolate , and brought exceeding low . 17 the troubles of my heart are great , and do increase : o pity and deliver me out of my sore distress . 18 on my affliction look , and on my grief and pain ; o lord forgive me all my sins , and make me whole again . 19 consider thou my foes , that great and many are ; and what a causeless cruel hate they do against me bear . 20 o safely keep my soul , and still deliver me : and let me never be asham'd , because i trust in thee . 21 let my integrity and uprightness defend and keep me ; for in faith and hope i do on thee depend . 22 o gracious lord , redeem and bring thy people out of all the dangers and distress that compass them about . psalm xxvi . 1 judge me , o lord , for i in uprightness abide , and i have trusted in the lord , therefore i shall not slide . 2 examine me , o lord , my case now prove and try ; my reins and heart ( well known to thee ) unto my self descry . 3 thy loving kindness is ever before mine eyes ; thy truth and righteousness have been my most beloved ways . 4 with vain false persons i have no companion been ; with lyars and dissemblers i never will go in . 5 ill-doers company i have and still do hate ; with wicked and ungodly men i have not gone or sate . 6 guiltles of reigning sin , i 'le wash my hands , and so unto thy sacred altar , lord , i then will boldly go . 7 that i may publish there , with voice of joy and praise the glory and the fame of all thy wondrous works and ways . 8 thy worship in the house , lord , i have loved well ; i much delighted in the place where doth thine honour dwell . 9 crop not my life with mens of wickedness and blood , 10 whose hands are fill'd with bribes , and with mischief against the good . 11 but as for me , i 'le walk in my integrity ; be merciful , and me redeem , and set at liberty . 12 my foot in an even place doth stand with stedfastness ; and in the congregations i the lord will praise and bless . psalm xxvii . 1 the lord my light and saviour is , whom [ therefore ] shall i need to dread ? the lord is of my life the strength , [ of man ] why should i be afraid ? 2 when wicked men that are my foes did all [ in rage ] against me come , to eat my flesh , they stumbled then , and fell , and were [ themselves ] o'rethrown . 3 though hosts encampt against me lie , [ yet this ] my heart shall not much fear : though wars against me raised be , i 'le confident be [ also ] there . 4 one thing of god i have desir'd , and that i will still [ seek and ] crave ; that in the lord's house all my days i may a [ quiet ] dwelling have . that there god's beauteous holiness i may [ with joy ] see and admire : and for direction in my doubts , may [ humbly ] of his will enquire . 5 for he in times of trouble will secure me by his [ saving ] grace ; in his own tent and tabernacle , and on a rock [ he shall ] me place . 6 and now ( by him who is my strength ) my head shall [ highly ] lifted be above my cruel enemies , who do [ about ] encompass me . the sacrifice of joy will i into his [ holy ] temple bring ; i 'le sing aloud unto the lord , yea , i will [ joyful ] praises sing . 7 hear me , o lord , when with my voice i mournfully [ to thee ] do cry ; have mercy also upon me , and [ grant thine ] answer graciously . 8 when thou command'st , seek ye my face , my [ willing ] heart said unto thee , thy pleased face , lord , i will seek , 9 hide not thy [ pleased ] face from me . o put me not away in wrath , thou wast [ thou art ] my help alone ; forsake not me , who art the god of my [ health ] and salvation . 10 when my father and mother both do me in [ greatest ] straits forsake , even then the lord will gather me , and up my fainting soul will take . 11 teach me thy righteous way , o lord , [ and ] in a plain path lead [ thou ] me , because of those who are my foes , and my [ watchful ] observers be . 12 leave me not to mine enemies will , [ many ] false witnesses arise against me , and malicious men , who breath out [ wrath and ] cruelties . 13 my heart had fail'd , unless i had [ hope't and ] believed for to see thy goodness manifested yet [ on earth ] to them that living be . 14 wait on the lord : couragious be , and he shall [ help and ] and strength afford unto thy heart : i say again , still [ trust and ] wait upon the lord. psalm xxviii . 1 to thee i cry , o lord , my rock ; let me thy [ speedy ] answer have , lest by thy silence i become like dead men [ buried ] in the grave . 2 my earnest supplications hear when i to thee [ for help ] do cry ; when i my hands lift up towards thy [ sacred ] oracle on high . 3 o draw me not away with those who [ falsly ] act this wicked part ; who speak unto their neighbour's peace , while mischief 's in their [ treacherous ] heart . 4 give them according to their deeds , [ after ] the evil which they meant ; according to their handy work , render [ to them ] their punishment . 5 since they regarded not god's works , nor what [ great things ] his hands have wrought , he shall not build , but pull them down , [ destroy ] and bring them all to nought . 6 blest be the lord , because he heard the [ earnest ] voice of my request : 7 the lord 's my strength , my shield , and help , my heart on him [ alone ] shall rest . because he saveth me , therefore my heart [ in him ] doth much rejoyce ; and with the songs of thanks and praise [ to him ] i will lift up my voice . 8 the lord is the defence and strength of those that be [ indeed ] his own ; and his anointed's saviour and strength is he , [ and he ] alone . 9 lord save thy people , and still bless thy own [ chosen ] inheritance ; them as their shepherd rule and feed , [ save and ] for ever them advance . psalm xxix . 1 all ye that mighty are on earth , give [ all the ] glory to the lord ; to god the glory and the strength ascribe [ ye all ] with one accord . 2 the glory due to god's great name give to him , and [ to all ] confess ; publickly worship ye the lord in [ solemn ] beauteous holiness . 3 the lord's voice on the waters is , the god of [ strength and ] majesty doth thunder , and on waters great doth [ sit and ] rule them all on high . 4 the thundring dreadful voice of god [ full of ] prevailing power is , and full of royal majesty is that great [ frightful ] voice of his . 5 this voice of the almighty doth the [ great tall ] cedars break and tear ; the lord doth thus the cedars break , which [ the mount ] lebanon doth bear . 6 yea , he doth make the trembling hills like a young calf [ about ] to skip ; and lebanon , and sirion like [ the young ] unicorns to leap . 7 god's voice casts out the flames of fire ; [ this voice ] it makes the desarts quake : 8 the lord the great dry wilderness of kadesh makes [ as mov'd ] to shake . 9 god's voice doth make the hinds to calve , and makes the [ cover'd ] forests bare ; and in his holy temple all his glory do [ by praise ] declare . 10 the lord sits king on swelling floods , his [ rule and ] kingdom never cease : the lord will give his people strength , and [ he will ] bless them all with peace . psalm xxx . 1 all thankful praise with heart and voice , o [ gracious ] lord i give to thee , who hast not made my foes rejoyce , but hast [ sav'd and ] exalted me . 2 o lord my god , to thee i cry'd in all my pain [ my fears ] and grief ; thou soon didst hear and help provide , and heal me with [ speedy ] relief . 3 lord , thy great mercy did bring up my soul from death [ and hell ] to save ; till now thou hast kept me alive from an untimely [ feared ] grave . 4 o ye that are his holy ones , sing [ joyful ] praises to the lord ; in memory of his holiness , give thanks [ to him ] with one accord . 5 there 's but a moment in his wrath : [ endless ] life in his favour lies : though weeping be our evening's work , joy [ with us ] in the morn shall rise . 6 in health and sweet prosperity my [ careless ] heart affected was , as if i never should be mov'd , and see what [ after ] came to pass . 7 for thy great savour , lord , did seem to make my [ present ] state secure ; my mountain of prosperity did seem so [ setled ] strong and sure . but when ( offended by my sin ) thou hid'st from me thy [ pleased ] face , my painful flesh and troubled soul did [ quickly ] feel a changed case . 8 then did i cry to thee , o lord , when [ pain and ] danger bid me pray ; i poured out before the lord my [ earnest ] suit both night and day . 9 i said , what gain is in my blood , if to the [ feared ] grave i go : doth silent dust there speak thy praise ? doth it thy [ truth and ] mercy show ? 10 hear , gracious lord , a sinner's cries , who doth thy [ needful ] mercy crave ; lord help me in this deep distress , and from this [ feared ] danger save . 11 then didst thou turn my grief and moans into a pleasant [ thankful ] voice : my mourning garments thou took'st off , and taught'st me to [ sing and ] rejoyce . 12 that so my tongue may sing thy praise , and never [ henceforth ] silent be . o lord my god , for evermore i will give thanks [ and praise ] to thee . the old metre lengthened . 1 all laud and praise with heart and voice , o lord [ my god ] i give to thee ; who didst not make my foes rejoyce , but hast [ sav'd and ] exalted me . 2 o lord my god , to thee i cry'd in all my [ woful ] pain and grief ; thou gav'st an ear , and didst provide to ease me with [ timely ] relief . 3 of thy good will thou hast call'd back my soul from [ death and ] hell to save ; thou didst revive when strength did lack , and sav'dst me from the [ feared ] grave . 4 sing praise , ye saints , who prove and see the [ love and ] goodness of the lord ; in memory of his majesty [ sing and ] rejoyce with one accord . 5 for why , his anger but a space doth last , and [ quickly ] slack again : but in his favour and his grace always doth [ blessed ] life remain . 6 though gripes , and grief , and pangs full sore shall lodge with us all [ the dark ] night ; the lord to joy shall us restore [ betimes ] before the day be light . 7 when i enjoy'd the word at will , thus [ vainly ] would i boast and say , tush , i am sure to feel no ill , this [ health and ] wealth shall not decay ▪ 8 for thou , o lord , of thy good grace , hadst sent me [ present ] strength and aid ; but when thou turn'dst away thy face , my [ troubled ] mind was sore dismaid . 9 wherefore again yet did i cry to thee o [ gracious ] lord of might , my god with plaints i did apply , and pray'd [ to him ] both day and night . what gain is in my blood , said i , if [ hasty ] death destroy my days ? doth dust declare thy majesty , or yet thy [ grace and ] truth doth praise ? 10 wherefore , my god , some pity take , o lord , i [ humbly ] thee desire ; do not this simple soul forsake , [ my god ] of help i thee require . 11 then didst thou turn my grief and woe into a [ glad and ] chearful voice ; the mournful weeds thou took'st me fro , and mad'st me to [ sing and ] rejoyce . 12 wherefore my soul uncessantly shall sing unto thy [ holy ] praise : my lord , my god , to thee will i give laud and [ joyful ] thanks always . psalm xxxi . 1 in thee , o lord , i put my trust , [ therefore ] let me not shamed be ; but in thy constant righteousness do thou [ save and ] deliver me . 2 bow down thine ear to me with speed , vouchsafe [ me thy ] deliverance , to save me by my rock of strength , my [ fort and ] castle of defence . 3 for thou art in my strong rock , and thee i for my [ secure ] fortress take ; lead me therefore , and keep me safe , for thy own [ name and ] glory sake . 4 pull me out of the net which they for me [ in craft ] have closely laid , because thou only art my strength , to which i [ trust and ] flie for aid . 5 into thy hand i do commit my spirit ; for thou [ alone ] art he , jehovah , god of truth and grace , who hast [ in love ] redeemed me . 6 them that deceitful vanities regard i [ shun and ] have abhor'd , but my firm hope and confidence is in my [ great and ] gracious lord. 7 i in thy mercies will rejoyce , because my [ many ] miseries thou weighest ; and hast known my soul in all [ my great ] adversities . 8 thou hast not left and shut me up into my [ wrathful ] enemies hand : thou set'st my feet at liberty , in a large [ and free ] room to stand . 9 have mercy on me , o my god , in [ my great ] trouble send relief ; mine eye , my belly , and my soul , consumed are with [ pain and ] grief . 10 my life is spent in grief , my years in [ mournful ] sighs away do fly ; my strength doth fail , my bones consume , [ and this ] for mine iniquity . 11 among my foes i was a scorn , [ and ] to [ my ] neighbours specially ; a fear to friends : they that saw me without [ away ] did from me fly . 12 i am forgotten as a man that [ now a ] long time hath been dead ; and like a broken vessel cast aside [ i am ] as perished . 13 many mens slanders i have heard , fear compass'd me [ about ] while they against me did consult and plot [ by fraud ] to take my life away . 14 but i did trust in thee , o lord , when i [ by foes ] was under-trod ; this was my soul's support and rest , i said , thou art my [ gracious ] god. 15 my times are in thy hand and will : [ do thou ] save and deliver me from their hands who mine enemies and [ causeless ] persecutors be . 16 on thine afflicted servant , lord , make thou thy [ pleased ] face to shine ; and save me for that mercies sake which thou dost [ freely ] shew to thine . 17 let me not be asham'd , o lord , for i did [ trust and ] call on thee : let wicked men be sham'd , cut off , in their graves [ silent ] let them be . 18 to silence put the lying lips , which grievous things [ and false ] do say ; and hard reports in pride and scorn on righteous men do [ falsly ] lay . 19 o how great is the goodness which thou hast laid up [ and wrought ] for the● who fear thee , and who trust in thee , [ even here ] before the sons of men ? 20 thou in thy secret presence dost hide them from [ cruel ] pride and wrongs , kept in thy close pavilion , from all the strife of [ lying ] tongues . 21 all thanks and praise be to the lord , for he hath [ shewn and ] magnify'd his wondrous love to me within a city [ strong and ] fortify'd . 22 i said in hast i am cut off , [ and put ] even from before thine eyes ; yet didst thou hear my praying voice , and didst regard my [ mournful ] cries . 23 o love the lord , all ye his saints , [ for still ] the lord the faithful guards ; and proud oppressors , thô secure , [ in time ] he plenteously rewards . 24 be of good courage , and more strength he to your [ fainting ] hearts will send , all ye whose hope and confidence doth [ truly ] on the lord depend . psalm xxxii . 1 he ( though a sinner ) blessed is , whose [ guilt and ] loath'd transgression god freely doth to him forgive , covering what he hath [ been and ] done . 2 he 's blest to whom the lord doth not impute [ and charge ] iniquity ; and in whose spirit reigneth not guile [ falshood ] or hypocrisie . 3 while i in silence hid my sin , and had not [ duly ] it confest , my bones wax'd old ; and roaring pains [ all day ] allowed me no rest . 4 through painful weary days and nights i bare thy [ just and ] heavy hand ; my strength and moisture are consum'd like [ summers ] drought on scorched land . 5 my sin i then acknowleding , with [ humbling ] grief my self did blame ; i did confess it all to thee , and did bewail my [ guilt and ] shame , when my repenting soul resolv'd all to confess [ with grief ] to god , thou mercifully didst forgive , and oft lay by thy [ chastening ] rod. 6 such mercy shall encourage all the godly still [ in hope ] to pray , and seek to thee in their distress , in an accepted [ finding ] day . surely when waters great do swell , and [ threatning ] floods cause me to fear ; him ( that thus seeks and trusts in thee ) they shall not [ hurt or ] once come near . 7 thou art my help and hiding place , against all [ trouble ] fears and wrongs ; and thy deliverances shall cause [ mine and ] thy peoples thankful songs . 8 saith god , i 'le thee instruct and teach the [ righteous ] way where thou shalt go ; mine eye shall always on thee be , my [ guiding ] counsels i 'le thee show . 9 be not like brutish horse and mule , which [ ruling ] understanding want , but must be rul'd by bridling force , and kept [ from hurt ] by mans restraint . 10 to all self-flattering wicked men , their [ self-made ] sorrows do abound ; but him that trusteth in the lord , mercy shall [ save and ] compass round . 11 ye righteous in the lord be glad , with thankful hearts [ in him ] rejoyce : all ye that are of upright hearts , [ aloud ] sing praise with joyful voice . psalm xxxiii . 1 ye righteous in the lord , rejoyce ▪ for [ chearful ] praise becometh saints : 2 praise god with psaltery , harp , and voice , and [ with sweet ] ten-string'd instruments . 3 play skilfully with a loud noise , and sing [ to him ] a song that 's new : 4 for all the word of god is right , and all his works are [ sure and ] true . 5 god greatly loveth righteousness , and judgment [ well ad ] ministred ; and with the goodness of the lord the earth's [ richly ] replenished . 6 by the almighty word of god the [ vast and ] glorious heav'ns were made ; and by the spirit of his mouth their whole host [ all their ] being had . 7 the waters of the sea he keeps [ on heaps ] confined by the shore : he layeth up the liquid deeps as [ treasures ] in a house of store . 8 let all the people of the earth the lord almighty [ serve with ] fear ; and all the world's inhabitants to him due [ awe and ] reverence bear . 9 he spake but the creating word , and it was done and [ all things ] made ; he did but potently command , and it stood faft as [ firmly ] stay'd . 10 the counsels of the nations rude , the [ ruling ] lord doth bring to nought ; he doth defeat the multitude of their device and wicked thought . 11 but all the counsels of the lord do stand [ unchang'd ] for ever sure ▪ and all the purposes of god [ beyond ] all ages do endure . 12 that nation blessed is , to whom the lord as [ their own ] god is known : and those whom as an heritage he [ loves and ] chooseth for his own . 13 the lord looks down from heav'n and sees all [ done by ] men of humane birth ; 14 and from his habitation views [ even ] all [ the ] dwellers of the earth . 15 he fashioneth their hearts alike , [ and all ] their doings he observes . 16 no king is saved by an host , much strength no [ mighty ] man preserves . 17 a horse of war is a valn thing to save a man in [ time of ] fight , nor shall deliver any man [ either ] by swiftness or by might . 18 but upon those that do him fear , the lord doth set his [ gracious ] eye , on those that on his mercy do with [ hope and ] confidence rely . 19 to save them from a pining death , in famine [ food and ] life to yield . 20 our soul still waiteth for the lord , he is our help and [ only ] shield . 21 because his holy name we trust , our hearts [ in him ] shall joyful be . 22 lord let thy mercy be on us , as we do [ place our ] hope in thee . psalm xxxiv . 1 at all times i will magnifie [ and bless ] the lord with tongue and heart ▪ his joyful praises never shall out of my [ thankful ] mouth depart . 2 my soul in her preserving lord , her boasting [ boldly ] shall express , and humble men shall hear thereof , and joyn [ therein ] with joyfulness . 3 o magnifie the lord with me , we 'll [ joyntly ] all exalt his name : 4 in all my fears i sought the lord , he [ heard and ] sav'd me from the same . 5 they that to him did look for help , of [ light and ] comfort did partake ; their confidence in him did not their face [ at all ] ashamed make . 6 this poor man cryed in distress , the lord [ to him ] a hearing gave ; and him from all his troubles did effectually [ help and ] save . 7 about all them that fear the lord , encamped angels [ always ] lye to save and to deliver them from every [ hurtful ] enemy . 8 o taste and see that god is good ! blest [ are all ] they that in him trust . 9 fear god , ye saints , no hurtful want befalls the upright [ walking ] just . 10 even lion's young ones hungry are , and [ often ] want desired food ; but they that seek the lord , shall not want any thing that 's [ truly ] good . 11 teachable children , come to me , my [ sure and ] tryed counsel hear ; and i will teach you faithfully the true way of god's [ holy ] fear . 12 what man desireth length of life , and his own good doth [ wisely ] seek ? 13 from evil keep thy tongue and lips , that they no [ quite or ] falshood speak . 14 depart from evil , and do good , [ seek and ] pursue peace faithfully ; 15 the eyes of god are on the just , his ears attend their [ plaint and ] cry . 16 the face of god is set against [ all ] them that [ do ] live wickedly ; that he may cut off from the earth their [ very ] name and memory . 17 the righteous cry unto the lord , [ and them ] in mercy he doth hear ; and them deliver out of all the troubles which they [ feel or ] fear . 18 to them that are of broken hearts , the lord with [ healing ] grace is near ; and surely saveth such whose spirits are contrlte , and him [ truly ] fear . 19 the just mens sufferings many are , but god [ in time ] doth out of all 20 deliver them : he keeps their bones , none [ of them ] 's broken by their fall . 21 as for the wicked enemies , who do god's [ righteous ] servants hate , their sin by its own dire effects , shall [ stay and ] make them desolate . 22 but the lord doth his servants souls redeem , and [ fully ] set them free ; and of all them that trust in him , none [ cast off ] desolate shall be . psalm xxxv . 1 lord plead my righteous cause with them who trouble me with [ envious ] strife , fight against them that causelesly do fight to take [ away ] my life . 2 of shield and buckler take thou hold , stand up [ defend ] and help thou me ; 3 draw out the spear , and stop their way that [ causeless ] persecutors be . say to my soul , i will thee save . 4 let them to [ utter ] shame be brought ▪ who seek my life , and plot my hurt , them foil [ confound ] and bring to nought . 5 make them like chaff before the wind , [ and let ] god's angel chase them all : 6 make their way dark and slippery , god's angel [ hunt and ] make them fall . 7 they hid for me a snaring net , in malice without [ a just ] cause ; they dig'd a pit to take my soul , in [ cruel ] craft against thy laws . 8 let him be ruin'd unawares , and caught in his own [ hidden ] net ; let him fall in that pit and snare which his own hands have [ dig'd and ] set . 9 in god and his salvation then my soul shall [ glad and ] joyful be ; 10 my very flesh and bones shall say , lord , who [ or what ] is like to thee ? who sav'st the poor and weak from them that for him are too [ great and ] strong ; the poor and needy from the men who him oppress by [ spoil and ] wrong . 11 false witness rose ; they to my charge things [ false of ] which i knew not laid . 12 to spoil my soul unthankful men , evil for good [ to me ] repaid . 13 but as for me , when they were sick , in sackcloth clad [ for them ] i mourn'd ; with fasting i humbled my soul , my prayer home to me return'd . 14 for him i sadly walk'd , as for a real friend or [ loving ] brother , i heavily bow'd down , as one that mourneth for his [ dying ] mother . 15 but they rejoyced in my woe , [ combin'd ] vile abjects met to plot ; unknown to me they gathered were , [ and they ] to tear me ceased not . 16 and not unlike stage-hypocrites my [ cruel ] adversaries be ; and in their feasts with scoffing jeasts , they [ grind and ] gnash their teeth on me . 17 but lord , how long wilt thou look on ? from [ contriv'd ] ruin rescue me ; and let my soul , my darling be from [ greedy ] lions kept by thee . 18 then i will render thanks to thee , [ even ] in [ the ] congregations great ; and i will celebrate thy praise where [ the strong ] multitudes do meet . 19 let not them over me rejoyce , who hate [ and hurt ] me wrongfully ; let not my causeless foes triumph , and wink with scornful [ scoffing ] eye . 20 their heart and talk is not for peace , they [ false and ] crafty plots prepare against all those that in the land hurt none , but [ to all ] quite are . 21 yea ▪ their malicious [ lying ] mouths they [ widely ] opened against me , and with triumphing scorn did say , [ his crime ] his fall our eyes did see . 22 all this , o lord , thine eye hath seen , o do not [ longer ] silent stand ; against these false malicious men [ for help ] be thou still near at hand . 23 stir up thy self , and shew thy power , to judge my cause [ do thou ] awake ; my righteous cause , well known to thee , [ my lord ] my god , do not forsake . 24 o lord my god , do thou me judge after thy [ perfect ] righteousness ; and suffer not them over me their [ boasting ] triumph to express . 25 let them not say insultingly , [ aha ] so we would have it be . let them not proudly boast and say that they have [ wholly ] swallowed me . 26 shame and confusion come to them who at my hurt [ and fall ] are glad ; they that against me vaunt themselves , with shame [ cast down ] let them be clad . 27 let all that love my righteous cause , [ gladly ] their joy with shouts express , and say , the lord be magnify'd , who loves his [ faithful ] servants peace . 28 to speak thy righteousness shall be the [ glad ] employment of my tongue ; and thy high praises to set forth with [ joy and ] gladness all day long . psalm xxxvi . 1 by wicked mens ungodly lives my heart hath [ surely ] understood , what ere he says , before his eyes there is no [ serious ] fear of god. 2 by flattery he deceives himself , as [ safe and ] just in his own eyes , till god make known how hateful are his [ many ] foul iniquities . 3 his prophane mouth in his discourse doth [ daily ] speak deceit and sin ; for to be wise , and to do good , [ this shews ] he wants a heart within . 4 even on his bed iniquity is his device and [ busie ] thought ; he sets himself in ways not good , and hates not what is [ vain and ] naught . 5 thy mercies , lord , are very great , and do the [ highest ] heav'ns transcend ; thy truth and constant faithfulness do to the [ rowring ] clouds extend . 6 thy justice is like mountains great , thy judgments [ are like ] a great deep ; thy bounty and good providence both man and beast doth [ feed and ] keep . 7 o god , how precious is thy love ? because that thou art [ good and ] just , under the shadow of thy wings the sons of men do [ put their ] trust . 8 with the rich fatness of thy house they [ sweetly ] nourished shall be , and of thy streams of holy joys , [ they shall ] be made to drink by thee . 9 for of desired endless life , the [ flowing ] fountain is with thee ; and in thy light thy holy ones the [ true and ] glorious light shall see . 10 thy loving kindness still draw out to [ faithful ] men that do thee know ; and unto men of upright heart , thy [ love and ] righteousness still show . 11 stop thou the foot of furious pride , that would [ in rage ] against me come ; let not the hand of wicked men [ thee and ] my safety move me from . 12 dreadfully there are thy all fallen [ the men ] that work iniquities ; cast down by god , and never shall [ henceforth ] be able more to rise . psalm xxxvii . 1 fret not thy self at wicked men , for their [ present ] prosperity : not be thou envious at those that [ now do ] work iniquity . 2 for like the grass which flourished , quickly cut down [ and gone ] are they ; and like the green and tender herb [ they ] wither and [ must ] die away . 3 trust in the lord , and set thy self [ wholly ] to please him and do good ▪ and so thou shalt dwell in the land , and [ surely ] have sufficient food . 4 make thou the lord thy chief delight , ( to know and do his [ holy ] will ) and thy ( thus guided ) just desires , be sure [ that then ] he will fulfill . 5 commit thy way unto the lord ; [ wholly ] by trust on him depend , and he shall bring thy just designs [ in time ] unto a happy end . 6 and like the shining light he shall thy righteousness [ to men ] display ; and he thy judgment shall bring forth , clear like the noon-tide [ of the ] day . 7 in silence rest thou on the lord , waint patiently [ on him ] and stay : fret not thy self because of them who prosper in their [ evil ] way . because of wicked men , who bring their [ plots and ] ill designs to pass ▪ 8 shun wrath and anger : to do ill fret not [ thy self ] in any case : 9 for those that evil doers be , god will cut off in [ his just ] wrath ; but those that trust and wait on god , [ their time ] inherit shall the earth . 10 for yet wait but a little while , the wicked [ on earth ] shall not be ; his place thou shalt observe and view , but him [ therein ] thou shalt not see . 11 but meek and humble men the earth shall quietly [ their time ] possess , and they shall here delight themselves in plenty and in [ holy ] peace . 12 the wicked plots against the just , and at him grinds his [ bloody ] teeth . 13 the lord derideth him , because his [ dreadful ] day he coming seeth . 14 the wicked have drawn out the sword , and bent their bow to [ wound ] and slay the poor and weak ; and to cast down men [ that are ] upright in their way . 15 but their own sword which they have drawn , shall enter their own [ guilty ] hearts ; and their strong bow which they have bent , shall broak [ en in ] to pieces part . 16 a little that the righteous hath [ with grace ] is better to him far then unto many wicked men their [ worldly ] wealth and riches are . 17 the wicked's arms shall broken be , but god the just [ by grace ] sustains : 18 god knows the upright's days , and still their heritage [ surely ] remains . 19 they shall not need to be asham'd when evil times [ the land ] betide , and in the days of scarcity they shall [ with food ] be satisfy'd . 20 but wicked men shall perish all , [ even all ] god's foes that him provoke , as fat of lambs they shall consume , and [ away ] vanish into smoak . 21 the wicked borroweth in need , but payeth not [ again ] his debt ; the righteous giveth to the poor , his heart 's on [ works of ] mercy set . 22 for such as blessed be of him , [ good on ] the earth inherit shall ; and they that cursed be of him , [ cut off ] shall be destroyed all . 23 the steps of good men by the lord are [ fixt and ] ordered aright ; and in their good and upright way he pleased [ is , and ] doth delight . 24 and though he fall , yet shall he not [ sink and ] be utterly cast down , for god by his almighty hand [ keeps and ] upholds him as his own . 25 i have been young , and now am old , yet have i [ hereto ] never seen the just forsaken , nor his seed , [ that they ] for bread have beggars been . 26 he 's always merciful , and lends ; his seed is blest [ of god ] therefore 27 depart from evil , and do good , and [ you shall ] dwell for evermore . 28 for god loves judgment , and his saints [ though low ] forsakes not utterly ; they are preserv'd , but he cuts off sinner's [ unblest ] posterity . 29 the just inherit shall the land , and [ they shall ] ever in it dwell . 30 the just man's mouth doth wisdom speak , his tongue doth [ truth and ] judgment tell . 31 the law of god is in his heart , none of his goings [ slide and ] stray . 〈…〉 wicked man doth watch the just , 〈◊〉 seeketh him to [ hurt and ] slay . ●ut the lord will not him forsake , ●or leave him in their [ cruel ] hands ; 〈…〉 righteous he will not condemn when he [ with him ] in judgment stands 34 wait on the lord , and keep his way , thou shalt [ by him ] exalted be to dwell on earth , when as cut off the wicked [ doers ] thou shalt see . 35 i saw the wicked in great power , spread like a [ prospering ] green bay-tree : 36 he past and was not ; him i sought , but found [ on earth ] he could not be . 37 mark well the perfect , and observe the man of [ sincere ] uprightness , and thou shalt see that of this man the [ later ] end is blessed peace . 38 but the transgressors in ( in god's time ) shall [ surely ] be destroy'd together ; this is the end of wicked men , to be cut off [ and lost ] for ever . 39 but the salvation of the just is of the [ righteous ] lord alway ; in time of trouble and distress he is their [ present ] strength and stay . 40 the lord shall help and save them still from [ all the ] wicked and unjust ; he surely shall deliver them , because in him they [ put their ] trust . psalm xxxviii . 1 in thy unsufferable wrath , o [ gracious ] lord rebuke me not : o chasten not this sinful wretch in thy [ deserved ] displeasure hot . 2 thine arrows sharp stick fast in me , and me thy hand doth [ sorely ] press : 3 because of thy deserved wrath , my flesh hath no [ health and ] soundness . my pained bones have little rest , for [ the great ] sins that i have done : 4 my manifold iniquities over my [ guilty ] head are gone . they as a weighty burden be too heavy for [ my soul ] to bear : 5 and for my foolishness my wounds [ and sores ] stink and corrupted are . 6 trouble doth greatly bow me down ; all [ the ] day [ long ] i mourning go . 7 my loyns with loathsome sores are fill'd , my flesh no [ ease or ] health doth know . 8 i so infirm and feeble am , cast down and broken [ very ] sore ; that in disquietness of heart i have been put to [ groan and ] roar . 9 lord , all my wants and my desires are [ ever ] open unto thee ; none of my groans and bitter moans [ to thee ] unknown and hidden be . 10 my troubled fainting heart doth pant , my [ failing ] strength doth much decay ; as for my weakened eyes , their sight is almost [ from me ] gone away . 11 my ( grieved and my changed ) friends and lovers stand [ from me ] aloof ; and from my painful stroke and sore my [ oblig'd ] kinsmen stand far off . 12 and they that seek my hurt and life , cease not their [ cruel ] snares to lay ; false and mischievous things they speak , and plot [ their vile ] deceits all day . 13 but i was as a man that 's deaf , and none of this [ reproach ] did hear ; and as a dumb man silent was , and their false [ cruel ] speeches bear . 14 i was as one that heareth not , that could [ to them ] no answer make : 15 for in thee , lord , i hope , and thou wilt [ hear and ] answer undertake . 16 i said , hear , lest they over me should triumph [ prospering ] in their pride , and against me lift up themselves , when overwhelm'd i [ fall or ] slide . 17 for i am in a halting case , through grief which i am [ always ] in : 18 i 'le mine iniquity declare , as [ truly ] sorry for my sin . 19 but still mine enemies do live , they prosper , and are [ great and ] strong ; and they are multiplyed much who hate [ and hurt ] me to my wrong . 20 and they that render ill for good , [ daily ] as enemies me use , ( not that i wrong them , but ) because the thing that 's good i [ do and ] choose . 21 forsake me not , o gracious lord , [ my god ] o be not far from me . 22 lord , to my needful help make hast , [ for my ] salvation is of thee . psalm xxxix . 1 i said i will look to my ways , lest with my [ hasty ] words i sin ; while wicked men stand by , my tongue i 'le bridle , and [ with care ] keep in . 2 with silence i became as dumb , [ resolv'd ] restraint did hold my peace ; even from good talk and just defence , till [ stirred ] sorrows did increase . 3 my heart within me then grew hot , while [ troubled ] thus i mused long , till the restrained fire broke out , then thus i loos'd my [ bridled ] tongue . 4 lord make me to foreknow my end , the shortness of my [ hastning ] days , that i may know how frail i am , ( and [ do my ] work without delays . ) 5 experience tells us , thou hast made man's days [ to be ] but as a span ; even as meer nothing before thee is the short age of [ mortal ] man. surely , not one , but every man here in his [ setled ] fastest state , is altogether vanity , his life is of [ so ] short [ a ] date . 6 the worldling walks in a vain show , turmoils himself [ for wealth ] in vain ; he heapeth up , but doth not know to whom it [ after ] will remain . 7 and now , o lord , what wait i for ? my [ trust and ] hope is all on thee ; 8 save me from all my sins , lest i to [ wicked ] fools a scorn should be . 9 as dumb i opened not my mouth , because [ i knew ] the scourge was thine . 10 remove from me thy heavy hand , under thy [ chastening ] stroke i pine . 11 when with rebukes thou chastenest man [ justly ] for his iniquity , his strength dissolveth like a moth ; thus [ every ] man is vanity . 12 lord hear my pray'r , regard my cries , [ and be ] not silent at my tears , i sojourn and a stranger am [ on earth ] as all my fathers were . 13 o spare me yet ; prolong my days , my strength and peace [ do thou ] restore , before i go from hence by death , and shall be seen [ on earth ] no more . psalm xl. 1 i waited long , seeking the lord , and patiently [ his hand ] did bear ; and he inclined unto me , and did my [ cry and ] prayer hear . 2 he took me from an horrid pit , out of the [ sordid ] miry clay , and set my feet upon a rock , and [ safely ] stablished my way . 3 he put a new song in my mouth , our god to [ praise and ] magnifie ; many shall see , and fear the lord , and shall [ by faith ] on him rely . 4 o blessed is that man , whose trust upon the lord [ alone ] relies ! respecting not the proud , nor such as turn aside [ from truth ] to lyes . 5 o lord my god , how many are the wonders thou [ for us ] hast wrought ? by which thou hast made known to us the measures of thy [ gracious ] thoughts . they cannot all be reckoned up [ by-us ] in order unto thee ; if i would mention them , they 'r more than numbered by man can be . 6 thou dost no bloody sacrifice , or offering [ of us ] desire ; burnt-offering , and sin-offering , thou dost not now [ of man ] require . mine ear thou openedst to thy call ; 7 then said i [ to thee ] loe , i come , for so of me it written is even in thy [ sacred ] book 's volumne . 8 my god , i come to do thy will , it is my [ work and ] great delight ; my heart within the tables is where thou thy [ holy ] law didst write . 9 in the great congregation i thy [ truth and ] righteousness did preach ; thou know'st , lord , i did not refrain by [ sinful ] silence holy speech . 10 i have not in my heart conceal'd thy [ sacred ] truth and righteousness , but openly i have declar'd thy [ saving ] grace and faithfulness . thy loving kindness i declar'd , i did it not [ from men ] conceal ; to thy great congregations thy [ holy ] truth i did reveal . 11 thy tender saving mercies , lord , with hold not , nor [ to me ] deny ; let thy benignity and truth keep me [ from ill ] continually . 12 for i am compassed about with evils [ great and ] manifold ; i am not able to look up , my sins [ on me ] do take such hold . more than hairs on my head they are , therefore my [ failing ] heart 's dismaid ; be pleased , lord , to deliver me , [ o lord ] make hast to be my aid . 14 shame and confusion be to all that seek my [ guiltless ] blood to spill ; let them be driven back , and sham'd , who wish [ in heart ] my wrongful ill . 15 for a reward of this their shame , [ then ] desolate let them [ all ] be , who in my hurt do cry aha , [ with scorn ] and triumph over me . 16 let all that truly seek thy face , joy and be [ ever ] glad in thee ; let such a love thy grace still say , [ our ] god [ shall ] magnified be . 17 i weak , and poor , and needy am , but [ yet am ] not of god forgot : thou art my help and saviour , my god , o [ too long ] tarry not . psalm xli . 1 blest is he who with mercy doth the [ poor and ] needy's case consider , for in the troublous evil day the lord will him [ keep and ] deliver . 2 the lord will him preserve alive , and [ he will ] bless him in the land ; and thou wilt not deliver him into his enemies [ will and ] hand . 3 upon his bed of languishing , he shall [ by thee ] be strengthened ; and in his painful sickness thou [ for ease ] wilt make and turn his bed . 4 i pray'd and said to thee my god , [ o ] be [ thou ] merciful to me , and heal my soul of guilt and woe , that hath [ by sin ] offended thee . 5 mine enemies speak and wish me ill , and say , [ how long ] when will he dye ? that so his name may be forgot , or [ buried ] under slanders lye . 6 or if he come to visit me , he speaketh [ lies and ] vanity , his heart , to tell it all abroad , gathers [ it self ] iniquity . 7 against me they whisper and plot , [ then all ] that are mine enemies ; together they some hurt or ill against me [ daily ] do devise . 8 there cleaves to him , say they with joy , some ill disease or [ mortal ] sore ; and now that he doth keep his bed , [ off it ] he shall rise up no more . 9 yea , he with whom i liv'd in peace , [ who was ] my friend and confident ; who of my bread did eat , even he his [ scornful ] hee l against me bent . 10 but thou , o lord , be merciful [ to me ] and raise me up agen , that i in justice may requite the doings of these [ wicked [ men . 11 and by this i may know that i am [ own'd and ] favoured by thee , because mine enemies do not still thus [ boast and ] triumph over me . 12 thou me in mine integrity upholdest by thy [ saving ] grace , and wilt me set for evermore before thy [ pleased ] glorious face . 13 the lord , the god of israel , for ever [ prais'd and ] blessed be ; from age to age for evermore , [ all saints ] amen , amen , say ye . psalm xlii . 1 as the dry hart for water-brooks , in thirst doth [ fainting ] pant and bray , so after thee , my gracious god , my [ thirsty ] soul doth pant and pray . 2 my soul for god , the living god doth thirst , [ o when ] when shall i come , and in his house before my god appear [ with joy ] as i have done . 3 my flowing tears have been to me as [ bitter ] food both night and day , while with reproach continually , [ to me ] where is thy god , they say ? 4 my soul is poured out in me , when this i [ sadly ] think upon , how i with the glad multitude unto god's [ sacred ] house have gone . i went with them to worship god with [ joyned ] voice of joy and praise , even with the multitude that kept [ in peace ] god's solemn holy days . 5 why art thou so cast down , my soul , [ and why ] so troubled and dismaid ? trust god , for i shall yet praise him , whose [ face and ] favour is my aid . 6 my god , my soul 's cast down in me , [ but yet ] remember thee i will ; from jordan's land , and hermonites , and from the [ place of ] mizar hill . 7 at thy great water-spout's loud noise , [ dreadful ] deep unto deep doth call ; frightfully over me have gone thy [ rowling ] waves and billows all . 8 yet will the lord command for me his kindest love by [ lightsome ] day ; by night his song shall be with me : to god my life [ in faith ] i 'le pray . 9 i 'le say to god , my rock , o why am i [ of thee ] forgotten so ? why by my foes oppression thus mourning do i [ daily ] go ? 10 it 's as a sword within my bones , when thus my foes do me upbraid ; when in reproach , where is thy god , [ to me ] i hear it daily said ? 11 why art thou cast down , o my soul ? and why with grief [ so much ] opprest ? why so disquieted in me ? in god still place thy [ hope and ] rest . yet surely i shall speak his praise , who [ is and ] still hath been to me my heart 's , my countenances health ; my [ ever ] gracious god is he . psalm xliii . 1 o god , be thou the judge , and plead my righteous cause , against a nation of bad men , who violate thy laws . from false men of deceit , men of iniquity , do thou , the great and righteous god , save and deliver me . 2 thou , lord , art all my strength , why do i mourning go , as if i were cast off by thee , oppressed by my foe ? 3 send out thy light and truth , let them conduct me still ; and bring me to thy tabernacles upon thy holy hill . 4 i 'le to god's altar go , to god my greatest joy ; o god my god , to sing thy praise my harp will i employ . 5 why art thou , o my soul , cast down ? what grieveth thee ? why art thou with distrustful thoughts disquieted in me ? still trust and hope in god , for him i shall yet praise , he 's the health of my countenance , he 'll be my god always . psalm xliv . 1 we with our ears have heard , o god , our [ ancient ] fathers have us told what work thou in their days hast done , even in the [ famous ] times of old . 2 how thou didst drive the heathen out , and plant them in their [ pleasant ] land by thy own gift ; but didst afflict the [ heathen ] people with thy hand . 3 their own sword got not them the land , nor their own arm [ and strength ] them save ; but thy hand and light countenance , all this thy [ love and ] favour gave . 4 thou art my king , for jacob , lord , deliverance [ do thou ] command : 5 through thee we shall push down our foes , [ even those ] that do against us stand . we through thy name will tread them down , who rose [ and fought ] against us have ; 6 for in my bow i will not trust , nor shall my sword [ or strength ] me save . 7 but thou hast sav'd us from our foes , [ and all ] our haters put to shame ; 8 in god we all the day do boast , and [ we will ] ever praise thy name . 9 but now even thou hast cast us off , and us to [ open ] shame hast put ; and when our armies have gone forth , with them [ to war ] thou goest not out . 10 thou mak'st us from the enemy to fly [ in fear ] and turn our back ; and they who hate us , for themselves , our wealth as spoil [ away ] do take . 11 thou scatterest us in heathen lands , and givest us [ to them ] for meat : 12 and sellest us for nought , and dost no [ wealth or ] increase for us get . 13 thou makest us a meer reproach to all our neighbours [ that are ] near ; derision and a scorn to them that round about us [ dwelling ] are . 14 among the heathen thou dost us a jeast and [ very ] by-word make ; the people in contempt and spight , at us [ cast down ] their heads do shake . 15 my great confusion and disgrace i as before me [ always ] see ; of my reproached countenance the shame hath [ daily ] covered me . 16 because of the reproachers voice , which [ of thee ] speaketh blasphemy , because of the revenging rage of this our [ cruel ] enemy . 17 all this is come on us , yet we [ o god ] have not forgotten thee , nor falsly from thy covenant apostatiz'd [ and gone ] have we . 18 our heart 's not turned back , nor have our [ going ] steps from thy ways stray'd ; 19 though thou us among dragons break'st , and in death's [ covering ] shade hast lay'd . 20 if we the lord's name have forgot , or [ any ] help from idols sought ; 21 would not god search this out , who knows the [ very ] secrets of our thought ? 22 we for thy sake are kill'd all day , [ and ] counted [ but ] as slaughter-sheep ▪ 23 rise , lord , cast us not ever off ; awake [ for us ; ] why dost thou sleep ? 24 wherefore thus hidest thou thy face , forgetting [ this ] our [ great ] distress ; 25 and look'st not on our miseries , [ nor them ] that do our souls oppress . 26 our soul is bowed down to dust , to earth our [ very ] bellies cleave : arise , lord , for thy mercies sake , and us [ do thou ] redeem and save . psalm xlv . 1 the good things of the king i speak , my [ fervent ] heart doth it indite ; my tongue is as the pen of one that [ very ] readily doth write . 2 thou fairer art than sons of men , [ plenteous ] grace to thy lips doth flow ; therefore great blessings evermore god [ doth and ] will on thee bestow . 3 o thou that art the mighty one , thy [ warlike ] sword gird on thy thigh , 4 in all thy glory excellent , and in thy [ splendid ] majesty . in state do thou ride prosperously , for [ meekness ] truth and righteousness , and dreadful things thy strong right hand shall [ do and ] reach thee by success . 5 thine arrows are sharp in the hearts of the king's [ hateful ] enemies , whereby the people under thee [ shall ] fall that [ do ] against thee rise . 6 for ever and for ever , lord , abides thy [ royal ] throne of might ; the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter that is [ just and ] right . 7 thou lov'st the right , and hatest ill , therefore thy god [ doth and ] still shall with oyl of gladness thee anoint , [ even much ] above thy fellows all . 8 of aloes , myrrh , and cassia a [ pleasant ] smell thy garments had , out of the ivory palaces , whereby they [ greatly ] made thee glad . 9 among thy women honourable , kings daughters [ waiting ] were at hand ; and on thy right hand did the queen in [ precious ] gold of ophir stand . 10 hearken , o daughter , and advise ; to me incline [ and bow ] thine ear ; thy people and thy father's house forget [ thou must ] and count not dear . 11 and then thy beauty to the king shall always [ very ] pleasant be ; and do thou humbly worship him , seeing thy [ rightful ] lord is he . 12 the daughter there of wealthy tyre with a rich gift shall [ waiting ] be ; and all the rich throughout the land shall [ humbly ] make their suit to thee . 13 within doth the king's daughter sit , [ and is ] all glorious to behold ; and all her cloaths and ornaments are [ richly ] wrought of purest gold . 14 she shall be brought unto the king in [ splendid ] robes by needle wrought ; the virgins which do follow her , [ with her ] shall unto thee be brought . 15 with gladness great shall they be brought , and [ signs of ] joy on every side , into the presence of the king , the court where he doth [ use to ] bide . 16 and thou shalt in thy father's stead thy numerous [ blessed ] off-spring take , and in all countries of the earth thou shalt them [ honoured ] princes make . 17 i will to generations all thy [ name and ] memory extend ; the peoples joyful praise of thee shall [ last and ] never have an end . psalm xlvi . 1 god is our refuge , and our strength , a present help , and [ always ] near in all our dangers and distress , therefore we will not [ need not ] fear . 2 though the whole earth removed were , and though the mountains [ high and ] steep be mov'd and carryed from their place , and cast into the [ ocean ] deep . 3 and though the seas tempestuous waves disturb'd , a [ hideous ] roaring make ; and though the waters swelling rage do make the [ neighbour ] mountains quake . 4 there is a river , whose pure streams god's [ blessed ] city do make glad ; the holy place , where the most high his dwelling [ hath and ] long hath had . 5 the lord is in the midst of her , nothing shall her [ shake and ] remove : the lord himself right early will [ to ] her [ a ] faithful helper prove . 6 the heathens rag'd tumultuously , the [ neighbour ] kingdoms moved were ; he uttered his powerful voice , the earth did melt [ as if ] for fear . 7 the lord himself doth take our part , who doth all hosts [ and powers ] command ; for our sure refuge jacob's god , as our high place doth [ alway ] stand . 8 come and behold what wondrous works the lord [ himself ] hath for us wrought ; what desolations on the earth his [ dreadful ] executions brought . 9 through all the earth he makes war cease , and into [ wished ] peace it turns ; he breaks the bow , he cuts the spear , with fire the [ warlike ] chariot burns . 10 be still , and know that i am god ▪ and will [ o're all ] exalted be ; the heathen shall exalt my name , [ and all ] the earth shall honour me . 11 the lord who doth all hosts command , is [ ever ] on his peoples side ; and our sure refuge jacob's god [ is and ] for ever will abide . psalm xlvii . by w. barton . 1 let all with sweet accord applaud and voices raise in honour of the lord , and loudly sing his praise . 2 for god most high is king of kings , and rules all things with majesty . 3 whole nations of our foes he throws beneath our feet . 4 a happy lot he chose for us as he thought meet : the dignity of israel , beloved well by the most high. 5 god is gone up on high , with shouts and trumpets sound , ascending gloriously unto the lord renown'd . 6 his praises sing , and loudly raise your voice to praise our heav'nly king. 7 for god is soveraign king , and lord of all the earth ; with understanding sing , and set his praises forth . 8 god reigns alone o're heathen men , sitting upon his holy throne . 9 the princes gather there , the princes of all lands ; the people far and near , whom abraham's god commands . the shields are his , of all the earth , god's name and worth exalted is . psalm xlviii . 1 great is the lord , and greatly he [ by all ] is to be praised still , within the city of our god , upon his holy [ sion ] hill . 2 mount sion's situate beauteously , [ it is ] the joy of all the earth ; the city of the great king stands on her side [ which is ] towards the north. 3 god in her palaces is known [ to be ] a refuge and defence ; 4 the kings against her gathered were , but past [ away ] together thence . 5 when viewing it , they saw its strength , they wondring [ at it ] would not stay , but being troubled at the sight , they [ quickly ] thence did hast away . 6 even like a labouring woman's pain , fear seiz'd [ on them ] and drove them back ; 7 as the east-wind doth tarshish ships in pieces break and [ bring to ] wrack . 8 as we have heard , so have we seen , that god's own [ chosen ] sion's hill , and city of the lord of hosts , god [ surely ] will establish still ▪ 9 all thy great loving kindness , lord , we [ gladly ] did commemorate ; when with thy worshippers we did within thy temple [ daily ] wait . 10 according to thy name , o lord , so [ great and ] famous is thy praise to the earth's ends : thy right hand 's full of [ perfect ] righteousness always . 11 because of all thy judgments just , let [ thy own ] sion mount rejoyce ; let judah's daughters gladness shew with [ thanks and ] chearful heart and voice . 12 walk about sion , view her round , her [ many ] stately towers tell : 13 consider her fair palaces , and mark her [ forts and ] bulwarks well . that you may tell posterity : 14 for this god [ is and ] will abide our god for ever : he will be even unto death our [ strength and ] guide . psalm xlix . 1 hear this , all people , and give ear [ all you ] that in the world do dwell ; 2 both low and high , both rich and poor , my mouth [ to you ] shall wisdom tell . 3 my heart shall knowledge meditate ; i will [ also ] incline mine ear 4 to parables : and on the harp my sayings dark [ i will ] declare . 5 why should i fear in evil days , when [ fruits of ] mine iniquities of my own he 'll surround me with [ many ] deserv'd calamities . 6 as for those men , who in their wealth and [ worldly ] treasure put their trust ; and in their riches multitude , and great estates do [ make their ] boast . 7 none of them can his brother's life redeem by any [ means or ] way ; nor can he for him unto god [ any ] sufficient ransom pay . 8 to redeem life's impossible , and [ therefore ] it can never be , 9 that he should always live on earth , and not [ common ] corruption see . 10 for that both wise and fools do die , they [ daily ] see and must perceive ; and wordly bruitish men at death their [ loved ] wealth to others leave . 11 their inward thought is that their house and [ stately ] dwelling-places shall stand through all ages ; they their lands [ therefore ] by their own names do call . 12 nevertheless none of them all [ on earth ] abide in honour must ; their flesh must perish as the beasts , that dyes and turns to [ common ] dust . 13 thus brutish folly plainly is their [ boast and ] chosen worldly way ; yet their deceiv'd posterity do [ like and ] follow what they say . 14 like sheep they are laid in the grave , and [ hungry ] death shall them devour ; and in the morning upright men shall over them have [ ruling ] power . their strength and beauty shall consume , and [ it shall ] perish in the grave ; when carry'd from their houses , they shall their [ in dust ] their dwelling have . 15 but god will sure redeem my soul from the hand of [ death and ] the grave ; for he my hope saviour is , and he [ himself ] will me receive . 16 be not discouraged by fear , when wicked men grow [ great and ] rich ; and when the glory of their house , [ their pomp ] and pow'r increaseth much . 17 for he shall carry nothing hence , when [ certain ] death his days shall end ; nor shall his glory after him into the [ loathsome ] grave descend . 18 though he his flatter'd soul did bless , whil'st he on earth [ in wealth ] did live ; and when thy courses prosperous are , [ worldly ] men will thee praises give . 19 yet shall he to his fathers go , who lived here [ on earth ] before ; and shall be laid among the dead , who [ here shall ] see the light no more ▪ 20 man that in worldly honour lives , and [ god's word ] understandeth not , is nothing better than the beasts that [ die and ] in the grave do rot ▪ psalm l. 1 the lord the mighty god spake , and the earth did call from the sun-rising to the place of its descent and fall . 2 out of holy sion , beauty's perfection , the lord hath shined unto man. 3 our god shall surely come . he shall not silent be ; before him fire doth burn , and round about he dreadful is , by his tempestuous storm . 4 and from the heav'ns above his pow'rful voice shall call ; and to the earth below , that he may judge his people all . 5 together let my saints to me assembled be ; those that by sacrifice have made a covenant with me . 6 the heav'ns themselves then shall his righteousness declare , for it is the great god himself by whom all judged are . 7 my people , hear my words , and what i testifie against thee , sinful israel , god , even thy god am i. 8 for want of sacrifice to me i judge thee not ; nor because thy burnt-offerings were neglected or forgot . 9 i 'le take no calf or goats from house or fold of thine ; 10 the forest-beasts , and cattle all on thousand hills are mine . 11 the fowls on mountains high are all to me well known ; wild beasts which in the fields abide , are all of them my own . 12 and if i hungry were , i would not tell it thee ; for the whole world , and its fulness doth all belong to me . 13 i 'le not eat flesh of bulls , nor goats blood drink will i. 14 offer true thanks to god , and pay thy vows to the most high . 15 and call thou upon me in thy most troublous days , and then will i deliver thee , and thou shalt give me praise . 16 but to the wicked man , god saith , my word of truth should'st thou declare ? how dar'st thou take my covenant in thy mouth ? 17 sith thou instruction hat'st , which should thy life direct , and my commands behind thy back dost cast , and them reject . 18 when thou a thief didst see , with him thou then consent'st ; and with the foul adulterer thou a partaker went'st . 19 thou giv'st thy mouth to ill , thy tongue deceit doth frame ; 20 against thy brother thou dost speak , thy mothers son defame . 21 because i silence kept , whilst thou these things hast wrought , that i was such a one as thou , was thine ungodly thought . but i will thee reprove , and set before thine eyes in order all thy sinful deeds , and thine iniquities . 22 now you that god forget , in time this well consider , lest i in pieces tear you all , and none can you deliver . 23 whoso doth offer praise , doth rightly honour me ; and he that orders well his ways , shall god's salvation see . psalm li. 1 after thy loving kindness , lord , some pity on a sinner take , blot out my hainous trespasses , good lord , for thy great mercies sake ▪ 2 o wash me throughly from my sin , cleanse me from mine iniquities ; 3 for my transgressions i confess , my sin is still before mine eyes . 4 against thee , o my god , i sin'd , and did this evil in thy sight ; and if i were therefore condemn'd , yet were thy judgments just and right . 5 thou know'st that in iniquity my shape and nature i receiv'd ; as guilty and defil'd by sin my sinful mother me conceiv'd . 6 i know that which thou dost desire is truth within the secret heart ; and wisdom thou wilt make me know even in the hidden inward part . 7 with sacred hyssop purge thou me , and then i shall be cleansed so : wash thou me ( in my saviour's blood ) and i shall whiter be than snow . 8 of joy and gladness make thou me to hear again the welcome voice , that so the bones which thou for sin hast justly broken , may rejoyce . 9 from the beholding of my sin , o turn away thy angry face ; and all my great iniquity blot out , and utterly deface . 10 o god , create in me a heart clean and unspotted in thy sight ; and by thy grace in me renew a spirit sincere and upright . 11 and from thy gracious presence , lord , do not this sinner cast away ; and of thy holy quickning spirit deprive me not , i humbly pray . 12 let the joy of thy saving grace to my sad soul restored be ; and with thy free enlarging spirit uphold , confirm , and comfort me . 13 then i will teach thy holy ways to those that now transgressors be ▪ and so ungodly sinful men shall be converted unto thee . 14 o thou the god of all my hopes , deliver me from guilt of blood ; then of thy saving righteousness my joyful tongue shall sing aloud . 15 open my lips , which by my sin now silenced and closed are ; and then shall my enlarged mouth thy praises publickly declare . 16 i know it is not sacrifice which thou requirest i should bring , else would i give it : nor art thou delighted with burnt-offering . 17 the sacrifice which pleaseth god , is a repenting broken spirit ; o god , thou never wilt despise a heart that 's broken and contrite . 18 in thy good pleasure , lord , do good to sion and thy people all ; of thy belov'd jerusalem do thou build up the broken wall . 19 the sacrifice of righteousness shall then be pleasing unto thee ; better than whole burnt-offerings then shall on thine altar offered be . psalm lii . 1 o mighty man in wickedness , why boastest thou [ thy self ] with pride ? god's goodness to his people will [ surely ] for evermore abide . 2 thy tongue speaks mischief , which thy heart [ plots and ] deviseth wickedly ; and like a sharpned rasor cuts , and works [ by lies ] deceitfully . 3 thou lovest evil more than good , and lying more than [ to speak ] right ; thou false tongue all devouring words thou lovest with [ cruel ] delight . 4 god shall for ever cut thee down , and [ he shall ] take thee quite away ; and pluck thee from thy dwelling-place , and from [ among ] the living slay . psalm liii . 1 the lives of fools do tell us that their hearts no god do [ truly ] own : corrupt are they ; odious their works , [ of them ] that do good there is none . 2 upon the wicked sons of men , from heav'n god lookt [ on earth ] abroad , to see if any understood and seriously sought [ after ] god. 3 but they all filthy are become , they all [ from god ] are backward gone ; none of them lives in doing good , of all these [ wicked ] men not one . 4 have all these men of wicked works no [ wit or ] knowledge left at all ? who eat my people up as bread , on god they never [ truly ] call . 5 by guilt and god's affrighting hand , with fear they were [ greatly ] dismaid ; and fled in terror , when no cause was seen [ for them ] to be afraid . for god their bones that thee besieg'd , hath [ justly ] scatter'd all abroad ; to shame thou hast put them , because despis'd they were [ and are ] of god. 6 let israel's help from sion come ; when god brings back the [ captives ] sad , his saved people shall rejoyce , and [ his true ] israel be glad . psalm liv. 1 save me , o god , by thy great name , and judge me by thy [ mighty ] strength . 2 my prayer hear , o god , give ear unto my [ suit and ] words at length . 3 0ppressors seek after my life , strangers against me [ joyntly ] rise , because they have not set the lord [ at all ] with fear before their eyes . 4 but yet the lord my helper is , [ therefore ] in him my soul is bold , and with the just he taketh part , who do my soul [ help and ] uphold . 5 he shall repay hurt to my foes , who me with hate [ watch and ] observe ; according to thy truth cut off these [ wicked ] men as they deserve . 6 then i 'le bring sacrifice to thee , o lord , with [ chearful ] willingness ; and praise thy name : for it is good thy [ holy ] praises to express . 7 when he hath me delivered out of [ my great ] adversities ; and when my eyes his justice see on all my [ wicked ] enemies . psalm lv. 1 lord hear my suit , hide not thy self from my intreating [ earnest ] voice . 2 attend and hear me in my plaint ; regard my [ sad and ] mournful noise . 3 because of enemies slandrous voice , and [ wicked ] mens oppression great ; on me they cast iniquity , and me in [ cruel ] wrath they hate . 4 my heart in me sore pained is , death 's [ shaking ] terrors on me fall . 5 on me come trembling fear ; and dread hath cover'd me [ o're whelm'd ] withall . 6 o that i had wings like a dove , said i , [ away ] then would i flee ; and seek out some retiring place , where i in [ quiet ] rest might be . 7 lo then would i wander far off , and in the [ remote ] desart stay . 8 from windy storms and tempests i would [ for peace ] hast to scape away . 9 destroy thou them , o lord , and let their [ combin'd ] tongues divided be ; 10 for violence and hurtful strife i in the [ envious ] city see . day and night on the walls thereof , they [ fiercely ] go about it round ; contriv'd mischief and hurtfulness [ there ] in [ the ] midst of it are found . 11 even in the midst and chiefest part there [ dwells and ] reigneth wickedness ; and from her streets do not depart guile [ falshood ] and deceitfulness . 12 it was no foe that me reproach'd , for this [ from such ] i could endure ; no known foe did against me rise , else hid [ from him ] i 'd me secure . 13 but he mine equal and my guide , and my familiar [ neighbour ] was ; 14 together we sweet counsel took , and to god's house [ conjoyn'd ] did pass . 15 let death seize on them ; let them go down quick into the [ wicked's ] grave ; for in their dwellings wickedness they for their [ chosen ] business have . 16 i 'le call on god , he will me save ; i 'le pray [ to him ] aloud i 'le cry , 17 evening and morning , and at noon ; my [ craving ] voice he 'll not deny . 18 against me when they raised war , he did my soul [ keep and ] set free ; and he preserv'd me as in peace , for [ through him ] many were with me . 19 my god shall hear , and them afflict , [ even god ] who is the same of old . they fear not god , because they have no changes , but [ in sin ] are bold . 20 against them that with him had peace he hath put forth his treacherous hand ; the covenant which he hath made , by breaking [ falsly ] he prophan'd . 21 smoother than butter were his words , while in his heart [ design'd ] was war ; his speeches were softer than oyl , but [ hurtful ] as drawn swords they are . 22 cast thou thy burden on the lord , and he shall [ surely ] thee sustain : and by his grace the righteous men unmoved [ ever ] shall remain . 23 but thou , lord , wilt these wicked men , in justice [ judge and ] overthrow ; and in destruction's dismal pit wilt [ shortly ] cast and lay them low . the bloody and deceitful men shall not live [ out one ] half their days ; but upon thee with confidence [ my god ] i will rely always . psalm lvi . by w. barton . 1 have mercy , lord , on me , whom man would make a prey ; behold how he oppresseth me , contending every day . 2 they that mine enemies be , would daily me devour ; for multitudes against me fight , o thou of highest pow'r . 3 what time soever , lord , i am of such afraid , even then will i trust faithfully on thy assured aid . 4 in god i 'le praise his word , in god my trust shall be ; and secure there , i will not fear what flesh can do to me . 5 my words they utter wrong , and wrest them every day ; their thoughts are still to work me ill in whatsoe're they say . 6 they altogether throng , they hide themselves likewise ; they lie at catch , my steps they watch , my life for to surprize . 7 thall they escape so well in this their wicked path ? upon them frown , and , lord cast down this people in thy wrath . 8 thou dost my wandrings tell , let down thy bottle , lord , and put in there each briny tear , are they not on record ? 9 when i shall cry to thee , it puts to sudden flight my daunted foe ; and this i know , for god defends my right . 10 in god enabling me , i will his word proclaim ; yea , in the lord will i record his word 's due praise and fame . 11 in god alone have i repos'd my trust for aid ; let mortal man do what he can , i will not be afraid . 12 thy vows upon me lye ; lord , i must pay the same : and i always will render praise to thy most holy name . 13 for thou my soul hast freed from death so near at had ; and wilt not thou uphold me now , and make my feet to stand ? that i may still proceed to walk as in thy sight ; and spend my days unto thy praise with them that live in light . psalm lvii . 1 be merciful to me , o god , for mercy i [ in thee ] do trust ; under thy wings i refuge seek , till this distress be [ over ] past . 2 my cry i will cause to ascend unto the lord [ who is ] most high ; to god who doth all things for me [ ever ] perform most faithfully . 3 he shall send down from heav'n , and me from his [ unjust ] reproach defend that would devour me : god his truth and [ saving ] mercy sorth shall send . 4 my soul among fierce lions is , i [ burning ] fire-brands lie among ; even men whose teeth are spears and darts , a [ cutting ] sharp sword is their tongue . 5 above the highest heav'ns , o god , be thou [ in might ] exalted high ; and over all the earth below shew forth thy [ glorious ] majesty . 6 they for my steps prepar'd a net , my soul [ by them ] is bowed down ; they dig'd a pit for me , in which themselves are [ fallen and ] overthrown . 7 my heart is fixt , my heart is fixt , o god , i 'le sing thy joyful praise . 8 my glory wake : psaltery and harp , my self [ for this ] i 'le early raise . 9 among the people i 'le thee praise , with [ publick ] songs thee magnifie . 10 thy mercies great unto the heav'ns , thy truth unto the [ cloudy ] sky . 11 exalted be thy glorious name , [ o god ] above the heavens high ; and over all the earth advance thy glorious [ pow'r and ] majesty . psalm lviii . 1 do you that are in council met , [ speak and ] determine what is just ; and justly judge , ye sons of men , [ indeed ] according to your trust ? 2 yea , in your hearts you wickedness contrive , [ plot , and ] promote , and then out of the judgment-seats your hands weigh violence [ on earth ] to men . 3 bad men are from the womb estrang'd , from every just and holy way ; as soon as they are born , they are inclin'd [ by lies ] to go astray . 4 to serpent's poyson very like , their [ hurtful ] poyson doth appear ; and like the adder deaf they are , that fast doth [ close and ] stop her ear . 5 lest she should hear the charmer's voice [ at all ] although the man should charm never so wisely , to inchant her , that she do no [ deadly ] harm . 6 break thou their poysonous teeth , o god , [ yea ] from their mouth [ quite ] break them out ; yea , break the sharp devouring teeth . of lions [ even the ] young and stout . 7 let them like waters melt away , which downward still do [ slide and ] flow ; in pieces cut his arrows all when he doth bend his [ unjust ] bow . 8 like to a snail that melts away , let them all [ pass and ] hence be gone ; that like the womb 's untimely birth , they never see the [ shining ] sun . 9 before your pots can feel the thorns , away [ in wrath ] he shall them drive ; and with his whirlwind's angry storms sweep them away [ from hence ] alive . 10 the righteous shall rejoyce , when he [ this just ] revenge from god shall see ; and in the blood of wicked men even wash his [ conquering ] feet shall he . 11 then men shall say , truly there is for righteous men [ a great ] reward : surely there is a god that doth the earth judge , and [ mens works ] regard . psalm lix . 1 deliver me , o god , from all mine enemies ; set me in safety from all them that do against me rise . 2 deliver me from them that work-iniquity ; save me from men of blood , who for my life in wait do lie . 3 against me the great men have joyntly gathered bin , but not for my transgression , lord , nor real guilt of sin . 4 they run and do prepare themselves without any crime ; behold their course , and now awake , and help thou me betime . 5 awake to visit such , lord god of israel ; and spare not those , who against thee do wickedly rebel . 6 at evening they return , like dogs they make a noise , and round about the city go with dogged snarling voice . 7 their mouths do belch out rage , and in their lips are swords ; for still they do perswade themselves thou hearest not their words . 8 thou , lord , wilt them despise , and all the heathen mock : 9 his strength shall make me wait on thee , thou art my help and rock . 10 the god of my mercies with help shall me prevent , and let me see on these my foes his righteous punishment . 11 lest it should be forgot , scatter them all abroad , and bring them down , but slay them not , o thou our shield and god. 12 for the sin of their words , take thou them in their pride ; and for the curses and the lies which from their lips do slide . 13 in wrath consume them all , that so they may not be ; that jacob's god rules through the earth , let them all know and see . 14 at even let them return , and make , like dogs , a noise ; and round about the city go with discontented voice . let them wander about , as wanting food to eat ; and pine and grudge through emptiness , not satisfy'd with meat . 16 i of thy power will sing , early thy mercy praise ; thou my defence and refuge wast in all my troublous days . 17 unto thee i will sing , who art my strength and power ; the god of all my mercies , and my sure defence and tower . psalm lx. 1 lord , thou of late hast cast us off , and [ thou hast ] scattered us abroad ; thou justly hast displeased been , o turn [ again ] to us , o god. 2 thou mad'st the earth it self to quake , thine [ heavy ] anger did it break : o heal thou now its grievous breach , for it as yet doth [ sorely ] shake . 3 unto thy people thou hard things hast shew'd , and [ sharply ] on them sent ; and thou hast caused them to drink [ the ] wine of [ great ] astonishment . 4 and yet a banner thou hast given to them that do thee [ humbly ] fear , that it by them because of truth , displayed may [ to all ] appear . 5 that thy dearly beloved flock [ sav'd and ] delivered may be : help , o our god with thy right hand , in mercy [ do thou ] answer me . 6 i will rejoyce , because the lord spake from his [ high and ] holy seat , sechem i will divide , and will the [ fruitful ] vale of succoth mete . 7 gilead belongeth unto me , manasseh [ also ] mine shall be ; ephraim is the strength of my head , judah [ rules and ] gives laws for me . 8 moab my servile wash-pot is , on edom i will [ freely ] tread ; and the philistine nation all i will in [ warlike ] triumph lead . 9 who is he that will bring me in the city [ strong and ] fortify'd ? and who will into edom's land [ me and ] my conquering armies guide ? 10 even he that seem'd to cast us off , and wilt not thou [ again ] o god , go forth before our warlike hosts , when they [ to fight ] do march abroad ? 11 from trouble give us thy sure help , for [ meerly ] vain is all mens aid : 12 through god we shall do valiantly , our foes god down [ for us ] will tread . psalm lxi . 1 hear thou my cries , o god , unto my pray'r attend : 2 even from the ends of all the earth my cry to thee i send . when my heart 's overwhelm'd with my perplexity , lead me to the defensive rock that higher is than i. 3 for thou hast been to me a shelter by thy power ; and from the rage of enemies a strong defensive tower . 4 i in thy tabernacle for ever will abide , under the covert of thy wings with trust will i reside . 5 for thou my solemn vows to thee , my god , didst hear ; and gavest me the heritage of those thy name that fear . 6 a life by thee prolong'd , thou to the king wilt give , as many generations are the life that he shall live . 7 for ever before god his dwelling he shall have ; prepare thy mercy and thy truth , which him may ever save . 8 so will i evermore sing praises to thy name , that having made my vows , i may daily perform the same . psalm lxii . 1 my soul in silence waits on god , my only help [ and rock ] is he . 2 my saviour and my strong high place , i shall not [ greatly ] moved be . 3 how long will ye mischief devise ? you by the sword [ at last ] shall fall : you stand but like a tottering fence , and like a [ crazed ] bowing wall . 4 their consult is to cast him down that 's set [ by god ] in dignity . they love to lie ; with mouth they bless ▪ but they [ hate and ] curse inwardly . 5 my soul wait thou only on god , [ for all ] my hope 's on him alone ; 6 he 's all my strength , help , and defence , i shall not be [ mov'd and ] o'rethrown . 7 all my salvation is in god , my glory and [ my ] dignity ; he is the rock of all my strength , god is my refuge [ always ] nigh . 8 at all times put your trust in him , ye people that [ indeed ] are his ; pour out your hearts before him still , for god our [ certain ] refuge is . 9 surely low men are vanity , and [ high and ] great men are a lie ; together in the ballance put , [ they ] lighter [ are ] than vanity . 10 trust ye not in oppression then , in theft [ and wrong ] become not vain : set not your hearts on wealth , and on the increase of your [ worldly ] gain . 11 this god hath spoken once , and twice this [ certain ] truth i heard again ; that all disposing ruling power to god [ alone ] doth appertain . 12 and to distribute mercy doth belong to thee [ o lord ] alone ; for thou according to his work rendrest [ in time ] to every one . psalm lxiii . 1 o god , thou art my god , therefore [ early ] i 'le seek near thee to be ; in an unwater'd weary land my [ heart and ] flesh doth thirst for thee . 2 that i thy power may behold , and [ see the ] glory of thy face , as i have seen thee heretofore within thy [ house and ] holy place . 3 because thy loving kindness is better than [ life and ] length of days ; my joyful soul which thou hast sav'd , and lips shall [ ever ] give thee praise . 4 while thou continuest me in life , thus will i [ daily ] speak thy praise ; in worshipping thy holy name my [ heart and ] hands i will up raise . 5 with thy fat-sweet delights my soul shall [ fed and ] satisfied be ; my chearful heart with joyful lips shall offer [ daily ] praise to thee . 6 when on my quiet bed i thee [ seek and ] remember with delight ; and when on thee i meditate in [ silent ] watches of the night . 7 because to me in all distress thy [ helping ] hand still succour brings , therefore my soul shall still rejoyce under thy [ safe and ] covering wings . 8 my soul ( encourag'd by thy love ) thus [ closely ] followeth after thee ; in all my dangers and distress thy [ right ] hand [ still ] upholdeth me . 9 but they that seek my life shall go into earth's [ dark and ] lowest room ; 10 the sword let out their guilty souls , [ and they ] the foxes prey become . 11 but let the king rejoyce in god ; his [ faithful ] servants glory shall , who swear by him : but god will stop the mouth of [ perjur'd ] lyars all . psalm lxiv . 1 the prayer which to thee i make , o god [ do thou ] vouchsafe to hear ; my life save thou from enemies , and from [ all their ] perplexing fear . 2 hide me from their secret designs , who do live [ and plot ] wickedly ; from insurrection of those men that [ still do ] work iniquity . 3 who do their tongues with malice whet , that they may cut like [ sharpned ] swords ; in whose bent bows are arrows set , [ to shoot ] even false and bitter words . 4 that they may at the perfect man in secret aim their [ cruel ] shot ; suddenly do they shoot at him , harden'd [ in sin ] they fear it not . 5 in ill encourage they themselves , and commune how [ closely ] to lay their snares for to entrap the just , for who [ our plots ] shall see , say they ? 6 they study for iniquity , for it they use their [ greatest ] art ; deep is their inward plotting thought , and unknown is their [ wicked ] heart . 7 god shall an arrow at them shoot , and wound them [ deep and ] suddenly . 8 their tongues shall fall upon themselves , all that see them [ away ] shall fly . 9 and seeing this , all men shall fear , and shall god's [ dreadful ] works declare ; for wisely then they shall perceive that these his [ righteous ] doings are . 10 the righteous shall rejoyce in god , and in him [ wholly ] put their trust ; and all that be of upright heart , in him shall [ boldly ] make their boast . psalm lxv . 1 lord , praise in sion waits for thee , the vows made [ by us ] we 'll perform . o thou that hearest sincere pray'r , to thee all flesh [ for help ] shall come . injuries and iniquities against me have [ had much ] success , ●ut thou wilt purge away the sin [ and guilt ] of us who did transgress . 4 blessed is he whom thou dost choose to approach [ nigh to ] thee his god ; that in thy holy pleasant courts he may have his [ constant ] abode . our souls shall satisfied be with the goodness and [ divine ] grace which in thy blessed house abounds , even in thy chosen [ holy ] place . 5 thy justice will by dreadful things an answer to us [ waiting ] give ; god of our help , the trust of all on earth or [ on the ] sea that live . 6 the god of power , who by strength set'st fast the [ great and ] massy hills . 7 who the great noise of sea and waves , and [ raging ] people's tumult stills . 8 those that in utmost parts do dwell , are at thy [ dreadful ] signs afraid ; mornings and evenings out-goings by thee [ sing and ] are joyful made . 9 the earth thou visit'st , watering it , enrich'd [ by thee ] with fruit to grow ; by god's full streams : thou corn prepar'st , having [ for it ] provided so . 10 her ridges thou dost water well , her [ plowed ] surrows settlest ; with showers thou dost make it soft , her [ springing ] fruit by thee is blest . 11 thus thou the year from time to time dost with thy [ bounteous ] goodness crown , and thy high paths do from above on earth drop [ plenteous ] fatness down . 12 they drop upon the pasture-grounds that lye [ even ] in [ the ] desart wide , the little hills thereby refresh'd , rejoyce [ with fruit ] on every side . 13 the pastures cloathed are with flocks , the vallies [ also ] covered be with corn : thy blessing is their joy , their fruits sing [ praises ] unto thee . psalm lxvi . 1 make ye a joyful noise to god all people of the [ spacious ] earth . 2 sing to the honour of his name , his glorious praise [ do ye ] set forth . 3 say unto god , how-terrible in all thy [ mighty ] works art thou ? through thy great pow'r thy foes to thee shall be constrain'd to [ crouch and ] bow . 4 all men on earth shall worship thee , thy praise in songs [ shall they ] proclaim ; they shall sing psalms of praise unto the honour of thy [ holy ] name . 5 come , and the works which god hath wrought , with [ fear and ] admiration see ; his doings towards the sons of men all great and [ very ] dreadful be . 6 he turn'd the sea into dry land , and they [ thereby ] safe passage had ; all marching through the flood on foot , there [ singing ] we in him were glad . 7 he ever ruleth by his pow'r ; his eyes [ do all ] the nations see : the rebels that exalt themselves , by him [ full low ] shall humbled be . 8 ye people sound forth of our god aloud the voice of [ his high ] praise ; 9 who puts and holds our soul in life , our feet from [ hurtful ] sliding stays . 10 for thou didst prove and try us , lord , as men [ by fire ] do silver try ; 11 brought'st us into the net , and layd'st [ bonds of ] grief on our loyns to lye . 12 over our heads thou mad'st men ride , through fire and [ water ] floods to pass ; but thou through all hast brought us out into a [ water'd ] wealthy place . 13 i 'le bring burnt-offerings to thy house , [ and all ] my vows to thee i 'le pay , 14 which my lips uttered , and mouth spake , when i in [ grievous ] trouble lay . 15 burnt sacrifices of fat rams , with incense i [ to thee ] will bring ; of bullocks , and of goats , i will ▪ present [ to thee ] an offering . 16 come now and hearken to my words , all you that have god's [ holy ] fear , and what he for my soul hath done , to you i will [ forthwith ] declare . 17 in my distress my mouth to him sent forth my [ humble ] earnest cry ; and his great name i with my tongue [ with praise ] extolled fervently . 18 i know if i do in my heart iniquity [ love and ] regard , when i to him my prayer make , i shall not then [ by him ] be heard . 19 but god did hear me readily , and [ he did ] graciously attend unto my praying voice and cry , which i to him did [ humbly ] send . 20 and blessed be the lord my god , who hath not [ from me ] turn'd away his mercy ; not deny'd my suit when i to him did [ seek and ] pray . psalm lxvii . the old metre , corrected by w. barton ▪ 1 have mercy on us , lord , and grant to us thy grace , and unto us do thou afford the brightness of thy face . 2 that all the earth may know the way to godly wealth , and all the people here below may see thy saving health . 3 let all the world , o god , give praise unto thy name ; o let the people all abroad extoll and laud the same . 4 throughout the world so wide , let all rejoyce with mirth ; for thou shalt justly judge and guide the nations of the earth . 5 let all the world , o god , give praise unto thy name , and let the people all abroad extoll and laud the same . 6 then shall the earth increase , great store of fruit shall fall , and god our god shall grant us peace , and greatly bless us all . 7 yea , god shall bless us all , and earth both far and near ; and people all in general of him shall stand in fear . the same by the scots . 1 lord , unto us be merciful , do thou us also bless , and graciously make shine on us the brightness of thy face . 2 that so thy way upon the earth to all men may be known , also among the nations all thy saving health be known . 3 o let the people praise thee , lord , let people all thee praise : 4 and let the nations all be glad , and sing for joy always . for rightly thou shalt people judge , and nations rule on earth : 5 let people praise thee , lord , let all the folk praise thee with mirth . 6 then shall the earth yield her increase , god , our god , bless us shall . 7 god shall us bless , and of the earth the ends shall fear him all . psalm lxviii . 1 let god arise , and scattered let all his [ daring ] enemies be ; and let all those that do him hate , from his just [ face and ] presence flee . 2 drive them away as smoak is driven , as wax melts at the [ burning ] fire , let wicked men before god's face so perish by his [ righteous ] ire . 3 but let the righteous all be glad , [ greatly ] rejoycing in god's sight ; let them addict themselves to joy , and this [ express ] with all their might . 4 sing unto god , his praises sing , extol him with your [ chearful ] voice , that rides on heav'n : by his name jah , before his [ gracious ] face rejoyce . 5 a father of the fatherless , and judge of [ helpless ] widows case is god , whom we adore and praise , even in his holy [ dwelling ] place . 6 the barren , god in families doth set : i , he from [ iron ] bands the bound sets free ; while rebels dwell [ in want ] in dry and barren lands . 7 o god of old when thou went'st forth before thy [ ransom'd ] peoples face , and through the barren wilderness [ thou ] didst [ as ] their conductor pass . 8 at god's presence the earth did shake , from heav'n the [ dropping ] showers fell ; sinai was at god's presence mov'd . [ before ] the god of israel . 9 o god , thou healed'st the desart's drought , sending [ to it ] a plenteous rain , whereby thy weary heritage thou didst confirm [ and own ] again . 10 thy congregation then did make their [ setled ] habitation there , and of thy goodness for the poor , o god , thou didst [ relief ] prepare 11 the publick word of joy to us was given out by [ thee , o ] god ; great was the company of them that [ quickly ] publisht it abroad . 12 kings of great armies terrify'd , were forc'd [ apare ] to flee away ; and she that tarryed at home did [ share and ] distribute the prey . 13 though you have lien among the pots , like [ beauteous ] doves you shall appear , whose wings with silver and with gold their [ yellow ] feathers cover'd are . 14 when the almighty scatter'd kings , as salmon snow 't was [ over ] white . 15 the hill of god's as bashan hill , as bashan hill [ it is ] for height . 16 why leap ye you high hills ? this is the [ holy ] mount chosen by god , where he delights to dwell ; on which he 'll [ ever ] settle his abode . 17 god's chariots twenty thousand are , his angels [ many ] thousands be ; among them as in sinai mount , so in his [ holy ] temple 's he . 18 thou hast triumphing gloriously . ascended up [ to dwell ] on high , and conquering in triumph led captive [ even our ] captivity . thou hast received gifts in man , [ and that ] for them that did rebel ; that as their reconciled god among them thou [ in love ] might'st dwell . 19 blest be the lord , who with his gifts of mercy doth us [ daily ] load ; even he who ever was and is of our defence [ and help ] the god. 20 our god is he that is the god of all [ health and ] salvation ; the issues and defence from death belong to [ none but ] him alone . 21 but god shall surely wound the head of all his [ harden'd ] enemies , their hairy scalp , who shall go on in their [ belov'd ] iniquities . 22 god said , i 'le bring them back , as i from bashan did [ for them ] before ; and as from the depths of the sea i brought them safely to the shore . 23 that thy feet may be dipt in blood of these thy [ stain and ] bleeding foes ; and even thy dogs may dip their tongue in blood which from the [ wounded ] flows . 24 thy goings they have seen , o god , in all thy [ glorious ] majesty ; the goings of my god and king in his [ sublime ] sanctuary . 25 first went the fingers ; next to them musicians [ follow'd ] in array ; among them all the damsels were that do on [ sounding ] timbrels play . 26 bless god in your assemblies all , unto him [ joyful ] praises sing , all you that of the blessed race from israel's [ ancient ] fountain spring . 27 benjamin and his ruler's there , and juda's [ ruling ] companies ; and with his princes zebulon : and with them [ also ] naphtali's . 28 thy god commands thy strength ; o god , confirm what thou [ for us ] hast wrought . 29 for thy house at jerusalem , king's presents shall [ to thee ] be brought ▪ 30 spear-men and people rude rebuke , till all [ of them ] submissive are , and tribute pay : scatter thou them that do delight in [ strife and ] war. 31 princes shall then submit to thee , and [ hither ] come from egypt lands , and ethiopia to god shall soon stretch out her [ subject ] hands . 32 sing unto god adoring praise , [ o ] all [ ye ] people of the earth sing praises to the lord our god with reverence and [ holy ] mirth . 33 to him that on the heaven of heavens , [ which was ] of old , doth ride , rejoyce : his voice he sendeth all abroad , it is a mighty [ dreadful ] voice . 34 ascribe ye power unto god , who reigns [ on high ] o're israel ; and his great strength and excellence doth in the heav'ns [ in glory ] dwell . 35 dreadful out of his holy place is [ israel's ] god , who doth afford unto his people strength and pow'r ; blessed [ therefore ] be god our lord. psalm lxix . 1 save me , o god , for rising floods unto my fearful soul are come . 2 i sink in deep unstable mire , deep waters have me overflown . 3 i of my crying weary am , my voice is hoarse , my throat is dry'd , my eyes also do fall , while i do waiting for my god abide . 4 more than my hairs of head they be , who causeless hatred to me bear , and my injurious enemies that would destroy me mighty are . then i restored that to them which never taken was by me . 5 o god , thou know'st my foolishness , and my sins are not hid from thee . 6 let not them for my sake be sham'd , o lord of hosts , that wait on thee ; nor those that seek thee , israel's god , for my own cause confounded be . 7 for thy sake i have born reproach , and shame hath covered my face ; 8 i to my brethren strange am grown , an alien to my mother's race . 9 because the zeal did eat me up which to thy sacred house i bear , and the reproaches cast on thee , upon me fallen for thy cause are . 10 when i in tears with fasting lay , this to my own reproach was turn'd ; a proverb to them i became 11 when i in sackcloth cloathed mourn'd . 12 the great men that sit in the gate , spake of me all the ill they think ; and i was made the song of them that are the drinkers of strong drink . 13 but , lord , in an accepted time my prayer i send up to thee ; lord , in thy mercies multitude , and in thy saving truth hear me . 14 deliver me out of the mire , and me from sinking in it keep ; save me from them that do me hate , and out of all these waters deep . 15 let not the floods me overflow , nor let the deeps up swallow me , and let not the pit's mouth below upon me buryed closed be . 16 hear me , o lord , for thy sure love and kindness is exceeding good ; turn thou to me , according to thy tender mercies multitude . 17 from thy servant hide not thy face , in this my trouble soon attend ; 18 draw nigh my soul , and it redeem , and from mine enemies me defend . 19 to thee is my reproach well known , my shame and my causeless disgrace ; my adversaries and their ways are open all before thy face . 20 reproach hath broke my heart , and grief abounds in me : i lookt for some to pity me , but there was none , true comforters i found not one . 21 they gave me also bitter gall for food , which they would have me eat ; they gave me vinegar to drink in scorn , when as my thirst was great . 22 let their own table be their snare , do thou to them in justice make their welfare and posterity become a trap themselves to take . 23 and let their eyes so darkened be , that pleasant light do them forsake ; and let their weakned ioyns by thee be made continually to shake . 24 thy dreadful indignation pour out upon these wicked men ; and let thy hot displeasure , and thy heavy wrath take hold on them . 25 and let their stately palaces be left as desolate ; within their tents without inhabitants , where these ill men have dwellers bin . 26 because him whom thou didst correct , yet they have persecuted more ; they talk unto the grief of those whom thou didst strike and wound before . 27 add thou deserved punishment unto their hainous wilful sin ; and to thy saying righteousness let them not have admission in . 28 out of the book of living men let them by death be blotted quite ; and with the just that blessed are , do not their names number and write . 29 but i am poor and sorrowful , because of my adversity ; but let thy saving grace , o lord , yet raise and set me up on high . 30 the name of god i with a song will praise and honour joyfully , and with thanksgiving for his grace , the lord's name i will magnifie . 31 this also shall a sacrifice more acceptable to him be than bull or ox with hoof and horns , if they were offered by me . 32 the meek and humble shall be glad , and greatly joy when this they see : your hearts shall live that seek the lord , and ever comfortable be . 33 because the lord doth hear the poor when they to him do cry and pray ; and doth not neglect or despise those that for him in prison lay . 34 let the high heav'ns and spacious earth unto jehovah praises give ; the ocean deep , and every thing which therein doth but creep and live . 35 for god will surely sion save , and judah's cities again build ; that men may them possess , and dwell in houses plentifully fill'd . 36 and they that are his servants seed , shall be possessors of the same ; and they shall have their dwelling there , who do sincerely love his name . psalm lxx . 1 o god , from my distress and fear [ do thou ] vouchsafe to set me free ; make hast , o lord , do thou afford thy [ speedy ] saving help to me . 2 let them confounded be and sham'd , who do my death [ seek and ] conspire ; confound them all , and turn them back that do my hurt [ in heart ] desire . 3 let shame be their reward : let them [ fly and ] be turned back by thee , who triumphing in my distress , do say [ in scorn ] aha , to me . 4 let all that truly seek thy face , with joy be [ ever ] glad in thee ; let all that thy salvation love , say still [ the lord ] god praised be . 5 but i am poor and weak , o god , make hast [ to me ] and do not stay ; thou art my saviour and help , help , lord , [ and ] make no [ more ] delay . psalm lxxi . 1 in thee , o lord , i put my trust , let me no [ hurtful ] shame befal . 2 in justice save me from my foes , [ by thee ] let me escape them all . incline thine ear , and save thou me ; 3 be thou my strength [ my rock ] and fort , my dwelling , unto which i may for [ help and ] refuge still resort . my safety is thy own command , my [ rock and ] fortress thou wilt be , 4 from wicked , unjust , cruel men [ do thou ] my god , deliver me . 5 for upon thee , my god alone , my trust and hope [ do all ] depend ; even from my raw and feeble youth , [ it 's ] thou [ that ] didst me still defend . 6 thou hast sustain'd me from the womb , it 's thou that [ safely ] didst take me from mother's bowels : all my thanks [ and praise ] shall always be to thee . 7 a wonder i to many am , [ but ] thou art [ still ] my refuge strong ; 8 with thy praise let my mouth be fill'd , and [ with thy ] honour all day long . 9 cast me not off now when old age and feebleness [ on me ] is come ; o do not me forsake at last when [ failing ] strength is almost gone . 10 for those that are mine enemies , against me speak with [ bitter ] hate ; and they together counsel take who for my life lay [ daily ] wait . 11 they say , his god , in whom he trusts , doth [ wholly ] now this man forsake ; there 's none to save him ; now let us him persecute and [ boldly ] take . 12 o god , in time of my distress , be not thou far [ from me ] away , my god , who art my only help , [ now ] help [ thou ] me without delay . 13 confound , consume them all that are to my soul [ causeless ] enemies ; let them be cloathed all with shame who do my hurt [ seek and ] devise . 14 but i will wholly trust in thee , and hope [ in thee ] continually ; and yet with praises more and more , thy [ great ] name [ i ] will magnifie . 15 thy righteousness and saving help my mouth [ abroad ] shall daily show , for i of all thy mercies great the numbers do not [ cannot ] know . 16 in all my duty i 'le go on in thy strength [ only ] o my lord ; and only thy own righteousness [ to men ] i 'le mention and record . 17 even from my tender youth , o god , by thee [ it is ] i have been taught ; and hitherto i have declar'd the wonders [ all which ] thou hast wrought . 18 now , lord , forsake me not , when i old [ feeble ] and grey-headed grow ; till to this age , and all to come , i shall thy [ strength and ] power show . 19 high is thy righteousness o god , and [ very ] great things thou hast done ; lord , who may be compar'd with thee ? surely there is not [ any ] one . 20 thou , lord who troubles great and sore didst bring [ on me ] and make me know , shalt quicken and bring me again [ even ] from [ the ] depth of earth below . 21 yea , thou my greatness shalt increase , thy blessings [ on me ] shall abound ; and with thy comforts and sweet peace thou [ safely ] wilt enclose me round . 22 i 'le use the pleasant psaltery to make thy praises [ further ] known ; and with the harp i 'le sing to thee , o israel's [ most ] holy one. 23 my lips shall my great joy express , when [ singing ] i thy praises sound ; my soul which thou redeemed hast , shall with her [ holy ] joy abound . 24 and of thy righteousness my tongue shall talk [ with joy ] all the day long , for they confounded are with shame who sought my hurt [ and-death ] with wrong . psalm lxxii . 1 lord , give thy judgments to the king , [ and to ] his son thy righteousness : 2 with right he shall thy people judge , thy poor with [ truth and ] uprightness . 3 then shall the mountains great and firm bring to the [ neighbour ] people peace ; so also shall the little hills by [ pleasant ] fruits of righteousness . 4 the poorest people he shall judge , and [ he shall ] save the poor and weak ; and those that their oppressors are , [ cast down ] he shall in pieces break . 5 and even from age to age shall they reverence thy name , and [ fear thy ] might ▪ as long as sun doth shine by day , or [ as the ] moon doth shine by night . 6 he shall come down like fruitful rain upon the [ grounds of ] late mown grass ; and as for watering the dry earth , refreshing showers [ from heav'n ] do pass . 7 just men shall flourish in his days , and [ all shall ] have abundant peace ; and this continued shall be until the moon [ to shine ] doth cease . 8 his great and blest dominion shall [ widely ] from sea to sea extend ; and from the river it shall reach to the earth's [ remote ] utmost end . 9 those that dwell in the wilderness , [ humbly ] bow down before him must ; and they that are his enemies must crowch and lick the [ very ] dust . 10 the kings of tarshish and the isles to him shall [ costly ] presents bring ; the king of sheba and seba [ shall send ] their gifts and offering . 11 yea ▪ all the greatest kings on earth shall [ prostrate ] down before him fall ; the many nations of the world shall [ also ] humbly serve him all . 12 the weak and needy he will save , when they [ for help ] to him do call ; also the poor and forlorn man , that hath no [ humane ] help at all . 13 those that are low and indigent he shall in [ tender ] mercy spare , and ( not oppress , but ) save the souls of them that [ weak and ] needy are . 14 their souls from fraud and violence his [ pow'r and ] mercy shall redeem ; their blood he shall not vilifie , but [ it as ] precious shall esteem . 15 he shall live , and to him shall be presented sheba's [ finest ] gold ; he shall be pray'd , for constantly and daily be [ his praise ] extoll'd , 16 the corn that grows on mountain tops [ prosp'ring ] the reaper's hand shall fill ; the fruit thereof shall wave and shake like trees on [ woody ] lebanon hill . his city shall be flourishing , with [ store of ] citizens abound ; even as the green and plenteous grass doth flourish on the [ fertile ] ground . 17 his name shall last : his father's name by him [ his son ] continue shall ; and men in him shall blessed be , all nations [ him shall ] blessed call . 18 and blessed be his holy name for ever by all [ living ] men : 19 and with his glory let the earth be [ wholly ] fill'd : amen , amen . psalm lxxiii . 1 yet surely god is ever good to [ all his ] israel , and to them whose hearts are purify'd and clean , and that are upright [ hearted ] men . 2 but yet my weakness was so great in my [ time of ] temptation , that my foot-steps had well-nigh slipt , my [ stumbling ] feet were almost gone . 3 for at the fools who flourished , i [ grudg'd and ] looked enviously , when as i saw how wicked men [ do ] live in [ great ] prosperity . 4 for there are no bands in their death , their strength shews they are [ fully ] fed . 5 other mens troubles they escape , [ and are ] not like them chastened . 6 therefore with pride as with a chain , [ about ] they all encompass'd are : and covered with violence , it as a garment [ they do ] wear . 7 their eyes stand out with fat : they have more than their [ very ] hearts can wish . 8 they are corrupt ; their wicked speech oppressing , [ lofty ] and p●oud is . 9 they set their mouth against the heav'ns in their [ prophane ] blaspheming talk ; and their reviling lavish tongue [ at large ] throughout the earth doth walk . 10 and hereupon his people do hither [ themselves ] return agen , and waters of a vessel full are [ drawn and ] wrung out unto them . 11 and thus they say , how can it be that god all this doth [ note and ] know ; and that there is in the most high knowledge of things [ done here ] below ? 12 behold , these the ungodly are , who live in health and [ fleshly ] ease , who prosper in the present world , in [ wealth and ] riches do increase . 13 then surely i have cleans'd my heart , and wash'd my hands [ from sin ] in vain : 14 for all day long have i been plagu'd , and thy sharp rod [ each day ] sustain . 15 but if these tempted sinful thoughts i [ own and ] utter with my tongue ▪ thy childrens generation all i should offend and [ greatly ] wrong . 16 when this i thought to understand , it was too [ high and ] hard for me : 17 till to god's holy place i went , then i their [ later ] end did see . 18 surely it is a slippery place in which these [ worldly ] men are set , from whence thy hand doth cast them down [ at last ] into destruction great . 19 how in a moment suddenly to [ utter ] ruine brought are they , and with just terrors utterly [ from earth ] they are consum'd away . 20 even as a transient dream of men , who [ waking ] do from sleep arise ; so thou , o lord , when thou awak'st , their [ lifeless ] image wilt despise . 21 thus grieved was my tempted heart , and me my [ pierced ] reins opprest . 22 so rude and ignorant was i , and in thy sight [ too like ] a beast . 22 nevertheless continually [ o lord ] with thee i do remain , and the support of thy right hand doth me always [ help and ] sustain . 24 thou with thy counsel in thy way wilt me direct and [ surely ] guide , and unto glory afterwards [ thou wil t ] receive me to abide . 25 whom have i in the heav'ns above [ to trust ] but thee my god alone ? and whom on earth do i desire [ and seek ? ] besides thee there is none . 26 my flesh and heart do faint and fail ; but god upholds my [ sinking ] heart ; god is my rock of strength , and he for ever is my [ chosen ] part . 27 for they shall surely perish all that are gone far [ away ] from thee : they that from thee a whoring go , shall all [ at last ] destroyed be . 28 i know that it is best for me my god still to draw [ and dwell ] near ; i trust in thee , lord god , that i may all thy [ wondrous ] works declare . psalm lxxiv . 1 o god , why hast thou cast us off ? shall it be [ thus for ] evermore ? against thy pasture-sheep why doth thy [ heavy ] anger smoak so sore ? 2 think on thine ancient flock , which thou hast purchas'd for thy [ chosen ] lot , mount sion , where thou dwelled'st so long , [ by thee ] redeem'd , forsake thou not . 3 the desolations long repair , arise , and do not [ longer ] tarry , all that thy wicked foes have done within thy [ chosen ] sanctuary . 4 amidst the congregations [ cruel ] foes roar outragiously ; and their ensigns they have set up as signs of [ prophane ] victory . 5 this sacred building formerly did [ skilful ] workmen famous make : 6 but now with axes and hammers the carved work they [ down do ] break . 7 thy temple they have burnt with fire , [ and it ] defil'd by casting down unto the ground the dwelling place where thy great name [ and praise ] was known . 8 they said , now let us break them all with our destroying [ potent ] hand ; they burn up all the synagogues of god [ that were ] throughout the land. 9 our signs , and all our prophets cease , [ now ] there is none left us among that can the end of this fore-see , and tell thy [ suffering ] flock how long . 10 how long , lord , shall the enemy thee by reproach [ scorn and ] prophane , and shall the adversaries thus always blaspheme thy [ holy ] name ? 11 pluck out and shew forth thy right hand , why dost thou it [ so long ] with-hold ? 12 salvation in the earth was wrought by god our [ glorious ] king of old . 13 the flowing sea divided was by force of thy [ potent ] command ; the heads of dragons in the floods thou [ also ] brakest by thy hand . 14 the heads thou didst in pieces break of the leviathan [ so ] great ; to them that in the desart dwell thou gav'st him [ also ] to be meat . 15 fountains out of the cloven rocks thou brought'st forth [ for us ] plenteously ; the mighty stream of jordon flood , [ for us ] thou caused'st to be dry . 16 thine , and in thy hand only is the day , and [ so is ] the dark night ; it 's thou alone that hast prepar'd the sun and its clear [ daily ] light . 17 thou all the borders of the earth hast set by thy [ potent ] decree : the summer and the winter's course [ made and ] distinguish'd are by thee . 18 o lord , let it remembred be how great [ prophane ] reproach and shame thy foes have dar'd to cast on thee , and fools blaspheme thy [ holy ] name . 19 thy turtle-dove's soul do not thou unto the [ wicked ] croud deliver ; the congregation of thy poor [ o ] do not [ thou ] forget for ever . 20 unto thy covenant have respect , [ for now ] the earth 's dark places be full of the habitations of [ wicked ] mens great cruelty . 21 o let not those that are opprest , return [ again ] with grief and shame ; but let the poor , and men distress'd give praises to thy [ holy ] name . 22 arise , o lord , plead and maintain the cause that is [ indeed ] thine own ; remember how thou art reproach'd , even [ daily ] by the foolish one . 23 forget not thou the voice of those that are thy [ wicked ] enemies ; their rage and tumults do increase who do [ as foes ] against thee rise . psalm lxxv . 1 accept , o god , the thanks we give , to thee we [ truly ] thankful are ; for that thy name to us is near , thy wondrous works [ do all ] declare . 2 when i th' assembly do receive , an upright judge [ to all ] i 'le be . 3 the earth and dwellers are dissolv'd , her [ shaken ] pillars rest on me . 4 to the unquiet fools i said , deal not [ stilt thus ] so foolshly , and to malignant wicked men , lift not your [ threatning ] horn on high . 5 do not presumptuous horns advance , speak not [ stiff-neck'd ] with haughty mouth ; 6 promotion doth not come by chance from east or west , or [ from the ] south . 7 but god is judge ; he puts down one , and [ he doth ] set another up . 8 in the revenging hand of god of [ blood-red ] wine there is a cup. it 's full of mixture : he pours out [ the same ] and makes the wicked all wring out the bitter dregs thereof , [ and ] they [ all ] surely drink it shall . 9 but i for ever will declare , [ with psalms ] i jacob's god will praise : 10 the wicked's horns will i cut off , but just mens heads [ and power ] will raise . psalm lxxvi . 1 in judah god is known : his name in [ his own ] israel is great ; in salem is his tabernacle : [ in ] sion [ is ] his dwelling seat . 3 there he the hurtful arrows brake ; the shield , the sword , and [ bloody ] war. 4 more glorious than the hills of prey , and excellent [ art thou ] by far . 5 the stout and valiant men are spoil'd , [ and ] by [ the ] sleep of death they fall ; no men of might could find their hands [ in need ] to help themselves withal . 6 when thy rebuke , o jacob's god , had once against them [ spoke and ] past , with them both horse and chariot were into a [ fatal ] dead sleep cast . 7 thou , and thou only , glorious god , art he that all should [ greatly ] fear ; and who can stand before thy face , if [ once but ] angry thou appear ? 8 thou didst make judgment heard from heaven , the [ subject ] earth was still with fear . 9 when god arose to judge and save all those that humble [ and meek ] were . 10 the furious wrath of cruel men shall [ surely ] to thy praise redound ; and the remainder of their wrath thou wilt restrain , and [ strictly ] bound . 11 vow to the lord your god , and pay [ all ] you that are [ un ] to him near ; and bring your presents unto him that ought to be your [ chiefest ] fear . 12 the greatest princes spirits all [ quickly ] by him cut off shall be ; and to the kings that rule on earth , [ at last ] most terrible is he . psalm lxxvii . 1 i with my fervent voice did cry to god in all my [ grief and ] fear ; even to my god with mournful voice , and he to me [ in time ] gave ear . 2 i sought god in my woful day , my [ constant ] sore did run all night ; my grieved soul did put away all [ offer'd ] comfort and delight . 3 i did remember god , but yet my [ grief and ] trouble did remain ; my spirit over-whelmed was , and did [ in me ] too much complain . 4 mine eyes , depriv'd of quiet sleep , [ by night ] thou keepest still awake ; my trouble is so great and sore , that i can [ very ] hardly speak . 5 thy dealings in the days of old i then did [ mind and ] think upon , what thou in former ancient times hast for [ me and ] thy people done . 6 my songs by night i call'd to mind ; i [ search'd and ] commun'd with my heart ; my spirit diligently fought the cause [ and cure ] of all my smart . 7 for ever will the lord cast off ? and [ will he ] gracious be no more ? 8 for ever is his mercy gone ? fails his [ good ] word [ for ] evermore ? 9 can it be that his graciousness [ to us ] the lord forgotten hath ? and that his tender mercies he hath shut up now in [ endless ] wrath ? 10 then said i , these are but the thoughts of my [ faulty ] infirmity ; i 'le look back to the years past gone , and [ the right ] hand of the most high . 11 i will yet meditate upon the [ former ] great works of the lord of those great wonders i will think of old , [ which are ] upon record . 12 thy great and gracious works i will my [ frequent ] meditation make ; and of thy doings to discourse , my [ daily ] work and pleasure take . 13 thy holy way , o god , is in thy [ sacred ] house , and there made known ; there is no other god of might but our [ god , the ] almighty one. 14 thou only art the god of power , whose doings [ all great ] wonders are ; and thou among the people all thy [ strength and ] greatness didst declare . 15 thou hast with thine almighty arm from bonds thy [ chosen ] people freed , redeeming from captivity jacob's and joseph's [ numerous ] seed . 16 the waters deep saw thee , o god ; they saw thee , and [ backward ] they fled , as if afraid : the depths also retir'd as [ by fear ] troubled . 17 the clouds their waters poured out , a [ dreadful ] sound came from the sky , and then unto the frightened earth abroad thy [ hurtful ] arrows fly . 18 thy thunder's voice was in the heav'ns , thy lightning [ flashed ] from the sky , lightning the world : the trembling earth did quake as [ it were ] fear'd thereby . 19 thy way is in the rowling seas , the [ unseen ] paths where thou hast gone in the great waters ; and thy steps to [ earthly ] mortals are unknown . 20 thy people thou didst keep and lead even like a shepherd's flock of sheep ; by moses and by aaron's hand thou didst them guide and [ safely ] keep . psalm lxxviii . 1 give ear , you that my people are , unto my law and word of truth ; incline your ear to all the words which i shall utter with my mouth . 2 in parables i 'le ope my mouth , and utter dark sayings of old , 3 which we our selves have heard and known , and which our fathers have us told . 4 we will not hide them from their seed , but shew unto the age to come god's praises , and his strength , and all the wondrous works that he hath done . 5 a testimony and a law he made and gave to israel , which he our fathers charg'd , that they should after to their children tell . 6 that so the children yet unborn , and ages coming might them know , who should arise , and them likewise in time unto their children show . 7 that they might not forge● god's works , but on him set their hope and heart ; and keep all his commandements , and never more from them depart . 8 and might not as their ancestors , be stubborn and rebellious found ; a race whose heart was not set right , whose spirit was not with god found . 9 for then the sons of ephraim being in arms , and carrying bows , yet in the day of battle they turned their backs upon their foes . 10 they brake god's covenant , and refus'd in his commanded way to go ; 11 and did forget his works , and all the wonders he to them did show . 12 marvellous things did he perform , which all their fathers then beheld ; both in the land of egypt first , and afterwards in zoan field . 13 he did divide for them the sea , and caused them through it to pass ; and made the waters on each side to stand ; even like a heap it was . 14 with cloud by day , by light of fire in the dark night he did them guide . 15 in the desart he clave the rock , and drink as from the deeps supply'd . 16 he from the rock brought flowing streams , and made the waters to run down : 17 yet in the desart sinning more , they did provoke the highest one. 18 for in their heart they tempted god , and speaking with sinful distrust , they greedily did call for meat to satisfie their fleshly lust . 19 yea , even against the lord himself they grudging spake prophanely thus : can god here in this wilderness a furnish'd table spread for us ? 20 indeed he smote the rock , and thence there flowed streams of waters great ; and can he give his people bread , and provide flesh for them to eat ? 21 this the lord heard , and then his wrath did kindle a consuming flame , which against jacob did come up , his anger against israel came . 22 because they did not god believe , nor trust in his salvation had . 23 though clouds above he did command , and he heav'ns doors had open made ; 24 and rain'd down manna upon them , and gave them corn from heav'n to eat . 25 so that man did eat angels food , and to the full he gave them meat . 26 from heav'n he made the east-wind blow , brought the south-wind by his command : 27 he rained flesh on them as dust , and feather'd fowl as the sea-sand . 28 even in their camp , and round about their habitation it did fall ; 29 so they did eat and were well fill'd , their own desire he gave them all . 30 they were not from their lusts estrang'd , the meat yet in their mouths , even then 31 god's wrath the fattest of them slew , and smote down israel's choicest men . 32 yet for all this they sinned still , believed not for his wonders wrought ; 33 their days he then consum'd in vain , their years in trouble on them brought . 34 but earnestly they sought to him when he them slew , and us'd his rod ; and then they seemed to return , enquiring early after god. 35 then they remembred that the lord was their strong rock that did them save ; and their redeemer the high god , who unto them deliverance gave . 36 yet with their mouth they flatter'd him , and spake all this deceitfully ; and they unto the god of truth with their unfaithful tongues did lie . 37 for all this while their hearts within were not found upright and sincere ; nor in his holy covenant unchangeable and steadfast were . 38 but full of pity , he forgave their sin , and did not them destroy ; and did not stir up all his wrath , but often turned it away . 39 for he remembred that they were but flesh , whose time is short and vain , and like a wind , which passing by , is gone , and cometh not again . they oft in th' desart him provok'd ▪ displeased with what they had done . 41 yea , they turned back and tempted god , limiting israel's holy one. 42 and they remembred not his hand , nor yet the former days , when he from their oppressing enemy had saved them , and set them free . 43 how he in egypt wrought his signs , and wonders great in zoan field ; 44 and turn'd their rivers into blood , and floods , that they no drink could yield . 45 among them he sent divers sorts of flyes , which did them much annoy , and did devour their fruits ; and frogs he sent to vex them , and destroy . 46 their increase by the caterpiller ; their labour was by locusts lost : 47 their vines he did destroy with hail , and their sycamore trees with frost . 48 he gave their cattle to the hail , their flocks by thunder-bolts were spent ; 49 fierce wrath and trouble cast on them by evil angels to them sent . 50 he to his anger did make way , and spared not their souls from death , but to the wasting pestilence he did give up their vital breath . 51 all egypt's first-born he smote down , and in ham's land their chiefest strength : 52 he made them let his people go , like sheep he led them out at length . he in the desart did them guide , 53 and like a flock them safely led , so that they were secur'd from fear , but their foes the sea covered . 54 he brought them to the borders , where his sanctuary now doth stand ; even to the sacred mountain , which he purchased with his right hand . 55 before them cast the heathen out , their land to them he did divide , and made the tribes of israel in their tents to dwell and abide . 56 yet did they tempt the most high god , him by their sin provoked they , and did not his commandements unfeignedly keep and obey . 57 but like their fathers turned back , and dealt with god unfaithfully ; like a deceitful warping bow , which turn'd aside , doth shoot awry . 58 they to displeasure him provok'd ▪ with altars set in places high ; and with their graven images they moved him to jealousie . 59 when god heard this he was displeas'd , and abhor'd israel greatly then ; 60 so that he shilo's place forsook , the tent he placed among men . 61 his peoples strength he captive gave ; his glory to the enemies hand . 62 he gave his people to the sword , and was wroth with his chosen land . 63 the fire consumed their young men , and their maidens no marriage had . 64 their priests also fell by the sword , their wives no lamentation made . 65 but then the lord arose like one that doth from silent sleep awake ; and like a giant , that by wine exhilerate a shout doth make . 66 and on his enemies hinder parts he made his heavy strokes to fall , and so upon them all he cast reproach and shame perpetual . 67 moreover joseph's tabernacle , and ephraim's tribe he did refuse . 68 but the mount sion , which he lov'd , and judah's ruling tribe did choose . 69 his sanctuary there he built , like to a palace fair and high ; and like the earth which his hand hath founded for perpetuity . 70 his servant david he did choose , and him his peoples ruler make ; and from the governing of sheep to dignity he did him take . 71 from following ewes great with young ▪ he call'd and brought him up to feed israel his own inheritance , his servant jacob's chosen seed . 72 so after the integrity of his heart they by him were fed ; and by his hands great skilfulness by him they were well governed . psalm lxxix . 1 o god , the heathen do invade thy heritage , [ and now ] by them thy temple is defil'd : on heaps they lay [ thy dear ] jerusalem . 2 the bodies of thy servants they [ cast forth ] have given to be meat for ravenous fowls , and thy saints flesh unto the beasts [ of th' earth ] to eat . 3 their blood about jerusalem like [ common ] water they have shed , and there was none to bury them , when they [ by them ] were cast out dead . 4 to all our neighbours that hear this , a [ jeast and ] meer reproach are we ; a s●orn and mocking-stock to those that [ dwelling ] round about us be . 5 how long , lord , ( o not evermore ) shall this thine anger [ towards us ] last ? shall thy provoked jealousie like fire thus always [ burn and ] wa st ? 6 upon the heathen pour thy wrath , that have not known thee [ and thy ] fame ; and on the kingdoms which have not ador'd thy [ great and ] holy name . 7 for these are they that jacob have [ slain and ] devoured cruelly ; and made his famous dwelling-place as ruinous [ and wa st ] to lye . 8 o charge not on us former sins , thy tender [ pardoning ] mercies show ; let them prevent us speedily , for we are now brought [ very ] low . 9 for thy name's glory help us , lord , who [ art and ] hast our saviour bin ; for thy names-sake deliver us , and purge away our [ guilt and ] sin . 10 why say the heathen , where 's their god ? let him to them be [ better ] known ; when these that shed thy servants blood are in our sight [ judg'd and ] o'rethrown , 11 o let the prisoners sighs ascend before thy [ righteous ] sight on high ; preserve those by thy soveraign power , that are [ by men ] design'd to dye . 12 and to our neighbours let seven fold [ reward ] in judgment rendred be ; even that reproach wherewith they have [ falsly ] o god , reproached thee . 13 so we thy folk and pasture-sheep will give thee [ joyful ] thanks always ; and to all ages yet to come we will shew forth thy [ glorious ] praise . psalm lxxx . 1 o israel's shepherd , hear , who dost like a flock joseph [ feed and ] guide ; shine forth o thou that dost between the [ sacred ] cherubims abide . 2 in ephraim's and benjamin's , and [ also ] in manasseh's sight , for our speedy salvation come , stir up [ and shew ] thy saving might . 3 turn us again , and bring us home , and upon us [ do thou ] vouchsafe , o god , to make thy face to shine , and then we shall [ again ] be safe . 4 lord god of hosts , how long wilt thou thus in thy [ burning ] anger smoak ? against thy peoples humble prayer who do thy [ sacred ] name invoke ? 5 instead of bread , tears are their food , [ which now ] thou givest them to eat ; and tears thou givest them to drink , and that in measure [ very ] great . 6 thou makest us a strife unto our [ envious ] neighbours round about ; our enemies among themselves at us do [ daily ] laugh and flout . 7 turn us again , o lord of hosts , and upon us [ do thou ] vouchsafe to make thy pleased face to shine , and then we shall [ again ] be safe . 8 thou hast a vine from egypt brought by thy out-stretched [ mighty ] hand ; and thou the heathen didst cast out , and plant it in their [ promis'd ] land . 9 before it thou prepared'st room , and mad'st it [ therein ] take deep root , till it did spread and multiply , and [ so did ] fill the land throughout . 10 through its increase the hills about were [ cloath'd and ] covered with its shade , and like the lofty cedar trees , her [ spreading ] branches were display'd . 11 and she as far as to the sea her [ prosperous ] fruitful boughs did send ; and to the bounding river's side her [ out-spread ] branches did extend . 12 why hast thou then her fencing hedge thus [ greatly ] broken and cast down , so that all passengers her fruit do pluck [ and take ] even as their own . 13 it rooted up and wasted is by the [ unclean ] boar of the wood ▪ and all the wild beasts of the field devour it as their [ proper ] food . 14 o god of hosts , we thee beseech , [ with help ] return yet unto thine ; with mercy look from heav'n , behold and visit this thy [ wasted ] vine . 15 the vineyard which inclosed by thee , thy right hand [ set and ] planted young , and that chief branch which for thy self [ in it ] thou mad'st so high and strong . 16 it is as fuel now cut down , and burnt up by the [ raging ] fire ; they perish when thy countenance rebuketh them with [ burning ] ire . 17 let thy defending hand be on the [ chosen ] man of thy right hand ; the son of man , whom for thy self thou madest strong to [ rule and ] stand . 18 so will we not go back from thee , nor from our [ promis'd duty ] fall ; quicken and raise us up , and we upon thy name will [ trust and ] call . 19 turn us again , lord god of hosts , and upon us [ do thou ] vouchsafe to make thy pleased face to shine , and then we shall be [ ever ] safe . psalm lxxxi . 1 unto the glorious god , our strength , sing all [ aloud ] with raised voice ; and unto jacob's mighty god , [ in praise ] make all a joyful noise . 2 take ye a psalm , the timbrel bring to help our [ joyful ] melody ; the pleasant harp , and every string we 'll use with [ the sweet ] psaltery . 3 in the new moon the trumpet blow , [ the time ] which god , whom we obey , appointed us this use to keep , [ even ] on our solemn feast [ ing ] day . 4 a statute this for israel was , a law which [ jacob's ] god had sent ; 5 to joseph made a testimony , when he from egypt [ saved ] went. he heard a speech not understood , 6 the [ heavy ] burdens he did bear i from his shoulders took , his hands from [ making ] pots delivered were . 7 thou call'dst in fear : i saved thee , and from the [ secret ] thundring sky i answer'd ; and at meribah thy [ wavering ] trust in me did try . 8 hear , o my people , and my mind i 'le [ shew and ] testifie to thee ; o israel , if thou wilt obey , and [ truly ] hearken unto me . 9 then know that no strange god at all , in thee i [ ever ] will allow ; nor shalt thou to any strange god by way of worship [ kneel and ] bow . 10 for i the lord thy god am he who thee from egypt's [ bondage ] led , open thy mouth wide , and thou shall [ by me ] be plentifully fed . 11 but this my people would not hear this statute which [ to them ] i spake ; and israel would have none of me , but [ this ] my [ great ] commandment brake . 12 so to their hardened hearts and lusts i left them , and [ so far ] forsook ; and in their own wrong way they walkt , and their own [ foolish ] counsel took . 13 o that my people had receiv'd my [ word and ] law which i thus made , and israel had walked in my [ righteous ] laws , and me obey'd . 14 i should then quickly have subdu'd [ to them ] their feared enemies , and turn'd my hand against all those that did [ as foes ] against them rise . 15 the haters of the lord to him should have submission [ made or ] feign'd ; but as for them , their prosp'rous time should [ surely ] ever have remain'd . 16 he should have fed them with the fat , and [ finest ] flower of the wheat ; and made the rock with honey flow , that thou [ thereof ] thy fill might'st eat . psalm lxxxii . 1 in the assembly of the great'st the lord [ o're all ] himself doth stand as judge among those called gods , the [ mortal ] rulers of the land . 2 how long will ye unjustly judge , and favour [ unjust ] wicked men ? accepting their persons ( to shew that you [ your selves ] are like to them . ) 3 defend the poor and fatherless , to [ all the ] poor oppress'd do right : 4 the poor and needy ones set free , rid them from bad mens [ hand and ] might . 5 they know not , nor will understand ; in [ wilful ] darkness they walk on : all the foundations of the earth are mov'd and [ almost ] overthrown . 6 i call'd you gods for ruling power , [ honour'd ] sons of the highest all ; 7 but you shall die like men , and like to other [ mortal ] princes fall . 8 arise , o lord , and judge the earth , and bring [ unjust ] oppressors down , for thou all nations shall possess , and rule them [ justly ] as thine own . psalm lxxxiii . 1 lord , do not silence keep , nor longer hold thy peace ; seem not these doings to neglect , and bear with wickedness . 2 for now thine enemies do rage tumultuously ; and they that hate thee are set up , and lift their heads on high . 3 they crafty counsel take against thy people all ; and against thine own hidden ones , they plot and seek their fall . 4 they say , let 's cut them off , that they no nation be , and that the name of israel come no more in memory . 5 together they consult with one consenting hate ; even against thee thy peoples strength they are confederate . 6 edom and ishmaelites , moab and hagarens ; 7 gebal , ammon , and amalek , tyre , and the philistines . 8 assur is with them joyn'd , lot's children to assist ; 9 do them as the midianites , and as to sisera's host . and as at kison brook , to jabin , who did fall 10 at endor , who became as dung to soil the earth withal . 11 make thou their nobles all like oreb and zeeb ; let their princes as zeba be , and as zalmunna , dead . 12 who said , let 's to our selves the houses of god take : 13 my god , like rowling wheels or chaff before the wind them make . 14 as fire burns wood , and flame the mountains sets on fire , 15 chase and affright them with the storms and tempests of thine ire . 16 with shame their faces fill , that they may seek thy name : 17 let them confounded be , and vext , and perish in their shame . 18 that men may know that thou , whom we jehovah call , in all the earth art supream lord , and highest over all . psalm lxxxiv . 1 how lovely is thy dwelling-place , o lord of hosts , to me ! the tabernacles of thy grace , how pleasant , lord , they be ! 2 my thirsty soul doth long and faint the courts of god to see ; my heart , and even my flesh cry out , o living god , for thee . 3 the sparrow hath found out a house , the swallow found a nest , where she may lay her young , and where her self and they may rest . even near thy holy altars they may make their safe abode ; and why not i , seeing thou art my king and only god ? 4 blest are they in thy house that dwell , they always give thee praise . 5 blessed is he whose strength 's in thee , in whose heart are thy ways . 6 who passing as through bala's vale , make it a place of wells , and the descending plenteous rain the pools with water fills . 7 unwearied they forward go , marching from strength to strength , till all in sion do appear before the lord at length . 8 lord god of hosts , my prayer hear , o jacob's god give ear : 9 o god , our shield , look on the face of thine anointed dear . 10 because one day within thy house is better to abide , than in another place to stay a thousand days beside . much rather would i keep a door in the house of my god , than in the tents of wickedness to take up mine abode . 11 for the lord god , our sun and shield , will grace and glory give , and no good thing from them with-hold who uprightly do live . 12 o thou that art the lord of hosts , that man is surely blest , who by a stedfast confidence on thee alone doth rest . psalm lxxxv . 1 thou hast been favourable , o lord , unto thy land ; and israel's sad captivity thou brought'st back by thy hand . 2 thy people thou forgav'st the guilt that they were in ; and by thy free and plenteous grac● didst cover all their sin . 3 thy wrath thou took'st away , and didst to mercy turn ; even from thine anger terrible , that did against us burn . 4 o god , our saviour , turn us unto thy peace , and cause thine anger that 's gone forth against us , for to cease . 5 shall thy displeasure last against us without end ? and to all generations wilt thou thy wrath extend ? 6 wilt thou not us restore , and quicken us , that we who are thy people , evermore in thee may joyful be ? 7 shew us thy mercy , lord , which may thy flock relieve ; and thy salvation unto us in season freely give . 8 i 'le hear what god to us will speak ; it will be peace to all his saints ; but let not them return to foolishness . 9 surely to all those who in fear of god do stand , his help is nigh , that glory may dwell always in our land . 10 mercy and truth shall meet , and no more parted be ; and peace with righteousness shall greet , and blessedly agree . 11 truth here , even on this earth , shall spring and prosper well ; and righteousness from heav'n descend , and here among us dwell . 12 the lord shall give what 's good , our land shall yield increase ; 13 justice , to set us in his way , shall go before his face . psalm lxxxvi . 1 bow down thine ear , o lord , hear me , for i am poor 2 and in distress : yet i am thine , preserve my soul therefore . my god , thy servant save , who doth on thee rely ; 3 be merciful to me , o lord , who daily to thee cry . 4 rejoyce thy servant's soul , for unto thee , o lord , do i lift up my soul , in hope that thou wilt help afford . 5 for thou , o lord , art good , and ready to forgive : and rich in mercy ; and all those that seek thee , dost relieve . 6 give ear to my request , my praying voice attend ; 7 i 'le call on thee when troubles come , for thou wilt answer send . 8 among the gods , o lord , none may with thee compare ; neither among the works they do , any like thy works are . 9 all nations made by thee , shall come and reverently worship before thee , our great god , and thy name magnifie . 10 for thou art high and great , and wondrous things hast done ; besides thee there 's no other god , for thou art god alone . 11 teach me thy truth and way , and i 'le walk in the same ; unite my heart , lord , unto thee , to fear thy holy name . 12 my god , with all my heart to thee will i give praise , and i the glory will ascribe unto thy name always . 13 for thy mercy to me in greatness doth excel ; thou hast delivered my soul both from the grave and hell. 14 the proud against me rise , terrible men are met in troops , that seek my life ; but thee before them have not set . 15 but full of pity , lord , and gracious thou art found ; thou art long-suffering , and in truth and mercy dost abound . 16 o turn thee unto me , and mercy on me have ; strengthen thy servant , and the son of thine own handmaid save . 17 shew me some sign for good , that all my foes may see , and be asham'd , because thou , lord , dost help and comfort me . psalm lxxxvii . 1 upon the sacred hills he his foundation sets : 2 more than all jacob's dwellings else god loveth sion gates . 3 great things are said of thee , o city of the lord. 4 rahab's and babel's case to those that know me i 'le record . it 's said of famous tyre , and land of palestine ; and of the ethiopian land , this man was born therein . 5 of sion't shall be said , this man , and that man there was born ; and he that highest is , himself shall stablish her . 6 when god recites their names , who his own people are ; to their great honour he shall count , that this man was born there . 7 singers , and those that play on musick , there shall be ; yea , all my springs of holy peace and comfort , are in thee . psalm lxxxviii . 1 o god , who art my hope and help , to thee i cryed night and day . 2 let my cries have access to thee , incline thine ear when i do pray . 3 my soul with troubles doth abound , my life draws nigh unto the grave . 4 like one that to be buryed goes , i am as those that no strength have . 5 as a companion of the dead , like those that slain in grave do lye ; whom thou hast cut off by thy hand , and dost put out their memory . 6 thou lay'st me in the lowest pit , and as in deep and darksom caves ; 7 thy wrath lyes hard on me , and thou afflictest me with all thy waves . 8 my friends thou hast put far from me , to them as burdensome i grow ; in sorrows i am so shut up , that forth from thence i cannot go . 9 my eye through my affliction mourns , i call on thee from day to day ; to thee , o lord , i have stretch'd out my craving hands ; to thee i pray . 10 wilt thou shew wonders to the dead ? shall the dead rise and praise thee here ? 11 is thy love praised in the grave ? doth death thy faithfulness declare ? 12 are thy great works known in the dark ? or is thy truth and righteousness remembred and mention'd in the land of deep forgetfulness ? 13 but unto thee , o lord , i cry , my morning's pray'r shall thee prevent . 14 lord why dost thou cast off my soul ? why is thy face against me bent ? 15 even from my early youth i was afflicted , and as near to die ; while i thy terrors do endure i almost as distracted lie . 16 thy fierce wrath goeth over me , thy terrors kill and cast me out : 17 like floods they daily on me come , gather and compass me about . 18 my dearest friends that did me love , thou hast removed far from me ; those that my old acquaintance were into the dark are cast by thee . psalm lxxxix . 1 of the great mercies of the lord i will perpetually sing ; the notice of thy faithfulness to ages all my mouth shall bring . 2 for i have said that mercy shall be built for ever to endure ; and in the very heav'ns thou wilt thy faithfulness establish sure . 3 i to my chosen servant have my self by my own covenant ty'd ; even unto david , and to him by oath i have it ratify'd . 4 that i thy seed establish will , that it for evermore endure ; and to all generations thy throne will build and settle sure . 5 the praises of thy wonders , lord , the heav'ns shall gloriously express ; the congregations of thy saints shall praise thy truth and faithfulness . 6 for in the heav'ns themselves who may with thee , the only lord , compare ? who may be liken'd to the lord , of all their sons that mighty are ? 7 god greatly to be feared is th' assemblies of the saints throughout ; and to be had in reverence of all that him attend about . 8 o thou that art the lord of hosts , what lord like thee with strength is crown'd ? who 's like to thee in faithfulness , which doth thy throne encompass round ? 9 when as the swelling sea doth rage , thou over it dost rule and reign ; and when the waves thereof arise , thou quickly stillest them again . 10 rahab in pieces thou didst break , as one that slain on the earth lies ; and with thy own almighty arm thou scattered hast thine enemies . 11 the heav'n and earth , the world is thine , their fulness all ; thou foundest them . 12 thou mad'st the north and south , tabor and hermon glory in thy name . 13 strong is thine arm , high thy right hand ; 14 justice and judgment are the place where thy throne dwells ; mercy and truth shall ever go before thy face . 15 that people truly blessed is , the joyful sound and call that know ; in the light of thy countenance , o lord , they onward still shall go . 16 in thy great name that people shall rejoyce all day exceedingly ; and in thy perfect righteousness shall they exalted be on high . 17 thou art the glory of their strength , thy love doth exaltation bring . 18 thou , lord , alone art our defence , and israel's holy one , our king. 19 in vision to thy holy one , thou said'st , i have laid help upon one that is strong ; and out of all i did exalt a chosen one . 20 david my servant i have found , with holy oyl did him anoint ; 21 with whom my hand shall stablish'd be , my arm shall strength to him appoint . 22 his foes shall not exact on him ; wicked men shall not him afflict : 23 his foes before him i 'le beat down , his haters i 'le with plagues correct . 24 my mercy and my faithfulness shall keep him , and be with him still ; and while he trusteth in my name , his horn of power exalt i will. 25 i 'le set his hand upon the sea , and on the rivers his right hand : 26 he 'll cry , my father , and my god ; the rock on which my help doth stand . 27 also i 'le make him my first-born , higher than kings of any land ; 28 mercy i 'le ever keep for him , with him my covenant fast shall stand . 29 his seed i 'le make still to endure ; and as the days of heav'n his throne . 30 if his children my law forsake , my judgments do not keep and own . 31 if they my statutes do prophane , and keep not my commandements ; 32 their sins i 'le visit with the rod , and their misdeeds with chastisements . 33 yet i 'le not take from him my love , nor will my faithful promise break ; 34 my covenant i 'le not violate , nor alter what of him i spake . 35 once by my holiness i sware , and unto david will not lye ; 36 his seed and throne shall as the sun before me last perpetually . 37 and it shall be established for ever , and like to the moon , which as a witness in the heav'ns my steady faithfulness makes known . 38 but now thou dost him so forsake , as if cast down , thou dost him loath ; and with this thine anointed one thou dealest as in heavy wrath . 39 thy servant's covenant hast made void , and on the ground prophan'd his crown ; 40 his strong holds thou to ruin brought'st , and hast broke all his hedges down . 41 all spoil him that pass by the way , to neighbours a reproach is he ; 42 and thou hast set up their right hand that his great adversaries be . thou hast made all his foes rejoyce , 43 the edge of his sword in his hand thou turned hast ; and hast not him made able in the fight to stand . 44 his glory thou hast made to cease , his throne down to the ground hast cast ; 45 his days of youth hast shortened , and him with shame thou covered hast . 46 how long , lord , shall it ever be that thou wilt hide thy self in ire ? and shall thy wrath unreconcil'd consume and burn us up as fire ? 47 remember how short is the time that i must here on earth remain ; wherefore hast thou all mortal men made to live here as meerly vain ? 48 what man is he that liveth here , and fatal death shall never see ? and who is he that from the grave can his own life save and set free ? 49 the former loving kindnesses which thou , o lord , to him didst bear , where are they now ? which in thy truth thou unto david then didst swear ? 50 remember , lord , the great reproach which we thy servants daily bear ; how in my bosom i receive the scorn of them that mighty are . 51 the scorn wherewith thine enemies have thee reproach'd , lord , think upon ; even that wherewith they have reproach'd the steps of thine anointed one. 52 blessed and magnified be for evermore our glorious lord ; let all thy church resound with me amen , amen , with one accord . psalm xc . 1 lord , thou hast been our dwelling-place in all the changes [ we have ] past ; unto thy wandring people thou a [ certain ] guide and safety wast . 2 before the mountains were brought forth , and thou the [ earth and ] world didst frame , in and to all eternity thou art [ true ] god , [ and ] still the same . 3 thou dost dissolve this frame of man , by wasting age , and [ chastning ] pain ; and say'st unto them , now return , you [ mortal ] sons of men again . 4 the long time of a thousand years appeareth in thy [ boundless ] sight ; as yesterday when it is past , and as a [ hasty ] watch by night . 5 from whence thou carryest them away as things a [ speedy ] torrent doth : they are asleep ; and like the grass [ which is ] but of one morning's growth . 6 in that morning it flourisheth ; it quickly grows up [ and is ] green ; and in the evening it 's cut down , [ and dead ] and withered is seen . 7 for by thine anger for our sin we are [ from earth ] consum'd and spent ; in grief and trouble pass our days , through thy [ severe ] just punishment . 8 for thou before thy dreadful face sett'st our [ guilt and ] iniquities ; our secret sins are opened all in [ clearest ] light before thine eyes . 9 thus while thy righteous wrath we bear , our days do pass [ away ] and fail ; the years of this vain life we spend as a short [ transient ] thought or tale . 10 our age is threescore years and ten , if [ by strength ] lengthened to fourscore , that strength our labour doth prolong , and [ doth but ] make our sorrows more . 11 it 's soon cut off , and we are gone , who knows [ aright ] thy powerful wrath ? thy anger we fear not in vain , all sin some [ penal ] sorrow hath . 12 lord teach us this most needful work , [ aright ] to number all our days ; that we to wisdom may apply our hearts without [ secure ] delays . 13 how long , lord , shall we feel thy wrath ? [ return ] revive us by thy grace ; let it repent thee of our pains , [ and ] pity thy [ poor ] servants case . 14 o let thy early mercy us [ comfort ] restore and satisfie , that we may serve thee all our days with gladness , and with [ holy ] joy . 15 according to the days wherein [ thy sharp ] affliction we have had ; as years of sorrow we have seen , let mercy [ longer ] make us glad . 16 o let thy work and power be shewn unto thy [ humbled ] servants now ; and let their children by those works thy [ saving ] grace and glory know . 17 adorn us with the beauty of the [ shining ] glory of thy face ; let our just works establish'd be , [ bless and ] maintain them by thy grace . psalm xci . 1 the man that in the secret place of the most high [ in heart ] doth dwell , he under the almighty's shade shall lodge [ abide ] and prosper well . 2 i of the lord will boast and say , thou art my [ refuge ] rock and tower ; ( whoever threats , whatever comes ) i 'le [ boldly ] trust his love and power . 3 surely he will deliver thee from the entrapping [ fowler 's ] snare ; and he will safely thee preserve from [ noysome ] pestilential air . 4 his wings of love shall cover thee , there thou art safe ; there [ boldly ] trust he will thy shield and buckler be , his word is true and [ he is ] just . 5 though the night's darkness be the time of [ fears and ] dangers , yet you may rest quietly without such fears , and from [ your foes ] assaults by day . 6 though plagues and many sudden harms [ do oft ] surprize men in the night , trust god , and fear them not ; nor those which do destroy in [ noon-day ] light . 7 a thousand at thy side shall fall , [ and ten ] thousands at thy right hand , when nigh thee there it shall not come , but god shall [ safely ] thee defend . 8 only this dreadful spectacle , [ when ] that day [ comes ] thine eyes shall see how those who now live wickedly , shall then [ by god ] rewarded be . 9 because the blessed god most high , [ who is ] my refuge , thou hast made the dwelling where thy faithful soul it s [ daily ] conversation had . 10 therefore no great and deadly harm , no [ plotted ] ill shall thee befall ; nor any penal hurtful plague come nigh thy [ guarded ] dwelling shall . 11 of thee he 'll give his angels charge , [ that ] whether thou [ dost ] wake or sleep ; in all thy good and righteous ways they shall thee guard and [ safely ] keep . 12 as tender nurses bear weak babes , these [ lead and ] bear thee in their arms ; lest feeble frailty cause thy fall , they keep thee from all [ deadly ] harms . 13 the lions fierce , the poysnous asp thy feet shall [ safely ] trample on ; the lions whelps , the dragons rage , by [ conquering ] grace thou shalt tread down . 14 because on me he set his love , i 'le save him from all [ deadly ] woe ; i 'le him advance , because my name with [ fear and ] honour he did know . 15 he upon this my name shall call in all his [ troubles ] wants and fear ; his moans and suit i 'le not despise , his [ earnest ] prayer i will hear . though here of trouble he partake , [ in it ] i will be with him still ; i 'le him deliver out of all , and [ truest ] honour give him will. 16 and with sufficient length of days i 'le grant his [ sober ] just request ; and my salvation he shall see [ here and ] in everlasting rest . psalm xcii . a psalm or song for the sabbath-day . 1 to render thanks to god , it is a good and [ very ] pleasant thing ; and to thy name , o thou most high , [ joyntly ] thy praises for to sing . 2 thy loving kindness to shew forth [ early ] in the first morning's light ; and to declare thy faithfulness with [ evening ] songs , even in the night . 3 on a ten-stringed instrument , and on the [ pleasant ] psaltery ; and on the sweet and warbling harp , with solemn [ sound and ] melody . for thou , lord , by thy wondrous works hast made thy servant's [ heart most ] glad ; and i will triumph in the works which thy own hand hath [ done and ] made . 5 how great , o lord , are all thy works ? and [ very ] deep thy counsels be : 6 brutish men understand not this ; [ carnal ] fools cannot these things see . 7 that when the wicked spring as grass , and [ a while ] sinners flourish all ; it is that they for ever may into [ deserv'd ] destruction fall . 8 but thou , o lord , who dost them judge , in glory dost [ the same ] remain ; and thou on high in majesty [ o're all ] for evermore dost reign . 9 for lo , thine enemies , o lord , thy [ wicked ] enemies perish shall ; the workers of iniquity [ by thee ] shall be dispersed all . 10 but like the horns of unicorns my head [ and power ] wilt thou exalt ; and me thy chosen one anoint with [ fresh and ] holy oyl thou shalt . 11 mine eyes also shall see the fall of all my [ wicked ] enemies ; mine ears shall hear of their defeat , who [ falsly ] did against me rise . 12 as palm-trees flourish full of fruit , the just shall [ likewise ] flourish so ; like the cedars of lebanon they shall increase and [ prosperous ] grow . 13 those who in god's most holy house are [ firmly ] planted by his grace , shall flourish in the courts of god , by the beams of his [ pleased ] face . 14 their old age shall not fruitless be , but [ good and ] plenteous fruit shall bring ; when flesh decays they shall be fat , and [ ever ] green and flourishing . 15 to shew us that our faithful lord , who my sure rock [ and hope ] hath bin , is upright ; and unrighteousness none is , or [ ever ] was in him . psalm xciii . 1 the lord doth reign in majesty , cloathed [ about ] with glorious light ; the lord hath cloath'd and girt himself with [ strength and ] unresisted might . 2 the world is so established , that none [ but god ] can it remove ; from everlasting thou art god , thy throne is [ firmly ] fixt above . 3 the floods , o lord , have lifted up , the [ raging ] floods lift up their voice : the floods do still lift up their waves , and make a [ great and ] dreadful noise . 4 the lord on high more mighty is than all these waters [ hideous ] noise ; he can rebuke and quiet all the ocean's roaring [ frightful ] voice . 5 thy testimonies are most sure ; and [ devout ] holiness always becomes thy house , and all that there assemble for thy [ holy ] praise . psalm xciv . 1 righteous lord god , to whom alone [ final ] revenging doth belong ; shew men that justice is thy work , and [ surely ] god avengeth wrong . 2 lift up thy self , thou judge of all , the proud do thou [ check and ] reward : 3 how long shall wicked men triumph , [ even they ] that do not god regard ? 4 shall they still speak false and hard things , and [ their tongues ] utter cruelty ? how low shall they triumph and boast , who [ plot and ] work iniquity ? 5 thy people they in pieces break ; thy heritage [ do they ] afflict . 6 widows , strangers , and fatherless , they murder , or [ by wrong ] deject . 7 yet say they , god doth not this see ; nor [ doth he ] it regard and know . 8 ye brutish people understand , [ ye fools ] when will ye wiser grow ? 9 shall he not hear who made the ear ? nor [ all things ] see , that form'd the eye ? 10 he that the heathen doth chastise , shall [ judge and ] correct righteously . he that all knowledge teacheth man , what can [ from him ] concealed be ? 11 the lord knows all the thoughts of man , [ he sees ] that they are vanity . 12 o blessed is the man who is [ in love ] chastis'd by thee , o lord : and thou effectually dost teach [ withal ] out of thy holy word . 13 that thou may'st give him rest from times of [ sad and ] sharp adversity ; until the pit be dig'd for them that [ still do ] work iniquity . 14 god who corrects , will not cast off [ his flock , ] nor his sure covenant break ; nor his belov'd inheritance will [ ever ] utterly forsake . 15 judgment shall righteousness restore , and truth [ ●● earth ] return again ; and all shall foll●w after it who upright [ hearted ] do remain . 16 who will rise up for me against the wicked doer's [ cruel ] band ? the workers of iniquity , who will against them [ for me ] stand ? 17 unless the lord had been my help , i had dwelt [ quickly ] in the grave : 18 but wh●● i said , my foot doth slip , [ o lord ] my mercy did me save . 19 and in the croud and multitude of [ troubling ] thoughts that in me roul , within me thy sweet comforts dwell , and do delight my [ troubled ] soul . 20 shall the throne of iniquity have [ any ] fellowship with thee ? which frameth mischief by a law , and pleads its own [ unjust ] decree . 21 they all conspire against the lives of [ the most ] righteous men and good ; and by their law ujustly do condemn [ and shed ] the guiltless blood . 22 but god alone against them all is my [ secure ] defence and stay ; the lord my god my refuge is , my rock of strength [ and trust ] alway . 23 the lord our god shall bring on them their own [ works of ] iniquity ; in their own sin he 'll cut them off : [ the lord ] he 'll do it certainly . psalm xcv . 1 o come let us unto the lord lift up [ aloud ] our singing voice ; and to our rock and saviour make a triumphant [ joyful ] noise . 2 before his presence let us all appear with [ joy and ] thankfulness ; and with the joyful noise of psalms the praise of [ our great ] god express . 3 great is the lord , a mighty king , above all [ pow'rs and ] gods alone ; 4 the earth 's great depths are in his hands , the mountains strength [ is all ] his own . 5 the sea and all therein is his ; [ it 's ] he [ that ] did it make and form : the dry land also he did make , [ and it ] replenish and adorn . 6 o come and let us worship him , and to him [ let us ] bow down all ; and on our knees before the lord our maker let us [ humbly ] fall . 7 he only is our god , and we [ the ] sheep of his [ own ] pasture are ; the flock which his own hand doth lead , of whom he taketh [ special ] care . 8 to day , if you will hear his voice , then [ longer ] harden not your hearts ; as you did tempt and strive with god , when [ led and ] try'd in the desart . 9 your fathers did me tempt and prove , when they my [ wondrous ] works did see : 10 even forty years that sinful race [ often ] provok'd and grieved me . 11 i said , this peoples hearts do err , my [ will and ] ways they will not know ; to whom in wrath i sware , that to my [ promis'd ] rest they should not go . psalm xcvi . 1 o sing ye now unto the lord new [ framed ] songs with joy and mirth ▪ sing praises to the lord our god , all people of the [ spacious ] earth . 2 sing to the lord , and bless his name , and [ daily ] his salvation show : 3 his glory to the heathen tell , make all [ the world ] his wonders know . 4 for great and glorious is our god , and greatly [ to be ] prais'd is he ; and he above all gods and powers , [ by all ] must fear'd and praised be . 5 the feigned gods are idols all , which [ the blind ] heathen nations fear ; it is our god alone , by whom the heav'ns [ and all ] created were . 6 in honour , and in majesty his [ holy ] presence doth excel ; and strength with glorious beauty in his sanctuary [ always ] dwell . 7 all nations that on earth do dwell , ye people of each [ land and ] tribe , give glory to our glorious lord , [ glory ] and strength to him ascribe . 8 give to god's name the glory due ; to 's courts [ come and ] your off'ring bring : 9 in splendid beauteous holiness worship the lord our [ supream ] king. fear ye before him all the earth ; 10 tell [ heathens ] all the lord doth reign : the world shall be established , and [ shall ] not [ be ] remov'd again . he all men righteously shall judge ; 11 let earth [ be glad ] and heav'n rejoyce : the great sea , and its fulness all , praise god [ even ] with [ its ] roaring noise . 12 let the fields prosper and rejoyce , and all that 's [ on and ] from the earth ; the woods and all the trees shall sing , and flourish as [ it were ] with mirth 13 before the lord ; for lo , he comes , he comes the earth to [ judge and ] try ; the world he 'll judge with righteousness , and [ people ] all with equity . psalm xcvii . 1 god reigneth : let the earth be glad , and [ let the ] isles rejoyce each one ; 2 darkness and clouds encompass him , in [ truth and ] judgment dwells his throne . 3 fire goes before him , and his foes it [ wasts and ] burns up round about . 4 his lightnings lightened the world , [ the ] earth [ it ] saw , and shook throughout . 5 and at the presence of the lord the [ mighty ] hills like wax did melt ; when of the lord of all the earth the [ dreadful ] presence they had felt . 6 the glorious heav'ns his righteousness [ to all ] do manifestly show ; his glory so resplendent is , that all men [ willing ] may it know . 7 they that serve graven images , [ sham'd and ] confounded all shall be ; and they that of their idols boast , all [ called ] gods , him worship ye . 8 sion heard this , and did rejoyce , [ and ] judah's daughters [ all ] were glad for all thy judgments , lord , of which the [ sight or ] notice they have had . 9 for thou the glorious lord art high [ extoll'd ] above the earth by far ; all that are called gods by men , [ thy ] creatures and [ thy ] subjects are . 10 hate evil ye that fear the lord , the [ souls of ] saints that do him serve he keepeth out of wicked hands , and will them all [ save and ] preserve . 11 for righteous men ( though now in grief ) [ future ] light is prepar'd and sown ; and gladness is by god design'd for [ every ] upright hearted one . 12 ye righteous , in the lord your god rejoyce with [ hearty ] thankfulness ; the honourable memory keep of his [ perfect ] holiness . psalm xcviii . 1 sing a new song to god , the things which he hath done are great and marvellous , and make his greatness known . his right hand high , and holy arm , did well perform his victory . 2 his great salvation the lord hath well made known , and in the heathens sight his righteousness hath shown . 3 toward israel he mercy hath , and his firm truth remembred well . all the ends of the earth god's saving works and ways have with their eyes beheld . 4 with joy sound forth his praise . let all men raise their loudest voice , in him rejoyce , and sing his praise . 5 sing to god with the harp , with psalms and musick 's voice ; 6 trumpets and cornets sound , make ye a joyful noise . before the lord , the world 's great king , with praises sing with sweet concord . 7 let the great ocean roar , its waves and fulness swell : 8 let all the world praise god , and they that therein dwell . let floods applaud , and hills rejoyce , as with one voice the lord to laud. 9 god's presence all attend , for he is coming forth with truth and righteousness , to judge all men on earth . the world will he to judgment call , and judge men all with equity . psalm xcix . 1 tremble ye people of the world , the [ righteous ] lord doth reign above ; he sits between the cherubims , the earth [ below ] shall quake and move . 2 the lord in sion is extoll'd , [ he is ] above all people high . 3 his holy , great , and dreadful name let all men [ fear and ] magnifie . 4 judgment lov'd is the strength of kings ; thou settlest [ truth and ] equity : just judgment thou dost execute , and rulest [ jacob ] righteously . 5 exalt the name of god the lord , and at his foot-stool [ humbly ] fall : he 's holy ; in true holiness worship him [ o ye ] people all . 6 moses and aaron , with his priests , samuel and [ other ] such as have call'd on him when to him they pray'd , he heard and [ gracious ] answer gave . 7 within the cloudy pillar he spake unto them his [ word and ] will ; his testimony they receiv'd , and kept his [ holy ] precepts still . 8 thou answer'dst them , o lord our god , and [ often ] didst their sins forgive ; though oft also thou took'st revenge of what they did [ amiss ] contrive . 9 exalt the name of our lord god , and at his [ chosen ] holy hill worship him in true holiness , for god [ our lord ] is holy still . psalm c. 1 all people that do dwell abroad on all the earth , make to the lord a joyful noise , praise him with holy mirth . 2 o serve our glorious lord with gladness and with joys ; before his holy presence come with chearful singing voice . 3 know that the lord is god , it 's he that did us make , not we our selves ; us as his flock and people he doth take . 4 enter his gates with thanks , into his courts with praise ; be truly thankful unto him , and bless his name always . 5 for god our lord is good , his mercies ever sure ; and to all generations his truth shall still endure . the old metre . 1 all people that on earth do dwell , sing to the lord with chearful voice . 2 him serve with fear , his praise forth tell ▪ come ye before him and rejoyce . 3 the lord ye know is god indeed , without our aid he did us make ; we are his flock , he doth us feed , and for his sheep he doth us take . 4 o enter then his gates with praise , approach with joy his courts unto ; praise , laud , and bless his name always , for it is seemly so to do . 5 for why , the lord our god is good ; his mercy is for ever sure ; his truth at all times firmly stood , and shall from age to age endure . psalm ci. 1 mercy and judgment are my song , of these [ o lord ] i 'le sing to thee . 2 i 'le wisely walk in perfect way ; [ o lord ] when wilt thou come to me ? i 'le walk within my house and place with a just [ mind and ] perfect heart . 3 all that is wicked and prophane shall from [ before ] my eyes depart . i hate their works that turn aside , to me it shall not [ come or ] cleave ; 4 i will not know a wicked man , a froward heart i 'le [ shun and ] leave . 5 i 'le cut him off who slandereth his [ righteous ] neighbour secretly ; i 'le not endure men of proud hearts , nor him that [ scorns and ] looketh high . 6 mine eyes shall look to faithful men , that they may [ always ] dwell with me ; he that walks in a perfect way , my [ welcome ] servant he shall be . 7 he that is bent to use deceit , in my house shall not [ with me ] dwell ; nor shall he tarry in my sight who lyes doth use [ himself ] to tell . 8 the wicked of the land i will soon root out , and [ their works ] deface ; that from the city of the lord i may cut off their [ wicked ] race . psalm cii . a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed , and poureth out his complaint before the lord. 1 lord hearken to my fervent prayer , [ and ] let my cry come [ un ] to thee . 2 and now when i in trouble am , hide not thy [ gracious ] face from me . bow thine ear to me when i call ; [ hear me ] and answer speedily : 3 my days consumed are like smoak , my [ very ] bones are burnt and dry . 4 my heart within me smitten is , [ and ] like [ to ] grass it 's withered ; so swallow'd up with grief , that i [ do even ] forget to eat my bread . 5 by reason of my groaning voice , my bones cleave to my [ withered ] skin : 6 i like mournful pelican of [ the sad ] wilderness have bin . i like an owl in desart am , who nightly there doth [ streech and ] moan . 7 i watch , and like a sparrow am [ that sits ] on the house-top alone . 8 my persecuting enemies all day [ do me ] reproach and scorn ; and they that mad against me are , are all against me [ set and ] sworn . 9 ashes i eaten have like bread , [ and ] mingled [ have ] my drink with tears ; 10 because thine indignation hot and wrath doth cause my [ pains and ] fears . in mercy thou didst lift me up ▪ but thou hast cast me [ very ] low ; 11 my days like shadows do decline , [ and ] like [ the ] wither'd grass i grow . 12 but thou art the eternal god , and [ ever ] dost endure the same ; beyond all generations is the memory of thy [ glorious ] name . 13 thou wilt arise ; on sion thou wilt [ timely ] shew thy mercy great ; the time to favour her is come , the time [ foretold ] which thou hast set . 14 for in her very ruin'd stones thy [ faithful ] servants pleasure take ; they love the very dust thereof , and [ therefore ] for her prayers make . 15 so shall the very heathens fear the [ mighty ] lord 's most holy name ; and all the kings on earth shall dread thy [ glorious ] majesty and fame . 16 when god his sion shall build up , in glory he 'll [ to us ] appear : 17 distress'd mens prayers he 'll regard , and not despise ; but [ gently ] hear . 18 this for the ages yet to come shall [ written ] be left on record ; they that hereafter shall be made , shall [ gladly ] serve and praise the lord. 19 the lord lookt down on all below , even from his [ high and ] holy place ; the earth unto the lord of heaven is [ ever ] seen before his face . 20 to hear the prisoners doleful groans , and save men [ falsly ] judg'd-to die : 21 god's name in sion to declare , him there to [ praise and ] magnifie . 22 when many people far and nigh , meet there [ to pray ] with one accord ; and when the kingdoms shall consent to [ fear and ] serve the highest lord. 23 my strength he weakened in the way , as shortning my [ life 's short ] day ; 24 i said , by an untimely death , lord take me not [ in wrath ] away . through ages all thou art the same , 25 the [ solid ] earth's foundations laid thou hast of old : heavens are the work which thy own [ power and ] hands have made 26 they perish shall , but thou shalt stand , as garments they [ shall all ] wax old ; thou shalt them change , as men their cloaths , and as a vesture [ them up ] fold . 27 but thou art endlesly the same ; 28 thy servants [ off-spring ] shall survive , their seed established by thee , shall in thy [ blessed ] presence live . psalm ciii . 1 my soul , bless thou the glorious god , [ praise him ] and celebrate his fame ; let all my inward powers concur to [ praise and ] bless his holy name . 2 still bless the living lord my soul , never do thou [ sleight or ] forget unthankfully his benefits , so [ many ] undeserv'd and great : 3 thy many great provoking sins , his mercy [ freely ] doth forgive : he thy diseases and thy pains doth heal [ or ease ] and thee relieve . 4 he did redeem thy forfeit life , and it from [ threatned ] death did free ; and with his loving kindness great , and [ tender ] mercies crowned thee . 5 what hast thou wanted that is good , to satisfie [ thy just ] desire ? thy strength like eagles he renew'd , reviving nature's [ languid ] fire . 6 god will just judgment execute for them [ by man ] oppress'd that are . 7 to moses and to israel's seed his ways [ and acts ] he did declare . 8 gracious and merciful is god , [ great is ] his mercy high and deep : 9 he 's slow to wrath ; he chides not still , nor doth his anger [ ever ] keep . 10 he hath not dealt with us in wrath , according to our [ hainous ] sin ; nor strictly us rewarded hath as our [ guilt and ] deserts have bin . 11 but as the great and glorious heav'ns than [ this low ] earth far higher are ; god's mercy so transcendent is to all that do him [ truly ] fear . 12 as far as east is from the west , so far [ from us ] remov'd hath he our hated and forsaken sin , and our [ bewail'd ] iniquity . 13 as loving parents ( taught of god ) pity to their [ dear ] children bear ; the lord of love will pity them that serve him with true [ child-like ] fear . 14 for he remembers flesh is dust ; our [ frail and ] mortal frame he knows : 15 and that the days of man on earth are like the grass [ in field ] that grows . 16 there flowers flourish , but sharp winds blast them , and they are [ quickly ] gone ; and to the place which they persum'd and beautify'd [ they are ] unknown . 17 but unto such as do him fear , god's [ boundless ] mercy hath no end ; and his sure love and righteousness to [ childrens ] children doth extend . 18 to such as keep his covenant , and his commandments [ keep in ] mind ; and them sincerely do obey , and therein [ their chief ] pleasure find . 19 the lord his throne prepared hath [ in heaven ] where saints his glory see ; and all the world his kingdom is , and [ ruler ] over all is he . 20 you mighty angels , great in strength , must bless the lord with [ highest ] praise ; your holiness fulfils his will , and readily [ his voice ] obeys . 21 all ye his great and glorious hosts , for ever [ bless and ] praise the lord ; you serve the pleasure of his will , and all [ as one ] obey his word . 22 let all his works through all the world to praise their [ glorious ] lord , accord ; and o my soul , bear thou thy part , and [ ever ] bless and praise the lord. psalm civ . 1 my soul , bless thou the living lord ; thou lord [ my god ] art very great : with honour and with majesty thou cloathed art in [ glorious ] state . 2 the fulgent light thy covering is , appearing [ in it ] as thy robes thou like a curtain dost stretch out the heavens with all their [ splendid ] globes . 3 the beams of his great chambers he doth in the [ liquid ] waters lay ; the clouds he makes his chariots , on [ winged ] winds he takes his way : 4 blest spirits he his angels makes , his ministers a [ flaming ] fire . 5 the earth's foundations firm he laid , that nothing shall them [ ever ] stir , 6 like to a garment with the deep , the earth [ by thee ] was covered : the waters stood above the hills , 7 [ but soon ] at thy rebuke they fled . thy thunders voice hasts them away , 8 [ they go ] up by the mountain ground , down by the valleys they go to the place which thou [ for them ] didst found . 9 thou unto them a bound hast set , that [ over ] it they may not pass : that the earth again may not be drown'd by them , as once [ for sin ] it was . 10 he sends the springs into the vales , they [ sweetly ] run between the hills ; 11 they 're drink for all beasts of the fields , [ there ] his [ great ] thirst the wild ass fills . 12 by these sweet streams the fowls of heav'n , do [ use to ] make their dwelling house for them and theirs : they chirp and sing among the [ pleasant ] shady boughs . 13 and from his cloudy chambers he doth water [ even the ] highest hills , and by his satisfying works , the earth with [ plenteous ] fruit he fills . 14 he for the food of cattle makes the tender grass [ spring and ] suit forth : and for man's service various herbs , and [ so he ] brings food from the earth . 15 and wine which doth exhilerate , and oil which doth [ smooth and ] refresh , and bread which strengtheneth man's , heart , and doth repair his [ wasting ] flesh . 16 the trees of god are full of sap , the [ stately ] cedars which do stand in lebanon , and planted were [ even ] by his [ own ] almighty hand . 17 the beauteous birds among these trees ▪ by [ nature's ] skill their nests do make , as for the stork , the firr-trees she doth for her [ lofty ] dwelling take . 18 the mountains high for the wild goats , a place of [ secure ] refuge be , the conies in the craggy rocks dwell , and for safety [ thither ] flee . 19 the changing moon he doth appoint , the seasons change [ to man ] to shew the glorious sun , as taught by god , its time to [ rise and ] set doth know . 20 the dismal darkness thou dost make , [ and then ] the day gives place to night , and in the forests then come forth , wild beasts that shun [ man and ] the light. 21 the hungry lyons with their whelps [ do then ] go roaring all abroad after their prey , and fiercely seek their sustenance [ assign'd ] from god. 22 but when the shining sun doth rise , they get [ away ] together then for fear of man ; and lay them down for [ rest and ] safety in their den : 23 then man goes forth unto his work , [ when he ] enjoys desired light , his proper labour he pursues , till the approach of [ resting ] night . 24 how manifold and numberless are thy great [ wondrous ] works , o lord , in wisdom thou hast made them all , earth's with thy [ plenteous ] riches stor'd . 25 so is this great and spacious sea , numberless things there [ swim or ] creep ; some small , some of vast magnitude , made [ by thee ] to dwell in the deep . 26 the ships by man for commerce made , go there , and make [ the deep ] their way ; there is the great leviathan , which thou hast made [ therein ] to play . 27 on thee the bounteous lord of life , all things do [ daily ] wait that live ; that thou sufficing sustenance in season due [ to them ] may'st give . 28 they gladly gather and receive that which thou giv'st [ to them ] for food ; thou openest thy liberal hand , and they are fill'd [ by thee ] with good . 29 thou hid'st thy lightsome quickening face , then [ sick or ] troubled they decay ; they die , and to their dust return , [ when as ] thou tak'st their breath away . 30 thou sendest forth thy vital spirit , and they are as [ it were ] new made ; with beauteous verdure thou renew'st the face of earth [ which seem'd ] decay'd . 31 but god's own glory endless is , it never [ fades or ] waxeth old ; the lord with joy and pleasure doth his own great [ perfect ] works behold . 32 his very looks do make the earth , as [ a thing ] frightened , to quake ; his touch doth make the steadfast hills [ forthwith ] as mov'd to smoak and shake . 33 i will sing praise unto the lord the longest day i [ have to ] live ; and while i any being have , to god i 'le [ joyful ] praises give . 34 my meditation of him shall sweeten my thoughts when [ they are ] sad ; and in the way to endless joy in god [ alone ] i will be glad . 35 let sinners be consum'd from earth , [ and let ] the wicked no more be ; my soul , bless thou the blessed god , all saints the [ glorious ] lord praise ye . psalm cv . 1 o give ye thanks unto the lord , [ trust ye ] and call upon his name ▪ and that all people may them know , his deeds [ do you ] to them proclaim . 2 sing unto him , to him sing psalms ; of all his [ wondrous ] works talk ye : and let his great and holy name your [ joyful ] glorying still be . 3 let all their hearts that seek the lord be [ ever ] joyful in his grace : 4 seek ye the lord , and his great strength , evermore seek his [ pleased ] face . 5 keep ye in constant memory the [ strange and ] great works he hath done , his wonders , and the judgments which his mouth to us hath [ truly ] shewn . 6 o ye his servant , abraham's seed , his [ chosen ] israel's off-spring ; 7 his judgments are in all the earth , he is the lord our [ god and ] king. 8 he keeps in faithful memory his covenant : it shall ever stand , to thousand generations , his word [ to keep ] he did command . 9 which covenant he with abraham made , [ and he ] to isaac gave his oath : 10 this law and endless covenant [ he un ] to israel sealed hath . 11 saying , i 'le give thee canaan's land , your [ lot of ] heritage is there ; 12 when they but few , yea , very few in it , and [ utter ] strangers were . 13 when they from land to land did go , through [ divers ] kingdoms oft remov'd ; 14 he suffer'd none to do them wrong . but [ mighty ] kings for them reprov'd . 15 saying to those that sit on thrones , let no [ proud or ] presumptuous arm touch my anointed holy ones , nor do my [ sacred ] prophets harm . 16 he call'd for famine on the land , and brake their [ vital ] staff of bread ; 17 but did before them send a man , by whom they [ after ] should be fed . 18 joseph was for a servant sold , his feet with [ hurtful ] fetters bound ; 19 in irons laid , till god's word came , and [ tryed ] he was blameless found . 20 the king then sent and loosed him , the [ people's ] ruler set him free ; 21 he made him lord of all his house , and [ ruler ] of his land to be . 22 to bind his princes at his will , [ wisdom ] his senators to teach . 23 then israel into-egypt came , and [ jacob ] to ham's land did reach . 24 his people he did much increase , [ made ] stronger than [ their ] enemies ; 25 whose hearts he turn'd to hate his flock , [ by craft ] they did their hurt devise . 26 he sent his servant moses then , and aaron [ chosen ] did command : 27 among them they his signs did shew , and [ many ] wonders in ham's land . 28 he darkness sent , and made it dark , [ and ] all things [ did ] his word obey : 29 he turn'd their waters into blood , and he [ thereby ] their fish did slay 30 their land in swarms did bring forth frogs , [ even ] in [ the ] chambers of their kings ; 31 his word all sorts of flies and lice in all their country [ quickly ] brings . 32 for rain he gave them hurtful hail , and [ flaming ] fire was in their land ; 33 their vines and their fig-trees he smote , their [ other ] trees brake by his hand . 34 he spake the word , the locusts came , [ and ] caterpillars [ did ] abound ; 35 herbs of the land they eat up all , [ devour'd ] the fruits of all the ground . 36 he smote the first-born of the land , [ till all ] their chiefest strength was gone ; 37 with gold and silver brought them forth , [ and ] weak in [ all ] their tribes were none . 38 egypt was glad when they were gone , [ for ] their [ great ] fear did on them light ; 39 for covering he did spread a cloud , and fire to lead [ them all ] by night . 40 the people askt , and he brought quails , with bread [ of heav'n ] he filled them . 41 waters gusht from the opened rocks , [ and ran ] in desarts like a stream . 42 for on his holy promise he , and [ on his ] servant abraham thought ; 43 with joy his people , his elect with singing [ gladness ] forth he brought . 44 and he ( the lord of all ) them gave the [ wicked ] heathens fruitful lands ; and they thenceforth inherited the labour of their [ neighbours ] hands . 45 that ( hating heathen wickedness ) they might observe his [ holy ] word ; and his just statutes might obey : [ all men ] give praise unto the lord. psalm cvi. 1 praise ye the lord , to him give thanks ; he 's good ; his mercy is endless : 2 who can describe his mighty acts ? who can all his due praise express ? 3 blessed are they that judgment keep , who justice practice constantly : 4 lord mind me as thou dost thine own , with thy salvation visit me . 5 that i may see thy chosen's good , and in thy nation's joy rejoyce ; and with thy blest inheritance may praise thee with a glorying voice . 6 we with our sinful ancestors , by sin from thy just laws have gone ; iniquity we did commit , and very wickedly have done . 7 our fathers did not understand thy wondrous plagues which egypt struck ; thy many mercies they forgot , at the red-sea did thee provoke . 8 nevertheless he saved them , even for his own supream names-sake ; and that his own almighty power he known and manifest might make . 9 the red-sea also he rebuk'd , and it was dryed up and fled ; and he them through the dryed depths , as after through the desart led . 10 from the pursuing hand of him that hated them he did them save ; and he did from the enemies hand redeem them , and deliverance gave . 11 the waters overwhelm'd their foes , not one of them was left alive : 12 and then they did believe his word , and praise in joyful songs did give . 13 they soon forgat his works , and for his counsels did not wait with trust ; 14 but in the desart tempted god , and there provokingly did lust . 15 he granted them their own request , but to their souls he leanness sent : 16 they envy'd moses in the camp , and aaron the lord 's chosen saint 17 the open'd earth dathan devour'd , cover'd abiram's company ; 18 a fire among them kindled was , the wicked were burnt up thereby . 19 in horeb they did form a cal● , the molten image worshipped : 20 to the shape of a grazing ox their god , their glory they changed . 21 their god and saviour , who had done great things in egypt , they forgat 22 wondrous works in the land ham , by the red-sea dreadful and great . 23 therefore he said , he 'd them cut off , had not ( lest he should them destroy ) his chosen moses in the breach stood for to turn his wrath away . 24 yea , they despis'd the pleasant land , and did not yet believe his word , 25 but often murmur'd in their tents , and heard not the voice of the lord. 26 in desart them to overthrow he therefore did lift up his hand ; 27 abroad to make their seed to fall , and scatter them in every land . 28 they joyn'd themselves to baal-peor , sacrifice of the dead they eat ; 29 thus they provoked him to wrath , their vile-inventions were so great . 30 then did the plague upon them break , but phinehas stood up to slay and execute judgment on some , and so the wasting plague did stay . 31 this so pleas'd god , that he to him imputed it for righteousness ; and all his generations for this he promised to bless . 32 and at the waters where they strove , god into just displeasure brake ; so that even moses felt his part , and was rebuked for their sake . 33 because their provocations great his patient spirit so much stirr'd , that he in passion with his lips did speak an unadvised word . 34 nor as the lord commanded them , did they the wicked nations slay ; 35 but with the heathen mingled were , and learnt their wicked works and way . 36 and they the heathen's idols serv'd , which were to them a deadly snare : 37 by them their sons and daughters then to devils sacrificed were . 38 in their own childrens guiltless blood their guilty hands they did embrew , whom unto canaan's idols they for bloody sacrifices slew . so was the land defil'd with blood , 39 and they with their own sinful way ; and with their own inventions thus from god a whoring went astray . 40 therefore against his people then god's wrath was justly kindled more ; so that his own inheritance he loathed , and did it abhor . 41 he gave them to the heathen's power , their wicked foes did them command ; 42 their enemies them oppress'd , who were before subjected to their hand . 43 many times he deliver'd them , but they again provok'd him so by their own counsels and their crimes , that they were brought exceeding low . 44 yet he regarded their distress , and heard when they to him did cry : 45 his ancient covenant also he for them did call to memory . and he repenting , pity'd them after his mercies manifold , 46 and made them pityed be of those who did them as their captives hold . 47 save us , o lord , and gather us the wicked heathens from among , to give thanks to thy holy name , and praise thee with triumphing song . 48 blest be jehovah , israel's god , henceforth to all eternity ; let all the people joyntly say , amen . praise ye the lord most high . psalm cvii . 1 give thanks to god , for he is good , his mercies everlasting be : 2 let god's redeemed ones say so , whom from their foes hands he set free . 3 and gathered them out of the lands , from north and south , from east and west , 4 in pathless desart wandred they , and found no city where to rest . 5 hungry and thirsty , their souls saint when want and streights do them oppress , 6 they in their trouble cry to god , he saves them out of their distress . 7 he led them forth by the right way , and in the desart did them guide ; that they might to a city go , where quietly they might abide . 8 o that all men would praise the lord for his great goodness to us shewn , and for the wondrous works which he for us , the sons of men , hath done . 9 he satisfies the longing soul , the hungry soul with good is fill'd : 10 such as in darkness and death's shade do sit , in painful irons held . 11 because against the words of god they often sin'd rebelliously ; and the just counsels did contemn of him that 's over all most high . 12 their hearts with labour he brought down , and they from man no help could have ; 13 they in their trouble cry'd to god , from their distress he did them save . 14 from darkness and the shade of death he in compassion did them take ; and their afflicting captive bonds in pity he asunder brake . 15 o that all men would praise the lord for his great goodness to us shewn ; and for the wondrous works which he for us , the sons of men , hath done . 16 for the enthralling gates of brass in pieces he for them did tear ▪ and by his hands the iron bands asunder also broken were . 17 fools for their own transgressions , and for their sins afflicted are : 18 their soul abhors all sorts of meat , they to the gates of death draw near . 19 they in their trouble cry to god , from their distress he doth them save ; 20 he sent his word , and healed them , from danger he deliverance gave . 21 o that all men would praise the lord for his great goodness to us shewn ! and for the wondrous works which he for us , the sons of men , hath done . 22 and let them sacrifice to him the sacrifice of thankfulness ; and his great works declare to all , and with singing their joy express . 23 they that in ships go to the sea , and in great waters business do ; 24 these see the dreadful works of god , and in the deep his wonders view . 25 he doth but give out his command , and powerful stormy winds do rise ; which makes the sea in waves to rage , and to mount up toward the skies . 26 passengers toss'd up as to heav'n , and to the deep cast down again ; their troubled soul in them doth melt , while fear doth keep their hearts in pain . 27 they reel and stagger to and fro , tost about like to drunken men , and in this their distress and fear , all their own wit doth fail them then : 28 they in their trouble cry to god , and he from their distress them saves , 29 he makes the storm become a calm , and presently doth still the waves . 30 then they with gladness do rejoice , because their danger seemeth past ; and unto their desired port , he safely bringeth them at last . 31 o that all men would praise the lord , for the great goodness he hath shown ; and for the wondrous works which he for us the sons of men hath done . 32 and when the people congregate , let them his name in triumph raise ; and in the elders assemblies , let all there celebrate his praise . 33 to desarts he the rivers turns , and water springs into dry ground , 34 a fruitful land to barrenness , when wickedness doth there abound . 35 he desarts turns to water-pools , and dry ground into water springs : 36 and there he makes the hungry dwell , and them to build a city brings : 37 to sow the fields and plant vineyards ▪ which may yield them fruit of increase . 38 he blesseth them ; they multiply their flocks preserveth from decrease . 39 but yet in this unconstant state they are diminished again ; and for their sins they are brought low ; opprest , afflicted , and in pain . 40 on princes he doth pour contempt ; and wandring causeth them to stay in desart places for their sin , where desolate they find no way : 41 yet setteth he the poor on high , from their contempt and miseries ; and like to great increasing flocks , giveth them prosperous families . 42 all this the righteous shall perceive ; and shall rejoice these things to see , and the mouth of iniquity , shall ever stopt and silent be . who so is wise , and will these things observe , and in their minds record , they shall well understand and taste the loving kindness of the lord. psalm cviii . 1 o god my heart is fixt ; i will sing and give praise , 2 my glory , psaltery , harp and self , for this i 'll early raise . 3 among the people all i 'll praise thy name , o god , thy praises i will sing among the nations all abroad . 4 for great thy mercy is , above the heavens high , thy truth and faithfulness doth reach above the cloudy skie . 5 above the heavens , o god , be thou exalted high , and over all the spacious earth , thy glory magnifie ; 6 that thy beloved ones delivered may be . o save them with thine own right hand , and hear and answer me . 7 i will rejoice , for god spake from his holy seat , shechem i will divide , and will the vale of succoth mete . 8 gilead is only mine , manasseh mine shall be : ephraim is the strength of my head ; juda gives laws for me . 9 moab my washpot is ; on edom i will tread , and the philistine-nation all in triumph i will lead . 10 who will bring me into the city fortify'd ? and who will into edom's land my conquering army guide ? 11 even he that cast us off ; and wilt not thou , o god , again go forth before our hosts , when ●hey do march abroad ? 12 from trouble give us help ; for vain is all mens aid : 13 through god , we shall do valiantly , our foes he down will tread . psalm cix . 1 o thou that art god of my praise , neglect me not ; hold not thy peace : 2 for mouths of wicked lying men , to speak against me do not cease . the mouths of false deceitful men against me widely opened be ; and with a false and lying tongue , thou knowest they have accused me . 3 they did beset me round about , with bitter words of hateful spight : and though i gave to them no cause , against me they did speak and fight . 4 they for my love became my foes ; but i did give my self to pray . 5 they me with ill for good reward , and hatred for my love repay . 6 set over him a wicked man , let satan stand at his right hand . 7 and let his prayer become sin , let him when judged be condemn'd ; 8 let his days be but few and short , his office let another take ; 9 let his children be fatherless , his wife do thou a widow make . 10 let his children wander and beg , and seek their bread in desert soil . 11 the extortioner ca●ch all he hath ; let strangers all his labours spoil : 12 let none to him mercy extend ; nor pity to his orphans show ; 13 let his off-spring be quite cut off , and the next age his name not know . 14 let god his father's wickedness in justice to remembrance call . let unto him his mother's sin be never blotted out at all ; 15 but let their sins and them be seen before the lord continually , that he may cut off from the earth their very name and memory : 16 because he did not mercy show , but persecute the weak and poor , that such as were of broken heart he might destroy , or break yet more : 17 as he in cursing did delight upon himself so let it come ; in blessing he delighted not , so him let it be still far from . 18 as he with cursing cloath'd himself , as garments cloath adorned ones , as water let it on him come , and like to oil into his bones : 19 as garments to him let it be , even as his covering and array ; and as a girdle on his loins , wherewith he girded is alway . 20 from god let this be the reward , to him that is mine enemy ; and of them that against my soul do evil speak maliciously . 21 but for thy own name sake , o lord , do thou in mercy deal with me , thy mercies good , therefore , o lord , by it let me delivered be . 22 i poor and needy am , my heart wounded in me hath comfort lost : 23 like the declining shadow sunk , and like the flitting locust tost . 24 my knees with fasting are grown weak , my fatness and my flesh are worn ; 25 to them that see me a reproach , they shake their heads , at me in scorn . 26 help me , o lord my god , and let thy mercy my deliverance bring , 27 that they may know it is thy hand , and that the lord hath done the thing : 28 bless thou whenever they do curse , when they rise let them shamed be ; but let thy faithful servants all be glad and still rejoice in thee . 29 and let my causless enemies be cloathed with shame and disgrace , and let confusion mantle like , become the covering of their face . 30 but with my mouth i daily will declare the praises of the lord , and among the great multitude his praises i 'll speak and record . 31 for he shall stand at the right hand of the oppressed to controul their foes , and save them from those men who do condemn the guiltless soul. psalm cx . 1 the lord to my lord said , sit thou at my right hand till i thy foes a foot stool make , subject to thy command . 2 god will from sion send the rod of thy great power , in midst of all thine enemies ; be thou the governour . 3 a willing people in thy reign shall come to thee in holy joys from mourning's womb : thy youth like dew shall be . 4 the lord himself hath sworn , and will repent it never , of the order of melchizedeck thou art a priest for ever . 5 the great and glorious lord , who is at thy right hand , shall in his day of wrath strike through , kings who do thee withstand : 6 the heathen he shall judge , and graves fill with the dead ; and over many countries he shall wound their proudest head . 7 he shall drink of the brook that runneth in the way ; therefore shall he lift up the head in his triumphing day . psalm cxi . 1 praise ye the lord : with my whole heart [ with joy ] i will god's praise declare ; where upright men assembled be , and [ holy ] congregations are . 2 the works of god are very great . and manifest his [ glorious ] might ; the fruitful study of all them who do therein [ place their ] delight . 3 all his work honourable is , all glorious [ steadfast ] and sure ; his truth and perfect righteousness , [ unchang'd ] for ever do endure . 4 his wondrous works he made for man , to [ mind and ] meditate upon ; the lord is very gracious , full [ he is ] of compassion . 5 to all that do him fear and serve he [ daily ] gives convenient food ; he always true and mindful is his [ holy ] covenant to make good . 6 the power of his wondrous works he did [ unto ] his people show ; that heathens land and heritage , [ as his ] he might on them bestow . 7 his hand-work truth and judgment are , all his commands are [ just and ] sure : 8 all done in truth and uprightness , [ they shall ] from age to age endure . 9 his people he redemption sent , his covenant [ ever ] is the same , which he commanded ; which declares [ to us ] his holy reverend name . 10 god's fear wisdom's beginning is , their understanding's [ sound and ] sure who his commandments truly keep ; his [ glorious ] praise doth still endure . psalm cxii . 1 praise ye the lord : blest is that man who lives [ in fear ] as in god's sight ; to know and practice his commands who [ always ] greatly doth delight . 2 his seed on earth shall be advanc'd ; the upright [ off-spring ] god will bless : 3 his house shall have sufficient store , endless [ shall be ] his righteousness . 4 in their dark state rejoycing light god to just [ upright ] men will raise ; gracious and pitiful are such , righteous [ and true ] in all their ways . 5 a good man's ready to do good , and [ kindly ] lends to him that needs ; and he with wise discretion doth manage affairs , and [ guide his ] deeds . 6 his standing's sure : he never shall be [ mov'd and ] brought to misery ; his precious name shall be preserv'd in [ sweet and ] endless memory . 7 whatever evil tidings come , he shall not [ greatly ] be afraid ; his steadfast heart by fixed trust upon the [ mighty ] lord is slay'd . 8 his heart is firmly stablished , and shall not [ sink and ] be dismay'd ; till his malignant enemies [ he sees ] god's justice hath repay'd . 9 he hath abroad dispers'd his seed , and [ largely ] given to the poor ; god shall with honour him advance , his righteousness shall [ ever ] dure . 10 this shall the wicked see , and grieve , gnash with his teeth [ for grief ] he shall ; his wealth and he shall melt away , his [ flat'ring ] hopes shall perish all . psalm cxiii . 1 praise ye the lord his servants all , praise [ our great ] god with one acoord ; ( with joyful hearts , and chearful voice ) praise the name of the [ world 's great ] lord. 2 blest be the lord's renowned name , [ ever ] his praise continue shall ; 3 from east to west , through all the world , god's name [ is to ] be prais'd of all . 4 the lord in glory dwells on high , [ and ] over [ all ] the nations reigns ; his glory is above the heav'ns , [ no place ] no limits him contains . 5 o who is like to our great god ? who from high [ glory ] looketh forth 6 to heav'n and its inhabitants , and minds what 's done [ below ] on earth . 7 he from the dust doth raise the poor , and [ needy ] from the dunghill brings ; 8 that he like princes may them make , even [ princes ] with his people's kings . 9 he to the barren woman doth a [ numerous ] family afford ; a joyful mother maketh her of [ many ] children : praise the lord. psalm cxiv . 1 when israel out of egypt went , and jacob's house by god's strong hand from under those strange task-masters , whose speech they did not understand . 2 judah he did his sanctuary , and israel his dominion make ; 3 the sea did see , and fled away , and jordan's stream was driven back . 4 like rams the mountains , and like lambs the little hills skipt to and fro : 5 o sea , what made thee thus to flee ? jordan , why didst thou backward go ? 6 ye mountains great , what was the cause that made you thus to skip like rams ? ye little hills , wherefore was it , that you did skip like playing lambs ? 7 tremble , o earth , before the lord , when jacob's god his presence shows ; 8 which turn'd the rock to water-pools , by whom the flint like fountains flows . psalm cxv . 1 not unto us , lord , not to us , but do thou [ all the ] glory take to thy great name , for thy own truth , and for thy [ saving ] mercies sake . 2 why should the heathen people say to us , where is their [ mighty ] god ? 3 but our god is in heav'n , and doth what [ ever ] to him seemeth good . 4 their idols are silver and gold , the work of [ workmen's ] hands they be ; 5 they have mouths , but they do not speak , 6 and eyes [ have they ] but do not see . ears have they , but they do not hear , noses , but [ smell or ] savour not ; 7 hands , feet , but handle not , nor walk ; nor speak they through their [ mouth or ] throat . 8 their makers are like them , and all their trust [ for help ] on them that build . 9 o israel trust in the lord , he is their [ only ] help and shield . 10 o house of aaron , trust in god , he [ only ] is their help and shield : 11 you that fear god trust in the lord , [ your shield ] who certain help will yield . 12 the lord hath mindful been of us , and he will [ surely ] bless us still ; the house of israel he will bless , aaron's house [ also ] bless he will. 13 both small and great , that fear the lord , the lord will [ always ] surely bless ; 14 you and your children more and more the lord will [ bless and ] still increase . 15 you are the blessed of the lord , who made [ both all ] the earth and heav'n : 16 the heav'n of heav'ns is his , but earth [ he ] to [ the ] sons of men hath given . 17 the dead , who down to silence go , do not [ in dust ] god's praise record ; 18 but we henceforth for ever will bless [ our great ] god : praise ye the lord. psalm cxvi . 1 i love the lord , who did my voice and [ earnest ] supplication hear : 2 while i have life i 'le call on him . who bow'd to me his [ gracious ] ear . 3 the sorrows of expected death my [ flesh and ] heart did compass round ; the pains of hell took hold on me , trouble and [ grievous ] pain i found . 4 upon the name of god , my help , then did i [ daily ] call , and say , deliver thou my grieved soul , o lord , i do thee [ humbly ] pray . 5 our god is merciful and just , yea [ very ] gracious is the lord ; 6 he saves the meek : i was brought low , and he did [ speedy ] help afford . 7 my soul , distrust thy god no more , return [ by faith ] to him thy rest ; who largely in thy great distress [ to thee ] his bounty hath exprest . 8 for my afflicted soul from death [ safely ] delivered was by thee ; thou didst mine eyes from mourning tears , my feet from [ dangerous ] falling free . 9 among the living i will walk , [ by faith ] as still before the lord ; 10 when greatly i afflicted was , i did believe [ and spake ] this word . 11 now have i found , and therefore say all men untrusty [ lyars ] be . 12 what shall i render to the lord for all his [ bounteous ] gifts to me ? 13 the joyful cup of saving health i [ oft and ] thankfully will take ; in god i 'le trust , on him i 'le call , when i my [ daily ] prayer make . 14 the vows which i did make to thee , [ my god ] i thankfully will pay before thy church and people all , [ even now ] without fraud or delay . 15 the death and sufferings of his saints the lord doth not [ slight or ] despise ; whatever tempted men may think , their blood the lord doth [ highly ] prize . 16 lord , i thy willing servant am , [ truly ] thy service i profess : son of thine hand-maid ; thou hast loos'd the [ heavy ] bonds of my distress . 17 to thee my offering shall be the sacrifice of [ thanks and ] praise ; and ( as my duty and my hope ) i 'le call on thee [ my god ] always . 18 the vows which i did make to thee [ my god ] i thankfully will pay , before thy church and people all , [ even now ] without fraud or delay . 19 even in the courts of god's own house , and in the [ sight and ] midst of thee , o glorious jerusalem ; [ o all ] his saints , the lord praise ye . psalm cxvii . 1 o all ye nations of the world praise ye the lord always ; and all ye people every where set forth his glorious praise . 2 for great his love and mercy is which he doth us afford ; the lord's truth everlasting is , praise ye this glorious lord. psalm cxviii . 1 give thanks to god , for he is good , his mercy [ ever ] doth endure . 2 let all his israel now say his mercy [ ever ] is most sure . 3 let all the house of aaron say his mercy [ to us ] is for ever : 4 let them all say that fear the lord ▪ [ that ] his [ great ] mercy faileth never . 5 i called on the name of god in [ all my ] danger and distress ; the lord did hear , and brought me forth into a [ free and ] spacious place . 6 the mighty lord is on my side , [ of men ] i will not be afraid ; whatever mortal man can do , [ at it ] why should i be dismay'd ? 7 the lord himself doth take my part , with them that [ help and ] succour me ; therefore on those that do me hate , his justice i shall [ shortly ] see . 8 it 's better to trust in the lord , than [ for to ] trust to man's defence : 9 better to trust in god , than put in princes [ any ] confidence . 10 the nations did against me rise , and [ did en ] compass me about ; but in the name of god i shall destroy [ them all ] and root them out . 11 numbers did compass me about ; [ i say ] they compass'd me about : but in the name of god i shall cut [ them all ] down , and cast them out . 12 they compas'd me about like bees , but like a [ hasty ] thorny flame they quenched are ; for i shall them cut down in god's own [ strength and ] name . 13 they have thrust sore to make me fall , but god [ my help ] did me relieve : 14 the lord is all my strength and song , and will [ to me ] salvation give . 15 in righteous mens dwellings there is the voice of [ health and ] melody ; for god's delivering right hand doth [ always ] for them valiantly . 16 the lord 's right hand exalted is , and valiantly [ for us ] it doth . 17 i shall not die , but live , that so god's [ mighty ] works i may shew forth . 18 the righteous god , for my own sin hath me chastised [ very ] sore ; but yet he did not me forsake , but me from [ threatened ] death restore . 19 now set ye open unto me the [ beauteous ] gates of holiness , and i will enter in by them , god's [ publick ] praises to express . 20 this is the gate of god , by which the just [ with me ] shall enter in ; 21 i 'le praise thee , for thou hast heard me , and my [ help and ] salvation bin . 22 that the head corner-stone is made , which [ foolish ] builders did despise ; 23 and this the lord 's own doing is , and [ it is ] wondrous in our eyes . 24 this is the great and blessed day , which god himself [ for us ] hath made ; and in it we together will rejoyce , as made [ by him ] full glad . 25 to save us now , to thee we pray , we thee beseech , o [ gracious ] lord , that to thy humbled flock thou wilt [ peace and ] prosperity afford . 26 blessed is he that in god's name doth come to us with [ his sweet ] peace ; out of the sacred house of god we do his [ faithful ] people bless . 27 god is the lord , who hath to us made his [ divine ] light to arise ; bind ye unto the altar's horns with cords our [ offer'd ] sacrifice . 28 thou art my god , i 'le thee exalt ; [ thou art ] my god , i will thee praise : 29 give thanks to god , for he is good , his mercy [ to us ] lasts always . psalm cxix . aleph 1. 1 blessed are they that are sincere , and pure in life and heart ; who walk according to god's law , and not from it depart . 2 blessed are they that give themselves his statutes to observe ; seeking the lord with all their heart , and never from him swerve . 3 such men go not so far astray , as wickedly to live ; but to walk in god's holy way themselves sincerely give . 4 it is thy will and just command , that with attentive heed , thy holy and divine precepts we learn and keep indeed . 5 o that my ways were so reform'd and guided all by thee ; that wholly thy statutes to keep i might addicted be . 6 then shall i not ashamed be , or lose my hop'd reward , when to all thy commands i have obedient regard . 7 then will i praise with upright heart , and magnifie thy name , when i have learnt thy judgments just , so as to keep the same . thy statutes i resolve to keep , my rule i will them make : but i am weak , let not thy grace thy servant's soul forsake . beth . 2. 9 by what means may a young man best his life learn to amend ? if he well mark and keep thy word , and do thereto attend . 10 unfeignedly i have thee sought with a devoted heart ; o let me not from the right way of thy commands depart . 11 within my heart and secret thoughts thy word i have hid still ; that i might not at any time offend thy holy will. 12 blessed art thou , most glorious god , we magnifie thy name ; teach me thy statutes , that i may love and observe the same . 13 all the pure judgments of thy mouth i have abroad declar'd ; my lips to publish thy true word to others have not spar'd . 14 in thy pure testimony 's ways i have rejoyced more , than if of all the wealth on earth i had the greatest store . 15 on thy precepts i never will to meditate neglect ; and ever to thy holy ways , i will have chief respect . 16 and in thy statutes true and just , my great delight i 'le set ; i hope , o lord , thy holy word , i never shall forget . gimel . 3. 17 according to thy bounty great , deal with thy servant , lord ; that i may live to do thy work , and keep thy holy word . 18 open the eyes of my dark mind , by thy revealing light ; that thy law 's wondrous mysteries , may be as in my sight . 19 i am a stranger in this earth , and need a certain guide ; thy true and just commandements let nothing from me hide . 20 the daily longings of my soul do make it pant and break ; that thy just judgments i may know , and of their light partake . 21 proud wicked men thou hast rebuk'd ; they justly cursed are , who from thy true and righteous laws , maliciously do err . 22 contempt and false reproach of men , do thou from me remove , because thy testimonies pure i do observe and love . 23 princes against me falsly spake , when they in counsel sate ; but i thy servant did upon thy statutes meditate . 24 my comfort and my great delight thy testimonies be ; and they in all my doubts and streights are counsellors to me . daleth . 4. 25 my life down to the dust declines , so that i scarcely live ; according to thy holy word , do thou my strength revive . 26 i open'd all my ways to thee , thou didst to me attend ; teach me thy statutes , that i may my sinful ways amend . 27 the way of thy divine precepts make me to understand ; that all thy great and wondrous works may my discourse command . 28 my soul with grief and heaviness doth melt and drop away ; be thou according to thy word , my strength , support , and stay . 29 the way of lying and deceit lord far from me remove ; graciously grant that thy true law i may believe and love . 30 the way of undeceiving truth my fixed choice i made ; thy judgments sure to be my guide , before me i have laid . 31 it is to thy just testimonies that constantly i cleave ; to wicked men's unjust reproach do not thy servant leave . 32 the way of thy commandements i 'le ●●n with chearful speed ; when my restrained streighten'd heart thou hast enlarg'd and freed . he. 5. 33 instruct me , lord , to understand thy precept's righteous ways ; that through thy grace i may observe and keep them all my days . 34 give me an understanding heart to keep thy law aright ; and i shall strictly it observe with all my heart and might . 35 in the right paths of thy precepts thy conduct i require ; they are the pleasure of my soul , which i do most desire . 36 incline my heart thy testimonies to love and still observe ; from wordly covetous desires turn it , and me preserve . 37 govern and turn away mine eyes from sights of vanity ; and quicken thou my backward heart in thy most holy way . 38 stablish that blessed word of thine , which thou hast bid me hear , unto thy servant , who is fast devoted to thy fear . 39 turn by the slanders and reproach of which i am afraid ; for thou wilt justly judge for them who on thy word are stay'd . 40 thou know'st how greatly i have long'd thy judgments to enjoy ; quicken me in thy righteousness , that i may them obey . vau . 6. 41 thy mercies great and manifold let me obtain , o lord ; thy saving health let me enjoy , according to thy word . 42 so shall i stop the slandrous mouths of lewd men and unjust ; for in thy sure and sacred word , i place my hope and trust . 43 and never let the word of truth , out of my mouth depart ; for in thy judgments i have set , my only hope and heart . 44 and while it pleaseth thee on earth , my frail life to preserve ; even while i have a day to live , thy law will i observe . 45 enlarged from restraints and fears , i 'le walk at liberty ; because to know and keep thy laws , my heart i do apply . 46 thy testimonies i will plead , and daily them proclaim , unto the face of mortal kings , without all fear or shame . 47 thy sure and just commandements , guiding my ways aright ; which i have dearly lov'd and kept , shall be my great delight . 48 to thy belov'd commandements , my hands i 'll elevate , and in thy sacred status i , will daily meditate . zain 7. 49 thy promise to thy servant made , o never do forget , for upon it thou caused'st me , my hope and trust to set : 50 in all my various sufferings , my comfort this shall be , thy holy spirit by this word , renew'd and quicken'd me . 51 the proud , and such as god contemn have made me long their scorn ; yet did i not thy law forsake , nor service have forborn . 52 i lookt back on the days of old , thy judgments i did mind ; in this review of former things , i did great comfort find . 53 horror hath taken hold on me , when i mens evil saw ; how obstinately wicked men , hate and forsake thy law. 54 the world hath been my pilgrimage ; and as i past along , thy sure conducting statutes were , my guide , my joy and song . 55 thy name i have remembred lord , by night instead of sleep , and meditated in thy law , which i resolve to keep . 56 this sweet employment and delight , by thee i did enjoy , because to mind and keep thy laws , i did my soul employ . cheth . 8. 57 my chosen portion and my lot , thou only art , o lord ; i have resolved and profest , that i will keep thy word . 58 my soul did earnestly intreat thy face to shine on me : give me according to thy word , thy mercies great and free . 59 i did consider seriously my ways i thought upon ; i to thy testimonies turn'd , in which i since have gone ; 60 when once convinc'd i did make haste , and did no longer stay , to keep all thy commandements , i did no more delay . 61 the troups of wicked militants did rob me at their will ; but thy supporting holy love i did remember still . 62 at midnight i will wake and rise , to render thanks to thee , because thy word and judgments all so good and righteous be . 63 i choose the company of such as fear thee in their heart , who neither will for love or fear from thy commands depart . 64 o lord , thy mercies rich and great , the earth throughout do fill ; o teach me to believe and do , thy statutes and thy will. teth 9. 65 thy dealings with thy servant have been always good , o lord ; for all have proved good to me , and have made good thy word . 66 teach me with skill and jugdment how my ways i order must , for i in thy commandements place my belief and trust . 67 before affliction call'd me back i err'd and went astray , but now i keep thy holy word , and by it guide my way ; 68 thou art essential love and good , all good proceeds from thee , thy statutes to believe and keep ; o throughly teach thou me . 69 the proud and wicked men have forg'd against me many a lye , but i with my whole heart will keep thy precepts constantly . 70 their hearts are fat with pride and wealth ; they live in mirth and ease , but in thy law do i delight , and thee my god to please . 71 it proved very good for me , that thou didst me correct , to understand and keep thy law thy rod did me direct : 72 the good word of thy mouth to me is better manifold . then worldlings wealth and thousands be of silver and of gold. jod 10. 73 thy hands have made and fashioned me , it 's thee by whom i live , that thy commandments i may learn , me understanding give ; 74 they that thy mercy to me see , who fear thee , will be glad , encouraged , because thy word my hope and trust i made . 75 i know , o lord , that thy judgments , all good and righteous be , and that in love and faithfulness , thou hast afflicted me ; 76 to me thy merciful kindness , i pray thee now afford , to comfort this thy servant's soul , according to thy word . 77 thy tender mercies pour on me , that i to thee may live , for holy comfort and delight , thy law to me doth give . 78 confound the proud , who dealt with me perversly without cause ; but still i 'll meditate upon , and keep thy holy laws . 79 let those that fear thee come to me , and see what thou hast done , and let them join in thanks that have , thy testimonies known . 80 and in thy righteous statutes all let my heart still be sound , and then no guilt or mens reproach , with shame shall me confound . caph 11. 81 my soul for thy salvation faints , till i do it obtain ; but still thy sure and faithful word , with hope doth me sustain : 82 mine eyes do fail , while on thy word , i wait and daily say , when wilt thou comfort me , o lord ? o make no more delay . 83 like a dry'd bottle in the smoak , with grief i am become ; yet do i not thy sacred word forget to think upon . 84 how many are thy servant's days ? o might i live to see , that thou wilt judgment do on them , that persecutors be . 85 the proud malicious sort of men , who do oppose thy law , have digged pits and laid their snares , as if they thought none saw . 86 thy holy laws ( which they oppose ) all faithful are and just , they persecute me wrongfully , be thou my help and trust . 87 hunting and wasting me on earth , they scarce alive me leave ; yet i forsake not thy precepts , but ever to them cleave . 88 after thy loving kindness yet , revive me and restore , so shall i keep thy holy word , and trust it more and more . lamed 12. 89 thy word and thy decree , o lord , for ever shall endure ; it s settled in the heav'ns above , established and sure . 90 thy faithfulness to ages all doth certainly extend ; thou hast established the earth , and it doth firmly stand . 91 according to thine ordinance they all remain this day ; for all thy works and servants are , and do thy will obey ; 92 unless thy good and faithful word had been my soul's delight , in my affliction i had sunk , despair'd and perisht quite . 93 thy holy precepts never shall by me forgotten be , for thou in my dejected state by them didst quicken me ; 94 by holy covenant i am thine ; therefore thy servant save , for with desire and diligence thy precepts sought i have . 95 ungodly men have lain in wait my life for to destroy ; but i thy testimonies all will think upon with joy . 96 of all that earth perfection calls i have perceived an end ; but thy commandments to all time and places do extend . mem 13. 97 how greatly do i love thy law ; it hath been all the day . my serious meditation , and my delight and joy . 98 through thy commandments thou didst make me wiser than my foes ; where ere i am , what ere i do , it ever with me goes . 99 i greater understanding have than all my teachers far , because thy testimonies still my meditation are : 100 in understanding i exceed them that did older live , because in keeping thy precepts thou didst more wisdom give . 101 and i my feet refrained have from every evil way , that i may keep thy holy word , and ever it obey . 102 from thy sure word and judgments just i never will depart ; for thou art he that teachest me , and speakest to the heart . 103 how sweet unto my relish are thy words of saving truth ! the sweetest honey never was so pleasant to my mouth . 104 by serious study of thy word , i understanding gat , which made me turn from vanity , and every false way hate . nun 14. 105 thy word is unto me a lamp , and unto me a light , through this dark and deceitful world . to guide my way aright 106 i covenanted and vow'd to thee , and it perform i will , that i will keep thy righteous laws , and strive them to fulfil . 107 my various afflictions , are very sharp and sore , according to thy faithful word , revive and me restore . 108 the free will offering of my mouth , accept i thee beseech , and unto me thy servant lord , thy judgments clearly teach . 109 my mortal life continually i carry in my hands ; yet do i not in dangers great , forget thy just commands . 110 the wicked for my envy'd life , have laid a secret snare , but i will not for fear or hope , from thy commandments err . 111 thy statutes are the heritage , of which i have made choice to my last day ; for it is they , that make my heart rejoice ; 112 my heart inclined by thy grace , doth fixedly intend , thy sacred statutes to obey , and keep unto the end . samech 15. 113 false thoughts and vanity i hate , but love thy statutes just ; 114 thou art my shield and hiding place , upon thy word i trust . 115 all ye that evil doers are , depart from me away , for the commandments of my god , i purpose to obey . 116 according to thy faithful word , uphold and stablish me , that i may live and of my hope , never ashamed be . 117 hold thou me up , and i shall be , in peace and safety kept , and to thy perfect guiding word , i 'll ever have respect . 118 all those who from thy statutes err , thou treadest down as vile , their false deceits do but themselves , and other men beguile . lewd men like dross thou casts away , therefore i love thy word ; 120 for fear of thee my flesh doth quake , i dread thy judgments lord. ain 16. 121 i faithfully have practised judgment and righteousness ; o leave me not to those mens wrath , who me by might oppress : 122 be surety for thy servants good , let not the proud oppress , 123 mine eyes for thy salvation fail , and word of righteousness . 124 according to thy mercy great , with me thy servant deal , and thy instructing statutes all , clearly to me reveal . 125 i am thy servant ; wisdom give , that i thy laws may know , 126 its time for thee , o lord , to work , for men make void thy law. 127 therefore i love thy word , and it in estimation hold better than gold and worldly wealth , yea than the finest gold : 128 all that thy law determineth i judge to be most right ; and all mens false deceiving ways are hateful in my sight . pe 17. 129 wonderful are thy testimonies ; my soul keeps them with care : 130 the entrance of thy word gives light to them that simple are . 131 my thirsty soul with strong desire , doth pant with open mouth , because i long'd to know and keep thy words of saving truth . 132 look on me , and be merciful , bestow on me the same , which thou accustom'd art to give to those that love thy name ; 133 let all my steps by thy just word exactly ordered be , that no iniquity may have dominion over me . 134 save me from mine oppressours all , and i will keep thy word ; 135 o let thy face upon me shine , thy statutes teach me lord. 136 rivers of water from mine eyes ran down when as i saw , how wicked men go on in sin , and will not keep thy law. tzaddi 18. 137 righteous art thou , o lord , and all thy judgments upright be , 138 righteous and faithful are thy laws , which thou commandest me . 139 my zeal hath even consumed me , because mine enemies thy holy word forgotten have , and thy just laws despise . 140 because thy word is try'd and pure , thy servant loveth it ; 141 small and despis'd i am , but yet thy laws do not forget . 142 thy righteousness most steadfast is , and ever doth endure ; thy holy law is truth it self , confirmed truth and sure . 143 trouble and anguish have me found , and taken hold on me ; yet in this trouble my delight , thy just commandments be ; 144 thy testimonies righteousness even everlasting is , cause me to know them that they may bring me to life and bliss . koph 19. 145 with my whole heart i poured forth my cries to thee , o lord ; hear and deliver me , that i may keep thy holy word . 146 in trouble i do cry to thee , thy servant hear and save , and then to keep thy testimonies , fully resolv'd i have . 147 the dawning of the morning i , prevented with my cry ; for on thy true and faithful word , my hope did all rely . 148 my waking eyes betime prevent , the watches of the night , that in thy comfortable word , then meditate i might . 149 after thy loving kindness hear , my voice and answer give ; in mercy great with quick'ning grace do thou my soul revive . 150 the wicked hunters do draw nigh who after mischief run ; thy holy law they do forsake , and far from it are gone . 151 but thou , o lord , art alway nigh , their mischiefs to repel , and all thy word thou wilt make good , which doth in truth excel . 152 as for thy testimonies all , of old i know full sure , that thou hast firmly founded them , for ever to endure . resh 20. 153 consider my affliction great , and me in safety set , by thy deliverance , for i thy law do not forget . 154 plead my just cause , and it defend , deliver me , o lord ; revive and comfort me again , according to thy word . 155 salvation's far from wicked men , it 's far from their intents , to seek it in the only way of thy commandements . 156 many and very great , o lord , thy tender mercies be ; according to thy judgments just , restore and quicken me . 157 many my persecutors are , and foes who do combine ; yet from thy testimonies pure , my soul doth not decline . 158 when i beheld transgressors ways i grieved ; and abhorr'd their opposition to thy laws , who would not keep thy word . 159 consider how on thy precepts my heart with love is set ; quicken me , lord , according to thy loving kindness great . 160 from the beginning all thy word hath been most true and sure ; and all thy righteous judgments shall for evermore endure . schin . 21. 161 princes have persecuted me unjustly without cause ; but thy authority and word my heart and conscience awes . 162 i in thy word rejoice as one that findeth riches great ; 163 i love thy laws , but lying all i do abhor and hate . 164 seven times a day in holy praise my soul ascends to thee , because thy judgments and thy ways all good and righteous be . 165 great peace have these confirmed souls , thy laws who truly love , no fears or scandal shall these men from god and truth remove . 166 for thy salvation i have hop'd , and thy commandments done ; 167 my soul thy testimonies kept , and lov'd them every one ; 168 thy testimonies and commands i kept with constant care , for all my ways and works i know before thee open are . tau 22. 169 o let my daily suit and cry before thee come , o lord , to me sound understanding give according to thy word . 170 and let my supplication before thee daily come , my fears according to thy word deliver thou me from . 171 from a full heart my thankful lips shall utter joyful praise , when thou hast made me know and keep thy statutes and thy ways . 172 my tongue shall of thy word discourse , its goodness i 'll express , because all thy commandements are truth and righteousness . 173 in all streights let thy mighty hand with succour me relieve ; for i by choice have made thy laws the rule by which i live . 174 lord , for thy sure salvation my soul doth daily long ; thy law is still my heart's delight , its praises are my song . 175 o let my drooping soul yet live , and it shall give thee praise ; and let thy judgments succour me , and be my help always ▪ 176 i like a lost sheep went astray , thy servant seek and find ; i yet forget not thy commands , still print them on my mind . psalm cxx . 1 in my distress unto the lord i poured out my [ mournful ] cry ; his ear attended my request , he heard [ and help'd ] me speedily . 2 from lying lips deliver me , [ lord , and ] from the deceitful tongue . 3 what shall be given and done to thee , false mouth , that causeth [ others ] wrong ? 4 sharp arrows from a mighty hand , with [ burning ] coals of juniper . 5 woe 's me , that i in meshech stay , and [ dwell in ] the tents of kedar . 6 my soul hath too long dwelt with them that haters are of [ quiet ] peace : 7 i am for peace ; but when i speak , to war they soon [ themselves ] address . psalm cxxi . 1 unto the hills , from whence my help doth come , i [ will ] lift [ up ] mine eyes . 2 in god , who made both heaven and earth , my only [ help and ] succour lies . 3 he will not let thy foot be mov'd , nor slumbers who thee [ always ] keeps . 4 behold , he that keeps israel , he slumbers not , nor [ ever ] sleeps . 5 the mighty lord thy keeper is , and he doth [ always ] by thee stand ; to be a shade and a defence [ daily ] to thee at thy right hand . 6 the scorching sun in summer heat , shall not by day thee [ hurt or ] smite ; nor the moon 's hurtful influence annoy thee in the [ darksome ] night . 7 the lord shall keep thee from all ill , thy soul he shall keep [ safe and ] sure ; 8 thy going out , and coming in the lord shall still [ to thee ] secure . psalm cxxii . 1 when in the willing crouding flock i heard that [ pleasant ] welcome voice , come , let us go up to god's house , it made my [ longing ] heart rejoyce . 2 our feet in god's jerusalem shall stand , even in her [ gates and ] courts , when those who were dispers'd by men , shall [ thither ] flock in great resorts . 3 god's city is ( not a rude heap , but ) built in [ comely ] form exact ; in great diversity of parts , in order all [ are well ] compact . 4 thither the several tribes go up , [ the tribes ] in covenant with the lord ; with thanks to celebrate his name , his mysteries and [ holy ] word . 5 there god hath placed thrones of power , to judge [ his flock ] in righteousness ; the promis'd thrones of david's house , [ which ] god 's [ own ] government express . 6 pray for jerusalem's true peace , lord prosper all her [ faithful ] friends ; 7 her courts bless with prosperity , let peace [ within ] her walls defend . 8 for my dear holy brethrens sake , who have my [ faithful ] comforts bin ; i 'le daily beg of god for thee , safety [ without ] and peace within . 9 and for the sake of god's own house , where we his name must [ praise and ] bless ; with all the powers of my soul i 'le seek thy [ real ] happiness . psalm cxxiii . 1 lord , in my lowest state to thee i lift mine eye ; whose glorious dwelling is above , even in the heavens high . 2 as servants eyes do look unto their master's hands ; and as a maiden doth expect her mistresses commands . so on the lord our god our eyes do still attend ; until to our relief and help his mercy condescend . 3 have mercy on us , lord , on us thy mercy show ; for we are filled with contempt , from the insulting foe . 4 our souls fill'd with the scorn of those that are at ease ; are overwhelm'd with the contempt of the proud foes of peace . psalm cxxiv . 1 had not the lord been on our side , his israel must [ now ] confess : 2 had not the lord been on our side , when men [ of blood ] sought our distress . 3 then they had swallow'd us alive , when [ their hot ] wrath against us flam'd ; 4 the waters of their furious rage over our [ sinking ] souls had stream'd . 5 then had these proud insulting waves o'rewhelm'd us with their [ cruel ] laws : 6 blest be the lord , who made us not a prey unto their [ greedy ] jaws . 7 our soul like an entangled bird escap'd out of the [ fowler 's ] snare ; the snare our pow'rful lord hath broke , our [ trembling ] souls escaped are . 8 our only help we find doth stand in the [ great ] name of our [ great ] lord , whose power made the glorious heav'ns , [ the earth ] and all things by his word . psalm cxxv . 1 they that in god put all their trust shall firmly stand like sion hill , which by no changes is remov'd , but [ is ] the same [ and ] standeth still . 2 and as about jerusalem mountains enclose that [ holy ] ground ; so will the lord for evermore [ himself ] his people compass round . 3 for just mens rights and heritage [ wicked ] men shall not still possess , lest righteous men should then put forth their [ tempted ] hand to wickedness . 4 do good , lord , to those that are good , to men [ that are ] of upright heart ; but as for such as turn aside , in crooked ways [ by sin ] pervert . 5 the lord shall lead them forth with those who [ love and ] work iniquity ; but everlasting blessed peace on [ god 's true ] israel shall be . psalm cxxvi . 1 when god did lay aside his wrath , and [ captive ] sion did redeem , the great surprisal of our joy made us like men that [ do but ] dream . 2 our mouth then fill'd with laughter did [ by ] singing our [ great ] joy express ; that god hath done great things for us , the heathen [ enemies ] did confess . 3 that god hath done great things for us , we speak with [ glad and ] thankful mouth : 4 fully restore thy captives , lord , as streams refresh the [ scorched ] south . 5 they that do sow in mournful tears , their [ water'd ] seed's not cast away ; but they a multiplyed crop shall [ shortly ] reap with endless joy . 6 he that in tears doth now go forth , and cast his [ precious ] seed on earth ; with great increase in plenteous sheaves shall come again with [ endless ] mirth . psalm cxxvii . 1 except the lord do build house , [ it 's but ] vain pains the builders take : except the lord the city keep , [ it 's but ] in vain the watchmen wake . 2 it 's vain for you betime to rise , and late [ your selves ] from rest to keep ; to eat the bread of grief and care , while god's beloved [ rest and ] sleep . 3 good children are god's heritage , the womb 's [ blest ] fruit [ is ] his reward : 4 children of youth like arrows are , for parents strength [ and joy ] prepar'd . 5 happy therein is he that hath [ his house ] his quiver full of those ; for he unshamed in the gate shall [ boldly ] speak unto his foes . psalm cxxviii . 1 blest is each one that fears the lord , and walketh in his [ holy ] ways : 2 for thou shalt of thy labour eat , and happy [ shalt thou ] be always . 3 as fruitful vines by thy house-side , so shall thy wife [ with fruit ] spring out ; thy children like to olive plants , [ shall stand ] thy table round about . 4 behold , the man that feareth god , blest visibly [ by him ] shall be : 5 the lord shall out of sion give a [ plenteous ] blessing unto thee : jerusalem's good thou shalt see , whilst thou [ in life ] on earth dost dwell ; thy children's children thou shalt see , and [ promis'd ] peace on israel . psalm cxxix . 1 many a time , may israel say , with thankfulness [ to god ] in truth , have wicked men afflicted me , even from my [ prime and ] early youth . 2 many a time , even from my youth , their [ cruel ] hands have me assail'd ; but for my wished overthrow they have not yet [ by rage ] prevail'd . 3 the plowers plowing on my back , did [ long and ] bloody furrows make . 4 but god is just , and me preserv'd , their strongest cords he [ always ] brake . 5 let wicked men , who sion hate , and [ all their ] plots confounded be ; let them with shame be turned back , and not [ their hop'd ] successes fee. 6 let them be like the rootless grass , which grows [ a while ] on the house-tops , and quickly withereth away , before they reach their [ wicked ] hopes . 7 this grass fills not the mower's hand , the binder finds no [ fruitful ] sheaves ; 8 nor god nor man on such curs'd weeds , a blessing [ either ] finds or leaves . psalm cxxx . 1 out of the horrid woful deeps , where sin [ and wrath ] had cast me down , to thee , o lord , i poured forth my earnest suit and [ daily ] moan . 2 o thou the prayer-hearing god , this [ humbled ] sinner's voice now hear ; to my loud cries and sad complaints , let pity grant a [ hearing ] ear . 3 if in strict justice thou should'st mark , and charge [ on man ] iniquity ; lord , who shall stand at thy just bar ? or [ who ] himself [ can ] justifie ? 4 but with thee there forgiveness is , thy word [ of grace ] doth this declare ; that sinful man may worship thee in [ joyful ] hope without despair . 5 therefore for thee , o lord , i wait , my soul doth [ daily ] wait on thee ; and on thy sure and faithful word my [ constant ] hope shall placed be . 6 my soul more waiteth on the lord than they that watch for [ morning ] light ; more than the watchful man doth long to see a [ pleasant ] morning bright . 7 o israel still hope in the lord , though [ low and ] broken be thy case ; for with the lord still mercy is , and we shall see his [ pleased ] face . 8 plenteous redemption with him is ; the lord his [ chosen ] flock will bless : he will redeem them from their sins and from their [ felt and ] fear'd distress . psalm cxxxi . 1 lord , i disclaim a haughty mind , and an ambitious [ lofty ] eye ; i do not exercise my self in things for me too [ great and ] high . 2 thou know'st i have behav'd my self in quietness , as [ low and ] mild ; as a child weaned from the breast , [ my soul 's ] even as a weaned child . 3 upon the lord let israel , with [ fullest ] trust and hope rely ; not only now , but from henceforth , even [ un ] to [ all ] eternity . psalm cxxxii . 1 remember david's troubles , lord ; 2 who vow'd to jacob's [ mighty ] god , 3 and sware , i 'le not come to my house , nor go [ for rest ] unto my bed . 4 i 'le give mine eyes no sleep , until 5 i find a [ holy ] place to dwell ; a habitation for the lord , the [ mighty ] god of israel . 6 at shiloh's place in ephraim , we heard god's [ holy ] ark once stood ; we found it also in the fields , and [ in the ] city of the wood . 7 we 'll go into his tabernacle , and [ humbly ] at his foot-stool bow ; 8 arise , o lord , unto thy rest ▪ thy [ holy ] ark of strength and thou . 9 let righteousness be to thy priests , their cloathing and their [ comely ] dress ; and let thy saints that worship thee , even shout [ aloud ] for joyfulness . 10 and for thy servant david's sake , [ with shame ] turn not away the face of him , whom thou anointed hast , and chosen [ freely ] by thy grace . 11 the lord to david sware in truth , and [ surely ] will not turn from it ; upon the throne of majesty , thy [ body 's ] off-spring i will set ▪ 12 my covenant if thy sons will keep , and laws which i [ to them ] make known ; their children also then shall sit for ever on thy [ royal ] throne . 13 for sion the lord chosen hath , [ and ] there to dwell [ he ] liketh best . 14 this is my chosen dwelling-place , this is my [ worship's ] fixed rest . 15 i her provisions will maintain , and [ it will ] bless abundantly ; and i her poor and needy ones , with [ daily ] bread will satisfie . 16 and i her sacred priests will cloath with my preserving [ saving ] grace ; her saints shall shout aloud for joy before my shining [ pleased ] face . 17 there i 'le make david's horn of power to bud forth , and [ afresh ] to spring ; and there i have ordain'd a lamp for my anointed [ sacred ] king. 18 his enemies i will subdue , [ and ] with [ just ] shame i 'le cloath them all ; but on him and his faithful seed , his [ royal ] crown still flourish shall . psalm cxxxiii . 1 behold and try how good it is , what [ holy ] pleasure it doth give , when holy brethren serving god , in [ love and ] unity do live . 2 it perfumes like the precious oyl , [ which ] poured [ was ] on aarons head ; which down his beard and garments all , it s [ sacred ] fragrant odour spread . 3 as fruitful dews from hermon hill , [ which ] waters [ all ] the lower ground ; and streaming showers from sion's mount make [ the low ] vales with fruit abound . so on his flock by love and peace , god doth his [ fruitful ] grace entail ; even the fore-ta●●e of that blest life , where love [ and peace ] shall never fail . psalm cxxxiv . 1 see that ye bless the lord , ye that his servants are ; who in his house by night do stand , to serve and praise him there . 2 lift up your hearts and hands to him with one accord ; in his appointed holy place , there glorifie the lord. 3 the lord that made the heav'ns , the earth , and all that live ; his blessing out of sion shall plenteously to you give ▪ psalm cxxxv . 1 praise ye the lord : praise his great name ; all ye his servants , praise your god. 2 all you that in the lord's house stand , and in his courts have your abode . 3 praise ye the lord , for he is good , sing praises to his holy name ; for it is sweet to be employ'd . his holy praises to proclaim : 4 he to himself hath jacob chose , and israel his own treasure made ; 5 i know the lord our god is great , above all gods in honour had . 6 in heav'n and earth the lord hath done whatever his own will did please ; and also in the deeps below , and in the great and swelling seas . 7 from the earth's ends it 's he that makes the vapours upward to ascend ; he doth make lightnings for the rain , and winds out of his treasure send . 8 egypt's first-born , both man and beast , he smote , and wondrous tokens he 9 on pharaoh and his servants sent , o egypt , in the midst of thee . 10 he smote great nations , slew great kings ; 11 sihon , who was of heshbon king , and og of bashan ; and to nought all canaan's kingdoms he did bring . 12 and gave their land a heritage unto his people israel : 13 thy name , lord , everlasting is , for ever 's thy memorial . 14 for god for his own people will , to judge and save them , yet arise ; and will turn and repent himself of all his servants miseries . 15 the idols which are worshipped abroad in all the heathen lands ; they are of gold and silver made , the meer work of the craftsmens hands . 16 a mouth they have , but do not speak ; eyes have they , but they never saw . 17 they have ears , but they do not hear ; and mouths , which never breath did draw . 18 their makers are even like to them , and all that do on them rely . 19 bless ye the lord , o israel's house ; bless god , o aaron's family . 20 his servants all of levi's house , continually bless ye the lord ; all every where that do him fear , daily bless god with one accord . 21 in sion god's own chosen place , bless him , and there his praise record ; who dwelleth at jerusalem in holiness , praise ye the lord. psalm cxxxvi . the scots version . 1 praise god , for he is good , his mercy lasts for aye : 2 give thanks with heart and mind to god of gods alway . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 3 the lord of lords praise ye , whose mercies still endure ; 4 great wonders only he doth work by his great power . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 5 which god omnipotent , by might and mercies high , the heav'ns and firmament did frame , as you may see . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 6 to him who did out-stretch this earth so great and wide , above the waters reach making it to abide . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 7 great lights he made to be , for his grace lafteth aye ; 8 such as the sun we see , to rule the lightsome day . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 9 also the moon so clear , which shineth in our sight ; the stars that do appear , to guide the darksome night . for certainly his mercies dure ▪ most firm and sure eternally . 10 to him that egypt smote , who did his message scorn , and in his anger hot did kill all their first-born . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 11 thence israel out he brought , for his grace lafteth ever ; 12 with a strong hand he wrought , and stretch'd-out arm deliver . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 13 the sea he cut in two , for his grace lasteth still ; 14 and through the midst to go made his own israel . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 15 but overwhelm'd and lost was proud king pharaoh , with all his mighty host , and chariots there also . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 16 to him who powerfully his chosen israel led , even through the desart dry , and in that place them fed . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 17 to him great kings who smote , for his grace hath no bound ; 18 who slew and spared not kings famous and renown'd . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 19 sihon , the amorites king , for his grace lafteth ever ; 20 og also , who did reign the land of bashan over . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 21 their land by lot he gave , for his grace faileth never ; that israel might it have an heritage for ever . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 22 who hath remembred us 23 in all our low estate ; 24 and us delivered from foes that did us hate . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . 25 who to all flesh gives food , for his grace faileth never : 26 give thanks to god ▪ most good , to god of gods for ever . for certainly his mercies dure , most firm and sure eternally . the same by w. barton . 1 o render thanks to god , for he is very good ; his mercies sure do still endure , and have for ever stood . 2 the god of gods proclaim , with praises to his name ; his mercies sure do still endure eternally the same . 3 the lord of lords most high with praises magnifie ; his mercies sure do still endure to all eternity . 4 to him who wrought alone great wonders many a one ; his mercies sure do still endure to ages all made known . 5 to him who skilfully compos'd the heavens high ; his mercies sure do still endure to perpetuity . 6 that did the earth extend , the seas to comprehend ; his mercies sure do still endure , and never have an end . 7 to him whose power divine did make great lights to shine ; his mercies sure do still endure , not subject to decline . 8 the sun to rule and sway the motions of the day ; his mercies sure do still endure , and never fall away . 9 the moon and stars of light he made to rule the night ; his mercies sure do still endure , for they are infinite . 10 to him your praise devote , who egypt's first-born smote ; his mercies sure do still endure of everlasting note . 11 who from among them all brought israel out of thrall ; his mercies sure do still endure , and are perpetual . 12 with strong out-stretched hand and arm , at his command ; his mercies sure do still endure , and shall for ever stand . 13 to him that did divide the red-sea on each side ; his mercies sure do still endure , and evermore abide . 14 and israel did transmit , even through the midst of it ; his mercies sure do still endure , and never fail a whit . 15 but on the red-sea coast , smote pharaoh and his host ; his mercies sure do still endure unto the uttermost . 16 to him that led his own through desarts all unknown ; his mercies sure do still endure as permanent alone . 17 to him that smote and slew great kings and famous too ; his mercies sure do still endure , and ever so shall do . 18 king sihon he did smi●e , that giant amorite ; his mercies sure do still endure , continuing day and night . 19 and og , bashan's great king , he did to ruin bring ; his mercies sure do still endure an unexhausted spring . 20 he did their land engage to be an heritage ; his mercies sure do still endure , out-wearing time and age . 21 their heritage befel his servant israel ; his mercies sure do still endure times constant parallel . 22 who thought on our estate , when low and desolate ; his mercies sure do still endure , and bear eternal date . 23 redeeming us from those that were our mortal foes ; his mercies sure do still endure , a spring that overflows . 24 who still provideth meat , whereof all flesh may eat ; his mercies sure do still endure for ever full and great . 25 the god of heav'n therefore with thankful hearts adore ; his mercies sure do still endure henceforth for evermore . psalm cxxxvii . 1 in babylon's captivity we [ sadly ] by their rivers sate ; when sion we remembred there , we wept [ as men ] disconsolate . 2 on willows in the midst thereof we hang'd our [ silent ] harps unstrung ; for they who had us captives made , [ in scorn ] requir'd of us a song . 3 they that had made our country wast , to make sport [ of us ] talked thus , now sing us one of sion's songs , [ said they ] insulting over us . 4 how shall we sing god's sacred songs , thus [ captives ] in a foreign land ? 5 if i jerusalem forget , let [ musick ] skill forsake my hand . 6 let my tongue dumb cleave to my jaws if [ belov'd ] sion i forget ; and if above my chiefest joy i do not sion [ always ] set . 7 remember edom's off-spring , lord , who in thy peoples [ woful ] day , cry'd , rase it , rase it to the ground , this [ hated ] city level lay . 8 o babylon , to destruction judg'd , that [ conquering ] hand shall honour'd be , which just as thou hast used us , [ a just ] reward shall give to thee . 9 that victor's hand shall honour'd be , that [ fiercely ] takes thy little ones ; ( not we , but foes in bloody war ) will dash them [ dead ] against [ the ] stones . psalm cxxxviii . 1 with my whole heart i will thee praise , before the gods [ thy praise ] i 'le sing : 2 i 'le tow'rd thy holy temple bow , and praise thy name , o [ glorious ] king. even for thy loving kindness great , and for thy [ holy ] truth , o lord ; above all thy instructing name thou hast advanc'd thy [ sacred ] word . 3 in my sad days thou answered'st me , when i to thee did [ pray and ] cry ; and thou my feeble soul with strength didst [ kindly ] strenghthen inwardly . 4 all kings on earth shall praise the lord , when they shall hear [ and know ] thy word ; and singing shall walk in thy ways , so great 's thy [ fame and ] glory , lord. 5 the god that 's infinitely high , the lowly [ men he ] doth respect ; but knows the proud as afar off , and with disdain [ doth them ] reject . 6 though i in midst of trouble walk , [ thou wil t ] revive me , and extend thy hand against mine enemies wrath , [ and ] thy [ right ] hand shall me defend . 7 all that my welfare doth concern , the lord [ at last ] will perfect make ; o lord , thy mercy endless is , do not thy [ handy ] work forsake . psalm cxxxix . 1 o lord , thou hast me search'd and known : 2 thou know'st my [ daily ] sitting down , and mine uprising : all my thoughts , [ even a ] far off to thee are known . 3 thou fift'st and compassest my path , [ and ] seest [ me ] when down i lye ; and art with all my works and ways [ always ] acquainted perfectly . 4 no word is in my tongue , o lord , but it is [ fully ] known to thee ; 5 thou hast beset me round about , and [ thou hast ] laid thy hand on me . 6 this knowledge high's above my reach , [ it is ] too wonderful for me : 7 whither shall i go from thy face ? or [ whither ] from thy spirit flee ? 8 if into heav'n i could ascend , yet [ surely ] thou art present there ; or if in hell i make my bed , or [ in the ] grave , there thou art near . 9 if on the morning's wings i fled , [ and d'well ] the utmost seas beyond ; 10 there by thy hand i shall be led , and [ safely ] held by thy right hand . 11 or if i say , the darkness sure shall hide me from thy [ piercing ] sight ; the darkness , even the most obscure , about me shall be [ as the ] light . 12 yea , darkness hideth not from thee , but night doth shine as [ bright as ] day ; to thee the darkness and the light [ indeed ] are both alike alway . 13 for thou possessed hast my reins , and thou didst form and cover me , when i within my mother's womb enclosed was [ and shap'd ] by thee . 14 i 'le praise the lord , for fearfully and strangely made [ by thee ] i am ; thy works are all unsearchable , my soul [ convinc'd ] doth know the same . 15 my substance was not hid from thee , though [ formed ] in a secret place ; in the low sordid earthly parts , [ by thee ] i wisely fashion'd was . 16 thine eyes my unshap'd substance saw , my parts were [ written ] in thy book ; and in continuance formed were , when none [ as yet ] had fashion took . 17 how precious also are the thoughts of thee , o [ gracious ] god , to me ! how great their sum ? more than the sand 18 in number [ they if ] counted be . i when i wake am still with thee ; 19 [ surely ] thou wilt the wicked slay , o god! therefore to men of blood , depart [ ye far ] from me , i 'le say . 20 for they against thee wickedly [ do ] speak with [ much ] prophane disdain ; thy enemies blasphemously do take thy [ holy ] name in vain . 21 do i not hate them all , o lord , who are thy [ hating ] enemies ? and am not i grived with those that [ madly ] up against thee rise ? 22 i hate them with a perfect hate , i count them for my [ chiefest ] foes : 23 search me , o god , and know my heart ; try me [ and ] my [ hid ] thoughts disclose . 24 and see if any hurtful way of [ wilful ] sin be found in me ; and in thy everlasting way let me [ always ] be led by thee . psalm cxl . 1 lord , from perverse and evil men [ do thou ] grant me deliverance ; and let me be by thee preserv'd from [ cruel ] men of violence . 2 who in their hearts continually contriving [ some great ] mischief are ; and altogether are combin'd [ in plots ] for hurtfulness and war. 3 like serpents their pernicious tongues [ have they ] with venom sharpened ; the adder's poyson and his sting under their [ wicked ] lips is bred . 4 keep me , o lord , from wicked hands , and from the [ envious ] violent man , who have resolv'd to overthrow my [ blameless ] goings if they can . 5 the proud for me have hid a snare , [ with cords ] and they have spread a net , by the way side , where i must go , they [ traps and ] grins for me have set . 6 i went unto the lord , and said , thou art my god [ and help ] alone ; lord hear my voice , in mercy grant my [ humble ] supplication . 7 o god , thou only art the strength which ever [ safely ] keepeth me ; my head in days of bloody war was covered [ and sav'd ] by thee . 8 the wicked mens hurtful desires , lord , prosper not , nor [ ever ] grant ; and further not their bad designs . lest of themselves they [ proudly ] vaunt . 9 as for the leading head of those that [ fiercely ] compass me about , let the mischief of their own lips cover [ them all ] and find them out . 10 let burning coals upon them fall , cast them into the [ wasting ] fire ; into deep pits , that they rise not [ again ] to pursue their desire . 11 let not the false ill speaker be [ on earth ] fixt in prosperity ; let evil hunting violent men [ reach and ] o'rethrow them utterly . 12 i know that god will yet maintain the cause of men [ that are ] distrest ; and will defend the poor mens right , and such as are [ by men ] opprest . 13 surely the just shall to thy name give thanks , and [ of thy ] mercies tell ; and men of upright hearts and lives shall [ ever ] in thy presence dwell . psalm cxli . 1 lord , unto thee i cry , o make thou hast to me ; give ear unto my mournful voice when i cry unto thee . 2 as incense let my pray'r be set before thine eyes ; and the up-lifting of my hands , as evening sacrifice . 3 o lord , a constant watch set thou my mouth before ; and of my lips , left they offend , do thou still keep the door . 4 to any evil thing let not my heart incline , to joyn in sin with wicked men , or of their pleasures dine . 5 let righteous men in love smite me , and me reprove ; this shall not break my head , but as a precious oyl shall prove . in their distress i 'le pray , 6 when in the stony street their judges are cast down , they 'll hear , my words will then be sweet . 7 our bones at the grave's mouth are cast and scatter'd round ; as wood which men do cut and cleave , lies scattered on the ground . 8 but , lord my god , mine eyes still look up unto thee ; in thee is all my trust ; let not my soul forsaken be . 9 keep thou me from the snare which they have laid for me ; and the entrapping grins of men , that wicked workers be . 10 let men of ill designs fall into their own trap , whilst from all their malicious plots thy flock and i escape . psalm cxlii . 1 i to the lord in my distress with [ sad and ] mournful voice did cry ; my supplication i sent up [ aloud ] unto the lord most high . 2 to him i pour'd out my complaint , my trouble i [ to him ] did show ; 3 my spirit in me was o'rewhelm'd , [ and all ] my danger thou didst know . that in the way wherein i walk'd they [ closely ] laid for me a snare ; 4 i look'd on my right hand , but none to know [ and help ] me did appear . all humane refuge failed me , none for my [ trembling ] soul did care ; 5 but then i cryed to the lord , that he my [ humble ] suit would hear . i said , lord , thou my refuge art , the portion of my [ hope and ] choice ; while i am in the land of life , where living men in thee rejoyce . 6 i am brought very low on earth , [ o lord ] attend unto my cry ; me from my persecutors save , who stronger are [ by far ] than i. 7 and out of prison bring my soul , thy [ blessed ] name to magnifie ; the just shall flock to me , because [ with me ] thou dealest bounteously . psalm cxliii . 1 lord hear my prayer , and unto my [ humble ] suit attentive be ; thy justice and thy faithfulness [ do thou ] employ to answer me . 2 thy sinful servant bring not thou in [ to strict ] judgment to be try'd ; for so no living man can stand before thee [ clear and ] justify'd . 3 the enemy doth hunt my soul , my life to ground [ cast down ] doth tread ; in darkness he hath made me dwell , like those that have [ some time ] been dead . 4 therefore my spirit 's overwhelm'd , my heart [ in me ] is desolate ; 5 yet i think on the days of old , thy [ ancient ] works i meditate i muse on all thy handy works , to thee i stretch my [ craving ] hands ; 6 my humbled soul thirsts after thee , as do [ for rain ] the thirsty lands . 7 hear me with speed , my spirit fails , lord , do not hide [ from me ] thy face , lest i untimely , as the dead , go to the [ dreaded ] burying-place . 8 o let me with the morning light thy loving kindness [ hear and ] see ; for in my lowest state i place my confidence [ alone ] in thee . the way which thou wouldst have me go , [ clearly ] do thou make known to me ; for i for thy conduct and help lift up my [ craving ] soul to thee . 9 lord save me from mine enemies , [ for still ] with thee my self i hide ; 10 teach me to do thy holy will , thou art my god and [ surest ] guide . thy spirit and his work is good , [ safely ] lead thou my soul in peace ( through this false wicked world ) into the land of [ truth and ] uprightness . 11 revive and quicken me , o lord , for thy great [ name and ] mercies sake ▪ and for thy truth and righteousness , my [ humbled ] soul from trouble take . 12 and of thy mercy let those foes [ cut off ] subdu'd and humbled be , who do afflict and persecute [ me and ] thy flock for serving thee . psalm cxliv . 1 for ever blessed be the lord , he is my [ only ] rock and might ; which taught my hands the skill of war , and [ taught my ] fingers how to fight . 2 my goodness , fortress , my high tower , [ my ] saviour and [ my [ shield is he ; in whom i trust , who doth subdue my [ foes and ] people under me . 3 lord , what is man , that thou of him dost so much [ mindful ] notice take ? or what 's the son of man , that thou of him [ so much ] account dost make ? 4 man is like vanity ; his days away like [ passing ] shadows fly . 5 lord , bow the heav'ns , come down and shew to man thy [ awful ] majesty . the mountains touch , and they will smoak , 6 cast forth thy [ frightful ] lightening ; scatter them , shoot thine arrows out , them to [ deserv'd ] destruction bring . 7 send from above thy pow'rful hand , [ do thou ] rid and deliver me ; from waters great , and from the hands of [ envious ] strangers set me free . 8 such whose deceitful mouth doth speak [ hurtful ] untruth and vanity ; and their right hand doth execute falshood and [ cruel ] treachery . 9 a new song i to thee will sing , lord , on the [ pleasant ] psaltery ; on a ten-stringed instrument i will sing [ joyful ] praise to thee . 10 it 's he that victory to kings , and their [ desir'd ] salvation sends ; his servant david he preserves , and from the [ hurtful ) sword defends . 11 save me from wicked strangers hands , whose [ faithless ] mouth speaks vanity ; and their right hand doth execute falshood and [ their own ] treachery . 12 that grown up in their youth like plants sons be [ that are ] unto us born ; our daughters like to polish'd stones , [ may be ] that palaces adorn . 13 that to afford all kind of store , our garners may be [ alway ] fill'd ; that thousands , and ten thousands more sheep in our streets [ increas'd ] store yield . 14 that strong our oxen be to work , that [ on us ] no invasion come ; no flying out , that in our streets [ with us ] be no complaining moan . 15 those are a happy people here , [ who are ] in such a case as this ; happy indeed those people are whose god [ our great ] jehovah is . psalm cxlv . 1 my god and king , i 'le thee extol , and bless thy [ holy ] name always : 2 i 'le magnifie thee every day , and thy name [ will for ] ever praise . 3 great is the lord , and greatest praise is due [ from all ] to him alone ; his greatness is unsearchable , and to [ us ] men [ but ] little known . 4 one age of mortals shall transmit his praise to that [ which next ] succeeds ; they shall declare thy famous works , and celebrate thy [ mighty ] deeds . 5 the glory of thy majesty and honour i will [ daily ] speak ; and of thy great and wondrous works my tongue shall frequent mention make . 6 it shall be mens delight to tell how [ great and ] dreadful thy works are ; and my employment it shall be thy [ boundless ] greatness to declare . 7 the mention of thy goodness great shall [ largely ] exercise their tongues ; thy truth and righteousness shall be the matter of their [ daily ] songs . 8 the lord is very gracious , [ tender ] compassions in him flow ; his mercy is exceeding great , he 's unto anger [ very ] slow . 9 that unto all the lord is good , his [ common ] mercies do declare ; and over all his other works his [ great and ] tender mercies are . 10 lord , all thy works shew forth thy praise , thy saints thy [ holy ] name shall bless ; 11 thy kingdom 's glory they shall speak , their tongues [ shall ] thy [ great ] power express . 12 to make known to the sons of men his [ many ] strange and mighty deeds ; and that in glorious majesty his kingdom [ all our ] praise exceeds . 13 thy kingdom everlasting is , a kingdom firm [ unchang'd ] and sure ; thine absolute dominion doth through each age [ the same ] endure . 14 the lord of mercy them upholds , who [ sink and ] fall into distress ; and riseth those that are cast down , and doth their wrongs [ and griefs ] redress . 15 the eyes of all do wait on thee , thy [ bounteous ] hand doth them relieve ; and unto all sufficient food in [ time and ] measure thou dost give . 16 thou openest thy liberal hand , to [ maintain ] all enough it gives ; to satisfie the just desire of every thing [ by food ] that lives . 17 the lord is just in all his ways , holy in all [ the works ] he doth ; 18 he 's nigh to all that call on him , that [ humbly ] call on him in truth . 19 he will fulfil the just desire of those who do him [ fear and ] serve ; he 'll hear their cry in their distress , and them from [ threatned ] hurt preserve . 20 the god of love will safely keep all those that do him [ truly ] love ; but all the hateful wicked race [ dreadful ] destruction shall remove . 21 with thankful heart my mouth shall speak the praises of the [ glorious ] lord ; and let all flesh from age to age , to bless his [ holy ] name accord . psalm cxlvi . 1 praise ye the lord most high , my soul speak thou his praise ; i 'le praise him constantly , and bless him all my days . 2 even whilst i live , and being have , god who this gave , i 'le praises give . 3 in princes put no trust , nor any son of man ; impotent and unjust , none of them help us can . 4 he life resigns , returns to dust , and then he must cease his designs . 5 he is the happy man , whom god doth help afford ; who own and trust god can , whose hope is in the lord. 6 who all things made , heav'n , earth , and sea , his truth and they do never fade . 7 god food to th' hungry gives , judgment doth execute ; th' oppress'd loose , and relieves prisoners and destitute . 8 to blind gives sight , dejected men , he raiseth them , loves the upright . 9 god strangers doth defend , orphans and widows knows ; ways which to mischief tend , utterly overthrows . 10 god king shall be ; sion's god shall still reign o're all . the lord praise ye . psalm cxlvii . 1 praise ye the lord , for it is good praise to our [ glorious ] god to sing ; it is a sweet and pleasant work , and praise [ to god ] a comely thing . 2 god buildeth his jerusalem , where he as god is [ truly ] known ; he the dispers'd of israel , [ in time ] doth gather into one . 3 the broken-hearted he doth heal , their wounds up he doth [ gently ] bind : 4 he tells the number of the stars , calls all things by their [ names and ] kind . 5 great is our god , and of great power , his knowledge hath no [ end or ] bound : 6 the meek he lifteth up , but casts the [ proud and ] wicked to the ground . 7 sing forth the praises of the lord with thankful heart and [ chearful ] tongue ; let harp and pleasant melody be joyned with your [ praising ] song . 8 he covereth the heav'ns with clouds , [ and ] for [ the ] earth prepareth rain ; the barren mountains doth refresh , that grass [ on them ] may grow again . 9 he gives the beasts their food , and feeds young ravens , which [ for food ] do cry ; 10 his pleasure not in horses strength , nor in [ the strong ] man's legs do lye . 11 but in all those who do him fear , the lord [ himself ] doth pleasure take ; and those that in his mercy hope , his [ love ] and grace will not forsake . 12 jerusalem shall praise the lord , sion , thy god [ with praise ] confess ; 13 thy bars and gates he strengtheneth , thy children [ in thee ] he doth bless . 14 thy borders he with peace doth bless , and fills thee with wheat 's [ finest ] flower ; 15 his word goes forth through all the earth , and [ swiftly ] prospers by his power . 16 hoar frost like ashes scattereth he , [ on earth ] like wool he snow doth give : 17 like morsels he casts forth his ice , who in his [ extream ] cold can live ? 18 he sendeth out his word of power , and [ quickly ] melteth them again ; he makes his wind to blow , and then the waters flow with [ plenteous ] rain . 19 the doctrine of his holy word to jacob he doth [ clearly ] show ; his statutes and his judgments he makes [ his own ] israel to know . 20 he with no nation thus hath dealt , his judgments and his [ holy ] word to none of them are thus made known ; ye therefore praise the [ glorious ] lord. psalm cxlviii . 1 praise ye our glorious lord , who dwells in heav'n on high ; let him be still ador'd above the starry sky . 2 ye angels bright , and all his host , throughout heav'ns coasts in praise delight . 3 praise him both sun and moon , and every shining star ; 4 ye heav'ns which are his throne , his glorious praise declare . his praise forth show , ye waters high , in clouds that fly , and fall below . 5 let all these praise the lord , and magnifie his name ; he did but speak ▪ the word , and thereby all things frame . he plac'd them fast , 6 by his decree they fixed be , and ever lasts . 7 praise god on earth below ye dragons and all deeps , 8 fire , hail , clouds , wind , and snow , which in command he keeps . 9 mountain and hill , fruitful trees all , and cedars tall , praise ye him still . 10 all beasts , both wild and tame , and every creeping thing , praise ye god's glorious name , and every bird of wing . all men on earth , 11 kings and judges , greatest princes of highest birth . 12 young men and maidens all , praise ye the lord's great name ; old men and children small , let all his praise proclaim . o're all the world 13 god's name alone , and glory known , shall be extoll'd . 14 his people he will raise , and them exalt on high , all his saints shall him praise and bless continually . he is ador'd by israel , who near him dwell : praise ye the lord. psalm cxlix . 1 praise ye the lord , and sing a new rejoycing song ; praise ye our glorious king his holy ones among . where they do meet in holy throngs , to sing these songs sacred and sweet . 2 let israel rejoyce in him that did them make ; with chearful heart and voice let sion's sons partake . and to their king , who them directs , and still protects , this off'ring bring . 3 and let them praise his name with dances grave and meet ; yea , let them praise the same with harp and musick sweet . for the upright , 4 his people true , whom he fore-knew , are his delight . with his salvation he the meek will beautifie : 5 let them all joyful be in his and their glory . to their great king , their resting head , shall on their bed his praises sing . 6 let the high praise of god be ever in their mouth ; and let them wield abroad the two-edg'd-sword ( with truth . ) 7 on heathens all , and wicked men , god's judgments then shall surely fall . 8 with chains to bind their kings , their lords with iron bands ; 9 to execute the things on them which god commands . god by his word , this honour grants to all his saints . praise ye the lord. psalm cl. 1 praise god : prise him where faithful men do in his holy place draw near . praise him in the high firmament , where his great power doth appear . 2 praise him for all his mighty acts , their glory in his praises tell ; his greatness and perfection praise , which doth all creatures reach excel . 3 with trumpets and shrill cornet's noise , sound forth his glorious praise on high ; praise him with the melodious harp , and with the pleasant psaltery . 4 praise him with timbrel and with flute , with organs and string'd harpsicals , ( with joyful and well-tuned hearts ) 5 praise him upon the loud cymbals . on the loud cymbals praise ye him : 6 let every living thing accord that breath enjoys , to give god praise . all joyn to praise our glorious lord. chap. 3. lamentations , 1 i am the miserable man , selected by my [ righteous ] god to see days of calamity , and feel his [ wrath and ] chastening rod. 2 he hath me led and brought into the [ dismal ] darkness of the night ; he doth deny my grieved soul the comforts of the [ pleasant ] light . 3 surely against me he is turn'd , [ all day ] his hand wrings out my groans ; 4 my wasted flesh , my skin made old , by [ tiring ] pain he breaks my bones . 5 his batteries he against me built , with [ gall and ] travel compass'd me ; 6 in darkness he hath shut me up , like those that [ dead and ] buryed be . 7 his chastening hand doth hedge me in , and my escape [ by flight ] restrains ; my feeble flesh , and galled limbs he fetters with his [ heavy ] chains . 8 and when thus prest with pain and grief , to him i [ daily ] cry and shout , he seems to turn away his ear , and shut my [ fervent ] prayer out . 9 with hewen stone he hath me enclos'd , led me [ into ] a crooked way ; 10 and he hath us'd me in his wrath as [ bears and ] lions do their prey . 11 he turn'd me from the pleasant way , [ tore me ] and made me desolate : 12 he bends his bow , makes me the mark which [ piercing ] arrows level at . 13 the shafts which from his quiver come , enter [ into ] and pierce my reins ; 14 i daily am the peoples song which me with [ mocks and ] scorn disdains . 15 with bitterness he filled me , with wormwood [ he hath ] made me drunk ; 16 with gravel-stones he brake my teeth , my flesh's in ashes [ roll'd and ] shrunk . 17 thou set'st my soul so far from peace , that i [ almost ] all good forgat ; 18 i said , my strength and hope in god hath [ fail'd and ] left me desolate . 19 but my affliction 's not forgot , the [ bitter ] wormwood and the gall ; 20 my soul doth still remember these , and 's humbled [ in me ] under all . the second part. 21 yet this consider'd , stays my grief ; it 's mercy that we [ yet do ] live , 22 and that we are not all consum'd ; but god doth [ hope and ] being give . 23 mercies are every morning new , god's [ love and ] faithfulness is great . 24 the lord 's my portion , saith my soul , [ therefore ] my hope on him is set . 25 surely to all that wait for him , the lord is [ ever ] good and kind ; the soul that truly seeketh him , [ at last ] shall his compassion find . 26 it is man's only way to good , whatever be his [ grief and ] streight ; for the salvation of the lord , in [ hope and ] quietness to wait . 27 surely it is for man's own good , in youth to bear the [ taming ] yoke ; 28 he sits alone , and silence keeps , instructed by god's [ teaching ] stroke . 29 his mouth he putteth in the dust , submits to [ any ] terms of hope : 30 he gives his cheeks to him that smites , with [ lying ] railers will not cope . 31 god will not ever cast us off , nor from his [ chosen ] people go ; 32 though he cause grief , his mercies great [ in time ] will his compassion show . 33 he doth not willingly afflict , [ nor love ] the sons of men to grieve ; 34 to crush earth's prisoners under feet , whom mercy [ rather ] would relieve . 35 that judges should deny men right , in men [ of power ] god doth not love : 36 to subvert just men in their cause , the [ righteous ] lord doth not approve . the third part. 37 whos 's word can stand , when god gain-says ? who can o'rethrow his [ potent ] will ? 38 the good or ill that us befals , his [ word and ] counsel do fulfil . 39 why should a man , chastis'd for sin , who 's yet alive [ grudge and ] complain ? 40 it 's better search and try our ways , [ repent ] and turn to god again . 41 o let us lift up hearts and hands , for help [ and hope ] to god in heav'n ; 42 we all have sinned and rebell'd , and thou [ our sin ] hast not forgiven . 43 from us poor persecuted men [ with wrath ] thou coverest thy face ; thy just displeasure hath us slain , not pitying our [ doleful ] case . 44 cover'd thou art from our access , inclosed in a [ darksome ] cloud , which prayers do not penetrate , though suff'ring make them [ long and ] loud . 45 among the people we are made the [ refuse ] scorn and off-scouring : 46 our enemies mouths wide open'd are , thy flock's [ to them ] a scorned thing . 47 fear and a snare on us are come , [ anguish ] and ruin is our state ; 48 mine eyes with streaming tears bemoan . thy [ broken ] flock that 's desolate . 49 my heart still feeds my trickling eyes , my [ grief and ] weeping ceaseth not ; 50 till god in mercy look from heav'n on those that [ now do ] seem forgot . 51 mine eye affects my soul with grief , to see my city's [ woful ] case ; 52 mine enemies hunt me causelesly , as fowler 's [ harmless ] birds do chase . 53 to prison they condemned me , and shut me up [ sentenc'd ] for death ; 54 the waters overflow'd my head , seeming to stop my [ vital ] breath . the fourth part. 55 i called on thy name , o lord , in [ the low ] dungeon like to die ; 56 thou heard'st my voice , hide not thine ear now from my [ doleful ] sighs and cry . 57 in that day when i call'd on thee , to [ succour ] me thou didst draw near ; encouraging my fainting soul , thou [ kindly ] bidst me , do not fear . 58 thou , lord , against oppressing men didst undertake [ and plead ] my cause ; thou hast redeem'd my threaten'd life from [ wicked ] mens devouring jaws . 59 o lord , thou hast seen all my wrong , judge thou [ my cause ] whose word i speak ; 60 their plots and vengeance thou hast seen me and thy [ righteous ] laws to break . 61 lord , thou their false reproach hast heard , the plots which they [ for me ] did lay ; 62 the words of those that me accus'd , [ their plots ] against me all the day . 63 when to their ease , their feasts , their play , in [ pride and ] pleasure they refort , thou seest ( though they fear not thee ) i am their [ musick ] scorn and sport . 64 render to them a recompense according to their [ unjust ] deed ; 65 through thy just curse , upon their hearts let [ deserv'd ] grief and sorrow feed . 66 persecute thou these men in wrath , who persecute [ me and ] thy word ; destroy them , let them not abide under thy heav'ns , o [ righteous ] lord. gospel-hymns . zachary's song , luke 1.68 . bless'd be the lord , even israel's god , for he hath visited his flock , and them redeem'd ; and raised up a saviour out of david's stock . as by his holy prophets mouths he our redemption had fore-told ; who ever since the world began were sent unto his church of old . that by him we should saved be from our destructive enemies all ; and of all them that do us hate , be saved from the servile thrall . thus the great mercies to perform , which to our fathers promis'd were ; his holy covenant to make good , the oath which he to abraham sware . that this deliverance he would grant to us , that now enthralled are ; that saved from our enemies hands , we may serve him without their fear . in holiness and righteousness , even all the days that we shall live ; and thou the prophet shalt be call'd , which the most high to us doth give . for thou his ways for to prepare , shalt go before the lord 's own face ; to call his people to repent , and make them know his saving grace . for the remission of their sin , through the great mercy of our god ; whereby the day-spring from on high with us doth take up his abode . to give his saving light to them who sit enthralled in darkness , and in death's shadow : and to guide our feet into the way of peace . mary's song , luke 1.46 . my soul doth magnifie the lord , my spirit [ in me ] doth rejoyce in god , who is my saviour , express'd by this my [ thankful ] voice . for greatly he regarded hath his handmaid's [ mean and ] low estate ; henceforth all ages shall my name as [ great and ] blessed celebrate . for he who the almighty is , great things [ indeed ] hath to me done ; holy's his name , his mercy is to them that fear him [ largely ] shown , he with his arm hath shewed strength , he them that [ great ] and mighty be hath put down , and exalted them who are of [ mean and ] low degree . the poor and hungry he hath fill'd with what for them is [ truly ] good , and the rich he hath sent away empty , through want of [ needful ] food . his servant israel he hath help'd , for his own [ ancient ] mercies 〈◊〉 ; as to our fathers , to abraham , and to his seed [ of old ] he spake . simeon's song , luke 2.29 . lord , let thy servant now in peace to thee depart , according to the gracious word of thee who faithful art . for him mine eyes have seen , who brings thy saving grace ; which thou prepared hast to shew before all peoples face . to the gentiles a light them to illuminate ; and to thy people israel , the glory of their state . the angels doxologie , luke 2.14 . glory be to the glorious god , whose [ dwelling's ] in the heavens high ; let peace abound on earth below , to men [ divine ] benignity . or , glory be to our glorious god , whose [ dwelling's ] in the highest heaven ; let peace come down on earth below , [ love and ] good will to men be given . or , glory to the eternal god in heav'n [ which is ] his glorious place ; let peace on earth make her abode , let men receive his [ love and ] grace . the hymn , called the benedicte of shadrach , meshach , and abednego , paraphrased . christian philosophy . 1 let this great wondrous frame , and all god's works therein , on which his glorious name inscrib'd is clearly seen , jehovah bless , to magnifie the lord most high his praise express . 2 ye holy angels bright , who see jehovah's face , where his life , love and light make heav'n a glorious place . the lord still praise , his majesty still magnifie , bless him always . 3 ye heav'ns so high and great , in glory which excel , the blessed holy seat where christ and angels dwell , his praise shew forth ; him magnifie more gloriously than we on earth . 4 ye unseen powers above , which mortals little know ; who under god do move , and rule the things below , praise ye god's name , as all his will ye do fulfil , bless ye the same . 5 let the great glorious sun , earth's mover , life , and light ; and the resplendent moon , which shines to us by night , god's glory show , praise and declare him whose ye are , to us below . 6 ye numerous stars of light , great orbs , and glorious all ; though here to mortals sight by distance ye seem small ; your wondrous frame , so great and high , doth magnifie the lord's great name . 7 ye clouds and showers of rain , and earth-refreshing dew ; which do its store maintain , and all its fruits renew . to all mens sense , of us god's care , you do declare , and providence . 8 ye unseen winds that blow when and where god commands , moving the air below , both over sea and lands ; the lord most high , your unknown course , and potent force do magnifie . 9 god's wondrous work , call'd fire , whose substance near and great we know not , but admire its motion , light , and heat , doth intimate what spirits are , god's praise declare , and celebrate . 10 winter 's and summer's course , the year 's revolving times , keep still by divine force in their prescribed lines . each day and hour do glorifie the lord most high , and praise his power . 11 the sharp congealing cold , the frost , the ice , and snow we feel , and do behold , but not their secrets know . these praise the lord , who doth command both sea and land , and all the world. 12 the glorious heav'n-born light , earth's beauty , joy , and guide ; black darkness , silent night , when men in rest abide . both nights and days bless our great lord , obey his word , and speak his praise . 13 lightnings and tempests fierce make sinful mortals quake ; thunders the mountains pierce , god makes the earth to shake . all these proclaim ▪ and dreadfully , do magnifie the lord's great name . 14 in this great fruitful earth , ( though small to all the rest ) where mortals have their birth , god's greatness is exprest . it s numerous train doth bless our god , and all abroad his praise proclaim . 15 ye mountains vast and tall , even with the cloudy sky , whence all below seem small which in the valleys lye . you to man's eye the power of god shew all abroad , and magnifie . 16 the fields and fruitful ground , each plant and beauteous flower , where god's sweet gifts abound , which shew his love and power . all this rich store high praises gives to him that lives for evermore . 17 fountains and pleasant springs sweet streams that never rest , food , health , and pleasure brings , refreshing man and beast . these always flow , praising god's love , which from above feeds all below . 18 the ocean deep and wide is in god's eye and hand ; and rivers all that glide to it from every land . god's wonders there , which dreadfully him magnifie , to all appear . 19 great whales dwell in this deep , the fish in wondrous store god there doth feed and keep , and brings for man to shore . out of man's sight these glorifie the lord most high , and praise his might . the fowls that fly in air , and sweetly sing on earth , god's chore that praise him are , and shew his glory forth . to our great king all these rejoyce with chearful voice , and to him sing . 21 the beasts of divers sorts , the wild , servile , and tame , god makes , feeds , and supports , to glorifie his name . to this design'd , the lord they bless , his praise express each in his kind . 22 o man , to whom all these thy god hath servants made , this god to love and praise should be thy life and trade . learn and be wise , will only ye the rebels be , and god despise ? 23 return man to thy lord , follow not vanity ; trust and obey his word , and trust not to a lye . he is thy god , now seek his face , obey his grace , prevent his rod. 24 o ye his chosen flock , brought near him by his love , his church built on the rock , redeem'd for joys above . your god adore , your voices raise , and sing his praise for evermore . 25 ye sacred priests of god , whose worship ye attend ; whose house is your abode , your days there sweetly spend . unweariedly spread ye his fame , his holy name there sanctifie . 26 all ye that serve the lord , devoted to his will , rul'd by his holy word , trust and obey him still . in him rejoyce , and magnifie the lord most high with heart and voice . 27 ye spirits of the just , advanc'd by saving grace , who here in christ did trust , and now behold his face . in heav'n above you joyfully there magnifie the god of love. 28 all saints in heav'n and earth , in whom love's holy fire , kindled in the new birth , towards god doth still aspire . spend life and days , redeem'd for this , the work of bliss , the lord to praise . 29 with these , lord , number me , let love draw up my soul ; from all its bonds set free , let nothing it controul . that i to please and magnifie the lord most high may never cease . 30 one god in trinity , let heaven and earth adore , from all eternity the same for evermore . all glory 's his , who needing none , himself his own perfection is . the hymn of st. ambrose , called te deum , &c. 1 most glorious god , we here present our joyful praise to thee ; the only god , the lord of all , confessing thee to be . 2 th' eternal father , lord of all , thy works do thee proclaim , for all are made to honour thee , and glorifie thy name . 3 thee the blest angels magnifie , the heav'ns and powers thee praise ; cherubs and all the glorious spirits do cry to thee always 4 most holy , holy , holy god , the universal lord , thy present glorious majesty fills heaven and all the world . 5 the glorify'd apostles there praise thee continually ; with them the blessed prophets joyn thy name to magnifie . 6 there are the martyrs noble hosts employed in thy praise ; thy holy church in heav'n and earth acknowledge thee always . 7 father in greatness infinite , thy one , true , glorious son ; the holy ghost the comforter , christ's advocate with man. 8 o christ , thou art of glory king , and thee we all confess the father's everlasting son , his image most express . 9 when to save lost and sinful man , man's nature thou wouldst choose , to take flesh in a virgin 's womb thy love did not refuse . 10 when thou for sinners suffered'st death , conquered'st and rose agen , heaven's kingdom thou didst open set to all true faithful men . 11 into the heaven's ascended , now thou sit'st at god's right hand , and in the father's glory dost both heaven and earth command . 12 with all the faithful we believe thou wilt in glory come to be our judge , and on all men to pass the final doom . 13 now therefore help thy servants , lord , whom thou redeemed hast so dearly with thy precious blood , and let them not be lost . 14 o let us with the blessed saints in glory numbred be ; and with them everlastingly sing praises unto thee . 15 save thou thy chosen people , lord , bless thine inheritance ; rule and preserve them , and with thee in glory them advance . 16 it is our daily sacred work thy name to glorifie ; world without end we would thee praise and ever magnifie . 17 vouchsafe us , lord , thy grace this day our souls from sin to save ; have mercy on us , sinners , lord , it 's mercy which we crave . 18 lord , let thy mercy fall on us , in it confide we must ; lord , let not me confounded be , for in thee do i trust . the doxologie . to father , son , and holy ghost , one god in trinity , as ever was , and as now is , all glory ever be . or , to father , son , and holy ghost , one god in persons three , or , one undivided three . or , one consubstantial three . or , one coeternal three . all humble thanks and joyful praise , or , [ all highest praise and humble thanks now and for ever be . or , [ for ever rendred be . ] or , all glory to the blessed three , one ever-living lord ; as at the first , still shall he be belov'd , obey'd , ador'd . or , all glory , honour , power , and praise to god that 's one in three , as it in the beginning was , is now and still shall be . or , all glory to the blessed three , all honour , power , and praise , as at the first , shall ever be beyond the end of days . or , to father , son , and holy ghost , all [ praise and ] glory be therefore ; as in beginning was , is now , and shall be [ henceforth ] evermore . or , glory to thee , o lord , one god in persons three : to father , son , and holy ghost , one equal glory be . directions for the vse and tuning of the psalms , &c. i. these psalms are set to the commonest measures and tunes of the old metre of the psalms . psal . 84.117.119 . te deum . ii. to the tune of the old 100 psalm , or the old 51 , are 1.18.78.89.100.106.107.109.114.135.150.57.69.88 . note , that the tune of the old 51st . best agreeeth with the sadder sort of psalms ; and the tune of the old 100. with the laudatory psalms . iii. to the tune of the old 25 , are set psal . 3.15.20 , 21 , 22.24 , 25.28.43.50.56.59.61.65.67.70.83.85 , 86 , 87.100.110.123.136.141 . iv. to the tune of the old 148 , are set these laudatory psalms , 47.98.136.146.148 , 149. and the benedicite , &c. v. all the rest are set to the longer and shorter measures and tunes indifferently : that is , if you leave out the words written in a different character , they are fitted to any of the commonest shorter tunes ( which are very many : ) but if you take in the words of different character , they are fitted to the longer tunes , of the old 51st . or 100th . as for instance , psalm 2. why do the rebel-nations rage , and [ people ] hatch a vain design ? the kings of earth do set themselves , and [ wicked ] rulers do combine . but if you leave out the words of a different character in crotchets thus [ ] then you may use any of the common tunes . as for instance of the same psalm . why do the rebel-nations rage , and hatch a vain design ? the kings of earth do set themselves , and rulers do combine . the reason why i so-ordered them , is , 1. because nature , weary of the same , is recreated with variety of tunes : and some are more for one , and some for another . 2. because when brevity causeth obscurity , the additional words are seen by them that use the books , as explicatory of the rest , when they be not spoken : and the great difference of the letters makes it no stop to the readers . though this was never done by any other that i know of , and though it sometime make the verse more rough , i hope the benefit will compensate all this . note , that some few select psalms , most fitted to mens ordinary state , humbling , deprecatory , supplicatory , or gratulatory and laudatory , should by most be learnt without book , to be ready night and day , as various occasions make them useful . and times of calamity , danger , oppression , and persecution , will render men capable of a sensible understanding of the greatest part of the psalms , otherwise hardly understood ; which aggravate the furious rage , malignity , violence , bloodiness , and diabolical nature , designs , and attempts of the wicked enemies of truth , piety , and holy peace ▪ and teach us to fly to god only for help from these wicked and unreasonable men . and it will thereby confute our offence at david's so much aggravating his and the churches enemies wickedness and bloody cruelty ; if we consider that it is not their eternal damnation that he prayeth for , but publick justice by god , the universal soveraign , who hath made justice a necessary part of government , divine and humane , and the ordinary means of repressing wickedness , encouraging obedience , and protecting and delivering the church and state. finis . dwelling with god, the interest and duty of believers in opposition to the complemental, heartless, and reserved religion of the hypocrite / opened in eight sermons by john bryan ... bryan, john, d. 1676. 1670 approx. 481 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 233 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a29932 wing b5243 estc r31994 12293491 ocm 12293491 58941 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a29932) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 58941) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1501:4) dwelling with god, the interest and duty of believers in opposition to the complemental, heartless, and reserved religion of the hypocrite / opened in eight sermons by john bryan ... bryan, john, d. 1676. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [32], 415 p. printed by t.m. for james allestry ..., london : 1670. to the reader signed: rich. baxter. errata: p. [31] reproduction of original in the british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sermons, english -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-09 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-10 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion dwelling with god , the interest and duty of believers . in opposition to the complemental , heartless , and reserved religion of the hypocrite . opened in eight sermons . by john bryan d. d. late pastor in coventry . london , printed by t. m. for james allestry , at the sign of the rose and crown in st. paul's church-yard , 1670. to the right honourable arthur lord chichester viscount carrickfergus , and governour ; earl of donegal : one of his majesties most honourable privy council in the kingdom of ireland . and to the right honourable , and truly religious latitia countess of donegal . right honourable , and my good lord and lady . many and great are the obligations that lye upon me to your honours , as upon many other , so upon the account of my yongest son noah , many years since minister in stafford ; since , for the space of more than seven years your chaplain ; whom , while he lived in your noble and religious family , you loved dearly and prized highly , and whose death you take heavily . so that all that my self and my two surviving sons can do in way of thankfulness , should we live methusalem's days , will come short of what you have deserved of us . and therefore we must and shall make it our daily prayer , while we are in the land of the living , to him who is all-sufficient , to give to your honours a full reward . mean time these poor low meditations of mine upon the richest and highest subject i most humbly present to your honours , as a token of my gratitude , beseeching your acceptance of it , ( as that great prince did of the poor man's handful of water , who had no better thing at hand to offer ) beseeching god to bless it to you , and to all into whose hands it shall come for the furtherance of your and their spiritual and eternal good ; and that he will grant you according to the riches of his glory , that as you have been , and still are very great props and encouragements to the profession and practice of piety , loyalty , and charity in that kingdom where you now live , and were so in this , while you lived here , so you may live long and long to promote both in both , till you be translated into his everlasting rest . your honours : most humble bounden servant . john bryan . to the reader . courteous reader , it is god himself who is the substantial object of science and religion . though we would not erre with them , who too much dishonour and vilifie creatures , lest we reflect dishonour on the creator , and tempt men to think basely of the author , as we do of the work ; yet we must say that compared with him , they are a very little thing , yea as nothing , yea less than nothing , and vanity , isa . 40. 15 , 17. and what they are , they are in that dependence on him and relation to him , without which they would be strictly nothing : though the old philosophers did many of them think that so fair a structure deserved to be esteemed , as corpus deitatis ; yet christians are more wise and reverent than to approve the more modest assertion of them , who call it vestimentum numinis , or accidentia divina : yet the notion of an accident is thus far apt , to tell us that all the creature 's being , is in its dependence on the creator ; and that it is nothing but what it is in him : for of him , and through him , and to him are all things , rom ? 11. 36. and in him we live , and move , and be , act. 17. 28. to think therefore or treat of any creatures , abstractedly , leaving out the knowledge of the creator , is not properly to know , but to dote or erre : he that does annihilate them , or deny their very being , doth not know it , nor cannot teach it . such fooleries are all the busiest and most learned enquiries of those formalists , who separate philosophy from theology , and think they have done fairly when they have once confest that god gave the world a being and first motion : as if he had then left it to its self , or made it a separate self-subsisting thing ; or as if they might then proceed to treat of it , without any further thoughts , or mention of that god who is more to it than a soul ; and without whom it cannot be truly defined , no more than the beams without mentioning the sun , or the accidents without the substance . and as the true natural philosopher doth see god as all in all , in physicks ; so doth the true moralist in ethicks . well may our religious science be called divinity , because god is in it , the beginning , the middle , and the end ; the life , the substance of it , and all in all . and as this is true of the theory , it is as true of the practice : ( for it is one and the same religion or theology , which is essentially in the three constitutive faculties of man , and must be defined , as scientia affectiva practica ) it is a very apt and instructing expression which is used . heb. 4. 13. all things are naked , and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to do . it is most intimately pertinent to our religion , to know god , as him with whom we have to do , and to know how much we have to do with him ! to know that we have more to do with him , than with all the creatures in the world : yea , that we have nothing to do with any creature , but as in him , and with him , and for him ; and as that which is less than an accident of god ; that we have nothing to do with men or angels , high or low , rich or poor , animate or inanimate , no not our selves , as separate from god , or from his presence , interest , and will ; nor as co-ordinate ( in subsistence or intention ) with him ; but only as absolutely dependent on him , and subordinate , and subservient to him : and that we have nothing to do in the world , but his service , and the fulfilling of his will : and to know how great , and of what unspeakable importance , our daily and hourly business is , in which we have to do with god. this will first fix us in the positive part of our religion , which is properly called godliness ; and then it will most effectually accomplish the negative part ; in calling off our minds from every idol , and killing our bruitish and unchast affections . while our hearts are seriously taken up with god , the creature will seem less to us comparatively , than a fly compared to a city , or an atome to a kingdom , or a candle to the sun. overvaluing , and overloving , and overdoing for the world , is a certain sign of our undervaluing , and underloving , and neglect of god. for if god have his due , he will have all : and if he had all , the world , and all things in it would have none ; unless as it is sent to god by them . and so excellent is this converse with god , that the nature of it may much convince us , that grace and glory are but as the seed and the plant , as infancy and manhood ; and that life eternal is begun on earth , joh. 17. 3. one being but the work of seeking love , and the other of fullenjoying-love ; and both being the dwelling of the soul in god , in several manners and degrees . do not wonder therefore , if the reverend author of this treatise ( my deservedly-much valued and honoured friend , and long a laborious servant of christ , ) have chosen this subject for his own delight , and for his readers benefit . for however perhaps the burning of the city , and the removal of many ministers from their setled habitations , might be some occasion of his choice ; yet the great reason , no doubt , was the greatness and necessity of this truth , as suited to the greatest edification of mens souls . i foresee , that there are some that will say , that this running of allegories so far , doth carry away the mind from the just conceptions of the thing , and hinder , and delude the understanding , by drawing it into the by-paths of improper notions ; and is the way of injudicious superficial teachers . and i confess it is so in several cases : as 1. when metaphors are chosen needlesly , instead of more plain significant termes . 2. and when they are chosen unaptly , and are not fitted to the matter signified . 3. when they are insisted on too far , to the exclusion of the proper notions , and tend indeed to seduce and carry away the mind . 4. when they are run up so high , as to infer any false conclusions , or to introduce any groundless confectaries or applications . but if you consider of the allegory insisted on in this treatise , you will have better thoughts and censures of it , upon these reasons following . 1. it is not about a created subject , where we have store of proper notions ; but about the creator , and our communion with him , where we must have improper thoughts , and borrowed notions , or none at all : it is a controversie between the thomists and the scotists , whether one syllable ens be spoken univocally of god and of the creatures ? but that no other word is spoken univocally of them , they are agreed . and the scotists do not without reason maintain , that analogical attribution is not a third member , betwixt univocal and equivocal , but is truly equivocal , as metaphors are . talk not then against all allegorical expressions about god , till you would forbid mortals to talk of god at all . 2. note , that it is not so much the matter of our communion with god , as the manner of it , which the allegory is used to express . for the matter on our part , i here tell you once for all , that it is not any fryar like , fanatical , notion , of deification by an indwelling in god , nor andr. os●anders conceit of essential righteousness ; nor the platonists fancy of the union of the intellect with the thing understood , which the reverend author doth assert : but it is only the communion of the three essential faculties of the soul with god , the vital and executive power , the intellect , and will , partly receptively and partly operatively , which is meant : and the allegory of dwelling signifieth the permanency , fixedness , constancy , familiarness , &c. of these . 3. and consider how apt and significant it is : how fitly it expresseth the habits of grace , the souls fidelity , the course of duty , the contents and comforts of a believer in his god , &c. as is here fully opened to you : and how fitly it differenceth a christian indeed , ( who dwelleth habitually , and devotedly in god ) from all sorts of hypocrites , who do but complement with him as a stranger , or step aside out of their ordinary way , to speak now and then with him , either in formality , or in their extremity ; and cast an eye towards him sometimes on the by . and that it is not a barren notion , but most practical , directing the thoughts of a christian to a constant , spiritual , holy life ; yea , that it is a very consolatory notion , speaking the beginning of heaven on earth , and suited both to grace and glory , and apt to lead up our desires to the everlasting mansions ; which we have scarce a more familiar conception of , than by dwelling with god ! and who would not be at home , that hath such a home prepared for him , when once he is prepared for it ? 4. and lastly consider , that it is a scripture metaphore ; yea , frequently there used : and what words of scripture can seem more important to us , than 1 john 4. 16 ? god is love ; and he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god , and god in him. and v. 15. whosoever shall confess that jesus is the son of god , god dwelleth in him , and he in god. and v. 12. if we love one another , god dwelleth in us , and his love is perfected in us. 1 joh. 3. 24. he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him , and he in him. 2 cor. 6. 16. for ye are the temple of the living god ; as god hath said , i will dwell in them , and walk in them , and i will be their god , and they shall be my people . and there is another sort that i foresee will be offended , because the author hath said so much against separation from the publick assemblies and worship , as now managed , seeing he is silenced for non-conformity himself . to these i shall only say : 1. why do they not wonder as much at the old non-conformists , hildersham , paget , brightman , bradshaw , ball , with many more ; who said much more against separation long ago ? 2. consider that the author is an ancient experienced divine , who hath lived to see the fruits of all extreams ; and in particular , what the love-killing and separating spirit hath done in these kingdoms these thirty years ; he hath been the tutor and father of more faithful teachers in the church , than many other worthy pastors , have been of converted serious christians : and if the young unexperienced censures , will but stay till they come to his age and experience , and to half his learning , wisdom , and grace , and till they have done god's church but the twentieth part of the service , that he hath done , it 's like they will be themselves of the same mind that he is . but i could wish for their own sakes , they would not do by him , as they do by mr. tombes , who having written a book against separation , which none of them can confute with truth and reason , they commonly and confidently affirm that he conformeth , and then cast by his book through prejudice ; and few that i hear of , who most need it , do read it : though he is so far from ministerial conformity , that in the epistle to that book he still declareth his old opinion against infant baptism . partiality is a forfeiture of truth , and contemptuously shuts the door against it . it will suffer men to receive no instruction ▪ from those that differ from them : and those that differ not can scarce instruct them , because their opinions are but the same , which they hold already . alas , then what will become of the understandings of this generation ? wherein there are so few , that are not in one faction or other , possest with partiality and unreasonable prejudice against the rest ! reader , the way to escape this soul-perverting sin and misery , is , that which this treatise doth instruct thee in ; even to dwell continually with god , who is the original life , and light , and love ; and in whom all wise and holy souls , are united , and employed in delightful harmony ; and are no further divided , discordant , contentious , uncharitable , than they depart from god ! and to retire more in mind , from this dark , perverse , confused world ; which to the best is a wilderness , though the way to rest ; and to the worldlings is a place of snares and sin , a babel , and a bedlam habitation , where the prince of the powers of the aire , who ruleth in the children of disobedience , is busily and successfully fitting souls , for a sadder state . watch and pray , that thou maist be saved from this present evil world ; but especially , and above all thine enemies , from thy self ! happy is the man whose selfishness , pride , and lust , do not subvert his soul ! and whose own opinion , will , and way is not his ruine ! i rest , an unworthy servant of christ for his church . rich. baxter . acton . june 4. 1669. the contents . the contents of the first sermon . the doctrine is proved by the properties of this habitation , and the conveniences and priviledges belonging to it : and the proof in the text explained . the contents of the second sermon . two questions are answered . 1. what it is to make the lord our habitation ? viz. to make choice of him , to close with him , and to cleave unto him , as our resting place . 2. how we may know that we dwell in god ? viz. by 4. characters of such inhabitants . entrance upon application in reference to 3. sorts of men. 1. such as are , or may be sure they have not yet made the lord their habitation . 7. sorts of these . advice to them , and instruction how to make the lord their habitation . 7. means , in order to this end . the contents of the third sermon . addition of another means . viz. to dwell in god , to this end get an honest and good heart : what such a heart is . what power there is in natural men , with exhortation to exert it . 2. such whose habitation the lord is sure enough , but they have no sensible comfortable assurance that he is so ; what the reasons are of their doubts , and fears , and how to repell them . the contents of the fourth sermon . 3. such as have sensible comfortable assurance , that the lord is their habitation . exhortation to prize this blessing ; to hold fast , and increase their assurance , and how . 1. generally to walk worthy of the lord. 2. particular duties , in reference to things and persons . 1. to things , viz. earthly habitations . 1. what their duty is that have no habitation of their own . 2. what their 's that have houses of their own , but may not live in them . 3. what their 's that have convenient dwellings , and competent means to live upon . 4. what their 's that have stately houses , and abundance of all earthly things . 5. what their 's that have had their houses burnt , and are rebuilding , or finished : a word of caution to all these . the contents of the fifth sermon . second sort of spiritual duties . viz. in reference to persons . 1. the principal efficient causes of their happiness . the three sacred persons of the deity , and the instrumental causes . 2. in reference to such persons as are yet without god in the world , and how to draw them in . the contents of the sixth sermon . duties in reference . 1. to visible chuches ( god's habitations ) false ( popish ) to separate from them ; but ( protestant ) not to separate . 2. to fellow-members of the same family . live in unity with them , though differing in judgment . the contents of the seventh sermon . other duties upon the account of the properties of this house . some of the lawes , and ordinances of this house . the general lawes partly natural , partly supernatural . the law of faith : how to manage faith so , as to maintain life . the contents of the eighth sermon . how faith maintains life against all instruments of death . nine acts of faith to free the heart from all discouragement and disquiet : some other laws of the house concerning watching , rejoycing , praying , thanksgiving , readiness to remove out of lower into higher rooms . by reason of the author's absence , these errors have escapt the press , with several false pointings , which the courteous reader is desired to amend . page 4. line 8. after hereafter add to make use . p. 5. l. 20 r. heights , or high places ▪ p. 8. l. 24. r. pent . p. 11. l. 16. r. theirs . p. 13. l. 11. your r. their . l. 14. such r. which . p. 16. l. 10. r. goods . p 25. l. 7. r. effected . l. 22. rejoyce r. noise . p. 35. l. 18. r. felt . l. 23. r. persisted . p 42. l. 5. twines . r. turns . p. 44. l. 19. for will , r. glory . p. 50. l. 21. r. sensualists . p. 52. l. 9. r. this . p. 61. l. 12. r. both th●se themselves . p. 78. l. 9. r. was . p 79. l 7. r. against them . p 82. l 24. each , r. which . p 83. 18 ▪ leave out that to him p 86. l 15. a place , r. a feast . p 87. l 12. his , r. this . p 96. acquisition , r this of . p 97. l 23. r. whence . p 101. l 4. r. any real rest . p 102. l 7. r sought . p 103. l 12. r. nor in the latter . p 105 l 6. first r. true . p 106. l 4. her r ▪ his . p 107. l 21 r. prelation . p 108. l 14. natural r. mutual . p 110. l 16. this r. that : p 116. l 5 ▪ leave our once . p 117. l 21. is , r. as . p 118. l 14. belike , r. because life . p 120 l ▪ 11. fixed , r. first . p 125 l 26. persons , r. profess . p 129. l 6 after religion add , with piety and reason . p 132 l 21. r. against whom . p 141. l 7. r. do you likewise . p 142. l 3. your , r. their . l 7. have , r know . p 145. l 4 ▪ these , r. your selves . l 8. these , r. your selves . p 148. l 12 ▪ turnes to , r. workes for . p 165 , l 3. r. pace . l 4 , r. when there is solid and true grace in it . l 16 , r. generally ▪ p 170 , l 26. esteem'd , r ▪ shewed . p 175 , l 6 , so , r. to . p 178 , l 17 , the , r your . p 180 , l 8 , alone , r. a one . p 207 , l 19 , exquisite , r. extinct . p 208 , l 3 , r. handsel . p 210 , l 18 , r. premisses ▪ p 218 , l 3 , r. to praise god. p 256 , l 4 , leave out only ▪ p 265 , l 18. even ▪ r. ezekiel . p 287. l 6 , after church , r. is of the former sort for as . l 8 , after invention add , so 2dly , in it is wanting truth of doctrine ; fundamental errors , doctrines of devils in very great number are obstinately maintained there . l 23 , after so , r ▪ it being without true preaching but a seal . p 297 , l 18 , r. the church of england . p ●80 , l 12 , truth , r. touch . p 386 , l 8 , r. prove . p 388 , l 15 , r. emptying : p 391 , l 7 , a desiring , r , an adhering : p 393 , l 8 , which , r ▪ such : p 397 , l 3 , scarce , r , secure . p 412 , l 10 , r. a dedication . the first sermon . psal . 91. 9 , 10. because thou hast made the lord which is my refuge , even the most high , thy habitation , there shall no evil befall thee , neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling . it is as natural for all men to desire happiness , as it is for the sparks to flie upwards : to make them happy , there is required an absence of all oppressing evils , and a concurrence of all things necessary , convenient , and decent : among and above many other things an habitation or resting place for their bodies is needful to their outward happiness , without which they cannot but be miserable , whatever other good things they may enjoy . herein our blessed saviour seems to prefer the felicity of foxes and fowles before his own . the foxes have holes , and the birds of the aire have nests , but the son of man hath not where to lay his head . the better house any man hath , the more happy he is ( in that : ) he that hath the best is happiest . now that house is best that is higher , stronger , larger , more lightsome , warm , and better furnished with provisions , and all desirable accommodations , than any other ; that is not subject to any casualties , and which secures its inhabitants from all manner of evil present and future : and withall , is a resting place for their souls . they that have such an habitation cannot but be acknowledged by all the world , to be the only happy people in the world. if the question be , where such an habitation can be found ? where such a people ? and by what means they become thus superlatively happy ? this text resolveth it . the habitation is the lord , who was david's refuge , even the most high ; find him , and this habitation is found . the people are such , as he to whom david directs his speech , whom the lord himself describes and ownes a little after . he hath set his love upon me , he hath known my name . the meanes whereby this people come to be possessed of this happiness , it is by their own making . because thou hast made the lord , &c. who the lord is , it is well known , even israel's god , the same whom we christians own and worship : one in essence ; three in subsistence , the father , the son , the holy ghost . what , and what a one he is , his name jehovah in part imports , an absolute , simple , infinite , independent and immutable beeing . that he is a real habitation , appears by all those places of scripture , where men are said to dwell in god , ( whereof we shall have occasion hereafter ) he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high , shall lodge under the shaddow of the almighty . he that keepeth his commandements dwelleth in him . hereby we know that we dwell in him , because he hath given us of his spirit . whoso shall confess that jesus is the son of god , he dwelleth in god. he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god. that he is such an habitation , as hath been formerly mentioned , and consequently the best , as far surpassing all others , even the choicest under heaven , as the stateliest pallace in the world , doth the poorest cottage , or heaven earth , and infinitely more , is now to be proved . and hereby the conclusion asserted will be evinced to be a truth . that all , and only they are the most , yea the only , happy people upon earth , whose habitation the lord jehovah is . 1. begin we with the properties of this house . the first whereof is height , ( expressed in the text. ) the scituation of it is exceeding high . the babel-builders designed to erect a tower , whose top might reach unto heaven . this is far above it . they that are in it are out of danger , of any deluge , beyond the reach of men , or devils . david calleth god his high tower. and he that can , as david could , prove god to be his habitation , is said to dwell in height . 2. it is also a non-such for strength . hear that holy man of god thankfully acknowledging what god had been for him in times past . thou hast been a shelter for me , and a strong tower from the enemy . and what he was at present . thou art my strong refuge . and he not only prayeth , that god would still be his strong habitation , whereunto he might continually resort , his strong rock for an house of defence to save him ; but frequently declares his confidence , that as god was , so he would ever be as he wished ; and how oft doth he call him his strength ? his son tells us , he is the same to every one that is as he was . the name of the lord is a strong tower , the righteous runneth to it , and is safe . and the prophet esay praiseth god for this . thou hast been a strength to the poor , a strength to the needy , in his distress , a refuge from the storm , a shadow from the heat , when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. the greatest canon-bullets shot against the walls of this house , make no more impression , do no more execution than paper-pellets shot against a wall of brass or marble . 3. it is a house exceeding large ; this is accounted a great commodity , of a house to have roomes enow , and room enough . solomon intimates as much , when he saith , it is better to dwell in a corner of the house top , than with a brawling woman in a wide house . to have any thing we use too narrow , or too streight , is very troublesome . the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it , and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it . in god there is room more than enough , both for the understanding and affections of man to expatiate themselves in . canst thou by searching finde out god ? canst thou by searching finde out the almighty to perfection ? 't is as high as heaven , what canst thou do ? deeper than hell , what canst thou know ? the measure thereof is longer than the earth , and broader than the sea. his commandements are exceeding broad . how much more are his attributes , absolute , and relative , proper and figurative . god bid abraham to walk through the land of canaan , ( which is called a good land , and a large , ( good , because large ) in the length of it , and in the breadth of it . and he bids every child of abraham ( to whom he gives himself for a possession ) as he gave that land to abraham ) to walk within , and pass through all his divine properties , going out ▪ of one room into another , as also his great and precious promises : nor shall they have cause to complain of straitness , as the churches children do in their mothers eares . — the place is too strait for me , give place to me that i may dwell . to whom we may conceive her giving them this answer ; children , though your bodies may be present in your earthly dwellings , the faculties of your souls have space enough , abundantly more than your faculties can conceive in god , who saith to every saint of his dwelling in him , apt to make the like complaint , as paul to the corinthians , ye are not straitned in us , but you are straitned in your own bowels . 4. it is a house no less lightsome than large . god is light , and in him is no darkness at all , in this light we shall see light. the lord will be unto thee an everlasting light. when there was a thick darkness in all the land of egypt , the israelites had light in their dwellings . all that are israelites indeed , have light in god their dwelling place . when all others in the world sit in darkness , and the shaddow of death . and they do contemplate the light of his mercy , truth , and power . with open face beholding his glory by which they are transformed more and more into his image . sometimes indeed they are compelled to sit in darkness of dangers and distresses , inward and outward . who is among you that feareth the lord , that obeyeth the voice of his servant , that walketh in darkness , and hath no light ? he hath led me , and brought me into darkness , but not into light . but even in this darkness they are not altogether without light , they have the light of god's word . they word is a lamp unto my feet , and a light unto my path. and in his word they have the light of his promises , that he will bring them out of that darkness whereinto he brought them , and turn their grief and afflictions into joy . for thou wilt light my candel , the lord my god will enlighten my darkness . yea , even when , and all the while , i sit in darkness , the lord shall be a light unto me . god is a sun , ten thousand times more full of light than this material sun ; and it is impossible that he that dwells in the sun should want light. 5. it is a warm house , light hath heat in it emiently ( as the peripateticks say ) yea , it is both warm and cool : a summer and a winter house both , ( great men were wont to have several mansions for these two several seasons of the year . ) this house is as some choice roomes in some great houses , are warm in winter , and cool in summer . many there are that dwell in god , who have more winters than one , every year ▪ scarce one summers day in many years . i am afflicted , and ready to die from my youth up . yet in the sharpest weather this house of yours keep their hearts warm . so that the spouse said , i sleep , but my heart waketh . they can say with paul , as sorrowful , yet alway rejoycing . i am filled with comfort , i am exceeding joyful in all our tribulations : being justified by faith , we have peace with god , and rejoyce in hope of the glory of god ; and not only so , but we glory in tribulations also , — because the love of god is shed abroad in our hearts , by the holy ghost , which is given unto us . although the fig-tree shall not blossome , neither shall fruit be in the vines , the labour of the olive shall faile , and the fields shall yield no increase , the flock shall be cut off from the fold , and there shall be no herd in the stalls , yet i will rejoyce in the lord , i will joy in the god of my salvation . if it be objected , that this is not alway true , that they who dwell in god are alway thus joyful ; nay , many times their hearts have not the least sense of comfort ; yet in such a case , they have a warmth and heat that is far better , and includes abundance of comfort in it , and in due season will flame forth , namely that of love , and that both of desire and complacency . set me as a seal upon thine arm , for love is strong as death ; the coals thereof are coals of fire , which hath a most vehement flame ; many waters cannot quench love , neither can the floods drown it . this warmth their hearts never want , though sometimes the sense of the second motion of it , may seem to them as dull , as that of their joy : nor is there any time wherein they cannot say with david , my heart was hot within me . yea , discouragements from the world are so far from cooling your love to god , that they make it hotter as water cast upon lime ; so michol's scoffs were to david's zeal ; such is a flame issuing from the fire of love. if this be to be vile , i will yet be more vile than thus . others of god's people have many summer days ; yea , almost all their days all the year long , for many years together , are such . job had such a long summer , all which time , god's candle shined upon his head : the secret of god was upon his tabernacle . his most wise conduct governed his house , provided plentifully for it . he washed his steps with butter , and the rock poured him out rivers of oyl . hyperbolical termes . as if he had said , i enjoyed all my goods and pleasures , according to mine own desire . when the eare heard him , then it blessed him ; and when the eye saw him , it gave witness unto him . he sat chief , and dwelt as a king in the army . was both beloved and feared , yet in all these hot sun-shine dayes of prosperity , this house of his kept his heart cool towards the things of the world : he lived in continual fear of loosing them . i feared ( saith he ) a fear , and it came upon me . i never all this while gave my self over to carnal security , i alway affrighted my heart with the apprehension of the accidents of this life , and contained my self in fear and humility towards god : and within the bounds of modesty towards men . hear him making a solemn protestation how cool his heart was kept from evil concupiscence , and cursed love to women . i set a watch ( saith he ) at the entrance of my sences , made a covenant with mine eyes . that my soul might not by them receive any vicious enticements to uncleanness . or if my sences had been at any time , allured by any object of sin , yet my heart , which is the seat of god's spirit , hath opposed them : it never walked after mine eyes . and as for temporal good : though i had exceeding great store of them , and all justly gotten , yet was i free from rejoycing carnally , or setting my whole delight in them ; nor did i put any confidence at all in them . thus loose was this holy man's soul kept , from the things of the world. the lusts of the flesh , the lusts of the eye , and the pride of life . and so was the soul of moses , who living by faith in god , had his affections so cooled to the pleasures of egypt , that with ease he forsook them all , and with joy joyned himself to the ignominious condition of his brethren . 6. no house is so full of goods as this is , none so stored with all things , both for necessity and delight . houses that are high , and strong , and large , and lightsome , and warm , if they want provision of good , and furniture , are far from being accounted good houses . these only , where there is a fulness of houshold stuff , plenty of meat , and drink , and cloaths , and silver , and gold , and armor for defence and offence , have the denomination given them , by the generality of people , and are only cryed up : empty ones have no bodies good word . take notice of some passages of scripture to this purpose , from the mouths both of prophane and divine pen-men ; yea , of divinity it self . how many hired servants in my fathers house have bread enough , and to spare . we shall finde all precious substance , we shall fill our houses with spoyle . if balak would give me his house full of silver and gold. through wisdome is a house builded , and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious , and pleasant riches . thou shalt save goats milk enough for thy food , for the food of thy ▪ houshold , and for the food of thy maidens . thy barnes shall be filled with plenty , and thy presses shall burst out with new wine : wealth and riches shall be in his house . they possessed houses full of all good , the floors shall be full of wheat , and the fat 's shall overflow with corn and oyle . some very good people , who had house-room enough , have had therein next to nothing . the widdow of zarephath going into her house , to fetch the prophet elijah a little water , in a vessel which he begged of her to drink , makes this answer to him , craving that she would also bring him a morsel of bread in her hand . as the lord thy god liveth , i have not a cake , but a handful of meal in a barrel , and a little oyl in a cruse ; this was all her store . such an answer gave a certain woman , of the wives of the sons of the prophets , unto elisha . tell me ( said he ) what hast thou in the house ? thy hand-maid ( said she ) hath not any thing in the house , save a pot of oyle . in this house which we have in hand , there is not only no want of any thing which is on the earth ( the good report given of laish by the five searchers . ) but here is also all the good things that heaven it self is able to afford : witness him that was caught up thither , and saw what was in those mansions ; blessing god for blessing him , and all his fellow-members of this blessed family , withall spiritual blessings in heavenly places in christ . begin we with provisions of food . they to whom it is given to dwell in god , shall be sure not to want either corporal or spiritual sustenance , but enjoy both in abundance . 1. for their bodies , this is one of the encouragements given to the saints of god , to fear and seek him . o fear the lord , o ye his saints , for there is no want to them that fear him . the young lyons do lack and suffer hunger , but they that seek the lord shall not want any good thing , in the day of famine they shall be satisfied . the righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul ; but the belly of the wicked shall want . they shall alway have bread and water enough : as those hundred prophets had in that time of great dearth , ( whom obediah fed by fifty in a cave ) bread shall be given them , their waters shall be sure . likened unto men that dwell in an unpregnable fort : well provided with victuals to hold out a siege . and there bread and water is sure , as is not else-where to be found . for there is a blessing in both , which are also of the choicest , and god himself feeds them therewith . i should have fed them ( saith the lord to his professing people , had they hearkened unto me , to come and live in him , but they would not ) with the finest of the wheat , and with honey out of the rock should i have satisfied them . no courser bread than wheaten doth every hinde , or servant of this house eat . that which is materially pulse , beanes , pease , ( which some of them are fain sometimes to feed upon ) is virtually the fat of wheat . so it was to daniel , and his three companions , whose countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh , than all the children which did eat the portion of the kings meat . nor can they be scanted . he whos 's the earth is , and the fulness thereof , having said , thou shalt eat thy bread without scarceness . i will abundantly bless her provision , i will satisfie her poor with bread. in case they have but an handful of meal : he can make it suffice them and theirs many days ; yea , enable them to go in the strength of one cake baken on the coales forty days ; yea , to make five loaves feed no fewer than five thousand men , besides women and children ; nor shall there want a concurence of his will with his power , if need be . though miracles are said to be ceased , every one of the house shall have their daily bread , according as they are taught to pray . and as agar prayed in faith , nothing doubting : nor were ever any of them in david's observation , put to the trade of begging their bread . though some of them have in all ages been constrained to live of almes for exercise and tryal , which is a noble way of living . and so the waters given them to drink , they are not like these of marah and jericho , bitter and naught , but sweet and wholsome . if they be otherwise naturally , they are by a tree or salt cast in presently sweetned , and healed , with which , as with honey distilled out of the rock , their thirst is wonderfully quenched . 2. as for their souls , there is in this house abundantly more and better provision of all manner of food , for all sorts of persons that are of the family . nehemiah tells us of what a great table he kept , and what was provided for him daily . viz. one oxe and six choice sheep , also fowles , and once in ten dayes store of all sorts of wine . solomon's provisions for one day was thirty measures of fine flower and threescore measures of meal , ten fat oxen out of the pasture , and an hundred sheep , beside harts and roe-bucks , and fallow deer , and fatted fowle ; but all his great store is but as a drop to the ocean , in comparison of the spiritual provision prepared every day for the saints , to feed upon in this house . the word of god , and god the word are a million of times more in quantity and virtue to nourish and cheer . how sweet are thy words unto my taste ? sweeter than honey unto my mouth . thy words were found , and i did eat them , and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoycing of my heart . o book , insinite sweetness ! let my heart suck every letter , and a honey gain precious for every greif in any part to cheer the brest , to mollifie all pain , thou aut all health , health thriving 'till it make a full eternity . thou art a mass of strange delights , where we may wish and take . here is milk for babes , the first principles of the oracles of god , and strong meat for those that are of full age , profounder and more mysterious doctrines . the stewards of the house appointed to dispense both to both , as they are able to bear them . as the head of the house taught them to do by his practice , every part and particle of the holy scriptures , histories , precepts , prohibitions , promises , threatnings are all of them choice viands wherewith holy souls are satisfied , as with marrow and fatness , nor are they only meat but medicinal also , and therefore called wholsome words that have a healing property in them . the spirit of god accompanying his word is called by our saviour the water of life . hadst thou asked of me ( said he to the woman of samaria , that denyed to give him of her water ) i would have given thee a better and far more excellent kind of water , than this is that i have desired of thee . whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again , but whoever shall drink of the water that i shall give him , shall never thirst . of this living water they that dwell in god do drink continually ; whereby the thirst of their souls after earthly things , the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eye , and the pride of life is quenched . and their consciences are satisfied and quieted , against the sense and apprehension of gods wrath due for their fins . and the sense of his love affected by this water , is better than wine ; whose property is to comfort the heart , beget new spirits , purge , warm , refine , and waken them . yea , this house is a house of wine . and the graces and fruits of the spirit , are delightful to them as wine , with which they being spiritually drunk , have inward spiritual joy bred in them , testified in the private and publick praises of god , by psalmes , hymns , and spiritual songs ; their hearts being merry , and chearful , they make a rejoyce , as if they were set on fire with wine . but here is another food , which every one of this house have for commons every day . the body and blood of jesus christ . his flesh is meat indeed , and his blood is drink indeed . note well that spiritual things have their truth and reality as much , and beyond comparison in their kind , as corporal ones have theirs . this meat and drink surpasseth all other upon a manifold account . 1. of the place from whence it comes , this is the bread which cometh down from heaven ; not out of the middle region of the aire , as manna did , but from the highest heaven . 2. the variety of viands in it , for all things are in christ , who of god is made unto us , wisdome , righteousness , and sanctification , and redemption . let our wants be what they will , let our wills be what they can to feed on this or that dish : nothing can be imagin'd nourishing or cheering , which is not to be found in christ . manna , which was but a type of this true bread , is said to have had all sorts of good tasts in it . 3. of the sufficiency of it , for it pleased the father , that in him should all fulness dwell , in him dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily . the whole mass and gathering together of all divine and everlasting goods . whereof the parcels and streams do issue out upon the church : they are in him not in shaddows , and figures , as in the old testament , but in reality and substance . and of his fulness have we all received grace for grace ; not a fulness of abundance only , but a fulness of redundance also : out of which a sufficient portion is distributed to every of his members . there can be no want in him , where riches are unsearchable . as he is able to save them unto the uttermost , that come unto god by him , and so to satisfie them that feed upon him , as it is said of those four thousand men , beside women and children . they did all eat , and were filled . 4. of the powerful efficacy that is in it , i am the bread of life . that is there remains in me , received and applyed by a lively faith , power to quicken the soul that is dead in sin , separated from god the true spring of life , and to preserve it alive by a communicative and continual influence of divine grace , and to give it also the life of joy and comfort ; yea , and to cure not only all the maladies that molest the life of grace , but of nature also . 5. of the permanency of it , this is not like other food and physick , that perisheth it self , and is not able to keep the body , into which it is received from perishing ; upon which account we are forbidden to labour for it . labour not for the meat which perisheth , but for that meat which endureth to everlasting life , which the son of man shall give unto you . what is that ? the bread that i will give is my flesh . if any man eat of this flesh , he shall live for ever . this meat and drink is every day received by this whole houshold , not after a corporal and carnal manner , ( as those capernaites conceived christs meaning . how can this man give us his flesh to eat ? ) but by believing that it was given for them , and is the price of their sins to god. he that cometh to me shall never hunger , and he that believeth on me shall never thirst . as meat is received into the stomack by eating : so is christ into the soul by believing . he that eateth my flesh , and drinketh my blood , dwelleth in me , and i in him : that is to say , is inseparably united to me , and i to him , even as food is with him that eats it . this and no other way is this meat and drink received in the holy supper , ( wherein here is or ought to be a frequent communicating ) where and when every communicant by eating and drinking the consecrated bread and wine , being sacramentally christ's body and blood , signes to represent it , seals to confirm , aud instruments really to exhibit them , doth acknowledge , and preach the benefits of the lord's death , and protesteth to take part thereof by a lively faith ; which is as the eye and hand to the mouth and stomack of the soul , taking christ into , and uniting him to them ; even as corporal food is by eating and digesting united to the body . 6. this is that feast of fat things of wine on the lees , of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees , well refined ; which the lord of hosts promised to all nations , gathered together in his church , ( to some of all ) veiling heavenly things under earthly , condescending so low , as to enter into the inward man by the outward , our apprehensions being so weak and narrow , that we cannot otherwise be acquainted with them while our souls are in our bodies . they are much guided by our fancy , and then spiritual things are conveyed to them this way ; only we must remember , that there is a far greater excellency in the things themselves , than in their representations : for what is all fulness with marrow , what is wines on the lees ? what are all earthly royal dainties , to these rich graces and divine special favours and blessings , offered and bestowed , and participated of in the sacraments ? at which sumptuous and delicious banquet every worthy receiver , that has made due preparation by self examination , is or should be much affected and ravished . as the divine poet , was , who thus expresseth himself . first as to the manner of importation , and submission . herb. h. com. not in rich ornament or fine aray , nor in a wedge of gold , thou , who for me wast sold , to me dost now thy self convey ; for so thou should'st without me stil have been , leaving within me sin. but by the way of nourishment & strength , thou creepest into my breast ; making thy way my rest , and thy small quantities my length ; which spread their forces into every part , meeting sins force and art . yet can these not get over to my soul , leaping the wall that parts our souls and fleshly hearts ; but as the out-works they may controll my rebel-flesh , and carrying thy name , affright both sin and shame . only thy grace , which with these elements comes , knoweth the ready way , and hath the privy key , op'ning the souls most subtile roomes , while those to spirits refin'd at door attend dispatches from their friend . give me my captive soul , or take my body also thither . another life like this will make them both to be together . before that sin turn'd flesh to stone , and all our lump to leaven : a fervent sigh might well have blown our innocent earth to heaven . for sure when adam did not know to sin , or sin to smother ; he might to heav'n from paradise go , as from one room to another . thou hast restor'd us to this ease by this thy heavenly blood , which i can go to when i please and leave the earth to their food . when he was pleased to go to this heavenly banquet , ( and he was so pleased , as oft as might be , and so should every godly christian ) hear him warbling this divine rapture . idem the banquet . welcome sweet and sacred cheer , welcome deer ; with me , in me , live and dwell : for thy neatness passeth sight ; thy delight passeth tongue to taste or tell . o what sweetness from the bowl fills my soul , such as is and makes divine ! is some star ( fled from the sphere ) melted there , as we sugar melt in wine ? or hath sweetness in the bread made a head to subdue the smell of sin ; flow'rs and gums and powders giving ▪ all their living , lest the enemy should win ? doubtless neither star nor flower hath the power such a sweetness to impart : only god , who gives perfumes , flesh assumes , and with it perfumes my heart . but as pomanders and sweet wood still are good , yet being bruised are better sented , god , to shew how far his love could improve , here as broken is presented . &c. let the wonder of this pitty be my ditty , and take up my lines and life : hearken under pain of death , hands and breath , strive in this , and love the strife . nor found he this food beyond all degrees of comparison , nourishing and strengthning , but he feeleth it also most effectually healing physick , as appeares by what he speaks to his pratling conscience , which call'd every fair look sowl , every sweet dish sower . if thou persist , i will tell thee that i have physick to expell thee . and the receipt shall be my saviours blood : when ever at his board i do but taste it , straight it cleanseth me , and leaves thee not a word , no , not a tooth , or nail to scratch , and at my actions carp or catch . here is therefore no such provision of food , no such sumptuous fair in any house as this . solomon's , so much admired , was as husks ; yea , and stark hunger compared to this : and each of the houshold fares alike . and they have both dinner and supper every day of the same delicates . ( that which matthew calls a dinner , luke calls a supper . ) and they are called upon to feed heartrly . eat o friends ; drink , yea , drink abnndantly , o well-beloved . nor are there any such fellow-commoners , to dine and sup with any where as here ; these are all noble honourable persons . the choicest , and most excellent kings and priests . a chosen generation , a royal priesthood , a holy nation , a peculiar people . yea , the king of kings , and lord of lords dines and sups with them . mephibosheth thought it no small honour , that david set him among them that did eat at his own table . how great honour must it then be to sit at christs table , who is david's lord ? and to increase their comfort , they have assurance of the same session with him in the kingdome of glory . i appoint you ( saith he ) a kingdome , as my father hath appointed me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdome . nor are there any such servitures in any house , as in this , to wit , the holy angels . are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them , who shall he heirs of salvation ? there are that make them both cooks and butlers , that dress and dish up , and bring in the provision of this continual feast , attend at table and minister cups of consolation . and moreover wait upon every member of this family , when they go abroad about the works of their callings : and in all the changes of their life ; who have care of them , besides this common attendance , a peculiar guardian of angels , from their new birth at least , as some probably gather from sundry scriptures . nor are there any such vessels in any house to serve up the meat and drink in , as are in this . the dishes , spoons , covers , and bowles belonging to the sanctuary were all of pure gold , so were all the vessels of the pure table . all the drinking vessels of king solomon were of gold ; and all the vessels of the house of the forrest of lebanon were of pure gold. at that royal feast which ahasuerus made to all his princes and servants , that lasted an hundred and fourscore days , they gave them drink in vessels of gold. the vessels of this house , wherein the saints dwell , and wherein they have their meat and drink served up , are much more precious , than the gold that perisheth , ( which is corruptible how pure soever ) even great and precious promises , in which are contained all the choicest viands , that earth and heaven can yield , both for the nourishment of soul and body . for godliness is profitable for all things , having the promise of the life that now is , and that which is to come . nor are there any such seats , to rest both souls and bodies on , in taking repast in any house , as in this ? kings have had their seats for themselves , and by them for their children , and favorites , on which they sate down to eat meat ; they were terrestrial , these coelestial places . we read of the great king sitting at his table with his spouse sitting with him , presented him with the exercise of her virtues . and of his sitting down with his twelve disciples to eat the passover , and before this , with many publicans and sinners . all penitent sinners , whose habitation the lord is , ever had , still have , and ever shall have this priviledge , to sit with christ in heavenly places , which are no other , than the loves of god in christ : from which seats neither death , nor life , nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come , nor height , nor depth , nor any other creature shall be able to seperate them . nor any such beds to take rest in , which the now named loves make . herb. evens . my god thou art all love , not one poor minute scapes thy breast , but brings a favour from above ; and in this love more than in bed i rest . the softest down beds , compared to these are harder than stones , on which as little true rest can be taken , as ahasuerus took the day before mordecai was to be hanged : on that night could not the king sleep : or as job had , when he wanted the sense of these divine loves . when i say my bed shall ease me , my couch shall ease my complaints , then thou scarest me with dreames , and terrifiest me with visions . in this bed of assurance of divine love jacob slept sweetly , comforted by a vision , made by a sign , namely a ladder set upon the earth , the top whereof reached unto heaven , &c. and in words , promising the land whereon he slept , a numerous posterity and protection in his going out , and coming home , when his body lay on the cold ground , and his head on a stone . and in the same bed david slept securely , when surrounded with enemies . i laid me down and slept , and i will not be afraid of ten thousand of people , that have set themselves against me , round about . yea , when their bodies are upon sick-beds , god himself twines them , makes them soft , stirring up feathers of consolation under them . the lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing , thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness . nor is there in any house such linnen for bed and board , which is spread and used as oft as rest or repast is taken , and hath an influence into both , making them comfortable ; yea , into the very dishes and vessels , wherein the meat and drink is served up , making them precious and permanent , and into the couches or places of repose corporal , as well as spiritual , without which those would have no grateful relish : nor these any refreshing sweetness . ( such as jeremy found wrapped therein , upon this i awaked and beheld , and my sleep was sweet unto me . ) but especially this linnen serves for the cloathing this houshold ( imparting not only warmth ( to which , sufficient hath been spoken , but also ornament beyond compare : to her ( speaking of the church , the lamb's wife ) was granted , that she should be arrayed in fine linnen , clean and white , for the fine linnen is the righteousness of saints . of old , great and honourable persons , were cloathed with fine linnen . pharaoh arrayed joseph in vestures of fine linnen . mordecai went out from the presence of the king , in royal apparel , and with a garment of fine linnen . dives was cloathed in purple and fine linnen . the high priests garments were made of gold , and of blue , and of purple , scarlet , and of fine linnen ; the ephod , and the curious girdle , the coat and the miter ; and so were the vestures of his sons , which are said to be for glory and for beauty ; that is , to make them venerable and majestick in the executing ▪ of their office. every faithful christian , man , or woman , is a sacred king , a royal priest , hath royal blood running in his veins : was born not of blood , ( is not such by natural generation ) nor of the will of the flesh : but of god , by the power of his spirit , unto his own image , and so is higher than the kings of the earth , hath power as a king to subdue , and keep under , the rebellious motions and lusts of his own corrupt reason , and will ; and is by faith partaker of christs royal dignity , and will , being with him annexed heir of an heavenly kingdome . he is also made partaker of the dignity of christ's priesthood , ( better than the levitical priesthood , which was not after the order of melchisedeck ) having god propitious to him , by his death , having access to god by prayer , through his intercession : and to offer spiritual sacrifices to him , the sacrifice of prayer , that is the fruit of the lips , giving thanks to his name . to do good also , and to communicate for with such sacrifices god is well pleased . the linnen wherewith these spiritual kings and priests are apparelled , being the righteousness of christ's humane nature , called the righteousness of god ; because he is the supream author of it , and appointed his son who was true god , for to fulfil and to acquire it out of his meer grace , and imputes it to the elect , and accepts it for their absolution ; as far surpasseth in fineness , purity , and whiteness , that wherewith earthly princes and priests were arrayed , as the finest flax doth the coursest sack or hair-cloath . for it is angelical , yea more pure and bright and transcendently glorious , and makes them appear so . the kings daughter is all glorious within . yea glory it self in the abstract , yea they do appear so , not only in the eyes of god , but even in the eyes of the nations of the world , as appeares by these words of admiration , uttered by them . who is she that looketh forth as the morning , fair as the moon , clear as the sun , and terrible as an army with banners ? and this by reason of those gorgeous outward garments , and jewels that cast a shining lustre wherewith they are invested , and adorned cap ▪ a pe , ( like herod in his cloath of silver , which being beaten by the sun-beames , dazled the peoples eyes . ) the exercise and exerting of those glorious virtues mentioned by the apostle , bowels of mercies , kindness , meekness of mind , long-suffering and charity , which is the bond of perfection , make them to shine as lights in the world. he that will look into the wardroab of this house , shall finde , besides these , very many changes of rich rayment , fitted for all sexes and ages , which being put on and worn abroad , must needs make them glorious in the eyes of all beholders . and as there is no such vestry in any house as this , so neither is there any such armony . in the tower of david , which was builded for an armory , there hang a thousand bucklers , all shields of mighty men. there is in this one shield , of more worth , to all intents and purposes , than all those a thousand times told over . the shield of faith , a spiritual shield serving to beat back and bear off all the fierce temptations of satan , to quench all his fiery darts , to hinder their pernicious working . by this the fathers of old time , of whom the world was not worthy , quenched the violence of fire , and turned to flight the armies of the aliens . faith is of that force , that it is able to hold argument , even against the wrath of god , to quench the fierceness of his arrowes . though he slay me , yet will i trust in him . it s termed a shield , every faculty of the soul is defended by it , against all manner of temptations . a shield serves for defence of the whole body , and every part of it . other pieces of spiritual armor , the girdle of truth , the brest-plate of righteousness , the shews of patience , the helmet of hope , are for particular parts , and serve against particular sins and temptations ; but faith puts by , and blunts all blows , and , as if this grace were all in all , a christians whole warfare , is called the fight of faith. this , with the other now named , are defensive only or mainly , like to which none can be found in any other armory . and for offence here is a sword , of which it may be said , as david did of goliah's , there is none like that , the sword of the spirit which is the word of god. so called because the holy ghost hath framed it , and put it into believers hands , and is of a divine strength and temper to pierce and overthrow the spiritual enemies . with this word , which is sharper than any two edged sword , christ himself defended himself against the devil , and with the invincible force thereof foyl'd him , fulfilling in part that prophesie . in that day the lord with his sore , and great , and strong word , shall punish leviathan , the piercing serpent , even leviathan the crooked serpent , and in that day he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. moreover , princes , and great mens houses are stored with goods for ornament , as well as for necessity and conveniency , serving to delight and please the outward senses of seeing , hearing , smelling , and feeling . ( that of tasting hath been spoken to ) rich hangings , curtains , carpets , images , and pleasant pictures pourtrayed upon the walls , instruments of musick , oyntments , perfumes , treasures of gold and silver , and precious stone . hezekiah shewed the king of babylon's embassadors his house of precious things , the silver , and the gold , and the spices , and the precious ornaments , and all that was found in his treasures . in solomon's house were hangings of purple , a rich and a beautiful stuff , of a red and bloody hue , a dye of great esteem . and in ahasuerus's palace , where he feasted his princes and servants , there were white , green , and violet hangings fastned with cords of fine linnen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble . the beds were of gold and of silver , upon a pavement of red and blew , and white and black marble . in the houses of those unnatural sensuality , we finde women that wore hangings , to make them more delightful . no less is implyed in that passage . let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation ; what lamentation is made when these are harmed ? suddenly are my tents spoyled , and my curtains in a moment . or when they are not handsomely set up . there is none to set up my curtains . the tabernacle had great store of costly hangings and curtains , to make it beautiful and glorious , of cunning work woven , but wrought to the life with a needle , in manner of pictures like arras work , or other tapistry . solomon carved all the walls of the temple round about with figures of cherubims and palm-trees , and open flowers within and without : nor was hardly any goodly house without its pleasant pictures , images of men pourtrayed upon the walls with vermilion . nor without musical instruments . the viol , the tabret and pipe are in their feasts . as the prodigals elder brother drew nigh to the house , he heard musick and dancing . but money answereth all things . by this men furnish their houses with all the foresaid ornament , and their feasts with variety of all delights . thrice happy is that habitation thought to be , where there is no want of this ; and blessed are those children thought whose parents go to the devil to procure and leave them bags of theirs in abundance . what shall we say to these things ? if god be ours , how shall not all these things be ours ? they whose house the lord is , have all these , and infinitely more to please and delight their inward senses , yea their outward also . that one sight of jesus christ hanging upon the cross , with his hands stretched abroad to embrace them , and his head bowed down to kiss them , and his pierced side streaming forth blood to wash them , from the guilt and filth of their sins , evidently set forth , lively and naturally represented unto them , with his death and passion , and the virtue and use thereof is a picture most pleasant to their eyes . so are the portraictures of his holy apostles and martyrs , with the description and history of their acts and passions seen and read of them . and to please your sense of smelling , the house is filled with the savour of christs good oyntments ( as that house was with the odour of that oyntment of spiknard , wherewith mary anointed his feet . ) those gifts of the holy ghost , wherewith the father hath anointed him , and which he poureth upon them by the preaching of the gospel , whereof take a taste only of two words , and hereby judge of the rest . herb. ch. the odour . how sweetly doth my master sound ! my master ? as ambergrease leaves a rich sent unto the taster : so doth these words a sweet content , an oriental fragrancy , my master . with these all day i do perfume my mind , my mind even thrust into them both ; that i might find what cordials make this curious broth this broth of smels , that feeds & fats my mind . and farther for the sense of hearing , if the musick made by organs , in the church , so sounded in the eares of that divine poet , that drew a song of thanks-giving to it from his tongue and pen. id. ch. mus . sweetest of sweets , i thank you when displeasure did through my body wound my mind , you took me thence , & in your house of pleasure a dainty lodging me assign'd . now i in you without a body move , rising and falling with your wings ; we both together sweetly live and love , yet say sometimes , god help poor kings . comfort i le dye , for if you post from me , sure i shall do so , and much more ; but if i travail in your company , you know the way to heavens door . how infinitely sweeter must that musick be to the eares of this houshold , which the organ of the holy scripture , the keys whereof are stricken with the hand of the holy spirit , makes with such strains as these : fear thou not , for i am with thee ; be not dismayed , for i am thy god , i will strengthen thee ; yea i will help thee with the right hand of my righteousness . when thou passest through the waters , i will be with thee ; and through the waters , they shall not overflow thee ; and through the fire it shall not burn thee , neither shall the flame kindle upon thee , for i am the lord thy god , i will never leave thee nor forsake thee . be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee . if we confess our sins , he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins . blessed be the poor , for theirs is the kingdome of god. blessed are ye that hunger now , for you shall be filled . blessed are ye that weep now , for ye shall laugh . all things shall work together for good to them that love god. if there be a willing mind , it is accepted , according to what a man hath with a thousand more . this is the musick that david desired to hear , which he calls joy and gladness . such musick and dancing there is to it , in this house every moment , and frequently an expression of spiritual joy , and jollity , in psalmes , and hymns , and spiritual songs , makeing melody in the heart unto the lord. and as for treasures of gold and silver , there is not one of this house which hath not alway plenty of both ; though many of them , many a time may say as peter did , silver and gold have i none : first they have that which is a thousand times better ; the word of god , which they justly claim as their heritage for ever . thy testimonies have i taken as an heritage for ever : as my true soveraign and peculiar good , which i hold from thee as a child of thy grace . the law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver . more to be desired than gold , yea than much fine gold. and in that word they have bonds ( which made by solvent men are esteemed every whit as good as the sums therein specified ) divine promises . one shall suffice for all . thou shalt lay up gold as dust , and the gold of ophir , as the stones of the brook ; yea , the almighty shall be thy gold , and thou shalt have plenty of silver . there are a world of goods more wherewith this house is stored , the worth whereof is unvaluable , the smallest quantity whereof being a thousand times more worth , than a thousand such worlds as this visible one is . the lord , the lord god , gracious , merciful , long-suffering , abundant in goodness and truth ; the earth is full of the goodness of the lord , thy right hand is full of righteousness . touching the almighty , he is excellent in power , and in judgment , and in plenty of justice . holy , holy , holy , is the lord of hosts , the whole earth is full of his glory . thou lord art good and ready to forgive , and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee ; the voice of the lord is full of majesty . and o the fulness of god manifested in the flesh ! we beheld his glory , the glory of the only begotten of the father , full of grace and truth . of his fulness have we all received . with him is plenteous redemption . 7. this is a living house , other houses are made of dead materials , wood and stone , most of them of clay , whose foundation is in the dust , which are crushed before the moth. god the father hath life in himself , and he hath given to the son to have life in himself , and to be the cause and giver of life , of the life of nature to all men ; and of grace and godliness to sinful men , and of comfort to sorrowful men , and of resurrection to dead men , and of glory to godly men. it is god in whom we live , and move , and have our beeing , and he it is that maintains our life . o bless our god ye people , and make the voice of his praise to be heard , which holdeth our soul in life . watching continually to prevent them that seek after it , and lay snares for it . men that are princes life-guards , are fain sometimes to sleep , cannot watch always , and men that dwell in costly houses are fain to watch their houses . know this saith our saviour , that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come , he would have watched , and not have suffered his house to be broken up : but this house watcheth over all that dwell in it , that no hurt be at any time done them . he that keepeth thee will not slumber , saith the psalmist speaking to himself ; ( who dwelt in the secret place of the most high ) in the spirit ) behold , he that keepeth israel shall neither slumber nor sleep . this is a new house , alwayes new , and so needs no repair ; it is not subject , as all other houses are , to age and decay . though some old things are better than new , no man having drunk old wine , straight-way desireth new : for he saith the old is better . they sacrificed to new gods that came newly up . yet generally new things are best , and so accounted , both things of gods making . behold , i make all things new . i create new heavens , and a new earth . i will make a new covenant . a new heart will i give you , and a new spirit will i give you ; thou shalt be called by a new name , which the mouth of the lord shall name . and so of mens garments , and all manner of utensils , when and while new , are most set by : especially houses , both themselves live and lodge in , and also out-houses when they are over old , they pull them down , and build new ones . this house is never old , but as new at this day , as it was when the first holy man had his habitation in it , as full of lustre and glory , ten thousand times more glorious than that palace of the sun , which the poet describes ; and it must needs be so , because every inhabitant is not only glorious , made so by it , but glory it self . upon all the glory shall be a defence . by glory are meant the saints of god , the abstract put for the concrete , to note their eminent shining surpassing transcendent excellency ; though in this life they are compassed about with many infirmities , which makes their glory less conspicuous , they are all glorious within . now do but note what kind of defence ▪ what manner of covering this house is promised to be , to all those glorious ones that dwell in it , namely like that of the israelites , when they went out of egypt . the lord went before them by day , to lead them in a pillar of a cloud in the way : and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light . it shall be ( though not so visibly ) conspicuous , yet as illustrious and miraculous , and that against all manner of evils , heat and rain , and for all times day and night . there shall be a tabernacle for a shaddow in the day-time , from the heat , and for a place of refuge from storme , and from rain . god hath been ever such a house of defence to all his holy ones , is now and ever shall be , world without end . i am the lord , i change not . jesus christ yesterday , to day , and the same for ever . his works indeed of the first creation are changable to the worse and weaker , but so is not he ; of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth , and the heavens are the works of thy hands , they shall perish , but thou shalt endure , they all of them shall wax old , like a garment , but thou art the same . and so are all his works of the second creation . the renewing graces of his holy spirit , the older they are , the newer and fresher , and more flourishing they grow . they that are partakers of them , can say , as caleb did to joshua , forty years old was i when moses sent me to espie the land , i am this day fourscore and five years old , as yet i am as strong , this day , as i was the day when moses sent me , as my strength was then , even so is my strength now , for war both to go out , and to come in . so it is said of moses , who was an hundred and twenty years old when he dyed , yet his eye was not dim , nor his natural force abated . how much more may it be said of the everlasting lord god , that his eyes are as sharp sighted as ever , nor is his divine force abated ? the eyes of the lord run too and fro , throughout the whole earth , to shew himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards him . is his hand shortned , that it cannot redeem ? or have i no power to deliver ? behold the lords hand is not shortned , that it cannot save , neither his eare heavy that it cannot hear . and as his power is , so is his mercy and truth . the mercy of the lord is from everlasting to everlasting : upon them that fear him , and his righteousness , unto childrens children . thy faithfulness is unto all generations . this house therefore with all its furniture is alway new and fresh , which can be said of no other ▪ nor is it new formally only , but also effectively . hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard that the everlasting god , the lord the creator , of the ends of the earth fainteth not , neither is weary ? his strength never decayeth , nor doth his will ever alter towards his , who by a never failing power of the holy spirit are carryed as it were upon eagles wings , to heaven , to the mark of their supernal calling . yea , their wings grow like unto eagles , that is , they grow young , and renew in spiritual vigour . 9. it is a dwelling house , dwelling in , as well as dwelt in , an habitation , inhabiting in each of its inhabitants ; which no other house is . god is oft said to dwell in heaven . unto thee will i lift up mine eyes , o thou that dwellest in the heavens . look down from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holiness , and of thy glory . i dwell in the high and holy place . the heaven is my throne . we must not understand this , placing god in heaven , as if he were totally circumscribed there , for this is contrary to his infinite greatness . behold the heaven , and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee . do not i fill heaven and earth ? saith the lord. nor must we think he is so in heaven , as if his sight of things below were hindered by heaven , as a curtain drawn before him , as those great fools thought : for this is contrary to his omnisciency . but he is said to be in heaven , because he doth there most immediatly and visibly manifest his majesty , and exhibit the fulness of his glory , and because from thence he doth most manifest his powerful providence , wisdome , justice and mercy : we are commanded , when we pray to him , to conceive of him , as being in heaven , to teach us to raise our souls , as high in praise , as possibly we can above the earth ( beyond heaven our thoughts cannot soar : ) as also how to make prayers pleasing to god , both for matter and manner . god is as oft said to dwell on earth , to have his residence among his ancient people , in the land wherein they dwelt . defile not the land which ye shall inhabit , wherein i dwell , for i the lord dwell among the children of israel . the lord hath chosen zion , he hath desired it for his habitation ; this is my rest for ever , here will i dwell , for i have desired it . blessed be the lord out of zion , which dwelleth at hierusalem . i have surely built thee an house to dwell in . a setled place for thee to abide in for ever . in that place , as in the flitting tabernacle which moses made , he caused his name to dwell : that is , he made manifest and known in those places , the sacred signs of his presence , as it were by his own proper name : his majesty and glory in singular and wonderful effects of grace and power . every regenerate and faithful man and woman hath ever been , is , and will be owned and acknowledged the temple of the holy , blessed , and glorious trinity . ye are the temple of the living god , as god hath said , i will dwell in them , and walk in them . that christ may dwell in your hearts by faith . ye are not in the flesh , but in the spirit : if so be that the spirit of god dwell in you . know you not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost , which is in you , which ye have of god ? these things are signifyed by this dwelling of the spirit in believers . 1. that his spirit is effectual , and mighty to possess and govern them , enlightning their minds to know , and powerfully guiding them , to do the known will of god. 2. that his presence is continual , not as of a guest , who lodgeth for a night at an inne ▪ and is gone next day , nor as a sojourner , but as an owner , and possessor to abide for ever . i will pray the father , and he shall give you another comforter , that he may ab●de with you for ever : even the spirit of truth , he dwelleth in you , and shall be in you . 3. the manner ▪ of his presence , not by infiniteness of power , as he is present to all creatures to sustain them , but by his grace and healthful effects . if the spirit of him that raised up jesus from the dead , dwell in you , he shall quicken your immortal souls , and mortal bodies , by his spirit that dwelleth in you . 10. it is a movable habitation , according to the motion of those that dwell in it , accompanying them whithersoever they go , covering them where-soever they are . some creatures carry their houses about with them : so doth every new creature , they are never out of this their own house . the israelites , during their abode in the wilderness , dwelt in tents forty years : the arabians and other people do so constantly , having no firm habitations . in time of war , and in travelling , these moveable houses were , and still are in use . ( places to dwell in , so made , as they might be removed and carryed too and fro : ) god himself sends word to david , since the day he brought up israel , unto that day , he had not dwelt in a fixed setled house , but had been from tent to tent , from one tabernacle to another . but i have been with thee ( saith he ) whither soever thou hast walked . yea , though i walk through the valley of the shaddow of death , saith david unto god. i will fear no evil , for thou art with me . while i sleep , and when i awake , i am still with thee . jacob had this assurance given him , that god would accompany him , and go too and fro with him , when he fled from the face of his brother . behold i am with thee , and i will keep thee in all places whither thou goest , and will come back again with thee . i will not leave thee . and so when he went to see his son joseph , i will go down with thee into egypt . as the wheeles accompanyed closely the living creatures exactly following their motion and their rest , resting with them : when the living creatures went , the wheels went : when the living creatures were lift up , the wheels were lift up : when those went , these went , and when those stood , these stood . this living house as closely accompanies the living creatures in it , and as punctually attends their motions up and down , and resteth with them in their resting place every where . 11. nor is this house capable of , or subject to any such casualties , as other houses are . the houses of some poor creatures , which they bear about with them , are so brittle , that a foot that treadeth on them , or a cart-wheel going over them , may crush and destroy them . the best built houses may be burnt with fire , or blown down with tempests , or rent with meteors , or broken up with thieves ; job's sons and daughters were eating , and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house , and behold there came a wind from the wilderness , and it fell upon the young men , and killed them . the hold whereinto a thousand men and women of the tower of shechem entered , was set on fire , and consumed with all the persons in it . nebuzaradan burnt in one day the house of the lord , and the kings houses , and all the houses of jerusalem , and every great mans house burnt he with fire . i will gather all nations against jerusalem , and the city shall be taken , and the houses rifled . the earth opened her mouth , and swallowed up korah , dathan and abiram , and their houses , and all their goods . but there is no fear of any such accident to this house , what plots or conspiracies soever are made to harm it or them , that live in it , there shall not a hair of their heads perish , nor their treasures be touched . true it is , this house is it self a consuming fire , infinitely hoter than that in nebuchadnezar's furnace , the flame whereof consumed those men that took up , shedrach , meshach and abednigo : but it is only so to them that are without , and dare to come nigh to pillage it , or hurt any in it , who walk as comfortably in this fire , as those three children did in the burning furnace , upon whose bodies the fire had no power , nor was an hair of their heads singed , neither were their coats changed , nor had the smell of fire passed on them . 12. it is a holding house : as it holds the souls of the inhabitants in life , so it suffers not their feet to be moved out of it , but it keepeth them constantly and perseveringly in . nor is it in the power of men or devils to eject them , no , nor of the old man that hath still a beeing in them , and perswades them to depart , and make a change : for though they may do both if they will , yet they cannot will to do either ; for god hath promised that all whom he receiveth within himself , shall not have a heart to leave him , but to abide for ever in him . i will put my fear in their hearts , and they shall not depart from me . and he hath power to perform what he has promised , he is able to keep you from falling , and to preserve you blameless , before the presence of his glory is exceeding joy . we are kept by the guard of gods power , his strongest ( if degrees be in ) omnipotency through faith unto salvation . there were never any that went into this house by the door . ( such as jesus christ is . i am the door . by him an abundant entrance is made into the church , and consequently unto god. no man cometh unto the father , but by me : by him we have access with confidence . ) that ever apostatized finally or totally . some that have seemed unto themselves , and others to be real members of this family ( demas for example ) that went out , but they were never truly in , as appears by their going out . hear the testimony of one of the houshold , the truth of whom is without question . they went out from us , because they were not of us , for if they had been of us , they would no doubt have continued with us ; but they went out , that they might be manifest , that they were not all of us , the servant abideth not in the house for ever , but the son abideth ever . the righteous is an everlasting foundation . true it is , he may set one foot out of doors . david did so when he committed adultery ; and practiced the death of uriah , and peter did so when he forsware his master , and with such direful curses denyed that he knew him . but this was through the violence of temptation : the purpose and resolution of both their hearts , was not to take a step out , but to keep close within door . i have sworn and will perform it , that i will keep thy righteous judgments . though all men should be offended because of thee , yet i will not be offended . though i should dye with thee , yet will i not deny thee . how fell they then into so foul sins ? surely they were suddenly overtaken : the one with a passion of lust , the other with a passion of fear , and so they fell . but even then both of them had one foot still within the house , which stai'd while the other stept . they had sanctifying grace still in their hearts , whose essential property is constancy , called therefore immortal seed . and it appeared ( like sparks of fire , when the ashes covering them , are blown away ) as soon as they came to themselves : david yielded to the reproof of nathan presently . and peter , when the lord turned and looked upon him , went out and wept bitterly . each drew his foot back into the house again , and kept close in unto the end of their lives . 13. it is a house held by the best tenure , none like it ; 't is held in such a head as is non-such , jesus christ , whom god hath made head of the church , in a singular and eminent manner , far above the domination which he hath over all other creatures . he dearly bought and purchased this habitation for all the elect , which they had forfeited by their first offence , and hereupon were outed of it : he gave himself a ransome for them all , a price fully answerable to their souls , and to this inheritance . in him they may have been said to have received at the lords hand double for all their sins . and for them it were , and not for himself only , that he fulfilled all righteousness , and thereby paid the whole debt of obedience to the law : which they did owe to god. all spiritual blessings whereby they are made meet to be made partakers of this blessed mansion , faith , repentance , and holiness , though they be gospel . gifts of god , and obtained meerly through his mercy , yet is this mercy obtained from god only through jesus christ . blessed be god , who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in christ , in him we have redemption through his blood. which also purgeth our consciences from dead works to serve the living god , and thereby we have boldness to enter into the holyest , and through his intercession , it is that we have our abiding there . who shall lay any thing to the charge of gods elect ? or bring a writ of ejection to them ? who is he that condemneth ? or who is he that passeth sentence , that they must avoid their house ? it is christ that dyed , yea rather that is risen again , who is even at the right hand of god , who also maketh intercession for us . he dyed for , and in their name and stead , whereby they are absolved from all their forfeits . he is risen again for their justification , to acquit them , as it were by manner of solemn judgment . his resurrection was a certain argument , that god was reconciled , and that this habitation was regained for them ; which could not have been , if he had remained dead . for the continuation of the payment , would alwayes have shewed the imperfection of it . and as he is at the right hand of god in the heavenly glory , fully manifested , so they are at his right hand . upon thy right hand did stand the queen . and there he maketh intercession for them , by continually representing himself , his righteousness , merit , and love before the face of his father , and so preserves them in his favour and love , from which nothing shall be ever able to seperate them , by him they have and hold possession . 14. it is a habitation best accommodated of any other . the conveniences belonging to it are numberless and matchless . the excellency of the meanest of them cannot be worthily uttered , nor sufficiently magnified by the tongue of men and angels . no such passage into any house as this . when the queen of sheba had seen the house that king solomon had built . — and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the lord : ( that most stately bridge , and great terrace born up with exceeding strong walls , which he set upon that hollow place , and deep praecipice , which divided mount zion from mount moriah , by which they went from the royal palace to the temple , ) there was no more spirit in her : she was ravished beyond her self . how insinitely more ravished would she have been , had she seen by the eye of faith , ( as probably she did and so was ) the ascent and passage into this house , which is the lord. the apostle tells us that he by his blood hath made a new and living way of entrance , into the holiest for all believers : who by a lively faith represent unto themselves his humane nature , with all that he hath done in it for them : and hereby get into the innermost fruition of gods grace and glory . he in his own person is the way and passage into this super coelestial pallace . i am the way , no man cometh unto the father , but by me . nor is there any house that hath such air. kings have had a care of this especially , that the edifice when erected , might have fresh air , and cooling gales of wind continually . jehoiakim whose pride in building is blamed , is brought in thus , expressing his purpose . i will build me a high house chambers through aired , ( the hebrew hath it so , and so the septuagint . ) exposed to blasts on every side . no house hath such continual refreshing gales as this . christ breaths upon his proper houshold , for an external sign of the internal operation of his spirit . he still doth so upon his whole houshold of faith : shedding the love of god abroad in their hearts by his holy spirit , to whom their common mother makes this prayer , each is heard and granted . awake o north wind , and come o south , and blow upon my garden . by these two winds of contrary qualities is signified the same spirit , working either coolness and refreshing of comfort , or heat and fervency of zeal . and moreover that every wind shall blow profit to every one that loveth god , as every one doth that to him that dwelleth in him . nor hath any house such gardens , and orchards , with variety of flowers , and fruits , and fresh springs therein , nor such walks and arbours belonging and adjoyning to it , as this hath . the loss of this parcel of ground , which was stored with such excellent plants and trees , and enriched with more fruitfulness , and beauty than any other part of the earth , ( called paradise , and the garden of the lord ) made for mans use and delight , and out of which he was excluded , and to which he might no more come neer , because of his sin , is abundantly made up to all that dwell in god. who have liberty to eat of the fruit of every tree that is pleasant to the sight , and good for food . yea , of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of god , and to drink of the water of life freely , and to walk at liberty . yea themselves are the gardens and orchards of this house , wherein he walks and delights to feed . nor have any gardens and orchards , and springs such fences and guards about them as these . a garden inclosed is my sister , my spouse , a spring shut up , a fountain sealed : in that day sing ye unto her a vineyard of red wine . i the lord do keep it , i will water it every moment ; lest any hurt it , i will keep it night and day . i ( saith the lord ) will be unto her a wall of fire round about . nor is there any house that hath such lands and revenues , such a stock belonging to it . the earth is the lords , and the fulness thereof . every beast of the forrest is mine , and the cattel upon a thousand hills . i know all the fowles upon the mountains . ( they are all before me , ready at my service ) the world is mine , and the fulness thereof : of the upper as well as lower world. every one that dwells in this house may say truly , all these are mine . the apostle says so . all things are yours . entirely , refinedly , really , safely , serviceably , satisfyingly . he must needs have all , that hath the haver of all . he is by faith in christ , heir of the world. yea , they are in actual possession of all things , when they are in want of all things . having nothing , and yet possessing all things . 15. it is a house of the easiest rent , the chiefage to be paid is not so much as a pepper corn , all that 's required , is thankful acknowledgment , and invocation , which are pointed out by termes of the law. sacrifices , prayers , and vows . offer unto god thanks-giving , and pay thy vows unto the most high , and call upon me in the day of trouble . thou that teachest another , teachest thou not thy self ? yes , that i do , and that practically and continually . hear it and know it for your good . what shall i render unto the lord for all his benefits towards me ! i will take the cup of salvation . i will solemnly and thankfully acknowledge him , ( a phrase taken from the custome observed in thanks-giving , after which they made a place wherein the father of the family took a cup in his hand , and used a certain form of blessing , and having drank , and caused the cup to go round to all the rest . ) and i will call upon the name of the lord , i will pay my vows unto the lord. i will offer the sacrifice of thanks giving , every day will i bless thee , and i will praise thy name for ever and ever . god is willing we should have the comfort of his blessings , but he will have the glory of them . my glory will i not give to another . we must give him the glory , which we do , when we give him the praise and thanks . whoso offereth praise , glorifyeth me . the shepwards returned , praising and glorifying god. the samaritan that was heal'd , turned back , and with a loud voice glorified god , giving thanks . for his healing , now his thanks must not only be vocal , but vital and cordial . bless the lord o my soul , and all that is within me , bless his holy name . i will praise thee o lord with my whole heart , the life and conversation also must be rightly ordered . the best livers are the best thanks-givers . to him that disposeth his way aright , will i shew the salvation of god. he hath shewed thee , o man , what is good , and what doth the lord require of thee , but to do justly , and to love mercy , and to walk humbly with thy god ? and lest any should think it difficult and grievous to do all this , let these scriptures be consulted . 1 john 5. 3. pro. 21. 15. phil. 1. 29. 2. 13. math. 11. 30. ezek. 36. 26 , 27. 16. who ever dwells in this house , shall be sure not to want an earthly house to dwell in , with all provision , and furniture convenient . he that gives the greater , will not deny the less . thus our blessed saviour reasoneth . is not the life more than meat , and the body than rayment . god out of his power and goodness having granted unto man his beeing , which is the greater , will not deny him the lesser , which is the preservation thereof . and the apostle . he that spared not his own son , but delivered him up for us all ; how shall he not with him also freely give us all things . object . the son of god himself , when on earth , had not where to lay his head . those worthies mentioned in that little book of martyrs wanted houses . wandering about in sheep-skins , and goat-skins , in deserts , and in mountains , and in dens , and caves of the earth . saint paul , describing the condition of himself , and his fellows , saith . even unto this present hour , we both hunger and thirst , and are naked , and are buffeted , and have no certain dwelling place . now the disciple is not above his master , nor the servant above his lord. and who will be so arrogant as to think himself better , or better privileged , than those of whom the world was not worthy , or that holy apostle ? answ . touching our saviour , as he was voluntary poor to enrich us . ye know the grace of our lord jesus christ , that though he was rich , yet for your sakes he became poor , that ye through his poverty might be rich . he sorrowed that we might rejoyce , dyed that we might live . so he would be houseless , that none of his might want a house . 1. as for those other worthies , god did indeed exercise their faith , and patience . yet 2. their dens and caves were better to them , than any earthly palaces , having god's gracious presence with them , which was better to them than ten houses : ( as elkanah to hannah , am not i better to thee than ten sons ? ) though paul had no house of his own , yet those that had , willingly received him into theirs . lydia did so . if ye have judged me faithful unto the lord , come into my house , and abide there , and she constrained us . so did publius the chief man of the island receive him , and his company , and lodged them three days courteously . and paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house . thus god provided for elijah and elisha , and thus he provided for his gospel-ministers , who have not been suffered to live in their own houses . 17. they that dwell in this house here , are sure of an heavenly house hereafter . we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved , we have a building of god , an house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens . 18. while they are here , they are , or may be sure no evil shall befall them , because thou hast made the lord , even the most high , thy habitation , there shall no evil befall thee . see parallel promises , psal . 121. 7. pro. 12. 21. 19. 23. eccl. 85. by evil , is not meant moral evil , sin and iniquity . evil of fault or crime , for the holiest are not free from this , while on this side heaven . there is not a just man on earth that doth good and sinneth not . who can say i have made my heart clean , i am free from my sin . if we say that we have no sin , we deceive our selves , and the truth is not in us ; if we say we have not sinned , we make god a lyar ; and his word is not in us : in many things we offend all . nor are injuries and wrongs from men intended , in which sense evil is sometimes taken , for none are more subject to these , than the houshold of god , nor the matter of any other poenal evil sent by god , ( as indeed all such evils are ) for these befall as well the righteous , as the wicked . all things come alike to all , there is one event to the righteous , and to the wicked , to the good , and to the clean , and to the unclean , to him that sacrificeth , and to him that sacrificeth not . as is the good , so is the sinner ; as he that sweareth , so he that feareth an oath . as the evil partake of common blessings with good men ; so the good of common judgments with evil ones : yea it is observed , that when god brings any common judgments , he usually begins with his own , the dearly beloved of his soul. yea , that his stroaks are sorer upon them than upon any others . yea , and when wicked men ( whose habitation the devil is , as they are his , for he dwells in them ; yea , they are incarnate devils ) when these i say are free from all manner of outward evils , pious men who have made god their habitation , have immunity from none . and that they are more-over obnoxious to inward afflictions , terror of conscience , and wounds of spirit , which is an intolerable pressure ; and therefore the promise must be understood of their freedome from the form of poenal evils , which is the revenging wrath of god , and the power such evils have to separate the soul from the love of god. and the meaning is , they never have any dram of god's revenging justice on them . a little of his chastising wrath some afflictions may have , for a little moment ; nor shall any of them singly , or all of them joyntly be able to separate them from his love in christ . nay , they shall all co-operate for the furtherance of their spiritual and eternal good . they believe as they are taught to pray that god would deliver them from all evil ; that is , that he will either keep away evil imminent , that it come not at all , or that he will so assist in suffering , as that they shall not sink under the burden , or that he will take away the force and strength of the instrument , that it shall not be able to act according to its nature , or that he will remove the evil clean away ; or finally that he will take them away from the evil to come , or that he will alter the nature of the evil , and turn it to good . one of these ways god will deliver them whose habitation he is , and any of these ways is this promise made good to them . no more need to be said to prove the lord the best habitation , and them to be the most , yea the only happy ones , who have made him their habitation . the second sermon . the question will be , what it is to make god our habitation ? and how may we know that we dwell in him ? to the first part of the question , i answer , it is to make choice of him , to close with him , and to cleave unto him . 1. to make choice of god , as the sole seat of our souls rest , and the only object of the worship and service of our whole man. the chief end and use of a house is well known to be rest . where is the house that ye build unto me , and where is the place of my rest . every man's house is the place of his rest ? my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation , and in sure dwellings , and in quiet resting places . i nebucadnezar was at rest in my house . rest is both the privation , and a perfection of motion . that in respect of the acquisition of the end of motion . for therefore things move that they may rest . rest is deservedly esteemed a choice and chief good . we may say of it , what the preacher doth of light. ( truly light is sweet ) truly rest is sweet . it was no deception of sight in issachar , when he saw that rest was good : the truth is , it is the good of goods . it may be said of it , as david did of goliah's sword . there is none like that , give it me . no good like this of rest , all other good things without it availe nothing . all creatures desire rest , the wild beasts of the desart , and of the island , the satyr , and the screetch-owle seek and finde for themselves a place of rest . it 's noted as a comfortable priviledge , which foxes , and the birds of the air had above our saviour , that they had holes and nests to rest in . the dove sent out of the ark sought , but found no rest for the soal of her foot , therefore returned again to that place of her rest . special order is taken for the oxe and the ass , that they should have one day of rest in seven ; it kils the heart of the earth to be alwayes tilled , and therefore the country-man lets it lye sometimes fallow , that by taking rest it may get heart . the very devils affect a house upon this account . the unclean spirit gone out of a man , walked through dry places , seeking rest and finding none , i will , he says , return unto my house where i came out , where i had rest . yea , god himself seems to be joyed , when a house of rest was builded for him to dwell in . arise o lord unto thy rest , the lord hath chosen zion , he hath desired it for his habitation . this is my rest , for ever here will i dwell , for i have desired it for a habitation , and he blessed the seventh day , because that he rested thereon from all his work. the best thing one friend can wish to another , or procure for another , is rest . the lord grant that you may finde rest , my daughter ; shall i not seek rest for thee ? that it may be well with thee . and the worst mischief one can do his neighbour , is to spoyle his rest . lay not wait , o wicked man , against the dwelling place of the righteous , spoyle not his resting place . the goodness and badness of every mans condition is measured by rest . this hath more rest than the other . yea for rest death it self is desirable . why dyed i not from the womb ? why did i not give up the ghost , when i came out of the belly ? then had i been at rest . there the weary be at rest . there the prisoners rest together . though bodily rest be a great good , and promised as a blessing . thou shalt take thy rest in safety , israel shall be in rest and quiet , yet it is not to be compared to the rest of the soul , which indeed is the soul of rest . and without which , the best resting places with the greatest conveniencies that the whole world can yield , can give no content , witness haman . and the transcendent excellency of this rest is evidenced by its contrary , a restless unquiet mind is a burden importable . let the question be put concerning this rest , which job propounds . but where shall wisdome be found , and where is the place of understanding ? where may we finde the souls rest , and what is the place of its repose ? the answer is given negatively , that it is not to be found in any creatures . they will each of them give the same answer , which the depth of the sea doth ; it is not in me , the depth saith , and the sea saith , it is not in me . herb. ch. peace . sweet peace , where dost thou dwell , i humbly crave , let me once know . i sought thee in a secret cave , and ask'd if peace were there ? a hollow wind did seem to answer no. go seek else where . i did , and going , did a rain-bow note , surely thought i , this is the lace of peaces coat ; i will search out the matter . but while i lookt , the clouds immediatly did break and scatter . then i went to a garden , and did spie a gallant flower . the crown imperial sure , said i peace at the root must dwell . but when i digg'd , i saw a worm devour what shew'd so well . pleasures , riches , honours , under which all the good things of the world are comprehended , are utterly impotent , altogether insufficient to give the soul of man any rest . herb. dot. false glozing pleasures casks of happiness , foolish night fires womens and childrens wishes , chases in arras , guilded emptiness , shaddows well mounted , dreams in a career , embroider'd lies nothing between two dishes ; these are the pleasures here . riches seem to be something able to do something in order to this end , but in truth they are nothing , can do nothing . labour not to be rich — ▪ wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not ? wherefore do you lay out your labour for that which satisfyeth not ? take earthly honours in , and take his testimony , who had all these in abundance , made tryal of them , to finde what good was in them , and was more able to improve them , than was ever any meer man , since the fall , and hear him after his utmost experimental disquisition , that not only , he found not what he taught , namely rest for his soul. vanity of vanities ( saith the preacher ) vanity of vanities , all is vanity . but that he found the clean contrary trouble , sorrow , anguish , bitterness , vexation of spirit . the rich man is brought in singing a requiem to his soul. soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years , take thine ease , eat , drink and be merry . but wisdom upbraids his folly for placing his joy and peace in his possessions and promising to give his soul ease and rest in his abundance . 2. nor is it to be found in knowledge , humane or divine , not in the former , for in much wisdome is much grief , and he that increaseth knowledge , increaseth sorrow . learning cannot be attained without great pains of mind and body , and he that hath attained the highest degree and greatest measure , hath his minde more unsatisfied , than when he began to study . and herein children and fools have the advantage who as they want wit , so they want wo. not to know much , but to know nothing in the sweetest life of all . nor in this neither , for experience shews , that such that give themselves most to the study of scripture , and get greatest ability to discourse of divine matters : are as far from rest , as others which appears by the falling off , of many of them from one sect to another , till they have made tryal of every dispensation ( as they call it ) and then they are as far from satisfaction as ever , and farther . 3. nor in a form of godliness , 't is not the outward profession of the true religion , nor frequent use of holy ordinances , or religious exercises , publick , private , secret , that hath any more power , to bring rest and quiet to the soul , than elishah's staff laid upon the dead childes face , had to bring heat or life into it . the frequent complaints of many christians that are much in both confirm this . 4. much less in doctrines and inventions of men. these are husks that swines do eat , they that fill their bellies with them , are like unto pharaoh's lean kine . and as they nourish not , so they quiet not ; miserable comforters are they all . all that would take up their rest in any of these , may hear the prophet speaking thus unto them , arise ye and depart , for this is not your rest . positively , the souls true rest is to be had only in god , who is a fit harbour and heaven for the heart to cast anchor in ; because he is a spirit . 2. being infinite , he is able to fill the boundless and endless desires of it . moreover he made the soul for himself . and gave it at the first a being in himself , a local being in the body , and a spiritual being in himself . this being in god is mans first being , when man fell by sin , god in justice cast him out of himself , forsook him ; and so the union and the communion that he had with god was broken off . hence it is that the soul being out of god , its proper habitation , can have no true rest , till it return thither : return unto thy rest , o my soul. the first step the soul takes in this return to its rest , is a free and well-advised choice of god to dwell in him , and serve there , observing and conforming to the laws and orders of the house . joshua put the children of israel to their choice . choose you this day whom you will serve , whether the god your fathers served on the other side of the flood , or the gods of the amorites in whose land ye dwell , if it seem evil unto you to serve the lord. professeth her resolution ; that whatsoever they did , what choice soever they made , he and his house would serve the lord. they make the same profession , express the same resolution . god forbid that we should do otherwise , we are witnesses against our selves , that we have chosen us the lord to serve , even the lord our god , him will we serve , and his voice will we obey . such a choice david made . i have voluntarily decreed to give up my self to be guided by thy word . i have chosen thy precepts , above other things for my soverain good and treasure : with which i am resolued to be satisfied and contented , and precisely to order my words , and thoughts , and actions according to them . having inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always , even unto the end . and being fully purposed that my mouth shall not transgress , and that my feet shall run the wayes of thy commandments . yea , were i put to my choice , i would choose rather to sit at the threshold of the house of my god , to be a door-keeper in it , than to dwell in the tents of wickedness . the like choice did the three children make , and so did daniel , and moses , and mary , and those ancient martyrs , who would not accept deliverance , which was offered them conditionally , that they would deny the true god , and not serve him : this is the first way whereby men make god their habitation , namely by choosing him , giving him their judgments , wills , and affections , the probation before all other persons , or things , or service . whom have i in heaven but thee , and there is none upon earth that i desire in comparison of thee . a day in thy courts is better than a thousand . thy loving kindness is better than life . how much better is thy love than wine , and the smell of thine oyntments than all spices ? the law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver . it is better to trust in the lord , than to put confidence in princes . the second follows , which is by closing with him . many nations shall be joyned unto the lord , and shall be my people , and i will dwell in the midst of them . this joyning makes this natural dwelling . neither let the son of the stranger that hath tyed himself to the lord , speak , saying , the lord hath utterly separated me from his people . also the sons of the stranger that joyn themselves to the lord to serve him , and love the name of the lord , to be his servants , even them will i bring to my holy mountain , and their sacrifices shall be accepted . he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit . united with christ , and so to god the father , in body and soul , as by a bond of spiritual matrimony in the communion of the spirit of holiness . this actual closing with god is , especially by faith , which is a trusting in his mercy , through the mediation of his son , with an obediential affiance . i have trusted in thy mercy , and by this means made thee my habitation , and salvation , wherein i take no small consolation . let him trust in the name of the lord , and stay upon his god. rely with hearty confidence upon his faithful promises , and most powerful , wise , and good providence , for preventing and removing of evils ; and obtaining all good , spiritual , temporal , and eternal . the want of this is noted in that wicked mighty man. loe this is the man that made not god his strength , but trusted in the abundance of his riches , and strengthned himself in his ▪ wickedness . by repenting whereof , and closing with god , by a religious trust , he might have made him his dwelling place ; for not doing so , he is threatned to be pluckt out of his own dwelling place . 3. god is made our habitation by cleaving to him , thus closed with persevering in faith and holiness , adhearing constantly , and abiding faithfully to god. seeking and expecting all our safety from his sole protection , and accordingly qualifying our selves for a capacity thereof , keeping in the way , to which he hath promised his safeguard . this is the meaning of the subject of this proposition in the first verse of this psalm . he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high. the same with making the lord , even the most high , our habitation . sticking fast also to him with the affections of the heart , especially that of love , which hath the nature of glew . the soul of jonathan was knit with the soul of david , and jonathan loved him as his own soul. ruth clave to naoimi ; intreat me not says she to hear thee , or to return from following after thee : for whither thou goest , i will go ; and where thou lodgest , i will lodge ; where thou dyest , will i dye ; and there will i be buried . hezekiah cleave unto the lord , and departed not from him , but kept his commandments ; him shalt thou serve , and to him shalt thou cleave ; thus thou shalt make him thy habitation . to the later branch of the question , i answer in the words of the apostle john , in his first epistle , where he gives among others these four characters of persons dwelling in god. 1. he that keepeth his commandments , dwelleth in him , and he in him . the commandments of the moral law are meant , which whosoever keepeth , approves himself to god and men , and to his own conscience , that he hath his dwelling in god. he that lives in the breach of them , evidenceth ▪ that he hath not his abiding in god. nor will obedience to some of these commandments be any comfort to a mans conscience that god is his habitation . that young man in the gospel could say to christ , who bad him , if he would enter into life , keep the commandments , and mentions sundry of them ; all these things have i kept from my youth up . the proud pharisee thanked god he was not as other men were , extortioners , unjust , adulterers , that he fasted twice a week , and gave tithes of all that he possessed . herod did many things . obedience must be universal ; whosoever shall keep the whole law , and yet is guilty in one point , offendeth in all . david did according to all that god commanded him . zacharias and elizabeth walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the lord ; then shall i not be ashamed , when i have respect unto all thy commandments . conscience must be made of every sin , great and small . they only are blessed that do no iniquity . i have refrained my feet from every evil way . i hate every false way . darling sins must be abandoned and abominated , sins of constitution , calling , company . i kept my self from mine iniquity . so must every secret sin , even of thought . why should i think upon a maid ? whosoever shall break one of these least commandments , shall be excluded out of heaven ; yea , all appearance of evil must be abstain'd from . and conscience must be made of every duty , how costly , dangerous , or difficult soever . 2 cor. 8. 7. phil. 4. 8 , 9. dan. 6. 10. rom. 12. 19 , 20. true it is , we must be most careful of such duties , that god hath laid a charge upon us , especially to perform , namely substantial duties of piety and charity , and the duties of our particular callings and relations . mat. 22. 38 , 39 ▪ 23. 23 , 24. 1 sam. 15. 22. hos . 6. 6. luk. 3. 13 , 14. 1 tim. 6. 1 , 2. tit. 2. 15. eph. 5. 22. not that it is expected that we should legally keep all these commandments , for this is impossible , while we are in these earthly tabernacles . evangelical obedience will be accepted which stands in five things . 1. that we approve of all the commandments of god. i esteem all thy commandments to be right , the law is holy , the commandment is holy , just and good . 2. that we unfeignedly will , and earnestly endeavour to keep the whole law. we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly . o that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes . let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servants , who desire to fear thy name . 3. that there be in us as earnest an endeavour . herein do i exercise my self to have always a conscience void of offence both towards god and man. 4. that we unfeignedly repent , as oft as we fall or fail : grieving that we have done amiss and resolve to do so no more . if thy brother sin against thee seven times in a day , and seven times in a day turn again to thee , saying ▪ i repent : thou shalt forgive him . repent and be converted , that your sins may be blotted out . i gave her space to repent of her fornication , and she repented not . they repented not to give him glory , neither repented they of their murders , or of their sorceries , nor of their thefts , no man repented him of his wickedness , saying , what have i done ? there was under the law a sacrifice , even for perjury , whereby a man seals himself to the devil . 5. that we believe in the lord jesus christ , apprehending and applying the promises of pardon made in his blood . believe in the lord jesus christ , and thou shalt be saved . 2. hereby know we that we dwell in him , and he in us , because he hath given us of his spirit . by spirit are meant the gifts or workings of the holy ghost , which are twofold : one inferiour , once slightly enlightning mens mindes , this is common to the elect , with many reprobates , who are said to be made partakers of the holy ghost . all that before god are rightfully baptized , receive the holy ghost according to the promise . no man being able to say that jesus is the lord , but by the holy ghost . the other is a supream gift , peculiar to the elect only , a new quality of holiness infused into the soul , transforming the whole man , effecting a real change and alteration of the whole man from evil to good , enabling him to make a good confession , and to walk in love , which are the two next characters . 3. whosoever shall confess that jesus is the son of god , god dwelleth in him , and he in god. this confession includes and comprehends in it four things . 1. a distinct and cordial knowledge of this , and all other fundamental articles of the christian faith , which are inseparable in their own nature , ( for if jesus christ be the son of god , all his doctrine must be a divine and everlasting truth ) especially of that which the gospel reveals , concerning christ , namely that he is an alsufficient saviour ; and offered indefinitely to every reasonable creature , that will receive him in a matrimonial covenant , as a wife receives her husband to be governed by him , and to cleave unto him in every condition . 2. a lively assent of the mind to all this is an undoubted truth , with a free and full consent of the will , to this blessed offer for the incomparable goodness of it , rolling and relying upon his person and merits for the obtaining of remission of sins , and everlasting life after death . according to that of the apostle . this is a faithful saying , and worthy of all acceptation that jesus christ came into the world to save sinners . 3. a verbal acknowledgment of these , and all other known and believed gospel verities , with an open profession of them , before the face of the world. that this is necessary to be found in every one that would approve himself to have interest in god , and possession of him , as his habitation , appeares belike ( in god's grace by christ , is ) by faith in the heart , as in a lively spring , and in confession , as a continual respiration , both which are promised in the gospel . for what saith moses , the word is nigh thee , even in thy mouth , and in thy heart , that is , the word of faith , which we preach , that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord jesus , and shalt believe in thy heart , that god raised him from the dead , thou shalt be saved , for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness , and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation . nor can the one be without the other . for when god hath once said unto any mans heart , i have called thee by thy name , thou art mine . that mans heart cannot but answer and say , lord i am thine . o lord , truly i am thy servant , i am thy servant . and what he hath heard in the ear , he cannot but declare in the hearing of others . one shall say , i am the lords , and another shall call himself by the name of jacob , and another shall subscribe with his hand , and surname himself by the name of israel . all manner of persons that shall joyn themselves to me with my church : shall make open profession of my faith and service , and therefore he that is ashamed of christ , and his words , in an adulterous and sinful generation , that would hate , and reproach , and persecute him for a strict profession thereof ; or is affrighted hereby from making such a profession ; god will never own , nor christ acknowledge such a one . their hidden faith shall not hide them from the wrath of god , who will take eternal vengeance on them for their cowardize . they who through carnal fear shall not dare to make profession of my truth , ( saith christ ) shall have their part fixed in the lake , that burneth with fire and brimstone . these lead the van in the rout of reprobates marching thitherward . among the chief rulers , many believed on christ , but did not make publick profession of believing in him , for fear of excommunication : this faith of theirs was properly no faith . for a true and lively faith confesseth that with the mouth , which is believed in the heart . this duty of confessing god was figured under the law , by the shaking of things offered , waving them to and fro before the lord , which signified the shaking of our lips , as in uttering and speaking forth his praise . by him let us offer the sacrifice to god continually , that is , the fruit of our lips , giving thanks to his name . so the telling forth frankly and boldly what we hold in matter of religion . 4. a vital confession joyned to a verbal . there are some whose lives give their mouths the lye . they profess that they know god , but in works they deny him , being abominable disobedient , and unto every good work reprobate . unto the wicked god saith , what hast thou to do to declare my statutes , seeing thou hatest instruction , and castest my words behind thee ? god is love , and he that dwelleth in love , dwelleth in god , and god in him . this is a sure note and character of our dwelling in god , when we finde that we love god for himself , and our neighbour for his sake , in obedience to his command . thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self . and because of his image , which is more or less visible in every man ; by this we may try the truth of the first note , for the love of god is the root of all true obedience to his commandments . nothing we do is good in his sight , unless we do it out of love to him . when our saviour gives the sum of the precepts of the first table , he does it in these words . thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart . giving us thereby to understand what makes all the service there required to be acceptable unto god. the same makes the duties of the second table so . let all your things be done in love . follow the truth in love . above all these things put on love. this makes them all lovely . love is the fulfilling of the law. qu. how may we know we have this love to god and men ? answ . where there is true love to god , the heart is softned : the sight and sence of sin will fill it with sorrow , for offending god thereby . zech. 12. 10. psal . 51. 3. luk. 7. 38 , 47. and there will be a daily increase of hatred of sin , a greater desire after , and delight in the word of god , and all other meanes of grace , and in the saints of god , and a more fervent zeal against sin in our selves and others , and for advancement of god's glory . for zeal is nothing else but a flame , issuing from the fire of love : and because there is a zeal which is not according to knowledge , the five requisites in the exerting of our zeal , ought to be examined , namely whether we have a good cause and calling , and a good conscience , and use only good meanes , and aim at a good end . where there is true love to men , it will be extensive to all , and manifest it self by unfeigned desire of their salvation , and an earnest desire to procure them all the goods their necessities require according to our ability : and even to our greatest enemies , compassionate affection towards them , pitying and grieving for any evil that befalls them , with a gentle usage of them in speech and action . thus are we commanded to deal with our enemies oxe or ass . moreover we are bound to pray for the pardon of their sins , and conversion of their minds and manners , and readily to relieve them . but especially we prove our dwelling in god by love to the brethren . christs whole spiritual kindred that are knit to him by the bond of faith , and among themselves by that of love ; those on whom we discern the new man put on , which after god is created in righteousness and true holiness , though different from us in judgment , in points of faith that are not fundamental ; our love to these must not only be unfeigned ▪ so it must be to all others , and with a pure heart free from lust , and evil surmising , but with extraordinary heat of affection . having thus proved the doctrine , and resolved the question , we proceed to application : and there are three sorts of persons to be dealt with . 1. such as are , or may be sure they have not yet made god their habitation . 2. such whose habitation the lord is sure enough , but they have no comfortable assurance that he is so . 3. such as have this assurance . the first of these are the greatest part of the visible church , ( as for the rest of the world , which are 28. or 31. by computation they are without doubt without god in the world ) wherein there are no less than one and thirty sorts of hypocrites , of whom eleven come not up so high as the profession of the true religion . the other 20. persons the true religion , without being truly religious , affecting the name religion , but dis-affecting the thing , the description of each of these are legible in crook's characters . now an hypocrite shall not come before god , cannot subsist in his presence , much less have his abode in him . many of them have confidence in gods mercies . but the hypocrites hopes shall perish , whose hope shall be cut off , and whose trust shall be a spiders web : their hopes shall be as the giving up of the ghost . for what is the hope of the hypocrite , though he hath gained when god taketh away his soul. will god hear his cryes when trouble cometh upon him ? there is no hope of mercy for them : no , though the fittest objects of mercy . the lord shall have no joy in their young men. neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widdows , for every one is an hypocrite . nothing but woe is their portion , as appeares by those 8. woes pronounced against them by our saviour in one chapter . and he makes them ( as it were ) the free-holders of hell. all others but as inmates , holding under them . and he hath given 14. notes together , whereby they may be known , any one of which raigning in any man , proves him to have nothing to do in god , that god is not his habitation , but that he is a simon magus , was in the gall of bitterness . it is too manifest , alas , that most among us are out of god , by what hath been spoken in answer to the question . 1. there are none in comparison that will be perswaded to make choice of god : not only the whole world out of the church lyeth in wickedness , as in a deep puddle have chosen to live under the power and command of the wicked one , and with the swine to wallow in the mire and filth of sin , but also the whole multitude that is within the body and kingdome of christ : yea , they have chosen their own ways , and their soul delighteth in their abominations . when i called none did answer , when i spake none did hear , but they did evil before mine eyes , and chose that wherein i delighted not . they hated knowledge , and did not choose the fear of the lord , they would have none of my counsel . my people would not hearken unto my voice , and israel would have none of me . no , for i have loved strangers , and after them will i go . strange nations and gods , their idolatries , superstitions and customes . they choose new gods that came newly up , whom their fathers feared not . from the least of them even to the greatest , every one is given to covetousness ; from the prophet , even to the priest , every one dealeth deceitfully . they have chosen the tongue of the crafty . such a choice most of the sacred stock , and members of the church of old made . the sons of god saw that the daughters of men were fair , and they took them wives , of all which they chose . without making any distinction for spiritual matters , or religion , did intimate was to be done : and such a perverse choice the jews long after made , who were the only visible church , for salvation is of the jews . they cryed all , not this man but barabbas . they denyed the holy one , and the just , and desired a murderer to be granted unto them . and no other choice do the generality of the world among us at this day make . the world hath three daughters . the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eye , and the pride of life . one of which every one chooseth before god ; the voluptuous the first , the covetous the second , the ambitious the third . and who , or where is he or she , that is not one of these ? many walk , of whom i have told you often , and now tell you even weeping , that they are enemies of the cross of christ . whose god is their belly , whose glory is their shame , who mind earthly things . 2. there are as few that lay hold on god , joyn themselves to him , close with him . there is none that calleth upon thy name , that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee ; where are there any that do as those children returning to judea did ? the children of israel , and the children of judah together , of whom it is said , they shall go and seek the lord their god , they shall ask the way to zion , with their faces thither-ward . saying , come let us joyn our selves unto the lord in a perpetual covenant , that shall not be forgotten . going and weeping , for repentance for their former sins , for grief to behold their miserable estate . where have we any that have any such mind to joyn themselves unto the lord ? to become one spirit with him . we have too many that joyn themselves to harlots , making one body with them : like the israelites that committed whoredom with the daughters of moab ; and then joyned themselves with baal peor , and that joyne together with thieves , and drunkards , and enemies to god and goodness . saying , come with us , let us lay wait for blood , let us lurk privily , for the innocent without cause : though they have done us no wrong . come let us devise devices against jeremiah , let us smite him with the tongue , lay accusations and calumnies against him . 3. there are fewer that cleave unto the lord. how many visible members of the church joyned a covenant with god by baptisme , and in fellowship with his people , have fearfully apostatized ? yea , some that have been eminent for knowledge , profession , and practice of piety , are fallen from their holy principles and practices . some to scandalous and foul sins ; some to popery , and other heresies ; some to prophaneness , and some to worldliness , like demas , who forsook paul , having loved this present world : the eases , commodities , and carnal securities thereof . how many are there in whom we may see , as in him that fulfilled which our saviour speaketh ? many that were the first , the forwardest in their love to the word , in the work of god , in publick , domestical , and secret duties , are now become the last , the backwardest of all others : after they had escaped the pollutions of the world , through the knowledge of the lord and saviour jesus christ , they are again intangled therein , and overcome by the devil . again , in some manner , and for some time they fought , whereby he hath for ever possessed himself of them . to whom it is happened , according to the true proverb . the dog is turned to his own vomit again , and the sow that was washed , to her wallowing in the mire . 4. how few have any care to keep the commandments of god ? how many give that answer to his prophets , pressing obedience , which those jews did to jeremy ? as for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the lord , we will not hearken unto thee . but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth , willingly walking after the commandments of men. 5. where almost shall we finde such a one as joshua ? a man in whom is the spirit , to whom god hath given his good spirit , upon whom the spirit of the lord resteth ( as it did upon christ ) the spirit of wisdom and understanding , the spirit of counsel , and might , the spirit of knowledge , and of fear of the lord , the spirit of grace and of supplication , the spirit of sanctification , of meekness , of faith , of love , and of a sound mind . such a spirit as caleb had , fulfilling to follow god. no such spirit appears in many in our days . in most there is the evil spirit , the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience . a perverse spirit , the lord hath mingled a spirit of perversness in the land. he hath taken away the understanding , and troubled them , as if they had drunk some stupifying drink . a spirit of deep sleep . the lord hath punished their voluntary blindness with a greater astonishment , depriving them quite of the light of his spirit , against whom they rebelled , giving themselves over to the spirit of darkness . the spirit of the world , such a spirit as hath no proportion nor correspondency , but only with worldly things , which it only values and affects . if men had th● holy spirit of god given them , they would be led by him : follow his directions and good motions for the guide and governor of their life ; they would live in the spirit , and walk in the spirit , and strive in the newness of the spirit : and give and offer unto god a spiritual worship according to his nature . bring forth the fruit of the spirit , which is love , joy , peace , long-suffering , gentleness , faith , meekness , temperance : but the clean contrary . but none of all this they do , and therefore god hath not given them his spirit , and consequently they do not dwell in god. 6. very few confess truly that jesus christ is the son of god , they know nothing of him , and his gospel , as they ought to know , distinctly , humbly , ●avourly , practically . they give not their unfeigned assent and consent unto his holy liturgy , that all in it is truth and goodness , nor do they own and acknowledge him with their lips and lives . 7. most men are so far from dwelling in love , that the hatred both of god and men dwells in them . they are haters of god could wish there were no god. though with their tongue , some shew much love , yet with their hearts they hate him , and his laws , and wayes . and so they do his people , as cain did abel , and ahab micaiah , wishing evil to them , out of a rooted and setled malice , and that for their holiness , though they pretend it is for their hypocrisie ; and if any wrong them , they bear implacable spirits towards them : by this it appears they dwell not in god. now my business with all these , is to advise them to give all diligence , to give themselves no rest , till they have gained the lord , even the most high , to be their habitation , and to instruct them in the means conducing to this end . motives , many might be given , but sufficient hath been spoken in the beginning of this discourse , concerning the desirableness and excellency of rest in general , and of the souls rest , which is to be found only in this house . to which i shall add , that in no other a man that takes his rest can be secure and safe , but in this he may . i will both lay me down and sleep , for thou lord makest me dwell in safety . if thou preparest thy heart , makest thy self fit to lodge under the shaddow of the almighty , thou shalt take thy rest in safety . also thou shalt lye down , and none shall make thee afraid . whoso harkneth to me , useth means to have his abiding in me , shall dwell safely , and be quiet from the fear of evil . god sayes to every one , whom he sends his ministers unto , to come and take their rest in him ; as david to abiathan , abide thou with me , fear not , for thou shalt be in safe-guard . those egyptians that feared the word of the lord , threatning a direful hayle which should come on the morrow , and should destroy all men and beasts , which were out of houses . made their servants , and their cattel flee into houses . he that regarded not the word of the lord , left his servants and his cattel in the field , to their destruction . it will be the destruction of you and yours to eternity , if you get not your selves and them timely into this house , where and no where else there is safety . the general means is implyed in the word making , which speaks stirring and action . as god the father hath made his son jesus christ unto believers , wisdom , righteousness , and sanctification , and redemption . so he that by faith in christ , which works by love , makes god unto himself all that to him , which in all estates may give him comfort , and satisfaction , his king , lord , husband , father , sheapherd , son , shield , comfortress , hiding-place , habitation and portion : you that have as yet no such portion in god , arise and be doing . the soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing , because his hands refuse to labour ; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat . such shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of god's house : and he shall make them drink of the rivers of his pleasures . wherefore do they spend money for that which is not bread , and their labour for that which satisfieth not ? heathens were wont to say , the gods sell good things to men for labours . true it is , all men are alwayes making . we read of many that have made , and do make wofull work . they made a calf in horeb. ephraim hath made many altars to sin. they have made goodly imamages , molton images of their silver and idols , according to your own understanding . their feet run to evil , and they make haste to shed innocent blood . they have made their hearts as an adamant stone . woe to thee that puttest thy bottle to thy neighbour , and makest him drunken . we have made lies our refuge . ye have made the commandment of god of none effect . by the tradition ye have made my house a den of thieves . some having put away faith and a good conscience , concerning faith have made shipwrack . fools make a mock of sin . such kind of making makes men meet to be made partakers of the inheritance of the devil , and his angels in blackness of darkness for ever . another manner of making is required of them that would have god to become their habitation . cast away from you all your transgressions , whereby ye have transgressed ; and make ye a new heart , and a new spirit : return ye now every one from his evil way , and make your ways and your doings good ; prepare ye the way of the lord , make his path streight . make straight paths for your feet . make the way of the gospel easie for you . by the diligent obedience , give diligence to make your calling and your election sure . more particularly consider , what they that want a house , and hear of a good one to be had , do , and do likewise . 1. they are sensible of , and lay sadly to heart their misery thereby . what comfort can that man have , that hath meat , drink , and cloaths , and silver , and gold , and jewels ; if with these he hath not a house to live in ? and such a house as can keep him , and what he hath , dry ? a housless man is exposed to unsufferable evils , to all the injuries of heaven and earth ; in the day the draught consumes him , and the frost by night , and all his sleep departeth from his eyes . 2. they consider how happy they are that have a house , and such an one as hath been described for properties , furniture , conveniences ; and how happy themselves should be , if they had the same . 3. the desire of your soul is carryed earnestly after this happiness , and they express their desires both by enquiring of them that have , how the house they have heard of may be had , and requesting them that have interest in the owner and disposer of it to befriend them in speaking a good word for them , and also making and putting up their supplication themselves to him , to vouchsafe this favour to them . 4. they are contented to purchase , or take it at any rate within their power , are willing to come up to the full price or rent demanded . 5. they put themselves into the way , that leads to this house , with the price in their hands , ( as those lords are said to go to delilah . ) 6. they are careful to qualifie themselves , so as to be made meet to enter into the house , and dwell there . we read of a prohibition to suffer any that are blind and lame to come into the house of david . nor might any enter into ahasuerus gate cloathed in sack-cloath . 7. they are ready to enter into covenants and bonds , and an oath too if need be , to perform conditions that are required by him that owns the house , and must give them possession of it . 1. all this must be done by you that are out of god , that he may become your habitation . see and know that it is an evil and a bitter thing to be without god in the world. you have no union nor communion with christ , the spring of all spiritual and everlasting blessings . you are separate from his body , in which only he communicates his grace . you have no interest nor portion in the goods promised by the covenant of grace ; are without all hope of salvation while in that condition . you are subject to the wrath and curse of god , your very blessings are curses , your table is a snare , and that which should be for your welfare , is a trap : not only the corporal but spiritual food , even the consecrated elements which you receive . every creature is your enemy , and seeks your ruine ; yea , all things work together to effect it . you are every moment in danger of dropping into hell ; out of which there is no redemption . and what will ye do in the day of visitation , to whom will ye flee for help ? there is no help for you out of me . they shall be bound up and tyed together as bundles , and cast into the furnace of fire ; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth . you may seem to your selves , and others to be in a good condition , because you have the world at will , and are perhaps civil and honest ; yea , and formally religious like the laodicean angel. thou sayest i am rich , and increased with goods , and have need of nothing ; and knowest not that thou art poor , and blind , and naked . apprehend these , as the officers of the children of israel did , when pharaoh denyed them straw , to be in evil case , be afflicted , make these miserable , so the word signifies . go too now ye rich men , weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you . though a sinner do evil an hundred times , and prolong his days , yet surely i know that it shall go well with them that fear the lord , which dwell in him . but it shall not be well with the wicked , whose habitation the devil is , whom they serve , and with whom they shall shortly dwell in his infernal house to all eternity . mean time their judgment lingereth not , and their damnation slumbereth not , but is coming post-haste to meet them . evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him . the punishment which he hath deserved for his persecution , shall persecute him , until such time , as like unto a beast forced to some city , he fall and perish . be sure your sin will finde you out . the wrath of god is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness , and unrighteousness of men , who hold the truth in unrighteousness ; indignation ▪ and wrath , tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doth evil . the wicked shall be turned into hell , and all the people that forget god. upon the wicked he shall rain snares , fire and brimstone , and an horrible tempest ; this shall be the portion of their cup. say to thy self , is this my portion ? o wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me out of this dark and damned estate ? if paul cryed out so lamentably , because of the remnant of natural corruption , which was as grievous to him , as if a dead-body had been tyed to him , and he compelled continually to carry it about with him , what cause have i to lament , that am in the state of corrupt nature , and gall of bitterness ? till men have this knowledge , and sense of their misery , in being out of god , they are not so much as called to come into him . 2. see and apprehend how happy you should be , transcendently happy , had you a god to dwell in , david's refuge , the most high . the psalmist having signified the happiness of those people that were to enjoy health of body , abundance of fruit , heards and flocks of strong cattel , and publick peace , corrects himself , concluding his enumeration with this gratulatory epiphonema , or pleasant ending ; yea , happy is that people , whose god is the lord. and so moses , after celebration of gods great goodness to israel , in being a most glorious and powerful protection unto them . in dispossessing their enemies , and bringing them into their land , he elevates their happiness , and celebrates their exaltation above all other people , in having the lord for their god and habitation . if god be for us , ( he is so far for all them that are in him his houshold of faith , the lord taketh my part with them that help me ) who can be against us ? none to hurt us , all things co-operate for our good , afflictions , sin , satan , all. if it sounds harsh to say sin turnes to our good , certainly it turnes to our good , if the christian riseth with greater shame and hatred of it , after his fall . put not your trust in princes , nor in the son of man , in whom there is no salvation ; happy is he that hath the god of jacob for his help , whose hope is in the lord his god , who hath him for his habitation . blessed is the man whom thou choosest , and causest to approach unto thee , that he may dwell in thy courts ; we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house . let your judgments be throughly convinced , that the happiness of man lies in the enjoyment of god , and that it can never be well with you ▪ till you have possession of this resting place , and that then your happiness will be superlative . 3. let your desires be carryed after god , vehemently and constantly , like the desires of a hungry thirsty man after meat and moysture , whom nothing of any other kind will satisfie ; and like the desire of an infant , after the milk of its nurses breasts , who will cry it self to death , if it be kept from it . many promises are made to such desires . such an affection we finde to have been in the people . the desire of our soul is to thy name , or to the remembrance of thee ; with my soul have i desired thee in the night . as the hart panteth after the water brooks , so panteth my soul for thee o god! my soul thirsteth for the living god. when shall i come and appear before god ? whom have i in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that i desire besides thee . let the same inward , earnest , constant affection be in you , and express your desires , asking the way to this house , as those returning captives did , with their faces thitherward : and as those punctually pierced sinners did , men and brethren , &c. and as the terrified jaylor : sirs , what must i do to be saved ? yea , do as simon magus did , pray them that have interest in the lord to pray for you . yea your selves take with you words , and turn unto the lord , saying , take away all iniquity , and receive us graciously . 4. because this house cannot be had but by buying , nor any of the goods of it . take our saviour's advice . i counsel thee to buy of me gold , tryed in the fire , that thou mayest be rich , and white rayment that thou mayest be cloathed : come ye , buy and eat ; yea , come , buy wine and milk : to buy , is properly to get a commodity , by giving the due price of it : thus this house cannot be bought , nor any spiritual gift . thy money perish with thee , because that thou hast thought , that the gift of god may be purchased with silver . but to obtain a thing by other means , as to part with something for it , or by pains and labour , is in scripture phrase , buying . thus paul was contented to part with any thing , how dear soever , and to be at any pains to gain jesus christ : and so must you , if you would gain the most high for your habitation . many there are that think this house not worth the cheaping , bid nothing for it : god is not in all their thoughts . they will part with nothing , no not with the beastliest lusts , be at no pains at all for god. if he and heaven will be had for nothing , without any labour , perhaps they would accept thereof ; but upon any harder term● , you may hear them bidding god depart from them . others there are that bid seeming fair , but will not come up to the price . this did that young ruler , he yielded obedience to the commandments of the second table , and his obedience was universal and constant ; and more than this , he proffereth his desire to know , and do more . the five foolish virgins did more than he , they kept themselves undefiled from the world , made open profession of christ , had faith and convictions to keep their profession alive ; nor was their profession idle , they performed christian duties , frequented gospel-ordinances ; their companions were christ's , whom as they owned , so sought after : and finally expressed their earnest desire of saving grace . those hypocrites of old seem to bid more than these . they sought god diligently , and constantly delighted to know his ways ; practiced good , were stedfast to their principles , faithful to their profession , desired to be guided and counselled by god ; took delight in approaching to him ; afflicted their souls with fasting . judas left all to follow christ , continued long with him in his temptation , preached the gospel zealously , and so demeaned himself , that none of his followers had any suspicion of his hypocrisie . qu. what was wanting in these chapmen , that bid thus fairly for this house , and went without it ? answ . three things , which you must bring to make up the price of this purchase , or fare as they did ; namely , 1. poverty of spirit , they came with money : you must come without , or go without . come , buy without money , and without price . he that hath no money , come ; apprehend your selves in the prodigals condition , in extream want of grace , and in debt to divine justice ten thousand talents , and utterly unable to pay one unite . to such a chapman will the lord look and hearken . for thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity , whose name is holy ; i dwell in the high and holy place with him , also that is of an humble spirit . and to be sure he dwelleth in god , in whom god dwelleth . blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdome of heaven . 2. self-denyal . if any man will come after me , let him deny himself . christ was going unto his fathers bosome , ( he was there always ; ) they that go after him , must needs go in thither : this only self-denyers do , who forsake the motions of their own corrupt reason and will , loath whatsoever is lovely to nature , that will hinder them in the course of godliness , mortifie the old man , crucifie the flesh , with the affections and lusts ; yea , dispose themselves to hate , even their neerest kindred ; in case the love of them be incompatible with the love that is due ●o jesus christ . nor is their life ●ear to them , nor dare they do that which they do , but suspect is ●ispleasing to god. many have written divinely upon this subject . mr. baxter incomparably . 4. an intire resignation of the whole heart to jesus christ . take my yoke upon you , and learn of me , and you shall finde rest for your souls . yield and submit our selves we must , both actively and passively . 5. get into the way that leads unto this house . i am the way ( saith christ ) no man cometh unto the father , but by me . the way to get into christ , is , by a lively faith , denying our own righteousness , and rolling our persons , souls and bodies upon the person of christ , god and man , and upon his merits and righteousness , and upon the promises made in him , for remission of sins and salvation ; receiving him not only , as a savior , but also as a lord ; as willing to be ruled by him , as well as to be saved . if you finde it difficult to do this , do as that poor man did , who cryed out , and said with tears , i believe , lord help my unbelief . 6. you that are yet in a state of nature , blind and lame , and worse cloathed than with sack cloath , and so unmeet to be admitted into this house ; anoint your eyes with eye-salve , that you may see . you know of whom you may have it , and have faith to be heal'd of your lameness ; as that cripple from his mothers womb had , in whom the spirit of god had infused some seeds of faith : which paul conceived by revelation . and cast away those filthy garments that are upon you , as menstruous clothes ; saying , get you hence , and put on other apparel ; the new man , which after god is created in righteousness , and holiness of truth . 7. nor do you stick at any engagements , or obligations , or oaths required of you ; but freely enter into any that shall be put upon you , by him who cannot impose any thing , but what is holy , just , and good ; and resolve to keep them . i have sworn , and i will perform it , that i will keep thy righteous judgments . thus do , and you shall not fail to finde the lord to be , what a house , and all desirable furniture and conveniencies , can be unto you . the third sermon . there is yet one thing more required of you , that would make god your habitation , viz. that you make your selves his habitation . he will not suffer any to dwell in him , who freely do not suffer him to dwell in them , in all the scriptures we quoted out of the apostle john's first epistle , characterizing them that dwell in god. we finde the dwelling to be mutual . if therefore you desire to dwell in god , serve his desire , which is , that he may enter and dwell in you , in your whole man , in all the faculties of your souls , mind , will , affections , memory and conscience , and in all the senses and members of your bodies , eyes , ears , mouths , hands , feet . but especially he craves the heart , my son give me thy heart , and let thine eyes observe my ways . the heart first , and then the eyes . lift up your heads o ye gates , and be ye lift up o ye everlasting doors , that the king of glory may come in . mens hearts are compared to trap-doors , the lifting them up is the opening of them . they must be lift off from things of the world , from the things below , and be lift up to things above . set your affections on things above , not on things on the earth . see how earnest the lord jesus is with you to give him entrance . behold , i stand at the door and knock , if any man hear my voice , and open the door , i will come in to him , and sup with him , and he with me . read cant. 5. 2 — 7. and observe the several degrees , by which this door comes to be opened unto him . now because it is not every heart , that is fit to entertain god. the heart of the wicked is little worth . the query will be , what manner of heart it is , that god is willing and desirous to dwell in . our saviour resolves the query , it is an honest and good heart . for only such a heart is good soyle , fit for the good seed of the word to fall into , and god comes into the heart with his word . qu. what is an honest heart , and what makes it so ? answ . that is an honest heart , that provides for things comely before god and men. it was honestly said of those israelites to moses : go thou neer , and hear all that the lord our god shall speak unto thee , and we will hear it , and do it . they have well said , ( saith god ) all that they have spoken , but o that there were such an heart in them , that they would fear me . the fear of god is the principal grace that makes the heart honest . and then a man fears god when , distrustful of his own insufficiency to do any thing that god requires , he is studious and willing to give up himself to christ , to be taught of him , and enabled by him to do all the will of god. a good heart is described , and set forth in scripture , by sundry names and epithites ; namely , new , broken , single , whole , pure , perfect . and although it be true , that he that hath one of these , in truth , hath all , they are all one ; yet because each of them requires a several notion to open it , and because some can better discern of one , than of another , it will be needful to speak a word or two to each of them . that is a new heart which is furnished with a new spirit ; that is to say , new dispositions , inclinations , and habits ; it 's called new , because it 's opposed to the old spirit , that of the world , and of the devil , who by breathing on men makes them go an end into old courses ; and because it s ever fresh and green , and comfortable to them that have it . that is a broken heart , which is smitten and pierced with remorse for sin , broken down and brought low , all high thoughts laid flat and level , broken off from the wayes of sin and stubborness in pursuit of those wayes , broken up as fallow ground , made soft , and tender , as josiahs was . that 's an open heart , which is enlightned to see our estate by nature , and bewail it ; and to see comfort in christ , and rejoyce in it ; to have it also enlarged towards god's faithful ministers , as lydia's was towards paul , and his fellow-labourers , who constrained them to come into her house , and abide there ; as also to run the way of god's commandments . a single heart is opposed to eye-service , and to carnal wisdom , and to double mindedness , and to guile . a whole heart is a willing heart ; when we are willing to a thing , ( we use to say with all our hearts ; ) it 's opposed to a heart withdrawing it self , and to a heart divided , willing to lay hold on god , and the world too , and that fulfilleth not to walk after god. that heart is pure , that suffers no sin to abide in it , without disallowance . it being both against the judgment and will , and when after falling into sin , there is a speedy rising again with self-abhorring . 1. a perfect heart includes integrity , and uprightness . the heart is then intire , when it is sanctified throughout , and when there is a study and desire to attain perfection of degrees , and a readiness to do all whatsoever god calls for , and a constant holding unto god , following hard after him , keeping race with him . and it is then upright , when it is solid and true , great , just ; and when it is led by a right rule , and aimes at a right end . such a heart as this god loves and dwells in , and if you provide such a dwelling place for god , he will be your dwelling place . qu. but is all this , or any of this , in the power of meer natural men ; such as you have been all this while perswading and advising to do ? is it not severally taught and held , that no man can do any thing to help forward , or further his own conversion ? is it not a truth that no natural man hath any desire of grace , or of the means of grace , never thinks of it , because he is dead in trespasses and sins , and how can a dead man desire life ? or use any means to attain it ? nor when god by his word makes offer of his grace , can he perceive it ? nor when he doth by god's word and spirit , beginning to enlighten him in some measure to perceive it , is he able to imbrace it ? because wisdom of the flesh is enmity against god , and because he is under the power of satan ? and is not the religion of the papists convinced of gross error for teaching that the natural man , is able both by his free-will to prepare himself for grace , and to accept of grace when it is offered : yea to desire it , like the man that lay in the way to jericho half dead ; yea , and to do some good works . if all this were true , yet it hinders not ; but that god's ministers may and ought to call upon natural men , to do what they can to reach forth their utmost towards grace , for the obtaining of it . hear ye deaf , and look ye blind , that ye may see . some power they had , which they are commanded to exaert and act , and they are reproved for not doing what they could . ye hypocrites , ye can discern the face of the skie , and how is it that ye cannot discern this time ? yea , and why even of your selves ( that is , your own conscience dictates to you so many proofs of god's truth , and god's kingdom being set forth so clearly unto you , by so many marks and tokens : ) judge ye not what is right ? that is to say , that i am the messias you have so long looked for . they had therefore power to judge of the visitation of grace , and god's kingdom , and in the verses following , they are told they neglected the time of god's patience . it would befall them as a debtor , who suffers himself to be imprisoned , after wearying out his creditor , namely , that they should finde no more grace or pardon at his hands . seek ye the lord while he may be found , call upon him while he is neer . nor ought nature to be laid over-low , grace is nature's perction : what does it but repair the decayes of nature ? nature is the matter , and grace the forme of god's kingdom , both in earth and heaven . it figures and formeth nature to the image of god. moreover , this is the way of god's exhibiting grace , there is a necessity of natures concurrence . first , this must precede , as we are taught to pray for our daily bread , before forgiveness of sins . god cannot save an unwilling man , the will being uncapable of force and violence , and all possibilities divine are carried on in an ordinary way of man's industry ; who must therefore carry on himself as far as he can : which whoso doth not , hath no ground to expect common grace . he that doth , may expect to receive supernaturals common ; and he that abides with god in these , may probably expect supernaturals special . qu. what are the abilities which nature may , and must reach forth in the pursuit of saving grace ? answ . she may and must approve the good ways of god : more purity of principles being left in mans mind and conscience , than in his will and affections . that devilish sorceress could say , i see and allow , and like that which is good and honest , though i pursue and practice the contrary . that sentence and principle pressed by our saviour . all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you , do ye unto them : was the posie of an heathen emperour . 2. she may and must assay and make after , lift at the commandments of god , as a blind horse having heard a noise , hath been seen to lift up his head , and turn that way where the noise came . and a child being commanded by his father to reach a thing which he cannot , will put to the little strength it hath , and tug at it , to remove , bear , and bring it . 3. matter of duty and obedience may be done by a natural man. they did well that took heed to the word , as to a light , shining in a dark place , though the day-star was not yet risen in their hearts . there is no outward exercise of religion , but we finde graceless hypocrites have been conversant in them , even afflicting their souls , and fasting frequently , and praying on such days very servently . and this is that which god's ministers are bound to press upon men , that are in a natural condition , to do matter of duty , to set themselves as objects of the spirit of god , attending upon divine ordinances . as a neglected courtier sets himself in the kings sight , standing and waiting where he usually passeth ; and there humbly faces him . it is observed that the spirits out-goings are only upon such as face him . he goes right on , and turns not as he goes . they must do as esther did , who esteemed her self as lovely as she could in the kings sight , set her self in the best dress she had , as an object of the kings call : and see what good success she had by so doing . qu. how far doth nature qualifie her self for grace when she reacheth forth her abilities as far as she can ? answ . 1. morally god took occasion from ahab's humiliation to spare his life , when upon hearing of elijah's words he rent his cloaths , put sack-cloath upon his flesh and fasted , and lay in sack-cloth and went softly , seest thou ( saith god ) unto the prophet , how ahab humbleth himself before me ? because he humbleth himself before me , i will not bring the evil in his days . so he took occasion from what those noble bereans did , in bringing their bodies to publick assembly , takeing the heads of paul's sermons ; and examining the notes they had taken by the scriptures , to work effectual faith in them . 2. passively a man makes himself an object of the grace life : a handle for the spirit to lay hold upon , when he harps upon the string of his misery : cries out of his sin , implores mercy , and waits for grace in the use of means . and it is not only possible that he may be translated out of the state of nature into the state of grace , but probable he shall be so . the gospel being the market of grace , he that goes to buy there without money , it 's probably he may be furnished to his mind . as they that lay at the pool of bethesda , waiting for the moving of the water , were in fair probability to be healed of their diseases . the scribe that answered discreetly , was not far from the kingdom of god. if there be no certainty of obtaining saving grace , yet this should not discourage any natural man , from doing their utmost , for the obtaining of it , no more than the husband-man is discouraged from plowing & sowing , because he is not certain he shall have his seed again . no more is the merchant sure he shall have his ship come home laden with goods : yet he ventures , and so do all that trade for earthly commodities . the argument , or motive to pains-taking , from a peradventure , or may be , hath a force in it . 2 ▪ tim. 2. 25 , 26. dan. 4. 27. joel 2. 14. zeph. 2. 3. they that neglect to use the means are sure to perish , and such are most men in these last days , who embezzel nature's abilities , make her poorer than she is , strip her naked , even of common principles . sensual livers , that drown all in belial manners , and having stifled conscience , give themselves over to work all uncleanness , with greediness ; live as if they had no god to serve , no soul to save , or as if their souls served only , as the souls of swine , to keep their bodies from putrifying . they that are less licentious , and lead a civil life , are generally prodigiously sloathful , work not at all , or not with half their might : as if grace and glory were not worth the while to labour for . now them that are such , we command , and exhort to be impatient of a natural condition , to look upon grace , as lovely , and the mother of delights . herb. ch. the foil . if we could see below the spheer of virtue , and each shining grace as plainly as that above doth show ; this were the better skie , the brighter place . god hath made stars the foyle to set off virtues ; griefs to set off sinning : yet in this wretched world we toyle as if grief were not foul , nor virtue winning . thus saith the lord god , o ye house of israel , let it suffice you of all your abominations . it is now even time to turn over a new leaf . let possibility and probability put you upon straining your selves with all your strength for the improving of nature in her abilities , and prove me now herewith saith the lord. if so , the common grace i have given you to actuate nature , i will not also add sanctifying saving grace . yea , let me assure you , that if you finde in your selves , a valuing of an estate of grace in your selves , above all earthly things , and a vehement and constant desire to have admission into god's grace and savour ; and that not only for the benefit and comfort it brings with it , but for the beauty and excellency it brings with it also , at least you would , and wish heartily that it were the ground of your desire , and if withall your purpose and resolution be to persevere in the use of all the means appointed , to bring you to this estate . god hath begun a work of grace in your souls , which he will perfect and you are in the number of those thrice happy people , whose habitation the lord jehovah is . with whom we are next to deal . and first with those whose habitation , god , is sure enough , but they have no comfortable assurance that he is so , cannot say , as david here in my text , he is my refuge . i say , they are not comfortably assured , for there are none whose habitation the lord is , are utterly without all assurance . certainly the lord is theirs , that he dwells in them , and they in him : but many of them know not that they have this knowledge , and some of them deny it ; yea , conceive and conclude that they are out of god , and as far from him as hell from heaven . that it 's possible for men to know a thing , and not to know they know it , yea to deny that they know it , appears by these words of thomas in the name of all his fellow disciples to our saviour , who had assured him , that whither he went , they knew , and knew the way , lord we know not whither thou goest , and how can we know the way ? they knew both , but they knew not that they knew either . and that men in the state of grace , and abiding in god , may be so far from any sensible and comfortable assurance of their interest in god , of his love and favour towards them , that they may seem to be assured of the contrary , apprehend him as their mortal enemy , appeares by those words of job . he teareth me in his wrath , who hateth me , mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me . wherefore hidest thou thy face , and holdest me for thine enemy ? now the grounds and reasons why many precious souls have such doubts and feares , and are apt to pass such a sad conclusion against themselves , that they are without god , are many . two of them , we will mention and answer : in which the rest are included and comprehended . obj. 1. they never entered in by the door , this they make out , and put it on thus . no man can dwell in god , in whose heart christ dwels not by faith , coming to christ and believing in him are all one . he that cometh unto me , shall never hunger , and he that believeth on me shall never thirst . no man is called to come to christ , that is not throughly and truly humbled for sin . the universal is restrained , come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden . you that labour in the souls and consciences , by a lively feeling of your sins , and terrour of god's judgments due unto you for them . such are intended , who being deeply sensible of their sins , and satans yoak , by panting and groaning under it . now they never had any such deep humiliation , and therefore have reason to question christ's dwelling in them , and consequently theirs in god , they never had this preparatory work . to these objections against themselves , and the work of god's grace in them , i have these things to say . 1. by way of concession , that sound humiliation arising from the sight and sense of sin , and apprehension of divine wrath is necessary , to qualifie men for coming to christ . they that be whole , need not the physician , but they that be sick . i came not to call the righteous , but sinners to repentance ( sensible heart-smitten , affrighted , soul afflicted-sinners . ) the son of man is come to seek , and save that which was lost . them who see and feel themselves quite undone and lost , by reason of their sins . the lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek . he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted , to proclaim liberty to the captives ; the opening of the prison to them that are bound , to comfort them that mourn . till men be thus humbled , they will not care to come to christ , nor have desire of him , nor prize him , and be willing to part with any thing for him . paul profest he was willing to part with all to win him , counted all loss and dung for him . what alone , was this paul ? one that had so deep a sense of his sins , that he counted himself the chiefest sinner in the world. no man can believe the gospel , till the law hath wrought repentance in him , the foundation whereof is a deep sense and sorrow for sin ; nor will men hold christ with any retentiveness , if this were not first wrought in them . if men be not weary of sathans yoak , they will soon be weary of christs . want of humiliation is the cause of all apostacy . and therefore there is great need that ministers preach and press the law to bring men to a sight and sense of their sins . which is so far forth a blessing , as it is necessary to drive us to christ . to shew us how wretched we are without him , to make us pant and groan , and mourn after him . they erre , that hold that men are fit enough without any such legal terrors preceding , that never felt their hearts broken , to come to christ to dwell in god. as there is no natural birth without some precedent pains of travel in the mother : so neither is there any spiritual birth , without some such in the child . god hath ever used to take this course to cast down sinners , to lay them as low as hell , convincing them of their dark and damned condition , giving them the spirit of bondage to fear the vengeance of eternal fire due to them , and then to erect and comfort them ; and so by the suburbs of hell , to bring them to heaven . thus he dealt with our first parents , and all along downward to this day . as the great and strong wind renting the mountains , breaking in pieces the rocks , and the earth-quake , and fire went before the still small voice ; and the noise and shaking before the resurrection of the dry bones ; and a voice from heaven , as the voice of many waters , and as the voice of a great thunder , more terrifying and distinct , before the voice of harpers , harping with their harps ; and as plowing precedes sowing , and the needle the thread , and melting the mettle before the casting of it into a new form : so must humiliation precede regeneration . woe to them that being laden with many sins , feel them light as a grass-hopper , that have sworn a thousand oaths in their ordinary discourse , have told a thousand lies in their ordinary jesting , officious , pernicious , committed prodigious filthiness frequently with themselves and others : have made the lord's days the devil 's , by going their own wayes , finding their own pleasure , speaking their own words , and can carry all these , with a thousand more omissions , as well as commissions , with as much ease as sampson did the gates of gaza . when light outward crosses are heavy to them , and make them howle ; yea , they can make a sport of sin , delight to act it : make themselves and others merry , by boasting of it , glorying in their shame . these men shall finde one day every of their sins , which they feel so light , to be heavier than a mountain of lead ; when they shall call to the mountains to fall on them , and the hills to cover them , and the more pleasure they have felt in any sin , the more sorrow and torment shall be given them . woe unto you that laugh now , for ye shall mourn and weep . son , remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things , but now thou art tormented . every idle , and much more , every evil word shall be an unsufferable load upon their consciences to all eternity . unless voluntary humiliation , before they come into that place of torments , prevent it . as for you that feel your sins pressing you as low as hell , take comfort in this , that you are in the way to conversion . and i may say unto you , as the people to the blind man , be of good comfort , christ calleth thee . there is a fountain opened for sin , and for uncleanness , for them that can mourn over him , whom they have pierced . 2. by way of correction , though all before conversion are humbled , yet all are not so in a like degree . they that have been notorious wicked livers . such as manasseh was , must be humbled greatly , as he was . so they that killed the lord of life were punctually pierced . so the jaylor , and mary magdalen , and those whom god means to bestow more than ordinary gifts upon , or to employ in great business for him , he humbleth deeply . others that have been civilly educated , never guilty of any hainous , hideous crimes , but alway lived unblameable moral lives ; these have the grace of regeneration dropt insensibly into them , never feel such pangs , and terrors , and heart-breaks ; nor know the time when god began to work upon them . these fearful doubting christians , that i am dealing with , may , and ought to take comfort in this , that they cannot deny , but that they have been truly humbled though in a lower degree . it being the truth , and not the measure that warrants sinners to come to christ , and qualifie them for faith in him . he saith not , come unto me all ye that labour , and are heavy laden in such a degree . but all that labour , and are heavy laden in a true degree . qu. what is the lowest degree of true humiliation ? answ . it is that which brings him into the beggars case , blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the , &c. when is a man so ? answ . when out of a sense of his own emptiness , and apprehension of divine justice , to which they are indebted , he is wrought upon by god's gracious promises , to seek supply from christ's fulness . as when a man is extream poor , and knows himself to be so , having never a penny in all the world , and owes a very great summe , and that to such a one as will not abate one farthing of the debt , but exact the whole ; and for default of payment will cast him into prison , there to lye and rot ; nor has he a friend in all the world to help him , only he hears of a rich man that is able to pay all he owes , who hath discharged the debts of many in his case , but alass he dares not adventure for a good while , to go and speak with him , because he hath no interest in him . in this case he is exceedingly cast down , not knowing what to do , yet at last necessity forcing , he is resolved to go to him , and seek supply from him , relying wholly upon his goodness , having heard how mercifully he hath dealt with all that have so done . is not this thy case , poor despondent christian ? hast thou not seen thy soul totally empty of grace , yet indebted to god ten thousand talents , whose justice thou knowest will exact the utmost mite ? do'st not thou see fulness in christ , and all-sufficiency , that he is able to save them to the uttermost , that come unto god by him , to discharge their debt , were it ten thousand times greater ? though thou did'st not dare to go to him for a while , yet at last did'st adventure , being encouraged by what others in as bad a condition have found , and by sundry gracious invitations and promises , excluding none that have an heart to come . upon which promises thou do'st in great humility roll thy soul , and resolvest therein to rest . thus the prodigal saw , an emptiness in himself knew there was fulness in his fathers house , was moved to go to him , trusting in his gracious disposition . so the syrians , behold now we have heard that the kings of the house of israel are merciful kings . let us put sack-cloath upon our loynes , and ropes upon our heads , and go to the king of israel , peradventure he will save thy life . so they put sack-cloath upon their loynes , and ropes upon their heads , and begged their masters life . qu. how shall i know i have this poverty of spirit ? answ . by the signes of a poor beggar . he is full of complaints to such as can relieve him , full of requests . no need to teach him rhetorick , industrious to get maintenance ; out he will , though the law be against it . the belly hath no eares . if he be blind , he will get some to lead him ; if lame , he will get a crutch to uphold him . he is more-over meek , patiently bearing checks and reproaches , content to stay his leisure of whom he begs , and expects an almes , full of observance also towards him , ready to obey his commands , trembling at his frownes , and greatly thankful , if he give him but a crumb . and if he hath offended , is at no rest till his anger against him be appeased , and his favour and good will regained . thou canst not but finde all these signes in thy self , in reference unto god , and therefore mayest take comfort in thy poverty . add unto this another sure evidence of true humiliation ; namely , thou esteemest sin the greatest evil , and jesus christ the greatest good : put naked christ in one scale , and all the pomp and glory of the world in the other , and whether of these would weigh the most , in thy judgment and valuation ? obj. but thou knowest not the time , when thy heart was broken and humbled . ans . suppose thou sawest a good crop of corn upon a piece of ground , wouldst thou not think it had tillage good enough , though thou sawest not when it was broken up ? nor how deep the plow went ? the fruits thou bringest forth of holiness , righteousness , sobriety and charity , argue the fallow ground of thy heart to have had sufficient plowing . though thou know not the time when , nor the means whereby this was done . thou walkest not in the counsel of the ungodly ; much less standest in the way of sinners , least of all sittest in the seat of the scornful : but thy delight is in the law of the lord , and in his law thou meditatest day and night . as thy affections are , such are thy words seasoned with salt , such as discover grace in the speaker , minister grace to the hearers , and thy conversation accordingly , and actions , such as become the gospel . herein thou exercisest thy self to have a conscience void of offence towards god , and toward men. thou dost good to all , especially to the houshold of faith . art ready to distribute , willing to communicate . ye shall know others by their fruits , do men gather grapes of thorns , or figges of thistles ? even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit . thou mayest and oughtest to pass judgment upon thy self , that certainly the root of the matter is in thee . that thou art a tree of righteousness , the planting of the lord , wherein he is glorified . herein is my father glorified , that ye bear much fruit , so shall ye be my disciples . ye shall shew your selves to be truly such , doing acts worthy of such a title . and if you be indeed christ's disciples , you need not question your dwelling in god. obj. 2. these godly doubting christians are so far from acknowledging any such fruits , or taking comfort in them , that they deny there is any good in them , any good fruit brought forth by them ; they believe themselves , & would have you believe so too . that their vine is of the vine of sodom , and of the fields of gomorrah . their grapes are grapes of gall. their clusters are bitter , their wine of the poyson of dragons , and the cruel venome of asps , instead of good fruits . they will tell you your hearts , and tongues , and lives are full of evil fruits . vain and vile thoughts , and idle , and ungracious words , unprofitable , impious , and unrighteous actions . fruits not tending to life , but death . that they are trees not for fruit , but for the fire . corrupt trees at best , whose fruit withereth , which have neither life , nor sap to bring forth any fruit unto god. even like trees after autome . yea , quite pluckt up by the roots , quite cut off from the spiritual communion with christ , the true foundation of life and grace . or if they have brought forth any fruit at any time materially good , the root , and manner , and end have been all naught , stark naught , worse than naught . they never did any thing for god , in obedience , and out of love to him , or with an intent to honour and please him thereby . take them at the best , and it may be said of them , what was said of israel . israel is an empty vine , he bringeth forth fruit unto himself : they have been self-seekers , and selfdependers , and self-ascribers in all that ever they have seemed to do for god. answ . to this objection i have these two things to say , 1. that it is possible for a man to be in god , and yet to see no goodness at all in himself ; nothing but evil , nothing at all to commend him to god ▪ nothing but what may make him odious in his sight . the centurion saw nothing of worth in himself ; why christ should come to him , or he to christ . though others thought him to be a worthy man , and so reported him to be to christ . and christ himself gives testimony , not only he had true faith , but a great measure of it . i have not found so great faith , no not in israel . no more did the woman of canaan see any goodness in her self , she confesseth her self to be an unclean person ; but christ both graceth and gratifieth her , gives a very high commendation of her heroical faith. and what goodness saw paul in himself , when he said , i am a carnal man sold under sin ? hear the confession of our holy mother , and all her genuine children . we are all an unclean thing , all our righteousness is as filthy rags . we acknowledge that our persons , and all our actions , even the most praise ▪ worthy of them ; namely , those wherewith we did thy service , are all contaminated with abominable filth . 2. that it is an argument of true goodness , to see little goodness , much evil in thy self ; if thou canst and dost bewail the absence of that , the presence of this , findest a disallowance and deep detestation of it in thy heart , and makest continual resistance against it : mourning for the want and absence of a friend , argues truth of affection , and love to him . thou wouldst not , couldst not grieve , because thou art not good , if there were not in thee a love of goodness . and the sight of so much sin in thy soul , proves thee to have light in it . for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. and thy sensibleness of the burden of thy sins tells thee , that thou livest much more , thy stirring and strugling to be rid of them , and the war thou makest against them . a dead man can neither feel , nor stir , nor strive : there is therefore spirit in thee , as well as flesh . for the flesh lusteth against the spirit , and the spirit against the flesh , and these are contrary the one to the other , so that ye cannot do the things that ye would . every new man is two men. the two armies in the shulamite maintain civil broyles within her , as the two babes did in rebecca's womb. this combate with corruption may comfort thee . though still i must grant , that as there is natural life and conscience in the wicked , so common grace may strive uneffectually in them . and the spirit in the godly does conquer their reigning sin , as well as strive : but not all their infirmities . saint paul doth comfort himself with this raising up his soul , even to an holy insultation and triumphing . for after he had described the two contrary principles , the combatants within him : the unregenerate and regenerate part , and the combate or conflict it self between them . that hindering from the evil which he would do , and putting him upon the evil he would not do . this disapproving , and hating the evil which he did , and approving the good which he did not : he comforts himself in this , that he consented to the law of god , delighted in it , that to will , to keep it perfectly , was present with him ; and although he found a foyl given to the new man , captivated , which makes him make a miserable out-cry . wretched man that i am , who shall deliver me from this body of death ! that is , tyed to me , and which i am compelled to carry about with me , tired with the luggage , and poysoned with the stench . yet through the grace of god in jesus christ , i am filled with comfort , rejoyce , and triumph , as more than a conqueror . i thank god through jesus christ our lord. so then with the mind , i my self serve the law of god , but with my flesh the law of sin. i bless god for his grace in christ , who doth not impute this corruption unto me to condemnation . ( but still that it is only sins of infirmity , and not such as are inconsistent with spiritual life , which were in paul , and are in all the godly . ) so though thou seest nothing but flesh in thy self , if a man may believe thee , yet thou walkest not after it , for though thou walkest in the flesh , yet thou dost not fulfill the lusts of the flesh , followest not with consent the motions of thy own natural corruption . thou sowest not to the flesh : taking no other care , but to please thy carnal appetite ; but on the contrary , thou sowest to thy spirit , imploying thy care and labour in obedience to the motions of the holy spirit , that thy will is to do , so thou canst say in sincerity , and this may be thy rejoycing , as it was paul's . obj. but i am full of hypocrisie , which paul was free from ; all the signes of hypocrisie , that i finde in the bible , i finde in my self not one sign of sincerity . answ . what the apostle saith of sin in general , if we say that we have no sin , we deceive our selves ; may be said of this sin of hypocrisie , if we say we have no hypocrisie , the truth of grace is not in us . obj. but it 's said of israelites indeed , that there is no guile in them . and they only are blessed , in whose spirit there is no guile ; therefore i have cause to conclude my self cursed . answ . these places must be understood , as those where it is said . whosoever abideth in him , sinneth not ; whosoever is born of god , doth not commit sin , and his seed remaineth in him , and he cannot sin , because he is born of god. they also do no iniquity . the meaning is , they give not themselves over to sin ; they sin not with full consent , they fall not into the purpose , though sometimes into the act of sin. sin reigns not in their mortal bodies ; that they should obey it in the lusts thereof . it hath not dominion over them . obj. but this sin of hypocrisie reignes in me . answ . but that , it doth not , is evident by this , because thou discernest it , and art so troubled with it , complainest to god and men of it , and judgest thy self for it , and hatest it , longest to be freed from it . it 's grace certainly that makes thee able to discern so hidden and close a corruption , and to hate it . and as sense and feeling is a certain sign of a living man , ( as was now said ) so thy sense of hypocrisie , with a hatred of it , is a sure note and token of thy sincerity . so that thou art not in the flesh , but in the spirit . nor matters it so much what evil motions thou findest in thy self , as how thou standest affected to them . there are and will be filthy scums rising up in thy heart continually , while thou livest here . but while thou castest it off , as it riseth by confession and self-condemnation , it shall never hurt thee , god will not condemn , but absolve and acquit thee of it . thou mayest and oughtest to take comfort , in the allowance of the law of god in thy judgment , and in thy will consenting to do it , having an unfeigned desire , purpose , and endeavour to please god , and to do his will , this being the work of god's sanctifying spirit , and a special fruit of christ's purchase ; as real comfort therefore herein as if thou wast perfect in obedience . for if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath , nor shall he be rejected for that he hath not . in this god's choicest servants have comforted themselves against all their imperfections and falls and failings . obj. but i question the truth of my desires . answ . that thou need'st not do as long as thou esteemest god's grace and favour above all things . seeking by prayer and other means every day to grow less sinful , and more holy , and mournest for thy daily miscarriages , lamenting after the lord. obj. but my conscience condemns me for an hypocrite . ans . o spiteful bitter thought , bitterly spiteful thought ! — thou hast reason to discredit thy conscience , if it be opposite to the word of god , and not to regard it against the word of god. if our heart condemn us , god is greater than our heart , and knoweth all things . he knowes the way thou takest , that it is right . and his word which is the judge of conscience , hath given sentence on the right side . and therefore thou art bound in this case to check and condemn thy conscience , for troubling thee causlesly . so did david and job : let me give thee one caution , take heed of making inherent grace the only and chief ground of thy comfort . though it is indeed the only evidence of thy title to comfort . for in so doing thou shalt commit two great evils , one against thy self , in leaning upon a bruised reed ; for thine own spirit may fail thee , and be overwhelmed , and thy heart may reproach thee ; another against the lord , making an idol of that gift of his , which cannot be so trusted in without sin . rely more upon god's grace without thee , than that which is within thee : yet cherish also inherent holiness , as thy only evidence of life eternal , and the beginning of it . finally , give not credit to thy misgiving heart , that would perswade thee thou hast no assurance that god is thy habitation : for thou hast that degree of assurance which is necessary to the beeing of grace ; the lowest degree of certainty , which is in every true believer , consisting in an application of adherence . whereby the soul of a penitent sinner casts it self upon jesus christ , with a resolved humble recumbency , cleaving to him , as the ivy doth to the oak , eagle to the carkass , goes out of it self , renouncing its own merits , and relying upon the person and merits of christ , his active and passive obedience for forgiveness of sins , and for life and salvation . this is the act of faith , and every one that thus receiveth him with an obediential affiance knows that , and that through him dwelling in his heart , he hath his dwelling in god. you therefore , as yet that have not any comfortable assurance , cease hence-forth to doubt and fear , and assay to joyn your selves with them that have ; with whom we are next to deal , as saul assayed to joyn himself to the disciples at jerusalem . who will not at all , as they were awhile of him , be afraid of you : but receive you joyfully into their blessed society . and when thou hast told despair divine herbert's strange story . say to it as he doth . hark despair away . the fourth sermon . having dealt with those of this divine houshold , that have as yet no comfortable assurance , that the lord is their habitation , we proceed to deal with them that have higher degrees of assurance , which carry sensible comfort with them , one is the application of experience ; when a christian discerns in himself divine impressions , effects of regenerating grace , two or three whereof we will mention . the prime and most general , is , a real change of the whole man from evil to good . this is a sure evidence of our being in christ . if any man be in christ , he is a new creature , old things are past away , all things are become new . whoever is changed in all his senses motions and affections , speeches and actions , is certainly ingrafted into the body of christ by his spirit . the substance of the soul and body is the same , the qualities and operations altered . another is walking in the light , as god is the light . living and conversing , following that light of god which is conferred upon us by grace , evidenceth us to be partakers of the divine nature ; purifying our selves , as he is pure . hereby we know we have fellowship one with another : god with us , and we with him ; that he dwells in us , and we in him . love to the brethren , christ's whole spiritual kindred , who are knit to him , to the bond of faith , and among themselves by that of love , another infallible note . we know that we have passed from death to life , because we love the brethren . when a christian's faith in lively exercise reflects upon its own acts receptive of christ , and operative by him , having withall a sanctified conscience , witnessing sincerity in the actings , he gathers by discourse and reasoning his own spiritual estate , as paul did . our rejoycing is this , the testimony of our conscience , that in simplicity and godly sincerity , not with fleshly wisdome , but by the grace of god we have had our conversation in the world , and now abundantly to you-ward . such an application of experience had thomas upon his faith , not quite exquisit before , but very weak , was raised and renewed , by beholding , touching and feeling . the other application is that of evidence , when the testimony of god's spirit comes , and concurs with ours , when we finde the holy ghost in us , not only as a seal imprinting the graces of christ upon our souls : nor only as an earnest giving us the first fruits , and as it were handle of heaven . those holy and heavenly gift ▪ conferred in this life , being a pledg of the perfection which shall be in the next , but also as a joyful witness , both clearing our evidences , and opening our minds to discern them . the spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit , that we are the sons of god. hereby we come to have boldness , confidence , and a perspicuous manifestation of divine love shed abroad in our heart ▪ and certain knowledge , and full assurance of knowledge , and hope , of faith , let us draw near with all full assurance of faith ▪ the word imports a carrying on with full saile , like a ship that hath wind and tyde , and all the sailes spread to the wind. those three parts of god's kingdome ▪ righteousness , peace , and joy in the holy ghost , are consequents and effects of these three applications . the first , namely that of adherence hath wind and tide against it . the second hath wind carrying it on , but without tide . the third hath both wind and tide , and all the affections like spread sailes filled with the gales of the spirit causing joy unspeakable , and full of glory . in the church of rome this doctrine of full assurance is cryed down , and an impossibility of attaining it by any ordinary christians , asserted , and the main reason they render for the confirmation of this doctrine , especially as to the subjective certainty of perseverance , whereof paul speaks , when he saith , i am sure that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of god in jesus christ . is the mutability of man's will ? but the assurance of christians depends not upon man's mutable , but upon the immutable will of god , and upon his infallible truth , who hath promised to keep them , whom he receives in him by his strongest power ( if there can be conceived any degree in omnipotency ) we are kept ▪ by the guard of god's power , through faith unto salvation . they askt what ground hath any ordinary christian for special faith , when there is no special promise , nor any divine testimony by audible voice , such as some choice persons have had , as gen. 15. 1. mat. 9. 2. luk. 5. 20. 47. 48. 23. 42. 43. they are answered , we will not contend about bare words , whether it be better called special faith or assurance , gathered from two promises , the one in scripture , the other in our hearts , so participating of faith ; for that is our sence of special faith , but as to the matter . 1. there are general promises with a command to apply them . 2. special faith is gathered by argumentation , thus whoever hath god's spirit confesseth that jesus is the son of god , that man dwelleth in god. but so have i : so do i therefore , i dwell in god. 3. sacraments give ground for special faith , wherein is made special application to the receivers . 4. the spirit is given for this end to believers , as a seal , and earnest , and witness to assure them that god is their habitation and salvation . and that it 's possible for a christian in ordinary course to attain this grace , if he do what in him lyeth . we have god's express promise to this purpose . thou shalt know that i the lord am thy saviour and redeemer : and a charge is laid upon every christian to make his calling sure , and not to come without full assurance , when they draw nigh to him in prayer , and other duties of his worship . let us draw neer him in full assurance of faith. and we have the experience of god's people in all ages for it . and though they that profess they had it , as job , david , paul were rare persons : yet the faith of the meanest christian is of the same nature with theirs , though not in the same degree . this is the doctrine of the reformed churches , who yet deny not the difficulty of attaining the highest degree , and that very few there are that attain it , and fewer that have it at all times alike , nor any in that perfection , but that there is some mixture of doubting . and this is one sign of the truth and goodness of it , when it is attained with difficulty , and assaulted with infidelity . for there are many , whom satan and their own heart have deluded in this point , who are strongly perswaded that god is theirs , never doubted of their interest in him , make no question , but the lord is their habitation , who entered not in by the door , never received the spirit of bondage to fear , have no fear of offending god , no care to please him , but live in known sin against the light of knowledge , and checks of conscience , which evinceth them to be in the gall of bitterness . now these who in their own conceits have taken up their dwelling in god , like those buyers and sellers that took up their seats in the temple , without the warrant , against the consent of the owner of that house , must be dealt with by the ministers of christ , as those intruders by christ were driven out with a scourge ; and as nehemiah dealt with tobiah , who had got a chamber in the court of the house of god , who cast both him and his stuff out of it . avoid prophaneness , come not here ; nothing but holy , pure and clear , or that which groaneth to be so , may enter , or abide one moment at his peril . to you who can prove your assurance that you are in god , to be of god by the qualification of your persons , as having formerly been humbled for your living without god in the world , and at present humble your selves to walk with your god , and resolve so to do to the end of your life : unto you i am sent with a manifold word of exhortation . 1. to prize this as the greatest blessing , and rejoyce in it more than in all other blessings , and accordingly to praise god for it , that he hath given you to know , that he is your habitation ▪ lifting up the light of his countenance upon you , and giving you eyes to see that light. there be many that say , who will shew us any good . lord , lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us . thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time when their corn and wine increased : because thy loving kindness is better than life , my lips shall praise thee . thus will i bless thee while i live ; because thou hast caused me to feel the effects of thy grace at full , even as the sun shooteth out his beames at mid-day : and because i finde this to be the life of my life ; without which , every day would be more bitter to me than death . therefore for this above all mercies will i bless thee every day , and i will praise thy name for ever . 2. to hold fast what you have , and be alway adding to it , as worldly men do by their earthly substance . how oft are christians exhorted to hold fast every good spiritual thing that they have gotten ? hold fast ( as with tooth and nail ) the faithful word . the pure and sincere doctrine of the gospel , against those gain-sayers that would snatch it from you ; and not only the matter , but the forme of sound words . let us hold fast our profession of christian faith and religion in words and deeds . that which ye have already , hold fast till i come . especially this grace and gift of assurance , which is a jewel of the greatest worth in the world. for as the happiness of having it , so the misery of wanting it is unspeakable . we cannot love god heartily , when we doubt whether he loves us . we can have little heart to pray , our spiritual fight will be uncomfortable , our peace unsetled , our patience heartless ; all heat to holy duties will be utterly dampt in us . this is made an effect of lively faith , and an assured mark of those who are living members of christ , namely to hold fast , that degree of assurance : christ was faithful as a son over his own house , whose house are we . if we hold fast the confidence , and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end . see an example of this fast holding and keeping this pearl of price in the spouse of christ , how servent her desires were , how forcible her endeavours to make his singular presence with her familiar with her alwayes . it was but a little that i passed from the watchmen , ( great worldly wise men ) but i found him whom my soul loveth , i held him , and would not let him go . we are as oft exhorted to add unto those good things which we have and hold , to increase our spiritual store , to grow in all graces . besides this , giving all diligence , add to your faith virtue , to virtue knowledge , to knowledge temperance , and to temperance patience , to patience godliness , and to godliness brotherly kindness , and to brotherly kindness charity . grow in grace . we beseech you brethren , and exhort you by the lord jesus , that as ye have received of us , how ye ought to walk , and to please god : so ye would abound more and more . that ye would increase more and more , with the increase of god. grow up into him in all things , which is the head , even christ . this will be both for our comfort and credit , profit ; lord , thy pound hath gained other five pounds , be thou over five cities . especially we should desire and add degrees to our faith , as of adherence , so of experience and evidence , make it our prayer , lord increase our faith ; and this will bind others praises of god on our behalf . we are bound to thank god alwayes for you brethren , as it is meet , because that your faith groweth exceedingly . the great benefit and necessity of this knowledge of assurance , may be motive sufficient , to perswade you to give all diligence , in the use of all means , to preserve , and increase it . you will be sure to meet with temptations , to doubt of your interest in god , of your being in him , to question whether you are children of this family . christ himself was thus assaulted , though dwelling in the bosome of his father . if thou be the son of god. you must all dye shortly , you may presently . for what is your life , it is even a vapour , which appeareth for a little moment , and vanisheth away . now , if you be without assurance , that you dwell in this heavenly house , when death drives you out of your earthly ; how full of horror and torment must your hearts needs be ! not knowing whether heaven or hell must be your dwelling place to all eternity : whereas , if you knew you were in the same house with christ , this would quiet your heart from all fear . as soon as christ was come into the ship , wherein the disciples were tossed , the wind presently ceased . god through christ being your habitation , your light and salvation , whom or what should you fear , while you live , and when you die ? god is our refuge , therefore we will not fear . and this , and this only is able to make and keep your hearts lightsome in every condition . yea , knowledge of your abiding in god , will give a sweet relish , as to every comfort : so to every cross . i have lost a dear husband , wife , child , friend , a comfortable dwelling , but not my dear god. and the more assurance , the less fearful , and more chearful . now the means to preserve and increase assurance , are the same wherby you gained it . the outward are those ordinances of god , and exercises of his holy religion , which he hath sanctified to this end , to bring us unto , and into himself , and to work in us a comfortable assurance thereof , especially the word , sacrament , and prayer . the more inward and spiritual , are care to keep a good conscience : diligent observation of your own ways : consideration of the experiments you have had of god's favour towards you , renouncing your selves : resting only upon the free grace of god , in performance of the conditions required on our part ; looking oft over your evidences , and holding the conclusion . to learn by heart , and put in practice all those duties that are incumbent upon all those , to whom the lord , even the most high , vouchsafeth this high prerogative of admission to , and possession of his blessed self to be your proper habitation . the general duty is to walk worthy of the lord , who hath effectually called you out of the world , and out of your selves , into himself , and hath justified you , and partly glorified you with glorious priviledges , graces , and comforts . for whom he called , them he also justified ; and whom he justified , them he also glorified . this the apostle paul frequently presseth . i beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called . you know how we exhorted , and charged every one of you , that ye would walk worthy of god , who hath called you into his kingdom of glory : of god , whose livery you wear , whose image you bear , of whose houshold you are . to walk worthy of your vocation is to walk holily : for the general vocation of all christians is to be holy , as god is holy : unto whom they are called in jesus christ . as he which hath called you is holy , so be ye holy in all manner of conversation . and as he presseth them to this worthy walking : so he presseth god by prayer for them , that they might by his grace be enabled to walk ; declaring withall sundry ingredients , and concurrents , that make these paces and steps , they take , regular , and graceful , and the end of the course joyful . we cease not to pray for you , and to desire that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will , in all wisdome , and spiritual understanding , that ye might walk worthy of the lord unto all well-pleasing , being fruitful in every good work : and increasing in the knowledge of god , strengthned with all might , according to his glorious power , unto all patience and long-suffering , with joyfulness . let knowledge shew you the wayes you should walk , and sanctification carry you on an end therein , and patience uphold you , till you come to the end of your journey , when you shall receive the end of your faith , even the salvation of your souls . the particular duties are many ; in sundry references both to things and persons . the first of the former sort we will dwell awhile upon , are earthly houses and habitations . some whose dwelling place the lord is , have no house on earth , which they can call their own . of those that have , some are not suffered to live in them ; and of them that have this liberty , some have very poor houses , with as poor furniture , or other conveniences . others have convenient dwellings , with an indifferent outward estate , and some few have gentile and stately edifices , with riches and honour in abundance . 1. to those that have no earthly houses of their own , but are in a state of beggary , or next to it , of whom some there are , who never had any , others had comfortable ones , but have lost them by fire , or other casualty , and so are for the present housless ; to these i have this word of exhortation . let not your hearts be troubled . 1. because you are not without fellowes and companions , better than your selves , that are in the same housless condition : you have heard of some , of whom the world was not worthy . who wandred in deserts , and in mountains , and in dens and caves of the earth . and of the blessed apostle st. paul , who both hungred , thirsted , and was naked , and had no certain dwelling place . and of our blessed saviour , who had not where to lay his head . and you know how little it troubled these holy ones , that they were thus destitute , how well pleased with their want , it being their heavenly fathers good pleasure , that it should be with them as it was . and how joyfully those believing hebrews took the spoyling of their goods , knowing that they had in heaven a better mansion , and a better and an enduring substance . 2. you are not without a house , which likes you best , and which you would not change for the best house in the world : you hear god asking you , as elkenah did hannah , am not i better to thee than ten sons ? had you not rather enjoy me , and do you not finde more comfort in me , than in ten houses ? and your heart answereth , truth lord. and can it then be troubled ? it may be said of all houses , compared with this of yours , as it 's said of all nations , they are as nothing , less than nothing , and vanity . and in truth , all houses and riches , which others inherit , are not , though they seem to be : you only , and your fellow inhabitants inherit that which is . esther had good reason to be content , when she was preferred to the best place of the house . and so have you , who are preferred to live in the best house , and in the best place , the very heart of it . you are not only graven upon the palmes of god's hands , but you are in his heart , set as a seal there ; yea , i will rejoyce over them , to do them good with my whole heart , and with my whole soul. how then can ye choose , but rejoyce exceedingly in the want of all creature comforts ; yea , though you have to boot the present feeling of the greatest outward evils ? and say with the holy prophet . although the figg-tree shall not blossom , neither shall fruit be in the vines , the labour of the olive shall fail : and the field shall yield no meat , the flocks shall be cut off , from the fold . and there shall be no herd in the stalls . yet i will rejoyce in the lord. i will joy in the god of my salvation : the lord is the portion of mine inheritance . the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places ; yea , i have a goodly heritage . having nothing , i. possess all things ; having the haver of all things . 3. you may and ought to take comfort in the promises which god hath made to his people in this case of poverty , which for the present pincheth you : he is pleased to bring you to this want of house and maintenance , that he might humble and prove you , to do you good in the latter end . and he is able , and no less willing to help you , either by inclining the hearts of the rich , to shew compassion upon you , to receive you into their houses , and feed you at their tables ; or if you have but pulse to eat , he can make that nourish you , better than kingly fare : yea , he can make you go in the strength of one meal made of a cake baken on the coals forty dayes . qu. but may we expect god will work miracles now adayes ? yes , that we may rather than his promise should faile , is my hand shortned at all ? this resolve upon , that the eyes of the lord run too and fro , throughout the whole earth , to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him : and of this also , that all things are possible to him that believeth . and therefore with job , resolve to trust in him , though he slay you : and to dye , rather than to help your selves by any unlawful means , and cast off all solicitous carking thoughtfulness for your bodies , where to dwell , and what to eat , and wherewith ye shall be cloathed . ponder those seven disswasives from distrustful cutting , dividing , distracting cares . and having food and rayment , how little , how course soever , be content therewith . considering that a little that the righteous man hath , is better than the riches of many wicked . nor do you doubt all , but if god see that a house with wealth and riches may serve to further your spiritual and eternal good , you shall not fail to have them before you dye . he hath raised the poor out of the dust , and lifted the needy out of the dunghill , and set him with princes . and so he will you . hear his express primise , wealth and riches shall be in his house , or if you live and dye poor and mean , your children shall be blessed with abundance . his seed shall be mighty upon earth . and you that were some years since wealthy , but by the rage of the fire , or malice and fraud of men , or other mishaps are become as poor as job ; do not despair of recovering your losse : but remember what the man of god said to amaziah , who demanded of him , what he should do for the hundred talents . the lord is able to give thee much more than this : and how he gave job twice as much as before . wait upon god , and keep his way , and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. yee have heard of the patience of job ; and have seen the end of the lord , that the lord is pittiful , and of tender mercy . 2. to you that have houses of your own , but may not live in them , at least cannot with any safety . 1. see , and acknowledge the hand of god in your expulsion , as in every other cross , so in this you should a divine providence . it is god that , and not man only that hath thrust you out . 2. examine the cause of your ejection ; if it be so , why am i thus ? that you may be sure your cause is good , and your heart sincere , in that which you suffer for . 3. if you had a doubting conscience indeed , against which it is unlawful and damnable to act , and not a meer scruple against which men may act ; yet you may finde cause enough , why god should cast you out of his house , and out of your own . for you honour'd god in neither as you might have done . and therefore ought to acknowledge with david , righteous art thou o god , and just in thy judgments . i know , o lord , that thy judgments are right , and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me . 4. when you have humbled your souls , and made your peace with god , by repenting of your neglect to husband time and talent , while a price was in your hand . resolve to bear with humility and patience the indignation of the lord , because you have sinned against him , until he plead your cause , and execute judgment for you , and believe that he will bring you forth again to the light , and you shall behold his righteousness . i. e. his deliverance , the effect of his faithfulness and love towards you : and of his just severity against your and his enemies ; who intended not to execute his judgments for your sins , whatever their pretence was : and bless god that you are still permitted to live in the land of your nativity : and that there are any who are willing to receive you into their houses , as laban did jacob , when he was compelled to leave his fathers house , and jethro , moses , and the shulamite elisha , and lydia , paul : and that none can drive you out of your divine habitation , nor shall be ever able to separate you from his love in jesus christ , wherein you lodge . 3. to you that have convenient houses , and a competency of means to live upon . be perswaded to think your condition better , than if you had fairer buildings , and more abundant income and revenues . agar thought a mean estate best , as appeares by his prayer against riches , as well as poverty . give me neither poverty nor riches , feed me with food convenient for me ; as much as i shall need from day to day . so we are taught to pray by our saviour : give us this day our daily bread. the word signifies such a kind or quality , as is fitting for our sustenance or beeing . so much as is needful to be added thereto , and no more . such a measure of goods , of body and fortune ( so men use to speak ) as is necessary , comprehended by the apostle under food and rayment . this was all that jacob desired of god. if god will give me bread to eat , and rayment to put on . if the query be , what may be counted needful ? answ . 1. that which nature requireth enough only to hold life and soul together , from hand to mouth . ( as they say ) 2. that which is meet for the state wherein god hath set us . 3. that which is requisite for the charge committed to us . 4. that which is apparently needful for the time to come . if any provide not for his own , especially those of his own house , he hath denyed the faith , and is worse than an infidel . no mans desire must go beyond this . labour not to be rich . superfluity coveted is very dangerous . they that will be rich fall into temptation , and a snare , and into many foolish and hurtful lusts , which drown men in destruction and perdition . a moderate estate hath little danger and trouble , much ease and comfort , a plentiful one little or nothing of these , much of those , and therefore thank god that it is with you as it is ; nor do you , or can you want plenty , abiding in god , for in him there is all fulness , and enjoying him , you possess all things ; yea , you would do so , if you had nothing ( as was said ) . 4. to you who dwell in earthly houses , and have all earthly good things in abundance , i have this word of exhortation . let your hearts be lift up with thankful acknowledgment of god's goodness in giving besides himself , these outward blessings richly to enjoy . when others , nothing inferiour to you in grace and goodness , are glad to dwell in poor cottages , and to feed on scraps ; yea , to beg their bread. who am i , o lord god , and what is my house , that thou hast brought me hitherto ? thou preparest a table before me , thou anointest my head with oyle , my cup runneth over . i am not worthy of all the mercies , and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant , for with my staff i passed over this jordan , and now i am become two bands . but let not your hearts be lifted up with pride , because of your abundance . charge them that are rich in this world , that they be not high-minded . beware that thou forget not the lord thy god. lest when thou hast eaten , and art full , and hast built goodly houses , and dwelt therein , and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply , and thy silver and thy gold is multiplyed , and all that thou hast is multiplyed then thy heart be lifted up . see god in your fair edifices , and sumptuous furniture , and large revenues , esteeming them as a beam of the bright sun-shine of his favour , you being enabled by his grace to make them instrumental for his glory in the refreshing the bowels of his saints ; and so to enjoy the good of them , as to avoid the snare . to use them not as hindrances , but helps to a better life . consider withall , how easie and quickly all you have may be brought to nothing , ( job this morning , the greatest man for wealth of all the men of the east , and by night was brought to poverty to a proverb ) and therefore look upon all as transitory , keeping your affections loose , and all off from them . and if they make themselves wings , and flie away , as an eagle towards heaven : let it trouble you as little , as the sight of a flock of foul out of your ground , flying thitherward would do ; and rejoyce , that with mary , you have chosen that good part , that shall not be taken from you . 5. to you , who , having dwelt in fair and goodly houses , which the fire consumed , are in your thought and purpose , if not actually building , as , or more fair and goodly to dwell in , in the same places where the former stood , or else-where be exhorted . 1. to bless the lord , your everlasting habitation , which preserved yours and all the persons of your families , and so much of the movable goods in your houses and shops , from that raging element ; that you have still wherewith to subsist comfortably , and are in a condition of rebuilding : acknowledge it to be of the lord's mercies that your selves , and all yours , persons and things were not consumed ; that so many lives , and so much substance is given to you for a prey . 2. to take heed to your selves , that none of these evils , no degree of them , which are noted , and taxed , and threatned in many new builders of old , and which it is to be feared , will be found in too many of your fellow builders , whose houses will be contiguous with your selves , what those crimes are , may be gathered from such scriptures as these . woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness , and his chambers by wrong : that saith , i will build me a wide house and large chambers , and cutteth him out windowes ; and it is ceited with cedar , and painted with vermilion . woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house that he may set his nest on high. thou hast consulted shame to thy house , for the stone shall cry out of the wall , and the beam out of the timber shall answer it . that shall say , i was laid here by biting usury , and this shall answer , i lye here by cheating and violence , extortion and oppression . all the people shall know , that say in the pride and stoutness of heart , the bricks are fallen down , but we will build with hewen stone . the sycomores are cut down , but we will change them into cedars . we will raise up our houses in greater splendour and glory than ever they were . their goods shall become a booty , and their houses a desolation , they shall build houses , but not inhabit them . whereas edom saith , we are impoverished , but we will return and build the desolated places . thus saith the lord of hosts , they shall build , but i will throw down . for as much as their treading is upon the poor , and ye take from him burdens of wheat , ye shall build houses of hewen stone , but ye shall not dwell in them . ye planted pleasant vineyards , but ye shall not drink wine of them . for i know your manifold transgressions , and your mighty sins . they afflict the just , they take a bribe , and turn aside the poor in the gate from their sight . they build up zion with blood , and hierusalem with iniquity ; the heads thereof judge for a reward , and the priests teach for hire ; and the prophets thereof divine for money . yet will they lean upon the lord , and say , is not the lord among us ? no evil shall befall us . therefore shall zion for their sakes be plowed as a field , and hierusalem shall become heaps . i will smite the winter houses with the summer house , and the house of ivory shall perish , and the great houses shall have an end , saith the lord. for behold , the lord commandeth , and he will smite the great houses with breaches , and the little house with clefts . woe unto them that joyn house to house . he will destroy the house of evil doers . whoso rewardeth evil for good , evil shall not depart from his house . though you , with whom i am dealing , are not of the number of these wicked men , that are building with you ; yet it is your part and duty , to take good notice of the lord 's just punishments , which he hath threatned to inflict upon them , and take warning thereby , not to follow their foot-steps , nor to tread in one of them . the righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked , which being wholly built , and filled with goods , gotten by evil means , shall bring them to fall into ruine ; so far shall it be from being any stay unto them . take heed of partaking of their sins , that ye receive not of their plagues . see that terrible and flaming place . i will bring the curse forth , and it shall enter into the house of the thief , legal , as well as illegal , and into the house of him that sweareth falsly by my name : and of him that sweareth vainly , as well as falsly ; that sweareth by the inch as well as by the ell , by his faith and troth , as well as by his maker . petty as well as bloody oaths : ) and it shall remain in the midst of his house , and shall consume it , with the timber thereof , and the stones thereof . 3. if you have not yet begun to build , take the wise man's advice ( 't is the loving advice of your living house ) prepare thy work without , and make it fit for thy self in the field , and afterwards build thine house . regulate your self , and your building according to thy purse . cast the cost before-hand . which of you intending to build a tower , sitteth not down first , and counteth the cost , whether he have sufficient to finish it , lest happily after he hath laid the foundation , and is not able to finish it , all that behold it begin to mock him ? they will do as much and worse , if you finish with other mens money , which you owing , are unable to repay . by no means run in debt , take thine own measure . owe no man any thing , but love . 4. in carrying on this work , as in all others of your particular calling , approve your selves to god and men , to be good men , by doing all things according to the rule and guidance of well instructed natural reason : a good man will guide his affaires with judgment . through wisdom is an house builded , and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious pleasant riches . i need not tell you what is the prime means in order to this end , namely prayer , for the lord giveth wisdome , out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding . he is the author of reason in men , and in the guiding of their actions , even in all manual matters . if any of you lack wisdome , let him ask it of god. your god will direct you to order your buildings , that there may be a prevention of deadly mishaps , as he directed his people of old in theirs . when thou buildest a new house , thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof , that thou bring not blood upon thine house , if any man fall from thence . in all other points of prudence and fore-sight , you shall finde him your instructer . 5. when then the work is done , and your houses fit for habitation , remember and imitate god's people in ancient times , in dedication of their new-built houses , solemnly blessing the first enjoying of them , by prayers and holy hymns , consecrating them to god , to be houses of prayer and little churches , wherein duties of religion should be performed every day , and all things done therein , even natural actions , to the glory of god , by governours , and governed : according to that of the apostle . whether ye eat or drink , or whatsoever ye do , do all to the glory of god. this was josuas religious resolution . i and my house , we will serve the lord. now because all these five divine domesticks are apt to have their mindes too much upon the things of the world ; they that are housless and landless , to be solicitous how to get a house and livelihood ; they that have houses of their own , but are prohibited to live in them , to have a hankring desire after liberty ; they that have their houses free to live in , and sufficiency , how they may add house to house , & increase their substance ; they that have goodly houses with superfluity , how they may yet have more wealth and honour : the mind of man being like the hors-leech , which hath two daughters , crying , give , give ; the two forks in the tongue of that blood-sucker , setting forth the two passions in the mind of man ; the one a burning desire of getting beyond measure , the other an unquietness through sense of want , when more than enough is gotten : and like those four things that are never satisfyed , the grave , a barren womb , the earth that is not filled with water , and the fire : and they that are building , are apt to be in earnest expectation , that they shall be well and warm in those new nests . i think this one consideration needful to be suggested to them all , namely what power god's grace useth to have in all them that dwell in him , to take off their hearts from minding earthly things , in that manner they used to do before they were in god ; namely , though not to forsake the world quite , and give over worldly business , and spend their whole time in private devotions , nor having found this house and treasure , to cast away their wordly goods . for religion bindeth men and women to be good husbands , to seek to preserve and encrease their estates that god hath given them ; yet to make them willing to part with houses and lands , and whatsoever is dearest to them in the world , if they cannot hold them with gods favour . to lose all things , and count them but dung in comparison of it . this made god's people in the ten tribes to leave their dwellings and possessions , and to come to hierusalem , where god was purely worshipped . this made moses to leave pharaoh's court , and to joyn himself to god's afflicted , despised church , and to moderate their affections , to use them with more sobriety and indifferency ; it being all one to them whether they had little or much . i have learned in whatsoever state i am , therewith to be content , i know both how to be abased , and how to abound : every where , and in all things , i am instructed both to be full , and to be hungry , both to abound , and suffer need : yea , so to take up their hearts , as to be more careless and forgetful of these things , than they were formerly . for they having found a better house , and a better treasure , there their hearts must needs be most , if not altogether . nor can the heart be divided between the love of god , and the world : but one of them will and must have all . no man can serve two masters , for either he will hate the one , and love the other , or else he will hold to the one , and despise the other . ye cannot serve god and mammon . love not the world , neither the things that are in the world : if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him . the fifth sermon . the second sort of spiritual duties incumbent upon you , who have assurance that the lord is your habitation , is in reference to persons . 1. those who were the efficient cause of this your superlative happiness , both principle and instrumental . the principle are the three sacred persons of the glorious deity , the father , the son , and the holy ghost . 1. admire the goodness of god in electing you to this happiness . blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ , who hath chosen us in him , before the foundation of the world : and in conferring upon you , by the grace of adoption , the right of inheriting his light here and hereafter . giving thanks unto the father , who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light . behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us , that we should be called the sons of god. 2. the love of god the son , which passeth knowledge ; who purchased for us this dwelling place with the price of his blood . ( the blood of god ) ye know the grace of our lord jesus christ , that though he was rich , yet for your sakes he became poor , that ye through his poverty might be rich . when he was in the possession of a perfect happiness and glory in his divine nature , that he might bring you into the same possession . he took upon him your nature , with all its miseries , wants and obligements to gain you the treasures of god's grace , righteousness , and eternal life in him here , and with him hereafter . he would be without a house , where to lay his head , and without any civil propriety of earthly goods , and without any peace , or rest in the world , that you might have a resting place in god , and a spiritual right to all this , and actual enjoyment of as much as needs , and is good for you . 3. the powerful operation of the holy ghost in imprinting upon your souls those divine graces , which are certain signs and tokens of your real interest in , and present possession of this super-coelestial mansion , and witnessing with your spirits , that you are truly gods children , and being such , shall abide in the house for ever , for so sons do . to provoke and quicken you the more to thanksgiving for this inestimiable happiness . consider how infinitely you are bound to these three persons , above innumerable others ; whom god the father did not choose to have their dwelling in him , and whom the holy ghost never wrought upon , to accept this , as he hath upon you . there are who would perswade you otherwise , that is , that god the father hath in his decree of election done no more for you , than he hath for other men , whom he from eternity choose to be partakers of his happiness conditionally , that is , if they would , as you have done , accept it offered to them , as it was to you : because he fore-saw that you would receive christ into your hearts by faith , he therfore determined to receive you into himself , to make you eternally happy ; because he fore-saw others would not , he therefore passed them by , and rejected them , and decreed to damn them ; for he loves all men equally , desires and wills the conversion and salvation of every man alike , unfeignedly and earnestly ; that god the son manifested in the world , who came in the world to save sinners , dyed for all without difference , intended to give himself a ransom for all , and every one equally ; that the efficacy of the holy ghost , and his cooperation accompanying the word , calling men out of the state of nature , into the state of grace , is only by moral perswasion : and that it is in the power of every mans free-will , to accept or reject this grace ; these are plausible , but pernicious errors , against which i shall bring a few scriptures , to antidote and fortifie your judgments , and establish them in the contrary truths . 1. touching the decrees of god the father's predestination , the scripture makes it absolute , definite , and irrevocable : so as the number of the elect can neither be increased or diminished . the foundation of the lord standeth sure , having this seal , the lord knoweth them that are his , that the purpose according to election might stand . even so at this present also , there is a remnant , according to the election of grace . all that the father giveth me shall come to me ; i know my sheep , and i give unto them eternal life , and they shall never perish . ye are come to the church of the first born , which are inrolled in heaven , rejoyce that your names are written in heaven , whosoever was not found written in the book of life , was cast into the lake of fire . insomuch if it were possible , they should deceive the very elect. so that howsoever salvation in the execution of it depends upon the conditional use of the means , yet the will of god is not conditional , incompleat or mutable , because god hath absolutely purposed to give his elect both will and power to perform those very conditions required , namely repentance , faith , and perseverance : for the decree of god predestinating , must not be considered after this form : i will choose peter to eternal life , if it shall so happen that he doth believe ; but rather thus , i do choose peter to eternal life , which that he may infallibly obtain , i will give him faith . as many as were ordained to eternal life , believed according to the faith of god's elect. elect according to the fore-knowledge of god the father , who are kept by the power of god , through faith unto salvation . all gifts of grace leading into the habitation of holiness , and whom to salvation are the fruits and effects of eternal election . neither is it true , that we are elected for faith and holiness , for we are elected unto both , according as he hath chosen us in him that we should be holy . election therefore is before the spiritual blessings both in order and time . ye have not chosen me , but i haven chosen you , and ordained you , that you should go : and bring forth fruit , and that your fruit should remain . for by grace are ye saved through faith , and that not of your selves , it is the gift of god. as for this only general election of all , and every man to salvation upon condition of faith , it is indeed ( alone ) no election , because it predestinates no man actually , severs no one from another , writes no name in the book of life , ordains no individual to have his habitation in god , but only prescribes the manner of coming to salvation , promiscuously to all : neither by it is it decreed , who shall be saved , but what manner of men. moreover , who holds this universal election alone , must also grant an universal reprobation . for if god will only have all to be saved indefinitely , if they will believe , he willeth likewise that all shall be damned that do not believe ; and so god neither chooseth or refuseth any antecedently . finally , this opinion makes man's will to over-rule god's counsel . nor can you believe god's equal love to all men , when you hear him professing that he did not equally love two , who were equal by nature , nor that he desires the salvation of all alike , because all are not converted and saved , it being as easie for him to effect as desire , and by his effectual grace to make men of unwilling willing without destroying their voluntary liberty . 3. touching the efficacy of god the holy ghost working conversion , that it is not to be restrained to moral perswasion only , which man 's will may embrace or reject , and finally resist , is abundantly evinced by that one text , where the apostle heaps up so many emphatical and significant words , on purpose to declare the power of the spirit of god , put forth in the conversion of a sinner . that they may know what is the hyberbolical greatness of his power to us-ward , who believe according to the working of his mighty power , which he wrought in christ , when he raised him from the dead . to which many more may be added , and that it depends not upon man's free-will , which can neither convert it self , nor overcome divine grace , to put forth for his conversion . the scripture every where plainly and expresly teacheth , i mean , that grace which is given with an absolute purpose to convert . see 2 cor. 10. 4 , 5. col. 2. 12. 2 thes . 1. 11. luk. 11. 22. 2 pet. 1. 3. next to the principal efficient causes of their happiness , the instrumental are to be owned and thanked . those from whom you had your natural beeing , without which you had not been capable of this , or any other good . honour is due to natural parents , how poor , how bad soever , nor must they be despised for any default of body or mind : and it is a point of piety to relieve them , if they be in want . nor can you ever sufficiently requite them , though it must be your study so to do . let them learn first to shew piety at home , and requite their parents , for this is acceptable before god. your spiritual parents are much more to be honoured , and much less to be contemned ; for as much as they have been instruments of your better beeing , your being in christ in god , without which you had better to have been dogs or toads ; yea , good had it been for you , if you had never been born . in christ jesus i have begotten you through the gospel . think nothing too dear for these . i bear you record , that if it had been possible , ye would have pluckt out your own eyes , and have given them unto me . time was , when you held your selves happy in me , and blessed the time that ever you saw and heard me . howbeit , i do not say unto thee , how thou owest me even thine own self . bless also all those who have been fellow-helpers with these , by informing , convincing , reproving , instructing , advising , comforting you against despair . all these call for thankfull acknowledgment . blessed be the lord god of israel , which sent thee this day to meet me , and blessed be thy advice , and blessed be thou which hast kept me from avenging my self . let the righteous smite me , reprove , and chide me . it shall be a kindness . i will thank him for it , and god for him for it , and god for him . the next sort of persons , to whom you owe duty , to the performance whereof , i shall earnestly exhort you , are they , who as yet are without god in the world , to whom it may be said . they have neither part nor lot in this matter , but are in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity : and that not only without the pale of the church , twenty-six parts of the world divided into thirty-one , having not so much as the name of christians ; and of those five that are christians in name . what a world of papists are there , besides hereticks that cut off themselves from the true church ? but even in the reformed churches , and even in this land of light , and valley of vision , there are six sorts and a great number of them , who dwell not in the light , but sit in darkness , and in the shaddow of death . namely , 1. grosly ignorant ones , that are utterly unacquainted with the first principles of the oracles of god. these are in satan's power , under his government , who is the ruler of the darkness of this world ; against these is the wrath of god revealed from heaven , in temporal , and spiritual , and eternal judgments . knowledgè being the foundation , and seed of all saving grace , they must needs be graceless that want it . 2. wickedly erroneous ones , those who hold in their judgments doctrines overthrowing the christian faith , these are not many doors from death . for every fundamental errour hath a damnable defilement , being a leprosie in the head , the worst of that kinde of plague . 3. openly prophane ones that live in the omission of known duties , and in the practice of known gross sins . who for the pleasures of the flesh , renounce the heavenly blessings , as esau did , who for a morsel of meat sold his birth-right . fornicators , thieves , drunkards , revilers , swearers , sabbath-breakers , &c. this ye know , that no such have any abiding in god , but dwell in the devil , whose they are , and whom they serve , and with whom they shall abide eternally , without repentance . 4 meer civil ones , who live not in any open offence against the second table , but are utterly regardless of the first : which are of absolute necessity , to prove man's being in god. the gospel teaching us to live godly , as well as righteously and soberly . nor without holiness shall any man ever see god. 5. hypocrites , who though they seem to have a prime respect , to the first table ( which christ calls the first and great commandement ) yet they make little or no conscience of the second table duties ; love not their wives , are cruel to their children and servants , will lie , and cheat , and cozen , tipple , &c. the damnable estate of these hath been sufficiently discovered , and that the lowest place of torments in the burning lake , is assigned for them . 6tly . haters and blasphemers , and persecutors of the ways of godliness , and of them that walk in those wayes by word or deed . this is an evident token of perdition , and the wrath of god shall come upon such to the utter-most , if they perish in their malice . the duty we owe to all these , is to mourn for their undone condition , and to desire , and strive earnestly to convert them , that they may be in capacity to live , and lodge with you under the same roof , and partake of the same glorious priviledges , and graces , and comforts . so you ought to do by these , when you have occasion to converse with any of them , as lydia by paul and silas , constrained them to come into her house , and abide there , at least by earnest invitation , and perswasion , as jael did sisera , with another manner of mind , turn in my lord , turn into me , fear not . you are bound to have the same tender and cordial affection towards all these , that are out of god's grace , that saint paul had towards the galatians , that were fallen from grace . my little children , of whom i travel in birth again , till christ be formed in you . 1. be in pain for them , as a woman in travel is . grieve , and groan , and sigh , and weep bitterly for them , as lot did for the sodomites , with whose filthy conversation he was vexed , for that righteous man dwelling among them , in seeing & hearing vexed his righteous soul , from day to day with their unlawful deeds . i beheld the transgressors , and was grieved , rivers of waters run down mine eyes , because they keep not thy law. o that my head were waters , and mine eyes a fountain of teares , that i might weep day and night , as well for the sins , as the slain of the daughters of my people : for they be all adulterers , an assembly of treacherous men , and bend their tongue like their bow for lies : they proceed from evil to worse . samuel mourned for soul. even mourned , because of the transgression of them that had been carryed away . jesus grieved for the hardness of the heart of the jews , beheld their city , and wept over it . out of much affliction , and languish of heart , i wrote unto you with many teares . many walk , of whom i have told you often , and now tell you weeping , that they are enemies of the cross of christ , whose end is destruction , whose god is their belly , whose glory is their shame , who mind earthly things . for loves sake , love to god who is dishonour'd , and your countrey , which is endangered , and to these poor creatures that are destroying their poor souls , and your own souls , which you will preserve from infection by this means , lay sadly to heart , and grieve affectionately , for the sad , dark , doleful , damnable condition , so many thousands in this land are in . should you come into houses full of dead men , that had slain themselves , would not your eyes affect your hearts , could you forbear tears ? you can scarce come into any house where some are not spiritually dead , and destroying their own souls , which is a thousand times worse . 2. pray for them , brethren , my hearts desire and prayer for israel is , that they may be saved . o that i shmael might live before thee . if any man see his brother sin a sin , which is not unto death , he shall ask , and he shall give him life . god shall pardon him , and by that means free him from everlasting death . father , forgive them , for they know not what they do . lord lay not this sin to their charge . there are none you know or meet with worse than these , for whom stephen thus prayed , they were stiff necked ; so hard , that they were not to be made plyable , uncircumcised in heart , and eares , as prophane inwardly , and wicked as the heathen themselves , though they outwardly in their bodies carryed the seal of god's covenant : they always resisted the holy ghost by whom god's truth was not only propounded , but the truth of it likewise so powerfully demonstrated , that they could not contradict it , but only by obstinate malice . they gnashed upon that holy-man , with their teeth , from madness and malice , which they bear to the evangelical doctrine , which he preached , and they stoned him with stones to death . pray also that god would work a change in their mindes and manners , draw them by a merciful violence out of satan into christ . 3. to your mourning and prayers add utmost endeavours , using every one according as his nature and condition shall require . of some have compassion , making a difference , and others save with fear , pulling them out of the fire . the simple , weak , and seduced deal gently with . those that are hardned , and perverse , and corrupters of others , be as much as in you lyeth instruments of their salvation , by more severity . save them with fear , namely by a lively denuntiation of god's judgments darted into your consciences , pulling them out of the fire ; that is , doing what you can to draw them from perdition , without any vain respects or considerations , as men draw things out of the fire in any fashion , or what way they can . first , them that you finde grosly ignorant , instruct in fundamental truths , without the distinct knowledge whereof , no man can have any entrance into this house . especially you that have children , and servants , take pains in catechising them , till they be as able and ready to render a reason of their faith , as to answer to their names . these words which i command thee this day , shall be in thy heart , and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children , and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house , and when thou walkest by the way , and when thou lyest down , and when thou risest up : and ye fathers bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the lord. but you must not neglect to instruct strangers , also even beggars that come to your doors , they have precious immortal souls , which you should be as willing to relieve , as your bodies . you that are godly women , as well as men , must perform this duty . we finde women not only teaching their husbands ▪ manoah's wife said unto her husband , concluding the death of himself and her . if the lord were pleased to kill us , he would not have received a burnt-offering , and a meat-offering at our hands , neither would he have shewed us all these things , nor would at this time have told us such things as these : and their children and servants . what my son , and what , the son of my womb ! and what , the son of my vow ! give not thy strength unto women , nor thy wayes unto that which destroyeth kings — she openeth her mouth in wisdome among her maidens , and in her tongue is the law of kindness , sweet and gracious speeches sounding to edification in knowledge and holinesse , but expounding the way of god to others also . aquila and priscilla took apollos to them , and expounded to him the way of god more perfectly . seeing godly women may and should be private patterns , and may have a gift of expounding scripture , and much more private men , and use that gift in the presence of ministers , for the edification of others , yea of ministers themselves . 2. those you finde led away with the errour of the wicked , holding any points in religion , contrary to sound doctrine , denying directly , or by consequence any fundamental verity . such was that of hymoeneus and philetus , and that false doctrine which the galatians held , namely that to be justified before god , it was necessary together with faith in christ strictly to observe the mosaical ceremonies , as a part of man's righteousness and holiness , appointed by the law : and that of the nicolaitans , who permitted the community of women , held it a thing indifferent to commit adultry , and eating meats sacrificed to idols ; and popish , and pelagian errours : when ever you have occasion to converse with any such as these , or that hold any point not consonant to scripture , though having less filth and danger , do your endeavour to recover them , by soft words and hard arguments . so you are taught by the apostle james's practice , who calls a damnable blasphemy by the gentle name of errour , and useth a loving compellation , ( do not erre my beloved brethren ) but observe what powerful arguments he useth both before and after his dehortation : and by the apostle paul's precept ; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves , if god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth , that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil . two things especially should move you to endeavour to convert souls from errour , especially if fundamental . the one from the nature of such an errour , it is like a canker or gangreen , a malady so contagious that it presently spreads it self into the next members , and so by degrees destroyes the whole body ; being once admitted into the soul , it will glide into it , to the total extinguishing of the spiritual life thereof : and having possessed it self in one of the members of the church , will spread over all the body of it , if it be not withstood in time . another is the great reward promised to this endeavour , if it prove successful ; if not the will , as it is accepted , so it shall be equally rewarded . 3. such as are prophane persons , the shew of whose countenance doth witness against them , and declare their sin , as sodom , and hide it not ; that draw iniquity with cords of vanity , and sin as it were with a cart-rope , and that live in the neglect and contempt of divine ordinances , and religious exercises , publick , domestick , or secret , professing by their practice , that they are the children of belial , and rank atheists . if you finde that any of these have not as yet commenced dogs and swine , but are as yet undergraduates , and in the devil's academy , and that you shall not provoke them to blasphemie , nor aggravate their rage against you thereby , allure them to go with you into divine ▪ herbert's church porch , and then sprinkle them with his holy water-stick . beware of lust , it doth pollute and fowle . whom god in baptisme washt with his own blood . drink not the third glass , which thou canst not tame , when once it is within thee . take not his name , who made thy mouth , in vain , it gets thee nothing , and hath no excuse . lye not , but let thy heart be true to god , thy mouth to it , thy actions to them both . flie idleness , which yet thou canst not flie ▪ by dressing , mistrissing and complement . look at thy mouth , diseases enter there . slight those who say among thy sickly health , thou livest by rule , — be thrifty , but not covetous , — play not for gain , but sport : — — be sweet to all , — catch not at quarrels . — laugh not too much — pick out of mirth , prophaneness , filthiness , abusiveness . be useful where thou livest — restore to god his due , in tith and time . resort to sermons — sum up at night what thou hast done by day , and in the morning what thou hast to do . take heed , lest through fear , or too much respect towards any , whom you hear speaking , or see acting prophanely , you become by your connivance or silence , guilty of want of zeal towards god's glory , and of charity towards your neighbours souls and salvation . thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart , thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour , and not suffer sin upon him . not , but regard must be had to person , time , and place , and the manner of reproving , which sometimes may be by discountenancing , as well as by discourse , and alway , so that the party reproved , may see it proceeds from love . 4. them that are civil , have a care to keep their good word , deal justly with all that are meek merciful , ready to help such as stand in need of them ; when you meet and converse with such , commend these and all other good things in them , as being such as god loves , and will reward : but labour to convince them , that all their moral parts and actions , till they be members of christ , will yield them no true comfort , by being in him they are brought to dwell in god. this you may easily prove unto them by the example of sundry persons , who though endowed with many civil virtues , yet are branded by the holy ghost , for most unhappy men. esau was a dutiful childe to his father , careful to please him , fearful to offend him , of a bountifull disposition , and free from covetousness . ahab a kind-hearted man , pittiful towards an insolent inveterate enemy . the pharisee that went up into the temple to pray , could thank god that he was not as other men were , extortioners , unjust , adulterers , that he payed his tythes duly . and what man in the world could live a more unblameable life , than that young ruler did ? and so paul before his conversion . if any man think he hath whereof , he might trust in the flesh . i more touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless . yet without faith in christ , and a real change wrought in the heart , all this , and much more is nothing : he being the fountain of all true goodness . the civil devil carries men to hell , as well as the prophane devil , though somewhat more about . 5. those whom you discern to be hypocrites , by living and allowing themselves in some one known sin of omission or commission : ( thus jehu discovered himself to be an hypocrite . he took no heed to walk in the way of the lord god of israel , with all his heart , for he departed not from the sins of jeroboam , which made israel to sin . ) when you have occasion to confer with these , acknowledge the good that is in them , much more than in moral men , as having a prime respect to the first table , affecting the ministry of the word , giving themselves to prayer and fasting , abstaining from petty , as well as bloody oathes , strictly observing the lord's day , loving the pure worship of god , and hating will-worship ; commend them for these things , but labour to fright and fire them out of their hypocrisie , by pressing that of st. james upon them . whosoever shall keep the whole law , and yet offend in one point , he is guilty of all , that breaketh one commandement . habitual sincere obedience is universal , extending to the compass of the whole law evangelically . and as one leak in a ship let alone will sink it as well as many , and one mortal wound destroy the body . so any one sin wilfully continued in , will drown and destroy the soul : and finally how more intolerable their torment shall be in hell , than any other sinners . 6. in like manner deal with them , who are haters and persecutors of the people of god , pretending that it is for their hypocrisie , that they cannot away with them , perswade them that their pretence is false ; for if they hated them as : hypocrites , they would hate them as sinners , and so they would hate all sinners , and the greatest sinners most : as he that hates a toad , because of his poyson , the greater the toad is , the more he would hate it . but these men know themselves , and are known to love well enough drunkards , whoremasters , swearers , and practical atheists ; and therefore the true reason why they hate strict professors , is for their godliness , which condemns their irreligious and loose living : ( as noah by building the ark , condemned the world ) so cain slew his brother because his own works were evil , and his brothers righteous . saul , saul , why persecutest thou me ? his conversion presently followed his conviction . they that dwell in god , dwell in love . your love to poor souls , that are out of god , expressed thus , by making essayes to draw them unto god , will both evidence to your selves and others that he is your habitation . make this therefore your work every day , do as lot did by the two angels . turn in i pray you into your servants house , no , but we will abide in the street , and he pressed them greatly , and they turned in unto him , and they entred into his house . what know you , but you may prevail , as he did ? and if so , you will make men angels ; for this is their highest happiness . alway to behold the face of god. let love constrain you , not only that which i have now pressed ; you owe love to every man , are bound to love them as your selves , and to seek their welfare as your own : and there is no love in any man to his neighbour , that loveth not his soul. but the love of christ should more constrain you to put the whole strain of your strength to this work . god having declared his desire to have his house filled , and his sons kingdome enlarged ; and there being joy in heaven at the conversion of every sinner : yea , love to your selves should force this . it being the best meanes to increase your graces and comforts : the more you draw to knowledge , and faith , and holiness , the more will these graces increase in you , and the comfort of them . as a man casting forth of his seed , brings it him back again with great increase . nor will any work you can do have the like recompense ( which was hinted before ) they that turn many to righteousness , shall shine as the stars , for ever and ever . nor can you be ignorant , that this is the end , why god hath bestowed his graces upon you , whereby you were made meet to be partakers of this inheritance , not that you should keep them to your selves , but that you should benefit others by them . the manifestation of the spirit , ( that is , those gifts of grace , whereby it is manifested , that they dwell in god ) is given to every man to profit withall . finally , the lord hath strictly commanded , that no man should content himself to know and believe aright himself , to repent of his own prophaneness , and to be religious and righteous , but that he should seek also to cause others to be , and do so , that they may be as well housed as he , as happy as himself . cause others to return that you and they may live together under the same roof : and the more the merrier , and better cheer to . obj. there is no hope of doing good upon many , that we meet with , scarce upon any . answ . if with all your pains taken all the days of your life , you can win but one soul , it 's as much as the gaining of the whole world. yea , one soul is more worth than the whole world. 2. despair of none , how wicked so ever : as bad as bad can be , have been reduced and brought in , manasseh for example , and three thousand at once . 3. if assaying three , or four , or five , or six times prevail not , the 7th . may : go up now , look towards the sea. master , there is nothing , go again seven times , and it came to pass at the seventh time , that he said , behold , there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea , like a mans hand . 4. suppose when you have done all you can all your life long , no good be done , yet you may take that comfort your master did . though israel be not gathered , yet shall i be glorious in the eyes of the lord. and in the verse before , i have laboured in vain , i have spent my strength in naught , in vain . yet surely my judgment is with the lord , and my work with my god. god knoweth with what uprightness i have done his work , and therefore i know he will crown me with glory , though my labour hath been lost , as to the most part of the people . the sixth sermon . the next sort of persons , in reference to whom duty lies upon you , are christian societies . assemblies that profess the christian religion , and joyn together in the worship of the true god. these are called churches , and of these there are two sorts , false and true , and your duty is to separate from those , and hold fellowship with these . three things are required to the constituting of true churches . 1. that the word of god , and doctrine of salvation be truly taught in them , ye are of the houshold of god , and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets : upon this rock ( this truth confessed by thee ) i will build my church , the church is god's register , that keeps his records faithfully , the pillar and ground of truth , where the doctrine of the law and gospel is truly taught , god dwells with that people , and salvation may be there had . 2. that there be pastors and ministers lawfully called , how shall they preach except they be sent ? pray the lord of the harvest , that he will send sorth labourers into his harvest , christ hath given his ministry to his own church . 3. that the people receive and embrace the doctrine and religion of christ , and submit to , and joyn together in the worship of god. then they that gladly received the word were baptized , and they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship , in breaking of bread and prayers . hereby may be discerned , which are false churches , and which true : the roman political church , as the constitution of it is false , and of man's invention . obj. they have the apostles creed , the books of canonical scripture and baptisme . answ . they acknowledge the creed in profession and word , but overthrow much of the sense , by their superadded articles , and false expositions . they retain the words of scripture , though in much , not the sense of the holy ghost : nor can baptism , though for substance , according to the first institution , prove them a true church , more than circumcision could samaria to be so , or a seal pulled from the writing , and set to the bare paper . a thief may shew a true man's purse , but that proves him not to be a true man : and they overthrow inward baptisme , the life of that sacrament , imputed righteousness and holiness , which in gods church must go together with the outward element . 2dly . as papists , they have no true ministers : the romish priest , as such , is no minister of christ , not only because of the anti-christian doctrines , which he teacheth , overthrowing the foundation of the prophets and apostles , but also in that he offereth christ a real sacrifice for quick and dead , wherein chiefly stands his office ; and because as a papist-priest he receives his very power from the pope , whose office is not of christ . qu. why then should not one baptized by a mass priest , be rebaptized ? answ . because the action of a lawful calling , done by one that is not lawfully called , is not a nullity ; the ministry is lawful , though as corrupted by them is bad . 3dly . their people oppose god's true worship , and live in palpable idolatry , and profess themselves the members of a usurping trayterous head the pope . obj. anti-christ sitteth in the temple of god , therefore the church of rome is god's church . answ . in the popish church , there is the hidden church of god mingled , as a little wheat with much chaff , as a little gold with much dross . so that though the church of god be where anti-christ sitteth , yet the church whereof he is head , is no church of god ; for there are no means there to beget , or preserve spiritual life , whether we regard doctrine or worship . to speak plainly , it is a part of the universal visible church of christians , so far as they profess christianity , & acknowledge christ their head ; but it is the visible society of trayterous usurpers , so far as they profess the pope to be their head : just as if a traytor should make himself deputy of ireland against the king's will , and all the people believe he is so ; and so profess themselves subjects to the king as their soveraign , and to him as his deputy : here it is a true kingdome , as it is still under the king , and yet a kingdom of traytors , or rebels , secundum quid , or so far as they adhere to the usurping deputy , against the king's command . from this church therefore , which is spiritual babylon , the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth , no spouse of christ , but a strumpet , no house of god , but an habitation of devils , once indeed a famous church , but now dead and buryed ( and as is the mother , so is the daughters ) god's people are bound to separate . come out of her my people , and yet not from such therein who mean well in the general , and secretly discent from her damnable corruptions , is this obligation of separation upon you . rom. 18. 4. much less ought you to separate from churches which have made separation from rome , as the reformed protestant churches in france , germany , and other countreys , and these of great britain , and ireland have done ; in whose congregations is found truth of doctrine , a lawful ministry , and a people professing the true religion , submitting to , and joyning together in the true worship of god. i am not ignorant that many of you , whose habitation i question not but the lord is , who have your habitations in all the several countries of this kingdom , have drunkin a deep prejudice against all the parochical congregations , whereof you are legal members , and where all you were baptized , and thereby were made the members of christ , the children of god , and heires of his kingdome . i fear some of you will startle at these expressions , found in the common-prayer-book . but if ▪ you consult the holy scripture , you will finde them warranted in a sacramental sense ; and your prejudice hath so far wrought upon you , that you have forsaken the assembling of your selves together with your neighbours in the publick meeting places . i know with whom i am dealing , persons that have a comfortable assurance that they dwell in god , and therefore are willing to hear any thing that may tend to the increase of their comfort , and unwilling to retain any errour in their judgments or practice , that may defile and dishonour their dwelling place , or cause it to be evil spoken of by them that are without ; whose mouthes you know your absenting your selves from all the solemn assemblies , open wide to cast a scandal upon your persons , as prophane , and upon that strict profession of walking precisely , according to the rule of the written word , which they think gives you no warrant for your seperation from their society in the service of god : and my humble and earnest request to you is to lay aside your prejudice , and examine by that good word , whether your separation be not sinful . i shall presume you will freely grant both , that it 's necessary to salvation , that a man be a member of the true visible church , because in the word you finde the profession of the true religion ; yea , the very hope of salvation , and joyning to the true chruch , going together : and that so long as god continueth the doctrine of salvation to a people , and his solemn worship ; so long he dwells among that people , and salvation may be had there , and that no utter separation may be made from those assemblies , where god dwelleth , and where men may be assured to finde salvation , though there may be many great corruptions both in doctrine and worship , in those assemblies . there were so in the church of the jewes in christ's time , the priests and teachers were ignorant and wicked , and had a corrupt and unlawful entrance into their calling ; and the people were like to the priest generally , notoriously and obstinately ungodly ; and the worship used in that church was wofully corrupt , many superstitious ceremonies , the observation whereof were more strictly urged , than the commandments and ordinances of god ; the temples made a den of thieves , the discipline and censures shamefully abused , the doctrine was corrupt in many points , and the great sacrament of the passover ill timed : yet the word tells you , christ ( whose example it binds you to follow ) and you profess your selves followers of him in all imitable things ) made no separation from this church , professed himself a member of it , was by circumcision incorporated a member of it , received baptisme in a congregation of that people , was a hearer of their common-service , and their teachers , allowing and commanding his disciples to hear them , communicated in the pass-over with the people and the priest ; no more did his apostles make separation from this church , after his ascention , till their day had its period . peter and john went to their publick prayer in their temple . so paul and barnabas in their synagogue . by their example it appeares , that till god hath forsaken the church , no man may forsake it ; and that it is no sufficient warrant to separate from a church , because it is guilty of such sins and corruptions , as deserves god should forsake it , and for which he hath threatned in his word , that he will forsake it : till it appear that god hath put in execution that which he justly threatned , we ought to acknowledge and receive it , as his house , and not to refuse to dwell with him in it . for shall man be holier than god , and hate corruption more than he ? and yet we may not communicate with it , by consenting to any corruptions that are , or shall be detected , or proved to be in it , wherein we have our saviour's example to guide us . all this i take for granted , that you will surely grant , because many books largely asserting all this , have been many years in the hands of those , who have led away many to separation , a syllable whereof they have not gain said : and they are in yours ; nor have i heard a word of your dissenting . but this i hear you say , that you question the constitution of the church of england , and that you cannot joyn with their congregations in divine worship , because they stand under an antichristian government , and the worship in them is a devised worship . touching the constitution of the church of england , i have no more but this to commend to your consideration ; namely the answer , that was long since given to the brownists , to which i never saw reply given . their objection was this , that the people of england were never rightly called ; for in the beginning of the queen's reign , they were by her command , and proclamation , compelled to embrace the protestant religion , and to conform to god's worship : whereas in the new testament , we have no example of people compelled to the service of god , christ commanding fishermen to convert souls by preaching , not princes to make disciples by compulsion : therefore the church of christ had no right constitution . the answer , to the separation of old , is this , that if we speak of a church first planted , the people of such a nation are first called by the word , before they come to be a church ; but it is not so of a countrey , where for a long time , true religion hath been professed , which is our case . and as to that part of the object , that there is no such example in the new testament . 1. the magistrates were then enemies to the christian religion . 2. it sufficeth that we have examples in the old testament . 2 kings 23. 21. 2 chr. 15. 13. & 33. 16. & 34. 33. nor have christian princes less power in their dominion , to abolish idolatry , and by law , and penalties , to compel their subjects , where there is a parity of reason . 3. we finde that private governours , in the new-testament , have required , and brought in their families , to embrace , and profess the christian faith. joh. 4. 53. acts 10. 21. & 16. 34. & 18. 8. 1 cor. 1. 16. but that these did any more than teach , and command them to learn , consent , and profess , some question , if they did so much . and so much they did , may , and ought to do , gen. 8. 9. and whether a christian magistrate may do more . for though it 's out of all doubt , that not only all external duties of the second table , but also all such of the first table of the moral law , are directly and properly of political cognizance ; yet they doubt much , whether any evangelical ceremonies , or formes of worship , which relate to christ be so ; because they are supernatural , and conscience is the only rule , whereby the merit of those duties is to be judged , which must be satisfied before any papal injunction can be imposed , or obedience can be safely yielded : and therefore they would have the ranged not among the essential , but among the contingentials of political government . but they earnestly deny that any internal duties and matters of faith , and evangelical doctrine fall within the spheer of that cognizance , either directly or indirectly ; because no humane power extends to acts of the soul , and it is the duty of the minister , and not of the magistrate , to reform even in such matters : and yet the magistrate may , and ought to exercise his power , for restraining and punishing the fruits and effects of such errours , when the peace of the common-wealth comes to be disturbed thereby ; but he has no warrant to punish the misbelief , or incredulity concerning articles of chirstian faith , no nor idolatrous formes of worship , unless they proceed from the errour or obliquity of their subjects wills , the reformation whereof is the absolute and adaequate end of all punishments , and of the exercise of all political power : but punishments were never ordained for the information of the understanding . to return to satisfie the objection , it is not necessarily nor generally true of all members of the visible church , that they be called by the word : if this be granted which cannot be denyed , that as among the jewes men were incorporated into the church by circumcision ; so they are under the gospel by baptisme , col. 2. 11 , 12. and that as in those times , many for by-ends , and through fear joyned themselves to the church , est . 8. 17. so it may be , and hath been under the gospel . obj. but the greatest part of our people are ignorant , and unsanctified ; yea , prophane persons . answ . ignorant and prophane persons have alway been in the church : it was so in the church's infancy , and so in her perpetual growth , and so shall be to the end of the world , at least till christ come the second time ; but these are not of the church , which hath its denomination of the better part . obj. but open and prophane persons are not cast out . answ . the law takes order they shall be . the fault is in the governors . we are not no church , or a false one , because such are suffered . 1 cor. 5. rev. 2. obj. but we want the form of a true church . viz. a covenant . answ . it appeares not in the apostles times , any thing more was required to make church-members of the church-universal , than assenting to evangelical truths , embracing and professing christian religion , and receiving baptisme ; wherein all in our church enter into a solemn covenant , and confirm it when they come to years of understanding . and moreover to settle them in particular church-order , the apostle made bishops or elders over them in every church , acts 14. 23. and required the people to obey them , hear and honour them . 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. heb. 13. 7. 17. 24. 1 tim. 5. 17. and those that consented to this , and did so , were members of that particular church : so that we confess , as a man cannot be a member of the universal church , ( if at age ) without his own consent ; so neither can he be of a particular church : ( however he may be antecedently obliged to consent . ) but that this consent was wont to be signified by any express covenant , between the pastors , and the flocks , no scripture mentioneth . it is consent signified only which god requireth : but whether this consent be signified , 1. by the peoples election of the pastors . 2. or by a covenant . 3. or by lifting up the hands , or any such sign . 4. or only by constant attendance with the church on all god's ordinances there , god hath no where determined ; save only as circumstances may make one of these more fit than another , and so oblige us to it in prudence . and he which maketh duties , which god hath not made , is a maker of superstition , and a false teacher , or speaker of god and his lawes , and addeth to them . as to that , you say you cannot joyn with our congregations , because they stand under a devilish anti-christian government , and the worship in them ( by a number of common-prayers ) is a devised worship . all that i desire of you is only this , that laying aside passion , you will but pause and ponder what is alledged to give satisfaction to this objection ; which may cool at least the fierceness of your spirits , and abate that desperate prejudice you have conceived against the government and worship established in these churches . touching the exercise of ecclesiastical government in general , you know it is not of absolute necessity to the constitution of a church ; and as to the government of the churches by bishops ( speaking of it only as they are superiour to presbyters , without medling with the extent of their diocesses , &c. ) when you finde so much written with so much confidence , that episcopacy is the true ancient apostolical government of the christian church : that it was received in profession and practice in all ages , and is so far divine , that bishops were in the very time of the apostles , that they were ordained and appointed by the apostles themselves : that there was an approved succession of them in the apostolical churches : that in all the following ages , all the churches in the world were governed by them , for more than fifteen hundred yeares , without any opposition , save by the arrian aerius , who was therefore cryed down as an heretick by the ancient fathers . that the first reformed protestant churches cast not off episcopacy with any aversness to the order , as appeares by the history of the augustane confession , to which calvin himself signed : that some of those churches are governed by superintendents , the same with bishops . that there was long since a challenge made to them , that have aversness to the degree or order , in these words . we require you to finde out , but one church upon the face of the earth , that hath not been ordered by episcopal regiment : which to this day ( as they say ) is not answered . these allegations may ( me-thinks ) so far allay your heat , as to restrain your thoughts and tongues from passing so sore a censure upon the government , that it is devilish and antichristian , till you can solidly absolve all these arguments ; though notwithstanding all that hath been said , you are perswaded that another church government may be better . and that there is no cause why you should refuse communion with these churches upon this account , because bishops are chief rulers there . touching the devised worship objected , do but ruminate upon what you have frequently heard and read , and you will see little reason to condemn stinted prayers , because invented and devised by men. for how many inventions of men are there of the same nature in god's worship , which you approve of : namely , set-formes of catechising , studyed sermons , interpretations of scripture , division of it into chapters and verses , contents of chapters , marginal references , putting psalms into meeter , with a multitude more . true it is , invented or devised worship is unlawful , yet it is lawful to serve god in a form of words devised : for the form is not worship , but the prayer tendered in that form. and therefore they do not well , that say , a stinted form of prayer is a means of divine worship , not ordained of god , and that there is no warrant for it in the word of god. for god's word warrants things , not only by special institution ( as all substantial means of worship : and by necessary consequence , so the translation of the scripture is warranted , because it must be read to edification , and edifie it cannot , unless it be understood ) but also by the light of nature and reason , according to the general rules of scripture . and thus accidental means of gods worship , which are only circumstances of the celebration , as time , places , order , method , phrase , and sorme of words in the administration of holy things of god ; yea , pulpit to preach in , and bells to call people together are warranted . if all such means of worship must be ordered by special institution , or they shall be unlawful , god must ( upon the matter ) have no worship at all from us in the meanes , which he himself hath ordained , because it is impossible to use these meanes , and not to do many things which he hath not instituted . to return to prayer , that a true prayer may be made to god in a set form , cannot be denyed , because things agreeable to god's will may be disposed therein , as in the lord's prayer ; and it 's possible for the heart and affections to go along with it , and faith , and other graces to be exercised in it . but you question whether ministers may read in the congregation prescribed formes of prayer imposed ? admit it were unlawful for them to do it , yet it is warrantable for you to be present at such prayers ; because all prayers wherein you joyn are stinted to you , and you are tyed to the forme of words uttered by him that prayes : nor is a holy good prayer made evil to him that hears it , for the possibility aforesaid . obj. but the prayers in the english liturgy are formes , neither holy , nor good ; for the book it self is an idolatrous book , the mass in english . answ . this is as true , that light is darkness ; and white , black : consider what is the matter of the popish mass prayers in an unknown tongue , to saints departed , and to feigned saints ; receiving the sacrament of the lord's supper in one kind , an unbloody sacrifice offered up for quick and dead , the real presence , satisfaction for venial sins , temporal penance for mortal sins , blotting out the second commandment , or confounding it with the first , &c. blackness and darkness : and what is the matter of our english liturgy , reading the holy scriptures in a known tongue ; the calling upon god in the mediation of christ , and not upon angels and saints , for the living , and not for the dead ; the administration of the holy supper in both kinds , singing of david's psalms , &c. all white and light. obj. but sundry of the prayers are found word for word in the mass-book . ans . so may a true man's goods be found in a thieves den ; and the goods of the church may be in the possession of antichrist an usurper , which goods she may lawfully require , and take back again , not as borrowed from him , but as due to her self , being the rich legacies which christ bequeathed to his church , which anti-christ had seized upon : the good therefore in the mass book belonged not to anti-christ , but the foul gross errours which are purged out of ours . obj. but there are foul errours and gross corruptions in our liturgy , which are not purged out . ans . admit there be , or were , yet there are no fundamental errours , nor any that bordereth thereupon objected . the corruptions objected , are misapplications of scriptures , frequent repetition of the same things , disordered prayers and responsories , breaking petitions asunder , &c. no errours that concern the main grounds or chief heads of christianity ; but faults that may be tolerated , and for which a christian hath no cause to separate : suppose a teacher misalledge a text of scripture , or that something be amiss in his prayer , when he exerciseth his own gifts ; is this a ground sufficient to separate from the ordinance of god , or reject the good for that which is amiss ? nor is there any doctrinal passage in any of the prayers , that may not bear a good construction , and so amen may be said to it . charity binds us to take every thing in the best sense : nor can you think it pleasing to god , for some evil that may be fastned upon some passages , to with-draw communion , especially when communion may be had without approving of any of the errours or corruptions ; though we do not for their sakes with draw from the communion of the churches , while they are exercised . obj. but most of the ministers that officiate in these congregations , are either blind or superstitious , or prophane , or idle , or drunkards , or whore-masters ; and they that are not of this last tribe , are most of them apostates from their principles , and therefore we cannot bring our hearts to hear any of them pray , read , or preach . answ . you may finde as bad as any of these in the church of israel , and as many for the space of ground , before our saviour's time , and in his dayes , and in the apostolical churches ; and yet you do not finde any of the people to have forsaken the publick ordinances of god. how far the charge is true or false , i shall not now meddle ; in some countreys , i am sure that there are many sober godly orthodox able preachers , yet in possession of the publick places . and if you know any countrey where it is worse , consider if christ himself did not joyn with worse . o that i could perswade with you , to lay sadly to heart the greatness of the sin of divisions , and the grievousness of the punishment threatned against it , and that hath been executed for it ; and that the leaders and encouragers of private christians to make this sinful separation , would read oft , and meditate much upon st. judes epistle , to v. 20. and that the multitudes that are willing to be led by them would follow the prescription of the meanes here to preserve or recover themselves from this seduction . v. 20 , 21. and that both would leave off their reviling the government ecclesiastical , and the ministers that conform , and peaceably , and submissively behave themselves , by the example of michael , who though an arch-angel , and contending in a just cause , and disputing in an argument , wherein he was very knowing , did not , durst not bring a railing accusation , though his adversary was the devil ; but committed the cause to god , saying , the lord rebuke thee . though quakers , who pretend to follow no other rule save the light within them , use ordinarily such railing and reviling language ; yet let no such word ever be heard to proceed out of your mouths , who profess to follow and walk exactly , according to the written word of god. the last sort of persons , are those of your own house , fellow-members of the same family , and your fellow-commoners : your duty in reference to these is manifold . i shall earnestly commend this one ; namely , to live in unity with them : to move you effectually hereunto , behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity together . it is like the precious oyntment upon the head that ran down upon the beard , even aaron's beard , that went down to the skirts of his garments ; as the dew of hermon , and as the dew that descended upon the mountain of zion . for the lord commanded the blessing for evermore . psal . 133. a song of degrees purposely pend for the knitting together the hearts of god's people in the blessed band of unity , emphatically propounding both the profit and pleasure redounding there-from . behold ( a matter worth the marking ) how good in regard of profit ) and how pleasant in regard of delight ) it is for brethren both by nature and grace to dwell together in unity , both of judgment and affection . next , he expounds , and so proves the pleasure , and the profit of this two-fold unity . first , by parable and similitude , which is double , to shew the pleasure he compares it to , that odoriferous anointing oyl , which god commanded to be made and compounded after the art of the apothecary , which when it was poured upon aaron's head , ran down upon his beard , and thence went to his skirts : so this sweet communion of spiritual grace , cunningly composed of united minds and affections , passeth down from christ our head , not only upon the stronger professours , which are as great an ornament to the church , as a beard is on the face of a man , but also to the meanest and weakest christian members . to set forth the pleasure of it , he compares it to dew , which is a special blessing sent upon the earth , for the refreshing thereof , which falls freely ( and therefore is said to be begotten of god ) and finely distilled down in so small drops , that it cannot be perceived till it be laid , and fully ( it falls into lowest valleys , as well as highest hills ) and fitly ( in spring for growth in harvest for ripening ) and fruitfully ( making the ground bring forth abundantly ) so it is in all these respects with spiritual graces , especially with this . and then he proves it by plain , strong , and binding demonstration : where this unity is , god commandeth the blessing , and life for ever-more ; that is , promiseth and fully performes it in this life , spiritually , and corporally , and hereafter eternally . i hinted this unity to be twofold , and will speak a little to both . first , of mind and judgment , it is a thing greatly to be wished and sought after , that all god's children and servants dwelling together , in the same house , might be of one mind , and judgment in all points . the apostle oft earnestly presseth this , frequently striketh upon this string . now i beseech you brethren , by the name of our lord jesus christ , that ye all speak the same thing , and that there be no divisions among you ; but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind , and in the same judgment : be of one mind for matter of opinion . if there be therefore any consolation in christ , if any comfort and love , if any fellowship of the spirit , if any bowels of mercy , fulfill ye my joy , that ye may be like-minded , being of one accord , and of one mind . a most passionate obtestation , importing a most vehement desire of their good agreement : whereunto he conjures them by all the bonds of love , between him and them . perswasion it self could not speak more perswasively . here are so many words , so many weapons able to pierce , and work upon any heart that had not an iron sinew . how many arguments doth he take from one , to inforce his exhortation with all possible carefulness , to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace ? one body , one spirit , one hope , one lord , one faith , one baptisme , one god and father of all . the apostle well knew , the neerer they were agreed in judgment , the faster their affections would be knit one to another : and beside the great advantage that all wicked men take at the disagreement of god's people , should make them desirous to be all of one mind , and to compose all the differences that are between them . let there be i pray thee no strife , between thee & me ; & between , &c. for we are brethren : not only upon this account , but because the canaanite and the perizzite dwell in the land ; and because of our dissention , we shall give them occasion to speak evil of our holy religion , and alienate their hearts more from it . how oft have you had this cast in your dish by enemies , both to the form & power of godliness when you have perswaded them to embrace both ? agree first among your selves . there is no such stumbling block at this day , in this land , laid in the way of ungodly men , through god's just judgment indeed : and it is necessary there should be such offences ; but woe unto you , if you become occasions of such offences , if you repent not that you are so , and labour not to take away the stumbling block out of your way by endeavouring to be all of one mind . but because perfect unity is not to be expected , till the church be come to her perfection . there must be heresies among you , sects , and dissentions , concerning tenets and grounds of doctrine , and wayes of worship : it is a thing unavoidable , by reason of the devil's malice , men's wickedness , and god's most wise counsel , and according to the frequent predictions of the holy ghost . god indeed hath promised to give his people , one heart , and one way . but the meaning is , that they shall all agree in all fundamental points of doctrine , and in all substantial ways of worship , in which they should joyntly and conformably serve him ; but in points of religion and circumstances of divine worship , that are of inferiour moment , there will be brethren different in opinion and practice from you , towards whom you are bound to bear brotherly love , which is of a bearing and forbearing nature , and not suffer difference in judgment to work in you the least alienation of affection towards them . what a deal of pains does the apostle take to work christians , to a charitable toleration each of other ? 1. disswading them from censuring one another , for , or in the use of things indifferent : the parties that dissented were weak and strong christians ; the things wherein , were ▪ meats and days ; the strong thought all difference of meates prohibited by the law to be abolished by christ , and therefore did not forbear to feed on any , and they conceived all jewish festivals to be abrogated by god , and so observed them not . the weak not seeing their own liberty in the case of meates , choose rather to eat herbs , than with a doubting conscience to feed upon meats forbidden , and conceiving the festivals not to be abrogated , still observed them . in both these cases , the apostle gives negative directions , and exhortations to both sorts of christians . viz. that in the case of meates , the strong should not contemn the weak , as superstitious for abstaining ; nor the weak censure the strong , as prophane , for neglecting the observation of distinction of them ; and in the case of dayes , that neither of them should do any thing with a gain-saying , or doubting conscience : pressing these directions with sundry arguments , and that by no means , the strong should give the least offence to their weak brethren , by abuse of their liberty . 2. and he perswades every one to study not to please himself , but his neighbour , to edification for his good , by the example of christ , who did not only not please himself , but sought the good of others : and so , saith he , must we , bearing one with another , receiving one another , as he received us to be partakers of his glory . it is the guise and property of too many of you that think you are assured you are the lords , to question whether others be so , that dissent from you ; yea , to pass sentence against some of them , as out of god , for no other reason , but because they are not of your mind and way , and to say of them , that its love of the world , or fear of trouble , or some other by-respect and base end , that keeps them from embraceing these gospel-truths which you hold , and whereof they have had sufficient conviction ; or if indeed they see them not to be such , that it is , because the god of this world hath blinded their eyes . nor least of all can you bring your hearts to look upon , or love as brethren , these who have been of the same mind and way with you , and are apostatized from their principles and practices : turn-coat-rogues . have patience and ponder with your selves , what rashness you discover in censuring any man to be godless , because he sees not those truths which you think you do , and they may clearly see to be revealed and commanded by god. barnabas was a good man , and full of the holy ghost and faith : and yet he could not see that , that paul saw . viz. that it was lawfull and fit for them to converse with the gentiles , even in the presence of the jewes . god bestowes his gifts on his servants , in different measures and degrees . none that sees the truth in all things , but in some points he is ignorant and erreth : setting aside the prophets and apostles , who were infallibly guided in penning the scripture . who almost of all the ancient fathers , but held some gross errour ? justin martyr , besides that he was a millinary , held that it was the angels that begat those gyants . athenagoras , that the souls of those gyants were devils . ireneus that man was not created perfect . clemens alexandrinus , that none were saved by christ before his incarnation . tertullian , that god was corporeal , that montanus was the paraclete , that a christian falling twice after baptism was damned ▪ origen understood much of the scripture allegorically . hierom that angels were many ages before the world : that there is no sin in infants , or not deserving punishment . ambrose , that the gospel was preached to devils . chrysostom , that the fathers were in hell before christ , that we are justified by works . augustine's book of retractations witnesseth his manifold errours , for a long time . luther the great reformer held consubstantiation . not only particular persons , but whole counsels and churches have erred . the reasons of this proneness in men to erre , are . 1. truth is but one , errour manifold ; there is but one right , many by-paths . 2. the seeds of all errours are naturally in all mens hearts . 3. errour hath usually on it the vizard of truth . 4. the understandings of the strongest christians are so weak , that it is easie for them to mistake . 5. satan and his instruments are full of subtilty , and cunning craftiness . 6. god suffers errours to spring up in his church , to punish the wicked , and for tryal of his own , and for cleering of truth . contraries opposed mutually argue each other . this consideration should teach you not to be insolent in censuring , and not to be stiff in your own opinions or perswasions . others may be in the right , and you in the wrong : and if you be in the truth , love them not ye less , that erre from it in infirmity , but pitty them more , and pray for them ; and though you know it to be passion or prejudice that hath blinded their judgments ( a greater infirmity than simple ignorance ) yet believe they may be godly men for all that ; and if they be so , you are bound to love and reverence them , how much soever they differ in judgement from you . and if men that are as practically godly as your selves , hold those to be truths , which you hold to be errours , seek not to draw them over to you , but let them quietly enjoy themselves ; take the blessed apostles advice . i press toward the mark . let us therefore as many as be thus perfect , be thus minded , and if any thing be otherwise minded , god shall reveal this unto you . nevertheless whereto we have already attained . let us walk by the same rule . let us mind the same thing ; so far as you freely can joyn with your dissenting brethren in duties of divine worship . and let not them that are without have occasion to say you are of several religions , or to call you by several names any longer : but rather to wonder at your mutual love , and peaceable and quiet spirits , free from any appearance of raising contention either in church or state ; they that do so , having the brand of graceless men set upon them by the holy ghost . now i beseech you brethren , mark them that cause divisions and offences , contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned , and avoid them , for they that are such serve not the lord jesus christ , but their own belly , and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple . every man that dwells in god , is of a peaceable disposition , quiet in the land. as for them that you call apostates , consider that their apostacy is not from any fundamental point in religion , or substantial worship of god. and that love of their callings , and the works thereof , and of their peoples souls , and conscience of obeying the magistrate in all things , not expresly forbidden in the scripture , might move them to do what they have done , and charity binds you to make the best construction . finally , in reference to those that are of your own mind and way . let brotherly love continue . and abound yet more and more in knowledge , and in all judgment ; rejoycing and weeping together ; and laying out your selves in a special manner , in a faithful employment of god's gifts , for the good one of another in things temporal . gal. 6. 10. heb. 13. 16. 2 cor. 8. 9. psal . 112. 5. and in spirituals by example . rom. 15. 1 , 2. 1 cor. 10. 33. by admonition , 1 thes . 5. 14. heb. 3. 13. prov. 10. 21. by consolation , 2 cor. 1. 4. esay 54. prov. 25. 25. rom. 1. 12. and by prayer , eph. 6. 16. jam. 5. 15 , 16. john 16. 24. by thus doing , you shall improve that branch of the communion of saints , which you have among your selves , and be the fitter to improve that which you have together with christ by the spirit , in respect both of substance and offices , and virtues . the seventh sermon . there remaineth yet very much of duty to be performed by , and to be pressed upon you , whose habitation the lord is , and who know him to be so . and first upon the account of the properties of this house wherein you dwell . the first whereof is height . and the first duty upon this account , is to lift up your hearts and voices as high as may be in praises and prayers . 1. in praises , acknowledge your selves bound to acknowledge . 1. as all other excellencies and transcendent perfections of god ; so this , especially of sublimity , that he is most high . this did david , i will praise thee o lord with my whole heart — i will sing praise to thy name , o thou most high . i will praise the lord according to his righteousness , and will sing praises to the most high . as he did himself , so he stirreth up all others to do so . o clap your hands all people , shout unto god with the voice of tryumph ; for the lord most high is terrible , he is a great king over the earth . let the saints sing aloud upon their beds . let the high praises of god be in their mouth . and this he tells us is a good thing at all times , especially on the sabbath dayes . it is a good thing to sing praises unto thy holy name , o most high. his universal regiment is to be acknowledged . this matter is by the decree of the watchers , and the demand , by the word of the holy one , to the intent that the living may know , that the most high ruleth in the kingdome of men , and giveth it to whomsoever he will , and setteth up over it the basest of men. 2. his wonderful humility and condescention . the lord is high above all nations , and his glory above the heavens . who is like the lord our god , who is most high , who humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in the heaven and in the earth ? he doth not disdain , from his high seat of glory , to provide for all creatures , both terrestrial and coelestial . he hath a gracious and loving care of vile wormes , and grievous sinners ; yea , vouchsafes to make their hearts , if humbled , and contrite for their sins , his dwelling place : for thus saith the high and lofty one , that inhabiteth eternity , whose name is high and holy . i dwell in the high and holy places , with him also , that is of an humble and contrite spirit . the humility of the son of the most high god being the same in substance with him , and equal in power and glory , condescended to match with a maid of our family , that had neither beauty nor dowry . a greater condescention , than if the greatest emperor on earth should marry the poorest and most deformed virgin upon earth , assuming a humane nature with his divine person ; in all things like unto man excepting sin , and in that nature to suffer poverty , hunger , thirst , weariness , and other humiliations , even unto death . who being in the form of god , thought it not robbery to be equal with god , made himself of no reputation ; annihilated himself , and brought himself as it were to nothing ; took upon him the form of a servant , and was made in the habit of men ; and being found in fashion , as a man , he humbled himself , and became obedient unto death , even the death of the cross . 3. consider the exceeding high honour he hath done you , to be servants in such a house , to himself , whom you have made your house , by choosing him and cleaving to him . nebucadnezar could not desire a higher honour for the three worthies , whom he saw walking in the midst of the fire , than to call them servants of the most high god. nor the angel that appeared to daniel in the vision of the four beasts , and interpreted it to him , for the subjects of god's kingdom , than to call them saints of the most high . yea , the angels themselves glory in this title . i am thy fellow-servant , and of thy brethren . and james stiles himself not the lords brother , but the servant of the lord. and god himself , moses , not king in jesuran , but my servant . my servant moses . 2. in prayers , i will cry unto god most high . every good and perfect gift is from above , and cometh down from the father of lights . we are commanded to pray to god , as being above in heaven , to teach us , among many other things , that our prayers should be sent forth with such fervencies , that they may reach and pierce heaven , where god is ; to cry as david did . o my god , i cry in the day time , in the day time , and in the night season . he heard my cry : my most earnest desires in prayer , arising from feeling and fear of misery . and so did moses , wherefore cryest thou unto me ? god seeming to chide him for so doing ; but it was not for his fervent praying , but for his fearing and fainting , his faith beginning to fail , and to let him know that he was more ready to hear than he to pray . 2. learn humility of the most high god. be ye followers of god , as dear children . beloved , if god so loved us , we ought also to love one another . so if god have condescended unto us , we ought to do the like to our inferiours , there being infinitely more distance and disproportion between god and us , than there is between us , were we the highest princes on earth , and they poorest beggars . for they are all our brethren . have we not all one father , hath not one god created us ? be not therefore high-minded , but condescend to men of low estate . and learn of me ( saith the son of the most high ) for i am meek and lowly in heart . lowliness of mind will make you high with god , and meekness of word shall make you sink into the hearts of men. let this mind be in you , which was also in christ jesus . you that are higher than others in gifts , wealth or dignity , disdain them not , but demean your selves humbly toward , them , and honour shall uphold you . 3. take heed of provoking the most high , or of contemning his counsels , least you provoke your selves to the confusion of your own faces : as the israelites did ; of whom it is said , that they sinned yet more against him , by provoking the most high in the wilderness . yea , they tempted and provoked the most high god , & kept not his testimonies . they contemned the counsel of the most high. therefore he brought down their heart with labour , they fell down , and there was none to help . 4. if you have provoked him to anger against you , as david did , when satan provoked him to number the people , enquire and desire to know the true means to appease him , and to be reconciled unto him . wherewith shall i come before the lord , and bow my self before the high god ? and turn ye to him with all your heart , to him i say and not as ephraim , of whom it is said , they returned , but not to the most high. renew your purposes , and resolutions , and vowes of more wary walking , for the future ; and when upon your humiliation and reformation , he is returned unto you with mercies , offer unto him thanks giving , and pay your vowes unto the most high. 5. comfort your selves against all the injustice and disorders of the world ; and against all the plots and conspiracies of wicked men , against the church and people of god. marvel not at it , but look higher , and expect seasonable relief , and redress , how high soever their rage doth rise , and how low soever , they lay the saints of the most high. if thou seest the oppression of the poor , and violent perverting of judgment in a province , marvel not at the matter ; for he that is higher than the highest regardeth , and there be higher than they . shall any teach god knowledge , seeing he judgeth those that are high . he is the soveraign lord and judge of the world , above all power and greatness . shall not the judge of all the earth do right . he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. and his will is the absolute rule of all righteousness . thy righteousness also o god is very high , who hast done great things : ●ear not o land , be glad , and rejoyce , for the lord will do great things . though the lord be high , yet hath he respect unto the lowly ; them that are of a poor and abject condition , and trodden upon by the foot of imperious contempt . but the proud he knoweth afar off , and they shall know , when they have spent all their strength , spit out all their malice , and done their worst , that thou , whose name alone is jehovah , are the most high over all the earth . from the second property of this your habitation . viz. strength , learn in your prayers , which you daily make to god for your selves and fellow-servants in the house , who are all weakness , to say , stir up thy strength , and come for salvation to us . shew it , make use of it , stand in the front of thy feeble army as a leader , to defend them from their potent enemies . and let it appear that thy prayer is not idle . give thy strength unto thy servants . awake , awake , put on strength , o arm of the lord , awake as in the ancient days , in the generations of old . art thou it that hath cut off rahab , and wounded the dragon ? art not thou it which hath dryed the sea , the waters of the great deep , which hath made the depth of the seas , and way for the ransomed to pass over ? display thy soveraign power for the deliverance of thy children , as thou formerly didst in egypt , and at the red-sea . look down from heaven , and behold from the habitation of thy holiness , and of thy glory : where is thy zeal and thy strength , the sounding of thy bowels ? when you have thus prayed , cast off all slavish fear , of what the might or malice of men , or devils can do . who art thou , o my poor , weak , faint-hearted church , that thou shouldst be afraid of a man , that shall dye , and be made as grass . take now good courage , setting before thee thine enemies approaching and certain destruction . fear thou not , for i am with thee , be not dismayed , for i am thy god , i will strengthen thee with the right hand of my righteousness . that is , with mine omnipotence , i have and will put forth in righting thee of thine enemies . the lord is my light and my salvation , whom shall i fear ? the lord is the strength of my life , and of whom shall i be afraid ? he it is that will dissolve all my inward darkness of trouble and confusion , and external ones of dangers and calamities . in this will i be confident , namely in this , that the lord is my light , salvation , and strength . my god shall be my strength , thou hast girded me with strength . the lord will give strength unto his people : he delivered me from my strong enemy ; and from them that hated me , for they were too strong for me . thou hast guided thy people in thy strength to thy holy habitation . thou wilt do so still , and not forsake them , when their strength faileth . my flesh and my heart faileth , but god is the strength of my heart , and my portion for ever . be not discouraged at all for the weakness or absence of outward meanes . not by might nor by power , but by my spirit , saith the lord of hosts . when men and meanes , and hopes and helps , and hearts and all fail . trust ye in the lord for ever , for in the lord jehovah is everlasting strength . he giveth power to the faint , and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength . they that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength . they go from strength to strength . the righteous shall hold on his way , and be stronger and stronger . i will go in the strength of the lord god. i shall never faint , but always , even every step i take , gather new strength and courage . wait on the lord , be of good courage , and he shall strengthen thine heart . despair not like her that said , my strength and hope is perished . if thou chance to do so , recover quickly as she did , this i recall to my mind , and therefore have i hope . be fully perswaded that what god hath promised , he is able also to perform . acknowledge as your father abraham did , as his soveraign truth , so his infinite power , above all inferiour order , or contrary difficulty . yea , he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think . neither do you despair of any man's salvation , for whom you pray : no not of the jewes ( whom you are bound every day to remember in your prayers . ) for god is able to graft them in again . when you are tempted to any sin , think thus with your selves . do we provoke the lord to jealousie , are we stronger than he , that we should not fear to provoke him ? can thine heart endure , or can thine hands be strong in the days that i shall deal with thee ? wilt thou have courage or strength enough to endure or withstand my judgments ? i say unto you my friends , be not afraid of them that can kill the body , and after that have no more that they can do . but i will fore-warm you , whom you shall fear : fear him , which after he hath killed , hath power to cast into hell. if men should be in danger of present death , by any mens unjust decrees , in case they refuse actively to obey them : they must say , if it be so , our god whom we serve is able to deliver us ; but if not , we will not serve any false gods : nor the true otherwise than he hath appointed in his word . and in the midst of the most desperate dangers serve the lord with sweet security ; knowing that your good shepheard jesus christ , is alway doing his office , standing still on foot , and watching for the safeguard of his , employing for their safety his fathers divine power , whereby they shall rest secure , having the king of the universe for their protection . he shall stand and feed in the strength of the lord , in the majesty of the name of the lord his god , and they shall abide . when you shall be cast upon your sick beds , doubt not but he will both turn , and stir , and make them easie , but strengthen you upon them . his everlasting armes shall be underneath you , and you shall be able both to do and suffer all things , through him that strengthneth you . upon all these and many more accounts , ascribe the strength unto god , his excellency is over israel , and his strength is in the heavens . the god of israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people . blessed be god. from the third property of your habitation , viz. largeness , learn rightly to conceive of this property , holding forth the infiniteness immensness , and omnipresence of god , being without quantity and measure , every where both within and without the world , filling all places with his essence : as the whole soul is said to be in the whole body , and in every part of it ; so is god whole and wholly in every part of the world. behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee . his greatness is unsearchable , infinite , and incomprehensible . the heaven is my throne , and the earth is my footstool . am i a god at hand , saith the lord , and not a god afar off ? can any hide himself in secret places , that i shall not see him , saith the lord , do not i fill heaven and earth ? yea , and hell too . if i make my bed in hell , behold thou art there . this must teach us to banish all gross conceits of god out of our mind , and to detest the making any picture of him , by which he is denyed to be incomprehensible , and to see him , though invisible , to be present with you , where ever you are , his eye beholding whatsoever you are doing . this consideration filled david's heart with shame and sorrow for his sin , and made it to lye so heavy upon his conscience . i have done this evil in thy sight . all my care was to be secret , to hide my sin from the eyes of men , but all this while thine eye was upon me . there is no man but would be restrained from many sins , if they knew of any body that was by them , to see what they did . the murderer & adulterer are brought in by job , imboldening themselves , no eye shall see me . as if he had said , if they knew there was any eye to see them , they durst not do it . moreover in all their meditations & contemplations of god , take as full a view of him as you can ; hear him saying , behold me , behold me . especially take notice of the largeness and greatness of his goodness and bounty . all the dimensions of its breadth , length , depth and heighth with admiration . o how great is thy goodness which thou hast for them that fear thee ? as high as the heaven is above the earth , as the space is between the east and west . i will mention the loving kindness of the lord , his great goodness , the multitude of his mercies . and labour for largeness of heart , in some sort answerable . from the rest of the properties of this your habitation , and from all the furniture in it , and from each of the conveniencies belonging to it , i shall leave you to gather comforts and duties in abundance , having this one thing only more to do ; namely , to acquaint you with some of the statutes , lawes , and ordinances of the house , and earnestly to press upon you the observation of them , by promises and penalties annexed . the general laws of this house binding all that live in it , are partly natural , and partly supernatural . the natural are ten in number , called in scripture ten words , and some where one word . the divine law teaching and commanding moral good , and forbidding evil , known by the name of moses law ; uttered and promulgate with god's own mouth , by his immediate voice , delivered in fire , and therefore termed a fiery law , in the hearing of all israel ; afterwards written with his own finger , ( by a mere and miraculous divine operation ) in two tables of stone , to signifie the perpetual use and continuance of it , to the end of the world , and so published and committed to the church for all ages , as the moral law for obedience to god our soveraign lord and king. this self same law did god engrave in man's heart , even when he created him ; for that before the written law of moses there was an unwritten law of nature , must needs be granted ; because needs must they be bound to god who had their beeing from him ; nor could they have sinned against him , if they had had no law from him . for where no law is , there is no transgression . whosoever committeth sin , transgresseth also the law. but sin men did all this space of time , and were punished with a witness . witness cain , the old world , sodom , onan , and innumerable of others , and they were punished for the sins forbidden in moses law ; and the apostle expresly teacheth , that the gentiles who never had the written law of moses , had their natural law , even this law ( though less perfect ) imprinted in their souls ; by which they were instructed and bound to do well , and debarred from doing evil , which are the two properties of all lawes . and these two properties called the work of the law written in their hearts they shewed , their conscience bearing witness , their hearts accusing or excusing one another . the conscience being but a correspondency and relation of a man's spirit unto the law , to bind or unbind , condemn or absolve him . moreover the good laws the heathen made to punish the evils forbidden , and to draw people to practice the good commanded in the law of moses , and the endeavour of many of them to act accordingly , argues the unity of both laws . the reason of which unity is the unchangeableness of god , who is alway the same . qu. what need was there of the repetition and renovation of this law ? or if there was need , why was it not sooner ? answ . to the former branch , though nature brought the same things , yet it did it very weakly , and many conclusions were obliterated , and others much obscured ; and all mens hearts were weakly drawn to obey this law , very strong to obey the law of sin . and although the law of nature could scarce never have been extinguished , in principles and grounds , yet it might , and was , and would have been more in applications . men took evil for good , and good for evil , and grew more and more vain in their imaginations . to the latter branch , man's heart was not after his fall throughly humbled , but thought his own reason sufficient for his guide ; therefore god would leave the world a while to try them , and let them see their own weakness . besides , sin was not come quickly to such a pitch and height , as afterward it did , and yet we finde that god did by peece-meal , and occasionally teach them this law presently and almost equipollently before its solemn proclamation . the unity of these two laws lets you see , as the constancy and immutability of your god , who is not as other law-givers , who build , and pull down , and whom a man knows , as well how to please , as shape a coat for the moon ; so also the necessity of the obedience of mankind to the moral law. 't is as inseparable , as it s very being , it being impossible to receive a being , and not with it a bond of obligation . men when they sin spurn not only against moses , but against very nature . he that owns the ground owns the fruit also . we are not our own in any of our actions . and how easie a way men have to choak temptations to atheisme ! let them take leave to deny moses , and trample him under-foot , yet in their souls they finde written in very legible letters , every commandment of this law : 't was born with them , and suckt from natures own instruction . why then should they suspect the law of moses , and think it a trick foysted upon them , to deprive them of their pleasures , nature bearing witness that moses is no deceiver ? finally , how inexcusable men are , that live in such an age , wherein they have both these laws ; one to confirm the other ? two witnesses , if both accuse us at the last day , how shall we escape condemnation ? manifold are the uses this written law of god doth serve unto : some common to the elect and reprobate , viz. to shew the excellency of man's nature before the fall , when he had power perfectly to keep it , and the excellency of that supernatural condition in the life to come , when there shall be the same , yea , a more glorious power : and the corruption of our present condition , how short we come of due perfection : and the lord 's right , notwithstanding to require perfect obedience of us , and to punish us for default in the least point . it serves also to illustrate the law of nature obtenebrated by the fall , the law of incorrupted nature being the same in substance with the decalogue ; also to discover and convince all men of sin , and their obnoxiousness to eternal death , to be a bridle to restrain them from gross sins ; and finally , men are taught thereby what a one god is , and how he ought to be worshipped , either proper and peculiar to the elect , it serves as a guide to point thèm to christ the mediator , and to kindle a desire in them to seek eternal righteousness and salvation by him ; and when they are in christ , to be a rule of thankfulness , for the redemption purchased by him . every man should be thankful in the best manner he can for a benefit received . what better rule can a christian have , than that which god hath made ▪ he hath shewed thee , o man , what is good : and what doth the lord require of thee , but to do justly , to love mercy , and to walk humbly with the lord thy god ? micah 6. 8. tit. 2. 11 , 12. qu. why have you dwelt so long upon this point ? answ . to work in you , whose dwelling the lord is , a detestation of the antinomian errours . many have cut off some uses of the moral law , or falsly glossed upon it ; but few would ever wholly abrogate it , but this unhappy sect. like nero , who wished rome had but one neck , that he might cut it off at one blow : so these would deal with this law of moses . it follows not , the gospel is come in , therefore the law must go out . hagar so long as she is obedient , may dwell in abraham's house . to make it clear to you , that the decalogue pertains to christians , consider , 1. that it is confirmed by christ . 2. commanded to christians by the apostle . 3. established by the gospel , how it teacheth christ to be the end of the law , and that justification cannot be had without that perfect righteousness which the law requires , or satisfaction for unrighteousness , and that men ought to study and endeavour it , and that the observation of it is a testimony of our communion with god , that he dwelleth in us , and we in him , as you heard in a former discourse . obj. christians are not justified by the law , neither do they receive the promise by it , therefore it pertains not at all to them . ans . the consequence is false , unless they could prove there were no other necessary uses of the law , but we have shewed many , and there 's a number more . obj. 2d . if believers are not under the law , but under grace , to them the law doth not pertain ; but the former is true , ergo , the latter . ans . 't is a fallacy termed from ambiguous , or that which may be taken more wayes than one . not to be under the law , is , not to be freed from it , as a rule of life , for we are inclined and disposed by god's free spirit to the willing obedience of it ; but to be delivered from the burden of the law , exacting in our own persons perfect obedience , as necessary to life , and from the malediction of it due to disobedience : these we are freed from by christ . to be under grace , is to be justified and regenerate . obj. christians are mortified and dead to the law. ans . the same fallacy , and the same solution . believers are moreover freed from that irratation to sin , which is effected in unregenerate men by the law. obj. 4th . but now we are delivered from the law , that being dead wherein we were held . ans . the same again , and the apostle opens his meaning in the words that follow , declaring our manumission from the servitude of the law , from its rigorous exaction and curse , and that we have a spirit of ingenuity to obey willingly . obj. 5. gospel-ministers are ministers of the spirit , not of the letter . ans . the meaning is no more but this , that their ministry is more efficacious than the ministry of the old testament . obj. 6. if the law pertain to christians , then they are under the curse of it ; but the latter is false , ergo , the former . answ . the meaning of those words of the apostle , upon which the consequence of the connexion is grounded , is plainly this , that they that think righteousness to come by the works of the law , and promise themselves eternal life thereby , are under the curse of it . obj. christians are no longer under a school-master . ans . 1. the place is impertinent , for it speaks of the ceremonial law mainly , if not only . 2. if at all of the moral , the consequence is denyed , for though they be not under a school-master , as the faithful under the old testament were , yet it follows not that obligation to obedience is taken away . obj. 8. christians are redeemed from the laws subjection . ans . not simply , as if they owed no more obedience ; but so far forth , that they are not bound to a perfect fulfilling of it , but that unfeigned assent and consent shall be accepted . obj. 9. stand fast in the liberty wherewith christ hath made us free . ans . from the ceremonial law. obj. 10. against spiritual men there is no law. ans . to hold their consciences under guilt , yet they must be taught their duty by this holy , and just , and good law. obj. 11. the law is not made for a righteous man. ans . the meaning is , believers , and those that are regenerate by god's spirit , apply themselves to the obedience of the law , without constraint or terrifying ; having the habit of righteousness and holiness in themselves , as an inward and living law. they have no need of the horror and constraint of it ; and also being justified by christ , they are freed from the condemnation of it , seeing that a soveraign pardon stayeth and endeth all actions and condemnations grounded upon the law. great houses , with the gardens , orchards , parks and grounds belonging to them , have their bounds and limits made by walls , pales and hedges . that great glorious house which ezekiah saw in a vision had its limit . this is the law of the house , upon the top of the mountain , the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy : god is said to have determined the bounds of all mens habitations upon earth . the ten commandments of the moral law , are the bounds , walls , pales , and hedges set round about the house , wherein you , that are saints on earth , inhabit , beyond which you may not pass , but must keep within this compass . as the waters dwelling within the great channel have their bounds , which they are commanded to keep , and forbidden to transgress , pass , or go over . i establish ( saith god to job ) my decree upon it , ( speaking of the sea ) break up for it my decreed place , set bars and doors to it , ( figurative terms to express the concavities wherein the sea is enclosed ) and said , hitherto shalt thou come and no further , and here shall thy proud waves be stayed . you are commanded in like manner , to keep within the bounds of your decreed place , and you are bound to keep within them under a greater penalty , than that which was laid upon shimei , when he was confined to his house by solomon , and to the city of hierusalem , the walls whereof were his utmost limits . the king sent and called for shimei , and said unto him , build thee an house in hierusalem , and dwell there , and go not forth thence any whether : for it shall be that on the day thou goest out , and passest over the brook kidron , that thou shalt surely dye . abide within : so long as you do so , you abide with god. cursed be the man , whose heart departeth from the lord. as a bird that wandereth from her nest , so is a man that wandereth from his place . thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed , who do erre from thy commandements . thou hast trodden down all them that erre from thy statutes . take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief , in departing from the living god. every sin small and great , is a transgression of the law , exceeds the bounds which god by his law hath appointed unto men , for the moderating & regulating of their thoughts words and actions . and every transgression and disobedience , every commission and omission received a just recompence of reward . if at any time through frailty , or violence of temptation , you pass these bounds . if at any time said i ? alass , who doth not every day both in thought , word and deed ? there is not a just man upon earth that doth good , and sinneth not . in many things we offend all . david , a man after god's own heart , passed these bounds , oft through infirmity , once most abominably . well , consider what is to be done after such excursions . consider your wayes in your hearts . bend your minds very diligently , weigh , ponder , think seriously with your selves what you have done . most men are guilty of this neglect . no man repenteth of his wickedness , saying , what have i done ? remember this , and shew your selves men , bring it again to mind o ye transgressors . know therefore that it is an evil , and bitter thing , that thou hast forsaken the lord thy god. be ashamed and confounded to have been found out of the bounds of your house . then shalt thou remember thy ways and be ashamed . what fruit had ye then in those things , whereof ye are now ashamed ? let it not be said of you , as of the generality of the jewes in jeremyah's time . were they ashamed when they had committed abomination ? nay , they were not at all ashamed , neither let the review , remembrance and thought of every ordinary sinful digression , by rash anger , or any bitter expression against wife , husband , childe , servant , neighbour , by vain , empty , idle , unprofitable conference at any time , by intemperance in eating or drinking , though never so little beyond necessity , or honest delight , making you unfit for divine service in either of your callings , by immoderate sleeping , or not being up as early for god , as for your selves , or spending more time in dressing your bodies than your souls , by wanton glances of your eyes , or lusting after strange flesh , or abusing the lawful duty of marriage , by envying and grieving at the outward welfare of others , or discontentment with your own health , wealth , credit ; or carking distrustful caring for to morrow , or hasting to be rich , by passing rash censure upon the spiritual estate of others , or speaking of their faults and follies with mirth ; by silence at the unsavory speeches of any , or conniving at their miscarriages , not reproving them at least by discountenance , for fear of giving them offence , by having too great a hankering of heart after things not evil in themselves ; tobacco , hunting , hawking , angling , gameing , though not for gain , but sport ; by suffering , buying and selling , thoughts , and vile distractions to have incursions , and lodging within you in holy duties : let the thoughts i say of these and numberless other sinful digressions , fill your souls with shame and blushing ing and sinful abhorrence . much more if you call to mind grosser crimes . then shall ye remember your own evil wayes and doings , that were not good , and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities , and for your ▪ abominations . nor let your shame for taking so many steps out of your heavenly fathers house , or sense of selfloathsomeness , hinder your return thither ; but say as that unclean spirit ( for it is lawful and stands with godliness , honesty , and reason , to learn of an enemy ) i will return unto my house from whence i came out . and as that penitent wife that had stept aside from her husband , i will go and return unto my first husband , for then was it better with me than now . so did the prodigal resolve to do , i will arise , and go to my father , and say unto him , father , i have sinned against heaven , and before thee . o israel return unto the lord thy god , for thou hast fallen by thy iniquity . go and knock at the door of divine mercy , confess your folly , accusing and judging your selves . surely it is meet to be said unto god , ( who hath revealed himself not only in his law by commanding and threatning , but also in his promises of grace to comfort and encourage by the remission of sins ; so the italian reads the word following : i pardon ) i have born chastisement , i will not offend any more , that which i see not , teach thou me : if i have done iniquity , i will do no more . confess thy sins with such an honest , as well as broken heart , and thou needest not fear , but god will open the door to thee , and let thee see himself again . he that keepeth his sins upon his conscience disguiseth and dissembleth them , and doth not confess them to god , and to men also , if need require it , shall not prosper ; but who so confesseth and forsaketh them , shall finde mercy . let your sins be of what sort they will , of ignorance , infirmity , presumption , those three parables of the lost sheep , and the lost goat , and of the prodigal , may give you ground of assured hope , after such confession and supplication for a pardon , that thou shalt not fail to receive it , and the sense of it . come now , and let us reason together , saith the lord , though your sins be as scarlet , they shall be as white as snow , though they be red like crimson , they shall be as wool. if convinced in your own consciences , you give glory to god by a free confession , and fly to his mercy by faith , and a lively conversion . he will quickly cause you to feel by effect the forgiveness of your sins , let them be never so grievous . this is the voice of the second of those general laws , i mentioned , called the law of faith , the doctrine which offereth and promiseth remission of sins and salvation , requiring only in order hereunto repentance and faith . repent ye , and believe the gospel . the two great gospel commands which you , with whom i am dealing , have been inabled by grace to yield obedience unto , whereby you have made the lord your habitation : nevertheless they are duties which all the days of your life you are bound to be doing : to act both these graces every day as there is occasion , and there will be occasion for acting both while you have a day to live , to renew your repentance , and to live by your faith , as it is written , the just shall live by his faith : the meaning is , he shall live healthfully , happily , blessedly , in which sence living is taken . john 4. 51. 1 sam. 10. 24. psal . 38. 19. 1 thes . 3. 8. and that this is the prophets meaning , appeares from the scope and occasion of the words in the 1st . chap. he complains , and expostulates , in the beginning of the second the lord answers , the just shall have deliverance , but it shall not be yet . the vision is yet for an appointed time , but at the end it shall speak and not lye , though it tarry : wait for it , because it will surely come , it will not tarry . the prophet might have objected , and asked , but how shall the afflicted jewes be able to live in the mean season , for seventy years together ? the lord answers by a distinction : the unjust puffes up himself with vain confidence , but the just shall live by his faith. whence it is evident , that true faith , if well mannaged , is able to keep a life , yea to make him live healthfully and happily , even in the worst and sadest times , and to this conclusion , these scriptures give suffrage : 2 chr. 20. 20. psal . 27. 13. dan. 6. 23. esa . 50 10. 26. 3. heb. 10. 39. 2 cor. 1. 24. and reasons grounded upon scripture , come in as auxiliaries . 1. from the object of faith , namely the promises which are meet matter to maintain life . phil. 2. 16. john 6. 63. jer. 15. 16. 1 pet. 2. 2. esay 55. 1. 12. 3. 66. 11. cant. 2. 5. job 15. 11. 2. from the nature and office of faith , which is to rest upon god's faithfulness , for the performance of these promises , it certifies and assures the soul , that all shall certainly be made good . psal . 89. 34. numb . 23. 19. by this means saith gives a christian actual present possession of all good things , even in their absence ; faith is the substance hoped for : that is , it gives substance to things that have no beeing , the evidence of things not seen ; that is , that it both convinceth the judgment , that such things must come to pass , and it makes the mind conceive them really present . joh. 8. 56. 1 cor. 10. 3. 3. from the fruits , or if you will , the children and daughters of faith , which are attendant on her , and helpful to her , in maintaining life , namely hope , which keeps the heart alive , by expecting better , when things are at the worst , banisheth despair , is compared to an helmet and anchor . 2. joy , this is the juice of faith , the souls strength , banisheth sorrow , eats up all earthly griefs 3. courage and boldness , which expells fear . 4. love , this makes bitter things sweet , causing a cheerful willingness to suffer the hardest things for the sake of the party beloved . 5. from a singular property and power that is in faith , to break through all difficulties , leap over all carnal objections , and remove all impediments , rom. 4. 18 — 22. qu. how may we mannage our faith , so as to maintain this life of joy and comforts ? ans . your care must be to make this sure , not only that you are within the compass of god's special covenant ( to them that are out of this belong no promises , nothing but threatnings and curses ) but also that these special qualifications are in you , which are annexed to particular promises , the fruition whereof depends upon the practice of some choice part of obedience , which if you neglect , you do but presume and tempt god in making title , and laying claim to them . compare psal . 91. 11 , 12. with mat. 4. 6 , 7. 2. this done , learn four things concerning the promises : 1. the matter , which is supply of all good , and deliverance from all evil : 2. the kind or quality of them ; the principle promise indeed , is absolute , but all the rest are conditional , these shall all be literally fulfilled for you , so far forth as they may be subservient to that . 3. the manner of propounding them ; some promises are expresly declared , both general and special ones , others are by consequence implyed in the examples or prayers of the faithful . 4. the several wayes of god's performing his promises . sometimes he gives his people the very thing he promiseth : sometimes he denyeth that , and gives them some thing equipollent proportionable instead of it , or else that which he knows is far better for them . 5. you must in every state of life , when you finde need , set your faith on work , both to fetch in provision out of the word , and to prepare it , and to apply it . 1. the way to bring in provision ( for the maintenance of life ) is by the memory : whatsoever faith doth in the soul , it doth it by the help of this faculty , heb. 12 , 5 , 6. forgetfulness is the cause of fainting in all time , therefore of need : when-ever you are brought to any streight , that you can see no way of escape , or means of relief , but begin to faint and sink under distress and vexation of mind , call to mind such promises , as are fitted to your condition . for there can be no condition imagined , but there are promises suited to it , and a christian wisdome must be to accommodate the remedy to the sore and malady of his heart . enquire what word there is in god's book to still the tempests and distempers of your spirits , and then make application of it : promises faithfully remembered and well digested , will arm and fortifie your souls , that they shall be able to put any case of trouble inward or outward , and come off victoriously and triumphantly . put case you be as poor as job , lazarus , the prophets widdow : call to mind the promises of temporal blessings in abundance . put case you be persecuted by the tongues or hands of wicked men , call to mind the promises , that you shall be delivered , & your enemies confounded . put case your hearts be heavy for some great losses of goods or friends : call to mind the promises , that you shall be gainers by your losses . put case your spirits be wounded with the sense of divine wrath : call to mind the promises of pardon , peace , and rest . put case your graces be weak , and corruptions strong : call to mind the promises of sanctification and quickening . put case some great eminent danger threaten you : call to mind the promises , that nothing shall hurt you ; that every thing that befalls you , shall work together for your spiritual and eternal good . 2. provision thus brought in by the memory , the next work of faith , is to prepare and make it fit nourishment . this is done by searching for , and finding out that grace , or part of obedience , upon which , the fruition of the promise depends ; to which sufficient hath been spoken already : nor will it be disheartned for weakness , if there be truth , yea , if no more than a true desire . mat. 5. 3 — 6. neh. 1. 11. the third and last chief work of faith , is application of the promises to your selves in particular , this is feeding upon the provisions brought in and dressed . faith first does its utmost , to assure the soul , that what god hath promised , is already done . mark 11. 24. 15. 28. job 13. 15. yea , and it makes it good thus . 1. it hath christ , and he is all . 2. it hath , if not the thing promised , as good , or better . 3. when it findes much ado ; it goes to god , and seeks help of him . mark 9. 24. 2 chr. 20. 12. psal . 73. 23. 24. 27. and concludes with the psalmist 60. 12. 73. 1. you will be sure to finde , while you live here on earth , the devil ever anon throwing his fiery darts into your souls . you must take the apostles advice , to stand alwayes armed with the whole armour of god. above all , taking the shield of faith , whereby ye shall be able to quench all his fiery darts . the eighth sermon . you have heard what the daily duty is , of all who live and dwell in god , viz. to live by faith. how faith maintains the soul in life , and the apostle bidding you to take the shield of faith , and to use , and move , and mannage it , according to the place , satan casting his darts at you , aimes at , and according to the kindes of his temptations . i shall give you a truth , and tast how faith may be mannaged , and what the several acts of faith are , by which the fierceness of these darts of satan may be quenched : there are six fiery darts ( besides many others ) which sathan throwes at the souls of those that dwell in god , whereby he works them much disquiet and trouble . the first and worst , is concerning the forgiveness of sins . he would and often doth perswade them , that their sins are unpardoned , and that god will damn them for their manifold transgressions , and mighty sins . the apprehension of this fills their souls with horror , nor can the greatness and grievousness of this affliction be expressed . a second is , concerning their spiritual estate , he would make them believe , they are yet in a state of unregeneracy ; and that the root of the matter is not in them , but that they are but painted hypocrites . a third is , concerning mortification of lusts , and sanctification of life , neither of which they have attained , and they are afraid they never shall . a fourth is , fear of poverty , and temporal misery ; what will become of them in sickness and old age , they cannot tell , want coming on them like an armed man , this dart sets on fire many lusts . a fifth is , concerning the right use of prosperity and adversity : satan perswades them they neither do , nor ever shall use either rightly . a sixth is , fear of falling away . faith rightly mannaged , will blunt the piercing points of all these darts , and take away all the burning poyson in them ; and so repell them , that the soul shall not be hurt at all by them : though until faith have done , it suffer much affliction by each of them . i shall not now undertake to shew what be the several acts of faith , that have force to overcome these several temptations , but will declare very briefly , what those acts are , whereby faith supports , and settles the soul , and makes it victorious in any trouble or affliction whatsoever , inward or outward , which may be applyed to any of the cases fore-mentioned . qu. what use will this doctrine be to those that are not under any trouble , that have no manner of affliction upon them . ans . there is no christian that is at any time of his life free from all affections : no day comes so fair over any godly man's head , wherein he meets not with some matter of grief , yea so much , that he findes enough ado to sustain and master it . luk. 9. 23. 2. those that are now free from affliction ( may , they know not how soon ) be hem'd in , compassed about , and overwhelmed with variety of afflictions , as job was , and therefore ought to live in continual expectation of crosses and distresses , publick , domestical , personal ; and although there are great hopes of peaceable times , yet hopes may be frustrate : our sins are many and mighty , which gives us just cause to fear god's judgments ; we have also enemies many , and politick , and malicious , and the devil , and his instruments are busie : but howsoever , how calm soever the publick state may be , yet afflictions and miseries may and will sure enough befall those that fear god ; if not outward , yet inward . many are the afflictions of the righteous . and manifold are their infirmities in their afflictions , and therefore they are called by that name . evils will not come the sooner , because expected , but they will fall the lighter . and faith is necessary that they may so do , it cannot therefore but be necessary and profitable to acquaint you with the acts of faith , in general at least ; whereby a christian soul may be upheld in evil times , against all afflictions and miseries whatsoever . this grace well acted , will bring you under the wing and protection of your god , and so free your hearts from all fear and discouragement and disquiet . the acts of faith , effectual to this end , are nine in number , and in this order . the first , is an act of information . faith informes the soul of these things . namely , concerning the nature , author , ends , measure , and continuance of the affliction . 1. concerning the nature or matter of it , that it is humane . there hath no temptation overtaken you , but such as is common to man. let it be what it will , other men as good , yea better than you , have suffered in the same kind , drank of the same cup , yea deeper than any of you have yet done . poverty , sickness , reproach , loss of dear relations , trouble of mind ; job , and david , and paul for example , and the macabee confessors and martyres . 2. concerning the author , that who or whatsoever is the instrument , god is the principle agent . his decree ordained it , and his actual providence hath inflicted it . 3. touching the ends god aimes at in your afflictions . among others , they are these . to bring you to a sight of your sins long since , or lately committed . to humble and reprove you , to purge and refine you , to work self-denyal in you , to reduce you into the right way , to quicken your devotion : to wean you from the love of the world , and make you long for heaven . to cause you to relish mercies and comforts better . to save you from damnation , and to make your crown of glory weightier . 4. touching the measure that it shall be no more than needs , and no more than you shall have strength well to bear . 1 pet. 1. 6. 1 cor. 10. 13. all your enemies shall not be able to add one scruple more . job 1. 12. 2. 6. wife and loving parents correct their children in measure , there is no fear that they will break their bones . learned and loving physicians have due respect , when they administer doses to the strength of their patients . such a father and physician is god , and a thousand times more tender . 5. touching the continuance of the affliction incumbent . faith informes the soul , that the diet-drink prescribed , shall be no longer required to be taken , than till health be recovered . that the plaster shall lie no longer on the sore , than till the cure be wrought ; that the gold be no longer in the fire , than till the dross be consumed : at longest it shall be but until death , and all the space until then , let it be never so long , is but a little moment , in respect of eternity ; a little cloud quickly passing . the second , is a quickning exciting act : faith excites the soul , first , to make search and scrutiny into this affliction . 2. to cast it self down , in humble acknowledgment of its own desert , and gods justice accusing and judging it self , and justifying god in his sharp dispensation . 3. to pour out its complaint to god , and cry for mercy , and pardon of the sin procuring the cross , and for sanctification and removal of it . 4. to cast off all purposes of falling into sin again ; of giving god any more cause to punish . 5. to use all lawful meanes to get the cross removed or mitigated . jos . 7. 11. 13 — 16. the third , is an employing act : hear faith speaking thus , we have no might , neither know we what to do . it causeth the soul to renounce its own wisdome , strength , and all confidence in the creature , draws the heart from carnal repose in means or friends . the fourth , is an act of discovery , it discovers to the soul that sees no help any where else , all-sufficiency of help in god. all-sufficiency of wisdome , power , grace , mercy , truth , and love ; and it discovers also the manner of god's dealing , which usually is to grant deliverance , and send help then , when to sense and reason it is furthest off . deut. 32. 36. jer. 30. 12 — 18. psal . 142. 6. it looks also back upon former favours , which are as bills obligatory of future good things , even all that god sees necessary . that which god hath once done , for any of his in sustaining , relieving , and delivering them ; he will do over and over again for them , if they inforce themselves towards him . the fifth , is a meekening act : faith makes the heart willing to submit it self to the good pleasure of god , and patiently , and gently to bear his corrections . and the considerations , whereby faith moves and prevailes with the soul to carry it self meekly under gods hand , are such as these , first , from the desert of sin : you have merited all this , and much more , and are punished beneath your iniquities . 2. from the hand that layes this rod upon the back : it is a fatherly one that gives you this bitter cup. 3. from his predestinating you to be conformable to the image of his son , who was a man of sorrows , acquainted with griefs . 4. from the recompence of reward , which is infinitely heavier than your sufferings . the sixth , is an act of remembrance . it causeth the soul to call to mind those sweet and gracious promises god hath made in his word , to his people in their afflictions . 1. that he will look down from heaven in mercy , and cast a gracious aspect upon them . 2. that he will be with them , to support and comfort them in their troubles . 3. that he will deliver them out of trouble . 4. after they have suffered a while , establish , strengthen them , and then receive them to glory , where they shall never suffer more , but in his presence have fulness of joy , and at his right hand , pleasures that shall please for ever more . a seventh , is an act of recumbency , a resting , rolling , relying act , casting the soul upon god , and staying there , clasping , a desiring , depending , committing it self to divine providence , with assured trust and confidence , that all shall be well , because all shall end well , though sense and reason say never so much to the contrary ; this confidence doth as it were oblige , and bind the lord to do his people good . psal . 37. 40. 57. 1. & 147. 8 , 9. es . 26. 3. jer. 39. 18. the eighth , is an act of expectation , waiting for comfort and deliverance , referring both time , and meanes , and manner unto god. the nineth and last , is an act of rejoycing and triumphing : the former it doth , because it feels the physick to work kindly , and the latter in assurance of a blessed issue . there are besides these many several laws , which you that dwell in god are bound to observe continually . a few of them i shall commend unto your practice , you must be alway watching , alway working , alway rejoycing , and alway praying , and alway giving thanks , and alway ready to remove out of the lower rooms , wherein you live into higher , whither you shall hear a voice saying , come up hither . every one in this house must be ever-more working , watching . they ought not to sleep at any time : ye brethren are all the children of the light , and the children of the day ; we are not of the night , nor of darkness , therefore let us not sleep as do others . there is a twofold waking , literal and metaphorical ; the former is sometimes a punishment . thou holdest mine eyes waking . it is alwayes a duty to with-hold your eyes from immoderate and unseasonable sleep . how long will thou sleep , o sluggard , when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep ! yet a little sleep , a little slumber , a little folding of the hands to sleep . too many christians willingly suffer this thief to steal away the best , and feed upon the very fat of their time ; which are a shame to the house they live in . it was thought in austin's time to be an undecent thing , for a christian at any time of the year to have the sun beames finde him in bed. how early every morning was david up at his devotions ! my voice shalt thou hear in the morning , o lord. in the morning will i direct my prayer unto thee . awake up my glory , awake psaltery and harp. i my self will awake early ; yea , mine eyes prevent the night watches , that i might meditate on thy word . i have awaked of my self in the night , before i have been called upon by the watchmen , who give warning of the seasons of the night . yea , at mid-night will i arise to give thanks unto thee . this was ordinary for the servants of this house to do their master service , as well by night as day . behold , bless ye the lord , all ye servants of the lord , which by night stand in the house of the lord. nothing was more ordinary in primitive times , in the house of godly great men , than to have vigils . paul says of himself , that he was oft in voluntary fastings , which he undertook , to fit himself the better for supplications and prayer . so oft in such watchings . it 's said of our blessed saviour , that he continued all night in prayer to god. come lye all night in sackcloth ye ministers of my god. david fasted and went in , and lay all night upon the earth . this was extraordinary literal watching for spiritual ends , and for our imitation upon like occasions ; time allow'd to spend in sleep , must sometimes be set apart for religious duties . and every night of of our life when we are awake , we must take care to spend piously ; ●is the character of a godly man. his delight is in the law of the lord , and in that law doth he meditate , day and night . when i remember thee upon my bed , and meditate on thee in the night watches . with my soul have i desired thee in the night . stand in awe and sin not , commune with your own heart upon your bed. but it is the latter wakeing and watching , which the apostle chiefly intends , when he saith , let us not sleep as do others , that is , through carelesness , slacking , giving over acts of faith and piety , or doing them listlesly , or perfunctorily , sluggishly , or by being lull'd asleep , and over-burthened by worldly desires , cares , or pleasures ; 't is an heedful observation of our selves in all things , and a serious , careful , and diligent circumspection , over all our thoughts , words and ways , that we may please god by doing his will , and neither commit any sin , nor omit any duty . this christian heedfulness is very frequently and earnestly urged upon god's people , no duty more . take heed to thy self , and keep thy soul diligently , take heed unto your selves lest ye forget the covenant , take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law , take heed then that ye walk circumspectly , not as fools , but as wise . watch ye therefore , for ye know not when the master of the house cometh , at evening , or at mid-night , or at the cock crowing , or in the morning , lest coming suddenly , he finde you sleeping : and what i say unto you , i say unto all , watch. this watchfulness must be in all things , what saint paul saith unto timothy ( who was as all gospel-ministers should be , religious , faithful watch-men , warning their people of spiritual dangers and enemies , as god's prophets of old were ; somewere then as too many are now , careless guids , watch-men in name , but not in truth , wretched or rather wretchless , and scarce watch-men ) he saith to every private christian . watch thou in all things , evil , civil , good . take heed how ye hear , read , pray , give almes ; how you do the works of your particular calling , and even natural actions , eat , drink , play : and watch over all the powers and parts both of your souls and bodies , your outward senses , eyes , and eares , and tast , and touch , job 31. 1. mat. 5. 28. psal . 119. 37. esay 33. 15. pro. 23. 1 , 2 , 3. your tongues especially . psal . 39. 1. 37. 30. pro. 15. 4. 7. 23. 18. 20. 25. 11. 1 cor. 15. 31. jam. 3. 2. mat. 12. 34-38 . psal . 45. 1. eph. 4. 29. col. 4. 6. but above all , your hearts must be watched over . pro. 4. 23. heb. 3. 12. and you must watch especially against those sins that are most dangerous , and whereto you are naturally most inclined , luk. 3. 12 , 13 , 14. 12. 15. the pathes of your feet must also be pondered , pro. 4. 26. and this must be in all places , and at all times , all the days of your lives . deut. 4. 9. nor must you only watch over your selves , but over your brethren also . heb. 10. 24. 3. 13. gen. 4. 9. lev. 19. 17. a great many reasons may quicken you to this duty , besides the many precepts that press it , in reference to your selves . 1. the estate and condition wherein you stand . 1. you are weak at best , full of infirmities . mat. 26. 41. as they that have weak sickly bodies observe a strickt dyet , so should you much more be careful and fearful , whose souls are so . 1 cor. 10. 12. phil. 2. 12. pro. 28. 14. 2. you are naturally drowsie , and therefore had need to do as the nightingal , that is said to set her brest against a thorn , to keep her self from sleeping . mat. 25. 5. cant. 5. 2. eph. 5. 14. the wise as well as foolish virgins slept : your hearts are naturally wicked , and deceitful , and desperatly wicked . jer. 17. 10. psal . 18. 57. deut. 11. 16. heb. 3. 12. 1. you are extreamly apt to relapse into your former condition . rev. 2. 5. mat. 12. 45. 2 pet. 2. 21 , 22. 2. you have many mighty , and subtile , and malicious , and dangerous enemies . eph. 16. 12. 1 pet. 5. 8. 3. great are the benefits of this continual watchfulness . you will hereby tame your flesh . the wildest beasts are tamed by watching . this will be a great furtherance to your prayers , and hereby you will be kept from being foiled by temptations . mat. 26. 41. 4. great is the danger of neglecting this one moment . there is no sin but may be sowne in you , while you sleep . mat. 13. 24. witness david , 2 sam. 11. and so you hazard your salvation . means enabling you to the performance of this duty , are , 1. sobriety in the use of lawful things . 1 pet. 1. 7 , 8. 1 thes . 5. 5 , 6. luke 21. 34. 2. filial fear of god , pro. 14. 16. rom. 14. 16. 16. 6. psal . 4. 4. 130. 4. gen. 20. 11. psal . 36. 1. jer. 32. 42. 3. remembrance of god's judgments . mat. 24. 37 , 38 — 42. es . 47. 8 , 9. rev. 3. 3. luke . 21. 34 , 35 , &c. 1 cor. 10. 15. 12. especially of the last judgment . 2. cor. 5. 10. there are other notable helps . viz. growing in knowledge : a blind man is unfit to make a watch-man . a spirit of mistrust-fulness : a master that mistrusts a servant will watch to catch him . living under a powerful ministry : a trumpet continually sounding is a good meanes to keep a man from sleeping . desiring friends to admonish you when ever you nod : they that are inclined to sleep mortally , are desirous that others should pinch them , to keep them waking . sobriety and temperance in eating and drinking . a drunkard will make an ill watch-man . if you will know what are the signs of a truly watchful christian , they are such as these . he discovers the secret windings and turnings of his own heart , the least stirring there , and much more if the fire of any lust begin to kindle there . if there be any fray there , he presently stifles it . and if need be , he calls for help . if any good news comes he takes present notice of it , and makes it known . psal . 66. 16. no blessing of god towards himself , or the church , that he does not take thankful notice of . if there be lightning , or thunder , or any dreadful apparition of god's judgment , he trembles at it , loves and delights in the morning light . and for that reason feares not death , the immediate antecedent of it . qu. are all of god's holy houshold alway thus waking and watching . ans . the holy spouse of christ acknowledgeth , that there was a time when she slept , having eaten and drank largely of her heavenly husbands blessings . she began to remit her zeal , and neglect the works of faith and love. wanting the pretence of her husband , and being pressed with the remnants of the flesh , she gave eare to carnal ease and security ; occasioned further hereunto by the time of the night , and by the weather which was rainy ; that is , by ignorance and errour prevailing , and by the opposition and persecution of enemies . her sleep was neither that dead sleep , that all men are in by nature , nor that judicial sleep , the spirit of slumber ; a farther degree of that natural sleep , to which god gives up some as a seal of their desperate condition , but it was a sleep arising from the reliques of natural corruption unsubdued , prevailing over the regenerate part : yet was her heart all this while awake , i sleep , but my heart waketh . though she had a little laid aside her divine thoughts , and meditations , yet she still kept the eye of faith open , and the eare of her heart attentive , when the lord had returned . thus the wise virgins slumbered and slept , but they had their lamps burning by them which the foolish had not . their hearts waked , mat. 25. 5. they were provided in them with instructions , in faith and piety , and with the gift of the spirit , which is the oyl that alway burneth in all good hearts ; howsoever not alwayes in actual exercise . but o! the dreadful danger that good christians are in , when it is not so through the letting down of their spiritual watch , and giving way to sluggishness , there being no sin , no temptation , no judgment , but a secure drowsie christian is open for : which is the reason of so often inforcing watchfulness by the spirit of god in the scriptures . and therefore i beseech you suffer a word of exhortation , to the next special duty incumbent upon all , whose habitation the lord is ; namely , to be always working . god will not have one idle or sloathful person in his house . every one must have a particular honest calling : the light of nature taught the heathens this , as appeares by pharaoh's question to joseph's brethren , what is your occupation : gen. 47. 3. and the marriners to jonas , what is thy occupation ? forty years was moses a courtier , and forty yeares more a shepheard ; that great men may not be ashamed of honest vocations : the greatest that ever , have been content to take up with mean trades . the contempt of honest callings in those that are well born , argues pride without wit. how constantly did moses stick to his shepherds hook , and yet a man of great learning , excellent spirit , good education ? i presume all you that dwell in god are in lawful callings , wherein you may be serviceable to the church , or common-wealth , or private families . in these the apostle forbids you to be sloathful , not sloathful in business . to be sloathful , is to be loath to work , willing and desirous to shift it off . pro. 21. 25. 24. 23. to be negligent in working , taking up more time than needs , or not to endeavour to do it well . not to be sloathful , is to be ready and forward to be employed , esay 6. 8. and to be diligent , and expeditious , and industrious , to do business in the best manner , gen. 31. 6. that every christian man and womans duty , is to be thus employed continually , appears , because god prohibits sloathfulness , and commands diligence , heb. 6. 12. pro. 6. 9. gen. 3. 19. mark 13. 34. 1 thes . 4. 11. curseth sloathfulness , and blessed diligence , pro. 10. 47. 23. 21. 24. 30. to the end . jer. 48. 10. pro. 13. 11. 28. 19. eccl. 5. 12. mat. 25. 16 , 17 , 21 , 23. o that every one would look upon idleness and sloth as a great sin , as theft . 2 thes . 3. 10 , 11 , 12. prodigality . pro. 18. 9. sodomy , a sin that disposeth a man to all manner of sin ; and which shall be punished with the vengeance of eternal fire , mat. 25. 26 , 30. and heathens and bruits shall rise up in judgment against idle sloathful christians . you therefore that are sure you dwell in god , take heed of damping your assurance , and blurring your evidence , by giving the least way to idleness , or sloathfulness in your callings . are you magistrates ? be continually imploying , and applying your power and authority to the uttermost , for the ends for which god hath given it to you . rom. 13. 4. 1 tim. 2. 2. 2 chr. 19. 6. to the end . consider god's wrath declared against you , if you be slothful to execute judgment , even upon your dearest relations that deserve it . in the example of eli , 1 sam. 3. 13 , 14. on the other side , the pleasure he will take in you , and delight to do you good , if you be faithful , and severe : jer. 22. 15 , 16. numb . 25. 11 , 12 , 13. 2 king. 10. 30. if you be ministers , let the weightiness of the work , and glorious reward promised to laboriousness therein , and the plagues threatned against loyterers , move you . 1 cor. 4. 2. 2 tim. 2. 15. 4. 1 , 2. 1 pet. 5. 2. es . 58. 1. 2 cor. 2. 16. dan. 12. 3. jer. 1. 1. 1 cor. 9. 16. if you be governours of families , set before you the example of the virtuous woman , pro. 31. 13 — 28. if servants , eleazar and jacob , gen. 24. 31. 6 , 40. col. 3. 22. to the end . remember the promise of protection of angels , while you are diligent in your callings , psal . 91. 11 , 12. and how god hath graciously , and gloriously appeared unto them he found therein , exod. 31. 2. judg. 6. 11. 2 sam. 7 , 8. amos 7. 14 , 15. and how he will welcome you with a well done , good and faithful servant , mat. 25. only be sure to follow these rules in your particular callings : 1. labour principally for spiritual and heavenly things , mat. 6. 33. esay 55. 2. joh. 6. 27. 2. let your end be right . 1 cor. 10. 31. acts 20. 35. eph. 4. 28. and 3. for the manner , do your work without all carking care . and without discontent of any providences , and with a heavenly mind . phil. 3. 20. 3. be alway rejoycing ; god hath declared abundantly his will and pleasure , that you who dwell in him should be continually cheerful and comfortable in your spirits ; and he hath in his word , as oft charged you to be so : and he hath charged you to fear him , and live a godly life . psal . 119. psal . 2. 117. 32. 11. 33. 1. 48. 11. 5. 11. 68. 4. mat. 5. 12. phil. 3. 1. 1 thes . 5. 16. and he is delighted to see you cheerful , and offended much , when you are disconsolate and uncheerful . deut. 28. 47 , 48. you are the only people that have right and title to joy and comfort . psal . 116. 15. 47. 11. 64. 10. 106. 4 , 5. rom. 5. 1. 14. 17. 15. 13. the objects of your joy are such , as have in every one of them force and power , if seriously pondered to keep up your hearts in frame of comfort , and so fill them with joy at all times . quest. what are these objects ? answ . 1. the lord himself , he is the prime main ultimate adequate object of your joy , phil. 4. 4. psal . 4. 6 , 7. hab. 3. 17 , 18. jesus christ , john 16. 33. phil. 3. 3. 4. 13. the word of god , psal . 119. 92. 94. 19. rom. 15. 4. all the ordinances of god , especially prayer , phil. 4. 6 , 7. the works of god , these are also a great object of his peoples joy , both the internal eminent ones , that werewrought within himself , especially election : luk. 10. 20. and the outward , viz. creation and providence , psal . 107. 22. especially the work of redemption . psal . 53. 6. 71. 23. 126. 1 , 2. all the gifts of god , faith : hab. 2. 4. 1 pet. 1. 8. hope , rom. 5. 2. the testimony of your sanctified conscience , 2 cor. 1. 12. experiences of the love of god. psal . 63. 3. remission of sins , mat. 9. ● . co-operation of all things for their good ▪ rom. 8. 28. the attendants of the holy angels , the immensity of their wages for their works , which is from free grace , 2 tim. 4. 8. heb. 11. 26. rom. 8. 18. afflictions themselves of all sorts , both natural , being prepared for them , corrected with lenitives , one whereof is commonness : 1 cor. 10. 13. another , that they are love-tokens , like the rain-bow . and another the effects they produce , whereof you have heard much ; and much more accidental for religion , and christianity sake : mat. 5. 11 , 12. col. 1. 24. 1 pet. 4. 13. 2 cor. 12. 15. acts. 5. 41. jam. 1. 2. 4. be alway praying , opening your desires to god , with reverence and confidence in the name of christ , for things agreeable to his will : viz. that he will glorifie his own great name immediatly , by himself , and by all his providential dispensations : that his paternal kingdom may be brought to perfection , both by means and gifts of grace : that his will may be done by your selves , and others , as the angels in heaven do it chearfully without murmuring , speedily without delaying , totally without mincing or reservation , sincerely without self-seeking , constantly without fainting : that you & your fellowes may enjoy all necessary temporal blessings , personal , domestical , political , national , have title to them , leave to use them , and comfort in the use of them : that he will free you from the guilt of sin , grant you remission free and full : and that he will sanctifie you and them throughout , giving you conquest over all temptations , and perseverance to the end . neglect not to keep a constant course of praying twice a day at least , morning and evening , and occasionally day and night , sending up servent short ejaculations . continue in prayer , and watch in the same with thanks-giving : which is the next duty to be performed , and the next which every day must be payed duly . 5. be alway giving thanks , 1 thes . 5. 18. in thanksgiving there is both the memory , meditation , and serious acknowledgement of god's blessings . and in token of the truth thereof , and dedication , and consecration of our bodies and souls , with all we have , to divine use , that is , to the honour and service of god. this was figured in the sacrifices of the old law , which were first set before the altar , and so presented to god , and then afterward were offered unto him . this dedication is made , when the intention of our mindes , and purpose of our hearts , and in all our affections we give up , and set our selves apart . this was first done in our baptisme , and is continually renewed in the lord's supper . thankfulness is all the rent god requires of us for the house we dwell in , and all the accommodations thereunto annexed , psal . 5● . 15. we would not forfeit any thing we hold for non-payment of rent . take we heed lest for want of thankfulness , we give god occasion to dispossess us of himself , and of all the good things we enjoy in him . 6. be alway willing to remove from these lowest , into higher rooms in this house . by death we do no more , but change our lodging , from lower to higher rooms in the same house . be willing to dye at any time : so simeon was , lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace . so was paul , having a desire to depart , and to be with christ , which is far better . be alway prepared to dye , by dying to sin , and to the world continually . and by making every day your dying day , by breaking off sins ; and avoiding all occasions of sinning , and embracing all occasions of doing good : and doing all in such a manner , as you would , if you knew you should dye presently . making also to your selves , friends of the mammon of unrighteousness , and setting your house in order , and praying to god continually , to teach you to number your dayes , that you may apply your hearts unto wisdom . finis . imprimatur . rob. grove r. p. d. humph. episc . lond. a sac. dom. mart. 9. 1668 / 9. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a29932-e3530 mat. 8. 20. p. 14. psal . 91. 1. 1 joh. 3. 24. 4. 13. 15 , 16. gen. 11. 4. psal . 144. 2. esa . 33. 15 , 16. psal . 61. 3. 71. 7. prov. 15. 10. esa . 25. 4. jer. 22. 14. prov. 21. 9. esa . 28. 20 , job 11. 7 , 8 , 9. psal . 119. 69. gen. 13. 17. exod. 3. 8. 2 pet. 1. 4. esa . 49. 20. 2 cor. 6. 12. 1 joh. 1. 5. psal . 36. 9. esay 60. 19. exod. 10. 22 , 23. 2 cor. 3. 18. esa . 50. 10. lam. 3. 2. psal . 119. 105. psal . 18. 28. mic. 7. 8. psal . 84. 11. psal . 88. 15. cant. 5. 2. 2 cor. 6. 10. 7. 14. rom. 5. 1 , 6. psal . 39. 9. 2 sam. 6. 22. job 29. 3. 4● ▪ 6. job 3. 25 , 26. job 31 1. 7. 25. 24. heb 11. 25 , 26 , 27. luke 15. 17. pro. 1. 13. numb . 22. 18. pro. 24. 3 , 4. 27. 27. 3. 10. psal . 112. 3. 9. 25. joel 2. 24. 1 king 17. 13. 2 king. 4. 1 , 2. judg. 18. 10. 2 cor. 12. 2. 1 eph. 1. 3. psal . 34. 9 , 10. 37. 19. 1 king. 18. 4. esa . 33. 16. psal . 81. 16. dan. 1. 8 ▪ 17. deut. 8. 9. 1 king. 17. 15. 19. 8. mat 14. 15 22. mat. 6. 1. pro. 30. 8. psal . 37. 25. exod. 25. 29. 2 king. 2. 19 , 21. ●●● . 5. 18. psal . 119. 103. jer. 15. 16. herb. ser. 1 cor. 3. 2. heb. 5. 12 , 13 , 14. joh. 16. 1● . mark 4. 33. psal . 63. 6. 2 tim. 3. 16. esa . 59. 21. joh. 4. 20. esa . 44. 3. joh. 7. 38 , 39. cant. 1. 2. 2. 4. es . 55. 1. eph. 5. 19. zach. 9. 15. joh. 6. 50. 1 cor. 3. 30. col. 1. 19. 2. 9. joh. 1. 16. eph. 3 8. math. 15. 37. joh. 6. 35. joh. 6. 27. 6. 51. john 6. 52. 6. 39. esay 25. 6. mat. 22. 4. luke 14. 16. cant. 5. 1. acts 17. 11. esa . 43. 4. pro. 12. 26. rev. 1. 6. 1 pet. 2. 9. rev. 3. 20. 2 sam. 19. 28. psal . 110. 1. luk 22 29 , 30. heb. 1. 14. pro. 15 15. luk. 22. 43. dan. 10. 19. psal . 91. acts 12. 15. mat. 18. 10. exod. 21. 29. ● 37. 16. 2 chr. 9. 20. est . 1. 7. 1 pet. 1. 7 , 18. 2 pet. 1. 4. 1 tim. 4. 8. 1 sam. 20. 24 , 25. eph 2. 6. cant. 1. 12. mat. 26. 20. 9. 10. cant. 1. 2. rom. 8. 38. 39. est . 6. 1. job 7. 13 , 14. gen. 28. 11 ▪ 16. psal . 3. 5 ▪ 6. psal . 41. 3. 2 cor. 1. 20. jer. 31. 26. rev. 19. 8. gen. 41. 42. est . 8. 15. exod. 28. 5. 6 , 8 , 30. 6. 40. joh. 1. 12 , 13. 1 pet. 2. 5. heb. 13. 14 , 16. rom. 1. 17. psal . 45. 17. esa . 4. 5. cant. 6. 10. acts 12. 21. col. 3. 12 , 14. col. 2. 15. cant. 4. 4. eph 6. 16. heb. 11. 34. job 13. 15. 1 tim. 6. 12. 1 sam. 21. 9. eph. 6. 17. heb. 4. 12. math. 4. 7. 10. es 27. 1. esa . 39. 2. cant. 3. 10. est . 1. 6. 2 king. 23. 7. esa . 54. 2. jer. 4. 20. 10. 20. exod. 26. 1. 1 king. 6. 29. esa . 3. 16. ezek. 23. 14. esa . 5. 12. luke 25. 29. eccl 10. 19. gal. 3. 1. cant. 1 3. john 12. 3. 2 cor. 2. 14 , 15 , 16. esa . 41. 10. esa . 43. 2. heb. 13. 5. mat. 9. 2. 1 joh. 1. 9. luk. 6. 20 , 21. rom. 8. 28. 2 cor. 8. 12. psal . 51. 8. eph 5. 19. acts 3. 6. psal . 119. 111. 72. psal . 19. 10. job 22. 24 , 25. exod. 34. 6. psal . 48. 10. job 37. 23. psal . 86. 5. 102. 8. 29. 4. joh. 1. 14 , 16. job 4. 19. john 5. 26. acts 17. 28. psal . 66. 8 , 9. mat. 24 43. psal . 121. 3 , 4. luke 5. 39. rev. 21. 5. esa . 65. 17. jer. 31. 31. ez. 36 26. es . 4. 5. psal . 45. 13. exod. 13. 21. esa . 4. 6. mal. 3. 6. heb. 13. 8. psal . 102. 25. 26 , 27. jos . 14. 7. 10. 11. deut. 34. 7 , 2 chron. 16. 9. esa . 50. 2. 59. 1. psal . 103. 17. 119. 90. esay 4. 29. psal . 103 ▪ 5. psal . 123 ▪ ● . is . 63. 15. 57. 15. 1 kings 8. 27. jer. 23. 24. job ▪ 22. 12-15 . 1 cor. 13. 12. 1 joh. 3. 2. psal 19. 1. 76. 8. rom. 1. 18. mat. 6. 9. numb . 35 34. ps . 132. 13 , 14. 135. 21. 1 kings 8. 13. deut. 12. 11 ▪ 2 cor. 6. 16. eph. 3. 17. rom. 8. 9. 1 cor. 6. 19. joh. 14. 16 , 17. rom. 8 ▪ 11. 1 ▪ chron. 17. 5. 8. psal . 23. 4. 3. 5. 139. 18. gen. 28. 15 ▪ 46. 4. ezek. 1. 19. 21. job 1. 19. judg. 9. 46 , 50. 2 kings 2● . 8 , 9. ech . 14. 2. numb . 16. 32. psal . 90. 1. & 91. 1. esa . 8. 9 , 10. 54. 16 , 17. psal . 62. 3. heb. 12. 29. dan. 3. 20. dan. 25. 27. psal . 66. 9. jer. 32. 40. jude 24. 1 pet. 1. 5. joh. 10. 9. 14. 6. eph. 3. 12. col. 4. 14. philem. 2. 2 tim. 4. 10. 1 joh. 2. 19. prov. 10. 25. 2 sam. 11. mark 14. 71. psal . 119. 106. mat. 26. 34 , 35. gal. 6. 1. 1 pet. 1. 23. 2 sam. 12 , 13. luk. 22. 61 , 62. eph. 1. 20 , 21 , 22. col. 2. 10. 1 tim. 2. 6. esa . 40. 2. mat. 3. 15. eph. 1. 3. heb. 9. 14. 10. 19. rom. 8. 33 , 34. 4. 25. psal . 45. 9. rom. 8. 38 , 39. 1 kings 10. 9. heb. 10 19 , 20. john 14 6. jer. 22. 14. joh. 20. 20. rom. 5. 5. cant. 4. 16. rom. 8. 28. psal . 87. 7. 26. 3. gen 2 8 , 9. 3. 23 , 24. rev. 2. 7. 22. 14. 17. psal . 119. 45. cant. 4 16. cant. 4. 12. esay 27. 23. zec. 2. 5. psal . 24. 50. 10. 11. 1 cor. 3. 21. rom. 4. 13. 2 cor. 6. 10. psal 50. 14 , 15. psal . 116. 12 , 13. 14. 17. psal . 145. 2. esay 42 8. psal . 50 23. luk. 2. 22. 17. 14 — 19. psal . 103 1. 9. 1. psal . 50. 22. mat. 6. 25. rom. 8. 32. mat. 8. 20. heb. 11. 37. 38. 1 cor. 4. 11. mat. 10. 24. 2 cor. 8. 9. 1 sam. 1. 8. acts 28. 7. 30. 1 king. 17. 9. 2 king. 4. 8. 2 cor. 5. 1. eccl. 7. 20. pro. 20. 9. 1 joh. 1. 8 , 10. jam. 3. 2. pro. 17. 13. 20. 22. psal . 35. 12. esay 45. 7. amos 3. 6. eze. 21. 3 , 4. eccl. 9. 2. joh. 6. 60. rom. 8. 38 , 39. mat. 6. 13. exod. 14. 13. psal . 69. 14 , 15. dan. 3. 27. 6. 22. 2 sam. 24. 25. esay 57. 1. 1 kings 14. 13. 2 king. 22. 20. gen. 50. 20. notes for div a29932-e15720 esa . 66. 1. 32. 18. dan. 1. 3. eccl. 11. 7. gen. 49. 15. 1 sam. 21. 9. est . 5. 13. esa . 34. 14. mat. 8. 20. gen. 8. 9. exod. 23. 12. mat. 12. 43 , 44. psal . 132. 8. 13 , 14. gen. 2. 2 , 3. pro. 24. 25. eccl. 6. 5. job 3 11 , 13. 17. 18. job 11. 18. jer. 30. 10. est . 5. 10. 14. pro. 18. 14. job 28. 12. id. 14. pro. 23. 4 , 5. esa . 55. 2. eccl. 1. 2. luk. 12. 16. 20. id. 20. 21. 2 kings 4. 29. 31. zech. 10. 2. mal. 2. 10. psal . 116. 7. jos . 24. 25 ▪ 26. psal ▪ 119. 173 psal . 119. 112. 17. 3. psal . 119. 32. psal . 73 25. 63. 3. 118 ▪ 8 , 9. zech. 2. 11. esay 56. 3. 6. 7. 1 cor. 6. 17. psal . 13. 5. esay ▪ 50. 10. psal . 52. 7. 5. 1 sam. 18. 1. ruth . 1. 14. 16. 2 kings 18. 6. char. 1st . 1 john 3. 24. mat. 19. 16. 23. luk. 8. 11 , 12. mat ▪ 6. 20. jam. 2. 10. 1 kings 9. 4. luke . 1. 6. psal . 119 3. 101 104. 18. 23. mat. 5. 19. 1 thes . 5 22. psal . 119. 128 rom. 7. 12. heb. 13. 8. psal . 119. 5. neh. 1. 11. act. 24. 16. luk. 17. 4. acts 3. 19. rev. 2. 21. 16. 9. & 21. acts 16. 31. char. 2. 1 joh. 4. 13 heb. 6 4. mat. 3. 11. acts 2. 38. 1 cor. 12. 3. char. 3. joh. 4. 15. 1 tim. 1. 15. rom. 10. 8 , 9 , 10. psal . 116. 6. esay 44. 5. mark 8. 38. rev. 21. 8. joh. 12 42 , 43 heb. 13 15. tit. 1. 15. psal . 50. 16 , 17. char. 4. 1 joh. 4. 16. mat. 22. 37. rom. 16. 14. eph. 3. 15. col. 3. 14. rom. 13. 10. psal . 16. 3. cant. 8. 6 , 7. rom. 10. 2. rom. 10. 1. job 31. 29. 1 sam. 24. 26. 2 king. 6. 14 ▪ 24. exod. 23. 4 , 5. mat. 5. 44. prov. 25. 21. rom. 12. 9. 1 joh. 3. 18. 1 pet. 2. 22. job 13. 16. 18. 13 , 14. 11. 20. 27. 8 , 9. mat. 23. 24. 51. acts 8. 23. 1 joh. 5. ● . 2 pet. 2. 22. esa . 66. 3 , 4. psal . 29. 30. & 81. 13. jer. 2. 25. jude 5. 8. deut. 32. 17. jer. 6. 13. job 15. 5. gen. 6. 2. john 4. 22. 18. 40. john 3. 16. phil 3. 18 , 19. esay 64. 7. jer. 50. 4 , 5. acts 11. 24. 2 cor. 6. 16. pro. 1 ▪ 11. jer. 18. 18 ▪ 2 tim. 4. 10. mat. 19. 30. 2 pet 2. 20. mat. 12. 43. 2 pet. 2. 22. jer. 44. 15 , 16. hos . 5. 11. numb . 27. 18. nehe. 9. 20. esay 11. 2. zech. 12. 10. rom. 1. 4. 1 cor. 4. 21. 2 cor 4 13. 2 tim. 1. 7. numb . 14. 24. eph. 2. 2. esay 19 14. 20. 10. rom. 11. 8. 2 cor. 2. 12. rom. 8. 14. gal. 5. 25. rom. 7. 6. john 4. 24. gal. 5 22. 23. 1 cor. 8. 2. rom 1. 30. ezek. 33. 31. 1 john 3. 12. 1 kings 22. 8. psal . 4. 8. 91. 1. job 11. 13. 18 , 19. pro. 1. 33. 1 sa. 22. 23. exod. 9. 18 ▪ 22 1 cor. 1. 30. pro. 13. 4. 21. 25. psal . 36. 8. psal . 106 19. hos . 8. 11. 10. 1. 13. 2. esay 59. 7. zech . 7. 12. heb. 2. 15. mat. 15. 6. 1 tim. 1. 19. pro. 14. 9. acts 23. 13. rev. 22. 15. ezek. 18. 31. jer. 18. 11. luk. 3. 4. heb. 12. 13. 2 pet. 1. 10. judges 16. 18. 2 sam. 5. 8. es . 4. 2. jer. 2. 19. eph. 2. 12. mal 2. 2. psal . 69. 22. esa . 10. 3 , 4. mat. 13. 30 , 42. rev. 3. 17. exod. 5. 19. jam. 4. 9. 51. eccl. 8. 12 , 13. 2 pet. 2 3. psal . 140. 11. numb . 32 23 rom. 1. 18. & 2. 8 , 9. psal . 9. 17. 11. 6. rom. 7. 24. mat. 11. 28. psal . 144. 2. to the end . deut. 33 26. to the end . pro. 8. 31. to the end . psal . 118. 7. rom. 8. 28. psal . 146. 3 , 5. 65. 4. luk. 1. 53. mat. 5. 6. esay 44. 3. 55. 1. rev. 22. 17. esay 26. 9. psal 42. 1 , 2 ▪ 73 2● ●● 45. hos . 14. 2. rev. 3. 18. ●say 85. 1. gen. 23. 9. phil. 3. 7 , 10. psal . 10. 4. job . 21. 14. mat. 19. esay 58. esay 55. 1. luk. 15. 14 , 16. esay 66. 2. & 57. 15. luk. 9. 23. john 1. 18. gal. 5. 24. luk. 14. 26. acts 20. 24. mat. 11. 29. joh. 14. 6. mark 9. 24. rev. 3. 18. acts 14. 18. esa . 30. 22. zech. 3. 3 , 4. eph. 4. 24. psal . 119. 106. notes for div a29932-e23160 1 john 3 24. 4. 13. 15. 16. prov. 23. 26. psal . 24. 7 , 9. 1 joh. 2. 16. col. 3. 1 , 2. rev. 3. 20. prov. 10. 10. luk. 8. 19. 2 cor. 8. 21. deut. 5. 27. acts 10. 33. 2 cor. 8. 8. ezek. 36. 26. acts 2. 37. 2 cor. 10 4 , 5. hos . 14. 3 , 8. jer. 4. 3. acts 16. 14. psal 119 3● . col. 3. 22. 2 cor. 1. 12. & 2. 17. psal . 12. 2. john 1. 47. psal . 110. 3. jer. 17. 5. hos . 10. 2. jer. 5. 23. 1 john 3. 3. 2 cor. 3. 5. phil. 2. 13. iohn 15. 5. esa● 42. 18. luk. 12. 56 , 57. esay 55. 6. mat. 7. 12. 2 pet. 1. 19. esa . 58. 3. ezek. 1. 12. acts 17. 11 , 12. esa . 51. 1. john 5. luk. 12. 34. james 5. 7. ezek. 44. 6. 1 pet. 4. 3. phil. 1. 6. 2d . sort. john 14. 4 , ● . job 16. 9 , & 13. 24. eph. 3. 17. john 6. 35. mat. 11. 28. mat. 9. 12 , 13. luk. 19. 10. esay 61. 1 , 2 , 3. numb . 21. 9. phil. 3. 7 , 8. rom. 3. 20. 7. 9. gal. 3. 10 , 24. gen. 3. 8 , 10. acts 2. 37. 9. 6. 16. 29. rom. 8. 15. 1 king. 19. 11 , 12. ezek. 37. 4 — 7. rev. 14. 3. jer. 4. 3. hos . 12. 10. 1 king. 21. 4. hos . 7. 14. prov. 1. 22. 2. 14. 10. 23. psal . 62. 4. phil. 3. 19. rev. 6. 16. rev. 18. 7. luk. 16. 25. 6. 25. mark 10. 49. zech. 12. 10. with 13. 1. 2 chr. 33. 12. mat. 5. 3. esa . 66. 2. luk. 15. 14 , 22. 1 kings 20. 31 , 32. mat. 7. 16 , 17. job 19. 28. esay 61. 3. john 15. 8. deut. 32. 32 , 33. jude 12. hos . 10. 1. luk. 7. 6 , 7 , 9. mat. 15. 26 , 27. rom. 7. 14. esay 64 6. eph. 5. 13. gal. 5. 17. rom. 7. 14. to the end . rom. 8. 1. 2 cor. 10. 3. gal. 6. 8. 2 cor. 1. 12. john 1. 47. psal . 32. 2. 1 joh. 3 6. psal . 119. 3. rom. 6. 12 , 14. rom. 8. 9. 1 john 1. 9. 1 cor. 11. 31. phil. 2. 17. 1 pet. 2. 2 , 5. 2 cor. 8. 12. psal . 119. 4 , 5 , 6 neh. 1. 11. heb. 13 : 18. psal . 4. 6 , 7. 27. 4. 1 sam. 7. 2. mat. 5. 4. 1 john 3. 20. job 23. 10. psal . 4. 2 , 5. job 27. 6. john 1. 12. herb. bag. in the end . notes for div a29932-e26720 third sort. 2 cor. 5. 17. 33. 14. 2 cor 1. 12. joh. 20. 27 , 28. eph. 1. 13. 4. 30. 2 cor. 5. 5. 1 cor. 2. 9 , 15. john 2. 27. rom. 8. 16. eph. 3. 12. joh. 14. 21. 1 joh. 3. 2. eccl. 2. 2. heb. 6. 11. 10. 22. rom. 14. 7. 1 pet. 1. 8. rom. 8 38 , 39. 1 pet. 1. 5. esay 60. 1● . 2 pet. 1. 10. heb. 10. 22. joh. 2. 12 , 18. neh. 13. 7 , 8. 〈◊〉 . 4. 6 , 7. ●3 . 3. tit. 1. 9. 2 tim. 1. 13. heb. 4. 14. rev. 2. 25. heb. 3. 5 , 6. cant. 3. 4. 2 pet. 1. 5 , 6 , 7. & 3. 18. 1 thes . 4. 1 , 10. col. 2. 19. eph. 4. 15. luk. 19. 18 , 19. & 17. 15. 2 thes . 1. 3. mat. 4. 4. james 4 14. psal . 27. 1. 46. 1 , 2. neh. 9. 25. rom. 8. 30. eph. 4. 1. 1 thes . 2. 12. 1 pet. 1. 15. col. 1. 9 , 10 , 11. heb. 11. 38. 1 cor. 4. 11. mat. 8. 20. heb. 10. 34. 2 cor. 5. 1. esa . 40. 17. pro. 23. 5. 8. 21. est . 2. 9. esay 49. 16. cant. 8. 6. hab. 3. 17 , 18. psal . 16. 5 , 6. 2 cor. 6. 10. psal . 33. 18 , 19. & 34. 10. 37. 19. & 132. 15. heb. 13. 5 , 6. deut. 8. 2 , 16. 1 king. 19 6 , 8. 2 chron. 16. 9. mark 9. 23. job 13. 15. dan. 1. 8. 3. 17 , 18. mat 6. 25. to the end . 1 tim. 6. 8. psal . 37. 16. psal . 113. 7 , 8. psal . 112. 3. 2. 2 chro. 25 9. job 42. 10. psal . 37. 34. james 5. 11. psal . 119. 137. 75. prov. 17. 16. mich. 7. 9. this is for london especially . esay 10. 7. 66. 5. rom 8. 37. 38. 39. pro. 30. 8. 1 tim. 6. 8. gen. 28. 20. 1 tim. 6. 9. 2 sam. 7. 18. psal . 23. 5. gen. 32. 10. 1 tim. 6. 17. deut. 8. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. luk. 10. 42. lam. 3. 22. jer. 22. 13 , 14. hab. 2. 9 , 10 , 11 esa . 4. 9 , 10. zeph 1. 13. mal. 1. 4. amos 5. 10 , 11. micah 3. 10 , 11 amos 5. 15. 6. 11. esay 5. 8. 31. 2. pro. 15. 25. pro. 〈…〉 eph. 〈…〉 rev. 18. 4 zech. 5. 4. exod. 2. 7. prov. 24. 27. 2 tim. 3. 16. luk. 14 28 , 29. herb. ch. porch . rom. 13. 8 psal . 112. 5. pro. 24. 3 , 4. pro. 2. 6. james 1. 5. deut. 22. 8. deut. 20 5. 1 cor. 10. 31. josua 24. 15. pro. 30. 15. phil. 3. 8. 2 chro. 11. 16. heb. 11. 24 , 25. phil 4. 11 , 12. mat. 6. 21. 24. 1 john 2. 15. notes for div a29932-e30380 ephes . 1. 3 , 4. col. 1. 12. 1 joh. 3. 1. eph. 3 19. acts 20. 28. 2 cor. 8 , 9. mat. 8. 20. joh. 8. 35. 2 tim. 2. 19. rom. 9. 11. 11. 5. john 6. 37. 10. 28. heb. 12. 23. luk. 10. 20. rev. 20. 15. mat. 24. 24. acts 13. 48. tit. 1. 1. 1 pet. 1. ● , 5. eph. 1. 4. joh. 15. 16. eph. 2. 8. rom. 9. 1● . 12. 13. ezek. 36. 26. eph. 1. 18. 19 , 20. 1 tim. 5 1 cor. 4. 15. gal. 4. 15. phil. 19. 1 sa. 25. 32 , 33. psal . 141. 5. acts 8. 21 , 23. heb. 12. 24. phil. 1. 28. 1 thes . 2. 15 , 16 〈◊〉 1● . 15. judg. 4. 18. gal. 5. 4. 4. 19. 2 pet. 2. 7 , 8. psal . 119. 158. 136. jer. 9. 1 , 2 , 3. sam. 15. 35. ezek. 10. 6. luk. 19. 41. 2 pet. 2. 4. phil. 18. 19. rom. 10. 1. gen. 17. 18. 1 joh. 5. 16. luk. 23 34. acts 7. 60. 17. jude 22. 23. deut. 6. 6. 7. 11. 18 , 19 , 20. eph. 6. 4. judg. 13. 22 , 23. 2 tim. 2. 24 , 25 , 26. jam. 5. 19 , 20. 2 cor. 8. 12. esa . 3. 9. 5. 8. lev. 19. 17. mark 10. 10. gen. 20. 6. gen. 25. 27. 28. 33. 1 king. 20. 31 , 34. luk. 18. 11. mat. 19. 20. john 15. 4 , 5. 2 king. 10. 31. heb. 11. 7. 1 john 3. 12. acts 9. 4. gen. 19. 23. mat. 18. 1● . luk. 15. 7 , 10. jam. 5. 19. dan. 12. 3. 1 cor. 12. 7. 1 john 4. 13. ezek. 18. 32. mat. 16. 26. acts 2. 1 king. 18. 43. 44. esay 49. 5. 4. notes for div a29932-e33320 jo● . 2. 41 , 42. gen 9. 27. esay 33. 24. 44. 5. lev. 26. 12. psal . 76. 2. rom. 1. 16. 1 cor. 1. 21. james 1. 21. john 6. 67 , 68. gen. 27. 28 , 39. job 38. 28. esa . 55. 10 ▪ 1 cor. 1. 10. 2 cor. 13. 11. phil. 2. 1 , 2. eph. 4. 3 ▪ 7. gen. 13. 8 ▪ mat. 8. 7. eph. 4. 13. 1 cor. 11. 19. jer. 32. 39. rom. 14. 19 ▪ acts 11. 24. 15. 38 , 39. gen. 6. 4. acts 14. 15. psal . 15. 4. eph. 4. 2 , 3. phil 3. 14 ▪ -17. ro ▪ 16. 17 , 18. jude 8. 11 , 12. psal . 35. 20. heb. 13. 1. phil. 1. 9. rom. 12. 15. notes for div a29932-e35750 psal . 9. 1 , 2. 7. 17. 47. 1 , 2. 149. 5 , 6. dan. 4. 27. psal . 113. 4 , 5 , 6 esa . 57. 15. phil. 2 , 6 ▪ 9. dan. 3. 26. 7 , 18. 22. 25. rev. 19. 10. 22. 9. josua 1. 2. psal . 57. 2. jam. 1. 17. psal . 22. 2. exod. 14. 15. eph. 5. 1. 1 john 4. 11. mal. 2. 10. rom. 12. 16. mat. 11. 29. phil. 2. 5. pro. 29. 23. psal . 78. 17. 56. 107. 11. 1 chr. 21. 1. mich. 6. 6. hosea 7. 16. zech. 1. 16. eccl. 5. 8. job 21. 22. gen. 18. 25. eph. 1. 11. psal . 71. 19. joel . 2. 21. psal . 138. 6. psal . 83. from the beginning to the end . 21. 17. to the end . psal . 80 ● . 86. 16. esay 51. 9 , 10. 63. 15. esay 51. 12. esay 41. 10. psal . 27. 1. 3. esay 49. 5. 2 sam. 22. 40. psal . 29. 11. 2 sam. 22. 18. exod. 15. 13. psal . 71. 9. 73. 26. zech. 4. 6. esa . 26. 4. 40. 29. 31. 84. 7. job 17. 9. psal . 71. 16. 27. 14. lam. 3. 18. 21. rom. 4. 21. eph. 3. 20. rom. 11. 23. 1 cor. 10. 22. ezek. 22. 14. luk. 12. 4 , 5. dan. 3. 17 , 18. micah ▪ 5. 4. psal . 41. 3. deut. 33. 27. phil. 4. 13. psal 68. 34 , 35. 1 king. 8. 27. psal . 148. 3. esay 66. 1. jer. 23. 23 , 24. psal . 139. 7-11 . pro. 15. 3. psal . 51. 3. job 24. 5. esay 65. 1. eph. 3. 18. psal . 31. 19. 103. 11 , 12. esay 63. 7. 2 chr. 32. 25. deut. 10. 4. gal ▪ 5. 14. psal . 119. 101. heb. 10. 28. deut. 33. 2. exod. 20. 1. 31. 18 , 32. 16. jam. 2. 8. rom. 4. 15. 1 joh. 3. 4. rom. 4. 14. rom. 2. 15. mat. 5. 27. 22. 37. rom. 6. 7. 12. 13. 3. 31. ● ezek. 43. 12. acts. 17. 26. job . 38. 8 — 12. 26. 10. psal . 104. 9. jer. 5. 22. 1 kin. 2. 36 , 37. 1 cor. 7. 24. jer. 17. 5. pro. 27. 8. psal . 119. 21. 118. heb. 3. 12. 1 joh. 3. 4. heb. 2. 2. eccl. 7. 20. jam. 3. 2. hag. 1. 5. ● . jer. 8. 6. esay 46. 8. jer. 2. 19. ezek. 16. 61. rom. 6. 21. jer. 6. 15. ezek. 36. 31. mat. 12. 44. hos . 2. 7. luk. 15. 18. hos . 14. 1. pro. 28. 13. luk. 15. esay 1. 18. 55. 7 , 8. jer. 3. 1. rom 3. 27. mark 1. 15. rom. 1. 17. heb. 10 37. hab. 3. 4. hab. 1. 13. 2. 3. 4. heb. 11. 1. jer. 15. 16. psal . 37. 1. joh. 6. 56 , 57. eph. 6. 13-19 . notes for div a29932-e40860 mat. 6. 34. gen. 47. 9. psal . 73. 14. gen. 19. 23. 1 sam. 12. 17. psal . 30. 6 , 7. psal . 27. 1. eccl. 11. 8. amos 6. 3. esay 59. 9. 2 king. 9. 22. gen. 13. 3. 15. 16. ● ▪ chr. 21. 1. psal . 38. 19 73. 14. 34. 19. ● cor. 12. 10. ●●am . 27. 1. psal . 31. 22. 17. 13. 〈◊〉 . 11. 35 , 36. psal . 71. 3. 56. 3. 23. 4. 27. 1. 125. 1. 24. 5. 11. 1 cor. 10. 13. 1 cor. 4. 8 — 14. 2 cor. 11. 23. to the end . heb 11. 30. 39. 1 thes . 3. 3. job 1. 21. amos 3. 6. 2 sam. 16. 12. psal . 39. 9. 1 sam. 3. 18. gen. 42. 21. luke 15. 17. deut 8. 2. psal . 66. 10. esay 1. 25. 27. 9. zech. 13. 9. 2 cor. 1. 9. psal . 119. 67. heb. 12. 10 , 11. hos . 5 15. psal . 78. 34. 1 cor. 15. 29. pro. 7. 7. 1 cor. 11 , 32. 2 cor. 4. 17. esay 27. 78. jer. 46. 28. psal . 103 9. 125 3. jer. 3. 12. 2 cor. 4. 17. hos . 6. 1 , 2. psal . 3. 5. es . 54. 78. 10 25. 57. 16. mich. 7. 18. lam 3 39 , ●0 . ez. 9. 6. psal . 38. 18. lam. 3. 42. job 42. 6 psal . 62. 8. 142. 1 , 2. 57. 1 , 2. 2 thes . 14. 11. 2 cor 12. 8. psal . 40. 13. lam. 3. 55. job 34. 31 , 32. 2 chr. ●0 . 12. jer. 3. 23. psal 33 16 , 17. 127. 1 , 2 esay 30 7. 31. 3. hos 14. 3. 2 pet. 2. 9. eph 3. 26. 2 chr. 14. 11. rom 4. 21. mark. 1. 40. 2 cor. 12 9. psal . 33 18 , 19. rev 3 19. psal . 94 12. 122. 9. 71. 17. 2 tim. 4. 14. 2 cor. 1. 10. pro. 3. 11. psal . 62. 1 , 5. mich. 7. 9. 2 sam. 15. 26. psal . 131. 2. 38. 14 , 15. ezr. 9. 13. job 11. 6. mich. 7. 9. joh. 18. 11. rom. 8. 29. es 53. 3. heb. 11. 25. 26. rom. 8. 18. 2 cor. 4. 17. es . 63 15. exo. 2. 25. gen 31. 12. rev. 2. 9. psal . 31. 7. psal . 119. 50. 46. 1. 91. 15. 99 37 , 39. es . 41. 10 , 14. 43. 2. 49. 13 , 14. psal . 34. 19. job 5. 18. 19 , 20. psal . 94. 12 , 13. 33. 18 , 19. 91. 14 , 15. jer. 29. 11. jam 1. 12 psal . 73. 24. es . 30 15. 50. 10. psal . 31. 5. 112. 7. cant. 2. 14. 8. 5. psal . 71. 20. iob 13. 15. heb. 11 11. psal . 85. 9. esa . 8. 17. 30. 8. & 28. 16. & 40. 31. jam. 1. 2. heb. 12. 11. rom. 8. 28. 37 , 38 , 39. 1 thes . 5. 5 , 6. psal . 77 4. pro. 6. 9 , 10. psal . 5. 3. 57. 8. 119. 148. 62. 134. 1. 2 cor. 11. 27. luke 6. 12. joel 1 : 13. 2 sam. 12. 16. psal . 1. 2. 63. 6. esa . 26. 9. psal . 4. 4. deut. 4. 9. 23. jos . 22. 5. eph. 5. 15. mark 13. 35. 36. 37. ezech. 3. 17. esay 52. 8. 56. 10. 2 tim. 4. 5. mat. 6. 1. 1 cor. 10. 31. cant. 5. 2. jonas 1. 8. rom. 12. 11 acts 20. 20 , 31. luk. 2. 29. phil. 1. 2 ▪ 3. esay 38. 1. luk. 16. 9. psal . 9. 12. poetical fragments heart-imployment with god and it self : the concordant discord of a broken-healed heart ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1681 approx. 202 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 79 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26987 wing b1349 estc r5795 12319995 ocm 12319995 59457 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26987) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59457) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:12) poetical fragments heart-imployment with god and it self : the concordant discord of a broken-healed heart ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [19], 135 p. : port. printed b t. snowden for b. simmons ..., london : 1681. reproduction of original in british library. imperfect: portrait lacking on film. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng consolation -early works to 1800. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-09 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion poetical fragments : heart-imployment with god and it self . the concordant discord of a broken-healed heart . sorrowing-rejoycing , fearing-hoping , dying-living written partly for himself , and partly for near friends in sickness , and other deep affliction . by richard baxter . ephes . 5. 19. speaking to your selves in psalms and hymns , and spiritual songs , singing and making melody in your hearts to the lord. 2 corinth . 5. 4. for we that are in this tabernacle do groan , being burdened . laeta ferè laetus cecini : cano tristia tristis . published for the use of the afflicted . london , printed by t. snowden for b. simmons at the a golden cocks at the west end of st. pauls . 1681. the epistle to the reader . reader , these poetical fragments , ( except three heretofore printed ) were so far from being intended for the press , that they were not allowed the sight of many private friends , nor thought worthy of it : only had i had time and heart to have finished the first ( which it self according to the matter and designed method , would have made a volume far bigger than all this , being intended as a thankful , historical commemoration of all the notable passages of my life , ) i should have published it as the most self-pleasing part of my writings . but as they were mostly written in various passions , so passion hath now thrust them out into the world. god having taken away the dear companion of the last nineteen years of my life , as her sorrows and sufferings long ago gave being to some of these poems ( for reasons which the world is not concerned to know ) so my grief for her removal , and the revived sense of former things , have prevailed with me to be passionate in the open sight of all . i confess that passion is oft such a hinderance of judgment , that a man should be very suspicious of himself till it be laid : but i am assured that god made it not in vain ; and that reason is a sleepy half-useless thing , till some passion excite it ; and learning to a man asleep is no better for that time than ignorance . and god usually beginneth the awakening of reason , and the conversion of sinners , by the awakening of their useful passions , their fear , their grief , repentance , desire , &c. i confess , when god awakeneth in me those passions which i account rational and holy , i am so far from condemning them , that i think i was half a fool before , and have small comfort in sleepy reason . lay by all the passionate part of love and joy , and it will be hard to have any pleasant thoughts of heaven . in short , i am an adversary to their philosophy , that vilifie sense , because it is in brutes , and am past doubt that the noble spirits of sensitives are debased ignorantly , by pretending wits , that know not what they say or glory in . and humane souls are not less sensitive for being rational , but are eminently sensitive : yea , reason hath in it more of eminent internal sensation , than those men think that debase sense . the scripture , that saith of god , that he is life and light , saith also , that he is love , and love is complacence , and complacence is joy ; and to say god is infinite , essential love and joy , is a better notion , than with cartesians and cocceians . to say that god and angels , and spirits , are but a thought , or an idea . what is heaven to us if there be no love and joy ? i will do my wise friends , whose counsel i have much followed , that right as to acquit them from all the guilt of the publication of these fragments . some of them say , that such work is below me ; and those that i think speak wiselier say , i am below such work. these i unfeignedly believe . i have long thought , that a painter , a musician and a poet , are contemptible , if they be not excellent : and that i am not excellent , i am satisfied : but i am more patient of contempt than many are . common painters serve for poor men's work : and a fidler may serve at a country-wedding : such cannot aspire to the attainments of the higher sort : and the vulgar are the greater number . dr. stillingfleet saith , i seldom follow my friend's advice : in this i justifie him : though in other things my advisers contradict him . i know that natural temper maketh poetry savour to several wise and learned men , as differently as meats do to various appetites . i know such learned discreet men , that know not what a tune is , nor can difference one from another . i wonder at them , and oft doubt whether it be an accident or an integral of humanity which they want . annatus the jesuit in his answer to dr. twisse de scientia media commends his poetry ( for a poem added in the end ) in scorn , as if it were a disgrace to a school divine . i take one sign of an acumen of wit to make it likely that the man hath the same wit for other work . for my self , i confess that harmony and melody are the pleasure and elevation of my soul , and have made a psalm of praise in the holy assembly the chief delightful exercise of my religion and my life ; and hath helped to bear down all the objections which i have heard against church-musick , and against the 149 , 150 psalms . it was not the least comfort that i had in the converse of my late dear wife , that our first in the morning , and last in bed at night was a psalm of praise ( till the hearing of others interrupted it . ) ●et those that savour not melody , leave others to their different appetites , and be content to be so far strangers to their delights . these times have produced many excellent poets : among whom for strength of wit , dr. abraham cooley justly bears the bell. i much value mr. woodford's paraphrase on the psalms , though his genius ( or somewhat else ) expound some psalms , so as the next age will confute . a woman's poems , the lady philip's are far above contetmp . but that is bestto me which is most holy . i have known good men that were skilled in musick , and much delighted in it , and yet had a conceit that it was unlawful in a psalm , or holy exercise : i so much differed from them , that i scarce cared for it any where else ; and if it might not be holily used , it should never have been used for me . honest george withers , though a rustick poet , hath been very acceptable as to some for his prophecies , so to others for his plain country-honesty : the vulgar were the more pleased with him for being so little courtly as to say , " if i should have been hung , i knew not how " to teach my body how to cringe and how , " and to embrace a fellows , hinder quarters , " as if i meant to steal away his garters . " when any bow'd to me with congees trim , " all i could do , was stand and laugh at him . " bless me thought i , what will this coxcomb do ? " when i perceiv'd one reaching at my shooe . quarles yet out went him , mixing competent wit with piety ( especially in his poem against rest on earth . ) silvester on du bartas seems to me to out go them both . sir fulk grevil , lord brook ( a man of great note in his age ) hath a poem lately printed for subjects liberty , which i greatly wonder this age would bear . there are no books that have been printed these twenty years , that i more wonder at ( that ever they were endured ) than richard hookers eight books of ecclesiastick policy , dedicated by bishop gauden to our present king , and vindicated by him ; and these poems of sir fulk grevill lord brook. davie's nosce teipsum is an excellent poem in opening the nature , faculties , and certain immortality of man's soul. but i must confess , after all that next the scripture poems , there are none so savoury to me , as mr. herbert's , and mr. george sandys's . i know that cooly and others far excel herbert in wit and accurate composure . but ( as sencca takes with me above all his contemporaries , because he speaketh things by words , feeling and seriously , like a man that is pa●● jest , so ) herbert speaks to god like on that really believeth a god , and whose business in the world is most with god heart-work and heaven-work make up his books . and du bartas is seriously divine . and sandy's omne tulit punctum , dum miscuit utile dulci. his scripture poems are an elegant and excellent paraphrase : but especially his job , whom he hath restored to the original glory . o that he had turned the psalms into metre fitted to the usual tunes ! it did me good when mrs. wyat invited me to see boxley abby in kent ; to see upon the old stone wall in the garden a summer-house with this inscription in great golden letters , that in that place mr. g. sandys after his travels over the world , retired himself for his poetry and contemplations . and none are fitter to retire to god then such as a retired with seeing all the vanities on earth . sure there is somewhat of heaven ●● holy poetry . it charmeth souls into ●oving harmony and concord : we ●●we two brothers in this city , of ●hom one hath written a book called ● friendly debate , to make those seem ●ious or contemptible who were a●●inst his way : it had too much suc●●ss , and so far destroyed love and ●oncord , as will not easily be recove●●d in this age . his brother ( mr. pa●ike of the charter-house ) hath with ●●ous skill and seriousness turned into ●new metre many of david's psalms ; ●●d the advantage for holy affections ●●d harmony , hath so far reconciled ●●e non-conformists , that divers of ●●em use his psalms in their congre●●tions , though they have the old ●●es , rouses , bishop kings , mr. whites , ●●e new englands , davisons , the scots●● ●● agreed on by two nations ) in ●●mpetition with it . but i digress too ●●r . all that i have to say for these fragments is , 1. that being fitted to women , and vulgar wits , which are the far greatest number , they may be useful to such , though contemptible to those of higher elevation & expectation . 2 and being suited to afflicted , sick , dying , troubled , sad and doubting persons , the number of such is so great in these calamitous times , as may render them useful to more than i desire . 3. and if my present grief may but excuse the publication , he that needeth them not may let them alone . some of them need an exposition , which i must not give the world . i have added two or three printed heretofore , that they may be altogether . the lord by his merciful providence and his grace , tune up our dull and drooping souls to such joyful praises , as may prepare us for his everlasting praise in heaven . amen . london , at the door of eternity . aug. 7. 1681. rich. baxter love breathing thanks and praise . the first part. eternal god , this worm lifts up the head , and looks to thee , by thee encouraged . cheer'd by thy bounty , it would speak thy praise , whose wondrous love hath measur'd all my daies : if thou vouchsafe to make a worm rejoyce , give him a thankful praising heart and voice . thy shining glory blessed angels see : angels must sing thy highest praise , not we : but if thy warming beams cause worms to speak , their baser part will not the consort break . when time was yet no measure ; when the sun it s rapid motion had not yet begun ; when heav'n , & earth , & sea , were yet unfram'd , angels and men , and all things else unnam'd ; when there did nothing else exist but thee , thou wast the same , and still the same wilt be : when there was none to know or praise thy name , thou wast in perfect blessedness the same . the father , word and spirit , one in three , trinity doth with unity agree . th' eternal life , that quickens all that lives ; the soul of souls ; the light which all light gives immense and boundless , present every where : beyond all place and creatures , thou art there , uncomprehended , comprehending all : foreknowing whatsoever shall befall . uncaus'd , thou causest all that hath a being : unknown , thou know'st ; unseen , thou art all-seeing . though necessary , yet without constraint ; unmov'd , yet moving all , dost never faint . all things depend on thee ; and thou on none ; and changing all things , art unchang'd alone . one in th' innumerable multitude ; perfectly ordering things which seem most rude . infinite power , one accent of whose breath , can sentence heav'n and earth to life or death . yea , by one act of efficacious will canst make and unmake worlds ; give life , and kill . reason transcending all created reason ; not only knowing all things in their season , but with a knowledge perfect , infinite , knowing thy self in thine eternal light. a knowledge which doth utterly excel , the knowledge of the earth , the heav'ns & hell ; to know ten thousand worlds , were but to know the finite streams which from thy will do flow : existents , futures , all contingencies conceal'd from man , are naked to thine eyes : of every thing thou know'st the form and cause ; as giving all their nature and their laws . nature's whole frame is but one piece to thee . the place and use of all things thou dost see . the globes of heav'n and earth are in thy span ; thou seest not things by parcels , like poor man. our narrow minds see here and there a letter , not rightly plac'd , and therefore read no better : we make the events of this day our sorrow , because we know not what will be to morrow . things present , past and future ; old and new , thou see'st entirely with one single view . thou seest all at home that 's understood : loving thy self , thou lovest all that 's good. goodness it self , and perfect excellence , transcending humane reason , will and sense : good in thy self , and to thy self alone , before thou wast to any creature known . blest in thy own eternal pleasing sight ; thy own eternal love , thy own delight . those that can find in thee no greater good , than that thou giv'st them life , and health , & food , and bountifully from thy ample treasure blessest thy creatures with desired pleasure , set up themselves , and do the worst they can , to make themselves the gods , and thee the man. they that can love thee but for loving them , make thee the casket , and themselves the gem . to love thy self is infinitely better , than if love made a world of worlds its debter . thy own perfections by attraction move , as the chief formal object of man's love. though our own good we may , and must intend ; thy simple goodness is man's chiefest end. they that deny this , never knew love's force , which to meer excellence hath its recourse : or never well considered love's end , which unto good , for goodness sake doth tend . to be man's end , is but to be most lov'd : and good 's the loadstone by which love is mov'd . what though to thee the creature nothing add ? that proves thee perfect ; neither weak nor bad ; and therefore fit to be the final cause , which all hearts by attractive goodness draws : love is the final and enjoying act ; closing with thee by thy magnetick tract : not as it mourneth for the good we want ; nor as it after distant good doth pant ; 〈…〉 as it reacheth its desires : and more as it with pleasure thee admires . this love , besides its object , hath no end : it doth not to some higher virtue tend : but from a seed , grows up to higher stature , of divine complacence , which is its nature . all other grace is but the means to it : they draw the bow ; but love the mark doth hit . but sinners lost in self rise not above the lower region of their own self-love . experience assures me that i can love a most learned , wise and holy man unseen , my very heart is to him knit , without respect to any benefit . reason convinceth me , that i should erre , if the known best , my love should not prefer : should i not rather chuse my self alone to be annihilated , or undone , than the whole world should bear the same distress , or towns , or countries ; seeing i am less ? or the creator should take down the sun ? destroy the earth ? or rivers cease to run ? reason taught heathens that their country's good , was worth the shedding of their vital blood : a faithful subject thinks his life a thing meet to be cast away to save his king. true souldiers would chuse death , if so they may but save their captains lives , or win the day . many have chose to dye through love of friends ; preferring them above all selfish ends. it is not reason , but blind selfish passion , if one refuse to dye to save a nation . a silly useless wretch should not refuse his death , before a useful mans , to chuse . my neighbour as my self i must respect , and for my brethren must my life reject . ( 1 joh. 3. 16. ) o doleful proof of man's unhappy fall ! that loves not god above himself and all ! and if i love him most , he is my end : man's love above the lover must ascend . but o how wisely hast thou made the twist ! to love thee and my self do well consist . love is the closure of connaturals ; the soul's return to its originals : as every brook is towards the ocean bent ; and all things to their proper element : and as the inclination of the sight , how small soever , is unto the light : as the toucht needle pointeth towards the pole : thus unto thee inclines the holy soul ; it trembleth and is restless till it come unto thy bosom , where it is at home . yet no such union dare the soul desire , as parts have with the whole , and sparks to fire ; but as dependant , low , subordinate , such as thy will of nothing did create : as tendeth to the sun , the smallest eye of silly vermine , or the poorest flie. my own salvation when i make my end ; full mutual love is all that i intend . and in this closure though i happy be , it 's by intending and admiring thee . o happy grace ! which feeds above the skies ! and causest man above himself to rise ! and saves what it denys ! when worldlings lose what they despis'd , and what they lov'd and chose ! the more i do my self in love neglect , and only to thy goodness have respect , when most my self i from my self abstract , this is the sweetest , and self-pleasing act ! even when i seem to leave my self behind , coming to thee , with thee my self i find . when i am least the object of my love , and unto thee do most entirely move , my soul , the willing agent , drawn by grace , will rest in love , and vision of thy face . but , in this wilderness and vale of tears , how is love dampt by ignorance and fears ! for no man's love his knowledge can exceed : and guilty terrours disaffection breed . mortals can know thee but as in a glass . true formal knowledge doth man's mind surpass . no thoughts or names are adequate to thee : they are but metaphors from what we see ; which first thy works and image signifie ; and thence to thee mens rising minds apply . as far as faith comes short of perfect sight , and this dark prison of the glorious light ; so far this distant mediate love 's below the heavenly love which mortals cannot know . what will it be to love thee face to face , when thou appear'st so lovely in this glass ? thy goodness is not to that world confin'd : to worthless , sinful mortals thou art kind : thy mercies to the smallest are not small : to some more wonderful , but great to all . thy matchless power doth it self express , upon the smallest worm , or pile of grass . the methods of thy wisdom are profound : all must admire the depths which none can sound . when man from holy love , turn'd to a lye , thy image lost , became thine enemy ; o what a seal did love and wisdom find to reimprint thine image on man's mind ? thou sentst the signet from thine own right hand , made man for them that had themselves unman'd . th' eternal son , who in thy bosom dwelt ; essential burning love , mens hearts to melt : thy lively image ; he that knew thy mind : fit to illuminate and heal the blind . with love's great office , thou didst him adorn : redeemer of the helpless and forlorn : on love's chief work and message he was sent : our flesh he took ; our pain he underwent : thy pardoning , saving love to man did preach : the reconciler stood up in the breach : the uncreated image of thy love , by his assumption , and the holy dove , on his own flesh thy image first imprest ; and by that stamp renews it on the rest . love was his nature , doctrine , life and breath : love flamed in his sufferings and death : thus love thine image , love on man doth print : this coin , thy son , thy word and spirit mint . he that will have it true , must have it here ; though love prepare its way by grief and fear : yea oft by these expresseth its desire ; they are sincere when kindled by its fire . these are love's methods , passing tongue & pen : wonders and joys , to angels , and to men. the second part. love , which can make its object , did produce this worm , in season , for his proper use : in the earth's garden , the most happy land , where christians dwel , & christian kings command : where plenteous streams of living waters flow ; where the first-fruits of paradise do grow : whence proud , dark , bloody popery was driven : to whom the opened book of god was given . where sacred guides , and books , and helps abound ; and all that will may hear the joyful sound . my parents here thy skilful hand did plant , free from the snares of riches and of want. their tender care was us'd for me alone , because thy providence gave them but one : their early precepts so possest my heart , that taking root , they did not thence depart . thy wisdom so contriv'd my education , as might expose me to the least temptation . much of that guilt thy mercy did prevent , in which my spring-time i should else have spent . yet sin sprung up , and early did appear ; ●n love of play , and lyes produc'd by fear : an appetite pleas'd with forbidden fruit , a proud delight in literate repute ; excess of pleasure in vain tales , romances ; time spent in feigned histories and fancies : in idle talk , conform to company ; childhood and youth had too much vanity . conscience was oft resisted when it checkt , and holy duty i did much neglect . yet patience bore ; thy spirit still did strive : restless convictions still were kept alive . thou wouldst not give me over , till thy grace reviv'd thy image which sin did deface . thou strangely putst such books into my hand , as caused me my case to understand : as toucht my conscience , wakened my heart , and laid it under careful fears and sinart . and made me question with a deeper sense , whither my soul must go when it goes hence . then did thy light detect the vanity of all the joys and hopes below the sky . the fruitless bussle which the worldling makes ; the madness of the course the sinner takes ; the wicked world i thought a bedlam was : and sensless sinners hearts were stone or brass : i wondred men could live so carelesly , ready to pass into eternity ! and o how easily could i confute all that against a holy life dispute ? i wondred at my self that staid so long , so little toucht with arguments so strong ! laughing and playing , as if all were well , for ought i knew , near to the brink of hell. i marvell'd at my former senslesness ! my sin and misery i did confess . and now what horrid darkness on my mind , never before lamented did i find ? sin was like sickness in my flesh and bone , which only by the book before was known . christ's office now i better understood , the need my soul had of his cleansing blood : how insufficient of my self i was , to bring my own deliverance to pass : now i began to feel as well as see , how near the word of grace concerned me : that all means else in heaven and earth were vain ; my peace with god , and pardon to obtain ! to whom else should my sinful soul have gone ? but for my saviour , i had been undone . oh my dear god! how precious is thy love ? thus thou prepar'st us for the life above . the heav'nly powers which made my heart to quake , my prison bonds and doors did open shake : sin now was folly , villany and shame : god , heav'n , christ , holiness , seem not the same : how thou wouldst use me , yet i did not know , whether my sin thou wouldst forgive , or no : but well i saw there was no turning back : nature is loth to go to hell awake : thy gospel told me , i might mercy find : nothing but hell and darkness was behind : at last thy grace brought me to this conclusion , to hope and seek i fixt my resolution . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? thy griefs prepare us for the joys above . yet these my wounds and smart were not so great , as many's who sate long in scorners seat : nor did the change so suddenly begin , as to make known when special grace came in : in my young years thou hadst convinc'd my soul : conscience did childish vanity controul : i lik'd thy waies as best : i honour'd those , that folly shun'd , and holy wisdom chose : thou hadst prevented oaths and horrid crimes ; and the enormous vices of the times : preserving me from youthful lusts and rage : the thoughts of thee increasing with my age. this greatest change began when i was green , having not much above three lustres seen : therefore i doubted whether it were true , because its entrance i no better knew : long was i sadly questioning thy grace , because thy spirits steps i could not trace . the difference is so great 'twixt heav'n and hell that those must differ much who there must dwell i fear'd the change which rais'd my soul no higher would not suffice to save me from hell fire . but above all , i thought so hard a heart , could not among the living have a part . i thought thy son would never heal my sore , unless my tears and sorrow had been more . i wonder'd at my great stupidity ! that could not weep when i deserv'd to dye . i wonder'd , things so great as heav'n and hell , did on my heart with no more feeling dwell ! that words which such amazing things import , did not sink deeper , and my soul transport ! that things of everlasting consequence , did not affect me with a deeper sense . and that a soul so near its final doom , could give these worldly trifles any room . that on these shadows i could cast an eye , while death & judgment , heav'n & hell stood by . i wonder'd when my odious sin was nam'd , i was no more confounded and asham'd ! many a time i beg'd a tender heart , and never pray'd so much for joy , as smart . i could have kiss'd the place where i did kneel , if what my tongue had spoke , my heart could feel . these were my cryes when i to thee did speak , o that this heart of stone might melt or break ! these were my groans ; this was my daily breath ; ● save me from hard-heartedness and death ! this was the title which i us'd to take , sensless hard-hearted wretch , that cannot wake . ] but as thy wisdom gives in fittest measure ; not all at once : it 's meet we wait thy leisure . ● thought that things unseen should pierce and melt , with as great passion as things seen and felt . but now i find it is their proper part , to be most valu'd , to be next the heart ; to be the highest interest of the soul ; there to command , and all things else controul . thus must the little spark of fire be blown , or else it will not flame , nor scarce be known ; new-lighted candles , darkened by the snuff , are ready to go out with every puff : so it was long before the heav'nly spark conquered my snuff , and shined in the dark : my feeble new-born soul began with crying : my infant-life did seem to be still dying : betwixt supporting hope , and sinking fears , my doubting soul did languish many years . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? thy troubling motions tend to rest above . thus grace like nature entereth in a seed ; which with man's labour , heav'nly dews must feed : whose virtue and first motions no eye sees ; but after comes to ripeness by degrees : our father 's tender love doth much appear , when he with useless crying babes can bear : when we the houshold's grief and trouble are ; he shews the more his patient nursing care . at first i wisht that i could pray and weep : thus when i could not go , i learn'd to creep : then thou beganst to loose my infant tongue ; and taught'st me abba , father , when but young first by the book , and some unworded groans ; after by heart-indited words and moans . thy dyet first was milk , then stronger food : but alwaies that which wholsom was and good . though preachers were too often dry and dull , thy holy word was quick and powerful : the many precious books of holy men , thy spirit used on me as his pen : perkins , sibbs , bolton , whateley , holy dod , hildersham , preston , other men of god , how pertinently spake they to my case ? they open'd heav'n and hell before my face : they did unfold the gospel-mysteries , and set christ crucified before my eyes : they shamed sin ; they shewed me the snare ; opened the danger ; charg'd me to beware . in every duty they did me direct ; told me the sin , and danger of neglect : they search'd my heart ; help'd me to try my state my earthly mind they help'd to elevate : what strong & quickening motives did they bring to raise my heart , and winde the slackned spring these happy counsellors wero still at hand ; the maps , and landskips of the holy land. this food was not lockt from me ; but i could go read a holy sermon when i would . how cheaply kept i many rare divines ? and for a little purchas'd golden mines ? my griefs they eas'd ; my many doubts resolv'd ; with great delight i daily then revolv'd : o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? are these thy candles ? what 's the sun above ? at last my fears became my greatest faar , lest that my whole religion should lie there : no man hath more of holiness than love : which doth free souls by complacency move common grace goes as far as fear alone : this eateth not the meat , but gnaws the bone . a slavish fear desireth leave to sin : it doth but tie the hands , and wash the skin . hypocrites act a forc't affected part : where love is absent , god hath not the heart . he 'l not accept what 's done against mens will , that if they durst , had rather have done ill . oh my dear god! shall not my heart be thine ? then i shall wish it never had been mine . objects of sense do soonest move the passion : but sure thou hast my highest estimation ; my will 's resolved choice is to be thine : my soul and body i to thee resign : to thee the motions of my soul do bend : thou art the scope to which my life doth tend . the motions of the higher faculties , the ruling powers are chiefest in thine eyes : thou tak'st the love and homage which they pay ; though rebel passion doth not them obey , what makes me laugh most , makes me not most glad what made me weep most , made me not most sad : my love to one choice friend hath oft more passion , than my much greater love to church & nation . o had i all my powers at command ! as readily as tongue , or foot , or hand ! my eyes should empty first the serous store , because i love so good a god no more : and next some of the florid blood should spend , because the god of love i did offend . the rest should serve for oil unto love's fire , wasting in restless vehement desire : at every mention of thy blessed name , my ravisht soul should mount up in love's flame : each sermon should elias chariot be , to carry up my longing heart to thee . the saints assemblies i would make more bright , where many heav'n-aspiring flames unite . and when my lord's love-sufferings i read , my pierced and love-wounded heart should bleed . love should enforce each word when i do pray ; a flaming heart i 'd on thy altar lay : when halving hypocrites give thee a part , love should present my whole , though broken heart . when in thy word i read love's mysteries ; there i would sweetly feed my greedy eyes . each sacrament should be an eucharist : there heart with heart , & love with love should twist . my friends and i would in our daily walk of love's delights and entertainments talk : my working love should others love excite : in love i 'd be a burning shining light. love through the lanthorn of my flesh should shine : who heard me speak , should hear that i am thine : remembring that in love i must be made equal to angels ; i would learn their trade : yea i would reach up to a higher shelf ; and as my copy , look to christ himself : love's work i 'd do with all my diligence , though men should think i were beside my sense . my daily love should rise before the sun , and it in speed and constancy out run : love as my life should fill up all my daies ; desire should be my pulse ; my breath thy praise . and i would winde up all the strings as high , as blessed paul was in his extasie . heav'nly love should all my words indite , and be the soul and sense of all i write : my heart of love's delights should sweetly think , i 'd write with flaming fire instead of ink : and yet thy holy day should be my best , in it my thirsty soul should tast of rest ; my daily food should increase to a feast . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? o could i mount thus to the flames above ? these are love's pantings after thee , my god! though , with my soul , imprison'd in a clod ! ☞ my soul and love shall shortly be set free ; and then my soul , my love shall feast on thee . if thou wouldst grant the very thing i crave , and give me leave to chuse what i would have ; should it be lusts , or sports , or fleshly pleasure ? sould it be lordly rule , or earthly treasure ? no ; i could gladly leave this dirt to swine , and let the world be theirs , if thou be mine ! i would not thirst to tast of their delight . if lively faith might see the blessed sight ! i would not be ambitious of a throne ! i could have full content in god alone . for mens esteem and praise i would not care : all other wit and knowledge i could spare : to know and love my god should be my choice : give me but this , and how shall i rejoyce ? under my hand , lord , this is it i choose : o give me this , whatever else i lose ! is there no spark of love in this desire ? when a poor soul doth unto thee aspire ? to know and love thee is my thirst and strife : nothing more makes me weary of my life , than that i feel no more the heav'nly fire , but look and reach , and yet can reach no higher . here lyes my pain ! this is my daily sore : ● hate my heart for loving god no more . do i not love thee , when i love to love thee ? and when i set up nothing else above thee ? next god himself , who is my end & rest , love which stands next thee , i esteem my best , and loving god shall be my endless feast . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? these are thy earnests of the life above . fear is to love , as was the law to grace : and as john baptist goes before christ's face , preaching repentance : it prepares his way : it is the first appearing of the day : the dawning light which comes before the sun : as he that to christ's scpulchre first run , excites the lov'd disciple to do better ; the certain news of life comes by the later . fear is love's harbinger : it is the womb , where love doth breed till time of ripeness come ! no wonder if it be not seen till then : the seed and embrio are hid from men . though thou com'st in by love , fear draws the latch : fear makes the motion , tho love makes the match : fear is the soil that cherisheth the feed ; the nursery in which heav'ns plants do breed . god first in nature finds self-love , and there he takes advantage to implant his fear . with some the time is long before the earth disclose her young one by a springy birth : when heav'n doth make our winter sharp & long , the seed of love lies hid , or seems but young : but when god makes it spring-time , his approach takes from the barren soul its great reproach ; when heav'ns reviving smiles and raies appear , then love begins to spring up above fear : and if sin hinder not by cursed shade , it quickly shoots up to a youthful blade : and when heav'ns warmer beams & dews succeed , that 's ripened fruit which even now was but seed : yet doth not flowring , fruitful love forget her nursing fear ; there still her root is set : in humble self-denyal under-trod , while flower and fruit are growing up to god after love's birth-day , holy fear and care the outward part of the new-creature are . as mortal man consists of flesh and soul , so fear and love , on earth , do make one whole . love , as the soul , unseen , yet bears the sway : fear , as the flesh , more felt , must it obey . by fear , love doth the daring flesh restrain , and keepeth men awake by threatned pain . this frame is mortal : not that love can dye ; but leaving fears , will dwell alone on high : yet will retain a reverent fear of god ; but not the terrour of his wrath or rod. o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? how wise thy methods to the life above ? thou first appear'dst in lightning , as to paul : my heat abated , at thy feet i fall . the voice with which thy call thou didst begin , was to convince me , and reprove my sin : i first enquired of thee , who thou art ? and then , what duty thou hadst made my part ? thus fear and care began ; but the sweet name of jesus did reviving hope proclaim . and though long time it scarcely did appear , yet sure some hidden spark of love was there . i lov'd thy holy word ; good books were sweet , those that did with my own condition meet : heart-searching ministers were my delight , ☞ those that did most my drowsie soul excite . i dearly loved all in whom i saw a love to thee , and care to keep thy law : the speech and sight of holy men was sweet ; i honour'd them , and could have kist their feet . i felt their living words go to the quick , when common idle prating made me sick . i dearly lov'd my serious bosom friend , who did in love my failings reprehend ; that could my doubting troubled mind condole , and help to keep awake my sleepy soul : who could unfold the mysteries of grace , and speak particularly to my case ; sweetly disclosing his experience ; extolling mercy from his own deep sense ; one that had been instructed by the rod , and boiled over in the praise of god : who early ( and oft in the night ) would rise , to offer thee a thankful sacrifice : who warm'd me with his zeal when i was cold ; and my remissness lovingly controul'd ; who stirr'd me up , and taught me how to pray ; and friendly watcht and warn'd me every day . and yet his piety did not exceed his charity , to those that were in need . for such a friend i had ; though after all , himself became my warning by his fall ; as more than one or two have done since then ; shewing , when grace withdraws , we are but men. o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? these are the seeds : what are the fruits above ? yet did i scarce discern that it was thee , whom in the glass my pleased mind did see : but though thine image more incur my sense , i love it for the pourtrayd excellence : it 's not because the workmanship is fine , but good and holy ; and because it 's thine . i better know the map that 's in my hand : but yet , by it , i better love the land. sure when i lov'd thy books , and every letter ; i lov'd the sense , and end , and author better . he loveth wisdom sure , who loves the wise : it 's like he loves the light , who loves his eyes . if one in prison had his life begun , where he had never seen the shining sun ; yet if he dearly love the candle-light , he 'd urely love the sun , which is more bright . or if the sun had alwaies clouded been , and men its scattered light alone had seen ; ●'s true , our thoughts and love of that we see , would more exact and satisfying be : but to the unseen cause , as it is better , our love of estimation would be greater . and even a knowledge general and dark , would be the chooser of our end and mark. that love 's most sensible , which sense doth breed ; but that commands , which faith and reason feed : the country than the map , i must confess , ☞ ●s much less known ; but is not known as less . a creat and certain object should do more , though darkly known , than trifles at my door : an unseen kingdom would with men prevail , to leave their native place , and hoise up sail , and venture over stormy boisterous seas : which shews that great things , tho unseen , most please . no wonder if the knowledge be most clear , or little things which to the sense are near ; these narrow parcels we can comprehend , when unseen greatness , doth the mind transcend : but yet this moves the wheels , and is the spring , before the nearest sight of some small thing . that is most loved , which i make my end ; to which my great designs and actions tend ; for which i can all other treasure spend , although i do it darkly apprehend . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? unveiled fully to thy saints above ? as fire first kindleth on the nearest wood , my sense thus fixed on the nearest good : and where sense fixed , there with greatest sense the mind did exercise its complacence . it seem'd more cold to that which distant was ; yet still looks further as i forward pass : and towards my end , the nearer heav'n i go , my love abstracteth more from things below . love seemeth to get ground , and fear decaies ; doubting & grief give place to thanks & prais● and tho fear wrought with greatest sense before , and was in bulk and violence much more ; yet the least spark of love which is sincere , will save the soul , tho mixt with greater fear : who loves god somewhat , & the world above him loving not god as god , he doth not love him : love must be so far tryed by the measure , that god be lov'd above all earthly treasure : but that suppos'd the least degree of love , with greater doubts and fears will saving prove great bodies with small souls are animate : great heads with little eyes , are oculate . small candles lighten rooms that are more large a steward may have spacious lands in charge . the kingdom may be bigger than the king : the diamond may be smaller than the ring : the house may bigger than the dweller be : great fear and little love , consistent be . but still true love to god and man are known , more by the fruits , than by the sense alone . ● must be such a love , as when there 's need , will venture , suffer , visit , cloath and feed . ● my dear god! how precious is thy love ? which gently leads us to the joyes above ? love still went on , and lined out my way , hedging me in , lest i should go astray : yet after this how oft did i transgress ? by light discourse , and wanton play fulness ; ●ating to fulness : yea , even cards and dice , began my mind with pleasure to entice . but providence did quickly interpose , and by a wonder take me off from those . sin most ensnar'd by pleading lawfulness ; though conscience often did the sin confess : that wounded deepest which by seeming small , drew me to venture , and resist thy call ; and knowingly the same oft to commit , thinking all christians had as great as it . let all that would not be undone by sin , fly the occasions where it doth begin . at first it 's safe and pleasant to resist . but o how doleful is it to persist ? sin doth not open its design at first : its first appearance sheweth not the worst : flattering the sense , it seems to be a friend ; but it proves pain and poison in the end . pray from temptation that you may be free , if from the evil you would saved be . repentance must convince you that it's gall , which first appeared innocent or small . o how it fills the soul with guilty fears ! our filial evidences blasts and tears ? disturbs our peace , and feeds the gnawing worm turns our tranquility into a storm ? it puts a piercing sting into the cross , and makes death dreadful as the greatest loss . yet all my folly mercy did forgive , and did my guilty wounded soul relieve . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? heal me , and fit me for the joyes above . thy love in order to it s well known ends , shew'd me great mercy in meet guides & friends : antient and grave divines , solid and staid , who from experience both preach'd and pray'd : learned , yet counting christianity the chiefest learning and philosophy . these as the fathers of my untaught youth , were willing to communicate the truth . their help and fruitful converse was my stay , and great encouragement in all my way ; more pleasant to me than my youthful games : my love doth grudgingly suppress their names . the company thou gav'st me was not vain , ●ot proud or factious , sensual or prophane : ●●t serious , sober , and obedient , those time was in their peaceful labours spent : ●umble and meek , who made it their discourse , ●o stir up faith , and penitent remorse . ●inding the lowest , and the highest things ; ●ot medling busily with states and kings . making thy holy word their chief delight , ●nd meditating in it day and night : ●ending thy day in works of holiness ; ●ating prophaneness , lewdness and excess : content with little , yet aspiring high ; ●paring no pains for immortality : low in the world ; but for salvation wise ; though scorn'd by faithless fools as too precise . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? such thou wilt take to dwell with thee above . thy mercy did my younger studies guide : sweet leisure and meet books thou didst provide ; and that i might thy love the better see , my tutor thou thy self wast pleas'd to be : as honey-combs are made by patient bees , who fetch the matter home by slow degrees , in many daies , and from a thousand flowers , not perfecting their work in a few hours : so taughtst thou me to wait the learning time , not reaching first at matters too sublime ; few to maturity of knowledge grow , who think they know , before indeed they know . thou didst improve the thirsty love of truth , which thou hadst given me even in my youth . my labours thou mad'st easie by delight : each daies success , did to the next invite . but o the happy method of thy grace ! which gave my own salvation the first place ! and first resolv'd me of the utmost end , which all my after studies must intend : shewing me first , why , and for what i must lay out my studies , that they be not lost : unhappy men ! who follow base designs , and are not christians , when they are divines ! o that an impious divine were rare ! although the terms a contradiction are . alas in what a blind or trembling state , should i all day have at my studies sate , and with how little joy , or hope of gains , if i had study'd still in satan's chains ? o foolish studies ! to consider how the earth is fixed , and the plants do grow ? what is each creatures specifying cause ? and what are all their orders and their laws ? when thy own saving change is to begin ! and thou hast yet no pardon of thy sin ? when all the while thou art a son of wrath , who to eternal life no title hath ? when in thy flow'ring studies thou may'st dye , and be undone to all eternity ? who would be playing at a childish game , while his own house is in a burning flame ? what if i knew whether the earth or sun so swift and unperceiv'd a course doth run ? or knew the course and order of the sphears ? or were best skill'd in numbering past years ? knew all the houses of the starry sky ? and things that are for common wits too high ? what if i knew all these never so well ? and knew not how to scape the flames of hell ? what gain or pleasure would my knowledge be ? if i the face of god must never see ? or what if i could fool away my time , in smooth and well composed idle rhyme ? or dreaming lovers fancies could rehearse , in the most lofty and adorned verse ? while my unholy soul , in fleshly thrall , should be lamenting its own funeral ? but when my soul had fixt on god her end , then all my studies unto him did tend . they all were ordered in due place and season , guided by faith , allowed by sound reason : thou taughtst me first the only needful thing ; and all my studies harp'd still on that string : judging the greatest knowledge to be vain , which tendeth not to the immortal gain . there is a knowledge which increaseth sorrow , and such whose fruit will die before to morrow : yea , there 's a knowledge which occasions sin : desire of knowing did man's woe begin : all means are to be judg'd of by their end : that 's good which doth good , or doth good portend its end and objects which ennoble acts : those that do glorious things are glorious facts . who calls a self-condemning sinner , wise , that on a syllable can criticize ; that can in mode and figure talk in vain ; or learnedly his pride and sin maintain ? that 's best at the resolving of a riddle , or playing on a bag-pipe , or a fiddle : but hath not learned how to live and die , nor where his soul must dwell eternally ? god and all wise men judge him but a fool , who is not wise enough to save his soul. when heav'n's made sure , all knowledge then is good for faith and love can turn it into food : it 's pleasant then to study any book , when we see god the sense , where ere we look : when as the way to heav'n we know each place : and see god's beauty in each creature's face : and when we stick not in the form and letter , but all our knowledge tends to make us better . when still the more we know , the more we love , and draw more with us to the joys above . fine fancies are not like clear minds ; nor those like love , by which the soul with god doth close . wisdom it self will make the mind most wise . he that ascends to god , doth highest rise . sure pisgah was parnassus , or the mount , where three apostles did three glories count : christ's living streams are the true helicon : none make true poets but heav'ns springs alone . what poor , low , toyish work make frothy wits ? like bacchus scholars in their pot-wise fits . like childrens poppets drest with lace and pin ; like handsom pictures ; something wants within : a painted feast , carv'd with a painted knife : a living soul can feel it wanteth life . without a holy subject , end and spirit , true wisdom's sacred titles none can merit . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? these are the drops ; what are the streams above ? immortal thanks my soul doth owe my god , for his well-order'd needful healing rod : the book and rod do well befit thy school ; correction is the portion of the fool : the rod it self will make the sluggard rise : the rod and book make foolish children wise . i felt or fear'd no evil at the first , but my soul's misery , which is the worst : whilst for a soul-remedy i did look , thy angry storm my body overtook : languishing weakness shortens strength & breath ; consumes my flesh , and threatens speedy death : and what i felt reviv'd the fears of more : for now my judgment seemed at the door : i knew not but it might be a foretast of greater woe which i might feel at last : my new awaken'd soul amazed was , to think that unto judgment it must pass , and see the unseen world ; and stand before the dreadful god , whom heav'n & earth adore ! i was unready to behold thy face , having no more assurance of thy grace ! having but lately too familiar been , with my seducing flesh and hateful sin : my thoughts of thee were terrible and strange ! and of so great and an untimely change ! the threatned ruine i did thus condole ; o must my scarce-born , unprepared soul before my dreadful judge so soon appear ! and the decisive final sentence hear ! and all my reckonings so soon bring in ! and give account to god for every sin ! before i do my soul's condition know , or any scaled pardon have to shew . what if i prove an unconverted wretch ? and justice should my soul to torments fetch ? how know i but the endless flames of hell , may be the place where next my soul shall dwell ? mercy would save me ; but i did reject it : christ's blood would cleanse it ; but i did neglect it . and though i am not hopeless , who can bear to die uncertain under so great fear i : o that my tunes had all been better spent ! and that my ca●●y thoughts had all been bent in preparation for the life to come : that now i might have gone as to my home ! and taken up my dwelling with the blest ! and past to everlasting joy and rest ! o that the pleasures of my sports and toyes , had all been turn'd to man-like holy joyes ! and those delights which vanities engrost , and spent on fleshly lusts , were worse than lost , had all been sweet rejoycings in the lord ! and in his holy service and his word ! o that i could my wasted time call back , which now my soul for greater works doth lack ; what would i give now for those precious daies , which once run out in pleasures and delaies ? o had i liv'd a strict and holy life , though under hatred and malicious strife ! though men's and devil's fury i had born , and been the world's reproach , contempt & scorn ! then welcome death would but have quencht my thirst , and bid the envious world now do their worst . their malice would but to my joyes accrew , and well-spent time be sweet to my review . o happy men whose portion is above ! whose hearts to god and to his service clove ! who made him and his word their chief delight , and walkt in uprightness , as in his sight ! approv'd their hearts and waies to him alone ! as ready to appear before his throne ! now i had rather far be one of them , than one of worldly wealth , or princely stem o now my undrest soul is passing forth , i see both what the world and christ are worth . thus did the face of death my soul awake ; the bonds of dead stupidity it brake ! strict , holy truth i easily confest : i saw that godliness is not a jest . my late besotted mind is now past doubt , that folly's careless , wisdom is devout : i saw more clearly than i did before , what lies on an ungodly sinners score ? for what man's pow'rs were made , what is their use ▪ to what all means and mercies do conduce ? what is man's business while he 's here below ? how much his creatures to their maker owe ? whether the saint or brute be in the right ? whether it 's best to live by faith or sight ? what is true wit ? what learning 's most sublime ? how i and all should value precious time ? i saw it 's not a thing indifferent , whether my soul to heav'n or hell be sent . death also further taught me how to pray , and made me cry unto thee every day ; it set me on the trying of my state , lest i should prove deceiv'd when 't was too late . often and carefully i searcht my heart , whether in christ by faith i had a part ? it shew'd me so much work to do at home , that alien needless matters found small room . it curb'd my pride , and buryed my ambition ; made me , not only bear a low condition , but chuse it ; and all things to estimate , as god , my soul , and heav'n should set the rate . for now , as clearly as i saw the sun , i saw in lines which they may read that run , that endless things are all , when we compare , and transitory trifles nothing are : that worldlings in their sleep do talk and go , and all their lives are but a dreaming shew : only the true believer lives awake , and doth not spend his daies in meer mistake : that all who are not saints , are worse than brutes . these , o my father ! were thy rod's first-fruits . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? thus we rebound up to the joyes above . long thus before my god i lay prostrate , begging for healing mercy at his gate ! and for some longer time , to know his truth , and not unripe to wither in my youth ! i begg'd that hasty death he would delay , and would not snatch me unprepar'd away . i promised his mercies to rehearse , if he the dreadful sentence would reverse . could i have hop'd for hezekiah's years , i should no more than he , have spared tears . yet hath thy mercy granted me since then , more than thrice five , yea more than four times ten my moan thou pity'dst , and my cryes didst hear delaying death ; not taking off my fear : the threatning malady thou didst abate ; and into many others didst translate ; which gave me hope of some preparing space ; but none that earth would prove a resting place . appointing me to serve in gentle chains , in wholsom sickness , and in healing pains ! so great as might my head-strong thoughts restrain from running after things terrene and vain : yet were they not so great as to make less , my service , or my sober chearfulness : o what a happy mixture didst thou make ! how meet a course did thy wise mercy take ? this was the pregnant blessing , kept for store , which multiply'd into a thousand more ! which hath run parallel with all my daies ; for which i owe thee everlasting praise : too great for volumes ; too high for a verse : and therefore endless life must them rehearse . 1. a life still near to death , did me possess with a deep sense of time's great preciousness . to lose an hour i thought a greater loss , than much of sordid worldlings golden dross . i thought them mad that cast their time away , being uncertain of another day . that idly prate , and play , and feast , and drink , so near eternity's most dreadful brink ! with filthy , guilty souls , unjustifi'd ; undone for evermore if thus they dy'd . o! thought i , where is these men's brains and sense , who care no more whither they go from hence ? pastime i thought worse than a bediam word : the name and thing my very soul abhorr'd . 2. this methodiz'd my studies to my gain ; sham'd the contending , jingling , formal vein : the greatest matters it did first impose : necessity my book and lesson chose : i study'd first to save my self and others ; what edifi'd my own soul and my brothers : thence to the branches i in order clime ; first few and great , next many , small , sublime . i nere preferr'd to talk , before , to eat , words , before things , the dish before the meat : and yet i love and value all the rest : my curious mind would fain have known the least : but knowing life's too short to reach to all , i left till last the needless things and small . 3. the frequent sight of death's most awful face , rebuk'd my sloth , and bid me mend my pace ! thou knew'st my dulness needed such a spur ; so prone was i to trifle and demur . who dare his soul for gain or pleasure sell , that lives as in the sight of heav'n and hell ? 4. this call'd me out to work while it was day ; and warn poor souls to turn without delay : resolving speedily thy word to preach ; with ambrose , i at once did learn and teach . still thinking i had little time to live , my fervent heart to win mens souls did strive . i preach'd , as never sure to preach again , and as a dying man to dying men ! o how should preachers men's repenting crave , who see how near the church is to the grave ? and see that while we preach and hear , we die , rapt by swift time to vast eternity ! what statues , or what hypocrites are they , who between sleep and wake do preach & pray ? as if they feared wakening the dead ! or were but lighting sinners to their bed ! who speak of heav'n and hell as on a stage ! and make the pulpit but a parrot's cage ? who teach as men that care not much who learns ; and preach in jest to men that sin in earns . surely god's messenger , if any man , should speak with all the seriousness he can ; who treateth in the name of the most high , about the matters of eternity ! who must prevail with sinners now or never , as those that must be saved now , if ever : when sinners endless joy or misery , on the success of his endeavours lie ! though god be free , he works by instruments , and wisely fitteth them to his intents . a proud unhumbled preacher is unmeet to lay proud sinners humbled at christ's feet : so are the blind to tell men what god saith , and faithless men to propagate the faith. the dead are unfit means to raise the dead ; and enemies to give the children bread : and utter strangers to the life to come , are not the best conductors to our home : they that yet never learn'd to live and die , will scarcely teach it others feelingly : or if they should preach others to salvation , unhappy men that preach their own damnation . how oft did i come down with shame and grief ! not that i was so homely , or so brief ; but that my own soul was no more awake , and felt no more the things of which i spake ! that god was nam'd with no more reverence ; nor sinners pitty'd with a deeper sense : that closer warnings did not pierce men's ears , set home by greater fervency and tears : and that my speeches were so cold and sleight , about things of unutterable weight ; and that i spake with no more seriousness , when heav'n or hell attended the success : as one that sees by faith the joyes and woes , to which the godly and the wicked goes . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? how should we prize and seek the joyes above ? thy methods crost my waies : my young desire to academick glory did aspire : fain i 'd have sate in such a nurses lap , where i might long have had a sluggard's nap or have been dandled on her reverend knees ; and known by honour'd titles and degrees ; and there have spent the flower of my daies , in soaring in the air of humane praise : yea and i thought it needful to thy ends , to make the prejudiced world my friends ; that so my praise might go before thy grace , preparing men the message to embrace ; also my work and office to adorn , and to avoid prophane contempt and scorn . but these were not thy thoughts ; thou didst foresee that such a course would not be best for me : thou mad'st me know that mens contempt & scorn is such a cross as must be daily born : thy mercy would not have me splendid dross ; a minister of pomp ; but of the cross : that cross which hypocrites may preach & hear , but all that follow christ must also bear . no honour must i have to bring to thee , but what thou first communicat'st to me in founding of thy church , thou didst declare how well all worldly honours thou couldst spare ! both in the chief most blessed corner stone , and in the most of those that built thereon : and what great swelling names have done since then , church-rents and ruines write without a pen : high titles as the first inchanting cup , cast down the church by lifting of it up . titles reflect on minds . these must be low : by humble love all must thy servants know : yet i deny not but a perfect mind , may more advantage here than danger find : thy soil is oft manured by such dung . i 'le honour give to whom it doth belong : it may be safe to others ; but to me 't was best from such temptations to be free : let my preferment lye in serving all : while i sit low , i have not far to fall . keep me from the temptations of the devil ! for so thou dost deliver us from evil. my youthful pride and folly now i see , that grudg'd for want of titles and degree . that blush'd with shame when this defect was known , and an inglorious name could hardly own , attempting to have hid it twice or thrice , with vile equivocations next to lies . and to thy methods was unreconcil'd , because i was not rabbi , doctor , styl'd . forgive this pride ; and break the serpent's brain ; pluck up the poisonous root , till none remain . give me the wisdom ; i 'le not beg the fame : grant me the thing ; let others take the name . give me the learning , and it is no harm , if thou shalt place me in the lowest form. honours are shadows , which from seekers fly ; but follow after those who them deny . i brought none with me to thy work ; but there i found more than i easily could bear : although thou wouldst not give me what i would , thou gavest me the promis'd hundred-fold . o my dear god! how precious is thy love ? thy wayes , not ours , lead to the joyes above . the third part. the wondrous mercy of my bounteous lord , which sent me forth to preach his sacred word . prepar'd my way , and call'd me to the place , where i must first proclaim his saving grace : all things thou suitedst fitly to my need , giving me freedom , season , ground and seed : poor thirsty souls , attend with greedy ear , crowding in multitudes thy word to hear : thy mercy opening so wide a door , gave some first-fruits betimes , and hopes of more . the various places where my lot did fall , were all appointed to me by thy call. i never was to any of them brought , by the direction of my own forethought : much less was ever any by me sought ; and least of all , by price or bargain bought . i nere found cause of one place to repent ; ( although my sins in all i must lament . ) none were foreseen ; yet after seen to reason , to be the fittest for the work and season . but among all , none did so much abound , with fruitful mercies , as that barren ground , where i did make my best and longest stay , and bore the heat and burden of the day ; mercies grew thicker there than summer flowers : they over-numbered my daies and hours : there was my dearest flock , and special charge . our hearts in mutual love thou didst enlarge : 't was there that mercy did my labours bless ; with the most great and wonderful success . yet there were sons of belial , whose rage reason with truth and love could not asswage : who lov'd and hated , just as satan bid them ; rul'd by the reins of lust by him that rid them : in swinish drunkenness they drownd their wits : most furious in their rude tumultuous fits . as boars or stags , at other times more tame ; when lustful heats their blood and brains inflame ; fiercely assault such as stand in their way ; none 's safe before them till their heats decay : so doth the love of revellings and sport , poor brutish fleshly sinners so transport , that ragingly they fly in that man's face , who doth by sacred truth their sin disgrace : and as in armies drums and trumpets sound , the frightful cries of wounded men to drownd ; and even the fearful in the furious crowd , are carry'd on to death through streams of blood : so those ensnared youths , who formerly , out of the rout , retain'd some modesty , conjoyned with the rabble did as they ; the common fury and their lusts obey : run with the herd : mirth and the rables noise , drown reasons plea , and god's reclaiming voice : death is forgot : conscience cannot be heard : hell and damnation now are little fear'd : they have their curse , & their own sentence pass : away with jesus ! give us barr abas ! away with preachers , who disturb our game ! talk not of judgment : let us bear the blame ! whilst grieved preachers can but wish & groan , o that your day of mercy you had known ! o my dear god! how precious is they love ? which looks on such with pity from above ? now england's horrid civil wars began , when god a sinful nation meant to fan . when sin grown high & bold , out-fac'd the light ; when pride and faction pleaded divine right . when most their love , & some their patience lost ; when proud malicious men must not be crost : when wise men seemed fools , & fools seem'd wise ; and when the worst were best in their own eyes ? when piety with lazarus was loath'd ; and sin with purple and fine linnen cloath'd : and when the sacred tribe , despising souls , through love of wealth & honor blow'd the coals ! when demas for the world deserted paul ; and their own matters were first sought by all : when they that sought their good things in this life had banisht love , & fill'd the church with strife where striving factions charity defy'd , and carnal counsels did the church divide ! when swinish gadarens did christ refuse , and the prophane his servants did abuse . when holiness the common foe was deem'd , and nothing more intollerable seem'd . when holy truth and preachers were despis'd ; and wicked means to cast them out devis'd ! when sin presum'd to make a mock of grace , and folly spit reproaches in christ's face ! when vulgar rage had found this common vent ; and impious scorn on godliness was spent : when sin was not so much oppos'd as god , then were we ready for the bloody rod. when those sins reign'd that must not now be nam'd but by heav'ns justice shall at last be sham'd . when old condemned vanities and crimes , became the reverend virtues of the times , then god in judgment sate to plead his cause , and judge the proud despisers of his laws . banish'd love doth feaster'd hearts forsake : blindness , suspicions , wrath possession take : each man unto the fire his fagot brought , and each against another quarrels sought . the whirlwind in the north did first arise , and raise the dust which troubled english eyes . and though heav'ns mercy there prevented blood , the irish fury shed a crimson flood . the french blood shew'd the temper of the nation , their faith and faithlesness keep moderation , their bartholomews hot dog-daies thirst had cost , * thirty or forty thousand lives at most . but ireland's romish zeal was hotter far , and in their preparation to a war , * two hundred thousand they surpriz'd and slew , not that their will so small a measure knew . but here god checkt their power , & heard the cries of dying innocents , which pierc'd the skies : england affrighted by her neighbours harm , threatned to be the next , takes the allarm , as citizens that see a raging flame threaten the neighhours houses with the same , do leave their trades , and all together run , trying to quench the fire where it begun ; and then pull down the houses which adjoyn ; some seek to save the goods , some to purloin ; the well-built piles , & curious rooms must down , to buy the safety of the fearful town , a neighbour's house is used like a foe 's , because the fire , the hook , no diff'rence knows , fear pulleth down the next , to save the most , and ruines more than needs , lest all be lost . smoak and confused crouds do blind men's eyes , all are amaz'd , with hideous flames and cryes ; so england , too combustible before , seeing so great a flame so near her door , was frighted into such convulsion fits , as first did break her peace , and next her wits . dangers breed fears , and fears more dangers bring : the bees to save their honey use their sting ; rowz'd in an angry swarm they seek their foe , the next they meet must feel the smarting blow . caetera desunt , praesunt , adsunt . i purposed to have recited the most notable mercies of my life , in continuing this hymn of thanksgiving to my gracious god ; but the quality of the subject , and the ages impatience stopt me here , and i could go no further , and my painful and spiritless age is now unfit for poetry : and the matter is so large , as would have made the volume big . 3. the resolution . psal. 119. 96. written when i was silenced and cast out , &c. lord , i have cast up the account what it will cost to come to thee : i find to what it will amount a serious christian to be . when flesh was weighing , thou put'st in thy love , and the eternal crown , against a feather , and a sin : and yet it thought these weigh'd thee down . fool , as i was , i took its word , and chose what flesh did recommend : how could i more have wrong'd my lord ? or more his love and name offend ? it had been wiser to have thought , the earth is weigh'd down by a fly : than to prefer a thing of nought , before the love of the most high. i see now what false scales can do , in a deceitful partial hand : i will no more believe a foe ; but to the holy covenant stand . 1. will friends turn foes ? that cannot be : they were my greatest foes before , that would have kept my soul from thee , their malice now can do no more . i 'll bid these cruel friends farewel : even satan would be such a friend ; he 'd please and flatter me to hell : and thither doth their friendship tend . he wants not friends that hath thy love , and may converse , and walk with thee : and with thy saints here and above ; with whom for ever i must be . in the communion of saints , is wisdom , safety and delight : and when my heart declines and faints , it 's raised by their heat and light. thy spirit in them speaks and prayes : their speech is holy , clean and quick : dead hearted fools talk but of toyes : their speech and mirth even makes me sick . 2. must lies and slanders me defame ? that innocence may not be known ? must proud men's malice blot my name , with epithets that are their own ? thou justifi'st when men accuse , thou 'lt answer all the spite of tongues ; and do them right whom men abuse , and plenteously repair their wrongs . it 's no great matter what men deem , whether they count me good or bad ! in their applause and best esteem , there 's no contentment to be had . i stand not to the bar of man ; it 's thy displeasure makes me sad : my thoughts and actions thou wilt scan : if thou approve me i am glad . 3. must i before the ruling power , be call'd with shame to plead my cause ? and judged as an evil doer , and as a breaker of their laws ? so was the lord of life accus'd , slander'd and scorn'd with cruel spight : and as a malefactor us'd , and one that claimed caesar's right . false witness cloudeth innocence : truth seemeth conquer'd by a lie. patience for bears a just defence ; and life it self is judg'd to die . methinks i see thee cloath'd with scorn ; and spit upon , and buffeted ; and crowned with the piercing thorn ; away to execution led . it most amazeth me to think , thou barest the repute of sin ! the bitter cup which thou didst drink , had nothing bitterer therein . the sun did well to hide his face , when sin did righteousness eclipse : and the most just is with disgrace a sinner judg'd by sinners lips . thy steps , lord , in this dirt i see ; and lost my soul from god should stray , i 'll bear my cross and follow thee ; let others chuse the fairer way . my face is meeter for the spit ; i am more suitable to shame ; and to the taunts of scornful wit : it 's no great matter for my name . 4. must i be driven from my books ? from house , and goods , and dearest friends ? one of thy sweet and gracious looks , for more than this will make amends . the world 's thy book : there i can read , thy power , wisdom , and thy love : and thence ascend by faith , and feed upon the better things above . i 'll read thy works of providence : thy spirit , conscience , and thy rod can teach without book all the sense , to know the world , my self , and god. few books may serve , when thou wilt teach : many have stoln my precious time : i 'll leave my books to hear thee preach : church-work is best when thou dost chime . as for my house , it was my tent , while there i waited on thy flock : that work is done ; that time is spent : there neither was my home nor stock . would i in all my journey have still the same inn and furniture ? or ease and pleasant dwellings crave , forgetting what thy saints endure ? my lord hath taught me how to want a place wherein to put my head : while he is mine , i 'll be content , to beg or lack my daily bread . heav'n is my roof , earth is my floor : thy love can keep me dry and warm : christ and thy bounty are my store : thy angels guard me from all harm . as for my friends , they are not lost : the several vessels of thy fleet , though parted now by tempests tost , shall safely in the haven meet . still we are centred all in thee ; members though distant , of one head : in the same family we be by the same faith and spirit led . before thy throne we daily meet , as joynt-petitioners to thee : in spirit we each other greet , and shall again each other see . the heavenly hosts world without end shall be my company above : and thou my best and surest friend : who shall divide me from thy love ? 5. must i forsake the soil and air , where first i drew my vital breath ? that way may be as near and fair : thence i may come to thee by death . all countries are my father's lands : thy sun , thy love doth shine on all : we may in all lift up pure hands , and with acceptance on thee call . those banish'd are that go from thee , strange to thy service , love and grace : and , lost in sin , do never see thy kingdom , and thy pleased face . may but my soul dwell near my god , and walk with him in faith and love , no matter where be my abode , till to his glory i remove . 6. what if in prison i must dwell ? may i not there converse with thee ? save me from sin , thy wrath , and hell , call me thy child ; and i am free . no walls or bars can keep thee out : none can confine a holy soul : the streets of heav'n it walks about ; none can its liberty controul . alas , my darkened mind is chain'd to earth and flesh through unbelief ! it looks and longs by distance pain'd : when wilt thou hear and send relief ? o loose these chains of sin and flesh ! enlarge my heart in thy commands : could i but love thee as i wish , how light would be all other bands ? 7. must i feel sicknesses and smart , and spend my daies and nights in pain ? yet if thy love refresh my heart , i need not overmuch complain . this flesh hath drawn my soul to sin ; if it must smart , thy will be done ! o fill me with thy joyes within , and then i 'll let it grieve alone . then to its sufferings i 'll consent to be avenged on my foe , that pain may help me to repent , and sin may be consum'd by woe . pain will be short ; joyes will be long . yet , lord , remember man is weak ! drop in thy cordials : make me strong , lest heart and hope , with flesh should break . 8. i know my flesh must turn to dust , my parted soul must come to thee , and undergo thy judgment just , and in the endless world must be . in this there 's most of fear and joy , because there 's most of sin and grace , sin will this mortal frame destroy , but christ will bring me to thy face . here 's faith 's great tryal : pain may force ; and pride may willingness pretend ; a stupid fool die like his horse , and heathens make a beast-like end . frail sinful flesh is loth to die : sense to the unseen world is strange : the doubting soul dreads the most high , and trembleth at so great a change . yet faith can see beyond the skies , where now our head in glory is : and above flesh and sense can rise , unto the world of saints in bliss . cleansing the soul from flesh and sin , abstracting it from things below ; it draws the veil , and entering in , love's glorious mysteries can know . put forth thy beams and hand of grace : open mine eyes : take up my heart : acquaint it with the holy place , the joyes and glory where thou art . o let me not be strange at home ! strange to the sun , and life of souls : choosing this low and darkened room ; familiar with worms and moles ! shall i be strange unto my head ? the world of knowledge , love and joyes ? conversing here among the dead , and taken up with dreams and toyes ? and strange to angels , who attend on man , and in his good delight ; and , though unseen , do us defend ; ministring for us day and night ? am i the first that go this way ? how many saints are gone before ? how many enter every day into thy kingdom by this door ? christ was once dead , and in a grave : yet conquer'd death , and rose again : and by this method he will save his servants that with him shall reign . shall i draw back and fear the end of all my sorrows , tears and pain ? to which my life and labours tend , ! without which all had been in vain ? can i for ever be content without true happiness and rest ? is earth become so excellent , that i should take it for my best ? or can i think of finding here that which my soul so long hath sought ? should i refuse those joyes through fear , which bounteous love so dearly bought ? all that doth tast of heav'n is good : when heavenly light doth me inform ; when heavenly life stirs in my blood ; when heavenly love my heart doth warm . no wonder if time's womb be streight , and souls through pain and strangeness go into the glorious world of light , which death translateth them unto . this strangeness will be quickly over , when once the heaven-born soul is there : one sight of god will it recover from all this backwardness and fear . to us , christ's lowest parts ; his feet , union and faith must yet suffice , to guide and comfort us : it 's meet we trust our head who hath our eyes . christ seeth all that i would see : the way and end to him are known : he hath prepar'd the place for me : he 'l love and use me as his own. how many guiltless creatures die , to be a feast or food for me ? who love their lives as well as i ? and hath not god more right to me ? must i be priviledg'd alone ? or no man die until he please ? and god deposed from his throne , and humane generation cease ? though all these reasons i can see , why i should willingly submit , and comfortably come to thee ; my god , thou must accomplish it . the love which fill'd up all my daies , will not forsake me to the end : this broken body thou wilt raise : my spirit i to thee commend . decemb. 3. 1663. 4. divine love's rest . ( written on herbet's poems . ) the amorous needle knows no other rest , but at its dear attractive loadstone's breast . though lying dead before the potent touch , its object and affection were not such . the oily body married to a spark , which some cold flint had lockt up in the dark , by the unseen hot soul is made so bright , as if in it that soul appear'd to sight ; which in revenge for its restraint and toil , still working up wards , wasts the loving oil ; having a higher love , is not content , until it reach its proper element . thus heav'n-born souls , but lately dead in sin ; by faith and love the heavenly life begin : and daily mounting upwards , take their flight , from flesh and earth unto the world of light : where darkness , sin or grief shall never enter : where all the saints are one in god their center . where love reveals it self with open face , ravishing souls prepar'd by saving grace . love is their kingdom : it 's a world of love , which they were hatcht for by the holy dove . here he is kindling the coelestial fire , which knows its rise , and doth to god aspire ; god who is all , shall there have all my store ; and yet my friends have not the less , but more : love is now panting , groaning in my breast : love will be then my soul 's eternal feast . love now salutes us in the gospel story : but then eternal love will be our glory . up then , my soul , and swiftly heavenward tend , where love shall have no check , no bounds , no end . 5. on david's psalms . my god! since first thy love this heart did touch ; it saith , i cannot love my god too much . it looketh up , and panteth for that grace , which may exalt it , and unveil thy face . darkness and distance are its grievous chains ; sad doubts and fears do feed its griping pains . it sighs , and wonders thou canst be so strange ; where thou hast freely made so great a change . long it hath search't in hope to find the art , to raise and warm a dull and heavy heart : and now i find it practised by one , that now is praising thee before thy throne . here are the sacred words : here 's david's lyre : but where 's the quickening coelestial fire ? i know the eye of heav'n is on my heart : god looks my soul should bear the chiefest part . it 's winged faith , and flaming love within , that must the pleasant melody begin : the holy spirit must tune and touch each string ; else smoothest verse will be a harsh dull thing ; display thy love ; shoot down thy vital raies ! teach this cold heart the works of love & praise ! o then , what life and joy these psalms will bring , when it 's thy spirit , and my soul that sing ! and though low streins with stops , are here my best , yet perfect love and praise shall be my rest. 6. the threefold nativity . prima dies hominem peperit , sanctumque secunda natalis : pariet mors tertia glorificatum . my first birth-day brought forth a man , in sin : but one that could not work , nor go , nor speak . my second did a life of grace begin , but such , alas , as yet 's diseas'd and weak . the third from fleshly bonds will me release , and bring me to the world of glorious light : where all my sins and vexing griefs shall cease ; and faith shall end in perfect love and sight : this death begins ; but 't is the resurrection , that fully shall obliterate sins story ; and state both soul and body in perfection , where grace and nature shall be crown'd with glory . as nature taught me first complaining cryes , before it did acquaint me with delight : so grace with grief first fill'd my heart and eyes , before it shewed me the joyful sight . why should not death then be a straiter door , than either that of nature or of grace ? which brings us unto the eternal store , of joy and glory in god's shining face ? 7. self-denial . a dialogue between the flesh & the spirit . flesh : what ! become nothing ! ne're perswade me to it . god made me something : and i 'le not undo it . spirit . thy something is not thine , but his that gave it . resign it to him , if thou mean to save it . flesh . god gave me life : and shall i choose to die before my time ? or pine in miserie ? spirit . god is thy life : if then thou fearest death ; let him be all thy soul , thy pulse , and breath . flesh . what! must i hate my self ? when as my brot her must love me ? and i may not hate another ? spirit . loath what is loathsom : love god in the rest ; he truly love's himself , that love 's god best . flesh . doth god our ease and pleasure to us grudge ? or doth religion make a man a drudge ? spirit . that is thy poyson which thou callest pleasure : and that thy drudgery which thou count'st thy treasure . flesh . who can endure to be thus mewed up ? and under laws for every bit and cup ? spirit . god's cage is better than the wilderness . when winter comes , liberty brings distress flesh . pleasure 's mans happiness : the will 's not free to choose our misery : this cannot be . spirit . god is mans end : with him are highest joyes : sensual pleasures are but dreams and toyes . should sin seem sweet ! is satan turn'd thy friend ? will not thy sweet prove bitter in the end ? hast thou found sweeter pleasures than gods love is a fools laughter like the joyes above ? beauty surpasseth all deceitful paints : what 's empty mirth to the delights of saints ? god would not have thee have less joy , but more : and therefore shew's thee the eternal store . flesh . who can love baseness , poverty and want ? and under pining sickness be content ? spirit . he that hath laid his treasure up above and plac't his portion only in gods love : that waits for glory when his life is done : this man will be content with god alone . flesh . what good will sorrow do us ? is not mirth fitter to warm a cold heart here on earth ? troubles will come whether we will or no : i 'le never banish pleasure , and choose we . spirit . then choose not sin : touch not forbidden things : taste not the sweet that endless sorrow brings . if thou love pleasure , take in god thy fill : look not for lasting joyes in doing ill . flesh . affliction 's bitter : life will soon be done : pleasure shall be my part ere all be gone . spirit . prosperity is barren : all men say the soil is best where there 's the deepest way . life is for work , and not to spend in play . now sow thy seed : labour while it is day . the huntsman seeks his game in barren plains . dirty land answers best the plowmans pains . passengers care not so the way be fair ; husbandmen would have the best ground and air first think what 's safe and fruitful : there 's no pleasure like the beholding of thy chiefest treasure . flesh . nature made me a man , and gave me sense : changing of nature is a vain pretence : it taught me to love women , honour , ease , and every thing that doth my senses please . spirit . nature hath made thee rational ; and reason must rule the sense , in ends , degrees and season . reason's the rider ; sense is but the horse : which then is fittest to direct thy course ? give up the reins , and thou becom'st a beast ; thy fall at death will sadly end thy feast . flesh . religion is a dull and heavy thing , whereas a merry cup will make me sing . love's entertainments warm both heart and brain : and wind my fancy to the highest strain . spirit . cupid hath stuck a feather in thy cap ; and lull'd thee dead asleep on venu's lap : thy brains are tipled with some wantons eyes : thy reason is become lust's sacrifice . playing a game at folly , thou hast lost thy wit , and soul , and winnest to thy cost . thy soul now in a filthy channel lies , while fancy seems to soar above the skies . beauty will soon be stinking loathsom earth : sickness and death marr all the wanton 's mirth . it is not all the pleasure thou canst find . will countervail the sting that 's left behind . blind , brutish souls ! that cannot love their god! and yet can dote on a defiled clod ! why should i think of what will be to morrow ? an ounce of mirth is worth a pound of sorrow . spirit . but where 's that mirth when sorrows overtake thee ? will it then hold when life and god forsake thee ? forgetting death or hell will not prevent it : now lose thy day , thou 'lt then too late repent it . flesh . must i be pain'd and wronged , and not feel ? as if my heart were made of flint or steel ? spirit . dost thou delight to feel thy hurt and smart ? would not an antidote preserve thy heart ? impatience is but self-tormenting folly : patience is cordial , easie , sweet and holy . is not that better which turns grief to peace , than that which doth thy misery encrease ? flesh . when sport , and wine , and beauty do invite , who is it whom such baits will not incite ? spirit . he that perceives the hook and sees the end , whither it is that fleshly pleasures tend . he that by faith hath seen both heav'n and hell , and what sin costeth at the last can tell : he that hath try'd and tasted better things , and felt that love from which all pleasure springs . they that still watch , and for christs coming wait , can turn away from , or despise the bait . flesh . must i be made the foot-ball of disdain ? and call'd a precise fool or puritane ? spirit . remember him that did despise the shame , and for thy sake bore undeserved blame . thy journey 's of small moment if thou stay because dogs bark , or stones lie in the way . if life lay on it , wouldst thou turn again , for the winds blowing or a little rain ? is this thy greatest love to thy dear lord ? that canst not for his sake bear a foul word ? wilt thou not bear for him a scorners breath , that underwent for thee a cursed death ? is not heav'n worth the bearing of a flout ? then blame not justice when it shuts thee out . will these deriders stand to what they say , and own their words at the great dreadful day ? then they 'd be glad , when wrath shall overtake them , to eat their words , and say they never spake them . flesh . how ? forsake all ! ne're mention it more to me i 'le be of no religion to undo me . spirit . is it not thine more in thy fathers hand , then when it is laid out at sins command ? and is that sav'd that 's spent upon thy lust or which must be a prey to thieves or rust ? and wouldst thou have thy riches in thy way , where thou art passing on and canst not stay ? and is that lost that 's sent to heav'n before ? hadst thou not rather have thy friends and store , where thou maist dwell for ever , in the light of that long glorious day that fears no night ? flesh . but who can willingly submit to death , which will bereave us of our life and breath ; that laies our flesh to rot in loathsom graves , where brains and eyes were , leaves but ugly caves ? spirit . so nature breaks and casts away the shell , where the now beauteous singing bird did dwell : the secundine that once the infant cloath'd , after the birth , is cast away and loath'd . thus roses drop there sweet leaves under-foot ; but the spring shew's that life was in the root . souls are the roots of bodies : christ the head is root of both , and will revive the dead . our sun still shineth when with us it's night : when he return's , we shall shine in his light . souls that behold and praise god with the just , mourn not because their bodies are but dust . graves are but beds where flesh till morning sleep's : or chests where god a while our garments keeps . our folly thinks he spoils them in the keeping ; which causeth our excessive fears and weeping : but god that doth our rising day foresee : pitties not rotting flesh so much as we . the birth of nature was deform'd by sin : the birth of grace did our repair begin . the birth of glory at the resurrection finisheth all , and brings both to perfection . why should not fruit when it is mellow fall ? why would we linger here when god doth call ? flesh . the things and persons in this world i see , but after death i know not what will be . spirit . know'st thou not that which god himself hath spoken ? thou hast his promise which was never broken . reason proclaims that noble heav'n-born souls , are made for higher things than worms & moles . god hath not made such faculties in vain , nor made his service a deluding pain . but faith resolves all doubts , and hears the lord telling us plainly by his holy word , that uncloath'd souls shall with their savior dwell , triumphing over sin , and death , and hell. and by the power of almighty love , stars shall arise from graves to shine above . there we shall see the glorious face of god : his blessed presence shall be our abode : the face that banisheth all doubts and fears , shuts out all sins , and dryeth up all tears . that face which darkeneth the sun's bright rayes , shall shine us into everlasting joyes . where saints and angels shall make up one chore , to praise the great jehovah evermore . flesh . reason not with me against sight and sense : i doubt all this is but a ●ain pretence . words against nature are not worth a rush : one bird in hand is worth two in the bush . if god will give me heav'n at last , i 'le take it : but for my pleasure here i 'le not forsake it . spirit . and wilt thou keep it ? brutish flesh how long ? wilt thou not shortly sing another song ? when conscience is awakened , keep thy mirth ! when sickness & death comes , hold fast this earth : live if thou canst when god saith , come away : try whether all thy friends can cause thy stay . wilt thou tell death and god , thou wilt not die ? and wilt thou the consuming fire defie ? art thou not sure to let go what thou hast ? and doth not reason bid thee then forecast , and value the least hope of endless joyes , before known vanities , and dying toyes ? and can the lord that is most just and wise , found all man's duty in deceit and lies ? get thee behind me satan ; thou dost savour , the things of flesh , and not his dearest favour , who is my life , and light , and love , and all , and so shall be whatever shall befall . it is not thou , but i that must discern , and must resolve : it 's i that hold the stern : be silent flesh ; speak not against my god ; or else hee 'l teach thee better by the rod. i am resolved thou shalt live and die , a servant , or a conquered enemy . lord charge not on me what this rebell sayes , that alwaies was against me and thy wayes ! now stop its mouth by grace , that shortly must through just but gainful death , be stopt with dust . the thoughts and words of flesh are none of mine : let flesh say what it will , i will be thine . whatever this rebellious flesh shall prate , let me but serve thee lord , at any rate . use me on earth as seemeth good to thee , so i in heav'n thy glorious face may see . take down my pride ; let me dwell at thy feet : the humble are for earth and heav'n most meet renouncing flesh , i vow my self to thee , with all the talents thou hast lent to me . let me not stick at honour , wealth or blood : let all my dayes be spent in doing good . let me not trifle out more precious hours ; but serve thee now with all my strength and powers . if flesh should tempt me to deny my hand ; lord these are the resolves to which i stand , octob. 29. 1659. richard baxter . 8. the prayer of the sick , in a case like hezekiahs . to the tune of the 51 psalm . the first part. 1. eternal god , whose name is love ; whose mercy is my hope and stay : o hear and help me from above , that in distress to thee do pray . ashamed to lift up my face , hence from the dust to thee i cry : though i have sinn'd against thy grace , yet unto it alone i fly . 2. i was at first in sin conceiv'd , then liv'd a vain and sinful life : rebellious flesh which i receiv'd is still against thy grace in strife . long it was lord , alas too long , before i knew my self or thee : vanity rul'd my heart and tongue : and o that yet my soul were free ! 3. but while i sinned thou wast kind , and sent'st thy word and spirit of grace ; thy light did change my darkened mind , and shewed me my wretched case . though i drew back , thou didst prevail ; and i gave up my self to thee . thou undertook'st for wind and sail ; both ship and pilot thou would'st be . 4. i turn'd my back on worldly toyes ; and set my face toward glory's shore ; where thou hast promis'd highest joyes , and blessedness for evermore . i took my leave of sin and earth ; what i had lov'd , i now did hate ; ashamed of my former birth , i gave my life a newer date . 5. but since that time how am i tost ? afraid of every storm and wave : almost concluding i am lost , as if thou would'st not help and save . if i look out beyond thine ark , nothing but raging seas i see : on this side heav'ns all 's deep and dark : but i look further unto thee . 6. censures and scorns , and frowns i hear : storms which before i never found ; and yet all these i should not fear , if all at home were safe and sound . but thy displeasure wounds my heart : i have but two parts flesh and soul : both of thy wrath do bear their part ; and thou hast left me neither whole . the second part. 7. all this is just , lord , i confess ; i staid too long ere i came in : and how should healing grace do less , when i brought with me so much sin ? much pride and vanity i kept : too oft my heart was looking back : though god stood by me , yet i slept : heav'n was at hand ; yet i grew slack . spare lord , and pity thy poor dust ! that fled into thy ark for peace ! o cause my soul on thee to trust ! and do not my distress increase . o keep up life and peace within ! if i must feel thy chastening rod ; yet kill not me , but kill my sin ; and let me know , thou art my god. 9. folly dwelt in my childish breast ; sin rob'd me of my youthful daies : let not thy wrath cut off the rest , and stifle thine intended praise . whilst i forgot thee , thou didst bear : thy kindness did invite me home : o rack me not with grief and fear ! kill me not lord , now i am come . 10. the silent dust speaks not thy fame : nor in dark graves art thou renown'd : the living saints declare thy name , and in thy church thy praises sound . yet let me with thy houshold dwell ; though i be numbred with thy poor : and with thy saints thy wonders tell , although i sit behind thy door . 11. set not thy strength against frail man : o turn not yet this flesh to clay ! my life , thou know'st , is but a span , if i should see the longest day . break me not all to pieces lord ; or else , let each piece have a tongue , to cry , till thou relief afford ; but not to say , thou dost me wrong . 12. pity this poor unworthy soul , that here devotes it self to thee : resolve my doubts ; my fears controul ; and let me thy salvation see . o let that love which gave me groans , and taught my needy soul to pray , remove my fears , and hear the moans which sorrow breaths forth night and day . the third part. 13. why art thou , fainting soul , cast down ? and thus disquieted with fears ? art thou not passing to thy crown , through storms of pain , and floods of tears ? fear not , o thou of little faith ! art thou not in thy saviour's hand ? remember what his promise saith : life and death are at his command . 14. to him i did my self entrust , when first i did for heav'n imbark : and he hath proved kind and just : still i am with him in his ark. could'st thou expect to see no seas ? nor feel no tossing wind or wave ? it is enough that from all these thy faithful pilot will thee save . 15. lord let me not my covenant break : once i did all to thee resign : only the words of comfort speak , and tell my soul that i am thine . it 's no death when souls hence depart , if thou depart not from the soul : fill with thy love my fainting heart , and i 'll not fading flesh condole . 16. health is but sickness with thy frowns : life with thy wrath is worse than death : my comforts thy displeasure drowns , and into groans tunes all my breath . where is that faith , and hope , and love , by which thou markest all thy saints ? thy joyes would all my griefs remove , and raise this heart that daily faints . 17. am i the jonas ? dost thou mean to cast me out into the deep ? it shall not drown , but make me clean : until thou raise me , there i 'll sleep . o death ! where is thy poisonous sting ? o grave ! where is thy victory ? thy dust shall shortly rise , and sing god's praise above the starry sky . 18. my god , my love , my hope , my life ! shall i be loth to see thy face ? as if this world of sin and strife , were for my soul a better place ? o give my soul some sweet foretast of that which i shall shortly see ! let faith and love cry to the last , come lord , i trust my self with thee . john 11. 14. or 16. o let not unbelieving thomas words be now my answer : but my dearest lord's . amen . 9. the covenant and confidence of faith. to the common tunes . 1. my whole , though broken heart , o lord ! from henceforth shall be thine : and here i do my vow record : this hand , these words are mine . all that i have , without reserve , i offer here to thee : thy will and honour all shall serve , that thou bestow'dst on me . 2. all that exceptions save i lose : all that i lose i save : the treasure of thy love i choose ; and thou art all i crave . my god , thou hast my heart and hand : i all to thee resign . i 'll ever to this covenant stand , though flesh hereat repine . 3. i know that thou wast willing first ; and then mad'st me consent : having thus lov'd meat the worst , thou wilt not now repent . now i have quit all self-pretence , take charge of what 's thine own ! my life , my health , and my defence , now lie on thee alone . 4. now it belongs not to my care , whether i die or live : to love and serve thee is my share : and this thy grace must give . if life be long , i will be glad , that i may long obey : if short ; yet why should i be sad . that shall have the same pay . 5. if death shall bruise this springing seed , before it come to fruit ; the will with thee goes for the deed ; thy life was in the root . long life is a long grief and toil , and multiplieth faults : in long wars he may have the foil , that scapes in short assaults . 6. would i long bear my heavy load ? and keep my sorrows long ? would i long sin against my god ? and his dear mercy wrong ? how much is sinful flesh my foe , that doth my soul pervert , to linger here in sin and woe , and steals from god my heart ? 7. christ leads me through no darker rooms , than he went through before : he that into god's kingdom comes , must enter by this door . come lord , when grace hath made me meet , thy blessed face to see : for if thy work on earth be sweet , what will thy glory be ? 8. then i shall end my sad complaints , and weary sinful daies ; and joyn with the triumphant saints , that sing jehovah's praise . my knowledge of that life is small ; the eye of faith is dim : but it 's enough that christ knows all ; and i shall be with him . this covenant my dear wife in her former sickness subscribed with a cheerful will. joh. 12. 26. 10. a psalm of praise . to the tune of the 148 psalm . 1. ye holy angels bright , which stand before god's throne , and dwell in glorious light , praise ye the lord each one . you there so nigh are much more meet than we the feet , for things so high . 2. you blessed souls at rest , that see your saviour's face , whose glory , even the least is far above our grace ; god's praises sound , as in his sight , with sweet delight , you do abound . 3. all nations of the earth , extol the world's great king : with melody and mirth . his glorious praises sing . for he still reigns ; and will bring low , the proudest foe , that him disdains . 4. sing forth jehovah's praise , ye saints that on him call : magnifie him alwaies , his holy churches all : in him rejoyce ; and there proclaim his holy name , with sounding voice . 5. my soul , bear thou thy part : triumph in god above : with a well-tuned heart , sing thou the songs of love. thou art his own , whose precious blood shed for thy good , his love made known . 6. he did in loves begin , renewing thee by grace ; forgiving all thy sin , shew'd thee his pleased face , he did thee heal , by his son's merit , and by his spirit , for glory seal . 7. in saddest thoughts and grief , in sickness , fears and pain , i cry'd for his relief , and it was not in vain . he heard with speed ; and still i found mercy abound , in time of need . 8. let not his praises grow , on prosperous heights alone : but in the vales below , let his great love be known . let no distress , curb and controul , my winged soul , and praise suppress . 9. let not the fear or smart , of his chastizing rod , take off my fervent heart , from praising my dear god. what ere i feel , still let me bring this offering , and to him kneel . 10. though i lose friends and wealth , and bear reproach and shame ; though i lose ease and health , still let me praise god's name . that fear and pain , which would destroy my thanks and joy , do thou restrain . 11. though humane help depart , and flesh draw near to dust ; let faith keep up my heart , to love god true and just : and all my daies , let no disease cause me to cease his joyful praise . 12. though sin would make me doubt , and fill my soul with fears : though god seem to shut out , my daily cries and tears : by no such frost of sad delayes , let thy sweet praise be nipt and lost . 13. away distrustful care ! i have thy promise lord. to banish all despair , i have thy oath and word . and therefore i shall see thy face , and there thy grace , shall magnifie . 14. though sin and death conspire , to rob thee of thy praise . still towards thee i 'll aspire , and thou dull hearts canst raise . open thy door ; and when grim death shall stop this breath , i 'll praise thee more . 15. with thy triumphant flock ; then i shall numbered be , built on th' eternal rock , his glory we shall see . the heav'ns so high , with praise shall ring , and all shall sing in harmony . 16. the sun is but a spark , from the eternal light : it s brightest beams are dark , to that most glorious sight : there the whole chore , with one accord , shall praise the lord for evermore . 11. the complaint . what mean impatient men to call it pain ? that do the creatures wrath alone sustain ? but , alas ! how much greater is my woe , that must god's sharp displeasure undergo ? if a worm's fury seemeth hard to bear , who dare before an angry god appear ? i thought my god had blotted out my sin ; and it no more remembred should have bin ! and wilt thou now call up what 's past and gone ? and charge upon me all that i have done ? why then , where is my saviour ' where 's his blood ? shall not thy promises be all made good ? where are thy tender bowels ? where 's that grace ? that shew'd me once thy reconciled face ? dost thou repent ? or can god changed be ? o no! it 's i that falsly turn'd from thee . yet be not angry with me , o my god! if thy child cry , and plead against the rod ; not daring to accuse thy narrow path ; but humbly bold to deprecate thy wrath . is it thy pleasure to behold my grief ? when thou canst with a word send full relief ? dost thou delight to see me drencht in tears ? and overwhelm'd with doubts and horrid fears ? wilt thou stand by and see my soul thus sink ? while wasting flesh doth stand at the pits brink ? shall grief and sickness leave but skin and bones ? and shall i know no breath but sighs and groans ? have i no passions left but griefs and fears ? are groans the only musick for thine ears ? and have i sense only to feel my woe ? and reason only misery to know ? and wilt thou suffer sinful unbelief , to banish joy , and keep out all relief ? how can that gracious lord my woe desire ? that did so much to save me from the fire ? how can that saviour be against my good , that dy'd in love , and washt me by his blood ? can the same voice now pass so sad a doom , that from my sin so lately call'd me home ? wilt thou now frown me down to fears & death ? that lately gav'st me a new life and breath ? or can that hand that snatcht me from the flame , tear me , and cast me back into the same ? pity , my god , this sinking trembling soul , and let the hand that wounds me , make me whole : friends would , but cannot ; all their help is vain . but thou canst quickly give me joy for pain . what can friends do , but make my grief their own ? and will not give me leave to die alone . they can but add their fruitless tears and moans , to joyn in a sad consort with my groans . their pity doth but make my wounds more deep : while in compassion they stand by and weep . through me , thou woundest them : my pains are theirs : and every tender friend a portion bears . they can but pray for that which thou must give : they strive in vain if thou wilt not relieve . o spare me lord ! and press me not too low : lest i should pievish and impatient grow ! lest i should have unworthy thoughts of thee , forgetting what thy love hath done for me . lest blind distrust get ground against my faith , and i grow mindless what thy promise saith . lest griefs consume the soul which thou hast made , and lest thy praises with my comforts fade . lest i thine antient loves no more rehearse , but all my thanks as a mistake reverse . and lest unruly grief should make me break thy holy laws , and things unseemly speak . and lest the tempter should advantage take , the heav'n-built structure of my hopes to shake . lest i be drawn with job to curse the day , in which my soul was marryed to clay ! lest this rash tongue thy precious loves deny , and in distress , should call thee enemy . break not the heart on which thou wrot'st thy name , lest those blest letters perish with the frame . thy word commands us alwaies to rejoice : fain i would do it , but thou stop'st my voice . can i rejoyce , when as thine angry dart , is piercing night and day my wounded heart ? can i rejoyce and bleed ? rejoyce and die ? can i rejoyce , when thou dost joy deny ? can i mix night and day ? or death and life ? or heat and cold ? or quietness and strife ? or twist the highest joy with deepest sorrow ? dwelling near hell to day , & heaven to morrow ? will joyes agree with heavy sighs and groans ? and sweetest comforts dwell with broken bones ? when i would rise and sing thy love's renown , then comes another wave and strikes me down . brimstone and flames methinks upon me rain , as if i were adjudg'd to sodom's pain . o my dear god! why dost thou me forsake ? and all my bones and heart in pieces shake ? i took thee for my only life and joy : o do not now this trembling soul destroy ! the answer . weak child ! why dost thou make all this ado ? dost thou remember whom thou speakest to ? dost thou consider what thy passion saith ? is this the language of a stable faith ? is this thy patience , and thy self-denyal ? wilt thou thus shrink & shake in time of tryal ? may i not with my own do what i list ? and use my creature as to me seems best ? am i not wise enough to use the rod ? wilt thou prefer thy self before thy god ? who 's fittest to be ruler ? thou or i ? whose wisdom's best ? and whose fidelity ? when prov'd i false unto thee ? or unkind ? when didst thou seek aright , and didst not find ? look homeward , man ; there dwells thine enemy ▪ it is thy self and sin : it is not l. the thing thou should'st complain of , is within : turn all thy charge against thy self and sin. sin is so bad , that it can do no better . god cannot fail thee , and remain thy debter . such intimations should not pass thy tongue , as if the righteous god could do thee wrong . were conscience but as tender as thy flesh , and sin as grievous to thee as the lash ; hadst thou but lived as beseems a saint , i might have spar'd my rod , and thou thy plaint . canst thou suspect i am against thy good , when i have prov'd my love by streams of blood ? have i not lov'd thee from eternity ? and caus'd my only son for thee to die ? have i not call'd thee from a life of sin , when thousands round about thee live therein ? remember how i us'd thee at the first , when in thy blood i found thee at the worst : who gave thee notice of thy sinful state , wakening thy soul before it was too late ? who did convince thee of the worldlings folly ? and shew thee that it 's better to be holy ? who sav'd thee from the world's deceits and lies ? and wean'd thee from thy former vanities ? who taught thee to bewail thy heavy load ? and made thee long to know and love thy god ? if thou art willing that i should be thine , it is because at first i call'd thee mine . i offered christ : i made thee to consent : and in the terms of grace to rest content . when thou wast ignorant , who did thee teach ? and made thee long a higher state to reach ? who made thee love and chuse the scorned way ? and cleave to christ , whatever flesh could say ? who made thee pray ? and who thy prayer heard ? and sav'd thee from the plagues thy conscience fear'd ? who made thy sinful heart long to be better ? art thou not for all this to me a debter ? that thou dost miss me , and my pleased face , that thou dost mourn & groan , is from my grace : freely i did forgive thee what was past , and all thy deadly sins behind me cast . and yet must i be taken for thy foe ? and all these accusations undergo ? after all this , canst thou my love suspect ? and all my comforts peevishly reject ? dar'st thou deny my love and grace , as none , because that all the work is not yet done ? who wrought that grace ? whose should the honour be ? while thou condemn'st thy self , thou wrongest me . watch and reform , and cheerfully . obey : for what thou wantest , wait , and strive , and pray . thy love and cheerful duty i require : it 's not thy self-tormenting i desire . humbly look back : remember what thou wast : be not unthankful for the grace thou hast . deny it not , but wait at mercy's door : thankfulness is the way to get thee more . if thou art weak , look upto christ thy strength : he 'l perfect what he hath begun at length : is not his grace sufficient for thee still ? he 'l give the rest , that freely gave the will : if thou stand still , or loyter in thy race ; and if my spur do bid thee , mend thy pace ; let not the smart make thee lie down and whine , and at the needful quickening rod repine : but , up ; repent ; cheerfully do thy best : the day 's at hand , when thou shalt have the rest . the submission . father , forgive my passion and rash words : yet i 'le be thine : i 'le own no other lords . seeing thou wilt accept so frail a worm , that can without thee no good thing perform ; still i 'le be thine , and stand to what i said , when i my covenant and resignment made . i 'le rather groan within , and suffer more , than laugh with them that stand without thy door . o let thy will attract and perfect mine ! hereafter not my will be done , but thine . and let the roughest way seem fair and eaven , that hath thy presence , and doth lead to heaven . and as thou bidst me , evermore rejoyce , give me a joyful heart , and praising voice . suffer not sin to soil thy grace and me ; but make me such as thou wouldst have me be . let streams of love flow from thy open breast : and let me wait , and long to feel the rest. 12. the return . to the tune of pas . mes . galliard : or , the common psalm tunes . 1. who was it that i left behind , when i went last from home ? that now i all disorder'd find , when to my self i come ? 2. i thought i had the door fast lockt , when i went last away : and long might strangers there have knockt , if none had found my key . 3. when i was here the fire did burn , that now is almost out : half dead with cold i sit and mourn , perplext with many a doubt . 4. i left it light , but now all 's dark , and i am fain to grope : were it not for one little spark , i should be out of hope . 5. the rooms i carefully did sweep ; but now i find all foul : serpents do crawl , and vermine creep , in my polluted soul. 6. my gospel-book i open left , where i the promise saw : but now i doubt it 's lost by theft , i find none but the law. 7. and when my soul i had undrest , and thought some ease to find : i found distress instead of rest , through anguish of my mind . 8. for thorns were put into my bed , where i was wont to sleep : grief is the pillow for my head , on which i lie and weep . 9. and if i slumber , up i start : my dreams awake my fears : the thorns have pierced head and heart ; and drawn forth more than tears . 10. the stormy rain an entrance hath , through the uncovered top : how should i rest when showers of wrath upon my conscience drop ? 11. my goods i fear are gone to waste : the best i cannot find : the rest are in disorder cast : which yet are left behind . 12. i lock'd my jewel in my chest : i 'le search lest that be gone : if this one guest had quit my breast , i had been quite undone . 13. i know it's sin that did all this : for nothing else could do it : i 'le charge upon it all i miss , and with the law pursue it . 14. my treacherous flesh hath plaid its part , and opened sin the door : and they have spoil'd and rob'd my heart , and left it sad and poor . 15. how shall i see my landlord's face ? how shall i pay his rent ? when i have thus abus'd his grace ; and have his treasure spent ? 16. yet have i one great trusty friend , that will procure my peace ; and all this loss and ruine mend , and purchase my release . 17. when i the prodigal had plaid , and all my portion spent ; he told me he my debts had paid , and bade me but repent . 18. yea this by his supply was done : whose covenant bade me do it . because i had not of my own , so much as would serve to it . 19. and after this when my false heart , forgot my dearest lord ; he did perform a saviour's part , and still my soul restor'd . 20. i fear'd lest as but once he dy'd , he would but once forgive : but still when in distress i try'd , he did my soul relieve . 21. still when he took me by the hand , my father on me smil'd : oft have i broken his command , and yet he call'd me child . 22. i know his power : and for his love , it spoke by pains and blood : largely doth he his kindness prove , and make his promise good . 23. therefore i 'le never more despair , nor take my self for lost : for he will all my loss repair , though at the dearest cost . 24. yea more , i have his hand to shew , that when my lease is out , a kingdom he 'l on me bestow ; he chides me if i doubt . 25. i 'le trust on him , and use his name , whatever be my need : and i shall scape the wrath and shame , and shall be sure to speed . 26. and for that sin that plaid the thief , i 'le stop its poisonous breath ; or pine it with consuming grief , and famish it to death . 27. and i 'le take heed for time to come , of wandering abroad , with my best constant friend at home , i 'le settle mine aboad . 28. the bellows i 'le yet take in hand : till this small spark shall flame . love shall my heart and tongue command , to praise god's holy name . 29. once more i mean to sweep all clean , and cast out filthy sin : and christ again i 'le entertain , and wait on him within . 30. i 'le mend the roof : i 'le watch the door , and better keep the key : i 'le trust my treacherous flesh no more , but force it to obey . 31. i 'le make a covenant with my eyes ; my tongue shall know its law : i 'le all the baits of sin despise , and keep my heart in awe . 32. my bed shall be made soft by love ; and there i 'le take my rest : or else i 'le wake till i remove , where none dwell but the blest . 33. what have i said ? that i 'le do this ? that am so false and weak ? and have so often done amiss , and did my covenants break ? 34. i mean , lord , all this shall be done , if thou my heart wilt raise . and as the work must be thine own ; so also shall the praise . 12. the lamentation jan. 18. 1660 / 1. for sin afflicting the sinner ; especially by the grievous sufferings of friends . with the relief of the self-condemning soul. o mercy , mercy , mercy ! o my god! must i feel nothing but thy smarting rod ? must i be daily on the rack of sears ? and have no drink to quench my thirst but tears ? where is the spring that feeds this bitter stream ? that stops not , either when i wake or dream ? these worms of fear and grief , whose food i am , into the world as brethren with me came : youthful diversions cast them once asleep , but light awaken'd them to bite more deep . since then , i liv'd between thy book and rod ; and in thy school of discipline abode : sometimes thy gentle twigs toucht but the skin : sometimes thy sharper stroaks did enter in : most of them fell but on my outward part : but now they pierce , they wound , they kill my heart . spare lord ! i sigh , i groan , i weep , i cry ! o spare ! before i bleed , i sink , i die ! o spare the heart ! or wound none but mine own ! and let me sigh , and weep , and mourn alone ! it 's i that sinn'd : these sheep what have they done ? i sinn'd but with one heart : o break but one ! shall i that have extoll'd thy peoples joyes , and told men of the sweetness of thy waies ; now by my plaints and dolor make them think , thou giv'st us gall and vinegar to drink . set me not as a spectacle of wrath , to frighten commers from the holy path . be silent flesh ! my god is wise and just ; hast thou not sinned ? stoop and kiss the dust . if passion did not blind thee , thou might'st see , justice is good , even when it falls on thee . it is not causless , if he pierce the heart : he doth but chuse the foul , the guilty part . had not the door been open'd first to sin , terrour and sorrows could not have got in : if it have room for thoughts of pride and iust ; that trouble should dwell with them , is but just . where should the tent be put , but in the wound ? we cleanse the ulcerous part , and not the sound . where should jehovah's battering cannons play , but at the fortress where his enemy lay ? thence came the viperous brood ; there was the root of all the bitter , poisonous , deadly fruit . there god should have been entertain'd in love. his will as end & spring each wheel should move . but how unkindly was he there abus'd ? his tender love and healing grace refus'd ? oft have i shut the door when he hath come ; i play'd , or slept , or would not be at home . should god be sleighted by a stubborn heart , and not rebuke its folly by its smart ? i sinn'd and laugh'd ; i lightly pass'd it over : should god do so , and not his wrath discover ? just is the lord : my sin hath found me out . i find his threatenings true beyond all doubt : what have i done ! all 's now to conscience known : it s deep remorse , tells me , what i have done . what have i done ! it 's graven all in stone : this heart of flint , feels now , what i have done . what have i done ! my pained flesh and bone , cry out with anguish , o what have i done ! what have i done ! i see , i feel , i groan ! the sad effects proclaim , what i have done . what have i done ! my friends distress and moan , cry to me night and day , this thou hast done . melt sinful heart , and spare not ! welcome grief ! away delights ! i 'le none of your relief . shew me the wilderness , the secret cell , where grief and i may still together dwell ! where hills and woods may eccho all my groans , and hearers may not interrupt my moans ! where mortal eyes may see no more the face , which folly hath confounded with disgrace . where i may die alive , and live in death ; and spend in lamentation all my breath . seeing deceitful heart-tormenting sin so cunningly is crept and woven in : break it in pieces , turn this heart to dust ; melt out the dross ; purge out the filth and rust . spare not the lance : or if that will do good , drench it in tears : stop not this brinish flood ! jesus . peace troubled soul ! i 'le wash it in my blood . woman , why weepest thou ? was the first word , after his rising , spoken by our lord , to which his angels preface did accord . john 20. 13. 15. the relief . jesus . peace troubled soul ! it 's not thy brinish flood , nor troubling passions that must do thee good : come ! freely drank , and bathe thee in this blood. sinner . what i ? so vile a wretch ! it cannot be ! alas ! i fear it was not shed for me ! jesus . yea even for thee : so far 't was shed for all , that they may come and welcome , at my call. sinner . alas lord ! i have trampled on thy blood , and thy reproofs , and calls of grace withstood . jesus . and yet i call thee : take my mercy yet : i 'le answer for thee : i have paid thy debt . sinner . what mine ! that have provoked thee so long ? and done thy blood and spirit so much wrong ? jesus . i dy'd for enemies : it is my glory , to wash foul hearts , and blot out all their story . sinner . what! one so long ! so terrible ! so sad ! love one so hateful ! pardon one so bad ! jesus . hast thou such sins as i cannot forgive ? or any wants which i cannot relieve ? sinner . i know thy blood can wash away my guilt : i doubt not , thou canst heal me , if thou wilt . jesus . how hath my will deserved thy suspicion , when i have made acceptance the condition ? consent , and all is thine : my gift is free : the purchase is not to be made by thee . sinner . ● know what thou wilt do , shall sure be done : ●ut some god hates : i fear that i am one . jesus . and must the love declar'd at such a rate , so vail'd by the suspicion of hate ? for this i came to men from god above , to manifest his great abundant love : mark what my doctrine , life and death intend : this is their principal design and end : god's power and skill , but chiefly his great mercy and good will. sinner . yet he will save none but his own elect : not those that his salvation neglect . jesus . my promise , and thy duty , thou may'st see ; but canst not search the depth of god's decree . mercy intreats thee : here it 's brought unto thee : take it , and god's decree shall not undo thee . all are elect that do not to the last refuse me , and my grace behind them cast . sinner . this i have done , and fear i shall do still , till i the measure of my sins fulfil . though god be love it self , i shall have none : i fear my day of grace is past and gone . methinks i feel , grace doth my soul forsake : thy holy spirit thou dost from me take . jesus . here thou art yet alive ; my grace attends thee ; and from the jaws of death and hell defends thee . satan would fain at once thy soul devour : what dangers dost thou walk in every hour ? yet thou art safe , and hear'st the preacher's voice come , close with mercy , and heav'n will rejoyce . dost thou not feel my spirit still contend ? and tell thee what it is that thou must mend ? if yet thou 'lt be but willing to be mine ; i and my benefits will sure be thine . i seek ; i knock ; thou find'st i have not done : yet dost thou say , thy day of grace is gone ? sinner . o but i have a heart as hard as steel ! i see my misery , but cannot feel ! jesus . fully to feel what thou deserv'st , is hell. what measure 's best , it 's i that best can tell . sinner . i can scarce weep a tear for sin : this heart was never melted yet by all thine art ! sure it 's a sign my day of grace is gone , when this unhumbled heart remains a stone . jesus . consent but to my covenant , and be sure , the remnant of thy hardness i will cure . i 'le put a tender heart into thy breast : believe in me , and i 'le forgive the rest . it is no mortal hardness , if thou chuse my covenant ; and dost not me refuse . should'st thou but fully feel thy sin , thou 'dst die : none could sustain so great a load but i. i felt it for thee : leave it to my care , to wound or heal ; to break , afflict or spare . sinner . my sin , my wants my misery is such . that i can never feel and grieve too much . jesus . such breaking 's good as breaks the heart of sin : and maketh way for love to enter in . but not the grief that only breaketh ease , weakning the soul , and strengthning the disease . hinder not love and joy ; but grieve in measure : my blood , and not thy tears , must be thy treasure . sinner . indeed my purest streams are too impure : and cannot thy severity endure . the grief of an impatient selfish spirit , cannot thy pardon or acceptance merit . but if this hardened heart do not relent , and so great sin and misery lament , how canst thou smile on such a brazen face , as never felt the want and worth of grace ? jesus . whence 〈◊〉 i this complaining language hear , if neither want nor worth of grace appear ? i 'le save thee , if but so far thou repent , as to my gospel-covenant to consent . wilt thou be healed ? truly say , i will , and trust the cure on thy physicians skill . sinner . o there 's my sin and woe ! though grace be free i cannot take thy grace , or come to thee . my heart is hardened ; i cannot repent : my will 's enthrall'd ; i cannot consent . this will condemn me at the dreadful day : i may have life , but will not when i may . jesus . art thou not willing ? why then dost thou crave it ? dost thou complain for grace , & wouldst not have it ? if thou hadst rather be ungodly still , it seems thou speak'st all this against thy will. sinner . would not the worst of men be sav'd from hell ? and in delight and endless pleasure dwell ? but to be holy i have no desire , but as a means to keep me from hell fire . when i seem to do good , or ill forbear , it is not out of love , but slavish fear . all my religion is but from self-love : i find no pleasure in the things above . jesus . natural love of self is the foundation which grace builds on , and useth for salvation . he that loves not himself , loves not another : it 's as thy self that thou must love thy brother . thy own salvation is the lawful end , which grace and nature bind thee to intend . why was i made man , but for man's salvation ? i suffer'd death to hinder thy damnation . these are the ends for which thou must believe : life through a saviour's that thou must receive . ●t's carnal self that wicked men do love : the lawful love of self they 'l not improve . they all prefer sin's pleasure for a season ; their fleshly appetite doth rule their reason . me and my healing grace they will not have ; they 'l not endure that mercy should them save . they hate the light that would their sin display , and would direct them in the holy way : though they fear hell , they alwaies fear much more the loss of honour , pleasure , health or store . no fear of hell will take their idol down , and make them seek first the eternal crown . the fear of god is wisdom's true beginning : it calls to duty , and preserves from sinning : god must be fear'd , as one that can destroy the soul , and shut it out of endless joy. the fear of god's the just man's character : they fear not god indeed that wished are . god would be fear'd as a consuming fire : this is no sin but what he doth require . love may lie hidden as a covered seed ; when fear in troubling passion doth exceed . if angry parents make the child afraid , he feels not love , till passion be allaid . excessive fear may hinder active love , and yet the 〈…〉 not 〈◊〉 : when god's rebukes and frowns the soul affright , it may dispose his children unto flight . where love is true , some hatred may arise , when terrours and despair the soul surprise . a loving child will not his father own , when through mistake or distance he 's unknown . the pleasing part of love cannot appear , under prevailing grief , and too much fear : until the soul be calm'd , and these abate , love is opprest , and seemeth turn'd to hate . but doth not love appear in thy desire ? would'st thou not love god more ? & fain get higher ? would it not please thee more if thou couldst find his image clearly printed on thy mind , his love and spirit dwelling in thy heart , then of this world to have the choicest part ? wouldst thou not have a heart that can repent , and hate sin more , and tenderly relent ? a heart more fit to meditate and pray ? and walk exactly , and god's laws obey ? a clearer light , which may god's mind reveal ? more life and feeling ? greater heat of zeal ? a stronger faith to live on things above , where endless praise shall be the breath of love ? sinner . whether i should desire these i doubt , if possibly i could be sav'd without . jesus . what 's grace for , but to bring thee to salvation ? to heal thy soul , and keep thee from damnation ? wilt thou its nature and its use destroy , and then conceit thou dost it not enjoy ? think on 't , as that which doth salvation bring , or else thou mak'st it quite another thing . grace were not grace if it did not intend thy happiness and glory as its end. the means is nullifi'd by separation from the just end to which it hath relation . what do men trade for but their lawful wealth ? and what is food and physick for but health ? look not on grace in one divided notion : but the concordant perfect frame and motion : take not one single part , but view the whole , as it 's the health and beauty of the soul ; the life , the strength , the glory , the delight , and that which makes it lovely in god's sight ; the honour , safety , gain , and true content ; and that which must the pains of hell prevent : take these as undivided ; all in one ; and view not one disjoynted part alone : if all together seem a choicer treasure than worldly gain , and sinful fading pleasure , and turn the scales in thy deliberation ; then doubt not of thy title to salvation . but dost thou not desire that god would love thee ? and make thee just and lovely , and approve thee ? would'st thou not see his face in glorious light , and there sing allelujah 's in his sight ? and love him perfectly world without end , more deerly than thou lov'st thy deerest friend ? where thou shalt be replenished with joy , and no disturbance shall thy soul annoy ? where no temptation , sin or grief shall come : where my own love and joy shall be thy home , abiding with the host of heav'n alwaies , in the sweet musick of jehovah 's praise . this glorious life with god , thou must love best : yet as thy own felicity and rest : in union and fruition of a friend , not one , but both the lovers are the end. and hast thou no desire or will to this ? would'st thou not live with god in endless bliss ? sinner . some cold desires of heav'n the worst may have : but dreaming lazy wishes will not save . jesus . judge by these three for ending all the strife : thy estimation , choice , and bent of life . these fleshly pleasures stand in competition : know which thou chusest as thy best condition . if thou the everlasting sure reward , more than sins fading pleasures dost regard ; if god and thy salvation be the part , whose interest stands highest in thy heart ; if thus his kingdom thou first seek and crave ; both it , and all things needful thou shalt have . sinner . i fear i do not these thy terms fulfil ; and have not truly a consenting will : because so great averseness i still find , to god and holiness upon my mind ; such deadness to believe , love , and repent , that there seems more of hatred than consent . necessity and reason use a force against my will and nature's bent and sourse . jesus . no man can conquer and obtain salvation , but by resisting carnal inclination . fleshly desires run with speedy course , and need not faith 's or reason's help and force . earthward you sink propensly as a cold ; but not so easily ascend to god. one motion 's downward ; th' other 's all uphill ; against the byas of the carnal will. too much of flesh remaineth in the best : some enmity to good sticks in their breast : something of hatred , even to god and grace , contends with love , and troubleth your race . in the most mortifi'd , the flesh yet liveth , and constantly against the spirit striveth : you cannot hear , read , meditate , or pray , or any thing that 's good , think , do , or say ; but flesh makes war , and stifly doth resist , and would prevail , did not my grace assist . conflict and conquest of this in-bred foe , must be the way of all the good you do . the question is not , whether flesh do strive ? but , whether after flesh or spirit you live ? it is not opposition that will prove that thou art void of faith , or hope , or love. the law that 's in thy members will still find weapons against the law that 's in thy mind : the flesh will so rebel , and put thee to it , that when thou wouldst do good , thou canst not do it . there 's in one breast a twofold will and heart , actingreach of them a contrary part : there is a will to good , and will to evil : one's rul'd by god , the other by the devil . a will to read , and pray , and meditate ; a will that doth all this oppose and hate . do not now stand and whine , nor yield , nor flie ; but use thy weapons : thou must fight or die . now live by faith : be glad thou hast a christ , whose spirit fortifies thee to resist : making the greatest things thy chiefest scope ; keeping alive a secret spark of hope ; which will not only strive , but overcome ; and through all foes will safely bring thee home . sinner . but how can i find favour in thy sight , that have sinn'd wilfully even in the light ? jesus . though they that wholly to the last reject my sacrifice , no other can expect ; all kind of sin is pardon'd by my merit , save the grand blasphemy against the spirit . sinner . alas ! this is the thing that i fear most , lest i have thus blasphem'd the holy ghost ! jesus . no man that fears , or thinks he hath this sin , hath ever truly guilty of it been . for they deny me all to be the lord , think it no sin to violate my word . they set themselves against me with despight , and justifie the sin which they commit . sinner . but wilt thou take this , lord , for true consent , from a hard heart that can no more relent ? from one that loveth thee no more than i ? that is constrained by necessity ? and while he thus subscribeth to thy will , knowingly crosseth it , and sinneth still ? jesus . if thou consent , it 's good that doth thee move : and to consent to good , is truly love. believe if thou would'st love : and in my face , god's love and grace . if his abounding love thou didst but know , thy heart with love to him would everflow . love kindleth love ; but faith must hold the glass ! this sight would win thy heart before thou pass . he that will love god , must not think him evil ; nor paint him in his fancy like the devil . satan will make thee fly from god with hate , if he can make thee throughly desperate . think'st thou to find thy love , before by faith thou 'lt come to me ? and hear what mercy saith ? thou may'st as wisely search for marks to prove thou lovest god , before thou wilt him love . believe , consent , give up thy self to me ; and i will give my self and spirit to thee ; i will inable thee to do the rest ; and take the stony heart out of thy breast : i 'le put god's fear and love into thy heart , that thou may'st never more from him depart . i 'le quench the flames of thy corrupt desire , and save thee from god's wrath , and from hell fire . sinner . and wilt thou pardon all the crimson sin , of which my wilful heart hath guilty been ? jesus . have i not told thee i will pardon all ? hast thou sinn'd more than raging bloody soul ? or than manasseh 's long and matchless flood of witchcraft , rage , idolatry and blood ? that yet was pardon'd when he did return , and in his prison-irons pray and mourn . trust me , subscribe my covenant and be mine , and i and all my benefits are thine . sinner . o wondrous love ! where this is kindly felt , the heart must needs with love & sorrow melt ! wilt thou accept so vile a wretch as i ? i 'le cast my self upon thee , live or die . my soul and body here to thee i tender : all that i called mine , i here surrender . to this consent here i subscribe my hand , whatever changes come , to this i stand : not by my strength : i trust on thee , my lord ! that for performance , thou wilt grace afford . january 26. 1660 / 1. 13. upon the sight of mr. vines his posthumous treatise of the sacrament , october 18. 1656. who dyed a little before . while thou grew'st here , thy fruit made glad the hearts that sin and death made sad : lest we should surfeit of thy fruit , thy life retired to the root . desiring with us first to keep , a passover before thy sleep * ; weary of earth , thou took'st thine ease , passing into the land of peace : the threatned evil we fore-see , but hope to hide our selves with thee . though thou art gone , while we must fight , we 'l call it victory , not flight . when god hath taken up this vine , we thought no more to taste its wine , till in the land of salem's king , we drink it new , even from the spring : but unexpectedly we find , some clusters which are left behind : this mantle from thy chariot fell ; we know it by the pleasant smell : who knows but from this little seed , some more such fruitful vines may breed ? the tree of death bears precious fruit , though in the earth it have no root . dear brother ! thou art gone before , and i a wretch wait at the door ! sin doth not only keep me thence , but makes me loth to go from hence : when christ hath heal'd me of this sin , and made me fit ; he 'l let me in : till then , may i but in a glass , see what you see with open face ; sure it will raise my heavy soul , and these distrustful fears controul ! and make me willing to be gone , as knowing whither , and to whom : if time be nothing , as some say , you that were with us yesterday , are with us still ; or we with you ; which is the better of the two . the soul imbodied in those lines , doth make us say , that , this is vines : and if our hearts with you could be ; our lord would say , that there are we . but as acccording to desert , the heavens have got thy better part ; and left us but some of the wine , whil'st they have taken up the vine : so we look up , and wait , and pray , and yet still feel , we live in clay . here we are keeping sin's account , while some small sparks do upward mount , crying [ how long , holy and true ! ] till we are taken up to you . thus also we must follow love * , to find our head and life above . he that is made by the new-birth , a burgess of the church on earth , and then by faith can rise so high , in divine love to live and die , shall be translated to your soil , remov'd from sin , and fear , and toil ; and from this house of worms and moles , unto that element of souls . where every branch becomes a vine ; and where these clods like stars will shine : god is not there known by the book : you need not there the pruning hook : there you have wine without the press ; and god his praise without distress . there we shall find our eyes and sight , when we come to our head and light. the kernel is where you now dwell , and we here strive about the shell : you have the reconciling light , who are past faith , and live by sight : no wonder then if you are one , when peace from earth is almost gone : we croud about a little spark , learnedly striving in the dark ; never so bold as when most blind ; run fastest when the truth 's behind . no heresies with you are sown : there 's not a truth but all will own : a mixture we get here by rote ; and errour keeps the major vote . there pride and faction cannot enter . there 's no division in the center . the saints there play not satan's part ; they use not any carnal art , their righteous brethren to defame ; and by untruths to blot their name . there you are comely , and not black : each one hath all , yet none do lack . what sin or smart can you befall , where self 's put off , and god is all. look up and see , now vines is gone ; are not the stars the more by one ? no : but one fewer in our sight ; for we have forfeited his light. and such an one , as all do miss , save those whose pleasure darkness is . and who can number stars above ; when saints so fast to heav'n remove ? if but three such in all our times , as usher , gataker and vines , were taken hence by fatal sleep ; three nations should consent to weep . and if an age this loss repair ; the church will think it very fair . they shine in glory now to god , who shin'd and burn'd here to a clod. may such a sinful worm as i , aspire and ascend so high ! that kingdom 's mine in hope and right , which you possess by love and sight . that god , that christ hath loved me , whose glory blessed vines doth see : we were both washed in one stream : and both enlightned by one beam : one garment also did us cloath : at once one pulpit held us both * ; much more one church : for we agreed , both in one method , and one creed . one evil we did both condole † , as animated by one soul : methinks where thou art , i should be ; although the lowest in degree . though thou art gone , and i am here ; yet is my passing-hour near : time is at work both night and day , even when it seemeth to delay : my grave and coffin are at hand : my glass hath but a little sand : now i am writing ; and anon they 'l also say of me , he 's gone . then i shall see the shining face , which is the glory of your place . but lest in vain i hope and run , lord perfect what thou hast begun . 14. a dialogue between death and the believer . a rustick song , set to a pleasant tune . death . come with me poor mortal , quickly come away : my name is dreadful death . through this narrow portal . come without delay ; for here i 'le stop thy breath . presently my dart shall pierce thee to the heart , and away thy life i 'le have : it is in vain to fly , or any friend to try : for there 's none that can thee save . believer . 2. welcome friendly death ; what canst thou do to me , ' that i have cause to fear ? though thou shalt stop my breath , yet i in life shall be , when thou shalt not be there . and though the gate be streight , it leads unto that height , where i shall defie thy dart : willingly i yield , as armed by that shield , that will save my nobler part . death . come away frail man , and open now thy breast , and take thy mortal wound : let friends do what they can , and physick do its best , they 'l all too weak be found . lay now aside thy mirth , and turn unto thy earth : i will give thee the fatal blow : it is in vain to wish ; thou canst not save thy flesh : for my power thou shalt know . believer . 4. readily i come , as being not the first , that hath past through thy door : thou shalt but help me home , when thou hast done thy worst ; and thou shalt be no more : by drawing out my blood , thou shalt but do me good ; and ease me of my grief : and though thou look so grim , thou shalt bring me to him , that will give me full relief . death . 5. thy flesh i 'le turn to clay , and all thy bones to dust ; and leave thee in the grave . make no longer stay , for come away thou must ; it is in vain to crave : cloathed from head to feet , but with a winding-sheet , my prisoner thou shalt be ; bearing my loathsom mark , thou shalt lie in the dark , and the face of no man see . believer . 6. thou shalt but dig the ground , where god his seed will sow , and raise it at the spring : and there i shall be found , and christ his own will know , and unto glory bring : when here i cease to live , a better life he 'l give , which thou shalt not destroy : and though this life thou spill , my soul thou canst not kill , nor again with fears anoy . 7. when thou put'st out these eyes , i shall receive my sight : my day will all be noon : above the spangled skies , where never shall be night , nor need of sun or moon : the grave also shall keep my dust in quiet sleep , till the coming of my lord : that flesh shall shine with god , that now is but a clod ; and must lie as a thing abhorr'd . death . 8. thy merry daies are gone ; thou shalt no longer stay : thy life shall end in pain : thy time and work is done , and all thy sport and play ; and never shall come again . here take thy leave of health , and of thy goods and wealth ; and of every pleasant friend : bid farewel to them all , for here thy corps shall fall ; and the world to thee shall end . believer . 9. boast not , o conquered foe : for thou could'st have no strength , but what comes from my sin : my lord will overthrow thy power at the length ; and will thy prisoners win : thou could'st not keep my head , when he lay in thy bed ; but he rose , and now doth reign : he 'l take away thy sting , and endless life will bring , and with him shall i remain . 10. how oft have i undrest me , and laid my garments by , and dyed till the next day ? i do but go to rest me , and shall rise speedily ; my lord will not delay . when thou hast broke this shell , my soul with christ shall dwell , and with saints and angels bright . this world is but the womb , from which my soul must come , into the eternal light. 11. and what though death be painful ? the pain is quickly past ; my soul shall soon be freed : my lord shall make it gainful : the gain shall ever last ; and joy shall grief succeed . and though the place seem strange , and nature fear a change ; yet i with christ shall be . and when with him i dwell , i know i shall be well , and his glorious light shall see . 12. thou shalt but kill my sin , and crown my painful race , and end my grief and fear : thou shalt but let me in to see the blessed face of my redeemer dear . and is it any loss to follow with my cross , till i attain the crown ? it 's he that truly dyes , that mercy doth despise , and at last god will disown . 13. i knew that from my birth i was a mortal man : my frailty , is confest . i knew my flesh was earth ; my life was but a span . and here is not my rest . if thou canst say no more , all this i knew before , and yet thy threats defie . have i long sought in pain , and would i not obtain , joyful eternity ? 14. o feeble thing ! how canst thou conquer christ , and make his promise void ? first overcome my king , and his command resist , by whom thou art employ'd : first win the world above , and conquer endless love ; and then i 'le be thy slave : kill an immortal soul , and we will all condole , and fear a darksome grave . 15. it 's christ that doth thee send , to bring about his end ; and him thou must obey . he is my dearest friend , and doth no harm intend , in calling me away . and why should he fear ill , whom love it self doth kill ? and numbreth with the blest ? why should not death fulfil , his good all-ruling will , my spring , my guide , my rest. hoc migraturus scripsi sub imagine carmen . farewel vain world : as thou hast been to me dust and a shadow , such i leave to thee . the unseen life and substance i commit to him that 's substance , life , light , love to it . some leaves and fruit are dropt for soil & seed ; heaven's heirs to generate ; to heal and feed : them also thou wilt flatter and molest , but shalt not keep from everlasting rest . vel , munde dolose vale : mihi vera palestra fuisti : perficitur cursus ; certa corona manet . vita fugax cessat : praestant aeterna caducis : mens superos visit : pulvere pulvis erit . excipe christe tuum : tibi vixi : errata remitte ; spe tibi commissum perfice christe tuum . tu mortis mors es : vitae tu vita perennis . gloria nostra tua est gloria , lumen , amor. non loca , non coetus , non hinc sperata videntur . optimus , omnividens , maximus illa videt . the english verses written on a fair marble over the grave where my wife and her mother are buried , in the upper end of christ's-church chancel ( broken and lost by the fall of the church when burnt ) were these . thus must thy flesh to silent dust descend . thy mirth and worldly pleasure thus will end : then happy holy souls : but woe to those , who heav'n forgot , and earthly pleasures chose . hear now this preaching grave : without delay , believe , repent , and work while it is day . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26987-e1460 mar. 3. 20. 21. 2. cor. 5. 13. matth. 20. v. 21. matth. 19. v. 29. * thuanus , davila . * the earl of orery's answer to a petition . notes for div a26987-e45600 * he dyed suddenly on the lord's day at night , after he had preacht and administred the sacrament . * mr. anthony burgesse was minister at lawrence church : mr. love succeeded him , and was beheaded by the remnant of the long parliament , which cut off the king , for sending money to some about the present king mr. vines succeeded him . * those that saw me stand in his pulpit at lawrence church between his leggs , when i preacht for him , because he could get no other room in the church , understand this . † see his letter in the end of my confession . three treatises tending to awaken secure sinners by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1656 approx. 456 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 174 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27047 wing b1420 wing b1409l wing b1437 estc r11838 11998187 ocm 11998187 52141 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27047) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 52141) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 558:2) three treatises tending to awaken secure sinners by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. true christianity. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. absolute dominion of god-redeemer. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. absolute soveraignty of christ. 4 pts. ([18], 326 p.) to be sold by john rothwell ..., [london] : 1656. each sermon has special t.p. the title "true christianity" is a cover t.p. for two assize sermons, each with special t.p.: "a sermon of the absolute dominion of god-redeemer ..." and "a sermon of the absolute soveraignty of christ ..." with imprint : london : printed for nevill simmons, 1656. imperfect: the last sermon concerning the danger of slighting christ and his gospel is lacking in filmed copy. reproduction of original in bodleian library. (from t.p.) 1. the terror of the day of judgment -2. the danger of slighting christ and his gospel -3. true christianity, or, christs absolute dominion --mans necessary self-resignation and subjugation unto christ. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sermons, english -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-10 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion three treatises tending to awaken secure sinners . viz. 1. the terror of the day of judgment , 2 cor. 5. 10. 2. the danger of slighting christ and his gospel , matt. 22. 5. 3. true christianity , or christs absolute dominion , 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. and mans necessary self-resignation and subjection unto christ , psa . 2. 10 , 11 , 12. by richard baxter . to be sold by john rothwell at the fountain in goldsmiths-row in cheapside , 1656. true christianity ; or , christs absolute dominion , and mans necessary self-resignation and subjection . in two assize sermons preached at worcester . by rich. baxter . london , printed for nevil simmons bookseller in kidderminster . 1656. a sermon of the absolute dominion of god-redeemer , and the necessity of being devoted and living to him . preached before the honorable judge of assize at worcester , aug. 2. 1654. by rich. baxter . rom. 14. 9. for to this end christ both dyed and rose , and revived , that he might be lord both of the dead and living . london , printed for nevil simmons bookseller in kidderminster , 1656. to the right honourable serjeant glyn , now judge of assise in this circuit . my lord , could my excuse have satisfyed you , this sermon had been confined to the auditory it was prepared for : i cannot expect that is should find that candor and favour with every reader , as it did with the hearers . when it must speak to all , the guilty will hear , and then it will gall . innocency is patient in hearing a reproof , and charitable in the interpretation ; but guilt will smart and quarrel , and usually make a fault in him that findeth one in them . yet i confest this is but a poor justification of his silence , that hath a call to speak . both my calling and this sermon would condemn me , if on such grounds i should draw back : but my backwardness was caused by the reason which i then tendred your lord-ship as my excuse , viz. because here is nothing but what is common , and that it is in as common and homely a dress . and i hope we need not fear that our labours are dead , unless the press shall give them life . we bring not sermons to church , as we do a corps for a burial : if there be life in them , and life in the hearers , the connaturality will cause such an amicable closure , that through the reception , retention , and operation of the soul , they will be the immortal seed of a life everlasting . but yet seeing the press hath a louder voice then mine , and the matter in hand is of such exceeding necessity , i shall not refuse upon such an invitation , to be a rememberancer to the the world , of a doctrine and duty of such high concernment : thongh they have heard it never so oft before . seeing therefore i must present that now to your eyes , which i lately presented to your ears , i shall take the boldness to add one word of application in this epistle , which i thought not seasonable to mention in the first delivery ; and that shall be to your lordship and all others in your present case , that are elected members of this expected parliament . be sure to remember the interest of your soveraign , the great lord protector of heaven and earth : and as ever you will make him a comfortable accompt of your power , abilities , and opportunities of serving him , see that you prefer his interest before your own , or any mans on earth . if you go not thither as sent by him , with a firm resolution to serve him first , you were better sit at home : forget not that he hath laid claim to you , and to all that you have , and all that you can have , and all that you can do i am bold with all possible earnestness , to entreat you , yea as christs minister to require you , in his name , to study and remember his business and interest ; and see that it have the chief place in all your consultations : watch against the incroachments of your own carnal interests , consult not with flesh and blood , nor give it the hearing when it shall offer you its advice . how subtilly will it insinuate , how importunately will it urge you , how certainly will it marr all , if you do not constantly and resolvedly watch ! o how hard , but now happy is it to conquer this carnal self : remember still that you are not your own , that you have an unseen master that must be pleased , whoever be displeased ; and an unseen kingdom to be obtained , and an invisible soul that must be saved , though all the world be lost . fix your eye still on him that made and redeemed you , and upon the ultimate end of your christian race ; and do nothing wilfully , unworthy such a master , and such an end . often renew your self-resignation , and devote your self to him ; sit close at his work , and be sure that it be his , both in the matter , and in your intent . if conscience should at any time ask , ( whose work are you now doing ? ) or a man should pluck you by the sleeve , and say , ( sir , whose cause are you now pleading ? ) see that you have the answer of a christian at hand ; delay not gods work till you have done your own , or any ones else : you 'l best secure the common-wealth and your own interest , by looking first to his. by neglecting this , and being carnally wise , we have wheel'd about so long in the wilderness , and lost those advantages against the powers of darkness , which we know not whether we shall ever recover again . it is the great astonishment of sober men , and not the least reproach that ever was cast on our holy profession , to think with what a zeal for the work of christ , men seemed to be animated in the beginning of our disagreements ; and how deeply they did engage themselves to him in solemn vows , protestations , and covenants ; & what advantages carnal self hath since got , and turned the stream another way ! so that the same men have since been the instruments of our calamity , in breaking in pieces , and dishonouring the churches of christ ; yea and gone so neer to the taking down ( as much as in them lay ) the whole ministry that stand approved in the land : o do not by trifling , give advantage to the temper to destroy your work and you together . take warning by the sad experiences of what is past ; bestir you speedily and vigoruosly for christ , as knowing your opposition and the shortness of your time : blessed is that servant whom his lord when he commeth shall find so doing . if you ask me wherein his interest of christ doth consist ? i shall tell you but in a few unquestionable particulars . 1. in the main , that truth , godliness , and honesty , be countenanced and encouraged , and their contraries by all fit means suppressed . 2. in order to this , that unworthy men be removed from magistracy and ministry , and the places supplyed with the fittest that can be had . 3. that a competent maintenance may be procured where it is wanting , especially for cities and great towns , where more teachers are so necessary in some proportion to the number of souls , and on which the country doth so much depend . shall an age of such high pretences to reformation , and zeal for the churches , alienate so much , and then leave them destitute and say , it cannot be had ? 4. that right means be used with speed and diligence , for the healing of our divisions , and the uniting of all the true churches of christ ( at least in these nations ; and o that your endeavours might be extended much further ) to which end i shall mention but these two means of most evident necessity . 1. that there be one scripture-creed , or confession of faith , agreed on by a general assembly of able ministers duly and freely chosen hereunto , which shall contain nothing but matter of evident necessity and verity . this will serve 1. for a test to the churches , to discern the sound professors from the unsound ( as to their doctrine ) and to know them with whom they may close as brethren , and whom they must reject . 2. for a test to the magistrate , of the orthodox to be encouraged , and of the intoller ably heterodox , which it seems is intended in the 37. article of the late formed government , where all that will have liberty , must profess ( faith in god by jesus christ ) which in a christian sense must comprehend every true fundamental , or article of our faith : and , no doubt , it is not the bare speaking of those words , in an unchristian sense that is intended . ( as if a ranter should say , that himself is god , and his mate is jesus christ . ) 2. that there be a publique establishment of the necessary liberty of the churches , to meet by their officers and delegates on all just occasions , in assemblies smaller or greater , ( even national when it is necessary ) seeing without such associations and communion in assemblies , the unity and concord of the churches is not like to be maintained . i exclude not the magistrates interest or oversight , to see that they do not transgress their bounds . as you love christ , and his church and gospel , and mens souls , neglect not these unquestionable points of his interest , and make them your first and chiefest business , and let none be preferred before him , till you know them to be of more authority over you , and better friends to you then christ is . should there by any among you that cherish a secret root of infidelity , after such pretences to the purest christianity , and are zealous of christ lest he should over-top them , and do set up an interest inconsistent with his soveraignty , & thereupon grow jealous of the liberties & power of his ministers , and of the unity and strength of his church ; and think it their best policy to keep under his ministers , by hindering them from the exercise of their office , and to foment divisions , and hinder our union , that they may have parties ready to serve their ends : i would not be in the case of such men , when god ariseth to judge them , for all the crowns and kingdoms on earth ! if they stumble on this stone , it will break them in pieces : but if it fall upon them , it will grind them to powder . they may seem to prevail against him a while when their supposed success is but a prosperous self-destroying : but mark the end , when his wrath is kindled , yea , but a little : and when these his enemies that would not he should raign over them , are brought forth and destroyed before him , then they will be convineed of the folly of their rebellon : in the mean time let wisdom be justified of her children . my lord , i had not troubled , you with so many words , had i not judged it probable that many more whom they concern may peruse them . i remain , august 5. 1654. your lordships servant in the work of christ , rich. baxter . a sermon of the absolute dominion of god-redeemer ; and the necessity of being devoted and living to him . 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. — and ye are not your own , for ye are bought with a price , therefore glorifie god in your body , and in your spirit , which are gods. fundamentals in religion are the life of the superstructure . like the vitals and naturals in the body , which are first necessary for themselves , and then also for the quickning and nourishing of the rest : there being no life or growth of the inferiour parts , but what they do receive from the powers of these ; it s but a dead discourse which is not animated by these greater truths , what ever the bulk of its materials may consist of . the frequent repetition therefore of these , is an excusable as frequent preaching . and they that nauseate it as loathsome battologie , do love novelty better then verity , and playing with words to please the fancy , rather then closing with christ to save the soul . and as it is the chief part of the cure in most external maladies to corroborate the vital and natural powers , which then will do the work themselves ; so is it the most effectual course , for the cure of particular miscarriages in mens lives , to further the main work of grace upon their hearts : could we make men better christians , it would do much to make them better magistrates , councellors , jurers , witnesses , subjects , neighbours , &c. and this must be done by the deeper impress of those vitall truths , and the good in them exhibited , which are adaequate objects of our vital graces . could we help you to wind up the spring of faith , and so move the first wheel of christian love , we should find it the readiest and surest means to move the inferior wheels of duty . the flaws and irregular motions without , do shew that something is amiss within ; which if we could rectifie , we might the easier mend the rest : i shall suppose therefore that i need no more apologie for chusing such a subject at such a season as this , then for bringing bread to a feast . and if i medicate the brain and heart , for the curing of sensless paralytick members , or the inordinate convulsive motions of any hearers , i have the warrant of the apostles example in my text. among other great enormities in the church of corinth , he had these three to reprehend and heal : first their sidings and divisions occasioned by some factious self-seeking teachers . secondly , their personal contentions by lawsuites , and that before unbelieving judges . thirdly , the foul sin of fornication , which some among them had faln into ; the great cure which he useth to all these and more especially to the last , is the urging of these great foundation truths ; whereof one is in the words before my text ; viz. the right of the holy ghost ; the other in the words of my text ; which contains first a denial of any right of propriety in themselves . secondly , an asserting of christs propriety in them . thirdly , the proof of this from his purchase , which is the title . fourthly , their duty concluded from the former premises ; which is to glorfie god , and that with the whole man ; with the spirit , because god is a spirit , and loaths hypocrisie ; with the body , which is particularly mentioned , because it seems they were encouraged to fornication by such conceits , that it was but an act of the flesh and not of the minde , and therefore as they thought the smaler sin . the apostles words from last to first , according to the order of intention , do express , first mans duty , to glorifie god with soul and body , and not to serve our lusts ! secondly , the great fundamental obligation to this duty , gods dominion or propriety . 3ly . the foundation of that dominion , christs purchase ; according to the order of execution from first to last , these three great fundamentals of our religion , lie thus . first christs purchase . secondly , gods propriety thence arising . thirdly , mans duty , wholly to glorifie god , arising from both the argument lies thus . they that are not their own , but wholly gods , should wholly glorifie god , aud not serve their lusts : but you are not your own , but wholly gods : therefore you should wholly glorifie god & not serve your lusts . the major is clear by the common light of nature . every one should have the use of their own . the minor is proved thus . they that are bought with a price are not their own , but his that bought them ; but you are bought with a price : therefore , &c. for the meaning of the terms briefly : [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] vestri , as the vulgar ; vestri juris , as beza and others ; is most fitly expressed by our english [ your own ] [ ye are bought : ] a synecdoche generis , saith piscator ; for [ ye are redeemed ] [ with a price ] there is no buying without a price : this therefore is an emphaticall pleonasmus , as beza , piscator , and others : as to see with the eyes , to hear with the ears : or else [ a price ] is put for [ a great price ] as calvin , peter martyr , and piscator rather thinks : and therefore the vulgar adds the epithet [ magno ] & the arabick [ pretioso ] as beza notes ; as agreeing to that of 1 pet. 1. 18. i see not but we may supose the apostle to respect both the purchase and the greatness of the price ; as grotius and some others do , [ glorifie god ] that is , by using your bodies and souls wholly for him , and abstaining from those lusts which do dishonour him . the vulgar adds [ & portate ] q. d. beare god about in your hearts , and let his spirit dwell with you instead of lust . but this addition is contrary to all our greek copies . grotius thinks that some copies had [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] and thence some unskillful scribe did put [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] however it seems that reading was very antient , when not only austin . but cyprian and tertullian followed it , as beza noteth . the last words [ and in your spirit , which are gods ] are out of all the old latin traslations , and therefore its like out of the greek , which they used : but they are in all the present greek copies , except our m. s. as also in the syriack and arabick version . the rest of the explication shall follow the doctrines , which are these . doct. 1. we are bought with a price . doct. 2. because we are bought to , we are not our own , but his that bought us . doct. 3. because we are not our own , but wholly gods , therefore we must not serve our lusts , but glorifie him in the body and spirit . in these three conclusions is the substance of the text ; which i shall first explain , and then make application of them in that order as the apostle here doth . the points that need explication are these . first , in what sense we are said to be bought with a price ? who bought us ? and of whom ? and from what ? and with what price ? secondly , how we are gods own upon the title of this purchase . thirdly , how we are not our own . fourthly , what it is to glorifie god in body and in spirit on this account . fifthly , who they be that on this ground are or may be urged to this duty . first , for the first of these , whether buying , here be taken properly or metaphorically , i will not now , enquire . first , mankind by sin became guilty of death , liable to gods wrath , and a slave to satan , and his own lusts . the sentence in part was past and execution begun , the rest would have followed , if not prevented . this is the bondage from which we are redeemed . secondly , he that redeemed us , is the son of god ; himself god and man ; and the father by the son. acts 20. 28. he purchased us with his own blood . thirdly , the price was the whole humiliation of christ ; in the first act whereof ( his incarnation ) the godhead was alone , which by humbling it self , did suffer reputatively , which could not really : in the rest the whole person was the sufferer , but still the humane nature really , and the divine but reputatively . and why we may not add as part of the price the merit of that obedience wherein his suffering did not consist , i yet see not . but from whom were we redeemed ? answ . from satan by rescue against his will : from gods wrath or vindictive justice by his own procurement and consent . he substituted for us such a sacrifice , by which he could as fully attain the ends of his righteous government , in the demonstration of his justice and hatred of sin , as if the sinner had suffered himself . and in this sound sense it is far from being an absurdity , as the socinian dreameth , for god to satisfie his own justice , or to buy us of himself : or redeem us from himself , 2. next let us consider , how we are gods upon the title of this purchase . by [ god ] here is meant both the son , who being god , hath procured a right in us by his redemption ; and also the father , who sent his son , and redeemed us by him , and to whom it was that the son redeemed us rev. 5. 9. thou hast redeemed us to god by thy blood. in one word , it is god as redeemer , the manhood also of the second person included , that hath purchased this right . here you must observe that god as creator had a plenary right of propriety and government , on which he founded the law of works that then was . this right he hath not lost : our fall did lose our right in him , but could not destroy his right in us . because it destroyed our right , therefore the promissory part of that law was immediately thereupon dissolved , or ceased through our incapacity ( and therefore divines say , that as a covenant it ceased ) but because it destroyed not gods right , therefore the prec●ptive , and penall parts of that law do still remain . but how remain ? in their being : but not alone , or without remedy . for the son of god became a sacrifice in our stead ; not that we might absolutely , immediately , or ipso facto , be fully delivered , or that any man should ab ipsa hostia from the very sacrifice as made , have a right to the great benefits of personall plenary reconciliation and remission , and everlasting life ; but that the necessity of perishing through the unsatisfiedness of justice for the alone offences against the law of works being removed from mankind they might all be delivered up to him as proprietary & rector , that he might rule them as his redeemed ones , and make for them such new laws of grace , for the conveyances of his benefits , as might demonstrate the wisdom and mercy of our redeemer , and be most suitable to his ends . the world is now morall ▪ dead in sin , though naturally alive . christ hath redeemed them , but will cure them by the actuall conveyance of the benefits of redemption , or no at all he hath undertaken to this end , himself to be their physitian , to cure all that will come to him , and take him so to be , and trust him , and obey him in the application of his medicines . he hath erected an hospitall . his church to this end ; and commanded all to come into this ark. those that are far distant , he first commandeth to come nearer ; and those that are neare , he inviteth to come in . too many do refuse and perish in their refusall . he will not suffer all to do so , but mercifully boweth the wills of his elect , and by an insuperable powerfull drawing , compells them to come in . you may see then that here is a novum us & dominii & imperii , a new right of propriety and rule , founded on the new bottom of redemption : but that this doth not destroy the old which was founded on creation ; but is in the very nature and use of it , an emendative addition . redemption is to mend the creature , not of any defect that was left in the creation , but from the ruine which came by our defacing transgression . the law of grace upon this redemption , is superadded to the law of nature given on the creation : not to amend any imperfections in that law , but to save the sinner from its unsufferable penalty , by dissolving its obligation of him thereto and thus in its nature and use it is a remedying law. and so you may see that christ is now the owner , and by right the governor of the whole world , on the title of redemption , as god before was , and still is on the title of creation . 3. by this you may also percive in whit sense , we are not our own . in the strictest sence there is no proprietary , or absolute lord in the world but god. no man can say this is fully and strictly mine . god gives us indeed whatever we enjoy ; but his giving is not as mans : we part with out propriety in that which which we give : but god gives nothing so . his giving to us makes it not the less his own . as a man giveth his goods to his steward to dispose of for his use , or instruments to his servant to do his work with , so god giveth his benefits to us . or at the utmost , as you give cloathes to your child , which are more yours still then his , and you may take them away at your pleasure . i confess when god hath told us that he will not take them away , he is as it were obliged in fidelity to continue them , but yet doth not hereby let go his propriety . and so christ bids us call no man on earth father , that is , our absolute lord or ruler , because we have but one such master , who is in heaven . mat. 23. 7 , 8 , 9 , 10. so that you may see by this , what propriety is left us , and what right we have to our selves , and our possessions : even such as a steward in his masters goods ; or a servant in his tools , or a child in his coat , which is a propriety improper , subordinate and secundum quid , and will secure us against the usurpation of another : one servant may not take his fellows instrument from him , nor one child his brothers coat from him , without the parents or masters consent . they have them for their use , though not the full propriety : it may be called a propriety in respect to our fellow servant , though it be not properly so as we stand in respect to god. we have right enough to consute the leveller : but not to exempt either us or ours from the claim and use of our absolute lord. 4. for the fourth question , what it is to glorifie god in body , and spirit , i answer in a word : it is , when upon true believing apprehensions of his right to us , and of our great obligations to him as our redeemer , we heartily and unfeignedly devote our selves to him , and live as a people so devoted ; so bending the chiefest of our care and study , how to please him in exactest obedience , that the glory of his mercy and holiness , and of his wise and righteous laws , may be seen in our conversations ; and that the holy conformity of our lives to these lawes , may shew that there is the like conformity in our minds , and that they are written in our hearts ; when the exellency of the christian religion is so appareut in the excellency of our lives , causing us to do that which no others can imitate , that the lustre of our good works may shine before men , and cause them to glorifie our father in heaven . to conclude , when we still respect god as our only soveragin , and christ as our redeemer , and his spirit as our sanctifier , and his law as our rule ; that the doing of his will , and the denying , of our own , is the daily work of our lives , and the promoting of his blessed ends is our end ▪ this is the glorifying of god that hath redeemed us . 5. the last question is , who they be that are & may be urged to glorifie god on this ground , that the hath bought them ? doubtless , only those whom he hath bought : but who are those ? it discourageth me to tell you , because among the godly , it is a controversie ; but if they will controvert points of such great moment , they cannot disoblige or excuse us from preaching them . among the variety of mens opinions , it is safe to speak in the language of the holy ghost , and accordingly to believe , viz that [ as by the offence of one , judgement came upon all men to condemnation , even so by the righteousness of one , the free gift came upon all men to justification of life , rom. 5. 8. ] and that he gave himself a ran●ome for all , and is the only mediator between god and man. 1 tim. 2. 5 , 6. that he is the propitiation for our sins , and not for ours only , but also for the sins of the whole world . 1 john 2. 2. that god is the saviour of all men , especially of those that believe . 1 tim. 4. 10. that he is the saviour of the world . john 4. 42. 1 john 4. 14. 15. that he tasteth death for every man. heb. 2. 9. with many the like . it is very sad to consider , how mens unskilfulness to reconcile gods general grace with his special , and to assign to each its proper part , hath made the pelagians and their successors to deny the special grace , and too many of late , no less dangerously to deny the general grace ; and what contentions these two errroneous parties have maintained , and still maintain in the church , and how few observe or follow that true and sober mean which austin the maul of the pelagians ; and his scholars prosper and fulgentius walked in ! if when our dark confused heads are unable to assign each truth its place , and rightly to order each wheel , and pin in the admirable fabrick of gods revelations , we shall therefore fall a wrangling against them , and reject them , we may then be drawn to blaspheme the trinity , to reject either christs humane nature or his divine ; and what truth shall we not be in danger to lose ? so think this general grace to be inconsistent with the special , is no wiser then to think the foundation inconsistent with the fabrick that is built thereupon ; and that the builders themselves should have such thoughts , is a matter of compassionate consideration to the friends of the church . doubtless christ dyed not for all alike , nor with equal intentions of saving them ; and yet he hath born the sins of all men on the cross , and was a sacrifice , propitiation and ransom for all . even they that bring in damnable heresies , deny the lord that bought them , and bring on themselves swift destruction . 2 pet. 2. 1. god sent not his son into the world , to condemn the world , but that the world through him might be saved . he that believeth on him is not condemned ; but he that believeth not , is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only begootten son of god. and this is the condemnation , that light is come into the world , and men loved darkness rather then light , because their deeds were evil . john 3. 17 , 18 , 19. i doubt not but my text doth warrant me to tell you all , that you are not your own , but are bought with a price , and therefore must glorifie him that bought you : and i am very confident , that if any one at judgement will be the advocate of an unbeliever , and say he deserves not a sorer punishment for sinning against the lord that bought him , his plea will not be taken : or , if any such would comfort the consciences in hell or go about to cure them of so much of their torment , by telling them , that they never sinned against one that redeemed them , nor ever rejected the blood of christ shed for them , and therefore need not accuse themselves of any such sin , those poor sinners would not be able to believe them . if it be only the elect with whom we must thus argue [ you are not your own . you are bought with a price , therefore glorifie god ] then can we truly plead thus with none till we know them to be elect ; which will not be in this world . i do not think paul knew them all to be elect that he wrote to ; i mean , absolutely chosen to salvation ; nor do i think he would so peremptorily affirm them to be bought with a price , who were fornicators , defrauders , contentious , drunk at the lords supper , &c. and from hence have argued against their sins , if he had taken this for a priviledge proper to the elect . i had rather say to scandalous sinners [ you are bought with a price , therefore glorifie god ] then [ you are absolutely elect to salvation , therefore glorifie god. ] and i believe , that as it is the sin of apostates to [ crucifie to themselves the son of god afresh ] heb. 6. 5 , 6. so is it their misery that [ there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins , but a certain fearful looking for of judgement , and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries , because they have trodden under foot the son of god , and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing . heb. 10. 26 , 27 , 28. lastly , i judge it also a good argument to draw us from offending others , and occasioning their sin , that [ through us , our weak brother shall perish for whom christ dyed . 1 cor. 8. 3. ] so much for explication . i would next proceed to the confirmation of the doctrines here contained , but that they are so clear in the text , and in many other , that i think it next to needless ; and we have now no time for needless work ; and therefore shall only cite these two or three texts , which confirm almost all that i have said together . rom. 14. 9. for to this end christ both dyed and rose , and revived , that he might be lord both of the dead and living . 2 cor. 5. 14 , 15. we thus judge , that if one dyed for all , then were all dead ; and that he dyed for all , that they which live , should not henceforth live unto themselves , but unto him which dyed for them and rose again . mat. 28. 18 , 19 , 20. all power is given me in heven and in earth . go ye therefore , disciple all nations , baptizing them , &c. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i have commanded you . 1 pet. 1. 17 , 18. if ye call on the father , who without respect of persons judgeth every man according to his works , pass the time of your sojourning here in fear ; forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things , as silver and gold , from your vain conversation — but with the pretious blood of christ , as of a lamb without blemish , and without spot . these texts speak to the same purpose with that which i have in hand . vse . in applying these very usefull truths , would time permit , i should begin at the intellect , with a confutation of divers contrary errors , and a collection of many observable consectaries . it would go better with all common-wealths and princes on earth , if they well considered , that the absolute propriety and soveraignty of god-redeemer , is the basis of all lawfull societies and governments : and that no man hath any absolute propriety , but only the use of the talents that god doth entrust him with : that the soveraignty of the creature is but analogical , secundum quid ; improper , and subordinate to god the proper sovereign ; that it belongs to him to appoint his inferior officers ; that there is no power but from god ; and that he giveth none against himself ; that a theocracy is the government that must be desired and submitted to , whether the subordinate part be monarchical , arristocratical , or democratical : and the rejecting of this was the israelites sin , in choosing them a king ; that it is still possible and necessary to live under this theocracy , though the administration be not by such extraordinary means as among the israelites ; that all humane laws are but by-laws subordinate to god. how far his laws must take place in all governments : how far those laws of men are ipso facto null , that are unquestionably destructive of the laws of god : how far they that are not their own , may give authority to others ; and what aspect these principles have upon liberty in that latitude as it is taken by some , and upon the authority of the multitude , especially in church-government ; should i stand on these and other the like consequents , which these fundamentals in hand might lead us to discuss , i should prevent that more seasonable application which i in tend , and perhaps be thought in some of them to meddle beyond my bounds . i 'le only say , that god is the first and the last , in our ethicks and politicks , as well as in our physicks ; that as there is ho creature which he made not , so it is no good right of property or government which he some way gives not ; that all commonwealths not built on this foundation are as castles in the air , or as childrens tottering structures , which in the very framing are prepared for their ruine , and strictly are no commonwealths at all ; and those governors that rule no more for god then for themselves , shall be dealt with as traitors to the universal soveraign . thus far at least must our politicks be divine , unless we will be meet confederate rebels . but it is yet a closer application which i intend . though we are , not our own , yet every mans welfare should he so dear to himself , that methinks every man of you should presently enquire how far you are concerned , in the business which we have in hand . i 'le tell you how far . the case here described is all our own . we are bought with a price , and therefore not our own , and therefore must live to him that bought us . we must do it , or else we violate our allegiance , aud are traitors to our redeemer . we must do it , or else we shall perish as despisers of his blood . it is no matter of indifferency , nor a duty which may be dispenced with . that god who is our owner by creation and redemption , , and who doth hitherto keep our souls in these bodies by whose meer will and power you are all here alive before him this day , will shortly call you before his bar , where these matters will be more seriously and searchingly enquired after . the great , question of the day will then be this , whether you have bin heartily devoted to your redeemer , and lived to him ? or to your carnal selves ? upon the resolution of this question , your everlasting salvation or damnation will depend . what think you then ? should not this question be now put home , by every rational hearer to his own heart ? but i suppose some will say , there is no man that wholly lives to god , for all are sinners : how then can our salvation depend so much on this ? i answer in a word : though no man pay god all that he oweth him , yet no man shall be saved , that giveth him not the preheminence . he will own none as true subjects , that do not cordially own him in his soveraignty . be it known to you all , there shall not a man of you enter into his kingdom , nor ever see his face in peace , that giveth him not the cheifest room in your hearts , and maketh not his work your cheifest business . he will be no underling or servant to your flesh . he will be served with the best , if he cannot have all and in this sense it is that i say the question will be put , in that great day , by the judge of all , whether god or our carnal selves were preferred ? and whether we lived to him that bought us , or to our flesh ? beloved hearers ! i will not ask you whether you indeed believe that there will be such a day , i will take it for granted , while you call your selves ch●istians , much less will i question whether you would then be saved or condemned . nature will not suffer you to be willing of such a misery , though corruption make you too willing of the cause . but the common stupidity of the world doth perswade me to ask you this , whether you think it meet that men who must be so solemnly examined upon this point , and whose life or death depends on the decision , should not examine themselves on it before-hand , and well consider what answer they must then make ? and whether any pains can be too great in so needfull a work ? and whether he that miscarrieth to save a labour , do not madly betray his soul unto perdition ? as if such rational diligence were worse then hell , or his present carnal ease were more desirable then his salvation . let us then rouse up our selves brethren , in the fear of god , and make this a day of judgement to our selves . let us know whether we are children of life or of dea●h . o how can a man that is well in his wits , enjoy with any comfort the things of this world , before he know , at least in probability , what he shall enjoy in the next ! how can men go cheerfully up and down about the business of this life , before they have faithfully laboured to make sure , that it shall go well with them in the life to come ! that we may now know this without deceit , let us all as in the presence of the living god , lay bare our hearts , examine them , and judge them , by this portion of his word according to the evidence . 7. whoever he be that takes not himself for his own , but lives to his redeemer , he is one that hath found himself really undone , and hath unfeignedly confessed the forfeiture of his salvation ; and finding that redemption hath been made by christ , and that there is hope and life to be had in him , and none but in him , as he gladly receives the tidings , so he carefully acknowledgeth the right of his redeemer , and in a sober , deliberate and voluntary covetant renounceth the world , the flesh and the devill , and resigneth up himself to christ as his due . he saith [ lord , i have too long served thine enemies and mine own ; by cleaving to my self , and forsaking god , i have lost both my self and god. wilt thou be my saviour and the physitian of my soul , and wash me with thy blood , and repair the ruins of my soul by thy spirit , and i am willing to be thine ; i yield up myself to the conduct of thy grace , to be saved in thy way , and fitted for thy service , and live to god from whom i have revolted . ] this is the case of all that are sincere . by many scriptures we might quickly confirm this , if it were lyable to question . luke 14. 25 , 26. if any man come to me , and hate not his father , and mother , and wife and children , and brethren and sisters and his own life also , he cannot be my disciple ; and whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me , cannot be my disciple ; so ver . 33. whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath , he cannot be my disciple ; which is expounded , mat. 10. 37. he that loveth father or mother more then me , is not worthy of me . mat. 16. 24. if any man will come after me , let him deny himself , and take up his cross , and follow me ; for whosoever will save his life shall lose it ; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it . psal . 73. 25 , 26 , 27. whom have i in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that i desire besides thee , psal . 16. 5. the lord is the portion of mine inheritance , &c. heb. 11. 24 , 25 , 26. moses refused honor , chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of god , then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; esteeming the reproacb of christ greater riches then the treasures of egypt ; for he had respect to the recompence of the reward . i forbear citing more , the case being so evident , that god is set highest in the heart of every sound believer , they being in covenant resigned to him as his own. on the contrary , most of the unsanctified are christians but in name , because they were educated to this profession , & it is the common religion of the country where they live , and they hear none make question of it ; or if they do , it is to their own disgrace , the name of christ having got this advantage to be everywhere among us well spoken of even by those that shall perish for neglecting him and his laws . these men have resigned their names to christ , but reserved their hearts to flesh pleasing vanities . or if under conviction aud terror of conscience , they do make any resignation of their souls to christ , it comes short of the true resignation of the sanctfied in these particulars . 1. it is a firm and rooted belief of the gospel which is the cause of sincere resignation to christ . ●ney are so fully perswaded of the truth of those things which christ hath done , and promised to do hereafter , that they will venture all that they have in this world , and their everlasting state upon it : wheras the belief of self-d●ceivers is only superficial , staggering , not rooted and will not carry them to such adventures . mat. 13. 2l , 22 , 23. 2. sincere self-resignation is accompanied with such a love to him that we are devoted to , which over-toppeth ( as to the rational part ) all other love . the soul hath a prevailing complacency in god , and closeth with him as its chiefest good ; psal . 73. 25. & 63. 3. but the unsanctified have no such complacency in him ; they would fain please him by their flatteries , left he should do them any hurt ; but might they enjoy but the pleasures of this world , they could be well content to live without him . 3. sincere self-resignation is a departing from our carnal selves and all creatures as they stand in competition with christ for our hearts ; and so it containeth a crncifying of the flesh , and mortification of all its lusts . gal. 5. 24. rom. 8 1. to 14. there is a hearty renouncing of former contrad ctory interests and delights , that christ may be set highest and chiefly delighted in . but self deceivers are never truly mortified , when they seem to devote themselves most seriously to christ : there is a contrary prevailing interest in their minds ; their fleshly felicity is nearer to their hearts , and this world is never unfeignedly renounced . 4. sincere self-resignation is resolved upon deliberation , and not a rash inconsiderate promise , which is afterwards reverst . the illuminated see that perfection in god , that vanity in the creature , , that desirable sufficiency in christ , and emptiness in themselves , that they firmly resolve to cast themselves on him , and be his alone ; and though they cannot please him as they would , they 'l dye before they 'l change their master ; but with self-deceivers it is not thus . 5. sincere resignation is absolute and unreserved . such do not capitulate and condition with christ [ i will be thine so far , and no further ; so thou wilt but save my estate , or credit , or lise . ] but self-deceivers have ever such reserves in their hearts , though they do not express them , nor perhaps themselves discern them . they have secret limitations , exceptions and conditions : they have ever a salve for their worldly safety or felicity , and will rather venture upon a threatned misery which they see not , though everlasting , then upon a certain temporary misery which they see . these deep reserves are the soul of hypocrisy . 6. sincere self-resignation is fixed and habituate ; it is not forced by a moving sermon , or a dangerous sickness , and then forgotten and laid aside ; but it is become a fixed habit in the soul ; it is otherwise with self-deceivers ; though they will oblige themselves to christ with vows in a time of fear and danger , yet so loose is the knot , that when the danger seems over , their bonds fall off . it s one thing to be affrighted , and another to have the heart quite changed and renewed . it s one thing to hire our selves with a master in our necessities , and then serve our selves , or run away ; and another thing to nail our ears to his door , and say , i love thee , and therefore will uot depart . so much for the first mark of one that lives not as his own , but as gods , to wit , sincere self-resignation . the second is this . 2. as the heart is thus devoted to god , so also is the life , where men do truly take themselves for his : and that will appear in these three particulars . 1. the principal study and care of such men , is how to please god , and promote his interest , and do his work : this is it that they most seriously mind and contrive . their own felicity they seek in this way , 1 cor. 7. 32. 33. rom. 6. 11. 13 , 16. col. 1. 10. & 3 , 1 , 2 , 3. phil. 1. 20. 21 , 24. it is not so ▪ with the unsanctified , they drive on another design . their own work is principally minded , and their carnal interest preferred to christs . they live to the flesh and make provision for it , to satisfie its desires , rom. 13. 14. 2. it is the chiefest delight of a man devoted to god , to see christs interest prosper and prevail . it doth him more good to see the church flourish , the gospel succeed , the souls of men brought in to god , and all things fitted to his blessed pleasure then it would do him to prosper himself in the world ; to do good to mens bodies , much more to their souls , is more pleasing to him , then to be honourable or rich . to give is sweeter to him , then to receive . his own matters he respects as lower things , that come not so neer his heart as gods. but with the unsanctified it is not so their prosperity and honours are most of their delight , and the absence of them their greatest trouble . 3. with a man that is truly devoted to god , the interest of christ doth bear down all contradicting interest in the ordinary course of his life : as his own unrighteous righteousness , so his own renounced carnal interest , is loss and dung to him in comparison of christs , phil. 3. 8. 9. he cannot take himself to be a loser by that which is gain to the souls of men , and tendeth to promote the interest of his lord. he serveth god with the first aud best , and lets his own work stand by till christs be done , or rather owneth none but christs : his own dishonour being lighter to him then christs , and a ruined estate less grievous then a ruined church ; therefore doth he first seek gods kingdom , and its righteousness , mat. 6. 33. and chuseth rather to neglect his flesh , his gain , his friends , his life ; then the cause and work of christ it is far otherwise with the umsanctified ; they will contentedly give christ the most glorious titles , and full-mouthed commendations , luke 6. 46 but they have one that is neerer their hearts then he , their carnal self must sway the scepter , god shall have all that the flesh can spare ; if he will be content to be served with its leavings , they will serve him if not , they must be excused ; they can allow him no more . the crying time , is the parting time ; when god or the world must needs be neglected . in such a straite , the righteous are still righteous ▪ rev. 22. 11. but the unsted fast in the covenant , do manifest their unstedfastness ; and though they will not part wlth christ professedly , nor without some witty distinctions and evasions , nor without great sorow , and pretence of continued fidelity , yet part they will , and shift for themselves and hold that they have as long as they can , luke . 18. 23. in a word , the sanctified are heartily devoted to god , and live to him , and were they uncapable of serviug or enjoying him , the●r lives would afford them little content , what ever else they did possess : but the unsanctified are more strongly addicted to their flesh , & live to their carnal selves ; & might they securely enjoy the pleasures of this world , they could easily spare the fruit on of god , and could be as willing to be dispenced with for his spirituall service , as to persorme it . and thus i have given you the true discription of those that live to their redeemer , as being not their own ; and those that live to themselves , as if they were not his that bought them . having thus told you what the word saith , it followeth , that we next enquire what your hearts say , you hear what you must be ; will you now consider what you are ? are all the people that hear me this day , devoted in heart and life to their redeemer ? do you all live as christ's , and not your own ? if so , i must needs say , it is an extraordinary assembly , and such as i had never the happiness to know . o that it were so indeed , that we might rejoyce together , and magnifie our deliverer , in stead of reprehending you , or lamenting your unhappiness . but alas , we are not such strangers in the world , as to be guilty of such a groundless judgement . let us enquire more particularly into the case . 1. are those so sincerely devoted to christ ? and do they so deny themselves , whose daily thoughts and care , and labour , is how they may live in more reputation and content , and may be better provided for the satisfying of their flesh ? if they be low and poor , and their condition is displeasing to them , their greatest care is to repair it to their minds ; if they be higher and more wealthy , their business is to keep it or increase it ; that hunt after honour , and thirst after a thriving and more plenteous state ; that can stretch their consciences to the size of all times , and humour those that they think may advance them , and be most humble servants to those above them , and contemptuously neglect whosoever is below them ; that wil put their hands to the feet of those that they hope to rise by , and put their feet on the necks of their subdued adversaries , and trample upon all that stand in their way ; that applaud not men for their honesty , but their worldly honours , and will magnifie that man while he is capable of advancing them , whom they would have scorned if providence had laid him in the dust : that are friends to all that befriend their interest and designs , and enemies to the most upright that cross them in their course ; that love not men so much , because they love god , as because they love them ; are these devoted to god , or to themselves ? is it for god or themselves , that men so industriously scramble for honours and places of government , or of gain , will they use their offices or honours for god , that hunt after them as a prey , as if they had not burthen enough already , nor talents enough to answer for neglecting ! are those men devoted to god , that can tread down his most unquestionable interest on earth , when it seems to be inconsistent with their own ! let the gospel go down , let the church be broken in pieces ▪ let sound doctrine be despised , let ministers be hindered or tired with vexations , let the souls of people sink or swim rather then they should be hindered in the way of their ambition . i shall leave it to the trial of another day , whether all the publike actions of this age , with their effects , have been for god , or for self ? this doth not belong to my examination , but to his that will throughly perform it ere long , and search these matters to the quick , and open them to the world . there were never higher pretences for god in an age , then have been in this ; had there been but answerable intentions and performances , his affairs and our own , had been in much better case then they are ; but enough of this . should we descend to mens particular families and conversations , we should find the matter little better with the most . are they all for god that follow the world so eagerly , that they cannot spare him a serious thought ? an hours time for his worship in their families , or in secret ? that will see that their own work be done ; but for the souls of those that are committed to their charge , they regard them not . let them be never so ignorant , they will not instruct them , nor cause them to read the word , or learn a catechism nor will spend the lords peculiar day in such exercises ; and it s much if they hinder not those that would . is it for god that men give up their hearts to this world , so that they cannot have while once a day , or week to think soberly what they must do in the next ? or how they may be ready for their great approaching change ? is it for god , that men despise his ministers , reject his word , abhor reformation , scor● at church , government , and deride the persons that are addicted to his fear , and the families that call upon his name ? these men will shortly understand a little better then now they will do , whether indeed they lived to god , or to themselves . 2. if you are devoted to god , what do you for him ? is it his business that you mind ? how much of your time do you spend for him ? how much of your speech is for him ? how much of your estates yearly is serviceable to his interest ? let conscience speak whether he have your studies and affections ; let you familiars be witnesses , whether he have your speeches and best endeavors ; let the church witness , what you have done for it ; and the poor witness , what you have done for them ; and the souls of ignorant and ungodly men , what you have done for them ; shew by the work you have done , who you have lived to ; god or your carnal selves ; if indeed you have lied to god , something will be seen that you have done for him ; nay it is not a something that will serve the trun . it must be the best . remember that it is by your works that you shall be judged , and not by your pretences , professions or complements ; your judge already knows your case , he needs no witnesses , he will not be mocked with saying you are for him ; shew it , or saying it will not serve . methinks now the consciences of some of you should prevent me , and preach over the sharper part the sermon to your selves , and say , [ i am the man that have lived to my self ] and so consider of the consequents of such a life : but i will leave this to your meditation when you come home , and next proceed to the exhortative part of application . men , brethren , and fathers , the business that i come hither upon , is to proclaim ●●ods right to you , and all that 's yours , even his new right of redemption , supposing that of creation ; and to let you know , that you are all bought with a price , and therefore are not your own , but his that bought you , and must accordingly be dedicated and live to him . honourable and worshipful , and all men of what degree soever ; i do here on the behalf , and in the name of christ , lay claim to you all , to your souls and bodies , to all your faculties , abilities , and interests on the title of redemption ; all is gods , do you acknowledge his title , and consent unto his claim ? what say you ? are you his , or are you not ? d●re you deny it ? if any man dare be so bold , i am here ready to make good the claime of christ . if you dare not deny it , we must take it as confessed . beare witnesse all , that god laid claime to you and yours , and no man durst deny his title i do next therefore require you , and command you in his name , give him his own : render to god the things that are gods. will you this day renounce your carnal selves , and freely confesse you are not your own , and cheerfully aud unreservedly resign your selves to god , and say , as jos 24. 51. as for me and my houshold , we will serve the lord. do not ask what god will do with you ? or how he will use you or dispose of you ? trust him for that and obey his will. fear not evill from the chiefest good , unless it be in neglecting or resising him . be sure of it , god will use you better then sathan would , or then this world would , or better then you have used , or would use your seles . he will not employ you in dishonorable drudgeries , and then dash you in pieces . he will not seduce you with swinish sensualities , and keep you in play with childish vanities , till you drop into damnation before you are aware . nor will he full you asleep in presumptuous security , ti●l you unexpectedly awake in unquenchable fire . you need not feare such dealing as this from him ; his commandements are not grievous , i joh. 5 3. his yoake is easie , his burthen is light , and tendeth to the perfect rest of the soule , mat , 11 28 , 29 , 30. what say you ? will you hereafter be his ? unfeignedly his ? resolvedly , unreservedly , and constantly his ? or will you not ? take heed , that you refuse not him that speaketh , heb. 12. 25. reject not , neglect not this offer , lest you have never have another on the like termes again : he is willing to pardon all that is past , and put up all the wrongs that you have done him , so you will but repent of them , and now at last be heartily and intirely his , not onely in tongue , but in deed and life : well , i have proclaimed gods right to you ; i have offered you his gracious acceptance if yet you demur , or sleepily neglect it , or obstinatly resist him , take that you get by it ; remember you perish not without warning . the confession of christs right , which this day you have been forced to , shall remame as on recore , to the confusion of your faces ; and you shall then be forced to remember though you had rather forget it , what now you were forced to confess , though you had rather you could deny it . but i am loth to leave you to this prognostick or to part on termes so sad to your souls and sad to me : i will add therefore some reasons to perswade you , to submit : and though it be not in my power to follow them so to your hearts as to make them effectual ; yet i shall do my part in propounding them , and leave them to god to set them home , beseeching him that maketh , new maketh , openeth , and softneth hearts at his pleasure to do these blessed works on yours , and to perswade you within , while i am perswading you without , that i may not lose my labour and my hopes , nor you your souls , nor god his due . 1. consider the fulness of gods right to you : no creature is capable of the like . he made you of nothing , and therefore you have nothing which is not his . he redeemed you when you were fallen to worse then nothing : had not christ ransomed you by being a sacrifice for your sins , you had been hopelesly left to everlasting perdition give him therefore his own which he hath so dearly bought , 1 pet : 1. 18. 2. consider that you have no right of propriety to your selves ; if you have , how came you by it ? did you make your selves ? did you redeem your selves ? do you maintain and preserve your selves ? if you are your own , tell god you will not be beholden to him for his preservation : why cannot you preserve your selves in health , if you are your own ? why cannot you recover your selves from sickness ? is it your selves that gives power to your food to nourish you ? to the earth to bear you , and furnish you with necessar●es ? to the air , to cool and recreate your spirits ? if you are your own , save your selves from sickness , and death ; keep back your age , deliver your souls from the wrath of god ; answer his pure justice for your own sins ; never plead the blood of a redeemer , if you are your own . if you can do these things , i will yield that you are your own . but no man can ransome his foul from death , it cost a dearer price then so , acts 20. 28. you are not debtors therefore to the fles● to live after it , rom 8. 12. but to him that dyed , to subdue the flesh , rom 6. 11. 3. none else can calim any title to you , further then under god upon his gift . men did not create you or redeem you ; be not therefore servatns of men , 1 cor. 7. 23. unless it be under christ , and for him . certainly sathan did not create you , or redeem you ; what right then hath he to you , that he should be served ? 4. seing then that you are gods , and his alone , is it not the most haynous theevery to rob him of his right ? if they must be hang'd that ro● men of so smal a thing as earthly necessaries , wherein they have but an improper derived propriety ; what torments do those deserve that rob god of so precious a creature , that cost him so dear , and might be so useful , and wherein he hath so full and unpuestionable propriety ? the greatest , the richest , the wisest men that are trusted with most are the greatest robbers on earth , if they live not to god , and shall have the greatest punishment . 5. is it not incomparably more honourable to be gods , then to be your own ? and to live to him , then to your selves : the object and end doth nobilitate the act , and thereby the agent . it is more honourabe to serve a prince , then a plowman . th●● man that least seeks his own honour or carnal interest , but most freely denyeth it , and most intirely seeks the honour of god , is most highly honoured with god and good men ; when selfe-seekers defraud themselves of their hopes . most men think vilely , or at least suspitiously , of that man that seeks for honour to himself : they think if the matter were combustible , he need not to blow the fire so hard : if he were worthy of honour , his worth would attract it by a sweet magnetick power ; so much industry they think is the most probable mark of indignity , and of some consciousness of it in the seekers breast . if he attain some of his ends , men are ready to look on his honour but as almes , which he was fain to begge for before he got it : and could he make shift to ascend the throne , so much in the eyes of the wisest men would be detracted from his honour , as they did believe himselfe to have a hand in contriving it . quod sequitur fugio , &c. they honour him more that refuseth a crown when it is offered then him that ambitiously aspireth after it , or rapaciously apprehendeth it . if they see a men much desire their applause , they think he needs it . solomon saith , to scarch their own glory . pro. 25. 27. 6. you can never have a better master then god , nor yet a sweeter employment then his service . there is nothing in him that may be the least discouragement to you , nor in his works that shall be distastefull . the reason why the world thinks otherwise , is because of the distempered aversnesse of their souls . a sick stomack is no fit judge of the pleasantnesse of meats . to live to god is to live to the truest and highest delights . his kingdome is not meats and drinks , but in righteousness , peace , and joy in the holy ghost . his servants indeed are often troubled ; but ask them the reason , and they i quickly tell you , that it is not for being his sevatns , or for serving him too much : but for fear lest they are not his servatns , or for serving him no better . it is not in his waies , or at least not for them , that they meet with their perplexities , but in stepping out of them , & wandring in their own . many besides the servants of god , do seek felicity and satisfaction to their minds , and some discover where it lyeth ; but only they attain it and enjoy it . but on the contrray , he hath an ill master that is ruled by himselfe . a master that is blind and proud and passionate , that will lead you to precipices , and thence deject you ; that will most effectually ruine you , when he thinks he is doing you the greatest good : whose work is bad , and his wages no better ; that feedeth his servants in plenty but as swine , and in the day of famine denyeth them the husks ; what ever you may now imagine while you are distracted with sensuality ; i dare say , if ever god bring you to your selves , you will consider that it is better be in your fathers house , where the poorest servant hath bread enough , then to be fed with dreams and pictures , and to perish with hunger ; reject not god till you have found a better master . 7. if you will needs be your own , and seek your selves , you disengage : god from dealing with you as his in a gracious sense . if you will not trust him , nor venture your selves upon his promise and conduct , but still shift for your selves , then look to your selves as well as you can , save your selves in danger cure your own diseases , quiet your own consciences , grapple with death in your own strength , plead your own cause in judgement , and save your selves from hell if you can ; and when you have done , go and boast of your own sufficiency and atchievements , and tell men how little you are beholden to christ . woe to you , if upon these provocations , god should give you over to provide for your selves , and leave you without any other salvation then your own power if able to effect ; mark the connexion of this sin and punishment in deut 32. 18 , 19 , 20. of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindful , and hast forgotten god that formed thee . and when the lord saw it , he abhorred them , because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters ; and he said i will hide my face from them : i will see what their end shall be : as if he should say , i will see how well they can save themselves , and make them know by experience their own insufficiency . 8. those men that seek themselves , and live to themselves , and not to god , are unfaithful and treacherous both to god and man. as they neglect god in prosperity , so they do but flatter him in adversity , psal . 78. 34 , 35 , 36 , 37. and ●e that will be false to god , whose interest to him is so absolute , is unlikely to be true to men , whose interest in him is infinitely less ; hee that can shake off the great obligations of creation , redemption preservation and provision , which god layeth on him , is unlikely be held by such slender obligations as he receives from men . i 'le never trust that man far , if i know him that 's false to his redeemer ; he that will sell his god , his saviour , his soul and heaven for a litle sensuality , vain-glory or worldly wealth ; i shall not wonder if he sell his best friend for a groat : self-seeking men , will take you for their friend no longer then you can serve their turns ; but if once you need them , or stand in their way you shall find what they esteemed you for . he that is in haste to be rich , and thereupon respecteth persons , for a piece of bread that man will transgress , saith solomon , prov. 28. 20 , 21. 9. sanctification consisteth in your hearty resignation and living to god ; and therefore you are unsanctified if you are destitute of this : without holiness none shall see god , heb. 12. 14. and what is holiness , but our sincere dedication , and devotedness to god ? being no longer common and unclean , but separated in resolution , affection and conversation from the world , and our carnal selves to him . it is the office of the holy ghost , to work you to this ; and if you resist and refuse it , you do not soundly believe in the holy ghost , but instead of believing in him , you fight against him . 10. you are verbally devoted to christ in solemn covenant , entered into baptism , and frequently renewed in the lords supper ▪ and at other seasons . did you not there solemnly by your parents , resign your self to christ as his ? and renounce the flesh , the world and the devil ▪ and promise to fight under christs banner against them to your lives end : o happy person that performeth this covenant ▪ and everlastingly miserable are they that do not . fides non recepta , sed custodita viv●●●cat , saith cyprian . it is not covenant making , without covenant keeping , that is like to save you . do you stand to the covenant that you made by your parents ? or do you disclaim it ? if you disclaim it , you renounce your part in christ ▪ and his benefits in that covenant made over to you . if you stand to it , you must perform your promise , and live to god to whom you were resigned . to take gods oath of allegiance so solemnly , and afterward to turn to his enemies which we renounced , is a rebllion that shall not be alwaies unrevenged . 11. gods absolute dominion and soveraignty over us , is the very foundation of all religion , even of that little that is found left among infidels and pagans , much more evidently of the saving religion of christians : he that dare say he believeth not this , will never sure have the face to call himself a christian . is it not a matter of most sad consideration , that ever so many millions should think to be saved by a doctrine which they believe not , or by a religion that never went deeper then the braine , and is openly contradicted by the tenour of their lives ! is a true religion enough to save you , if you be not true to that religion ? how do men make shift to quiet their consciences in such gross hypocrisie ? is there a man to be found in this congregation , that will not confess that he is rightfully his redeemers ? but hath he indeed their hearts ? their time , their strength , and their interest ? follow some of them from morning to night , you shall not hear one serious word for christ , nor see any serious indeavours for his interest . and yet these men will professe that they are his ; how sad a case is it , that mens own confessions should condemn them , and that which they called their religion , should judge them to that everlasting misery , which they thought it would have sav'd them from ! and how glorious would the christian religion appeare , if men were true to it , if christs doctrine had its full impression on their hearts , and were expressed in their lives ! is he not an exellent person that denyeth himselfe , and doth all for god ? that goeth on no businesse but gods , that searcheth out gods interest in every part of his calling and employment , and intendeth that , that whether he eat or drink , or whatever he doth , doth all to the glory of god , 1. cor. 10. 31. that can say as paul , gal. 2 , 20. i am crucified with christ ; neverthelesse i live , yet not i , but christ liveth in me ; and phil , 3. 7 , 8. what things were gain to me , those i counted loss for christ , yea doubtless , and i count all things , but loss , for the excellency of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord , for whom i have suffered the loss of all things , and do count them but dung , that i may win christ . and phil. 1. 21. for to me to live is christ , and to dye is gaine . perhaps you think that the degree of these examples is unimitable by us : but i am sure all that will be saved , must imitate them in the truth . 12. self-seeking is self-losing ; and delivering up your self and all you have to god , is the only way to save your selves , and to secure all . the more you are his , the more you are your own indeed : and the more you deliver to him , and expend for him , the greater is your gain . these paradoxes are familiar tryed truths to the true believer ; these are his daily food and exercise , which seem to others such scorpions as they dare not touch , or such stones as they are not able to digest . he knoweth that self-humbling is the true self-exalting ; and self-exalting is the infallible way to be brought low . luke 14 11. & 18. 14. mat ▪ 23. 12. he believeth that there is a losing of life which saves it , and a saving of it which certainly loseth it . mat. 10. 39. & 16. 25. o that i could reach the hearts of self-seekers , that spend their care and time for their bodies , and live not unto god! that i were but able to make them see the issue of their course , and what it will profit them to win all the world , and lose their souls ! o all you busie men of this world ▪ hearken to the proclamation of him that bought you , isa . 55. 1 , 2 , 3. ho , every one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters ! buy wine and milk without money or price : wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread ? and your labour for that which satisfieth not ? hearken diligently to me , and eat ye that which is good , and let your soul delight itself in fatness ; incline your ear , and come unto me ; hear , and your soul shall live , and i will make an everlasting covenant with you . o sirs , what a deal of care and labour do you lose ? how much more gainfully might your lives be improved ? godliness with contentment , is the great gain , 1 tim. 6. 6. that which you now think you make your own , will shortly prove to be least your own ; and that is most lost which you so carefully labour for : you that are now so idlely busie in gathering together the treasurie of an ant-hillock , and building childrens tottering piles ; you forget that the foot of death is coming to spurn it all abroad , and tread down you and it together . you spend the day of life and visitation , in painting your phantasies with the images of felicity , and in dressing your selves , and feathering your nest with that which you impiously steal from god ; and you do forget , that the night of blackness is at hand , when god will undress you of your temporary contents , and deplume you of your borrowed bravery : how easily ! how speedily ● how certainly will he do it ? read over your case in luke 12. from 16. to 22. how can you make shift to read such texts , and not perceive that they speak to you ? when you are a pulling down and building up and contriving what to do with your fruits , and saying to your selves , i have so much now as will serve me so many years , i will take mine ease , eat , drink and be merry ; remember then the conclusion , [ but god said unto him , thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee , then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided ? ] so is he that layeth up treasure for himself , and is not rich towards god ] are these things yours or mine , saith god! whose are they ? if they are yours , keep them now if you can : either stay with them , or take them with you . but god will make you know that they are his , and disrobe such men as thieves , that are adorned with that which is none of their own ; this honour ●aith god , is mine , thou stolest it from me : this wealth is mine , this life , and all is mine . only thy self he will not own : they shall require thy soul , that have conquered and ruled it ; though it was his by right of creation and redemption , yet seeing it was not his by a free dedication , he will not own it as to everlasting salvation ; but say , depart from me , i know you not ye workers of iniquity , mat. 7. 23. o with what hearts then , will self-seeking gentlemen part with their honours and estates ! and the earthly minded with their beloved possessions : when he that resigned all to god , and devoted himself and all to his service , shall find his consumed estate to be increased his neglected honour abundantly repaired , and in this life he shall receive an hundred fold , and in the world to come , eternal life , mat. 10. 30. joh. 4 , 56. 1 tim. 6. 12. 19. 13. lastly consider , when judgement comes , enquiry will be made , whether you have lived as your own , or as his that bought you : then he will require his own with improvement , luke 19. 23. the great business of that day will be , not so much to search after particular sins , or duties , which were contrary to the scope of heart and life ; but to know whether you lived to god , or to your flesh ; whether your time , and care , and wealth , were expended for christ in his members and interest ? or for your carnal selves , mat. 25. in as much as you did it not to these , you did it not to him . you that christ hath given authority to , shall then be accomptable , whether you improved it to his advantage ? you that he hath given honor to , must then give account , whether you improved it to his honor ? in the fear of god , sirs , cast up your accounts in time , and bethink you what answer will then stand good : it will be a doleful hearing to a guilty soul , when christ shall say , i gave thee thirty or fourty years time : thy flesh had so much in eating , and drinking , and sleeping , and labouring , in idleness and vain talking , and recreations , and other vanities ; but where was my part ? how much was laid out for the promoting of my glory ? i lent you so much of the wealth of the world ; so much was spent on your backs , and so much on your bellies , so much on costly toyes , or superfluities , so much in revengeful suits and contentions , and so much was left for your posterity ; but where was my part ? how much was laid out to further the gospel , and to relieve the souls or the bodies of your brethren ? i gave thee a family , and committed them to thy care to govern them for me , and fit them for my service : but how didst thou perform it ? o brethren , bethink you in time what answer to make to such interrogatories ; your judge hath told you , that your doom must then pass according as you have improved your talents for him ; and that he that hideth his talent , though he give god his own , shall be cast into utter darkness , where is weeping and gnashing of teeth , mat. 25 ▪ 30. how easily will christ then evince his right in you , and convince you that it was your duty to have lived unto him ? do you think sirs , that you shall then have the face to say , i thought lord , that i had been made and redeemed for my self ? i thought i had nothing to do on earth , but live in as much plenty as i could , and pleasure to my flesh , and serve thee on the by , that thou mightest continue my prosperity , and save me when i could keep the world no longer ; i knew not that i was thine , and should have lived to thy glory . if any of you plead thus , what store of arguments hath christ to silence you ! he will then convince you , that his title to you was not questionable : he will prove that thou wast his by thy very being , and fetch unanswerable arguments from every part and faculty : he will prove it from his incarnation , his life of humiliation , his bloody sweat ▪ his crown of thorns , his cross , his grave ; he that had wounds to shew after his resurrection , for the convincing of a doubting disciple , will have such scars to shew then , as shall suffice to convince a self excusing rebel : all these shall witness that he was thy rightful lord : he will prove it also from the discoveries of his word , from the warnings of his ministers , from the mercies which thou receivedst from him , that thou wast not ignorant of his right , and of thy duty ; or at least , not ignorant for want of meanes : he will prove it from thy baptismal covenant and renewed engagements : the congregation can witness that you did promise to be his , and seale to it by the reception of both his sacraments : and as he will easily prove his right : so will he as easily prove , that you denyed it to him : he will prove it from your works , from the course of your life , from the streame of your thoughts , from your love , your desires ▪ and the rest of the affections of your disclosed hearts . o brethren , what a day will that be , when christ shall come in person with thousands of his angels , to sit in judgment on the rebellious world , and claim his due which is now denyed him : when plaintiff and defendant witnesses and jurors , councellors and justices judges , and all the princes on earth , shall stand equal before the impartial judge expecting to be sentenced to their unchangeable state : then if a man should ask you , [ what think you now , sir , of living to god ? is it better to be devoted to him , or to the flesh ? which now do you take for the better master ? what would you do now , if it were all to do again ? ] what would you then say to such a question ? how would you answer it ? would you make as light of it as now you do ? o sirs , you may hear these things now from your poor fellow-creature , as proud-hearted gallants , or as self-conceited deriders , or as besotted worldlings , or senseless blocks , or secret infidels , that as those deut. 29. 19. do bless themselves in their hearts , and say , we shall have peace , though we walk in the imagination of our hearts : but then you will heare them as trembling prisoners ! read the 20 verse at leisure . such a sight will work , when words will not : especially words not believed , nor considered of . when you shall see the god that you disowned , the redeemer whom you ●eglected the glory which you forfeited , by preferring the plesures of the flesh before it , the saints triumphing whom you refused to imitate , and a dolefull eternity of misery to be remedilesly endured , then saints will seem wiser men in your eyes , and how gladly would● you then be such ? but o too late ! what a thing is it , that men who say they believe such a judgment , and everlasting life and death , as all christians , profess to do , can yet read , and hear , and talk of such things as insensibly , as if they were dreames or fables ! i know it is the nature of sin , to deceive , and of a sinfull heart to be too willing of such deceiving ; and it 's the business of satan by deceiving to destroy , and with the most specious baits to angle for souls ; and therefore i must expect , that those of you that are taken , and are neerest to the pit , should be least fearful of the danger , and most confident to escape , though you are conscious that you live not to god , but to your selves : but for my part , i have read , and considered what god saith in his word , and i have found such evidence of its certain truth , that i heartily wish , that i might rather live on a dunghill , and be the s●●●n of the world , and spend my few daies in beggery and calamity , then that i should stand before the lord my judge , in the case of that man whatever he be , that is not in heart and life devoted unto god , but liveth to his flesh : for i know that if we live after the flesh , we shall dye , rom. 8. 13. i had rather lie here in lazarus poverty , and want the compassion and releife of man , then to be cloathed with the best , and fare deliciously , and hereafter be denyed a drop of water to cool the flames of the wrath of god. i confess , this is likely to seem but harsh and ungreatful preaching to many of you ; some pleasant fingles , or witty sayings , or shreds of reading , and pretty cadency of neat expressions , were liker to be accepted , and procure applause with them who had rather have their ears and phantasies tickled , then rubbed so roughly , and be roused from their ease & pleasing dreams . but shall i pr●ach for my self , while i pretend to be preaching you from your selves to god ? shall i seek my se●f , while i am preaching of the everla●●ing misery of self-seekers ? god fobid . sirs , i know the terrours of the lord , 2 cor. 5 11. i believe and therefore speak . were i a christian no deeper then the throat , i would fish for my self , and study more to please you , then to save you ; i love not to make a needless stir in mens consciences . nor to trouble their peace by a doctrine which i do not believe my self . but i believe that our judge is even at the door , and that we shall shortly see him coming in his glory , and the host of heaven attending him with acclamations ; in the mean time , your particular doom draws on ; the fashion of all these things passeth away ; as those seats will anon be empty when you are departed ; so it is but a moment till all your habitations shall change their possessors and the places of your abode and too great delight shall know you no more . i must needs speak to you as to transient , itinerant mortals , who must ere long be carried on mens shoulders to the dust ▪ and there be left by those that must shortly follow you then farewel honours and fleshly delights , farewell all the accommodations & contents of this world ; o that you had sooner bid them farewel● ; had you lived to christ as you did to them , he would not so have turn'd you off , nor have left your dislodged souls to utter desolation . in a word , as ●u●e as the word of god is true , if you own him not now as your lord and soveragin , he will not own you then as his chosen to salvation : and if now you live not to him , you shall not then live with him . be not deceived , god is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap : for he that so●e●h to his fl●sh shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that s●weth to the spirit , shall of the 〈◊〉 everlasting life , gal. 6. 7. 8. consider this ye that forget god , lest he tear you in p●eces , and there be none to deliver you , psal . 50. 22. beloved hearers , believe as you pretend to believe , and then live as you do believe ; if you believe that you are not your own , but his that made you , and bought you with a price , and that he will thus try you for your lives , and everlasting comforts , on this question , whether you have lived to him , or to your selves ? then live as men that do indeed believe it . let your religion be visible , as well as audible ; and let those that see your lives , and observe the scope of your endeavours , see that you believe it . but if you believe not these things , but are infidels in your hearts , and think you shall feel neither pain nor pleasure when this life is ended , but that man dyeth as the beast , then i cannot wonder if you live as you believe . he that thinks he shall dye like a dogg ▪ is like enough to live like a dogg ▪ even in his filthiness , and in snarling for the bones of worldly vanities , which the children do contemn . having spoken this much by way of exhortation : i shall add a few words for your more particular direction that you may see to what my exhortation doth tend , and it may not be lost . 1. be sure that you look to the uprightness of your heart , in this great business of devoting your selves to god ; especially see , 1. that you discern and soundly believe that excellency in god , which is not in the creature ; and that perfect felicity in his love , and in the promised glory , which will easily pay for all your losses . 2. and that upon a deliberate comparing him with the pleasures of this world , you do resolvedly renounce them , and dedicate your selves to him . 3. and specially that you search carefully lest any reserve should lurk in your hearts and you should not deliver up your selves to him absolutely , for life and death , for better and worse , but should still retain some hopes of an earthly felicity , and not take the unseen felicity for your portion : it is the lot of the wicked to have their portion in this life , psal . 17. 14. and let me here warn you of one delusion , by which many thousands have perished , and cheated themselves out of their everlasting hopes : they think that it is only some grosser disgracefull sins , as swearing , drunkenness , whoredom , injustice , &c. that will prove mens perdition ; and because they are not guilty of these , they are secure , when as it is the predominancy of the interest of the flesh , against the interest of god in their hearts and lives , that is the certain evidence of a state of damnation , which way soever it be that this is expressed . many a civil gentleman hath his heart more addicted to his worldly interest , and less to god , then some whoremongers and drunkards . if you live with good reputation for civility , yea for extraordinary ingenuity , yea for religious zeal , and no disgracefull vice is perceived in your lives ; yet if your hearts be on those things which you possess , and you love your present enjoyments better then god and the glory that he hath promised , your case is as dangerous as the publicans and harlots ; you may spend your days in better reputation but you will end them in as certain desolation as they . the question is only , whether god have your hearts and lives ? and not , whether you denyed them to him with a plausible civility : nay it is meerly for their carnal elves , to preserve their reputation , that some men do forbear those grosser , crimes , when yet god hath as little of them as of the more visibly prophane . love not the world nor the things that are in the world ; if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him . 1 john 2. 15. 2. if you are wholly , gods , live wholly to him , at least do not stint him , and grudge him your service . it is grown the common conceit of the world , that a l●fe of absolute dedication to god , is more adoe then needs . what needs all this adoe , say they ; cannot you be saved with less adoe then this ! i will now demand of these men but an answer to these few sober quest●ons . 1. do you fear giving more to god then his due ? is not all his own ? and how can you give him more then all ? 2. he is not so backward in giving to you , that owes you nothing , but gives you plenty , variety and continuance of all the good you enjoy ; and do you think you well requite him ? 3. christ said not of his life and precious blood , it is too much ; and will you say of your poor unprofitable service , it is too much ? 4. who will you give that to which you spare from god ? that time , and study , and love and labour ? to any that hath more right to it or better deserves it , or will better reward you then he will do ? 5. are you afraid of being losers by him ? have you cause for such fears ; is be unfaithfull , or unable to performe his promises ? will you repent when you come to heaven , that you did too much to get it ? will not that blessedness pay you to the full ? 6. what if you had not wages but your work ? is it not better to live to god then to man ? is not purity better then impurity ? if feasting he grievous , it is because you are sick ; if the be your pleasure , it is because you are swine , and not because the condition is desireable . 7. will it comfort you more in the reckoning and review , to have laid out your selves for god , or for the world ? will you then wish that you had done less for heaven , or for earth ? sirs , these questions , are easily answered , if you are but willing to consider them . 8. doth it be seem those to be afraid of serving god too much , that are such bankrupts as we are , and are sure that we shall not give him the twentieth part of his due , if we do the best we can : and when the best that are scorned by the world for their forwardness , do abhor themselves for their backwardness ! yea could we do all , we are but unprofitable servants , and should do but our duty , luke 17. 10. alas , how little cause have we to fear lest we should give god too much of our hearts or of our lives ? 3. if you are not your own , remember that nothing else is your own ; what can be more your own then your selves ? 1 , your parts and abilities of minde or body , are not your own ; use them therefore for him that owneth them . 2. your authority and dignities are not your own ; see therefore that you make the best of them for him that lent them you . 3. your children themselves are not your own ; design them for the utmost of his service that trusts you with them ; educate them in that way as they may be most serviceable to god. it is the great wickedness of too many of our gentry , that they prepare their posterity only to live plenteously and in credit in the world , but not to be serviceable to god or the commonwealth . design them all that are capable , to magistracy or ministry , or some usefull way of life : and whatever be their employment , endeavour to possess them with the fear of the lord , that they may devote themselves to him . think not the preaching of the gospel a work too low for the sons of the noblest person in the land. it would be an excellent furtherance to the work of the gospel , if noble men and gentlemen would addict their sons to the ministry that are fit for it , and can be spared from the magistracy ; they might have more respect from their people , and easier rule them , and might better win them with bounty then poor men can do : they need not to contend with them for tythes or maintenance . 4. if you are not your own , your whole families are not your own : use them therefore as families that are dedicated to god. 5. if you are not your own , then your wealth is not your own honour god therefore with your substance , and with the first fruits of your increase , prov. 3. 9. do you ask how ? is there no poor people that want the faithful preaching of the gospel for want of means or other furtherance ? is there no godly scholers that want means to maintain them at the universities , to fit them for this work ? is there no poor neighbors about you , that are ignorant , that if you buy them bibles and catechismes , and hire them to learn them , might come to knowledge and to life ? are there no poor children that you might set apprentices to godly masters , where soul and body might both have helps ? the poor you have always with you . it is not for want of objects for your charity , if you hide your talents or consume them on your selves ; the time is coming when it would do you more good to have laid them out to your masters use then in pampering the flesh . some grudge that god should have the tenths , that is , that they should be consesecrated to the maintenance of his service ; but little do these consider that all is his , and must all be accounted for . some question whether now there be such a sin as sacriledge in being ; but little do they consider that every sin is a king of sacriledge . when you dedicated your self to god , you dedicated all you had ; and it was gods before ; do not take if from him again remember the halving of ananias ! and give god all . objection , but must we not provide for our families ? answer . yes , because god requires it and in so doing you render it to him : that is given to him , which is expended in obedience to him , so be it you still prefer his most eminent interest . lastly , if you are not your own , then must not your works be principally for your selves , but for him that oweth you . as the scope of your lives must be to the honor of your lord , so be sure that you hourly renew these intentions ; when you set your foot out of your doors , ask whether your business you go upon be for god : when you go to your rest , examine your selves what you have done that day for god ; especially let no opportunity over-slip you , wherein you may do him extraordinary service . you must so perform the very labours of your callings , that they may be ultimately for god ; so love your dearest friends and enjoyments , that it be god that is principally loved in them . more particularly as to the business of the day , what need i say more then in a word to apply this general doctrine to your speciall work ? if the honourable judges , and the justices will remember , that they are gods , and not their own , what a rule and stay will it be to them for their work ? what an answer will it afford them against all sollicitations from carnal self or importunate friends ? viz. i am not mine own nor come i hither to do mine own work ; i cannot therefore dispose of my self or it , but must do as he that owes me , doth command me , how would this also incite them to promote christs interest with their utmost power and faithfully to own the causes which lie owneth . 2. if all councellors and solliciters of causes did truly take themselves for gods , and not their own , they durst not plead for , nor sollicite a cause which they knew god disowneth ; they would remember that what they do against the innocent , or speak against a righteous cause , is done and said against their lord from whom they may expect ere long to hear , in as much as you said , or did this against the least of these , you said , or did it against me . god is the great patron of innocency , and the pleader of every righteous cause ; and he that will be so bold as to plead against him , had need of a large fee to save him harmless . say not , it is your calling which you must live by , unless you that once listed your selves in your baptism under christ will now take pay & make it your profession to fight aggainst him : the emptier your purses are of gain so gotten , the richer you are ; at least the fuller they are , you are so much the poorer ; as we that are ministers do find by experience , that it was not without provocation from us , that god of late hath let loose so many hands , and pens , and tongues against us though our calling is more evidently owned by god , then any one in the world besides ; so i doubt not but you may find upon due examination , that the late contempt which hath been cast upon your profession , is a reproof of your guilt from god who did permit it . had lawyers and divines less lived to themselves , and more to god , we might have escaped , if not the scourge of reproachful tongues , yet at least the lashes of conscience . to deal freely with you , gentlemen , it is a matter that they who are strangers to our profession , can scarce put any fair construction upon ; that the worst cause for a little money should find an advocate among you ! this deiveth the standers by upon this harsh dilemma , to think that either your understanding , or your consciences , are very bad . if indeed you so little know a good cause from a bad , then it must needs tempt men to think you very uhskilful in your profession . the seldom and smaller differences of divines , in a more sublime and mysterious profession , is yet a discovery so far of their ignorance , and is imputed to their disgrace : but when almost every cause , even the worst that comes to the barr , shall have some of you for it , and some against it ; and in the palpablest cases you are some on one side , and some on the other , this strange difference of your judgements , doth seem to bewray their weakness : but if you know the causes to be bad which you defend , and to be good which you oppose , it more evidently bewrayes a deplorate conscience : i speak not of your innocent of excusable mistakes in cases of great difficulties ; not yet of excusing a cause bad in the main from unjust aggravations ; but when money will hire you to plead for injustice against your own knowledge , and to use your wits to defraud the righteous , and spoil his cause or vex him with delays for the advantage of your unrighteous clyent , i would not have your conscience for all your gains , nor your accomp● to make for all the world ; it s sad that any known unrighteous cause should have a professed christian in the face of a christian judicature to defend it , and sathan should plead by the tongues of men so deeply engaged to christ : but it s incomparably more sad , that almost every unjust cause should find a patron ; and no contentious malicious person should be more ready to do wrong , then some lawyers to defend him , for a ( dear bought ) fee ! did you honestly obey god , and speak not a word against your judgement , but leave every unjust man to defend his own cause , what peace would it bring to your consciences ? what honour to your now reproached profession ? what relief to the oppressed ? and what an excellent cure to the troublesome contentions of proud or malicious men ? 3. to your jurers and witnesses i shall say but this , you also are not your own ; and he that oweth you , hath told you , that he will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain : it s much into your hands that the law hath committed the cause of the just ; should you betray it by perjury and false witness , while there is a conscience in your guilty breast , and a god in heaven you shall not want a witness of your sin , or a revenger of the oppressed , if the blood of christ on your sound repentance do not rescue you . 4. if plantiff and defendant did well consider that they are not their own , they would not be too prone to quarrels , but would lose their right , when god the chief proprietor did require it . why do you not rather take wrong and suffer your selves to be defrauded , then do wrong and defraud , and that your brethren ? 1 cor. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. to conclude , i earnestly intreat you all that have heard me this day , that when you come home , you will betake your selves to a sober consideration of the claim that god hath laid to you , and the right he hath in you , and all that you have ; and resolve without any further delay to give him his own , and give it not to his enemies , and yours . when you see the judgement set , and the prisoners waiting to receive their sentence , remember with what unconceiveable glory and terror your judge will shortly come to demand his due ; and what an enquiry must be made into the tenor of your lives . as you see , the ecclipsed sun withdraw its light , so remember how before this dreadful final judgement , the sun and moon , and whole frame of nature shall be dissolved ! and how god will withdraw the light of his countenance from those that have neglected him in the day of their visitation . as ever you would be his , then see that you be his now : own him as your absolute lord , if you expect he should own you then as his people . woe to you that ever you were born , if you put god then to distrain for his due , and to take that up in your punishment , which you denyed to give him in voluntary obedience . you would all be his , in the time of your extremity ; then you cry to him , as your god for deliverance . hear him now if you would then be heard : live to him now , and live with him for ever . a popish priest can perswade multitudes of men and women , to renounce the very possession of worldly goods , and the exercise of their outward callings , in a mistaken devotedness to god. may not i then hope to prevail with you , to devote your selves with the fruit of your callings , and possessions to his unquestionable service ? will the lord of mercy but fasten these perswasions upon your hearts , and cause them to prevail ; what a happy day will this prove to us all . god will have his own ! the church will have your utmost help , the souls of those about you will have the fruit of your diligence and good examples , the common-wealth will have the fruit of your fidelity , the poor will have the benefit of your charity , i shall have the desired end of my labour , and your selves will have the great and everlasting gain . a sermon of the absolute soveraignty of christ ; and the necessity of mans subjection , dependence , and chiefest love to him . preached before the judges of assize at worcester . by rich. baxter . luke 19. 27. but those mine enemies which would not that i should reign over them , bring hither , and slay them before me . london printed for nevill simmons bookseller in kidderminster , l656 . christian reader , when i had resolved at the desire of the honorable judge of as●ize , to publish the foregoing sermon , i remembred that about six years before , i had preached another on the like occasion , on a subject so like and to so like a purpose , that i conceived it not unfit to be annexed to the former . i have edeavoured to shew you in both these sermons , that christ may be preached without antinomianis●● ; that terrour may be preached without unwarrantable preaching the law ; that the gospel is not a meer promise , and that the law it self is not so terrible as it is to the rebellious . as also what that super structure is , that is built on the foundation of general redemption rightly under stood ; and how ill we can preach christs dominion in his universal propriety and soveraignty , or yet perswade men to sanctification and subjection without this foundation . i have laboured to fit all ( or almost all ) for matter and manner to the capacity of the vulgar . and though for the matter it is as necessary to the greatest , yet is it for the vulgar principally that i publish it ; and had rather it might be numbred with those boooks that are carryed up and down the country from door to door in pedlars packs , then with those that lie in booksellers stalls , or are set up in the libraries of learned divines . and to the same use would i design the most of my published labours should god afford we time and abily and contetious brethren would give me leave . august the 7th , 1654. rich. baxter . a sermon of the absolute soveraignty of christ . psal . 2. 10 , 11 , 12. be wise now therefore , o ye kings be instructed ye judges of the earth . serve the lord with fear , and rejoyce with trembling , &c. tto waste this precious hour in an invective against in justice and its associates , is none of my purpose ; they are sins so directly against the principles in nature , so well known , i believe , to you all , and so commonly preached against upon these occasions , that upon the penalty of forfeiting the credit of my discretion , i am bound to make choice of a more nccessary subject . what ? have we need to spend our time and studies to perswade christians from bribery , perjury and oppresson ? and from licking up the vomit which pagans have cast out ? and that in an age of blood and desolation , when god is taking the proudest oppressiors by the throat , and raising monuments of justice upon the ●●nes of the unjust ! and i would fain believe that no corrupt lawyers do attend your judictures , and that iezabels witnesses dwell not in our country , nor yet a jurie that feare not an oath : i have therefore chosen another subject , which being of the greatest moment , can never be unseasonable , even to proclaim him who is constituted the king and judge of all , to acquaint you with his pleasure , and to demand your subjection . the chiefe scope of the psalm is , to foretell the extent and pevalency of the kingdom of christ , admonishing his enemies to submit to his goverment , deriding the vanity of their opposing projects and furie and forewarning them of their ruine if they come not in . the verses which i have read are the application of the foregoing prediction by a serious admonition to the proudest offenders : they contain , 1. the persons admonished [ kings and judges ] 2. their duty . 1. in general to god serve him ] with the adjuncts annexed , 1. rejoycing . 2. fear and trembling , 2. more specially , their duty to the son , [ kiss him . ] 3. the motives to this duty . 1. principally and directly expressed [ left he be angry ] which anger is set sorth by the effect [ and ye perish ; ] which perishing is aggravated , 1. from the suddeness and unexpectedness [ in the way . ] 2. from the dreadfullness [ kindled . ] 1. it is fire , and will kindle and burn . 2. a little of it will produce this sad effect . 3. it will be woe to those that do not escape it ; which woe is set forth by the contrary happiness of those that by submission do escape . 2. the motives subservient and implyed , are in the monitory words [ be wise , be learned ] q. d. else you will shew and prove your selves men of ignorance and madness , unlearned and unwise . some questions here we should answer for explicaton of the terms . as 1. whether the lord in v. 11. and the son in v. 12. be both meant of christ the second person ? 2. whether the anger here mentioned , be the anger of the father or the son [ lest he angry . ] i might spend much time here to litle purpose , in shewing you the different judgement of divines , of these when in the issue there is no great difference which way ever we take them . 3. what is meant by [ kissing the son ] i answer , according to it's threefold object it hath a threefold duty contained in it . 1. we kiss the feet in token of subjection ; so must we kiss the son. 2. we kiss the hand in token of dependence ; so must we kiss the hand of christ ; that is , resign our selves to him , and expect all our happiness and receivings from him . 3. we kiss the mouth in token of love and friendship ; and so also must we kiss the son. 4. what is meant by [ perishing in the way ] i answer , ( omitting the variety of interpretations ) it is their sudden unexpected perishing in the heat of their rage , and in pursuit of their designs dgainst the kingdom of christ . i know no other terms of any great difficulty here . many observations might be hence raised : as , 1. serving the lord is the great work and business that the world hath to do . 2. this service should be accompanyed with rejoycing . 3. so should it also with fear and trembling . 4. there is no such opposition between spiritual joy and fear , but that they may and must consist together . 5. scripture useth familiar expressions concerning mans communion with christ ( such as this ; kiss the son. ) 6. there is anger in god , or that which we cannot conceive better of then under the notion of anger . 7. there is a way to kindle this anger ; it is man that kindleth it . 8. the way to kindle it chiefly , is , not kissing the son. 9. the kindling of it will be the perishing of the sinner . 10. the enemies of christ shall perish suddenly and unexpectedly . 11. a little of gods anger will utterly undo them . 12. they are blessed men that scape it , and miserable that must feeel it . 13. it is therefore notorious folly to neglect christ and stand out . 14. kings , judges , and rulers of the earth , are the first men that christ summons in , and the chief in the calam tie if they stand out . but i will draw the scope of the text into this one doctrine ; in the handling whereof , i shall spend the time allotted me . doct. no power or priviledge can save that man from the fearful sudden consuming wrath of god , that doth not unfeignedly love , depend upon , and subject himself unto the lord jesus christ . if they be the greatest kings aud judges , yet if they do not kiss the mouth , the hand , the feet of christ , his wrath will be kindled , and they will perish in the way of their rebellion and neglect . in handling this point i shall observe this order . 1. i will shew you what this love , dependence and subjection are . 2. what wrath it is that will thus kindle and consume them . 3. why this kissing the son is the only way to escape it . 4. why no power or priviledge else can procure their escape . 5. the application . for the first , i shall only give you a naked description , wishing that i had time for a fuller explication . 1. subjection to christ is , the acknowledging of his absolute soveraignty both as he is god creator and as redeemer , over all the world , and particularly our selves ; and a hearty consent to this his overaignty , especially that he be our lord , and his laws our rule , and a delivering up our selves to him to be governed accordingly . 2. this dependence on christ is , when acknowledging the sufficiency of his satisfaction , and his power , and willingness to save all that receive him manifested in his free universal offer in the gospel we do heartily accept him for our only saviour , and accordingly ( renouncing all other ) do wait upon him believingly for the benefits of his sufferings and office , and the performance of his faithful covenant to us , in restoring us to all the blessings which we lost , and advancing us to a for greater everlasting glory . 3. this affection to christ is , when in the knowledge and sense of his love to us , both common and especial , and of his own excellency , and the blessedness of enjoying him , and the father , and life by him ; our hearts do chuse him and the father b● him as our only happiness , and accordingly love him above all things in the world . as this three fold description containeth the sum of the gospel , so hath it nothing but what is of necessity to sound christianity . if any one of these three be not found in thy heart , either i have little , skill in divinity , or thou hast no true christianity , nor canst be saved in that condition . object . but doth not the scripture make believing the condition of the covenant ? but here is a great deal more then believing . answ . sometime faith is taken in a narrower sense , and then it is not made the sole condition of the new covenant , but repentance and forgiving others , are joyned with it as conditions of our forgiveness ; and obedience , and perseverance as conditions of our continued justification and salvation . but when faith is made the sole condition of the covenant , then it comprehendeth essentially ( not only supposeth as precedent or concomitant ) if not all three , yet at least the two first of the fore described qualifications , viz. dependence and subjection ; which if it were well understood , would much free the common sort of christians from their soul destroying mistakes , and the body of divinity from a multitude of common errors , and our religion from much of that reproach of solisidianism which is cast upon it by the papists . 2. i must be as brief in opening the second thing , viz. what wrath is it that will thus kindle and consume them ? what wrath is in god , we need not here trouble our selves to enquire ; but only what is intimated in the threats or curses of the covenants . as there are two covenants , so each hath his proper penalty for its violation . 1. then ti●l men do come in and submit to christ , they lie under the wrath of god for all their sins as they are against the covenant of works ; or they are lyable to the curse of that covenant : christs death hath taken away the curse of the covenaut , not absolutely from any man , but conditionally , which becomes absolute when the condition is performed . the elect themselves are not by nature under the covenant of grace , but remain under the curse of the first covenant , till they come in to christ . 2. whosoever rejecteth or neglecteth this grace , and so finally breaketh the new covenant , must also bear the curse or penalty thereof , besides all the former , which will be a far greater curse , even as the blessings of this covenant are far greater then those of the first . it was a heavy punishment to be cast out of paradise , and from the presence and favour of god , and to be cursed by him , and subjected to eternal death , and all creatures below cursed for our sakes , to bear all those curses and plagues threatned in deut. 27. and 28. and to have the wrath of god smoak against us , &c. as deut. 29 20. but of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy , that doth tread under foot the blood of this covenant , and do despite to the spirit of grace ! heb. 10. 28 , 29. it is true , that for all other sins , the wrath of god cometh upon the children of disobedience ( or unperswadableness ) that is , on them that will not be perswded to obey the lord christ , epha 5. 6. but it is on no other with us ; for this is the condemnation that light is come into the world , and men love darkness rather then light , john 1. 19. 3. why is this kissing the son , ( that is loving , depending on , and submitting to him ) the only way to escape these curses ? answ . 1. the most proper and primary reason which can be given is , the will of the great law-giver , who having absolute soveraignty over us might dispose of us as he please , and make us such laws and conditions as seem best to his wisdom , upon which our justification and salvation should depend ; he hath resolved that this shall be the only condition and way , and that as no man shall be justified by a meer christ or his death abstracted from faith ( that is of age and use of reason : ) so this faith shall be the condition upon which they shall be justified : or , as a christ neglected shall save no man , so the accepting or receiving of him , shall justifie and save them , as the conditon of the covenant performed , under which notion it is that faith justifieth . 2. yet other improper or subordinate reasons ( which receive their life from the former , and without it would be no reasons ) may be given ; as 1. from the equity ; and 2. from the sutbleness and conveniency . 1. it is but equal that he who hath bought us , and that so dearly , and from a state so deplorable and desperate as we were in , should be acknowledged and accepted for our saviour and our lord ; and that we who are not our own , but are bought with a price , should glorifie him with our bodies and souls which are his , 1 cor. 6. 20. & 7. 23. epecially when for that end he both dyed aud rose again , that he might rule or be lord over both quick and dead , rom. 14. 9. if one of you should buy a man from the galleyes or gallowes , with the price of your whole estate , or the life of your only son : would you not expect that he should be at your dispose ? that he should love you , depend on you and be subject to you ? 2. and as salvation by free grace through christ is a way most sutable to gods honor , and to our own necessities and low condition , so in subordination thereto , the way of believing is most rationally conducible to the same ends . as we could not have had a fitter way to the father then by christ , so neither could there be a fitter way to christ , or means to partake of him then by faith. for though i cannot call it the instrumental cause of our justification , either active or passive ; yet is this faith ( or acceptation of christ , for our saviour and king , which is here called [ kising the son ] the fairest condition that we could reasonably expect , and the most apparently tending to the honor of our redeemer ; applying and appropriating to our selves the person , righteousness , and benefits procured and offered , but no● the least of the houor of the work. all we do is but to accept what christ hath procured , and that must be by the special assistance of his spirit too . 4. the fourth thing i promised , is to shew you , why no other priviledge or power in the world can save him that doth not kiss the son ? it may here suffice , that i have shewed you gods determination to the contrary . but further consider if any shonld hope to scape by their dignities , titles , friends , strength or any other endowments , or virtuous qualifications ) 1. what is their task ? 2. what is their power to perform it ? 1. they must resist the unresistible will of god ; they must do that which heaven or earth , men or devils were never able yet to do : they have resisted his laws and his love ; but they could never resist his purpose or his power . the power that undertaketh to save the enemy or neglecter of christ , must first overcome the power of the almighty , and conquer him that doth command the world : and who hath the strength that is sufficient for this ? sinner , before thou venture thy soul upon such a mad conceit , or think to be saved whether god will or not , try first thy skill and strength in some inferiour attempt ; bid the sun or moon stand still in the firmament , invert the several seasons of the year . bid the snow and frost to come in summer , and the flowers and fruits to spring in winter : command the streams to turn their course , or the tide its times , or the winds their motion . if these will obey thee , and thy word can prevail with them against the law of their creator , then maist thou proceed with a greater confidence and courage , and have some hopes to save the neglecters of christ : or try first whether thou canst save thy present life against the course of nature and will of god ; call back thine age and years that are past , command thy pains and sickness to be gone : chide back this bold approaching death : will they not obey thee ? canst thou do none of these ? how then canst thou expect the saving of thy soul against the determinate will and way of god ? where dwelleth that man , or what was his name , that did neglect christ , and yet escape damnation ? who hath hardned himself against him , and hath prospered ? job 9. 4. and dost thou think then to be the first ? thou maist perhaps knock boldly at the gate of heaven ; and plead thy greatness , thy virtues , thy almsdeeds and formal devotion : but thou shalt receive a sadder answer then thou dost expect : jesus we know and obediential faith in him we know ; but who are ye ? 2 he that will save the soul that loveth not , dependeth not on and subjecteth not himself to christ , must first make false the word of god , and make the true and faithful god a lyer ; this is another part of his task ; god hath given it under his hand for truth , that he that believeth not , is condemned already , joh. 3. 18. that he shall not see life , but the wrath of god abideth on him , joh. 3. 36. that they who are invited to christ , and make light of it , or make excuses , shall never taste of his supper , luke 14. 24. mat. 22. 5. 8. that it shall be easier for sodom in the day of judgement , then for that city which refuseth the offers of the gospel , mat. 12. 15. that whosoever would not have christ to raign over them , shall be brought forth at last , and destroyed before him as his enemies , luk. 19. 27. that they shall all be damned that believe not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness , 2 thes . 2. 12 , &c. and hath the almighty said that thus it shall be ? who then is he that dare say it shall not be ? is this the concluded decree of heaven ? what power or policy is able to reverse it ? hath god said it & wil he not do it ? thus you see his task , that will undertake to save one neglecter of christ . 2. let us now consider , what power that is that must perform it : if it be done , it must be either , 1. by wisdom : or 2. by strength ; whereas the chiefest of men even the kings and judges of the earth , are both ignorant and impotent . 1. ignorant . though judges are learned in the repute of the world : alas , poor crawling breathing dust ! do you know the secrets of your masters counsel ? and are you able to over reach them , and frustrate his designs ? doth this book know what is written in it ? can the seat you sit on , over-top your counsels ? more likely then for you to over-top the lord : silly worms , you know not what god is , nor know you any one of his unrevealed thoughts , no more then that pillar doth know your thoughts : you know not what you are your selves , nor see any further then the superficies of your skin ; what is thy soul ? and when didst thou receive it ? dost thou know its form , or didst thou feel it enter ? which part didst thou feel it first possess ? thou canst call it a spirit , but knowst thou what a spirit is ? or rather only what it is not ; thou knowest not that whereby thou knowest ; and how was thy body formed in the womb ? what was it an hundred years agoe ? what is that vital heat and moisture ? what causeth that order and ( diversity of its parts ? when will the most expert anatomists and physitians be agreed ? why , there are mysteries in the smallest worm which thou canst not reach ; nor couldst thou resolve the doubts arising about an ant or atome , much less about the sun , or fire , or air or or wind , &c. and canst thou not know thy self , nor the smallest part of thy self , nor the smallest creature ? and yet canst thou over-reach the everlasting counsels ? 2. and is thy might and power any greater then thy policy ? why , what are the kings and rulers of the earth , but lumps of clay , that can speake and go ? moving shadows , the flowers of a day , a corruptible seed , blown up to that swelled consistence in which it appears , as children blow their bubbles of soape , somewhat invisibly condensate ; which that it may become visible , is become more gross , and so more vile , and will shortly be almost all turned into invisible again ; & that little dust which corruption leaves by the force of fire , may be dissipated yet more , and then where is this specious part of the man ? surely now that body which is so much esteemed , is but a loathsome lump of corruptible flesh , covered with a smooth skin , and kept a little while from stinking by the presence of the soul , and must shortly be cast out of sight into a grave , as unfit for the sight or smell of the living , and there be consumed with rot●enness and worm : these are the kings and rulers of the earth ; this is the power that must conquer heaven , and save them that rebel against christ the lord ; they that can not live a moneth without repairing their consuming bodies by food , one part whereof doth turn to their vital blood and spirits , and the other to most loathsome unsufferable excrements ; so neere is the kin between their best and worst . judge all you that have common reason , whether he that cannot keep himself alive an hour , and shortly will not be able to stirr a finger to remove the worms that feed upon his heart be able to resist the strengh of christ , and save the soul , that god hath said and sworn shall not be saved ? ah poor souls , that have no better saviours ! and well may christ , his truth aud cause prevail , that have no stronger enemies . vse 1. you have here a text that will fully inform you , how you are like to speed at the barr of christ ; who shall dye , and who shall live ; the great assize is neare at hand , the feet of our judg are even at the dore ; go thy way unbelieving sinner , when thou hast had all the pleasure that sin will afford thee , lye down in the dust and sleep a while , the rousing voice shall quickly awake thee , and thine eyes shall see that dreadfull day ! o blessed ! oh dolefull day ! blessed to the saints , dolefull to the wicked : o the rejoycing ! o the lamenting that there will be ! the triunphant shoutings of joyful saints ! the hideous roaring cries of the ungodly ! when each man hath newly received his doom● , and there is nothing but eternal glory , and eternall fire . beloved hearers , every man of you shall shortly there appeare , and wait as the trembling prisoner at the barr , to hear what doom must pass upon you ; do you not believe this ? i hope you doe believe it . why what would you give now to know for certain how it shall then go with you ? why here is the book by which you must be judged , and here is the summe of it in my text , & the grounds upon which the judge will then proceed . will you but go along with me , and answer the questions which hence i shall put to you , and search and judg your selves by them as you go , and you may know what doom you may then expect ; onely deal faithfully , and search throughly ; for self flatery will not prevent your sorrow . and here you must know ; that it is the kiss of the heart , and not of the lips , which we must here enquire after : the question will not be at the great day , who hath spoke christ fair ? or who have called themselves by the name of christians ? or who hath said the creed or the lords prayer oftnest ? or cryed , lord , lord ? or come to church ? for carryed a bible ? or who hath held this opinion ? or who that ? it would make a mans heart ake to think how zealously men will honour the shadow of christ and bow at his name , and reverence the image of the cross which he dyed on , and the names and reliques of the saints that dyed for him , and yet do utterly neglect the lord himselfe , and cannot endure to be governed by him , and resist his spirit , and scorne his strict and holy waies , and dispitefully hate them that most love and obey him , and yet belive themselves to be real christians . for god sake , sirs , do not so delude your immortal souls , as to think your baptism and your outward devotion , and your good meanings ( as you call them ) and your righteous dealing with men , will serve the turn to prove you christians : alas , this is but with judas , to kiss the mouth of christ , and indeed to fetch your death from those blessed lips , from whence the saints do fetch their life : i will shew you some surer signs then these . 1. and first let me a little enquire into your subjection to christ . do you remember the time when yon were the servants of sin , and when sathan led you captive at his will ? and the prince of darkness ruled in your souls ? and all within you was in a carnal peace ? do you remember when the spirit in the word came powerfully upon your hearts , and bound sathan , and cast him our , and answered all your r●asonings , and conquered all your carnal wisdom , and brought you from darkness to light , and from the power of sathan unto god , acts 26. 18. or at least are you sure , that now you live not under the same lord and laws as the ungodly do ? hath christ now the only soveraignty in your souls ? is his word thy law which thou darest not pass ? doth it bind thy thoughts , and rule thy tongue ? and command thy self and all thou hast ? hast thou laid all down at the feet of christ ? and resigned thy self and all to his will ? and devoted all to his dispose and service ? if custom bid thee curse and swear , and christ forbid thee , which dost thou obey ? if thy appetite bid thee take thy cups and fare deliciously every day ; if thy company bid thee play the good-fellow , or scorn the godly ; if thy covetousness bid thee love the world , and christ forbid thee , which dost thou obey ? if christ bid thee be holy , and walk precisely , and be violent for heaven and strive to enter in , and the world and the flesh be enemies to all this , and cry it down as tedious folly ; which dost thou obey ? dost thou daily and spiritually worship him in private , and in thy family , and teach thy children and servants to fear the lord ? i intreat you sirs , deal truly in answering these questions ; never man was saved by the bare title of a christian ; if you are not subject to christ , you are not christians , no more then a picture or a carcase is a man ; and your salvation will be such as your christianity is : subjection is an essential part of thy faith , and obedience is its fruit in short then ; dost thou make him thy fear ? and tremble at his word ? darest thou run upon fire , or water , sword or canon , rather then wilfully run upon his displeasure ? wouldst thou rather displease thy dearest friend , the greatest prince , or thine own flesh , then wittingly provoke him ? when christ speaks against thy sweetest sin , thy nature or custom , or credit , or life , against thy rooted opinions , or thy corrupt traditions : art thou willing to submit to all that he revealeth ? dost thou say , speak , lord , for thy servant heareth ? lord , what wouldst thou have me to do ? i am ready to do thy will , o god , beloved hearers , this is the frame of every servant of christ , and this is the acknowledging and accepting him for your lord. i beseech you cozen not your souls with shews and formalities : if ever you be saved without this subjection , it must be without christs merits or mercy : it must be in a way that scripture revealeth not ●nay , it must be in despite of god ; his truth must be falsified ; his power must be mastered before the disobedient can be saved from his wrath . 2 examine also your dependence on christ , whether you kiss his hands as well as his feet . do you understand that you are all by nature condemned men and lyable to the everlasting wrath of god ? that christ hath interposed and paid this debt , and bought us as his own by the satisfaction of that justice ; that all things are now delivered into his hands , john 1● . ● . and he is made head over all things to his church ephes . 1. 21 , 22. dost thou take him for thy onely saviour ? and believe the history of his life and passion , the truth of his divine and humane nature , his resurrection , his office , and his approaching judgement ? dost thou see that all thy supposed righteousness is but vanity and sin , and that thy self art unable to make the least satisfaction to the law by thy works or sufferings ; and if his blood do not wash thee , and his righteousness justifie thee , thou must certainly be damned yet , and perish for ever ? dost thou therefore cast thy self into his arms , and venture thy everlasting state upon him , and trust him with thy soul , and fetch all thy help and healing from him ? when sin is remembred and thy conscience troubled , and the fore-thoughts of judgement do amaze thy soul , dost thou then fetch thy comfort from the view of his blood , and the thoughts of the freeness and fulness of his satisfaction , his love , and gospel-offers and promises ? dost thou so build upon his promise of a happiness hereafter , that thou canst let goe all thy happiness here , and drink of his cup , and be baptized with his baptism , and lose thy life upon his promise that thou shalt save it ? canst thou part with goods and friends , and all that thou hast , in hope of a promised glory which thou never sawest ? if thou canst drink with him of the brook in the way , thou shalt also with him lift up the head psal 110 v. last . dost thou perceive a mediator as well as a god in all thy mercies , both special and common , and tast his blood in all that thou receivest , and wait upon his hand for thy future supplies ? why , this is kissing the hand of christ , and depending upon him . o how contrary is the case of the world ! whose confidence is like the samaritans worship ; they trust god and their wits and labours ; christ and their supposed merits ; i would i might not say , christ and deceit and wicked contrivances . oh blasphemous joyning of heaven and hell to make up one foundation of their trust ! 3. examine a little also your love to christ , do you thus kiss the son ? do your souls cleave to him , and embrace him with the strongest of your affections ? sirs though there is nothing that the blind world is more confident in then this [ that they love christ with all their hearts ] yet is there nothing wherein they are more false and faulty ; i beseech you therefore deal truly in answering here . are your hearts set upon the lord jesus ? do you love him above all things in this world ? do you stick at your answer ? do you not know ? sure then at best you love him but little , or else you could not choose but know it . love is a stirring and sensible affection ; you know what it is to love a friend ; feel by this pulse , whether you live or dye : doth it beat more strongly toward christ then to any thing else ? never question man , the necessity of this ; he hath concluded , if thou love any thing more then him , thou art unworthy of him , nor canst be his disciple . are thy thoughts of christ thy freest and thy sweetest thoughts ? are thy speeches of him thy sweetest speeches ? when thou awakest , art thou still with him , and is he next thy heart ? when thou walkest abroad , dost thou take him in thy thoughts ? canst thou say and lye not , that thou wert ever deeply in love with him , that thou dost love him but as heartily as thou lovest thy friend , and art as loth to displease him ; and as glad of his presence , and art as much troubled at his strangeness or absence ? hath thy minister or godly acquaintance ever heard thee bemoaning thy soul for want of christ , or inquiring what thou shouldst do to attain him : or thy family heard thee commending his excellency , and labouring to kindle their affections towards him ? why love will not be hid ; when it hath its desire , it will be rejoycing ! : and when it wants , it will be complaining . or at least , can thy conscience witness thy longings , thy groans , thy prayers for a christ ? wilt thou stand to the testimony of these witnesses ? do you love his weak , his poor despised members ? do you visit them , cloath them , feed them to your power ? not only in a common natural compassion to them as they are your neighbors : but do you love or relieve a prophet in the name of a prophet , or a disciple in the name of a disciple ? mat 10. 40 , 41 , 43. shall all these decide the question ? beloved hearers , i profess to you all in the name of our lord , that it is not your bold and confident affirming that you love christ , which will serve your turn when christ shall judge : he will search deep , and judge according to the truth in the inward parts . how many thousands will then perish as his utter enemies , that verily thought themselves his friends ? how easily now might they finde their mistake , if they would but be at the pains to examine themselves ? oh try , try , sirs , before god try you ; judge your selves before christ judge you . it would grieve a mans heart that knows what it is to love christ , to believe , to be subject to him , to see how rare these are in the world and yet how confident and careless most men are ! it may be that you may think much that i so question your love ; yet christ that knew all things , questioned peters love to him , and that three times till it grieved p●t●r . i am a stranger to the most of you , and therefore know not your conditions or inclinations : yet judge me not censorious if i fear the worst , and if i measure you by the rest of the world ; and then i may confidently and sadly conclude that christ hath few loving subjects among you . if we could hear your oaths and vain speeches turned to heavenly soul-edifying discourse and your covetousness to conscionablene●s , and see that the word of christ were your law , and that you laid out your endeavours for heaven in good earnest , then we should say ; these people are the loving subjects of christ . but when men are enemies to christs doctrine , and ways and worship , and had rather live after the flesh , and the world , and the traditions of their fathers , and are notorious for profaness , superstition and enmity to reformation , who can chuse but condole your case ? and if your obstinacy will not endure us to help you , yet you shall give us leave whether you will or no , to lament you . vse 2. but its time that i turn my speech to exhortation : and oh that you would encourage me with your resolution to obey ! my business here to day is as his herauld and embassadour , to proclaim the lord jesus your king and saviour ; and to know whether you will heartily acknowledg and take him so to be , or not : and to perswade you to take so fair an offer , while you may have it : and to kiss the son , lest his wrath be kindled . this is my business here , in which if i had not some hope to speed , the lord knows i would not have been here to day . you will say , this is a common errand : do you think we never heard of hrist before ? i confess it is common blessed be god for it ( and long may it so continue and encrease , and let it be as constant and durable to us as the sun in the firmament : and the lord grant that england● sins or enemies may never bereave them of the blessing of the gospel ; and then it will be a 〈◊〉 land then yet ever was on the face of the earth ) but is it as common to receive christ in love & obedience ? i would it were i know the name of christ is common ; the swearer doth swear by it ; the beggar begs by it , the charmer puts it into his charms , and the jester into his jests , and every papist and ignorant protestant doth mutter it oft-times over his prayers : but who trembleth at it ? or triumpheth in it ? who maketh it his fear and his joy ? and give up their souls and lives to be governed by christ ? i do here solemnly proclaim to you , that the lord jesus will not be put off with your complements ; he cares not for your meer name of christianity , nor your cap , nor your knee ; if thy heart be not set upon him , thou art none of his ; his word must be your law , and you must depend on him alone for soul and body , or never look for mercy at his hands ; he is the author of eternal salvation to them ( only ) that obey him , heb. 5. 9. what say you then , sirs , in answer to my message ? and what course do you resolve upon ? shall christ be your love , and your lord , or not ? will you kiss the son , or will you sleight him stil ? methinks you should easily be resolved , and say , away with pleasure , and credit , and worldly gain ; away with these bewitching delights and companions ; christ hath bought my heart , and he shall have it , he is my lord , and i will be ruled by him . hearers , i hope god hath kept your alive till now to show you mercy , and brought some sinners hither to day to prevail with their hearts : and my hope is somewhat strengthened by gods disposal of my own spirit : i was strongly tempted to have preached this sermon in the enticing words of humane wisdom , tending to a proud ostentation of parts : but christ hath assisted me to conquer the temptation , and commanded me to preach him in plainness and evidence of the spirit . i come not to perswade you to opinions or factions , to be for this side , or for that ; but to be with all your hearts for christ , as ever you look that christ should be for you : to love him as he that hath bought you from eternal wrath , and dyed to save you from the everlasting burnings ; to lay hold on him with most earnest affectionate apprehension , as a man that is ready to drown would do upon a bough , or upon the hand of his friend that would pull him to the shore : to wait for the law of thy direction from him , and do nothing till thou hast asked counsel at his word , and know his mind whether thou shouldst do it or no ; till thou feel thy conscience bound by his law , that thou canst not stirr till he give thee leave ; that the commands of parents and princes may stoop to his , much more the commands of custome and company , of credit or pleasure , of the world or flesh : these are the things that i exhort you to and i must tell you that christ doth flatly expect them at your hands . i will here back these exhortations with some perswading considerations . think of what i say , and weigh it as we go . if i speak not truth and reason , then reject it with disdain and spare not : but if it be and thy conscience tell thee so , take heed then how thou dost neglect or reject it , lest thou be found a fighter against the spirit , and lest the curse of god do seize upon that heart that would not yield to truth and reason . and i will draw these considerations only from my text. 1. thou art else a rebel against thy soveraign lord. this i gather from the command in my text : and indeed the scope of the whole psalm . god hath given thee into the hands of his on and made him lord and king of all , & commanded all men to accept him , and submit unto him . who can shew such title to the soveraignty ? such right to rule thee as christ can do ? he is thy maker and so is not satan ; he dearly bought thee , and so did not the world ; thou wast not redeemed with silver and gold , and corruptible things . 1 pet. 1. 18. i make this challenge here in the behalf of christ ; let any thing in the world step forth and shew a better title to thee , to thy heart , and to thy life , then christ doth shew : and let them take thy heart , and take thy rule . but why do i speak thus ? i know thou wilt confess it ; and yet wilt thou not yield him thy chiefest love and obedience ? out of thy own mouth then art thou condemned and thou proclaimest thy self a knowing and wilful rebel . 2. to deny thy affections and subjection to christ , is the most barbarous unkindness that a sinner can be guilty of . did he pitty thee in thy lost estate , and take thee up when thou laist wounded in the way , and make thee a plaister of the blood of his heart ? and is this thy requital ? did he come down from heaven to earth , to seek thee when thou wast lost , and take upon him all thy dept , and put himself into the prison of the world and flesh ? hath he paid for thy folly , and born that wrath of god which thou must have suffered for ever ? and doth he not now deserve to be entertained with most affectionate respect ? but with a few cold thoughts instead of hearty love , and with a few formal words instead of worship ? what hurt had it been to him if thou hadst perished ? what would he have lost by it if thou hadst lain in hell ? would not justice have been glorified upon a disobedient wretch ? might not he have said to his father , what are these worms and sinners to me ? must i smart for their folly ? must i suffer when they have sineed ? must i debase my self to become man , because they would have exalted themseves to become as god ? if they will needs undo themselves , what is it to me ? if they will cast themselves into the flames of hell , must i go thither to fetch them out ? — thus christ might have put off the suffering and the shame , aud let it fall and lie where it was due : but he did not ; his compassion would not suffer him to see us suffer ; justice must be satisfied , the threat must be fulfilled ; christ seeth that we cannot overcome it , but he can , therefore hee comes down into flesh , he lives on earth , he fasteth , he weepeth , he is weary , he is tempted , he hath not a place to put his head , he is ha●ed , he is spit upon , he is cloathed as a fool , and made a scorn , he sweateth blood , he is crucified with theeves , he bares the burden that would have sunk all us to hell ; and must he after all this , be neglected and forgotten ? and his laws that should rule us , be laid aside and be accounted too strict and precise for us to live by ? o let the heavens blush ; and the earth be ashamed at this barbarous ingratitude ! how can such a people shew their faces at his comming , or look him in the face when he shall judge them for this ! would you use a friend thus ? no , nor an enemy . me thinks you should rather wonder with your selves , that ever christ should give you leave to love him , and say will the lord endure such a wretch to kiss him ? will he suffer himself to be embraced by those arms which have been defiled so oft by the embracements of sin ? will he so highly honour me , as to be his subject and his servant , and to be guided by such a blessed and perfect law ? and doth he require no harder conditions then these for my salvation ? take then my heart , lord it is only thine ; and oh that it were better worth thy having , or take it and make it better : the spear hath opened me a passage to thy heart ▪ let the spirit open thee a passage into mine : deservedly may those gates be fuel for hell , that would not open to let in the king of glory . 3. to deny thine affection and subjection to the son , is the greatest folly and madness in the world . why doth he require this so earnestly at thy hands ? is it for thy hurt , or for thy good ? would he make a prey of thee for his own advantage ? is it for any need hat he hath of thee , or of thy service , or because thou hast need of him for thy direction or salvation ? would he steal away thy heart as the world doth to delude it ? would he draw thee as satan doth to serve him , that he may torment thee ? if so , it were no wonder that thou art so hardly drawn to him : but thou knowest sure that christ hath none of these ends . the truth is this : his dying on the cross , is but part of the work that is necessary to thy salvation ; this was but the paying of the debt ; he must give thee moreover a peculiar interest , and make that to be absolutely thine , which was thine but conditionally ; he must take off thy rags , and wash thy sores , and qualify thy soul for the prepared glory , and bring thee out of the prison of sin and death , and present thee to his father blameless and undefiled , and estate thee in greater dignity then thou fellest from : and all this must he do drawing thee to himself , and laying himself upon thee as the prophet upon the child , and closing thy heart with his heart , and thy will with his will , and thy thoughts and waies with the rule of his word ; and is this against thee or for thee ? is there any hurt to thee in all this ? i dare challenge earth and hell , and all the enemies of christ in both , to shew the least hurt that ever he caused to the soul of a believer , or the least wrong to the soul of any . and must he then have such a stir to do thee good ? must he so beseech thee to be happy , and follow thee with entreaties ? and yet art thou like a stock that neither heare's nor fee●'s ? nay dost thou not murmur and strive against him ▪ as if he were about to do thee mischief ▪ and would rather cut thy throat then cure thee , and were going to destroy thee , and not to save thee ? i appeal to any that hath not renounced his reason , whether this be not notorious bruitish unreasonableness ; and whether thou be not liker a beast , that must be cast or held while you dress his sores , then to a man that should help on his own recovery ? foolish sinner ! it is thy sin that hurts thee , and not thy saviour : why dost thou not rather strive against that ? it is the devil that would destroy thee , and yet thou dost not grudge at they obedience to him . be judge thy self , whether this be wise or equal dealing . sinner , i beseech thee in the behalf of thy poor soul , if thou have such a mind to renounce thy saviour , do it not till thou hast found a better master ; say as peter , wither shall we go ? lord thou hast the words of eternal life : and when thou knowest once where to be better , then go thy way , part with christ and spare not : if thy merry company , or thy honour , or thy wealth , or all thy friends and delights in the world will do that for thee which christ hath done , and which at last he will do if thou stick to him ; then take them for thy gods , and let christ go . in the meane time let me prevaile with thee , as thou are a man of reason , sell not thy saviour till thou know for what , sell not thy soul till thou know why , sell not thy hopes of heaven for nothing . god forbid that thy wilfull folly should bring thee to hell , and there thou shouldst lie roaring and crying out for ever , this is the reward of my neglecting christ , he would have led me to glory , and i would not follow him , i sold heaven for a few merry hours , for a little honour , and ease , and delight to my flesh : here i lie in torment , because i would not be ruled by christ , but chose my lusts and pleasure be fore him . — sinner , do not think i speak harshly or uncharitably to call this neglect of christ thy folly : as true as thou livest and hearest me this day , except thy timely submission do prevent it ( which god grant it may ) thou wilt one of these dayes befool thy self a thousand times more then i now befool thee , and call thy self mad , and a thousand times mad , when thou thinkest how fair thou wast for heaven , and how ready christ was to have been thy saviour and thy lord , and how light thou madest of all his offers : either this will prove true to thy cost , or else am i a fals prophet , and a cursed deceiver . be wise therefore , be learned , and kiss the son. the former considerations were drawn from aggravations of the sinne ; the following are drawn from the aggravations of the punishment , and that fom the words of the text too . 1. god will be angry if you kiss not the son. his wrath is as fire , and this neglect of christ is the way to kindle it . if thou art not a believer , thou art condemned already : but this will bring upon thee a double condemnation . believe it for a truth . all thy sinnes as they are the covenant of works even the most hainous of them , are not so provoking & destroying as thy slighting of christ . oh what will the father say to such an unworthy wrecth ! must i send my son from my bosome to suffer for thee ? must he groan when thou shouldst groan ? and bleed when thou shouldst bleed and dye when thou shouldst dye ? and canst thou not now be perswaded to embrace him and obey him must the world be courted while he stands by ? must he have the naked title of thy lord and saviour , while thy fleshly pleasures and profits have thy heart ? what wrath can be too great , what hell too hot , for such an ungrateful , unworthy wretch ! must i prepare thee a portion of the blood of my son , and wilt not thou be perswaded now to drink it ? must i be at so much cost to save thee , and wilt thou not obey that thou maist be saved ? go seize upon him justice , let my wrath consume thee , let hell devour thee , let thy own conscience for ever torment thee ; seeing thou hast chosen death , thou shalt have it ; and as thou hast rejected heaven , thou shalt never see it , but my wrath shall abide upon thee for ever , joh. 3. 36. — woe to the sinner if this be once thy sentence ! thou wert better have all the world angry with thee● and bound in an oath against thee , as the jews against paul , then that one drop of his anger should light upon thee : thou wert better have heaven and earth to fall upon thee , then one degree of gods displeasure . 2. as this wrath is fire , so is it a consuming fire , and causeth the sinner utterly to perish . all this is plain in the text : not that the being of the soul will cease : such a perishing the sinner would be glad o● : a happy man would he think himself , if he might dye as the bruits and be no more ; but such wishes are vain . it is but a glimpse of his own condition , which he shall see in the great combustion of the world ; when he seeth the heaven and earth on fire , he see 's but the picture of his approaching wo. but alas , it is he that must feel the devouring fire . the world will be but refined or consumed by its fire ; but there must he burn , and burn for ever , and yet be neither consumed nor refined . the earth will not feel the flames that burn it , but his soul and body must feel it with a witness ; little know his friends that are honourably interring his corps , what his miserable sonl is seeing and feeling ; here endeth the story of his prosperity and delights , and now begins the tragedy that will never have end ; oh how his merry days are vanished as a dream ! and his jovial life as a tale that is told ! his witty jests his pleasant sports , his cards and dice , his merry company and wanton dalliance , his cups and queans , yea his hopes of heaven and confident concerts of escaping this wrath , are all perished with him in the way ; as the wax melteth before the fire , as the chaff is scattered before the wind , as the stubble consumeth before the flames , as the flowers do wither before the scorching sun ; so are all his sinful pleasures withered , consumed , scattered and melted . and is not the hearty embracing of christ and subjection to him , a cheap prevention of all this ? oh who among you can dwell with the devouring fire ? who can dwell with the everlasting burnings ? isai . 33. 14. this god hath said he will surely do ; if you are able to gain-s●y and resist him , try your strength ; read his ehal enge , isai . 27. 4. who would set the briars and thorns agaist me in battel ? i would go through them , i would burn them together . 3. this perishing will be sudden and unexpected , in the way of their sin and resistance of christ , in the way of their fleshly delights and hopes ; they shall perish in the way , l thes . 5. 3. mat. 24. 37 : as fire doth utterly break out in the night when men are sleeping , and consumeth the fruit of their long labours : so will this fire break forth upon their souls ; and how neer may it be when you little think on it ? a hundred to one but some of us present . shall within a few moneths be in another world ; and what world will it be , you may easily conceive if you do not embrace and obey the son. how many have been smitten with herod in the midst of their vain glory ? how many like ahab have been wounded in fight , and dunged the earth with their flesh and blood , who left the lords people to be fed with bread and water of affliction in confidence of their own return in peace ? how many , have been swallowed up like pharaoh and his host in their rash and malicious persuit of the godly ? little thinks many an ignorant careless soul , what a change of his condition he shall shortly find ; those thousands of souls that are now in misery , did as little think of that doleful state while they were merily pleasing the flesh on earth , and forgetting christ and their eternal state , as you do now ; they could as contemptuously jeer the preacher as you , and verily believe that all this talk was but words and wind , and empty threats and ventured their souls as boldy upon their carnal hopes : little thought sodom of the devouring fire , when they were fnriously assaulting the door of their righteous reprover : as little do the raging enemies of godliness among us , think of the deplorable state which they are hasting to ! they will cry out themselves then . little did i think to see this day , or feel these torments ! — why , thou wouldst not th●nk of it , or else thou mightest : god told thee in scripture , and ministers in their preaching , but thou wouldst not believe till it was too late . a little of gods wrath will bring down all this upon those that embrace not and obey not the son. if his wrath be kindled , yea but a little , &c. as his mercy being the mercy of an infinite god , a little of it will sweeten a world of crosses ; so therefore will a little of his wrath consume a world of pleasures ; one spark fell among the bethshemites , and consumed fifty thousand and seventy men , but for looking into the ark , till the people cry out , who can stand before this holy lord god ? 1 sam. 6. 19 , 20. how then will the neglecters of christ stand before him ? sirs , me thinks we should not hear of this as strangers or unbelievers ! there did but one spark fall upon england , and what a combustion hath it cast this kingdom into ? how many houses and towns hath it consumed ? how many thousand of people hath it impoverished ? how many children hath it left fatherless ? and how many thousand bodies hath it bereaved of their souls ? and though there are as many hearty prayers , and tears poured forth to quench it , as most kingdoms on earth have had ; yet is the fire kindled afresh , and threatneth a more terrible desolation then before , as if it would turn us all to ashes . one spark fell upon germany , another upon ireland , and what it hath done there , i need not tell you . if a little of this wrath do but seize upon thy body what cryes and groans and lamentations doth it raise ? if it be on one member , yea but a tooth , how dost thou roar with intolerable pain , and wouldst not take the world to live for ever in that condition ? if it seize upon the conscience , what torments doth it cause , as if the man were already in the suburbs of hell ? he thinketh every thing he seeth is against him ; he feareth every bit he eateth should be his bane : if he sleep , he dreams of death and judgement ; when he awaketh , his conscience and horror awake with him : he is weary of living , and fearful of dying ; even the thoughts of heaven are terrible to him , because he thinks it is not for him . oh what a pittiful sight is it to see a man under the wrath of god! and are these little little sparks so intolerable hot ? what then do you think are the everlasting flames ? beloved hearers , if god had not spoke this i durst not have spoke it ; the desire of my soul is that you may never feel it or else i should never have chosen so unpleasing a subject , but that i hope the foreknowing may help you to prevent it ; but let me tell you from god , that as sure as the heaven is over your head , and the earth under your feet , except the son of god be nearer thy heart , and dearer to thy heart then friends , or goods , or pleasures , or life , or any thing in this world , this burning wrath will never be prevented . mat. 10. 37. luke 14. 26. 5. when this wrath of god is throughly kindled , the world will discern the blessed from the wretched ; then blessed are they that trust in him . it is the property of the wicked , to be wise too late : those that now they esteem but precise fools , will then be acknowledged blessed men : bear with their scorns christians in the mean time ; they will very shortly wish themselves in your stead , and would give all that ever they were masters of , that they had sought and loved christ as earnestly as you , and had a little of your oyl when they find their lamps are out , mat. 25. 8. and now hearers , what is your resolution ? perhaps you have been enemies to christ under the name of christians : will you be so still ? have you not loathed this busie diligent serving of him ? and hated them that most carefully seek him , more then the vilest drunkard or blaspemer ? have not his word and service and sabbaths been a burthen to you ? have not multitudes ventured their lives against his ordinances and government ? nay is it not almost the common voice of the nation in effect , give us our sports and liberty of sinning , give us our readers , and singing-men , and drunken preachers , give us our holy-daies and ceremonies , and the customes of our fore-fathers ; away with these precise fellows , they are an eye-sore to us ; these precise preachers shall no● controll us , this precise scripture shall be no law to us , and consequently this christ shall not rule over us . how long hath england rebelled against his government ! mr. vdal told them in the days of queen elizabeth , that if they would not set up the discipline of christ , in the church , christ would set it up himself in a way that would make their hearts to ake . i think their hearts have aked by this time : and as they judged him to the gallowes for his prediction , so hath christ executed them by thousands for their rebellion against him ; and yet they are as unwilling of his government as ever . the kings of the earth are afraid lest christs government should un-king them . the rulers are jealous lest it will depose them from their dignities ; even the reformers that have adventured all to set it up , are jealous lest it will incroach upon their power and priviledges . kings are afraid of it , and think themselves but half kings , where christ doth set up his word and discipline . parliaments are afraid of it , lest it should usurp their authority . lawyers are afraid of it , lest it should take away their gains , and the laws of christ should over-top the laws of the land. the people are afraid of it , lest it will compel them to subjection to that law and way which their souls abhor : indeed if men may be their own judges , then christ hath no enemies in england at all ; we are his friends , and all good christians : it is precisians and rebels that men hate , and not christ ; it is not the government of christ that we are afraid of but the domineering of aspiring ambitious presbyters . ( viz. that generation of godly learned , humble ministers , who have done more then any before them , to make themselves uncapable of preferment or domineering ) and when men disobey and disregard our doctrine , it is not christ , but the preacher that they despise and disobey . and if the jews might so have been their own judges , it was not the son of god whom they crucified , but an enemy to caesar , and a blasphemer that works by the devil . it was not panl a saint that they persecuted , but one that they found to be a pestilent fellow , and a mover of sedition amongst the people . but were there no seditious persons but apostles and christians ? nor no troublers of israel , but elias ? nor no enemies to caesar , but christ and his friends ? oh. god will shortly take off the vail of hypocrisy from the actions of the world , and make them confess that it was christ they resisted , and that it was his holy waies and word that did kindle their fury ; else would they as soon have fallen upon the ungodly rabble , as they did upon the most zealous and conscionable christains : and however you mangle and deform them with your false accusations and reproach , he will then know and own his people and his cause , and will say to the world , in despising them you despised me ; and in as much as you did it to one of these little ones , you did it unto me . as dr. stoughton saith , if you strike a schismatick , and god find a saint lie a bleeding , and you to answer it , i would not be in yor coat for more then you got by it . hath the world ever gained by resisting christ ? doth it make the crown sit faster on the heads of kings ? or must they not rather do to christ , as king john to his supposed vicar , resign their crowns to him , and take them from him again as his tributaries , before they can hold them by a certain tenure ? read over but this psalm and judge . herod must kill the child jesus to secure his crown : the jews must kill him least the romans should come and take away their place and nation , joh. 11. 48 , and did this means secure them ? or did it bring upon them the destruction wich they thought to avoid ? or have the people been greater gainers by this , then their kings ? what hath england got by resisting his gospel and government , by hating his servants , & by scorning his holy waies ? what have you got by it in this city ? what say you ? have you yet done with your enmity and resistance ? have you enough , or would you yet have more ? if you have not done with christ , he hath not done with you ; you may try again , and follow on as farre as pharaoh if you will , but if you be not losers in the latter end , i have lost my judgement ; and if you return in peace , god hath not spoken by me , ( 1 king. 22. 28 ) sirs , i am loth to leave you till the bargain be made : what say you ? do you heartily consent that christ shall be your soveraign ; his word , your law ; his people , your companions ; his worship , your recreation ; his merits , your refuge ; his glory , your end ; and himself the desire and delight of your souls ? the lord jesus now waiteth upou you for your resolution and answer ; thou wilt very shortly wait on him for thy doom : as ever thou wouldst then have him speake life to thy soul , do thou now resolve upon the way of life , remember thou art almost at death and judgement : what wouldst thou resolve if thou knewest that it were to morow ? if thou didst but see what others do now suffer for neglecting him that doth now offer thee his grace ; what wouldst thou then resolve to do ? sirs , it stirreth my heart to look upou you ( as xerxes upon his army ) and to think that it is not an hundred yeares till every soul of you shall be in heaven or in hell ▪ and it may be not an 100 hours til some of your souls must take their leave of your bodies ; when it comes to that , then you will cry , away with the world , away with my pleasures ; nothing can comfort me now but christ ; why then will you not be of the same mind now ? when the world cryes away with this holiness , and praying , and talking of heaven ! give us our sports , and our profits and the customes of our fore-fathers , i. e. away with christ , and give us barabbas : then doe you cry , away with all these , and give us christ . oh , if it might stand with the will of god , that i might chuse what effect this sermon should have upon your hearts ; verily it should be nothing that should hurt you in the least but this it should be , it should now fasten upon your souls , and pierce into your consciences , as an arrow that is drawn out of the quiver of god ; it should follow thee home to thy house , and bring thee down on thy knees in secret , and make thee there lament thy case , and cry out in bitterness of thy spirit , lord , i am the sinner that have neglected thee , i have tasted more sweetness in the world then in thy blood , and taken more pleasure in my earthly labours and delights , then i have done in praying to thee , or meditating on thee ; i have complemented with thee by a cold profession ; but my heart was never set upon thee : — and here should it make thee lie in tears and prayers ; and follow christ with cryes and complaints , till he should take thee up from the dust , and assure thee of his pardon , and change thy heart , and close it with his own . if thou wert the dearest friend that i have in the world , this is the success that i would wish this sermon with thy soul ; that it might be as a voice still sounding in thine eares ▪ that when thou art next in thy sinfull company or delight , thon mightest as it were , heare this voyce in thy conscience , is this thine obedience to him that bought thee ; that when thou art next forgetting christ , and neglecting his worship in secret , or in thy family , or publique , thou mightest see this sentence , as it were written upon thy wall , kiss the son least he be angry , and thou perish : that thou mightest see it , as it were written upon the ●ester of thy bed , as oft as thou liest down in an unregenerate state ; and that it may keep thine eyes waking , and thy soul disquieted , and give thee no rest , till thou hadst rest in christ . in a word , if it were but as m●ch in my hands as it is in yours , what should become of this sermon , i hope it would be the best sermon to thee that ever thou heardest ; it should lay thee at the feet of christ , and leave thee in his arms ; oh that i did but know what arguments would perswade you and what words would work thy heart hereto . if i were sure it would prevail , i would come down from the pulpit , and go from man to man upon my knees with this request and advice in my text ; o kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish . but if thy heardned heart make light of all , and thou go on still in thy careless neglect of christ , and yet wilt not believe but thou art his friend and servant , i do here from the word , and in the name of christ , pass this sentence upon thy soul : thou shalt go hence , and perhaps linger out in thy security a few days more , and then be called by death to judgement , where thou shalt be doomed to this everlasting fiery wrath . make as light of it as thou wilt , feel it thou shalt , put it off and scape it if thou canst : and when thon hast done , go boast that thou hast conquered christ : in the mean time , i require this congregation to bear witness , that thou hadst warning . this to all in general : my text yet directeth me to speak more particularly to the rulers and judges of the earth . honorable and reverend judges , worshipful magistrates , if you were all kings and emperors , all is one to christ ; you were but high and mighty dust and ashes : christ sendeth his summons first to you ; he knows the leaders interest in the vulgar ; you are the commanders in the host of god and must do him more service then the common soldiers : if one of you should neglect him , and stand out against him , he will begin with you in the sight of the rest , and make your greatness a stepping stone to the honour of his justice , that the lowest may understand what they have to doe , when they see the greatest cannot save themselves . shall i say you are wiser then the people , and therefore that this admonition is needless to you ? no , then i should accuse the spirit in my text : the cedars of the earth have always hardly stoopt to christ , which hath made so many of them rooted up . your honors are an impediment to that self-abasing which he expecteth ; your dignities will more tend to blind you , then to illuminate ; there 's few of any sort , but fewest of the great & wise , and mighty that are called : yet a man would think , that among those that have held out in these trying times there should be no need of these suspitions : but hath there not been always a succession of sinners , even of those that have beheld the ruines of their predecessors ? who would have thought , that a generation that had seen the wonders in egypt , and had pa●●ed through the sea ▪ and been maintained in a wilderness with constant miracles , should yet be such vile idolaters , or murmuring unbelievers , that only two of them should enter into rest ? the best of saints have need of self-suspition and vigilancy ; my advice therefore to you is this , learn wisdom by the examples that your eyes have seen ; them that honor god , he will honor ; and they that despise him , shall be lightly esteemed . 1 sam. 2. 30. more particularly , let me advise you , as your duty to the son , 1. that you take your commission & office as from him . i think it a doctrine more common then true , that ministers only are under christ the mediatour , and magistrates are only under god as creator . christ is now lord of all , and you are his servants : as there is no power but from god , so none from god but by christ . look upon your selves as his vicegerents ; therefore do not that which beseemeth not a vicegerent of christ . remember , that as you see to the execution of the laws of the land , so will christ see that his laws be obeyed by you , or executed on you . remember when you sit , and judge offenders , that you represent him that will judge you and all the world : and oh how lively a resemblance have you to raise your apprehension ! think with your selves : thus shall men tremble before his barr ; thus shall they wait to hear their doom ; and be sure that your judgement be such , as may most lively represent the judgement of christ , that the just may depart from your barr with joy , and the unjust with sadness , let your justice be most severe , where christ is most severe ; and so far as you can exercise your clemency , let it be about those offences which our laws are more rigorous against , then the laws of god. be sure yet that you understand the extent of your commission ; that you are not the sole officers of jesus christ ; you are under him as he , is head over all ; ministers are under him as he is head to his church , eph. 1 , 22. ministers are as truly the magistrates teachers , as magistrates are their governors ; yea , by as high and undoubted authority must they over-see , govern , and command ( ministerially as their lords embassadors ) both kings and parliaments , to do whatsoever is written in this bible , as you may command them to obey the laws of the land ; yea and as strict a bond lieth on you to obey them so far as they speak according to this word , and keep within the bounds of their calling , as doth on them to obey you in yours , heb. 13. 7 , 17. deale not with them so dissemblingly , as to call them your pastors , teachers , over-seers and rulers ( as scripture bids you ) and yet to learn of them but what you list or to deny them leave to teach or advise you further then they receive particular warrant & direction from your selves : should our assembly limit all their ministeriall advice to the warrant and directions of parliament , and not extend it to the warrant and directions of christ ; would they not become the servants and pleasers of men ? if you do not your best to set up all the government of christ , even that in and proper to his church , as well as that which is over them and for them ; men may well think , it is your own seats and not christs that you would advance . i would all the magistrates in england did well consider , that christ hath beene teaching them this seven yeares , that their own peace or honours shall not be set up before his gospel & government ; and that they do but tire themselves in vain in such attempts ; then they would learn to read my text with the vulgar , apprehendite disciplinam : and if the decisive power of the ministry be doubtfull , yet least they would set up their nunciative in its vigor , christ will rule england , either as subjects , or as rebels : and all that kings and states do gain by opposing his rule , will not add one cubit to the stature of their greatness . yet i do not understand by [ the government of christ ] a rigid conformity to the modell of this or that party or faction , with a violent extirpation of every dissenter . it is the ignorant part of divines ( alas ! such there are ) who with the simple fellow in erasmus , do expound paul's haereticum hominem devita i e. de-vitâ tolle . it is the essentials , & not the accidentals of discipline that i speak of : and if so me disengaged standers by be not mistaken ( who have the advantage by standing out of the dust of contention ) each party hath some of these essentials , and the worst is nearer the truth then his adversary is aware of : and were not the crowd and noise so great , that there is no hope of being heard , one would think it should be possible to reconcile them all : however , shall the work be undone , while each party striveth to have the doing of it ? i was afraid when i read the begining and end of this controversie in france . the learned ramus pleadeth for popular church-government in the synod ; they rejected it as an unwarrantable novelty ; the contention grew sharp ▪ till the parisian massacre silenced the difference . and must our differences have so sharp a cure ? will nothing unite disjoyned christians , but their own blood ? god forbid . but in the mean time while we quarrell the work standeth still : some would have all the workers of iniquity now taken out of the kindome of christ , fotgetting that the angels must take them out at last , mat. 13. some ministers think as myconius did when he was called to the ministry by a vision , leading him into a cornfield and bidding him reap , he thought he must put in his sickle at the bottom , till he was told , domino meo non opus est stramine , modo aristae in horrea colligantur : my master needeth not straw , gather but the eares and it shall suffice . once more : i know i speak not to the parliament that should remedy it ; but yet that you may be helpful in your places to advance this work of christ , let me tell you what is the great thing in england that cryes for reformation next our sins , even the fewness of overseers in great congregations , which maketh the greatest part of pastoral work to lie undone , and none to watch over the people in private , because they are scarce sufficient for the publique work . it is pitty that musculus , that may be head of a society of students if he will continue a papist , must weave and dig for his living , if he will be a protestant . it is pitty that even luthers wife and children must wander destitute of maintenance when he is dead : when aesop the stage-player can leave his son 150000. l. and roscius have 30. l. a day for the same trade ; and aristotle be allowed 800. talents to further his search into the secrets of nature : but am i pleading that ministers may have more maintenance ? no , be it just or unjust , it is none of my errand . but oh that the church had more ministers , which though at the present they cannot have for want of men , yet hereafter they might have if it were not for want of maintenance : alas then , what pitty is it that every reformation should diminish the churches patrimony : if the men have offended , or if the office of bishops or deans be unwarrantable : yet what have the revenues done ? is it not pitty that one troop of an hundred men , shall have seven commanding officers allowed them , besides others ; and 10000 or 40000 shall have but one or two overseers allowed them for their souls ? when the ministerial work is more laborious and of greater concernment , then the work of those commanders . i tell you again , the great thing that cries for reformation in england next to sin , is the paucity of ministers in great congregations . i tell you this , that you may know which way to improve your several interests for the advancement of the kingdom of christ in england . to you lawyers and jurers , my advice is this , kiss the son. remember the judgement is christs ; every cause of truth and innocency doth he own , and will call it his cause . wo therefore to him that shall oppose it ! remember every time yon take a fee to plead against a cause that you know to be just you take a fee against a cause of christ , will you be of counsel against him that is your counsellor and king ? dare you plead against him , that you expect should plead for you ? or desire judgement ( as the jews ) against your lord and judge ? hath he not told you , that he will say , in as much as ye did it to one of these little ones , ye did it unto me ? remember therefore when a fee is offered you against the innocent , that it is a fee against christ ; and judas gain will be loss in the end , and will be too hot to hold long ; you will be glad to bring it back , and glad if you could be well shut of it , and cry , i have sinned in betraying the cause of the innocent . say not , it is our calling that we must live upon ; if any man of you dare upon such grounds plead a cause against his conscience , if his conscience do not plead it again more sharply against him , say i am a false prophet . if any therefore shall say of you , as the cardinals of luther , cur homini os non obstruitis auro & argento , let the same answer serve turn , hem pecuniam non curat , &c. if any honourable or worshipful friend must be pleasured , enquire first whether he be a better friend then christ ; tell him , the cause is christs , & you cannot befriend him except he can procure you a dispensat on from him . when pompy saw his souldiers ready to fly , he lay down in the passage , and told them , they should tread upon him then ; which stopt their flight ; so suppose every time you are drawn in to oppose a just cause , that you saw christ saying , thou must trample upon me if thou do this as luther to melancton ne causa fidei sit sine fide : so say i to you all , ne causa justitiae sit sine justitia . when you begin to be cold in a good cause , suppose you saw christ shewing you his scars ; as the soldier did to caesar , when he desired him to plead his cause ; see here , i have done more then plead for you . we have had those that have had a tongue for a fee or a friend , but none for christ ; but god hath now therefore shut their mouths ; and we may say of them ( as granius by his bad lawyer , when he heard him grown hoarse ) if they had not lost their voyces , we had lost our cause . to conclude , remember all of you , that there is an appeal from these earthly judgements ; these causes must all be heard again , your wittnesses reexamined , your oaths , pleadings , and sentence reviewed ; and then ( as lampridius saith of alexander severus , that he would vomit choler if he saw a corrupt judge ) so will christ vomit wrath , and vomit you out in wrath from his presence , if corrupt ; therefore kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish , &c. i am sensible how i have encroached on your great affairs ; melancthon was wont to tell of a priest that begun his sermon thus , scio quod vos non libenter auditis , & ego non libenter concionor , non diu igitur vos teneam . but i may say contrary : i am perswaded that you hear with a good will : and i am certain that i preach willingly , and therefore i was bold to hold you the longer . finis . a sermon of iudgement , preached at pauls before the honourable lord maior and aldermen of the city of london , decemb. 17. 1654. and now enlarged by rich. baxter . rom. 14. 12. every one of you shall give account of himself to god. john 5. 28 , 29. the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice , aud shall come forth : they that have done good to the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil , to the resurrection of damnation . london printed by r. w. for nevill simmons bookseller in kidderminster , 1656. to the right honorable christopher pack , lord maior of london , with the right worshipful aldermen . right honorable , being desired to preach before you at pauls , i was fain to preach a sermon which i had preached once before to a poor ignorant congregation in the country , having little leisure for study in london . i was glad to see that the more curious stomachs of the citizens did not nauseate our plain country doctrine , which i seemed to discern in the diligent attention of the greatest congregation that ever i saw met for such a work : but i little expected that you should have so far esteemed that discourse , as to have thought it meet for the view of the world , as i understood by a message from you , desiring it may be printed . i readily obey your w●ll , when it gives me the least intimation of the will of god. it s possible some others may afford it the like favourable acceptance and entertainment . i am sure the subject is as necessary as common ; and the plainness makes it the fitter for the ignorant , who are the far greatest number , and have the greatest need . i have added the 9 , 10 , 11 , and 12. heads or common places , which i did not deliver to you for want of time ; and because the rest are too briefly touched ( as contrived for an hours work ) i have enlarged these ; though making them somewhat unsuitable to the rest , yet suitable to the use of those that they are now intended for : the directions also in the end are added . blessed be the father of lights , who hath set up so many burning and shining lights in your city , and hath watered you so plenteously with the rivers of his sanctuary , that you have frequent opportunities for the refreshment of your souls , to the joy of your friends , the grief of your enemies , and the glory of that providence which hath hitherto maintained them , in despite of persecution , heresies and hell ! it was not alwaies so in london : it is not so in all other places , or famous cities in the world : nor are you sure that it will be alway so with you . it doth me good to remember what blessed lights have shined among you , that new are more gloriously shining in a higher sphere : preston , sibbes , stoughton , taylor , stock , randal , gouge , gataker , with multitudes more that are now with christ ! it did me good to read in the preface to mr. gatakers funeral sermon , by one of your reverend and faithful guides , what a number of sound and unanimous labourers are yet close at work in that part of christs vineyard ! and it did me good in that short experience and observation while i was there , to hear and see so much of their prudence , unity and fidelity . believe it , it is the gospel of christ that is your glory : and if london be more honorable then other great and famous cities of the earth , it is the light of gods face , and the plenty and power of his ordinances and spirit that doth advance and honour it . 0 know then the day of your visitation ! three things i shall take leave to propound to your consideration , which i am certain god requireth at your hands . the first is , that you grow in knowledge , humility , heavenliness and unity , according to the blessed means that you enjoy . in my eyes it is the greatest shame to a people in the world , and a sign of barbarousness or blockishness , when we can hear and read what a famous , learned powerful minister such a place , or such a place had , and yet see as much ignorance , ungodliness , unruliness and sensuality as if the gospel had scarce ever been there . i hope it is not thus with you ; but i have found it so in too many places of england . we that never saw the faces of their ministers , but have only read their holy labours , have been ready to think , sure there are few ignorant or ungodly ones in such a congregation ! sure they are a people rich in grace , and eminently qualified above their brethren , who have lived under such teaching as this ! at least , sure there can be none left that have an enmity to the fear of god! but when we have come to the towns where such men spent their lives , and laid out their labours , we have found ignorant sottish worldlings , unprofitable or giddy unstable professors , and some haters of godliness among them . o what a shame is this to them to the eyes of wise men ! and what a confounding aggravation of their sin before god! thrive therefore and be fruitful in the vineyard of the lord , that it may not repent him that he hath planted and watered you . the second is this ; improve your interest to the utmost , for the continuance of a faithful ministry among you : and when any places are void , do what you can to get a supply of the most able men . your city is the heart of the nation : you cannot be sick but we shall all feel it . if you be infected with false doctrines , the countreys will ere long receive the contagion . you have a very great influence on all the land , for good or evil ! and do you think the undermining enemies of the church have not a special design upon you in this point ? and will not promote it as far as is in their power ? could they but get in popish or dividing teachers among you , they know how many advantages they should gain at once ! they would have some to grieve and trouble your faithful guides , & hinder them in the work , and lessen that estimation which by their unity they would obtain : and every deceiver will hope to catch some fish , that casteth his net among such store . we beseech you , if there be learned , holy , judicious men in england that can be had for supply on such occasions , let them be yours ; that you may be fed with the best , and guided by the wisest , and we may have all recourse to you for advice ; and where there are most opposers & seducers , there may be the most powerful , convincing helps , at hand ; let us in the country have the honest raw young preachers , and see that you have the chief fathers and pillars in the church . i speak it not for your sakes alone , but because we have all dependance on you . the third thing which i humbly crave , is , that you will know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you , and to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake ; and be at peace among your selves . 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. and that you will instead of grieving or rejecting your guides , obey them that have the rule over you , and submit your selves : for they watch for your souls as they that must give account , that they may do it with joy , and not with grief , for that is unprofitable for you . heb. 13. 17. 7. encourage your teachers , for their work is great , their spirits are weak , they are but frail men ; the enemy is more industrious against them then any men ; and their discouragements are very many , and the difficulties which they must encounter are very great . especially , obey , submit and encourage them in the work of government and exercise of christs discipline , and managing the keyes of the kingdom which he hath put into their hand . do you not perceive what a strait your teachers are in ! the lord iesus requireth them to exercise his discipline faithfully and impartially : he giveth them not empty titles of rule , but layes upon them the burden of ruling : it is his work , more then their honour that he intends : and if they will have the honor , it must be by the work . the work is , as to teach the ignorant , and convince the unbelieving and gainsaying , so to admonish the disorderly and scandalous , and to reject and cast out of the communion of the church the obstinate and impenitent ; and to set by the leprous , that they infect not the rest ; and to seperate thus the precious from the vile by christs d●scipline , that dividing separation , and soul destroying transgressions may be prevented or cured . this work christ hath charged upon them , and will have it done who ever is against it . if they obey him and do it , what a tumult , what clamours & discontents will they raise ! how many will be ready to rise up against them with hatred and scorn ! though it be the undoubted work of christ , which even under persecution was performed by the church-guides . when they do but keep a scandalous untractable sinner from the communion of the church in the lords supper , what repinings doth it raise ! but , alas , this is a small part of the discipline : if all the apparently obstinate and impenitent were cast out , what a stir would they make ! and if christ be not obeyed , what a stir will conscience make ? and it is not only between christ and men , but between men and men , that your guides are put upon streights . the separatists reproach them for suffering the impenitent to continue members of their churches , and make it the pretence of their separation from them ; having little to say of any moment against the authorized way of government ; but only against our slackness in the execution . and if we should set to the close exercise of it , as is meet , how would city and country ring of it , and what indignation should we raise in the multitude against us ! o what need have your guides of your encouragement and best assistance in this streight ! god hath set them on a work so ungrateful and displeasing to flesh and blood , that they cannot be faithful in it , but twenty to one they will draw a world of hatred upon themselves , if not mens fists about their ears . festred sores will not be lancht and searcht with ease : corrupted members are unwilling to be cut off , and cast aside : especially if any of the great ones fall under the censure , who are big in the eyes of the world and in their own . and yet our soveraign lord must be obeyed ; and his house must be swept , and the filth cast out , by what names or titles soever it be dignified with men . he must be pleased , if all be displeased by it . withdraw not your help then from this needfull work . it is by the word , spirit , and ministery , that christ the king of his church doth govern it : not separatedly , but joyntly , by all three : to disobey these , is to disobey christ : and subjection to christ is essential to our christianity . this well thought on might do much to recover the unruly that are recoverable . you may conjecture by the strange opposition that church-government meets with from all sorts of carnal and corrupted minds , that there is somewhat in it that is eminently of god. i shall say no more but this , that it is an able , judicious , godly , faithful ministery , not barely heard and applauded , but humbly and piously submitted to , and obeyed in the lord , that must be your truest present glory , and the means of your everlasting peace and joy. so testifieth from the lord , your servant in ●he faith of christ , rich. baxter . to the ignorant or careless reader . seeing the providence of god hath commanded forth this plain discourse , i shall hope ( upon experience of his dealing in the like cases with me ) that he hath some work for it to do in the world . who knows but it was intended for the saving of thy soul , by opening thine eyes and awaking thee from thy sin who are now in reading of it ! be it known to thee , it is the certain truth of god , and of high concernment to thy soul that it treateth of ; and therefore requireth thy most sober consideration . thou hast in it ( how weakly soever it is managed by me ) an advantage put into thy hand from god , to help thee in the greatest work in the world , even to prepare for the great approaching judgement . in the name of god , i require thee , cast not away this advantage : turn not away thine ears or heart from this warning that is sent to the● from the living god! seeing all the world cannot keep thee from judgement , nor save thee in judgement : let not all the world be able to keep thee from a speedy and serious preparation for it . do it presently , lest god come before thou art ready ! do it seriously , lest the tempter over-reach thee , and thou shouldst be found among the foolish self-deceivers , when it is too late to do it better . i intreat this of thee on the behalf of thy soul , and as thou tenderest thy everlasting peace with god , that thou wouldest afford these matters thy deepest consideration . think on them , whether they are not true aud weighty : think of them lying down and rising up . and seeing this small book is faln into thy hands , all that i would beg of thee concerning it , is , that thou wouldst bestow now and then an hour to read it , and read it to thy family or friends as well at to thy self ; and as you go , consider what you read , and pray the lord to help it to thy heart , and to assist thee in the practice , that it may not rise up in judgement agai●st thee . if thou have not leisure at other , take now and then an hour on the lords dayes , or at night to that purpose ; and if any passage through brevity ( specially neer the beginning ) seem dark to thee , read it again , and again , and ask the help of an instructer , that thou mayest understand it . may it but help thee out of the snares of sin , and promote the saving of thy immortal soul , and thy comfortable appearance at the great day of christ , i have the thing which i intended and desired . the lord open thy heart , aud accompany his truth with the blessing of his spirit ! amen . a sermon of judgement , preached at pauls before the honourable lord maior and aldermen of the city of london , dec. 17. 1654. 2 cor. 5. 10 , 11. for we must all appear before the judgement seat of christ , that every one may receive the things done in his body ; according to that he hath done , whether it be good or bad . knowing therefore the terrours of the lord we perswade men . it is not unlikely , that some of those wits that are taken more with things new then with things necessary , will marvel that i choose so common a subject , and tell me that they all know this already . but i do it purposely upon these following considerations . 1. because i well know , that it is these common truths that are the great and necessary things which mens everlasting happiness or misery doth most depend upon . you may be ignorant of many controversies aud inferiour points , without the danger of your souls but so you cannot of these fundamentals . 2. because its apparent by the lives of men , that few know these common truths savingly ▪ that think they know them . 3. because there are several degrees of knowing the same truths , and the best are imperfect in degree , the principal growth in knowledge that we should look after , is not to know more matters then we knew before , but to know that better , and with a clearer light and firmer apprehension ; which we darkly and slightly knew before . you may more safely be without any knowlege at all of many lower truths , then without some further degree of the knowledge of those which you already know . 4. besides it is known by sad experience , that many perish who know the truth , for want of the consideration of● , and making use of what they know , and so their knowledge doth but condemn them . we have as much need therefore to teach and help you to get these truths which you know into your hearts and lives , as to tell you more . 5. and indeed , it is the impression of these great and master-truths , wherein the vitals and essentials of gods image upon the soul of man doth consist : and it is these truths that are the very instruments of the great works that are to be done upon the heart by the spirit and our selves . in the right use of these it is that the principal part of the skill and holy wisdom of a christian doth consist ; and in the diligent and constant use of these lieth the life and trade of christianity . there is nothing amiss in mens hearts or lives , but it is for want of sound knowing and believing , or well using these fundamentals . 6. and moreover , me thinks , in this choice of my subject , i may expect this advantage with the hearers , that i may spare that labour that else would be necessary for the proof of my doctrine : and that i may also have easier . access to your hearts , and have a fuller stroak at them and with less resistance . if i came to tell you of anything not common , i know not how far i might expect belief from you you might say , these things are uncertain to us or all men are not of this mind . but when every hearer confesseth the truth of my doctrine , and no man can deny it , without denying christianity it self , i hope i may expect that your hearts should the sooner receive the impression of this doctrine , and the sooner yield to the duties which it directs you to : and the easier let go the sins which from so certain a truth shall be discovered . the words of my text , are the reason which the apostle giveth both of his perswading other men to the fear of god , and his care to approve to god his own heart and life . they contain the assertion and description of the great judgement , and one use which he makes of it . it assureth us , that judged we must be , and who must be so judged , and by whom , and about what , and on what terms , and to what end . the meaning of the words , so far as is necessary , i shall give you briefly . we all , both we apostles that preach the gospel , & you that hear it , must , willing or unwilling , there is no avoiding it , appear , stand forth or make our appearance , and there have our hearts and wayes laid open , and appear as well as we . before the judgement seat of christ ; i. e. before the redeemer of the world , to be judged by him as our rightful lord. that every one , even of all mankind which are were , or shall be , without exception ; may receive , that is , may receive his sentence adjudging him to his due ; and then may receive the execution of the sentence ; and may go away from the barr with that reward or punishment that is his due according to the law by which he is judged . the things done in his body , that is the due reward of the works done in his body ; or as some copies read it , the things proper to the body , i. e. due to the man , even body as well as soul . according to what he hath done whether it be good or bad : i. e. this is the cause to be tried and judged , whether men have done well or ill , whiles they were in the flesh , and what is due to them according to their deeds . knowing therefore , &c. i. e. being certain therefore that these things are so , and that such a terrible judgement of christ will come , we perswade men to become christians and live as such , that they may then speed well , when others shall be destroyed ; or as others , knowing the fear of the lord , that is , the true religion , we perswade men . doct. 1. there will be a judgement . doct 2. christ will be the judge . doct. 3. all men shall there appear . doct. 4. men shall be then judged according to the works that they did in the flesh , whether good or evil . doct. 5. the end of judgement is , that men may receive their final due by sentence and execution . doct. 6. the knowledge and consideration of the terrible judgement of god , should move us to perswade , and men to be perswaded to carefull preparation . the ordinary method for the handling of this subject of judgement should be this . 1. to shew you what judgement is in the general , and what it doth contain : and that is , 1. the persons . 2. the cause . 3. ●he actions . 1. the parties are , 1. the accuser . 2. the defendant . 3. sometime assistants . 4. the judge . 2. the cause contains , 1. the accusation . 2. the defence . 3. with the evidence of both . 4. and the merit . the merit of the cause is , as it agreeth with the law and equity . 3. the judicial actions are , i. introductory . 1. citation . 2. compulsion if need be . 3. appearance of the accused . ii. of the essence of judgement , 1. debate by 1. the accuser . 2. defendant , called the disceptation of the cause . 2. by the judge . 1. exploration 2. sentence . 3. to see to the execution : but because this method is less suitable to your capacities ; and hath something humane , i will reduce all to these following heads . 1. i will shew what judgement is . 2. who is the judge ; and why . 3. who must be ludged . 4. who is the accuser . 5. how the citation , constraint and appearance will be 6. what is the law by w h men shall be judged . 7. what w●ll be the cause of the day : what the accusation , and what must be the just defence . 8. what will be the evidence . 9. what are those frivolous insufficient excuses by which the unrighteous may think to escape . 10. what will be the sentence : who shall dye , and who shall live ; and what the reward and punishment is . 11. what are the properties of the sentence . 12. what and by whom the ex●cution will be . in these particular heads we contain the whole doctrine of this judgement , and in this more familar method shall handle it . i. for the first , judgement as taken largely , comprehendeth all the forementioned particulars ; as taken more strictly for the act of the iudge , it is the trial of a controverted case . in our case note these things following . 1. gods iudgement is not intended for any discovery to himself of what he knows not already : he knows already what all men are ; and what they have done ; and what is their due : but it is to discover to others and to men themselves the ground of his sentence , that so his iudgement may attain its end : for the glorifying his grace on the righteous , and for the convincing the wicked of their sin and desert , and to shew to all the world the righteousness of the iudge , and of his sentence , and execution , rom. 3. 4 , 26. and rom. 2. 2. 2. it is not a controversie therefore undecided in the mind of god , that is there to be decided ; but only one that is undecided , as to the knowledge and mind of creatures . 3. yet is not this iudgement a bare declaration , but a decision , and so a declaration thereupon : the cause will be then put out of controversie , and all further expectation of decision be at an end ; and with the justified there will be no more accusation , and with the condemned no more hope for ever . ii. for the second thing , who shall be the iudge ; i answer , the iudge is god himself by iesus christ . 1. principally , god as creator . 2. as also , god as redeemer ; the humane nature of iesus christ having a derived subordinate power . god lost not his right to his creature either by mans fall , or the redemption by christ , but by the latter hath a new further right : but it is in and by christ that god iudgeth : for as meer creator of innocent mar , god judgeth none , but hath committed all judgement to the son , who hath procured this right by the redeeming of fallen man , john 5. 22. but as the son only doth it in the neerest sen●e so the father as creator doth it remotely and principally . 1. in that the power of the son is derived from the father , and so standeth in subordination to him as fountain or efficient . 2. in that the iudgement of the son ( as also his whole mediatorship ) is to bring men to god their maker as their ultimate end , and recover them to him from whom they are faln , and so as a means to that end , the iudgement of the son is subordinate to the father . from hence you may see these following truths worthy your consideration . 1. that all men are gods creatures , and none are the workmanship of themselves or any other ; or else the creator should not iudge them on that right . 2. that christ dyed for all , and is the redeemer of the world , and a sacrifice for all ; or else he should not iudge them on that right . for he will not iudge wicked men as he will do the devils ; as the meer enemies of his redeemed ones , but as being themselves his subjects in the world , and being bought by him , and therefore become his own , who ought to have glorified him that bought them , 2 cor. 5. 14 , 15. 2 pet. 2. 1. 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. 1 joh. 2. 2. heb. 2. 9. 1 tim. 2. 6. 7. 3. hence it appeareth that all men were under some law of grace and did partake of some of the redeemers mercy . though the gospell came not to all , yet all had that mercy which could come from no other fountain but his blood , and which should have brought them neerer to christ then they were , ( though it were not sufficient to bring them to believe : ) and which should have led them to repentance . rom. 2. 4. for the neglecting of which they justly perish ; and not meerly for sinning against the law that was given man in innocency : were that so , christ would not iudge them as redeemer , and that for the abuse or not-improvement of his talents , as he tels us he will do , mat. 25. per totum . 4. if god will be the iudge , then none can expect by any shifts or indirect means to scape at that day . for how should it be ? 1. it is not possible that any should keep out of sight , or hide their sin and the evill of their actions , and so delude the iudge : god will not be mocked now ▪ nor deceived then , gal. 6. 7. they grossly deceive themselves that imagine any such thing : god must be omniscient and all-seeing ▪ or he cannot be god. should you hide your cause from men and from devils , and be ignorant of it your selves , yet cannot you hide it from god. never did there a thought pass thy heart , or a word pass thy mouth , which god was not acquainted with : and as he knows them , so he doth observe them . he is not as imperfect man , taken up with other business , so that he cannot mind all. as easie is it with him to observe every thought or word , or action of thine , as if he had but that one in the world to observe : and as easie to observe each particular sinner , as if he had not another creature to look after in the world . he is a fool indeed that thinks now that god takes no no●tice of him , ezek. 8. 12. and 9. 9. or , that thinketh then to escape in the croud : he that found out one guest that had not on a wedding garment , mat. 22. 12. will then find out every unholy soul , and give him so sad a salutation as shall make him speechless . job 11. 11. for he knoweth vain man ; he seeth wickedness also , and will he not consider it ? 2. it is not possible that any should scape at that day by any tricks of wit and false reasoning in their own defence . god knoweth a sound answer from an unsound , and a truth from a lye. righteousness may be perverted here on earth , by out-witting the judge ; but so will it not be then : to hope any of this is to hope that god will not be god. it is in vain then for the unholy man to say he is holy ; or for any sinner to deny , or excuse , or extenuate his sin : to bring forth the counterfeit of any grace , and plead with god any shels of hypocritical performances , and to think to prove a title to heaven by any thing short of gods condition ; all these will be vain attempts . 3. and as impossible will it prove by fraud or flattery , by perswasion or bribery , or by any other means , to pervert justice by turning the mind of god who is the judge : fraud and flattery , bribery and importunity may do much with weak men ; but with god they will do nothing . were he changeable and partial , he were not god. 4. if god be judge , you may see the cavils of infidels are foolish , when they ask , how long will god be in trying and judging so many persons , and taking an account of so many words , and thoughts and deeds ? sure it will be a long time , and a difficult work . as if god were as man , that knoweth not things till he seek out their evidence by particular signs . let these fools understand , if they have any understanding , that the infinite god can shew to every man at once , all the thoughts , and words , and actions that ever he hath been guilty of . and in the twink of an eye , even at one view , can make all the world to see their ways and their deservings . causing their consciences and memories to present them all before them in such a sort as shall be equivalent to a verbal debate . psal . 50. 21 , 22. he will set them in order before them . 5. if jesus christ be the judge , then what a comfort must it needs be to his members , that he shall be judge that loved them to the death , and whom they loved above their lives , and he who was their rock of hope and strength , and the desire and delight of their souls ! 6. and if jesus christ must be the judge what confusion will it bring to the faces of his enemies , and of all that set light by him in the day of their visitation ? to see mercy turned against them , and he that dyed for them , now ready to condemn them : and that blood and grace which did aggravate their sin , to be pleaded against them , to the increase of their misery : how sad will this be ! 7. if the god of love , and grace and truth be judge , then no man need to fear any wrong . no subtilty of the accuser , nor darkness of evidence : no prejudice or partiality , or what soever else may be imagined , can there appear to the wrong of your cause . get a good cause and fear nothing : and if your cause be bad , nothing can deliyer you . iii. for the third point , who are they that must be judged ? answ . all the rational creatures in this lower world . and it seems , angels also , either all , or , some : but because their case is more darkly made known to us , and less concerns us , we will pass it by . every man that hath been made or born on earth ( except christ ; , who is god and man , and is the judge ) must be judged . if any foolish infidel shall say , where shall so great a number stand ? i answer him , that he knoweth not the things invisible ; either the nature of spirits and spiritual bodies , nor what place containeth them , or how ; but easily he may know that he that gave them all a being , can sustain them all , and have room for them all , and can at once disclose the thoughts of all , as i said before . the first in order to be judged , are , the saints , mat. 25. and then with christ they shall judge the rest of the world , 1 cor. 6. 2 , 3. not in an equal authority and commission with christ , but as the present approvers of his righteous judgement . the princes of the earth shall stand then before christ , even as the peasants ; and the honorable as the base , the rich and the poor shall meet together , and the lord shall judge them all , prov. 22. 2. no men shall be excused from standing at that bar , and giving up their account , and receiving their doom ▪ learned and unlearned , young and old , godly and ungodly , all must stand there . i know some have vainly imagined , that the righteous shall not have any of their sins mentioned , but their graces and duties only ; but they consider not , that things will not then be transacted by words as we do now , but by cleer di●coveries by the infinite light ; and that if god should hot discover to them their sins , he would not discover the riches of his grace in the pardon of all these sins : even then they must be humbled in themselves , that they may be glorified , and for ever cry , not unto us lord , but unto thy name be the glory . iv. for the fourth particular , who will be the accuser ? answ . 1. satan is called in scripture the accuser of the brethren , rev. 12. 10. and we find in job 1 : and other places , that now he doth practise it even before god : and therefore we judge it probable that he will do so then . but we would determine of nothing that scripture hath not clearly determined . 2. conscience will be an accuser , though , especially of the wicked , yet in some sense of the righteous : for it will tell the truth to all : and therefore so far as men are faulty , it will tell them of their faults . the , wicked it will accuse of unpardoned sin , and of sin unrepented of ; the godly only of sin repented of and pardoned . it will be a glass wherein every man may see the face of his heart and former life ▪ rom. 1. 15. 3. the judge himself will be the principal accuser ; for it is he that is wronged , and he that prosecutes the cause and will do justice on the wicked : god judgeth even the righteous themselves to be sinners , or else they could not be pardoned sinners . but he judgeth the wicked to be impenitent , unbelieving , unconverted sinners . remember what i said before , that it is not a verbal accusation , but an opening of the truth of the cause to the view of our selves and others , that god will then perform . nor can any think it unworthy of god to be mens accuser by such a disclosure , it being no dishonour to the purest light to reveal a dunghill , or to the greatest prince to accuse a traytor . nor is it unmeet that god should be both accuser and judge ; seeing he is both absolute lord , and perfectly just , and so far beyond all suspition of injustice . his law also doth virtually accuse , iohn 5. 45. but of this by it self . v. for the fifth particular , how will the sinners be called to the bar ? answ . god will not stand to send them a citation , nor require him to make his voluntary appearance : but willing or unwilling , he will bring them in . 1. before each mans particular judgement , he sendeth death to call away his soul ; a surly serjeant , that will have no nay : how dear so ever this world may be to men , and how loth so ever they are to depart , away they must , and come before the lord that made them ; death will not be bribed . every man that was set in the vinyard in the morning of their lives , must be called out at evening to receive according to what he hath done : then must the naked soul alone appear before its judge , and be accomptible for all that was done in the body : and be sent before till the final judgement , to remain in happiness or misery , till the body be raised again , and joyned to it . in this appearance of the soul before god it seemeth by scripture , that there is some ministry of angels ; for luke 16. 22. it is said that the angels carried lazarus , that is , his soul , into abrahams bosom . what local motion there is , or situation of souls , is no fit matter for the enquiry of mortals : and what it is in this that the angels will do , we cannot clearly understand as yet ; but most certain it is , that as soon as ever the soul is out of the body , it comes to its account before the god of spirits . 2. at the end of the world the bodies of all men shall be raised from the earth , and joyned again to their souls ; and the soul and body shall be judged to their endless state ; and this is the great and generall iudgement , where all men shal at once appear . the same power of god that made men of nothing , will as easily then new make them by a resurrection ; by which he will add much more perfection , even to the wicked in their naturals , which will make them capable of the greater misery ; even they shall have immortal and incorruptible bodies , which may be the subjects of immortal woe , 1 cor. 15. 53. iohn 5. 28 , 29. of this resurrection , and our appearance at iudgement , the angels will be some way the ministers : as they shall come with christ to iudgement so they shall sound his trumpet , 1 thes . 4. 16. and they shall gather the wicked out of gods kingdom ; and they shall gather the tares to burn them , mat. 13. 39 , 40 , 41. in the end of the world the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just , and shall cast them into the furnace of fire , mat. 17. 49 , 50. for the sixth particular , what law is it that men shall be judged by ? answ . that which was given them to live by : gods law is but the sign of his will , to teach us what shall be due from us and to us ; before we fell he gave us such a law as was suitable to our perfection ; when we had sinned and turned from him , as we ceased not to be his creatures , nor he to be our lord , so he destroyed not his law , nor discharged or absolved us from the duty of our obedience . but because we flood condemned by that law , and could not be iustified by it , having once transgressed it , he was pleased to make a law of grace , even a new a remedying law , by which we might be saved from the deserved punishment of the old. so we shall be tryed at judgement upon both these laws . but ultimately upon the last . the first law commanded perfect obedience , and threatned death to us if ever we disobeyed ; the second law finding us under the guilt of sin against the first , doth command us to repent and believe in christ , and so to return to god by him ; and promiseth us pardon of all our sins upon that condition , and also if we persevere , everlasting glory . so that in judgement though it must first be evinced that we are sinners , and have deserved death according to the law of pure nature ; yet that is not the upshot of the judgement . for the enquiry will be next , whether we have accepted the remedy , and so obeyed the law of grace , and performed its condition for pardon and salvation ; and upon this our life or death will depend . it is both these laws that condemn the wicked ; but it is only the law of grace that justifieth the righteous . obj. but how shall heathens bejudged by the law of grace , that never did receive it ? answ . the express gospel some of them had not , and therefore shall not directly be judged by it ; but much of the redeemers mercy they did enjoy , which should have led them to repent and seek out after recovery from their misery , and to come neerer christ and for the neglect and abuse of this , they shall be judged ; and not meerly for sinning against the law that was given us in pure innocency : so that christ as redeemer shall judge them as well as others : though they had but one talent , yet must they give an account of that to the redeemer , from whom they received it . but if any be unsatisfied in this , let them remember , that as god hath left the state of such more dark to us , and the terms on which he will iudge them ; so doth it much more concern us to look to the terms of our own iudgement . obj. but how shall infants be judged by the gospel , that were uncapable of it ? answ . for ought i find in scripture , they stand or fall with their parents , and on the same terms ; but i leave each to their own thoughts . vii . for the seventh head , what will be the cause of the day to be enquired after ? what the accusation , and what the defence ? answ . this may be gathered from what was last said . the great cause of the day will be to enquire and determine who shall dye , and who shall live ; who ought to go to heaven , and who to hell for ever , according to the law by which they must then be judged . 1. as there is a twofold law by which they must be judged , so will there then be a twofold accusation . the first will be , that they were sinners , and so having violated the law of god , they deserve everlasting death accordding to that law ; if no defence could be made , this one accusation would condemn all the world ; for it is most certain that all are sinners , and as certain that all sin deserveth death . the only defence against this accusation lyeth in this plea ; confessing the charge , we must plead that christ hath satisfied for sins , and upon that consideration god hath forgiven us ; and therefore being forgiven , we ought not to be punished ; to prove this we must shew the pardon under gods hand in the gospel . but because this pardoning act of the gospel doth forgive none but those that repent and believe , and so return to god , and to sincere obedience for the time to come ; therefore the next accusation will be , that we did not perform these conditions of forgiveness ; and therefore being vnbelievers , impenitent and rebels against the redeemer , we have no right to pardon , but by the sentence of the gospel , are lyable to a greater punishment for this contempt of christ and grace this accusation is either true or false where it is true , god and conscience , who speak the truth , may well be said to be the accusers : where it is false , it can be only the work of satan the malitious adversary ; who , as we may see in jobs case , will not stick to bring a false accusation . if any think that the accuser will not do so vain a work , at least they may see that potentially this is the accusation that lyeth against us , and which we must be justified against . for all justification implyeth an actual or potential accusation . he that is truly accused of final impenitency , or unbelief , or rebellion , hath no other defence to make ; but must needs be condemned . he that is falsly accused of such non-performance of the condition of grace , must deny the accusation , and plead his own personal righteousness as against that accusation ; and produce that faith , repentance and sincere obedience and perseverance by which he fulfilled that condition , and so is evangelically righteous in himself , and therefore hath part in the blood of christ , which is instead of a legal righteousnses to him , in all things else , as having procured him a pardon of all his sin , and a right to everlasting glory . and thus we must then be justified by christs satisfaction only , against the accusation of being sinners in general , and of deserving gods wrath for the breach of the law of works : but we must be justified by our faith , repentance and sincere obedience itself , against the accusation of being impenitent , unbelievers , and rebels against christ , and having not performed the condition of the promise , and so having no part in christ and his benefits . so that in summ you see , that the cause of the day will be to enquire , whether , being all known sinners , we have accepted of christ upon his terms , and so have right in him and his benefits , or not ? whether they have forsaken this vain world for him , and loved him so faithfully , that they have manifested it , in parting with these things at his command ? and this is the meaning of mat. 25. where the enquiry is made to be , whether they have fed and visited him in his members , or not ? that is , whether they have so far loved him as their redeemer , and god by him , as that they have manifested this to his members according to opportunity , though it cost them the hazard or loss of all : seeing danger , and labour , and cost , are fitter to express love by , then empty complements and bare professions . whether it be particularly enquired after , or only taken for granted that men are sinners , and have deserved death according to the law of works , and that christ hath satisfied by his death , is all one as to the matter in hand , seeing gods enquiry is but the discovery and conviction of us . but the last question , which must decide the controversie , will be , whether we have performed the condition of the gospel ? i have the rather also said all this , to shew you in what sense these words are taken in the text , that every man shall be judged according to what he hath done in the flesh , whether it be good or bad . though every man be judged worthy of death for sinning , yet every man shail not be judged to dye for it ; and no man shall be judged morthy of life for his good works : it is therefore according to the gospel , as the rule of judgement , that this is meant . they that have repented and believed , and returned to true , though imperfect obedience , shall be judged to everlasting life , according to these works ; not because these works deserve it , but because the free gift in the gospel , through the blood of christ , doth make these things the condition of our possessing it . they that have lived and dyed impenitent , unbelievers and rebels against christ ; shall be judged to everlasting punishment , because they have deserved it , both by their sin in general against the law , and by these sins in special against the gospel . this is called the merit of the cause , that is , what is a mans due according to the true meaning of the law ; though the due may be by free gift . and thus you see what will be the cause of the day , and the matter to be enquired after and decided , as to our life or death . viii . the next point in our method , is , to shew you , what will be the evidence of the cause ? answ . there is a fivefold evidence among men . 1. when the fact is notorious . 2. the knowledge of an unsuspected competent iudge . 3. the parties confession ▪ 4. witness . 5. instruments and visible effects of the action . all these evidences will be at hand , and any one of them sufficient for the conviction of the guilty person at that day . 1. as the sins of all men ; so the impenitency and rebellion of the wicked was notorious , or at least will be then . for though some play the hypocrites , and hide the matter from the world and themselves , yet god shall open their hearts and former lives to themselves , and to the view of all the world . he shal set their sins in order before them so , that it shall be utterly in vain to deny or excuse them . if any menwill then think to make their cause as good to god as they cannow do to us , that are not able to see their hearts , they will be fouly mistaken . now they can say they have as good hearts as the best : then god will bring them out in the light ; and shew them to themselves and all the world , whether they were good or bad . now they will face us down that they do truly repent , and they obey god as well as they can ; but god that knoweth the deceivers , will then undecieve them . we cannot now make men acquainted with their own unsanctified hearts , nor convince them that have not true faith , repentance or obedience ; but god will convince them of it ; they can find shifts and false answers to put off a minister with ; but god will not so be shifted off . let us preach as plainly to them as we can , and do all that ever we are able to acquaint them with the impenitency and unholiness of their own heart , and the necessity of a new heart and life , yet we cannot do it ; but they will believe whether we will or not , that the old heart will serve the turn ; but how easily will god make them know the contrary ? we plead with them in the dark ; for though we have the candle of the gospel in our hands when we come to shew them their corruption , yet they shut their eyes , and are wilfully blind ; but god will open their eyes whether they will or not , not by holy illumination , but by forced conviction ; and then he will plead with them as in the open light . see here thy own unholy soul ; canst thou now say thou didst love me above all ? canst thou deny but thou didst love this world before me ? and serve thy flesh and lusts , though i told thee if thou didst so thou shouldst dye ? look upon thy own heart now , and see whether it be a holy or an unholy heart , a spiritual or a fleshly heart ; a heavenly or au earthly heart ? look now upon all the course of thy life , and see whether thou didst live to me , or to the world and thy flesh ? oh how easily will god convince men then of the very sins of their thoughts , and in their secret closets , when they thought that no witness could have disclosed them ! therefore it s said that the books shall be opened , and the dead judged out of the books , revel . 20. 12. dan. 7. 10. the second evidence will be the knowledge of the judge . if the sinner would not be convinced ; yet it is sufficient that the judge knoweth the cause ; god needeth no further witness ; he saw thee committing adultery in secret , lying , stealing , forswearing in secret . if thou do not know thy own heart to be unholy , it is enough that god knoweth it . if you have the face to say , lord , when did we see thee hungry ? &c. mat. 25. 44. yet god will make good the charge against thee , and there needeth no more testimony then his own . can foolish sinners think to lie hid or escape at that day , that will now sin wilfully before their judge ? that know every day that their judge is looking on them while they forget him , and give up themselves to the world , and yet go on even under his eye , as if to his face they dared him to punish them ? 3. the third evidence will be , the sinners confession . god will force their own consciences to witness against them , add their own tongues to confess the accusation . if they do at first excuse it , he will leave them speechless , yea and condemning themselves before they have done . oh what a difference between their language now and then ! now we cannot tell them of their sin and misery , but they either tell us of our own faults , or bid us look to our selves , or deny or excuse their fault , or make light of it : but then their own tongues shall confess them , and cry out of the wilful folly that they committed , and lay a heavier charge upon them then we can now do . now if we tell them that we are afraid they are unregenerate , and least their hearts are not truly set upon god ; they will tell us they hope : to be saved with such hearts as they have : but then , oh how they will confess the folly and falseness of their own hearts ! you may see a little of their case even in despairing sinners on earth , how far they are from denying or excusing their sins . judas cryes out , i have sinned in bttraying innocent blood , mat. 27. 4. out of their own mouth shall they be judged . that very tongue that now excuseth their sin , will in their torments be their great accuser . for god will have it so to be . 4. the fourth evidence will be the witness of others . oh how many thousand witnesses might there be produced , were there need to convince the guilty soul at that day ! 1. all the ministers of christ that ever preached to them , or warned them , will be sufficient witnesses against them : we must needs testifie that we preached to them the truth of the gospel , and they would not believe it . we preached to them the goodness of god , yet they set not their hearts upon him : we shewed them their sin and they were not humbled . we told them of the danger of an unregenerate state , and they did not regard us : we acquainted them with the absolute necessity of holiness , but they made light of all : we let them know the deceitfulness of their hearts , and the need of a close and faithful examination , but they would not bestow an hour in such a work ; nor scarce once be afraid of being mistaken and miscarrying . we let them know the vanity of this world , and yet they would not forsake it , no not for christ and the hopes of glory ; we told them of the everlasting felicity they might attain , but they would not set themselves to seek it . what we shal think of it then , the lord knows ; but surely it seemeth now to us a matter of very sad consideration , that we must be brought in as witnesses against the souls of our neighbors and friends in the flesh . those whom we now unfeignedly love , and would do any thing that we were able to do for their good , whose welfare is dearer to us then all worldly enjoyments ; alas , that we must be forced to testifie to their faces for their condemnation ! ah lord , with what a heart must a poor minister study , when he considereth this , that all the words that he is studying must be brought in for a witness against many of his hearers ! with what a heart must a minister preach , when he remembreth that all the words that he is speaking must condemn many , if not most of his hearers ! do we desire this sad fruit of our labours ? no : we may say with the prophet , jer. 17. 16. i have not desired the woful day , thou knowest : no , if we desired it , we would not do so much to prevent it : we would not study , and preach , and pray , and intreat men that if it were possible we might not be put on such a task . and doubtless it should make every honest minister study hard , and pray hard , and intreat hard , and stoop low to men , and be earnest with men in season and out of season , that if it may be , they may not be the condemners of their peoples souls . but if men will not hear , and there be no remedy , who can help it ? christ himself came not into the world to condemn men , but to save them , and yet he will condemn those that will not yield to his saving work : god takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner , but rather that he repent , and return , and live , ezek. 18. 23 , 32. and yet he will rejoyce over those to do them hurt , and destroy them that will not return , deut 28. 63. and if we must be put on such a work , he will make us like-minded . the holy gost tels us , that the saints shall judge the world , 1 cor. 6. 2 , 3. and if they must judge , they will judge as god judgeth ; you cannot blame us for it sinners : we now warn you of it before hand , and if you will not prevent it , blame not us , but your selves . alas ! we are not our own matters . as we now speak not to you in our own names , so then we may not do what we list our selves , or if we might , our wills will be as gods will. god will make us judge you , and witness against you ; can we absolve you , when the righteous god will condemn you ? when god is against you , whose side would you have us be of ? we must be either against god or you . and can you think that we should be for any one against our maker and redeemer ? we must either condemn the sentence of jesus christ , or condemn you : and is not there more reason to condemn you then him ? can we have any mercy on you , when he that made you will not save you , and he that formed you , will shew you no mercy ? isa . 27. 11. yea when he that dyed for you , will condemn you , shall we be more merciful then god ? but alas ! if we should be so foolish and unjust , what good would it do you ? if we would be false witnesses and partial judges , it would not save you ; we are not justified if we absolve our selves , 1 cor. 4. 4. how unable then shall we be against gods sentence to justifie you ? if all the world should say , you were holy and penitent , when god knows you were unholy and impenitent , it will do you no good . you pray every day that his will may be done , and it will be done : it will be done upon you because it was not done by you . what would you have us say , if god ask us , did you tell this sinner of the need of christ , of the glory of the world to come , and the vanity of this ? should we lye , and say we did not ? what should we say if he ask us , did not you tell them the misery of their natural state ; and what would become of them if they were not made new ? would you have us lye to god , and say we did not ? why , if we did not , your blood will be required at our hands , ezek. 33. 6. and 3. 18. and would you have us bring your blood upon our own heads by a lye ? yea , and to do you no good , when we know that lyes will not prevail with god ? no , no , sinners ; we must unavoidably testifie to the confusion of your faces . if god ask us , we must bear witness against you and say ? lord , we did what we could according to our weak abilities , to reclaim them : indeed our own thoughts of everlasting things were so low , and our hearts so dull , that we must confess we did not follow them so close , nor speak so earnestly as we should have done : we did not cry so loud , or lift up our voice as a trumpet to awaken them , ( isa . 58. 1. ) we confess we did not speak to them with such melting compassion , and with such streams of tears beseech them to regard , as a mutter of such great concernment should have been spoken with ; we did not fall on our knees to them , and so earnestly begg of them for the lords sake , to have mercy upon their own s●uls , as we should have done . but yet we told them the message of god : and we studyed to speak it to them as plainly and as piercingly as we could fain we would have convinced them of their sin and misery , but we could not : fain we would have drawn them to the admiration of christ , but they made light of it , mat. 22. 5. we would fain have brought them to the contempt of this vain world , and to set their mind on the world to come , but we could not ; some compassion thou knowest lord we had to their souls ; many a weeping or groaning hour we have had in secret , because they would not hear and obey ; and some sad complaints we have made over them in publike ; we told them that they must shortly dye and come to judgement , and that this world would deceive them , and leave them in the dust ; we told them that the time was at hand when nothing but christ would do them good , and nothing but the favour of god would be sufficient for their happiness ; but we could never get them to lay it to heart . many a time did we intreat them to think soberly of this life , and the life to come , and to compare them together with the faith of christians , and the reason of men ; but they would not do it ; many a time did we intreat them but to take now and then an hour in secret to consider who made them , and for what he had made them , and why they were sent into this world ; and what their business here is ; and whether they are going , and how it will go with them at their latter end ; but we could never get most of them to spend one hour in serious thoughts of these weighty matters . many a time did we intreat them to try whether they were regenerate or not ? whether christ and his spirit were in them , or not ? whether their souls were brought back to god by sanctification ? but they would not try ; we did beseech them to make sure work and not leave such a matter as everlasting joy or torment to a bold and mad adventure ; but we could not prevail . we intreated them to lay all other businesses aside a little while in the world , and to enquire by the direction of the word of god , what would become of them in the world to come ; and to judge themselves before god came to judge them , seeing they had the law and rule of judgement before them ; but their minds were blinded , and their hearts were hardned ; and the profit , and pleasure , and honour of this world did either stop their ears , or quickly steal away their heartt , so that we could never get them to a sober consideration , nor ever win their hearts to god. this will be the witness that many a hundred ministers of the gospel must give in against the souls of their people at that day . alas , that ever you should cast this upon us ! for the lords sake , sirs , pitty your poor teachers , if you pitty not your selves . we had rather go a 1000. miles for you ; we had rather be scorned and abused for your sakes : we had rather lay our hands under your feet , and beseech you on our knees with tears , were we able , then be put on such a work as this . it is you that will do it if it be done . we had rather follow you from house to house , and teach and exhort you , if you will but hear us , and accept of our exhortation . your souls are pretious in our eyes , for we know they were so in the eyes of christ , and therefore we are loth to see this day ; we were once in your case , and therefore know what it is to be blind , and careless , and carnal as you are , and therefore would fain obtain your deliverance . but if you will not hear , but we must accuse you , and we must condemn you ; the lord judge between you & us for we can witness that it was full sore against our wills . we have been faulty indeed in doing no more for you , and not following you with restless importunity ; ( the good lord forgive us ; ) but yet we have not betrayed you by silence . 2. all those that fear god , that have lived among ungodly men , will also be sufficient witnesses against them . alas ! they must be put upon the same work , which is very unpleasant to their thoughts as min●sters are ; they must witness before the lord , that they did as friends and neighbours admonish them ▪ that they gave them a good example , and endeavoured to walke in holyness before them ; but alas ! the most did but mock them , and call them puritans and precise fools , and they made more a●o then needs for their salvation ; they must be forced to testifie , [ lord we would fain have drawn them with us to hear the word , and to read it , and to pray in their families , and to santifie the holy day , and take such happy opportunities for their souls ; but we could not get them to it ; we did in our places what we were able , to give them the example of a godly conversation , and they did but deride us ; they were readier to mark every slip of our lives , and to observe all our infirmities , and catch at any accusation that was against us , then to follow us in any work of holy obedience , or care for our everlasting peace ; ] the lord knows it is a most heavy thing to consider now , that poor neighbours must be fain to come in against those they love so dearly , and by their testimony to judge them to p●rdition . oh heavy case to think of , that a master must witness against his own servant ▪ yea a husband against his own wife , and a wife against her husband ; yea parents against their own children , and say ; [ lord ] taught them ●hy word but they would not learn i told them what would come on it , if they returned not to thee : i brought them to ●ermons , and ; i prayed with them and for them . i frequently ▪ minded them of th●se everlasting things , and of this dreadfull day which they now see . but youthful lusts , and the temprations of the flash and the devil led them away and i could never get them throughly and soundly to lay it to their hearts . ] oh you that are parents , and friends , and neighbours , in the fear of god bestir you now that you ma● not be put to this at that day of judgement . oh give them no rest , take no nay of them till you have perswaded their hearts from this word to god , lest you be put to be their condemners : it must be now that you must prevent it or else never ▪ now while you are with them , while you and they are in the flesh together , which will be but a little while : can you but now prevail with them , all will be well , and you may meet them joyfully before the lord. 3. another wittness that will testifie against the ungodly at that day , will be their sinful companions those that drew them into sin , or were drawn by them , or joyned with them in it . oh little do poor drunkards think , when they sit merrily in an ale house , that one of them must bear witness against another and condemn one another : if they thought of this , me thinks it should make them have less delight in that company : those that now joyn with you in wicked ness shall then be forced to witness , [ i confess lord , i did hear him swear and curse ; i heard him deride those that feared the lord , and make a jest of a holy life : i saw him in the ale-house when he should be hearing the word of god , or reading , or calling upon god , and preparing for this day . i joyned with him in fleshly delights , in abusing thy creature and our own bodies . ] sinners , look your companions in the face the next time you are with them , and remember this that i now say ; that those men shall give in evidence against you that now are your associates in all your mirth ; little thinketh the fornicator and lustful wanton that their sinful mates must then bear witness of that which they thought the dark had concealed and tell their shame before all the world . but this must be the fruit of sin . it s meet that they who encouraged one another sin , should condemn one another for it . and marvail not at it ; for they shall be forced to it whether they will or no ; light will not then be hid : they ma● think to have some ease to their consciences , by accusing and condemning others . when adam is questioned for his sin , he presently accuseth the woman , gen. 3. 1● . when judas his conscience was awakened , he runs to the pharisees with the money that dr●w him to it , and they cast it back in his own face , see thou to it , what is that to us ? mat. 27. 4 5 , 6. oh the cold comfort that sinners will have at that day ! and the little pleasure that they will find in remembring their evil wai●s ! now when a fornicator or a worlding , or a merry voluptuous man is grown old , and cannot act all his sin again , he takes pleasure in remembring and telling others of his former folly ; what he once was ; and what he did ; and the merry hours that he had ; but then when sinners are come to themselves a little more , they will remember and tell one another of these things with another heart . oh that they did but know now how these things will then affect them . 4. another witness that will then rise up against them , will be the very devils that tempted them : they that did purposely draw them to sin , that they might draw them to torment for sin : they can witness that you harkned to their temptations , when you would not harken to gods exhortations ; they can witness that you obeyed them in working iniquity . but because you may think the accusers testimony is not to be taken , i will not stand on this . though it is not nothing where god knoweth it to be true . 5 the very angels of god also may be witnesses against the wicked ; therefore are we advised in scriputre , not to sin before them , eccl. 5. 6. 1 cor. 11. 10. 1 tim. 5. 21. i charge thee before the elect angels , &c. they can testifie that they would have been ministring spirits for their good , when the wicked rather chose to be slaves to the spirit of malitiousness . the holy angels of god do many a time stand by you when you are sinning . they see you when you see not them ; they are imployed by god in some sort for your good , as well as we : and as it is the grief of ministers , that their labours succeed not , so may we suppose that according to their state and nature it is theirs for the that rejoyce in heaven at the conversion of one sinner , may be said to sorrow , or to lose those joyes , when you refuse to be converted . these noble spirits , these holy and glorious attendants of christ , that shall wait upon him to judgement , will be witnesses against rebellious sinners , to their confusion . ●irs , you have all in you naturally a fear of spirits ▪ and invisible powers : fear them aright : lest hearkening to the deceiving spirits , and refusing the help of the angels of god ▪ and wilfully sinning before their faces you should cause them at that day , to the terrour of your souls to stand forth as witnesses against you , to your condemnation . 6 conscience it self will be most effectual witness against the wicked at that day . i before told you it will be a discerner , and force them to a confession : but a further office it hath , even to witness against them . if none else in the world had known of their secret sins , conscience will say , i was acquainted with them . 7. the spirit of christ can witness against the ungodly , that he oft moved them to repent and return , and they rejected his motions : that the spoke to their hearts in secret , and oft set in with the minister , and often minded them of their case , and perswaded them to god ; but they resisted , quenched and grieved the spirit , acts 7. 51. as the spirit witnesseth with the spirits of the righteous that they are the children of god , rom. 8. 16. so doth he witness with the conscience of the wicked , that they were children of rebellion , and therefore are justly children of wrath . this spirit will not alway strive with men ; at last being vexed , it will prove their enemy , and rise up against them , gen. 6. 3. isa . 63. 10. if you will needs grieve it now , it will grieve you then . were it not a spirit of grace , and were it not free mercy that it came to offer you , the repulse would not have been so condemning , nor the witness of this spirit so heavy at the last . but it was the spirit of jesus , that came with recovering grace , which you resisted : and though the wages of every sin is death , yet you will find that it will cost you somewhat more to reject this salvation , than to break the creators ●aw of works . kindness , such kindness , will not be rejected at easie rates . many a good motion is now made by the spirit to the heart of a sinner , which he doth not so much as once observe ; and therefore doth not now remember them . but then they shall be brought to his remembrance with a witness . many a thousand secret motions to repentance , to faith , to a holy life , will be then set before the eyes of the poor , unpardoned , trembling sinner , which he had quite forgotten : and the spirit of ●od shall testifie to his confusion . [ at such a sermon i perswaded thy heart to repent , and thou wouldst not ; at such a time i shewed thee the evil of thy sin , and perswaded thee to have forsaken it but thou wouldst not ; i minded thee in thy secret thoughts , of the neerness of judgement , and the certainty and weight of everlasting things , the need of christ , and faith , and holyness , and of the danger of sinning ; but thou didst drown all my motions in the cares and pleasures of the world . thou harknedst rather to the devil than to me ; the sensual inclinations of thy flesh did prevail against the strongest arguments that i used : though i shewed reasous , undenyable reasons , from thy creator , from thy redeemer , from nature , from grace , from heaven , and from hell , yet all would not so much as stop thee , much less turn thee , but thou wouldest go on ; thou wouldest follow thy flesh , and now let it pay thee the wages of thy folly : thou wouldest be thy own guide , and take thine own course , and now take what thou gettest by it ] poor sinners , i beseech you in the fear of god , the next time you have any such motions from the spirit of god , to repent , and believe and break off your sins , and the occasions of them , consider then what a mercy is set before you : and how it will confound you at the day of judgement , to have all these motions brought in against you , and that the spirit of grace it self should be your condemner ! alas , that men should choose their own desructon . and wilfully choose it ! and that the foreknowledge of these things should not move them to relent . so much concerning the witness that will be brought in against the sinner . 5. the fifth evidence that will be given against the sinner , will be , the instruments and effects . you know among men , if a man be found murthered by the high-way , and you are found standing by with a bloody sword in your hand ; especially if there were a former dissention between you , it will be an evidence that will prove a strong presumption , that you were the murderer : but if the fact be certain by other evidence , then many such things may be brought for aggravation of the fault . so a twofold evidence will be brought against the sinner from these things . one to prove him guilty of the fact : the other to aggravate the fault , and prove that his sin was very great . for the former . 1. the very creatures which sinners abused to sin , may be brought in against them to their conviction and condemnation . for though these creatures shall be consumed with the last destroying fire , which shall consume all the world , yet they shall have a being in the memory of the sinner ( an esse cognitum . ) the very wine or ale , or other liquor which was abused to drunkenness may witness against the drunkard . the sweet morsels by which the glutton did please his appetite , and all the good creatures of god which he luxuriously devoured , may witness against him ▪ luke 16. 19. 25. he that fared deliciously every day in this life , was told by abraham when he was dead ▪ and his soul in hell , [ remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things , and likewise lazarus evil things : but now he is comfored , and thou art tormented , ] though their sweet morsels and cups are past , and gone , yet must they be remembred at judgement and in hell. [ remember son ] saith abraham ; yea , and remember he must ▪ whether he will or no ; long was the glutton in sinning , and many a pleasant bit did he taste : and so many evidences of his sin will lie against him , and the sweetness will then be turned into gall . the very cloathing and ornaments by which proud person did manifest their pride , will be sufficient evidence against them : as his being clothed with purple and fine linnen , is mentoned , luke 16. 19. the very lands , and goods , and houses of worldlings will be an evidence against them : their gold and silver , which the covetous do now prefer before the everlasting riches with christ , will be an evidence against them . james 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. go to now , ye rich men , weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you . your riches are corrupted , and your garments , moath-eaten ; your gold and silver is cankered , and the rust of them shall be a witenss against you , and shall eat your flesh , as it were fire ; ye have heaped treasure together for the last daies . behold the hire of the laborers , which have reaped down you fields , which is of you kept back by fraud , cryety ; and the cryes of them which have reaped , are entred into the ears of the lord of sabboth . ye have lived in pleasure on the earth , and been wanton ; ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter . oh that worldlings would well consider this one text ; and therein observe whether a life of earthly pleasure and fulness of worldly glory and gallantry , be as desirable as they imagine , and to what time and purpose they now lay up their treasures ; and how they must hear of these things hereafter ; and what effect the review of their jovial daies will have upon their miserable condemned souls . 2. the very circumstances of time , place , and the like , may evidence against his condemnation . the drunkard shall remember , in such an ale house . i was so oft drunk , and in such a ●avern i wasted my time . the adulterer and fornicator shall remember the very time the place , the room , the bed , where they committed wickedness . the thief and deceiver will remember the time , place , & the persons they wronged and the thing which they robbed or deceived them of . the worldling will remember the business which he preferred before the service of god ; the worldly matters which had more of his heart then his maker and redeemer had ; the work which he was doing when he should have been praying or reading , or catechising his family , or thinking soberly of his latter end . a thousand of these will then come into his mind , and be as so many evidences against him to his condemnation . 3. the very effects also of mens sins will be an evidence against them . the wife and children of a drunkard are impoverished by his sin ; his family and the neighbourhood is disquieted by him . these will be so many evidences against him . so will the abuse of his own reason ; the enticing of others to the same sin , and hardning them by his example . one covetons unmerciful landlord doth keep a hundred , or many hundred persons or families in so great necessities , and care and labour , that they are tempted by it to overpass the service of god , as having scarce time for it , or any room for it in their troubled thoughts ; all these miserable families and persons , and all the souls that are undone by this temptation , will be so many evidences against such oppressors . yea , the poor whom they have neglected to relieve when they might : the sick whom they have neglected to visit , when they might , will all witness then against the unmerciful , mat. 25. the many ignorant , worldly , careless sinners , that have perished under an idle , and unfaithful minister , will be so many witnesses against him to his condemnation ! they may then cry out against him to his face [ i was ignorant lord , and he never did so much as teach me , catechize me , nor tell me of these things ; i was careless , and minded the world , and he let me go on quietly and was as careless as i , had never plainly and faithfully warned me , to waken me from my security . ] and so their blood will be required at his hands , though themselves also shall perish in their sins , ezek. 33 , 7. 8. 2. and as these evidences will convince men of sin , so there are many more which will convince them of the greatness of their sin . and these are so many that it would too much lengthen my discourse to stand on them . a few i shall briefly touch . 1. the very mercy of god in creating men , in giving and continuing their being to them , will be an evidence for the aggravation of their sin against him . what ? will you abuse him , by whom it is that you are men ? will you speak to his dishonor ▪ that giveth you your speech ? will you live to his dishonor who giveth you your lives ? will you wrong him by his own creatures ? and neglect him without whom you cannot subsist ? 2. the redemption of men by the lord jesus christ , will be an evidence to the exceeding aggravation of their sins . you sinned against the lord that bought you , 2 pet. 2. 1. when the feast was prepared , and all things were ready , you made light of it , and found excuses , and would not come , mat. 22. 4 , 5 , 6. luke 14. 17 , 18. must christ redeem you by so dear a price from sin and misery , and yet will you continue the servants of sin , and prefer your slavery before your freedom , and choose to be satans drudges , rather then to be the servants of god ? the sorrows and sufferings that christ underwent for you , will then prove the increase of your own sorrows . as a neglected redeemer , it is that he will condemn you . and then you would be glad that it were but true doctrine , that christ never dyed for you , that you might not be condemned for refusing a redeemer , and sinning against him that shed his blood for you . how deeply will his wounds then wound your consciences ! you will then remember , that to this end he both ●yed , rose , and revived , that he might be lord both of the dead and the living ? and that he therefore dyed for all , that they which live , should not henceforth live to themselves , but to him that dyed for them , and rose again ; rom. 14. 9. 2 cor. 5. 14 , 15. mat 28. 18. 19. 20. 1 pet. 1. 17 , 18. you will then understand that you were not your own , but were bought with a price , and therefore should have glorified him that bought you , with your bodies and spirits , because they were his , 1 cor. 6 ▪ 19 , 20. this one aggravation of your sin will make you doubly and remedilesly miserable ; that you trod under foot the son of god and counted the blood of the covenant , wherewith you were sanctified , an unholy thing , heb. 10. 26 , 27 , 28 , 29. and crucified to your selves the son of god afresh , and put him to open shame , heb. 6. 5 6. 3. moreover ; all the personal mercies which they received , will be so many evidences for the condemnation of the ungodly . the very earth that bore them , and yielded them its fruits , while they themselves are unfruitful to god the air which they breathed in : the food which nourish'd them : the cloaths which cover'd them , the houses which they dwelt in , the beasts that laboured for them , and all the creatures that dyed for their use : all these may rise up against them to their condemnation . and the judge may thus expostulate with them , [ did all these mercies deserve no more thanks ? should you not have served him that so liberally maintained you ? god thought not all these too good for you , and did you think your hearts and services too good for him ? he served yous w th the weary labours of your fellow creature : and should you have grudged to bear his easie yoak ? they were your slaves and drudges , and you refused to be his free servants and his sons ? they suffered death to feed your bodies , and you would not suffer the short forbearance of a little forbidden fleshly pleasure for the sake of him that made you and redeemed you . ] oh how many thousand mercies of god will then be reviewed by those that neglected them to the horrour of their souls , when they shall be upbraided by the judge with their base requital ! all the deliverances from sickness and from danger ; all the honours , and priviledges , and other commodities , which so much contented them , will then be gods evidence to shame them and confound them . on this supposition doth the apostle reprove such , rom. 2. 4 , 5 , 6. despisest thou the riches of his goodness , and forbearance , and long suffering , not knowing that the goodness of god leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy hardness and impenitent heart , treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath , & revelation of the righteous judgement of god , who will render to every man , according to his deeds . 4. moreover . all the means which god used for the recovery of sinners in the day of their visitation , will rise up against impenitent souls , in judgement to their condemnation . you can hear sermons carelessly and sleepily now ; but o that you would consider , how the review of them will then awake you ! you now make light of the warnings of god and man , and of all the wholesome advice that is given you , but god will not then make light of your contempt . oh what cutting questions will they be to the hearts of the ungodly , when all the means that were used for their good , are brought to their remembrance on one side , and the temptations that drew them to sin on the other side , and the lord shall plead his cause with their consciences , and say [ was i so hard a master , or was my work so unreasonable , or was my wages so contemptible , that no perswasions could draw you into my service ? was satah so good a master , or was his work so honest and profitable , or was his wages ' so desirable , that you would be so easily perswaded to do as he would have you ? was there more perswading reason in his allurements and deceits , then in all my holy words , and all the powerfull sermons that you heard , or all the faithfull admonitions you received ; or all the good examples of the righteous , or in all the works of god which you beheld ? was not a reason fecht from the love of god , from the evill of sin , the blood of christ , the judgement to come ? the glory promised , the torments threatned , as forcible with you , and as good in your eyes , to draw you to holiness , as a reason from a little fleshly delight or worldly gain , to draw you to be unholy ? ] in the name of god , sinners , i intreat you to bethink your selves in time , how you will sufficiently answer such questions as these . you should have seen god in every creature that you beheld , and have read your duty in all his works ; what can you look upon above you , or below you , or round about you , which might not have shewed you so much of the wisdom , and goodness , and greatness of your maker , as should have convinced you that it was your duty to be devoted to his wil ? and yet you have his written word that speaks plainer then all these ; and will you despise them all ? will you not see so great a light ? will you not hear so loud and constant calls ? shall god , and his ministers speak in vain ? and can you think that you shall not hear of this again , and pay for it one day ? you have the bible , & other good books by you ; why do you out read them ? you have ministers at hand : why do you not go to them , and earnestly ask them , sir , what must i do to be saved ? & intreat them to teach you the way to life ; you have some neighbors that fear god ; why do you not go to them , and take their good advice , and imitate them in the fear of god , and in a holy diligence for your souls ? now is the time for you to bestir your selves ; life and death are before you . you have gales of grace to further your voyage : there are more for you then against you . god will help you : his spirit will help you : his ministers will help you : every good christian will help you ; the angels themselves will help you , if you will resolvedly set your selves to the work ; and yet will you not stir ? patience is waiting on you ; mercies are enticing you ; scourges are driving you ; judgement stayeth for you ; the lights of god stand burning by you to direct you ; and yet will you not stir , but lie in darkness ? and do you think you shall not hear of this ? do you think this will not one day cost you dear ? ix the ninth part of our work , is to shew you , what are those frivolous excuses by which the unrighteous may then indeavour their defence ? having already shewed you what the defence must be , that must be suffiicient to our justification ; if any first demand , whether the evidence of their sin will not so overwhelm the sinner , that he will be speechless and past excuse ? i answ . before god hath done with him , he will be so ; but it seems at first his dark understanding , and partial corrupted conserence will set him upon a vain defence . for mat. 7. 22 , 23. christ telleth us that [ many will say to me in that day , lord , lord ▪ have we not prophesied in thy name , and in thy name have cast out devils , and in thy name have done many wonderful works ? and then will i profess to them , i never knew you , depart from me● ye workers of iniquity . and in mat 25. 11. the foolish virgins cry , [ lord , lord , open to us . ] and vers . 44. [ then shall they also answer him ▪ saying , lord , when saw we thee an hungred , or thirst , or a stranger , or naked , or sick , or in prison , and did not minister unto thee ? ] and vers . 24 , 25. they fear not to cast some of the cause of their neglect on god himself , [ then he which had received the one talent came and said , lord , i knew that thou art an hard man , reaping where thou hast not sown , and gathering where thou hast not strawed ; and i was afraid , and went and hid thy talent in the earth ; lo , there thou hast that is thine . ] it is cleer then , that excuses they will be ready to make , and their full conviction will be in order after these excuses ( at least as in their minds , if not in words ) but what the particular excuses will be , we may partly know by these scriptures which recite them , and partly by hearing what the ungodly do now say for themselves . and because it is for their present benefit that i now make mention of them , that they may see the vanity of all such excuses , i will mention them as i now meet with them in the mouthes of sinners in our ordinary discourse ; and these excuses are of several sorts ; some by which they would justify their estate ; some excuses of particular actions ; and that either in whole , or in part , some by which they would put by the penalty , though they confess the sin ; some by which they lay the blame on other men : and in some they would cast it upon god himself . i must touch but some of them very briefly . the first excuse . i am not guilty of these things which i am accused of . i did love god above all , and my neighbor as my self . i did use the world but for necessity , but god had my heart . answer . the all-seeing judge doth know the contrary ; and he will make thy conscience know it . look back man , upon thy heart and life . how seldom and how neglectfully didst thou think of god ? how coldly didst thou worship him , or make any mention of him ? how carelesly didst thou serve him ? and think much of all that thou didst therein ? thou rather thoughtest that his service was making more adoe then needs , and didst grudge at those that were more diligent then thy self ; but for the world , how heartily and how constantly didst thou seek and serve it ? and yet wouldst thou now perswade the judge that thou didst love god above all ? he will shew thee thy naked heat , and the course of thy former life , which shail convince thee of the contrary . the second excuse . i lived not in any gross sin , but only in small infirmities ; i was no murderer , or adulterer , or fornicator , or thief , nor did i deceive or wrong any , or take any thing by violence . answ . was it not a gross sin to love the world above god , and to neglect christ that dyed for thee , and never to do him one hours hearty service , but meerly to seek thy carnal self , and to live to thy flesh ? god will open thine eyes then , and shew thee a thousand gross sins , which thou now forgettest or makest light of ; and it is not only gross sins , but all sin , great or small , that deserveth the wrath of god , and will certainly bring thee under it for ever , if thou have not part in christ to relieve thee wo to the man that ever he was born that must answer in his own name for his smallest offences the third excuse . i did it ignorantly ; i knew not that there was so much required to my salvation . i thought less adoe might have served the turn : and that if i lookt to my body , god would take ca●e of my soul ; and that it was better to trust him what would become of me hereafter , then to trouble my mind so much about it . had i known better , i would have done better . answ . if you knew not better , who was it long of but your self ? did god hide these things from you ? did he not tell them you in his word as plainly as the tongue of man can speak , that except you were regenerate and born again , you should not enter into the kingdom of god john 3. 3● 5. that without holiness none should see god ? heb. 12. 14. that you mist strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for many shall seek to enter , and shall not be able , luke 13. 24. that if you lived after the flesh , you should dye : and if by the spirit you mortified the deeds of the body , you should live . rom 8. 13 that if any man have not the spirit of christ ▪ the same is none of his , rom. 8. 9. and to be carnally minded is death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace , rom. 8. 9. that you must not lay up for your selves a treasure on earth , where rust and moths do corrupt , and thieves break through and steal , but must lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven , where rust and moths do not corrupt , and thieves break through and steal , mat. 6. 19 , 20. that you must seek first the kingdom of god and the righteousness thereof , mat. 6. 23. and not labour for the food that perisheth , but for the food that endureth to everlasting life , which christ would have given you , john 6. 27. that if you be risen with christ , you must seek those things which are above , where christ sitteth at the right hand of god , and not the things that are on earth , col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. yea your very conversation should be in heaven , phil. 3. 19. 20. 21. what say you ? did not god tell you all this and much more ; aud plainly tell it you ? turn to your bibles and see the words , and let them witness against you . 2. and could you think with any reason , that your souls being so much move precious then your bodies you should yet do so much more for your bodies , then your souls ? could you think all the labour of your lives little enough for a frail body that must lie shortly in the dirt ; and that your immortal souls should be no more re●arded ? could you think with any reason , that your souls should do so much for a life of a few years continuance , and do no more for a life that shall have no end ? 3. and whereas you talk of trusting god with your souls , you did not trust him : you did but on that pretence , carelesly disregard them . if you trust god , shew any word of promise that ever he gave you to trust upon , that ever an impenitent , carnal ▪ careless person shall be saved ? no ; he hath told yon enough to the contrary . and could you think that it was the will of god , that you should mind your bodies more then your souls , and this life more then that to come ? why , he hath bid you strive , and run , and sight , and labour , and care , and seek , and use violence , and all diligence for the safety of your souls , and for the life to come : but where hath he bid you do so for your bodies ? no , he knew that you were prone to do too much for them ; and therefore he hath bid you [ care not , and labour not ] that is , do it as if you did it not ; and let your care and labour for earthly things be none in comparision of that for heavenly things . you know god can as well maintain your lives without your care and labour , as save your souls without it : and yet you see he will not , he doth not : you must plough , and sow , and reap , and thresh , for all gods love and care of you , and not say , i will let all alone and trust god. and must you not much more use diligence in much greater things ? if you will trust god , you must trust him in his own way , and in the use of his own means . the fourth excuse . i was never brought up to learning , i cannot so much as read : nor did my parents ever teach me any of these things , but only set me about my worldly business , and provide food and rayment for me : but never once told me that i had a soul to save or lose , and and an everlasting life to provide and prepare for . and therefore i could not come to the knowledge of them . answ . the greater is their sin , who thus neglected you . but this is no sufficient excuse for you . heaven is not prepared for the learned only : nor will christ ask you at judgement , whether you are good scholars or not , no nor so much as whether you could write or read . but consider well ! was not gods word so plainly written , that the unlearned might understand it ? did he not put it into the most familiar stile , though he knew it would be offensive to the proud scholars of the world , of purpose that he might fit it to the capacities of the ignorant ? and if you could not read , yet tell me , could not you have learned to read at 20 , or 30 years of age , if you had been but willing to bestow now and then an hour to that end ? or at least , did you not live near some that could read ? and could you not have procured them to read to you , or to help you ? and did you not hear these things read to you in the congregation by the minister ? or might have done if you would ? and if your parents did neglect you in your youth , yet when you came to a fuller use of reason , and heard of the matters of salvation from gods word , did it not concern you to have looked to your selves ; and to have redeemed that time which you lost in your youth , by doubling your diligence when you came to riper years ? the apostles gathered churches among heathens that never heard of christ before ; and converted many thousand souls that were never once told of a saviour , or the way to salvation , till they had past a great part of their ? lives . if you loitered till the latter part of the day , it behoved you then to have bestirred your selves the more : and not to say , through the fault of my parents . i lost the beginning of my life , and therefore i will lose all ; they taught me not then , & therefore i will not learn now ; hav you not seen som of your neighbours , who were as ill educated as your selves , attain to much knowledge afterwards by their industry ? and why might not you have done so , if you had been as industrious as they ? may not god and conscience witness , that it was because you cared not for knowledge , and would not be at pains to get it , that you knew no more ? speak truth , man in the presence of thy judge ; was thy heart and mind set upon it ? didst thou pray daily for it to god ? didst thou use all the means thou couldst to get it ? didst thou attend diligently on the word in publike , and think of what thou heardest when thou camest home ? didst thou go to the minister , or to others that could teach thee , and intreat them to tell thee the way to salvation ? or didst thou not rather carelesly neglect these matters ; and hear a sermon as a common tale , even when the minister was speaking of heaven or of hell ? it was not then thine unavoidable ignorance , but thy negligence . yea further , answer as in the presence of god : didst thou obey so far as thou didst know ? or didst thou not rather sin against that knowledge which thou hadst ? thou knewest that the soul was better then the body , and everlasting life more to be regarded then this transitory life ; but didst thou regard it accordingly ? thou sure knewest that god was better then the world , and heaven then earth : at least , thou was told of it ; but didst thou accordingly value him , and love him more ? thou knewest sure that there was no salvation without faith , and repentance , and newness of life , and yet they were neglected . in a word , many a thousand sins which were committed , and duties that were omitted , against thy own knowledge and conscience , will marr this excuse the fifth excuse . i lived not under a powerfull minister to tell me of these things : but where there was no preaching at all . answ . and might you not have gone where a powerfull minister was , with a little pains ? yea , did not the very plain word that you heard read ▪ tell you of these things ? and might you not have had a bible your selves , and found them there ? the sixth excuse . i was a servant , and had no time from my labour to mind these matters ; i lived with a hard master that required all his own work of me , but would allow me no time for the service of god. or else , i was a poor man , and had a great charge to look , after , and with my hard labour had much adoe to live , so that i had no time for heavenly things . answ 1. who should be first served ? god , or man ? what should be first sought after ? heaven or earth ? did not christ cell thee , one thing is necessary ? luke 10. 41 , 42 , was it not as needfull to see that you escape damnation , and get safe to heaven when this life is ended , as to see that you had food and raiment for your selves and yours ? 2. did you spend no time in recreation , nor idleness , nor vain talking ? why might not that at least have been spent about heavenly things ? 3. could you have taken no time from your rest or eating , or at other intermissions ? mans body will not endure so great labours as have no intermission . and why then might not godliness have been your ease and recreation ? 4. or might you not have minded these things even when you were about your labour , if you had but a heart to them ? 5. at least you might have spent the lords own day in hearing , reading , and pondering of these matters , when you were forced to forbear your worldly labours , even by the wholsom law of the land. these therefore are all but vain excuses ; and god will shortly make thee speak out , and plainly confess , it was not so much for want of time or helps , or warning , as for want of a heart to use them well . i should have found some time , though it had been when i should have slept , if my heart had been but set upon it . the seventh excuse . little did i think ●o have seen this day : i did not believe that ever god would be so severe . i thought his threatnings had been but to keep men in awe : and i suspected either that the scripture was not his word , or else i thought he would be better then his word . i thought all that i heard of another life had been uncertain ; and therefore was loth to let go a certainty for an uncertainty , and lose my present pleasures which i had in hand for the hopes of that which i never did see . answ . he that will not know his misery by believing to prevent it , shall know it by feeling to endure it . you were told and told again what your unbelief would bring you to . did gods word make heaven and earth ? doth it support them , and secure them and is not his word sufficient security for you to have trusted your souls upon ? did you know where was any better security to be had ? and where was any surer ground for your confidence ? and did you think so basely and blasphemously of god , that he would falsifie his word , lest such as you should suffer ? and that he was fain to rule the world by a lye ? did god make the world so easily ? and can he not govern it by true and righteous means ? what need god to say that which he will not do , to awe sinners ? can he not awe them by truth ? is it not just that those should eternally perish , that will entertain such desperate thoughts of god , and then by such wicked imaginations encourage themselves in sin against him ? and for the truth of scripture , god did not bid you believe it without evidence . he stamped on it the image of his own purity and perfection , that you might know it by that image and superscription , if you had eyes to see them : he sealed it by uncontrouled multitudes of miracles ; he delivered it down to your hands by infallible witnesses , so that he left you no room for rational doubting . and you knew that the matters of this world were not only uncertain ▪ but certainly vain and transitory , and would shortly come to nothing , and leave you in distress . if it had then been uncertain whether there were a glory and mi●ery hereafter ( as it was not ) should not reason have taught you to prefer the least probabilities of an everlasting unspeakable happiness , before that which is certainly perishing and vain ? these vain excuses will but condemn you . the eighth excuse . i was so enticed and perswaded by sinner to do as they did , that i could not deny them : they would never let me rest . answ . and were you not as earnestly perswaded by god to forsake sin and erve him , and yet that would not prevail with you ? you could not deny the devils and fools , but you could deny god and all his messengers . were not ministers as earnest with you every week to repent and amend ? what did men entice you with ? with a little deluding fleshly pleasure for a few daies ? and what did god entice you with ? with the promise of endless unconcievable felicity ! and if this were a smaller matter in your eyes , then the other , then you have had your choice be content with it , and thank your selves . in your life time you had the good things which you chose , and preferred before heaven , and therefore cannot expect to have heaven besides . the ninth excuse . i lived among ungodly persons , that derided all that feared god ; so that if i had not done as i they did , but had made any more ado to be saved , should have been the very scorn of the place where i lived . answ . and was not heaven worth the enduring of a scorn ? is not he worthy to go without it that thinks so basely of it ? did not christ tell you , that if you were ashamed of him before men , he would be ashamed of you before his father and the angels of heaven ? mark 8. 38. he sufferered more then scorns forth you : and could not you suffer a scorn for im and your selves ? seeing you chose rather to endure everlasting torment , than a little derision from ignorant men , take that which you made choice of . and seeing so small a matter wonld drive you from heaven , and part god and you as a mock , as the wind of a mans mouth , no wonder if you be commanded to depart from him into everlasting fire . the tenth excuse . i had ungodly persons to my parents , or masters , or landlord , or governors , who threatned to undo me , if i had addicted my self to so strict a life , and if i would not believe and do as they did . answ . what if they threatned you with present death ? did not god also threaten you with everlasting death , if you were not ruled by him ? and whose threatning should you have chiefly feared ? is man more dreadful than god ? is death more terrible then hell ? did not chirst bid you fear not them that can kill the body , and after that can do no more ; but fear him that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell sire : yea i say unto you , fear him , mat. 10. 28. luke 12. 4 , 5. and isa . 51. 7. fear ye not the reproach of men , neither be afraid of their revilings . for the moth shall eat them up like a garment , & the worm shall eat them like wool : but my righteousness shall be for ever , ard my salvation from generation to generation . seeing therefore you have chosen rather to suffer from god for ever for your sin , then to suffer small matters for well-doing for a moment , you must ever bear your own choice . christ told you before hand , that if you could not forsake all the world and your own lives for him , you could not be his disciples , match . 10. 37 , 38 , 39. and seeing you thought his terms too hard , & would needs seek you out a better service , even take what you have chosen and found . the eleventh excuse . i saw so many follow their pleasure and their worldly business , and never look after these higher things , and so few go the other way , that i thought sure god would not damn so great a part of the world , and therefore i ventured to do as the most did . answ . god will make good his word upon many or few . did you doubt of his will , or of his power ? i for his will , he hath told it you in his word . for his power he is as ab e to punish many as one man. what is all he world to him , but as a drop of a bucket , as the dust of the ballance ? he told you before hand that the gate was strait , and the way to heaven was narrow , and few did find it ; and the gate to destruction was wide , and the way was broad , and many did enter in at it . mat. 7. 13 , 14. and if you would not believe him you must bear what your unbelief hath brought you to . wha● if you had twenty children , or servants , or friends : and the greater part of them should prove false to you and seek your destruction , or prove disobedient , and turn to your enemy ? would you think it a good excuse : if the rest should do the like , because of their example ? will you therefore wrong god , because you see others wrong him ? would you spit in the face of your own father , if you saw others do so ? god warned you , that you should not follow a multitude to do evil , exod. 23. 2 , and if yet you will do as most do , you must even speed as most speed . you should not so much consider , who they be as what they do , and whither they go , and who they forsake , and what they lose , and what strength is in the reasons that move them to do this and then you would find , it is god they forsake , it is sin they choose ; it is heaven they lose , it is hell they run into ; and it is no true reason , but satans delusion , and sensual inclinations that lead them to it . and should men be imitated be they many , or be they few , in such a course as this ? the twelfth excuse . i saw so many faults in those that were accounted godly , and saw so much division among them , that i thought they were as bad as others ; and among so many opinions , i knew not what religion to be of . answ . 1. a spot is soonest seen in the fairest cloth . and the malicious world useth to make such far worse then they are . 2. but suppose all were true that malice saith of some , you could not say the like by others . 3. or if you could , yet it was gods law , and not mens faults , that was made the rule for you to live by : will it excuse you that others are bad ? 4. and from their diverse opinions , you should have taken counsel at gods word , which was right : did you first search the scripture impartially , as willing to know the truth , that you might obey it ? and did you pray daily that god would lead you into the truth ? and did you obey as much as you knew ? did you joyn with the godly so far as they are all agreed ? they are all agreed in the fundamental articles of christianity , and in all things absolutely necessary to a holy life , and to salvation : that all known sin is to be forsaken , and all known duty to be done . why did you not so far then agree with them ? alas , the imperfections of the godly , and the false accusations of the malicious world , will prove but a poor cover for your wilful ungodliness , and christ will convince you of the vanity of these excuses . the thirteenth excuse . the scriptures were so dark , that i could not understand them . and i saw the wisest men differ so much in the exposition of them , that i thought it was in vain for me to trouble my self about them . if god would have had us live according to the sriptures , he would sure have written them plainly , that men might understand them . answ . 1. it is all plainly written according to the nature of the subject : but a prejudiced , disaffected , yea or but untaught , disused soul cannot at first understand the plainest teaching . the plainest greek or hebrew gramer that can be written , will be utterly obscure to him that is but newly entred the english school : yea after many years time that he spends in learning . did you study hard , and pray for gods teaching , and enquire of others , and wait patiently in christs school , that you might come to further knowledge by degrees ? and were you willing to know even those truths that called you out to self-denyal , and that did put you on the ●ardest flesh displeasing duties ? had you done thus , you would have admired the light of the holy scripture , and now have rejoyced that ever you saw them , and not have quarrelled at its seeming darkness . this word might have made you wise to salvation , as it hath done others , act. 20. 32. 2. tim. 3. 15 , 16 , 17. this law of the lord is perfect , converting the soul ; the testimony of the lord is sure , making wise the simple ; the statutes of the lord are right , rejoycing the heart : the commandment of lord is pure , enligtning the eyes , psal . 19. 7 , 8. 2. so much as is of necessity to salvation , is as plain as you could desire . yet if you be judged by these , you will be condemned : for you did not obey that which was most plain . what darkness is in such words as these , except ye repent , ye shall all perish , luk. 13. 3. 5. love not the world , nor the things in the world : if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him , 1 john 2. 15 he that will come after me , let him deny himself , &c. matth. 16. 24. 3. if there had been nothing that seemed difficult to you , would you not have despised its simplicity , and have thought your selves wise enough at the first reading , and needed no more ? the fourteenth excuse . there were so many seeming contradictions in the scripture , and so many strange improbable things , that i could not believe it . answ . the contradictions were in your fancy , that did not understand the word which you read . must the raw unexperienced learner despise his book or teacher , a oft as in his ignorance he thinks he meets with contradictions ? did you think god was no wiser then you , and understood not himself , because you understood him not ? nor could reconcile his own words , because you could not reconcile them ? you would needs be a judge of the law , instead of obeying it , and speak evil of it rather then do it , jam. 4. 11. 2. and those things which you called improbable in the word ▪ were the wonders of god , of purpose to confirm it . if it had not been confirmed by wonders , you would have thought it unproved , and yet now it is so confirmed , you will not believe the doctrine , because the witness seems incredible . and that is , because they are matters above the power of man : as if they were therefoe above the power of god! you shall at last have your eyes so far opened , as to see those seeming contradictions reconciled , and to certainty of those things which you accounted improbable : that you may be forced to confess the folly of your arrogancy and unbelief : and then god will ●udge you in righteousness , who presumed unrighteously to judge him and his word . the fifteenth excuse . it seemed so unlikely a thing to me , that the merciful god should damn most of the world to everlasting fire , that i could not believe it . answ . 1. and did it not seem as unlikely to you , that his word should be false ? 2. should it not have seemed as unlikely that the governor of the world should be unjust , and suffer his law to be unexecuted and ●he worst to speed as well as the best ! and to suffer vile sinful dust to despise his mercy , and abuse his patience , and turn all his creatures against him , without due punishment ? 3. did you not feel pain and misery begin in this life ? 4. you saw toads and serpents which had never sinned : and you would rather live in any tolerable suffering , then to be a toad . and is it not reason , that it should go worse with contemptuous sinners , then with those creatures that never sinned ? 5. could you expect that those should come to heaven , that would not believe there was such a state , but refused it , and preferred the world before it ? and to be out of heaven is to be out of all happiness : and he that is so out of all happiness , and knows that he lost it by his own folly , must needs torment himself with such considerations , were there no other torments . and as man is capable of greater felicity then bruits , so must he needs be capable of more misery . the sixteenth excuse . the things which god promised in heaven , and threatned in hell , were all out of my sight : and therefore i could not heartily believe them . had i but once seen them , or spoke with one that had seen them , i should have been satisfied , and have contemned the things of the world . answ . will you not believe till you see or feel ? was not gods word sufficient evidence ? would you have beleived one from the dead that had told you he had seen such things ? and would you not believe stephen that saw them ? act. 7. 56. or paul that heard and saw them ? 2 cor. 12. 3 , 4. nor christ that came purposely from heaven to reveal them ? why flesh and blood cannot see them . you see not god : will you not therefore believe that there is a god ? indeed , whatever you imagine , if you would not believe moses and the prophets , christ and his apostles , neither would you have believed though one had risen from the dead . for gods word is more credible then a dead mans : and christ did rise from the dead , to attest it . blessed are they that have not seen , and yet believed . noah saw no rain when he was preparing the ark : but because he believed , he made ready and escaped , heb. 11. 7. when the world that would not believe , did perish . but seeing gods word was of no more weight with you , and no knowledge would serve your turn but by seeing and feeling ; you shall see and feel everlastingly to your sorrow . the seventeeth excuse . it was so strict a law that god would have ruled me by , and the way to heaven was so strait and difficult , that i could not endure it . i was not able to deny my flesh , and live such a life . answ . 1. you were not able , because you were not willing . ●hat was there but your own wicked hearts that should make such a life seem grievous to you ? every thing is hard and grievous to him who loaths it , and whose heart is against it . the chief thing that god called you ●o , was to love him , and make him your delight . and are love and delight such grievous things ? it was not grievous to you to love your meat , or drink , or money : it was no hard matter to you to love a friend that loved you : no nor to love your sin , which was your enemy : and what should make it seem hard to love god , but a wicked heart ? is not he better and more lovely then all these ? and had you but loved him , all the rest of his service would have seemed easie to you . to think of him , to speak of him , to pray to him , to praise him , yea to deny all and suffer for him , would have been sweet and pleasant to you , so far as you had loved him . it was not god therefore , but your own naughty hearts that made his work seem grievous to you , and the way to heaven seem hard . he told you truly , that his yoak was easie , and his burden light , and his commandments were not grievous , mat. 11. 29. 1. joh. 5 3. they that tryed them found them the very joy and delight of their souls ; and why could not you do so ? 2. but what if the way to heaven had been harder then it was ? was not heaven worth your labour ? were you afraid of being a loser by it ? could not god requite your labour or sufferings ? doth any repent when they come to heaven , that it cost them so dear to come thither ? and is not hell worse then the hardest way to heaven ? seeing you have chosen hell to save you a labour and suffering in in this life , you must have your choice . and seeing you thought not everlasting life to be worth so much as god required , that is , the accepting thankfully , and minding , and seeking , and preferring it before this life , you have none to blame for the loss of it but your selves . the eighteenth excuse . it was god that made me of a sensual nature : he gave me an appetite to meat , and drink , and ease , and lust ; he gave me that flesh which ruled me ; how then can be condemn me , for living according to the nature which he gave me ? answ . he gave that appetite to be exercised moderately under the rule of reason , for the preservation and propagation of mankind . but did he not also give you reason to govern that appetite ? and the revelation of his will to guide that reason ? he gave you your flesh , to be a servant , and not a master . your beast hath fleshly appetite without reason ; and therefore god hath put him under you who have reason that you should rule him . will you let your beast do what he list , and madly run upon whom he list , and say , you do but let him live according to his nature , which god hath given him ? why god that gave him such a nature , did intend him to be ruled by a higher nature , even by the reason which he gave to you : and so he did also by your flesh and sensual appetite . the ninteenth excuse . but i lived among so many baits , which enticed this flesh , that i could not resist them . my meat was a snare to me , my drink a snare , my cloaths , my house , my land a snare , every beauty that i saw was a snare : and the better all these were , the stronger was my snare . if god would not have had my heart ensnared and drawn from him , he should not have put so many baits in my way . yea and they were so neer to me , and daily with me , that though i was resolved to forbear them before , yet when they were brought to my hand , i could not forbear . answ . is this the thanks that god hath for his mercies ? he sent you all these as favours from his own hand : he wrote his own name upon them , that in them you might see his power , and wisdom , and goodness , and so be led up to the consideration of him , that you might fall in love with himself , who was the fountain , the life , the end of all . and do you overlook god in the creature , and live as without him in the world , and dote upon that which should have drawn you to himself , and then lay the blame on god ? if he send a suitor to speak to you in his name , and write you a love letter with his own hand , will you fall in love with the messengers or the letter , and neglect the sender , and then blame him that wrote his letter on so fair a paper , or in so neat a hand , or that sent it by such a comely messenger ? certainly , these excuses are too gross , to take with the wise and righteous god , or to seem sufficient to a well informed conscience . 2. and whereas you speak of the power of these objects , was there not much more in god , in christ , in the promised glory , to have drawn your heart another way ? why then did not these take as much with you as the other ? you could not choose , forsooth , but be enticed with such baits as were fitted to your sensual appetite , and such things as a dog , or a swine may enjoy as well as a man : but you could chosse , when christ and glory were offered you : yea you did choose to refuse the offer , and tread them under feet by your neglect ! when satan set your cups , and your ●arlots , and your profits before you , on one side ; did not god set his favour and everlasting hapiness on the other side ? and was it wise or equal dealing , to preferr your lusts before that glory ? 3. moreover it was not in the power of any of those baits to force your will , or to necessitate you to choose them . they could be but baits to entice you , and it was still in your own choice , wheth●r you would yield to the encicement , and choose them or not . shall every man be false to god that hath any bait to entice him from him ? will you excuse your child or friend , if he would be false to you , upon as great enticements as these ? if a cup-of drink , or a whore , or a little gain , could draw him more then all you love and interest , i do not think you would hold him excused . and whereas you speak of the neerness and continuance of these allurements , i would fain know , was not god as neer you , and continually neer you , to draw you to himself ? faith might have ●een him , though flesh and blood cannot . did he not stand by you when you were in your cups and lustfull pleasure ? did he not tell you of the danger , and offer you far better things , if you would obey him and despise those baits ? but you would hearken to none of this ; you should have remembred that he stood over you , and was looking on you ; and you should have said as joseph , gen. 39. 9. how can i do this great wickedness , and sin against god ? you had also scripture neer you , and reason neer you , and conscience neer you , as well as the bait was neer you . and therefore this is a vain excuse . the twentieth excuse . it was god that let loose the devil to tempt me ; and he was to subtile for me to deal with ; and therefore what wonder if i sinned and were overcome ? answ . 1. he did not let loose the devil to constrain you to sin . he could but entice , and you might choo●e whether you would yeild . the devil could nether make you sin against your will , nor yet necessitate you to be willing . 2. you were a sure friend to christ that while , that would forsake him as oft as you were tempted by the devil . is that a friend or a servant worthy to be regarded , that will disobey you ▪ or betray you as oft as he is tempted to it ? 2. will you excuse your servant , if he leave your work undone , and follow cards , or dice , or the ale-house , and say , i was tempted to it by one that was cuninger then i ? shall every murderer or theif escape hanging , because the devil was too cunning for him in his temptations ? would you have the jury or the judge to take this for a good excuse ? 4. and why did you not hearken to god that enticed you the other way ? you forget what helps he afforded you to discover the wiles of satan , and to vanquish the temptation ? he told you it was an enemy that tempted you : and would you hearken to an enemy ? he told you it was a dream , a shadow , a painted pleasure , a guilded carkass , a lying promise , and deceitful vanity by which you were tempted ; and yet would you regard it before your god ? he told you that it was your god , your saviour , your hopes , your everlasting happiness that the tempter would beguile you of : and yet would you be beguiled ? he told you , and plainly , and often told you that the tempter would lead you to eternal fire , and undo you everlastingly before you were aware : and that a fatal hook was covered with that bait : and yet would you swallow it ? 5. it is plain by all this , that it was not your natural weakness of faculties that caused you to be overcome by the subtilties of the devil , as a silly child is deceived by the crafty fellow that overwits him : but it was your carelesness , inconsiderateness , your sensual inclinations , aud vicious disposition , that drew you to a wilful obeying of the tempter , and rejecting the wholsom advice of christ . this therefore is a frivolous excuse of your sin . the one and twentieth excuse . but i hope you will not say that all men have free will● and if my will were not free , how could i choose but sin ? answ . your will was not free from gods rule and government ; nor was it free from its natural inclination to good in general ; for either of these were more properly slavery . 3. nor was it free from the influence of a dark understanding , 4. nor free from its own contradicted vitious inclination . 5. nor freed from the temptations of the flesh , the world and the devil , but it was 1. free from any natural determination to evil , or to any thing that was doubtful . 2. and free from the coaction or violence of any . 3. and free from an irresistible determination of any exterior cause , at least ordinarily . so that naturally , as men , you have the power or faculty of determining your own wils , and by your wils , of ruling your inferiour faculties in a great measure ; yea of ruling the senses and the phantasie it self , which doth so much to dispose of our understanding . and if your wils which are naturally free , are yet so habitually vitious , that they encline you to do evil , that is not an excuse , but an aggravation of your sin . but of this more under the next . the two and twentieth excuse but i have not power of myself to do any thing that is good : what can the creature do ? without christ we can do nothing . it is god that must give me ability , or i can have none : and if he had given it me , i had not been an vnbeliever or impenitent . i can no more believe of myself , than i can ful●ill the law of my self . answ . 1. these are the vain cavils of learned folly , which god wil easily answer in a word . the word [ power ] is taken in several senses . sometime , and most commonly and fitly , for a faculty or a strength by which a man can do his duty , if he will. this physickal power you have , and the worst of sinners have while they are men on earth . were they actually willing , they might acceptably perform sincere obedience ; and were they dispositively willing , they might actually believe and will. and thus the ungodly have power to believe . sometime the word [ power ] is taken for authority or leave ; for legal or civil power . and thus you have all not only power or liberty to believe but also a command which makes it your duty , and a threatning adjoyned , which will condemn you if you do not . sometime the word [ power ] is taken ethically and less properly , for a disposition ▪ inclination , habit or freedom from the contrary habit or disposition . and in this sense its true , that none but the effectually called have a power to believe . but then observe , 1. that this is but a moral less proper , and not a physical proper impotency : and therefore austin chuseth rather ●o say that all men have power to believe , but all have not a will , or faith it self ? because we use to difference power from willingness ; and willingness actuateth the power which we had before . and therefore our divines choose rather to call grace a habit when they speak exactly , then a power ; and dr. twiss derides the arminians for talking of a power subjected in a power 2. note that this impotency is but the same thing with you unwillingness and wilful blindness , in another word . 3. note that this impotency is long of your selves as to the original , and much more as to the not-curing and removing of it , hath god given you no means towards the cure of this disability , which you have neglected ? 4. note that this impotency is nnjust excuse but an aggravation of your sin . if you were willing to be the servant of christ , and yet were not able , either because he would not accept you or because of a want of natural faculties , or because of some other naural difficulty which the willingest mind could not overcome , this were some excuse : but to be habitually wilful in refusing grace , is worse then to be meerly actually unwilling . if a man have so accustomed himself to murder , drunkeness , stealing , or the like wickedness , so far that he cannot leave it , will you therefore forgive him , or will any judge or jury hold him excused ? or rather think him the more unfit for mercy ? 5. note also that the want of a supernatural habit , no nor the presence of the contrary habit , do not efficiently determine the will to particular acts : much less take away its natural fre●●om . 6. and that till habits attain an utter predominancy , ( at least ) there is a power remaining in the will to resist them , and use means against them . though eventually the perverse inclination may hinder the use of it . the three and twentieth excuse . i have heard from learned men , that god doth determine all actions , natural and free , as the first efficient physical immediate cause : or else nothing could act. and then it was not long of me that i chose forbidden objects , but of him that irresistly moved me therto , and whose instrument i was . answ . this is a trick of that wisdom which is foolishness with god , and to be deceived by vain philosophy . 1. the very principle it self is most likely to be false , and those that tell you this , to err . much more , i think , may be said against it then for it . 2. i am sure it is either false or reconcileable with gods holiness , and mans liberty and culpability ; so that its a mad thing to deceive yeur selves with such philosophical uncertain●ies , when the truth which you oppose by it is infallibly certain . that god is not the author of sin , but man himself , who is justly condemned for it , is undoubtedly true : and would you obscure so clear a truth , by searching into points beyond homane reach if not unsound , as you conclude them ? the four and twentieth excuse . but at least , those learned divines among us that doubt of this , do yet say that the will is necessarily and infallbly determined by the practical understanding , and that is as much unresistibly necessitated by objects : and therefore whatever act was done by my understanding or will , was thus necessitated , and i could not help it . the● say , liberty is but the acting of the faculty aggreeably to its nature : and it was god as creator that gave adam his faculties : and god by providential dtspose , that presented all objects to him , by which hi understanding , and so his will were unvoidable necessitated . answ . this is of the same nature with the former : uncertain , if no● certainly false . were this true , for ought we can see , it would lay all the sin and misery of this world on god , as the unresistible necessitating cause ; which because we know infallibly to be false , we have no reason to take such principles to be true which infer it . the understanding doth not by a necessary efficiency determine the will but morally ; or rather , is regularly a condition or necessary antecedent , without which it may not determine itself . yea the will by commanding the sense and phantasie , doth much to determine the understanding . as the eye is not necessary to my going , but to my going right , so is not the understandings guidance necessary to my willing ( there the simple apprehension may suffice but to my right willing . there are other wayes of determining the will or if the understanding did determine the will efficiently and necessarily , it is not every act of the understanding that must do it . if it be so , when it sai●h , this must be done , and saith it importunately ; yet not when it only saith , this may be done , or you may venture on it ; which is the common part which it hath in sin . i am not pleased that these curious objections fall in the way , nor do i delight to put them into vulgar heads ; but finding many young schollars and others that have converted with them , assaulted with these temptations , i thought meet to give a touch , and but a touch , to take them out of their way : as mr. fenner hath done more fully in the preface to his hidden manna , on this last point , to which i refer you . i only add this ; the will of man in its very dominion doth bear gods image . it is a self determining power , though it byassed by habits and needs a guide . as the heart & vital spirits by which it acteth , are to the rest of the body , so is it to the soul . the light of nature hath taught all the world to carry the guilt of every crime to the will of man , and there to leave it ; upon this all laws and judgements are grounded . from ignorance and intellectual weakness , men commonly fetch excuses for their faults ; but from the will they are aggravated . if we think it strange that mans will should be the first cause , so much as of a sinful mode , and answer all occuring objections : it may suffice that we are certain the holy majesty is not the author of sin ; and he is able to make all this as plain as the sun , and easily answer all these vain excuses though we should be unable . and if we be much ignorant of the frame and motions of our own souls , and especially of that high self determining principle , free-will , the great spring of our actions , and the curious engine by which god doth sapientially govern the world , it is no wonder ; considering that the soul can know it self but by reflection , and god gave us a soul to use , rather then to know itself ; and to know its qualities and operations , rather then its essence . the five and twentieth excuse . no man can be saved , nor avoid any sin , nor believe in christ , but those whom god hath predestinated thereto . i was under an irreversible sentence before i was born : and therefore i do nothing but what i was predestinated to do ; and if god decreed not to save me , how could i help it ? answ . 1. gods judgements are more plain , but his decrees or secret purposes are mysterious : and to darken certainties , by having recourse to points obscure , is no part of christian wisdom . god told you your duty in his word , and on what terms vou must be judged to life or death ; hither should you have recourse for direction , and not to the unsearchable mysteries of his mind . 2. god decreeth not to condemn any but for sin . sin , i say , as the cause of that condemnation , though not of his decree . 3. gods decrees are acts immanent in himself , and make no change on you , and therefore do not necessitate you to sin , any more then his fore-knowledge doth . for both cause only a necessity of confequence , which is logical , as the divines on both sides do consess . and therefore this no more caused you to sin , then if there had been no such decree . and it s a doubt whether that decree be not negative ; a willing suspending of the divine will , as to evil ; or at most a purpose to permit it . the six and twentieth excuse . if it be no more , yet doth it make my perdition unavoidable ; for even gods foreknowledge doth so ; for if he foreknow it , all the world cannot hinder it from coming to pass . answ . must god either be ignorant of what you will do , or else be the cause of it ? if you foreknow that the sun will rise to morrow , that doth not cause it to rise . if you foreknow that one man will murder another , you are not the cause of it by foreknowing it . so is it here . the seven and twentieth excuse . god might have hindred my sin and damnation if he would . answ . and will you wilfully sin , and think to scape because god doth not hinder you ? the prince that makes a law against murder , could lock you up , and keep you from being a murderer ! but are you excusable if he do not ? we are certain that god could have hindered all the sin and and death , and confusion , and misery that is in the world ▪ and we are as certain that he doth not hinder it ( but by forbidding it and giving men means against it : ) and we are certain that he is just , and good , and wise in all ; and not bound to hinder it : and what his reasons are , you may better know hereafter : in the mean time , you had been better have looked to your own duty . the eight and twentieth excuse . how could i be saved if christ d d not dye for me ? he dyed but for his elect ; and none could be saved without his death . answ . he did dye for you and for more then his elect , though he absolutely purposed only their salvation . your sins crucified him , and your debt lay upon him ; and ●e so far ransomed you ▪ that nothing bu● your wilful refusal of the benefits could have condemned you . the nine and twentieth excuse . it was adams sin that brought me into this depravedness of will , which i can neither care , nor could prevent . answ . 1. if adam cast away his holiness . he could no more convey that to us which he cast away , then a nobleman that is a traytor , can convey his lost inheritance or honours to his son . 2. you perish not only for your original sin , but for rejecting the recovering mercy of the redeemer : you might have had christ and life in him for the accepting . the thirtieth excuse . god will require no more than be gives . he gave me not grace to repent and believe ; and wihtout his gift i could not have it . answ . 1. god will justly require more then he giveth ; that is , the improvement of his gifts , as mat. 25. shews . he gave adam but a power to persevere , and not actual perseverance : yet did he justly punish him for want of the act ; even for not using by his own will the power which he had given him . 2. it is long of your self , if god did not give you grace to believe : it was because you wilfully refused some preparatory grace . christ found you at a great distance from him , and he gave you grace sufficient to have brought you neerer to him than you were ; you had grace sufficient to have made you better than you were , and restrained many sins , and brought you to the means , when you turned your back on them : though this were not sufficient to cause you to believe , it was sufficient to have brought you neerer to beleeving ; and through your own wilfulness , became not effectual : even as adam had sufficient grace to have stood , which was not effectual . so that you had not only . christ offered to you , if you would but accept him ; but you had daily and precious helps and means , to have cu●ed your wils , and caused you to accept him : for neglect of which , and so for not believing , and so for all your other sins , you ●ustly perish . the one and thirtieth excuse . alas , man is a worm , a d●y lea● , job 13. 25. a silly foolish creature : and therefore his actions be not regardble , nor deserve so great a punishment . answ . though he be a worm , and as nothing to god and foolish by sin , yet is he naturally so noble a creature , that the image of god was on him , gen. 1. 26. and 5. 1 jam. 3. 9. and the world made his servants , and angels his attendants , heb. 1. 14. so noble , that christ dyed for him , god takes special care of him ; he is capable of knowing and enjoying god ; and heaven is not thought too good for him if he will obey . and he that is capable of so great good , must be capable of as great . evil , and his wa●es not to be so overlooked by that god that hath undertaken to be his governor : when it tendeth to infidelity , the devil will teach you to debase man , even lower than god would do . the two and thirtieth excuse . sin is no being : and shall men be damned for that which is nothing ? answ . 1. it is such a mode as deformeth gods creature . it is a moral being . it is a relation of our actions and hearts to gods will and law. 2. they that say , sin is nothing , say pain and loss is nothing too . you shall therefore be paid with one nothing for another . make light of your misery , and say , it is nothing , as you did of your sin . 3. will you take this for a good excuse from your children or servants it they abuse you ? or from a theif or a murderer ? shall he escape by telling the judge that his sin was nothing ? or rathe●have death , which is nothing , as the just eward of it ? the three and thirtieth excuse . but sin is a tranfient thing . at least it doth god no harm , and therefore why sould he do us so much harm for it ? answ . 1. it hurts not god , because he is above hurt . no thanks to you , if he be out of your reach . 2. you may wrong him , when you cannot hurt him . and the wrong deserves as much as you can bear . if a traytor endeavour the death of the prince , in vain , his endeavour deserves death , though he never hurt him . you despise gods law and authority : you cause the blaspheming of his name , rom. 2 24. he calls it a pressing him as a ●art is pressed with sheaves , amos 2. 13. and a grieving of him . 3. and you wrong his image , his church , the publike good , and the souls of others . the four and thirtieth excuse . but gods nature is so good and merciful , that sure be will not damn his own creature . answ . 1. a merciful judge will hang a man for a fault against man : by proportion then what is due for sin against god ? 2. all the death and calamity which you see in the world , comes from the anger of this merciful god : why then may not future misery come from it ? 3. god knoweth his own mercy better then you do ; and he hath told you how far it shall extend . 4. he is infinitely merciful ; but it is to the heirs of mercy : not to the final rejecters of his mercy . 5. hath not god been merciful to thee in bearing with thee so long , and offering thee grace in the blood of christ , till thou didst wilfully reiect it ? thou wilt confess to thy everlasting wo that god was merciful ; had he not been so mercifull , thou wouldst not have been so miserable for rejecting it . the five and th●rtieth excuse . i would not so torment mine enemy my self . answ . no reason you should . is it all one to wrong you , and to wrong the god of heaven ? god is the only judge of his own wrongs . the six and thirtieth excuse . all men are siners ; and i was but a sinner . answ . all were not impenitent , unbelieving , rebellious sinners ; and therefore all are not unpardoned condemned sinners . all did not live after the flesh , and refuse to the last to be converted , as you did . god will teach you better to difference between sinners and sinners . the seven and thirtieth excuse . but if christ have satisfied for my sins , and dyed for me , then how can i justly suffer for the same sins ? will god punish one sin twice ? answ 1. christ suffered for man in the nature of man ; but not in your person , nor you in him . it was not you that provided the price , but god himself . christ was not mans deligate in satisfying , and therefore received not his instructions from us , nor did it on our terms , but his own . it was not the same thing which the law threatned , that christ underwent : for that was the damnation of the sinner himself , and not the suffering of another for him ; it cannot therefore be yours , but on christs own terms . he dyed for thy sin , but with this intent , that for all that , if thou refuse ●●m ▪ thou shalt dye thy self . it is therefore no wrong to thee to dye , for it was not thou that dyedst before : and christ will take it for no wrong to him ; for he will judge thee to that death . it is for refusing a christ that dyed for thee that thou must perish for ever . the eight and thirtieth excuse . but i did not refuse christ . i believed and trusted in him to the last ; and repented of my sins , though i sometime wasovertaken with them . answ . had this been true , thy sin would not have condemned thee . but there is no mocking god. he will shew thee then thy naked heart , and convince thousands that thought they believed and repented that indeed they did not . by thy works also will this be disovered , that is , by the main bent and scope of thy life , as matth. 25. throughout and jam. 2. the nine and thirtieth excuse . i did many good works ; and ● hope god will set those against my evil works . answ . thy good works were thy sins , because indeed they were not good , being not done in sincerity of heart for god. the best mans works have some infirmity , which nothing can clense but the blood of christ , which thou hast made light of , and therefore hast no part in . if all thy lise had been spent in perfect works except one day , they would not make satisfaction for the sins of that day . for they are but part of thy dut. wo to him that hath no better a saviour at judegment , then his own good works . the fortieth excuse . i lived in poverty andmisery on earth , and therefore i hope i have had my suffering here and shall not suffer in this world and another too . 1. by that rule all poor men , and murderers , and thieves that are tormented and hanged , should be saved , but as gooliness hath the promise of this life and that to come , so impen●tency and wickedness hath the threatning of this life and that to come . 2. the devils and the damned have suffered much more then you already ; and yet they are never the nearer a deliverance . when thou hast suffered ten thousand years , thy pain will be never the neerer an end . how then can a little misery on earth prevent it ? alas poor soul , these are but the foretasts and beginnings of thy sorrow . nothing but pardon through the blood of christ could have prevented thy condemnation ; and that thou rejectedst by infidelity and impenitency . his sufferings would have saved thee , if thou hadst not refused him ; but all thy own sufferings will yeild thee no relief . so much for the answering of the vain excuses which poor sinners are ready to make for them selves ; wherein i have been so large , as that this part i confess is disproportionable to the rest : but it was for these two reasons . 1. that poor careless souls might see the vanity of such defences ; and consider , if such a worm as i can easily confute them , how easily and how terribly will they be all answered by their judge ? 2. i did it the rather , that godly christians might the better understand how to deal with these vain excuses when they meet with them : which will be daily , if they deal with men in this sad condition . x. we have done with that part of the judgement which consisteth in the exploration or tryal of the cause ; we now come to that which is the conclusion and consummation of all ; and that is , to shew you what the sentence will be , and on whom . and for this , we must go strait to the word of god for our light , it being impossible for any man to have any particular knowledge of it , if christ had not there revealed it unto us . indeed almost all the world do acknowledge a life after this , where it shall go well with the good , and ill with the bad . but who shall be then accounted righteous , and who vnrighteous , and on what terms and grounds , by whom they shall be judged , and to what condition , they know not . the sentence in judgement will be , 1. either on those that never had means to know christ . 2 or on those that had . 1. for the former , as it less concerneth us to enquire of their case , so it is more obscurely revealed to us in the scripture . it is certain that they shal1 be judged according to their use of the means which they had , rom. 2. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16. and the talents which they received , mat. 25. but that it ever falleth out that he that hath but the one talent of natural helps doth improve it to salvation , or that ever they who knew not christ , are justified and saved without that knowledge ( being at age and use of reason ) i find not in the scriptures . i find indeed , that [ as many as have sinned without law , shall also perish without law : and as many as have sinned in the law , shall be judged by the law. rom. 2. 12. but not that any are justified by the works of nature , such as are here said to be without law. i find also , that [ they have the work of the law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness & their thoughts the mean while ●ccusing , or else excusing one another , in the day when god shal judge the secrets of men by jesus christ according to the gospel ] rom. 2. 15 , 16. and i believe it is a just excuse , and not an unjust which is here meant but it will be but an excuse so far as they were guiltless and that will be but in tanto , and not in toto in part only ; and so not a full ●ustifiction a heathens conscience may excuse him from those sins which he was never guilty of ; but not from all . but no more of them . 2. the case of those that have had the gospel , is more plainly opened to us in gods word , their sentence , is opened in many places of scripture , but most fully in matth 25. whence we will now collect it . there we find that jesus christ the redeemer , as king of the world , shall sit in judgement on all men at the last ; and shall seperate them one from another , as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats , and so shall pass the final sentence . this sentence is twofold , according to the different condition of them that are judged . to them on the right hand , there is a sentence of justification , and adjudication to everlasting glory ; to them on the left hand , there is a sentence of condemnation to everlasting punishment . the sentence on each of these containeth , both the state which they are judged to , and the reason or cause of the judgement to that state . for as god will not iudge any to life or death ▪ without just cause , so he will publish this cause in his sentence , as it is the manner of judges to do ; if you say , christ will not use a voice ; let it satisfie , that though we know not the manner , yet if he do it but by mental discovery ; as he shews men what shall everlastingly befall them , so he will shew them why it shall so befall them . 1. the sentence on them on the right hand , will contain , 1. their justification and adjudication to blessedness , & that both as generally denominated , and as particularly determined , and described , 2. and the cause of this iudgement . 1. in general they shall be pronounced blessed . satan would have had them cursed and miserable ; the law did curse them to misery ; many a fearful thought hath possessed their own brests , least they should prove at last accursed and miserable ; but now they hear the contrary from their iudge . all the promises in the gospel could not perfectly overcome those their fears ; all the comfortable words of the ministers of the gospel conld not perfectly subdue them ; all the tend●er mercies of god in christ d●d not perfectly subdue them ; but now they are vanquished all for ever . he that once had heard his redeemer in iudgement call him blessed , will never fear being cursed more . for he that christ blesseth , shall be blessed indeed . the description of their blessedness followeth , come inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . and also they are called blessed of the father . here is the fountain of their blessedness , the father ; and the state of their blessedness in being the fathers ; for i suppose they are called the blessed of the father , both because the father blesseth them , that is , makes them happy , and because these blessed ones are the fathers own . and so christ will publish it to the world in judgement , that he came to glorifie the father , and will proclaim him the principal efficient and ultimate end of his work of redemption and the blessedness of his saints ; and that himself is ( as mediator ) but the way to the father . it is the father that prepared the kingdom for them , and from the foundation of the world , prepared it ; both for [ them ] as chosen ones , and for them as future believers and righteous ones . it is called a kingdom partly in respect to god the king , in whose glory we shall partake in our places : and partly metaphorically from the dignity of our condition . for so it is that our selves are said to be made kings , rev. 1. 6. and 5. 1. 1 pet. 2. 9. and not that we are properly kings ; for then we must have subjects who must be governed by us . thus we see their blessedness in the fountain , end and state of dignity : as to the receptive act on their part , it is expressed by two words ; one signifying their first entrance on it , come : the other their possession , inherit : that is , possess it as given by the father , and redeemed by the son , and ho●d it in this tenure for ever . the true believer was convinced in this life , that indeed there was no true blessedness , but this enjoyment of god in the kingdom of heaven . the lord revealed this to his heart by his word and spirit : and therefore he contemned the seeming happiness on earth and laid up for himself a treasure in heaven , and made him friends with the mammon of unrighteousness , and ventured all his hope in this vessel . and now he findeth the wisdom of that choice in a rich return . god made him so wise a merchant as to sell all for this pearl of greatest price : and therefore now he shall find the gain . as there is no other true happiness , but god in glory ; so is there nothing more suitable and welcom to the true believer . o how welcome will the face of that god be , whom he loved , whom he sought , whom he longed and waited for . how welcome will that kingdom be which he lived in hope of ! which he parted with all for ! and suffered for in the flesh ! how glad will he be to see the blessed face of his redeemer , who by his manifold grace hath brought him unto this ! i leave the believing soul to think of it , and to make it the daily matter of his delightful meditation ; what an unconceivable ioy in one moment , his sentence of christ will fill his soul with . undoubtedly it is now quite past our comprehension : though our imperfect forethoughts of it may well make our lives a continual feast . were it but our iustification from the accusations of satan , who would have us condemned either as sinners in general , or as impenitent , unbeleiving rebels , against him that redeemed us , in sp cial , it would lift up the heads of the saints in that day : after al● the fears of our own hearts , and the slanderous accusations of satan and the world , that we were either impenitent infidels , or hypocrites , christ will then iustifie us and prononce us righteous . so much for the condition to which they are iudged . 2. the reason or cause of this justification of the saints , is given us both 1. in a general denomination , and 2. in a particular description . 1. in general , it is because they were righteous , as is evident , mat. 25. 46. the righteous shall go into life everlasting . and indeed it is the business of every just judge . to justifie the righteous and condemn the unrighteous . and shall not the judge of all the earth judge righteously ? gen. 18. 25 god makes men righteous , before he judges them so : and judgeth them righteous because they are so . he that abominateth that man who saith to the righteous , thou art wicked , or to the wicked thou art righteons ; who justifieth the wicked . and condemneth the righteous , will certainly never do so himself . indeed he will justifie them that are sinners , but not against the accusation that they are sinners : but against the accusation , that they are guilty of punishment for sin : but that is , because he first made them just ; and so justifiable , by by pardoning their sin , through the blood of christ . and its true also , that he will justifie those that were wicked , but not those the are wicked : but judgement findeth them ▪ as death leaveth them and he wlll not take them for wicked , that are sanctified and cleansed of their former wickedness ●o that christ will first pardon them before he justifie them against the charge of being sinners in general ; and he will first give men faith , repentance , and new obedience , before he will justifie them against the charge of being impenitent , infidels or hypocrites , and consequently unpardoned , and doubly guilty of damnation . this twofold righteousness , he will first give men , and so constitute them just , before he will declare it , and sentence them just . 2. the reason of the sentence , particularly described , is from their faith and love to christ , expressed in their obedience , self-denyal and forsaking all for him . for i was hungry and ye fed me ; i was thirsty and ye gave me drink ; i was a stranger and ye took me in ; naked and ye cloathed me : i was sick and ye visited me ; i was in prison and ye came to me : verily i say unto you , in as much as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren , ye have done it unto me mat. 25. 35. to 41. here is 1. the causal conjunction for , 2. and the cause or reason it self . concerning both which , observe , 1. how it is that mans obedience and self-denyal is the reason and cause of his justification . 2. why it is that god will have the reason or cause thus declared in the sentence . for the first ; observe that its one thing to give a reason of the sentence , and another thing to express the cause of the benefit , given us by the promise , and judged to us by the sentence . mans obedience was no proper cause why god did in this life give pardon of sin to us , or a right to glory : much less of his giving christ to dye for us . and therefore as to our constitutive justification at our conversion , we must not say or think that god doth justifie us , for , or because of any works of our obedience , legal or evangelical . but when god hath so justified us , when he comes to give a reason of his sentence in judgement , he may and will fetch that reason , partly from our obedience , or our performance of the conditions of the new covenant . for as in this life , we had a righteousness consisting in free pardon of all sin through the blood of christ , and a righteousness consisting in our personal perormance of the conditions of the promise which giveth that pardon and continueth it to us : so at judgement we shall accordingly be justified . and as our evangelical personal righteousness , commonly called inherent , was at first only in our faith and repentance , and disposition to obey : but afterward in our actual sincere obedience , in which sense we are constitutively justified or made righteous here by our works , in james his sense , jam. 2. 24. so accordingly a double reason will be assigned of our sentential justification ; one from our pardon by christs blood and merits ; which will prove our right to impunity and to ●lory . the other from our own faith and holy obedience , which will prove our right to that pardon through christ , and to the free gift of a right to glory : and so this last is to be pleaded in subordination to the former . for christ●s beeome the the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him . heb. 5. 9. he therefore that will be saved , must have a christ to save him as the author , and an obedience to that christ as the condition on of that salvation ; and consequently both must be declared in the iudgement the reason why the ludge doth mention our good works , rather then our believing , may be because those holy self-denying expessions of faith and love to christ do contain or certainly imply faith in them , as the life of the tree in the fruit : but faith doth contain our works of obedience but only as their cause . these works also are a part of the personal righteousness which is to be enquired after , that is , we shall not be iudged righteous , meerly because we have believed , but also because we have added to our faith vertue : and have improved our talents , and have loved christ to ●he hazard of all for his sake . for it is not only or principally for the goodness of the work considered in it self , or the good that is done by 〈◊〉 to the poor ; but it is as these works did express our faith and love to christ , by doing ●im the most costly and hazardous service ; hat by fath we could see christ in a poor beggar or a prisoner ; and could love christ in these better then our worldly goods or liberties ; which we must part with or hazard by the works that are here mentioned . 2. the reasons why christ will so publikely declare the personal righteousness of men , to be the reason or cause of his iustifying sentence , it is because it is the business of that day , not only to glorifie gods meer love & mercy , but eminently to glorifie his remunerative iuice ; and not only to express his love to the elect as such , but to expess his love to them as faithful and obedient , and such as have denyed all for christ , and loved god above all ; and to shew his justice to the men , and faithfulness in fulfilling all his promises , and also his holiness in the high estimation of the holiness of his people . i shall express this in the words of a learned divine ( dr twiss against m. cotton , pag 40. ) was there no more in gods intention when he elected some , then the manifestation of the riches of his glorious grace ? did not god purpose also to manifest the glory of his remunerative justice ? it is not undenyable that god will bestow salvation on all his elect ( of ripe years ) by way of reward and crown of righteousness , which god the righteous judge will given ? 2 tim. 4. 2 thes . 1. it is great pitty this is not considered , as usually it is not : especially for the momentous consequence thereof in my judgement . so far he . so much of the sentence of justification which shall be passed by christ at judgement upon the righteous . 2 we are next to consider of the sentence of ●ondemnation which shall then by christ be passed on the unrighteous . which is delivered to us by christ , mat. 25. in the same order as the former . this sentence containeth , 1. the condemnation it self . 2. the reason or cause of it . the condemnation expresseth the misery which they are judged to . 1 generally in the denomination , cursed . 2 particularly by description of their cursed state . to be cursed , is to be a people destinated and adjudged to utter unhappiness ; to all kind of misery without remedy . 2. their cursed condition is described in the next words . depart fromme in to everlasting fire , prepared for the devil and his angels . 1. depart ! from whom ? from the god th● made them in his image . from the redeem that bought them by the price of his blood , an● offered to save them freely , for all their unworthyness , and many a time intreated them to accept his offer , that their souls might live . from the holy ghost the sanctifier and comforter of the faithful , who strove with their hearts , till they quenched and expelled him . o sad departing ! who would not then choose rather to depart from all the friends he had in the world , and from any thing imaginable ; from his life , from himself , if it were possible , then from christ ? depart ! from what ? why from the presence of the judge ; from all further hopes of salvation for ever : from all possibility of ever being saved , and living in the joyful inheritance of the righteous . depart ! not from gods essential presence , for that will be with them to their evelasting misery , but from the presence of his grace , in that measure as they enjoyed it . depart ! not from your fleshly , pleasures , and honours , and profits of the world ; these were all gone and past already ; and there was no further need to bid them depart from these ; houses and lands were gone . mirth and recreations were gone . their sweet morsels and cups were gone . all the honour that men could give them was gone , before they were set at christs barr to be iudged . but from all expectations of ever enjoying these again , or ever tasting their former delights ; from these they must depart : no from their sin , for that will go with them . but the liberty of commiting that part of it which was sweet to them , as gluttony , drunkenness , whoredom , idleness , and all voluptuousness ; from these they must depart . but this is consequential ; it is christ and the possibility of salivation , that they are sentenced to depart from . but whither must they depart ? 1. into fire . 2. into that fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels . 3. into everlasting fire . 1. not into a purifying , but a tormenting fire . whether elementary or not ; whether properly or metaphorically called fire , let us not vainly trouble or selves to enquire . it is enough to know , that as fire is one of the most grievous tormentors of the flesh , so grievous will be those infernal torments to the whole man , soul and body ; such as is most fitly represented to us under the notion of fire , and of burning . it s easie for a secure unbelieving soul to read and hear of it ! but woe , and ten thousand woes to them that must endure it . in this life they had their good things , when it went harder as to the flesh with better men ; but now they are tormented , when the godly are comforted , as luke 16. 25. 2. but why is it called a fire prerared for the devil and his angels ? 1. what is this divel that hath angels ? 2. who are his angels ? 3. when was it prepared for them ? 4. was it not also prepared for wicked men ? to these in order . 1. it seems by many passages in scripture , that there is an order among spirits , both good and bad ; and that there is one devil that is the prince over the rest . 2. it seem therefore that it 's the rest of the evil spirits , that are called his angels . and some think that the wicked who served him in this life , shall be numbered with his angels in the life to come . indeed the apostle calls him the god of this world , 2 cor 4. 4. as is ordinarily iudged by expositors ; and the prince of the power of the aire , the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience , eph. 2. 2. and he calleth false seducing teachers the ministers of satan . 2 cor. ●1 . 15 but that wicked men are here meant as part of his angels , is not clear . 3. if it be the preparation of gods purpose that is here meant , then it was from eternity ; but if it be any commination of god as ruler of the angels , then was this fire prepared for them conditionally , from the beginning of that commination , and was due to them at their fall 4. it seems that the reason why here is no mention of preparing hell-fire for the wicked , but only for the devils , is not be cause indeed it was not prepared also for the wicked ; but to note , that it is the torment which was first prepared for , or assigned to the devils , thereby shewing the greatness of the misery of the wicked , that the devil and his angels must be their companions . though some think , as is said before , that the reason why wicked men are not mentioned here , is because they are part of the angels of the devil , and so included . and some think it is purposely to manifest gods general love to mankind , that prepared not hell for them , but they cast themselves into the hell prepared for the devils . but the first seems to be the true sense . and how apparently righteous are the judgements of the lord ! that those men who would here entertain the devil into their hearts and daily familiarity , should be then entertained by him into his place of torments , and there remain for ever in his society ! though few entertained him into visible familiarity with their bodies as witches do , who so make him their familiar ; yet all wicked men do entettain him into more full &c ●nstant familiarity ▪ with their so uls then these withces do with their bodies . how famliariar is he in their thoughts , to fill them with vanity , lust , or revenge ! how familiar is he in their hearts to fill them with covetousness , malice , pride , or the like evils ? and to banish all thoughts of returning to god , and to quench every motion that tendeth to their recovery ? how familiar is he with them , even when they seem to be worshipping god in the publike assembles ; stealing the word out of their hearts , filling them with vain and wandring thoughts , blinding their minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them , and filling them with a proud rebellion against the direction of their teachers , and an obstinate refusal to be ruled by them , be the matter never so necessary to their own salvation ? how familiar are these evil spirits in their houses , filling them with ignorance , worldliness , and ungodliness , and turning out gods service , so that they do not pray together once in a day , or perhaps at all ? how familiarly doth satan use their tongues , in cursing , swearing , lying ribaldry , backbiting , or slandring ? and is it not just with god to make these fiends their familiars in torment , with whom they entertained such familiarity in sin ? as christ with all the blessed angels and saints will make but one kingdom or family , and shall live altogether in perpetual delights ; so the devil and all his hellish angels and wicked men shall make but one house-hold , and shall live altogether in perpetual misery . o poor sinners i you are not troubled now at his presence , and power in your hearts ; but will you not then be troubled at his presence , and tormenting power ? as● long as you do not see him , let him do what he will with you , it grieves you little or nothing at all ; but what will you say whe● you must see him and abide with him for ever ? oh sirs his nam● is easily heard , but his company will be terrible to the stoutest heart alive . he sheweth you a smiling face when he tempteth you , but he hath a grimmer face to shew you , when temptations have conquered you and torments must succeed ! as those that write of witches , say , he appeareth at first to them in some comely tempting shape , till he have them fast tyed to him ; and then he beats them , and affrights them , and seldom appears to them but in some ugly hew . believe it , poor sinners , you do not hear or see the worst of him , when you are merry about your sinful pleasuers , and rejoycing in your hopes of the commodities or preferments of the world ; he hath another kind of voice which you must hear , & another face to shew you , that will make you know a a little better , whom you had to do with ! you would be afraid now to meet him in the dark ; what will you be to live with him in everlasting darkness ? then you will know who it was that you entertained and obeyed , and plaid with in your sins . 3. and as the text tells us , that it is a fire prepared for the devil and his angles : so it telleth us , that it is an everlasting fire . it had a beginning ▪ but it shall have no end . if these wretches would have chosen the service of god , they would have met with no difficulty or trouble , but what would have had a speedy end . poverty and injuries would have had an end : scorns and abuses would have had an end : fasting , humiliation sorrow for sin , watching , and fighting against our spiritual enemies , would all have had an end . but to avoid these , they chose that ease , that pleasure , which hath brought them to that torment which never will have end . i have said so much of these thing already in my book called the saints rest , that i will now say but this much . it is one of the wonders of the world , how men that do believe , or think they do believe this word of christ to be true , that the wicked shall go into everlastin fire , can yet venture on sin so boldly , and live in it so fearlesly , or sleep quietly till they are out of this unspeakable danger ! only the commonness of it , and the known wickedness of mans heart , doth make this less wonderful . and were there nothing else to convince us that sinners are mad and dead as to spiritual things , this were enough ; that ever the greatest pleasures or profits of the world , or the most enticing baits that the devil can offer them , should once prevail with them to forget these endless things , and draw them to reject an everlasting glory , and cast themselves desperately into everlasting fire ; yea and all this under daily warnings and instructions ; and when it s told them before hand by the god of truth himself ! for the lords sake , sirs , and for your souls sakes if you care not what ministers say or what such as i say , yet will you soberly read now and then this 25. chapter of matthew , and regard what is told you by him that must be your iudge ! and now and then bethink your selves soberly , whether these are matters for wise men to make light of ? and what it is to be everlastingly in heaven or in hell fire . 2. we have seen what is the penalty contained in the sentence against the ungodly ; the next thing that the text directs us to , is the cause or reason of the sentence , vers . 42. for i was hungry , and ye gave me no meat , &c. then reason is not given expresly either of their sin against the law of works , that is , because they were sinners , and not perfectly innocent ; nor yet from their unbelief , which is the great sin against the law of grace : but it is given from their not expressing their faith and love to christ is works of mercy and self-denyal . and why is this so ? 1. we must not suppose that these words of christ do express the whole judicial process in every point ; but the cheif parts . it is supposed that all men are convicted of being sinners against the perfect law of the creator , and that they are guilty of death for that sin : and that there is no way but by christ to obtain deliverance . but because all this must be acknowledged by the righteous themselves , as well as by the wicked , therefore christ doth not mention this , but that only wchich is the turning point or cuase in the judgement . for it is not all sinners that shall be finally condemned but all impenitent , unbeleiving sinners , who have rebelled finally against their redeemer . 2. and the reason why faith it self is not expressed is , 1. because it is clearly implyed , and so is love to christ as redeemer : in that they should have relieved christ himself in his members : that is , as it s expressed , matth. 10. 42. they should have received a prophet in the name of prophet ; and a disciple in the name of a disciple ; all should be done for christs sake ; which could not be , unless they believed in him , and loved him . 2. also because that the bare act of believing is not all that christ requireth to a mans final juitification and salvation ; but holy self denying obedience must be added . and therefore this is given as the reason of their condemnation that they did not so obey . we must observe also , that christ here putteth the special for the general ; that is , one way of self-denying obedience , and expression of love , instead of such obedience in general ! for al men have not ability to relieve those in misery , being perhaps some of them poor themselves . but all have that love and self-denyal , which will some way express it self . and all have hearts and a disposition to do thus , if they had ability ; without such a difposition , none can be saved . it is the fond conceit of some , that if they have any love to the godly , or wish them well , it is enough to prove them happy . but christ here purposely lets us know , that whoever doth not love him at so high a rate , as that he can part with his substance or any thing in the world , to those uses which he shall require them , even to relieve his servants in want and sufferings for the masters sake , that man is none of christs disciple , nor will be owned by him at the last . xi . the next point that we come to , is to shew you the properties of this sentence at judgement . when man had broken the law of his creator at the first , he was lyable to the sentence of death , and god presently sate in judgement on him , and sentenced him to some part of the punishment which he had deserved ; but upon the interposition of the son , he before the rest , resolving on a way that might tend to his recovery ; and death is due yet to every sinner for every sin which he commits , till a pardon do acquit him . but this sentence which will pass on sinners at the last judgement doth much differ from that which was passed on the first sin , or which is due according to the law of works alone ; for , 1. as to the penalty , called the pain of loss , the first judgement did deprive man of the favour of his creator ; but the second will deprive him of the favour both of the creator and redeemer ; the first iudgement deprived him of the benefits of innocency : the second deprives him of the benefits of redemption ; the loss of his hopes & possibility of a pardon , of the spirit , of instification & adoption , and of the benefits w th conditionally were promised and offered him ; these are the punishments of the last iudgement , which the law of works did never threaten to the first man , or to any , as it stood alone . also the loss of glory as recovered , is the proper penalty of the violated law of grace : which is more then the first loss . as if a man should lose his purse the second time , when another hath once found it for him ; or rather as if a traytor redeemed by another , and having his life and honours offered him ▪ if he will thankfully accept it and come in , should by his refusal and obstinacy , lose this recovered life , which is offered him ; which is an addition to his former penalty . besides that the higher degree of glory will be lost , which christ would bestow on him , more then was lost at first . the very work of the saints in heaven , will be to praise and glorifie him that redeemed them ; and the father in him ▪ which would not have been the work of man , if he had been innocent . 2. as to the pain of sence , the last ludgement by the redeemer will sentence them to a far sorer punishment then would have befaln them , if no saviour had been offered them , heb. 10. 29. the conscience of adam if he had not been redeemed , would never have tormented him for rejecting a redeemer , nor for refusing or abusing his gracious offers , and his mercies ; nor for the forfeiting of a recovered happiness ; nor for refusing the easie terms of the gospel , which would have given him christ and salvation for the accepting ; nor for neglecting , any means that tended to recovery : no nor for refusing repentance unto life , nor for disobeying a redeemer that bought him by his blood . as all these are the penalties of the redeemers law and judgement , so is it a sorer penalty then conscience would have inflicted meerly for not being perfectly innocent ; and they will be far soarer gripings & gnawings of the never-dying worm for the abuse of these talents , than if we had been never trusted with any after our first forfeiture . yea and god himself will accordingly proportion his punishments . so that you see that privatively and positively , or as to their loss and their feeling , the redemer will pass on them a heavyer doom then the creator did , or would have done according to the first law to perfect man. 3. another property of the judgement of christ , is , that it will be final , peremptory , and excluding all further hopes or possibilities of a remedy . so was not the first judgement of the creator upon faln man. though the law of pure nature knew no remedy , nor gave man any hope of a redeemer ; yet did it no● exclude a remedy , nor put in any barr against one ; but god was free to recover his creature if he pleased . but in the law of grace he hath resolved , that there shall be no more sacrifice for sin , but a fearful looking for of judgement and fire which shall devour the adversarie , heb. 10. 26. 27. and that the fire shall be everlasting , the worm shall not dye , and the fire shall not be quenched , mat. 25 ult . mat. 13. 42 , 50. john 5. 27. mat. 5. 26. mat. 3. 12. and luke 3. 17. mark 9. 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 48. he that now breaketh that pure law that requireth perfect innocency ( as we have all done ) may fly to the promise of grace in christ , and appeal to the law of liberty , or deliverance , to be judged by ●that . but he that falls under penal●y of that the law whichshould have saved him , u● all final unbelievers and impenitent , ungodly persons do , hath no other to appeal to . christ would have been a sanctuary and refuge to thee from the law of works , hadst thou but come in to him : but who shall be a refuge to thee from the wrath of christ ? the gospel would have freed thee from the curse of the law of works , if thou hadst but believed and obeyed it : but what shall free thee from the condemnation of the gospel ? had there no accusation lain against thee , but that thou wast in general a sinner , that is , that thou wast not perfectly innocen● , christ would have answered that charge by his blood . but seeing thou art also guilty of those special sins which he never shed his blood for , who shall deliver thee from that accusation ? when christ gave himself a ransom for sinners , it was with this resolution both in the father and himself , that none should ever be pardoned , justified or saved by that ransom , that did not in the time of this life , sincerely return to god by faith in the redeemer , and live in sincere obedience to him , and persevering herein . so that he plainly excepted ▪ final infidelity , impenitency and rebellion from pardon : he never dyed for the final nonperformance of the conditions of the new covenant . so that his judgement for these will be peremptory and remediless . i● you say , why cannot god find out a remedy for this sin , as well as he did for the fi●st ? i say , god cannot lye , tit. 1. 2. he must be true and faithfull , as necessarily as he must be god , because of the absolute perfection of his nature ; and he hath said and resolved , that there shall be no more remedy . many other properties of gods iudgement general there are , as that righteeousness , impartiality , inflexibility , and ●he like , which because i would not make my discourse too long . i will pass over , contenting my self with the mention of these which are proper to the iudgment of the redeemer , according to his own laws in special . xii . the twelfth and last thing which i promised to unfold , is , the execution of this judgement . here ● should shew you both the certainty of the execution , and by whom it will be , and how ; but having done all this already in the third part of the foresaid book of rest , i shall now only give this brief touch of it . no sooner is the dreadful sentence past , go ye cursed into everlasting fire , but away they must be gone : there is no delay ; much less any reprieve to be expected : and yet much less is there any hope of an escape . if the judge once say , take him jaylor ; and if christ say , take him devils , you that ruled and deceived him , now torment him , all the world cannot rescue one such soul . it will be in vain to look about for help ! alas , there is none but christ can help you ; and he will not , because you refused his help : nay , we may say , he cannot ; not for want of power ; but because he is true and just , and therefore will make good that word which you believed not . it is in vain then to cry to hils to fall on you , and the mountains to cover you from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne . it will be in vain now to repent , and wish you had not sleighted your salvation , nor sold it for a little pleasure to your flesh it will be then in vain to cry lord , lord , open to us ; o spare us ; o pitty us ; o do not cast us into these hideous flames ! do not turn us among devils ! do not torment thy redeemed ones in this fire ! all this will be then too ●ate . poor sinner , whoever thou art that readest or hearest these lines , i beseech thee in compassion to thy soul , consider , how fearful the case of that man will be , that is newly doomed to the everlasting fire , and is haled to the execution without remedy ! and what mad men are those that now do no more to prevent such a misery , when they might do it on such eas●● terms , and now have so fair an opportunity in their hands ? the time was when repentance might have done thee good : but then all thy repentings be in vain . now while the day of thy visitation lasteth , hadst thou but a heart to pray and cry for mercy , in faith and fervency through christ , thou mightest be heard . but then praying and crying will do no good ! shouldst thou roar out in the extremity of thy horror and amazement , and beseeth the lord iesus but to forgive give thee one sin , or to send thee on earth once more , and to t●y thee once again in the flesh , whether thou ●ouldst not love him , and lead a holy life , it would be all in vain . shouldst thou beese●ch him by all the mercifulness of his nature , by all his sufferings and bloody death , by all the mercifull promises of his gospel , it would be all in vain . nay , shouldst thou beg but one daye● reprieval , or to stay one hour before thou were cast into those flames , it would not be heard ; it would do thee no good . how earnestly did a deceased gentleman , luke . 16. 24. beg of abraham for one drop of water from the tip of lazarus's finger to cool his tongue , because he was tormented in the flame ! and what the better was he ? he was sent to remember , that he had his good things in this life ; and that remembrance would torment him more . and do not wonder or think much at this , that christ will not then be intreated by the ungodly . you shall then have a remember too , from christ or conscience . he may soon stop thy mouth , and leave thee speechless , and say , remember man , that i did one day send thee a message of peace , and thou wouldst not hear it . i once did stoop to beseech thee to return , and thou wouldst not hear . i besought thee by the tender mercies of god ; i besought thee by all the love that i had shewed these ; by my holy life ; by my cursed death ; by the riches of my grace : by the offers of my glory ; and i could not get● thee to forsake the world , to deny thy flesh , to leave one beloved sin for all this ! i besought thee over and over again ! i sent many a minister to thee in my name ; i waighted on thee many a day , and year and all would not do ; thou wouldst not consider , return and live : and now it is too late ; my sentence is past , and cannot be recalled : away from me thou worker of iniquity , mat. 7. 22 , 23. ah sirs , what a case then is the poor desperate sinner left in ! how can i write this , or how can you that read or hear it , without trembling once think of the condition that such forlorn wretches will be in ! when they look above them , and see the god that hath forsaken them , because they forlook him first , when they look about them , and see the saints on one hand whom they despised , now sentenced unto glory ; and the wicked on the other hand whom they accompanied and imitated , now judged with them to everlasting misery ; when they look below them , and see the flames that they must abide in , even for evermore ; and when the devils begin to hale them to the execution ; oh poor souls ! now what would they give for a christ , for a promise , for a time of repentance , for a sermon of mercy , which once they slept under , or made no account of ! how is the ease altered now with them ! who would think that these are the same men , that made light of all this on earth , that so stoutly scorned the reproofs of the word , that would be wo●ldly , and fleshly , and drunk , and proud , let preachers iay what they would ; and perhaps hated those that did give them warning . now they are of another minde ; but all too late . oh were there any place for resistance , how would they draw back , and lay hold of any thing , before they would be dragged away ínto those flames ! but there is no resisting ; satans temptations might have been resisted but his executions cannot ; gods judgements might have been prevented by faith and prayer , repentance and a holy life ; but they cannot be resisted when they are not prevented . glad would the miserable sinner be , if he might but turn to nothing , and cease to be ; or that he might be any thing rather than a reasonable creature : but these wishes are all in vain . there is one time , and one way of a sinners deliverance ; if he fail in that one , be perisheth for ever ; all the world cannot help him after that . 2 cor. 6. 2. i have heard thee in a time accepted : and in the day of salvation have i succored thee : behold now is the accepted time : behold now is the day of salvation . now he saith , rev. 3. 20. behold , i stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear my voice and open the door , i will come in to him , and will sup with him , 〈◊〉 he with me . but for the time to come hereafter , hear what he saith , prov. 1 , 24 , 25 , 26. because i have called , and ye refused , i have stretched out my hand , and no man regarded but ye have set at no●ght all my counsels , and would no●e of my reproof : i also will laugh at your calamity ; i will mock when your fear cometh : when your fear cometh as desolation , and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind : when distresse and anguish cometh upon you : then shall they call upon ●e , but i will not answer : they shall seek me early , but they shall not find me , for that they hated knowledg , and did not choose the fear of the lord ; they would none of my counsels : they despised all my reproof : therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way , and be filled with their own devices ; for the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them ; but who so harkneth to me , shall dwel safely , and shall be quiet from fear of evil . i have recited all these words that you may see and consider , whether i have spoke any other thing than god himself hath plainly told you of . having said this much of the certainty of the execution , i should next have spoke somewhat of the manner and the instruments , and have shewed how god will be for ever the principal cause , and satan and 〈◊〉 own conseiences the instruments , in part ; and in what manner conscience will do its part , and how impossible it will be to quiet or resist it . but having spoke so much of all this already elsewhere , as is said before , i will forbear here to repeat it , leaving the reader that desireth it , there to peruse it . the vses . vse 1. beloved hearers , it was not to fill your fancies with news that god sent me hither this day ; not to tell you of matters that nothing concern you ; nor by some terrible words to bring you to an hours amazement and no more ; but it is to tell you of things that your eyes shall see , and to foretell you of your danger while it may be prevented ; that your precious souls may be saved at the last , and you may stand before god with comfor at ●thas day ; but because this will not be every mans case● , no nor the case of most , i must in the name of christ desire you to make this day an enquiry into your own souls , and as in the presence of god let your hearts make answer to these few questions which i shall propound and debate with you . qu. 1. do you soundly believe this doctrine which i have preached to you ? what say you sirs ? do you verily believe it as a most certain truth , that you and i , and all the world must stand at gods barr and be judged to everlasting joy or torment ? i hope you do all in some sort believe this : but blame me not if i be jealous whether you soundly believe it , while , we see in the world so little of the effect of such a belief . i confess i am forced to think that there is more infidelity then faith among us , when i see mo●● ungodlyness then godlyness among us . and i can hardly believe that man that will say or swear that he believeth these things , and yet liveth as carelesly and carnally as an infidel . i know that no man can love to be damned ; yea i know that every man that hath a reasonable soul , hath naturally some love to him self , and a fear of a danger which he verily apprehendeth ; he therefore that liveth without all fear , i must think liveth without all apprehension of his danger . custom hath taught men to hold these things as the opinion of the country ; but if men soundly believed them , surely we should see stranger effects of such a faith , then in the most we do see . doth the sleepy soul that liveth in security , and followeth this world as eagerly as if he had no greater matters to mind ; that never once trembled at the thoughts of this great day , nor once asked his own soul in good sadnes● , my soul , how dost thou think then to escape ? i say , doth this man believe that he is going to this judgement ? well , sirs , whether you beleve it or not , you will find it true ; and believe it you must before you can be safe . for if you do not believe it , you will never make ready . let me therefore perswade you in the fear of god to consider , that it is a matter of undoubted truth . 1. consider that it is the express word of the god of truth ; revealed in srip●ure as plainly as you can desire . so that yon cannot be unbelieving without denying gods word , or giving him the lye , mat 13 , 38 , 39. 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 49 , 50. mat. 25. throughout , rom. 2. 5. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 16. and 1. 32. john. 5. 28 , 29. the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice , and shall come forth : they that have done good , unto the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation , heb. 9. 27. it is appointed to all men once to dye , and after this , the judgement . rom. 14. 9. l2 . so then every one of us shall give account of himself to god , rev. 20. 12. and i saw the dead , smal and great stand before god : and the books were opened and another book was opened , which is the book of life ; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the book● , according to their works . mat. 12. 36. 37. but i say unto you , that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof at the day of judgement : for by thy words thou shalt be justified , and by thy words thou shalt be condemned . many more most express texts of scripture do put the truth of this iudgement out of all question to all that believe the scripture , and will understand it . there is no place left for a controversie in the point : it is made as ●ure to us as the word of the living god can make it ; and he that will question that , what will he believe ? what say you sirs ! dare you doubt of this which the god of heaven hath so positively affirmed ? i hope you dare not . 2. consider , it is a master part of your faith , if you are christians , and a fundamental article of your creed , that christ shall come again to iudge the quick and the dead . so that you must believe it , or renounce your christianity , and then you renounce christ and all the hopes of mercy that you have in him . it s impossible that you should soundly believe in christ , and not believe his iudgement and life everlasting ; because as he came to bring life and immortality to light in the gospel , 2 tim. 1. 10. so it was the end of his incarnation , death and resurrection , to bring you thither ; and its part of his honour and office which he purchased with his blood , to be the lord and iudge of all the world , rom. 14. 9. joh. 5. 22. if therefore you believe not heartily this iudgement ; deal plainly and openly , and say you are infidels , and cast away the hypocritical vizor of christianity , and let us know you , and take you as you are . 3. consider that it is a truth that is known by the very light of nature , that there shall be a happiness for the righteous , and a misery for the wicked after this life : which is evident . 1. in that we have undenyable natural reason for it . 1. god is the righteous governor of the world , and therefore must make a difference among his subjects , according to the nature of their wa●es ; which we see is not done here , where the wicked prosper , and the good are afflicted ; therefore it must be heareafter . 2. we see there is a necessity that god should make promises and threatnings of everlasting hapiness or misery , for the right governing hf● the world ; for we certainly perceive that no lower things will keep men from destroying all humane society , and living worse then bruit beasts ; and if there be a necessity of king such threats and promises , then there is certainly a necessity of fullfilling them . for god needeth no lye or means of deceiving , to rule the world . 2. and as we see it by reason , so by certain experience , that this is descernable by the light of nature , for all the world , or almost all , do believe it . even those nations where the gospel never came , and have nothing but what they have by nature : even the most barbarous indian● acknowledge some life after this : and a difference of men according as they are here : therefore you must believe thus much , or renounce your common reason and humanity ▪ as well as your christianity . let me therefore perswade you all in the fear of god to confirm your souls in the belief of this , as if you had heard christ or an angel from heaven say to you , oh man thou art hasting to judgement . qu. 2. my next question is , whether you do ever soberly consider of this great day ? sirs , do you use when you are alone to think with your selves , how certain and how dreadful it will be ? how fast it is coming on ? and what you shall do ? and what answer you mean to make at that day ? ●are your minds taken up with these considerations ? tell me , is it so , or not ? alas sirs ! is this a matter to be forgotten ? is not that man even worse then mad , that is going to gods iudgement and never thinks of it ? when if they were to be tryed for their lives at the next assize , they would think of it , and think again , and cast 100 times which way to escape . methinks you should rather forget to go to bed at night , or to eat your meat , or do your work , then forget so great a matter as this . truly , i have often in my serious thoughts been ready to wonder that men can think of almost any thing else , when they have so great a thing to think of . what! forget that which you must remember for ever ! forget that which should force remembrance , yea and doth force it with some , whether they will or not ! a poor despairing soul cannot forg●t it : he thinks which way ever he goes he is ready to be judged . oh therefore beloved , fix these thoughts as deep in your hearts as thoughts can go . oh be like that holy man , that thought which way ever he went , he heard the trumpet sound , and the voice of the angel calling to the world , arise ye dead , and come to judgement . you have warning of it from god and man , to cause you to remember it ; do not then forget it . it will be a cold excuse another day , lord , i forgate this day , or else i might have been ready : you dare not sure trust to sech excuses . qu. 3. my next question to you , is , how are you affected with the consideration of this day ? barely to think of it will not serve : to think of such a day as this with a dull and sensless heart , is a sign of fearful stupidity . did the knees of king belshazzar knock together with trembling , when he saw the hand-writing on the wall ? dan. 5. 6. how then should thy heart be affected that seeth the hand-writing of god as a summons to his barr ? when i began to preach of these things long ago , i consess the matters seemed to me so terrible , that i was afraid that people would have run out of their wi●s with fear ; but a little experience shewed me , that many are like a dog that is bred up in a forge or furnace , that being used to it , can sleep though the hammers are beating , and the fire and hot iron flaming about him , when another that had never seen it , would be amazed at the sight . when men have heard us 7 years together ; yea 20 years , to talk of a day of judgement , and they see it not , nor feel any hurt , they think it is but talk , and begin to make nothing of it . this is their thanks to god for his patience : because his sentence is not executed speedily , therefore their hearts are set in them to do evil , eccl. 8. 11. as if god were slack of his promise , as some men account slickness , 2 pet 3. 9. when one day with him is as a 1000. years , and a 1000. years as one day . what if we tell you 20 years together that you must dye , will you not believe us , because you have lived so long and seen no death comming ? three or four things there be that should bring any matter to the heart . 1. if it be a matter of exceeding weight . 2. if it concern not others only , but our selves . 3. if it be certain . 4. if neer . all these things are here to be found , and therefore how should your hearts be moved at the consideration of this great day ! 1. what matter can be mentioned with the tongue of man of greater moment ? for the poor creature to stand before his maker and redeemer , to be judged to everlasting joy or torment ? alas ! all the matters of this world are playes , and toyes , and dreams to this ; matters of profit or disprofit are nothing to it ; matters of credit or discredit are unworthy to be named with it ; matters of temporal life or death are nothing to it . we see the poor brui● beasts go every day to the slaughter , and we make no great matre● of it , though their life be as deer to them as ours to us . to be judged to an everlasting death or torment ; this is the great danger , that one would think should shake the stou●est heart to consider it , and awake the dullest sinner to prevent it . 2. it s a matter that concerneth every one of your selves , and every man or woman that ever lived upon the earth , or ever shall do ; i am not speaking to you of the affairs of some far countrey , that are nothing to you but only to marvail at ; which you never saw , nor ever shall do ; no ; it is thy own self man or woman that hearest me this day , that shalt as surely appear before the judgement-seat of christ , as the lord liveth , and as he is true and faithful ; and that is as sure as thou livest on this earth , or as the heaven is over thee . that man that heareth all this with the most careless blockish heart , shall be awakened and stand with the rest at that day ; that man that never thought of it , but spent his time in worldly matters , shall leave all and there appear ; that man that will not believe these things to be true , but make a jest of them , shall see and feel what he would not believe , a●d he al●o shall be there ; the godly that waited in hope for that day , as the day of their ●ull d●l●verance & coronation ●hey shall be there . those that have lain in the dust these 5000. years , shall rise again , and all stand there . hearer , whoever thou art , believe it , thou maist better think to live without meat ▪ to see without light , to escape death , and abide for ever on earth , then to keep away from that appearance . willing or unwilling , thou shalt be there . and should not a matter then that so concerneth thy self , go neer to thy heart , and awake thee from thy security ? 3. that it is a matter of unquestionable certainty , i have partly shewed you already , and more would do if i were preaching to known infidels . if the careless world had any just reason to think it were uncertain , their carelesness were more excusable . methinks a man should be affected with that which he is certain shall come to pass , in a manner as if it were now in doing . ● thes . 5. 2. ye perfectly know that the day of the lord so cometh , &c. saith the apostle . 4. this day is not only certain , but it is ne●r ; and therefore should affect you the more . i confess , if it were never so far off , yet seeing it will come at last , it should be carefully regarded : but when the judge is at the door , jam. 5. 9. and we are almost at the barr , and it is so short a time to this assize , what soul that is not dead will be secure ? alas . sirs ! what is a little time when it is gone ? how quickly shall you and i be all in another world , and our souls recieve their particular judgement , and so wait till the body be raised and judged to same condition ? it is not a 100. years in all likelyhood , till every soul of us shall be in heaven or hell : and its like , not half or a quarter of that time , but it will be so with the greater part of us : and what is a year or two , or a 100 ? how speedily is it come ? how many a soul that is now in heaven or hell , within a 1000 years dwelt in the places that you now dwel in , and sate in the seats you now sit in ? and now their time is past , what is it ? alas ; how quickly will it be so with us ? you know not when you go to bed , but you may be judged by the next morning : or when you rise , but you may be judged before night : but certainly you know that shortly it will be ; and should not this then be laid to heart ? yea the general judgement wil lt no be long : for certainly we live in the end of world . qu. 4. my next question is , whether are you ready for this dreadful judgement when it comes , or not ? seeing it is your selves then must be tried , i think it concerns you to see that you be prepared . how often hath christ warned us in the gospel , that we be alwaies ready ; because we know not the day or hour of his coming ? mat. 24. 44. 42. and 25. 13. 1 thes . 5. 6. and told us how sad a time it will be to those that are unready ? mat. 25. 11 , 12. did men but well know what a meeting and greeting there will be between christ and an unready soul , it would sure startle them , and make them look about them . what say you beloved hearers , are you ready for judgement , or are you not ! me thinks a man that knoweth he shall be judged , should ask himself the question every day of his life ; am i ready to give up my account to god! do not you use to ask this of your own hearts ? unless you be careless whether you be saved or damned , me thinks you should , and ask it seriously . qu. but who be they that are ready ? how shall i know whether i be ready or not ? answ . there is a twofold readiness . 1. when you are in a safe case . 2. when you are in a comfortable case , in regard of that day . the latter is very desirable , but the first is of absolute necessity : this therefore is it that you must principally enquire after . in general , all those , and only those are ready for judgement , who shall be justified and saved , and not condemned when judgement comes ; they that have a good cause in a gospel sense . it may be known before hand who these are ; for christ judgeth , as i told you , by his law. and therefore find out whom it is that the law of grace doth justifie or condemn , and you may certainly know whom the judge will justifie or condemn ; for he judgeth righteously . if you further ask me who these are ; remember that i told you before that every man that is personally righteous by fulfilling the conditions of salvation in the gospel , shall be saved ; and he that is found unrighteous , as having not fulfilled them , shall perish at that day , qu. who are those ? answ . i will tell you them in a few words , lest you should forget , because it it a matter that your salvation or damnation dependeth upon . 1. the soul that unfeignedly repenteth of his former sinful course , and turneth from it in heart and life , and loveth the way of godliness which he hate● , and hateth the way of sin which he loved , and is become thoroughly a new creature , being born again and sanctified by the spirit of christ , shall be justified : but all others shall certainly be condemned . good news to repenting converted sinners : but sad to impenitent , and him that knows not what this means . 2. that soul that feeling his misery under sin and the power of satan , and the wrath of god , doth believe what christ hath done and suffered for mans restauration & salvation , and thankfully accepteth him as his only saviour and lord , on the terms that he is offered in the gospel , and to those ends , even to justifie him , and sanctifie and guide him , and bring him at last to everlasting glory ; that soul shall be justified at judgement : and he that doth not , shall be condemned . or in short , in scripture phrase , he that believeth shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be condemned , mar. 16. 16. 3. the soul that hath had so much knowledge of the goodness of god , and his love to man in creation , redemption , and the following mercies , and hath had so much conviction of the vanity of all creatures , as thereupon to love god more then all things below , so that he hath the cheifest room in the heart , and is preferred before all creatures ordinarily in a time of tryal : that soul shall be justified at judgement and all others shall be condemned . 4. that soul that is so apprehensive of the absolute soveraignty of god as creator and redeemer , and of the righteousness of his law , and the goodness of his holy way , as that he is firmly resolved to obey him before all others , and doth accordingly give up himself to study his will , of purpose that he may obey it , and doth walk in these holy waies , and hath so far mortified the flesh , and subdued the world and the devil , that the authority and word of god can do more with him , then any other ; and doth ordinarily prevail against all the perswasion and interest of the flesh , so that the main scope and bent of the heart and life is still for god ; and when he sinneth , he riseth again by true repentance ; i say that soul , and that only , shall be justified in judgement , and be saved . 5. that soul that hath such believing thoughts of the life to come , that he taketh the promised blessedness for his portion , and is resolved to venture all else upon it , and in hope of his glory , doth se● light comparatively by all things in this world , and waiteth for it as the end of this life , choosing any suffering that god shall call him to , rather then to lose his hopes of that felicity , and thus persevereth to the end : i say that soul , and none but that , shall be justified in judgement , and escape damnation . in these five marks i have told you truly and briefly , who shall be justified and saved , and who shall be condemned at the day of judgement . and if you would have them all in five words , they are but the description of these five graces , repentance , faith , love , obedience , hope . but though i have laid these close together for your use , yet lest you should think that in so weighty a case i am too short in the proof of what i so determine of ; i will tell you in the express words of many scripture texts , who shall be justified , and who shall be condemned . [ john. 3. 3. except a man be born again , he cannot enter into the kingdom of god , heb. 12. 14. without holiness none shall see god. luk. 13. 3 , 5. except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish . acts 26. 18. i send thee to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light , and from the power of satan unto god , that they may receive forgiveness of sins , and an inheritance among the sanctified by faith that is in me . joh. 3. 15 , 16. 17 , 18 , 19. whoever believeth in him shall not perish , but have everlasting life : he that believeth on him , is not condemned ; he that believeth not , is condemned already , because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of god : and this is the condemnation , that light is come in to the world , and men loved darkness rather then light , because their deeds were evil , john. 5. 28 , 29. the hour is coming , in which all that are in the graves shal hear his voice & shall come forth , they that have done good to the resurrect on of life , and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation . mat. 25. 30. cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness , there shal be weeping & gnashing of teeth , lu. 19 27. but those mine enimies which would not that i should raign over them , bring hither and slay them before me , mat 22. 12. 13. friend , how camest thou in hither , not having on a wedding gatment ? and he was speechless . then said the king to the servants : bind him hand and foot , and take him away , and cast him into outer darkness , &c. mat. 5. 20. for i say unto you , that except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven . mat. 7. 21. not every one that saith , lord , lord , shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven . heb. 5. 6. he is become the author of eternall salvation to all them that obey him . rev. 22. 14. blessed are they that do his commandments , that they may have right to the tree of life , and may enter in by the gate into the city . rom. 8. 1. 13. there is then no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus , that walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . for if ye live after the flesh , ye shall dye : but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body , ye shall live , rom. 8. 9. if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his . gal. 5. l8 . but if ye be led of the spirit , ye are not under the law. gal. 6. 7. 8. be not deceived : god is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap : for he that soweth to the flesh ▪ shall of the flesh reap corruption : but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit read life everlasting . matth. 6. 21. for where your treasure , is there wil your heart be also , ] read psal . 1. and many other texts to this purpose , of which some are cited in my directions for peace of conscience : dir. 11. p. 115. 116. and thus i have told you from gods word , how you may know whether you are ready for judgement ; which is the fourth thing that i would advise you to enquire after . o sirs , what shift do you make to keep your souls from continual terrours , as you as long remain unready for judgement ? how do you keep the thoughts of it out of your mind , that they do not break your sleep and meet you in your business , and haunt you every way you go , while judgement is so neer , and you are so unready ? but i shall proceed to say next question . qu. 5 and in the last place , to those of you that are not yet ready , nor in a condition wherein you may safe at that day ' my question is , how are you resolved to prepare for judgement for the time to come ? will you do no more than you have done hitherto ? or will you now set your selves with all your might , to make preparation for so great a day ? me thinks you should be now past all demurs , delays , or further doubtings about such a business ; and by the consideration of what i have said already , you should be fully resolved to lose no more time , but presently to awake , and ●e● upon the work . me thinks you should all say , we will do any thing that the lord shall direct us to do , rather then we will be unready for this final doom ! o that there were but such hearts in you , that you were truly willing to follow the gracious guidance of the lord , and to use but those sweet and reasonable means which he hath prescribed you in his word , that you may be ready for that day ! alas , it is no hard matter for me to tell you , or my self , what it is that we must do , if we will be happy ; and it is no very hard matter to do it , so far ar we are truly willing ; but the difficulty is to be truly and throughly willing to this work . if i shall tell you what you must do for preparation , shall i not lose my labour ? will you resolve and promise in the strength of grace , that you will faithfully and speedily endeavour to practise it , whoever shall gainsay it ? upon hope of this , i will set you down some brief directions , which you must follow , if ever you will with comfort look the lord jesus in the face at the hour of death , or in the day of iudgement . the first direction is this , see that your souls be sincerely established in the belief of this judgement and everlasting life : for if you do not soundly believe it , you will not seriously prepare for it . if you have the judgement and belief of an infidel , you cannot have the heart or the life of a christian . unbelief shuts out the most of the world from heaven ; see that it do not so by you ! if you say , you cannot believe what you would : i answer , feed not yor ●●belie● by wilfulness , or unreasonableness ; use gods means to overcome it , and shut not your eyes against he light , and then try the issues ; heb. 3. 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. the second direction . labour diligently to have a sound understanding of the nature of the laws and judgement of god. on what terms it is that he dealeth with mankinde : and on what terms he will judge them to life or death : and what the reward and punishment is . for if you know not the law by which you must be judged , you cannot know how to prepare for the judgement . study the scripture therefore , and mark who they be that god promiseth to save , and who they be that he threatneth to condemn . for according to that word will the judgement pass . the third direction . see that you take it as the very business of your lives , to make ready for that day . understand that you have no other business in this world , but what doth necessarily depend on this . what else have you to do , but to provide for everlasting ? and to use means to sustain your own bodies and others of purpose for his work , till it be happily done ● live therefore as men that make this the main scope and care of their lives ; and let all things else come in but on the by . remember every morning when you awake , that you must spend that day in preparation for your account , and that god doth give it you for that end . when you go to bed , examine your hearts , what you have done that day in preparation for your last day : and take that time as lost which doth nothing to this end . the fourth direction . vse frequently to think of the certainty , neerness and dreadfulness of that day , to keep life in your affections and endeavours ; lest by inconsiderateness your souls grow stupid and negligent . otherwise , because it is out of sight , the heart will be apt to grow hardened and secure . and do not think of it sleightly as a common thing , but purposely set your selves to think of it , that it may rouze you up to such affections and endeavours as in some measure are answerable to the nature of the thing . the fifth direction . labour to have a lively feeling on thy heart , of the evil and weight of that sin which thou art guilty of , and of the misery into which it hath brought thee , and would further bring thee if thou be not delivered , and so to feel the need of a deliverer . this must prepare thee to partake of christ now ; and if thou partake not of him now , thou canst not be saved by him then. it is these souls that now make light of their sin and misery , that must then feel them so heavy , as to be pressed by them into the infernal flames . and those that now feel little need of a saviour , they shall then have none to save them , when they feel their need . the sixth direction . vnderstand and believe the sufficiency of that ransom and satisfaction to justice , which christ hath made for thy sins ▪ and for the world , and how freely and universally it is offered in the gospel . thy sin is not uncurable or unpardonable , nor thy misery remediless ; god hath provided a remedy in his son christ , and brought it so neer thy hands , that nothing but thy neglecting , or wilful refusing it , can deprive thee of the benefit . settle thy soul in this belief . the seventh direction . vnderstand and believe , that for all christs satisfaction , there is an absolute necessity of sound faith and repentancte to be in thy own self , before thou canst be a member of him , or be pardoned , adopted , or justified by his blood . he dyed not for final infidel●ty and impenitency , as predominant in any soul . as the law of his father which occasioned his suffering : required perfect obedience , or suffering : so his own law , which he hath made for the conveyance of his benefits , doth require yet true faith and repentance of men themselves , before they shall be pardoned by him ; and sincere obedience and perseverance , before they shall be glorified . the eighth direction . rest not therefore in an unrenewed , unsanctified state ; that is , till this faith and repentance be wrought on thy own soul , and thou be truly broken of from thy former sinful course , and from all things in this world ; and art dedicated , devoted and resigned unto god. seeing this change must be made , and these graces must be had , or thou must certainly perish : in the fear of god , see that thou give no ease to thy mind till thou art thus changed . be content with nothing till this be done . delay not another day . how canst thou live merrily , or sleep quietly in such a condition , as if thou shouldst dye in it , thou shouldst perish for ever ? especially when thou art every hour uncertain whether thou shalt see another hour , and not be presently snatch away by death ? methinks while thou art in so sad a case , which way ever thou art going , or what ever thou art doing , it should still come into thy thoughts , oh what if i should dye before i be regenerate , and have part in christ ! the ninth direction . let it be the daily care of thy soul , to mortifie thy fleshly desires , and overcome this world ; and live as in a continual conflict with satan , which will not be ended till thy life do end . if any thing destroy thee by drawing away thy heart from god , it will be thy carnal self , thy fleshly desires , and the allurements of this world , which is the matter that they feed upon . this therefore must be the earnest work of thy life , to subdue this flesh , and set light by this world , and resist the devil , that by these would destroy thee . it is the common case of miserable hypocrites , that at first they list themselves under christ as for a fight , but they presently forget their state and work ; and when they are once in their own conceit regenerate , they think themselves so safe , that there is no further danger ; and thereupon they do lay down their arms and take that which they miscall , their christian liberty , and indulge and please that fl●sh which they promised to mortifie , and close with the world which they promised to contemn , and so give up themselves to the devil , whom they promised to fight against . if once you apprehend all your religion lieth in meer believing , that all shall go well with you , and that the bitterness of death is past , and in a forbearance of some disgraceful sins , and being much in the exercise of your gifts , and in external wayes of duty , and giving god a cheap and plausible obedience in those things only which the flesh can spare ; you are then faln into that deceitful hypocrisie , which will as surely condemn you , as open prophaness , if you get not out of it . you must live as in a fight , or you cannot overcome . you must live loose from all things in this world , if you will be ready for another . you must not live after the flesh , but mortifie it by the spirit , if you would not dye , but live for ever , rom. 8. 13. these things are not indifferent , but of flat necessity . the tenth direction . do all your works as men that must be judged for them . it is not enough ( at least in point of duty and comfort ) that you judge this preparation in general to be the main business of your live● , but you should also order your particular actions by these thoughts , and measure them by their respects to this approaching day . before you venture on them , enquire whether they will bear weight in judgement , and be sweet or bitter when they are brought to tryal ? both for matter and manner , this must be observed . oh that you would remember this when temptations are upon you . when you are tempted to give up your minds to the world , and drown your selves in earthly cares , will you bethink you soberly whether you would hear of this at judgement ? and whether the world will be then as sweet as now ? and whether this be the best preparation for your tryal : when you are tempted to be drunk , or to spend your precious time in alehouses , or vain unprofitable company , or at cards or dice , or any sinful or needless sports ; bethink you then , whether this will be comfortable at the reckoning ? and whether time be no more worth to one that is so neer eternity , and must make so strict an account of his hours ? and whether there be not many better works before you , in which you might spend your time to your greater advantage , and to your greater comfort when it comes to a review ? when you are tempted to wantonnese , fornication , or any other fleshly intemperance , bethink you soberly , with what face these actions will appear at judgement , and whether they will be then pleasant or displeasant to you ? so when you are tempted to neglect the daily worshipping of god in your families , and the catechizing and teaching of your children or servants , especially on the lords day , bethink your selves then , what account you will give of this to christ , when he that entrusted you with the care of your children and servants , shall call you to a reckoning for the performance of that trust ? the like must be remembred in the very manner of our duties . how diligently should a minister study ? how earnestly should he perswade ? how unwearyedly should he bear all oppositions and ungrateful returns ? and how carefully should he watch over each particular soul of his charge ( as far as is possible ) when he remembers that he must shortly be accountable for all in judgement ? and how importunate should we all be with sinners for their conversion , when we consider that themselves also must shortly be judg●d ? can a man be cold and dead in prayer , that hath any true apprehension of that judgement upon his mind , where he must be accountable for all his prayers and performances ? o remember , and seriously remember , when you stand before the minister to hear the word , and when you are on your knees to god in prayer , in what a manner that same person , even your selves must shortly stand at the barr of the dreadful god! did these thoughts get throughly to mens hearts , they would waken them out of their sleepy devotions , and acquaint them that it is a serious business to be a christian . how careful should we be of our thoughts and words , if we believingly remembred that we must be accountable for them all ! how carefully should we consider what we do with our riches , and with all that god giveth us , and how much more largely should we expend it for his service in works of piety and charity , if we believingly remembred that we must be judged according to what we have done , and give account of every talent that we receive ? certainly the believing consideration of iudgement , might make us all better christians then we are , and keep our lives in a more innocent and profitable frame . the eleventh direction . as you will certainly renew your failings in this life , so be sure that you daily renew your repentance and fly daily to christ for a renewed pardon , that no sin may leave its sting in your souls . it is not your first pardon that will serve the turn for your latter sins . not that you must purpose to sin , and purpose to repent when you have done , as a remedy : for that is an hypocritical and wicked purpose of repenting , which is made a means to maintain us in our sins ; but sin must be avoided as far as we can ; and repentance and faith in the blood of christ must remedy that which we could not avoid . the righteousness of pardon in christs blood is useful to us only so far as we are sinners ; and cometh in where our imperfect inherent righteousness doth come short ; but must not be purposely chosen before innocency : i mean , we must rather choose , as far as we can , to obey and be innocent , than to sin and be pardoned , if we were sure of pardon . the twelfth direction . in this vigilant , obedient , penitent course , with confidence upon god as a father , rest upon the promise o● acceptance and remission through the merits and intercession of him that redeemed you ; look up in hope to the glory that is before you , and believe that god will make good his word , and the patient expectation of the righteous shall not be in vain . cheerfully hold on in the work that you have begun : and as you serve a better matter than you did before your change , so serve him with more willingness , gladness and delight . do not entertain hard thoughts of him , or of his service , but rejoyce in your unspeakable happiness of being admitted into his family and favour through christ . do not serve him in drooping dejection and discouragement , but with love , and ioy , and filial fear . keep in the communion of his saints , where he is cheerfully and faithfully praised and honoured , and where is the greatest visible similitude of heaven upon earth ; especially in the celebration of the sacrament of christs supper , where he seals up a renewed pardon in his blood , and where unanimously we keep the remembrance of his death until he come . do not cast your selves out of the communion of the saints , from whom to be cast out by just censure and exclusion , is a dreadful emblem and fore-runner of the iudgement to come , where the ungodly shall be cast out of the presence of christ and his saints for ever . i have now finished the directions , which i tender to you for your preparation for the day of the lord ; and withall my whole discourse on this weighty point . what effect all this shall have upon your hearts , the lord knows ; it is not in my power to determine . if you are so far blinded and hardened by sin and satan , as to make light of all this , or coldly to commend the doctrine , while you go on to the end in your carnal worldly condition as before ; i can say no more , but tell thee again , that iudgement is neer , when thou wilt bitterly bewail all this too late . and among all the rest of the evidence that comes in against thee , this book wil be one , which shall testifie to thy face before angels , and men , that thou wast told of that day , and intreated to prepare . but if the lord shall shew thee so much mercy as to open thy eyes , and break in upon thy heart , and by sober consideration turn it to himself , and cause thee faithfully to take the warning that hath here been given thee , and to obey these directions , i dare assure thee from the word of the lord , that this iudgement which will be so dreadful to the ungodly , and the beginning of their endless terror and misery , will be as joyful , to thee , and the beginning of thy glory : the saviour that thou hast believed in , and sincerely obeyed , will not condemn thee . psal . 1. 5 , 6. rom. 8. 1. iohn 3. 16. it is part of his business to iustifie thee before the world , and to glorifie his merits , his kingly power , his holyness , and his rewarding iustice in thy absolution and salvation . he will account it a righteous thing to recompence tribulation to thy troublers , and rest to thy self ; when the lord iesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels , in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them that know not god , and that obey not the gospel of our lord iesus christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord , and from the glory of his power : even then shall he come to be glorified in his saints , and to be admired in all them that believe , in that day ; even because his servants testimony , and his spirits among them was believed , 2. thes . 1. 6 , 7 , 8 9 , 10. that day will be the great marriage or the lamb , and the reception of thee , and all the saints into the glory of thy beloved , to which they had a right at their first consent and contract upon earth : and when the bridegroom comes , thou who art ready shalt go in to the marriage : when the door shall be shut against the sleepy negligent world ; and though they cry , lord , lord , open to us , they shall be repulsed with a verily i know you not , mat. 25. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. for this day which others fear , maist thou long , and hope , and pray , and wait , and comfort thy self in all troubles with the remembrance of it , 1 cor. 15. 55 , 56. 57 , 58. 1 thes . 4. 17 , 18. if thou were ●●ady to be offered to death for christ , or when the time of thy departing is at hand , thou maist look back on the good fight which thou hast sought , and on the course which thou hast finished , and on the faith which thou hast kept , and maist confidently conclude , that henceforth there is laid up for thee a crown of righteousness , which the lord the righteous judge shall give thee at that day : and not to thee only , but unto all them also that love his appearing , 2 tim. 4. 6 , 7 , 8. even so , come lord jesus , rev. 22. 20. finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a27047-e660 this sermon was proached in the time of the ecclipse . more reasons for the christian religion and no reason against it, or, a second appendix to the reasons of the christian religion being i. an answer to a letter from an unknown person charging the holy scriptures with contradictions, ii. some animadversions on a tractate de veritate, written by ... edward herbert, baron of cherbury ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1672 approx. 207 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 95 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26960 wing b1313 estc r4139 13078470 ocm 13078470 97215 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26960) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 97215) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 407:15) more reasons for the christian religion and no reason against it, or, a second appendix to the reasons of the christian religion being i. an answer to a letter from an unknown person charging the holy scriptures with contradictions, ii. some animadversions on a tractate de veritate, written by ... edward herbert, baron of cherbury ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. reasons of the christian religion. [6], 172, [1] p. printed for nevil simmons ..., london : 1672. page 65 has faded print. pages 60-85 photographed from cambridge university library copy and inserted at the end. errata on p. [1] at end. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng herbert of cherbury, edward herbert, -baron, 1583-1648. -de veritate. apologetics -early works to 1800. apologetics -history -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-12 emma (leeson) huber sampled and proofread 2005-12 emma (leeson) huber text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion more reasons for the christian religion , and no reason against it . or a second appendix to the reasons of the christian religion , being i. an answer to a letter from an unknown person , charging the holy scriptures with contradictions . ii. some animadversions on a tractate de veritate , written by the noble and learned lord edward herbert , baron of chizbury , &c. and printed at paris 1624. and at london 1633. resolving twelve questions about christianity . by richard baxter . london , printed for nevil simmons at the princes arms in st. pauls church-yard , 1672. to the right worshipfull sir henry herbert , kt. &c. sir , the reasons are many which induce me to presume to direct these papers first to you , and to tell the world how much i honour you : first my personal ancient obligations to you : secondly , principally , your approved wisdom and moderation , and taking part with the waies of charity and peace , in your most publick capacity in these trying times : thirdly , your relation to the noble author on whose writing i here animadvert ; which as it is your honour to be the brother of so learned and ingenious a lord , and the brother of so excellently holy as well as learned and ingenious a person , as mr. george herbert , orator to the university of cambridge , and a faithful pastor in the english church ; so it obligeth me the more to give you an account of this animadversion . it is long since i sought after the book , as provoked by the title and the honour of the authors name , and received it from you as your gift . the premised letter from an unknown person of the same name , occasioned me to review it : the sad case of many of my acquaintance , and the increase of infidelity of late , especially among debauched sensual gallants , and the danger of england hereby , and the temptations against which the best of christians have need of help , were the reasons of my presumption , it being my calling to propagate and vindicate the christian faith : i am so far from writing against his whole book , that i take most of his rules and notions de veritate , to be of singular use . and had so great a wit had but the internal conditions due to such an intellectual apprehension , as his and your holy and excellent brother had ; no doubt but our supernatural revelations and verities , would have appeared evident to him , and possest his soul with so sweet a gust , and fervent ascendent holy love , as breatheth in mr. g. herbert's poems , and as would have made them as clear to him in their kind , as some of his notitiae communes . the truth is , as he was too low to us , who number not our divine revelations with the veresimilia , but with the certain verities ; so he was too high for the atheistical sensualists of this age : and i would they would learn of him , that the being and perfections of god , the duty of worshipping him , and of holy conformity and obedience to him , and particularly all the ten commandments , the necessity of true repentance , and the rewards and punishments of the life to come , with the souls immortality , are all notitiae communes and such natural certainties , as that the denyal of them doth unman them . to know this and to live accordingly , would make a great alteration in our times : and christianity could not be disrelished by such , that so know and do . i may well suppose that your approbation of the cause i plead for , will make it needless to me to apologize for my boldness in medling with such an author , while i do it with all tenderness of his deserved honour : i remain your obliged servant , richard baxter . jan. 17. 1671 / 2 ; . sir , i was right glad , when i first heard that you had written , and put to print , a book of the reasons of the christian religion ; and i did immediately buy the book , hoping that in the reading and perusing of it , i might have received satisfaction as to any doubt or scruple , and an answer satisfactory to all objections , that in reason may be raised against the grounds of the said christian religion ; because i did think you to be as able to say and write as much as any man in that thing , having as i thought studied it as much as any that i had heard of ; but in the reading and perusing it , i contrary to my expectation found it to be short of giving me satisfaction . for the greatest occasion of any doubt or scruple in any thing tending or relating to the christian religion that i at any time had or have , were from that variousness and contrariety , if not contradictions , which are , or at least seem to be , in the writings of the apostles and evangelists and other books received for scripture . but you in answer to that objection , page 412. say , nothing but ignorance maketh men think so ; understand once the true meaning , and allow for the errors of printers , transcribers , and translators ; and there will no such thing be found . but you neither tell me which are those errors , nor yet how i may know them . 1. therefore i humbly pray you ( in writing ) to tell me , whether that which is written in the first chapter of matthews gospel , verse 8 , 9. where matthew writes , that joram begat ozias and ozias begat joatham , be any error of the transcribers , translators or printers , or the contrary to it , which is written in the second book of the kings , and in the books of the chronicles ; if not , how may they be understood , for in those books it is written that joram was father to ahaziah , and ahaziah was father to joash , and joash was father to amaziah , and amaziah was father to azariah , and a zariah was father to joatham ; by the account of which books , there is above an hundred years between the death of joram the son of jehosaphat , and joatham , 2. and secondly , whether that which is written by luke in his gospel , chapter 24. vers . 9 , 10. 22 , 23. where luke writes , that mary magdalen and other women , told the disciples , that they had seen a vision of angels , which said , that jesus was risen from the dead , and was alive ; whether this be any error of the transcribers , translators and printers , or any of them ; or the contrary which is written by st. john in his gospel , for he writes chap. 20. verse 2. that mary magdalen told two of the disciples , and said to them , they ( i suppose meaning the adversaries ) have taken away the lord out of the sepulcher , and we know not where they have laid him . if not how may i understand them to be both true testimonies or reports , for it seemeth by luke , ver . 11 , 12. and 23 , 24. of his 24. chapter , that mary and the other women had told those things of their seeing the angels , which said that jesus was risen and alive , before that peter ran or went to the sepulcher . 3. and thirdly , whether that which is written by matthew , in the 28th . chapter of his gospel , that the angel said to mary magdalen and the other mary , fear not ye , for i know that ye seek jesus which was crucified , he is not here , for he is risen , as he said , come see the place where the lord lay , and go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead , and behold he goeth before you into galilee , there shall you see him , so i have told you , and they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy , and did run to bring his disciples word , and as they went to tell his disciples , behold jesus met them , see mat. 28. 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. v. whether i say was this which is written in st. matthews gospel , that i have here transcribed , said to the women , and that the women returned from the sepulcher to tell the disciples , before that mary m●gdalen said to him that she supposed to be the gardiner , if thou hast born him hence , tell me where thou hast laid him , and i will take him away , john 20. 15. or whether there be any error of transcribers , translators or printers in those texts ; if not , how may i understand them to be true reports . sir , i shall trouble you with no more but these few places which i have proposed in three questions or particulars , although there are several other texts , that i do not understand how they may be reconciled , but if you shall by strength of argument grounded upon sound reason , make appear that it was nothing but ignorance hath made me to think that those testimonies agree not , but are contrary one to the other ; and that they may be so understood as that no such thing will appear in them , then i shall be ready and will with you conclude and say so too , and for the future suppose that other places of those books which are received for scripture , as seem to be contrary to one another , may be reconciled , though i do not understand how ; but on the contrary , if you do not endeavour by such sound and plain arguments to make it appear that these texts here transcribed by me , may be understood so as that no contradiction is in them . i must think that it was nothing but ignorance that made you say that which you have said , in answer to that and some other objections , therefore i humbly and earnestly pray and beseech you , both in defence of your own writings as also in defence of those books in which you say you think that no one error or contradiction in any matter can be proved , to make it appear in truth and plainness . if you judge i have erred from the truth , i hope you will endeavour to to convert me from the error of my way , if any such be ; which if you shall do , no doubt but it will be a good work , see james 5. ult . sir , it is your advice , that in such kind of scruples , the doubtful should apply himself for satisfaction to some minister ; therefore do i write to you , and if you shall not give me a gentle and plain answer , i shall be discouraged to make my scruples known to any other ; therefore in expectation of your plain answer , i remain your loving friend in the bond of peace . sir , two sorts of persons use to trouble me and others , with their objections against the christian religion . first , some papists , who profess to believe it , but in designe do act the part of infidels , that they may loose men from all religion , in hope to bring them over to theirs , when they have taken them off all other . for he that can make another man believe that he was hitherto totally misled is likest to become the master of his faith : for men are apt to think that none can so easily and certainly shew them the truth , as he that hath shewed them their error . and when men once think that according to the grounds of the reformed churches , they can have no certainty of faith , they will the easilier be brought to the way of those men , who promise them that certainty which they make them believe that others want . secondly , the other sort are infidels , who of late are grown numerous and audacious , and look so big and speak so lowd , as to acquaint us that it is not they that are silenced ( in their speaking place ) nor driven five miles from every city and corporation . which sort you are of , i know not : i read your name , and that you are a sojourner ; but finding that you write not as a tender doubter , who desireth to be concealed , but as a confident gain-sayer of the christian verity , and not knowing how safely to send a letter to the place where you say you sojourn , i have thought that it will be most pleasing to you to come to you by the same way , as the book did which you except against ( which was written upon the provocation of a paper scattered among the schollars of oxford , when the oxford oath and act were made in the time of the great plague , as by one that was unsatisfied in the grounds of christianity ; but i strongly suspected was written by a papist , it was made so suitable to their designs . ) in two things you have not dealt righteously and ingeniously with me . 1. in that you have not answered the grounded proofs of the christian verity which i have laid down , but nibble at the answer to some objections , which is not the way of a lover of the truth . 2. in that you take no notice of , or make no answer to , the second part of my answer to that same objection , about supposed contradictions in the scriptures ; where i shewed you at large , that if that which you object were granted , it would not overthrow the certainty of the christian faith. both those should have been done by an impartial man. the method which the nature of the cause requireth me now to use , in my answer to you , shall be in the manifesting these following propositions . prop. 1. that if it could not by us be proved that every word of the scripture is true , nor the pen men infallible or indefectible in every particle , yet might we have a certainty of the christian religion . prop. 2. that yet all that is in the scriptures as the word of god is certainly true ; and no error or contradiction can be proved in it , but what is in some copies by the fault of printers , transcribers or translators . prop. 3. that he that first proveth the truth of the christian faith by solid evidence , may and ought to be certain of that truth , though he be not able to solve all soeming contradictions in the scripture , or answer all objections which occurre . prop. 4. the true method of one that would arrive at certainty , and not deceive himself and others , is to lay first the fundamental proofs , and examine them till he is thereby confirmed , and afterwards to try the by-objections as he is able ; and not to begin first at the answering of such by-objected difficulties , and judging of all the cause thereby . of these i shall now speak in order . and whereas you bespeak plainess and gentleness in the answer , i shall grant you the first as far as in such hast and brevity i am able ; and the second as far as the nature of the cause will bear . but if you account all christians deceived fools , you must not expect to be called wise , nor that i should flatter you , and tell you that apostasie is a state of safety ; for i that believe heb. 6. and 10. must think that this were not gentleness but cruelty , and worse than to kill you for fear of displeasing you . prop. 1. if it could not by us be proved that every word of the scriptures is true , nor the pen men infallible or indefectible in every particle , yet might we have a certainty of the christian religion . the reason is , because every particle in the scripture , is not an essential part of the christian religion , ( no nor any integral part , if you take the christian religion strictly , for the doctrine of necessary belief , desire and practice : ) and that part which is indeed the essence ( yea or integrity ) of christianity , may be certainly proved and believed , without our being able to prove the certainty or truth of all the rest which is in the scriptures . the holy scriptures contain all our religion , and somewhat more ; that is , the accidents and appurtenances of it . as the body of a man , besides the parts essential and integral hath its accidents ; such as are the hair and the colour ( and some humours ) which are for beauty and other uses , though not parts . so far are the papists from being in the right , who think that the christian religion is not all ( but part ) contained in the scriptures , that there is more than all that is necessary to salvation , even the appurtenances which have an aptitude to the adorning and promoting of the rest . to know who was the father of every person mentioned in the bibles genealogies , to know what age each person was of whose age is there mentioned ; to know the name of every person , and every town ; to know how far each city was from another whose distances are there expressed ; with a multitude of such like historical , genealogical , chronological , topographical , physical , incidental passages , is but an appurtenance , and not strictly a part ( essential or integral ) of the christian faith , of holiness or religion . yet remember that we maintain as certain , that they are all lyars who accuse god of lying ; and that , whatever some ignorantly talk to the contrary , god cannot lie . see the excellent amesius his disputation , of this question , an falsum subesse potest fidei divinae , after his medulla theologiae ( which book with his cases of conscience , and alstedius his encyclopaediae , may ( after the scriptures and concordance ) make a good divine , and be a better library than the fathers of the fourth council . carth. were acquainted with . ) he that thinketh god can lie , destroyeth the objectum formale fidei divinae , and therefore can have no faith. if god could lie in one thing , we should never be sure that he revealeth the truth , unless by sense it self and after-experience . all faith goeth upon such a syllogism as this [ whatsoever god saith is true : but this god saith , ergo , it is true ] so that whosoever believeth every word in the scripture to be gods word , must believe it all to be true , or he can believe none of it at all . but yet it is possible for a man to believe one part of the bible to be gods word , and not another part ; which needeth no proof . because that many of the ancient churches for a certain time , doubted of , yea , received not the epistle of james , peter 2d . the heb. apocal. &c. and yet were truly of the christian religion . first , we deny not but that there are many false and wicked sayings historically recited in the scripture ( as the saying of cain , pharaoh , gehezi , the false prophets , the devil ( of job , to christ , &c. ) but the scripture is nevertheless true : for it is true that all these untruths were spoken . secondly , the disciples of christ were not absolutely and in all things infallible , as all christians do confess . they were not as perfect in knowledge as now they are in heaven . either paul or barnab as was mistaken about the fitness of mark to go with them . thirdly , there was a greater assistance of the spirit promised them when two or three of them were assembled in christs name , than when they proceeded singly , mat. 18. 18. but there can be nothing above perfect infallibi●ity and impeccability to them all . fourthly , we confess that christs disciples were not indefectible or sinless . as their understandings , so their wills and lives , had still some imperfections . marke , paul and silas did not all perfectly do their duties , in the case they differed about . peter did amiss in avoiding the gentile christians , when paul blamed him openly , gal. 2. and barnabas and others did not do well in being drawn away to the same ●iss●●●lation . when paul saith of timothy , i have no man like minded ●nd of others , they all seek their own , he took not all christians that had the spirit to be perfect : if any man had not the spirit of christ , he was none of his , rom. 8. 9. and the very wrangling de●●●●●ng galathians , had received the spirit , gal. 3. 1 , 2 , 3. and so had the wrangling corinthians christ in them , 2 cor 8. 5. fifthly , we confess that he who is either infallible or defectible ( lyable to error or sia ) is of himself capable of being deceived and of deceiving others . if he were infallible in respect of the knowledg of all the truth , yet while he can sin ( of himself considered ) he can be heedless , careless , rash , partial , and for by respects speak too little or too much . it is the devils last method , to undo by overdoing , and so to destroy the authority of the apostles by over magnifying them , therefore we will not use his methods , nor deny any of this . sixthly , moreover , we confess that it is possible for a good christian to doubt whether those that were but evangelists ( as marke and luke ) had the same promise of the spirits infallible assistance with the apostles ; seeing we find not that promise so expresly any where made to them . and thereupon he may possibly think that some errors may consist with their measure of the spirit , as it did with many christians who had the same spirit . seventhly , and we do not believe that the extraordinary operations of the spirit were alwaies equally in the apostles themselves ; we suppose the prophets could not alwaies prophesie , nor those that spake with tongues , use that gift at their own pleasure , nor yet those that did miracles , healed the sick , or raised the dead : but that the spirit wrought , as in various sorts and measures in several persons , ( 1 cor. 12. ) so also at various times , and in various measures in the same person . whereupon it is possible for a good christian to doubt , whether every word in scripture was written then , when the writer had the gift of infallibility and indefectibility . eighthly , and we do confess our selves , that the apostles had not the infallible spirit given them for every use or thing that they had to do ; but for those matters about which they had special need of it and use for it , to fulfill their office . the spirit was not so necessary for them to discern those things by , which the common sense and understanding of a man , was sufficient to discern . they could tast sweet from bitter , feel heat from cold , discern light from darkness , without an infallible extraordinary spirit . and so being eye and ear witnesses , of what christ did and said , of his words , his miracles , his resurrection , his ascension , they might infallibly know them by ordinary means . and so a good christian may doubt whether they had the spirit infallibly , to transcribe and cite every passage in the old testament , visible to all , or to relate the things which they saw done with their eyes ; or to report the history of several actions which were then done : ( as what was the place and power of herod , archelaus , pilate , falix , festut , &c. ) and such other parts of common history . ninethly , and we all confess that the words are but as the body of the scripture and the sense as the soul : and that the words are for the sense . and there is more of the spirits assistance in the sense and soul of the scripture than in the words and body : and that there is in the phrase and method somewhat of ( blameless ) humane imperfection : and that as david was not stronger then goliah , nor his weapons more excellent in themselves , but god would overcome strength by the means of the more weak ; so an aristotle may be more accurate in method , and a demosthenes , varro or ci●cro in words and phrase than an apostle ; and they may be left to the imperfections of their several gifts ( diversified by nature or education ) in their stile . and god may hide that from the wise and prudent which he revealeth to babes ; and by the foollishness of preaching may save believers , and confound the wisdom of the world , and by things that are not , bring to nought things that are , that no flesh may glory in his sight . nor do we say that no man may seek or attain more logick , philosophy or grammar than he findeth in the scriptures . tenthly , as protestants receive not so many books as canonical as the papists do , so some protestants have not received so many as the rest : and so many possibly erre in thinking that some part of the scripture is not the word of god , and consequently may think it of more uncertain credit . eleventhly , some have thought that matthew being at first written in hebrew or syriack , and after translated into greek , that the translator being unknown , the credit of the translation must be the less certain , because they know not whether the translator was one that had a promise of infallibility , though doubtless they erre who so conclude . twelfthly , some think , that as certainly there are a great number of various readings , which all prove that some of the copies erre , so it is uncertain to us , whether all those which we have , may not in some words or particles differ from others which we have not , and from the autographs ; seeing each scribe had not a promise of infallibility . thirteenthly , if some particular books of scripture were not extant , or never known to some men , yet the rest may teach those same men , all the christian religion , to their salvation . therefore if they may be christians and saved without knowing of that particular book , they may possibly be so , without knowing that it is canonical , or of divine and certain truth . fourteenthly , yea more , no doubt but it is possible to be saved ( and to be good christians ) without being certain what is contained in any one book of the bible , totally ; for he that cannot read , may possibly not hear the whole book from another , at least so as to understand and remember it : and yet he may hear the same doctrines out of another book . yea more , it is past doubt that a man may ( in some cases or circumstances ) be a true christian who knoweth not that there is any scripture which is gods infallible word . for first so all the believers of the old world were saved , before moses wrote the law ; and the christian churches were gathered and thousands converted to christ , many years before a word of the new testament was written . secondly , and all the thousands and millions of christians who cannot read , do know that there is such a book which hath such words in it , but on the credit of other men . thirdly , and we know not but the papists , ( who are too great undervaluers of the scriptures , and lock it up from the laity , and over magnifie tradition ) may keep thousands among them without the knowledge that there is a book which is gods word ; and yet may teach them the christian religion by other means , after to be mentioned : and it seemeth by the epist. jesuit . & masaeus histor . judic . and other writings , that in japan , congo , china , and other countries of the east , they did teach them onely by creeds , catechismes , and preachings : and i remember no knowledge that they gave to most of them of the scriptures : and yet the most cruel torments and martyrdoms never before heard of , which the christians in japan endured ( of which see varentus history ) doth put all sober readers past doubt , that there were many excellent christians . and if other means may make men christians who are never told of the holy scriptures , than those same means with the scriptures , may make them christians , who are made believe that all scripture passages are not the infallible dictates of gods spirit . i have given you instances enough , to prove that many may be christians and have a certain faith , who are not certain of all things in the scriptures : and therefore though all these persons are herein defective or erroneous , yet that christianity may be otherwise known and proved : yea though the case of the scriptures were as these mistaking persons think . and i told you how many waies , besides scripture , the summe and necessary substance of the christianity is delivered down from the apostles to the world ; reas . of christ . rel. pag. 336 , 337. first , in the very successive being of christians and churches , who are the professors of this doctrine . secondly , in a succession of pastors , whose office was to preach it . thirdly , in a succession of baptism , which is that solemnizing the christian covenant , in which the sum of the gospel is contained . fourthly , in the three breviates or symboles of the christian religion , the creed , lords prayer and decalogue , which all the christian churches still used . yea every one that was baptized at age ( and the parent for the infant ) did openly make profession of the christian faith , and of religion in all the essential particulars . fifthly , in the churches use of catechising those who were to be baptized , that they might first know that religion which they were to enter . sixthly , in that constant communion of all the churches in their solemn assemblies , and setting apart the lords day to that use ; where in their worshiping of god , they expressed and excercised their religion . seventhly , in the constant preaching of the gospel by the pastors . eightly , in the constant celebration of the sacrament of christs body and blood ; wherein the summe of the gospel was recited and expressed . and the custome was also to repeat the profession of their belief . ninethly , the frequent disputations of the christian pastors for their religion against all heathens , infidels and heroticks . tenthly , the writings of the said pastors , apologies , doctrinal , historical , commentaries , devotional . eleventhly , the confession and sufferings of the martyrs . twelfthly , the decrees , canons and epistles of councils or assemblies of the christian pastors . thirteenthly , and after these the decrees and laws of christian princes : in all which we have no need of any peculiar tradition of the church of rome . fourteenthly , yea , we may adde the confessions of adversaries , who tell us part of the christians religion ; as pliny , celsus , julian , &c. all these waies set together , told men what christianity was . fifteenthly , but the fullest and surest discovery of it was , by the holy scripture of it self , which was constantly read in the assemblies of the christians . in all this i have but told you , by how many waies and means materially the gospel doctrine was made known . now the great question is , whether by all these means we might come to a certainty of the truth of the christian faith , in case we could not prove every word or particle of scripture to be gods word , and so to be true . they that deny it , say , that he that can mistake or be deceived in one thing , may be so in another , and we cannot take his word as certain , who sometimes speaketh falsly ; for we can never be sure that he speaketh the truth , but i affirm the thing questioned , and shall shew the mistake of this reason of the adversaries . first , it must be remembred that we ascribe infallibility primitive and absolute to god and no other . therefore we are certain that so much is true as is gods word . secondly , we are certain that all that is the word of god , which he hath set his seal or attestation to , which i have largely opened in the book which you oppose ; all that which hath the antecedent and constitutive and concomitant and subsequent attestation of god there opened , we are certain is of god. thirdly , we are certain that the person of christ , and his own doctrine had all this fourfold divine testimony : and therefore that christ and his doctrine are of god , and true . and consequently that christ was the son of god , the redeemer of the world , the head of the church , and whatever he affirmeth himself to be . fourthly , we are certain that the apostles as preachers of this gospel , and performers of the commission delivered them by christ , had the same attestation in kind as christ himself had : they had the same spirit . though the antecedent testimony by prophesie was not so full of them , as it was of christ , yet the gospel which they preached and left in writing first , hath in it still visibly to the eye of every truly discerning person , the image of gods power , wisdome and goodness . secondly , the same gospel as preached and delivered by them had the concomitant testimony of abundant certain miracles , prophesies and holy works . thirdly , the same gospel maketh that impression on the souls of true receivers , which is the image of gods power , wisdome and goodness , and so proveth it to be of god. the concurrence of these three is a full and certain proof . now if there be any doubtfulness in any of this , it must be , first , either what it is that these attestations prove , secondly , or whether they are really divine attestations . thirdly , or whether divine attestations are a certain proof of truth . to begin at the last . first , if divine testimony be not a certain proof of truth , then there is no possible proof in the world . for there is no veracity in any creature , but derivative from god : and then it must be either because a lie is as perfect and good as truth ( which humanity , reason , and all the world contradicteth , and humane society abhorreth , there being no savages so barbarous as to think so ) or because god is imperfect , either in wisdome to know what is true and sit , or in goodness to choose it , or in power to use it : that is , that god is not god , or that there is no god ( and consequently no being ) for an imperfect god , an unwise , an ill , an impotent being , is no god. and verily all our controversies with the infidel and the impious , and the persecuter , must finally come to this , whethen there be a god. ii. and that these were really divine attestations , i have fully proved in the treatise . first , they are divine effects , and the divine vestigia or image . secondly , and such as none can do but god. none else can give that full antecedent testimony of prophesie : none else could have done what christ did ; in his life , death , resurrection and ascension : none could heal all diseases , work all miracles , raise the dead with a word : none else could do what the apostles did ; in tongues , and miracles , and wonderous gifts , and these wrought by so many , before so many , for so long a time . no other doctrine could it self bear gods image of power , wisdome and goodness so exactly , nor make such an impresse of the same image on the souls of men : nay though this same doctrine by the spirit of god be adopted to such an effect , yet would it not do it for want of powerfull application , if god by the same spirit did not set it home : so that the sanctification and renovation of souls , is a divine attestation of this sacred gospel . and besides all the past testimonies ( of christs and his apostles miracles ) here is a double testimony from god still vouchsafed to all true believers to the end of the world ; the one is gods image on the holy scriptures ; the other is , the same image by this scripture ( and the spirit that indited it ) printed on all true christians souls . divine , power , wisdome and goodness , hath imprinted it self first upon the sacred word , or doctrine , and by that produceth unimitably , holy life , light , and love in holy souls . true christians know this : they feel it : they profess it : they have this spirit in them , illuminating their minds , sanctifying their wills , and quickening them to vital operation and execution ; and this is christs advocate , and witness still dwelling in all his members . i speak not of an immediate verbal or impulsive revelation in us , but of a holy indwelling nature , principle , operation , conforming the soul to god , and proving us to bear his image . this is christs witness in us , that he is christ indeed and true ; and this is our witness , that we are the children of god : and it is our inherent earnest and pledge , first fruits and foretasts of the glory which christ hath purchased and promised . if you know no such thing in your self as this , you have resisted the holy ghost , or quenched the spirit . and if you would not have him dwell and operate in your heart , no wonder if you cannot see him in the holy word : and if you would not consent that he rule your mind and life , no wonder if you deny him also in that word which he did make to rule you . if you question the real existence of these several testimonies of gods spirit , first , those that were given to christ and his apostles , i have plainly proved to you in the treatise , were delivered down to the world three waies . 1. by the most credible humane testimony , to produce a humane faith. 2. by such a connexion and such circumstances of those humane testimonies as amount to a natural infallible certainty ( as we have of the wars in england , and that there was such a man as k. charles , k. james , &c. and that our laws were made by the king and parliament , that london was burnt , that there is such a city , &c. even to them that see not any of these . ) 3. by new divine attestations to these attestations ; so that there concurreth . first , a full humane faith. secondly , a natural certainty . thirdly , a divine faith , to the ascertaining us , that christ did die , rise , ascend , work miracles , give the spirit , and by it the apostles wrought the like . secondly , and the other two testimonies still shew themselves : they are yet in being . the sacred gospel is among is and on it the life , light , love fore-described . the believers sanctified by this gospel are among us ; and have within them the impressed life , light , love. we see it ( where distance , selfishness , prejudice or malignity hindereth not ) shining ( though as through a lanthorn ) and working ( though imperfectly ) in others : and they that have it may so feel it in themselves , as will preserve them against the cavils of unbelievers . as the great creator hath his standing testimony in the natural conscience of mankind , which in despight of the devil shall keep up some natural religion in the world ; and they that have not a written law , are a law unto themselves , shewing that god hath a law in their hearts ; so the gracious redeemer hath his standing witness in the sanctified , even his holy spirit , the divine nature , the new creature , the image of god , the father , son and spirit dwelling in them , by divine life , light and love , so as shall keep up a church of holy ones to christ , in despight of all the powers of hell , even the spirits of death , of darkness , and of malignity ; and so much for the validity of gods attestation . iii. all then that remaineth doubtful , or further to be spoken to , is , what it is that god hath thus attested by the holy ghost . and first , we are sure it is not nothing ; it is not nothing that all this is done for : nor nothing that maketh this change on souls . secondly , we are sure it can be no less than the truth of the person , office and doctrine of christ himself : he hath certainly by this proved his own verity and veracity : for his own miracles and resurrection were seals affixed hereunto : thirdly , we are sure that the same gospel spoken by himself , was confirmed also when spoken or written by his disciples . else the same should be sure and not sure . fourthly , we are sure that the apostles miracles , &c. confirmed all their commissioned work . i have proved this in my treatise of the lords day . whatever christ promised them the spirit for , that he gave them the spirit for . he that findeth his promise with the performance , may know that it was the promise which was performed . therefore our work is to find out that promise . and first , we find their commission , mat. 28. 19 , 20. go and disciple me all nations , baptizing them into the name of the father , the son and the holy ghost : teaching them to observe all things whatever i have commanded you . and the promise is , lo , i am with you alwaies to the end of the world . and joh. 16. 7 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. it is expedient for you that i go away : for if i go not away , the advocate will not come unto you : but if i depart i will send him unto you . i have yet many things to say unto you , but you cannot bear them now . howbeit , when he the spirit of truth , is come , he will guide you into all the truth : for he shall not speak of himself , but whatsoever he shall hear , that he shall speak ; and he shall shew you things to come : he shall glorifie me ; for he shall receive of mine , and shew it unto you , luk. 24. 49. and behold i send the promise of my father upon you : but tarry ye in the city of jerusalem , till ye be endued with power from on high ; so act. 1. 5. ye shall be baptized with the holy ghost not many days hence , verse 8. but ye shall receive power after that the holy ghost is come upon you , and ye shall be witnesses to me , both in jerusalem and to all judea , and in samaria , and unto the uttermost parts of the earth . john 17. 8. i have given to them the words which thou gavest me , and they have received them , verse 17 , 18. sanctifie them through thy truth : thy word is truth : as thou hast sent me into the world , so i have also sent them into the world : and for their sakes i sanctifie my self , that they also might be sanctified through the truth . john 14 26. but the comforter , which is the holy ghost , whom the father will send in my name , he shall teach you all things , & bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever i have said unto you . adde to these the texts which mention the performance of these promises ; as john 20. 22. act. 2. act. 15. 28. heb. 2. 3 , 4. so great salvation , which at first began to be spoken by the lord , and was confirmed to us by them that heard him : god also bearing them witness , both with signes and wonders , and with divers miracles and gifts of the holy ghost , according to his own will , 1 pet 1 12. the things which are now reported unto you , by them that have preached the gospel unto you , by the holy ghost sent down from heaven . rom. 15. 19 , 20. through mighty signs and wonders , by the power of the spirit of god , so that from jerusalem , and round about by illyricum , i have fully preached the gospel of christ . gal. 3. 2. this onely would i learn of you : received ye the spirit by the works of the law , or by the hearing of faith ? by all this it is evident , that the spirit was given them to enable them to understand the gospel , and to preach it to the world ; to remember all that christ had taught them : to help them to deliver the covenant of grace , and draw men into it , and baptize them ; to gather churches , and to teach them to observe all that christ had commanded them , and made part of his laws . to teach them all truth which was evangelical or part of their ministerial office. to enable them to be most certain and full in their testimony of what they had heard from christ , and seen him do , which was part of the gospel . in a word to to perform all their proper office. i do not at the present suppose you to take these texts for the word of god : for i must suppose you to be an infidel : but i onely offer them as part of the certain historical evidence , concurring with all the forementioned history and evidence of the fact , to prove what it was which the apostles miracles were used to confirm . this same gospel they preached every where , when they wrought these miracles . and if they confirmed not the gospel , or christian religion , they confirmed nothing . so that it being certain that this spirit and miracles were real , and certain that they were the testimony of god , and certain that it was the truth of christs person , actions , doctrine , sufferings , resurrection , ascension , and covenant and commandments , which they attested , and all that is properly the gospel or christian religion , what hindereth our certainty of all this . if it were a doubt whether the spirit attested more , it is never the more doubtful , whether he attested this much . the apostles constantly preached this gospel ; they baptized persons into the new covenant ; they opened the articles of the faith to them , and caused them to profess that faith ; they engaged them into the promise , and directed them in the practice of a godly , righteous and sober life : and they confirmed all this by miracles . and is not all this then made sure ? ( yea , before they wrote any of the scriptures : ) and now to the objection , [ he that speaketh falsly in one thing is to be believed certainly or as infallible in nothing ] i again answer , it is a blind objection . god onely is absolutely infallible . all men are fallible in some things : we are not to believe that the apostles could erre in nothing at all . peter knew not what he said , when he talkt of dwelling on the mount. they could erre , and they could sin : and he that sinneth , erreth : they were not absolutely perfect ; but it is in certain particulars , even in the declaration of the gospel , that god would not suffer them to erre or to deceive . those words which the holy ghost did by inspiration dictate to them , it is certain that all those words the same holy ghost attested : that is , to all the word of god. and thus much being past doubt , what if we were now at a loss about some appurtenances of the gospel , whether they were any of the spirits dictates , or any part of the word of god : or any proper part of that which the apostles were commissioned for , and spiritually enabled to teach ? what if in some points which they could know by common sense infallibly as well as other men , any one should think that they were left meerly to that certainty of sense . what if one be uncertain which are the parts , and which but the appurtetenances of the gospel in some things which salvation is not laid on ? or were uncertain whether the spirit did determine the speakers tongue or pen about every such appurtenance ? what 's this to the invalidating of any of the rest ? if indeed when they speak by the spirits revelation , they spake falsly at any one time , we could never be sure that they spake true . but when we are sure that all is true which they speak by the spirit , and sure that they spake the gospel , or delivered the christian religion by the spirit , and are onely not sure whether every word in genealogy , or by circumstances were spoken by the spirit , nothing will follow hence , but that every word of god is true , and every word of the apostles which was a word of god : and it is perversness to argue , they ▪ may erre when they speak their own words as men : therefore they may erre when they speak gods words by the spirit . first , the testimony of the internal sanctifying spirit , is infallible . and so much as this spirit attesteth to me is true , and i am sure that this spirit attesteth the truth of the gospel in me ; for the substance of the gospel is imprinted on my heart ; and by the impression i know the seal . but what if i find on me no part of gods image , which was made by the name of jorams father or son ; what if i feel no testimony of the spirit in me , which tells the age of such or such a man there named ; nor can prove by the spirit in me , how far bethany was from jerusalem ; what if the mention of pauls cloak and parchments did not sanctifie me ? must i be uncertain of that which did ? secondly , what if i read a promise in the scripture that god will never fail me nor forsake me ? but will preserve me in safety to his kingdome ? if i were uncertain whether this promise extended to every hair of my head , so that none of them should perish ? or to the preservation of my colour , and such like accidents ; will it follow , that i cannot be sure that i my self , my soul , my person , shall not be forsaken ? what if i have a promise that all things shall work together for my good ; and i am uncertain whether sins or my own follies , or rashness , or the creeping of every worm in the world , or the shaking of every leaf be numbered with those [ all things . ] must i be uncertain therefore whether any thing shall work for my good ? or whether sufferings for christ shall do it ? thirdly , what if i be uncertain whether the vegetative faculties or soul in man , be material or immateterial ? must i be as uncertain whether man have an immaterial ( or incorporeal ) soul ? and whether the intellectual powers be such or not ? fourthly , what if i be in doubt when the law doth summon a man to any place , or command him any office , whether it meant that he shall not change his cloaths , or leave them off , nor cut his hair or nails , but bring all with him ? doth it follow that i must be as uncertain whether the person himself must come or not ? fifthly , what if i be disputing whether a tree be wood ? and i cannot tell whether the leaves , their ribs , or stalkes be truly wood or not ? must i therefore be uncertain of all the rest ? sixthly , what if we dispute whether all the kings officers are to be obeyed ? and it be a doubt to me , whether a prelate or an apparator be the kings officers ? can i therefore be assured of no others ? seventhly , when a witness sweareth to any writing , that it is true , or to any interrogatories ; if i be uncertain whether it be the true spelling , or syntax of the words , or the propriety of every phrase , or every circumstance of the matter which he attesteth , must i therefore be uncertain whether he attest any thing at al ? this one consideration may shew the unreasonableness of such conclusions ; that all systems physical and moral , have their great essential or principal parts , and their smaller integrals , and their accidents , which are no proper parts . and the great and principal parts are few , plain , discernable and necessary to the being or the greatest ends : the integrals are numerous , small , hardly discernable , and necessary only to perfection . the accidents are some of them yet of a lower nature , lesse necessary , nnd less discernable . at the master trunks its easie to know which is a vein , and which an artery , and which a nerve , and what is their number : but when you go to their extremities , they will appear innumerable , small , and scarce discernable . i can know many grand trunks or boughs a tree hath , when i cannot know the number of the thousands of sprigs at the extreamities , nor just where the woody nature ceaseth , and the leaves or frutex doth begin . so i can easily know in the frame of grace , that faith , h●●● and love are the fruits of the spirit , and so is every true part of holiness . but to know of every particular thought whether it be the fruit of the spirit , and a real part of holiness or not , is not so easie . even so in our present case we can easily prove that all that is gods word and uttered and sealed by his spirit is true . but to come to a full certainty of every book whether it be truly canonical , and every copy that varieth in some readings from others , or of every genealogical chronological topographical , or historical word ; every phrase , location , order of sentences , citation of the prophets , whether it were certainly all done by the infallible inspiration of the holy ghost , is a thing that requireth more knowledg than every true christian hath , as not having the same clearness and notoriety of evidence as the gospel or substance of christianity hath . no 〈◊〉 that all gods word is true , truth is equally truth , it having not a magis & minus ; but all truth is not equally notorious or evident . ●●●● 2. yet all that is in the scriptures expressed as gods word , is certainly true ; and no error or contradiction is in it , but what is in some copies , by the failing of preservers , transcribers , printer , or translators . the reasons why i have premised the former propositions is , first , for your own sake , secondly , for the sake of many infidels that now have the same mis-apprehensions , thirdly , and for the sake of many thousand weak , dark and tempted christians : that you may not think that you may renounce christianity , if you could prove a contradiction or mistake in the scriptures ; there being greater certainty of our religion , than of every single word in the bible . and that every christian may not think that he must needs doubt as much of christianity it self , and of all the gos●●●● as he doth whether such a text 〈…〉 word , or have any contradiction to another ; and that he can have no more certainty of the gospel , than he hath of jorams son , or whether matthew did rightly apply the prophesie that christ should be called a nazarene , mat. 2. 23. or the name of jeremy , mat. 27. 9. or whether jude be canonical , and the epistle to laodicea , and clemens rom. ad cor. not canonical ; or whether henochs prophesie cited by jude be divine ; with many such like . we need not spread the sails so wide to the temptations of satan as if we must let go all , if we doubt of the divine authority of any one word . but yet that indeed every word is divine and sure , which is delivered as gods word , i now assert . my meaning in that limitation is this : there are some passages ( as i said ) spoken only historically , and contain the narration of some words of the devil ( as to job , christ , and as most think , to saul at endor &c. ) and some words of wicked men , and some words of weak and common persons : and all these are not mentioned as the words of god : as the words of job's friends , which god reproved ; the words of the old prophet that lyed in the name of the lord to the young prophet to his destruction : the words of jonas , i do well to be angry ; and the words of christs enemies , perfecutors , &c. yea the mention of the old prophet remembreth me , that all words spoken as in gods name , and that by a pretended , yea by a real prophet , are not therefore the words of god ; micheah onely may say true , while zidkiah and all the rest of ahabs prophets may lie , as in the name of the lord. balaam and the aforesaid old prophet , and many such may say true , when gods spirit doth inspire them , and yet lie at another time in gods name . and what paul meaneth by his [ not the lord but i ] i leave to consideration . whether in 1 cor. 14. all those that he correcteth for a disorderly using even the miraculous gifts of tongues and prophesying , &c. had their timeing and ordering of their gifts from the same spirit that gave them the gifts , you may judge . and some protestant expositors have doubted , whether james and the rest were guided by the spirit , when they perswaded paul to go into the temple , to shew the jews that he observed their law : though i think that counsel was of the spirit , because paul concurred in obeying it . but one instance i more doubt of my self ; which is , when christ and his apostles do oft use the septuagint in their citations out of the old testament , whether it be alwaies their meaning to justific each translation , and particle of sense , as the word of god and rightly done ; or onely to use that as tolerable , and containing the main truth intended , which was then in use among the jews , and therefore understood by them : and so best , as suited to the auditors . and so whether every citation of numbers or genealogies from the septuagint , intended an approbation of it in the very points in which it differeth from the hebrew copies ; such plain exceptions , being promised i assert that all that is said in the bible as by the spirit of god , by men that had the promise of his spirit , and especially by the apostles , is certain truth and hath no contradiction in its parts . before i give you my reasons , i think it meet to remove all ambiguity of the words , [ infallible or certain ] that i may be rightly understood . first , the consent of all sober divines and philosophers teacheth us to diftinguith between objective and subjective certainty , that is , the certain truth of the thing , and the certainty of our own apprehension of it . secondly , the word certain , when applyed to the apprehension , sometime signifieth an infallible apprehension , and sometime a clear and strong apprehension , excluding both deceit and doubts ; and by some abusively to a strong apprehension , which excludeth doubts but not deceits . thirdly , in the object infallibility sometime signifieth nothing but verity , which whoever believeth is not deceived : and sometimes it signifieth also such clear evidence , as is in its kind sufficient to banish all considerable doubting . and now i conclude . first , whatever is true , is objectively certain and infallibly true ; so far as that no man in believing it true , is therein deceived or mistaken . all truth is certain infallible truth in it self . secondly , few truths in the world are so evident as that a blinded prejudiced indisposed person , may not be ignorant of them , or erre about them . thirdly , all truths in the scripture have not equal evidence , that they are the word of god ( though all that is known to be the word of god , if equally so known , have equal evidence in the formal reason of saith , that they are true . ) fourthly , all known truth is infallibly known ; that is , he that knoweth it , is not deceived , nor can possibly be deceived by taking it to be true : so that as infallibility signifieth [ not ▪ being deceived ] all true knowledge is subjectively infallible and certain ; that is , its true . fifthly , no man can know that infallibly , which is not objectively certain : that which is not true , cannot be known to be true . the strongest and most confident belief of a falshood , is a false belief , and more than fallible or uncertain . sixthly , all gods word being equally true and infallible , the belief of it is also equally true and infallible . but being not all equally intelligible , evident ( to be his word , ) and necessary , the understanding and belief of every part is not equally easie , strong , past doubting , or necessary ▪ seventhly , there is a superficial belief of divine revelations ( even the gospel ) which a natural man may have by extrinsick means . and there is a more clear apprehension , which a commoner sort of grace may produce : but that belief which is so clear and powerful as truly to sanctifie and save the soul , must be the effect of the special operation of the holy ghost ( who yet hath a course of appointed means in which we must receive it . ) eighthly , the reason of this necessity of the spirits operation of faith , and then by saith , is not because the gospel wanteth due ascertaining evidence ; or an aptitude to convince and sanctifie a soul : for it s highly rational ( though mysterious ) and good. but because by corruption and pravity the mind of man is so undisposed to know , believe , and love truths of such a nature , as that there is need of a special internal higher operator to set home the work as the hand of a man setteth the seal upon the wax , and to do that by it which the bare word alone , with the excellentest preacher , cannot do . ninethly , yet is no wicked infidel excuseable , that saith , if i cannot believe it , i will not believe it ; because first , it is his pravity which is his disability ; secondly , he is more able for a common superficial belief , than for a special effectual belief . thirdly , and if he did by the help of that common belief , do what he might , and god appointeth him in the use of means , to obtain a special faith through grace , he should find that god hath commanded no man to labour and seek after grace in vain ; and if any man have not that grace and power which is of necessity to his faith and salvation , it is long of himself , who useth not his commoner power and grace as he might use them . and so much to prevent misunderstanding . now my reasons why i take every history , chronology , genealogy in scripture as certainly true , and every other word , which is spoken by a true prophet and apostle as by the spirit , ( and not disowned by the scripture it self ) but especially such as you accuse in the gospel , are these . first , a priore , because it seemeth to me that the writing of the whole books of the new testament by them , was done in the discharge of the commission given them by christ : and he promised his apostles his spirit for the performance of all their commissioned office work . this writing is part of the preaching which christ sent them for . and no doubt but the spirit did cause them to write all the substantial part : and therefore we have reason to think that the smallest parts are from the same author , and that he assisted them in the least as well as in the greatest . yea the very accidents may have a perfection in their place , though less perfect in themselves . though all the evangelists use not the same method , or order , nor repeat christs sayings in the same terms ; yet in respect to the whole frame , it may be best that there should be that diversity of words , and order , to preserve and declare the same sense and things . and even their plain and less accurate stile and method , may be best as fittest to its use and end . secondly , a posteriore : there is no caviller that yet hath proved any falshood or contradiction in any passages of the scripture ; though the clearing of some of them require more than vulgar knowledge . thirdly , saving the controversies about the few questioned books and some few sentences , and words , the church which received the scriptures as gods word , did receive the whole as his word , and as certainly true in every part . fourthly , because that spirit of miracles in the apostles , and that spirit of holiness in us , which attesteth the christian religion , doth receive it and attest it as found in the sacred scripture , ( though not as there alone : ) and it putteth no exception against any part of the sacred record : therefore while it particularly attesteth the chief parts , it inferreth an attestation to the smallest . ( for that word or line which is not strictly a part but an accident of the christian religion , is yet a part of the bible which containeth it . ) fifthly , and though all the reasons which i have given , prove , that the truth of the christian religion may be certainly proved , though we could not prove every by expression in the scripture to be true ; and though we deny not but the pen-men manifested their humane imperfections in stile and method ; yet if each passage were not true , it would be so great a temptation to the weak , and make it so difficult to know in some points what is true , in comparison of what it would be , if all be true , that we have no reason to imagine this difficulty to our selves , while its unproved . and having said this , i am here in order to answer your objections : which yet you should not have expected from me , whilst so great a number of books are already written which have done it : and why should you bid me write that again which is written already , unless you had confuted what is written ? if you understand latine , you may find a multitude of such seeming contradictions , reconciled , in sharpius , magrius , althamer , cumeranus , but most fully in abundance of commentators : if you understood not latine , you may read enough in dr. hammond , and many other annotaters and commentaries , mr. cradock's harmony , &c. and you may have enough that understand latine to translate you the solutions ( as out of spanhemii dub : evangel . grotius , jansenius , chemnitius , and such others . ) and whereas you tell me that i invite men to go to some minister for satisfaction , i do so : but if i had invited all men in england to seek to me , you may imagine how many of them i must fail , though they should never so much resolve to be infidels and to perish unless i satisfie them . but you greatly encourage me to a particular answer , by promising me , that [ you will trouble me with no more but these few places ] and that if i clear these from your imputation of contradiction , you [ will conclude ] as i do , and suppose the other places reconcileable . first , your first case is of mat. 1. 8 , 9. joram begat ozias , &c. answ . here are two difficulties to be resolved ; first , whether joram begat ozias , ( called also azarias . ) secondly , why matthew leaveth out ahazariah , joas and amaziah . and for the first is it not strange that you should number this with contradictions ? are we not all called the children of adam ? and abraham called the father of all the jews ? is there not a mediate as well as an immediate generation and progeny ? is not causa causae , causa cavsati ? did not your great grandfather beget you in causa , while he begat him who begat him , who begat you immediately ? what more common among the hebrews , than to call posterity the children of their ancestors . even christ is called the son of david ? and use is the master and expositor of words . and you were born too late , to teach either god or the world , in what sense to use words so many hundred years ago ? this language was well understood by them that used the like . and secondly , for the next question you must understand the scope of an author and his undertaking , if you will understand his words . matthews designe was not to name every person in all these periods of time , from whom christ descended ; but first to shew for memory sake , how the line of christs progenitors may be mentioned by three fourteens in three several periods of time : one from abraham to david , and one from david to the captivity , and one from thence to christ : therein commemorating as many as god was pleased hereby to make memorate , to their honour , and to shew the truth of the descent of christ from abraham and david . secondly , and god is not bound to give us a reason , why he omitteth any of their names : but this probability is obvious , that seeing matthew would for memory keep himself to the number of fourteen , none were fitter to be left out than the posterity of athalia , and so of ahab and jezebel ; which god hath fortold should be blotted out or abolished , 1 king. 21. 21 , 22. and therefore he that would have the names of the wicked to rot would not here honour them with a place among the progenitors of christ : and yet the second commandment limiting gods visiting the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation , it is no wonder that the omission doth extend no further ; and so suitable is gods word , to his providence , that these three men were all cut off by the sword , whose memory is here cut off by matthew . ii. as to your second pretended contradiction , first , remember that it was none of the purpose of any of the evangelists to say all that could be said , even of the sayings and doings of christ himself ; much less of any others : and therefore if that be said in one which is not said in another it is no wonder : and you must remember what doctor hammond hath noted of luke , that luk. 1. professing that he received his knowledg from others ( though directed by the holy ghost ) he delivered the things themselves , with less respect to the time and order , when every thing was said and done , than the other did observe , it being not his design to tell the time and order of each . these things premised , set them all together and you will find that , first , mary magdalen , johanna , maria jacobi , and sallome , having bought spices and going to anoint the body of jesus , said , [ who will roll away the stone for us ? ] and when they came they found the stone rolled away by an angel that sate upon it . secondly , that angel with another , speaks to the women , saying , fear not ; i know you seek jesus that was crucified ; why seek ye the living among the dead ; he is not here , he is risen , as he said , come see the place where the lord was laid , &c. thirdly , then the women run and tell the disciples , they have taken away the lord and we know not where they have laid him . fourthly , peter and john run to the sepulchre , and saw the clothes and returned . fifthly mary magdalen being come back , stood weeping at the door of the sepulchre , and looking in , she saw two angels , one at the head , another at the feet of the place where jesus lay ; who say , woman why weepest thou ? she said , they have taken away my lord , and i know not where they have laid him . sixthly , having said this , she looked behind her and saw jesus , not knowing him , who said woman why weepest thou ? whom seekest thou ? she thinking him to be the gardiner , answered , if thou hast taken him away , tell me where thou hast laid him , &c. jesus said to her touch me not , for i am not yet ascended , &c. but go to my brethren and say unto them , i ascend to , &c. seventhly , mary runs and tells this to the disciples , that she had seen the lord , and what he said to her : but they believed her not . eighthly , either at the same time before mary was gone , or perhaps after she had overgone them to tell the disciples , jesus met the rest of the women , and said to them , all hail ; and they laid hold upon his feet , and worshipped him . and jesus said to them , fear not , go tell my brethren that that they go into galilee , and there they shall see me take all the evangelists , and tell me . first , whether here be any more than all set together say ? secondly , whether in all this there be any contradiction ? but if you should take dr. hammonds shorter supposition , first , that mary and the women came to the sepulchre , and find that before they came the stone was rolled away by an angel ( who had affrighted the keepers ) secondly , they go in and miss the body . thirdly , mary runs and tells peter and john. fourthly , they run and satisfie themselves , and return to the rest . fifthly , the women staying at the sepulchre , see the angels ; first one , on the stone , and on the right side of the monument , and then two , one at the head and another at the feet of it . sixthly , the angels speak all that the evangelists mention ; and mary to them . seventhly , she turneth back and seeth jesus , who speaketh to her , and to the rest what is recorded . eighthly , then she goeth and telleth all to the disciples . if this order be supposed , what contradiction is here ? where you say in luke the women told the disciples of the angels first , hefore peter went , i answer , first , whether we suppose that they first told them of the words of the angels that were without the sepulchre before peter went , and after of the angels within the sepulchre ( which might be the same angels , but not the same ; apparition ) or whether you only suppose luke , as in christs doctrine so in these by-matters of fact , to intend only to deliver the matter , and not to tell just the time and order , there is no untruth nor contradiction in either supposition . iii. your third question is fully answered in the answer of the former . according to the first harmony or supposition , matthew onely mentioneth one of the apparitions of the angels , and one of maries goings to the disciples . and so this written in matthew , was partly before maries seeing christ ( viz. the angels first appearance ) and partly after ( viz. her going the second time upon the second appearance of the angels to tell them . ) according to the second harmony , maries speech to christ was after the angels 〈…〉 and now consider 〈◊〉 you deal reasonably with christ and with your own soul , upon such poor cavils as these to argue against the christian faith , and plead for apostasie ? when the gospel hath all the divine attestations and evidences which i have opened in my treatise , and you are not able to confute them ? which leadeth me to my third proposition . prop. 3. he that first preveth the truth of the christian faith by solid evidence , may and ought to be certain of that truth , though he be not able to salve all seeming contradictions in the scriptures , or answer all objections which occur ! yea certain of every particle thereof . this i prove by these following arguments . arg. 1. from the consent of all mankind , who are forced thus to conclude in all arts and sciences : there being none of them so plain and sure , but somewhat may be said against them , which few , if any man can answer . and incommodum non solvit argumentum must be their reply . arg. 2. from the nature of objects and the imperfection of mans knowledg . if we could be sure of nothing till we can answer all objections against it , we must come to zanchez his nihil scitur : nothing in all the world can be sure : can no man be sure that there is any such thing as motion , till he can answer the objections that would first prove no vacuity , and then no penetrability , and then an impossibility till a cession begin at the extremity of natural beings and continue unto the supposed mobile ? shall we say that a wheel cannot possibly turn round , because no one part first giveth place to the other to succeed it ? will you be able to answer all the difficulties tossed in the schools , or but those mentioned in mr. glanvils scepsis scientifica , before you will be sure of any thing of those matters , where these difficulties are found ? he that can answer all objections , first , is supposed not onely to know , but to know the matter in some perfection . and can none know certainly but those ( who be they ) that know in such perfection ? 2dly , yea they are supposed to know all other matters which may any way relate to the matter in hand . and shall no man know any thing certainly till he knoweth all things ? for instance . first , what if the question be whether there be a god ? the creator of all ? cannot i be sure of this till i can answer aristotles objections of the worlds eternity , and all the rest which every atheist will alleadge ? 2dly , what if the question be , whether god be most wise ? cannot i be sure of it by the notorious effects of his wisdome , till i can answer him that saith [ he that maketh fools and permitteth so much madness and confusion in the world , & leaveth mankind in so great ignorance , is not perfectly wise ? ] thirdly , what if the question be , whether god be perfectly good ? cannot i be sure of it , till i can answer all their objections , who say [ perfect goodness would make all things perfectly good : and would not let the world he in so much wickedness , nor so many tormenting diseases to afflict us , nor the innocent horse and oxe to be laboured , tired , tormented and killed by us at our pleasure , &c. ] fourthly , what if the question were , whether god be almighty ? cannot i know it , till i can answer them who say , that [ he that cannot make an infinite world is not infinite in power ? he that hath a will which men can violate ; he that indureth all the sin in the world , which he hateth , and the ruine and misery of so many millions whom he loveth , is not almighty ? ] fifthly , what if the questions whether man be a rational creature ? whether he have any free will ? whether bruits have reason ? whether plants and stones have sense ? can i know none of these till i can answer all the objections of the somatists against the soul ? and all the objections of hobs against free will ? and all the objections of chambre for the reason of beasts ? and all that campanella hath said de sensu rerum ? in a word , what shall we know in the world , if we can know nothing till we can solve all difficulties and objections . therefore i adde prop. 4. the true method of one that would arrive at certainty , and not deceive himself and others , is to begin at the bottom , and discern things in their neerest , intrinsecal and most certain evidences : and afterwards to try the by-objections as he is able : and not to pore first upon the objected difficulties , and judge of all the cause by those . the plain truth and case of christians is , that if god had not done more for them by giving them his spirit by the gospel , and experience of its truth in the effects , than their teachers have done by a right instructing them in the evidences of faith , or than the reason of the most doth in a clear discerning of those evidences in the thing or word it self ; it were no wonder if apostates were more numerous than they are , when so many build on the sand , and are strangers to the true foundation , and will never see the evidences of the christian verity in it self ; no wonder if poor objejections shake them , that never understood the nature and reasons of their own religion . if the tree grow all in top , which exposeth it to the winds , and little in the roots which must hold it fast , no wonder if it be overthrown . when men never knew the great clear evidences of the christian religion , but take it up by custome , education and on the credit only of the time and place in which they live , no wonder if every seeming weakness , error or contradiction in scripture make them doubt . first , look to all learning , arts and sciences ? do not learners that would know , begin at the elements and foundation ? do we not begin in grammar with our letters , syllables , words , and chief rules ? and in all arts and sciences with the elements and principles . secondly , and reason telleth us that the points that are most necessary , clear and certain must be held accordly with a more clear , assured confidence than those that are unnecessary & dark ; and that uncertainties must be reduced to certainties , and not certainties to uncertainties ; and that all arguing should be a notiore , and not a minus not is . and as i said before , as the trunks of the tree , the veins , the arteries , the nerves are few and visible , and easily and surely known , when the thousands of little branches are hardly visible or numerable : so is it with the schemes of truths . he therefore that will begin at these numerous small branches will dote rather than know or learn. as in the former instances . first , when i see with my eyes , the effects of power , wisdome and goodness in all the visible works of god , i am sure that it is perfect power , wisdome and goodness which is the cause of this : i am certain that nothing can give that which ( formaliter or eminenter ) it hath not to give , nor can the effect exceed the totall cause : i am certain that he from whom all creatures power , wisdome and goodness doth proceed , must needs himself be more great and wise and good , than all the world of creatures set together which he hath made . to this fundamental certainty therefore i must hold if i will not dote whatever little objections or pratlings may be used against it . secondly , eternity is a thing incomprehensible , which quite swalloweth up my understanding ; and many little things be said against it ? but i am certain that nothing can make nothing ; and if ever there had been nothing , there never would have been any thing : and to this certainty i will hold . thirdly , a holy life hath a great many of cavilling objections raised against it by corrupted nature . and shall i there begin to make my trial of it ? no : i am first sure that a rational free agent and subject of god , is bound to obey him , and that the greatest good should be greatliest loved , and that we are totally our creators own , and should be totally devoted to him : i am sure i cannot love the infinite good too much , nor be too good , nor do too much good to others in the world , nor make too sure of my own felicity , nor too much seek my ultimate end . and shall not this assurance hold me fast against all the snarlings and pratlings of the doating drunken world ? so here , i have in the treatise opened those grounds on which we may be certain of the necessity of this holiness , of the life to come ; and of the truth of the christian faith and hopes . and because god in mercy hath not put off the world with the skeleton of a bare creed , but also given them the compleat body of sacred scriptures , to be a full perpetual record of this truth , shall i turn his mercy to a snare and sin , and question all , even the articles of the faith , because in the scriptures there are some things accidental to religion , and some things hard to be understood , which the ignorant and unskilfull wrest to their destruction ? this is but to be devils to our selves , and foolish enemies of our own peace and comfort : as cicero speaks against them that pleaded for the souls mortality , as if it were a desireable thing . you have nothing else that suiteth the nature and interest of a man , and agreeth with the nature and interest of god , to set against the christian religion in competition . if you would have no religion , you would have no hopes , no safety , no business or comfort but bea●●ial in this world , and you would be no men. if you would have nothing but nature and the holiness which nature clearly calleth for , you would have health in an unhealed body , and health without the physician and his means . the mediator is the way to the father , and if you would love god and be happy in his love and have the pardon of your sins , you have little reason to reject him that cometh to procure , reveal and communicate that love and pardon , which must win your hearts to the love of god. and if you would not die in desperation , but have the hopes and foresight of a better life , you have little reason to quarrel with a messenger from heaven , which bringeth life and immortality to light . as bad as christians are , if personal quarrels and malignity blind you not , and if you will not take the enemies and persecutors of christianity for christians , meerly because they assume the name , you may easily see that serious christians who live according to their profession , are persons of another kind of excellency , than all the unbelieving world . i know that from some self-conceited ignorant well meaning persons , i must look to be reviled and called a betrayer of christianity , because i plead not for it in their way , and give you any other answer to your objections than [ that when god giveth you the spirit , you shall know that the scripture hath no contradictions , and that christianity is the true religion : till then you cannot know it ; nor must i give you reasons for it . ] but i do my work , and let who will wrangle and revile . how far the sayings of some are true or false , [ that the scripture is the onely means of faith or saving knowledge of god ? ] that [ it is principium indemonstrabile , as first principles of knowledg are in nature ] that [ ( as others say ) it hath evidence of credibility , but not evidence of certainty ] ( as if evidence of divine credibility or or faith , were not evidence of certainty ) [ that faith hath not evidence ; but evidence evacuateth faith , or the merits of it ] with such like , a man of understanding may gather from what is said : and i must not be so tedious as particularly here to resolve them , having done it ( in preface to the second part of the saints rest . edit . 2. &c. ) long ago . and though i have written nothing here which some men cannot make an ill use of , and some men will not turn to matter of cavil and reproach , i will not therefore leave it out , whilst i expect that the cood which truth is fitted to , is greater than the evil , which by accident and abuse will follow it . and because you seem confident , and think me bound to answer you , and consequently all others , not knowing how many hundreds may trouble me in the like kind , i send you this in print , that other mens mistakes and infidelity also may have the same remedies . but i shall conceal your name and dwelling , lest the shame of your sin should hinder your patient application of the remedy , save onely by telling you , that it is long ago since i read a noble learned lord who in a latine book de veritate ( contra veritatem ) said much against the certainty of faith : but it was all but learned froth and vanity . i rest a servant of christ , and desirer of your faith and salvation , r. baxter dec. 28. 16●1 . the second part of this appendix ; being some animadversions on the foresaid treatise de veritate , resolving several questions there included or implyed . having let fall the mention of that noble authors treatise , it came into my mind , that it having never been answered , might be thought unanswerable , and so the more considerable . therefore i adjoin so much of my animadversion , as the cause in hand requireth . and first , i must give the author the honor of his great learning and strength of wit. secondly , i must confess that the teachers of the church , have been too often such , as have given him the scandal which he so oft expresseth , as more regarding their interest than truth , and not making clear the truth which they have taught , and often wronging it by their omissions or additions , or unsound explications . thirdly , i confess the body of his treatise containeth many very considerable things , in order to the disquisition of truth ; especially about the sutableness of the faculties to the object , the conditions requisite to a true apprehension , and somewhat about the nature of truth it self : though that which he calleth veritas apparentiae , i had rather call , evidentia veritatis rei . and i am not willing to think that i have as many different faculties as there are different plants in my garden , or books in my study , or sentences in those books ; and in several things i miss that accurateness which he pretendeth to : but these i shall pass by . page 217. he saith , [ an vero aliud ( praeter paenitentiam ) & quidem convenientius detur medium , unde justitiae divinae sit factum satis non est hic in animo exponere , — hoc solummodo dicimus , ( quicquid in adversam partem a quibusdam suggeratur ) quod nisi sola penitentia & fide in deum , vitia & scelera quaecunque eliminari possint , & justitiae divinae bonitas divina adeo sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut non sit ulterius quo provecetur , nullum universale ita patere , vel olim patuisse remedium , ut fuerit quo confugeret misera ex peccati sensu languentium turba , vel haberet unde gratiam & pacem illam internam conciliaret ; & tandem in id deveniendum sit , ut quosdam , immo longe majorem hominum partem inscios ( nedum invitos ) & creaverit & damnaverit deus opt. max. quod adeo horrendum , & providentiae , bonitati immo & justitiae divinae incongruum sonat , ut mitiori immo & equiori sententia dicendum sit , totum humanum genus ex paenitentia semper habuisse media unde deo acceptum esse potuit ; quibus si exciderit , non jam ex dei bene placito , sed ex proprio hominum peccato , perditionem uniuscujusque ex titisse , nec per deum stetisse quo minus salvi fierent . ] the first question then is quest . 1. whether if christ , and not onely our repentance , and belief in god , be taken for a sacrifice and price given to god for mans redemption , it will follow that most of the world are damned by gods will without any remedy , to which they covld have recourse for salvation ? answ . first , it is strange that men should be left remediless , if christ , and not onely their repentance be the remedy ? surely if christ had given sinners nothing , yet he hath taken nothing from them . secondly , we all confess the universal necessity of repentance ? but this is partly coordinate ( as the end ) and partly subordinate ( as an effect ) and therefore not contrary to the necessity of a redeemer ? repentance is our conversion , and our begun recovery from sin : and will it follow that the physician is unnecessary because health and recovery are necessary ? yea , and sufficient in their kind ? thirdly , how doth it follow that the remedy was not universal , when redemption by christ was universal ? christ so far died for all men , as by his death he procured them any grace . but he procured grace ( though not equal grace ) for all : you confess an universal grace , and yet an inequallity of benefits : we say , that grace was procured by christ : do we narrow it at all , by saying , christ procured it ? fourthly , i perceive some mens mis-explication of these things was your snare and scandal . first , we distinguish between christs procurement of our pardon and salvation by his sacrifice and merit with god , and christ as the object of mans faith , or as believed in by man. we do not make the latter so universally necessary as the former . for we hold that infants are saved , that believe not . but we hold that no one is saved for whom christ did not satisfie gods justice and merit salvation . secondly , and that this much causlessly offend you not , we say , that this satisfaction and merit consisteth not in an identity or gradual proportion of christs pains or sufferings to all mankinds , but in an aptitude of his sacrifice and righteousness to attain the ends of god the sovoraign of the world , ( the demonstration of his truth , holiness and right cousness , together with triumphant love and mercy ) better than the remediless damnation of all the sinning world would have done . read but master trumans great propitiation , which sheweth you the true ends of the sacrifice of christ , and this unjust offence will vanish . thirdly , and we maintain ( as is said ) that the merit and propitiation wrought by christ , is not to make our repentance needless ; but to procure it , and to make it effectual to its ends . he giveth us repentance and remission of sins . you confess that we may and must make a new covenant with god upon our repentance : in that covenant god promiseth us grace , as we consent to be his servants and children . now if christ did procure ( and as gods general administrator ) give us that promise of pardon and salvation to the truly penitent , doth not this more oblige us to repentance , and not less ? and the merit of repentance ( if you will so call it with the ancients ) is quite of another order , rank and nature than the merit of christ . it s one thing for the innocent son of god to merit repentance , and pardon to all that will repent ; and another thing by repenting ( through his grace ) to perform the condition of the further grace of pardon or salvation . fourthly , and yet further to heal your unjust offence , we do not hold that christ maketh god more merciful than he was , or that his redemption is the first cause of our recovery and salvation , causing god to be willing , who was unwilling before : but that gods love and mercy and his own good will is the first cause , which gave us christ for a redeemer as a second cause , an effect of his love , and the head of all the means of our recovery ; and the true meriting cause of that grace and salvation which god will give us . nor so meriting as to change god , but so meriting as to remove the impediments of his grace as to the communication , and as to become the sittest instrument of the fathers love and mercy , by whom to govern the lapsed world , and to communicate grace and life to sinners . fifthly , and yet fullier to satisfie your objection , we hold that . all mankind is brought by christ under a covenant of grace , which is not vain , nor repealed by god ; but as their abuse of the grace of the covenant may cast them out . for as a covenant of entire nature or innocency was made with all mankind in innocent adam ; so a covenant of grace was made with all mankind in lapsed adam , gen. 3. 15. in the promised seed : and renewed again with all mankind in noah . no man can prove either a limitation of this covenant to some , ( till the rest by violating it become the serpents seed , at least ) nor yet that ever god did abrogate it , as it was made to all the world . sixthly , and we further acquaint you , that it was not the existent humanity of christ , that procured grace and life to the world , for those ( about ) 4000 years before his incarnation . the meer decree and promise did serve for mans salvation all that time , without the existence of his humanity . seventhly , therefore when you grant a necessity of believing in god , as merciful , you must needs include christ in his divine subsistence , for you must needs grant that the eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or wisdome of god , must be the fountain and determiner of all those means by which his love and mercy would communicate recovering grace and life to man. you will not divide god as the object of our faith , and leave out the wisdome that must manage all . eighthly , and yet further to remove your scandal , we maintain that the jews themselves were not bound to believe many that are now articles of our faith ( that christ was born of the virgin mary , suffered under pontius pilate , was crucified , dead and buried , descended to hades , and rose again the third day ) and that his very death and resurrection , were not believed by his own apostles till he was risen . nor understood they the article of the holy ghost . so that before a more general belief in the messiah did serve the jews themselves ; that all this is so we are satisfied by this evidence . first , by the silence of the old testament in the matter , giving us no proof that ordinary ( much less all ) believers , had such a particular knowledge of the office of christ : and what is not revealed is not to be believed . secondly , from heb. 11. where faith is described ( as in its latitude ) to be the evidence of things not seen , and the substance of things hoped for , and a believing that god is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him , and a looking for a better country and for a city that hath foundations whose builder and maker is god and a believing the word and faithfulness of god , &c. and the holy ghost when he purposely describeth the faith which the ancients had been saved by , would never have left out the chief or any essential part . the same i say of rom. 4. and 2 cor. 4. 18. and 5. 1 , 6 , 7. jam. 2 &c. thirdly , the text expresly telleth us . first , of christs death and resurrection , and consequently the offering himself a sacrifice for sin , and ransom for the world , and dying for us , that the apostles themselves were ignorant of it till after his resurrection , mat. 16. 21 , 22. when christ told them that he must be killed and raised again the third day , peter took him , and began to rebuke him , saying , be it far from thee lord , this shall not be unto thee , luke 9. 44 , 45. the son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men : but they understood not this saying and it was hid from them that they perceived it not . again , luke 18. 31 , 32 , 33 , 34. all things written in the prophets concerning the son of man shall be accomplished , for he shall be delivered to the gentiles , and be mocked , and spitefully intreated and s●it on , and they shall scourge him and put him to death , and the third day he shall rise again . and they understood none of these things , and this saying was hid from them , neither knew they the things which were spoken : so mark 9. 32. luke 24. 21 , 25 , 26. we trusted this had been he that should have redeemed israel-o fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken , ought not christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory : and beginning at moses and all the prophets , he expounded to them in all the scriptures , the things concerning himself . here you see that they knew not that he must die for our sins , , rise again and ascend to glory : and that it is no proof that all that were justified before understood these things , because that moses and the prophets had foretold them ; for the apostles themselves understood it not in moses and the prophets . secondly , they understood not aright the doctrine of his intercession , and that he must go to the father and then be their high priest , and that they must come to god by him , and ask in his name . for it is said , john 16. 5 , 6 , 7. now i go my way to him that sent me , and none of you asketh me whither goest thou ? but because i have said these things to you , sorrow hath filled your hearts — but it is expedient for you that i go away . v. 24. hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name , v. 26. at that day ye shall ask in my name . as for them that say that the apostles knew that they were to come to god onely by a mediator ( as all the faithfull did of old ) but yet they knew not that they must come to him by christ , and in his name . first , there was no mediator existent but god before the incarnation , though there was to be a mediator after . seconnly , this implyeth that the apostles knew not jesus to be the christ , and that they went to god by some other mediator , which are both false . thirdly , and if by mediation be meant the satisfactory price of his sacrifice , they knew not that he was to die and to be a sacrifice for sin. fourthly , and it is plain that they understood not rightly the nature of his spiritual kingdome and reign ; but had got an opinion of an earthly kingdom for the jews deliverance and exaltation : that christ abideth for ever , joh. 12. 34. in opposition to his heavenly abode was then a common opinion , luke 24. we hoped this had been he that should have redeemed israel : one would have sat on his right hand and another on his left : and they strove who should be greatest , act. 1. lord wilt thou at this thime restore the kingdome to israel ? jeh . 16. when the advocate was to be sent he was to teach them all things , and to testifie of christ , and to convince the world of the sin of their unbelief , and of the righteousness and truth of christ , and of his judgment or kingdome and power , as consisting ( quoad exercitium ) in the debellation or dejection of the kingdome of satan , and destroying the works of the devil . by all which ( and much more ) it appeareth that the apostles , ( though then in a state of justification , ) had a very general and defective knowledge of the office of christ ; and that though his prophetical office was ordinarily believed ( joh. 4. the samaritane woman could say , when the messiah cometh , he will tell us all things ) and a temporal kingdom expected , yet his spiritual kingdom , and especially his priestly office , by his sacrifice , death , resurrection , heavenly intercession ( for all the old types and sacrifices ) was little understood by the disciples . yea , he sometimes sorbad them and others to tell men that he was the christ , because the great evidences of his resurrection , ascension and spirit , by which it was to be evinced , were yet to come . and we believe not that all that were saved before , had more knowledge than the apostles , so that though all the faithful jews believed in the promised seed , even the messiah , as one that was to be sent to be their deliverer and saviour , yet it was by a saith that was very general , and far from that distinctness , which after the resurrection of christ was required , of all to whom the gospel was promuglate , which i have said the more of to you , lest you think that we hold what we do not , and so take occasion to erre by supposing us to err , clemens alexandrinus , justin martyr , arnobius , lactantius . and other old christians do go yet further , then yet i have conceded to you . and our very learned dr. twisse doth argue that god could have saved the world without a redeemer if he had pleased , because he saved the faithful under the old testament without any existent mediator ( except god himself ) or any existent sacrifice or merit or intercssion of him , and because he saveth infants without faith . but for the first i take it to be at best too great temerity or audacity to dispute whether god could have done things better or otherwise , which he has done so well : ( of which i have said more in my premonition before my treatise , called the unreasonableness of infidelity . ( though i know that wallaeus , and many other learned protestants say the same . ) and as for infants they are not saved without the sacrifice , and grace of the redeemer , though they know him not ; nor are they in the covenant without the faith of their parents or owners , which is as their own . and if the spirit of the prorphets be called the spirt of chrict , 1 pet. 1. 11. and the reproach of moses was the reproach of christ heb. 11. 26. we may much more conclude of the ordinary believers before his coming , that christs interest and his spirits operations and help , extended much further than mens understanding of him , his undertaking and his future work . no doubt but the eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that had undertaken mans redemption , and thereupon was our lord redeemer , gave even to socrates , plato , cicero , seneca , antonine , epistotus , plutarch , &c. what light and mercy they had , though they understood not well from whom or upon what grounds they had them . ninethly , and also we hold that the jews were not the whole of gods kingdome or church of redeemed ones in the world ( as i have fully proved elsewhere , ) but that as the govenant was made with all mankind , so amongst them god-had other servants besides the jews ; though it was they that had the extraordinary benediction of being his peculiar sacred people . tenthly , and we hold that as the jews had by promises , prophesies and types , more means to know god and the messiah to come than other nations , so they were answerably obliged to more knowledge and faith than other nations were , that had not , nor could have , their means . if then all the world be under the first covenant of grace , and if you confess this to proceed from the wisdome and goodness of god , and that men are bound so to believe , and if christ since his incarnation hath diminished none of the mercies of god to the world , but rather greatly increased them ; and so where the gospel is not preached , nor cannot be had , they that refuse it not , are in no worse case than they were before , how can you say that they are remediless , if christ be the ransome and remedy ? we know that all men partake of a great deal of mercy from god , after the notorious demerit of their sin . we know that this mercy telleth them aloud , that god dealeth not with them according to the first law of innocency ; they see he pardoneth them , they feel that he pardoneth them in part ; that is , that he useth them not as they deserve . we know that all this mercy obligeth them to hope , that he will yet be further merciful ; and to repentance , obedience , thankfulness and love . we know that the heathen are no left as the divels , without remedy , but all the nations are under divine obligations , to use certain means , which have a tendency to their recovery : and we know that god biddeth no man to use his means in vain . fourthly , let us therefore first debate this case , with any unbeliever that hath your objections , whether you have any fault to find with the christian doctrine of the way of mans salvation , for the first 4000 years , before the incarnation of our lord ? if you have , first , is it with the author ? secondly , or with the terms and conditions of life ? first , the author then was none but god. the eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , wisdome and word , did interpose to prevent the execution of strict justice , by resolving to glorifie love and mercy . do you deny the being of gods eternal wisdome or word ? do you deny him to be god himself ? or a divine subsistence ? & dream that it is but some accident in god ? no ? your fair description of god , p. 210. dischargeth you from the imputation of so gross an error . you will say that the divine power and goodness interposed as well as the divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wisdome and word . true : opera trinitatis ad extra sunt in divisa : but so that each hath an eminency in his own work , though not as separated or a solitary principle or cause . the father and divine vital active power , was eminently glorified in the creation ; the son and divine wisdome is eminently glorified in the making of the remedying medicine ; and the divine love and spirit is eminently glorified in the operation of it , to the health and salvation of the soul. the son , and the wisdome or word doth not finish all the work himself , but with the father and divine power , sendeth the holy spirit , and communicateth to man the love of god. and all together will be glorified in our glorification . secondly , and if it be the terms of life that do offend you . first , it is either the terms of satisfying the justice of god. secondly , or the terms of conveying the benefits to man. first , for the first , there is nothing in it , to give offence . for we dream not of any extrinsecal agent or action ( much less that which was not existent till 4000 years after ) having any proper casuality to change gods mind or will ; the sum of the christian doctrine about the interposition and redemption by the son , for man upon his fall , is but this ; as if god should say i will not destroy or damn sinful man remedilesly , according to the strict termes of the law of innocency which he hath broken ; but will give him a remedying covenant of grace ; because i will in the fulness of time , provide better for the glorifying of my truth and holiness , wisdome and goodness , justice and mercy , than the remediless destruction of mankind would do ; even by the incarnation , doctrine , sacrifice , merits , &c. of the eternal word . ] so that this grand work of god is the cause of his subordinate works : but not the cause of any real ( but only relative or denominative ) mutation in himself . this all sound christians are agreed in ; and can this offend you ? secondly , and for the termes of communication of grace to man , it is either first , the new covenant as a gift of pardon and life , secondly , or the conditions which it requireth of man. first , the former you neither do find fault with nor can do ( that god should give the world a recovering and pardoning law. ) secondly , the second is all that is here liable to your exception . and what do you think amiss in that ? first , not that repentance is one of the conditions of further grace ; for that you plead for . secondly , not that fides in deum misericordem , faith in gods revealed me●cy as pardoning sin , is required of man for that also you plead for . but you would have his goodness and mercy to be a sufficient satisfaction to his justice ? answ . first , i hope you will not exclude his wisdome , because you abhorre atheism as folly . secondly , and i hope you will distinguish between , the prime satisfying cause , and the satisfying means ; these plainly differ . the prime satisfying cause is gods wisdome contriving and determining of the fittest way to communicate his love and spirit . but the prime satisfying means is jesus christ , who was to do that which was fittest to attain the foresaid ends . but that which you will accept against is , that the belief in christs future incarnation was made then necessary to salvation . answ . first , see that you feign not the christian doctrine to say more of this than indeed it doth , which i have opened to you before . i told you how narrow the apostles own faith was before christs resurrection . we know that ●● the believing jews , knew not so much as they , nor so much as the prophets , and more illuminated men : and we know that the rest of the world had not so full a revelation as the jews . but we know that all that had the notice of his promise , were to believe the truth thereof : and those that had not the word of promise made known to them , had the possession of many such mercies as that promise gave , and as intimated much of the same grace which the promise did : thefore none could be bound to lessthan to believe , that god of his mercy would pardon sin and save penitent believers , by such a means of securing the honour of his holiness , truth and justice , as his infinite wisdome should provide . this much you cannot deny . and that the promise of the victorious seed ( though it seem too obscure to bind men to so distinct a faith , as ours is ) was by tradition told to adams posterity , and that they had a general belief of such an expiation for some time , seemeth intimated in the early and almost universal use of sacrificing , of which i shall speak more anon . hitherto then i have vindicated the christian doctrine of mans salvation for the first 4000 years . secondly , and is there any thing since which should make it more offensive to you ? first , as to the person of christ i have said enough in my treatise ( the reason of christian religion . ) verily i think it far harder to confute those that feign all the world to be animated by god as the universal soul , and to conceive how god , who is most intimate to all things , in whom we live , and move and are , should not be as neerly united to all things , as christians believe him to be to the humane nature of christ ( though undoubtedly it is not so ) than that he should have that neer union with his humane nature . secondly , and as to christs work , i have so largely shewed you the necessity , the reasonableness and the harmonical congruities that i will not repeat them . in a word , the new testament is the doctrine of the eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wisdome or word of god incarnate to communicate the divine spirit , and love to man , to be a sacrifice for sin , the conqueror of satan , death and sin , the head over all things to the church , the author of redemption , the grand administrator of the new covenant , the reconciler and restorer of man to god , the teacher , ruler and high preist of the church , in order to this our restoration and salvation . thirdly , but if it be the time of his coming that doth offend you , i have answered that , and further adde . first , what is there in foolish man that should encourage him to dream , that he better knoweth the fittest season for gods works , than god himself . secondly , man was not all the while before , without the benefits of this dedesigned and undertaken redemption : he was still under a covenant of grace . thirdly , consider well that god did not intend to give mankind that had so heinously sinned ( by preferferring the devils word before his , ) a present and a perfect pardon , but onely to give a new law and covenant which should be a conditional gift of pardon , to be obteined in full perfection , in time , and by degrees , we had made our selves voluntarily the slaves of satan : and god would not deliver us all at once . we had forfeited the heavenly assistance of the holy spirit , and god would not give it us all at once . mans time of healing the wounds of his own sin is the time of this life : and the perfect cure will not be done till our entrance into the perfect world . and as it is with individual men , so it is with the world of all mankind . grace mitateth nature and doth all by degrees , darker revelations were meeter for the infancy of the world , and clearer at noon day , and riper knowledge fitter for its maturity . and when satan by divine permission had plai'd his part , and seemed to triumph over the sinful world , it was time for christ to come , by power , wisdom and goodness meanly cloathed to cast down his temples and altars , to subsidue his kingdoms , and to triumph over the triumpher . fourthly , but if it be the present conditions of the new covenant since christs resurrection , that offendeth you , viz , that the world is required to believe in him , i have answered that , and now adde . first , remember what i said before , that no mans condition is made worse by christ , than it was before his incarnation . they that neither have nor could have the covenant of grace in the last edition , are under it as they were before in the first edition , further than as their after sins have deprived them of any of its benefits . therefore the coming of christ hath not narrowed the church , nor repealed or diminished any grace that before was given , but added much more . secondly , when there was more grace to be given , it was needful that the condition should be suited to it . would you rather be without the graces and benefits , than be obliged to believe : would you be cured by one that you would not believe , nor take for your physician ? would you be taught by one that you will not believe or take for your teacher ? would you be ruled by one that you will not believe is your ruler ? iind i have proved to you , that god bideth no man believe either without a meet object , or meet evidence of the credibility , yea the certain verity of that which he is commanded to believe . and the belief required of us , is but a means to our love of god and our belief of the everlasting glory , and consequently is needful to our further duty , to our perfection and our felicity . do you not think your self , that the greatest demonstrations of the divine love , are fittest to breed love in us to god ? and is not this wonderful work of mans redemption a wonderful demonstration of gods love ; if you say that it is incredible because wonderful and incomprehensible , i answer you , it is the more credible because so wonderful . i cannot believe that any thing is a work of god , especially one of his great transcendent works which mortal man can comprehend . the work of the father and of omnipotency in creation is wonderfully ; will you therefore say that there is no world ? the work of the holy ghost in regeneration is wonderful , &c. especially in our perfection in glory . and will you say therefore that there is no sanctification or glorification ? so the work of the son and divine wisdome and word incarnate is wonderful ; and it is the fitter to be thought a work of god. and would you not say your self that if god should send an angel from heaven , to tell you his will , and tell you what is good and evil , and to tell you the certainty of the life to come and the joyes thereof , would it not be a singular help to your belief of all these things revealed , if he did but give you sufficient proof that he is sent of god ? what perversness is it then to quarrel with gods greatest mercy as incredible , meerly because it is wonderful and great , and therefore fit for god to give . thefore observe here the error of those men , that overlook the benefit , and taking all duty for a burden dispute against the necessity of the duty : whereas all our duty is our benefit , like the duty of feasting , rejoycing , receiving money or honour when given us ? and the true state of our question should be , whether all they that by the gospel have the offer of a saviour and salvation , and all those treasures of mercy which are brought to mankind by christ above what they had before his incarnation , are bound to believe that procurement and offer , and to accept so great a gift ? when the same men that question this , can be willing to accept of wealth and honours , without disputing whether they may not live without them , and will say , quis insimentis inops oblatum respuit aurum ? and he that can make a sorry shift with a candle , will not dispute whether it be his duty to open his windows & let in the light of the sun ; it is riches of mercy which all they dispute against , who think they speak against the necessity of some difficult duty . thirdly , and remember again that your self confess an inequality of gods benefits , and that he is not bound to give them to all alike , though there were no inequality of demerit in the receivers , if then he give more to the church by christ incarnate , then he did before his incarnation , or more than he giveth to the world that never hear the gospel , their eye should not be evil because he is good ; much less ours who receive the benefit . fourthly , and i am glad that all that you require of god for all the world , is but that their salvation or damnation may be brought to their own free choice , and not their perdition be a thing unavoidable by gods meer will , without their culpable mischoosing . and all this we maintain as well as you : and you can never prove that the christian religion doth deny it . nay tell me if you can what mercy your doctrine giveth to all the world , which ours giveth them not ? do you say that they are not under the meer law of innocency made with adam , but under the law of grace , which after was given him ? so do we . but you say , that this law of grace is the law of nature ? let not names abuse us : it is not the law of innocent nature : but it is so fitted to mans lapsed state , and doth also so fitly express the gracious nature of god , and also hath such evidences in gods merciful providence and dealing with the sinful world , that in all these respects , if you call it the law of lapsed and reprieved nature under its reparation , we will not contend about the name . but you say that all men may be saved , if they reject not their salvation : so say we , that all should be judged according to that means and law that is given them , their consciences accusing or excusing them in the day when christ shall judge the world , as the gospel telleth us . and none perish now for the meer sin of adam , nor meerly for want of the innocency required by the first law ; but for the refusing and abusing some mercy purchased by christ , which had an apt tendency to their repentance and recovery . but you lay the main stress on this , that all men may be saved by true saith in god and true repentance without believing in a crucified christ . and we say that no man in the world shall perish that hath true faith in god and true repentance ; for all such do love god as god , and do devote themselves to his glory , to obedience and love : and do hate sin as sin ; and so are holy . and god cannot cast that soul into hell that loveth him and beareth his image . holiness hath so much of god and heaven in it , that this would be to cast heaven and gods image into hell , and to jumble heaven and hell together . do we not then grant you as much as you can reasonably desire . tell us but what heathens or mahometans are holy , truly penitent for all sin , and devoted to god in obedience and love , and we will grant you that they shall all be saved . but you were ware that we would tell you that this repentance and holiness is not a thing , which sinful man is so easily brought to : and therefore the question must be , whether really these heathens do truly repent and love god as god or not ? answ . first , here you may perceive that though before you did but require that salvation be brought down to the sinners choice , yet now that will not serve the turn : yea , though faith in god , and true repentance were the terms that you were satisfied should be imposed on all , yet now you are loth to stand to that , unless we grant that all these men have the power so to beleive and repent . well if by power you mean a natural faculty we grant that they have the power of intellection and uolition . and if it be the object that is in question , we grant that the object of that faith and repentance which you mention your self is certain and existent ; and if it be the evidence of the object that is in question , we grant that the being , power , wisdome , goodness , holiness , truth , justice and mercy of god , are revealed to manking , by an evidence sufficient in its kin , if their souls be but rightly disposed to receive it : and that sin to be repented of , is discernable in themselves is doubtless . amyraldus largely laboureth to prove , that as god bindeth no man to natural impossibilities , that is , to any act without , first , a faculty that can do it . secondly , an object . thirdly , evidence of that object ( as not to see . first , without an eye , secondly , that which is not in being , thirdly , or that which is a thousand miles off , or in the dark , without light ) so that all heathens have first the natural faculty , secondly , an object which would save them if truly believed in and loved ; that is , god : thirdly , a revelation of this object : and that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is such an object as would procure their felicity if duly apprehended . see also mr. trumans treatise of natural and moral impotency . but indeed when all is done , the wit of man that is offended with god , as if he gave not all men a power to be saved , will not be satisfied if that be granted , unless also he actually save them . should we grant you all the rest , if some yet are damned , when god could have saved them , it will not satisfie them that will be above god , and will judge their judge . but because you seem satisfied with less , suppose all the question come to this , whether or no those that never had the gospei , do ever come without it to true faith in god , and true repentance and so to be saved ? answ . first , and when we have granted you what you first desired , that none perish but those that are willfully impenitent and believe not truly in god , why must the controversie be carried to mens hearts , and acts . i can read gods law , but i cannot know or read the hearts of millions whom i never saw . must i be obliged to know the thoughts of every man in china , tartary , japan , or the antipodes ? secondly , what number is it that you put the question of , and whose repentance you assert ? is it all or but some ? if all , he must be mad that believeth it , that all men are true penitent belivers in god. if but some , first , would not your wit quarrel still with god for damning all the rest ? secondly , and must it be the greater part or the lesser ? or would you know on what number or where to find satisfaction ? and what have we to do to judge anothers servants : to their own master they stand or fall . secondly , and methinks you should easily grant at least , first , that repentance and holiness is far easier to them that have the gospel , than to them that never heard it . secondly , and that they are far more common . and so that far more christians are holy and saved than of others . for , first , tell me ; if god should send an angel from heaven as aforesaid , with miraculous evidence of his mission , to call men to repentance and belief in god , and glory , would it not be easier for those men to repent , than for others ? nay would not you the easilier believe in christ your self if you had but such an angel to confirm you ? why then should not the word of christ , who by his miracles , resurrection and the donation of such a spirit to his servants , proved his mission from the father , be a help to our faith and repentance . especially when his word hath a self evidencing light also in the image and superscription of god upon it . secondly , you will not deny but that the difference of common lower means , doth make repentance much easier or harder to one than another . take one man that is born in brasile or soldania or among any other savage people ; or that is bred up in a tavern , ale-house or whore-house , or gaming house , among those that make a scorn of godliness ; and take another that is bred up to learning , labour and godliness , among them that by doctrine and example do honour and command a godly , righteous , sober life . and hath not one of these abundance more hinderances to his repentance than the other . thirdly , and will not sense and experience make you certain that the christian part of the world , hath more such helps than all the rest . is there not more reason , learning , sobriety , doctrine , all sorts of teaching there than among the rest . were it but that christianity hath furnished the world with more helps to repentance and holiness , the case were clear . fourthly , and a little acquaintance with the world , and the history of it , may fully satisfie you , that de facto , there are actually far more knowing , penitent , holy persons among christians than among any others . when therefore the fact it self is undeniable , and we see that more souls are healed by christ in the church , than in the world without , what need we any greater evidence . and if there were no more in it than this , that the actual knowledge or belief of christ incarnate , doth make so great an addition to the helps and hopes of sinners , and maketh conversion from sin to god , and salvation so much more easie and common ( as aquinas cont. gent. argueth should not this be received with the greatest thankfulness , rather than with unreverent arrogant contradiction . but i proceed to overthrow your fundamental error [ that repentance alone with the mercy of god is a sufficient satisfaction for our sins to divine justice . ] first , if it be but proved that de facto god hath required and provided another sacrifice for satisfaction , then you cannot call repentance alone sufficient . but this is proved fully . secondly , if the great work of our redemption by christ , have all those blessed ends , tendencies and effects and bring all those benefits to mankind , which in the treat forementioned i proved ; if it was so actual a demonstration of gods wisdom and love , of his holiness and truth , his justice and mercy as is there manifested and proved ; if it have brought men such helps to repentance and holiness as are forementioned , how perverse will it be then to say that our repentance was sufficient without , the sacrifice and merit and intercession and administration which did procure and behow it : how absurd is it to say that the cure of our disease is sufficient for us , without the physician , the medicine , the apothecary , the application , which we see by certain experience are the things that work this cure. and which you your self cannot deny but that they effect this cure ( of repentance or holiness ) far more easily and commonly than it is ever wrought without them ? ( nay it is certain that the grace of christ , is absolutely necessary to repentance and holiness in any one in the world , ( whatsoever be thought of the necessity of the knowledge of christ incarnate . ) ii. quest . whether the notitiae communes be not many more than this learned and noble writer doth enumerate , viz. first , that there is one onely god at least supreme ( whom he very well describeth by his attributes . ) secondly , that this god is to be worshipped , and prayed to , ( religion being ultima hominis differentia pag. 214 ) . thirdly , that the due conformity of our faculties ( that is their holiness and rectitude ) is the chief part of gods worship ; especially gratitude , fourthly , that all vices and crimes must be expiated by repentance . fifthly , that after this life there is another life of rewards and punishment . answ . all these are excellent concessions , as being not onely truths , but such notitiae communes without which a man is scarce a man , but unman'd . except that the fourth doth erroneously assert the foredisproved sufficient satisfactoriness in our repentance . and that this is not a notitia communis , i further thus manifest . first , by all humane laws and justice . no king will make such a law as this [ let all the subjects be traytors , murderers , oppressors , perjured , never so long , and repent at any time before they die , and all shall be forgiven ] meer repentance will not save such persons from the gallows . secondly , and as to more private justice , no man giveth his children and servants such a law [ disobey me , burn my house , seek my death , and do all the mischief you can , and repent at last , and you shall be forgiven ] therefore meer repentance is not sufficient satisfaction , according to the notitiae communes of mankind . thirdly , the reason of the thing doth prove it ; because it is not sufficient to secure the ends of government , should such a law alone be made , ( that men shall be forgiven all the villanies of their lives , if they will but repent at last . ) first , it would encourage the most in the world to live in all manner of wickedness : if the hearts of men are fully set in them to do evil , because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed but delayed ; how much more , if they were sure it should never be executed ? secondly , the laws and lawgiver would be contemned , and lose their ruling power . thirdly , the common good would be prostituted , and cast away utterly , and no man should live in safety and peace , because of the dominion of wickedness . object . doth not christianity then introduce these evils , which giveth pardon to all the penitent ? answ . no : first , because that only christianity doth acquaint us of a further satisfaction to justice than mans repentance , by which all these ends of government , may be obtained better than by our perdition . secondly , because it giveth us no assurance of life and time of repentance , but calleth us to be alwaies penitent and ready . thirdly , because it telleth us of the blindness of the mind , the power of sin , and hardness of the heart , by which repentance becometh so great and hard a work , that without gods grace it will not be done ; and his grace is to be diligently sought in the use of means ; and is so little at our command , as that the resisting of the holy ghost , may cause us to be forsaken of god , and given over to our own hearts lusts , to walk in our own counsells , psal . 81. 11 , 12. fourthly , because god doth not totally and perfectly pardon all sin , when he doth pardon the everlasting punishment ( though some in their ignorance will say so and revile those that will not be as ignorant . ) he pardoneth not temporal chastisements and death : he remitteth not the sad penalties of a temporary and partial desertion by his spirit ; horrours of conscience and fears of hell. he remitteth not the temporal punishment by magistrates , but commandeth justice to be done even on the penitent , even to the loss of life it self . fifthly , and his mercy is so great , that through christ he will forgive the eternal punishment , and will judge men as he findeth them , and not as they have been , before conversion : so that without christ you cannot imagine how god should neither send one to hell or misery that loveth him , and hath his image ; nor yet expose his government , laws , and the common good to so much mischief , as the proclamation of a pardon to all villanies that are but repented of at last ( alone ) would cause . object . but if the king must not save a traitor or murderer because christ died and satisfied for him , why should you say that god doth so . answ . first , because christs sacrifice and merits , were not to satisfie the king , but god. secondly , because that god who is satisfied by them , hath told us how far and with what exceptions he is satisfied : not so far as to excuse men from the laws of men , or temporal justice , chastisement or death ; but to save them from everlasting misery , and procure them everlasting happiness , and to sanctifie their unremitted castigatory penalties , to the furtherance of these ends . and that there are more notitiae communes about religion than the five forenamed is easily manifested . it is as common a truth that all men are sinful and depraved even from the first ( however it came to pass ) that they are indisposed to the certain duties and ends , which their nature was formed for . that god is the universal governour of man , by moral means ; that he is just and true , that god only can make known to us , what is pleasing to himself and what reward or punishment he will retribute , that mans darkness is so great , that he learneth all this from nature alone , with great imperfection , doubtfulness and dissatisfaction : that therefore a further supernatural revelation , which is sure would be a great confirmation and satisfaction to mans minds . and therefore almost all the world do hearken after oracles , prophecies , visions or some such further revelation , as conscious of the unsatisfactoriness of their natural light . that all gods revelations are certainly true . that whatever revelation hath first , on the doctrine of it , no contradiction to natural truth , but the clear impress of divine power , wisdom and goodness as its self evidence . secondly , and maketh the same impress by divine co-operation on mans souls in sanctifying them . thirdly , and was attested by a multitude of evident uncontrolled miracles , ( resurrection , raising the dead ; giving to multitudes a spirit of miracles , &c. ) this revelation hath gods seal and witness , and can be from none but god. these and many more which i have recited in my treat . are naturally known verities : as you very well confess all the ten commandements to be ( going a little further than i see my self , while you make one day in seven as separated to gods worship to be such , of which ellewhere i have delivered my mind , how far it is a natural or supernatural notice . ) iii quest . whether the notitiae communes are the only certainties in religion ? answ . no : can you possibly deny all certainty of discourse and conclusions , ex vero nil nisi verum sequitur . will you condemn the judge as condemning a malefactor upon uncertainty , when he thus argueth . all wilful murderers must be put to death , this is certain in the law. this man is a wilful murderer . ( proved certainly by confession , evidence and witness ) therefore this man must be put to death : so i argue ( what ever doctrine is attested by a multitude of certain uncontrouled miracles , and by the divine impress on it self , and the divine image wrought by it on all ; that truly receive it , is attested by god himself , and is certainly true . but the doctrine of christianity was so attested : ergo it is attested by god himself and true . the major is a notitia communis , or naturally known truth . the minor was known by sense it self to the first witnesses ; ( and that was as natural a notice as any man is capable of , and as sure ( whatever the papists say against it for transubstantiation : ) nothing can be sure , if all sound mens senses with their just objects and conditions , are not sure in their perceptions ) and how sure the distant believers are i have largely opened in the treatise : therefore the conclusion must be sure . object . but ( say the misinformed unbelievers ) that which all mankind believeth or knoweth hath its evidence in nature it self , but beliefs of pretended revelations , oracles and visions are as various as countries almost , and therefore uncertain . answ . first , to the last part first i answer , in your converse with men , you will think him unnatural , unsociable , mad , that will either believe all things or believe nothing . there is credible truth , and there is incredible falshood : and will you beleive that either god saith all that every lyar fathereth on him , or else that he never revealeth his will to mankind any otherwise than by his common works . when god hath made a revelation of his will to the world , the devils usual way of hindring the beleif of it is by imitation , and by putting such names and colours on falshood ( by false prophets ) as god doth on the truth : shall we therefore conclude that either all or none is the word of god. or that god saith not true unless the devil say true also . secondly , and will you mark the gross error of such reasoners about the notitiae communes . first , it is certain that no actual knowledge ( conceptive or intellectual verity ) is born in man , infants know not these common . notions at all . as the eye is not born with the actual species of all things afterward seen , but only with a seeing , power and disposition ; so these are called common notions , because mans intellect is so able and disposed to know them , as that they will be known easily upon the first due evidence or notification of the object , and therefore almost all men know them . secondly , it is certain that this knowing faculty in man ( as this noble lord saith ) requireth its proper conditions for its true apprehension of the object . now some mens understandings have the help of these conditions far more than others have ( he nameth to you the conditions himself . ) thirdly , it is certain that the understanding performs not all its apprehensions at once or at first , but by degrees and in time as the objects are duly presented . as an infant seeth not the first day all that ever he must see ; nor a schollar learneth not the first day all that he must learn. fourthly , it is certain that the latter apprehensions are as sure , if not more clear then the first : as he that lived twenty years at home , and afterward travelleth to london , doth as certainly then see london as before he did his fathers house ; so a schollar doth afterward as certainly understand horace , virgil or homer , as at first he understood his primmer . fifthly , it is certain that as particular notices are multiplied quod actus in time by use and information , so the knowing disposition of the faculty is increased : and the notice of a thousand truths doth so advance the understanding , and befreind other truths not yet received , that such a man can know more afterward in a day , than an ignorant man can learn in a year . sixthly , by all which it is a most evident thing , that to make common notions to be the only certainties , is a weakness below a rational man : and it is to make the intellect of an infant to be the standard or measure of all certain intellectual verities , and to make the schollar even before he goeth to school as wise ( as to certainties ) as his master and to make a new born child to have seen as many objects as drake , or de noort , or sandys , or ludovics romanus in all his travels . in a word the notitiae communes being the very lowest degree of knowledge are thus equalled with the wisdom of the greatest philosopher or divine or judge : was this learned lord when he wrote this book sure of nothing , but these common notions i● religion . seventhly , to which i might add that even in mens natural capacities , there is a wonderful difference : as ideots know little , so dullards not much : and must the wisest go no higher than these . eighthly , and will lawyers , statesmen , physicians , philosophers , make this consent of all mankind , the test of all their certainties ? if not , why should we do so in our search after the greatest verities , which are most worthy of all the study of our lives . nothing visible is so analogous to mans soul as fire . the nature of which is to be ever of an active illuminative and calefactive faculty ; but doth exetcise it in such various degrees as the fuel doth occasion . there is fire in a flint or steel , yea in all things : but is it the best way to know what fire is and can do , by judging of it onely as it is in a stone ? no : but take your steel and strike the flint , and adde the combustible fuel , and that which is in a stone can set a city on fire ? and nil agit quod agere non potest , whatever act is produced , proveth an antecedent power . so if you would judge what mans soul is , and can do , and what truth is in the intellect , it is not in fools but in the wise that you must discern it . and by this those may see their errour , who are tempted to think that mans soul is but highly sensitive and imaginative , or not made for heavenly and holy employments , because so many ignorant and wicked people are otherwise disposed : whereas the power and so the nature of mans soul is certainly gathered from what the wisest do attain : because nothing can act beyond its power : and if the attainments and acts of some mens souls do prove such a power in them , all souls of men are of the same species , and therefore the rest might attain it if they had the same objects , evidences , excitations and improvements . i think all this is plain truth . ninethly , and if by believing you will heartily give up your souls to christ and his spirit , you will find that there is yet a more excellent addition of knowledg and certainty to be obtained than by all other means could be procured : at least , as to the intension and clearness of the act , if not as to the extension of it to more objects . iv. quest . whether the aforesaid common notices do make up all the religion of the catholick church ? and whether the catholick church be all the world believing these common truths . answ . the question is either de nomine ecclesiae , or de re . as to the name , the word is not used in gods word for any but the society of believers as separated from the unbelieving and ungodly world . as for men themselves , every one may use this and other words in what sence he please . but how aptly you may judge . quoad rem , i have told you before , how far all the world are capable of salvation , if that be the question . and i adde , the kingdome of god is a word of a larger sense , but the church of god properly so called is narrower , being caetus evocatus . the kingdom of god signifieth , first , all that de jure are obliged to subjection and obedience ; and so all mankind on earth are of his kingdome , even rebels . secondly , or it signifieth all that consent to subjection and obedience and profess it : and these are first , such as profess subjection to god under some lame , defective , false conception ; ( as one that alloweth them to worship idols under him , or to live in wickedness , or one that governeth not the world by a law , or will not make a retribution hereafter , or as one that will pardon and save men , onely for their superstition or without a saviour ) and thus allmost all heathens and infidels are of gods consenting kingdome , secundum quid , eatenus , so far as this cometh to , and no more : secondly , or such as profess subjection , and love to god as truly described ; and as reconciled to man and saving them by christ our mediator : and these are quoad actum first , but oral or unsound , not cordial professors ; and such are hypocritical christians , who are simpliciter of the visible church . secondly , or sincere consenters , who are simpliciter of the essential mystical church of the regenerate . now when we thus open the case as to the thing , there remaineth , besides the controversie de nomine , no more than how far heathens are under a covenant of grace , and how far they are capable of salvation , of which i have said enough before . v. quest . whether all revelation for religion must be but notitiarum communium symbolum , a creed containing these common notices or truths . ( as is asserted p. 221. ) answ . i have said enough against this before . first ; what need god send a prophet or an angel to tell the world that which they all knew certainly before ? secondly , full existence assureth us ( as i have proved in the treat . ) that mankind hath need of more . thirdly , more tendeth to perfect mans understanding , and consequently his will and life : this is undeniable . and mans perfection is his felicity and end : and therefore more than those common notices is needful to his end . fourthly , else as is said , you will reduce all the world to the measure of that part which is the lowest , the unwisest and the worst . you would not in wealth or health be equalled with the basest poorest or the sickest : nor yet in wit and knowledg of other matters with the most foolish : and why then in the knowledg , love and practice of holiness ? vi. quest . whether ( as some others say ) all supernatural revelations be to be tryed by the common notions known by nature . answ . first , it is supposed that all that pretend to prophesie and revelation are not to be believed : and therefore that we must try the spirits whether they be of god ; and that all tryal of things unknown , must be made by some foreacknowledged principles , if it be a conclusion that must be known . secondly , it must therefore next be understood , whether the truth of the gospel be to be known as a simple term , or a self evident proposition , or as a true conclusion . first , the first kind of knowledge onely apprehendeth the words and sense ; but not the verity . it is the truth of the doctrine that we enquire of . secondly , many divines assert the second way , and say it is principium indemonstrabile ; like [ est vel non est : ] doubtless this is not true as to the natural evidence of the proposition , principle or doctrine . but i think that in the very hearing or reading gods spirit often so concurreth , as that the will it self shall be touched with an internal gust or savour of the goodness contained in the doctrine , and at the same time the understanding with an internal irradiation , which breedeth such a sudden apprehension of the verity of it , as nature giveth men of natural principles . and i am perswaded that this increased by more experience , and love and inward gusts , doth hold most christians faster to christ , than naked reasoning could do : and were it not for this unlearned ignorant persons , were still in danger of apostasie , by every subtile caviller that assaulteth them . and i believe that all true christians have this kind of internal knowledge , from a suitableness of the truth and goodness of the gospel to their now quickned , illuminated sanctified souls . thirdly , but yet i believe that this is not all the knowledge of the truth of the gospel which we have : there is a common belief of its truth by other means which most usually goeth before this generative spiritual reception and belief ; usually they that are converted to holiness by the gospel are such as had some belief of it before , and not such as took it to be false to that moment . and after conversion , it is to be known as a certain demonstrable conclusion ; and so the faith of wise and settled christians is most rational : and they are thus made capable to defend it against temptations and adversaries , and to preach it rightly to unbelievers . thirdly , the premises from which this conclusion is proved [ the gospel is true ] are both of them truths of infallible evidence , viz. [ whatsoever doctrine is attested by so many and such miracles extrinsecally , by the self-evidencing impress of divine power wisdome and goodness intrinsecally , and by the effecting the like impression in holy life , light and love on the souls of all sincere receivers , is certainly true , being attested by the spirit of god : but such is the doctrine of the gospel : ergo it is true as attested by the spirit of god. i said before the first is a natural verity ; the second proposition is partly of sense and partly of internal and partly external experience , as is largely manifested . now as to the question , first , no doubt but our natural faculties must be used in trying supernatural truth . secondly , no doubt he that disputeth with or preacheth to an unbeliever so as to prove what he delivereth to be true , must deal with him upon some common principles which both parties are agreed in ; or else there is no room for proof or for dispute . thirdly , but some persons are so ignorant of those certain principles which infer the truth of gospel revelation , that they have need first to be convinced of them : which must be done by inferring them from the first truths or some principles which they do confess . fourthly , and as a man would convince others , by the same method and arguing he must convince himself , and try the truth which he is in doubt of . fifthly , but if any should mean. first , that nothing is true in the gospel but these common principles of nature . secondly , or that nothing else can be proved true : thirdly , or that it would prove any pretended prophesie , vision or revelation true , so be it they do not contradict the common truths ; all these are palpable untruths . vii . quest . whether these common verities inferre not the truth of christianity . answ . this is sufficiently answered in the last . perhaps the few verities mentioned by the author are not enough to prove christianity by : but that it hath true evidence in sense and reason is manifested heretofore . and i believe that he that will by just argumentation follow on the christian cause with an unbeliever , if he can hold him to the point from rambling , and suppose him capable of historical evidence , may drive him to yield , or to deny common principles , yea to deny that god is god , and that man is man , and consequently that there is any being . but the evasion will be by denying notorious matter of fact , which therefore must be proved by its proper evidence . ix . quest . whether they are necessary conditions of the certain knowledge of a divine revelation . first , that it be made immediately to my self . secondly , and that i feel a divine afflatus in the reception ? as is said page . answ . no : a revelation made to others , may be certainly notified to me , else if an angel from heaven should appear to all men in the town and country save one , or if all save one saw a thousand miracles to confirm a revelation , yet that one could not be sure of it . but i have by abundance of arguments in a peculiar disputation in a treatise called the unreasonableness of unbelief , long ago fully proved the negative ; and again in my reas . of the christian relig. therefore i will not weary the reader with repetions . x. quest . whether any concurrence of moral evidence , at least such as gospel revelation hath , do truly amount to natural or certain evidence ? de rev. & verisim . answ. this question too i have plainly decided in the reas . of christian relig. i now add . first , the name of moral evidence is here taken by those that use it , for that which dependeth on the credit of a voluntary agent as such : and the name of natural evidence , signifieth that which dependeth on the nature of the object in it self considered . but i somewhat doubt whether all that use the distinction do commonly understand the difference , or what they say . secondly , note that the all or effect of a voluntary agent , hath nevertheless a natural evidence when it is done or existent . if i voluntarily speak or write or go , my action is naturally evident to those that see and hear it , as present sensitive witnesses of it . if i freely build a house , it is nevertheless naturally evident when it is built : al things existent in the universe were made by god as a free agent , and yet are nevertheless naturally evident . thirdly , every thing that is , when it is , ( if corporeal ) is naturally evident to those that have their faculties in those conditions that are necessary , and have the object in its necessary magnitude , cognation , detection , site , distance , medium and abode . fourthly , the judgement that is made upon sense it self faileth ( as this noble author hath well opened ) when either the object , the evidence the sense or the intellect want their necessary conditions or qualifications ; else not . fifthly , the fountain of all freedome and morality is the will of god : and yet the moral evidence of truth which is in gods word , when known to be his word , is as sure as any natural evidence of the thing : there being the surest natural evidence ab effect is at least that there is a god most perfect , that cannot lie . sixthly , the essences of all things are but imperfectly evident to us ; the existences of corporeal things that are present and duly qualified , are fully evident . the existence of things absent beyond the reach of sense , is evident only to the discursive intellect ; not by the immediate natural evidence of the things themselves , but by a borrowed evidence from causes or signes ; discourse improving the fundamental common truths , for the knowing of the rest , by proving a certain connexion between them . the praterition of things , and the futurition , are both like the distant existence , unknown to sense , and the immediate apprehension of the intellect ; and therefore must both be known also by collection as conclusions in discourse , or not at all . seventhly , man was not born to know only things present in their existence by sense , but also to know things absent , things as past , and things as future . and herein he chiesly differeth from a bruit . eighthly , though the understanding is most confident of things sensible & present , yet about things absent , past and future it oft doubteth more and is less satisfied in its own conclusions from natural principles , than from moral . because sometimes the natural principles themselves ( though not the first , yet the second , or third ) may be so obscure as to leave the mind unsatisfied . secondly , and the connexion among many particulars may be obscure and doubtful . thirdly , and in the long series of collection or arguing , the understanding suspecteth its own fallibility : so that when conclusions are far fetcht , though from natural principles , the mind may be still in doubt about them . and on the contrary when in the way of revelation the grounds are clear , and the understanding hath fewer collections to make and a shorter journey to go , it may be far better satisfied of the truth . ninthly , man 's own necessity is the reason why god doth give us supernatural revelation , and call us to know by the way of believing . for , first , most men are naturally dull . secondly , few have leisure by learning to improve their intellects . thirdly , and fewer have leisure & disposition to exercise them by long searches & argumentation upon every thing that they should know . fourthly , and therefore where revelation was not , few were wise or virtuous ; and the philosophers themselves were all to pieces among themselves , and their disagreements and doubtfulness tended to the gulfe of utter scepticisme . now as nothing is more necessary than religion ( as you well profess ) so religion consisteth very little in the sensible apprehension of of present existences , but in the knowledge of things absent or insensible things past , and especially things to come , the happiness to be attained , and the misery to be escaped . now if all the poor unlearned men and women in the world must have known all these things only by natural discourse , how little religion would have been in the world , when the philosophers knew so little themselves . and though your learning and understanding made the immortality of the soul so clear to you and the rewards and punishments of another life , as that you number it with the common notices ; yet were not the old philosophers themselves , so commonly agreed on it as they should have been ; much less all the common people . and if you say that now almost all the world believeth it , i answer it is gods great mercy that it is so . but consider whether it be not more by the way of believing , than of naturall instinct or knowledge . for all the christians , and all the mahometans ( who believe the words of moses and christ also ) take it by the way of believing . and so do most of the heathens : the japonians have their amida and zaca : the chinenses , the indians , the siamenses the peguans , &c. have all their prophets : and the very savages of all the west-indies ( or america ) have their idols , oracles or wizards , whom they far more depend on than their natural discourse about things invisible , past or future . so that really if commonuess go with you for a proof that any point is of natural instinct and certainty as a notitia communis , this will be one of the chiefest of them , that [ religion consisting in the notice of , and due respect to things absent , invisible , past and future ; is to be maintained in the world by divine revelation and faith , and not by the immediate evidence of things , nor by meer discursive collections from things so evident . ] so that mans weakness with the quality of the objects maketh revelation so necessary , that without it , the vulgar ( who are the main body of the world ) would have next to no religion ; and on the contrary how easie and pleasant , and satisfactory is it for all these poor people ( yea to the most learned ) to have these mysterious truths brought by revelation to their hands . now through gods mercy , all our common people , women and children , servants and day-labourers , may know more with ease , than ever democritus , epicurus , antisthenes , zeno , yea socrates , plato or aristotle could reach by all their studies to the last : more i say of religious necessary knowledge . tenthly , and this being so necessary and so great a mercy to mankind , i wonder that you put it not among your common notices , that god being perfect in love and wisdom , and having made man purposely to be religious , here , and happy hereafter , will certainly provide for his religion and happiness , so necessary and so excellent a means as revelation is , god being the father and lover of light and of souls , and the devil being the prince and friend of darkness ; consider whether you may not strongly infer from the very nature of god , and the nature and necessity of man , and the other communications of gods mercies to the world , that he will certainly give them this great mercy also . eleventhly , it is certain that god hath ways of communicating light to mans understanding immediately and not only by extrinsick sensible objects . the father of spirits who communicateth so much to the corporeal world , is not further from souls , nor more out of love with them ; but ( if there be any difference ) may rather be thought to hold a neerer more immediate communion with them than with bodies , and to be himself to the mind , what the sun is to the eye , and more . twelfthly , it is certain that god can give the standers by that have no revelation immediately themselves a fully satisfactory attestation or proof , of the truth of another mans revelations . he that denyeth this , maketh god to be impotent . thirteenthly , it is certain that the attestation which i described in the reasons of christian religion was such ( supposing that such were given , viz. in the antecedent testimony of fulfilled prophesie , the constitutive testimony of gods spirit apparent in the effects on christ ; person and on his gospel , and the concomitant testimony of all his miracles and resurrection and ascension . and the subsequent testimony of the spirit , on the apostles , their miracles and doctrine , and on the souls of all serious christians to the worlds end ) these are things ( set all together ) first , which none but god could do . secondly , and which god would not do to deceive the world ; thirdly , yea , which god would not permit to be done to deceive them in so high a matter ; because he is the omnipotent , omniscient , gracious governour of the world ; and if these testimonies were not of god , it were impossible to know any testimony to be of god ; and seeing w●●● have no surer , it would be mans duty to believe and obey and be ruled by a lie. and if it be our duty to believe god to be so defective either in power , wisdome or goodnesse , holinesse , truth , justice or mercy as to rule the world , and the best of the world in the greatest matters , by lying and deceit , as if he wanted better means : what wit can devise any remedy against such deceit as shall be so attested as aforesaid ? or if deceit can be perceived , how can it be mans duty to believe it , seeing mans intellect is naturally made for truth , and abhorreth falshood ? and how can it be good to obey deceit and lyes ? and when the devil is the father of lies , what blasphemy is it to charge them on god ? by this it will be apparent , that the question must be in the upshot , whether there be a god or no god ? and so whether there be any thing or nothing ? fourteenthly , there is some moral historical evidence of the truth of things past , which is as certain , and much more satisfactory than the natural evidence of conclusions , raised by a long series of argumentation : yea , some which is truly a natural evidence though it depend on the credit of free agents . the proof and reasons i have given in the treat . first , the will though free is quaedam natura , and hath its natural propensity to known good , as the understanding also is , and hath its natural propensity to truth . and the understanding is not free , of it self , but acteth per modum naturae . secondly , there are some of the acts of the will it self , which are so free as yet to be necessary . as to will good sub ratione boni ; to will our own felicity , and nill our own misery ; to will life and pleasure , with a simple complacency , though not alwaies by election : to will all that is fully discerned to have omnimodam rationem boni , and nill all that is discerned to have omnimodam rationem mali : now it oft falls out that historical narratives shall proceed from some of these necessary acts . salvation , life and goodness and the necessary means of all , may be the motives . thirdly , there are other acts of the will which though they are not absolutely necessary , are yet so neer to necessary , that they alwaies go one way , except in some very rare extraordinary case . as for example , it is not of absolute necessity that a man feed or cloath himself , or that he murder not himself : but yet he will ordinarily do the first and forbear the latter , because he is necessarily a lover of himself , and life , and therefore will not cast himself away , nor destroy himself , without some conceived cause . fourthly , there are no causes extant in rerum natura for the commonness of some such actions : therefore it is certain they will not be done , because there can be no effect without its cause ; and the turning of the will to a mans known corporeal destruction is an effect which hath no common cause . therefore it is a point of more natural evidence and certainty , than many conclusions from natural premises are , that all the people of europe or england will not to morrow kill themselves , nor go naked , nor famish or wound themselves , &c. and consequently that formerly all never did so , since it was notoriously so much their interest to do otherwise . for , there was no cause to produce such an effect . if it must be a miracle rebus sic stantibus , which should make all the europeans or the english to go naked to morrow , or to kill themselves , than it is natural to them to do the contrary , or not to do this ( for a miracle is the over-powering of nature . ) but the antecedent is evident , to reason , from experience . ergo , &c. there may be causes for one mans actions , which can never fall out to all , or to very many . all the physicians in england never did perswade all men against physick , nor all the lawyers against law ; nor all the covetous men in england , the labourers or beggars , were never against recieving meat , drink and money ; because there never was a cause of such effects : and as it must be a great , powerful , common cause , that must do this : so also if the question be whether ever there were a parliament in england ? whether ever they made laws with the kings ? whether our statutes were made by such kings and parliaments as they are ascribed to , &c. there is such a concurrent consent of competent witnesses , as could not be to it , were it false , because it would be an effect without a sufficient cause . yea , against the tendency or disposition of mans nature which would have caused the wills of some to contradict it , except a miracle had hindred them . for among so many there are cross interest notorious . some mens interest is against the thing , while other mens are for it : and to make multitudes go against their apparent interest , and friends and enemies of the event to agree , must be done by the power of truth , or by a miracle : suposing the case such as they could not be all deceived in . fifteenthly , but there is yet a fuller natural evidence of the truth of some reports ; even when besides the report , there remain some visible unimitable effects of the reported actions , which could be caused by nothing else . as if their fathers told the grand-children of noah of the deluge , they might see such effects of it as might assure them that it was true . if the parents of the man born blind , joh. 9. were told by him that his eyes were cured , when they saw it in the effects they must believe it : if uncontroulled history tell our children that london was burnt and new built , that pauls church was burnt , &c. that multitudes died of the plague the year before , &c. when they see the city , the church , the graves , the change of inhabitants , the proved testaments of the deceased , besides uncontradicted testimony here is a natural evidence to assure it . sixteenthly , though some half witted philosophers boast much of the certainty of their physicks in comparison of morality , the truth is , the most of physicks are meer untainties , and the wisest see it , and busily pull down others doctrines , but confess they are yet but searching and groping by extrinsick effects and experiments to know what to set up in the stead : and so did others before them : and long may they so search before they find . whereas there is a more satisfying evidence in much of morality , as being natural to mankind , and such as will no sooner cease to be believed than man will cease to be man : whereon all the affairs of the world are turned , and converse , societies , and all the private comforts of nature are maintained : god hath made known to us what pleased him , according to his own wisdome and not at our direction or choice . and he hath chosen that for us which is most usefull : it is more usefull to us to know how to live well , and how to be happy , and how to please and glorifie god and do good to one another , than to know gods skil or mysteries in his workes ; to know what is in the center of the earth , or how the active nature doth operate on the passive , whether cold be a privation or positive , what is the cause of the continued motus projectorum ? whether light and heat be bodies ? or substances ? whether they penetrate other bodies ? &c. as it is more useful for me to know how to keep my clock in order than how to make one ; to know how to plow , sow , eat , drink to my health , than to know by what mysterious operations , the corn or other things do grow , and my food is digested , &c. therefore this learned lord doth truly and wisely enumerate his notitiae communes in morality and religion as certainties , the denial whereof doth unman us . god hath left such instincts , powers , inclinations , and conscience in humane nature , as shall naturally ( though with some degree of freedome in the exercise ) be an insuperable witness in the world to himself , and to our common principles and duties . seventeenthly , the historical evidence of the gospel of christ is such as hath all the advantages before described , in its kind . he lived and preached and wrought his miracles frequently , before thousands , friends and foes : his miracles were never controlled as moses did the magicians , by greater , nor by any certain truth which they contradicted : the eye witnesses themselves were unbelieving till forced by cogent evidence : they delivered his doctrine , miracles , resurrection to the world , not onely by credible report , and to the ruine of their worldly pleasures and interests , with the loss of their lives , and all this meerly for the hopes of a reward in heaven , from god that well knew whether all were true or not ; but also they did all in the power of the same spirit which christ did work by , doing such miracles as christ had done : and this not a few nor in a corner but in many countries of the world , and that by many thousand christians in one kind or other ( tongues , healing , prophecie , or the like ) as well as the apostles . the certainty of which fact is attested by the very existence of all the churches converted by it , with all their baptismes , professions and the rest of the tradition before named . no christian of all this multitude , by any terrours , death , time , was brought to the last to repent and say that he had deceived the world by a lie , many apostates falling off for fear of sufferings , but none with any such recantation : no adversary confuting the history , but commonly confessing most of it with more such evidence which i have open'd in the treat . and must not oft repeat lest i be tedious , and that which is still the natural evidence is , that [ there is still existent , first , on the sacred gospel , secondly , on the souls and lives of all serious christians by its impress the unimitable image of the divine power , wisdome and goodness , life , light and love , as the divine attestation ] only as this noble author requireth to all true conceptions and intellections , so do we to this , that there be but the necessary conditions in the mind of the receiver . and whereas he saith that commonly miracles are reported a hundred years after ; here it was otherwise : the jews were enraged by them for fear of the romans ! the apostles and others wrought them openly ; matthew and john that wrote christs history lived with him and saw what they wrote : so did peter and james : paul wrote what he saw and heard from heaven , luke wrote the acts of paul which he saw , being his companion in travels . the thousands were converted , and churches in many countries planted , not by bare words , but by the conviction of the miracles of the apostles themselves : so that every church and christian was a history of them . and all this they were moved to , with the hopes of heaven , where truth is known , to deny the world , and mortifie the flesh , and suffer whatever the gospel would inflict , to preserve their hopes and comforts founded in this word of faith . xi . quest . whether the common custome of sacrificing throughout the world in all generations , were not their actual confession that the sinner deserved death , and that gods justice required punishment of satisfaction ? and proceeded not from divine revelation in the beginning , when god had new made the covenant of grace ? and so was delivered down by tradition ? for my part it cannot come into my understanding , why else men should think that god is pleased or appeased by the creatures death ? or how this should become so common throughout the world . and the two exceptions confirm this to be truth : first , some savages in america use no sacrifices : but they are such as know not god , or so savage as to have lost all antient tradition . secondly , all the mahometans and christians use no bloody sacrifice . but that is because , first , christians believe that sacrifices were but types of christ and that he put an end to them by his perfect sacrifice . 2dly , and mahometans received it from christ , being but christians degenerate first into arrians , and then into mahometans , and still professing to take christ for the word and son of god , and his word as true : onely hating the christians for saying that he is very god. but of this instead of writing after so many , i only refer you to their writings : and specially to dr. owens latine tractate on this subject . xii . whether interest make the judgment of divines in the cause of faith more suspicious or contemptible than other mens ? i put this question with respect to those words in the preface . sed neque auspicaciores ubique posterioris istius seculi scriptores dicendi sunt — fit ita ut pro regionum & fidei diversitate in id potissimum incumbant , ne illos domi male multet inopia , adeoque non tam quid in se verum , quam quid sibi ipsis utile exquirant . — non est igitur a larvato aliquo vel stipendioso scriptore , ut verum consummatum opperiaris . illorum apprime interest , ne personam deponant , vel aliter quidem sentiant . ingenuus & sui arbitrii , ista solummodo praestabit author . answ . first , it is not to be denyed , that there are multitudes of such carnal pastors in the churches , that are christians for the case , honour and wealth . secondly , but that this should be so with all , i shall disprove , and prove that none on earth are so credible in this case as divines . first , because they have made it the business of their lives to search out the truth : and therefore ( some of them ) must be supposed to have the greatest advantages to know it . so that for ability they have no sort of men that are competitors . for diligence and helps are the improvers of understanding . and all men are found best at their own profession ; lawyers in the law , physicians in medicine , philosophers in philosophy , &c. and for your self , your next words are , [ nobis tamen ad alia omnia fere quam literarum studia ( uti oportuit ) exequenda , otium fuit : partim armis in diversis regionibus , partim quinquennali legatione , partim negotiis tum publicis tum privatis , vacavimus ] and is not this your disadvantage ? who is a good linguist , lawyer , physician , &c. that hath had but little leisure for his studies ? secondly , and as for will and interest , it is notorious that thousands of the ministry have so little set by worldly interest , as that it is upon the terms of greatest self-denyal to the flesh , that they take up and exercise their office ; being moved onely by the great interest of their own and others souls : their voluntary diligent labours , their holy lives , their contempt of the world , may convince any of this , that are not blinded by prejudice or malice . there are few learned men in the reformed churches , but might far better use their studies and labours , if they took that for best which is most profitable , advancing or pleasing to the flesh . thirdly , you had a brother of your own , so holy a man , as his sincerity was past exception ; and so zealous in his sacred ministry , as shewed he did not dissemble ; and i suppose had it been necessary , you would have so maintained him , that he should not have fled from truth for fear of poverty . fourthly , what can you think of all those that gave up their lives for the christian saith and hopes ? did they go upon such carnal grounds as you mention . fifthly , the revolutions of states , and the diversity of sentiments , and especially the interests of the carnal part , do bring it to pass ( by gods over-ruling of all ) that usually the most serious christians and pastors , are the sufferers of the age they live in : so that how much hath god done hereby to confute such suspicions and accusations ! there are now in england learned and worthy men , in church preferments , which doubtless do not so love them as to buy them with the loss of truth , and that to keep up a religion against their consciences . but if you did so accuse them , sure the many hundred silenced ministers now in england that live in poverty , and many of them want bread , when they might have preferment as well as others , do live out of the reach of this accusation : i write not this at all as meddling with their cause , but as answering your exception . i have my self got no more for preaching the gospel these nine years , than if i had been a lay-man ; i mean i have preached for nothing , if the success on mens souls were not something , and gods acceptance ( so far as i did preach : ) and more than that , i would offer any man my solemnest oath to satisfie him , that i believe and profess the christian doctrine for its proper evidence , and for the hopes of the blessedness promised thereby ; which if they prevailed not with me above all the riches , preferments and pleasures of this world , i would never have been a preacher or a christian , nor would continue in my calling and profession one day , much less on the self-denying terms as i now do . but , o my lord , thou hast been to me a faithful saviour , a happy teacher , a supporting comforter , in my greatest dangers , distress and fears : thy service hath been sweet and good ! thy word hath been a powerful light , a quickening , a changing , an elevating , a guiding , a comforting word . so far am i from repenting that i am thy disciple or thy servant , that ( now i am not far from my departure from this world ) i do vehemently protest , that i beg no greater mercy of thee in this world than that i may believe in thee more firmly , and hope in thy promises more confidently , and by thine intercession receive more of thy holy spirit , by which i may have neerer access to god , and that by thy blood and merits i may be justified and cleansed from the guilt of all my sins , and that by thee i may be taught to know the father , and to love him as his love and goodness hath manifested it self in thee , and in the gracious works of mans redemption ; that thou wilt be the undertaker for my soul and body , through my life , and that at death i may commend my spirit into thy hands , in a strong well grounded faith and hope and come to the in the fervent desire of divine and heavenly love and i ask for no greater felicity hereafter , than to be with thee where thou art , to behold thy glory , and to see the glory of the blessed deity , and live in the perfect knowledge and love and praise of god. sixthly , and i may add , that it is not only clergy men that are christians : besides them the learned'st men in the world have defended or stuck to the christian faith : i need not name to you either men of your own rank , such as the two mirandula's , the great du plessis , marnixius de aldeg●nde , anhaltinus , ( a prince though a divine , ) bacon , and many a worthy noble man of these kingdoms , and of many other : nor such laymen as the scaligers , salmasius , grotius , causobone , thuanus , and multitudes more . were all these larvati vel palliati by assed by price or fleshly interest ? he that is not a christian for spiritual and eternal interest , taking up his cross and following a crucified christ , on terms of self-denial , even to the forsaking of all for him , not excepting life it self , and doth not by his cross even crucifie the flesh and the world , which is the provision for its lusts , is indeed no real christian at all . i had thought to have said somewhat to your pag. 220 , 221. [ in omni religione , immo & conscientia , sive ex natura sive ex gratia , media sufficientia dari unde deo accepti esse possint , ultro credimus — ] but i have been long enough , and the answer may be gathered from what is said before . the lord save this land and the darker world from infidelity and its fruits ; and give us mo●●●f that spirit which is christs agent and witness in us , effectually to plead and maintain his cause , amen . jan. 16. 1672. caes . baronius annal. ad an. 411. but because we are discoursing of such matters , reader i intreat thee to suffer me , like the good householder in the gospel , who bringeth out of his treasurie things new and old , to adde some things new ( or later ) to these of elder date : for what i shall briefly say will much delight thee . for i will not report unproved things , but what i know to be confirmed by the assertion of very many learned men , yea , and by all religious men out told the people in their sermons : and for my part i will bring forth the author of whom i received it , and that is , michael mercatus miniatensis ppronotory of the s. r. church , a man of most entire fidelity and of eminent knowledge and honesty of life : he told me of his grandfather of the same name with himself , michael mercatus senior , between whom and marsilius ficinus a man of a most noble wit , there was an intimate friendship , contracted and increased by philosophical studies , in which they both were followers of plato . it happened on a time that as they used , they were gathering from plato ( but not without doubting ) how much or what of man remained after death ; which platonick documents where they failed , were to be under-propt by the sacraments of the christian faith : ( for of that argument , there is extant a learned epistle of marsilius to this michael mercatus , of the immortality of the soul & god. ) and in their discourse when they had long disputed , they thus concluded it ; and giving each other their right hands , they covenanted , that which ever of them first died , if he could do it , he should certifie the other of the state of the other life . and having thus covenanted and sworn to each other , they departed : and after a considerable space of time , it fell out , that michael senior , being early in the morning at his philosophical studies , unexpectedly he heard the noise of a horse swiftly running , and stopping at his door , and withall the voice of marsilius crying out [ o michael , o michael , those things are true . ] michael marvelling at the voice of his friend , rose up and opening the window , he saw him whom he heard , with his back toward him , in white , riding away on a white horse , and called after him , marsilius , marsilius , and looked after him , but he vanished from his sight . he being struck with admiration at the strangeness of the case , took care to enquire what was become of marsilius , ( he lived in florence where he died ) and found that he died that same hour in which he heard and saw him : and what did he hereupon ? though he had been a man of approved honesty , and had lived a life harmless and profitable to all ( as it became a true philosopher ) yet from that time , bidding farewell to philosophical disciplines , and becoming a forward lover ( or follower ) of the true christian philosophy onely , as more eminent than the rest , he lived the rest of his time as dead to the world , onely for ( or to ) the life to come ; being an example of a most absolute christian , who before had been famous among the philosophers of his time in praise , as second unto none . so far baronius ; the same is reported by abundance of other writers . finis . errata . page 1. l. penult . for were read was . p. 23. l. 2. r. indic . p. 30. l. 10. r. adapted . p. 64. l. 7 , 8. r. same apparition ; p. 117. l. 15. r. treat . l. 27. r. bestow . p. 123. l. 23. r. mens . p. 149. l. 16. r. end . ) p. 157. l. 20. for ls . r. is . monthly preparations for the holy communion by r.b. ; to which is added suitable meditations before, in, and after receiving ; with divine hymns in common tunes, fitted for publick congregations or private families. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1696 approx. 216 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 103 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26957 wing b1310 estc r5693 12319856 ocm 12319856 59454 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26957) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59454) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 201:10) monthly preparations for the holy communion by r.b. ; to which is added suitable meditations before, in, and after receiving ; with divine hymns in common tunes, fitted for publick congregations or private families. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [11], 172, [6] p. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1696. attributed to richard baxter. cf. bm. "preface to the reader" signed: matthew sylvester. advertisement: p. 172-[6] at end. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng lord's supper -miscellanea. lord's supper -meditations. hymns, english. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-10 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion monthly preparations for the holy communion , by r. b. to which is added suitable meditations before , in , and after receiving . with divine hymns , in common tunes ; fitted for publick congregations , or private families . london ; printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible & three crowns , the lower end of cheapside . 1696. the preface to the reader . sacramental work is solemn work indeed : and all those helps are valuable and desirable , whereby the furniture of our minds , the temper of our hearts , and the conduct of our lives may be answerable to the solemnity of a sacramental table . a mind that is barren or perplext ; an heart that is false or stupid ; and the conscience of a disordered conversation , are bad companions to attend us to the holy supper of our lord. the lord's body is to be discerned , his death shewed forth , his tender'd self and benefits received , and his next coming seriously thought on , and throughly prepared for , and joyfully expected by us ; and all this is to be influenced and actuated by this memorial which christ hath left with us : such helps as these , are the more useful by being brief , if brevity do not render them defective and obscure , as here i think they will not . no directory can be better than the institution , if well discerned and attended to . i. the memorable person is the lord jesus , in his perfections , relations , and designs . here therefore let him be considered , 1. as man , to render him capable of sufferings , service , and contending with that enemy of god and man , who once deceived and enslaved us . 2. as the son of man , the chief of humane race , for tryals , faithfulness and advancement . 3. as the son of god , as essentially and most intimately one with god ; as lord of the universe , head over all things to his church , and of the church it self . the brightness of his fathers glory , the one mediator ; and so god's way to man , and man's way to god ; and one deputed to undertake and perfect our conduct , government , and salvation . ii. his sufferings are the things here next to be commemorated . great were his tryals , from god , from hell , and from this world. with great composedness and gallantry of spirit did he endure them , and work his passage through them to that exalted state , wherein he had so much to do with god for us : in all these and in his preparations for them , doth he appear most exemplary to us , claiming and urging our conformity to his obedient , submissive , and resolved self . and in his meritorious sufferings and expiatory death , must we discern and think severely on , what there and thence was evident ; viz. gods wisdom , majesty , holiness , and his governing justice , and prerogatives ; the sinfulness of sin , the misery of revolted man , the equity and power of god's violated law ; and the eminence of the divine above the animal life , nature , and concerns . iii. our interest in , and benefit by these his sufferings , are next to exercise our thoughts . he died to let us see , 1. how glorious a god we have to do with . 2 what wise and righteous constitutions we had violated . 3. what dreadful evils we had brought upon our selves . 4. what spirit , strength and reach there is in divine threatnings . 5. how hard it is to be recovered , when we are faln from god , and so what an enemy satan is to man ; and how unwilling to let his captives go . 6. to shew us the riches of god's grace in him , and his own dignity ; in that his sufferings could , and did , merit and obtain of god our pardon , adoption acceptance , and eternal bliss through him . 7. to raise and cherish holy endeavours to return to god in hope . 8. to make us dread the thoughts of ever falling off from god again . 9. to justifie our claims to all the benefits of our gospel-state and day . 10. to obtain of god for us the spirit and means of grace , thereby to fit us for our present work and trials in this our probationary state , and to suit and bring us to his father and himself in glory , and that with universul satisfaction , and advantage , and applause . 11. to put himself into a capacity of interceding for us in heaven , and blessing us from heaven as our high-priest upon his throne . 12. to put us into , and to keep us in a covenant-state and frame , that thus we may deal and walk with god , as children , as interested in his son , as inhabited and actuated by his spirit , and as united with all the family of god and christ , in the same principles , practices , concerns , and hopes , in order to the exercises of all the sympathies and services of mutually christian love , ephes . iv . v. 1-6 . iv. our commemoration of christ thus represented to us , as upon the cross , and as determining to come again , is our next work . 1. the sacramental elements , and the observed institution , is the memorial . 2. the remembrance contains , 1. head-work , in discerning , remembring and believing the sacramental doctrine of this supper to be true , and of great consequence to us : christ crucified , and determining to come again . 2. heart-work , in forming the temper , purposes , hopes and comforts of our hearts unto what this supper imports , and our acceptance of what is tendered here ; and our obliging our selves to do and be as christ would have us . 3. life-work ; in keeping up our christian practice and profession as we are here directed and obliged to ; for a more full account whereof , and greater fitness for it , thou art commended to this helpful treatise , by thine to his poor power for christ , matthew sylvester . feb. 3. 1695 / 6. a monthly preparation for our holy communion with christ and his church , in the lord's supper . this is a holy feast that is purposely provided by the king of saints , for the entertainment of his family ; for the refreshing of the weary , and the making glad the mournful soul. the night before his bitter death , he instituted this sacramental feast ; he caused his disciples to sit down with him , and when they had partaked of the passover , the sacrament of promise , and had their taste of the old wine , he giveth them the new , even the sacrament of the better covenant , and of the fuller gospel-grace : he teacheth them that his death is life to them : and that which is his bitterest suffering , is their feast : and his sorrows are their joyes ; as our sinful pleasures were his sorrows . the slain lamb of god our passover that was sacrificed for us , that taketh away the sins of the world , was the pleasant food ; which sacramentally he himself then delivered to them , and substantially the next day offered for them . the bread of god is he which cometh down from heaven , and giveth life unto the world , john 6. 33. he is the living bread which came down from heaven : if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever : and the bread which he giveth is his flesh which he hath given for the life of the world . verse 50 , 51. except we eat the flesh of the son of man , and drink his blood , we have no life in us : whoso eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood , hath eternal life , and he will raise him up at the last day : for his flesh is meat indeed , and his blood is drink indeed : he that eateth his flesh , and drinketh his blood , dwelleth in christ , and christ in him : as the living father hath sent the son , and he liveth by the father , so he that eateth him , shall live by him . this is that bread that came down from heaven : not as the fathers did eat manna and are dead : he that eateth this bread shall live for ever . i shall here only give you some brief directions for your private duty herein . direct . 1. understand well the proper ends , to which this sacrament was instituted by christ ; and take heed that you use it not to ends , for which it never was appointed . the true ends are these , 1. to be a solemn commemoration of the death and passion of jesus christ , mat. 26. 28. mar. 14. 24. luke 22. 20. to keep it , as it were , in the eye of the church , in his bodily absence till he come , 1 cor. 11. 24 , 25 , 26. 2. to be a solemn renewing of the holy covenant which was first entred in baptism , between christ and the receiver ; and in that covenant it is on christ's part , a solemn delivery of himself first , and with himself the benefits of pardon , reconciliation , adoption , and right to life eternal . heb. 9. 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. 1 cor. 10. 16 , 24. and on mans part , it is our solemn acceptance of christ with his benefits , upon his terms , and a delivering up our selves to him , as his redeemed ones , even to the father as our reconciled father , and to the son as our lord and saviour , and to the holy spirit as our sanctifier , with professed thankfulness for so great a benefit . 3. it is appointed to be a lively objective means , by which the spirit of christ should work to stir up and exercise , and increase the repentance , faith , desire , love , hope , joy , thankfulness , and new-obedience of believers ; by a lively representation of the evil of sin , the infinite love of god in christ , the firmness of the covenant or promise , the greatness and sureness of the mercy given , and the blessedness purchased and promised to us , and the great obligations that are laid upon us . and that herein believers might be solemnly called out to the most serious exercise of all these graces , 1 cor. 11. 27 , 28 , 29 , 31. 1 cor. 10. 16 , 17 , 21. 1 cor. 11. 25 , 26. 2 cor. 6. 4. and might be provoked and assisted to stir up themselves to this communion with god in christ , & to pray for more as through a sacrificed christ . 4. it is appointed to be the solemn profession of believers , of their faith , and love , and gratitude , and obedience to god the father , son and holy ghost , and of continuing firm in the christian religion . and a badge of the church before the world. acts 2. 42 , 46. & 20. 7. 5. and it is appointed to be a sign and means of the unity , love , and communion of saints , and their readiness to communicate to each other . the false mistaken ends , which you must avoid , are these . 1. you must not with the papists , think that the end of it is to turn bread into no bread , and wine into no wine , and to make them really the true body and blood of jesus christ . for if sense ( which telleth all men that it is still bread and wine ) be not to be believed , then we cannot believe that ever there was a gospel , or an apostle , or a pope , or a man , or any thing in the world. and the apostle expresly calleth it bread three times , in three verses together , after the consecration , 1 cor. 11. 26 , 27 , 28. and he telleth us , that the use of it is ( not to make the lords body really present , but ) to shew the lords death till he come ; that is , as a visible representing and commemorating sign , to be instead of the bodily presence till he come . 2. nor must you with the papists use this sacrament to sacrifice christ again really unto the father , to propitiate him for the quick and dead , and ease souls in purgatory , and deliver them out of it . for christ having died once dieth no more , and without killing him , there is no sacrificing him : by once offering up himself , he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified ; and now there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin : having finished the sacrificing work on earth , he is now passed into the heavens , to appear before god for his redeemed ones . ro. 6. 9. 1 cor. 15. 3. 2 cor. 5. 14 , 15. heb. 9. 26. and 10. 12 , 26. and 9. 24. 3. nor is it any better than odious impiety to receive the sacrament , to confirm some confederacies or oaths of secresie , for rebellions or other unlawful designs ; as the powder-plotters in england did . 4. nor is it any other than impious prophanation of these sacred mysteries for the priest to constrain or suffer notoriously ignorant , and ungodly persons , to receive them , either to make themselves believe that they are indeed the children of god , or to be a means which ungodly men should use to make them godly ; or , which infidels or impenitent persons must use to help them to repentance and faith in christ . for though there is that in it which may become a means of their conversion , ( as a thief that stealeth a bible or sermon book , may be converted by it , ) yet is it not to be used by the receiver to that end . for that were to tell god a lie , as the means of their conversion ; for whosoever cometh to receive a setled pardon , doth thereby profess repentance , as also by the words adjoyned he must do ; and whosoever taketh , and eateth , and drinketh the bread and wine , doth actually profess thereby , that he taketh and applieth christ himself by faith : and therefore , if he do neither of these , he lieth openly to god ; and lies and false covenants are not the appointed means of conversion . not that the minister is a lier in his delivery of it : for he doth but conditionally seal and deliver gods covenant and benefits to the receiver , to be his , if he truly repent and believe : but the receiver himself lieth , if he do not actually repent and believe , as he there professeth to do . 5. also it is an impious prophanation of the sacrament , if any priest for the love of filthy lucre , shall give it to those that ought not to receive it , that he may have his fees or offerings ; or , that the priest may have so much money that is bequeathed for the saying a mass for such or such a soul. 6. and it is odious prophanation of the sacrament , to use it as a league or bond of faction , to gather persons in to the party , and tie them fast to it , that they may depend upon the priest , and his faction and inerest may thereby be strengthned , and he may seem to have many followers . 7. and it is a dangerous abuse of it , to receive it , that you may be pardoned , or sanctified , or saved , barely by the work done , or by the outward exercise alone . as if god were there obliged to give you grace , while you strive not with your own hearts , to stir them up to love , or desire , or faith , or obedience , by the means that are before you ; or as if god would pardon and save you for eating so much bread and drinking so much wine , when the canon biddeth you ; or , as if the sacrament conveyed grace , like as charms are supposed to work , by saying over so many words . 8. lastly , it is no appointed end of this sacrament , that the receiver thereby profess himself certain of the sincerity of his own repentance and faith : ( for it is not managed on the ground of such certainty only by the receiver ; much less by the minister that delivereth it . ) but only he professeth that as far as he can discern by observing his own heart , he is truly willing to have christ , and his benefits on the terms that they are offered ; and that he doth consent to the covenant which he is there to renew . think not therefore , that the sacrament is instituted for any of these ( mistaken ) ends . direct . 2. distinctly understand the parts of the sacrament , that you may distinctly use them , and not do , you know not what . this sacrament containeth these three parts . 1. the consecration of the bread and wine , which maketh it the representative body and blood of christ . 2. the representation and commemoration of the sacrifice of christ . 3. the communion : or , communication by christ , and reception by the people . 1. in the consecration , the church doth first offer the creatures of bread and wine , to be accepted of god , to this sacred use : and god accepteth them , and blesseth them to this use ; which he signifieth both by the words of his own institution , and by the action of his ministers , and their benidiction . they being the agents of god to the people , in this accepting and blessing , as they are the agents of the people to god , in offering or dedicating the creatures to this use . 2. this consecration having a special respect to god the father , in it we acknowledge his three grand relations . 1. that he is the creator , and so the owner of all the creatures ; for we offer them to him as his own . 2. that he is our righteous governor , whose law it was , that adam and we have broken , and who required satisfaction , and hath received the sacrifice and atonement , and hath dispensed with the strict and proper execution of that law ; and will rule us hereafter by the law of grace . 3. that he is our father or benefactor who hath freely given us a redeemer , and the covenant of grace , whose love and favor we have forfeited by sin , but desire & hope to be reconciled by christ . 3. as christ himself was incarnate and true christ , before he was sacrificed to god , and was sacrificed to god , before that sacrifice be communicated for life and nourishment to souls : so in the sacrament , consecration must first make the creature to be the flesh and blood of christ representative ; and then the sacrificing of that flesh and blood must be represented and commemorated ; and then the sacrificed flesh and blood communicated to the receivers for their spiritual life . ii. the commemoration chiefly ( but not only ) respecteth god the son : for he hath ordained , that these consecrated representations should in their manner and measure , supply the room of his bodily presence ; while his body is in heaven : and that thus as it were in effigy , in representation , he might be still crucified before the churches eyes ; and they might be affected , as if they had seen him on the cross . and that by faith and prayer , they might , as it were , offer him up to god , that is , might shew the father that sacrifice once made for sin , in which they trust ; and for which it is , that they expect all the acceptance of their persons with god , and hope for audience when they beg for mercy , and offer up prayer or praise to him . iii. in the communication , though the sacrament have respect to the father , as the principal giver ; and to the son as both the gift and giver ; yet hath it a special respect to the holy ghost , as being that spirit given in the flesh and blood , which quickeneth souls ; without which , the flesh will profit nothing : and whose operations must convey and apply christs saving benefits to us . john 6. 63. & 7. 39. these three being the parts of the sacrament in whole , as comprehending that sacred action and participation which is essential to it . the material parts , called the relate and correlate , are . 1. substantial and qualitative . 2. active and passive . 1. the first are the bread and wine as signs , and the body and blood of christ , with his graces and benefits , as the things signified and given . the second are the actions of breaking , pouring out , and delivering on the ministers part , ( after the conscration ) and the taking , eating , and drinking , by the receivers , as the sign : and the signified is , the crucifying or sacrificing of christ , and the delivering himself with his benefits to the believer , and the receivers thankful accepting , and using the said gift . to these add the relative form , and the ends , and you have the definition of this sacrament . direct . 3. look upon the minister as the agent or officer of christ , who is commissioned by him to seal and deliver to you the covenant and its benefits : and take the bread and wine , as if you heard christ himself saying to you , take my body and blood , and the pardon , and grace which is thereby purchased . it is a great help in the application , to have mercy and pardon brought us by the hand of a commissioned officer of christ . direct . 4. in your preparation before-hand , take heed of these two extreams . 1. that you come not prophanely and carelesly , with common hearts , as to a common work : for god will be sanctified in them that draw near to him , levit. 10. 3. and they that eat and drink unworthily , not discerning the lords body from common bread ; but eating as if it were a common meal , do eat death to themselves , instead of life . 2. take heed lest your mistakes of the nature of this sacrament , should possess you with such fears of unworthy receiving , and the following dangers , as may quite discompose , and unfit your souls for the joyful exercises of faith , and love , and praise , and thanksgiving , to which you are invited . many that are scrupulous of receiving it in any , save a feasting gesture , are too little careful and scrupulous of receiving it in any , save a feasting frame of mind . the first extream is caused by prophanness and negligence , or by gross ignorance of the nature of the sacramental work . the latter extream is frequently caused as followeth ; 1. by setting this sacrament at a greater distance from other parts of god's worship , than there is cause : so that the excess of reverence doth overwhelm the minds of some with terrors . 2. by studying more the terrible words of eating and drinking damnation to themselves , if they do it unworthily , than all the expressions of love and mercy , which that blessed feast is furnished with . so that when the viewes of infinite love should ravish them , they are studying wrath and vengeance to terrifie them , as if they came to moses , and not to christ . 3. by not understanding what maketh a receiver worthy or unworthy , but taking their unwilling infirmities for condemning unworthiness . 4. by receiving it so seldom , as to make it strange to them , and increase their fear , whereas , if it were administred every lords day , as it was in the primitve churches , it would better acquaint them with it , and cure that fear that cometh from strangeness . 5. by imagining , that none that want assurance of their own sincerity , can receive in faith. 6. by contracting an ill habit of mistaken religiousness , placing it all in poring on themselves , and mourning for their corruptions , and not in studying the love of god in christ , and living in the daily praises of his name , and joyful thanksgiving for his exceeding mercies . 7. and if besides all these the body contract a weak or timorous melancholly distemper , it will leave the mind capable of almost nothing , but fear and trouble , even in the sweetest works . from many such causes it cometh to pass , that the sacrament of the lords supper is become more terrible , and uncomfortable to abundance of such distempered christians , than any other ordinance of god ; & that which should most comfort them doth trouble them most . quest . 1. but is not this sacrament more holy and dreadful , and should it not have more preparation , than other parts of worship ? answ . for the degree indeed , it should have very careful preparation : and we cannot well compare it with other parts of worship ; as praise , thanksgiving , covenanting with god , prayer , &c. because that all these other parts are here comprised and performed . but doubtless , god must also be sanctified in all his other worship , and his name must not be taken in vain . and when this sacrament was received every lords day , and often in the week besides , christians were supposed to live continually in a state of general preparation , and not to be so far from a due particular preparation , as many poor christians think they are . quest . 2. how often should the sacrament be now administred , that it neither grow into contempt nor strangeness ? answ . ordinarily in well displined churches it should be still every lord's day . for , 1. we have no reason to prove , that the apostles example and appointment in this case , was proper to those times , any more than that praise and thanksgiving daily is proper to them : and we may as well deny the obligation of other institutions or apostolical orders as that . 2. it is a part of the settled order for the lords day's worship : and omitting it , maimeth and altereth the worship for the day ; and occasioneth the omission of the thanksgiving and praise , and lively commemorations of christ , which should be then most performed : and so christians by use , grow habited to sadness , and a mourning melancholly religion , and grow unacquainted with much of the worship and spirit of the gospel . 3. hereby the papists lamentable corruptions of this ordinance have grown up , even by an excess of reverence and fear , which seldom receiving doth increase ; till they are come to worship bread as their god. 4. by seldom communicating , men are seduced to think all proper communion of churches lieth in that sacrament , and to be more prophanely bold in abusing many other parts of worship . 5. there are better means ( by teaching and discipline ) to keep the sacrament from contempt , than the omitting or displacing of it . 6. every lord's day is no oftener than christians need it . 7. the frequency will teach them to live prepared , and not only to make much ado once a month or quarter , when the same work is neglected all the year beside ; even as one that liveth in continual expectation of death , will live in continual preparation : when he that expecteth it but in some grievous sickness , will then be frightned into some seeming preparations , which are not the habit of his soul , but laid by again when the disease is over . 2. but yet i must add , that in some indisciplined churches , and upon some occasions it may be longer omitted , or seldomer used ; no duty is a duty at all ●imes : and therefore extraordinary cases may raise such impediments , as may hinder us a long time from this , and many other priviledges . but the ordinary faultness of our imperfect hearts , that are apt ●o grow customary and dull , is no good reason why it should be seldom ; any more than why other special duties of worship and church-communion should be seldom . read well the epistle of paul to the corinthians , and you will find that the● were then as bad as the true christians ●re now , and that even in this sacrament they were very culpable ; and yet paul seeketh not to cure them by their seldomer communicating . q 3. are all the members of the visible church to be admitted to this sacrament ? or communicate ? answ . all are not to seek it , or to take it , because many may know their own unfitness , when the church or pastors know it not : but all that come and seek it , are to be admitted by the pastors , except such children , idiots , ignorant persons , or heriticks , as know not what they are to receive and do ; and such as are notoriously wicked or scandalous , and have not manifested their repentance . but then it is presupposed , that none should be numbred with the adult members of the church but those that have personally owned their baptismal covenant , by a credible profession of true christianity . quest . 4. may a man that hath knowledge , and civility , and common gifts , come and take this sacrament , if he know that he is yet void of true repentance , and other saving grace ? answ . no ; for he then knoweth himself to be one that is uncapable of it in his present state . quest . 5. may an ungodly man receive this sacrament , who knoweth not himself to be ungodly ? answ . no ; for he ought to know it ; and his sinful ignorance of his own condition , will not make his sin to be his duty ; nor excuse his other faults before god. quest . 6. must a sincere christian receive , that is uncertain of his sincerity , and in continual doubting ? answ . two preparations are necessary to this sacrament ; the general preparation , which is a state of grace , and this the doubting christian hath ; and the particular preparation , which consisteth in his present actual fitness : and all the question is of this . and to know this , you must further distinguish , between immediate duty and more remote ; and between the degrees of doubtfulness in christians . 1. the nearest immediate duty of the doubting christian is , to use the means to have his doubts resolved , till te know his case ; and then his next duty is , to receive the sacrament ; and both these still remain his duty , to be performed in this order : and if he say , i cannot be resolved , when i have done my best . yet certainly it is some sin of his own , that keepeth him in the dark , and hindereth his assurance ; and therefore duty ceaseth not to be duty : the law of christ still obligeth him , both to get assurance , and to receive ; and the want both of the knowledge of his state , and of receiving the sacrament , are his continual sin , if he lie in it never so long through these scruples , though it be an infirmity that god will not condemn him for . ( for he is supposed to be in a state of grace . ) but you will say , what if still he cannot be resolved whether he have true faith and repentance , or not ? what should he do while he is in doubt ? i answer , it is one thing to ask , what is his duty in this case ? and another thing to ask , which is the smaller or less dangerous sin ? still his duty is both to get the knowledge of his heart , and to communicate : but while he sinneth ( through infirmity ) in the failing of the first , were he better also omit the other , or not ? to be well resolved of that , you must discern , 1. whether his judgment of himself , do rather incline to think and hope that he is sincere in his repentance and faith , or , that he is not ? 2. and whether the consequents are like to be good or bad to him . if his hopes that he is sincere , be as great or greater than his fears of the contrary , then there is no such ill consequent to be feared as may hinder his communicating ; but it is his best way to do it , and wait on god in the use of his ordinance . but if the perswasion of his gracelesness be greater than the hopes of his sincerity , then he must observe how he is like to be affected , if he do communicate . if he find that he is like to clear up his mind , aed increase his hopes by the actuating of his grace , he is yet best to go : but if he find that his heart is like to be over whelmed with horror and sunk into despair , by running into the supposed guilt of unworthy receiving , then it will be worse to do it , than to omit it . many such fearful christians i have known , that are fain many years to absent themselves from the sacrament ; because if they should receive it while they are perswaded of their utter unworthiness , they would be swallowed up of desperation , and think that they had taken their own damnatioa , ( as the twenty fifth article of the church of england saith , the unworthy receivers do . ) so that the chief sin of such a doubting receiver , is not that he receiveth though he doubt ; for doubting will not excuse us for the sinful omission of a duty ( no more of this than of prayer or thanksgiving : ) but only prudence requireth such a one to forbear that , which through his own distemper would be a means of his despair and ruine : as that physick or food ( how good soever ) is not to be taken which would kill the taker : gods ordinances are not appointed for our destruction , but for our edification ; and so must be used as tendeth thereunto . yet to those christians , who are in this case , and dare not communicate , i must put this question , how dare you so long refuse it ? he that consenteth to the covenant , may boldly come and signifie his consent , and receive the sealed covenant of god ; for consent is your preparation , or the necessary condition of your right : if you consent not , you refuse all the mercy of the covenant . and dare you live in such a state ? suppose a pardon be offered to a condemned thief , but so , that if he after cast it in the dirt , or turn traytor , he shall die a sorer death ; will he rather chuse to die than take it , and say , i am afraid i shall abuse it ? to refuse gods covenant is certain death ; but to consent is your preparation and your life . quest . 7. wherein lieth the sin of an hypocrite , and ungodly person , if he do receive ? answ . his sin is , 1. in lying and hypocrisie ; in that he professeth to repent unfeignedly of his sin , and to be resolved for a holy life , and to believe in christ , and to accept him on his covenant-terms , and to give up himself to god , as his father , his saviour , and his sanctifier , and to forsake the flesh , the world , and the devil ; when indeed , he never did any of this , but secretly abhorreth it at his heart , and will not be perswaded to it : and so all this profession , and his very covenanting it self , and his receiving , as it is a professing-covenanting-sign , is nothing but a very lie . and what it is to lie to the holy ghost , the case of ananias and sapphira telleth us . 2. it is usurpation to come and lay claim to those benefits , which he hath no title to . 3. it is a prophanation of these holy mysteries , to be thus used ; and it is a taking of gods name in vain , who is a jealous god , and will be sanctified of all that draw near unto him . 4. and it is a wrong to the church of god , & the communion of saints , & the honour of the christian religion , that such ungodly hypocrites intrude as members : as it is to the kings army , when the enemies spies creep in amongst them ; or to his marriage-feast to have a guest in rags . mat. 22. 11 , 12. object . but it is no lie , because they think they say true in their profession . answ . that is through their sinful negligence and self-deceit : and he is a lier that speaks a falshood , which he may and ought to know to be a falshood , though he do not know it . there is a lier in rashness and negligence , as well as of set purpose . quest . 8 : doth all unworthy receiving make a man liable to damnation ? or , what unworthiness is it that is so threatned ? answ . there are three sorts of unworthiness ( or unfitness ) and three sorts of judgment answerably to be feared . 1. there is the utter unworthiness of an infidel , or impenitent , ungodly hypocrite . and damnation to hell fire , is the punishment that such must expect , if conversion prevent it not . 2. there is an unworthiness through some great and scandalous crime , which a regenerate person falleth into ; and this should stop him from the sacrament for a time , till he have repented and cast away his sin : and if he come before he rise from his fall by a particular repentance , ( as the corinthians that sinned in the very use of the sacrament it self ) they may expect some notable temporal judgment at the present ; ( and if repentance didnot prevent it , they might fear eternal punishment . ) 3. there is that measure of unworthiness which consisteth in the ordinary infirmities of a saint ; and this should not at all deter them from the sacrament , because it is accompanied with a greater worthiness ; yea , though their weakness appear in the time and manner of their receiving : but yet ordinary corrections may follow these ordinary infirmities . ( the grosser abuse of the sacrament it self , i joyn under the second rank . ) quest . 9. what is the particular preparation needful to a fit communicant ? answ . this bringeth me up to the next direction . 5. let your preparation to this sacrament consist of these particulars following , 1. in your duty with your own consciences and hearts . 2. in your duty towards god. 3. and in your duty towards your neighbour . i. your duty with your hearts consisteth in these particulars . 1. that you do your best in the close examination of your hearts about your states , and the sincerity of your faith , repentance , and obedience : to know whether your hearts are true to god , in the covenant which you are to renew and seal . which may be done by these inquiries , and discerned by these signs . 1. whether you truly loath your selves for all the sins of your hearts and lives , and are a greater offence and burden to your selves , because of your imperfections and corruptions , than all the world besides is ? ez. 6. 9. & 20. 43. & 36. 31. rom. 7. 24. 2. whether you have no sin but what you are truly desirous to know ; and no known sin , but what you are truly desirous to be rid of ; and so desirous , as that you had rather be perfectly freed from sin , than from any affliction in the world ? rom. 7. 22 , 18 , 24. & 8 18. 3. whether you love the searching and reforming light , even the most searching parts of the word of god , and the most searching books , and searching sermons , that by them you may be brought to know your selves , in order to your setled peace and reformation ? john 3. 19 , 20 , 21 : 4. whether you truly love that degree of holiness in others which you have not yet attained your selves , and love christ in his children , with such an unfeigned love , as will cause you to relieve them according to your abilities , and suffer for their sakes , when it is your duty ? 1 john 3. 14 , 16. 1 pet. 1. 22. & 3 8. jam. 2 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. mat. 25. 40. &c. 5. whether you can truly say , that there is no degree of holiness so high , but you desire it , and had rather be perfect in the love of god , and the obedience of his will , than have all the riches and pleasures of this world , rom. 7. 18 , 21 , 24. psal . 119. 5. mat. 5. 6. and had rather be one of the holiest saints , than of the most renowned prosperous princes upon earth ? psal . 15. 4. & 16. 2. psal . 84. 10. & 65. 4. 6. whether you have so far laid up your treasure , and your hopes in heaven , as that you are resolved to take that only for your portion ; and that the hopes of heaven , and interest of your souls , hath the preheminence in your hearts against all that stands in competition with it ? col. 3. 1 , 3 , 4. mat. 6. 20 , 21. 7. whether the chiefest care of your hearts , and indeavor of your lives , be to serve and please god , and to injoy him for ever rather than for any wordly thing ? mat. 6. 23. joh. 5. 26. 2 cor. 5. 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. 8. whether it be your daily desire and indeavor to mortifie the flesh , and master its rebellious opposition to the spirit ; and you so far prevail , as not to live , and walk , and be led by the flesh , but that the course and drift of your life is spiritual ? rom. 8 , 1 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 13. gal. 5. 17 , 21 , 22. 9. whether the world , and all its honour , wealth , and pleasures appear to you so small and contemptible a thing , as that you esteem it as dung , and nothing in comparison of christ , and the love of god and glory ? and are resolved , that you will rather let go all , than your part in christ ? and , which useth to carry it in the time of trial , in your deliberate choice ? phil. 3. 7 , 8 , 9 , 13 , 14 , 18 , 19 , 20. 1 john 2. 15. luke 14. 26 , 30 , 33. matth. 13. 19 , 21. 10. whether you are resolved upon a course of holiness and obedience , and to use those means which god doth make known to you , to be the way to please him , and to subdue your corruption ; and yet feeling the frailties of your hearts , and the burden of your sins , do trust in christ as your righteousness before god , and in the holy ghost , whose grace alone can illuminate , sanctifie , and confirm you ? acts 11. 23. psal . 119. 57 , 63 , 69 , 106. 1 cor. 1. 30. rom. 8. 9. john 15. 5. 2 cor. 12. 9. by these signs you may safely try your states . 2. when this is done you are also to try the strength and measure of your grace ; that you may perceive your weakness , and know for what help you should seek to christ . and to find out what inward corruptions and sinful inclinations are yet strongest in you , that you may know what to lament , and to ask forgiveness of , and help against . my book called directions for weak christians , will give you fuller advice in this . 3. you are also to take a strict account of your lives ; and to look over your dealings with god and men , in secret and publick , especially of late , since the last renewal of your covenant with god , and to hear what god and conscience have to say about your sins and all their aggravations , psal . 139. 23. 1 cor. 11. 28. 4. and you must labour to get your hearts affected with your condition , as you do discover it . to be humbled for what is sinful , and to be desirous of help against your weakness , and thankful for the grace which you discern . 5. lastly , you must consider of all the work that you have to do , & all the mercies which you are going to receive , and what graces are necessary to all this , and how they must be used ; and accordingly lock up all those graces , and prepare them for the exercise to which they are to be called out . i shall name you the particulars anon . ii. your duty towards god in your preparation for this sacrament , is , 1. to cast down your selves before him in humble penitent confession , and lamentation of all the sins which you discover ; and to beg his pardon in secret , before you come to have it publickly sealed and delivered . 2. to look up to him with thankfulness , love , and joy , as becomes one that is going to receive so great a mercy from him ; and humbly to beg that grace which may prepare you , and quicken you to , and in the work . iii. your duty towards others in this your preparation , is , 1. to forgive those that have done you wrong , and to confess your fault to these whom you have wronged , and ask them forgiveness , and make them amends and restitution so far as is in your power ; and be reconciled to those with whom you are fallen out ; and to see , that you love your neighbours as your selves , mat. 5. 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 44. james 5. 16. 2. that you seek advice of your pastors , or some fit persons , in cases that are too hard for your selves to resolve , and where you need their special help . 3. that you lovingly admonish them that you know do intend to communicate unworthily , and to come thither in their ungodliness , and gross sin unrepented of : that you shew not such hatred of your brother , as to suffer sin upon him , lev. 19. 17. but tell him his faults , as christ hath directed you , mat. 18. 15 , 16 , 17. and do your parts to promote christs discipline , and keep pure the church . see 1 cor , 5. throughout . direct . 6. when you come to the holy communion , let not the over-scrupulous regard of the person of the minister , or the company , or the imperfections of the ministration , disturb your meditations , nor call away your minds from the high and serious imployment of the day . hypocrites who place their religion in bodily exercises , have taught many weak christians to take up unecessary scruples , and to turn their eye and observation too much to things without them . quest . but should we have no regard to the due celebration of these sacred mysteries , and to the minister , and communicants , and manner of administration ? answ . yes : you should have so much regard to them , 1. as to see that nothing be amiss through your default , which is in your power to amend . 2. and that you joyn not in the committing of any known sin . but , 1. take not every sin of another for your sin , and think not that you are guilty of that in others , which you cannot amend ; or , that you must forsake the church and worship of god , for these corruptions which you are not guilty of ; or deny your own mercies , because others usurp them or abuse them . 2. if you suspect any thing imposed upon you to be sinful to you , try it before you come thither ; and leave not your minds open to disturbance , when they should be wholly imployed with christ . quest . but what if my conscience be not satisfied , but i am still in doubt , must i not forbear ? seeing he that doubteth is condemned if he eat , because he eateth not in faith ; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin ? answ : the apostle there speaketh not of eating in the sacrament , but of eating meats , which he doubteth of whether they are lawful , but is sure , that it is lawful to forbear them . and in case of doubting about things indifferent , the surer side is to forbear them , because there may be sin in doing ; but there can be none on the other side in forbearing . but in case of duties , your doubting will not disoblige you ; else men might give over praying , and hearing gods word , and believing , and obeying their rulers , and maintaining their families , when they are but blind enough to doubt of it . 2. your erring conscience is not a law-maker , and cannot make it your duty to obey it . for god is your king , and the office of your conscience is to discern his law ; and urge you to obedience , and not to make you laws of its own : so that if it speak falsly , it doth not oblige you , but deceive you . it doth only ligate , or insnare you , but not obligare , or make a sin a duty . it casteth you into necessity of sinning more or less till you relinquish the error : but in case of such duties as these , it is a sin to do them with a doubting conscience , but ( ordinarily ) it is a greater sin to forbear . object . but some divines write , that conscience being gods officer ; when it erreth , god himself doth bind me by it to follow that error , and the evil which it requireth becometh my duty . answ . a dangerous error tending to subversion of souls and kingdoms , and highly dishonourable to god. god hath made it your duty to know his will , and do it . and if you ignorantly mistake him , will you lay the blame on him , and draw him into participation of your sin , when he forbiddeth you both the error and the sin ? and doth he at once forbid and command the same thing ? at that very moment , god is so far from obliging you to follow your error , that he still obligeth you to lay it by , and do the contrary . if you say ; you cannot . i answer , your impotency , is a sinful impotency ; and you can use the means , in which his grace can help you : and he will not change his law , nor make you kings and rulers of your selves instead of him , because you are ignorant or impotent . direct . 7. in the time of administration go along with the minister throughout the work , and keep your hearts close to jesus christ , in the exercise of all those graces , which are suited to the several parts of the administration . think not that all the work must be the minister's . it should be a busie day with you , and your hearts should be taken up with as much diligence , as your hands be in your common labor ; but not in a toilsome weary diligence , but in such delightful business as becometh the guests of the god of heaven , at so sweet a feast , and in the receiving of such unvaluable gifts . here i should distinctly shew you , i. what graces they be that you must there exercise . ii. what there is obiectively presented before you in the sacrament , to exercise all these graces . iii. at what seasons in the administration each of these inward works are to be done . i. the graces to be exercised are these ( besides that holy fear and reverence common to all worship ) 1. a humble sense of the odiousness of sin , and of our undone condition as in our selves , and a displeasure against our selves , & loathing of our selves , and melting repentance for the sins we have committed ; as against our creator , and as against the love and mercy of a redeemer , and as against the holy spirit of grace . 2. a hungring and thirsting desire after the lord jesus , and his grace , and the favour of god and communion with him , which are there represented and offered to the soul. 3. a lively faith in our redeemer , his death , resurrection and intercession ; and a trusting our miserable souls upon him , as our sufficient saviour and help ; and a hearty acceptance of him and his benefits upon his offered terms . 4. a joy and gladness in the sense of that unspeakable mercy which is here offered us . 5. a thankful heart towards him , from whom we do receive it . 6. a fervent love to him that by such love doth seek our love. 7. a triumphant hope of life eternal , which is purchased for us , and sealed to us . 8. a willingness and resolution to deny our selves , and all this world , and suffer for him that hath suffered for our redemption . 9. a love to our brethren , our neighbours and our enemies , with a readiness to relieve them , and to forgive them when they do us wrong . 10. and a firm resolution for future obedience , to our creator , and redeemer , and sanctifier , according to our covenant . ii. in the naming of these graces , i have named their objects : which you should observe as distinctly as you can , that they may be operative . 1. to help your humiliation and repentance , you bring thither a loaden miserable soul , to receive a pardon and relief : and you see before you the sacrificed son of god , who made his soul an offering for sin , and became a curse for us to save us who were accursed . 2. to draw out your desires , you have the most excellent gifts and the most needful mercies presented to you that this world is capable of : even the pardon of sin , the love of god , the spirit of grace , and the hopes of glory , and christ himself with whom all this is given . 3. to exercise your faith you have christ here first represented as crucified before your eyes : and then with his benefits , freely given you , and offered to your acceptance , with a command that you refuse him not . 4. to exercise your delight and gladness , you have this saviour and this salvation tendered to you ; and all that your souls can well desire set before you . 5. to exercise your thankfulness , what could do more than so great a gift , so dearly purchased , so surely sealed , and so freely offered ? 6. to exercise your love to god in christ , you have the fullest manifestation of his attractive love , even offered to your eyes , and taste , and heart , that a soul on earth can reasonably expect ; in such wonderful condescension , that the greatness and strangness of it surpasseth a natural mans belief . 7. to exercise your hopes of life eternal , you have the price of it here set before you ; you have the gift of it here sealed to you ; and you have that saviour represented to you in his suffering , who is now there reigning , that you may remember him , as expectants of his glorious coming to judge the world , and glorifie you with himself . 8. to exercise your self-denyal and resolution for suffering , and contempt of the world and fleshly pleasures , you have before you both the greatest example and obligation , that ever could be offered to the world ; when you see and receive a crucified christ , that so strangely denyed himself for you ; and set so little by the world and flesh . 9. to exercise your love to brethren , yea , and enemies , you have his example before your eyes , that loved you to the death when you were enemies : and you have his holy servants before your eyes , who are amiable in him through the workings of his spirit , and on whom he will have you shew your love to himself . 10. and to excite your resolution for future odedience , you see his double title to the government of you , as creator and as redeemer ; and you feel the obligations of mercy and gratitude ; and you are to renew a covenant with him to that end ; even openly where all the churches are witnesses . so that you see here are powerful object before you to draw out all these graces , and that they are all but such as the work requireth you then to exercise . iii. but that you may be the readier when it cometh to practice , i shall as it were lead you by the hand through all the parts of the administration , & tell you when and how to exercise every grace , and those that are to be joyned together i shall take together , that needless distinctness do not trouble you . 1. when you are called up and going to the table of the lord , exercise your humility , desire and thankfulness , and say in your hearts , what lord , dost thou call such a wretch as i ? what! me that have so oft despised thy mercy ? and wilfully offended thee , and preferred the filth of this world and the pleasures of the flesh before thee ? alas , it is thy wrath in hell that is my due : but if love will choose such an unworthy guest , and mercy will be honoured upon such sin and misery , i come lord at thy call : i gladly come : let thy will be done ; and let that mercy which inviteth me , make me acceptable , and graciously entertain me ; and let me not come without the wedding garment , nor unreverently rush on holy things , nor turn thy mercies to my bane ! 2. when the minister is confessing sin , prostrate your very souls in the sense of your unworthiness , and let your particular sins be in your eye , with their hainous aggravations ; the whole need not the physician , but the sick . but here i need not put words into your mouths or minds , because the minister goeth before you , and your hearts must concurr with his confessions , and put in also the secret sins which he omitteth . 3. when you look on the bread and wine which is provided and offered for this holy use , remember that it is the creator of all things , on whom you live , whose laws you did offend ; and say in your hearts , o lord , how great is my offence ? who have broken the laws of him that made me , and on whom the whole creation doth depend ? i had my being from thee , and my daily bread ; and should i have requited thee with disobedience ? father , i have sinned against heaven and before thee , and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 4. when the words of the institution are read , and the bread and wine are solemnly consecrated , by separating them to that sacred use , and the acceptance and blessing of god is desired , admire the mercy that prepared us a redeemer , and say , o god how wonderful is thy wisdom and thy love ? how strangely dost thou glorifie thy mercy over sin that gave advantage to glorifie thy justice ? even thou our god whom we have offended , hast out of thy own treasury satisfied thy own justice , and given us a saviour by such a miracle of wisdom , love , and condescention , as men or angels shall never be able fully to comprehend : so didst thou love the sinful world , as to give thy son , that whosoever believeth in him , should not perish , but have everlasting life . o thou that hast prepared us so full a remedy , and so pretious a gift , sanctifie these creatures to be the representative body and blood of christ , and prepare my heart for so great a gift , and so high and holy and honourable a work . 5. when you behold the consecrated bread and wine , discern the lords body , and reverence it as the reprsentative body and blood of jesus christ ; and take heed of prophaning it , by looking on it as common bread and vvine ; though it be not transubstantiate , but still is very bread and vvine in its natural being , yet it is christs body and blood in representation and effect . look on it as the consecrated bread of life , which with the quickning spirit must nourish you to life eternal . 6. when you see the breaking of the bread , and the pouring out of the vvine , let repentance , and love , and desire ; and thankfulness , thus work within you . o wondrous love ! o hateful sin ! how merciful , lord , hast thou been to sinners ? & how cruel have we been to our selves & thee ? could love stoop lower ? could god be merciful at a dearer rate ? could my sin have done a more horrid deed , than put to death the son of god ? how small a matter hath tempted me to that , which must cost so dear before it was forgiven ? how dear payed my saviour for that , which i might have avoided at a very cheap rate ? at how low a price have i valued his blood , when i have sinned and sinned again for nothing ! this is my doing ! my sins were the thorns , the nails , the spear ! can a murderer of christ be a small offender ? o dreadful justice ! it was i and such other sinners that deserved to bear the punishment who were guilty of the sin ; and to have been fewel for the unquenchable flames for ever . o pretious sacrifice ! o hateful sin ! o gracious saviour ! how can mans dull and narrow heart , be duly affected with such transcendent things ? or heaven make its due impression upon an inch of flesh ! shall i ever again have a dull apprehension of such love ? or ever have a favourable thought of sin ? or ever have a fearless thought of justice ? o break or melt this hardened heart , that it may be somewhat conformed to my crucified lord ! the tears of love and true repentance are easier than the flames from which i am redeemed . o hide me in these wounds , and wash me in this pretious blood ! this is the sacrifice in which i trust : this is the righteousness by which i must be justified , and saved from the curse of thy violated law ! as thou hast accepted this , o father , for the world , upon the cross , behold it ( till on the behalf of sinners ; and hear his blood that cryeth unto thee for mercy to the miserable , and pardon us , and accept us as thy reconciled children , for the sake of this crucified christ alone . we can offer thee no other sacrifice for sin ; and we need no other . 7. when the minister applyeth himself to god by prayer , for the efficacy of this sacrament , that in it he will give us christ and his benefits , and pardon , and justifie us , and accept us as his reconciled children joyn heartily and earnestly in these requests , as one that knoweth the need and worth of such a mercy . 8. when the minister delivereth you the consecrated bread and wine , look upon him as the messenger of christ , and hear him as if christ by him said to you , take this my broken body and blood , and feed ●● it to everlasting life : and take with it no sealed covenant , and therein the sealed testimony of my love , and the sealed pardon o● your sins , and a sealed gift of life eternal so be it , you unfeignedly consent unto my covenant , and give up your selves to me ●● my redeemed ones . even as in delivering the possession of house or lands , the deliverer giveth a key , and a twig and a turf , and saith , i deliver you this house , and i deliver you this land : so doth the minister by christ's authority deliver you christ and pardon and title to eternal life . here is an image of a sacrificed christ of gods own appointing , which you may lawfully use : and more than an image ; even an investing instrument , by which these highest mercies are solemnly delivered to you in the name of christ . let your hearts therefore say with ioy and thankfulness , with faith and love , o matchless bounty of the eternal god! what a gift is this ! and unto what unworthy sinners ! and will god stoop so low to man ? and come so near him ? and thus reconcile his worthless enemies ? will he freely pardon all that i have done ? and take me into his family and love , and feed me with the flesh and blood of christ ? i believe ; lord help mine unbelief . i humbly and thankfully accept thy gifts ! open thou my heart , that i may yet more joyfully and thankfully accept them : seeing god will glorifie his love and mercy by such incomprehensible gifts as these , behold , lord , a wretch that needeth all this mercy ! and seeing it is the offer of thy grace and covenant , my soul doth gladly take thee for my god and father , for my saviour and my sanctifier : and here i give my up self unto thee , as thy created , redeemed and ( i hope ) regenerate one ; as thy own , thy subject and thy child , to be saved and sanctified by thee , to be beloved by thee and to love thee to everlasting : o seal up this covenant and pardon , by the spirit , which thou sealest and deliverest to me in thy sacrament : that , without reserve , i may be entirely and for ever thine ! 9. when you see the communicants receiving with you , let your very hearts be united to the saints in love , and say , how goodly are thy tents , o jacob ! how amiable is the family of the lord ! how good and pleasant is the unity of bretheren ? how dear to me are the pretious numbers of my lord ! though they have yet all their spots and weaknesses , which he pardoneth , and so must we . my goodness o lord extendeth not unto thee ; but unto thy saints , the excellent ones on earth , in whom is my delight . what portion of my estate thou requirest i willingly give unto the poor , and if i have wronged any man , i am willing to restore it : and seeing thou hast ●●oved me an enemy , and forgiven me so great a debt , i heartily forgive those that have done me wrong , and love my enemies . o keep me in thy family all my days , for ● day in thy court is better than a thousand , and the door-keepers in thy house are happier than the most prosperous of the wicked , numb . 24. 5. psal . 133. & 15. 4. & 16. 2 , 3. luke 19. 8. psal . 84. 10. 10. when the minister returneth thanks and praise to god , stir up your souls to the greatest alacrity ; and suppose you saw the heavenly hosts of saints and angels praising the same god in the presence of his glory ; and think with your selves , that you belong to the same family and society as they , and are learning their work , and must shortly arrive at their perfection : strive therefore to imitate them in love and joy ; and let your very souls be poured out in praises and thanksgiving : and when you have the next ●iesure for your private thoughts ( as when the minister is exhorting you to your duty ) exercise your love and thanks and faith and hope and self-denyal and resolution for future obedience , in some such breathings of your souls as these : o my gracious god , thou hast surpassed all humane comprehension in thy love ! is this thy usage of unworthy prodigals ! i feared lest thy wrath as a consuming fire would have devoured such a guilty soul ; and thou wouldest have charged upon me all my folly : but while i condemned my self , thou hast forgiven & justified me ; and surprized me with the sweetest embracements of thy love . i see now that thy thoughts are above our thoughts , and thy ways above our ways and thy love excelleth the love of man , even more than the heavens are above the earth . with how dear a price hast thou redeemed a wretch , that deserved thy everlasting vengeance ! with how pretious and sweet a feast hast thou entertained me , who deserved to be cast out with the workers of iniquity ! shall i ever more slight such love as this ? shall it not overcome my rebelliousness ; and melt down my cold and hardned heart ? shall i be saved from hell and not be thankful ? angels are admiring these miracles of love ? and shall not i admire them ? their love to us doth cause them to rejoyce , while they stand by and see our heavenly feast ? and should it not be sweeter to us that are the guests that feed upon it ? my god how dearly hast thou purchased my love ? how strangly hast thou deserved and sought it ? nothing is so much my grief and shame , as that i can answer such love , with no more fervent fruitful love. o what an addition would it be to all this pretious mercy , if thou wouldst give me a heart to answer these thine invitations , that thy love thus poured out , might draw forth mine , and my soul might flame by its approaching unto these thy flames ? and that love draw out by the sense of love , might be all my life ? o that i could love thee as much as i would love thee ? yea as much as thou wouldest have me love thee ? but this is too great a happiness for earth ! but thou hast shewed me the place where i may attain it ! my lord is here , in full possession : who hath left me these pledges , till he come and fetch us to himself , and feast us there in our masters joy ; o blessed place ! o happy company that see his glory , and are filled with the streams of those rivers of consolation ! yea happy we whom thou hast called from our dark and miserable state , and made us heirs of that felicity , and passengers to it , and expectants of it , under the conduct of so sure a guide ! o then we shall love thee without these sinful pauses and defects ! in another measure , and another manner than now we do : when thou shalt reveal and communicate thy attractive love , in another measure and manner than now ! till then , my god , i am devoted to thee ; by right and covenant i am thine ! my soul here beareth witness against my self , that my defects of love have no excuse ; thou deservest all , if i had the love of all the saints in heaven and earth to give thee . vvhat hath this world to do with my affections ? and what is this sordid corruptible flesh , that its desires and pleasures should call down my soul , and tempt it to neglect my god ? vvhat is there in all the sufferings that man can lay upon me , that i should not joyfully accept them for his sake , that hath redeemed me from hell , by such unmatched voluntary sufferings ? lord , seeing thou regardest , and so regardest , so vile a worm , my heart , my tongue , my hand confess , that i am wholly thine . o let me live to none but thee , and to thy service , and thy saints on earth ! and o let me no more return unto iniquity ! nor venture on that sin that killed my lord ! and now thou hast chosen so low a dwelling , o be not strange to the heart that thou hast so freely chosen ! o make it the daily residence of thy spirit ! quicken it by thy grace ; adorn it with thy gifts ; employ it in thy love , delight in its attendance on thee ; refresh it with thy joys and the light of thy countenance ; and destroy this carnality , selfishness and unbelief ; and let the vvorld see that god will make a palace of the lowest heart , when he chooseth it for the place of his own abode . direct . 8. vvhen you come home , review the mercy which you have received , and the duty which you have done , and the covenant you have made : and , 1. betake your selves to god in praise and prayer for the perfecting of his work : and , 2 : take heed to your hearts that they grow not cold , and that worldly things or diverting trifles , do not blot out the sacred impressions , which christ hath made , and that they cool not quickly into their former dull and sleepy frame . 3. and see that your lives be actuated by the grace that you have here received , that even they that you converse with may perceive that you have been with god. especially when temptations would draw you again to sin ; and when the injuries of friends or enemies would provoke you , and when you are called to testifie your love to christ , by any costly work or suffering ; remember then what was so lately before your eyes , and upon your heart ; and what you resolved on , and what a covenant you made with god. yet judge not of the fruit of your receiving , so much by feeling , as by faith : for more is promised than you yet possess . here follows the authors solemn resignation of himself to father , son and holy ghost . o my god , i look to thee , i come to thee , to thee alone : no man , no worldly creature made me ; none of them did redeem me ; none of them did renew my soul , none of them will justifie me at thy bar , nor forgive my sin , nor save me from the penal justice : none of them will be a full or a perpetual felicity or portion for my soul . i am not a stranger to their promises and performances : i have trusted them too far , and followed them too long ! o that it had been less , ( though i must thankfully acknowledge , that mercy did early shew me their deceit , and turn my enquiring thoughts to thee : ) to thee i resign my self , for i am thine own ! to thee i subject all powers of my soul and body , for thou art my rightful sovereign governour : from thee i thankfully accept of all the benefits and comforts of my life : in thee i expect my true felicity and content : to know thee , and love thee , and delight in thee , must be my blessedness , or i must have none . the little tastes of this sweetness which my thirsty soul hath had , do tell me that there is no other real joy . i feel that thou hast made my mind to know thee , and i feel thou hast made my heart to love thee , my tongue to praise thee , and all that i am and have to serve thee ! and even in the panting languishing desires and motions of my soul , i find that thou , and only thou , art its resting place : and though love do now but search , and pray , and cry , and weep , and in reaching upward , but cannot reach , the glorious light , the blessed knowledge , the perfect love , for which it longeth ; yet by its eye , its aim , its motions , its moans , its groans , i know its meaning , where it would be , and i know its end . my displaced soul will never be well , till it come near to thee , till it know thee better , till it love thee more . it loves it self , and justifieth that self-love , when it can love thee : it loaths it self , and is weary of it self as a lifeless burden , when it feels no pantings after thee . wert thou to be found in the most solitary desart , it would seek thee ; or in the uttermost parts of the earth , it would make after thee : thy presence makes a croud , a church : thy converse maketh a closet , or solitary wood or field , to be kin to the angelical chore. the creature were dead , if thou wert not its life ; and ugly , if thou wert not its beauty ; and insignificant , if thou wert not its sense . the soul is deformed , which is without thine image ; and lifeless , which liveth not in love to thee , if love be not its pulse , and prayer , and praise , its constant breath : the mind is unlearned which readeth not thy name on all the world , and seeth not holiness to the lord engraven upon the face of every creature . he doteth that doubteth of thy being or perfections , and he dreameth who doth not live to thee . o let me have no other portion ! no reason , no love , no life , but what is devoted to thee , employed on thee , and for thee here , and shall be perfected in thee , the only perfect final object , for evermore . upon the holy altar erected by thy son , and by his hands , and his mediation , i humbly devote and offer thee this heart : o that i could say with greater feeling , this flaming , loving , longing-heart ! but the sacred fire which must kindle on my sacrifice , must come from thee ; it will not else ascend unto thee : let it consume this dross , so the nobler part may know its home . all that i can say to commend it to thine acceptance , is , that i hope it 's wash'd in precious blood , that there is something in it that is thine own ; it still looketh towards thee , & groaneth to thee , & followeth after thee , and will be content with gold , and mirth , and honour , and such inferiour fooleries no more : it lieth at thy doors , and will be entertain'd or perish . though alas , it loves thee not as it would , i boldly say , it longs to love thee , it loves to love thee ; it seeks , it craves no greater blessedness than perfect endless mutual love : it is vowed to thee , even to thee alone ; and will never take up with shadows more ; but is resolved to lie down in sorrow and despair , if thou wilt not be its rest and joy . it hateth it self for loving thee no more ; accounting no want , deformity , shame or pain so great and grievous a calamity . for thee the glorious blessed god , it is that i come to jesus christ . if he did not reconcile my guilty soul to thee , and did not teach it the heavenly art and work of love , by the sweet communications of thy love , he could be no saviour for me . thou art my only ultimate end ; it is only a guide and way to thee that my anxious soul hath so much studied : and none can teach me rightly to know thee , & to love thee , and to live to thee , but thy self : it must be a teacher sent from thee , that must conduct me to thee . i have long-looked round about me in the world , to see if there were a more lucid region , from whence thy will and glory might be better seen , than that in which my lot is fallen : but no traveller that i can speak with , no book which i have turn'd over , no creature which i can see , doth tell me more than jesus christ . i can find no way so suitable to my soul , no medicine so fitted to my misery , no bellows so fit to kindle love , as faith in christ , the glass and messenger of thy love . i see no doctrine so divine and heavenly , as bearing the image and superscription of god ; nor any so fully confirmed and delivered by the attestation of thy own omnipotency ; nor any which so purely pleads thy cause , and calls the soul from self and vanity , and condemns its sin and purifieth it , and leadeth it directly unto thee ; and though my former ignorance disabled me to look back to the ages past , and to see the methods of thy providence , and when i look into thy word , disabled me from seeing the beauteous methods of thy truth ; thou hast given me a glimpse of clearer light , which hath discovered the reasons and methods of grace , which i then discerned not : and in the midst of my most hideous temptations and perplexed thoughts , thou kepst alive the root of faith , and kepst alive the love to thee and unto holiness which it had kindled . thou hast mercifully given me the witness in my self ; not an unreasonable perswasion in my mind , but that renewed nature , those holy and heavenly desires and delights , which sure can come from none but thee . and o how much more have i perceived in many of thy servants , than in my self ! thou hast cast my lot among the souls whom christ hath healed . i have daily conversed with those whom he hath raised from the dead . i have seen the power of thy gospel upon sinners : all the love that ever i perceived kindled towards thee , and all the true obedience that ever i saw performed to thee , hath been effected by the word of jesus christ : how oft hath his spirit helped me to pray ! and how often hast thou heard those prayers ! what pledges hast thou given to my staggering faith , in the works which prayer hath procured , both for my self and many others ? and if confidence in christ be yet deceit , must i not say that thou hast deceived me ? who i know canst neither be deceived , or by any falshood or seduction deceive . on thee therefore , o my dear redeemer , do i cast and trust this sinful soul ! with thee and with thy holy spirit i renew my covenant ; i know no other ; i have no other ; i can have no other saviour but thy self : to thee i deliver up this soul which thou hast redeemed , not to be advanced to the wealth , and honours , and pleasures of this world ; but to be delivered from them , and to be healed of sin , and brought to god ; and to be saved from this present evil world , which is the portion of the ungodly and unbelievers : to be washed in thy blood , and illuminated , quickened and confirmed by thy spirit ; and conducted in the ways of holiness and love : and at last to be presented justified and spotless to the father of spirits , and possessed of the glory which thou hast promised . o thou that hast prepared so dear a medicine for the cleansing of polluted guilty souls , leave not this unworthy soul in its guilt , or in its pollution ! o thou that knowest the father , and his will , and art nearest to him , and most beloved of him , cause me in my degree to know the father ; acquaint me with so much of his will , as concerneth my duty , or my just encouragement : leave not my soul to grope in darkness , seeing thou art the sun and lord of light. o heal my estranged thoughts of god! is he my light , and life , and all my hope ? and must i dwell with him for ever ? and yet shall i know him no better than thus ? shall i learn no more that have such a teacher ? and shall i get no nearer him , while i have a saviour and a head so near ? o give my faith a clearer prospect into that better world ! and let me not be so much unacquainted with the place in which i must abide for ever ! and as thou hast prepared a heaven for holy souls , prepare this too-unprepared soul for heaven , which hath not long to stay on earth . and when at death i resign it into thy hands , receive it as thine own , and finish the work which thou hast begun , in placing it among the blessed spirits , who are filled with the sight and love of god. i trust thee living ; let me trust thee dying , and never be ashamed of my trust . and unto thee , the eternal holy spirit , proceeding from the father and the son , the communicative love , who condescendest to make perfect the elect of god , do i deliver up this dark imperfect soul , to be further renewed , confirmed and perfected , according to the holy covenant . refuse not to bless it with thine indwelling and operations ; quicken it with thy life ; irradiate it by thy light ; sanctifie it by thy love ; actuate it purely , powerfully and constantly by thy holy motions . and though the way of this thy sacred influx be beyond the reach of humane apprehension ; yet let me know the reality and saving power of it , by the happy effects . thou art more to souls , than souls to bodies , than light to the eyes . o leave not my soul as a carrion destitute of thy life ; nor its eyes as useless , destitute of thy light ; nor leave it as a senseless block without thy motion . the remembeance of what i was without thee , doth make me fear lest thou shouldest with-hold thy grace . alas , i feel , i daily feel that i am dead to all good , and all that 's good is dead to me , if thou be not the life of all . teachings and reproofs , mercies and corrections , yea , the gospel it self , and all the liveliest books and sermons , are dead to me , because i am dead to them : yea , god is as no god to me , and heaven as no heaven , and christ as no christ , and the clearest evidences of scripture verity are as no proofs at all , if thou represent them not with light and power to my soul : even as all the glory of the world is as nothing to me without the light by which it 's seen . o thou that hast begun , and given me those heavenly intimations and desires , which flesh and blood could never give me , suffer not my folly to quench these sparks , nor this brutish flesh to prevail against thee , nor the powers of hell to stifle and kill such a heavenly seed . o pardon that folly and wilfulness , which hath too often , too obdurately and too unthankfully striven against thy grace ; and depart not from an unkind and sinful soul ! i remember with grief and shame , how i wilfully bore down thy motions ; punish it not with desertion , and give me not over to my self . art thou not in covenant with me , as my sanctifier , and confirmer , and comforter ? i never undertook to do these things for my self ; but i consent that thou shouldest work them on me . as thou art the agent and advocate of jesus my lord , o plead his cause effectually in my soul , against the suggestions of satan and my unbelief ; and finish his healing saving work ; and let not the flesh or world prevail . be in me the resident witness of my lord , the author of my prayers , the spirit of adoption , the seal of god , and the earnest of mine inheritance . let not my nights be so long , and my days so short , nor sin eclipse those beams , which have often illuminared my soul . without thee , books are senseless scrawls , studies are dreams , learning is a glow-worm , and wit is but wantonness , impertinency and folly . transcribe those sacred precepts on my heart , which by thy dictates and inspiration are recorded in thy holy word . i refuse not thy help for tears and groans : but o shed abroad that love upon my heart , which may keep it in a continual life of love . and teach me the work which i must do in heaven : refresh my soul with the delights of holiness , & the joys which arise from the believing hopes of the everlasting joys : exercise my heart and tongue in the holy praises of my lord. strengthen me in sufferings ; and conquer the terrors of death and hell. make me the more heavenly , by how much the faster i am hastening to heaven : and let my last thoughts , words and works on earth , be likest to those which shall be my first in the state of glorious immortality ; where the kingdom is delivered up to the father , and god will for ever be all , and in all : of whom , and through whom , and to whom are all things , to whom be glory for ever . amen . a pathetical meditation on the passion of christ ; to be read by communicants before their reception of the sacrament of the lords-supper . quest . what is the sacrament of the lords-supper ? answ . it consists of two visible signs , bread and wine , which by the lords appointment was to represent to the receiver his bloody death , that so his disciples may keep it fresh in their memories . q. but is it only to remember that there was a christ , and that he was crucified , and no more ? answ . experience tells us that such a bare remembrance as that , doth little move upon the heart and upon the affections , and so will do little or no good . it is not the remembrance of any mans death that doth of it self affect me , but as i consider him as a father , or as a husband , or as a friend , with many other expressions of his love to me when living , this will exceedingly work upon the heart , so as to cause sorrow and grief , and the like . quest . what is it then that i must call to mind when i think upon a bleeding and dying christ , so as to affect my heart ? answ . the cruel and bloody nature of his death ; here you may consider the whole story of his arraignment , his being betrayed by his own apostle , his being spit upon and crowned with thorns , his being mocked and jeered by putting a reed into his hand instead of a scepter , afterwards his bearing of a cross , and his being nailed to it in his hands and feet ; after that , his being pierced through with a sp●ar ; this mat. 27. will fully acquaint you with . secondly , the causes of his death ; it was no natural disease , neither was it for any evil done of his own , but for us , he bore our iniquities upon the cross . thirdly , the effects of his death , which was to obtain power of his father to conquer the devil , and pull us out of his hands ; to break our hearts , and to conquer us to himself , to pardon our sins , and to give unto us eternal life with himself in glory , and this upon our faith and sincere repentance . now from all these things are your meditations to be raised , before you come to this sacrament , and when you are receiving of it . an example of meditation i have here set you down as followeth . away these wanton wandering wordly thoughts , you are clogs to my soul . away all trifling worldly business , i cannot now attend your call , my heart hath now something else to do . adieu my friends , farewell my husband , wife and child , i must go see my bleeding lord , that 's dearer to me than you all . come now my soul , thou art alone , thou knowest the way make hast and seed ; look yonder , see how the people flock ; cross but this vale , and climb but up this mount , thou wilt soon arrive at bloody golgotha , where thou shalt see thy bleeding and dying siviour to sigh and linger out a dying life on the cross in love for thee . this , this might , oh my soul , have been thy day , and thou might'st have been the prisoner ; this i say might have been the day in which thou might'st have drunk the bitter cup of the fierce anger of god. but look yonder ! there he goes that must drink up the dregs , and all for thee . look again ! there he goes that must lay down his life that thou maist be reprieved . but come , my soul , draw up a little nearer , thou canst not see him well at so great a distance ; stand here and thou wilt see him passing ; look , there he goes with a train of virgins following . but see how cruelly these barbarous jews do use him , they make him bear his cross himself , and press his wearied fainting limbs above his strength ; see how they laugh and scoff , and wag their heads as if he were their may-game . methinks my heart boils up with rage to see these cruelties revenged : oh! how could the blessed god forbear to see his blessed son thus wronged ? why did he not send twelve legions of angels for his rescue ? why doth he not send down fire from heaven upon the heads of these his sons enemies , and so consume them ? but stay my foolish heart , thou knowest not what spirit thou art of ; this debt was owing , and it must be paid ; god requires so much , and it must be given , or thou canst not be saved . thy lord did know this well enough , for this he came from heaven , and committed himself to the rage of men ; he knew he must endure all these revilings , and doth it grieve thy soul to see him thus abased ? stay but a while , and thou shalt see him more ; look up , my soul , come , tell me what thou seest ? oh i cannot , sorrow tyes my tongue , i cannot speak ; i see and hear those things that i want a power to utter . i see a troop of virgins following him , their weeping eyes , their blubbering lips , their sighs and throbbings speak them mourners . i see my lord looks towards them , and kindly chides their loving sorrow , why weep ye , oh ye daughters of jerusalem ? weep not for me . my lord ! what need was there for that question ? should not they weep when thou must bleed ? would not their eyes have been flints if that then they should not drop tears for thee , when as thou wert about to pour out thy life and blood for them ? ah! could they chuse , or do less than weep to see thine innocent self among a herd of tygers ! what should a lamb do there ? they saw thee in their ravenous jaws about to tear thy heart , to suck out all thy blood , and leave thee dead . have i not sat and read , and read and wept viewing over the story ; and could they forbear that with their watry eyes saw this scene then acted ? but whither , o whither , o ye blinded jews , are ye dragging this my lord ? my spirit begins to faint , i now can look no longer , my heart now begins to swell with grief , it must now break , or i must vent it at mine eyes in streams ! look ! see the hammer and nails , the hammer lift up to strike . bloody man ! thou durst not sure ; surely thou dost not know whose hands and feet thou art now piercing ; it is the prince and saviour of the world foolish heart ! see how thou art mistaken ; look , see it 's done , the nails are driven to the head ! see how the crimson tears run trickling down his hands and feet , and see how hardened hearts be laughing at it ! oh silly foolish blinded men ! what laugh you at ? this very christ whom now you mock , shall be your judge ; this very man jesus whom you have thus abused shall come attended with thousands of angels , with the sound of trumpets , and shall sit upon your life and death . him whom you now have nailed to a cross , hath god exalted to be a prince and a saviour . what then will you do when that great and terrible day of the lord shall come ? how will you look him in the face whom you have spit on ? how will you dare to speak a word for your selves to him whom you have nailed to a tree and crucified ? his wounds in hands , side and feet shall all bear witness against you , and his innocent blood that you have spilt shall cry aloud about the throne for vengeance against you ; your flouts shall then be turned into tears , and your taunts into lamentations . and how will you then look and cry when god passeth sentence on you , and thrusts you down to hell to bear the punishment of your sins ? this is the lord that came to spare your lives , yet your wickedness spared not his ; and how at length can you think to escape with yours ? but once again , look up my soul , and see what is become of thy nailed and crucified lord : ah me ! he is not quite dead , look how he gasps and pants for life ! oh how his looks are changed ! how pale and wan do i see his cheeks ! the blood and all the spirits are quite drawn from them . methinks he should be dead , for see how weak his neck is grown , that it is not able to support his head that lyes a dying on his bleeding breast . what yet not dead ! see how he shakes and stirs his dying limbs ! what gasps and groans do i hear him fetch , as if his soul were strugling to get out ? hark , hark , he speaks ! oh let me catch the least breath of my dying saviour . what saith my lord ? hark , what dost thou not hear ! what ? my god , my god , why hast thou forsaken me ? i am amazed to hear these words . how couldst thou suspect thy fathers love ? how could he be far from thee , who was one with thy self ? but oh! this is but the voice of his manhood , and not of his godhead . it was the voice of the dying and bleeding man jesus , not the voice of the god jesus . but , oh my lord , what are those pains and gripes thou feelest , that brings forth these complainings ? but why do i ask this question ? hath he not been all this while a drinking up the cup his father gave him , the bitter , and sowr , and poysonous cup of his fathers wrath , which i and all the world had else drunk of ? he just now swallowed down the last mouthful of the dregs , whose bitter noisom taste hath sent forth these doleful lamentations ; for mark , he had no sooner spoke these words , but he gasped his last . the causes of his death . and must the son of god be humbled thus ? must he that was from everlasting , raised and advanced above every man in heaven and earth ; he that lay in the arms and breast of god , loved by the father , and his only son ; honoured , adored , admired and beloved of ten thousand times ten thousands of angels ; but must this god leave all this glory , and change that sweet heavenly and delightsome palace for so mean , so low , so dirty a cottage , as to be born a man. and must his entertainment at first be no better than a stable or a manger could give him ? no sooner must he begin to live , but must an enemy assault his life ? must he travel up and down the earth , and spend his time and strength in preaching glad tidings to miserable undone men , and fill the world with signs and wonders , and not deserve so much of men as a house to dwell in , or a hole to put his head in ? and after all this humble , holy , long-suffering life , must he be thought of by this unthankful and unbelieving world as one not worthy to live , and not have a breathing in that air which he both made and gave them to breath in ? but must he at length be laid hold of by a traiterous judas that he had once taken for one of his apostles ; & must he suffer all this ? but ah ! alas ! what is this ? must he be also crowned with thorns , and must he sweat and bleed ? oh far more than tongue can utter ! oh astonishing condescention ! thus did the son become a servant , and learn'd obedience by his sufferings , and served three and thirty years apprenticeship in the pain and travel of his soul here on earth , a longer time than jacob served for his beloved rachel , & that because he loved us better , and therefore gave a better dowry for us . but had i lived to have seen this prince of glory thus disguis'd , this eastern sun thus benighted in a cloud , this glorious god thus wraped up in rags of flesh , should i have known him , or not ? my sensual heart , i doubt thee much ; wouldest thou have cleaved to him and loved him better than thy life , and have said , though all leave thee , i will not ; and with paul , i am willing and ready not only to be bound , but to die for thee . what thinkest thou , oh my soul ! couldst thou have left husband , wife , father and mother , and all the rest of thy friends , and have sold all that thou hast , and followed him , what him whom the prophet foretold ? isa . 53. 23. he hath no form or comliness in him , that you should desire him : he is despised and rejected of men , a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs . tell me , tell me , couldst thou have divorced thy self from all , and have taken this seemingly uncomely person for thy lord , and only husband ? ah me ! i do not know my heart ; but surely , had i known him as i do now know him , i should not have stuck at any thing for him . for what if his face did want comliness , seeing it came so with tears and grief for thee ? and wilt thou love thy friend the worse , because he shares in sorrow with thee ? for thou canst not but know that he came from heaven to take to himself a spouse on earth ; and if i was one that he loved , and grieved for to see my stubborn heart so hard to yield , was this the cause he wanted beauty ? on such a want as this is lovely , and me thinks my heart could have cleaved the closer to him , there was no beauty or comliness in him , and what of that ? my ugly and deformed soul deserves more loathing ; my righteousness , the comeliest part about me is but rags , or a menstruous cloth ; if there were no more desirableness in him than in me , oh had i loved him then , and left all for him , it were no wonder : but that he should love me , i rather stand amazed ! there was no beauty in him , it may be so ; but could it be otherwise expected from him who came to work in fire and smoke , who came to quench the flames of hell , and to satisfie gods wrath and justice ? to pull out filthy souls from the jaws of lustful sensual flesh and blood ? it was not beauty but strength that was here needful . a glance of an amorous eye would not have wounded satan , and made him fall from heaven like a flash of lightning . a comly countenance could not have inchanted and unbar'd hell gates , and made them fall , and break before him into shatters . what need a fair hand to touch our filthy rotten souls , and 〈◊〉 them up in menstruous blood , and wash 〈◊〉 clean ; or what need such clean hands to 〈◊〉 about the rusty iron gates wherein i 〈…〉 world lay bound in chains , and to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 down , to take our cankered bolts and 〈◊〉 them off ; to take us by the hand to 〈…〉 up , and lead us out ? alas ! there needs no such eye , face , or hand for such a work . it is powerful , all-conquering strength that is here required . it was a powerful victorious arm that here was needed , and such a one he had . but what should he do with a beautious body that must be so abased and abused as his was ? an uncomly face will serve where it must be spit on . what must he do with a fair soft delicate hand , which must be pierced ; another kind of hand is good enough to knock a nail into . and what needs his body be of a clear , white , thin , transparent skin ? will not any serve that body that must be bruised and wounded as his was ; nay , as it was necessary his should be ? but why thus necessary ? either he must be thus dealt with , or else my sin cannot be pardoned . either he must be despised of men , or i must be of god. oh! he must drink up this bitter cup with all its dregs , or else i must have drunk it up my self . it was i that sinned , and i must have suffered : this cursed , proud and earthly heart of mine rebelled and broke the laws , and should have suffered and born the punishment ; had not he stept in and born the stroke off from me , i had been now burning in everlasting flames , and have been lingering out this time in torment , which i am now spending in the sweet thoughts of my escape . and is not this all true ? speak out , my soul ; hath not the prophet said as much ? surely ( saith he ) he hath born our griefs , and carried our sorrows : he was wounded for our transgressions , he was bruised for our iniquities , the chastisement of our peace lay upon him , and by his stripes we are healed . all we like sheep are gone astray , we are every one turned to his one way , and the lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all . he was oppressed , he was afflicted , yet he opened not his mouth ; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter , and as a sheep before the shearers was dumb , so he opened not his mouth . he was taken from prison and judgment , and who shall declare his generation ? for he was cut off from the land of the living . and for the transgression of my people was he smitten . thou feest thy debt , and thy saviours payment of it ; these are no fictions ; thou hast just now read a sure word of prophecy that hath confirmed it . those wounds , those stripes , those bruises which thou readest of , he bore for thee , and which were due to thee . it was thou that shouldst have been led from prison to judgment , from prison to the judgment-seat of the great god , who should have sat as judge ; he should have arraigned thee , sentenced thee , and have sent thee to the slaughter-house of hell , where thou shouldest have been weeping , and wailing , and gnashing of thy teeth . but oh amazing love and grace ! the son of god that loved me better than his life , stept off his throne and took my nature on him , and became a man like to me ( only sin excepted ) he came and bid me comfort my trembling heart , he would put himself in my condition , and become the prisoner ; and if my sin would cost his life , he would freely part with it . methinks i feel my bowels turn , my spirits melt within me ; was ever love like to his love ? he was a stranger to me : why did he not let me die ? it was his father i did wrong , why did he not let me suffer ? what if my punishment was as great as hell ? surely i did deserve it . what if my pains and screeches were eternal ? ah! i was a creature , a worm , a fly , a nothing to him , and what need he have cared ? but he loved me ; and could he love a prisoner at the bar ? i was a sinner , a vile polluted one , methinks he should have loathed me ; but he did wash thee , and make thee clean again . ay , but i was his fathers enemy , and so no friend to him ; or would he love an enemy ? or did he not know so much ? but how could that be when he saw my heart , and the enmity that was in it ? yes , he did , and yet he loved thee ; even while we were enemies he died for us . but why did he love an enemy ? or how could he do it ? i know not why , it is past my reason to imagine it : oh inexpressible love ! oh love past thought ! i cannot fathom thee with my reason , thy ways are unaccountable ; he loves because he will love . and though his love displeaseth us , yet it pleaseth him to love us . what ails my heart ? i cannot find it stir ? what , dead under the reviving thoughts of thy dearest redeemer ! i just now said , he loved thee though an enemy , and when thou lovedst not him ; i see the enmity is not quite remov'd , thou canst not love him yet : arise , shake up thy self , and look about thee , thou dost not sure see thy mercy ; surely thou understandest not what thou oughtest to understand . come away , oh come away , lift up thy drowsie head , i will make thee look and love , while i set thee all on burning , and make thee ere i leave thee confess thou lovest him . think , think , oh my soul , that thou hadst just now sinned and broke that law which threatned death , and upon the breach doth find thee guilty . think that thou sawest a flaming cherubim , a messenger of the court of heaven flirt in at that door and arrest thee for high treason and give thee a summons to rise from the seat thou sittest on , to make a sudden answer for thy life . look then , my soul , ah! i lookt just now , i see that door wide open : what 's this a spirit ? ah me , i am undone , for i have sinned ! i think the room shakes under me , or else 't is my heart that 's trembling . what 's this i hear ! i must now answer for my life : o what shall i say ! i know not what ; i have sinned , my conscience tells me that i have sinned , the witness within will cast me , i see the inditement writ with blood on my heart ; the pride , sensuality , and the earthliness of which i am charged with , i am not able to deny one tittle . oh for a mountain to cover me : oh whither shall i go , wither shall i flie ? that bed , these curtains , this closet cannot hide me . my mother , father , wife or child , can not help me : o who then shall ? i run , whither , i know not ; vengeance will find me out where ever i go . oh cursed and subtil satan ! are all thy fair promises and inticements come to this ! o my wicked cursed foolish heart ! that ever i should believe him before my creator , that told me , the day i sinned i should surely die . oh that for a little simple transient pleasure i should so madly hazard my eternal life and now i must be cast to hell to bear the punishment of my folly . think once again , think that this were the day , and this the very place in which god should come and sit in judgement on thee . methinks i see the heavens bow themselves : oh what a crackling do i hear in the clouds ; look yonder ! see who comes ! it is my judge ; his countenance is as a flame of fire , he utters his voice like thunder , the mountains skip , or rather shake , or rather tremble . now , now , is the time of my utter destruction near at hand . oh how shall i look him in the face ! his looks do already affright me ! i shall not say one word , and i have not one friend that will say one word for me . it 's true , i see a terrible glorious troop of angels that do attend him , but they are all his friends , and therefore all my enemies : i dare not speak a word to them ; and alas ! if i should , they are all but his servants , and fellow-creatures with my self ; alas ! they cannot , yea they will not help me . it 's true , there is one , that one that seems as one with god , the beams of whose countenance are far brighter than all the host of heaven : besides , if god have a son , it may be it is he ; methinks he is a mirrour of his fathers glory ; but this i know not ; be what he will , he cannot pity me a sinner , the doors of hope are all shut up , and now as a miserable wretch i must prepare to hear my sentence ; the judge is set , and with trembling heart and joints i stand a prisoner at the bar for my life , and now i must attend his call . god speaks , ] sinner , where art thou ? the sinner answers ] lord , here am i. god speaks ] how darest thou thus abuse 〈◊〉 grace , and kindle up my zeal against 〈◊〉 that now as stuble it will cons 〈…〉 this the thanks that thou 〈…〉 all the love that i have sh 〈…〉 must i make a whole world and 〈◊〉 it to thee , and as if that was to 〈…〉 , i bid thee freely take my self and all , and would not this content thee ? was i not as a father to thee , the time thou lovedst me , and didst obey me ? did i not make thy seat a paradice , and strewed thy paths with pleasure ? did i not rejoyce over thee as a young man over his bride ? what evil hast thou found in me , that thou shouldst thus rebelliously revolt and break my laws , and for a trifle sell my favour , and hazard my eternal pleasures ? speak sinner , was it not so ? the sinner answers ] my god , these weeping eyes and bended knees confess so much . god speaks ] had i not told thee that sin would cost thee thy life , then thou hadst had some excuse : have i said it , and will the great god change ? sinner , thou must die ; i told thee so before , and now i tell thee again , the god of heaven cannot lye . get thee gone thou cursed wretch into eternal flames , and keep that devil company in chains and torments , with whom thou hast rebelled against me , and go see what pleasures thou hast in sinning . the sinner answereth ] thou great god and terrible judge ; i do confess thy sentence just ; but if there be any powels of mercy in thee , pity me , or i die for ever . mercy , mercy , lord ! for i am thy creature , the workmanship of thy hands . if there be any thing in the trembling heart and hands , and knees of this thy sentenced prisoner , that will move compassion , o pity , pity a condemned sinner . god speaks . ] what! stays he longer to trouble my patience ! i say , be gone thou cursed ; though thou art my creature , know that my wrath hath kindled on better creatures than thou art ; get thee to hell , and the howling devils will tell thee as much . the sinner speaks ] ah , wo , wo , wo to me , for ever cursed i am , and cursed must i go for ever , my righteous judge , and ye glorious angels adieu for ever : live , live for ever bless'd and happy in his love ; i might have lived , and joyed , and gloried in that god that made both ye and me ; but like a wretch that i am , wo that ever i was born , i sold his favour , and so my eternal life , for a thing of nought , a vain lust , a sinful pleasure that lasted but for a season , and i go , i go into eternal flames . what says my heart to this methinks the very thoughts of it do make my heart to quiver , and my flesh to shake all round about me ; i feel no strength in all my joints . god speaks ] so , so , i am glad something moves thee . but think again , that the devil did take hold of thee , and drag thee from the place thou fittest on , to hell ; suppose the father frowning on thee , and all the angels shouting thee down to hell , and glorying in thy damnation ; but think again thou sawest when all were joying to see thee sentenced to hell , that he that sat just by the judge , whom thou thoughtest even now to be his son , but knewest it not . look ! look ! methings i see him rise off his throne ; see , see , how the angels fall to adore him , methinks he is a coming near thee . oh how my heart doth tremble : oh what will he torment me before my time ! ah me ! my doom is great enough already . sinner speaks ] thou wilt not send me to a worser place than hell ; my judge hath passed my sentence , thou canst not send me into worser than flames , or punish me longer than everlastingly . christ answers . ] oh how my bowels turn ! this sinner knows not what is in my heart ; he thinks i am his enemy . sinner , shake off thy tears , and wipe thine eyes , thou shalt not die . the sinner speaks again . ] oh thou glorious god or angel , or i know not what to call thee , do not delude or deride a poor caitiff wretch in the midst of misery : why wilt thou raise me to such a pinacle of hope , to cast me down , and make my fall the greater ? my judge hath passed the sentence , i must die ; and who can reverse the doom ? ah! i must go ; see my prison-door wide open ; the smoke and flashes come to meet my despairing soul half way . christ speaks ] and now my heart begins to break , my love can keep no longer in ; how causlesly doth this wretch torment his heart ! he knows not who i am : i must reveal my self . sinner , i love thee ; i say thou shalt not die : come , feel my heart and pulse how they beat , and tell how strong my love within doth act them ; dost thou not fee i have left my throne , and am come down to the bar where thou standest condemned ? but why dost thou weep ? come , let me wipe thine eyes , and bind up thy bleeding and despairing heart : i tell thee thou shalt not die : if heaven will have blood , it shall have mine , so it will but spare thine . sinner , if thou knewest who i am , thou wouldest not doubt one tittle : i tell thee i am his son , his only son , that but now condemned thee : i know he is just , and justice must be satisfied . but do not thou fear , if one of us must die , it shall be i : i will pour out my blood a sacrifice for sin , and appease his wrath , and make you friends again . ye innumerable company of angels , ( yet servants at my father will ) why do ye rejoyce to see my prisoner sent to hell ? this cursed soul over whom in glory you do now triumph , i do resolve to die for , and to buy her to my self a spouse , and to make her blessed with your selves , and give her a princes's place on a throne that is by my self . sinner speaks ] is this a dream ! or am i waking ? the goodness , greatness , glory of this sudden unexpected blessed change , tempts me to doubt whether it be true , or whether it be some unruly fancy that doth delude this wretched heart of mine ? what for the son of god to debase himself so low as to take my nature , & so my cause , and become the prisoner ! what! and though he knows he shall be cast ! will he hear the sentence , and quietly bear bolts , and shackles , and chains , which should have fettered me ? yet more than this , doth he know it is impossible to get a reprieve from his father and judge ? and that he must most assuredly drink the bitterest dregs of death , more bitter than devils or damned souls in hell has yet ever tasted of ? for it is impossible the cup should pass : and can he , will he , dare he venture ? but stay , i must be a spouse ! to be exalted from this dunghill to be a princess to the son and heir of glory ! hold , hold , here 's enugh , it is a dream , an idle fancy of a distempered brain ; i shall never find a heart to believe one syllable . but yet , methinks , if it be a dream , 't is a golden one . is it possible that such a damned wretch as i , could harbour such silken gilded thoughts of such love , grace , mercy and tenderness of the son of god ? oh my heart ! if they were not true , how came they into my mind , or how came they to stay ? or could they , if but meer fictions , make such a change in my heart ? could they so victoriously conquer all my fear , silence all my doubts , allay the heats of a scorched and be-helled conscience ? but why a dream , poor wretched heart ? didst thou not see him step off his throne ? was it a time to dream or sleep in , when thou wert before the judgment-seat , while god was frowning , and the devils dragging thee to and fro to get thee away to hell ? o then , just then , he stept down , drew near and took thee by the hand , and spoke these reviving words to thee : doubt this , and doubt thy judgment . but why a dream ? i am not now in hells torments , whither i was just now sentenced : my heart is now at ease and quiet ; surely something must be the reason why the devil that but now had hold of me , hath left me . where is the conscience that but now was burning in me ; but oh , cannot the presence of the lord put me out of doubt ? do not his words that were so kind , his tender dealing with me , doth not his stooping to me , taking me by the arm , and the gentle lifts that he gives to my drooping soul , speak him present ? oh! do not my head , eyes , arms , heart , breast , and the case of every joint and limb about me , witness the same ? away my unbelieving heart , what a stir is here to make thee believe a thing so evident ? doubt my mind , and freely doubt , i 'le give thee leave , when thou hast any occasion or reason for it . but why should i doubt that which is past all doubt ? may i not believe my senses ? i both saw and heard him speak the words ; or shall i misdoubt his faithfulness ? i know he is the son of god he cannot lye , but it is true ? yet , my god , i pray thee be not angry with my scrupulous heart ; thou seest in tears i make the doubt , let it be an argument to me of sincerity : i do not ask that question as one that would be fain perswaded it's true : canst thou think , my lord , that i would not be reconciled , and cheerfully accept of grace when thou so freely offeredst it ? o but lord , speak these words to my heart which thou hast already spoke to my ear , and thou wilt melt it into love and thankfulness , and i shall never doubt it more . object . but yet , but what can heaven love so much ? answ . thou silly worm ! how idly dost thou question ? must heaven , and so its love , be bound up to so narrow and contracted thoughts as thine are ? what , can god love no more than thou canst ? love is a perfection , and god is infinitely perfect , so must be infinitely and incomprehensively loving . thou fool , go sound the sea , and tell me its greatest depths ; give me the height of yonder stars , this possibly thou maist do ; for the seas are not so deep but they have a bottom , nor the stars so high , but they may by art be known . but , oh the heights , and depths , and breadths , and lengths of the love of our redeemer ! he is god , and his breasts are so full of love , that they flow and overflow with love ; they have no bottom . do but try , my soul , cast thy self into this bottomless lovely ocean , into this endless bosom ; and when thou hast been sinking millions of millions of years , tell me whether you come to ground . ye glorious angels , and ye blessed spirits of just men made perfect , that live above , you that have been wading downward these five thousands of years , do ye feel a bottom ? or are ye near one ? away , away , my foolish heart ; if this be all thou hast to plead , he may redeem thee , and take thee for his spouse , and betroth thee to himself , notwithstanding all this . object . but oh this filthy loathsom fleshly self , this base unthankful earthly heart , that can prefer a dunghill , dross , and dirt , before him that can freely lay out his love to a creature like my self : but oh how hard , and stiff , and unrelenting am i to my god. but oh he will slight me , because i have often put him off , and slighted him ; he cannot love and die for such a one as i am . answ . cease , fool , thy reasonings ; he cannot love an enemy , because thou canst not ; he cannot die , because thy cowardly heart will not suffer thee ! why should he fear the grave , that had power over it ? and what though thou art unworthy of his love , if he will have thee and make thee worthy ? thy heart is base , and what of that , if he will mend it ? thy filthy rotten and polluted soul he intends to wash and cleanse it till it is without spot and wrinkle , or any such thing . thy stubborn proud earthly and lustful heart , he can make humble , tender , soft and yielding . and when he hath made thee as he would , why may not he take thee to himself , and lay thee next his heart , and delight over thee everlastingly ? object . but will his father yield to this ? i am too poor a match for the son and heir of all things : but will he , can he suffer his son to die to buy such a beggarly thing to himself as i am ? answ . a way these silly simple childish thoughts ; how like an inhabitant of this earthly sensual world dost thou reason ? thou wilt not under-match , and therefore will not god his son ? thou fool , thou wilt not because thou canst find another equal . but dost thou not know that god can find none equal to his son ; he must stoop , or else go without . it 's true , he might have gone without , but what if he would not , why should not heaven have its will as well as thou ? thou hast no dowry , and he doth need none , and yet thou arguest as if heaven would make traffick with his son and his love , as we silly worms do here ; but we are beggars , and so are angels , and all the glorious hosts above , they are his creatures , hang and depend upon him , and cannot subsist one moment happy without suplies and helps of his grace ; and why may he not bring a beggarly man as near to himself , as a beggarly angel , if so it pleaseth him ? object . but doth it so please him ? answ . how often have i told thee it doth please him and hast thou not believed ? come , if thy hearing will will not satisfy , let thy seeing do it . look , if thou hast eyes . come tell me , doth not heaven look as though it was pleased with the offer of his son ? what cloud or darkness dost thou see about the throne ? what sign or token of displeasure canst thou at all discover ? open thine eyes , view the god of glory . do his looks bespeak him to be thy father or thy judge ? and canst thou not be read both husband , father and lord , and all in his countenance ? what not see it ! surely thou art blind : if he had not told as much from his own mouth , his eyes and looks bespeak his love and favour loud and clear enough to thee . but doth he not tell thee , to put thee out of all doubt , this is my well-beloved son , hear him , hear him : what 's that ? believe him whatsoever he says , why , what saith he ? o dull and stupid heart ! hast thou forgot already ! he said he will pay his life for thine ; and doth not his father bid thee hear him ? he said he would reconcile thee , love thee , and make thee friends again ; and is it not comfort when the father bids thee believe him : he said , he will pardon , wash and cleanse thee , and take thee to himself , & betroth thee to him for ever , and after all will give thee to see his glory , even the same glory which he had before the world. and the father is willing to all this , for he tells thee his son , is his well-beloved son , and bids thee believe him , and misdoubt not one syllable . and canst thou after all this doubt that the father is not willing ? but do not his angels likewise , who are ministring spirits , with voice and looks proclaim as much , that heaven is well-pleased with the son , and with his death and passion , and so with thee in him ? do not the angels admire the mystery of redeeming grace , that makes them so desirous to peep into it ? why did they proclaim his coming into the world , and sing for joy that there was good will in heaven to men on earth ? or why do they so diligently attend thee by night and day ? thou seest them not keep guard about thy chamber-door , and round about the curtains of thy bed . why do they attend thee from room to room , and follow thee down stairs , and out of doors , if it were not but that thou art some great princess , nearly allied to their lord and master ? thou dost not see this , blame then thine eyes , and the infidelity of thy heart ; shall it be less true , because thy base infidelity cannot digest it ? thou might doubt god , heaven , and every thing else on that score ; but hast thou not it from his own mouth , that the angels are ministring spirits for the heirs of glory ? come , tell me , i say , tell me quickly , i must have an answer , can this , and all this be true , and heaven yet not be pleased ? if god with his son and angels be all content that thou shouldst be restored , and so exalted to such dignities as to be heir unto the crown of heaven ; if these be pleased , who is there in heaven that can else be displeased ? what saith my heart ? what not yet one word ? oh how long shall i be troubled and pestered with my unbelief ! oh my god , strike , chide , and break this flint , reprove this stubborn and unbelieving heart , i cannot perswade it that thou lovest me , or art willing to love me : i urge thy word , and my best reason to prove it , but i cannot make it yield . oh break , i pray thee , this flint or adamant upon thy downy breast of love ; strike , and one blow of thine will make it fall in pieces , and confess at length that thou art well pleased with thy son , and fully satisfied that he should bleed and die for me . but let me try thee once again , if thou hast lost thine ears and eyes ; i 'le see if thou hast lost thy feeling too . thou sayst thou canst not believe that god is willing to accept the son for thee , or that thou so vile a wretch canst be accepted of by the father through the merits of his death and sufferings . come , tell me , is not this thy language ? i know thou darest not to speak so much in words . but ah ! my heart , i find thou hast got a tongue as well as my mouth , that often mutters and speaks a different language . but tell me if thy unbelief hath any ground for it ? what makes it then that thy self is so free from fears and terrours , when thou shouldest believe the almighty , of thy bodies death , resurrection , and coming to judgment , if thou thoughtest him not thy friend , and reconciled to thee in his son ? if not , methinks thy fears should fright thee , and trembling seize on every joynt ; and yet thou wilt foolishly mutter against thine own feeling . soul speaks ] o blessed god! i feel thou hast overcome ; i yield , i yield , i have not left a word to speak against thy love ; thy son hath offered satisfaction , and thou hast accepted it ; thou hast laid down , o my saviour , thy life for mine ; and thy father and my father is well pleased with it : blood is paid , justice is satisfied , heavens doors are widened , thine arms opened to receive me ; nothing is wanting but by heart ; make it such as thou wilt have it , and then take it to thy self . come up , my soul , thou hast an heart , and there is a christ ; the father thou seest is willing , and the son is willing , give but thy consent , and he is thine for ever . fear not thy hardness , blindness , deadness , loathsomness , all these cannot hinder , if thou be but willing . he hath been in the world to ask the worlds consent already , and also thine ; thou canst not doubt of his good-will ; speak but the word , and he hath thine too . what stickest thou at ? surely thou art a sluggish spirit ; what dost thou ail ? half of this ado would find a heart for a little mire or dirt , or something else that is worse , and is not christ better ? but ah ! yet i feel a piece of unbelief still working in thy very bowels , as if that jesus that died at jerusalem were not the son of god , and the redeemer of the world. and is this all ? o were i certain thou wouldst ne're doubt more , how freely should i make satisfaction ? but oh! i faint and tire with the trips and stumblings of my unbelief . but mount , my soul , thou must resolve to tire and put to silence all thy unbelieving bablings , or they will thee ; which , if they do , never expect an hours peace or quiet more ; thou must resolve to conquer thy unbelief , or to be conquered ; thou knowest her tyranny too well to let her go away the victoress . he was not the christ , thou sayest , but tell me why ? object . his parentage was too low and mean ; what the saviour of the world a carpenters son ! how can it be ! answ . my unbelief , in the first place thou lyest , his mother was a virgin , and her conception knew no father but the almighty power of the overshadowing holy ghost ; he was more truly the son of god than joseph's son. and was his birth , thinkst thou , so mean , whose parentage was so glorious ? object . his birth but mean and beggarly ; no sooner born , but cradled in a manger ; and could heaven suffer this ? answ . it consists . but yet it was as glorious : for did not a star proclaim him born ? and did not a whole host of angels sing and shout it up for joy ? and did not wise men , yea and kings , bring incense , myrrh , and frankinsense , being but as so much tribute , unto the new-born king and heir of all things , as if by instinct they knew they held their crowns of him ? a greater honour than ever any new born prince hath yet received before him , or ever shall or will do after him . methinks , my unbelieving heart , i could dare to tell thee , that room was no stable , it was a palace ; and did not the cost , presents , and glorious presence of kings speak as much ? object . but his days were spent in poverty , meanness and disgrace ; and can i , dare i , trust my soul with such a one , and take him to be the son of god ? answ . and now i wonder at thee ! it's true what thou sayest , if thou lookest upon him one way ; his life was such as thou tellest me of ; but 't is a strong argument against thy self ; for just such a one was the christ to be , according to the prophets ; the 53 chap. of isa . shews as much . but yet if thou truly understandest what true pump and glory means , even to an eye of sense as well as to that of faith , solomon's life imbroidered with all his glorious acts , was not comparable to this life of his . was it not filled with miracles and wonders ? was he not proclaimed the son of god with voices from heaven ? did he not conquer devils , and therefore the kingdom of hell ? was ever prince on earth honoured with so great a conquest ? were not his miraculous feasts more splendid than those of princes ? the fare was but poor and mean , but the miracles made it rich and glorious . had i been present , should i not have wondered and gazed more at the master of this feast , and have taken more pleasure to have seen him sit down with these five thousands , than with a table full of princes and great men ? alas , it were a trifling sight to this . methinks my unbelief that pleads so much for sense , sense it self pleads too strongly against thee , for thou canst not argue one syllable . object . but would the son of god be hanged and crucified ? could heaven have suffered this ? could not the saviour of the world save himself ? how could he then save me ? answ . hadst thou not the blindness of the jews , thou couldest not reason thus like them ; but was it not necessary it should be so ? did not the prophets foretell his death , and such a death ? had he not died , and died as he did , i might then have had some ground to doubt him whether he were the messias or not , for it was needful that the prophecies should be fulfilled , dan. 9. but yet as wretched and as contemptible a going out of the world as he had , and his manner of dying on the cross , how vile soever it seemed to be , yet was there not enough to silence all the doubts that could possibly from thence arise , and much for the confirmation of my faith in the wonderful eclipse of the sun , the rending of the veil of the temple , the opening of the graves , the raising of the dead , and afterwards his own rising the third day , and ascending up to heaven in a cloud ? if my faith might have staggered in seeing him on the cross dying , it could not when it saw him risen , and in the clouds ascending . object . but were those wonders true and certain ? answ . but hast thou any ground to doubt them ? are they not written in thy bible ? and art thou not certain that it is the word of god ? or hast thou not sufficient reason to believe it to be so ? but hast thou not a whole nation , yea nations that do believe the same ? and before this age , did not our fathers , and grandfathers , and great grandfathers , and so continued a testimony of ages from the time that they were done , to this day , witness to the truth of them , and that so unanimously & resolutely that ten thousands have rather chosen to lose their lives , than the truth of them . now put all these together , and tell me , canst thou doubt ? away , i see thou dost but trifle ; consess the truth , or i am resolved to heed thee no longer . come , take and embrace that crucified jesus , account all things else but as loss , and dross , and dung in comparison with him ; stick not at his outward meanness , scruple not at his ignominious dying , it is the very christ the saviour of the world . oh why shouldest thou thus torment me ? dost thou not see all thy fellow-christians to glory in that cross , and in that christ that died on it ? do they not bear it as a badge of honour , and shall it be to thee as shame ? do not all the christian world eat and drink as often as they can the symbols of this their dying lord ? and do they not all sing , and joy , and triumph in it ? and wilt thou the while lye vexing thy self over a company of needless fears and scruples ? farewell all needless doubts and tormenting questions , i see my faith is built on a rock , blow winds , beat waves , you cannot now move me . blessed god i thank thee , for thy son , thou hast given his life for the spoiler , thou hast bowed his back to the enemies , long furrows have they plowed upon it , and the day of his calamity they laughed at . lord : thou hast wounded him for my sins , and bruised him for my iniquities . these speak the depth of thy counsels , and the ways of thy mercy past finding out , and the tenderness of thy bowels . thou hast made him my rock , and my shield , and my strong tower , and in the day of my sorrow through him thou wilt hear me . to thee , o god , will i make my vows , and to thee will i pay them ; i will humble my self before thee . i will always lye at the feet of my redeemer . lord ! his gross and his shame shall be no more a stumbling-block to me , i will take it up and follow him , it shall be my crown , my song , and the glory of my rejoicing . i will enter into thy courts with joy , and in the congregations of thy saints shall be my delight ; i will remember thy loving-kindnesses of old , and the days in which thou didst afflict thy only son for the sins of my soul. i will call to mind the covenant of thy grace ; and my heart shall praise thee , when i see it founded on blood . then will i betroth my self to thy son ; join thou , lord , both our hands and hearts , and we will strike up a match for ever . praise thou the lord , oh my soul , and all you that love and fear him , praise his holy name . the sacrament . the dress . lord , where am i ! what! all the children of the bride-chamber up and drest , and i slumbring in my bed ! tell me ye fairest , what make you up so early ? alas our lord was up before us all . he called us up by break of day , and wondered that we were not triming our lamps , knowing with whom we were to feast this day . oh well then i will rise up too . oh what a shew do these bright and glittering saints make in mine eyes ? what a brightness do these pearls and diamonds cast in mine eyes ! they do strike me into amazement . oh what a lovely humble look doth crown their brow and what a comly countenance hath joy and heavenly delight cast on their cheeks surely they did not thus dress themselves it was my father that made them thus prepar'd to entertain his son. but where are my clothes ? now for the fairest , sweetest robe of thoughts and wishes that can be sound , or that the wardrobe of my father can afford me . oh how naked am i ! but where are my silken golden twists of faith to hang the jewels of joy and love , and humility upon ? i am never drest till they be on . oh where , where are they ? i saw them by me but just now . i said them by my heart before i went to bed . oh what was i so long a reasoning about ? oh what long and many threds did my reason spin even now , but to make these twines to tye up my joy , and to raise up my love , and to hang my heavenly delight upon ? but ah ! i fear this envious world hath with her vanities stollen them away , or hid them from me ; or the envious devil , or unbelief have been ravelling or snarling of them , that now i am as far to seek as ever . whither , o whither shall i go to find them out ? now , will the bridegroom come , and i am not ready ? i cannot , dare not go to day . now will my lord be angry , and ask me why i came not , and i have no answer to make him . and if i go undrest , he will ask me , where is my weding-garment , and then i shall be speechless . ah foollsh simple heart ! that thou shouldst take no more care but to let these thoughts of earth so intangle themselves with thy so pure and heavenly contemplations ! now how to get them loose again , thou knowest not ; this thou mightest by heed and care have prevented ; but now what help ? lord , i have sinned ; o holy father pardon this time , and i will take more heed . oh come and unty my thoughts from this earth , and come and dress me up as best pleaseth thee . come , be not discouraged , oh my soul ! let but thy attire of grace be whole , that is , sincere , thy god , and so thy saviour will accept thee . though thy garments are not so much perfumed with heaven , as thy brethrens are , but yet if they are but white and free from the spots of flesh and spirit , thou wilt be looked on and liked of well enough . thy lord doth know that all have not talents alike ; and where he gives but a little , he expects but little . a faith that it richly embroidered over with love and delight , is not given to all ; and is not expected from any but from those to whom it is given . thou hast an honest , willing , serious heart , that thinks it doth despise and trample under feet the nearest , dearest pleasures , profits and glories in the world , in compare with him that gave himself to death for thee ; and hadst rather anger flesh and blood , the dartest friends , and all the world than him , by sinning against him in the least . if this be true , fear not , thou hast thy weding-garment on , thou art well clad ; as mean so ever as it is , it is such a one as heaven gave thee , and such a one as thy dear redeemer can , and will embrace thee in . the presence-chamber . fear not , o my soul , i charge thee do not faint . let not thy weakness , and the poverty of thy grace , discourage thee : ●ee how thy lord draws nigh . fear not , i say , he will not ask thee , friend , how camest thou hither not having on thy wedding garment ? he sees thy heart , and sees thou hast it on . oh he comes ! and it is out to whisper thee a welcome in thine ear ; it is but to fall about thy neck and kiss thy be-tear'd cheeks , and bid thee a kind welcome to thy bleeding lord. soul. oh did i think to be thus much made of ! i thought he would not have minded me ; but i did no sooner appear and set my feet within the doors , but he ran to meet me ; he took mee in his arms , he brought me hither , and set me here . is this a house , or is it a palace ? is this a court for princes , or for angels ? never did place more ravish me into amazement than this place ! beautiful are thy gates , o zion ! o how pleasant is the habitation of the most high ! is it the place or the company that strikes me into astonishment ! now i can say , most feelingly say with david , my delights are with the saints of the most high , and the most excellent of the earth . their poverty , their disgrace , their contempt amongst whom they live , do not puzzle my quick-ey'd faith ; these are the kings daughters that are all glorious within , their garments are of needle work , imbroidered over with pure gold , fine-spun gold . these ! o these ! how poor and mean soever they are , or may seem to be , these shall sit with christ to judge the world. oh! how my soul is ravished with delight , to see and look on those with whom i shall live for ever ! if they are so lovely now , what will they be hereafter , when our god shall take them , and scowr off their rust , and wash their garments bright in the sun-shine of his countenance , and change those mortal and corruptible bodies into immortal and glorious ones ; and set them upon thrones , about himself , and lade their heads with crowns of massy gold ; and when i shall hear them warbling out the everlasting praises of the lamb , whose body and blood we shall sit down to feed on ! communion-plate . never was gold or silver graced thus before , to bring this body and this blood to us , is more than to crown kings , or be made rings for star-like diamonds to glitter in . the bread. welcome fairest , take and eat ; 't is the sweetest dainties , dearest morsel heaven can afford thee . welcome , my dear , to the table of my lord. welcome a thousand times , i bid thee ; yea , welcomer than thine own heart can wish . take , eat this morsel , it cost my life ; it 's a portion thy father sent unto thee by me , and bid me remember thee of his love to thee . he bids thee remember a fathers love , ay , a saviours . he hath a heart to give thee , and so have i. take this in earnest of them both in one . take freely ; if thou wert not welcome , i would have told thee ; i would have asked thee for thy weding-garment , knew i not thy heart ; or if i were uncertain of thy love , i would have scorn'd thee as unworrhy of my presence ; did i know thou lovest any thing above me , i would have hid my face , and never have spoke thee a welcome so feelingly and kindly to thy soul . tell me , o tell me ! dost thou not love me ? i know thou dost ; and above father or mother , wife or child , lands or living , or credit ; i know thou dost . and wilt thou not take the cross and sollow me ? i know thou wilt , i see and know the labour of thy love ; i remember the pains and travel of thy soul ; i saw thee follow me on thy knees in tears , and begged my life rather than thy life . i know thy heart , i saw it bleeding before my throne ; i took it in my arms and bound it up , and in that breast i remember i put it up again ; i saw thee when no eye saw thee ; i heard thee , and had compassion on thy groanings , whilst thou wert complaining that i had shut out thy prayers ; i will remember since thy heart did first fall sick with love , since the time thy flesh began to die , and since thou laidst thy self in the grave down by me , and wert willing to die to all this vain empty glory of the world , because i died & left it . i know thee well enough , thou art mine , and i am thine . take it , i charge thee ; eat it as thou lovest me ; and whilst thou feedest , remember the love of thy dearest redeemer . soul. oh 't is the sweetest meat that ever tongue did tast ; it sends a relish to my very heart ; i find it digest s as it descends ; i feel my nerves and sinews strengthen ; i never knew that bread was the staff of life till now ; oh how fit is my soul now for christ ? how easie do i now find his yoke ; how light his burden ! methinks i could watch or pray , or read more earnestly , resolvedly , believingly , than ever . oh! methinks i can take his cross & bear it strongly , and take the shame and despise it sully . oh 't is a feast of fat things ! the richest banquet of love that ever i was at ; it was but a little that i took , and it fills me full , my hungry stomach now crye , 't is enough , i find it now verified to my soul and spirit , that he that eats of this bread shall never hunger more . well , i need not starve when there is such bread in my fathers house . i need not , i will not , i cannot feed any longer on husks with the swine of the world . i fed on air and smoke before ; i never tasted substantial bread till i tasted of this . this is the staff of my life , and upon this will i support my self to my very grave . the wine . christ . come my dearest , i have drunk , and thou shalt pledge me : i have broached my side , and drew it on purpose for thee . this is a wine of mine own making , when i trod the winepress of my fathers wrath . it is my blood ; but take and drink it ; it was the cause of my wounding , but to thy soul it shall prove healing . i died and bled , it was but to make this banquet for thee . i have brought thee into my wine-cellar , and my banner over thee shall be love . fear not , take and drink , thou hast an ulcer in thy heart , and this shall cure it ; spots and stains of guilt on thy soul , and this shall purge them away ; thy spirits are faint , this shall revive thee , thou art afraid to see thy fathers face , this shall make thee to draw near the throne of grace with boldness . drink , i charge thee ; drink on thy love and loyalty to me . i command thee as thou wilt have thy heart to mend , thy wounds to cure , thy spirits to revive , thy fears to scatter , thy soul to love and obey me , take , o take this cup into thy hand , taste it , and praise my love . soul. lord ! i have taken , i have drunk as thou hast bid me , i neither could , or dare deny thee . can i refuse thy blood when i have accepted thy self ? or can i accept my pardon at thy hands , and refuse the seal thereof ? i know i am vile , i am vile , but thou hast pardoned me . lord , i have abused thy love , a thousand times refused thy offered self , and withstood the tenders of thy grace ; but thou hast covered all my sins , thou hast freely justified me by thy grace , and made a full atonement for me by thy blood ; this is that thou freely biddest me take , and i have freely drunk it . never was wine so full as this is . never was bowl so full of pleasure as this . i have swallowed down my life and pardon at one draught : i took it from my saviours hand , it was a cup of his own preparing . if ever drink was sugared , this was ! i never tasted better rellisht wine in all my life ! the richest cordials cannot match this draught divine , spirits of pearls dissolved would but dead this wine . oh when my hopes but kist the purple dews , they hung and cleaved so , as if they were loth to let thee go . they strove and strugled to get near my heart , as if intending there to take a part . i dare not say them nay ; blood from that bowl may the best room command within my soul . what a sudden , strange , yet happy alteration do i find within ! my languid spirits are revived ; my winter is over . methinks i feel my life and joy to spring a main . my aarons rod ( a dry stick but now ) doth bloom and flourish . my newly ingrafted soul is full of infant-clusters . blood at the root of vines they say produce the richest wines . oh! if my lord will undertake to dress this vine , and trickle down his blood into my root , then draw it up into each branch of grace by the warming beam of his reviving love ; then let my dears est come , let him come as he hath promised , and bring my father and his father with him , and sup both with me and in me . let them come , and i will bid them a welcome , i shall have a fruit to present them with , which they themselves shall say is pleasant ; i shall not send my father away now so oft complaining , i came to seek for grapes and fruit , but behold wild ones . the conclusion . oh! how unwillingly do i rise ! methinks i could sit here and feast my heart and eyes for ever . what running-banquets doth my lord afford me here ! surely he should not need to fear that i should surfeit on himself . but alas ! i must be gone , what shall i do in yonder hungry soul-starving world again ? i have been feeding on my paschal lamb , and now i must go and eat my sowre herbs ; but if it be his will , i must obey ; if it be so , i must arise : i know thou hast prepared the endless feast above , where i shall ever sit and enjoy thy love , and glut my hungry eye and heart on the banquet of thy everlasting self . as yet i am now on earth , my toil and work lyes heavy on my hands , i have yet an afternoon to labour out , god knows my work is hard , too hard for me my self to perform . i scarcely should have lasted out so long , but that ometimes at such seasons as this is , he repaired my sinking spirits by pouring in the cordials of his blood. now i must go and perhaps find as sharp conflicts with my self as ever . i know the world and hell have been laying their snares and gins to catch my new-fledg'd soul ; and all conspire against my welfare . now it is well if i escape a fall , a bruise , a breaking of my bones , in which sad plight i have so often lain , that my lord might have took me for dead , but that my groanings told him loudly i lived . lord ! must i leave this feast ? must i go ? take me then by the hand , and lead me ; if i must walk , let me see thee by me , that i may know i walk with my god. lead me away , and i will go with thee ; and let me not go till thou bringest me hither again ; i cannot , will not live without thee . and do thou lord , say , i must not , shall not . if both our hearts in love so well agree , what then shall separate my christ from me ? a meditation on the death of christ , preparative to the scrament : pen'd for his private use . but is he dead ? oh sad ! yet joyful news ! how strangely is my soul amazed , and diversly mov'd and troubl'd by these contrary passions ! methinks i could pull up the floodgates of my sorrow , and vent it out in tears ; but something bids me hold . shall i mourn for him that 's just now past his state of mourning ? he 's dead ! and what of that ? and so are all his griefs , his bloody sweats , his sighs and groans concluded , he hath drunk on the brook in the way ; bitter while they were in his mouth , and he was living ; but sweet now they have sunk into his belly , and he in heaven . sweet to him , because it was his work , & he hath finisht it ; and sweet to me , because it was the portion of sorrow , death , hell , that i must have taken . and canst thou mourn ! methinks if thou didst love , thine heart should rather sympathize with his : he is singing , and shalt thou be sighing ? he is joying that his work is done , and now is welcomed into heaven by god his father , and shouting up by angels voices , as the great conquerour of the hearts of men on earth , and that now in triumph he is returned . and will a mournful weed , a wet eye , and a cloudy brow , become thee at these times of festivals ? shall the heavenly angels be joyful , and thou sad ? how strangely will this be construed ! will it not be said , thou dost not love him ? or thou dost envy his recovered glory that he had left , and now again hath taken ? or that thou canst not endure to see him wear his princes crown in heaven , that for a time he had laid aside to come down to the earth to fetch thee thence to heaven ? but ah ! my lord , thou wilt not sure interpret sorrow thus ; thou hast not sure forgot to give a meaning unto tears , to teach a sigh to speak , and then to know its language ! hath my lord forgot so suddenly that he was on earth , and that he sweat , and groan'd , and wept , and bled , as well as i do now ? what though now all tears , and sorrow , and sighing is done away , and he ceaseth to be any longer subject to our infirmities ? yet sure he knows it is not thus with us . i am not yet in heaven , nor am i yet quite past the vale of sorrow ; and it cannot then be strange to him , if he sees sometimes our faces look of a sadder hue than those that are in heaven . but why should thus my tears be check'd , and my throbbing heart be chidden ; were it for a thing of nought i might be counted fool or child ; but shall my saviour die , and vent his soul in a stream of blood , and all in love to me ? and shall he thus forsake the world , and die and then be laid in the grave , and i be denied the liberty of following him thither as a mourner ? shall it be said of the prince of glory , that he died and had the burial of an ass ? because there was none to sorrow forth those words of , ah my lord ! what! shall it be granted to a wife to mourn for the death of a beloved husband ? and to a child at the burial of a beloved father ? shall not such be blamed , but rather pitied ? and shall their friends come in and confess the loss and the ground of their sorrow just , and rather sit them down and bear them company in their grief ? and must i of all be thus censur'd ? away with an husband , wife , or child to me : is he not more to me than ten husbands ? might i not have had an hundred that would have never done half so much for me as he hath done ? that first left his glory for my sake , and then laid down his life , and took the stroke upon himself that i my self deserved , and all because he lov'd me ? was ever friend like this friend ! and ever love , like this love ! many waters cannot quench love ; but neither waters , blood , death , nor many deaths could quench his love to me . but shall he love , and die in love , and thus be forc'd to leave me , because he lov'd me , and i not mourn the absence of my best beloved ? how unreasonable may any this deny me ! but ah ! what a bitter-worded check did i even now receive ; as if my sorrow would arise from the envying of his now glorious state , and not from any love i bare him ! oh! what needle-pointed words are those ! methinks they have pierc'd mine heart in every part and from each prick hath started forth a drop , that hath set it o're with a bloody dew ! but how can it once be thought that envy should get a room in an heart that 's full of love , with which it swells , it bubbles up , and runs all over ? it cannot be . bear witness heavens ! i do not grieve that you contain him , but that i on earth have lost him ! oh my god! i am not sorry that thy son hath past his sufferings , and is arriv'd to rest , and got again into thy bosom , his ancient nest of love and pleasure . oh you blessed orders of seraphim & cherubims , and you innumerable company of the spirits of the just men made perfect ! i do not envy that you have my lord with you , that you see his face , and live and walk , and joy in the light of his countenance : alas ! we your poor brethren could not make him so welcome here on earth , as you can there : we lov'd him as sincerely as you , and believ'd in him , and took delight too in him ; but yet nothing near so much as you . you know him better than we do ; for you know him as you are known , and therefore know better how to prize him . we know him but in part , and the value , price , & love could but be in the like proportion . he is therefore far much better there than here ; and how shall i then either envy him or you ! and what , my soul ! should i wish him back again ? what if i thought i could prize and love him more , and could promise the like for all his beloved disciples ? i could not alike engage for the wicked , envious , malicious , unbelieving world ; i could not promise he should meet with no other herod to seek his life , or that the hard-hearted jews would give him better entertainment , whom they dare yet curse with the name of conjurer , though moses and their prophets bore witness to him , and though they received a seal from heaven in voices , thunders , signs , and an innumerable company of real miracles . oh no! my lord ! though i could wish to see thy face again on earth , yet not in such a state of misery in the midst of a den of bears , and lions , as not long since thou wast . ah! thou knowest i took no delight to hear that traiterous news of thine own apostle that had betray'd thee ; & that it fill'd mine heart with anguish to hear how shamefully and scornfully thou wast abused . thou sawest me blush when i heard thy face was spit on ; my head did ake when thine was crowned with thorns . anguish and indignation did loose my nerves , and with a palsie shook mine hands , when thine had a mock scepter put into them , a reed , and a scoff , hail jesus king of the jews . and did not mine heart break and bleed to hear that thine was pierced ! ah my lord ! and shall i yet find an heart to wish thee here again ! no , no , i am glad thou hast escap'd their bloody hands , and now got quite without their reach . i am glad thou hast got to perfect ease and rest ; and know'st no pains , nor griefs , nor sorrows . oh! take a full possession of thy fathers breast , and sit thee down upon his throne , thou art a king for ever . and take delight in these thy soul did travel , die and bleed for on earth . i will repine at nothing that shall advance thy glory . but oh! thou cruel bloody unbelieving world ! you wicked murtherous bloody jews ! though i rejoice my lord is safe arrived home , and quietly landed within his haven ; yet from you i cannot hold mine anger , that made his sea a sea of blood , and drain'd his heart , to make it deep , & filld his sails with sighs and groans , that caus'd his voyage to be so doleful . what good got you to stand and laugh to see him sorrowful ? to scoff and jeer to hear his lamentations ? what cursed rage was that to make such haste to fetch him vinegar and gall to prolong his life , to lengthen out his dolors ? how could you find such barbarous hearts to triumph over a bleeding dying lamb , that was so innocent ? how could you taunt at him when you heard him praying for you , father forgive them ! and so tenderly excusing you , for they know not what they do ! methinks that kindly harmless carriage should have pierced your hearts ; those melting words should have dissolv'd them ; and instead of piercing him , i should have thought you pierced . and ah ! but that i know an unbelieving heart my self , and understand what hardness means , i should stand and wonder ! oh! it 's too hard an adament for downy words , and doleful sounds , and tender carriages to break and shatter ! how often have i outstood all those my self ! and when i served my flesh , how little did i mind them ! and when they have been presented to me in the gospel , or in a sermon told that all these tortures he endur'd for me , and i in part believed it too , yet , was i not as a man bereft of my senses , and i was no more mov'd in mine heart , as if i had not heard or understood , and were quite bereav'd of sense and reason . but had i thus continued in my senseless unbelieving state , and as i liv'd so died ; yet how deservedly should i have born the wrath of god , and have been sent to hell as a recompence of mine unbelief ? and yet , you careless secure jews , can you think to escape when god comes to make inquisition for blood ? how will you do if this sin shall find you out ? if god requires blood for blood , what will become of yours ? if he had been no more than a common man , the law would then have required your lives for payment . but how if in the end he prove a prophet ? nay more than that , the son of the most high god , the prince and saviour whom god had promised to raise , the messiah whom moses and the prophets bare witness to , and him that you so long'd and wisht to see ! how will you look ! what will you say ! what answer will you make when all these truths are cleared ? where will you hide your selves for shame ? and what will you do when confusion shall thus take hold upon you ? what! will you then confess the fact , or will you deny it ? with what face can you do the first ? and if you do the latter , the curse you and your fathers drew upon your selves , let his blood be upon us and our children ! stand still on record against you , and will cry you guilty . will you excuse it with your unbelieving ignorance ? but how will you be able to rub your brows into so much confidence ? how dare you say you were ignorant of him , when you say you know both moses and the prophets , and they bear witness of him ? you askt a sign , and did he not give you both signs and wonders ? how often did he cure your lame ? how wonderfully did he heal your lepers , and those sick of the palsie , yea of all manner of diseases ? how did he open the eyes of the blind ! & give light to them that was born blind ! yea , restore the withered hand , & make the crooked straight , and open the ears of the deaf , and cast out devils , and raise the dead ! therefore let all the house of israel know assuredly , that god hath made that same jesus whom ye have crucified , both lord and christ . a prayer before the receiving the holy communion . most holy god , i am as stubble before thee , the consuming fire . how shall i stand before thy holiness , for i am a sinful creature , laden with iniquity , that have gone backward , and provoked the holy one of israel ; when i was lost , thy son did seek and save me ; when i was dead in sin , thou madest me alive . thou sawest me polluted in my blood , and saidst unto me live . in that time of love thou coveredst my nakedness , and enteredst into a covenant with me , and i became thine own . thou didst deliver me from the power of darkness , and translate me into the kingdom of thy dear son ; and gavest me remission of sin , through his blood . but i am a grievous revolter , i have forgotten the covenant of the lord my god , i was engaged to love thee with all my heart , and to hate iniquity , and serve thee diligently , and thankfully to set forth thy praise . but i have departed from thee , and corrupted my self by self-love , and by loving the world , and the things that are in the world , and have fulfilled the desires of the flesh , which i should have crucified . i have neglected my duty to thee , and to my neighbour , and the necessary care of my own salvation . i have been an unprofitable servant , and have hid thy talents , and have dishonoured thee , whom in all things i should have pleased and glorified . i have been negligent in hearing and reading thy holy word , and in meditating and conferring of it , in publick and private prayer and thanksgiving , and in my preparation to this holy sacrament , in the examining of my self , and repenting of my sins , and stirring up my heart to a believing and thankful receiving of thy grace , and to love and joyfulness , in my communion with thee , and with one another of thy people . i have not duly discerned the lord's body , but have prophaned thy holy name and ordinance , as if the table of the lord had been contemptible . and when thou hast spoken peace to me , i returned again to folly ; i have deserved , o lord , to be cast out of thy presence , and to be forsaken , as i have forsaken thee , and to hear to my confusion , depart from me , i know thee not , thou worker of iniquity . thou mayest justly tell me , thou hast no pleasure in me , nor wilt receive an offering at my hand . but with thee there is abundant mercy . and my advocate jesus christ the righteous , is the propitiation for my sins ; who bare them in his body on the cross , and made himself an offering for them , that he might put them away by the sacrifice of himself ; have mercy upon me , and wash me in his blood ; cloath me with his righteousness ; take away my iniquities , and let them not be my ruine ; forgive them , and remember them no more : o thou that delightest not in the death of sinners , heal my back-slidings , love me freely , and say unto my soul , that thou art my salvation . thou wilt in no wise cast out them that come unto thee , receive me graciously to the feast thou hast prepared for me ; cause me to hunger and thirst after christ , and his righteousness , that i may be satisfied : let his flesh and blood be to me meat and drink indeed , and his spirit be in me a well of living water , springing up to everlasting life . give me to know thy love in christ , which passeth knowledge . though i have not seen him , let me love him . and though now i see him not , yet believing let me rejoyce with joy unspeakable , and full of glory ; though i am unworthy of the crumbs that fall from thy table , yet feed me with the bread of life , and speak and seal up peace to my sinful wounded soul . soften my heart that is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin ; mortifie the flesh , and strengthen me with might in the inward man ; that i may live and glorifie thy grace , through jesus christ our only saviour . in whose words i conclude , saying , our father , &c. a prayer after the receiving of the holy communion . most glorious god , how wonderful is thy power and wisdom , thy holiness and justice , thy love and mercy in this work of our redemption , by the incarnation , life , death , resurrection , intercession , and dominion of thy son ! no power or wisdom in heaven or earth , could have delivered me but thine . the angels desire to pry into this mystery , the heavenly host do celebrate it with praises , saying , glory be to god in the highest ; on earth peace ; good will towards men . the whole creation shall proclaim thy praises , blessing , honour , glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne , and unto the lamb for ever and ever . worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power , and honour , and glory ; for he haeth redeemed us to god by his blood , and made us kings and priests unto our god. where sin abounded , grace hath abounded much more . and hast thou indeed forgiven me so great a debt , by so precious a ransom ? wilt thou indeed give me to reign with christ in glory , and see thy face , and love thee , and be beloved of thee for ever ? yea lord , thou hast forgiven me , and thou wilt glorifie me , for thou art faithful that hast promised . with the blood of thy son , with the sacrament , and with thy spirit , thou hast sealed up to me these precious promises . and shall i not love thee , that hast thus loved me ? shall i not love thy servants , and forgive my neighbours their little debt ? after all this shall i again forsake thee , and deal falsly in thy covenant ? god forbid , o! set my affections on the things above , where christ sitteth at thy right hand . let me no more mind earthly things , but let my conversation be in heaven , from whence i expect my saviour to come and change me into the likeness of his glory . teach me to do thy will , o god! and to follow him , who is the author of eternal salvation , to all them that do obey him . order my stops by thy word , and let not any iniquity have dominion over me . let me not hence-forth live unto my self , but unto him who died for me and rose again . let me have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness , but reprove them . and let my light so shine before men , that they may glorifie thee . in simplicity and godly sincerity , and not in fleshly wisdom , let me have my conversation in the world . o that my ways were so directed , that i might keep thy statutes ! though satan will be desirous again to sist me , and seek as a roaring lion to devour , strengthen me to stand against his wiles , and shortly bruise him under my feet . accept me , o lord , who resign my self unto thee , as thine own ; and with my thanks and praise , present my self a living sacrifice to be acceptable through christ. useful for thine honour . being made free from sin , and become thy servant , let me have my fruit unto holiness , and the end everlasting life . through jesus christ our lord and saviour . in whose words i farther pray , our father , &c. a divine soliloquy . o my soul ! thou hast been feasted with the son of god , at his table , upon his flesh and blood , in preparation for the feast of endless glory ; thou hast seen there represented , what sin deserveth , what christ suffered , what wonderful love , the god of infinite goodness hath exprest to thee . thou hast had communion with the saints ; thou hast renewed thy covenant of faith , and thankful obedience , unto christ . thou hast received his renewed covenant of pardon , grace and glory to thee ; o carry hence the lively sense of these great and excellent things upon thy heart . remember , o my soul ! thou camest not ( to that holy table ) only to injoy the mercy of an hour , but that which may spring up to endless joy. thou camest not only to do the duty of an hour , but to promise that which thou must perform while thou livest on earth . remember daily , especially when temptations to unbelief , and sinful heaviness assault thee , what pledges of love thou hast received . remember daily , especially when flesh , and devil , and world , would draw thy heart again from god ; and temptations to sin are laid before thee , what bonds god and thy own consent have laid upon thee . remember , o my soul ! if thou art a penitent believer , thou art now forgiven , and washed in the blood of christ . o! go your way , and sin no more ; no more thro' wilfulness , and strive against your sins of weakness . wallow no more in the mire , and return not to thy vomit . let the exceeding love of christ constrain thee , having such promises , as 2 cor. 6. 17 , 18. o cleanse thy self from all filthiness of flesh and spirit , perfecting holiness in the fear of god. amen . hymns suited to the sacrament of the lord's supper . to be sung in the common tunes . a hymn for the sacrament . hymn i. i. a new and well composed song , with raptures fill'd of love , and extasies of joy , let 's tune unto our lord above . awake my drowsie sleepy soul , awake dull heavy heart , and all my faculties and powers , joyn , in and bear a part . ii. let judgment weigh the argument , let fancy it adorn , let memory bring forth its store , thoughts , offer your first-born . god did assume the shape of man , with flesh his glory vail'd , himself he humbled unto death . he to the cross was nail'd . iii. made sin , us to acquit from sin ; accursed , us to bless , of righteousness he wrought a robe to hide our nakedness . darling of heaven he was and is , the father 's chief delight : angels wonder , the saints above are ravish'd at his sight . iv. array'd he is with majesty , angels do him attend ; all pow'r is his in heaven and earth , all to his scepter bend . a glorious crown is on his head most lovely is his face , treasures of wisdom are with him , for us he 's stor'd with grace . v. his love doth pass dimensions , his love exceeds all thought , stronger than death , this love to us salvation hath brought . hence all the clouds away , away , darken no more mine eye , fain would i see this lovely one , whose dwelling is on high . vi. open thine eye , here jesus stands , he looks , he breathes , he moves : by faith thou may'st discern him plain , in this sweet feast of loves . and art thou here indeed , my lord ! draw nearer yet to me , and nearer , nearer , my dear lord ; too near thou canst not be . vii . come my beloved , let me view thy beauteous lovely face ; thee i would fold in arms of love , fain i would thee embrace . i feel , i feel a flame within , dear lord , i thee admire ; thy sparkling beauty which i see , hath set me all on fire . viii . thy kind looks have me overcome , the glances of thine eye , sweetly my soul transported have , i feel an extasie . unutterable joys i feel , how sweet ! how sweet ! how sweet is this taste of thy love , whilst i and my beloved meet ! ix . sure this the gate of heaven is , methinks i'm entring in , where i shall always see thy face , and no more grieve or sin . ten thousand praises let us give unto our lord on high ; let heart , and lip , and life combine to make the melody . hymn ii. i. o come let us joyn all like one , the lord to magnifie ; let us together lift his name in sweet sounds to the sky . sweet hymns of love come let us sing , let love us act and move ; let love our voices tune to praise our god , for god is love. ii. god's love the lofty heav'ns above , in height doth far transcend : its depth , the sea ; its breadth and length is without bound or end . god's love to us is wonderful : to us who rebels were , god gave his only son to die , that rebels he might spare . iii. from guilt and reigning power of sin , and satan's slavery ; from fire of hell us to redeem , god gave his son to die . christ suffer'd in our stead , he was more harmless than the dove : that god should lay our sins on him ; this , this indeed is love. iv. o come let us give god our loves , let every heart take fire ; let flames come forth and joyn in one , and unto heav'n aspire . ●weet spirit come , like southern gales , within us breathe and move ; blow up our spark into a flame , that we may burn with love . v. that we with all our hearts may love , our hearts lord circumcise : of love persum'd with sweet incense , accept the sacrifice . vi. draw near , o god , unvail thy self , our cloudiness remove ; o shine ! and smile on us , that we may see thy face and love . vii . dear jesus , come and visit us , a stranger do not prove ; heal wounds of sin , speak peace that we thy voice may hear and love . viii . our selves we offer with our hearts , our whole selves we resign to thee who art the god of love , we are and will be thine . hymn iii. i. god hath us brought into his courts , and chambers of his love , that he might feed and feast us here , with dainties from above . heav'n opened is before our eye , the vail is rent , that we may upward look , and his dear son crowned with glory see . ii. this jesus crowned was with thorns , scourged with cruel hands , his flesh was torn , when to the cross he tyed was with bands . tears trickled from his mournful eyes , sweat dropped from his face , blood flowed from his hands and feet , and side , in streams apace . iii. his groans were strong , his crys were loud , pressures of wrath did lye upon his soul , with sense of which in anguish he did dye . he harmless was , and innocent ; no guilt upon him lay , but as our surety he our debts did by his sufferings pay . iv. thus did he justice satisfie , by dying in our room , that we might justified be by faith , that to him come . the bread we eat at this great feast , christ's flesh is , and his blood is represented by the wine ; this , this indeed is food . v. here is the heavenly manna , which our god to us doth give : who eateth other bread shall die ; in eating this we live . a hidden life of grace we have , breathing desires and love ; christ is our life , the author , spring , by whom our graces move . vi. come let us look unto our lord ; this glass will show his face , not veiled over with dark types , as heretofore it was . god-man , that name is wonderful ; so is his beauty ; so his love is full of wonders , both beyond our reach to go . vii . yet where we cannot comprehend , looking , let us admire , admiring love , loving rejoyce , and to enjoy aspire . our lord is present at this feast ; he looks , let 's meet his eye with ours ; sweet glances , looks of love it may be we shall spy . viii . come lord draw near , we long , we long thy face to see , thy love to taste , thy voice to hear , within to feel thy spirit move . thou art all fair , thou hast no spot , thy beauty is divine : thou art all love , embrace us lord in those sweet arms of thine . ix . we look , we wait , we hope , we trust , we long , we love , we burn . ravish thou dost our hearts , whilst thou to us thine eye dost turn . with all the powers of our souls dear jesus we thee praise , in songs of joy and thankfulness our voices we do raise . x. hosanna's we , hosanna's we do sing with one accord in hallelujah's of triumph we joyn to praise the lord. ye angels and triumphant saints , praise ye our lord above , whilst we his servants here below do sing his praise with love . hymn iv. i. thousands of thousands stand around thy throne , o god , most high ; ten thousand times ten thousand sound thy praise , but who am i ? thine arm of might , most mighty king both rocks and hearts doth break ; my god , thou canst do every thing but what would show thee weak . ii. most pure and holy are thine eyes , most holy is thy name ; thy saints , and laws , and penalties , thy holiness proclaim . mercy is god's memorial , and in all ages prais'd ; my god , thine only son did fall , that mercy might be rais'd . iii. thy bright back-parts , o god of grace , i humbly here adore ; shew me thy glory and thy face , that i may praise thee more . mysterious depths of endless love our admirations raise . my god , thy name exalted is far above all our praise : hymn v. i. to whom , lord , should i sing , but thee , the maker of my tongue ? lo , other lords would seize on me , but i to thee belong . as thou lord , an immortal soul hast breathed into me , so let my soul be breathing forth immortal thanks to thee . ii. sing and triumph in boundless grace , which thus hath set thee free ; extol with shouts my saved soul thy saviour's love to thee . sweet christ , thou hast refresht our souls with thine abundant grace , for which we magnifie thy name , longing to see thy face . iii. down from above the blessed dove is come into my breast , to witness god's eternal love , this is my heavenly feast . this makes me abba father cry , with confidence of soul ! it makes me cry , my lord , my god , and that , without controul . iv. thou art all power , thou art all love , and so thou art to me ; blest be my god now and henceforth , and to eternity . hymn vi. i. lord give me a believing heart , advance it more and more ; rebuke those doubts and scruples that are crowding at my door . lord let thy word and spirit guide thy servant in thy way ; may i walk closely with my god , and run no more astray . iii. all they that sit down with thee must be decked with thy grace ; thou smil'st on such communicants , and they behold thy face . come holy spirit , come and take my filthy garments hence , the guilt , the stain , the love of sin , will give my lord offence . iii. let nothing that is not divine , within thy presence move , what e're would cause thee not to shine in tokens of thy love. awake repentance , faith and love , awake o every grace ! come , come , attend this glorious king , and how before his face . iv. let not my jesus now be strange , and hide himself from me ; o cause thy face to shine upon the soul that longs for thee . hymn vii . i. we to our heavenly father give the tribute praise we owe , who by his purifying grace prepares us here below . lo here 's the most amazing proof of great and matchless love ! not that our early love to god did his prevent and move . ii. his motives all to pity us from his own bowels flow ; thence came the richest gift of heav'n to guilty men below . that to his glorious grace all praise might be intirely paid : who , that he might forgive our sins , christ's blood our ransom made ; iii. let then this glorious gift of god yet more our souls refine , that his pure image may in us with greater glory shine . draw us , dear lord , and towards thee we with swift wings will move , thou object of our highest hopes , and of our dearest love. iv. thanksgiving is an heav'nly work , it 's all in heav'n they do , to thank and praise the lord most high , on earth is sweet work too . o! blessed are the saints above , how active is your state ! you ever bless the lord our god , not at our broken rate . vi. but , o! how weak are crawling worms ? how short our sabbath-days ? we die more hours by far in sleep , than we do live in praise . o glorious god! accept our wills , and weaknesses forgive ; we wish our souls were like the saints , unlike them as we live . v. but , o my god! reach down thy hand , and take us up to thee , that we about thy throne may stand , and all thy glory see . all glory to the sacred three , one everlasting lord , as at the first , still may he be belov'd , obey'd , ador'd . hymn viii . i. come let 's adore the king of love , the king of suff'rings too , for love it was that brought him down , and set him here below . love drew him from his paradice , where flowers that fade not grow , and planted him in our poor dust , among us , weeds below . ii. o narrow thoughts , and narrow speech ! here your defects confess . the life of god , the death of christ , how faintly you express . o thou ! who from a virgin root made'st this fair flower to spring , help us to raise both heart and voice , and with more spirit sing , iii. to father , son , and holy ghost , one undivided three , all highest praise , all humblest thanks now and for ever be . hymn ix . to the tune of the 100 psalm . i. tune now your selves my heart strings high , let us aloft our voices raise , that our loud song may reach the sky , and there present to thee our praise . to thee , blest jesus , who came'st down from those bright spheres of joy above , to purchase us a dear bought crown , and woe our souls t'espouse thy love. long had the world in darkness sat , till thou with thy all-glorious light began to dawn from heav'ns fair gate , and with thy beam dispell'd their night . we too , alas ! still here had stood as common slaves in this same shade , but jesus came , and with his blood our general ransom freely paid . and now , my lord , my god , my all , what shall i most in thee admire , that pow'r which made the world , & shall the world again dissolve with fire ! oh no! thy strange humility , thy wounds , thy pains , thy cross , thy death these shall alone my wonder be , my health , my joy , my staff , my breath . to thee , great god , to thee alone , three persons in one deity , as former ages still have done , all glory now and ever be . hymn x. i. the mighty jesus , fill'd with love did these dark regions leave : the heav'nly hosts all wandring stood king jesus to receive . the great jehovah sets a throne , installs our glorious king ; both heav'n and earth must him adore ; and loud hosannah's sing . ii. there sits the king of peace and love , a saviour is his name , mercy his nature and delight , and ever so the same . come all that fear , come all that want , and speedy succour find ; he n're denies a praying soul , he is soo good and kind . iii. behold and wonder at his love , we are his daily care , his ear , his heart , is always fixt to hear and answer prayer . be not afraid to bring your suit , come with a chearful heart . weak crys , mixt prayers cannot bar a grant to his own part . iv. satan , it 's true , presents his plea , and justice brings its claim ; but all are silent when he pleads , his blood , his love , his name ! let holy souls then daily go to jesus on his throne , and love that all-prevailing friend who says we are his own . hymn xi . as the 67th psalm . i. o this ungrateful world ! to kill so kind a friend , that made the lord of glory die , what might this act portend ? but wonder , holy souls , god's thoughts all thoughts transcend : christ murder'd by a rebel world , and yet he is our friend . ii. it 's true , christ left the earth , but is enthron'd above , not to revenge this cruel act , but lives and reigns in love , ii. sweet is his work on high , peace is the charming voice ; let but a soul embrace his call , the heav'nly host rejoyce . behold he stands and calls , come sinners , come to me , my love , my kingdom shall be yours to all eternity . iii. believe my faithful word , all my designs are grace , take now the earnest of my love before you see my face . never be strange to me , i wait to hear your cry , let me but know your pressing wants , and you shall have supply . iv. never distrust my love , i am , this is my name ; sin makes me hide my face a while , when yet my love 's the same . never regard your foes , they are no match for me ; plead still my conquests with your god , and you shall victors be . hymn xii . i. fill'd with the sense of sin and wrath , and black despair drew nigh , to christ i fled for succ'ring grace , he heard my mournful cry : under his pleasant shade i sate , sweet notes of love i heard ; my welcome was above my thought , how was i lov'd and chear'd ! ii. he came to me , but not alone , divine fruits were my fair ; i waited what he first would say , your sins now pardon'd are : peace with jehovah is my gift , no frowns appear above ; go boldly to my father's throne , love waits your soul to love . iii. the book of life , your name is there , and ever there shall be , love wrote it there , love keeps it there to all eternity . ask what you will , i have god's ear , he never me deny'd : come with your fears , come with your wants , and you shall be supply'd . iv. i give my angels for your guard , you are their daily care , let satan tempt and shoot his darts , they can prevent the snare . o lord ! what can i now reply , what , love at such a rate ! but this i 'll pray , o let my love bear an eternal date . another . i. the time is past when humane race became god's enemy : the world ne're saw so black a night , when adam eat the tree , vast gulf of woes became his due , which had no bounds nor end ; what e're he did , what e're he thought , still guilt did him attend . ii. god saw this sad tremendous fall , his truth said , might thy word justice requir'd , the sinner's blood no pity him afford ; but love , that charming attribute prepar'd a kind reply , the pleas of justice i 'll adjust , my only son shall die . iii. blest was the day when adam heard that chearing word of grace , i 'll send the lord of glory here , and hide my angry face . hear what he says , he knows my heart , my mercy shall rejoice , peace he 'll proclaim , the war will cease , if you obey his voice . iv. go trembling sinner , go to him , fear not your former guilt , his death has answer'd my demands , and i will you acquit . come take the pledge , believe my son , i am your own , your all , i have a father's hand and heart , to hear you when you call . v. my christ did lovingly invite me to his charming feast ; he added to his wond'rous love , made me a wiliing guest . i came and found a banquet rare , he brought me angels food , he bid me take and eat my fill , for my eternal good . vi. he spoke such chearing words of grace , what do you want , my friend ? what , can you doubt my kind design ? consider and attend . sin cannot now defeat my love , since pardons i will give . sin seems an unresisted foe , it shall not always live . vii . you feel a dreadful war within , lusts claim a rightless throne , but this united force i 'll break , since now you are my own . satan with all his darts and snares shall prove a fruitless foe ; you are design'd for heaven's bliss , he to eternal woe . viii . never distrust my wond'rous love , the best is yet behind , no tongue nor thought can represent how good i 'll be , and kind ; refresh your souls with what i give , wait till you come on high : i long till all my members see what 's in eternity . another . i. what made the lord of glory die ? shall god the answer make ? our guilty souls may trembling stand to hear hehovah speak : but god has spoke , he sent his son , but stay dejected heart , not to condemn a rebel world , but to regain his part . ii. the death of christ no vengeance cries , it is a sign of peace ; it pardons sins , and pays our debts , and gives our souls release ; let law & conscience bring their charge , let justice plead our guilt : the death of christ can silence all , and god will us acquit . iii. oh soul ! shall banisht fears return , when you can pardon plead . hold fast this charming pledge of love , for you it is decreed ; let angels sing their highest note , let earth triumph below , let the redeemed of the lord their saviour's glory show . books sold by thomas parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns , the lower end of cheapside . a body of practical divinity , consisting of above one hundred seventy six sermons on the lesser catechism composed by the reverend assembly of divines at westminster : with a supplement of some sermons on several texts of scripture . by tho. watson , formerly minister at st. stephen's walbrook , london . a paraphrase on the new testament , with notes , doctrinal and practical . by plainness and brevity fitted to the use of religious families , in their daily reading of the scriptures ; and of the younger and poorer sort of scholars and ministers , who want fuller helps . with an advertisement of difficulties in the revelations . by the late reverend mr. rich. baxter . six hundred of select hymns and spiritual songs collected out of the holy bible . together with a catechism , the canticles , and a catalogue of vertuous women . the three last hundred of select hymns collected out of the psalms of david . by william barton , a. m. late minister of st. martins in leicester . spiritual songs : or songs of praise to almighty god upon several occasions . together with the song of songs , which is solomon's : first turn'd , then paraphrased in english verse . by john mason . penitential cries , in thirty two hymns . begun by the author of the songs of praise and midnight cry ; and carried on by another hand . sacramental hymns collected ( chiefly ) out of such passages of the n. testament as contain the most suitable matter of divine praises in the celebration of the lord's supper . to which is added one hymn relating to baptism , and another to the ministry . by j. boyse . with some by other hands . a collection of divine hymns upon several occasions ; suited to our common tunes , for the use of devout christians , in singing forth the praises of god. the psalms of david in metre : newly translated and diligently compared with the original text and former translations : more plain , smooth , and agreeable to the text than any heretofore . of ●●ee justification by christ . written first in latine by john fox , author of the book of martyrs , against osorius , &c. and now translated into english , for the benefit of those who love their own souls , and would not be mistaken in so great a point . an earnest call to family-religion : or a discourse concerning family-worship . being the substance of eighteen sermons . preached by samuel slater , a. m. minister of the gospel . the preaching of christ ; and the prison of god , as the certain portion of them that reject christ's word . opened in several sermons on 1 pet. 3. 19. by samuel tomlyns , m. a. and minister of the gospel of christ in marleborough . ornaments for the daughters of zion : or the character and happiness of a virtuous woman ; in a discourse which directs the female sex how to expess the fear of god in every age and state of their life ; and obtain both temporal and eternal blessedness . written by cotton mather . the confirming work of religion , and its great things made plain by their primary evidences and demonstrations ; whereby the meanest in the church may soon be made able to render a rational account of their faith. the present aspect of our times , and of the extraordinary conjunction of things therein ; in a rational view and prospect of the same , as it respects the publick hazard and safety of brittain in this day . these two last by robert fleming , author of the fulfilling of the scriptures , and minister at rotterdam . england's alarm : being an account of god's most considerable dispensations of judgment and mercy towards these kingdoms , for 14 years last past ; and also of the several sorts of sins and sinners therein ; especially the murmurers against this present government . with an earnest call to speedy humiliation and reformation , and supplication , as the chief means of prospering their majesties councels and preparations . dedicated to the king and queen . a family-altar erected to the honour of the eternal god : or , a so emn essay to promote the worship of god in private houses : being some meditations on gen 3. 5 , 2. 3. with the best entail , or dying parents living hopes for their surviving children , grounded upon the covenant of god's grace with believers and their seed . being a short discourse on 2 sam. 23. 5. by oliver heywood minister of the gospel . the gospel mystery of sanctification opened in sundry practical directions , suited especially to the case of those who labour under the guilt and power of in-dwelling sin . to which is added a sermon of justification . by walter marshall minister of the gospel , &c. death improved , and immoderate sorrow for deceased friends & relations reproved . wherein you have many arguments against immoderate sorrow , and many profitable lessons which we may learn from such providences . by e bury , formerly minister of great bolas in shropshire , author of the help to holy walking , and the husbandman's companion , &c. the poor man's help , and young man's guide : containing , 1. doctrinal instructions for the right informing of his judgment . 2. practical directions for the general course of his life . 3. particular advices for the well managing of every day with reference to his natural actions ; civil employments , necessary recreations , religious duties , particular prayer , publick in the congregation , private in the family , secret in the closet , reading the holy scriptures , hearing the word preached , and receiving the lord's supper . by william burkitt , m. a. of pembrook-hall in cambridge , and now vicar of dedham in essex , and author of the practical discourse of infant-baptism . a plain discourse about rash and sinful anger ; as a help for such as are willing to be relieved against so sad and too generally prevailing distemper even amongst professors of religion ; being the substance of some sermons preached at manchester . by henry newcome , m. a. and minister of the gospel there , and author of the improvement of sickness . the rod or the sword , the present dilemma of the nations of england , scotland and ireland , considered , argued and improved on ezek. 21. 14. by a true friend to the protestant interest , and the protestant government . a present for such as have been sick and are recovered : or , a discourse concerning the good that comes out of the evil of affliction : being several sermons preached after his being raised from a bed of languishing . by nathaniel vincent , m. a. and author of the conversion of the soul. the true touchstoue of grace and nature . discourse of conscience . treatise of prayer and love , &c. some passages in the holy life and death of the late reverend mr. edmund trench , most of them drawn out of his own diary . published by joseph boyse minister in dublin . advice to an only child , or excellent counsel to all young persons , containing the sum and substance of experimental and practical divinity . written by an eminent and judicious divine , for the private use of an only child . now made publick for the benefit of all . an account of the blessed trinity , argued from the nature and perfection of the supream spirit , coincident with the scripture doctrine , in all the articles of the catholick creeds ; together with its mystical , foederal , and practical uses in the christian religion . by william burrough rector of cheyns in bucks . a discourse of justification , being the sum of twenty sermons . by walter cross , m. a. practical discourses on sickness and recovery . a discourse concerning trouble of mind ; in three parts . by timothy rogers , m. a. also a treatise of consolation , by the same author . a plain and familiar discourse on the sacrament . by bishop kidder . roberts on the sacrament . vines on the sacrament . day 's sacramental catechism . doolittle's second part of the discourse on the sacrament , concerning christ's sufferings . finis the scripture gospel defended, and christ, grace, and free justification vindicated against the libertines ... in two books : the first, a breviate of fifty controversies about justification ... : the second upon the sudden reviving of antinomianism ... and the re-printing of dr. crisp's sermons with additions ... / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1690 approx. 440 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 121 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2007-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27029 wing b1397 estc r20024 12732480 ocm 12732480 66508 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27029) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 66508) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 374:18; 2302:5) the scripture gospel defended, and christ, grace, and free justification vindicated against the libertines ... in two books : the first, a breviate of fifty controversies about justification ... : the second upon the sudden reviving of antinomianism ... and the re-printing of dr. crisp's sermons with additions ... / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 2 v. printed for tho. parkhurst ..., london : 1690. advertisement on final page of v. 2. "a breviate of the doctrine of justification" (wing b1193a) has separate dated title page and register; "a defence of christ, and free grace" (wing b1237b) has separate dated title page, register, and pagination, and possibly issued as a separate item. copy filmed at reel 2302 has "a defence of christ" only. reproduction of original in harvard university libraries and the henry e. huntington library and art gallery. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng justification -early works to 1800. antinomianism. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-12 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-11 ali jakobson sampled and proofread 2006-11 ali jakobson text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the scripture gospel defended , and christ , grace and free justification vindicated against the libertines , who use the names of christ , free grace and justification , to subvert the gospel , and christianity , and that christ , grace and justification , which they in zealous ignorance think they plead for , to the injury of christ , the danger of souls , and the scandalizing of the weak , the insulting of adversaries , and the dividing of the churches . yet charitably differencing the wordy errours of unskilful opiniaters , from their practical piety : and the mistaken notions of some excellent divines , from the gross libertine antinomian errours . in two books . the first , a breviate of fifty controversies about justification ; written about thirteen years past , and cast by till now , after many provocations , by press , pulpit and backbiting . the second upon the sudden reviving of antinomianism , which seemed almost extinct near thirty four years : and the re-printing of dr. crisp's sermons with additions ; with twelve reverend names prefixed for a decoy , when some of them abhor the errour of the book , and know not what was in it , but yielded by surprize only to declare that they believed him that told them that the additions were a true copy . by richard baxter , an offender of the offenders of the church , by defending the truth and duty which they fight against . lux oculos vexat , ubi noctua luminis osor , putrida suspecti vexabunt ulcera tactus . london , printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns , at the lower end of cheapside . 1690. heb. 11.5 , 6. without faith it is impossible to please god : he that cometh to god must believe that he is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him . luke 19.17 . well , thou good servant . because thou hast been faithful in a very little ; have thou authority over ten cities ▪ so mat. 25.21 . mat. 25.34 , 40 , 46. inherit the kindgom prepared for you from the foundation of the world : for i was hungry and ye gave me meat — in as much as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren , ye have done it to me — and these shall go into everlasting punishment , and the righteous into life eternal . gen. 22.16 , 17 , 18. by my self have i sworn , saith the lord , because thou hast done this thing , and hast not withheld thy son — &c. john 16.27 . the father himself loveth you , because you have loved me , and have believed that i came out from god. 1 john 3.12 , 13. whatsoever we ask we receive of him , because we keep his commandments , and do those things that are pleasing in his sight , and this is his commandment that we believe on the name of his son jesus christ and love one another . rev. 3.4 . they shall walk with me in white , for they are worthy . rev. 3.10 . because thou hast kept the word of my patience , i will keep thee , &c. mar. 7.29 . for this saying go thy way , the devil is gone out , &c. mat. 5.20 . except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes , and pharisees , you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven . mat. 12.36 , 37. every idle word that men shall speak , they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment . for by thy words thou shalt be justified , and by thy words thou shalt be condemned . jam. 2.24 . you see then that by works a man is justified , and not by faith only . so v. 13. to the end . rom. 8.29 , 30. whom he foreknew , them he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son , that he might be the first born among many brethren : and whom he did predestinate , them he also called : and whom he called them he also justified , and whom he justified them be also glorified . luke 18.13 , 14. i tell you , this man went down — justified rather than the other . prov. 17.15 . he that justifieth the wicked , and he that condemneth the just , even they both are abomination to the lord. of faith imputed to righteousness , and our being justified by faith , see rom. 3.30 , 26. rom. 4.11 , 22 , 23 , 24. he that considereth the different sence of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( the first usually signifying the practical or preceptive matter that is righteousness , the second active efficient justification , and the third the state of the just , qualitative or relative , or ipsam justitiam , will the better expound the word justification as it is in our translations . rom. 4.24 ▪ 25. for us also to whom it shall be imputed ( not is before we believe , ) if ( a conditional ) we believe on him that raised up jesus our lord from the dead : who was delivered for our offences , and was raised again for our justification : ( not only obeyed and suffered for our justification , but was raised for it . ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , efficiently to make us just relatively and qualitatively , and so to justify us , and consequently to judge us just . exodus 23.7 . i will not justify the wicked . obj. rom. 4 5. he justifieth the ungodly , answ . yes : by making him just by pardon , adoption and godliness : as he healeth the sick , and raiseth the dead , in sensu diviso . acts 2.38 . repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the lord jesus , for the remission of sins , 13.38 . by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of moses , see titus 3.6 , 7. 1 cor. 6.8 , 9 , 10 , 11. rom. 2.13 , 14. 1 peter 1.16 , 17. 2 co● ▪ 9.6 . rev. 20.12 , 13. and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works , &c. ( which is oft said in scripture . ) john 5.22.29 . the father judgeth no man , but hath committed all judgment to the son , and hath given him authority to execute judgment . — they that have done good to the resurrection of life , and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation . 2 tim. 4.7 , 8. i have fought a good fight . — henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness , which the lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day , and not to me only , but to all that love his appearing . see heb. 6.10 . 1 cor. 15.58 . col. 3.24 . heb. 11.26 . 2. thes . 1.5 , 6 , 7. mat. 5.12 . mat. 6.2.4.6 . & 5.12 . & 10.41.42 . & 10.29 . 1 cor. 9.17 . rom. 2.5.10 . mat. 7.4 . 1 joh. 1.9 . if we confess our sins , he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness . so rom. 10.10.13 . mat. 6.14 , 15. if ye forgive men their trespasses , your heavenly father will forgive you : but if ye forgive not men . — neither will. 1 joh. 3.17 . let no man deceive you : he that doth righteousness is righteous . isa . 1.16 , 17 , 18. cease to do evil &c. come now if your sins be red as crimson . isa . 55.6 , 7. seek the lord while he may be found , &c. let the wicked forsake his way , &c. let him return to the lord and he will have mercy on him , &c. acts 10.35 . in every nation he that feareth god and worketh righteousness is accepted of him . rev. 22.14 . blessed are they that do his commandments , that they ●ay have right to the tree of life , and may enter in by the gate into the city . john 3.18 . he that believeth not is condemned already , because , &c. rom. 8.9 . if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his . see also , verse 4.5.7.14 . 2 cor. 13.15 . jesus christ is in you except ye be reprobates . col. 1.27 . christ in you the hope of glory . see eph. 2. what the elect are before conversion . 1 cor. 6.9 , 10 , 11. know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god ? be not deceived , neither fornicators — and such were some of you : but ye are washed , ye are sanctified , but ye are justified in the name of the lord jesus , and by the spirit of our god. 1 thes . 6.10 . god is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love. phil. 2.13 . work out your salvation with fear and trembling : for it is god that worketh , &c. rev. 2 , & 3. read the promises to him that overcometh . mat. 6.19 , 20. lay up for your selves a treasure in heaven . luke 16.9 . make you friends of the mammon of unrighteousness , that when you fa●l they may receive you into the everl●sting habitations . gen. 4.7 . if thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted ? but if thou , &c. luke 13.3.5 . except ye repent ye shall all perish . mat. 18.3 . except ye be converted and become as little children , ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven . heb. 5.9 . he is become the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him . luke 19.27 . these mine enemies that would not i should reign over them . heb. 10.33 . cast not away your confidence which hath great recompense of reward , 39. we are not of them that draw back to perdition , but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. mat. 18.32 , 35. o thou wicked servant , i forgave thee all that d●bt , because , &c. so shall my heavenly father do also to you if you from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses . the answer to all this by the adversaries . i. by the infidels , [ the scripture is not the word of god. ] ii. by the mahometans in special : [ the followers of christ altered it . ] iii. by papists , scripture is to us but what the church declareth of it ; 1. the reading of it , and rejecting supplemental tradition by the vulgar ▪ causeth heresies . iv. by the quaker , it is the light within us that is our rule . v. the enthusiasts , or fanaticks , we must try scripture by the spirit , and not the spirit by the scripture : ( the apostles spirit by ours , and not our low measure by theirs ▪ ) vi. the seekers . the scripture must first be recovered by a true ministry . vii . the cabbalist and familist ; it is not to be understood literally , but mystically . viii . the antinomian libertine : the written word , or at least all that prescribeth duty and hath conditional promises , is but a covenant of works . the covenant of grace is only the spirits effectual work : i will , and you shall . a breviate of the doctrine of justification , dilivered in many books , by richard baxter : in many propositions , and the solution of 50 controversies about it . written , 1. to end such controversies . 2. to confute rash censurers and errours . 3. to inform the ignorant . 4. to procure correction from wiser men , if i mistake . occasioned by some mens accusation of me to others , that will not vouchsafe their instruction to my self . and by the erroneous and dangerous writings and preachings of some well-meaning men , such as mr. troughton , &c. who at once mistake and misreport god's word and ours , and fight in the dark against christian faith and love. london , printed for tho. parkhurst , at the bible and three crowns , at the lower end of cheapside . 1690. the preface long ago written . reader , it was the army and sectarian antinomians ( more fitly called libertines ) who first called me in the year 1645. and 1646. to study better than i had done the doctrine of the covenants and laws of god , of redemption and justification : i fetcht my first resolving thoughts from no book but the bible , specially mat. 5 , and 6 , and 25. grotius de satisfactione next gave me more light . while i was considering many mens friendly animadversions on my ap●orisms , and answering some ( that more differed from each other than from me ) it increased light , especially the animadversions of mr. george lawson . my writings against the antinomians had success beyond my expec●ations , though some good men of the party called independent , having more heat than light , deceived by the notions of some that had spoken injudiciously before them , cast out suspicions and contradictions in a jealousie that i encroached on the honour of free grace : i mean such men as prefaced the book called the marrow of modern divinity , which on pretence of moderation is antinomian or libertine , and very injudicious and unsound : and others books ( such as paul hobsons , mr. saltmarshes , bunyan on the covenants , &c. ) which ignorantly subverted the gospel of christ , came out on the same business , and revealed mens mistakes on pretence of revealing the mystery of free grace . john goodwin was then , and before , publishing his judgment of justification , and mr. walker , and mr. roborough wrote against him , with great disparity of light and strength . but because j.g. turned to the arminians , prejudice cryed down his doctrine of justification , ( and it was not all to be approved . ) mr. gataker published many things to the like purpose , and among the rest , the narrative of mr. wottons case , referred to many london divines , and decided by them ; of my suspension of my aphorisms , and of my contests with mr. craudon , mr. eyres , mr. warner , and afterwards with dr. tully , i need not here make particular mention . the most that i converst with seemed of my judgment : the rest ( beside the animadverters on my aphorisms ) who freeliest spake of me beh●●d my back , would none of them speak to me . vavasor powel , and mr. ed. bagshaw , were two of the chief . many worthy men published the same doctrine which i ass●rted ; especially mr. gibbons of black-fryars ( in his sermon in the morning lectures at st. gi●●s ) mr. benjamin woodbridge , mr. hotchk●● ▪ mr. thomas warren , mr. graile , and mr. je●●op , laboured to prove that dr. twisse meant the same , who seems to speak for eternal immanent justification : and mr. truman , and lud. le blankes theses at last came out ( after the the●es salmurienses , and the breme divines , lud. crocius conrad . bergius , and the berlin , johan . bergius ) as clear as any . but the practice of some ( who wanted the humility and ●ili●ence which were necessary to learn the truths which they knew not ) was just the same with that of the prelates in councils for a thousand years , even to put it to the vote of m●n of their own mind , or to lean on the names of some of their predecessors who were men of note , and especially to cry down those that heard them not . and lately came out a book of one mr. troughtons of the same temper with the rest . he allarmeth the nation , as if the enemy were at the gates . he is a man that hath been blind from his infancy or early childhood , and i suppose never read a book , but hath had some one to read to him , and he undertaketh to tell the sense of protestant writers , and fathers , and the words and sense of mr. hotchkis and me , and such others , whom be fiercely assaulteth as his and the churches adversaries : and the good man heapeth up untr●●●s in matter of fact in false reciting his adversaries words and sense . besides his libertine false doctrine , ( as that the covenant or promise of justification hath no conditions , no not faith , and such like , ) and abuseth the authors whom he citeth . i thought once to have bestowed two or three days work in answering him , but i desisted , partly because he was one of those that had written at the rate of some former adversaries , who had so formed their assaults , that they had left me little to answer but a mentiris , which is so unpleasing a task , that they that most deserve it cannot bear it . and it hath been my lot since 1662. in which the powerful ringleader morley began , to have so many such books written against me , and such reports divulged of me , as if the devil had been studying to prove , rom. 3.4 . that every man is a lyar , to be true in a sense beyond the meaning , and to bring all history at least of disputers into discredit , and to make it become a valid consequence [ it is said and written by a domineering , or an ambitious , or an erroneous , or angry adversary ; ergo it is false . ] and also i was loth to say that against the man that his book required : for i hear he is a very honest man , and not only blind , but a sufferer for nonconformity with the rest ; and when he was a child , his grand-father , grand-mother , and other kindred in coventry were my hearers and loving friends , and godly people : his father and mother my very near neighbours , and weekly , and almost daily company , have asked my counsel , what they should do with a blind boy that was much inclined to learning , and i encouraged them to further him , not foreseeing his snares . 3. and i perceive that judicious readers have no need of an antidote against so weak a poison . he that gave me the animadversions answered in the end , told me , he had scarce patience to read him . and as to those that are so weak as to need an answer to such a book , it 's like they are too weak to understand one ; or will think him in the right that hath the last word , and that may be he that liveth longest . the great fault of the good man is that which is too predominant in all cases in corrupted nature , even an unhumbled understanding , which doth not sufficiently suspect it self , much less is acquainted with its own ignorance , but when it most mistaketh , doth most confidently rage . who would think that such a man could be ignorant how unfit he was who never saw their books , to undertake such account as he giveth of fathers , protestant writers , or us his chosen adversaries ? when his reader hath read to him some parcels of our writings , how knoweth he what he omitteth ▪ or what explications he never read ? and how uncapable must his memory needs be of retaining and laying all together out of so many volumes , and making a charge , and passing a judgment thereupon , unless his memory be greater far than bishop hall saith dr. john reynolds reading and memory was [ next to a miracle , ] which his gross falsifications shew that it is not . and 4. i found so many ready to write on the same subject for my sense , that i the more thought it needless to my self . sir charles wolsley hath lately done it very judiciously . i have lately perused divers manuscripts that are such prepared for the press : one of mr. william mannings , another of mr. clerke son to mr. samuel clerke ( and dr. twisse hath a latine disputation to the same sense , ) and some more ( all nonconformists . ) but yet i still hear some london brethren use to cast out their suspicions , aspersions and censures behind my back , and some in their conferences when they meet : whereupon i drew up this paper of explicatory propositions and controversies , only to let them truly know my sense , and long after gave it that honest dr. annesley , at whose house sometimes some meet of different judgments in such things , desiring him but to get it read to them , and to procure me their animadversions on what they did any of them dis●ike ; instead of their unprofitable obloquy when i cannot hear them ; for this i should take for a great brotherly kindness : but it is now near a twelve month that i have waited in hope of it , but cannot procure a word to this day ; which maketh me think it needful to publish that which i intended but for their private view . yet one that to me prof●ssed dissent , seemed to take it well that i intreated his reasons , and promised to give them me , but never did . nor hath any one yet answered , 1. my confession ; 2. my disputations of justification ; 3. my apology ( to many ; ) 4. my small tract of saving faith to bishop barlow ; 5. my treatise of justifying righteousness to dr. tully . this week an honest judicious moderate friend ( that is more a consenter than a dissenter , as far as i can judge , sent me the notes which i answer in the latter end , as partly his own , and partly others ; which ( not as opposing them , but as tending to elucidate the whole cause ) i here adjoyn , though all or most here said , is said elsewhere before , which i mention , lest you think that i took all for his own opinion which he cited out of dr. owen , who himself reformed much of his former judgment about doctrine and government before he died . the lord heal his church by light , love and humility , which is torn by ignorance , uncharitableness and pride . amen . the prologue . § . 1. the doctrine of the justification of sinful man , by christ as our redeemer , saviour and judge , is of so great moment , that it should be skilfully taught to all that are catechised . and yet by the unskilfulness of teachers , is become a foot-ball of strife and contention , and of wrathful censures , and reproach , among those who are most zealous for the safe and honourable preservation of it , and really differ more in the terms and methods which they think must preserve it , than in the inward practical sense of the matter itself . § . 2. two things constitute this itch or leprosy rather of strife , which experience maketh us fear is uncurable : and these two are one . ignorance : ignorance of the case : and ignorance of our ignorance . but what ignorance is it ? i am grieved to know and speak it . it is ignorance of words or the art of speaking ; of grammar and logick . o what a plague did nimrod bring on the world , and what a babel hath it been by the confusion of language to this day ! how vain hath peaceable dr. wilkins attempt of an universal character proved ? my good old highly valued friend , mr. john eliots long ago wrote to me , that to make the hebrew the universal language , and to set up a godly magistracy in the world were the two things yet to be done for universal concord and reformation : alas , good man ? abi in cellam ▪ &c. if you can get the earth to drink up the flood of persecution cast out against you in new-england , it is well . little did i think when i was a schoolboy learning my grammar , that i should live to find that the christian world is all in confusion ▪ divisi●n , wrath , schism , war , and blood , and much , if not mostly for want of skill in words or grammar ! but indeed were there one universal language it would not be enough to heal us . for we are mostly so dull of nature , & so slothful in our studies , and so apt to speak as our parents or first masters or ●ompany teach us , that we are utterly disagreed and unreconcileable about the sense of our ommon words in our mother tongue . so that if english were the only language of the world , we should still be disagreed : i have been a great comtemner of vain ostentation in critical or verbal skill : but i see that rightly used about things necessary , it must be a principal help to end most of our controversies . § . 3. though supernatural revelation far exceedeth the meer light of nature , and the teachings of the creation ▪ yet the difficulty of learning and speaking many languages , without which we cannot preach abroad in the world , and the universal wars about words that take up and corrupt mankind , do make me read the 19 psalm . with great regard , and not think so hardly as i have been tempted to do , of gods dealing with the heathen and generality of mankind , while the heavens declare the glory of god , and the firmament sheweth his handy works , while day unto day utters knowledge and while sun moon , and stars , do preach god with so loud a voice , and their sound goeth through all the world and there is no nation or tongue where their sound is not heard : and it is not a syllable or letter , an accent or an emphasis , that doth obscure their sense . and they all tell the world that god is , and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him . and that the invisible things of god are seen by the things that are made , and in him we live and move and have our being , and that in every nation , he that feareth god and worketh righteousness is accepted of him . it is most legible in the book of nature , and providence , that god useth all the world upon terms of mercy , and not according to the utmost desert of sin ; and that this mercy should lead them to repentance , and that god is infinitely good , and therefore to be loved above all : and that he that truly so loveth god , shall not lie in hell and be separated from him . § 4. were it only plow-men and other of the unlearned vulgar that thus contended about words not understood , they had some excuse : but it is those that have from their child-hood been bred up to learn the art of speaking by their parents , and school masters , books , and universities . and when they have been thus tutor'd thirty or forty years , and exercised in pulpits to the talking art , and gloried in it ; they are after all this the incendiaries of the world , for want of understanding what to say . yea were it only men that understand not hebrew , greek , latin or any language save one , and were skilful in that one , we might have some hope of ending this blind war. but it is kept up by our unskilfulness in the english tongue , as well as of the greek and hebrew . men have not brains and diligence to exclude equivocals , or to distinguish of their sense ; or to state the sence of their terms before they dispute . nor to understand each others meaning , but fight in confusion in the dark like the physicians that let the patient die , because they could not agree whether he should take succinum , carabes , electrum or amber . § 5 whither need we to go for an instance of this unhappiness , but to our controversies about justification ? how many books , sermons , disputings , and back-biting revilings , are employed about words neither explained nor understood ! rash folly and confident rage beseem not holy things , that should be managed by reverence and discretion . 1. justification is loudly talkt of , by men that know not , or never tell you what the word signifieth , or what the thing is : they never tell you whether they mean making righteous eff●ciently , or making righteous constitutively , or making righteous instrumentally , or only virtually , absolutely or conditionally ; or only a dispositive reception of it as a gift ; or esteeming one righteous or justifying by apology , by witness , by evidence , or by decisive sentence of the judge , or executively using one as righteous ; or many of these conjunct , and which . or if they name one sence , they give us quite another when they are put to define it . mr. bradshaws little book is too big for their brains ; because the distinctions are so many when others by distinction and clear explication make the controversies intelligible , ( as is excellently done by many ) they understand them not , or despise distinction , and still mouth out the ambiguous word justification , as if they would end controversies as a bell ringeth by sound and noise : when paul saith , 1 cor. 14.7 , 8. that even things without life must give a distinction in the sounds as harp and trumpet , or else who can know what is piped or harped , or can prepare himself to the battle ? so we unless we utter words easy to be understood , how shall it be known what is spoken ? but we speak into the air , v. 9. but confusion and ambiguity are not instructive , but deceitful to the simple . 2. so they talk much of imputation , and neither know nor tell you what imputation is : but take it mostly to be that which even dr. crispe calleth a charging god with falshood ; as if it were his reputing , reckoning , esteeming or supposing us to be what indeed we are not ▪ or to have done or suffered what we did not , or to have what we have not : whereas paul meaneth nothing ( & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth nothing but a true accounting us to be what we are , and to have done what we did , and to have what we indeed have . and to impute righteousness to us , signifieth but truly to repute , account or judge us righteous . those that are here most inclined to mistake , should the rather take mr. bradshaw to be impartial , because he was for independent church government ( tho sharp against separation . ) and in the preface to his english edition of his little book of justification , he hath in a few lines said enough to end al this controversy , by a true explaining in what sense christs righteousness is imputed to us , and how not . 3. and do they tell us with any agreement what righteousness of christ they call imputed ? some say only the passive , some also the active ; some also the habitual , and some also the divine . much less agree they to what effects it is imputed , and how far . 4. also the name of faith is used without a due and true explication of their meaning . one by faith meaneth not faith , but christs righteousness . another calls it an instrument , and yet denieth it to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere that is , the act of faith indeed , as if any thing else was that instrument . another saith it is but one physical act , and not like contracting , a moral complication of many physical acts : one saith it is but one act , and all other acts of faith he that looketh to be justified by denieth the doctrine of grace or true justification , and so leave men to despair because they can never tell which that single is , and how to escape the damning doctrine of justification by works . one saith it is the understandings assent : another that it is the wills recumbency , or trust : one saith it is only faith in christ that justifieth , and not in god the father or the holy ghost : one saith it is only faith in christs priestly office , and not in christ as prophet or king ; some say it is not faith in his whole priestly office , either his intercession or heavenly priesthood , but only in his sacrifice and obedience . another that it is only the trusting on his imputed righteousness : another that it is none of all these , but only the belief that we are already justified by christ . one saith we are justified only at once by the first numerical act of faith , and never by any after act : another that an act of the same species continueth our justification . and this confusion is from the vain fantasy of men , that will divide and mince and yet will not sufficiently distinguish : and know not that by faith is meant our becoming christians and continuing such . 5. so they talk loud against works in the case of justification , and know not what either paul or james or christ meaneth by works . but they dream that works and acts are of the same signification ; as if every humane act were that which paul meaneth by works , contrary to his express explication : and so to be justified by faith must be to be justified by works . one saith , we will grant justification by faith , if you take it aright , to be a going wholly out of our selves and denying all our own righteousness , and going to christ and his righteousness alone . but is their chosen metaphor [ of going out , and going to ] an act or no act ? if an act , than it is works , if they may be believed . if no act , then their meaning is , we confess that you are justified by believing , if you do not believe : you are justified by faith , if faith be nothing ; and by coming to christ if you come not to him , or it be nothing . such is the sence of these confounders and corrupters . but these and many such mistakes are to be opened in their proper place . that which i here intend is ( not a confutation of this or that writer , but ) to give them a breviate of my own judgment , who will not read what i have largely written in many books long ago ▪ pretending that the length of the books is their reason ; and yet have not so much conscience as to suspend their censures , no nor their back-biting , false accusations of that which they have not leisure to understand or read ; they judge hard cases which they never digested by any answerable study ; and scruple not judging and slandering per●ons unheard . corrupting the gospel , and so excellent a subject as the doctrine of grace , and of the office and merits and judgment of christ , and so of christianity it self , is a matter that conscience should more tenderly fear , than wearing a surplice , or kneeling at the sacrament , or communicating with a church that useth the common-prayers . to think those unworthy of their communion that use such ceremonies or forms of prayer , and at the same time to prophane so high a part of the name of god , as is his grace in christ , and his justifying , governing and saving works , and this ( quoad verba ) by corrupting it even in essentials , and then to defame as erroneous those that are not as ignorant and erroneous as themselves , and to foment malice and errour and sects by such lying defamations : this is a nonconformity which i earnestly desire that no man that loveth christ , or free grace , or the church or his own soul ; may ever take for his duty or his honour , or rashly as a sequacious admirer of any mistaken leader be ever guilty of : what is straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel , if this be not ? and of how ill a constitution is such a blind and partial conscience ? i shall here study brevity , and first explain the doctrine of grace , and righteousness and justification , in some self-evident propositions and next briefly resolve about fifty doubts or controversies hereabout . the contents . 1. the nature of justification explained . controv. i. whether it be an immanent act in god , and from eternity . cont. ii. whether the covenant of grace be made only with christ ; or with us also . cont. iii whether the covenant of grace have any condition required of us . cont. iv whether our performance of the condition efficiently justify us . cont. v. whether we are justified by christs righteousness imputed to us : and whether the scripture say we are . cont. vi. in what sense is christs righteousness imputed to us . cont. vii what righteousness of christ is it that is ours and imputed to us ; the passive , the active , the habitual , or the divine , or all . cont. viii . whether christs righteousness be the efficient , material , or formal cause of our righteousness , or justification ? cont. ix . whether the vnion between christ and believers be not so near as maketh them the same subject , and so the accident of christs righteousness , to be ours in itself . cont. 10. are we not so righteous by an vnion with christ as we are sinners by our vnion with adam . cont. xi . is not christs righteousness ours , as our sins were his by imputation ? cont. 12. doth christs righteousness cause our sanctification , in the same sort of causality as it causeth our justification ? cont xiii . is it faith itself that is said to be imputed to us for righteousness , or only christs , or christs righteousness . cont. xiv . whether grace be grace and free if it have any condition . cont. xv. whether repentance be any condition of pardon and justification , and to affirm it , do not equal it with faith. cont. xvi . whether faith justify us as a meritorious cause or as a dispositive cause of receiving justification , or as a meer condition , or an instrumental cause . cont. xvii is justifying faith an act of the understanding or of the will ? cont. xviii . of the distinction of sides qu●● and fid●s qua justi●ica● , what it meaneth . cont. xix . whether we are justified by the law of innocency saying , obey perfectly , and live . cont. xx ▪ whether by works , paul means acts in genere , or what sort of acts. cont. xxi . are any works of man meritorious ? cont. xxii . is obedience a part of justifying faith ? cont. xxiii . is any more necessary to the keeping or not losing our justification , than to its beginning ? cont. xxiv . is pardon and justification perfect the first moment ? cont. xxv . is nol●e punire , or non punire , ( not punishing ) true pardon ? cont. xxvi . is future sin pardoned before ? cont. xxvii . is any one punished for pardoned sin ? cont. xxviii . is punishing one that christ died for , unjust punishing one sin twice . cont. xxix . are regenerate believers , under any guilt of any but corrective punishment , or should ask pardon of any other ? cont. xxx . what is it to be judged according to our works ? cont. xxxi . what law is it that paul calleth the law of works which cannot justify ? cont. xxxii . how and why it is so called . cont. xxxiii . what is pauls drift in his disputes about justification . cont. xxxiv . what is the drift of james . cont. xxxv . m●st a believer any way plead his faith , repentance or holiness to his justification , or trust to them ? cont. xxxvi . hath justification and salvation the same conditions ? do those works save us that do not justify us ? cont. xxxvii . have we any justification against false accusations ( of infidelity , &c. ) cont. xxxviii . doth faith justify as a righteousness ? or any personal righteousness in subordination to christs ? abundant scripture proof of the affirmative . cont. xxxix . is gods accepting christs righteousness for us , the imputing of it ? cont. xl. whether christs sufferings merit eternal life for us , seeing the law said , do this and live , and not suffer and live . cont. xli . whether christ being the end of the law for righteousness , prove that adams first law justifieth us as fulfilled by christ . cont. xlii . whether the sufferings of christ merit our freedom from nothing but what he suffered in our stead . cont. xliii . and so whether christs sufferings merit not our freedom from habits and acts of sin , which christ had not . cont. xliv . and so whether his sufferings redeem us from spiritual death , seeing we suffered it , and not be . cont. ▪ xlv . is this the reason of our deliverance from the curse of the law , because we suffered the equivalent of everlasting hell fire in christ . cont. xlvi . is it true that christs active obedience only meriteth heaven for us , and therefore that only meriteth sanctification ? cont. xlvii . is it true that repentance can be no condition of justification because it followeth it . qu. xlviii . how can faith and repentance give a right to the righteousness of christ , which must first give us that faith and repentance ? qu. xlix ▪ is it true that we must be practical antinomians unless we hold that only christs active righteousness merited grace and glory for us . qu. l. is this proved by ▪ rom. 7.4 . the conclusion . a breviate of the doctrine of justification . pr. 1. we must first agree , what righteousness is . righteousness is formally a relation : and therefore must have the definition of a relation : i need not tell schollars what that is . 2. the subject of this relation , is , first mens actions and habits , and their titles and rights , and then their persons as the subject of these . 3. righteousness is a relation to the rule or law : and is an agreeableness thereto : if it be gods law , it is righteousness before god. if but mans , it is but humane righteousness . 4. as a law hath two parts ; the precept and the retribution of reward and punishment ▪ so there are two sorts of unrighteousness and righteousness : as to the precept , obedience is righteousness , and sin is unrighteousness . as to the retribution . right to impunity and to the promised reward is the persons righteousness , and so contrary . 5. righteousness materially is either , 1. particular , in some one cause , or few causes , 2. or vniversal and perfect in all causes . 6. righteousness particular is either in some small matter that we are not made happy by . 2. or in some great cause which our happiness dependeth on . 7. the first law required personal perfect constant obedience on pain of death ; and so justifieth none without it . 8. adam was the father of all mankind , from whom they spring , but he did not so represent the persons of all that were to spring of him , as if his obedience without their own would have justified any of them at age . if adam had not sinned , cain should have been condemned if he sinned ; and so others . 9. the first law being broken , man was made uncapable of either part of justification by it ; either as one that sinned not , or as one that was not by it to be condemned . and so it was no more to him a promise or covenant of life ; the condition being now become impossible , and so no condition ; and the threatning becoming as a sentence . 10. this law neither gave , mentioned or owned any surety , substitute , or mediator . 11. but the blessed lawgiver our creator would not so lose his creature , but the eternal word presently interposing , undertook mans redemption , and god gave man a new law of life , or a covenant of grace ▪ promising him a mediator in the fullness of time , and giving him freely for his sake both pardon of his sin , and right to life , on the terms of grace therein prescribed : and commanding him future obedience , especially in the reception of his grace , and use of the means of grace appointed him . 12. this law of grace was made to adam the lapsed head of all mankind , and so to all mankind in him : and it was renewed to noah in the same capacity : so that all fallen mankind was put under this law of grace in that first edition of it , made to adam , and noah . and were neither left lawless , nor utterly desperate as under the meer damning violated law , which now no more offered life to any , the condition being become of natural impossibility : god is not to be supposed to say now to sinners , if you be not sinners you shall li●● ; when it 's known that they are . 13. abraham , being eminently righteous , according to this law of grace , and believing a special promise of god , and not withholding his only son in his obedience to his command , god made with him moreover a covenant of peculiarity , superadded to the common law of grace . in which he chuseth out his seed as a peculiar holy nation , from whom the me●●iah should come , in whom all the nations of the earth shou●d be blessed . this promise was renewed to isaac ( and jac●b ) gen. 26.4 , 5. because that abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge , my commandments , my statutes , and my laws . 14. this covenant of peculiarity with abraham , nulled not the common law of grace made to mankind , nor was it ever nulled or abro●ate , but perfected after : though men make themselves uncapable of the benefits . 15. god useth none of fallen mankind according to the severity of the first law , but giv●th to all men undeserved forfeited mercy , and bindeth them to use some means for their recovery ; to repent in hope , and to receive and thankfully use the measures of mercy which he vouch●●●eth them . and all men shall be judged according to that edition of the law of grace which they were under , and the receiving and using the grace or mercy which was given or offered them . 16. when the peculiar seed was formed into a nation , god gave them by moses a peculiar law , which exempli●ied the holiness of the first law , but had the promises and grace of the second , with the peculiar additions ; and plainlier pointed out the messiah to come but by a way of operous ceremonies , and severe discipline , suitable to their rude minority . 17. in the fulness of time . christ was conceived by the holy ghost , in a virgin ▪ and being god and man , a● made by the will of the deity was made a subject under a law peculiar to himself , according to his peculiar works ; and this law given to our mediator had three parts . 1. that he should perfe●tly obey the law of innocency so far as it was fitted to his case , and overcome the tempter . 2. that he should perfectly keep the law of mose● , so far as it agreed to him . 3. that he should perfectly do all that was proper to the redeemer , in being a sacrifice for sin , clearing and publi●hing the new covenant ; sealing it by miracles , rising again , instituting his word , sacraments and ministry , ascending , giving the spirit , interceding in heaven , &c. his promised reward being the success of his undertaking , the saving of his church and his glory , in the glorifying of god the father : this is the peculiar law to the mediator . 18. that which is called the covenant between the father and the son ▪ is this covenant made to and with christ in●arnate , and the fore-dec●●eing thereof , with the prophecies of it . if there be more , it is past our reach . 19. christ perfectly fulfilled all that he undertook , and this as the second adam ; not a natural root , but a voluntary sponsor : not our substitute or servant sent by us , but chosen by t●e father , and sent by him to do all his will for mans redemption . 20. as he took the common nature of man , so the sins of all , and not only of the elect were the causes of his sufferings , and said upon him , and the fruits of his sufferings and merits were some common , and some peculiar to the elect. 21. he being not as adam , our natural parent , was not meerly by natural generation to convey his benefits to the redeemed ; but by such means as he should chuse , and man consent to , even by a holy covenant or contract , being also his doctrine , and his law in several respects ; which covenant having great and precious promises , is gods instrument of donation and condonation , and our title to all the blessings promised ; by which god doth give us right to pardon and salvation : this law of grace is the rule of our duty , and the rule by which we shall be judged . 22. this law or covenant giveth a conditional pardon to all in the tenour of it , with adoption and right to life eternal : but actual pardon and right accrueth to none , till the condition be performed , which is to be believers , or their infant seed dedicated to god by covenant consent . 23. this condition is not that we our selves make god amends or satisfaction , or give him any thing that hath any merit in commutative justice , or do any kind of work which shall make the reward to be of debt , and not of grace : but it is [ the belief of , and consent to the covenant of grace , and the believing acceptance of the gifts and grace of the covenant , according to their nature , and 〈◊〉 their proper use ; and is the same thing which is to be professed in baptism , which is the solemnizing of this mutual covenant , and in which god the father , son and holy ghost , do give themselves to us , for grace and glory , and we give up our selves by consent to him , believingly accepting his grace , and penitently renouncing the lusts of the flesh , the world and the devil ; and so are sacramentally invested in a state of justification , adoption and spiritual life . 24. the profession of this faith and consent in baptism , maketh men visible christians and church ▪ members ; and true heart consent in faith maketh men living and justified members . 25. this belief and consent , or performance of the condition , is not the efficient cause of our pardon or justification , but is the necessary 〈◊〉 position or qualification of the receiver , in the very nature of the act suitable and needful , and by divine institution and promise made the condition and acceptable . 26. though we are not capable receivers of justification , till we thus penitently and believingly consent , yet when we do so , it is the merit of christs righteousness by which we are justified : for the covenant of god is but his instrument by which he giveth us christ ( to be our head ) and life in and with him , and so giveth us justification as procu●●d by his merits . 27. justification is a word of many senses : sometimes it signifieth [ making us righteous ] sometimes , the law or covenants virtu●l judging us righteo●s , it being the rule of judgment : sometimes gods esteeming us righteous in his own mind : sometimes for a justifying by ●vidence or witness : sometimes by ●polo●y of an advocate : sometimes by the sentence of the judge : and sometime for the execution of that sentence . but the notable special sorts are three , making just , ●udging just , and vsing as just : and they that will dispute of justification , and not tell in what sense they take the word , do but abuse their time and talk . 28. no man is judged righteous by god , that is not first made righteous . 29. he that is made righteous , is justifiable in judgment , and virtually justified ( in law. ) 30. no sinner is made righteous as to the preceptive part of the law of innocency ; it being a contradiction to have been a sinner and no sinner . 31. pardon of sin doth not make the fact done to be undone , or not done , nor the sin to be no sin , nor not to have deserved punishment : but it remitteth the punishment and the fault , so far as it inferreth punishment , because of the merit and satisfaction of the mediator ; and delivereth the sinner from that which he was bound to suffer by the violated law. 32. to make a man righteous before god that hath sinned , all these things must concur : 1. he must have a mediator that must answer the ends of the law that condemneth him , and so meriteth his justification . 2. this saviour must make him a pardoning and justifying covenant , to convey the right of the purchased benefits to him . 3. he himself ( by grace ) must per●orm the conditions of that covenant ; accepting the free gift believingly according to its nature and use . 4. upon this the covenant ( by virtue of the foresaid merit of the mediator ) must effectually justifie him . 33. though we have no righteousness of our own , that is so denominated by the law of innocency , yet have we a righteousness to plead for our justification from its sentence , which by our mediator was performed to it , by which the law-giver hath received satisfaction ; and we must have the personal subordinate ●ighteousness required by the covenant of grace . 34. all that are made righteous , are esteemed and judged righteous , and used as righteous . 35. pardon of sin , and right to life , are not that righteousness which answereth the precept of the law : but they are that righteousness which justifieth us against the accusation , [ that we are not to be saved , but to be damn●d ▪ ] 35. christs perfe●● ob●di●nce to the law of innocency , exempteth u● from the necessity of perfect obedience to it ▪ and from all duty of obeying it as the condition of life : but he did not repent and believe in obedience to his own law of grace , to exempt us from the necessity of repenting and believing , which we must do our selves by his grace , or perish . 36. to make a man righteou● implieth , that he was before unrighteous : but to judge him righteous , supposeth him to be righteous ; yet either accused of unrighteousness , or accusable ; justification here supposing either actual or virtual accusation . 37. the law is the virtual accuser , but that speaketh nothing but truth ; ( viz. that we sinned and deserved damnation . ) satan is the actual accuser , and the father of lies . 38. we shall not be justified by denying the true accusation of the law , but by denying the false accusation of satan : that we are sinners must be granted ; and that our sin deserved hell : but ( that we have no part in christ , that we are unpardoned , unreconciled sinners , that we are unbelievers , impenitent , unregenerate , unholy , or hypocrites , must be denied , or we perish : as also that hereupon we ought to be damned , and not to be glorified . 39. by this it is very plain how far a man must be justified in judgment by his own personal righteousness ; and also how to understand , matth. 25 ▪ ●nd all the descriptions of the last judgment , and the reasons there assigned of the sentence ; and what it is to be justified or condemned by our words , and to be judged according to our works , or what we have done in obedience or disobedience to the law of grace ; and what is meant in james by being justified by works , and not by faith alone . for though christs righteousness is to be then honoured , it is not his part , but ours , that is by him to be examined and judged . and it is the law of grace by which we must be judged , which prescribed us the conditions of pardon and salvation . the performance of which must therefore be the cause of the day to be examined and judged . 4. to justify a mans right to salvation is to justify the man when his right is the thing tried : therefore the causes of our right to salvation are necessary causes of our justification . all this is plain , and i think , not by a christian to be denied : and is not here enough to be the matter of our christian peace and concord in this one point of justification . but we are not so happy ; it is a greater number of controversies that the teachers of christians have raised about it , than many hours will serve to handle . i will name some that are too many , and yet far from all , and give you my sense of them plainly and briefly , that you may truly understand the matter and me . cont. 1. passing by all the old quarrels , about christs person , by the arrians , nestorians , eutychians , monothelites , phantasiastae , and abundance more , about justification it self , the first that i shall mention is that which a few great and worthy men have unhappily raised , whether justification be not an immanent act in god , and so eternal : this they assert , and i deny : there is nothing in god but god ; nothing therefore that hath beginning and end , but all is eternal . but relations and extrinsick denominations , and also effects may begin and end . the world was not from eternity : god did not make it from eternity , nor was the creator of it from eternity , in proper speech . and yet no act as it is in god had beginning or end ; for it is god himself . but gods essential will or word is not called creating till it actually create . so is it in justification : nothing is new in god , besides relation and denomination ; but much is new by and from god. justification is a transient act of god. it is the act of his covenant and his judgment and execution . therefore he that saith elect infidels are justified from eternity , contradicteth gods word , that saith we are justified by faith , and till then are under condemnation . cont. 2. whether the covenant of grace , be made only with christ , or with us also ? the first is put into a catechism where i am sorryer to find it , than in maccovius , cluto , cocceius and cloppenburgius . the covenant made with christ is not the same that is made between christ and us , and which we celebrate in baptism . it is not only christ that is baptized , but all his members ; and baptism is the mutual covenant . we are the receivers of the relation to god the father , son and holy ghost ; and we are the promisers ( the word restipulation is too presumptuous . ) if we are not covenanters , we can be no covenant breakers , nor have right to the benefits of such a covenant : it is the same thing that in several respects is called a law and a covenant . and if we are not under christs law we are lawless , or not his subjects . deny christs law and covenant to us , and you will subvert all christianity and deny the rule of judgment and justification . cont. 3. whether the covenant of grace have any condition required of us . ans . here we first shew our weakness in contending about the word [ condition ] while we agree not of the sense , though till men made a difference on this ill occasion , there were few words that men were more agreed in ( of such a subject . ) and the word we must use , hath no other name that i remember which our grammar hath taught us to call such conjunctions by as [ if ] is ▪ but [ conditional ] nor any other name that law and civil use hath taught us to call the thing defined by but [ condition ] without circumlocution , uncouthness or obscurity . the common definition of lawyers is that it is , [ lex addita negotio qua● donec praestetur eventum suspendit : it is in our case the mode of the law or promise requiring a duty or moral act or qualification , on the presence or absence , performance or non-performance whereof the law or donation annexeth or suspendeth the event . this is a condition as it is in the ▪ law or covenant , or promise , being but its modus : but as it is in the person and performance , it is a moral act or qualification , required by the law , or promise , to which it annexeth , and till it be performed suspendeth the event . natural or meerly contingent conditions that are not moral , belong not to our enquiry . ( as if it be a fair day to morrow . if such a ship come safe home ! if i live so long , &c. ) some define a condition here to be any moral medium of obtaining a benefit ex pacto : but 1. a law hath its conditions , and so hath a donation or promise , when there is no proper mutual pactum or covenant . 2. there are other moral media ex pacto besides conditions ( as are all simple duties . ) 3. but these definers cannot congruously deny the gospel covenant of grace to have conditions of our ●ustification and salvation : for none but an infidel can congruously deny that faith and repentance are conditions of our justification and salvation , if every moral medium be a condition which is ex ●acto . is faith , and is repentance no means ? and are they not required of us ? and do we not profess them at present and promise them for the future ? sometimes the same thing is a moral cause and a condition of the event . and sometimes it is a meer condition and but sine qu● non , and no proper cause ; usually in moral conditions there is something in the nature of the matter for the sake of which the donor or lawgiver maketh it necessary ; which is its aptitude as a means to some of his ends . if faith had no more fitness to be the condition of justification than vnbelief or hating god , and if godliness or holiness had no more fitness to be the condition of our salvation than wickedness , they would not have been deputed to this place , office and honour . faith is no condition of gods making the promise ( he abso●utely made some conditional promises , and others only on conditions performed by christ . ) but it is the condition of our right to or possession of the thing promised ; or of the event . either the deniers of conditions deny all or but some . if all then they deny that christ performed any conditions . if but some , they deny either the name only , or the thing also . if the name only . 1. is it worth their zeal and contention ? 2. are they not singular ; and singularity in the use of words tendeth to causless quarrels . 3. why do they not commend to us some better name for the same thing ? grammar and common use hath taught us this . dr. twisse hath found another , oft and oft saying that [ faith is a dispositive cause of justification . ] i dislike not his notion , save that , 1. it is too general there being more dispositive causes besides conditions . 2. that it is not political enough as the subject requireth ( or civil . ) 3. that it is in two words when one is better ; and 4. that the very terms [ cause ] is liable to mistake . for faith is no efficient cause of justification , principal nor instrumental : we must not ascribe so much to it . nor is it a final cause , nor the formal cause . but it is as the dr. speaketh dispositio subjecti recipientis : not a natural , but moral disposition ; yet made such by gods institution , because the very nature of the act containeth a fitness to its receptive office ; even as it is the believing acceptance of such a free and wonderful gift to such special ends and uses . 2. but if it be not the name only but the thing defined that is denied the gospel is denied , and that which is of necessity to salvation is denied . to deny faith to be necessary to pardon , justification and salvation as a moral means congruous in its nature and instituted of god , is infidelity or open prophaneness ; nor can those be meet preachers of the gospel that deny it and oppose it . two ways scripture sheweth that justification and salvation are given conditionally . 1. by the plain conditional phrase , and 2. by the conditional description , in the mode of the promise : to instance in a few texts among a multitude , mar. 16.16 . he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be damned . rom. 4.25 . to whom it shall be imputed , if we believe on him that raised up jesus our lord from the dead . rom. 10.9 , 10. for if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that god raised him from the dead , thou shall be saved . for with the heart man believeth to righteousness , and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation . joh. 1.12 . to as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of god , even to them that believe in his name . joh. 3.19.18 , 16. joh 6. throughout . mat. 6.14.15 . if ye forgive men their trespasses , your heavenly father will forgive you . but if ye forgive not , &c. luk. 13.3 , 5. except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish . acts 10.35 . in every nation he that feareth god and worketh righteousness is accepted of him . acts 8.37 . if thou believest with all thy heart thou maist , ( i. e. be baptized for the remission of sins . ) but i have recited so many texts of this sort in my confession and other books , that i will here forbear unnecessary recitals . mat. 5. alone may suffice , and all the texts that say , faith his imputed for or to righteousness ▪ and that we are justified by it . furthermore ; 1. if the baptismal covenant have no condition , then none is to be prerequired in the person to be baptized , nor his promise of any demanded . but the consequent is false : else the baptism instituted by christ and ever practised in the church is false . and here you see what a baptism these men would make : if they practice it according to this principle ; and how they would overthrow our christianity , and baptize infidels . the major is evident because , where no condition is required of god or imposed , there none should be required or imposed by the minister . and if so in baptism , why not also in absolution and the lords supper . 2. if the promise of pardon and justification be absolute without any condition , then either to all men , or but to some . if to all , then all are justified . if but to some , to whom ? if you say to the elect ; no man knoweth them , while they are unbelievers : and so neither the person nor the minister can apply that promise to any singular man : if you say , to believers , you grant faith to be a necessary , moral antecedent : and if so , whence can you imagine it to be such , but aptitudinally● in the nature of the act ( receiving christ , which some call it's instrumentality ) and actually by gods institution in the tenor of his word : now this is 1. in the tenor or mode of the precept , and that maketh it a duty . 2. in the tenor or mode of the promise , and that maketh it it's condition : in what other respect do they ( exclusively ) feign it necessary ? obj. as an antecedent ? ans . that speaketh but the order : but what antecedent is it ? obj. as a sign ? ans . of what ? and why is it as a sign of election ? but holiness , the love of god , and man , &c. are signs of election , and yet not prerequisite to baptism and pardon . and whence is it that this sign of election is prerequisite , but that gods precept made it a duty , and the promise a condition ? grant it a sign , the question is still of the reason of this signs necessity to justification . 3. if signification be the thing necessary , it must be either to god , to the sinner , or to the baptizer . not to god , that needs no notice by signs : and so it would follow that before god elect infidels are justified , which is false , as is oft proved : and to the minister it is not certainly known : nor may he baptize any meerly as elect , if he could know it ( by revelation ) before faith. nor might such a person claim it . nor do believers usually at the very first know their election . it 's pity that any catechized person should be so ignorant as to deny so plain a truth as it is that the promise maketh faith antecedently necessary to justification under the form of an apt condition ; when no used phrase can speak the thing to us so intelligibly and truly as this doth . obj ▪ it is prerequisite as an instrument ? ans . of this i shall speak by it self anon . by an instrument i hope when considered they will not mean any proper efficient instrument of justification ( though in exciting , the acts of sanctification in us it may be called our instrument and gods by us : ) but justifying is wholly and only gods act , and the covenant as an act of oblivion , and grace is his instrument● giving us our right to impunity and life , ( in which our constitutive , justification doth consist ) but they mean a metaphorical receiving instrument , and to ●eceive christ is but the very essence of faith , which they call the tò credere , and so to be justified by faith as it receive●h christ , and as a receiving instrument , and as it is the tò credere in specie , are all one . and all this is true , if you ask but for what natural aptitude god made faith the condition of justification : and it 's more aptly called by the foresaid dr. causa dispositiva ; and yet more aptly dispositio receptiva moralis , necessary and successful , aptitudinally in its nature , and actually by the tenor of gods promise or donation , making it a condition : that is , saying [ he that believeth shall be justified and saved , and he that doth not shall be damned . ] if god had not given christ and life by a promise of this tenor , [ if thou believe thou shalt have christ and life , ] it's aptitude would have had no use . if the king by an act of oblivion say [ all rebels and malefactors that thankfully come and take out their pardon , and lay down arms shall live , and the rest shall be unpardonable . ] here , 1. the act of oblivion is the pardoning instrument , and the receivers title and fundamentum juris 2. the reception is made a condition by the act being the modus donandi seu condonandi . 3. next this condition is performed . 4. and next the effect followeth from it's proper efficient causes , e. g. suppose , 1. the kings clemency . 2. his sons intercession . 3. the act of oblivions instrumentality . 4. the offenders performing the condition , which doth but make him a capable receiver of the effect . 5. and lastly , the ministers instrumental applicatory sealing , delivering and investiture . this is all plain , to men that by prejudice fight not against the light . and that the promises of salvation , or glory ( and perseverance ) have their conditions , i will not for shame and tediousness stand to prove to such as you . obj. but he that performeth a condition may boast and ascribe somewhat to himself . ans. 1. i find many that thus argue the pronest of most christians to boast of , or to defend their honour and the honour of their party against any that would vilifie them ; and ●o ascribe something to them , even to be the best sort of men . 2. god boasteth of his servants , and ascribeth much to them , viz. to have his image , the divine nature , to be the salt and lights of the earth , his jewels , the apple of his eye , &c. he bids them turn themselves , save themselves and work out their salvation , and keep themselves in his love and continue in his love , &c. 3. if saying that they believe and repent , and give up themselves to god in christ be culpable boasting , then all that have been baptized on such a required profession , have thereby sinned , and all the christian baptism hath been sin . 4. no man is a christian ▪ justified , or can be saved that cannot so boast ( that he is not an infidel , but a penitent believer . ) 5. is it a matter of boasting that god commandeth when he commandeth us to repent and believe the gospel ? if he freely pardon condemned sinners for the sake of christs sacrifice , righteousness and intercession , on condition , that they do not finally refuse the gift , but believingly accept it according to it's nature , and all this by his grace ; is this matter of boasting ? may a pardoned traytor boast of his merit to the king , if the condition of his pardon be , that he shall not refuse it , and spit in the kings face , or continue a rebel ? obj. where all is of grace , and faith it self given and promised by the covenant , there the covenant is not conditional . ans . 1. as to the giving of faith , it well stands with gods method both to command it as a duty , and to make it a condition of his promise , and to give his word and spirit to cause us to perform it . it is a fiction that these may not consist , and he subverteth the gospel that saith they do not consist . 2. as to the promise , god indeed hath promised to christ , to give him a seed , and to draw them to him , &c. but the covenant made with particular men , and sealed and solemnized in baptism doth not promise faith and repentance , which are first given , but prerequire them as the necessary qualification of the adult . and this is the covenant that we speak of . 3. it is a condition of pardon , justification and acceptance , that we enquire of . therefore it is the promise of these that we must mean : now i ask whether the promise of pardon and justification be a promise of faith , or whether it be not a promise to pardon and justifie believers only and their seed , and so prerequireth faith. obj. but you call the many parts of one covenant by the name of many covenants . ans . i hope we shall not be called in matters of catechism to metaphysical or logical quibbles de vnitate & individuatione . which is too hard for mens wits about things natural or moral . that is one in some respect which is many in others . there is some sort of unity of all the universe , even of all creatures : and so there is of all gods laws and covenants : either the objectiors speak de nomine or de re : if but of the name [ one , ] they shall call it one if that will please them , and let them only distinguish the parts of that one : if they ●ill say that the covenant made by the father with the mediator , and the law made for him , are one and the same with the covenant made by the fat●●● and son and holy spirit with us , and that our baptismal covenant is no covenant , but only a part of the covenant of which that with christ aforesaid is another part , i will not use their phrase , but let me understand them that it is only the name of [ one or two ] that they contend about , and we will fit our words accordingly : i think on several accounts they are to be called divers covenants : if they dislike it , let us enquire whether the various precepts of one covenant make not various duties to christ and to us ; and whether the various promises of it have not various conditions , some to be performed by christ and some by us . our present question is , whether that part of the covenant which promiseth and giveth pardon of sin , justification ▪ adoption , and right to glory ; have any condition , as the modus of the gift ? we will rather follow them in unmeet terms than leave them thence a pretence to confound names and things , and hide their errour by the confusion . all divines , ancient and modern , reformed and and unreformed , that i know of , agreed with us in the conditionality of the said promise , and by the form of baptism shewed the churches consent till maccovius in holland , and dr. crispe and other antinomians in england began to subvert the gospel on pretence of magnifying the freeness of grace ; and yet they durst never attempt to alter the form of baptism ; as this opinion will require . contr. 4. by what hath been said , the fourth controversie is already resolved ; viz. whether our performance of the condition of justification doth efficiently justifie us ? some say , because we say that christ doth not justifie us till we perform the condition by believing , that therefore we make our own faith or performance to justifie proximately , and christ but remotely , and so to do more than christ to our justification . ans . 1. as to the phrase , scripture saith , that we are justified by faith , that word not signifying an e●●●ciency , but a receptive qualifying condition ; but it never saith , that faith doth jus●ifie us , much less th●t we by it justifie our selves : our performance or faith is no efficient cause ; but as to two parts of our justification it hath a twofold office : 1. as to our justification by the merits of christs righteousness against this charge [ that damnation is due to us for sin ] our faith is the condition of our pardon and justification ; that is , the moral qualification which god hath made necessary to make us capable receivers of it : as laying down arms , and taking his pardon thankfully , may make a rebel capable of pardon ( but doth not pardon him ) if the pardoning act say [ this shall be the condition : ] and by his pardon he is justifiable against the charge of being liable to death . 2. but as to the subordinate part of justification , against the fal●e charge that we are no believers , nor repent , and so have no part in christ ; here our own faith is the very matter of righteousness by which we must be in tantum so far● justified : as truth and innocency is against every false accusation : and to say that because christs merits justifie us not before and without our faith and performance of the condition , therefore our act justifieth us more than christ , or efficiently at all , is a thing unworthy of an answer , being below the thoughts of an intelligent disputer . how much the capacity or incapacity of the receiver doth as to all the various changes in the world , both physical and moral , when yet efficiently it doth nothing , is not wholly unknown to any sober thinking man. as the same sun-shine maketh a weed stink , and a rose sweet ; so the same act of oblivion , or conditional justifying law or covenant , doth justifie the capable , and not the uncapable , though no mans faith doth effect any part of his own justification . mr. troughton , and such others denying faith to be the condition of our justification by the promise , hath drawn me to speak the largelier of this . contr. 5. whether we are justified by christs righteousness imputed to us : and whether the scripture say so . ans . the scripture oft saith , that faith is imputed to us for righteousness ; and that is , faith in christ : and it saith , that righteousness is imputed , or reckoned to us , that is , we are reckoned or reputed righteous , rom. 4.11 , 22.6 . and that sin is not imputed , that is not charged on us to punishment , or damnation , rom. 5.13 . & 4.8 . psal . 32. v. 2. 2 cor. 5.10 . the words of imputing christs righteousness to us , i find not in gods word , and therefore think them not necessary to the churches peace or safety . but as for the sense of those words ▪ no doubt but it may be good , & the papists themselves own them in the same sense as many protestant divines profess to use them , as i have proved . contr. 6. in what sense is christs righteousness imputed to us ? answ . it is accounted of god the valuable consideration , satisfaction and merit ( attaining gods ends ) for which we are ( when we consent to the covenant of grace , ) forgiven and justified against the condemning sentence of the law of innocency , and reconciled and accepted of god to grace and glory . q. but did not christ represent our persons in his righteousness , so that it is imputed to us as ours , as if we our selves had been and done what he was and did as righteous ? ans . this being the very heart of all the controversie , should be decided only by scripture , and nothing added or diminished . that christ is the second adam , and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sponsor , surety or interposer , and a mediator between god and man , that suffered for us , the just for the unjust , a price , and a sacrifice , is all found in scripture . wise and peaceable men here will be as fearful of humane inventions and additions as in discipline or ceremonies at least . but because all are not such , we must speak to men as they are . there are several sorts of sureties or sponsors . few represent the very person , at least not all : if men will needs impose on us their own word of representation , for peace sake we accept it , in a sound sense . in a limited sense it is true that christ represented us ; that is , he suffered in our stead , that we might not suffer : he obeyed , and was perfectly righteous as mediator in our natures , and so far in our stead , as that such perfect righteousness should not in our selves be necessary to our justification . but he did not absolutely represent us ; he was not our delegate : our persons did not in a law-sense do in and by christ what he did , or possess the habits which he possessed , or suffered what he suffered : nor doth god account us so to have done , for that were to mistake . i have rendred a multitude of reasons to prove this in my treatise of justifying righteousness : the contradiction is enough that we are accounted never to have sinned , because christ never sinned ; and yet we are accounted to have suffered or satisfied for sin , because christ did so ; or at least that we need a pardon by his blood , and must ask for pardon , and must suffer correcting punishments , and long be without necessary grace and glory , when yet we are accounted never to have sinned , but from birth to death to have fulfilled all gods law in christ . i have fully proved that this doctrine subverteth the sum of all the gospel and religion , to which i refer you . contr. 7. what righteousness of christ is it that is ours , and imputed to us ; the passive , the active , the habitual , or the divine , or all ? answ . divines are here fallen into four opinions . i. many of our most famous divines say , that it is only christs sufferings that are imputed to us as our righteousness to justification ; being justitia merit● , the rest being justitia personae , to qualifie christ to merit for us . thus paraeus , scultetus , wendeline , beckman , vrsine , piscator , olevian , camero with his followers , and many more : these are far from thinking that we fulfilled all the law in christ , or are righteous because he fulfilled it . ii. the second sort think that the active and passive righteousness are imputed to us as our righteousness . iii. the third sort are for the passive , active and habitual imputed . iv. the fourth think so also of the divine , ( which is the deity it self ; for there is nothing in god but god ) andrew osiander is for our justification by the divine essence , but i think rather by communication than imputation . thus hath our weakness distracted and disgraced us . but mr. bradshaw truly noted , that if the sense of imputation were well agreed of , the rest might well be reconciled ; viz. that no righteousness of christ is imputed to us in the strict sense of representation , as if we our selves were legally accounted to have been done or suffered , what christ did , was and ●uffered . but in the just sense of imputation all is imputed to us , that is , christs habitual , active and passive righteousness , fulfilling his own part of the covenant , advanced in dignity by the union of the divine nature and perfection was the true meritorious cause of our justification , and not any one of these alone . cont. 8. whether christs righteousness be the efficient , material or formal cause of our righteousness and justification . ans . it s pity that poor people must be thus tempted with controversies of logick . but what remedy ? christs righteousness as materially and formally his , merited our justification : but for the accidental relation of righteousness in christ , to be the accidental relation of righteousness to every believer , is impossible unless the subject be the same : if christ be the believing sinner , and as many persons as there be such , or all these be the same person with christ , then his individual righteousness is formally theirs , else not . for as noxa caput sequitur , so no accident is the same numerically in various subjects . they that deny this wanted but the same advantages to have believed transubstantiation , and renounce the common principles . but that christs righteousness is the meritorious cause of ours , is past doubt . and therefore they that affirm and they that deny it to be the material cause ( which is the common doctrine of protestant disputers ) do but differ about a name . for if adam had merited his own glorification had not his works been both the meritorious cause , and the material ? that is , the matter of that meritorious righteousness : and why may we not say so of christ ? it is therefore the material because it is the meritorious , that is , the meriting matter . for righteousness being a relation hath strictly no matter , but a subject . and christs acts and habits were the first subject of that righteousness of his person whose merit justifieth us : but the believer is the subject of his own personal righteousness thus merited by christ . it 's pity that holy things should be brought down to such logical trifling ; but more pity that church teachers that will do so , should abuse them by their ignorance in their own way . the matter of the righteousness which meriteth our justification from the laws damnation of us , is christs own righteousness ; ( unless by the matter you mean the subject person . ) but the matter of our subordinate righteousness is in and of our selves , of which anon . cont. 9. whether the vnion between christ and believers be not so near , as maketh them the same subject , and so the accident of christs righteousness to be ours ? ans . so some think , but this tremendous mystery must not be rashly and profanely handled . in a union specifick of humanity , all mankind is one with christ that is , of one species of humane nature : and so that which is predicated of one as such , is predicated of the other . in a political vnion christ as the head , and the church as the body make one society as parts constituting the whole . and so whatever is predicated of a part meerly as a part , is predicable of both : but that which is predicated of the whole as a whole is properly predicable of neither alone : and that which is predicated of the head as a head , is not predicable of the body , nor that of the head , which is proper to the body , nor that of one member which is proper to another . but some things by way of communication may be predicated of the whole , for the sake of a part . so the church is called sinful and imperfect for our sake , though christ be not so : and it is eminently holy and glorious , because christ is so ; that is , secundum quid . but no vnion will make us righteous and personally happy by anothers righteousness and happiness , unless it were a personal union , ( natural or legal at least as to relative rights . ) the question then is whether every believer be one person with christ ? and if so , whether one natural person , or one legal ( as a lawful vicarius is . ) they that hold the first plead that the same spirit that is in christ , is the same divine nature , and maketh us one natural person . but where doth the scripture say so ? the sun is not one individual with every plant that it quickeneth , nor every plant with it . a nettle or rose is not the sun , nor is it the illuminater of the world ▪ that maketh day , &c. but they have so much from the sun as it communicateth , and no more . so we are not christ , nor the eternal and natural son of god , nor infinite in wisdom and goodness , nor perfectly just and glorified , as christ is : but we have from christ so much of the spirit as he communicateth ; and nothing is ours meerly because it is his , and we one person with him ; but because he communicateth it to us : what further real union there will be in our glorious perfection we cannot well know till we are there . but in this imperfection our union is not such as far as i understand it , as maketh us one natural person with christ ; and surely it doth not make his proper accidents to be our accidents . and as to that which some call a legal or reputative personal union , it must be proved before it is asserted . and as i know no word of god that speaketh such a thing , as that christ and we are imputatively one person ; so i know that they that will assent it of their own heads , presume far in a tender point ; and if they should say that we are simply and ad omnia one person , it were not by christian ears to be endured : if they will say that it is but in some respects and to some certain uses , ( as a servant that payeth his masters creditor by order in some sense representeth him in that one action ) they must limit it carefully and shew to what uses we are one person , lest they do they know not what : and they must shew what sort of person they mean ? whether christ be made the same person with each believing sinner , and so take our bad denominations ; or each sinner be made the person of christ ; and have his glorious denominations , or a third sort of person is made of both , and what that is ? if meer personal unity make us righteous by imputation , because christ is so , either it must be as christ is righteous , in full perfection ( reputatively ) or else but according to the measure of our receptivity : the first none will affirm that understand what they say : and the second brings the effect no higher than we grant ; the foot doth not understand as the head doth , though it be a part of the same natural body , and may have its peculiar ulcers and diseases : a crab and a sweet apple may grow on the same tree : certainly we have a person proper to our selves , which hath its own defects and evils , and hath no more from christ than he communicateth . cont. 10. are we not righteous by being one with christ , as we are sinners by vnion with adam ? ans . 1. we were but seminally and virtually in adam , and not personally ( as i have opened in my disput . of original sin : ) and so we were but virtually in christ when he suffered and obeyed , and we were unborn . 2. nay our derivation from adam was by nature , but from christ by his voluntary gift and contract . 3. had we not sinned in adam , and yet had sinned our selves we had been unrighteous : and so it is , though we sinned not in christ , and yet are sinners our selves against him . our radical righteousness in adam would have happily disposed us to personal obedience ; as adam himself was who yet fell : and our radical righteousness in christ , is yet a more happy preparative to our necessary duty to him , which is righteousness also , which he that hath not shall be condemned . i know that many say that if adam had conquered that temptation , or at least had never sinned , all his posterity should have been confirmed against all future sin and danger as the angels be in heaven : but i dare not add to the word of god ; and i find no such thing there , though i hear what others say : and if that were true , the first covenant would have ceased upon adams obedience , as it did upon his disobedience , and all the world would have been under either no law , or some law to us unknown . the first adam was a living soul , indeed , and the second is a quickning spirit . and as in adam all die , so in christ shall all be made alive , but every man in his own order . and as we are not raised , nor yet delivered from all our sin or misery by our union with christ as soon as we believe , so neither from all guilt and unrighteousness ; but must daily pray , forgive us our trespasses , and deliver us from the evil . if our union presently made all ours that is christs , and that as it is his , yea or as much as we need it , we were then highly dignified indeed . marriage giveth the wife her self no further propriety in the husbands estate nor use of it , than he communicateth by the contract : and neither that nor generation itself , give wife or child the husbands or fathers learning , innocence or health . cont. 11. is not christs righteousness ours , as our sins were his , by im●utation ? ans . yes , as much at least ▪ or more . but take heed of making christs gospel by your mending it , and of making him no christ while you would make him more merciful according to your own conceits . i know it is said once that he was made sin for us , who knew no sin , that we might be made the righteousness of god in him . but as we are not properly righteousness , much less gods righteousness , but are made righteous , and so the instances or demonstrations of the righteousness of god ; so expositors commonly agree that by sin is meant a sacrifice for sin . or by being [ made sin ] is meant being used as if he had been a sinner . undoubtedly if god imputed or accounted christ a sinner , and if he were truly so by any means , practice or translation , he must be by sin hateful to the most holy god , ( even to himself ) and would have in him so great a part of hell , and divine desertion , as is not consistent with his personal perfection , or the hypostatical union , as far as we can conceive : and if indeed god imputed to him the sins of all the elect , so as first to make the very sins themselves to become christs own sins by imputation , then christ suffered for his own sins , and must be more odious to god than any ordinary sinner ; and all good men that knew it by him must have judged accordingly : for sin , & especially the sins of so many millions & so great , must needs render him whose own they are , really sinful , hateful and miserable . any of which to say of christ is blasphemy . christ undertook that guilt of our sin which is nothing but the obligation to punishment , and that such punishment as beseemed him to undergo . there is a ●uilt of fact , and a guilt of crime , and a guilt of punishment . christ undertook the last , but neither of the former as in themselves considered , unless as by connotation relatively he may be said to be guilty of the sin meerly because he undertook to suffer for it ; which is improper speech . christ condescended to the admiration of angels in taking on him our nature , and our punishment , and suffering for our sins ; but his holiness would not suffer him to undertake our sin it self , or take it to be his own sin . nay considering the communication of attributes which divines assert from the hypostatical union , men should tremble to think of laying a ground of calling it the sin of god , by the same reason as , acts 20. it 's said , [ the blood of god. ] it s a sad case that partiality can so much prevail , as that they that cry out of some doubtful words as damnable heresies , do yet think it tolerable language to say , that by imputation of the very sin itself to christ as his sin , he was the greatest sinner , the greatest murderer , lyer , adulterer , &c. in the world . i beseech you abstain from such words till you find them in the scripture . christ never was reputed of god a sinner , who did so much to shew his hatred of it . nor ever took our sin unto him , any further than to suffer for it to expiate it : and if this be the similitude by which we must understand how his holiness and righteousness is made ours , it will make all very plain . it is ours , or imputed to us , so far as to be reputed the true cause of our justification , adoption , sanctification and glory , as our sin was the cause of his suffering and death . cont. 12. doth not christs righteousness cause our sanctification in the same sort of causality as it causeth our justification ? ans . the effects are divers , but both from the same meritorious cause . but it is more unapt to say that it is the material cause of our sanctification than that it is the material cause of our righteousness ; though it merit both ; because our habitual and actual holiness hath a nearer material cause in itself which our pardon and meer adoption have not . cont. 13. when it is said that faith is imputed to us for righteousness is it faith indeed that is meant or christs righteousness believed on ? ans . a strange and bold question . what occasion hath the holy ghost given us to raise such a suspicion , that when it is so often said by him that faith is imputed or accounted for righteousness , men should make a doubt whether it be faith indeed that he meaneth ? if it be not , the context is so far from relieving our understandings , that it contributeth to our unavoidable deceit or ignorance . read over the texts and put but [ christs righteousness ] every where instead of the word [ faith ; ] and see what a scandalous paraphrase you will make . the scripture is not so audaciously to be corrected : it 's wiser to believe gods word than to contradict it on pretence of expounding it . obj. but it is said also that righteousness is imputed : and that must be either christs righteousness or our own : but not our own ; therefore christs . ans . we are not now questioning whether christs righteousness be imputed to us : though it be not the phrase of the scripture , i have shewed you that it is true , in a sound sence , but the question is , whether faith be imputed for righteousness . and what is the meaning of all such texts ? to have righteousness imputed to us , plainly signifieth to be reckoned , accounted , reputed or judged righteous . and it 's strange that it must not be our own righteousness , that is imputed or reckoned to us as our own : if it were never so well proved , that the very habits and acts of christ are by gift or union made our own in themselves , and not only as the causes of their effects , yet still our own they would be , and the righteousness given by them our own , in order of nature before they are imputed , accounted or reckoned to us as our own . some way that righteousness which is reckoned to constitute us righteous is surely made our own . psal 106.30 , 31. phinehas's executing judgment , it is said to be accounted to him for righteousness . and of abrahams justification god saith , because thou hast done this , &c. what man that ever read the bible can doubt , but that every man that will be saved must have a personal faith , repentance and holiness , which is called righteousness many hundred times in the scripture , besides the righteousness that was or is in christ ? and will not god reckon him righteous that is righteous ? he that doth righteousness is righteous ? and shall it not be imputed to him ? if god account not a man a believer , can he be justified and saved ? christs righteousness hath made satisfaction for all our sins , and for our unrighteousness as to the law that doth condemn us : but he made us not lawless , but put us under a law of grace , which saith [ he that believeth shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be damned . ] and must we not be judged by this law ? and be justified or condemned as we keep or break it ? wonderful is the power of prejudice that any good men that read the scripture can doubt whether christ himself hath made us a law of grace , according to which as performers or non-performers we must be justified as righteous in subordination to christs righteousness or else be condemned , as neglecters of so great salvation ? is any thing plainer in all the gospel ? obj. but it is the object , and not the act ; christs righteousness and not our faith ; the gold and not the hand that taketh it , that is our riches and righteousness . ans . 1. no question but the faith that we talk of , is faith in christ , even the believing receiving of a saviour and his grace freely given us . and therefore christs righteousness is ever connoted when we talk of faith : for what is the very specification of the act but the object ? but it is not the essence of christ or his righteousness , that constituteth faith ; but christ in esse co●nito & objectivo , even as it is not the essence of sin that constituteth repentance , but the notion of sin in esse cognito as an o●ject . and there is no doubt but christ is the souls riches which faith receiveth . but if the king by law should restore all the rebels in ireland to their estates , and give them their lives , that lay down arms , and ask mercy and accept it , if it come to the tryal whether they are accepters or refusers , their acceptance must be so far their justifying righteousness , though their lives and estates be their treasure , and the kings act be their title to it . faith is reckoned or imputed to be that which by the redeemer himself is required of the sinner to make him partaker of christ and his benefits , reconciliation and salvation ; and it is no other righteousness . christs righteousness is not imputed to us instead of our faith and repentance and sincere holiness , which is made by himself the condition of life . as he died not for the sins which we were never guilty of , and are no sins , so his righteousness is not instead of that righteousness which by his grace we have , but instead of that which we have not : not instead of our being penitent believers and sanctified before we die , but instead of that perfect innocency which we want : not that we are reputed perfect innocent obeyers ▪ because he was such ; but that our want of it shall not hinder our justification or adoption , grace or glory . christ hath done all his part , but he hath appointed us a necessary part which must be done by our selves ; and though without him we can do nothing , yet by him we must believe and be new creatures , and by him that strengtheneth us we can do something ; and must work out our salvation , while he worketh in us to will and to do . the purchase then and donation is by christ , but the voluntary acceptance is by us , by the operation of his grace ; which is not to make up any deficiency in christs part , or to be a supplement to his righteousness , nor to bear any part of the same office in our justification ; but it 's that which subordinately is required of us as the condition of pardon and life , by his own law or covenant of grace . and so far it is imputed to us for righteousness . contr. 14. whether grace be grace , or free , if it have any condition ? ans . as free and great as god will have it , but not such as the wicked man would have it , who would be saved from pain , but not from sin , or without any condition required of him . the covenant is made conditional , for the use that the commands are made ; to bring man to his duty , and to convey the benefit in a sapiential congruous way ; but not as requiring a price for the benefits : he that pardoneth a traytor on condition that he thankfully accept it , and will not spit in the princes face , and rebel again , doth pardon freely without a price . and as our duty and act denieth not that it's grace by which we do it ; so the necessity of grace thereto denieth it not to be our duty or our act when we believe . the covenant giveth some mercies absolutely , but not all . he that would be from under all conditions of gods promises , would be from under all law , and all threatnings : for what kind of law is that which hath no conditions of reward and punishment . obj. but when the condition it self is promised , it is equal to absolute . ans . 1. if that be true , still it is conditional . why do you not say so then , not that it hath no conditions , but that it is a conditional promise equal to an absolute ? 2. but stay a little : is the condition promised to all that the conditional promise is made to ? even to all that hear the gospel , or that are baptized . if you say that the conditional promise is made to none but the elect , you deny the gospel , which is to be preached to all the world. 3. will you cast out baptism by this argument ? and so visible christianity ? or will you new mold it into an absolute form ? or ▪ will you say that it is no covenant ? if you suppose not god the father , son ● and holy ghost to be there given to us with pardon and right to life upon condition of our believing acceptance , and that we there profess that acceptance which is the condition , you suppose not that it is baptism indeed : and when your little notions shall lead you to deny gods law and covenant gospel , baptism , and so christianity as visible , they are scarce fit notions to make you pass for orthodox , and to be turned against others as erroneous . 4. but how is it that god promiseth the condition it self ? and to whom ? i find , prov. 1. 23. turn you at my reproof ; behold i will pour out my spirit to you ; i will make known my words unto you ? is it [ if you do first turn . ] then there is some degree of turning necessary as a condition to the promised special gift of the spirit ? or is it [ that you may turn ? ] then god promiseth his spirit and word to help even those to turn , that yet turn not ; which must suppose some condition of consent or non-resistance required which they could perform . i find , that it 's all mens duty to pray , and i read ; [ ask and ye shall have , seek and ye shall find , &c. ] and so that to ask and seek saving faith , is a duty to him that hath but common faith. and god commandeth no man to ask or seek in vain : a meer command to use means implieth that ▪ they are not vain . god then giveth ( as dr. twisse oft saith as out of augustine ) the posse credere where yet the act of faith doth not follow : and it is not a meer passive , but an active power . and where he giveth grace which causeth the act it self , did god promise , it before hand to that man any more than to others ? he promiseth christ to call all his elect : but this giveth no right to any individual person before he is born , or before he believeth : therefore not to the first faith. for god to tell men , what he will do with his elect is one thing ; and to enter into covenant with a man , and give a right thereby is another . this covenant hath it's co●ditions . contr. 15. here comes in also the controversie whether repentance be any condition of pardon , or justification ? and whether to affirm it be not to equal it with faith ? ans . read these texts of scripture and judge , ezek. 14.6 . & 18.30 . luk. 13 3 , 5. act. 2.38 . & 8.22 . & 17.30 , 31. & 26.18 , 20. mar. 1.4 ▪ lu. 24.47 . act. 5.31 . & 11.18 . & 13.24 . & 20.21 . luk. 15.7 . &c. 2. faith in christ as it is the remedying grace ever ●supposeth faith in god as god , and repentance towards god , act. 20.21 . as it's end , and is connoted when it is not exprest . he that saith , [ take me and trust me as your physician and i will cure you ] implieth , 1. if you desire to be cured . 2 if you will take my medicines . to believe in christ , is to trust that through his mediation a penitent returning sinner shall be pardoned and accepted of god and saved . holiness is the souls health , and christ believed in is the remedy : repentance and holiness are necessary as the end for themselves , and faith in the mediator is necessary as the use of the remedy . the office or nature of these is not the same , though both be conditions . yet as repentance is the change of the mind , so repenting of unbelief is faith it self , denominated with respect to the terminus à quo . unhappy wits set things as opposite , which god hath connexed and made coordinate . contr. 16. whether faith justifie us as a meritorious cause , or as a dispositive cause of receiving justification , or as a meer condition , or as an instrumental cause ? ans . if these logical names had never been used , plain christians would have understood what is necessary without them . 1. that the promise maketh faith a condition , making unbelief a stop to the benefit , and faith the removal of that stop , is past all doubt . and the promise being the donative instrument , and its condition being its mode , the interest of a condition is most certainly the formal law-interest that faith hath as to our justification . 2. and dr. t●●ss●'s forementioned name of causa dispositiva , i , e. recipiendi , is undoubtedly also ●pt , and signifieth both the nature of the act , and the off●ce 〈…〉 as a condition : for in both respects it is the n●●●ssary qualification of the patient or re●●iver , i. e. naturally and legally necessary ; such as dispositio materiae is said to be in physicks . 3. and as for the notion of an instrumental cause of justification , it is past doubt that properly taken neither faith , nor any act of ours is any such ▪ nor doth justifie us efficiently at all : but if any be so fond of the invented notion of an instrument , as that they will use it , though unaptly , they must say , 1. that it is not an efficient , but a recipient instrument . dr. kendall calls it like boys catching the ball in their hats , or as a spoon is in eating : but it is not an instrument of physical reception , but moral . to trust is no more a reception , than to love. the active acceptance of a saviour given with his benefits , is a moral receiving of him , which disposeth us as the condition of the covenant to receive justification , that is , to be justified . and in this lax sense , you may call it all these if you please ; viz. a condition , a dispositive cause , and a receiving instrument . 4. a meritorious cause it is not in a commutative or strict sense . but if you will call that meritorious which is pleasing to god as congruous to his free gift and design of grace , whence some are called worthy in the gospel , so the thing is not to be denied ; and so all are reconciled . contr. 17. is justifying faith an act of the understanding or will ? ans . both , and therefore it is no one physical act only , nor instrumental in a strict physical sense . contr. 18. what act of faith is it that justifieth as to the object ? whether only the belief of the truth of the promise , or of the whole gospel also , or the affiance on christs righteousness , or on his truth , or on his intercession , or taking him wholly for our saviour , prophet , priest and king ? and whether faith in god the father , and the holy ghost , do justifie ? or all these ? and if but one , which is it ? and whe●her all the rest are the works which paul excludeth from justification ? ans . to say that only one physical act of faith is it that we are justified by , and all the rest are those works , is a perverse corrupting of christianity , and not to be heard without detestation . for it will utterly confound all persons , to find out which that one act is , which they indeed can never do . and it will contradict the substance of all the gospel : there is no such thing as faith in christ , which containeth not , or includeth not faith in god as god , both as he is our creator , and as reconciled by christ , and as the giver of christ to us , john 3.16 . and as the end of all the work of redemption . nor is there any such thing as faith in christ which is true and saving , that includeth not , or connoteth not the knowledge of christ , and love , and desire , and thankfulness , and consent : nor did ever god tell us of a faith in christs imputed righteousness only that must justifie us , which is not also a faith in his person , doctrine , law , promise and example ; and his intercession in the heavens . and to say that only the act of recumbency on christs righteousness as imputed to our justification , is that act of faith by which we are justified , and that believing in god , his majesty , truth , wisdom , goodness , and the believing in christ as he is the prophet , teacher , king of the church , and the resurrection , life , and judge of all ; and believing in the holy ghost , as the sanctifier , comforter , and witness and advocate of christ , and believing and trusting the promise of god for life eternal , or for any grace except christs righteousness imputed , that all this faith in god , in jesus christ and the holy spirit , and all our love to christ , and desire after him ▪ and prayer for his grace , and thankfulness for it , &c. are all none of the faith which justification is promised to , but are the works by which no man is justified , and that he is faln from grace , that seeketh to be justified by such works , that is , by true faith in god as god , and in christ as christ : this is a new gospel subverting christs gospel , and making christianity another thing ; and this without any countenance from the scripture , and contrary to its very scope . the faith by which we are justified , is one moral act containing many physical acts , even our fiducial consent to the baptismal covenant , and dedication of our selves to god the father , son and holy ghost , to be our reconciled god , our saviour , and our sanctifier , to give us pardon , adoption ▪ holiness and glory , which is our christianity it self as such . contr. 18. but though this be the faith quae justificat , which justifieth us , is it not only recumbency on christs imputed righteousness , qu● talis , which hath the office of instrumentality , and is ●ides qu● justificans . ans . such quibbling and jingling of a meer sound of words is usual in ludicrous disputations of lads : but it 's pity it should pass as the last remedy against plain truth in so great a matter . first it must be remembred that no faith justifieth efficiently , and therefore neither quae nor quâ justificans is to signifie any such thing , but a meer moral qualification of the recipient subject ; so that to be justified by faith , is but to be justified by it as that which god hath promised justification on as the qualifying condition : but if it be not the same thing that is here called fides quae and quâ , but in the first part they speak of the habit , and in the second of the act , had it not been plainer to say , [ the same habit of faith hath several acts , as believing in god , in christs intercession , kingdom , &c. but none of these acts do justifie us , but one only ; viz. trusting to the imputation of his righteousness ? ] and so both the quae and quâ is ●denied to all acts save that one . this is their plain meaning , which is denied to be truth , and is a human dangerous invention . yet it 's granted them , that it is not every act of faith that is made the condition of justification or salvation : it is necessary that the formal object , gods veracit● , be believed to make it true faith ; and that the gospel or covenant of grace be believed with consent , as aforesaid , to make it to be the true christian faith , in essence ▪ and it 's of necessity that every thing be believed which we know that god revealeth . but it is the christian faith that hath the promise of justification , and that not any one single act of it , but ▪ all that is essential to it , and that which belongeth but to its integrity ad bene esse , when it existeth , is also so far conducible to our justification , ( as abrahams believing that isaac should live and have seed , when he went to sacrifice him ) yet justification may be without some acts , as salvation may without many due acts of obedience , when yet sincerity of obedience is necessary , and those acts , if done , have their place with the rest as means of salvation ; so here ▪ but saving faith is denominated from the essential part : the nature of faith is in order of nature antecedent to its office : the nature of it in genere is to believe all that god saith : the nature of it in specie is to believe in christ , and consent to his covenant : the integrity of it is to believe all that we find revealed . the office of it as the means of justification , is to be the condition of the justifying covenant or law. that which some call the instrumentality , is the very nature of the act , the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere in specie : believing in christ is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere , and that 's it that they call an instrument of receiving him as such . but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere even in specie , faith in christ , doth not justifie quâ talis , as that faith , but as it is that qualifying condition which the promise annexeth justification to ; without which it would not have done it . had the promise been absolute , it had pardoned us before , and without faith. the nature of the act is like the metal of gold or silver , and the tenor of the justifying covenant is as the kings stamp , that maketh it currant coin. it is faith in order of nature before it is the justifying condition . the quâ justificans therefore should speak , not a distinct act from the other acts of the christian faith as such , but the relation of the same acts to the benefit . omnis fidei actus qui justificat , considerari potest quatenus justificat . contr. 19. whether we are justified by the law of innocency saying , obey perfectly and live ? ans . this is one of the chief points of all our difference : some say , that because christ fulfilled it for us , we are justified by that law as fulfillers of it : this is it that mr. anthony wotton hath bestowed most of his learned treatise de reconciliatione to confute . the law justified christ , but not us , for it never said , thou , or another for thee shalt obey . ] nor doth it know a vicarius obedientiae aut poenae ; nor take christs person and ours for the same : therefore we are not justified by that law , but condemned by it : and it cannot condemn and justifie the same man. but we are justified by another law , covenant or promise by christs fulfilling the law of innocency , and making over to us the benefits . contr. 20. whether by works be meant acts in general , or ●nly such acts as are adverse to faith in christ , and make the reward to be of debt , and not of grace ? ans . the last is the apostles exposition of them . christ saith , we are justified by our words ; james , by our works ; and all the scripture that speaketh of justification , ascribeth it to some acts : it is [ according to our works : ] and faith is an act , yea many acts. obj. but it justifieth not as an act , but as an instrument . ans . that is , not as an act or good act in genere , but as this act in specie ; viz. believing on christs righteousness : but that is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere ; that is , as this act : but it is not so , unless you add [ as it is this congruous act , or acts authorized by gods covenant to this office. ] so we will grant , that no act justifieth as an act , or as a good act ; but as a congruous good act appointed thereto . as is said before , to believe in god , and in christ as christ , and in the promise of salvation , and to believe the evil of sin , and the need of a saviour , and to desire him , and be thankful for him , and pray for pardon , are not the works that paul speaketh against , but some belong to the essence , and some to the integrity and accidents of that faith by which we are justified . yet a foolish person may contradict himself , and hold his own faith , as well as his love , or desire , or prayer , to be meritorious , as making the reward not of grace : such mad contradiction may suppose faith to be the works which it denieth . cont. 21. are any works of man meritorious ? ans . not in point of commutative justice , that giveth one thing for another to the commodity of each ; as in buying and selling . 2. nor yet in distributive governing justice as making any good due to us by the law of innocency or works . 3. but as god hath freely given us christ and life by a law of grace , on condition of suitable acceptance and use so he that performeth this condition , is called worthy , and the contrary unworthy in the gospel ; and did not men abuse it , they might with all the ancient chu●ches use the word merit in the same sense ●s 〈◊〉 . as a good natured child that humbly and th●nkfully taketh money or meat when his father gi●eth it him , is said to deserve it of him , better than he that scorneth it and him . so ●ur merit is but of ●aternal ●overning justice in the kingdom of love , according to gods law of grace in christ ▪ cont. 12. ●h●ther , o●edience be a part of faith , or we a●e justifi●d by obedience . ans . 1. to beli●ve in christ at first is an act of obedience to god , who commandeth us so to do : but it is but subjecti●n to christ which that act includeth , that is , taking him for our lord and saviour to be obeyed ▪ which i● virtually all future obedience as its root , but not actually . 2. actual obedience to christ is not faith , but the fruit of faith and part of our perform●nce of the covenant which we made with him , and necessary to the c●ntinuance of our ●ustification and to our salvation , as all the scripture fully sheweth . cont. 23. whether any 〈◊〉 b●●●cess●ry t● 〈◊〉 continuance or not losi●g our jus●if●catio● , than to 〈◊〉 b●ginning of it . ans . yes , 1. more acts of the same faith . 2. praying for pardon . 3 forgiving others , as christ expresly tells us . 4. sincere love and obedience to christ unto the end . cont. 24. is pardon and justification perfect the first moment ? ans . no. 1. all the punishment is not yet taken off : we have yet much penal want of grace , and the spirits operations , and communion with god. 2. we have not right to the present removal of all the punishment . 3. many more sins hereafter must be pardoned . 4. much means is yet to be used for final justification . 5. that final justification only is perfect . cont. 25 ▪ 〈◊〉 nolle punire or non punire a pardoning of sin ? it 's dr. t●isses controversy . ans . yes , in some degree , to a capable person that i● , to a sinner ; but not to one that is no sinner , 〈◊〉 before one hath a being . cont. 26. is future sin pardoned before hand . ans . fu●ure sin is not sin , and therefore not capab●e of pardon , nor the person for it : but it may be pardoned virtually , though not actually : a general grant of pardon may be given , which is conditional and virtual , and shall actually pardon it when it is . cont. 27. is any one punished for sin that is pardoned ? ans . not in the same thing and degree that he is pardoned : but every man that is pardoned in this life ▪ is yet correctively punished in that degree that he is unpardoned ▪ for pardon is yet imperfect here . cont. 28. is it not unjust to punish him that christ died for , even one sin twice ? ans . no , unless it were the same person that suffered , or the very same punishment that was due ( and all that was due ) were expected again ; and unless it were against our mediators will. but all is contrary in this case . 1. the law bound no one to suffer but the offender . 2. therefore christs suffering was not the same punishment which the law did threaten , but it was satisfaction instead of it ; which is the tantundem , not the idem quod debitum suit , but redditio aequivalentis aliàs indebiti , as the schoolmen call it . for noxa caput sequitur ; the law threateneth not a surety , but only the sinner , and ubi ali●● solvit , simul aliud solvitur . 3. and christ himself never satisfied with any other intent ; and therefore it is according to his will , that they that tread under foot the blood of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified , as an unholy thing , and do despight to the spirit of grace , should suffer the far sorer punishment , heb. 10. yea it is christ himself that will have it so , and that doth so judge , them , and inflict this punishment for the contempt of grace . and it is his will that his own members be punished by correction , notwithstanding his sufferings : as many as he loveth he doth rebuke and chasten : and christ doth not wrong himself : the end of his suffering never was to excuse the redeemed from all suffering , nor to make believers lawless . cont. 29. is a man after his regeneration and faith , ever obliged to any but temporal punishments , or need to ask pardon of any other ? ans . obliged is a word that needeth explication : the very law of nature yet in force maketh everlasting punishment due to a believers sins , till god forgive them : but they are forgiven , ( and the obligation dissolved ) through christ by the covenant of grace to a true believer as soon as committed ( at least if they be meer sins of infirmity ) because of his general repentance and continued faith : but yet in order of nature the guilt and dueness of punishment is before the remission of them . and believers must ask pardon while they live . 1. because every sin thus needeth it ; and asking is part of the expression of that faith and repentance which is our condition of pardon . 2. they must ask the continuance of that pardon which they have . 3. and they must ask still for executive remission ; which is , not to punish , poena d●mni vel sensus ; body or soul , and so for more of gods forfeited grace and spirit , and the sense of his love , and communion with him . cont. 30. what is it to be judged according to our works , or what we have done in the body ? ans . to be judged is the genus : to be justified or condemned are the species . this openeth all the controversy . it is not according to our works as they are congruous to the law of innocency or works ; but as judged by the law of grace ; therefore it is not the same works which paul excluded from justification , for we shall not be judged according to them . 2. and according to them , is as much as james meaneth , when he saith , we are justified by them : it 's all one , that is , the law of christ our redeemer requireth sincere obedience of all that shall be saved , by his blood and merits from the condemnation of the law of innocency ; and accordingly mens right to christ & salvation shall be judged of : their right to life through christs merits and free gift , shall be justified who were sincerely penitent believing obeyers to the end , and no others . cont. 31. what law is it that paul callet● the law of works , and labor●ously proveth that its works do not justify us . ans . it is the mosaical jewish law , as is all along evident ; and not the law of innocency , as made to adam ; though consequently à fortiore , it 's certain that we have no works by which that will justify us ( either personal or imputed . ) the words [ he that doth them shall live in them ] do not mean , he that is no sinner , according to the law of perfection : for 1. all men were sinners before , and so this law should have been only a condemnation in the form of a promise . 2. and this law prescribeth sacrifices and prayers for pardon of sin ; which the first law of innocency knew not . cont. 32. how and why then is this called a law of works ? which justify no man ? ans . because it imposeth strictness in a multitude of laborious tasks and ceremonies and rigorously punisheth the breakers of it . 2. the heretical teachers had falsly separated the law from the promise of christs justifying righteousness and grace , which was the sence and end of the law : and paul proveth that without the promise and christ , the law is but a carkass of fruitless works without a soul ▪ and cannot justify . 3. but yet a believing jew being justified by faith in the promised seed , was to obey moses law sincerely as his material obedience to god his redeemer ; as we are now to observe the sacraments instituted by christ as part of our sincere obedience , necessary to salvation . cont. 33. what i● pauls drift in all his disputes about ●u●tification ? ans . 1. primarily , to prove the necessity of a saviours sacrifice , righteousness and intercession to save and justify us , and that the doing of moses law , how excellent soever esteemed by the jews , would not justify without him . 2. to prove that the gentiles may be saved by faith without the law , as w●ll as the jews by ●aith with it : and that it bindeth not the gentiles , and is a●rogate to the jews , and that the law of christ succeedeth it . he confuteth their trusting to the keeping of their law instead of christs righteousness , and the promise of grace and their ob●ruding their law upon the gentiles as necessary to salvation . cont. 34. what is 〈◊〉 drift of st. james ? ans . that bare believing the gospel to be true , will not serve to any mans salvation without obeying chri●ts commands ; nor will justify any mans title t●●alvation , prove him acceptable to god. it i● the same justification before god ●and not only in con●cience or before men ( that paul and james speak 〈◊〉 , and the same instance of abraham they bring , 〈◊〉 , by work , ] they mean not the ●●me 〈◊〉 ▪ as is 〈◊〉 explained . cont. 35. must 〈◊〉 ever trust at all to his faith , repentance , or holiness , or p●ead it any way to his justification ? ans . it must be trusted or pleaded instead of nothing that is christs part , nor for any thing but its own part . b●t a part it hath , as is confessed , and for that part it must be trusted and pleaded ; and no man must trust to be saved without faith repentance and obedience . heb. 12.14 . mar. 16.16 . luk. 13.3 , 5. i conclude all in dr. prestons words , treatise of faith. p. 44 , 45. and of the attributes , p. 71. ● justifying faith ; ( defined ) is a grace or habit infused into the soul whereby we are enabled to believe , not only that the messiah is offered to us , but also to take and receive him as a lord and saviour that is , both to be saved by him and obey him . no man believeth justification by christ but his faith is mainly grounded on this word of god ▪ in scripture we find that jesus christ is come in the flesh , and that he is the lamb slain for the forgiveness of sins : that he is offered to every creature : that a man must thirst after him , and then take up his cross and follow him : now come to a believer going out of the world , and ask him , what hope he hath to be saved , he will be ready to say , i know that christ is come into the world , and offered up , and i know that i am one of them that have a part in him : i know that i have fulfilled the conditions , as that i should not continue willingly in any known sin , that i should love the lord jesus , & desire to serve him above all : i know that i have fulfilled these conditions , and for all this i have the word for my ground , &c. so far dr. ●reston . cont. 36. hath justification and salvation the same conditions , and do works save us , which do not justifie us . ans . 1. the works which paul excludeth from justification he excludeth from saving us , eph. 2.5 . 8 , 9. tit. 3.5 . so jam. 2.14 , &c. 2. justification begun and our right given to salvation have the same condition . 3. justification in the last judgment , is the justifying of our right to glory , and hath the same condition with our glorification , mat. 25. come ye blessed , &c. but more is necessary to final justification and salvation , than to our first right , as is before shewed . cont. 37. is there any such thing as a justifying us against satans false accusations : as that a believer is no believer , impenitent , an hypocrite , &c. some say the devil will not be so foolish , knowing that god knoweth all . ans . if justification relate not to accusation , divines have hitherto much wronged the church in maintaining it so commonly as they have done . if it do , 1. it is either to a true or a false accusation . against a true accusation no man can be justified , but must confess the charge . if it be said that we sinned , and that this sin deserved death , it must ●e confessed , and we cannot be justified directly against this charge : for guilt and righteousness cann●t consist as to the same particular cause . but if it be said 1. that we are unbelievers , impenitent , hypocrites , &c. 2. or that we have no part in christ , 3. or that we are not pardoned , accepted , reconciled and adopted for his meritorious righteousness and intercession , and were not thus constituted just ; 4. and that therefore we have no right to life , but ought to be condemned : all these are false accusations against which we may and must be justified . 2. and satan is a lyar and a murderer and the accuser of the brethren : and his knowledge hindred not his malice from falsly accusing job to god himself , nor from tempting christ himself to the most odious sin . 3. but it sufficeth us that justification relateth not only to actual accusation , but to ●●●tual , yea to possible : and if ●od declare the righteousness of his servants by his ●ight , sentence or execution , though none accuse them , either satan or conscience , it sti●l relateth to possible accusation . they that deny all this , must needs say that at judgment ( and before as to any sentence ) there will be no ju●t●fi●ation at a●l , because no accusation true or fa●se : and if no justification ( nor condemnation ) then no judgment , which is all contrary to an arti●le of faith. contr. 38. but though all this prove that we are justified by faith , y●● not as a right●ousness ; so that it is questioned whether any personal righteousness consisting in our performance of the condition of the covenant , be th●t which we are justified by here or at last , in subo●●●nation to christs ●ighteousness [ which needs no supplement from us ? ] ans . 1. this question is either of the thing , or of the bare name of ●ighteousness ( whether it should so be called . ) 1. a● to the thing , it is fu●ly proved already , that faith , repentance and obedience are of flat necessity to our salvation ▪ and therefore to the jus●●●ying of our claim of right to that salvation : and therefor● to justi●●e the person as to that right and claim ( that he is one that truly hath such right : ) for the person is justified by the justifying of his cause : i suppose none of this will be denied . 2. and as to the nam● , 1. the definition will prove it apt : that which is righteous , denominateth the subject accordingly . every cause in judgment is righteous or unrighteous : and the person is righteous so far as his cause is so : if it be said against a believer , that [ he hath no right to ch●ist , and 〈◊〉 ] his right is his righteousness as against thi● 〈◊〉 : this right is no natural being at ●ll , bu● ▪ moral relation , called d●●ness yet this is hi● ●u●●ifying righteousness . but the fundamen●●● of that right is quid absolutum . it is an a●surd contradiction to say that a man hath any righteousness that doth not so far constitute 〈…〉 ; as it is to say that a man hath learning w●t , honesty , goodness , which do not so far make him learned , wise honest or good : or the paper hath whiteness that maketh it not white . 3. but we ever distinguish between total righteousness and partial , in tantum or secundum quid : and betw●en that righteousness in tantum which salvation is laid on , and that which is of small concern : and also between christs part and mans . and so we still say , 1. that christs part needeth no supplement from ours ; nor do we perform the least t●at belongs to him . 2. but his own law , will and covenant , hath laid a necessary part on us . 3. that by this we are no further justified than in tantum , as it is a righteousness of ours ; that is , faith in it self as such , justifieth us only against the false charge of infidelity ; repentance only against the false charge of impenitency ; holiness and sincerity against the false charge of unholiness and hypocrisie , &c. but , as the condition of the covenant , they prove our right to christ and life : and so as the donation in the gospel is the titulus 〈◊〉 fundamentum iuri● ; so faith and repentance are the conditio tituli . there is a partial righteousness which every wicked man may have , which enti●leth no one to salvation . the devil himself may be falsly accused , and be justifiable against that accusation : but the tenor of gods covenant maketh this in question to be a righteousness on which salvation lieth . yet we say that nothing of ours , or in us , is a righteousness that would do any thing to our salvation , without the righteousness of christ . obj. this is like the papists , who say , that christ merited to make our actions meritorious : so you say , that christs righteousness purchased a personal evangelical righteousness for us , by which we are jus●●●ied . ans . yes : by which we are justified , 1. against the charge of infidelity , impenitency , and insincerity , and final vngodliness : and 2. by which our title to christ and his righteousness , and purchased benefits must be justified , as by the condition of the free gift . and to deny this , is to deny or subvert the whole gospel . as to the talk of popish merits , i will not be so vain as to divert on that occasion . he is no true christian that really denieth that christs righteousness hath procured a personal righteousness in and of us , consisting in our conformity to the conditional mode of the promise of christ and life . we may differ in words , while we mean the same thing : but as for him that denieth the thing , i know that he can be no better than prophane . righteousness is denominated as related , 1. to the precept and condition of the law of innocency : so the erroneous say , we are so righteous by christs righteousness imputed : and the orthodox say , we have no such righteousness . 2. as related to the bare precept of the law of christ since the fall ; which requiring perfection , ( that is , making it a duty ) we have no such righteousness , and therefore daily ask for pardon . 3. to the tenor or mode of the promising and penal part of the l●w of christ ; which giveth pardon and life on condition of penitent believing acceptance and 〈◊〉 ; and continueth it on condition also of sinc●re obedience to christ our redeemer , and god in him : and so we shall be judged , and either justified or damned , as we have or have not this personal righteousness : christ in judgment is not to try his own part , but ours : he that is not thus justified shall be damned . and as to the libertine or antinomian errour ( that this performing of the condition of the promise is no righteousness , but only christs imputed is righteousness , because it answereth not the perfect precept , though it answer the imposed condition of the promise , and that it is not to be called righteousness , nor we so far as is aforesaid to be justified by it ; i appeal to scripture and the reason of the thing . the words just , justice , righteous and righteteousness , justifie and justification , being viewed in the concordance , and examined will shew you , that god in scripture many score or hundred times giveth such names to our personal qualities and acts : and what is that man that dare deny this constant language of the scripture ? doth he take gods word for his rule ; or will he shame himself by saying that in all these god speaketh unfitly , and that he can mend his language ? see but gen. 6.9 . prov. 17.15 , 26. & 20.7 ▪ & 24.16 . isa . 26.7 . ezek. 18.5 , 9. mat. 1.19 . & 13.49 . luk. 2.25 . & 20.20 . & 23.50 . act. 10.22 . rom. 2.13 . jam. 5.6 . 2 pet. 2.7 . exo. 23.7 . deu. 25.1 . jer. 3.11 . mat. 12.37 . luk. 18.14 . 1 cor. 6.11 . jam. 2.21 , 24 , 25. rom. 3.26 . ezek. 33.13 . &c. ezek. 48.18 . psal . 35.24 . eph. 4.24 . 2 cor. 9.9 . mat. 6.33 . & 5.20 . ezek. 3.20 . 1 sam. 26.23 . 1 pet. 3.14 . gal. 3 6. rom. 4 5 , 9 , 22. jam. 2.23 . gal. 3.6 . mat. 5.20 gen 15.6 . rev. 19.8 . 1 joh. 2.19 . & 3.7 , 10. 2 pet. 2. ● , 21. & 3.13 . 1 ●●t . 2.24 . jam. 3.18 . he● ● 9 & 7.2 . & 11.33 . & 12.11 . 2 tim. 2.22 & 4.8 1 tim. 6.11 . phil. 1.11 eph. 5.9 . & 6. 14 1 cor. 15.34 . 2 cor. 6.7 , 14. & 9.10 . rom. 6 . 1● , 16 18 , 19 , 20 & 8.4 , 10. & 10.5 , 6 , 1● . & 14.17 . act. 10.35 . & 13.10 . luk. 1.75 . mat. ● 6. & 21.32 . zeph. 2.3 . dan. 12.3 . & 4 27. ●zek . 18.20 . & 33.12 . ●sa . 1.27 & 5.23 & 26.9 , 10 & 32.17 . & 64.5 . & 61.3 . prov. 10 2. & 11.4.5 , 6 , 18 , 19 , & 12.28 & 13.6 & 15.9 . & 21.21 . psal . 106.3 . d●u . 6.25 . psal . 11.7 . & 15 ▪ 2. & 23.3 . mat. 10.41 rom. 5.7 . 2 pet. 2.8 . jam. 5.16 . 1 tim. 1.9 . rev. 22.12 . 1 pet. 3.12 . & 4.18 . heb. 11.4 . 2 tim. 4.8 . rom. 2.5 , 6. &c. luk. 1.6 . mar. 2.17 . mat. 25.37 , 46. & 13.43 . mal. 3.18 . hab 1.4 , 13. am●s 2.6 . isa . 3.10 . & 57.1 . & 60.21 . ●ccl . 8.14 . prov. 24.24 & 15.29 , 28 , 19.6 . & 14 32. & 12.26 . psal . 146.8 . & 1.5 , 6. & 5.12 . & 32.11 . 33.1 . & 34.15.17 , 19 , 21. & 58.11 . & 97. 11 , 12. num. 23.10 . gen. 18.23 , 24 ▪ 25 , 26 , 28. & 7.1 . mat. 6.14 , 15. & 18.35 . mar. 11.25 , 26. ●●k . 6.37 . 1 joh. 1.9 . mar. 4.12 . act. 26.18 . mar. 1.4 . & 16.16 . 〈◊〉 . 24.47 . act. 2.38 . & 10.43 . 2 cor. 7.10 . heb. 5.9 rom. 10.9 , 13. act. 1● . 31 . & 11.14 , 2 , 21. mat. 10.22 . prov. 28.18 〈◊〉 2 8. 1 c●r . 15.2 . rom. 8.24 . jer. 4.14 . 1 ●et . 3.21 . jam. 1 21 & 2.14 . & 5.20 , jud. 23. 1 cor. 1 21. & 7.16 . 1 tim. 4.16 . act. 2.40 . rev. 22.14 . ●sal . 37.40 . gen. 22.16 . & 26.5 . 1 k●n. 11.34 . luk. 19.17 . joh. 16.27 . luk. 13.3 , ● . joh. 1.11 , 12 , & 3.16 , 18 , 19. 1 tim. 4.8 . heb. 4.1 . rev. 20.12 , 13. 1 pet. 1.17 . eccl. 12.14 . rom. 14.10 . 2 2 cor. 5.10 . i set light by their judgment , that set light by all these plain words of god , and can distort them to their humane or self-chosen opinions . i had thought here to have ended , but since the writing of this , objectors have raised some new made controversies . qu. 39. whether the acceptation of christs righteousness be the imputation of it ? ans . language is so ambiguous , and some men do so ( unskilfully ) abuse it to vain controversie , as if they had been hired to serve the design of our late bruitists , who make reason and speech to be our misery , proving man more unhappy than the beasts . 1. either you mean [ the imputation of it to christ , ] or [ to us . ] 2. and that either to faln man in general , or to this or that individual person in particular . 1. to accept and to impute are not words of the same sence . but when christ had performed all that he had undertaken , as the condition of his mediatorial covenant , or the law of mediation imposed on him , it was at once both accepted to the ends of that covenant and his performance , and also imputed to him , that is , he was truly reckoned to have fulfilled all righteousness . 2. faln man was then reckoned to be ( as to price and merit ; redeemed , god so far pardoning them , or not imputing their sin to them , as to make them a general pardon on condition of a believing ●ue acceptance , & committing to his ministers the word of reconciliation , beseeching them in christs stead to be personally and actually reconciled to god , 2 cor. 5.19 , 20. 3. christs righteousness was thus accepted of god as soon as performed : but it was not then as so performed imputed to any singular person , to his personal actual justification . for it was accepted before we were born , or believed : but it ▪ was not so imputed to our actual justification before we were born or believed . righteousness is imputed to us , if we believe , rom. 4.24 . and faith is imputed to us for righteousness : and he that believeth not is condemned already , and under the curse , when yet christs righteousness was accepted long before : if they say that there is a new acceptation of it for every sinner just when he believeth , and that it is this that they mean ; i answer , that as long as men take liberty to make new phrases about supernatural mysteries , which are not in scripture , and to use these to the forming of new creeds or articles of faith , they will be so long in acquainting the world with their meaning , that we shall never come to an end of controversies , nor to the true understanding of one another : for few ▪ such men understand themselves ; but when they confound the matter and the readers with their new ambiguous phrases , they cry out against those that would search out their meaning , as if they did but cavil with their words , and distinction and understanding were the way of confusion and not theirs . we grant that the justification of every believer is a new effect of christs righteousness : and if they will call this a new acceptation by god of christs righteousness , or use any other new made unmeet or gibberish words , if they will but expound them as they go , we shall the better bear them . qu. 40. whether it follow that christs sufferings ( or passive obedience ) did not merit eternal life at all for us , because it was only active obedience which the law of innocency so rewarded [ do this and live ] not [ suffer and live ? ] ans . 1. their foundation-errour animateth the affirmative . they falsly think that it is that law of innocency which justifieth us , which doth curse and condemn us , and not justifie us at all ; but it is the gospel , or law of faith and grace that justifieth us . 2. the merit of christs righteousness is to be reckoned principally as justifying us , according to the tenor of the law or covenant made only to him as mediator : that covenant laid on christ such duty as was made the condition of the promise , and made him a special promise upon that condition or duty : he performed the latter for the former . the matter of his undertaken condition or duty was threefold . 1. to fulfil the law of innocency ; 2. and the law of moses ; 3. and divers mediatorial acts proper to himself ; ( as to satisfie justice by his sufferings , conquer satan and death , work his miracles , &c. ) to perform this whole condition of his covenant , was to merit of god-man justification and salvation : the part of this was but part of his merit materially considered , justifying himself against any charge from that law which he fulfilled : but his mediatorial acts , and so his sufferings were another part , by which he was justified , and merited righteousness and life for us : and therefore the objection falsly supposeth that it is only adams law that justified christ , and according to which he merited for us ; whereas it was the mediatorial covenant or law which made his suffering part of the condition of the promise made to him for himself and us . his own glory was merited by death on the cross , phil. 2.7 , 8 9. therefore also ours . by his blood he entered into the ho●i●st , having obtained eternal redemption f●r us . his b●●od not only purgeth our conscience● from dead works , to serve the living god , but for this cause he is the mediat●r of the new testament , that by means of death , for the redemption of the transgression● under the first testament , they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance , heb. 12.14 , 15. heb. 10.10 , 14. by one offering he hath perfected for ever th●m that are sanctified . he hath 〈◊〉 us in the body o● his flesh through death , to present us holy , and unblameable and unreprovable in hi● si●ht , col. 1.22 . to ●at christs flesh ▪ and drink in blood , is to beli●ve his sacrifice , which yet is that which hath the promise of life . indeed the reason of this objection would deny also christs active obedience to merit our salvation : for by the law of innocency christ merited for none but himself : for that law promiseth life to none but them that personally obey , and never mentioned ob●y●ng by another , nor knows any vicar●um aut ●b●aiertiae aut poenae . it is only god ▪ covenant with the medi●t●r as such , that gave him right to make us righteous , to pardon and to save us : an● th●t covenant giveth it ( as is said on the who●e ●ond●ti●n . it is true , that life i● oft especial●y ascribed to christs resurrection an● life , and deliverance from guilt to his death ▪ but that is not because hi● death is no part of th● me●it●rious cause of our life , or holiness an● glory , nor his life a meritorious cause of our pardon by fulfilling all righteousness ; but because guilt was it that was to be expiated by his death as a sacrifice , and so it did but purchase by pleasi●g god , the gift of our life : but his resurrection and heavenly intercession did more than purchase , even further communicate and perfect our life . christs death was in order of nature first satisfactory for sin , and then meritorious of life ; and his perfect active obedience was first and directly meritorious both of pardon and glory . i pass by the controversie which mr. gataker most insisteth on , whether to deliver from death , and to give life , be not all one ? and whether according to the law of innocency , he that had no sin or guilt of commission or omission , had not right to the life there given ? qu. 41. whether christs being the end of the law ●or righteousness , doth signifie that he so fulfilled adams law in our stead , as that it justifieth us by fac hoc & vives . ans . 1. the affirmers quite mistake moses and paul , in thinking that it is the law of innocency , which the words cited by paul describe ; when indeed it was moses law of works , which had sacrifices and promises of pardon , which the other had not ( of which before . ) 2. christ is there said to be the end of all the law as to its shadows , types , and conjunct promises . the law was given by moses , but grace and truth ( that is , the things promised and typified ) came by jesus christ . the confounding of these laws confoundeth many in these controversies . qu. 42. whether the sufferings of christ merit our freedom from nothing but what he suffered in our ●tead ? qu. 43. and whether hence it follow that his sufferings merit not our deliverance from death spiritual and habitual , or actual pravity , because christ suffered t●em not ? ans . to the 42d . the affirmation of the first is a corrupting addition to the word of god. 1. he suffered not many temptations , which yet by the merit of his sufferings we are freed from . 2. he suffered not many relative evils , as bad parents , bad teachers , a bad wife , and all the attendant crosses in buying and selling , crosses from bad tenants , or landlords , &c. which the merit of his suffering delivereth many from . 3. he suffered not the torment of an accusing conscience . 4. nor gods hatred or displeasure . 5. nor the many miseries which sin in its own nature bringeth to the soul ( as painful cares , fears , frustrations , deceits , &c. ) 6. nor corruption in the grave . 7. nor the final sentence [ go ye cursed into everlasting fire . ] 8. nor the proper execution of that sentence . yet he delivereth some believers from all these , and all from some , by the merits of his sufferings . for it was not the just same punishment that was due to all believers that he suffered , but that which was fit to make him a meet sacrifice , which was the tantundem vel aequivalens , consideratis considerandis . ad 43. the affirmative subverteth our faith. christs death merited the full pardon of all pardoned sin : but the pardon of sin is the pardon of the deserved punishment of sin ( and of the sin as related to that punishment . ) but certainly the privation of gods illuminating , sanctifying spirit , and its helps and fruits , is a great part of the punishment of sin , psal . 81.11 , 12. rom. 1.28 . 2 thes . 2.10 , 12. to be given up to mens own counsels , wills , lusts , vile affections , to a reprobate mind ; to have eyes and see not , hard hearts to believe lies , &c. sin is no farther pardoned than this punishment is by sanctifying grace remitted , and removed . the scripture doth not ascribe to christs sacrifice , some part only of our pardon of sin , but the whole , rev. 1.5 . he washed us from our sins in his blood ; and so he is the propitiation for them , 1 john 2.2 . & 4.3 . he made purgation of them on the cross , heb. 1.3 . he died for them , and gave himself for them , 1 cor. 15.3 . gal. 1.4 . 1 pet. 3.18 . heb. 10.12 . & 9.28 . rom. 3.25 . whom god hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood , for the remission of sins that are past , acts 22.16 . & 13.38 , &c. and the poena damm is part of the punishment to be forgiven : therefore , rom. 4.7 . blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven , &c. but no man is blessed that is unholy , and separated from god. as we all sinned and came short of the glory of god , and spiritual death is by the objecter confessed to be part of our punishment ; so pardon containeth the remission of that punishment . and it is falsly supposed that christs death is not secondarily meritorious of more than pardon , even of all that his active obedience meriteth ; of which before . pardon is , 1. in jure , a remission of the obligation to punishment ; giving us jus impunitatis ; and this giveth us right to a●l that grace and blessedness , which by sin we lost a right to . 2. declarative by sentence , which giveth us a jus judicatum . 3. executive , which actually freeth us from the poena d●mm & sensus . and so sanctification is a part of executive pardon , so far as it giveth what so : sin we were penally deprived of . this is all plain and sure . qu. 44. seein● we our selves bear that p●rt of the curse which lieth in death spiritual , doth it follow that christs suf●erings were not to free us from it , when we b●re it , and not he ? ans . it is not denied that part of the punishment of sin is born by the elect themselves , which the former objecters deny : ) and therefore that pardon is not absolutely perfect at first : death and divine denials of the spirit and grace , are such penalties ▪ and christ died not ( nor obeyed ) to save us from that which we are not to be saved from , but was excepted from pardon . but the ob●ecter can never prove that the merit of christs sufferings ( though he ●uffered not spiritual death , or privation of gods image ) doth not free us , 1. from so much of spiritual death or pravity as we are freed from : 2. and from the duration of it for ever : or else it merited not one half our pardon . to be washed from our sins in his blood , can be no less than to be freed from the guilt which is the obligation to punishment first , and consequently from the punishment it self . qu. 45. is this the reason of our deliverance from the law , and being dead t● it , because we suffered everlasting hell fire equival●ntly in christs sufferings . ans . when men once depart from the scripture , t●ei● corrupt additions hardly keep bounds . 1. it 's well that this objecter implieth , that it was not the ide●● , but the a●quivalens that christ suffered , as to our debt . 2. that which made christs sacrifice to be aequival●nt to our endless damnation , was not that it wa● as ●●●at a proportion of suffering ( poenae sensus & 〈◊〉 ) ●s all ours ●ogether would have been : but because the dignity and perfection of the person made it an apt means for god that would pardon us , to accept as a sacrifice , and so as sit a means to the ends of government , as our damnation would have been ( and sitter . ) this is the aequivalency . 3. we suffered not damnation at all in christ ; nor doth god or his law take or reckon us to have done so ; but only to receive the pardon and other benefits freely given us , which he in the person of a mediator , and not in our person merited . 4. we are dead to the law , both as a covenant of perfection , and as the law of moses to the jews , because christ nailed the latter to his cross , or did abrogate it as such to the jews , and to those gentiles that needed to be proselytes ; and the former ceased by the fall and promise ; ( but it is the jewish law that paul speaketh of . ) and also in our believing acceptance of this liberation , and of the law of christ . qu. 46. is it true that christs active obedience only meriteth heaven for us ; and therefore it only m●●it●th the spi●it or holiness which is but heaven b●gun ? ans . both are false : his active and passive rig●teousness merit pardon , holiness and glory . and their proof from [ fac hoc & vives ] is upon a great mist●ke , and no proof . qu. 47. i● i● true , that because reg●nerati●n is the b●gin●ing of heaven , and christs obedience imputed ●●●eth a ri●ht to t●e whole , therefore it giveth a right to the beg●nning , and therefore repentance which foll●weth justification can be no condition of it ? ans . it is a fancy spun by a a mistaken mind , to oppose the plain word of god. 1. if it would hold , it would exclude faith as well as repentance , from being a condition or antecedent to justification , contrary to the gospel : for faith is as much a grace of the spirit as repentance is . and it is not true that impenitent infidels are justified , though they may be predestinate to be first called , and then justified , and then glorified , rom. 8.30 . 2. that which goeth before pardon ( and that as a condition ) goeth before justification : but repentance goeth before pardon , acts 5.31 . luke 24.47 . & 3.3 . acts 2.38 . & 3.19 . & 8.22 . 1 john 1.9 . mark 4.12 . but of this i have given large proof elsewhere . 3. all the grace of the spirit is a preparation for heaven : but that eminent gift of the spirit , which in scripture is called the seal , earnest , and first fruit , is promised upon repenting and believing , and therefore followeth them , and is , 1. the habit of divine love , which is the new nature , and more than the first seed of grace : 2. and the spirit related to us as an in-dwelling , possessing agent of christ to sanctifie us to the end . 3. and in those times to many , the extraordinary gifts of miracles , tongues , &c. 1. faith and repentance went before baptism in the adult , even as a condition of it and its benefits , mark 1.4 . acts 13.34 . & 19.4 . matt. 3.11 . john 1.26 . mark 16.16 . john 4.1 . acts 2.38 , 41 & 8.12 , 13 , 36 , 37 , 38. & 9.18 . & 22.16 . but that gift of the spirit which is called the farnes● , seal , and first fruit , was either given in , or after baptism ordinarily ( though to cornelius before ) but not before faith and repentance . it is called therefore , [ baptizing with the holy ghost . ] see mat. 3.11 . acts 1.5 , & 2.33.38 , & 8.15.17 , & 10.2 . rom. 5.5 . tit. 3.5 . 2. and the spirit is said to be promised and given to believers , after faith , and because they were adopted sons : eph. 1.13 . prov. 1.23 . gal. 4.6 . & 3.14 . rom. 8.15 , 16.30 . 2 cor. 1.22 . & 5.5 . therefore our divines commonly put vocation as giving the first acts of faith and repentance before sanctification , as rom. 8.30 . doth before justification and glorification . and yet faith and repentance are gifts of the spirit too , and so are many commoner gifts in unsanctified men : but as the daylight is seen before the sun rising , and as satan is not said to possess all that he tempteth ; so some gifts of the spirit , and some motions and operations of it , go before the proper giving of the spirit itself , and his possessing us . 3. it is no absurdity , but the wise order of god , that one gift of the spirit shall be antecedent to another , and the reception and exercise of it by us , be a condition of that other . for god will morally induce us to our duty by suitable motives . he that denieth this subverteth the gospel . 4. i have elsewhere at large proved the falshood of this doctrine , that impenitent infidels are justified by the imputation of christs righteousness . it is enough that christs righteousness is reputed by god to be the meritorious cause of all our grace even of justification before we are justified . qu. 48. how can faith or repentance entitle us to that righteousness of christ which must first give us a right to themselves and all grace ? ans . 1. faith and repentance give us not a title in strict sence , but the covenant or promise , that is , the gospel donation is our title , and faith and repentance are but conditions of our title , which on several accounts make us morally capable receivers of right . 2. christs righteousness did merit all grace of god , before it justifieth us , and we are reputed righteous by it . it is a great error to say that we must be reputed righteous by christs righteousness given and imputed to us to that use , before we can have any fruits of the merits of his righteousness . even the outward call of the gospel is a fruit of it . qu. 49. is it true that we must be practical antinomians unless we hold that only christs active righteousness merited grace and glory for us ? qu. 50. is this proved by rom. 7.4 . ans . 1. some mens words are used to hide the sense , and not to open it . what is the meaning of practical antinomianism ? is it to be the opposers of all gods laws ? or only some and which ? and doth he not mean that the judgment must be first against them . how far are we under the law ; and how far not ? 1. the law of innocency as a covenant requiring perfect , personal obedience as the necessary condition of life , we are not under . it ceased by the first sin , cessante subditi capacitate : we must not suppose that god saith to all sinners : you shall be saved if you be not sinners . conditi●n● prate●● 〈◊〉 transit in sententiam . we are not under the law of m●●●s as such ; even that which was written in stone is done away , 2 cor. 3.7 , &c. if this be antinomianism , i am an antinomian that ●●ve written so much against them . 3. we are only under the law of christ , into whose hand all power is given : and that is 1. the law of reprieved and redeemed nature : 2. all his supernatural revelation , and so much of moses law as he hath assumed . if the objecter think that we are under any other , so do not i , except the subordinate laws of men . 2. that law of grace which we have , and that freedom from the law of works , are merited both by christs active and passive righteousness . ad. qu. 50. rom. 7.4 . hath no such thing , but only that christ hath delivered men from the bondage of the law of works which did neither justify nor sanctify , and hath subjected and engrafted us unto himself , that we might by him be made holy unto god. [ conclusion . ] the reader may now perceive what abundance of great notional errours some men have corrupted the doctrine of justification with , by presumptuous spinning webs out of their own fancies raising one errour out of another , departing from the word of god. i. a radical errour is , that the law of innocency made to adam is it that justifieth us , by its ●●c h●c & viv●s , as fulfilling it in christ . ii. another is that : is that covenant of perfection which paul meaneth by the law of works and the fac hoc , &c. and that the jews law was such as made innocency its condition of life . iii. that the sense of adams law was , [ do this by thy self or another , or else thou or thy surety shall die . ] iv. that christ did obey and suffer , merit and satisfy , in so full and strict a representing and personating every one of the elect , as that they did and suffered it in and by christ , in the sence of the law of works , or in gods account : and that it was not in the third person of a mediator , to communicate the effects freely as he pleased by another covenant . and so that gods imputing righteousness to us , is his accounting us to have done and suffered in law sense what christ did . this is the root of all the rest , subverting the gospel itself . v. and so that god accounteth us to be innocent , and never to have sinned by omission or commission from birth to death , and to have all that is required to merit heaven , because we did it in christ ; and also to have suffered in christ for our sins , the curse threatned to us , and ( as the last objecter saith ) eternal damnation equivalently : and so we had sin and no sin : and christ must die and we must pray , for the pardon of that sin , which in gods account or imputation we never had . vi. when the text tells us that , [ faith is imputed to us for righteousness , ] & that [ righteousness is imputed to believers ] that is , [ they are accounted righteous according to the justifying covenant of grace , upon their believing in christ , for his meritorious righteousness and sacrifice , giving them , by the new covenant their gracious relation , to god the father , son and holy ghost , with right to further grace and glory , they tell us that [ by faith ] is not meant [ faith ] but [ christs righteousness , ] and by [ righteousness imputed to us , ] is meant [ god 's accounting us to have done all that righteousness by christ which he did for us . ] many more such humane inventions corrupting our faith ( at least in notion ) too many fight for , as if they were necessary truths of god. postscript . reader , the author of the following objections is mr. stephen lob : i had thought not to have named him , till i saw but yesterday his books of free grace , which i never before heard of , though it was printed almost ten year ago : it is so considerable a confutation of antinomian errours that i commend it to thy reading . and being my self in great pain expecting death , and like to write in these controversies no more , that i have once more as a speculator or watchman blown the trumpet to warn men of the danger of the other gospel that subverteth the gospel of christ , i have this peace of conscience that the blood of the seduced will not be required at my hands . and if that m.s. of mr. stone of new-england which mr. lob so praiseth , may by him be yet recovered , i intreat his endeavour : in which i cannot doubt but mr. increase mather will assist him , tho his name be prefixt among the twelve . and i commend to some honest bookseller to reprint mr. thomas welds history of the new-england antinomian libertinism , it being out of press . and i hereby intreat mr. william manning of suffolk ( if living ) to print the excellent treatise of justification of his which i have long ago read . and mr. samuel clerk ( author of the annot. ) to print his sound treatise ( which i long ago read ) on the same subject . and though my own judgment be for the imputation of christs passive , active , and habitual righteousness , dignified by the divine as the full and the sole meritorious cause of all grace and glory , as making up the condition of his mediatorial covenant imposed on him by god ; yet i intreat the learned reader to peruse the writings of those great divines that are for the imputation of the passive only ( ursine , olevan , paraeus , scultetus , wendeline , beckman , and the rest , with camero , placaeus , and all that party of famous french divines who all effectually confute the false sense of imputation of the active righteousness which mr. bradshaw confuteth with many others ( as if we had done it by christ , and were our selves the subjects of it , and are justified by that law that condemneth us . ) jan. 20. 1690. r.b. an answer to some animadversions of a friend , tending to the further explication of some passages which through brevity were not understood . § . 1. sir , your notes have so much judgment and moderation and so little , if any thing contrary to what i assert , that they require nothing from me , but a repeated explication of that which you observed not as before explained : but when it is enough for me to explain my own words and doctrine , you put me on another task to seek after the explication of another mans ; which i am not obliged to on any account , but for your satisfaction . it is enough for me to speak true doctrine in the most intelligible manner that i can without examining whether other mens expressions be sound or apt . § . 2. i begin with your own notes : and 1. i hope that few are so ignorant ( that meddle in these matters ) as to doubt of what you say , that no one term much less one metaphor or similitude can adequately express any of the mysteries of grace , and no one metaphor must be carried too far ; omne simile est etiam dissimile : and all set together so far as they are thereto intended must instruct us . § . 3. i know none but the socinians that think a mediator and a sponsor inconsistent ; or deny christ to be a sponsor . and methinks your words for their consistency , import a greater difference between them than there is . it is part of christs mediation to be a sponsor : these terms therefore express no difference but between the whole and the part . but what a sponsor christ is , is all the doubt which i a little opened , and you pass by . it is not agreed by expositors what the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meaneth in that one only place of scripture where it is used . very learned expositors think that as moses was called gods mediator or sponsor to the people as being his spokesman and in his name assuring them that this was gods covenant which he would perform , and returning the peoples answer to god , and praying for them but not undertaking for them , and personating them ; so christ is here likened to him , and called the mediator and sponsor of the new and better covenant , not as he personateth or undertaketh for covenanting subjects , but only as he representeth god the father to man , and is his sponsor to us . but as paul saith he is not a mediator of one , so i see not but ( though chiefly he be gods sponsor to man ) yet withal he be there called a sponsor also as well as a mediator for man to god : but all the doubt is what a sponsor for man he is . and first we must enquire what covenant he is a sponsor of ? no doubt but gods covenant with the mediator as such , is one , and gods and the mediators covenant with man solemnized in baptism is another : and yet no doubt but these two have such relation as that in some sort or respect they may be called one . he that saith they are not two is plainly confuted by the constitutive defining parts , the divers parties , matter , terms and ends. it was not said to christ , but by christ , [ repent and believe in christ , or be damned . ] pardon and salvation are not offered to christ to be received by faith in himself . yet as the laws of the land though several , are one instrumentum regiminis : so we call all the laws of nature usually singularly . the law of nature , ( and so we say , the civil law , the canon law , gods law , &c. ) now the question is , what covenant christ was the sponsor of ? 1. in his own proper covenant he did spondere & praestare , to suffer for us , and to obey for us , ( in the just sence in due place explained , ) to rise and ascend for us , to intercede for us , to teach us , guide us , give out his spirit , and to justifie and sanctifie and glorifie his chosen : so that it was part of his undertaking and performance to do all this for us ; and this may well be called his becoming a sponsor for us , and to be made to us , wisdom , righteousness , sanctification and redemption . in our covenant with christ , he is the imposer and stipulator , and we are to promise for our part , to be done by his promised help . but on gods part , it is in this that he is the sponsor , and not in the former , where god the father is the promiser to christ , and not christ to himself as a covenanter : so that it is in one covenant that he promiseth to god for man , and in another that he promiseth for god to man : and the question is which of these covenants it is that the apostle calleth him the surety of ? if you say that the apostle taketh both here as parts of one , and so meaneth both ; i find no proof of this in the text : and if it were so , it is all one ; for it were then spoken of the whole , but respectively to what christ did in the two which are the parts : indeed it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is the covenant mentioned in the text : and as grotius in praesat . ad notas in n.t. hath copiously shewed , it is a divine disposal , law , imposition , or statute containing the terms of life , that is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : and cap. 7.22 . as it is said , yet je●us was made a surety of a better testament . and c. 8.6 . he hath obtained a more excellent ministry , by how much he is the mediator of a better covenant [ which was stablished on better promises . ] it is the same thing which our translators call a testament in one chapter and a covenant in the other , and it seems that a surety and a mediator here do mean the same thing in christ : and the whole context sheweth that it is gods promise or covenant and law of grace made to man that is here meant , and that christs office and undertaking and performance is presupposed . and so it is the fathers sponsor and mediator to man that is meant here directly , and mans sponsor and mediator towards god by connotation ; but so as in other texts , as cap. 9.15 . that part also is directly expressed , and christs death made a part of his mediation . § 4. the question being not then whether christ be mediator , or sponsor , or the second adam , but what these words signifie , that which is to be noted by the reader is , 1. what it is hereon that we assert ; and whether that be enough . 2. and what it is that we deny as too much , and false . § 5.1 . and for the first i explained it here , and more fully in my treat . of ju●tifying righteousness : and to repeat as oft as any one will call for it that hath not leisure to read it already done is tedious . in short [ christ in the common nature of man made under the law of innocency , of moses and that proper to the mediator , did in the undertaken person of a mediator , sponsor for , interposing friend and saviour , perfectly fulfil all these , and give up himself to suffering as a sacrifice for mans sin , that by the merit and satisfaction of him that was god and man , and mans undertaking mediator and sponsor , doing and suffering because we had sinned , and deserved suffering , and that for our sakes , and partly ●n our stead , the ends of god as governour by the law of innocency , and mos●s might be obtained to his glory , without our fulfilling of those laws or suffering the deserved penalty , and god in consistency with his wisdom , holiness and justice , might for these merits and satisfaction of christ give all things into his hands as the redeemer , even all power in heaven and earth , and make him lord of the dead and living , and head over all things to the church , and give him the keys , and commit all judgment to him ; that by the will of the father he might make with faln redeemed man a law and covenant of ●race , giving them himself in incomprehensible union , and with himself his indwelling sanctifying comforting spirit of adoption , with a covenant right to pardon , ●ustification , adoption and glory , if they will penitently accept it , by a siducial practical belief : and calling sinners , to this faith and repentance , and effectually drawing his elect , might by this covenant give them as soon as they so believe , an actual right to that impunity , grace and glory which was antecedently given conditionally to all . and might finally perform all this to them . in plain and full words , this is that we assert , ●nd the office which by the word sponsor , medi●●or and second adam we mean. § . 5. i have elsewhere told you that there are many sorts of sponsors . 1. there is one that antecedently maketh himself a party in the covenant and bond : as when my friend is bound with me in the same bond for a debt or duty : if the law to adam had been such as this , took in christ also into the same bond , and had meant [ ore of you shall perfectly obey or suffer ; ] then that law would have had nothing against adam at all , because all was fulfi●led by christ : and it bound but disjunctively , one or the other . then christs obedience or suffering would not have been sati●factio , which is solutio aequivalentis alias indebiti , & solutio re●usabtits ; but it would have been solutio ejusdem & non recusabilis according to the bond . 2. there is a subsequent sponsor that was not before bound , but as a friend after interposeth , and offereth ( not in the person of the debtor , but yet in his stead ) to pay the debt : and this upon such terms as to the debtors deliverance as he thinks best ; and so may take him as debtor to himself , and put various limits , and conditions upon his discharge : and such a sponsor is christ for man. many more distinctions of sureties are here considerable . 3. but some men take a surety here to be the same persona civilis , quamvis non naturalis , wit● the offender and debtor ; as if we did legally ▪ morally or civilly that which christ did naturally ▪ as indeed an allowed representative , servant or agent and attourney is : if i be bound to pay an hundred pound , the law and bond mean● not that i must needs do it with my own hands ▪ but if i send my servant or friend with the money , it is civilly , legally and morally done by me , because he was my lawfull instrument : i di● it by him . ii. the doctrine then , which i deny as subverting the christian religion is especially these three errours following . i. that the true meaning of adams law or covenant was to bind him or his surety disjunctively ; viz. thou shalt obey thy self or another ( christ ) for thee , or else thou shalt die , or christ for thee . ] 1. gods word saith no such thing . 2. then christ had been an antecedent sponsor . 3. yea and a party equally bound . 4. then a saviour and grace had been by that law : which is false . 5. then adam had been no sinner ; for it was but he or christ and not he and christ that were bound to keep the law , by this doctrine . 6. then no death had been due to adam . 7. then that law was not broken at all : for it bound but disjunctively . 8. then the law condemneth no man. 9. then our death and the curse of the earth were injuries , for we kept the law by christ . 10. then the law of innocency is it by which we are justified ( which is false . ) 11. then there is no place for pardon . 12. nor for a new law to give us pardon upon terms or new conditions : this is to subvert the gospel . yet this is commonly said by the adversaries , that adam after his fall was justified by that same law , as saying , do this and live , because he kept it by christ , or christ in his name and stead , so that it justifie●h adam : ( which mr. wotton de reco●● . hath at large confuted . ) if they say that the same law or covenant commanded adam to obey perfectly and his surety also in his stead conjunctly , and condemned both adam for sin and his surety for the same , then both must suffer as both must obey , and each beareth his own part . it is a fundamental fiction leading on many other errours , to say that the law of innocency as it commanded adam obedi●nce , or as it threatned death to him was fulfilled by christ for him ▪ that law commanded adam only personal perfect perpetual obedience : it mentioned or meant no ●●carius obed●●●●ae aut poenae : dum altus solvit , aliud solvitur . anothers obeying or suffering was no fulfilling of the law as it commanded adam : the law commandeth each subject distinctly and personally : christ fulfilled all the law as it obliged himself , and tha● f●r adams redemptio● who had broken it : but the same law a● it ob●●●●d adam was broken by adam , and not kept by him or any for him : it is not that law that gave man a saviour , but the mercy of the offended lawgiver . to say the hoc fac , & vives , in that law giveth us right to life , and justifieth us as perfect obeyers , and so no sinners , is to deny the gospel . many say , indeed that christ ●atisfied the law for us : but 1. that proveth that the obligation of it on us was not fulfilled : for sati●faction is solutio recusabilis tantidem , loco solutionis e●usdem . 2. but it is an improper speech to say that [ the law is satisfied ] and it meaneth no more but that [ the end of government by that law is obtained . ] and it is properly satisfaction only to the lawgiver , and not to the law : for the law in it's sence admits not of satisfaction , ( though it hath nothing against it : ) it is only the subjects obedience that it commandeth , and his death as satisfaction for sin that it demandeth . it is the lawgiver as he is above his own law and hath power to pardon , that is satisfied : though as tropically some say , that finis legis est lex , so we will not contend with them that tropically say , christ satisfied the law , while they mean but that he satisfied the lawgiver in obtaining the end of the law. but christ perfectly fulfilled the law as it obliged himself , upon his sponsion . and that law justified him , but no man else . it is only the new covenant that justifieth us . ii. the second errour to the same purpose , is , that though christ and adam were two natural persons , yet they were one ●erson in a civil , legal or reputative sense , in christs obeying and suffering ; and so that what christ did and suffered in his own natural person , he did and suffered in adams , and every elect mans civil , legal , or reputative person . this is but the consequent of the former errour . he may be called our r●pr●●●nter in a limited sense , in ●antum & ad hoc ( for there is no hope of holding our opposers to scriptures phrase : ) but such a strict full personating representation as is here described , denieth the substance of the gospel . there are indeed several cases in which one in law or civil sense doth personate another : when the law alloweth one to do the thing by another , that thing is morally done by himself ; e. g. by my servant , proxie , attorney , agent , in cases ●o allowed by the law. it is i that pay the debt which my servant , or any vicarius allowed by law payeth for me in my name . christ did not thus pay or suffer in our names as our legal person ; but for us and in our stead as a s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t sponsor in the person of a mediator ; so that it cannot be said th●t we did it legally by him ; else all the forenamed absurdities would follow ; and specially that legall● we never sinn●d , and never deserved punish●ent , nor need either pardon , or the sacrifice of christ for pardon . it 's certain that christ never sinned , but obeyed perfectly from first to last : and if we did this lega●ly by him , we sinned not in law sense , that is , not truly at all . when we shew that it is a palpable contradiction to say , that we were perfectly obedient in and by christ , from birth to death , and yet that christ must suffer for our sins ; it 's strange to see how some men satisfie themselves with wriggling , or huddling out a few insignificant words , unfit to satisfie any other . and if christs habitual perfection be also so imputed to us , in a legal sense , we were habitually perfect from birth to death . whence it is that some assert an equality of such perfection in all christians : the consequents i will not trouble you with reciting ; nor stay to enquire whether also his divine ●ighteousness be ours in such a law sense , and so man be deified . either christ was our legal person before we were born , or from the time of our being , or from the time of our believing only . 1. before we had a being we were no sinners , nor bound to obey ; and therefore needed not to obey or suffer by another . 2. when we were born , we were not in christ , and perhaps not believers till old age : and so the elect should legally be just while they are infidels , and never sin even in their state of enmity . 3. if only since believing we were so personated by christ , then his righteousness is not imputed to us for all the time of our unregeneracy , and then we never sinned in law sense after our believing . if they say that in suffering he represented us as unregenerate , and in his obedience as believers only , then he suffered not for our sins after believing , nor obeyed to merit pardon of our sins before . if they say that so far as we are sinners , we legally suffered in him , and as believers further to merit glor● we obeyed by him , the contradiction of this is shewed before . if we obeyed so far as to merit glory by the law of works , then we never sinned : and if we suffered in him , for all sins of omission and commission , we merited glory without any other obedience : for the law requireth nothing but innocency as necessary to life . he that hath no sin , doth perfectly obey . and pardon of all sin of omission and commission , is the pardon of all punishment of sense and loss , and so of the loss of promised life . besides that , one that is reputed to have legally fulfilled the law , must be unjustly corrected by the punishment of temporal afflictions or death , or loss of the spirit and grace , and hath present right to the reward of that covenant , or deliverance from all penal evil at least ; so that this doctrine of strict legal personating representation , overthroweth the new covenant and law of christ , and all his kingdom of grace , and all religion . iii. the third fundamental errour which we deny and oppose , is , that the vnion between christ and ( the elect , say some , or ) believers ( say others ) is so near , as that his very personal holiness , righteousness and sufferings , are in law sense truly our holiness , righteousness and sufferings as the accidents of our persons : as if christ and adam , and every christian , were one and the same subject of holiness , righteousness , suffering , merit or satisfaction . yet they dare not say that the union ( like the hypostatical ) warranteth such a community of properties or attributes , as that we may be said to be divinely righteous , perfectly holy , never to have sinned , to have satisfied for our selves , to have merited our own salvation , and many such like ; as seeing the evil of the consequents , though not of the premises . and here sometime they abuse the similitude of a husband and wife ; whereas they are distinct persons , and one is not wise , just or guiltless , because the other is so ; nor hath the wife any propriety so much as in extrinsick goods , but by contract in the proportion granted by the husband . some abuse the similitude of a head and members ; whereas natural head and members make one natural body ; but so do not christ and believers : and a political head and members are distinct persons , and one is not guiltless , righteous , wise or good , because the other is so . but of this more before , and elsewhere . some here abuse the similitude of christs being the second adam , which you here ( though not to this errour ) insist upon . and then they feign us , 1. to have bee● otherwise in adam than we were ; 2. and his sin to be otherwise imputed to us than it was ; and 3. the similitude to extend further than it doth . i. they feign us to have been personally in adam , whenas we were but seminally in him , and personally from him . 2. they feign us to have been in him by a certain covenant , more than we were by natural in-existence : and that his sin was arbitrarily by god through that covenant , imputed to us further than we were guilty of it by any natural in-being or derivation : as if god made all men sinners by his arbitrary imputation of that to them , which in their natures they were not really guilty of : and as if our guilt of adams sin , were just of the same sort as his ; yea , and our guilt and his guilt were individual accidents of the same individual persons . but this ( which dr. twisse oft confuteth in most of his books ) i have so largely and lately cleared in my published disputations of original sin , that you shall excuse me for not reciting it here . 3. the guilt of adams sin being ours by natural derivation , cometh to all alike , entirely ( according to the subjects capacity ▪ and necessarily , without the consent of parent or child : were adam and all parents unwilling to communicate it in generation , it would nevertheless be done : but christ being not a natural , but a contracting voluntary root and cause , doth communicate the fruits of his righteousness only voluntarily by gift of contract , at the time , in the ●anner , and measure , and on the terms that he seeth meet . here it is observable , 1. that both generation and regeneration have much unsearchable : how souls generate souls , and how the spirit of christ communicateth grace to souls , will never here be clearly apprehended , ●ohn 3.8 . 2. but it 's certain that the soul of the parent is not the soul of the child , but some cause of it ; and so that they are not one person . 3. we were not persons in adams person , either the same or distinct . 4. but adam caused us , not as a man maketh a garment , house , &c. but as one candle doth light another , by some mysterious communication of its essence : so formae se multiplicant , by the divine benediction [ increase and multiply , ] and primary causation . 5. though we were not pers●nally , but virtually and seminally in adam , yet when that seed becometh a person , that person is from adam , and so must proportionably be guilty : for who can bring a clean thing out of the essence of an unclean ? 6. adam had the common nature of all men specifically , and radically , and causally , though as their nature individually constitute their persons , they existed not in him ( as extra causam . ) 7. so jesus christ did more assume the common nature of faln man , than the persons of any , or the nature as extra causas , constituting the individual person . 8. ponum est ex causis integris ; malum ex partiali : any defe●t maketh sin , but good must have entire causes . adams sin causeth original sin in all , ex privatione causationis boni : but if adam had not sinned , every sin of their own would have made his children unrighteous . 9. christ having suffered in the common nature of man so far did it in their stead , and if you will needs so call it , so far represented fallen mankind , as that if they will personally receive him by faith , in the new covenant , they shall not perish for adams sin ( or their own ) ( supposing that the parent is the accepter for the infant ) none perish for original sin alone , without the addition of neglected and refused grace and remedy . 10. it is not only the spiritual off-spring that christ was a second adam to , but partly to all mankind : for by a resurrection ( though not to glory ) all men are made alive by christ , joh. 5.22 , 23 , 29. 1 cor. 15. and all have a general conditional reconciliation and pardon , 2 cor. 5.19 , 20. joh. 3.16 . so that actual justification resulteth to no man from christs meer representation of him , but from his free donation by the new covenant . 11. it 's doubtless that all and only the holy seed , or faithful , are justified actually by christs righteousness : but in what sence it is imputed to them is all the doubt . 12. it 's also doubtless that christ suffered in our stead : but in what sense & how far is all the doubt : because we deserved it , he voluntarily assumed it , to demonstrate gods justice , mercy and wisdom , and deliver us . you say before that , [ it was strictest justice that was shewed on christ . ] i would not strive about the word : it was strictest justice as upon christ : it was perfect justice as to the ends of government : but it was not strictest justice as to us , nor as strictest signifieth the strict fulfilling or executing of the threatning of the law : for it was not so executed , but the sinner mercifully pardoned . § . 6. you note that christ must take our guilt on him or else he could not take our punishment . ans . 1. he took not the reatum facti , or the reatum ●ulpae : for , 1. our guilt was the accident of one subject , and that which christ took of another : therefore the accidents were not the same . 2. else sin however taken in its reatus culpae would have made him culpable , and formally a sinner , and hateful to god , and like to satan : which he was not . 2. he took upon him the reatum poena seu obligationem ad ●oenam : but not ours individually the same ; but one of his own instead of ours : christs guilt and ours were divers accidents of divers persons . the obligations nor the subjects were not the same . our obligation to punishment was an act of the law which we broke : so was not christs : that law never bound him to punishment : but his own voluntary undertaking and his fathers imposition . our guilt was the occasion and reason of christs assumed guilt : as our punishment individually was not it that he suffered , but his own punishment to prevent ours . he suffered the just for the unjust , to redeem us to god. god tells us plainly that christ suffered for our sins , and was made sin , that is , a curse or sacrifice for sin for us , that we might not suffer . and cannot we receive this plain gospel , without spinning so many additional webs of our own ? christs taking our guilt and puni●hment is no more , but his voluntary suffering in our stead , that we might be pardoned , not by that suffering immediately , but by his free donation in the law of grace , in his time and on his terms . § . 7. you note that though we are justified by our own faith , repentance , and obedience to the gospel against the false charge of being unbelievers , impenitent and ungodly ; yet to be free from the curse of the law , and obtaining right to life , it is christs righteousness that we must plead ▪ ans . very true thus , 1. it is only christs righteousness that we must plead as the satisfying and meriting cause : 2. it is only the free donation of the new covenant which we must plead as our title or fundamentum juris , and conveying cause of right . 3. it is our faith and repentance ( in various respects ) which we must plead as the conditio tituli praes●i●a which is the necessary moral receptive disposition of the subject receiving . these things are all very plain and sure . § . 8. you seem to doubt whether by the law of works ▪ paul meant not the law of innocency : and first you seem to mistake me as if i had said that he meant only the ceremonial law : i say no such thing . but the whole law of moses , considered meerly as a law , and by the jews ill separated from faith , and grace was an operous yoak , and of severe penalties to the transgressours ; and though it gave pardon for some faults , it was not meerly for the task of sacrificing but for the great sacrifice typified : the law as a law doth only command , and threaten and promise life to them that do all things written , but gave not grace to do it . the jews left out the true sence of the types and promise which intended the messiah , in whom it was that the promissory part of the law was made ; and thought the very task of duty or works would procure their acceptance and pardon when they failed . if you are not satisfied with this reason why paul calleth it the law of works , find out a better if you can : but most certainly that is a great mistake that moses and paul describe the law of innocency ? it 's tedious to recite the proof . 1. it 's enough that the law of innocency as a covenant was before ceased , cessante capacitate subditorum : when all men had 2000 years been originally and actually sinners , will you feign god with all that solemnity to make such a law as this , [ i know and you must know that no son of adam is innocent : and i make now a law that if you ●re , and will continue innocent you shall live : else you shall die ? this is too gross to be feigned of god. 2. it is enough that when the law was made they were all under actual mercy which was the grace of the new pardoned covenant . 3. yea that the covenant of grace had so long before been made with all fallen mankind in adam ●nd noah , and renewed to abraham with spe●ial promises : and doth god now repeal or hide it . 4. what need we more proof than so many laws about sacrificing and confessing for forgiveness ? which the law of innocency knew not . and why else did god deliver the law as a god of redeeming mercy , i am the lord thy god that brought thee out of egypt , proclaiming his name , exod. 34.6 , 7. the lord , the lord god merciful and gracious , forgiving iniquity , transgression and sin. 6. peruse all the contexts in pau● , and you will be satisfied . see camero de triplice faedere ( which dr. bolton ( of liberty ) was so taken with and magnifieth , and anthony burges of the law , proving moses law to belong to a covenant of grace . but i have more fully opened all thi● in my methodus theologiae . no doubt but pauls d●sputes have great difficulty ; but this much is very plain . § 9. your next question is about the nature of faith , whether if it be placed in the will , and include consent , it be not confounded with love , whose object is goodness . i have answered this oft and largely in divers books , and therefore must here be excused from saying any more than this , viz. 1. you must distinguish between faith physically taken , and faith morally taken . 2. between its formal act and its material . i. physically some one natural act , constituted by one object is called faith : but morally taken it comprehendeth divers physical acts , both of the intellect and will : and as it is justifying and saving it is so taken : yea morally it is sometime in scripture taken largelier , for our christian faith , as god the father , son and holy ghost the promise , grace and glory are all the constituting objects of it in their truth and goodness ; and sometime more narrowly as altogether distinct from hope and love ; it is taken in the first sense when it is said to be the condition of justification and salvation . and here what you said of the necessity of conjoyning the many similitudes which express christs office to us , when but one of them in a text is named , the same must be said of faith in christ . a moral act which hath many physical acts , must be named by some one , the rest being connoted or implied ; for it would be uncomely to name them all in every mention of it . note also , that the name is varied according to what is specially noted in the object , sometime truth , sometime goodness : so christ saith , [ the father hath loved you , because ye have loved me . and paul , grace be to all them that love the lord jesus in sincerity . if any man love not the lord jesus , let him be anathema maranatha . and christ , luke 14.26 . and mat. 10. he that loveth any better than christ , cannot be his disciple . and to be a disciple , a christian and a believer , are all one in scripture . but when it is the goodness of another object that is mentioned , the act is another thing . i suppose you will confess that no faith in christ and the promise justifieth us , which doth not in that same instant include , 1. a belief of the goodness , as well as the truth of both . 2. a willingness to receive christ and grace as good ; and a consent to the offer . and if these must concur in the same instant as necessary conditions of our justification or reception of christ and grace , call them how you will , and say , consent is an effect of faith ▪ or a part of it , all 's one to me : but i will say , that consent is an effect of one act of faith strictly taken ; viz. assent ; but a part of it taken for justifying , saving faith. ii. after many and long thoughts of this matter , i think they that will pretend to exactness , must say , that trust is the formal act of faith , as trustiness or fidelity is the formal object : and that the material act is threefold , assent , consent and practice ; and none of these , no not assent is the formal act. both 〈◊〉 and fides signifie trust ; yea and credere too . and so fides , as it signifieth fidelity , and fides , as it signifieth faith or trust , are the formal object and act. i assent to the truth of the gospel , because i trust the veracity or fidelity of the author . i co●●●nt to the covenant , because i trust the revealer , offerer and promiser . i actually give up my self to christ , because i trust him . mr. pemble vindicat. grat. hath accurately opened this . i have in my aphorisms , and oft said , that a christian should rather try his faith by the consenting act , than the trusting act ; because many a one cannot find that they can trust christ ▪ that yet find consent . but i explain this , or recall it , as not well spoken : for indeed , though it be consent by which we may surely know our interest in the justifying covenant ( specially when practically exprest , ) yet ass●ance or trust is the formal act of faith , and that consent is but the material . for if we trust not christs fidelity , we can neither assent , consent or practi●e . but when i spake as aforesaid , i followed the sense of most complaining christians who say , they cannot trust christ , meaning by trust , that quieting of the mind , which is but an effect of trust : whereas at that time they take christ to be trusty , and a su●●●cient saviour , but are hindered from the applying and quieting effect , by ignorance , or doubting of their own trustiness , and not of the trus●iness of christ . if i be tedious in repeating again my old similitudes , you must blame your self that are the c●use . only one physician can cure the plague : s●me slander him as a deceiver : he promiseth to c●re all that will take him for their physician , and trust him : trusting or believing him here in●ludeth materially , believing his word , consenting to be his patien●s , and coming to him for physick . a prince in india buyeth the irish rebels that had forfeited their lives , of the king , that they may la● down arms , and go with him , and become his subjects : he promiseth to every one of them a lordship in india , a safe ship thither , and pardon here ; some call him a deceiver , and distrust him : he tells them , if they trust him , he will perform all this . here trust , the formal act , includeth as the material acts ; 1. assenting to his word as true ; 2. consenting to his off●r and terms ; 3. practically venturing to lay down arms , and go with him in the ship , and forsake their own countrey . such is faith in christ , when it is made the condition of justification and life . the formal and materi●l acts together constitute faith , and not the formal , or one of the material ( assent ) alone . ( nor hath bishop downame well confuted mr. pemble about the formal act. ) in a word ( true and pl●in ) baptism , our ●hristening , best tells us the essence of justi●yin● faith : for that is the sealing to us the ●u●●●fying covenant , that it may actually and solemnly deliver to us our part in christ , and ri●ht to pardon and life , which is given us on no lower terms , than the fiducial assent , consent and dedication professed by us essentially in baptism . § 10. your next doubt is about the various objects of faith in exercise ( gods omnipotency , ( truth , &c. ) and the various uses of faith accordingly . this is the point which mr. lawson and i seemed somewhat to differ about : and i have in my treatise of justification said so much of it , that you shall now excuse me from any more than telling you , that in sanctification , where one act really produceth one effect on our hearts , and another act another effect , each effect must be ascribed to its proper act . but you must not think it is so in our justification or adoption , where that which we receive is a right , jus impunitatis & vitae , which is not the immediate effect of our act , no nor any effect of it at all , but of gods donative covenant , of which our faith is but a condition , and no efficient cause of our right . and therefore i doubt not still to say , that we are thus justified as much by a consenting to christs teaching and sanctifying grace , as by consenting to be justified by his righteousness ; or by fiducial taking him for our teacher , intercessor and king , as taking him for a satisfier and meriter for us : indeed it is undivided taking christ as christ , that is the justifying condition , john 1.10 , 11 , 12. 1 john 5.10 , 11 , 12. § 11. in the end you desire me to answer . what right●ousness is meant , rom. 5. by the obedience of one many are made righteous . ans . the meaning is , by the merit of christs active and passive ( yea habitual ) righteousness ( also ) exalted in dignity by his divine perfection , all faln mankind is conditionally pardoned , and hath the gift of life , enacted in the law or covenant of grace , and all true believers have by that covenant actually given them a right of vnion with christ , and with him pardon and adoption , or right to grace and glory , and have the spirit of holiness as the first fruits . all this is included in that righteousness . § 12. lastly , you ask , what righteousness faith is imputed to ? whether that which is by christs obedience , and by faith , be the same ? and perfect or unperfect ? ans . here also you may take the blame that i say things long ago so oft said . by righteous is meant justifiable in general : and the plain meaning is , christ having merited , and freely given pardon and life to all sinners that will fiducially accept his purchased gift , it is not now keeping the law of innocency or works , but only the said fiducial acceptance of christ and his free grace that is required on their part to their right or justification . if by imputed we meant , reputing it the matter of our total righteousness , then it were an unsound sense . but ( briefly and plainly ) ▪ faith in christ is reckoned to us as the matter of our imperfect personal subordinate righteousness , and as the instituted medium of our reception of our vnion with christ , and our right to pardon and life for the merit of his righteousness . and i think this is plain and full . for righteousness to be imputed , is meant no more , but that g●d accounteth the person righteous : but the imputing faith to this , is but to reckon it to be what it is , 1. as the mat●er of one ; 2. as the medium or condition of the other . § 13. you here give me an epitome of dr. john owens book of justification , which you judge the best that you have seen , and say it is faithfully collected , to save me the labour of reading it , to shew me how nearly we agree . ans . i have perused the book , but being now absent from it , cannot judge whether you have rightly epitomized or recited it , and therefore shall speak to it as yours , and not as his : thanking you for endeavouring to spare my labour , but not for calling me to judge of other mens writings . only i must say , i am glad of so much moderation as is in it ; but i ●etter understand many other books of justification ; e●pecially mr. ●ruman , sir charles wols●ey , mr. gibb●ns sermon , mr. wotton , mr. gataker ▪ a manuscript of dr. twisses ( though i agree not with him in his exclusion of christs active righteous●●ss as justifying us , ) le bl●nk , placaeus , yea ●ohn go●dwin , mr. hote●kis , and many others . § 14. y●u take imputing righteou●ness to be the foundation of reputing us righteous , and not the same thing . ans . the controversie is de re , or de nomine . de re we agree that a man must be made righteous before he is reputed so . de nomine i deny that st. paul by imputing doth mean making us righteous . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by all confessed to signifie accounting , reckoning or reputing : making us righteous goeth before reckoning it to us on account . john goodwin will tell you of many more senses of imputation than you recite , and more considerable . § 15. ii. you suppose an imputation of righteousness to us , which was not ours before that imputation . ans . again de re there is a donation of such : but de nomine i deny that this is it that the scripture calleth imputing . you make this to contain two acts , and you name three , 1. a grant or donation of the thing it self to be ours . 2. a will of dealing with us accordingly . 3. an actual so dealing with us . ans . 1. de nomine , i deny that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth in scripture signifie the giving of righteousness to him that had it not : but the reckoning it on account to him that by gift first had it . 2. nor doth it primarily signifie willing to use , and using as righteous , but only by consequence inferreth it . but 2. de re here is no explication how imputing is giving , or how righteousness is given us : there is no question but all the righteousness that we have is given us by god : but the very heart of the controversie is , how the righteousness of christ is given us and made ours : in that righteousness is found , 1. the matter . 2. the form. 1. the matter is , 1. the habits . 2. the acts of christ in the divine and humane nature : are these given us , and do we possess them in themselves ? the acts are past , and so are nothing now : and nothing is no bodies actual possession . the acts and habits were accidents which sine interitu cannot pass from subject to subject : divers subjects prove diversity of accidents . 2. the form is a relation , and so an accident also : and they must needs be two accidents , that are formal righteousness in christ and us , unless we are the same subject person . therefore neither matter nor relative form in christ and man is the same individual accident . how then is it ours ! what is there in it besides matter ( the subject and fundamentum ) and form ? it's plain that , 1. the benefits are given us , and are our own by that gift : all that consist in jure , in right , ( as to christ , to the love of the reconciled father , the communion of the spirit , to further grace , pardon , glory ) are all given us instrumentally by the new covenants donative act : the inherent habits , and the acts are given us by the holy ghost . and 2. these benefits being given us for the sacrifice , and merits of christ , the price is said by a metonymy of the cause for the effect , to be given us , because it is given for us : it was god the father to whom christ paid the price of our redemption , and gave his active and passive righteousness for us : but morally and reputatively it is no unmeet phrase to say that is given to us which is given for us in our necessity and to purchase us all this . if the king would ransom all his subjects that are slaves to the turks , and paid a million for their freedom , he may well be said to give them a million , though it be but a metonymical speech , seeing he gave it for them : though it was the freedom or benefits and not the money which indeed they received : and so it is here : so god giveth us christs righteousness , merits and satisfaction ; but not properly the things themselves . if there be any more to be said as given us , i should have been glad to know what it is : but your words shew it not . were it the very same individual righteousness that christ hath , acts , habits and formal relation made in themselves our own accidents , it would follow that we are really perfect in acts , habits and relation , and need neither more pardon nor increase of grace , nor should pray for any , nor use means for any , nor are we liable to any corrective penalty , nor to any want of the spirits help , but have present right to all that is due to a perfect righteous man ; with much more such , which is all false . yet is it truly and fitly said that christ is our righteousness , that is , the purchaser and giver of it ; and that he is made of god to us wisdom , righteousness , sanctification and redemption , on the same account : yea though some deny it , his righteousness may be called the material cause of our righteousness , as ours is our jus ad impunttatem & vitam , because it is the matter of it 's meritorious cause . for if adam had merited life himself , his meritorious acts and habits would have been fitly called , the matter of his righteousness , that is , of the fundamentum relationis . yet this is the difference : adams right or relation of just , would have resulted immediately from his own acts and habits c●●pared with the law ; whereas ours resulteth from christs merits or righteousness , not immediately as ours in it self , but mediately as paid for us to god , and the benefit ( of right and righteousness ) given us by the covenant , for the said merit of our mediator . § 16. next you say , that this imputation supposeth not the person to have done and suffered himself what is imputed to him , and note their mistake that suppose the doctrine of imputation to imply that christ did commit our sins , and we perform his righteousness . ans . this granteth much towards concord : but i hope you understand that the question is not whether we did physically do and suffer what christ did , even in our natural persons ? but whether we did it morally , legally , civilly , reputatively , as a man acteth by an instrument , attorney , vicar , or personating representer , ●o that the law reputeth it his act. why did you not note this , and tell us whether you deny this also , as well as our physical performance ? if you deny not this our legal or moral doing and suffering in and by christ , you did not fairly in your description of the mind of your opposers , as far as ever i could understand them . but if you deny this , our agreement seemeth very feasible . but then you must go over the explication of imputation and donation of christs own righteousness again , and better tell us what you mean by them , than these described words do . § 1● next you tell us of imputation , 1. ex justitia . 2. ex voluntaria sponsione . 3. ex injuria . 4. ex gratia . 1. things imputed ex justitia you say are , 1. for f●deral relation , as adams sin . 2. for natural relation , and that only as to some temporal effects . ans . here we must suppose by your former explication , that by imputation you mean not estimative reckoning or accounting that to a man which he before hath , but , 1. donation . 2. vsage congruously an● will so to use one . but adams sin was no gi●● to us , and came not by donation ; nor is donation , imputation . 2. what you say of adams sin being ours by covenant relation , as distinct from natural relation , is unsound , and the matter needeth fuller explication , which as aforesaid i have attempted in my disputation of original sin. and as unsound is it that natural relation brings none but temporal evil. it cannot be proved , nor is to be affirmed , that without natural derivation , we derive by meer covenant the guilt of adams sin ; no nor that covenant derivation is before the natural , nor yet that it goeth any further , or that we contract any more guilt by covenant , than we do by nature ; but the law of nature it self and gods congruous covenant is that which virtually judgeth us guilty , when natural derivation hath made us guilty ( as dr. twisse oft as aforesaid . ) do you mean that guilt resulteth from gods part of the covenant , or from adams , or from his posterities ? not from ours , for we exis●ed not , and made no such covenant . not from adams part ( antecedent to natural derivation . ) for 1. no man can prove that ever adam made such a covenant . 2. or that god gave him any such power , ( much less command ) to bring sin and death on his posterity by his consent , or will , or contract , further than by the law of nature they must derive it from him if he sinned . 3. not by gods covenant act : for , 1. no such covenant of god can be shewn , that made men sinners further than natural derivation did . 2. else god should be the author of sin , even of all mens original sin , if his arbitrary covenant made them sinners , where nature did not . nay more , it is not meer natural relation , much less such covenant relation that doth it , ( for relation doth not so operate of itself ) but it is that generation which causeth fundamentally at once both the relation of sons and the adherent guilt . and in my foresaid second disputation i have proved that natural derivation ( even from nearer parents ) deserveth more than temporal hurt . § 18. ii. your second ex voluntaria sponsione you exemplify in onesimus and judah to jacob , gen. 43.9 . ans . 1. there is no talk of imputation in either of the texts , as to the receiver : much less of an imputation which is donation . indeed paul undertaketh to pay onesimus's debt to philemon ; and so bids him set the debt on his account ; that is , take him for the pay-master ; if this be imputing the debt to paul , we are agreed that so ( not our reatus culpae , but poenae ) our 〈◊〉 of punishment was imputed to christ , that is , he undertook to bear it for us : paul gave not the money to onesimus , but for him ( by promise . ) he was not an antecedent surety , but a consequent ? he did not promise to pay it in onesimus legal person ; nor is the payment properly imputed to onesimus as any way done by him , but only the effected benefit given him . and judah only undertaketh to bring benjamin again , or else to bear the blame for ever . no doubt but christ undertook our ransom , and also to effect our actual deliverance . if you will call this [ giving or imputing his own righteousness to us , so as that in se it is made the same accident of every believer besides giving them the benefits of that which he gave to god for them , i will not imitate you . iii. that of bathsheba , 1 kin. 1.21 . taketh imputation as the scripture doth . for accounting and reckoning them to be sinners , and using them accordingly , and not as you do for making them such by making anothers fact or guilt to become theirs . all these instances are for what i assert . none of them mention any such thing as imputing one mans acts or habits to another so as to make them or repute them to be really his . iv. your fourth sort of imputation ex merâ gratiá you say is the imputing of that which before that act we had no right to : and you do well to say there is no other instance of it in scripture : but you do not well to say without proof that this is it that 's meant , rom. 4. god maketh us righteous by donation before he imput●th it to us : imputation there is reckoning , accounting , and judging a man to be what he is . abraham had faith before god imputed faith to him for righteousness : and that faith was such a righteousness as god imputed it to be . to say , it was an imperfect one , is no wonder : a●●aham had none personally or properly in se but what was imperfect . the sum of all our controversie is , what righteousness believers have ? you before noted that righteousness as it is a conformity to the ●●eceptive part of the law , is one thing , and as it relateth to the retributive part , and is our jus impunitatis & vitae it is another . the doctrine which i bend all these words against is , that we must have , or have , as our own any such righteousness as is a conformity to the precep●ive part of the law of innocency , whether done by us or christ . prove that we have any such righteousness , and i yield all the cause to them that plead for the imputation which i deny . if we have such a righteousness we have no sin ▪ nor ever had , in the sense of the law : and have no need of christs sacrifice , or are capable of pardon or punishment . i dare plead no righteousness as mine but [ subordinately as a condition and medium , my faith ●r performance of the conditions of the covenant and its gifts , and principally my right to impunity and life for the sake of the merits , sacrifice and intercession of christ , freely given by him in the new covenant . ] it was christs perfect righteousness which meriteth mine , but i have no perfect righteousness of my own , either in me , or done by me , by my self or by my instrument or vicar , nor given to me , saving as metonymically , that is said to be given to me which was given for me , and the effects or fruits of it given to me : besides my imperfect faith and sincere devotion to christ , i know of no righteousness that i have , but that which saveth me from the laws condemnation , and giveth me right to life , which is not perfect obedience to the precept made mine , but pardon of disobedience , and a freely-given adoption , merited by another whose merits were never mine so much as by proper gift or imputation ▪ though figuratively they may be so called mine . i tire my self and you with tedious repetitions because i find that without the● i am not understood ▪ therefore your next inference that paul spea●eth of that which was not ours before imputation , is not true , as is proved . and your second that the imputation of faith as a work , is not of grace , is cloudy , or untrue , or both . if by a work , you mean a work in commutation obliging god , or any work which maketh the reward to be of debt and not of grace , it 's true that if faith were such a work it would be an act of justice so to judge it . but faith is no such work ; and therefore it would be errour so to judge it . but if by a work you mean but a moral act , as made by the law of grace the condition of pardon and life , then to impute , repute or judge it to be what it is so made , is an act of truth and justice , but such truth and justice as is evangelical , and consistent with grace , and is founded on grace : it is grace , that we have a saviour to purchase and give all : it is grace that we are not under the law of innocency which justifieth none but the innocent and perfect that never sinned : it is grace that we have a covenant and law of grace , which maketh sincere faith a mediate or subordinate righteousness , requiring no more at our own hands instead of what the law of innocency required : it is of grace that as this faith is the matter of this subordinate evangelical righteousness , so it is the receptive medium of our right to christ , pardon and life which is our full saving righteousness . it being therefore of grace that it is made so , and also that we are made believers , it must be of grace , though of truth and gracious justice , that it is reckoned or imputed to us , for righteousness . by debt opposed to grace , paul meaneth not , debitum , d●●ness , by free gifts thankfully accepted , but quod debetur ex operis propria dignitate , as a workman earneth his wages . § . 19. your description of the imputation of christs righteousness , is either to be understood as spoken in proper words , or as figurative . if the latter , it 's unintelligible still till explained : if the first , it is that same doctrine which i take to subvert all the gospel ; viz. that [ god maketh an effectual grant and donation of a true , real , perfect righteousness , even that of christ himself , to all that believe , accounting it as theirs . ] god accounteth not christs divine righteousness to be our righteousness , nor yet his humane habitual righteousness , nor his obedience to the law proper to the mediator , nor his obedience to the law of moses ( which as such bound not you or me , ) nor his perfect fulfilling the law of innocency , nor his satisfactory sacrifice for sin , nor his resurrection , ascension , intercession , &c. but he only accounteth these to be the causes of our righteousness , and not our righ●eousness it self . though the meritorious cause may be called the meritorious matter in a remote sense , as purchasing the free gift of our formal righteousness . though this also is but an unnecessary logical name , the thing being without it plainlier opened , relations having properly no material cause , and the subject being it that is usually so called ; and our jus being our formal righteousness , and the covenant donation the fundamentum juris , and christs meritorious righteousness being but the cause of that fundamentum or titulus , it can be called the matter of our right but in a remote sense , and such a matter as is without us , paid for us , but not ours in it self , but the cavse of that relation which is ours . the plain inconsistency of a perfect conformity to the law made our own , with christs dying for sin , and our need of pardon , constrained a great part of the famousest divines of the last age , to go too far , in my judgment , in excluding christs active , and habitual righteousness , to our justification , and confining it to the passive only : such as olevian , vrsine , piscator , paraeus , scultetus , wendeline , beckman , and others in germany ; and camero , with his most judicious and learned followers in france ; and dr. twisse ( whose m.s. i before mentioned ) mr. wotton , mr. gataker and others in england : and yet the two last , i think , go not so far as the rest . but mr. bradshaw truly told them , that it is not the excluding the active from imputation that must untie the knot , but the taking imputation it self in a sound sense , and forsaking the unsound rigid notion of it , both as to the active and passive righteousness . grotius de satisfactione hath gone the middle way , and if that book had been more studied , fewer would have made us a new gospel in terms , who , i hope , in sense do mean better than they speak . § . 20. in your explication you further own the subverting sense ; viz. that christs perfect righteousness is made the righteousness of believers ( forma dat nomen ) and is accordingly judged , esteemed and reputed theirs , being by free gift made theirs to all ends and purposes , whereto it would have served , if it had been their own , without any such imputation , donation or communication , and god dealeth with them accordingly . ] ans . this is plainer dealing than we had before . if this were true , 1. we are as righteous as christ . 2. we may deny that ever we were sinners ; for had we done all this our selves , that is , kept the law perfectly from first to last , we had never sinned . 3. we had never deserved punishment ; 4. nor needed a sacrifice ; 5. or a pardon ; 6. nor should we , during the time of our unregeneracy , have been left under spiritual death , or at least , after believing , be left under remaining sin , and a body of death ; 7. nor have been penally deprived of any help of the spirit ; 8. nor of any communion with god ; 9. nor so long be kept out of heaven , or the reward ; 10. nor ever have been corrected ; 11. nor ever had need of word , prayer or sacraments for the helping us to renewed pardon ; 12. nor ever have died and rotted in a grave ; 13. nor would the magistrates execution of justice on us for our crimes be owned as gods justice . 14. all men wou●d have the same degree of innocency and holiness . 15. it would have been a wrong to us , when we had perfectly kept the law of innocency , to suspend our right to pardon and salvation upon new conditions in a new covenant . 16. we having perfectly kept the law of innocency as to the death , as soon as we believe , cannot be under another law of the redeemer that hath the true uses of a law. 17. our own actions besides christs ) are not capable of reward or punishment . 18. all the texts of scripture that mention inherent or practical personal righteousness , would contradict our imputed righteousness , or make us supererogate , and be more than perfectly righteous . 19. we need not fear that any new crime should diminish our righteousness which is perfect , and can neither increase or decrease . 20. whether we should not be as righteous on earth ( even under davids or peters sin ) as in heaven ? and whether we should be deified by being divinely righteous , and justified by gods essential righteousness , as andr. osiand●r taught , i leave to be considered , as you further explain your self . so much to your epitome , which if i wrong you by judging it all your own , it is long of your self that own it as aforesaid in the gross : if the dr. be wronged , it is by you , and not by me . § . 21. in the conclusion you do no more peaceably than provedly pronounce us in a manner agreed , enumerating the particulars in which we consent : but i have told you wherein we are not agreed in words , nor in sense , if those words be not mis-used , whatever we are in latent sense . i still grant that christ suffered , yea and obeyed , in some sort , in our stead , though not in our person , civil , or legal , so as that we are legally reputed the doers of it by or in him : and that his assuming our nature , and being the second adam , a voluntary sponsor and mediator , was a necessary reason of the application of the fruits to us ; and that we are as certainly and happily justified and glorified , as if we had been the doers and satisfiers our selves ( so many as are saved ; ) but not on the same reasons , nor in the same method or manner of conveyance : nor when in judgment we are accused as having sinned and deserved death , can we deny it , & plead that we were innocent by another , or by imputation , as we should have been , had we been innocent our selves : but we must plead pardon , and a free gift of life , through the merits , satisfaction and intercession of a saviour . § 21. and to all before said , i may add , that they who account all the laws obligations on each person to be fulfilled by christ , ( and not only satisfaction given for our not fulfilling them , 1. must suppose that one person of christ to have been legally as many persons as he died for ( or justifieth : ) for the law laid as many distinct obligations on them , as they were persons , and laid them only on their persons . it said , thou adam , thou eve , shalt personally obey perfectly , or die : and the law of nature , and of moses said in sense , thou solomon , thou manasses , ( and so of all others ) shalt do all things commanded , and not sin . now that in all christs obedience he was legally and imputatively so many several persons , adam , eve , solomon , manasseh , and so that none of these broke gods law , i find not in the scripture . if you say , adam was legally as many persons as are born of him in sin , i deny it : he was the root of all his posterity , and they were in him seminally and virtually , but not personally , actually , or imputatively : but by one mans disobedience , as their root and cause , many are made sinners : and by one mans obedience , as the root and cause , all believers are made righteous . it is enough that one saviour and mediator in a third person of his own did and suffered that which by its merits and value ( as attaining the ends of the law and government ) procured our deliverance from a necessity of perfect obeying as the condition of life , and from guilt and misery , and is become the root , head and donor of grace and glory . 2. and if ( as you say ) it be the very thing that is imputed to us as ours , to all intents , as if we had done it , why have you not told us , whether it be all that christ did , or but some ? and what ? and how from scripture you prove the distribution ? and whether we have not thus , a righteousness , which is both too much , and too little . i. too much : for we were not obliged by the law to be born of a virgin , by the holy ghost , to fast forty days , to turn water into wine , to cast out devils , to heal all diseases , and raise the dead , to inaite the gospel , and send out apostles . &c. if you say that so much only of christs obedience is in it self our own , as we must else have done our selves , i ask the proof of the limitation . and ii. is it not then too little , if it must be the idem , and not the aequivalens ? for some of us are bound to the offices of parents , and some of husbands and wives , some of servants , some of magistrates , some of souldiers , some to actions proper to the sick , to the old , and other conditions which christ was never in : we are bound to mortifie our sinful lusts , to pray for pardon and grace , to receive a pardon offered , to yield to the mortifying motions of the spirit , &c. which christ was not capable of . it was enough that he undertook all that was fit for him , and necessary by equivalency to satisfie , and merit a free gift of grace and glory for us , and that he performed the undertaken conditions and duties of all that law which was laid on him ; without doing all the same things which were laid on us . § . 22. and one thing more i desire you to note , which grotius de satisf . hath minded us of , viz. the great difference that there is between the case of a rector and a creditor , and between a subject and a debtor , or a debt of obedience or punishment and a debt of money : for the name of debt occasioneth some men to run the similitude of a creditor and debtor beyond the bounds . the law requireth not a debitor pecuniae , 1. to pay the very same individual money which he borrowed , but the same sum . 2. nor to pay it by his own hands . but the law of god obligeth every subject to every individual act which it commandeth . 2. and obligeth every man to do it all in his own person and not disjunctively by himself or a vicar . that christ is limitedly and only to certain ends and uses a vicarius poenae in the person of a mediator , is not because the law as made to adam required or accepted it , but the lawgiver as above his law. the law that bound christ is fulfilled ; but the law that bound adam and every man is not fulfilled unless that same man do himself all the same things which it commanded him . § 23. i conclude all with these professions of my opinion of all these controversies . i. i believe that the libertines ( commonly called antinomians ) whose doctrines i have in many books opposed , do use those ill notions , and methods which on pretence of magnifying christ and free grace , do by plain consequence wrong christ and grace , and subvert the gospel , and should rather be thence denominated , than from their denying the law. ( the law of innocency as a covenant , and of moses as jewish being truly ceased . ) ii. i believe that yet most of those that thus err in notions , are not so bad in their judgment of the matter it self as their words import ; but that want of skill in terms and method hath seduced men of dull wits , slight popular studies , and undigested thoughts , to speak worse than they think , and had they more exact distinguishing and expressive skill , they would shew that they mean mostly as others do . iii. i believe that unskilful contending with the papists hath occasioned all this , while in the heats of controversy men bend all their wits to disgrace the doctrine of their adversaries , not fearing enough unsafe expressions and contrary extreams while they seem to serve their present turn : and then departing from scripture terms as necessary to set their hearers far enough from their adversaries , are next carried into a multitude of new made articles or notions , contrary also to scripture sense , when they have once thus left the words . iv. i believe that most honest , plain , less learned christians , and the throughly studied and learned teachers , agree in the true sence of the doctrine of justification which the half studied contenders make to seem more difficult than it is , and muddy it by their unlearned questions and words . that is , all plain christians hold , that [ christ god and man is our only saviour who obeyed , suffered and interceedeth for us , as a mediator , and is become as redeemer the lord of all , even of nature , grace and glory , and hath merited , purchased and made a covenant and law of grace , that whoever believeth in him shall not perish , but have everlasting life ; offering his grace to all , and effectually giving it to some ; and that as our king and lord redeemer he governeth us by this law , and requireth faith and repentance of all that will be pardoned , and sincere obedience to the end , of all that will be glorified ; and as he pardoneth all past sin at our conversion , so to those that believe and sincerely obey him , he pardoneth all their following sins ; and as he maketh them righteous by giving them his spirit to perform the conditions of pardon , adoption and salvation , and by forgiving all their sins , and freely giving them right to life eternal , for the sake of his sacrifice and merits , so he accordingly virtually justifieth them by his covenant , and so esteemeth them , and will so use them , and will so judge them finally by his sentence hereafter , and will receive them as so justified and adopted to his glory . ] this all agree in till wranglers trouble them ; and this much is enough . finis . a defence of christ , and free grace : against the subverters , commonly called , antinomians or libertines ; who ignorantly blaspheme christ on pretence of extolling him. in a dialogue between an orthodox zealot , and a reconciling monitor . written on the occasion of the reviving of those errours , and the reprinting and reception of dr. crispes writings , and the danger of subverting many thousand honest souls by the notions of free grace , and justification , mis-understood and abused by injudicious , unstudyed , prejudiced preachers . by richard baxter . london , printed for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns , at the lower end of cheapside , near mercers-chapel , 1690. to the reader . a postscript to the second book . since the writing of all that followeth , i have seen the new edition of dr. crisp's sermons : there are prefixed to it , twelve reverend names , mr. griffiths , mr. cockains , mr. chancys , mr. howes , mr. alsops , mr. nat. mather , mr. increafe mather , mr. knowles , mr. powels , mr. turners , mr. bures , & mr. gammons . the preface is mr. s. crispes invective against me , unnamed , with the citation of some preachers words as contrary to mine . i must desire those conformists that will write the next friendly debate , and will charge heresy on the non-conformists , that they will lay the charge on none , but the guilty ; and that they take not all whose names are prefixed to be of the judgment of dr. crispe ( a conformist ) : for i am past doubt , that four or five of them are against it . if you ask , why then did they give their names to be hanged up like a sign before the door of a house of seduction , it 's like they have something more to say for it than i know of : but their words shew you that they only testifie the sermons to be the drs. own . they are men of peace , and inclined to gratifie others in attesting a truth , and i suppose , intended not to promote untruth by it . but i see the corrupting design is of late , grown so high , that what seemed these thirty four years suppressed , now threatn●th as a torrent to overthrow the gospel , and christian faith , and to deny the tru● office of christ as mediator and his grace and righteousness , by seeming ignorantly to extol them ▪ and satan designeth to make us a common scorn to papists and malignants , by the palpable grosnes● of such mens undeniable errours . and therefore i dare neither give them my name , nor be silent in such a common scandal and danger , while i can speak and write . it offendeth me that i must but briefly name their errours , instead of a large confutation of them , while the whole scripture is against them ; but i have done it oft largely , which they will not answer . and the booksellers will print no books that are large and insensible of our danger , think th●y are but few that need it . one errour the preface addeth to the hundred ▪ which were it a truth , would carry the cause for them , and bring me to a recantation , viz. that christ and the elect are one and the same person . it is not a relative personality that is the question ; for so christ himself had many persons , as one and the same man may have the person of a father , of a husband , of a master , of a king , &c. but it is physical or substantial personality , which mr. crispe saith , is more than natural , we being one spirit , and bone of his bone , and flesh of his flesh ▪ and if this be so , i shall grant that we are as righteous as christ , and christ now in heaven ( and n●t on the cross only ) is guilty of all our sins , and was indeed as they call him , the greatest blasphemer , hater of god , adulterer , &c. in the world. but 1. if all the elect be really many distinct persons , t●en , either christ must be also as many dist●nct persons , or not be the same person with them a●l , or any of them . but the elect are many distinct persons , and shall be so for ever : peter was not paul or john : they do not the same acts : they be not guilty of the same numerical sins : every man shall answer for all that he hath done in the body , and not for all that all others of the elect have done . all the elect shall not sit on the twelve thrones , as ap●stles : all did not preach the gospel as paul did , nor persecute as paul did : overthrow distinct i●dividuation here or in heaven , and how dismal will be the consequence ? and here , will not each man have right to anothers house , wife , food , goods , if they are but one person ? to be one in spirit , is no more to be one person , than seeing by the same sun-light maketh all lyes to be one eye . for the spirit is not our personality . and if you make christ to be many millions of persons , where is his vnity in himself , or with any . 2. if christ and the elect , be all one , and the same person , then the elect are really god himself : for the person of christ , is god : these men are unfit to confute the schools who have long maintained that the very human nature of christ , is not a part of his person , but an accident of it ; because he is but one person , which is the second in trinity from eternity , and is god ( of which see derodon de supposito . ) and if we are all one god , then god suffers when we suffer , and god judgeth himself when he judgeth us : may not men pray to such then , and worship them as gods , and trust in them as gods ? is not this idolatry worse than image-worship , or than anti-christianity ? 3. if christ and the elect be one and the same person , then christ sinneth when ever they sin : and christ suffered for his own sin , even that which he by them committed : and then he pardoneth his own sin ; ( or who pardoneth him ) ? but all this is false . 4. and it would follow , that all the elect are mediators to themselves , and dyed for their own sins , and pardon their own sins , and justify themselves , and believe in themselves , and save themselves . 5. and are all christ's threatnings against himself , which are against us ? doth satan overcome him , when ever he overcometh us ? is his law made for himself , that is made for us ? doth he command a father to correct christ , when he commandeth him to correct his children ? doth the magistrate hang christ when he hangeth a malefactor , tho' elect , ( that sinneth by surprize . ) 6. where there are divers bodies , and divers souls , and divers vnderstandings , and divers wills , there are divers persons : but of all these , in christ and us there is a diversity . i believe that the vnion between christ and the glorified , will be neerer than we can well now conceive : but not such as will make us one and the same person with christ . i have read in phanatick fryers , such as barbanson , and benedictus de benedictis , and in gibienf the oratorian , of our deification , and being goded with god , and that it is the only perfection to know no being but god : and i have read of such heathen as worshipped demon-gods , that once were men . and it is the top of the now prevalent bruitism , or sadducism , to believe that all souls are but one god , and as candles that are individuate by the oily matter , when extinct , are all one in the common air ; and that there is nothing but god and matter . but i hope few good christians will so far lose the knowledge of themselves , as to take themselves to be the same person with him that is god : angels forbad john to worship them , tho' he took them not for god. do those churches exercise discipline upon such as are one person with christ ? do they excommunicate christ for sin ? no wonder that dr. crispe chargeth david as speaking untruth , for complaining of his sin , and gods displeasure ; tho' john says , he is a lyar that saith he hath no sin , and all god's saints have profess'd repentance ; but i read not that christ did ever repent of sin . i doubt some will think that i feign mr. crispe to say what he doth not , his words are these : first , he accuseth me as saying [ to say our union with christ so makes us flesh of his flesh , that we are the same person with christ ; this is so gross , that i will not bestow time to confute it . ] he answers [ nor cannot as long as that text is in our bibles ; we are members of his body , of his flesh , and of his bones , ephes . 5 — god saith , he that is joyned to the lord , is one spirit ; which is more than a political member , or a natural member either . ] i believe that it is more than political , but not such as maketh us one person with christ . andrew osiander , is condemned by protestants for feigning that the essence of god is our righteousness . nestorius was condemned by general councils , as supposed to feign christ to have two persons : what would these councils have judged of them that feign him to have million of persons , or millions , to be all one person with him ? as to mr. crispes epistle , it calleth more for pitty , than confutation : he pretendeth out of his notes , to tell what i preached at pinners hall , jan. 17. 1673. and aug. 11. 1674. ( so long since . ) and he begins with a gross untruth , that i said , [ a mans first believing is by external arguments , not by the operation of the spirit , but his after believing is by the spirit . ] i do not believe that the man purposed to lye , but trusted h●s false ears , and notes . the world knoweth how voluminously i have written to the contrary : never such an opinion came into my head : but contrarily i have copiously proved , that even common faith , much more the first justifying faith , is the work of gods spirit : my catholick theology , proveth it all at large . i doubt not but both first and second faith is by scripture argument ; but never dream'd that it was not the work of the spirit : indeed i find few of his accusing notes , that be not falsific●tious by his defective or patcht recital . i am sorry that he hath wronged the memory of such good men as mr. fowler , and mr. cole , by telling the world how unstudied , and yet how confident they have been in some points . but he did worse in citing dr manton , that incurr'd their censure for defending me in that very pulpit , where he saith i preach'd against such accusers as he ; and was wholly of my judgment . and reciting arch-bishop usher , who perused my confession written against the antinomians , and altered not a word in it , before i published it ; i got him and mr. gataker to read it ( and it was the last work that mr. gataker did in the world , as his epistle and his sons shew . ) had the prefacer read but that one book , my confession . written in 1655. and there the explications of the co●troversies , and the many score plain texts and arguments , and the hundred testimonies of synod , and protestant divines , for the doctrine which i defend ; and specially if he have read my explication of all these controversies , in my catohlick theology , and methodus , and dispute of justification , and of justifying righteousness ; and yet h●d call'd for an answer to mr. cole or mr. fowler , i should have told him that he , and such as he , are too hard or deaf for me to answer . but he impertinently citeth other men , that say , we are justified by free grace , and the righteousness of christ , and not by works ; as if he would falsly intimate that i deny it , when i neither trust to , nor know any righteousness that is not meerly subordinate to the rig●teousness of christ ; and take his righteousness habun●l , active and passive , to be the only and perfect meritorious cause of our justification , and salvation of grace and glory : and i wonder not , that paul counted his own righteous●ess by the ●aw to be dung in compa●ison of being found in christ , having his righteo●sness . but i abhor the opinion , that c●rist's righteousness given us , is all without us , and none within us , when christ dwelleth in us ; as if 600 texts of scripture were all false , that speak of the necessity of an inherent and act●ve righteousness . i abhor the opinion of any works necessary to justification or salvation , or to any common blessings in the sense of paul ; such as make the reward to be of debt , and not of grace . i think few men living , are less tempted to magnify or trust to any worth of th●ir own , than i am . i look not for a bit of bread , or an h●urs ease , or life , or the pardon , or acceptance of one duty , or of my holiest affections ( so faulty are they by their great imperfection ) but meerly from the free grace of god , and the merits and intercession of christ . but should i take all for errour that this preface reciteth as such , and all for truth that dr. crispe and such men write ; i should look for wiser men than him or mr. cole , to anathematize me , rather as an anti-gospeller , than a meer antinomian . and i am the sorryer for the prefixing of t●e twelve reverend names , when i find by their epistles that they had read this preface , so full of false citations and gross errour , and say not a word against it , nor against such a book . mr. cockain , in his epistle , directing it to them that live godly in christ jesus , t●lls them , that the kingdom of god within them , shall never be shaken ; and the divine nature that hath swallowed them up , shall for ever satisfy them with variety of contentments . and is not that ours which is within us ? and is this kingdom and divine nature , nothing but that which christ did without us , imputed to be done by us ? and if this be no subordinate righteousness , what doth the word signify so many hundred times used in the scripture ? let them but grant justification by faith , and let them assign faith what office therein they can reasonably imagine , without flat denying all pauls doctrine , and they will confute dr. crispe . say but that faith is imputed to us for righteousness , and give not the lye to paul , and sure we shall be reconciled . but if they will tell us that by faith , paul meaneth not faith , but christ's righteousness ; they must prove that they have more than a papal power to make god's word , by making the sense , when god maketh but the letter , before we can renounce the scripture and believe them . and yet , if they will expound imputation soberly , we shall grant them the matter ( that christ's righteousness is accounted to us of god , as the only meritorious cause of our justification and salvation ) tho' we believe that by faith , paul meaneth faith. but if they still say , that by faith is meant only the object of faith , and not the act ; could we but get them to forbear anathematizing men for being so learned , as to understand english , we might yet hope at least , to keep the flame of their zeal out of the thatch within the chimney ; by telling them the difference between the object of faith , as such , and the person that is the object , otherwise considered . in real existence , christ , tho' not yet believed in , is the sole meritorious cause : but it is only in esse cognito , that christ is the object of faith. and school-boyes that have no damnable learning , may teach these confident men , that the object as an object believed , is the very form in specie of the act of faith : it is an act without it , but not this act , viz. the christian faith. as sin in esse reall is damning , but in esse cognito objectivo , it is the form of the grace of repentance ; so is it here . but if they will grant that by faith is meant faith , and not say that paul condemneth justification by faith , as being but justification by works ; let them but tell us , how it justifieth : i say not efficiently at all ; but only as a meer receptive qualification : if they say as an efficient instrument , they give it much more than i do ; and lay it on the act or the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere , as they speak : for , what else is the instrument ; i hope they mean not that christ and his righteousness is but the instrument : but of this , more after . i thought it meet to have recited many hundred texts of scripture , which they directly contradict , which good men should rather believe than them : but if the reader will peruse my confession , he will find it there done already . and i thought it necessary to commend the good lives of many of them ( excepting the schism and vnrighteousness that faction doth involve them in ) lest the grosness of their verbal errours , which come from unskilfulness in words and methods , should tempt many to judge of the men by their words , and opinions ; and should harden the malignant to justifie all their hard censures and vsage of the non-conformists for their sakes . and yet mr. crispe is one of my sharp censurers , for charitably excusing men from lesser errours than his own ( while he falsifyeth my words about our difference with the papists . ) i have said oft , and long agoe , that i cannot be so harden'd against god's miraculous judgments in new-england , on mrs. hutchison and mrs. dyer , and the case of their governour , and mr. wheeler , recited by mr. weld , in his book , called , the rise and fall of antinomianisme in new-england , as to depise those with the scripture , to bear satan seeming an angel of light or righteousness . i once more counsel them that are prejudic'd against my writings , to read mr. bradshaw ( an independant ) of justification , mr. truman's grand propitiation , ant. watton de reconciliatione , mr. gataker against saltmarsh , and on lucius and piscator . ben. woodbridge ( the first graduate of the new-england colledge , ) mr. thomas warren , mr. hotchkins , mr. gibbons of black-fryers , his lecture at giles , placeus in thes . salmuriens . testardus , codurcus ; but above all , vinc. le blancks theses ; and the breme divines , s. charles wolsley of justification , and the foresaid book of mr. weld a new-england congregational-man : the subject of which , i suppose two or three of the twelve epistlers ( the two mr. mathers , if not mr. chancy also ) will give you a truer account of , than dr. stubs ( a man miserable in life and death ) did do . once more i conculde , that if christ was one person with the elect , before they were men , he was one pe●son with these that were no persons : if he were one person with them , before their conversion , he was one person with millions of wicked men , and slaves of the devil , and the haters , and persecutors of himself , and of holiness . a●d seeing they hold that this vnion is not dissolvable , do they not feign him now in heaven to be one person with all the elect wicked sinners on earth ? i still say , i will not lose my charity as to the persons of these blind zealots , and unskilful talkers : but how conscionably soever they live , it is no thanks to their ungodly unchristian doctrine . if they prevail to make england believe that elect wicked infidels are as righteous as christ ; and that it is impossible that any sin should hurt them , or that any prayer or duty should do them any good , ( the express words of dr. crispe ) and that to intend their own good by any , is to wrong the free grace and full salvation by christ ( with the rest like this ) : i should have more hope of the turks and heathens , than of that land that receiveth and practiseth these principles , notwithstanding mr. cokain's benediction to those that practise what this doctor taught . the god of truth and mercy , save a poor nation from the extream factions that run deeper daily into the guilt of impenitency and doleful divisions ; and let not sober peace-makers mourn in despair , over a hopeless generation of self-destroyers , as having laboured for peace in vain . jan. 15. 1689 / 90 a further advertisement to the reader . he that will know whether i rightly cite dr. crispe , must read his own books , es●ecially , lib. 2. serm. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8.15 . and vol. 1. serm. 9 , 10 , 11. he is so large , that i must give you but a taste of his doctrine , in his own words . vol. 2. serm. 3. pag. ( edit . 1644. ) 88 , 89 , 90. it is iniquity it self that the lord hath laid on christ . — it is the fault or transgression it self — to speak it more plainly , hast thou been an idolater , a blaphemer , a despiser of god's word , a trampler on him ? hast thou been a despiser of government , a despiser of thy parents , a murtherer , an adulterer , a thief , a lyar , a drunkard ? reckon up what thou canst against thy self , if thou hast par● in the lord christ , all these transgressions of thine become actually the transgressi●ns of christ , and so cease to be thine , and thou ceasest to be a transgressor , from that time they were laid on christ , ( which he oft saith , was before we were born ) to the last hour of thy life : so that now thou art not an idolater , thou art not a persecutor , a thief , or a murtherer , ( why will not our judges believe this , but hang innocent men ? ) thou art not an adulterer , thou art not a sinful person , ( why did christ then justifie the confessing publican ? ) reckon what sin soever you commit , when you have part in christ , you are all that christ was , christ is all that you were , 2 cor. 5.21 . mark it well : christ is not himself so compleatly righteous , but we are as righteous as he was : nor we so compleatly sinful , but christ became , being made sin , as compleatly sinful as we : nay , more ; the righteousness that christ hath with the father , we are the same righteousness ; that very sinfulness that we were , christ is made that very sinfulness before god ; so that here is a direct change : christ takes our persons , and conditions , and stands in our stead ; we take christ's person and condition , and stand in his stead : what the lord b●held christ to be , that he beheld his members to be ; and what he beheld the members to be in themselves , that he beheld christ himself to be . — christ himself is not more righteous , than this person ; and that person is not more sinful than christ was . pag. 91 , &c. he at large striveth to prove that it was not only the guilt of sin , or the punishment that god put on christ , but the very sin it self . so p. 108. ( having well proved , that imputation signifieth not , that god lyed , or mis-reckoned , but only reckoned that to be , which truly is : he saith , [ that christ became as really and truly the person that had all these sins , as he that did commit them really and truly , had them : ] read more , serm. 6. pag. 139. there is not one passage of scripture that speaks of imputing our sins to christ . vol. 1. serm. 10. pag. 242. for any hurt that such sins can do to us , it is not possible ; for christ hath made satisfaction . pag. 239. tho' sins be committed , there is no peace broken , because the breach of peace is satisfied in christ . p. 234 , 235. that they are to do , they are not to do it with any eye to their own advantage , that being already perfectly compleated to their hands , before they do any thing : but with an eye to glorifie god , and to serve their generation . and page . 236 , 237. he is large in threatning them that pr●y or do any thing for life , or furthering our salvation , do this , and live ; being the voice of the law , therefore we must do nothing that we may live , ( or as e●sewhere he saith ) to ●e ever the better for it . p. 230 , 231. there is n●t any duty you perf●rm , when you have attained the highest pitch , that hath any prevalency or availableness , to produce to bring forth any the le●st good to your selves : i say again , there is nothing you can do , from wh● 〈◊〉 you ought to expect any gain to your selves by doing ; you ought not to seek to find in what you do , &c. — no believer for whom christ dyed , should have the least thought in his heart , of promoting or advanceing himself , or any end of his own , by doing what he doth , but to glorifie god , and do good to men . you cannot propound or intend to your selves any possible gain by duty , &c. why then do men plow , and sow , and trade , and eat , &c. is it not as much against christ to do good for others , as for my self ? is glorifying god inconsistent with seeking to be saved ? reader , i give thee but this taste , to shew thee how truly i cite him in all the rest . i have five arguments against these men. 1. the essential nature of man. 2. the nature of god , and his government . 3. the office and work of christ , and grace . 4. the whole bible . 5. the consent of mankind , especially christians . the dismal effects : 1. the confirming of thousands in popery , seeing our horrid errors . 2. hardening malignants in impenitency , as being but against odious hereticks . 3. seducing ignorant zealots , cheated by good words and names . 4. threatening the land with uncurable division . 5. disaffecting rulers against us as intollerable . to the teachers of dr. crispe's doctrine . the laudable conversations of many of you , shew , that you are not wholly v●id of religi●n : b●t it 's no thanks to your irreligious doctrine . it is no wonder that such men would cast out reason from religion ; for their religion seemeth to be by meer instinct : but if it must be without reason , it is hard that they will make it all against reason . while reason is essential to man , no wonder then if religion meet with much resistance ; and if , as one of mr. crispe's authors saith , ( nigro carbone notandus ) that to cause one to believe in christ , be as great a miracle as christ 's resurrection , and as great an instance of almightiness , as any work that god hath made : no doubt , but it is a hard , and great , and special work , and an effect of omnipotency , or else it were no effect of god : for , omnis potentia est dei est omnipotentia . a hand or tongue moveth not but by omnipotency ; but all that god doth , are not equal instances or demonstrations of omnipotency ; nor are they all miracles , and as great miracles as the resurrection of christ . is not the preaching of the gospel a means of mens believing ? and is that as great a miracle as christ's resurrection , that is wrought by so rational a means , used by man ? i am sure st. paul used not so much to prove the truth of christianity from this medium , [ some believed it ; ergo , it is true ] as by the resurrection of christ : nor is every woman or mans belief as good a proof that the gospel is true : i would not have infidels taught to say , if god damn me for not believing , it will be for not doing that which is as great a miracle as christ 's resurrection , and as great an instance of almighty power , as the making of sun and moon , and of the world : overdoing is undoing . but if the men that i oppose , be religious , i cannot deny but it must be by miracle or madness : consider and judge . is it any other to be for religion , and to preach and labour , and suffer for it , if it have no goodness in it , and will do no good , and must thus be believed ? that is good that doth good . dr. crispe is large and earnest in telling us , that nothing that we do , must be done to do us any good , or give us the least gain or advantage , nor must such a thought come into our hearts , that we shall be ever the better for it ; for christ hath already done all that we need . and if it do us no good , it doth good to none . to god it can do none ; if we be righteous , what do we give him . our goodness extendeth not to him , by adding any thing to him . psal . 16.1 , 2. and to men it can do no good , if it can do none to our selves ; for either those men be elect , or not : if they be elect , all their good was perfected by christ , as well as ours before they were born : and it will be as great an injury to christ , to endeavour to do them any good , as our selves : and this either to their souls or bodies ; for christ hath purchased all good for both : oh what an antidote against charity is here , and against doing good to all men , especially to them of the houshold of faith , and against feeding christ in his members ! but if they are not elect , these men say that christ dyed not for them , to purchase them any good , and to do them good , is impossible ; and what a wrong would it be to christ , for us to pretend to do men good without him , or his purchase ? but they say , we must do it in thankfulness , for being saved already : but what good is in that thankfulness , when it doth no good to god or man , to our selves or others ? is not this to trust to works ? all acts with them are works , and thankfulness is an act or habit. and if we are never the better for love , thanks , and praises to god on earth , what the better shall we be for them in heaven ? what do these men preach for ? what do they gather churches for ? and what do they exercise strictness for , by thier self devised terms of their church-communion ? what do they write for and wrangle for , while they profess that it is not to do any good , to god , to themselves , to the elect , or to the reprobate ( which undenyably followeth ) ? i know you speak for faith , prayer , and holiness , and i think you pray your selves : but to what end , christ saith , ask and have , seek and find ; dr. crispe saith , seek not to find : o think not that you shall be ever the better for praying , or any thing else that you do in the greatest heigth of piety . is prayer only a thanksgiving ? i knew an old man ( one dishforth , by calverley near bradford in yorkshire ) who went among the followers of hacket and coppinger , called , grundletonians ( from the town where they lived ) : and going for novelty among them , they breathed on him , and he came home so transported , that he left his former way of praying in his family , with confession and petition , and did all by extasy , and thanksgiving , and praise , and so continued about a fortnight , and then returned to humility , and repented ( himself and his son were my informers . ) i wonder that it is not so with all that think praying , hearing , reading , meditating , and sacraments do no good : and all from a sottish exposition of [ do this and live , ] as if forbid doing any thing that we may live : and from an vnchristian conceit that christ giveth us all that ●e decreeth or purchaseth , as soon as the price is paid : and that because he freeth us from the law ●f works , and of innocency , he maketh us lawless ; or is a kin● that hath no laws , or laws that are neither the measure of duty or judgment , the keeping of which is no subordinate righteo●●ness in tantum ; because it is n●t as christ's , a purchasing price , and justifi●th not prim●rily n●r in totum : or as if christ comma●●ed and ●ave a righteousness which is no righteousness ; and that because all justifying is not making righteous , therefore making righteous is no justifying , nor any part of it . it s a shame to stay to cite many ●●xts ●gai●st these men , where the whole bible , but especially all christ's own preaching , and parables , are so expresly against th●m , that i admire with what f●ce th●se men pr●fess to believe the scripture . and i w●n●er not that some of them say , that all the w●●tt●● word is a covenant of works , a●d o●ly the spirits i●wa●d work is the covenant of grace : and wh●n they tell us ( as crispe , p. 242. vol. 1. ed. 1. ) that for any hurt that such sins can do us , it is not possible , for christ hath made satisfaction . i wonder why they preach against that which doth no hurt ; and why t●ey excommunicate men for sin ; and why they scruple perjury , liturgies , parish-communion , or any point of conformity ; yea , why some of them will suffer rather than conform , when it is impossible for any sin to hurt them : why do your hearers pay you for preaching against a harmless thing ? why make you so much complaint against vnreforme●ness ? sin doth god no hurt ; it doth not the elect any hurt by your doctrine ; for christ hath satisfied and born all : and the reprobate are uncapable of good , for want of satisfaction for them . i pray you do not speak out this doctrine to the world : if you do , i shall be glad that you are confined to your seduced ignorant congregations . if you will tell the world , if you are elect , no sin can possibly hurt you ; whatever murders , adulteries , perjuries you commit it is none of your sin , but christs : it cannot be his and yours too ; and if not elect , you have no hope ; and if you be elect , you will be never the better for praying , considering , charity ▪ or any act of religion , or justice , which you do , nor must once think to gain any thing by it : how many converts is this like to make ? and what would such a nation come to ? i hope few of the publick preachers that you call scandalous , preach so scandalously as this . i have one request to you , that if you , or any other be questioned by the judges for murder , adultery , false-witness , perjury , or robbery , you will not say as dr. crispe hath taught you [ i am no murderer , adulterer , perjured robber , &c. it is christ that is such a one , and not i ; it cannot be my sin , when he hath made it his ] ; for i doubt , neither the judges or jury well believe you : if you believe not we , ask the judges , whether it be you or christ that is the sinner ? i doubt it is you that will be hang'd . if you say , [ for what may not ignorance say ] that it is not at the bar of man , but of god only , that christ is the sinner , and not we : i answer , know you not that judges and princes are god's officers , and that the judgment is the lords ; and that what they do according to his will , he doth by them : he doth not command rulers to hang men for a sin that is none of theirs . all mens judgments are nullities , that are against the fore-known judgment of god. it is the king that punisheth when the hangman executeth : god punisheth men by rulers , and doth it righteously . i write all this , the rather because mr. cokain , in his preface , exhorteth preachers to go on where the dr. left : i humbly beseech them first to read and believe , mat. 5. & 6. and 7 , 8. and 13.18.25 . and all the sermons and parables of christ ; and not downright to give him the lie , and call it exalting him : and for them that report that there are no such words in dr. crispe , as i report , i wonder not while they think that lying can do them no hurt , and is not their sin , but christs . and they that believe they are under no law , may believe that they have no transgression , nor christ for them , when they had never any . and to them that talk of inherent righteousness , as less necessary than god hath made it ; i desire them but to mark what christ saith of it , and to remember that sin is much of hell , and holiness of heaven : and that christ came to save his people from their sins , as more righteous than the scribes and pharisees inh●rently , and to make them a peculiar people , zealous of good works , and holy as god is holy ; and to bethink them whether to disgrace the building , be to honour the architect ; and whether the ●orth , or the worthlesness of the work , more honour the work-men ; and whether the cure of the sick dishonour the physitian : and whether to say , that my clock or watch will go by artificial means , or only no longer , than the work mans-finger only moveth it , do more honour the artist : and whether the psalms would so much call us to glorifie god for his works , if all that is ascribed to his works , were taken from his honour . the lord teach us better to understand that word , that maketh the simple wise , and not to set christ against himself , and against his own honours , government and laws , a defence of christ , and free grace , &c. chap. 1. prefatory . ortho. sir , having my self , and the congregation which i am related to , been in danger of the errours called antinomian ; i wrote to you , to intreat you , who have done so much heretofore , to conquer and extirpate those errours , to get the london ministers , to publish their judgments against dr. crispe 's book , and such others , now re-printed , and rising up with re-newed danger . reconcil . you did so , and i answered you ; 1. that i thought it not seasonable , till the acceptance and success of that book and such others , made our danger so notorious and great , as would clearly justify our confutation : i have written on that subject so much already , 1. in my confession of faith. 2. in my apologies against mr. craud●n , mr. aaires , and others . 3. in my disputations of justification . 4. in my life of faith. 5. in my justifying righteousness , and there against dr. tully ; and my last animadversions on mr. cartwright . 6. in my cathol●ck theol●gy , especially the five last chapters . 7. and in my methodus theologiae . all which , are unanswered to this day , that i know not why i should be forward to write much more : for they that will not read this that hath been so long written , are not like to read it if i yet write more . and i am so fearful of stirring up the hidden spark of this mischief , that having written fourteen years ago a short decision of a multitude of these controversies , i suspended it , lest it should kindle new oppositions . 2. and i told you , that we have now such publick and dangerous controversies , about royalty , prelacy , conformity , &c. that it is very unseasonable to make a noise of the errours and factions among the tolerated , though they should somewhat increase by advantage of our silence , till we see what publick settlement there will be . 3. and i confess , i have an opinion that accidentally the books which you fear , will so effectually confute themselves , that they will occasion more good among sober knowing christians , than hurt to the ignorant professors , that will be tost up and down with every wind of doctrine . for , 1. the whole tenour of the bible is against them . and will not christians read the bible ? 2. the divine nature on the soul , and all christian experience is against them . and will not christians know that work and doctrine of gods spirit in them ? for ins●ance ▪ 1. will they that are saved from atheism ever believe that the most holy god is the maker of sins , yea , and m●de his own son the greate●● sinner in the world , when the devil himself cannot make one man a sinner , but only tempt him ●o be su●● ; yea , that god made himself ( in the second person ) a sinner . 2. will christian● eas●ly believe , that our saviour came to del●ver us ●rom sin● by making himself worse 〈…〉 becoming the greatest ha●er of god a●d g●●●ness , the greatest infidel , atheist , blasphemer murderer , adulterer , lyar , thief , &c. in all the world , and consequently like the devil , hated of god , and having a hell in himself ? all christians believe that our sins were laid upon christ as to their penalty , that he was vicarius poenae , that he suffered for us , the just for the unjust , to reconcile us to god , and that he was made for us , a sacrifice for sin , that we might be healed by his stripes , and washed in his blood. but what christian can believe dr. crispe and his sectaries , that christ took not only the punishment and guilt ( reatum poenae ) but all the very sins themselves of all the elect , habitual and actual , privative and positive , of omission and commission , and so really became the most wicked man in all the world ; and that lie saveth us from sin , by becoming a thousand times worse himself , than any of us ; when it cannot be proved that any one devil had so great a hand in mans sin , as to make all our sins his own ? and dr. crispe well vindicateth god from false imputation of that sin to christ , which was not his : but it is by blasphemy , making that his , which was never his , even the very sins of all the elect. 3. and do you think any soul that hath the spirit of god , and readeth and believeth the scriptures can believe this dr. that no sin can possibly hurt the elect , because they are fully saved already by christ ? and that it is against christ and his grace , to intend our salvation , or any good to our selves by any duty we do , or to look to be ever the better for praying , obeying , believing , but must do all only in thankfulness , and for the good of others . 4. do you think that a man ( not to say a christian ) can believe that the torments of the stone , gout , collick , convulsion , &c. are no hurt , or no castigatory penalty ? and that it is no hurt or punishment for an elect person to be under decays of holiness , increase of sin , prevalency of temptations , the terrours of god , and loss of his consolations , and fears of death : he that can believe all this , may believe transubstantiation against all the senses of mankind . a hundred of such instances may be named , which have so ugly a countenance , that men that loved their souls , will be affrighted from antinomianism , by the reading of them . and i further tell you , that too sudden and eager disputing against heresy , doth but engage men to stretch their wits to find out what to say to defend it , and to take those for enemys to god and them , who shame their folly . and i must confess , that tho' i am much for ministers associations and consultations in order to concord and mutual edification ; i am not much for the way of deciding doctrinal controversies by majority of votes , remembring what councils have done that way these 1300 years , and how often either errour or unskilful decissions have the greater number ; so that tho' now with us , they will consent against errours ; it may be taken for a precedent for erroneous pluralities , to tyrannize or tread down truth hereafter . ortho. but shall we therefore let heresy spread unresisted . reconcil . no , but you will let it pass uncured , whether you will or not : you let not ignorance , and pride , go unresisted : but if it were not uncured , there would be no such heresies . if all the ministers in england subscribe a detestation of gross ignorance and pride , do you think it would cure them ? doth it cure atheism , infidelity , drunkeness , lust , though all preachers condemn them ? if you can prevail with these men , to read and consider but one half of that which i have written on these subjects , instead of reviling that which they never read or tryed , you will not need to call for more confutations of them . ortho. but a confutation short and newly published , will be read by those that will not read books old and large . reconcil . i have staid since your first motion , to see whether there be like to be any apparent necessity of any renewed opposition to this infection ; and i acknowledge , that now some necessity appeareth to me , in the new and zealous attempts of the erroneous : but god in great mercy , hath raised up many that are fitter to oppose them , than i that in pain and languishing weakness , have time little enough to meditate on my approaching change . but because the erroneous have learn'd of the transformed angel of light , and his pretended ministers of righteousness , to call their errours , the preaching of christ , and free grace , and to say , that all they preach not christ , but the righteousness of man , that wrong not christ as much as they ; i shall by god's help attempt briefly to try , whether indeed they preach christ , or preach against him ; and whether they exalt him , or deny him ; and whether they preach up free grace , or as enemies reproach it . and i shall publish a brief decision of the many controversies of justification , which i cast by these fourteen years , lest i should provoke any to revive the allay'd quarrels : but their new and earnest attempts , do now call it out , by telling us , that this evil spirit is again at work , and calleth us to a renewed defence of truth . chap. ii. an enumeration of the errours which have corrupted christianity , and subverted the gospel . reconcil . before i give you a confutation of the errours of the anti-gospellers , i will promise these two things : 1. i will here give you a catalogue of their errours which i am confute . 2. i think it needful to caution you , what to think of the persons , that you censure them not too hardly , tho' the errours as worded , be very great . i. and 1. as the general fault of their errours , is the confounding of things which greatly differ ; so by this , they corrupt the doctrine of adams communication of sin and guilt to his posterity , and thereby raise more dangerous errours , they feign , that god made a covenant with adam , ( and all his posterity say some , as in him ) that if he stood , god would continue him and his posterity ; and if he fell , god would take it as if all his posterity then personally , sinned in him ; and so , that either we were all then personally in him , or god by imputation would take us to have so been : and so that god's covenant and imputation , made adams sin , ours , further than it is by natural propagation ; not truly distinguishing between our being personally in him , and being but virtually , and seminally in him : and feigning god to make adam not only the natural father and root of mankind , but also arbitrarily , a constituted representer of all the persons that should spring from him ; and so that god made them sinners , that were none , and that , before he made them men . ii. whence they infer , that christ was by gods imposition and his own sponsion , made the legal representative person of every one of the elect taken singularly ; so that what he did for them , god reputeth them to have done by him . iii. hereby they falsly make the person of the mediator , to be the legal person of the sinner , and deny the true mediatorship . iv. but they cannot agree , when this personating of the elect began : some say , it had no beginning , but was from eternity ; because election was from eternity , and we were elected in christ ; and so were persons from eternity in him . v. others say , that it began at the making of the world , christ being then the first of gods works in a super-angelical nature , emaning from the divine , which contained all our persons in it ; as the beams are of , or in the sun. vi. others say , that this personation began at the giving to adam the first law or covenant of innocency , and that christ was a person in the bond or covenant : and that the meaning of it was , thou or christ personating thee , shall perfectly obey ; or thou or he shall die the threatned death for sin. vii . others say , that this personation began at the making of the promise , gen. 3. of the se●d of the woman , &c. and so , that christ personated none under the first covenant . viii . others say , that it began at christs incarnation , when he took the nature of man , and therewith all our persons . ix . others say , that it began on his cross , or at least , at his humiliation , and that he only suffered in our persons . x. others say , that it begins at our believing and our union with christ by faith ; and then he by union personateth us . xi . they deny gods covenant or law of innocency , that required our personal obedience , as the condition of life . xii . they forge a law that god never made , that saith , thou , or thy surety , shall obey perfectly , or dye . xiii . they falsly say , that god justifyeth none that are not really or imputatively perfectly innocent , obedient , and such as never sinned , but kept all that law. xiv . they confound gods covenant with christ as mediator , imposing on him his mediatorial part , and the covenant of the father and son , with faln man , imposing on them the terms of recovery and life . xv. they hold that the first law ( and some of them also moses's law ) is done away as to all the elect , but is still in force to all the reprobates , and was in force to christ : but whether it bound him to obedience as our representative antecedently to mans fall , or only consequently , they are in their confusion at a loss . and they hold that its curse and penalty sentenced after the fall by god , fell on all the reprobate and on christ , but none of it on any of the elect , as having been suffered by christ fully for them . as i have said , the promissary part of that law ceased , and so did the condition of the promise , by mans sin making it impossible ; but the threat did transire in sententiam : and if christ was antecedently in the bond of obedience for us , he was bound not to eat of the forbidden tree , and bound to dress the garden , and bound to take eve for his wife , &c. which are all false . if he were bound by it as our representative after the fall , it bound him when it ceased , and bound not us , which is false : and therefore it was only the law of perfect innocency anew imposed on himself , by the mediatorial covenant that bound him . and if the penal sentence and curse , be executed on all the reprobate , then it is not ceased : and then it must be a penalty , and that curse , even on the elect before they believe , because till then , they have no part in christ . and after they believe , they must bear part of that penalty , called a curse , which was fixed , and not reversed and pardoned ; that is , the privation of those degrees of grace , peace , and joy , which they should have had if there had been no sin : the curse on the earth , sorrow in child-bearing , and death : these cease not now to be penals , but are sanctified penalties . a curse turned to a blessing ; an evil made a medicine to our good ; correction is truly penal , tho' profitable ; christ suffered to attain his own ends , and not to cross them , his ends was not to free the elect from his own government , or correcting justice . xvi . they affirm , that the covenant is made only with christ , for us , but not with us : as it god made none with man , and baptizing and christianity were not covenanting . xvii . they feign god to have made an eternal covenant with his son ; that is , god imposing on god , the law of mediation . xviii . they most dangerously affirm , that christ took not only the punishment of our sin , and that guilt , or reatum poenae , which is an assumed obligation to suffer the punishment deserved by us , ( to be vicarius poenae ) but all our very sins themselves : the very essence of the sin of all the elect ; the reatum culpae : so that , tho' he never did sin himself , yet all our sins , habitual and actual , positive and privative , of commission and omission , became truly and properly christs own sins : and so , that he was truly judged a hater and blasphemer of god and holiness , and the greatest murderer , adulterer , thief , lyar , perjured traytor in all the world , the sins of all the elect being truly his sins . of which dr. crisp is positive and large . xviiii . they say , that god laid these sins of ours on him , and made him properly sin for us , and not only a sacrifice for sin : and so , that god is the maker of the greatest sin. xix . they say , that gods imputation being truly but the accounting one to be what he is ; had not god made him a sinner , his imputing or reckoning him such , had been a lye ; which is true , tho' they nifer falshood from it , taking imputation of sin , strictly for a true estimation . xx. they that make this imputation to be before the incarnation , make god to make himself this great sinner ; that is , christ while he was meer god : and so make us a wicked god. when satan can but tempt us to sin , and it s not proved that any one devil is guilty of all mens sins , they make god guilty of all ; yea , they that lay it on christ only after his incarnation , lay it on him that is god. xxi . they that feign christ to have personated us in his first covenant of redemption , make us by him , to have covenanted to redeem our selves , and to do the mediator-work . xxii . they feign christ to have made such an exchange with the elect , as that having taken all their sins , he hath given them all his righteousness ; not only the fruit of it , but the thing in it self : so that they are as perfectly righteous as christ himself , and so esteemed of god. but here they differ ; 1. some say we have only all his passive righteousness : some say also all his active : 3. others also all his habitual : 4. others , all his essential divine righteousness ; and so are goded . xxiii . this perfect righteousness , they say we have at least from the time of christ's death , before we were born , or had any personal beeing . xxiv . hereby they must needs feign christ , and us to be one and the same subject ; or else the same accidents , habits , acts and relations to be in divers subjects , still the same , which is a contradiction . xxv . hence they say , that the elect have no sin , because it is all christ's , and cannot be his and theirs also . xxvi . they say that christ having perfectly done the work of a saviour , we are perfectly saved , and want nothing necessary to salvation . xxvii . they say all sin past , present , and to come , are pardoned , even that not committed ( that is no sin . ) xxviii . they say , that it is not possible that sin can do an elect person any hurt , christ having been a perfect saviour from it all ; so dr. crispe . xxix . they say , that no prayer , or duty , or act of man , can do us any good , or further our salvation , christ only having done it already for us : so crispe . xxx . they add , that to pray , hear , read , obey , or do any duty , as a means to our own good , or salvation , is to sin against the free grace of christ : but that we must do it , 1. in thankfulness to christ , that hath saved us . 2. and for the good of others . as if it were not as injurious to free graece , to seek other mens salvation as our own ; or we might not do good in love to our selves , as well as to our neighbours : or , as if we ought not to plow , sow , labour , eat , drink , build , &c. for our good ; beca●se christ is all : by this it seemeth , that dr. crispe did not p●each or write his b●oks to do any good ; because he took that to be a denyal of christs grace . xxxi . they say , that under moses law , david and the elect , were not pardoned , till they had sacrificed : but under the gospel , all the elect are absolutely pardoned , without any delay , or condition , or means on their part ; as if there had been so vast difference between the fruits of christ , and the way of his justification , then and now . xxxii . they say , that pardon and justification are absolutely perfect at the first , and so no more sin to be after forgiven , nor any punishment to be remitted or removed . xxxiii . they say , that no elect person suffereth any the least punishment ; because all is forgiven , and christ suffered all ; and that no pain or correction is now penal , or for sin . xxxiv . they talk of our being freed from the law , in so undistinguishing universal words , as if they knew no law , but that of innocency to adam , and that of moses to the jews , and thought it were a priviledge to be lawless , or that christ had no law : and so there were no transgression . xxxv . they hold , that christ was no law-maker , and so must infer , that he was no king , and had no laws of his own , to govern or judge by ; and so deny a chief part of his office , and his kingdom , and government , who is king of kings . xxxvi . they say , if god should punish any sin of the elect , it would be injustice ; because it is all punished already on christ , and the debt is fully paid by him . xxxvii . they take god's covenants and laws to be things so different , as that a law is not his covenant , nor his covenant a law : whereas , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both ; that is , god's statute-law , containing the determinate terms of duty , reward and punishment , life and death ; and both have the same parts , his law having precepts , prohibitions , promises , and threatnings ; and his covenant , as his hath the same : and when it its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , it becometh a mutual covenant by mans consent ; and the law bindeth subjects to that consent . xxxviii . they are so much for a christ without us , that they write as if the work of christ within us , and by us , were a dishonour to christ , that causeth it , if we praise it : as if the pr●●s● of the structure were a dishonour to the builder ; or the cure were a dishonour to the physitian , or the glory of the world , if praised , were a dishonouring of god. god praiseth his servants , and their grace and works ; but if we praise them , they say , we rob christ of his honour . xxxix . they seem to hold , that christ doth all the work of our salvation , immediately , without instruments , or means : and all that is ascribed to subordinate causes , were derogate from him : and so apostles , miracles , ●cripture , writings , preaching , were no means of good , or injured christ ; as if sun and moon , angels and men , dishonoured god. xl. while they say , that no duty must be done , for our own good , or salvation , they destroy natural necessary self love , and directly would drive out all true religion from the world , and harden all the wicked in ungodliness , by taking away those motives , without which , no men are converted , or saved , and kept from sin . xli . they hold , that whatever law or promise in scripture , hath any condition , is part of the law of works : and that the law or covenant of grace , is only of what god will actually and absolutely himself effect , or that efficience it self ; as if the gospel were a law of works . xlii . accordingly , they hold , that god doth not make any conditional promise , or threatning a means of his spirit , or christs communicating of free grace : and so that the gospel hath no conditional promises , tho' there be conditional words ; not understanding that god , who is life , light , and love ; power , wisdom and goodness , worketh by all three , and printeth the image of all on his elect , working by efficient motion , sapiental order , and amorous attractive communication . xliii . they hold , that no mens sins were the cause of christ's sufferings , but the elects : and that the rest are damned for want of a sufficient sacrifice offered for them . xliv . they hold , that all the mercies that the non elect have in all the world , are given them without the purchase of christ . xlv . yea , many hold , that none but the elect have any grace , or any mercy : because it will end in their damnation : and so conscience hath no just accusation , in hell , or here , as for any sinning against mercy ; nor do they owe god thanks for any . xlvi . whereas god hath made , through christ , a general act of grace , or gift of christ , pardon , and life eternal , to all the world , on condition of fiducial acceptance of it as a free gift , and commanded the offer of it to all ; and will doubly condemn the final refuser ; and by this gospel-gift , as his instrument , pardoneth , and justifieth the believing accepters . these men deny the very being of this gospel act : they deny it to be either christ's law , or covenant , or grant. xlvii . they hold , that christ , in our stead , did all that the law bound us to do ; as if he had been a husband , a father , a souldier . &c. xlviii . they say , that christs satisfaction by sacrifice , was the the s●lutio ejusdem , the payment of the same debts of suffering that was due to us ; and not properly satisfaction , which is , redditio aequivalentis , or tantidem alias in d●biti : as if he had suffered death spiritual by loss of holiness , and the torments of hell by an accusing conscience , and the hatred of god. xlix . they say , that by the imputation of his righteousness , habitual and actual , we are judged perfectly just ; that is , such as have no sin , yet he suffered in our person for our sins ; which we are reputed never to have . l. they say , that the inherent and active righteousness which consisteth in our faith , repentance , love , and sincere obedience , wrought by christ in us , doth not constitute us righteous in subordination to christs meritorious righteousness , in any part or degree ; that is , that it is righteousness , that in tantum , maketh no man ever the more righteous , than if he had it not ; q.d. albed● quae non f●cit album , or pat●rnitas quae non constituit patrem ; not distinguishng universal and particular righteousness . li. they talk of justification , in meer ignorant confusion ; not knowing the various senses of the word , or the divers parts of the work : they deride , that distinctions which no reason can deny ; they confound justifying efficiently , justifying constitutively , justifying virtually , by the gospel-gift , or law of grace ▪ justifying by e●i●e●ce , justifying by witness , justifying by plea and advocate , justifying by judicial sentence , and by execution . they set the causes against each others , as if it were a thing that had but one cause ; when they meet with the word used for sen●e and justification by decisive judgment ; they exclude all the included and supposed acts , that is , making men just efficiently , constitutive matter and form , or subject and relation ; the gospel donation and condonation , and all such previous acts : and when they have done , not knowing what they affirm or deny ; they only cry up , the name of christs righteousness imputed , not knowing what imputation is , nor what sort of cause christs righteousness is , whether efficient , or material , or formal by constitution , and and think its true meritorious causality is too little . and in their description , excluded sentential decisive justification , which they had denominated it to be , making it to be only the donation of christs perfect righteousness as in its essence , to be ours ; and so joyning the efficient and constitutive causes , yet leaving out the instrumental efficient , which is the gospel donation , or covenant-gift , and calling faith the instrumental cause , which is no efficient cause , but a moral reception of the free-gift , and a moral qualification as a receptive condition , for our title to the possession : and whereas god never judged a man ▪ righteous , till he had made him righteous ; they say , that to justify , is not to make righteous , but to judge righteous , and yet describe judging by making : yea , and exclude the sentential justification at the day of judgment , thinking that it is all perfectly at our first justification sentenced . as if god the father , christ as king , or prophet , the holy ghost , the covenant of grace , faith , had no hand in our justification , but christs righteousness imputed only . lii . they talk much against being justified by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere , the act of faith ; and when they have done , ignorantly , are the maintainers of it against those that deny it . for when we say that faith doth not justify us , as that phrase signifieth efficiency , but that we are only said to be justified by it , as signifying a receptive condition , or qualification ; they say , that it justifieth us as an instrument which is an efficient cause : and it is the very act or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere ( or nothing ) which they call that instrument : and thus they make a war against themselves , while they ignorantly accuse they know not what . liii . they blindly take paul by works to mean all humane acts ; when as , 1. the whole scope of his disputing , is , against justification by the wor●s which are set in opposition , or competition with justification by christ , and by free grace , such as the jews thought the keeping of moses's law was ; which is the law that he doth all along speak of . 2. and he expresly describeth the works that he exclu●eth , to be those that are supposed to make the reward to be of debt ( for the value of the work ) and not of grace : and do they know any protestant that is either for justification , or salvation by any such works , or for the being of any such ? 3. and is not faith a humane act ? and doth not paul most plainly and frequently say , we are justified by it ? and did he call faith , works ? liv. but to answer this , they erre as grosly , saying , that [ by faith imputed for righteousness ] and our being justified by faith ] is not meant the the act or habit of faith , but the o●ject , christ's righteousness ; not sticking hereby to turn all such texts into worse than ▪ nonsence ; put christ's righteousness instead of the word [ faith ] in all those texts , and try how it will run ? and why is faith named if it have no part in the sense ? they say , that it justifieth not as a work : i say , it justifieth not efficiently at all ; much less as a work in paul's sense , that maketh the reward to be not of grace , but of debt . nor doth it justify as an act in genere ; for then , a quaten●s ad omne , every act would justify ; nor yet as a meer good act or work : for then , every good act would justify as it doth . but we are justified by , 1. this faith in specie , which is our fiducial reception of christ. 2. and that as it is formally made by god , the condition of our participiation of the gift , which is christ and his justifying meritorious righteousness . christ is not instead of faith , and faith is not instead of christ : it is christ believed in , and received ; and not christ without belief and reception . and when they say , that it is the object and not the act ; they multiply the proclamations of their undistinguishing ignorance , unskilfully pretending to distinguish : for the object christ , is considerable ; 1. in esse reali , in himself . 2. or in esse objectivo , which is , but in esse cognit● , in idea or notion : christ in esse reali , indeed , justifieth us , by dying for us , and meriting for us , and doing that which faith never did : but christ in esse objectivo , or cognito , and in our minds , is the form of this faith in specie it self , and not to be justified by the act of faith in christ , is not to be justified by the object as such ; for the object essentially specifieth the act ; thus illogycal heads confound holy things . lv. but these that must have the o●j●ct of this faith only to justify , exclude most essential parts of the object it self . the baptismal faith , is not their justifying faith : belief in god the father , and in the holy ghost , is none of it , and so god the father , and the holy ghost , are none of the justifying object ; when as it is essential to christ , as the object to be one with the father , and sent by him , and to be his express image , and the way to him , &c. and to be conceived by the holy ghost , and to be attested and to operate by him . lvi . yea , these undistinguishers are such dividers , that they exclude most that is essential to christ himself , as mediator , from being the object of their justifying faith : it is not his prophetical office , nor his holy example or doctrine ; nor his kingly office , either in legislation or judgment ; tho' it be as king , that he justifieth by sentence and execution : it is not any part of his priestly office , but his righteousness , habitual , instead of habitual and original righteousness ; active , instead of our active righteousness ; and passive instead of our punishment . it is not his priestly intercession in heaven , nor his giving the holy ghost , nor his raising , judging , or glorifying us , that are the objects of this faith. lvii . but yet they will fallaciously seem subtile by distinguishing , and say , that tho' none of these are the objects of fides qua justificat , faith as justifying , yet they are the objects of fides quae justificat , of that faith which justifieth by another act , meer fallacy . 1. here they must take faith for the habit ; for if it were for the act , , two divers acts are not the same . 2. how is that habit quae justificat , when they say only reception by its instrumentality justifieth ; and that 's only the act ? 3. but qua justificat fallaciously implyeth that faith efficiently justifieth , whereas it is only a dispositio moralis receptiva as a condition ( and they deny its constitutive causality ) and that ( fides qua fides , justifieth at all ) and as a dispositive condition , it is a belief in much more than christs imputed righteousness . lviii . and these ill dividing men , pretending to subtilty , telling us , that it is but one act of faith by which it justifieth , are so far from being able to tell what that one act is , that , it is enough to cast all their disciples into despair , if , till they know it , they must not know that they are justified . lix . for they feign it to be one only physical act , whereas , in moral subjects , an act containeth many physical acts : faith in christ is a covenanting act , like a contract of marriage , or between prince and subjects , or captain and soldiers , which is many physical acts. lx. hereupon they are at a loss in what faculty it is , whether the intellects assent , or the wills consent , or affiance or practical obedience ; and whether it be one act only ●am●ro , or only specie , and what individuates an act ? lxi . and they unavoidably cast men upon their supposed justification by works , while they seign all acts , save that one ( they know not what ) to be works : yea , many take every act to be works , as is aforesaid . as when they say , that it is only resting on christs righteousnes● , as made ours in it self by imputation ; they hereby make the belief of the godhead , and of the truth of the gospel , and of the life to come , and repentance , and confessions , and love to god and to christ , and thankfulness , and prayer , and self-denial , to be all works of the law , which free grace in this excludeth . if assent be that one justifying act , then he that thinketh it is consent , or hope , or trust ; or that denying his own righteousness is any part of it , is fallen from grace , by looking for justification by works . lxii . they do not only say , that grace is not free , if it have any positive condition , but also if it have any negative condition ; that is , that if a pardon be offered a traytor , on condition that he will not refuse it , cast it in the fire , and spit in the face of him that offereth it , or will not seek his death : this is no free pardon , unless he may have leave to hate and stab the prince that pardoneth him . and here you see what these take for works ; even such things as are neither works nor acts at all , but meer nothings . not to resist , oppose , refuse , dispise grace : not to believe the devil and his agents , that call christ a deceiver , and that deny god and the life to come : i do not say , that such meer negatives are all the condition of pardon and justification ; but these are included in the positive condition ; and yet to take any of these for any part of the condition , is supposed to be , to look for justification by works , because all such conditions are taken for works , save one simple act of faith. lxiii . this is because they know not what a meer condition is , when they have laid salvation on the denial of it ; when as it is no cause at all ( as such ) of the effects , but as imposed , it is a bar put to the effect till the condition be performed ; as the lawyers say , lex addita negotio quae do●●● praestetur eve●tum suspendat ; and as performed , it is the removing of that imped●ment . opening the windows , or not shutting them is no cause of the light ; nor opening our eye-lids any cause of our seeing ; but a removing of that which hindereth the light : it is a necessary disposition of the receiver , but no efficient cause of the effect ; and so is faith to our justification or pardon . and therefore note , that whereas many reforming protestants write for the instrumentall interest of faith in our justification , i number not them with the forementioned subverters of the gospel ; for by instrumentality they mean no efficiency , but receptivity ; unhappily using the name of an instrument improperly and without due expl●●ation ; and as dr. twise tollerably calleth it , causam dispositivam subjecti recipientis ; so dr. kendal likeneth it to boys playing at ball or cat , that make their hats the instruments to catch the ball or cat in : this giveth them no efficiency , so that they only miscarry by choosing an equivocal name , and placeing too much of the controversie on that name , when there be proper words enough at hand ; and also in that they distinguish not duly between physical and moral reception , when they should tell us that faith is not the physical , but the moral reception of christ , to receive in sensu physico , is nothing else but to be the passive t●rminus , of an agents efficiency , and is signified by passive verbs . to receive justification , sanctification , adopti●n physically , is nothing but justificari , sanctificari , &c. to be justif●ed , sanctified , adopted : but to receive morally , is accipere , to accept the gift by consent , and exercise th●t consent by contract , and containeth ( as is a●oresaid ) many physical acts ; as to receive a tutor , a master , a physitian , a king , a husband , &c. and such is faith , a receiving ( not of righteousness only ) but of christ with all his offered benefits . and when they say , that other acts or graces may be conditio●s , but none but faith is the instrument ; 1. certainly that called by them instrumentality , is but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creder● ; the act it self in specie , and the conditionality is the nearest reason of its interest in our justification . 2. and there is nothing more in the nature of assent , trust , or any act of faith , be●●des meer acceptance or consent , why they should be called receiving , than in love , desire , glad●ess , hope , or seeking . 3. and accepting christ as our teacher , king , and intercessor in heaven , is as much conditional and necessary to our justi●●cation and salvation , as accepting his justi●●cation and deliverance from punishment . that which men are most averse to ( love , holiness , and obedience ) is made the condition of that which men more easily accept . and indeed those that ( in sensu phy●ice ) they call other conditional acts , are but modifications , or parts of the same moral act which is the condition . the faith by which we are justified , is that true christianity which includeth our believeing consent to god the father , son , and holy-ghost ; our belief of christ , and our thankful acceptance of him to be our teacher , intercessor or priest , and king , with his offered grace ; and that this acceptance is with desire , love , and hope , exprest in a holy contract or covenant . this is the souls marriage with christ , and allegiance to him , and it includeth the renouncing our trust in all creatures , or in any righteousness of our own , so far as they would usurp the least part of christ's office. work , or honour . none of all this is justification by works . lxiv . they erroneously tell us , that nothing is properly a condition , which is it self a free gift . as if god could not command and give the same thing , and make his command a congruous means of giving . lxv . they erroneously hold , that nothing can be called a condition of one gift of the covenant , which is not a condition of all : whereas god hath many anticedent gifts before any condition be so much as imposed : without any condition , he gave us our being , and gave us a saviour , and the gospel , and the conditional covenant , and offers of grace : and why may not the reception and use ( or not rejecting ) of a former gift of grace , be made a condition of the giving of more ? to him that hath , shall be given : may not faith be the gift of god , and yet be the condition of justification and salvation ? lxvi . they erroneously hold , that when a man is once justified , the continuance of his justification is absolute , and hath no imposed conditions : contrary to christs own words , joh. 15. and many plain texts of scripture . lxvii . they erroneously put free grace and free will in such opposition , as if nothing could be an act of free grace , which imposeth any condition on free will : which is true , if by free will they mean freedom of natural sufficiency , as free without grace from vitious habits and inclinations ; for we have no such free will : but these men know not what free will is , nor distinguish freedom from prohibitions , and from constraint , and necessitating predeterminating efficient premotion , from moral freedom . lxviii . in some points forementioned about faith and justification , the unapt words and methods of some reformers give them advantage ; but dr. crispe and the gross antinomians , take faith to be neither cause nor condition of justification , but meerly the receptive belief , that we are justified already ( before we were born ) ; so that faith justifieth only in our consciences , which is but to be conscious that we are justified . lxix . accordingly dr. crispe maintaineth , that election and justification are known only by two means , the spirit within revealing it , and faith receiving it ; that is , the spirit inwardly saying , thou art elect and justified , and faith believing this ; so that neither of these justifie us , but only make us know it . lxx . they m●stake the meaning of the witness of the spirit ; as if it were but an inward inspiration and impulse equal to a voice , saying , th●u art elect and just●fied ; whereas it is an inherent impress , and so an objective evidencing witness , even the divine nature , and image of god , and the habit of divine ●●lial love , by which gods spirit marketh us out as adopted : as likeness of the child to the father , and love , are an evidencing witness of true son-ship : and as reason is a witness that we are men , and as learning is a witness that we are learned : so sanctity is an evidencing witness that we are the children of god ; holiness to the lord , is his mark ▪ and he that nameth the name of christ , departing from iniquity , hath gods impres : yet there are other subsequent parts of the spirits witness ; that is 1. causing us to exercise ; 2. and to know the grace that he hath given us ; 3. and exciting in us a joyful perception of it . lxxi . hereby they destroy the assurance and comfort of most ( if not almost all ) true christians in the world ; because they have not that inspiration or certain inward word of assurance , that they are elect and justified . i have known very few that said they had it : and of those few , some fell to debauchery , and some to doubting . and though prophetical inspiration prove it self to them that have it , it s not possible for others to know , but that a counterfeit fanatick conceit may be it . lxxii . hereby the ungodly are dangerously tempted to damning presumption , and security : while , if they do but confidently believe that they are elect and justified , they are quieted in sin . lxxiv . dr. crispe copiously maint●ineth , that a man cannot be sure that he is justified either by s●●cerity , or v●iversal obedience , or love to the go●ly , or any such grace ; to the dishonour of holiness , the contradiction of scripture , and the ov●●throw of the comfort of believers . lxxv . they tell us , that we must not fix s●t times for prayer , or other worship , , but stay till gods spirit move us , or tell us when to pray . as if god were not the god of order , but of confusion ; and did not move us as reasonable creatures , by a rational guidance of us : they would be loth to follow their crooked rule in commo● things , and to keep no set-times for their trading , labours , dyet and rest ; and not to work or eat , or sleep , till the spirit moveth them . and god maketh use of reason and order , in things spiritual as well as in things natural : and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets . lxxvi . they reprove us for perswading unconverted men to pray , because the prayer of the wicked is abominable ; and they ●●ould stay till they have the spirit of prayer : and is a tavern or a whore-house , a sitter pl●ce to get that spirit , than on their knees by prayer ? when god himself saith ; to thee shall a●l fl●sh c●me : se●k the lord while he may ●e foun● ; call upon him w●ile he is near : let the wick●d ●●●sak his way , &c. wicked prayers of wicked men , that are but to quiet them in sin , are abominable ; and no prayer of an impenitent unbeliever hath any promise of certain success . but a●ab , and ni●eve , and millions of sinners have found , that there are some prayers of the unregenerate , that are better than none . a●d do they think , when we perswade them to pray , that we perswade them to continue impenitent ? no , it is but perswading them to turn and live : for praying is a returni●● motion , and we say but as peter , repent and pray , if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forg●●●● thee . not to exhort men to pray , is not to exhort them to desire grace , and true conversion : common grace , and natural self-love have their desires , which are not all in vain ; it s better to be near the kingdom of god , than to be dispisers of it . god hath fixed the time of the lord's day , and the undisposed must not say , we will not keep it till the spirit move us ; as it is a dut● to relieve the poor , so it is to pray , as soon as god commandeth it ; and none must say , i will not give or pray till the spirit move me , but wait for more help of the spirit in the way of duty . lxxvii . that , because no man can come to christ too soon , therefore no man can too soon believe that he is elect and justified , though he have no evidence to prove it , and though he know not god , or christ , or the spirit , or the gospel . lxxviii . that men are bound to believe that christ believed for them , and repented for them , and must no more question their faith and repentance than they must question christ ( as saltmarsh speaketh ) , as if christ had had sin to repent of , or a saviour to save him from it ; and , as if this were no covenant-condition required of our selves , as necessary to our justification . they may next say , christ that is holy for them , shall be saved in stead of them . lxxix . that to believe , that we are elect and justified , is fides divina , a believing the word of god , because his spirit 's witness of it , by inspiration is his word . lxxx . that nothing done by an unregenerate man , by common grace , maketh him any fitter to believe and be converted , that if he were without it , because it is sin . lxxxi . that it is no grace , which is not unresistible ; and because we cannot merit it , we cannot resist , and forfeit it . lxxxii . that pardon and justification , being perfect , the first moment of our faith , therefore it is only one momentous act of faith only that justifieth us ; and no act of faith it self justifieth us after that hour . this is held by the more moderate sort , who say not , that we are justified before faith. lxxxiii . that we must act from l●●● , but not ●or life ; as if natural life were not to be used for spiritual life . lxxxiv . they hold , that sin being all ( past , present , and future ) pardoned at first , we must not ask pardon any more , but only the fuller belief and sense of pardon . lxxxv . they hold , that no sin , or declining of a justified person , should ever make him doubt of his justification . lxxxvi . they hold , that the meaning of rom. 8.28 . is , that all the sin that an elect , or justified man committeth , shall certainly work for his greater good , when the text speaketh but of enemies and sufferings , and all the providences of god ; as if it were the way of god's wise and holy government , so far to encourage men to sin , as to assure all that love god beforehand , that the more they sin , the better it shall be for them , whereas he hath filled the scripture with so many terrible threatnings against sin and backsliding . and , as if ●o ●usti●ied person , by sin , did ever gnow wor●e than ●efore , or love god l●●● , or at all disple●se him . or it were for our good to be worse , and love god less , or displease him , or lose a●y me●sures of grace and glory 〈◊〉 title ▪ lxxxvii . they take justification in the great day of jud●m●●t , to be none of our proper justification by faith , because that was done before but a decla●●●●●● of ●● : as if justification had but one degree , and the word but one sence ; or any were persect●r justification than that , and a de●isive sentential declaration , were not the most eminent . lxxxviii . those that confess works of obedience to christ , to be the condition of glorification , yet deny it to be a condition of justification in judgment ; when as to justifie us in judgment , is to justifie our right to impurity and glory , and so the condition must be the same . lxxxix . though god oft , and plainly saith , that all men shall be judged according to their works , and according to what they have done in the body , [ good or evil ] ; and to judge , is either by decisive sentence to justifie , or to condemn ; or executively to reward and glorify , on to punish ; yet many that confess that men shall be so judged , do deny that they shall be so justified , though justifying be judging . xc . though the word [ according to their works ] do plainly signify , the cause to be then decided , in order to the sentence of salvation or damnation ; and christ mat. 25. and elsewhere , hath largely enumerated the parts of the cause , and call it righteousness , and that with a ca●●al particle ; and though the scripture mention our inherent and acted righteousness , ( in terms of the same signification ) above six ●undred times ; and that as the thing that pleaseth god , and that he loveth , hateing the contrary ; telling , us that the unrighteous shall not enter into heaven , &c. yet do they feign , that all that godliness which hath the promise of this life , and that to come , and which god , is said as a righteous judge to reward and crown , is mentioned only as a sign of the elect and right●ous , and of faith , and not as the cause to be then decided , or as a rewarded thing . and for whom is this s●●n so solemnly produced ? god knoweth us without signs : his light in our consciences will make us know our selves , by internal per●eption . and if it be to confute the devil and his servants that slander us , it is for want of righteousness , and not only for want of si●●s of it , that we are accused ; and it is more than sig●s that must co●fute them for our justification . and the judgment is not to be managed as at a human ju●icature , by talking it out with every person , but by an universally convincing light , that at once can shew every man in the world his own part●cular case , as in it self ; it is not sig●s , not ri●ht●ousn●s● , that hath the promises of r●w●rd : and there is no righteousness that so far maketh not a man righteous , and so far justifiable . xci . they ( some of them ) say , that we shall need no justification against any false accusation . for who should accuse us ? christ will not , cons●ience will not ; and devils , say they , will have something else to do : and they know , that false accusation will be in vain before such a judge . the sum of this , is , that there will indeed be no day of judgment , and no justification by decisive sentence ; yea , and no salvation ; for actual glorification will be a sentence , manifested by execution ( which mr. laws●n thought was called the judgment . ) and if no judgment , then no judge , no reward , no condemnation , and no punishment : if any judgment , there must be persons , and a cause to be tryed and judged . 1. the cause of that day , will not be , whether christ be a sufficient saviour , or have made sufficient satisfaction ? it is not for christ to judge himself : it is not to judge god , whether he elected us ? it is not to judge , whether we were of the seed of adam , or whether we ever sinned ? or whether the law of innocency condemn us ; and our sin deserve everlasting punishment ? there is no justifying us against any such accusation : it must be all confess'd we were the sinful children of adam ; we deserved condemnation . but the cause will be , 1. whether we are lyable , by guilt , to future punishment ? and against this , our pardon justifyeth us . 2. and , whether we have right to the heavenly inheritance ? and in this , the gospel-donation , covenant , or promise , justifieth us ; and both thro' the merits of the sacrifice , and righteousness of christ . 3. and the other part of the cause of that day , is , whether we have part in christ , and the merits of his righteousness ? in which our faith , and god's covenant will justifie us . 4. and the question , being , whether this faith be that which had the promise , and not a counterfeit ; the description of it , by its acts and part , and not only by adventitious signs , must be our justifying evidence : the faith that hath the promise , is essentially christianity , or a covenant , accepting of god the father , son , and spirit of christ , as our teacher , priest , and king , by affiance , expressed in assent , consent , and subjection : and all that is essential to this ; yea , the necessary integrality and modification have their parts in being the cause of the day . and as to the case of accusation ; 1. a virtual accusation by the law , which we have broken , and condemneth us , requireth a justification , if there were no more . 2. the glory of christ's merits , righteousness and grace , requireth a justification of us , against our real guilt . 3. and is not satan the accuser of the brethren , and that before god ? and did not his malice so work against job , though god contradicted him ? it is certain , that sentential and apologetical justification relates to accusation ( virtual or actual ) and condemnation . who shall condemn us , it is god that justifieth us ? and if we are not justified against false accusations , we shall never be justified against any . but we all confess , that we are made righteous , efficiently by grace , and constitutively by righteousness , in despight of all satans true accusations , and against all our own unworthiness , ungodliness , ( antecedently ) and guilt ; and that before all works and perseverance , save a true accepting faith in christ : but if we shall in judgment be decisively de●lared righteous , by that which constituteth us righteous ; ( of which , no knowing man herein can doubt , god judging all things truly as they are ) then certainly will men by decisive declaration , be judged righteous , as being pardoned and adopted by the merits of christ , and qualified by true faith , repentance and obedience , for that guift . xcii . they absurdly hold , that to be justif●ed , as to the sincerity of our faith , from the charge o● hypocrisie , or unsoundness , it is not the justification of the person : a contradiction that i am ashamed to be long in confuting . is it the fa● and not the person that is to be judged ? is it not as it is the perso●s faith ? what is it to ●●stifie his faith , but to justifie him to be a true ●elieving christian , and so to be an heir of the pr●mise : the necess●ry qualif●cation of faith ( 〈◊〉 ●t be operative ) is as truly a part of the condition of the promises , as that faith be faith indeed ▪ indeed some sound divines say , [ that fait● just●fi●th us as sinn●rs , and works justifi●th our faith , as ●c●us●d believers . ] but they never meant th●● by justifying our faith , it ●usti●eth not our persons : but that we are at f●rst , co●stitut●d just , and adopted , upon the ●●ndition of a consenti●● covenanting f●ith , b●f●re we h●ve time to she● it by outward works , and that we are conti●ue and judged , j●stified and intitled ●● li●e , o● condition of our performance of the essentials ●f o● covenant . xciii . th●● hold , th●t we are justified ●● the s●me law or c●v●●●●t of innocency , which condemneth ●● : because ●ay they , we have fulfilled it in , and by c●●●●t ; falsly ( as is aforesaid ) supposing , that c●r●st was either such a surety as w●● in the same bond , di●j●nctively with the principal , or else that the principal ( man ) was allowed to do his duty , or ●ear his suffering by another : and so they deny the gospel-covenant , and gift , which is that indeed , which justifieth us by the way of redemption , falsly supposing , that the very damning law doth justi●e us , by way of prevention , as innocent , as having fulfilled it in christ . xciv . they suppose , that christ will not judge and justifie us , ac●ording to any law , by which he governed us , but only by declaring his absolute de●ree and will ; giving no reason of his sentence , from the cause of different performance , or ●on performance of the pers●ns j●dged ; and so that judgment is no act of moral government , or of reward , contrary to all the scripture . xcv . they falsly suppose , that pa●●● of si● , i● no justification , constitutive , or sente●ti●l . because , say they , that doth but save us from punis●ment ; but to be righteous , is to be by imputation , such as have kept all the law , and so h●ve never sinned . but we have no such righteousness a● they thus feign ; when the question is , whether we are s●nners ? we must confess it , and ●ot plead that we have no sin . but when the question is , whether we are to be condemned , pardon is o●r righteousness ; and having the pardon of all sin original , habitual and a●tual , of omissi●n and commission , we are in st●●●● 〈◊〉 p●●●u●● ; and if th●● 〈◊〉 enough , to intitle u● t● glory , a●option added to it , is : and so 〈◊〉 ri●ht is ●●sti●●●d . xcvi . they 〈◊〉 th●● to hold , that c●●●s● , righteousness and me●i● , i● to make our f●i●● and holy obedien●e , 〈…〉 , is a p●●●sh d●ctrine against f●●● grac● : a● if c●ris● had 〈◊〉 ●●me to save his people from their sins , and to make them holy , and zealous of l●ve and ●ood works ; or god were grown so indifferent to his 〈◊〉 , and to christ within us , and so forgetful of all his promises of reward , that he would ac●ept and reward our fidelity , and obedience to christ , ●ever the more for all c●r●st's meritorious sacrifice , righteousness and intercession , which is the only price that purchaseth our acceptance ; and as if judgment should make no difference between mens rewardableness , but only judge christ to have been a saviour to the elect. xcvii . they devise a plea for the justifying of all the wicked damnable hypocrites in judgment ; while they tell them that there will be no need of a justification against the charge of hypocrisie and unholiness , but only against the charge of being sinners ; and so they can say , that all were sinners as well as they ; and that christ was offered them as a saviour that had made a sufficient sacrifice for their forgiveness : and they professed to believe in him , as their saviour : and as to the soundness of their faith , there will be no need of justification . and if christ say , i was hungry , and ye fed me not , i was naked , and ye cloathed me not , &c. they are taught to say , the righteousness of their own personal holyness or obedience , is none of the cause of the day , to justifie them , or to be tryed , and justified . xcviii . some say , that christ reconciled man to god , but did not reconcile god to man ; because god was at no enmity with the elect , but loved them from eternity ; and to the reprobate , he is unreconciled . it is true , that christ made no real change on god by his reconciliation : but by his sacrifice , and merits , and intercession , he made it a thing just and meet for god to forgive and save us , notwithstanding all our guilt , all his holiness , justice and truth ; and so dissolving our obligations to punishment , and removing the impediments of our reconciliation ; he is by extrinsick denomination said to be reconciled to us , when he is no way bound to damn us ; and this without any change in god ; but the clouds being thus dispelled , that were between god and us , his face as reconciled , shineth on us . god was in christ reconciling the world to himself , by making them capable of personal plenary reconciliation , by purchasing a free pardon to be offered to all ; tho' they have after need to be intreated to be personally and actually reconciled to god ▪ 2 cor. 5.19 , 20. gods love of benevolence , goeth before his love of complacence , tho' the change be really in the object only . xcix . dr. crispe , and all that say , that our own obedience and duties and personal righteousness do us no good , nor further our salvation ( christ doing all that ) and that it hindereth salvation to do any thing for salvation , do plainly make heavenly blessedness , and god himself , as sought , loved and enjoyed to be against our salvation . for all our sanctity , is but our love of god , and our fruition of him : and the perfection of this , is our heaven and happiness ; and holiness is here the beginning of it : and if it be against the grace of christ , to seek heaven and the fruition of god , and to be receptive of it by holyness , and to seek god , be the way to keep us from him ( as not going out of our selves to christ ) ; how then is christ the way to the father ? how doth he bring us to god ? why doth he sanctify us , and bid us seek and strive to enter ? will heaven be against heaven , and god against god to us ? if so , then striving to be saved from sin , and hell , is the way to bring us to sin and hell ; which none would hold , that knoweth how much of hell sin it self is , and how much holiness is of heaven . c. they falsly reproach the orthodox that erre not with them , as enemies of free grace , and as not going out of themselves , and by odious words , as being for justificatio● by works : when it is th●y themselves that overthrow all justification , and t●e gospel , as justifying us , and justi●●cation by faith it self , calling it tò cre●●re , and a work : ridiculously , making tò cred●re and faith , to signify diversly : and tell us not when it is the phrase , and when it is the the meaning , that they oppose . if it be the phrase that they oppose , they condemn christ , and the scripture ; that say , men are justified by their words and works . if it be the sence , let them tell what that sence is , which they accuse ; and not consound the controversies of the name , and of the thing . those that they reproach , renounce all works for justification or salvation , that arrogate the least part of the office , merits , or grace of christ ; or that make the reward not of grace , but of debt : yea , all that honour not christ and grace , more than if he had not required them ; and did not , as dwelling in us by his spirit , cause them , and make them acceptable to god : but we will not renounce christ living in us , nor the use , and worth of the image of god. chap. iii. to moderate m●●s 〈◊〉 c●ns●ri●g th● e●r●●● 〈◊〉 . rec●●cil . having enumerated a centur● of their errours , i shall next t●ll ●ou , how , and why ▪ notwithstanding all these gross corruptions , you should m●●erate , and regulate your censure of the men , and of other such . ortho. yo●●av● 〈◊〉 sufficie●tly w●at to think of them , whe● you have told me what they hold ; i must n●ither judge of the faith by the man , ●or forbear judging ●f the man by ●is faith. can any man judge 〈◊〉 hardly of men that overthr●w all religion ? they s●●m to me to be atheists , infidels , anti-christians , prophane , and open enemies of all that is holy and good , ●ave only the name of god , a●d christ , and fr●e grace , and that good which they opp●se . this charact●r of them , i gather from y●ur ●wn words . i. they deny the only true god , and feign or make us another god : the true god is holy , and hateth sin : but they feign a god , who is the maker of sin ; yea , that 〈◊〉 his own son the greatest sinner in the world , by m●king all the sins committed by all the elect , to be really his sins , and so making him the worst of men . ii. yea , whereas devils can but tempt men to sin , they feign god to translate our sins themselves essentially on christ , and so to make him a sinner that could not be tempted to it . iii. they make us another ( pretende● ) christ , and so deny the true christ , and so are anti-christs . the true christ had no sin , but only became a s●crifice for our sin ; which were laid upon him , no further than to suffer for us . but they feign a christ , that was a hater of god , an atheist , a servant of the devil , and the greatest sinner in all the world , and yet sinned not himself . iv. they deny g●d dwelling in us as love , and christ living in us by his spirit , by feigning us to be never the better for his grace and inward operations , as to any furtherance of our salvation ; as if the life of christ within us , were not saving . v. they deny the great ends , and use of a savi●ur , to save us from sin , as a means to save us from hell , and as the means of our glorification ; and as a prophet by his doctrine and example , to teach us how to seek and obtain the purchased salvation . vi. they deny the holy ghost , by denying that his sanctifying work and grace , must be esteemed and used as a furtherance of our salvation : because christ hath saved us by himself already . vii . they d●ny the gospel , while they deny it to be the law or do●ation of god , which as an act of oblivion , is his instrument of our justification and pardon ; our title to life ( for titulus est fundamentum juris ; ) and as the instrument of our virtual justification . viii . they do as anti-christians , deny christ's prophetical offi●e , by which , by doctrine and example , he teac●eth us what w● must do to be saved ; and his kingly office , by which h● maketh laws to rule us , or to ju●ge us by , as the imposed term of life and death . ix . they deny the law of innocency , and forge another of their own instead of it , which nameth christ as instead of us . x. they hold all the elect lawless , and so no subjects of christ , while they say , they are under no law. xi . hereby they deny god and christ's government by law. xii . they have no humiliation for sin , and say , they have no sin ; for since christ's death , it is none of theirs . xiii . they hold , that there is no such thing as sin in the world ( of the elect ) because christ took it from them ( before they were born or had it ; ) and he hath none now in heaven . xiv . they deny all justification by faith , and say , that it is not by faith , but by the object of faith only . xv. they make christ no true mediator , but such a surety as was a party in the bond with us , a●d suffered for his own sin , and was condemned by that law of innocency for us . xvi . they deny justifying faith it s●lf , while instead of it they feign a meer belief that we are justified . xvii . they harden ungodly men in their damning presumption , o●trudi●g on them a belief , that they are elect and justified , tho' un●odly ; and telling th●m , that this is coming out of themselves to christ , and that they cannot believe this too soon ; and that christ hath repented , believed , and been holy for them . xviii . they di●ectly fight against all mens salvation , by telling them , that they ought to do no duty inward or outward , as a means of their salvation , lest it be against christ and free grace which saveth them . and that nothing that they do , can do them any good , nor any sin , possibly can do them any hurt , because they are already perfect , and saved only by christ . xix . they expose christianity to the scorn of infidels , by telling men , that it consisteth in that which every novice in l●gick or reasoning , knoweth to be impossible ; that one mans sins , and one mans righteousness , should be made anothers : not only so far as that others partake of the effects ( christ of our sins in sufferings , and we of the benefits of his righteousness ) which we all maintain ; but that the thing it self , is essentially thus transferred : and so the accidents do transire a subjecto in subjectum : and whereas sin and righteousness , are accidents in the three predicaments of habit ( or privation ) acts , and relation , they feign the habits , acts , and relation , of ●●●us deformity of all the elect , to become in themselves the habits , acts , and r●lati●ns of christ : and the habits , acts , and relations of perfect rig●teousness in christ , to becom● ess●nti●lly the very ha●its , acts , and relati●●s of every person elect. xx. they do ( like the papists that hold transubst●nti●tion ) teach m●n to re●ounce ● m●●●● s●●●● and reason , in believing that no pain , or l●ss o● grac● , is a punishment ( t●● ' but castigatory ) t● the elect , b●cause all punish●ent is suffered by christ . as if c●rists thre●tning [ wh●m i love , i r●●●●e , and chasten ] were a denying ●f himself . xxi . t●●y deny the very essenti●l principle of s●lf-●●●e , w●ile t●●y t●●●h men to do n●thing for their salvati●● . xxii . they co●s●que●tly teach men to d● nothing for t●eir liv●s , h●alth , or any corporal good ; to pio● , ●r so● , or lab●ur . for if they must do nothing for t●● go●d 〈◊〉 the soul , much less of the body : fo● c●rist is suffici●nt f●r b●th . xxiii . t●ey he●eby , dest●oy all preaching , and all 〈◊〉 to ●●hers : for we must love others , but as ●●r s●lves ; and if we may do nothing as for our o●n ●ood , th●n not for any oth●rs . xxiv . they read in scri●ture , a●ove six hundred t●xts , that speaks of i●herent , and acted personal ri●●t●ousn●●● , j●yned with the pr●mises of life and g●ds acc●ptance , and threatnings to th●m that have it ●●t : and yet they by putid contradictio● , say , it is a rig●teousness that maketh no man righte●us , t●● ' ●ut in tantum , subordinate to the me●●●●●●us perf●ct righteous●●ss of christ : and that we are j●●tified never the m●re for it , than if we had it not . and so it is , as learning that makes not learn●d , or li●eness that maketh not like , &c. that is , it is righteous●ess , and no righteousness . xxv . t●ey make the baptismal covenant , and the lords supper , to be no covenanting , or to have no condition : and yet their own church-covenants have conditions , and are of works . xxvi . they deny all the scripture-promises of reward . xxvii . they deny and reproach heaven it self , a great part whereof is in the perfection of holiness , while they make holiness here , and the exercise of it to do us no good , or save us . xxviii . by all this , they would make , 1. the concord of christians impossible , as if they must agree in all this errour . 2. they harden papists in contempt and scorn of protestants . and , 3. they notoriously militate for the kingdom of satan . and now tell me , whether there were ever damnable hereticks in the world , if these be none ? reconcil . many that hold some of the forementioned errours , yet hold not all the rest : all speak not so grosly , as some do . therefore lay your charge , but where it is due . and all are not properly hereticks , that hold the same errour that hereticks do . if all errour were herefy , all men were hereticks . ortho. but he is a heretick , who subverteth the fundamentals . reconcil . if he do it directly and knowingly , he is an infidel : for he is not to be called a christian , or a believer , who denyeth any thing essential to christianity . but you must distinguish between , 1. denying the words , and denying the thing signified by them . 2. between denying directly , and denying by consequence . 1. when words are used in diverse sences , he that denyeth them in one sence , denyeth them not in another : and he that mistaketh the meaning of a word , may deny the word , and yet hold fast the matter signifyed by it and he that speaketh the greatest errour in terms not understood , may mean and hold the truth . 2. and consequences not dis●erned , will n●● prove a man to be a real heretick , or one that holdeth not the truth , which by such consequences he subverteth : therefore all pa●i●ic●t●●s conclude , that consequences are not to be charged too far , when not understood . ortho. who k●oweth mens minds but ●y th●i● words ? what ev●r they be to god who searcheth the heart , they are damnab●e hereticks in foro ecclesiastico ▪ reco●cil . i excuse not the words which i have largely accused : i would save others from them , i confess it is w●rds that the church must judge of , and judge by . but it must be words as signif●cant of the m●tter , and of the mind of the speaker . and therefore the church must try the speakers meaning by informing and convincing questions and explications . i pray you tell me , when you are catechizing your parishioners ( young or old ) do you me●t none that in ignorance speak words that subvert the foundation ? and yet when you better search their meaning , you may find that they mean better than they speak . i write against all their dangerous words , especially to save others from being drawn by them to errour , and to prevent the errour that the church and gospel may receive thereby . ortho. but if they defend them , they are hereticks : for how else shall we know whether they deny not fundamentals ? rec●ncil . i will tell you how ; ask him first , whether he believe the fundamental truth ? if he say , yea : ask him whether if he knew that his consequence contradicted or subverted it , which of the two he would let go ? and by that , you may know which it is that he holdeth fastest . for instance , ask such a one as dr. crispe , whether he would hold that christ was really a sinner , and god made him such , and the essence of all our sins were his , and none of ours , if he knew that this were inconsistent with the perfection and office of christ , and the truth of the gospel ? ask him whether he would hold that the sin of the elect cannot possibly do them any hurt ; nor any duty that they do , be any means or help to their good or salvation , if he knew that this were contrary to the gospel and free grace , and tended to mens damnation ? ask him whether he would hold that our inherent and acted righteousness did not make us so far righteous , and no whit furthered our justification or salvation , if he knew this were a contradiction , and against christ ? ortho. by this rule , we shall judge none hereticks , but infidels ; f●r who will ●xpresly renounce christianity but they ? reconcil . the word hereticks , is variously used as men are inclined : 1. of all that are stiff in any hurtful errour , against sound doctrine ; and so all or most christians are hereticks . for all have many errours , and all men are too stiff in their own conceits . 2. for those that consequentially subvert essentials . amesius is not singular , who saith ( in cas . consc . ) that theology is so concatenated , that every errour by consequence ( near or remote ) subverteth the foundation . i would except only genealogies , chronologies , topography , grammar , & some prophecies & positives : but of meer morals it is not improbable . 3. for all that schismatically separate from the apostolical churches and their commmunion , and gather sects to themselves , for the promoting of their errors ; i provoke you to name to me any text of scripture , that calleth any by the reproved name of hereticks , that did not separate from the catholick church ? though all schismaticks be not hereticks ( for some cause divisions in the church , and yet depart not from it ) : yet all hereticks in ●cripture-sence were schismaticks ; for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signfieth ●ot only the choosing of a new doctrine , but also a new separated sect and church , for the promoting of it . ortho. th●se libertines are generally separatists . reconcil . you are historically mistaken : dr. crispe was a conformist himself ; and so have been many hundreds , who have held some of the forementioned mistakes . have you read luther on the galathians ? and aepinus , and gallus , and am●s●●rphi●s , and s●hlusseloergius , and abundance such lut●erans , who damn george major for saying , that good works are necessary to salvation , and that maintained , that they were hurtful to salvation ( tho' no doubt they meant , that confidence in them was hurtful ) . have you read islebius , that turned from antinomianism to be a papist bishop , and helpt to rectifie luther's phrase , by calling him to oppose him ? have you read learned beza himself , and many , and many such excellent men , both calvinists and lutherans , of imputed righteousness , and against imputing faith for righteousness , and of the definition of faith ? till camero , pla●eus , amyraldas , capellus , testardus , codurcus , bloudel , dallaeus , drelincourt stopt them ; and before them melanchthon , bucer , and after cargius , olevian , vrsine , parcus , scultenus , wendeline , ludovicus crocius , conradus bergius , johannes bergius , martinius , and such other great divines stopt them in germany : how many speak indesensibly ? how many bishops and conformists in england , have held , and written unjustifiable words about justification ? was dr. tully a non-conformist ? no , nor mr. ro●orough , mr. walker , and many such , before the assemblies times . though dr. gell , mr. thorndike , and many such did ill , in inveighing against imputed righteous●●ss , in undistinguishing words ; yet too many by a very ill sence and sort of it , gave them too much occasion ; which put so many learned , judicious divines to explain it , of whom in england the chief were ant. wotton , mr. william bradshaw , mr. tho. gataker , bishop davenant , bishop ro●ert abbot , mr. william fenner , and other zealous converting preachers ; such as jo●n rogers , tho. hooker , tho. shephard , and the new-england churches against mrs. hutchinson , and mr wheeler , that by mr. weld published the narrative ●f the antinomian errors ; and of the strange monsters from mrs. dyer , and mrs. hutchinson , and her death ; and of late , mr. benj. woodbridge , mr. tho. hot●hkis , mr. tho. warren , mr. graile , mr. jessop ; but especially mr. truman , mr. gibbons of blackfryers , and dr. stilling fleet . it is not a thing unknown , that it was not only such as you call separatists , but many bishops and conformists , that in opposition to popery , for want of distinguishing , have such words about imputation , as encouraged the antinomians . therefore you cannot take all as hereticks in the scripture-sence , who hold the same errors . ortho. then we shall not know what h●resie is , i● men d● not segregate themselves to propagat● it . reconcil . you may know what opinions are pernicious , ( or if you will heretical ) when you know not whether the man be a heretick that owneth them : even the heretick hereticating papists say , there must be an obstinacy against sufficient light of evidence . and all ten●tiousness through prejudice , ignorance , or incapacity is not obstinacy . if your schollar or apprentice be seven years learning what you teach him , it may not by that be proved obstinacy . the word heretick is used as please the speaker , in various sences . 1. some call all hereticks that obstinately oppose any opinion ( or truth ) which the church determineth to be believed . 2. some call all hereticks that gather any segregate church to maintain or propagate any error . 3. some call all hereticks , who oppose any poi●t essentiall to christianity ; though but ignorantly by remote consequence . 4. some call those hereticks , who deny some one essential article of christianity , directly and knowingly , while they own the rest . 5. and some call no●e hereticks but those that joyn together , the denying of some essential arti●le directly or by plain evident consequence , and gather segregate churches to propagate it , and do this obstinately against sufficient light : if you will use the name , tell men which of these you mean. ortho. y●u encour●ge heresie , by making it so hard to know a heretick : may we not know them by their doctrin● ? reconcil . you may know what is error , and heretical , when you know not the man to be an heretick : do what you can justly , to save men from their error , without unjust and uncha●itable censuring of the persons . to which end i remember you of the writing of worthy dr. fow●●● , that h●li●ess is the design of christianity : if then it prove that many of these that hold these ●ad opinions , are men of sincere holiness , then christianity in them hath reached to its design : now ●●nd that the most of them that i have known , seem to me to be persons of serious holiness ( notwithstanding their infirmities ) : they are zealous towards god ; they greatly honour christ ; they avoid known sin ; they live justly and charitably towards men ; yea , it is the piety and strictness of the lives of many of them , which hath drawn many well-meaning ignorant persons to their errors . bu●nian , an unlearned antinomian-anabaptist , wrote against the foresaid book of dr. f●wler ; yet ( abating his separation ) i never heard that bunnian was not an honest godly man. if then he attained the design of christianity , was he not a christian ? ortho. could ●e be godly that said a●d did so ●u●h against the truth , and so much to draw men t● his errors ? reconcil . there is no man without many errors : and do not all desire that others should take that for truth , which they take to be truth ? and how few be there in the world , that embody not with some sect or faction , for the promoting of their opinions ? and how few that do not over-vilifie and wrong those from whom they differ ? and bunnians last preachings give me hope that he repented of his errors ; for he zealously preached but the common acknowledged doctrine of christ's readiness to receive and pardon converted sinners . ortho. but unholy doctrine will not make men holy , nor cosist therewith . reconcil . 1. it is holy doctrine , practically received , that maketh them holy ; and that which is unholy , is received but notionally , and so prevaileth not against the power of truth . no doub● but false unholy doctrine greatly tendeth to unholiness of heart and life ; therefore let us all do our best to cure it . but it is not the sharpest censures , nor the greatest fierceness , or foulest words , or punishments , that are the right o● wisest way of cure : but t●e clearest explication of the truth , and the most loving and meek instructing opposers , if god peradventure will give them repentance , to the acknowledging of the truth . ortho. i am sure general councils , and h●ath●ns , bishops and emperors also of old , were severe against hereticks . reconcil . what will you say , if i fully prove , that hereticks themselves , as such , did not mor● hurt to the church , than the stir and violence used against them that were accounted such , hath done , and still doth ? no , nor so much hurt : but what need i more proof of this , than what popery hath done these 800. or 900. years in the world ? did hereticks ever murder so many hundred thousands as the papists did of the waldens●s , b●hemia●s , french protestants , dutch , irish , engl●sh , polanders , hungarians , &c. by wars , massacres , inquisitions , &c. ortho. those men were not hereticks , but men fals●y a●cus●d of heresie : why instance you in papist tyrants ? reconcil . and who think you will be judge who shall suffer as hereticks ? will it not be those that are uppermost , and get greatest strength ? and are those usually the wisest : who is the judge , now in the turks dominions ? and among christians ? who is judge in muscovy , where preaching is forbidden ? ortho. but it is the clergy that is the judge of heresie . reconcil . and how small a part of the earth is so happy as to have the major part of the clergy , wise , sound , honest and orthodox ? where 's the clergy so powerful as in the roman kingdom ? and where more erroneous , or more cruel ? ortho. but you must instance in times of the churches purity , and not in the time of anti christs reign . reconcil . few of us are agreed , when the time of the church-purity ended , from the apostles days ; till the fall of the pagan empire , there were great numbers of hereticks in the church ; and no sword was drawn , or desired , against them , by the churches : and yet all the number of that time , mentioned by epiphanius , hurt not the church , so much as the pride and contention of the clergy , even before dioclesia●s persecution , if eusebius may be believed , lib. 8. c. 1. and for long time after , the church abhorred the use of the sword , or violence , against hereticks : or else martin had not with such abhorrence , separated from the bishops that were for the use of the sword , against the priscilian gnosticks . and whereas austin is cited as the chief that changed his mind herein , his instance is but one , and it is usually abused . 1. it being not against heresie , but schism , that he writeth : the donatists were prelatical zealots , that thought themselves the greater number , and so called themselves the church ; for being the supposed majority in africk , and having the truest bishop , as the papists and some prelatists arrogate the name of the church on those accounts : w●at errour had they more than cyprian , and all his pious councils had , saving their factiousness for their own chosen bishop . 2. and it was not this shism neither , that austin , was for violence against , but to repress force with force ; for the donatists used murder and violence . but come to the times and councils that suppressed hereticks with the greatest zeal . i have nothing herein to say against the council of nice ; though some good men think that they had done better to tolerate the easter-day different ; yea , and to have done less to stir up disputes about one substance : but do you think nestorius did more hurt , by saying , that mary was not to be called , the mother ●f god ; but , [ the mother of him who is god , ] than was done by banishing him ? who was so far from being a sectary , that he was the greatest patriarch , and so deadly an enemy to the tolerating of men , called hereticks , that he began with urging the emperour to prosecute them ; and was justly so used for his violence , as a heretick himself : and being banished , set up so great a party in syria , and other countries , to this day , called nestorians , as continue the abhorrence of the council of calc●don and ephesus , and the church of rome , and the great divisions of the christian church , would the tolerating of the accused phrase have done so much hurt as this ? and did the bishops and councils , that condemned his adversaries , eutiches and dioscorus , and banished him that was the second patriarch of the east , do less hurt to the church , than it would have done , to have patiently instructed them in what sence christ's nature remained two , and to have granted , that in other sence and respe●t , they might be called one , as agreeing and united ? when now the eutychian jacobites , by dioscoru● banishment , fill the vast country of a●a●sia , and many other countries , in divisions from other churches , and opposition to the council of calc●d●n . and did the monothelites do so much harm , by saying , that christ might be said to have but one will and o●eration , ( by concord , called one ) as all the councils and bishops did , by their condemning and prosecuting them , till the imperial churches were by it broken all to pieces ? and did the three words in the writings of theodor●t , ib●● and theodore mopsuest , do so much hurt , as the councils that condemned these tri● capitula did , by woful divisions ? or did they , that justinian called corrupticolae , do more hurt , than he did , by murdering thousands , and wasting aegyp● , and other countries , by his blind zeal against hereticks ? surely there is no comparison in the hurt . epipha●ius himself recordeth how much hurt hereticating heat did , against audius and others called hereticks : and luci●er calaritanus was made a heretick , for his inordinate zeal against the arrians themselves . and i think few now doubt , but the blind zeal of epiphanius himself , and of cyril alexand ; and the council that condemned chrysostom , as if he were not hot enough against origin , did a great deal more harm than good : and that atticus and pr●clus , by their indulgence to the joanites , were fain to heal the wounds that those mens heats had made . and more than socrates and zozomene tell us , that the said atticus and proclus did the church more service , against the novatians , by gentleness and liberty , than their predecessors ever did by their zealous fierceness . the church hath suffered much by sects and heresie , but , i think , much more by the ignorant tyranical attempts of suppressing them , and of such as are falsly accused of them . ortho. but the errours of former times must not stop our zeal against errour , nor reconcile us to heresie . reconcil . but why do we not enquire how far , even the godly orthodox-ministers , in these times , also have been guilty of occasioning that which they justly reprehend ? i have seldom observed any heresie or errour to rise up , but what the orthodox were a culpable cause of : the chief rise of anabaptisty hath been by our most vile abu●e of infant-baptism , 1. receiving all infants of atheists and infidels . 2. and that , on an unproved title , and on the perfidious vows and sponsions of god-fathers and god-mothers , that never owned them , nor intended to perform their vows . 3. and forceing ministers to baptise them against their judgments . 4. and worst of all , instead of causing them at age , solemnly to renew their christian covenants , cheating thousands of ignorant souls , with a ceremony , called , confirmation . so have the separatists risen from the corruptions of the clergy and church , and their wicked lives , and tyrannical impositions and persecutions . and so have these antinomians risen , first , from the papists false doctrines , about their good works ; and next , from many godly protestants , seldom , and unskilful opening the mystery of redemption and grace , and preaching almost all for humiliation , and too little of the wonderful love of god , revealed in jesus christ ; till dr. sibbes and such others , led them into another strein : and , thirdly , by their unskilful managing the doctrine and cont●oversies of justification ; till the breme and french divines abroad , and dav●nant , ant. wotton , bradshaw , gataker , and such others at home , taught them to speak more distinctly and solidly , ( which le blanck hath done above all before him . ) and they , that by unskilfulness have occasioned other mens extreams , should not be over-rigorous against them . enquire into the temper and lives of most of this sort of men , among us of late , [ even dr. crispe , lancaster town , walter cradok , saltmarsh , den , hobson , and such other ] and you will find , that though they had their temerities and blemishes , they were in the main , men , far from wicked and prophane lives ; much more , mr. walker , mr. roborough , mr. craudon , mr. eyir , blind mr. troughlar , dr. tully , and such other that came too near them . i will now instance more largely , in one , who , in the fervour of his zeal , preach'd at pinners-hall-lecture , and after printed a zealous ignorant sermon , against such of us , as judge not as confusedly and erroneously as himself ; when i had avoided preaching on any such subject , and printing what i had long before written on it , lest i should revive the strife ; and yet he is known to be a worthy vertuous man. i will give you yet another proof , that such may be serious godly men , who preach a doctrine , quoad verba , heretical or anti-evangelical . the renovation of an unsanctified soul , requireth a change so great , on all our faculties , as must turn a meer natural man into a spiritual ; and give a man a new end , new principles , and a new heart and life ; and this by divine transforming influence : but to cure one of these erroneous men , there needs not so a great renovation , but only the better informing of an ignorant mans judgment , that was carryed away by education , prejudice ▪ the veneration of his chief teachers , and the weakness of his own dull undistinguishing mind ; yea , perhaps , the cure of his ignorance , in grammar or logick , in some one word , may make him orthodox . could you but get out prejudice and ignorance , so far , as to teach these men but two or three distinctions , in all likelihood , it would cure them , e.g. 1. to distinguish between a surety antecedent , and subsequent . 2. to distinguish between the righteousness of christ , given or imputed to us in se it self , ( one mans accidents made anothers ) and his righteousness given us in its effects and benefits , reputed the sole meritorious cause . 3. between justification by efficiency , ( principal and instrumental ) and justifying us constitutively , ( as matter and form ) justifying by grant in law , or by evidence , or by witness , or by an advocate defence , or by judicial decisive sentence , or executely ; and these , as supposing actual or legal accusations . 4. between the law or covenant of innocency with adam ; the mediatorial law or covenant to christ ; the common law of grace , made with adam and noah ; the covenant of preculianity with a●rah●m ; the political law of mos●s to the jews ; and the law or covenant of christ , of grace , of faith , by which christ doth govern , and will judge his visible church . get unstudied dull heads , but to understand these four distinctions , and you cure them without a new regeneration : and doth not this prove that they are godly ? to instance no more , but in the first ; an antecedent surety is either , 1. a party in the bond ; 2. or an instrument of the party bound . 1. if two persons be bound disjun●tively ( this or that ) to a duty or a penalty , the bond is answered if either of them perform it . if the law to adam had either said , thou , or christ for thee shalt perfectly obey , shalt dress the garden , shalt take eve for thy wife ; or that thou or christ shall suffer for not doing it ; then christ's performance had antecedently freed us from guilt and punishment . 2. or if the law had said or meant , thou shalt obey or suffer by thy self , or by thy substitute or p●r alium as a man may pay his debt by his servant , or appear by his attourney ; then christ's righteousness or suffering would have proved us guiltless . but a subsequent surety , who , after the guilt , doth voluntarily , as a mediator , undertake the discharge of the guilty , is no strict or absolute representative , but , as a mediator , purchaseth the captive , to receive his grace on the terms , and to the ends , which by a law or covenant of grace , the mediator shall appoint . chap. iv. my reasons against a tedious needl●ss c●nfut●ti●n . sect. 1. the chief thing that i intended next to be done , that is , to confute the hundred errors before named ; i am , on further thoughts , discouraged from performing : 1. because , upon perusal , i find that i have already done it so oft and largly in many books unanswered , that repetition is like to be disgracefully nauseous : 2. and they that will neither answer nor read what i have written 34 years ago , or 20 , are not like to read what i shall write now . in my confession of f●ith , printed 1655. i have so largely opened this controversy , about justification , faith , and works , in necessary distinctions , and many score self-evident propositions , and many score arguments , and abundance of express texts of scripture , and above an hundred testimonies of protestant churches confessions , and eminent divines , that i find very little needful to be added : and why should i think they will read more that will not read that ? in my apologies , i have answered them that have opposed , and have had no reply . in my treatise of justification , i have done it over again . in my catholick theology , i have thrice over-done the same by explication and confutation distinctly . in my treatise of justifying righteousness , in a disputation , and an answer to dr. tully , and to mr. cartwright , i have done the same , perhaps too largly . in my methodus theologiae , i have opened the case methodically and briefly . in my life of faith , i have clearly explained it : and must i expect no answer , and yet do all again ? 2. but my great disswasive is , that it will swell the book to so great a magnitude , that few will read it ; should i cite all , or mo●● of the plain texts of scripture that confute them , how great a part of the bible must i transcribe ? yet do they lay salvation on points that no one text of scripture mentioneth . sect. 2. 1. if i should cite all the texts that prove that we are truly sinners , though christ hath been a sacrifice for our sin , and that the guilt of fact and fault , on us , is not taken off by christ's taking the penalty ; but we are verily sinners still ; how great a part of the bible may i recite to prove it ? sect. 3. 2. if i must prove that christ is and was no sinner , by true imputation of our sin , as to the guilt of fact or fault , but only as a sacrifice bear the penalty ; it would be a reproach to the adversaries , to need a confutation of their blasphemy , and all the gospel would confute them . sect. 4. 3. should i cite all the texts that prove us to need , and have an inherent and acted righteousness by grace , besides christs personal righteousness meriting for us , above six hundred texts of scripture expresly prove it ; and how tedious and needless a work is this ? sect. 5. 4. should i prove that all righteousness , so far maketh righteous ; and that making righteous , is a justifying , which goeth before judging us righteous ; and that it is a putid contradiction , to say , that any righteousness doth not make righteous , in tantum , school-boys would turn it into a derision of the opposers . sect. 6. 5. should i prove by argument , that no accident can by ye same numerically in divers subjects , nor tra●si●● a subjecto in su●jectum ; and so the habit , act , and relation of righteousness in christ's person , cannot ●n it self be our habit , act , or relation , unless our persons , and christ's , be really the same ; every novice in logick , would be too much occasioned to insult over the ignorant gain-sayer . sect. 7. 6. should i prove , that to justify efficiently by making righteous , and to justify constitutively ( being our righteousness ) and to justify by plea , or by witness , or by evidence , and to justify in estimation or account , and to justify by decisive sentence of a judge , and to justify executively , and to justify privately in conscience , and to justify publickly before rulers or the world , or more publickly , at the bar of god , are several sences , of the word justification , and several sorts ; what man of sense would not pity the confounder that denyeth it , and talk , as if the word had but one sence ? sect. 8. 7. should i prove that by imputing , paul meaneth truly accounting a man just that is so ; reckoning that to him which he hath , and not feigning him to have what he hath not ; even dr. crispe hath spared me that labour , venturing to say , that the contrary sence of imputing , maketh god a lyar , or deceived . god never judged a man righteous , that was not first made so . sect. 9. 8. should i prove , that by works , paul meaneth those that make not the reward of grace , but of debt ; and james meaneth those that are ●he effects of free grace , and purely subordinate to christ , as commanded by him ; the express texts do make it needless . sect. 10. 9. should i prove , that christ is our king , and ruleth and judgeth by his own law , and hath not made us lawless , and all judgment on rule is now committed to him , and that the very law of nature , is now his law ; and also the law of s●pernatural revelation , called by paul , the law o● christ , the law of faith and of gr●●● ; and by james , the law of liberty ; the whole scope of the gospel , s●veth me that labour . sect. 11. 10. should i prove , that christ in ●sse objectivo , as the object of faith , is the very specifying form of that faith it self ; and so , that to be justified by the object as such , and not by that faith it self , is a notorious putid contradiction ; or should i stand to prove that faith it self , is said by paul , to be imputed for righteousness in meer subordination to the meritorious sacrifice and righteousness of christ , and in conjunction with free pardon and adoption purchased by christ ; how needless a work is this made by the text ? sect. 12. 11. should i stand to prove , that elect infidels , atheists , or wicked men are not justified , while such ( save as god maketh them just by conversion & pardon ) all the scripture tell us , it is needless , and that eternal electing to justification , is not justifying ; nor yet christs dying for us , till he be given to us , as well as for us . sect. 13. 12. should i stand to prove , that men shall be judged according to their works , and that god is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him ; and that christ hath frequently promised rewards , and that the same salvation , which , as to value , is no debt , but meerly a free gift of grace through christ , is yet , as to the order of conveyance , given on condition as a reward , that fatherly love may attain its ends by saptential means , and not only by power ; morally , producing moral effects , in conjunction with love and power ; and thus , that the pardoning and saving acts of the covenant , impose conditions , as receptive qualifications , which yet are all the effects of grace , the whole scripture maketh this a needless task . sect. 14. 13. should i prove the distinctness ; 1. of the law and covenant of innocency . 2. and of the law and covenant of mediation . and , 3. of the mediators law and covenant of grace imposed on us , and sealed in sacraments ; and that the same is both a law and covenant , and that the covenant of grace , is the instrumental gift of pardon and justification ; how much of the bible must i transcribe ? sect. 15. the like i may say , of most of the rest , which i doubt , i have been too large in proving in all the six , or seven , or eight books before named . i thought also , to have distinctly answered th● printed pinners-hall lecture , but he that cann●● find it more than fully answered , in the foresaid books , either never read them , or answers to such a man , will be vain . and i am sorry , that the same hand in another lecture , elsewhere publisheth , that [ that any are brought to believe in jesus , is as great a miracle , as the resurrection of christ from the dead ] p. 223. and after [ there is not a greater instance of the power of god in the whole world , than this , in bringing over the heart of a sinner to believe in christ . ] it grieveth my soul to think what scandals are thus given by good men to papists , infidels and prejudiced scorners , and what work they will make with it . no doubt but faith is a great and difficult work , and wrought by almighty power : for god hath no other power , but omnipotency : omnis dei potentia est omnipotentia , quia infinita . gods power is his essence : but the instances and demonstrations of it , are as various as the effects . your finger or tongue , moveth not , but by omnipotency : but every motion or fly , is not as great an instance or demonstration of power , as faith is . nor faith so great an instance as the making of angels , men , heaven and earth , sun , moon , and stars , their natures , motion and order : divines have hitherto taught , that power is eminently manifested in creation and natural preservation , tho' with wisdom and l●ve ; and wisdom eminently manifested in government , and love in glorifying ( tho' they were conjunct in each ) man cannot work miracles , and that so great . and i do not believe that god damneth all unbelievers , as for want of an act as great as the motion of the sun , or making the world. and if it be a miracle , and as great a one as christ's resurrection , how can any believer doubt at all ? why was christ's resurrection preached by the apostles , so much as the proof of the truth of christianity , and not the faith of every believer ? then we need not go far to prove the christian v●●ity : every poor boy or woman that believeth , hath the fullest proof , and as great and miraculous as christ's resurrection , why send we not infidels and doubters to this miracle , which is about them in all ages in thousands : over-doing is undoing . and yet no doubt , the author saith truly , that faith in christ is so hard a work , that he that never found it hard , hath none ( or hath it but in the seed , and yet unrooted , or untryed . but alas ! infidels find it too hard to them . to conclude , instead of the larger part of the proof or confutations which i intended ; 1. i shall with this , annex a brief treatise , resolving a multitude of controversies about justification , which i have laid by , about fifteen years . 2. i refer you to the foresaid former perforformance of it . 3. were i not disabled by pain , and the approaches of death , i would be ready to answer any sober , rational objector . a post-script . sect. 1. whereas divers say , they were drawn in to prenx their names to this drs. book , because they were told , that the errours were expunged : upon perusal , i find that it is no such matter ; but in vol. 3. ser. 3 , 4. &c. the author rather more frequently inculcateth the worst of them , viz. [ that sin cannot hurt any that are elect , or that christ dyed for . ] and that [ in 1. joh. it is a powerful means to k●ep th●m from sinning , to believe that if they sin , it can do them no hurt . ] sect. 2. the text drew him to use the name of sinning . [ i write to you , that you sin not . ] but did not the contradiction of it to his doctrine convince him , while he read the text against sinning ; judge whether he took not the thing to be impossible ? he saith , tho' such do murder , commit adultery , blasphemy , idolatry , or any such thing , they are no murderers , adulterers , &c. or sinners ; because it is christ's sin , and not theirs , and cannot be his and theirs too ; so that they may live in the act , but cannot sin . object . but it was their sin once , before it was christs sin ? answ . no ; he saith , that it was christ's sin , if not from eternity , at least above sixteen hundred years before we were born . and he that had no being , could have no sin : and gods fore-knowledge of future sin , maketh not sin : nay , he could not fore-know , that which would never be ; so that indeed , christ could not take our sin as his , which was not ours , nor ever would be at all : and if he had , yet i hope they will not say , that now in heaven he is the greatest sinner . and so , there neither was , nor is , any sin in us or christ . sect. 3. but as he repeateth this errour , i will repeat my lamentations and warning to this tempted sect. hear it as speculatoris tubam , the watch-mans trumpet , that would deliver , if it may be , more than his own soul. 1. is it possible , that that which is evil , and the greatest evil it self , can be in us , and done by us , and do us no hurt ? 2. can that do no hurt to the elect , that maketh such calamitous confusions in the world ? what , that which filleth the earth with the darkness of ignorance , idolatry , infidelity , bloody wars , persecutions , torments , flames , famine , malignity , and yet do no hurt to any that are elect , no , not while they are such themselves ? 3. did paul call himself mad against the saints , unworthy to be called an apostle , a wretched man , for that which did him no hurt ? 4. did david write all the lamenting words of psal . 51. and many others ; and asaph , psal . 77 , &c. for that which did them no hurt ? 5. did god pronounce all the curses , lev. 26. and deut. 27. &c. against that sin that will not hurt the elect that then lived ? 6. are the recitals of the jews sins and punishments , psal . 78. and 105 , 106. &c. of things that cannot hurt the elect ? 7. did god send the jews into captivity to babylon for sins that do the elect no hurt ; even for penitent manasses's sins ? 8. are all god's threatnings in the whole scripture , even such as christ's words , joh. 15. heb. 6. heb. 10. and rev. 2 , and 3. against things that are so harmless ? must we serve god acceptably with reverence and godly fear , because he is a consuming fire ; and because it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god , if no sin can possibly do us any hurt ? 9. doth not this opinion contradict every article of the creed , every petition in the lords prayer , and everyone of the ten commandements ? 10. if it be no hurt to be tormented with possessions of the devil , to be lunatick , blind , lame , dumb , torn , &c. why is christ so praised for healing such , and why appealeth he to his works against unbelievers ? 11. if it be no hurt to be mad , what is bedlam good for ? or to be tormented with stone , collick , convulsion , or any disease ; why will these phanaticks seek to physicians , use medicines , and groan in pain ? possidonius would confute his tongue by a sower-face or a groan ; when he said , o pain , thou shalt not make me confess that thou art ( malum ) ill , or bad . 12. why do we not take up with the three first petitions in the lords prayer , if our own interest be not next to be regarded and prayed for ? 13. why pray we for our daily bread , if there be no hurt to want it ; or for the pardon of sin , if punishment be impossible , or hurt not ; or against temptations and the evil one , and evil things , if they be no such ? 14. should none pray but reprobates , if others have no hurt to deprecate ? 15. why should we compassionate the poor , or sick , if sin do no hurt to them ? 16. why do men plow and sow , and labour , and eat , if famine hurt not , and labour do no good , because christ hath done all ? 17. why do ministers preach so much against sin , if it can do no hurt ? 18. what is it that we are to repent of , if sin do no hurt ? 19. why must fasting , and watchfulness , and resisting temptations be used against lust , and other sin , if it can do no hurt ? 20. what is baptism , the lords supper , confession , and absolution then for ? 21. why then should we exhort each other daily , lest any be hardened by this deceitfulness of sin ? 22. why is he called least , in the kingdom of god , who breaketh the least commandement , and teacheth men so ? 23. why is the education of children so great a duty , and he that spareth the rod , hateth his child , if sin will do them no hurt ? 24. what is god's governing justice good for , in punishing sin , if it hurt not ? 25. why must rulers be just , and a terrour to them that do evil , if sin do no hurt ? 26. how can that hurt any other elect person , that hurteth not the sinner himself ? 27. why is it worse to be cast into the sea with a mill-stone , for scandalizing the least , if that scandal cannot hurt them ? 28. why do libertines labour to escape prisons , banishments , fines , or hanging for sin , if it can do them no hurt ? 29. why is man's nature afraid of devils , and the serpents seed , if they cannot hurt us ? 30. why hurt we others by self-defence ▪ and war , if nothing can hurt us ? 31. why hath god put fear into our nature , if nothing can hurt us ? 32. was it no hurt to the elect to be long the devil's servants , and to have our conversion so long delayed , as with many it is ? 33. is sin worse than suffering , if it can do no hurt ? 34. is it no hurt to live and dye in terrible fear of gods displeasure , and in doubts of our everlasting state ? 35. is it no hurt to have faith , love , desire , and joy , weak , and to have still the remnants of unbelief , and other such like sins ? 36. is it no hurt to lose some degrees of love and holiness , which we have had ? 37. is it no hurt accordingly to have the less of glory in heaven ? 38. why are these men for separation and church-discipline , if sin do no hurt ? 39. why pray they for reformation , and church-prosperity , and the thousand years glorious state , if sin be so harmless a thing ? 40. if all that christ merited , be really the elects , immediately on his purchase , are not all the elect in heaven already ; yea , before they had any being ; whence then is all the gross ignorance and errour , and blind defence of satans falsehoods , under the name of christ and truth ? why censure they conformists and others that differ from them ? if all that christ hath , be already ours , and we are as perfect as he , what can duty , or more grace , or heaven , add to us ? and why would they have men read their books , to do no good , and avoid no evil ? is it to make up any imperfection in the obedience or righteousness of christ ? 41. did christ redeem us from under his own government , and the law of grace ? are we not under the law [ of christ and faith , and liberty ] to christ ? or is there any transgression , if no law ? or is it law that we shall not be ruled and judged by ? 42. is it no greater mercy and grace , to make us like our saviour in holiness , and gods image , and the divine nature , than not ? are christ's graces his dishonour ? 43. is it not a vile abuse of his grace , to contemn it , because it is our own ? and to take righteousness to stand against free grace , if it be but our own ? and to pervert pauls words , that accounted as dung his own righteousness , which he sets in competition or opposition to christ , calling it that righteousness which was of ( moses ) law ; when at the same word , he sets against it a righteousness also made his own , which is by the faith of christ . could christs righteousness justify us , if it were not in some kind of causality ( meritorious , material , or formal ) made our own : can an accident of another subject be an accident of us ? and will not distinct personality continue to men , as well as to angels for ever ? we abhor the thoughts of any righteousness that is of our own possessing or working , otherwise than as given and wrought in us , by the merits of christ , and the free gift of undeserved grace ; or any that must not by the same divine power and grace be continued . and all that pretendeth to the least part of the office or performance of christ ; but only what he freely giveth , and which advanceth the honour of his merits and love , and tendeth to please and glorify god , and attain the designed end of redemption and salvation . as to the twelve names that are prefixed to the book , i leave it to themselves , to speak their own cause : only i can say , that one of them taketh the words , if mean't , as they are written ( and indeed inculcated ) to overthrow christianity , and humanity . and i doubt not , but some of the rest are of the same mind , and had not read the book , or the preface , so as to know what was in them . finis . the contents . chap. 1. prefatory . page 1. chap. 2. an hundred of their errors described . p. 6. chap. 3. to moderate the over-hot censurers of their persons . p. 38. chap. 4. reasons for present forbearing a tedious confutation of them , as being fully and often done by me already , and as further , needless . p. 58. post-script . p. 65. three books lately published by mr. baxter , and printed for tho. parkhurst . 1. english non-conformity , as under king charles the second ; truly stated and argued . 2. knowledge and love. 3. cain and abel . the vanity of continuing ceremonies in the worship of god ; by a minister of the church of england . an healing attempt ; conscience satisfied , in submitting obedience to king william and queen mary . the vain religion of the formal hypocrite, and the mischief of an unbridled tongue (as against religion, rulers, or dissenters) described, in several sermons, preached at the abby in westminster, before many members of the honourable house of commons, 1660 ; and the fools prosperity, the occasion of his destruction : a sermon preached at covent-garden / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1660 approx. 339 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 207 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27065 wing b1448 estc r13757 11709612 ocm 11709612 48274 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27065) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 48274) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 483:2) the vain religion of the formal hypocrite, and the mischief of an unbridled tongue (as against religion, rulers, or dissenters) described, in several sermons, preached at the abby in westminster, before many members of the honourable house of commons, 1660 ; and the fools prosperity, the occasion of his destruction : a sermon preached at covent-garden / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. fools prosperity. [18], 340 p. printed by r.w. for f. tyton, and nevel simmons, london : 1660. pages 97, 220-221, and 224 have print faded with some loss of text in filmed copy. pages 90-112 and 210-231 photographed from british library copy and inserted at end. the fool's prosperity has special t.p. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng sermons, english -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-09 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-09 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the vain religion of the formal hypocrite , and the mischief of an unbridled tongue ( as against religion , rulers , or dissenters ) described , in several sermons , preached at the abby in westminster , before many members of the honourable house of commons . 1660. and the fools prosperity , the occasion of his destruction : a sermon preached at coven-garden . both published to heal the effects of some hearers misunderstandings and misreports . by richard baxter . london , printed by r. ● . for f. ty●o● , at the three daggers in fleet-street , and novel s●m●n ●ookseller at kedenmaster . 1660. at ●●bo●nd to the reader . though god be not the author of sin , he knows why he permitteth tin the world . he will be no loser and satan shall be no gainer by it in the end . the malice of the devil & wicked men , is ordinarily the destruction of the cause which they most desire to promote ; and an advantage by accident to the cause and persons which they would root out from the earth . were there no more to prove this , than the instances of josephs brethren , of pharaoh , and the murderers of our lord , it were enough . we usually lose more by the flatteries of satan and the world , than by their violence . if these hasty , course , unpolished sermons , shall prove beneficial to the souls of any , this also may come in among the lower rank of instances . if the devil had let me alone , they 〈◊〉 have been cast aside , and no further molested him or his kingdom , for ought i know , than they did upon the preaching of them . but seeing he will needs , by malicious misreports , and slanders , kindle suspicion , and raise offence , against them and the author , let him take what he gets by it . he hath never yet got much from me , by violence , or by his foulmouthed slanderous instruments : no not when the impudence or multitude of their slanders , have forced me to be silent , lest i trouble the reader , or misspend my time . the first of these discourses , being intended to undeceive the formal hypocrite , and to call men from a vain , to a saving serious religion , and to acquaint them that cry out against hypocrisie , where the hypocrite is to be found , it seems , provoked the ignorant or the guilty ; in so much that the cry went that i preacht down all forms of prayer , and all government and order in the church : when there is not a syllable that hath any such sense : but it seems what i spoke against the carkass , was interpreted to be spoken against the body of religion . the words of mr. bolton and other divines , which i have cited against the reproachers of serious piety , are added since the preaching of the rest , as being more fit to be presented here to the eye , than in the pulpit to the ear . the petulancy of men on both extreams , constrained me to add , the bridle for their tongues . the second discourse i understand offended some few of the gallants , that thought they were too roughly handled ; let them here peruse it , and better concoct it , if they please . i only add this observation to the heirs of heaven , that are above this world , and live by faith. few rich men are truly religious : it is as hard for them to be saved , as for a camel to go through a needles eye . yet rich men will every where be the rulers of the world , and so ( as to outward protection or opposition ) the judges in matters of religion . judge therefore whether dominion and earthly raign , be the portion of the saints ( as jewishly some of late imagine ) : and what usage we must ordinarily expect on earth ! and what condition the church of christ is like to be in to the end . as his kingdom , so ours , is not of this world . a low , despised , suffering state , is it that behevers must ordinarily expect , and prepare for , and study to be serviceable in . if better ( may i call it better ) come , take it as a feast , and grudge not when the table is withdrawn ; and look not it should be our every dayes fare . but yet value the more highly those few of the rich , and great , and rulers , that are above this world , and devote their power and riches to the lord , and are holy and heavenly in the midst of so great temptations and impediments , the lord teach us to use this transitory world as not overusing it , that we may never hear , remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things , ] luke 16. 25. how shortly will they find themselves everlastingly undone , that made not sure of a more enduring portion ! reader , that thou mayst savingly remember these common , but necessary , though much neglected truths , is the end of these endeavours , and shall be the matter of my hearts desire and prayers , while the lord continneth me his servant for the promoting the increase and edification of his church , nov. 15. 1660 , r. baxter . postscript . readers , meeting ( in his consideration of the liturgy ) with these following words of reverend d. gauden [ i cannot but commend the candor , justice , and integrity of m. baxter , who lately professed to me , that he saw nothing in the liturgy , which might not well bear a good construction , if men looked upon it as became christians , with eyes of charity , ] i was sensible of the great respects of this learned and reverend man ; but lest you misunderstand both him and me , i think it best to tell you more fully what were my words . speaking for reformation of the common prayer book , and an addition of other forms in scripture phrase , with liberty of choice , &c. i said , that for the doctrine of the common prayer book , though i had read exceptions against divers passages , i remembred not any thing that might not receive a good construction , if it were read with the same candour and allowance , as we read the writings of other men . ] so that it was only the truth of the doctrine that i spoke of ; against which i hate to be peevishly quarrelsome , when god hath blest this church so wonderfully , with a moderate and cautelous , yet effectual reformation in matter of doctrine : the more pitty is it , that the very modes of worship and discipline should be the matter of such sharp and uncharitable discords , which must one day prove the grief of those that are found to have been the causes of it , and of the sufferings of the church on that occasion . the contents . the introduction . page 1. &c. dict there is a seeming religiousness which is but self-deceiving , and will prove in vain . ten particulars that constitute the hypocrites vain religion 11. to 20. ten things that are yet wanting to the hypocrite , that prove his religion vain . 20. to 34. by what means and method the hypocrite makes shift to deceive himself by his religion . 34. to 49. what moveth the hypocrite to this self-deceit , and what are the reasons and uses of his vain religion . 49. in what respects the hypocrites religion is not vain . 80 in what respects his religion is vain . 92 use 1. why a seeming outside hypocritical religion is so common , in comparison of serious faith and godliness . 95 why popery hath so many followers . 100 use 2. to awaken the self-deceiving hypocrite . 108 ten infallible marks of grace , which are in all that are sound believers , and set together , describe his state : premised to prevent the misapplication of what followeth , and groundless troubles of the sincere . iii terror to the self-deceiver . 1. his religion being vain , his hopes and comforts are all vain . 118 2. it will deceive him in his extremity . 129 the detection of the hypocrite , by his contradicting all the parts of his christian profession : shewing that all the ungodly among us that profess to be true christians , are hypocrites . 148. to 173 the hypocrites unbridled tongue . 175 sins of the tongue . 177 what the text means . 179 three sorts especially reproved . 180 1. the deriders , scorners , revilers or opposers of serious godliness ; their terror in the aggravation of their sin . 181. to 198 2. those that uncharitably reproach each other , for lesser differences in religion . 198 of the common malicious use of the nicknames , puritans , precisians , zealots , &c. 205 bishop downames testimony of the use of the word puritan in his time . 210 the testimony of dr. rob. abbot regius professer of divinity in oxford , and bishop of salisbury . 211 mr. robert boltons testimony at large . 212 his further description of the formal hypocrite . 217 bishop halls character of an hypocrite . 226 3. the sinfulness of passionate reproachful speeches against superiors , when we suffer by them for religions sake ; proposed to the consideration of suffering tempted christians , how sincere soever . 231 how far we may mention such sins of others . 247 two causes of mens frowardness of speech . 250 who is indeed the hypocrite . the impudency of our common hypocritus that take serious godliness for hypocrisie . if we will be christians indeed , we must be content to be 10 , though we are not thought to be so ; and to be accounted hypocrites , when we have done most to approve our hearts and wayes to god. 251 eight directions to the hypocrite to save him from a vain religion . 261 the prosperity of fools destroyeth them , prov. 1 32 , 33. proved by scripture ; and the impiety of such . 278 how it destroyeth them . 306 the ill uses of this truth , to be avoided . 315 the right uses urged . 317 a hint of comfort to the obedient souls ; that they shall dwell in safety , and be quiet from the fear of evil : even when evil seemeth to prevail against them . 336 the vain religion of the formal hypocrite . jam. 1. 26. if any man among you seem to be religious , and bridleth not his tongue , but deceiveth his own heart , this mans religion is vain . beloved hearers , i may suppose that we are all come hither to day , for the great end of our lives ; and to labour in that work for which we are created , redeemed , preserved , instructed , and furnished with the helps and means of grace : even to prepare for death that is coming to arrest us , and for the presence of our judge , who stands as at the door ; and to make our calling and election sure , that the glory of the saints may be our lot , when the world of the ungodly are cast into endless misery and despair . and i hope i may suppose that in order to this end , you would gladly be acquainted with the causes of damnation , that you may avoid them ; with your greatest dangers , that you may escape them ; and with the hinderances of your salvation , that you may overcome them . when we read in the gospel , that salvation is to be offered unto all , and no man is excepted or shut out , but such as shut out and except themselves ; and yet read that there are but few that find the strait gate , and the narrow way , and that the flock is little that shall have the kingdom , and that many shall seek to enter that shall not be able , ( matth. 7. 13 , 14. luk. 12. 32. and 13. 24. ) we must needs conclude that some powerful enemy standeth in the way , that can cause the ruine of so many millions of souls : but when we go further and find what rich preparations god hath made , and what means he hath used , and what abundant helps he offereth and affordeth to bring men to this blessed state of life , it forceth us to admire that any enemy can be so strong , as to frustrate so many , and such excellent means . but when we yet go further , and find that salvation is freely offered , and that the purchase is made by a saviour to our hands , and that hearty consent is the condition of our title , and nothing but our wilful refusal can undo us ; when we find that salvation is brought down to mens wills , and also what motives and convincing helps , and earnest perswasions are appointed and used to make men willing ; we are then surprized with yet greater admiration , that any deceiver can be so subtile , or the heart of man can be so foolish , as to be drawn ( in despight of all these means ) to cast away the immortal crown , that else no enemy could have taken from him . and now we discern the quality of our enemy , of our snares , of our danger , and of our duty : it is not meer violence but deceit that can undo us : not force but fraud that we have to resist . and were not the mind of a carnal man exceeding brutish , ( while he seemeth wise for carnal things ) it were a thing incredible that so many men , could by all the subtilty of hell be drawn in the day-light of the gospel , deliberately and obstinately to refuse their happiness , and to choose the open way of their damnation , and leave their friends lamenting their calamity , that might have mercy , and cannot be perswaded to consent . that satan is the great deceiver , and layeth the snare , and manageth the bait , we are all convinced : that the world and all our fleshly accommodations are the instrumental deceivers ; the snare , the bait , which satan useth , is also a thing that we all confess . but that beside the devil and the world , a reasonable creature should be his own deceiver , and that in a business of unspeakable , everlasting consequence , and that religion it self , ( a seeming religiousness that indeed is vain , ) should be made by himself the means of his deceit , this is a mysterie , that is opened to you in my text , and requireth our most careful search and consideration . when satan and the world have wounded us by their deceits , religion is it that helpeth us to a cure . he that is deceived by pleasures , and profits , and the vain-glory of the world , must be undeceived and recovered by religion , or he must perish . but that religion it self should become his deceit , and the remedy prove his greatest misery , is the most stupendious effect of satans subtilty , and a sinners fraudulency , and the saddest aggravation of his deplorable calamity . and yet , alas , this is so common a case , that where the gospel is preached , it seems to be satans principal game , and the high-way to hell . there is no other name by which we can be saved , but by jesus christ , the only mediator , between sinful man , and the offended majesty : and yet what is there in all the world , that is more abused to the deceiving of mens souls , then the name & grace of jesus christ ? men that might be saved by an effectual faith , are cheated and destroyed by false faith and presumption . the merciful nature of god , is the ground-work of all the comforts of the godly : and yet there is nothing that is more abused , to the deceiving of mens souls ; that will profess that they trust in the mercies of god , while they are labouring to be miserable , by the refusing and resisting the mercy that would save them . the free promises of the gospel do support true believers ; but are abused to the deceiving of the presumptuous world . and so the apostle telleth us that many do by their religion : they will have a religion to deceive themselves ; but not to save them . it is the hypocrite that is the subject in my text , who is described by this double property . 1. that he seemeth to be religious . 2. that his obedience answereth not this seeming or profession : the instance is given in the bridling of his tongue , because that was the point that the apostle had some special reason to insist on , with those to whom he immediately directed his epistle . though its plain in ver . 22 , 23 , &c. that it is the whole work of obedience that he implyeth , where he instanceth in this particular . the sin of the tongue which he specially intendeth to reprove , was the bitter reproaching of their brethren , upon the account of their differences in matters of religion , and the vilifying of others , and uncharitable passionate contendings and censures , upon pretence of knowing more then others ; as appeareth in the third chapter throughout . the predicate is double : one by way of supposition ; viz. that this hypocrite doth but deceive his own heart : the other by way of assertion ; viz. that his religion is vain . whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be fetcht as far as from orpheus the thracian , as erasmus and many others imagine , is of no great moment to our understanding of the text , it being evident that it is the worshipping of god , that is here meant by [ religion ] ; and it is men addicted to his worship , that are called religious . the seeming here spoken of , refers both to himself and others : he that seemeth to himself to be religious , or is judged so by other men . by bridling the tongue , is meant , restraining it from evil speech . by deceiving himself , is meant , the mistake of his judgement concerning the sincerity , and acceptableness , and reward of his religion , and the frustrating of his own expectations hereupon . his religion is said to be [ in vain ] in that it shall not attain the ends of an unfeigned true religion , of which more anon . the sence of the text then , is contained in these two propositions . 1. there is a seeming religiousness , which is but self-deceiving , and will prove in vain . 2. where sincere obedience doth not accompany the profession of religion , and in particular , when such men bridle not their tongues , their religion is but vain and self-deceiving . these two being contained in the text , the former comprized in the latter , i shall handle them together , and shew you , 1. what this seeming religion is , and how it differeth from true religion . 2. wherein this self-deceiving by a seeming religion doth consist . 3. whence it is that men are so prone to this self-deceit . 4. in what respects this religion is vain , and why . 5. and then we shall consider how to improve these truths by a due application . 1. concerning the first , i must shew you , 1. what this seeming religion is made up of . 2. and what it wants , which maketh it delusory and vain . in general , this vain religion , is made up sometimes , of all that , 1. a laudable nature or temperature of body , 2. and good education and excellent means , 3. assisted by the common workings of the spirit , can produce . more particularly , 1. a vain religiousness , may have a great deal of superficial opinionative knowledge : and so may have the truest religion for its object : the true doctrines of faith , may be believed by a faith that is not true : the hypocrite as to the 〈…〉 creed may be 〈…〉 ignorance a bound●● 〈…〉 be a knowing man , and 〈…〉 ignorance of others : when errors abound , he may be of the right opinion in religion , and speak much against the errors of the times , as one that is wiser then the giddy heretical sort of people : he may [ know the will of god , and approve the things that are more excellent , being instructed out of the law , and be confident that he himself is a guide of the blind , a light of them which are in darkness , an instructer of the foolish , a teacher of babes , which hath the form of knowledge , and of the truth in the law , ] rom. 2. 18 , 19 , 20. he may know as much materially as the upright may , and be able to convince gainsayers , and be a notable champion for the defending of the truth , against the many adversaries that oppose it : and so may be eminently usefull in his generation . 2. he that is but religious in vain , may be frequent in the worshipping of god ; and may seek him daily , and delight to know his wayes , and to approach him , and ask of him the ordinances of justice , as if he were one of the people that did righteousness , and forsook not the ordinances of their god , isa . 58. 1 , 2. he may be oft in fasting , and punctual in keeping holy dayes and ceremonies , as verse 3. isa . 1. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. luke 18. 11 , 12 , 13. and exercise much severity on himself , [ after the commandments and doctrines of men in things that have a shew of wisdom , in will-worship , and humility , and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh , ] col. 2. 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. though he be slow paced in the right way , he is swift in his mistaken paths . though he liketh not preciseness , zeal , and forwardness , in the spiritual works that god prescribeth ; yet when it comes to his own , or other mens inventions , he will be religious and righteous overmuch , eccles . 7. 16. and forward to offer the sacrifice of a fool , that considereth not that he is but doing evil , while he thinks to please god with the sacrifice of his services , though he turn away his ear from an obedient hearing the word that should direct him , eccles . 5. 1 , 2. prov. 28. 9. 3. he that is but religious in vain , may see the evil of discord and divisions , and inveigh much against schismaticks , and see the excellency of unity and peace ; and therefore may joyn himself with the visible catholick church , and with the christians and congregations that are most for unity . there have alwayes been hypocrites in the most orderly peaceable societies of believers , and still will be . 4. the self-deceiving hypocrite , is oft-times very sensible of the evil of vertiginous mutability in religion ; and therefore he may be much resolved to continue what he is , and may cast many a jeer at the weather-cocks of the times , and the unconstancy and levity of ignorant , or temporizing men : and may stand to his party , and profession , against much opposition , as glorying in his constancy , and being ashamed to be thought a changling , or such a turn-coat as others whom he merrily derideth . 5. an hypocrite that hath no other religion but delusory and vain , may observe the weaknesses of persons that are of lower education and parts , and may loath their indiscretion in conference and behaviour , and their unhansome expressions in prayer and other duties , and shake the head at them , as silly , contemptible , self-conceited fellows ; and his heart may rise against their disorder , tautologies and affectations : and its like enough , that hereupon he will jeast at conceived prayer , or extemporate ( as they call it ; ) and bless himself as safe in his parrot-like devotions , because the same spirit teacheth not fine words , and rhetorical language , to all that it teacheth to pray with unutterable sighs and groans , rom. 8. 26 , 27. though the searcher of hearts ( who is not delighted with complements and set speeches ) doth well understand the meaning of the spirit . 5. the self-deceiving hypocrite doth frequently pretend to be a man of moderation in matters of religion , as distasting the hair-braind zealots , as he counteth them , that cannot be content to have their faith and religion to themselves before god , and to live and talk as others do , but must be singular , and make a stir with their religion , and turn the world upside down . the true zeal of the godly is usually distastefull to him ; and the corrupt zeal of schismatical persons , doth cause him to bless himself in his lukewarmness , and to take his most odious indifferency , and want of fervent love to god and his holy ways to be his vertue . 6. this self-deceiving hypocrite doth frequently pretend to an exceeding great reverence in the managing of the outward part of worship ; and to an extraordinary zeal about the circumstantials of religion . he accounts them all schismatical and prophane , that place not as much of their religion as he doth , in gestures and forms , and other accidents of worship , acquainting us that the pharisaical temper in religion is natural , and will still continue in the world . 7. if the temptation of the hypocrite lie on the other side , he can withdraw himself into some small or separating society , and place his religion in the singularity of his opinions , or in the strictness of the way and party that he owneth ; and in his conceited ability in his conceived or ready expressions in prayer ; and can cry out as much upon the formalist , as the formal hypocrite upon him : and glory in his zeal , as the other in his moderation . it is in the heart that hypocrisie hath its throne ; from whence it can command the outward acts into any shapes that are agreeable to its ends : and can use materials of divers natures , as the fewell and nutriment of its malignity . and what ever party such are joined to , and what ever way they have been trained up to , whether formality , or schism , or more regular , sober , equal wayes , in all of them their religion is but vain , and they do but deceive themselvs by all . 8. the religion that is but delusory and vain , may be accompanied with much alms , and works of seeming justice , and charity , mat. 6. 1 , 2. luke 18. 11 , 12. he may have many vertues called moral ; and be a man of much esteem with others , even with the best and wisest , for his seeming wisdom , and piety , and justice . he may be no extortioner , unjust , adulterer , but as to gross sins seem blameless , luke 18. 11 , 12. phil. 3. 6. and be much in reproaching the scandalous lives of others , and thank god that he is none such , luke 18. 11. 9. he that hath but a vain religion , may in his judgement approve of saving grace , and like the more zealous , upright , self-denying , heavenly lives of others : and wish that he might but die their death ; and wish himself as happy as they , so it might be had on his own terms : and he may have some counterseit of every grace ; and think that it is true . numb . 23. 10. jam. 2. 14 , &c. 1 cor. 13. 1 , 2 , 3. mark 6. 20. 10. none will be more forward to call another hypocrite , then the hypocrite : nor to extoll sincerity and uprightness of heart and life . and thus you see what this vain religion is made up with . 2. if you marvell what the hypocrite yet wants , that makes his religion delusory and vain , i shall now tell you i hope to your conviction and satisfaction . 1. for all his forementioned religion , he wants the spirit of christ , to dwell as his sanctifier within him ; and [ if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his ] rom. 8. 9. but because this is known by the effects , i add , 2. he wants that spiritual new birth , by which he should be made spiritual , as his first birth made him carnal , john 3. 5 , 6. rom. 8. 6 , 7 , 8. he is born of the will of the flesh , and of man , but not of god , john 1. 13. form the first man adam he is become a living soul ; but by the second man , christ , the lord from heaven , he is not yet quickned in the spirit , 1 cor. 15. 45 , 46. he is not born again of the incorruptible seed , the word of god , that liveth and abideth for ever , 1 pet. 1. 23. he is not yet saved by the washing of regeneration ( save only as to the outward baptism ) and by renewing of the holy ghost , which is shed by christ on all his members , that being justified by his grace , they should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life , tit. 3. 5 , 6. they are not new creatures , old things being not past away , and all things , with them become new : and therefore it is certain that they are not in christ , 2 cor. 5. 17. they have not put off the old man with his deceitfull lusts , and deeds , nor have put on the new man , which after god is created in righteousness and true holiness , eph. 3. 22 , 23 , 24. col. 3. 9 , 10. they have but patcht up the old unsanctified hearts , and smooth'd over their carnal conversations , with civility and plausible deportment , and so much religion as may cheat themselves as well as blind the eyes of others . but they are strangers to the life of god , ephes . 4. 18. and never were made partakers of the divine nature which all the children of god partake of , 2 pet. 1. 4. nor of that holiness , without which none shall see the lord , heb. 12. 14. 3. though he make a slight and customary confession of his sins , unworthiness and misery , yet is he not kindly humbled at the heart , nor made truly vile in his own eyes , nor contrite and broken-hearted ; nor emptyed of himself , as seeing himself undone by his own iniquities ; crying out unclean , and loathing himself for all his abominations ; weary of his sin , and heavy-laden , as all must be that are fit for christ . read isa . 57. 15. & 66. 2. psal . 51. 17. & 34. 18. lev. 13. 44 , 45. ezek. 36. 31. & 20. 43. & 6. 9. matth. 11. 28. rom. 7. 24. 4. this mans religion must needs be vain ; for he wanteth the life of faith it self , and heartily believeth not in christ . he hath but an opinion of the truth of christianity , through the advantage of his education and company ; and thereupon doth call himself a christian , and heartlesly talk of the mysterie of redemption as a common thing . but he doth not with an humbled broken heart , betake himself to christ as his only refuge from the wrath of god and everlasting misery , as he would lay hold on the hand of his friend , if he were drowning : the sense of the odiousness of sin , and of the damnation threatned by the righteous god , hath not yet taught him to value christ , as he must be valued by such as will be saved by him . these hypocrites do but talk of christ , and turn his name , as they do their prayers , into the matter of a dry and customary form . they flie not to him as the only physician of their souls , in the feeling of their festring wounds : they cry not to him as the disciples in the tempest , save master , we perish . they value him not practically ( though notionally they do ) as the pearl for which they must sell all , matth. 13. 44 , 45 , 46. christ doth not dwell in his heart by faith : nor doth he long with all the saints to comprehend , what is the breadth , and length , and depth , and height , and to know the love of christ which passeth knowledge , eph. 3. 17 , 18 , 19. he counteth not all things loss for christ , and the excellency of his knowledge , nor doth he count them as dung , that he may win christ , and be found in him , not having his own righteousness , but that which is through the faith of christ , phil. 3. 8 , 9 , 10. nor can he truly say , that he desireth to know nothing but a crucified christ , 1 cor. 2. 2. and that the life that he now liveth in the flesh , he liveth by the faith of the son of god that loved him , and gave himself for him , ] gal. 2. 20. he is not taken up with that admiration of the love of god in christ , as beseems a soul that is saved by him from the flames of hell , and that is reconciled to god , and made an heir of life everlasting . he hath not understandingly , deliberately , seriously , and unreservedly given up himself and all that he hath to christ : and thankfully accepted christ and life , as given on the gospel terms to him . this living effectual faith is wanting to the hypocrite , whose religion is vain . 5. this vain religion doth never practically shew the soul the amiableness and attractive goodness of god , so far as to win the heart to a practical estimation of him , and adhering to him above all ; nor so far as to advance him above all the creatures in the practical judgement , will and conversation : nor doth it cause the soul to take him for its portion , and prefer his savour before all the world , and devote it self and all unto his interest and will , and give him the superlative and soveraign honour , both in heart and life : psal 63. 3. and 30. 5. and 4. 6 , 7. and 16. 5. and 17. 14. mat. 10. 37. 6. this vain religion is alwayes without that serious belief of the life to come , which causeth the soul to take it for its happiness and treasure , and there to set its desires and its hopes , and to make it his principal care and business to attain it ; and to make all the pleasures , and profits , and honours of the world to stoop to it , as preferring it before them all , matth. 6. 20 , 21. and ver . 33. luk. 18. 22 , 23. and 14 , 33. col. 3. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. phil. 3. 18 , 19 , 20. the hypocrite taketh heaven but for a reserve , and as a lesser evil then hell , and seeks it but in the second place , while his fleshly pleasures and interest have the preheminence , and god hath no more but the leavings of the world ; and he serveth him but with so much as his flesh can spare . 7. this vain religion consisteth principally in external observances : if he be a formalist that hath it , his religion lyeth in his beads and prayer books ; in going so oft to church , and keeping holy dayes and fasting dayes , and saying over such and such words , and using such and such gestures and ceremonies , and submitting to church orders , and crying down sectaries and preciseness , and jearing at the simplicity of plain hearted christians , that never learnt the art of dissimulation . their religion is but a pack of complements , a flattering of god , as if they would mock him with cap an knee , ( who will not be mocked , ) gal. 6. 7. while they draw near him with their lips , their hearts are far from him , mat. 15. 7 , 8 , 9. they wash the outside , and pay tithe of all ; and give some almes , and forbear disgraceful sins , which would make them be esteemed ungodly among men , mat. 15. 2 , 3. mar. 7. 4 , 8. matth. 23. 25 , 26 , &c. mat. 6. 1 , 4 , 6. &c isa . 1. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. isa . 58. 1 , 2. but these self-deceivers are strangers to the inward spiritual work of holiness : their hearts are not busie in the worship of god , by fervent desire , and exercise of other graces , while their tongues are put into an artificial pace , and they are acting the part of men that seem to be religious . if they be cast into the sectarian mold , they place their religion in the strictness of their principles and parties , and in contending for them , and in their affected fervour , and ability to speak and pray ex tempore . but the humble , holy , inward workings of the soul toward god , and its breathings after him , and the watch that it sets over the heart , this hypocrite is much a stranger to . if he be brought up among the orthodox in well ordered churches , he placeth his religion in the holding of the truth , and taking the right side , and submitting to right order , and using gods ordinances : but the most of an upright mans employment is at home , within him ; to order his soul , and exercise grace , and keep down sin , and keep out the world , and keep under the flesh , and carnal self , and do the inward part of duty : and he is as truly solicitous about this , as about the outward works : and contenteth not himself to have said his prayers , unless indeed his heart have prayed ; nor to have heard , unless he have profited , or heard with obediential attention : and he makes conscience of secret duties , as well as of those that are done in the sight of men : but this the hypocrite comes not up to , to trade in the internal spiritual part . 8. the religion that is vain , is without an universal hatred of known sin , and an actual conquering of it , so far as to live out of gross sin , ( which some call mortal ) and to be weary of infirmities , and to be truly desirous to be rid of all ; and to be willing to use gods means against it . thus it is with the sincerely religious ; but not with these hypocrites that deceive themselves , joh. 3. 19 , 20. rom. 7. 24. luk. 13. 3 , 5. rom. 8. 1. to the 14. gal. 6. 7 , 8. the hypocrite hath not only some particular sin , which all his religion makes him not willing to see to be a sin , or to forsake ; but his very state is sinful in the main , by the predominancy of a selfish carnal interest and principle : and he is not willing of close plain dealing , much less of the diligent use of means himself to overcome that sin : because he loveth it . 9. this vain religion is not accompanied with an unseigned love to a life of holiness , which every true believer hath , delighting to meditate in the law of god , with a practical intention to obey it ; and delighting in the inward exercise of grace , and outward ordinances as advantages hereunto ; desiring still more of the grace which he hath tasted , and grieving that he knoweth , and trusteth , and loveth , and feareth , and obeyeth god so little , and longing to reach higher , to know , and love , and fear him more , psal . 1. 2. and ●19 . 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 , 10 &c. heb. 12. 14. 2 pet. 3. 11. matth. 7. 13 , 14. but the self-deceiver either hath a secret dislike of this serious diligence for salvation , and loving god with all the soul , and might , ( because he is conscious that he reacheth it not himself , ) or at least he will not be brought to entertain any more then will stand with his carnal ends . 10. a vain religion doth not so far reveal the excellency of christs image in his servants , as to cause an entire love to them as such ; and to delight in them above the most splendid and accomplisht persons that are strangers to the life of grace ; and so far to love them , as when christ requireth it , to part with our substance , and hazard our selves for their relief . thus do the truly religious , psal . 16. 2. and 15. 4. 1 joh. 3. 14. matth. 10. 40. 11. 42. and 25. 34 , 35 , 40 , 42 , 45 , 46. but the hypocrice either secr●tly hateth a heavenly holy life , and consequently the people that are such , ( because they seem to condemn him by overgoing him , and differing from him ) or at least he only superficially approveth of them ; but will forsake both christ and them in tryal , rather then forsake his earthen god. i have now shewed you what the self-deceiver wants , in which you may see sufficient reason why his religion is but vain . ii. we are next to shew you , how these hypocrites do deceive themselves , and wherein their self-deceit consisteth . it may seem strange that a man of reason should do such a thing as this , when we consider that truth is naturally the object of the understanding , and that all men necessarily love themselves , and therefore love what they know to be simply good for them : how then can any man , that hath the use of reason , be willing to be deceived , yea and be his own deceiver , and that in matters of unspeakable consequence ! but it is not as falshood , nor as deceit that they desire it : but as it appeareth necessary to the carnal ease and pleasure which they desire . the way by which they deceive their own hearts , consisteth in these following degrees . 1. the hypocrite resisteth the spirit of grace , and rejecteth the mercies offered in the gospel , and so by his refusal , is deprived of a part in christ , and of the life of grace , and the hopes of glory , which were tendered to him . 2. but withal , he is willing of so much of this mercy as consisteth with his sinful disposition , and carnal interest : he is willing enough to be happy in general , and to be saved from hell fire , and to be pardoned , and to have such a heaven as he hath framed a pleasing imagination of . 3. and therefore he maketh him up a religion of so much of christianity as will stand with his pleasures , profits and reputation in the world , that so he may not be left in despair of being saved , when he must leave the world that he must loved . the cheap and the easie parts of christianity , and those that are most in credit in the world , and that flesh and blood have least against , these he will cull out from among the rest , and make him a religion of , passing by the dearer , and more difficult , and spiritual parts . 4. having gone thus far , he perswadeth his own heart , that this kind of religion which he hath patcht up and framed to himself , 〈…〉 religion , the faith , the hope , the charity , the repentance , the obedience , to which salvation is promised . and that he is a true christian , notwithstanding his defects ; and that his spots are but such as are consistent with grace , and that his sins are but pardoned infirmities : and that he hath part in christ , and the promises of life , and shall be saved , though he be not of the preciser strain . when he committeth any sin , he confidently imagineth , that his confession and his wishing it were undone again ( when he hath had all the p●easure that sin can give him ) is true repentance : and that as a penitent he shall be forgiven . and thus while he thinketh himself something , when he is nothing , he deceiveth himself , gal. 6. 3. he hath a counterfeit of every grace of god. a counterfeit faith , and hope , and love , and repentance , and zeal , and humility , and patience , and perseverance : and these he will needs take to be the very life and image of christ , and the graces themselves that accompany salvation . 5. having got this carkass of religion without the soul , he makes use of all those things to confirm him in his deceit , which are appointed to confirm true christians in their faith and hope . when he reads or thinks of the infinite goodness , love and mercy of god , he thinks god could not be so good and merciful , if he should refuse to save all such as he . when he readeth of the undertaking and sacrifice of christ , and how he is a propitiation for the sins of the whole world , he confidently hence concludeth , that a saviour so gracious , that hath done and suffered so much for sinners , cannot condemn all such as he . when he readeth of the extent and freeness of grace , in the promises of the gospel , he concludeth that these promises belong to him , and that grace could not be so free and so extensive , if it did shut out all such as he . when he observeth the mercies of god upon his body , in his friends , and health , and credit , and prosperity , he concludeth , that surely god loveth him as a child , in that he dealeth so fatherly with him . if he suffer adversity , he thinks that it is the fatherly chastisement of god , and therefore proveth him to be his son , and that he shall have his good things in the world to come , because he had his evils here . if he suffer any thing for a good cause , ( or a cause that he taketh to be good ) he taketh himself to be a confessor , and marked out for life eternal . if he give any considerable alms , he applyeth all the promises to himself that are made to those that are truly charitable , though he giveth but the leavings of the flesh , and giveth but on common compassions , or for applause , or for some common end , and not as to christ whom he honoureth in his members , as one that hath resigned all unto him . if he pray , from the lips only , or only for pardon and such other mercies as flesh it self would be glad to have , without the unexpressable groans of the spirit , for spiritual mercies ( rom. 8. 26 ) he presently applyeth all the promises to himself that are made to the upright that call upon god. and thus love , mercy , and christ himself are abused by him to this damning work of self-deceit . 6. moreover , he makes use of all the ordinances of god , to the deceiving of his own heart . the outward part of baptism , perswades him that he is inwardly regenerate . he receiveth the lords supper , that he may confirm his presumption , and increase his self-deceit , as the godly receive it to confirm and increase their saving faith . he joyneth with the church in those prayers and praises that are fitted to the true believers state , that he may thence more confidently deceive his own heart , with the conceit that he is a true believer . and thus he turneth the bread of life , and all the helps and means of grace , to the strengthening of his sin , and the furthering of his perdition . 7. moreover , this miserable self-deceiver , doth usually get into such company as may further his self-deceit , and maketh use of them to that end . if he get into any holy well-ordered church of christians , it is that by his outward communion with the saints , he may seem to himself to have inward communion with them . if he get among able godly ministers and other judicious christians , and finds that he is well esteemed of by them , he is confirmed hereby in his presumption and self-deceit : when alas , we must in charity judge of men as they profess and seem , and leave the infallible judgement of the heart to god. vsually this self-deceiving hypocrite doth associate with some carnal or factious men , with whom he makes himself a party : and such will smooth him up , and make a saint of him , either because they are as bad themselves , and dare not condemn him , lest they condemn themselves ; or because they are flatterers and dawbers , or men that were never themselves acquainted with those saving operations of the spirit which he wants , or because they are partial to one of their own faction . and thus a formal hypocrite may be stroaked by formalists , and a schismatical hypocrite may be soothed up by those of his own sect ( as lamentable experience telleth us that such do ) to the increase of their pernicious self-deceit . yea more then so ; if these hypocrites fall in company with the notoriously prophane , from them they will fetch some confirmation of their self-deceit : when they hear them swear , and curse , and rant , and see them drunk , they secretly with the pharisee rejoyce , and say , i thank thee lord that i am not as this publican . and this is one reason why such hypoorites are well content to have some servants in their families , or some neighbours or company about them that are notoriously prophane , that their deluded consciences , considering that they are more civil and religious themselves , may hence gather comfort , that they are the servants of god , and in a state of grace . hence also it is , that those of them that go on the schismatical side , do purposely go into separated societies , that by withdrawing from so many , and ( as they speak ) coming out from among them , they may seem to themselves to be fellow-citizens with the saints , and to be of the little flock that shall have the kingdom . this is the use that self-deceivers make of their companions . 8. moreover , the hypocrite confirmeth his self-deceit , by observing the great numbers of ungodly persons worse then he , that are in the world : this makes him think that god should be unmerciful , and heaven be empty , if all such as he should be shut out : the damnation of so many seemeth so incredible to him , that it much increaseth his confidence and self-deceit . 9. and he deceiveth himself also by a misobserving and misapplying the falls and infirmities of the servants of the lord , and the scandalous lives of many hypocrites like himself . when he readeth of noahs drunkenness , and lots drunkenness and incest , and davids adultery and murder , and peters denyal of his master with cursing and swearing , he considereth not how much these singular actions were contrary to the scope of their lives , nor by what serious repentance they did rise , and do so no more ; but he hence concludeth that sure he is in a state of grace , that hath no such heinous sins as these : though indeed he hath more heinous continually within him , ( even a love of the world and pleasure above god , a secret root of unbelief , a servitude to the flesh , &c. ) when he seeth any about him that profess the fear of god , prove hypocrites or apostates , or fall into any scandalous sin , he strengtheneth his presumption by it , and concludeth that this profession of greater holiness then he himself hath , is but hypocrisie ; and that he is as good as those that seem more devout , though he make not so much ado with his religion : or at least that such as he shall be saved , when those are so bad that are accounted better : if there be but a cham in the ark and family of noah , an ishmael in abrahams house , an esau in jacobs , an absalom in davids , a judas among the disciples of christ , these self-deceivers will thence fetch matter for their own delusion and perdition , as if the rest were all as bad , or sanctification were not necessary to salvation . 10. the self-deceiver also is confirmed in his presumption , by taking to himself the comforts that ministers hold forth , for truly humbled upright souls , that are apt to be too much disquieted and cast down . our congregations are mixt of godly and ungodly , and broken-hearted and hard-hearted , dejected and self-confident sinners ( besides all those that are well setled in their spiritual peace . ) and as we cannot tell how to tell the wicked of their misery , nor open the hypocrites self-deceit , but the self-suspecting humbled souls will misapply it to themselves , and be more dejected by it , and say , it is thus with me ; so we cannot tell how to comfort the distressed , and clear up the evidences of a drooping soul , but the presumptuous hypocrite will lay hold upon it , and think that it belongs to him . every comfortable book or scripture that he readeth , and every comfortable sermon or discourse which he heareth , is abused to increase his self-deceit . 11. it increaseth the hypocrites self-deceit , when he findeth some partial reformation in himself , and that he hath mended many things that were amiss : this he takes for a true conversion , and thinks that the civilizing and smoothing of his life , the change of his opinion , and the taking up a form of godliness , are true sanctification ; and that he is not the man that once he was ; and therefore is in a safe condition : though alas he hath never yet known by experience , the new heart , the new ends , the new resolutions , affections , and conversation of a saint . 12. lastly , he deceiveth himself by misunderstanding the nature of hypocrisie . because he perceiveth not that he is a gross dissembler , but meaneth as he speaks , so far as he goes , therefore he thinks he is no hypocrite : whereas besides the gross hypocrite that knoweth he doth dissemble , and only deceiveth others , there are also close hypocrites , that know not they are hypocrites , but deceive themselves . and these are they that my text here speaks of , when it saith [ he deceiveth his own heart . ] it is hypocrisie [ to seem better then one is , and to profess to be a sincere christian when he is none , ] though he confidently think that he is what he professeth himself to be . iii. but what is it that can move a reasonable creature to be willfully guilty of such self-deceit in the day-light of the gospel , when he hath so much help to see his way ? answ . 1. the are first acceived by the vanities of the world , and the pleasures of sin , before they deceive themselves by their religion . their religious self-deceiving is but subservient to their fleshly servitude , and the worlds deceit . they are carnal from the birth : ( for that which is born of the flesh only , is but flesh , joh. 3. 6. ) and custom in sinning fixeth and increaseth their sinful disposition . their hearts are engaged to their worldly accommodations , and to their vain-glory , and the things that please the flesh : they are willing slaves to their con●upiscence . and therefore they cannot admit of that religion which would deprive them of that which they most dearly love . christ speaks too late to them . they tell him they are promised already . their affections are pre-engaged : sin hath taken up the chiefest rooms : and the heart that loveth sensuality and prosperity best , cannot love god best too : for it can have but one best . the 〈◊〉 of true sanctification is to 〈…〉 the darling of a carnal 〈◊〉 and to cross it in its dearest loves , and to lay that at our feet that before was as our treasure , and to tame that body , and bring it into subjection , which before was in the throne . the motions of such a change will not be acceptable , till they are made so effectual as to cause that change : the command will be unpleasant , till the heart be suited to the nature of the command . he that seeth what care and labour there is to gather a worldly treasure , and what a stir is made in the world about it , can never expect that all this should be vilified and despised at a word , and that any doctrine ( how true and heavenly soever , ) can be wellcome to these worldly men , that would debase their glory , and embitter their delights , and make their idol seem but dung . the doctrine of christ would take the old heart out of their bodies : and they will not easily leave their hearts . it doth not only command the drunkard to live soberly , and the glutton temperately , and the lascivious filthy sinner chastly , and the proud person humbly , and the covetous to live contentedly and liberally ; but it commandeth the hearty forsaking of all , for the sake of christ , luke 14. 33. and the accounting them but as loss and dung that we may win him , phil. 3. 7 , 8 , 9. and mortifying of that flesh which before we daily studyed to please , col. 3. 4 , 5. and the crucifying of its affections and lusts , gal. 5. 24. and the denyal even of our selves , luk. 9. 23 , 24. and for a carnal mind to love and yield to such commands , were no other then to cease to be a carnal mind . all this is largely expressed by the apostle , rom. 8. 1 , &c. they that are in christ jesus , walk not after the flesh , but after the spirit . — for they that are after the flesh , do mind the things of the flesh : but they that are after the spirit , the things of the spirit : for to be carnally-minded is death , but to be spiritually minded is life and peace . because the carnal mind is enmity against god : for it is not subject to the law of god , neither indeed can be . so then they that are in the flesh , cannot please god. — for if ye live after the flesh , ye shall die : but if through the spirit ye mortifie the deeds of the body , ye shall live . ] you see here why it is that the self-deceiver will not entertain the power of godliness , nor be religious seriously according to the true intent of the gospel , and the nature of christianity , even because he is engaged to a contrary object , and hath another game in chase , which he will not leave , and which true religion requireth him to leave , and will not give him leave to follow . and therefore he parteth with the religion which would have parted him from that which he will not part with . 2. but withall , he is all this while under the threatenings of the law of god , and conscience is ready to bear witness against him ; and betwixt law and conscience , the poor wretch is as the corn between two milstones ; he would be ground to powder , and tortured with terrors before his time , if he had not some opiate or intoxicating medicine , to ease him by deceiving him , and to abate his fears , and quiet his conscience as long as a palliate cure will serve turn . so that here are two things for which the self-deceiving hypocrite is fain to fall into his vain religion : the one is , that it may be a cloak to the sin which he will needs keep : the other is , that it may save him from the terrors and disquietments , that for this sin his conscience would else afflict him with . a belief that he may be saved , for all his sin , is the relief that he hath against the terrors of the law of god. he therefore chooseth out such parcels of religion as may serve him for this use , and yet will not separate him from the sin that he delighteth in . the power of godliness will not consist with his cove●ous , proud or fleshly life : but the form and outside will. and therefore this regeneration , and mortification , and self-denyal , and subjection to the whole will of god , and this heavenly mindedness , and watching the heart , and walking with god , and living above the trifles of this world , and making it the chief business to prepare for another ; this kind of religion , which is religion indeed , he cannot ( because he will not ) entertain . this is the strait gate , and narrow way , that few men find . here he must be excused . god is no god for him , upon these terms , ( and he cannot and will not be his god on any other terms . ) christ is no christ for him , unless he will excuse him from this trouble , and bear with him in his carnal course ; that is , unless he will be indeed no christ to him . heaven is no heaven for him , unless he may pass to it through prosperity , and sin ; and unless he may have it without the trouble of a holy life ; that is , unless god will be unjust or false , and heaven cease to be heaven , and god cease to be god. but yet these men are convinced that god is their rightful governour , and that indeed they should love him and serve him with all their heart and might , and that without true religion and godliness there is no salvation . to be irreligious and prophane they know is a state that can afford no comfort , or shelter from the wrath of god ; and therefore some religion they must have : they are not able to endure the thoughts of lying under the curse of god. to conclude themselves to be utterly graceless , and the children of the devil , and in a state of condemnation , is so terrible , that they are not able to endure it : then every sermon they hear would torment them , and every chapter they read would torment them ; and their pleasures would all be imbittered to them , and nothing that they enjoy in all the world , would quiet and content them . ( no , nor shall do long ) and therefore they must needs take up some religion , to quiet them for a little while , and to make them hope , that for all their sins , they are not so bad , nor in so dangerous a case as preachers tell them ; some religion they must needs have for fear of being damned : a sound and serious religion they will not have , because they love the world and sin , which it would deprive them of : and therefore they patch up a vain religion , composed of so much truth and duty as will stand with their prosperity and beloved pleasures : which will not save them , but sufficeth to deceive them . two parts make up this self . deceiving frame , as consistent with their sins : the one is the formal , outward , easie , cheap part of duty to god and man , in their practise ; leaving out the spiritual , inward , difficult , dear , self-denying part . the other is , the strictest parts of religion in bare opinion and notion ; while they shut it out of their hearts and lives . for both these may stand with a sensual , worldly , selfish life . he may read or say his prayers , and be a worldling still : he may come to church , and with the greatest ceremony and seeming reverence receive the sacrament , and bow before the lord his maker , and yet be sensual or a worldling still . and he may be of the strictest party or opinion , and notionally condemn all sin , and justifie the most holy life , and yet be sensual and worldly still . and therefore this much he may be perswaded to take up , to save himself from the lashes of his conscience . and so the use of the hypocrites religion is to be a skreen betwixt him and the flames of wrath , that would scorch him too soon , if he were of no religion : and to be to him as a tent or pentise , to keep off the storms that would fall upon him , while he is trading for the world , and working for the flesh . his religion is but the sheath of his guilty conscience , to keep it from wounding him , and cutting his fingers , while they are busie in the brutish service of his lusts . it is but as a glove , to save his skin , when he hath to do with the nettles and thorns of the threatenings of god , and the thoughts of vengeance , that else would rack his guilty soul . it is but as his upper garment , to save him from a storm , and then to be laid by as an unnecessary burden , when he is at home . the hypocrites religion is but as his shooe : he can tread it in the dirt , so it will but save his foot from galling . as a man that hath an unquiet scolding wife , is fain to speak her fair by flatteries , lest he should have no rest at home ; or as a thief is fain to cast a crust to the dog that barketh at him , to stop his mouth ; so is an ungodly sensual person , fain to flatter his conscience with some kind of religiousness , and to stop its mouth with some kind of devotion and seeming righteousness , that may deceive him into a belief that he is the child of god. religion is the soveraign in a gracious soul , and the master in an upright conscience , and ruleth above all worldly interests . but with the unregenerate , it is but an underling and servant , that must do no more then the flesh and the world will give consent to ; and is regarded no further then for meer necessity ; and when it hath done the work which the hypocrite appointed it , it is dismissed and turned out of doors . god is acknowledged and loved by the hypocrite ; but not as god. christ is believed in and accepted ; but not as christ ; but as an underling to the world ; and a journy-man to do some job of work for a distressed wrangling conscience ; or as an unwelcome physician to give them a vomit when they have taken some extraordinary surfeit of sensual delights . when they have faln into great affliction , or into any foul disgraceful sin , then perhaps they take up their prayer books , or call upon christ , and seem devout and very penitent . but their piety is blown over with the storm . the effect ceaseth with the cause . it was not the love of god , or of his holy wayes and service , that set them upon their devotions ; but some tempest of adversity , or shipwrack of their estates , or friends , or consciences : and when the winds are laid and the waves are still , their devotion ceaseth with their danger . 3. add hereunto , ( to shew you the reason of the hypocrites self-deceit ) that he is one that never practically saw the amiableness of holiness in it self ; and never had a heart that was touched with the love of it by the spirit of holiness : and therefore he taketh it but for meer necessity : and therefore he taketh up no more then he thinks is of necessity to save him from damnation , when he can live in the pleasures of the world no longer . god never had his heart . he had rather be about his sports or worldly business , if he durst , and thought he could be so excused . he loveth a pair of cards , or dice , or a harlot , or his ambitious designs and honours , better then he loveth the holy scriptures , and the heavenly discourse or contemplation of the life to come . and therefore he will have no more religion then needs he must , because he taketh it not for love but need . the matters of the world and the flesh are his dyet , and his extraordinary successes and prosperity are his feast : and therefore he will take as much of them as he can and dare : but religion is but his physick : and therefore he will take it as little and seldom as he dare . had he but seen the face of god by faith , and had he but the heart of a true believer , that is suited by holyness to the holy works that god commandeth , as the heart of a true friend is suited to the will of him whom he loveth , he would then be no longer religious against his will , and consequently in vain ; but he would think the most pure and heavenly mind , and life , and the highest degree of love and holiness , to be the best and most desirable state for his soul , as every true believer doth . had this hypocrite any true love to god , as he deceitfully pretends to have , he would love his image , and word , and wayes ; and then he would love best that kernel and marrow of religion , that life and soul of worship and obedience , which now he savoureth not , but shifteth●off as a needless , or tedious , or unattainable thing . the nature and use of these hypocrites religion , is to save them from religion : they carry an empty guilded scabberd , accusing the sword of a dangerous keenness , as a thing more perillous , then necessary to their use . when they seem most zealous , they are but serving god that they may be excused from serving him ; and they worship him , of purpose to shift off his worship . they offer him the lips , that the heart may be excused : and complement him with cap and knee , that they may excuse themselves from real holiness : they offer him the empty purse , for payment ; and tender him a sacrifice of husks and shells , and lifeless carkasses : they will abound in the shadow and ceremony , that they may be excused from the spiritual life and substance . alas , that dead hearted hypocrite that sits there and heareth all this , is so great a stranger to the opening of the heart , and the deep entertainment of saving truth , and to the savoury relish of the searching , healing , quickening passages of holy doctrine , and to the thankfull wellcoming of an offered christ , and to the lookings and longings of the soul after god , and to the serious desires , and hopes , and labours of a gracious soul for life eternal , that he is idle , asleep , and dead , as to all this spiritual work ; and if he had not some customary service to perform , and some ceremonies or external task to do , and some bodily worship to be employed in , he would find little or nothing to do in the assemblies , but might sit here as a bruit , or as one of a strange language , that comes but to see and to be seen . and therefore if there be not somewhat more suitable to him then power and spirituality , it seemeth as no worship to the formal hypocrite : it is the pretty jingles and knacks of wit , and the merry jears at the preciser sort , or some scraps of greek and latin authors , or shreds of fathers or philosophy , or at best an accurate well set speech , that makes the sermon good and acceptable to this hypocrites ears . it is not spirit and life within him , that brought him hither ; nor is it spirit and life that he savoureth and that he came for . and therefore it is that this sort of hypocrites , are usually most impatient of a misplaced word , or of a worship performed in the primitive simplicity . if a man deliver the lords supper but as christ did , and receive it but as the apostles did , or serve god but as the churches in their dayes , he will seem unreverent , and slovenly and sordid to these self-deceiving formalists . they are set upon excess of ceremonies , because they are defective in the vital parts , and should have no religion if they had not this . all sober christians are friends to outward decency and order : but it s the empty self-deceiver that is most for the unwarrantable inventions of men , and sticketh in the bark of gods own ordinances : that taketh the garments for the man , and useth the worship of god but as a masque or poppet play , where there 's great doings , with little life , and to little purpose . the chastest woman will wash her face ; but it s the harlot , or wanton , or deformed that will paint it . the soberest and the comelyest will avoid a nasty or ridiculous habit , which may make them seem uncomely , when they are not : but a curious dress , and excessive care , doth signifie a crooked or deformed body , or a filthy skin , or which is worse , an empty soul , that hath need of such a covering . consciousness of such greater want , doth cause them to seek these poor supplies . the gawdiness of mens religion , is not the best sign that it is sincere . simplicity is the ordinary attendant of sincerity . it hath long been a proverb . [ the more ceremony , the less substance ; and the more complement , the more craft . ] and yet if it were only for want of inward true religion , that the hypocrite setteth up his shews , it were ( bad enough , but ) not so bad , as with most of them , or all , it is . for it is an enmity to religion that accompanyeth their religion . as in lapsed man , the body that was before the souls obedient attendant , is become its master , and the enemy of its perfection and felicity : so in the carnal religion of the hypocrite , the outside , which should be the ornament and attendant of the inward spiritual part , hath got the mastery , and is used in an enmity against the more noble part which it should serve : and much more are his humane inventions and mixtures thus destructively imployed . his bellows do but blow out the candle , under pretence of kindling the fire . he sets the body against the soul , and sometime the cloathing against both . he useth forms to the destruction of knowledge , and quenching of all seriousness and fervour of affection . by preaching he destroyeth preaching ; and prayeth till prayer is become no prayer , but the image or carkass of prayer at the best : and useth his words to the destruction of the due principle , sense and ends . having still his carnal self for his end , he preacheth , and prayeth , and serveth god , in a manner that seems most suitable to his end , so that it is not gods means that he useth , when he useth them , but his own : nor doth he indeed worship god , while he seems to worship him ; nor is indeed religious , but seems religious . it is materially ( perhaps ) gods work that he doth , and his means that he useth , but formally they are his own , and not gods at all ; when we meet with abundance of our people that are most nimble in their accustomed forms , that know not what religion , or christianity is , nor who christ is , nor almost any of the substance of the gospel , it assures us that its easie to be infidels with christian expressions in their mouths ; and that its easier to teach a parret to speak , then to be a man. as their bodies are but the prisons , or dungeons of their souls , so their formal words and ceremonies are used to be the prison , and dungeon , or rather the grave of true devotion . their religion is excessively laced ; but so scant of cloth , that it covereth not their nakedness , nor keeps them warm . it s alwaies winter with the hypocrite in his formal lifeless services ; and yet sometime his leaf doth never fall . he is like the box-tree that knows no fruit , and yet its leaves are alwayes green . whereever his heart is , the formalists prayers are always ready : for his prayer-book or memory is still the same : he can say them between sleeping and waking in his bed ; and as he is dressing or washing him ; and the interposition of a friend or some intervenient word or business , is so small a rub , that it seldom puts him out of his way . though he cannot make spiritual his common business , he can make his spiritual business common . though he have not the art , the heart , to manage his trade or worldly business , with a holy and a heavenly mind ; yet he can manage his holyest businesses , with such a mind as he doth his trade . if you would know whether he be praying or playing ▪ preaching or prating , serving god , or himself and the flesh , you must not search deep for an internal difference , but must discern it by the shew and sound of words . he is not one of them that are above ordinances , as turning every day into a sabbath , and every thought into a prayer , and every morsel into a sacrament : but he can turn every sabbath into a common day , and every prayer into common thoughts , and every sacrament into common food : and therefore that which is holy to others , is to him unclean . hypocrisie is a natural popery : it filleth the places of worship with images . instead of prayer , there 's the image of prayer : and instead of preaching , hearing , praising god , and other parts of worship , there is the image of worship : and instead of christians , believers , saints ( and i was going to say , of men ) there are so many images of these . church-images are usually handsomly adorned , and placed in a posture of reverence and devotion ; and so are they . but life they have none , but meerly natural . they are seeing , hearing , speaking images : but images they are . they have eyes , but see not ; ears , but hear not ; hearts , but understand not . and they are enemies to the life and power of religion , in others as well as in themselves . the publicans were not so bitter persecutors of christ , as the scribes and pharisees were . he can hate and reproach the faithful by the spirit , though he cannot or will not pray by the spirit : for he hath the spirit of malignity , though not the spirit of supplication . he can rail without book , though he cannot pray without book . were it as natural and easie to be a saint as to scorn a saint , and to worship god in spirit and in truth , as to hate such worship , the man might become a saint yet before he dyes . but his vain religion changeth not his nature , and therefore destroyeth not his serpentine enmity , against the holy nature and practice of believers : ( though perhaps the times may stop his hissing , or hinder him from putting forth his sting . ) these spiritual worshippers , and heavenly diligent sort of christians , that make it the main business of their lives , to honour god and save their souls , are usually the greatest eye-sore of the formalist . many a disdainful thought he hath of them ; and many a bitter gird the gives them : ( forgetting that their redeemer heareth all ; who is coming with ten thousands of his saints , to execute judgement upon all , and to convince all that are ungodly among them , of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed , and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him , jud. 14. 15. ) the humble , spiritual , heavenly believers , are they that condemn the hypocrite by their lives : were it not for them , he could easily believe that he is a saint himself , and shall undoubtedly be saved . he looketh on the openly ungodly , but as the beauty-spots of the assemblies , that serve to set out the piety of such as he . if he saw no better then himself , he could easily take himself for one of the best . every doted post and glow-worm , would be more resplendent and observable , in the absence of all greater lights . they hate the sun for making their candle to be but a scarce-discerned fume . the life of a holy heavenly person , doth as much gall the conscience of the hypocrite , and proclaim his misery , and bear a terrible witness against him , as a searching powerful sermon doth . and therefore as it is a vexation to him to live under such a searching minister , as is alwayes rubbing on the galled place , and causing conscience to torment him before his time ; so is it a trouble to him to live among these heavenly believers , and to be dayly condemned by their lives , and galled by their reproving practices . by this time you may see the reason and use of the hypocrites religion : the self-denying part of religion he cannot abide : the life and power of it is above him and seems against him : the fears of hell and gripes of conscience he cannot abide : some hopes of heaven he must have a while to keep him from despair : and therefore he must have some religion to deceive his heart , and maintain his hopes . and therefore he fitteth his religion to these uses , and takes up with so much as will not much trouble him , or undo him in the world , or absolutely forbid his sinful pleasures . and though sometime he be afraid lest the power and life of godliness will prove necessary to his salvation ; yet he revives his fainting hopes , by running for comfort to his lifeless form . the rest he hath no mind to ; and therefore will hope to be saved without it , till his deceit have brought him to the place of desperation , where there is no hope . as the merchant in a storm is loth to cast his goods into the sea , and therefore hopes he may save himself and them , till he and they are drowned together ; or as a patient that abhors his physick , or loves some forbidden thing too well , is hoping still that he may scape though he use the thing he loves , and forbear the medicine which he loathes , till he be past remedy , and he consents too late ; so is it often with the self-deceiving hypocrite : he loves not this strict , and holy , and heavenly , and self denying life : and therefore he will hope that god will save him without it , as long as he is religious in a way that he accounts more wise , and safe , and moderate , and comely , and suited to the nature and infirmity of man ; these are his hopes , and to deceive his heart , by maintaining these , it is that he is religious : till either grace convert , or justice apprehend him , and his hopes and he are swallowed up , by convincing flames and utter desperation . iv. vve are next to shew you , in what respect it is that this religion is called vain . and first negatively , it is not vain to his own carnal ends , but to the true ends of religion . 1. he intendeth by it the quieting of his own accusing conscience ; and the keeping up his hopes of salvation , and keeping off the terrors of the lord , and so consequentially the deceiving of his own heart ; and to these ends it s not in vain . here he sitteth as quietly as if all were well between god and him ; and heareth the threatenings as securely as if they concerned not him at all ; and applyeth the promises as boldly as if he were one of the heirs of promise : you would little think that this man must shortly be cast into utter darkness , from the presence of the lord , and have his portion with hypocrites , matth. 24. 51. his everlasting horrours appear not now , to himself upon his heart , nor to others in his face : what sign can you see of the curse of the law , or the wrath of god in that mans countenance ? what sign of his spiritual captivity and slavery , and of the load of sin that lyeth upon his soul , unless it be that he feels it not ? what sign of a man in so great danger , of eternal torment , unless it be that he little feareth it ? doth he sit there like a man that is within a step of hell , and shall shortly be there with the devil and his angels , as sure as he is here , unless he be saved by that grace and holiness which he now resists ? no ▪ he is as confident to be saved as the precisest of you all : he is as little troubled with the fears of hell , or the wrath of god , as those that are discharged from it by justification ; and perhaps much less . for all this he is beholden to his vain religion , that in the point of self-deceiving is not vain . as solid evidences promote the com●orts of true believers ; so this superficial kind of religion promoteth the present peace of the presumptuous . 2. this religion is not vain as to the frustrating of all the means of grace , and hindering the conversion and salvation of the hypocrite . this is his armour of defence against the sword of the spirit , that would pierce his heart , and let out his close corruption , and separate him from his beloved sin . what tell you him of repentance and conversion ? he thinks he needeth no conversion , or is converted long ago ! what ! is he not a christian , a protestant , a religious man ? tell swearers , and cursers , and drunkards , and extortioners , and cruel land-lords , and fornicators , of conversion : tell these that they are slaves of satan , and under the wrath and curse of god , that are indeed so , past all controversie : but tell not him of it , that makes no doubt but he is a member of christ , a child of god , and an heir of heaven . he loveth to hear a minister rouze up the prophane and grossely sensual offendors , and seems in pitty to wish for their conversion , and perhaps will exhort them to turn and mend their lives himself . but he little thinks that he is faster in the prison of satan then they , and that he is himself in the same condemnation . do you go about to tell him of the necessity of the fear of god , and of loving him above all , and of trusting him , and serving him as our only lord ? why , all this he will confess , and perhaps is as forward to say as you , and verily thinks that he is one that doth it : you may assoon make him believe , that he is not an english man , as that he is not a christian : and that he loveth not himself , as that he loveth not god : even while he liveth not to think of him , to speak of him , to call upon him , to obey ▪ him ; while he loveth not his word , his waies or servants ; or while he loveth the world and the pleasures of sin more heartily , and seeketh them more eagerly , and cleaveth to them more tenaciously ; yet if you would perswade him that he hath not a heart as true to god as any of you all , you will lose your labour . do you tell him of hypocrisie ? he will tell you that its the thing he hateth : who speaks against it more then he ? and because the world shall see he is no hypocrite , he will call them all hypocrites that are faithful to god and to their souls , and will not sit down in his truely-hypocritical vain religion , but will be more holy and diligent then he . what can you say to such a man in order to his conversion , which his self-deceiving religion will not frustrate ? do you tell him of hell fire , and of the wrath of god against the ungodly ? all this he can hear as calmly as another man ; for he thinks that he is none of the ungodly , he hath scapt the danger ; let them be afraid of it whom it doth concern . if you tell him of his sins , he can tell you that all men are sinners ; we are here imperfect ; and you shall never perswade him that his raigning deadly sins , are any other then such humane frailties and infirmities as may stand with grace . do you put him upon the inward practice of religion , and the fuller devoting of his soul to god , and the life of faith , and a heavenly mind ? hee 'l tell you that in his measure , he doth all this already ; though none of us are so good as we should be : and his heart being unseen to you , he thinks you must believe him . do you blame him for his slightness and formality in religion , and put him upon a more serious diligent course , and to live as one that seeketh heaven with all his heart , and soul , and might ? why he thinks you do but perswade him to some self-conceited over-zealous party , and draw him from his moderation , to be righteous overmuch ; and to make too much ado with his religion . unless he be an hypocrite that falleth into the schismatical strain : and then he will make a greater busle with his opinions and his outside services , then you can desire . so that one with his meer book-prayers , forms and ceremonies ; and the other with his meer extemporate words , and affected outside seeming fervour ; and both of them by a meer opinionative lifeless carnal kind of religion , subjected to their fleshly ends and interests , do so effectually cheat their souls , that they are armed against all that you can say or do , and you know not how to get within them , or fasten any saving truth upon their hearts . 3. this vain religion is not vain as to the preserving of his reputation in the world . it saveth him from being numbered with the filthy rabble , and from being pointed at as notoriously vicious , or branded with the disgraceful characters of the scandalous . men say not of him , there goeth a drunkard , a swearer , a curser , a fornicator , or a prophane ungodly wretch . he may be esteemed civil , ingenuous , discreet , and perhaps religious , and be much honoured by wise religious men : though most commonly his formal , or opinionative , heartless kind of religion , is discerned or much suspected by experienced judicious christians , by his sapless , unexperienced , common and carnal kind of discourse and duty , sticking most in opinions , parties , or some outside things , and by his temporizing , and reserved , and uneven kind of conversation ; yet it is not alwaies so ; but sometime he is as far unsuspected as the best : perhaps he may be esteemed a reverend preacher , or a discreet religious , well accomplisht gentleman , and may be set in the head of church or commonwealth , as a leader of the saints on earth , that shall be thrust into the place of hypocrites , and not come neer the meanest of the saints in heaven . 4. lastly , ( but better then all this ) his religion is not vain as to the good of others . he may by the perfume and odour of his gifts , be kept from stinking to the annoyance of others , while he is dead in sin . he may be very serviceable in the church of god : a judicious , earnest expounder of the scripture , and preacher and defender of the truth : in his place as a magistrate , or master of a family , he may be a severe corrector of prophaness , and promoter of godliness ; it being much easier to drive others from their sin , then to forsake their own , and to drive on others to a godly life then to practise it themselves : and by their owning godliness , and disowning sin , they perswade themselves the more effectually , that they are truely godly . the church cannot well spare the gifts and services of hypocrites , and many ungodly men . as , bad or sick physicians may be gods instruments to cure our bodies , and a wicked carpenter may make a good house ; so a wicked minister may well expound and apply the scriptures ; and he that refuseth the grace of christ , may prevail with others to accept it : the sign post that stands out of dore it self , may invite others into the house : and the hand upon a post that goes not one step of the way , may point it out to others . there 's more self-denyal ▪ required to the forsaking of their own sins , then to perswade others to forsake theirs : a covetous man cares not how liberal others be ; nor a glutton , drunkard , or fornicator , how temperate and chaste his neighbours be . and hence it is that many of these , that refuse a holy life themselves , are willing their children or servants should embrace it . the end of the ballance that goeth down it self , doth cause the other to go up . other mens souls are more beholden to hypocrites then their own . they are like the common mariners , that enrich the merchant by fetching home his treasure , when they have nothing but a poor maintenance themselves : or like taylors that make garments for others which they never wear themselves : or like carpenters that build fair houses which they never dwell in . or like the cook that dresseth meat which he eateth not . god giveth hypocrites their useful gifts , for the service of the church more then for themselves . he sometimes maketh those to be nursing fathers to his church , that are butchers of their own souls : and makes those his instruments to undeceive others , that deceive themselves . and thus far their religion is not vain . but 1. it is vain as to gods special acceptation . true religion pleaseth god : but the self-deceivers religion he abhorreth . he hath no pleasure in fools , eccles . 5. 4. he asketh such , to what purpose is the multitude of their sacrifices ? isa . 11. 11. and saith , he is full of their burnt-offerings , and delights not in them ? when they come to appear before him , he asketh them , who required this at their hands , to tread in his courts ? and bids them bring no more vain oblations ; incense is an abhomination to him : the calling of their assemblies he cannot away with , and their solemn meetings are iniquity , ver . 12 , 13. their appointed feasts his soul hateth ; they are a trouble to him ; he is weary to bear them . when they spread forth their hands , he will hide his eyes ; when they make many prayers , he will not hear ; because they do not forsake their sins , ver . 14. because they turn away their ear from he●ring his law , their prayer is abhomination to him , prov. 28. 9. and 15. 8. and 21 , 27. when they have sinned , instead of repenting and forsaking it , they think to please god by their religion , and stop the mouth of justice with their services ; when as they do but provoke him more , by adding hypocrisie to iniquity . were they truly willing to let go their sins , and to please god by universal obedience , he would willingly accept them , and be pleased with their services . but when mens religion , their prayers and other duties , are not used against their sins , but for them , nor to kill them , but to cover them , nor to overcome them , but as it were to bribe god to give them leave to sin , because they are not willing to forsake it , this is the self-deceiving religion of hypocrites , that is in vain . 2. and this religion is in vain , as to any promoting of a work , of sanctification upon his soul . it weaneth him not from the world : it crucifieth not the flesh , with its affections and lusts : it doth not further his self-denyal ; nor driveth him to christ , by a faith unfaigned : it never raiseth him to a heavenly life ; nor kindleth the love of god within him : it is dead and uneffectual , and cannot produce these high effects . yea on the contrary , it hardeneth him in sin and self-deceit : it hindereth his repentance : it emboldeneth him in his fleshly worldly life : and quieteth him in the neglect of christ and heaven . 3. moreover this kind of religion is in vain as to any solid peace of conscience . it affordeth him none of the well-grounded , dureable comforts of the saints : but on the contrary keeps out solid comfort , by feeding him with aery delusory conceits ; and maketh him to be but his own comforter , upon fancies and confidence of his own , when the spirit of christ is not his comforter , nor doth the word of god speak any peace at all unto him . 4. lastly , his religion is in vain as to his salvation . as he had but an image of true religion , so he shall have but an image of heaven . some dreams and self-created hopes of happiness , may accompany him to the door of eternity : but there they will leave him to everlasting horrour . v. vse . 1. from what hath been said , you may see the reason why an outside formal seeming religiousness , is a thing so common in the world , in comparison of the life and power of godliness . it is an easier thing to bring men to the strictest opinion , then to bring them to the affectionate and deep reception and practice of the truth . a strict opinion may be held without any great cost and trouble to the flesh . it is the practice that bereaveth a sinner of the pleasure of his sin . it is the common trick by which most hypocrites cheat their souls , to turn to the side and opinion , and assemblies and company which they think to be the best ; that so they may perswade themselves the more easily , that they are as good as those opinions and that company doth import , and that they are truely such as those they joyn with . as men are taken by others for such , as those they correspond with ; so hypocrites take themselves for such . as if it would prove that a man is sound , because he dwelleth with them that are so ? or as if it would prove a man rich or honourable , that he converseth with such ? as god will not save any nations on earth , because they are such nations ; nor will he save men because they are of such or such a trade , or because they are skilled in this or that art or science ; no more will he save men for being of this or that party or sect , in matters of religion . one thinks , when he hath lived a fleshly life , that he shall be saved for hearing or saying the common-prayer , or because he is for prelacy and ceremonies : another thinks he shall be saved , because he can pray without a book , or form of words , or because he frequenteth the private meetings , of those that more diligently redeem their time , for spiritual advantages then others do : another thinks he shall be saved because he is mocked as a puritan or as too strict , as others are that are serious believers , and diligent in the things of god : and another thinks that he shall be saved because he is rebaptized ; or because he joyneth with some separating congregation , which pretendeth to be more strict then others . but none shall be saved , on any such account as these . cain could not be saved , for being the first born in the family of adam : cham could not be saved for being in the ark and family of noah : nor esau for being in the house of isaac : nor absalom for being the son of david : nor judas for being a disciple in the family of christ . even mary that brought him forth , could not have been saved by him , if she had not had a better title ; and had not bore him in her heart , mark. 3. 34 , 35. when they talk to him of his mother and his brethren , christ looked upon those that sate about him , and told them that whosoever shall do the will of god , the same is his brother , his sister , and his mother . it is no outward badge and livery , but a heart-title , that must prove you the heirs of heaven . you may be snatcht out of the purest church on earth , and from the purest ordinances , and out of the arms of the most upright christians , and cast into hell , if you have no better evidences then such , to shew for your salvation . if ever you be saved , it must not be because you are papists , or protestants , lutherans , or calvinists , arminians , antinomians , anabaptists , independents , presbyterian , or prelatical ; formally and meerly as such : but because you are true christians , that have the spirit of christ , ( rom. 8. 9. ) and are conformed to him , in his sufferings , death and resurrection , and live in sincere obedience to his will. but hypocrites that want the inward life and power of religion , and are conscious of their willfull sins , would fain borrow something from the parties which they joyn with , or the opinions which they take up , or the formal outward worship which they perform , or the alms which they give , to make up the want , and cheat their souls with a self-created confidence , that they shall be saved . but more specially you may hence observe , the reason that popery hath so many followers , and that it is so easie a thing to make an infidel , or whoremonger , or drunkard , to turn a papist , when yet it is not easie to bring them to faith , and chastity , and temperance , much less to the unfeigned love of god , and to a holy heavenly life . though i doubt not but there are many sincere-hearted christians among the papists , yet popery it self is of an hypocritical strain , and is notably suited to the hypocrites disposition . it is revived pharisaisme : i marvel that they tremble not when they read themselves so lively characterized by christ , with the addition of so many terrible woes , as in matth. 23. and other places frequently they are : [ woe to you scribes , pharisees , hypocrites . ] they bind heavy burdens of external observances , to lay upon the consciences of their proselytes : they make broad their phylacteries ; and in variety of holy vestures , they make ostentation of such a religion , as a peacock may have when he spreads his tail . they contend for superiority and titles , to be called rabbi , pope , cardinal , patriarck , primate , metropolitane , archbishop , diocesane , abbot , prior , father , &c. to the great disturbance of all the nations of the christian world . they must needs be the fathers and masters of our faith : they shut up the kingdom of heaven against the people , forbidding all to read the scriptures in their vulgar tongue , without a special license from their ordinary : and commanding them to worship god in a strange tongue which they do not understand : by the numbers of their masses and prayers for the dead , they delude the souls , and devour the patrimony of the living . in temples , and altars , and images , and ornaments consisteth no small part of their religion : they make more of tything mint , anise and cummin , then of judgement , mercy , and faith , the weightier matters of the law. the outside they make clean , and appear as beautiful to men , as ceremonies and outward pompe can make them . they make it a part of their religion to murder the living saints , and keep holy dayes for the dead : they build the tombs of the prophets , and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous , and say , if we had lived in the dayes of our fathers , we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets . thus matth. 23. is their description . they have their touch not , ●aste not , handle not , after the commandements and doctrines of men , their voluntary humility , and worshipping of angels , and other rudiments of the world , and things that have a shew of wisdom in will-worship and humility , and neglecting of the body , not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh , col. 2. 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23. how easie a thing is it to bring an ungodly man to be of a religion that consisteth in such things as these ? in eating fish on certain dayes in stead of flesh ; in saying over so many pater nosters , and ave maries , and naming so oft the name of jesu : in worshipping a piece of consecrated bread with divine worship ; in bowing and praying before an image : in praying to the souls of such as the pope tells them are saints in heaven : in crossing themselves , and being sprinkled with holy water , and using agnus dei's , and consecrated grains and amulets : in dropping of beads : in saying such words as a prayer at such a canonical hour , and such words at the next canonical hour : in hearing a masse in latine ; and saying a latine prayer : in being anointed with hallowed oyl ; & burning hallowed candles on the altars by day-light : in going so many miles to the chappel of a saint in pilgrimage : in carrying about them a bone , or some other supposed relict of a supposed saint . in confessing their sins so often to a priest , and doing penance , if he impose it on them . and so while they live in whoredom , or drunkenness , or swearing , or lying , or all these , and many other such , it is but confessing and doing penance , and to it again ; on which account ( whatever some of them say for the necessity of contrition ) it is usual with them , to venture upon the sins of whoredom , drunkenness and the rest , because they have so easie and cheap a remedy at hand . and therefore i wonder not that among infidels ( who after baptism , apostatize to deny the holy scriptures , and the immortality of the soul , and the life to come , ) and among common swearers , and cursers , and whoremongers , and drunkards , the papists find their labours most successeful , and that no fish will so easily take their bait : nor do i wonder that it is a point of the popish faith , that none but the children of the devil , that are void of the love of god , and are unjustified , can possibly turn papists . ( for they tell us that all are such till they are papists : saving that they are many of them for the salvation of heathens . ) a poor wretch that is captivated to his odious lusts , and goes under a galled accusing conscience , will be content to take a popish cure , and quiet his soul with a few complements and formalities . but to bring one of these men to a through conversion , to a true humiliation , to a deep hatred of all sin , and a love of holiness , to close with christ as his only refuge from the wrath of god , and to give up himself without any reservation , and all that he hath , to the will and service of the lord : to love god as his portion , and the infinite transcendent good ; to take all the honour and riches of the world as loss and dung , and use all in due subserviency to everlasting happiness ; to crucifie the flesh , and mortifie all his earthly inclinations , and live a life of self-denyal , and to walk with god , and serve him as a spirit in spirit and in truth , and to keep a watch over thoughts , affections , words and deeds ; to live by faith upon a world and happiness that is to us unseen ; and to live in preparation for their death , and wait in hope to live with christ ; this is christianity and true religion ; and this is it that they will not so easily be brought to . it s easier to make an hundred papists , then one true regenerate christian . children can make them a baby of clouts : and the statuary can make a man of alabaster or stone : but none can give life , which is essential to a man indeed , but god. there needeth the spirit of the living god , by a supernatural operation , and a kind of new creation , to make a man a real holy christian . but to bring a man to make such a congee , or wear such a vesture , or say such and such words , and make to himself a mimical religion , this may be done without any such supernatural work . o therefore take heed of cheating your souls by hypocritical formalities , instead of the life and power of religion . vse 2. and now , o that the lord of life , would help me so to apply this truth , and help you so to apply it to your selves , that it might be as a light set up in the assembly and in all your consciences , to undeceive the miserable self-deceivers , and to bring poor hypocrites into some better acquaintance with themselves , and to turn their seeming vain religion , into that which is real and serious and saving ! and now i am to search and convince the hypocrite , i could almost wish that all the upright tender souls that are causelesly in doubt of their own sincerity , were out of the congregation , lest they should misapply the hypocrites portion to themselves , and think it is their case that i am describing : as it is usual with ignorant patients , especially if they be a little melancholy , when they hear or read the description of many dangerous diseases , to think that all or some of them are theirs , because they have some symptomes very like to some of those which they hear or read of . or lest their fearful souls should be too much terrified , by hearing of the misery of the hypocrite ; as a fearful child that 's innocent , will cry , when he sees another whipt that 's faulty . but if thou wilt stay and hear the hypocrites examination , i charge thee , poor humbled drooping soul , that thou do not misunderstand me , nor think that i am speaking those things to thee , that are meant to the falshearted enemies of the lord ! and do not imagine that thou art condemned in his condemnation ; nor put not thy self under the stroaks that are given him : but rejoyce that thou art saved from this state of self-deceit and misery . and that thou mayst have some shelter for thy conscience against the storm that must fall on others , look back on the foregoing description of the hypocrite , and thou mayst find that thou hast the saving graces , which i there discovered him to want . let these at present be before thine eyes , and tell thee , thou art not the person that i mean. 1. thou art humbled to a loathing of thy self for thy transgressions . 2. thou art willing to give up thy self to christ , without reserve , that as thy saviour , he may cure thy miserable soul , upon his own terms . 3. the favour of god is dearer to thee then the favour of the world , or the pleasures and prosperity of sinners : and thou longest more to love him better , and to feel his love , then for any of the honours or advancements that flesh and blood desire . 4. it is the life to come that thou takest for thy portion , and preferest before the matters of this transitory life . 5. thy religion employeth thee about thy heart , as much as about the out side and appearing part : it is heart-sins that thou observest and lamentest , and a better heart that thou daily longest , and prayest , and labourest for . 6. thou livest not in any gross and deadly sin ; and thou hast no infirmity but what thou longest and labourest to be rid of ; and goest on in the use of christs holy means and remedies for a cure . 7. thou dislikest not the highest degree of holiness , but lovest it and longest after it , and hadst rather be more holy then be more honourable or more rich . 8. thou unfeignedly lovest the image of christ on the souls of all his servants where thou canst discern it ; and seest a special excellency in a poor humble heavenly christian , though never so low or despicable in the world , above all the pompe and splendor of the earth ; and thou lovest them with a special love ; and the holier they are , the better dost thou love them . 9. thou lovest the most convincing searching sermons , and wouldest fain have help to know the worst that is in thy heart ; and comest unto the light that thy heart and deeds may be made manifest . 10. all this is the bent and by as of thy soul ; thy habituated , ordinary case ; though there be not alway the same opportunity for the acts , nor the same degree of life in acting : it is not only a good mood that thou art frightened into by some affliction , and then returnest to thy carnal course of life again : but thou heartily continuest thy consent to the covenant which thou hast made with christ , and wouldest not turn back to a worldly , carnal , or a formal life , nor change thy master , nor forsake the holy course which thou art engaged in for all the world . this is the truth of thy case , poor doubting troubled christian : thou canst not deny it without much injury to thy self and god. and therefore-be not now troubled at that which i shall say to the self-deceivers . and now i am to speak to the self-deceiver , i perceive my task to be exceeding difficult : to get within him that is so guarded : and to pierce his heart that is so armed : and to open his eyes that is willing to be blind : and to undeceive him that hath been so long deceived , and that studyeth to deceive himself , and is engaged in that unhappy work , by such subtil enemies that further his deceit , and by so many allurements , and such strong corruptions , and by a seeming necessity for the quieting of his conscience ; all this is not an easie work . but we must attempt it , and leave the success to grace . and first let me solemnly profess before you all , ( for the removing of your prejudice , and the calming of your resisting hearts ) that it is none of my desire by the discovery of your hypocrisie , to shame you before others , or to make you seem more miserable then you are , or to disturbe and grieve you any more then is necessary to the escaping of your exceeding danger , and then your own salvation and comforts do require . but when we know that religion is your business in the world ; and that an endless world shall presently receive you ; and that christ is coming ; and your souls are ready to quit their residence , and take their leave of your flesh till the resurrection ; and when we know that hypocrisie and self-deceit , is the thing that you are most in danger of , and that you must be saved from it , or be in hell for ever ; and that the enemies of your souls will do all they can , to keep their possession in peace , and to continue your deceit till you are past remedy ; what would you have us do in such a case ? would you wish us to be silent , and betray your souls , and damn our own , for fear of disquieting and displeasing you ? how hard are your hearts , if you would wish us to do thus ! be awakened therefore o all ye self-deceivers , and know that hypocrisie as the harlots paint , is but a base and borrowed beauty , that will vanish away when you draw neer the fire ; and that self-deceit will quiet you so short a time , that it 's as good let go your delusory peace and comfortable dream to day as to morrow : and it s better now begin and examine your selves , then stay till the dreadful judge examine you , who is even at the door ! the discovery of your case is the one half of your cure : and as you have been your own deceivers , let us in justice find you so equitable to your selves , as to be willing of the light that must undeceive you ; and to go along with us into your consciences , and help us in the search , and impartially pass a preventing judgement , that christ may not pass a condemning judgement . and in order to your conviction and recovery , i shall first acquaint you with your misery , that so it may awaken you to look about you , while there is time and hope . if it were gods way to work by ocular demonstrations , and the christian life were a life of sense , and you had heaven and hell this hour open to your sight , how little need should i have to plead this cause with you any further ? you would then see and hear that vengeance that would awake you ; and make you presently fly into your hearts , and charge conscience to deal impartially with you , lest self-deceit should bring you to those flames . but it s a life of faith that we are to call you to , and a word of faith that we have to preach ; but of things that are as sure as if you saw them . and , 1. if thy religion be vain , thy hopes and comforts that are built upon it , are all but vain . how vain is that hope that will vanish when the enjoyment is expected , and will end in endless desperation ? what though thou sit here with so great hopes and confidence of salvation , as maketh thee even scorn the man that questions it ? art thou ever the better when death awaketh thee , and thy confident dream is at an end ? when thou art dying , wilt thou hope ? perhaps thou mayst : but when thou art burning , wilt thou hope ? when thou art tormented , wilt thou hope ? desperation will then be essential to thy misery . the devils that now feed thy hope by their deceits , will then as readily keep awake thy conscience , and exasperate thy despairing soul . if now thou wilt hope under the threatenings of god ( that thou mayst be saved in thy present state ) wilt thou then hope under his execution ? thy flatterers and prosperity may cherish thy deceitful hopes for a time ; but who will maintain them , when god commandeth desperation to torment thee ? job 27. 8 , 9 [ for what is the hope of the hypocrite though he hath gained , when god taketh away his soul ? will god hear his cry , when trouble cometh upon him ? ] as sands turns it . what hope hath the prevailing hypocrite , when god shall chase his soul to endless night ? will god relieve him in his agonies ? or from the depth of sorrows hear his cryes ? his worldly glory will then desert him , and leave him to the fruit of his deserts : his fruition will perish with his hopes , job 27. 22 , 23. [ for god shall cast upon him and not spare : he would fain flee out of his hand . men shall clap their hands at him , and shall hiss him out of his place : or as sands turneth it ; god shall transfix him with his winged dart : though he avoid him like the flying hart. men shall pursue with merited disgrace : hiss , clap their hands , and from his country chase . hopes that are built by self-deceit , have no foundation , but sand and waters , and in tryal they will fall , and their fall will be great and terrible , matth. 7. 23 , 24. job . 8. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15. [ can the rush grow up without mire ? can the flag grow without water ? whilst it is yet in its greenness , and not cut down , it withereth before any other herb : so are the paths of all that forget god ; and the hypocrites hope shall perish : whose hope shall be cut off , and whose trust shall be a spiders web . he shall lean upon his house , but it shall not stand : he shall hold it fast , but it shall not endure , ] or , can bull-rushes but by the rivers grow ? can flags there flourish where no waters flow ? yet they , when green , when yet untoucht , of all that cloath the spring , first hang their heads , and fall . so double-hearted hypocrites ; so they who god forget , shall in their prime decay . their aery hopes , as brittle , as the thin and subtile webs , which toyling spiders spin . their houses full of wealth and ryot , shall deceive their trust , and crush them in their fall , &c. job 36. 13. [ the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath : they cry not when he bindeth them . ] or as the paraphrase , for the deluder hastens his own fall , nor will in trouble on the almighty call . who on the beds of sin supinely lie , they in the summer of their age shall die . and what we say of the hypocrites hope , we may say also of all his pleasures and delights . he may now be as merry as the most righteous of his neighbours ; and seem the most happy , because the most jocund ; and abound with medicines against melancholy and all wise and sober consideration ; even his business , his cups , his wantonness and uncleanness , or at least his less disgracefull pleasures and recreations , which fortifie his mind against the fears of death and judgement , and all the threatenings of god ; as sleepy opium fortifies the brain , against the sense of sicknesses and pain . and if this mirth could alwaies last , how happy a man were the self-deceiver ? but saith solomon , eccles . 7. 6. as the crackling of thorns under a pot , so is the laughter of the fool . as thorns beneath a caldron catch the fire , blaze with a noise , and suddenly expire ; such is the causeless laughter of vain fools ; this vanity in their distemper rules . and as job 20. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. [ knowest thou not this of old since man was placed upon earth , that the triumphing of the wicked is short , and the joy of the hypocrite for a moment ? though his excellency mount up to the heavens , and his head reacheth to the clouds ; yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung ; they which have seen him shall say , where is he ? he shall flee away as a dream , and shall not be found ; yea he shall be chased away as a vision of the night . the eye also which saw him shall see him no more ; neither shall his place any more behold him : ] or as the foresaid paraphrase , this is a truth which with the world began , since earth was first inhabited by man ; sins triumph in swift misery concludes , and flattering joy the hypocrite deludes . although his excellence to heaven aspire ; though radiant beams his shining brows attire ; he as his dung shall perish on the ground ; nor shall th' impression of his steps be found ; but like a troubled dream shall take his flight ; and vanish as a vision of the night . no mortal eye shall see his face again , nor sumptuous roofes their builder entertain . thus as the hypocrites religion is vain , so all his hopes and joyes will be vain , and will deceive him as he deceiv'd himself . as zophar concludeth of him , job 11. 20. [ but the eyes of the wicked shall fail , and they shall not escape : and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost . ] poor soul , thy religion is already so vain , that it giveth thee no solid satisfaction or delight : thou art fain to go to thy lands , or friends , or pleasures , or carnal accomodations for delight : thy religion , which should let thee into heaven , and there refresh thee with the fore●asts of everlasting pleasures , and should daily fetch thee fresh delights , from the face of god , alas is an impotent lifeless thing ; acquainted with shadows , but strange to the invisible substance ; acquainted with formal shews and ceremonies , but unacquainted with god : acquainted with the letter , but not with the spirit ; familiar with the orders of the churrh , but strange to the fore●asts of heaven . if thou hadst no other comfort . but what thy dead religion brings thee from the face of god , thy pensive heart would be better to consideration and recovery , then it is . if thou hadst a faith that brought thee in any solid stablishing conten● , what needst thou be hunting abroad the world , among thy crowd of vanities and deceits , to beg or borrow some short delight , which thou must return with griping usury ? and what needest thou so many pittiful shifts to muzzle thy conscience , and to keep that peace a little longer , which will end in sorrow , and will part with thee as the devil went out of the possessed person , mark 9. 26. that rent him , and left him as a dead man. that religion is certainly vain , that is not sufficient to acquaint the soul with matter of solid comfort and content , but leaves that felicitating work , to worldly transitory things , while it self is used only as a skreen , to keep hell fire from scorching the conscience , or as childrens rackets to quiet them when they are apt to cry . 2. but the vanity of a superficial religion , will most appear in the hour of extremity ; when their help as well as their hope and comfort will to them prove vain . prosperity will not alway last : as sure as winter followeth summer , and as the darksome night succeeds the day , so sure will adversity take its turn : sickness will follow the longest health ; and death succeed the longest life ; and your house of darkness in the dust , will hold you longer then your present habitations . and then , when thou seest all things fail , o what wouldst thou give for a hope and help that will not fail , that thou mightest be received into the everlasting habitations ? the conscience that is now asleep , will be shortly awakened in such a manner , that it will be utterly past the skill and power , of thy self and all the friends thou hast , to cast it asleep or quiet it again . and then , what wouldst thou not give , for a lenitive to pacifie it ! no wonder if thou sit here as senseless as if no harm were near thee : it is now in thy power not to believe that there is a hell for hypocrites , or that it is thy own inheritance : but the day is near ( if a supernatural change prevent it not ) when it shall no more be in thy power : but sight and feeling shall convince thee whether thou wilt or no. now we must intreat thy own consideration , and solicite thee for thy own consent , to know thy grievous sin and misery , and yet leave thee unconvinced , because thou art unwilling to know the truth , and because we cannot shew thee heaven and hell while we are speaking of them : but then god will not ●●ave , but force thy consideration : nor will he ask thy consent to feel thy misery : but the less thou art willing , the more hast thou to feel . and which way then wilt thou look for help ? which way ever it be , it will be all in vain , because thy religion was but vain ; wilt thou look to thy duties and supposed honesty , whose sincerity now thou art so confident of ? 〈◊〉 this is the vain religion , that this deceive thee , but cannot sin● thee . thou art like a man re● falling house , that hath nothing to lay hold on , but that ●●ch is falling , and is it that will 〈◊〉 him unto death . or like a 〈◊〉 ●owning man that hath nothing ●ut a handful of water to lay hold upon ; which is it that will choak him , but is vain to save him . it is thy superficial hypocritical complemental services , that will fall with thee , and fall upon thee , that will thus both deceive thee , and choak thee , in the time of thy distress . to be told now that thy religion is vain , is a thing that thy dead unbelieving heart can too easily bear : but to find then , when thou lookest for the benefit of it , that its vain , is that which is not born so easily , but will overwhelm the stoutest heart with terrours . if thou were a man of no religion , and so hadst none to deceive and quiet thee , 〈…〉 couldst scarcely keep off thy 〈…〉 now : if thou hadst not 〈◊〉 hollow-hearted prayers , thy 〈◊〉 zeal , or forms , and shews , 〈◊〉 tasks of duty , thy profession , 〈◊〉 its secret exceptions and reserv● 〈◊〉 thy smoothed out-side , with the good conceit thou hast of thy self , and the good esteem that other men have of thee , if thou hadst not these to flatter thy conscience , and cloak thee from the storms of threatened wrath , thou wouldst perhaps walk about like another cain , and be afraid of every man thou seest , and tremble at the shaking of a leaf , and still look behind thee as afraid of a pursuit . but , alas , it will be ten thousand times more terrible , to find thy confidence prove deceit , and thy religion vain , when god is judging thee , when hell is before thee , and thou art come to the last of all thine expectations ! nay then to find not only that thy superficial religion was vanity , and lighter then vanity , nothing , and less then nothing ; but that it was thy sin , and that which will now torment thee , and the remembrance of it be to thee as the remembrance of drunkenness to the drunkard , and of fornication to the unclean , and of covetousness to the worldling , the rust of whose money will eat his flesh , and burn like fire : o what a doleful plight is this ! when the sentence is ready to pass upon thee , and hell is gaping to devour thee , and thou lookest for help to thy vain religion , and cryest out [ o now , or never help : help me , or i am a fire-brand of unquenchable wrath : help me , or i must be tormented in those flames : help me now , or it will be too late ; and i shall never , never more have help ] then to have thy self-deceit discovered , and thy seeming religion condemn thee and torment thee , instead of helping thee , what anguish and confusion will this cast thy hopeless soul into ? such as no heart can here conceive . thy guilty soul will be like a hare among a company of dogs : which so ever of thy duties thou flyest for help to , that will make first to tear thee and devour thee . like a naked man in the midst of an army of his deadly enemies : which so ever he flyeth to for pitty and relief , is like to be one of the first to wound him . poor self-deceiver what wilt thou then do , or whither wilt thou betake thy soul for help ? the reason why thou canst now make shift with a lifeless shadow of religion , is , because thou hast thy sports or pleasures , thy friends and ●latterers , thy worldly business to divert thy thoughts , and take thee up , and rock the cradle of thy security ; and thy piety is not yet brought unto the fire , nor thy heart and duties searched by the all discovering light : but when the light comes in , and when all thy fleshly contents are gone , and when thou comest to have use for thy religion , and seest that if it prove unsound , thou art lost for ever , o then it is not shadows , and shews , and complements that will quiet th●e . that will not serve turn then , that serves turn now . thou wilt find then that it was easier deceiving thy self then god , gal. 6. 3 , 4 , 5 , 7. [ for if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing , he deceiveth himself : but let every man prove his own work — for every man shall bear his own burden . be not deceived : god is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth , that shall he also reap . for he that soweth to his flesh , shall of the flesh reap corruption : but he that soweth to the spirit , shall of the spirit reap everlasting life . ] but perhaps thou wilt say , it is not any duties but christ that i must trust to : he will be my help , and he is sufficient , and will not deceive the soul that trusteth him . answ . undoubtedly he is sufficient , and will not deceive thee . but doth he deceive thee , if he give thee not the salvation which he never promised thee ? he never promised salvation to an hypocrite ( without conversion ) it is the upright soul devoted to him , that takes him for the absolute master of his life , and for his only portion and felicity , to whom christ hath promised salvation : and his promise shall be made good , and the sincere shall find that christ deceives them no● . but where did he ever promise salvation to a superficial pharisee ? to such a seeming christian as thou ? shew such a promise from him if thou canst ; and then trust it and spare not . but thou dost not trust him , but thy own deceit , if he have given thee no such promise to trust on . nay rather , should he not deceive all the world , if he should save such superficial hypocrites , when he hath professed in his word that he will not save them ? and if he should not condemn such heartless formalists , when he hath so often told us that he will condemn them ? surely he that breaks his word is liker to be a deceiver , then he that keepeth it . be it known to thee therefore ( and o that thou wouldst know it while there is a remedy at hand ) that if thou trust that christ should save an unsanctified fals-hearted person , whose soul was never renewed and revived by the holy ghost , and absolutely given up to god , and that setteth not up god and his service above all the interest of the flesh , and the commodities and contentments of the world , thou dost not then trust christ , but thy own deceits and lyes : and it is not christ that is the deceiver , but thou art a deceiver of thy self , that makest thy self a false promise , and trustest to it ; and when thou hast done , sayst , thou wilt trust to christ : yea trustest thy self against christ , and trustest that he will break his word , and not that he will make it good . see whether he resolve not to condemn all such , matth. 10. 37 , 38. luke 14. 27 , 33. matth. 7. 26 , 27. jam. 2. 14. heb. 12. 14. rom. 8. 9. with the texts before cited , and abundance such . christ will be a saviour ; but he is the saviour of his body , and not of the affixed hypocrites , eph. 5. 23. and his body is the church which is subject to him , ver . 24. he will save to the utmost : but whom ? even all that come to god by him , heb. 7. 25. but not those that make the world their god , and would put god off with a few running heartless words and duties . it is the living fruitful branches that he will save : but the withered branches he casteth forth , to be burned in the fire , joh. 15. 2 , 6 , 7. no man can serve god and mammon : nor live both to the spirit and the flesh : he that hath two hearts , hath none that 's acceptable unto god : he that hath two faces ( a face of devotion in his formal customary services , and a face that smiles on the world and fleshly pleasures when he hath done ) hath none that god will ever smile upon . the leaves of the barren fig-tree , saved it not from the curse of christ , matth. 21. 18 , 19. hew it down and cast it into the fire , shall be the sentence of the most flourishing tree that 's fruitless , luk. 13. 7. [ the earth that drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it , and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed , receiveth blessing from god : but that which beareth thorns and bryers , is rejected , and is nigh to cursing , whose end is to be burned , ] heb. 6. 7 , 8. so that if thy religion be vain , the blood of christ , and all the treasures of his grace , will be vain to thee , that are saving unto others . an infidel may then as well expect to be saved by the christ whom he rejected , as thou . nay it is christ himself that will condemn thee : it is his own mouth that will say to such as thee , depart from me , ye that work iniquity . and though thou couldest say , [ lord , lord , i have prophesied , or cast out devils , or done many wonderful works in thy name ] he [ will profess to thee that he never knew thee ] or owned thee , matth. 7. 22 , 23. if crying would then serve , i know thou wouldst not spare thy cryes . but he must so pray as to be accepted and heard on earth , that looks to be accepted and regarded then ; when the miserable soul with endless horrours in its eye , is looking round about for help , and findeth none ; when all the creatures say , we cannot , and he that can shall say , i will not ; who can apprehend the calamity of such a soul ? what soul so sleepy and regardless now , that will not then cry , [ lord , lord open to us ] when the door is shut , and it is too late ? matth. 25. 10 , 11 , 12. then if thou roar in the anguish of thy soul , and cry out to him that saveth others [ condemn me not o lord , but save me also ! now lord have mercy on a miserable sinner ! save me , or i am lost for ever : save me , or i must burn in yonder flames : turn not thy heart against an undone perishing soul , [ if thou cast me off , i have no hope ! ] a thousand such cryes would be in vain , because thou hadst but a vain religion , prov. 1. 24 , &c. [ because i have called and ye refused , i have stretched out my hand and no man regarded , but ye have set at nought all my counsel , and would none of my reproof : i also will laugh at your calamity : i will mock when yonr fear cometh : when your fear cometh as desolation , and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon you : then shall they call upon me , but i will not answer ; they shall seek me early , but they shall not find me : — therefore they shall eat of their own way , and be filled with their own devices ] saith the lord. and when hell hath once taken thee into its possession , if thou cry and roar there ten thousand millions of ages , it will be all in vain . thy strongest and thy longest cryes , cannot procure thee a drop of water , to cool thy tongue tormented in those flames , luke 16. 24 , 25 , 26. in a word , if thy religion be vain , all 's vain to thee . thy life it self is vain , eccles . 6. 12. thou walkest in a vain shew , psal . 39. 6. thou disquietest thy self in vain , in all thy labours , psal . 39 ▪ 6. and 127. 1 , 2. and vanity and vexation is all that thou shalt possess , eccles . 1. 2 , 14. prov. 22. 8. and if conscience , when thy day of grace is past , shall force thee upon the review to say , my piety was but seeming and self-deceit , and all my religion was vain ; it will be the voice of utter desperation , and will stab the heart of all thy hopes . this and no better being the self-deceivers case , is not conscience now at work within you ? and asking as each of the disciples did , mat. 26. 24 , 25. is it i ? if thou have a heart within thee , beseeming a reasonable creature , by this time thou art afraid of self-deceit , and willing to be searched , and to know thy hypocrisie , while it may be cured . for my part , i shall pronounce no one of you personally to be an hypocrite , as knowing that hypocrisie is a sin of the heart , which in it self is seen by none but god and him that hath it : but my business is only to help such to know and judge themselves . could i name the man to you in the congregation , that had none but a seeming vain religion , i am perswaded you would all look upon him as a most unhappy deplorable wretch . alas , sirs , hypocrites are not so rare among us , as some imagine . there are few or none , but saints and hypocrites in this assembly , or in most of the assemblies in the land . i think here are none that make not a profession of the christian faith , and of love to god : all therefore that have not this faith and love , must needs be hypocrites , as professing to be what they are not . in your baptism you engaged and profest your selves the disciples of christ , and gave up your selves in solemn covenant to god , the father , son and holy ghost : this covenant you will say you stand to yet : & none of you will be known to have renounced your christianity : as christians you use to come to these assemblies , and here to attend god in the use of his ordinances : and some of you to renew your covenant with him , in the sacrament of the lords supper . i meet with none that will say [ i am no christian , nor a servant of the god of heaven : i am an infidel , and rebell against the lord. ] i think there is none of you , but would take it ill , if i should call you such , or should deny you to be christians , and men fearing god. ] if therefore you are not such indeed , you must needs be hypocrites . what say you ? is there any of you that profess your selves to be ungodly , unbelievers , and servants of the devil , and will take this as your current title , disclaiming the love and service of the lord ? i think you will not . if you are such as you profess , you are all saints , and shall be saved . if any of your be not such , they can be nothing else but hypocrites . seeing therefore that you are all either saints or hypocrites , come now to the bar , and refuse not a tryal , that may prevent the errors of another kind of tryal , that you cannot refuse . and here let me set before you your profession , and then try your selves , whether you are such as you profess your selves to be or not ? and i think i may take it for granted , that the articles of the creed , and the b●ptismal covenant , is the least that every one of you do profess ; and that the desires implyed in the petitions of the lords prayer , you all profess to be your own desires ; and that you take the 〈◊〉 command●ments for part of the rule of your obedience ▪ let us peruse them briefly in the several parts . 1. do you not all say that you believe in god the father almighty , maker of heaven and earth , and that you will have no other gods but him ? and are you not accordingly engaged in covenant with him ? you will not deny it . and what is the meaning of this much of your profession ? it is no less then to take god for the only infinite good , to be loved with the chiefest love , and to take him for your absolute lord and governour , the owner of you and all you have , to whom you owe universal absolute obedience ; and that you are truly willing to love him above all , and fear him , and trust him and obey him accordingly , though your flesh and all the world should be against it . he that meaneth not all this , doth dissemble or lye when he saith , he taketh god to be his god. for to be god , is to be this much to us . and really is it thus with you , as you profess ? speak but as men that dare not lye before the lord that knows your hearts ? do you indeed love god as god ? with your superlative love : are your hearts set upon him ? do you make it your principal care to please him ? is it your delight to do his will ? is it sweeter to you to think and speak of him , then of the world ? doth it grieve you most to offend him ? in a word , you are not such strangers to nature , but you know what love is . and you are not such strangers to your own hearts , but you know what it is , to love your pleasure , your profit , your honour and your friend ; can conscience say before the lord , that you love him better then all these ? if not more passionately , yet more deeply , effectually and resolvedly ; with a love that will cause you to deny and part with all for him ? if you thus truly love him as god ; ( and above all ) how comes it to pass that you seek the world more carefully , and eagerly then him ? and that you are more pleased with worldly thoughts and speeches and employments , then with divine ? were not the hypocrite justly blinded , and a willfull stranger to himself , he could not but know that he loveth not god as god , and above all . and to love him in subordination to your flesh and its contents , is not at all to love him as god : as it is no degree of conjugal love , to love a wife but as a servant ; nor no degree of the love due to your soveraign , to love him as an equal , or as a slave . and if really you take god for your absolute lord and governour , why is it then that you take no pleasure in his laws ; but count them too strict and had rather be at your own dispose ? why is it that you obey your fleshly desires , before and against the god whom you acknowledge ? why will you not be perswaded to that holiness , justice and charity which you know his law commandeth you ? why do you willfully continue in those sins , which conscience tells you god forbids ? will you live in willfull disobedience , and love your sins , and loath your duty , and obstinately continue thus , and yet profess that you take god for your god , and consequently for your lord and governour ? and yet will you not confess that you are dissembling hypocrites ? 2. do you not all profess that you believe in jesus christ ? and have you not in covenant taken him for your saviour and lord ? and do you so indeed , or do you not play the hypocrites ? if you believe in christ , and take him for your saviour , you then take your sins for the disease and misery of your souls , and you are so grieved for them and weary of them , and humbled in the apprehension of your lost estate , that you fly to christ as your only refuge , from the wrath and curse of the offended majesty , and value his justifying and healing grace before all the riches of the world ; and you are willing to take his bitterest medicines , and use the means appointed by him , for the destruction of your sin , and the perfecting of his graces . and is it thus with you , that have unhumbled hearts , that never felt the need of christ , as condemned miserable men must do ? and that love the sin that he would cure , and are unwilling to be mortified and sanctified by his grace ? unless a carkass be a man , such hypocrites as these are no true christians , and have but a seeing self-deceiving faith . 3. do you not all profess to believe in the holy ghost ? and are you not engaged to him in covenant as your sanctifier ? and do you not grosly play the hypocrites here ? if not , how comes it to pass that you stick in your natural state , as if you had no need of sanctification ? and live as quietly without any acquaintance with true regeneration , and the spirit to dwell and rule within you , as it you needed no such change ? or else that you take up with a formal , an affected , or a forced kind of religion , in stead of sanctification and spiritual devotion ? and how comes it to pass that you distaste the highest degrees of holiness ? and that you will not be brought to the mortification , self-denyal , and unreserved obedience , which are the essence of sanctification ? as for the more deboist prophane sort of hypocrites , that make a common mock of godliness , and scorn at the very name of holiness and sanctification , and deride at all that pretend to have the spirit ; i had rather tremble at the thought of their misery , then now stand to reprove that notorious hypocrisie , which professeth to believe in the holy spirit which they deride ; and covenanteth with the sanctifier , while they hate and mock , or at least do obstinately refuse sanctification . when god himself tells us , rom. 8. 9. [ that if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his . ] and therefore to deride a man for professing that he hath the spirit , is to deride him for professing to be a christian . 4. do you not all profess to [ believe the holy catholick church ] that is , that christ hath a people dispersed through the world , that are sanctified by his spirit , and made a holy peculiar people , whom he loveth as his spouse and as his own body , of which number you must be if you will be saved ? and yet at the same time , the members of this church , you contemn ; the holiness of it you secretly hate ; and the faithfull pastors in it you despise and disobey . is not this hypocrisie ? 5. you all profess to [ believe the communion of saints : ] that is , that the true members of the catholike church are all saints , that have one and the same spirit , and walk by the same holy law or rule , and in holiness must converse together , and joyn in church order , for the publick worshipping of god , according to his own institution : and must purely and fervently love each other , with such a charity as shall make one as ready to relieve another , when god calls for it , as if our riches did belong in common to the saints . ] this is the meaning of this article of your creed . and do i then need to ask you whether those that profess this , are not hypocrites , if they hate the saints , and their inward spiritual communion , and if they love them but with that lifeless charity that james describeth ? jam. 2. 14 , 15 , &c. or if they despise or hate the discipline , ordinances and holy communion of the church ? and if they live in communion with drunkards , with harlots , with worldlings , or sensual , vain , or ambitious men , and fly from the communion of saints ? what dost thou , when thou sayst [ i believe the communion of saints ] but say [ i am a dissembling hypocrite ] if it he thus with thee ? 6. you all profess to [ believe the forgiveness of sins ; ] that is , that through the blood of christ all true repenting and believing sinners , shall be forgiven , and are not shut up under remediless despair . and also i think you all profess that you do repent your selves , that forgiveness may be yours . and yet you love your sin : you love not to be told of it : you will not believe it to be sin , as long as you can strive against conviction ; and when you must needs confess it , you will not forsake it ; but while you seem to reform by parting with so much as you can spare , your dearer sins , which pleasure and honour and profit are much engaged in , you will not forsake : though repentance do consist in turning from sin to god ; and christ hath assured you , that except you repent , you shall all perish , luk. 13. 3 , 5. is not this therefore palpable hypocrisie , to profess repentance for remission of sin , and still keep the sin which you say you repent of , as if you thought to mock god with names and shews ? 7. you all profess to [ believe the resurrection of the body ; and that christ shall come again to judge the quick and dead . ] but do you live as men that believe indeed , that they are passing unto such a judgement ? if you seriously expected to be judged for your lives , for the words you speak , the deeds you do , the time you spend , the means of grace which you neglect or use , and for all that you receive and do , is it possible you could so waste your time , and neglect the means of your salvation , and sin so boldly and obstinately as you do ? 8. you all profess that you [ believe the life everlasting ] that the righteous shall go into their masters joy , and the rest into everlasting punishment in hell , matth. 25. and 13. but do you not play the hypocrites ? can you heartily believe that you stand so near to heaven or hell , to everlasting joy or torments , and make no greater a matter of it , nor make no better preparation for it , nor bestir your selves no more in a case of such unspeakable weight ? if you believe sincerely the glory of heaven , you set your hearts on it , more then upon earth , and take it for your portion and most desireable felicity . but do i need to tell the worldly fleshly hypocrite how far he is from this ? 9. you profess ( as the summ of the ten commandements ) that you love god above all , and your neighbours as your selves . ] but doth not your selfishness and quarreling with your neighbours , when they do but stand in the way of your honour or commodity , convince you of hypocrisie in this profession ? 10. in the use of the lords prayer , what word do you speak that is not in hypocrisie ? do you first and principally desire the hallowing of gods name , the coming of his kingdom , and the doing of his will ? ] when you are far more tender of your own names then of gods , and more regardful of your own honour ? and when you care more for your own prosperity then for the prosperity of the church and gospel ; and do your selves become the hinderers of his kingdom and government in the church and in the souls of men ? and when you cannot abide to do his will , when it crosseth the interest of your flesh , but dislike it as too strict , and had rather the word and will of god were agreeable to yours , then you will conform your own to his ? do you only desire [ your daily bread , and that in subordination to the honour , and kingdom , and will of god. ] or rather do you not play the hypocrites in saying so , when it is not [ daily bread ] that will content you ; but plenty and prosperity is sweeter to you then holiness ? when you pray for [ the forgiveness of your sins , as you forgive others ] you intimate that you are weary of your sins , and hate them , and would forsake them ; and that you forgive all that have wronged you , out of the sense of your own transgressions , and of the love of christ : but is all this so , or is it meer dissembling , when you forsake not your sin , nor are willing to forsake it , and when your consciences know that there be some that you forgive not ? you pray against [ being led into temptation ] and yet you love it and cast your selves into it . into tempting company , and tempting talk , and tempting employments : and for recreation , meat , drink , apparel , houses , attendants , estate , reputation , and almost all things else , you love and choose that which is most tempting . you pray to be delivered from evil : ] when the evil of your pride , flesh pleasing , and worldliness , you so love , that indeed you would not be delivered from them . what can you say to excuse all this from palpable hypocrisie ? to conclude , you pretend to all that necessary to salvation ; but have you that in reality which you pretend to ? 1. you think your selves wise enough to be saved . but is it not folly that goes under the name of wisedom ? when you should be converted and lead a holy life , you are wise enough to give reasons for the contrary , and wise enough to confute the preacher , and prove him a fool , instead of obeying the call of god. you are wise enough to prove the physician to be ignorant , and to cast away the medicine that should heale you . and what if no body could deal with you in subtilty of argument , but you could say that against the necessary means of your own salvation , that none can answer ? when you die by your wisdom ; and have disputed your selves out of the reach of mercy , will you not bewail it then as folly ? is he wiser that being hungry eats his meat , or he that gives such reasons for his refusing it , and pleadeth so learnedly against eating and drinking , that none can answer him ? is the condemned man wiser that makes friends for a pardon ? or he that with unanswerable subtilty reasoneth against it , till the ladder be turned ? such is your vain and seeming wisdom . you are not wise enough to be cured , but to give reasons why you should continue sick . in the issue it will prove , that you were not wise enough to be saved , but notably wise to resist salvation , and plead your selves into hell . 2. you pretend that you have a saving faith , when your hearts refuse that salvation from sin , and that rule of christ which is the object of faith : and when you will not believe the doctrines , precepts or threatnings that cross your own conceits ; and when your belief of heaven will not carry your hearts from earth , nor work you to a holy heavenly life . 3. you pretend to repentance ( as i said before ) while you hold fast the sin , and give not up your selves to god : when as if your neighbour , or master , or husband should but beat one of you , and tell you when he hath done that he repenteth , and do this as oft as you commit your willful sins , and say you repent , i am confident you would not take it for true repentance . you repent , but will not confess when it is to your disgrace , as long as you can hide your sin . you repent , but will not make restitution or reparation of injuries to your power . you repent , but your heart riseth against him that reproveth you . you repent , but you had rather keep your sins then leave them . what 's this but to deceive your own hearts , and to mock your selves with a seeming vain and mock-repentance ? 4. you pretend to love god above all , ( as was before said ) when you love not his image , waies or communion : but love that which he hateth , and still prefer the world before him . 5. you pretend that you have true desires to be godly and what god would have you be : but they are such desires as the sluggard hath to rise , and as the slothful hath to work : that is , if it could be done with ease , and without labour : you lie still , and use not the means with diligence , for all your desires . when you can fit and have your work done with wishes , and your families maintained , and your necessities all supplied with wishes , you may think to come to heaven with wishes : the good desires that the poor may be warmed and cloathed , that james speaks of , jam. 2. 15. did neither relieve the poor , nor save the wisher . [ the desire of the slothful killeth him , because his hands refuse to labour , prov. 21. 15. ] up and be doing according to thy desires , or else confess that thy wishes are hypocritical , and that thou deceivest thy own heart by vain desires . 6. you also pretend to be sincere worshippers of god. you pray , and you read the scripture and good books , and you hear the word , and receive the lords supper . but i have before shewed you your hypocrisie in these ▪ you pray against the sin that you love and would not leave : you pray for holiness , when you hate it or desire it not , in any degree to cross your flesh : you serve god with meer words ( whether of your own conceiving , or of others prescribing , ) with some forced acknowledgement of that god that hath not your hearts or lives . let christ pass the sentence on you , and not i , matth. 15. 7 , 8 , 9. [ ye hypocrites , well did esaias prophesie of you , saying , this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth , and honoureth me with their lips : but their heart is far from me : but in vain they do worship me , teaching for doctrines the commandements of men ] you like that teaching that sooths you in your own opinions , and galleth not your consciences in the guilty place : a ministry you would have , that should stand like an adorned idol that hurts no body , and toucheth not your sores : or that is but instead of a pair of organs , or a tinckling cymbal , to tickle your fancy , and make church-worship to be as a kind of religious stage-play to you . but a true minister of christ , to open to you the doctrine of the kingdom , and roundly to awake you from security in sin , and to call you up to the most serious holy heavenly life , and follow you and let you take no rest , till you yeild and practise it ; and to call you to open confession of your open scandalous sins , that you may make such reparation to the wronged honour of god and souls of men , as you are capable of , and accordingly to absolve you , or to bind you over to answer it at the bar of god , and charge the church to avoid communion with you , if you are impenitent and incorrigible ; such a ministry as this ( which is the ministry of christs appointment ) you abhor ; at least , when they come to touch your sores . then you are too proud to be taught and ruled by such as these , though you hypocritically profess to be ruled by christ , who ruleth his church by his spirit , word and ministers conjunct . then you say , who gave you authority to do thus and thus by me ? as if you knew not that christ in scripture hath described , confirmed and limited the ministerial office . like condemned traytors , that should say to him that ●●●ngeth them a pardon [ who 〈◊〉 you authority to make so 〈…〉 me ? ] or like a man that hath the plague or leprosie , that asketh the physician [ who gave you authority to tell me that i am sick , and put me on such medicines as these ? ] or as the israelite to moses , exod. 2. 14. [ who made thee a prince and a judge over us ? ] not understanding that god by his hand would deliver them , saith stephen , act. 7. 25. or as the jews to christ , when he was teaching men the way to heaven , matth. 21. 23. [ by what authority dost thou these things , and who gave thee this authority ? ] so because you hate the way of your recovery , you will not be saved without authority , nor be satisfied of their authority that would save you , but are like a beggar that should proudly refuse a piece of gold , and ask , by what authority do you give it me ? a ministry that agreeth with gods d●scription ▪ you cannot abide , act. 20. 〈…〉 36. heb. 13. 7 , 17. 1 cor. 4. 〈◊〉 1 thes . 5. 12 , 13. 1 tim. 5● 17. 20. and 2 tim. 4. 1. so that indeed it is but a mock-minister , a mock-sacrament , a mock-prayer , and so a seeming vain religion which you desire . 7. lastly , you pretend also to sincere obedience : if we ask you , whether you are willing to obey god ? you will say , god forbid that any should deny it . but when it comes to the particulars , and you find that he commandeth you that which flesh and blood is against , and would cost you the loss of worldly prosperity , then you will be excused : and yet that you may cheat your souls , you will not professedly disobey ; but you will perswade your selves that it is no duty , and that god would not have you do that which you will not do . like a countrymans servant , that promiseth to do all that his master bids him : but when he cometh to particulars , threshing is too hard a work , and mowing and reaping are beyond his strength , and plowing is too toylsome ; and in the conclusion , it is only an idle life with some easie charres , that he will be brought to . this is the hypocrites obedience . he will obey god in all things , as far as he is able , in the general : but when it comes to particulars , to deny himself , and forsake his worldly prosperity for christ , and to contemn the world , and live by faith , and converse in heaven , and walk with god , and worship him in spirit and truth , to love an enemy , to forgive all wrongs , to humble our selves to the meanest persons , and to the lowest works ; to confess our faults with shame and sorrow , and ask forgiveness of those they have injured , these and other such works as these , they will not believe to be parts of obedience , or at least , will not be brought to do them . poor souls , i have stood here a great while to hold you the glass , in which , 〈◊〉 you were willing , you might see your selves . 〈…〉 you will yet wink and hate the light , if you perish in your self-deceiving , who can help it ? briefly and plainly , be it known to thee again , whoever thou art that hearest this , that if thou have not these five characters following , thy religion is all but vain and self-deceiving . 1. if gods authority , as he speaketh by his spirit , word and ministers , be not highest with thy soul , and cannot do more with thee , then kings and parliaments , and then the world and flesh , mat. 23. 8 , 9 , 10. 2. if the 〈…〉 ●●●ing glory , be not practically more esteemed by thee , and chosen , and sought , then any thing , or all things in the world , mat , 6. 21. col. 3. 4. joh. 6. 27. 2 tim. 4. 8 , 9. matth. 22. 5. luke 18. 22 , 23. phil. 3. 20. 3. if thou see not such a loveliness in holiness , as being the image of god , as that thou unfeignedly desirest the highest degree of it , matth. 5. 20. psal . 119. 1 , 2 , 3 , &c. phil. 3. 12 , 13 , 14. 4. if any sin be so sweet and dear to you , or seem so necessary , that you consent not , and desire not to let it go , mat. 19. 22. phil. 3. 8. psal . 66. 18. 5. if any known duty seem so costly , dangerous , troublesome and unpleasant , that ordinarily you will not do it , mat. 16. 24 , 25 , 26. psal . 119. 6. in a word , god must be loved and obeyed as god , christ must be entertained as christ : heaven must be valued and sought as heaven ; and holiness loved and practised as holiness : though not to the height of their proper worth ( which none on earth is able to reach ) yet so , as that nothing be preferred before them . but yet there is one more discovery which if i pass by , you will think i bawk a chief part of my text . an unbridled tongue in a professour of religion is enough to prove his religion vain . by an unbridled tongue is not meant all the sins of our speech . [ if any man offend not in word , the same is a perfect man , and able also to bridle the whole body . but in many things we offend all ] iam. 3. 2. every unwarrantable jeast , or angry word , or hasty rash expression , is not enough to prove a mans religion to be in vain . though christ say that we shall answer for every idle word , he doth not say , we shall be condemned for every idle word : but when the tongue is unbridled , and is not kept under a holy law , but suffered to be the ordinary instrument of wilfull known sin , or of gross sin which men might know and will not , this proves the person void of holiness , and consequently his religion vain . it s true ; every hypocrite hath not an unbridled tongue : some of them have the bridle of moral precepts , and some of religious education , and some of the presence and awe of persons whom they esteem : common knowledge , with natural mansuetude and moderation doth bridle the tongues of many an hypocrite : but as every wicked man is not a drunkard , or fornicator , and yet every drunkard or fornicator ( that liveth in it ) is a wicked man ; so every hypocrite hath not an unbridled tongue ( his vice may lie some other way ) ; but every man that hath an unbridled tongue is an hypocrite , if withall he profess himself a christian . the sins of the tongue are of three sorts . 1. such as are against piety . 2. such as are against justice . 3. such as are against charity . 1. against piety , that is , directly against god , are , blasphemy , perjury , rash swearing , swearing by creatures , light and unreverent using of gods name , and attributes , and word and works : pleading for false doctrine , or false worship : disputing a●ainst truth and duty : scorning at godlines●● or reasoning against it . these and such impieties of the tongue , 〈◊〉 the evidences of prophaneness in the speakers heart ; though some of them much more then others : and if the tongue be not then bridled , all is in vain . 2. sinfull speeches against justice and charity are these : reproaching parents , or governours , or neighbours : railing and reviling : cursing : provoking others to do mischief , or commit any sin : disputing against , and disswading men from truth and duty ; and hindering them by your speeches from a holy life , and the means of their salvation : calling good , evil , and evil , good : lying ; slandering ; false witness-bearing ; back-biting : extenuating mens vertues , and aggravating their faults beyond the certain apparent truth : receiving , and reciting , and carrying on evil reports , which you know not to be true : endeavouring to cool mens love to others , by making them seem bad , when we cannot prove it : mentioning mens faults and failings without a call and just occasion , unchast , immodest , ribald speeches : cheating and deceitful words to wrong others in their estates : with other such like . but undoubtedly that sin of the tongue which the apostle here had particular respect to , was the reproaching of fellow-christians , especially upon the occasion of some differences of judgement and practice in the smaller matters of religion : the judaizing christians gave liberty to their tongues , to reproach those that refused the use of those ceremonies , which they used themselves , and placed much of their religion in : the quarrel was the same that was decided by the apostles , act. 15. and by paul , rom. 14. and 15. and throughout the epistle to the galathians . and this is the religion that james calls vain here , which was much placed in ceremonies , with a pretense of highest knowledge , and a censorious vilifying of all that would not do as they . there are especially three sorts that use to reproach each other about the matters of religion . 1. those that are hardened to that height of impiety , as to make a mock at seriousness and diligence in the practise of christianity it self , hating and reproaching them that dare not sell their souls at as base a price as they . 2. those that have so far extinguished charity by faction and self-conceit , as to confine their love and honour to their party , and to speak evil of those that are not of their own opinions . 3. those that give liberty to their tongues unseasonably , unmeasurably or unwarrantably to speak hardly of those that they suffer by upon religious accounts ; though perhaps they are their superiours whom they are bound to honour . 1. the first sort are arrived at such a measure of maliciousness and misery , that they are , as mad men , the objects of compassion to all men save themselves . their sin and misery is so notorious , that i need not say any thing to discover it to others , that have any thing of reason and true religion : and for themselves , being so far forsaken of god , as to hate and reproach the means of their salvation , no wonder if 〈◊〉 they are given over to tha● blindness as not to understand 〈◊〉 words that should 〈◊〉 them ▪ and neither to 〈◊〉 their 〈…〉 the light that would 〈…〉 : and to such impen●●●●● , as not to feel or fear the wrath and threatnings of the almighty ; but boldly to rage on , till hell hath brought them to their wits . prov. 14. 16. a wise man feareth and departeth from evil , but the fool rageth and is confident . yet this much briefly i shall say to these , if any of them be this day my auditors , that i may not leave them as utterly past hope . 1. thou art one of the most self-condemned stigmatized slaves of satan in the world . thou bearest openly so undoubted a brand of wickedness , that there is no room for any rational hope in thy self , or any of thy friends , that ever thou shouldst be saved , if thou die in such a state : some hope is left that yet thou mayst be converted ; but none , that thou shouldst be saved without conversion . it is possible with god that can do all things , that yet thy wilful blindness may be cured , and thy tongue may unsay all that thou hast said ; and thou mayst cry out of thy folly , and cry shame against thy self , for that which now thou gloriest in . it is possible for god of such a stone , to make a child of abraham ! and to melt that hardened heart of thine , and lay it bleeding at the feet of christ , and make thee wish with tears or groans , that such thoughts had never entred into thy heart , nor such words of malice proceeded from thy mouth . and happy art thou , if god will have so much mercy on thee , that hast derided mercy , as to vouchsafe thee such a change . and pray for it , and pray hard , and pray again , if thou love thy soul : for this is thy hope : and thou hast no other . for that ever such a wretch as thou shouldst be saved , in the state that now thou art in , is as impossible as for god to lie ; and as impossible as for the devils to be saved . i wonder ( but that such a forsaken soul , is a sensless block , and as a lifeless carkaise ) that thou dost not quake with the fears of hell , which way ever thou goest ; and that thou art not still thinking whither thou art going , and how the devils are ready to take thy soul , as soon as death hath opened the door and let it out , into eternity ! as carelesly or scornfully as thou sittest here , i wonder that thou dost not tremble to consider , where it is that thou must shortly be , and where thou must abide for ever ? it is one of the most notable discoveries of the powerfull craft of satan , that he is able to keep such a garrison as thy heart in so much peace , and to quiet a poor wretch , that is uncertain to be one hour out of hell ! that thy sleep is not broken with terrible dreams , and that thou dost not eat thy meat in terrours ; and that ever a smile should be seen in thy face ! that thy business , or company , or sports , or pleasures , should once put out of thy mind thy endless misery . while i am speaking , and thou art hearing , hell-fire is burning , and the devils are waiting , and thy blinded soul is posting on , and for ought thou knowest , may be there this night . poor sinner , for my part , i know thee not ! and therefore cannot justly be suspected to bear thee any ill will , or to speak these words with a desire of thy hurt . i know this is language that the guilty do not love to hear . but i must tell thee , that reproachest or deridest a serious holy life , that except the blasphemers of the holy ghost , there is few in the world in more certain misery then thou . other sinners , though miserable , may have some more cloak to hide their misery . though the drunkard shall not enter into heaven , he may flatter himself with the remembrance that noah was once overtaken with that sin . though the fornicator or adulterer shall not enter into the kingdom of god ( eph. 5. 5. ) he may cheat himself awhile , with the remembrance of davids guilt . though the false-hearted , temporizing , self-saving hypocrite , shall not be saved , he may deceive himself by the instance of peters denying his master , and his dissimulation , gal. 2. but what cloak hast thou to hide thy misery ! did ever any true disciple of christ , either hate or reproach his servants and his wayes ! what godly man hath made a mock at godliness , ( unless it were when he was ungodly . ) if any should think , that an act of drunkenness , or fornication , might consist with grace ; no man that understands himself can think , that a scorner at an holy life , hath himself the holiness which he scorneth ! i would not for a world be in the case of that wretch , that speaks well of holiness in others , while he lives in fornication , luxury or worldliness himself , though he think that he cuts scores by daily crying to god for mercy . but i would much less for a thousand worlds be in the case of him that neither is godly , nor can speak well of it : that is not only void of the spirit of christ , but speaks against it : that is not only void of the holy image of god , but hateth it , and reproacheth it in others . o rather let me have no tongue to speak , no soul to think , then ever i should speak or think thus maliciously of the image , and wayes , and servants of the lord ! i had rather be a dog or a toad , then one of those men that use to mock at serious diligent serving of the lord , or that maliciously reproach his servants , and bend their wits and tongues against them ; so legibly is the mark of the devil upon them , that i must needs tell you that are true believe's , you are much to be blamed that you look not on them with more compassion , and weep not for them , as for men that are within a 〈◊〉 of he●● , when you hear them rail at the laws or servants of the lord. i mean those of whom the apostle saith , [ for many walk , of whom i have told you often , and now tell you even weeping , that they are the enemies of the cross of christ ( that is , to the self-denying mortified state of christians , and following him even through sufferings ) whose end is destruction , whose god is their belly , and whose glory is in their shame , who mind earthly things , phil. 3. 18 , 19. that not only do wickedly , but teach men so to do , matth. 5. 19. and have pleasure in them that do it , rom. 1. 32. and think it strange that we run not with them to the same excess of ryot , speaking evil of us ; who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead , 1 pet. 4. 4 , 5 2. thou bearest most eminently the image of the devil , and most expresly speakest his mind , and art most openly employed in his works . what is the devil , but an apostate spirit , filled with enmity against god and his servants , and hating holiness , the malicious accuser of the brethren , slandering and reproaching them , and seeking their destruction ! and shall a malicious , lying sinner live , that imitateth satan in his enmity to god! o that thou knewest whom thou servest ! and that thou knewest whom thou speakest against ! wo be to him that striveth with his maker , isa . 45. 9. it s hard for thee to kick against the pricks , acts 9. 5. who ever hardened himself against him , and hath prospered ? job 9. 4. if satan were to speak with open face , what would he say , but as the tongues of the malicious enemies of holiness do ; even to speak evil of the wayes and servants of the lord ? might he appear and speak himself in the assemblies and councils of the great ones of the earth , he would speak against the same men , and to the same purpose , as those that i have described . your tongues are his instruments . you speak what he secretly suggesteth , as verily as if he had written you your instructions , and you had read it in his words : he hateth holiness , and therefore he tempteth you to hate it . he would bring it into hatred in the world , and therefore he speaks disgracefully of it by your tongues . his will is your will. and your words are his words : and the pleasant'st musick that you could make him . o how it pleaseth him to make a reasonable creature reproach the word and waies of his creatour ! how eager was he to have got job to have spoken evil of god! 3. be it known to thee , thou reviler , that if ever thou be saved thy self , it must be in that way that thou revilest . thy hope lyeth in it . as sure as thou livest , there is no other way to life eternal . without holiness none shall see god , heb. 12. 14. blessed are the pure in heart , for they shall see god , matth. 5. 8. when thou hast all done , thou must come ●ack , and go that way thy self or burn for ever . either thou must be such as those that thou dost speak against , or thou art everlastingly undone . and if thou think to be such a one thy self , and to come to heaven by the very way that now thou dost revile , canst thou yet revile it ! and if thou perish in hell for want of holiness , thou shalt then have enough of thy rebellion . then thou shalt cry out against thy own malicious reproaches a thousand times more , then ever thou didst against the servants of the lord. though the very distinction between the godly and vngodly be now thy scorn , yet i shall be bold to tell thee in the words of henoch , yea of god , jud. 14. 15. [ behold the lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints , to execute judgement upon all , and to convince all that are ungodly among them , of all their ungodly deeds , which they have ungodlily committed , and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him . ] now you have your day , and judgement must begin at the house of god! and if it first begin at us , what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of god! and if the righteous scarcely be saved , where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ? 1 pet. 4. 17 , 18. blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly , nor standeth in the way of sinners , nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful ! but his delight is in the law of the lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day and night . — the ungodly are not so ; but like the chaffe which the wind driveth away : therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement , nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous : for the lord knoweth the way of the righteous , but the way of the ungodly shall perish , psal . 1. this is scripture distinction ; which god will make good . i make no question , but the worst of-you will put by all this in your self-deceit , and say , it is not holiness that we speak against , but its hypocrisie , or schisme , or some such accusation that malice shall suggest , will be your mask . but will you answer me these few questions . quest . 1. why then do you not imitate them so far as they do well ! why are you not as much in works of holiness , as they ! in reading , and meditating on the word of god , in holy conference , and secret prayer , and instructing your families & c ? and then leave them and spare not where they do amiss . quest . 2. why do you not hate as much the sins of the notoriously ungodly , who shew them without shame ? nay why do you make such men your companions ? quest . 3. why go you to the heart , that is unseen , and arrogate the prerogative of god , to censure men of hypocrisie and such secret sins that are out of your discerning ? if you know your heart by outward actions , insist upon your proofes . quest . 4. why speak you not of their good as well as of the supposed evil ? why are you not more in speaking well of what is well , then in speaking ill of what is ill ? quest . 5. why is it that you speak of men that you know not ? and of others that are innocent , for the sakes of those that you imagine to be guilty ? and why do you so greedily snatch at any matter of reproach , and take it by hearsay from the most ignorant , rash , or malicious mouths ? quest . 6. if it be hypocrisie or other vice that you so hate ; why do you not hate them in your selves ? why live you so viciously , while you profess obedience to the lord ? and why do you take on you to believe a heaven and hell hereafter , and to give up your selves in covenant to god , and live so contrary to that profest belief and covenant ? quest . 7. do you not feel that it is partly malice , and partly the recriminations of a guilty galled conscience , that fain would steal a little peace by thinking others to be as bad as you ? i shall dismiss this unhappy sort of men with these two requests . 1. you are the men that of all others have the most notable advantage for your conviction , of the misery of your present state : and therefore i beseech you take that advantage . one would think it should be the easiest matter in the world , for such as you to know that you are ungodly , that hate godliness and oppose it ? you have no plausible pretence for self-flattery or self-deceit . and therefore confess your misery , and look out to christ , for help and pardon , while there is hope and time . 2. for the time to come , will you but try a serious holy life before you speak against it any more ? for shame speak not evil of the things you know not , as those bruits described , jud. 10. and holiness was never well known but by experience . o that you would be intreated but to yeild to this most equal motion . away with your worldly fleshly lives ; and live in faith and holiness , a just , a spiritual and heavenly life , but one year , or one quarter , or one moneth , and then if by experience you find just cause for it , reproach a holy life , and spare not . ii. to the second sort , ( that speak evil of men upon differences of opinion , especially while they profess the same religion , in all the essential necessary parts , ) i shall propose these aggravations of their sin , for their humiliation . 1. consider , can you think it agreeable to the law of christ , to reproach men behind their backs , and unheard , for that which you never soberly and christianly told them of to their faces ? did you lovingly first admonish them , and impartially hear what they can say for themselves ? what is your end in speaking against your brother ? is it to do him hurt , or good ? if hurt , be sure you do him justice ; and backbiting is not the way of justice . if good , you cross your own intention . for what good can it do him , that another hears him evil spoken of ? 2. if you are christs disciples , it must be known to all men by your special love to one another , joh. 13. 35. and is reproach and evil-speaking the fruit or evidence of such love ? can you talk so of the friends that are most dear to you , or that you love indeed ? how do our hearts rise against that man , that speaks reproachfully of our dearest friends ? love would scarce suffer you to endure such abuse of christians in another , without a serious reprehension : much less to be the abuser of them your selves . 3. your evil speaking of your brethren destroyeth love in others , as it proves the want of it in your selves . and to destroy their love , is to destroy their souls . you do your worst to quench the love , both of him that you speak evil of , and of them to whom you speak it . good is the object of love : and therefore to speak of men , and manifest them to be lovely , is the only way to make them loved . evil is the object of hatred : and therefore to speak evil of them , is to make them seem hateful , and draw men to the guilt of hating them . to praise a man will do more to make him loved , then if you only intreat another to love him . and to dispraise a man will do more to make him hated , then if you directly perswade another to hate him . and what service you do the devil , and what disservice unto christ , by destroying love , and sowing hatred among his servants , were you impartial , you might easily discern . 4. is it not shame and pitty , that the followers of christ should imitate the devil , and ungodly men , as by detraction and reviling words they do ? you aggravate your brethrens faults , and find faults where there are none ; and so do satan and ungodly men . you have a secret desire to make them seem contemptible and vile ; and so have satan and ungodly men . and hereby you seem to justifie the wicked , and encourage them in their reproaching . they think they may boldly speak such language of you all , as they hear you speak of one another . o what pitty is it to hear the professed children of the lord , to use the hell-bred language of his enemies , as if they had gone to school to satan ! 5. are there not tongues enough sharpened against us in the world , but we must wound each other with our own ? is it not enough , if we are the seed of christ , that every where the serpents seed do hate us ; and that all manner of evil is falsly spoken of us , and that we are made as the scorn and the off-scouring of all things , but we must also hate and reproach each other ? have you not load enough from the world ? have you not enemies enough to do the work of enemies , but friends must do it ? and hath not satan instruments and tongues enough of his own , but he must use those that are christs against himself ? 6. if thou hate thy brother , yet sure thou dost not hate thy self . why then dost thou hurt and shame thy self ? his hurt is but to be defamed , which is little , if any thing at all ( for it is much in himself whether it shall hurt him . ) but thy hurt that dost it , is to provoke god against thee , and incur his wrath , and wound thy soul by the guilt of sin . and if another hurt thee , in the heel , wilt thou therefore stab thy self to the heart ? if another be bad , wilt thou become so by unjust defaming him ? and how dost thou cross thine own intentions ? the stone that thou castest at him , flyes back in thy face . thou proclaimest thy own transgressions and shame , when thou art uncharitably proclaiming his . is not a backbiter , a reviler , if not a malicious calumniator , a worse name ( which thou tak'st to thy self ) then that which thou canst fasten on him whom thou dost reproach ? 7. thy uncharitable speeches are a dangerous sign of an unhumbled and unpardoned soul . if thou canst not forgive , thou art not forgiven . did you know your selves , it would teach you to deal more compassionately with others . you would have the act of oblivion as extensive as you could , if you knew what danger you are in your selves . do you not know as much by your selves as you have to reproach your brother with ? do you not then invite both god and man to take you at the worst , and use you as you use your brother ? methinks you should rather be desirous of a more tender and indulgent way , as knowing what need your selves have of it . if you say , [ o but he hath done thus and thus against me ] let conscience say what you have done your selves against god & others . if you say , he is a schismatick , an hypocrite , or this or that ; remember , that malice is blind , & never wants matter of accusation or reproach , & innocency is no defence against it : else christ and his prophets and apostles had been better used by the world . and ask conscience whether more then you can truly say of him , may not be said against your selves . if all such must be defamed , how infamous will you be ? 8. if you will speak ill , you must hear ill . you teach men how to use you . [ si mihi pergit quae vult dicere , quae non vult audict . benedictis si certasset , audisset bene ] saith the comaedian . and god usually in justice suffereth it so to be . and as those that by violence trample down others , when they feel themselves on the higher ground , do oft live to be trampled on themselves ; so those that take their advantages to insult , and defame others , do usually live to be defamed . for with what measure you mete , it shall be measured to you again , matth. 7. 1 , 2. judge not therefore , that ye be not judged . to which of these two former ranks you should refer the common names of scorn that religious persons have been most loaded with among us , you must judge by the particular occasion and person . it is not my intention on or desire to plead for any faction , disobedience , irregularity , or hypocrisie ; much less to palliate heresies or odious crimes that are cloaked with the name or profession of religion . it is the hypocrite that i am all this while detecting . but i must say that it hath been the highest brand or character of hypocrisie and impudent profaneness conjunct , and one of the most crying transgressions of this land , that men baptized into the name of christ , have made a scorn at the diligent serving of him , and lived in the hatred of that religion in the life and practice , which themselves profess . and that if upon some small circumstantial differences , any of their superiours have but encouraged them , to use any nickname of reproach against their most consciencious brethren , they have been glad of the occasion , and used those reproaches against the serious practice of religion , which others pretend to use only against mens different opinions , which they account their exorbitancies or mistakes . how the names of [ zealots , precisians , puritans , ] and such like , have been used in this land ; and what sort of people have been made thereby ( and by the discountenance of those that should have cherished a diligent holy life ) to be the common scorn ; and how great a hindrance this hath proved to the salvation of many thousand souls , is a thing that 's much more sad to mention , then difficult to prove . and when one nickname is grown out of use , the serpentine enmity watcheth for the opportunity that 's afforded by differences and discountenance of the times , to take up another that may have a sharper sting . the dead form of religion , and as much as you will of words and shews , they can reverence or endure : but life , and seriousness , and practice is the thing they hate . just like a bear or other ravenous creature , that will let their prey alone while it seems dead and stirs not : but if it stir , they leap upon it , and tear it into pieces . and therefore it is that the diligent zealous exercise of religion , among the papists , by images , and tautologies , and lifeless ceremonies and forms is not half so much hated or reproached by the vulgar , as the serious exercise of unquestionable duties , that all are in words agreed in , is here with us . to pray in our families ; to instruct our children and servants in the necessary points of faith and duty ; to exhort a drunkard , a swearer , a covetous person , or other ungodly ones to repent and to give up themselves to a holy life ; to take up any serious speech of death and judgement , and the life to come , and the necessary preparations thereto ; these and such like are the odious marks of a zealot , a precisian , or puritan with the ungodly rabble ▪ so that serving the great and glorious god is with them become a matter of scorn ; while serving the devil is taken for their glory , if they can but do it in the plausible less disgraceful mode . but because some of the chief accusers of the brethren , would needs perswade men , that the ordinary usage of the forementioned nicknames hath been less impious and more justifiable , against a sort of people only whom they feign to be unfit for humane society , i shall only appeal now to the godly bishops and conformable ministers that mention it . bishop g. downame ( who though he hath written so much for bishops , hath written as much to prove the pope to be the antichrist ) in his sermon called , abrahams tryal , p. 72. saith [ and even in these times , the godly live among such a generation of men , as that if a man do but labour to keep a good conscience in any measure , though he m●d●le not with matters of state , or discipline , or ceremonies ; ( as for example , if a minister diligently preach , or in his preaching seek to profit , rather then to please , &c. — or if a private christian makes conscience of swearing , sanctifying the sebb●th , frequenting sermons , or abstaining from the common corruptions of the time ) he shall strait way be condemned for a puritan , and consequently be less favoured , then either carnal gospeller or a close papist , &c. ] such were the times then . dr. robert abbot , publike professor of divinity in oxford , and after bishop of salisbury , in a sermon on easter day , 1615. saith ; [ the men under pretence of truth , and preaching against the puritans , strike at the heart and root of faith and religion now established among us : that this preaching against the puritans was but the practice of parsons and campians counsel , when they came into england to seduce young students : and when many of them were afraid to lose their places if they should professedly be thus , the counsel they then gave them was , that they should speak freely against the puritans , and that should suffice , ] &c. so he . of arch-bishop lauds tract of doctrinal puritanism , drawn up for and presented to the duke of buckingham , see prin in his tryal , p. 156. divers bishops have affirmed that the jesuites were the masters of this nickname here in england , and the promoters of it . but of the common sense of this word , and the use of it , i shall now call in no more witnesses but mr. robert bolton , a man that frequently publisheth his judgement for conformity to prelacy and ceremonies ; in his discourse of hap. p. 193. he thus speaketh . i am perswaded there was never poor persecuted word , since malice against god , first seized on the damned angels , and the graces of heaven dwelt in the heart of man , that p●ssed through the mouths of all sorts of unregenerate men , with more distastfulness and gnashing of teeth , then the name of puritan doth at this day ; which notwithstanding as it is now commonly meant ( n. b. ) and ordinarily proceeds from the spleen and spirit of prophaneness , and good fellowship , is an honourable nickname , that i may so speak , of christianity and grace . and yet for all this i dare say , that there is none of them all , but when they shall come unto their beds of death , and are to grapple immediately with the painful terrours of the king of fears , and to stand or fall to the dreadful tribunal of the living god , — then ( except the lord suffer them to fall into the fiery lake with senseless hearts and seared consciences , ) would give ten thousand worlds , were they all turned into gold , pleasures and imperial crowns , to change their former courses of vanity , &c. into a life of holy preciseness , strictness , sincerity and salvation . oh! when the heavens shall shrivel together like a scroll , and the whole frame of nature flame about their ears ; when the great and mighty hills shall start out of their places like frighted men , and the fearful reprobate cry and call upon this mountain , and that rock , to fall upon him ; when as no dromedary of egypt , nor wings of the morning , shall be able to carry them out of the reach of gods revenging hand : no top of carmel , no depth of sea , or bottom of hell , to hide them from the presence of him that sits upon the throne , and from the wrath of the lamb ; no rock nor mountain , nor the great body of the whole earth , to cover them from that unresistible power , that laid the foundations of them ; no arm of flesh , or armies of angels , to protect them from those infinite rivers of brimstone , which shall be kept in everlasting flames by the anger of god , when their poor and woeful souls shall infinitely desire , rather to return into the loathed darkness of not being , and to be hid for ever in the most abhorred state of annihilation , then now to become the everliving objects of that unquenchable wrath , which they shall never be able to avoid or to abide , and to be chained up by the omnipotent band of god among the damned spirits , in a place of flames and perpetual darkness , where is torment without end and past imagination : i say , at that dreadful day ( and that day will come ) what do you think would they give for part in that purity which now they persecute ? and for the comforts of true-hearted holiness that now they hate ? and yet without which ( as it will clearly appear , when matters are brought before that high and everlasting judge ) non shall ever see the lord or dwell in the joyes of eternity . nay i verily think there are no desperate despisers of godliness or formal opposites to grace , which do now hold holiness to be hypocrisie , sanctification singularity , practice of sincerity too much preciseness , — but when the pit of d●struction hath once shut her mouth upon them , and they are sunk irrecoverably into that dungeon of fire , would be content with all their hearts , to live a million of years as precisely as ever saint did upon earth — to redeem but one moment of that torment ] so p. 159. [ the common conceit of these men is , that civil honest men are in the state of grace , and that formal professors are very forward , and without exception ; but true christians indeed are puritans , irregularists , exorbitants , transcendents to that ordinary pitch of formal piety , which in their carnal comprehensions they hold high enough for heaven : they either conceit them to be hypocrites , and so the only objects for the exercise of their ministerial severity , and the terrours of god ; or else though the lord may at last pardon perhaps their singularities and excesses of zeal ; yet in the mean time they dissweeten and vex the comforts and glory of this life , with much unnecessary strictness and abridgement . ] [ now of all others , such prophets as these , are the only men with the formal hypocrite ; exactly fitted and suitable to his humour : for however they may sometime declaim boysterously ( n. b. ) against gross and visible abominations , ( and that is well ) yet they are no searchers into , nor censurers of the state of formality : and therefore do rather secretly and silently encourage him , to sit faster upon that sandy foundation , then help to draw him forward to more forwardness , &c. ] see also his description of a puritan , p. 132. so in his direct . for walking with god , p. 172. [ good-fellow meetings and ale-house revellings are the drunkards delight : but all the while he sits at it , he is perhaps in a bodily fear of the puritan constable . ] many such passages tell you how the word [ puritan ] was commonly interpreted in oxford , northamptonshire , and whereever learned and holy mr. bolton was acquainted . and having mentioned his testimony of the use of that word , i shall add somewhat of his discovery of this spirit of malignity and detraction that worketh in the antipuritans . in his disc . of hap. p. 190 , 191. he saith , the reverence and respectful carriage to godly ministers , which may sometimes be found in the formal hypocrite , doth grow towards distast and disaffection , when they press them by the powerful sense , and piercing application of some quickning scriptures , to a fervency in spirit , purity of heart , preciseness in their walking , supernatural singularity above ordinary and moral perfections , excellency of zeal , and a sacred violence in pursuit of the crown of life : to an holy strictness , extraordinary striving to enter in at the strait gate , and transcendent eminency over the formal righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , to a nearer familiarity with god by prayer , daily examination of conscience , private humiliations , meditation upon the endless duration in a second life ; to a narrow watch over the stirrings and imaginations of the heart , and expression of holiness in all the passages of both their callings , &c. — points and ponderations of which nature are ordinarily to him so many secret seeds of indignation , and many times breed in his formal heart and cold affection exasperation and estrangement , if not meditations of persecution and revenge . sanctification , preciseness , purity , holiness , zeal , strictness , power of godliness , spiritual men , holy brethren , saints in christ , communion of christians , godly conferences , conceived prayers , sanctifying the sabbath , family exercises , exercise of fasting , and mortifying humiliations , and such like , are commonly to men of thus temporising temper , and lukewarm constitution , terms of secret terrour and open taunting . — and sometimes they villanously sport themselves with them , and make them the matter of their hateful and accursed jeasts , that so they may keep under as much as they can , in disestimation and contempt , the faithful professors and practisers thereof , whom naturally they heartily hate , and also seem thereby to bear out the heartless stourishes of their own formality with greater bravery . hereupon it is that if they take a child of god but tripping in the least infirmity , ( against which too perhaps he strives and prayes with many tears , &c. ) slipping only in some unadvised precipitant passage of his negotiations , &c. — they take on unmeasurably ! then they cry out , these are your men of the spirit ; these are the holy brethren ; these are your precise fellows ; these are they which make such shew of purity and forwardness ! you see now what they are , when matters come out , and their dealings are discovered , when it comes to the tryal indeed , or to a matter of commodity , &c. are not they proud ? are not they malicious ? are not they hard-hearted and covetous as well as others , &c. when by the mercies of god ( in their sense ) they are neither so nor so ; but such censures as these are very often the meer evaporations of pure malice , and the bitter ebullitions and overflowings of their gall , ] &c. and p. 164. [ the ordinary conceit which unregenerate men entertain of these ( experimental ministers ) is — that they are troublers of israel , preachers of terrour , transgressors of policy , unfit to prophesie at court , or in the kings chappel , pestilent fellows , seditioners , factionists , born only to disquiet the world , and vex mens consciences . — in these dayes of ours especially , which are strangely prophane and desperately naught , in what man soever the power of grace , undaunted zeal , resolute sincerity , are more working , eminent , and remarkable , ordinarily the more and more implacable , outragious and inflamed opposites shall that man find , wheresoever he lives . ] and p. 10. the formal hypocrite is moved to think his state good , and the way of his life to be right , from a prejudice which he conceives from the imputations which the world layeth upon the children of god ; such as are pride , hypocrisie , singularity , melancholy , simplicity , &c. ] page 38. [ his form of godliness , in his conceit is the only true state of salvation : whatsoever is short of him is prophaness ; whatsoever is above him is preciseness . but when upon his death-bed he awaketh . — ] and direct . for walk . p. 131. [ the more forward he is in the narrow way , the more furiously is he persecuted by the spite of tongues : the most resolute for gods glory , and in good causes , is ordinarily most railed against , and reviled . the foul spirit of good fellowship , as they call it , is still foaming out against gods chiefest favourites the foulest censures : that they are hypocrites , humorists , factionists , traitors , pestilent fellows , and all that 's naught . — there is no creature that ever god made , not satan himself excepted , which is more maliciously set against and censured then good men . neither should any have so bad a name as they , could the hellish mists of virulent tongues obscure and stain the glory of their reputation . ] and p. 43. [ at this day professors of the gracious way , be in greatest disgrace with the most , and a drunkard , and swaggering good fellow , an vsurer , a son or daughter of belial , shall find more favour , applause , and approbation with the world , then a man which makes conscience of his waies , &c. — ] page 350. [ they cry , these forward professors will all turn phantastical , familists , anabaptists , arrians , any thing : which cry awakes the eye of state jealousie , and so by an unworthy consequent , draws upon those who are true of heart , even gods best servants , and the kings best subjects , discountenance , suspicions , if not molestations , unnecessarily , causelesly . ] and p. 351 , 352. out of austins epist . 137. he shews , that it was so in his time , [ they every way , and infinitely labour , that when some professors of holiness have foully fallen indeed , or be only so slandered , the world would believe that they are all such : do you not think in his time the world did thus exult and exclaim , or in the like manner upon lots fall ! here now you see puritane lot , who could not endure the good fellowship of the sodomites , he is now himself seized on by incest : they are all such i warrant you ] citing du bartas translat . by silvester , p. 412. base , busie stranger ! comest thou hither thus controler-like , to prate and preach to us ? no puritan , thou shalt not here do so , &c , thus you hear from a conformable divine , how men calling themselves christians , and being ( some of them ) formally religious , do prove themselves self-deceiving hypocrites , by their unbridled tongues , in reviling at those as puritans and too precise , that will not be self-deceiving formalists as well as they . i shall only add some of bishop halls characters of an hypocrite , that you may see what formality is in the judgement of knowing men . page 169. walking early up into the city , he turns into the great church , and salutes one of the pillars on one knee ; worshipping that god which at home he cares nor for , while his eye is fixed on some window , or some passenger , and his heart knows not whither his lips go . he rises , and looking about with admiration , complains on our frozen charity , commends the ancient — with the superfluity of his usury , he builds an hospital , and harbours them whom his extortion hath spoiled ; so while he makes many beggars , he keeps some . he turneth all gnats into camels , and cares not to undo the world for a circumstance . flesh on a friday is more abomination to him , then his neighbours bed . he abhors more not to uncover at the name of jesus , then to swear by the name of god. ] &c. so bishop hall. but , perhaps you 'l say , these persons whom you describe , that will make a mock of godliness it self , are not to be numbred with hypocrites , but with the openly prophane . to which i answer , 1. even these profess themselves to be christians , and therefore are hypocrites when they are not what they do profess . 2. they perswade themselves that they are as truly godly as those that they reproach : and do not think that it is godliness indeed for which they do reproach them : but for engrossing the name or reputation of godliness to themselves , and for some differing manner or way of worship . for this is one of the most notable cheats , by which the devil undoes the empty formal hypocrite : finding that this man doth own christianity , in his opinion , but is void of the true spirit , and power , and life of christian religion , he raiseth some controversies between the serious christian and the hypocrite , about some controvertible points of doctrine , or about some modes or circumstances of discipline and external worship : and when they fall into two sides , the hypocrite thinks that it is but in these controversies that the difference lyes : the question , ( thinks he ) is not whether men should be regenerate , godly and religious : but whether my way of religion or the puritans and precisians be better ! ] and presently he hence concludes , that indeed it is he that is the more truly religious : [ for ( saith he ) my judgement is sound , and the puritans is erroneous : i am of the judgement of the church , which he is against : the reverend prelates , or doctors are more of my side then on his : i am for order , and he is for confusion , and unreverence , and followeth the humours and fancies of his own brain . ] and thus the devil turneth his eye from the main difference , and makes him believe that it is these controversies that are all that sets them at a distance . but alas man , thou overlookest the point that thy life and soul lyeth on . agree first in the serious hearty entertainment and practice of the substance of that holy truth , which you are both in point of opinion agreed in , and do not condemn thy self in the things which thou allowest ; contradict not thy creed and profession by thy fleshly , worldly , negligent , careless and ungodly life ; but love god with all thy heart and might ; and first seek his kingdom and his righteousness ; ( which thou confessest thou shouldest do ) and then the principal difference is healed , and thou hast scaped the principal danger of thy soul : and then it is not a few circumstantial differences that will divide your hearts , or divide you from each other in the life to come . men that differ about bishops , and ceremonies , and forms of prayer , may be all true christians , and dear to one another and to christ , if they be practically agreed in the life of godliness , and joyn in a holy heavenly conversation . but if you agree in all your opinions and formalities , and yet were never sanctified by the truth , you do but agree to delude your souls , and neither of you will be saved for all your agreement . iii. the third sort to be spoken to , is those that let out their passion in hard speeches , against superiours or others that they think do wrong or persecute them on a religious account . at this time i will suppose the injury be real , and the complaint be just ; it yet beseems not christians to revile . 1. consider , how contrary this is to the example of our lord. and that he left us his example in this particular , with a special recommendation for our imitation . when he was falsly accused , and the high priest urged him to answer for himself , matth. 26. 62 , 63. he was silent , to shew that he could bear a false accusation , without so much as vindicating his innocency by a just defence . o learn both the lesson and motives recommended to you , 1 pet. 2. 18. to the end . [ servants be subject to your masters with all fear ; not only to the good and gentle , but also to the froward . for this is thankworthy , if a man for conscience toward god endure grief , suffering wrongfully : for what glory is it if when ye are buffeted for your faults , ye shall take it patiently ? but if when ye do well , and suffer for it , ye take it patiently , this is acceptable with god. for even hereunto were ye called , because christ also suffered for us ; leaving us an example , that ye should follow his steps : who did no sin , neither was guile found in his mouth : who when he was reviled , reviled not again : when he suffered , he threatned not ; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously . ] here is the description of your duty , and your example . are you used worse then christ was used ? [ isa . 53. 7 , 8 ▪ he was oppressed , and he was afflicted , yet he opened not his mouth : he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter , and as a sheep before his sh●arers is dumb , so he openeth not his mouth . ] and if you will come to him and be his disciples , you must [ learn of him to be meek and lowly in heart , that you may find rest unto your souls ] matth. 11. 28 , 29. 2. consider , as our kingdom is not of this world , so we are not to strive for worldly preheminence , nor with carnal weapons , but must know that our greatness here is in being the least , and our dignity in being the servants of all ; and our gain is by our loss , and our honour by evil reports , and by disgrace , and our advancement by our debasement , and our preferment by being kept from worldly honour , and our joy by sorrow , and our exaltation by humiliation : and therefore it is contrary to our state of faith , to murmur at them that deprive us of the pleasures of sense , or the ease and priviledges of the flesh . mark the description of christianity in the gospel , and see how much of it consisteth in contempt of the esteem and honours of the world , and of all the accommodations and pleasures of the flesh , because of the expectation of the unseen eternal pleasures ; and in the forsaking all , and taking up our crosse and following a crucified christ : and in patience , and meekness , and forbearing and forgiving : and rather then seek either verbal or actual revenge , to give the cloak also to him that takes away our coat , and turn the other cheek to him that smiteth us . unmortified passion , and untamed nature , will not give some men leave to understand these passages of christ ; but they search for some such figure to expound them by , as shall annihilate the plain and proper sense . self-love so blindeth men , that when they read these gospel precepts , they feel not their consciences touched and bound by them ; but they read them as if they read them not , and retain no more , then if it were non-sense which they read . had the commands aforesaid ( of patience , forbearing and forgiving ) but as much force and efficacy upon the souls of most professours , as the commandments have that are against swearing , and cursing , and drunkenness , and fornication , we should have much better maintained our innocency , and our peace , and have more honoured our profession , by shewing the world christianity exemplified , in its proper genuine nature and effects . 3. consider , it is not oppression , persecution , or hard usage that will exempt us from the obligation of the fifth commandment , which requireth us to honour our superiours , ( our natural , and civil , and ecclesiastical fathers . ) it is the evil and froward , and not only the good & the gentle that we must honour and obey . and the reason is plain from their original and end . it is not as our trustees , or agents , or friends only , that our rulers must be honoured : but as the officers of the god of heaven : nor is it only as they do good to us : but as they preserve order and justice in the world , and are the pillars of the commonwealth . if magistrates should deal never so hardly with you and me ; yet still their office is of necessity to the common good : and if their office be necessary , their honour is necessary : i or when they are dishonoured and despised , they are disabled . and therefore for the common good we must be careful to keep up the honour of our governours , even when we suffer by them our selves . princes were none of the best when the apostles commanded the churches to honour them , and obey them , and this not only for fear of their penalties , but for conscience sake , rom. 13. 5. o● 〈◊〉 it was ●hey that walkt after the flesh , in the l●st of uncleanness , that were presumptuous and self-willed , and despised government , and were not afraid to speak evil of dignities : whereas the angels that are greater in power and might , bring not 〈◊〉 accusations ▪ against them before the lord ] 2 peter 2. 10 , 11. jude 8. 9. 4. consider , that reviling is a tongue-revenge : and revenge is gods , and he is engaged to repay , and hath commanded us not to avenge our selves . as we must not step into the judges tribunal when ever we think he is negligent in his administrations ; so much less must we accuse god of negligence or injustice , by stepping into his throne . and though the railers of these times , excuse their sin with the name of justice , they must shew their commissions for the executing of that justice , before it will pass in heaven for an excuse . is not god severe enough ? will not his judgement be terrible enough ? would you wish men to suffer more then he will inflict on the impenitent ? what ! more then hell ? and will it not be soon enough ? are you so hasty for so dreadful a revenge , can you not stay when the judge is at the door ? mark both the usage and remedy of believers , in jam. 5. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. to the rich and great ones of the world he saith [ ye have lived in pleasure on the earth , and been wanton ; ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter : ye have condemned and killed the just , and he doth not resist you . ] there 's your usage . [ be patient therefore brethren unto the coming of the lord ] there 's the remedy . but must we stay so long ? he thus repeateth his advice . [ be ye also patient : stablish your hearts : for the coming of the lord draweth nigh . ] let your moderation be known to all men : the lord is at hand ] phil. 4. 5. [ shall not god avenge his own elect , that cry day and night unto him , though he bear long with them ? i tell you , that he will avenge them speedily ] luke 18. 7 , 8. there 's no contradiction between crying long and avenging speedily . 5. consider , what compassion , rather then reproach , you owe to those by whom you suffer . they do themselves much more hurt then they do you . are they great ? they have the more to answer for , and their fall will be the greater , jam. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. if you are your selves believers , go into the sanctuary , and ask the scriptures what will be their end ? and then deny them compassion if you can . alas , consider , they are at the worst , but such as you were formerly your selves , as to the main . paul makes a sad confession of his own persecution of the church , when he was before agrippa , and doth not complain that he was himself so hardly used . [ i verily thought , saith he , with my self , that i ought to do many things contrary to the name of jesus . — 〈◊〉 of the saints i shut up in prison ( little thinking that they were saints ) i gave my voice against them . i punished them oft in every synagogue . — and being exceedingly mad against them , i persecuted them . — acts 26. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. he would not tell agrippa that he was mad , but he might speak more freely of himself . o sirs , pitty poor men that have the temptations of worldly greatness and prosperity , and must go through a camels eye if they will come to heaven : who stand so high that sun and wind have the greatest force upon them ; who see so much vanity , and little serious exemplary piety : who hear so much flattery and falshood , and so little necessary truth , saith seneca , [ divites cum omnia habeant , unum illis deest ; scilicet , qui verum dicat : si enim in client●●am falicis hominis potentumque perveneris veneris , aut veritas , aut amicitia perdenda est . ] if you were in their places , you know not how far you might be prevailed against your selves . if little temptations can make you miscarry in your places so oft and foully as you do , what would you do if you had the strongest baits of the world , and allurements of the flesh , and the most dangerous temptations that satan could assault you with ? have you not seen of late before your eyes , how low some have fallen from high professions , and how shamefully the most promising persons have miscarried , tha were lifted up , and put to the tryal of such temptations of prosperity , as they had never been used to before ? o pitty those that have such dangerous tryals to pass through , and be thankful that you stand on safer ground ; and do not cruelty envy them their perils , nor reproach them for their falls , but pray , and daily pray for their recovery . 6. consider , this speaking evil of those by whom you suffer , hath too much of selfishness and corrupted nature in it , to be good . if another suffered as you do , and you were advanced as another is , would you not speak more mildly then ? or if not so , yet the proneness of nature to break out into reviling words , though it were for religion and for god , doth intimate to you that it hath a suspicious root . do you find it as easie to be meek and patient , and forgive a wrong , and love an enemy ? take heed lest you serve satan in vindicating the cause of god. it s an unfit way of serving god , to do it by breaking his commands . read seriously the description of a contentious , hurtful , soul-tongued zeal , in jam. 3. and then tell me what thanks christ will give you for it . the two great disciples james and john thought it would have notably honoured christ , and curbed the raging spirit of the ungodly , if he would have let them call for fire from heaven , to consume a town that refused to receive him . but doth christ encourage their destroying zeal ? no : but he tells them , ye know not what spirit ye are of . ] they little knew how unlike to the tender merciful healing spirit of christ , that fiery hurting spirit was , that provoked them to that desire ! nor how unpleasing their temper was to christ . this is the very case of many thousand christians , that are yet young , and green , and harsh , and have not attained to that mellowness , and sweetness , and measure of charity , that is in grown experienced christians . they think their passions , and desires of some plagues on the contemners of the gospel , are acceptable to god , ( and blame the charitable as too cold : ) when they little know what spirit it is that raiseth that storm in them , and how unlike , and unacceptable it is to christ . were you as zealous to serve all others in love , and to stoop to their feet for their salvation , and to become all things ( lawful ) to all men , that you may win some , this saving zeal would be pleasing to your lord , who comes to do the work of a physician , and not of the souldier , to save and not to destroy , and therefore most approves of those that serve him most diligently in his saving work . 7. lastly , consider your passions and evil speakings will but increase your suffering , and make it seem just , if otherwise it were unjust . if you are not meek , you have not the promise of inheriting the earth , matth. 5. 5 if you honour not your parents or superiours , you have not the promise that your daies shall be long in the land . and your evil speaking will make men conclude , that you would do evil if you could and durst . as it s said to be zoilus answer when he was askt , why he spoke evil of plato and such worthy men [ quoniam malum facere cum velim non passum ] because i would do them hurt and cannot ] give not occasion for such a charge . [ finally , be ye all of one mind , having compassion one of another : love as brethren : be pittiful : be courteous : not rendering evil for evil , or railing for railing ; but contrariwise blessing , knowing that ye are thereunto called , that ye should inherit a blessing ; for he that will love life and see good daies , let him refrain his tongue from evil , — 1 pet. 3. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11. but if ye suffer for righteousness sake , happy are ye : and be not afraid of their terrour , nor be troubled , ver . 14. but i suppose you will here say , is it not lawful to call a spade a spade ? is not a wo against them that call evil good ? may not a man speak of the hurtful crimes of others ? i answer . 1. yes , when as a magistrate , a minister , or a brother , you have a just call to tell them of it lovingly , though plainly , to their faces , in order to their recovery . 2. and when you have a just call to speak of it to others , either in seeking justice , or in charity and mercy , for the preservation of those that else will be more hurt by the silencing of mens faults , then you do hurt by mentioning them . but , 1. you may not slander men as guilty of what indeed they are not . 2. you may not make mens faults seem worse then they are . 3. you must endeavour the good of the person as much as you can , while you blame the sin . 4. you must not mention mens faults without a call : unless the good of himself or others do require it . 5. you must not do it with a revengesul mind , for personal injuries . 6. you must manifest love and compassion in all . 7. you must difference between raigning sins , and humane frailties : and between a course of sin , and an unusual fall : and between a sin repented of , and not repented of : and must censure but as you find god censure in his word . 8. you must be more ready to speak of the good that is in the same men as you have a call , then of the evil : and not maliciously stick only in the galled place . 9. let it be as far as may be to his face . 10. let it be according to the common rule of equity . [ do as you would be done by . ] not measuring out duty to others , by a corrupt impatience of bearing such your selves : but speaking nothing for matter or manner to another , which you would think unmeet to be spoken to you , if you were in his case . 11. and especially be tender of the honour of superiours , yea though they were evil , and do you wrong . 12. and foresee the consequents , whether your words are not like to do more hurt then good . and if still you think that sufferings will justifie reviling , contumelious complaints , consider these two causes of your mistake . 1. you make a great matter of a little one . as there is not so great good in the prosperity of the flesh , as worldlings think ; so neither is there so great evil in the loss of it : what great harm is poverty , imprisonment , reproach or death ? nay , you have a promise that all shall work together for your good , rom. 8. 28. 2. you make a strange matter of that which is the ordinary condition of believers : to be hated of all men ; to have all manner of evil spoken falsly of you : to be persecuted from one city to another : to be killed all the day long , and counted as sheep to the slaughter . do these seem strange matters to you ? did you never read or hear the gospel ? nor know the terms of christ till now ? did you never read of forsaking all for christ , if indeed you would be his disciples ? did you never count what it must cost you to be saved ? did you not renounce the world and the flesh in your baptismal ( oft renewed covenant , ) 1 pet. 4. 11 , 12. beloved , think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal , as if some strange thing happened to you : but rejoyce , in as much as ye are partakers of christs sufferings . ] and will you think so strange of smaller matters , as to think they excuse your impatience , and evil speeches ? by this time you may see , if you are willing to see , that all among us that are not real saints , are hypocrites , if they profess themselves christians and the servants of god : and that miserable ungodly souls , that call such hypocrites as are more diligent then themselves for their salvation , do but discover their ignorance and malignity , and condemn themselves in bewraying their hypocrisie , while they reproach the practice of the same christian religion , which themselves profess ; and the obedience to that scripture , which they confess themselves to be the word of god. all the prophane , and unsanctified among us , that call themselves christians , are certainly hypocrites . and for the godly , it is the very same religion , that is profest by them and you : it is the same engagement and vow that you all made to god in baptism : and suffer but reason impartially to tell you , when two men have entred the same covenant , and one never mindeth it so as to keep it ; and the other makes it his chiefest care ; which of these is liker to be the dissembler in his covenant ? when two men profess themselves the servants of god , and such as place their hopes in heaven , and one of them makes a jeast of sin , and serveth the flesh and the world which he hath renounced , and hates those that diligently serve the lord ; and the other maketh it the principal care and business of his life to serve and please him , insomuch as he is reproached for it , as making more ado about it then needs ; which of these are hypocrites , and which are serious , in the performing of their covenants , and living according to their profession ? if two servants promise to do your work , and one labour as hard as he can , and the other sit down and deride him for making so much ado , which was it that plaid the hypocrite in his promise ? if diligence in gods service be a sign of hypocrisie , then promise-keeping is hypocrisie , and promise-breaking is sincerity ; and then you may transfer the case to god ( who will be the rewarder of them only that diligently seek him , heb. 11. 6. ) and say that it is his faithfulness to break his promises , and his unfaithfulness to keep them . but who will spend words on such impious absurdities ? so gross , that the devil would have shewed himself a fool to vent them , if he had not made his followers such fools as to believe them . but for the faithful servants of the lord , let them know , that they must serve him on such terms : they must live above the judgement and reputation of this world ; and be content that god the searcher of hearts shall be their judge , who knoweth both sincerity and hypocrisie ; and will bring forth their righteousness as the light . christians , you must not only be sincere ▪ but also patiently expect to be accounted hypocrites , and pointed at as the only dissemblers of the world : you must not only be honest , but patiently expect to be accounted dishonest : you must not only bewise and sober , but patiently expect to be accounted fools and mad men . you must not only be liberal , charitable , and contemners of the world , but patiently expect to be called covetous , even though you give away all that you have . you must not only be chaste and temperate ; but also patiently expect to be defamed as incontinent and licentious , and as christ was called , a wine-bibber , a friend of publicans and sinners . a minister must not only lay out himself wholly for the saving of mens souls , and spend himself and all that he hath on his masters work ; but also patiently expect to be accounted unfaithful , cove●ous , and negligent , and murmured at by almost all whose unreasonable desires he doth not answer , and be censured by almost all , whose wills and humours he doth not fulfill ; and that is , most , that have a self that ruleth at home , and therefore they think should be the idol of others , as it is their own : and that are but unacquainted with the reasons of those things that do displease them . it s little comfort to us to do good , if we cannot bear the estimation of doing evil , and cannot lose all the observation , acknowledgement and applause of man , as if we had never done the good at all . it is far from christian perfection to be honest , and godly , and sincere , if we must needs be accounted to be as we are , and cannot patiently be esteemed dishonest , ungodly , and hypocritical ; and be judged worst , when we are best ; what have the servants of christ lost their lives for in flames , and by other sorts of torments , but for the best of their service , and greatest of their piety and fidelity ? when dogs bark at passengers , commonly it signifieth but two things , viz. that they are persons that they know not , or that they hate : but it is no sign that the persons are bad , or poor , or sick : for be they never so bad and miserable , if they know them , and love them ▪ the dogs will not bark at them . see that thou be not an hypocrite , and then it must be accounted a small matter by thee , to be called an hypocrite : yea if persons that fear god themselves shall so esteem thee , it is no other affliction but what thou must be armed for , and patiently undergo . even from the godly through mistake , we oft suffer most for our greatest duties , and are censured most for that which god and conscience most approve us for ; and lose our reputations for that which god would be greatly offended with us if we did otherwise . as ever then you would not prove your selves hypocrites , see that you look not for the hypocrites reward , as christ calls it , matth. 6. 2. which is , to be approved of men ; be they good or bad men , their overvalued applause may be but the hypocrites reward . to be content and patient in doing well , and being judged to do ill ; and in being good , and being judged to be bad , is the property of him that is sincere indeed : therefore to be unthankfully requited , and reviled , and spit upon , and buffeted , and shamefully used and put to death , even by those whose lives and souls he had with greatest care and condescension , pittied , this was the pattern of love and self-denyal that was set us by our lord. and though we cannot reach his measure , and distempered christians find much strugling before they can bring themselves to patience , under such ingratitude and unworthy usage from the world , especially from their mistaken froward brethren , yet in some prevailing measure , it must be done . for he that cannot serve god without the hypocrites reward , is but an hypocrite . if he will not be a christian , obedient , charitable , diligent , faithful , for heaven and the pleasing of god alone , he is not a christian indeed . and , alas , what a pittiful reward is it , to be thought well of , and applauded by the tongues of mortal men ? how few , were ever the more holy by applause ? but thousands have been hurt , if not undone by it . thou givest all thou hast to the poor : thou spendest thy self wholly , and all that thou hast for the service of god , and the good of others : its well : it must be so . but after all thou art censured , slandered , vilified and unthankfully , and unmannerly used . and what of that ! what harm dost thou fear by it ? what advantage thy pride and selfishness might have taken , even by due applause and thankfulness , its easie to perceive : but now , the temptation is taken out of thy way : thou art secluded from all creature-comforts ; and so art directed and almost forced to look up to the love of god alone : now thou hast no other reward before thee , it s easier to look singly on the saints reward . when god hath no competitour , to whom else then canst thou turn thy thoughts ? when all others abuse thee , it is easiest to have recourse to him . when earth will scarce afford thee any quiet habitation , thou 'lt surely look to heaven for rest . thus much i thought meet to interpose here for the confirmation of the sincere , on occasion of the worlds unjust accusations ; and so to perswade them to be satisfied in the portion of the sincere . i now return again to the self-deceiver . and here i shall conclude all with these two requests to you , which as one that foreseeth the approaching misery of self-deceivers , i earnestly intreat you , for the sake of your immortal souls , that you will not deny me . the first is , that you will be now but as willing to try your selves , as i have been to help you ; and as diligent and faithful when you are alone , in calling your own hearts to a close examination , as i have been to hold the light here to you . o refuse not ; delay not , to withdraw your selves sometimes from the world , and set your selves as before the eye of god , and there bethink your selves whether you have been what you have vowed and profest to be ! and whether that god hath been dearest to your hearts , and obeyed in your lives , and desired as your happiness , who hath been confessed and honoured with your lips ? consider there , that god judgeth not as man ; nor will he think ever the better of you , for thinking well of your selves : and that there must go more to prove your approbation with god , then commonly goes to keep up your reputation in the world . the religion that serveth to honour you before men , and to deceive your selves , will never serve to please the lord and save your souls . and the day is at hand when nothing but god can give you comfort , and when self-deceivers will become everlastingly self-tormentors . o therefore go willingly and presently to the word , to your lives , and hearts , and consciences , and try your selves , and try again , and that with moderate suspicion , that in so great a business you may not be deceived , and be self-deceivers . 2. my second request is , that if you do discover , or but justly suspect your selves of hypocrisie and self-deceit , you would stick there no longer , but presently change your vain religion , your seemings and formalities , for the power of godliness , and sincerity of heart . but i suppose that some of you will say , there lies the difficulty . o that we could do it ? but how should it be done ? i answer ; if thou be really willing to be above hypocrisie , and a vain religion , the cure is half wrought at least . and i will not tire thee now with many , but help and try thee by these few directions . in general ; be but what thou hast promised and vowed to be in thy baptism , and what thou still dost profess to be as a christian , and it will serve the turn : what that is , i have told you before . more particularly . direct . 1. deliberately renew thy covenant with god : and with a grieved heart , bewailing that thou hast been a covenant-breaker , give up thy self presently to god the father , son and holy ghost , as thy creatour , redeemer , and sanctifier , thy owner , thy ruler , and thy father . 2. renounce sincerely the devil , the world , and the flesh , and be at a point with all below ; and quit all conceits and hopes of felicity or rest on earth : and absolutely devote and resign thy self , and all thou hast to the will and service of thy lord , without any secret exceptions or reserves . this is the property and plague of hypocrites , that secretly they have exceptions and reserves in giving up themselves to god. they will follow him , except it would disgrace them or undo them in the world : he shall have all , provided the flesh may not be too much pinched : that is , in plain english , they take him not for god , but for a second to themselves and the world , and will give him but what the flesh can spare . 3. fix the eye of a lively faith upon god and upon the everlasting joyes , and there take up thy whole reward , and look for no other . quit all expectations of a reward from men . let it seem a small thing to thee , what any mortal man shall think or speak of thee ; unless as gods honour or interest is concerned in thine . i have told you before , that he is an hypocrite that will not be godly without the hypocrites reward ; and that can sail no further then he is moved by the wind of mans applause , or of some other worldly end . 4. stick not in any externals of religion , nor in notions and barren uneffectual opinions . so far art thou religious , as thy soul is engaged unto god , and thy life imployed for him : and so far thou dost truly worship him as thy heart is drawn up to him in love , and as thou dost fear him , admire him , trust him , and take thy pleasure in him . think not , that it is a saving religiousness , to be of such or such an opinion , or such a party , or such a church , or to say over so many words of prayer , or to keep a task of outward duties ; or to be of a ready voluble tongue , in preaching , prayer or discourse . religion lyeth in the heart and life . 5. indulge not thy self in one known sin . retain no gross or willfull sin : plead for no infirmity , but make it the business of thy life to extirpate the relicts of the body of death . be willing of the most searching word , and of the plainest reproof , and of all the help thou canst get against so dangerous an enemy . 6. stint not thy self in any low degrees of holiness ; but love , and long , and strive after the highest . if thou bear a secret core of distast against those that outgo thee , it is a mortal sign . thou must be perfect in desire , or thou art not sincere . 7. walk alwaies as in the presence of the holy , dreadful , heart-searching god : remember that he seeth thy ends , thine affections , and all thy thoughts . be the same therefore in secret as thou art in publike , sincerely search the word of god , and know what it is that he would have , and that resolve on , if all the world should be against it . unresolvedness is hypocrisie : and temporizing or following the greater side , for the security of the flesh , is no better . never think thou canst be too holy , or too obedient . but make it thy study to do god all the service that thou canst , whatever suffering or cost it put thee to . be not ashamed openly to own the cause of christ . in the presence of the greatest , remember that thy master is so much greater , that they are worms and vanity to him . take heed of culling out the easie and cheap part of religion , and laying by the difficult and dear . thy religion must be as the heart in thy breast , which is alwaies working , and by which thou livest ; which cannot stop long , but thou wilt die . but the hypocrites religion is like the h●t upon his head , for ornament and shelter from the weather , and not for life : in the night when none seeth him he can lye without it ; and in the day he can put it off for the sake of a friend , and perhaps stand bare in the presence of a greater person that expecteth it . so can the hypocrite too oft dispense with his religion . 8. be hearty and serious in all thou dost . hear , and read , and pray as for thy life . sincerity consisteth much in seriousness . remember thou art almost at another world ! while i am speaking and thou art hearing , we are both hasting to our endless state . o how should men live on earth , that must live here for so short a time , and must live for ever in heaven or hell : these things are true , and past all question : and therefore for your fouls sake lose not heaven by trifling . pray not in jeast , and serve not god in jeast , and resist not sin in jeast , least you be damned in good sadness . when you are at work for eternity , its time to do it with all your might . o what unconceivable mercies are now offered you ! o what an excellent price is in your hands ! and nothing is so likely to deprive you of the benefit , as dreaming and dallying , when you should be up and doing ; as if this were not your business , but your play ; and salvation and damnation were matters of sport . o do but set your selves to the pleasing of god , and the saving of your souls with all your might , and ply it with diligence as your chiefest work , and then you are out of the danger of the hypocrite . but if still you will give the world the preheminence , and your flesh must be pleased , and your prosperity secured , and god must have but complements , or the leavings , your misery is at hand , and vengeance shall undeceive those hearts that would not be undeceived by the word . and you shall remember to the increase of your anguish , that you were told this day , that your seeming trifling religion would prove vain . but i beseech you , as you are men , as you love your souls , dismiss us with some better hopes ; and now resolve to be downright christians . which as i have begged of you , i shall now beg of god. the fools prosperity . a sermon preached at coven-garden : published upon occasion of some offence and misreports . by r. b. printed in the year , 1660. prov. 1. 32 , 33. for the turning away of the simple shall sl●y them , and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them . but who so hearkeneth unto me , shall dwell safely , and shall be quiet from fear of evil . the bounteous offers and vehement exhortations of christ here in this chapter , were accompanied with a foresight and prediction of their rejection , by many : ye● doth not that prevent ●he offers and exhortations : but occasion the pred●ction of the c●●●mity of the refusers , god will not go out of his way , because the ungodly will not walk with him . he will do the part of a righteous governour , though he foresee that men will not do the part of obedient subjects . but his primary end shall be attained upon the righteous , in the successes of his grace , as his secondary end shall be upon the disobedient , in the honour of his vindictive justice . this is the sense of the words which i have now read to you . which 1. describe the ungodly . 1. by their present way of sin . 2. and by their future state of misery . their sin is described by , 1. the occasion . 2. the act . 3. the habit . prosperity and ease is the occasion : turning away from god , and rejecting his counsel is the act : and folly or simplicity is part of the habit . simplicity is here taken for sinful foolishness , and not as it is often for commendable sincerity . whether you read it [ the turning away ] or [ the ease ] of the simple , it is all one as to the scope and use that i shall now make of it , both being included as to the sense in the other words . folly is mentioned both as the cause of their abuse of prosperity , and as the effect of prosperity so abused . because they are fools , they turn gods mercies to their own destruction : and because they prosper , they are confirmed in their folly . 2. the words describe the godly . 1. by their obedience ; they [ hearken unto christ . ] 2. by their priviledge or reward : they [ shall dwell safely , and be quiet from fear of evil . ] we shall begin with the first and shew you . 1. that it is so , that [ the prosperity of fools destroyeth them . ] 2. how folly and prosperity concur to their destruction : or how prosperity befooleth and destroyeth them . 3. how we should all improve this truth to our best advantage . i. scripture and experience concur in proving the truth of the conclusion . 1. though god tell us in his word of a difficulty that all must conquer that will be saved , yet it is a greater extraordinary difficulty , that he tells us of as to the rich and prosperous in the world ; such a difficulty as is pathetically exprest by this interrogation , luke 18. 24. [ how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of god ? ] such a difficulty as is expressed by this proverbial comparison , ver . 25. [ for it is easier for a camel to go through a needles eye , then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of god ] such a difficulty as ●●st he hearers into admiration , and made them ask , v. 26. [ who then can be saved ? ] such a difficulty as is to man an impossibility , v. 27. and leaves only this hope , that [ things are possible to god , that are impossible to man. ] 2. and though its said of men indefinitely that it is but few that shall be saved ; yet is it noted of the rich and prosperous that its few of them among those few , or few in comparison of other sorts of men , that shall be saved , joh. 7. 48. [ have any of the rulers or of the pharises believed on him ? ] 1 cor. 1. 26. [ for ye see your calling brethren , how that not many wise men after the flesh , not many mighty , not many noble are called . but god hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and god hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty ; and base things of the wor●● , and things which are d●spis●d , hath god chosen ; yea and things that are not , to bring to nought things that are , that no flesh should glory in his presence . ] and therefore scripture speaketh in such general language , as if salvation had been almost appropriated to the poor , and the rich had been excluded , because of the rarity of their salvation , luke 6. 24 , 25. but wo unto you that are rich , for ye have received your consolation : wo unto you that are full , for ye shall hunger : wo unto you that laugh now , for you shall mourn and weep . ] jam. 2. 5 , 6. [ hearken my beloved brethren : hath not god chosen the poor of this world , rich in faith , and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him ? but ye have despised the poor . do not rich men oppress you , and draw you before the judgement-seats ? do they not blaspheme that worthy name by which you are called ? ] and therefore when christ would describe a wicked miserable man , he doth it in these words , luke 16. 19. [ there was a certain rich man which was cloathed in purple and fine linnen , and fared sumptuously every day . ] and luk. 12. 16 , 19. [ the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully , &c. ] and when he would describe a godly happy man , he doth it under the name of a lazarus , luke 16. 20. judge now by the success , as it is discovered in the scriptures , what good prosperity doth to fools ? i might turn you to davids observations in psal . 37. and 73. and mind you why it is that christ himself went before us in a state of chosen poverty , 2 cor. 8. 9. and why his disciples followed him in this tract ; and why he called them so much to deny and forsake the riches of the world , and tried them so oft by selling all , and following him in hopes of a heavenly reward . bu● the point is evident in wh●●'s said in my text , and these annexed testimonies . 2. but yet to make you more apprehensive of it , i shall adjoyn the testimony of experience . and tell me whether prosperity be not the destruction of 〈◊〉 , when you have noted the ●ruits of it in these few observations . 1. where do you find less serious ●ure 〈…〉 salvation , then among the prosperous great ones of the world ? what abundance of them are de●d-hear●ed , sensless , disregarders of everlasting things ? what abundance o● them are of no religion , but the custome of their country , and the will of their superiours , which are their bible , their law , and gospel , and their creed ! what abundance of them are addicted to that worship which christ pronounceth vain , which is measured by the traditions of men , and consisteth meerly in ceremonious 〈◊〉 ! how few of them are ac●●●●ted with the spiritual worship 〈◊〉 that god who being a spirit can accept no worship but what is spiritual ! alas poor souls , they drown their reason in sensuality , and are fed as for the slaughter , and think not seriously whether they are going , till prosperity hath ceased to deceive them , and satan is content to let them see ●hat they have lost , and he hath w●n the game . they are of the religion described by the apostle , 1 tim. 6. 5. that taketh gain for godliness : but if godliness must go for gain , they will have none . to oppress their tenants , and devour widdows houses , and cloak it with a long pharisaical lip-service , or wipe their mouths with some customary complemental prayers , and offer god to be a sharer in the prey , this is the commonest religion of the rich . but they cannot endure to be so pure , as to devote themselves to god in that pure and undefiled religion which visiteth the fatherless and widdows in their affliction , and keepeth men unspotted from the world , ] jam. 1. 27. what houses or company can you go into , where religion is more bitterly derided , more proudly vilified , more slanderously reproached , or more ingeniously abused and opposed , then among the rich and full-fed worldlings ? and if there be here and there a person fearing god among them , he passeth for a rarity or wonder ! and a little religion goes a great way , and is applauded and admired as eminent sanctity , in persons of the higher rank . if a poor man or woman dwell as it were in heaven , and walk with god , and think , and speak , and live by rule , it s scarce regarded ; poverty , or want of a voluble tongue , or the mixtures of unavoidable frailties , or some imprudent passages that come from the want of a more polishing culture and education , doth make their piety but matter of jeasting and reproach to the dives'es of the world : but if a lord , or knight , or lady have but half their piety , humility and obedience to god , how excellent are they in their orbs ! nay , if they do but countenance religion , and befriend the servants of the lord , and observe a course of cold performances , with the mixture of such sins for which a poor man should be almost excommunicate , what excellent religious persons are they esteemed ? 2. what families are worse ordered , and have less of serious piety then the rich ? if our splendid gallants should be desired to call their families constantly to prayer , to instruct them all in the matters of salvation , to teach them the word of god with that diligence as is commanded , deut. 6. and 11. and to help them all in their preparations for death and judgement ; to catechise them , and take an account of their proficiency , to curb profaneness , and excess , and to say with joshua 24. 15. as for me and my house , we will serve the lord ; how strange and precise a course would it seem to them ? should they purge their families of ungodly servants , and imitate david , psal . 101. that would not let the wicked dwell in his sight ; should they spend the lords dayes in as serious endeavours for the spiritual benefit of their families and themselves , as poor men do that fear the lord , what wonders of piety would they seem ? 3. in their entertainments , visitations , and converse , how rare is serious holy confere●ce among them ? how seldome do you hear them remembering their guests and companions of the presence of the holy god , of the necessity of renewing , confirming and assisting grace ; of the riches of christ revealed in the gospel ; of the endless life of joy or misery which is at hand ! how seldome do you hear them seriously assisting each other in the examining of their hearts , and making their calling and election sure , and preparing for the day of death and judgement ? a word or two in private with some zealous minister or friend , is almost all the pious conference that shall be heard from some of the better sort of them . should they d●scourse as seriously of the life to come , and the preparation necessary thereto , as they do about the matters of this life , they would mar● the mirth , and damp the pleasure of the company , and be taken for self-conceited hypocrites , or men of an unnecessary strictness and austerity , inconsistent with the jocund lepidity and sensual kind of delight wherewith they expect to be entertained . the honest , heart-warming , heavenly discourse that is usual among poor serious christians , would seem at the tables of most of our great ones , but an unseasonable interruption of their more natural and acceptable kind of converse . 4. what men do more carelesly cast away their precious time , then these dives'es do ? they think they have a license to be idle and unprofitable , because they are rich : that is , to abuse or hide their talents , because they have more then other men : forgetting , that to whom much is given , of them shall much be required . because they have no poverty or family-necessities to constrain them to a laborious life , they think they may lawfully take their ease , and live as droans on other mens labours , as if they owed nothing to god or the common wealth , but all to their own flesh . their morning hours which are most seasonable for meditation and holy addresses unto god , and the works of their calling , are perhaps consumed in excess of sleep : the next are wasted in long attiring and curious adorning of their flesh : from thence they pass to vain discourse , to needless-recreations , to eating and drinking , and so to their vain talk and recreations again , and thence to the replenishing of their bellies , and so to sleep : and thus the words of the fool that christ describeth in luke 12. 19. are turned by them into deeds , and it is the language of their sensual lives . [ soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease , eat , drink and be merry . ] sleeping and sporting , and jeasting ; and idle talking , and eating and drinking , and dressing and undressing , with worldly cares and passions intermixt , are the very business and employment of their lives . thus contemptuously do they waste their precious hours , while god stands by , and time makes haste , and death draws near , and their miserable souls are unprepared , and heaven or hell are hard at hand ; and this is all the time of preparation , that ever shall be allowed them . o do but look on these distracted piteous souls , that have but a short uncertain life to provide for a life that hath no end , and see how they forget or senslesly remember the matters of infinite concernment ! see how they trifle away that time that never will return ! how they sport and prate away those hours which shortly they would recall , were it possible , with the lowdest cryes , or recover with the dearest price ! when they know not but in a laughter-or a merry jeast , their breath may be stopped by an arrest from heaven , or justice may surprize their miserable unready souls with the cards in their hands , or the cup at their mouths , when they have not the least assurance of being out of hell an hour , and yet can sell this time for nothing , and basely cast it away on toyes , which is all that ever they shall have to prevent everlasting misery , or to procure everlasting joy : stand by a while , and hearken to the discourse of sensual gallants , and mark how dayes and weeks are spent , and then tell me whether the prosperity of such fools be not made the occasion of befooling and destroying them ? 5. what men in the world do live so sensual a life as rich and prosperous worldlings live ? the difference between the sanctified and the unsanctified , the children of god and of the devil , is , that one of them liveth after the spirit , and the other liveth after the flesh , as in rom. 8. to ver . 14. you may read at large . and how few of these dives'es do think the damning sin of flesh-pleasing to be any sin in them at all ? if they do not eat till they are sick , or drink till they are drunk , their consciences scarce controul them in their voluptuousness : they never well understood the meaning of such passages as these , [ rom. 13. 14. make no provision for the flesh , to fullfill the ( desires or ) lusts thereof . rom. 8. 13. if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye . ] 1 cor. 9. 27. i keep under my body and bring it into subjection , &c. ] they understand not how far the flesh is their enemy ; or else ( as they have verbally renounced it ) they would use it as an enemy . 6. in their prosperity these fools have not the wit to love or bear the means of their preservation or recovery . they have the sorest maladies , and are most impatient of the remedies . they are in the stream of temptations , and have greater need of help then others ; and yet there is none that reject it with more contempt and pride . plain-dealing preachers which honest humble souls delight in , do seem intolerable sawcy fellows to these sons of pride . if we tell them but of the sin that god hath most plainly condemned in his word , or of the judgement which he hath there denounced , and make the most prudent and modest application of it unto them , we seem to wrong them , and stir up their pride and enmity against us , and provoke them to slanderous recriminations or revenge . it troubles them not to commit it , or to keep it , but to hear of it : and they take us to be more faulty for admonishing them of it , then themselves for being guilty of it . though we are by office the messengers of christ , that will tell them of it shortly to their faces , and feareth not the proudest son of belial , yet are they too stout to be admonished by such as we , but reject our message with hatred and disdain . and indeed it is a wonder of mercy that the prevalency of this impatient guilt and malice , hath not ere this turned plain and faithful preaching into some toothless formalities or homilies , and silenced the preachers for the security of the offendors ; and expelled the physicians lest they displease the sick . the lord still prevent it . if we tell them with the greatest caution but of the necessary truths , without which a sinful soul is never like to be humbled or saved , we are taken to be turbulent , and injurious to the ease or honour of these auditors . they must hear of the necessity of regeneration and holiness , and of the weight and worth of things eternal : and yet they cannot bear to hear it . they must have heart-searching , and heart-breaking truths , in a searching , awakening manner brought home to them , if ever they will be saved by them : but they cannot endure it . the surgeon is intolerable that would search their sores : and yet there is no other way to heal them . alas the heart of man is so hard , that all the skill and industry of the preacher can scarce sufficiently sharpen and set home the truth that it may enter : but nothing that is sharp can be endured by these tender souls . such language as christ and his prophets and apostles used , doth seem too rough for silken eares . their honour must not be blotted with the mention of their odious sins , and deplorable misery . to be a glutton , or a drunkard , or a wanton , or filthy f●rnicator , or a malicious cain , they can endure : but to be told [ thou art the man ] though it be in secret , and with love and tenderness , they cannot bear . the minister is thought to wrong them that shall secretly and faithfully admonish them , and tell them truly what will be the end : but christ will execute all his threatnings , and make them feel what now they hear , and yet constrain them to confess that he doth not wrong them . we wrong them now , if we tell a gentleman of his impiety , and sensuality , and pride , and of his vilifying precious time , and casting it away on cards , and idleness , and unprofitable talk : yea though he be so far forsaken of common grace and reason , as to hate and deride the serious practice of his own profession , and the way that the god of heaven hath prescribed as flatly necessary to salvation , yet cannot he endure to hear of his enmity against the lord , nor to be told that he beareth the image of the devil , while he is against the image and laws of christ . should we but privately read a text to them that condemneth them , they are as angry with us as if we made the scripture which we read ; and it were not the word of god , but ours . if we tell them that [ without holiness none shall see god , ] heb. 12. 14. and that [ except they be regenerated , converted , and become as little children ( in humility beginning the world anew ) they cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven , matth. 18. 3. joh. 3. 3 , 5 , 6. that [ if any man have not the spirit of christ , the same is none of his , ] rom. 8. 6. or that [ whoremongers and adulterers god will judge , ] heb. 13. 4. and that [ the unrighteous , the fornicators , effeminate , covetous , extortioners , drunkards , or revilers , shall not inherit the kingdom of god , ] 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10 , 11. eph. 5. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. they think we talk too precisely or presumptuously to them . you would think by their proud contempt of his threatnings , and their boldness and carelesness in sin , that these silk-worms did imagine they had conquered heaven , and the righteous god were afraid to meddle with them ; or that he would reverse his laws and pervert his judgement for fear of dishonouring or offending them . little do they think how many dives'es are now in hell . but methinks they might easily believe , that their honourable flesh is rotten and turned to common earth ; and that death will make bold to tell them also , when their turn is come , that they have been pampering but a piece of clay ; and that it was not worth the loss of heaven , nor the suffering of hell , to spend so much time and care and cost to feed up a carkass for the worms . we must now submissively ask their leave , to tell them what god hath said against them . but god will not ask them leave to make it good upon the highest , the proudest and securest of them all ; [ for god shall wound the head of his enemies , and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses , ] psal . 68. 21. [ he is not a god that hath pleasure in wickedness ; neither shall evil dwell with him . the foolish shall not stand in his sight : he hateth all the workers of iniquity , psal . 5. 3 , 4. the ungodly ( that delight not in the law of the lord ) are like the chaffe that the wind driveth away : they shall not stand in judgement , nor sinners [ in the assembly of the righteous , psal . 1. ] the wicked shall be turned into hell , and all the nations that forget god , psal . 9. 17. ] cannot you endure to hear and consider of these things ? how then will you endure to feel them ? god will not flatter you . if all your greatness enable you not to repulse the assaults of death , nor to chide away the gout or stone ; and all your honour or wealth will not cure a feaver , or ease you of the tooth-ake ; how little will it do to save you from the everlasting wrath of god ? or to avert his sentence which must shortly pass on all that are impenitent ? and yet prosperity so befooleth sensual men , that they must hear of none of this : at least not with any close and personal application . if you speak as christ did to the pharises , mat. 21. 45. that they perceived that he spake of them , they take you for their enemy for telling them the truth , gal. 4. 16. and meet our doctrine as ahab did elijah , 2 king. 21. 20. hast thou found me o mine enemy ! and 1 king. 18. 17. art thou he that troubleth israel ? or as the same ahab of micaiah , 1 king. 22. 8. there is one man ( micaiah ) of whom we may enquire of the lord : but i hate him ; for he doth not prophesie good concerning me , but evil . ] or as amaziah the priest said of amos to king jeroboam , [ he hath conspired against thee : the land is not able to bear all his words , ] amos 7. 10. and ver . 13. prophesie not again any more at bethel : for it is the kings chappel , and it is the kings court. ] they behave themselves to faithful ministers , as if it were a part of their inviolable honour and priviledge , to be mortally sick without the trouble of a physician , and to have no body tell them that they are out of their way , till it be too late , or that they are in misery till there be no remedy : and that none should remember them of heaven till they have lost it ; nor trouble them in the way to hell , nor seek to save them , lest he should but torment them before the time . and thus prosperity makes them willingly deaf and blind , and turn away their ears from the hearing of the law , and then their prayers for mercy in their distress are rejected as abominable by the lord , prov. 1. 24. to 33. and 28 ▪ 9. 7. yea if there be any persecution raised against the church of christ , who are the chief acters in it , but the prosperous , blinded , sensual great ones of the world ? the princes make it their petition against jeremy to the king , [ we beseech thee let this man be put to death : for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war — and the hands of all the people in speaking such words unto them : for this man seeketh not the welfare of his people but the hurt , jer. 38. 4. it was the presidents and princes that said of daniel , [ we shall not find any occasion against this daniel , except we find it against him concerning the law of his god , dan. 6. 5. ] were it not lest some malicious hearer should misapply it , and think i sought to diminish the reputation of magistrates , while i shew the effects of the prosperity of fools , i should give you abundance of such lamentable instances , and tell you how commonly the great ones of the world have in all ages set themselves and taken counsel against the lord and against his christ , psal . 2. and stumbled upon the corner-stone , and taken no warning by those that have been thus broken in pieces before them . how ready is herod to gratifie a wanton dancer with a prophets head ? in a word , as satan is called the prince of this world , no wonder if he rule the men of the world , that have their portion in this life , psal . 17. 14. and can command his armies , and engage them , and enrage them against the servants of the most high , that run not with them to the same excess of ryot , 1 pet. 4. 4. and as james saith ( as aforecited ) [ do not the rich oppress you , and draw you before the judgement seats ? do they not blaspheme that worthy name by which you are called ? jam. 2. 6 , 7. 8. and in all this sin and misery how senseless and secure are these prosperous fools ? as merry within a year , or month , or week of hell , as if no harm were near . how wonderful hard is it to convince them of their misery ? the most learned , wise or godly man , or the dearest friend they have in the world , shall not perswade them that their case is such as to need a conversion and supernatural change . they cannot abide to take off their minds from their sensual delights and vanities , and to trouble themselves about the things of life eternal , come on 't what will ; they are resolv'd to venture , and please their flesh , and enjoy what the world will afford them while they may , till suddenly god surprizeth them with his dreadful call , [ thou fool , this night shall thy soul be required of thee : then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided ? ] luke 12. 20. [ so is he that layeth up riches for himself , and is not rich towards god , ] ver . 21. ii. i should next shew you how it is that prosperity thus destroyeth fools . briefly , 1. by the pleasing of their sensitive appetite and fancy , and so overcoming the power of reason . perit omne judicium cum res transit in affectum . violent affections hearken not to reason . the beast is made too headstrong for the rider . deut. 32 15. [ jesurun waxed fat and kicked — then he forsook god that made him , and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation . ] 2. the friendship of the world is enmity to god : and if any man love the world , the love of the father is not in him , jam. 4. 4. 1 joh. 2. 15. and undoubtedly the more amiable the world appears , the more strongly it doth allure the soul to love it . and to the prosperous it appeareth in the most entising dress . 3. and hereby it taketh off the soul from god. we cannot love and serve god and mammon . the heart is gone another way when god should have it . it is so full of love , and desire , and care , and pleasure about the creatures , that there is no room for god. how can they love him with all their hearts , that have let out those hearts to vanity before ? 4. and the very noise and busle of these worldly things , diverts their minds , and hindereth them from being serious , and from that sober consideration that requireth some retirement and vacancy from distracting objects . 5. and the sense of present ease and sweetness , doth make them forget the change that 's near . little do they think what 's necessary to comfort a departing soul , when they are in the heat of pride or lust , or taken up with their business and delights . in the midst of bravery and plenty , feasting and sporting , and such other entertainments of the senses , its hard to hold communion with god , and to study the life to come in such a colledge or library as this . prosperity and pleasure make men drunk : and the tickled fancy sports it self in abusing the captivated mind . and these frisking lambs , and fattened beasts , forget the slaughter : they think in summer there will be no winter ; and their may will continue all the year . little do they feel the piercing , griping , tearing thoughts , that at death or judgement must succeed their security and mirth . o how hard do the best men find it , in the midst of health and all prosperity , to have such serious lively thoughts of heaven , and of the change that death will shortly make , as they have in sickness and adversit , when death seems near , and deluding things are vanished and gone ! the words of god have not that force on a sleepy soul in the hour of prosperity , as they have when distress hath opened their eares . the same truths that now seem common , lifeless inconsiderable things , will then pierce deep , and divide between the joynts and marrow , and work as if they were not the same that once were laughed at or disregarded . eccles . 7. 2 , 3 , 4. it is better to go to the house of mourning , then to the house of feasting ; ( do you believe this ? ) for that is the end of all men , and the living will lay it to heart . sorrow is better then laughter : for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better . the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning , but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth . ] i beseech you take patiently your character and name here from the word of god. 6. moreover these fools are by prosperity so lifted up with pride , that god abhors them , and is as it were engaged to abase them . for [ the lord will destroy the house of the proud , ] prov. 15. 25. [ every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the lord : though hand joyn in hand , he shall not be unpunished , ] prov. 16. 5. [ he scattereth the proud in the imagination of their hearts : he hath put down the mighty from their seats , and exalted them of low degree : he hath filled the hungry with good things , and the rich he hath sent empty away , ] luk. 1. 51 , 52 , 53. [ in the things wherein they deal proudly , he is above them , ] exod. 18. 11. [ for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased : and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted , luk. 18. 14. ] for god resisteth the proud , but giveth grace to the humble , 1 pet. 5. 5. ] 7. but no way doth their prosperity so desperately precipitate them , and make them the scorn of heaven , and the foot-ball of divine contempt , as by engaging them in opposition to the word , and wayes , and servants of the lord. when it hath drawn them to those sins which god condemneth , and his ministers must reprove , and hath puft them up with pride , which makes them impatient of his reproofs , and hath increased their worldly interest and treasure , and fleshly provision , which he commandeth them to deny , this presently involveth them in a controversie with christ , before they are aware , and casteth them into the temptation of herod when he was contradicted in his lust ; and they think they are necessitated to stop the mouths that dare reprove them , and to keep under the people , and doctrine , and discipline of christ , that are so contrary to them , and cross them , and dishonour them in their sin : and to pluck away this thorn out of their foot , and cast it from them . and thus their prosperity and carnal wisdom that is imployed to secure it , engageth the earth-worms in a war with christ : and then you may conjecture how long they can endure to kick against the pricks , and irritate the justice and jealousie of the almighty , and presume to abuse the apple of his eye ; and who will have the better in the end ? the stubble is more able to resist the flames , and a fly to conquer all the world , then these daring lumps of walking clay , to conquer god , or scape his vengeance . isa . 27. 4. [ who would set the bryers and thornes against me in battel ? i would go through them : i would burn them together . ] isa . 45. 9. [ wo to him that striveth with his maker : let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth . ] job 9. 4. [ who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered ? ] they all imagine a vain thing , that set themselves and take counsel together against the lord , and his anointed , to break his bonds , and cast away his cords from them . he that sitteth in heaven will laugh , the lord will have them in derision : then shall he speak unto them in his wrath , and vex them in his sore displeasure . — he shall break them with a rod of iron , and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel . be wise now therefore o ye kings ! be instructed ye judges of the earth : serve the lord with fear , and rejoyce with trembling : kiss the son lest he be angry , and ye perish in the way , when his wrath is kindled , but a little ; blessed are all they that put their trust in him , psal . 2. ] they think it is but a few contemptible or hateful men that they set themselves against ; forgetting act. 9. 4 , 5. luk. 10. 16. 1 thes . 4. 8. that tell them all is done to christ . and mat. 18. 6. [ who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me , it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck , and that he were drawned in the depth of the sea , ] mat. 21. 44. [ and whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken ; but on 〈…〉 it shall fall , it will grind him to powder . ] i will conclude this with a●●aziah's case , 2 chr●n . 25. 16. [ a●● thou made of the kings counsel● f●rbear : why should'st thou be smitten ? then the prophet forbare , and said , i know that god hath determined to destroy thee , because thou hast done this , and hast not hearkened , &c. ] iii. before i tell you what use to make of the doctrine of this text , i shall first tell you by way of caution , what use you should not make of it . 1. though the prosperity of fools destroy them , do not hence accuse god that giveth them prosperity . 2. nor do not think to excuse your selves . 3. nor do not think that riches are evil : for the things are good , and mercies in themselves , and being rightly used , may further their felicity . but it is the folly and corruption of their hearts , that thus abuseth them , and maketh good an occasion of evil . i may allude to pauls words concerning the law , rom. 7. 7 , 13. [ are they sin ? or is that which is good made death to them ? god forbid . but sin , that it may appear sin , worketh death by that which is good : because they are carnally sold under sin . ] 4. nor must you cast away your riches , or refuse them when offered by god. but take them as a faithful steward doth his masters stock , not desiring to be overburdenced or endangered with the charge , but bearing what is imposed on you , resolving to improve it all for god. not loving nor desiring wealth , authority or honour , nor yet so lazie , timerous or distrustsul as not to accept the burden and charge , when god may be served by it . to cast away or hide your talents , is the part of an unprofitable servant . 5. take heed lest under pretence of contemning riches and prosperity , you be tempted to contemn your governours , or to speak evil of dignities , or diminish the honour of those that are set over us , whose honour is necessary to the ends of government , and therefore to the peoples good . though james reprove the church for partiality in over-honouring a man for a gold-ring or gay apparel , yet doth he not go about to abate the honour of authority . magistracy , and riches must be here distinguished . 6. take heed lest while you declaim of the misery of the rich , you think to be saved meerly for being poor . for poor or rich , if you be ungodly , you must turn or die . god doth not condemn men for their riches , but their sin : nor save any for their poverty , but their faith and piety ( through christ . ) but the uses you should make of the text are these . 1. grudge not at the prosperity of ungodly men , but compassionate them in their danger and misery . 2. be not afraid of the prosperity of the wicked , psal . 49. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. it s they that should be afraid , that have so low to fall . 3. take heed that you desire not riches or prosperity : unless you desire that the way ot heaven should be made harder to you , that is so hard already . be contented with food and rayment . desire but your daily bread , unless as it is needful for your masters service , and the relief of others . 4. honour those ever with a double honour , that are great and godly , that are rich and religious ; not because they are rich , but because they are so strong and excellent in grace , as to overcome such great temptations ; and to be heavenly in the midst of earthly plenty , and to be faithful stewards of so much . religious faithful princes and magistrates cannot easily be valued and honoured too much . what wonders are they in the most part of the earth ! what a blessing to the people that are ruled by them ! were they not strong in faith , they could not stand fast in such a stormy place . where is there in the world a more lively resemblance of god , then a holy prince or governour , that liveth no more to the flesh then the poorest , for all his abundance of fleshly accommodations , and that devoteth and improveth all his power , and honour , and interest , to the promoting of holiness , love and concord ? 5. let great men have a double interest in your prayers . they have a double need of grace and help ; and we have a double need that they should be gracious . o think how hard it is to save their faith , their innocency , and their souls , and to save the gospel and the publike peace in the midst of so many and great temptations . and therefore pray hard , where prayer is so needful . and o that i were now able to speak such enlightening and awakening words to you , as might shew you at once your worldly prosperity , and the heavenly glory , in their proper value ! and that god would now open your eyes and hearts , accordingly to esteem and seek them . gentlemen , will you give this once an impartial hearing , to one that envyeth not your wealth , but foreseeth the end of it , and how it will forsake you , and in how deplorable a case you will then be found , if you have not laid up a treasure in heaven , and secured the everlasting riches . i grudge you not your prosperity : for god doth not grudge it you : yea the devil himself can afford it you for a time , while you serve him by it , and are captivated to his will in these golden fetters . and say not that it is i , that call such fools : you see here it is god , that knoweth what he saith , and feareth not to speak it . but let me with due submission propound to your sober consideration , these questions which your consciences are concerned to resolve . quest . 1. can any thing prove him truly wise that directly contradicteth the wisdom of the lord ? and valueth most the things that are most vilified by the doctrine and example of christ and his apostles ? and vilifieth that which christ extolleth ? quest . 2. can any thing prove that man to be wise , that is not wise enough to be saved ? surely it altereth the case but little , whether satan be served in english , or in latin , greek or hebrew , in spanish , italian or french ! or whether you go towards everlasting wo , in leather or in silk ; and whether a miserable unsanctified soul do dwell in a comely or deformed body ; and in a stately building or a smoaky cottage ; and be titled a lord , a knight , or a plow-man ; and whether he feed on the most delightful or the coursest food . alas , all this will soon be nothing . the belly for meats : and meats for the belly : but god will destroy both it and them , 1 cor. 6. 13. it is the endless life that puts the estimate upon all things here . quest . 3. is he wise that preferreth a feather to a kingdom ? an hour to eternity ? earth to heaven ? if you say you do not so , let your thoughts , your desires , your delights , your cares , and your labour and diligence be the witnesses : and conscience , and god shall finally judge . a man of reason should never make such a matter of nothing , as if there were so great a difference between riches and poverty , honour and dishonour ; and a mans life or happiness consisted in his abundance ! as it s usually the badge of empty , childish brainsick women , to value a curiosity of attire , and to have mind and time for so many toyes , and to make ostentation of their pride and folly , by their curled , spotted , gawdy vanity , as if they were afraid lest any should be unacquainted with it , and should think them wise ; so is it but a more plausible deliration in those , that are more taken up with names , and titles , and commands , with houses and lands , and pompous attendance ; and yet more brutish where lust , and sport , and meats , and drinks are taken for felicity ; while god and heaven stand by , neglected : and men forget that they are called christians , and that they are men . quest . 4. is it wisdom to esteem men by their prosperity and pomp ? and to admire a gilded post , or an ignorant adorned wanton : and yet to overlook the divine and heavenly nature of the sanctified , and the beauty of holiness , and the image of god upon an humble gracious soul ? when that which is highly esteemed among men , is abomination in the sight of god , luk. 16. 15. quest . 5. is it wisdom to be feasting , and playing , and dancing , while the soul is under the wrath of god , and in the gall of bitterness , and bonds of its iniquity ? and by the noise , and business and pleasures of the world , to be diverted and hindered from the speedy setling and securing your everlasting state ? should not a man of reason without delay , the first thing he doth , make sure of his title to eternal happiness , when he is not sure of another hour , and if he miscarry in this , he is undone for ever ? should that time be laught and plaid away , that hasteth so fast , and is all so short for so great a work , as the securing our salvation ? should men and women be courting , and complementing , and fooling away their precious time , when the work is undone for which they were born into the world , and for which they have their lives , and all their mercies ? quest . 6. should all this be done by those that sin against their knowledge , and confess all this while that the world is vanity , and know how it will leave them , and that all this is true ? o sirs , it must needs be the grief of a foreseeing man , to think , when you forget it , what a change is coming , and what a sad preparation you are making , and how little a while the musick , the feast , the cards and dice , the filthy lusts and wanton dalliance will continue ? and what a damp of self-tormenting desperation will seize upon those careless scornful hearts , that now will not be wakened and warned , nor understand any further then they see or feel ! in compassion to those that are passing hence to another world , i beseech you sometime withdraw your selves from sensual divertisements , and soberly bethink you , whether this be the place and company that you must be with for ever ? how long this merry life will last ! and whether this be the work that the god of heaven did send you about into the world ? and whether it would be more comfortable to your review when time is gone , to think of your dayes of sensual delight , or of a holy , and humble , and heavenly conversation ! and to hear with dives , luk. 16. 25. [ son , remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things , and lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented . ] o then you would wish that you had never heard those aery titles , and never possest those sumptuous houses ; nor never tasted those delicious feasts ; nor never worn that gay attire ; nor never known that deceiving company ; nor been polluted and brutified with those beastly lusts ! then conscience will force the now befooled dives to cry out , [ o that i had been the most despised man on earth , while honour did befool me ? o that i had lain in medicinal poverty and rags , when i took this mortal surfeit of prosperity ? o that i had lain in tears and sorrow , when i was infatuated by fleshly mirth and pleasure ! and that i had been among the saints that foresaw and provided for this day , when i drown'd the voyce of christ and conscience , with the laughter of a fool , and the noise of worldly business and delights ! ] o then how revengefully will you befool your selves , that had time and knew no better how to use it ! and how sensibly will you justifie the wisdom of believers , that bent their care for things eternal ! i am ashamed of my heart , that melts not in compassion in the foresight of your wo ! and that i beg not of you with tears and importunity , to prevent it , and to have mercy on your selves . paul had a better heart then i , that ceased not to war● every one day and night with tears , act. 20. 31. and speaketh thus of such as you [ phil. 3. 18 , 19. for many walk , of whom i have told you often , and now tell you even weeping , the enemies of the cross of christ ; whose end is destruction , whose god is their belly , and whose glory is in their shame , who mind earthly things . ] when the conversation of believers is in heaven , from whence they look for the lord their saviour . i suppose you are afraid of the austerities of religion ; and the devil would perswade you , that it is but a self-tormenting , or hypocritical life , that we commend to you under the name of godliness : especially when you see the sadness of some honest souls , that are abused by satan through the advantages of melancholy . but i must prosess , it is sorrow that i call you from and would prevent : it is no unnecessary grief that i would perswade you to , but to a life of heavenly peace and joy . if satan have abused any servants of christ , by darkening , and troubling , and discomforting their minds ( which is his ordinary endeavour , when he can no longer keep men quiet , and careless , and presumptuous in their misery ; ) this is clean contrary to the nature of religion , and the commands of christ , that chargeth them alway to rejoyce . do you think that i cannot have more solid joy with my daily bread , in the apprehensions of the love of god , and the belief of his promises of eternal life , then foolish mirth comes to , that 's likened to the crackling of thorns in the fire ? eccles . 7. 6. you are for mirth ; and we are for mirth : but it s a hearty , solid , spiritual , grounded , lasting mirth that we invite you to : and it s a beastly sensual pleasure that ungodly men desire . for my part , it s almost half my work , to promote the joyes of true believers , and to disswade them from such causeless despondencies and troubles as would rob them of their comforts , and god of their love , and thanks and praise . had you but tasted once the difference between this inward feast , and yours , i should need no more words with you , to perswade you that godliness is a life of joy . dare any of you say and stand to it , that there is not greater matter for joy in the love of christ , then in the love of a harlot ? in the assurance of salvation , then in lands and lordships ? in the foresight of heaven , then in the company of light-headed voluptuous people , that have not wit enough to be serious , nor saith enough to foresee that which will so sadly and speedily spoil the sport ? to be foolishly merry in the midst of misery , doth but make you the objects of greater compassion . be as merry as you can , so it be grounded , and durable , and caused by that which god , and faith , and solid reason will approve ; and doth not tend to greater sorrows . bethink you well whether christ and his apostles lived not a more comfortable life then you ? and imitate them in their way of mirth and spare not . but if you are unsanctified sensual worldly men , lay by your mirth till you are fitter for it ; and take your portion from the apostle james 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 5. [ go to now ye rich men ; weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you . your riches are corrupted , and your garments moth-eaten : your gold and silver is cankered , and the rust of them shall be a witness against you , and shall eat your flesh as it were fire : ye have heaped treasure together for the last dayes . — ye have lived in pleasure on earth , and been wanton : ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter . ] what pitty is it to see men destroy themselves with the mercies of the lord ! what pitty is it to see them so eager for prosperity , and so regardless of the proper use and benefit of it ? o be not like the bee that is drowned in her own honey . and do not so greedily desire a greater burden then you can bear : and to have more to answer for , when you have been so unfaithful in a little ! and if you believe christ that tells you how hardly rich men come to heaven , and how few of them are saved , long not for your danger , and grudge not if you have not these exceeding difficulties to overcome . you would be afraid to dwell in that air where few men scape infection : or to feed on that dyet that most are killed by . it s evident by the effects that prosperity befooleth and undoeth the most ; we find you on your sick beds in a more tractable frame . 1. then a man may speak to you about the case of your immortal souls , with less contempt then now we meet with . you look not then for laced speeches , but will more patiently hear our plain discourses of eternal life . 2. then you will seem serious your selves , and speak almost like those that you called pr●cisians and puritans , for remembring you of these things in your prosperity . 3. then you have some better relish of truth and duty ; and judge better of the matter and manner of exhortation and prayer then you do now . 4. then you have more charity and 〈◊〉 to others ; and are 〈◊〉 engaged to the destroying of those that are not of your opinions in all your formalities . 5. you would then shake the head at him that should offer you cards , or dice , or fleshly vanities ; and you would tell others that its wiser to be delighted in the law of god , and meditate in it day and night . 6. then you will speak as contemptuously of the honour , and pleasures , and profits of the world , and of pleasing men before the lord , as we do now . 7. and then you will confess the preciousness of time : the folly of mispending it ; and that one thing is necessary , for which we can never ( regularly ) do too much . and why are you not now of the mind that you will be at death or judgement , but that your solly doth turn your prosperity to your bane ? once more i beseech you for the lords sake , retire from the deceiving world to god : and if you care where you live to all eternity , choose your abode ; and now set your heart upon it , and seek it as your happiness . if all these warnings are refused , conscience shall tell you when you would not hear it , that you were warned . had time allowed it , i should next have delivered my message to the humble upright souls . all you [ that hearken to the lord , shall dwell in safety , and be quiet from the fe●r of evil . ] isa . 3. 10. [ say to the righteous , it shall be well with him . — wo to the wicked ; it shall be ill with him . ] eccles . 8. 12. though a sinner d● evil an hundred times , and his dayes be prolonged , yet surely i know it shall be well with them that fear god. ] psal . 73. 1. truly god is good to israel ; even to such as are of a clean heart . ] psal . 37. 5 , 28 , 34 , 37. commit thy way unto the lord : trust in him and he shall bring it to pass . for the lord loveth judgement , and forsaketh not his saints : they are preserved for ever — wait on the lord and keep his way — and when the wicked are cut off , thou shalt see it . mark the perfect man , and behold the upright ; for the end of that man is peace . ] if you say , how are they safe that are so tossed by sufferings ? i answer . 1. is he not safe that hath the promise of god for his security , and is related to him as his child , and hath christ for his head and saviour ? 2. is he not safe that is delivered from the wrath of god , and the flames of hell , and dare look before him to eternity with hope and comfort ? and shall live with christ in joy for ever ? 3. is he not safe that hath no enemy , but what is in his fathers power . 4. and that hath no hurt but what shall certainly procure his good ? 5. nor any , but what he may rejoyce in : and is sure shall be the matter of his thanks when it is past ? that shall lose nothing but what he hath already forsaken , and esteemeth but as dross and dung ? how oft have we told god in our prayers , that we had rather have the light of his countenance in adversity , then be strange to him in prosperity ? and that we would not refuse that state of suffering , that should be blest to the destruction of our sins , and the furthering our communion with god , and our assurance of salvation , and in which we might most serve and honour him , in the world . did we live by sense , we should mis-judge of our estate : but seeing we live by faith , and in the way can see the end , we can say we are safe in the thickest of our enemies , and will not fear what man can do , while the almighty is our rock , and fort ress : well may we be quiet from the fear of evil , when we are saved from the great everlasting evil ! no evil shall follow us into heaven ; no malice shall there defame us ; nor virulent tongue blaspheme our holy profession or our lord ; for the mists of hellish blasphemies shall never ascend to blot the glory of christ or of his saints . who then shall take us out of his hands ? who shall condemn us ? it is he that justifieth us ! not only against the calumnies of malice , but also against the accusations of satan for our sin . how saie and quiet are those millions of souls , that are now with christ ? how little are they annoyed , or their joy or melody interrupted , by all the race of earth or hell ? the glory of the sun may sooner be darkened or ble●ished by obloquy , then their celestial glory : for they are glorified with the glory of their lord ; and rejoyce with his joy , and live because he liveth . be of good chear , christians : the haven is within the sight of faith : we are almost there : adversity is our speediest and surest passage . and then let sin , and rage , and malice , do their worst . finis . fasciculus literarium, or, letters on several occasions i. betwixt mr. baxter, and the author of the perswasive to conformity, wherein many things are discussed, which are repeated in mr. baxters late plea for the nonconformists, ii. a letter to an oxford friend, concerning the indulgence anno 1671/2, iii. a letter from a minister in a country to a minister in london, iv. an epistle written in latin to the triers before the kings most happy restauration / by john hinckley ... hinckley, john, 1617?-1695. 1680 approx. 507 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 177 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-12 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a43841 wing h2046 estc r20043 12443362 ocm 12443362 62157 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a43841) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 62157) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 942:14) fasciculus literarium, or, letters on several occasions i. betwixt mr. baxter, and the author of the perswasive to conformity, wherein many things are discussed, which are repeated in mr. baxters late plea for the nonconformists, ii. a letter to an oxford friend, concerning the indulgence anno 1671/2, iii. a letter from a minister in a country to a minister in london, iv. an epistle written in latin to the triers before the kings most happy restauration / by john hinckley ... hinckley, john, 1617?-1695. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [16], 208, 241-344, [2], 22 p. printed for thomas basset ..., london : 1680. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. "epistola veridica ... cui additur oratio pro statu ecclesiae ... londini excusum, 1659" has separate t.p. and paging. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng baxter, richard, 1615-1691. -plea for the nonconformists. hinckley, john, 1617?-1695. -perwasive to conformity. church of england -doctrines. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-07 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-08 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-08 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-10 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion fasciculus literarum : or , letters on several occasions i. betwixt mr. baxter , and the author of the perswasive to conformity . wherein many things are discussed , which are repeated in mr. baxters late plea for the nonconformists . ii. a letter to an oxford friend , concerning the indulgence anno 1671 / 2. iii. a letter from a minister in the country to a minister in london . iv. an epistle written in latin to the triers before the kings most happy restauration . by john hinckley , d. d. rector of northfeild in worcester-shire . london , printed for thomas basset at the george near st. dunstans church in fleet-street . mdclxxx . the preface , the sun has run its course nine times through the zodiack , since these papers passed betwixt mr. baxter and my self . he was pleased to be the aggressor ; and he also sounded the retreat : far be it from me to invite and re-assume such grinning trouble . i shall ever imbrace my own rest and quiet , in making a golden bridge for such an impetuous adversary ; laying hold on any generous overture , whereby i may both save my credit and my pains ; that i may the better pursue ( without distraction ) my calmer and more profitable studies . i had indeed given him some fraternal advice , in order to the peace of the church . but his restless and distemper'd stomach , turn'd this wholesome dose into foam and choler . he made himself ready for war : and presently snatches up his angry pen , made of a * porcupines quil , to gore me for my charity . as if it had been provocation enough , to presume to see one inch farther than his eyes could reach ; or once to suppose , that his daring judgment ; could any way stag or warp with errour and fallibility ; so as to need advice and counsel . hence it is , that his strain is lofty and magisterial . had another let fall one drop of such corroding vitriol , he must immediately have 〈◊〉 that he dealt in proud wrath . so that it is not the least thing observable in these papers : we may divine of what spirit these men are of ; and with what scorpions we had smarted , if providence had not delivered us from such aegyptian , tyrannical task-masters . herein indeed they are like to the disciples of christ , when their dark side was towards us , — they are still aspiring to be greatest ; and ready to call down fire from heaven upon those that stand in their way . i hope that i have not requited him with his scornful and slighting rhetorick . better to fall short in answering his arguments , and remain in his debt , than pay him in his own coin , and strive who shall be the proudest sinner . i have not so learn'd christ — to revile when i 〈◊〉 revil'd : such a conquest deserves no tri●●h . nay , he that overcomes in this amphi●●●ter , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , philo judaeus ; is in a worse condition , than he that gets the mastery : he is the greater and more forlorn captive . he deserves no other garland than one made of nettles and hemlock . he merits little better , that makes a loud profession of christ , seems to ingross religion , and monopolize all piety ; yet neither shews meekness , humilty , self-denial , obedience , love , or any other christian grace in his life : pretending more than ordinary kindness to the husband ; yet rending and mangling his spouse the church into more parts than the levite did his concubine . with the heretical crow ( so prosper calls that ravenous bird ) they run out of the ark , and will not return : they leave it desolate ; and their deluded hearts feed upon carkasses ; those inventions that float upon the surges of their own brains : for never were men more guilty of what they condemn in others . they declaim against innovations , superstition , and will-worship : and yet their own darling-discipline , with the whole compages of their affected devotions , ( especially as to the manner of them ) is little else but a cento and miscellany of the same . as singular , as their looks , garb and utteranee . what poor sacrifices are these to atone a most wise and heart-searching god ? to win upon , and ingage the judgments of such men , as know that a reasonable service is required at their hands ? the more united we are in gods worship , the more we throng and flock together to gods house , the more god will be glorified ; we comforted and confirmed ; and the greater awe and terror will be upon our adversaries . these men have , and do make st. austin's complaint to be justly ours , epist . 147. husbands and wives can agree together to lye in the same bed : parents and children , to live in the same house : yet domum dei non habent unam , they cannot agree to go together to the same place of worship . we may ask with st. pauls amazement , is christ divided ? a better account must be given of publishing these papers , after they had so long been thrown aside as wast papers ; devoted either to moths , or the oven ; especially since mr. baxter in his last seemed unwilling they should see the light : and i did heartily comply with him . it was no small joy , that he did supersede his trouble of writing : i still wish it may not only be a truce , but a lasting resolution ; for he is indefatigable in raising clouds of polemick dust ; and makes books faster than i can read them . i do not say this in the words of the father , — decolorare famam , — to fasten any blot upon his name ; but to gratifie and applaud my own happiness , in being delivered from so importunate and voluminous an author . 1. did i stand at his elbow , i would whisper to him , — that the issues and products of his head would be more lively and masculine ; if his retentive faculty were more costive and vigorous : if he teem'd with the deliberation of the elephant ; rather than slip his burden before it come to maturity . those animals that are most pregnant , have the most imperfect births . 2. had he taken as much pains to edifie and save souls ; to teach men piety , obedience , and loyalty ; to press men to vnity , peace , and mutual love ; as he has in making parties ; distracting and dividing mens minds ; and inflaming the church and state with his aetna-granadoes and eructations , his name might have been imbalm'd with a fragrant savour in the ages to come . 3. since he hath told us almost in every book he hath printed , for above twenty years past , how infirm he is in his bodily health ; and that he is daily dropping into his grave : if i durst presume to be his counsellor , i would mind him of spending the remainder of his time in writing books of heavenly devotions ; that so , laying aside the sword , and taking up the trowel , he may make some satisfaction to the church for those wounds and breaches , he hath either made , or kept open in her bowels ; and also antidote the souls , whom he hath poisoned with his vexatious divinity , before all the sands of his glass be run out , and he go hence to give up his account before an all-seeing and impartial judge ! though i had escaped thus out of his talons , and there was a kind of stipulation betwixt us , to let down the flood-gates , and shut the gates of janus ; yet as if ( to use his own words ) he had pin'd me fast to a wall , where he might inflict the correction of as many stripes as he pleas'd , without either resistance or repercussion from me : he tells the world in print , — what toys i had written . and in several other books , — as also in the last i have seen , ( for being immers'd in the country , and overgrown with arcadian moss , i converse with few that are new ) he acquaints his readers how unsatisfactory my endeavours have been ; though he answers neither one chapter , or page , in the whole book , that so much offends him : let equal judges blame me , if i have transgressed against his fourth letter , or my answer to the same : for he hath confuted his own reasons , and first brake the condition of a hypothetical compact : since he goes on to reproach our mother , and all her dutifal sons , is not this enough to force a dumb child to speak , — semper ego auditor tantum , nunquamne reponam ? i must do him right . he strikes 〈◊〉 through my loins alone ; but with the same dart wounds my betters . as if i should have this allay in my fall , — to have good company . it matters not what we say ; for , as if we were meer shrimps and striplings to this goliah ; whiffling currs to this majestick lyon , — he holds on his way , without once stooping or looking aside to any reasonings of ours : and ( which is as great blemish to his ingenuity ) he gathers up the vomit and venom of all the male-contents and incendiaries that have pestered the church since the breaking forth of this schism : he puts his paint and varnish upon them ; and then obtrudes these weather-beaten superannuated wares , for fresh merchandise ; as if they had never been blown upon before . he rallies those troops which have been routed and baffled ; and furbishes those arguments which have been answered again , and again , by the divines and worthies of our church : so that there will never be an end of these disputes , if there be such a circulation in the management of them . if they revive and rise again , as oft as they are overthrown and disarm'd ; and with the hydra's head , grow as fast as they are cut off . no need of new answers to such books . but as dr. whitby did prudently transcribe an answer to mr. crescy's exomologesis , out of our own reformed champions ; so 't is enough to confute and retund the force of such rapsody's , in opposing what others have said already . old diseases must be rebuk'd and cur'd by old remedies . i fear that those who re-inforce old cavils , without taking notice what others have said to evade them , do either delight in wrangling , or which is worse , — with-hold the truth in unrighteousness . as for the book it self , i leave it to the animadversions of those that are concern'd in an answer , if it deserve any ; yet i cannot forbear some few strictures or remarks . 1. as to the circumstance of time , when it came forth ; even then , when we were almost overwhelmed with fears from our common enemies . he had pleaded before for a license and dispensation : as if the printing such a book would be against law and conscience . but when he perceived an interim , the laws were hush'd and silent ; conscience ( with the lord chancellors gown ) was quickly thrown behind the door : and when we were weak and sore , ready to fall a prey to the roman fowler , he help'd forward our misery , by laying his loyns upon us too . so that if the king of babylon be not strong enough , — the people of the land are ready to weaken the hands of the people of juda , ezra . 4. 4. he accorded with mr. hobs , as to the occasion of the late war. both of them agree to father the brat upon some speculative disputes and differences concerning some doctrinal points ; that they might the better undervalue the vniversities , and disgrace the divines of those times . so he had rather promote the interest of rome , by shattering our power , than miss of his will in seeing our ruine . i hope that god , who has been a bulwork to his people ; a wall of brass , and a wall of fire about his church , will still infatuate the counsels and contrivances both of manassey and ephraim , and preserve his own juda. how can we depend upon their kindness ? that with the samaritans , will carry it far in our prosperity ; but if antiochus set upon us , will joyn their forces with him , and disown us in our extremity . 2. he does not onely magnify the power of the people ( and this is ominous , at least suspicious ) as if the patronage of churches and bishopricks were wholly in them — but he says too — that neither magistrates , nor bishops can silence ministers once ordain'd . what intrenching is this upon the kings ecclesiastical power ? as if it were less now , than it was once in the kings of juda. this seems to me not onely to be contrary to titus 1. 11. whose mouths must be stopped ; but to mr. baxter himself in his book of confirmation , pag. 87. ministers cast out by the magistrate are bound to obey him ; and to give place to others ( if his error tend not to the destruction of the church ) and bestow their labours in some other country , or in some other kind at home . his mind changes with the moon ; yet he is constant to his first hypothesis — his endeavour to pull down the fabrick of our church , which is so excellently built , that it is the wonder of all lands . none can justly be offended at it , only seditious and factious sectaries at home : jesuits abroad , and he that spawn'd them both ; are vex'd , and gnash with their teeth , to see her prosperity . but mauger all their attempts , if our sins do not demolish the same ; it will appear , to be rooted in adamant , and built upon such a rock , that neither the winds , or tempests of those men united together : nor the floods and waves from the dragon himself , shall ever overturn , or drown it , when we know not what to do ; yet we will trust on that god , whose outgoings are seen in the mount. 3. how tragically does be cry out , against the translation of some texts , in the epistles , gospels , and psalmes ? as if they had never been observ'd before : whereas he might also have taken notice — that mr. hooker , mr. nicholas fuller , and others , have given a satisfactory account , how these places may be reconcil'd . he that had one dram of candor , would have sate quiet at the seet of the gamaliels , without vexing the people , with such needless scruples . if he have a mind to trouble himself , with more various readings of scripture ; his friend mr. capell will lead him a dance , thorow such meanders , that he will not easily extricate himself , out of them . what if mr. baxter had two bibles ? in the one job's wife said — curse god and dy . in the other , bless god and die . in the one — christ said to the fig-tree — no man eat fruit of thee hereafter , for the time of figgs was not yet . in another — for then was the time of figgs . will he burn these bibles ? yet he would have the liturgy utterly cashier'd , and rejected ; because of some divers translations ; which are not contradictory : for they are not secundum idem ; or in the same respect . 4. how does he strain some things in the act for uniformity , and also in the liturgy ; until the very blood follow ? as if he were resolv'd to stand with a flaming sword in his hand : either to keep some tender minded men , out of the vineyard , and paradise of our church ; i have too much cause to justify what i say : or else to affright , puzzle , and perplex , those that have entred already ; that they may drive more heavily : proceed with trepidation ; and carry on the lords work , with less expedition . whereas some grains of charity , in taking words and things in the best sense they are capable of , ( as every honest man ought to do ) might have prevented and spoiled the greatest part of his book . when the covenant was justly charged to be unlawful , from the very articulate sound of the words : with what tenderness , and softness was it sens'd ? what salvo's were invented to palliate the vlcer ? but in our case ; how are words , and sentences wrested , and tenter'd beyond the grammar , and intention of them ? that snares may be spread upon mispeh , to keep men from going to the house of the lord ; will the great god thank these mormo-makers another day ? quam sapiens argumentatrix sibi videtur ignorantia humana in the words of tertullian . how fond and wise do they seem to themselves , that by a carnal kind of subtilty doe affect to be accounted the disputers of this world. i may well call such wisdome , carnal ( how angelical and seraphick soever it appear ) from the authority of the great apostle , 1 cor. 3. 3. whereas there are among you envying , strife , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sidings , or making of parties , and factions , are ye not carnal ? will nothing satisfie some supercilions humorists , but that the whole frame of our church and religion must be taken asunder , ravell'd , and cancell'd , to please them ? why did they not petition the king and parliament , to erect a scruple office ? or a standing committee ? that might assoil their growing doubts ? and by some scolia upon the liturgy , and their own arts , give the meaning of every paragraph , and word in both ? they are now so mudded by these mens strugling , and trampleings ; that like aristotles physicks — they are edita , & non edita , dark and aenigmatical ; until they are clear'd , by the lamp of some supervening commentary . that common sense , which satisfies many thousands of their brethren ; will not serve their nice , and squeamish stomachs . but as if there were some snake lurking in the grass ; and some invisible knot in the bulrush ; every leaf , every sprig of grass must be turn'd , and shaken : every little feavourish doubt must be excuss'd . as if a new targum , misna , or paraphrase , must be calculated on purpose , for the meridian of their swimming heads ; and none must do this , but the first authors , and legistators — magnus revocetur ab orcis — tullius . if the noise of their axes , and hammers , were once abated ; there wight be hope , that the temple of god would rise : if schism ( that battering engine ) were dismounted ; the walls of zion , would flourish , and mount towards heaven . what could hinder nourishment to be ministred to the body of the church , by joynts and bands ? that so being knit together , it might encrease with the encrease of god. our peace would not only be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the words of basil the great — a means to charm the devil , that he should not approach us , but our consenting together ( as ignatius ) would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the means to crush his very head , in frustrating his dividing designs , so we might also defeat his instruments too , that wait for our fall : nam neque perire nos , neque salvi esse , nisi una possumus ; as otho in tacitus said to his army . if we sink , we shall sink together : and if we arrive to a safe haven ; it will be whilst we are united into one body . therefore if mr. baxter would either do good , or prevent mischief , in his generation — may he be ( as nazianzen said of athanasius ) an adamant , and a loadstone . an adamant to break the conspiracies of naughty men ; and a loadstone — to draw together ; and to close the differences of dissenters ; i am thy servant said david , and the son of thy hand-maid ; that is , as prosper glosses those words — the son of thy church — he adds also — he is not the lords servant , who is not such a son : a son of peace . for christ is the king of salem ; the prince of peace ; and hierusalem , which is the spouse of christ , and the mother of us all , signifies the vision of peace . but invidiae quondam stimulis incanduit atrox alecto , placidas latè cum cerneret urbes . mr. baxter's first letter , directed thus . to the author of the perswasive to conformity . sir , the vehemency and importunity of your call for an account to the world of the reasons of my judgment and practise , have sufficiently made me willing of the work ; and put me upon craving your assistance in it , and to answer me these few questions . 1. whether you know of any one that will license it , if i should write it ? or can procure me so great a favour , and who it is ? 2. or whether you think it lawful to print it unlicensed , contrary to the law of the land ? 3. whether you think it lawful by my reasons , which you call for , to write that which the civil and ecclesiastical laws forbid , under the name of depraving the liturgy , and appugning the church-government ? 4. whether you know how i may be kept out of goale when i have done : ( i hear you are now minister of the place , whence a letter was sent , which occasioned my last imprisonment , where i am virtually still , being adjudged to go to new-gate , when i am apprehended ? ) 5. or if a prison , and ( in probability ) thereby death , be that you desire , whether you think it lawful to suffer so much and die , to satisfie your desire , and do that work ? 6. whether you know of any printer and bookseller , who would print and publish such a book , and who they are ? the savoy papers which you talk of , were written by the warrant of the kings commission , and published ( some of them ; for others were never published ) by poor scriveners that had the copies , to get money , ( without my knowledge , and to our injury , in a time when the act against printing was not made . ) 7. whether you think if i should write such a book , that the diocesane party would not be much more offended and angry , than if i had said nothing ? 8. whether i should be called so earnestly to do that which will give so great offence against the new conformity , when that which you mention , which was done by commission against the old conformity , could never have an answer ? and is it not as easie with you to contemn another in stead of answering it , as that ? i crave your answer , especially to the first questions , because your importunity would force me into a hope , that at last i have met with the man ( though unknown ) that will procure me the liberty of writing and publishing an account of my non-conformity : for charity forbiddeth me , till constrained , to charge you with such vile inhumanity and impudency , as publickly to call to a man for that which you take both for sin and impossibility , and to reproach him for not printing , when you know the press is shut up from him ; and know , that it were like to be his death , or ruine ; especially when you appeal in defense of the reasonableness and equity of your demand , and when you are a preacher of the gospel , and as much wiser and better than the non-conformists , as your book importeth . craving your answer , i rest , your greatly obliged servant , if you procure what you seem to promise me , ri. baxter . aug. 18. 1670. an answer to mr. baxter's first letter . sir , i receiv'd yours this afternoon , directed to the author of the perswasive . i will not tell you , that shooting at rovers , you have miss'd the mark. though i glory not in such kind of tactica , but prefer any plain sermon i preach before them . the main design of of that essay , ( i hope ) was not only innocent , but commendable : to c ham down fiery spirits ; not to raise them : and to call in your charitable assistance ; not to provoke you . therefore after such candid dealing , ( especially with your self ) i am not a little surpriz'd with these rough passages , as — desiring your imprisonment , — your death , — vile inhumanity , and impudency , — reproaching yo● — accounting my self wiser , and better than the non-conformists ; besides that sacrasme , — now you have met with a man , — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ! i hope there is not so much gall and acrimony in that whole book you stumble at . sir , i beseech you , set a stricter watch over your spirit , that you offend not in your tongue : let not your saul-like parts elevate you so high , as to overlook others . i will assure you , i have no malignant thoughts towards your own person , or any that are of your judgment : those that know me , will be my compurgators . i had , and still have a deeper sense of the gasping condition of our bleeding church — the struglings of her own children within her womb , i well knew , procur'd these throws . if therefore , according to the sentiment of my judgment ; which i neither receiv'd from extraction , or education , but from deliberate and impartial study ; i ventur'd on an expedient to reconcile them , and antidote her utter deliquium ; i had thought i might have escaped the gauntlet , and only have been pointed at by this spit , — magnis tamen excidit ausis . if i could discover by the narrowest scrutiny , that i was acted with any other principles , than the fear of god , and honour of the king , i would both abhor my self , and abandon my enterprize ▪ but till then , — dii coeptis aspirate meis ! i little look'd for this complaint from you : for when fame lately spread a report , that you would return to your old province , in these parts , i did heartily rejoyce ; not only in respect of the publick good , but that i should be happy in such a neighbour : from whose torch i might borrow light , to illuminate those dark and opacous parts which are in my self . before i come to an answer to your queries , i must premise my hearty thanks , in that you have gratified me in one of my requests , by the retractation of your political aphorisms . the other , which you stick at , is as modest and as rational . as hereafter we must give an account , to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead : so what absurdity was it , to desire the reasons of your judgment ? since you are pleased to walk antipodes to us . that you , who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . might extricate us out of the labyrinth of our errors ; if you can make them appear so . that so we may come over to you , and walk on the safest part of the globe . the occasion moving me to that boldness , was a startling assertion from a friend of yours , — that conformity is in it self simply and absolutely sinful . and was it not time to call in aid ? let this appear , and then farewell tythes . how shall i do such wickedness , and sin against god ? i do not find you so peremptory ; but rather to favour sober , painful , and conscionable conformists : in which classis i desire to be found . i had thought some principles of yours , formerly laid down , had inclin'd you to us : not to mention your approbation of dr. brians 6th sermon ; and your late book , wherein you affirm many catholick truths . though ( if i rearch your meaning ) — all things are not therein calculated to the pleasing of the diocesan party , as you call them . and the deluded proselytes in these parts , are as much exasperated with you , on the other hand , for your deserting them : and as they apprehend , too much compliance . i am asham'd to stain my paper with what they do eruct are in their frenzy-sits . as double-minded men are unstable in all their ways : so those are never fix'd , that steer their course according to the notions of mans wisdom . but to your queries . i , & 2. q. whether i hnow any that will license such a book , ( as contains the reasons of non-conformity . ) and whether it be lawful to print such a book ? a. these queries are captious , and fallacious : implying , that all books de sacto are licens'd . the contrary whereof , is by daily experience evinc'd , in books of the like argument , and against the royal society it self . nay , some of your own books are not licens'd . and does your conscience cheek you at this instant only ? these pangs will not be permanent . were i chaplain to his grace of canterbury , or the bishop of london , i could give you a more direct answer to the former ; and as for the latter , you are your own casuist . 3. q. whether it be lawful to write against the laws of the land ? a. i am glad you are now so tender . ab initio non fuit sic . far be it from me , to advise you to be disobedient to the laws . better my desire should be frustrated , than you should commit the least sin . but see that your obedience be aequabilis , commensurate to one law , as well as another , and to the same law at all times . there is a relaxation ( you well know ) of the law sometimes . and who knows , but authority ( if desir'd ) may dispense with the letter of the law in such a case ? if you had been always so cautious , there had been no need to have complain'd in your next query of your imprisonment . but upon what basis you should ground a promise of security from me , i am utterly ignorant . q. 4 , 5. how you shall be kept out of goal ? whether i desire your death ? a. may not this be done , with so much moderation and sobriety , that you need not incur the guilt , or penalty of treason ? may mr. baxter ( per me licet ) live as free as the birds of the air , and not be coop'd up in any recluse ! long ! long may you live ! to the glory of god ; the peace and wellfare of this church . and may you bring forth more and more mature fruit in your age ! i would not have you hazard the least hair of your head for my sake . i had rather screene ( i mean ) stand betwixt you and danger ; than expose , or betray you to the least uneasiness . the more unkindly do i resent that bitter reflection , — as if your imprisonment came from my parish . i dare avouch , you have not one enemy in it ; except one will. lees ; whose horses ( he says ) you took from him , with your own hands , in the time of the war : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he calls them . now were i in your case , i would not trust an act of oblivion , here below , to bear me out before the great tribunal above ; without giving the poor man some equivalent satisfaction , whilst he is in the way . q. 6. whether any will print , or sell such a book ? a. this is all one , as to enquire , whether huxters , or mercenary men , will refuse their advantage ? you have been so happy , as to inrich this kind of men already . q. 7 , 8. how such a work will please the diocesan party ? and the new conformists ? a. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . never was any man so happy as to please all parties : and i hope you do not study to be a man-pleaser . we must discharge good consciences towards god and men. and then ruat coelum ! let the mountains fall into the midst of the sea ! nobismet ipsi plaudamus ! nos liberavimus animas nostras . now sir , i have given you these strictures , in obedience to your demands : neither courting , nor deprecating your further trouble . though i prefer the serenity of peace before the most learned dust . i desire to reciprocate no other saw of controversie with your self ; than that of mutual love and honour . and herein i shall be loth to afford you the spoils of a victory . so far am i from constraining you to use virulency , which you threaten ; that i had rather set a lamb before an elephant , and by a spirit of meekness , disarm your menaces , than make a schism and rupture in our fraternal bond. sir ! until i shall be so happy as to see you , i shall continue your faithful servant , and affectionate brother , jo. hinckley . northfeild aug. 25. 1670. mr. baxter's second letter . sir , when i had wrote an answer to so much of your book as concerned my self , i cast it by , perceiving that it contained a just detection and denomination of such things , as none of my reproachers hitherto have had patience to endure to be told of , who had not the patience or sobriety to forbear committing them . for your book confirm'd me in the opinion which late experience of the world had brought me to , that it is one of satans impudent designs , to make sin pass uncontroll'd in the world , and to render all that oppose it more criminal than them that commit it , to tempt men to sin in such kinds and degrees , as that he shall seem an uncivil railer that presumeth to charge them with it . i purposed therefore to leave you in the fruition of your self-pleasing-crimes , lest the naming of them should transfer the imputed guilt from you to me . therefore i only tryed you with a few gentle questions , in order to the fuller understanding of your sense . i answer to which , and in this second also , you express so great tenderness , and count your softest signification of a dislike , to be censures so harsh and passionate , as if you were injured , if your crimes were not applauded : and withall take it ill , to be supposed impatient of hearing the truth , and call for my proofs in the very lines which vehemently express your impatience . your two letters so abound with words , which serve only to tell me your conceits and confidence , and what you would have us do , to be pleasing to you , and so much pass over all that it concern'd you in reason and justice to have spoke to , that it is with reluctancy that i trouble you with any return . for what benefit can be expected by it ? you importune me to break the kings laws by printing without licence ; and in the same volume represent us as hainous breakers of his law , for — you know what . you can suppose me , without any proof , to have formerly printed without license ; and when you thought i had sin'd once , importune me to do it again : you can intimate to the world how unreasonably i deal , if i write not and publish not that which you judge it a sin to publish , as being forbidden , and so cunningly bring me under one of the imputations unavoidably , either of sinning by my unreasonable silence , or by breaking many laws . you lay this charge on me , before the world in print , and so importune me to that act , which the law of the land will heavily punish ; and yet wipe your mouth , and take it ill to be noted , as one that would draw me into suffering . and yet you want not words , when you can give no reasonable answer concerning any of this . you cannot pretend , that such laws , if i break them , will not be excuted , when i lie almost these two years under penalty ( adjudged to newgate it self for six months , by sentence and warrant ) for a far smaller breach of the law ( which my best understanding perswadeth me is none at all . ) you think the silencing of about 1800 ministers , while many hundred thousand souls are perishing through ignorance and ungodliness , to be a load not heavy enouh to the people and them , ( to say nothing of the great indigence of many of their families ) unless it be increased by your wordy bitter oratorical reproach ; when we would take it for rare clemency , if we might but have leave to preach christs gospel without a farthing of their maintenance , ( yea , and to be confined to preach only on the catechism points , to some of the poorest ignorant congregations , such as many in wales , &c. as i offered , when i was silenced first ; yea , and under sharp penalties , if ever we speak against bishops , liturgy , or ceremonies ; ) yet after nine years silencing we must be scorned by you , as such as abjure their calling , and make themselves milites emeritos : when you know that god will not be served by deliberate avowed sin ; and that he that so entereth on , and exerciseth his ministry , ( and will sin by covenant , that he may preach against sin ) can scarce expect a blessing , if a pardon : and when you cannot but know , ( for you dwell in england , and write against the non-conformists ) that the sins which the non-conformists fear they should be guilty of , if they conformed , ( not accusing any others ) are so inhumane and hainous , that we dare scarce name them , lest you startle , and think we charge them upon you , ( whom we leave to your own master . ) yet do you make a hainous matter of it , that we thus by fearing sin our selves , do seem to think , that conformity is any sin at all , and say we weaken your hands , prejudice your ministry , and make the people cold in joyning with you : what then should we do , if we published the reasons of our non-conformity , and opened all that sin which we fear , which yet you so vehemently call for ? yea you say , [ who would unmuzzle a fierce panther , that would worry him that set his chops at liberty ] even then , when i ask you but to get me a license for that which you so openly call for : which is all one as to say , [ do it if thou dare : and if thou do it not , thou abjurest thy calling , and refusest to give the world a reason of it : ] you can tell the world , that in my book of rest i seem to go their way , that hold , ( that they may fight against the king , if it were for the cause of religion to purge the church of idolatry and superstition , and cite p. 123. ( in which edition of 12 , i know not , ) when i never wrote so never thought so ; but have proved the contrary at large in several writings ! yet this is done deliberately in print . you fetch your charge from the old editions of that book , eleven years after i had retracted , and expung'd , and left out of that same book , not only that which you pervert , but all the rest from end to end , which seemed in the least to favour the late wars . either you knew this , or you did not . if you did , was that done like a peaceable minister , to aggravate with such gross and odious untruth things retracted , and utterly expunged , even long before the act of oblivion ; and that so as directly tendeth to the temporal ruine of him you charge them on ? if you knew it not , did it beseem you to meddle in print , where you know no better what you do oppose ? what good will austins retractations do him , if he shall ten or eleven years after be freshly charged with all that he retracted , and much more ? ( yea , i gave mr. hampden pie one of the books of one of the latter editions so altered , but a little before he came to your house ( to his utter undoing . ) if you did not see it , you might have done , before you had written against it . yea , ( as not regarding your self-contradiction ) at the same time you call me to retract my political aphorisms , and tell me how excellent a work it would be , when i had done it before , and had so long before retracted what you aggravate : though the one was done so lately , that you could scarce know of it , the other that was done eleven years before might have been known : and if so long time excuse not the book , or author yet , from your bloody charge , why do you desire him to retract another ? what good will retracting it do , if you will nevertheless so many years after make such use of it , ( from what principles , and to what ends i leave to you ? ) the aphorisms , which you would have retracted , you say , [ are those especially which are gathered by an eminent hand : ] who can think but here you condemn all those which that eminent hand hath gathered ? and the first of all is [ governours are some limited , some de facto unlimited : the unlimited are tyrants , and have no right to that unlimited government . ] the next words are , [ for they are all subjects themselves , and under the sovereignty and laws of god. ] because it is your highest preferments , as you say , to preach the gospel , i beseech you give me some such light here as is necessary to a retractation . if any governours are not limited by god , tell me whether it be any sin in them , if they make laws , commanding men to deny god , and blaspheme him , to worship themselves as gods , as caligula did , to worship mahomet or idols , to kill all the innocent people of the land ? ( i talk not of the absolute power of all mens estates and lives . ) nay , whether there be any thing imaginable which they may not command ? or whether it be possible for that man at all to sin , that is not limited by god ? and tell me if this be the doctrine which you count it your chief preferment to preach ? and whether you can think that any wise governours in the world will take those for friendly promoters of their interest , who would so calumniate them , as to make their subjects believe , that they lay any such claim ? you can gather , that i approve of mens terms of ministration , because i joyn with the church which they teach . as if no more were required of a curate , than of a communicant . and as if the same reasons which warrant my worship as a private man , would warrant all my subscriptions , declarations , oaths , and all the rest of ministerial conformity . you can blame me for not actively submitting to the laws , when you can name no law which commandeth me what you mean. you can magisterially say [ not that loose paralitick discourse given to the kings commissioners at the savoy , written rather rhetorically , ad captandum populum , to insinuate into vulgar capacities , than logically to evince the hypothesis contended for , strip'd of its multifarious fallacies , ungrounded surmises , and erroneous suppositions , &c. ] 1. as if you knew what was given in at the savoy , when a considerable part of the papers were never published : yea i have reason enough to believe , that no man living can give an account of them to you but my self ; because no copies were taken , and some papers only read . 2. there are many papers printed which were given in upon that occasion ; and who knows by this character which of them it is that is called the loose paralitick discourse ? 3. you talk of a hypothesis contended for , as if you had a mind to be thought to say somewhat , though you understand not about what : for no hypothesis is named by you , and no wonder . if you mean the first , second or third paper given in at the beginning of the business to the lord chancellor , the hypothesis was , that union is desirable ; the means whereto we offered as we were commanded . if you mean our exceptions against the liturgy , the hypothesis was , that the liturgy was corrigible , and to be altered in some things . and do you oppose that hypothesis which the king had expresly put into the words of his commission , so far as to appoint men to alter it ? and which the convocation by their actual alterations owned ? if you mean our reply to the answer of the exceptions , the hypothesis general is the same . and what made all those learned persons who wanted neither time nor will , forbear ever to give an answer to that reply , if it were so loose and contemptible as you make it ? was it because contempt was fitter than a confutation ? that could not be ; because smaller matters not written by men commissioned by the king for such a treaty , nor offered by their own importunity , have found some of them at leisure for a more particular consideration . if it be our liturgy offered them that you mean , the hypothesis there is , that those forms there offered were fit to be taken into consideration , as the addenda mentioned in the commission . if this be false , what can you imagine to be the reason that we could by no importunity ever procure any by word or writing to open to us the faults of that liturgy ; and that l'estrange himself had no more to say against it ? though being drawn up in eight days only , we desired we might have had leisure to have made it more perfect , ( which might easily be done . ) if it be the petition for peace that you mean , the hypothesis was , that our concord was so desirable , as that they should make the abatements there mentioned to attain it ; but especially , rather than silence so many ministers , and choose the other ill consequents that would follow . if this be , it you mean , and you are ambitious of acquainting your rulers , that you will stand at gods judgment as an approver of — all that — enjoy the pleasure and fruit of your desire . if the silence of so many hundred ministers , and the consequents to so many thousand ignorant souls , be a blessing to be rejoyced in , put not your sickle into other mens harvest , but let the labourer , who is worthy , have the hire . if it be otherwise , what need any man say , their — be on us , and on our children ? 4. and when you talk of vulgar capacities , do you not reproach the reverend bishops as vulgar capacities , in print ? to whom were they given , but to them ? and i never heard of any that they shewed them to . if you say , that they were printed afterward , i answer , 1. some were , and some were not . 2. how could we then foretel that , when we gave them in ? 3. they were done , as far as i can learn , by a poor reading curate , that gave the printer copies through meer poverty to get a little money , without our knowledge . for he was th● scribe that we were forced to use for copies , and i hear he kept some for himself . 4. i sent to the kings secretary , sir iv. morrice , when i heard they were in the press , to desire him to search the press , and apprehend them . 5. the printing of them by offending our antagonists , and by the intollerable falseness of the impression , was a very great injury to us . moreover you dare publish to the world , [ had men kept close to the church of england , they needed not have stumbled at swearing , that it is not lawful to take up arms against the king. i must tell the whole chorus of my dissenting brethren , that this very fly is enough to spoil the box of pretended oyntment : who can choose but nauseate that way of discipline , which startles at renouncing war against the king ? ] do you think you were able to bear it patiently , if i should tell you how much of the diabolical spirit is in these lines , and how unfit such a spirit is for the sacred ministry ? 1. you know that it is a time in which our rulers are justly exasperated for the horrid murder of the king , and for the treasons and rebellions that have been committed : and you know , that no design could more gratifie the prince of darkness , than to bring the odium of all this upon the ministry , or upon any part of the ministry whose labours are needful to the church . 2. i suppose you know , that it is not one of a multitude of the non-conformable ministers that ever took up arms against the king. i suppose in all worcester-shire there is not now two , for i remember not one , ( though there are some conformists that were in arms against him . ) 3. i suppose you cannot be ignorant ( because you dwell in england ) that they were episcopal parliaments that were long quarreling with the king , and that still cried out of the danger of popery , arminianism , monopolies , &c. of which rushworths collections sufficiently inform you : and that dr. heylin , in the life of arch bishop laud , hath fully acquainted the world , that it was one party of episcopal men , ( of whom he would make arch-bishop abbot the head ) that contended against the other , and put in the difference about the subjects propriety into the quarrel ; and that besides , neile , laud , buckridge , howson , corbet , and mountague , the bishops went all the other way : so that by andrew's advice it was thought unsafe to let a convocation meddle in their cause . 4. i suppose you cannot easily be ignorant , that the war in england against the king was begun by an episcopal parliament ; where ( as some of the members aver to me ) there was but one known presbyterian in both houses , and there or four independants , and two or three sectaries , and about four hundred episcopal men and erastians : and also by an episcopal army , for such was the earl of essex , and almost all his chief officers ; and by almost all episcopal lord-lieutenants , who were first put into possession of the militia against the kings commissioners of array : in so much that even the propositions sent to the king at nottingham were but for the regulation of episcopacy , and not the extirpation : and among all the westminster assembly there were not called ten non-conformists ( nor i think eight . ) nor indeed was presbytery then well known in england , till the notice of it came in long after with the scots and covenant . so that it is past doubt with any but the desperately impudent , that it was episcopal men in england on both sides that raised war against each other ; though one party of them afterward fell in with the presbyterians of scotland , and the sectaries , for fear of wanting help , and of being overthrown . 5. you cannot but know that it is not the whole chorus of your dissenting brethren , that scrupled swearing , that it is not lawful to take up arms against the king. that twenty in london took the whole oxford oath at once , and more after : that the chief nonconformable ministers took it in northamptonshire , somerset-shire , devon-shire , and some other places : that many non-conformists were against the war ; as mr. geery , mr. capel , and almost all the gloucester-shire ministers , and many others . poor mr. martin of weedon , lately in goal near you for preaching in private , lost an arm in the kings service in his oxford army ; when the only arch-bishop left in england ( williams ) was a general in wales in the parliaments army . 6. you have not given the world any proof of any presbyterian minister in england , ( much less the whole chorus ) that ever scrupled swearing what you mention . i should know their minds as well as you , and i know not one , that i remember , that is not ready to swear , that [ it is not lawful to take up arms against the king. ] i say again , i know not one . and shall a levite stand up and intimate , ( though it be not so spoken out ) to the king , and to papists , and to posterity , that it is the whole chorus of dissenters about discipline ? put out your other clauses , and let us have no more oaths of allegiance or fidelity to diocesanes or lay-chancellors put upon us , than were imposed on christs churches for 600 or 800 years , and then try who will refuse to swear a renunciation of war against the king. 7. but i admire how you came to such an obdurateness , as to talk of nauseating [ that way of discipline , which startles at renouncing war against the king. ] is it episcopal discipline that you mean ? if not , what way of discipline is it that startles at it , unless you mean military discipline ? read over the confessions of the french , belgick , and all other presbyterian churches , and see whether there be any thing in their discipline that startles at it . what if it had been the presbyterians , and not the episcopal , that in england raised the war ? doth it follow that their way of discipline was for it : name us that form of discipline , and tell us where to find it , which you mean that is guilty of what you charge on it . doth he that saith [ every church should have a bishop , and not only a thousand or 600 in a diocess ] hereby say [ we may not renounce war against the king ? ] do not so wrong god as to think him so unjust , as always to suffer such as you thus to abuse the innocent . 8. and you that talk so malepertly of the savoy papers , it 's like know , that it was not presbytery , nor any other than arch-bishop usher's form of episcopacy in terminis , in his own printed paper , which we offered the king and bishops as the medium of our concord in 1660. and when that would not be received , see in the kings declaration about ecclesiastical affairs , whether it was not the down-right prelacy that was submitted to , with only the additions of some pastoral power in a rural deanery : and i never heard presbytery pleaded for by word , or saw it by writing in all that treaty , but only vshers episcopacy . why then do you talk of the discipline of the chorus , unless you mean the episcopal discipline . and do you not know , ( that write about the cause ) that the war was not founded in theological differences , but in law differences ? and that it was statesmen and lawyers that made the difference by their political and law-controversies ? not but that divines on both sides were too guilty , if not the forwardest . but my dull brains could never find out any one point of difference in theology , about the power of kings , and the duty of obedience in the people between the divines called presbyterians and episcopal : if you know any , name them me , and tell me your proof ; i know that they medled too much with the political and law-controversies of lawyers and states-men , ( for there lay the difference ) as i did my self in my pol. aphor. of which i unfeignedly repent , ( though i thought then , that oceana forced me to do it . ) 10. it 's not probable , that so learned a man is ignorant what bishop jewel , bishop bilson , bishop andrews in tortura torti , and many more such have said , to prove , that calvin , and the presbyterians , and the english puritans , differ not in these things from the theology of the church of england , taking the same oaths of supremacy and allegiance , &c. and how come you to be wiser than they , and to prove the discipline interest in the disagreement ? and when you have taught the papists to say that andrews , &c. spake falsly , how will you prove it ? i know that there were many sectaries , and some individual persons of the episcopal and presbyterian judgment , that erred in law and politicks , and perhaps in theologicals too . but what 's that to a difference between the parties in their religious principles ? 11. for can you be ignorant that it is the grand champions for prelacy that have written for the principles of the long parliament , by which they pleaded for their war ? do you not know , ( to pass by bishop jewel ) what bishop bilson of subjection hath said , and what rich. hooker in his eccles . pol. l. 1. & . 8. hath said higher than those parliament soldiers that i was most acquainted with ? i have now written a book , ( licensed ) which containeth a defence of monarchy against r. hookers popular errors . why then do you not call the episcopal party to repentance ? or why do you insinuate such suspitions into mens minds , that the discipline is it that startles at renouncing war against the king ? you know , i suppose , what grotius de jure belli , also hath said in his enumeration , ( out of barclay ) of cases in which it is lawful to take arms against kings : even that grotius who was the master of the late game , and boasteth of the approbation of the english prelates . was arch-bishop abbot a presbyterian , ( who saith he was suspended for refusing to license dr. sybthorpes book ; see his narrative in rushworth ? ) did he and all the clergy , and parliaments , that went his way , forsake the church of england ? who then were the church ? yet you can add [ p. 125. and since the lines of our peace and happiness , as to church and state , do meet and concenter in him , as our common father , is it unreasonable for subjects to swear they will not endeavour the alteration of government in the church and state ? who would think , that any natives of a land , professing themselves the followers of christ , — and expecting protection from a lawful prince , should once demur , whether they should make this declaration , or take this oath ? ] ( o easie happy swearer ! ) qui deliberant desciverunt : such as doubt of this , have even shak'd off the yoke of subjection , ( unhappy doubters ! ) 1. here [ they will not endeavour the alteration of government ] is put in stead of [ will not at any time endeavour any alteration of government . ] [ 2. in church and state ] is put instead of [ in church or state. ] 3. not one man of my acquaintance of them you question , refuseth to swear , that he will never endeavour any alteration of the church government , as it is in the king according to the oath of supremacy . 4. they that offered bishop vshers form of episcopacy , are not for altering episcopacy as such . 5. the oath of the canons 1640. put [ we will not consent ] in stead of endeavour . and a parliament condemned that oath ; and no parliament since thought meet to justifie or restore it . 6. we know that lay-chancellors exercise the power of the keys , by decreeing excommunications and absolutions : and we believe , that exercising the power of the keys so , is church-government . and we are all agreed , that yet no reforming alteration is to be attempted by sedition , rebellion , or unlawful means ; but only by subjects petitioning , parliament-mens speaking , &c. and if you think to come to heaven by swearing , that we may not petition against lay-chancellors use of the keys , cannot you go quietly your own way , and let others alone that trust not to such means ? 7. we believe , that ignatius his episcopacy ( every churches unity being known by one altar and one bishop with his presbyters and deacons ) is as lawful at least as one bishop only to a thousand or 500 churches : and i believe , that it is in the power of the king and parliament to reduce our episcopacy to that ancient form : and if they do it , i will not swear to disobey them , if they command my service under them : i was once commissioned among others under the broad seal to endeavour such an alteration of the liturgy , &c. and before what was done about episcopacy , the kings declaration about ecclesiastical affairs sheweth ; and i will not swear to disobey the king , if he command me the like again ; nor i will not swear universally , and mean particularly , till the law-givers so expound themselves . 8. i know by what oaths the roman clergy got their supremacy , and mastered kings and emperors . 9. i know that till roman tyranny invaded the church , the clergy was not put to swear to the bishops . 10. i love but one king in a kingdom , nor any thing that is injurious to him ; and i am willing to swear allegiance to my lawful king , as i have done , and to take his office as a constitutive part of the kingdom . but not to twist any other with him by oaths into the constitution , nor any thing that looks like it , especially not to swear to the church-governours before the kings state-government . and now what is the connexion of your premises and conclusion ? [ the king is the center of our happiness , &c. ergo , none that are natives and christians , and expect protection , should once demur whether he may swear to diocesanes and lay-chancellors , yea not to endeavour any alteration of their government by petition , or if the king command them ; ergo , they that doubt of this , have even shaken off the yoke of subjection ; ergo , they all deserve , not only to be forbidden preaching christ , but to be hanged , ( as all do , no doubt , that have shak'd off the yoke of subjection ; ) ergo , not only the non-conformists , but the conformists , that swear doubtingly , should be all hanged . thus differ the priest and the levite , that pass by the bleeding church , from us wretched samaritanes . turba gravis paci , placidaeque &c. as to the popish malicious slanders long since by them vented against geneva , &c. beza , the scottish and english encouragers of bothwell , which you intimate on the by , the first are long ago refuted by king james , bishop jewel , bishop bilson , &c. and lately by dr. pet. moulin junior , in his answer to philanax anglicus , where he will let you know , that geneva , holland , &c. shook off their governours while they were papists , before they turned protestants . and of the later learn more truth from buchanans history of the queen of scots , and of bothwells murder of the king. i am weary of following your treatise so far , i will add but a little more as to your letters : in the first letter these words astonish me , [ i hope there is not so much gall and acrimony in the whole book . ] wonderful , that any man should so little perceive what he saith and doth , and be so blinded by self-love ! as to think he speaketh oyl and sugar , when he speaketh fire and swords . you say you find me not so peremptory as to hold conformity simply and absolutely sinful : i pray you , could you judge so hardly of me , as to think that i left my ministerial labours , to which i was vowed , to escape but that which i account no sin ? you say , [ some of my own books have not an imprimatur ] why would you say so , before you knew it ? i know of none of them that want it , that were then printed since the law required it ; though the imprimatur be not printed in them . but since you have so urged me to print without license , i cannot say that the last book ( the defence of my cure ) is licensed , nor that it is not ; but if it come without , you have taught it the way . you so far credit your neighbour lee's report , as to give me the advice for restitution of his horses . charity is not so easie of belief . why did he never make such a demand of me while i lived there in sixteen years space . this is like dr. boremans printing , that [ it is said i killed a man in cold blood with my own hand ; but if that be not true , i am not the first that have been slandered . ] very true : whereas i know not that ever i struck one man in anger ( except boys at school ) in my life , nor did i ever kill or wound any man in war or peace . nor did i ever take any mans horses with my own hand ; nor was i ever , to my knowledge , in northfield or kings-norton parish ; nor ever with any that were employed about taking up horses in the war , to my knowledge , but once ; which was , when the kings soldiers had taken up about a thousand in warwick-shire , and 500 in northamptonshire , the earl of essex gave a commission to colonel mitton and others to take up some three hundred in the kings quarters in worcester-shire : and about twenty men went three or four times about it ; of which times i went once with them to see that they committed no abuse by taking from such as they were not warranted to do ; and they brought away about twenty or less , and some were restored , and i touch'd not one of them , nor was their guide ; and i never heard that they that went the two other times ( which was towards northfield , where and when i had nothing to do with them , nor knew what they did ) took about thirty more , which i heard were many of them restored ; and if your neighbour had come to me , and given me any probability that he had lost by me injuriously , it 's like i had repayed it ; but his slander obligeth me not to restitution : i will say no more about your rule , with relation to all that were present on either side when any were wronged in that war. your acquaintance with the huxters that so readily print and sell unlicensed books , is no direction to me that know them not : a few sheets many will venture on ; but i know not them that will venture on a large book , lest they be undone by the surprizing of it . in your letter you could find a categorical affirmation , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a verb ; whereas you may see in the errata of another book then at the press , ( because that book had no errata prin●ed ) that [ verb ] was misprinted for [ word● ] and if i know not a verb from a participle , yet that little concerneth our case in hand : and though my own opinion be , that the parts of speech should be reduced to three , &c. i will not trouble you with my gramatical ignorance any further than to tell you , that i am contented that you take liberty to judge it as great as you please ; but that man should be more temperate in censuring the errors of the press , scribe , and author , who citeth dr. manton ( then in prison ) upon jude , who never wrote on jude , but only on james ; and that citeth dr. john burges of regeneration , who never wrote of such a subject ; it 's like the subject drew you to think , that he that wrote so much for the ceremonies ( though once a non-conformist ) was like to be the author of such a book , which indeed dr. cornelius burges wrote , when he was a great conformist , who was afterward assessor in the westminster assembly , and ( though a protestor for moderate episcopacy ) wrote that book for the necessity of reformation , which so much offended the episcopal party . in your last you liken me to the papists that take liberty more than enough , when you cannot name one book since the act , before your importunity , that i took more liberty in , than was given me , that i remember . and you in the same paragraph invite me to comply with your sober request , and to direct it to the common-wealth of the english clergy ; and yet talk against unmazzeling the mouth of the panther , as aforesaid ; but these no doubt you can reconcile better than i. as for my nonsense in putting librum pro authore , it is such as i am not seldom guilty of , as i am also of putting the author for the book . as to your particular exceptions . 1. speaking slightly of conformity , do you expect that a man that by not conforming loseth more than you have yet gotten by conforming , and that also loseth his ministerial liberty , more desirable than all the bishopricks in england , should commend the conformity which he so avoideth . as for mr. dod's words , i glad that you say [ doth god stand in need of our lie , ( o! no , nor of our perjury neither ) should we speak wickedly for god , or talk deceitfully for him ? ] ( no , i think we should not ; nor deliberately covenant , or do any wicked thing on pretence of securing the liberty of preaching against the sin of other men. ) but yet it is my opinion , that we may thank god for the effects that are brought to pass by mens mis-doings ; ( though not for the sin it self ) even for the death of jesus christ ; which was all that mr. dod could mean. 2. if you had but seen the colections of instances given in by some body at the savoy treaty to the reforming part of the commissioners of defects and disorders or immethodicalness in the liturgy , you would not wonder that i now take it not for perfect . especially when you compare it with the liturgy which we offered them , and see there what difference we made , can you forbear a censure of ours , ( which hath hitherto strangely scaped their censures who rejected it ) and yet marvel not that we take not yours for perfect ? as for your likening me to the jews that hire christian servants to dress their meat . ( there is but one cometh sometime to my house , and he will eat no meat there on any days but of his own dressing . ) remember that you said even now , god needeth not our lie or deceitful wickedness , that we may have leave to preach or pray . 3. as to your third exception : 1. when you have got me liberty to write my reasons , i will tell you more of my opinion about diocesanes , if you cannot understand it by my disputes of church government long ago printed ; which if you have read , do you still expect that i should approve of diocesanes ? or marvel that i think better of the waldenses bohemian episcopacy , and that which obtained in ignatius , yea in cyprians days ? but what thought you of when you call me to obey old establishments , and not invent now ones , and set the people on gadding after innovations ? did you really think that our establishment was elder than the days of the apostles of ignatius ? and that theirs were innovations to ours ? and that arch-bishop vsher reduced episcopacy to novelty , when he pretended to reduce it to the ancient form ? doth not dr. hammond maintain , that there were no bishops in scripture times that had more than one congregation , and that de facto there was then no such things as distinct subject-presbyters ? is 1650 years ago the time of novelties to us , and our establishment the true antiquity ? well! let it be so . — 2. but you untruly report me to say , that we must not communicate with a parish-minister , who concurreth with the bishop , p. 77. if you had added [ in consenting to our silencing ; ] for i only said , that i made that none of our question : the reason was , because my work lay another way , and it would have hindered the edification of those i wrote for , to have pleaded that cause with them : but do i deny all that cometh not into our question ? to deal openly with you , i fore-knew long ago what would stick most against our concord , when i laboured in vain to have prevented it ; and now the thing which i fore-saw is come : when i perswade the people to communion in the parish churches , they say [ shall we have communion with those that have silenced so many hundred such ministers , and set up such and such in their stead ? ] and here i may as well drive them through a stone wall , as drive them on directly in that way . if you can do it , why have not you done it ? i am sure i cannot : they will sooner renounce communion with me , than hold communion with those that they think have been the chief promoters of all this , that are of the clergy . and if i did not challenge them to prove if they can , that ever such and such parish ministers were the silencers , i could get them to hold communion with none of them all : if you will have your work done your own way , on your own terms , do it ; i cannot so do it , for i am not of your judgment . and now , sir , i am not so unacquainted with what i do , as to tell you i have given you a lenifying answer , or to expect that this should please you , who accounted a few gentle questions so sharp : if my business had been to win your good opinion and report of me , i would have spoken you fairer . but though veritas odium parit , i am naturally addicted to speak plain truth , ( without any ill will to you or any ) though i foresee that impatient guilt will call it railing , and what not . if none deal plainly with offending preachers , how much worse is their condition than the peoples ? but had it been for publick view , and not for your own private admonition , i should have used a softer stile on several accounts : as i take none of your plainness with me amiss , so far as it containeth truth ; so the imitation of it ought not to seem injurious to you : nothing hath more moved me to it , than to find by your letter how greatly averse you are to repentance ; in the promoting whereof i should gladly be your servant , ri. baxter . april 28. 1671. an answer to mr. baxter's second letter . sir , yours of april 28. came to me may 19. it may be it visited some friends by the way , which retarded its passage : and though my head and heart were then filled with better meditations ; i mean , against the lords day approaching , yet i could not but give you my sentiments of some passages therein . though i shall not requite you , much less be avenged of you for your length and sharpnes● . a full anatomy of such a carcass may prove offensive . it is natural ( i perceive ) to you to drench your self in the waters of mara ; and to sport in the salt sea if sarcasines and satyrs : — magnus ab infernis , revocetur tullius umbris , — non potes absolvi . it is a small thing with you to tell me of crimes and guilt : that i comply with satans designs : that i have a diabolical spirit , unfit for the sacred ministry : i talk malepertly : a levite started up : that i write against the non-conformists : when i only court and beg their assistance , in doing no worse than my self , that they would not stand still idle in the market-place ; whilst so many hundred thousand souls ( as you say ) are perishing through ignorance and ungodliness . that i traduce the presbyterians , though i never named them ( i think ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in any writing or sermon of mine . as if i would have sin go uncontrolled ; and that i look on them as uncivil , that presume to acquaint us with it . whereas i have procured your indignation , only by a submissive and mannerly request , that you would give us the reasons of your non-conformity , that we might see where the sin lies . but you say , you will leave us in our self-pleasing crimes . then i must say , you are but a treacherous watch-man , to suffer sin upon your brother , contrary to levit. 19. 17. if you will not help us out of the ditch into which we are fall'n . it is one of gods greatest judgments , when he does not reprove , chide , afflict : see hosea 4. 14. are you one then that account it your duty to deal plainly with offending preachers , ( though you will not own the name of a diocesan bishop , yet you fansie your self sitting in his chair ) and yet you will leave them in their self-pleasing crimes ? let the righteous smite me ; it shall be a kindness : let him reprove me ; it shall be an excellent oyl , which shall not break my head , psal . 141. 5. this dealing of yours will do little towards promoting my repentance : it may exercise my patience . i will herein write after the copies of st. austin , melancton , calvin , &c. who in their greatest heats and provocations retain'd their calmness , sweetness , and serenity of spirit towards those that did bitterly oppose them . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . as diogenes told antisthenes in laertius . michael the arch-angel , and my grand master , have trodden this path be-before me . sir , you reckon up 1800 ministers that are silenc'd . though i utterly dislike the term , silenc'd ; for to me 't is apparent they are silent actively , and through their own fault , until it appear to the contrary ; and then the sin is yet more hainous , by how much it is the more voluntary . but if you are a true accountant ; if this be not a false muster , and you mistaken in your arithmetick : how many of these have little more learning than your english books have taught them ? as great strangers to the writers of the first centuries , as they have been to the universities . how many of these were nested in other mens habitations ; whilst the right owners were exposed to wind , weather , and starving ; double the number of 1800. this retalliation may cause them to say : as i have done , so god hath requited me . judges 1. 7. yet i have some ground to think , the number is not so great , since i hear that many come in , and more remove into more remote parts and conform there . if it be true that dr. connaught has re-assum'd his ministry ; i think his example ( whose piety and learning is so considerable ) may be very attractive . however , 't is no strange thing , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . methinks that men who are so willing to preach in wales , and the poorest congregations , without a farthing , upon catechetical points ; neither medling with bishops , liturgy , or ceremonies , ( as you say ) should be willing to take things ( in order thereunto ) in their most favourable and candid sense . give me leave to give you two cautions . 1. take heed how you undertake for any considerable part of those 1800. that they shall preach on those terms : for then you trans-element them ; their tongues do not only itch , but their very nods and whispers tend that way . 2. take heed you do not impede so good a work , by maintaining conformity to be an avowed and deliberate sin ; absolutely and simply so : a sin , as it were , by covenant : so that a blessing is not to be expected on their ministry ; so inhumane and hainous , you dare scarcely name it . what will we say , if you should lay open the sin of conformity in your reasons ? such a lyon in the way is enough to affright many . such a flaming sword may keep labourers out of the vineyard ; out of the paradise of the church . i have sadder apprehensions yet . as the papists do unchurch us , and by consequence damn us ; so you are like to arrive to the same uncharitableness : for if we live and die in avowed and deliberate sin , what wages are we like inevitably to receive ? you infer from my words , or rather drag from them , by an odd climax of ergo's , that there are some persons deserve hanging : but i can , with more ease , and better logick , gather from what you say , that we must be damned . i am glad you own my quotation out of your book of rest : at first you made me afraid , when you said , — you never wrote , or thought of any such passage . yet this is but like the jumping of a deer after a mortal shot ; or the playing and sprunting of a fish , when it is strucken with an hook : you make me amends afterward by saying , you have retracted and expunged it in your later editions . and truly , i do much rejoyce at your reiterated ingenuity in this kind : for as it is said , the best thing is not to be born ; the next , cito mori : so a palinodia is next to the publishing of sound truths . but though this retractation was before the act of oblivion , ( as you say ) yet i fear the war was done , and execution over . if you be so rash in obtruding your immature notions upon the world , before you have lick'd them , and strain'd out their crudities , and ill humours in the press first , by several editions , you will discourage men from buying your books , when they first come forth . this overture has given you occasion , — renovare dolorem , by minding me of the saddest tragedy of my whole life . the utter undoing of mr. h. p. though you well know he was undone before : i could lament this in tears of blood ; yet as my conscience does not upbraid me of negligence herein , so that good lady ( i hope ) will do me the justice , that i gave her notice of what i fear'd and suspected a fortnight before the catastrophe . and if there was such a fatality in it ; that after i had beseech'd her ladiship , that i might convey him to some house of his fathers ; and this not being yielded unto , but i was intreated to keep him longer ; i could not preserve the walls of my house from being broken in the night time ; this is , this must be for a lamentation . i presume you had not pour'd this vinegar into my wound , had i not been your remembrancer , about your taking the horses of will. lees. and though you deny the fact , both he and his wife offer to swear it . they say , they followed you to coventry , and obtain'd an order from the committees there to have the horses restor'd ; but you refused to obey it . nay , they followed you to london , and and at mr. foley's house came to your bed-chamber . if their relation be false , or your memory fail , i cannot help it : many and many a time they desir'd me to write unto you for some satisfaction towards maintaining them in their poor decrepit age. you confess you came into the kings quarters in those parts to take horses ; ergo , retract again : for in your late book , you say , you medled not with the war , until after naseby fight ; yet you pray'd and preach'd to the coventry garrison : could you forbear to besprinkle your prayers and sermons with some of those principles which after carried you into the field ? although i moved you to retract your political aphorisms ; yet 't was only such as were erroneous , and dangerous to our peace . that which you mention , about an unlimited power in princes , or universal obedience in subjects ; even to turn mahumitans , if they command ; i do as much abhor in the leviathan , as i did dislike those rotations and fond principles of government in the oceana ; ergo , you might have sav'd the labour of your dilemma . austin did not retract all that ever he wrote . how does it follow ? i account it my chiefest preferment to preach the gospel ; ergo , you ask me , whether this gospel which i preach be the unlimited power of princes ? sure you think i live not in england , but in turkey ; or else that i am an errand stranger to the nature and latitude of that embassage , which is committed to my trust . well! injoy your own pleasing conceit ! you will be a gnostick , do what i can . this is not very stranger : for you conclude , that since arch-bishop abbot refus'd to license dr. sybthorpes book , i must suppose him to be a presbyterian . and because , i say , the king is the center of our happiness ; ergo , i must say , none must demur to swear to diocesans , or lay-chancellors ; and that those that petition for an alteration of their government , if the king command , must not preach . the consequent is not here question'd , but the consequence ; and your metaphysical head will hardly find enthymems enough to make it good . since you so often tell me in your letter of the presbyterians , as if you were their great patron , and would set them against me ; though ( under that name i never disturb'd them ) to gratifie your importunity , take my naked thoughts . many of them ( i think ) are good , sober , religious men ; especially such as are deluded and seduc'd into that sect ; errours : but if they be gerrones , men devoted to a party , and addicted to a distinct government , from that under which we live ; accounting themselves oblig'd to the endeavouring the pulling down episcopacy establish'd by law , and to set up presbyterian government in the church , against the consent of the supreme magistrate : i think such a presbyterian , quatenus such , in the kingdom of england , ( as things now stand ) is neither a good man , nor a good subject ; but is rather factious , seditious , schismatical . as for your large narrative , concerning the savoy transactions ; wherein you inform my nescience , or negative ignorance , ( for i was not bound to know every secret of that assembly ) i thank you for it . i only took notice of what was reveal'd to the world in print . and i heartily wish , the result thereof had been the same with that of hampton-court . but i perceive , the older the world grows , the more stiff and inflexible men are in their own notions and opinions . your non-compliance then seems to me as pernicious , as bez●'s heat at the colloquy at poissy : i had almost said , as the abrupt breaking up of the treaty at vxbridge . i wish some such men ( as dr. john reynolds ) had been the commissioners , who might have suppl'd and oyl'd your wheels ; and so have allayed the starkeness of your joynts . i will pray for you still in the words of optatus . vtinam , qui jam malam viam intraverant , agnito peccato , super se reverterentur , & revocarent , quam fugarent , pacem . is not the roman eagle ready to prey and quarry upon us all ? and shall we scatter our selves into parties , and crumble and divide our selves into small gobbets ? as if we would facilitate our own captivity , and fit our selves for her talons . you are at much expence of pains to clear the non-conformists of the guilt of the late war. a very few of a multitude were ingaged in it . you lay this brat at the doors of bilson , abbot , hooker : of an episcopal parliament ; not above one presbyterian among four hundred parliament men : an episcopal army , episcopal lords , and episcopal lieutenants of counties . i had thought ( currente rota ) whilst your hand was in , you would have said , that the regicides had been episcopal too . sir , i do now perceive , that cataline was a fool : if he had laid the conspiracy against rome , upon tully , might not he have gone free ? but i foresee also , that in process of time it is like to fall out with the late unnatural war , as it did with the gunpowder-treason . cecil , and the puritanes , were accused for this by the papists : and the other ( though acted but yesterday , and by whom , is too fresh in our memories ) is like to be father'd on episcopal men : or else , like filius populi , it will be hard to find the true father ; or like nilus , the true original . give me leave to use the words of a good author . primo accusant rei , ut crimina , in siletium mitterent sua ; vitam infamare conati sunt alienam , ut cum possint ab innocentibus argui , innocentes arguere studuerunt . ahab told elijah , thou art he that troubleth israel , 1 kings 18. 17. if episcopal men began , and carried on that war , and presbyterians were free ; i had almost said , — sit anima mea cum presbyterianis ! for i hate nothing more than rebellion . but sure you were too credulous , and easie to be deceiv'd by your informer ; were they episcopal men that cry'd , to your tents o israel ? that preach'd — curse ye meroz ? first voted , and then fought against the king ? if they were , they were degenerous from the english episcopacy . they did not keep close to our church , ( which were my words ) to our articles , our canons , our liturgy , and our homilies . if they were episcopal men , they had found out some new model'd episcopacy . i will ( in this ) neither own them for my fathers , nor my brethren . they were monsters sure ; for would episcopal men conspire to root up episcopacy ? the only arch-bishop in england , ( say you ) williams , was in arms against the king ; pudet haec . but if he was the only arch-bishop in england , more shame for some who had remov'd a better out of this world. the best use we can make of his miscarriage , is to take heed of pride and discontent ; lest god should give us over to the byas of our own hearts , and so we should also fall into the condemnation of the devil . what you say of arch-bishop abbot , out of dr. heylins life of arch-bishop laud ; as if he began the quarrel about the subjects property : do but read the drs. last book concerning the history of presbytery ; and then you may see who have been the best subjects to princes , bishops or presbyterians . as for bishop jewel and bishop andrews defence of calvin , and our puritans ; do not wrest their charity , as the romanists do ours , when we say they may be saved . i much fear , lest the complexion of those men be much altered , since the days of those famous prelates : so that could they start out of their graves , and see how their claws are grown , what havock they have made in this church ; they would ( like the partus saguntinus ) for very grief and shame , retire into their former dormitories : or were they to write more polemicks , they would scarce write apologies for some amongst our selves : so unlike are they to such as mr. ball , who wrote so nervously for stinted liturgies , and communion with our church . mr. hooker ( you say ) is under your exagitation . i pray use him kindly ; trample not on a dead lyon : for were he alive , he would make many such as you are to quake . so strong would you find his breath , in his deep , close , and strenous arguments : as those that disputed with stephen , were not able to resist the wisdom , and the spirit by which he spake , acts 6. 10. i have read him over again and again ; yet i never observ'd him to be an enemy to monarchy . you can find out , ( if not new worlds ) yet new inhabitants in the upper part of this , in the stars and planets ; and if you can look beyond galileo's glass , it may be , with your lynceus eyes , and strange telescope , you may make strange discoveries . though i honour the memory of learned grotius ; yet 't is not a duty incumbent on me to defend his ipse dixit . i have a tract by me , wherein are collected some political aphorisms out of him and others , ( which i have not examin'd by his writings ; ) but if truly his , i do as little approve them , as i do yours . you would have me read the confession of the french church , and of others , and see whether they allow of taking up of arms. sir ! this is not to do : i have also read davila concerning their practise : and if he be impartial , i cannot boast . the unlawfulness of the arms of the french protestants in several risings cannot be denied . du moulin p. 28. and how it was with the disciplinarians in scotland , i have learned sufficiently in spotswood : neither can you be ignorant , what the grand master of the discipline ascribes to english parliaments against kings , if you read his fourth book of institutions . what need we speak of mens confessions and declarations ? have not we seen their actions quite contrary ? until the scottish presbyterian covenant be utterly renounced and forgotten , it will stand upon record , what is to be expected from those of the discipline . * all the foam you can gather in your angry fits , will never obliterate this , or wash such a blackmoor white . when you challenge me to shew from the confessions of any presbyterian churches , that they allow the taking up of arms against princes , you deal just as the papists do , when we urge them with that odious doctrine from mariana , and others of their jesuits ; and also with their practise in this case , they say as you do : shew us any decree of the church ; shew us any canons of counsels , wherein the doctrine of killing kings is allowed . what shall we say ? i can find no such canon in the counsel of trent : i know no such edict of the church : nay , the counsel of constance condemneth the doctrine of killing tyrants , as erroneous ; yet indirectly and obliquely they do maintain the same , by giving the pope a power to exexcommunicate heretical princes , and to absolve their subjects from their allegiance . and as bellarmine says ; though the pope does not teach men to disobey their kings , yet he makes them , who were their kings , to be their kings no more . so , though this doctrine be not expressed , in the confessions of disciplinarians ; yet if it be suitable to their practise , and follows a posteriori from their covenant , and other principles , by a parity of reason , it is enough to prove them guilty . however the war was managed ; yet the divines ( whether presbyterian or episcopal ) medled little with it . if i know any , you bid me name them . your dull brains could never find out any point of difference in theology , about the power of the king , or the duty of obedience in the people . this is strange , you liv'd in england , as you often tell me : and were you such a stranger in our israel , that you heard nothing of the clashing of pens , as well as the brandishing of swords ? was the controversie only betwixt lawyers and statesmen ? i have much ado to forbear an allusion to the words of job to his wife . thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh . so you speak of these things , like some rude and ignorant people in the country . did you never hear of dr. ferne ? mr. dadley diggs , and many others , who wrote in behalf of the king , against the lawfulness of taking up of arms ? and did you never hear of mr. john goodwin ? mr. bridges ? mr. calamy's speech in the city of london ? what was the great design of most sermons preach'd at westminster for some years by the smectimnians , but to tell their auditors , that the ingagement of that war was pro aris , as well as focis ; for the cause of god and of christ ; against idolatry and superstition , as well as for the priviledges of parliaments ; and against monopolies . the king and martyr suffer'd for his religion , says your du moulin p. 110. did you never hear what pains mr. vines and mr. marshal took , to prove , that the higher powers , rom. 13. were to be understood of the two houses of parliament ? * the scottish douglas says plainly ; the hostility against the king , was from his setting himself against religion . i do not so much wonder at this your inadvertency ; since you affirm , that dr. manton never wrote upon jude , but only upon james . will not the doctor take it amiss , that you take no more notice of his labours ? and as for dr. burges , it is now in the hand of a friend . are you such a walking library ? such an heluo librorum , especially of those that are modern and english : and yet had you no acquaintance with these ? you say , and you ingeminate it , — that there is not any non-conformist but is ready to swear , he holds it not lawful to take up arms against the king. why did so many of them then flit their habitations , five miles from any corporation , or their own ancient homes ? what was the sum of that oath ? was it not plainly and directly against taking up arms ? did it any way hinder parliament mens speaking ? or others peaceable petitioning , for such reformation as is necessary ? were not those who were commissione'd to administer it , ready to declare the sense of it ? yet down it would not go with many ; latet aliquid : — but i find it is with many of you as i have found it experimentally with some who have been troubled in conscience : when i have apply'd the best balm i could to these tender souls , so that they had nothing to say against their own peace ; yet still they would be starting some black doubts against themselves ; turning their very shadows into gorgons ; that so they might continue in the valley of baca. just so will you find knots in bulrushes ; mysteries in cabbalistical titles ; and anexes ; spin webs to intangle your selves , out of your own imaginations ; and with thrushes , pinion your own wings ; that so you may scrupulously vex your selves . you say well in your book of conscience , — that melancholy is often mistaken for conscience : so i fear this shieness and skittishness of these men , is rather the result of an hot and feavourish brain , than any well-weighed conclusion of a sound heart . but put out the other clauses out of the oath ; let us have no more oaths of allegiance to diocesans , or lay-chancellors , put upon us , than christs churches had for six or eight hundred years imposed upon them . why do you lay this injunction upon me , and others in my sphere ? are we the king and parliament ? have private men a legislative power ? can they reverse and retrench laws ? it is very plausible in you to bring all things to the institutions of christ ; and in things doctrinal 't is also necessary : but as to what concerns all the modes of external policy and administrations , it is not only difficult , but impossible . nay , i think he may be impleaded of schism and singularity , that stands up too stifly for the immediate dispensations ( especially where they are so uncertain ) in opposition to the instrumental teachings and directions of men. you may find my ground , 1 cor. 1. 12. it seems you are much troubled at lay-chancellors ; as if they hindered your conformity , by exercising the power of the keys , in decreeing excommunications and absolutions . me thinks a person of your ingenuity should rest satisfied with that modest declaration of our rubrick , concerning the censures of the church in the preface to the communion . but since you say , that lay-chancellors exercise the power of the keys in excommunications ; do they do this of themselves , as lay-men ? or do they not ? you see , 't is easie to push with your horns , and to evince , that you are either ignorant or absurd . but i shall only remember you , what you cannot but know already , — that lay-chancellors , ( though commonly very knowing in the civil law , which is an excellent hand-maid to divinity ) yet they excommunicate not as lay-men , but by vertue of those surrogates , who are delegated for this purpose , originally by the bishop himself . this abstraction is not too hard for you to conceive . but why are you so incens'd against lay-chancellors ? i 'le warrant you have more kindness for lay-elders , if they were joyn'd with you in things sacred ; as catechising , admission to the sacrament , and the censures of the church . but as luther distinguishes of little and great devils ; so i think this of lay-chancellors is but a gnat in your way . the camel or belzebub is diocesan bishops . the episcopacy of bishop usher you are for ; and the episcopacy of ignatius ( you say ) is lawful . i am glad you grant this ; for one of your brethren maintained to my face , — that there is no difference betwixt a bishop and a presbyter in ignatius . but you are kinder to bishops ; for where there is one , i suppose you wish there were many hundreds : and if this were allowable , we that are minorum gentium ( as to our own interest ) have no cause to oppose it : for then , it may be , you and i might in some time of our ages commence bishops . but me thinks we should now agree ; especially if you would call to mind that maxim in logick . magis & minus non variant speciem . if bishop vsher were now alive , he would give you but small thanks for pressing his model of episcopacy ( if his , ) now the king and laws are restor'd , which he only calculated , as that which could be born by the iniquity of the latter times . sequestered ministers , who would gladly then have received a fifth part out of their revenue , would be loth now to be bound up to the same terms . the counsel bishop vsher gave to the late king ; rather to part with his life , than episcopacy : and his notes upon ignatius , concerning the division of asia , confuting dr. meric causabon , affirming , that episcopacy crept into the church in the second century , do sufficiently discover his judgment . if thieves should strip me of all my cloths , i i will rather accept from them my old coat , than go naked ; yet if the time come , that honest men may come to their goods , i would have all again to a very shoo-string . let us not take up the old trick and method of the papists ; they have given out , that some famous men , who liv'd protestants , dyed papists : so let not us extract presbyterian government out of the dead trunks of episcopal cedars . calvin seems to excuse his new government at geneva . — habemus qualecunque presbyterorum judicium , & formam qualem ferebat temporum infirmitas . what ? is there any sorcery or necromancy in the word diocesan ? as tertullian once jested ; — de nomine chameleontis . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a modest word in greek ; and is it become babylonish by being rendred into english . beza was more propitious than you are to the diocesan bishops of england . — fruatur ( says he ) ista singulari dei beneficio , quae utinam sit illi perpetua ! but you think they have too many parishes under their inspection and jurisdiction . this is but obliquely to reflect upon former kings and statesmen , who have allowed such large provinces . some of them have been much canton'd in latter ages , if we look into our own stories . what think you of crete , ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) ephesus , rome ? were there not many parishes in these ? and i cannot think , but as jerusalem had her daughters the cities and towns adjacent . so many regiones suburbicariae , did belong to the bishops of those great cities ; ergo , they had their chorepiscopi to assist them . tell me true , were there not bishops before there wery any parishes ? if so ; christ never ordained they should be parochial . do not you know that the bishop of alexandria had all aegypt , lybia , and pentapolis , under him ? and that thebais and mareotis were afterward added to his diocess . but you will be guided ( you say ) by cyprian and ignatius . well! agreed ; yet these were diocesans : cyprians diocess was africa ; over great part of which his power did extend . ignatius was bishop of syria , coelosyria , and mesopotamia . if you doubt of this , i can shew my authority . but why should we swear allegiance to bishops ? till the roman tyranny invaded the church the clergy was not to swear to the bishops , this is to twist them into the constitution of the kingdom , say you . is it unlawful to promise or swear to be obedient to bishops , in rebus licitis & honestis ? yet this is the sum of our canonical obedience . by your leave , sir , de facto , presbyters have been obedient to their bishops , under the penalty of an anathema , and excommunication , long before the roman tyranny invaded the church . i could tell you of the apostles canons and decrees of councils for this . but since you have such a kindness for ignatius , see his epistle to the ephesians . — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and to the magnesians . — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and in his epistle to the philadelphians . — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . is not this canononical obedience ? but this intrenches upon the king , and twists bishops into the constitutive part of the kingdom : i am glad you are so tender of the kings honour and power . mr. cartwright wrangled himself at last into conformity : and if you have arriv'd to a just latitude of allegiance , in giving unto caesar the things that are caesars , i think you have shot the gulph , and may at last , — per tot discrimina rerum , — tendere in latium . i will secure you , — that what we swear to bishops , does not twist them with a coordinate power with the king , no more than when i sworesidelity to the university at my matriculation : when a soldier takes a sacrament to be true to his general ; and tradesmen do the like to their several corporations : i say , no more do we set up an aemulous confronting power with the king in subscribing to bishops , which he does not only allow , but authorize ; than i made the university , or they , their generals , or corporations to have — divisum cum jove imperium . when i quote your words , — we must not communicate with a parish minister , who concurreth with the bishops , you say i should have added ; in consenting to our silencing . indeed i thought those words needless and superfluous : for what parish ministers had any hand in your silence ? if as being subjects virtually in the parliament , so you were accessary your self : if as approving and rejoycing at your silence , you will find this very diffcult in any good parish ministers ; especially , since we cry aloud for your ministerial assistance . you tell me , you can as soon drive the people through a stone wall , as bring them to communion in our way . you bid me do it my self , if i can . sir ! had they not been distracted , distorted , and poisoned by other tutors , much might have been done ; perhaps we might have taken such stragling sheep upon our shoulders , and have brought them to their proper folds . but since they have been taught ( like wolves ) not to value the scepter , i have small hopes to prevail with my shepherds crook . if they will not now hear your voice , and be obsequious to your whistle ; they will , like corah's company , tell me to my face , — they will not come up ; or like mastiff dogs , will worry me to pieces . those that are lately perverted any way , are most heady and sierce . the revolters are profound to make slaughter , hos . 5. 2. and after the scribes and pharisees had compass'd pass'd sea and land to make one proselyte ; when he was made he was two-fold more the child of hell than themselves , mat. 23. 15. now , sir ! since you do both in print , and in your letters , so scorn at my absurdity , in desiring your reasons for nonconformity ; whereas , it would hazard your safety , if you should do it without a license , which is not to be expected . if you have such strong arguments in store , which may prove conformity to be simply and absolutely sinful : an avowed and deliberate sin ; what think you of transmitting them to me ? i will do my best to midwife them into the light , without any commerce with the huxters you reproach me with . indeed i did send an epistola veridica to the tryars ( in the usurper's days ) without an imprimatur . you end , as it were glorying , that you have not given me a lenifying answer , or spoken me fair . you might have said , ( if you are so naturally addicted , as you say , to speak plain truth , ) that taking your rod into your hand , you have slash'd the malepert levite . well! i will get some good by you , whether you will or no ; i will think more humbly and meanly of my self , than you can speak . and though you say i am so blinded with self-love , that i neither know what i say or do ; yet i will not pay you in your own coin ; but pray for you , as i do for my self , — that wherein you or i erre , that god would even reveal this unto us , and reduce us into the way of truth . if your habit of severity , and keen edge of fastuous contempt , may be abated , and you may be happily mollified into more kindness : if you shall then vouchsafe to write to me in a more favourable , smooth , and obliging strain ; you shall not overcome , though you conquer me . in the mean time you may call me a levite ; but i will take the boldness to subscribe my self , your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , jo. hinckley . northfield . may 23. a letter written to mr. baxter , after his book of church divisions came forth . sir , i perceive , that my answer to your letter was not satisfactory ; since i find in your late book , not only oblique reflections , but direct and down-right expressions ; wherein ( without any ambages ) you articulately signifie your discontent both with me and my book . who would have thought that a word or two of advice and seasonable counsel should have merited such harsh and passionate censures ? or should not escape branding with the black theta of a challenge , ambuscade , and an intimation of defamation and blood ? herein ( me thinks ) considering the premises , you shew as great a defect of logick , as of charity . to what purpose is your tragical out-cry of provoking you to gape against an oven ? and making your name a stepping-stone to those ends i aspire after ? alas ! what advantage will it be to me to see you in the flames ? or your name sullied ? that 's barbarous ; and this ambitious . i am in the zenith of my preferment , whilst i am a constant preacher of the gospel . how are you sure that i am not able to endure the light of the truth ? if the organs of my eyes are indisposed at present , i will borrow some spectacles , or procure some eye-salve to clear them , before you can prove those things to be truth , which you call so . when i see scripture and reason for them , let me be accounted stabborn or stupid , if i either shut my eyes , or cannot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , hold them steddy enough to discern them in their genuine colours . before this be done , you cannot be assured , that you are a true prophet , in judging and condemning me afore-hand . are you secretary to him , who at one glance sees them , who have eyes and see not , or else see but perceive not ? you know who it was that boasted that his eyes were open , numb . 24. 3. i wish you knew me better , and then you might have abated these severities . how can you hope to heal our divisions , and to wooe our english world into mutual love ? when your own gall runs over with such large effluviums , and your thoughts are so over-weening , as if you did comprehend all knowledge , truth , and light ; and we , poor wretches ! were groping in cimmerian darkness , or grovelling in some narrow ditch . but if you will not hold up your taper and help us forth , reserving your antidote against our sin and error , in your own breast ; take heed you meet not with the same doom , as he in cardan , who knew how to cure the stone , and dyed without revealing it . it is well , that you are pleas'd to prolong your answer , until i procure you a license ; for so you may spare your own trouble , usque ad cal. graec. for who would unmuzzle a fierce panther , that would worry him that sets his chops at liberty ? although another man would tell you ; herein you deal like the papists , who tell us , they can prove us all hereticks , if they might have liberty to dispute , and write without the hazard of the law : yet when it pleases them , they take liberty more than enough . sir ! if ever you comply with my sober request , you need not direct it to me , but to the common-wealth of the english clergy . as for those four lines 2. part. pag. 8. spend your second thoughts upon them , and see whether you can make sense of them . there you serve in again the same dish of coleworts ; but you leave out the author , and name the book ; yet in your grammar the book is a person . this is no solacism with you , who can make one disparatum to predicate of another ; for in the same part pag. 92. you categorically affirm , that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a verb. these are but trifles ; yet if a man be put to sencing , he will take all advantages . as for the bulk and scope of your book , concerning healing church divisions , — cum sis mortalis , &c. the scene is laid in heaven , and the design is generous , noble , and christian . it is great pity , that you should , ausis excidere tam magnis . yet consider whether the aim and level be both right . if you would have us joyn together with one heart and shoulder in the worship of god , as now constituted , which you allow p. 38. me thinks you should not ( i will use as much softness as i can ) have spoken so sleightly — of conformity . as , if you should conform , it would neither be a little or single sin , pag. 26. this must needs weaken our hands , prejudice our ministry , and make the people cold in joyning with us . will those words of mr. dod hold weight in the ballance of the sanctuary ? who thanked god for the churches sake , that some men conform'd ; and for the truth sake , that some conform'd not . can that be for the advantage of the church , which is not according to the truth ? does god stand in need of our lies ? should we speak wickedly for god , or talk deceitfully for him ? job 13. 7. 2. though in some places you speak honourably of our liturgy , pag. 38. 59. 88. yet you dash all again by complaining of its imperfect mode and fashion of words , pag. 59. and that you joyn with us meerly by force , for want of a better ; for were you in new-england , you would not joyn with our prayers . 2. part p. 176. is this your balm of gilead for our wounds ? are you like to prove a good samaritan to our bleeding church ? what lowring and longing must there be , after another mode of worship , if ours be so imperfect , and that of other churches so far beyond it ? you do well : go on ! that you joyn with the prayers of the liturgy , and in the celebration of the sacrament , p. 34. 40. yet you will not touch either ( as to an active administration of them ) with the least of your fingers . and herein you resemble the present jews , who hire christian servants to kindle their fires , and to dress their meat on the sabbath-day . they care not what is done , so they do it not themselves . 3. was it a right course to cement us , and cure our divisions by alienating the minds of men from their governours , and that government which is established by law amongst us ? as if it were not lawful ( by your doctrine ) to own diocesan bishops , and to hold communion with a diocesan church , p. 75. nay , we must not communicate with a parish minister who concurreth with the bishops , p. 77 , the government is such as god will not accept , part 2. p. 3. and to take off the stomachs of subjects the more from their present governours , you have found out a forreign government for them , ( though not in rome , yet in bohemia , pag. 46. ) which in your judgment does far surpass ours . sir , i thought it had been far better for you and i , to obey old establishments , than to invent or prescribe new ones . if we set the people a gadding after innovations , we neither perform our own duties , nor go the right way to cure the peoples divisions . now sir ! i have given you these strictures , not out of any desire to reciprocate the same with you , any farther than a private letter ; but only to prepare you for what you may expect from your antagonist , and to shew you how dangerous it is to recede from the good old paths , and allowed principles , and to bewilder our selves and others with new and rash contrivances of our own heads . as for any thing , which upon just and proper grounds shall have a tendency to the advancing of love and peace , i shall always be your second , and your fidus achates , whilst i am , john hinckley . northfield april 11. in worcester-shire . mr. baxter's third letter . sir , though you foretel me how little good my writing will do you , in which i presume not to contradict you ; yet the vindication of truth is an end sufficient to invite me to bestow a few more lines , in detecting your unworthy opposition against that object of the intellectual nature . truth and repentance are the things which you vehemently militate against , ( under pretence of skirmishing with my words ) and that by no better weapons than a wrangling wit , rhetorical diversions , which you use like one unwilling to understand the truth , or to confess an error or injurious deed. § . 1. you tell me i am a treacherous watchman if i suffer sin upon you ; and at the same time open your offence , that i tell you of crimes and guilt , and name some of your faults : this is the waters of marah to you , sarcasmes , satyrs , &c. are not you resolved then to be displeased by our speech or silence , and to make me unavoidably an offender by the contrariety of your laws ; ( and what a wonder of self-ignorance is it , that the author of the perswasive should draw up the flood-gates of sarcastical scorn upon so many and such men , and yet be so sensible of a drop of just reproof that fell upon his own head ? ) § . 2. after such a book you would not be said to traduce the presbyterians , as if you wrote you knew not what , or had already forgotten it . § . 3. when i had opened your strange dealing in calling for those reasons of our non-conformity which you knew we must not publish , you neither can hide your disingenuity , nor will confess it . § . 4. in my last i briefly named divers of your palpable contradictions ; and many of them you have no cloak for , and yet no confession of , but a silent preterition . and what you speak to is so managed , as if our question had not been , whether you had spoken well and truly ? but whether you could speak again , or had any pen , ink , and paper left ? § . 5. as to the silenc'd ministers , ( that you may not seem guiltless ) you first say , [ how many of these have little more learning than your english books have taught them , as great strangers to the writers of the first centuries , as they have been to the vniversities . ] you did craftily to speak interrogatively : for a question cannot be false . there are many non-conformists that live within a few miles of your dwelling ; which of them do you mean ? is it good old mr. sam. hildersham , or mr. sam. fisher , or mr. wilsby , or mr. bryan , or mr. reignolds , or mr. tho. baldwin senior , or mr. spilsbury , or which of all the rest do you mean ? sure it 's i that am the stranger to the universities , that am therefore worthy to be silenced : i know but of two or three more in all the country about you : but that two of those are so strange to the fathers i do not believe . but if they be , i had rather the church had men that will speak sound doctrine in an apt and serious manner for the bringing of sinners to repentance in english , than such as can lace an insipid , empty , or senseless discourse with some shreds of chaldee , syriack , and arabick : and though i could wish , that all the ministers of christ had all accomplishments fit even for the adorning of their sacred work ; yet i had rather hear a meer english divine , than an hebrew or a syriack sot. but as i am grown of late years to take it for no very great honour to our young preachers , that they are acquainted with the universities ; so i think it so short a work to read the few brief writers of the three first centuries , as maketh it more a dishonour to be ignorant of them , than any great honour to be acquainted with them . but sir , this kind of talk had been sitter for a man of aethiopia or armenia , that knoweth not england , than for an english priest . o that one half of our parishes now had men that were near as learned and understanding and able for their ministerial work , as those two that i know near you , who never were graduates in any university : how easily could i bear the silencing of my self and all the rest , if all our places were but fully supplyed with conformists that had but that measure of knowledge , utterance , piety , and diligence , as the more unlearned and lowest rank of the non-conformists of my acquaintance have , if you take out a third part of that inferior rank , ( though some one individual may be as low . ) and i think i know as many of them as you : what pains do i take by word and writing and example , to satisfie them that are averse to joyn in the publick assemblies ? and when i meet with a parish that hath an honest , sober , tolerable , or competent preacher , i usually prevail . but alas ! from how many do i hear , [ what man can endure to hear a school-boy read over or cant the shreds and patches of insipid nonsense , or ignorantly abuse the scripture , and talk of things which he understandeth not , and prate against he knoweth not what , to get some reputation with those that take vanity and vexation to be the laudable accomplishments of a priest ? or if sometimes they speak things good and needful , it is done with so little skill or seriousness , that all comes cold and dead to the hearers , who hear them as school-boys saying over their lessons , and not as men that are in good sadness and believe themselves : especially considering how seldom a good word is heard out of their mouths all the week after , and how oft they are in the ale-house , and how seldom in the houses of the ignorant to instruct them , and help them to prepare for the life to come ] such answers as these , how often do i hear ? pudet haec opprobria — i believe no more than i am constrained to believe . but i sometimes hear lads talk in the pulpit at such a rate my self , as i confess would go near to drive me also away , if ordinarily i had not better : and when patrons seek to me to motion them to a teacher , how hard do i find it to find them a man that hath the abilities of the lower sort of non-conformists . to confess the truth to you , the preachers of these late years have almost brought me to the opinion of some of the highest formalists , that not only a form of prayer , but of preaching too , be strictly imposed on some ministers , and nothing endured but liturgies and homilies : for i am so far now from being all for sermons , that i take the common-prayer to be incomparably better than the prayers or sermons of some that i hear , and to be the best that i expect in many places when i go to church : and if all conformable preachers were such , as too many be , i would heartily prefer our homilies and common-prayer before all their pulpit-work . and now i see which is the way to bring it to this pass , and to put down preaching and pulpit-prayers , even to set up such as will weary the hearers , and make them be glad of a homily , as better than such pittiful stuff : but yet i will not consent to that design , while there are so many living that can and would do better if they might . but must we be silenced because we be not such as these conformists , or must these also be silenced with us ? but i pray , sir , forget not to tell me in your next what one non-conformist was silenced on the account of insufficiency ? and whether the very worst and meanest of those that formerly joyned with them , be not re-ordained and received when they do conform ? § . 6. you next ask [ how many of these were nested in other mens habitations , while the right owners were exposed to wind , weather and starving , double the number of 1800 ? ] answ . 1. but how many of those were never in any sequestration ; and must not they preach the gospel for the sake of others ? 2. i deny not the great crime you charge upon them : when the judges of those times had cast out many conformists , ( most that ever i knew of , upon accusations of insufficiency , or gross scandal witnessed upon oath ) though too many ( contrary to the requests of my self , and many other ministers ) were censured for their opposition to the parliament ) then did these non-conformists ( some of them ) come upon the peoples request into the vacant churches , and chose rather to preach to the people , than they should have none , and gods publick worship should cease in the land ; and i confess , that they did eat bread while they laboured , even that which was devoted to the maintenance of the labourers . i was one of these my self , and others before you have told me of it . and though i never put the vicar out of his house , ( nor set my foot within his doors , lest he should think i intended it ) yet i confess he had but somewhat above 40 l. per annum out of the sequestration , and his old curate mr. turner 10 l. but that amounted to abovt 500 l. a sermon in fourteen years , ( and i never forbade him to preach ) whereas before his sequestration he had not past 30 l. or 40 l. a sermon at most ; ( for he preach'd ( as some called it ) once a quarter . ) his curate mr. turner had his old stipend to his death , and almost all the time did publickly read the common-prayer at mitton , though i told him indeed that i could wish he would give over the ministry ; seeing upon examination i could not find that he understood much of his creed , nor what we expect from catechized children of twelve years old . but whether it had been my duty to have forborn my fourteen years labour there , because the times cast out such men ; and whether it had been better have left many hundreds untaught , to perish for ever in their sin and ignorance , or whether sin and ignorance are really such dangerous matters as we non-conformists have believed , are controversies which i will not now debate . § . 7. you add , [ the retalliation may cause them to say , as i have done , so god hath requited me . ] answ . 1. doth this savour of any sense at all of a love to souls ? is it the preachers or the people that suffer more ? when we desire but that we may be suffered to instruct sinners , and perswade them to repentance , till the churches be so well supplied as not to need us , in stead of nothing the misery of those that perish for lack of teaching , you tell us how justly we are requited : and must so many thousands go to hell that we may be requited ? why should so many suffer for our faults ? 2. but let us consider also your justice to our selves . 1. the ministers that were in sequestrations were put out ( where any could claim the place ) before the 1800 were silenced , and they were not i think a fourth part of the silenced ones that were of that number . 2. they succeeded those that were mostly cast out upon accusations of scandal , witnessed upon oath , ( as the two first centuries printed unhappily shew : ) if you say that the witnesses swore falsely , and the judges were unjust , i answer , that where i was acquainted the witnesses were reputed as honest men as any in the place , and they got nothing by their oaths ; and if all were unjust , i answer , that was not the succeeding ministers fault . 3. i my self succeeded one that preached but once a quarter , and that so as i never heard the silliest sectary preach in my life . 4. none of them that i know of had any hand in casting out these ministers : most of them came out of the universities after the other were ejected . 5. if they had not come in , the peoples souls , and the publick worship of god had been forsaken . 6. when we were in , we laboured with all our skill and power publickly , and from house to house , and might we have indulged the flesh , had never taken such a flesh-displeasing course . 7. the ejected ministers had for their wives a fifth part of the maintenance . 8. and the ejected ministers were never silenced that i know of , but only forbidden to use the common-prayer but a little before cromwel dyed . 9. and against this both i and others wrote , and requested of the usurper , that none that was of competent parts , and an honest life , might be hindered from the ministry for serving the king , or upon any such civil or disciplinary differences . this was our case ; and were we requited as we had done ? did we silence any man ? did we cast any out , ( how bad soever ; ) some did perhaps , or had a hand in it ? but what 's that to the many hundred that did not ? have we the fifth part ? have we leave to preach when we are ejected out of the places of maintenance ? i confess we had an opinion , which i will not now stand to defend , that the damnation of multitudes of souls is too dear a price to purchase the ease or fuller maintenance of an ignorant and a drunken priest above his fifth part : and though here and there such a man as your self might be cast out , which i never liked or had a hand in , yet your pleading in this cause doth urge me to tell you my own experience : when i was a child , i lived under five teachers before i was ten years old , of which most were ignorant readers , two drunkards , one an unlearned seldom preacher ; after that , before i was fifteen , i lived where was a parson of eighty years old , that never preached , and a vicar of near eighty that never preached , both in one parish ; and four curates and parsons , drunken readers , most of them my school-masters : the last preached but once , and then he was stark drunk , the dreadfullest sermon that ever i heard , on mat. 25. 40 , &c. besides all these , some years , when the old parsons eye-sight failed , he said the common-prayer by rote , and a taylor read the scriptures for him one year , and a poor day-labourer another . when i entred into the ministry my self , i have told you whom i did succeed : but as the man is , so is his appetite and relish : i strive not to bring you to dislike such priests , nor to win you from pleading for the silencing of faithful ministers ; but while i am silenced , i will tell you what truth and innocence have to say . § . 8. as to the number which you will not believe , i can only tell you that about 1800 were silenced 1662. of whom i will suppose an hundred to have conformed , and an hundred to be dead : but doubt not but some spring up in their steads . § . 9. as to your first caution , i confess exasperations have made some talk more sharply against the bishops than i think meet : but i wonder and rejoyce that they are so few . had it been about london an usual thing , they had heard more of it before now . § . 10. and for your second caution , it is not you nor i that make those laws which denominate duty and sin : and if i would hold it to be no sin in me to lie deliberately , and say , that i assent and consent to all things in three books , when i do not , or to absolve from an oath many hundred thousands , when i never knew in what sense they took it , or other such like ; if i incourage the laity to conform to the corporation declaration , that no man is bound by any thing in the vow , no not against schism , popery nor prophaness , nor to repent of his sins , &c. gods law will never the more justifie any of this for my conformity to it : nor will he accept of disobedience for a sacrifice , nor needeth my lie or other sin to his service or glory . but it 's a fine world , when fearing sin ( and no less sin than aforesaid ) is become the sin and danger of the church . § 11. i will add one observation on this subject , to make up your comparison what those whom i and others of my acquaintance succeeded were ( not silenced but ) sequestred for , is said before ; but. i never yet heard of one non-conformist silenced for insufficiency or scandal , but for nonconformity alone . let not your talk and mine , but the laws , and court-records judge and tell posterity the truth . but i have known silly anabaptists and sectaries , whom we never approved , received into the ministry of the church of england upon their conformity . § 12. you say , [ i am glad you own my quotation out of your book of rest , &c. ] answ . alas sir , is not repentance better than hiding slander by palpable untruth ? i told you truly , [ i never wrote so , i never thought so , but have proved the contrary at large , &c. ] why did not you cite the words where i say it . § . 13. you add for a cover another untruth , that i say [ i have retracted and expunged it in a later edition ; ] not a true word , i only said , [ that i had retracted and expunged , not only that which you pervert , but all the rest from end to end , which seemed to savour the late wars . ] and is it all one to say , i expunged what you accuse me of , and to say i expunged that which you pervert : but you have more learning than we that are strangers to the universities , and therefore can make good one untruth with another ; and sport your self with the image of a jumping deer , and a playing fish ; so hard is it to convince you of visible sin . § . 14. you add , [ if you be so rash'in obtruding your immature notions , &c. ] answ . i justifie none of my juvenile errors or crudities . but how suitably cometh this from the same pen , that tells me how glorious it would be , p. 128. to retract with the great bishop of hippo , &c. and in the same book not only urgeth , but falsifyeth what i did so many years before retract ; and now again upbraideth me with that which i did retract . i know innocency is best : but can any man think it would please such men ? i confess had i never wrote at all , i had never wrote any word amiss : and had i never preached at all , i had never preached word amiss , which is the cure used on us now , and the innocency of priests which i have heard some plead for . § . 15. i neither had nor have any mind to pour vinegar into the wound which you lament only , when in your book you tell me of the inconformity of some that grew up under my shadow , pag. 129. you forgot that you would not be responsible for one man in your own family , and yet i am chargeable with that which you suppose the fault of i know not who . § . 16. if your neighbour and his wife will swear what you say , wonder not that so much scandal was charged by oath on your sequestred ministers ; i tell you again , that i was never to my knowledge in your parish in my life ; that i never took horse in my life ; that i medled not my self with any one at that time that i told you i went out ; that i never kept or possessed one of them : therefore no committee could order me to restore them . but a week after , another company , as i told you , did fetch some from that parish , and were ordered by the committee to restore some of them ; which must needs prove your neighbours mistake . no man , to my best remembrance , ever came to me with any order from the committee ; for they knew that i was no officer , and kept not a horse . and if he followed me to london , it must be at least sixteen years after . for i was never at mr. foley's house in london till 1660. and the time he speaketh of was 1644. § . 17. you say , [ in your late book you say , you medled not with the war till after naseby fight . ] answ . not a true word : what should move you to do thus ? i see mr. bagshaw is not the only temerarious writer . i tell you the clean contrary in that book , and only say , [ that i never entered into the army till after naseby fight . ] and is that all one as to say , i never medled with the war ? § . 18. the aphorisms which you called me to retract , you thus noted , [ those especially which are gathered by an eminent hand . ] i instanced but in the first which that eminent hand had gathered : and now , this is not one of those that you meant . § . 19. you say , [ that since arch-bishop abbot refused to license dr. sybthorpes book , i must suppose him a presbyterian . ] answ . yet not a word true ! i only said , [ was arch-bishop abbot a presbyterian ? ] implying that he was none : and so that the prelatists were they that began to offend the king by striving against his will , as i further told you . § . 20. the inconsequence which you bring in with [ i must say ] should have been turned into [ i did say , ] did i not recite your own words ? doth he not swear to diocesanes and lay-chancellors , who sweareth , that he will not at any time endeavour any alteration of the government of the church , which is in their hands ? and doth not he endeavour an alteration , who petitioneth the king or parliament for it ? shall we swear universally , and say we meant it but particularly ? § . 21 : in your description of presbyterians you talk of [ pulling down episcopacy , and setting up presbyterian government in the church against the consent of the supream magistrate , ] when you were told that it was episcopacy that the present non-conformists moved to obtain : and i know none of them that take it not for rebellion to pull down or set up forcibly or by the sword , any thing against the supream ruler , or without him , ( except only what a parent or master may do in his family on children with the rod. ) § . 22. seeing you cannot deny but that you printed about the savoy business that which you understood not , and cannot justifie ; why do you not rather retract it , than wish things had been managed worse ? do you not know how much , yea very much more we yielded to , than ever hildersham , whom you praise , or the other old non-conformist would have done ? see but the kings declaration about ecclesiastical affairs , and read dr. john reignolds papers to sir francis knowles against episcopacy , and judge whether he himself would have gone any further . indeed i know not that i differ in any point of worship , ceremonies or discipline , from that learned doctor whom you praise . § . 23. you make me wonder to read what you urge us with about popery , when we so long together spake aloud , ( when we were allowed ) and told them , [ our union is our strength , and all the faithful ministers of england are too few to cast and keep out ignorance , popery , and sensuality ; and if we were all never so conformable our selves , we do know the land so well , that we are sure if such and such things be made necessary to ministration and communion , many hundred worthy ministers will be silenced , and many thousand religious people will become separatists , and more be offended ; and our divisions will involve us in discontents and murmurings on one side , and severities on the other , and popery and prophaness will prosper under our divisions : and you will be necessitated to fill up our places with many such ministers as will increase all this misery ; and all this may now be prevented by that which will do you no harm at all . ] and when after all our endeavours the flood-gates are pluck'd up , which we would have kept down , it is now pretended , that if we cannot nimbly and deeply swear , and subscribe , and do all that is imposed on us , popery forsooth will come in , and it 's long of us , that would fain have prevented it , and stop'd the gap . § . 24. when i had beyond all sober contradiction proved to you , that it was episcopal men in england that raised the war against the king , that i might move you to impartiality , and to call them to repentance , you do the poorliest put off that which you cannot confute , and yet will not acknowledge , as if nothing were criminal in them that are of the church of england : who knoweth not that many episcopal parliaments before had begun the same quarrels against the king , which the long parliament prosecuted , and cryed out still of monopolies , loss of liberties and propriety , arminianism and innovations in religion , toleration and increase of popery ? read but rushworths collections , and heylins life of arch-bishop laud , and deny it if you can . you cannot deny but that the long parliament began in the same temper as the former ended , having the irritation of that which they accounted lauds innovations to go higher : you cannot i think name two in all the house of commons that were presbyterians when the war began : i provoke you to read over the list of the lord-lieutenants of the parliaments first militia throughout all england , and prove but one of them to be then a presbyterian , or any of them that survive yet to this day : i provoke you to name me one general , officer , yea or three collonels in all the earl of essex his first army that were presbyterians . i might have gone further , and wish'd you to peruse the names of all the parliaments old major-generals or chief commanders in the several counties , ( the earl of stamford , sir william waller , m. g. massey , the earl of denbeigh , sir john gell , ferdinando lord fairfaix , dointz , mitton , sir tho. middleton , morgan , the earl of manchester , &c. ) and tell me how many you can find that were presbyterians . i can witness , that many greatlyest famed of late for presbyterians , have earnestly pleaded with me for the present episcopacy . i asked you whether it was not only the taking down that which they took to be the innovations and exorbitances , and civil power of the bishops , which the parliament asked when the war began ? you can give me no answer to any of this that savoureth of sense and modesty , but what must grant , that it is notoriously certain that it was not a presbyterian , but an episcopal and erastian parliament in england which began the wars : and yet you will rather hide their fact and fault , while you aggravate the same in others , than you will call the episcopal party to repentance . what credit shall we ever give to history , when a thing so publick and notorious , as a parliament , an army , the lord-lieuteants , the major-generals , yea and the synod , shall all be represented to be men of another party , and that had another cause , than indeed they were and had ? if in the same age , the same land , even where and when a great part of them are yet living , and the rest lately were our neighbours and familiars , there shall yet be found such men , yea preachers , as have the face to tell the world , that these at the raising of the war were presbyterians ; we may next expect , that history may make posterity believe , that they were not english-men : i my self knew many of the parliament , many lord-lieutenants , many of essex his army , many of the major-generals , and i scarce remember one presbyterian among them all at the beginning of the war , except two or three scottish soldiers that were in essex's army ; and i do not know that they were such , but only that they were scots . and for the westminster assembly , except only the six or seven independents that were there , i provoke you still to name me three english divines , that were presbyterians , or that were not conformists ? now what do you say to all this ? do you deny ? do you confute any of it ? do you name a man as an instance of my mistake , or can you do it ? § . 25. first you tell me , i am at much pains to clear the non-conformists of the guilt of the late war. answ . no such matter , — i only tell you that it was not a presbyterian parliament , or army , that began the english war. 1. the beginning of the war is one thing , and the progress is another ; the presbyterians ( or , saith dr. heylin , the scots lords for their church-lands and tyths sake ) began it in scotland , the papists began it in ireland , one part of the episcopal against another began it in england . 2. all non-conformists were not presbyterians . 3. cannot i say that the episcopal began it without clearing those that did second them ; or the sectaries that carried it on to the end ? you feign me to say , that [ a very few non-conformists of a multitude were engaged in it ; ] whereas my words were , [ it is not one of a multitude of the nonconformable ministers that ever took up arms against the king. ] i speak there of ministers only , and those that are now non-conformists ; of whom the far greatest number were then children , and many unborn , and many of the elder ( yea most ) never medled with arms : but as for the beginning of the war , i cannot say , of a multitude a few only were ingaged , for there was then no multitude in england of nonconformable ministers . little did i think to have ever been put to dispute such a cause about open matter of fact. i know not your age , but ( being a preacher near four years before the wars ) i was old enough to know , that in all the counties that i was acquainted in , there was not above one poor obscure nonconformable minister in a county , taking one with another , nor i think past one for two counties : poor old mr. barnet in shrop-shire , mr. langley in cheshire , none in worchester-shire , mr. atkins in stafford-shire , mr. angier in lancashire , and how few more in all england , and which of these medled with the wars ? § . 26. and here you say , [ i had thought , currente rota , while your hand was in you would have said , that the regicides were episcopal too , &c. sir , i now perceive cateline was a fool , &c. ] answ . and is there any sense or strength in such an answer ? do such words satisfie your conscience , for the falsifying of such notorious matters of fact ? is there any room for a doubt in the business , except to strangers , or those that were unborn , or children ? would you make me believe , that i saw not what i saw , and heard not what i heard ? you say , [ if episcopal men began and carried on the war , and presbyterians were free , &c. ] answ . did i say that they were free ? or that they joyned not in the progress ? how could a non-ens be free or guilty ? there were very few presbyterian ministers then in england ; the scots did bring in presbytery afterward . you add , § . 27. you were too credulous , &c. were they episcopal men that cryed , to your tents o israel ? that preached curse ye meroz , first voted , and then fought against the king ? answ . is there one man named here as an instance to confute me ? is this evidence fit for such a contradictor of notoriety it self ? when you have named me the men that used those words , i will answer you whether they were episcopal ? i think dr. burges was one of the most accused preachers , being assessor in the assembly , and chaplain to the earl of essex's own regiment : and he was one that protested for a salvo for episcopacy , when the covenant was taken in the assembly , as he hath told me with his own mouth , and wrote to me with his own hand , and none deny : and dr. downing of hackney was one of the next , chaplain to the lord roberts's regiment , who ( being dr. of the civil law ) hath writings yet visible in print for prelacy and conformity . mr. marshal and mr. obadia sedgwick were two of the next , ( one chaplain to essex , the other to the lord hollis's regiment ) both old conformists : of all the chaplains of essex's army , i knew not a non-conformist and presbyterian but mr. ash ; and i think i knew them almost all . and for the parliament i said enough before : the members yet living say , that mr. tate of northampton-shire was the only presbyterian then in the house of commons , and i never yet knew one among the lords . § . 28. you say , [ if they were , they were degenerous from the english episcopacy , they did not keep close to our church , ( which were my words ) to our articles , our canons , our lyturgy , our homilies . ] 1. answ . , your words were also , [ who can choose but nauseate that way of discipline , &c. ] 2. speak out then , and confess that they were degenerous episcopal men , and call them to repentance as the raisers of the war , and deceive not posterity by telling them the contrary . 3. but sir , what mean you by your church , which they kept not close to ? doth not the canon anathematize them that deny the convocation to be the representative church ? and must not the main body of the clergy then be your church ? and doth not dr. heylin largely shew you , that there were but five bishops joyned at first with bishop laud ? and that abbot had the rest with him , in so much that they durst not commit their cause to a convocation ? and that arminianism , new ceremonies , with matters of propriety and prerogative , were the matters then of the contention , which made heylin say , that he knew not whether the church could have a greater plague than a popular prelate , ( because of abbots interest in the nobility , gentry , and people . ) how should one then have known which of the parties was the church , and who shall be judge which party it is that keeps close to the articles , canons lyturgy and homilies : whitgift with dr. whitaker thought that the anti-arminian lambeth articles were the sense of the church and articles . george abbot arch bishop , and robert abbot bishop of salisbury , with davenant , hall , &c. thought the middle augustinian way was the true sense of the articles , lyturgy , &c. ( which is the plain truth . ) bishop laud , with his four partners , ( neile , buckeridge , howson , and corbet ) thought ( as heylin saith ) that the way called arminian was the true sense of the articles and church . overal and mountague kept with them of the middle way in the main , yet were more averse to the calvinist prelates than the rest . these fall out among themselves : the arminians being few , are born down by the rest in parliaments , and convocations . the duke of buckingham ( and , as heylin saith , the king ) favoured the five dissenting bishops ! when favour strengtheneth their party , they call themselves the church ; accordingly one part of them pleadeth for his majesties prerogative , &c. and the other are for parliaments , and cry up propriety and liberty : at last the scotch and irish bussles prepare all for a war , and these two episcopal parties sight ; one party cryeth down arminianism , innovations , altars , favour to papists , ship-money , &c. the other party cryeth out against absolute reprobation , calvinism , puritanism , &c. the one party cryeth down the papists , and calleth the scots presbyterians to their help ; the other party cryeth down the presbyterians , and calleth the papists to their help : which of these is the church , which keepeth close to the articles , canons ? &c. for my part i am none of the judge between them in that point . and i think if you call one side the church , it will be never the more the church for that ; unless the king doth make it so : but surely they were both episcopal , though one party after fell in with the presbyterians , ( and the presbyterians were conquered or cast out by the sectaries ) and the other party kept with the king. § . 29. you say , [ would episcopal men conspire to root out episcopacy ? ] answ . at first they conspired but to restrain and regulate those that they thought innovators and arminians , &c. ( i speak only of church matters ) but after they were too weak to defend themselves without the scots and sectaries , and were content to take down episcopacy to please their helpers , rather than to be overcome themselves . § . 30. whether williams or laud was the better arch-bishop , or whether they did well that cut off laud , is none of the question : all that i say was , that williams was an arch-bishop , and a commander for the parliament in arms. § . 31. when you turn me from heylins life of laud , to heylins history of presbytery you do but trifle and seek a subterfuge . i justifie not the presbyterians in that he chargeth on them , ( though you may know what peter moulin , prebend of canterbury , in his answer to philanax anglicus , hath said about the forreign churches . ) but what 's that to the question , whether it was an episcopal parliament or a presbyterian that began the english war , will the fault of one excuse the other ? § . 32. as to what you say of the change of the puritans , since jewel , andrews , &c. wrote for them , and that they are not such as ball , &c. i answer 1. is the discipline changed which you speak of , or the whole chorus which you speak to ? was there no martin-marprelates then ? have we retracted our doctrine or consent to the church articles , or to the oaths of allegiance or supremacy ? have we not in 1660. yielded to more than ever ball , or any of the old non-conformists yielded to ? deny it if you can . 2. as for personal charges , others will be as ready to requite you with the like : but neither you nor they should charge any more , than you can prove guilty . § . 33. you tell me , [ if hooker were alive , he would make such as me to quake , so strong should we find his breath in his deep , close , and strenuous arguments : i have read him over again and again , yet i never observed him to be an enemy to monarchy ; — you can find out , if not new worlds , yet new inhabitants , and make strange discoveries . ] answ . a learned confutator , i say not that hooker or bilson were enemies to monarchy . but i say that it was theirs , and such prelatists principles that led me to what i did and wrote in the book which i have retracted . and must i be put to defend the king against such men and principles , at the same time when we are charged with that which we oppose ? and will you indeed cry out of the discipline of the whole chorus of dissenters , as not loyal , and at the same time defend such principles in the prelatists ? come on then , i will cite you some of their words ; send me your defence of them in your next , and you shall , if i be able , have my reply ; and i begin with bishop bilson , because he was the more learned man : difference of christ. subject . &c. pag. 520. he saith , [ except the laws of those realms do permit the people to stand on their right , if the prince would offer that wrong , i dare not allow their arms : — i busie not my self in other mens common-wealths as you do , neither will i rashly pronounce all that resist to be rebels . cases may fall out even in christian kingdoms , where the people may plead their right against the prince , and not be charged with rebellion . — if a prince should go about to subject his kingdoms to a forreign realm , or change the form of the common-wealth from imperie to tyranny , or neglect the laws established by common consent of prince and people , to execute his own pleasure ; in these and other cases which might be named , if the nobles and commons joyn together to defend their ancient and accustomed liberty , regiment and laws , they may not well be counted rebels , — i never denyed that the people might preserve the foundation , freedom and form of their common-wealth , which they foreprized when they first consented to have a king. i never said that kingdoms and common-wealths might not proportion their states , as they thought best by their publick laws , which afterward the princes themselves may not violate . — and in kingdoms where princes bear rule by the sword , we do not mean the princes private will against his laws , but his precept derived from his laws , and agreeing with his laws , which though it be wicked , yet may it not be resisted by any subject with armed violence . marry when princes offer their subjects not justice but force , and despise all laws , and practise their lusts , not every or any private man may take the sword to redress the prince : but if the laws of the land appoint the nobles , as next the king , to assist him in doing right , and with-hold him from doing wrong , then be they licensed by mans law , and so not prohibited by gods , to interpose themselves for the safety of equity and innocency . — it is easie for a running and railing head to sit at home in his chamber and call men rebels , himself being the rankest . ] hooker eccles . polit. lib. 1. § . 10. pag. ed. ult . 21. that which we speak of the power of government , must here be applied to the power of making laws whereby to govern , which power god hath over all , and by the natural law , whereto he hath made all subject , the lawful power of making laws to command whole politick societies of men , belongeth so properly to the same entire societies , that for any prince or potentate , of what kind soever , upon earth , to exercise the same himself , and not either by express commission immediately and personally receiv'd from god , or else by authority deriv'd at first from their consent , upon whose person they impose laws , it is no better than meer tyranny : laws they are not therefore which publick approbation hath not made so . and lib. 8. pag. 192. unto me it seemeth almost out of doubt and controversie , that every independent multitude , before any certain form of regiment established , hath under god supream authority , full dominion over it self . — and pag. 193. [ in kingdoms of this quality the highest governour hath indeed universal dominion , but with dependency upon the whole entire body , over the several parts whereof he hath dominion ; so that it standeth for an axiom in this case , the king is singulis major , vniversis minor. and pag. 194. neither can any man with reason think but that the first institution of kings , ( a sufficient consideration wherefore their power should always depend on that from which it did always flow , by original influence of power from the body into the king ) is the cause of kings dependency in power upon the body ; by dependency we mean sub-ordination and subjection . ☜ a manifest token of which dependency may be this . as there is no more certain argument that lands are held under any as lords , than if we see that such lands in defect of heirs fall unto them by escheat ; in like manner it doth follow rightly , that seeing dominion , when there is none to inherit it , returneth unto the body ; therefore they which before were inheritors of it , did hold it in dependence on the body : so that by comparing the body with the head , as touching power , it seemeth always to reside in both ; fundamentally and radically in one ; in the other derivatively : in one the habit , in the other the act of power . ] and [ — the axiomes of our royal government are these , lex facit regem ; the kings grant of any favour made contrary to law is void , rex nihil potest , nisi quid jure potest . and pag. 210. when all which the wisdom of all sorts can do is done for the devising laws in the church , it is the general consent of all , that giveth them the form and vigour of laws , without which they could be no more to us than the counsels of physitians to the sick ; well might they seem as wholesom admonitions and instructions , but laws could they never be , without the consent of the whole church to be guided by them : whereunto both nature and the practise of the church of god set down in scripture , is found every way so fully consonant , that god himself would not impose , no not his own laws upon his people , by the hand of moses , without their free and open consent ] ( o fearful passage ! ) and p. 220. it is a thing even undoubtedly natural , that all free and independent societies should themselves make their own laws , and that this power should belong to the whole , not to any certain part of a politick body . and p. 221. [ for of this thing no man doubteth , namely , that in all societies , companies , corporations , what severally each shall be bound unto , it must be with all their assents ratified . against all equity it were , that a man should suffer detriment at the hands of men , for not observing , that which he never did either by himself or by others mediately or immediately agree to . and p. 205. [ if magistrates be heads of church , they are of necessity christians , ] ( as if no magistrates but christians were chief governours of the church , which is meant by heads . ) and p. 218 , 223 , 224. what power the king hath , he hath it by law. the bounds and limits of it are known : the entire community giveth order , &c. p. 223. as for them that exercise power altogether against order , although the kind of power which they have may be of god , yet is their exercise thereof against god , and therefore not god , otherwise than by permission , as all injustice is . — p. 224. usurpers of power ( whereby we do not mean them that by violence have aspired unto places of highest authority , but that use more authority than ever they did receive in form and manner afore-mentioned , — ) such usurpers thereof as in the exercise of their power do more than they have been authorized to do , cannot in conscience bind any man to obedience . ☜ and pag. 194. may a body-politick then at all times withdraw in whole or in part the influence of dominion which passeth from it , if inconveniences do grow thereby ? it must be presumed , that supream governours will not in such case oppose themselves , and be stiff in detaining that , the use whereof is with publick detriment , &c. sir , i do not by reciting it dissent from every word that i cite , but i am against mr. hookers popular fundamentals themselves , and desire you to let me know whether these be the prelates principles which you defend : and for an exposition of mr. hooker , remember that sir edwin sandys was his pupil and chief bosom-friend . but you say you have read his book over and over , and therefore it is not from ignorance of what he wrote , that you become a defender of him . i suppose you are not ignorant that these are the very principles , which ( i will not say the long parliament , but ) the very rump and regicides went upon , that power is originally in the people , and escheateth to them , and that the king is singulis major , but vniversis minor , &c. see parkers observations 1642. if i were writing to such as mr. walton , who would tempt men to question whether the 8th book be not corrupted , i would tell them ; 1. that the passage in the first book is the sum of all the rest , and sheweth that they came from the same author . 2. dr. spencer was not a person so to be suspected , as one that would befriend a corrupted copy . 3. i can yet give you the testimony of one of the famousest men in england for learning in the laws and integrity , who had long ago a copy in m. s. agreeing with the printed copy . 4. bishop guuden dedicated it to the king , and saith , that even the eighth book is interlined in many places with mr. hookers own characters , as owned by him , and he proveth it by other reasons . and the same bishop gauden saith , p. 18. he admirably expresseth the original of all laws . and yet bishop carlton treat . of jurisdiction , pag. 12. saith , [ this i observe the rather , because some of the popes flatterers of late , as others also , to open a wide gap to rebellions , have written , that the power of government by the law of nature is in the multitude . ] i conjecture that mr. hooker was the chief man whom he meant by [ others : ] and his foresaid pupil and friend was far from being a presbyterian , as his europae speculum sheweth ; and yet it 's well known how close he stuck to abbot's party , and how great a man he was in parliaments for the subjects liberty , and the restraint of monarchy . and even bishop gauden his last publisher saith , pag. 4. of his life . [ this is certain , that the strength of the church of england was much decayed and undermined , before it was openly battered , partly by some superfluous illegals and unauthorized innovations in point of ceremony , which some men affected to use in publick , and impose upon others , which provoked people to jealousie and fury , even against things lawful , every man judging truly , that the measure of all publick obedience ought to be the publick laws . ☜ partly by a supine neglect in others , of the main matters in which the kingdom of god , the peace of conscience , and the churches happiness , do chiefly consist ; while they were immoderately intent upon meer formalities , and more zealous for an outward conformity to those shadows , than for that inward , or outward conformity with christ in holy hearts and unblamable lives , which must adorn true religion . ] to which he adds the testimony of dr. holsworth ! so that it is a thing notorious and past contradiction , that the arminianism , innovations , and supposed excesses and exorbitances of one part of the prelatists , gave occasion to the other part ( then accounted the church and the more protestant ) to vent their displeasure and fear in many parliaments , and at last to take up arms , and when they found themselves too weak , to invite the scottish presbyterians to their aid , who fell at last into the hands of the sectaries . and therefore i excuse or justifie none of the parties ; but those that say that the beginners of the war against the king are guilty of his death , as well as they that kill'd him , must confess that it was the prelatists , or they must be impudent : and therefore i again advise you to forbear the defence of hooker and such conformists , and call them first to repentance , who were first ( of the english ) in taking up arms against the king. § . 34. it 's well you disclaim the politicks of grotius : but what abundance more authors of politicks could i name you that make the majestas realis to be in the people , yea and the power of judging kings . such as willius ( he whom bishop hall wrote his epistle to in his remains ) alstedius , &c. besides the papists ; and if you agree with me in disliking those , do not own the same in hooker , or other prelatists . § . 35. because you said , [ who can choose but nauseate that way of discipline , which startles at renouncing war against the king : ] i desire you ro tell me what discipline you mean ? you will not say prelatical discipline ; if you mean presbyterian , 1. i told you it was episcopacy which the present non-conformists offered to the king and bishops . 2. i desired you to peruse the confessions and descriptions of the discipline of the forreign churches , and to tell me which words do deny renouncing such war. and what say you to this ? why ! first you deride the motion , as a thing not to be required of you , and say their actions are quite contrary to their confessions ? will not your conscience mark here ; 1. how your own pen doth acquit their confessions , and yet you nauseate the way of discipline that startles , &c. and where is the way of discipline to be found but in those confessions , which even the accuser now absolveth ? 2. and now you lay it on practice , and what 's that , 1. to the way of discipline ; 2. or to the whole chorus which you speak to , or any one man whose practice you have not proved such as you accuse ? and is your printed clamour come to this ? § . 36. and what say you of the practice now ? 1. you tell me of davila . i pray next go to parsons image of both churches , and to philanax anglicus , where you shall find the prelatists as deeply charged . and must davila a papist be credited against bishop jewel , bishop bilson , king james , and many other on the other side ? and is not davila a false historian ? for instance , he falsely saith , that carpenter was kill'd in the massacre , ( who dyed of the fright ) and that peter ramus ( the father of the independents ) was a papist , &c. and is a false forreigner and a papist to be believed against the french protestants ? i again refer you to the late notable vindication of the forreign presbyterians in france , holland , embden , geneva , &c. by pet. moulin jun. in his answer to philanax anglicus : and yet his father might well blame them for some instances as you cite him ; for as to the last business at saumurs and rochel , he was a noted and suffering dissenter from that party , and so were other protestants , as well as he . but one would think by your progress , that i had justified all the wars or actions of the presbyterians , because i told you that the prelatists begun the english war ; which if you would insinuate , ( or else you speak not sense ) you want either that understanding or that sincerity which beseemeth a historian and a divine . but if really you will stand to it , that their way of discipline is to be nauseated , who are guilty in practice of resisting kings , who do you not speak out then , that the prelatical discipline is to be nauseated , when you have not spoken a word of sense to disprove the aforesaid charge against the prelatists ? as to your margin ; 1. i have no more to do with martyn than you have . 2. if you had any thing to have justifyed your calumny out of t. c. or travers , you should have cited it ; for it 's but a silly shift to set down their bare names . 3. and i will no further believe bancroft or sir th. aston , than they prove what they say , no more than your self . and i have reason for so saying . § . 37. next you feign me to say , that [ the divines , presbyterian or episcopal , medled little with it ; ] whereas i had no such word , but on the contrary told you , [ that the divines on both sides were too guilty , if not the forwardest . ] and are you a fit man to state these matters in print for posterity , and pour out such invectives against other men , that have not so much patience or care as to heed what you read in a letter , or what you write in answer to it ? what use can such writings as these be of , but to abuse the simple ? i only told you the differences were political and legal , and not theological ; but i said not that divines medled not in them . § . 38. i did , as you say , desire you to name the theological differences , if you know any , for i never did : and what say you to this ? would not any reader here expect that you should have named some one difference ? but instead of that , you exclaim , [ this is strange ] and you ask me , [ did i never hear of dr. ferne , mr. dudley digs ? ] yes , and of mr. weldon , and michael hudson , and sir francis nethersole , and more , and have long ago read them all . and what of that ? and i have read jo. goodwin , mr. bridges , mr. calamy , &c. and what of all that ? why did you not name the theological difference ? — you say , that it was called the cause of god , religion , &c. did you think that you spake to the purpose , when you said this ? it was gratia materiae , finis & effect us that they accounted it the cause of religion : they thought it had been the liberation of their church and country , and the defence of religion against innovators . but what 's that to the lawfulness of taking up arms ? is any man so mad ( especially an episcopal parliament ) as to think all war lawful against the king , which is for religion ? will a good end justifie ill means ? your own instance of mr. vines and mr. marshal , to prove , that in rom. 13. by the higher powers was meant the parliament-houses , &c. if you had been a man of consideration , would have clearly shewed you how it confuteth your self : that , and many texts of scripture were agitated by dr. ferne , mr. digs , and those that answered them : upon all which it was agreed , as far as i know , that the higher powers were not by arms to be resisted . and this is all the theological part . but did you think that they thought that rom. 13. or other scriptures , did tell the world whether caesar or the senate was the higher power ? or which is the higher power in venice , germany , poland , hungary , france , england , or any country in the world ? will you put the king to prove all his power from scripture ? what ever you take it , i and all that ever i met with , that were above the rank of those you describe by jobs wife , did take this to be a point of policy and law , and not of theology , and that scriptures tell us not who is the supream in every republick , but supposing that known , commands us not to resist them . and then comes in bishop bilson , and saith what is before cited for lords and commons vindicating their librerties ; and then comes in hooker and tells us , that by the law of nature legislation belongeth to the body , and that the king is dependent and subject to the body , and such like . and many divines took up those opinions ; and dr. ferne and others were against them . but what of all this ? are not these controversies in law and politicks , though handled by divines ? § . 39. your next say , that dr. manton wrote on jude , and note my in-advertency that take no more notice of his labours : and i marvel more than you can do , that i never heard of that book before : nor could hear of it from any one , till he told me himself , that he had long ago published some sermons , which he preached very young , &c. on jude . and that i was hereof ignorant i confess . § . 40. you say of your citation of dr. burges , that the book is in the hand of a friend ; and you add , [ are you such a helluo liborum , and yet had you no acquaintance with these ? ] answ . i have read i think all dr. john burges's writings , except those against conformity before he turned . and i read dr. cornelius burges book of baptismal regeneration about 36 years ago ; and i after wrote somewhat against it , and dr. ward and mr. bedford on that subject ; and since i was familiar with the author till near his death , therefore i believe not that it was john burges that wrote that book , but suppose you to be much liker to be mistaken than i. and unless dr. john burges wrote another book of the same subject ( which i shall also wonder that i never heard of ) i am as sure you are mistaken as my eyes and acquaintance can make me . § . 41. i told you i knew not one of the ministers that was not ready to swear that which you feign the discipline of the chorus to refuse . and you ask me , why then did they flit their habitations ? answ . did i not expresly tell you why ? and was your disingenuity at leisure to fill your paper with the recital of an answered question , that you might have opportunity to vent your latet aliquid ? and here you begin to dispute the case ( platonically . ) but i cannot perswade my self to dispute it with one that no better understandeth it , or careth what he saith ; only i answer your questions . q. 1. what was the sum of that oath , was it not plainly and directly against taking up arms ? answ . 1. and is that all the oath ; or is there not a clause for our church-government ? 2. if so , why is the first clause the sum of the whole ? 3. or need my conscience stick at nothing in an oath , but what you will call the sum ? o happy quieter of consciences that fear an oath ! q. 2. did it any way hinder parliament mens speaking , or others peaceably petitioning for such reformation as is necessary ? answ . 1. you shall not draw me to say , that an alteration of diocesanes or lay-chancellors is necessary , no not ad bene esse ecclesiae ; for i know the law is against it . but if i thought so , is petitioning no endeavouring ? say so , and shew that you care not what you say , to draw down an oath : and must not i swear , that i [ will not any time endeavour any alteration ? ] and shall i swear universally against all endeavour , and mentally reserve [ excepting petitioning , speaking , &c. ] are oaths things to be swallowed thus in sport ? and will wiping my mouth thus make me innocent ? q. 3. [ were not those who were commissioned to administer it , ready to declare the sense of it ? ] answ . 1. where did the king and parliament give them power to declare the sense ? 2. is it not all the justices in england that are authorized ( two at once ) to administer it ? and do you know what all the justices in england are ready to do ? 3. are you sure they will all agree in the sense ? or must we take it in several senses , if several men severally expound it ? 4. what law or divinity teacheth you to take an oath in the sense of an inferior magistrate that offereth it you , who is not by the law impowered to interpret it ; nor is so much as made a judge of the sense , but of my fact of taking or refusing it ? if this way be lawful , what if a papist could find a justice that would expound the oath of supremacy for the pope ? may he therefore take it ? is not the law-maker the universal expositor of his own law ; except for the judicial decision of a particular case which he committeth to his judges ? or can a justice dispense with equivocation in oaths , and not a pope ? 5. i was but once yet sent to goal for refusing that oath , and then i told them that i refused it not , but desired the justices to tell me the sense of it , which they refused , and said i must take it according to the plain words , or importance of the phrase , ( which is the truth . ) and yet you say , are they not ready , &c. what wonder if oaths go smoothly down , where there are such resolvers ? and it books revile them that will not swear ? but here ensueth as confident a rhetorical invective against those that scruple this kind of swearing , as if logick first had done its part , or at least one word of sense had been spoken to satisfie the conscience of a man that would not be stigmatized with per. and we must swear without any smoother oyl to get it down , than such talk as this , or else we must go with you for men of hot and feavourish brains . but swearers we find have a heat of their own kind , transcending others : such as your book and other mens actions have declared . § . 42. i told you , [ if you would put out the other clauses of the oath , &c. you should see how few would stick at that of taking arms against the king. ] here you say , [ why do i lay this on you , &c. ] answ . but sir , you might have understood my inference : why then do you pretend a false reason of our refusal , when we tell you the true reason ? if you cannot put out the clause which we refuse , you could forbear to calumniate us of traiterous meanings , as if we stuck at another clause . § . 43. when i desired the imposing of no other oaths on us to prelates or chancellors , than were imposed or used for many hundred years in the church , you tell us , that [ it may be schismatical to stand up too stifly for immediate dispensations as to the modes of external policy , &c. ] answ . 1. as some things not commanded in modes of church policy are lawful , so some things are unlawful ; or else you may swear to the pope as well as to diocesanes . and is it lawful to swear to the unlawful part think you ? what that is i will not dispute with you . 2. all that is lawful to be done , is not to be sworn to , and made so necessary , as that a church or nation shall swear never to endeavour any alteration of it , when a change of divine providence can turn many lawful things into unlawful . 3. but are we the grea● admirers of antiquity , and yet must we have oaths , even publick oaths in the church it self , and matters so necessary , as that ministers must be sworn to them , which the church never knew for 800 years . well! plead for antiquity when it serves your turn , and when it makes against you cry it down . 4. if you will ( among many others that have written , how the pope got princes under his feet , by imposing oaths upon the clergy ) read but what bishop carlton saith of jurisdiction , chap. 7. and you will see one reason why we are loth to swear to the church government as totally unalterable , and that before the states . § . 44. about lay-chancellors exercising the spiritual power of the keys , and our swearing never to endeavour any alteration of it , you say , [ me thinks a person of your ingenuity should rest satisfied with that modest declaration of our rubrick , concerning the censures of the church , in the preface to the communion . ] answ . is there one syllable in that preface for justifying lay-chancellors use of the keys ? what need is there of ingenuity to swallow an oath upon such satisfaction as this ? but you add , [ do they do this of themselves as lay-men , or do they not ? you see it is easie to push with the horns , and to evince that you are either ignorant or absurd : but i shall only remember you , that lay-chancellors excommunicate not as lay-men ; but by vertue of those surrogates who are delegates for this purpose , originally by the bishop himself . this abstraction is not too hard for you to conceive . ] answ . we have feaverish and skittish brains indeed , if all this oyl will not get down oaths . but come sir , horns against horns is an ordinary way of combating . these lay-chancellors either are clergy-men , or they are not : if they are not , ( as they are not ) then they that excommunicate not as lay-men , do it as clergy-men , or not ; if not as lay-men , nor as clergy-men , as what then ? if as clergy-men , then they that are no clergy-men may excommunicate as clergy-men , or not : if not , all the fat is in the fire still : if yea , then either they may act as in a person which they have not , or not : if not , yet we cannot swear : if yea , then you are push'd up to a stone wall , and must deny two principles : 1. that operari sequitur esse : 2. that a negatione est secundi adjecti , ad negationem est tertii adjecti , valet argumentum : qui non est clericus , non operatur qua clericus . 3. to which i may add a moral principle ; non est mentiendum . but i have heard before now of preaching , and other officiating per se aut per alium . but let us horn it with you a little further : either the exercise of the keys by excommunication is an act proper to the sacred pastoral office , or it is not : if it be not , then preaching , praying , sacraments , or some other actions , are proper to it , or not : if none be proper to it , we are at the wall of a contradiction , for then it is no sacred office ; but if something be proper to it , that something is more sacred than the power of excommunication , or not : if not , then we are again at the wall of a contradiction : if they be equally sacred , they are equally proper to the sacred pastoral office : if yea , then argumentum valet ab opere ad officium , the office of a bishop as such is less sacred than the office of a presbyter : and either it is one half a bishops work that may be done by a lay-man , or all ! if all , ( ordination and jurisdiction or censure ) then a lay-man may be a bishop , and a bishop a lay-man ; and so episcopacy no sacred office. if half , 1. either that half is included in the keys of the kingdom , given to pastors , or not : if not , then we are at a wall ; for , 1. it will prove no part of their office or power ( as bishops or pastors . ) 2. the word keys will never be intelligible , if it include not the power of binding and loosing ; but if that half be included in the power of the keys , then either christ , when he committed the keys to the clergy , did distinguish in that one word , and make one act of the keys proper to the clergy , and not another , or he did not distinguish , but make the said keys wholly proper to them : if the former , what is the proof ? where is the distinction found ? there is none in the words : if the latter , then habetur quaesitum ; excommunication is not to be done by a lay-man ; or else he made all the keys communicable to the laity ; and then baptism ( which is the first exercise of them politically ) is communicable , and then there is no sacred office. again , a bishop can excommunicate by a presbyter , as well as by a lay-man , or not : if not , we are at a wall : if yea , then a presbyter may do the work of a bishop , if a bishop please ; and if so , then he may ordain also , if a bishop please ; for why may not one key be exercised per alium , as well as another ? and if a bishop please , presbyters ordination is valid . moreover , either the bishop may commit this power to a lay-chancellor only pro hac vice , or statedly as an office. if the first , farewell chancellors who have an office of it . if the latter , then either to make a man a chancellor is to make him a bishop , or not : if yea , then speak out , and call him not a lay-man , but let him be ordained and consecrated ; if not , we are at a wall again , and we must deny a principle , viz. that they are the same things that have the same true definitions . for , ( do but suppose the other half the prelatical work ( ordination ) also to be done per alium in a stated way of office , and he that doth it will have the same definition ; that is , one in stated office , authorized to ordain and exercise the keys of jurisdiction , or absolution and excommunication : for the office is nothing else but authority and obligation to do the proper acts. in a word , circumstantials , circa sacra , or accidentals , may be done per alium , ( as to call the people to church , &c. ) acts proper to the sacred office ( of bishop or presbyter ) may not ! otherwise 1. ordination or consecration cannot be proved to be an entering into a sacred office ; because it tyeth us but to that which another may be tyed to without it ; 2. or the office which may be exercised per alium by a lay-man , is not sacred ; and episcopacy may be translated into the hands of the laity , or rather is a lay-office already . but what mean you by saying , that they excommunicate by vertue of those surrogates , &c. do you mean that surrogates give the chancellor his power ? i knew not so much before , nor believe it now ; or doth the chancellor represent the surrogate , and do it in his name ? i am content to be still so ignorant and absurd , as to wish you had more consulted the honour of your knowledge , than to talk at these rates . in my opinion , of the two you had taken a more plausible way , if with your brethren you had pretended , that taking down chancellors ( who are the stated governours ) is no alteration in the church government ; or else that the ordinary priest , who sometime pro forma pronounceth the sentence which the chancellor decreeth , is the excommunicator and absolver ; and so say that a presbyter exerciseth the episcopal office , rather than a lay-man , ( if we were not more jealous of the presbyters claim of right to it , than of the lay-mans . ) i pray take some of these ways the next time ; or else do not rant too hotly against those skittish hot-brained men , that make a question of swearing as boldly , and as deeply as you expect them . and teach them better than by rhetorical flourishes , how to confute the seperatists , that say , [ a perjured clergy is not to be communicated with : but , &c. ] if i had no better answer for them than what you afford me , i would leave them to some that are more able to confute them : for with your weapons i am unable . and your saying they do it by vertue of the surrogates , makes me question by how many descents a bishops power may be committed to others . doth the bishop commit it to the surrogate , and the surrogate to the chancellors , and the chancellors to the official ? and what if it come down yet ten degrees more ? is it a lay-work , or a-sacred clergy-work at last , when it is per alium , qui per alium , qui per alium , &c. if you shall say , that by the surrogate you did mean either any priest that doth pronounce the sentence , or the parish priest that proclaimeth it in the church ; remember that it is neither ministerial pronouncing , nor ministerial proclaiming or reading it that we speak of , but judicial authoritative decreeing it ; and that the chancellor doth not excommunicate decretively by any vertue of the priests pronuntiation or reading , which both follow after , and are done ministerially in obedience to him : and that the cryer that readeth the kings proclamations is no magistrate , much less one by vertue of whom the king doth make them . § . 45. you add , [ i 'le warrant , you have more kindness for lay-elders , if they were joyned with you in things sacred : as catechizing , admissions to the sacrament , and censures of the church . ] answ . your warrants are so ready and rash , that i know not well what it is that you may not warrant at these rates ; or else you would not have warranted this to one that hath wrote so much against lay-elders , and never had any thing to do with them , ( as men that medled with any part of the sacred office , though lay-magistrates and aged men i honour . ) i will not trouble the churches peace either against lay-elders or lay-chancellors ; but i will be sworn to neither of them as vsers of the keys . but you think this is but a gnat in my way ; so wide is your swearing-swallow , and so terrible to us men of feaverish heads , are your things indifferent . ] § . 46. you say , [ the camel or belzebub is diocesan bishops : the episcopacy of bishop vsher you are for . ] answ . 1. quer. whether the arch-bishops and bishops in ushers model be diocesanes or not ? or whether the game you play at be not self-contradiction . 2. if ever i be a bishop , i shall bless my self from such a defender as you , if you can defend no better than you do swearing to church-government by lay-chancellors . § . 47. you say , [ you are kinder to bishops , for where there is one , i suppose you wish there were many hundreds ; and if this were allowable , we that are minorum gentium ( as to our own interest ) have no cause to oppose it : for then it may be , you and i might in some time of our ages commence bishops . ] answ . o for one grain of ingenuity and modesty in this kind of men ! the debater reproacheth us in print for blowing so long upon our ecclesiastical dignities before we refused them ; when i delayed my answer but one day ; and there were but three of us that had the offer of bishopricks , and two of deanaries , that ever i heard of : and one did almost as soon accept it , as i refused it : and the third ( mr. calamy ) and the two other , only delayed till they saw whether the kings declaration about ecclesiastical affairs would be established by an act ; and refused when they saw it at end . and i was so afraid of the odious crime of ingratitude , that i was fain to give the reasons of my refusal , as easily as i could , in writing to the lord-chancellor , lest it should favour of undervaluing the favour offered . and i scarce ever talk'd of it to any to this day , unless in answer to a question , lest i should seem to be unthankful ; yet can we not have rest in silence for this sort of men ! while all my fear was , lest my refusal would be too displeasing , and cast me under more discountenance than before ; sometime i hear out of the pulpit , ( from a grave doctor known to you ) when no non-conformist but my self is present , that the reason why we dislike bishops is , because we cannot be bishops our selves , ( and yet i ceased not hearing the accuser : ) and here you sarcastically insinuate some such thing ; which alloweth me again to wish for one grain of ingenuity in you . § . 48. you add , [ magis & minus non variant speciem . ] answ . that is only in substances , where the different quantities are all consistent with the form : but not in relative beings , where difference of quantity may change the subject , and so the relation , as keckerman might have taught you , log. de relat. in the instance of a ship. doth your logick teach us , that the people of a whole nation may be but a family , ( a vicus vel pagus ! or that a single person may be a kingdom or a family ) because magis & minus non variant speciem ? would your spoon be a spoon if it were as big as a church , or your church be a church if it were no bigger than a spoon ? is a troop , a regiment , and one army of the same species ? or if all the captains and collonels were put dowu , and the general would be the sole ruler of the army , were there no change of the species of any of the government ? if all the school-masters in the diocess were put down , or turned only into monitors , except one general diocesane school-master , would it not vary the species of school and school-masters ? is a christian society united for personal communion in gods worship of the same species with a thousand such societies , united in one diocesan head , which can have no personal present communion as never seeing one another ? enjoy your logick : i am contented with the dishonour of being no graduate in the university , that teacheth thus , and so applyeth it . § . 49. you say , [ if bishop usher were now alive , he would give you but small thanks for pressing his model of episcopacy , ( if his ) now the king and laws are restored , which he only calculated , as that which could be born by the iniquity of the later times . ] answ . 1. that the model was his , he told me with his own tongue . 2. that he thought better of it than of that which you set against it , and did not offer it as a less desirable thing , appeareth by the reasons which he giveth for it , from antiquity , and from the nature of the pastoral office , to which he saith , a part in the keys or discipline belongeth : and he took this to be the true ancient frame of government used for many hundred year after christ , and to be the true means of our union : and he told me , that he offered it his majesty before the war , and it was not accepted , and after the war , and then it might have passed . and in conference with me he came lower than that model , as the minimum that might serve for our agreement , which i mentioned publickly to the parliament , in my sermon the day before the kings restoration was voted by them , ( printed by their order . ) and he told me , that moderate men would unite on those terms , but he had tryed that others would not . 2. but what is there in that model that is so intolerable now ? is one tittle taken from the bishops or arch-bishops honour ? is one farthing taken by it from their estates ? is any of their power or negative voice taken away ? or is not the stated ministry only made their presbytery instead of a few uncertain presbyters , that must be present when they ordain , and instead of the present form of some courts , &c. o humble clergy-men , that take this for more intolerable than all the contrary evils that we undergo ! dishonour not our church so as to tell forreigners , that to be reduced to such an episcopal government by bishops with their presbyters , as was commonly in use for six hundred years at least , as that which could be born by the iniquity of the latter times , but cannot be born by the clergy now , if it pleased his majesty so to order it : but mistake me not ; i only speak of ushers model : i do not now speak against the government , nor plead for a change ; for the law forbiddeth me . as to what you say concerning vshers notes on ignatius concerning the division of asia , i suppose you should have said , his notes on ignatius , and his discourse of the proconsular asia , which are two books , ( if you knew the books you talk of : ) but i know very well that he supposed episcopacy to have been before the second century ; but the question is , what sort of episcopacy ? and that question his model doth resolve . § . 50. to all that you talk after on this subject , i cannot find in my heart to trouble my self with any other answer , than to tell you , that all you say is utterly impertinent to those you write of , and sheweth that you do not at all understand the case of the present non-conformists , nor the state of the controversie . § . 51. but about swearing obedience to the bishops , you say ; 1. it is but in licitis & honestis : 2. that of old presbyters have been obedient to their bishops under the penalty of an anathema . answ . 1. the question is not only of swearing to obey them , but swearing never to endeavour any alteration of church-government . 2. the king himself is to be obeyed but in licitis & honestis : and must we be sworn as much to the clergy as to the king ? 3. those that think the english species of diocesanes to be unlawful , take them to be quoad jus divinum usurpers : and they say , they would not swear to obey the pope in licitis & honest is , nor cromwel if he were alive , lest it prove treason against the true sovereign , to swear obedience to an usurper , even in licitis & honestis . and how impertinently do you speak of presbyters obedience , sub poena anathematis , when i only spake of antecedent swearing to them . ( nay not to them , but to men of another office , though of the same name . ) are we not now under anathema's enough in the canons if we obey not ? yet how little have you heard the non-conformists say against those canons these eleven years ? ( i mean such as have ever publickly agitated their cause . ) if you anathematize me unjustly , it is none of my sin : but if i swear unjustly , it is my sin , i can obey many a man that i cannot swear obedience to : he that taketh away my coat , may have my cloak also ; and if you bid me go a mile for you , i may rather go two , than do worse : and we must submit our selves to one another ; but yet i will not swear obedience to all that i may thus obey . and i may obey a justice or constable as my duty ; and yet not swear to the perpetuity of their office , and that before the kings : but if obedience under pain of anathema served above a thousand years , without swearing it , why may it not serve turn now ? are new oaths necessary to be sworn by us to the clergy , which never were necessary till of late ? you mean not i perceive , that antiquity or universality shall be the character of your church or impositions : nor to stand to lerinensis test , ( quod ab omnibus , ubique semper , &c. ) if we may neither have ignatius his episcopacy in specie , nor be under such bonds only as ignatius speaks for , without such oaths as he never mentioned , it is self-condemnation for you to cite the words of ignatius . § . 52. you say , [ mr. cartwright wrangled himself at last into conformity . ] answ . it is not well done of you to write historical untruths so boldly : you have no way to come off , but either to say some body told you so , or that by conformity you mean that he separated not from the parish churches , which he never did , or that he was favourable to kneeling at sacrament , and not peremptory against the surplice , into none of which he wrangled but studyed himself : and , saith amesius , retracted his moderation about the surplice : but did he conform to diocesanes , to subscription , to the oath of canonical obedience , to the cross , &c. how is the world abused by false historians ? thus one of my antagonists chargeth him ( after suttliffe ) with acquaintance with hackets villany , and other such things , from which he so fully vindicateth himself in a manuscript of his own , which i have by me , ( given me by old mr. simeon ash ) as may make the reader wonder at the hardened front of calumny ? § . 53. when you say , [ you will secure me ] about the oath , i have no confidence in your security , till i see it to be better back'd , than your bare word with a fallacious unlike supposed simile . when i must subscribe and swear , that [ i will not at any time endeavour any alteration of government in this army , colledge , vniversity or corporation , nor of the state , ] putting them conjunct with the state , and before it , and not excepting , [ unless the king command me to endeavour it , ] then i shall better consider of your security . till then you do but suppose me to see no difference between things most different . § . 54. who is it that hath done most to drive people from the parish churches , i am satisfied by experience . and whether all such dissenters are such children of hell as you describe , i shall leave to a more wise and righteous judge . § . 55. to write a full and just defence of that non-conformity , which i own according to the importunity of your book , would take up much time , and the volume would be great , and i have not so much time to spare , unless i saw a probability of some better effect than is like to arise from my putting it into your hands , as now you motion . if my stile suited to your matter be displeasing , review your book , and retract the culpable part which is the cause , and you will have less cause to repent of your repentance , than of your impenitency . if as you say you are under affliction , i hope it will help you to do as my long afflictions have partly done by me , even to judge of persons , things and causes , as one that daily waiteth for the time , when he and all shall be judged of god. i rest , though your plain and faithful monitor , yet a true desirer of your well-fare . july 4. 1671. an answer to mr. baxter's third letter . sir , you lay a very sandy foundation in your very first words ; you foretell ( say you ) how little good my writing will do you ; yet the vindication of truth is an end sufficient to invite me to bestow a few lines upon you . do you call five sheets a few lines ? are these written to vindicate the truth ? yet i must tell a man of your gravity , ( though with blushing ) that truth has no communion with falshood , nor light with darkness . where did i foretell you , that your writing should do me but little good ? i have told you to the contrary , that if you could evince your hypothesis , that conformity is absolutely sinful ; i would quit my station , and come over into your camp. nay , when you had inform'd me , ( as to some passages in the savoy conference ) i return'd you my thanks . is not this an inauspicious and ominous presage , what is like to follow ? a line crook'd at hand , will never be straight , though drawn ( if possible ) in infinitum . speak the truth your self , before you accuse me for an unworthy opposer of the truth . what delight had i , think you , to rush into the midst of your pikes ? and to put my hand into an hornets nest ? but only to extricate truth , and redeem it ( as those argonauts did the golden fleece ) from the midst of waking dragons ; that it may be try'd whether i and others do sin in conforming , by the dint of scripture and sound reason . some would call this a generous enterprize proceeding from tenderness ; but you call it an unworthy opposing of truth ; coming from calumny , and an hardened front. one grain or filing of truth is more precious to me than all the gold of ophir ; if it lay in the bottom of the sea , i had rather fetch it thence , than all the pearls and coral , which the slavish indians venture for with so much hazard . no man can do me a greater favour , than to reduce me from any by-way of errour . et officium meum implisse arbitror , si labor meus aliquos homines ab erroribus liberatos , ad iter coeleste direxerit . who would have thought but that you who affirm , that conformity is simply sinful , should have brought some clear texts of scripture to prove this , or shewn some express divine law which is violated hereby ? so you might have brought the controversie to an issue . this had been the most dexterous course , to have overthrown the very fundamental principle whereon i stand ; which is , that i owe submission to the ordinances and constitutions of my lawful governours , so far as they are suitable to , or not repugnant or contrariant to the word of god. but instead hereof , you write large encomiums , and panegyricks on the non-conformists , reproach the present preachers , stumble at diocesan bishops , lay-chancellors , and the oath of not taking up arms , yet in none of these will you take up your standing , by saying this or the other is absolutely sinful : so that you are still widing the breach , cutting out new work , and putting up new game ; which is nothing else but a rambling from the first subject of the dispute : yet i must follow you , or rather be drag'd and hail'd after you , as the serpents head in the fable , when the tail had the leading and conduct of it . only let me tell you , whereas you complain of my rhetorical diversions , i wish you were liable to the same guilt ; for then you would not write so much with so much ease , if you did but slick and polish your lines as you go . § . 1. what a wonder of self-ignorance is it , that the author of the perswasive should draw up the flood-gates of sarcastical scorn upon so many and such men , and yet be so sensible of a drop of just reproof ? had you been train'd up in alexanders army , you might have felt his discipline for railing rather than fighting , for giving a book hard words , when you should have confuted it with convincing arguments ; or had you been brought up at the feet of some gamaliel , you might have learn'd , that a general charge is no sufficient answer , and that a book cannot be faulty , as you make it , when the pages are not so ; as a man is not leprous , when all his members are whole and sound . i should not fear to lay bellarmine himself on his back , if it were enough to nick-name his writings with some unmanly taunt . i am not a little confirm'd , that my book is innocent , in that you ( though you speak big ) deal as kindly with it as jonathan did with david , when he hid himself by the stone ezel , you shoot your arrows on this side and on that ; but you have taken more care than to hit it . i might well complain of your drops , ( as you call them ) for they made me to smart , as if there had been poison in them . can you blame me for laying them before you , that you may see , if not blush at their malignant aspect ; and if one drop be so painful , what if you should pour one of your spoonfuls as big as a church upon me ? as for the title of self-ignorance which you apply to me , i have taken that up , and put it into my pocket . we 'l raise no dust about that ; only i must observe , 't is hard to be head of a party , and to be humble , and forbear contemptuous scorn towards those that stand in their way , and do not vail their bonnets to such popular rabbies . § . 2. after such a book , you would not be said to traduce the presbyterians , as if you wrote you know not what . i well knew what i wrote , for i never named them in that whole book : yet if they be guilty of non-conformity and disobedience , ( in our case i make but little difference 'twixt these ) i mean them . however , your application to a particular rank of men , of what was spoken to the non-conformists in general , is a transgression from the laws of discourse . who gave you commission to make an inclosure of that which lay in common ? or to limit my meaning without authority from my words ? you cannot be ignorant that there are other non-conformists besides these that are classical , and such that not long since were the more predominant , and such that will not conform now to the church of england ; yet could then dance after the pipes of those grand masters . there were but few who were not then tantum non independents ; and are they all now of a sudden become presbyterians ? sure they are like the elements , which agree in second qualities , they are easily exchanged one into another . § . 3. when i had opened your strange dealing in calling for our reasons of non-conformity , which you knew we must not publish , you can neither hide your disingenuity , nor well confess it . conviction , you know , must go before confession ; you say indeed you have opened my strange dealing ; but if what you hitherto said be called opening , 't is like the publishing of aristotles physicks , editum , & non editum . what you have opened is still abstruse and mystical to me . is it strange dealing , and disingenious , to call for the reasons of non-conformity ? since you say you cannot conform without sin ? is it disingenious to learn of you where the sin lies , that we may avoid it ? i know not to this day why you may not publish such reasons : i am sure you take liberty to publish things of as dangerous consequence ; yet you would make men believe that you must not write on this subject , lest you should traduce the government ; yet you dare traduce the writ de excommunicato capiendo , in the difference 'twixt the magistrates and the church-pastors , p. 19 , 27 , 39 , 40 , 41 , &c. alas ! the church-censurers , without the civil arm , are but brutum fulmen ; yet that writ is incorporated into our law. is it not better that the civil magistrate should take the excommunicated person in hand , than that he should be delivered over unto satan and visible judgments ; which in the primitive times followed anathema , and maranatha ? before king charles the first , high sheriffs took an oath to assist and be helpful to all ordinaries and commssioners of holy church , as often as should be required . you dre affirm , that pastors have the sole power of discipline ; and he that exercises an authority over his neighbours churches , is an vsurper : is not this to traduce government ? you dare say , that kings may not be excommunicated , unless perhaps in some rare case ; pray who shall be judges of that case ? you rightly observe the tendency of the romanists doctrine in that particular . i will not say you leave a gap open for the same end . you dare say , that magistrates forbidding faithful able ministers to preach the christian faith , where there are not enough more to do the work , sin hainously against christ and the souls of men. you dare say , that lay-chancellors are such a sort of church-government , that you will never swear not to endeavour to alter it ; yet i am disingenious to call for your reasons of non-conformity . once more , you dare joyn popery and church-tyranny together , and ' its easie to discern who you mean by church-tyrants . you dare speak against a lofty faction , that perswade the people that there must be no king any longer than their dominion is upheld : such as shall twist the very grandure of their function , by oaths , into the constitution of the state. tell me no more that i am disingenious in desiring your reasons of non-conformity ; for then you should traduce government . § . 4. in my last i nam'd some palpable contradictions ; but you pass them by in silence . had you shewed me one contradiction properly called so , you should have seen i would not have wasted my ink in any other things , before i had acknowledged my inadvertency . 't is like a female impotency , to resolve to have the last word with whom soever we contend . this is like valentine and orson and knights errant , that boast of battels and victories in such fields where they never drew sword , and slew such enemies who never were in rerum natura . 't is true , i did contradict you ; but this must not pass for a culpable contradiction ; shew me any one , and you shall have another answer ; in the mean time your atchievments shall pass for a rodomantado ostentation . you deal craftily in speaking interrogatively , for a question cannot be false . some lines before you accus'd me of ignorance , and now of craft : are not you often guilty of the same craft , by arguing frequently by way of question ? but sir , consider your dogmatical aphorism ; cannot a question be false ? what think you of this ? will you cease to preach false doctrine , and slander your brethren ? are not negative and affirmative interrogations in scripture equivalent to plain negations and affirmations ? nay do not they vehementius negare & affirmare ? if you will be coining more aphorisms , you should examine them better before you obtrude them on others . § . 5. i had said that of those 1800 silent ministers , how many of them have much more learning than your english books have taught them ? you reply , do you mean good mr. sam. hildersham , mr. fisher , mr. brian , mr. wilsby , mr. reignolds , mr. baldwin sen ' , or mr. spilsbury . you have reckon'd up several of my neighbours , but not all , if you would put me upon the proof of my words , you should have given me leave to be my own accountant : it is answer enough to your arguing ; you have rekon'd without your host . i could give you another list of such men that have leap'd out of their mechanical shops into the pulpit . if these had learning enough to pass your hands in ordination , yet were they well examin'd , they would scarce befound fit to teach a petty school , or be interpreters to some latin mendicant . as for those persons you mention , i have as much esteem for them , as you can have ; but not for their non-conformity ; yet for their gravity , sobriety , learning , peaceableness . may not i say that abraham was the father of the faithful , and david a man after gods own heart ? though the one was pusillanimous in aegypt , and the other had his falls ? may not i say that venus was beautiful , though she had her mole ? but this is a usual stratagem with you , to possess particular persons with an opinion , that i detract from them , though i named them not . as this is bad arguing , — syllogizare ex particulari , so 't is worse morality . those which i intended have your suffrage . you had rather hear a meer english divine , than an hebrew or syriack sot. you are , i see , for the liberty of prophesying ; 't is a question whether you are more for blew aprons or the priesthood . what fanatick could have spoken more slightly of the universities than you have done ? 't is no very great honour to our young preachers , that they have been acquainted with the vniversities . speak out ! are not you of their mind ? who said that the congregation was holy , and that moses and aaron took too much upon them ? although you are so happy as to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and dry-nurse your self into a gigantick stature , without sucking the breast of our mother the university , or being dandled on her knees ; though you sprang up like those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( who first inhabited some countries ) we know not how ; yet forbear to eclipse those two luminaries , which are as useful to our english world , as the sun and moon in the firmament : god has wonderfully preserved them from anabaptists , and other furious sectaries , in times of anarchy , who were wrathfully displeased at them : yet they could not find their hands ; but , as agamemnon , when he was hampered in his vestis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , — casside vinctus incassum furit . or like the sodomites , though never so near , yet could not find out the door of lot. so god did restrain these boisterous waves , when they made sure of overwhelming the nurseries of learning and piety . do not you think now to undermine them with any ismalitish scorns . had you been planted and cultivated in those seminaries , you might have brought forth more kindly and mature fruit ; and you might have avoided those rocks and shelves , against which you have both dash'd your self and the church . you deal no better with the primitive fathers of the church , than you do with the universities . it is no great matter to be acquainted with them . i count it so short a work to read the few brief writers of the three first centuries . is this so easie a work ? yet how shall they do it , who understand not their language ? they had need agree with some such as dr. holland , to translate them into their mother tongue . i will tell you what i heard in the university ; a grave dr. in the divinity school proved the proposition denyed , with — sic dicunt omnes patres ; but dr. prideaux gave him his check , — tune legisti omnes patres ? i have been acquainted with the studies , and therein with the preposterous method of some amongst you . they began with calvin and some of the german divines , and so read downwards ; but when their minds have been prepossessed with prejudicate thoughts towards our government , and discipline , then ( if urged thereto ) they have step'd back many hundred years , and read some of the fathers . but alas ! it has been only to wrest and deprave them ; to weed something out of them , whereby they may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . just as you read hooker , bilson , andrews , heylin , &c. after you had in this paragraph highly extoll'd the knowledge , vtterance , piety and diligence even of the lowest rank of non-conformists , you come to throw about you whole loads of dirt ; that so you may blacken and depreciate the present ministers : such as lace their insipid , empty , senseless discourse with shreds of chalde , arabick , and syriack . hebrew sots , such as ignorantly abuse scripture , prate against they know not what ; school-boys saying their lessons ; lads that talk at such a rate , as they go nigh to drive you from the church . they are often in the ale-house ; what they preach is dead and cold , so that patrons seeking to you to motion them teachers , you find it hard to find a man that hath the abilities of the lowest sort of non-conformists . and you are now come to this , that you prefer homilies and common-prayer before our pulpit-work . i see that it is difficult to forbear reproaches towards them from whom we differ ; or not to build our own reputation upon the ruine of other mens names . does this savour of humility in preferring our selves before others ? if this judging and condemning be from the spirit , i must tell you , you know not of what spirit you are of . i heard a grave minister say formerly , i thank god , i never heard a sermon , but i could get something by it ; if the sermons which you hear be insipid , examine your palate , and the anfractuous passages of your own ears ; something may be amiss there . cast away prejudice , purge out the yellow jaundice of partiality : do not espouse a party ; but put on catholick charity . it may be you may tast more sweetness , and see more comeliness in the sermons you hear . st. paul could say , whether in pretence , or in truth , christ is preached , and i rejoyce and will rejoyce . but as you complain of the ministers , just so did martin-mar-prelate traduce the regular clergy in his days ; calling them boys , dolts , lads , drunkards , &c. from whence brown did not only take an occasion of his separation ; but sir edwin sandys affirms , that even at rome there was use made of those scandalous aspersions . what your design is herein , i will not divine . but 't is well observ'd , that some complain of abuses ; not that they may be redressed ; but by disparaging the state , they may make way for their own discipline : they wound the civil state through the ecclesiastick . king james , in his speech to the parliament ann 18. of his reign , spake like an angel , or like himself ; that those that make themselves popular by recounting grievances , have the spirit of the devil . just so did absalom steal away the hearts of the people . — there is none appointed by the king. — o that i were made king in israel ! did these prating lads , with their hebrew , chalde , arabick shreds , come out of your shool , they should have been stroaked for precious youths . then it should have been said as formerly ; when young birds come abroad unfledg'd , and with their shells on their heads ; out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength , because of thine enemies . i hope it is not a crime to learn other languages than what our mothers taught us , especially such as are even necessary for the very right understanding of scripture . the time was , when 't was almost heretical , i had almost said antichristian , and resembling the beast , to make any use of those tongues . sure you are not so nice as to run out of the church , as if you were frighted with babylonish trumpets , when you hear a little hebrew in the pulpit : if such linguists do not reach the abilities of the lowest sort of the non-conformists ; what seraphick angelical doctors are those amongst you of the highest hierarchy ? if you were better acquainted with the university , you might find most hopeful men both for learning and integrity of life ( if you do not dislike them because they have their breeding there ) to supply such patrons as have recourse to you for teachers ; and it may be too you would be a propitious angel to put them into good livings , if they would make their humble addresses unto you . it seems though you have no rectory of your own , you can gratifie your friends . as the earl of warwick took more pleasure in making another man king , than being so himself . do not stop their way to preferment , because they shew their parts in their first essayes ; in the eloquent efforts of their oratory . such colts as trot high at the first , may at long-running become good pad-naggs . we were children before we were strong men ; hercules had not all his vigour at once : you will betray less judgment than they , if nothing will please you in a young divine below the skill and dexterity of an old chrysostome . as for those amongst us who are sots , as you say , and spend their time in ale-houses , i am no proctor for them , sighs and groans shall be all my answer : yet if i would recriminate , i could point out some of your own minions that might bear them company . all your 1800 are not clear from such stains . but since you have now so good opinion of the common-prayer and homilies , i see mens judgments will vary as well as fashions . he that durst have said so formerly , should scarce have any place in the church : as hazael once thought he should not have been so inhumane as to rip up women with child , &c. so you little thought heretofore , that you should ever have spoke so favourably of the common-prayers and homilies : therefore it is not good ( you see ) to drive on too furiously , according to our present apprehensions , without long deliberation . but i have something else to observe : — some men are so much afraid of moderation and a mediocrity , that whilst they avoid one extream , in contraria currant . you impose a task on me , to tell you , what one nonconformist was silenc'd for insufficiency : you might have forborn this ; unless you could have grounded it on my words , as my assertion . but 't is usual with you to wave the subject matter of contest , and to move impertinent doubts : as if he that has to do with you must answer quodlibets . the grand reason of your silence is of another nature : you do not give security to authority ; that you will preach up no more wars ; and carry your selves like obedient subjects , and peaceable ministers of the gospel : until you do so , you are suspended from the exercise of that ministry . when marchiomont needham wrote a book to entitle the protector to all the revenues of the church ; and that it was in his power to admit whom he pleas'd to partake thereof . this was good doctrine in the days of the tryars ; they imbrac'd it as the foundation of their arbitrary power . but now there is a shibboleth of peace and loyalty to be pronounced by all those that will practise in the ministerial calling . you either lisp it out in distinctions , or cry out of tyranny : so that your question is a fallacy , a non causa ut causa , putting insufficiency for the cause , when in truth it was quite another thing . you ask me again , whether the worst of those that joyned with you , being re-ordained , are not received when they do conform ? if they were not the worst among you , who do conform , no doubt you think them so ? yet i could name some , who were of the chief rank , who so far have denied themselves , as to draw forth their breasts to feed the hungry . sure they did not see with your eyes , that conformity is absolutely sinful . now sir , if the worst among you are received when they conform ; what a shame is it that you and others of the higher rank should stand idle in the market-place ? whilst you suffer god to be serv'd with your bran ; the blind and the lame ( it seems ) are good enough for your heavenly prince ; and you may see how favourable and indulgent the governours of the church are , in that they are loath to disparage your judgments , in rejecting those whom you had approved . after i had deducted out of the gross sum of 1800 those that had been nested in other mens livings ; 1. you faintly demand , — how many of these were never in any sequestrations , and must not they preach the gospel ? yes , both they and the others too ; and woe unto them , if they do not . there is never a cherubim with a drawn sword in his hand to keep them out of the churches paradise : 2. you give up the cause , and say ingeniously , i deny not the great crime you charge upon them . yet as if you repented of your own concession , you say , that many of those that were turned out formerly were accus'd of insufficiency and gross scandal . so hard a thing is it , fully , and without reserves , to acknowledge a fault . the serpent was eve's cloak , and the woman adam's : nay , god himself must be reflected on , ( the woman whom thou gavest ) before adam will be silent , and have nothing to say . you know that the insufficiency and scandal of many of them was , that their consciences could not dispense with their former oaths , in asserting of an ungodly cause ; yet had they been as vile as you can make them , their freeholds ought not to be taken from them illegally . then 3. you vindicate your self , as if i had aim'd at you : when the truth is , i had not the least thought of you . i must do you so much justice , as to say , — i have heard you dealt transcendently civilly with the incumbents , in comparison of many whom i knew ; and since you speak of these things with some regret , i will not ( like a coward ) press and prosecute this advantage . i have touch'd this sore very softly , that you may not smart . here you chide me for minding you of a retalliation ; as you supplanted others , so god requited you . does this ( say you , savour of any sense at all to souls ? must many thousands go to hell , that we may be requited ? the peoples souls had been forsaken : the damnation of a multitude of souls is too dear a price , &c. 1. it is no up-start practice to soar high in pretences , and yet with the raven and the kite , have our eyes fix'd on some carcass here below . we have heard some cry loud , the temple of the lord , — the salvation of souls : yet they were not the souls of every soil ; such as did inhabit poor villages , but such as dwelt in the fattest parsonages , or else in great towns , where these men , who were so much for the good of souls , might act their parts with most popularity and success , both in respect of themselves and the cause . 2. what good was done to souls by these intruders , late posterity will find . those unquiet principles which were then instill'd , will not be worn out in one age ; nor those breaches and gashes in the church , made by them , be cemented and heal'd by the hands of the most skilful bezaliels , or spiritual chirurgeons of the highest value . 3 , the good of souls is a most glorious aim ; yet st. austin held it not good to tell a lie to save a soul. much less may we preach down lawful authority , and plunder others , living under the pretext of the good of souls . this has been an old contrivance in scotland , to bring all causes within the kirks jurisdiction , saying it is the churches office to judge of slander ; and by that means they hook'd in the cognisance of all causes , because all causes were either slanders against god , the king , or their neighbours . in rome too the pope intermeddles with all temporal things in ordine ad spiritualia . just so you plead for arms ; starving men , women , and children ; if it be for the good of souls . you say that they had a fifth part ; yet you know mr. lea endeavoured to dismount that ordinance , as unlawful and unreasonable ; and some i am sure for very want were ready to swoon in the streets ; the number was not small . it has been maintain'd , that more ministers were depriv'd in three years , when your friends sate at the sern , than in all queen mary's reign . i thank you that you say , you never lik'd turning out such a man as my self : you are more propitious than the commissioners were , who threatned to silence me for preaching on christmas-day . the tryars were not of your mind ; they would not have had me to preach at all , and the soldiers would scarce let me live : i still bear about me the badges of their cruelty . but tell me true ; should you re-assume your chair , would you continue in this courteous moode ? you say you lived under five ignorant and unlearned teachers before you were ten years old . you complain elsewhere of the prophaness of your native town . you had hard fate to live amongst such men ; yet the greater is your excellency to thrive into so polish'd a bulk , among such barbarians , and to keep your integrity amidst such temptations . i cannot but admire at your praecox ingenium , that you could judge ( you began betimes ) who were ignorant , who learned preachers , before you were ten years of age . i fear 't is still the greatest part of some mens devotion to censure the parts and gifts of the preacher . § . 10. your intermediate sertions contain nothing of argument , or contradiction ; therefore i shall tell you once for all , i shall neither now or hereafter trouble you or my self with your narratives or excursions . i am not so fond of superfluous labour , or prodigal of my precious time , as to oppose every thing that you say , or to trace you in all your meanders . here you go to the heart of the controversie . if you had either prov'd what you say , or disprov'd what had been said ; 1. you cannot lie deliberately , and say you assent and consent to all things in three books , when you do not ; yet you shew no reason to the contrary : inform your self better . judge charitably and candidly of those books , and then the fault may be in your self , and not in them . if you approach to the borders of a lie , every thing that suits not to your present apprehension is not presently a lie. had you declar'd formerly what you do now , * you would not willingly have been tax'd for a lyar. in your first letter you call this assenting and our new conformity ; yet the same thing in substance was subscribed to in archbishop whitgifts time , art. 2. viz. that the book of common-prayer and ordination of bishops contain'd nothing contrary to the word of god , but might lawfully be used , and that they would use it and no other . 2. you should absolve many thousands from an oath , when you never knew in what sense they took it : here you nibble at the covenant , yet you take no notice of what has been said on that particular : but sir ! take an unlawful oath in what sense you please , and there will be much need of absolution : must the sense of an oath be measur'd by him that receives it , or from the authority and intention of him that does impose it ? affirmatio aut negatio quaestionis propositae , si ex conscientia respondentis non vere conformetur sensui quaerentis , aut rogantis est mendacium . you mention some good things in the covenant : as the declaration against popery , schism , prophaness : but you pass by the second article with other passages in the rest , and the power imposing the whole ; what was good in it we are oblig'd to in another former covenant ; what was naught do not you strain your parts to justifie . the worst of hereticks maintain some truths , the better to usher in errour , as it were with sugar and syrups . § . 12 , 13 , 14. i took it for granted that you own'd my quotation out of the book of rest . you said you had expung'd the words in a latter edition , and i was satisfied ; yet now you challenge me to cite the words : in one breath you say you did and you did not retract them . the passage i quoted was in the 5th edition , p. 258. if you are so unsteady , you will never arrive to the glory of the bishop of hippo ; for you do even retract your retractation ; and whilst you do plangere commissa , you do committere plangenda . you perform this work with regret and reluctancy ; wrapping your self up in obscurity . a true penitent will not extenuate his fault , but set it forth in the fullest character , and in the most bloody colours . indeed you make mr. bagshaw your confessor , and say something to the purpose ; and though you deal not so plainly with me , yet i love and honour ingenuity where soever i find it . if i am not so strict always as to mention terminos terminantes your very syllabical words , yet i give the result of them for brevity sake . such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or funiculi ex arena , will not serve your turn before equal and prudent judges . how oft did christ and his apostles quote texts out of the old testament ? and yet did not observe the identical words : will you say they were unfaithful , or not a true word ? § . 15. you tell me of the inconformity of some that grew under my shadow : i tell you again , this is no evidence of an hearty recantation , when you go about to deny , justifie , or extenuate what is notorious in these parts , and is matter of fact , so legible , that a man may run and read . what was your highest reputation formerly , in being the coryphaeus of a country association , you now interpret a reproach . just as amnon did passionately court tamar to day , and on the morrow thrust her out of doors . hereafter build the pyramid of your fame upon a sure foundation , and then it will last . such glory will not turn into shame . this freeness of mine ( it seems ) provok'd you to make me smart , by laying before me ( what i shall never forget ) the miscarriage of one in my own family . the best is , my conscience tells me , it proceeded not from want of vigilancy , advice , and prayers , or example , but from a defect of that which neither you nor i have power to bestow , and that is grace . § 16. if your neighbour and his wife will swear what you say ; wonder not that so much scandal was charg'd on your sequestred ministers : yet you say sect. 7. where i was acquainted , the witnesses that swore to the scandals of the outed ministers , were reputed as honest men as any in the place ; and they got nothing by their oaths . what , honest men , and charge the sequestred ministers of scandal upon their oaths ? no more justly and truly than my neighbours have charged you with taking their horses : whereas you affirm , you was never in my parish , nor never took horse in your life . i could say much from my neighbours in confirmation of their charge ; for since i check'd them for putting me upon such an odious imployment , they brought a creditable person in this neighbourhood , who asserts much of that they say . sir , you gave the first occasion to this harsh and unpleasing discourse , by saying that your imprisonment came from the place of my ministry ; thereby tacitely impeaching my innocency . but manus de tabula . i shall touch no more upon this , except you provoke me , and draw me by the head and shoulders into this field . only your prementioned honest witnesses puts me in mind what you have printed concerning some honest conformists . what conformists and honest too ? when you say , conformity is an avowed deliberate sin ! ( i. e. ) as i conceive , is a sin against knowledge , which the scripture calls a presumptuous sin ; and if i mistake not , it is such a sin that borders upon that against the holy-ghost . honest conformists then in your dialect must be tantamount to honest sinners . but who are the honest conformists ? are they not such that swear , declare , subscribe one thing , and speak and act another ? like ephraim , half bak'd , or like the laodiceans , neither hot nor cold . so many simons within the walls of the church , like those priests in time of jeroboam , that said , put us into the priests office that we may eat a piece of bread. so these conform , that they may enjoy the patrimony of the church ; yet make you believe their hearts are with you : are not these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ? they have an heart and an heart ; like tumblers , squint-ey'd , look one way and aim another . § . 17. i mentioned your words in a late book , i never medled with the war till after naseby fight ; not a true word say you , yet your words were as you acknowledge , i never entred into the army till after naseby fight ; ad populum phaleras ! i had thought such a fly had not been worthy the notice of your eagle-eyes ; you will get little by this ficulna evasio , this little poor criticism . it seems you medled with the war by your prayers , counsel , sermons and endeavours ; though you entred not as a soldier into the army into the high places of the field . but if your confession to mr. bagshaw be sincere , i shall look upon you as innocent . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . when i call on you to retract your state-aphorisms , you mention one , and ask me whether i mean that : may not a mans arm be sound , and all the other members be leprous , gouty , and rotten : if one or more of your aphorisms be sound , must they all needs be so ? was bishop abbot a presb. implying he was not : i dare not contradict you ; for i am sure you said before , that a question cannot be false . what arch-bishop abbot was , or whom he favoured most , i list not to enquire ; let his dust rest quietly for me . there are those that will tell you , that it is no paradox for a bishop to be a presbyter : what think you of the bishop of lincoln ? he turn'd his back on the conformable ministers ; and where the puritans were conveen'd , he would not admit any proceedings ( in leicester-shire ) against them : but said , he was sure they would carry all at last . they are the words of your own author ; and is it any wonder to see this man in arms against the king ? he was no more truly episcopal , than julian after his apostacy was a christian : and why may not bishops be presb . as well as presb . episcopal ? for you chide me in traducing the presbyterians , when i spake only to the non-conformists . and it was episcopacy , say you , that the present non-conformists mov'd to obtain . what you say of the prelatists , that they began to offend the king by striving against his will , i shall meet with the same again and again : the prelatists are much in your thoughts , it seems , you encounter them so often ; though you charge them with such things , that three parts of the non-conformists will be their compurgators . you cannot deny but that you printed about the savoy business that which you understand not . i printed what i found in print , and you disclaim that book wherein the savoy business is describ'd . and in stead thereof you give another narrative . i thank'd you for your pains ; but i am a fool for my ingenuity . how shall i please you ? i know not that i differ in any point of worship , discipline , or ceremonies , from dr john reynolds . i do not find that he inveighed against diocesans , or prelates . did not he live and die in the full conformity with the church of england ; there are those alive yet of the same colledge , who can tell you , that on his death-bed he received absolution , according to our liturgy . were he now alive , i believe he would be as hard a maul to schismaticks , as he was to the papists . he would not say as you do , i will be a non-conformist a little longer , rather than give baptism , or the lords supper , absolution , and use the justifying assertion at funerals . 24. when i had , beyond all contradictions , prov'd to you , that it was episcopal men in england that raised the war against the king , you do the poorliest put it off , which you cannot confute . this is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which runs through the whole woof of your discourse ; and i said the less to this assertion , because i look'd upon it as the strangest parodox in historical transactions , that ever saw the light. a serious confutation would have shew'd me to be in a delirium . i thought the jesuite might as well justifie , that the whole body of popery is contain'd in our 39 articles , as you can prove , that episcopal men were beginners of the war. i said but a little out of abundance of store , not knowing what to say first ; yet you answer not that little . who knows not that many episcopal parliaments cryed out still of monopolies , liberty , arminianism , lauds innovations , &c. was it not as true , that the spirit of presb . was stirring in those parliaments , though not known by those names ? there were many troublesome members in parliament in queen elizabeth's days , promoting the discipline ; for the scottish ministers , who had been banished scotland , did great hurt in england . did you never hear , that when those parliaments were in full cry against the duke of buckingham , as the source of all their grievances , that they secretly mov'd him , that dr. preston should be made arch-bishop , and then all complaints should be hush'd . those popular patriots , that did so vehemently complain of grievances and innovations , ( i question not ) aim'd at that which their successors accomplish'd , the down-fall of bishops , and the possessing of their lands . nay , some of them lived to make it good what was the quarrel they design'd . who did the king mean , 2. caroli ? when he said the hand of joab was in the mis-understanding 'twixt him and his parliament , and that the incendiaries of christendome had suddenly and subtlely insinuated those things which had unhappily caus'd diversions and distractions . there might be clashing 'twixt those episcopal men in parliament ; yet it would have been long enough e're these had rais'd war against the king. you are not ignorant , that in the marian days many lay-men and clergy fled beyond the seas , to geneva , and other places ; at their return their garments smelt of the disciplinarian fire ever after , which grew stronger and stronger , until it had burnt the cedar in our lebanon , and level'd the glorious towers of the church . how did calvin and beza labour with their favourers here to promote their discipline ? that as it was once said , the s. s. came from rome to trent in a cloak-bag , so did it come from geneva hither in packets . you say sect. 25. there was but few presbyters or non-conformists here before the war , no presbyterians , except two in the parliament : the general , lieutenant-generals , major-generals , were episcopal men. i little thought to have disputed such a cause . i medled not with lay-men , but with my dissenting brethren : though the other cannot be excus'd ; yet these were most guilty in blowing up the trumpet . dathan and abiram ( of the other tribes ) rose up against moses ; but that rebellion was call'd the gain-saying of core ; because he being of the tribe of levi , was deepest in the conspiracy : and it is observable , that all insurrections against princes have been inflam'd by some clergy-men or other , for some centuries last past . but were there so few non-conformists in england before the war ? yet anno 1603. king james is said to be saluted with a petition of a thousand ministers , against episcopacy ; and before that , anno 1582. mr. cartwright , ( who was no episcopal man ) for he had renounc'd his episcopal ordination beyond seas , met usually with sixty ministers of his own way , in some corner of the land : did not these ( think you ) increase and multiply ? if five or six in the assembly , and five bishops ( as you say ) in the parliament rais'd such stirs ; what shall we think may be effected by so many dissenters ? whereas you think that the late wars furnish'd us with presbyterians out of scotland ; it is doubtful to me , whether scotland infected us , or we scotland : for when the king was in scotland , he was inform'd , that the scots had neither taken up arms , nor invaded england , but that they were incouraged to it by some members of parliament , ( you 'l say these were episcopal men ) on a design to change the government of church and state. one proposition sent to the king after edgehill , was , that he should yield to extirpate arch-bishops , bishops , &c. yet you 'l say that all the parliament ( except two ) were episcopal men. as good as any among the covenanters , who vow'd to abolish prelacy , &c. or as any of those in your own association . when alderman pennington with his 15000 myrmidons petition'd against bishops , it may be you 'l vouch them to be episcopal men , as well as you do the parliament men : yet i do not find that any said any thing against that petition besides the lord dighy ; as for many others it did appear that such lettice was too suitable to their lips , yet sound episcopal men in your sense . the war was called bellum episcopale , not as if fought by episcopal men on both sides ; but episcopacy ( or rather the bishops lands ) was the palladium or helena ; one side fought for it , the other against it . mulciber in trojam pro troja , &c. and here was the very stick at last in the isle of wight . as for the particular members in the army , they were better known to you than my self . i delight not in personal reflections or quarrels . if those that are yet alive be not episcopal , i wish they were so . but that they were , whilst they acted in the support of the late cause , i have not so far renounc'd my reason and experience , as to fall in with your account : and if you persevere in this new doctrine , we shall be as distant as the two poles . one document i cannot but observe from what is said , — that the late war was so odious , that neither side will own it . even as the dead child ( in the parable ) was rejected by both the mothers . § . 28. your notion of the arminian and other calvinian bishops , fighting and beginning the war , and also each claiming to be the church , is a pritty singularity , and savours of a romantick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . did they all fight against one another ? did they not all equally abhor the war ? where did either part pretend to be the church ? you have fram'd a strange imagination , and when you are setting of it up , it will not hang together . i may say of it , as the lacedemonian did of one setting up the body of a dead man , when his head swagg'd this way and the other , he cried out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , something is wanting within : so it is with your discourse , it is soul-less and life-less , sine sanguine & succo . it is true arch-bishop williams was in arms ; but he lost the lord-keepers seal , and was not admitted to do his office at the kings coronation : this inflam'd the man , and transported him beyond his duty towards the end of the war. the missing of a bishoprick did pervert arrius ; and st. jerom himself was not a jot the better for it . 29. 31. i had said , — would episcopal men root out episcopacy ? you apply your former groundless hypothesis ; they intended at first to regulate the arminians ; but after , by the help of scots and sectaries , they took down episcopacy . how transparent and thin is that answer ? just as our modern naturalists salve every phaenomenon with their round , square , and forked atoms : so do you silence doubts by the arminian and calvinian bishops . but you must prove it better that the bishops began the war , or else all you say tumbles to the ground . you say i trifle in referring you to dr. heylin on the presbyterians , though you referred me before to his book on the life of arch-bishop laud : who would have thought but ad hominem this method had been justifiable ? if i am sparing of my pains , and forbear an elaborate answer to such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , such shallow and partial reasonings another man would soon pardon me . you say you will not justifie the presbyterians in that he chargeth on them ; yet he says the presbyterians thrive best , when they involve whole nations in blood and sacriledge . i mentioned them not at all , yet you charge me for traducing them . 33. the principles of hooker , bilson , and such prelatists , led me to what i did and wrote in the book which i have retracted . as for bishop bilson , i have not his book by me which you quote ; neither dare i take upon me to defend what all our bishops have written : i must either want imployment , or be very pragmatical , to venture upon every task you are ready to impose upon me . if any of my fathers discover their nakedness , i will put on my mantle and go backward . i will not lick up their spittle , and say it is sweeter than nectar and ambrosia . i will follow them only so far as they follow christ . i am satisfied that bishop bilson was willing to say something in behalf of our neighbours of holland , in vindicating them from rebellion against the king of spain . and so stretched the doctrine of subjection too far . whether this will satisfie you i know not : i am sure multitudo pecantium non minuit peecatum . if bishop bilson misled you in point of subjection aud obedience , let him make you amends in setting you upright about diocesan bishops . i said something ( upon your provocation ) in behalf of mr. hooker , not intending to be drawn further into the field . i am jealous of my own failing and weakness ; and so am unfit to be anothers second , when i have enough to do to answer for my self . i do still admire mr. hooker ; and i find my betters have done so before me . cambden wish'd his books had been turn'd into an universal language ! bishop vsher , morton , and mr. john hales had the same high opinion of him : bishop gauden said he had been highly commended of all prudent , peaceable , and impartial readers . king james said his book was the picture of a divine soul in every page of truth and reason . the late king commended it to his children next to the bible . and the same happy pen , which taught the kings book to speak as good latin ( if possible ) as it had english , had almost turn'd mr. hooker into the same dialect , for the benefit of the learned world. yet you say he led you into what you did and wrote ; in print you say the same ; you cite his 1. book , p. 21. laws they are not which publick approbation hath not made . they must be made by entire societies . what is this more than what some that wrote for the kings cause in the late wars have confessed , — that quoad aliquid , that is as to making of laws our kings have not challeng'd a power without parliaments ; though i find that the legislative power of parliaments is properly and legally in the king alone in heylin : and the same incomparable hooker adds , — an absolute monarch , commanding his subjects whatsoever seemeth good in his own discretion . this edict hath the force of a law , whether they approve or dislike it : and else-where he saith , — where the king hath power of dominion , no forreign state , or domestical , can possibly have in the same cause and affairs authority higher than the king. take heed you do not imitate him , who only took what was for his purpose , and left out the rest . but you have found out other doctrine in hooker , viz. that power is originally in the people , and escheats to them , that the king is singulis major , & universis minor. i cannot subscribe to this ; for as by god kings reign , their power is from him , so it escheats to him . no ephori , demarchi , or tribunes can curb the prince . but sir , was you led aside by hooker , to what you did and wrote ? yet you quote these passages out of his eighth book . now you was led aside in what you did and wrote , before that book and his fellows saw the light ; perhaps you did and wrote , and then after the kings return you gathered up your principles , as it were ex postliminio ; as if you should first build the roof of an house , and then lay the foundation ; or first possess your self of an estate , and then blunder for a title . yet your title is but crack'd , if you have none but what you have from his third book ; king charles the first denyed them to be his . if they were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , spurious , or changelings , yet they were so adulterated , that they neither resembled parent or sisters . my friend mr. walton did not guess amiss ; he had good seconds . dr. barnard says , that bishop vsher noted that in these three books there were many omissions ; ex . gr . — if a private man offend , there is the magistrate that judgeth : if magistrates , the prince : if the prince , there is a tribunal in heaven , before which they shall appear ; on earth they are not accountable to any . — bishop sanderson said , that this passage , — the king is accountable to the people , was not in a manuscript he had seen ; but he said the copies had been interlin'd ; therefore he commanded nothing of his should be printed after his death . and dr. spencer , whom you recite , said , the perfect copies were lost ; and that those which he saw were imperfect , mangled , draughts dismembred into pieces ; no favour or grace , not the shadows of themselves remaining . had he liv'd to see them thus defac'd , he might rightly call them benonivs . 35. i said i could not choose but nauseate that discipline , which startles at renouncing war against the king. you ask , is it prelatical discipline ? no , i acquit it . presbyterian ? no , say you . the present non-conformists offered episcopacy to the king. you dare not undertake for all . some will startle as much at episcopacy , as they do at the oath ; except you castrate and qualifie it with your allays , until you have made it quite another thing . as martial said of a fellow , who repeated his verses amiss , he made them his own : the poet would not own them . so must you do with episcopacy , before it will slip down . indeed you puzzle me very much ; i am at a loss who these non-conformists are : when i write to them , you tell me , — i traduce the presbyterians . but when you speak of them , you say , — they are for episcopacy . by your words they are of a motleylinsey-woolsey kind , episcopal-presbyterian-nonconformists . but what ever these men are , their discipline must not be touch'd . neither the chorus , nor any man of them , startles at renouncing war against the king. you have not prov'd their practise such , and is your printed clamour come to this ? you say you know the non-conformists better than i ; yet i know some that will not agree to the former part of that oath about renouncing war against the king. they have jealousies and fears almost about every word , as if there were an ambuscade to intangle them , or to take away their liberty . what need i prove their practise ? is it not proof enough to point at those men that flit their habitations , rather than subscribe to what i say . even as the philosopher said nothing , but walk'd up and down to prove that there was such a thing as motion . what if i should ask you , whether you ever took that renunciation ; i think i should stop your career , that you would not act the part so jovially , militis tam gloriosi . you say there is something else in that declaration , — as not to endeavour alteration of government in church , &c. but this makes me to nauseate your principles , as much as the former . what peace can be expected , whilst men in effect tell their governours , — they will let them alone , whilst they can do no otherwise ; but when they have an opportutunity , they 'l throw them out of the saddle . shall you not ( say you ) endeavour the alteration of government by lay-chancellors ? yes by petition , as becomes subjects , if you do not bring a sword in the other hand : but you must do it in your places ; that is , — in your ministry : you must pray and preach them down : if you turn soldiers , you must fight them down . so the old covenant evasion will stand you in little stead . you sent me to the confessions of forreign churches , to learn what their discipline was . i gave you some instances of their practise , and i could have given you many more ; as in prague , and other places . are not these the best commentary on their practise ? sir , what think you of these disciplinarian principles ? — if princes hinder the discipline , they are tyrants , and may be depos'd . — the supreme magistrate must have no place in synodical meetings unless he be chosen for an elder : you know then what follows . so that it has not been suggested amiss , — that the genevian principles make those , in whom they are rooted , enemies to the power and guidance of all sovereign princes . — that the principles of presbyters are tyranical and antimonarchical ; that puritans and sectaries , though two of them scarcely agree in what they would have , yet they are haters of government ; and they would have the kings power extinguish'd in matters ecclesiastical , and limited in civil . i shall the less value publick confessions , since i call to mind what a glorious king the long parliament promised to make our late blessed sovereign . if any should deny now , that this king was fought against by the same men , and murdered ; and for a proof should send me to their declarations ; ( how posterity may be cheated by this way of arguing i know not ) i shall never so far baffle and hoodwink my own knowledge and sad experience , as to believe them . i took the same way to convince you , — that episcopal men being faithful to their principles , could not be the beginners of the late war ; because our liturgy , catechism , articles , homilies are against such practises . then you even pitied my poor silly kind of defence : you send me often to rushworth , heylin , and lay much stress on du moulins answer , to philanax ; though i have read him all over , yet i find not that he does patronize your cause at all : his design is , ( and he makes it out ) that popish tenents lead to rebellion ; but may not other men have that fire-brand in their tails ? though they look quite a contrary way . but see your own partiality , when i refer you to sions plea , travers , bancroft , sir thomas aston , that you might see the discipline , and nauseate it as well as i : you check me and reject them . i may allude to the words of god himself , ( i hope without offence ) is your way equal ? is my way unequal ? our own brats ( it seems ) are beautiful , and others of the same symmetry are deform'd . 37. after you had said the war was not founded in theological differences , but in political , and law-controversies : i inferr'd that you intended to excuse the divines . if this was not suitable to your mind , pray pardon me . but since you say the difference was not theological , pray review your own words . — the extirpation of piety was the great design : many able ministers silenced , lectures suppress'd , the lords-day reproach'd , and devoted to pastimes , a multitude of humane ceremonies took place . this was the work which we took up arms to resist . those that scruple the lawfulness of our war , did not scruple the lawfulness of subverting our churches among us . were not these things theological ? yet for these you took up arms ; speak no more of political lawdifferences . as if states-men were only in the fault . did not you say before that the quarrel was begun by episcopal men ; whereof some were arminian , anti-arminian ; and were not these differences theological ? should i insult now and say , are you fit to torture the press , and make it groan , with so numerous a progeny of books , and yet do so grosly contradict your self ? 40. you confess your error , in denying dr. manton to have written upon jude ; and i confess my misnomore of john for cornelius burges . i was a stranger to this cornelius until these latter days , and could scarce believe he could be the author of so orthodox a book . if we be thus ingenious , we shall come near together at last . 41. this section is spent about taking up arms ; but the latter clause of the oath does most stick with you , and the word endeavour much troubles you ; but if we look upon it in reference to former transactions , it must be reasonably understood of a tumultuous and arm'd endeavour ; and this has ( as i am inform'd ) been declar'd by the judges , who are the true interpreters of the law. as king charles the first told them anno 1628. and may not the justices in the country declare what was the sense of the judges ? if every word in an oath must be strain'd to the most unfavourable sense , and no interpreters be allowed to explain it ; it is the best way for us to turn quakers , and not to swear at all : not in christs sense , but theirs ; for 't is easie to turn the plainest oaths into snares . how shall it be known , that men by vertue of the covenant do not hold themselves oblig'd to subvert ecclesiastical government by bishops ; if it be unlawful to swear not to endeavour the alteration of the government : then they may lie at catch to play their former game over again ; and who knows but there is so much pleading to keep this sally-port open to this purpose ? this bogling makes me think your retractation is not so sincere as st. austins ; and then 't is no wonder you fall short of his glory . as for those titles of want of ingenuity , not understanding what i say ; o happy quieter of conscience ! they are so common , — that like those that live near the falling of nilus , though it roar never so much , they take little notice of it ; so i am inur'd to your buffetings , that i am almost turn'd into a callum . 44. your refusal of that oath ( it seems ) is bottom'd on this , — that lay-chancellors make up the church-government , which is not to be altered . i think it will not be easie to prove this ; and i am sure i never yielded it to you . they may be appendants to , which are not the essential parts of a government . if you peruse the oath 1640. which occasioned so much dust at that time , you will find the church-governours set down at large , — arch-bishops , bishops , deans and arch-deacons ; there is no mention at all of lay-chancellors ; except you will play the chymist and extract them out of the rest , &c. and then you may make registers , proctors , apparators to be the government , but sir ! remember your self , you tell me , you must not give the reasons of non-conformity , because this would be a traducing the government . why do you print against lay-chancellors then , if they be the government ? learned men have maintained both in the schools and from the press a divine right of the government of the church by bishops : but who ever did so in behalf of lay-chancellors ? is not this to have hot and feaverish heads ? when you will startle at every leaf , as if it harboured a serpent , and turn every bush in your way into a gorgon : men will never want woe that are such pregnant contrivers , how to puzzle and intangle themselves . when you seem'd perplex'd about lay-chancellors , i did say , me thinks a man of your ingenuity should rest satisfied with that modest declaration before the commination in our liturgy , concerning the censures of the church . have i done you any wrong in appealing to your ingenity , who have so often caled me disingenious . in that declaration there is an acknowledgment , — that in the primitive church there was a godly discipline , which it is wish'd might be restored . it is granted then that our discipline is imperfect ; and though there is no mention of lay-chancellors , yet excommunication being a part of discipline , and belonging to penance , i thought you might be so ingenious as not to exagitate what is confess'd to be imperfect . poor impotent flies stick upon sores , but generous spirits are satisfied with an acknowledgment , satis est prostrasse leoni . you might perceive i had no mind to draw the saw , about lay-chancellors and excommunication . i had not mention'd them in my book , or asserted any thing about excommunication ; but 't is your manner to draw any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into your discourse . and then if i do but touch upon it , 't is enough ; you will presently pour forth a whole volume . just so when i was a puny-sophister in the schools : if i could catch an advantage from any word , that fell from my antagonist , i would hold him there , and pass by the merits of the cause . it may be i could wish , — that excommunication were reduc'd into a more scriptural , apostolical and primitive channel , as much as your self ; but i never look that the church below should be without spot or wrinkle . i said , ( what could be said ) that lay-chancellors do not excommunicate as they are lay-men ; but by their surrogates . o quam vapulo ▪ i am push'd to a stone-wall , and pin'd up fast there , and then i am bound to your chariot , whilst you sing iö . triumphe . come on , say you , you speak just like an hector , horns against horns . — they excommunicate as lay-men , or as clergy-men ; but not as lay-men , ergo , as clergy-men . and upon this you ground many subsequent absurdities ; as vno absurdo dato , &c. i shall break your chain in the first link ; for i deny your division : your major is imperfect , for excommunication is not from them , either as lay-men , or as clergy-men formally , or by any proper causality ; but from the surrogates . say not our articles the same : vnusquisque vicarius generalis , officialis , seu commissarius , qui ordines ecclesiasticos non susceperit , eruditum aliquem presbyterum , sibi accerset , & associabit , qui sufficienti authoritate vel ab ipso episcopo in jurisdictione sua , vel ab archidiacono ( presbytero existente ) in jurisdictione sua munitus , idque ex praescripto ipsius judicis tunc praesentis , excommunicationis sententiam , pro contumacia pronunciabit . inter articulos , anno domini 1584. regnique elizabethae vicessimo septimo . anno 1571. nullus cancellarius , nec commissarius , nec officialis , procedet usque ad ferendam sententiam excommunicationis ; sed sententiam deferent tantum ad episcopum ; camque aut ipse per se pronunciabit , aut gravi alicui viro in sacro ministerio constituto , pronunciandum committet . anno 1597. quotiescunque censura ista excommunicationis , in poenam cujusvis haereseos , schismatis , symoniae , perjurii , usurae , incestus , adulterii , seu gravioris alicujus criminis venerit infligenda ; sententia ipsa vel per archiepiscopum decanum , archidiaconum , vel prebendarium ( modo sacris ordinibus , & ecclesiastica jurisdictione praeditus fuerit ) in propria persona pronunciabitur . canon 13. in the sixteenth of charles the first . no excommunication or absolution shall be good in law , except they be pronounced by the bishop in person , or by some other in holy orders , in whom is the power of the keys . you did not do well to overlook what i said about the lay-chancellors being expert in the civil law ; and so were competent judges about intricacies , arising about spiritual affairs , and so might have a superintendency , and a juridical inspection over this particular of excommunication . tell me , sir ! may not a man be said to do that vertually , which he does not act immediately ? the king does neither preach nor administer the sacraments , yet has a supremacy of power in all things belonging to the church . are not many things in parliament ascrib'd to the lords spiritual , which were transacted by their proxies ? did you never read , that the nobles of jehosaphat went about all the cities of juda , and taught the people ? was not teachings proper to the priests , levites , prophets , as matters of discipline were to the apostles ? why do you not quarrel with these nobles , for being usurpers ? if you say , as some commentators , that they taught the people , in that they incourag'd the levites to do so : why in this sense may not lay-chancellors act about excommunication , by informing and directing the surrogates how to carry themselves in doubtful cases ? as jetho advised , that matters of the greatest concern should be brought to moses : although all this while the original authority is in and from the bishop , and we are all but his curates as to the exercise of it . i find that if you may be permitted to fix your engine upon a false ground , and begin your building upon a precarious foundation ; you will do wonders ; and raise a babel as high as heaven : but remove this sand , and you come tumbling down like lucifer . you may please your self in comparing us to cryers ; because we act subordinately to our superiors : i think , as we are gods ambassadors , we are no better : our commission is limited , and we do but cry what is enacted above . nothing below an independent , absolute , and autocratical power will serve your turn . nobis non licet esse tam potentibus . if the presbyterians should succeed , they would assume a power to excommunicate kings ; and then men are not like to take much care what becomes of them . is it this you would have ? i dare not but name my author ; it was the lord digby . 45. i told you , that if lay-elders medled in excommunication , you would not be offended at them : you say in effect you renounce them ; for you have written against them . where shall i find you ? if i touch upon any thing that may reflect upon the presbyterians , or their discipline , presently your blood is up , and i must be call'd to a severe account by your self , as the achilles of the party : yet if any part of that discipline be charg'd upon you , or want a defence , then you fly off , renounce the cause you have espous'd : you know not the man , although you think i am oblig'd to defend every usage of the church with which you have a mind to quarrel . what prevarication is this ? into how many shapes can you transform your self ? hecate triformis ! flesh , fish , mirmaid ; episcopal-presbyterian-independent ; yet none of these when you please : an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . sometimes in the water , and sometimes out . i only wish you were either hot or cold . i find that beza made the same complaints as you do , that excommunication was decreed by the civil lawyers , and not by the presbytery ; yet i find , that at geneva the power of excommunication was in the consistory ; whereof two parts were lay-men : and how it was with the sanhedrim mr. selden will inform you : but as great a mecaenas as you are for the discipline , i doubt whether you will own this . if ever i be a bishop i shall bless my self from such a defender : and herein you would do me a kindness : for you would be such a strange and uncouth a bishop , that it would exceed the skill of a better advocate than i to defend your manner of episcopacy . but there is but little fear of this trouble ; for before richard will agree with baxter , what kind of bishop he would be , it will be too late in the afternoon with me to undertake your defence . 47. here you say , i sarcastically insinuate something about your nolo-episcopare , and so you wish again for one grain of ingenuity in me . you might have sav'd this labour , if you had not undertaken to know my mind better than i do my self . who gave you commission to read my thoughts backward ? as destitute of ingenuity as you make me , i never reproached any with their misery , or upbraided them with their choice . it may be an act of magnanimity to refuse preferment ; for nazianzen and many others have done it before you . i will not be so curious and inquisitive as to search whether your motives and theirs be the same , 48. magis & minus non variant speciem ; holds in substances , say you , but not in relatives . yet neither substances nor relatives in my logick , suscipiunt magis & minus ; if they be relatives secundum esse . but this is onely in respect of quantity and quality which do adhere to them . for as one man is not magis homo , so one father is not magis pater than another . but say you would a spoon be a spoon if it were as big as a church . it is enough for my purpose that there is no specifick difference betwixt a little spoon and a great one , nor betwixt a small diocess and a great one : and this you seem to assert in your next section , shewing that there is small difference betwixt bishop ushers and the present model . take heed of absurd and ridiculous suppositions ; for as they are not argumentative , so they infer nothing but monstruous conclusions . rub up your philosophy about maximum quod sic & minimum quod non , and see what vossius says — that things only dissering gradually are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and then it may be you may give leave to magis & minus , and to be a maxim still . but right or wrong you must have a fling at diocesan bishops , which you say can have no personal present communion with a thousand churches under them , since they never saw one the other . is there no communion but personal , and 'twixt those that see each other ? many of the kings subjects never saw his face , yet they have many hands and eyes in respect of their subordinate officers . so have diocesans in their curats , and may not we be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and have a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the saints below and the saints above , though we never saw them . 50. to all you talk after on this subject i cannot find in my heart to trouble my self with any other answer than to tell you that all you say is utterly impertinent , you would have cry'd out — o easie answer ! but why impertinent ? you had declar'd your self for the episcopacy of cyprian and ignatius ; but not for diocesan bishops , because they were not primitive . i told you there were bishops before there were parishes , therefore the most primitive bishops were not parochial . then i shew'd you the large diocess of ignatius , cyprian , &c. and i quote the very words of ignatius in his epistles , and all this is impertiment : but 't is no strange thing with you ; for when i mention'd several grand authors about the discipline , you give me just such another answer . 51. you had spoken , ( as i understood ) against our oath of canonical obedience to bishops : i told you this was only in rebus licitis & honestis . this you canvas up and down ; yet when you had to do with mr. bagshaw you grant it , but with me you dispute it over again . are oaths necessary to be sworn to the clergy ? it was once made necessary to swear and vow against the clergy to the utter rooting them up , and those that refus'd ran the hazard of all they had . and may not we now promise obedience to them in things lawful ? or rather by the king by whose law this is injoy'nd ? but where is any antiquity for it ? i produc'd the words of ignatius to this purpose , yet you take no notice of them . 52. i had said mr. cartwright wrangled himself into conformity : you say it is well done of you to write an historical untruth so boldly ? you have no way to come off , but to say some body told you so : some body told you so is sometimes and in some cases a good account . if we were stript of the advantage of tradition , you would be much puzzl'd about the christian sabboth . but is this an historical vntruth ? you might have read the very words in print before now ; and in another author you may read — cartwright either was , or was perswaded to be satisfied ; when he was admitted to warwick he faithfully promised , if he might be tolerated to preach , not to impugn the laws , orders , government , or governors in the church of england , but to perswade and procure as much as he could , both publickly and privately the estimation and peace of the church — he carried himself with as much respect to the archbishop as any of the regular and conformable clergy to his death . — dr. burges observ'd that cartwright opposed the ceremonies as inconvenient , not as unlawful ; and therefore perswaded men to conform rather than leave their flocks ; so that you may see i had better ground for what i said than meer hear-say . 53. here you repeat concerning the oath of non-endavouring the alteration of government . but as you say nothing but what hath been said before , so i have nothing to say but what i have said already , until something be produc'd de novo . 54. who it is that does most to drive people from the parish churches , i am satisfied by experience ; and whether all nonconformist dissenters be such children of hell as you describe them . methinks you are like a waspish or cholerick disputant , who being impatient of contradiction , and having spent his stock of reason , falls to chiding , and supplies the want of argument with the overflowing of the gall , and 't is no wonder you begun to faulter and rage at the latter end of the day , after so tedious a journey , i mean so long a discourse : but when you are refreshed , revolve with your self in your retirement and solitude . 1. whether we that now bear the heat of the day ( i might ask you according to your procedure , whether you mean me , ) do drive men from the parish churches . 2. whether i describe dissenters , all of them to be the children of hell . reverende pater in hisce duabus quaestionibus expecto animi tui sententiam . take heed of that pernicious luciferian counsel — calumniari fortiter haerebit aliquid . let st. paul rather instruct you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to speak the truth in love . away with these heats ; let 's tear one the other in pieces no longer : can you blame me for saying such dissentions make musick at rome ? let us shew our selves to each other like joseph and his brethren at their interview in aegypt . though my judgment leads me to be pius inimicus to the non-conformity of the non-conformists ; yet nothing shall make me uncharitable to their persons . 55. to write a just defence of the non-conformity which i own , would take up more time than i have to spare , unless i saw a probability of better effect , than by putting it into your hand , as now you motion . i will not say this is a tergiversation ; for if there be any that comes near st. johns hyperbole , of writing more books than the world can contain , you are the man. if you do but open the flood-gates of your lips , out there gushes such a torrent , ( i allude still to st. john , but 't is to the dragon in the revelation ) that is enough to overwhelm such a pigmy as i am . your foam is the more grievous because it is brackish . i expect nothing from you but scorn ; and that you should pronounce your wonted raca against me in a higher key , and a more emphatical accent : you will have the lions motto , nemo me impune lacessit : yet i could wish that if your writing be no sweeter , it might be shorter ; and that you would contract your swelling thoughts , and like the oracle speak much in a little , for i am weary in following you . i hope you will no more tell me , that i call upon you to blow against a flaming oven ; and to do impossibilities , when i call'd for your reasons of non-conformity . you tell me i know no such book could be licens'd ; yet when i made the motion in assisting you in the birth , you utterly waved my overture . if you are under affliction , i hope it will make you to judge as one that must be judged . sir , i told you the very truth : i was entering into the furnace in my last ; and since that god has been pleas'd to drench and plunge me deeper , both as to my person and family ; else you had receiv'd this return much sooner : though i might have thought such an intimation might have procur'd your forbearance , and that you would not have come upon me when i was sore . i thank you that you have any hope that i may improve my afflictions , by sucking some honey out of such a hard rock ; and i can bless god that of very faithfulness he hath caused me be troubled . i can kiss the rod without any murmuring sobs , and adore him that has made me to smart . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . it is god that beareth rule in the kingdom of heaven and earth ; therefore i praise , honour and extoll him ; all whose works are truth , and his ways judgment . what talents the same god hath bestowed on me , i shall lay them out , not to drive men from the congregation , but to invite and wooe them more and more into the church , that they may come under the net of the gospel , and the droppings of heaven . herein i should rejoyce to have your co-operation , and the assisting labours ( all little enough ) of all our dissenting brethren : whilst i am an unworthy labourer in the lords vineyard , and your devoted friend , jo. hinckley . northfeild octob. 13. mr. baxter's fourth letter . sir , when i had written an answer to your last , the transcriber moved slow in his work , and it being somewhat long , ( fourteen sheets ) before he had finished it , i heard from a double report of your own acquaintance , that you purposed to print what you got from me ! at the first hearing i was not sorry for it : but upon second thoughts these four reasons put a stop to the mission of the papers to you . 1. i have written more plainly and smartly than i would have done if it had been for any ones use besides your own : a secret conviction and reproof may be sharper than an open one . 2. i am confident that you cannot get the whole licensed , ( and i cannot easily think that you are willing . ) upon your encouragement a few sheets against bagshaw ( since dead ) were printed without license , and were surprized in the press ; and if you should print mine by scraps , and not entirely , i should take it for a great injury and dishonesty . 3. and i doubt it would be offensive to some , and so might tend to my own disquiet ; for to make it so plain , as that nothing but a high degree of ignorance or impudence can contradict it , that the parliament that raised arms against the king were by profession episcopal , ( such as heylin describes abbot to be ) as against those whom they accused of innovation , and rais'd suspitions that they were reconciling us to popery , at the price of our loss of propriety and liberty . i have been fain to name so many men , of whom some are yet living , that i know not how they will take it , to have their military acts recited after the act of oblivion ; and i believe those clergy-men that have used this false visor to put on the non-conformists to make them odious , that it was they only , and not the episcopal that began the english war , will be very angry to have their fraud detected . 4. but all these are small matters in comparison of the last ; though god hath given us a king , who is so firm to the protestant religion , as to make a severe law against all that shall cast out suspitions of his being inclin'd to popery ; yet all men are mortal , and god knoweth into what rulers hands my papers may be put by the papists for their advantage when they see them : and they may say , you see , sir , that it was not only the non-conformists , but the episcopal protestants also that raised war against the king ; therefore no party of them are to be trusted by you , as philanax anglicus attempted ; and arguments from interest take much in the world. and i had rather the non-conformists alone were distated and cast out , than the conformists also , lest worse succeed them . on all which considerations i shall suspend my sending you these papers , till you give me sufficient reasons to believe that they shall not be used to more hurt than good ; and then you shall have them by the next messenger . but i doubt whether it will not offend you to see it so undeniably proved , that your papers contain so great a number of gross mistakes . among which one of the most excusable-willing one , is your mistake of my apology ( in tantum ) for one or two non-conformists near you , ( i know of no more ) that had not academical education , or might be suspected to be half as low in learning as you defined them to be , when i told you how much i preferred matter before strange words , and an english divine before a syriack sot , or a few shreds , &c. for though i had no thought of accusing the conformists more than others , of being guilty of acquaintance with the oriental or other languages ; yet i confess i had mentioned the conformists somewhere in the same sheet , and you were like enough in the contradicting humour to think that all that was mentioned to you was spoken by way of opposition to your party , when you found some crums of credit in it : but to disabuse you , i assure you ; 1. that i thought not in those words of comparing conformists with non-conformists at all , but only pedantick smattering in strange words , with real solid understanding , and preaching of theology , in what parties soever they were found . 2. that i never yet heard any of your youths in our pulpits that shewed any higher matters of that poor kind of ostentation than a few words of hebrew . 3. that really it was a lad in my own house at my elbow , the remembrance of whom suggested to me the matter of my comparison , who is yet no conformist , and i assure you no judicious divine , ( what ever he may be hereafter ) and yet ( seeing you seem to differ from me in this point also , and so prefer such shreds before true knowledge in divinity ) is able to gratifie you with somewhat more than shreds of welch , english , latin , greek , hebrew , chalde , syriack , arabick , persian , samaritan , aethiopick ; and if these be not enough for you , we can make shift between us to send you some shreds of armenian , french , italian , spanish , yea and of the indian language of our americans , in which mr. eliot hath printed the bible . and if you signifie your desire or willingness to accept them , he shall send you some shreds of these by the next , in stead of solid divinity , that you may have that which you prefer . and i further assure you , that he never had these from any university , nor from any tutor that is fond of conformity ; which i say because you tell me how we would boast of such if they were among us . and would you have me send out such a lad ( of nineteen or twenty years of age ) to be a preacher or a pastor , because he can talk nonsense ( or at least but little profound divinity ) in so many tongues ? had i set as light by languages as you dreamed , i had not taken care to help him to this much : but because i set more by real science , than you seem to do by your contradiction of my preference of it , i count him that is without it , and without the holy love and life which it tendeth to , to be but as sounding brass , or a tinkling cymbal . your servant , r. b. jan. 20. 1671. an answer to mr. baxter's fourth letter . sir , i received yours directed to the curate of northfeild . now there is some hope ; your language is truly episcopal : for we are in truth the bishops curates ; and under that title we are pray'd for in the collect , though more at large in the littany . but i think the king will shortly give me a writ of ease , so that i shall neither be rector nor curate there long . all times involve me in sufferings : may i hereby know ( reduplicative . ) the fellowship of my saviours sufferings ! and so thereby with him be made perfect ! those that told you what i might say about printing our papers , might have told you the whole truth ; which was with this reserv'd hypothesis . — if you should approve of it . though you well know , how you have urg'd me to it . such apocopes do too much resemble the legerdemain of the grand impostor . i may be ignorant ; i cannot be dishonest . i had rather your devoto's should take it for granted , that you have mangled the whole book you oppose , and laid the whole compages of it in the dust , than confute them by doing you the least injury . your four reasons are satisfactory unto me : and i am glad that you are convinc'd , that your ink did overflow with gall towards one who treated you with much humanity . but i am sorry you do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in still asserting , — that the war was raised by episcopal men. herein you are singular , and are deserted by your own friends ; who are concern'd to lay hold on such a doctrine , ( if true ) with both hands . but this history is too fresh in our memories to be transpos'd or deprav'd . it is true , dr. heylin , and many others , thought arch-bishop abbot a great mecaenas , and favourer of puritans , who were afterward call'd presbyterians . there were hot disputes by other episcopal men against the five articles , against incroachments upon our liberty civil and religious ; therefore these episcopal men rais'd the war : this sequel or consequence you cannot make good ; or if you set down this argument categorically , i will deny the major in aeternum . you may as well bottom our late difference betwixt king and parliament , on the remote quarrel betwixt york and lancaster . had bishop abbot liv'd , do you think he would have espoused the parliaments cause ? qui pauca respicit , de facili pronuntiat . what you say about the many sheets you have prepar'd , i tell you as formerly , — i do not court your trouble . i cannot suppose that you have taken so much pains to be buried in my desk ; nor shall i willingly examine such a bundle , without the exposing my sentiments to the suffrages of the learned world. you excuse the expression of a syriack sot : and because you tell me the occasion of it , i will tell you my surmise . i had thought you had perstring'd a dear and old acquaintance of mine , who for his humble self-denial , and deep learning in the languages , is stupor mundi both at home and abroad . you speak of my gross mistakes : but if there be no other than you name , let any man that understands sense read the papers , and perpend the state of the controversie , and i dare boldly say , he will fall into the same toil. your explicatory clavis has expedited me out of that intanglement . and i am resolved not to be resolute in quarreling . it is a strange courtesie you tender me of sending me your lads scraps . if i had not a competent measure of that kind of learning , i could have a better tutor ; who , as i told you , is the glory of his age. i have known pregnant boys , — praecocis ingenii , come from westminster school , fraught with a cyclopaedy of languages ; and yet before they have left the colledge , they have scarce retain'd any foot-steps thereof , unus in omnibus , &c. just as you have seen the beauty of a fair face , either by sickness or age , so obliterated and furrow'd , that there 's no more remainder of beauty left , than there is of troy , in those plow'd fields where it once stood . the fathers were good divines ; yet as dr. hackwell observes , — among the latins st. jerom , and origen among the graecians , did excel in the oriental languages . the last part of your charge i cannot but take unkindly : you say i prefer shreds before true knowledge in divinity , and real science . sir ! here you speak without book : for i have neither said so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , nor can you charitably infer it from any thing i have spoken . i know not how to confute you , but by wishing you knew me better . when i have heard sermons at the university as smooth as glass , so that the art in wording them did opus superare ; i have declar'd to persons of no small place , — that such slippery preaching , and cadencies of words , will spoil all in the country : such sermons will reach no further than the ears , and be look'd on as romantick harrangues . you know what austin said of tullies hortensius : the same say i of such preaching , which tends not to advance piety and holiness . now worthy sir ! for as calvin said of luther : think of me what you please , i will acknowledge your worth in many particulars . and as for absoluteness , it is so incompetible an attribute to man , that i know you do not aspire unto it : i am sorry ; and it shall be for a lamentation , to see in your late writings a foundation laid for a grand schism in this church , as things now stand . give me leave , supra totam materiam , to re-inforce my perswasive by this consideration . — have not you seen presbytery supplanting episcopacy ? independency , presbytery ? have not you seen anabaptism with one foot in the stirrup ? and who knows but ( as montanus said of the holy ghost ) quakers and fifth-monarchy-men might have had their turns ? nay , papists and atheists , if those days of anarchy and non-conformity had continued . if you saw the boldness of papists , and their great numbers , where i sometimes exercise my ministry , you would count it no small happiness , that such fluctuations are limited by reformed bishops in a reformed church . it shall be my prayer therefore , that you were not almost , but altogether a conformist . john hinckley . feb. 2. 1671. respondi , &c. — a letter to an oxford-friend , from a countrey-minister ; concerning the indulgence . anno 1671 / 2. cap. i. the commendation of an oxford-life . dear sir ! i have always had a great veneration for that bishop who never approach'd your oxon : though in his episcopal grandeur , and declining years ; but whil'st he was in the way , when he first saw your rising towers , he alighted from his horse : and in the open field , prostrating himself upon our common mother the earth , he paid his duty , to his mother the university : or rather , the tribute of praises unto god , who first brought him thither . in like manner , sir ! the sense of that mercy and goodness , which i have seen , and tasted within your walls ; has prompted me to say — how beautiful are thy tents , o oxford ! if at any time , from shot-over , or any of those adjacent hills , i have ( as from mount nebo ) beheld your land of canaan : and well i may call it so ; where there has been such a torrent of milk and honey ; the sincere milk of gods word : and that , which is sweeter than honey ; i earning , and religion . these are the genuine streams of that fountain , except it be mudded by some strange cattle ; or poysoned by principles of a forreign growth . if any come from you , either loose , or illiterate ; they are but degenerous plants , that never tasted the sweetness of your soil : nor bow'd themselves to your discipline . they are but the wenns and cancers of your body ; or rather insects , hatch'd out of their own ill humours , which they brought with them thither , out of their countrey , schools , or families . sir ! our friendship is no mushrome , sprung up the other night : but it is almost immemorial : of so long standing . that i am even puzzled , to trace it up to its first original ; or to shew , where was the head of this nile . she was a very unhappy girle , who had so long liv'd under an act of wanton indulgence ; that she could scarce ever remember , that she had been a virgin. but it is the crown of your kindness , that i am not able to tell , when it was otherwise . yet all this while , i never acquainted you with one notable change , or dispensation , which befell me at oxon. i came thither ( blessed be god ) well principled in the first table ; religion towards god. my dearest friends were accounted puritanes , in those days ; yet i had not learn'd my duty to the king. i look'd upon him , as an ordinary man : and if things went not well ( that is ) in my apprehension , i was too ready to murmur against his government . but , to pray for him , to speak reverently of him , as god's vicegerent , and to give him that obedience , which was his due ; i had not learn'd . conscience was not so well edified , as to concern it self in these things . they seem'd to me indifferent acts : they might be done ; or they might be left undone : they were no essential parts of my religion : but altogether extrinsecal to it : until with david , i went into the house of god. i mean , upon a day of inauguration , i heard dr. wentworth of baliol colledg , preach at st. maries , on 1 tim. 2. 1 , 2. i exhort , that first of all , supplications , prayers , intercessions , and giving of thanks , be made for all men , for kings , and all that are in authority , &c. he shew'd so invincibly from hence , that all these do belong , even to wicked emperors , and kings ; that i was thorowly convinc't of my former errour ; and had cause to report , that god was there of a truth . had you sate in mr. nye's chair , among the triars ; you would have look'd on such a transmutation , as an act of conversion . but such a confession before those rabbies , would have been so far from an evidence of grace ( so much was this word abus'd ) that it had been enough , to have drawn down an anathema . it would not have been easie to have escap'd the brand of a malignant carnalist , ( i speak to softly ) of an absolute reprobate . in such request was loyalty then . and have these leopards ( do you think ) chang'd their spots ? let them come forth ! let 's see their penitent tears , wherewith they have wash'd themselves . let them come , but to the very threshold of repentance ; in an humble acknowledgment of their guilt , before god , and his church ; and we will be more charitable unto them in allowing them converts , than they have been to us. i much fear , the king's indulgence has not melted them , and put upon them a royal stamp . nay ? do's it not harden them ? do they not think themselves the best of subjects , to whom so great a favour is vouchsafed ? will they not expect hereafter to be humour'd , rather than govern'd ? as if they were a people of the greatest moment , and weight in the ballance of the kingdom , to whom the laws themselves must bow , and bend ; rather than they must be displeased ? but i am come from jerusalem to jericho : from my mother's genuine sons , to a spurious offspring . therefore , like a man that is affrighted , with the sight of wolves and tygers ; i will betake my self out of this wilderness , unto my beloved oxford again . sir ! your lot is fallen to you in a fair ground . you may converse with men , and books ; breath in libraries , until you become one your self ; and you may ransack the vety treasures of the indies . had not i a transcendent kindness for you , i would tell you , i envy your condition . it cost me many a tear , when i parted from those cloisters ; when by an heavy judgment , it came to my turn , to be taken ; and to yours , to be left . it was like the haling , and dragging of a living member , from its own natural body ; or the lugging a fond child from his mother's breast . i look'd upon going into the countrey , as if i had been condemned ; or banish'd . nay ! as if i had been sentenc'd into a region of death . but did i say , that i am parted from your society ? no. as diogenes told antisthenes , you shall never find a club , knotty , and crabbed enough , to drive me from you . i will be with you still , in the contemplation of my mind . in admiring your happiness : for as plato's love , was in abstracted , and intellectual beauties , so it is not impossible for my purer part , my mind ( without the help of atoms ) to take many a pleasant , and invisible turn , in your galleries . you have your pilgrims , as well as loretto , and jerusalem , aristotle's well has more savour and virtue , than st. winnifred's . therefore i will be with you still ( maugre all unkindness ) in my devotions : praying , that peace and plenty may be within your walls . cap. ii. the indulgence is a disheartning to young students . when i first read the indulgence ; i did not only tremble , and quake ; out of a presentiment of that havock , which it was like to make in the church : like a flying-burning-roll demolishing , & levelling the very pinacles of it with the dust . i could not forbear saying as zippora did to moses — a bloody husband , said she . a bloody indulgence , said i , art thou to the church of god. i read in the very face of it , what was seen in hazael : that it would lay wast this eden ; and cut the very heart-strings of an orderly religion . therefore , so soon as it was born into the world , i nam'd it icabod — the glory is departed from our israel . i had another dread upon me too ; which was , that the smoke , and smother of it , would even blast the plants of your nursery . and like the opening of pandora's box , would fill you with blasting , and mildew : i had almost said , with murrain , and the very pestilence . alas ! what incouragement is there , to exhaust the spirit in studies ? to espouse an ephod ? and to be consecrated to the temple ? when every beast may touch the altar . and every heteroclite , that has pride enough to be singular , may have liberty to set up altar against altar , when there is worshipping under every green tree ; and in every superannuated barn. according to the number of thy cities , so are thy altars , o england ! is it not a dismaying spectacle , to see mount gerazim , and mount ebal to strut , and swell ; as if they would either confront , or confound mount zion ? to see dan , and bethel ( like excrescencies in the body ) not only , to starve , and macerate jerusalem ; but with their numerous baalites , to deride , and vex her ? as hagar did her mistris sara : and peninna , the lord's handmaid , hanna . as it is said of saul , that his shield was vilely cast away , as though he had not been annointed with oyl . so , our churches , and oratories , are slighted , and contemn'd ; as if they had never been consecrated , and set apart , for the service of the great god. prophaneness in manners , is like to follow upon such prophanation of places . now sir ! your students had need have the courage of joshua , who dare venture into the camp , and list themselves into a warfare , against all these cananites , jebusites , philistims , and what not ? as many adversaries , you may be sure , as apollyon can muster up , and thrust out of his bottomless pit . he had need have ceur de lion : or to have his heart wrapped up , and fortify'd with as many sheets of brass , as there were folds in the shield of ajax . such swarms of locusts , will make the stoutest champions , austin , luther , to quail . where then will your stripplings ? your young divines appear ? when they see the heavens black , and all places filled , with dust , and noise ▪ when an empty non-conformist , who never eat one grain of salt in your naioth : or if he did , it was ( like the dogs of nilus ) touch and away ; shall be cry'd up among the rabble , and giddy fraternity ; as much as diana was at ephesus : when in the mean time , the most learned of your doctors , shall be dismissed — with — alas ! poor men ! their discourse is unsavory . they were never in the third heaven . nay ! they shall not be fit to be put in the ballance , with some forward tradesmen : for these begin again to display their gifts ; and think , they can scan a text , and sound the depth of scripture , as well as the profoundest gamaliel amongst you . and this is effected , by a sullen kind of gravity ; a loud and bold utterance ; and extatical devotion , and a down look , as if they had lost that os sublime which god bestowed upon them at first ; or as if those optick nerves , which naturally draw and pullice up the eyes towards heaven , were either crack'd , or broken . one would think such a popular ecclesiastes , were the most humble , the most mortify'd lump , as ever was quickened , with a living soul : and yet that shrub in semblance , is higher in his own conceit than the tallest cedar . he does not only overlook . lincoln , but canterbury too . all your skill in languages , arts , sciences ; all your reading of fathers , councils , primitive histories , is nothing to his precious parts , and mournful accents , when the auditors are set , and keep tune , and chime with every pathetical expression . their very bowels seem to sound like an harp , and their sighs to eccho ; like some hollow cave , or cavern of the earth . hither , the multitude flock , just as insects swarm about a dung-hil , or besiege a dead carcass . as i have seen in markets and fairs , more people about a mountebank , one that sings ballads , or a pedlar's stall , than in a jeweller's , or a goldsmith's shop . is not this enough to make your students to throw away their books ? to divert their studies ? and when they peep out into the countrey , to startle and recoil ( like those infants of saguntum ) into their mother's womb again ; or else to betake themselves , to some more quiet , and thriving kind of life ? sir ! i have found , by long experience , that you have had a compliance and sympathy with me , in most things of concern . as if one soul had been divided , betwixt us both : we have condol'd , we have rejoyc'd together ; you cannot then , but grieve with me , to foresee that desolation and widowhood ; which is like to befall our mother the university : when the most pregnant wits shall have a damp come upon them , and even smother them in their nests . what need so much watching ? so much consulting the oracles , and monuments of the dead ? when the reading some english neotericks , will bring them to more repute . and as jerome told marcella , idcirco sancti , si nihil scirent . they are accounted the more holy , by how much they are the more ignorant . a but it will appear , that those men are most subject to delusions , who have strong fancies , devout affections , and weak intellectuals . therefore the jews say , — that a religious man , who is a fool , is one of those things that destroys the world . christ is wounded worst in the house of such friends . if it be so , that every sect may have liberty to choose a priest : those that are not acquainted with cajoling a party ; by dropping oyl into their ears , and sowing pillows under their elbows ; but do endeavour impartially , to preach up the peoples duty to god and men ▪ they may be shepherds without any flock : like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers ; left alone , with elijah ; and their ▪ congregation as thin as the grapes upon the vine , after the summer vintage . will not this make our fluent chrysostomes , and our divine nazianzens to hide themselves in holes ? and to say with moses , — send by him , by whom thou wilt send . thus the church is like to dwindle , and wither away ; not being refresh'd , and impregnated by your breasts , and by the rivulets deriv'd from your fountain . darkness is like to overspread her territories , when the luminaries abscond themselves in a thick cloud . what then will be left , but flashy meteors , and false fires , to give an uncertain light ? what an easie prey will she be , to the attempts of her enemies ? when there are no champions , to defend her battlements . though themistocles was sleighted by the athenians , in times of peace ; yet in the storms of war , they ran to him ( say plutarch ) as to the shadow of a palm-tree . learned jewels , hookers , reynolds , will be in account again , though slighted at present ; when hannibal shall knock at our gates : when rome , and munster shall set up their standard against us . loose chiding , and frothy scolding , will not then serve turn ; but then there will be need of the sinews , of close , and succinct reasoning . the former victorious trophies , and triumphs , over their goliahs , is enough to endear your famous university , to the present , and future ages . manlius pointed at the capitol , which he had preserved , when he was accused before the senate : and he that was an advocate for phryne when the judges were ready to condemn her , he caused her to open her bosom , that so they might see her beautiful breasts , and her white alabaster skin . this did so melt the hearts of the judges , that they absolv'd her . thus , did your very adversaries behold the excellency of your schools , the soundness of your learning , and the necessity of your arts , both to defend , and adorn religion : this would even inflame and ravish their hearts ; so that they would be as much enamour'd with oxford , as i have been . cap. iii. the indulgence frustrates and lays wast , the fruit and success of all our sermons . sir ! as you have communicated , and transferr'd to me the occurrences of the university ; and so have allay'd the melancholy of my countrey-solitude ; so ( in an unequal exchange and requital ) i have rebounded unto you the affairs of the countrey . and because nothing has been more welcom to you , than to hear how it goes with the church ; with god's ark : and those deserve to be look'd upon , as our best , and most faithful friends , who are the heartiest votaries for the welfare of zion : if religion sit close to their hearts , we need not fear to repose our selves upon their laps . therefore that i might satisfie your pious desires , i inform'd you what progress our ministery made in these parts . i told you , where the labourers in the lord's vineyard , were labourers indeed ; when they preach'd well , and liv'd well : there were scarce any party-colour'd , speckled cattle in our flocks . such as had been formerly great dissenters , went with the multitude to the house of god ; joyning with us in prayers , sermons , and sacraments : so that you would have said in an holy admiration , — who are these that come as doves to their windows ? there were scarce any that did so much as mutter against our doctrine , or discipline ; except here and there an over-grown schismatick ; or a silly woman , who was as weak in her reason , as strong in her passion : who in a proud singularity , would not consent to this harmony ; lest she should be accounted no wiser than her neighbours . it 's strange ( you 'l say ) she would not be in the fashion . if this sex must be humour'd with the loss of our peace ; we deserve to be accounted effeminate , as well as to be unhappy . luther gave a good answer to his wife , when she extoll'd one preacher , and disparag'd another . yes kate ( says he ) you prefer such an one ; because he preaches just as you women prate . it has been satan's policy to work his deceits first upon the women , eve , miriam , job's wife . as the jews stirred up devout women ( in the acts ) to persecute paul. but whil'st our tongues were running over with praises ; and our hearts with comfort , to see of the travel of our souls ; and to behold such a stupendious blessing upon our ministery ; whil'st the papists did even gnash with their teeth , to see us concentre together in so happy a syncretism , and to build our selves up in the same faith , upon the same foundation ; in comes a ball of wild-fire , which scattered us into corners . this unravell'd all our webs , confuted all our sermons , turn'd our joy into mournings ; and in a moment cast to the ground , what we had been many years in erecting . it is no wonder we little artists have labour'd for the wind , in preaching up peace , order , and unanimity , for these several years ; when that great body , the parliament , reap nothing but the whirlwind ; and have brought forth nothing but untimely fruit , for several centuries . one brush of this besom , sweeps away the webs of all their church-laws . it was not so in the time of h. 3. for when there was a motion , tending to the retrenching of one law ; the barons , and earls gave this short answer — nolumus leges angliae mutari : and good reason : for a city may be as safe without walls ; as a kingdom , without laws . nay ; as if the plague of athens had been amongst us ; we began to stand off , and stare one upon another , as if we had forgotten , that ever we went to the house of god as friends : i am sure you are such an exact master in story , that you well know what is said of those that recover'd from that pestilence ; that they were so stupify'd , that they had forgotten their nearest friends . but though they are willing on a sudden ; to forget , and cast us off , and to reject our doctrines of piety , peace , and obedience : yet , will they not return to their former vomit ? have they forgotten to judge ? censure ? and to shed the blood of their brethrens names ? have they forgotten to sequester ? and banish ? had they but another declaration , to authorise them thereunto . the lion ( they say ) may be so tam'd , that you may stroke him , and he may lick you ; yet if his tongue ( which is rough ) draw the least blood , with his slaver ; he is so ravish'd with the savouriness of it , that he is put into a rage : so , the fiercest schismaticks may be so gentle , that they will fawn upon you for a time ; yet if they do but taste the sweetness of power and liberty , you are in danger of begging a toleration of them ; who were so free , to let them loose ; and to take off from them , the awe of legal restraint . if beasts break out of their own pastures , and feed on the other side of the hedge ; it will not be easie to reduce them from their wandring purlieus , into their ancient bounds ; many children have been utterly undone , by too indulgent parents . i wish this religious liberty , do not make them wanton in matters civil ; and that this toleration in the church ; do not make way ; for another in the state. some birds , when they are let out of the cage , will not stoop presently to the lure . and head-strong horses , having once shak'd off the bridle ; will never cease running , until they have thrown off the saddle too . i have always thought that regularity in the church , and faithful preaching there ; has been the best school to educate , and train up the best and most conscionable subjects . therefore , it was the saying of a wise man , that schism is worse than corruption of manners : for that tends to the dissolution of the compositum ; and this is but an ill humour in the body , that ends in death : this , in a distemper . we see this in a mirrour before our faces how are we crumbled , as it were into atoms , by the late thunderbolt ; who stood together , a little before , as an army with banners ? terrible to our enemies : lovely , and beautiful to our friends . how hath the lord cover'd the daughter of zion , with a cloud in his anger , and cast down from heaven the beauty of israel , and remembred not his foot-stool , in the day of his anger ? sir , i am in so tragical a vein , that i could even transcribe the whole book of the lamentations : for we are not only broken into shivers ; our strength , and spirits wasted in vain ; and our pleasant fruit blasted : but the peoples ears are precluded , and stopt ( like the companions of vlysses ) that they will not hearken to our charms . if we preach up peace , and unity ; this is to cast pearls before swine , who are ready to turn again , and rent us in pieces for our labours . this is not their element . they must have more of the whirlwind . what ? preach up obedience to the law ? this is little better , than rebellion against the law-maker : and treason against the king. the wind is turn'd ; and beats back our arrows into our own faces ; we told them formerly , of an ungodly war against the king. how justly , let heaven and earth bear witness ! now , they tell us , we are the king's enemies , if we speak a tittle against private meetings ; and this venomous shaft , pierces deepest of all . what ? shall those that have pray'd , paid , fought against the king ? reproach those for traitors , who have lost blood and estates , and jeoparded their very lives for him ? who preach up obedience and loyalty to his sacred person , and government . i dare say , that never any king , had a more loyal clergy . the poor levites of old , did never put forth their strength , more chearfully , to carry the ark ; than we do , to support the throne : as if it were not only our duty ; but our ambition , to honour the king. i say not this , as if we did supererogate , or merit ; but that we are most willing to do what we can , towards the discharge of our consciences , to god , and the king. and should the king think it fit , in his ratio de stato , to devest us of all our imployments ; and to put us under the very harrows of our adversaries , to tyrannize over us , as in the days of yore ; yet we would be as zealous , for the honour and safety of his sacred majesty ; as when we wept by the waters of babylon ; fasted and pray'd for his return to his just inheritance . nay ! when we trudged many a mile , to persons of quality , and estates ( who were propitious to us , in those days of persecution ) to pay some tribute to their exil'd prince . you well know , who carried their lives in their hands ; that they might convey it like david's worthies ; they rush'd thorow the very army of the philistims , that they might refresh their drooping king , with the waters of bethlem ; and who they were , that were deeply engaged in all designs , to dethrone olofernes : that our rightful sovereign might be restor'd to his crown ; when some of these very men , who are now shielded , and shelter'd under this indulgence , said where is now your king ? nay ! where is young tarquine ? ch. st. ? just as david's enemies insulted over him , in his distress , saying , — where is now thy god ? yet neither reproaches , nor threatnings ( though we saw the blood of our fathers , and brethren shed before our faces ) could abate our resolution , and courage in so good a cause . were it not for this ; i should be like a man that passes over a narrow bridge , and then looks back , and wonders how he came over ; so should i be amaz'd , how we that were bred up in calls , and wrapt up in soft gowns , should pass thorow so many hazards ; were it not , for the integrity of conscience within ; and the providence of a good god without : and what ? are we transformed now ? are men turn'd into hogs , and hogs into men ? if this indulgence has made them loyal , to all intents and purposes ; without reserves and equivocations ; it is the best , and most wonderful effect it is like to work : for i perceive by sad experience , that it is as difficult a work , thorowly to convert one of these dissenters , as to carry mount caucasus , upon one's back . i will assure you , i have laboured much , in convincing , and perswading some of them to be true members of our english church . the work was done in appearance . they seem'd to be , not only proselytes of the gate ; but of justice too . in every thing submitting to , and approving our orders . yet when liberty of meetings was proclaim'd ; off flies these demases : like a company of ducklings , hatch'd under an hen : they follow her , and she hives them under her wings ; but if they come near their own element , the water ; the hen may cluck her heart out : they are turned renegado's ; and will have none of her company . and no wonder : for one of the bel-weathers of this flock , bleated formerly , like an harmless sheep ; as if he intended unity , and the healing church-divisions . but when there was tidings of an indulgence : he turns his style ; and strikes up an alarm , for separation , and schism . his word is , — as you were : he pushes again , with his old horns ; which had been hid for a time , under wool ; as the viper covers his teeth under soft flesh . sir ! i fear , this melancholick discourse , has made you sad : and indeed , who can be otherwise ? that sees the sad fate of religion : how it is gone backward , more degrees , than ever the sun did , in the dial of ahaz . not only the disguised sectaries , who were perswaded to be almost christians , have returned to their former vomit : they are as busie , as ever ; in undermining our walls ; widening our closing wounds ; and pouring in wine ( without any oyle ) into them . but the prophane gallio's , have their conventicles too . the ale-houses strut with these companions ; why , say they , may not we meet , and have our liberty ; as well as every faction , has leave , to bandy together , and gratifie the itch of th●ir several humours ? the very peasants can tell us , if we give a check to their extravagancies — that now , they have liberty of conscience . and this is not strange in them , when some lawyers have mooted the case ; whether there be any penalties remaining , for drunkards , and whoremasters ? thus the meer moralist , and natural man , who is inclin'd to atheism , is hardened against all religion . and that sect amongst us , who seem to be most zealous for religion , in observing the christian sabbath ( as if on a sudden , they were become ranters ) do's most scandalously prophane it . i know , this word will be swallow'd with much kecking , and reluctancy ; yet let the best of their casuists , state and determine it otherwise if they dare : after they have considered with themselves impartially , whether it be not a breach of the sabbath , to run or ride six or seven miles on that day , to hear a gifted preacher ; when they might have heard the word of truth and salvation , rightly divided , and applied at home . is not this to play the wantons , with those things which are most sacred ? is not this , to slight , contemn , reproach , and discourage their own painful ministers , who watch for their souls ? and to teach others to do so , by their example : when god himself has commanded , to reverence , and honour him , with double honour . nay ! let them say it close to their hearts , whether these transactions do not savour of the mystery of iniquity . i know they are forward enough , to lay this brat at the doors of rome . and for me ; let it lye there : yet 't is worth their second thoughts , whether such dealings are not iniquity ? yet a mysterie ; because they are crusted , and cover'd over , with a pretence of piety , and devotion . i know , you will wonder , that they are so forward , to leave wholsom , and solid meat ; to run after kickshaws . will you give me leave to divine ? they are in pain , and do penance in keeping off their hats ; and kneeling in the publick . they are of judas his mind ; that all is wasted , which is spent in an outward reverence , and a bodily honour upon their maker . they must be more familiar with god : sit cheek by jole with him ; and be hale fellow well met , with the almighty : that they may reason the case with him ( if need be ) upon even terms : as when they said , lord ! why did'st thou leave us in the west ? why did'st thou forsake us at leicester ? but whil'st our religioso's , are thus traversing their ways , it is pretty to observe ; how the presbyterians and independents , do salute and embrace each other ; who could scarce agree together , in our remembrance , in the same college , city , or kingdom , yet now they throng together into the same parlour , hall , or more ignoble apartment ▪ herod , and pilate ; manasses , and ephraim , have joyn'd hands against christ and juda. and that you may see , what wonders this indulgence worketh , those that pretended weakness , and disability of body , to go a stones throw , to their own churches : they would sigh , as if they were ready to expire , if we desired their company there : yet now , they can rise early in the morning , and gallop several miles , to a meeting . the king ( you see ) is a most sovereign physitian : he can heal all maladies , and distempers ; he can make an old decrepit sectary , to find new legs , and new strength , and to grow young again , all over . before you lay down your admiration , concerning these aenigmatical men , tell me , if you can , how those , that have lifted up their hands to heaven , in the solemn league and covenant , against a toleration of other religions ; can kiss the golden calf of a vniversal indulgence ; and yet tell us , we go about to wound their consciences ; and perswade them to be perjur'd : if we perswade them to declare — there is no obligation in the covenant , let the next age expound these prevaricating riddles . i know they say , we value our reputations so much ; that we are loth that others should share with us . and have we not a cause ? if our credit be stain'd , our preaching will be of little moment . alexander got most victories , by the glory of his name . did not st. paul complain of those who would exclude him out of the affections of the people ? therefore , to keep our names intemerate , and free from the sullying breath of calumniating traducers ; 't is not a vain affectation of honour , but a necessary means , to make our ministery effectual . they tell us too , that we have our tithes allow'd us still : we may gnaw our crust in a corner , without snarling at others . true ! if our aims in taking on us this angelical office were so low , as only to look after the loaves , and the milk , without any care of the flock . as if a man should marry a wife , meerly for portion ; and then suffer her to be prostituted to the lusts of other men. nay ! it is the ready way , to expose us , to the scorns and affronts of our people ; to give us their tithes , and yet to allow them liberty , to choose their ministery ; for the country people do not dote upon such as take their tithes . therefore if they cannot be avenged on their parsons any other ways , they will leave them in their pulpits by themselves . cap. iv. the indulgence confutes our books , which have been written in the behalf of conformity . besides other malignant influences , which the sad comet of a toleration sheds abroad : though it cuts our hearts deep enough , to have our people ravished out of our bosoms ; and decoy'd out of our assemblies ! for these are our glory . b and you know , who said it ; that he had rather die , than that his glorying ( in the progress of the gospel ) should be made void ; yet there is another fatal disaster , which attends the motion of that monster . some have endeavoured by their pens , to vindicate their mother-church , from the imputation of being an harlot : and have asserted , that she requires nothing that is sinful , in order to her communion : how this has been manag'd in an argumentative , and perswasive way : how the policy , government , and liturgy of the church , have been defended , you are not ignorant ; and other learned and pious men , are abundantly satisfied . but now , on a suddain ; some there are , who being sheltered under the command of this toleration ( as if they were men of gath ) have with one breath blow'd away all the paper that hath been written ! one tells the world in print , he that thinks , that such toyes , as mr. fulwood , mr. stileman , mr. hinckley , &c. should satisfie them , he thinks contemptibly of their vnderstandings . but sir ! is this a sufficient answer to all those books ? to call them toys : without attempting any thing in particular against them . who will care , what volumes were written against him ? if the meer calling them toys , were an orthodox confutation . when you disputed in the schools , would you have taken it , for a good answer ? if your respondent had nick-nam'd your argument ; and cry'd nugae ! as if he had triumph'd , before the victory . yet here is a thrasonical fencer comes upon the stage ; looks scornfully , cryes pish ! and then his deluded followers ( who are no small number ) take it for granted ; that whatever has been said for conformity , is quite overthrown . but he goes on . let him procure us leave , but to publish our reasons against conformity , and then let him tell us , that we were better conform , when he hath answered them . 't is easie to talk , when none must confute him , and to brave it against one whose tongue is tyed . you may imagine this man standing , with his hands upon his sides , strutting , and vaunting ; as if he would beat down all before him with the fierce aspect of his eyes . as if he would fly over the alps , had he but the wings of an hawk ; and that he would hew us all in pieces ; had he but scanderberg's sword , let him but procure us leave , to publish our reasons against conformity . the man is grown modest , and mannerly : he has done as much as this amounts to , formerly , without asking leave . but what need is there of elaborate reasons against toyes ? must cannons be planted against a paper-wall ? are there any laws so draconical ? severe ? and keen ? as to hinder any man from answering toyes ? or has this champion nothing else to do ( had he leave ) but to encounter flies ? non vacat exigius , &c. one would think : he could shew as many feats , as a mountebank's man ; if his hands were untied : or that he had strange discoveries in his budget ; only the mouth of it is seal'd up , and tied with a gordian knot . he complains that his tongue is tyed . if he had spoken the truth ; their had not been much loss to this part of the world. had his tongue been tyed , with a cable-rope , to his jaws , ill betide him , that should cut it ! for by so doing , he would have loosed a chain , that had hamper'd a wild beast ; and pluck't up a floodgate , that would indanger another deluge . those that have known this author for above these thirty years , never knew him subject to this infirmity , or once guilty of such a distemper . his tongue has been rolling in his mouth continually . and ever and anon ( like mount aetna ) has belch'd forth some wildfire ; wherewith he has scorch't those that stood in his way : this is not that ignitum eloquium which was said to be in st. bernard . his tongue has been like a troubled sea ; casting up dirt and mire into the face of the church . he has been no more tongue-ty'd ; than some of those poor wretches in bedlam , that rave day , and night ; or some impetuous chiding women , whose tongues do seldom take any rest , longer than they are hush't , and silenc'd ; or as it were ty'd to their good behaviour , by a dead sleep . i am sure , you read better books , and place your time better , than to stoop to canting gibberish . but we in the country , either for want of money , to buy the volumes of the greek and latine fathers ; or else want of skill to understand them : or leisure to read them , are forc't to take up with pamphlets in our mother-tongue ; such as the pedlars furnish us with , at our doors . among others , this tongue-ty'd scribe , furnishes us with the greatest plenty . his pregnant invention , voids a book , almost every month. he is as fruitful as a rabbit . nay ! he tells the world , he made some of them ( as that of the grotian religion ) in four , or five days . he had little cause to say , 't is easie to talk , where none must confute : whereas , we do not find that he either fears laws , or men. nor can any man give him a word ; but he has receiv'd three for it . you may as easily bind the influences of orion , or stop the ebbing , or flowing of the sea ; as tye his tongue ; or be a remora to his pen , in the career of writing . but , quid tanto dignum feret hic promissor hiatu ? what must we expect , when this mountain ? this behemoth , shall groan , and bring forth ? some masculine offspring sure . if so , it is more than all the non-conformists have hatch'd these hundred years . t. c. saw as far into this controversie , as r. b. yet what said he ? which did not receive a full , and adaequate answer , from archbishop w. others have but lick't up his vomit . it may be ( with bolsech , or aretine ) this great undertaker may snort out his foam ; and be-dirt us with his reproaches : but if neither he , nor his , might have a toleration of all religions , until they can evince by dint of argument , that they cannot have communion with our church , without sin : so that there is a necessity to come out of her , and separate from her ; we need not fear , that our peace and quiet should be disturb'd , either by the lowing of the oxen , on the one hand ; or the braying of the asses , on the other . but sir ! take notice of his threatners ingenuity , and candour . he would make the world believe , his tongue is ty'd : he cannot print his sentiments , on this subject . i am inform'd , and i dare ingage to make it good , that after he had complain'd of this obstruction ; and had in many sheets of paper , reason'd against conformity ; he receiv'd answers accordingly , from one of those persons , he taxes for toys ; and mentions with scorn . yet when it was freely offer'd him , that the papers on both sides might be printed ; that so the world might see , what he could say , against the oeconomy of our church , and our compliance with it ; then this daring hector declin'd his own motion : and in cold blood , refused ; that his reasons ( such as they were ) should see the light : accusing him of dishonesty , that should venture to do it ; yet , as if he were quite another man , upon the publick stage , than what he was in the private tiring room ; he says in his late book , and to the same effect in a former : let him procure us leave , but to publish our reasons against conformity : then let him tell us , that we were better to conform ; when he hath answered them . he had leave : and what reasons he propos'd , have been answer'd . but you know , the followers of a baffled cause , must be animated , and their spirits supported ; not by what is ; or has been done : but by the bold brags of their leaders , what they will do for the future . just like a prodigious coward , that never looks more fierce with his eyes , or struggles more violently to assault his antagonist ; than when the slanders by ( who are his best friends ) hold his hands , and pinnion his arms. it is a fond presumption , that caesar is their friend , which puts such spirit into them . if they once find that he tolerates them , as god permits sin ; we shall hear no more of their challenges . cap. v. private meetings are not like to assist , or promote the publick ministery . this is strange ( say they ) that publick ministers , should not allow , and abett private meetings ; when both carry on the same gospel-work . is there not need of many hands ? and all manner of help ? to advance the salvation of souls ? yet many hands sometimes do marr the work they are about ; several chirurgeons , do but inflame the wound , if they do not agree exactly upon the ingredients of their balsom . and variety of physitians , do not only protract the patients malady , but indanger his life ; if they go several ways . therefore our saviour gave most excellent counsel : that when in the latter days ; men shall say , here is christ , or there is christ . he is in the wilderness : or in the private houses ; nolite exire , go not after them . when joseph , and mary sought christ sorrowing ; they found him at last in the temple . it was never his choice , but necessity , if at any time he betook himself , into corners or private houses . when it was objected to the primitive christians , that they were latebrosa , & lucifuga natio , a people sculking up and down ; origen answers in their behalf — that they might thank the heathen for it , who would not suffer them to meet in publick . i am sure , our corner-hunters cannot justly use any such plea. in what a dismal condition is the poor pilgrim ? if he shall not only meet with cross-ways , but cross-guides . every one may pretend to put him in the rightway , until they have quite distracted him , by their directions : as those suitors in plutarch , did all profess a passionate love for one maid , yet at last , they fell to such contention about her , that they tore her in pieces . sir ! i am an absolute stranger to my self , and false to my profession ; if it be not my hearty desire , that israel , i mean , that all the people under my charge , may be saved . i envy no man's parts , but rather rejoyce ; if he be more dextrous than my self , in salvation-work . i would even part with a share of my own maintenance to such an one , who would come in , and with a single eye , and a single heart , aim at , and help forward the good of souls . yet i am jealous over my people , with a godly jealousie . and though i dare not say ( with him at rome ) that i am sponsus ecclesiae , an husband to that part of the church , which is committed to my care and trust ( i leave that prerogative to christ himself ) yet i am as careful , that my people do not commit spiritual fornication with any impostor ; as the dearest husband is tender of his beloved wife , that she be not debauch'd by adulterous companions . when ministers walk by the same rule , and maintain one sound form of words , as it was among the apostles , and is still , among those that have subscribed the same articles of religion , and the same form of worship ; then they may be coadjutors , and lend an helpful hand , one to the other . but as an oxe , and an ass , will not plough well together : nor was it allow'd in the tabernacle , to have hangings , and curtains , of linsey-woolsey : so non. and con. ( which carry something of opposition in their very names ) are not like , whilst they continue so , to build well together . but as it was of old , one will call for mortar , the other for stones ; and neither agree where to place them . nay ! one , it may be , will pull down what the other has set up . if these be stars , they are not such , as are in christ's right hand , but in the dragon's tail ; like ignes fatui , they will only afford so much light , as to shew the way into pits , and quagmires . they may cry up godliness ; but 't is without goodness : and they may be christians , but without christianity . how natural is it for men , to procure fame to themselves , and leave others under reproach ? those people , whose religion seldom descends lower , than the head , and the tongue ! and learn no more by a sermon , than to censure and judge the preacher , will end all their devotions , in admiring the one , and despising the other ; or may be , like scholars of different masters , may draw out into parties , and bandy against each other ; so there will be — pila minantia pilis . it is no art of prophecy , to divine , what will be the issue : for , as the lowest virtues draw most praise , from the common people : so saith the same lord bacon ; a few that are stiff in a faction , will tire out a greater number , that are more moderate . they have this advantage too . they are sure of the people's affectionate pity : for let the cause be what it will , they will always incline to those that are lowermost ; and like sturgeon , they will swim against the stream ; and be weary of those , that are in present office. therefore the violence of factions , argues the weakness of princes : for when they are carried audaciously , it is a sign , that the reverence of government is lost . and then you know what follows . if a son hath parted with his awe towards his father , he will pay but little obedience to him . therefore our late blessed sovereign , gave this divine advice to our present monarch , — neither to fear , nor flatter any faction : for if ever he stand in need of them , or must stand to their courtesie , he will be undone . it is to be fear'd , that these hot , and busie factionists , will be no better friends at last to magistrates themselves ; than they are to us , and our ministery . they begin already to muster up their companies , and with david , to number their people . some of them are captains of thousands ; and some are captains of hundreds : and there are not those wanting among them , who are too well acquainted with military discipline ; as not to have their field officers abroad , to marshal their whole body , and to give the word . if another general should start up : the peoples darling : and heir to his own disappointments ; and swelling with his own discontents . especially , if he should weave the covenant into his colours ; and ingrave reformation upon his standard . i even tremble to think what thunder and lightning may break out again from our clouds . herrings , they say , when they come in sholes , may destroy a whale ; and a town in thessaly , was undermin'd with moles . small distempers in the body politick ( as well as in the natural ) must be disarm'd , and prevented in time ; we read of a cloud , but of a span long ; the breadth of a man's hand ! yet in a short time , it dyed the whole heavens black . these are no panick fears , nor groundless surmises : for i have heard some of them glory in their multitudes ; and others gave me no other reason , of their riotous assemblies ; than thereby to counterpoise the papists . he spake like a royal prophet — that pretensions to reformation of religion , are the best and most auspicious beginnings , of the worst designs : for the devil of rebellion , doth commonly turn himself into an angel of reformation . when the puritans petition'd king james , for the like toleration , and said , — many thousands would be discontented if it was not granted ; this was accounted by the king , and his council , to tend to sedition , and rebellion . where is the good , then , that is to be expected from these assistants ? confusion is their advantage ; i had almost said , their design . they value not kingdoms , when they stand in their way . and if the cedars are not safe ; it is no wonder , that some of them have said to my face , that had they liberty , they would soon preach us down . is this the assistance they will give us ? are they so purely spiritual , as to labour for the wind ? is this the way to keep up , and maintain all their softnesses ? will they not grudge , if they be not satisfy'd ? and will not the people murmure , if what they get by their hard labours , must be divided into so many channels , and feed so many mouths , besides their own ? and what ? must the people do nothing but hear ? must there be nothing else but sowing of seeds ? nothing but preaching ▪ in some places four , in some six sermons a day . no time for the settling the seed of the word in the furrows of their hearts ? for ruminating , and digesting what is heard ? superfoetation is monstrous in nature ; and the turning all religion into hearing , is as if you should see a man all belly , or all ear. do these men grow more than others , in the dimensions of religion , by their gadding up and down ? i have seen sheep kept within their bounds , in a barren and hard pasture ; yet by resting quietly in their own limits , they have gathered wool , and flesh upon their backs ; when those that have crept hedges , and have gone from one ground to another , have lost their fleeces , and have been little better than carrion ; so , many plain honest countreymen , who live contentedly under the droppings of that ministery which god hath providentially set over them , thrive more in real goodness , than these disputers of this world ; who are hurried up and down , with an oestrum of curiosity , and devour innumerable sermons ; yet at last , are like pharaoh's lean kine . they have pass'd thorow so many brakes ; that their consciences are torn , and become as peel'd and schismatical , as themselves . the mothers milk , is most kindly for the child ▪ several nurses will put the little one into a disorder , and trouble him with a fret in his belly . he that is the rightful pastor , the sheep know his voice ; and a stranger they will not follow . this is as true , as scripture . but where there is one sort of prayer , in private meetings ; another , in the publick congregation . one way of preaching and discipline here ; another there . this may puzzle , and distract , it cannot edifie . charles le bon , and charles le grand , spake like himself ; when he said , the company of ministers obtruded upon him in his confinement , were more sad , than his solitude ; for he could not conceive , how they could be proper physicians , who had so great an influence , in occasioning his calamity , and inflicting his wounds upon him . may not we say the same ? are they like to be our assistants , in promoting the work of peace ? piety to god ? loyalty to the king ? and mutual kindness towards all men ? who have been so industrious formerly in subverting all these ; and still continue in the same sin , without any open repentance ; who are to this day , thorns in our sides ; and keep our wounds from closing , who buzze the people in their ears , that our way of worship is superstitious . bordering upon idolatry : that our conformity is absolutely sinful : and that we , are no less , than guilty of ungodly oaths , in subscribing , and declaring . thus they have been as serpents in our way , and adders in our paths , some of our people , who would seem the only hasidaei , or holy men in their age ( whom they have not yet thorowly perverted into separation ) will out of formality ( some are formalists , who would not be thought so ) come to our sermons . yet they sit in their seats , gaping and yawning ( though very attentive formerly ) as if they had not slept the night before ; or rather , as if they were weary of their present station , i. e. ( thought long e're they were in their own meeting-house ; as i have seen cows impatient , until they return to their calves . nestorius the heretick , was called a snake ; for this very reason , because he lurk'd in holes to do mischief secretly by his venom , and his sting . the donatists also , were call'd clancularii ; and the valentinians were compar'd to grashoppers : in that they sculk'd here and there , and hopp'd up and down to intoxicate men , with their sly inchantments ; and keep them from imbracing the truth , in the love of it . so it is with our whispering , transcendent beau-clerks ; let the publick minister ( if by mr. med's leave , that title may be allowed ) be never so learned , and pious : never so dextrous , at the dividing , and applying the word of truth ; yet when they meet with their partizans , and comrades in separation , they will find out , or invent something concerning his person or doctrine ; that they will shake their heads , list up their eyes , bless themselves , and pity the poor wretch , before they part . it may be , they may allow him to have some unsanctify'd wit , or prophane learning : but not one scrap of grace . he was never acquainted with the turnings and windings of the spirit : a cold formalist ; one that may go to school to one of their heavenly teachers . thus men lose their judgment , cum res transit in affectum ; when they are byass'd with the partiality of their own passions . but quorsum haec ? why all this do you think ? why , just as absalom complain'd , that none were deputed by his father to do justice ; therefore he wish'd himself in the saddle , in the throne . o that i was king in israel ! i would do every man right . they would preach like so many seraphims , if they might ascend our pulpits ; and turn us again out of our houses . therefore 't is almost as credible to me , that a muffti will assist a christian patriarch ; that a jesuite will help a reformed priest : a lutheran go along with a calvinist : nay ! a samaritan , a jew ; james and jambres , moses : as the leaders and guides of house-meetings , will help forward the peaceable , regular , soul-saving design , of such ministers as are settled in their provinces , and charges by law : and do conscionably conform to the just commands of their superiors . this is no wonder ; the old serpent is a serpent still . he is not superannuated ; nor has he put off his destroying policy : as , first to divide and break the bond of vnity ; and then , to crush the whole community , by piece meal . first , to tempt some to follow low paul ; others apollo : and then , to take them off from both . neither paul , nor apollo ; not jesus , but barabbas . and thus , those that make their boast of religion , are most likely to dishonour god ; by being the chief pioneers to undermine it . cap. vi. there is no necessity of an indulgence ; that there may be preaching from house to house . there is a notion flies abroad , — that ministers must preach from house to house . and if the publick minister cannot spare so much time from his studies ; why should others be hindred from so good a work ? you may guess from whose quiver this shaft comes , and whither it goes : who were the first promoters of it ; and upon what errand , it is set forth ; you know the men , and the design of their communication . here is a narrow isthmus , or bridge to pass over ; on the one hand , we must not strangle the embrio's of religious attempts ; or quench the sparks of an heavenly zeal ; nor seek for subterfuges , either for our negligence , or idleness , in declining any ministerial duty . on the other , we must not make our selves more work , than ever god injoyns us : lest we should be either guilty of will-worship , in serving god according to our own inventions : or bring such a burthen upon our shoulders ; which neither we , nor our fathers were able to bear . and so , by doing what is least of all requir'd ; we may omit what is more necessary . now since those words in the acts , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , are the foundation of this assertion ; and they are look'd upon , but as demi-ministers , who do not go from house to house ( like a company of ale-tasters , or eaves-droppers ) to pry and search into all the corners of their neighbours houses ; i wish , that others understood the sense of those words ; and how they are render'd , by learned men , as well as you . some say , they are to be understood , of the bishops super-inspection , in his visitation ; others , that from house to house , is meant the a vpper rooms , or chambers in the temple , where the christians met , for fear of the jews , to pray , preach , and receive the sacrament ; for the same st. luke saith , — the apostles were continually in the temple , blessing and praising god. but that we may come nearer yet , to the male-contented brethren : who will be sure to reproach , and accuse us , before our people , for going wrong , if we do not tread in their steps ; we can tell them truly , that in some sense , our liturgy , and canons , do both allow , and injoyn us to preach from house to house . if any be sick , we must visit them ; move them to repentance for sin : and upon their repentance , absolve them ; by virtue of that authority , which christ hath bequeathed to us . after prayers with them , and for them , we stir them up to acts of charity , &c. that so they may with more comfort , commend their souls into the hands of god. i hope there is no conscionable minister , but he lays hold of all overtures , to preserve the souls of his people , from the jaws of satan ; and rowses up himself , to assist those that are in extremity of bodily weakness , or lye under the scruples of a troubled mind . thus we preach from house to house . it is our business also to reconcile those that are at variance ; to confer with recusants ; and when we have any good call to any house or company ; we endeavour to undeceive those that are seduc'd : to inform the ignorant : and reprove gainsayers . if this be to preach in season , and out of season : or from house to house : we are ready to acknowledge it our duty , and to take shame to our selves , if we come short of it . there are also , many other cases of conscience , which may incidentally , and occasionally fall in ; wherein we are obliged ever in private , to give what satisfaction we are able . as also to discourage , and keenly to check scandalous offenders : to comfort those that are cast down : to answer pertinent doubts , and necessary questions , which may be proposed unto us . suppose the apostles did practise any other sort of private preaching : yet , they have not left any precept behind them , to bind us thereunto . and who dare say that we are bound in every thing they did , to follow their example ? considering , what they did , was in the first plantation of the gospel ; and in dayes of persecution . neither can it , with reason be imagin'd , that in those dayes , they went into all houses universally ; as into those of the pharisees , sadduces , &c. for then they had been prodigal , in exposing their lives ; neither had they leisure so to do , when every one had so large a diocess , as several countreys , and kingdomes to preach in : and so short a time to stay in them . he that performs the former offices faithfully ; besides publick preaching , and catechising , ( if it be lawful to distinguish betwixt these two ) provided , he set off all , and adorne his doctrine , with an holy life ; christ will own him , as his ambassadour : though , it may be these capricio's will scarce set him with the doggs of their flocks . our saviour spake openly to the world ; he ever taught in the synagogue and the temple , whither the jews resorted . and in secret he said nothing . the apostles also excused themselves , that they no where raised up the people . but where they could with safety , they resorted to the synagogue . the old canons did not allow clergy-men to be too frequently in towns. then they were accounted to be as much out of their element , as to see a fish upon the dry land ; facilè contemnitur clericus ; saies st. jerome . that clergy man will be soon despised . that makes himself , so cheap , and common , as to go to every feast , and place where he is invited . if his lips preserve knowledge , the people are to seek the law at his mouth . christ taxes the people , that they would not come to him . though , sometimes he was found of them that sought him not . he that teaches school , does not go to several houses , where his scholars dwell : but thinks he discharges his duty , if he teach them , when they meet in the place appointed for them . if we should go to all houses , and deal with the people there , in private ; how soon might we wound our names ? and bring a scandal upon our persons ? besides other reproaches . this would too much resemble false teachers : who had only a form of godliness , without the power thereof , who crept into houses , and led captive silly women . this practice has been very serviceable , to such as have made it their business , to set up for themselves ; and to make parties in the church . great has been this diana of the independents , and other sectaries . but , we have not so learned christ . wo be to us , if we preach not the gospel publickly ; when we may . such assemblies are most for god's honour : and wo be to them , that attend not at the posts of wisdom's temple , when there is no invincible impediment to keep them back , and prefer pest-houses , before the gates of heaven . you know , who set up an exercise of prophecying among ministers . this was very plausible in its time ; yet afterwards there was cause to discontinue the same . and if this preaching from house to house , has ever been useful to the church of god ; there may be reason enough now , to forbear the practice of it ( since it is not of divine institution ) when so many speak in the language of ashdod , and under this pretence , may easily insinuate their hetrodoxies , into the minds of weak , but well-meaning people . those that are so minded , may bring in damnable heresies ; and countermine all our labours , by this jesuitical stratagem : so that we shall weave penelope's webb . besides ; some there are , who will have none of our divinity . they will even thrust us out of their doors ; others are poor , and must maintain themselves , and their families , by a diligent following of their callings . and no doubt , but they may serve god on the week-days , as well in their honest and conscionable labours , as if they should every day hear a sermon ; therefore to tender our selves , to interrupt them in their vocations , by our preaching unto them in such a land of light ; under the very tropick of the gospel , will either beget in them a nauseating of god's word ; or else it will be as unseasonable unto them , as singing the songs of zion , to those that sit by the waters of babylon . every master of a family , is a priest in his own house . and after we have done our duty in the church ; we must leave something for him to do at home ; otherwise ( it may be ) he may become a drone ; and devolve his whole care upon us . at least , he will be slack , and sluggish , as to the publick . he will not care to go to the market , if others must cater for him ; and bring his meat to his own doors . we our selves also , shall have but little time to study in , if we must be domestick chaplains , to every house within our precincts . our breasts will quickly be dry , if we do not supply what is exhausted ; and give attendance unto reading ; as well as to exhortation . there had need be as many ministers , as there were dii penates , among the heathen : and the doctrine of these men , doth suppose the lord's vineyard so furnish'd with labourers ; that there may be one allotted to every tree . a guardian angel to every house . but there lurks a serpent under these verdant leaves . they would set up preaching from house to house ; either that there may be matter of ostentation , to glory in their singular diligence ; how often have we heard this from the press ? and the actors themselves have been the trumpeters ! or else , there are some , who under this umbrage , would sow tares , in the furrows of our field ; and give a vent to their own singularities , and discontents . may we ever give thanks unto god , in the great congregation ! may jerusalem be as a city that is at vnity in it self ! and may the tribes have liberty to go up thither to worship ; that so , those evils , which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us , may be brought to nought ; that we his servants , being hurt by no persecutions , may evermore give thanks in his holy church , through jesus christ our lord. cap. vii . a toleration of all religions , is not like to contribute to the welfare of the king himself . the true glory of princes ( said the royal martyr ) consists in advancing god's glory , in the maintenance of true religion , and the churches good. and as it is a prince's glory , so it is his safety and security to countenance the truth , and to discourage error . when the people chose new gods , we presently read , that war was in the gate . by me ( said god ) do kings reign . and as they reign , by his powerful assignment : so they should reign , for the glory of his name , and the comfort of his houshold , the church ; here they must be nursing fathers : the guardians of his spouse : and the keepers of the first table , which concerns religion towards god ; as well as of the second , towards men. christ is no polygamist . he has not a wife in every corner . unity is an essential mark of the true church . it is a sign of the last times — to say , loe ! christ is here : or loe ! he is there . it argues no less , than proud donatism , to say , the true church is in this conclave , or the other town-hall ; exclusively to other places . the papists are not the only usurpers , and ingrossers in the world ; consining the church , within the compass of the seven hills : every sect is guilty of the same incroachment : and though some of these , are contrary one to the other ; yet every one will lay claim to some kind of infallibility . they would be look'd upon , as the peculiar darlings , and chosen people of god ; almost to the dispaleing and reprobating all the rest . now , it is the honour of magistrates , first , to discern what is the catholick and apostolick faith ; and then to shield and defend the same : lest , if they should suffer god to be blasphem'd , by various , and contrary modes of worship ; they should not only , not shew themselves to be god's vicegerents , and defenders of the faith ; but provoke his wrath against themselves , for the not keeping up the mounds of his vineyard ; i had almost said , for laying it wast . the breaking down the hedge ; and the not maintaining it , is almost tantamount . and the hogs that root up the garden , are not more accessory to the defacing of it ; than those that let them in . where god's honour , and the churches peace and unity , are not asserted ; there it will be interpreted little less , than taking counsel against the lord , and his anointed . qui non vitat peccare , &c. and will any dare to run upon the thick bosses of his buckler ? there is a sad text in the tenth of hosea . the princes of juda were like to them , that remove the bound . that is , they neglected the laws , which were as bounds in matters of religion . now it was a great sin in the law , — to remove the ancient landmark . therefore it follows in that text — i will pour out my wrath upon them like water . josiah , and hezekiah ; constantine , and theodosius , have embalmed their names to all posterity . the former , by beating down idolatrous altars , and groves . the latter , by encouraging the true christian religion , not only against its open enemies the heathen : but defending it too , against the arrians , and other dangerous hereticks , who endeavour'd , in the very bosom of the church , to eat out the very bowels of it . those churches have been most commended , which have been most zealous for the truth , against those that have oppos'd it . as , the church of ephesus — that she hated the doctrine of the nicolaitans . the church of thyatira was condemned ; because she suffered the woman jezebel , who call'd her self a prophetess , to teach , and seduce his servants , to commit fornication ; that is , the impure gnosticks . the lord had also a quarrel with the church of pergamus , that she suffered them that held the doctrine of balaam . and if these things be blameable in churches ; it cannot be for the honour of the chiefest magistrates ( who are the supreme governors of them ) to suffer jews , and gentiles ; barbarians , and scythians ; parthians , medes , and elamites ; papists , arrians , independents , anabaptists , quakers , to set open their shops , and expose their trinkets , in their dominions : for though these look several ways ; yet they are mov'd and carried about , with one and the same primum mobile , or spring of confusion . miserable are the people that are in such a case . as once it was in israel : when every one did that which seemed good in his own eyes . it shew'd the impotency of julian , that when he saw , his cruelty would not abate the zeal of the christians : he gave every one leave to follow his own religion . this is not the case of our constantine : his garments are not dy'd with the blood of his subjects : nor are our streets prophan'd , with the doleful cries of poor orphans . but by mildness , clemency , and gentleness ; both he , and his subordinate officers , had made such a conquest upon the hearts of the people ; that even by the cords of love , they were drawn into an happy harmony : except some few obdurate caitiffs ; who can only be melted , and softned by an hotter element . but alas ! there comes an unlucky wind out of the wilderness , which on a suddain blasts all our hopes : and throws all our doors from off their hinges . all the bars of our gates are broken . come foxes ! come leopards ! here 's a free , and open passage ; we shall be an easie prey ; who will , may sport themselves in our gore ; and lay wast our pleasant plants . although our laws , were almost asleep before this hurricano came ; yet the very image , and picture of them , did fright away the birds of prey : the woolf durst not approach our folds , so long as there was but the resemblance of a mastiffe-dog : but now these terriculamenta , these scare-crows , being taken away , the laws being fallen into a swoon , i had almost said , the laws being extinct ; the frogs croak up and down , in every corner . i hope they will never be so impudent and saucy , as those were in pharaoh's days ; to hop , or dance their hays in kings chambers . by this , you will easily see , that this indulgence is not the way , to procure god's blessed favour upon magistrates , and their government ; nor does it tend to their safety : for though these dissenters seem to be innocent harmless creatures ; without either tushes , or talons ; yet they have rooted and ayowed principles in them , against the grandeur and majesty ( if not ) the very being of kings ; and though they fawn at present , and bless god , who hath put such a thing as this , into the heart of the king : and are ready to say , — they have a greater share in david , than we ; yet , let but a warm gleam ripen them into maturity : let their fangs , and sampson's locks grow out again , or let them be cross'd in their darling dalilah ; by brideling them up from then beloved liberty , and then , will they not lift up their heels ? or curse him to his face ? looking backward , in this case will be looking forward : and history , will be down-right prophecy . pelle sub agninâ , latitat mens saepe lupina . you remember , that when the late king declar'd , that the right ( according to law ) was in him , to arrah his subjects for the defence of his person , and government : and accordingly he did commissionate many worthy persons , to put the same in execution ; that not one of these dissenters would comply with that declaration . when also he prohibited any to take the covenant , by his royal proclamation ; do you call to mind any one of these new royalists , that did obey it ? but now there comes out a declaration ( mouth-meet ) which throws the reins upon their own necks ; and permits them ( like unbroken colts ) to go whither they will : and now , who better subjects than they ? what ? not obey the king's declaration ? it is their duty . so that should the king rule by edicts , as our stories tell us his predecessors have done , before the reign of henry the first , who began the foundation of parliaments ; these men are like to be his most sequacious , and obsequious followers : ready fixt ; to make him an absolute , and glorious prince . some , it may be , will be ready to add , yes ; as they did his father before him : for i much fear , that if it should please his sacred majesty , to set forth another declaration , ( to try the temper of their obedience ) to reinforce the laws , concerning episcopacy , and the liturgy ; that these men would not then obey the same , for conscience sake . it is strange to see , what queazy stomachs these men have ; one morsel , which is cook'd to their palats , they will swallow without chewing : and at another , which is every whit as wholsom ; they will sputter , as if it were poison . mr. baxter himself has had experience of this inconstancy . if he call upon them to confederate , and associate themselves in private meetings , they say , he is return'd to his first love , and his old principles : but if he tell them of his receiving the sacrament on his knees , and call on them to stand up at the hymns in the common-prayers ; then they say he is an apostate . it may be , this indulgence ( like a thick gobbet ) may stop their mouths at present . the king may sleep securely for a time ; whil'st jacob and esau are struggling in the womb ; whil'st york , and lancaster are in aequilibrio ; poised in an even ballance : but alas ! this would be but a serene calm before a tempest : the drinking a cup of wine , before a feverish fit ; or a lightning before death : for whoever , either by power , or policy , can get ground of his fellows , and leave them in the valley ; will be sure to shew their predominant power , not only to their competitors , but to the government it self . it hath been a fallacy , which some have put upon themselves ; that pity and gentleness will indear , and oblige these dissenters : but he that calls to mind , how dear one prince has paid already , for his lenity to them ; may have a clew , wherewith to extricate himself out of that error ; and may also undeceive others . it is pity that kindness ( as we say of fair weather ) should do harm . but as panthers are choak'd with perfume ; so mercy it self degenerates into cruelty , and sometimes brings ruine after it . st. austin confesses , it was once his judgment , that no compulsion should be us'd in matters of religion . yet he lived to see his great mistake : for he found by experience , that by punishing one offender ; who was refractory , and turbulent in his diocess ; he did more good , than by all his wooing orations . such libertines , are like birds put into a cage . they flutter at first ; but when they see themselves coop'd up , they 'l struggle no longer , to get into the open air ; roosting quietly in their narrow confinement . i have not wonder'd a little , to read some of their books , wherein they complain tragically of prisons and gaols . three persons are named , who have suffer'd in this kind , for their disobedience , mr. calamy , mr. baxter , and dr. manton . but if we would go about to requite them with our arithmetick , we could reckon for every one of them an hundred , who were ( in the time of their tyranny ) clap'd under shipboard , or strarv'd . but what did those three men lose by their imprisonment ? what ignatius said of his fetters ; he look'd upon every link , as made of precious stones : so may these men glory , in their golden chains . some of them got more by a weeks imprisonment , than we get by preaching a whole year ; so that a gaol was as beneficial to them , as a bishop's palace ; and to confine them , was to set a fine upon the heads of the zealous citizens . those that know the idiotism , or proper language of these times , can tell , that by doing of good works , is understood , liberality to dissenting ministers . i condemn no man's charity ; yet i should be loth to be an object of theirs . therefore , may our tranquillity be lengthened ; and the king's throne established in righteousness ! by the due execution of laws ; which are both our birthright , and security ; lest we be constrained at last to beg in vain for that indulgence , which they now injoy . the neglect of a speedy reforming , and effectual suppressing of errors , and schisms , will both encourage , and increase them : for though at first they may seem like that cloud in scripture , of an hand breadth : yet by seditious spirits , they will soon be blown up into so large dimensions , that they will darken the whole heaven . it has been accounted a great oversight in q. elizabeth of blessed memory ; that she gave too much liberty to foreign divines , to preach in london , and other places , until they had leaven'd the minds of her subjects , with prejudice against her own government ; and had almost introduc'd the platform of calvin into the room of it . the smell of those mistaken flames of charity are upon us , until this day . so many iliads of mischief are contained in the little compass of an unseasonable connivence . it does not only ruin churches , but princes too . as impunity is the mother of impiety towards god : so , tolerated libertines , will quickly prophane the hallowed di●dems of kings . — they are all hot as an oven , and have devoured their judges : all their kings are fallen , hosea 7. 7. habent hoc proprium calvinistae , ut statum , in quem irrepserunt , evertant : neque antè ipsi conquiescant , quàm rerum potiuntur . these men nibble already , at the very root of the royal cedar , by telling the king's subjects in print , — that they are not oblig'd in conscience to obey magistrates , and their laws . an ill requital sure for the king 's gracious indulgence . what ? do you thus requite the king ? o ingrateful and unkind ! if conscience be once debauch'd , with such principles as these ; the throne will lose its principal pillar ; and the king will find himself weakened , by these treacherous priests , and undermining popelings , who go about to absolve his people from the very ligaments , and sinews of their obedience , which is never more genuine , generous , and lasting . than when it is for conscience sake . this is all one , as to tell the king to his face , that it is his safest course to guard himself with the power of arms : for if ever he be so unhappy , as to take a measure of their consciences , they will make no more scruple to dethrone him , than they did to depose his father . men without conscience , are like mastiff-dogs , when they grow mad ; or lions ( which have been tamed ) when they recover their natural fierceness : they shake off all awe to their masters , and keepers ; neither will they boggle at taring them into pieces . how turbulent these men are , when they are let loose , may easily be gather'd from some few smattering dissenters , of this kind , in our own parishes ; who are errant firebrands , where they live . there is not a difference betwixt neighbours , but they are at one end of it ; blowing up and inflaming contentions , by their whispers and nods ; and by their pragmatical intruding into other mens matters : as if they were injur'd , if they are not look'd upon ; as the only competent judges , and umpires of all contests ; where any place is bless'd ; with sound peace , and quietness ; there these men are un-elemented : they starve , and pine away ; unless they can make , what they do not find . and since one or two of these innovators , are so pregnant with quarrels , in our narrow precincts ; what earthquakes ? what a conflagration ? will these vapours , these sparks raise ? when they are encourag'd to conglomerate , and to unite their forces , in the bowels of a church or kingdom . there is a tradition of some parliament-men ; when it was disputed , whether priests should marry . they cry'd out , yes ! by all means . it was better they should have wives of their own ; than be too busie ( as they had been ) with other mens . so , it were better , these dissenting brethren had diocesses of their own ; than that they should be such busie incendiaries , in other mens bishopricks . if they say , nolumus episcopare ; it is , because they desire to be archbishops ; i had almost said popes , and overseers of the whole church . cap. viii . a toleration does not tend to the happiness of the kingdom . he that has time to ransack stories , will find how fatal , small , and inconsiderable meetings have been , to the downfall of states , and kingdoms : either in letting in a foreign , and professed enemy ; as it was in that conventicle met together in the trojan horse : or by mastering , and bringing under the governours of them , by devillish contrivances . who knows not ? that the gunpowder-treason was hatch'd in a conventicle ? and that holy league in france derives its pedigree from the same original . therefore to prevent such assemblies , our wise and jealous conqueror , caus'd the corfeu bell to be rung ; which was to give warning , to break up all meetings , by the covering of the fire , and putting out of candles . i know it will be said , these meetings were upon a civil account , to contrive plots and designs against the state , and such are unlawful still : but these meetings now , are for the worship of god , in a way of religion . now this is a distinction without a difference . the members of it are co-incident , against the rules of logick . for there are seldom any meetings upon pretence of religion ( except in times of persecution ) but they degenerate at last into shops of sedition : that which is cry'd up at first for the exercise of pure religion , will at last send forth the dreggs of state-confusion . let us alone , say they , to serve our god ; we desire no more . this is the voice of jacob : but e're long , you shall see the hands of esau , red , and bloody . when mr. n. ( like another cataline ) began to associate his friends together , in a religious meeting . ( if it be not a barbarism , to call hell it self by so excellent a name ) some diligent observers will tell you , that it was not long after , but swords were drawn in this kingdom , in an unnatural war ; when vapours begin together and to cnndense into a cloud , though but a little one , it portends a storm : it may be , it may end in thunder and lightning . and you well know who it was ( in the wane of rebellion , and in the declining days of usurpation ) that gathered a church out of the officers of the army : and this comet did presage the downfal of that pageant , who was acting his part , and personating a little infant king , upon a royal stage ; or rather , he had drawn the curtain , enter'd the scene , and e're he had made his legs , and pass'd his complements ( like a meteor , or jack-a-lent ) he disappears , and vanishes . it was but just ; that as that bloody tragedy began , so it should end in a conventicle . sir ! if you have time , to resolve into their first principles , the sicilian vespers , and the insurrection of john of leyden . i say , if you trace them back to the spring head , from whence they flow'd : you shall find them all hatch'd in conventicles , gather'd upon pretence of religion . so that , when i consider this present indulgence , i have great hopes , that our wise and gracious sovereign , by the relaxing of the laws for a time ; and by the confusions , that follow thereupon ; do's but make it appear , by a visible demonstration , how necessary it is to hold a straiter rain in the government of the church for the future ; as the lacedemonians suffer'd their servants to be drunk , that their children might see the ugliness of that excess : and the persians ( after the death of their kings ) suffer'd a perfect anarchy for five days ; that this confused interregnum might make the people more in love with government afterwards . it is the great policy of that circumcised infidel , the grand signior , that he by the greatest circumspection , keeps out any such indulgence out of his empire ; nor will he suffer this sinon to come within his walls : whereby he do's not only preserve what he has gotten , but do's still inlarge his territories . therefore , he will not suffer his religion to be blended with any ( though of the persians ) how near soever it may be to his own . the romanists too , by their inquisition , begin to be like those mahumetans . the children of this world , are wise in their generation , to maintain their notorious errors : how much more should we be wise in guarding the truth ? but if what has been said , will not inforce the veracity of the thesis — that a vniversal indulgence , do's not tend to the happiness of the kingdom , cast your eyes abroad , into other nations . poland , and holland . it is too far to send you to jerusalem , for a miserable president of religious madness . these nearer home , have been branded for harbouring all religions . so that it has been a proverb — if any man has lost his religion , he may find it in craconia , or amsterdam . and have not these people been visited for this ? you have heard of the sad alarm against poland . the lion is roused out of his thicket , the destroyer is on his way . nay ! he has made a bloody progress . be wise now therefore , o ye kings ; be careful to compose your quarrels , and keep schism out of your territories , o ye judges of the christian part of the world ! and as the turk is the rod of god's anger against the one ; so are the french against the other : who can tell , but that their miscellaneous hotchpotch of religion , to the dishonour of their maker , has pull'd down these signal judgments upon their heads ? i know , some will point at another cause of these miseries ; and that is rebellion . i will not contend with them ; nor have they any reason to dissent from me : if they consider , that schism , and variety of religion , is either the mother , or the daughter of rebellion . when princes have a mind to take their ease , and their pleasure ; and that they may do so the better , they give their subjects leave to do so too , by doing what they list ; they do but set them a work to gather sticks , to set their palaces in a flame . there is not much difference , whether we blaspheme god in our own persons ; or suffer others to do it , when we have power to hinder it . those that worshipped the true god , and permitted idolatry , are said in scripture , not to fear god , or serve him at all . when an house and kingdom are divided against themselves , they cannot stand . and are there any divisions so bitter ? and so destructive ? as those that arise from religion . therefore as it was with the image in daniel's vision , it moultred down , and shattered apieces ; because it was part of gold ; part of brass , part of iron , and part of clay : so , that church must needs come tumbling down , which is part for christ , and part for belial . the farther we go from unity , the nearer we come , either to nullity , or desolation . and therefore the philosopher thought the heavenly bodies to be incorruptible , and eternal à parte post ; because they were a pure quintessence , free from the dreggs of mixture ; and such contrary qualities , which incline other bodies to corruption . if there be any thing will make a kingdom immortal , and keep it from a palsey of shaking tumults , it is a uniform harmony in religion ; which is the very vital spirits , and soul of the state. that good man , mr. ball , has left it upon record , where there is a voluntary separation , from the lords table , and prayers of the congregation , there is a willing excommunicating our selves from the visible tokens of the lord's presence . now , one of your young sophisters , will easily infer . if in god's presence there is fulness of joy : where this is withdrawn from any nation , there must needs be the fullness of misery . as darkness follows , upon the removal of the sun-beams . some will say , — this toleration will advance the trade , and interest of the nation . sir ! i heartily wish for the prosperity , and wealth of my country . may our corn , and wine ; our wool , and flax increase ! and may our merchants become nobles , like those of tyrus ! india mittat ebur ! mittant sua thura sabaei . yet those riches will bring a curse , a fire-coal along with them ; which are gotten with the loss of piety , and holiness . what advantage will it be , to be rich in the world , and poor towards god ? to have a fat carkass ; but a meagre , and lean soul ? to defend the out-works , and lose the main fort ? to get mammon , and to part with religion ? cap. ix . a vniversal indulgence is most likely to end in popery , or atheism . now we are come to the mare mortuum ; whither all these rivulets , and multiplicity of religions , are by their several winding , bending their course ; either they will carry us beyond the river tyber ; from whence we have been brought by a good hand of providence , under the conduct of pious princes . they will reduce , and bring us back to the roman yoke : immerse us in this lerna of vncatholick innovations , and superstitious inventions of popish will-worship . as the just scandal , which luther took at popish indulgences , brought him off from that church : so , this indulgence now on foot ; if not timely controul'd , is likely to decoy many into the church of rome again : or else they will bring us into a cursed indifferency , whether we have any religion at all : methinks i see the atheist , and the papist holding out their necks , and gapeing for a prey : as if they would swallow up our reformed religion , at one morsel . and were it not that there are many faithful daniels in the land , who pray'd the king formerly into his throne ; and now are wrestling with heaven in his , and our behalf : i should much fear , that our whole land , would become a great cage for these unclean birds ; and that these dragons would devour the woman , and her child ; and adulterate , or quite overturn all the true worship of god , in the midst of us . i know the devoto's of our age will startle at this : what ? they open the floodgates to let in atheism ? who stand up so much for godliness : or , are they like to bring in popery ? who have lifted up their hands , and covenanted against it . true : but did not peter vow and swear as heartily as they , that he would not deny his master ? yet our saviour saw what was in his heart . did not they covenant too , to preserve the late king in his person , and honour ? but they never intended to make it good ; nor to move a hand or a tongue in his behalf . did not hazael seem to abhor the ripping up of women with child ? yet you know what follow'd . if orpah will forsake naomi ; she will return to her people , and to her god. and if these dissenters will renounce our reformed church , and lay their loins upon it , to break it into shivers ; they will at last ( when they have wearied themselves in their own mills ) endeavour to fix the plants of their feet upon some ararat , or other . sure , they will desire to live and dye in some church ; or in a communion , among some people , professing some religion ; with balaam , they will desire to dye the death of the righteous . otherwise they must declare , as too many do already , ( i will not say thorow their means ) that they are a people without god in the world . what musick ? what triumphs are we preparing for new rome ? how can we gratifie the pseudo-catholicks more , than by pulling down the pale of our english church ? it is this , which stands in their way . take this rampart down , and the pope will hope to recover his old revenues ; which have formerly exceeded those of the crown : the priests and jesuits will be contriving to set up mass in our churches , and to domineer in our pulpits . and some bonners ( it may be ) if we cannot out-run their rage , will be thinking of making bonfires again with our bodies ; our dissenters , all this while , are like gallio — they care not for these things . they go on with a munsterfury , in their separate meetings ; pulling and rending the very bowels of their mother asunder ; as if ( like nero ) they could never be sufficiently reveng'd of her that gave them life , and dandled them on her knees . i know , they will wipe their mouths , and deny the conclusion ; though they lay down the premisses . they will not see what confusion they are bringing in upon us . although it is as easie to be discern'd ( without a spirit of prophecy ) upon their proceedings ; as it is to discover a lunary eclipse , upon the foresight of the interposition of the earth , betwixt the sun , and the moon . it may be ; when with sampson , they have pull'd down our gates , and pillars ; and lye scrawling together with us , in the rubbish ; they may then whisper us in our ears , — we never thought , that this would have been the effect of our schismatical , dividing principles and practices . at present they bear themselves up , against all hazards ; and disbelieve all plain predictions ; as if they should still enjoy peace , and prosperity ; though they walk in the ways of their hearts , and in the sight of their own eyes ; because their followers are so many : there are such swarms of dissenters in all places , enough to out-face all the power of rome . it is true : they grow into vast numbers , in most places : but xerxes , and the king of assyria were not therefore victorious , because their armies were very numerous : mazzanello , and john of leyden , were mere squibs , and pop-guns ; though attended with an innumerable rout of followers . so these dissenters , not marching under the banner of god's church , will find themselves to be like a land-flood . they may roar and swell for a time ; and like those locusts in the revelation , they may have power to do hurt for some months ; but they will soon shrink within their banks , and become a contemptible adversary to those that are wedg'd , and united into one body ; and with marius , do always march in rank and file . those veterans of rome , have espied their nakedness ; how that they are a loose multitude ; not cemented together with any principles ; and therefore will soon be scatter'd like a flock of sheep , when their eagles come once amongst them . hence it is , that most of them use that liberty , which is afforded to them , calmly and ( to give them their due ) modestly : when our furioso's do even run themselves out of breath ; until they lose their way , and themselves : for they know , that by keeping their stations , and standing their ground , they shall break all the proud waves of their giddy opponents , and quench their wildfire . these deluded wretches are going so fast towards rome ; that rome may save her self the labour of moving one foot towards them . the time was ; these men were full of jealousies , and fears . they dreaded a pope in every bush . they were afraid , where no fear was , but now they are fool-hardy , and rush into the pope's conclave , without either fear or wit. sir ! i must now pause a little ; and fetch my breath very deep . my heart has been sad and heavy , as lead , all the time i have been writing unto you . but now , my spirits have such a damp upon them , that i can scarce form another letter . it was my great joy — to see the face of a church to return , together with the king. and though i had but little to leave behind me ; yet it was my comfort , that my posterity was like to inherit a pure religion , in the best church of the world. this was the richest portion , i had to bequeath unto my surviving family . but when i come now to look about me , there is such a change , so many vndutiful daughters sprung up , that are ready to pull out the eyes of their mother . the poor wafaring church is fluctuating betwixt wind and water ; and struggling for life ; and the ravens are ready to devour her . so that i cannot promise my self the injoyment of that happiness , which once i hoped to transmit to those that were to come after . these pensive and melancholy thoughts and fears , are very much inhanc't , when i consider the confusions of holland : a place much fam'd for integrity of religion , and a sanctuary for the distressed ; yet the inhabitants hereof , have so long encourag'd all religions , until at last , they have scarce any at all . profit is become their godliness ; and gain is their idol . and because they did not receive the love of the truth ; but prostituted this virgin to be adulterated by every sect ; god first gave them over to strong delusions ; and then made them a prey to the teeth of their enemies . so that , what religion is like to be predominant ; or whether any at all , time only will shew . it is observ'd , that before the late rebellion in ireland ; there was an indulgence of religion ; at least , by way of connivence . the priests and jesuits had liberty , without controul , to exercise their religion : and presently after , we heard the tragical news , that no fewer than an hundred and fifty thousand were murder'd . the present state of ireland , p. 134 , 135 , &c. when julian went about to bring in heathenism , he first scoffed at the christians in general : and then he derided the priests and preachers amongst them , as a company of dotards , and such as taught the people old womens fables . he well knew , that the slighting of the priesthood , and bringing it into contempt ; by levelling and laying it common with the laity ; was the most compendious way , to overturn all religion . never were there a people so destitute of reason , but they owned some god ; and then it followed of course , that some priests were to be maintain'd , to assist the people in the service of that god. and it has been the special honour of kings , to defend and countenance these in their work . one that was much vers'd in the antiquities of the jews ; tells us , that whil'st solomon was ascending those six steps , which led to his throne ; the herauld cry'd aloud , — meddle not with the priests office. how things go with us , in this kind i need not tell you . if we have been accessary to this contempt , which is cast upon us by our idleness , pride , earthliness , may we reform , or else , may we be cast forth as salt ; which has lost its savour , and let better be put into our places , that so the church may not suffer for our sakes . i know your sentiments do jump with this prayer ; for you have often said , — that no men do more resemble the prince of darkness , than debauch'd , and unworthy clergy-men . yet i think it is a problem , which will puzzle you to tell , which are most dangerous to the church . those that stand up for loyalty to the king , and regularity in the church , yet stain both , by their loose and irregular lives ; or those that transform themselves into so many angels of light : cry up religion and purity of worship ; yet affront and wound the church by their spiritual pride , and stubbornness , in not yielding to her just commands . when st. paul wrote to timothy , to flee youthful lusts ; it is thought , he did not mean those of the lower , and sensual appetite as drunkenness , uncleanness , &c. for he was call'd upon to drink some wine , but wantoness in the understanding : pragmatical , and hot-headed courses . how happy would it be , if there were a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : if all members out of joint , those and these were rightly set , and rectified ? if all the ministers of the gospel , did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , make strait steps , without declining to prophane looseness on the one hand ; or factious unpeaceableness on the other . then we might hope to see our church to flourish like the garden of eden ; when such cherubims shall be the keepers of it . then we need not fear ( auspice christo , auspice carolo ) that either atheists , or papists shall lay it wast . but it is time to check my sliding pen ; when i have first begg'd your pardon , for my interrupting your more weighty studies with so prolix , and tedious a discourse . you may well guess by the bulk of it , that it comes out of the countrey ; for we are so accustomed to beat our plate thin ; by dilating , mincing , and inlarging our sermons , that they may suit with the capacity of our people ; that we forget our laconick strain , to say much in a little ; even when we write to our betters . i look not for a requital from you , in length . if at your leisure , you vouchsafe me some few lines by way of return ( provided you do not chide me for my countrey rudeness ) it will be very comfortable in these days of desolation : and nothing can be more welcom , in this solitude of a country retirement , to him that is ambitious to be your devoted friend and servant . aut transeamus ad illa instituta , si potiora sint : aut nova cupientibus auferatur dux , & author . vt imperium evertant , libertatem praeferunt : si perverterint ; libertatem ipsam aggredientur . tacitus . i infer this conclusion , in despight of all black devils , and white devils ; hereticks , and hypocrits ; that the reformed , and conformed protestants , in the church of england , do justly condemn both papists and puritans , as upstarts , and novelists ; in removing the most ancient bounds of our forefathers . concerning schismaticks , and separatists ; they be worthily sirnamed novelists . for their platform of government , is a new device which no fathers ever witnessed ; no councels ever favoured , no church ever followed ; until within these few years , it was unhappily dug out of the alps. therefore they that forsake the church of england , to suck the breasts of rome , or amsterdam , may cry with naomi , — i went out full , but the lord hath caused me to return empty . dr. boys in his remains , p. 152 , 153. 166 , 167. nulla periculosiora vitia , quàm quae virtutem imitantur : nam praeterquam quod bonis etiam lubricus in ea lapsus est , nulla difficilius corriguntur , propterea quòd vulgus imperitum , religionem violari credit , dum istiusmodi reprehenduntur . reclamet ilico mundus , & oblatrent clamosi quidam concionatores , qui ista libenter intus canunt ; non ad christum , sed ad suum compendium respicientes . erasmus enchirid. p. 101. eccles . 8. 11. because sentence against an evil act is not executed speedily ; therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil . if any presbyter set light by his bishop , and set up separate meetings , he shall be depos'd ; and the people communicating , shall be excommunicated . apostol . can. 31. conc. antioch . can. 5. the same is affirm'd by the synod of illibeus , and counc . of gangra . a letter to a minister in london , from a minister in the countrey ▪ good brother ! i want such a friend as your self , in these times ; into whose bosom i might empty and impart my pensive thoughts ; and so give ease to my troubled mind : and also enjoy the balsom of your counsel , for the healing of my wounded spirit . my ears are not only grated upon , and fill'd with the din of a discontented world : but my very heart throbs , and palpitates in my breast , when i consider the divisions of our reuben . it is not long since we sang the songs of zion : our mouths were fill'd with laughter , and our hearts with joy : when after a long , and wearisom night ; the sun brake forth in our hemisphere , and cheer'd our drooping spirits : our rightful prince , came leaping over all the mountains , that were in his way . and under the shadow of this cedar ▪ we have sate safe and quiet ever since . that which sweeten'd the mercy , was this ; it was bestow'd by way of answer to our prayers : after many frustraneous contrivances , combinations ; and attempts of our own . we gave heaven no rest , either day , or night ; until he , by whom kings reign ; gave us our rulers as at the first , and our governors as in ancient days . but as if ( with aaron and hur ) we had let down our hands ; and intermitted those devotions which must contribute to the continuing , and preserving of mercies , as well as influence the procuring of them ; we are again surrounded with affrightments . the clouds gather , and the shadows are stretching themselves over us ; as if there were a storm ; and another eclipse of the sun approaching . the archers are fitting their arrows in their quivers ; nay ! upon their strings ; as if they had some game in view ; some signal mark to aim at : neither great , nor small ; but the king of israel . all this while we stand amaz'd , and cannot tell out of what coast this storm may arise ; or from whence this showre of artillery may assault us : like men devoted to fall a sacrifice ; yet we know not whose hands may be imbrued in our blood. all parties are lowing after their calves ; and are ready to gore those that meddle with them , or stand in their way . of old , we read but of two in all israel : but now calves have gender'd , and brought forth a numerous generation . there 's scarce a great town , where there are not whole droves and herds of them . they leap , and sport , and take their pastime ( like leviathan in the waters ) without controul . none so fierce that dare stir them up ; who is able to stand before them ? they esteem iron as straw , and brass as rotten wood : darts are counted as stubble ; they laugh at the shaking of a spear . at their first appearing in the world , their pens were at a considerable distance one from the other : dan , and bethel ; but now they couch so near together , that they are almost contiguous . and as herrings when they meet in sholes ; they do not only threaten , but indanger the tallest ships ; so the adorers of these calves , combining together ; and swelling into a prodigious bulk ; do even threaten the downfal of church and state ; though rooted in adamant : joab himself would be confounded ; if he were to number these people . you see how sparks neglected may grow into a flame , and a flame not extinguish'd in time , may become a conflagration . then it will be too late to say , — we thought calves had been so far from having horns — that they had been harmless and innocent creatures , so that children may even play upon the holes of these asps . the lacedaemonians in their common-wealth , and the chineses to this day , will not permit strangers to continue in their cities above three days ; lest their people should learn any manners , or customs which might adulterate , or subvert those of their own growth . it is death among the turks to do any thing openly ; whereby the religion professed among them , may seem to be slighted or contradicted . and porcius cato told the romans in a set speech — how careful their ancestors had been ; that no external rites of worship ; or sacrifices of other countries should creep in ; and incroach upon their city . this made it , and them so formidable unto their enemies . it may be hereafter scann'd by sober politicians — whether mercury , or prudence was the ascendant in this nation , when thistles , and nettles were suffer'd to multiply , and grow to that height — that they threaten all the flowers in the garden : either to choak or over top them . the poor husbandman weeds out the tares and darnel out of his field , lest they should rob his corn of that sap which should feed it ; or twist about it with mortal imbraces ; until they humble , and level it with the earth : who would nourish a viper in his bosom , until he come to that strength and vigour , that 't is able to sting him to the very heart ? governors , even of private societies , and houses , are commonly jealous of any incroachments ; that may undermine their power , or confront their authority . now he is an errant stranger in our israel , that sees not how several parties swell & increase every day ; and all combine against the powers that are . where one man speaks the language of canaan : what savours of loyalty and obedience to his prince : what tends to the peace and welfare of the church . there 's twenty speak the dialect of ashdod ; what smells of nitre and sulphur , discontent , and confusion . and what they do not express in articulate sounds ; they make out in nods , and whispers . a naughty man winketh with his eyes , and speaketh with his feet . some think the blow we fear , will come from rome . and indeed that city was founded in blood : her very walls were cemented with the same . and since it became christian ; how have the streets thereof been fill'd with blood , from one end to the other , in the several persecutions ? jerusalem it self , in the days of titus , can scarce parallel those tragoedies . nay ! since the roman eagle , has given place to the cross : and the bishop has supplanted the emperor : how easie would it be in each countrey , where the pope's horse has set his foot , to find out whole streams of blood ? this beast has still the same instruments of cruelty ; though she hide them ( as the viper her teeth ) yet when any game is started , that is fit for her prey , then her fangs do appear . blood is as natural to this woman , as 't is to a young lion , or a young eagle ; she loves to dabble in gore ; until , as st. john says , — she be drunk with the blood of saints and martyrs . yet who can conceive that any should be so fond of slavery , as to return into this babylon ? so ambitious to hold the pope's stirrup ; and lay his neck under his insulting feet ; that he should be accessary to promote his own bondage ? to bring his person , — conscience , — and estate under the harrows of this usurping tyrant ? to make the land of his nativity , tributary to a foreign power ; by becoming ( as egypt once was ) the granary of rome ? others fear a storm from france . the clouds gather that way : but maugre all the pride and power of that growing monarchy , we may be safe under the protection of the almighty , and the conduct of our national prince ; if we were as a city that is at unity in it self : more zealous in the service of that god , who dwells on high , and laugh's those to scorn — that think to trample on their neighbours , by virtue of their own brawny flesh ; without any commission from himself ; and to lead into captivity those that desire to be quiet in their own land. if ever we fall by a foreign enemy ; we shall be accessary to our own ruin : either betraying our selves by our own sins ; and so forfeiting god's blessed providence , which has been so long a wall about us : or by some persidious sinons among our selves — that shall open our gates to our open adversaries . if we could reduce and unite our roving and distracted affections into one point : gather our selves into a rundle , as the spanish fleet did their greatest danger , in the days of q. elizabeth . if like sheep ( when affrighted with dogs ) we could rally into one body ; we might be impregnable in our own island ; if the stars in their course , or god himself did not fight against us . but alas ! we are so shatter'd , and look such several ways : as if we were contriving how to sink , with the least trouble to our assailants ; and give them an easie and cheap victory ; we have almost as many parties , as men : and each party stands on tiptoes , waiting for the destruction of the rest . alas poor england ! what evil spirit is come abroad , and crumbled thee into so many shivers ? what stars did then prevail , when thou becamest the by-word of other nations , who wast the glory of all lands ? the battails of cressy and agencourt , are not yet forgotten in story . and shall our sins so bow down our backs , that we must fear those whom we have conquered ? shall we now so unravel our cord by our intestine divisions , that they may be easily broken apart ; which were inviolable whil'st twisted together ? this is to bring swift destruction upon our selves , without yielding any glory to those that shall spoil us . where was the kites renown , that soop'd away the frog and the mouse , whil'st they were contending and aiming at each others ruine ? whilst their eyes were so blood-shotten with spite , that they never attended the motions of their common enemy . those fowl that are tame , do even dread the shadows of birds of prey , by the instinct of nature , though they hover in the air at a great distance from them . and shall not we have so much prudence , as to reunite our selves , now our enemies are not only hovering , but ready to fall directly upon our heads ? hannibal is even at our very gates , titus is casting up his trenches ; and we ( like those zealots in jerusalem ) are pulling each other by the throat . was there ever madness like this madness ? o for the harp of david ! to allay this rage , and to charm down these furies . o that some rays from the face of god , might shine upon us ! that these clouds might be dispell'd ; and our fears prevented ! if that grace which brings salvation , did once arise in our hearts ; by reducing us to the same point , where we first parted ; that is , the door of the sanctuary : by teaching us to worship the same god , in his own way ; there might yet be hopes in our . israel concerning this : we might all speak the language of canaan again , and become a terror to our enemies . the lord is terrible in the behalf of his people , by sending hornets among their adversaries , when they are gather'd together in the holy place of his zion . t. quintius said , the snail was safe in her shell ; so might we be in the sanctuary . you see 't is hard to live in a countrey-cell ; and not gather some melancholly air. yet 't is for a consolation , that i have both liberty and leisure , to breath out the same to my god in devotions , and to give a vent to it ; by transmitting the eccho thereof to your self . i wish these lines may find you free , from all incumbrances of sadness : that no such ghastly objects may perplex or disturb your recesses . and lest i should be guilty of pouring water into your wine ; i will shake off my hermits pall ; and dazle you with a more taking dress . my gratulation shall requite you , for my former complaints ; and i will both encourage you , and my self with what follows . the truth is , not only common fame , but my own secret thoughts have suggested to me an equal fear from your london , to that from rome and france : for i am old enough to remember , what commotions arose from that place about forty years ago . the king of blessed memory , was affronted in the streets : all loyal members of parliament , and conscionable subjects , were aw'd with the dreggs of the people . judgment was turn'd backward ; those gave the law , that did violate it most , and deserv'd to be made examples by it . seditious pamphlets and insolent petitions , flew abroad like granado's ; and he that durst give a check to this torrent , was sure to be over-whelmed ; and to perish in this gain-saying of core , wo be to righteous lot , if found in the midst of these sodomites . wo be to st. paul himself , if he stood in the way of demetrius , and his crew . no man fit to describe these confusions , but he that wears buskins : has a vein of writing tragedies ; and can set forth the plague of athens in its own direful colours . i once thought , i should have dy'd st. steven's death , only for preaching on the fifth commandment . when i look back and consider what tails these comets drew after them ; i am like one that goes upon a narrow bridge over a deep river . my head and my heart tremble and pant ; and i can scarce believe my own happiness , that i have escaped the roaring of these waters , for so the sacred writ calls a tumultuous multitude : methinks i am only in a dream , and i sometimes seem to see the mountains smoaking ; and firebrands coming out of pulpits , to increase the flame . young men , that were sent by their friends to be disciplin'd and train'd up in honest callings , were debauch'd in their duties to their superiours , and inchanted with sheba's trumpet ; as if it were not enough to poison one generation . sir ! it is not long since we were affrighted in the countrey ; as if the like times were revolving upon us . as if your london were catching again the same wildfire ; and like aetna , were breaking forth into another conflagration . every man we met , talk'd of little else , but the rising of the city : such especially , as are given unto change ; and have the leprosie of sedition , and schism running upon them ; that think to get that in a scramble , which they can never attain by their own merits . these shak'd their heads ; made ghastly faces — as if another dooms-day of insurrections were coming upon us ; and the fatal period of our tranquillity was approaching . this alarm did so far amaze me ; that i dreaded the fire , that had scorch'd me . i wrote letter after letter to my son , an apprentice there — to charge and command him , by virtue of my paternal authority — not to enter into their secrets : or conspire with those catalines that desire to disturb our peace , or oppose our government . it is better we should all suffer ; than carve out our fortunes , and divert suppos'd calamities , by lifting up an hand against the lord 's anointed . god commonly turns the projects of achitophels into folly : for though precipitate actions are pleasing in their beginning ; yet they are difficult in carrying on , and disapprove the success . but blessed be god! london is not london now . the magistrates and citizens are men of another spirit ; and better acquainted with their duty to god , and men. they are too wise to be cheated over again , with jesuitical , i had almost said — devilish pretences , whereby they were formerly deluded . their repentance cost them too dear , so soon to traverse the same ways , wherein they have been betray'd to robbers and thieves . i am almost afraid to hear subjects cry up religion , and property ; lest they should again strip us of both : to cry down others miscarriages with absolom ; or with cham discover their nakedness ; lest they should usurp the fasces into their own hands , and whip us again with scorpions . it is almost enough , to make men jewish infidels , to compare some mens former actions , with their own declarations : their hairy hands , with their jacob's voice , whatever we feel : whatever we fear , is the dismal effect of that hypocrisie . the jews thought there were some grains of the golden calf , in all their sufferings ; and whatever ghost haunts and affrights us now , was rais'd by our own malignant actings in the days past . of whom shall we complain ? if our dangers are great , our sins have been so too : let us no more prevaricate : let us be israelites indeed ; and then those unhappy vapours , which threaten to eclipse our prosperity , will soon vanish . no need of being jealous of our governors : or for them to be distrustful of us : for then they may sleep safely in the laps of their people ; and we rejoyce under their shadows . good sir ! pardon the indecorum of this letter : for i write to an eminent shepherd ; just as i treat my countrey flock : yet i cannot forbear to transgress , whil'st i deprecate my fault . i sometimes ruminate with my self — how our tribe is assaulted from several coasts . it shakes and totters with impetuous volleys from all parts of the circumference : manasseh against ephraim ; and ephraim against manasseh ; and both against levi. these rocks are even ready to grind us to powder . and as the earth hangs upon nothing , but the word of god's power : so we only subsist , and are preserv'd , by the powerful providence of the same god ; and by the gracious favour of his vicegerent . let us be faithful and diligent in our places ; and those billows shall be so restrain'd , that they may roar ; but shall not swallow us up . whil'st these contemplations take up my thoughts ; there are other sentiments rush in upon me . alas ! how cold and perfunctory are many of us in our ministerial imploys ? as if we were not only regardless of the souls committed to our charges ; but of our own . as if ease , gain , and grandeur , were the great designs of our functions . nay ! has not the altar it self been formerly polluted ? has not religion been prostituted to the lusts of men ? has not the diana of disobedience been cry'd up , by preaching and prayer ? is not the same fervent swelling still among us ? the same jonah in our ship ? the same achan in our camp ? shall not the lord visit for these things ? if any complains that such men are silenc'd ; who for their parts may be useful to the church ; i answer with m. curius in a like case — the church has no need of such as have not learn'd to obey . but i am carried ( i know not by what genius ) out of a fragrant garden , into a stinking golgotha . i was commending the present constitution of your city , beyond what it has been in our memory ; to the intent , that god might have the glory ; and the sword of gideon too , might have that praise which is due unto it : i mean your self ; and other regular ministers of the gospel there , who have far transcended many of those that went before you ; by infusing better principles : planting and preaching more sound and peaceable doctrines among the inhabitants of that place : so that the glory of this second temple , has quite outstrip'd the rubbish that went before it : yet whil'st i was thus musing : solacing my self ; and sweetning this solitude , with the platonick pleasure , and sensuality of these idea's ; in came a swarm of thoughts ; what a confused heap that famous city has been ; under the conduct of false lights , and unlucky pilots : and whil'st i was thus possess'd and transported ; i have convers'd with tombes , and charnel houses . but waving these unpleasant reflections ; i shall fix my eyes upon your london , as it is inform'd , and reform'd by happy teachers : not only glorious and stupendious in structures , and merchandize ; but also , for her religion to god ; and fidelity to the prince . in a body of such dimensions ; there 's no wonder — that there are some excentrical motions : some excremental excrescencies , wens and botches . our little parishes are not free from heteroclites : irregular , and disorderly walkers . there are some dregs , and reliques of the late times . we can easily divine , who went before ; by the impression of those crooked , and distorted foot-steps they have left behind . though we constantly pray , preach , catechize , and instruct our people publickly , and privately : yet the hand of joab still appears ; and those tares which inimicus homo sow'd in the furrows of our fields , are not yet rooted up . there are : there must be heresies in the world , until we come to the unity of the faith ; and all our chaff shall be winnow'd out at the day of judgment . the harvest will come , when vile weeds shall be separated from the precious corn. in the mean while , we that live in the valleys , are so far from envying your happiness , that we make it our own , by exulting and triumphing in the same ; and praising god , for your numerous and generous progeny . though ours be as thin as grapes after the vintage : as lean and meagre as pharoah's kine . many of your people are as the sons of anak , of a transcendent growth and stature , both for parts and piety : your assemblies , as so many synods — how beautiful are thy gates ! thy tents , o london ! when a man enters into your orderly congregations ; he stands as it were , in the porch , and suburbs of heaven : so that he must say — god is among you of a truth : your faces look towards zion , and shine with the lustre thereof , like moses's in the mount. your reverence and devotion declare — that heaven is your aim ; and that you are in good earnest , in seeking the countrey that is above . it is true : — gebal , ammon , and amaleck do what they can to weaken your hands , and blast this your success . they grudge , and gnash with their teeth — to see those so prosperous in their ministery ; whom they traduce and undervalue ; and in their prosperity , set them with the dogs of their flock . therefore they set up altars of their own ; and decoy your people into their mountains . mountains , did i say ? nay ! into their african corners , and vaults . yet thorow your primitive diligence and dexterity ; your bow does still continue in strength . and maugre all their contrivances and blocks they lay in your way , to divert you in your evangelical race ; and hinder the erecting of jerusalem's walls : your work goes on thorow the power of the almighty god of jacob : and theirs moulters and dwindles ; at least , it does not thrive , being set together with untemper'd mortar . though they have this advantage — they drive down the hill , and woe the people , to what both naturally , and by instigation , they are too much inclin'd ; and that is , disobedience to authority , and all that is called god. this suits too well , to that gun-powder : that deprav'd activity ; and elastick virtue , which they bring into the world with them . may you , and all our brethren go on with undaunted courage ! notwithstanding their barking ; to keep your flocks from ravenous wolves ; and to save the souls of your people , from schism , faction , and sedition here ! from satan , and hell hereafter ! we cannot deny , but there was much zeal ( such as it was ) in that place formerly : but this was as fire in our thatch ; or like the career of a blind horse , that has much spirit ; but no eyes to guide him . now , there is not only zeal ; but according to knowledge : not only a partial religion , in observing the first table ; but also , conscionable obedience to the second ; that faith towards god may appear to be true and genuine ; by works towards men ; love to god , whom we have not seen ; by love to our brethren , whom we have seen . in the midst of our late fears — this very consideration kept me from drooping , and sinking . what ? shall men that have a religious , well-grounded fear of god , bandy together against their lawful governors ? men that are so taught ? such proficients in christ's school ? shall these brandish that sword , to which they have no right ? this would even have justified the worst of times ; when those in your places pleaded scripture and conscience for resistance . others made harangues to the representatives of the city in their common council , to inflame them to an ungodly war against their prince : nor were there wanting such orators among them , that muster'd up all the sinews of their eloquence , and rhetorick , to sway and bow the great council of the land the same way . you have better learn'd christ , and you have better taught your people . it is the physitian 's glory to check and chastise any predominant and luxuriant humour in the body ; and to reduce it into an even and moderate temper with the rest . so it shews the ministers skill to allay the vehement efforts of an irregular people — in perswading them to this sobriety — to leave the government of the world to the providence of god ; and the disposal of church and state to the wisdom of the king. we may be too pragmatical , and deprive our selves of present injoyments ; by being too solicitous for the time to come ; i will pray for the welfare of this , and succeeding ages . may true piety , peace , and plenty be ever within the walls of this church , and state ! and may god raise up such men to sit at the stern of both ; that may be nursing fathers indeed ! yet i will leave my prayers at the feet of god ; and trust him with the success of them . it has been the great mercy of god , in putting it into the heart of the prince ; and the signal prudence of the right reverend bishops successively ; to place in , and encourage , able and regular ministers , in the chief city of the land : both to root up those dangerous and unpeaceable doctrines , which have been formerly settled there : and cast a malignant influence upon the head of all our tribes . and also to plant such sound catholick , and orthodox truths ; whereby men may be guided into the ways of peace , and holiness . the fruit and benefit of such preaching , and preachers , has appear'd in hushing those discontents that were amongst you : in restraining and preventing the madness of the people , and their tumultuous practices . faithful ministers are not only necessary to conduct men to heaven ; but also to establish peace here below — and to support the king's throne . the sun it self may as well be spared out of the firmament , as these luminaries out of the church . had it not been for faithful preachers in the city and countrey — to stand in those gaps , that are trodden down by the furioso's of our times ; we had been over-run e're this , with herds of feral , and unruly beasts . many there are that complain , and find faults . they declaim against abuses , and exorbitancies , especially in the church ; not that they may be redress'd ( except they themselves may be the reformers ) but that they may disgrace and wound the civil state , thorow the sides of the ecclesiastick : for if we would study how to be reveng'd of those that dissent from us : to crucifie them , and countermine their projects ; we cannot take a more compendious way — than to agree together , in a vigorous pursuit of the fear of god , and the honour of the king ; to teach our people true piety , and allegiance ; our sores are their repast , and our peace is their torment . may we always thus goad their sides ! and rend their caules ! by being good men , and orthodox preachers : by maintaining god's honour , the king's repose , the tranquillity of the church and kingdom ; promoting our own salvation , and our peoples eternal happiness . it may be some grief to you , that some of your flocks are cluck'd away , and purloin'd from their own shepherds . christ himself was troubled at the loss of one apostle : he also put an accent of sorrow upon these words to his disciples — will ye also go away ? st. paul complained , when demas and the people of asia forsook him . yet be of good cheer — you are still throng'd with grave , and knowing auditory . the ways of zion do not mourn ; and the abomination of desolation does not stand , where it ought not . though some loose , light , smutty ears may fall , or rather be snatch'd from you ; yet your sheaves are still full of weighty and solid corn. your people do not talk , smatter , dispute , and wrangle about the great things of religion : but they live , act , and practice the same . their senses are both exercis'd to discern , and their capacious , and healthy souls , to receive and digest the stronger meats of the gospel . alas ! we are not so happy in the countrey ; we lisp , and speak half words ; we instill our milk by drops ; here a little , and there a little : and we account it our best learning , to condescend to the ignorant ; in calculating our words and matter to the meridian of their understanding . we had rather some should carp , and censure ; than the greater part should go away , without any edification . 't is better to sacrifice our own credit , than their souls . to use an arcadian dialect ; than they should stare , gaze , and say we are mad ; or with him in the poet , be starv'd in the midst of our dainties ; and scorch'd with thirst , whil'st they are catching at the gilded streams of our flouring rhetorick . yet we rejoyce , if by the pulse of our people we can discern any motions , or symptoms of a spiritual life ; and that religion is true , and sincere ; though weak , and unpolish'd . sir ! i know that your heart sounds and ecchos herein to mine . well! let us go on with a chearful diligence in our several stations : you in the mount ; we in the valleys : you , with the mother-city ; we , with the daughters of jerusalem — until righteousness , and true holiness ; be not only the ornament , but bulwark of our land. for as the most rugged passages of god's providence , are beautiful in their season : and the most contemptible members of the body , are useful and necessary in their places ; so the lowest and meanest officers in the church ( if found faithful ) may add to her lustre , and adorn the compages of christ's mystical body : as little choiresters may help to make up the consort , and harmony of the quire. i know you will not overlook our help in carrying on the common salvation ; though our shoulders are weaker than yours . i have got the happiness to speak to a wise man , who is able to judge what i say ; and i am unwilling to part with it . this must be my apology , for protracting this , beyond the bounds and measures of my ordinary letters . if you be more concise in your answer , make it out in your prayers . and herein i will requite you — by importuning the throne of grace — that both you , and all our brethren , may do worthily in that ephrata , and famously in your bethlem ! that the ministers of london , may be the glory of england ! as our english clergy is the wonder of the christian world . and though the fawns of the wood , must be content to come behind the city-muses . though we cannot reach the selah of your loud cymbals ; yet we will follow you , with our little timbrels and pipes . we will do what we can — in reconciling god , and his people ; in preserving a right understanding betwixt the king , and his subjects ; promoting primitive piety , with catholick love , and charity amongst our people . — finis . epistola veridica ad homines φιλοπρωτευονγας . cui additur oratio pro statu ecclesiae fluctuantis , quae ex quavis regione vacillat & periclitatur dum clavum teneant qui arte sacro-nauticâ minimè polleant . londini excusum , anno dom. 1659. λογος προτρεπτικος ad magistros satis magisteriales & dominos nimis dominantes nye peters tombes caeterosque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mar. 6. 21. qui legitimos evangelii ministros . tot veluti juniores ottomannos ) ( quantū in ipsis ) strangulāt & crucifigunt . jam tandem mihi gratulor ( viri magnates ) quod excusso stuporis veterno , lacertos rursus movere gestiam ; & vos ultrò alloqui ausim intrepidus , qui me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , saevas nuper pronuntiastis ad bestias ; vos , inquam , qui telorum grandine , parum abfuit , quin obruissetis ; & gigantes cùm sitis ( quantum in vobis ) in coetum gigantum , hoc est ad inferos usque , vestro anathematis fulmine , diram ( proh dolor ! ) miseritis victimam ; sed nullos tam puros manes admittit infernus : tam charum lucis filiolum , respuunt tenebrarum regna : sic nitentem vestibus , si aspexissent cacodaemones ; perstringantur oculi , & subterranea perhorrescant examina ; nec non ipse minos , aequiori perpendens trutinâ , acumen vestrum , simul & justitiam , frendens incuset , & iratus ; quasi , ab auro scoriam , à tritico paleam , à medullâ corticem , à spuriis verè genuinas aquilas haud dijudicare poteritis . apagè igitur cum sententiâ vestrâ ! seram cantate palinodiam ; & quod temerario exarâstis calamo , ex vestris subitò deleatur annalibus : ut herodes olim suos expunxit natales ; hic , ne parentum ignominiam ; vos , ne vestram suboleant , nasuti nepotes . quantùm ad me attinet , tota cervice divinioribus studiis pergam incumbere , & ( exanimatus licèt ) sacris paginis adhuc pallescere ; ut ex rupe istâ ( scripturae scilicet ) fontes salvificos : ex thesauro isto , gemmas : ex alveari , favos ; & ex promptuario isto , cibaria , & succos salutares possim eruere ; animae meae , gregique populari confestim traditurus ; ut nec deo , nec bonis ( quanquam vobis ) audiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . postquam vos , quasi tot immaniores levitae , galliones , & homunciones 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me vestris consossum vulneribus , gemibundum , & tantum non expirantem , vix intuebamini : ecce melior samaritanus ( conscientia scilicet subridens , intemerata , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) parato occurrit gremio : utrisque ulnis , ruit in amplexus , dulcique susurro in aurem blanditur : me molli sovet cataplasmate : pedibus vestris conculcatum sublevat ; oleumque suum , in ipsa cordis penetralia effundit . utinam de cathedrâ vestrâ & sellâ curuli , paululum descendatis in arenam : non luctam subituri , sed velitationem , eamque amicabilem , & sine odio . siccine indignus ego ? nulla eruditionis rimula ? nulla pietatis scmtillula ? dicite mihi sodes ! triobolaris ego , & nullius pretii theologaster ? de ponte mittendus , sicut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ? heu ! perii infelix : contremiscunt viscera : labascunt crura : suffusus rubore vultus ; nec non singuli artus solvuntur in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : sub tam infausto natus sidere , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , tot preciunculas quotidè ejaculatus fuerim : tot lachrymis genas humectârim ? toties jejunaverim ? tot labores exantlârim ? tot librorum volumina ( absit invidia ! absit jactantia ! ) evolverim , ut muneri huic evangelico , & animarum aucupiis invigilarem ? & incassùm cesserunt singula ? sed vestras revolvite memorias : judicia explorate propria , utrùm nullis praejudicii nebulis offusa : nam ipsi aliquando oculi sic humoribus intumescunt , sic glancomate laborant , ut circa ipsos colores omnimodò hallucinentur : sic senatus quondam romanus , vero aut pretium , aut gratium anteferebat . interrogate fideliter animas vestras : non audio quid interrogata corda respondeant : sed nisi callo prorsus obducti , nisi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , quin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sitis , nullus dubito , quòd lesbia etiam evaseritis regula , qui lapides lydios , & paenè infallibiles esse gloriamini , compertum habeo . ah! quoties nigro carbone notabitis immeritos , cùm meliorem calculum apposuisse debeatis ? vol is igitur in posterùm consulo , ut cryptam aliquam caliginosam intretis judicatur● ; aut judicum instar atheniensium , altâ nocte censuras vestras proferatis , si infamem exuatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . et cùm suggesta vestra ascendisse videar , vobisque in subsellio sedentibus perorâsse , bonâ adhuc cum veniâ , perrexisse liceat . non mihi cordi est , ut quaestionum involucris vos irretirem , aut spinosis argumentorum aculeis excruciem : non ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essem , gladios loquuturus , aut fulgura . absit , absit , inquam , vindictae tam impotens cupido ! 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . exultate adhuc , per me , singuli ; meae quanquam ruinae , quo jure , quâve injuriâ , sabri simul , & artifices . non commodi oestro percitus , non famae distendor aucupio ; sed aliorum , sed ecclesiae gratiâ dicturus ; & quare dixisse poeniteat , cùm vos tam horrenda fecisse non pigeat ? quid vetat anseres ipsos , clamorem in coelum tollere , cùm templi arces , ipsumque capitolium sitis prodituri ? a prodituri inquam ; quid enim à proditione distat , tot satellites , tot veteranos inhibuisse , quos in castra sua miserat dominus exercituum ? intraque ecclesiae muros , contra hostium insultus , & molimina , excubare jusserat , sicut domini vineam vastâsse videamini , qui tot fidos praeclusistis operarios , quos dei misericordia , piorumque preces in medium emiserant ; quodque dolendum magis , à vobis etiam dilaceratur christi sponsa ; à vobis inquam , totum vulnus fit & cicatrix , quibus eam propulsare , & custodire incubuit ; adeò ut non possum ( ad ravim usque ) non ingemiscere — quis custodiet ipsos — custodes ? sed nondum animam meam omnimodò liberavi : nam ut deus angelo pergamensi , sic ego ulteriùs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . quis non videt capita vestra coelo ipsi minantia ? & altas veluti cupressus , singulos prae vobis , tanquam viburna , & vilia arbusta fastidientes ? cristas hasce , & caudas verè pavonias , tandem deponite : supercilia remittite , & posthac in majorem erudiamini mansuetudinem . quorsum caperatis frontem , & superbienti supercilio sic supplices torquetis miseros ? non mancipia sumus , sed fratres ? nisi donatistrarum instar , fratres etiam vocari dedignamini , aut cum eunomianis fraternè non estis affecti ; adeò 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( ut basilius olim ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 videmur in oculis eorum esse ut cicadae . en ! vos adimus , aequali , ac aras ipsas sacrificuli , reverentiâ : nudato capite : curvato corpore : vultu submisso , & flexis genibus vestra lambimus & osculamur vestigia : at quasi statuae sitis ambulatoriae , sine ullis fibrarum flexuris , vix ( ne vix quidem ) nutum possumus extorquere : nutum dixi ? ô nos felices ! si non torvos vibretis aspectus , & verba acuminata , ipsâ morte acerbiora . o quantâ clientes vestros ( carnificinâ quâdam ) occiditis morâ quàm pedibus nostris , heu ! trita vestibula ! dum luna ipsa saepius suos peragit cursus ; quasi vobis dulces ipsi morientium gemitus : nihil vestrâ refert , populos nobis charos , uxores , pignora , longa pati divortia , & noster — fundo suspiret nummus in imo : sed cavete quaeso , ne sicut papae ambitio peperit antichristum , sic iisdem eum armis expellere venditaretis , quibus introductus , quibus sua debet incunabula . si olim erga ministellos , sic sese gessissent antistites , quanto boatu tota remugiret regio ! imò ipsa resonaret europa ! alia quaerenda terra : alii lares : nam intolerabilis ( vestras querelas repeto ) episcopalis majestas : ipsa constupratur aura , spiritu isto plusquam b luciferiano . quid tandem restat ? nisi ut cervicibus publicis depulsi jaceant , & caedantur victimae , non tam aliorum ambitioni , quam suae ? nisi ut magna illa , & erudita nomina , tot essent trophaea ; tot fortunae ludibria , currus vestros ornatura triumphales . sed cavete rursum , ne digitos vestros experiamur , illorum lumbis graviores : cavete inquam , ne fastum illorum conculcaretis , sed fastu majori ; ut romani olim , regios tarquinii fastus , aliâ superbiâ , non ferebant — sic etiam sapientibus , cupido gloriae , novissima exuitur . hoc tamen dato ; quòd vobis in clerum domini , sic dominari , cervicesque nostras premere , jure quodam contigisset ; quis affin●s vestros , famulosque vobis ministrantes , dominos nostros constituit ? nam sicut ancillas suas habuit penelope , quarum auxilio , & lenocinio adjuti , suam proci — adibant corinthum ; sic vos famelica comitatur mancipiorum turba , quibus inhiantibus , si offam aliquam , seu victimam , non obtulerimus ; qui ad altitudines vestras , nos introduceret , nemo placatus fuerit ; erit forsan , qui praedae avidus , ad devorandum fauces aperiat , calumnias comminiscatur indignas , & precibus nostris aures obseret vestras , quae clavibus nullis recludendae fuerint , nisi auratis : sed priusquam demulceantur , & cicurentur , istiusmodi ferae , in quàm varias humilitatis figuras , nostra torquenda sunt corpora ? at at ganymedem quendam habetis delicatulum , de prosapiâ suâ , & stemmate gloriantem ; quasi neutiquam patrissare potuisset , nisi nos ruricolas , & in vervecum patriâ natos , despicatui haberet . hic omnes supereminet , & erecto vertice , ipsa paenè pulsat sydera . nos — viles pulli ; hic — gallinae filius albae : hunc nisi summo demereamur obsequio , nisi titulis insigniamus honorificis ; nisi genua nostra , ad terram usque flectentia , suum illi tribuant vectigal , jovisque nimbo prolapsi , in gremium ejus involemus , de nobis actum erit , & re prorsus infectâ , erit redeundum . — quid domini facient , audent cum talia fures ? alteram vobis dicam non possum non impingere , quòd cùm animalcula sitis humi reptantia , vespertilionum instar , & noctuarum , ad naturae lumen caligantia : coruscantes tamen divini solis radios , en ! audacter intuimini ; & quasi è secretioribus consiliis , ipsi deo famulantes , arcana ejus perscrutari , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , haud detrectatis ; cujus judicia sunt incomprehensibilia , & investigabiles viae ejus . frustrà in aere quaerimus aquilae volantis vestigia : frustrà in mari , ratis tractus , & semitas indagamur ; imò , mare ipsum aspicientes nos totum latet — quaenam — moveat — tam crebros causa meatus . thales sydera contemplaturus , incidit in foveam , cui anus inclamavit : qua ratione ò thales ! quae in coelis sunt comprehendes , qui ea quae ante pedes videre nequeas ? quorsum igitur , vos dei gressus , & circuitus , in ipso cordis sanctuario , ad amussim callere jactatis ? quorsum in ipsius spiritus scrinium , claves vestras demittitis ? animarum pulsus , non minori fiduciâ tractantes , quàm corporis temperiem , per symptomata , & crises , hariolantur medicorum filii ? adeo vobis patent coelorum abyssus . quae nobis intùs , episcamini facilè , & cordium tabulis insculpta ( quanquam spiritus sulcantur stylo ) aeque vobis legibilia , ac in ipso frontis meditullio , solisque radió fulgescant singula : imò gratia non est gratia , nisi vestra mutuaretur suffragia , & authoritatem . quis conversionem , & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sibi ausit vendicare ? nisi ipsissimum quando & quomodo vobis innotescat ? vae nobis , si censura vestra esset futuri judicii praejudicium . tot larvae insernales : tot umbrae : tot fumus cadavera , si sic staret sententia vestra ; sroculos magis propitios , non vobis dederit melior deus . si vivisicus ille , & coelestis spiritus , clam vobis irrepserit , vel pectoris angulo delitescens , nos secretiori obumbraret spiramine ; eheu ! athei , & ethnici ( cur non asini caput adorâssè ? cur ìnfantulos etiam devorâsse , non sortiter nos calumniamini ? ) non sine convitiorum plaustris à vobis appellamur ; sed quis conscientiarum judices , quis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vosmet constituit ? cum diplomate vestro accincti prodeatis : vestros ostentate fasces ; sic censuris vestris non assurgemus inviti : sic neque suspecta erit vestra authoritas , nedum contempta : interim proprias explorate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , favete alienis : suam deo ( reticenda scilicet religionis mysteria ) permittite provinciam . num vobis solummodò erexisse scalas , & tot quasi acesios , in caelum ascendisse contigit ? paulinum istud paulò attentiùs evolvite , quis hominum scit quae sunt hominis nisi spiritus hominis qui in ipso est ? & quae dei sunt , nemo cognovit , nisi spiritus dei. novus ille homo , in cordis utero formatus , quasi gygis annulo praemunitus , invisibilis ambulat : hunc licet intùs soveamus , sicut & animam ; licet motum ejus vitalem persentimus , aliis tamen ostentare , — & dicere hic est — hic labor , hoc opus est . quid ni de gratiâ dicendum ? quod ille de tempore ; si nemo ex me quaerat , scio ; si quaerenti explicare velim , nescio . miror sanè , & indignabundus stupeo , de vestro literarum contemptu ; praesertim cum vosmet ipsi , scientiarum apices attigisse videamini : satis , heu satis vapulat , & ubique vilescit artium scientia , nisi malarum : vicatim clamitant nebulones ; ad furcas docti ! in cineres redigantur , & favillas , librorum volumina ! nil nisi haeresi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sentina , ex philosophiae lernâ : uberrimae errorum segetes , ex musarum fonte ebulliunt : sophistae audiunt , & circulatores , quotquot patrum monumentis invigilant , & scholasticorum lectioni horas impendunt , quanquam succisivas . quò se ferat lacerata haec , & procellis agitata cohors ? ubi reclinabunt capita , ignorantium consputa opprobriis ; quibus adhuc cordi sunt , morientes , & steriles literae ? en ad vos catervatim confugiunt doctrinae alumni : vos maecenates esse , eorumque columnas , abundè sibi promittentes : sed hinc etiam oboriuntur lacrymae , etiam à vobis . novercatis nimium , & dedecori inter vos cedunt literae : nec emergunt facilè , qui dehonestantur artibus ; sed si turpe est apud vos , bonas literas colere , praestat agnoscere culpam , quàm deprecari : nunc totam eruditionis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intra vos occlusam velitis , sicut & religionem : nunc ipsi diabolo damnantur affines , qui eruditione insignes evaserint . audite anglicolae ! audite exteri ! sed lugete utrique . non quidlibet audeo : hunc ipse appello , & verba sua agnoscat oportet , quisquis fuerit , — inter socraticos — murus estis ; sed qualis est apud prophetam , cui accumbentibus paratus est serpens : sic pessimi hominis inimici , sunt ejus domestici . o quali tripudio exultet romana proles , cùm nudos nos , & inermes viderit ; hisceque orbatos spiculis , quibuscum eorum turmas saepiùs profligavimus ; quibus tot edidimus strages ; tot reportavimus victorias , & confertissimas eorum aquilas fugantes , veritatem paenè triumphatam , quasi postliminii jure , liberavimus : hoc igitur — ithacus velit , & magni mercentur atridae ; ut pessùm eant , & opprimantur maximè , qui quinto illorum lateri gladios suos intorquere essent peritissimi ; clypeosque suos eorum ictibus fortissimè opponerent . pessimà de christianâ religione meruit nero , qui junioribus disciplinam interdixit & literas ; ut ignorantiae tenebris & fuligine obvoluti , in barbariem remensa vestigia citiùs praecipitarent : sic mytilenses olim , sociis qui defecerant , ut suppliciorum gravissimum , imposuerunt , in inscitiâ artium liberalium vitam transigere . o quàm fluctuat ecclesia ! quàm vacillat respublica ! sine literarum fulcro , & stabilimento . in quantam errorum voraginem immerguntur , quibus doctrinae fundamina desiderantur ? ipsa sacra pagina , fons est ; sed ( c ) fons haran , grandi scilicet lapide clausus , qui nisi devolvatur , non adaquabit greges . liber est quidem scriptura , imò 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sed obsignatus , sine linguarum , artium , antiquitatum peritiâ . philosophiam perstringit apostolus , colos . 2. 8. sed vanam , sed epicuream ; quae tollit providentiam , & in deorum numerum refert voluptatem ; aliter , ad christum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . efflat scientia , sed non vera ( ut idem cle. alex. ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , quae videtur tantùm : quae cerebro solùm supernatans , ut illa gnosticorum , ad cor corrigendum nunquam descenderit . procul à me absit , sic in theologo eruditionem extollere , quasi eodem conatu pietatem deprimere libeat , sine quâ in doctrinâ , frustrà quaerimus doctrinam : nam timor domini est principium scientiae ; & ubi vera , & superna sapientia exarserit , haud aliter à cultu coelesti , & sanctitate divelli queat , quàm à se invicem hippocratis gemelli . neque religio ulla sine sapientiâ suscipienda ; nec ulla sine religione probanda sapientia . cum doctis igitur revertimini in gratiam ; & quanquam mihi indigno quasi fraterculo , non sine magno meo damno , infensi fueritis , nullam vobis intendo litem : nullam peto vindictam : imò , vos valere jubeo ; si candore vestro , humilitate & charitate freti , gaudeant alii : si ecclesiae jam anhelanti sitis refrigerio ; si laboranti succurratis , & tot veluti junones lucinae , obstetricantes , feratis opem : nam de arcâ nutante actum erit : de legitimis evangelii ministris conclamatum ; si eo , quo coepistis , pergatis pede ; si pro furfure , & faece romuli habeantur ; si pro quisquiliis , & sale insulso projiciantur foras , qui sunt in agro dominico puriores segetes ; in domo dei columnae , stellaeque in dextrâ ejus fulgentes : praesertim , si blatterones , tyrunculi , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , & quilibet praecoces adolescentuli sub sigillo vestro & insignibus tam audacter militent , qui ecclesiae gubernacula tractare minimè noverint . haec enim que sequuntur , tot sunt veluti elementa theologos vestros constituentia : habiles & idonci concionatores facilè per vos renuntiantur : modò sint inordinati : imberbes juvenes : mediocriter docti : optimè vestiti . 1. inordinati : ordinum ecclesiasticorum expertes : sacerdotes sine sacerdotio : dispensatores sine clavibus : neque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; neque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quos neque timotheus aliquis initiavit , nec 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aliquod consecravit . his inquam libentissimè manus apponitis suffragantes , & approbatorias ; qui manuum impositionem nunquam subiêre ; in eorumque gremium , album adjicitis calculum , qui in mystarum albo nunquam fuere adscripti . hinc rauco picarum murmure , hoc est , mechanicorum concionibus inconcin●is , ubique crepant templa ; strident rostra : conculcantur sacramenta , & altaria fumant contra altaria . o belli judices ! haeccine in publicum benevolentia ? sic coelum terrâ miscere gestitis ? sic contentiosi pulveris nubem pedibus vestris excitare ? sic haereticorum ( tot veluti serpentum ) spumam : tot errorum zizania in areâ dominicâ dispersisse libuit ? haec enim fecistis omnia ; dum talia sacientes in sinu fovetis : dum in deliciis habetis maximè , & in ipso templi pinnaculo collocatis , quos horum omnium canales fuisse & scaturiginem , experti lugemus . non vos latet , hand malè conjectari aliquos . originem illum alexandrinum , tot portentosis scatuisse erroribus , & quia juvenis docuit , & absque patrum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . malè igitur per vos respuuntur : malè à tabernaculo , arcentur , quos patres nostri , hoc est , praesules venerandi semel retigere ; quasi leprâ nos affecissent , dum manus imponcrent ; aut carmine quodam fascinassent , cùm more suo vere paterno , nobis benedicerent . 2. imberbes juvenes ; qui implumes adhuc , è nido suo , & nutricum brachiis nuper elapsi sunt ; qui perdicum instar , ovorum tegumentis circumvestiti , vobis accurrunt ; & mentorum primitias , hoc est , lanuginem suam vobis offerunt . his aures utrasque & ulnas expanditis , qui ex ephebis nedum excesserunt : qui genas molles & delicatulas vobis ostentant . adeo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 estis ; balbutientes , & dimidiata verba tentantes , amplexuri . barba sanè nunquam fecit theologum ; sed jam nocet plurimùm . reveranda canities , cui assurgunt gentes , vobis opprobrio : in ea prolapsi sumus tempora , de quibus conquestus est propheta : rationem sacerdotum non habent , senibus non faciunt gratiam ; hoc olim grande nefas , & morte piandum . quomodò canales esse poterint , qui conchae ne unquam fuerint ? sed subtilitatem vestram , & mysterium , ad quod collimatis , ( adeò diaphanum est ) facilè perspexerim : nam ecclesiam novam estis fundaturi ; abjiciendae igitur trabes antiquae , & putridae ; seniores scilicet , & qui prioris templi gloriam intuebantur . vimina . & surculi aedificio vestro optimè inservient , hoc est , adolescentes qui ut rasa tabula , ad dictata vestra suscipienda , & in verba vestra jurare , erunt paratiores ; lubrica enim eorum ingenia : olim igitur catalina in partes suas juniores pertraxit : plaudite igitur , vos felices fungi , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ! heri prosani , hodiè sacrorum antistites ; nam tales habendi sunt concionatores , quales habuit rehoboam consiliarios . 3. mediocriter docti : doctores sine doctrinâ : theologi sine libris ; nisi quos in lucem vosmet edidistis : lectores modesti ; qui abeuntes retrorsum , operuerunt facies suas , ne orientis , vel occidentis ecclesiae patres , pudibundi aspicerent : — frange leves calamos , & scinde thalia libellos . hoc modo , testae recentes erunt , side catholicâ ( sanctis semel traditâ ) nondum imbuti ; nec quod ubique , quod semper , quod ab omnibus , cognoscentes : eò magis odorum , quos immissuri estis , tenaciores : & in dogmata vestra , manibus , pedibusque festinabunt velociùs . sic pictor praxiteles loco veneris , adulterae suae imaginem adorandam proposuit . sic saetus maximè viriles , in partu ipso , ab obstetricibus pharaonicis strangulari jubentur . 4. optimè vestiti : exuviis undique conductis fulgentes , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , calamistris & cincinnis ornati : pulvere nescio quo exotico , & sussitibus delibuti — ut matutino sudans crispinus amomo : histrionum instar atticorum holobyssini : hi pallio vestro inaugurantur : & sine morâ salutantur belli curatores omnium animarum : quasi sancti esse nequeamus , nisi sericati : nec theologi in ecclesiâ serendi , nisi ut causidicos , sic nos etiam — purpura vendat , & — sulserit annulus ingens . ignoscite quaeso , si vos imitari hâc ex parte nequeamus : nec despectui habeatis , quibus non licuit esse tam divitibus : nec intumescatis nimium , turgidè incedentes , ut oculos nostros perstringatis : hezekiae ( boni quidem regis , sed circa vestiaria sua miserè labentis ) recordamini . hoc ipso , ab ambrosio , in clerum quidam non erat receptus , quod gestus ejus plurimum dedeceret . miranda quoque lacedaemoniorum civitas , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . sic penecillo satis obtuso , coloribus tamen suis , theologum vestrum delineaverim : gorgona hanc in quam adeo deperitis , iterum aspicite : umbra est , & praeterea nihil . sed jam intumescere videmini ; jam circa corda vestra sanguis ebullire occipit , quasi ipse scandali magnatum reus peragar : at inter minas vestras , & stigmata , solo conscientiae satellitio stipatus , mihimet erectus plaudo : nam sicut à d nerone ; sic à vobis condemnari , non est infame : adhuc igitur deo , ecclesiae , imò vobis ad aras usque — dum spiritus hos regit artus , seipsum animitùs consecrat , & devovet oratio pro statu ecclesiae fluctuantis , quae ex quavis regione periclitatur . o aeterne deus ! pater luminum ! qui illuminas omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum ; cujus solius lumine videmus lumen . lumen rationis quâ homines sumus constituti , tuum est : lumen gratiae , quâ plusquam homines ; & lumen gloriae , quâ angelis ipsis erimus simillimi . quanquam ipse habitas lucem inaccessibilem , quae oculos nostros caligantes ( dum hac corporis mole sumus circundati ) penitus perstingit : quanquam te coram videre , facieque ad faciem ( ne moriamur ) misellis homuncionibus non contingit ; ne tamen tenebris propriis abrepti , in hâc valle , & umbra mortis , deserto scilicet vitae hujus , palabundi erremus ; ipse nobis laborantibus , alteram ignis columnam propitius praetendisti : nec tantum spiritùs tui radiis , quasi lampade accensâ , cordium penetralia perfundis , vultusque tui lumine laetificas ; sed verbum tuum pedibus nostris lucernam indulcisti ; & luminaria , in hoc firmamento , & candelabro ecclesiae hujus inserioris , verbi ministros collocâsti . hos tanquam stellas , intra sphaeras suas lucere jussos , ipse in brachii tui concavo tenes absconditos ; dextramque tuam expertos protectricem , foves & confirmas . hinc in medio nationis pravae , & perversae , adhuc perstitimus superstites ; adhuc sepulchra , foveasque evasimus , quas nobis toties struxerunt homines maleferiati , & plusquam ferales , qui lucem oderunt , quia opera eorum mala fuere : huc usque , divino fretis auxilio , cuniculos suos , & stratagemata , frustrà tentarunt , & tui , & nostri hostes , infensi simul , & conspirati ; nec romae , nec inferni ( te vindice , clypeoque nostro portae , adversus nos praevaluerunt . pergas quaesumus , benignissime deus ! clerum tuum , legatos , praeconésque obumbrare , & sacerdotes tuos induere salute . hoc ipsum , hoc ipso praesertim tempore , omnibus animarum nervis , ad suspiria usq , gemebundi exoramus : nam fremunt populi , frendunt daemones , irruunt venti in domum tuam : trabes , columnae , anguli crepant , & contremiscunt custodes ejus . ipsae abyssi , & cataractae coeli aperiuntur : torrentes evomit draco : tantùm non immergitur , & obsorbetur ecclesiae navis . non solum grex ipse pervicax & rebellis , coeco impetu insurgit adversus pastores & ductores suos : horumque oculos erueret , qui eorum paci & saluti prospiciunt , & evigilant ; sed pastorum titulo quidam gestientes , pastores quoque laniant & obtruncant . hi fastu suo , levitate , vel studio partium , in altum sublati , ad pedes suos himillimè provolutos indignè conculcant . multis ( quos ipse legâsti ) in vineam , & arenam ecclesiasticam intraturis , ostium praecludunt : plures avertunt , & exanimant , in ipso partu suffocantes . ipse nos clamare jusseris , & instar tubae voces attollere : at at isti obturant ora , & silentio obruunt ; ite , inquis tu , & praedicate : hi contrà euntes inhibent , & minaces intonant ; vae vobis , si evangelizetis . sic talenta tua , & charismata , quae nobis donasti , quaeque aliis impendere eramus parati , absconduntur in terrâ ( non nobis domine ▪ non nobis hoc imputetur ! ) & sub modio quasi torpescunt : nosque ; ipsi sub umbrâ , & in angulis delitescimus ; quoniam aestum , & pondus diei sustentare non licuit . arcemur ab areâ nutante , suppetias etiam allaturi ; & ab areâ domini ( quantum in illis ) exulamur , quanquam in eâ tot ubique pullulant zizania ; & impostoribus plena sunt omnia : rugiunt leones , ululant lupi , obrepunt vulpes , saltant satyri , & strident bubones : nos tamen excludimur , ut aemulentur ipsi , solique in terrâ dominentur . exurgat deus ! & dissipentur quotquot invident sioni ! quotquot tyrannorum instar grassantur in ecclesiam , praedae & velleri solummodò inhiantes , ut cum zebedaei filiis , & superbientibus discipulis ditiores , magnates & proceres evaserint : dissipentur etiam , qui sub specie aedificandi , devastant templum altissimi . faxit dominus , ut nunquam conteratur & labefactetur religio ab ipsâ religione ! hoc est , praxis ejus sincera , & infucata ; ab inani , jejunâ , spumosâ & jactabundâ professione . quantum ad nos dispensatores , & legatos tuos ; hoc solum habemus residui , ut oculos nostros dirigamus ad te ; ut fiduciam nostram in te , qui es mons aeternitatis , omninò reponamus ; & hoc solatio , inter minas , & vulnera , exultamus maximè ; quòd deus noster , quem spiritu nostro colimus , cui pro viribus servimus , potest eripere nos de camino ignis , & de manibus inimicorum liberare . ipse potis es domine , & ipse solus , squallorem nostrum excutere , lacrymas abstergere , genua titubantia & collidentia confirmare , stolas nostras sepulchrales solvere , & exuere : de bochim & calvariâ , in montem ararat & tabor possis transferre ; ut coronis redimiti , & vestimentis laudumk amicti , tandem redivivi plaudamus , & hisce oculis , sionem quietam , & ecclesiam videamus aciem ordinatam , quâ doctores , & docti ; pastores , & populi , tanquam agmen quadratum , viis suis , & ordinibus incedant unanimes . utcunque statutum est ; licet ut sal infatuatus , aut ut quisquiliae in sterquilinium projiciamur ; tibi chari simus pater omnipotens ! & in deliciis habiti , etiam in stercore . bene erit torrentibus in flamma , si nobiscum perambulet christus : bene erit , si in cineres etiam redigamur , dummodò ex cineribus nostris , ex ruinis , & exuviis , prodeant & oriantur homines , qui evangelium magis adornent , qui pietatem , gloriamque tuam propagent melius , & promoveant ▪ per famam bonam , per infamiam ; per vitam , per mortem transire , in votis est ; si in terris floreat gens sancta , & regale sacerdotium : ipsique in hierusalem supernam , & ecclesiam primogenitorum , hoc curru igneo , & turbine , quasi triumphantes , provehamur ; & ita cum christo simus in aeternum , qui est vita vitarum , & spiritus spirituum : quo potiti ; valeant honores ! valeant promotiones omnes mundanae ! quem cognoscentes ut cogniti sumus , nec fide , nec praedicantibus opus erit , nisi qui laudes agni , & sedentis super thronum , cum tubarum clangore extollant . cui trino & uni deo , hic etiam in terris , sit laus , & gloria , in secula seculorum , amen . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a43841-e260 * homo histricosae , & lividae mentis . jerom. p. 213. notes for div a43841-e1290 kidderminster . mr. baxter affirm'd afterwards , that conformity is an avow'd and deliberate sin . healing church divisions . * if you have not time to read sions plea. t. c. his reply . travers de disciplinâ ecclesiae . martin junior . bancroft , &c. you may see their sense in this point collected to your hands , by sir tho. aston in his survey of presbytery . * if i should tell you what doctrine i heard preached at the beginning of the war , ( i was master of arts then ) and by whom ; if i did not make your ears to tingle , i should blur and stain more paper , than i am willing . lactantius de opificio , ca. 21. rushw . p. 202. difference betwixt magistrates and pastors , 35 , p. 36. ibid. 38. ibid. 45. ibid. 46. phil. 1. 18. heylin of the presb. p. 181 , 182. ibid. 35. king james his answer to the petition of parliament . rushw . p. 49. in your book on the sabb. p. 117. * sect. 5. concerning common-prayer and homilies . heylin of the presb. p. 202. amesius de consc . p. 216. chrys . ad tneod . rushw . p. 424. sect. 21. difference betwixt mag. and ch. past . p. 55. heylin of presb. p. 267. 307. rushw . p. 415. heylin presb. p. 442. heylin of presb. p. 335. the stumbling-block of disobedience . 267. see his life printed 1666. p. 28 , 29. heyl. on presb. p. 285. 335. 269. rush . coll. p. 161. 360. the saints rest . p. 257 , 258. the fifth edition . 2 chron. 17. 4. 9. rush . p. 218. epist . 8. heylin of the presb. p. 7. de invocat . sanct. thesi 49. mr. s. p. herlin pres . 15. ib. 291. ibid. p. 327. ibid. p. 377. notes for div a43841-e22950 a nihil tam facile , quàm vilem plebeculam & indoctam concionem linguae volubilitate decipere ; quae quicquid non intelligit , plus miratur . hiero ad nepotia . b pro officio sacerdotii omnes christianos filiorum loco diligimus , & profectus eorum , nostra est gloria . a see dr. cave on primitive christianity . pag. 127. notes for div a43841-e32610 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; basil . p. 318. primò . numero cap. 13. 33. b sunt quos in conspectu hominum superbia tanquam suos demonstrat hostes , & intrinsecus nequissimos habet milites . fulg. p. 691. secundò . tertio . gen. 29. 2 , 3. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . a call to the unconverted to turn and live and accept of mercy while mercy may be had as ever they would find mercy in the day of their extremity from the living god / by his unworthy servant, richard baxter ; to be read in families where any are unconverted. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1658 approx. 302 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 188 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2004-08 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26872 wing b1196 estc r2096 12306682 ocm 12306682 59290 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26872) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 59290) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 200:10) a call to the unconverted to turn and live and accept of mercy while mercy may be had as ever they would find mercy in the day of their extremity from the living god / by his unworthy servant, richard baxter ; to be read in families where any are unconverted. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [70], 285, [2] p. printed by r.w. for nevil simmons ... and by nathaniel ekins ..., london : 1658. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng conversion -early works to 1800. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-04 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2004-05 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2004-05 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2004-07 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a call to the unconverted to turn and live , and accept of mercy while mercy may be had , as ever they would find mercy in the day of their extremity : from the living god. by his unworthy servant richard baxter . to be read in families where any are unconverted . london , printed by r. w. for nevil simmons book-seller in kederminster , and are to be sold by him there ; and by nathaniel ekins , at the gun in pauls church-yard . 1658. the reason of this work. in that short acquaintance i had with that reverend , learned servant of christ , bishop vsher , he was oft from first to last importuning me to write a directory for the several ranks of professed christians , which might distinctly give each one their portion : beginning with the unconverted , and then proceeding to the babes in christ , and then to the strong : and mixing some special helps against the several sins that they are addicted to . by the suddenness of his motion at our first congress , i perceived it was in his mind before : and i told him , both that it is abundantly done by many already ; and that his unacquaintedness with my weakness , might make him think me fitter for it then i was . but this did not satisfie him , but still he made it his request . i confess i was not moved by his reasons , nor did i apprehend any great need of doing more then is done in that way : nor that i was likely to do more . and therefore i parted from him without the least purpose to answer his desire . but since his death , his words oft came into my mind : and the great reverence i bore to him , did the more incline me to think with some complacency of his motion . and having of late intended to write a family directory , i began to apprehend how congruously the forementioned work should lead the way ; and the several conditions of mens souls be spoken of , before we come to the several relations . hereupon i resolved by gods assistance to proceed in the order following . first , to speak to the impenitent unconverted sinners , who are not yet so much as purposing to turn , or at least are not setting about the work . and with these i thought a wakening perswasive was a more necessary means then meer directions . for directions suppose men willing to obey them : but the persons that we have first to deal with , are wilful and asleep in sin , and as men that are past feeling , having given themselves over to sin with greediness , ephes. 4.19 . my next work must be for those that have some purposes to turn and are about the work , to direct them for a through and true conversion , that they miscarry not in the birth . the third part must be directions for the younger and weaker sort of christians , that they may be stablished , built up , and persevere . the fourth part , directions for lapsed and back-sliding christians , for their safe recovery . besides these there is intended some short perswasives and directions against some spec●al errours of the times , and against some common killing sins . as for directions to doubting troubled consciences , that is done already . and the strong i shall not write directions for ; because they are so much taught of god already . and then the last part is intended more specially for families as such , directing the several relations in their duties . some of these are already written : whether i shall have life and leisure for the rest , god only knoweth . and therefore i shall publish the several parts by themselves , as i write them : and the rather , because they are intended for men of different states , and because i would not deter them by the bulk or price , from reading what is written for their benefit . the use that this part is published for , is 1. for masters and parents to read often in their families , if they have servants or children that are yet unconverted . 2. for all such unconverted persons to read and consider of themselves . 3. for the richer sort that have any pitty on such miserable souls , to give to the unsanctified that need them : ( if they have not fitter at hand to use and give ) the lord awake us to work while it is day for the saving of our own and others souls , in subserviency to the blessed god , the maker , the redeemer and the sanctifier of souls . rich. baxter . decemb. 10. 1657. to all unsanctified persons that shall read this book ; especially of my hearers in the burrough and parish of kederminster . men and brethren , the eternal god that made you for a life everlasting , and hath redeemed you by his only son , when you had lost it and your-selves , being mindful of you in your sin and misery , hath indited the gospel and sealed it by his spirit , and commanded his ministers to preach it to the world , that pardon being 〈◊〉 offered you , and heaven b●ing ●ot before you , he might call you off from your fleshly pleasures , and from following after this deceitfull world , and acquaint you with the life that you were created and redeemed for , before you are dead and past remedy . he sendeth not you prophets or apostles , t●at receive their message by immediate revelation ; but yet he calleth you by his ordinary ministers , who are commissioned by him to preach the same gospel which christ and his apostles first delivered . the lord standeth over you , and seeth how you forget him and your latter end , and how light you make of everlasting things , as men that understand not what they have to do or suffer : he seeth how bold you are in sin , and how fearless of his threatnings , and how careless of your souls , and how the works of infidels are in your lives , while the belief of christians is in your mouths . he seeth the dreadful day at hand , when your sorrows will begin , and you must lament all this with fruitless cries in torment and desperation , and when the remembrance of your folly will tear your hearts , if true conversion now prevent it not ; in comparison of your sinful miserable souls , the lord that better knows your case then you can know it , hath made it our duty to speak to you in his name , ( 2 corinth . 5.19 . ) and to tell y●u plainly of your sin and misery , and what will be your end , and how sad a change you 'l shortly see , if yet you go on a little longer . having bought you at so dear a rate as the blood of his son iesus christ , and made you so free and general a promise of pardon , and grace , and everlasting glory , he commandeth as to tender all this to you , as the gift of god , and to intreate you to consider of the necessity and worth of what he offereth . he seeth and pittieth you , while you are drowned in worldly cares and pleasures , and eagerly following childish toyes , and wasting that short and precious time for a thing of nought , in which you should make ready for an everlasting life : and therefore he hath commanded us to call after you , and tell you , how you lose your labour , and are about to lose your souls , and to tell you what greater and better things you might certainly have , if you would hearken to his call , ( isaiah 55 1 , 2.3 . ) we believe and obey the voice of god ; and come to you daily on his message , who hath charged us to preach and be instant with you in season and out of season , and to lift up our voice like a trumpet , and shew you your transgressions and your sins , isa. 58.1 . 2 tim. 4.1 , 2. but , wo and alas ! to the grief of our souls , and your own undoing , you stop your ears , you stiffen your necks , you harden your hearts , and break our hearts , and send us back to god with groans to tell him that we have done his message , but can do no good on you , nor scarcely get a sober hearing . o that our eyes were as a fountain of tears , that we might lament our ignorant careless people ; that have christ before them , and pardon , and life , and heaven before them , and have not hearts to know and value them ! that might have christ , and grace , and glory , as well as others , if it were not for their wilful negligence and contempt ! o that the lord would fill our hearts with more compassion to these miserable souls , that we might cast our selves even at their feet , and follow them to their houses , and speak to them with our bitter tears : for long have we preached to many of them as in vain ; we study plainness to make them understand ; and many of them will not understand us . we study serious piercing words , to make them feel , but they will not feel . if the greatest mattter would work with them , we should awake them : if the sweetest things would work , we should entice them and win their hearts : if the most dreadful things would work , we should at least affright them from their wickedness ; if truth and certainty would take with them , we should soon convince them : if the god that made them , and the christ that bought them might be heard , the ease would soon be altered with them : if scripture might be heard , we should soon prevail : if reason , even the best and strongest reason might be heard , we should not doubt but we should speedily convince them : if experience might be heard , even their own experience , and the experience of all the world , the matter would be mended . yea if the conscience within them might be heard , the case would be better with them then it is . but if nothing can be heard , w●at then shall we do for them ! if the dreadfull god of heaven be slighted , who then shall be regarded ? if the inestimable love and blood of a redeemer be made light of , what then shall be valued ? if heaven have no desiderable glory with them , and everlasting ioys be nothing worth ; if they can jest at hell , and dance about the bottomless pit , and play with the consuming fire , and that when god and man do warn them of it ; what shall we do for such souls as these ? once more in the name of the god of heaven , i shall do the m●ssage to you which he had commanded us , and leave it in these standing lines to convert your or condemn you ; to change you , or to rise up in iudgement against you , and to be a witness to your faces , that once you had a serious call to turn . hear all you that are the drudges of the world , and the servants of the flesh and satan ! that spend your daies in looking after prosperity on earth : and drow● your consciences in drinking , and gluttony , and idleness , and foolish sports ; and know you sin , and yet will sin , as if you set god at defiance , and bid him do his worst and spare not ! hearken all you that mind not god , and have no heart to holy things , and feel no savour in the word or worship of the lord , or in the thoughts or mention of eternal life ! that are careless of your immortal souls , and never bestowed one hour in enquiring , wha● case they are in , whether sanctified or unsanctified , and whether you are ready to appear before the lord ! hearken all you that by sinning in the light , have sinned your selves into atheism and infidelity , and do not believe the word of god. he that hath an ear to hear , let him hear the gratious and yet dreadful call of god! his eye is all this while upon you . your sins are registred , and you shall surely hear of them all again : god keepeth the book now ; and he will write it all out upon your consciences with his terrors : and then you also shall keep it your selves . o sinners , that you knew but what you are doing ! and who you are all this while offending ! the sun it self is darkness before the glory of that majesty which you daily abuse and carelesly provoke the sinning angels were not able to stand before him , but were cast down to be tormented devils . and dare such silly worms as you , so fearlesly offend , and set your selves against your maker ! o that you did but a little know , what a case that wretched soul is in , that hath engaged the living god against him ! the word of his mouth that made thee can unmake thee : the frown of his face will cut thee off , and cast thee out into utter darkness . how eager are the devils to be doing with thee that have tempted thee ▪ and do but wait for th● word from god , to take and use thee as their own ? and then in a moment thou wilt be in hell. if god be against thee , all things are against thee : this world is but thy prison , for all that thou so lovest it : thou art but reserved in it to the day of wrath ( job 21.30 ) thy iudge is coming , thy soul is even going . yet a little while , and thy friends shall say of thee , he is dead ! and thou shalt see the things that now thou didst despise , and feel that which , now thou wilt not believe . death will bring such an argument as thou canst not answer ; an argument that shall effectually confute thy cavils against the word and ways of god , and all thy self-conceited dotages . and then how soon will thy mind be changed ? then be an unbeliever if thou canst ; stand then to all thy former words which thou wast wont to utter against the scriptures , or against a holy and a heavenly life . make good that cause then before the lord , which thou wast wont to plead against thy teachers , and against the people that feared god. then stand to thy old opinions , and contemptuous thoughts of the diligence of the saints : make ready now thy strongest reasons , and stand up then before the iudge , and plead , like a man , for thy fleshly , thy unworldly , and ungodly life . but know that thou must have one to plead with that will not be outfaced by thee , nor so easily put off as we thy fellow creatu●es . o poor deceived wretched soul ! there is nothing but a slender vail of flesh betwixt thee and that amazing sight , which will quickly silence thee , and turn thy tune , and make thee of another mind ! as soon as death hath draw this curtain , thou shalt see that which will quickly leave thee speechless . and how quickly will that day and hour come ? when thou hast had but a few more merry hours , and but a few more pleasant draughts and morsels , and a little more of the honours or riches of the world , thy portion will be spent , and thy pleasures ended and all is then gone that thou settest thy heart upon ; of all that thou soldst thy saviour and salvation for , there 's nothing left , but the heavy reckoning . as a thief , that sits merrily drinking the money in an ale-house which he hath stoln , when men are riding in post haste to apprehend him ; so is it with you . while you are drowned in cares or fleshly pleasures , and making merry with your own shame , death is coming in post haste to seize upon you , and carry your souls to such a place and state , as now you little know or think of . suppose when you are hold and busie in your sin , that a messenger were but coming post from london to apprehend you , and take away your lives : though you saw him not , yet if you knew that he was coming , it would marr your mirth , and you would be thinking of the haste he makes , and hearkning when he knocked as your door : o that you could but see what haste death makes , though yet it have not overtaken you ! no post so swift ! no messenger more sure ! as sure as the sun will be with you in the morning , though it hath many thousands , and hundred thousand miles to go in the night ; so sure will death be quickly with you , and then where is your sport and pleasure ! then will you jest and brave it out ! then will you jear at them that warned you ? then is it better to be a believing saint , or a sensual worldling ? and then whose shall all those things be that you have gathered ? ( luke 12.19 , 20 , 21. ) do you not observe that dayes and weeks are quickly gone ; and nights and mornings come apace and speed●ly succeed each other ? you sleep ; but your damnation slumbereth not : you linger ; but your judgment this long time lingreth not : ( 2 pet. 2.3 , 4 , 5. ) to which you are reserved for punishment ( 2 pet. 2.8 , 9. ) o that you were wise to understand this , and that you did consider your latter end ! deut. 32.29 . he that hath an ear to hear , let him hear the call of god in this day of his salvation . o careless sinners , that you did but know the love that you unthankfully neglect , and the preciousness of the blood of christ which you despise ! o that you did but know the riches of the gospel ! oh that you did but know , a little know , the certainty , and the glory , and blessedness of that everlasting life , which now you will not set your hearts upon , nor be perswaded first and diligently to seek ! ( heb. 11.6 . & 12.28 . matth. 6.33 . ) did you but know the endless life with god which , you now neglect , how quickly would you cast away your sin : how quickly would you change your mind and life , your course and company , and turn the stream of your affections , and lay out your care another way ? how resolutely would you scorn to yield to such temptations as now deceive you and carry you away ? how zealously would you bestir your selves for that most blessed life ? how earnest would you be with god in prayer ? how diligent in hearing , and learning , and enquiring ? how serious in meditating on the laws of god ? ( psal. 1.2 . ) how fearful of sinning in thought , word , or deed ? and how careful to please god , and grow in holiness ? o what a changed people you would be ! and why should not the certain word of god be believed by you , and prevail with you , which openeth to you these glorious and eternal things ? yea let me tell you , that even here on earth , you little know the difference between the life which you refuse , and the life which you choose ? the sanctified are conversing with god , when you dare scarce think of him , and when you are conversing but with earth and flesh . their conversation is in heaven , when you are utter strangers to it , and your belly is your god , and you are minding earthly things , phil. 3.18 , 19.20 . they are seeking after the face of god , when you seek for nothing higher then this world . they are busily laying out for an endless life , where they shall be equal with the angels , ( luke 20.36 . ) when you take up with a shadow , and a transitory thing of nought . how low and base is your earthly , fleshly , sinful life , in comparison of the noble spiritual life of true believers ? many a time have i looked on such men with grief and pitty , to see them trudge about the world and spend their lives , and care , and labour , for nothing but a little food and rayment , or a little fading pelf , or fleshly pleasure , or aiery honours , as if they had no higher things to mind . what difference is there between the lives of these men , and of the beasts that perish , that spend their time in working , and eating , and living but that they may live ? you taste not of the inward heavenly pleasures which believers taste and live upon . i had rather have a little of their comforts , which the fore-thoughts of their heavenly inheritance doth afford them , though i had all their scorns and sufferings with it , then to have all your pleasures and treacherous prosperity : i would not have one of your secret gripes and pangs of conscience , and dark and dreadfull thoughts of death , and the life to come , for all that ever the world hath done for you , or all ●hat you can reasonably hope that it should do . if i were in your vnconverted carnal state , and knew but what i know , and believed but what i now believe , methinks my life would be a foretaste of hell : how oft should i be thinking of the terrours of the lord , and of the dismal day that 's hasting on ! sure death and hell would be still before me : i should think of them by day , and dream of them by night ; i should lie down in fear , and rise in fear , and live in fear , lest death should come before i were converted . i should have small felicity in any thing that i possessed ; and little pleasure in any company , and a little joy in any thing in the world ; as long as i knew my se●f to be under the curse and wrath of god. i should be still afraid of hearing that voice , luke 12.20 [ thou fool , this night shall thy soul be required of thee . ] and that fearfull sentence would be written upon my conscience , isa. 48.22 . and 57.21 . [ there is no peace saith my god , to the wicked . ] o poor sinners ! it is a joyfuller life then this that you might live , if you were but willing , but truly willing to hearken to christ and come home to god. you might then draw near to god with boldness and call him your father , and comfortably trust him with your souls and bodies . if you look upon promises , you may say , they are all mine . if upon the curse , you may say , [ from this i am delivered ! ] when you read the law , you may see what you are saved from : when you read the gospel , you may see him that redeemed you , and see the course of his love , and holy life , and sufferings , and trace him in his temptations , tears and blood , in the work of your salvation : you may see death conquered , and heaven opened , and your resurrection and glorification provided for in the resurrection and glorification of your lord. if you look on the saints , you may say , [ they are my brethren and companions . ] if on the unsanctified , you may rejoyce to think that you are saved from that state . if you look upon the heavens , the sun , and moon , and stars innumerable , you may think and say , [ my fathers face is infinitely more glorious : it s higher matters that he hath prepared for his saints : yonder is but the outward court of heaven . the blessedness that he hath promised me is so much higher , that flesh and blood cannot behold it . ] if you think of the grave , you may remember that the glorified spirit , a living head , and a loving father , have all so near relation to your dust , that it cannot be forgotten or neglected , but will more certainly revive , then the plants and flowers in the spring ; because that the soul is still alive that is the root of the body , and christ is alive that is the root of both . even death , which is the king of fears , may be remembred and entertained with joy ; as being the day of your deliverance from the remnants of sin and sorrow , and the day which you believed , and hoped , and wa●ted for , when you shall see the blessed things which you had heard of , and shall find by present joyful experience , what it was to choose the better part , and to be a sincere believing saint . what say you sirs , is not this a more delightfull life to be assured of salvation , and ready to die , then to live as the ungodly that have their hearts overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness , and the cares of this life , and so that day comes upon them unawares ? luke 21.34 , ●6 . might you not live a comfortable life , if once you were made the heirs of heaven , and sure to be saved when you leave the world ? o look about you then , and think what you do , and cast not away such hopes as these for very nothing . the flesh and world can give you no such hopes or comforts . and besides all the misery that you bring upon your selves , you are the troublers of others as long as you are vnconverted . you trouble magistrates to rule you by their laws . you trouble ministers by resisting the light and guidance which they offer you : your sin and misery is the greatest grief and trouble to them in the world . you trouble the common-wealth , and draw the iudgements of god upon us : it s you that most disturb the holy peace and order of the churches , and hinder our vnion and reformation , and are the shame and trouble of the churches where you intrude , and of the places where you are . ah lord ! how heavy and sad a case is this , that even in england where the gospel doth abound , above any other nation in the world , where teaching is so plain and common , and all the helps we can desire are at hand ; when the sword hath been hewing us , and iudgement hath run as a fire through the land ; when deliverances have relieved us , and so many admirable mercies have engaged us to god and to the gospel , and an holy life , that yet after all this , our cities , and towns , and countries should abound with multitudes of unsanctified men , and swarm with so much sensuality as everywhere to our grief we see . one would have thought that after all this light , and all this experience , and all these iudgements and mercies of god , the people of this nation should have joyned together as one man to turn to the lord ; and should have come to their godly teachers , and lamented all their former sin , and desired him to joyn with them in publike humiliation , to confess them openly , and beg pardon of them from the lord ; and should have craved his instruction for the time to come , and be glad to be ruled by the spirit within , and the ministers of christ without , according to the word of god. one would think that after such reason and scripture evidence as they hear , and after all these means and mercies , there should not be an ungodly perso● lest among us , nor a worldling , o● a drunkard , or a hater of reformation , or an enemy to holiness be found in all our towns or countreys . if we be not all agreed about some ceremo●ies or forms of government , one would think that before this , we should have been all agreed to live a holy and heavenly l●fe , in obedience to god , his word and ministers , and in love and peace with one another . but alas , how far are our people from this course ! most of them in most places do set their hearts on earthly things , and seek not first the kingdom of god , and the righteou●ne●s hereof ; but look at holines● as a needless thing : their families are prayerless , or else a few hea●tl●ss l●feless words must serve instead of hearty fervent daily prayers : their children are not taught the knowledge of christ , and the covenant of grace , nor brought up in the nurture of the lord , though they fa●sly promised all this in their baptism . they instruct not their servants in the matters of salvation , but so their work be done they care not . there are more oaths and ●n●ses and ribbald or railing speeches in their families , then gracious words that tend to edification . how few are the families that fear the lord and enquire at his word and ministers , how they should live , and what they should do , and are willing to be taught and ruled , and that heartily look after everlasting life ? and those few that god hath made so happy , are commonly the by-word of their neighbours ; when we see some live in drunkenness , and some in pride and worldliness , and most of them have little care of their salvation ; though the cause be gross and past all controversie , yet will they hardly be convinced of their misery , and more hardly recovered and reformed : but when we have done all that we are able to save them from their sins , we leave the most of them as we find them . and if according to the law of god , we cast them out of the communion of the church , when they have obstinately rejected all our admonitions , they rage at us as if we were their enemies , and their hearts are filled with malice against us ; and they will sooner set themselves against the lord , and his laws and church , and ministers , then against their deadly si●s . this is the dolefull case of england . we have magistrates that countenance the ways of godliness ; and a happy opportunity for vnity and reformation is before us , and faithfull ministers long to see the right ordering of the church ▪ and of the ordinances of god ; but the power of sin in our people doth frustrate almost all . nowhere almost can a faithfull minister set up the unquestionable discipline of christ , or put back the most scandalous impenitent sinners from the communion of the church , and participation of the sacraments , but the most of the people rail at them , and revise them ; as if these ignorant careless souls were wiser then their teachers , or then god himself ; and fitter to rule the church then they . and thus in the day of our visitation , when god calls upon us to reform his church , though magistrates seem willing , and faithful ministers are willing , yet are the multitude of the people still unwilling , and sin hath so blinded them and hardned their hearts , that even in these days of light and grace , they are the obstinate enemies of light and grace , and will not be brought by the calls of god , to see their folly , and know what is for their good . o that the people of england knew at least in this their day the things that belong unto their peace , before they are hid from their eyes ! luke 19.42 . o f●ol●sh miserable souls ! ( gal. 3.1 . ) who hath bewitched your minds into such madness , and your hearts into such a deadness , that you should be such mortal enemies to your selves , and go on so obstinately towards damnation , that neither the word of god , nor the perswasions of men can change your minds , or hold your hands , or stop you till you are past remedy ! well , sinner● ! this life will not last alwayes , this patience will not wait up●n you still . do not think that you shall abuse your maker and redeemer , and serve his enemies , a●d debase your souls , and trouble the world , and wrong the church , and reproach the godly , and grieve your teachers , and hinder reformation , and all this upon free cost . you know not yet what this must cost you ; but you must shortly know , when the righteous god shall take you in hand , who will handle you in another manner then the sharpest magistrates , or the plainest dealing pastors did , unless you prevent the everlasting torments by a sound conversion , and i● speedy obeying of the call of god. he that hath an ear to hear , let him hear , while mercy hath a voice to call ! one desperate objection ( which i have after touched , but with too much brevity ) i find sticks close to the hearts of many ungodly men . they think that god doth not so much care what men think or say , or do , as we perswade them , and therefore they care so little themselves . for the convincing of such atheistical men as these , i shall propound these following question , 1. dost thou think god careth whether thou be a man or not ? if not , who made thee , and preserveth thee ? if he do then sure he careth whether thou behave thy self as a man. no man is so foolish as to make any instrument , or build an house , or a ship , and not to care when he hath done , whether it be good for the use he made it for ? do not for shame then impute such folly to the god of wisdom , as if he made so noble a creature as man , and endowed him with such noble faculties , and all for nothing ; and careth not what becometh of him when he hath done . why should god give thee a mind that can know him ; and a heart that can love him , if he cared not whether thou know him , and love him or not ? do you not see that in the course of ●ature every thing is fitted to its use ? the beasts know not god , nor are capable of loving him , beca●se they were made for no such use ; but thy capacity shews that thou wast made for god , and for a life to come . 2. dost thou think that god is everywhere present , and infinite , and al-sufficient ? if not , thou dost not believe that he is god ; and it is u●re●sonable to imagine that god hath made a world that is greater and more extensive or comprehensive then himself : for none can communicate more then he hath . but if thou a●t forced to confess that god is everywhere , and as sufficient for every single m●n as if he had never another creature to regard , you must need● confess then that he is not careless of the hearts and wayes of the sons of men : for they are things that are still before his eyes . it is base and blasphemous thoughts of god , as if he were limited , absent or insufficient , that makes men think him so regardless of their hearts and ways . 3. dost thou think that god careth what becomes of thy body ? whether thou be sick or well ? whether thou live or die ? if not , then how comest thou by thy life , and health , and mercies ? if they come from any other fountain-tell us from whence ; is it not to god that thou prayest for life and health ? darest thou say to him , i will not depend upon thee ? i will not be beholden to thee for the life and mercies of another day ? if so , then thou art a blinded atheist . but if thou think god cares for thy body , canst thou think he cares not more for thy soul ? if he must regard to furnish thee with mercies , he will sure have a regard whether thou love and live to him that gave them . 4. dost thou believe that god is the governour of the world or not ? if not , then there can be no rightfull government . for as no iustice of peace can have power but from the soveraign , so no soveraign can have power but from god , nor be a lawful governour but under him . and then all the world would be turned into confusion . but if thou must needs confess that god is the governour of the world , what an unwise , unrighteous governour wouldst thou make him , if thou think that he regardeth not the hearts and ways of those whom he doth govern ? this still is but to deny him to be god. 5. if god do not care so much what is in our hearts , or what we do , why then would he make a law for our hearts , and words , and ways ? would he command us that which he doth not care for ? would be so strictly forb●d us sin , if he were indifferent , whether we sin or no ? would he promise eternal life to the holy and obedient , if he care not whether we be holy and obedient or no ? would he threaten hell to all that are ungodly , if he care not whether we were godly or not ? darest thou say that the almighty holy god is fain to rule the world by a lie , and to deceive men into obedience ? yea the very law of nature it self doth contain not only precepts of our duty , but the hopes and fears of a life to come , w●thout which the world could not be governed ! and certainly they are no deceits , by which are infinite wisdom , and power , and goodness doth govern the world . 6. if god did not much regard our hearts and lives , why doth he make all the world to be our servants ? doth he give us sun , and moon , and stars , the earth and all the creatures to attend us , and serve us with their lives and virtues , and yet doth he not care for our hearts or service ? this is as foolish as to say , that he hath made all the world in vain , and careth not for it now he hath made it . 7. if he cared not for the frame of our hearts and lives , he would not have sent his son to redeem us , and to cleanse us from all iniquity , and sanctifie us a peculiar people to himself , tit. 2.14 . surely the price that was paid for sinners , and the wonderful design of god in our redemption , doth shew that he makes not light of sin , and that he is wonderfully in love with holiness . 8. if god did not regard our hearts and lives , he would not have made it the office of his ministers , to call us daily to repentance and an holy life ; nor commanded them to make such a stir with sinners to win them unto god ; he would not have appointed all his ordinances , publick and private also to this end . doth god command all this ado , for a thing that he regards not ? 9. nor would he punish the world with hell hereafter , or so many dreadful judgements here , as thousands feel , if he cared not what they think or do ? methinks men that are so often groaning under his rod , should feel that he looks after their hearts and wayes . 10. and how can the holy ghost be our sanctifier , if god be so indifferent whether we be clean or unclean ? dare you think that the holy ghost doth take upon him a needless work ? 11. methinks you might perceive even in the malice of the tempter , that god is holy , and hateth iniquity , and his word is true that telleth us of the eternal punishment of sin . this scripture tells us of the angels fall , and that many of them are become devils by their sin , and are malicious enemies of mans salvation . and do you not easily perceive it to be true ? how come they else to be such importunate tempters of men : which we feel , alas , by too much experience ? or if this evidence be not palpable enough to convince the infidel , how come they to make so many bargains with conjurers and witches , to draw them from god and salvation , as they have done ? how come they to appear in terrible shapes to so many as they have done , and still upon designs that declare their own dejected base condition , and their enmity to god and man , and their eager desire to engage men in a way of sin ? if any infidel will not believe that really there have been witches and apparitions , and consequently that there are devils who are miserable and malicious spirits ; who by sin are cast out of the favour of god , and would draw men into their miserable case , let them come and reason the case with me , and i shall quickly tell them of so many , sure undenyable instances , and give them so much proof of the truth of it , as shall leave them nothing to say against it , ●●less they will still say , [ we will not believe . ] yea so much , as that i will not be beholden to the vilest atheist or infidel to believe it , if he will not quite renounce his reason , but give it leave to see the light. 12. lastly , if yet you think that god ( the soveraign ruler of the world , that is everywhere present and preserveth all ) doth care so little what men are , or what they do , whether they are holy or unholy , obedient or disobedient to his laws , then methinks that you your selves , and all the rest of your fellow-creatures should little care . two questions therefore i must here propound to you . 1. do not you care what men say of you , or do to you ? are you contented that men slander you and abase you , or set your houses or towns on fire , or destroy your cattle , or wives and children , and imprison , wound or kill your selves ? if you will make a great matter of what men say or do against you , can you be so mad ( for it is no better ) as to think that the omnipotent , holy god should little regard what 's said or done against himself , and against h●s servants , and that by such silly worms as men , that are his workmanship ? did not selfishness make you blind and partial , you would know , that one sin against god , deserves more punishment , then ten thousand thousand times as much , against such silly things as you . do you make no matter of difference between a bad servant and a good ? an obedient , and a disobedient child ? a son that would lay down his life for you , and a son that longs for your death that he may have your lands ? between a faithful friend and a deadly enemy ? if you do not , you are not men but something else in humane shape . if you do , then you are somewhat worse then men , if yet you would have the blessed god to make no great difference between those that love him above all the world , and those that regard him not ; between the holy and unholy soul. and 2. i would ask you , whether you would have the rulers of the world to take no care what men say or do , or would you not ? if not , then you would have all the world turned loose , and you would have every man that is poorer then you , have leave to rob you : and every man that hateth you , have leave to beat you or to kill you : and every man that liketh your house , or lands , or goods , or cattle , to have leave to take them from you ; and every man to defile your wives or daughters that hath a mind to it ? and so we should see whether it is that infidelity leads men . but if you like not this , then you are most unreasonable , if you would have magistrates to be regardful of mens actions , and not god. if magistrates must hang men for wronging you , and the eternal majesty must not punish them for wronging him , and breaking his laws , which is infinitely a greater matter . as if you would have a constable punish men , and the king or iudge to have no regard of it . for kings are under god , as constables are under kings ; and a thousandfold lower . the truth is , wicked men are fallen so far from god to themselves , that they are as gods to themselves , in their own esteem , and besides themselves they know no god : and therefore any wrong that is done against them , or any good that is done for them , they would have regarded ; but the wrong and disobedience that is against god , they would have nothing made of . and they have such narrow blasphemous thoughts of god , as if he were a finite creature like themselves , that can be but in one place at once ; that makes them so blaspheme his providence , and think he minds not good or evil , and will not reward the godly or punish the ungodly ; but ●ere like the idols of the heathen , that have eyes and see not , ears and hear not , and hands without an executive power . but when the memorial book of god is opened , which is written for them that fear the lord , and think upon his name , and when the lord shall say of them , these are mine , as he is making up his iewels , and spareth them as ● man spareth his son that serveth him , then shall ( those infidels ) ●●turn ( to their wits ) and the righteous shall return from their fears and sufferings , and shall discern between the righteous and the wicked , between those that served god , and those that served him not , mal. 3.16 17 , 18. another objection i find most common in the mouths of the ungodly , especially of late years . they say , [ we can do nothing without god ; we cannot have grace if god will not give it us : and if he will , we shall quickly turn : if he have not predestinated us , and will not turn us , how can we turn our selves or be saved ? it is not in him that wills , nor in h●m that runs ; ] and thus they think they are excused . i have answered this formerly , and in this book ; but let me now say this much . 1. though you cannot cure your selves , you can hurt and poison your selves . it s god that must sanctifie your hearts ; but who corrupted them ? will you wilfully take poison because you cannot cure your selves ? me think you should the more forbear it . you should the more take heed of sinning , if you cannot mend what sin doth marr . 2. though you cannot be converted without the special grace of god , yet you must know that god giveth this grace in the use of his holy means which he hath appointed to that end ; and common grace may enable you to forbear your gross sinning ( as to the outward act ) and to use those means . can you truly say that you do as much as you are able to do ? are you not able to go by an ale-house door , or to shut your mouths and keep out the drink ; or to forbear the company that hardneth you in sin ? are you not able to go to hear the word , and think of what you heard when you come home , and to consider with your selves of your own condition , and of everlasting things ? are you not able to read good books from day to day , at least on the lords day , and to convers● with those that fear the lord ? you cannot say that you have done what you were able . 3. and therefore you must know that you can forfeit the grace and help of god by your wilful sinning or negligence , though you cannot without grace turn to god. if you will not do what you can , its just with god to deny you that grace by which you might do more . 4. and for gods decrees , you must know that they separate not the end and means , but tie them together . god never decreed to save any but the sanctified , nor to damn any but the unsanctified . god doth as truly decree from everlasting whether your land this year shall be barren or fruitful , and just how long you shall live in the world , as he hath decreed whether you shall be saved or not . and yet you would think that man but a fool that would forbear plowing and sowing , and say , if god have decreed that my ground shall bear corn , it will bear it , whether i plough and sow or not . if god have decreed that i shall live , i shall live , whether i eat or not ; but if he have not , it is not eating that will keep me alive . do you know how to answer such a man , or do you not ? if you do , then you know how to answer your selves ; for the case is alike ▪ gods decree is as peremptory about your bodies , as your souls . if you do not , then try first these conclusions upon your bodies , before you venture to try them on your souls : see first whether god will keep you alive without food or rayment , and whether he will give you corn without tillage and labour , and whether he will bring you to your journeys and without your travel or carriage : and if you speed well in this , then try whether he will bring you to heaven without your diligent use of means , and sit down and say , we cannot sanctifie our selves . and for the point of free-will which you harp so long upon , divines are not so much disagreed about it , as you imagine . augustine as well as pelagius , calvin as well as arminius , the dominicans as well as the iesuits , all do generally maintain that man hath free-will ; but the orthodox say , that free-will is corrupted and disposed to evil . epiphanius condemned origen for saying that man had lost the image of god , and makes it a point of heresie . and yet one may truly say , that man hath lost gods image , and another may truly say that he hath not lost it . for there is a twofold image of god on man ; the one is natural , and that is , our reason and free-will , and this is not lost . the other is qualitative and ethical , and this is our holiness , and this is lost , and by grace restored ; no man of brains denyeth that man hath a will that 's naturally free ; it s free from violence , and its a self determining principle . but it is not free from evil dispositions . it is habitually averse to god and holiness , and enclined to earthly fleshly things . it is enslaved by a sinful byas . this no man me thinks that it a christian should deny ; and of the aged , i see not how an infidel can deny it . alas , we easily confess to you , that you have not this spiritual moral-free will , which is but your right inclination , and your habitual willingness it self . if you had a will that were freed from wicked inclinations , i had no need to write such books a● this to perswade you to be willing in a case which your own salvation lyeth on . to the grief of our souls , we perceive after all our preaching and perswasions , that the ungodly have not this spiritual free wil. but this is nothing , but your willingness it self , & inclination to be willing , and therefore the want of it is so far from excusing you , that the more you want it ( that is , the more you are wilful in sin ) the worse you are , and the sorer will be your punishment . and our preaching and perswasion , and your hearing and considering , are the appointed means it get this moral power or freedom , that is , to make you truly willing . well , sirs , i have but three requests to you , and i have done . first , that you will seriously read over this small treatise : ( and if you have such as need it in your families , that you would read it over and over to them : and if those that fear god would go now and then to their ignorant neighbours , and read ●his or some other book to them of ●his subject , they might be a mean● of winning of souls . ) if we cannot intreate so small a labour of men for their own salvation , as to read such short instructions as these , they set little by themselves , and will most justly perish . secondly , when you have read over this book , i would intreate you to go alone , and ponder a little what you have read , and bethink you , as in the sight of god , whether it be not true , and do not neerly touch your souls , and whether it be not time for you to look about you . and also i intreate you , that you will upon your knees beseech the lord that he will open your eyes to understand the truth , and turn your hearts to the love of god , and beg of him all that saving grace that you have so long neglected , and follow it on from day to day , till your hearts be changed . and withall that you will go to your pastors ( that are set over you to take care of the health and safety of your souls , as physitians do for the health of your bodies ) and desire them to direct you what course to take , and acquaint them with your spiritual estate , that you may have the benefit of their advice , and ministerial help . or if you have not a faithful pastor at home , make use of some other , in so great a need . thirdly , when by reading , consideration , prayer and ministerial advice , you are once acquainted with your sin and misery , with your duty and remedy , delay not , but presently forsake your sinful company and courses , and turn to god , and obey his call. a● you love your souls , take heed that you go not on against so loud a call of god , and against your own knowledge and consciences , lest it go worse with you in the day of iudgement , then with sodom and gomorrah . enquire of god , as a man that is willing to know the truth , and not to be a wilful c●eater of his soul. search the holy scriptures daily , and see whether these things be so or not : try impartially whether it be safer to trust to heaven or earth , and whether it be better follow god or man , the spirit , or the flesh , and better live in holiness , or sin ; and whether an unsanctified estate be safe for you to abide in one day longer . and when you have found out which is best , resolve accordingly , and make your choice without any more ado . if you will be true to your own souls , and do not love everlasting torments , i beseech you as from the lord , that you will but take this reasonable advices . o what happy towns and countreys , and what a happy nation might we have , if we could but perswade our neighbours to agree to such a necessary motion ! what joyful men would all faithful : ministers be , if they could but see their people truly heavenly and holy ! this would be the vnity , the peace , the safety , the glory of our churches : the happiness of our neighbours , and the comfort of our souls . then how comfortably should we preach absolution and peace to you ? and deliver the sacraments which are the seals of peace to you ? and with what love and ioy might we live among you ? at your death-bed , how boldly might we comfort and encourage your departing souls ? and at your burial , how comfortably might we leave you in the grave , in expectation to meet your souls in heaven , and to see your bodies raised to that glory ? but if still the most of you will go on in a careless , ignorant , fleshly , wordly , or unholy life , and all our desires and labours cannot so far prevail as to keep you from the wilful damning of your selves , we must then imitate our lord , who delighteth himself in those few that are his jewels , and in the little flock that shall receive the kingdom , when the most shall reap the misery which they sowed . in nature excellent things are few : the world hath not many suns or moons : it s but a little of the earth that 's gold or silver . princes and nobles are but a small part of the sons of men . and it is no great number that are learned , iudicious or wise here in the world ; and therefore if the gate being strait , and the way narrow , there be but few that find salvation , yet god will have his glory and pleasure in those few . and when christ shall come with his mighty angels in flaming fire , taking vengeance on them that know not god , and obey not the gospel of our lord iesus christ , his coming will to be glorified in his saints and admired in all true believers , 2 thes. 1.7 , 8 , 9 , 10. and for the rest , as god the father vouchsafed to create them , and god the son disdained not to bear the penalty of their sins upon the cross , and did not judge such suffering vain , though he knew that by refusing the sanctification of the holy ghost , they would finally destroy themselves ; so we that are his ministers , though these be not gathered , judge not our labour wholly lost ( see isa 49 5. ) reader , i have done with thee ( when thou hast perused this book ) but sin hath not yet done with thee ( even those that thou thoughtest had been forgotten long ago ) and satan hath not yet done with thee ( though now he be out of sight ; ) and god hath not yet done with thee , because thou wilt not be perswaded to have done with the deadly reigning sin . i have written thee this perswasive , as one that is going into another world , where the things are seen that here i speak of ; and as one that knoweth thou must be shortly there thy self . as ever thou wilt meet me with comfort before the lord that made us , as ever thou wilt escape the everlasting plagues prepared for the final neglecters of salvation , and for all that are not sanctified by the holy ghost , and love not the communion of the saints , as members of the holy catholick church , and as ever thou hopest to see the face of christ thy iudge , and of the majesty of the father , with peace and comfort , and to be received into glory , when thou art turned naked out of this world , i beseech thee , i charge thee , to hear and obey the call of god , and resolvedly to turn , that thou maist live. but if thou wilt not , even when thou hast no true reason for it , but because thou wilt not : i summon thee to answer ' it before the lord , and require thee there to bear me witness that i gave thee warning ; and that thou wast not condemned for want of a call to turn and live , but because thou wouldst not believe it , and obey it : which also must be the testimony of thy serious monitor rich. baxter . decemb. 11. 1657. the contents . a preface to the unsanctified , exhorting them to turn , and answering some objections . the text opened , p. 1. to 9. doct. 1. it is the unchangeable law of god that wicked men must turn or die , p. 9. proved , p. 11. obj. god will not be so unmerciful as to damn us : answered , p. 14 , 15. the use , p. 22. who are wicked men , and what conversion is ; and how we may know whether we are wicked or converted p. 27. to p. 45. applyed , p. 45. to p. 70. doct. 2. it is the promise of god that the wicked shall live if they will but turn ; that is , unfeignedly and throughly turn , p. 70. proved , p. 77. doct. 3. god taketh pleasure in mens conversion and salvation ; but not 〈◊〉 their death or damnation : he had rather they would turn and live ; then go on and die , p 85. expounded , to p. 93. proved , p. 93. to p. 103. doct. 4. the lord hath confirmed it to us by his oath , that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that he turn and live : that he may leave man no pretence to doubt of it , p. 103. vse . who is it then that takes pleasure in mens sin and death ? not god , nor ministers , nor any good men , p. 106. doct. 5. so earnest is god for the conversion of sinners , that he doubleth his commands and exhortations with vehemency , turn ye , turn ye , applyed . p. 120. some motives to obey gods call and turn , p. 126. doct. 6. the lord condescendeth to reason the case with unconverted sinners , and to ask them , why they will die ? p. 152. a strange disputation . 1. for the question . 2. the disputants . wicked men will die , or destroy themselves , p. 154. vse . the sinners cause is certainly unreasonable , p. 163. their seeming reasons confuted . p. 175 , qu. why are men so unreasonable and loth to turn , and will destroy themselves ? p. 200. answered . doct. 7. if after all this men will not turn , it is not long of god that they are condemned , but of themselves , even of their own wilfulness . they die because they will die , that is , because they will not turn , p. 209. vse 1. how unfit the wicked are to charge god with their damnation . it is not because god is unmerciful , but because they are cruel and merciless to themselves , p. 225. obj. we cannot convert our selves ; nor have we free-will . answered , p. 235. ( and in the preface . ) vse . 2. the subtilty of satan ; the deceitfulness of sin ; and the folly of sinners ; manifested , p. 238 , vse . 3. no wonder if the wicked would hinder the conversion and salvation of others , p. 240. vse 4. man is the greatest enemy to himself , p. 241. mans destruction is of himself , proved , p. 242. the hainous aggravations of self-destroying , p. 257. the concluding exhortation , p. 263. ten directions for those that had rather turn then die , p. 273. to the end . these books following of the same authors , are also printed for nevil simmons book-selseller in kederminster . true christianity , or christs absolute dominion , and mans necessary self-resignation and subjection , in two assize sermons preacht at worcester , in 12o. a sermon of judgement preached at pauls , before the honorable lord major and aldermen of the city of london , decem. 17. 1654. and now enlarged , in 12o. making light of christ and salvation ●oo oft the issue of gospel invitations , manifest in a sermon preached at law-●eace iury in london , 8o. the agreement of divers ministers of christ in the county of worcester for catechizing or personal instructing all in their several parishes that will consent thereunto , containing 1. the articles of our agreement . 2. an exhortation to the people to submit to this necessary work . 3. the profession of faith and catechism , in 8o. guildas salvianus , the reformed pastor , shewing the nature of the pastoral work , especially in private instruction and catechizing , in 8o. certain disputations of right to sacraments , and the true nature of visible christianity , 4o. of justification : four disputation● clearing and amicably defending the truth , against the unnecessary oppositions of divers learned and reverend brethren , 4o. a treatise of conversion preached and now published for the use of those that are strangers to a true conversion , especially the grosly ignorant and ungodly ▪ 4 ▪ one sheet for the ministry against the malignants of all sorts . a winding-sheet for popery . one sheet against the quakers . a second sheet for the ministry , justifying our calling against quakers , seekers and papists , and all that deny us to be the ministers of christ. directions to justices of peace , especially in corporations , to the discharge of their duty to god , written at the request of a magistrate , and published for the use of others that need it . the crucifying of the world , by the cross of christ : with a preface to the nobles , gentlemen , and all the rich , erecting them how they may be richer . a call to the unconverted . ezek. 33.11 . say unto them , as i live saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turn from his way and live . turn ye , turn ye from your evil ways ; for why will ye die o' house of israel ? it hath been the astonishing wonder of many a man as well as me , to read in the holy scrippture how few will be saved , and that the greatest part even of those that are called , will be everlastingly shut out of the kingdom of heaven , and be tormented with the devils in eternal fire . infidels believe not this when they read it , and therefore must feel it . those that do believe it , are forced to cry out with paul rom. 11.33 . oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of god! how unsearchable are his iudgements , and his waies past finding out ! but nature it self doth teach us all to lay the blame . of evil works upon the doers ; and therefore when we see any hainous thing done , a principle of justice doth provoke us to enquire after him that did it , that the evil of the work may return the evil of shame upon the author . if we saw a man killed and cut in pieces by the way , we would presently ask , oh who did this cruel deed ? if the town were wilfully set on fire , you would ask , what wicked wretch did this ? so when we read that the most will be firebrands of hell for ever , we must needs think with our selves , how comes this to pass ? and who is it long of ? who is it that is so cruel as to be the cause of such a thing as this ? and we can meet with few that will own the guilt . it is indeed confest by all that satan is the cause : but that doth not resolve the doubt , because he is not the principal cause . he doth not force men to sin , but tempt them to it , and leave it to their own wills whether they will do it or not . he doth not carry men to an ale-house , and force open their mouths , and pour in the drink , nor doth he hold them that they cannot go to gods service , nor doth he force their hearts from holy thoughts . it lieth therefore between god himself and the sinner : one of them must needs be the principall cause of all this misery , which ever it is : for there is no other to cast it upon ; and god disclaimeth it . he will not take it upon him . and the wicked disclaim it usually , and they will not take it upon them . and this is the controversie that is here managing in my text . the lord complaineth of the people ; and the people think it is long of god. the same controversie is handled chap. 18. where verse 25. they plainly say , that the way of the lord is not equal , and god saith , it is their wayes that are not equal . so here they say , verse 19. if our transgressions and our sins be upon us , and we pine away in them , how shall we then live ▪ as if they should say , if we must die and be miserable , how can we help it ? as if it were not long of them , but god. but god in my text doth clear himself of it , and telleth them how they may help it if they will , and perswadeth them to use the means , and if they will not be perswaded , he lets them know that it is long of themselves ; and if this will not satisfie them , he will not therefore forbear to punish them : it is he that will be the judge ; and he will judge them according to their wayes ; they are no judges of him or of themselves ; as wanting authority , and wisdom , and impartiality : nor is it their cavilling and quarrelling with god that shall serve their turn , or save them from the execution of justice which they murmur at . the words of this verse contain , 1. gods purgation or clearing of himself from the blame of their destruction . this he doth , not by disowning his law , that the wicked shall die , nor by disowning his judgement and execution according to that law ; or giving them any hope that the law shall not be executed ; but by professing that it is not their death that he takes pleasure in , but their returning rather , that they may live : and this he confirmeth to them by his oath . 2. an express exhortation to the wicked to return ; wherein god doth not only command , but perswade , and condescend also to reason the case with them , why they will die ? the direct end of this exhortation is , that they may turn and live. the secundary or reserved ends , upon supposition that this is not attained , are these two . first to convince them by the means which he used , that it is not long of god if they be miserable . secondly to convince them from their manifest wilfulness in rejecting all his commands and perswasions , that it is long of themselves : and they die even because they will die . the substance of the text doth lie in these observations following . doct. 1. it is the unchangable law of god that wicked men must turn or dye . doct. 2. it is the promise of god , that the wicked shall live if they will but turn . doct. 3. god taketh pleasure in mens conversion and salvation , but not in their death or damnation . he had rather they would return and live , then go on and die . doct. 4. this is a most certain truth , which because god would not have men to question , he hath confirmed it to them solemnly by his oath . doct. 5. the lord doth redouble his commands and perswasions to the wicked to turn . ●●ct . 6. the lord condescendeth to reason the case with them , and asketh the wicked , why they will die ? doct. 7. if after all this the wicked will not turn , it is not long of god that they perish , but of themselves : their own wilfulness is the cause of their damnation , they therefore die , because they will die . having laid the text open before your eyes in these plain propositions , i shall next speak somewhat of each of them in order ; though very briefly . doct. 1. it is the unchangeable law of god that wicked men must turn or die. if you will believe god , believe this : there is but one of these two wayes for every wicked man , either conversion or damnation . i know the wicked will hardly be perswaded either of the truth or equity of this . no wonder if the guilty quarrel with the law. few men are apt to believe that which they would not have to be true : and fewer would have that to be true which they apprehend to be against them . but it is not quarrelling with the law , or with the judge , that will save the malefactor . believing and regarding the law might have prevented his death : but denying and accusing ●t will but hasten it . if it were not so , an hundred would bring their reasons against the law , for one that would brind his reason to the law : and men would rather choose to give their reasons why they should not be punished , then to hear the commands and reasons of their governours which require them to obey . the law was not made for you to judge , but that you might be ruled and judged by it . but if there be any so blind 〈◊〉 to venture to question , either the truth or the justice of this law of god , i shall briefly give you that evidence of both , which not thinks should satisfie a reasonable man. and first , if you doubt whether this be the word of god or not , besides an hundred other texts , you may be satisfied by these few . mat. 18.3 . verely i say unto you , except ye be converted and become as little children , ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven . john 3 , 3. verily , verily , i say unto thee , except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of god 2 cor. 5.17 . if a man be in christ , he is a new creature : old things are past away , behold all thing are become new . colos , 3.9.10 . ye have put off the old man with his deeds , and have put on the new man , which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him . heb. 12.14 . without holiness none shall see god. rom. 8.8 , 9. so then they that are in the flesh cannot please god. now if any man have not the spirit of christ , he is none of his . gal. 6.15 . for in christ iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing , nor uncircumcision , but a new creature . 1 pet. 1.3 . according to his abundant grace he hath begotten us again to a lively hope . verse 23. being born again , not of corruptible seed , but of incorruptible , by the word of god , which liveth and abideth for ever , 1 pet. 2.1 , 2. wherefore laying aside all malice , and all guile , and hypocrisies , and envies , and evil speakings , as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word , that ye may grow thereby . psalm 9.17 . the wicked shall be turned into hell , and all the nations that forget god. psalm 11.5 . and the lord loveth the righteous , but the wicked his soul hateth . as i need not stay to open these texts which are so plain , so i think i need not add any more of that multitude which speak the like : if thou be a man that dost believe the word of god : here 's already enough to satisfie thee , that the wicked must be converted or condemned . you are already brought so far , that you must either confess that this is true , or say plainly ▪ you will not believe the word of god. and if once you be come to that pass , there is but small hopes of you : look to your selves as well as you can ; for its like you will not be long out of hell. you would be ready to flie in the face of him that should give you the lie : and yet dare you give the lie to god ? but if you tell god plainly you will not believe him , blame him not if he never warn you more , or if he forsake you and give you up as hopeless . for to what purpose should he warn you if you will not believe him ? should he send an angel from heaven to you , its seems you would not believe . for an angel can speak but the word of god : and if an angel should bring you another gospel , you are not to receive it , but to hold him accursed , gal. 1.8 , 9. and surely there is no angel to be believed before the son of god , who came from the father to bring us this doctrine , if he be not to be believed , then all the angels in heaven are not to be believed . and if you stand on these terms with god , i shall leave you till he deal with you in a more convincing way . god hath a voice that will make you hear . though he intreat you to hear the voice of his gospel , he will make you hear the voice of his condemning sentence , without intreaty . we cannot make you believe against your wills : but god will make you feel●gainst ●gainst your wills . but let us hear what reason you have , why you will not believe this word of god , which tells us that the wicked must be converted or condemned ? i know your reason ; it is because that you judge it unlikely that god should be so unmerciful : you think it cruelty to damn men everlastingly for so small a thing as a sinful life . and this leads us up to the second thing , which is to justifie the equity of god in his laws and judgements . and first i think you will not deny but that it is most sutable to an immortal soul , to be ruled by laws that promise an immortal reward , and threaten an endless punishment . otherwise the law should not be suited to the nature of ●he subject ; who will not be fully ruled by any lower means , then the hopes or fears of everlasting things : as it is in case of temporal punishment ; if a law were now made that the most hainous crimes shall be punished with an hundred years captivity , this might be of some efficacy , as being equal to our lives . but if there had been no other penalties before the flood , when men lived eight or nine hundred years , it would not have been sufficient , because men would know that they might have so many hundred years impunity afterward . so is it in our present case . 2. i suppose you will confess that the promise of an endless and unconceivable glory is not unsuitable to the wisdom of god , or the case of man. and why then should you not think so of the threatning of an endless and unspeakable misery ? 3. when you find it in the word of god that so it is , and so it will be , do you think your selves fit to contradict this word ? will you call your maker to the barr ? and examine his word upon the accusation of falshood ? will you sit upon him and judge him by the law of your conceits ? are you wiser , and better , and righteouser then he ? must the god of heaven come to school to you to learn wisdom ? must infinite wisdom learn of folly ? and infinite goodness be corrected by a swinish sinner , that cannot keep himself an hour clean ? must the almighty stand at the bar of a worm ? oh horrid arrogancy of sensless dust ! shall every mole , or cold , or dung-hill , accuse the sun of darkness , and undertake to illuminate the world ? where were you when the almighty made these laws , that he did not call you to his counsel ? surely he made them before you were born , without desiring your advice : and you come into the world too late for to reverse them : if you could have done so great a work , you should have stept out of your nothingness , and have contradicted christ when he was on earth , or moses before him , or have saved a●am and his sinful progeny from the threatned death , that so there might have been no need of christ ! and what if god withdraw his patience aud sustentation , and let you drop into hell while you are quarrelling with his word , will you then believe that there is a hell ? 4. if 〈◊〉 such an evil that it requireth the death of christ for its expiation , no wonder if it deserve our everlasting misery . 5. and if the sin of the devils deserved an endless torment , why not also the sin of man ? 6. and me thinks you should perceive , that it is not possible for the best of men , much less for the wicked to be competent judges of the desert of sin . alas we are all both blind and partial . you can never know fully the desert of sin , till you fully know the evil of sin ; and you can never fully know the evil of sin , till you fully know , 1. the excellency of the soul which it deformeth . 2. and the excellency of holiness which it doth obliterate . 3. and the reason and excellency of the law which it violateth . and 4. the excellency of the glory which it doth despise . and 5. the excellency and office of reason which it treadeth down . 6. no nor till you know the infinite excellency , almightiness and holiness of that god against whom it is committed . when you fully know all these , you shall fully know the desert of sin . besides , you know that the offendor is too partial to judge the law , or the proceedings of his judge . we judge by feeling , which blinds our reason . we see in common worldly things that most men think the cause is right which is their own : and that all is wrong that 's done against them : and let the most wise , or just , impartial friends perswade them to the contrary , and its all in vain . there 's few children but think the father is unmerciful , or dealeth hardly with them , if he whip them . there 's scarce the vilest swinish wretch , but thinketh the church doth wrong him if they excommunicate him : nor scarce a thief or murderer that is hanged , but would accuse the law and judge of cruelty , if that would serve turn . 7. can you think that an unholy soul is fit for heaven ? alas , they cannot love god here , nor do him any service which he can accept . they are contrary to god , they loath that which he most loveth ; and love that which he abhorreth : they are uncapable of that imperfect communion with him , which his saints do here partake of . how then can they live in that perfect love of him , and full delights , and communion with him , which is the blessedness of heaven ? you do not accuse your selves of unmercifulness , if you make not your enemy your bosom counseller ; or if you take not your swine to bed and board with you ; no nor if you take away his life , though he never sinned . and yet will you blame the absolute lord , the most wise and gracious soveraign of the world if he condemn the unconverterted to perpetual misery ? vse . i beseech you now , all that love your souls , that instead of quarrelling with god and with his word , you will presently stoop to it , and use it for your good . all you that are yet unconverted in this assembly , take this as the undoubted truth of god : you must ere long be converted or condemned . there is no other way , but turn or dye . when god that cannot lye hath told you this ; when you hear it from the maker and judge of the world its time for him that hath ears to hear . by this time you may see what you have to trust to . you are but dead and damned men , except you will be converted . should i tell you otherwise , i should deceive you with a lye . should i hide this from you , i should undoe you , and be guilty of your blood , as the verses before my text assure me , ver. 8. when i say to the wicked , o wicked man thou shalt surely dye , if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way , that wicked man shall dye in his iniquity ; but his blood will i require at thine hand . you see then , though this be a rough unwelcome doctrine , it s such as we must preach , and you must hear . it is easier to hear of hell then feel it . if your necessities did not require it , we would not gall your tender ears with truths that seem so harsh and grievous . hell would not be so full , if people were but willing to know their case , and to hear and think of it . the reason why so few escape it , is because they strive not to enter in at the strait gate of conversion , and to go the narrow way of holines● while they have time : and they strive not because they be not wakened to a lively feeling of the danger they are in : and they be not wakened , because they are doth to hear or think of it ; and that is partly through foolish tenderness , and carnal self-love , and partly because they do not well believe the word that threatneth it . if you will but throughly believe this truth , me thinks the weight of it should force you to remember it ; and it should follow you , and give you no rest till you are converted . if you had but once heard this word by the voice of an angel , thou must be converted or condemned ; turn or die : would it not stick in your mind , and haunt you night and day , so that in your sinning you would remember it , and at your labour you would remember it , as if the voice were still in your ears , turn or die. o happy were your souls if it might thus work with you , and never be forgotten , or let you alone , till it have driven home your hearts to god. but if you will cast it out by forgetfulness or unbelief , how can it work to your conversion and salvation ? but take this with you to yo●r sorrow ; though you may put this out of your minds , you cannot put it out of the bible ; but there it will stand as a sealed truth which you shall experimentally know for ever , that there is no other way but turn or die. o what 's the matter then that the hearts of sinners be not pierced with such a weighty truth ! a man would think now , that every unconverted soul that hears these words , should be pricked to the heart , and think with themselves , this is my own case ; and never be quiet till they found themselves converted . believe it sirs , this drowsie careless temper will not last long . conversion and condemnation are both of them awakening things ; and one of them will make you feel ere long . i can foretel it as truly as if i saw it with my eyes , that either grace or hell will shortly bring these matters to the quick , and make you say , what have i done ? what a fool●●● wicked course have i taken ! the scornful , and the stupid state of sinners will last but a little while . as soon as they either turn or die , the presumptuous dream will be at an end , and then their wits and feeling will return . but i foresee there are two things that are like to harden the unconverted , and make me lose all my labour , except they can be taken out of the way : and that is the misunderstanding of these two words , [ the wicked ] and [ turn . ] some will think with themselves , it s true , the wicked must turn or die : but wh●●'s that to me ? i am not wicked , though i am a sinner , as all men be . others will think , it s true tha● we ma● turn from our evil waies : but i am turned long ago ; i hope this is not now to do . and thus while wicked men think they are not wicked , but are already converted , we lose all our labour in perswading them to turn . i shall therefore before i go any further , tell you here who are meant by [ the wicked ] and who they be that must turn or die ; and also what is meant by turning , and who they be that are truly converted : and this i have purposely reserved for this place , preferring the method that fits my end . and here you must observe , that in the sense of the text , a wicked man , and a converted man are contraries . no man is a wicked man that is converted ; and no man is a converted man that is wicked : so that to be a wicked man , and to be an unconverted man , is all one . and therefore in opening one we shall open both . before i can tell you what either wickedness or conversion is , i must go to the bottom , and fetch up the matter from the beginning . it pleased the great creator of the world , to make three sorts of living creatures : angels he made pure spirits without flesh : and therefore he made them only for heaven , and not for to dwell on earth . bruits were made flesh without immortal souls : and therefore they were made only for earth and not for heaven . man is of a middle nature between both , as partaking of both flesh and spirit ; and therefore he was made both for earth and heaven . but as his flesh is made to be but a servant to his spirit , so is he made for earth but as his passage or way to heaven , and not that this should be his home or happiness . the blessed state that man was made for , was to behold the glorious majesty of the lord , and to praise him among his holy angels ; and to love him and be filled with his love for ever . and as this was the end that man was made for , so god did give him means that were fitted to the attaining of it . these means were principally two . first the right inclination and disposition of the mind of man. secondly the right ordering of his life and practice . for the first , god suited the disposition of man unto his end ; giving him such knowledge of god as was fit for his present state , and an heart disposed and inclined to god , in holy love. but yet he did not fix or confirm him in this condition ; but having made him a free agent , he left him in the hands of his own free-will . for the second , god did that which belonged to him ; that is , he gave man a perfect law , requiring him to continue in the love of god , and perfectly to obey him . by the wilful breach of this law , man did not only forfeit his hopes of everlasting life , but also turned his heart from god , and fixed it on these lower fleshly things : and hereby did blot out the spiritual image of god from his soul. so that man did both fall short of the glory of god , which was his end , and put himself out of the way by which he should have attained it ; and this both as to the frame of his heart and of his life . the holy inclination and love of his soul to god , he lost ; and instead of it , he contracted an inclination and love to the pleasing of his flesh , or carnal-self by earthly things ; growing strange to god , and acquainted with the creature : and the course of his life was suited to the bent and inclination of his heart : he lived to his carnal self , and not to god : he sought the creature for the pleasing of his flesh , instead of seeking to please the lord. with this nature or corrupt inclination we are all now born into the world : for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? iob 14.4 . as a lyon hath a fierce and cruel nature before he doth devour ; and as an adder hath a venemous nature before he sting ; so in our very infancy we have those sinful natures or inclinations before we think , or speak , or do amiss . and hence springeth all the sin of our lives . and not only so ; but when god hath of his mercy provided us a remedy , even the lord jesus christ to be the saviour of our souls , and bring us back to god again , we naturally love our present state , and are ●oth to be brought out of it , and therefore are set against the means of our recovery ; and though custom have taught us to thank christ for his good will , yet carnal self perswadeth us to refuse his remedies , and to desire to be excused when we are commanded to take the medicines which he offereth , and are called to forsake all , and follow him to god and glory . i pray you read over this leaf again and mark it ; for in these few words , you have a true description of our natural state ; and consequently of a wicked man. for every man that is in this state of corrupted nature , is a wicked man , and in a state of death . by this also you are prepared to understand what it is to be converted , to which end you must further know , that the mercy of god , not willing that man should perish in his sin , provided a remedy , by causing his son to take our nature , and being in one person god and man , to become a mediator between god and man , and by dying for our sins on the cross , to ransom us from the curse of god , and the power of the devil ; and having thus redeemed us , the father hath delivered us into his hands as his own . hereupon the father and the mediator do make a new law and covenant for man ; not like the first which gave life to none but the perfectly obedient , and condemned man for every sin : but christ hath made a law of grace , or a promise of pardon and everlasting life to all that by true repentance and by faith in christ are converted unto god. like an act of oblivion which is made by a prince to a company of rebels , on condition they will lay down arms and come in , and be loyal subjects for the time to come . but because the lord knoweth that the heart of man is grown so wicked , that for all this men will not accept of the remedy , if they be left to themselves , therefore the holy ghost hath undertaken it as his office to inspire the apostles , and seal up the scripture by miracles and wonders , and to illuminate and convert the souls of the elect. so that by this much you see that as there are three persons in the trinity , the father , the son , and the holy ghost , so each of these persons have their several works , which are eminently ascribed to them . the fathers works were to create us , to rule us 〈◊〉 his ●ational creatures , by the law of nature , and judge us thereby : and in mercy to provide us a redeemer when we were lost , and to send his son , and accept his ransom . the works of the son for us were these , to ransom and redeem us by his sufferings and righteousness ; to give out the promise or law of grace , and rule and judge the world as their redeemer , on terms of grace , and to make intercession for us , that the benefits of his death may be communicated ; and to send the holy ghost ( which the father also doth by the son. ) the works of the holy ghost for us are these : to indite the holy scriptures , by inspiring and guiding the prophets and apostles , and sealing the word by his miraculous gifts and works ; and the illuminating and exciting the ordinary ministers of the gospel , and so enabling them and helping them to publish that word : and by the same word illuminating and converting the souls of men . so that as you could not have been reasonable creatures , if the father had not created you , nor have had any access to god , if the son had not redeemed you ; so neither can you have a part in christ , or be saved , except the holy ghost do sanctifie you . so that by this time you may see the several causes of this work . the father sendeth the son : the son redeemeth us , and maketh the promise of grace : the holy ghost inditeth and sealeth this gospel : the apostles are the secretaries of the spirit , to write it : the preachers of the gospel do proclaim it , and perswade men to obey it . and the holy ghost doth make their preaching effectual , by opening the hearts of men to entertain it . and all this to repair the image of god upon the soul : and to set the heart upon god again , and take it off the creature and carnal self , to which it is revolted ; and so to turn the current of the life into an heavenly course , which before was earthly : and all this by the entertainment of christ by faith , who is the physitian of the soul. by this which i have said , you may see what it is to be wicked , and what it is to be converted . which i think will be yet plainer to you if i describe them as consisting of their several parts : and for the first , a wicked man may be known by these three things . first , he is one who placeth his chief content on earth , and loveth the creature more then god , and his fleshly prosperity above the heavenly felicity : he savoureth the things of the flesh , but neither discerneth nor savoureth the things of the spirit : though he will say , that heaven is better then earth , yet doth he not really so esteem it to himself . if he might be sure of earth , he would let go heaven , and had rather stay here , then be removed thither . a life of perfect holiness in the sight of god , and in his love and praises for ever in heaven , doth not find such liking with his heart , as a life of health , and wealth , and honour here upon earth . and though he falsly profess that he loveth god above all , yet indeed he never felt the power of divine love within him , but his mind is more set on the world , or fleshly pleasures , then on god. in a word , whoever loveth earth above heaven , and fleshly prosperity more than god , is a wicked unconverted man. on the other side , a converted man , is illuminated to discern the loveliness of god : and so far believeth the glory that is to be had with god , that his heart is taken up to it , and set more upon it , then on any thing in this world . he had rather see the face of god and live in his everlasting love and praises , then have all the wealth or pleasure of this world . he seeth that all things else are vanity ; and nothing but god can fill the soul ; and therefore let the world go which way it will , he layeth up his treasure and hopes in heaven , and for that he is resolved to let go all . as the fire doth mount upward , and the needle that is touched with the load-stone still turneth to the north : so the converted soul is enclined unto god. nothing else can satisfie him , nor can he find any content and rest but in his love. in a word , all that are converted , do esteem and love god beetter then all the world , and the heavenly felicity is dearer to them then their fleshly prosperity . the proof of what i have said you may find in these places of scripture , phil. 3.18 , 21. mat. 6.19 , 20 , 21. col. 3.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. rom. 8.5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 18 , 23. psal. 73.25 , 26. secondly , a wicked man is one that maketh it the principal business of his life to prosper in the world , and attain his fleshly ends . and though he may read ; and hear , and do much in the outward duties of religion , and forbear disgraceful sins , yet this is all but upon the by , and he never makes it the trade and principal business of his life to please god and attain everlasting glory , but puts off god with the leavings of the world , and gives him no more service then the flesh can spare : for he will not part with all for heaven . on the contrary , a converted man is one that makes it the principal care and business of his life to please god , and to be saved , and takes all the blessings of this life but as accommodations in his journey towards another life ; and useth the creature in subordination unto god : he loveth an holy life , and longeth to be more holy : he hath no sin but what he hateth , and longeth , and prayeth , and striveth to be rid of . the drift and bent of his life is for god ; and if he sin , it is contrary to the very bent of his heart and life , and therefore he riseth again , and lamenteth it , and dare not wilfully live in any known sin . there is nothing in this world so dear to him , but he can give it up to god , and forsake it for him and the hopes of glory . all this you may see in col. 3.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. mat. 6.33 , 20. luk. 18.22 , 23 , 29. luk. 14.18 , 24 , 26 , 27. rom. 8.13 . gal. 5.24 . luk. 12.21 . &c. thirdly , the soul of a wicked man did never truly discern and relish the mystery of redemption , nor thankfully entertain an offered saviour , nor is he taken up with the love of the redeemer , not willing to be ruled by him as the physitian of his soul , that he may be saved from the guilt and power of his sins , and recovered unto god : but his heart is insensible of this unspeakable benefit , and is quite against the healing means by which he should be recovered . though he may be willing to be carnally religious , yet he never resigneth up his soul to christ , and to the motions and conduct of his word and spirit . on the contrary , the converted soul having felt himself undone by sin , and perceiving that he hath lost his peace with god , and hopes of heaven , and is in danger of everlasting misery , doth thankfully entertain the tidings of redemption , and believing in the lord jesus as his only saviour , resigneth up himself to him for wisdom , righteousness , sanctification and redemption . he taketh christ as the life of his soul , and liveth by him , and useth him as his salve for every sore , admiring the wisdom and love of god in this wonderful work of mans redemption . in a word , christ doth even dwell in his heart by faith , and the life that he now liveth is by the faith of the son of god , that hath loved him and gave himself for him . yea it is not so much he that liveth , as christ in him . for these , see iohn 1.11 , 12. & 3.19 , 20. rom. 8.9 . phil. 3.7 . 8 , 9 , 10. gal. 2.20 . ioh. 15 2 , 3.4 . 1 cor. 1.20 . & 2.2 . you see now in plain terms from the word of god , who are the wicked , and who are the converted . ignorant people think that if a man be no swearer , not curser , nor rayler , nor drunkard , nor fornicator , nor extortioner , nor wrong any body in their dealings , and if they come to church , and say their prayers , these cannot be wicked men . or if a man that hath been guilty of drunkenness , or swearing , or gameing or the like vices , do but forbear them for the time to come , they think that this is a converted man. others think , if a man that hath been an enemy and scorner at godliness , do but approve it , and joyn himself with those that are godly , and be hated for it by the wicked as the godly are , that this must needs be a converted man. and some are so foolish as to think they are converted , by taking up some new and false opinion , and falling into some dividing party , as anabaptists , quakers , papists , or such like . and some think , if they have but been affrighted by the fears of hell , and had convictions and gripes of conscience , and thereupon have purposed and promised amendment , and taken up a life of civil behavour , and outward religion , that this must needs be true conversion . and these are the poor deluded souls that are like to lose the benefit of all our perswasions ; and when they hear that the wicked must turn or die , they think that this is not spoken to them , for they are not wicked , but are turned already . and therefore it is that christ told some of the rulers of the jews , who were graver and civiler then the common people , that publicans and harlots do go into the kingdom of god before them , mat. 21.31 . not that an harlot or gross sinner can be saved without conversion ; but because it was easier to make these gross sinners perceive their sin and misery , and the necessity of a change , when the civiler sort do delude themselves by thinking that they are converted already , when they be not . o sirs , conversion is another kind of work then most are ware of : it s not a small matter to bring an earthly mind to heaven , and to shew man the amiable excellencies of god , till he be taken up in such love to him , that never can be quenched ; to break the heart for sin , and make him flie forrefuge unto christ , and thankfully embrace him as the l●fe of his soul , to have the very drift and bent of the heart and life to be changed , so that a man renounceth that which he took for his felicity , and placeth his felicity where he never did before , and liveth not to the same end , and driveth not on the same design in the world , as formerly he did : in a word , he that is in christ , is a new creature ; old things are past away , behold all things are become new , 2 cor. 5.17 . he hath a new understanding , a new will and resolution , new sorrows , and desires , and love , and delight , new thoughts , new speeches , new company ( if possible ) and a new conversation . sin that before was a jesting matter with him , is now so odious and terrible to him , that he flies from it as from death . the world that was so lovely in his eyes , doth now appear but as vanity and vexation : god that was before neglected , is now the only happiness of his soul ; before he was forgotten , and every lust preferred before him ; but now he is set next the heart , and all things must give place to him : and the heart is taken up in the attendance and observance of him : and is grieved when he hides his face , and never thinks it self well without him . christ himself that was wont to be slightly thought of , is now his only hope and refuge , and he liveth upon him as on his daily bread ; he cannot pray without him , nor rejoyce without him , nor think , nor speak , nor live without him . heaven it self that before was lookt upon but as a tolerable reserve , which he hoped might serve turn as better then hell , when he could not stay any longer in the world , is now taken for his home , the place of his only hope and rest , where he shall see , and love , and praise that god that hath his heart already . hell that before did seem but as a bugbear to frighten men from sin , doth now appear to be a real misery , that is not to be ventured on , nor jested with . the works of holiness which before he was weary of , and seemed to be more ado then needs , are now both his recreation and his business , and the trade that he lives upon . the bible which was before to him but almost as a common book , is now as the law of god , as a letter written to him from heaven , and subscribed with the name of the eternal majesty ; it is the rule of his thoughts , and words , and deeds ; the commands are binding , the threats are dreadful , and the promises of it speak life to his soul. the godly that seemed to him but like other men , are now the excellentest and happyest on earth . and the wicked that were his play-fellows are now his grief : and he that could laugh at their sin , is readyer now to weep for their sin and misery , psalm 16.3 . & 15.4 . phil. 3.18 . in short , he hath a new end in his thoughts , and a new way in his endeavours , and therefore his heart and life is new. before his carnal self was his end ; and his pleasure , and worldly profits , and credit were his way : and now god and everlasting glory is his end : and christ , and the spirit , and word , and ordinances , holiness to god , and righteousness and mercy to men , these are his way . before self was the chief ruler , to which the matters of god and conscience must stoop and give place : and now god in christ , by the spirit , word , and ministry is the chief ruler , to whom both self , and all the matters of self must give place . so that this is not a change in one or two , or twenty points ; but in the whole soul : and the very end and bent of the conversation . a man may step out of one path into another , and yet have his face the same way , and be still going towards the same place : but t is another matter to turn quite back again , and take his journey the clean contrary way to a contrary place . so it is here . a man may turn from drunkenness to thriftiness , and forsake his good fellowship , and other gross disgraceful sins , and set upon some duties of religion , and yet be going still to the same end as before , intending his carnal self above all , and giving it still the government of his soul. but when he is converted , this self is denyed and taken down , and god is set up , and his face is turned the contrary way : and he that before was addicted to himself , and lived to himself , is now by sanctification devoted to god , and liveth unto god : before he asketh himself , what he should do with his time , his parts , and his estate ; and for himself he used them : but now he asketh god what he shall do with them , and he useth them for him . before he would please god so far as might stand with the pleasure of his flesh , and carnal self , but not to any great displeasure of them . but now he will please god , let flesh and self be never so much displeasd . this is the great change that god will make upon all that shall be saved . you can say , that the holy-ghost is your sanctifier , but do you know what sanctification is ? why this is it that i have now opened to you : and every man and woman in the world must have this , or be condemned to everlasting misery . they must turn or dye . do you believe all this sirs , or do you not ? surely you dare not say you do not : for t is past doubt or denyal : these are not controversies , where one learned pious man is of one mind , and another of another : where one party saith this , and the other saith that : papists , and aanbaptists , and every sect among us that deserve to be called christians , are all agreed in this that i have said : and if you will not believe the god of truth , and that in a case where every sect and party do believe him , you are utterly unexcusable . but if you do believe this , how comes it to pass that you live so quietly in an unconverted state ? do you know that you are converted ? and can you find this wonderful change upon your souls ? have you been thus born again and made anew ? be not these strange matters to many of you ? and such as you never felt upon your selves ? if you cannot tell the day or the week of your change , or the very sermon that converted you , yet do you find that the work is done ? and such a change indeed there is ? and that you have such hearts as are before described ? alas , the most do follow their worldly business , and little trouble their minds with such thoughts . and if they be but restrained from scandalous sins , and can say , i am no whore-monger , nor thief , nor curser nor swearer , nor tipler , nor ex●ortioner , i go to church and say my prayers , they think that this is true conversion , and they shall be saved as well as any . alas this is foolish cheating of your selves . this is too much contempt of an endless glory : and too gross neglect of your immortal souls . can you make so light of heaven and hell ? your corpses will shortly all lye in the dust , and angels or devils will presently seize upon your souls , and every man and woman of you all , will shortly be among other company , and in another case then now you are ; you will dwell in those houses but a little longer : you will work in your shops and fields but a little longer : you will sit in those seats , and dwell on this earth but a little longer : you will see with those eyes , and hear with those ears , and speak with those tongues but a little longer , till the resurrection day : and can you make shift to forget this ? o what a place will you be shortly in of joy or torment ! o what a sight will you shortly see in heaven or hell ! o what thoughts will shortly fill your hearts , with unspeakable delight or horrour ? what work will you be employed in ? to praise the lord with saints and angels , or to cry out in fire unquenchable with devils ? and should all this be forgotten ? and all this will be endless and sealed up by an unchangeable decree : eternity , eternity , will be the measure of your joyes or sorrows , and can this be forgotten ? and all this is true sirs , most certain true : when you have gone up and down a little longer , and slept and awak't a few tunes more , you 'l be dead and gone , and find all true that now i tell you : and yet can you now so much forget it ? you shall then remember that you heard this sermon , and that this day , from this place , you were remembered of these things : and perceive them matters a thousand times greater then either you or i could here conceive : and yet shall they be now so much forgotten ? beloved friends ; if the lord had not awakened me to believe and lay to heart these things my self , i should have remained in the dark and selfish state , and have perished for ever : but if he have truly made me sensible of them , it will constrain me to compassionate you , as well as my self : if your eyes were so far opened as to see hell , and you saw your neighbours that were unconverted dragg'd thither with hideous cries , though they were such as you accounted honest people on earth , and feared no such matter by themselves ; such a sight would make you go home and think of it , and think again ; and make you warn all about you as the damned worldling in luke . 16.28 . would have had his brethen warned , lest they come to that place of torment . why , faith is a kind of sight ; it is the eye of the soul ; the evidence of things aot seen : if i believe god , it is next to seeing : and therefore i beseech you excuse me , if i be half as earnest with you about these matters , as if i had seen them . if i must die to morrow , and it were in my power to come again from another world and tell you what i had seen , would you not be willing to hear me , and would you not believe , and regard what i should tell you ? if i might preach one sermon to you after i am dead , and have seen what is done in the world to come , would you not have me plainly speak the truth , and would you not crowd to hear me ? and would you not lay it to heart ? but this must not be ; god hath his appointed way of teaching you by scripture and ministers : and he will not humour unbelievers so far as to send men from the dead to them , and to alter his establisht way : if any man quarrel with the sun , god will not humour him so far as to set him up a clearer light . friends , i beseech you regard me now , as you would do if i should come from the dead to you : for i can give you as full assurance of the truth of what i say to you , as if i had been there and seen it with my eyes : for its possible for one from the dead to deceive you : but jesus christ can never deceive you : the word of god delivered in scripture , and sealed up by the miracles and holy workings of the spirit , can never deceive you . believe this , or believe nothing . believe and obey this , or you are undone . now as ever you believe the word of god , and as ever you care for the salvation of your souls , let me beg of you this reasonable request , and i beseech you deny me not : that you would without any more delay , when you are gone from hence , remember what you heard , and enter into an earnest search of your hearts , and say to your selves , [ is it so indeed , must i turn or die ? must i be converted or condemned ? it s time for me then to look about me , before it be too l●te . oh why did i not look after this till now ? why did i venturously poste off , or flubber over so great a business ? was i awake , or in my wits ? oh blessed god , what a mercy is it that thou didst not cut off my life all this while , before i had any certain hope of eternal life ? well , god forbid that i should neglect this work any longer . what state is my soul in ? am i c●nverted , or am i not ? was ever such a change or work done upon my soul ? have i been illuminated by the word and spirit of the lord , to see the odiousness of sin , the need of a saviour , the love of christ , and the excellencies of god and glory ? is my heart broken or humbled within me for my former life ? have i thankfully entertained my saviour and lord , that offered himself with pardon and life to my soul ? do i hate my former sinful life , and the remnant of every sin that is in me ? do i flie from them as my deadly enemies ? do i give up my self to a life of holiness and obedience to god ? do i love it , and delight in it ? can i truly say that i am dead to the world and carnal self , and that i live for god and the glory which he hath promised ? ha●h heaven more of my estimation , and resolution , then earth ? and is god the dearest and the highest in my soul ? once i am sure i lived principally to the world and fl●sh , and god had nothing but some heartless services which the world could spare , and which were the leavings of the flesh . is my heart now turned another way ? have i a new design , and a new end , and a new train of holy affect●ons ? have i set my hopes and heart in heaven ? and is it now the scope , and design , and bent of my heart and life , to get well to heaven , and see the glorious face of god , and live in his everlasting love and praise ? and when i sin , is it against the very habitual bent and design of my heart ? and do i conquer all gross sins , and am i weary , and willing to be rid of mine infirmities ? this is the state of a converted soul. and thus must t● be with me , or i must perish . is it thus indeed with me , or is it not ? it s time to get this doubt resolved , before the dreadful iudge resolve it . i am not such a stranger to my own heart and life , but i may somewhat perceive whether i am thus converted or not : if i be not , it will do me no good to flatter my soul with false conceits and hopes . i am resolved no more to deceive my self ; but to endeavour to know truly off or on , whether i be converted , yea or no ; that if i be , i may rejoyce in it , and glorifie my gracious lord , and comfortably go on till i reach the crown : and if i am not , i may set my self to beg and seek after the grace that should convert me , and may turn without any more delay : for if i find in time that i am out of the way , by the help of christ , i may turn and be recovered ; but if i stay till either my heart be forsaken of god in blindness and hardness , or till i be catcht away by death , it s then too late . there is no place for repentance and conversion then ; i know it must be now or never . ] sirs , this is my request to you , that you will but take your hearts to task , and thus examine them , till you see if it may be , whether you are converted or not ? and if you cannot find it out by your own endeavours , go to your ministers , if they be faithful and experienced men , and desire their assistance . the matter is great ; let not bashfulness nor carelesness hinder you . they are set over you to advise you , for the saving of your souls , as physitians advise you for the curing of your bodies . it undoes many thousands that they think they are in the way to salvation , when they are not ; and think that they are converted when it is no such thing . and then when we call to them daily to turn , they go away as they came , and think , that this concerns not them ; for they are turned already , and hope they shall do well enough in the way that they are in , at least if they do pick the fairest path , and avoid some of the foulest steps , when alas , all this while they live but to the world , and flesh , and are strangers to god and eternal life , and are quite out of the way to heaven . and all this is much , because we cannot perswade them to a few serious thoughts of their condition , and to spend a few hours in the examining of their states . is there not many a self-deceiving wretch that heareth me this day , that never bestowed one hour or quarter of an hour in all their lives , to examine their souls , and try whether they are truly converted or not ? o merciful god , that will care for such wretches that care no more for themselves ! and that will do so much to save them from hell , and help them to heaven , who will do so little for it themselves . if all that are in the way to hell , and in a state of damnation , did but know it , they durst not continue in it . the greatest hope that the devil hath of bringing you to damnation without a rescue , is by keeping you blindfold , and ignorant of your state , and making you believe that you may do well enough in the way that you are in . if you knew that you are out of the way to heaven , and were lost for ever if you should die as you are , durst you sleep another night in the state that you are in ? durst you live another day in it ? could you heartily laugh or be merry in such a state ? what! and not know but you may be snatcht away to hell in an hour ! sure it would constrain you to forsake your former company and courses , and to betake your selves to the waies of holiness , and the communion of the saints . sure it would drive you to cry to god for a new heart , and to seek help of those that are fit to counsel you . there 's none of you sure that cares not for being damned . well then , i beseech you presently make enquiry into your hearts , and give them no rest , till you find out your condition , that if it be good , you may rejoyce in it , and go on : and if it be bad , you may presently look about you for recovery , as men that believe they must turn or die. what say you , sirs ? will you resolve and promise to be at this much labour for your own souls ? will you fall upon this self examination when you come home ? is my request unreasonable ? your consciences know it is not . resolve on it then before you stir : knowing how much it concerneth your souls , i beseech you for the sake of that god that doth command you , at whose bar you will shortly all appear , that you will not deny me this reasonable request . for the sake of those souls that must turn or dye , i beseech you deny me not ; even but to make it your business to understand your own conditions , and build upon sure ground , and know off or on whether you are converted or no , and venture not your souls on negligent security . but perhaps you 'l say , what if we should find our selves yet unconverted ; what shall we do then ? this question leadeth me to my second doctrine , which will do much to the answering of it , to which i shall now proceed . doct. 2. it is the promise of god , that the wicked shall live if they will but turn ; vnfeignedly and throughly turn . the lord here professeth that this is it that he takes pleasure in , that the wicked turn and live. heaven is made as sure to the converted as hell is to the unconverted . turn and live , is as certain a truth , as turn or dye . god was not bound to provide us a saviour , nor open to us a door of hope , nor call us to repent and turn , when once we had cast our selves away by sin . but he hath freely done it to magnifie his mercy : sinners , there 's none of you shall have cause to go home , and say i preach desperation to you . do we use to shut up the door of mercy against you ? o that you would not shut it up against your selves ! do we use to tell you , that god will have no mercy on you , though you turn and be sanctified ? when did you ever hear a preacher say such a word ? you that bark at the preachers of the gospel , for desiring to keep you out of hell , and say that they preach desperation ; tell me if you can , when did you ever hear any sober man say , that there is no hope for you , though you repent and be converted ? no ; it is the clean contrary that we daily proclaim from the lord ; and whoever is born again , and by faith and repentance doth become a new creature , shall certainly be saved : and so far are we from perswading you to despair of this , that we perswade you not to make any doubt of it . it is life and not death , that is the first part of our message to you : our commission is to offer salvation , certain salvation : a speedy , glorious , everlasting salvation , to every one of you : to the poorest beggar as well as the greatest lords : to the worst of you : even to drunkards , swearers , worldlings , thieves , yea to the despisers and reproachers of the holy way of salvation . we are commanded by the lord our master , to offer you a pardon for all that 's past , if you will but now at last return and live : we are commanded to beseech and intreate you to accept the offer and return ; to tell you what preparation is made by christ ; what mercy stayes for you ; what patience waiteth on you ; what thoughts of kindness god hath towards you ; and how happy , how certainly and unspeakably happy you may be if you will. we have indeed also a message of wrath and death , yea of a twofold wrath and death : but neither of them is our principal message : we must tell you of the wrath that is on you already , and the death that you are born under , for the breach of the law of works ; but this is but to shew you the need of mercy , and provoke you to esteem the grace of the redeemer . and we tell you nothing but the truth which you must know : for who will seek out for physick that knows not that he is sick ? our telling you of your misery is not it that makes you miserable , but driveth you out to seek for mercy . it is you that have brought this death upon your selves . we tell you also of another death , even remediless , and much greater torment , that will fall on those that will not be converted . but as this is true , and must be told you , so it is but the last and saddest part of our message . we are first to offer you mercy if you will turn : and it is only those that will not turn , nor hear the voice of mercy , that we must fore-tell damnation to . will you but cast away your transgressions , delay no longer , but come away at the call of christ and be converted , and become new creatures , and we have not a word of damning wrath or death to speak against you . i do here in the name of the lord of life proclaim to you all that hear me this day , to the worst of you , to the greatest , to the oldest sinner , that you may have mercy and salvation , if you will but turn . there is mercy in god , there is sufficiency in the satisfaction of christ , the promise is free , and full , and universal ; you may have life , if you will but turn . but then , as you love your souls , remember what turning it is that the scripture speaks of . it is not to mend the old house , but to pull down all , and build anew , on christ the rock and sure foundation . it is not to mend somewhat in a carnal course of life , but to mortifie the flesh , and live after the spirit . it is not to serve the flesh and the world in a more reformed way , without any scandalous disgraceful sins , and with a certain kind of religiousness . but it is to change your master , and your work , and end , and set your face the contrary way , and do all for the life that you never saw , and dedicate your selves and all you have to god. this is the change that must be made if you will live . your selves are witnesses now , that it is salvation and not damnation that is the great doctrine i preach to you , and the first part of my message to you . accept of this , and we shall go no further with you , for we would not so much as affright or trouble you with the name of damnation , without necessity . but if you will not be saved , there 's no remedy , but damnation must take place . for there is no middle place between the two : you must have either life or death . and we are not only to offer you life ; but to shew you the grounds on which we do it , and call you to believe that god doth mean indeed as he speaks : that the promise is true , and extendeth conditionally to you as well as others , and that heaven is no fancy , but a true felicity . if you ask where is our commission for this offer ; among an hundred texts of scripture , i will shew it you in these few . first , you see it here in my text , and the following verses , and in the 18. of ezek. as plain as can be spoken . and in 2 cor. 5.17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21. you have the very sum of our commission , [ if any man be in christ , he is a new creature , old things are past away ; ●ehold all things are become new . and all things are of god , who hath reconciled us to himself by iesus christ , and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation , to wit , that god was in christ reconciling the world unto himself , not imputing their trespasses to them , and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation : now then we are ambassadors for christ , as though god did beseech you by us : we pray you in christs stead , be ye reconciled unto god ; for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin , tha● we might be made the righteousnes of god in him . ] so mark 1● . 15 , 16. go ye into all the word and preach the gospel to every creature ; he that believeth ( that 〈◊〉 with such a converting faith as ● expressed ) [ and is baptized shall 〈◊〉 saved ; and he that believeth 〈◊〉 shall be damned . ] and luke 2● 46 , 47. [ thus it behoved chri●● to suffer , and to rise from the de●● the third day , and that repentan●● ( which is conversion ) and remission of sins , should be preached in his name among all nations . ] and acts 5.30.31 . the god of our fathers raised up iesus , whom ye flew and hanged on a tree ; him hath god exalted with his right hand , to be a prince and a saviour , to give repentance to israel and forgiveness of sins . [ and acts 13.38 , 39. be it known unto you therefore men and brethren , that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins ; and by him all that believe , are justified from all things , from which ye could not be justified by the law of moses ] and lest you think this offer is restrained to the jews , see gal. 6.15 . [ for in christ iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing , nor uncircumcision , but a new creature . ] and luke 14.17 . [ come , for all things are now ready ; ] and ver . 23 , 24. you see by this time that we are commanded to offer life to you all , and to tell you from god , that if you will turn you may live. here you may safely trust your souls : for the love of god is the fountain of this offer , iohn 3.16 . and the blood of the son of god hath purchased it : the faithfulness and truth of god is engaged to make the promise good : miracles have sealed up the truth of it : preachers are sent through the world to proclaim it ; the sacraments are instituted and used for the solemn delivery of the mercy offered , to them that will accept it : and the spirit doth open the heart to entertain it , and is it self the earnest of the full possession . so that the truth of it is past controversie , that the worst of you all , and every one of you , if you will but be converted , may be saved . indeed if you will needs believe that you shall be saved without conversion , then you believe a falshood : and if i should preach that to you , i should preach a lie : this were not to believe god , but the devil and your own deceitful hearts . god hath his promise of life , and the devil hath his promise of life : gods promise is , [ return and live ] the devils promise is , [ you shall live whether you turn or not ] the word of god is as i have shewed you . [ except ye be converted and become as little children , ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven , matth. 18.3 . except a man be born again , he cannot enter into the kingdom of god , john 3.3 , 5. without holiness none shall see god , hebrews 12.14 . ] the devils word is , [ you may be saved without being born again and converted : you may do well enough without being holy ; god doth but frighten you ; he is more merciful then to do as he saith : he will be better to you then his word . ] and alas , the greatest part of the world believe this word of the devil , before the word of god ; just as our first sin and misery came into the world . god said to our first parents , [ if ye eat ye shall die ] and the devil contradicteth him , and saith , [ ye shall not die ] and the woman believed the devil before god. so now the lord saith [ turn or die. ] and the devil saith , [ you shall not die , if you do but cry god mercy at last , and give over the acts of sin when you can practise it no longer . ] and this is the word that the world believes . o hainous wickedness to believe the devil before god! and yet that is not the worst : but blasphemously they call this a believing and trusting god , when they put him in the shape of satan , who was a lyar from the beginning , and when they believe that the word of god is a lye , they call this a trusting god , and say they believe in him , and trust on him for salvation : where did ever god say , that the unregenerate , unconverted , unsanctified shall be saved ? shew such a word in scripture . i challenge you , if you can . why this is the devils word ; and to believe it is to believe the devil , and the sin that is commonly called presumption : and do you call this a believing and trusting god ? there is enough in the word of god to comfort and strengthen the hearts of the sanctified ; but not a word to strengthen the hands of wickedness , nor to give men the least hope of being saved , though they be never sanctified . but if you will turn and come into the way of mercy , the mercy of the lord is ready to entertain you . then trust god for salvation boldly and confidently , for he is engaged by his word to save you . he will be a father to none but his children , and he will save none but those that forsake the world , the devil , and the flesh , and come in to his family to be members of his son , and have communion with his saints . but if they will not come in , it is long of themselves : his doors are open : he keeps none back : he never sent such a message as this to any of you : [ its now too late : i will not receive thee though thou be converted . ] he might have done so , and done you no wrong : but he did not : he doth not to this day ; he is still ready to receive you , if you were but ready unfeignedly and with all your hearts to turn . and the fulness of this truth will yet more appear in the two following doctrines , which i shall therefore next proceed to , before i make any further application of this . doct. 3. god taketh pleasure in mens conversion and salvation : but not in their death or damnation : he had rather they would return and live , then go on and die . i shall first teach you how to understand this ; and then clear up the truth of it to you . and for the first , you must observe these following things . 1. a simple willingness or complacency is the first act of the will , following the simple apprehension of the understanding , before it proceedeth to compare things together . but the choosing act of the will is a following act , and supposeth the comparing practical act of the understanding : and these two acts may often be carried to contrary objects , without any fault at all in the person . 2. an unfeigned willingness may have divers degrees . some things i am so far willing of , as that i will do all that lieth in my power to accomplish it : and some things i am truly willing another should do , when yet i will not do all that ever i am able to procure it , having many reasons to disswade me there from ; though yet i will do all that belongs to me to do . 3. the will of a ruler , as such , is manifested in making and executing laws : but the will of a man in his simple natural capacity , or as absolute lord of his own , is manifested in desiring or resolving of events . 4. a rulers will as law-giver is first and principally that his laws be obeyed : and not at all that the penalty be executed on any , but only on supposition that they will not obey his precepts . but a rulers will , as iudge , supposeth the law already either kept or broken : and therefore he resolveth on rewards or punishments accordingly . having given you these necessary distinctions , i shall next apply them to the case in hand , in these following propositions . 1. it is in the glass of the word a●d creatures that in this life we must know god : and so according to the nature of man we ascribe to him vnderstanding and will , removing all the imperfections that we can , because we are capable of no higher positive conceptions of him . 2. and on the same grounds we do ( with the scripture ) distinguish between the acts of gods will , as diversified from the respects of the objects , though as to gods essence they are all one . 3. and the boldlyer ; because that when we speak of christ , we have the more ground for it from his humane nature . 4. and thus we say that the simple complacency , will or love of god is to all that is naturally , or morally good , according to the nature and degree of its goodness . and so he hath pleasure in the conversion and salvation of all , which yet will never come to pass . 5. and god as ruler and law-giver of the world , hath so far a practical will for their salvation , as to make them a free deed of gift of christ and life , and an act of oblivion for all their sins , so be it they will not unthankfully reject it ; and to command his messengers to offer this gift to all the world , and perswade them to accept it . and so he doth all that as law-giver or promiser belongs to him to do for their salvation . 6. but yet he resolveth as law-giver , that they that will not turn shall dye : and as iudge , when their day of grace is past , he will execute that decree . 7. so that he thus unfeignedly willeth the conversion of those that never will be converted , but not as absolute lord , with the fullest efficacious resolution , nor as a thing which he resolveth shall undoubtedly come to pass , or would engage all his power to accomplish . it is in the power of a prince to set a guard upon a murderer to see that he shall not murder and be hanged . but if upon good reason he forbear this , and do but send to his subjects , and warn and intreate them not to be murderers , i hope he may well say that he would not have them murder and be hanged ; he takes no pleasure in it , but rather that they forbear and live . and if he do more for some , upon some special reason , he is not bound to do so by all . the king may well say to all the murderers and felons in the land , [ i have no pleasure in your death , but rather that you would obey my laws and live : but if you will not , i am resolved for all this that you shall die . ] the judge may truly say to the thief or murderer , [ alas man , i have no delight in thy death : i had rather thou hadst kept the law , and saved thy life ; but seeing thou wilt not , i must condemn thee , or else i should be unjust . ] so though god have no pleasure in your damnation , and therefore calls upon you to return and live , yet he hath pleasure in the demonstration of his own iustice , and the executing his laws , and therefore he is for all this fully resolved , that if you will not be converted , you shall be condemned . if god were so much against the death of the wicked , as that he were resolved to do all that he can to hinder it , then no man should be condemned : whereas christ telleth you that few will be saved . but so far god is against your damnation , as that he will teach you , and warn you , and set before you life and death , and offer you your choice , and command his ministers to intreate you not to damn your selves , but accept his mercy , and so to leave you without excuse ; but if this will not do , and if still you be unconverted , he professeth to you , he is resolved of your damnation , and hath commanded us to say to you in his name , verse 8. o wicked man , thou shalt surely die ! and christ hath little less then sworn it over and over , with a verily , verily , except ye be converted , and born again , ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven , matth. 18.3 . iohn 3.3 . mark , that he saith , [ you cannot ] it is in vain to hope for it , and in vain to dream that god is willing of it ; for it is a thing that cannot be . in a word you see then the meaning of the text , that god the great law-giver of the world doth take no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but rather that they turn and live ; though yet he be resolved that none shall live but those that turn ; and as iudge , even delighteth in justice and manifesting his hatred of sin ; though not in their misery which they have brought upon themselves in it self considered . 2. and for the proofs of the point , i shall be very brief in them , because i suppose you easily believe it already . 1. the very gracious nature of god proclaimed exod. 34.6 . & 20.6 . and frequently elsewhere , may assure you of this , that he hath no pleasure in your death . 2. if god had more pleasure in thy death then in thy conversion and life , he would not have so frequently commanded thee in his word , to turn ; he would not have made thee such promises of life , if thou wilt but turn ; he would not have perswaded thee to it by so many reasons . the tenour of his gospel proveth the point . 3. and his commission that he hath given to the ministers of the gospel , doth fully prove it . if god had taken more pleasure in thy damnation , then in thy conversion and salvation , he would never have charged us to offer you mercy , and to teach you the way of life both publikely and privately , and to intreate and beseech you to turn and live ; to acquaint you with your sins , and foretell you of your danger , and to do all that possibly we can for your conversion ; and to continue patiently so doing , though you should hate us , or abuse us for our pains . would god have done this , and appointed his ordinances for your good , if he had taken pleasure in your death ? 4. it is proved also by the course of his providences . if god had rather you were damned then converted and saved , he would not second his word with his works , and entice you by his daily kindness to himself , and give you all the mercies of this life which are his means to lead you to repentance , rom. 2.4 . and bring you so often under his rod , to force you into your wits ; he would not set so many examples before your eyes ; no nor wait on you so patiently as he doth from day to day , and year to year . these be not signs of one that taketh pleasure in your death . if this had been his delight , how easily could he have had thee long ago in hell ? how oft before this could he have catcht thee away in the midst of thy sins , with a curse , or oath , or lye in thy mouth , in thy ignorance and pride , and sensuality ? when thou wast last in thy drunkenness , or last deriding the waies of god , how easily could he have stopt thy breath , and tamed thee with his plagues , and made thee sober in another world ! alas , how small a matter is it for the lord almighty to rule the tongue of the prophanest railer , and tye the hands of the most malicious persecutor , or calm the fury of the bitterest of his enemies , and make them know that they are but worms ? if he should but frown upon thee , thou wouldst drop into thy grave . if he gave commission to one of his angels to go and destroy ten thousand sinners , how quickly would it be done ! how easily can he lay thee on thy bed of languishing , and make thee lie roaring there in pain ; and make thee eat the words of reproach which thou hast spoken against his servants , his word , his worship and his holy waies ? and make thee send to beg their prayers whom thou didst despise in thy presumption ? how easily can he lay that flesh under gripes and groans , and make it too weak to hold thy soul , and make it more loathsom then the dung of the earth ? that flesh which now must have what it loves , and must not be displeased though god be displeased ; but must be humoured in meats , and drink , and cloaths , whatever god say to the contrary , how quickly would the frowns of god consume it ? when thou wast passionately defending thy sin , and quarrelling with them that would have drawn thee from it , and shewing thy spleen against the reprover , and pleading for the works of darkness ; how easily could god have snatcht thee away in a moment , and set thee before his dreadful majesty , where thou shouldst see ten thousand times ten thousand of glorious angels waiting on his throne ? and have called thee there to plead thy cause , and asked thee , what hast thou now to say against thy creator , his truth , his servants , or his holy waies ? now plead thy cause , and make the best of it that thou canst . now what canst thou say in excuse of thy sin ? now give account of thy worldliness and fleshly life , of thy time , of all the mercies thou hast had . o how thy stubborn heart would have melted , and thy proud looks be taken down , and thy countenance be appaled , and thy stout words turned into speechless silence , or dreadful cries , if god had but set thee thus at his bar , and pleaded his own cause with thee , which thou hast here so maliciously pleaded against ! how easily can he at any time say to thy guilty soul , [ come away and live in that flesh no more till the resurrection ] and it cannot resist ? a word of his mouth would take off the poise of thy present life , and then all thy parts and powers would stand still : and if he say unto thee , [ live no longer : or live in hell ] thou couldst not disobey . but god hath yet done none of this ; but hath patiently forborn thee , and mercifully upheld thee ; and given thee that breath which thou didst breath out against him , and given those mercies which thou didst sacrifice to thy flesh , and afforded thee that provision , which thou spentest to satisfie thy greedy throat ; he gave thee every minute of that time , which thou didst waste in idleness , or drunkenness , or worldliness : and doth not all this patience and mercy shew that he desired not thy damnation ? can the candle burn without the oyl ? can your houses stand without the earth to bear them ? as well as you can live an hour without the support of god. and why did he so long support thy life , but to see when thou wouldst bethink thee of the folly of thy waies , and return and live ? will any man purposely put arms into his enemies hands to resist him ? or hold the candle to a murderer that is killing his children , or to an idle servant that plaies or sleeps the while . surely it is to see whether thou wilt at last return and live , that god hath so long waited on thee . 5. it is further proved by the sufferings of his son , that god taketh no pleasure in the death of the wicked : would he have ransomed them from death at so dear a rate ? would he have astonished angels and men by his condescension ? would god have dwelt in flesh , and have come in the form of a servant , and have assumed humanity into one person with the godhead , and would christ have lived a life of suffering , and dyed a cursed death for sinners , if he had rather taken pleasure in their death ? suppose you saw him but so busie in preaching and healing them , as you find him in mark 3.21 . or so long in fasting , as in mat. 4. or all night in prayer , as in luk. 6.12 . or praying with th● drops of blood trickling from him instead of sweat , as luke 22.44 . or suffering a cursed death upon the cross , and pouring out his soul as a sacrifice for our sins : would you have thought these the signs of one that delighted in the death of the wicked ? and think not to extenuate it by saying that this was only for his elect. for it was thy sin , and the sin of all the world that lay upon our redeemer , and his sacrifice and satisfaction is sufficient for all , and the fruits of it are offered to one as well as another : but it is true , that it was never the intent of his mind to pardon and save any that would not by faith and repentance be converted . if you had seen and heard him weeping and bemoaning the state of a disobedient impenitent people , luke 19.41 , 42. or complaining of their stubborness , as mat. 23.37 . oh ierusalem , ierusalem , how oft would i have gathered thy chil●ren together , even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings , and ye would not ? or if you had seen and heard him on the cross praying for his persecutors , [ father forgive them , for they know not what they do ] would you have suspected that he had delighted in the death of the wicked ; even of those that perish by their wilfull unbelief ? when god hath so loved ( not only loved , but so loved ) the world , as to give his only begotten son , that whosoever believeth in him , ( by an effectual faith ) should not perish , but have everlasting life : i think he hath hereby proved against the malice of men and devils , that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but had rather that they would turn and live : 6. lastly , if all this will not yet satisfie you , take his own word , that knoweth best his own mind , or at least believe his oath : but this leadeth me up to the fourth doctrine . doct. 4. the lord hath confirmed it to us by his oath , that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that he turn and live : that he may leave man no pretence to question the truth of it . if you dare question his word , i hope you dare not question his oath . as christ hath solemnly protested , that the unregenerate and unconverted cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 18.3 . iohn 3.3 . so god hath sworn that his pleasure is not in their death , but in their conversion and life . and as the apostle saith , heb. 6.13 , 16 , 17 , 18. because he can swear by no greater then himself , he saith , as i live , &c. for men verily swear by the greater , and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of strife ; wherein god willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel , confirmed it by on oath , that by two immutable things , in which it was impossible for god to lye , we might have a strong consolation , who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us , which we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast . if there be any man that cannot reconcile this truth with the doctrine of predestination , or the actual damnation of the wicked , that 's his own ignorance : he hath no pretence left to deny or question therefore the truth of the point in hand : for this is confirmed by the oath of god , and therefore must not be distorted to reduce it to other points : but doubtful points must rather be reduced to it , and certain truths must be believed to agree with it , though our shallow brains do hardly discern the agreeement . vse . i do now intreate thee , if thou be an unconverted sinner that hearest these words , that thou wouldst ponder a little upon the forementioned doctrines , and bethink thy self awhile , who it is that takes pleasure in thy sin and damnation ? certainly it is not god : he hath sworn for his part that he takes no pleasure in it . and i know it is not the pleasing of him that you intend in it . you dare not say , that you drink , and swear and neglect holy duties , and , quench the motions of the spirit , to please god. that were as if you shou●d reproach the prince , and break his laws , and seek his death , and say you did all this to please him . who is it then that takes pleasure in your sin and death ? not any that bear the image of god : for they must be like-manded to him . god knows its small pleasure to your faithful teachers , to see you serve your deadly enemy , and madly venture your eternal state , and wilfully run into the flames of hell. it s small pleasure to them to see upon your souls ( in the sad effects ) such blindness and hard-heartedness , and carelesness , and presumption , such wilfulness in evil , and such unteachableness , and stifness against the waies of life and peace : they know these are marks of death and of the wrath of god , and they know from the word of god , what 's like to be the end of them : and therefore it is no more pleasure to them , then to a tender physitian to see the plague-marks break out upon his patient . alas , to foresee your everlasting torments , and know not how to prevent them ! to see how near you are to hell , and we cannot make you believe it , and consider it ! to see how easily , how certainly you might scape , if we knew but how to make you willing ! how fair you are for everlasting salvation , if you would but turn and do your best , and make it the care and business of your lives : but you will not do it . if our lives lay on it we cannot perswade you to it . we study day and night what to say to you , that may convince you and perswade you , and yet it is undone : we lay before you the word of god , and shew you the very chapter and verse where it is written , that you cannot be saved except you be converted ; and yet we leave the most of you as we find you : we hope you will believe the word of god , though you believe not us ; and that you will regard it when we shew you the plain scripture for it : but we hope in vain , and labour in vain , as to any saving change upon your hearts . and do you think that this is a pleasant thing to us ? many a time in secret prayer we are fain to complain to god with sad hearts , [ alas lord , we have spoken to them in thy name , but they little regard us : we have told them what thou bidst us tell them concerning the danger of an unconverted state , but they do not believe us : we have told them that thou hast protested , that there is no peace to the wicked , isaiah 48.22 . and 57.21 . but the worst of them all will scarce believe that they are wicked : we have shewed them thy word , where th●u hast said , that if th●y live after the flesh they shall die , rom. 8.13 . but they say they will believe in thee , when they will not believe thee : and that they will trust in thee , when they give no credit to thy word ; and when they hope that the threatnings of thy word are false , they will yet call this a hoping in god : and though we shew them where thou hast said , that when a wicked man dyeth all his hopes perish , yet cannot we perswade them from their deceitful hopes , prov. 11.7 . we tell them what a base unprofitable thing sin is ; but they love it , and therefore will not leave it . we tell them how dear they buy this pleasure , and what they must pay for it in everlasting torment , and they bless themselves , and will not believe it , but will do as the most do , and because god is merciful , they will not believe him , but will venture their souls , come on it what will we tel● them how ready the lord is to receive them , and this doth but make them delay their repentance , and be bolder in their sin . some of them say they purpose to repent , but they are still the same ; and some say , they do repent already when yet they are not converted from their sins . we exhort them , we intreat them ▪ we offer them our help ; but we cannot prevail with them : but they that were drunkards are drunkards still , and they that were voluptuous flesh pleasing wretches , are such still ; and they that were worldlings , are wordlings still ; and they that were ignorant , and proud and self-conceited , are so still . few of them will see and confess their sin , and fewer will forsake it , but comfort themselves that all men are sinners , as if there were no difference between a converted sinner and an vnconverted : some of them will not come near us , when we are willing to instruct them , but think they know enough already , and need not our instruction ; and some of them will give us the hearing , and do what their list : and most of them are like dead men that cannot fe●l ; so that when we tell them of the matters of everlasting consequence , we cannot get a word of it to their hearts . if we do not obey them , and humour them in baptizing the children of the most obstinately wicked , and giving them the lords supper , and doing all that they would have us , though never so much against the word of god , they will hate us , and rail at us : but if we beseech them but to confess and forsake their sins , and save their souls , they will not do it . we tell them , if they will but turn , we will deny them none of the ordinances of god , neither baptism to their children , nor the lords supper to themselves : but they will not hear us : they would have us to disobey god , and damn our own souls , to please them , and yet they will not turn and save their own souls to please god. they are wiser in their own eyes then all their teachers ; they rage , and are confident in their own way ; and if we would never so fain , we cannot change them . lord , this is the case of our miserable neighbours , and we cannot help it : we see them ready to drop into hell , and we cannot help it : we know if they would unfeignedly turn they might be saved ; but we cannot perswade them : if we would beg it of them on our knees , we cannot perswade them to it : if we would beg it of them with tears , we cannot perswade them ; and what more can we do ? these are the secret complaints and moans that many a poor minister is fain to make . and do you think that he hath any pleasure in this ? is it a pleasure to him to see you go on in sin , and cannot stop you ? to see you so miserable , and cannot so much as make you sensible of it ? to see you merry , when you are not sure to be an hour out of hell ? to think what you must for ever suffer , because you will not turn ? and to think what an everlasting life of glory you wilfully despise and cast away ? what sadder thing can you bring to their hearts ? and how can you devise to grieve them more ? who is it then that you pleasure by your sin and death ? it is none of your understanding godly friends : alas it is the grief of their souls to see your misery ; and they lament you many a time when you give them little thanks for it , and when you have not hearts to lament your selves . who is it then that takes pleasure in your sin ? it is none but the three great enemies of god , whom you renou●ced in your baptism , and now are turned falsly to serve . 1. the devil indeed takes pleasure in your sin and death : for this is the very end of all his temptations for this he watcheth night and day : you cannot devise to please him better , then to go on in sin : how glad is he when he sees thee going to the ale-house or other sin ? and when he heareth thee curse , or swear , or rail ? how glad is he when he heare●h thee revile the minister that would draw thee from thy sin , and help to save thee ? these are his delight . 2. the wicked also are delighted in it : for it is agreeable to their nature . 3. but i know for all this that it is not the pleasing of the devil that you intend , even when you please him : but it is your own flesh , the greatest and most dangerous enemy , that you intend to please . it is the flesh that would be pampered , that would be pleased in meat , and drink , and cloathing , that would be pleased in your company , and pleased in applause and credit with the world , and pleased in sports , and lost , and idleness : this is the gulf that devoureth all . this is the very god that you serve , ( for the scripture saith of such , that their bellies are th●ir gods , phil. 3.18 . ) but i beseech you stay a little and consider the business . 1. quest. should your flesh be pleased before your maker ? will you displease the lord , and displease your teachers , and your godly friends , and all to please your brutish appetites , or sensual desires ? is not god worthy to be the ruler of your flesh ? if he shall not rule it , he will not save it : you cannot in reason expect that he should . 2. qu. your flesh is pleased with your sin : but is your conscience pleased ? doth not it grudge within you , and tell you sometimes that all is not well , and that your case is not so safe as you make it to be ? and should not your soul and conscience be pleased before that corruptible flesh ? 3. quest. but is not your flesh preparing for its own displeasure also ? it loves the bait , but doth it love the hook ? it loves the strong drink and sweet morsels , it loves its case and sports , and merriment ; it loves to be rich and well spoken of by men , and to be some body in the world : but doth it love the curse of god ? doth it love to stand trembling before his bar , and to be judged to everlasting fire ? doth it love to be tormented with the devils for ever ? take all together ; for there is no separating sin and hell , but only by faith and true conversion ; if you will keep one , you must have the other . if death and hell be pleasant to you , no wonder then if you go on in sin ; but if they be not ( as i am sure they be not ) then what if sin were never so pleasant , is it worth the loss of life eternal ? is a little drink , or meat , or ease , is the good words of sinners , is the riches of this world to be valued above the joyes of heaven ? or are they worth the suffering of eternal fire ? sirs , these questions should be considered , before you go any further , by every man that hath reason to consider , and that believes he hath a soul to save or lose . well , the lord here sweareth that he hath no pleasure in your death , but rather that you would turn and live : if yet you will go on , and dye rather then turn , remember it was not to please god that you did it : it was to please the world , and to please your selves . and if men will damn themselves to please themselves , and run into endless torments for delight , and have not the wit , the hearts , the grace , to hearken to god or man that would reclaim them , what remedy ! but they must take what they get by it , and repent it in another manner , when it is too late ! before i proceed any further in the application , i shall come to the next doctrine , which giveth me a fuller ground for it . doct. 5. so earnest is god for the conversion of sinners , that he doubleth his commands and exhortations with vehemency ; turn ye , turn ye , why will ye dye ? this doctrine is the application of the former , as by a use of exhortation , and accordingly i shall handle it . is there ever an unconverted sinner that heareth these vehement words of god ? is there ever a man or woman in this assembly that is yet a stranger to the renewing sanctifying work of the holy ghost ? ( it is an happy assembly if it be not so with the most . ) hearken then to the voice of your maker , and turn to him by christ without delay . would you know the will of god ? why this is his will , that you presently turn . shall the living god send so earnest a message to his creatures , and should they not obey ? hearken then all you that live after the flesh : the lord that gave thee thy breath and being , hath sent a message to thee from heaven ; and this is his message , [ turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? ] he that hath ears to hear let him hear . shall the voice of the eternal majesty be neglected ? if he do but terribly thunder , thou art afraid . o but this voice doth more nearly concern thee . if he did but tell thee thou shalt die to morrow , thou wouldst not make light of it . o but this word concerneth thy life or death everlasting . it is both a command and an exhortation . as if he had said to thee , [ i charge thee upon the allegiance that thou owest to me thy creator and redeemer , that thou renounce the flesh , the world , and the devil , and turn to me that thou maist live. i condescend to intreate thee , as thou either lovest or fearest him that made thee ; as thou lovest thine own life , even thine everlasting life , turn and live ; as ever thou wouldst escape eternal misery turn , turn , for why wilt thou die ? ] and is there a heart in man , in a reasonable creature , that can once refuse such a message , such a command , such an exhortation as this ? o what a thing then is the heart of man ! hearken then all that love themselves , and all that regard your own salvation . here is the joyfullest message that ever was sent to the ears of man. turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? you are not yet shut up under desperstion . here is mercy offered you , turn and you shall have it . o sirs , with what glad and joyful hearts should you receive this tidings . i know this is not the first time that you have heard it ; but how have you regarded it , or how do you regard it now ? hear all you ignorant , careless sinners , the word of the lord ! hear all you worldlings , you sensual flesh-pleasers ; you gluttons , and drunkards , and whore-mongers , and swearers ; you railers and backbiters , slanderers and lyars ; turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? hear all you cold and out-side professors , and all that are strangers to the life of christ , and never knew the power of his cross and resurrection , and never felt your hearts warmed with his love , and live not on him as the strength of your souls , turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? hear all that are void of the love of god , whose hearts are not toward him , nor taken up with the hopes of glory , but set more by your earthly prosperity and delights , then by the joyes of heaven ; all you that are religious but a little on the by , and give god no more then your flesh can spare ; that have not denyed your carnal selves , and forsaken all that you have for christ , in the estimation and grounded resolution of your souls , but have any one thing in the world so dear to you , that you cannot spare it for christ , if he require it , but will rather venture on his displeasure then forsake it , turn ye , turn ye ; why will you die ? if you never heard it , or observed it before , remember that you were told from the word of god this day , that if you will but turn , you may live ; and if you will not turn , you shall surely die . what now will you do sirs ? what is your resolution ? will you turn , or will you not ? halt not any longer between two opinions : if the lord he god , follow him : if your flesh be god , then serve it still . if heaven be better then earth and fleshly pleasures , come away then , and seek a better country , and lay up your treasure where rust and mothe● do not corrupt , and thieves cannot break through and steal , and be awakened at last with all your might , to seek the kingdom that cannot be moved , heb. 12.28 . and to employ your lives on an higher design , and turn the stream of your cares and labours another way then formerly you have done . but if earth be better then heaven , or will do more for you , or last you longer , then keep it , and make your best of it , and follow it still . sirs , are you resolved what to do ? if you be not , i will set a few more moving considerations before you , to see if reason will make you resolve . consider first , what preparations mercy hath made for your salvation : and what pitty it is that any man should be damned after all this . the time was when the flaming sword was in the way , and the curse of gods law would have kept thee back , if thou hadst been never so willing to turn to god : the time was when thy self and all the friends that thou hast in the world , could never have procured thee the pardon of thy sins past , though thou hadst never so much lamented and reformed them ▪ but christ hath removed this impediment by the ransom of his blood . the time was that god was wholly unreconciled , as being not satisfied for the violation of his law : but now he is so far satisfied and reconciled , as that he hath made thee a free act of oblivion , and a free deed of gift of christ and life , and offereth it to thee , and intreateth thee to accept it , and it may be thine if thou wilt . for , he was in christ reconciling the world to himself , and hath committed to us the word of actual reconciliation , 2 cor. 5.18 , 19. sinners , we are commanded to do this message to you all , as from the lord , [ come , for all things are ready ] luke 14.17 . are all things ready , and are you unready ? god is ready to entertain you , and pardon all that you have done against him , if you will but come . as long as you have sinned , as wilfully as you have sinned , as hainously as you have sinned , he is ready to cast all behind his back , if you will but come . though you have been prodigals , and run away from god , and have staid so long ; he is ready even to meet you , and embrace you in his arms ; and rejoyce in your conversion , if you will but turn . even the earthly worldling , the swinish drunkard , may find god ready to bid them welcome , if they will but come . doth not this turn thy heart within thee ? o sinner , if thou have an heart of flesh , and not of stone in thee , methinks this should melt it . shall the dreadful infinite majesty of heaven even wait for thy returning , and be ready to receive thee , who hast abused him , and forgotten him so long ? shall he delight in thy conversion , that might at any time glorifie his justice in thy damnation , and yet doth it not melt thy heart within thee , and art thou not yet ready to come in ? hast thou not as much reason to be ready to come , as god hath to invite thee , and bid thee welcome ? but that 's not all : christ hath done his part on the cross , and made such way for thee to the father , that on his account thou maist be welcome if thou wilt come . and yet art thou not ready ? a pardon is ready , expresly granted and offered thee in the gospel . and yet art thou unready ? the ministers of the gospel are ready to assist thee , to instruct thee , and pronounce the absolving words of peace to thy soul ; they are ready to pray for thee , and to seal up thy pardon by the administration of the holy sacrament ; and yet art thou not ready ? a●l that fear god about thee are ready to rejoyce in thy conversion , and to receive thee into the communion of saints , and to give thee the right hand of fellowship , yea though thou hadst been one that had been cast out of their society : they dare not but forgive where god forgiveth , when it is manifest to them by thy confession and amendment : they dare not so much as hit thee in the teeth with thy former sins , because they know that god will not upbraid thee with them . if thou hadst been never so scandalous , if thou wouldst but heartily be converted and come in , they would not refuse thee , let the world say what they would against it . and are all these ready to receive thee , and yet art thou not ready to come in ? yea , heaven it self is ready ; the lord will receive thee into the glory of his saints : as vile a beast as thou hast been , if thou wilt but be cleansed , thou maist have a place before his throne : his angels will be ready to guard thy soul to the place of joy , if thou do but unfeignedly come in . and is god ready , the sacrifice of christ ready , the promise ready , and pardon ready ? are ministers ready , and the people of god ready , and heaven it self ready , and angels ready , and all these but waiting for thy conversion ; and yet art thou not ready ? what not ready to live , when thou hast been dead so long ? not ready to come to thy right understanding , ( as the prodigal is said to come to himself , luke 15.17 . ) when thou hast been besides thy self so long ? not ready to be saved , when thou art even ready to be condemned ? art thou not ready to lay hold on christ that would deliver thee , when thou art even ready to drown and sink into damnation ? art thou not ready to be saved from hell , when thou art even ready to be cast remedilesly into it ? alas man , dost thou know what thou dost ! if thou die unconverted , there is no doubt to be made of thy damnation : and thou art not sure to live an hour : and yet art thou not ready to turn and to come in ? o miserable wretch ! hast thou not served the flesh and the devil long enough ? yet hast thou not had enough of sin ? is it so good to thee ? or so profitable for thee ? dost thou know what it is , that thou wouldst yet have more of it ? hast thou had so many calls , and so many mercies , and so many blows , and so many examples ? hast thou seen so many laid in the grave , and yet art thou not ready to let go thy sins and come to christ ? what! after so many convictions , and gripes of conscience : after so many purposes and promises , art thou not yet ready to turn and live ? oh that thy eyes , thy heart were opened to know how fair an offer is now made to thee ! and what a joyful message it is that we are sent on , to bid thee come : for all things are ready . 2. consider also what calls thou hast to turn and live. how many , how loud , how earnest , how dreadful , and yet what encourageing joyful calls ? for the principal inviter , it is god himself . he that commandeth heaven and earth , commandeth thee to turn ; and presently without delay to turn ▪ he commands the sun to run its course , and to rise upon thee every morning ; and though it be so glorious a creature and many times bigger then all the earth , yet it obeyeth him , and faileth not one minute of its appointed time . he commandeth all the planets and the orbs of heaven , and they obey ; he commandeth the sea to ebb and flow , and the whole creation to keep its course , and all obey him : the angels of heaven obey his will , when he sends them to minister to such silly worms as we on earth , hebrews 1.14 . and yet if he command but a sinner to turn , he will not obey him : he only thinks himself wiser then god , and he cavils and pleads the cause of sin , and will not away . if the lord almighty say the word , the heavens and all therein obey him : but if he call but a drunkard out of an ale-house , he will not obey ; or if he call a worldly fleshly sinner to deny himself , and mortifie the flesh , and set his heart on a better inheritance , he will not obey . if thou hadst any love in thee , thou wouldst know the voice , and say , oh this is my fathers call ! how can i find in my heart to disobey ? for the sheep of christ do know and hear his voice , and they follow him , and he giveth them eternal life , iohn 10.4 . if thou hadst any spiritual life and sense in thee , at least thou wouldst say , this call is the dreadful voice of god , and who dare disobey ? for saith the prophet , amos 3.8 . the lyon hath roared , who will not fear ? god is not as man that thou shouldst dally and play with him : remember what he said to paul at his conversion [ it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks ] act. 9.5 . wilt thou yet go on and despise his word , and resist his spirit , and stop thine ear against his call ? who is it that will have the worst of this ? dost thou know whom thou disobeyest and contendest with , and what thou art doing ? it were a far wiser and easier task for thee to contend with the thorns , and spurn them with thy bare feet , and beat them with thy bare hands , or put thy head into the burning fire . be not deceived , god will not be mocked , galat. 6.7 . whoever else be mocked , god will not : you were better play with the fire in your thatch , then with the fire of his burning wrath . for our god is a consuming fire , hebrews 12.29 . o how unmeet a match art thou for god! it is a fearful thing to fall into his hands , hebrews 10.31 . and therefore it is a fearful thing to contend with him or resist him . as you love your souls , take heed what you do . what will you say if he begin in wrath to plead with you ? what will you do if he take you once in hand ? will you then strive against his judgement , as now you do against his grace ; faith the lord , isa. 27.4 , 5. fury is not in me : ( that is , i delight not to destroy you : i do it as it were unwillingly : but yet ) who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battle ? i would go through them : i would burn them together . or let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me , and he sh●ll make peace with me . ] it s an unequal combat for the bryars and stubble to make war with the fire . as thus you see , who it is that calleth you , that should move you to hear his call and turn , so consider also , by what instruments , and how often & how earnestly he doth it . 1. every le●f of the blessed book of god hath as it were a voice , and calls out unto thee , turn and live , turn or thou wilt die . how canst thou open it , and read a leaf , or hear a chapter , and not perceive god bids thee turn ? it is the voice of every sermon that thou hearest : for what else is the scope and drift of all , but to call and perswade , and intreat thee for to turn ? 3. it is the voice of many a motion of the spirit , that secretly speaks over these words again , and urgeth thee to turn . 4. it is likely sometime it is the voice of thy own conscience . art thou not sometime convinced that all is not well with thee ? and doth not conscience tell thee that thou must be a new man , and take a new course , and often call upon thee to return ? 5. it is the voice of the gracious examples of the godly . when thou seest them live a heavenly life , and fly from the sin which is thy delight , this really calls on thee to turn . 6. it is the voice of all the works of god. for they also are gods books , that teach thee this lesson , by shewing thee his greatness , and wisdom , and goodness , and calling thee to observe them , and admire the creator , psal. 19.1 , 2. the heavens declare the glory of god , and the firmament sheweth his handy work ; day unto day uttereth speech , night unto night sheweth knowledge . every time the sun riseth upon thee , it really calleth thee to turn : as if it should say , [ what do i travel and compass the world for , but to declare to men the glory of their maker , and to light them to do his work ? and do i still find thee doing the work of sin , and sleeping out thy life in negligence ? awake thou that sleepest , and arise from the dead , and christ shall give thee light , ephes. 5.14 . the night is spent , the day is at hand : it is now high time to awake out of sleep : let us therefore cast off the works of darkness , and let us put on the armour of light . let us walk honestly as in the day , not in rioting and drunkeness , not in chambering and wantonness , not in strife and envying : but put ye on the lord iesus christ , and make no provision for the flesh , to fulfill the lusts thereof , rom. 13.11 , 12 , 13 , 14. ( this text was the means of austins coversion . ) 7. it is the voice of every mercy thou dost possess . if thou couldst but hear and understand them , they all cry out unto thee , turn . why doth the earth bear thee but to seek and serve the lord ? why doth it afford thee its fruits but to serve him ? why doth the air afford thee breath , but to serve him ? why do all creatures serve thee with their labours and their lives , but that thou mightest serve the lord of them and thee ? why doth he give thee time , and health , and strength , but for to serve him ? why hast thou meat , and drink , and cloathes , but for his service ? hast thou any thing which thou hast not received ? and if thou didst receive them , its reason thou shouldst bethink thee , from whom , and to what end and use thou didst receive them . didst thou never cry to him for help in thy distress ? and didst thou not then understand that it was thy part to turn and serve him if he would deliver thee ? he hath done his part , and spared thee yet longer , and tryed thee another and another year : and yet dost thou not turn ? you know the parable of the unfruitful fig-tree , luke 13.6 , 7 , 8 , 9. when the lord had said , cut it down ; why cumbreth it the ground ? he was intreated to try it one year longer , and then if it proved not fruitful , to cut it down . christ himself there makes the application twice over , ver . 3. & 5. [ except ye repent , ye shall all likewise perish . ] how many years hath god looked for the fruits of love and holiness from thee , and hath found none ? and yet he hath spared thee . how many a time by thy wilful ignorance and carelesness , and disobedience , hast thou provoked justice to say , cut him down , why cumbereth he the ground ? and yet mercy hath prevailed , and patience hath forborn the killing damning blow , to this day . if thou hadst the understanding of a man within thee , thou wouldst know that all this calleth thee to turn . dost thou think thou shalt still esca●e the iudgement of god ? or despisest thou the riches of his goodness , and forbearance , and long-suffering , not knowing that the goodness of god leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy hardness and impenitent heart , treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath , and revelation of the righteous iudgement of god , who will render to every man according to his deeds , rom. 2.3 , 4.5 , 6. 8. moreover , it is the voice of every affliction to call thee to make haste and turn . sickness and pain cry turn ; and poverty , and loss of friends , and every twig of the chastising rod , cry turn ; and yet wilt thou not hearken to the call ? these have come near thee , and made thee feel ; they have made thee groan , and can they not make thee turn ? 9. the very frame of thy nature and being it self bespeaketh thy return . why hast thou reason , but to rule thy flesh , and serve thy lord ? why hast thou an understanding soul , but to learn and know his will , and do it ? why hast thou an heart within thee that can love , and fear , and desire , but that thou shouldst fear him , and love him , and desire after him ? 10. yea thine own engagements by promise to the lord do call upon thee to turn and serve him . thou hast bound thy self to him by a baptismal covenant , and renounced the world , the flesh , and the devil ; this thou hast confirmed by the profession of christianity , and renewed it at sacraments and in times of affliction : and wilt thou promise and vow , and never perform , and turn to god ? lay all these together now , and see what should be the issue . the holy scripture calls upon thee to turn ; the ministers of christ do call upon thee to turn , the spirit cries turn , thy conscience cries turn : the godly by perswasions and examples cry turn : the whole world and all the creatures therein that are presented to thy consideration cry turn : the patient forbearance of god cries turn : all the mercies which thou receivest cry turn ; the rod of gods chastisements cries turn : thy reason and the frame of thy nature bespeaks thy turning : and so do all thy promises to god. and yet art thou not resolved to turn ? 3. moreover , poor hard hearted sinner ! didst thou ever consider , upon what terms thou standest all this while with him that calleth on thee for to turn ? thou art his own , and owest him thy self and all thou hast ; and may he not command his own ? thou art his absolute servant , and shouldst serve no other master . thou standest at his mercy , and thy life is in his hand ; and he is resolved to save thee upon no other terms ; thou hadst many malicious spiritual enemies , that would be glad if god would but forsake thee , and let them alone with thee , and leave thee to their will : how quickly would they deal with thee in another manner ? and thou canst not be delivered from them but by turning unto god. thou art fallen under his wrath by thy sin already : and thou knowest not how long his patience will yet wait . perhaps this is the last year ; perhaps the last day ; his sword is even at thy heart , while the word is in thine ear ; and if thou turn not , thou art a dead and undone man. were thy eyes but open to see where thou standest , even upon the brink of hell , and to see how many thousands are there already that did not turn , thou wouldst see that its time to look about thee . well sirs , look inwards now and tell me , how are your hearts affected with these offers of the lord ? you hear what is his mind , he delighteth not in your death : he calls to you , turn , turn : it s a fearful sign , if all this move thee not , or do but half move thee ; and much more if it make thee more careless in thy misery , because thou hearest of the mercifulness of god. the working of the medicine will partly tell us whether there be any hope of the cure. o what glad tidings would it be to those that are now in hell , if they had but such a message from god! what a joyful word would it be to hear this [ turn and live : ] yea what a welcome word would it be to thy self when thou hast felt that wrath of god but an hour ! or if after a thousand , or ten thousand years torment , thou couldst but hear such a word from god , [ turn and live. ] and yet wilt thou now neglect it , and suffer us to return without our errand ? behold sinners , we are set here as the messengers of the lord , to set before you life and death ▪ what say you ? which of them will you choose ? christ standeth as it were by thee , with heaven in one hand , and hell in the other , and offereth thee thy choice ; which wilt thou choose ? the voice of the lord maketh the rocks to tremble , psalm 20. and is it nothing to hear him threaten thee , if thou wilt not turn ? dost thou not understand and feel this voice , [ turn ye , turn ye , why will ye die ? ] why , it is the voice of love , of infinite love , of thy best and kindest friend , as thou mightest easily perceive by the motion : and yet canst thou neglect it ? it is the voice of pitty and compassion . the lord seeth whither thou art going better then thou dost , which makes him call after thee , turn , turn : he seeth what will become of thee , if thou turn not : he thinketh with himself , ah this poor sinner will cast himself into endless torments , if he do not turn : i must in iustice deal with him according to my righteous law ; and therefore he calleth after thee , turn , turn o sinner ! if you did but know the thousandth part as well as god doth , the danger that is near you , and the misery that you are running into , we should have no more need to call after you to turn . moreover , this voice that calleth to thee , is the same that hath prevailed with thousands already , and called all to heaven that are now there ▪ and they would not now for a thousand worlds that they had made light of it , and not turned to god. now what are they possessing that turned at gods call ? now they perceive that it was indeed the voice of love , that meant them no more harm then their salvation . and if thou wilt obey the same call , thou shalt come to the same happiness . there be millions that must for ever lament that they turned not , but there 's never a soul in heaven that is sorry that they were converted . well sirs , are you yet resolved , or are you not ? do i need to say any more to you ? what will you do ? will you turn , or not ? speak man in thy heart to god , though thou speak not out to me : speak , left he take thy silence for a denyal . speak quickly , lest he never make thee the like offer more . speak resolvedly , and not waveringly ; for he will have no indifferents to be his followers . say in thy heart now , without any more delay , even before thou stir hence , [ by the grace of god , i am resolved presently to turn . and because i know my own insufficiency , i am resolved to wait on god for his grace , and to follow him in his ways , and forsake my former courses and companions , and give up my self to the guidance of the lord. sirs , you are not shut up in the darkness of heathenism , nor in the desperation of the damned : life is before you : and you may have it on reasonable terms if you will : yea on free-cost , if you will accept it . the way of god lyeth plain before you ; the church is open to you : the company of the godly is open to you ; you may have christ and pardon , and holiness , if you will. what say you ? will you , or will you not ? if you say nay , or say nothing , and still go on , god is witness , and this congregation is witness , and your own consciences are witness , how fair an offer you had this day . remember , you might have had christ , and would not . remember , when you have lost it , that you might have had eternal life as well as others , and would not : and all because you would not turn . but let us come to the next doctrine , and hear your reasons . doct 6. the lord condescendeth to reason the case with vnconverted sinners , and to ask them why they will die ? a strange disputation it is , both as to the controversie , and as to the disputants . 1. the controversie or question propounded to dispute of , is , why wicked men will damn themselves ? or , why they will rather die then turn ? whether they have any sufficient reason for so doing ? 2. the disputants are god and * man : the most holy god , and wicked unconverted sinners . 1. is it not a strange thing which god doth seem here to suppose , that any man should be willing to die , and be damned ? yea that this should be the case of all the wicked ; that is , of the greatest part of the world ; but you will say , this cannot be ; for nature desireth the preservation and felicity of it self , and the wicked are more selfish then others , and not less ; and therefore how can any man be willing to be damned ? to which i answer , 1. it is a certain truth . that no man can be willing of any evil as evil , but only as ●t hath some appearance of good ; much less can any man be willing to be eternally tormented . misery as such is desired by none . 2. but yet for all that it is most true which god here teacheth us , that the cause why the wicked die and are damned , is because they will die and be damned . and this is true in several respects . 1. because they will go the way that leads to hell ; though they are told by god and man , whether it goes , and where it ends ; and though god hath so often professed in his word , that if they hold on in that way , they shall be condemned : and that they shall not be saved unless they turn . isa. 48.22 . & 57.21 . there is no peace , saith the lord , unto the wicked . ] isa. 59 8. the way of peace they know not ; there is no iudgement in their goings ; they have made them crooked paths : whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace . ] they have the word and the oath of the living god for it ; that if they will not turn , they shall not enter into his rest. and yet wicked they are , and wicked they will be , let god and man say what they will ; fleshly they are , and fleshly they will be : worldlings they are , and worldlings they will be : though god hath told them that the love of the world is enmity to god , and that if any man love the world , ( in that measure ) the love of the father is not in him , james 4.4 . 1 john 2.15 . so that consequentially these men are willing to be damned , though not directly : they are willing of the way to hell , and love the certain cause of their torment , though they be not willing of hell it self , and do not love the pain which they must endure . is not this the truth of your case sirs ? you would not burn in hell : but you will kindle the fire by your sin , and cast your selves into it : you would not be tormented with devils for ever ; but you will do that which will certainly procure it , in despite of all that can be said against it . it is just as if you would say , i will drink this rats-bane , or other poison , but yet i will not die . i will cast my self headlong from the top of a steeple , but yet i will not kill my self ; i will thrust this knife into my heart , but yet i will not take away my life . i will put this fire into the thatch of my house , but yet i will not burn it . just so it is with wicked men ; they will be wicked ; and they will live after the flesh and the world , and yet they would not be damned . but do you not know that the means do lead unto the end ? and that god hath by his righteous law concluded that you must repent or perish ? he that will take poyson , may as well say plainly , i will kill my self : for it will prove no better in the end : though perhaps he loved it for the sweetness of the sugar that was mixt with it , and would not be perswaded that it was poyson , but that he might take it and do well enough : but it is not his conceits , and confidence , that will save his life . so if you will be drunkards , or fornicators , or worldlings , or live after the flesh , you may as well say plainly , we will be damned : for so you shall be unless you turn ; would you not rebuke the folly of a thief or murderer , that would say , [ i will steall , and kill , but i will not be hanged , ] when he knows that if he do the one , the judge in justice will see that the other be done ? if he say , i will steal and murder , he may as well say plainly , i will be hanged . so if you will go on in a carnal life , you may as well say plainly , we will go to hell. 2. moreover , the wicked will not use those means , without which there is no hope of their salvation : he that will not eat , may as well say plainly he will not live , unless he can tell how to live without meat ; he that will not go his journey , may as well say plainly , he will not come to the end . he that falls into the water and will not come out , nor suffer another to help him out , may as well say plainly he will be drowned ; so if you be carnal and ungodly , and will not be converted , nor use the means by which you should be converted , but think it more ado then needs , you may as well say plainly , you will be damned . for if you have found out a way to be saved without conversion , you have done that which never was done before . 3. yea , this is not all , but the wicked are unwilling , even of salvation it self . though they may desire somewhat which they call by the name of heaven , yet heaven it self , considered in the true nature of the felicity , they desire not : yea their hearts are quite against it . heaven is a state of perfect holiness , and of continual love , and praise to god , and the wicked have no heart to this . the imperfect love , and praise , and holiness which is here to be attained , they have no mind of : much less of that which is so much greater . the joyes of heaven are of so pure and spiritual a nature , that the heart of the wicked cannot truly desire them . so that by this time you may see on what ground it is that god supposeth that the wicked are willing of their own destruction : they will not turn , though they must turn or die , they will rather venture on certain misery , then be converted ; and then to quiet themselves in their sin , they will make themselves believe that they shall nevertheless escape . 2. and as the controversie is matter of wonder ( that ever men should be such enemies to themselves , as wilfully to cast away their souls ) so are the disputants too . that god should stoop so low , as thus to plead the case with man ; and that man should be so strangely blind and obstinate , as to need all this in so plain a case , yea and to resist all this , when their own salvation lieth upon the issue . no wonder if they will not hear us that are men , when they will not hear the lord himself . as god saith , ezek. 3.7 . when he sent the prophet to the israelites , [ the house of israel will not hearken unto thee : for they will not hearken unto me ; for all the house of israel are impudent and hard-hearted . ] no wonder if they can plead against a minister , or a godly neighbour , when they will plead against the lord himself , even against the plainest passages of his word , and think that they have reason on their side . when they weary the lord with their words , they say , wherein have we wearied him ? mal. 2.17 . the priests that despised his name , durst ask , wherein have we despised thy name ? and when they polluted his altar , and made the table of the lord contemp●ible , they durst say wherein have we polluted thee ? mal. 1.6 , 7. but , [ wo unto him ( saith the lord ) that striveth with his maker ! let the potsheards strive with the potsheards of the earth ; shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it ; what makest thou ? ] isa. 45.9 . quest. but why is it that god will reason the cause with man ? answ. 1. because that man being a reasonable creature , is accordingly to be dealt with , and by reason to be perswaded and overcome . god hath therefore endued them with reason , that they might use it for him . one would think a reasonable creature should not go against the clearest and greatest reason in the world , when it is set before him . 2. at least men shall see that god did require nothing of them that was unreasonable ; but that whatever he commandeth them , and whatever he forbiddeth them , he hath all the right reason in the world on his side ; and they have good reason to obey him ; but none to disobey . and thus even the damned shall be forced to justifie god. and confess that it was but reason that they should have turned to him ; and they shall be forced to condemn themselves , and confess that they had little reason to cast away themselves by the neglecting of his grace in the day of their visitation . vse . look up your best and strongest reasons , sinners , if you will make good your way ; you see now with whom you have to deal . what saist thou , unconverted sensual wretch ? darest thou venture upon a dispute with god ? art thou able to confute him ? art thou ready to enter the lists ? god asketh thee , why wilt thou die ? art thou furnished with a sufficient answer ? wilt thou undertake to prove that god is mistaken , and that thou art in the right ? o what an undertaking is that ! why , either he or you is mistaken , when he is for your conversion , and you are against it ; he calls upon you to turn , and you will not ; he bids you do it presently , even to day , while it is called to day , and you delay , and think it time enough hereafter . he saith , it must be a total change , and you must be holy , and new creatures , and born again ; and you think that less may serve the turn , and that its enough to patch up the old man , without becoming new. who is in the right now ? god or you ? god calleth on you to turn and to live an holy life ; and you will not ; by your disobedient lives , it appears you wil not . if you will , why do you not ? why have you not done it all this while ? and why do you not fall upon it yet ? your wils have the command of your lives . we may certainly conclude that you are unwilling to turn when you do not turn . and why will you not ? can you give any reason for it that is worthy to be called a reason ? i that am but a worm , your fellow creature , of a shallow capacity , dare challenge the wisest of you all ▪ to reason the case with me , while i plead my makers cause : and i need not be discouraged , when i know i plead but the cause that god pleadeth , and contend for him that will have the best at last . had i but these two general grounds against you , i am sure that you have no good reason on your side . 1. i am sure it can be no good reason , which is against the god of truth and reason . it cannot be light that is contrary to the sun : there is no knowledge in any creature , but what it had from god , and therefore none can be wiser then god. it were damnable presumption for the highest angel to compare with his creator . what is it then for a lump of dirt , an ignorant sot , that knoweth not himself , nor his own soul , that knoweth but little of the things which he seeth , yea that is more ignorant then many of his neighbours , to set himself against the wisdom of the lord ? it is one of the fullest discoveries of the horrible wickedness of carnal men , and the stark madness of such in sin , that so silly a mole dare contradict his maker , and call in question the word of god. yea that those people in our parishes , that are so beastly ignorant , that they cannot give us a reasonable answer concerning the very principles of rel●gion , are yet so wise in their own conceit , that they dare question the plainest truths of god , yea contradict them , and cavil against them , when they can scarce speak sense , and will believe them no further then agreeth with their foolish wisdom . 2. and a● i know that god must needs be in the right , so i know the case is so palpable and gross which he pleadeth against , that no man can have reason for i● . is it possible that a man can have any reason to break his masters laws ? and reason to dishonour the lord of glory ? and reason to abuse the lord that bought him ? is it possible that a man can have any good reason to damn his own immortal soul ? mark the lords question [ turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? ] is eternal death a thing to be de desired ? are you in love with hell ? what reason have you willfully to perish ? if you think you have some reason to sin , should you not remember that death is the wages of sin ? rom. 6.23 . and think whether you have any reason to undo your selves body and soul for ever . you should not only ask whether you love the adder , but whether you love the sting . it is such a thing for a man to cast away his everlasting happiness , and to sin against god , that no good reason can be given for it : but the more any man pleads for it , the madder he sheweth himself to be . had you a lord-ship or a kingdom offered you for every sin that you commit , it were not reason , but madness to accept it . could you by every sin obtain the highest thing on earth that flesh desireth , it were of no considerable value to perswade you in reason to commit it . if it were to please your greatest or dearest friends , or to obey the greatest prince on earth , or to save your lives , or to escape the greatest earthly misery , all these are of no consideration , to draw a man in reason to the committing of one sin . if it were a right hand , or a right eye that would hinder your salvation , it is the gainfullest way to cast it away , rather then to go to hell to save it . for there 's no saving a part , when you lose the whole . so exceeding great are the matters of eternity , that nothing in this world deserveth once to be named in comparison with them : nor can any earthly thing , though it were life , or crowns , or kingdoms , be a reasonable excuse for the neglect of matters of such higher and everlasting consequence . a man can have no reason to cross his ultimate end. heaven is such a thing , that if you lose it , nothing can supply the want , or make up your loss ; and hell is such a thing that if you suffer it , nothing can remove your misery , or give you ease and comfort . and therefore nothing can be a valuable consideration to excuse you for neglecting your own salvation : for saith our saviour , what shall it profit a man to win all the world , and lose his own soul ? mark 8.36 . oh sirs , that you did but know what matters they are that we are now speaking to you of ! the saints in heaven have other kind of thoughts of these things . if the devil could come to them that live in the sight and love of god , and should offer them a cup of ale , or a whore , or merry company , or sports , to tice them away from god and glory , i pray you tell me , how do you think they would entertain the motion ? nay , or if he should offer them to be kings on the earth : do you think this would tice them down from heaven ! o with what hatred and holy scorn would they disdain and reject the motion ! and why should not you do so , that have heaven opened to your faith , if you had but faith to see it ? there 's never a soul in hell but knows by this time , that it was a mad exchange to let go heaven for fleshly pleasure ; and that it is not a little mirth , or pleasure , or worldly riches , or honour , or the good will or word of men , that will quench hell-fire , or make him a saver that loseth his soul. o if you had heard what i believe , if you had seen what i believe , and that on the credit of the word of god , you would say there can be no reason to warrant a man to damn his soul : you durst not sleep quietly another night before you had resolved to turn and live. if you see a man put his hand into the fire till it burn off , you 'l marvail at it : but this is a thing that a man may have reason for , as bishop cranmer had when he burnt off his hand for subscribing to popery . if you see a man cut off a leg or an arm , it s a sad sight ; but this is a thing that a man may have good reason for : as many a man doth it to save his life . if you see a man give his body to be burnt to ashes , and to be tormented with strappado's and racks , and refuse deliverance when it is offered : this is a hard case to flesh and blood . but this a man may have good reason for ; as you may see in heb. 11.33 , 34 , 35 , 36. and as many an hundred martyrs have done . but for a man to forsake the lord that made him , and for a man to run into the fire of hell , when he is told of it , and intreated to turn that he may be saved ; this is a thing that can have no reason in the world , that is reason indeed , to justifie or excuse it . for heaven will pay for the loss of any thing that we can lose to get it , or for any labour which we bestow for it . but nothing can pay for the loss of heaven . i beseech you now let this word come nearer to your hearts . as you are convinced that you have no reason to destroy your selves , so tell me what reason have you to refuse to turn , and live to god ? what reason hath the veriest worldling , or drunkard , or ignorant careless sinner of you all , why you should not be as holy as any you know , and be as carefull for your souls as any other . will not hell be as hot to you as to others ? should not your own souls be as dear to you as theirs to them ? hath not god as much authority over you ? why then will you not become a sanctified people as well as they ? o sirs , when god bringeth the matter down to the very principles of nature , and shews you that you have no more reason to be undgodly , then you have to damn your own souls ; if yet you will not understand and turn , it seems a desperate case that you are in . and now either you have reason for what you do , or you have not . if not ; will you go on against reason it self ? will you do that which you have no reason for ? but if you think you have , produce them , and make the best of your matter . reason the case a little with me , your fellow-creature , which is far easier then to reason the case with god. tell me man here before the lord , as if thou wert to die this hour , why shouldst thou not resolve to turn this day , before thou stir from the place thou standest in ? what reason hast thou to deny , or to delay ? hast thou any reason that satisfieth thine own conscience for it ? or any that thou darest own and plead at the barr of god ? if thou hast , let us hear them ; bring them forth , and make them good ? but alas , what poor stuff , what nonsense instead of reason , do we daily hear from ungodly men ? but for their necessity i should be ashamed to name them . 1. one saith , if none shall be saved but such converted and sanctified ones as you talk of , then heaven would be but empty ; then god help a great many . answ. what! it seems you think that god doth not know , or else that he is not to be believed ! measure not all by your selves ; god hath thousands and millions of his sanctified ones : but yet they are few in comparison of the world , as christ himself hath told us , matthew 7.13 , 14. luke 12.32 . it better beseems you to make that use of this truth which christ teacheth you ; strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for strait is the gate , and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life , and few there be that find it ; but wide is the gate , and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction , and many they be that go in thereat . ] luke 13.22 , 23 , 24. [ fear not little flock ( saith christ to his sanctified ones ) for it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom , luke 12 32. object . 2. i am sure if such as i go to hell , we shall have store of company . answ. and will that be any ease or comfort to you ? or do you think you may not have company enough in heaven ? will you be undone for company ? or will you not believe that god will execute his threatnings because they be so many that are guilty ? all these are silly unreasonable conceits . object . 3. but are not all men sinners , even the best of you all ? answ. but all are not unconverted sinners . the godly live not in gross sin , and their very infirmities are their grief , and burden , which they daily long , and pray , and strive to be rid of . sin hath not dominion over them . object . 4. i do not see that professors are any better then other men ; they will over-reach , and oppress , and are as covetous as any . answ. whatever hypocrites are , it s not so with those that are sanctified . god hath thousands and thousands that are otherwise : though the malicious world doth accuse them of what they can never prove , and of that which never entred into their hearts . and commonly they charge them with heart-sins , which none can see but god ; because they can charge them with no such wickedness in their lives , as they are guilty of themselves . object . 5. but i am no whoremonger , nor drunkard , nor oppressor , and therefore why should you call upon me to be converted ? answ. as if you were not born after the flesh , and had not lived after the flesh as well as other● ▪ is it not as great a sin as any of these , for a man to have an earthly mind , and to love the world above god , and to have an unbelieving unhumbled heart ? nay , let me tell you more : that many persons that avoid disgraceful sins , are as fast glued to the world , and as much slaves to the flesh , and as strange to god , and a verse to heaven in their more civil course , as others are in their more shameful notorious sins . object . 6. but i mean nobody any harm , nor do no harm : and why then should god condemn me ? answ. is it no harm to neglect the lord that made thee , and the work for which thou camest into the world , and to prefer the creature before the creator , and to neglect the grace that is daily offered there ? it is the depth of thy sinfulness to be so insensible of it : the dead feel not that they are dead . if once thou wert made alive , thou wouldst see more amiss in thy self , and marvell at thy self for making so light of it . object . 7. i think you would make men mad under pretence of converting them : it is enough to rack the brains of simple people to muse so much on matters too high for them . answ. 1. can you be madder then you are already ? or at least can there be a more dangerous madness , then to neglect your everlasting welfare , and wilfully undo your selves ? 2. a man is never well in his wits till he be converted : he never knows god , nor knows sin , nor knows christ , nor knows the world , nor himself , nor what his business is on earth , so as to set himself about it , till he be converted . the scripture saith that the wicked are unreasonable men , 2 thes. 3.2 . and that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with god , 1 cor. 1.20 . and luke 15.17 . it s said of the prodigal , that when he came to himself he resolved to return . it s a wise world ▪ when men will disobey god and run to hell for fear of being out of their wits . 2. what is there in the work that christ calls you to , that should drive a man out of his wits ? is it the loving of god , and calling upon him , and comfortable thinking of the glory to come , and the forsaking of our sins , and loving one another , and delighting our selves in the service of god ? are these such things as should make men mad ? 3. and whereas you say that these matters are too high for us , you accuse god himself for making this our work , and giving us his word , and commanding all that will be blessed to meditate in it day and night . are the matters which we were made for , and which we live for , too high for us to meddle with ? this is plainly to unman us , and to make beasts of us , as if we were like them , that must meddle with no higher matters , then what belongs to flesh and earth . if heaven be too high for you to think on and provide for , it will be too high for you ever to possess . 4. if god should sometimes suffer any weak-headed person to be distracted by thinking of eternal things , this is because they misunderstand them , and run without a guide : and of the two i had rather be in the case of such a one , then of the mad unconverted world , that take their distraction to be their wisdom . object . 8. i do not th●nk that god cares so much what men think , or speak , or do , as to make so great a matter of it . answ. it seems then you take the word of god to be false , and then what will you believe ? but your own reason might teach you better , if you believe not the scriptures : for you see god set not so light by us , but that he vouchsafed to make us , and still preserveth us , and daily upholdeth us , and provideth for us : and will any wise man make a curious frame for nothing ? will you make or buy a clock or watch , and daily look to it , and not care whether it go true or false ? surely if you believe not a particular eye of providence observing your hearts and lives , you cannot believe or expect any paricular providence to observe your wants and trouble , to relieve you. and if god had so little cared for you as you imagine , you would never have lived till now : an hundred diseases would have striven which should first destroy you ; yea the devils would have haunted you , and fetcht you away alive , as the great fishes devour the less , and as ravenous birds and beasts devour others . you cannot think that god made man for no end or use : and if he made him for any , it was sure for himself . and can you think he cares not whether his ends be accomplished , and whether we do the work that we are made for ? yea by this atheistical objection you make god to have made and upheld all the world in vain . for what are all other lower creatures for , but for man ? what doth the earth but bear us , and nourish us ? and the beasts do serve us with their labours and lives , and so of the rest . and hath god made so glorious a habitation , and set man to dwell in it , and made all his servants , and now doth he look for nothing at his hands ? nor care how he thinks , or speaks , or lives ? this is most unreasonable . object . 9. it was a better world when men did not make so much ado in religion . answ. it hath ever been the custom to praise the times past . that world that you speak of , was wont to say , it was a better world in their fore-fathers dayes , and so did they of their fore-fathers : this is but an old custom ; because we all feel the evil of our own times , but we see not that which was before us . 3. perhaps you speak as you think : worldlings think the world is at the best when it is agreeable to their minds : and when they have most mirth and worldly pleasure . and i doubt not but the devil as well as you , would say , that then it was a better world : for then he had more service , and less disturbance . but the world is at the best , when god is most loved , regarded and obeyed . and how else will you know when the world is good or bad but by this ? object . 10. there are so many waies and religions that we know not which to be of , and therefore we will be even as we are . answ. because there are many , will you be of that way that you may be sure is wrong ? none are further out of the way , then worldly , fleshly , unconverted sinners . for they do not only err in this or that opinion , as many sects do , but in the very scope and drift of their lives . if you were going a journey that your life lay on , would you stop or turn again , because you met with some cross waies , or because you saw some travellers go the horse way , and some the foot way , and some perhaps break over the hedge , yea and some miss the way ? or would you not rather be the more careful to enquire the way ? if you have some servants that know not how to do your work right , and some that are unfaithful , would you take it well at any of the rest that would therefore be idle and do you no service because they see the rest so bad ? object . 11. i do not see that it goes any better with those that are so godly then with other men they are as poor , and in as much trouble as others . answ. and perhaps in much more , when god sees it meet . they take not earthly prosperity for their wages . they have laid up their treasure and hopes in another world , or else they are not christians indeed . the less they have , the more is behind ; and they are content to wait till then . object . 12. when you have said all that you can , i am resolved tohope well , and trust in god , and do as well as i can , and not make so much ado . answ. 1. is that doing as well as you can , when you will not turn to god , but your heart is against his holy and diligent service ? it is as well as you will indeed : but that 's your misery . 2. my desire is , that you should hope and trust in god : but for what is it that you will hope ? is it to be saved , if you turn and be sanctified ? for this you have gods promise : and therefore hope for it and spare not . but if you hope to be saved without conversion and an holy life , this is not to hope in god , but in satan or your selves . for god hath given you no such promise , but told you the contrary : but its satan and self-love that made you such promises , and raised you to such hopes . well , if these and such as these be all you have to say against conversion and an holy life , your all is nothng , and worse then nothing : and if these and such as these seem reasons sufficient to perswade you to forsake god , and cast your selves into hell , the lord deliver us from such reasons , and from such blind understandings , and from such sensless hardened hearts . dare you stand to ever an one of these reasons at the barr of god ? do you think it will then serve your turn to say , lord i did not turn because i had so much to do in the world , or because i did not like the lives of some professors , or because i saw men of so many minds . o how easily will the light of that day confound and shame such reasonings as these ? had you the world to look after ? let the world which you served now pay your wages , and save you if it can ? had you not a better world to look after first ? and were you not commanded to seek first gods kingdom and righteousness , and promised , that other things should be added to you ? mat. 6.33 . and were you not told , that godliness was profitable to all things , having the promise of this life , and of that which is to come , 1 tim. 4.8 . did the sins of professors hinder you ? you should rather have been the more heedful , and learned by their falls to beware , and have been the more careful , and not the more careless : it was the scripture , and not their lives , that was your rule . did the many opinions of the world hinder you ? why , the scripture that was your rule did teach you but one way , and that was the right way : if you had followed that even in so much as was plain and easie , you should never have miscarried . will not such answers as these confound and silence you ? if these will not , god hath those that will : when he asketh the man , mat. 22.12 . friend , how camest thou in hither , not having on a wedding garment ? that is , what dost thou in my church among professed christians , without an holy heart and life ? what answer did he make ? why the text saith , he was speechless : he had nothing to say . the clearness of the case , and the majesty of god will then easily stop the mouths of the most confident of you , though you will not be put down by any thing that we can say to you now , but will make good your cause , be it never so bad . i know already that never a reason that now you can give , will do you any good at last , when your case must be opened before the lord and all the world . nay , i scarce think that your own consciences are well satisfied with your reasons . for if they are , it seems then you have not so much as a purpose to repent . but if you do purpose to repent , it seems you do not put much confidence in your reasons which you bring against it . what say you yet unconverted sinners ? have you any good reason to give , why you should not turn , and presently turn with all your hearts ? or will you go to hell in despight of reason it self ? bethink you what you do in time ; for it will shortly be too late to bethink you . can you find any fault with god or his work , or wages ? is he a bad master ? is the devil whom you serve , a better ? or is the flesh a better ? is there any harm in an holy life ? is a life of worldliness and ungodliness better ? do you think in your consciences that it would do you any harm to be converted and live an holy life ? what harm can it do you ? is it harm to you to have the spirit of christ within you ? and to have a cleansed purified heart ? if it be bad to be holy , why doth god say , be ye holy , for i am holy , 1 pet. 1.15 , 16. leviticus 20.7 . is it evil to be like god ? is it not said that god made man in his image ? why this holiness is his image : this adam lost , and this christ by his word and spirit would restore to you , as he doth to all that he will save . why were you baptized into the holy ghost , and why do you baptize your children into the holy ghost as your sanctifier , if you will not be sanctified by him , but think it an hurt to you to be sanctified ? tell me truly , as before the lord , though you are loath to live an holy life , had you not rather die in the case of those that do so then of others ? if you were to die this day , had you not rather die in the case of a conveted man , then of the unconverted ? of an holy and heavenly man , then of a carnal earthly man ? and would you not say as balaam , numb . 23.10 . let me die the death of the righteous , and let my last end be like his . ] and why will you not now be of the mind that you will be of then ? first or last you must come to this , either to be converted , or wish you had been , when it is to late . but what is it that you are afraid of losing if you turn ? is it your friends ? you will but change them : god will be your friend , and christ , and the spirit will be your friend , and every christian will be your friend . you will get one friend that will stand you in more stead then all the friends in the world could have done . the friends you lose would but have ticed you to hell , but could not have delivered you : but the friend you get , will save you from hell , and bring you to his own eternal rest. is it your pleasures that you are afraid of losing ? you think you shall never have a merry day again , if once you be converted . alas , that you should think it a greater pleasure to live in foolish sports and merriments , and please your flesh , then to live in the believing thoughts of glory , and in the love of god , and in righteousness , and peace , and joy in the holy ghost , in which the state of grace consisteth , romans 14.17 . if it be a greater pleasure to you to think of your lands and inheritance ( if you were lords of all the country ) then it is to a child to play for pins ; why should it not be a greater joy to you to think of the kingdom of heaven being yours , then of all the riches or pleasure of the world ? as it is but foolish childishness that makes children so delight in gawds , that they would not leave them for all your lands : so it is but foolish worldliness , and fleshliness , and wickedness , that makes you so much delight in your houses , and lands , and meat , and drink , and ease , and honour , as that you would not part with them for the heavenly delights . but what will you do for pleasure when these are gone ? do you not think of that ? when your pleasures end in horrour , and go out with a stinking snuff , the pleasures of the saints are then at the best . i have had my self but a little taste of the heavenly pleasures in the fore-thoughts of the blessed approaching day , and in the present perswasions of the love of god in christ ; but i have taken too deep a draught of earthly pleasures ( so that you may see , if i be partial , it is on your side ; ) and yet i must profess from that little experience , that there is no comparison ; there is more joy to be had in a day ( if the sun of life shine clear upon us ) in the state of holiness , then in an whole life of sinful pleasures . i had rather be a door-keeper in the house of god , then to dwell in the tents of wickedness , psalm 84.10 . a day in his courts is better then a thousand anywhere else , psal. 84.10 . the mirth of the wicked is like the laughter of a mad man that knows not his own misery : and therefore solomon faith of such laughter , it is mad ; and of mirth , what doth it ? eccles. 2.2 . and eccles. 7.2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. it is better to go to the house of mourning , then to go to the house of feasting : for that is the end of all men , and the living will lay it to his heart . sorrow is better then laughter : for by the sadness of the countenance , the heart is made better . the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning ; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth : it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise , then to hear the song of fools : for as the crackling of thorns under a pot , so is the laughter of the fool . ] all the pleasures of fleshly things , is but like the scratching of a man that hath the itch : it is his disease that makes him desire it ; and a wise man had rather be without his pleasure and be troubled with his itch . your loudest laughter is but like that of a man that is tickled ; he laughs when he hath no cause of joy . and it is a wiser thing for a man to give all his estate and his life to be tickled to make him laugh , then for you to part with the love of god , and the comforts of holiness , and the hopes of heaven , and to cast your selves into damnation , that you may have your flesh tickled with the pleasures of sin for a little while . judge as you are men , whether this be a wise mans part . it is but your carnal unsanctified nature that makes an holy life seem grievous to you , and a course of sensuality seem more delightful . if you will but turn , the holy ghost will give you another nature , and inclination ; and then it will be more plesant to you to be rid of your sin , then now it is to keep it ; and you will then say , that you know not what a comfortable life was till now , and that it was never well with you , till god and holiness were your delight . quest. bvt how cometh it to pass that men should be so unreasonable in the matters of their salvation ? they have wit enough in other matters . what makes them so loth to be converted , that there should need so many words in so plain a case , and all will not do , but the most will live and de vnconverted ? answ. to name them only in a few words , the causes are these . 1. men are naturally in love with earth and flesh . they are born sinners , and their nature hath an enmity to god and godliness , as the nature of the serpent hath to a man : and when all that we can say goes against an habitual inclination of their natures , no marvail if it little prevail . 2. they are in darkness , and know not the very things which they hear . like a man that was born blind , and hears an high commendation of the light : but what will bearing do , unless he see it ? they know not what god is , nor what is the power of the cross of christ , nor what the spirit of holiness is , nor what it is to live in love by faith : they know not the certainty , and suitableness , and excellency of the heavenly inheritance . they know not what conversion , and an holy mind and conversation is , even when they hear of it . they are in a mist of ignorance . they are lost and bewildred in sin : like a man that hath lost himself in the night , and knows not where he is , nor how to come to himself again , till the day-light do recover him . 3. they are wilfully confident that they need no conversion , but some partial amendment , but that they are in the way to heaven already , and are converted when they are not . and if you meet a man that is quite out of his way , you may long enough call on him to turn back again , if he will not believe you that he is out of his way . 4. they are become slaves to their flesh , and drowned in the world to make provision for it . their lusts , and passions , and appetites have distracted them , and got such an hand over them , that they cannot tell how to deny them , nor how to mind any thing else . so that the drunkard saith , i love a cup of good d●ink , and i cannot forbear it . the glutton saith , i love good ●hear , and i cannot forbear . the fornicator saith , i love to have my lust fulfilled , and i cannot forbear . and the gamester loves to have his sports , and he cannot forbear . so that they are become even captivated slayes to their flesh , and their 〈◊〉 wilfulness is become an impotency ; and what they would not do , they say they cannot . and the worldling is so taken up with earthly things , that he hath neither heart , nor mind , nor time for heavenly : but as in phara●●s d●eam , gen. 41.4 . the lean kine did eat up the fat ones ; so this lean and barren earth doth eat up all the thoughts of heaven . 5. some are so carried away by the stream of evil company , that they are possessed with hard thoughts of a godly life , by hearing them speak against it ; or at least , they think they may venture to do as they see most do : and so they hold on in their sinful waies ; and when one is cut off and cast into hell , and another snatcht away from among them to the same condemnation , it doth not much daunt them , because they see not whither they are gone ; poor wretches , they hold on in their ungodliness , for all this ; for they little know that their companions are now lamenting it in torments . in luke 16. the rich man in hell would fain have had one to warn his five brethren , left they should come to that place of torment . it s like he knew their minds and lives , and knew that they were hasting thither , and little dreamt that he was there , yea and would little have believed one that would have told them so . i remember a passage that a gentleman yet living told me he saw upon a bridge over severn : a man was driving a flock of fat lambs , and something meeting them and hindring their passage , one of the lambs leapt upon the wall of the bridge and his legs slipping from under him , he fell into the stream : the rest seeing him , did one after one leap over the bridge into the stream , and were all , or almost all drowned ; those that were behind did little know what was become of them that were gone before , but thought they might venture to follow their companions : but as soon as ever they were over the wall , and falling headlong , the case was altered . even so it is with unconverted carnal men . one dyeth by them and drops into hell , and another follows the same way ; and yet they will go after them , because they think not whether they are gone . oh but when death hath once opened their eyes , and they see what 's on the other side of the wall , even in another world , then what would they give to be where they were ! 6. moreover , they have a subtile malicious enemy , that is unseen of them , and playes his game in the dark ; and it is his principal business to hinder their conversion , and therefore to keep them where they are , by perswading them not to believe the scriptures , or not to trouble their minds with these matters ; or by perswading them to think ill of a godly life , or to think that it s more ado then needs , and that they may be saved without conversion , and without all this stir ; and that god is so merciful that he will not damn any such as they ; or at least that they may stay a little longer , and take their pleasure and follow the world a little longer yet , and then let it go and repent hereafter . and by such jugling deluding cheats as these , the devil keeps the most in his captivity , and leadeth them to his misery . these , and such like impediments as these , do keep so many thousands unconverted , when god hath done so much , and christ hath suffered so much , and ministers have said so much for their conversion ; when their reasons are silenced , and they are not able to answer the lord that calls after them , [ turn ye , turn ye , why will you die ? ] yet all comes to nothing with the greatest part of them ; and they leave us no more to do after all , but to sit down and lament their wilful misery . i have now shewed you the reasonableness of gods commands , and the unreasonableness of wicked mens disobedience . if nothing will serve turn , but men will yet refuse to turn , we are next to consider , who it is long of if they be damned . and this brings me up to the last doctrine , which is ; doct. 7. that if after all this men will not turn , it is not long of god that they are condemned , but of themselves , even their own wilfulness . they die because they will die : that is , because they will not turn . if you will go to hell , what remedy ! god here acquits himself of your blood : it shall not lie on him if you be lost . a negligent minister may draw it upon him ; and those that encourage you , or hinder you not in sin , may draw it upon them ; but be sure of it , it shall not lie upon god. saith the lord concerning his unprofitable vineyard , isaiah 5.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. [ iudge i pray you betwixt me and my vineyard : what could have been done more to my vineyard , that i have not done in it ? when he had planted it in a fruitful soil , and fenced it , and gathered out the stones , and planted it with the choicest vine : what should he have done more to it ? he hath made you men , and endued you with reason ; he hath furnished you with all external necessaries ; all creatures are at your service . he hath given you a righteous perfect law. when you had broke it , and undone your selves , he had pitty on you , and sent his son by a miracle of condescending mercy to die for you , and be a sacrifice for your sins , and he was in christ reconciling the world to himself . the lord jesus hath made you a deed of gift of himself , and eternal life with him , on the condition you will but accept it and return . he hath on this reasonable condition offered you the free pardon of all your sins ; he hath written this in his word , and sealed it by his spirit , and sent it you by his ministers ; they have made the offer to you an hundred and an hundred times , and called you to accept it , and to turn to god. they have in his name entreated you , and reasoned the case with you , and answered all your frivolous objections . he hath long waited on you , and slaid your leisure , and suffered you to abuse him to his face . he hath mercifully sustained you in the midst of your sin ; he hath compassed you about with all sorts of mercies : he hath also intermixt afflictions to mind you of you folly , and call you to your wits ; and his spirit hath been often striving with your hearts , and saying there , [ turn sinner , turn to him that calleth thee ; whither art thou going ; what art thou doing ? dost thou know what will be the end ? how long wilt thou hate thy friends , and love thine enemies ? when wilt thou let go all and turn , and deliver up thy self to god , and give thy redeemer the possession of thy soul ? when shall it once be ? ] these pleadings have been used with thee . and when thou hast delayed , thou hast been urged to make hast , and god hath called to thee , [ to day , while it is called to day , harden not thy heart ; why not now without any more delay ? life hath been set before you ; the joyes of heaven have been opened to you in the gospel : the certainty of them hath been manifested : the certainty of the everlasting torments of the damned hath been declared to you : unless you would have had a sight of heaven and hell , what could you desi●● more ? christ hath been as it were set forth crucified before your eyes , gal. 3.1 . you have been an hundred times told that you are but lost men till you come unto him ; as oft have you been told of the evil of sin , of the vanity of sin , the world , and all the pleasures and wealth it can afford ; of the shortness and uncertainty of your lives , and the endless duration of the joy or torment of the life to come . all this , and more then this have you been told , and told again , even till you were a weary of hearing it , and till you could make the lighter of it , because you had so often heard it ; like the smiths dog , that is brought by custom to sleep under the noise of the hammers , and when the sparks do fly about his ears : and though all this have not converted you , yet you are alive , and might have mercy to this day , if you had but hearts to entertain it . and now let reason it self be judge ; whether it be long of god or you , if after all this you be unconverted and be damned . if you die now , it is because you will die . what should be said more to you ? or what course should be taken , that is liker to prevail ? are you able to say and make it good , we would fain have been converted and become new creatures , but we would not ; we would fain have forsaken our sins , but could not ; we would have changed our company , and our thoughts , and our discourse , but we could not . why could you not if you would ? what hindered you , but the wickedness of your hearts ? who forced you to sin ? or who did hold you back from duty ? had not you the same teaching , and time , and liberty to be godly as your godly neighbours had ? why then could not you have been godly as well as they ? were the church-doors shut against you ? or did you not keep away your selves ? or fit and sleep , or hear as if you did not hear ? did god put in any exceptions against you in his word , when he invited sinners to return , and when he promised mercy to those that do return ? ] did he say , [ i will pardon all that repent except thee ? ] did he shut you out from the liberty of his holy worship ? did he forbid you to pray to him any more then others ? you know he did not . god did not drive you away from him , but you forsook him , and run away your selves . and when he called you to him , you would not come . if god had excepted you out of the general promise and offer of mercy , or had said to you , [ stand off , i will have nothing to do with such as you : pray not to me , for i will not hear you : if you repent never so much , and cry for mercy never so much , i will not regard you ; ] if god had left you nothing to trust to , but desperation , then you had had a fair excuse . you migh have said , [ to what end should i repent and turn , when it will do no good ? ] but this was not your case . you might have had christ to be your lord and saviour , your head and husband , as well as others : and you would not ; because you felt not your selves sick enough for the physitian , and because you could not spare your disease : in your hearts you said as those rebels , luke 19.14 . [ we will not have this man to reign over us . ] christ would have gathered you under the wings of his salvation , and you would not , mat. 23.37 . what desires of your wel-fare did the lord express in his holy word ? with what compassion did he stand over you and say , [ o that my people had hearkened unto me , and that they had walked in my waies ! psal. 81.13 . o that there were such a heart in this people that they would fear me , and keep all my commandments alwaies , that it might be well with them and with their children for ever ! deut. 5.20 . [ o that they were wise , that they understood this ! and that they would consider their latter end ! ] deut. 32.29 . he would have been your god , and done all for you that your souls could well desire ; but you loved the world and your flesh above him and therefore you would not hearken to him : though you complemented with him , and gave him high titles , yet when it came to the closing , you would have none of him , psal. 81.11 , 12. no marvel then if he gave you up to your own hearts lusts , and you walked in your own counsels . ] he condescended to reason and plead the case with you , and ask you [ what is there in me or my service that you should be so much against me ! what harm have i done thee sinner ! have i deserved this unkind dealing at thy hand ? many mercies have i shewed thee ; for which of them dost thou thus despise me ? is it i , or is it satan that is thy enemy ? is it i , or is it thy carnal self that would undo thee ? is it an holy life , or a life of sin that thou hast cause to fly from ? if thou be undone , thou procurest this to thy self by forsaking me the lord that would have saved thee : jer. 2.17 . doth not thy own wickedness correct thee , and thy sin reprove thee ; that thou maist see that it is an evil and bitter thing that thou hast forsaken me ? jer. 2.19 . what iniquity have you found in me , that you have followed after vanity and forsaken me ? ier. 2.5 , 6. ] he calleth out as it were to the bruits to hear the controversie he hath against you● mic. 2.3 , 4 , 5 hear o ye mountains the lords controversie , and ye strong foundations of the earth : for the lord hath a controversie with his people , and he will plead with israel . o my people what have i done unto thee ? and wherein have i wearied thee ? testifie against me : for i brought thee up out of egypt , and redeemed thee , &c. hear o heavens , and give ear o earth , for the lord hath spoken . i have nourished and brought up children , and they have rebelled against me . the ox knoweth his owner , and the ass his masters cr●b : but israel doth not kn●w , my people doth not consider ! ah sinful nation ! a people laden with iniquity , a seed of evil doers ! &c. isaiah 1.2 , 3 , 4. [ do you thus requite the lord o foolish people and unwise ? is not he thy father that bought thee ? hath he not made thee and established thee ? deut. 32.6 . ] when he saw that you forsook him even for nothing , and turned away from your lord and life , to hunt after the chaffe and feathers of the world , he told you of your folly , and called you to a more profitable employment , isa. 55.1 , 2 , 3. [ wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread , and your labour for that which satisfieth not ? hearken diligently unto me , and eat ye that which is good , and let your soul delight it self in fatness . enclin● your 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 unto me ; hear and yo●● 〈◊〉 shall live , and i will make an ●verlasting covenant with you , even the sure mercies of david ; — seek ye the lord while he may be found , call ye upon him while he is near . let the wicked forsake his way , and the unrighteous man his thoughts , and let him return unto the lord , and he will have mercy upon him : and to our god , for he will abundantly pardon , ver . 6 , 7. ] and so isa. 1.16 , 17 , 18. and when you would not hear , what complaints have you put him to , charging it on you as your wilfulness and stubbornness , ier. 2.12 , 13. [ be astonished o heavens at this , and be horribly afraid . — for my people have committed two evils , they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters ; and hewed them out cisterns , broken cisterns that can hold no water . ] many a time hath christ proclaimed that free invitation to you , revel . 22.17 . let him that is a thirst come : and whoever will , let him take the water of life freely . ] but you put him to complain after all his offers , [ they will not come to me that they may have life , iohn 5.40 . ] he hath invited you to feast with him in the kingdom of his grace , and you have had excuses from your grounds , and your cattel , and your worldly business , and when you would not come , you have said you could not : and provoked him to resolve that you should never taste of his supper , luke 14.15 , to 25. ] and who is it long of now but your selves ? and what can you say is the chief cause of your damnation , but your own wills ? you would be damned . the whole case is laid open by christ himself , prov. 1. from the 20. to the end . [ wisdom cryeth without , she uttereth her voice in the streets , she crieth in the chief place of concourse , — how long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity , and the scorners delight in their scorning , and fools hate knowledge ? turn ye at my reproofs : behold i will pour out my spirit unto you , i will make known my words unto you . because i have called and ye refused ; i have stretched out my hands , and no man regarded , but ye have set at naught all my counsel , and would none of my reproofs : i also will laugh at your calamity , i will mock when your fear cometh : when your fear cometh as desolation , and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon you : then shall they call upon me , but i will not answer ; they shall seek me early , but they shall not find me . for that they hated knowledge , and did not choose the fear of the lord. they would none of my counsels : they despised all my reproof : therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way , and be filled with their own devices . for the turning away of the simple shall stay them , and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them . but who so hearkeneth to me shall dwell safely , and shall be quiet from the fear of evil . ] i thought best to recite the whole text at large to you , because it doth so fully shew the cause of the destruction of the wicked . it is not because god would not teach them , but because they would not learn. it is not because god would not call them , but because they would not turn at his reproof . their wilfulness is their undoing . vse . from what hath been said , you may further learn these following things . 1. from hence you may see , not only what blasphemy and impiety it is , to lay the blame of mens destruction upon god , but also how unfit these wicked wretches are to bring in such a charge against their maker . they cry out upon god , and say , he gives them not grace , and his threatnings are severe , and god forbid that all should be damned that be not converted and sanctified ; and they think it hard measure that a short sin should have an endless suffering ; and if they be damned , they say , they cannot help it : when in the mean time , they are busie about their own destruction , even cutting the throat of their own souls , and will not be perswaded to hold their hands they think god were cruel if he should damn them ; and yet they are so cruel to themselves that they will run into the fire of hell ; when god hath told them it is a little before them , and neither intreaties , nor threatnings , nor any thing that can be said , will stop them . we see them almost undone : their careless , worldly , fleshly lives do tell us that they are in the power of the devil : we know if they die before they are converted , all the world cannot save them ; and knowing the uncertainty of their lives , we are afraid every day lest they drop into the fire . and therefore we intreat them to pitty their own souls , and not to undo themselves when mercy is at hand ; and they will not hear us . we intreat them to cast away their sin , and come to christ without delay , and to have some mercy on themselves ; but they will have none . and yet they think that god must be cruel if he condemn them . o wilful wretched sinners ! it is not god that is cruel to you : it is you that are cruel to your selves . you are told you must turn or burn and yet you turn not . you are told that if you will needs keep your sins , you shall keep the curse of god with them : and yet you will keep them . you are told that there is no way to happiness but by holiness , and yet you will not be holy. what would you have god say more to you ? what would you have him do with his mercy ? he offereth it you , and you will not have it . you are in the ditch of sin and misery , and he would give you his hand to help you out , and you refuse his help : he would cleanse you of your sins , and you had rather keep them . you love your lust , and love your gluttony , and sports , and drunkenness , and will not let them go . would you have him bring you to heaven whether you will or no ? or would you have him bring you and your sins to heaven together ? why , that 's an impossibility ; you may as well expect he should turn the sun into darkness . what! an unsanctified fleshly heart be in heaven ; it cannot be : there entreth nothing that is unclean , revel . 21.27 . for what communion hath light with darkness , or christ with belial ? 2 corinth . 6.14 , 15. all the day long hath he stretched out his hand to a disobedient and gain saying people , romans 10.25 . what will you do now ? will you cry to god for mercy ! why god calleth upon you to have mercy upon your selves , and you will not . ministers see the poysoned cup in the drunkards hand , and tell him , there is poyson in it , and desire him to have mercy on his soul , and forbear , and he will not hear us ; drink it he must and will : he loves it , and therefore though hell come next , he saith , he cannot help it . what should one say to such men as these ? we tell the ungodly careless worldling , it is not such a life that will serve the turn , or ever bring you to heaven . if a bear were at your back you would mend your pace ; and when the curse of god is at your back , and satan and hell are at your back will you not stir , but ask what needs all this ado ? is an immortal soul of no more worth ? o have mercy upon your selves ! but they will have no mercy on themselves , nor once regard us . we tell them , the end will be bitter . who can dwell with the everlasting fire ? and yet they will have no mercy upon themselves . and yet will these shameless wretches say , that god is more merciful then to condemn them , when it is themselves that cruelly and unmercifully run upon condemnation ; and if we should go to them with our hats in our hands and intreate them , we cannot stop them . if we should fall down on our knees to them , we cannot stop them ; but to hell they will , and yet will not believe that they are going thither . if we beg of them for the sake of god that made them , and preserveth them ; for the sake of christ that dyed for them ; for the sake of their own poor souls , to pitty themselves and go no further in the way to hell ; but come to christ while his arms are open , and enter into a state of life while the door stands open , and now take mercy while mercy may be had ; they will not be perswaded . if we should die for it , we cannot get them so much as now and then to consider with themselves of the matter , and to turn . and yet they can say , i hope god will be merciful . did you ever consider what he saith , isa. 27.11 . [ it is a people of no understanding ; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them , and he hath formed them , will show them no favour . ] if another man will not cloath you when you are naked , and feed you when you are hungry , you will say he is unmerciful . if he should cast you into prison , or beat and torment you , you would say , he is unmerciful . and yet you will do a thousand times more against your selves , even cast away both soul and body for ever , and never complain of your own unmercifulness . yea and god that waited upon you all the while with his mercy , must be taken to be unmerciful , if he punish you after all this . unless the holy god of heaven will give these wretches leave to trample upon his sons blood , and with the jews , as it were again to spit in his face , and do despight to the spirit of grace , and make a jest of sin , and a mock at holiness , and set more light by saving mercy , then by the filth of their fleshly pleasures , and unless after all this he will save them by the mercy which they cast away , and would none of , god himself must be called unmerciful by them . but he will be justified when he judgeth , and he will not stand or fall at the bar of a sinful worm . i know there are many particular cavils that are brought by them against the lord , but i shall not here stay to answer them particularly , having done it already in in my treatise of iudgement , to which i shall refer them . had the disputing part of the world been as careful to avoid sin and destruction , as they have been busie in searching after the cause of them , and forward indirectly to impute it to god , they might have exercised their wits more profitably , and have less wronged god , and sped better themselves . when so ugly a monster as sin is within us , and so heavy a thing as punishment is on us , and so dreadful a thing as hell is before us , one would think it should be an easie question , who is in the fault , and whether god or man be the principal or culpable cause ▪ some men are such favourable judges of themselves , that they are proner to accuse the infinite perfection and goodness it self , then their own hearts : and imitate their first parents that said , the serpent tempted me , and the woman that thou gavest me , gave unto me , and i did eat ; ] secretly implying that god was the cause . so say they , [ the understanding that thou gavest me , was unable to discern ; the will that thou gavest me , was unable to make a better choice ; the objects which thou diast set before me , did entice me ; the temptation which thou didst permit to assault me , prevailed against me . and some are so loth to think that god can make a self-determining creature , that they dare not deny him that which they take to be his prerogative , to be the determiner of the will in every sin , as the first efficient immediate physical cause . and many could be content to acquit god from so much causing of evil , if they could but reconcile it with his being the chief cause of good ; as if truths must be no longer truths , then we are able to see them in their perfect order and coherence : because our r●velled wits cannot set them right together , nor assign each truth its proper place , we presume to conclude that some must be cast away . this is the fruit of proud self-conceitedness , when men receive not gods truths as a child his lesson , in an holy submission to the omniscience of our teacher , but as censurers that are too wise to learn. object . but we cannot convert our selves till god convert us : we can do nothing without his grace : it is not in him that willeth , nor in him that runneth , but in god that sheweth mercy . answ. 1. god hath two degrees of mercy to shew : the mercy of conversion first ; and the mercy of salvation list : the latter he will give to none but those that will and run , and hath promised it to them only . the former is to make them willing that were unwilling : and though your own willing and endeavours deserve not this grace , yet your wilfull refusal deserveth that it should be denyed to you . your disabily is your very unwillingness it self , which excuseth not your sin , but maketh it the greater . you could turn if you were but truly willing : and if your wills themselves are so corrupted , that nothing but effectual grace will move them , you have the more cause to seek for that grace , and yield to it , and do what you can in the use of means , and not neglect it , or set against it . do what you are able first , and then complain of god for denying you grace if you have cause . object . but you seem to intimate all this while that man hath free will. answer . the dispute about free-will is beyond your capacity ; i shall therefore now trouble you with no more but this about it . your will is naturally a free , that is , a self-determining faculty , but it is vitiously inclined , and backward to good , and therefore we see by sad experience that it hath not a vertuous moral freedom . but that is the wickedness of it , which deserveth the punishment . and i pray you let us not befool our selves with opinions . let the case be your own . if you have an enemy so malicious , that he falls upon you , and beats you every time he meets you , and takes away the lives of your children , will you excuse him because he saith , [ i have not free will , it is my nature ; i cannot choose unless god give me grace . ] if you have a servant that robbeth you , will you take such an answer from him ? might not every thief and murderer that is hanged it the assize give such an answer , [ i have not free-will ; i cannot change my own heart : what can i do without gods grace ? ] and shall they therefore be acquit ? if not , why then should you think to be acquit for a course of sin against the lord ? 2. from hence also you may observe these three things together . 1. what a subtile tempter satan is . 2. what a deceitful thing sin is . 3. what a foolish creature corrupted man is . a subtile tempter indeed , that can perswade the greatest part of the world to go wilfully into ever●asting fire , when they have so many warnings and disswasives as they have . a deceitful thing is sin indeed , that can bewitch so many thousands to put with everlasting life , for a thing so base and utterly unworthy ! a foolish creature is man indeed , that will be so cheated of his salvation for nothing ; yea for a known nothing : and that by an enemy , and a known enemy . you would think it impossible that any man in his wits should be perswaded for a trifle to cast himself into the fire , or water , or into a coal-pit , to the destruction of his life . and yet men will be enticed to cast themselves into hell. if your natural lives were in your own hands , that you should not die till you would kill your selves ; how long would most of you live ? and yet when your everlasting life is so far in your own hands under god , that you cannot be undone till you undo your selves , how few of you will forbear your own undoing ? ah what a silly thing is man ! and what a bewitching and befooling thing is sin ? 3. from hence also you may learn , that it is no great wonder if wicked men be hinderers of others in the way to heaven , and would have as many unconverted as they can , and would draw them into sin , and keep them 〈◊〉 it ! can you expect that they should have any mercy on others , ●hat have none upon themselves ? ●nd that they should much stick at ●he destruction of others , that ●●ck not to destroy themselves ? they do no worse by others then ●hey do by themselves . 4. lastly , you may hence learn , that the greatest enemy to man is himself ; and the greatest judgement in this life that can befall him , is to be left to himself ; and that the great work that grace hath to do , is to save us from our selves , and the greatest accusations and complaints of men should be against themselves ; and that the greatest work that we have to do our selves , is to resist our selves ; and the greatest enemy that we should daily pray , and watch , and strive against , is our own carnal hearts and wills ; and the greatest part of your work , if you would do good to others , and help them to heaven , is to save them from themselves , even from their own blind understandings , and corrupted wills , and perverse affections , and violent passions , and unruly senses . i only name all these for brevity sake , and leave them to your further consideration . well sirs , now we have found out the great delinquent and murderer of souls , ( even mens selves , their own wills ) what remains but that you judge according to the evidence , and confess this great iniquity before the lord , and be humbled for it , and do so no more ? to these three ends distinctly , i shall add a few words more . 1. further to convince you . 2. to humble you . and 3. to reform you , if there be yet any hope . 1. we know so much of the exceeding gracious nature of god , who is willing to do good , and delighteth to shew mercy , that we have no reason to suspect him of being the culpable cause of our death , or to call him cruel : he made all good , and he preserveth and maintaineth all ; the eyes of all things do wait upon him ; and he giveth them their meat in due season ; he openeth his hand , and satisfieth the desires of all the living , psalm 145.15 , 16. he is not only righteous in all his waies , ( and therefore will deal justly ) and holy in all his works , ( and therefore not the author of sin ) but [ he is also good to all , and his tender mercies are over all his works . ] psal. 145.17 , 9. but as for man , we know his mind is dark , his will perverse , his affections carry him so headlong , that he is fitted by his folly and corruption to such a work as the destroying of himself . if you saw a lamb lie killed in the way , would you sooner suspect the sheep , or the dog , or woolf , to be the author of it , if they both stood by ? or if you see an house broken and the people murdered , would you sooner suspect the prince or iudge , that is wise and just , and had no need ; or a known thief or murderer ? i say therefore as iames 1.13 , 14 , 15. let no man say when he is tempted , that he is tempted of god , for god cannot be tempted with evil , neither tempteth be any man , ( to draw him to sin ) but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust , and enticed . then when lust hath conceived , it bringeth forth sin : and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death . ] you see here , that sin is the brat of your own concupiscence , and not to be fathered on god ; and that death is the off-spring of your own sin , and the fruit which it will yield you as soon as it is ripe . you have a treasure of evil in your selves as a spider hath of poyson : from whence you are bringing forth hurt to your selves and spinning such webs as en●●ngle your own souls . your nature shews , it s you that are the cause . 2. it s evident that you are your own destroyers , in that you are so ready to entertain any temptation almost that is offered you . satan is scarce readier to move you to any evil , then you are ready to hear , and do as he would have you . if he would tempt your understanding to error and prejud●ce , you yield . if he would hinder you from good resolutions , it is soon done . if he would cool any good desires or affections , it is soon done . if he would kindle any lust or vile affections and desires in you , it is soon done : if he will put you on to evil thoughts , or words , or deeds , you are so free that he needs not rod or spur : if he would keep you from holy thoughts , and words , and waies , a little doth it ; you need no curb . you examine not his suggestions , nor resist them with any resolution , nor cast them out as he casts them in , nor quench the sparks which he endeavoureth to kindle : but you set in with him , and meet him half way , and embrace his motions , and tempt him to tempt you . and its easie to catch such greedy fish that are ranging for a bait , and will take the bare hook . 3. your destruction is evidently long of your selves , in that you resist all that would help to save you , and would do you good , or hinder you from undoing your selves god would help and save you by his word , and you resist it , it is too strict for you . he would sanctifie you by his spirit , and you resist , and quench it . if any man reprove you for your sin , you fly in his face with evil words ; and if he would draw you to an holy life , and tell you of your present danger , you give him little thanks , but either bid him look to himself , he shall not answer for you ; or else at best , you put him off with an heartless thanks , and will not turn when you are perswaded . if ministers would privately instruct and help you , you will not come at them ; your unhumbled souls do feel but little need of their help . if they would catechize you , you are too old to be catechised , though you are not too old to be ignorant and unholy . whatever they can say to you for your good , you are so self-conceited and wise in your own eyes , ( even in the depth of ignorance ) that you will regard nothing that agreeth not with your present conceits , but contradict your teachers , as if you were wiser then they ; you resist all that they can say to you , by your ignorance and wilfulness , and foolish cavils , and shifting evasions , and unthankfull rejections , so that no good that is offered can find any welcome acceptance and entertainment with you . 4. moreover its apparent that you are self-destroyers , in that you draw the matter of your sin and destruction even from the blessed god himself . you like not the contrivances of his wisdom : you like not his justice , but take it for cruelty : you like not his holiness , but are ready to think he is such a one as your selves , psal. 50.21 . and makes as light of sin as you : you like not his truth , but would have his threanings , even his peremptory threatnings prove false . and his goodness which you seem most highly to approve , you partly resist , as it would lead you to repentance ; and partly abuse , to the strengthning of you sin , as if you might the freelyer sin , because god is merciful , and because his grace doth so much abound . yea you fetch destruction from ●he blessed redeemer , and death from the lord of life himself . and nothing more emboldneth you in sin , then that christ hath died for you ; as if now the danger of death were over , and you might boldly venture : as if christ were become a servant to satan and your sins , and must wait upon you while you are abusing him : and because he is become the physitian of souls , and he is able to save to the utmost all that come to god by him , you think he must suffer you to refuse his help , and throw away his medicines , and must save you whether you will come to god by him or no : so that a great part of your sins are occasioned by your bold presumption , upon the death of christ. not considering that he came to redeem his people from their sins , and to sanctifie them a peculiar people to himself , and to conform them in holiness to the image of their heavenly father and to their head , mat. 1.21 . tit. 2.14 . 1 pet. 1.15 , 16. col. 3.10 , 11. phil. 3.9 , 10. 6. you also fetch your own destruction from all the providences and works of god. when you think of his eternal fore-knowledge and decrees , it is to harden you in your sin , or possess your minds with quarrelling thoughts , as if his decrees might spare you the labour of repentance and an holy life , or else were the cause of your sin and death . if he afflict you , you repine : if he prosper you , you the more forget him , and are the backwarder to the thoughts of the life to come . if the wicked prosper , you forget the end that will set all reckonings strait , and are ready to think , it s as good be wicked as godly . and thus you draw your death from all . 7. and the like you do from all the creatures and mercies of god to you . he giveth them to you as the tokens of his love , and furniture for his service , and you turn them against him , to the pleasing of your flesh . you eat and drink to please your appetite , and not for the glory of god , and to enable you for his work . your cloathes you abuse to pride . your riches draw your hearts from heaven , phil. 3.18 . your honours and applause do puff you up : if you have health and strength , it makes you more secure and forget your end . yea other mens mercies are abused by you to your hurt . if you see their honours and dignity , you are provoked to envy them . if you see their riches , you are ready to covet them . if you look upon beauty , you are stirred up to lust , and it s well if godliness be not an eye-fore to you . 8. the very gifts that god bestoweth on you , and the ordinances of grace which he hath instituted for his church , you turn to sin . if you have better parts then others , you grow proud and self-conceited : if you have but common gifts , you take them for special grace . you take the bare hearing of your duty for so good a work , as if it would excuse you for not obeying it . your prayers are turned into sin , because you regard iniquity in your hearts , psalm 66.18 . and depart not from iniquity when you call on the name of the lord , 2 tim. 2.19 . your prayers are abominable , because you turn away your ear from hearing the law , prov. 28.9 . and are more ready to offer the sacrifice of fools , ( thinking you do god some special service ) then to hear his word and obey it , eccles. 5.1 . you examine not your selves before you receive the supper of the lord , but not discerning the lords body , do eat and drink judgement to your selves , 1 cor. 11.28 , 29. 9. yea the persons that you converse with , and all their actions , you make the occasions of your sin and destruction . if they live in the fear of god , you hate them . if they live ungodlily , you imitate them : if the wicked are many , you think you may the more boldly follow them ; if the godly be few , you are the more emboldened to despise them . if they walk exactly , you think they are too precise ; if one of them fall in a particular temptation , you stumble upon them , and turn away from holiness , because that others are imperfectly holy : as if you were warranted to break your necks , because some others have by their heedlesness sprained a sinnew or put out a bone . if an hypocrite discover himself , you say , they are all alike , and think your selves as honest as the best . a professor can scarce slip into any miscarriage , but because he cuts his finger , you think you may boldly cut your throats . if ministers deal plainly with you , you say they rail . if they speak gently or coldly , you ei●her sleep under them , or are little more affected then the seats you sit upon . if any errours creep into the church , some greedily entertain them , and others reproach the christian doctrine for them , which is most against them . and if we would draw you from any ancient rooted errour , which can but plead two , or three , or six , or seven hundred years custom , you are as much offended with a motion for reformation , as if you were to lose you lives by it , and hold fast old errors , while you cry out against new ones . scarce a difference can arise among the ministers of the gospel , but you will fetch your own death from it . and you will not hear , or at least not obey the unquestionable doctrine of any thing that jumps not with your conceits : one will not hear a minister , because he readeth his sermon : and another will not hear him , because he doth not read them . one will not hear him , because he saith the lords prayer : and another will not hear him , because he doth not use it . one will not hear them that are for episcopacy : and another will not hear them that are against it . and thus i might shew it you in many other cases , how you turn all that comes near you to your own destruction , so clear is it that the ungodly are self-destroyers , and that their perdition is of themselves . me thinks , now upon the consideration of what is said , and the review of your own waies , you should bethink you what you have done , and be ashamed and deeply humbled to remember it . if you be not , i pray you consider these following truths . 1. to be your own destroyers , is to sin against the deepest principle in your natures , even the principle of self preservation . every thing naturally desireth or inclineth to its own felicity , well-fare or perfection . and will you set your selves to your own destruction ? when you are commanded to love your neighbours as your selves , it is supposed that you naturally love your selves . but if you love your neighbours no better then your selves , it seems you would have all the world be damned . 2. how extreamly do you cross your own intentions ! i know you intend not your own damnation , even when you are procuring it ; you think you are but doing good to your selves , by gratifying the desires of your flesh . but alas , it is but as a draught of cold water in a burning feaver , or as the scratching of an itching wild-fire , which increaseth the disease and pain . if indeed you would have pleasure , or profit , or honour , seek them where they are to be found , and do not hunt after them in the way to hell . 3. what pitty is it , that you should do that against your selves , which none else in earth or hell can do ! if all the world were combined against you , or all the devils in hell were combined against you , they could not destroy you without your selves , nor make you sin but by your own consent . and will you do that against your selves which no one else can do ? you have hateful thoughts of the devil , because he is your enemy , and endeavoureth your destruction . and will you be worse then devils to your selves ? why thus it is with you , if you had hearts to understand it : when you run into sin , and run from godliness , and refuse to turn at the call of god , you do more against your own souls , then men or devils could do besides . and if you should set your selves , and bend your wits to do your selves the greatest mischief , you could not devise to do a greater . 4. you are false to the trust that god hath reposed in you . he hath much entrusted you with your own salvation : and will you betray your trust ? he hath set you with all diligence to keep your hearts : and is this the keeping of them ? prov. 4.23 . 5. you do even forbid all others to pitty you , when you will have no pitty on your selves : if you cry to god in the time of your calamity , for mercy , mercy ; what can you expect , but that he should thrust you away , and say , [ nay thou wouldst not have mercy on thy self : who brought this upon thee but thy own wilfulness ? ] and if your brethren see you everlastingly in misery , how shall they pitty you that were your own destroyers , and would not be disswaded ? 6. it will everlastingly make you your own tormenters in hell to think on it , that you brought your selves wilfully to that misery . o what a griping thought it will be for ever to think with your selves , [ that this was your own doing ! that you were warned of this day , and warned again , but it would not do . that you wilfully sinned ; and wilfully turned away from god : that you had time as well as others , but you abused it : you had teachers as well as others , but you refused their instructions : you had holy examples , but you did not imitate them : you were offered christ , and grace , and glory , as well as others ; but you had more mind of your fleshly pleasures : you had a price in your hands , but you had not an heart to lay it out , proverbs 17.16 . can it choose but torment you to think of this your present folly ? o that your eyes were opened to see what you have done in the wilful wronging of your own souls ! and that you better understood those words of god , pro. 8 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36. hear instruction and be wise , and refuse it not : blessed is the man that heareth me , watching daily at my gates , waiting at the posts of my doors : for who so findeth me , findeth life , and shall obtain the favour of the lord. but he that sinneth against me , wrongeth his own soul : all they that hate me , love death . ] and now i am come to the conclusion of this work ; my heart is troubled to think how i shall leave you ; lest after this the flesh should still deceive you , and the world and the devil should keep you asleep , and i should leave you as i find you , till you awake in hell ; though in care of your poor souls , i am affraid of this , as knowing the obstinacy of a carnal heart , yet i can say with the prophet ieremy , 17.16 . [ i have not desired the woful day , the lord knoweth . ] i have not with iames and iohn desired that fire might come from heaven to consume them that refused jesus christ , luke 9.54 . but it is the preventing of the eternal fire that i have been all this while endeavouring : and o that it had been a needless work ! that god and conscience might have been as willing to spare me this labour , as some of you could have been . dear friends ! i am so loth you should lie in everlasting fire , and be shut out of heaven , if it be possible to prevent it , that i shall once more ask you , what do you now resolve ? will you turn or die ? i look upon you as a physitian on his patient in a dangerous disease : that saith to him [ though you are far gone , take this medicine , and forbear but these few things that are hurtful to you , and i dare warrant your life ; but if you will not do this , you are but a dead man. ] what would you think of such a man , if the physitian and all the friends he hath cannot perswade him to take one medicine to save his life , or to forbear one or two poysonous things that would kill him ? this is your case . as far as you are gone in sin , do but now turn and come to christ , and take his remedies , and your souls shall live . cast up your deadly sins by repentance , and return not to the poysonous vomit any more , and you shall do well . but yet if it were your bodies that we had to deal with , we might partly know what to do for you , though you would not consent . you might be held or bound , while the medicine were poured down your throats , and hurtful things might be kept from you . but about your souls it cannot so so , we cannot convert you against your wills . there is no carrying mad men to heaven in fetters . you may be condemned against your wills , because you sinned with your wills : but you cannot be saved against your wills . the wisdom of god hath thought meet to lay mens salvation or destruction exceeding much upon the choice of their own wills , that no man shall come to heaven , that chose not the way to heaven ; and no man shall come to hell , but shall be forced to say , i have the thing i chose : my own will did bring me hither . now if i could but get you to be willing , to be throughly , and resolvedly , and habitually willing , the work were more then half done . and alas , must we lose our friends , and must they lose their god , their happiness , their souls for want of this ? o god forbid ! it is a strange thing to me , that men are so inhuman● and stupid in the greatest matters that in lesser things are very civil and courteous , and good neighbours . for ought i know , i hav● the love of all , or almost all my neighbours , so far , that if i should send to ever a man in the town , or parish , or country , and request a reasonable courtesie of them , they would grant it me : and yet when i come to request of them the greatest matter in the world for themselves and not for me , i can have nothing of many of them but a patient hearing . i know not whether people think a man in the pulpit is in good sadness or not , and means as he speaks : for i think i have few neighbour , but if i were sitting familiarly with them , and telling them of what i have seen , or done , or known in ●he world , they would believe me , and regard what i say ; but when i tell thee from the infallible word of god , what they them●elves shall see and know in the world to come , they shew by their ●●●ves that they do either not beleve it , or not much regard it . if i met ever an one of them on the way , and told them , yonder is 〈◊〉 cole pit , or there 's a quick-sand , or there are thieves lie in wait for you ; i could perswade them to turn by : but when i tell them , that satan lyeth in wait for them , and that sin is poison to them , and that hell is not a matter to be jested with : they go on as if they did not hear me . truly neighbours , i am in as good earnest with you in the pulpit , as i am in any familiar discourse ; and if ever you will regard me , i beseech you let it be here . i think there is never a man of you all , but if my own soul lay at your wills , you would be willing to save it ( though ● cannot promise that you would leave your sin , for it . ) tell me ▪ thou drunkard , that art so crue● to me that speaks to thee , that thou wouldst not forbear a few cups of drink , if thou knewest it would save my soul from hell ? hadst thou rather i did burn there for ever then thou shouldst live soberly as other men do ? if so , may i not say , thou art an unmerciful monster , and not a man ? if i came hungry or naked to one of your doors , would you not part with more then a cup of drink to relieve me ? i am confident you would : if it were to save my life , i know you would ( some of you ) hazzard your own . and yet will you not be entreated to part with your sensual pleasures for your own salvation ? wouldst thou forbear an hundred cups of drink man , to save my life if it were in thy power , and wilt thou not do it to save thy own soul ? i profess to you sirs , i am as hearty a beggar with you this day for the saving of your own souls , as i would be for my own supply if i were forced to come a begging to your doors . and therefore if you would hear me then , hear me now . if you would pitty me then , be intreated now to pitty your selves . i do again beseech you , as if it were on my bended knees , that you would hearken to your redeemer , and turn that you may live . all you that have lived in ignorance , and carelesness , and presumption to this day : all you that have been drowned in the cares of the world , and have no mind of god and eternal glory : all you that are enslaved to your fleshly desires of meats and drinks , and sports , and lusts : and all you that know not the necessity of holiness , and never were acquainted with the sanctifying work of the holy ghost upon your souls ; that never embraced your blessed redeemer by a lively faith , and admiring and thankfu● apprehensions of his love , and that never felt an higher estimation of god and heaven , and an hear●ier love to them then to your fleshly prosperity and the things below . i earnestly beseech you not only for my sake , but for the lords sake , and for your souls sakes , that you go not on one day longer in your former condition , but look about you , and cry to god for converting grace , that you may be made new creatures , and may escape the plagues that are a little before you . and if ever you will do any thing for me , grant me this request , to turn from your evil waies and live . deny me any thing that ever i shall ask you for my self , if you will but grant me this . and if you deny me this , i care not for any thing else that you would grant me . nay as ever you will do any thing at the request of the lord that made you and redeemed you , deny him not this : for if you deny him this , he cares for nothing that you shall grant him . as ever you would have him hear your prayers , and grant your requests , and do for you at the hour of death and day of judgement , or in any of your extremities , deny not his request now in the day of your prosperity . oh sirs , believe it , death and judgement , and heaven and hell are other matters when you come near them , then they seem to carnal eyes afar off . then you would hear such a message as i bring you with more awakened regardful hearts . well , though i cannot hope so well of all , will hope that some of you are by this time purposing to turn and live ; and that you are ready to ask me , as the jews did peter , acts 2.37 . when they were pricked in their hearts , & said , men and brethren , what shall we do ? how might we come to be truly converted ? we are willing , if we did but know our duty . god forbid that we should choose destruction , by refusing conversion , as hitherto we have done . ] if these be the thoughts and purposes of your hearts , i say of you as god did of a promising people , deut. 5.28 , 29. [ they have well said , all that they have spoken ; o that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandements alwaies ! ] your purposes are good : o that there be but an heart in you to perform these purposes ! and in hope hereof i shall gladly give you direction what to do , and that but briefly , that you may the easier remember it for your practice . direction i. if you would be converted and saved , labour to understand the necessity and true nature of conversion : for what , and from what , and to what , and by what it is that you must turn . consider in what a lamentable condition you are till the hour of your conversion , that you may see it is not a state to be rested in . you are under the guilt of all the sins that ever you committed ; and under the wrath of god , and the curse of his law ; you are bondslaves to the devil , and daily imployed in his work , against the lord , your selves , and others : you are spiritually dead and deformed , as being void of the holy life , and nature , and image , of the lord. you are unfit for any holy work and do nothing that is truly pleasing unto god. you are without any promise or assurance of his p●otection : and live in continual danger of his justice , not knowing what hour you may be snatcht away to hell , and most certain to be damned if you die in that condition . and nothing short of conversion can prevent it . what ever civilities , or amendments , or vertues are short of true conversion , will never procure the saving of your souls . keep the true sense of this natural misery , and so of the necessity of conversion on your hearts . and then you must understand what it is to be converted : it is to have a new heart or disposition , and a new conversation . quest. 1. for what must you turn ? answ. for these ends following , which you may attain : 1. you shall immediately be made living members of christ , and have interest in him , and be renewed a●ter the image of god , and be adorned with all his graces , and quickned with a new and heavenly life , and lived from the tyrannie of satan , and the dominion of sin , and be justified from the curse of the law , and have the pardon of all the sins of your whole lives , and be accepted of god , and made his sons , and have liberty with boldness to call him father , and go to him by prayer in all your needs , with a promise of acceptance ; you shall have the holy ghost to dwell in you ▪ to s●nctifie and guide you : you shall have part in the brother-hood , communion and prayers of the saints : you shall be fitted for gods service , and be freed from the dominion of sin , and be usefull and a blessing to the place where you live ; and shall have the promise of this life , and that which is to come . you shall want nothing that is truly good for you , and your necessary afflictions you shall be enabled to bear ; you may have some taste of communion with god in the spirit , especially in all holy ordinances , where god prepareth a feast for your souls ; shall be heirs of heaven while you live on earth , and may for-see by faith the everlasting glory , and so may live and die in peace ; and you will never be so low , but your happiness will be incomparably greater then your misery . how precious is every one of these blessings , which i do but briefly name , and which in this life you may receive ! and then 2. at death your souls shall go to christ , and at the day of judgement both soul and body shall be justifyed and glorified , and enter into your masters joy : where your happiness will consist in these particulars . 1. you shall be perfected your selves : your mortal bodies shall be made immortal , and the corruptible shall put on incorruption ; you shall no more be hungry , or thirsty , or weary , or sick : nor shall you need to fear either shame , or sorrow , or death , or hell . your souls shall be perfectly freed from sin , and perfectly fitted for the knowledge , and love , and praises of the lord. 2. your imployment shall be to behold your glorified redeemer , with all your holy fellow . citizens of heaven : and to see the glory of the most blessed god , and to love him perfectly , and be beloved by him , and to praise him everlastingly . 3. your glory will contribute to the glory of the new jerusalem , the city of the living god , which is more then to have a private felicity to your selves . 4. your glory will contribute to the glorifying of your redeemer , who will everlastingly be magnified and pleased in you that are the travail of his soul : and this is more then the glorifying of your selves . 5. and the eternal majesty , the living god , will be glorified in your glory : both as he is magnified by your praises , and as he communicateth of his glory and goodness to you , and as he is plea●ed in you , and in the accomplishment of his glorious works , in the glory of the ●ew jerusalem , and of his son. all this the poo●est beggar of you that is converted , shall certainly and e●●l●sly enjoy . 2. you see for what you must turn : next you must understand , from what you must turn : a●d that is , ( in a word ) from your carnal self , which is the end of all the unconverted . f●om the flesh that would be pleased before god , and would still be enticing you thereto . from the world , that is the bait : and from the devil , that is the angler for souls and the deceiver . and so from all known and wilfull sin . 3. next you must know to what you must turn : and that is , to god as your end. to christ as the way to the father : to holiness as the way appointed you by christ : and so to the use of all the helps and means of grace afforded you by the lord. 4. lastly , you must know by what you must turn . and that is , by christ as the only redeemer , and intercessor : and by the holy ghost as the sanctifier : and by the word as his instrument or means : and by faith and repentance as the means and duties on your part to be performed . all this is of necessity . direction ii. if you will be converted and saved , be much in secret serious consideration . inconsiderateness undoes the world . withdraw your selves oft into retired secrecy , and there bethink you of the end why you were made , of the life you have lived , the time you have lost , the sin you have committed : of the love , and sufferings , and fulness of christ ; of the danger you are in ; of the nearness of death and judgement ; and of the certainty and excellency of the joys of heaven ; and of the certainty and terrour of the torments of hell ; and the eternity of both : and of the necessity of conversion and an holy life . steep your hearts in such considerations as these . direction iii. if you will be converted and saved , attend upon the word of god , which is the ordinary means . read the scripture , or hear it read , and other holy writings that do apply it constantly : attend on the publike preaching of the word . as god will lighten the world by the sun , and not by himself alone without it : so will he convert and save men by his ministers , who are the lights of the world , acts 26.17 , 18. mat. 5.14 . when he hath miraculously humbled paul , he sendeth him to ananias , acts 9.10 . and when he ha●h sent an angel to ●o●nelius , it is but to bid him send for peter , who must tell him what he is to believe and do . direction iv. betake your self to god in a course of earnest consta●t prayer : confess and lament your former lives , and beg his grace to illuminate and convert you . beseech him to pardon what is past , and to give you his spirit , and change your hearts and lives , and lead you in his waies , and save you from temptations . and ply this work daily and be not weary of it . direction v. presently give over your known and wil●ul sins . make a st●nd and go that way no further . be drunk no more : but avoid the place and occasion of it . cast away your lusts and sinful pleasures with detestation . curse , and swear , and rail no more : and if you have wronged any , restore , as zacheus did . if you will commit again your old sins , what blessing can you expect on the means for your conversion ? direction vi. presently , if possible , change your company , if it have hitherto been bad . not by forsaking your necessary relations , but your unnecessary sinful companions ; and joyn your selves with those that fear the lord , and enquire of them the way to heaven , acts 9.19 , 26. psal. 15.4 . direction vii . deliver up your selves to the lord iesus as the physitian of your souls ; that he may pardon you by his blood , and sanctifie you by his spirit , by his word and ministers , the instruments of the spirit . he is the way , the truth and the life ; there is no coming to the father but by him , iohn 14.6 . nor is there any other name under heaven , by which you can be saved , acts 4.12 . study therefore his person and natures , and what he hath done and suffered for you ; and what he is to you : and what he will be , and how he is fitted to the full supply of all your necessities . direction . viii . if you mean indeed to turn and live , do it speedily , without delay . if you be not willing to turn to day , you be not willing to do it at all . remember , you are all this while in your blood : under the guilt of many thousand sins , and under gods wrath , and you stand at the very brink of hell ; there is but a step between you and death . and this is not a case for a man that is well in his wits to be quiet in . up therefore presently and fly as for your lives : as you would be gone out of your house if it were all on fire over your head . o if you did but know what continual danger you live in , and what daily unspeakable loss you do sustain , and wha● a safer and sweeter life you might live , you would not stand tr●fl●ng , but presently turn . multitudes miscarry that wilful●y de●ay when they are convinced that it must be done . your lives are short and uncertain : and what a case are you in if you die before you throu●hly turn ! you have staid too long already : and wronged god too long ; sin getteth strength and rooting while you delay . your conversion will grow more hard and doubtful . you have much to do ; and therefore put not all off to the last , lest god forsake you , and give you up to your selves , and then you are undone for ever . direction ix . if you will turn and live , do it unreservedly , absolutely and universally think not to capitulate with christ , and devide your heart betwixt him and the world ; and to part with some sins , and keep the rest ; and to let go that which your flesh can spare . this is but self-deluding : you must in heart and resolution forsake all that you have , or else you cannot be his disciples , luke 14.26 , 33. if you will not take god and heaven for your portion ▪ and lay all below at the feet of christ , but you must needs also have your good things here , and have an earthly portion , and god and glory is not enough for you ; it is in vain to dream of salvation on these terms : for it will not be . if you seem never so religious , if yet it be but a carn●l religiousness , and the fleshes prosperity , or pleasure , or safety be still ex●epted in your devotedness to god , this is as certain a way to death as open prophaness , though it be more plausible . direction x. if you will turn and live , do it resolvedly , and stand not still deliberating , as if it were a doubtful case . stand not wavering as if you were yet uncertain , whether god or the flesh be the better master : or whether heaven or hell be the better end ; or whether sin or holiness be the better way . but away with your former lusts , and presently , habitually , fixedly resolve : be not one day of one mind , and the next of another ; but be at a point with all the world , and resolvedly give up your selves and all you have to god. now while you are reading or hearing this resolve . before you sleep another night resolve . before you stir from the place resolve . before satan have time to take you off , resolve . you never turn indeed till you do resolve ; and that with a firm unchangeable resolution . so much for the directions . and now i have done my part in this work , that you may turn at the call of god and live. what will become of it , i cannot tell . i have cast the seed at gods command ; but it is not in my power to give the increase . i can go no further with my message : i cannot bring it to your hearts , not make it work . i cannot do your parts for your , to entertain it and consider of it nor i cannot do gods part , by opening your heart● to cause you to entertain it : nor can i shew you heaven or hell to your eye-sight , nor give you new and tender hearts . if i knew what more to do for your conversion , i hope i should do it but 〈◊〉 thou that art the gracious father of spirits , that hast sworn th●n delightest not in the death of the wicked , but rather that they turn and live , deny not thy blessi●g to the●e perswasions and directions ; and suffer not thine enemies to triumph in thy sight ; and the great deceiver of souls , to prevail against the son , thy spirit , and thy word . o pitty poor vnconverted sinners , that have not hearts to pitty or help themselves . command the blind to see , and the deaf to hear , and the dead to live : and let not sin and death be able to resist thee . awaken the secure ; resolve the u●resolved ; confirm the wavering : and let the eyes of sinners that read these lines , be next employed in weeping over their sins ; and bring them to themselves and to thy son , before their sin have brought them to perdition . if th●u say but the word , these poor endeavours shall prosper to the winning of many a soul to their everlasting ioy , and thine everlasting glory , amen . finitur , 1656. decemb. 31. notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26872-e3420 mr. r. rowly of s●rew bury upon a●ham-bridge . a third defence of the cause of peace proving 1. the need of our concord, 2. the impossibility of it, on the terms of the present impositions against the accusations and storms of, viz., mr. john hinckley, a nameless impleader, a nameless reflector, or speculum, &c., mr. john cheny's second accusation, mr. roger l'strange, justice, &c., the dialogue between the pope and a fanatic, j. varney's phanatic prophesie / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1681 approx. 533 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 149 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a27046 wing b1419 estc r647 12625933 ocm 12625933 64641 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a27046) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 64641) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 344:5) a third defence of the cause of peace proving 1. the need of our concord, 2. the impossibility of it, on the terms of the present impositions against the accusations and storms of, viz., mr. john hinckley, a nameless impleader, a nameless reflector, or speculum, &c., mr. john cheny's second accusation, mr. roger l'strange, justice, &c., the dialogue between the pope and a fanatic, j. varney's phanatic prophesie / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [12], 132, 152 p. printed for jacob sampson ..., london : 1681. reproduction of original in dr. williams' library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england -controversial literature. clergy -england. dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 john latta sampled and proofread 2005-10 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a third defence of the cause of peace , proving 1. the need of our concord . 2. the impossibility of it , on the terms of the present impositions . against the accusations and storms of , viz. mr. john hinckley . a nameless impleader . a nameless reflector , or speculum , &c. mr. cheney's second accusation . mr. roger l'strange , justice , &c. the dialogue between the pope and a fanatic . varney's phanatic prophesie . by richard baxter . psalm 120. 6. 7. my soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace . i am for peace , but when i speak they are for war. rom. 3. 17. the way of peace they have not known . london , printed for jacob sampson , next to the wonder tavern in ludgate-street . 1681. readers , if this striving work be unpleasant to you , it must be much more so to me : it is not the least advantage that satan getteth against the church , that by other mens sins he can occasion that to become our duty , which else would be a sinfull loss of time , and against the peace of our selves and others . a multitude of heresies make it our duty , to read abundance of books , and study those languages , and trifling arts , which else were needless : and the multitude of erroneous , malignant , and other adversaries , and the variety of their assaults , maketh many defences , evidences , witnesses , and confutations necessary , which else would signifie that evil contentiousness , which the assaulters manifest . though the servant of the lord must not strive , yet must we contend earnestly for the faith , and must not forsake and betray truth and innocency . and the necessitated defender may do his duty , while the wilfull aggressor doth sinfully militate against truth , charity , and peace . and as we must love our enemies , so we take our selves bound much more , to love our tempted envyous brethren ; and if they use us as joseph , cast us into the pit and sell us as slaves , we will call them brethren still , and hope one day their repentance will render them more lovely than they are . and though some preach christ in envy , strife , and contention , to add to our affliction , and not sincerely , we rejoyce and will rejoyce that christ is preached : and though they would drive us out from the inheritance of the lord , 1 sam. 26. 19. we will not venture with david to curse them , but say as he in another pursuit , 2 sam. 15. 25. 26. carry back the ark of god into the city : if i shall find favour in the eyes of the lord , he will bring me again , and shew me both it and his habitation . but if he thus say , i have no delight in thee , behold , here am i , let him do to me as seemeth good to him . in my endeavours for peace these thirty four years , as i have been put to publish many things which i had rather might have been spared , so i have written to satisfie others , the quantity of many volumes , which i cast away as unnecessary to the world. but some men that i have dealt with , will not give me and the reader such an indulgence . mr. dodwell is one who shall have his answer by it self . mr. hinkley is another , to whose last letter i wrote an answer about nine years ago : but he would not so bury his talent , but hath printed my former letters with his answer , and so called and constrained me to publish my last reply . fame reporteth that the impleader is mr. long of exeter , who heretofore wrote an accusing book , of which i gave him a private epistolary animadversion . who the reflector or the author of the speculum is i know not , the subject calleth me to no particular answer . he and mr. roger le strange , who argue in the same mood and figure , make me little work : which concerneth others , they mistook the question , as if it had been , what the world should think of me . in which i leave them to their liberty without much contradiction . but our question is first , whether the concord of protestants being supposed necessary , the silencing , imprisoning , fining , and banishing from corporations , all ministers that take conformity to the present impositions to be a sin , be the way of peace and concord , either probable or possible to attain the end . mr. john cheny , i judge a godly serious man : who being neer me and familiar with me , never told me a word of his exceptions , nor gave me the least touch of a private admonition for all the atheism , infidelity , wickedness , abomination , destroying all religion &c. which he accuseth me of in print : and his book is so dismal a piece of work , in its extraordinary privation of common reason , truth , charity , tenderness and modesty , that i am constrained to think that the honest man is diseasedly melancholly : and i have known some well meaning men in that disease , that are so tenacious of all their own conceptions , that they are still fiercely confident that the grossest things that they hold and say are right , and passionately reject all that is said against them . whom he hath reported to be his instigator , i shall not here proclaim . the dialogue between the pope and a phanatick , and varney's prophesie , i leave the reader to answer himself , as he findeth cause . if any man think it a service to god to accuse me and others , and justifie our silencing and the imposed penalties , i intreat him to remember the ninth commandement , and that god and his church need not lies for their service , but it s he that is both the father of them , and a lyar from the beginning . that was a lying spirit in the mouth of all ahabs prophets , ( even of him that smote mica●ah , for supposing the spirit of god departed from him , ) and whose work on earth against christ and souls , is done by deceit , and wrath , and hurtfulness ; imitating him will disgrace your cause and you : and light will not so easily be hid . great is truth and will finally prevaile . and all the waves do but break themselves , who dash against this impregnable rock . i call this book , a third defence of the cause of peace , with respect to two former , one in answer to the accusation of mr. john cheny , the other in answer to dr. edward stillingfleet , men whom i once thought more unlikely than most other to become our accusers . all mr. gouge's works . political and military observations of the court and camp of france during the late wars in flanders , germany , &c. sacramental meditations upon divers select places of scripture , wherein believers are assisted in preparing their hearts , and exciting their affections and graces , when they draw nigh to god in that most awful solemn ordinance of the lords supper . by john flavel minister of christ , in devon. 12o. price 1 s. 6 d. a peaceable resolution of conscience touching our present impositions , wherein loyalty and obedience are proposed and settled upon their true foundation in scripture , reason , and constitution of this kingdom against all resistance of the present powers , and with compliance with the laws so far as may be in order to union . with a draught or specimen of a bill for accommodation . octavo , price 2 s. the narrative of rob. bolron of shippon-hall , gent. concerning the late horrid polish plot and conspiracy , for the destruction of his majesty and the protestant religion : wherein is contained , 1. his informations upon oath before his majesty in council , and before several justices of the peace , of the said design , and the means by which he arrived at the knowledge thereof . 2. some particular applications made to himself to assist those design'd in the murdering of his majesty ; the persons by whom such applications were made , and the reward promised . 3. the project of the popish party to erect a nunnery at dolebanck near ripely in yorkshire , together with the names of some nuns , actually design'd for that imployment , and taking the profession upon them : as also an account of a certain estate of 90 l. per annum , given by sir thomas gascoigne to the nunnery for ever . with other remarkable passages relating to the horrid piot . together with an account of the endeavours that were used by the popish party to stifle his evidence . the narrative of lawrence mowbray of leeds in the county of york , gent. concerning the bloody popish conspiracy against the life of his sacred majesty , the government , and the protestant religion : wherein is contained , 1. his knowledge of the said design from the very first in the year 1676 ; with the opportunity he had to be acquainted therewith , and the reasons why he concealed it so long : with the manner of his discovering the said wicked project to his majesty , and his most honourable privy council . 2. how far sir thomas gascoigne , sir miles stapleton , &c. are ingaged in the design of killing the king , and fireing the city of london and york , for the more speedy setting uppermost the popish religion in england . 3. an account of the assemblings of many popish priests and jesuits at father rishton's chamber , at sir gascoigue's house at barmebow ; with their , consultations and determinations : with other considerable matters relating to the plot. together with an account of the endeavours that were used to stifle his evidence , by making an attempt upon his life in leicester fields : price 6 d. a memento for the english protestants , &c. with an answer to that part of the compendium which reflects on the bishop of lincoln's late book . quarto : price stitcht 6 d. naked truth , the first part : being the true state of the primitive church . by an humble moderator : price stitcht one shilling . causa dei ; or an apology for god : wherein the perpetuity of insernal torments is evinced , and divine goodness and justice ( that notwithstanding ) defended , &c. by richard burthogge , m. d. tulli's elect orations . gouge's works , octavo . horrid popish plot in a pack of cards a second pack , continuing a representation of their villainous design , from the publication of the first pack to the last sessions of parliament , begun octob. 21. 1680. an ansvver to m r. hinckley . sir , i have perused yours , ( i think impartially ) and to tell you my judgment of it , i perceive , is like to offend you more . i find it is natural to men to desire to be thought to be in the right , and to have said well , and done well , be it never so ill . it is some honour to truth and goodness , that the names and reputation of them seem desirable to those that cannot endure the things ; yea , that the things are never loathed or opposed formally as such , but for their opposition to somewhat , that is more loved . and it is some help to the depression of falshood and sin , that it is ashamed of its own name , and cannot endure to see its own face , which hath ever inclined it to break the glass ; though to its greater shame , when every piece will shew that ugliness which was shewed but by the whole before . if nothing else had notified it to us , one might have strongly suspected that you are of that tribe , who take themselves to be persecuted when they may not domineer , and when others may but preach and live without their consent ; by your excessive tenderness and impatience , calling it poyson , hornets , and abundance of such smarting angry names , if a man that is cast out of god's vineyard as well as his maintenance among many hundreds more , do but plainly in a private letter speak for himself , and shew the injustice of your printed accusations . o! that you were all but the thousandth part as tender , ( i will not say of your brethrens sufferings ) but of the danger of many thousand perishing starved souls ? i shall only tell you this much in general , that i now perceive you are used but for a temptation to me , to lose my time , by the neglect of better work. and that you do so notoriously bawk the truth , and hide untruth in a heap of confident rhetorical flourishes ; that while you are of this temperament , i will not undertake to prove to you that two and two are four. 1. my beginning was taken from your ending ; where you wrote [ you will satisfie your self , as little as you will do others ] and what others mind know you better than your own ? and sure that which satisfieth not you , doth you no good as to its proper end , what ever it may do by accident some other way . yet it seems you forgot that you had written this , and that was warrant enough for all your confident impertinencies on that occasion . sandy foundations , light and darkness , hornets nests , rushing into the midst of the pikes , waking dragons , the golden fleece , &c. come all in upon this your oversight : and you seem to think that you have acquit your self well . 2. you tell me of bringing the controversie to an issue by dint of scripture , whether you sin in conforming . is this fairly done , to pretend that to be the controversie which i never undertook to meddle with ? could you possibly forget , 1. that you were the plaintiff and accuser in print , not content that your brethren were forbidden to preach christ , and that many of them live in great poverty and want ? you wrote a book of reproachful oratory , with no strength of argument worthy an answer , to make them seem the flagitious causes of their own silence and sufferings : against which , they ( that meddled not with you ) had nothing to do but to justifie themselves . 2. that in this book you vehemently importune me , who never knew you , nor meddled with you , to give the world the reasons of my non-conformity . 3. that hereupon the question that i treated about with you , was , how i may have leave to do it . and whether it be ingenious thus publickly to urge me to that which you know i cannot do . this was all the controversie i had with you . i tell you again , i would go on my knees to any bishop in england , to procure but license for my self alone , ( much more my brethren ) to write and print the reasons of our non-conformity , after nine years silence , suffering , and accusation ; that the world and posterity may but once hear us speak for our selves : and i would be engaged to leave out all such plain expressions as now offend you . but to begin such a work , when i know i cannot print it ; or to enter a dispute with you in this rambling way , ( whose books and letters tell me that you will syllogize in aristophanes , or lucian's moods and figures ; and whose logick will take up no greater room among your oratorical diversions , evasions , subterfuges , and flosculi , than a spoonful of wine in a gallon of water , which will leave it water still . i shall not easily be drawn to this , having lost so much time upon you already , as i have done : therefore you here bring in your serpents head and tail and fable , upon a false supposition of the subject of our debates . § . 1. here first , you would have your book go for innocent ; no wonder : impenitence is no rarity , among those whose office is to preach repentance : and therefore so many of them go without the fruits of it , matth. 7. 22 , 23. and he that can write against truth , can defend it by untruth . 2. you untruly suppose me to undertake the confutation of your book . but who hath so little to do , as to shew particularly of each page and line of a bundle of impotent oratorian revilings , how little logick or truth is in them . 3. you untruly suppose me not to have opened the faultiness of any page of your book : let the impartial judge . 4. in all , you shew the strange unacquaintedness with your self , and your own , which you cannot endure to be told of . a calumniating volume of yours is innocent , and affordeth no matter for blame or repentance : but to be told so , is to let fall such drops on you as make you smart ( you say ) as if there had been poyson in them . if we that are forbidden to eat a bit , or wear a rag of the levites portion , or come within five miles of any corporation , or preach christ to the most ignorant miserable souls ; do but think and say , it is hard usage : we add to our guilt , and deserve yet worse , because we do not toto pectore telum recipere : or as camero , unbutton our doublets , and cry , feri miser . but if we tell you of it , when you voluminously play with reproaches upon them , that you are utterly unable to prove guilty and confute ; oh , it maketh you smart like poyson . guilt is always tender , but most in the domineering tribe . they are contemned and scorned , if we take not their strokes for stroakings , and their calumnies for kindness : and to tell them that their slanders are injuries , is to call them to veil their bonnets to us , and we are popular rabbies ( for being against the rabbies ) if the people ( that know them and us , will not ( because they cannot ) believe all the falshoods which such report of us , who find no readier and surer steps for their ascension to their desired heights . § . 2. first , here you would be my t●●●r in logick , to teach me that the species is no● comprehended in the genus . and that i transgr●ss the laws of discourse , in supposing that what was spoken against the non-conformists , as such , was spoken against the presbyterian non-conformists . this is my inclosing and limiting : as if i had offended by saying , that you say that against man , which you say against an animal as such . and this talk needs a confutation ? but was not the discipline calumniated , which i noted a sufficient explication of your sense . 2. and here you condensate your untruths : as first , that there were but few who were not then tantum non independants , which the age you live in knows to be false . 2. that i intimate , that they are all of a sudden become presbyterians , because presbyterians are a part of them : so part and whole are not distinguishable by the logick of the gamaliels , whose instruction i mist of . when i have oft published , that ( besides scotland , lancashire , and london ) i knew no great number of ministers that received the presbyterian model : but almost all those in the county where you live ( worcestershire ) declared , that they agreed to joyn in the practice of so much of church discipline , as the episcopal presbyterians and independents were all agreed in ; and on those grounds to unite for the promoting of the peoples instruction and salvation , without dividing for the controverted parts , or laying a greater stress on them , than there was cause for ; yet here you have occasion to talk of the transmutation of elements , &c. § . 3. here you want conviction still ! if so , i will not undertake to convince you of any thing in the world which you are unwilling to know . offer the case to an uninterested stranger , and take his judgment . tell him this truth [ eighteen hundred ministers are at once forbidden to preach christ according to their ordination vow : and when upon that dedication they had alienanated themselves from all other ways of employment and livelihood , they and their families are cast upon alms in a time of extraordinary poverty , except some of them that had somewhat of their own : none of all these are put out for ignorance , insufficiency , or any crime or scandal at all ; but for not subscribing assent and consens to all things ( without exception ) in three books written by men that profess that general councils are fallible , even in matters of faith : and for not declaring , that no man ( that vowed it ) is obliged to endeavour in his place and calling , any alteration of the present church government ( which some think the unsworn as much bound to endeavour , as to reform the worst alehouse or tavern in the land : especially whilst lay-men govern by the keys of excommunication and absolution ) and for not swearing and unswearing , &c. as is known , with such like things . these men thus ejected and silenced , are forbidden , upon severe penalties , ecclesiastical and corporal , to speak any thing in depravation of the government of the church , the liturgy or ceremonies , and under the penalty of total ruine in this world : to say that any man is bound by the national vow to endeavour any alteration as aforesaid . a law forbiddeth printers to print any unlicensed book , upon penalty of losing all the copies , paper , and print ; besides , answering for all therein contained . the company in london is called together , and constrained ( as holding their charter by patent ; ) to make laws also among themselves , that any man that printeth an unlicensed book , or leaf , shall lose his freedom , and become uncapable of their trade ( and so be utterly undone . ) a conforming minister ( for ends best known to himself ) writeth a book called a perswasive to conformity , which containeth not the twentieth part of the argument commonly before used by others ; saravia , hammond , downame , bilson , burges , fulwood , &c. ) which the non-conformists are supposed to have studied : but florid oratorical , confident calumnies , most of the book importing ; an ignoratio elenchi : and in this book he vehemently urgeth one man particularly , that never saw him , nor meddled with him ; to publish to the world , an account of the reasons of his non-conformity . this one man tells him , that no licenser will license it : that he hath not printed without license , before his importunity since the act : that some few printers through poverty have ventured on a few sheets , which they could quickly slip out of the way . but now severity having encreased their penalty , he knoweth not of one man that will venture so far : that if they would , it will do him no good , who hath so much to say against conformity , as a few sheets will not contain ; and he knoweth not of that man living that would print : and , that should he do it , he must look for such an imprisonment as is likely to be his death : and therefore he thinketh that his time and life may be more usefully employed ; especially when experience assureth him , that such a writing would passionately displease the prelates of the church , and such as call for it . and therefore that he did not ingenuously that clamoured thus for an account , when he knew that all these manacles were on our hands : yet will not this man be convinced but his clamour was reasonable and innocent , because in a few sheets that accidentally had an advantage to see the light , ( being both for the kings and the churches government ) he met with a few words which he thought were not to be licensed . and if this were published without license , it was most long of himself , since his foresaid urgency , no such thing being done before , nor do i know how to procure the like again . this is the true case ; and now let any sober person , christian , or heathen , judge betwen us , whether any thing could have hardned you into an impossibility of conviction , but the great aversness to humiliation and repentance , and selfish inclination to be righteous in your own eyes ? no wonder if no man be justified as legally innocent , when a bare confession of a deliberate printed sin , as visible as a beam in the eye ( as christ meant it ) is so hardly obtained with some men : and ( because with what measure men meet , it shall be measured to them again . ) wonder not if you meet with auditors like your self : suppose that you whose office is to preach men to repentance , do hear the perjured , the drunkards , blasphemers , the f●rnicators say , this man is a rayler , he drops smarting poyson upon us in his sermons ; when we hear him , we deal with a woolf , and put our hands into a hornets nest ; bitterness and reviling is his dialect ; we are innocent , and all that he saith doth not convince us . what would you say to such returns ? but too many think that it is their work to preach repentance , and other mens to repent . as for magistrates forbidding faithful ministers to preach the christian faith , where there are not enough more to do the work : cannot you be content with the honour , comfort , and reward of approving it , and suffer such to be without it , as refuse it . but when you say [ alas , church censures without the magistrate are but brutum fulmen ] i will presume to tell you ; 1. that you seem to me to come near to blasphemy , to intimate that christ ordained so vain a discipline : what ? and yet be the infallibe teacher and king of the church . but if you think that he did not institute it , tell us so plainly , and pretend not more to an unalterable divine institution , which all of us must swear never to endeavour an alteration of . or if you think that christ did institute church discipline to be exercised , only when the sword will second it ; say so , that we may know your mind . and then 2ly , do you not make the apostles and the primitive church for above 300 years , to have abused the world with this brutum fulmen . if you talk of the apostles power of seconding it by miraculous penalties . i answer , 1. it cannot be proved that they did so ordinarily , but only extraordinarily . 2. all pastors and churches then had not that power , that yet were obliged to exercise discipline . 3. the church for 300 years had not that power every where . 4. and discipline was to operate propria virtute , and not only by miracles . so that you reproach the apostles , and all the ancient churches . 3. do you not reproach all the ancient councils and canons of those times , as making such a stir in the world about a brutum fulmen . 4. do you not reproach constantine , and other christian emperors , who for a considerable time adjoyned not the sword at all to the churches keys , except to remove some great patriarch that had influence on the state ; and long after did only force them to a quiet submission to the discipline , without the addition of another penalty , or constraining any to say , they did repent . how long was it before the church took a man to be meet for her communion in the lords supper , that had but rather say , that he repented , than have all taken from him , and lie in prison . 5. do you not here tell us what you trust to , even the magistrates sword alone : and do you not disgrace your cause and function , in telling the world in plain english , that without the sword , prelatical discipline is but brutum fulmen ? what then would your church be , should the king leave it only to an equal toleration with all other parties . 6. and do you not highly honour us non-conformists , that desire no greater matters , than bare leave to exercise christs discipline without the sword , on volunteers ; we would have no more . if any have formerly desired more , we disown it . the scots indeed had more , but when cromwell left them but their liberty , their discipline proved not brutum fulmen . and truly i see not how those few among them that are against the supremacy of the king , circa sacra , if there be any such , can expect any further protection or help by his sword , than a bare toleration . let us but preach and use this brutum fulmen , and then enjoy your lordships , honours , and all that is desired . and why are you so greatly afraid of a brutum fulmen in our hands , when you confess it to be no better in your own . § . 4. if you cannot see your contradictions , repeating them will not open your eyes . as for valentine and orson , and knights errant , i give you the honour of being better acquainted with them , than i am . 2. and next you teach us , that according to your school , a question may be false . well! so let it be , you shall there have the better also . i knew no more but that some kind of questioning might imply a proposition which is false . but i will not strive with you , if you are wiser . the question was , [ how many of these ministers have little more learning than the english books have taught them . ] if this question be false , false let it be : i cannot make it true , i would i knew what [ how many ] fignifieth . and what could i do more to detect your falshood , than name you many that dwell about you , seven neare you i named . and now ( o the power of innocency and worth ) all those for their gravity , sobriety , learning and peaceableness , you have as much esteem for as i can have ] and really i hope as bad as they , and their adversaries judge each other , were they all better acquainted with each other , the rest would constrain their afflicters themselves to such a praise and approbation , an inconsiderable number only excepted . but who else should i name in the county where you live , and near you , mr. joseph baker , mr. benjamin baxster , mr. george hopkins , mr. waldern , &c. are dead . those living are mr. ambrose sparrey , ( your predecessour at hampton ) mr. andrew tristram , mr. kimberley , mr. osland , mr. badland of worcester , mr. sergeant , dr. richard morton , mr. stephen baxter , mr. richard dowley , mr. cowper , mr. paston , mr. read , i cannot remember all . tell me how many and which of those you mean. the elder about you dead , were on our side , mr. arthur salway , mr. john hall , mr. thomas hall , ( your next neighbour ) mr. smith at dudley , mr. smith at stoke , ( a younger man ) and not far of mr. anthony burgess , mr. blake , &c. which of these mean you ? and what if you can name one unlearned man , in forty or fifty . if he be but a meer nonconformist , and not of some such sect , with whom we have not much more affinity than with the papists ( who conform not , and yet say they are nearer to you than to us ) i doubt , that odd unlearned man , should he but conform , would be a great ornament to your present church . but what course can one better take to silence such calumnies , and to convince posterity of such mens incredibility , than to name the persons round about ? how many hundred worthy men in london , and a few counties of my acquaintance could i name you . and you say , it is a usual stratagem with us , to possess particular persons with an opinion that you detract from them : it is bad arguing syllogizare ex particulari ] excellent logick ! he that condemneth the non-conformists , and the ejected ministers as meer illiterate , doth not condemn the individuals , though it came in with an how many . ] i never said , that you condemn them all ; but i askt you , as you did me , how many . and is this like syllogizing ex particulari . ] do you intimate an accusation against many of them ; and when i name almost all of that county neer you , will you absolve them all ? 2. next you say [ those i intended have your suffrage ] because i said [ i had rather have a meer english divine , than an hebrew or a syriac sot. it seems you are of another mind : a sot will serve to preach divinity , and seek mens salvation , we feel the judgment of more than you ; and this was enough to set you upon blew aprons , &c. how forgot you tub-preachers ? 3. and you would fain steal some honour to your self from the universities as a defender of them : o happy advantage ! but who accused them ? i said [ i am grown of late years to take it for no very great honour to our young preachers , that they are acquainted with the universities . ] and you put [ it is ] for [ i take it ] and so i take it still . but late years signifieth not [ always ] nor [ our young preachers ] all [ preachers . doth he that dishonoureth the university , deserve honour for being at the university ? what young ones you have i know not ; but our young ones that i speak of , do not yet go about to change my mind . do you think all those named ( though he did not well ) by the glocester cobler ralph wallis , are an honour to the university , or it to them : i still take it for no very great honour , ( i said not none ) for any ignorant , idle lad , to have been at the university : but sure i obtruded not this judgment on you or any other ! yet here is place for corah's holy congregation , eclipsing the two luminaries , agamemnon , the sodomites , and more such stuff . and shall it be the controversie , whether you or i have written more for learning and universities ; and which of us did more to save them from the anabaptists and other fanaticks when they were endangered ? the visible evidences shall decide the case . you may be more beholden to the universities than i ; but i have done more than wish their prosperity as well as you . but quidvis ex quovis is your way . there went about eleven or twelve out of kederminster parish and school to the university and ministry in my time , and many since : if you please enquire of the difference . 3. and when you tell me , that i deal no better with the primitive fathers ; i first ask you , how could you make shift to be ignorant how ill you use the ancient presbyters , yea and bishops of the church your self ? were they not mostly blew aprons with you , and such as you disdain for want of hebrew , &c. know you not that the paucity of learned presbyters was the true cause that the few that were such , got the place , and honour , and power of bishops above the rest : and how few philosophers turned christians then ? and how long it was before the christians had many considerable schools , much less universities ? and what men the common presbyters were ; yea , and the bishops for the most part ? alexandria by pantaenus , clemens and origen kept up some competent learning ; basil , nazianzen , nissen , chrysostom , were fain to go to such as libanius , and to athens ; except those forenamed , and justin martyr , and tertullian before them , and hierom after : how few either linguists or philosophers had we : and yet do not you account those holy and worthy men , blew aprons , such as ignatius , polycarpus , irenaeus , yea and cyprian , almost all the bishops of rome , graeg . neocaesar . antonius , ab. pachomius , macarius ; yea epiphanius himself , ephrem syrus , isidore pelesiota , ambrose , philastrius , theoph. alexand , ruffinus , gaudentius , maximus , &c. besides simeon stillita , and all the holy famous monks ; yea augustinus himself , the best rational divine had little enough of the tongues . their writings easily prove all this , with the historical descriptions of others concerning them . i said [ i think it so short a work to read the few brief writers of the three first centuries , as maketh it more a dishonour to be ignorant of them , than any great honour to be acquainted with them . ] instead of this you feign me to say ( it is no great honour to be acquainted with them . ) but is this true ? is a positive and a comparative assertion all one ? ] but it seems you are not of my mind : but take it for a greater honour for a minister to know them , than a dishonour to be ignorant of them : and who vilified them more then you or i ? if i say , that it is a greater dishonour to be ignorant of the alphabet , of the grammar , of the gospel , than honour to be acquainted with them , so as to know what is in them ; and you denied this , who vilified them most ? have you no greater matters than these to exercise your censorious faculty on : you know in how few months all the writers of the three first centuries may be read over . i pray you here leave every one to his liberty of judging : among you it shall be a greater honour to know them , than a dishonour to be ignorant of them : among us it shall be a greater dishonour to be ignorant of them , than an honour to know them . could you endure any to differ from you , this comprimize might serve : but the next time falsifie not my words . as for your intimation of some that cannot read them , do you not believe your self , that its true of ten conformists for one non-conformist : i remember but one nonconformable minister in worcester shire that was not of an university , and i conjecture that he can read the fathers : but by your speeches , what stranger would not take it to be used by you for their ordinary character , which you durst not charge on one by name in all the county that is an ordained minister when i provoked you ? doth not this savour of factious malignity ? as to the prepostecus method of reading late writers before the fa●hers , which you talk of : 1. papists and protestants in all universities have most usually done so , as far as i can hear . 2. some take both together . 3. i suppose that if one book be read this month , and another the next , it is not like to make any great alteration in knowledge which goeth first . 4. methinks still you cross your own intention , and tell men that those non-conformists honour the fathers more than you ; for the most judicious or necessary authors should be read with greatest judgment , and mature judgment is usually the greatest . if you would have boys learn the fathers at school , as they do tulli's offices before their larger catechisms , they would be lost , as tulli's offices usually is : and that which they have once read , though without judgment , they would think they need not read again . 5. do you believe that lads that never read any method of theology or catechism , could draw a good catechism or method out of the fathers first : suppose them to have begun at ( lem . romanus , and taken in dionis . areop . and ignatius , yea , and martialis apost . at a venture , true or false , and to have ended at the nicene council , yea or any where short of augustine : what a method think you would they draw up ? yea if they must go further and read all chrysostom , with his enemy epiphanius , and augustine with his hilary , prosper . and fulgentius , how would the lads reconcile their doctrinal disagreements , and then draw one method out of both parties ? 6. do you not condemn the church of england , which did not send men first to the fathers for a method , but drew them up catechism first , and then a book of articles , or confession , and nowell's catechism is authorised by them , and then an apology , and a book of homilies , &c. and commandeth not subscription to the fathers , but to these : and commanded no commentary of the fathers to be kept in the churches , but erasmus's paraphrase . 7. and in good sadness , can you that have read both , believe that the writings of the fathers are as methodical , as accurate , as sound , as full , as useful to form a true body of theology in the mind , as the later writers are ? can you believe this ? is there any thing among them to these uses , like melancthon's calvin's inst . polanus , ludov. crocius , georgius , sohnius , amesius , theses salmuenses , synops . theol. leidensium , camero , &c. or if you had rather like arminius , episcopius , dr. hammond , especially like bishop andrews , dr. field , bishop davenant , &c. are the best of their practical writings , even macarius , ephrem syrus , &c. comparable to abundance used now : whether such non-conformists as hildersham , perkins , rogers , burroughs , &c. or such conformists , as sibbes , preston , gurnal , the practice of piety , hammond , &c. do you think that the surest and readiest way for youth to come to understand and believe the doctrine of the trinity , of the godhead of christ and the holy ghost ; of the hypostatical union , of the twofold nature and will of christ , &c. is to read first , all the first writers that say little or nothing of them , and those that say much amiss of some of them ; and then to read all the odious wars at the ephesine council , at the councils of arimin . sermium , and many more . and to read all the contentious writings hereabout , of cyril alexand , theodoret , epiphanius , and down to damascene . is not one joshua placaeus pro deitate christi , worth all that ever was then wrote ? i confess above all their subjects , the times engaged them in the largest defences of the christian religion against the heathens ; in which euseb . in praeparat . & demonstrate . evang. & augustine have done well : but so far short of what is done of late by grotius , du plessis , vander meulin , camero , yea savonarola , vives , and many more ; as that all laid together , i am not for your method . take out but justin , tertullian , and cyprian , in the three first centuries , and basil nazianz. nyssen , hierom , and chrysostom , and augustin after , and i will not tell you what you will leave us . if origen must be taken in , let them first fight it out to decide it whether he be a hererick : for halloix and our conforming originists tell us , that theoph. alexand. and epiphanius , ended not the controversie by the banishment of chrisostom . 8. and if all the naevi of the ancient fathers , were in our modern divines , which not only scultetus and other protestants have gathered , but even baronius , sixtus senensis , possevine , bellarmine , &c. what would you call them ? what hereticks should we be ? was there ever so great error charged on any one of the 1800 ministers for their silencing , as is visible in dionys . constitut . & can. apostol . irenaeus , clem. alex. tatianus , arnebius , lactantius , &c. but i forgat how much dalaeus de usu patr. hath said more on this subject . if we had to do with men that could let men live by them , that obey them not , even in the method of their studies , this much also might compremise this difference . you shall set your pupils first to read all the fathers , and make out of them such a religion as they are able , or perhaps too many : ( but then you must not be their collector as you teach them ; for 't is as good to take a method from a book , as from your mouth : ) and we will teach ours first to understand the catechism , ursine , polanus , amesius , &c. with the scriptures , and to read the fathers in order , when they have judgment to know how to use them , and let the issue shew which is the wiser way . but i pray you while you read the fathers to your scholars , call them not blew aprons , nor tub-preachers , nor fanaticks , as out as you find them to have wanted the languages , or academical education , lest it hinder your success . but i think all this quarrel with the method of our studies , is for the interest of diocesan prelacy ; therefore to save us any more trouble , we will refer all that controversie to your own ignatius alone , ( who determineth , that in every church there is one altar , and one bishop , with his presbyters and deacons ) and with that we are content . in your page 6 , to keep your wont ; 1. you feign me to say , that which i tell you is objected to me by others . 2. you falsly feign me to allow the conformists to have some hebrew , chaldee , syriac , and arabic , my very mention of which words you out lay hold on , as an honour granted to your ●●●● : but it is all a false supposition , i never ap●roved hofe words to the conformists : i only told you , that ( valuing matter before words ) i 〈…〉 the church had men that speak sound doctrine in an apt and serious manner , for bringing sinners to repentance in english , than such as can lace an insipid , empty , senceless discourse , with some shreds of chaldee , syriac , or arabic : and though i could wish that all the ministers of christ had all accomplishments fit even for the adorning of their ●acred work ; yet i had rather hear a meer english divine , than an hebrew or a syriac sot. ] you put me to the troublesom repeating of my words , by your falsification . i did not mention conformists at all , nor had any thought of appropriating these passages to them any more than others : but only to tell you , that be he conformist on non-conformist , if like augustine , ambrose , &c. he had sound divinity without the languages now mentioned , i could better bear with him , than with one ( whoever ) that had words for ostentation without sense ; and to free you from all suspicion of injury , i never heard one of the young conformists which i mention , make any ostentation or credible signification of his skill in any one of those tongues : nor do i remember but exceeding few conformists in england of my acquaintance , that i will accuse or suspect of any such skill : but having a lad in my house not long ago come from school , who hath some acquaintance in all these languages , and as many more , who i assure you is too young to be a conformable preacher , or divine , he being next me , suggested the matter of my comparison , when you vilified i know not whom ( some unnamed ) non-conformists , for knowing little more than english books can teach them . one pressick a sadler in leverpool hath written that against some of your sect in english , which all their languages will hardly enable them to confute : and i hear but few of you that in real knowledge , are much more angelical than aquinas , subtle than scotus , profound than bradwardine , &c. when yet they and their scholastick tribe were commonly very sorry linguists . but it s needful that i intreat you , that you affirm me not to have called them all non-conformist● , because i name them in this comparison . as for the loads of dirt that you say i cast , and your saying , that you see ( you should have said feel ) that its difficult to forbear reproach towards them from whom we differ . ] i answer ; 1. and i see that it s no wonder if that tribe who think themselves persecuted , when they may not persecute and silence others , do also think themselves reproached , when others are justly vindicated from their reproach . 2. but it s hard , that as transubstantiation must be an article of some mens faith ; so we also must be obliged to believe , that all our senses and experience are deceived : and that he that walketh in the frost is a reproach for saying it is cold , because another affirmeth that the summer is colder , because of now and then a rainy day . alas , are so many great chappelries , and many parish churches in several parts of the land , utterly without any minister at all ; are so many others so supplied ( yea so many hundreds ) as the lovers of souls do groan and weep for ; and must we neither see nor feel it ? but , sir , if we must not feel it to you , let us feel it to god , that we may feelingly and not formally pray him to send forth more and better labourers into his harvest . for my part , i seriously profess , that if the gospel be but better preached , and the souls of all the parishes in the three kingdoms better instructed for their salvation , without us , than with us , i will never more speak for a liberty to preach , much less desire a farthing of the maintenance . but , sir , if you talk in print as you do to me in private letters , you might make strangers of your mind ; but to the people of the present age , that see , that hear , that know the persons , your words will be all vain : you may call them the children of hell for not believing you , but men are so naturally sensible , that your anger will not change them neer london , and in it i think are the worthiest conformists in the land ( proportionably ) and yet how many places not far off it , feel what i say . a worthy learned , judicious , peaceable divine ( bred up in one of the next parishes to you awhile ) mr. john warren , is silenced at a great town , hatfield broadoak in the bishop of london's presentation : thus he hath long lived and done much good , yet since 1662 that he was silenced , the place hath been void many years , because the maintenance is small ; and there must be none at all , rather than such a one as he. but you call this casting dirt too : the starved souls must not take on them to feel their case ; and to be past feeling in such cases , is a state that men are prone to of themselves ; and need no preachers to help them to be indifferent in . well! souls must be starved , or not be humble . [ how can we prefer others before our selves ] unless we will be content that those for whom christ died be neglected , and ignorance set up to teach men knowledge , and the ungodly to teach them godliness . but as in natune , so in grace there is a principle that will not suffer men by words to be brought to take famine for food , nor saying a dry lesson , for teaching men the way to heaven : blessed be god that hath possessed all renewed christians with a new nature , which differenceth the chaff from the wheat , and words from real worth and substance . but you heard a preacher say , that he thanked god he never heard a preacher , but he could get something by him . answer , and i also am of mr. herbert's mind , church-porch , p. 15. [ if all want sense , god takes a text and preacheth patience . ] but for all that , i will not by my approbation contract the guilt of such preachers , nor of those that set them up , and would have others silenced and calumniated , and then plead humility for the valuing of these . every text that is preached on , is eaifying ; and i hope by bare reading it we may be edified : and in muscovy where all preaching is put down for fear of treason , 1671. and yet now by treason they are just between life and death ) they seem to have great advantage in the using of your argument , to tell them that would have preaching , that humility should teach them to esteem the readers labour above their own . and truly basil and chrysostom's sermons which they read , are better than the sermons in very many churches in this land , ( which you that honour the fathers its like will not deny : ) but cheat not your self so as to dream that we are the assailants , when we meddle not with you but by way of comparison , when urged to it in our own defence . but because prejudice , and factious passages , yellow jaundices , a party , &c. are here accused , i could almost find in my heart to send you a copy of some of the sermons that i have lately heard ; but you would but pretend that this were some rare unusual thing . o let the world take heed what history they believe ; i have as much ado to perswade you , that many churches are left in a case which calls for tears , as i have to perswade bagshaw and others on the other extream , that any of them have worthy or tolerable men : when yet many hundred thousand persons have sense , reason , and experience to decide the case . but these ten years experience , and much more , have taught me , not hastily to believe a faction , though in a matter where the common sense is judge : for faction is one of the greatest lyars in the world . but you say [ just so did martin marprelate traduce the regular clergies . answer , just so , is just untruly spoken by you . as well may the papists say to the lutherans , just so did the heriticks of old : rather just so did christ tell some men , that they took away the key of knowledge , and would neither enter , nor suffer others . and just so he told them , that if the blind lead the blind , both will fall into the ditch . one of the last sermons i heard , was on [ servants obey your masters in all things : ] and our own servants being almost wholly past by , it was applied to shew , that we are servants to the bishops , and must obey them in all things : as if subjection without servitude had not been enough . one of the next before it , was to prove , that the church may appoint holy-days , because easter-day ( which is the lords-day ) is a holy-day of the churches appointment : when most of the people had more need to have been taught the cathechistical principles , and , what they did when they were baptized . i can name you the man ( and place ) that from the title of john's epistle [ to the elect lady ] proved undeniably that then there were lord bishops , because an elect lady relateth to an elect lord , and there are no elect lords , but elect lord bishops . and if such as you are pleased to approve of the silencing of many hundreds , yea of such as amesius , cartwright , greenham , hildersham , john rogers , egerton , dod , bradshaw , rob. parker , paget , hering , &c. ( o what men ) and the setting up of such as these , or readers in their stead , all is salved by telling us , that we must think others better than our selves , and that we may profit by all . and if god did work by all alike , sense or non-sence , and made as much use of the ignorant and ungodly to procure knowledge and godliness in the world , i would say as you . i believe with k. james they have an ill spirit , that recount grievances to make themselves popular ; ( i suppose sir edw. sands named by you , was one he meant so ill do your allegations agree ) but i will not therefore consent to their guilt that make grievances , and then declaim against such popularity . they please not god and are contrary to all mens forbidding us to preach to the gentiles that they might be saved , for wrath is come upon them to the uttermost , was this popular declaiming against grievances ? deny your children food and rayment , and then call them such popular declaimers . again you snatch at your former self-deceiving fiction , [ did these hebrew children and ara bick lads , come out of your school , they should have been stroaked for precious youthes ] answer , how pleaseing to you is a selfmade cheat. realy sir , i know not one such lad that is a conformist , your urgency may possibly provoke me to , send you if it please you , some of our homebred fruits , to tell you whence i fetcht my comparison . 1. ( when you well mourn for your alehouses sots , and yet say , that all our 1800 are not free ) your confession on one part is constrained , your accusation on the other side i think is a calumny . 1. because no one of all the non-conformists was cast out for drunkenness , but many on the other side were cast out uppon accusation of that sin , seconded by oathes , ( how just i must not presume to say ) 2. i that know the non-conformists better than you , know not one drunkard amongst them all in england . 3. i challenge you to name one of all the ministers i named to you , or any other in the county of worcester where you live . next , ( page 7. ) you pretend that i change my judgement in valuing the common prayer and homilies , ] answer , all false still , no change at all . i ever valued the common prayer and homilies much before such preaching as i described to you . and realy i think that the non conformists much more value the homilies , than the conformists do . next , i am glad that you disclaim the proving it of any of our non-conformists in england , that he was silenced for insufficiency . but was this impertinent to one that intimated such charges of unlearnedness as you did . but , you say it is of another nature ( the reason of our silence ) that we do not give security to authority : that we will preach up no more wars , answer , i summon your conscience to justify you silencing of so many and such , in the necessity of so many thousand souls , one moment after death , upon the charge now given us on these reasons , 1. i told you , and you could not deny it , that if you leave out your oath and subscription to the bishops and chancellors , with the vast assent , and consent , few non-conformists will refuse the renuncation mentioned by you about wars . yet still have you that front to ●ay it upon this . the many that took the oxford oath upon this , and the more that were ready to take it , if judge keeling had not presently and openly declared it to be a renunciation of the national vow . 2. i again provoke you to prove that there is one non-conformable minister of ten or twenty , that ever was proved , or can be , to have medled with the war against the king , 3. you read and cite my late writing , wherein i say ( page 51. differ . of the pow of mag. and past . i ascribe all that power to kings which is given them by any text of scripture or acknowledged by any council general , or provincial , or by any publick authentick confession of any christian church , either protestant , greek , or papist , that ever i yet saw . ) and is all this insufficient to a liberty to preach christ , to ignorant souls , must protestants , greeks , and papists , be all silenced for want of loyalty ? i will subscribe to the utmost , that which any of their confessions give to kings , 4. the non-conformists , ( as far as i am acquainted with them , have still been ready in express terms to promise never to meddle in any war against the king ; nay to promise to employ their interest , and labour to prvent it . i● this would serve they should not be silenced , are such as hooker and bilson thought worthy of honour , and are these principles of ours so much less security against war , as to leave us on that account uncapable to preach . let but reason and humility be judge of your accusation and cause . and here to shame your self , yet more marchiaement need-hams book , is instanced in . a man that is no minister but a physician : who in those daies wrote against us non-conformists , and against my self by name , when the generality of the now silenced non-conformists , and ( excluding the sectaries ) stood , out refusing for the most part the engagement whom the royalists of my vicinity took it . this man that wrote against me , and since the kings return , hath welcomed him in florid poems : is instanced in to tell men what the nonconformists are , and why they are silenced . truly sir i conjecture you are a stranger to them , ( as abundance of the prelatists are ) though you lived in england , and have dwelt somewhere where you knew but some giddy sectaries , and judge by them of those you knew not . and here ( page 8. ) i am glad that you deny not , that the worst among us are received , if they do but conforme , which sheweth for what crime we are kept out . and for your exclamation against us that come not in , you would be impatient if i should but describe your dealing , what if you lived under in such a power of usurpers as would say [ if all the ministers in germany holland &c. will under their hands , or delibrately profess , that no one in the kingdom is bound by the oath of supremacy or allegiance , and promise that he will never endeavour the reformation of any corruption in religion , but will assent and consent to every word in the interim , and will use exorcism , &c. they shall have leave to preach else they shall all be silenced and deprived of all ministerial liberty and maintenance . ] and the● cassander should have told them , that they shu● out themselves if they come not in . i say not that our case is the same with this . i know it is not but cassander dealt more candidly than you do is there any thing that could be imposed , that would make you a non-conformist ? if there be , might non any man talk to you at such rates , even tye your legs , and intreat you to go : or blindfold you , and say , read who struck you . § . 6. what need you more to the present case , when you say that there is never a cherubim to hinder them , than this , that though it be no sin in your opinion , it is a hainous sin in theirs . ? and will your opinion prove it , where we search as diligently as you do to know the truth : if we be not as good as you , you may allow us to love our selves as well . tell me what time of any usurpation had such impositions , which the main body of the present conformists then in being , did not conform or submit to , or which they refused to the cost of all their church maintenance ( for the liberty of preaching , too many of them could easily forego it ) i know that many were turned out by others , that would gladly have conformed , if that would but have been accepted . i knew not three men in the three counties about me , that would not then have conformed , if that would have kept them in their livings . if there were more unknown to me there or elsewhere , i would but have asked those men , whether it was a sin that was imposed on them : and if so , whether it would have prevailed with them if one had done as you , and told them that they kept out themselves , and that no cherubin stood in the way , and how hainously they sinned in forsaking their calling . it seems by your complaint of the tryers ( men that i had nothing to do with ) that either you did conform then ( or would have done , if they had not refused you : ) they say you did conform . i am sure that most of my acquaintance that were sequestred , would have conformed to have kept their livings : but if we be of another mind now , when declarations , subscriptions , oaths , and practices are imposed on us ; which — what would you have us to do ? our manifold interests obligeth us to judge them lawful if we could : we lose as much by not conforming , as most of you get by conforming . must we judge all lawful , because our guides do so ? how far will that hold ? will it hold in italy , or in france , or in denmark ; or formerly in scotland if you had lived there ? he that must take all for good , which another calleth so , must know who it is , that is so far to be trusted on ; especially of those that renounce infallibility . 2. the irony was palpable enough to have prevented your fancy , that i give up the cause , scil by confessing the crime that we sought to save souls , and that we did eat bread . a little will encourage you sometimes to great conclusions . § . 7. p. 9. here you have many things to say , to prove that men that came into sequestrations , either sought not , or procured the good of souls : but o! first remember , that if that were true , yet all those ( or neer all ) were turned out of their sequestrations before the silencing bartholomew day , 1662. 2. do you think that it had been as consistent with the good of souls , that they had for sixteen years been all untaught , and left without any ministers , or publick worship , rather than any should have succeeded the ejected . 3. if our preaching did no good to souls , why should you think that yours does any ? if you preach the same gospel , why should you think so well of your own works above other mens ? and if yours also do no good , why do men pay their tythes , and trouble themselves to hear such as do but trouble the world. 4. do you not conspire with the quakers that falsly cried out that our ministry did not profit men ; and with the levellers , that would have taken down the ministry as unprofitable . 5. but o! what an attempt you make to prove how little history is credible , to teach men to say , how know we that hegisyppus , that eusebius , that socrates , that epiphanius say true , when such men as should be the preachers of truth , can say what they do of common or notorious matters of fact ; yea and confidently stand to it , to the face of that age which knoweth that they speak falsly . 1. who are more competent judges , whether men received any good by christs gospel which we preached you or they . do you know the hearts and lives of many hundred thousands better than they do themselves : i know many are deceived with self-flattery , but are you that are a stranger to their hearts and them , the fittest judges . do you better know what faith , hope and love what repentance and obedience the gospel hath produced . to instance among strangers , is the way of darkness or evasion ; i may speak boldliest where i know best . ask the people of kederminster , whether in that time they received any good by the gospel : know you not , that when some such did but preach to them at the rates you now talk , it so alienated their minds from prelacy and conformity , who before were not so averse thereto , as that they have put it past my power to reconcile them so far to them as i am reconciled my self ; and were not my interest very great in them , and their preacher very honest , i should not get them to come to church : such good the spirit of envy and faction doth in the world , while it pretendeth to heal the hurt that others do . 2. let the effects that are visible be judge ; if places that abounded with rioting , drunkenness , ignorance , and ungodliness , do now search the scriptures and meditate with delight in the law of god , and constantly worship him , and their families call upon his name , if they live soberly , righteously , and godly , forsaking the former lusts of their ignorance , and seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness , and live in charity and peace ; will it prove that these people are never the better , because faction causeth a stranger to tell them so . but you say [ they were not the souls of every soil , such as did inhabit poor villages , but such as dwell in fattest parsonages , or else in great towns , where these men who were most for the good of souls , might act their parts , &c. ] answer . farwel the credit of all history , if there be no truer historians : ( but how shall posterity know who they are ? ) is there an english-man that can be ignorant that the endeavour then was that no church might be unsupplied . there is no talking a far off , was not mr. cowper at moseley chappel near you , mr. rock at rowley , mr. tristram at clents , mr. walderne at broom , mr. baldwin at chadsley , mr. sergeant at stone , mr. baldwin at wolverley , my assistant at mitton chappel , mr. lovel at alveley , &c. doth not all the country about you know , that this which you say is false : and are you then to be believed in difficult moral cases of duty or sin , who deny publick fact which all the country about you knoweth . go into any one of these churches , and tell them that these men were never their preachers , and try whether you can convert them to believe you . 2. but that the great towns ( which commonly had least maintenance ) should be first provided for : that tribe of men should not deny , who hold that none but cities of old had churches and bishops , nor should have bishops to this day . nor should they teach enemies to say , these bishops settled themselves only in the great cities to act their parts with most popularity . is that the reason of your remove to hampton . 3. but what were the parts they had to act ? their work it self is the best evidence of that . let the two printed agreements of the worcestershire ministers , one for discipline , and one for catechising and personal instruction , with my reformed pastor , be a standing witness to posterity , what the countries ministers work was , against all factious calumny : we lived not idle ; not one of a multitude had an hundred pounds a year maintenance , that i could know of . in my great place ( of sequestration ) mine was less , when i was elsewhere oft offered above three hundred pounds ; we preached twice or thrice a week , and rarely meddled with any controversies , except against the quakers , and anabaptists , when they came to trouble the churches : we spent half two clays a week in conference with each family , to catechize them , and help them to understand the catechism , and to prepare them for another world. besides all our labour of discipline ; to bring the scandalous to repentance , and all the other offices of our places . in the last leaf of my [ uiversal concord ] the practice of the church where i lived is recited . this was the part we acted for our selves . 2. but you add [ what good was done to souls by these intruders , late posterity will find , &c. answer , 1. i think that the present age that hath the experience may better know than posterity , unless they have truer historians than you . 2. many thousand souls already in heaven , and many thousand more yet on earth , that were brought to the true knowledge of god and themselves , by the labours of such ministers , will be their witness what good they did . but the stranger meddleth not with their joys . 3. if you impute to them either the errors or work of sectaries , whom they were the principal means of suppressing , and whom they did much more against than you : or yet the works of the rebellious souldiers , that pulled down powers , and set up themselves ; you will but shew your malignity and unrighteousness : if you do not , your accusation signifieth nothing . if you mean that the people will not be brought to like silencing of prelats better than such preachers ; and this is the breach which the skilfullest of you cannot heal , i am of your mind : and the names of intrusion and schism will not serve to change their minds . as for intrusion , i knew very few such in those days that ever came to a place before they were sought to and intreated ; and i know very few now that are not seekers . 3. your next , against preaching down authority and plundering other mens livings to save souls , sheweth more what you are , than what they did : when you know that i have provoked you to name one of ten or twenty that ever preached down authority , or meddled with arms ; most coming out of the universities after the wars , and many never meddling with them ( though several conformists did . ) and sure the party is not to be judged or denominated by a tenth or twentieth part . i named many men to you in the former paper , and in this : enquire how few of all those ever meddled with arms. 2. and those few that did , almost all did it before they came into sequestrations , and many never did so after ; and thought it had been authority which they had stood for : and as he that erreth in medicine upon the judgment of a colledge of physicians , so he that erreth in law upon the judgment of a parliament , is more pardonable than some other men , and may again be capable of preaching the gospel , or else such should not now be readmitted . 3. and , if eating the bread of preachers be it you call plundring other mens livings , their error if it were one , had these excuses , that they thought that the tythes had been first devoted to god , and that he was the first proprietor , and that they were determinately devoted to him for this use , to maintain a lawful minister there to officiate : and they thought that when the then ruling parliament had cast out some under the notion of insufficient and scandalous , it was lawfull nevertheless for others to keep up a church , and teaching , and worship of god , and therefore to eat the dedicated bread. and as for the turning out of any for the kings cause , that were not utterly insufficient or drunkards , or such like , we printed our judgment against it ; and many would not succeed such men , which gave advantage to some that were sectarians to succeed them ? and what got the people by that scruple ? as for the fifth part , you know it was ordinarily paid , ( and now nothing ) and , mr. lea's book made no alteration . your talk of medling with temporals , in ordine ad spiritualia , is a meer impertinency . but if you ask bishops , and chancellors , whether it be lawfull to meddle with spiritual things , in ordine ad temporalia , ( yea and priests too ) it will be a seasonable question , ( if set home . ) i am glad to read that they did but threaten to silence you . by which i perceived you were not then so scrupulous as to lose all , to escape conformity to those times . and i also was threatned to be silenced as well as you : and virtually sequestred by an ordor against such as would not keep their fasts , and thanksgivings , and that spake against their authority ( which i openly did ) and that would not take the engagement : and yet i was never silenced by them , ( but only as to one assize sermon , ) that work being fitter for men , whose proper office it is , and that jure divino . and my life was frequently threatned by the souldiers , as well as yours . but i must [ tell you truly , should i reassume my chair , would i continue in this courteous mood . ] ans . you have proved already , that a question may be false , may you not as easily prove that it may be malignant , 1. what is my chair ? had i any but the pulpit , or reading place , at kederminster , 2. why do you question my courtesie , when i both printed my desires and reasons , against hindring any worthy men from preaching the gospel , upon pretence of the cause of the king or prelacy heretofore , and when i have in three or four books this very year , maintained the same impartiality and principles . yea most of all my writings and preaching for 25 years have been much against faction : and for the union , concord , and concurrence of all ministers and christians , who are agreed but in christianity it self , and the essentials of church communion , in carrying on gods work with mutual forbearance . and when i never had a hand in putting any such men out , and have kept many of your party in : what room after this for such a question ? next you carp at me , for telling you ( in reputation of your calumnies by a comparison ) what ministers were in my time , and in the places where i lived : you [ marvel at my praecox ingenium , that could judge before i was ten years old , who were ignorant , who learned preachers : you fear it is still the greatest part of some mens devotion to censure the parts and gifts of the preacher . ] answer , o what relief are poor souls like to have from such uncompassionate shepherds ! i conjecture you believe me not , i will do what i can to cure you . but remember , i open not my fathers nakedness , while i speak nothing but what congregations saw and heard ; and that to you alone now in secret , and that upon your urgency . i was not bred in wales nor ireland , but first in shropshire . at six and seven years old my first master was a reader , never at university , and preached once a month : i name him not , because he was as●ied to me , and mended . my next master mr. heyward was a lay-man , publickly read the common prayer , but never preached , but proved after an honest lay-man , though no scholar . my next master , mr. cope , read and never preached . my next master , mr. yale , b. d. preached once a month , and drank himself , wife and children , to be stark beggars . these at rowton : and still note that we had no other . i then came to live at eaton constantine ; the vicar of the parish , mr. richard wolley , never preached : the parson of the town , sir william rogers , above fourscore , had two livings , and never preached in his life , as was said : when his eye-sight failed him , he said common prayer by memory ; and john colly a day-labourer , one year , and thomas gaynam a taylor , another year read the scriptures , but none preached . having two places , when he was absent , his curate was first , his son francis rogers , rarely if ever preached ; a famous stage-player : ( one of his sports was on the open stage , to let his pudenda nudata per restem laceratam quasi neglecta se ostentare ad risum populi movendum . his next curate , my master john rogers ( his grand-child ) was unlearned and never preached . his next curate , richard bathoe , was a lawyers clerk , broken by drinking , who was wont , to our smart , to let us know when he was drunk ; and never preached there but once , which was in my hearing when he was drunk , as i told you : if he be not lately dead , he is yet a minister very near you at patshill . in the same village another neighbours son turned priest , mr. thomas rock , who being detected to be vicious , and have forged orders , fled : so much for our parish ( leighton . ) the next eastward , bildwas , had a minister that never preached ; nor could i learn that ever they had before a preacher since the reformation . the next to that was madeley , whose minister preached not , and was as famous for debauchery , as the madmen of madeley for folly. on the other side us , the next church cressage had no preaching . the next kenley , had mr. bennet a reading curate , that preached not . mr. bent at harley ; my kinsman mr. wood , b. d. at cund , seldom : and the same i may say of too many other places round about us . at kederminster mr. dance preached ( as some call'd it ) once a quarter , or half-year : mr. turner at mitton , sometime ( when sober ) once a day , of whom i told you , that i knew by examination , his intollerable ignorance of the creed . at dowles our foresaid sir william rogers was parson . in the two chappels in the rock parish ( which i confess had small maintenance ) one reading curate made ropes for his living , and another cut faggots . i will add no more ; and this is only private to your self : to excuse my self and the poor people , who you think [ place our devotion in judging of the ministers parts . ] alas , poor souls ! into such hands are you fallen : the lord be more merciful to you , than such pastors ; who if for bread , they give you a stone , will reproach you as censurers of your teachers , if you find fault : and when the first work needful to save sinners , is to awaken them to a care of their own souls , and a love to teaching ; some men are angry with them , if they will care whether they are taught or untaught . of all merchandize , i love not making merchandize of souls . but i pray you dream not , that i take all the old ministry for such as these ? i know there are many excellent men : but i think the present non-conformists as fit for the sacred office as these ; ( is that presumption ? ) § . 10. p. 10. i thank you for your transitions and purposed brevity : to requite you ; 1. your first paragraph doth but say in effect , 1. that you untruly suppose me to meddle with the controversie , which i do but wish for leave to meddle with . 2. and that you think many things good , which i think to be stark naught . but because you call me so oft to dispute the main controversie , i tell you once , that it is disingeniously done , still in print and writing to call for more , as if we had never done any thing in it , while our printed books lie by you unanswered . answer my fifth dispute of church government , 1. in the point of prelacy , 2. of reordination , 3. of impositions ; and then call out for more when you have done : or if you have more time , answer baine's , diocesanes tryal , robert parker de polit. eccles . & blondel de episcopis , where dr. hammond left at the entrance . one quarter of the reasons of our non-conformity , is contained in these books ; and some are in ames his fresh suit , and nicols and bradshaw ; but the most are upon a new account , which our fathers were not put upon . 2. i am ashamed to read a preacher , a writer , an accuser of the afflicted , to talk of the dreadfull subject of oaths so poorly as you do . though i tell you , i will not dispute this point with you without a license from authority , i will say , 1. that when you say [ take an unlawfull oath in what sense you please , and will there be much need of absolution . ] you should not so confusedly have named an unlawfull oath . remember that you have proved against me , that a question may be false . and that an indefinite in renecessariâ , or thus unlimitedly delivered , goeth for an universal : an oath is unlawfull , 1. quoad actum imponendi , 2. quoad actum jurandi , 3. quoad materiam juratam . if the materia jurata be lawfull , do you think that the unlawfulness of the other two , do leave no need of an absolution ? 1. what if a thief force me to swear allegiance to the king , or to swear to do some duty , doth it not add a second bond ? or what if i vowed without the command of any power ? 2. what if i sinned in making a vow , or oath , by taking it from a usurper ▪ or without just cause , or unreasonably , or to an ill end , &c. if the matter be good , doth it not then bind me . and de materiâ , what if one article or many be bad and another good , doth the neighbourhood of the bad , disoblige me from the good . if so , it is but inserting some bad clauses , and men may be bound by no oaths or vows , as in the former case . it is but swearing sinfully , to an ill end , &c. and never be obliged . but if this be your divinity about oaths and perjury , you have no cause to censure them so deeply that swear not as quick and deep as you . your next question is , must the sense of an oath be measured by him that receiveth it , or ●rom the authority and intention of those that im●ose it . answer , still worse and worse : what confusion is here ? who knoweth whether by ●easuring the sense , you mean as to the taking of the ●ath , or as to the obligation of it when taken . your must seemeth to speak of both . but 1. he ●hat taketh an oath from one in lawful authority , ●r from an equal , is bound to take it in the sense ●f the imposer or requirer , whom we would sa●isfie . 2. he that taketh an oath from a thief ●r murtherer , some casuists say , ( is bound not ●o lie to hide his sense , but ) may take it in a sense ●ifferent from the imposers , when the plain words ●ill bear it without a lie. as if a thief or tray●r should force the king to swear that he will do ●his or that , which hath an equivocal name ; if ●he traytor 's sense be not according to the com●oner use , or defaniosiore analega●o , but the king 's , they think that the king is not bound to wear in his sense , though yet he may be bound ●o swear , to save his life . 3. but our case is only ●e obligatione juramenti praestandi : if a man that ●as bound to take the oath in a usurpers sense , ●hall either mistake the usurpers sense , or shall ●ke it in another sense , as supposing that he is not ●ound to the usurpers ; i say , that this man if ●e make this a vow to god , and not only an ●ath to man , is bound to keep it in the sense he ●ok it in , if it were materially lawful . if i vow to ●ive so much to a minister of christ , and he that ●rced me to it meant a mass priest , and i mistook ●im , and meant a true minister ; i am bound by ●y vow to give it him . if your confused question suppose the contrary , then a man's vows to god are all null , if he that forced him to it were of another sense . a meer oath to confirm a contract to a man , is to be interpreted by the contract , being but an obligation to perform it ; yea , and may be remitted by the man that will remit his right . but in a vow , god and man are the parties ; and god's sense imposing , and man's sense intending in the vow , are each obliging : so that if ten men use the same words in vowing , in ten several senses , they are ten several vows , and all oblige if materially lawful . and therefore when you say , that the vow was commanded by usurpers , and when i know not the sense of one that vowed , let him that will say of millions , that they are not bound , no not when they vow against schism , and prophaneness . but you cite here a non conformist against me , amesius case consc . to you , p. 216. to me p. 203. but 1. he speaketh not at all of our questions , in what sense an oath bindeth when taken , but only in what sense it ought to be taken . 2. he speaketh not of a vow , but of a meer oath . 3. he speaketh only of the case of equivocation ; but he that sweareth in sensu famosiore , to a thief whose mind he is not bound to follow , doth not equivocate . 4. he himself saith in the next case that the words of an oath must be taken , eo sensu quem audientes concepturos judicamus , id est , regulariter eo sensu quem habent in communi hominum usu . but the audientes and the imposers may be different ; and a man may think sometimes that the imposers sense may be contrary to the usum communem , and his own agreeable to it . but this impertinent question is nothing to us : suppose that the powers were bound to take it in the imposers sense , but did not ; the question is , whether it bind them not in their own sense : ( and in some possible cases in both , and to both . ) you add [ you mention some good things in the covenant ; as the declaration against popery , schism , and prophaneness : but you pass by the second article , &c. ans . so i perceive you would have me conform that i may preach : and what should i preach against but sin ? and will you not give me leave to suppose , that perjury is one of the greatest of all sins ; and that he that is knowingly for perjury , is against humane society , and not capable of trust or credit , and is against the safety of the king ; which dependeth much on the conscience of the oath of allegiance in his subjects ; and that he that would but say , i would declare my self for perjury , that i may preach against all other sins , ●● — . these things being premised , i ask you , are you in good sadness ? what! after such a confident perswasive to conformity ? will you tell your hearers , if you vow to god repentance , obedience , or any good ; this vow bindeth none of you all , if there were but some evil joyned with it . ] and so , if a jesuit would take the oath of allegiance or supremacy , yea or the vow of baptism be taken at our christening , if either ignorance or knavery do but joyn some bad things with it ; nothing of all the rest is obligatory . what cheater then will not foist in some bad thing into his vows , that he may be disobliged from all the rest ? if you dare preach such doctrine , and dare die in the aprobation of it , and dare perswade others to do the like , as their duty to god ; your book 's title , shall make me view s. paul's warning , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . would you have me deliberately undertake to justifie all men from the lawful or good parts of a vow , that i may have leave to preach against sin . you add [ and the power imposing the whole . ] answ . still all alike ; what ? will you tell your hearers , that no oath or vow bindeth them , which powerless man imposed : the want of power in the imposers , proveth indeed that no power of theirs obliged you to take it . but what if you had taken it to save your life from a thief , or within your closet-walls voluntarily , without the command of any power , doth it not oblige to lawful matters ? bishop sanderson would have taught you otherwise to resolve that case . this is a hard way to conformity . you add , [ what was good in it we were obliged to by a former covenant . ] answ . and what then ? is that another doctrine , that conformists must preach , that [ no vow or oath obligeth you to any good that you were obliged to before . ] oh dreadful ! the jesuits morals would abhor such a doctrine : if there may be new vows to the same thing , there may be new or additional obligations to the same thing ; else all the following vows are no vows . what if the oath of allegiance be thrice taken ? doth it oblige only the first time ? then if a man be at baptism obliged to christianity , no after vows at the lords supper , or other time , are obligatory . sir , be not angry with me for telling you , that non-conformists have somewhat in them , that will not permit them to take these for indifferent things : and that the diminution of your glory and mens temptation to separation from you , hath too much occasion and colour from your selves . you add , [ the worst of hereticks maintain some truths . ] answ . and quid inde ? suppose , so the covenant hath some good ? our question is not , whether we are bound to the bad , but to the good : and will you say , that i must receive no truth which a heretick holdeth ; or am bound by it to no good , which is contained in a vow that hath evil with it . § . 12 , 13 , 14. will any thing convince you of an error or sin , if the visibility of my words and yours , and my reminding you of your visible misreport will not do it ? but still when you see your words and mine , and hear of your mistake ; you will yet go on , yea and falsly add , that [ in one breath i say i did , and i did not retract them . ] this practice , and your fore-going doctrine well agree : when i had askt you [ whether it be all one to say i had expunged all that you accuse me of ( or charge me with ) and that i expunged all that you pervert ] ( or falsly took occasion from for a visible slander . ) this is no stop to you , nor worthy of any answer ; but you go on : yea when you tell me the page you meant , and see that there is no such thing there as you mentioned ; yet all this ( nor my many writings against that same opinion ) are nothing at all to stop your calumny . i am not justifying what i expunged ; but if it were faulty , must it needs contain a doctrine which it never mentioned , which i openly wrote against . this dealing is enough to tell me , to what purpose a disputation of conformity with you would prove , when sense it self will not convince you : and all your justification is , you [ give the sense , though not the words . ] utterly false ; there are no words there ( how bad soever ) of any such sense . the words speak mostly de fine belli , and not of the justifying power , which is ever supposed besides a good end . i never thought that war might be made against authority , for religion sake , what ever i might then think of the subjectum in quo of that authority , though not as hooker did . § . still confusion and untruth twisted : i deny not that i led many ( if you will call convincing reason , leading ) into an association : was that in the question before ? i rejoyce and glory in it , and thank god for it , as much as almost any passage of my life ! i told you before , ( and two printed agreements told the world ) what our associations were for . one was to exercise so much discipline , as all the three parties were agreed in , contradicting none of them in our agreement . the other for catechising and instructing every family at stated days , every week in course . and what 's this to mens present coming to your churches which you talk of . if they conform no more than i , i am not ashamed to be esteemed a promoter of their judgment . if they conform less than i , that they never had that from me , my five disputes of church government , then written , are a visible witness against your rash and heedless calumny . § . 16. be not offended with me , for judging some conformists honest : and i could wish that you would consider of it , before you teach your people , that [ there are no honest sinners . ] for that 's all one as to say , that the world hath never had one honest man , but christ , and adam and eve a while . though a man be not honest quatenus vel in quantum a sinner : ( nor i think quatenus a conformist ) yet i hope still that there are some honest men in the world ; yea such as have sinned avowedly and deliberately ( when they knew it not to be sin , as most sects that contradict each other do ) yea and some that sin against knowledge too ( as many do in their vain thoughts and words . ) but where is it that i said , that these honest conformists sin avowedly , delaberately , and against knowledge ? make conscience of truth . 't is like that i might sometime say , what it would be in me if i should do it : but is that to say , that it is so in others , whose knowledge i am a stranger-to ; or that it borders on the sin against the holy ghost . as for your invective against these honest conformists ; i ask you , 1. may not a man be an honest conformist , that taketh conformity for a thing lawful meerly in case of deprivation , as mr. sprint did , though he had rather be excused ? if not , few learned godly divines of my youthful acquaintance were honest men : for all such as pleaded then with me for it , went upon those terms . may not those be honest conformists that heartily and openly wish for abatements , as the bishop of chester doth , and bishop gawden openly upon my demand of his judgment , oft did . may not those be honest conformists who go on bishop reynolds and dr. stillingsteet's grounds , that no form of church-government is of divine institution : or those that had rather all the ceremonies were out of the church , than so many preachers . if they are , you do ill to censure them as dishonest ; if they are not , i shall never be induced to conform : for it would be to give away my honesty , if i do it on those aforesaid principles . thus i perceive that it is not conformity that would satisfie you if we yielded to it , unless we also did it on your principles . but if neither the bishops and clergy of england in abbot's days were any of them honest , saving the few described by heylin that went higher ; or if all the latitudinarians ( that had rather the ceremonies were forborn ) and all the unwilling conformists in england ( that would not do it but to keep their ministry ) be dishonest men , i am not yet ready to fall in with that other sort of men that charge so many of their own society with dishonesty , and that account so few honest , who are accounted honest by the rest of mankind , and appropriate honesty to those , that others can hardliest discern it in . § . 17. and will you so grosly dispute down non-conformity ? to distinguish between [ meddling with the war ] and entring into the army ] to you is [ a fly , ad populum phalerae ficulnea evasio , a little poor criticism . ] so that it seems you dare affirm or deny that of the one , which you do of the other . durst you swear that none of the lords , or commons , or citizens meddled with the war , but those that entred into the army ? and can you insist on such passages thus against your sight , when your error is detected ? i pray you if ever you be a confessor , resolve not other mens cases of conscience at this rate , as you do your own . § . 18. it is an unhappiness in you , that so hardly write that which is not errour , and yet so hardly acknowledge any crrour in your writing . the aphorisms recited by the bishop were mentioned by way of accusation : you excepted none , but spake generally of those collected by him ; what can i do more for tryal than to name particulars ? and where should i begin but with the first ? but it 's many more that i can name , which would extort from you the same answer : particularly that which bagshaw ( seeing there ) was tempted to transcribe among his falshoods , as if i had said all that of oliver , which i said of his son , which others also have falsly said of me . § . 19. it is a troublesom thing to dispute on terms not explained or understood : i thought all this while that presbyterian and episcopal had been terms whose sense we had agreed of , but i was mistaken ; for now you let me know , that an archbishop ( who strove hard for such preferment ) who drew the rest of the bishops into that high protestation , for which some were imprisoned , who forsook the parliament and went to the kings party ; as soon as he saw that they would bring low the bishops , who for self-safety turned to the parliament , when he saw all was almost gone on the other side ; and this but in wales to recover his own house : this man with you was a presbycerian archbishop ; i may understand shortly what a presbyterian signifieth of late in england ! as many episcopal non-conformists are silenced , and go now under the name of presbyterians : so take heed of straining the word too high , lest archbishops and bishops at last be put down as presbyterians too . if he be a presbyterin who is an archbishop , and would continue an archbishop , because he foresaw that the bishops would pull down themselves , and the puritans would prevail . in this sense i should not have denied but that they were presbyterians that first raised that war in england against the king : but your proof is out of rushworth , p. 224. viz. no other than those two famous men , sir john lamb , and dr. sibthorpe importuned the bishop to prosecute the puritans ; the bishop said , he knew of none , and asked what manner of people they be ? it 's answered by sir john lamb in dr. sibthorp's presence , that they seem to the world to be such as would not swear , whore , nor drink , but yet would lye , cheat , and deceive . that they would frequently hear two sermons a day , and repeat the same too , and afterwards pray , and sometimes fast all day long . then the bishop asked , whether those places where those puritans were ; did lend money freely ( to the king ) upon the loan . to which sir john lamb and dr. sybthorp replyed , that they did generally resolve to lend freely . then said the bishop no man of descretion can say , that that place is a place of puritans : for my part i am not satisfied to give way to proceedings against them . at which dr. sibthorp said , he was troubled to see that the church was no better regarded . very good ; a presbyterian then is a bishop that is not satisfied to persecute such puritans as those . add but what is said by many old conformists , how the word puritan was used with the utmost malice by papists and drunkards , and ungodly persons , against those who were firm protestants , and would not drink , and whore as they did ; as dr. robert abhot , regius professor in oxford , and bishop of salisbury , and bishop downam , ( one that i verily thought had been no presbyterian ) in his spittle sermon , called abraham's tryal , mr. rob. bolton frequently , ( who thinks there was never poor persecuted word used with such bitter malice by the mouth of the serpents seed , as that word puritan was at that day of good people . ) i say take in all this , and let posterity judge of an english presbyterian by it , that he is one that will not persecute and undo such puritans : we had divers such presbyterian bishops , usher , bedle , downam , davenant , hall , &c. and before them grindal , abbots , and the most of our bishops for queen elizabeth's reign . again , i confess that it was some such presbyterians as these that raised the parliaments army in england . the two next sections evincing your errour and calumny you pass by . § . 22. is of no further use to us ; only about dr. jo. reignolds , you are a most deceived and deceiving historian . 1. you do not know , &c. but you might have known that there is extant in print his letters to sir francis knowles against prelacy , for a meer moderatorship or presidency . 2. you say , [ did he not live and die in full conformity with the church of england . ] answ . a known falshood , if a question may be false : what matter of fact shall ever come to posterity by such hands without falsification ? if cartwright and reignolds , the leading non-conformists of england were conformists ; sir , i , and hundreds more have offered long to conform as far to the utmost , as either of these did . and yet we are unworthy to preach the the gospel of christ for want of conformity ; ( it may be , left it prove them to be presbyterians that will not prosecute us : ) learn better whether ever dr. reignolds did subscribe to the liturgy and ceremonies ; whether ever he took the oath of canonical obedience , or was not against the present prelacy ? whether he was for the cross in baptism , &c. but you verily think that were he now alive , he would be as hard a màwl of the schismaticks , and non-conformists , &c. answ . 1. of the schismaticks no doubt , for he wrote against both prelacy and separation . 2. wonderful ! what cannot you verily believe , which you are but willing should be true ? that an archbishop is a presbyterian , and that the leading non-conformist would be a mawl of the non-conformists : when 1. twice as much is now required of conformists as was then . 2. and dr. reignolds was not a man to do what he did without such reason as would have made him constant . and to requite you with as strong confidence , sir , i do not rashly but soberly and deliberately profess , that were they all alive at this day ( the old religious conformable divines themselves ) such as dr. io. white , dr. willet , dr. challoner , dr. field , mr. whateley , mr. crooks , mr. robert bolton , dr. preston , dr. sibbes , dr. stoughton , dr. taylor , with a thousand more , and a thousand ; yea these that wrote for the old conformity , mr. sprint , mr. paybody , dr. jo. burges , forbes : yea the old bishops themselves , jewell , sands , grindall , abbot , miles smith , &c. i do firmly believe without hesitation , that the generality of them would have been resolved non-conformists at this time , not changing their judgment , but because of the great change of conformity : for i know that cornelius burges , the learned gataker , dr. robert harris , and almost all the late westminster assembly , were formerly such kind of conformists as these were : and i know the same non-conformists now ( though not many ) would have yielded to the old conformity . yea more , i am perswaded that were rogers , bradford , sanders , &c. yea bishop hooper , bishop farrar , and bishop latimer alive now , they would all choose rather to burn at a stake again , than to do what is required of us . say not that i reproach the laws , for i only speak of the matter of fact ; whether they or the present bishops were the wiser , i meddle not . yea more , yet i much doubt , whether all the bishops of england now would conform themselves as ministers do , if they were put to it ? for i suppose you to know , that they are not put to the declarations and subscriptions , as the ministers were , nor to their oaths : but in this i am not confident , but only doubt . but of such old conformists as bolton , whateley , &c. i make no doubt at all . 3. but your proof is , that he received absolution according to the church of england . answer , is this proving ? so would i do : yea , i do receive the lords supper according to the liturgie . am i therefore a conformist ? doth it follow that he would swear , subscribe , declare , use the image of the cross as a symbole of christianity , &c. § . 23. your intimated calumny about popery , it 's well you let fall , though you confess it not . § . 24. we come now to the greatest of our differences , which you call my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , about a notorious matter of fact , whether they were presbyterians or episcopal and ●rastians , that first raised the armies in england against the king : when in the very age that it was done , such a thing can be so confiuently denied , what credit is there in some mens history ? i thought all these set together , had been proof enough . 1. that former episcopal parliaments began the business , and left it where those found it . 2. heylin himself sheweth fully , that the difference was long working between the two sorts of episcopal men , about arminianism , favouring papists , innovations , and propriety . 3. that such as jewel , bilson , and hooker , gives us the principles on which they did proceed : and sir edward sands that hath written for high conformity , and was hooker's pupill and bosom friend , was one of the chief for the people interest in th●se parliaments . 4. that h●ylin and rushworth and fuller acquaint us , that abbot was laid by for refusing to license sibthorp's book ; and how the rest did prosecute mainwaring . 5. that we knew our selves abundance of the parliament-men , who were all of their judgment ; viz. [ that moderate episcopacy was the best government , and that the bishops that followed lawd did by innovation seek to destroy both religion and the subjects liberty ( as they thought ) and that it was necessary to bring down the bishop's power in temporals , and to get better men that would be confined more to spiritual government , and use it better : but that no episcopacy was so necessary , as that the state should be hazarded to support it . ] this was the judgment of almost all them that i could hear or know of 6. that even to this day 1671. there are yet about threescore of them alive , besides lords , from whom the matter may be known . 7. that understanding conscionable members of the house yet living , openly profess that presbytery was fearce known among them , and that there was but one known presbyterian then in that house , which was mr. tate of northamptonshire , an honest man. 8. that when they had raised their army , in their propositions sent to the king at nottingham , they offer the moderating of episcopacy , and not presbytery . 9 that the earl of fssex general , the earl of bedford general of the horse , the earl of peterborough , sir john merick , dolbiere , the earl of stamford , the earl of huntington , the ( now ) earl of denbigh , the lord s. john , the lord roberts , the lord mandevile ( late earl of manchester ) the ( now ) lord hollis , colonel essex , col. goodwins ; colonel grantham , sir henry cholmley ; and so through the rest of the colonels , were no presbyterians ; ( though the lord say , lord brook , and the lord wharton were not episcopal . ) 10. that except these three last named , all the parliament's lord-lieutenants through england that ever i could hear of , were men accounted episcopal and conformable ; and these three were not accounted presbyterians , but honest godly independents or neither 11. that their major generals in the several parts of the land were commonly episcopal and conformable men ; yea the earl of stamford , sir william waller , mr. g. brown , mr. g. massey , mr. lawghorn , ferdinando lord fairfax , mr. g. pointz , mr. g. morgan , sir thomas middleton , mr. g. mitton , sir john gell , &c. 12. that the synod at westminster at first were all conformists , except about nine or ten , ( as doctor hammond telleth them in his answer to the london ministers . ) 13. that the scots themselves ( as may be seen in a late answer to the bishop of dumblanes accommodation ) do profess , that as england never was presbyterian , so they never supposed that they should immediately be such , but only put into the covenant the general words of [ reforming according to the word of god , and the example of the best reformed churches ] that they might engage them further to enquire what is the reformation which is most agreeable hereunto ; that so in time they might attain it : so that when the said bishop ( now archbishop of glasgoe ( being known to me ) citeth my own words , and other mens , to prove that the assembly or parliament never intended the renunciation of episcopacy , but of the english exorbitant prelacy , the scots presbyterians deny it not , but answer as aforesaid . 14. that it is a commonly known thing , that the covenant came in , not only after the wars were begun , but when the parliament was brought so low as to seek to the scots for aid . and that presbytery was little known in england , till the scots brought in the knowledge of it . 15. and it was a notorious thing that the parliament yielded to presbytery and to exclude episcopacy at last , not because they thought that a moderate episcopacy was not lawful and best , but because they had no way to hold up their wars , ( without which they thought they had no way to uphold themselves ) but by the help of the scots and such as were against episcopacy . and because they had seen the prelacy fly so high , and now to be so strong against them that they had no hope of moderating it , but fear'd it would bear down all . insomuch that mr. thomas coleman gave the covenant to the lords with this open profession , that it signified not the renunciation of episcopacy . 16. and it is a notorious thing , that before the parliament 1640 , there were not so many non-conformable ministers in england , ( presbyterians , independents , and anabaptists altogether ) as there were counties in the kingdom . and 17. it is known that few of those few had any hand in raising or promoting the war : mr. dod in northamptonshire , mr. ball in staffordshire , mr. langley in cheshire , poor mr. barnet of uppington , in shropshire , mr. oliver thomas , and mr. wrath in wales ( that quickly died , as almost all the rest did ) mr. augier in lancashire , mr. slater , mr. root , and a few more in all england . and 18. it is known , that when necessity had drawn them to please the scots , and take the covenant , the parliament would never be drawn ( though they made ordinances for it ) to appoint any to settle presbytery in the counties in execution of their ordinances . but purposely delayed , and never did it , except in london , lancashire , warwickshire , and a few more places . 19. and it is known , that the ministers of england themselves were but few of them indeed presbyterians , and therefore were the backwarder to set up that discipline : and therefore our worcestershire agreement ( to concur in all that the three parties are agreed in ) did the more easily and generally take ; and that the people themselves were so generally against presbytery ( except some of the stricter sort ) that they never would submit to it : and so de facto , it was never indeed set up , save in the few places forenamed . 20. lastly , it is visible , that the reasons of the parliament's war published in their remonstrances and declarations , do suppose their consent to episcopacy , and mention nothing of a change : and that the lawyers of the house ( as judge brown , selden , glin , &c. ) were generally episcopal erastians , that thought episcopacy lawful , as being from the soveraign power , which they thought might appoint church government as he please : ( as dr. stillingfleet's irenic . pleads ; and as the kings late acts in scotland intimate so far , as to determine that all the external government belongs to the king : and i will not believe , though you should swear it , that the king is a presbyterian . i did think that these twenty evidences set together , would have proved to any sober man , that on both sides it was episcopal men , and episcopal erastians that raised the first war in england . but all this evidence notwithstanding , this is to you the strangest paradox in historical transactions that ever saw the light : a serious confutation of it would have shewed you to be in a delirium , &c. answ . you have hit on the best confutation of it in those words that the cause was capable of : for now ignorant strangers and posterity may possibly think , that a man would not so confidently deny a notorious thing , without some ground . but what are those grounds ( for it is almost all one , as to dispute whether the english war was between protestants , or between english-men . ) why 1. you say , that [ the spirit of presbytery and non-conformity was stirring in those parliaments , though not known by those names . ] answ . nay , then there is no dealing with you in history . we judge of mens hearts by their professions and direct practice , and take him for conformable , that saith he is so , and actually conformeth . but you see deeper into the spirit : so you may say that it was the spirit of socinianism that workt in the arminians , as others say , it was the spirit of popery that workt in a. bishop laud and his party ; and others say , that it is the spirit of democracy that worketh in popular princes , and the spirit of rebellion that workt in hooker , and the spirit of independency that worketh in the presbyterians , and the spirit of anabaptism that worketh in the independents ; and so bagshaw and his brethren say , it is the spirit of conformity that worketh in us . and so whatever errour a man runs not as far from , as frightned , or furious adversaries do , he must be said to have the spirit of that error . as if a pythagorean should tell you that you have the spirit of ajax , thraso , or of some brute . sir , we plain people have hitherto taken a presbyterian to be one that holdeth [ that the church is and ought to be governed by sessions , classes , and synods , the lesser subordinate to the greater , to which there lieth an appeal , and these composed of pastors in parity and ruling elders conjunct , and that not for meer concord , but direct regiment . ] these are presbyterians in the sense of beza and saravia , downam , and gors . bucer , bilson , hooker , and all that have written on it : whom though i differ from , i take to be commonly the most sober , religious , strict , and understanding sort of christians , ( together with the new england moderate independents ) that i know , who make up a party in the world . and i take my self to be under a rational disparagement to differ from them so far as i do , though for truth 〈…〉 will bear that disparagement . but now forsooth , we have ●●●● professing episcopacy and conformity in parliements , that have the spirit of presbytery : and it was archiepiscopal and episcopal presbyt●●ians that began the war. just as among the pa●●sts , the poor jansenists , yea the persecuting ●●●● , are said to have the spirit of the ca●vinist● , ergo , they are calvinists , deny it who dare . 2. you prove it fully , by saving , did you never hear that when these parliaments we●e in their full cry against the duke of buckinghum ; they secretly moved him to make dr. breston archbishop , and then all complaints should be hushed ] answ . what still untruths ? 1. produce your credible proof if you are able . 2. could a parliament which doth all things by the major vote transact such a business secretly . could it have been proved , would not the duke of buckingham have alledged it against his adversaries ? 3. would heylin himself have silenced such a thing , and emplyed the contrary if it had been true . 4. would mr. thomas ball that florid full historian , in the life of his tutor dr. preston , have omitted it , when he advanced his reputation as high in outward respects as possible . 5. but what if all this had been true ? oportuit fuisse memorem ? truth shameth the cunningest and most confident adversaries , doctor preston was conformable . and is it a proof that the parliament had the spirit of presbytery , if they would have had a conformist made archbishop . thus we have still your first description of presbyterians , viz. such conformists as would be archbishops , and such parliaments as would have archbishops . we call archbishops , bishops , and so episcopal ; and you call them presbyterians : and are we not there like to agree well of the thing , that are not agreed of the name . 6. but he that knoweth that abbot was then archbishop of c. will hardly believe you , that the parliament would have had dr. preston put in , ( though it be nothing to the purpose . ) what you say of the infection from geneva , hath this sense : [ geneva infected the english fugitives with presbyterianism ; ergo the parliament 1642 , were presbyterians . ] we deny the consequence . for , 1. they infected not all england . 2. nor those individual persons . 3. they that were infected were non-conformable ministers , who were after silenced or trodden down by the bishops , and had not any votes in parliaments . next when i tell you , that parliament , militia , army , major generals , &c. were no presbyterians : you answer me , that you meddle not with lay-men . answ . and what need we more , were not the parliament lay-men ? and was it not the parliament that raised the militia and the armies , and that gave commissions to major generals &c. and was it not the lay-men that were the commanders and souldiers that fought against the armies of the king. and yet all this was an historical paradox to you . but you say , the dissenting brethren were most guilty in blowing the trumpet . answ . 1. suppose that were true ; all that you can say were but this , that one episcopal party raised a war against the king , and the other party , because some non-conformists blew the trumpet , or perswaded them . but if episcopal men are so unstable and simple to be drawn into such a war by a few non-conformists , why do you not acknowledge it ? but you question whether there were ●hen so few presbyterians in england , because a thousand subscribed a petition in king jame 's time . answ . this is to write history by conjecture against notorious matter of fact . i named you the men ; i can name you those in the assembly of divines , mr. nie , mr. goodwin , mr. simpson , mr. bridge , mr. boroughs , mr. philips , mr. greenhill , and mr. caryl ( after ) all independents , and mr. ash a presbyterian . name me many more english non-conformists if you can : and name me as many more in the land then i have named , if you can ! but a thousand subscribed the petition . bancroft , and your other such conformists tell you , that it was not so , and that most of them conformed then or soon after : you can believe such men when it serveth your turn . the truth is , many conformed , and the rest were dead and gone . do you think there were many non-conformists alive in 1642 , who subscribed that petition when king james came in . if mr. dod were , i suppose not many more . but did they not increase and multiply ? answ . excellent history ! did not we live in the country with them ? should we not have known them ? name them as i do . they were all consumed to the number that i mention , except some that went into new england ; and of these named , divers came back out of holland . death and conformity had almost made an end of them , when they wonderfully revived from among your selves : know you not , that this is the grand hope of your present generation from old experience , that non conformity will be but res unius aetatis . ( but reason , conscience , scripture , duty , and sin will for all that be still the same . ) as to your doubt , whether england infected not scotland ? heylin in his life of land will tell you plainly . they might at last encourage them , but it was not for presbytery , but for that which they called propriety , liberty , and safety from popery . these were the frights of the episcopal great men of those times : but as for any ministers to infect scotland hence with presbytery , when it there prevailed , and here were next to none at all , it is a ridiculous fancy . but now you pretend to speak sence , and tell me , that one of the propositions sent to the king after edge-hill , was to abolish archbishops , bishops , &c. ans . unhappy still ! 1. but how long since after edge-hill fight ? was it not long after , at the treaty of uxbridge that you mean ? and was that before the raising of the army ? 2. was not the proposals at nottingham sent by the earl of essex , a little before the raising of the army ? a surer proof against you that then they were not for presbytery , but restrained episcopacy . 3. even at uxbridge treaty , many thought that another frame of moderate episcopacy would not be well set up , till the present frame was taken down . 4. and even then they said nothing that i know of for presbytery . 5. but the truth is , they saw by that time , that they could not stand but by the help of those that were against the bishops , the scots , the independents , and the unwilling conformists that desired a deliverance . but this proveth not that the parliament was presbyterians then , much less that they were so before the wars : but you that meddle not with lay-men , remember that lay-men sent those propasitions . you next tell me of alderman pennington , and the apprentices . answ . 1. few of those apprentices knew what presbytery was , but were exasperated against episcopacy for the sake of the present bishops ; as the common people be now within these nine years , thinking that it 's they that silence their teachers , and cause all our divisions . but alas little knew they what church-government to desire . but most that were in judgment against episcopacy , were independents and separatists then . and how inconsiderable a number in london were those apprentices . 2. and our question is not , what party of lads , or apprentices , or women did clamour against bishops , ? but what party it was that raised the war ? did these lads give the earl of essex his commission ? but you find none that said any thing against their petition , but the lord digby . answ . and hath not he forsaken you also ? 1. where did you seek to find it ? not in the parliament journal sure , else you might have found more . 2. the truth is , the episcopal parliament themselves perceiving what party they must trust to , opposed not those petitions , because the petitioners might serve their turns , and i doubt were too well contented with them . but as no man must say , that the king had the spirit of popery , because he was willing that the papists should help him : so no man can prove that the episcopal parliament had the spirit of presbytery , or were against episcopacy it self , because they were willing to be helped by all sorts , who on a sudden were fallen out with bishops . the truth is , the suspending and silencing of ministers , and the cropping the ears , and stigmatizing prin with burton and bastwick , had suddenly raised in the london apprentices and others , a great distate of the bishops , though they knew little of any controversies about church-government at all . when you say , that [ episcopacy ( or rather bishops lands ) was the palladium , &c. ] 1. episcopacy was not so till after the army was raised : it was so , no doubt , in the private designs of some particular men , apprentices and women , in the city and kingdom ; that is , all that were against it desired it should fall : and many that were episcopal desired that it should rather fall , than the abuses of it continue by such men as they thought would else ruine church and state , thinking that there was no other way to save them : ( so far did different apprehensions about propriety , liberty , popery , and arminianism , carry men from one another , who were all for episcopacy . ) but forget not 1. that it is the major vote of the parliament , and not a few secret designers within or without doors , that is the parliament . 2. that it was the parliament that raised the militia and armies . 3. that this parliament was not at that time against episcopacy ; ( therefore your talk of the isle of wight so long after , is liker a jest than serious . besides that you seem ignorant of , the parliament resolved to accept of the kings concessions , ( as prins long printed speech will shew you ) and therefore immediately before they should have voted that closure were pulled out by cromwell , ( who had secret intelligence what they were going to do . ) 2. and your oblivion caused you by your parenthesis to contradict what you have hitherto said your self : for if it were bishops lands rather than bishops that they would have down , it implyeth that they were not presbyterians , nor against episcopacy . would you make an english-man of this age believe , that none of your own church have an appetite to bishops lands ? try them , and they will confute you more effectually than i can . do you think that of the multitude that now drink and ●rant , and roar , and whore , and rob , there are none whose consciences could be content that bishops fell , that they might have their lands ? you will say perhaps , these are not truly for episcopacy . ridiculous ! must we write histories out of mens secret thoughts and hearts , and call men only what they are conscientiously and in sincerity ? who knoweth another mans sincerity but god ? come into london , or go among these gallants , and tell them that they are not sons of the church if you dare . hearken whether they talk not more for bishops , than for any other sect ? whether they do not curse and damn the presbyterians and fanaticks , and their conventicles , and deride their preaching and praying , and say as bad of them as you can wish them ? though i know that too great abundance since our silencing are fallen off from you to infidelity or atheism , and to make a jest of the sacred scriptures ; and the papists say , that very many thousands are turned to them : yet i speak of those that still call themselves protestants of the church of england . really if you will take none to be of your church that would sell the bishops lands , or none that are not conscientiously for you ; i doubt your church yet will prove invisible , and as little as some of the housed sects . and if that will serve your turn , i pray deal equally , and let the sectaries also have leave to say of any of their party that killed the king , or were guilty of treason , he was not truly one of us . the war was first called bellum episcopale by the parliament-men , because they thought or said that land and his adherents were the causes of it , by seeking to reduce the scots to their will , and to set up altars and other innovations in england . but not because the parliament at that time renounced episcopacy it self . as to the particular members of the armies , i confess i did know them better than you ; i speak not of fairfax or cromwell's army , but of essex's : and it s well that you have so much modesty , as not to deny that they were episcopal or no presbyterians . but you venture to say of those yet living , [ that they were so whilst they assisted in the support of the late cause , i have not so far renounced my reason and experience as to fall in with your account . and if we persevere in this new doctrine , we shall be as distant as the two poles . ] answ . now you are at your strength , your confidence , and resolution to believe ( or say you believe ) as you do , is all the life of your cause . it is now taken for no dishonour to the greatest lords , to say , that they are for episcopacy . there are yet living the earl of bedford , the earl of denbeigh , the earl of stamford , the lord grey of warke , the lord hollis , the lord asthey , the lord roberts , the earl of anglesey ( though he be no souldier ) major general morgan , mr. g. massey , sir john gell , and many more . enquire of themselves , or any that know them , whether they were ever presbyterians , or against a moderate episcopacy . sir william waller was most called a presbyterian ( in your sense ) who died lately , and hath told me ( being my very dear friend ) his own judgment and the parliament's , as i now tell it you . i have in the heat of the wars heard sir thomas middleton , major general mitton , and many others thus give their judgment : yea , these were for the liturgy and full conformity ; and some of them for dr. hammond's highest strain of episcopacy . but it s sufficient to your cause , that though the men who are yet living , are the best witnesses of their own minds , yet you are resolved not to believe either them or me . but let me remember you of one wide-mou●hed witness more , which will almost swallow up your credit : when cromwell and his army , and their secret adherents in the parliament , cast out the eleven members of parliament first , and conquered the city , and pull'd down all the committees , and disbanded all the other forces of massey's army , and all the garrison and county forces : ) yea before that , when they layd by essex and his old officers and army , and abundance of the parliament-men that had command in garrisons , armies , &c. by the self-denying vote ( as it was called . ) all this was done upon insinuations , that they were not men to be trusted , being even then at the heart for the most part episcopal . and if yet you are incredulous , and as distant as the other pole , i will now but intreat you to fetch one argument from the north , to draw you from your north-pole distance ; and tell your self whether major general monk ( and morgan ) and his army which brought in the king , and set up the bishops again , was episcopal or presbyterian ? and yet their long abode in scotland made that army accounted to be more presbyterian than any army that was in england . but as king charles saith in his letter to mr. henderson , no man can so hardly understand as he that would not know . that the war is so odious now as that neither side will own it , is no wonder , when they have learned by so much experience : i would it had been so from the beginning . § . 28. i must allow you to ease your fancy with the name of [ singularities , strange imaginations , the body of a dead man , &c. ] for want of bettet stuff . but it s more strange to me , that the contention between arminian and calvinian , prelats and prelatists , should be talked of as so incredible ; when your goliah , peter heylin hath made it so much of the substance of his history of the life of a. b. laud. in what you say more of williams , you still confute your self : for what say you , but that selfish carnal motives did make an a. b. fight against the king. but was he therefore no prelatist , and yet an archprelate ; or was he therefore a presbyterian a. b. i again advise you not to cast all out of your church that are ruled by selfishness and worldly interest , least you leave so few as will take away the glory of your magnitude , and leave the sectaries to vie with you for the majority . and i will intreat you but to mark throughout the foresaid history of a. b. laud , how grosly and uglily your foresaid champion describeth laud and the chief of his party , as if preferment and rising were there very scope , and the contriving and seeking it by all friends and means , were their very trade of life and business in this world : so that to a truly heavenly mortified christian , it must needs seem as loathsom a character , as christ giveth the rich man , luke 16. 12. if not much more : for he writeth pride , ambition , worldliness , seeking to be greatest ; as it were the very inscription of the picture which he draweth : ( as his own letters in the caball say the same of williams . ) and will you make that to be a mark of no-prelate , which your champion maketh their notorious character . read him impartially , and judge . as for arrius , i had no acquaintance with him , nor have i any business with him : but if all my foresaid twenty evidences fail me , and i cannot know what a parliament was ? what a synod was ? what an army was ? when i was acquainted familiarly with so many of them all ? how should i know whether or no that epiphanius spake truly of the secret heart of arrius who so openly , falsly , and furiously abused and persecuted his superiour chrysostom . you shall believe what you will , and i will believe what i can . but few men have ventured to cast such a slur upon s. hierom as you do , saying , that [ jerom himself was not a jot the better for it , even for missing of a bishoprick : ] medina himself hath not done him so much wrong . what bishoprick was it that he sought and missed of , and when ? though he joyned with chrysostom's adversaries , i find not that he sought his place or any other bishops , though he sowrly over-top augustine in confidence of arguing ; i find not that he sought to be above him in place . it 's well that you are not out of hope of preferment your self , lest you should turn presbyterian : for ( pardon on my smarting sharpness of speech to you ( as you account it ) while i tell you that ) i take you not for a better man than s. jerom ; and therefore think that want of preferment would do more with you , than it did with him . but this is the ordinary judgment of worldlings , who measure other men by themselves . when i am dead , and cannot answer for my self , i doubt not but the same will be said of me , though you were now forced to recede from that censure . but above all impudencies , i must magnifie theirs that charge this on the presbyterians as such , whose denominating opinion lieth in resisting all honours , preferments , precedencies , great riches , &c. in the ministry , save what meer worth or age procureth ; and yet they are said to be discontent because they cannot be bishops , when their doctrine is against them . the dog that is busie about his carrion , snarleth at every one that passeth by , as jealous that he would bereave him of his feast . § . 29. 31. when the question is , as whether the parliament of england be english-men , or french-men ? i will take your return of [ round , square , and forked atomes ] for a very moving answer , considering the cause and person . but when i alledge your perversest champion heylin only ad hominem , i will not believe that your allegation of his lies against presbyterians is any more argumentum ad hominem to us , than if you alledged the authority of manesseh ben israel , till you have proved , ( for what cannot you do that you have a mind to do ) that pet. heylin ( as well as the archbishop of york ) was a presbyterian . i thank you for your silence to § . 32. § . 33. when our question was of the causers of the late war , and we came to recite the principles of the leaders of the prelatical party , what should i do more than name the men and their books . when the bishop silenced me , and forbid me to preach in his diocess , he commended for my cure the reading of bilson and hooker , and named no others . i now recited the words of bilson and hooker , the first as asserting the principles of the parliament ; the second as going quite beyond them on the principles of them that pull'd down the parliament , i cited page and words at large . to all this i have nothing but that you will cover your fathers nakedness , and not own all that they say : but doth not this yield that this was their doctrine ? what need you disown or cover it , if it were not so ? yet nothing will make some men confess . but still mr. hooker you admire , and so did camden , usher , morton , hales , gawden , king james , king charles . ] i dare not joyn my self to so great names as one of his admirers , lest i seem too much to value my self . i will come far behind them , supposing that a long tedious discourse in him hath as much substance , as one might put into a syllogism of six lines . i said , but that [ it was theirs and such prelatist's principles that led me into what i did and wrote . ] his principles might do it , and not he , as they were managed by other men . but these are niceties to men that heed not what they read or say . what is written line 1. p. 24. § . 10. you seem to defend : and 1. you say [ what is this more , than some that writ for the kings cause in the late wars professed ? ] answ . and will you defend or own all that then was confessed by them ? have you read the kings answer to the 19 propositions ? do you know that the parliaments adherents drew up a catechism out of that answer , as pretending to justifie all their cause by it ? know you not that in fountains letter answered by dr. steward ; and in sir nethersole's writings for the king , and many others , those things are supposed or asserted , which i would not counsel you now to assert . your instance is , [ that as to making of laws , our kings have not challenged a power without parliaments . ] answer , god be thanked , but that 's none of our question : but what you will not know , you cannot understand . seeing you seem to justifie hooker here , who saith , that laws they are not , which publick approbation hath not made so : ( which i believe of those countries where such publick senates have part in the legislation . ) by this you must say , that in the turks dominions , or any the like , there are no laws . but if you say , that the original grant of the legislative power to one is equivalent to an approbation of his laws : i maintain that hooker's principle is false , [ that by the natural law whereto god hath made all subject , the natural power of making laws to command whole publick societies of men belongeth , so properly to the same entire societies , that for any prince or potentate of what kindsoever upon earth , to exercise the same himself , and not either by express commission immediately and personally received from god , or else by authority derived at first from their consent , upon whose persons they impose laws , it is no better than meer tyranny . how hard a task then do you put kings upon to excuse themselves from tyranny , when ever such prelatists will accuse them of it . for 1. i hope you will not put them to prove [ that they have their power by an express commission immediately and personally from god ] ( as saul and david had ) shall we obey none but those that fanatically can pretend to a revelation , or immediate personal commission from heaven . and 2. prove if you can , that the people have regal power to use or to give . i grant that originally their consent may be necessary to the designation of the person or family that shall receive it from god : but it is god that giveth the power , though the people choose the person or family ; no man giveth that which he hath not : the people have not legal or governing power , ergo , they cannot give it . the wife chooseth her husband , but gods institution giveth him his power . if that it be certain ( as doctor hammond hath proved against john goodwin ) that the peoples consent doth give no power , but onely let in the person that shall receive it from god , and not from them ; how dare you thus conclude all kings on earth to be but tyrants , as hooker plainly doth : for no king on earth hath [ an immediate personal commission from heaven ] and no king ( that i know of ) can receive power from the people that never had it to give : ergo , you make all kings to be no kings but tyrants ; but falsly . will you defend this because hooker wrote it ? were not these the levellers and democratists principles , higher than the old parliament owned ? must a clergy of such principles put men upon banishing the non-conformists five miles from a corporation , as men of seditious principles . — terras astraea reliquit . you tell me , i take what is for my purpose , and leave out the rest . ans . semper idem . do i mai many sentence ? do i pervert any ? is the rest contradictory to this ? what in the great hooker ? no , not at all . i suppose the rest . unrighteous man ! if you require me to write out all his book , when ever i transcribe a part ? i own that which you transcribe ? what would you have more . but next you say , that i have found other doctrine in hookers other books . answ . a silly pretence , of which anon . you ask [ was you led aside by hooker , &c. yet you quote passages out of the 8th book , that came out since . ans . a man that would turn us to conformity , must be able himself to heed what he readeth ; 1. i said , not that hooker , but such principles led me . 2. i never said , that i was led by every word that i now cite , but that these words contain the principles which missed me ( that is , so far and so long as i followed those principles . ) do you not see that your heedlesness tempted you to this error ; and yet your [ ex post liminio ] and [ first building the roof ] seemed sence to you , or you would have them seem such at least to me . but it 's well that you disown these three book of hookers also . but 1. is not this forecited in the first , the very sum of all that you are afraid of 2. will you so give away the sixth and seventh which say far more for episcopacy than all the rest 3. will you thus reproach all bishop gauden's triumphant vindication and dedication to the king ? 4. did he not tell you that the copy was interlined with hookers own hand , as approving it ? what would you have more ? 5. i again tell you , i can bring you proof of a concordant copy , ( the scribes errates excepted ) . 6. mr. walton could not deny it . 7. dr. bernard cited by you confirmeth it . for to say , that a sentence or two were left , doth intimate that the book was his ; and leaving out , is not putting in : and i cited nothing that was left out , nor any thing in it that is maimed for want of it . 8. any man may see that the 8th book was imperfect , and that is proved by the matter , manner , and end : but it was nevertheless hooker's , and concordant in style and matter with the first . and have you now vindicated the doctrine of the chief prelatists any better than by disowning them ? and do you take it as incredible , that many episcopal men in parliament should think as bilson and hooker thought , and as the great speakers , sir dudley digs , cook , philips , eliot , and many such in former parliaments did seem to think . § . 35. did you write against their discipline with such ugly insinuations of treason , before you knew what their discipline was , and then think you are excused by saying , it must not be touched . 2. did you not know till now , that the nonconformists are not in all things of one mind ? they never pretended to it : how many men are so , whose faith is their own ? are you after so many years to learn , that some that conform not are episcopal , some presbyterians , some independents , and some as we of worcestershire ( and i think most of england ) addicted to no party ; but thinking that each of the three ( and the erastians too ) have somewhat in which they excel the rest , and somewhat in which they erre more than the rest . this is our judgment : and will not old printed writings make you know it , before you first write against it , and then wonder at it , and make a stir about that which you know not , when i'ts told you . you next think that by proving that they flie their habitation , and refuse the oath , you sufficiciently prove — that the chorus sticks at renouncing war against the king. because it is a serious business ; i must profess that you here so cross the common principles of reason , humanity , or christianity , that you do not at all tempt me to conform : when you know ( if you are reasonable ) that if they should take all the oath except the last clause , they are nevertheless to be confined from corporations ? when you know ( if you are reasonable ) that a man may judge the first part , or one part lawful , that thinketh otherwise of the last , and so that he must remove his habitation ! to conclude , yet that the flying of their habitations , and not taking the oath is a proof that they are against the whole , or against that clause that renounceth arms against the king ; and to take this for a demonstration , as going is , that there is motion ; i tell you again , this reasoning beseemeth not a divine , or a man. doth it not imply , that you will take an oath your self , if you judge but one part of it lawful ? and yet before , that vo●doth bind no man to the lawful parts which you said had in it some parts unlawful . thus errors agree amongst themselves . you open your self yet more ; you say , [ this makes me nauseate your principles as much as the former , viz. not swearing , not to endeavour an alteration in the government of the church . ] answ . and indeed , do you loath as much the altering of your church government as the kings , and yet be loyal ? is it as loathsom to turn diocesance into the old episcopacy , or to set up bishop usher's model , which we offered , yea or to take down lay chancellor's power of the keys , as to take down kings . yet this tempts me not unto conformity . yet do you not stick to say next [ yes , by petition , as becomes subjects ( viz. ) we may endeavour alteration . ] answ . what a saying and unsaying is this ? and what a jumble of swearing and unswearing would you have us make ? will men awake believe that petitioning is no endeavouring ? will you preach this doctrine to your flock ? you may lawfully swear that you will not any time endeavour an alteration of the scripture , of the ministry , of the universities , of religion , of monarchy , and yet may endeavour it by petitioning , that oath notwithstanding . ] may a man swear universally , and mean particularly . may he swear that he will not at any time murder his child , and mean [ except by famishing him . ] may he swear that he will never endeavour to defame you , or take away your life or lands , and yet may petition the king or parliament to take them away ? swear with you at these rates that will for me . but by this it appeareth that quoad sensum you are of the nonconformists mind , though not as to the method of swearing : for if they could but stretch their consciences to put your sense upon that clause of the oath , they would take it : and yet do you nauseate their principles and discipline , because they cannot interpret it as you , who would take it were it so interpreted ? see then by how small a matter ( even the meer exposition of the words . ) satan can tempt some men to nauseate the discipline and principles of others that fear an oath . but you think [ in our places and callings ] is , that ministers must preach them down , and souldiers fight them down . ans . 1. but is not petitioning confest by you to be agreeable to the place and calling of a subject , and therefore allowable . and so you build up what you would pull down . 2. either it belongeth to the place and calling of a minister to preach for church reformation in the said alteration , or not . if it be , dare you oppose it ? if it be not , this clause restraineth it . 3. if the king ( who can give souldiers authority ) should commission souldiers to pull down lay chancellors , or alter prelacy , and make a bishop in every market town or parish , would you teach the souldiers to disobey and any to resist him ? what! and yet in the oath swear that it is not lawful to resist any commissioned by him ? but a souldier that is not authorized to do it , doth it not in his place and calling . your talk of changing discipline with rebellion by instances from practices , is but a proceeding in bold calumniation , when you say nothing to the vindications which dr. pet. moulin bishop bilson , king james , and others have given it . and to name no instance but that of prague , is so bad , that i will not name its quality . do you know what discipline they were of at prague ? i suppose you know that the bohemian waldenses were episcopal , as commenius and lascitius treatises will shew you under the name of seniors and conseniors . and the palatine discipline was mostly erastian by magistrates , even long before erastus pleaded for it against beza , even as was and is the discipline of the helvetians . and hath the image of both churches , or some such papist put this into your head , to nauseate magistrates , church-government , for the sake of them of prague , that raised a tumult against the magistrate ( on what cause i leave to just historians . ) when you ask me what i think of those disciplinarian principles . i answer , i think who ever used them they are false , and i think him a shameless calumniator that will charge them on us that conform not , without one syllable or shew of proof : do you mean [ bancroft and heylin charge them on some called disciplinarians in the last age . ergo , i may charge them on the present non-conformists ; yea on the whole chorus , yea on their discipline that desired bishop usher's episcopacy . ] let it be so , that you may be your self : as to what you say against the genevian principles , as against government , &c. i answer , 1. why did you not name some one of those principles , and try by what consequence it inferreth all the villanies which you name . do not the papists say the same of the protestants . 2. and next , why did you not prove that we hold those rebellious genevian principles ? were it christian dealing in me , if i should say , [ because prins history of prelates treasons proveth that multitudes of prelates have been traytors therefore our present prelates are such too . ] but we see what instruments the prince of malice and calumny useth . you tell me that you shall the less believe confessions , because the parliaments declarations so differed from their practice . ans . 1. but will you falsly accuse the part that is good for the part that is evil ? most christians live not according to the christian profession : is the christian profession therefore bad , and the cause of all their villanies ? will you judge fidem ex homine ? will you charge all that upon a mans religion objectively considered , which you find amiss in his life . 2. do you not know that our question now is not what the men are , but what their principles and discipline , and that it is not the professio profitens , but the professio professa which is to be disputed of . and by what means shall any church or party under heaven defend their religion against such a censurer and disputant as you are ? they will say that they have the true religion ; you will say , no , for you are not true to your religion : they will say , that their articles are true ; you will say , no , they are false , because you live not according to them , ( which implieth that they are true and good , or else what fault were it to contradict them in practice . ) the protestant will say , our religion is sound and agreeable to gods word : you teach the papists to answer , no , it 's false , for there are vicious livers among you . and i pray you , what number of sinners must go to prove a religion , creed , or articles false ? must it be all , or the major part , or will any one serve ? must the kingdom try by the pole , or vote whether the vicious or the vertuous are the greater number among them , before they can prove their religion true ? doth the act go to the essence of the object ? 3. but if it must needs be so , i pray dispute no more against the non-conformists , or dispute against them better by your lives , than you have done ? will you teach them to argue the xxxix articles , the liturgy , and book of ordination are not true , or to be subscribed , because the conformists live thus or thus . you know foreigners and posterity know not which of the histories of this age are true or false : suppose that they should read mr. white 's centuries of drunkards , &c. ejected from the ministry , and the records of the country committees , saying , so many and so many were upon oath proved scandalous drunkards , &c. and ralph wallis naming so many drunkards and scandalous conformists now . would you have them question the principles and discipline of the church of england , till they can prove these histories false . i profess to you resolvedly , that if i must needs judge that church or party to have the soundest principles and discipline , who have the best lives ; i should far and very far prefer the presbyterians , independents , and much more the conciliators , before the prelatists , and yet not extenuate any of their faults . but all this is nothing to you that go another way to work . [ why tell you of mens professions , when you see their contrary practice ? ] when as it is not the practice only , but the profession that is the principles and discipline that you accused : and so when their principles are in question , why do we talk to you of their principles ? and how silly a shift is all this covered with ? because the parliament promised to make the king the most glorious king , if he would return to them , &c. but 1. is a promise and disciplinarian principles of the same nature , when we question their truth . the promise is not true , unless it agree with the mind of the promiser , of which god is the iudge till performance shew it . but principles may be true , though he that profess them be never so false . 2. and i pray remember , that the parliament were pulled to pieces , and conquered by souldiers ( even for resolving to close with the king ) before the king could be cut off . but as for the first war , i have told you the authors of it . to your next ; [ if we must call none episcopal men that are not faithful to their principles ] then i know not indeed whom i may call such : if parties must be notified by their fidelity , we should have agreed thus to sense the word before we had disputed , for other men speak not thus . did you think i cited moulin against philanax to prove that our principles are better than the papists . have you read him all , and understand him no better ? i cited him as fully proving historically that the places now charged with presbyterianism and rebellion , geneva , holland , &c. had changed this government before , or on other accounts ; flanders and brabant joyned with holland in the change , the main body being papists , who after fell off when the prince of orange mentioned liberty of religion . and for geneva , pag. 27. he faith , [ my business being to vindicate the reformation from the charge of rebellion , i must take from the reformers of geneva that aspersion , that they expelled their bishop , and that they altered the constitution of that state , and both these ascribed to calvin : it is a tradition received in england , as a currant and undoubted truth : ( a fair credit to the prelatists honesty and historical veracity ! ) and upon that ground many fine and judicious inferences are built . but it is like the story of the phoenix , and the singing of swans , never the truer . what credit can be given to histories of things bapned in the indies 2000 years ago ? if in things done so lately , and so near us , gross mistakes go for uncontrolable truths . ( you know with whom . ) i say , it is utterly false that calvin was one of the planters of the reformed religion at geneva . false also that he or the reformers at geneva turned their bishop out of doors . and false also that the bishop went away upon the quarrel of religion . the bishop was fled eight months before the reformation , seeing his conspiracy discovered to oppress the liberties of the city by the help of the duke of savoy , for which his secretary was hanged after he was gone ; the said bishop being hated before , for the rape of a virgin , and many adulteries with citizens wives . and it is most to be noted , that they who after his flight reformed the civil government were strong papists , and mainly opposed the reformation of religion . i shall recite no more out of this episcopal doctor , prebend of canterbury , but desire you again to read page 23 , 24. what changed luther's mind to own the protestants arms against the emperour . and page 32 , 33. what king james saith to vindicate the french protestants ; [ i never knew yet that the french protestants took arms against their king , &c. ] and that cap. 3. pag. 64 , to 73. he cites the confessions of all the churches , the augustane , the french , the belgick , the helvetian , the bohemian , the saxonian , the swevian , the english , as consenting for obedience to their soveraigns . but all this is nothing to you that can say nothing of worth against it : neither the vindication of their principles or practice . but ( unrighteous judge ) i am with you ( partial and unequal . ) 1. because i told you , that you should not have set down the bare names of t. c. and travers , as a charge , without citing what they say . and is not that true ? is that an unequal expectation ? and what if i had added , that had you proved them guilty , it had not concerned any of us , or our discipline or principles , till you had proved that we had owned the same ? and is that unequal ? o justice ! 2. because i said , [ i will no further believe bancroft or sir th. aston , then they prove what they say . ] no , nor you neither . must i believe adversaries accusing parties without proof , and such adversaries too ! why must i believe them more than heylin , or more than doctor moulin afore-cited believed the english tradition against geneva ? is this the equality of your way ? § . 37. it 's tedious disputing with a man that cannot or will not understand what is said , no not the question , no not the subject of it . you cite my words out of the saints rest , that say not any thing to the question . the question is not , what were the final motives of the war ? but , what was the controversie of the warranting cause and foundation , that must decide the case , whether it was lawful or unlawful . the bonum publicum , and the gospel and religion , and mens salvations , are the great moving ends and reasons of a lawful war. but it is not these ends that will serve to prove a war lawful ? could that be the cause or controversie which they were both agreed in ? did not the king profess to be for religion , liberty , &c. as well as they . see yet his shrewsbury half-crowns ( if coin be any evidence with you ) private men may not raise war for religion ; but the king may . the finis and the fundamentum are not the same . i there talkt but of the finis and motives , i now speak of the fundamentum and controversie , which is well known to be , whether the king or parliament then had the power of the militia , rebus sic stantibus ; and whether the parliament had true authority to raise an army against the army commissioned by the king for that defence , and executing the law upon delinquents , which they then pretended to . now i say still , i know no theological controversie herein : i know no scripture but policy and law , and contract , that will tell us , whether the king of spain , or the states , be the rightful governours of the low countries ? or , whether the king of france be absolute ? if you can out of scripture prove that all republicks must have the same form and degree of government , or how forms and degrees must be varied in each land. i resist you not , but only confess my weakness , that so high a performance is beyond my power . had you understood the question , you might have spared your citation of my words . § . 41. you come again to our swearing conformity ; and you say , [ that it must reasonably be understood of a tumultuous and armed endeavour . ] answ . 1. and it is publickly known that we are ready to swear against a tumultuous and armed endeavour ( unless by the king's command . ) if you would not endeavour it , even with arms , if the king commanded you , accuse us not of disloyalty for being more loyal than you . if you would , we are of the same judgment as to the thing : and so ( while the thousands of ignorant souls are untaught ) men of the same judgment ( on our part openly professed out ) must some be teachers , and some silenced , some preferred , and some in prison , and banished from corporations , &c. even while they hold the same thing . and why ? because one part of them dare take an oath in a more stretching sence than the others dare : and that , 1. because they are taught ( not only by amesius where you cite him ) but by all consciencious judicious casuists , that an oath is to be taken strictly and not stretchingly , in the common sense of the words , unless the law-givers will otherwise explain themselves . 2. and the words are universal [ not endeavour at any time ] without the least limitation or exception of any sort of endeavour . ( i should have broke that oath by this writing to you had i taken it . ) et non est distinguendum aut limitandum fine lege . 3. the law-makers are to be supposed wise , considerate men , especially the bishops , and able to distinguish between an universal and a particular or limited enunciation , and to express their minds in congruous words . 4. the law-makers knew before and since that we would take the oath , if ( endeavouring ) had been limited as you do ; and yet they never would limit it by one syllable . 5. the reasons used for that clause , and our acquaintance with the bishops and other authors of it , leave our consciences perswaded , that their meaning was against all endeavours , and not tumultuous , military , or illegal only ; as in the et caetera oath 1640. it was that [ i will not consent ] which is less than [ endeavouring . ] and we are not ignorant what relation this oath hath to that : and we take it to be a sin to deceive our rulers , by taking an oath in that sence which we believe was not by them intended , and seeming to them to swear what we do not mean. 6. when twenty london ministers took the oath , because doctor bates told them , that the lord keeper promised him at the giving it , to put in the words [ endeavour by any seditious or unlawful means ] ( or to that sense ) the said limiting words were not only left out , but when old mr. sam. clark said , my lord , we mean only unlawful endeavour : judge keeling asked , will you take the oath as it is offered you , and refused to add any such explication ; and told them when they had done , they had renounced the covenant . 7. the justices tell us when they offer us the oath , that we must take it according to the plain sense of the words . 8. the parliament in the act for regulating corporations , in the declaration there imposed , and the oath , doth fully satisfie us what is their sense about this matter . 9. it is not true ( as far as any london ministers can know ) that ever the judges declared their sense as you say for that limitation : that is , that ever they did by any consultation and concord give any judgment in the case , whatever any single judge ( as the lord keeper ) might say privately , or any one alone , when another may say the contrary . 10. if they had , it 's a known thing , whatever their judgment may do to make cases in the common law , yet as to statute law , only the law-makers are the law-interpreters , as to any interpretation which shall be as the law it self , a rule universally to the subjects : and that judges and justices ( who here are made the judges ) do only interpret the law , for the decision of particular controversies that come before them . and if all the judges and justices in england should meet and agree of this statute , it would only shew how they resolve in particular judgments to expound it , and not what is the true obliging sense to the subjects conscience : otherwise the judges would be equal to , if not above the king and parliament . for he hath more power who determineth what sense and soul the laws shall have , than they that only make the words and body , which others may put what sense they please on . nor can all the judges make it lawful to take up arms against the king , if they so expounded any law : they have a deciding expositors judgment as to the case before them , but not the regulating universal expounding power at all . 11. we think that divines that preach against sin , above al● men must not stretch their consciences in so dangerous a point as publick swearing . 12. and we think that if men be once taught to equivocate , and play fast and loose with the sacred bond of oaths , conscience is quite debauched , no sufficient bar is left to keep out any the greatest sins ; preachers and people become incredible ; humane society is endeavoured to be dissolved , and the king's life ( secured much by his subjects fidelity and conscience of an oath ) is exposed to the wicked wills of men . we charge no others with all this , but we will avoid it our selves though it cost us yet more . you may swear [ not to endeavour ] and mean particularly [ not by tumult or arms , but by some other endeavour ; ] but so cannot we . therefore do you enjoy your liberty , maintenance , and honour , and we will be without them ; and to morrow , at death , we shall be as free and as high as you . but fie , sirs , why will you talk of [ straining oaths , and turning plain oaths into snares , ana● allowing no interpreters ? ] are your ways here equal too ? 1. what is the plain sense , but an universal sense of an universal enunciation ? if by [ all ] or [ none ] i understand all or none , and you understand not all but some , who is the strainer of the oath ? and i pray you tell me , if once any endeavour shall be excepted , who shall determine how much it must be . the first part of the oath saith [ not on any pretence whatever : ] that is , we must not take up arms against any commissioned by the king. what if a bold limited expositor will here come in , and say , [ except king john deliver up the kingdom to the pope ; or except the king's commissions through the officers fault should be contradictory ] or such exceptions as wil. barclay and grotius make ? should not this man rather be the equivocator and strainer of the oath , than he that thinketh so plain a phrase , as [ not any pretence whatsoever ] is exclusive of any pretence whatsoever ? never trust the man that feareth not an oath . 2. but why talk you of none being interpreters ? we cannot give the power to whom we please : the law-makers think it best as it is , and will not interpret as you do , when they can , and know all the reasons that you can give them . the justices are made our judges : i told you that the justices when they sent me to the gaol , refused to expound it , and told me i must take it according to the proper sense of the words . yet do you go on , as if none of all this had been said to you . as to what you say of obligation by the covenant , and leaving a gap , &c. i answer , melancholy men by fearing bring the thing feared on themselves : it was the et caetera oath 1640 , that forced me ( who else had lived quietly in my ignorance ) to read and study many authors , to know the truth before i swore , who turned me ( not against episcopacy ) but against the italian and diocesan frame . the covenant is not the thing that they are in danger of , but their own diseases ; we firmly believe that the covenant bindeth us to nothing but what we were bound to if we had never taken it , as being not a primary bond to make new duty , but a secondary to bind us to that only which is antecedently a duty ; and that no vow or covenant bindeth us from obeying the king in any thing indifferent , much less a duty before . these are our principles , however you nauseate them . but without respect to any vow or covenant , we hold that we are all bound ( not to any treason , rebellion , or any illegal means ; but ) in our true place and calling to endeavour that those things may be reformed in the discipline , which my first dispute of church government hath proved to be evil ( after which so long unanswered , you need not so loudly have called for my reasons : ) and if this be it that maketh you think my retraction not sincere , think what you please , i never retracted any of this . § . 44. first , they that exercise the keys of excommunication and absolution in the ordinary open judicatures of the land , are church governours : but lay chancellors exercise the keys of excommunication and absolution , in the ordinary open judicatures of the land ; ergo , lay-chancellors are church-governours . 2. who doubts but the et caetera included them . if it included none , it was superfluous : if any , how exclude you them . and is it not said , [ as it standeth , and ought to stand . ] but were it but deans and archdeaeons , i would not swear , that if the king commanded me by writing or petition to endeavour some alteration , i will resist or disobey him ; you may do as you will. 3. it were too long now to tell you , how far i take my conscience obliged to a lay-chancellor , and how far not . 4. but what 's next ? that [ no learned men so much as maintain in the schools , the lay-chancellors church government . ] and yet have we hot and feaverish heads , if we will not swear to that which no man will maintain . well! let it go for our crime or folly while such men judge . 5. add p. 20. the fear of god is the beginning of wisdom ; a good understanding have all they that do them . — fools make a mock of sin . — see that ye walk circumspectly , not as fools , but as wise . to fear an oath is a mark of the fear of god ; and i am sure to play with oaths is a mark of the contrary . god will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain . all things by temptation may go for lawful to him , to whom perjury , deliberate studied perjury seems lawful , yea and a duty . and avoiding the name , is no avoiding of the thing . he that will commit murder , adultery , theft , &c. and then prove it to be no murder , &c. doth not thereby escape the guilt : and he that is not willing to know sin to be sin that he may leave it , is wilful and wicked , as well as he that will not leave it , when he knoweth it . we do search the scripture to know what is perjury as well as we can ; and we are the less likely to be partial , when our judgment loseth us the favour of so many , and our maintenance , and liberty , and in prisons , hazardeth our lives , besides our ministry , the most of all . few men will take this way for the flesh ; yet this is no proof that our cause is good : but let the evidence shew , whether in fearing perjury we fear [ a serpent under every leaf , or a gorgons head in every bush , and bring this woe upon our selves ] or not : if we do , it is not for worldy ends , nor is it by a superstitious fear of things indifferent . if so many in queen maries days were burnt for denying the real presence , &c. shall i not fear perjury ? § . 44. next p. 20. you come to the liturgies confession , that our discipline is imperfect , and think that should satisfie me . ans . so it doth satisfie me , not to assent and consent to all things contained in and prescribed by the book of ordination and the liturgie , and not to forswear all lawful endeavours of a reformation ; it seeming unmeet for me ( whatever others do ) to give so plenary assent and consent thus to swear , to that which in the same book is confest imperfect : i can live in communion with a church that hath imperfections , and keep its peace , but not assent , consent , or swear to its imperfections . 2. an you give me no reason yet , why a confession the imperfection of discipline should satisfie u● that all things in the church government , or all church-government is both lawful and necessary , and unalterable : for if it be alterable by king and parliament , i wil ●●●● swear never to endeavour an alteration , though they command me : nor will i believe you if you say that this case ( of their command ) is excepted , while the terms are universal without exception ; remembring that the long parliament long before the wars , when the lord falkland , lord digby , and the rest joyned with them , did exagitate the et caetera oath , for the word [ not consent ] as establishing prelacy as an unalterable thing ; whereas they knew not but the king and parliament might be brought to see cause for some alteration . and this parliament hath not restored that oath ( and canons , ) ib. § . 44. my consutation of your horned reasoning , and of the common [ peralium ] i perceive offendeth you , as triumphant . it is natural for men that see plain truth , to be guilty of calling it truth : in this if we cannot be pardoned , we must be patient . truth it self is our reward and satisfaction . the force of my reply you indeed leave intire and untoucht ; for when you say , that you break my chain at the first link , you do but repeat what i replyed to , and put me but to say over again what i said . you say that lay-chancellors excommunicate neither as lay-men , or as clergy-men formally , or by any proper causality , but from the surrogates . ] answ . and were you willing here to be understood ? either they do excommunicate by proper causality , ( without causality no act is done ) or they do not . if you mean that indeed they do not , why would you not say so , and deal plainly ? if you mean they excommunicate but ●●●● by causality , why would you not say so ( which ●●most absurd . ) if they do it , they do it formally as some persons , and in some capacity , and by some power or right whatever it is . that they do excommunicate and absolve decretively , as the stated publick judges , is notorious to the land. that the person in which they do it , is formally lay or clergy , i thought had been past doubt , and the enumeration had been sufficient . but you do dare tertium , find out a third mumber : he is formally neither lay nor clergy , but doth it from the surrogates ; see you not how you change the question , [ in what person he doth it ] into [ from whom he doth it ] or make that [ from ] to signifie a third species , which you could not or would not name : and when i say , that if he do it from the surrogate , yet he doth it either as a lay-man or a clergy-man ; you answer me as neither [ but from the surrogate . ] you might have said as well , as neither , but from the king. but who ever it is from , tell us of what species that man is in acting , who is neither formally a lay-man , nor a clergy-man ; whereas in our present sence , as a clergy-man signifieth , , one in the priesthood or deaconship , dedicated to the sacred church-offices : i easily prove that in the world there is no third sort ; because the terms signifie opposita contradicentia , & contradictio est omnium oppositionum maxima , prima & reliquarum mensura . for to be a lay-man , is to be one that is not devoted and separated as aforesaid . and devotus & non devotus , separatus ad sacra & non separatus , vel persona sacrata & non sacrata , are contradicentia . and if you allow me not to swear or conform till you prove that some men are neither lay nor clergy , you will be no succesful pithanalogist with me . but i desired to know who this surrogate is that you mean , and you will not tell me : if you mean any one that is absent and no member of the court. 1. the chancellor hath his power from no such man as is notorious . 2. you might better say , that he had it from the bishop : but still i should ask in what person he acted , and whether as a lay or a clergy-man . but if you mean the priest present who pronounceth the sentence , i never heard that he was called the surrogate till now : but call him how you will ; 1. it is notorious that he giveth not the chancellor his power at all . 2. and as notorious that he hath not , nor exerciseth the power himself : but to judge any man to excommunication or absolution , is the chancellors part ; and the present priest is but like the parish priest , who readeth or speaketh ( as a cryer ) what the chancellor judgeth and ordereth : and whether such priest be any member of the court , or constantly used , i leave to your enquiry ; but certainly he is no judge at all , nor doth any thing but pronounce as he is bid . and still my arguing is unanswered : for had this presbyter the power , it would be either as a presbyter , or as a bishop . not as a presbyter , say the prelatists ; for then it will set presbyters too high , or rather take hundreds from that which belongeth to their office , whilst one in the same office exerciseth the keys upon all their people and themselves that are his equals : et par in parem non habet potestatem . not as bishops , for they are not such really , and the episcopacy cannot be delegated , as i proved . you said ( which i am glad of ) that it may be you could wish that excommunication were reduced into a more scriptural , apostolical , and primitive channel as much as my self . but you never look that the church below should be without spot or wrinkle . ] answ . you speak here so well , that it half reconcileth us : if so , then the main difference left is , ( not whether we shall live peaceably in such a church , or promise to do so ; for that i have oft done , yea and did subscribe to the archbishop that now is , ( when he gave me a licence to preach , and i could have had it without subscribing a word ) that i would not preach against the doctrine , liturgy , or ceremonies of the church : but ) whether i may deliberately give my hand and profession that i assent and consent to such a frame , and may swear that i will not any time endeavour an alteration of that government , which runs not in the scriptural , apostolick , primitive channel , nor of its acknowledged spots and wrinkles : that is , to promise or swear that i will not obey god , nor seek the reformation of any such thing in his church , which is acknowledged amiss , no not in my place and calling , and by any lawful means . whereas in my baptism i vowed my self and service to christ as the saviour of his body ; and in my ordination i vowed my self to him as a minister ; and i daily pray for the hallowing of his name , the coming of his kingdom , the doing of his will on earth even as it is done in heaven : and therefore will not by swearing to the contrary , renounce my baptism , ministery , or prayers . ( pardon the description of the sin as it would be to me : i do not say , that it is such in you , or another that seeth not what i see . ) good meanings and latitudes , and stretching expositions , will not make this pass with me among things indifferent . and ( for your own sake , not mine , who stand or fall to a higher tribunal : ) i entreat you to judge of us in this as of men that are dying daily , and neer a world where preferments and wealth , and humane favour signifie nothing ; and who are so unwilling to neglect our undertaken office for mens souls , that we offer our superiours to take it joyfully as a favour to be any way punished for this supposed sin ( of not lying nor being perjur'd ) so it may not hinder us from preaching the gospel of salvation ; even to be punished as deeply as common swearers , drunkards , or adulterers are ; to rid channels , to dig or plow , or to be burnt in the hand as felons are , or our ears bored or cropt as rogues or perjur'd persons are , so we may but preach christ , or see the kingdoms so supplyed , as that our labours may be truly needless to mens salvation . i would take all this thankfully on my knees : much more be denied the levites bread , or ministerial maintenance . but these are too high favours for such as we to hope for in such a time , and from such persons , as experience proveth ; except that the clemency of the king vouchsafeth us some convenience , against the will of such of the clergy as you : nothing but either debauching our consciences , and stretching them so wide , as that any thing will afterward go down ; or else deserting the preaching of christ for mens salvation , will serve with some men that i have talkt with : ( for it is not my superiours now that i am speaking of ; ) i did all that i was able unfeignedly , to have brought all men once to union with the church , upon any other terms than these , when the thing was feasible as to the most : but — was an enemy , and one that deserved shame and ruine for it . but i am gone back : to return . — i am glad also that you say , that the surrogates have the power of the keys ; and indeed so most school-men say , and so spalatensis hath notably and oft proved : but what it will infer against bishops , denying them to all the presbyters in a whole diocess , save one or two , or few : i will not repeat . you say , i did not well to overlook what you said about chancellour's skill in the civil law , &c. ] answ . i did not overlook it , but past it by as an impertinency , supposing we had been agreed : 1. that the holy scriptures are the universal rule of church discipline as to the essentials , and the laws of the land , and canonical agreements , the subservient rules about circumstances , and adjuncts , and for the execution of the former . 2. and that ability in scriptures ( much less in the roman laws ) doth give no man authority to the exercise of the spiritual keys without a call , being but his remote capacity . 3. and that he that is called hereunto is called to be a clergy-man , to whome the keys are proper . i pray you , sir , deny none of this : ( let begging this once go instead of arguing . 4. and he may be fit to advise and assist a bishop that is himself no clergy man ; but advising and judicial decreeing are several things . 5. and i am weary with saying , that we submit to chancellors as magistrates , doing that which belongeth to magistrates , according to the sense of the oath of supremacy . but what 's all this to our case in hand ? ] you add , [ tell me , sir , may not a man be said to do that virtually , which he doth not immediately . ] answ . yes , a man may pay a debt by his servant , or deputy ; but not baptize or administer the lords supper , or discipline by another , because christ hath annexed the office to the person , and the office is an obligation and authority to do the work . you add , [ the king doth neither preach , nor administer sacraments , yet hath a supremacy of power in all things belonging to the church . ] answ . now i cannot follow you so far , as to believe that the king doth virtually administer the sacraments per alios : at least i durst not swear it . if you think it is but a gorgons head that affrighteth me ; hear and judge : 1. christ gave the keys immediately to ministers , and not to kings , and distinguished their offices . 2. queen elizabeth ' k. iames , and the convocation have publickly disclaimed such a sense of the oath of supremacy , and taken it for the papists slanders , and disclaimed such a power of the keys in the king , and so hath our present king ( wisely ) in my hearing . 3. some scots are well charged with an injurious refusal of the oath of supremacy , on the account of such a false exposition ; which is the papists case . 4. almost all the papists and protestants in the world that ever i heard or read , are agreed , that the king hath not the said power of the spiritual keys and sacraments . 5. and specially the most learned and zealous defenders of monarchy and prelacy : bilson of chest . obed. and perp. gov. and andrews in tortura torti , have most plainly and vehemently renounced it , and shewed their malice or ignorance , that impute such an arrogation to our kings : so also carlton of jurisdic . jewel , whitaker , and who not . 6. what a king may do virtually by another , i think ( unless inconveniencies hinder the exercise ) he hath power to do himself . but i think the king may not administer sacraments or spiritual discipline himself : which of our kings did it ? or who since uzziah offered sacrifice among the jews . 7. our kings never yet pretended so much as to ordain ; that is , to invest another in that power ministerially in the name of christ . but as to the supremacy , it 's true , that the king is the supream over physicians , philosophers , &c. but not the supream physician or philosopher : he exerciseth coercive government by the sword over bishops who use spiritual government by the keys and word ; but hath not authority to use this same sort of oversight himself ( unless a clergy-man were king , as some are magistrates . ) as to the proxies of the lords spiritual in parliament , when you have as well proved that christ hath allowed them to preach , administer sacraments , and exercise the keys by proxies , i will yield all that cause : but they will be loath to go to heaven by proxy . page 21. as to jebosaphats mission , and his nobles teaching ; i answer , 1. teaching is not so proper to a pastor or clergy-man , as the keys and sacraments : parents have their office or power of teaching , and school-masters and lay catechists have theirs , and magistrates have theirs : judges on the bench do usually teach the people , even religious duties ; so did constantine , and so may any king. but there is a different teaching whith is proper to the clergy ; which is [ by teaching to gather churches , and guide them , and edifie them as pastors , devoted or separated to this as their proper office. ] as there is a difference between the office of a physician and a womans healing a cut finger , or giving a cordial to one that fainteth . but this proper teaching ( which god did not leave in common to others ) no prince can use , no bishop can do by proxy ; nor can he delegate to a lay-man the power of the keys and sacraments . 2. and the king may no doubt command pastors to do their duty as well as physicians to do theirs . i take none of this to be quarrelling , but plain truth : your telling us that chancellors may direct and advise the surrogates , may signifie something in another land , but not with us : if we had never seen their courts , nor read travers , of the difference between christs discipline and theirs ; yet cousin's tables are in our libraries . you add , [ we are all but the bishops curates in the exercise of it . ] answ . 1. i ventured to deny that to bag shaw who made it the reason of separation : and i will yet deny it of some others , though not of you . if we are all but the bishops curates ; the italian bishops of trent were not so absurd as they were made in making the bishops the popes curates . how easie should i be , were i a curate , could i believe that i have no more to answer for , than the bishop imposed on me , and that he must answer for all the rest . i suppose that the office of the presbyters or ministers of christ is immediately instituted and described in the scriptures , and that the bishop doth but invest them in it , and that their work is their own , as properly as the bishop's is his own , and that his precminence , maketh not him the communicator of the power to them as from himself , nor them to be his curates . 2. and while i think that i can prove this very easily , censure us not too deeply for not swearing to the bishops , if the sence of it be , to make us his curates . not that i think my self too good to be a servant to the bishop's coach man , but that i dare not subvert christ's established church orders . as for your [ engine , and wonders , and babel , and lucifer , and trembling ] i have not learning enough to answer them . as to your talk of absolute autocratical , &c. they are but oratorical flowers , that speak against none of our particular doctrines , but are the rant of your magisterial style . and your talk of excommunicating kings , may pass as part of your equal ways , to one that hath written so oft against excommunicating kings , ( when yet bishop andrews and other prelates maintain the refusing them the communion ; and you know in what case chrysostom rather offered to lose hand and life , even then to give the sacrament to the greatest that was unworthy . prove that ever any of the present non-conformists , who were called to present the judgment or desires of the rest , did ever say more than andrews and bilson , or so much . but the lord digby is your author . answ . 1. were we and our present controversie , ( for the most of us ) in being , and at age when the lord digby spake that ? is not conformity now another thing ? do all or half the non-conformists profess themselves presbyterians ? are presbyterians all for excommunicating kings ? and do not some that are for it , confine it only to such pastors as kings themselves shall commit their souls to , and give leave to exercise that power ? are we , i say , we now living , and silenced , answerable for all that any presbyterian holdeth , any more than you are for what hooker holdeth ? some scots-men refuse the oath of supremacy . are we guilty of that mistake , who take it , and write for it ? or did we spring out of their loins , and must be silenced for such original sin , derived from them that were no kin to us ? 2. but where did the lord digby say it ? you cite no book or speech of his ; but cite rushworth , p. 218. where is no syllable of any such matter , nor any where else that i can yet find . 3. suppose he had ; did he not say in his letter to sir ken. digby printed , that the primitive church government will be found pecking towards presbytery : he was then episcopal , he is now a papist . is not his authority then ad hominem , while he was one of your own , more valued against you than against them that were not of his party or way , and is this good arguing ? [ whatever the lord digby , bancroft , heylin , ( and if you will bellarmine ) charge the presbyterians with 1640 , or i know not when or where , all that are the non-conformists , episcopal , presbyterians , independents , and catholick moderators are guilty of in 1671. but the lord digby sometimes said , that the presbyterians would excommunicate kings : ergo , the present nonconformists , even episcopal and all , are guilty of that opinion , even they that write against it . ] but all your ways are just and equal : but i pray you , why was no article about excommunicating kings offered us as a test ? or why was there never any such difference between us and the prelatists pretended ? try us whether we will not subscribe in this to , as much as the prelatists ever did agree on , or ordinarily hold , and lay our liberty upon it , and spare not . but i remember you nibled before at my words in differ . of magist . and pastors power , thes . 60. p. 38. as if i had said , that [ unless perhaps in some rare case , kings may not be excommunicated . ] a calumny , when i annexed those words of exception only to the excommunicating of parents . but your ways are still equal ! and i gave even moral reasons against excommunicating kings and parents . but when you in swearing will put ( who knows how many ) exceptions to express universals , must i after all this be at your mercy , unless i will say , that [ in no rare case a pastor may excommunicate his own parents . ] what if the rare case were 1. that he were but one in a presbytery subject to a bishop , and his parents were as open apostates as julian , and the bishop and the rest of the presbytery required him to concur in their excommunication ? 2. what if the king command a bishop to excommunicate a magistrate or parent for treason ? must he needs be disobeyed . 3. what if god should send an angel or prophet with a particular message so to do ? i am sure that case is rare enough , and i durst not disobey . but it s hard pleasing some men . § . 45. semper idem ? 1. but will you give it under your hand as a lesson to your flock , that a minister may not gainsay another for slandering christians , who in any thing differ from him that doth gainsay him ; nor may defend the innocency of a presbyterian , unless he be one himself ? and that all men are bound to stand to the opinions of all christians in all other points , whom they seek to vindicate against publick slanders . what a pack of doctrines do the reasonings of these your writings imply if they were but set together . if i write almost twenty years ago , and still against lay elders , a conformist may equally charge that upon me which i write against , if i do but plead against slandering those that hold what i dissent from . yea [ he knoweth not where to have us ] so little do our writings signifie our minds in these mens account . the first epist . to kederm . in the first book that ever i wrote , disclaims them : but that 's nothing to you . and i must be taken for the achilles of the party , and accountable for their opinions ; if i do but say to a printing conformist , [ thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour . ] may i not say so to you for a heathen or a papist . dr. heylin tells us in the life of archbishop laud , that the kings printers were censured sorely for printing the seventh commandment [ thou shalt commit adultery . ] but i never yet met with the ninth commandment so transmuted , to give you any excuse : if you think it lawful to say any thing how unjust soever against a man that is not for your discipline ( which you as much wish amended your self ) i am of another mind . when lamprid . tells us , that alex severus borrowed his motto of the christians , quod tibi fieri non vis , &c. he never said that therefore he was a christian . i had got no lawyer to plead for me at the bar , if they had known that they were accountable for all my opinions . i am sure the lord chief justice when he acquit me , thought fit to declare his different judgment from mine in point of preaching privately : yet here your terms of logick are , [ into how many shapes — and hecatetriformis — fish , flesh , mermaid , episcopal , presbyterian , independent ; yet none of these when you please an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , sometimes in the water , sometimes out ; i wish you were hot or cold . ] all this set together would make a syllogism of a new mood and figure . but 1. for ought i know most of the nonconformists are such are your bungling description intimateth : and whatever men hold , take it as it is , and feign them not to hold what they do not . do not you in print proclaim men to be flesh or fish , hot or cold , that are not so ? but lay our error where it lieth ( even as i must not take your chancellors for clergy-men or lay-men . ) 2. and did not all my tedious writings convince you before now ? that i therefore take that for an honour which you take for my disgrace ; because i take that for plain and certain truth , which you reproach , : you could not ( except a catholick christian ) have trulier called me , than an episcopal presbyterian-independent . i have oft enough told the world , that i am very confident that each of the three parties have some truths and some errors appropriate to themselves , or which the rest have not . i never found in scripture any obligation that i must needs be of a faction , in a time when faction hath bred wars , troubled kingdoms , silenced preachers by the hundreds , &c. and when i have seen and felt the effects , and not been always innocent of the cause : nor yet that i must either refuse all the good , or receive all the bad , and feed on the excrements of any faction whatsoever ; i am for no such heats or cold ; i am no such fish or flesh : i will neither persecute as paul did , nor separate as peter did , gal. 2. nor comply as barnabas did , nor reject the brethren as diotrephes did , nor condemn others as the weak did , nor despise them as the strong did , rom. 14. 1 , 2 , &c. but be such an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as he that became a jew , a greek , all things to all men that he might win some . when i offended the bishops in conference , i openly told them , i had ever taken kneeling at the sacrament to be lawful , but i never took it to be lawful to cast honest christians out of the communion of the church of christ , that dare not do it . did this prove me to be neither fish nor flesh ? is no man of your religion that is not for excommunication , or prisons , swords or flames , for every child of god that cryeth or wrangleth with the breast . again i will say , were they priscillianists , i am more for martin's spirit than the ithacian bishops . and , sir , that factious fury and uncharitableness keepeth up but a present violent kind of honour ; the instance now once again named may tell you , that when all the bishops thereabouts in their synods did but seek to the magistrate to use the sword against such gross hereticks as the priscillianists , who as severus saith that knew them , were gnosticks , and but one poor ragged unlearned godly bishop martin , ( with one other only in all france ) did dissent from them , reprove them , and separate for it from their synods and communion ( godly people accidentally falling under the vulgars reproach for the hereticks sake , as lately by the word puritans here ) yet this one poor bishop that renounced all their communions for it , is canonized a saint , while hooker himself justly reproacheth ignatius . and it made me marvail to read in bellarmine de scriptor . ecles . pag. 100. this great lie that ithacius ( whom he falsly makes the same with idacius , who was one of the same synod , and author of the chron. in jos . scaliger de emend temp . ) in eo reprehensus & punitus ab episcopis fuit , quod priscillianum apud seculares judices accusaverit & occidi cur averit . ] whenas 1. the bishops never punished him for it . 2. the synod of bishops joyned with him . 3. martin was despised as an unlearned hypocrite , and favourer of the hereticks that did renounce their way and communion . 4. ithacius and idacius because of the common odium , would have pretended that they put not on the magistrate hereunto : and that bellarmine one of the tribe that is for burning hereticks , should yet leave this blot on idacius , and seek by untruths to excuse the rest of the bishops of it ; whence is it , but that the memory of the just shall be blessed , and the name of the wicked ( the cruel especially ) shall rot . i digress only to tell you , that the honour of violence will end in shame , and he be odious to posterity , who may be set up as high as gardiner or bonner , to serve the turn in some present execution : and i had rather be luke-warm , than have a destroying or slandering heat . to what you say of beza and selden , i answer , 1. did i or the present nonconformists ever subscribe to beza or geneva . 2. is it not palpably against your self , that cry down lay elders , ( though many with ministers have power but in one presbytery or synod ) when our lay chancellor hath the power over hundreds of ministers and churches . you that cry up or keep up lay-mens church discipline , may worse speak against lay-mens church discipline , than we that are against it in all whomsoever . 3. but beza and geneva do not take them for lay elders , nor the scots neither , but for church elders , and part of the clergy of divine institution ; none of which is pretended for lay chancellors . and is that no difference ? for selden as i know what he saith against the diocesan church , bishops in eutychius alexandr . so i know what he saith against all of us for erastianism de synedriis , better than by any citations out of heylin . and i know he was one of the long parliament that raised the war , whom even now you had possessed with the spirit of presbytery : and you may judge of many of the rest by selden . and must you or i be erastians because selden ( and other lawyers in the parliament ) were so . § . 46. the quibble in this section is content without an answer . § . 47. i judged but of your words , and judge you of my motives for refusing a bishoprick no worse than i give you cause . i answer you , it intimated no ingratitude to his majesty , nor did i ever repent : and that i did it not to keep up a party or interest in them , the lord chancellor had evidence ; and my voluntary endeavours against all faction , and casting away my reputation with all such , declareth ; when i could as easily have kept it , as you with yours , and had no outward interest to move me to renounce it . i say this , because you seem suspectingly to talk of my motives . § . 48. our question is , whether a church of one altar ( as they spake of old ) associated for personal communion , and a church of never so many altars or congregations associated for other ends , and not for personal communion be ejusdem speciei ? and so , whether the word church here signifies but one species ? you hold the affirmative of both , and i the negative . my reason is , 1. because it being a relative which is in question , [ the ends of the society specifically differing , make the societies specifically to differ , ( the terminus being essential to the relation . ) but here are different sorts of ends : ergo , here are different sorts of relations . i use the word ( ends ) to signifie the nearest end which specifieth , and not the remote . and to avoid the ambiguity of the word [ terminus ] which ( as finis cujus & finis cui are distinguished , so ) they use variously , sometimes for the correlate , and sometimes for the nearest end ; and so i now use it . as a master to teach a grammar-school , and a master to rule a family , or to guide a ship , are relations specifically distinct à fine : and so is a magistrate , and a pastor , and a physician , &c. this is clear . and for the minor , that these churches in question have different nearest ends is evident : for the end of a particular church is personal ●ummunion in god's publick worship and holy living , to their mutual assistance . but the ends of churches that never know each other , but live an 100 or 1000 miles asunder . ( they say some of our islands and plantations are parts of some english diocesan church ) can be no such thing , but only a distant communion in the same faith , love and obedience . the end of a single church is the personal communion of christians in that one society . the end of an association of many churches , is the communion of those many churches in distant mental concord , or by delegates or synods sometimes in ●ase of need . and who ever thought that a particular church , a patriarchal church , and a pabal or the universal church , were ejusdem spe●i●i . when they agree only in remote ends , and differ in the terminus vel finis proximus . as a kingdom and a corporation differ ex differentia ●inium ; because though both are societies for ci●il communion and government , and so agree ●n genere , yet the end of one is kingdom government and communion ; and the end of the other is ●ut corporation-government and communion . 2. where there are different sorts of relates & cor●elates , there are different sorts of relations : but ●● a particular church , and a patriarchal , dioce●n , or other combination of many churches , ●here are different sorts of relates & correlates : ergo , there are different sorts of relations . the ●hing supposed in the major is undeniable , that ●●e relate & correlate enter the definition ; ●●erefore the major is undeniable . the minor●pposeth ●pposeth a church to be constituted of the ●ars dirigens vel regens , and the pars subdita , as relate & correlate , which is undeniable . and ●en it is proved per partes . 1. the pastor of a ●●gle church , and a patriarch , pope , or dioce●n of a multitude of combined churches , are not the same relate , for they have not the same relation : ( i suppose the relation of a church to be thus constitute of the two complicate relations , as well the church subjectively of the two relates . ) for , 1. the different work. 2. and the different correlate , prove these pastors to be two sorts of relation ( however agreeing in●genere . ) 1. it is not the same sort of works personally to guide a present people in doctrine , worship , and discipline ( under christ as prophet , priest , king , all essential to the office ) as to send others as his curates to do this : ( for the king may send others , ) or to exercise some degree of discipline himself over many churches , where he is none of their teacher , not mouth , nor guide in worship , prayer , praise sacraments , &c. nor is it the same work to be an unusual teacher ( as one may be in another church or school ) and to be the stated ordinary teacher and worshipper of that churrh which is the end of the particular pastors office. 2. and the correlate proveth the difference : for it i● not the same relation to be a ruler of a family and of a kingdom ; and so here : which bring me to the proof of the minor by the second part and that the correlates are various is evident , no only from the magnitude , but the end also ther included : for the subject of political society ( civitatis vel ecclesiae ) is a community , not an multitude of men : because that which aristat●calleth privatio , and is better called disposu●materiae , is necessary as a kind of principle to th● reception of the form. ( as in physicks , so quianalogum in relations : ) and therefore it must b● a community . now communities themselves are first specified by their various ends : as a company of men combined for merchandize , and a company combined for literature , or for souldiery , &c. are not the same : so a company combined for personal communion and helps in holy worship and living , are not the same with those combined for other ends as aforesaid . therefore neither the pastors nor peoples relation , and consequently the churches , is not of the same sort . 3. where there are distinct fundamenta vel rationes fundandi , there are distinct relations : but here are distinct fundamenta , &c. the fundamentum is , 1. principall , which is institution ( divine or humane . ) 2. subordinate , which is consent : viz. 1. of a minister to gather churches , consensus duplex dei & ministri . 2. of a minister to guide churches gathered , consensus triplex & plerumque quadruplex ; viz. 1. dei. 2. ordinati . 3. populi . 4. plerumque ordinantis . if any of these vary , the fundamentum relations doth so far vary ; were it not tedious i would shew , you how much difference there is in all these . but it is the first reason , that being most edent , i most insist on . now your reason to the contrary ( for your affirmative ) is , that gradus non variat speciem . to which my answer being , that quando variat aut finem proximum , seu terminum , vel fundamentum , vel relatum correlatum , variat relationis speciem . but frequently gradus materiae , variat finem proximum fundamentum , &c. ergo , & speciem . the major needeth no proof ; the minor i cleared by the instance of a ship , a church , a spoon , &c. where magnitude or parvity can make this difference . you tell me relatives do not suscipere magis & minus . answ . the clean contrary is an usual maxim with logicians : but that is so plain that it needs no dispute ; viz. quoad subjectum ( & fundamentum aliquando ) & materiam correlati ; it may be found in divers degrees , but not in degrees of matter uncapable of the end and form : but the forma relativa doth not so vary ; one is not magis vel minus haec relatio , than another . but if you will extend this to the matter of the subject , which is our case , you do but ( though mistakingly ) give away your cause : for then every new member maketh a new church in specie , ( when you say ) [ this is only in respect of quantity ; ] you know that aristotle saith , that quantity non suscipit magis & minus , and so his interpreters say , speaking strictly and not laxly : therefore it 's this you must mean as i do , while you would say something that we may seem to differ . i told you , that different quantities in the subject may change the relations , which i think never man denied that understood what a relation was . and you feign me to say simply [ that magis & minus variant speciem in relatives : ] that you may have occasion to say as i said , under pretence of contradicting the same thing . but to my instances , you say , that it is enough for your purpose that there is not a specifick difference between a little spoon or diocess , and a great one . ] answ . say you so ; our question is , whether different degrees in the subject may vary the species of relations ? either you deny it , or you do not : if you do , common experience and reason will shame your denial . i instanced in a spoon , a church , a troop , regiment , army , a ship , &c. wheresoever the finis proximus ( as in all offices and societies ) is essential to the relation , there no man of logical acquaintance can make a doubt of it , but that certain quantities or degrees in the subject may be so over great or over small , as to be uncapable of that end , and consequently of the relation . i will not censure you to be so ignorant as to doubt of it ; and if i do not , you force me to judge you so heedless or partial as to say something towards the hiding of that truth which you do not doubt of : i say , that degrees in the subject or correlate vary not the species , but when they vary the specifying end : some relations are founded only in actions past ; as pater & filius in generation , creator & creaturae in creation : and there the end following is not essential . but it is otherwise with those relations which consist in an authority , obligation , undertaking of a future work , ( as a teacher , physician , &c. ) where the work as undertaken is the essential end . and you had here no better a shift then to dissemble in silence the other instances ; and to tell me , that [ a great spoon and a little one differ not specie : ] but doth that prove , that it may be in specie a spoon , if if be as big as a ship , or in specie a ship , if it be no bigger than a spoon : since you perceive your own deceit , which is by transferring the question , are ad nomen , and then by choosing instances de nomine , where the name is never used generically , but only for one species . the name of a spoon is never taken for a ship , & contra : and therefore to say , that a little spoon and a greater differ not speeie , is but to say , that the same species is the same , as being found in a capable degree of subject . but a society , a church , yea a diocess , are names ( generical or analogous ) which may be and are applyed to various species . the universal church headed by christ , is no more of the same species with a particular church , than a kingdom , and a corporation in that kingdom are . i use not words to hide things , but to render them intelligible . a thousand schools combined under a general schoolmaster , or an hundred colledges making up one academy , are not of the same species with one school , and one colledge , though in the great remote end they both agree . but you fly to that poor shift of bidding me take heed of absurd and ridiculous suppositions , not argumentative , &c. ] as if you had shewed any absurdity in these suppositions : or as if plain undeniable instances had no place in arguments or answers , but were ridiculous suppositions ; and he that would say , that a kingdom is greater than a family , and the king than a master or major , used a ridiculous supposition . just thus the poor nonconformists are perswaded by your pithonalogy , to subscribe , swear , &c. but i seem ( you say ) to assert this my self , by saying , there is a small difference between bishop usher's model and the present . ] answ . it 's tedious disputing with one that must have still another writing to help him to understand that which he will first confute , yea and seemeth not willing to understand . it is a fallacy , a dicte secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter : i only askt you , what farthing doth it take from their estates ? what title from their honour , power , negative voice : ( even their lordships and parliament places . ) but is this the question ? we then laboured to satisfie the unsatisfied ministers , that not only bishop usher's reduction , but even the king's declaration about ecclesiastical affairs , had changed the very species of prelacy without any of those abatements . if you would know , it is by one word [ consent ] restoring the inferiour pastors and churches , though not to their integrals , yet to their essentials . and we were so inclinable to conformity , that on that supposition we had conformed , had but that declaration stood : ( though some of the sects are of another mind , whom you arguments would confirm : ) for we judge , that a bishop of one only church consisting of five hundred or a thousand chappels or congregations that are strictly no churches ( as having no bishops ) doth specifically differ from a bishop of a thousand churches , which have every one their proper bishop , and so he is truly an archbishop or general bishop . but i am not to trouble you with this . and now how impertinent was it , to bid me [ rub up my philosophy about maximum quod sic & minimum quod non . ] know you not , that the common use of those writers are to intimate the same thing that i am saying against you ; that there is a subjective maximum & minimum , which only are capable of the relative form ? but i am next turned to vossius de invoc . sanct . of which he hath there disputed , and one histor . thes . and i am not told which ( of them ) but the words are in the first thes . 49. to prove that the saint in heaven and those on earth make one society : [ quare cum nihil obstat quo minus unius civitatis cives dicamur , nec causae quicquam erit , quo minus aeque civilis honos dicatur , qui civibus coelestibus exhibetur , quam qui civibus terrenis : nam grad● quidem honores isti differunt , sed uterque tamen est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . ] and was it possible that you should think that this made for you ? because the world or universe of rationals are one body or society , and so civil honour is the same thing as such in genere to them in heaven as to them on earth : doth it follow that in this universal society there are no kingdoms , cities , or families specifically different ? nor no different species of the civil honour , what not to kings , parents , masters ? what a thing is factions interest ? vossius only proveth generical identity of civil honour , and the specifical difference of it from the honour of religious adoration . the church universal is one ; and the love and honour which we owe to the saints in heaven and earth is generically of the same kind . but do you believe therefore that there are no subordinate species of churches and honour on earth ? what not the honour due to the king , the bishop , the chancellor , the parish curates , the deacons , and the beggars . yet all this with you are premises sufficient to conclude . [ and then it may be you may give leave to — magis & minus non variant speciem , to be a maxim still ] see what evidence it is that must perswade us to nonconformity . are they not worthy to be silenced and branded as you have done , that can resist such light ? but you come to the quick , and say , [ is there no communion but personal ? answ . yes , else they could not be two ends to make two societies . you add , [ many of the kings subjects never saw his face , yet they have many hands and eyes in respect of their subordinate officers , so have diocesans in their curates . ] answ . very true ! and that proveth that a kingdom is one society , and a whole diocess also one : ignoras elenchum . but doth that prove that there are no subordinate societies in these ? which though subordinate in point of power , yet specifically differ . is there no such thing as personal communion in presence , because there is such a thing as distant communion of another sort ? for all that your terms of hands and eyes would hide it , i scarce think you are ignorant , that under the king there are heads as well as hands and eyes : heads of families , schools , colledges , universities , corporations , cities , who are constitutive parts of real societies , which are not of the same species with a kingdom , though in it . and if archbishops be of god's appointment , so it should be with archbishops and bishops , and every church should have a bishop . but if you will not have it so , but we must only have a bishop and curates , and a diocesan church and chappels , you betray our cause to the brownists , who easily prove [ no bishop or pastor , no church in sensu politico : ] and so when you have granted them that we have no true parish churches , there are few of them whose wit is so weak as not to disprove the pretended right of such diocesan churches as consist of the carkasses of many hundred mortified parish churches . § . 50. my answer i must not repeat , take it how you will : you here come to the very controversie , i will not begin it with you , because i cannot prosecute it : i have so much to say on it , as at these rates may engage you and me in dispute for many years , if we lived so long : which i find no reason allowing me to undertake . get me leave to write and publish it , and i will write you a just volume of it , since it is published : till then i again tell you , i have said enough ( though too negligently ) in my dispute of church government ; ( though one hath nibled at the forms of some arguments in it : ) if you would have more , answer gers . bucer , parker , and ames's fresh suit , to name no other . § . 50. i shewed the invalidity , 1. of your [ licitis & honestis . ] 2. and of former obedience , sub poena anathematis , as nothing to our case in hand ; and do you deny what i said , and disprove it . 2. i tell you , that so far as bishops or chancellors are the kings officers to govern the church circa sacra by the sword , we will swear and perform obedience to them under the king , in licitis & honestis . but i told you , they that take them for the usurpers of spiritual power , will easily prove it to be lawful to swear obedience to usurpers in licitis & honestis ; will you deny that . 3. and i told you that it is another oath that is imposed on us to take . but did you well to say , you produced the words of ignatius , to prove the antiquity of swearing to bishops , who saith not a syllable of any such thing ? and untruly say , i took no notice of it , when i told you that ignatius mentioned not oaths , but only actual obedience . this is no notice with you : but do you not know how late it was before swearing obedience to bishops came into the church , and by what sort of men , and to what end and effect . § . 52. your talk of cartwright confirmeth me of the vanity of the hypocrites reward , the praise of men ; there being nothing so false which may not by some men be said of them with boldest confidence . if cochleus or his like , do but say , that luther learned of the devil ; that calvin was a stigmatized sodomite , &c. all their followers can ever after say , it is in print . so mr. s. p. ( some body ) printed this you say . and heylin saith , he promised . what ? just the same , or to the same sense , as i told you , i voluntarily subscribed , when i might ( by the kings declaration ) have chosen , meerly because i would have them know our minds and peaceable resolutions . i told you why he that can promise to live peaceably , &c. cannot subscribe and swear the approbation of all in that liturgy , government , &c. which he liveth peaceably under . but this is nothing to you ; if cartwright conformed , first , prove it by credible history . 2. why then could the great earl of leicester procure no more liberty for him , than an hospital in warwick , and no church . 3. i have lived in coventry , and been oft in warwick , and know by all credible testimony of neighbours , that it 's false , and no such thing as his conformity was there dream'd of , any further than i conform . 4. why did he never declare it to the world , nor retract his writings . 5. your heylin's own words intimate the contrary ; ( though i must tell you , i owe as little belief to that book of his , as most histories written by sober protestants . ) but you say much more , [ dr. burges , p. 377. observed , that cartwright opposed the ceremonies as inconveniences , but not as unlawful , and therefore perswaded men to conform rather than leave their flocks . ] answ . 1. but the ceremonies are but part , and the lesser part of conformity . 2. else had all conformity been here included , he was still a conformist : and how could you then say , that at last he wrangled himself into conformity , if he was such at first ? 3. but if you cite him truly , be judge your self , whether hoylin said true ; and what will be your case if you will report all that you find such men report . 1. dr. burges's own words are but these , pag. 423. [ the consideration of this necessity moved mr. cartwright to advise the wearing of the surplice ; and mr. beza to resolve for the use of these ceremonies , rather than the flocks of christ should be forsaken for these . ] and he citeth cart. repl. 2. so that here is not a word of cartwright's concession in any thing but the surplice , ( kneeling he was for . ) the answer of amesius to his father-in-law burges , is in these words ; ( fresh suit , p. 21 , 22. ) [ whereas he addeth , that beza and mr. cartwright determined with them in case of the surplice . i answer , 1. they did not so for the cross . 2. they did not so for subscription to either . 3. they did not so but by way of toleration , requiring also that men speak against the imposing of the surplice . 4. beza was not throughly acquainted with the state of our church . mr. cartwright , as i have been certainly informed by his own son , recalled that passage of his book , and desired that his revoking of it might be made known . ] then followeth the attestation of another to that report . do you see now how credibly s. p. heylin and you report cartwright to have wrangled himself at last into conformity : be warned , and take up false reports no more . § . 53. i thank you for shortning my trouble . § . 54. [ waspish , and faltering , and raging , after a tedious journey . ] are your logicks above my skill to answer ? but adrem , 1. it is a wonder to me that an englishman should be in doubt who they be that drive men from the parish churches ? enquire who drave away the people of kederminster ? did i ? i preach'd , i printed long before . that should the liturgy be restored , it were no sufficient cause , &c , when i was silenced and might not preach in publick , the last sermon that ever i preached to some at my farwel in a private house , was in conclusion to perswade all to keep to the publick churches , where the ministers are not notoriously insufficient as to the very essentials , or notorious hercticks , or malignant opposers ( not of differing parties , but ) of the certain practice of godliness it self . but when i had done my best then , and since by other means , the reading vicar , and one sermon of the bishops , and one of the deans , and many of a lecturers after , and they saw so many hundred ministers silenced , it possessed them with so great a prejudice , that till a good minister came among them , it was past my power to reconcile them to the church ; nor is it done so fully as before i could easily have done . 2. as to your second questien , when i told you how hardly the people would be driven t● communion in your way : you answered , ha● they not been distracted , distorted , poysoned by other tutors . — but since they have been taught , like wolves not to value the scepter , — like mastiff-dogs they will worry me to pieces . those that are lately perverted any way , are most heady and ●ierce . the revolters are profound to make slaughter : and after the scribes and pharisees compassed sea and land to make a proselyte , when he was made , he was twofold more the child of hell than themselves : ] these are your words : and i thought i had used them very gently , when i only say , [ whether all such dissenters are such children of hell as you describe . ] ( i might have added , such wolves , dogs , &c. ) i shall leave to a more wise and righteous judge , what is in these words ! be impartial one hour before you die , and compare them with your own , and think how he that will say at last , [ inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these my brethren , &c. ] will take all these revilings of faithful souls . but how heedlesly do you read ? i said , [ all such dissenters as you described , and were talkt of . ] and you say , [ all dissenters . ] there is no end at this rate of calling you again to read what you write against . i excuse no mans faults : but i will not be one of those nurses that will cast the children out of the house when ever they cry or wrangle , till i find it pleaseth our father , and till i know where to have better enow in their rooms : nor will i call them wolves and dogs , that for fear of sinning against god dare not do as i do , and too precisely wrangle with me when i urge them to it : and if their narrow throats cannot swallow so big morsels as the nurse can , but will cry and strive when it is cram'd down by force , i will not cut their throats to widen the passage ; nor stretch conscience , till like a crakt bladder it will hold nothing : nor with ithacius , get the worst on my side as my flocke , and bring the strictest under suspicion and reproach , because they are angry with me . and what now your calumniare fortiter signifieth , review . § . 55. the matter of this i have answered . the flowers of [ flood-gates torrents , dragons scum , raca , &c. i leave unanswered , because you would have brevity : but if you would have brevity , you should not make work for prolixity , unless you bespeak me to forbear answering you . but i know not how better to spare your trouble and my own , than to tell you , that i expect or desire no answer from you to all this that i have written ; and if you do send me one , i will not promise you a reply . i like the work as little as you do : and for the matter and manner of my writings , i do ( as one that daily expecteth , ( and long have done ) a speedy passage into a more holy , wise , righteous , and peaceable world ) protest to you , that as i have not been for forty years at least the most negligent searcher after truth , nor the coldest desirer of it ; but have i think impartially laboured to know it , without adhering to any sect , ( at least these 25 years ; ) so i do defend nothing which i am perswaded is the truth ; nor oppose any other mens ways , but what i think my fidelity to god , his church , and truth obligeth me to oppose . if you be in the right and i in the wrong , it is because you have a more blessed understanding , and not because i have been less studious , or desirous to know the truth than you . and i confess my temper and style is sharp ; and verba rebus aptanda , is a motto that quoad dispositionem was born with me , and maketh me oft forbear that pleasing style , which should be fitted to the persons , though unsuitable to the thing . but i write in hast , and suit all my answers just to the matter before me , not considering sufficiently how men can bear it . i justifie none of this ; and i unfeignedly desire you to pardon all passages , which you shall truly find to transgress the rules of christian lenity : for if i be angry i would not sin ; but i am not conscious of wrath or disaffection when i speak most eagerly . but i must needs tell you that had this writing been for the view of the world , i would have forborne most of that freedom which in plainess i have used to you , but being only for your self i remembred l●v. 19. 17. which i need not recite : being confident that you have much wronged your bretheren by the book which you have written . which i impute ( with all the rest of our divisions , violences and calamities ) to wa●● of acquaintance and familiarity with each other ; each party conversing familiarly only with those of their own mind , and iudging falsly of their neerest neighbours as of real strangers , by thereports of factious men . for i do not remember that i ever yet had reall acquaintance with any man in my life , that i did not live in love and peace with . but all my reproaches , accusations , and sufferings , have come from men that know me not ( unless by a few publick interviews . ) and i do faithfully endeavour to defend behind their backs , the just honour and reputation of the bishops and conformists , as well as of the nonconformists , being not for factious calumny against either . nor am so sharp in my censures , as your moderate erasmus was against such bishops as he then of london , that would have persecuted dr. colet , ( the bishop being a learned scotist , ) who , as mr. thomas smith translateth him in the life of dr. colet , saith , [ of which sort of men i have known some that i would not call knaves , but i never knew one , whom i could call a christian . there be some that judge just thus of the ( not unwilling conformists , but ) the eager promoters and defenders of it among the clergy , ( that are not our superiours . ) but so do not i , but reprove their censoriousness ; though i must needs confess , while i fear being of a party , i fear not being one that differeth from ungodly formal hypocrites , and that i find very great difference in point of serious piety between parties . and if in my youth i did incline more to one party than another , it was only on the supposition that they were more spiritual , practical , and devoted to god , ( on which account i hope i shall still value them ) though even then schism was , and now much more is , a thing which i abhorr ; but take not those to be the least promoters of it , who most accuse their brethren of it , being just of hales's mind in that treat of schism . and for former complyances , &c. ( you were acquainted at co●sold , sir robert pyes , mr. twisse's , &c. ) consider whether of us it is that needeth no retractation : a word to the wise is enough . having some information of your former life , i may very easily say , that as great a noise as you now make for conformity , and against the late usurpers , i did much more against them than you did in my ministry ; and my danger from them was not a denial of a richer living ( which i never sought ) but for open opposing their usurpation , engagementdaies of thanksgiving for unjust victories , &c. i add this but to mind you that some men by reproaching others , do doubly reproach themselves , and that consciousness of their proper case should make men speak as they would hear . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , &c. look diligently into the scriptures which are the true oracles of the holy ghost : learn that in them is contained nothing unjust , or fained , or counterfeit . for you shall not find that the just were rejected by holy men . the just suffered persecution , but from the ungodly . they were cast into prison , but by the profane ; they were stoned , but by the unrighteous and transgressours of the laws : they were extinct , but by the wicked and such as were pricked with unjust envy against them . clemens . roman . ad corinth . reader , remember that this was written only for mr. hinkleys sight , if he had so pleased . finis . richard baxters second account to mr. john cheney of his judgment , accused by him of atheism , subverting all religion , christianity , the gospel , the church , all government , introducing popery , &c. especially for asserting , 1. that christ hath instituted one universal church , of which he onely is the head ; and particular churches as parts of it , of which the pastors are subordinate heads or governours , and so formally differenced . 2. that neither of them is constituted without some signification of consent : which he never before heard one christian deny . chap. i. prefatory . § 1. contending though defensive , and made necessary by accusers , is an unpleasant work : as i would choose a prison before a defensive war , were it for no greater interest than my own ; so i would choose to be in print proclaimed an heretick , schismatick , atheist , or any thing , rather than be at the unpleasing labour of a confutation of all accusers , were it not for a higher interest than mine : for though we must contend for the faith , yet the servant of the lord must not needlesly strive , 2 tim. 2. 24 , 25. and experience tells us , the good seldome answereth the bad effects . § 2. and there are few that call me to a publick account , that i answer less willingly than mr. cheney : because his accusations are such gross mistakes , that i cannot answer them in the gentlest manner , according to truth , without opening that which will bring him lower in the readers esteem than i desire ; and i much fear , will be to himself a temptation which he will hardly overcome , as i see by this his 2d book . had he that was my familiar neighbour thought meet to have spoken with me , before his publications , i am past doubt that i could have convinced him of multitudes of untruths and errours , so as to have prevented such a publication of them ; for in private he would easilier have born the detection of them , than in the hearing of the world , ( which he has chosen . ) but whereas some cast away his book , as a fardel of dotage and shameless lyes , i must remember such , that i am confident he wrote no falshoods with a purpose knowingly to deceive ; and therefore they are not strictly lyes , but as rash untruths are such in a larger sense , which ignorant men assert for want of due tryal . it is a great errour to over-value such poor frail ignorant men as we all are : mr. ch. and i have both over-valued one another ; and this errour now we have both escaped , but not laid by our christian love . and as god will not take mens diseases for their sins , his bodily temper is to me a great excuse of his strong confident mistakes . § 3. the very introductory preface of his books disowning cruelty and uncharitable dividing impositions , enableth me to forgive him the multitude of rash untruths and slanders : and instead of a mentiris , i shall put but a putares or non-putares . i have just such a task in dealing with mr. ch. as with one that is hard of hearing : when i speak to such a one , that heareth but one half , and mis-heareth the rest , he answereth me as he heard : and when i tell him his mistake , his last reply is [ i thought you had said thus and thus : ] but if i should dispute a whole day with such a man , i should be sharply censured if i printed the dispute , and told the world how many hundred times the man mis-heard , and so mistook me . and i fear neither he himself , nor the reader that valueth his time , would thank me for such exercise of my arithmetick with mr. cheney . § 4. for his preface i thank him : it tells me , that all our accusers do it not in meer malignity : and that he hath a few steps further to tumble , before he come to the bottom of the hill . his book consisteth partly of a handsome considerable discourse for prelacie , and other church-offices of humane invention ; and partly of a new & singular doctrine about church-forms ; & partly in a critical discharge of his fancy , and unpacking his preparations against the independant covenant , and church-form ; and partly in detecting my many atheistical , infidel , impious errours , by which he supposeth i am deceiving the world ; and partly n a multitude of falshoods of me ( and others ) in matter of fact ; and partly ( i hope an ignorant ) plea for the pope . to open all these fully , would tire the reader and me . chap. ii. what the doctrine is which he accuseth of atheism , impiety , &c. § 1. the reader that hath well perused my writings knoweth it : but i cannot expect that all should do so that read his book . the abstract is this . i. that jesus christ is head over all things to the church , eph. 1. 22 , 23. ii. that the mosaical law , as such , never bound other kingdoms , and is ceased , with their commonwealth , and is abrogated by christ , and that he as king of the church , hath established a sufficient law for all that is universally necessary for doctrine , worship , and church-order or government : and was faithful in all his house as moses , and commissioned his apostles to disciple nations , baptizing them and teaching them what christ himself had commanded them , matth. 28. 19. iii. that he setled the ministry and church-form before he made any magistrate christian , and that no magistrate hath power to change them . iv. that what his apostles did by his commission and spirit , he did by them . v. that church-forms being so instituted and constituted , he hath not left them so much to the will of man , as he hath done the forms of civil government . vi. that christ hath one universal church , of which he is the onely head and law-giver , and no vicar personal or collective , as one political person or power : of which professed believers and consenters in baptism are the visible members , and sincere believers and consenters the spiritual saved members . vii . that the world and church are not all one ; nor heathens and infidels the same with christians , nor any parts of the church properly called . viii . that christs ministers first work to which they were commissioned , was not on the church or any member of it , but the infidel world to gather them into a church ; and the first baptized person was not baptized into a pre-existent church ; but the church existing , baptism entereth men into it . ix . that the first baptizer was no pastor of such an existent church , but an organical minister to gather a christian church . x. that though at baptism one may enter into the universal and a particular church , yet baptisme qua talis entereth us onely into the universal , being our christening or covenant-uniting to the body of christ . xi . that a pastor in the scripture and usual sense , is a relate to oves the sheep or flock , and not to infidels : and a ministry to infidels , and an episcopacy or pastorship of the flock , are different notions : but if any will use the terms otherwise , we contend not de nomine , though you call him a pastor of infidels , or what else you can devise . xii . to explain my self , when i mention a bishop or pastor , i mean the bishop or pastor of a church : and i take not heathens for the church . xiii . i believe that in this universal church are thousands of particular churches , and this by christs institution . xiv . i believe that there is no particular church or christian on earth , who is not ( respectively as visible or mystical ) a part of the universal church . xv. as every worshipping assembly is a church in a larger sense , so a church in a political sense is essentially constituted of the pastor and people , or the sacerdotal guiding and the guided parts : and of such a church it is that i am speaking . xvi . as such meeting in transitu are an extemporate transient church , so fixed cohabitants ought to be a church accordingly fixed , related to each others as such for longer than the present meeting . xvii . every such political fixed church , should consist of a pastor ( at least ) accordingly fixed , to a cohabiting people , and as their pastor more specially related by obligation and authority to them , than to strangers or neighbour churches . he is not bound to do that for all , as he is for them , nor may go into other pastors churches with equal power , nor officiate where he please . xviii . if there be no church but the universal , than there is neither parochial , diocesan , or national , nor are assemblies churches . nor is our king the royal governour of any church : for of the universal he is not . xix . christian princes must do their best to settle faithful pastors in all churches , that is , according to the laws of christ , but not against them . but as they must do their best that all their subjects may have good phycisians , schoolmasters , wives , or husbands , servants , dyet , cloathing , &c. but yet are not trusted by office to choose all these for every one , and impose them on dissenters , because the same god that made kingly power , did first make personal and paternal power , which kings cannot dissolve : so every man is so nearly concerned for his own salvation , more than for wife , servant , dyet , phycisian , &c. that though he must thankfully accept of all the rulers lawful help , he is still the most obliged chooser . nor is it any part of the office of a king , to choose and impose on every subject a guide or pastor , to whom only he shall trust the pastoral conduct of his soul , any more than a physician or a tutor for him . xx. parish-bounds are not of primitive or divine institution : but cohabitation or propinquity is a needful qualification of setled members , gratia finis : and parish-bounds are a useful humane determination , according to the general rules , do all to edification and in order . xxi . no one is a church-member merely because he dwelleth in the parish ; for unbaptized infidels , heathens , atheists , may dwell there . xxii . nor is a stranger a church-member for coming into the assembly ; for such , as aforesaid , or jews , mahometans , may come in . xxiii . a pastor oweth more care and duty to his flock , than to the rest of the world ( as a physician to his hospital . ) therefore he must know who they are , better than by knowing that they dwell in the parish ; nor may he baptize them , or give them the lords supper , only because he seeth them in the assembly or in the parish : else jews and heathens must have it . xxiv . nor is he to give it to every one that demandeth it : for so may jews and heathens , that take it in scorn , or for by-ends . xxv . yet a christian having a valid certificate that he is such , hath right to transient communion with any church of christ where he cometh : but for order , the antient churches used not to receive them without some certificates from the churches that they came from , lest hereticks and excommunicates , unknown persons , should be every where received . xxvi . no man can be an ( adult ) christian without signified consent : nor a stated member of any particular church , without such consent : no , nor a lawful transient communicant without consent . for so great benefits none but consenters have right to , nor can such relations be otherwise contracted . xxvii . consent not signified nor known , is none to the church . xxviii . a man may be obliged to consent that doth not : but that makes no man a christian or member of the universal church ; else millions of infidels and heathens are christians ; and so it maketh no one a member of a particular church , that he is obliged to be one : nor am i a pastor over any men as a church , because they are obliged to take me for their pastor , no more than that is a husband , wife , servant , who is obliged to be so , and will not . to say that i am a pastor to heathens as a church , is a contradiction : or that i am their pastor as my special christian flock , and particular church-members that consent not . xxix . but the same man that liveth among such , may be to consenting christians a pastor ; and to refusers , infidels , or heathens , a teacher . the church ever distinguished the audientes and catechumene candidates , from the fideles , who were the members of the church . xxx . no pastor or people should impose any covenant on any adult to be christened , but consent to be christians signified by baptism ; nor on any in order to transient communion among strangers , but just notice of their christianity and understanding consent to that communion : nor on any in order to their being the stated members of this or that flock and particular church , but due notice of their christianity , and of their understanding consent to what is essential to such members ; that is , to the relation as essentiated by the correlate and ends . xxxi . no one should be obliged by covenant to continue one year or month in the station of that particular relation : because they know not when gods providence may oblige them to remove or change it . xxxii . though the peoples consent be necessary to their relation , their election of the pastor ( which signifieth the first determination who shall be the man ) is not absolutely necessary , though of old so thought . an after-consent may serve ad esse relationis . xxxiii . much less is it necessary that the people choose who shall be ordained a minister unfixed , and only of the universal church . xxxiv . 1. mutual consent of the duely qualified ordained and ordainer , determineth who shall be a minister in the church universal ; as consent of the colledge and the candidate do who shall be the licensed physician . 2. the peoples consent and the ministers instituted , determine who shall be the pastor of this particular flock or church . 3. the king determineth whom he will tolerate , countenance and maintain . xxxv . though a man may be ordained but once to the ministry unfixed in the universal church , ( to which i said the peoples consent is not necessary ) yet may he be oft removed from one particular church to another , on just cause , to which the peoples consent ( if not election ) is still necessary . though to avoid ambition , the old canons forbad bishops to remove . xxxvi . it 's lawful to be ordained sine titulo only to the ministry in general ; but in settled churches it is usually inconvenient : and he that is ordained to a fixed church , doth at once become a minister in the universal church ( and may act as a minister , and not as a layman , when called elsewhere ) and also a fixed minister of a particular church ; even as he that is baptized into a particular church , is a member of both : though baptism and ordination qua tales enter but into the universal . xxxvii . it is not this or that mode of signification of consent that is necessary to either relation of pastor or flock ; but consent signified intelligibly : where laws and custome order it that actual ordinary attendance in publick worship and communion , and submission to necessary ministration , shall be the signification , all that so do express consent by it . and therefore our ordinary parish-assembling and communion , being express consent to the mutual relation , have that which is necessary ad esse to true churches ; and they slander them that say , they are not such . but ad melius esse more may oft-times be profitable ; 1. because that is the best means , which is best fitted to the end : but the end of signes being notification , that is , caeteris paribus , the best which is most notifying ; as that is the best language which is most significant and intelligible . why should playing in the dark , or dealing under-board , be preferred in the greatest things ? 2. it oft falls out , that some that live in the parish are known church-papists , church-atheists & infidels , & will tell in their meetings to their companions , [ i believe not the words of the parish-priest : it is his trade to talk for gain : i will do what the law requires of me , for my safety ; but i will have no more to do with him , nor do i take him for a true pastor , that hath any authority but by law , nor for any pastor to me . ] and 3. there are many hereticks and schismaticks , engaged members of other churches ; who yet to avoid suffering , will do that in the parish-church , which the law requireth . 4. and the antient churches used express consent , yea and election . so for the minister ; he is no pastor without his signified consent : but actual ministration may be such a signification . this is enough to reconcile the difference about church-covenants . xxxviii . they that rail against a more express consent in cases truly dubious , as if it were tyranny and destructive to christianity , do suppose that if the king and law commanded such a thing they commanded tyrannically that which destroyeth christianity ; and contradict themselves when they say that rulers may make various orders of church-governours , and determine of undetermined modes . xxxix . as it is not needful and usual to set up a coordinate imperium artificum vel philosophorum in imperio civili ; so it seemeth also of an imperium religiosum . the first question is , whether christ hath instituted such : the second , whether he hath given power to men to make it . there is not in any kingdom that i hear of , ( but somewhat towards it in china ) such a society of physicians , astronomers , navigators , lawyers , schoolmasters , philosophers , &c. who set up a co-ordinate empire or government , that shall have all degrees of self-governing power as a national socity , with one supreme , either monarchical , aristocratical , or democratical head , according to the order of civil-government : nor doth any reproach schools , colledges , hospitals , or any trading societies , that they are confused , independent , and ungoverned , because they have no common governour but god and the king , nor any particular governour , but the principal , or master and fellows of the society ; nor any national association , besides their subjection to one king , and their voluntary correspondence for concord and mutual assistance with one another . and much less is there any co-ordinate , political regiment of any of these through all the world , under one visible humane head , personal or collective . and yet many think that there is such a society and regiment for religion ; national say some , universal say others : that all that will serve god and be saved , must be under one co-ordinate power over all the kingdom , or world , besides christ and the supreme magistrate : and they contend whether this power be monarchical or aristocratical , &c. i am so far independent , as to think that christ hath instituted no such universal or national power and head of religion : but that 1. his own universal kingdom : 2. and particular churches under their several bishops and teachers : 3. and synods for concord and mutual help : 4. and christian magistrates to rule all by the sword : 5. with the improvement of mens eminent gifts and opportunities , that these be instituted by christ i doubt not : 6. and whether some should succeed the apostles ( excepting their extraordinary powers ) in having a visiting , instructing , ordering care of many churches and their bishops and teachers , i confess my self uncertain ; and therefore will never strive against such , nor deny due obedience to them , who shew a true call to such an employment . nay , if christ have made no such institution ; yet 1. if the christian magistrate , 2. or the churches by consent , choose some faithful ministers to such a power , onely to direct , instruct , guide , admonish , reprove , exhort the bishops and teachers of the particular churches , without any other force than the apostles used , and not destroying any of their proper power and duty , or that church-order which the apostles setled ; i am no opposer of any such , though my uncertainty disables me from subscribing and swearing to the right of their authority . the scots themselves , even by knox's consent , set up super-intendents over many churches ( john spotswood super-intendent of lothian , and so others . ) and the power of a president , principal or rector of a colledge of physicians , philosophers , or divines , doth not make him of any other order or species of office and profession than the rest . but if any affirm more than this , i will learn , but cannot yet swear or subscribe it . xl. those that are for the obligation of the jewish order , i have fully spoke to in my first plea for peace . those that are only for the power of man to make such several orders or ranks of governours in the church , as are in armies , and kingdoms , 1. must tell us what sort of power may be given them : 2. and who must give it . and 1. no men can institute a power of the same species , or another species from that which we call the sacred ministry , or as the fathers , the sacerdotal , but what is subordinate about the accidentals of religion and the church . 1. not the same species , because it is instituted by god already : no man can create a creature already created . 2. not of another supra-ordinate or co-ordinate : for 1. they can prove no power given them to do it : 2. and that were to accuse christ of insufficient doing his undertaken work , and being less faithful in his house than moses : 3. and it will infer mans introduction of a new co-ordinate doctrine , worship , or religious ministration : for the ministration of the word and sacraments , and keys , is already appointed by christ : and the office or order is specified by the work and terminus ; and a new office hath new work . but in the same species of religious ministration , there are abundance of accidentals and circumstances ; and princes or consenting churches may give men power in those accordingly . but not to forbid what christ commanded , nor destroy the works and power of his institution . and if they that are for other superiour or co-ordinate species of church-power , besides what is afore-granted , say that it is a lawful humane ordinance : 1. those that say , princes only may make it , confess the church had none that was lawful for three hundred years . and they must prove the commission . 2. those that say the inferiour bishops made it by consent ; 1. feign inferiours to have power to make a power above their own , ( which is more than for presbyters to ordain their like . ) 2. why may not archbishops then make patriarks , and they a pope , ad summum ascendendo ? 3. they must prove their power ; and that they are so far equal to apostles , ( who yet were but to teach the nations what christ commanded them ; which these men know not but by the scripture . ) 4. what man maketh , man may unmake . and how came we to be less free than our ancestors that made such offices ? xli . in my book of concord where this is granted , yet i say , that let church-patriarchs , metropolitans , primates , archbishops , or diocesans , like ours that have no bishops under them , be never so probably maintained to be lawful , yea , and desirable ; yet the uniting in them by consent and approbation , will never become the terms or way of universal concord , which i have fully proved ; even all that is true and good , will never be the terms of universal concord , nor just christian communion ; much less that which hath so much matter of doubt , and great suspition of evil . but i will live in christian love , peace , and submission my self , on terms uncapable of common concord , or my own approbation of the things as imposed or done by all others . xlii . lay-chancellours may do what belongeth to a magistrate , but not use the church-keyes , nor be the church-judges of mens communion , because christ hath instituted the sacred office for it . xliii . a church is ens politicum ( in the sense in hand ) and the form of it is relative , in the predicament of relation . xliv . the parts of the universal church are similar and dissimilar , more simple or more compound . and the word [ whole ] applyed to a part , disproveth not its being a part of the whole christian world or church . a whole hand , foot , head , &c. is part of a whole body ; and a whole body part of a whole man , and a whole man part of a whole family , and a whole family part of a whole street , and that of a whole city , and that of a whole county or kingdom : a whole colledge of a whole university , &c. all members save souls and atomes , are compounds . xlv . when we call all the christian world [ the catholick church ] and call e. g. hippo [ a or the catholick church ] the word [ catholick ] and [ the ] are not univocal : in the later we mean only [ the church at hippo ] which holds the true catholick faith , and is a true part of the catholick church in the first sense . penuria nominum necessaria reddit aequivoca . xlvi . particular churches are visible in the regent and governed parts : the universal church is visible in the governed part , and in the head only , so far as he was once on earth , and is now visible in heaven ( his court ) and will be visible at last to all , and ruleth by visible laws ; but not as a head now visible on earth : nor is this any deformity to his church , nor any reason why it may not be called visible ; as i have fully proved in two books against w. johnson , alias terret . xlvii . those that deny an universal visible church , differ only de nowine , not de re : they only deny any universal regent power , monarchical , or aristocratical , or democratical , under christ ; but i know no christian that ever denyed the fore-described . xlviii . forma dat esse : divers constitutive forms , or specifying differences , make divers essences . therefore the form of a troop being the captains government , differs from the form of a regiment , which is the colonels governing relation , and both from the forms of the army , which is the generals . the formal essence of a colledge , is divers from that of an university ; and of a family from a corporation , or city ; and that from a kingdom . and as forma dat nomen , they have divers names : a family quatalis , is not a kingdom , &c. reader , forgive the mention of these things , which children know , and till now i never read or heard any man deny or question . in that which followeth , you shall see the reasons that excuse me . chap. iii. what mr. cheyney saith against these things : and 1. of church-forms and essence . § 1. though it tempt me not to conformity as the way of concord , where i see the great difference of such as plead for it amongst themselves , yet i must do that right to the conformists , as to tell the world that they must not be judged of by mr. ch 's opinions ; and that i know no other conformist ( or non-conformist ) of his mind about church-forms . § 2. but i must add , that his case doth increase my conviction against himself and them , that their conformity is so far from being the necessary cement , that it is utterly destructive of it , as so imposed : and that it must be on few plain necessary things , that common concord must be held , or we must have none . mr. ch. thinks me one who may be endured in the ministry , and i think so by him ; and yet how far easier and plainer than our controversies of conformity , are those things in which we differ to the height of his following accusations ? if none should be endured that cannot covenant , swear , subscribe , declare and practice , as is required , how much less can such as he and i be endured in one church , if we differ as he saith we do ? o what pardon and forbearance doth our peace require ! § 3. of church-forms and essence , hear some of his judgment . pag. 3. [ the several congregations and assemblies of pastors and people throughout the kingdom , are not limbs and parcels of a church , but they are so many churches — consisting of a pastor governing , and people governed , joyning together in publick worship — it is called [ the church of england ] as all the christian pastors and people throughout the world , are called the universal church — one church , of which christ is the transcendent head — i do not see but it is proper to call all the christian pastors and people of england — one church . — p. 6. christ is the head of the church of england , — and under christ all the parish-ministers are subordinate guides and rulers of their flocks respectively . — p. 7. some are as colonels of regiments , others as captains of troops ; the body is but one , the members many . — p. 13. the new testament saith , — the churches of galatia , gal. 1. 2. the churches of judea , asia , — yet one body . — all the faithful make one heavenly city , — one church of the first born ; — so that gods church on earth is many churches , and yet but one church . — ( do you not think now that we are agreed ? but hear him judge himself . ) p. 15. i will shew one common errour or mistake in multitudes of our able divines , — that those we call particular churches , are counted parts and members of the church universal . this i deny , — mr. baxter makes the church of england , or the churches of england , to be an integral part of the church universal , — as a troop of an army , or a city of a kingdom . so the independents . i overthrow this errour by this argument . one and the same thing cannot be both a body and a member , a whole and a part , a society and one single person . — but that which we call a single or particular church , is not a member but a body ; it is not a limb or part of a church , but a whole and entire church , — it hath a whole within it . — london is not a member of england , but a city and aggregation of members . it 's no less than a flat contradiction in terms , — what dr. ames saith , medul . l. 1. c. 32. that a particular church est membrum ex aggregatione variorum membrorum singulorum compositum , contrary to common reason and plain scripture . — p. 18. a bare member in the body hath no authority , but acteth by mere natural life and appetite , and is not endued with rational authority , nor can be capable of any . — that which we call a single church , is a catholick or universal church . it hath an universal head. to be a christian , is to be of an universal impartial spirit ; — where there is an all , there is an universal . — but every single church hath an all within it , the pastor and all his flock . — the church universal and particular , do only differ as to place and number ; — a church of godly ministers and people in france , holland , — and england , differ but as to place . — every church ( of christians ) must needs be a church universal ; not a limb or member of another church , but a true body , or entire christian society . — p. 20. christs body is one : not as one is opposed to multitude — but to division , contrariety , and destruction . § 4. p. 21. this leads me to shew the unsoundness of another part of mr. baxters doctrine , and some others with him : he saith , [ there are two essentially different policies or forms of church-government of christs institution , never to be altered by man : 1. the form of the universal church as headed by christ himself , which all christians own as they are christians , in their baptism . 2. particular churches headed by their particular bishops or pastors , and are parts of the universal , as a troop of an army , or a city of a kingdom . — and he defines the universal church to be , the universality of baptized christians , headed by christ himself . these his sayings contain many errours ; i will first note them out , and then confute and prove them to be errours . 1. it is an errour in the art of defining , to put in those words , [ headed by christ himself . ] 2. it is another errour to define the universal church without guides and ministers , as one essential constituent part . 3. it is another errour to say , that the universal church , and churches particular , differ essentially . 1. it is an errour in the art of desining to say , — headed by christ himself ] that 's supposed , but need not be in the definition . he finds fault himself with such a defect in the definition of a particular church . grant them to be christians , and you grant they own christ . — 2. it is an errour to define the universal church without pastors , — so doth the assemblies confession , and mr. hudson — his definition of the church without pastors , is , as if he defined a living healthful man , without a stomach , liver or lungs . — p. 24. 3. if there be an essential difference between church and church , what then is the difference between the church and the world ! heaven and hell ! the righteous and the wicked ! — how can any man know which is the right church ? we shall never be able to confute popery nor infidelity by this doctrine : for this doctrine supposeth two essentially different churches : the universal church without pastors , and of this christ is head himself : particular churches , of which christ is no head , but particular pastors are the heads . — by this doctrine the same thing shall be contrary to it self . — christs church in this world is but one ! and can one and the same thing have two different essences , beings , and definitions ? quae conveniunt uno tertio , &c. but the church universal and particular agree in uno tertio . they stand on one foundation , are directed by one rule , quickned by one spirit ; an addition of homogeneous particles makes no essential difference . it will necessarily infer , that god is contrary to himself , and that the essentiating principles of church holiness , order and government , are black and white , darkness and light , — p. 25. if this opinion stand , religion cannot stand , two essentially different forms of churches , will infer two sorts of holiness , the one repugnant to the other , ( yet ) subordinata non pugnant . if christ set up two repugnant , or essentially different church-forms , he is not the saviour , but the deceiver of the world . ( o dreadful ! ) § 5. p. 92. a word more ad hominem of that opinion , that particular churches are parts of the universal , as a troop is of an army , or a city of a kingdom . this is mr. baxters opinion : why then do you blame the turning all the parish-churches into chappels , and making them to be but parts of the diocesan , as a troop is of an army , &c. who sees not that your doctrine doth the same that you condemn , &c. if they are but parts and members of another church , ( the universal ) then they are not churches . — it is not unlikely but you can find somewhat to say in defence of this your self-contradicting doctrine ; but i believe it will match your wit , were it ten times more , and prove too hard for you . look to it ; if your disputations against prelacie stand , down goes this main assertion of yours . if your disputations against prelacie be found to have a hollow and false bottom , then you have made you work for repentance , you have greatly injured the church of god , and particularly the church of england , and have deceived a great many . look what bellarmine maketh the pope to be to all the pastors , churches , and christians through the world , that do you make this which you call the church universal : for you say that particular churches , as headed by their respective bishops and pastors , are parts and members of another church called the church universal : by which assertion you set up an universal head or government over all the pastors , churches , and christians in the world besides christ ; and you say this is of divine institution ; and you lay the concord of all the churches upon it . do but grant the papists this one assertion , that particular churches , as headed by their respective pastors , are parts and members of the universal church , as a city is of a kingdom , and overthrow the popes headship over all if you can . it will follow that there must be , besides christ , an universal ecclesiastical monarch on earth , either personal or collective , who must have the supreme power . p. 96. but indeed you have gone beyond bellarmine in seting up papal monarchy . your other assertion sets up atheism , by making the holy god the author and founder of two essentially different churches , or church-forms . according to bellarmines assertion for the pope , there would be pastors , &c. but according to your assertion , all the world must be atheists , of no religion at all . — p. 224 , 225. your division of the church into universal and particular , is plainly against that rule in logick ; membra omnis bonae divisionis debent esse inter se opposita . but in this your division the membra dividentia are not inter se opposita : you oppose the same thing against itself . you make the church at corinth a particular church , — the whole or the universal church at corinth is sound and good . you plainly leave out of your description , the differencing form or token of that which you call a particular church , and that is neighbourhood , or dwelling or abiding in this or that place , — you make a new essential of church-membership and church-communion , and lay the peace of all the churches on it , and say it is divine , sure , harmless , fitted to the interest of all good men . this startles me , i strive to be silent and cannot : the more i strive , the more i am overcome * . mr. cawdrey was lately with me , and we had conference about this point , — suspecting mine own judgment ; i have conferred with divers about your other notions , two churches , or two church-forms differing essentially ; and they cannot apprehend how it can stand ! you make the universal church-form , and the particular church-form to differ essentially , and this by divine law. i prove to you from the nature of the thing it self , and the express word of god , that the universal church of god at corinth , and the particular church of god at corinth , are one and the same . — to oppose the universal and particular church , and say they differ essentially , is to oppose the same thing against itself , and make the lord jesus christ the authour and founder of selfsubverting principles . p. 226 , 227. as for that other point , of the church particular being part of the church universal , it is to say , that the whole church at corinth is a part of the whole church , which is absurd . reader , i must not transcribe the whole book : the rest is too like this ; exercise your patience in receiving a short answer to the several parts which seemeth needful . chap. iv. a defence against the foresaid accusations . § 1. what christians heart can choose but mourn for the church of god , and the puzzling confounding temptations of the ignorant , that must hear men charged thus publickly with atheism , and the overthrow of all religion , for that which the christian world agreeth in ; and this by preachers of professed humility , sincerity and zeal ? how shall the unlearned know when they are safe ? yea , what snares are thus laid to rob men of their time , as well as their faith and charity ? i must not give such lines their proper names : but i will say that it remembreth me of isa . 1. 6. and it cryeth out unclean , unclean . how few words of truth , and soberness , and soundness , can you number among all these ? had he written and published it in his sleep , as some talk , and walk , it were some excuse ! but for a man , a minister , awake , and after publick admonition , deliberately , on consultation , a second time , to talk at this rate in the press ! — and yet cannot we be endured without their ceremonies , &c. when the friendly debater and mr. shurlocke have compared such books as this with those that they reprehended , perhaps they will say , iliacos intramuros , &c. to begin at the end , i am sorry to read what he saith of the divers he conferred with , &c. 1. i never till now read or heard papist , protestant , or any christian of his mind : and , alas , are divers of it now ? are conformists come to that ? either they were at manhood , or in breeches at least , or not : if not , he should have chosen other counsellers : if yea , were they laymen or clergymen ? he was to blame if he took up with the former alone in such a case . if the later , he greatly disgraceth them . but we must say somewhat of our atheistical errours . the beginning of his words , which say the same thing which he so abominateth , i will not charge with contradiction in sence from the rest : for if he mean the same thing by [ one and two , a church and no church , a part and no part , yea and nay ] they are no contradictions in sence . and indeed i cannot perceive that he understandeth what he readeth and answereth , nor well what he saith . and therefore i am not sure when i understand him ; but i will review some of the things that his words seem to accuse in order . § i. the universal church , as i defined it , is a true church . proved : where there is a true church-head and a body of all christians on earth , united and subjected to that head by mutual consent and covenant , there is a true universal church : but such is that which i named and defined as the church universal . — ergo. — the major is from the definition to the thing denominated . as to the minor , 1. that christ is the true head. 2. and all christians the universal true body , ( visible as baptized , and mystical as heart-covenanters . ) 3. and that mutual covenanting is a sufficient bond for this church-union , the christian reader will chide me if i stay to prove . § 11. particular churches existent , are true churches in essence . proved to him : 1. he oft confesseth this and the former . 2. a true pars dirigens & pars subdita , necessarily qualified , ad esse , and united in those relations for church-ends , are a true particular church : but such are many existent particular churches ( and all that i defined : ) ergo. 1. that a true bishop , at least with his presbyters , is a true pars dirigens : 2. and a qualified flock , a true pars subdita : 3. and that such are found united in these relations , i will take for granted with the reader , except mr. ch. and the major is the definition . § iii. that the relative union of the governing part , or nearest head to the governed body , is the specifying form . the proof being de ente politico & notione logicâ , is the consent of all politicks , logicks , and use of speech by the professours of both , known to us in the world . i oft enough distinguishing de nomine aequivoco , have told men that it is not every christian assembly that we speak of , but societas politica . and all politicks call the form of the government , the specifying form of the politick society , throughout the known world . so monarchy , aristocracie , democracie , are specifying forms of republicks : and schools , armies , navies , have divers relative forms , specifyed by the union of the various regent relative parts to the rest . § iv. the form is a chief essential part . § v. therefore divers specifying forms , prove divers essences in specie . § vi. it is not the generical form that specifieth . else all things that are ejusdem generis , should be ejusdem speciei . all bodies are not animate , nor all animals men , nor all men bishops or physicians . § vii . the genus denominated without defining it , with the specifying form or difference , makes the definition of the species . else the definition of the species infima , would be confounded by the conjunct definitions of all the superiour genera : he that defineth a king , must not put in it the definition of homo , of animal , of vivens , of corpus and anima , of substantia . § viii . the highest species must be defined by its proper highest form , though not the subordinate species . the king must be put in the definition of a kingdom , but not of a city , country , church , family , school ; he is there supposed in a kingdom . and so of others . § ix . the higher genera must not be named in the definition of the species , but the next , which is the superiour species . therefore mr. ch. mistook his art of defining , when he said i mist it , by naming christ as the head of the church universal , and adding that i blame my self that defining of a particular church . as in relations it is not the ultimate end , but the nearest that must be in the definition ; so is it not the highest but the next genus that must be named . in defining all the lower species , the higher genera are but implyed in the naming of genus proximum , and not named . § x. the relation of jesus christ , and of a humane bishop , are not the same relation , in specie , though both be called heads or rulers . proved : there is not the same subjectum , nor the same fundamentum , vel ratio fundandi , nor the same correlate , ( for all the christian world and a diocese are not the same ) nor the same nearest terminus : ergo , not the same relation . § xi . therefore the universal church headed by christ onely , and a particular church subordinately headed by a bishop or clergy-head , are essentially divers , and two : proved : where the formal specifying head or regent part is two , or divers , and the body divers , &c. there the societies are divers in specie , or essentially : but so it is here : ergo. that one and one are two , i will not undertake to prove to mr. ch. nor think it needful to prove to others , nor yet that christ is one , and a bishop one ; and not the same . that christ is the formal head of the universal church , all christians confess , and therefore to be named in the definition , whether mr. ch. will or not , and not supposed : baptismal union and subjecting to him , maketh us christians , and not supposeth us such ( in visible church-state . ) that christ is not the formal specifying head of a particular church as such , but of the universal , and so the supream head only of the particular , is proved before . 1. because the specifying forma totius heterogenei , is not the specifying form of the parts . 2. else all that christ is supreme ruler to , should be such particular political churches : which is false ; it is not true of single persons , of christian armies , troops , markets , parliaments , courts , &c. as such . 3. christ himself by his apostles hath ordained a subordinate humane species of church-heads or rulers . 4. from parity of cases : natural and political . the forma animalis , is not forma hominis , nor forma hominis forma oculi , manus , pedis , &c. the general is the formal head of the army , but not of a regiment , but the colonel : nor the colonel of a troop , but the captain ; nor the king of a city , but the maior or other subordinate head : nor the king or maior of a family , school , colledge , but the pater-familias , the master , the rector , &c. depose the subordinate head , and it's part of the kingdom still , but no family , school , colledge , troop , regiment , &c. all mankind that profess dealing in such subjects , ( as far as i know ) are agreed in all this . as to the body related also , a diocess is not all the christian world . § xii . every true particular or single church , is part of the universal , ( which is headed only by christ . ) that it is part of the universal , i know not that ever man denyed till now , that a conformable pious divine maketh this with the former atheistical , making god and christ a deceiver , driving all religion out of the world , popery , worse , &c. proved . quae unita totum constituunt sunt partes : at ecclesiae omnes particulares , cum membris caeteris & christo capite totam seu universam ecclesiam redemptorum constituunt : ergo , sunt ecclesiae universae partes . ecclesia universa constat ex horum unione . ergo , haec omnia sunt ejus partes . again , if the single churches be no parts of the universal , either they are co-ordinate churches with the universal , or there is no universal . if the universal be all without them , than they are none : if not , then it is not universal , if there be other churches which are no parts of it . again , if they be no parts of the church universal , they are no parts of the body or peculiar people or kingdom of christ , ( for that is but one , 1 cor. 12. eph. 4. 15 , 16. & 5. &c. ) but they are parts of the body of christ . ergo. § xiii . to say that the whole church , e. g. at corinth , and the whole church in the world are the same , and what 's predicated of one is also of the other , is a saying — not to be justly denominated . the subjectum , relatum , correlatum , fundamentum , terminus , proximus , and so the relation are divers . the whole church and its head , and a part and its subordinate head , are not the same . the kingdom and the city , the city and a parish or ward , the university and a colledge , the man and a hand , &c. are not the same . § xiv . to say as he doth , that a family is not a part of the street , or that of the city , and london no member or part of the kingdom , is stuff that — i will not name : an ill foundation for the charge of atheism , blasphemy , and all impiety . but i am out of all fear that he should make one proselyte that 's sani cerebri . if any accuse him of less than denying god and christ , even but of deposing the king from most of his kingdoms , and saying that london , and so of every one city , corporation , &c. is no part of it , i would desire them to allow him his own exposition : for he mcaneth not so ill as he saith . § xv. to say that one whole cannot be a member or part of another whole , is yet , if possible , more — than the former . what , may not corpus politicum be a member of a larger body politick ? is there any part of the universe if this be true ? at least save atomes and spirits : and in what sense an atome , or anima , or spiritus , may be called totum , scaliger , and the schoolmen , and metaphysicks , commonly tell you . are not whole stones part of mountains ? and whole trees of the forrest ? and whole herbs of the whole garden ? and whole fields of the whole countrey ? and whole parishes of the whole diocess and county , and those of the kingdom ? and that of europe ? and that of the world ? is not a whole hand or foot part of a whole man ? is not the mateial universe made up of compounded parts ? what a trick has he found to exempt us all from government ? every man may say , i am a whole man : therefore i am no part of the bishop of londons diocess , or of the parish , or of the family . deny or destroy all such parts , and you deny or destroy the whole . did he think that all noun substantives signified the same thing , which have the same adjective ; and that a whole man , and a whole dog , or world , are all one ? § xvi . it 's little better when he argueth that homogeneal parts make not a new species . as if he could prove that the church is totum homogeneum . are not christ and christians , the king and the subjects of the universal church , partes heterogeneae , in esse politico relativo ? are not bishops and laicks partes heterogeneae ? had he forgot how much of his book is to prove even bishops and presbyters as widely different ? no christian denyeth it of the church universal , nor any of single churches , that denyes not a ministry , and the being of such churches as political . § xvii . while thus he maketh national churches metropolitical , diocesane , parochial , and the very independent , which he most revileth , all one , or of one essential species , it seemeth that he knoweth not how he unsaith most that he said before . § xviii . it is little better that he maketh several churches , viz. at paris and at plimouth , &c. to differ only in number and place . 1. do not the popish , protestant , episcopal , and presbyterian , differ in the form of government ? 2. do not those of the same form differ as individuals by their several rulers ? besides abundance of accidental differences ? § xix . and what doctrine is it to say , christs body is one ; not as one is opposed to multitude , but to division and destruction ? hath christ a multitude of bodies univocally so called ? even such a body as we treat of ? hath christ many universal churches containing all christians headed by christ ? § xx. when he had so grosly wronged himself , as to say , it is an errour in the art of defining , to say of the universal church , it is headed by christ himself ; what other head or formal regent part doth he name ? will he have another ? or will he have none in the definition ? is that the art of defining ? § xxi . it 's little better to say , is is an errour to define the universal church without pastors , as the assembly did . what! a better logician than all the assembly too ? alas , how fell the good man under this temptation ? he instanceth in a body defined without liver , stomack , &c. but 1. i hope he doth not think all is excluded that is not to be named ? 2. is there no better definition of a man , than animal implume , bipes , &c. or one that hath a liver and stomack , &c. when to the entelechia or anima , he added corpus organicum , aristotle thought he said enough of the body . is not animal rationale a just definition of a man , without naming his liver and spleen , or heart ? is not the genus & differentia enough for a definition ? definitiones debent esse breves ; & nihil otiosum continere : otiosum est quo ablato , definitio reliqua rei essentiam explicat . a kingdom is defined by naming no more than the king and subjects in general , without naming judges , justices , sheriffs , &c. there are no constitutive principles in nature , but mater , materiae dispositio & forma : and the imperfect definitions of accidents , must be as like as may be to those of substances . the specifying form here , is only christ the head so related : though he made christians before ministers , and were all pastors dead , the church were still christs universal body ; yet i grant it is not a just organized body without pastors : but that maketh them but to be the nobler part of the disposed matter : men do not use to play the anatomists in definitions , and instead of animal , or of corpus organicum , to name heart , stomack , lungs , &c. but it is a healthful man that mr. ch. is defining . answ . 1. but it is not a healthful church , but a true church in essence that i was defining . 2. if it had been otherwise , the name of the parts need not enter the definition of health . and are these his saving truths ? § xxii . and what an intimation is it , that if there be an essential difference between the universal and particular church , there 's none between the church and the world , the righteous and the wicked , heaven and hell. these things are fitter to be answered by interjections ( which be no words ; but voces non vocabula ) than by speech . if christ and a bishop in esse relationis politicae differ essentially , must good and bad , heaven and hell be all one ? if an army , and a regiment , and a troop , differ in their formal specifying essences , must a subject and a rebel , the court and the gallows therefore be all one . proh ! apage ! § xxiii . next he asks , how can any man know the right church then ? answ . what! no way but by making christ and a bishop formally the head ? we know the universal church by its true definition ; and a true particular church by its true definition and properties . § xxiv . yea , he saith , we shall never be able to confute popery and infidelity by this doctrine . answ . alas , will the good man turn papist or infidel , unless the universal church and a diocesane have the same specifying difference , or formal head ? then what remedy ? § xxv . i have no interjection deep enough for that which followeth , viz. this doctrine supposeth two essentially different churches : the universal church without pastors , ( putares ) and of this christ is head : particular churches , of which christ is no head ] putares ! where said i any such thing ! is this lawful ? as if 1. there must be no pastors , unless they be the formal head of the universal church . 2. and as if there must be no christ the supream head , if the bishop be the formal differencing specifying subordinate head : and all but the named parts are denyed : as if he would have more than the genus proximum , and differentia specificans in a definition : yea , even the genus supremum ! and christ shall be the specifying head , or none ! § xxvi . he saith , [ so the same thing shall be contrary to itself . ] as if 1. christ and a bishop , in formal relation were proved to be the same . 2. or things subordinate were contrary , ( which he denyeth himself . ) § xxvii . he saith , [ christs church in this world is but one . ] answ . if there be but one particular church , 1. then numerically the church of london and basil are one : and then if i separate not from the church at basil , i separate not from the church of london . 2. if de specie there be but one , then a patriarchal , diocesane , parochial , presbyterian , and democratical church are but of one species : and why then did you use so many words to tell us of the need of bishops over bishops , and of the several sorts of supra-ordinate church-rulers ? then a national church and a parish-church are but one . § xxviii . he addeth , [ quae conveniunt uno tertio , conveniunt inter se ; but the church universal and particular agree in uno tertio , &c. ] answ , as if convenientia generica , were convenientia totalis vel specifica ? or , convenientia partialis & totalis , accidentalis & essentialis , were all one ? what pretty logick is here , to prove a king and a constable all one , because they are both men , both christians , and both rulers ? i hope then a bishop and a presbyter are all one , that in your sorry sense agree in uno tertio ? but let us hear the inferred charge against us . § xxix . an addition of homogeneous particles ( saith he ) makes no essential differences . answ . christ and a bishop are heterogeneous : yea , a diocesane and a parish-priest : have you proved that they are not ? or that they are ? § xxx . it will necessarily infer that god is contrary to himself , saith he . answ . o temerity in the dark ! that is , unless his church-relation be the same with the bishops ? as if the king be contrary to himself , if his kingdom and a corporation or school be not of the same species ? § xxxi . he saith , [ if this opinion stand , religion cannot stand . an. do you mean in you or in me , or all others ? do you resolve to cast away all religion , if christ and a bishop be not the same informing regent parts of the church universal and particular ? think better of it first ; for religion is more necessary than so . do you think that the christian world , which hath ever been of the opinion which you detest , had never any religion ? nor hath now any ? which way do churches that are parts of the universal , cast out all religion ? § xxxii . if christ set up two essentially different church-forms , he is not the saviour but the deceiver of the world . answ . and must christ bear such a charge as well as i ? i should sooner have expected it from a turk or jew , than from you . § xxxiii . he saith , [ why then do you blame turning parish-churches into chappels , and making them but parts of a diocesane , as a troop of an army ? ] answ . putide putares . when shall we meet with a true sentence ? it is not for making them parts of a diocesane church as troops of an army , but for making them no political true churches , but disbanding all the troops , by making them no troops , but such parts of a regiment as squadrons are . it is for putting down inferiour bishops , and not for being themselves bishops over them ; yet on this doth he ground his charge of my deceiving men , and wronging god and his church , &c. § xxxiv . he addeth , [ look what bellarmine maketh the pope , &c. that do you , &c. for you say that particular churches , as headed by their respective bishops and pastours , are parts of another church called the church universal . by which assertion you set up an universal head — besides christ , and you say this is of divine institution , and lay the concord of all the churches on it . ] answ . if you are sani cerebri , this is so gross , that your putarem hath no excuse . had you not your self repeated my definition , and carpt at those very words , [ headed only by christ ] and many times your self repeated it as my opinion . 2. or had you tryed your wrangling wit to have proved , that [ if christ only be asserted to be the head , i thereby assert another head ] or that [ if i make bishops particular specifying heads , i therefore assert a humane universal head , ] you had some cloak for your putarem : but now — if you next print that i said that a dog is a man , i will no more wonder at it than at this . see reader how my church-concord is oppugned , and by what weapons satan doth that work . as if he that saith the king only is the specifying head of the kingdom , and the captain of his troop , or the diocesans of a diocess , were a traytor , and did assert another head of the kingdom than the king. § xxxv . do but grant the papists ( saith he ) this one assertion , that particular churches , as headed by their respective pastors , are parts and members of the universal , as cities of a kingdom , and overthrow the popes headship over all if you can . it will follow , that there must be besides christ , an universal monarch on earth , &c. answ . 1. affirmanti incumbit probatio . did you think we must take your bare word in so great a case ? do you say one word to prove your affirmation ? must we all turn papists upon your immodest naked saying , it is so ? 2. but your immodesty is in this excessive to me , that have written two books against johnson , alias terret , and the later but lately and largely , to prove that the church hath no universal head but christ , notwithstanding the particular regency of the bishops ; and for you to give me not a word of answer to them , and bid me now prove it if you can , when i have voluminously proved it ! this is such dealing as i will not name . — 3. but i am heartily sorry , what ever did it , that you are got so neer to popery . as if you will be a papist , unless all the writers of the christian world are deceived , and if the particular church be a part of the universal , which ●●●● dare boldly swear it is , and sober men doubt not . xxxvi . he adds , [ indeed you have gone be●ond bellarmine , in setting up papal monarchy . your ●ther assertion sets up atheism , by making the holy god the authour and founder of two essential different churches , or church-forms . ] answ . putares . but if all the christian world be of the same mind , do they all set up atheism , and are you only free ? as for tho. hooker whom you cited , though it be twenty four years , or thereabouts , since i read mr. hudson and him , ( and will not tast away my time in perusing them ) my memory doubts not that it was only a universal church made one by one universal humane policie , that he denied ; and that they differed but about words . did ever christian before you , deny particular churches to be distinct policies , and parts of the universal ? have we so many books written of ecclesiastical policie , and is there no such thing ? or no churches that are politick societies ? § xxxvii . he adds , [ according to your assertion , all the world must be atheists , of no religion at all . ] answ . then all the world of christians are so ; for as far as writings notifie , they are generally of this mind . alas , brother , did you shew this to any man before you printed it ? for their honour i must think you did not ; and for your sake i wish you had . § xxxviii . he adds , [ your division of the church into universal and particular , is plainly against that rule in logick , membra omnis bonae divisionis debent esse inter se opposita ] but you oppose the same thing against it self . answ . thus do men humble themselves by forsaking humility ! had it not been better for your to have let your logick alone , than to bewray that which you might have concealed ? are not diversa distinguishable as well as opposita ? and is there no diversity in parte essentiae , ( as in subalternis ) where there is not a diversity in totâ essentia , ( as there is in summis generibus ? ) is there not both diversity and opposition , inter totum & partem , and between the species of an universal and particular society ? are they not relative opposita ? may you not distinguish army , and regiment , and troop , kingdom and city , christ and a bishop ? &c. § xxxix . he adds , [ you make the church at corinth a particular church . ] answ . and do not all christians ? is it all the christian world ? § xl. you plainly ( saith he ) leave out of your description the differing form or token of that which you call a particular church , and that is , neighbourhood , &c. answ . anne putares ? 1. have i so oft exprest it , and yet will you say so ? 2. but it was in descriptions indeed , and i was far from your logical belief , that neighbourhood is the differencing form . and i hope no one else is of your mind . 1. if neighbourhood be the differencing form , then all christian neighbours are particular churches : but that is false : ergo. — 1. those that dwell together only for trade , are not therefore churches . 2. those that hold that there are no particular churches or pastors , but that all christians are as priests . 3. those that hold that the minister of the parish where they live is no true minister , nor the parish a true church . 4. those that profess themselves members of no particular church . 5. those that profess to be no members of that church , but of another . 6. papists and sectaries that stand in opposition to that church . 7. those that dwell near another parish-church , and many miles from their own , are not members by proximity . 8. those that are excommunicated , which is de facto all professed non-conformists . 9. in places where the magistrate tyeth not churches to parish-bounds , persons of the same street and house may be of several churches . 10. no man that consenteth not is a church-member . 11. and who knoweth not that proximity is but dispositio materiae , and not the differencing form ? all these singular novelties should have had better proof than these dry assertions , contrary to all christian sense . § xli . [ this startles me : i strive to be silent and cannot , ( saith he ) and the more i strive , the more i am overcome . ] answ . if you are so far gone , i shall hereafter , i think , without any striving with my self , let that which is within you talk on , and not resist you . for who can hold that which will away ? but i wish you the benefit of some stiptick remedy , and a sober mind . § xlii . [ i prove to you ( saith he , when there is nothing like one proving word ) &c. you make the lord jesus the authour and founder of subverting principles . ] answ . read the ninth commandment . i conclude with these requests to him , as my true friend ; viz. to consider : qu. 1. whether a man so far from persecution , and yet condemning us of atheism , blaspheming , and destroying all religion , &c. be not much more uncharitable , than they that charge no such thing upon us , but trouble us for refusing forms are ceremonies ? or is it not the same spirit ? qu. 2. whether he justifie not the silencing and ruining of all whom he so accuseth ? should not such impious atheists be silenced ? qu. 3. if he knew that the generality of the christian world in all ages hold what he thus censureth , what will he call it , to charge all christians so far with atheism , and casting out all religion , and making god and christ a deceiver ? if he knew it not , what will he call it , to venture thus to publish such an accusation , before he knew that which an ordinary inhabitant of the world might so easily have known ? as if he had published [ all that say a city is specified by its subordinate form of government , and is a part of the kingdom , specified by the monarch , are traytors , and depose the king , or make him a deceiver and no king , and deny all obedience . ] what will you call this dealing ? qu. 4. was it well done to write such a book , while he understood so very little of the very plainest passages which he wrote against ? qu. 5. was it excusable to confess some errour of the last , and to add far worse , and after warning a second time , so to speak evil of what he understood not ? qu. 6. was it humility to make ostentation of the logick he understood not . qu. 7. doth not the extreme bold confidence of the falsest of his own conceptions , shew a very unhumbled overvaluing of his own understanding ? to be ignorant is common to mankind ; yea , and to be much ignorant of our ignorance , and to think that we know more than we do : but to have so little sense of this calamity , and so little suspicion of ones own understanding , as to be confident to such a height of accusation of the grossest falshoods , where a lad of fourteen years old , that had read any thing of logick and politicks , might have better taught him ; ( that i say not , the reason and use of mankind ) this seemeth somewhat beyond the common measure of self-conceitedness . qu. 8. whether the great number of asserted untruths here , shew not some want of necessary tenderness , or care of writing ? chap. iv. mr. chenies accusations of me about church-covenants , and rigid independencie , and the odiousness hereof , considered . § 1. when he had said , that [ it leads to two contrary gods , which is to make no true god , p. 69. ] he proceedeth [ mr. b. hath devised and framed two covenants , the one to make a man a member of the church universal , the other of the particular , p. 97. i will shew , 1. that this is the same with the upstart way of the independents : 2. the unsoundness of it , p. 101. mr. b. and the independents now , are contrary to their own principle in baptizing the infants of non-confederates , p. 129. [ i do utterly withstand it as wickedness and abomination in gods church ; i am to die and burn at a stake before i yield to any such thing : this is mr. baxters way : he offers it to bishop morley and bishop gunning , in his preface to his last book of concord , that posterity may see what it is that he would have had , and laboured to set up in all the churches : and accordingly , let both the present and future ages see and know , p. 130. your way is not so innocent as that of re-baptizing . for the very matter and terms of your church-covenant are unsafe , and plainly schismatical ! as if constables and people of each town must confederate to be a corporation , an independent body having all jurisdiction within themselves , and such as will not enter into this confederacy , must be counted none of the kings subjects . — to say there are no churches in the world but a few independent churches , — were to go beyond brownism : it were rather to teach infidelity : such an opinion would be abhorred by all : now mr. baxter and the independents doctrine saith it . — their errour , should they hold it habitually , predominantly , and practically , would be certainly their damnation . — p. 141 , [ i see not but pagans , gross hereticks , apostates , thieves and robbers might combine together and say , i take thee for my pastor , and i take you for my people : doth not your doctrine infer it ? p. 143. if i yield to their assertion , i must subvert the office of christ and his apostles , and all his faithful ministers , and all the churches to this day ; which i will not do for fear of the censure of any man living , no nor of a whole council of men , p. 57. the way that mr. baxter offers , seems to be a worse way , — it is the way of rigid independencie . — indeed mr. b. in all his writings seems to be against the office of lay-elders : but that he is not for them under another notion , as heads and delegates of the people , mutually chosen by the pastor and people , for assistance in discipline , may be doubted . he seems to hint at it , &c. § 2. how little truth is in all this , and abundance such ? 1. either it is truth that i am for rigid independency , or not . if not , — if yea , i am glad that the independent way is no worse . i am not much acquainted with them : but , if this man say true , 1. they are for no covenanting , but consent to the relation signifyed . 2. they are not for binding any to continue in that relation . 3. they are not for binding any from a regular use of any other minister , or churches communion . 4. in places where parishes are divided by law , and the ordinary attendance on the pastors ministration goeth for a sign of consent , they are true churches and members that thus signifie it ; and ad esse it is usually enough , though ad bene esse in doubtful cases the more express , as more intelligible caeteris paribus is best . 5. they are against an office of lay-elders , distinct from ministers of the word and sacraments , as of gods institution for church-government . 6. they are against democracie , or the church-governing power of the people . 7. they take reformed parish-churches for the best order , not taking all for members that are in the parish , but all the capable . 8. they are against gathering churches out of such parish-churches , without great necessity . 9. they are greatly against requiring any qualification as necessary to communion in point of holiness , but express consent to the baptismal covenant , or profession of christianity , not disproved . 10. they make not the peoples election of their pastors necessary ad esse , but meer consent , though the patron or others elect them . 11. they suppose that the peoples election or consent is not necessary to make a man a minister in the universal church , but only to make him their pastor . as to make a physician , and to make him my physician , differ . 12. they suppose that a true minister officiateth as such , where ever he doth it . 13. they suppose that associations or correspondencies of churches for concord and help , and synods to that end , and dependencie on such synods , is usually a duty where it can well be had ; and needless discord a fault . 14. they refuse not to submit in practice to the instructions or admonitions of any general visiter or overseer of many churches , called by some archbishops . 15. they refuse not the precedency of one pastor in every particular church over the rest of the presbyters . 16. they refuse him not the name of the bishop , nor yet to submit to his negative voice as of the quorum ( or the archbishops either ) in ordinations and all great publick matters . 17. they are for separating from no christians , further than they separate from christ , or would force them to sin ; but are for universal love and concord . 18. they are for obeying the magistrate in all lawful things belonging to his function . 19. they take the most extensive love , peace , and concord for the most desirable and best . 20. it is next their obedience to christ and his sufficient laws ; the great reason why they are against the terms imposed in most places of the christian world , where things unnecessary and suspected are made necessary to communion . reader , mr. ch. is so honest a man , that it were unjust to take him for a deliberate studied lyar. therefore seeing he saith that my way is rigid independency , and oft maketh me a downright independent , i that know my own judgement , and knew not theirs so well as he seems to do , am glad to hear that they are no worse , and that they are wronged by such as accuse them of denying any of those twenty points . § 3. and supposing that he saith true , and that they hold but my way , as he calls it , i will now try the force and honesty of his charge against them . and first , it savours of a spirit worse than his own , that when he had before used the word [ oath ] as owned by me , and then said , he repented of it , that he still useth the word [ covenant ] here as mine , instead of consent , which is the word which i use , and over and over say , that i own no covenant but any signification of consent to the relation ; onely because i said , that not ad esse , but ad bene esse , plain or express consent in doubtful cases is best . this smells of an ill intention ; and now i will try his arguments against this consent . § 4. p. 101. he saith mr. b. acts contrary to his own principles in baptizing the children of no● confederates . the universal and particular church make but one church of god. he that refuseth one essential of church-communion , is no christian , and is to be debarred the priviledges of christians . but according to you , non-confederates refuse one essential of church-communion — i may not baptize you , you are to me a pagan . ans . putares , sed calumniaris . here is fallacia aequivocationis , and so quatuour termini . this parish-church and the universal are not the same . the word church in the major , signifieth one thing , and in the minor another . all is not essential to communion in the church universal , which is essential to communion with this or that , or any particular political church . to the later , there must be , you say , neighbourhood ; and i say , proper pastors and flocks for personal communion . but the eunuch , acts 8. was baptized into the universal church , and not into any neighbourhood , parish , diocess , assembly , or had any stated pastor . he came into no church-meeting . philip ( the deacon supposed ) was snatcht away from him in the open field , &c. baptism as such , enters us into no particular church . your words [ you are a pagan to me ] are too false for a christian to have used . he that believeth with all his heart is no pagan . i am a minister of christ to the world ; but infidels are not my flock , or a church . catechizers should teach children all this plain truth . § 5. ii. p. 102. [ ask mr. baxter ( saith he ) whom do you mean by the word church , and at last he must come to one man the pastor ( as the papist● the pope . ) he that covenanteth first , covenantet● with none but the pastor . you change your terms . what church must he covenant with that was first baptized ? ans . christ was baptized , and his first baptized disciple and he were the embryo of the universal church , if you can prove that one was baptized alone . and as to a particular church , the gatherer at first is onely a minister in the church universal , and authorized to that gathering which shall be the foundation of his future relation : and the first person that consenteth , and he , are not a proper church ; for it is an embryo , and in fieri , as a troop when the captain hath listed the first man. but usually many are made christians first , and then they are materia disposita , and consent maketh the pastors and them to be particular churches , acts 14. 23. they ordained them elders in every church . elders of their own , acts 20. the elders of the church of ephesus , and so of the rest of the churches , are mentioned . and is the captain a troop , or the pastor a church , if he be the gatherer of it ? § 6. iii. you name not christ , ( saith he ) but the pastor . ans . when we say captain a. b's troop , we name not the general . when we say , the bishop of london 's diocess , the king's dominion , &c. we name not christ , or god : for onely the genus proximum is to be in definitions . the superiour are supposed : they are christians first . § 7. iv. you say ( saith he ) that before this covenant men are but hewed stones , that is , all the faithful are pagans . ans . putares . to be prepared for baptism is somewhat more than to be pagans : but till consent christians are not members of any particular church . the eunuch was but a hewn stone , as you call it , as to a formed congregation ; but he was no pagan , but a member of the body of christ . § 8. v. this ( saith he ) makes the most excellent ministers , apostles , &c. mere lay-men , such as go up and down preaching to pagans where christ is not known — plainly subverts the gospel , &c. ans . they are christ's ministers , and not lay-men , while they convert pagans , and yet pagans are no church : and till they are a church , no apostle is a pastor of them as a church . the gospel standeth for all this . § 9. but ( saith he ) may not a man be a shepherd by calling and occupation , unless he have a flock , as well as a physician ? &c. ans . either you quarrel de re or de nomine . if de re , do you mean any more than that he is authorized to gather and rule a flock ? if more , what is it ? if not , you calumniate if you pretend that i deny this ; but if it be onely de nomine , whether the name of a pastor may be given him that yet hath no flock , or of a captain to him that hath no troop ; i answer , 1. when you wrangle but about names , try once more to stay that list of laying the overthrow of the gospel on your names . 2. titles of relation may be given aptitudinally ex intentione de futuro : but if one may be called a pastor by relation to an intended flock , much more to an actual flock , and still it is a relative to such a flock intended . 3. try in scripture , and councils , and all church-writers , whether the title pastor be not usually given onely to those that have actual flocks . but to avoid your quarrel , call you them by what name you list , if that will ease or please you . § 10. vi. according to this doctrine , a minister hath no office or authority but just to those of his own charge , he preacheth elsewhere but as a gifted man. ans . still false , as to me , of whom you speak ! what a strange chain of calumnies can you make ? a minister is 1. christ's officer to the world to convert them . 2. to gather a church in fieri . 3. to officiate pro tempore in any other church , as a licensed physician to others ( even to physicians ) doth his office . § 11. vii . it maketh void ( saith he ) gods ordinance of ordination : for either they are ministers by ordination , or not : if yea , this doctrine is erroneous . ans . unproved : ordination , sine titulo , maketh a man a minister to the world and to the church indefinitely . ordination with institution doth that and more , viz. it tieth a minister to a consenting people . your writings are all stigmatized with the shame of naked affirmations without proof , and then forgetfully you oft say [ i have proved . ] why may not consent , and ordination , and institution , and induction too , be all needful ? is a man and womans consent needless , unless the ministers marrying them be needless ? may not a town , hospital , or person , chuse a physician as theirs if he were licensed be-before ? if a captain have commission to raise a troop , is consent of the listed needless ? so of a major ; a pilot , or any relation which requires consent . § 12. viii . it inferreth ( saith he ) that the church is before the officers , viz. pagans a church . ans . all fictions as to me to whom he speaks : i said before , they are as the heart to the body ; the punctum saliens is the first organical part to make the rest ; but not a part of the body till the body be made . they are ministers to gather churches , and then pastors of churches onely by consent . and when churches are gathered , and the pastor dead , the people are intentionally a society , but actually but a community , till a pastor related to them make them a politick society : and then relata sunt simul — § 13. ix . this doctrine puts a new clause into baptism , which christ never put in , and altereth christianity ( saith he . ) before i baptize you , i must have an antecedent covenant or signified consent from you to submit to me ; and you must be baptized in the name of paul , &c. no church-covenant , no church-member , no right to any church-ordinance . ans . confundendo fortiter caluminaris . 1. the eunuch consented to be a christian of the church universal , but not to be of a particular church ; without that consent he had not been baptized : but this was not needful to it . 2. the dispute whether lay-mens baptism be valid , i leave to you . but if yea , it is not necessary that i judge the baptizer a minister . if not , then it is necessary , and my consent is necessary to make me a christian , but not him a minister : but mutual consent is necessary to his pastoral relation to a particular church . 3. an ordinance common to the church universal , and proper to a particular church , should not be confounded , nor so much as the modal ministration . do i adde to baptism , if i say that by the canons and custom of all the churches for one thousand years , a man was not to be taken for the bishop of any church without mutual consent ? what 's this to baptism ? and what temerity is it to feign men to wrong christ by that which was his institution , and so judged and used in all the churches ? § 14. x. [ saith he ] it maketh the people church-rulers or co-partners in office with the pastors , so that without their consent they can do nothing ; not baptize . ans . of me the calumny hath no excuse , i have written so much to the contrary : yea , the very act calumniated essentially containeth the contrary in it . as he that consenteth to be a servant , consenteth not to be master , but to obey : so they that consent to be lay-members of a pastors flock , consent that he , and not they , shall rule , and that they will be the obeying part . how could you wink so hard , as not to see that your false witness confuteth it self ? and what if he cannot be their governour without their consent , doth this give them any part in governing ? nay what if he cannot baptize a non-consenter , or give him the lords supper , is the refuser a church-governour ? the man had got a heap of notions against the independents in his mind , or his instigator that hath the same disease had thrust them in , and out they must come against he knew not whom or what , upon the word [ consent . ] what work would he make in the church , if he should deny the necessity of this consent , and have the church made a prison where infidels should be cram'd and drencht with the sacrament ? § 15. xi . [ it sets up ( saith he ) rebaptization by a law — for it requireth of godly baptized ones an antecedent covenant to be members of the particular church : as if a man should covenant to be a godly citizen of london — to be a member of gods church at k. and hold communion therewith : the people are called on to be new christians , as if they had been no christians before ] ans . it is a sin to read such words without grief and indignation . what! is every renewal of the covenant of godliness or christianity a rebaptizing , or supposeth us pagans ? is this made by a minister a heinous sin ? are we not to do it in every partaking of the lords supper ? yea , explicitely or implicitely in every prayer . is mr. allen's book for covenanting , and mr. rawlet's of sacramental covenanting , such unchristening heresies ? is it damnable or sinful to covenant to be a godly servant , or a godly husband or wife , or a godly minister or magistrate ? doth this suppose them ungodly before ? with wat weapons are we assaulted ? § 16. xii . he addes [ it bindeth people to be dwellers within the precincts of that one church , to hear no other minister , to joyn with no other congregation . ans . concatenated calumnies , as to me : they onely consent to the relation of lay-members till they remove their dwelling or relation . they consent to take that church but as a part of the universal , and therefore to hold just communion with all others , and receive what benefit they can from any other ministers . i abhor a covenant that renounceth communion with the universal church , or any part of it , without necessary cause . putide haec putares . § 17. xiii . he addes , [ what shall godly strangers , travellers , &c. do ? your doctrine maketh them invaders . ] ans . 1. if i have no notice of their consent to communicate with us pro tempore , they expect it not : and de ignotis non judicat ecclesia ; and non apparere is equal to non esse . if i have notice of their consent , it supposeth some notice that they are baptized , or christians , and have more right than heathens to communion : and if so , 1. they consent to be members of the universal church , and as such i shall give them the sacrament and communion , though i were no pastor of any particular stated church . 2. they consent to a transient temporary communion with me as a minister in the catholick church . and 3. they consent to transient temporary communion with that particular church , and transient temporary communion i will give them ; yea , and may call them transient members of that church ; but no further any of these than they consent . a christian giving evidence of his christianity , hath right to transient communion in all churches in the world where he cometh : yea , all are not bound to live in stated churches ; some are travellers , some unsetled embassadors , some factors amongst heathens , some of no habitation , beggars , pedlars , tinkers , and such wandring trades ; some live where is no church with whom they may hold lawful communion , &c. now we have a new divine risen up in the end of the world , that seems to make all the setled churches of christ in the world for many hundred years , to be all traitors to christ , because these wanderers must not consent to their special relations , nor enjoy their proper priviledges ; and because they consent themselves to a more setled relation and communion than these wanderers or refusers are capable of . what would all the old church , that made so many canons about their proper communion , have thought of this mans doctrine , if he had come among them at their elections , discipline , distributions to the widows and poor , and said , hold sirs ! you are all destroying baptism and christianity , by consenting to more towards one another than you owe to every unknown wanderer , or refuser of a setled church-state ? as if with our new politician all cities and corporations are traytors , or deny or wrong the king , because all subjects are not citizens , some being vagrants , some in villages , some souldiers , some in odde houses , &c. and because cities consent to a special sort of government which the rest have not . between the anathematizers and these over-wise censurers , there are few christians in the world that are not condemned as no christians for being sound christians . § 18. xiv . he was aware that we say that every one that may come into the temple is not a part of my special charge as a pastor , which i cannot do for all : and he saith , [ it 's all one to your doctrine if he refuse your church-covenant — the minister all this while is no minister ; the people all this while are no christians . — they are no more lawful pastor and people , than whoremonger and whore going together , and committing acts of filthiness , and living in fornication all their days — ans . continued calumny as to me . is no modesty or tender fear of sinning against the ninth commandment left ? 1. he that refuseth consent to be a stated member , is none such : but is he therefore no christian ? awake , conscience ! do any independents say that none are christians but their special charge ; yea , or stated members of particular churches ? if there be any such , what 's that to me ? 2. such persons may be members of the universal church , and i am a pastor in the universal church ; and as such may communicate with them . 3. if he desire temporary communion , he consents to as much as he desireth , and that he may have : if he desire more , he shall have more . § 19. but ( saith the accuser ) what speak you of literae communicatoriae , these are nothing to yourcase ; ( he saith it , ergo , he proveth it . ) it shuts him out of all particular churches and congregations under heaven , except , &c. ] ans . putares ! of me it 's thus true or false . 1. he that consents not to be a stated member of any church , none , because he would be none : and it 's blind self-contradiction , to say that i shut him out , because he will not come in . 2. he that consenteth to be a member of the universal church shall not be shut out . 3. he that by literas communicatorias , or any good testimony , sheweth himself a christian , and desireth onely one days temporary communion with a stated particular church , shall not be denied that which he desireth , nor will we urge him to more . § 19. xv. he adds [ it layeth waste parish-bounds , leaving people to go to what church they will — intimating , that being a godly man and a parishioner , doth not make him a member of the parish-church — teaching people to be disorderly . ] ans . 1. a quatenus ad omne valet consequentia . i said enough before to prove the falsehood of your church-estate . 1. then there were no church till there were parish-bounds 2. then if papists , anabaptists , &c. be godly , and dwell in the parish , they are members against their wills . 3. and they are members of two particular churches ; one in despight of them , and of the other as consenters . 4. there are some houses that are in no parish ( that i have known . ) alas , these must be of no church . 5. some parts of one parish are in the middle of another . the truth is , parish-bounds are ordinarily of good use for order , and order is for edification , and to promote the thing ordered : and he layeth it not waste , 1. that giveth it no more than its due , as a humane mutable circumstance , and not as essential . 2. nor he that refuseth it when it is turned against the end and the res ordinanda . § 20. xvi . he addes , [ then if the pastor set over them be a son of belial — and sinfully tolerated by the magistrate ; the people of the parish who can neither remove him , nor sit under a more edifying minister , must covenant to him , &c. ans . strange ! who would have thought but this was neerer your opinion than theirs ? briefly , if the man be tolerable , they must rather accept of him than have none . if he be intolerable in the ministry , they may use such common gifts as he hath , ( as we read even a cicero ) but they must be of no particular church , till they can be so on lawful terms . even a council of the popes decreed , that till men can have lawful pastors , they must forbear that communion that supposeth such : and who can doubt of it ? § 21. xvii . next , he quibbles onely with a question [ how long shall it last ? ] answ . how long will you be of the parish-priests or the diocesans flock , or of a physicians hospital ? we cannot secure men from providential changes a day , and therefore would not have them to binde themselves but on such suppositions — he that means to go to morrow to another countrey , should consent but to this days communion . he that intendeth here to dwell , must consent to the relation of a stated member of that flock till he remove , or till god shew him just cause to change that relation : till then , he should know his proper pastors . § 22. xviii . next , he questioneth , [ who shall degrade them that prove heretical or scandalous ? &c. ] ans . the ordainers made him a minister by investiture , &c. and yet without our consent he was not related to us as our pastor , or we to him as part of that church . and so we may withdraw our consent , and become none of his special church-flock , and leave it to the ordainers to degrade him if he must be degraded , as to the world and church universal . one would think this answer should be undeniable . but he goeth on with his dismal accusations , p. 116. [ the particular church-covenant is a thing of mans invention , no where required of god ; it is destructive to the church and souls , should it be practised . ] ans . seeing covenanting and known consenting are all one with him , what a dreadful damning sin doth the man make it for to consent to be under our pastors office ? then he that would escape damnation must not consent to the office of the parish-priest , much less of the bishop : much less swear obedience to the bishop : and least of all , say or swear never to endeavour any alteration . we have need to bless us from conformity , if consenting be so damnable . but what meant he to say [ should it be practised ? ] doth he not know that it is practised by them all ? and so that this judge doth damn them all . § 23. xix . he next answereth two of our pretences . 1. from the election of ministers by the people : and saith , election is quite another thing ; till they are ordained , they are no men in office — but persons designed — ans . alas , that the man that hath all this while been damning others , should not see that he hath so damned himself ; yea , and quite exceeded my damning errour . this it is to print with the zeal described jam. 3. before men know what it is that they talk of . note , that he is not against the peoples election ( if he be intelligible ) and yet elsewhere [ they are rebels and no christians ] that stand not to the king and parliaments election . 2. note , that he talks of one election , ( to the office of the ministry as such ) and i talk of another election , even to be our particular pastor : for this physician to be my physician . 3. note , that the mans bare word must , against all common use and reason , perswade us that consent which i require is more than election , which is much less . the elector nominateth and first determineth of the person . consent may come after , even in obedience to the elector . the king electeth the bishop , and the patron the incumbent parson . doth every one that after consenteth do more ? or must we lay by our senses in believing such writers against damning errour ? 4. note , that he quite overgoeth the truth on the popular extream , which he accuseth others of : as if the people must elect a man to the indefinite office of a minister as such , which is false . christ sent out his apostles , and the apostles sent abroad a converting church-gathering ministry without any popular election . the ordainers must chuse who shall be a minister ( by his consent . ) the christian people should chuse [ and must consent at least ] who shall be the special guide of their own souls ; or their pastor in particular . and the magistrate must chuse , 1. whom he will maintain and encourage . 2. whom he will tolerate . how came he to think that election is nothing to the case , as if consent were something more ? yet is he at it again , p. 119. [ they make it another baptism . ] § 24. xx. next , he answereth our saying that [ no man can be a pastor to a people against their wills . ] and doth he say yea , or nay ? neither plainly , but talks of somewhat else , and saith , [ he is a pastor by office and calling whether the people will or not , and so pastor and people are not simul naturâ . ] as if the equivocating with the word [ pastor ] warranted him to damn his brethren , and confound church-order : as [ a pastor ] signifieth but a minister commissioned to become the actual undertaking guide of a particular church-flock when he is called to it ; so this man may be called a pastor aptitudinal , as a man is a captain that hath commission to raise a troop : but as the word [ pastor ] signifieth one that is actually the overseer of a particular church-flock , he is none till he have a flock ; and in both senses pastor and flocks are relate and correlate , & simul naturâ : that is , in the first , simul in esse cognito & intentionali : in the later , in esse existente . but , saith he , [ god is god whether the people will or no ; and christ is christ , apostles are apostles — and so faithful ordained ministers are pastors . ] ans . this is but the fallacy of the foresaid equivocation of the word [ pastor . ] 1. god is not made god , nor christ made christ , nor apostles or indefinite ministers such by contract or humane consent : but he that said , come out from amongst them , &c. i will be your god , and you shall be my people , and maketh some a holy nation and peculiar people , &c. is so related to none but consenters . christ is an offered saviour to refusers ; but he is not the saviour and head of any as christians , or a church actually , but consenters : without consent we are not materia disposita receptive of the peculiar relation . a man may be authorized to be a tutor , schoolmaster , physician , captain , master , &c. without my consent : but he is not my tutor , master , &c. till i consent , save aptitudinally , not actually . 2. and these relations are more dependent on humane contract or consent , than gods being god , &c. but , saith he , [ if all be pagans , the minister lawfully ordained and appointed to convert and baptize and be a pastor to them , is a true , full , and compleat pastor before he have christened one soul of them . ans . true or false as the equivocation is taken : as one decreed to be a husband to a wife that is yet unborn , may by the deceiving improper language of an equivocator be said to be the true , full and compleat husband of her yet unborn or unmarried ; that is , one designed to be a husband hereafter in a proper sense ; so here . but pastor est ovium seu gregis pastor : analogum per se positum stat pro significato famosiore . heathens are no church ; ergo , no man is a pastor of them as a church . is he a compleat pastor of a flock that hath none ? § 25. xxi . but saith he , [ mark the matter , you are baptized a godly man ; i have nothing against you , onely this , i cannot take you for one of my flock , unless by a voluntary consent , &c. i must shut you out as an apostate , or a pagan . ] ans . calumny and deceit conjunct . 1. it 's immodest calumny to say , [ as an apostate or a pagan ] i take him for a christian , and on due testimony shall admit him to such communion ( lawful ) as he himself desireth . 1. whether as a member of the universal church . 2. or also as a fixed member of another church desiring temporary transient communion here . 2. it is gross deceit to say [ i put him out ] that refuseth to come in . if i give him no more than he is willing of , what do i put him out from ? if i take him not for a member of my proper stated charge , it is because he desireth it not . i thank god i never was a proper pastor to any people against their wills , nor ever will be , were i capable of more service . § 26. but , saith he , [ this makes against you — can any man forbid these people from being members of the particular church that are of the universal ? ] ans . self-contradiction ! do we forbid them that are not willing , or do they forbid themselves ? doth the physician forbid them to be his patients that consent not ? do we shut them out that will not come in ? yet he feigneth us to do no less than cast them out of the church universal , as casting them out of all particulars under heaven . ans . calumny hath got such a channel , that his writing runneth commonly that way . 1. i cast them out of no church under heaven , who will not consent to come in . 2. were they of no particular church , they may be in the universal , as i before proved , of many sorts . § 27. he next noteth , that it is but signified consent that i require : but he saith , neither christ nor his apostles mention it , and all the church are without it . ans . let us trie here whether this be true or false , and all his damning and unchristning censures fall not on the holy ghost and all the churches . i. it is certain , that besides ministers unfixed and of general indefinite work , there were by the holy ghost in the apostles time fixed churches of neighbour-christians setled . ii. it is certain that these had fixed pastors of their own , that were related to them specially as their special charge , so as they were not related to all or any other churches . iii. it is certain that these pastors had not equal authority to go into all other mens diocesses or parishes , and say , you are as much my charge as any others , and play the bishops in other mens diocesses ; though when they had a call , they might be ministerial temporary helpers . iv. it is certain that these pastors were specially obliged to many offices for those peculiar flocks , which to other churches they were not so obliged to ( but onely to occasional help . ) dr. hammond nameth many of them , and so do the scripture and canons . 1. a constant publick teaching them , which they owe not to all others or any . 2. constant government by the keys . 3. constant administration of the lords supper . 4. constant leading them in publick worship , prayer , praise , &c. 5. a special care of the poor . 6. ordinary visitation of the sick. 7. comforting the afflicted , admonishing offenders , watching over all . the canons will tell you much , which every man oweth more to his own charge than to others . v. it is certain that this flock oweth a more special attendance , and account , and obedience to these pastors , than to strangers or others of other churches . 1. to hear them . 2. to receive the communion ordinarily of them . 3. to maintain them ; and so in the rest . v. i. it is certain that none of this was done or can be done without mutual consent . vii . it is certain that this church-state , office , and duty was setled by christ's apostles , and continued by the common consent of the churches on earth from age to age . § 28. that it was an apostolical establishment is plain in acts 14. 23. they ordained them elders in every church . to omit the sence of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which in the most usual sence includeth suffrages , it is evident that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implieth the fixing of the several elders to their several churches , so as to make them the stated elders of those churches as their flock in pepeculiar . acts 20. 17. are they called the elders of that church over which , as their flock , the holy ghost had made them overseers to feed the church of god , to imitate paul that taught them publickly and from house to house ; and was this no peculiar pastoral relation ? or were any but consenters members of that church ? tit. 1. 5. when titus was to ordain elders in every city , it is equal to every church . and it stated them as their peculiar pastors , even bishops , as gods stewards over them in particular , v. 7. more than others . jam. 5. 14. the sick that must call for the elders of the church , were their proper flock , as is supposed . the angels of the seven churches rev. 2 and 3. were not equally the angels of other churches . phil. 1. 1. the bishops and deacons of the church at philippi had a fixed peculiar relation to them as theirs : archippus had a proper ministry at colosse , col. 4. 17. and laodicea had a peculiar church , v. 16. 1 thess . 5. 12 , 13. sheweth the common state of the christian churches : know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you ; and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake . and be at peace among your selves . here pastors to labour , and admonish , and be over them , are to be known , owned , esteemed , beloved persons , dwelling among them , and knowing their own flock , and the peoples duty to them and one another laid down . and shall a christian minister say , [ o but do not promise , no nor signifie any consent to do it , for that is to be rebaptized , and is damning to the practisers . ] the bishops and elders that timothy is instructed about , were such as had their proper flocks , and took care of them as the church of god , that were to rule them well , and labour in the word and doctrine ; to preach the word in season and out of season , reprove , rebuke , exhort , with all long-suffering and doctrine , &c. 1 pet. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. the elders that peter writeth to were to feed the flock of god which was among them , taking the oversight of them ( more than of all the world ) not by constrain , but willingly , ( and may they not signifie willingness ? ) not as lords , but examples to their flocks , and shepherds under the chief shepherd . heb. 13. 7 , 17 , 24. fully expresseth it , obey them that have the rule over you ; they watch for your souls as those that must give account , not of all the world , but of that flock that they oversee . the same church had bishops that had deacons , and some deaconesses , widows , &c. but it was never known that deacons were to be indefinite overseers of the poor of all churches , but they had ever relation to particular churches . this is the ordering of the churches appointed by the holy ghost , tit. 1. 5. and yet this man maketh it an abuse or injury against christ , and overthrow of the gospel . § 29. ii. as for the constant judgement and practice of all churches , i am ashamed that such usage should put me to such a work , as to prove that they ever held and practised that which this man condemneth in me . he knoweth nothing of the churches state , and history , and canons , that knoeth not , 1. that all churches were societies of christians united under their proper known bishops or pastors , fixed to those flocks by proper relation , though also related to the world and the church universal . 2. that the people did not onely consent , but chuse their pastors , and he was to be no bishop that had not their consent . 3. that the laity of other churches promiscuously had no power to chuse them , but onely those whom they were set over . 4. that the bishops , as ignatius speaks , were to know the particular members of their churches , and see that they came constantly to the assemblies , even to enquire after maids and servants , saith he , by name . 5. that they made multitudes of canons for exercising particular discipline on each person that needed it , by long suspending some from communion , restoring others , taking care of the poor and of all . 6. that they took not the catechumens for the church , but candidates , and prepared and tried them before admittance . 7. that it was not mere baptizing that made them of that flock ; for they preached and baptized in other places . 8. that it was not mere neighbourhood of christians ; for there were sometime divers churches in one city , as in meletius case at alexandria ; and dr. hammond thinks the jewish and gentile christians at first had several bishops and churches in the same cities ordinarily . and the audians , luciferians , donatists , and others that were of the same religion , had divers churches , besides such as the novatians , that had some little doctrinal differences : and none till now ever thought that these were all the same pastors special flocks , and the same particular churches . yea , i have elsewhere cited that council that decreed that if any bishop neglected to convert the hereticks , &c. he that converted them should have them ( as his flock or church . ) in a word , all church-history and canons describing their particular churches , and their elections , orders , offices , priviledges , discipline , &c. and limiting them that strove for the greatest , from encroaching one on another , tell us so fully that they were so many incorporate christian societies consisting by mutual consent of their proper pastors and flocks , that et pudet & piget , that such a task as the proofs should be thus imposed on me by a minister . § 30. the same is still continued , even by the conformists . 1. the ministers are even to swear obedience to the diocesane , and the diocesane promise it to the arch-bishop : and this is a covenant and more . 2. they are to attend him at visitations , and otherwise to express their consent to his government , which they do not to the bishop of the neighbour-diocesses . 3. the parishioners signifie their consent to their relation to that particular church and incumbent , by their constant attendance , submission , communion , &c. 4. the law and canon command their consent ; yea , to keep their own parishes , though the minister preach not at all , suspending neighbour-ministers that receive such to their communion that come from such a reader to them . and the conformists say that men are bound to obey these canons . § 31. either parishioners are supposed thus to signifie relation-consent to that particular pastor and church , or not : if yea , this accuser falsly supposeth that no church but the independents do so . if not , then he giveth up most of their cause to the brownists , that say the parish-churches are none : for it 's easie proved that non-consenters are none . thus rash men confute themselves . nay we are all silenced for not covenanting to the present frame of diocesane churches , and never to endeavour an alteration . yet saith this man [ it is not in any of the churches , unless independents , neither explicite nor implicite . ] then none should so much as implicitely shew consent to the relation to his diocesane or parish-pastor or church . § 32. but saith he , ( to me with gross falsehood ) [ your covenant is to this effect , you shall not onely submit to me as your pastor , but binde your self by a particular antecedent covenant so to do : you shall dwell in the parish , and covenant so to do , &c. ] ans . i wish , that though design brought the word covenant infread of consent into his mouth , it might not so long stick there as to choak his conscience , to think that any use of it is lawful . where and when did i engage any to dwell in the parish ? if they dwell there , i never hindred any from removing . 2. but the consent required is beforehand ! very true . the liturgie bids men come tell the ministers before-hand that they desire the communion : shall i ask them to consent to their duty when it is past ? or can i know who are capable till i know who consenteth ? but , saith he , why not à church-covenant for all other duties ? ans . why not a marriage-covenant to make one a priest ? &c. why not an oath of allegiance to make one a coblar ? &c. consent necessary to the being of a relation , is one thing ; and consent to every duty , is another ; which yet in general all christians should promise sincerely to perform . must we write books against such things as these ? § 33. to the objection , [ i am not bound to take every one that comes into the parish for one of my charge : he hath no better answer than to tell us of parish-bounds setled by law , and binding me to do my best for all . ] ans . deceitfully confounding [ charge ] the genus with [ church : ] as if heathens , and atheists , and papists , and refusers are of that church , because i have a charge to seek their conversion : or as if i had no special charge of that church . 2. he did not see that he confuteth himself , implying that we must consent because of the law. 3. and he forgot the many hundred years before parish-divisions . § 34. his zeal at last thus swelleth [ p. 129. i do utterly withstand it , as wickedness and abomination in gods church : i am to die and burn at a stake before i yield to any such thing . you make two churches , two church-forms , as two baptisms — p. 130. to teach infidelity , — &c. ] ans . let him that thinks he standeth , take heed lest he fall . alas ! for the church , whose guides are no wiser and better men , and tenderer conscienced than he or i , which ever is in the wrong . 1. you will make me think you are deeply melancholy ! is it so frightful a thing for me to say , i will be no pastor to any that consent not , as to put you into talk of dying and burning at a stake ? had the martyrs been burnt , if men had been of this minde ? did you ever know any put to death or burnt at a stake for your opinion ? which is liker to be the burning party ! they that say [ we will rule none but consenters or volunteers , ] or they that call this wickedness and abomination , and so are for the contrary course ? which party hath killed more for religion ? reader , you see my wickedness and abomination . chap. v. i had thought to have gone thus over the rest of his book ; but it is such stuff , that my reason and conscience bid me spare my own and the readers time . i. he begins with telling me what the church of england is , and all is worse than nothing : instead of telling me what is the constitutive , formal , regent part , he tells me of bishops , pastors , convocation , king , &c. as if he defined a man to be one that hath a head , eyes , liver , stomack , &c. ii. it grieveth me to read what he saith of popery . 1. his supposition that popery is sound , if the particular church be a part of the universal , having its subordinate form of government under christ's . 2. his supposition of the emperour of constantinople's turning christian , and becoming the universal prince and bishop of his empire , as a lawful thing . 3. his supposition of the pope's resigning his place to st. peter , if he were alive , &c. 4. his note that to claim but st. peter's place is not to claim christ's , with more such , are unwise temptations to strangers to fear lest london-air have done him hurt . iii. his many words about the princes power to chuse pastors for all his subjects , and that if faithful , he is no christian that refuseth to accept them . 1. is all a bare saying over what he thinketh ; taking little or no notice of my discourse on that subject in my first plea ; where all that 's against us is answered before , and i will not repeat it . 2. and it shamefully condemneth his foresaid condemnations . is not consent then necessary to the imposed pastor , if not consenting unchristen men ? 3. it supposeth that the political controversie [ whether the king be authorized by god to chuse what pastoral guide all the subjects shall trust their souls with ? ] ( any more than what tutor , physician , wife , diet , they shall take ) is an essential of christianity , and yet it is not in the creed , &c. when yet it is notorious that all churches for most ages since christ , if not almost all in the world to this day , were and are of the contrary minde , and so are all unchristened by him . 4. and though i urge him , he will not answer what i said of the question , who shall judge whether the minister be faithful ? 5. if the patron present a weak ignorant man , that is faithful , but of little use comparatively ; and people that feel their need , and regard eternity , chuse before him such a one as hildersham , rogers , dod , preston , &c. he declareth them not onely sinners , but rebels against christ , and no christians . iv. his recitals of the particular controversies in the end , take so little notice of my former answer to him , and do but pour out much of the same , that i resolve hereafter to take as little notice of what he shall say that ringeth on like a bell , and hath all tongue and no ears . he is full of his own , that must come out , he cannot stop it ; and his oyl increaseth by pouring out : he is fuller than before , and hath no room for the reception of what he greately needeth . there is a law against lying , to which we must conform : or truth pleaded for peace , against the many falshoods of an un-named impleader ; who pretendeth to answer several writings of the author richard baxter . chap. i. prefatory . our accuser's advantages . § 1. i know when i wrote for christianity , the souls immortality , against popery , perjury , lying , covenanting against reformation ; and when i wrote against antinomianism , anabaptism , schism , that all that i had so written was easily answered by male or female , at age or under age , learned or unleaned : for nature and parents teach mankinde to talk betimes , and we have many schools to teach them to read and write : and i hear by my neighbours when they fall out about interest or words , that without a school or university , they can attain to copious fluent pungent oratory , to describe each other as all that is nought ; and prove all so undeniably by vehement asseveration or oath , that he shall pass for criminal that will not take their words for demonstration . and what an advantage and improvement would it be to this natural promptitude and fluencie , if one were but hired or engaged to the work by an hundred or a thousand pound a year ; yea , and also by the stream and interest of the army or sect , in which he is listed by heart and hand , and by such necessitating interest of reputation ( contrived by the listers ) as that accusing others shall seem a necessary diversion of the charge from himself and of his conscience from disquieting him , like her that is called a continual dropping ? but yet if academical education should train men up to the degree of masters or doctors of the talking and contending trade , what an elevation of the faculty would it be ? and yet all this is little to the pondus of an inbred enmity to the thing first , and consequently to the persons , whom they are to make and prove intolerable . and there i● one that , unseen , can prompt and furnish them with materials of all sorts ; yea , and help their subtlety , vehemency , and most fearless asseve rations . i have heard of a cambridge doctor ●● the chair , that was called , the certain infallible doctor , that was so far from seeming to know what doubting was , that he took him for intolerable that was not of his opinion . and it 's like bonner and gardiner were such , and that it is much of the roman-catholick infallibility : for sure they durst not wrack , burn , and massacre , and ruine all sorts , for that which they did not think themselves certain of ; yea , and certainly necessary to the noble ends of unity , government , and peace . § 2. to talk it out to the last with these infallible talkers , is a task for one that hath as many tongues as all they , and is as ready a linguist , and that is like to overlive them , and that hath no better work to do , and that thinketh that they will read or hear him without the ferment of tumifying impatient pride : or else that it is necessary to save the endangered people from seduction , to overtalk the seducers in length and number of words , and that souls are still unsafe and loose to the truth , as long as there are any to talk against it . i confess , that if you will hive the swarm aright , it is usually necessary that with a lowder noise you drown the voice of the misleader . but i have no such sounding voice : i am not for the celeusma , cannons and guns , with the shouts of the multitude ; and that on the higher ground can easily silence me , or drown my voice . reason speaketh not so lowd as these . § 3. i was lately where it was made a question , whether mr. kettleby and such other booksellers , be not enemies to their own trade , by printing such books as the impleaders , mr. hinkley's , mr. cheyney's , &c. the affirmer said , it would make books as contemptible as ballads , and no body would regard and buy them . as when news-books were weighty and credible , most bought them ; but when beggarly forgers took up the trade , you may hear the hawkers cry a book , a book , a book ; news , great news , and no body regard them : this therefore will break the book-sellers at last . the opponent answered , [ set but the supposition right , and you will see how you confute your self . you suppose most men to be wise , than which nothing is more false . if you hear not christ and paul , hear seneca's saying , [ a wise man must be content of few approvers . ] it is the gainfullest way that the book-sellers could have taken : what books sell better than play-books , ballads , and romances , and books of tales , and complement , and jeasts ? what book-sellers break faster than those that confine their trade to rare pieces of antiquity , learning , reason , and serious piety ? do not men pay dearer for a place in a play-house , than in the church ? and i have oft heard some gentile sons of the church of england say , that they can profit more by a play than by a sermon . you think that such books will make the book-sellers-shops , like the toy-shops : and what if they do ? will there not be children and indulgent parents while the world lasteth ? what shops have more trading , or seldomer break , than toy-shops , that sell babies , and puppets , and hobby-horses , and pipes ? &c. and those that sell perriwigs , pide-silks and ribbons ? you think that the book-sellers shops will grow like ale-houses and taverns which sober men will rarely visit . and what if they do ? let those sober men pass by ; do such houses want custome ? the throat will be the throat still , and mirth will be mirth ; and the lightest heads shall be the greatest number . ] and this prevailed . § 4. i must seriously profess , that i finde in our present controversie , that my opponents and accusers have a great advantage of me , and such as i see no great probability to overcome . i mean in the quality as well as the number of their hearers and readers . 1. can i expect that men of great wealth , and power , and honour , and who would still fain be greater , should be as willing to believe that those are in the way of truth and righteousness who are by law judged what we are judged , and adjudged to such reproach and punishment ; and that go under the censures , suspitions , and contempt , as we have here long done , and are hunted and laid in jayls with rogues ? 2. can i expect that men that never were studious or bookish , especially in matters of divinity and holiness , but have been bred up in fulness and pleasure , in courtship and converse with such as themselves , who will take him for a fanatick that doth but talk much and seriously of heaven , or scripture , or things divine , that scarce ever heard what a nonconformist hath to say for himself , nor ever seriously examined the cause , or read a book which openeth their case in all their lives . i say , can i expect that such should be able or willing to understand us ? i mean , not as if all were such ; but it hath been my hard hap to meet with few persons , even of gentile education , who ask me , why do you not conform ? that do not presently shew me in conference , that they are quite out of their element when they meddle with such matters , and talk of things which they never studied or understood ; and indeed do not think it belongeth to them , but to the church : and that is , to those church-men that the king and the patron please to chuse ; which maketh the papists say the laity of the church of england cry down our believing as the church believeth , when they do the same by their own church-men . the question is but whether it be our church-men or theirs that are to be believed ? and when kings were on out side , it was our church-men that were to be believed : and when they are on their side , it is theirs . and mr. hutchinson , alias berry , spake harshly when he said in print , that there was so little of conscionable religion in the people of the church of england , that if one were but toucht with the conscience of religion , he turned puritan o● papist . i shewed him the injury of his speech ; but i would he had much less occasion for it . dr. stillingfleet told me , that there was scarce an● of his hearers or readers , how mean soever ther● capacities were , but could discern the weakness of no evasions . i dwell near the verge of his parish . i have talkt with some of his auditors , and enquired of many others ; and i think verily he is more in the right than i at first believed : for i finde that abundance of his auditors hear him some once , some twice , some thrice a year , and some of them know not whether christ be god or man , or both ; or whether he had a humane soul , or what a man differs from a beast ; nor what is the true sence of many ( if any ) articles of the creed . and i am perswaded these whom he calleth of the meanest capacity , are the likeliest men to discern the weakness of my arguments , i have talked also with divers of his readers , and i found that they understood this much , that dr. stillingfleet wrote his sermon against the nonconformists ; and that he is a dean , and may be greater ; and is a man that can talk with any of us . it may be some that i have not met with know more , as being of a higher form ; and some few i have met with that indeed know more , and those lament the doctor 's undertaking ; and when they have read my answer or account , confess that they cannot justifie his charge . could i but tell how to get most of the church of england to know what religion is , and to be seriously of any religion , and to understand baptism , and the lords supper , the creed , lords prayer , and ten commandments ; how boldly should i expect their christian sense and candour in our cause ? but till then , i confess that the accusers have the advantage of us , and their books unread will do more than ours . § 5. and it is a great advantage which they have got by the oxford-act of banishing above five miles from cities and corporations all that swear not as is there required . for though the king's wisdome and clemency have let down he floud-gates , and somewhat stopt the impetus of the clergy-stream , yet it was many years before nonconformists durst be openly seen in cities or corporations , much less at court , or among great men ; and modesty and prudence yet obligeth them to abstain from the presence of their superiours , where the law forbids it ; so that the ears of country-nobles , and most of our rulers , hear but what our accusers say , and have no knowledge of our cause , but as described by them , whose descriptions are many of them no more credible than if they said that we are turks . § 6. and their art hath got us to such a straight , that whether we speak or are silent , we are guilty ; and whatever we do except swearing , saying , and doing as they require , it shall turn to our accusation . for instance , do some think that dr. stillingfleet is in the right , that pronouneeth damnation without repentance against them that prefer not the purest church , and thereupon come not to the parish-assemblies ? against such they cry out [ separatists , schismaticks , preparing for rebellion ; away with them , execute the laws . ] but if others do as i do , who daily joyn with the parish-church in all their worship , and communicate in their sacrament , and oppose separation ; ] some say [ such are like ap● that are the ugliest creatures , though likest unto men while they are not men . ] and others say , [ we know not what to make of mr. b. he is neither flo● nor fish : he is like one that will go one step on one side the hedge , and another on the other side , to avoid uniformity . ] and the men are not altogether mistaken : i profess that i once made it the most earnest action of my life to have prevented the building of a separating wall , or a dividing thorny-hedge in the midst of this part of the vineyard of christ , to separate one part of the faithful ministers and people from the rest : and that i earnestly desire to see that wall or hedge pull'd down , that christ's flock among us may be one : and i will do the best i can whilst i live to get it down , that there may be no such separation . and seeing this is a work above my power , i will go sometime on both sides the hedge , though by so doing i be scratcht , and a thorn in the flesh by a buffetting messenger of satan reprehend me . but reverend doctors hear my reasons : it is not to avoid uniformity , but separation . i am a catholick , and not a sectary : i am for communion with the universal church : if you will hedge in one corner , and the anabaptists another , and the separatists another ; and so other sects that must have their peculiars , and turn christ's house into your several chambers , and his common-field into your little inclosures ; and then say , keep onely in our room , and go into no other ; keep onely in our enclosure , and go not on the other side of the hedge : i shall tell you , that i abhor your separation . i have business on both sides : i believe the holy catholick church and the communion of saints , and not onely your enclosure , and the communion of your conformists : i have some business on your side the hedge , the law and your own expectation will tell you part of it : i see some of my fathers family with you . i have busines , on the other side the hedge : there are as good as you ; and such as i am neerly related to , and commanded to love as my self , and to receive as christ received us ; and not to doubtful disputations , ( to prove or approve all your jurisdictions , assumptions , oaths , covenants , subscriptions , reordinations , formalities and ceremonies . ) your thorn-hedge hath enclosed but one corner of christs vineyard , and i have business in the rest : it hath separated parents from children , husbands from wives , as to church-communion , masters and servants , brethren from brethren , neighbours from neighbours : if they that made the hedge can justifie it , let them do it , it will be tryed before a jealous god ere long ! if those of you that in learned books and sermons exhort us ( with somewhat hissing rhetorick ) to separate from those on the other side the hedge , can prove that themselves are all christs church , and that god would have us separate from all save them , and give over preaching and all publick worship of god , till we can conscionably conform to all their impositions : i say , if all these silencing preachers can make good their accusation of the brethren , and their conclusions , let them that undertake it speed as they perform it : but for my part , i will not separate from father , mother , brother , friend , and all good christians save a domineering sect , because that sect will else call me separatist . i was wont to draw the map of the church universal as one body or field , or vineyard of christ , hedged in indeed round about from infidels , and distributed into thousands of particular churches , as streets and families in one city : but if any will say , hold communion with one street or family , and separate from the rest , and then say that you are a schismatick for not being for that odious schism ; i will hear such , as i do the people that talk through the windows on the west side of moor-fields , when they say that all are mad or schismatical , that are not in their cubs and chains . mr. cheney was never there i think , and yet it was ( per album an atrum nescio ) revealed to him that i am downright for an independant covenant , which hath twenty arguments extant to batter it , and prove it guilty of irreligiousness , or somewhat worse : and they say ( for i am not acquainted much with their practice ) that the independent bind their flock to hold communion with none but their own sect , nor to depart without leave from their particular churches . i am apt to believe that they are slandered ( for whoever falls sick , i will first fear the most epidemical or common disease : ) but if it be no slander , i profess that i will never be of a particular church , which claims to be the universal , and will forbid me communion with all save them . and if in this the prelatists agree with the independents , i am against the separating , sectarian , schismatical presumption of them both . i take the kitching and cole-house to be parts of the house , and i have sometimes business in them both . but i am most in my study and chamber , and i will take both chamber and colehouse for schismticks , if ever i hear either of them say , i am all the house , or [ it is lawful to be in no other room . ] lord pull up the separating schismatical thorn-hedge , which hath cursedly divided thy family and flock . chap. ii. the impleaders truth examined . § 1. christ saith , that the devil is the father of lies ; and doubtless he hath subtilty to excuse them and improve them : and it is a great advantage to them , that they are so disowned by humane nature , that it is taken for an injury to humanity , to charge any man to be a lyar ; and a ruffian will say it deserveth a challenge or a stab . you will think it a paradox , that natural dislike should be turned to the advantage of a sin . but it is but natural light convincing the understanding , not changing or fortifying the will against it . and therefore it is but pride of reputation and impenitency , that is indeed the fortress of the sin . § 2. accordingly it hath many times been my hard hap , to have such books written against me , ( and that by men whose reputation is not undervalued by themselves or their followers ) as were to be answered chiefly by a mentiris from end to end , if it would not seem by custom to be uncivil . and to tire the reader by turning a mintiris into a civil long parenthesis , and this as frequently as gross falshoods are openly said or intimated , is tedious , even when necessary . with one i was put to use my arithmetick , and to answer him by numbring the untruths asserted : but i have forborn it with others far more guilty , lest their reverence and power should make truth intolerable , whose passion or interest , or errour , had made gross lies seem true and necessary . § 3. this impleader hath been taught too much by the same . master ; and had he not spent part of his book on doctrinals , where his errata are but mendae , but been all historical where there are too many mendacia , i might have been put to the way of answering before-mentioned : but be they mendae or mendacia , they need aniendment , and the reader may need an antidote against them . § 4. some beginning we have on the title-page , [ pretending to shew the reasons of the sinfulness of conformity . ] mend. 1. i pretend in my plea to shew but the matter of nonconformity , and historical narrative of our judgment and matters of fact , passing by the reasons or arguments that must prove the things unlawful ; though reason may be gathered by the reader , from the matter or history itself . § 5. the same is repeated p. 1. [ he pretends to give reasons for the sinfulness of conformity , m. 2. ] and he overpasseth the chief part of my book , in which i state the case of government and separation , on pretence that it is [ a dark and dirty way in which i have lost my self . m. 3. and a little will satisfie him , that regards such an easie , dark and dirty answer . § 6. he guesseth that kneeling at the sacrament [ for that was then discourst of ] was one and the chief of those many heinous sins of conformity : mend. 4. it seems the man was present . reader , look to thy belief when thou art among such men . 1. there was not a word spoken then against the lawfulness of kneeling at the sacrament . 2. i openly declared that i held it lawful , and none of my brethren contradicted . 3. the thing which we proved unlawful then was , [ casting those faithful christians out of the church-communion in that sacrament , who dare not take it kneeling , for the reasons which cause them to think it sinful . ] § 7. impl. [ he will not urge the case , but barely mention matters of fact 〈…〉 much less do we here give the reasons of our cause . ] he dare not be so bold yet as to venture to displease us . but this hypocrisie is so thin , that the weakest eye may look through it . ] mend. 5. answ . 1. the printer put [ urge ] instead of [ argue ] which he was told in the errata . and he maketh the errour his own , by feigning the words to be mine . 2. if i have disputed the case by reasons , why did he not cite them , and tell where ? 3. he alloweth the reader to take him for a calumniator , who will judge the heart which he knoweth not , and bring no proof of the hypocrisie , which he saith the weakest eye may see . — indeed the weakest is liker than the strongest to see as he doth . 4. i will shew him three reasons , why it is not like to be hypocrisie . 1. because there are severe laws against all that shall deprave the common-prayer book , or accuse conformity of being sinful , which is excommunication ipso facto , &c. and also printing such a charge , might have cost both printer and writer dear : and the book was written divers years ( as many can witness ) before the act that restrained the press expired . and is it not credible that every man loveth himself , and is unwilling to be ruined ? i knew how easily you are displeased , and i felt a little what you can do when you are displeased , and others felt more . and is it hypocrisie then to say , i feared to displease you ? and verily , i was afraid by it of occasioning your wrath and contentious writings against many others , and making the breach wider , which i desired to heal . 2. when it 's visible in the book that i avoid argumentation , doth not that prove that i said true ? 3. the third proof , if god will , is yet to come : when you see my arguments added to the history , you will confess that it was not hypocrisie to tell you , that i used them not before . § 8. impl. [ for whereas the right reverend and learned bishop of eli had told mr. b. as he confesseth — that he would petition authority , that they might be compelled to give their reasons , he there saith , [ to answer the earnest demand of our reasons by you , the lord bishop of eli , i have published an historical narrative of our case and judgment . ] answ . had he not mentioned weak eyes , you might wonder that he saw not how he here confuteth his own falshood : when in the words cited i profess to give but the historical narrative of our case and judgment , and not the arguments or reasons for it : but he thinketh , [ if the history be given in answer to him that demanded the reasons , then the history containeth those reasons ; ] negatur sequela : the matter of fact must go first . the bishop demanded of me an account of our non-conformity . this is the beginning of an answer . the reasons may come next . § 9. impl. [ and if he may be believed , they are not only mr. baxter's reasons , ( m. 6. ) but of many others ( m. 7. ) for p. 3. it is said [ we that publish this here , give an account of our own judgment , how far we hold it lawful or unlawful to gather or separate from churches , or to differ from what is established by authority . answ . the man knoweth not the difference between giving an account of our judgment in thesi , and in hypothesi . if i tell you in what cases i hold it lawful or unlawful to separate from churches , or how far humane power may go ( as i have done in the second plea ) is that to tell what i take for sin in our conformity , and the reasons of it ? what if i shew how far lying is unlawful ? doth that say that conformity is lying , &c. § 10. impl. [ where is that allowance from authority , which he pretends to have so long waited for , and begg'd on his knees ( m. 8. ) and where is that care not to displease or provoke the conformists , by shewing the many heinous sins in their conformity ( m. 9. ) when without leave of god ( m. 10. ) or man , he not only endeavours to displease ( m. 11. ) but to ruine us . ( m. 12. ) if any thing may be , this is worse than his hypocrisie , it is mere distraction and rage ( m. 13. ) when our common adversaries the papists , &c. answ . 1. it was leave that i desired , but i never said , i begg'd it on my knees : but that i would gladly do it , could that prevail . 2. i never shewed the heinous sins of the conformists , but over and over professed that i accused not them , nor meddled with their case ; but only said , how heinous a sin it would be to us to conform , till we knew more reason for it than we do ! 3. that it is without leave of god , that we give a reason of our not conforming , i take for false , while our superiours so long and earnestly commanded it , and it is so necessary to abate the dividing odium raised against us , rom. 12. 18. if it be possible , as much as in you lyeth , live peaceably with all men . ] and if we are taken for intollerable malefactors , is not undeceiving our accusers and haters a necessary means of peace ? 4. it 's false that an endeavour to undeceive the offended , is an endeavour to displease them . 5. and it is more palpably false , that [ i endeavour their ruine . ] 6. how false is it then , that [ this is distraction and rage ? ] and what more necessary to unite us against the common adversaries ? what physicians hath this poor nation , that know no way to unite us , but laying us in jails with rogues , till we can believe all to be lawful which they impose ? reader , pitty the case of this poor land ! what hands are we fallen into ? what false doctrine is charged on us ? what is the crime that we have committed ? we are forbidden to preach christ's gospel , though we were solemnly devoted to it by ordination , under the penalties of great mulcts , and imprisonments , and ruine , till we will do that which after our best enquiry we verily judge would be our heinous sin . we forbear many years to tell them so much as what it is which we dare not to do ; till at last , the bishops themselves tell us , they will petition authority to constrein us to it : and parliament-men long askt us , what is that you stick at ? and when after about seventeen or eighteen years silence , i do but tell them what it is , the clergy-men are so displeased , that they tell me , that it is distraction , and rage , and an endeavour to ruine them . when i never moved to put one priest of them out of his benefice , nor bishop , dean , archdeacon , canon , prebend , out of a farthing of his maintenance , nor one bishop from their lordships , or parliament-power ; much less did i ever motion the silencing of any one of them , or making them pay fourty pound a sermon , or laying them in ●ayl , as we are used ; and yet they cry out , that we endeavour to ruine them . the lord pity his poor flock ! what a case are we in , when our pastors seem to think , that they are ruined , if we be but suffered to preach christ's gospel , and to live out of a jayl : and think that if we offer to refel the slanders that render us odious to them , and do but speak for our ministry and liberties , as every malefactor is allowed by the judges to speak for himself , we seek the ruine of our clergy-accusers ? do not heathens abhor such injustice as this ? my purse is less to me than my ministry ; and all that any man can take from me , will be much less than fourty pound a sermon : and yet if any men on the high-way , or in my house , should not only take away all that i had , but afterward prefer a bill against me , as seeking their ruine , because by reason i intreated them to forbear , and that in vain , it would be one of the oddest cases that hath come into westminster-hall . i was once neighbour to a valiant knight , who yet was so gentle , that when the hookers in a moonshine-night were hooking his cloaths and goods through the window , and he lay in bed and saw them , he lay still , and mildly told them , gentlemen , this is not well done , these things are not yours ; if you are taken , you may be hanged for it . and by that time his sermon to them was done , they had got what they came for , and were gone . but i never heard that they entred a suit against him , for seeking to ruine their trade by his reprehension . but if any of you have such a trade , as will not endure the plea of innocent sufferers for peace or mercy , without your ruine , i would some one that you have more regard for , would perswade you quickly to lay by that trade , lest when christ is judge , and saith , inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these , you did it to me , your clergy will not save you from his sentence ; were it but the devouring of widows houses , it is not the longest liturgy that will excuse you by a legit ; nor will you escape with burning in the hand , unless repentance now prevent it . the evil servant that stuffs his guts , and beats his fellows , presuming on his lords delay , you know is threatned with a sharper penalty . § 11. impl. p. 4. no person of any note , that i have heard of , in all that party who were in places of trust and publick employment , did on the late test refuse to communicate with the church of england . answ . 1. how far doth your hearing reach ? 2. how many of that party have you known in such places of trust ? i suppose you know , when the test in the corporation-act was imposed , that party were then turned out of all corporation-power ? in some places not two of the old staid in : and is it any wonder then , if none of that party be in such power ? 3. and is communicating in the lords supper all the conformity that is scrupled ? and what 's all this to our controversie ? § 12. impl. [ when all our united strength is too little to withstand the attempts of our common adversaries ; it is a wonder to me , with what confidence and what designe he should not only proclaim conformity on the ministers part to be impossible , but endeavour also with all his might to withdraw the laity from our communion . ] m. 14. answ . 1. is it a truth , that one that holdeth communion with your church , and speaketh and writeth for it , and disswadeth none from it , doth endeavour with all his might to withdraw the laity from it ? can you not forbear this ill custome a few lines together ? 2. ex ore tuo : see , reader , the man confesses the need of our united strength . hold him to that word : and i repeat , if he and the rest of that tribe do believe , that it was morally possible that the two thousand silenc'd ministers , and all that came after them , should believe all the things which i named in my plea for peace , and all the rest which many scruple , are lawful for them to do ; i wonder not at any confusion , calamity or corruption that shall befal a church that is conducted by such men ! who would have thought that there had been such men among christians , and pastors of a reformed church ? but i do not believe that there are many such , that think it morally possible that we should all believe all conformity lawful ; they would never else have trusted so much to mulcts and jails , as to think their church undone without those helps . they are not such strangers to sence and conscience : it is the wearing out of the present generation of non-conformists , and alluring or affrighting youth from following them , which the men of any brains have trusted to . judge by these evidences of this mans wit and wondering . 1. by the great number of the things which we judge sinful : they might dispute men into their opinion in some few differences , that cannot in so many . 2. the sins feared are so heynous , as that conscience will not quickly universally swallow them . 3. the number of the dissenters : to dispute a few men out of their judgments in difficult cases proveth hard , much more many hundreds or thousands . 4. consider the quality of the silenced ministers : could they think that such men as anthony burges , sam. hildersham , mr. hughes , dr. manton , dr. seaman , &c. did not consider what they did , neither in their health , nor before their death ? did they never read or hear what might be said for the new-conformity ? had they not learning or wit enough to understand it ? or had they no conscience living or dying ? so many hundreds that after their best enquiries , and hearing all , remain non-conformists , are unlike to be all brought to conform . 5. judge by old experience : were old hildersham , ames , dod , and hundreds like them , brought to conformity heretofore ? mr. sprint , dr. burges and some others were , but more were not . did not even the westminster-assembly of old conformists forsake it assoon as they could ? 6. judge by the change of the case , and the writings even of the old conformists : such things are put into the new-conformity , as bilson , hooker , usher , and other old conformists have written against . and would they also repent and change their minds , if they were alive ? i again profess , that i am bound in charity and reason fully to conclude , that had usher , bilson , hooker , jewel , preston , sibbes , whately , bolton , and all such , yea dr. jo. burges , sprint , and such others of their minde that writ for the old conformity bin alive , they would all have bin nonconformists to our new impositions . 7. judge by the means that are used to convince us : is there any thing said that hath such cogent evidence as to convert so many hundred men to your opinions ? did such men as dr. twisse , mr. herle , mr. gataker , mr. vines , &c. want the instruction of our present lords , to make them wise enough to conform ? when i know none of the conformists writings that have so much as named some of the things that we think worst of . 8. judge by present experience : why is it not done , if it be morally possible ? have you not had near twenty years trial , by your reasonings , preachings , writings , reproaches , allurements , threatnings , canons , fines , jails , informers , crying out for execution of the laws , &c. and is it yet done ? have there not since more ( of the laity ) turned from you , than have turned to you ? will not experience convince you ? 9. judge by the great diversity of mens conditions and capacities , which i have elsewhere opened . will ever men of such different capacities , educations , &c. agree in such and so many things ? 10. judge by the requisites to such a concord . it must be by bringing all the ministry to a higher degree of knowledge , or conscience and honesty than all the nonconformists . for it can be nothing that you think keeps us from conforming , but ignorance or badness . ( dr. asheton undertaketh , as going to the bar of god , to prove that it is pride and covetousness ) and how can you hope to make us all so much wiser and better than we are ? do you believe that the seven thousand that had conformed to the directory , and staid in by conforming to your law , 1662. were so much wiser and better than the two thousand that were cast out ? or that the greater part of your countrey-priests now ( if the lamenting people wrong them not ) do conform , because they know more , or are better men than we ? if it be so , he is unworthy to be a pastor , that knoweth not how hard a matter it is to make all the ministers of a nation so much wiser and better . he is blinde that seeth not that it is fines , jails and death , that our prosecutors trust to . and will true conscience be convinced by such arguments ? would you your selves change your minds in religion , if you were but fined and imprisoned ? if so , you are men of no true religion : if not , why expect you it from us ? § 13. but what am i doing ? will it not more tire than profit the reader , if i should number abundance more of his untruths ? i will step to his concluding farewel to me , and then see how he justifieth the trade , by pleading for equivocation , pag. 128. [ you gave several intimations that the king was popishly affected , as bishop bramhal affirms , ] mend. 15. answ . why did not the man tell where and when ? i have printed the contrary in the time of highest usurpation , that the king was no papist . is he not a calumniator , unless he prove it ? but he saith [ bishop bramhal affirms it . ] answ . a man that never saw me : why did he not cite bishop brambal's proof ? but see what this sort of men are come to ! do they think it enough to warrant their slanders of us , because one of their archbishops hath slandered us before them ? what credit then is to be given to such mens history or reports ? is this it in which the authority of archbishops consisteth , that they must be followed in slanders ? no : it is not their obedience to archbishops , but their conformity to a calumniating spirit : for brambal's predecessor , arch-bishop usher ( a man honoured by all good men that knew him , for learning , piety , and honesty ) was of no such authority with them ; but we are scorned for conforming to his judgment . but you see that a calumniator with you is no singular person . they are not ashamed to tell the world , that their archbishops lead them , and are as bad as they . § 14. impl. p. 128. [ you applauded the grand regicide , as one that prudently , piously and faithfully , to his immortal honour , did exercise the government . ] mend. magn . 16. answ . reader , do not wrong this man so much , as to think he is the father of this . he taketh it up but in conformity to his fathers and brethren that have oft printed it before him : and he must keep company and be conformable . alas ! it is not one or two such men as are the guides of souls in england : but what ? had he no pretence for it ? yes , more than for many of the rest . he that undertook to be a lying spirit in the mouth of all ahab's prophets , never undertook to deceive them without any pretence . i have somewhat else to do than to write the history of my actions in those times , as oft as any such man will tell such a story as this . in short , i thought then that both sides were faulty for beginning the war ; but i thought the bonum publicum , or salus populi , made it my duty to be for the parliament , as defensive against delinquents , and as they profest to be only for king , law and kingdom : when at the new moddle they left out [ for the king ] and changed their cause , i changed from them , and was sent by two assemblies of divines to do my best though to my utmost labour and hazard , to disswade them . cromwel having notice of it , would never let me once come near him or the head-quarters . i continued on all occasions publickly and privately to declare my judgment against him as a rebellious usurper till he died . but being at london a year or two before he died , the lord broghil ( since earl of orery ) would needs bring me to him ; where i dealt so plainly with him , in demanding by what right , against the will of almost all the kingdom , he pull'd down our lawful english monarchy that we were sworn to , and the parliament , as cast him into such passion , as broke out in reviling many of the worthiest parliament-men , that he knew me to be familiar with . the last time the earl of orery saw me , he told me , he had told the king of that conference , and that he should love me the better while he lived , for my faithfulness . he and lambert and thurloe were ( silently ) present . a twelvemonth after , sir francis nethersole would needs dispute me into repentance for being for the parliaments cause , by way of writing : i told him , that the sad effects were enough to make us all suspicious ; but i would give him those reasons that had moved me , with a true desire to know the full truth , that if i had erred , i might not remain through ignorance without repentance : he wrote to me , that in the mean time , seeing i was satisfied against cromwels usurpation , i should go to london to set it upon his conscience to perswade him to restore our present king : i sent him word , that as he took me for his adversary , so his conscience was not so easily perswaded to give up such a prey ; and that this was not now to do ; i had been lately with him , and i and others had tried such perswasions , or the like , in vain . while i was preparing my papers for sir francis nethersole , cometh out mr. harrington's oceana , contriving the settlement of a democracy , which they called a commonwealth ; and sir h. vane was about another model : i wrote somewhat against them , and mr. harrington printed a paper of gibberish , scorning at my ignorance in politicks : against him i wrote my political aphorisms , called a holy common-wealth , in the beginning pleading for the divine universal soveraignty , and next for monarchy as under god ; and next ( seeing they were all on new modelling ) i told them , how piety might be secured and promoted by monarchy ; and to get sir francis nethersoles answer for my fuller satisfaction , i added as to him , as i promised , the reasons that had moved me to be for the parliament . while i had purposed the later part first , oliver died , and his son richard was set up while i was writing the book : before i had finish'd it , the army had pull'd down first his parliament , and next richard himself ; i never had known a parliament more enclined to piety and peace . my deep displeasure against the madness of the army , that had rebelliously pull'd down all power , king , parliaments , and at last him whom they set up themselves , drew me first to write the sad meditations in the end , and then a sharp preface to the army against their rebellions : in which i aggravated their crime in the last instance among the rest , in putting down suddenly richard their protector , whom they had lately courted and set up : and i used these words , [ it was written while the lord protector ( prudently , piously , faithfully , to his immortal honour , how ill soever you have used him ) did exercise the government , ] &c. now so congruous are these mens principles and practice , that they fear not to tell the world in print , and that successively from one another , that i [ said this of the grand regicide ] oliver , whom i so openly and so deerly opposed : and a putarem , or a non putarem , will excuse a volume of such tricks , if the cheat or falschood be discovered . they might easily have seen by the whole scope of that preface , that it was richard , and not oliver , that i spake of . it was not oliver that they misused and pulled down . and i praised him , to shew the evil of their rebellious proceedings . it was not taking the government , which he had no right to , which i praised ; but his short exercise : and i thought him praise-worthy on many accounts . 1. he never meddled in any war against the king , notwithstanding all his fathers interest and power , but was suspected to be for the king. 2. we never heard that he sought or expected the government , but it was thrust upon him . 3. when he was offered help presently to apprehend them that supprest him ; he refused it , and renounced the government at a word , resolving not to shed a drop of blood to keep that which was so thrust upon him . 4. he set himself by a parliament of pious peaceable men , to have supprest heresie and confusion , and to have restored order , and equity , and peace . 5. the kings chief friends about us told me , that richard was for the king , and that some were treating with him to restore him : though i confess , i hardly believed that his self-denial was so great . i thought all this had so much laudable , as to aggravate the madness of that army , who when they had destroved the king , and pulled down the parliament , did also put down him whom they had set up and sworn fidelity to themselves . his want of right did not justifie their perfidiousness . thus the conformist grounds his accusation . § 15. impl. p. 128. he repeateth a leaf of my own words to mr. bagshaw , against the armies rebellion against king and parliament , and setting up the protector , and the rest of their injuries ; not seeing that he confuteth his own calumny , while to prove that i am for those actions , he proveth that i have condemned them as heinous sin : see here how strongly these men argue ! § 16. impl. p. 131. [ his applauding the first boutefeus , as glorious saints in heaven , his vindicating the authority and war of the parliament against the king , his pertinacious adhering to the covenant , crying down the royal martyr as a papist , after he had sealed the sincerity of his heart to the reformed religion with his blood ; and the crying up his murtherer for a prudent , pious and faithful governour : his principles in his holy commonwealth , and his present practices in defending schism , and so sowing sedition , &c. cry aloud for repentance and retraction , &c. ] answ . here are his doctrinal principles exemplified : he hath now got the art of linking and condensing falshoods so close , that i must cease numbring them , while one is made up o● so many . 1. the first accusation went before , p. 88 , 89. where he mentions brooke , pym , hampde● , and white , &c. saying , [ what if they are gone to another place ? — you were ashamed to continue them in your ( book ) being left out in your later editions . answ . 1. i left them out , because the book could not be licensed else : and should i not rather leave out a few names , than cast away the whole book ? had i done it in repentance or to please such as you , you tell me how it would have been taken . 2. i never spake with one of them ; but i have heard so credible testimony of their conversation , especially of hampden and white , that i am far more confident that they are in heaven than that such as you will ever come thither . impartial men of both sides honoured them ; i heard an antient grave gentleman , that was no phanatick , nor accounted a puritan , but a sober honest man , say , 1644. [ if i might choose what person in all the world i would be , i would be john hampden . ] 3. it is not only bishop jer. tailor , but politicians commonly that acknowledge , that it hath not pleased god to make politick cases of the degrees and forms of power so easie to us , as that all good christians can decide the controversies about them . it 's commonly agreed , that god hath not forbidden monarchy , aristocracy , democracy , or mixt government ; nor made only one of these to be lawful . and it is past controversie then , that it is national fundamental constituting contracts , laws or customs , and not any express scripture , that must tell us de facto & jure , what is the species of each countreys government . it is not in the creed , lords-prayer , decalogue , or sacraments : therefore the knowledge of it is not of absolute necessity to salvation : i finde it not in the condition of the covenant of grace . methinks they that say heathens may be saved , should grant it of christians that know not when a sinful division falls out between king and parliament ( and that with many difficult circumstances ) which it is that should be then obeyed or defended . christ was drawn by hypocrites to pay tribute to caesar , rather than offend ; but he would not be drawn to justifie his dominion over the jews . paul commands obedience to the higher powers as of god , and as watching for our good : but he would not be drawn to declare , whether it was caesar or the senate which was the higher power , when they came to be divided in their commands . 4. i have produced too large testimony from antiquity , how ordinarily the bishops of east and west too quickly owned and praised the usurpers of the empire , when once in possession : not only the synods in martius time that owned maximus , but ambrose and theopl . alexand . to eugenius , and gregory the first , and many western bishops , and ordinarily far most of the eastern bishops presently owned usurpers , that came into the empire by the murder or deposition of their predecessors . and are all these fathers and christians damn'd ? 5. the liturgie requires that when such are buried , they are openly pronounced saved ; that is , that god of his great mercy hath taken to himself their souls out of the miseries of this life , and that we hope to be with them : we must be silenced and imprisoned if we will not say this , and subscribe to it , and reproached if we do : this is the conformity which they would have us yield . 6. do you not tremble your self , when you question whether they be not gone to a worse place and revile us for the hopes of their salvation ? doth not your conscience ask , if such men be not saved , what will become of me , that deliberately write such volumes of falshoods against god's true servants , and their present serving him , as if they must cease preaching and all church-worship , till they dare conform to all imposed ? o why will you condemn your self in others ! 7. i finde many of your selves honouring bishop jewel , bishop bilson , and mr. hooker , and such others that held the principles which those men went upon ; and you never yet , that i heard of , reviled any man for hoping that they were saved : no nor grotius , nor barclay , nor the common sort of lawyers , and politick-writers , that have said more of the cases in which kings may be resisted and deposed , than they did , or than i ever said . if such principles may stand with the salvation of grotius , hooker , bilson , althusius , alstedius , willius , &c. why not of theirs that i have mentioned ? 8. you know , i suppose , that it was mostly episcopal men that began the war ; lords , commons , and souldiers on both sides . ( if you will not know , and can be ignorant when you list , your will hath a freedom which mine hath not . ) and are you sure that your conformists also are damned ? 9. you hereby teach them that are confident that the laudian clergie were the chief causers of the war , to conclude therefore that they are damned . and so our clergy on both sides will be like gregory the seventh's and the emperour 's in germany , first exciting and encouraging the princes and people of the two sides , and then taking oaths against each other , and lastly damning one another ; till a reverend council of bishops decreed , that all the bishops on the emperours side should be deposed , and the dead digg'd out of their graves and burnt . 10. you will open the eyes of the people to see what manner of spirit you are of , and that it is no wonder if you cannot endure us to preach and live by you ; who take us for criminal for hoping that men are saved , who otherwise were of most exemplary lives ; but being in point of politiques on the parliaments side , and doing accordingly , while they professed to arm only against subjects , holding the person of the king to be inviolable . i finde not that even in the barons wars , or the wars between the houses of lancaster and york , no nor king stephens , the censures were so high . anselme archbishop of canterbury is sainted , that was against his king. § 17. the second charge is , my vindicating the parliaments war against the king ] answ . 1. i believed then that it was not against him , when their commissions were for him . 2. i proposed my reasons upon a learned knights demand , requesting satisfaction by an answer : and had you or any of you ever since confuted them , it had been more charity than only to recite them and condemn them . but i have over and over publickly declared my revocation of that whole book , ( though not of all that 's in it ) and wisht that i had never written it , for more reasons than i will now name to you . 3. my judgment about the king's power , and our obedience , i have fully declared in the second plea for peace . § 18. the third accusation is , [ his pertinacious adhering to the covenant . ] answ . 1. the man knoweth that i own not the imposing it , specially as a test for the nations concord , it being an engine of division so imposed . 2. that i own not the taking it so imposed . 3. that i deny that it obligeth me to any thing that is evil , yea or from any obedience to the king in things lawful , nor to any thing but what i have a former obligation to from god himself . 4. but i confess that i dare not say , that it obligeth no man to repent of his sin , nor to be against popery , prophaneness or schism , nor to endeavour any amendment of church-government . and i will not deny , but that i take perjury to be no indifferent thing ; which of these is the crime of adherence , he tells me not . 19. the next accusation is , [ crying down the royal martyr as a papist . ] answ . i have said , till he tell me where , and how he proveth it , i must take him for a gross calumniator , and wonder not that he conformeth . in my key for catholicks he may see where i prove the contrary , that the king was no papist . i will confess that which he knoweth not : 1662 , and 1663. when the kings letter in spain to the pope was printed out of mr. de chesne by prynne , i was struck a while with doubt and suspicion ; but i soon considered , 1. that the words promised but endeavours for unity . 2. and that it was written in the spaniards power , in a streight . § 20. the next is , [ crying up his murderer . ] answ . a repeated malicious falshood . § 21. the next accusation is , [ his principles in his holy commonwealth . ] answ . 1. i oft told you , the book is revoked long ago . 2. the principles which i own i have published as aforesaid in the third plea : and he doth not confute them . 3. of the wars i spake before : what other doth he name ? bishop morley recited many of them ; and the first as i remember was , that i say , [ that pretence to unlimited monarchy is unlawful , or tyranny , because god hath limited all humane power . ] if this be heresie or disloyalty , i hold it still : i mistake much , if any kings have power from god to command all their subjects to blaspheme or deny god or christ , or to renounce his hope of heaven , or to worship the devil , and sell his soul to him , nor to murder father , mother , wife or children . i will venture to dispute this with any conformist . but as to the harder question , whether kings may kill any or all their senators or innocent subjects for nothing , or burn all their cities , or take all their wives , children and estates , i will leave it to statesmen to debate . i am sorry that ever i wrote so much about their matters . § 22. the next charge is , [ his present practices in defending schism . ] answ . prove it , or number it with your slanders . what is the schism ? is it schism to say , that it is unlawful like atheists to cease all publick worship of god , till conscience can finde it lawful to conform ? others think that the contrary is both schismatical and atheistical . can you prove that i am for silencing faithful ministers , and making partition separating hedges in the vineyard of christ ? my rule is , to go no further from any christian than he goeth from christ , or would force me to sin for his communion . § 23. the next charge is , sedition ; that is , not giving over god's worship , till i can swear , say and do all that is imposed . where is the proof of all these accusations ? but their method of justice is , first to do execution ( casting out 2000 ) and next to justifie it by an accusation behinde our backs , and next to bring their witnesses , when we are dead or forbidden to speak ; and they are one anothers witnesses . this mans proof is , that bishop bramhall of ireland said it : the next mans may be , that this man said it : dr. ashetons proof was , that the debate-maker said it ; and who said it to him i know not . and p. 100. this man hath an infallible witness , bishop morley then of worcester . and what saith he ? why first , that i did what i could to make the king odious to his people . but where 's his proof ? it 's enough ; the bishop said it . 2. i sowed the seeds of sedition at kederminster : the proof is the same ; the bishop said it . 3. the bishop taught him to adde , [ i my self have heard him , in a conference in the savoy , maintain such a position , as was destructive to the legislative power of god and man. ] but what if the bishop spake as falsely , as if he had said that i pleaded for mahomet ? where is your proof then ? i after printed the words with the dispute of the dr's , to which they were an answer : and i have in my second plea , in a disputation of scandal , vindicated them . let any man of brains read both , and believe the bishop and you if he can . but , reader , if such mens renewed accusations cause me yet to print that answer to the bishop's letter , which for peace i cast away ; blame not me , but them that force me to it : i am for peace , but they are for war. § 24. but what good will it do the reader , to have this mans falshoods detected and numbred ? they are so many and so gross , that it is a troublesome work ; as p. 107. [ your principles which assert , that the king may be deposed . ] answ . burn any book of mine with scorn , where i ever asserted any such thing : but if it be a forgery , believe such men accordingly . so p. 112. [ refusing the tests of obedience , which require only the disclaiming of rebellious principles and practices . ] answ . see my profession and renunciation , second plea , chap. 3 , 4 and my confutation of hooker , chr. direct . par. 4. pag. 112 , 113. he joyns with those that would bring us into the plot , and fathers his accusation on the acts of parliament against us . pag. 113. he saith , i have [ a better opinion of the papists , than of the conformists , ] because i say , i had rather be saved from the gallows by a papist , than hang'd by a conformist . so p. 132. [ to withdraw your avowed communion ] answ . a fiction : witness the parish-assembly . pag. 133. your practice continueth and encourageth separation from our communion . ] false . ibid. cartwright , after he had written as much as he could against conformity , repented and conformed at last . ] answ . a fiction : no more than i conform . many a time have i been in warwick , where he last lived master of the hospital , and the antient people there and at coventry knew the contrary . if to joyn in the liturgy and sacrament ( and perhaps rather than be silenced , to wear the surplice ) be conforming , you abuse many whom you reproach and silence as nonconformists . pag. 134. he mentions my positive opposing and hindering their communion . the book is much made up of such untruths in matter of fact. § 25. his postscript is his ingenuous conjectures , if not proofs , that i am a liar and an hypocrite , in the dating of my prognostication ; and that it was written 1680. answ . should i abuse the reader by a particular answer to them ? that it was not written 1680 , many persons that saw them can witness . will his reasonings make me ignorant of such a matter of my own fact ? all that i know of it is this , 1. as far as i can remember , it was shortly after the savoy-conference , that the first copy was written ; but just the month i do not remember . 2. finding this copy among my rude neglected papers , i wrote it fair in 1671. and my memory is not so strong , as to be sure that i altered not a word : for i cast away the first rude copy . 3. after that , i thought it had been lost , not seeing it some years : till mr. matthew silvester told me , that i had long ago lent it him to read : i did not think it worth the publishing . but one of judgment that he shewed it to , thinking otherwise , i added a few lines in the end : this is the truth , and if it be the impleaders interest to believe it to be false , let him use his intellect and pen accordingly , i 'le no more strive against him . chap. iii. his answer to the first plea for peace examined . § 1. because the great charge against th● non-conformists is , 1. their not conforming . 2. and that till they can conform they cease not preaching and all publick worship o● god ( which is to live like atheists , and chus● damnation . ) the first thing that i did in the first , plea , was to declare our judgment about churches , ministry , church-communion and seperation , ( in what cases we hold it sinful or lawful . ) to my great wonder , almost all this i● past over by all my accusing answerers that ●●●● have seen , as if it had bin little to them . and they go on to take it for granted , that we are guilty of schism and sinful separation , or in wondering that we do not grant it . 2. and as to the second part of our charge , i have seen none yet but mr. cheney and this impleader that pretend to bring proof of the lawfulness of the●● points of conformity which we avoid . and to mr. cheney i gave a reply , which i judged satisfactory ; and this man where they agree repeateth the same things , as if i had not replied ; and therefore i refer him to that reply , rather than write the same over again . but in some things they as much differ from each other as from me . § 2. pag. 4. he premiseth , 1. what are the parts of the book to which we are to declare our assent and consent ? answ . all things contained and prescribed in and by it . are not these words plain ? we are not for equivocation : what he saith of this , is answered to mr. ch. 2. pag. 9. he saith , [ it is granted by the non-conformists , that the common-prayer book , as it is now amended and abstracted from the declarations and subscriptions required by the act of uniformity , is better to be assented to , than as it stood before . answ . 1. i know none of those non-conformists : it 's better in some things ( as the translation of the epistles and gospels ) and worse to them in other . 2. but what 's this to the case ? 3. pag. 11. he saith , [ non-conformists grant , that it is better to submit to the practice of a doubtful small evil , than to forbear a necessary great duty . ] answ . this i answered to mr. ch. i know one of them that grant it . they suppose that a doubtful evil ] is really evil ; and the doubt will not make it lawful ( or better , ) but less evil than a greater : and that no duty should ●e forborn , while duty , nor evil done . but ●e must not forbear duty till we can do it without adherent evil : but we must do our best to ●●rbear all-evil . ibid. he speaketh against over-strict interpre●tions of impositions . answ . i stand to bishop ●anderson's solutions , whom he citeth , which ●e in the end of the first plea for peace . pag. 12. 4. he saith , [ practice is the best ezounder of the law : many laws are worded for terrorem iniquum petere , ut quod aequum est ferant ; lex non curat minima . neither the lan of god or man is sollicitous about circumstances and the lesser punctilios . ] answ . 1. when they either comprehend the least in generals , or name them particularly , we think they extend to them : and that he that breaketh one of the least , and teacheth 〈…〉 all be called least in the kingdome of ●●●● mat. 5. 2. the seven thousand ministers ( and more ) that conformed to the new-made law 1662 , did not stay till practice expounded it . 3. and whose practice must it be that is the exposition ? when your practices much much differ ? 4. i think you abuse the law and lawgivers , by making them first injust , iniquum petendo , and next unintelligible , and lastly opening a door for disobedience . pag. 13. 5. he noteth that we are not agreed what is unlawful in conformity . answ . 1. nor are we agreed of all forbidden in gods laws ; must we therefore forbear no sin ? 2. we are agreed ( as far as i know ) of all the many particulars enumerated in the plea : deliver us from what we are agreed against . 3. the bishops of england are not agreed in how many things we must differ from the papists : all are not for so much of theirs as the greeks , or as grotius , or bishop bromhal , or mr. thorndike , or will. forbes of edenborough were for . and what of that ? must not popery be renounced till you are all herein agreed ? 53. pag. 14. he noteth what i said of the root of the first difference between the old nonconformists and conformists , one part cleaving to the scripture , and the other being for reteining all that came in before 600 , and common to them with the greeks , [ which ( saith he ) doubtless was the sounder opinion ; so that the foundation of non-conformity was laid on a false principle , and they that built thereon frequently raised sedition , &c. ] answ . 1. they that thought each mutable circumstance of worship must have a particular command in scripture , erred ; but there were few such , at least of any learning : but those that took the law of god in nature and scripture , for the only and perfect universal law , did not erre . 2. so many corruptions in doctrine , worship and discipline came in before 600 , and are reteined by the greek church , that we cannot make that the measure of our reformation : if you are for all [ that is common to the papists and greeks ] how prove you that you may silence and imprison all that are not ? 3. and if this be the rule , you are yet ill reformed . it is more than three and three ceremonies and additions which you yet want , which the papists have : i could name such a catalogue as might make english-men better understand what your conforming principles are , and what must be further expected when you are able . and the council of florence will tell us , when once england is of the greek religion , how possible it is to step over to the pope . but why doth not the church of england conform to the greek church now , if it be so great a duty , as will warrant the silencing and imprisoning of refusers ? i hear but of few that grow in love with their worship , since the greeks had a church in london ; especially scholars that understand them . 4. but what if the first non-conformists erred ? what 's that to us any more than to you ? we reverence the primitive example more than theirs ; and never took them for the masters of our faith. 5. your charge of their sedition is much more sharply laid on the protestants in general by pateson , the image of both churches , and by philanax anglicus , and many others , than you lay it on the old non-conformists : and all parties can talk at that rate against others , as pryn doth of prelates treasons . § 4. pag. 15. of assent and consent to all things , and subscription that nothing is contrary to the word of god. 1. he tells us , what men have subscribed . 2. that we must allow it a just and favourable construction . answ . i grant that worthy men have subscribed , and that as favourable a construction must be made , as will stand with truth and justice . but this doth us no good . § 5. pag. 16. impl. [ all lawgivers do leave to the judges and magistrates a power to interpret the doubtful letter of the law , and to mitigate the rigour of its execution , in order to the publick good . ] answ . 1. i have answered this to mr. cheney : there is an interpretation which giveth us the general obliging sence of the law ; which conscience must judge by , if we will subscribe : and this belongeth only to the lawgivers , as i have proved . and there is an interpretation which only directs the judicial sentence , in this or that mans particular case , as whether he shall be punished as guilty or not ; and this is it that belongeth to the judges : if the judges will put a false sence on the oath of allegiance and supremacy , i may not take them in that sence . their expository power must direct their own sentence , and that the execution ; but if i be put to swear or subscribe my self to any imposed words , no judge can absolve me from taking them in the usual sence , unless the law-givers give another . this is our rule , and we dare not equivocate . 2. as to your confused talk , that [ magistrates can dispense with the lesser parts of the law , ] it is useless to me : the lawgivers can expound , suspend and change the law : the executive magistrate can suspend his own sentence and execution in some cases ; but not the sence of the law , nor allow my conscience to change the sence . § 6. impl. [ all that is required by the act , is unfeignedly to assent and consent that there is such a measure of truth and goodness in the book of common prayer , as qualifies it for the publick worship of god. ] answ . 1. gratis dictum . who authorized you to say that [ assenting and consenting to all things contained and prescribed ] meaneth not as it saith ? but only an useable measure of truth and goodness ? is this the usual sence of [ all things , &c. ] if not , where have the law givers given us another ? if you can think so , why must all be silenced that think otherwise , and dare not be so bold ? § 7 impl. [ the title of the act is the key — if uniformity be observed , the act is satisfied . ] answ . 〈…〉 is not de fine only , but de medio , to secure uniformity , by profest assent , &c. all lawyers know that laws have usually more in the body than is in the title . § 8. impl. [ they say , 1. assent implies the truth , and consent the goodness . 2. all things they say , meaneth all words and expressions . 3. by [ to the use ] is meant those things that come not into use . 4. when it 's said , in sensu composito , conteined and prescribed in and by , &c. they extend it to all things that are conteined as well as prescribed . ] answ . i see that wit is useful to many ends : here are so many and rare expository evasions , as escohar or bauny could not have excelled in them . 1. if assent signifie not judging all to be true , it hath lately got a new signification : consent indeed signifieth oft an object practicable and existent for some good motive of consent . 2. if the [ all things ] in the books , mean not [ all the words ] but [ things ] distinct from [ words ] i would we could know what they are : sure it is not the paper and ink that the parliament mean. prayers and forms are words . actions or ceremonies that are not words , are but little of the book , or rather none of it , being but the matters commanded by it . 3. there is no word or part of the book that was not made for some use . if not , how shall we know which words are useless ? 4. i do not think that there was a man in the parliament when the act was made , that ever thought of this subtle exposition , that any man would take [ all conteined and prescribed ] only in sensu composito ? and so that we profess assent to nothing contained in the book , but that which is prescribed also . if so , is not [ conteined ] an idle word when all men know that all that is prescribed is conteined ? and yet by that time prescribed doctrines , calendars , rules , forms , &c. are taken in , they will prove more than my assent and consent will reach to . § . 9. whereas the commons brought the lords to agree with them , for not limiting the sense of the declaration of assent and consent to the use of all ; he answereth , 1. that the bishops then were more our friends than the commons : as if the bishops always went with the major vote of the lords . 2. he giveth reasons , why it is meet that men approve as well as use what they do . and what else is it that we say , but the using without approving , satisfieth not the imposition ? § 10. he citeth my words , that we may take an oath , whose words in the plain and proper sense are lawful . but the question is , whether these be such ? § 11. ii. pag. 21. he defends the words , [ easter-day on which the rest depend , is always the first sunday after the first full-moon , which happens next after the 21 of march. ] which being oft false , he saith , 1. being a general rule , it may be allowed to have some exception . answ . and so they say [ always ] and they mean not always , but sometimes . 2. he proceedeth : [ the rubrick doth not say , [ a rule ! but [ rules ] in the plural : and where the first rule fails , the defect is supplied in the second . ] answ . what may not such a wit prove true and lawful , if the man be willing ? 1. the rules contained in that section under that title , are only this , and one for advent and other sundays , and none for easter but this . 2. to say , this is always so , and after to say the contrary , is but to say , one is true , and the other false . always excludeth your acknowledged falshood sometimes . 3. he saith , the defect never cometh into practice . answ . it 's an useable rule , and so you covenant to practice it , if the use of all things be intended : and so you must keep two easter-days . object . 4. [ mr. b. might as well have objected against the almanack , which saith february hath 28 days . ] answ . so i should if it had said [ always ] and [ only 28. ] § 12. iii. impl. p. 22. defendeth these words , [ we are fully perswaded in our judgments , and we here profess it to the world , that the book as it stood before established by law , doth not contain any thing contrary to the word of god. ] and 1. he blameth me for omitting the condition of a just and favourable construction , &c. answ . i undertook not to transcribe the whole book , which is in so many hands : a just construction is still supposed , and as favourable as will stand with truth . i have oft enough told him the rule by which we interpret words , viz. the ordinary sence in which they are understood by men of the profession which they belong to , unless the speakers otherwise expound them . if he thought this rule to be false , he should have disputed that . if on pretence of [ favourable interpretations ] you resolve to put a good meaning on any words which your interest perswadeth you to take , nobis non licet , we cannot do so : else we could take any oath in the world , while all words have divers sences , and are arbitrary signs , which we can put what sence upon that pleases us . § 13. impl. p. 22 , 23. [ he well knows our assent to the words there mentioned is not required , nor could be intended . answ . utterly false : i know it not , but verily believe the contrary . impl. for it is only a profession of our superiours that were then in being , what their judgment and belief was , &c. ] answ . so the rubrick and the 39 articless were the judgment of your superiours : but are not they , and that preface , parts of the book ? if not , tell us how we shall know what are parts of it , and to what we must consent ? and must you not assent and consent to all things in it ? i like not those equivocations , which will make oaths and promises to be but what the speaker please . § 14. impl. [ mr. b. doth very ill to recount those mistranslations in the old book , which are amended in the new , &c. — which mr. b. knows to be false , ( viz. that assent to them is required . ) answ . 1. how did this bold man know my thoughts ? i know these words to be a deliberate printed falshood , and this man to have so many such , as that to me he is incredible . 2. when the new book justifieth the old , as having nothing contrary to the word of god , and you must assent to all things in the new one , i think you assent to that justification . if you mean otherwise , tell men your own thoughts ; but if you would any more be believed , speak not falsly of other men , whom you never knew . 3. the old translation of the psalms is still used , unreformed . do you not assent to that neither ? § 15. he tells us that [ psal . 105. 28. the two translations are not contradictory , they were not obedient to his word , and they rebelled not against his word : because some translaters understood it of the egyptians , and others otherwise . ] answ . and had the text those contrary senses ? if not , is not one of them contrary to the text ? § 16. impl. p. 24. [ the same answer will serve the exception against the collects of the old book , which for divers days together used the word [ this day . ] answ . and the same reply will serve : you dare not say that on christmas-day , whitsunday , &c. [ this day ] signifieth not the very particular day , but the week or time of the year . and hath not the same collect the same sense on the next days ? are your words like cyphers , that change their power by such additions ? § 17. impl. [ little reason have they to object against any words or phrases in the liturgy , who are still fond of singing psalms according to the translation of strenhold and hopkins , &c. ] answ . little reason hath any man to be forward to believe your affirmations , that are so used to falshood . i finde none so willing to use other versions as they that you say are fond of this : many use the scot's version , many barton's , some rous's , and some mr. patrike : and the reason why they no more forsake the old one , is not because they are fond of it , but lest they too much displease the church of england , which hath allowed no other , and those that are apt to turn all reformations and varieties into reproach . § 18. iv. to what he saith of the apocrypha , i answered already to mr. cheney , and will not now repeat . the objections against the fictions in tobit are bishop barlow's , now of lincoln , in a learned m. s. written to satisfie mr. dodwell . § 19. v. our great doubt about the abuse of godfathers , and excluding parents from their proper office , he saith nothing to that needs any reply ; but what is in the book which he answers , and in the reply to mr. cheny , he answers as if he understood not the question : and feigns the liturgy to lay that on the parents which it doth not , but excludes them from it , and laies it on uncapable persons . § 20. impl. p. 30. [ mr. b. excepts against the rubrick , which saith , it is certain by gods word , that children , which are baptized , dying before they commit actual sin , are undoubtedly saved . ] this being a rubrick , and never coming to use in the publick worship , it cannot reasonably be thought to be imposed as an article of faith on others , but only as the judgement of our superiours . answ . i perceive the parliaments act and declaration is to you a mere nose of wax ; it meaneth what you will , or none can tell what . 1. are rubricks of no use ? yea those that determine of doctrines , which are not only de fide , but matters of salvation , certain undoubted salvation of all baptized infants ? what is of use if these be not ? 2. are such doctrines of certain faith no parts of the book ? nor contained in it ? is not your superiour's judgment imposed on you to assent to ? what then is imposed to be believed ? § 21. but p. 31. he citeth texts as proving the truth of the article . answ . not a word to the purpose . he seems not to understand that it is not of the salvation of true believers infants that we doubt : but whetherthis be true of all without exception that have such godfathers as ours , that take not the children for their own ; even the children of atheists , infidels , heathens , mahometans , &c. all which the minister is bound by the canon to baptize , if offered . § 22. vii . impl. 31. [ mr. b. is the first that hath accused the church of england of instituting a second covenant of grace . ] answ . still more untruths . i have no such accusation : it is but for making and imposing on pain of rejection , &c. another sacrament , or a sign too much sacramental , of the same covenant of grace , which baptism is the sacrament of . 2. and of this he cannot truely say that i am the first . i proved from the imposed words and ends , that it is appointed to the uses of a sacrament , but indeed not by christ , and therefore is but a humane sacrament ; and i answered his objections to mr. che. which he taketh no notice of . he cites me as saying , that parents may offer their children to baptism , though they cannot have it without the cross , it being the ministers sin , and not theirs . and what then ? is it therefore none of the ministers sin , 1. to consent to it . 2. to use it . 3. to refuse to christen children whose parents dare not submit to it . 4. nor the bishops to silence ministers that refuse such conformity ? § 23. p. 34 , 35. he would explain the rubrick by art. 27. those that rightly received baptisine , &c. and christian proprietors may offer their children , &c. answ . 1. the canon forbiddeth the minister to refuse any as aforesaid ; what 's this then to the rest ? 2. right coram ecclesiâ giveth the church power to receive them : but it must be right coram deo to remission , &c. that must assure their salvation : which we cannot prove that the children of atheists , sadduces , or infidels have . 3. the conformists are here themselves divided : one part of them give that certain salvation only to all baptized infants , which the other give to all in the world , baptized or unbaptized . see mr. che. and the answer . § 24. viii . about our refusing children , whose parents refuse the foresaid crossing , and abuse of godfathers , he saith , p. 36. [ 1. that in private baptisme , and consequently in other cases of necessity , the church alloweth the omission of cross and godfathers . 2. that they have a low esteem of the sacrament , that for this withdraw . ] answ . 1. your consequence is contrary to the canon : and 't is known that the church allows not ministers to forbear them on pretence of such consequences . 2. much less do they allow the refusal of dissenters for such a necessity . 3. and it may be no contempt of the sacrament , when men are afraid of a sinful use of it though they mistake . 4. nor is it such a fault of the receiver or parent , that will warrant a minister to deny them christendome , or a sacrament by your selves judged so necessary to salvation . § 25. p. 36. he returneth to the case of crossing , as a transient image in worship , &c. i think few will judge his answer worthy of a reply . § 26. p. 37. ix . the next is , [ that no man should come to the sacrament without a full trust i● god's mercy and a quiet conscience . ] i would make nothing worse than it is : i do not think the imposers meant that all men should stay away till they had a full trust and quiet conscience . but that 's the plain importance of the words : here therefore it is more ill words than ill meaning , which i do deny assent and consent to . § 27. x. pag. 38. about compelling each communicant to receive thrice a year , he saith , 1. it is the statute , not the minister . 2. it is only the duely qualified . answ . 1. the bishops are statute-makers . 2. nothing more common with the canoneers , than to call to magistrates to execute such laws . 3. the canons and liturgy require it . 4. it is not true , that it 's only the duely qualified : it is all that are not naturally , but morally unfit , that is , that are at age , and have reason and health . if the priest should put away any as unfit , he must accuse them to the chancellor , and they must be excommunicate and lie in jayl while they live , unless they communicate . so that here is a plain exposition . 4. there are multitudes unfit to communicate , whom the minister cannot put away , that were they not constrained , would keep away themselves ; as secret atheists , infidels , sadduces , socinians , arians , seekers , secret fornicators , thieves , drunkards , &c. that are conscious of their sin and impenitence : but rather than lie in jayl , will all communicate . § 28. impl. [ what deplorable times are we fallen into , that our highest priviledge should be counted a great grievance , &c. ] answ . still deceit . 1. is it our highest priviledge to have unfit men constreined to prophane holy things , and profess themselves what they are not ; and the dogs forced in , that should lie without ? is christ's discipline against our highest priviledges ? 2. who knoweth not that infidels , sadduces and wicked men do account these priviledges to be none : cure them of their contempt , and you need not force them by a jayl . till then , is it the pastors that refuse such till they voluntary seek it , or the contemners of these priviledges , that are to be reproved ? christ giveth pardon and life to none but desirous consenters ; and if you will seal and deliver the promise of it to those that will but prefer it to a jayl , and make up your churches on such terms , we dare not imitate you . the church-keys exercised are , as tertullian speaketh , praejudicium futuri judicii , and should intimate to men , who they be that shall be let into heaven , or shut out : and to say , come all and take christ , pardon and life , who will rather take the sacrament than lye in a jayl , is like another gospel . § 29. xi . the pronouncing salvation to all that they bury , save the three excepted sorts , ( unbaptized , excommunicate , and self-murderers ) is the next . and 1. he will not have the words to signifie salvation . the words are [ forasmuch as it hath pleased almighty god , of his great mercy , to take to himself the soul of our dear brother here departed . ] and [ we give thee hearty thanks , for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our brother out of the miseries of this sinful world . ] and [ that we may rest in him ( christ ) as our hope is this our brother doth . ] if all this signifie not salvation in your judgment , it doth in ours : we accuse not you of deceiving souls , at a time when it will take the deepest impression ; but we only tell you , we dare not assent and consent to that , which to us would be false equivocation , and that in so serious a thing : and if the difference be but grammatical , doth it deserve our silencing and ruine , to believe that those words import salvation ? § 30. but 2. he saith , [ christian charity teacheth us to hope the best of all that die in the communion of the church . ] answ . it is not christian charity which is contrary to the christian verity and covenant : nor that which tendeth to undo the living by false hopes : hobbes and such others as oppose fundamentals , deride christianity , or the immortality of the soul , some by writing , some by common talk , do die in the church of england : i have heard preachers lament their numbers , impudence and increase ; but never heard one of them excommunicate , nor brought to publick repentance . all die in the church , that communicate rather than lie in jayl and be ruined ; yea thousands that will not communicate , notwithstanding such severities ; when in a parish of 8000 or 10000 communicants , no more ( even on a whitsunday ) than about 100 communitate , though the minister be one of the best ; yet the rest are still in your church . we desire the highest degree of charity . but such a judgment of mens future state , though called charitable , seemeth to us so fearfully uncharitable , that it is one of the greatest things in which we seem to differ : and i will not shew the rise , and the import and tendency of it , lest dr. fullwood , and the reflecter on sacril . desert . say again , that i gather too hard consequences from our difference . but nobis non licet , must we be silenced and ruined for want of such charity ? § 31. xii . silencing such as think the surplice unlawful , is the next , pag. 42. and he saith , [ if any man , against such authority and arguments , should think the surplice unlawful , it is better he should be silenced , than that the churches peace and order be disturbed , or antient laws abrogated . ] answ . you have owned it : if it be well done , you may partake of the reward ; if ill , of the punishment . qu. whether consenting so to silence 2000 ( and 9000 if they had not conformed ) will not make your reward greater , than if you had consented and subscribed to the silencing but of one ? his blood be on us and on our children , were the words of factious zeal , that escaped not without punishment . paul that consented to the death of stephen , and hunted others , saith , he was mad , yea exceeding mad against them . christ never laid the order and peace of the church , nor the preaching of the gospel on such things ; nor ever encouraged any to do it . of which see bishop jer. tailor in the words largely cited in my second plea. § 32. xiii . though athanasius creed as to the damnatory part was that which mr. dodwell scrupled , i will not answer this mans equivocating exposition of it , lest i be thought to tempt others to blame the creed itself , which i honour . where he saith , p. 43. [ i frequently and falsely accuse the conformists of socinian or antitrinitarian doctrine : let him tell us where , or else i accuse him as a false accuser . but it 's his mode . § 33. xiv . whereas all must assent and consent to read the common-prayer every day of the year , ( if not specially hindred ) he tells us what reason there is for it : but 1. will it not necessitate the omission in many places of more necessary works ? 2. what encouragement have we to embody with that tribe , who all consent to this , and not one of multitudes of them do it ? is such conformity tolerable , and our preaching intolerable without it ? § 34. xv. pag. 46. he calls it a calumny that i say the liturgy is defective and disorderly . answ . i did in 1660. draw up a catalogue of the mere defects and disorders , but never offered it , to avoid offending them . he tells us , 1. of the disorders of the directory . ( and had he proved it , is that a justification of the liturgy ? ) 2. and also he tells us of the defects and confusions which were in mr baxter's eight days exploit , ( our additionals , or reformed liturgy , 1661. ) when as neither this accuser , nor any of the bishops or dissenters then said one word of particular accusation against it , nor any other that ever i knew of to this day , save an impertinent quarrel of mr. roger le strange , that we used not more imposing words , and such trifles . § 35. xvi . next comes the profession of the antiquity of three orders in the preface of the book of ordination and elsewhere , p. 47. and he citeth me , christ . direct . p. 127. as against my self ; falsly intimating , that i assert three orders , because i am uncertain whether there be not divers degrees in one order . i cited out of spelnian the canons of aelfrike , shewing that the church of england , even in times of popery , took bishops and presbyters to be the same order , as many papists-schoolmen do . and the man should have known , that it is not the bishops of a particular church that i mentioned in my direct . but only such as have the care of many bishops churches . § 36. xvii . he next defends the scenical call to the people , to [ come forth and shew reason , why the person may not be ordained . ] as if he knew not , that it is not the sence of the words that is questioned ; but that this insignificant ceremony should be set in the place of the ancient demand of their free consent over whom the minister is set , to seem as if they had still that liberty , when it is no such matter ; nor do the people , whose souls he is to have the charge of , know any thing usually of his ordination ; nor at his institution , which sets him over them , have they any call. nor are so much as these shews used at the ordination of bishops , which by the old canons was void without the peoples consent . § 37. xviii . of the words , receive the holy ghost , &c. he saith less than mr. cheny , whom i have answered . § 38. xix . so have i there answered ( p. 11 , 12. ) what he saith for the oaths of obedience to archbishops , bishops , chancellors , &c. 1. it 's one thing to obey them , and another to assent to the oath of obedience . 2. and it 's one thing to swear obedience to them , as exerci●ing the power of magistrates under the king ; and another thing as laymen exercising the power of the church-keys , &c. and i have elsewhere cited divers old canons , that condemn such oaths as dangerous . § 39. xx. in the 20th chap. to mr. cheny i have abundantly answered what he saith here about keeping men from the sacrament , and informing the ordinary . these be [ the number ] of our exceptions which the impleader could finde , though the rest were as plainly written . § 40. xxi . as for our objections against the declarations and oaths required by act of parliament , because it is not the sence of the liturgie , but of an act of parliament that we doubt of , he refers us to the executioners of the law for our instruction , ( their natural way of satisfaction : ) the justice and jailor i suppose . did these satisfie him to conform herein ? doth he take such arguments for unanswerable ? why did he pretend to defend the rest , which are imposed in the same act ? these are greater matters than the ceremonies , and need as clear a justification . § 41. but that you may see the measure of his knowledge , he can tell you , that our mistake is wilful , and an act of pure malice and revenge . answ . our rule oft mentioned is agreed on by casuists , viz. to take such oaths , promises and professions , in the sense of the imposing makers of them , ( if they are our rulers ) and unless they give us another sense , we must take the ordinary sense that those words are used in to be theirs . therefore we take [ on any pretence whatsoever ] and [ those commissioned by him ] and [ any alteration of government in the church ] and [ not at any time endeavour ] and [ no obligation on any other person ] as well as [ assenting and consenting to all things conteined and prescribed ] to have that meaning , which not only our parents that taught us to speak , and our masters and dictionaries , and the use of such as we hear talk , hath taught us to take such words in ; but also in the sense of the lawyers and law-books which we are acquainted with , unless any odde persons differ from the rest . and this sagacious man hath found , that this exposition is a wilful mistake , in malice and revenge . just as others of them can prove before god , that it is through covetousness that we conform not ; viz. two thousand ministers ( england knoweth of what sort , though the accusers do not ) have forsaken all church-maintenance , and their rulers countenance , and put themselves under a law that mulcts them 40 l. a sermon , banisheth them from cities and corporations , lays them in jayl , &c. reproacheth them as seditious ; and all this in covetousness , malice , and revenge . i have seen a child throw away his meat in revenge , but he returned to it in less time than 18 years : i have heard of a woman that cut her throat , and another that drowned herself and children , in a revengeful passion against her drunken cruel husband : but sure , if she had 18 years deliberated , it would have calm'd her passion : but that 2000 such ministers should chuse ruining fines , and poverty , and jails , and wilfully damn their own souls by sin , and all to be revenged on parliament or prelates , is somewhat strange ! especially when it is that which that parliament and prelates themselves are pleased with , who chose the terms . what kinde of revenge hath our malice found out , which destroyeth ourselves and pleaseth our afflicters ! § 42. and here p. 55. he falls with scorn on my book of concord ; and that his book may be conformable to itself , describeth my terms of concord by downright fiction and falshood ; as if he had thought none would ever open the book to shame his calumny . he tells you , that the result of all is , that every pastor be independent , free from any superiour to controul him , and have an arbitrary power , and arbitrarily exercise the power of the keys without appeal ; to have the power of ordaining who they will , the power of altering the laws in church and state , &c. all which i have expresly written against at large . besides what i have written , 1. for bishops in each church . 2. for archbishops or general overseers . 3. for synods . 4. had it been no more than what i have written for the magistrates governing of all pastors and churches , it would prove the falshood of this mans assertion . yet that you may see that his charity and his veracity are proportionable , he hence inferrs , p. 57. [ did ever any bishop aspire to such tyranny as this , the pope only excepted ? is not the king and whole nation greatly culpable not to trust themselves with the ingenuity of this people , &c. ] answ . reader , which is liker to be guilty of tyranny , 1. we that desire no power but to plead god's law to mens consciences . 2. and that but with one congregation . and 3. with no constrained unwilling persons , but only voluntary consenters . 4. and to rule over none of our fellow-ministers . 5. and only to be but freemen , as schoolmasters and philosophers be in their schools of volunteers , that we may not against our consciences be the pastors of the unwilling , or such as we judge uncapable according to god's laws , but to use the keys of admission and exclusion as to that particular church . 6. and to do all under the government of the magistrate , who may punish us as he may do physicians , schoolmasters , or others , for proved mal-administration , and drive us ( not from , but ) to our duty . 7. and to be ready to give an account of our actions to any synod , or brethren that demand it , and to hear their admonitions and advice . yea , and to live in peaceable submission where archbishops or general-visitors are set over us ; and upon any appeals or complaints , to hear and obey them in any lawful thing belonging to their trust and power . 9. and if we be judged to have worngfully denied our ministerial help and communion to any , we pretend to no power to hinder any other church or pastor from receiving him . 10. and if we be by magistrates cast out or afficted for our duty , we shall quietly give up the temples and publick church-maintenance , of which the magistrate may dispose , and without resisting or dishonouring him , endure what he shall inflict upon us , for our obedience to god. this is our odious tyranny . 2. on the other side , our accusers , 1. some of them are for power in themselves to force men by the sword , that is , by mulcts and corporal penalties , to be subject to them , or be of their church and communion . 2. others are for the magistrate thus forcing them , when the bishop excommunicates them . 3. they thus make the church like a prison , when no man knoweth whether the people be willing members , or only seem so , to escape the jail . 4. they would be such forcing rulers over many score or hundred parishes . 5. they would have power to rule , suspend and silence the pastors of all these parishes , when they think meet . 6. they hinder the pastors of the parish-churches from that exercise of the keys aforesaid in their own parish-churches , which belongs to the pastors office. 7. they would compel the parish-ministers to admit , absolve , or excommunicate ( at least as declaring other mens sentences ) when it is against their consciences . 8. they would make ministers swear obedience to them , and bishops swear obedience to archbishops . 9. some of them are for their power to excommunicate princes and greatest magistrates , though contrary to the fifth commandment , it dishonour them . 10. some of them say , that if the king command one church-order , or form , or ceremony , and the bishop another , the bishop is to be obeyed before the king : as also if the king bid us preach , and the bishop forbid us , 11. and they say , that their censures , even clave errante , must be obeyed . 12. and that he whom a bishop cuts off from one church , is thereby cut off from all , and none may receive him . 13. and that it is lawful to set up patriarchs , metropolitans , &c. to rule the church , according to the state and distribution of civil government . look over these two cases , and judge which party is liker to church-tyrants ; and then judge what credit is due to such accusers of the non-conformists in this age. § 43. ii. as to reordination , i have answer'd to mr. cheny what he saith : he deceitfully avoideth determining the first question , whether they intend a reordination or not : whereas i have proved , 1. that the church of england is against twice ordaining . 2. that they call it and take it for a true ordination which is to be received from them , by such as presbyters had ordained . 3. and therefore that they suppose the former null . 4. and this is much of the reason of mens doubting whether they should receive the second , which is given on such a supposition . but this man is little concerned in the true stating of the case . § 44. iii. what he saith of the ministers power for discipline , is answered already to mr. cheney that hath the same . § 45. about the covenant , 1. he falsly makes me say , that the king took it : whereas ( whether he did or not ) i only say , that he was injuriously and unlawfully drawn to seem to owne it and declare for it . 2. next he aggravates this injury : and who contradicteth him ? 3. he pleadeth , that the king is not obliged by it to make any alteration in the government of the church . answ . i will not examine your reasons : the king never made me his confessor , nor put the question to me ; why then should i make my self a judge of it ? and why must my ministry lie on a thing beyond my knowledge ? but am i sure that no parliament-man that took that vow is bound there in his place to endeavour a reforming alteration , when i am past doubt that much is needful ? he would 1. make it doubtful , whether it was a vow to god ? i think it not worth the labour to prove it to him that doubteth of it after deliberate reading it . 2. he saith , [ any lawful endeavours are not denied . ] answ . but the obligation to lawful endeavours are denied . are not the words universal ? 3. he saith , [ the covenant condemned as unlawful , cannot lay an obligation . ] answ . a vow to god unlawfully imposed and taken , may binde to a lawful act. 4. he calls it [ unnecessary alterations against the law of the land. ] answ . i suppose i shall prove some reforming alteration necessary ; and it is not against law for a subject to petition for it , or a parliament-man to speak for it . yet when the man seems to me to be pleading conscience out of the land , he saith , [ would not this cause the christian religion in a short time to be exploded out of all kingdoms ? ] alas poor people ! what uncertain guides have you ? 5. he concludes , that the power of reforming being in the king , the vow was null . answ . the regal power of reforming is only in the king : to change laws without him , is usurpation . but parliament-men may speak for it , and subjects petition , and on just causes write and speak for needful reformation : and i speak for no other . § 45. iv. about not taking arms against those commissioned by the king ; he plainly professeth that we must not distinguish where the law doth not . and if it be an unlimited universal negative , it will quite go beyond mainwaring or sibthorpe : and for all his talk , my ignorance of the law shall suspend my subscription . 1. king john gave up his kingdom to the pope : i cannot say it had been unlawful for the kingdom to resist such as he should have commissioned to execute it . 2. nor such as should be commissioned to dispossess the right heir , and settle it on a stranger , or an enemy . 3. nor such as should be commissioned to seize on all the subjects estates or lives , yea or lay taxes contrary to law , in cases where the law enableth the sheriff by the posse comitatus to resist . 4. nor if any get the broad-seal to commissions to seize on the king's garrisons , forts , navies , treasures , guards , whereby a traiterous lord-keeper might at any time depose the king. i have told you , that old parliaments popish and protestant , and archbishop abbot , and bishop bilson , &c. were as much nonconformists in this as i am . and so much to the impleaders accusations of the nonconformists , and his reasons for the justifying of their silencing and ruine , and the lawfulness of some of the things which they judge to them unlawful : let the impartial reader try and judge . the rest of my book , which is the far greater part , he answereth by contempt and silence . chap. iv. of his dealing with the second plea for peace . while we hear men , that should be our brethren , go on to call to magistrates for execution of the laws ( which they have got ) against us , and for want of matter of accusation against those that they prosecute , raking up odious criminations from the late wars , which few of the now silenced ministers had any hand in ; and never ceasing to tell men , that the beginners of that war were guilty of the king's death . after 17 or 18 years silence , 1. i told them , that two parties of the episcopal conformists being the beginners , in england , it 's wonder'd that they see not how they accuse themselves : and why do they not profess repentance first ? 2. i fully told them what are our principles of government and obedience , and intreated them to shew me , wherein they are disloyal or culpable . and this man is the first that i finde pretending to assault it , and shame lessly passeth over the book itself , and by his silence seemeth to justifie our doctrine . and yet to shew his will , he taketh occasion again to take up the foresaid actions of the evil civil war , as if that were any thing to the present cause ; or as if he were calling the dead to judgment : ( for we have oft offered them thanks , if they will silence only those that had a hand in those wars . ) 2. he taketh on him to answer my historical preface ; and therein heapeth abundance of untruths , part of which i mentioned in the second chapter , and the rest i have so fully confuted in my answer to mr. hinkley , and in an historical index of those affairs , that i will not waste my own and the readers time , by saying the same things here again . and his accusations of my concord and moral prognostication , i have answered before . it is the manner of the man to name books , and take occasion from somewhat in them , to pour out that which he most abounds with ; and to try , whether men will take this for a confutation . o miserable world ! where the very preachers of holiness , love and peace , go on to the grave , and judgment , and eternity , fighting against holiness , love and peace ; forbidding others to worship god , ( that cannot swallow all their inventions ) and not enduring their brethren to live in peace among them . but 't is letter in the world of holy love and peace . a reflection on the reflecter on a book against sacrilegious desertion of the sacred ministry . § 1. when the king , being more merciful than the canoneer clergy , had granted licenses to the nonconformists , for the publick worshipping of god in peaceable assemblies , many of the clergy still cryed down such assemblies as schismatical ; when before they seemed to lay the charge of schism on them , for their want of authority : and these are the men , that when it is for their interest , are zealous defenders of the royal power against some parliaments limitations ; but their interest can extol , or at least absolve mr. hooker himself . some of them would have perswaded us to forbear the liberty which the king had granted us , and so to be the silencers of our selves , and to forbear gods publick worship till we dare conform . and no wonder , when they apprehended such dismal consequents to their church from our preaching , as mr. hinkley in his letter-book hath told you . among others , dr. fulwood would have drawn us into half this guilt , on pretence of perswading us to the moderate use of our licenses . on which occasion i wrote a small book , to prove that wilful deserting of our ministry even when it is forbidden unjustly , and yet remaineth notoriously necessary to the ends of the institution ) is downright sacriledge , and worse than alienating church-goods or lands . but i took occasion in it to deal as plainly with those non-conformists who are inclined to unwarrantable separations , as with our accusers . dr. fullwood wrote an answer to this book : i never replyed , partly that they may see that i can give such men the honour of having the last word , and partly to save mine own and the readers time . but now either he , or some other unnamed author that is marked m. a. hath published more useful reflections on that book . he knoweth to what use , and let him use them accordingly . § 2. i. part of his reflections are citations out of that and other of my books , of such words as seem to be for them , and against the non-conformists and my self . ii. the other part is his descant on the words , which he disliketh , and setteth them to the tune which suits his inclination , and may serve his turn . should i print an answer to such stuff as this , and in many sheets tell men where and how such men speak amiss , the reader might think that satan hath such power on me , as by any of his instruments , at his pleasure , to draw me to cast away my own and other mens precious time . § 3. all therefore that i shall say to him shall be this , i. as to the first , that 1. i can reconcile my own words , though he cannot : and as he never desired me to teach him to do it , i am not at leisure to offer him my service : all is not contradiction , which men that understand not words do think so . 2. readers , you see here when they call for moderation , and would have us come as near them as we can , they do but turn it to reproach . and one that granteth them all that they cite out of my books , and comes as near them as i do , is nevertheless thought unsufferable by them , in the exercise of the ministry and out of jayl . this is the spirit of the men . § 4. ii. to the other part i only say , the man mistakes all the question ; which is not , whether i be good or bad , learned or unlearned : let this be determined with him as he will. i am so ignorant and bad , that i will not now trouble him with much contradiction . but the question is , 1. whether the two thousand ministers were justly silenced ? 2. and whether if they wilfully ( though so silenced ) desert the ministry to which they were devoted and consecrated , they will not be guilty of damnable sacriledge and perfidiousness ? if the man will speak to purpose to this question , it is like that some one will confute his defence of so great a sin , when i am past this unpleasant military work. a note on varney's book against the dissenters from the church of england . instead of confuting it , i commend the reading of it to such as would see which side hath phanaticks . it declareth that j. varney hath by faith pulled down the devils kingdome ; and that king charles 2. shall be emperour of all nations , by whom christ will govern them ; greater than turk , pope , or french. and the way is , the dissenters from the government of the church of england must be made hewers of wood and drawers of water , and must pay all taxes and payments of the land , to maintain the forces that shall preserve the land against them : like decimation . notes on mr. le strange 's casuist uncased . i have had some gentle touches from this musical band heretofore , which i found not my self obliged to answer . nor shall i now say any more than this : i. that he that fetcheth his chief stings and scorns from a book , and the leaf of another book about twenty years or longer at least revoked and obliterated , sheweth that if with austin we wrote retractations , such men would turn all to reproach . ii. that i make not mr. le strange 's judgment the measure of my repentance or retractations . iii. that i have never had the schooling of him , and so never taught him to understand my writings , and therefore undertake not that things congruous shall not seem contradictions to him . but i can reconcile more than he can . for instance , 1. my disputation of scandal , plea second , reconcileth what he dreamed was contradiction , about imposing things evil by accident . 2. i can reconcile the kings having power about the circumstances , yea and substance of religion ; and yet that he hath none but what he had from christ . but i have not leasure for such work as this . iv. mr. le strange quite mistakes the non-conformists question , as the reflecter doth ; as if hissing and stinging were disputing . he seemeth to make the question to be , whether i be not a giddy , mutable , self-contradicting fool and knave : let him in that believe what pleases himself . our question is , whether silencing , fining , imprisoning the non-conformists , be the way of peace , and of the desired concord of protestants ? yea , whether concord be possible on those terms , and they will ever end our sad divisions . notes on a dialogue between the pope and a phanatick . mr. l. strange's dialogue minds me of this , for it is a book not to be forgotten : the scope of it is to shew , that the non-conformists are designing to destroy the king ; that their principles are rebellious ; that they have so far prevailed already , that we must have no king , or no parliament ; which yet being needful , and the genius of the parliament thus corrupted , the king must choose his own councellors , and take the choice from the people ( to this sense ) , and all the loyal subjects must give their hands , and list or engage themselves to defend the king against these conspirators . just the meal-tub plot ! but my second plea was written to answer such as this ; and i leave the fuller answer to those that are more concerned in it . so much against this regiment of accusers . turba gravis paci placidaeque inimica qui●ti . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a27046-e41350 * alas ! then there is no remedy ! an accompt of all the proceedings of the commissioners of both persvvasions appointed by his sacred majesty, according to letters patent, for the review of the book of common prayer, &c. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1661 approx. 410 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 83 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2005-10 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26853 wing b1177 estc r34403 14397687 ocm 14397687 102298 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26853) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 102298) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1056:13) an accompt of all the proceedings of the commissioners of both persvvasions appointed by his sacred majesty, according to letters patent, for the review of the book of common prayer, &c. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [8]. 32, [4], 130 p. [s.n.], london : 1661. in two parts, each numbered separately. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church of england. -book of common prayer. church of england -history. 2004-03 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2004-03 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-02 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-02 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion an accompt of all the proceedings of the commissioners of both persvvasions ▪ appointed by his sacred majesty , according to letters patents , for the review of the book of common-prayer , &c. london , printed in the year 1661. majesties feet , beseeching you to prosper such a blessed resolution , till it attain success : we must needs beleeve , that when your majesty took our consent to a lyturgy to be a foundation that would infer our concord , you meant not that we should have no concord , but by consenting to this lyturgy , without any considerable alterations . and when you comforted us with your resolutions to draw us together , by yeelding on both sides in what we could , you meant not that we should be the boat to lay the banks that should not stir ; and when your majesty commanded us by letters patents to meet about such alterations as are needful or expedient for giving satisfaction to tender consciences , and the restoring and continuing of peace and unity , we rest assured , that it was not your sense that those tender consciences were to be forced to practice all which they judged unlawful , and not so much as a ceremony abated them ; or that our treaty was only to convert either party to the opinion of another ; and that all our hopes of concord and liberty consisted only in disputing the bishops into non-conformity , or coming in every ceremony to their minds . finally ( for your majesty , under god , is the protection whereto your people flye , and as the same necessity still remains which drew forth your gracious declaration ) we most humbly and earnestly beseech your majesty , that the benefit of the said declaration may be continued to your people , and in particular , that none be punished or troubled for not using the common-prayer , till it be effectually reformed , and the addition made , as there exprest . we crave your majesties pardon for the tediousness of this address , and shall wait in hope , that so great a calamity of your people as will follow the loss of so many able , faithful ministers , as the rigorous imposition would cast out , shall never be recorded in the history of your reign , but that these impediments of concord being forborn , your kingdom may flourish in piety and peace , that this may be the signal honour of your happy●reign , and your joy in the day of your account , which is the prayer of your majesties faithful and obedient subjects . a copy of his majesties commission . charles the second by the grace of god king of england , scotland , france and ireland , defender of the faith , &c. to our trusty and well beloved the most reverend father in god accepted arch-bishop of york , the right reverend fathers in god gilbert bishop of london , john bishop of durham , john bishop of rochester , humphrey bishop of sarum , george bishop of worcester , robert bishop of lincolne , benjamin bishop of peterborough , brian bishop of chester , richard bishop of carlile , john bishop of exeter , edward bishop of norwich ; and to our trusty and well beloved , the reverend anthony tuckney d d. john conant d. d. william spurstow d. d. john walis d. d. tho manton d. d. edmund calamy d. d. richard baxter clerk , arthur jackson , tho. case , samuel clarke , mathew newcomen clerkes ; and to our trusty and well beloved dr. earles dean of westminster , peter heylin d. d. john hacket d. d. john berwick d. d. peter gunning d. d. john pearson d. d. tho. pierce d. d. anthony sparrow , herbert thorndike d. d. thomas horton d. d. thomas jacomb d. d. william bate , john rawlinson clerks , william cooper clerk , d. john lightfoot , d. john collings , d. benjamin woodbridg , and william drake clerk , greeting . whereas by our declaration of the 25 of october last concerning ecclesiastical affairs , we did ( amongst other things ) express our esteem of the liturgy of the church of england contained in the book of common-prayer ; and yet since we find exceptions made against several things therein , we did by our said declaration declare we would appoint an equal number of learned divines , of both perswasions , to review the same : we therefore in accomplishment of our said will and intent , and of our continued and constant care and study for the peace and unity of the churches within our dominions , and for the removal of all exceptions & difference , and the occasions of such differences and exceptions from among our good subjects , for or concerning the said book of common-prayer , or any thing therein contained , do by these our letters patents require , authorize , constitute and appoint you the said , &c. to advise upon and review the said book of common-prayer , comparing the same with the most ancient liturgies which have been used in the church in the primitive and purest times . and to that end , to assemble and meet together , from time to time , and at such time within the space of four kalendar-months now next ensuing , in the masters lodging in the savoy in the strand in the county of middlesex , or in such other place or places as to you shall be thought fit and convenient , to take into your serious and grave consideration the several directions and rules , forms of prayer , and things in the said book of common-prayer contained , and to advise , consult upon and about the same , and the several objections and exceptions which shall now be raised against the same , and ( if occasion be ) to make such reasonable and necessary alterations , corrections , and amendments therein , as by and between you the said arch-bishop , bishops , doctors , and persons hereby required and authorized to meet and advise as aforesaid , shall be agreed upon to be needful and expedient , for the giving satisfaction to tender consciences , and the restoring and continuance of peace and unity in the churches under our protection and government ; but avoyding ( asmuch as may be ) all unnecessary abbreviations of the forms & liturgy wherewith the people are altogether acquainted , and have so long received in the church of england . and our will and pleasure is , that when you the said arch-bishop , bishops , doctors and persons authorized and appointed by these our letters patents to meet , advise and consult upon and about the premises as aforesaid , shall have drawn your consultations to any resolution and determination which you shall agree upon as needful or expedient to be done for the altering , diminishing or enlarging the said book of common-prayer , or any part thereof , that then forthwith you certifie and present to us in writing under your several hands the matters and things whereupon you shall so determine , for our approbation ; and to the end the same or so much thereof as shall be approved by us , may be established , and forasmuch as the said arch-bishop and bishops have several great charges to attend , which we would not dispense with , or that the same should be neglected upon any great occasion whatsoever , and some of them being of great age and infirmities , may not be able constantly to attend the execution of the service and authority hereby given and required by us , in the meeting and consultation aforesaid ; we will therefore , and hereby require you the said dr. earles , &c. to supply the place and places of such of the arch-bishop and bishops ( other then the said edward bishop of norwich ) as shall by age , sickness , infirmity or other occasions be hindred from attending the said meeting or consultation ( that is to say ) that one of you the said dr. earles , &c. shall from time to time supply the place of each one of them the said arch-bishop and bishops ( other then the said edward bishop of norwich ) which shall happen to be hindred or to be absent from the said meetings or consutations ; and shall and may advise , consult and determine , and also certifie and execute all and singular the powers and authorities before mentioned in and about the premises , as fully and absolutely as such arch-bishop and bishops which shall so happen to be absent should or might do by vertue of these our letters patents , or any thing herein contained , in case he or they were personally present . and whereas in regard of the distance of some , the infirmity of others , the multitude of constant imployment and other incidental impediments , some of you the said edward bishop of norwich , &c. may be hindred from the constant attendance in the execution of the service aforesaid , we therefore will and do hereby require and authorize you the said thomas horton , &c. to supply the place or ●laces of such the commissioners last above mentioned , as shall by the means aforesaid or any other occasion be hindred from the said meeting and consultations , that one of you the said thomas horton , &c. shall from time to time supply the places of each one of the said commissioners last mentioned , which shall happen to be hindred or absent from the said meeting and consultations ; and shall and may advise , consult and determine , and also certifie and execute all and singular the powers and authorities before mentioned in and about the premises , as fully and absolutely as such of the said last mentioned commissioners , which shall so happen to be absent , should or might do by vertue of these our letters patents , or any thing therein contained , in case he or they were personally present . in witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patents : witness our self at westminster the 25 day of march , in the thirteenth year of our reign . per ipsum regem . barker . the exceptions against the book of common-prayer . acknowledging with all humility and thankfulness , his majesties most princely condiscention and indulgence , to very many of his loyal subjects , as well in his majesties most gracious declaration , as particularly in this present commission , issued forth in pursuance thereof ; wee doubt not but the right reverend bishops , and all the rest of his majesties commissioners intrusted in this work , will , in imitation of his majesties most prudent and christian moderation and clemency , judge it their duty ( what wee finde to bee the apostles own practice ) in a special manner to bee tender of the churches peace , to bear with the infirmities of the weak , and not to please themselves , nor to measure the consciences of other men by the light and latitude of their own , but seriously and readily to consider and advise of such expedients , as may most conduce to the healing of our breaches , and uniting those that differ . and albeit wee have an high and honourable esteem of those godly and learned bishops , and others , who were the first compilers of the publick liturgy , and do look upon it as an excellent and worthy work , for that time , when the church of england made her first step out of such a mist of popish ignorance and superstition , wherein it formerly was involved ; yet considering that all humane works do gradually arrive at their maturity , and perfection ; and this in particular being a work of that nature , hath already admitted several emendations since the first compiling thereof . it cannot bee thought any disparagement or derogation either to the work it self , or to the compilers of it , or to those who have hitherto used it , if after more than an hundred years , since its first composure , such further ●emendations be now made therein , as may bee judged ▪ necessary for satisfying the scruples of a multitude of sober persons , who cannot at all ( or very hardly ) comply with the use of it , as now it is , and may best sute with the present times after so long an enjoyment of the glorious light of the gospel , and so happy a reformation . especially considering that many godly and learned men ▪ have from the beginning all along earnestly desired the alteration of many things therein , and very many of his majesties pious , peaceable , and loyal subjects , after so long a discontinuance of it , are more averse from it than heretofore . the satisfying of whom ( as far as may bee ) will very much conduce to that peace and unity which is so much desired by all good men , and so much indeavoured by his most excellent majesty . and therefore in pursuance of this his majesties most gracious commission , for the satisfaction of tender consciences , and the procuring of peace and unity amongst our selves , wee judge meet to propose , first , that all the prayers , and other materials of the liturgy may consist of nothing doubtful or questioned amongst pious , learned , and orthodox persons inasmuch as the professed end of composing them is for the declaring of the unity and consent of all who joyn in the publick worship ; it being too evident that the limiting of church-communion to things of doubtful disputation , hath been in all ages the ground of schism and separation according to the saying of a learned person . to load our publick forms , with the private fancies upon which wee differ , is the most soveraign way to perpetuate schism to the worlds end . prayer , confession , thanksgiving , reading of the scriptures , and administration of the sacraments in the plainest , and simplest manner , were matter enough to furnish out a sufficient liturgy , though nothing either of private opinion , or of church-pomp , of garments , or prescribed gestures , of imagery , of musick , of matter concerning the dead , of many superfluities which creep into the church under the name of order , and decency , did interpose it self . to charge churches and liturgies with things unnecessary , was the first beginning of all superstition , and when scruple of conscience began to be made or pretended , then schism began to break in . if the special guides and fathers of the church would be a little sparing of incumbring churches with superfluities , or not over-rigid , either in reviving obsolete customes , or imposing new , there would be far less cause of schism , or superstition ; and all the inconvenience were likely to ensue , would be but this , they should in so doing yeeld a little to the imbecillity of their inferiours ; a thing which st. paul would never have refused to do : mean while , wheresoever false or suspected opinions are made a peece of church-liturgy ; hee that separates is not the schismatick : for it is alike unlawful to make profession of known , or suspected falshood ; as to put in practise unlawful or suspected actions . ] 2. further , we humbly desire that it may be seriously considered , that as our first reformers out of their great wisdome , did at that time so compose the liturgy , as to win upon the papists , and to draw them into their church-communion , by varying as little as they well could , from the romish forms before in use ; so whether in the present constitution , & state of things amongst us , wee should not according to the same rule of prudence and charity , have our liturgy so composed , as to gain upon the judgements and affection of all those who in the substantials of the protestant religion are of the same perswasions with our selves : inasmuch as a more firm union and consent of all such , as well in worship , as in doctrine , would greatly strengthen the protestant interest against all those dangers and temptations which our intestine divisions and animosities do expose us unto , from the common adversary . 3. that the repetitions , and responsals of the clerk and people , and the alternate reading of the psalms and hymns which cause a confused murmure in the congregation , whereby what is read is less intelligible , and therefore unedifying , may be omitted : the minister being appointed for the people in all publick services appertaining unto god , and the holy scriptures , both of the old and new testament , intimating the peoples part in publick prayer to be only with silence and reverence to attend thereunto , and to declare their consent in the cloze , by saying amen , 4. that in regard the letany ( though otherwise containing in it many holy petitions ) is so framed , that the petitions for a great part are uttered only by the people , which wee think not to be so consonant to scripture , which makes the minister the mouth of the people to god in prayer , the particulars thereof may be composed into one solemn prayer to be offered by the minister unto god for the people . 5. that there be nothing in the liturgy which may seem to countenance the observation of lent , as a religious fast ; the example of christs fasting forty daies and nights , being no more imitable , nor intended for the imitation of a christian , than any other of his miraculous works were , or than moses his forty daies fast was for the jews : and the act of parliament 5. eliz. forbidding abstinence from flesh to bee observed upon any other than a politick consideration ▪ and punishing all those who by preaching , teaching , writing , or open speeches , shall notifie that the forbearing of flesh , is of any necessity for the saving of the soul , or that it is the service of god , otherwise , than as other politick laws are . 6. that the religious observation of saints-daies appointed to be kept as holy-daies , and the vigils thereof without any foundation ( as wee conceive ) in scripture , may be omitted . that if any be retained , they may be called festivals , and not holy-daies , nor made equal with the lords-day , nor have any peculiar service appointed for them , nor the people bee upon such daies forced wholly to abstain from work ; and that the names of all others now inserted in the calender which are not in the first and second books of edward the sixth , may be left out . 7. that the gift of prayer , being one special qualification for the work of the ministry bestowed by christ in order to the edification of his church , and to bee exercised for the profit and benefit thereof , according to its various and emergent necessity ; it is desired , that there may bee no such imposition of the liturgy , as that the exercise of that gift bee thereby totally excluded in any part of publick worship . and further , considering the great age of some ministers , and infirmities of others , and the variety of several services oft-times concurring upon the same day , whereby it may bee inexpedient to require every minister , at all times to read the whole ; it may bee left to the discretion of the minister , to omit part of it , as occasion shall require : which liberty wee finde to bee allowed even in the first common prayer-book of edward . 6. 8. that in regard of the many defects which have been observed in that version of the scriptures , which is used throughout the liturgy ( manifold instances whereof may bee produ●ed , as in the epistle for the first sunday after epiphany , taken out of romans 12. 1. bee yee changed in your shape ; and the epistle for the sunday next before easter , taken out of philippians 2. 5. found in his apparel as a man , as also the epistle for the fourth sunday in lent , taken out of the fourth of the galathians , mount sinai is agar in arabia , and bordereth upon the city which is now called jerusalem . the epistle for st. matthews day taken out of the second epistle of corinth , and the 4th . wee go not out of kind . the gospel for the second sunday after epiphany , taken out of the second of john , when men bee drunk . the gospel for the third sunday in lent , taken out of the 11th . of luke , one house doth fall upon another . the gospel for the annunciation , taken out of the first of luke , this is the sixth month which was called barren ] and many other places ) wee therefore desire instead thereof the new translation allowed by authority may alone bee used . 9. that inasmuch as the holy scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation , to furnish us thorougly unto all good works , and contain in them all things necessary , either in doctrine to be beleeved , or in duty to bee practised ; whereas divers chapters of the apocryphal books appointed to bee read , are charged to bee , in both respects , of dubious and uncertain credit : it is therefore desired , that nothing bee read in the church for lessons , but the holy scriptures of the old and new testament . 10. that the minister bee not required to rehearse any part of the liturgy at the communion-table , save only those parts which properly belong to the lords supper ; and that at such times only when the said holy supper is administred . 11. that as the word ( minister ) and not priest , or curate , is used in the absolution , and in divers other places ; it may throughout the whole book bee so used instead of those two words : and that instead of the word sunday , the word lords-day , may bee every where used . 12. because singing of psalms is a considerable part of publick worship , wee desire that the version set forth and allowed to bee sung in churches , may bee amended , or that wee may have leave to make use of a purer version . 13. that all obsolete words in the common-prayer , and such whose use is changed from their first significancy ( as aread ) used in the gospel for the monday , and wednesday before easter [ then opened hee their wits ] used in the gospel for easter tuesday , &c. may bee altered unto other words generally received , and better understood . 14. that no portions of the old testament , or of the acts of the apostles , be called epistles , and read as such . 15. that whereas throughout the several offices , the phrase is such as presumes all persons ( within the communion of the church ) to bee regenerated , converted , and in an actual state of grace ( which had ecclesiastical discipline been truly and vigorously executed , in the exclusion of scandalous and obstinate sinners , might bee better supposed : but there having been , and still being a confessed want of that ( as in the liturgy is acknowledged ) it cannot bee rationally admitted in the utmost latitude of charity . ) wee desire that this may bee reformed . 16. that whereas orderly connection of prayers , and of particular petitions and expressions , together with a competent length of the forms used , are tending much to edification , and to gain the reverence of people to them . there appears to us too great a neglect of both , of this order , and of other just laws , of method . particularly . 1. the collects are generally short , many of them consisting but of one , or at most two sentences of petition ; and these generally ushered in with a repeated mention of the name and attributes of god , and presently concluding with the name and merits of christ ; whence are caused many unnecessary intercisions and abruptions , which when many petitions are to bee offered at the same time , are neither agreeable to scriptural examples , nor suited to the gravity and seriousness of that holy duty . 2. the prefaces of many collects have not any clear and special respect to the following petitions ; and particular petitions are put together , which have not any due order , nor evident connection one with another , nor suitableness with the occasions upon which they are used , but seem to have fallen in rather casually , than from an orderly contrivance . it is desired , that instead of those various collects , there may bee one methodical and intire form of prayer composed out of many of them . 17. that whereas the publick liturgy of a church should in reason comprehend the sum of all such sins as are ordinarily to bee confessed in prayer by the church , and of such petitions and thanksgivings as are ordinarily by the church to bee put up to god , and the publick catechisms , or systems of doctrine , should summarily comprehend all such doctrines as are necessary to be beleeved , and these explicitly set down : the present liturgy as to all these seems very defective . particularly . 1. there is no preparatory prayer in our addresse to god for assistance or acceptance ; yet many collects in the midst of the worship have little or nothing else . 2. the confession is very defective , not clearly expressing original sin , nor sufficiently enumerating actual sins , with their aggravations ; but consisting only of generals : whereas confession being the exercise of repentance , ought to bee more particular . 3 there is also a great defect as to such forms of publick praise and thanksgiving , as are suitable to gospel-worship . 4 the whole body of the common-prayer also consisteth very much of meer generals : as , ( to have our prayers heard , ) to bee kept from all evil , and from all enemies , and all adversity , that wee may do gods will ; without any mention of the particulars in which these generals exist . 5 the catechisme is defective as to many necessary doctrines of our religion : some even of the essentials of christianity not mentioned except in the creed , and there not so explicite as ought to bee in a catechisme . 18 because this liturgie containeth the imposition of divers ceremonies which from the first reformation have by sundry learned and pious men been judged unwarrantable , as 1 that publick worship may not bee celebrated by any minister that dare not wear a surpless . 2 that none may baptize , nor bee baptized , without the transient image of the cross , which hath at least the semblance of a sacrament of humane institution , being used as an ingageing signe in our first and solemne covenanting with christ , and the duties whereunto wee are really obliged by baptisme , being more expresly fixed to that airy sign than to this holy sacrament . 3 that none may receive the lords supper that dare not kneel in the act of receiving ; but the minister must exclude all such from the communion : although such kneeling not only differs from the practice of christ and of his apostles , but ( at least on the lords day ) is contrary to the practice of the catholick church , for many hundred years after , and forbidden by the most venerable councils that ever were in the christian world . all which impositions , are made yet more grievous , by that subscription to their lawfulness , which the canon exacts , and by the heavy punishment upon the non-observance of them which the act of uniformity inflicts . and it being doubtful whether god hath given power unto men , to institute in his worship such mystical teaching signs , which not being necessary in genere , fall not under the rule of doing all things decently , orderly , and to edification , and which once granted will upon the same reason , open a door to the arbitrary imposition of numerous ceremonies of which st. augustine complained in his daies ; and the things in controversie being in the judgement of the imposers confessedly indifferent , who do not so much as pretend any real goodness in them of themselves , otherwise than what is derived from their being imposed , and consequently the imposition ceasing , that will cease also , and the worship of god not become indecent without them . whereas on the other hand in the judgement of the opposers they are by some held sinful , and unlawful in themselves , by others very inconvenient and unsuitable to the simplicity of gospel-worship , and by all of them very grievous and burthensome , and therefore not at all fit to bee put in ballance with the peace of the church , which is more likely to be promoted by their removal , than continuance : considering also how tender our lord and saviour himself is of weak brethren , declaring it much better for a man to have a mill-stone hanged about his neck , and bee cast into the depth of the sea , than to offend one of his little ones : and how the apostle paul ( who had as great a legislative power in the church , as any under christ ) held himself obliged by that common rule of charity , not to lay a stumbling block , or an occasion of offence before a weak brother , chusing rather not to eat flesh whiles the world stands ( though in it self a thing lawful ) then offend his brother for whom christ died : wee cannot but desire that these ceremonies may not be imposed on them , who judge such impositions a violation of the royalty of christ , and an impeachment of his laws as in insufficient , and are under the holy awe of that which is written , deut. 12. 32. ( what thing soever i command you , observe to do it ) thou shalt not add thereto , nor diminish from it ) but that there may bee either a total abolition of them , or at least such a liberty , that those who are unsatisfied concerning their lawfulness or expediency , may not bee compelled to the practice of them , or subscription to them . but may bee permitted to enjoy their ministerial function , and communion with the church without them . the rather because these ceremonies have for above an hundred years been the fountain of manifold evils in this church and nation , occasioning fad divisions between ministers and ministers , as also between ministers and people , exposing many orthodox , pious , and peaceable ministers , to the displeasure of their rulers , casting them on the edge of the penal statutes , to the loss not only of their livings and liberties , but also of their opportunities for the service of christ , and his church ; and forcing people , either to worship god in such a manner as their own consciences condemn , or doubt of , or else to forsake our assemblies , as thousands have done : and no better fruits than these can bee looked for from the retaining and imposing of these ceremonies , unless wee could presume , that all his majesties subjects should have the same subtilty of judgement to discern even to a ceremony , how far the power of man extends in the things of god , which is not to bee expected , or should yeeld obedience to all the impositions of men concerning them , without inquiring into the will of god , which is not to bee desired . wee do therefore , most earnestly entreat the right reverend fathers and brethren , to whom these papers are delivered , as they tender the glory of god , the honour of religion , the peace of the church , the service of his majesty in the accomplishment of that happy union , which his majesty hath so abundantly testified his desires of , to joyn with us in importuning his most excellent majesty , that his most gracious indulgence , as to these ceremonies granted in his royal declaration may bee confirmed and continued to us and our posterities , and extended to such as do not yet enjoy the benefit thereof . 19. as to that passage in his majesties commission , where wee are authorized , and required to compare the present liturgy , with the most antient liturgies which have been used in the church , in the purest and most primitive times : wee have in obedience to his majesties commission , made enquiry , but cannot finde any records of known credit , concerning any intire forms of liturgy , within the first three hundred years which are confessed to bee , as the most primitive , so the purest ages of the church : nor any imposition of liturgies upon any national church for some hundreds of years after : wee finde indeed some liturgical forms fathered upon st. basil , st. chrysostome , and st. ambrose , but wee have not seen any copies of them , but such as give us sufficient evidence to conclude them either wholly spurious , or so interpolated , that wee cannot make a judgement which in them hath any primitive authority . having thus in general expressed our desires , wee come now to particulars , which wee finde numerous , and of a various nature ; some wee grant are of inferiour consideration , verbal rather that material ( which were they not in the publick liturgy of so famous a church , wee should not have mentioned ) others dubious and disputable , as not having a clear foundation in scripture for their warrant : but some there bee that seem to bee corrupt , and to carry in them a repugnancy to the rule of the gospel ; and therefore have administred just matter of exception and offence to many , truly religious , and peaceable ; not of a private station only , but learned and judicious divines , as well of other reformed churches , as of the church of england , ever since the reformation . wee know much hath been spoken and written by way of apology , in answer to many things that have been objected ; but yet the doubts and scruples of tender consciences still continue , or rather are increased . wee do humbly conceive it therefore a work worthy of those wonders of salvation , which god hath wrought for his majesty now on the throne , and for the whole kingdome , and exceedingly becoming the ministers of the gospel of peace , with all holy moderation and tenderness , to indeavour the removal of every thing out of the worship of god , which may justly offend or grieve the spirits of sober and godly people . the things themselves that are desired to bee removed , not being of the foundation of religion , nor the essentials of publick worship , nor the removal of them any way tending to the prejudice of the church or state ; therefore their continuance , and rigorous imposition , can no waies be able to countervail the laying aside of so many pious and able ministers , and the unconceivable grief that will arise to multitudes of his majesties most loyal and peaceable subjects , who upon all occasions are ready to serve him with their prayers , estates , and lives . for the preventing of which evils , wee humbly desire that these particulars following , may bee taken into serious and tender consideration . concerning morning and evening prayer . rubrick . that morning and evening prayer shall bee used in the accustomed place of church , chancel , or chappel ; except it bee otherwise determined by the ordinary of the place , and the chaucel shall remain as in times past . exception . we desire that the words of the first rubrick may be expressed as in the book established by authority of parliament 5to . & 6to . edw. 6ti . thus [ the morning and evening prayer shall bee used in such place of the church , chappel , or chancel , and the minister shall so turn him , as the people may best hear , and if there bee any controversie therein , the matter shall be referred to the ordinary . ] rubrick . and here is to bee noted , that the minister , at the time of the communion , and at other times , in his ministeration shall use such ornaments in the church , as were in use by authority of parliament , in the second year of the reigne of edward the sixth , according to the act of parliament . exception . forasmuch as this rubrick seemeth to bring back the cope , albe , &c. and other vestments forbidden by the common-prayer-book , 5. and 6. edw. 6. and so our reasons alledged against ceremonies under our eighteenth general exception , wee desire it may bee wholly left out , rubrick . the lords-prayer after the absolution ends thus ; deliver us from evil . exception . wee desire that these words , for thine is the kingdome , the power and the glory for ever and ever . amen . may be alwaies added unto the lords-prayer ; and that this prayer may not bee enjoyned to bee so often used in morning and evening service . rubrick . and at the end of every psalme , throughout the year , and likewise in the end of benedictus , benedicite , magnificat , & nunc dimittis , shall bee repeated , glory to the father , &c. exception . by this rubrick , and other places in the common-prayer-books , the gloria patri , is appointed to bee said six times ordinarily in every morning and evening service , frequently eight times in a morning ; sometimes ten , which wee think carries with it at least an appearance of that vain repetition which christ forbids ; for the avoiding of which appearance of evil , wee desire it may bee used but once in the morning , and once in the evening . rubrick . in such places where they do sing , there shall the lessons bee sung , in a plaine tune , and likewise , the epistle and gospel , exception . the lessons , and the epistles , and gospels being for the most part neither psalms nor hymns , wee know no warrant why they should bee sung in any place , and conceive that the distinct reading of them with an audible voice , tends more to the edification of the church . rubrick . or this canticle , ben'dicite omnia opera . exception . wee desire that some psalm or scripture hymn may bee appointed instead of that apocryphal . in the letany . rubrick . from all fornication , and all other deadly sin . exception . in regard that the wages of sin is death ; wee desire that this clause may bee thus altered , from fornication , and all other hainous , or grievous sins . rubrick . from battel , and murther , and sudden death . exception . because this expression of sudden death hath been so often excepted against , wee desire , if it bee thought fit , it may bee thus read , from battel and murther , and from dying suddenly , and unprepared . rubrick . that it may please thee to preserve all that travel , by land , or by water , all women labouring with childe , all sick persons , and young children , and to shew thy pitty upon all prisouers and captives . exception . wee desire the term ( all ) may bee advised upon , as seeming liable to just exceptions , and that it may bee considered , whether it may not better bee put indefinitely ; those that travel , &c. rather than universally . the collect on christmas-day . rubrick . almighty god , which hast given us thy only begotten son , to take our nature upon him , and this day to bee born of a pure uirgin , &c. exception . wee desire that in both collects the word ( this day ) may bee left out , it being according to vulgar acceptation a contradiction . rubrick . then shall follow the collect of the nativity , which shall be said continually unto new-years-day . the collect for whitsonday . rubrick . god which upon this day , &c. rubrick . the same collect to be read on monday and tuesday , in whitson-week . rubrick . the two collects for st. johns day , and innocents , the collects for the first day in lent , for the fourth sunday after easter , for trinity-sunday , for the sixth and twelfth sunday after trinity , for st. lukes day , and michaelmas day . exception . wee desire that these collects may bee further considered and debated , as having in them , divers things that wee judge fit to bee altered . the order for the administration of the lords-supper . rubrick . so many as intend to bée partakers of the holy communion shall signifie their names to the curate over-night , or else in the morning before the beginning of morning-prayer , or immediately after . exception . the time here assigned for notice to bee given to the minister , is not sufficient . rubrick . and if any of these be a notorious evil liver , the curate having knowledge thereof , shall call him , and advertize him in any wise not to presume to the lords table . exception . wee desire the ministers sters power both to admit and keep from the lords table , may bee according to his majesties declaration , 25. octob. 1660. in these words , the minister shall admit none to the lords supper , till they have made a credible profession of their faith , and promised obedience to the will of god , according as is expressed in the considerations of the rubrick , before the catechism , and that all possible diligence be used for the instruction and reformation of scandalous offenders , whom the minister shall not suffer to partake of the lords table , until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty lives , as is partly expressed in the rubrick , and more fully in the canons , rubrick . then shall the priest rehearse distinctly all the ten commandements , and the people knéeling , shall after every commandement ask gods mercy for transgressing the same . exception . wee desire , 1. that the preface , prefixed by god himself to the ten commandements , may bee restored . 2 that the fourth commandement may bee read , as in exod . 20. deut. 5. hee blessed the sabbath day . 3. that neither minister nor people may bee enjoyned to kneel more at the reading of this , than of other parts of scripptures , the rather because many ignorant persons are thereby induced to use the ten commandements as a prayer . 4. that instead of those short prayers of the people , intermixed with the several commandements , the minister after the reading of all may conclude with a suitable prayer . rubrick . after the creed , if there be no sermon , shall follow one of the hoinilies already set forth , or hereafter to be set forth by common authority . exception . we desire , that the preaching of the word may be strictly enjoyned , and not left so indifferent at the administration of the sacraments , as also that ministers may not be bound to those things which are as yet but future and not in being . after such sermon , homily , or exhortation , the curate shall declare , &c. and earnestly exhort them to remember the poor , saying one or more of these sentences following . then it all the church-wardens , or some other by them appointed , gather the devotion of the people . two of the sentences here cited are apocryphal , and four of them more proper to draw out the peoples bounty to their ministers , than their charitie to the poor . collection for the poor may be better made at or a little before the departing of the communicants . exhortation . we be come together at this time to féed at the lords supper , unto the which in gods behalf i bid you all that be here present , and beséech you for the lord jesus christ sake that ye will not refuse to come , &c. the way and meanes thereto is first to examine your lives & conversations , and if ye shall p●rceive your offences to be such as be not only against god , but also against your neighbours , then ye shall reconcile your selves unto them , and be ready to make restitution and satisfaction . and because it is requisite that no man should come to the holy communnion , but with a full trust in gods mercy and with a quiet conscience . if it be intended that these exhortations should be read at the communion , they seem to us to be unseasonable . we fear this may discourage many from coming to the sacrament , who lye under a doubting and troubled conscience . before the confession . then shall this general confession be made in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy communion either by one of them , or else by one of the 〈…〉 priest himself . we desire it may be made by the minister only . before the confession . then shall the priest or the bishop ( being present ) stand up , and turning himself to the people say thus . exception . the minister turning himself to the people is most convenient throughout the whole ministration . before the prefaces on christmass day , and 7 dayes after . because thou didst give jesus christ thine onely son to be born as this day for us , &c. first , we cannot peremptorily fix the nativitie of our saviour to this or that day particularly : secondly , it seems incongruous to affirm the birth of christ and the descending of the holy ghost to be on this day for seven or eight dayes together . upon whitsunday , and fix dayes after . according to whose most true promise the holy ghost came down this day from heaven . prayer before that which is at the consecration . grant us that our sinfull bodies may be made clean by his body , and our souls washed through his most precious blood . we desire , that whereas these words seem to give a greater efficacy to the blood than to the body of christ , they may be altered thus , that our sinfull souls and bodies may be cleansed through his precious body & blood. prayer at the consecration . hear us o merciful father , &c. who in the same night that he was betrayed took bread , and when he had given thanks , he brake it , and gave to his disciples , saying , take , eat , &c. we conceive that the manner of the consecrating of the elements is not here explicite and distinct enough , and the ministers breaking of the bread is not so much as mentioned . rubrick . then shall the minister first receive the communion in both kinds , &c. and after deliver it to the people in their hands knéeling ; and when he delivereth the bread , he shall say , the body of our lord jesus christ which was given f●r thee , preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life , and take and eat this in remembrance , &c. we desire , that at the distribution of the bread and wine to the communicants , we may use the words of our saviour as near as may be , and that the minister be not required to deliver the bread and wine into every particular communicants hand , and to repeat the words to each one in the singular number , but that it may suffice to speak them to diverse jointly , according to our saviours example . we also desire , that the kneeling at the sacrament ( it being not tha● gesture which the apostles used , though christ was personally present amongst them , nor that which was used in the purest and primitive times of the church ) may be left free , as it was 1. & 2. edw. as touching kneeling , &c. they may be used or left as every mans devotion serveth , without blame . rubrick . and note , that every parishioner shall communicate at the least thrée times in the year , of which easter is be one , and shall also receive the sacraments and other rites , according to the orders in this book appointed . exception . forasmuch as every parishioner is not duly qualified for the lords supper , and those habitually prepared are not at all times actually disposed , but many may be hindered by the providence of god , and some by the distemper of their own spirits ; wee desire this rubrick may be either wholly omitted , or thus altered : every minister shall be bound to administer the sacrament of the lords supper at least thrice a year , provided there be a due number of communicants manifesting their desires to receive . and we desire that the following rubrick in the common-prayer-book in 5. & 8. edw. established by law as much as any other part of the common-prayer-book , may be restored for the vindicating of our church in the matter of kneeling at the sacrament ( although the gesture be left indifferent ) [ although no order can be so perfectly devised , but it may be of some , either for their ignorance and infirmitie , or else of malice and obstinacy , misconstrued , depraved , and interpreted in a wrong part ; and yet , because brotherly charity willeth that so much as conveniently may be offences should be taken away , therefore are we willing to do the same . whereas it is ordained in the book of common-prayer , in the administration of the lords supper , that the communicant kneeling should receive the holy communion , which thing being well meant for a signification of the humble and gratefull acknowledging of the benefits of christ given unto the worthy receivers , and to avoid the prophanation and disorder which about the holy communion might else ensue , left yet the same kneeling might be thought or taken otherwise , wee do declare , that it is not meant thereby that any adoration is done or ought to be done either unto the sacramental bread or wine , there bodily received , or unto any real or essential presence there being of christs natural flesh and blood : for as concerning the sacramental bread and wine , they remain still in their very natural substances , and therefore may not be adored ; for that were idolatry to be abhorred of all faithfull christians : and as concerning the natural body and blood of our saviour christ , they are in heaven , and not here , for it is against the truth of christs natural bodie to be in more places than in one at one time . of publique baptisme . there being divers learned , pious , and peaceable ministers , who not only judge it unlawfull to baptize children , whose parents both of them are atheists , infidels , hereticks , or unbaptized , but also such whose parents are excommunicate persons , fornicators , or otherwise notorious and scandalous sinners ; we desire they may not be enforced to baptize the children of such , untill they have made due profession of their repentance . before baptisme . rubrick . parents shall give notice over night , or in the morning . exception . wee desire that more timely notice may be given . rubrick . and then the godfathers , and the godmothers , and the people with the children , &c. exception . here is no mention of the parents , in whose right the childe is baptized , and who are fittest both to dedicate it unto god , and to covenant for it : we do not know that any persons , except the parents , or some others appointed by them , have any power to consent for the children , or to enter them into covenant . wee desire it may be left free to parents whether they will have sureties to undertake for their children in baptisme or no. rubrick . ready at the font : exception . we desire it may so be placed as all the congregation may best see and hear the whole administration . in the first prayer . by the baptisme of the welbeloved son , &c. didst sanctifie the flood jordan , and all other waters to the mystical washing away of sin , &c. it being doubtfull whether either the flood jordan or any other waters were sanctified to a sacramental use , by christs being baptized , and not necessary to be asserted , wee desire this may be otherwise expressed . the third exhortation . do promise by you that be their sureties . the questions . doest thou forsake , &c. doest thou believe , &c. wilt thou be baptized , &c. wee know not by what right the sureties do promise and answer in the name of the infant : it seemeth to us also to countenance the anabaptistical opinion of the necessity of an actual profession of faith and repentance in order to baptisme . that such a profession may be required of parents in their own name , and now solemnly renued when they present their children to baptisme , wee willingly grant : but the asking of one for another is a practice whose warrant we doubt of ; and therefore wee desire that the two first interrogatories may be put to the parents to be answered in their own names , and the last propounded to the parents or pro-parents thus , will you have this childe baptized into this faith ? the second prayer before baptisme . may receive remission of sins by spiritual regeneration . this expression seeming inconvenient , wee desire it may be changed into this ; may be regenerated and receive the remission of sins . in the prayer after baptism . that it hath pleased thée to regenerate this infant by thy holy spirit . wee cannot in faith say , that every childe that is baptized is regenerated by gods holy spirit ; at least it is a disputable point , and therefore wee desire it may be otherwise expressed . after baptisme . then shall the priest make a cross , &c. concerning the cross in baptisme wee referr to our 18th general . of private baptism . vvee desire that baptism may not be administred in a private place at any time , unless by a lawful minister , and in the presence of a competent number : that where it is evident that any child hath been so baptized , no part of the administration may be reiterated in publick , under any limitations : and therefore we see no need of any liturgy in that case . of the catechism . 1. quest. what is your name , &c. 2. quest. who gave you that name ? ans. my godfathers and my godmothers in my baptism . 3. quest. what did your godfathers and godmothers do for you in baptism ? exception . we desire these three first questions may be altered ; considering that the far greater number of persons baptized within these twenty years last past , had no godfathers nor godmothers at their baptism : the like to be done in the seventh question . 2. ans. in my baptism , wherein i was made a child of god , a member of christ , and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven . we conceive it might be more safely expressed thus : wherein i was visibly admitted into the number of the members of christ , the children of god , and the heirs ( rather then inheritors ) of the kingdom of heaven . of the rehearsal of the ten commandments . we desire that the commandments be inserted according to the new translation of the bible . 10. ans. my duty towards god is to believe in him , &c. in this answer there seemt to be particular respect to the several commandments of the first table , as in the following answer to those of the second . and therefore wee desire it may be advised upon , whether to the last word of this answer may not be added [ particularly on the lords day ] otherwise there being nothing in all this answer that refers to the fourth commandment . 14. quest. how many sacraments hath christ ordained , & c ? ans. two onely , as generally necessary to salvation . that these words may be omitted , and answer thus given : two onely , baptism and the lords supper . 19. quest. what is required of persons to be baptized ? ans. repentance , whereby they forsake sin ; and faith , whereby they stedfastly believe the promises of god , &c. 20. quest. why then are infants baptized , when by reason of their tender age they cannot perform them ? ans. yes : they do perform by their sureties , who promise and vow them both in their names . we desire that the entring infants into gods covenant may be more warily expressed , and that the words may not seem to found their baptism upon a really actual faith and repentance of their own ; and we desire that a promise may not be taken for a performance of such faith and repentance : and especially , that it be not asserted , that they perform these by the promise of their sureties , it being to the seed of believers that the covenant of god is made ; and not ( that we can find ) to all that have such believing sureties , who are neither parents , nor pro-parents of the child . in the general wee observe , that the doctrine of the sacraments which was added upon the conference at hampton-court is much more fully and particularly delivered then the other parts of the catechism , in short answers fitted to the memories of children , and thereupon we offer it to be considered : first , whether there should not be a more distinct and full explication of the creed , the commandments , and the lords prayer . secondly , whether it were not convenient to add ( what seems to be wanting ) somewhat particularly concerning the nature of faith , of repentance , the two covenants , of justification , sanctification , adoption , and regeneration . of confirmation . the last rubrick before the catechism . and that no man shall think that any detriment shall come to children by deferring of their confirmation , he shall know for truth , that it is certain by gods word , that children being baptized , have all things necessary for their salvation , and be vndoubtedly saved . although we charitably suppose the meaning of these words was onely to exclude the necessity af any other sacraments to baptized infants ; yet these words are dangerous as to the mis-leading of the vulgar , and therefore we desire they may be expunged . rubrick after the catechism . so soon as the children can say in their mother-tongue the articles of the faith , the lords prayer , and the ten commandments and can answer such other questions of this short catechism , &c. then shall they be brought to the bishop , &c. and the bishop shall confirm them . we conceive that it is not a sufficient qualification for confirmation , that children be able memoriter to repeat the articles of the faith , commonly called , the apostles creed , the lords prayer , and the ten commandments , and to answer to some questions of this short catechism ; for it is often found that children are able to do all this at four or five years old . 2dly , it crosses what is said in the third reason of the 1. rubrick before confirmation , concerning the usage of the church in times past , ordaining that confirmation should be ministred unto them that were of perfect age , that they being instructed in the christian religion , should openly profess their own faith , and promise to be obedient to the will of god. and therefore ( 3dly , ) we desire that none may be confirmed but according to his majesties declaration . viz. that confirmation be rightly and solemnly performed by the information , and with the consent of the minister of the place . rubrick after the catechism . then shall they be brought to the bishop by one that shall be his godfather , or godmother . this seems to bring in another sort of godfathers and godmothers , besides those made use of in baptism ; and we see no need either of the one , or the other . the prayer before the imposition of hands . who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by water and the holy ghost , and hast given unto them the forgiveness of all their sins . this supposeth that all the children who are brought to be confirmed , have the spirit of christ , and the forgiveness of all their sins : whereas a great number of children at that age , having committed many sins since their baptism , do shew no evidence of serious repentance , or of any special saving grace : and therefore this confirmation ( if administred to such ) would be a perillous and gross abuse . rubrick before the imposition of hands then the bishop shall lay his hand on every child severally . this seems to put a higher value upon confirmation , then upon baptism or the lords supper ; for according to the rubrick and order in the common-prayer-book , every deacon may baptize , and every minister may consecrate and administer the lords supper , but the bishop onely may confirm . the prayer after imposition of hands . we make our humble supplications unto thee for these children ; upon whom , after the example of thy holy apostles , we have laid our hands , to certifie them by this sign of thy favor and gracious goodness towards them . we desire that the practice of the apostles may not be alledged as a ground of this imposition of hands for the confirmation of children , both because the apostles did never use it in that case , as also because the articles of the church of england declare it to be a corrupt imitation of the apostles practice , act. 25. we desire that imposition of hands may not be made as here it is , a sign to certifie children of gods grace and favour towards them , because this seems to speak it a sacrament , and is contrary to that forementioned 25th . article , which saith , that confirmation hath no visible sign appointed by god. the last rubrick after confirmation . none shall be admitted to the holy communion , until such time as he can say the catechism , and be confirmed . we desire that confirmation may not be made so necessary to the holy communion , as that none should be admitted to it unless they be confirmed . of the form of solemnization of matrimonie . the man shall give the woman a ring , &c. — shall surely performe and kéep the now and covenant betwixt them made , whereof this king given and received is a token and pledge , &c. seeing this ceremony of the ring in marriage is made necessary to it , and a significant signe of the vow and covenant betwixt the parties ; and romish ritualists give such reasons for the use and institution of the ring as are either frivolous or superstitious . it is desired that this ceremony of the ring in marriage may be left indifferent to be used or forborn . the man shall say , with my body i thee worship . this word [ worship ] being much altered in the use of it since this form was first drawn up ; wee desire some other word may be used instead of it . in the name of the father , and of the son , and of the holy ghost . these words being only used in baptism , and herein the solemnization of matrimony , and in the absolution of the sick ; wee defire it may be considered whether they should not be here omitted , least they should seem to favour those who count matrimony a sacrament . till death us depart . this word [ depart ] is here improperly used . rubrick . then the minister or clerk going to the lords table shall say or sing this psalm . exception . we conceive this change of place and posture mentioned in these two rubricks is needless , and therefore desire it may be omitted . next rubr. the psalm ended , and the man and the woman knéeling before the lords table , the priest standing at the table , and turning his face , &c. collect. consecrated the state of matrimony to such an excellent mystery . exception . seeing the institution of marriage was before the fall , and so before the promise of christ , as also for that the said passage in this collect seems to countenance the opinion of making matrimony a sacrament , we desire that clause may be altered or omitted . rubrick . then shall begin the communion , and after the gospel shall be said a sermon , &c. exception . this rubrick doth either enforce all such as are unfit for the sacrament to forbear marriage , contrary to scripture , which approves the marriage of all men ; or else compels all that marry to come to the lords table , though never so unprepared : and therefore we desire it may be omitted , the rather because that marriage festivals are too often accompanied with such divertisements as are unsuitable to those christian duties which ought to be before and follow after the receiving of that holy sacrament . last rubrick . the new married persons the same day of their marriage must receive the holy communion . of the order for the visitation of the sick. rubr. before absolution . here shall the sick person make a special confession , &c. after which confession the priest shall absolve him after this sort : our lord jesus christ , &c. and by his authority committed to mee i absolve thee . exception . forasmuch as the conditions of sick persons be very various and different , the minister may not only in the exhortation but in the prayer also be directed to apply himself to the particular condition of the person ▪ as he shall finde most suitable to the present occasion , with due regard had both to his spiritual condition and bodily weakness , and that the absolution may only be recommended to the minister to be used or omitted as he shall see occasion . that the form of absolution be declarative & conditional , as [ i pronounce thee absolved ] instead of [ i absolve thee ] if thou doest truly repent & believe . of the communion of the sick . rubrick . but if the sick person be not able to come in church , yet is desirous to receive the communion in his house ; then he must give knowledge over-night , or else early in the morning , to the curate , and having a convenient place in the sick mans house , he shall there administer the holy communion . consider , that many sick persons either by their ignorance or vicious life , without any evident manifestation of repentance , or by the nature of the disease disturbing their intellectuals , be unfit for receiving the sacrament . it is proposed , that the minister be not enjoined to administer the sacrament to every sick person that shall desire it , but only as he shall judge expedient . of the order for the burial of the dead . wee desire it may be expressed in a rubrick , that the prayers ●●d exhortations here used are not for the benefit of th● de●d , 〈…〉 for the instruction and comfort of the of the living . first rubr. the priest meeting the corps at the church stile shall say , or else the priest and clark shall sing , &c. wee desire that ministers may be left to use their discretion in these circumstances , and to perform the whole service in the church , if they think fit , for the preventing of these inconveniences which many times both minister and people are exposed unto by standing in the open air. the second rubrick . when they come to the grave , the priest shall say , &c. forasmuch as it hath pleased almighty god , of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed : we therefore commit his body to the ground in sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life . these words cannot in truth be said of persons living and dying in open and notorious sins . the first prayer . we give thee hearty thanks for that it hath pleased ●●ee to deliver this our brother out of the miseries of this 〈◊〉 world , &c. that we with this our brother , and all other departed in the true faith of the holy name , may have our perfect confirmation and eliss . these words may harden the wicked , and are inconsistent with the largest rational charity . the last prayer . that when we depart this life , we may rest in him , as our hope is this our brother deth . these words cannot be used with respect to those persons who have not by their actual repentance given any ground for the hope of their blessed estate . of the thanksgiving of women after child-birth , commonly called , churching of women . the woman shall come unto the church , and there shall kneel down in some convenient place nigh unto the place where the table stands , and the priest standing by her , shalt say , &c. in regard that the womans kn●eling near the table is in many churches inconvenient , we desire that these words may be left out , & that the minister may perform that service either in the de●k or pulpit . rubrick . then the priest shall say this psalm 121. o lord save this woman thy servant . ans. which puttteth her trust in thee . exception ▪ this psalm seems not to be so pertinent as some other , viz as psal. 113. and psal. 128. it may fall out that a woman may come to give thanks for a child born in adultery or fornication , and therefore we desire that something may be required of her by way of profession of her humiliation , as well as of her thanksgiving . last rubr. the woman that comes to give thanks , must offer the accustomed offerings . this may seem too like a jewish purification , rather then a christian thanksgiving . the same rubrick . and if there be a communion , it is convenient that she receive the holy communion . we desire this may be interpreted of the duly qualified ; for a scandalous sinner may come to make this thanksgiving . thus have we in all humble pursuance of his majesties most gracious endeavours for the publike weal of this church , drawn up our thoughts and desires in this weighty affair , which we humbly offer to his majesties commissioners for their serious & grave consideration , wherein we have not the least thought of depraving or reproaching the book of common-prayer , but a sincere desire to contribute our endeavours towards the healing the distempers , and ( as soon as may be ) reconciling the minds of brethren . and inasmuch as his majesty hath in his gracious declaration and commission mentioned new forms to be made and suted to the several parts of worship ; we have made a considerable progress therein , and sh●ll ( by gods assistance ) offer them to the reverend commissioners with all convenient speed , and if the lord shall graciously please to give a blessing to these our endeavours , we doubt not but the peace of the church will be thereby setled ; the hearts of ministers and people comforted and composed , and the great mercy of unity and stability ( to the immortal honor of our most dear soveraign ) bestowed upon us and our posterity after us . to the most reverend archbishop & bishops , and the reverend their assistants , commissioned by his majesty to treat about the alteration of the book of common-prayer . most reverend fathers , and reverend brethren , when we received your papers , and were told that they contained not onely an answer to our exceptions against the present liturgie ; but also several concessions , wherein you seem willing to joyn with us in the alteration and reformation of it : our expectations were so far raised , as that we promised our selves to find your concessions so considerable , as would have greatly conduced to the ●ealing of our much-to-be-lamented divisions , the setling of the nation in peace , and the satisfaction of tender consciences , according to his majesties most gracious declaration , and his royal commission in pursuance thereof : but having taken a survey of them , we finde our selves exceedingly disappointed , and that they will fall far short of attaining those happy ends , for which this meeting was first designed ; as may appear both by the pa●city of the concessions , and the inconsiderableness of them , they being for the most part verbal and literal , rather then real and substantial ; for in them you allow not the laying aside of the reading of the apocrypha for lessons , though it shut out some hundreds of chapters of holy scripture ; and sometimes the scripture it self is made to give way to the apocryphal chapters . you plead against the addition of the doxologie unto the lords prayer . you give no liberty to omit the too frequent repetition of gloria patri , nor of the lords prayer in the same publick service : nor do you yeild that the psalms be read in the new translation , nor the word [ priest ] to be changed for [ minister or presbyter , ] though both have been yeilded unto in the scotish liturgie . you grant not the omission of the responsals , no not in the letany it self , though the petitions be so framed , as the people make the prayer , and not the minister ; nor to read the communion-service in the desk , when there is no communion ; but in the late form instead thereof , it is enjoyned to be done at the table , though there be no rubrick in the common-prayer-book requiring it . you plead for the holiness of lent , contrary to the statute . you indulge not the omission of any one ceremony . you will force men to kneel at the sacrament , and yet not put in that excellent rubrick in the v. and vi . of edw. 6. which would much conduce to the satisfaction of many that scruple it . and whereas divers reverend bishops and doctors , in a paper in print before these unhappy wars began , yeilded to the laying aside of the cross , and the making many material alterations ; you , after twenty years sad calamities and divisions , seem unwilling to grant what they of their own accord then offered . you seem not to grant that the clause of the fourth commandment in the common-prayer-book , ( the lord blessed the seventh day ) should be altered according to the hebr. exod. 20. the lord blessed the sabbath day . you will not change the word sunday into the lords day , nor adde any thing to make a difference between holy-days that are of humane institution , and the lords day , that is questionless of apostolical practice . you will not alter deadly sin in the letany into heynous sin , though it hints to us that some sins are in their own nature venial ; nor that answer in the catech. of two sacraments onely generally necessary to salvation , although it intimates that there are other new testaments sacraments , though two onely necessary to salvation . you speak of singing davids psalms , allowed by authority , by way of contempt , calling them hopkins psalms : and though singing of psalms be an ordinance of god , yet you call it one of our principal parts of worship , as if it were disclaimed by you . and are so far from countenancing the use of conceived prayer in the publick worship of god , ( though we never intended thereby the excluding of set forms ) as that you seem to dislike the use of it even in the pulpit , and heartily desire a total restraint of it in the church . you will not allow the omission of the benedicite , nor a psalm to be read instead of it ; nor so much as abate the reading of the chapters out of the old testament and the acts , for the epistles : but rather then you will gratifie us therein , you have found out a new device , that the minister shall say ( for the epistle ) you will not so much as leave out in the collect for christmas-day these words ( this day ) though at least , it must be a great uncertainty , and cannot be true stylo veteri , & novo . in publick baptism you are so far from giving a liberty to the parent to answer for his own child , ( which seems most reasonable ) as that you force him to the use of sureties , and cause them to answer in the name of the infant , that he doth believe , and repent , and forsake the devil and all his works ; which doth much f●vour the anabaptistical opinion for the necessity of an actual profession of faith and repentance in order to baptism . you will not leave the minister in the visitation of the sick , to use his judgement or discretion in absolving the sick person , or giving the sacrament to him , but enjoyn both of them , though the person to his own judgement seem never so unfit : neither do you allow the minister to pronounce the absolution in a declarative and conditional way , but absolutely , and inconditionately . and even in one of your concessions , in which we suppose you intend to accommodate with us , you rather widen then heal the breach ; for in your last rubr. before the catech. you would have the words thus altered , that children being baptized , have all things necessary for salvation ; and dying before they commit any actual sin , be undoubtedly saved , though they be not confirmed : which assertion , if understood of all infants , even of heathen , is certainly false ; and if onely of the infants of christians , is doubtful , and contrary to the judgement of many learned protestants , and will give little satisfaction to us or others : some more we might name , which for brevities sake we omit . all which considered , we altogether despair of that happy success which thousands hope and wait for from this his majesties commission ; unless god shall incline your hearts for the peace and vnion of the nation , to a more considerable and satisfactory alteration of the liturgie . in which that we may the better prevail , we here tender a reply to your answer , both against our general and particular exceptions ; of which we desire a serious perusal , and candid interpretation . we have divided both your preface and answer into several sections , that so you might more easily understand to which of the particulars both in the one and in the other our reply doth refer . the papers that passed between the commissioners appointed by his majesty for the alteration of the common-prayer , &c. the strain of these papers we fear is like to perswade many that your designe is not the same with ours . being assured , that it is our duty to do what we can to the peace and concord of believers , especially when we had the past and present calamities of these nations to urge us , and his majesties commands and gratious promises to encourage us , we judged the fittest means to be by making known the hindrances of our concord , and without reviving the remembrance of those things that tend to exasperate , to apply our selves with due submission to those that may contribute much to our recovery ; and without personal reflections , to propose the remedies which we knew would be most effectual , and humbly and earnestly to petition you for your consent . but in stead of consent , or amicable debates in order to the removal of our differences , we have received from you a paper abounding with sharp accusations , as if your work were to prove us bad , and make us odious ; which as it is attempted upon mistake , by unrighteous means , so were it accomplished , we know not how it will conduce to the concord which ought to be our common end . if we understand christs commission , or the kings , and our duty as christians , or as ministers , our work now assigned us , was not to search after , and aggravate the faults of one another , ( though of our own in season we are willing to hear ) but to review the liturgie , and agree upon such alterations , diminutions and enlargements as are needful to our common unity and peace . what is amiss in us , we shall thankfully accept your charitable assistance to discover ; but we take not that for the question which his majesty called us to debate , nor do our judgements or dispositions lead us to recriminations , nor to cast such impediments in the way of our desired accord : and were it not that our calling , and our masters work are concerned somewhat in our just vindication , we should not trouble you with so low , so private and unnecessary a work , but leave such causes to the righteous judge , who will quickly , impartially , infallibly and finally decide them . preface . before we come to the proposals , it will be perhaps necessary to say a word or two to the preface , wherein they begin with a thankful acknowledgement of his majesties most princely condescention ; to which we shall onely say , that we conceive the most real expression of their thankfulness had been an hearty complyance with his majesties earnest and passionate request for the use of the present liturgie , at least so much of it as they acknowledge by these papers to be lawful : how far they have in this expressed their thankfulness , the world sees , we need not say . ] 1. as we hope it is no matter of offence to acknowledge his majesties gratious condescention ; so when his majesty by his declaration hath granted us some liberty as to the use of the liturgie before the alteration , and hath by his commission engaged us in a consultation for the alteration of it ; we conceive our brethren ( nor the world , to whose observation they appeal ) had no warrant to censure us as unthankful to his majesty , because of our present forbearance to use it , or part of it , before the intended alteration ; at least till they had heard us speak for our selves , and render an account of the reasons of our forbearance , and they had gone before us more exemplarily in their own obedience to his majesties declaration . as to our own consciences , if we thought not the common-prayer-book to be guilty of the general and particular faults which we have laid open to you , we durst not have found fault with it : and while we took it to be a defective , disorderly and inconvenient mode of worship , it would be our sin to use it of choice , while we may prefer a more convenient way , what ever we ought to do in case of necessity , when we must worship god inconveniently , or not at all . and as to our people , for whose edification and not destruction we have our power or offices , we have taken that course , as far as we are able to understand , which most probably tended to their good , and to prevent their hurt and separation from the church : and consequently , that course which did most conduce to his majesties ends , and to his real service , and the churches peace : none of which would be promoted by our obtruding that upon our people , which we know them unable to digest , or by our hasty offending them with the use of that , which we are forced to blame , and are endeavouring to correct and alter . and we see not how it can be justly intimated that we use no part of it , when we use the lords prayer , the creed , the commandments , the psalms , the chapters , and some other parts ; and how much more you expect we should have used , that we might have escaped this brand of ingratitude , we know not . but we know that charity suffereth long , and thinketh no evil , ( 1 cor. 13 4 , 5. ) and that we have not attempted to obtrude any mode of worship on our brethren , but desired the liberty to use things of that nature as may conduce to the benefit of our flocks : and as we leave them to judge what is most beneficial to their own flocks , who know them , and are upon the place ; so it is but the like freedome which we desire : we are loath to hurt our people knowingly . the time is short ; if you will answer our reasonable proposals , it will not be too late at the expiration of our commission , or the date of the reformed liturgie , to use it : greater liberty hath been used about liturgies in purer times of the church , with less offence and accusation . [ it can be no just cause of offence to mind them of their duty , as they do us of ours ; telling us , it is our duty to imitate the apostles practise in a special manner ; to be tender of the churches peace , and to advise of such expedients , as may conduce to the healing of breaches , and uniting those that differ : for preserving of the churches peace we know no bettter nor more efficatious way then our set liturgie , there being no such way to keep us from schism , as to speak all the same thing , according to the apostle . ] if you look to the time past , by our duties we suppose you mean our faults ; for it is not duty when it 's past : if you in these words respect onely the time present and to come , we reply , 1. the liturgie we are assured will not be a less , but a more probable means of concord after the desired reformation then before ; the defects and inconveniences make it less fit to attain the end . 2. vvhether the apostle by [ speaking the same thing , ] did mean either [ all using this liturgie of ours , ] or [ all using any one form of liturgie as to the words ] may easily be determined . this is of much later date , unless you will denominate the whole form of the lords prayer , and some little parts . and those that affirm , that the apostles then had any other , must undertake the task of proving it , and excusing the churches for loosing and dis-using so precious a relict ; which if preserved , would have prevented all our strifes about these things . and in the mean time they must satisfie our arguments for the negative : as , 1. if a liturgie had been indited by the apostles for the churches , being by universal officers inspired by the holy ghost , and so of universal use , it would have been used and preserved by the church as the holy scriptures were . but so it was not . ergo , no such liturgie was indited by them for the churches . 2. if a prescript form of words had been delivered them , there would have been no such need of exhorting them to speak the same thing , for the liturgie would have held them close enough to that . and if the meaning had been [ see that you use the same liturgie , ] some word or other to some of the churches would have acquainted us with the existence of such a thing ; and some reproofs we should have found of those that used various liturgies , or formed liturgies of their own , or used extemporary prayers ; and some express exhortations to use the same liturgie or forms : but the holy scripture is silent in all those matters . it is apparent therefore that the churches then had no liturgie , but took liberty of extemporate expressions , and spoke in the things of god , as men do in other matters , with a natural plainness and seriousness , suiting their expressions to the subjects and occasions . and though divisions began to disturb their peace and holy orders , the apostle in stead of prescribing them a form of di●ine services for their unity and concord , do exhort them to use their gifts and liberties aright , and speak the same thing for matter , avoiding disagreements , though they used not the same words . 3. just. martyr , tertull. and others sufficiently intimate to us , that the churches quickly after the apostles , did use the personal abilities of their pastours in prayer , and give us no hint of any such liturgie of apostolical fabrication and imposition , and therefore doubtless there was nothing , for it could not have been so soon lost or neglected . 4. it is ordinary with those of the contrary judgement , to tell us that the extraordinary gifts of the primitive christians , were the reason why there were no prescribed forms in those times , and that such liturgies came in upon the ceasing of those gifts : and 1 cor. 14. describeth a way of publick worshipping , unlike to prescript forms of liturgie : so that the matter of fact is proved and confessed . and then how fairly the words of the apostle , exhorting them [ to speak the same thing , ] are used to prove that he would have them use the same forms or liturgie , we shall not tell you by any provoking aggravations of such abuse of scripture . and indeed for all the miraculous gifts of those times , if prescript forms had been judged by the apostles to be the fittest means for the concord of the churches , it is most probable they would have prescribed such : considering , 1. that the said miraculous gifts were extraordinary , and belonged not to all , nor to any at all times ; and therefore could not suffice for the ordinary publick worship . 2. and those gifts began even betimes to be abused , and need the apostles canons for their regulation , which he giveth them in that 1 cor. 14. without a prescript liturgie . 3. because even then divisions had made not onely an entrance , but an unhappy progress in the churches ; to cure which , the apostle exhorts them oft to unanimity and concord , without exhorting them to read the same , or any common-prayer-book . 4. because that the apostles knew that perilous times would come , in which men would have itching ears , and would have heaps of teachers , and would be self-willed , and unruly , and divisions , and offences , and heresies would encrease : and ergo , as upon such fore-sight they indited the holy scriptures to keep the church in all generatio●s from errour and divisions in points of doctrine ; so the same reason and care would have moved them to do the same to keep the churches in unity in point of vvorship , if indeed they had taken prescribed forms to be needful to such an unity : they knew that after their departure the church would never have the like advantage , infallible , authorized and enabled for delivering the universal law of christ : and seeing in those parts of vvorship , which are of stated use , and still the same , forms might have suited all ages as this age , and all countries as this country ( in the substance ) there can no reason be given , why the apostles should leave this undone , and not have performed it themselves , if they had judged such forms to be necessary , or the most desirable means of unity . if they had prescribed them , 1. the church had been secured from errour in them . 2. believers had been preserved from divisions about the lawfulness and fitness of them , as receiving them from god. 3. all churches and countries might had one liturgie , as they have one scripture , and so have all spoke the same things . 4. all ages would have had the same without innovation , ( in all the parts that require not alteration ) whereas now on the contrary ; 1. our liturgies being the writings of fallible men , are lyable to errour , and we have cause to fear subscribing to them , as having nothing contrary to the word of god. 2. and matters of humane institution have become the matter of scruple and contention . 3. and the churches have had great diversity of liturgies . 4. and one age hath been mending what they supposed they received from the former faulty , and imperfect : so that our own which you are so loath to change , hath not continued yet three generations . and it is most evident , that the apostles being entrusted with the delivery of the entire rule of faith and worship , and having such great advantages for our unity and peace , would never have omitted the forming of a liturgie of universal usefulness , to avoid all the foresaid inconveniences , if they had taken this course of unity to be so needful or desirable as you seem to do . whereas therefore you say you know no better or more efficatio●s way then our liturgie , &c. we reply , 1. the apostles knew the best way of unity , and of speaking the same thing in the matters of god : but the apostles knew not our liturgie , ( nor any common-prayer-book , for ought hath yet been proved . ) ergo , the said liturgie is not the best way of unity , or speaking the same thing , &c. 2. the primitive church in the next ages after the apostles , knew the best way of unity , &c. but they knew not our liturgie . ergo , our liturgie ( not known till lately ) is not the best way of unity . if it be said that our liturgie is ancient , because the sursum corda , the gloria patri , &c. are ancient : we answer , if indeed it be those ancient sentences that denominate our liturgie , we erave the justice to be esteemed users of the liturgie , and not to suffer as refusers of it , as long as we use all that is found in it of such true antiquity . [ this experience of former and latter times hath taught us , when the liturgie was duly observed , we lived in peace ; since that was laid aside , there hath been as many modes and fashions of publick worship , as fancies : we have had continual dissention , which variety of services must needs produce , whilst every one naturally desires and endeavors not onely to maintain , but to prefer his own way before all others : whence we conceive there is no such way to the preservation of peace , as for all to return to the strict use and practise of the form. ] pardon us while we desire you to examine whether you speak as members that suffer with those that suffer , or rather as insensible of the calamities of your brethren , that is as uncharitable : you say you lived in peace , but so did not the many thousands that were fain to seek them peaceable habitations in holland , and in the deserts of america ; nor the many thousands that lived in danger of the high-commission , or bishops courts at home , and so in danger of every malitious neighbour that would accuse them of hearing sermons abroad , when they had none at home ; or of meeting in a neighbors house to pray , or of not kneeling in the receiving of the sacrament , &c. we would not have remembred you of these things , but that you necessitate us by pleading your peace in those days as an argument for the imposing of the liturgie . 2. might not scotland as strongly argue from this medium against the liturgie and say , [ before the liturgie was imposed on us , we had peace , but since then we have had no peace ? ] 3. when the strict imposing of the strict use and practise of these forms was the very thing that disquieted this nation , ( taking in the concomitant ceremonies and subscription ) when this was it that bred the divisions which you complain of , and caused the separations from the churches , and the troubles in the churches : it is no better arguing to say , we must return to the strict use of that form if we will have peace , then it was in the israelites to say , [ we will worship the queen of heaven , because then we had peace and plenty , ] when that was it that deprived them of peace and plenty ; ( we compare not the causes , but the arguments : ) nor is it any better argument then if a man in a dropsie or ague , that catcht it with voracity or intemperance , should say , [ while i did eat and drink liberally , i had no dropsie or ague , but since my appetite is gone , and i have lived temperately , i have had no health ; ergo , i must return to my intemperance , as the onely way to health . ] alas ! is this the use that is made of all our experiences of the causes and progress of our calamities ? what have you and we , and all smarted as we have done , and are you so speedily ready to return to the way that will engage you in violence against them that should be suffered to live in peace ? if the furnace that should have refined us , and purified us all to a greater height of love , have but enflamed us to greater wrath , wo to us , and to the land that beareth us . what doleful things doth this prognosticate you , that prisons , or other penalties , will not change mens judgements : and if it drive some to comply against their consciences , and destroy their souls , and drive the more conscientious out of the land , or destroy their bodies , and breed in mens mindes a rooted opinion , that bishops that are still hurting and afflicting them , ( even for the things in which they exercise the best of their understanding , and cautelously to avoid sin against god ) are no fathers , friends or edifiers , but destroyers ; alas ! who will have the gain of this ? o let us no more bite and devour one another , lest we be devoured one of another , gal. 5. 15. or christ be provoked to decide the controversie more sharply then we desire or expect . 4. but really , hath liberty to forbear the liturgie produced such divisions as you mention ? the licence or connivance that was granted to hereticks , apostates , and foul-mouthed raylers against the scripture , ministry , and all gods ordinances , indeed bred confusions in the land ; but it is to us matter of admiration to observe ( clean contrary to your intimation ) how little discord there was in prayer , and other parts of worship among all the churches throughout the three nations , that agreed in doctrine , and that forbore the liturgie . it is wonderful to us in the review to consider , with what love , and peace , and concord , they all spoke the same things that were tied to no form of words , even those that differed in some points of discipline , even to a with-drawing from local communion with us , yet strangely agreed with us in worship . and where have there been less heresies , schisms , then in scotland , where there was no such liturgie to unite them ? if you tell us of those that differ from us in doctrine , and are not of us , it is as impertinent to the point of our own agreement in vvorship , as to tell us of the papists . [ and the best expedients to unite us all to that again , and so to peace , are , besides our prayers to the god of peace , to make us all of one mind in an house , to labour to get true humility , which would make us think our guides wiser , and fitter to order us then we our selves ; & christian charity , which would teach us to think no evil of our superiors , but to judge them rather careful guides and fathers to us : which being obtained , nothing can be imagined justly to hinder us from a ready complyance to this method of service appointed by them , & so live in unity ] prayer and humility are indeed the necessary means of peace : but if you will let us pray for peace in no words but what are in the common-prayer book , their brevity and unaptness , and the customariness , that will take off the edge of fervour with humane nature , will not give leave ( or help sufficient ) to our souls to work towards god , upon this subject , with that enlargedness , copiousness and freedome as is necessary to due fervour . a brief transient touch , and away , is not enough to warm the heart aright ; and cold prayers , are like to have a cold return ; and therefore even for peace sake , let us pray more copiously and heartily then the common-prayer-book will help us to do . and whether this be that cause , or whether it be that the common-prayer-book hath never a prayer for it self , we finde that its prayers prevail not to reconcile many sober , serious persons to it , that live in faithful fervent prayer . 2. and for humility , we humbly conceive it would most effectually heal us , & by causing the pastors of the church to know that they are not to rule the flocks as lords , but as ensamples ; not by constraint , but willingly , 1 pet. 5. 2 , 3. and it would cause them not to think so lightly of themselves , and so meanly of their brethren , as to judge no words fit to be used to god in the publick worship , but what they prescribe , and put into our mouths ; and that other men are generally unable to speak sensibly or suitably , unless they tell us what to say ; or that all others are unfit to be trusted with the expressing of their own desires : humility would perswade the pastors of the church at least to undertake no more then the apostles did , and no more to obtrude or impose their own words upon all others in the publick worship : if they found any unfit to be trusted with the expression of their minds in publick prayer , they would do what they could to get meeter men in their places ; and till then , they would restrain , and help such as need it ; and not upon that pretence , as much restrain all the ablest ministers , as if the whole church were to be nominated , measured , or used according to the quality of the most unworthy . and it is also true , that humility in private persons and inferiours , would do much to our peace , by keeping them in due submission and obedience , and keeping them from all contentions and divisions , which proceed from self-conceitedness and pride . but yet , 1. the humblest , surest subjects may stumble upon the scruple , whether bishops differ not from presbyters onely in degree , and not in order or office , ( it being a controversie , and no resolved point of faith even among the papists , whose faith is too extensive , and favor too ecclesiastical , ambition too great ) and consequently they may doubt whether men in the same order , do by divine appointment owe obedience unto those that gradually go before them . 2. and they may scruple whether such making themselves the governours of their brethren , make not themselves in●eed of a different order of office , and so encroach not on the authority of christ , who onely maketh officers purely ecclesiastical ; and whether it be no disloyalty to christ to own such officers . 3. and among those divines that are for a threefold episcopacy , ( besides that of presbyters , who are episcopi gre●is ) viz. general unfixed bishops , like the evangelists or apostles , ( in their measure ) and the fixed bishops of parochial churches , that have presbyters to assist them , to whom they do preside , and also the presidents of larger synods ; yet is it a matter of very great doubt , whether a fixed diocesan being the pastor of many hundred churches , having none under him , that hath the power of jurisdiction or ordination , be indeed a governor of christs appointment or approbation ; and whether christ will give us any more thanks for owning them as such , then the king will give us for owning a● usurper . humility alone will not seem to subject these men to such a government . 4. and though their coercive magistra●ical power be easily submitted to , as from the king , ( how unfit subjects soever church-men are of such a power ) yet he that knoweth his superiours best , doth honour god more , and supposeth god more infallible then man , and will feel himself most indispensibly bound by gods commands , and bound not to obey man against the lord. and whereas there is much said against the peoples taking on them to judge of the lawfulness of things commanded them by superiours , we add , 5. that humble men may believe that their superiours are fallible ; that it is no impossibility to command things that god forbids ; that in such cases , if we have sufficient means to discern the sinfulness of such commands , we must make use of them , and must obey god rather then men ; that when the apostles acted according to such a resolution , act. 4. 19. and daniel and the three vvitnesses , dan. 6. & 3. they all exercised a judgment of discerning upon the matter of their superiours commands ; that not to do so at all , is to make subjects brutes , and so no subjects , because not rational free agents , or to make all governours to be gods : and lastly , that it will not save us from hell , nor justifie us at judgement for sinning against god , to say that superiours commanded us ; nor will it prove all the martyrs to be sinners and condemned , because they judged of their superiours commands , and disobeyed them . all which we say , to shew the insufficiency of the remedy here by you propounded , ( the humility of inferiours ) unless you will also add your help ; without obedience there is no order or lasting concord to be expected : and by abasing the eternal god , so far as to set him and his laws below a creature , under pretence of obedience to the creature , no good can be expected , because no peace with heaven ; without which , peace with men is but a confederacy , hastning each party to destruction : and therefore absolute obedience must be given onely to god the absolute soveraign . in all this we suppose that we are all agreed : and therefore , 6. and lastly , we must say that the way to make us think the bishops to be so wise , and careful guides and fathers to us , is nor for them to seem wiser then the apostles , and make those things of standing necessity to the churches unity , which the apostles never made so ; nor to forbid all to preach the gospel , or to hold communion with the church , that dare not conform to things unnecessary . love and tenderness are not used to express themselves by hurting and destroying men for nothing ; and to silence and reject from church-communion for a ●eremony , and in the mean time to perswade men that they love them , is but to stab or famish all the sick persons in the hospital or family , whose stomacks cannot take down the d●sh we offer them , or whose throats are too narrow to swallow so big a morsel as we send them ; and when we have done , to tell them , the onely remedy is for them to believe we love them , and are tender of them . and who knows not that a man may think well of his superiours , that yet may question whether all that he teacheth or commandeth him , be lawful ? [ if it be objected , that the liturgie is in any way sinful and unlawful for us to joyn with , it is but reason that this be first proved evidently , before any thing be altered : it is no argument to say , that multitudes of sober pious persons scruple the use of it , unless it be made to appear by evident reasons , that the liturgie gave the just grounds to make such scruples . for if the bare pretence of scruples be suff●cient to exempt us from obedience , all law and order is gone . ] to this passage we humbly crave your consideration of these answers : 1. vve have not onely said , that sober pious persons scruple the liturgie , but we have opened to you those defects and disorders , and corruptions , which must needs make the imposing of it unlawful , when god might be more fitly served . 2. it is strange that you must see it first evidently proved unlawful for men to joyn with the liturgie , ( you mean , we suppose , to joyn with you in the using of it , or when you ●●e it ) before you will see reason to alter any thing in it : what if it be onely proved unlawful for you to impose it , though not for others to joyn with you when you do impose it , is this no reason to alter it ? should you not have some care to avoid sin your selves , as well as to preserve others from it ? an inconvenient mode of vvorship is a sin in the imposer , and in the chuser , and voluntary user , that might offer god better , and will not , mal. 1. 13 , 14. and yet it may not be onely lawful , but a duty to him that by violence is necessitated to offer up that or none . and yet we suppose the imposers should see cause to make an alteration . if you lived where you must receive the lords supper sitting , or not at all , it 's like you would be of this mind your selves . 3. why should it be called [ a bare pretence of scruples ? ] as if you searched the hearts , and knew ( not only that they are upon mistake , but ) that they are not real , when the persons not onely profess them real , but are willing to use all just means that tend to their satisfaction : they study , read , pray , and will be glad of conference with you , at any time , upon equal terms , if they may be themselves believed . 4. even groundless scruples about the matter of an unnecessary law , which hath that which to the weak both is and will be an appearance of evil , may be sufficient to make it the duty of rulers to reverse their impositions , though they be not sufficient to justifie the scrupulous . 5. if a man should think that he ought not to obey man even when he thinketh it is against the commands of god , though he be uncertain , ( as in case of going on an unquestioned warfare , or doing doegs execution , &c. ) yet it followeth not , that [ all law and order is gone , ] as long as all laws and orders stand that are visibly subservient to the laws of god , and to his soveraignty , or consistent with them , and when the subject submitteth to suffering where he dare not obey . [ on the contrary we judge , that if the liturgie should be altered as is there required , not onely a multitude , but the generality of the soberest and most loyal children of the church of england would justly be offended , since such an alteration would be a virtual concession that this liturgie were an intolerable burden to tender consciences , a direct cause of schism , a superstitious usage , ( upon which pretences it is here desired to be altered ) which would at once both justifie all those which have so obstinately separated from it , as the onely pious , tender-conscienced men , and condemn all those that have adhered to that , in conscience of their duty and loyalty , with their loss or hazard of estates , lives and fortunes , as men superstitious , schismatical , and void of religion and conscience . for this reason , and th●se that follow , we cannot consent to such an alteration as is desired , till these pretences be proved , which we conceive in no wise to be done in these papers ; and shall give reasons for this our judgement . ] if the liturgie should be altered , as is here required , and desired by us , that it could be no just offence to the generality ( or any ) of the soberest and most loyal children of the church , ( as you speak ) is easie to be proved , by laying together the considerations following : 1. because it is by themselves confessed to be alterable , as not having it self its formal constitution , till less then two hundred years ago . 2. and themselves affirm it to be not necessary to salvation , but a thing indifferent , while they exclude all higher institutions from the power of the church . 3. they confess it lawful to serve god without this liturgie , without which he was served by other churches above 1460 years , and without which he is now served by other churches , when the contrary minded doubt whether with it he be lawfully served . 4. those that desire the alteration , desire no more then to serve god as the churches did in the days of the apostles , that had their most infallible conduct . 5. and they offer also such forms as are more unquestionable as to their congruency to the word of god , and to the nature of the several parts of worship . 6. and yet though they desire the surest concord , and an universal reformation , they desire not to impose on others what they offer , but can thankfully accept a liberty to use what is to their own consciences most unquestionably safe , while other men use that which they like better . so that set all this together , with the consideration of the necessity of the preaching the word , and communion that is hereupon denyed , and you may see it proved , that to have such a liturgie so altered , that is confessed alterable , for so desirable an end , for the use onely of those that cannot well use it , without urging others to any thing that they do themselves account unlawful , cannot be a matter of just offence to the generality of sober children of the church , nor to any one . and as to the reason given , it is apparently none : for , 1. of those that scruple the unlawfulness of it , there are many that will not peremptorily affirm it unlawful , and condemn all that use it , but they dare not use it doubtingly themselves . 2. when our papers were before you , we think it not just that you should say that it 's here desired to be altered , on the pretence that it is a direct cause of schism , and a superstitious usage : have we any such expressions ? if we have , let them be recited ; if not , it is hard that this should even by you be thus affirmed as is said by us , which we have not said . vve have said , [ that the ceremonies have been the fountain of much evil , occasioning divisions , but not what you charge us to have said in words or sence . 3. and may not you alter them without approving , or seeming to approve the reason upon which the alteration is desired , when you have so great store of other reasons ? the king in his declaration is far enough from seeming to own the charge against the things which he was pleased graciously to alter so far as is there exprest . if a patient have a conceit that some one thing would kill him , if he took it , the physitian may well forbear him in that one thing , when it is not necessary to his health , without owning his reasons against it . if his majesty have subjects so weak as to contend about things indifferent , and if both sides erre , one thinking them necessary , and the other sinful ; may he not gratifie either of them without seeming to approve their errour ? by this reason of yours he is by other men in such a case necessitated to sin ; for if he settle those things which some count necessary , he seems to approve of their opinion , that they are necessary ; if he take them down when others call them sinful , he seems to own their charge of the sinfulness . but indeed he needeth not to do either ; he may take them down , or leave them indifferent ; professedly for unity and peace , and professedly disown the errours on both sides . we are sorry if any did esteem these forms and ceremonies any better then mutable indifferent modes and circumstances of worship ; and did hazard estate or life for them as any otherwise esteemed : and we are sorry , that by our divisions the adversary of peace hath gotten so great an advantage against us , as that the argument against necessary charitable forbearance is fetch'd from the interest of the reputation of the contending parties , that things may not be abated to others which you confess are indifferent and alterable , and which many of them durst not use , though to save their lives . and this because it will make them thought the pious , tender conscienc'd men , and make others thought worse of . but with whom will it have these effects ? those that you call the generality of the sober loyal children of the church , will think never the worse of themselves , because others have liberty to live by them , without these things : and the rest , whose liberties you deny , will think rather the worse of you , then the better , for denying them their liberty in the worshipping of god. you undoubtedly argue here against the interest of reputation , which you stand for : your prefaces to your indulgencies , and your open professions ; and ( if you will needs have it so ) your own practises , will tell the world loud enough , that the things which you adhered to with so great hazards are still lawful in your judgement , and it will be you honour , and adde to your reputation , to abate them to others , when it is in your power to be more severe . and if you refuse it , their sufferings will tell the world loud enough , that for their parts they still take them to be things unlawful . as for the reasons by them produced to prove them sinful , they have been publickly made known in the writings of many of them ; in ames his fresh suit against the ceremonies , and in the abridgement , &c. and in bradshaws , nicolls , and other mens writings . [ to the first general proposal , we answer : that as to that part of it which requires that the matter of the liturgie may not be private opinion or fancy , that being the way to perpetuate schism ; the church hath been careful to put nothing into the liturgie , but that which is either evidently the word of god , or what hath been generally received in the catholick church ; neither of which can be called private opinion : and if the contrary can be proved , we wish it out of the liturgie . ] vve call those opinions which are not determined certainties ; and though the greater number should hold them as opinions , they are not therefore the doctrines of the church , and therefore might be called private opinions : but indeed we used not the word , ( that we can finde : ) the thing that we desired , was , that the materials of the liturgie may consist of nothing doubtful , or questioned among pious , learned and orthodox persons . ] we said also , that the limiting church-communion to things of doubtful disputation , hath been in all ages the ground of schism and separation , ( which is not to say , that the liturgie it self is a superstitious usage , or a direct cause of schism . ) and we cited the words of a learned man , ( mr. hales ) not as making every word our own , but as a testimony ad hominem , because he was so highly valued by your selves , ( as we suppose ) and therefore we thought his words might be more regarded by you then our own . 2. where you say , [ that the church hath been careful to put nothing in the liturgie , but that which is either evidently the word of god , or that which had been generally received in the catholick church : ] vve reply , 1. vve suppose there is little or nothing now controverted between us , which you will say is evidently the vvord of god , either the forms or ceremonies , or any of the rest . 2. if by [ in the church , ] you mean [ not by the church , ] but by any part in the church ; how shall we know that they did well ? and if by [ the generality ] you mean not all , but the greater part , you undertake the proof of that which is not easie to be proved ; it being so hard to judge of the majority of persons in the catholick church , in any notable differences . vve do take it for granted that you limit not the catholick church , as the papists do , to the confines of the roman empire ; but indeed we can onely wish , that your assertion were true , while we must shew it to be untrue , if you speak of the primitive church , or of an universality of time , as well as place ; ( if not , it 's more against you , that the primitive catholick church was against you . ) the very thing in question that containeth the rest , [ that it 's needful to the peace of the church , that all the churches under one prince should use one form of liturgie , ] was not received by the catholick church , nor by the generality in it ; when it is so well known that they used diversitie of liturgies and customes in the roman empire . the generality in the catholick church received not the lords supper kneeling , at least on any lords days , when it was forbidden by divers general councils , and when this prohibition was generally received as an apostolical tradition : vve have not heard it proved , that the surplis or cross , as used with us , were received by the universal church : it is a private opinion not received by the catholick church , that [ it is requisite that no man should come to the holy communion , but with a full trust in gods mercy , and with a quiet conscience , ] though it be every mans duty to be perfect pro statu viatoris , yet it is not requisite that no man come till he be perfect . he that hath but a weak faith , ( though not a full trust ) must come to have it strenghtened : and he that hath an unquit conscience , must come to receive that mercy which may quiet it . it is a private opinion , and not generally received in the catholick church , [ that one of the people ] may make the publick confession at the sacrament in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy communion . it is a private , and not generally received distinction , that the body of christ makes clean our bodies , and his blood washeth our souls . it is a doubtful opinion , to speak easily , that when the lords supper is delivered with a prayer not made in the receivers name , but thus directed to him by the minister , [ the body of our lord jesus christ , &c. preseve thy body and soul , ] it is so intolerable a thing for the receiver not to kneel in hearing the prayer , that he must else be thrust from the communion of the church , and yet that no minister shall kneel that indeed doth pray : but he may pray standing , and the hearers be cast out for standing at the same words . it is not a generally received , but a private opinion , [ that every parishioner ( though impenitent , and conscious of his utter unfitness , and though he ●e in despair , and think he shall take his own damnation ) must be forced to receive thrice a year ; when yet even those that have not [ a full trust in gods mercy , ] or have not [ a quiet conscience , ] were before pronounced so uncapable , as that none such should come to the communion . ] abundance more such instances may be given , to shew how far from truth the assertion is , that [ the church hath been careful to put nothing into the liturgie , but that which is either evidently the word of god , or which hath been generally received in the catholick church , ] unless you speak of some unhappy unsuccessful carefulness . but we thankfully accept of your following words , [ and if the contrary can be proved , we wish it out of the liturgie , ] which we intreat you to pefso●m , and impartially receive our proofs . but then we must also intreat you , 1. that the primitive churches judgement and practise may be preferred before the present declined , much corrupted state. and 2. if gods law rather then the sinful practises of men breaking that law , may be the churches rule for worship : for you call us to subscribe to art. 19. that [ as the church of jerusalem , alexandria and antioch hath erred , so also the church of rome hath erred , not onely in their living , and manner of ceremonies , but also in matters of faith : and saith rogers , in art. 20. they are out of the way , which think that either one man , as the pope , or any certain calling of men , as the clergie , hath power to decree and appoint rites or ceremonies , though of themselves good , unto the whole church of god , dispersed over the universal world . ] and indeed , if you would have all that corruption brought into our liturgie , and discipline , and doctrine , which the papists , greeks , and others that undoubtedly make up the far greater number of the now universal church do use ; you would deserve no more thanks of god or man , then he that would have all kings , and nobles , and gentry levelled with the poor commons , because the latter are the greater number ; or then he that would have the healthful conformed to the sick , when an epidemical disease hath made them the majority ; or then he that would teach us to follow a multitude to do evil , and to break more then the least commands , because the greater number break them . we pray you therefore to take it for no justification of any uncertain or faulty passage in our liturgis , though the greater number now are guilty of it . 3. and we must beseech you , if the churches judgement or practise must be urged , that you would do us the justice as to imitate the ancient churches in you sense of the quality , and the mode and measure of using and imposing things , as well as in the materials used and imposed . consider not onely [ whether you finde such things received by the ancient churches , ] but also consider how they were received , esteemed and used ; whether as necessary or indifferent ; as points of faith , or doubtful opinion ; whether forced on others , or left to their free choice . if you finde , that the generality of the antient churches received the white garment after baptism , and the tasting of milk and honey , as ceremonies freely , though generally used ; you should not therefore force men to use them . if you finde , that the doctrine of the mil●ennium , or of angels corporeity was generally received as an opinion , it will not warrant you to receive either of them as a certain necessary truth . if you finde , that the general councils forbad kneeling in any adoration on the lords days , but without force against dissenters ; you may not go deny the sacrament to all that kneel , nor yet forbid them to keel in praying . so if you finde some little parcels of our liturgie , or some of our ceremonies used as things indifferent , left to choice , forced upon none , but one church differing from another in such usages or observances , this will not warrant you to use the same things as necessary to order , unity or peace , and to be forced upon all : use them no otherwise then the churches used them . [ we heartily desire , that according to this proposal , great care may be taken to suppress those private conceptions of prayers before and after sermon , lest private opinions be made the matter of prayer in publick , as hath and will be , if private persons take liberty to make publick prayers . ] the desire of your hearts is the grief of our hearts ; the conceptions of prayer by a publick person , according to a publick rule , for a publick use , are not to be rejected as private conceptions : we had hoped you had designed no such innovation as this in the church : vvhen we have heard any say that it would come to this , and that you designed the suppression of the free prayers of ministers in the pulpit , suited to the variety of the subjects and occasions , we have rebuked them as uncharitable in passing so heavy a censure on you : and what would have been said of us a year ago , if we should have said that this was in your hearts ? nothing will more alienate the hearts of many holy prudent persons from the common-prayer , then to perceive that it is framed and used as an instrument to shut out all other prayers , as the ministers private conceptions . such an end and designe , will make it , under the notion of a means , another thing then else it would be , and afford men such an argument against it , as we desire them not to have : but we hope you speak not the publick sense . as the apostles desired ( as aforesaid ) that all would speak the same things , without giving them ( that ever was proved ) a form of words to speak them in ; so might we propose to you , that uncertain opinions be made no part of our liturgie , without putting all their words into their mouthes , in which their desires must be altered . your hearty desire , and the reason of it , makes not onely against extemporary prayer , but all prepared or written forms or liturgies that were indited onely by one man , and have not the consent antecedently of others . and do you think this was the course of the primitive times ? basil thus used his private conceptions at c●sarea , and greg. thaumaturgus before him at neocesarea , and all pastors in justin martyrs and tertullians days . and how injurious is it to the publick officers of christ , the bishops and pastors of the churches , to be called private men ? who are publick persons in the church , if they be not ? every single person is not a private person , else kings and judges would be so . and have you not better means to shut out private opinions , then the forbidding ministers praying in the pulpit , according to the variety of subjects and occasions ? you have first the examination of persons to be ordained , and may see that they be able to speak sense , and fit to manage their proper works with judgement and discretion , before you ordain them ; and some confidence may be put in a man in his proper calling and work , to which he is admitted with so great care , as we hope ( or desire ) you will admit them . if you are necessitated to admit some few that are injudicious , or unmeet , we beseech you ( not onely to restore the many hundred worthy men laid by , to a capacity , but that you will not so dishonour the whole church , as to suppose all such , and to use all as such , but restrain those that deserve restraint , and not all others for their sakes : and next , you have a publick rule ( the holy scripture ) for these men to pray by . and if any of them be intolerably guilty of weaknesses or rashness , or other miscarriages , the words being spoken in publick , you have witnesses enow , and sure there is power enough in magistrates and bishops to punish them ; and if they prove incorrigible , to cast them out . in all other professions these means are thought sufficient to regulate the professors . his majesty thinks it enough to regulate his judges , that he may chuse able men , and fit to be trusted in their proper work ; and that they are respo●sible for all their male-administrations , without prescribing them forms , beyond which they may not speak any thing in their charge . physitians being first tryed , and responsible for their doings , are constantly trusted with the lives of high and low , without tying them to give no counsel or medicine but by the prescript of a book , or determination of a colledge . and it is so undeniable , that your reason makes more against preaching , and for onely reading homilies , as that we must like it the worse , if not fear what will become of preaching also . for , 1. it is known that in preaching a man hath far greater opportunity and liberty to vent a false or private opinion , then in prayer . 2. it is known de eventu , that it is much more ordinary . and if you say , [ that he speaks not the words of the church , but his own , nor unto god , but man , and therefore it is less matter : ] we answer , it is as considerable , if not much more , from whom he speaks , then to whom he speaks as the m●nister of christ , in his stead and name , 2 cor. 3. 19 , 20. and it is as a higher , so a more reverend thing to speak in gods name to the people , then in the peoples name to god ; and to speak that which we call gods word , or truth , or message , then that which we call but our own desire : we make a god a lyar , or corrupt in his words , if we speak a falshood in his name ; we make but our selves lyars , if we speak a falshood to him in our names : the former therefore is the more heynous and dreadful abuse , and more to be avoided : or if but equally , it shews the tende●cy of your reason , ( for we will not say of your designe , as hoping you intend not to make us ruff●ans . ) we do therefore for the sake of the poor threatned church , beseech you that you will be pleased to repent of these desires , and not to prosecute them , considering that to avoid a lesser evil ( avoidable by safer means ) you will bring a far greater evil on the churches , and such as is like to strip these nations of the glory in which they have excelled the rest of the world ▪ even a learned , able , holy ministry , and a people sincere , and serious , and understanding in the matters of their salvation . for , 1. as it is well known that an ignorant man may read a prayer and homily as distinctly and laudably as a learned divine , and so may do the work of a minister , if this be it ; so it is known that mans nature is so addicted to ease and sensual diversions , as that multitudes will make no better preparations , when they find that no more is necessary , when they are as capable of their places and maintenance if they can but read , and are forced upon no exercise of their parts , which may detect and shame their ignorance , but the same words are to be read by the ablest and ignorantest man : it is certain that this will make multitudes idle in their academical studies , and multitudes to spend their time idly all the year , in the course of their ministry : and when they have no necessity that they are sensible of , of diligent studies , it will let loose their f●eshly voluptuous inclinations , and they will spend their time in sports , and drinking , and prating , and idleness ; and this will be a seminary of lust : or they will follow the world , and drown themselves in covetousness and ambition , and their hearts will be like their studies . as it 's the way to have a holy able ministry , to engage them to holy studies , to meditate on gods law day and night ; so it 's the way to have an ignorant , prophane and scandalous ministry , ( and consequently enemies to serious godliness in others ) to impose upon them but such a work , as in ignorance and idleness they may perform as well as the judicious and the diligent . if it be said , [ that their parts may be tryed and exercised some other way : ] we answer , where should a ministers parts be exercised , if not in the pulpit or the church , and in catechising , in private baptism and communion , and in the visitation of the sick ? their work also is such as a school-boy may do as well as they , their ignorance having the same cloak , as in publick . if it be said , [ that a ministers work is not to shew his parts : ] we answer , but his ministerial work is to shew men their sins , and to preach the wonderful mysteries of the gospel , to help men to search , and understand the scriptures , and to search , and to know their hearts , and to know god in christ , and to hope for the glory that is to be revealed ; and fervently to pray for the success of his endeavours , and the blessings of the gospel on the people , and chearfully to praise god for his ●arious benefits ; which cannot be done without abilities . a ●hysitians work is not to shew his parts ultimately , but it is to do that for the cure of diseases which without parts he cannot do ; and in the exercise of his parts , ( on which the issue much depends ) to save mens lives . the ostentation of his good works , is not the work of a good christian ; and yet he must so let his light shine before men , that they may see his good works , and glorifie god. and undeniable experience tells us , that god ordinarily proportioneth the success and blessing to the skill , and holiness , and diligence of the instruments ; and blesseth not the labours of ignorant , ungodly drones , as he doth the labours of able faithful ministers . and also that the readiest way to bring the gospel into contempt with the world , and c●use all religion to dwindle away into formality first , and then to barbarism and brutishness , is to let in an ignorant , idle , vicious ministry , that will become the peoples scorn : yea , this is the way to extirpate christianity out of any country in the world , which is decaying apace , when men grow ignorant of the nature and reasons of it , and unexperienced in its power and delightful fruits , and when the teachers themselves grow unable to defend it . and we must adde , that whatsoever can be expected duely to affect the heart , must keep the intellect , and all the faculties awake in diligent attention and exercise : and in the use of a form , which we have frequently heard and read , the faculties are not so necessitated and urged to attention , and serious exercise , as they be when from our own understanding we are set about the natural work of representing to others what we discern and feel . mans minde is naturally sloathful , and will take its ease , and remit its seriousness longer then it is urged by necessity , or drawn out by delight : when we know beforehand , that we have no more to do , but read a prayer or homily , we shall ordinarily be in danger of letting our minds go another way , and think of other matters , and be senceless of the work in hand . though he is but an hypocrite that is carried on by no greater motive then mans observation and approbation ; yet is it a help not to be despised , when even a necessity of avoiding just shame with men , shall necessarily awake our invention , and all our faculties to the work , and be a concurrent help with spiritual motives . and common experience tells us , that the best are apt to loose a great deal of their affection by the constant use of the same words or forms . let the same sermon be preached an hundred times over , and try whether an hundred for one will not be much less moved by it , then they were at first . it is not onely the common corruption of our nature , but somewhat of innocent infirmity that is the cause of this . and man must cease to be man , or to be mortal , before it will be otherwise . so that the nature of the thing , and the common experience of our own dispositions , and of the effect on others , assureth us , that understanding serious godliness , is like to be extinguished , if onely forms be allowed in the church , on pretence of extinguishing errors and divisions : and though we have concurred to offer you our more corrected nepent●es , yet must we before god and me● , protest against the dose of opium which you here prescribe or wish for , as that which plainly tendeth to cure the di●ease by the extinguishing of life , and to unite us all in a dead religion . and when the prayers that avail must be effectual and ferve ●t , jam 5. 16. and god will be worshipped in spirit and truth , and more regardeth the f●ame of the heart , then the comeliness of expression ; we have no reason to be taken with any thing that pretends to help the tongue , while we are sure it ordinarily hurts the heart : and it is not the affirmations of any men in the world , perswading us of the harmlessness of such a course , that can so far un-man us , as to make us dis-believe both our own experience , and common observation of the effects on others . yet we confess that some forms have their laudable use , to cure that errour and vice that lyeth on the other extream . and might we but sometimes have the liberty to interpose such words as are needful to call home and quicken attention and affection , we should think that a convenient conjunction of both might be a well-tempered means to the common constitutions of most . but still we see the world will run into extreams , whatever be said or done to hinder it . it is but lately that we were put to it , against one extream , to defend the lawfulness of a form of liturgie ; now the other extream it troubleth us , that we are forced against you , even such as you , to defend the use of such prayers of the pastors of the churches , as are necessarily varied according to subjects and occasions , while you would have no prayer at all in the church , but such prescribed forms . and why may we not adde , that whoever maketh the forms imposed on us , if he use them , is guilty as well as we of praying accordi●g to his private conceptions ? and that we never said it proved from scripture , that christ appointed any to such an office , as to make prayers for other pastors and churches to offer up to god : and that this being none of the work of the apostolical , or common ministerial office in the primitive church , is no work of any office of divine institution . [ to that part of the proposal , that the prayers may cons●st of nothing doubtful , or questioned by pious , learned and orthodox persons ; they not determining who be those orthodox persons , we must either take all them for orthodox persons , who shall confidently affirm themselves to be such ; and then we say , first , the demand is unreasonable ; for some such as call themselves orthodox , have qu●stioned the prime article of our creed , even the divinity of the s●n of god ; and yet there is no reason we should part with our creed for that . besides the proposal requires impossibility ; for there never was , nor is , ●or can be such prayers made , as have not been , nor will be questioned by s●me wh● call themselves pious , learned and orthodox : if by orthodox be meant those who adhere to scripture , and the catholick consent of antiquity , we do not yet know that any part of our liturgie hath been questioned by such . ] and may we not thus mention orthodox persons to men that profess they agree with us in doctrinals ▪ unless we digress to tell you who they be ? what if we were pleading for civil co●cord among all that a●e loyal to the king , must we needs digress to tell you who are loyal ? we are agreed in one rule of faith , in one holy scripture , and one creed , and differ not ( you say ) about the doctrinal part of the 39 art. and will not all this seem to tell you who are orthodox ? if you are resolved to make all that a matter of contention which we desire to make a means of peace , there is no remedy while you have the ball before you , and have the wind and sun , and the power of contending without controul . but we perceive , [ that the catholick consent of antiquity , ] must go into your definition of the orthodox ; but how hard it is to get a reconciling determination , what ages shall go with you , and us , for the true antiquity , and what is necessary to that consent that must be called catholick , is unknown to none but the unexperienced . and indeed we think a man that searcheth the holy scripture , and sincerely and unreservedly gives up his soul to understand , love and obey it , may be orthodox , without the knowledge of church-history : we know no universal law-giver , nor law to the church , but one , and that law is the sufficient rule of faith , and consequently the test of the truely orthodox , though we refuse not church-history , or other means that may help us to understand it . and to acquaint you with what you do not know , we our selves ( after many pastors of the reformed churches ) do question your liturgie , as far as is expressed in our papers : and we profess , [ to adhere to scripture , and the catholick consent of antiquity , ] ( as described by vincentius liniensis ) if you will say , that our pretence and claim is unjust , we call for your authority to judge our hearts , or dispose us from the number of the orthodox , or else for your proofs to make good your accusation . but however you judge , we rejoyce in the expectation of the righteous judgment that shall finally decide the controversie ; to which , from this aspersion , we appeal . [ to th●se generals , loading publick form with ch. pomp garm . imagery , and many superfluities that creep into the church under the name of order and dec●ncy , i●cumbring churches with superfluities , over-rigid reviving of obsolete customes , &c. we say , that if these generals be intended as appliable to our liturgie in particular , they are gross and foul slanders , contrary to their profession , page ult . and so either that or this contrary to their conscience ; if not , they signifie nothing to the present business , and so might with more prudence and ●andor have been omitted . ] you needed not go a fishing for our charge ; what we had to say against the liturgie , which we now desired you to observe , was here plainly laid before you : answer to this , and suppose us not to say what we do not , to make your selves matter of reproaching us with gross and foul slanders . onely we pray you answer mr. hales , as mr. hales , ( whom we took to be a person of much esteem with you ) especially that passage of his which you take no notice of , as not being so easie to be answered , for the weight and strength which it carries with it , viz. that the limiting of the church-communion to things of doubtful disputation , hath been in all ages the ground of schism and separation ; and that he that separates from suspected opinions , is not the separatist . and may we not cite such words of one that we thought you honoured , and would hear , without contradicting our profession , of not intending depravation or reproach against the book without going against our consciences ? if we cite the words of an author for a particular use , ( as to perswade you of the evil of laying the hurches unity upon unnecessary things ) must we be responsible therefore for all that you can say against his words in other respects ? we suppose you would be loath your words should have such interpretation , and that you should be under such a law for all your citations : do as you would be done by . [ it was the wisdom of our reformers to draw up such a liturgie as neither romanist nor protestant could justly except against ; and therefore as the first never charged it with any positive errours , but onely the want of something they conceived necessary : so it was never found fault with by th●se to whom the name of protestants most properly belongs , those that profess the augustine confession ; and for those who unlawfully and sinfully brought it into dislike with some people , to urge the present state of affaires , as an argument why the book should be altered , to give them satisfaction , and so that they should take advantage by their own unwarrantable acts , is not reasonable . ] if it be blameless , no man can justly except against it : but that de facto the romanists never charged it with any positive errours , is an assertion that maketh them reformed , and reconcileable to us , beyond all belief : is not the very using it in our own tongue a positive errour in their account ? is it no positive errour in the papists account , that we profess [ to receive these creatures of bread and wine ? ] do they think we have no positive errour in our catechism about the sacrament , that affirmeth it to be bread and wine a ter the consecration , and makes but two sacraments necessary ? &c. 2. and unless we were nearlier agreed then we are , it seemeth to us no commendation of a liturgie , that the papists charge it with no positive errour . 3. that no divines or private men at home , or of forraign churches , [ that ever found fault with the liturgie , are such to whom the name of protestant properly belongeth , ] is an assertion that proveth not what authority of judging your brethren you have , but what you assume ; and commendeth your charity no more , then it commendeth the papists , that they deny us to be catholicks . calvin and bucer subscribed the augustine consession , and so have others that have found fault with our liturgie . 4. if any of us have blamed it to the people , it is but with such a sort of blame as we have here exprest against it to your selves ; and whether it be [ unlawful and sinful ] the impartial comparing of your words with ours , will help the willing reader to discern . but if we prove indeed that it is [ defective and faulty that you bring for an offering to god , ] when you or your neighbours have a better , which you will not bring , nor suffer them that would , ( mal. 1. 13. ) and that you call evil good in justifying its blemishes , which in humble modesty we besought you to amend , or excuse us from offering , then god will better judge of the unlawful act , then you have done . but you have not proved that all or most of us have caused the people at all to dislike it ; if any of us have , yet weigh our argument , though from the present state of affairs : or if you will not hear us , we beseech you hear the many ministers in england , that never medled against the liturgy , and the many moderate episcopal divines , that have used it , and can do still , and yet would earnestly intreat you to alter it , partly because of what in it needs alteration , and partly in respect to the commodity of others ; or at least we beseech you recant , and obliterate such passages as would hinder all your selves from any act of reformation hereabout , that if any man among you would find fault with some of the grosser things , which we laid open to you , ( tenderly and sparingly ) and would ●eform them , he may not presently forfeit the reputation of being a protestant . and astly , we beseech you deny not again the name of protestants to the pri●ate of ireland , the archbishop of york , and the many others that had divers meetings for the reformation of the liturgie , and who drew up that catalogue of faults , or points that needed mending , which is yet to beseen in print ; they took not advantage of their own unwarrantable acts for the attempting of that alteration . [ the third and fourth proposals may go together , the demand in both being against respensals , and alternate readings , in hymnes , and psams , and l●t●●y , &c. and that upon such reason as doth in truth enforce the necessity of continuing them as they are , namely for edification . they would take these away , because they do not edifie , and upon that very reason they sh●uld continue , because they do edifie : if not by informing of our reasons and understandin●s , ( the prayers and hymns were never made for a catechism ) yet by quic●ning , continuing and uniting our devotion , which is apt to f●eeze ▪ or sleep , ●r ●●at in a l●ng continued prayer , or f●rm ; it is necessary therefore for the edifying of us therein , to be often called upon and awa●●ned by frecuent amens , to be excited and stirred up by mutu●l exultations , pr●vocations , petitions , holy c●ntentions and strivin●s , which shall m●st sh●w his ●wn , and stir up others zeal to the glory of god. for this purpose alternate reading , repetitions and responsals , are far better than a long tedious pr●yer : nor is this ●●r opini●● onely , but the judgement of former ages , as appears by the practise of antient christian churches , and of the jews also . but it seems they say to be against the scripture , wherein the minister is appointed for the people in publick prayers , the peoples part being to attend with s●lence , and to declare their assent in the close , by saying amen : if they mean that the people in publick services must onely say this word amen , as they can no where prove it in the scriptures , so it doth certainly seem to them , that it cannot be proved ; for they directly practise the contrary in one of their principal parts of worship , singing of psalms , where the people bear as great a part as the minister . if this may be done in hopkins , why not in davids psalms ? if in metre , why not in prose ? if in a psalm , why not in a letany ? ] what is most for edification , is best known by experience , and by the reason of the thing : for the former , you are not the masters of all mens experience , but of your own , and others that have acquainted you with the same , as theirs : we also may warrantably profess in the name of our selves , and many thousands of sober pious persons , that we experience that these things are against our edification ; and we beseech you do not by us , what you would not do by the the poor labouring servants of your family , to measure them all their dyet for quality or quantity , according to your own appetites , which they think are diseased , and would be better , if you work'd us as hard as they : and we gave you some of the reasons of our judgement : 1. though we have not said that the people may not in psalms to god concur in voice , ( we speak of prayer which you should have observed ) and though we onely concluded it agreeable to the scripture-practise , for the people in prayer to say but their amen ; yet knowing not from whom to understand the will of god , and what is pleasing to him , better then from himself , we considered what the scripture saith of the ordinary way of publick worship ; and finding ordinarily that the people spoke no more in prayer ( as distinct from psalms and praise ) then their amen , or meer consent , we desired to imitate the surest pattern . 2. as we finde that the minister is the mouth of the people to god in publick , ( which scripture , and the necessity of order do require ; ) so we were loath to countenance the peoples invading of that sacred office , so far as they seem to us to do : 1. by reading half the psalms and hymnes : 2. by saying half the prayers , as the minister doth the other half : 2. by being one of them the mouth of all the rest in the confession at the lords supper . 4. by being the onely petitioners , in the far greatest part of all the letanie , by their [ good lord deliver us , ] and [ we beseech thee to hear us , good lord ; ] while the minister onely reciteth the matter of the matter of the prayer , and maketh none of the request at all ; we fear lest by parity of reason the people will claim the work of preaching , and other parts of the ministerial office : 3. and we mentioned that which all our ears are witnesses of , that while half the psalms and hymns , &c. are said by such of the people as can say them , the murmur of their voices in most congregations is so unintelligible and confused , as must hinder the edification of all the rest ; for who is edified by that which he cannot understand ? we know not what you mean by citing 2 chron. 7. 1 , 4. ezra 3. 11. where there is not a word of publick prayer , but in one place of an acclamation , upon an extraordinary sight of the glory of the lord , which made them praise the lord , and say , [ he is good , for his mercy is for ever ; ] when the prayer that went before was such as you call [ a long tedious prayer , ] uttered by solomon alone , without such breaks and discants . and in the other places is no mention of prayer at all , but of singing praise ; and that not by the people , but by the priests and levites , saying the same words , [ for he is good , for his mercy endures for ever towards israel : ] the people are said to do no more then shout with a great shout , because the foundation of the house was laid ; and if shouting be it that you would prove , it 's not the thing in question . let the ordinary mode of praying in scripture be observed , in the prayers of david , solomon , ezra , daniel , or any other ; and if they were by breaks , and frequent beginnings and endings , and alternate interlocutions of the people , as yours are , then we will conform to your mode , which now offends us ; but if they were not , we beseech you reduce yours to the examples in scripture : we desire no other rule to decide the controversie by . as to your citation , 1 socrat. there tells us of the alternate singing of the arrians in the reproach of the orthodox , and that chrysostome ( not a synod ) compiled hymns to be sung in opposition to them in the streets , which came in the end to a tumult and bloudshed . and hereupon he tells us of the original of alternate singing , viz. a pretended vi●ion of ignatius , that heard angels sing in that order . and what is all this to alternate reading , and praying , or to a divine institution , when here is no mention of reading or praying , but of singing hymns ; and that not upon pretence of apostolical tradition , but a vision of uncertain credit ? theodore also speaketh onely of singing psalms alternately , and not a word of reading or praying so ; and he fetcheth that way of singing also as socrat. doth , but from the church at antioch , and not from any pretended doctrine or practise of the apostles : and neither of them speaks a word of the necessity of it , or of forcing any to it : so that all these your citations , speaking not a word so much as of the very subject in question , are marvellously impertinent . the words [ their worship , ] seem to intimate that singing of psalms is part [ of our worship , ] and not of yours : we hope you disown it not ; for our parts we are ashamed of it . your distinction between hopkins and davids psalms , as if the metre allowed by authority to be sung in churches , made them to be no more davids psalms , seemeth to us a very hard saying . if it be because it is a translation , then the prose should be none of davids psalms neither , nor any translation be the s●ripture . if it be because it is in metre , then the exactest translation in metre should be none of the scripture . if because it 's done imperfectly , then the old translation of the bible , used by common-prayer-book , should not be scripture . as to your reason for the supposed priority , 1. scripture-examples telling us , that the people had more part in the psalms , then in the prayers or reading , satisfie us , that god and his church then saw a disparity of reason . 2. common observation tells us , that there is more order , and less hinderance of edification in the peoples singing , then in their reading and praying together vocally . [ it is desired that nothing should be in the liturgie , which so much as seems to countenance the observation of lent as a religious fast ; and this as an expedient to peace : which is in effect to desire , that this our church may be contentious for peace sake , and to divide from the church-catholick , that we may live at unity among our selves : for st. paul reckons them amongst the lovers of contention , who shall oppose themselves against the custome of the churches of god. that the religious observation of lent was a custome of the churches of god , appears by the testimonies following , chrys. ser. 11. in heb. 10. cyrill . catec . myst . 5. st. aug. ep. 119 , ut 40 dies ante pascha observetur , ecclesiae consuetudo roboravit : and st. hierom ad marcell , says , it was secundum traditionem apostolorum : this demand then tends not to peace , but dissention . the fasting forty days may be in imitation of our saviour , for all that is here said to the contrary ; for though we cannot arrive to his perfection , abstaining wholly from meat so long ; yet we may fast forty days together , either cornelius his fast , till three of the clock after noon , or saint peters fast , till noon ; or at least daniels fast , abstaining from meats and drinks of delight ; and thus far imitate our lord. ] if we had said that the church is contentious if it adore god in kneeling on the lords days , or use not the white garment , milk and honey after baptism , which had more pretence of apostolical tradition , and were generally used more anciently then lent , would you not have thought we wronged the church ? if the purer times of the church have one custome , and latter times a contrary , which must we follow ? or must we necessarily be contentious for not following both ? or rather , may we not by the example of the church that changeth them , be allowed to take such things to be matters of liberty , and not necessity ? if we must needs conform to the custom of other churches in such things , or be contentious , it is either because god hath so commanded , or because he hath given those churches authority to command it : if the former , then what churches or what ages must we conform to ? if all must concur to be our pattern , it will be hard for us to be acquainted with them so far as to know of such concurrences : and in our case we know that many do it not . if it must be the most , we would know where god commandeth us to imitate the greater number , though the worse ; or hath secured us that they shall not be the worst ? or why we are not tyed rather to imitate the purer ages then the more corrupt ? if it be said , that the church hath authority to command us ; we desire to know what church that is , and where to be sound and heard , that may command england , and all the churches of his majesties dominions . if it be said to be a general council , 1. no general council can pretend to more authority then that of nice , whose 20th canon , back'd with tradition and common practise , now binds not us , and was laid by without any repeal by following councils . 2. we know of no such things as general councils , at least that have bound us to the religious observation of lent. the bishops of one empire could not make a general council . 3. nor do we know of any such power that they have over the universal church , there being no visible head of it , or governours to make universal laws , but christ , ( as rogers on the 20th article fore-cited shews ) our 21th article saith , that [ general councils may not be gathered together without the commandment and will of princes : ] and doubtless all the heathens and mahometans , and all the contending christian princes , will never agree together ( nor never did ) to let all their christian subjects concur to hold a general council . it saith also , [ and when they be gathered together , ( for as much as they be an assembly of men , whereof all be not governed with the spirit and word of god ) they may erre , and sometimes have erred , even in things pertaining unto god : therefore things ordained by them , as necessary to salvation , have neither strength nor authority , unless it may be declared that they be taken out of the holy scriptures . ] and if they may erre in things pertaining unto god , and ordained by them as necessary to salvation , much more in lesser things . and are we contentious if we erre not with them ? our 39 article determineth this controversie , saying , [ it is not necessary that traditions and ceremonies be in all places one , or utterly like ; for at all times they have been divers , and changed according to the diversitie of countries , times , and mens manners , so that nothing be ordained against gods word . ] and after , [ every particular , or national church , hath authority to ordain , change , or abolish ceremonies , or rites of the church , ordained onely by mans authority , so that all things be done to edifying : ] they that believe not this , should not subscribe it , nor require it of others . as for the testimonies cited by you , they are to little purpose : we deny not not that the custome of observing lent , either fewer days or more , was as ancient as those authors . but first , that lent was not known or kept in the second or third ages , you may see as followeth , tertul. de jejun . l. 2. cap. 14. pleading for the montanists , [ si omnem in totum devotionem temporum , & dierum , & mensium , & annorum erasit apostolus , cur pascha celebramus anno circulo in mense primo ? cur quadraginta inde diebus in omni exulcatione deturrimus ? cur stationibus quartam & sextam , sabbati dicamus ? & jejuniis parasceven ? quanquam vos etiam sabbatum si quando continutatis ; nunquam nisi in pascha jejunandum , &c. and cap. 15. excusing that rigour of their fasts , [ quantula est apud nos interdictio ciborum , duus in anno . hebdomadas xerophagiarum nec totas , exceptis scilicet sabbatis , & dominicius offerimus deo : the old general fast at that time was onely the voluntary unconstrained fasting on good friday , and after that on one or two days more , and then on six . irenaeus in a fragment of an epistle in euseb. hist. lib. 5. cap. 26. gr. lat. 23. saith , ( the controversie is not onely of the day of easter , but of the kind of fast it self : for some think they should fast one day , some two , others more : some measure their day by forty hours of day and night ; and this variety of those that observe these fasts , began not now in our age , but long before us with our ancestors ; who , as is most like , propagated to posterity the custome which they retain , as brought in by a certain simplicity , and private will ; and yet all these lived peaceably among themselves , and we keep peace among our selves ; and the difference of fasting is so far from violating the consonancy of faith , as that it even commendeth it . ] thus irenaeus , ( read the rest of the chapter ) thus is the true reading confessed by bellarmine , rigaltius , &c. and dionys. alexand. ep. can. ad basil. pag. 881. balsam saith , [ nor do all equally and alike sustain those six days of fasting ; but some pass them all fasting , some two , some three , some four , some more . ] and the catholicks in tert de jejun . cap. 2. says , itaque de caetero differentur jejunandum , ex arbitrio , non ex imperio novae disciplinae , pro temporibus & causis uniuscujusque sic & apostolos observasse , nul●um aliud imponentes jugum certorum , & in commune omnibus obeundorum jejuniorum : and socrat. admireth at many countries , that all differed about the number of days , and yet all called i● quadrages●ma , lib. 5 c. 22. lat. gr. 21. so sozomen lib. 7. c. 19. gr. & niceph. lib. 12. cap. 34. which may help you to expound hierom , and the rest cited by you , as rigaltius doth ad tertul. de jujun . 118. as shewing that they did it with respect to christs forty days fast , but not as intending any such thing themselves as any fast of forty days . it is against the montanists , that the quadrag . was but once a year , that hierom useth the title of apostolical tradition . and how to expound him , see epist. ad lucin , [ unaqueque provincia abundet in suo sensu , & praecepta majorum leges apostolicus arbitretur ; ] but saith august . ad casulan ep. 86. [ in evangelicis & apostolicis literis , totoque instrumento quod appellatur testamentum novum , animo id revolvens video preceptum esse jejunium : quibus , autem die●us non oportet jejunare , & quibus oport●at , precepto domini vel apostolorum non invenio definitum . ] and that christians abstinence in lent was voluntary [ quanto magis quisque vel minus voluerit , vel potuerit , ] august . affirmeth , cont . faustum manich. lib. 30. cap. 5. and socrat. ubi supr . saith , [ ac quoniam nemo de care praeceptum literarum monumentis proditum potest ostendere , perspicuum est apostolos liberam potestatem in eadem cujusque men●i , ac arbitrio permisisse : ut quisque nec metu , nec necessitate inductus quod bonum sit ageret . ] and prosper de vit . contempl. li. 2. c. 24. veruntamen sic jejunare , vel abstinere debemus , ut nos non jejunandi , vel destinendi necessitate subdamus , ne jam devoti , sed inviti , rem voluntariam faciamus . ] and cassianus , lib. 2. col . 21. cap. 30. saith , [ in primitiva ecclesia equale fuisse jejunium per totum annum : ac frigescente devotione , cum negligerentur jei●nia inductum quadrag . à sacerdotibus . but when you come to describe your fast , you make amends for the length , by making it indeed no fast ; [ to abstain from meats and drinks of delight : ] where neither the thing nor the delight is profitable to further us in our duty to god , is that which we take to be the duty of every christian all the year , as being a part of our mortication , and self-denial , who are commanded to crucifie the flesh , and to make no provision to satisfie the lusts of it , and to subdue our bodies : but when those meats and drinks do more help then hinder us in the service of god , we take it to be our duty to use them , unless when some other accident forbids it , that would make it otherwise more hurtful . and for fasting till noon , we suppose it is the ordinary way of dyet to multitudes of sedentary persons , both students , and trades-men , that find one meal a day sufficient for nature : if you call this fasting , your poor brethren fast all their life time , and never knew that it was fasting ; but to command hard labourers to do so , is but to make it a fault to have health , or to do their necessary work . we beseech you bring not the clergie under the suspition of gluttony , by calling our ordinary wholsome temperance by the name of fasting . sure princes may feed as fully and delightfully as we ; yet solomon saith , wo to thee , o land , when thy king is a child , and thy princes eat in the morning . blessed art thou , o land , when thy king is the son of nobles , and thy princes eat in due season , for strength , and not for drunkenness ; ] for meer sensual delight it is never lawful ; and when it is for strength , it is not to be forbidden , unless when by accident it will i●fer a greater good to abstain , eccl. 20. 16 , 17. so prov. 31. 4 , 6. it is not for kings to drink wine , nor princes strong drink : give strong drink to him that is ready to perish , and wine to those that be of heavy hearts . [ nor does the act of parliament , 5 of eliz. forbid it : we dare not think a parliament did intend to forbid that which christ his church hath commanded . nor does the act determine any thing about lent fast , but onely provide for the maintenance of the navy , and of fishing in order thereunto , as is plain by the act. besides , we conceive that we must not so interpret one act , as to contradict another , being still in force and unrepealed . now the act of 1 eliz. confirms the whole liturgie , and in that the religious keeping of lent , with a severe penalty upon all those , who shall by open words speak any thing in derogation of any part thereof ; and therefore that other act of 5 elizab. must not be interpreted to forbid the religious keeping of lent. ] if when the express words of a statute are cited , you can so easily put it off , by saying ( it does not forbid it ) and you dare not think that a parliament did intend to forbid that which christ his church hath commanded , ) and ( you must not interpret it as contradicting that act which confirms the liturgie , ) we must think that indeed we are no less regardful of the laws of the governours than you . but first , we understand not what authority this is that you set against the king and parliament , as supposing they will not forbid what it commands . you call it christs church , we suppose you mean not christ himself , by his apostles infallibly directed and inspired . if it be the national church of england , they are the kings subjects ; and why may he not forbid a ceremony which they command ? or why should they command it if he forbid it ? if it be any forreign church , there 's none hath power over us . if it be any pretended head of the church universal , whether pope or general council , having power to make laws that bind the whole church , it is a thing so copiously disproved by protestants against both the italian and french papists , that we think it needless to confute it , nor indeed dare imagine that you intend it . we know not therefore what you mean ; but whatever you mean , you seem to contradict the forecited article of the church of england , that makes all humane laws about rites and ceremonies of the church to be unchangeable , by each particular national church ; and that it is not necessary that ceremonies or traditions be in all places one , or utterly like . ) we most earnestly beseech you be cautious how you obtrude upon us a forreign power , under the name of christs church , that may command ceremonies which king and parliament may not forbid ; whether it be one man or a thousand , we fear it is against our oathes of allegiance and supremacie , for us to own any such power . and ( not presuming upon any immodest challenge ) we are ready in the defence of those oathes , and the protestant religion to prove against any in an equal conference , that there is no such power ; and for the statutes let the words themselves decide the controversie , which are these : [ be it enacted , that whosoever shall by preaching , teaching , writing , or open speech notifie that any eating of fish , or forbearing of flesh , mentioued in this statute , is of a●y necessity for the saving of the soul of man , or that it is the service of god , otherwise than as other politick laws are and be , that then such persons shall be punished as the spreaders of false news are , and ought to be ] and whereas you say the act determines not any thing about lent fast , it speaks against [ eating flesh on any dayes now usually observed as fish-dayes ] and lent is such . and the sense of the act for the lyturgy may better be tryed by this , which is plain , than this reduced to that which is more obscure . [ the observation of saints dayes is not as of divine , but of ecclesiastical institution , and therefore it is not necessary that they should have any other ground in scripture , than all other institutions of the same nature ; so that they be agreeable to the scripture in the general end , for the promoting ●i●ty ; and the observation of them was ancient , as appears by the rituals and lyturgies , and by the joint consent of antiquity , and by the antient translations of the bible , as the syriack and ethiopick , where the lessons appointed for holy dayes are noted and set down , the former of which was made neer the apostles times : besides , our saviour himself kept a feast of the churches institution , viz. the feast of the dedication , st. john 10. 22. the chief end of these dayes being not feasting , but exercise of holy duties , they are fitter called holy-dayes than feastivals ; and though they be all of like nature , it doth not follow that they are equal ; the people may be dispensed with for their work , after the service , as authority pleases . the other names are left in the calender , not that they should be so kept as holy-dayes , but they are useful for the preservation of their memories , and for other reasons , as for leases , law-dayes , &c. ] repl. the antiquity of the translations mentioned , is far from being of determinate certainty ; we rather wish than hope , that the syriack could be proved to be made neer the apostles times . but however the things being confessed of humane institution , and no forreign power having any authority to command his majesties subjects , and so the imposition being only by our own governours , we humbly crave that they may be left indifferent , and the unity or peace of the church , or liberty of the ministers not laid upon them . sect. 1. [ this makes all the lyturgy void , if every minister may put in , and leave out at his discretion . ] repl. you mistake us ; we speak not of putting in , and leaving out of the liturgy ; but of having leave to intermix some exhortations or prayers besides , to take off the deadness which will follow , if there be nothing but the stinted forms ; we would avoid both the extream that would have no forms , and the contrary extream that would have nothing but forms ; but if we can have nothing but extreams , there 's no remedy ; it 's not our fault : and this moderation and mixture which we move for , is so far from making all the lyturgy void , that it would do very much to make it attain its end , and would heal much of the distemper which it occasioneth , and consequently would do much to preserve the reputation of it . as for instance , if besides the forms in the lyturgy , the minister might , at baptism , the lords supper , marriage , &c. interpose some suitable exhortation or prayer , upon special occasion , when he finds it needful : should you deny this at the visitation of the sick , it would seem strange ; and why may it not be granted at other times ? it is a matter of far greater trouble to us , that you would deny us and all ministers the liberty of using any other prayers besides the lyturgy , than that you impose these . sect. 2. [ the gift , or rather spirit of prayer , consists in the inward graces of the spirit , not in extempore expressions , which any man of natural parts , having a voluble tongue , and audacity , may attain to , without any special gift . ] repl. all inward graces of the spirit , are not properly called the spirit of pray●r ; nor is the spirit of prayer , that gift of prayer which we speak of ; nor did we call it by the name of a special gift ; nor did we deny that ordinary men of natural parts , and voluble tongues may attain it : but yet we humbly conceive , that as there is a gift of preaching , so also of prayer , which god bestoweth in the use of means , diversified much according to mens natural parts , and their diligence , as other acquired abilities are ; but also much depending on that grace that is indeed special , which maketh men love and rellish the holy subjects of such spiritual studies , and the holy exercise of those graces that are the soul of prayer , and consequently making men follow on such exercises with delight and diligence , and therefore with success ; and also god is free in giving or denying his blessing to mans endeavours : if you think there be no gift of preaching , you will too dishonourably level the ministry . if reading be all the gift of prayer or preaching , there needs no great understanding or learning to it ; nor should coblers and tinkers be so unfit men for the ministry as they are thought , nor would the reason be very apparent why a woman mightnot speak by preaching or praying in the church . sect. 3. [ but if there be any such gift as is pretended , it is to be subject to the prophets , and to the order of the church . ] repl. the text speaks , ( as dr. hammond well shews ) of a subjection to that prophet himself who was the speaker : inspiration excluded not the prudent exercise of reason ; but it is a strange ordering , that totally excludeth the thing ordered . the gift of preaching ( as distinct from reading ) is to be orderly , and with due subjection exercised ; but not to be on that pretence extinguished and cast out of the church : and indeed if you should command it , you are not to be obeyed , whatever we suffer . and why then should the gift of prayer ( distinct from reading ) be cast out ? sect. 4. [ the mischiefs that come by idle , impertinent , ridiculous , sometimes seditious , impious , and blasphemous expressions , under pretence of the gift , to the dishonour of god , and scorn of religion , being far greater than the pretended good of exercising the gift ; it is fit that they who desire such liberty in publick devotions , should first give the church security , that no private opinions should be put into their prayers , as is desired in the first proposal , and that nothing contrary to the faith , should be uttered before god , or offered up to him in the church . ] repl. the mischiefs which you pretend , are inconveniences attending humane imperfeotion , which you would cure with a mischief . your argument from the abuse , against the use , is a palpable fallacy , which cast out physitians in some countries , and rooted up vines in others , and condemneth the reading of the scriptures in a known tongue among the papists . if the apostles ( that complained then so much of divisions , and preaching false doctrine , and in envy , and strife ) had thought the way of cure had been in sending ministers about the world with a prayer-book or sermon book , and to have tyed them only to read , either one or both of these , no doubt but they would have been so regardful of the church , as to have composed such a prayer-book or sermon book themselves , and not left us to the uncertainties of an authority not infallible , nor to the divisions that follow the impositions of a questionable power , or that which unquestionably is not universal , and therefore can procure no universal concord . if one man among you draw up a form of prayer , it is his single conception ; and why a man as learned and able , may not be trusted to conceive a prayer for the use of a single congregation , without the dangers mentioned by you , as one man to conceive a prayer for all the churches in a diocess , or a nation , we know not . these words [ that the mischief is greater than the pretended good ] seem to express an unjust accusation of ordinary conceived prayer , and a great undervaluing of the benefits : if you would intimate that the crimes expressed by you are ordinarily found in ministers prayers , we that hear such much more frequently than you , must profess we have not found it so ( allowing men their different measures of exactness , as you have even in writing . ) nay , to the praise of god we must say , that multitudes of private men can ordinarily pray , without any such imperfection as should nauseate a sober person ; and with such seriousness and aptness of expression , as is greatly to the benefit and comfort of our selves when we joyn with them . and if such general accusations may serve in a matter of publick and common fact , there is no way for the justification of the innocent : and that it is no such common guilt , will seem more propable to them that consider , that such conceived prayers , both prepared , and extemporate , have been ordinarily used in the pulpits in england and scotland , before our dayes till now , and there hath been power enough ( in the bishops and others before the wars ) to punish those that speak ridiculously , seditiously , impiously , or blasphemously : and yet so few are the instances ( even where jealousie was most busie ) of ministers punished , or once accused of any such fault in prayer , as that we find it not easie to remember any considerable number of them ; there being great numbers punished for not reading the book for playing on the lord's dayes , or for preaching too oft , and such like , for one that was ever questioned for such kind of praying . and the former shewed that it was not for want of will to be severe , that they spared them as to the later . and if it be but few that are guilty of any intolerable faults of that nature in their prayers , we hope you will not go on to believe that the mischiefs that come by the failings of those few , are far greater than the benefit of conceived prayer by all others : we presume not to make our experiences the measure of yours , or other mens ; you may tell us what doth most good or hurt to your selves , and those that have so communicated their experiences to you : but we also may speak our own , and others that have discovered them to us ; and we must seriously profess , that we have found far more benefit to our selves , and to our congregations ( as far as our conference and converse with them , and our observation of the effects alloweth us to discern ) by conceived prayers , than by the book of common prayer : we find that the benefit of conceived prayers is to keep the mind in serious imployment , and to awaken the affections , and make us fervent and importunate . and the inconvenience , is , that some weak men are apt , as in preaching and conference , so in prayer , to shew their weakness , by some unapt expressions or disorder ; which is an evil no way to be compared with the fore-mentioned good , considering that it is but in the weak , and that if that weakness be so great as to require it , forms might be imposed on those few , without imposing them on all for ther sakes , ( as we force not all to use spectacles or crutches , because some are pur-blind or lame , ) and considering that god heareth not prayers for the rhetorick , and handsome cadencies and neatness of expressions , but will bear more with some incuriosity of words ( which yet we plead not for ) than with an hypocritical , formal , heartless , lip-service ; for he knoweth the meaning of the spirit , even in the groans , which are not uttered in words . and for the common prayer , our observation telleth us , that though some can use it judiciously , seriously , and we doubt not profitably , yet as to the most of the vulgar , it causeth a relaxing of their attention and intention , and a lazy taking up with a corps or image of devotion , even the service of the lips , while the heart is little sensible of what is said : and had we not known it , we should have thought it incredible , how utterly ignorant abundance are of the sense of the words which they hear and repeat themselves from day to day , even about christ himself , and the essentials of christianity : it is wonderful to us to observe that rational creatures , can so commonly separate the words from all the sense and life . so great a help or hinderance even to the understanding , is the awakening , or not awakening of the affections , about the things of god : and we have already shewed you many unfit expressions in the common prayer book , especially in the epistles and gospels , through the faultiness of your translation , as eph. 3. 15. [ father of all that is called [ father in heaven and earth ] and that christ was found in his apparel as a man ] [ that mount sinai , is agar in arabia , and bordereth upon the city now called jerusalem ] gal. 4. 25. [ this is the sixth month which is barren ] luke 1. [ and when men be drunk ] joh. 2. with many such like ; which are parts of your publick worship : and would you have us hence conclude , that the mischiefs of such expressions are greater than all the benefits of that worship ? and yet there is this difference in the cases , that weak and rash ministers were but here and there one , but the common prayer is the service of every church and every day : had we heard any in extemporary prayers use such unmeet expressions , we should have thought him worthy of sharp reprehension , yea , though he had been of the younger or weaker sort . divers other unfit expressions are mentioned , in the exceptions of the late arch-bishop of york , and primate of ireland , and others ( before spoken of ) and there is much in the prejudice , or diseased curiosity of some hearers , to make words seem idle , impertinent , or ridiculous , which are not so ( and which perhaps they understand not ) : some thought so of the inserting in the late prayer book , the private opinion of the souls of the departed , praying for us , and our praying for the benefit of their prayers . as for the security which you call for , ( though , as is shewed , you have given us none at all against such errors in your forms , yet ) we have before shewed you , that you have as much , as among imperfect men can be expected : the same that you have , that physitians shall not murder men , and that lawyers and judges shall not undo men , and that your pilot shall not cast away the ship : you have the power in your hands , of taking or refusing , as they please or displease you ; and of judging them by a known law , for their proved miscarriages , according to the quality of them ; and what would you have more ? sect. 5. [ to prevent which mischiefs , the former ages knew no better way , than to forbid any prayers in publick , but such as were prescribed by publick authority . con. carthag . can. 106. milen . can. 12. ] repl. to what you alledge out of two councils , we answer , 1. the acts of more venerable councils are not now at all observed , ( as nice 1. can. ult . &c. ) nor many of these same which you cite . 2. the scripture , and the constant practice of the more antient church allowed what they forbid . 3. even these canons shew that then the churches thought not our lyturgy to be necessary to their concord ; nor indeed had then any such form imposed on all , or many churches to that end ; for the can. of coun. carthag . ( we suppose you meant coun. 3. can. 23. ) mentioneth prayers even at the altar , and alloweth any man to describe and use his own prayers , so he but first cum instructioribus fratribus eas conferre , take advice about them with the abler brethren . if there had been a stated form before imposed on the churches , what room could there be for this course ? and even this much seems but a caution made newly upon some late abuse of prayer . the same we say , de concil . malevit . can. 12. if they were but a prudentioribus tractatae , vel comprobatae in synodo , new prayers might by any man at any time be brought in ; which sheweth they had no such stated publick lyturgy , as is now pleaded for ; and even this seemeth occasioned by pelagianism , which by this caution they would keep out . we hope your omission of our eighth desire ( for the use of the new translation ) intimateth your grant , that it shall be so : but we marvel then that we find among your concessions the alteration of no part but the epistles and gospels . [ as they would have no saints dayes observed by the church , so no apocriphal chapter read in the church ; but upon such a reason as would exclude all sermons , as well as apocripha , viz. because the holy scriptures contain in them all things necessary , either in doctrine to be believed , or in duty to be practised : if so , why so many unnecessary sermons ? why any more but reading of scriptures ? if notwithstanding their sufficiency , sermons be necessary , there is no reason why these apocriphal chapters should not be as useful , most of them containing excellent discourses , and rules of morality ; it is heartily to be wished that sermons were as good : if their fear be , that by this means those books may come to be of equal esteem with the canon , they may be secured against that by the title which the church hath put upon them , calling them apocriphal ; and it is the churches testimony which teacheth us this difference ; and to leave them out , were to cross the practise of the church in former ages . ] repl. we hoped when our desires were delivered in writing , they would have been better observed and understood ; we asked not [ that no apocriphal chapter may be read in the church ] but that none may be read [ as lessons : ] for so the chapters of holy scripture there read are called in the boo● ; and to read them in the same place , under the same title , without any sufficient note of distinction , or notice given to the people , that they are not canonical scripture ( they being also bound with our bibles ) is such a temptation to the vulgar to take them for gods word , as doth much prevail , and is like to do so still : and when papists second it with their confident affirmations , that the apocriphal books are canonical , ( well refelled by one of you , the r. reverend bishop of durham , ) we should not needlesly help on their success . if you cite the apocripha as you do other human writings , or read them as homilies , ( when and where there is reason to read such ) we spake not against it . to say that the people are secured by the churches calling them apocripha , is of no force till experience be proved to be disregardable , and till you have proved that the minister is to tell the people at the reading of ever such chapter , that it is but apocriphal , and that the people all understand greek , so well as to know what apocriphal signifieth . the more sacred and honourable are these dictates of the holy ghost recorded in scripture , the greater is the sin by reading the apocripha , without sufficient distinction to make the people believe , that the writings of man are the revelation and laws of god : and also we speak against the reading of the apocripha , as it excludeth much of the canonical scriptures , and taketh in such books in their steads , as are commonly reputed fabulous . by thus much you may see how you lost your answer by mistaking us , and how much you will sin against god by denying our desires . [ that the minister should not read the communion service at the communion table , is not reasonable to demand , since all the primitive church used it ; and if we do not observe that golden rule of the venerable council of nice [ let antient customs prevail ] till reason plainly requires the contrary , we shall give offence to sober christians , by a causless departure from catholick usage , and a greater advantage to enemies of our church , then our brethren i hope would willingly grant . the priest standing at the communion table , seemeth to give us an invitation to the holy sacrament , and minds us of our duty , viz. to receive the holy communion , some at least every sunday ; and though we neglect our duty , it is fit the church should keep her standing . repl. we doubt not but one place in it self , is as lawful as another ; but when you make such differences as have misleading intimations , we desire it may be forborn . that all the primitive church used when there was no communion in the sacrament , to say service at the communion table , is a crude assertion , that must have better proof before we take it for convincing ; and it is not probable , because they had a communion every lords day ; and if this be not your meaning , you say nothing to the purpose : to prove they used it when there was a communion , is no proof that they used it when there was none : and you your selves disuse many things more universally practised then this can at all be fairly pretended to have bin : the council of nice gives no such golden rule as you mention ; a rule is a general , applyable to particular cases ; the council onely speakes of one particular . [ let the ancient custom continue in aegypt , lybia , and pentapolis , that the bishop of alexandria have the power of them all . ] the council here confirmeth this particular custom , but doth not determine in general of the authority of custom . that this should be called a catholick usage , shewes us how partially the word ( catholick ) is sometime taken : and that this much cannot be granted us , lest we advantage the enemies of the church , doth make us wonder whom you take for its enemies , and what is that advantage which this will give them ; but we thank you that here we find our selves called brethren , when before we are not so much as spoken to , but your speech is directed to some other ( we know not whom ) concerning us . your reason is that which is our reason to the contrary ; you say [ the priest standing at the communion table , seems to give us an invitation to the holy communion , &c. ] what! when there is no sacrament by himself or us intended ? no warning of any given ? no bread and wine prepared ? be not deceived , god is not mocked . therefore we desire that there may be no such service at the table , when no communion is intended , because we would not have such grosse dissimulation used in so holy things , as thereby to seem ( as you say ) to invite guests when the feast is not prepared , and if they came we would turn them empty away . indeed , if it were to be a private masse , and the priest were to receive alone for want of company , and it were really desired that the people should come , it were another matter . moreover there is no rubrick requiring this service at the table when there 's no communion . [ it is not reasonable that the word minister should be onely used in the liturgy : for since some parts of the liturgy may be performed by a deacon , others by none under the order of a priest , viz. absolution , consecration ; it is fit that some such word as priest should be used for those offices , and not minister , which signifies at large every one that ministers in that holy office , of what order soever he be . the word curate signifying properly all those , who are trusted by the bishops with cure of souls , as anciently it signified , is a very fit word to be used , and can offend no sober person . the word [ sunday ] is ancient , just. martyr ap. 2. and therefore not to be left off . ] repl. the word [ minister ] may well be used instead of priest , and curate , though the word [ deacon ] for necessary distinction , stand : yet we doubt not but [ priest ] as it is but the english of presbyter , is lawful : but it is from the common danger of mistake , and abuse that we argue . that all pastors else are but the bishops curates , is a doctrine that declares the heavy charge , and account of the bishops , and tends much to the ease of the presbyters minds , if it could be proved : if by [ curates ] you mean such as have not directly by divine obligation the cure of souls , but onely by the bishops deligation : but if the office of a presbyter be not of divine right ; and so , if they be not the curates of christ , and pastors of the church , none are . and for the ancient use of it , we find not that it was so from the beginning : and as there 's difference between the ancient bishops of one single church , and a diocesan that hath many hundreds ; so is there between their curates . but why will ye not yeeld so much as to change the word [ sunday ] into [ the lords day ] when you know that the later is the name used by the holy ghost in scripture , and commonly by the ancient writers of the church , and more becoming christians . just. martyr , speaking to infidels , tells how they called the day , and not how christians called it : all he saith is that on sunday ( that is , so called by the heathens ) the christians hold their meetings : see the usage of the church in this point in august . cont. faustum manich. lib. 18. cap. 5. [ singing of psalms in meeter is no part of the lyturgy , and so no part of our commission . ] repl. if the word lyturgy signifie the publick worship , god forbid you should exclude the singing of psalms : and sure you have no fitter way of singing then in meeter : when these , and all prayers conceived by private men ( as you call the pastors ) whether prepared or extemporary , ( and by purity of reason preaching ) are cast out , what will your lyturgy be ? we hope you make no question whether singing psalms , and hymnes , were part of the primitive lyturgy : and seeing they are set forth and allowed to be sung in all churches , of all the people together , why should they be denyed to be part of the lyturgy : we understand not the reason of this . n. 13. 14. we suppose you grant by passing them by . [ the phrase is such , &c. ] the church in her prayers uses no more offensive phrase , then saint paul uses , when he writes to the corinthians , galatians and others , calling them in general , the churches of god , sanctified in christ jesus , by vocation saints ; amongst whom notwithstanding there were many , who by their known sins ( which the apostle endeavoured to amend in them ) were not properly such , yet he gives the denomiation to the whole , from the greater part , to whom in charity it was due , and puts the rest in minde , what they have by their baptisme undertaken to be , and what they professe themselves to be ; and our prayers , and the phrase of them surely , supposes no more then that they are saints by calling , sanctified in christ jesus , by their baptisme admitted into christs congregation , and so to be reckoned members of that society , till either they shall separate themselves by wilful schisme , or be separated by legal excommunication , which they seem earnestly to desire , and so do we . ] repl. but is there not a very great difference between the titles given to the whole church ( as you say , from the greater part , as the truth is from the better part , though it were the lesse ) and the titles given to individual members , where there is no such reason ? we will call the field a corn-field , though their be much tares in it , because of the better part which denominateth : but we will not call every one of these tares by the name of corn. when we speak of the church , we will call it holy , as paul doth ; but when we speak to simon magus , we will not call him holy , but say [ thou art in the gall of bitterness , and the bond of iniquity , and hast no part , or lot in this matter , &c. ] we will not perswade the people that every notorious drunkard , fornicator , worldling , &c. that is buryed , is a brother , of whose resurrection to life eternal we have sure and certain hope ; and all because you will not excommunicate them ; we are glad to hear of your desire of such discipline : but when shall we see more then desire ? and the edge of it be turned from those that fear sinning , to those that fear it not ? sect. 1. [ the connexion of the parts of our lyturgy , is conformable to the example of the churches of god before us , and have as much dependance as is usually to be seen , in many petitions of the same psalm ; and we conceive the order and method to be excellent , and must do so , till they tell us what that order is which prayers ought to have , which is not done here . ] repl. there are two rules of prayer ; one is the nature of the things compared ( in matter and order ) with nature and necessity : the other is the revealed will of god in his word , in general the holy scripture , more especially the lords prayer : the lyturgy ( for the greatest part of the prayers for dayly use ) is confused , by which soever of these you measure it . you seem much to honour the lords prayer by your frequent use of it , ( or part of it ) we beseech you dishonour it not practically , by denying it for matter and order , to be the onely ordinary and perfect rule ; we know about particular administrations , where it is but certain select requests that we are to put up , suited to the particular subject and occasion , we cannot follow the whole method of the lords prayer which containeth the heads of all the parts , where we are not to take in all the parts ; we cannot take them in that order : but that none of all your prayers should be formed to that perfect rule ; that your letany which is the comprehensive prayer , and that the body of your dayly prayers ( broken into severy collects ) should not ( as set together ) have any considerable respect unto that order , nor yet to the order which reason , and the nature of the thing requireth , ( which is observed in all things else ) and yet that you should so admire this , and be so tenatious of that , which in conceived prayer you would call by worse names then confusions , this sheweth us the power of prejudice : we were thus brief in this exception , lest we should offend by instances : but seeing you conceive the order and method to be excellent , and to be willing to hear more as to this , and the following exception , we shall , when you desire it , give you a catalogue of defects , and disorders , which we before forbore to give you . the psalms have ordinarily an observable method : if you find any whole parts you cannot so well set together , as to see the beauty of method , will you turn your eye from the rest , and from the lords prayer , and choose that one for your president ? or excuse disorder on that pretence ? sect. 2. [ the collects are made short , as being best for devotion , as we observed before , and cannot be accounted faulty , for being like those short , but prevalent prayers in scripture ; lord be merciful to me a sinner . son of david , have mercy on us . lord increase our faith. ] repl. we do in common speech call that a prayer , which containeth all the substance of what in that business , and addresse we have to say unto god : and that a petition , which containeth one single request : usually a prayer , hath many petitions . now if you intend in your addresse unto god , to do no more then speak a transient request , or ejaculation ( which we may do in the midst of other business ) then indeed your instances are pertinent ; but why then do you not give over when you seem to have done , but come again , and again , and offer as many prayers almost as petitions . this is to make the prayer short , ( as a sermon is , that is cut into single sentences , every sentence having an exordium , and epilogue as a sermon ) but it is to make the prayers much longer , then is needful or sutable to the matter . do you find this the way of the saints in scripture ? indeed abraham did so , when gods interlocution answering the first prayer , called him to vary his request , gen. 18. but that 's not our case . the p●alms , and prayers of david , solomon , hezekiah , asa , ezra , nehemiah , daniel , and the other prophets ; of christ , john 17. are usually one continued speech , and not like yours ( as we said before . ) sect. 3. [ why the repeated mention of the name and attributes of god , should not be most pleasing to any godly person we cannot imagine ; or what burden it should seem , when david magnified one attribute of gods mercy 26. times together ; psalm 36. nor can we conceive , why the name and merits of jesus , with which all our prayers should end , should not be as sweet to us as to former saints , and martyrs , with which here they complain our prayers , do so frequently end ; since the attributes of god , are the ground of our hope of obtaining all our petitions , such prefaces of prayers as are taken from them , though they have no special respect to the petitions as following , are not to be termed unsutable , or said to have fallen rather casually then orderly . ] repl. as we took it to be no controversie between us , whether the mention of gods name is deservedly sweet to all his servants , so we thought it was none , that this reverent name is reverently to be used , and not too lightly ; and therefore not with a causeless frequency tossed in mens mouths , even in prayer it self : and that tautologies and vain repetitions , are not the better , but the worse , because gods name is made the matter of them : is it not you that have expressed your offence ( as well as we ) against those weak ministers that repeat too frequently the name and attributes of god , in their extemporary prayers ? and is it ill in them ? and is the same , and much more , well in the common prayer ? oh , have not the faith of worship of our glorious god , in respect of persons . let not that be called rediculous , idle , impertinent , or worse in one , which is accounted commendable in others . do you think it were not a faulty crossing of the mind , and method of jesus christ , if you should make six prayers of the six petitions of the lords prayer , and set the preface and conclusion unto each . as , [ our father which art in heaven , hallowed be thy name , for thine is the kingdom , &c. ] and so on all the rest . yet we know that the same words may be oft repeated ( as david doth gods enduring mercy ) without such tautological vanity , when it is not from emptiness , or neglect of order , or affectation ; but in psalms , or hymnes , where affections are to be elevated by such figurative elegancies , and strains , as are best beseeming poetry or rapture , we are not against such repetitions . but if we may ( according to the common prayer book ) begin , and end , and begin , and seem to withdraw again , and make a prayer of every petition or two , and begin and end every such petition , with gods name , and christs merits , as making up half the form , or neer ; nothing is an affected , empty tossing of gods name in prayer , if this be not ? we are perswaded if you should hear a man in a known extemporary prayer do thus , it would seem strange and harsh , even to your selves . sect. 1. [ there are besides a preparative exhortation , several preparatory prayers . despise not , o lord , humble and contrite hearts , which is one of the sentences in the preface ; and this , that those things may please him , which we do at this present ; at the end of the absolution : and again immediately after the lords prayer before the psalmody , oh lord open thou our lips , &c. ] repl. [ despise not o lord humble , and contrite hearts ] is no prayer for assistance , and acceptance in that worship , suited to the duty of a people addressing themselves to god : but it is recited , as a scripture invitation to repentance . and [ that those things may please him which we do at this present ] are no words of prayer , but part of an exhortation to the people : and [ o lord open thou our lips ] comes after the exhortation , confession , absolution and lords prayer , and ( ergo ) is not in the place of such an address as we are speaking of . what will not serve to justifie that which we have a mind to justifie , and to condemn that which we have a mind to condemn ? sect. 2. [ this which they call a defect , others think they have reason to account the perfection of the lyturgie , the offices of which being intended for common , and general services would cease to be such , by descending to particulars ; as in confession of sins , while it is general , all persons may and must joyn in it , since in many things we offend all ; but if there be a particular enumeration of sins , it cannot be so general a confession , because it may happen that some or other , may by gods grace have been preserved from some of those sins enumerated , and therefore should , by confessing themselves guilty , tell god a lye , which needs a new confession . ] repl. if general words be its perfection , it 's very culpable in tediousness and vain repetitions : for , what need you more than [ lord be merciful to us sinners ? ] there 's together a general confession of sin , and a general prayer for mercy , which comprehend all the particulars of the peoples sins and wants . we gave you our reason , which you answer not . confession is the exercise of repentance , and also the helper of it ; and it is no true repentance which is not particular , but only general . if you say , you repent that you have sinned , and know not wherein , or do not repent of any particular sin , you do not indeed repent ; for sin is not existent , but in the individuals : and if you ask for grace , and know no what grace , or desire no particular grace , indeed you desire no grace at all . we know there is time and use for general confessions and requests ; but still , as implying particulars , as having gone before or following ; or at least it must be supposed that the people understand the particulars included , and have inward confessions and desires of them ; which cannot here be supposed , when they are not at all mentioned , nor can the people generally be supposed to have such quick and comprehensive minds ; nor is there leisure to exercise such particular repentance or desire , while a general is named . and we beseech you , let the scripture be judge , whether the confessions and prayers of the servants of god have not been particular ? as to your objection or reason , we answer . 1. there are general prayers , with the particular or without them . 2. there are particular confessions and prayers , proper to some few christians , and there are others common to all : it is these that we expect , and not the former . 3. the churches prayers must be suited to the body of the assembly , though perhaps some one or few , may be in a state not fit for such expressions . what a lamentable lyturgy will you have , if you have nothing in it , but what every one in the congregation may say as true of , and suitable to themselves ? then you must leave out all thanksgiving , for our justification and forgiveness of sins , and adoption , and title to glory , &c. because many in the assembly are hypocrites , and have no such mercies ; and many more that are sincere , are mistaken in their own condition , and know not that they have the mercies which they have , and therefore dare not give thanks for them , lest they speak an untruth . then the lyturgy that now speaks , as in the persons of the sanctified , must be changed , that the two fore-mentioned sorts ( or the later at least ) may consent ; and when you have done , it will be unsuitable to those that are in a better state , and have the knowledge of their justification . this is the argument which the sectaries used against singing of david's psalms in the congregations , because there is much in them that many cannot truly say of themselves : but the church must not go out of that way of worship prescribed by god , and suited to the state of the ordinary sort of spiritual worshippers , because of the distempers , or super-eminent excellencies of some few . it were easie to go over david's psalms , and your own lyturgy , and shew you very much , that by this argument , must be cast out . he that finds any passage unsuitable to himself , is not to speak it of himself . sect. 3. [ as for original sin , though we think it an evil custom , springing from false doctrine , to use any such expressions as may lead people to think , that to the persons baptized ( in whose persons only our prayers are offered up ) original sin is not forgiven in their holy baptism ; yet for that there remains in the regenerate , some reliques of that , which are to be bewailed ; the church in her confession acknowledgeth such desires of our own hearts , as render us miserable by following them ; that there is no health in us ; that without gods help our frailty cannot but fall ; that our mortal nature can do no good thing without him , which is a clear acknowledgement of original sin . ] repl. 1. he that hath his original sin forgiven him , may well confess , that he was born in iniquity , and conceived in sin , and was by nature a child of wrath , and that by one man sin entered into the world ; and that judgement came on all men to condemnation , &c. the pardoned may confess what once they were , and from what rock they were hewn ; even actual sins must be confessed after they are forgiven ( unless the antinomians hold the truth against us in such points ) 2. all is not false doctrine that crosseth mens private opinions , which you seem here to obtrude upon us . we know that the papists ( and perhaps some others ) hold that all the baptized are delivered from the guilt of original sin : but ( as they are in the dark , and disagreed in the application of it , so ) we have more reason to incline to either of the ordinary opinions of the protestants , than to this of theirs . 1. some learned protestants hold , that visibly all the baptized are church-members pardoned and justified ; which is , but that they are probably justified indeed , and are to be used by the church ( upon a judgement of charity ) as those that are really justified ; but that we have indeed no certainty that they are so , god keeping that as a secret to himself concerning individuals , till by actual faith and repentance , it be manifest to themselves . another opinion of many protestants is , that all persons that are children of the promise , or that have the conditions of pardon and justification in the covenant mentioned , are to receive that pardon by baptism : and all such are pardoned , and certainly in a state of justification and salvation thereupon . and that the promise of pardon is made to the faithful and their seed , and therefore that all the faithful and their seed in infancy , have this pardon given them by the promise , and solemnly delivered them , and sealed to them by baptism , which investeth them in the benefits of the covenant : but withal , that 1. the professed infidel and his seed , as such , are not the children of the promise , and therefore if the parent ludicrously or forcedly , or the child by error be baptized , they have not thereby the pardon of their sins before god. 2. that the hypocrite , that is not a true believer at the heart , though he profess it , hath no pardon by baptism before god , as being not an heir of the promise , nor yet any infant of his as such : but though such are not pardoned , the church that judgeth by profession , taking professors for believers , must accordingly use them and their seed . 3. but though the church judge thus charitably , of each professor in particular , till his hypocrisie be detected , yet doth it understand that hypocrites there are , and still will be in the church , though we know them not by name ; and that therefore there are many externally baptized , and in communion , that never had the pardon of sin indeed before god , as not having the condition of the promise of pardon ; such as simon magus was : we have less reason to take this doctrine for false , than that which pronounceth certain pardon and salvation to all baptized infants whatsoever . and were we of their judgement , we should think it the most charitable act in the world , to take the infants of heathens and baptize them ; and if any should then dispatch them all to prevent their lapse , they were all certainly saved . we hope by [ some reliques ] you mean that which is truly and properly sin : for our parts , we believe according to the 9th . article [ that original sin standeth in the corruption of the nature of every man , whereby man is far gone from original righteousness , and inclined to evil : and that this infection of nature doth remain in the regenerate . and though there is no condemnation against them that believe and are baptized , yet concupiscense and lust hath of it self the nature of sin ] you say [ the church acknowledgeth such desires , &c. ] devices and desires are actual sins , and not original , which consisteth in privation , and corrupt inclination . the next words [ there is no health in us ] it seems the translators that put it into the lyturgy misunderstood ; but however you seem here plainly , by your misinterpretation , to misunderstand it . nulla salus in nobis , is spoken actively , and not possessively , or passively . the plain sense is , there is no help , deliverance , or salvation in our selves ; we cannot help our selves out of this misery , but must have a better saviour . as christ is oft called our salvation , so we are denyed to be our own : so that yet here is no confession at all of original sin , but of the effects . the two next sentences , confess a debility and privation , but not that it was ab origine ; but may for any thing that 's there said be taken to be since contracted . nor are the words in this confession , but in some other collects elsewhere , which proves not that this confession saith any thing of original sin. sect. 4. [ we know not what publick prayers are wanting , nor do they tell us : the usual complaint hath been , that there were too many ; neither do we conceive any want of publick thanksgivings , there being in the lyturgy , te deum , benedictus , magnificat , benedicite , glory be to god on high ; therefore with angels , and arch-angels , the doxology , glory be to the father , &c. all peculiar , as they require to gospel-worship , and fit to express our thanks and honour to god , upon every particular occasion , and occasional thanksgivings after the letany , of the frequency whereof themselves elsewhere complain , who here complain of defect , if there be any forms wanting , the church will provide . ] repl. we have shewed you in the forms we offered you , what we judge wanting . the r. reverend bishop of exeter , hath taken notice of the same want , and proposed a supply . those you name , are either but general sentences , or extend but to some few particulars , as being suited to the persons , and particular occasions of them , and none save the te deum designed to be the distinct praise of the church , for the benefits of redemption , as the suitable and sufficient performance of this great part of the lyturgy : however it will do you no harm , that your brethren be gratified with fuller expressions , and variety . they that have complained of too many ( because you shred your petitions into almost as many prayers , and so the thanksgivings into such briefs ) yet complained not of too much ; but that too many , by the multitude of prefaces and epilogues , was the cause of too little . sect. 5. [ they complain that the lyturgy contains too many generals , without mention of the particulars , and the instances are such petitions as these , [ that we may do gods will ] [ to be kept from all evil ] almost the very tearms of the petitions of the lords prayer ; so that they must reform that , before they can pretend to mend our lyturgy in these petitions . ] repl. we complain not that there are generals , but that there is nothing but generals in so great a part of your prayers ; and therefore they are very defective . and if really these generals suffice you , a few lines may serve instead of your whole book : instead of all your confessions , it may serve to say , that [ we have greatly sinned ] and no more ; instead of all your letany or deprecations , it is enough to say [ deliver us from all evil ] instead of all your petitions for grace , peace , rain , fair weather , health , &c. it is enough to say [ give us the good we want ] indeed the lords prayer hath general requests , because it is the design of it to be the rule of prayer , and so contain but the heads to which all prayers are to be reduced . but if therefore you will have no more particulars , why do you use any prayer but the lords prayer ? we hope you do not think to supply any defects pretended to be found in its generals , nor to correct the order of it : if it be but because you would not on every particular occasion be so large , as to say the whole , you may take that head , which suiteth that occasion ; and so [ give us this day our daily bread ] may serve instead of all the collects for temporal supplies : and all your o●fices may be blotted out , and one of the petitions of the lords prayer placed in the stead of each of them . sect. 6. [ we have deferred this to the proper place , as you might have done . ] repl. it was the proper place under the head of defectiveness , to instance in this as well as other defects . sect. 1. [ we are now come to the main and principal demand , as is pretended , viz. the abolishing the laws , which impose any ceremonies , especially three , the surplice , the sign of the cross , and kneeling ; these are the yoak , which if removed , there might be peace . it is to be suspected , and there is reason for it , from their own words , that somewhat else pinches , and that if these ceremonies were laid aside , and these or any other prayers , strictly enjoyned without them , it would be deemed a burden intollerable ; it seems so by n. 7. where they desire , that when the lyturgy is altered , according to the rest of their proposals , the minister may have liberty to add , and leave out , what he pleases ; yet because the imposition of these ceremonies , is pretended to be the insupportable grievance , we must of necessity , either yeeld that demand , or shew them reason why we do not ; and that we may proceed the better in this undertaking , we shall reduce the sum of their complaint , to these several heads , as we find them in their papers . the law for imposing these ceremonies , they would have abrogated for these reasons . repl. to what you object ( to intimate your suspicion of us ) from n. 7. we have before answered : we must profess the abatement of ceremonies , with the exclusion of all prayers and exhortations , besides what 's read , will not satisfie us . the liberty which we desired in all the parts of worship ( not to add to the lyturgy , or take from it , but to interpose upon just occasion , such words of prayer or exhortation as are requisite , and not to be tyed at every time to read the whole ) we are assured will do much to preserve the lyturgy , and bring it into more profitable use , and take off much of mens offence : and pardon us while we tell you this certain truth , that if once it be known , that you have a design to work out all prayers ( even those of the pulpit ) except such as you prescribe , it will make many thousand people fearing god , to be averse to that which else they would have submitted to , and to distaste both your endeavours and ours , as if we were about drawing them into so great a snare : and as the proverb is , you may as well think to make a coat for the moon , as to make a lyturgy that shall be sufficiently suited to the variety of places , times , subjects , accidents , without the liberty of intermixing such prayers or exhortations , as alterations and diversities require . sect. 2. [ first , it is doubtful , whether god hath given power to men to impose such siguificant signs , which though they call them significant , yet have in them no real goodness in the judgement of the imposers themselves , being called by them things indifferent , and therefore fall not under st. pauls rule of omnia decenter , nor are suitable to the simplicity of gospel-worship . secondly , because it is a violation of the royalty of christ , and an impeachment of his laws , as unsufficient ; and so those that are under the law of , deut. 12. whatsoever i command you , observe to do , you shall take nothing from it , nor add any thing to it . you do not observe these . thirdly , because sundry learned , pious , and orthodox men , have ever since the reformation , judged them unwarrantable , and we ought to be as our lord was , tender of weak brethren , not to offend his little ones , nor to lay a stumbling-block before a weak brother . fourthly , because these ceremonies have been the fountain of many evils in this church and nation , occasioning sad divisions betwixt minister and minister , betwixt minister and people , exposing many orthodox preachers to the displeasure of rulers , and no other fruits than these can be lookt for , from the retaining of these ceremonies . ] repl. we had rather you had taken our reasons , as we laid them down , than to have so altered them ; e. g. having told you , that some hold them unlawful , and others inconvenient , &c. and desired that they may not be imposed on such who judge such impositions , a violation of the royalty of christ , &c. you seem to take this as our own sense , and that of all the ceremonies , of which we there made no mention ; you refer us to hooker , since whose writings , ames in his fresh suit , and bradshaw , and parker , and many others have written that against the ceremonies , that never was answered that we know of , but deserve your consideration . sect. 3. [ before we give particular answers to these several reasons , it will be not unnecessary to lay down , some certain general premises , or rules , which will be useful in our whole discourse . first , that god hath not given a power onely , but a command also of imposing whatsoever shall be truely decent , and becoming his publick service , 1 cor. 14. after st. paul had ordered some particular rules for praying , praising , prophesying , &c. he concludes with this general canon , let all things be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a fit scheme , habit , or fashion , decently ; and that there may be uniformity in those decent performances , let there be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , rule or canon for that purpose . ] rep. as to your first rule , we answer . 1. it is one thing to impose in general that all be done decently , and in order ; this cod himself hath imposed by his apostle : and it s another thing to impose in particular , that this or that be used as decent and orderly . concerning this we add , it is in the text said [ let it be done : ] but not [ let it be imposed , ] yet from other scriptures we doubt not but more circumstances of decency and order , as derermined time , place , utensils , &c. which are common to things civil , and sacred , ( though not the symbolical ceremonies which afterwards we confute ) may be imposed , with the necessary cautions , and limitations afterwards laid down . but 1. that if any usurpers will pretend a power from christ to impose such things on the church , though the things be lawful , we must take heed how we acknowledge an usurped power by formal obedience . 2. a just power may impose them , but to just ends : as the preservarion , and success of the modified worship , or ordinances : and if they really conduce not to those ends they sin in imposing them . 3. yet the subjects are bound to obey a true authority in such impositions , where the matter belongs to the cognizance and office of the ruler ; and where the mistake is not so great as to bring greater mischiefs to the church , then the suspending of our active obedience would do . 4. but if these things be determined under pretence of order , and decency , to the plain destruction of the ordinances modified , and of the intended end , they cease to be means , and we must not use them . 5. or if under the names of things decent , and of order , men will meddle with things that belong not to their office , as to institute a new worship for god , new sacraments , or any thing forbidden in the general prohibition of adding , or diminishing ; this is an usurpation , and not an act of authority , and we are bound in obedience to god , to disobey them . 6. where governours may command at set times , and by proportionable penalties enforce , if they command when it will destroy the end , or enforce by such penalties as dest●oy , or crosse it , they greatly sin by such commands . thus we have more distinctly given you our sense , about the matter of your first rule . sect. 4. [ not inferiours but superiours must judge what is convenient and decent ; they who must order that all be done decently , must of necessity , first judge what is convenient , and decent to be ordered . ] repl. your second rule also is too crudely delivered , and therefore we must adde : 1. a judgement is a sentence , in order to some execution ; and judgements are specified from the ends , to which they are such means ; when the question is either , [ what law shall be made , or what penalty shall be exercised ? ] the magistrate is the only judge , and not the bishop or other subject . in the first he exercises his judicium discretionis , in order to a publick act. in the second he exerciseth a publick judgement : when the question is , [ what order pro tempore is fittest in circumstantials for this present congregation ? ] the proper presbyters or pastors of that congregation , are the directive judges , by gods appointment . 3. the magistrate is ruler of these pastors , as he is of the physicians , philosophers , and other subjects . he may make them such general rules , especially for restraint , to goe by , as may not destroy the exercise of their own pastoral power : as he may forbid a physitian to use some dangerous medicine on his subjects , and may punish him when he wilfully killeth any of them : but may not on that pretence appoint him what , and how , and when , and to whom he shall administer , and so become physician himself alone . 4. when the question is , [ who shal be excluded from the communion of a particular church ? ] the pastors of that church ( or congregation ) are the first proper judges . 5. when the question is , [ who shall be excluded from , ( or received into ) the communion of all the associated churches , of which we are naturally capable of communion ? ] the associated pastors or bishops of these churches in synods , are judges ; beyond this there are no judges . 6. when the question is , [ whether the laws of magistrates , or canons of bishops , are agreeable or not to the word of god , and so the obedience is lawful or unlawful ? ] the consciences of each individual subject is the judge , per judicium discretionis , as to his own practice ; and if men had not this judgement of discerning , but must act upon absolute implicite obedience ; then first , man were ruled as unreasonable ; secondly the magistrate were made a god , or such a leviathan , as hobbs describeth him ; thirdly , and then all sin might lawfully be committed , if commanded : but we are assured none of this is your sense . sect. 5. [ these rules and canons for decency made and urged by superiours ; are to be obeyed by inferiours , till it be made as clear , that now they are not bound to obey , as it is evident in general , that they ought to obey superiours ; for if the exemption from obedience be not as evident as the command to obey , it must needs be sin not to obey . ] repl. to your third rule we adde ; it is first considerable , what the thing is ? and then , how it is apprehended ? if it be really lawful , and well commanded , and to be obeyed , it is no ignorance , doubt or errour of the subject , that can exempt him from the duty of obeying ; but it may ensnare him in a certainty of sinning , whether he obey , or disobey : for as god commandeth him to obey , and also not to do that which man commandeth , when god forbiddeth it ; so he obligeth the erronious , first to lay down his errors , and so to obey . but if a thing be forbidden of god , and commanded of man , and one man erroniously thinks it lawful , and that he should obey , and another is in doubt between both , it is neither a duty , nor lawful for either of them here to obey : for mans errour changeth not gods laws , nor disobligeth himself from obedience ; but this mans duty is both , to lay by that errour , and to refuse obedience : but if the question be only of the order of such a persons duty : we answer ; if the thing be really lawful , and obedience a duty , then he that doubteth or erreth , should if possible suddenly lay by his errours or doubt , and so obey : but if that cannot be , he should first goe about the fittest means , for his better information till he be resolved , and so obey . and so on the contrary , if really the thing commanded be unlawful , if he be sure of it , he must resolve against it ; if he hesitate , he is not therefore allowed to do a thing forbidden , because he is ignorant : for his ignorance is supposed culpable it self ; but he is first to consult and use the best means , for his instruction , till he know the truth , and in the mean time to suspend his act. but yet because of humane frailty , between several faults , we must consider when we cannot avoid all as we would , in what order most safely to watch and to avoid them . and so when i have done my best , and cannot discern whether a command be just , and the thing lawful or not ; if it hath the face of idolatry , blasphemy , or some h●inous sin , that is commanded ; and our disobedience have the appearance , but of an effect of involuntary ignorance , it is more excusable in us to fear the greater sin , and so to suspend till we are better satisfied , than to do that which we suspect , to be so hainous a sin , though indeed it prove no sin ; so on the contrary , if our obedience be like to bring infamy or calamity on the church , and our obedience appear to be but about a very small sin , if we doubt of it , it is more excuseable to obey , than to disobey , though both be faulty , supposing the thing to be indeed unlawful , and we discerne it not . so that your rule of obeying , where you are not as sure , &c. is an unsure rule , unless as we have fullier cautioned it . sect. 6. [ pretence of conscience is no exemption from obedience , for the law as long as it is a law , certainly binds to obedience ; rom. 13. ye must needs be subject ; and this pretence of a tender or gainsaying conscience cannot abrogate the law , since it can neither take away the authority of the law-maker , nor make the matter of the law in it self unlawful ; besides if pretence of conscience did exempt from obedience , laws were useless , whosoever had not list to obey might pretend tenderness of conscience , and be thereby set at liberty , which if once granted , anarchy and confusion must needs follow . ] repl. to rule 4. neither pretence of conscience , nor real errour of conscience exempteth from the obligation to obey : though sometime it may so ensnare , as that obeying shall become of the two , the greater sin ; so also real errour , or pretence of conscience will justifie no man for obeying , when it is by god forbidden . sect. 7. [ though charity will move to pitty , and relieve those that are truly perplexed or scrupulous : yet we must not break gods command , in charity to them , and therefore we must not perform publick services undecently or disorderly for the case of tender consciences . ] repl. o that you would but do all that god alloweth you , yea that he hath commanded you , for these ends ! how happy would you make your selves , and these poor afflicted churches . but as to the instance of your rule , we answer . 1. vvhen the indecency and disorder is so smal , as that it will not crosse the ends , so much as our disobedience would , we are here so far more comfortable , and peaceable than you , as that we would even in gods worship , do some things indecent and disorderly , rather than disobey . and so should you do rather than destroy your brethren , or hinder that peace , & healing of the church . for order is for the thing ordered , and not contrarily . for example , there is much disorder lies in the common-prayer-book , yet we would obey it , as far as the ends of our calling do require . it wouldbe undecent to come without a band , or other handsome raiment into the assembly ; yet would we obey , if it were commanded us , rather than not worship god at all . we are as confident that surplices , and copes are undecent , and kneeling at the lords table is disorderly , as you are of the contrary : and yet if the magistrate would be advised by us ( supposing himself addicted against you ) we would advise him to be more charitable to you , than you here advise him to be to us : we would have him , if your conscience require it , to forbear you in this undecent and disorderly way ; but to speak more distinctly . 1. there are some things decent and orderly , when the opposite species is not undecent or disorderly . 2. there are some things undecent , and disorderly , in a small and tollerable degree : and some things in a degree intollerable . 1. vvhen things decent are commanded , whose opposites would not be at all undecent , their charity and peace , and edification , may command a relaxation , or rather should at first restrain from too severe impositions : as it is decent to wear either a cloak or a gown , a cassock buttoned , or unbuttoned , with a girdle or without ; to sit , stand , or kneel in singing of a psalm ; to sit or stand in hearing the word read or preached , &c. 2. vvhen a circumstance is undecent or disorderly , but in a tolerable degree , to an inconvenience ; obedience , or charity , or edification , may commaud us to do it , and make it not only lawful , but a duty pro hic & nunc , while the preponderating accident prevaileth . christs instances goe at least as far as this , about the priests in the temple breaking the sabbath blamelesly , and david's eating the shew-bread , which was lawful for none to eat ordinarily , but the priests : and the disciples rubbing the ears of corne : [ i will have mercy and not sacrifice ] is a lesson that he sets us to learn , when two duties comes together , to preserve the greater , if we would escape sin ; and sure to keep an able preacher in the church , or a private christian in communion , is a greater duty , caeteris paribus , than to use a ceremony , which we conceive to be decent ; it is more orderly to use the better translation of the scripture , than the worse , as the common-prayer-book doth ; and yet we would have no man cast out for using the worse : it is more orderly , decent , and edifying for the minister to read all the psalms , than for the people to read each second verse ; and yet we would not cast out men from the church or ministry meerly for that disorder , it is more orderly , and decent to be uncovered in divine worship , than covered : and yet rather than a man should take cold , we could allow him to hear a chapter or sermon covered : why not much more , rather than he should be cast out . but let us come to the application , it is no undecent disorderly worshiping of god , to worship him without our crosse , surplice , and kneeling in the reception of the sacrament . 1. if it were , then christ and his apostles had worshipped undecently and disorderly ; and the primitive church that used not the surplice , nor the transient image of the crosse in baptism ( but in an unguent ) yea the church for many hundred years , that received the sacrament without kneeling . 2. then if the king , parliament , and convocation should change their ceremonies , it seems you would take your selves bound to retain them ; for you say you must not worship god undecently : but that they may be changed by authority , our articles determine , and therefore charity may well require the magistrate to change them without any wrong to the worship of god. 3. vve appeal to the common judgement of the impartial , whether in the nature of the thing , there by any thing that tels them , that it is undecent to pray without surplice in the reading place , and not undecent to pray without in the pulpit ? and that it is undecent to baptize without crossing , and not to receive the lords supper without : and that it is undecent for the receiver to take the lords supper without kneeling , and not for the minister to give it him standing , that prayeth in the delivery . sect. 8. [ these promised we answer to your first reason , that those things which we call indifferent , because neither expresly commanded or forbiden by god , have in them a real goodness , a fitness , and decency , and for th● cause are imposed , and may be so by the rule of st. paul , by which rule , and many others in scripture , a power is given to men to impose signs , which are never the worse surely , because they signifie something that is decent and comely , and so it is not doubtful , whether such power be given ; it would rather be doubtful , whether the church could impose such ildle signs , if any such there be , as signifie nothing . ] repl. to your first answer we reply . 1. we suppose you speak of a moral goodness ; and if they are such indeed , as are within their power and really good , that is , of their own nature , fitter than their opposites , they may be imposed by just authority , by equal means , though not by usurpers , nor by penalties that will do more harm than the things will do good . 2. signs that signifie nothing , we understand not : it is one thing to be decent , and another [ to signifie something that is decent ; what you mean by that , we know not . the cross signifieth our not being ashamed to profess the faith of christ crucified , &c. ] do you call that something [ that is decent ? ] it is something necessary to salvation . 3. signes are exceeding various : at present we use but two distinctions . 1. some are signs ex primaria intentione iustitnentis , purposed , and primarily instituted to signifie ( as an escucheon , or a sign at an inne door in common matters ; and as the sacrament and cross in sacred matters ) and some are signs but consequently secondarily , and not essentially , as intended by the institutors ( so hills and trees may shew us what a clock it is , and so every creature signifieth some good of mercy or duty , and may be an object of holy meditation ; so the colour and shape of our cloaths may mind us of some good , which yet was none of the primary or proper end of the maker or wearer . ) 2. signes are either arbitrary expressions of a mans own mind , in a matter where he is left free ; or they are covenanting signes between us and god in the covenant of grace , to work grace on us , as moral causes , and to engage us sacramentally to him . such we conceive the cross in baptism to be . the preface to the common prayer book saith [ they are apt to teach and excite , &c. ] which is a moral operation of grace ; and the canon saith [ it is an honourable badge , whereby the infant is dedicated to him that dyed on the cross ] we are signified with it [ in token , that hereafter we shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of christ crucified , and manfully to fight , &c. ] now if a thing may be commanded meerly as a decent circumstance of worship , yet it is unproved that a thing in its nature as instituted , and in the primary intention , is thus sacramentally to dedicate and engage us in covenant to god , by signifying the grace and duty of the covenant be lawfully cammanded by man. 1. decent circumstances are necessary in genere . there must be some fit time , place , gesture , vesture ( as such ) utensils , &c. but that there be some such dedicating ingaging signs , in our covenanting with god , signifying the grace of the covenant , and our state and duty as soldiers under christ ( besides gods sacraments ) this is not necessary in genere , and therefore it is not left to man to determine de specie . 2. if there be any reason for this use of the cross , it must be such as was in the apostles dayes , and concerneth the universal church in all ages and places , and then the apostles would have taken care of it . thus much here in brief of signes ; and more anon , when you again call us to it . sect. 9. [ to the second , that it is not a violation of christs royalty , to make such laws for decency , but an exercise of his power and authority which he hath given to the church , and the disobedience to such commands of superiours , is plainly a violation of his royalty ; as it is no violation of the kings authority , when his magistrates command things according to his laws , but disobedience to the command of those injunctions of his deputies , is violation of his authority . again , it can be no impeachment of christs laws , as insufficient , to make such laws for decency , since our saviour , as is evident by the precepts themselves , did not intend by them to determine every minute and circumstance of time , place , manner of performance , and the like ; but only to command in general the substance of those duties , and the right ends that should be aimed at in the performance , and then left every man in particular ( whom for that purpose he made reasonable ) to guide himself by rules of reason for private services ; and appointed governours of the church , to determine such particularities for the publick . thus our lord commanded prayers , fasting , &c. but for the times and places of performance , he did not determine every of them , but left them to be guided as we have said . so that it is no impeachment of his laws , as insufficient , to make laws for determining those particulars of decency , which himself did not , as is plain by his precepts , intend to determine , but left us governours for that purpose , to whom he said [ as my father sent me , even so send i you , and let all things be done decently , and in order ] of whom he hath said to us , [ obey those that have the oversight over you ] and told us , that if we will not hear his church , we must not be accounted as christians , but heathens and publicans ; and yet nevertheless they will not hear it , and obey it in so small a matter , as a circumstance of time , place , habit , or the like , which she thinks decent and fit , and yet will be accounted the best christians , and tell us that it is the very awe of gods law , deut. 12. 32. that keeps them from obedience to the church in these commands ; not well considering that it cannot be any adding to the word of god , to command things for order and decency , which the word of god-commands to be done , so as they be not commanded as gods immediate word , but as the laws of men ; but that is undeniable adding to the word of god , to say , that superiours may not command such things which god hath no where forbidden , and taking from the word of god , to deny that power to men , which gods word hath given them . ] repl. to make laws ( to determine of undetermined circumstances , necessary in genere , to be some way determined , and left to magistrates or ministers de specie , and to do this according to the general rule of scripture , and in order to the main end , and not against it ) is not against the royalty or will or christ ; but to make new dedicating covenanting symbols , to signifie the doctrine of the covenant of grace , and solemnly engage us unto god , and place these in the publick worship , which are not meer circumstances , but substantial institutions , not necessary in genere ( that there should be any such at all , besides gods sacraments ) we fear this is a violation of the royalty of christ , and a reflection on his laws , as insufficient . for , 1. if it belong to the power proper to christ , then it is a violation of his royalty , for any man to exercise it ; but it belongeth to the power proper to christ , ergo , &c. the minor is proved thus : if it belong to the universal head , or ruler of the church , as such ; then it belongs to the power proper to christ ; ( for we are ready to prove there is now under him , no universal head or ruler , personally , or collectively and civilly one ) but , &c. if in the reason of it , it should be the matter of an universal law , if any , then it should be the work of the universal law-giver , if any : but , &c. if in the reason of it , it be equally useful to the church , universal as to any particular church , or age , then it should according to the reason of it , be the matter of an universal law , if of any : but , &c. it hath the same aptitude , to engage us to a duty of universal necessity , and hath no reason proper to this age , or place for it ; but common to all . moreover , it is no where committed to the power or care of man ; ergo , it is proper to the care and power of christ ; no text is shewed that giveth man power in such things : to do all things decently and orderly , and to edification , is no giving of power on that pretence , to make new covenanting dedicating signs : to do gods work decently , &c. is not to make more such of our own heads ; it 's but the right modifying of the work already set us . and to do all decently , orderly , and to edification , was a duty in moses time , when yet such things as these in question might not be added by any but god : ( when we say by god , we mean by his inspired instruments ; and when we say by christ , we mean by his inspired instruments ) if we should make laws , that every one is publickly to taste vineger and gall , as a sign that we are not ashamed of , but resolved through all fresh-displeasing di●ficulties to follow christ , that did so , and thus to engage and dedicate our selves to him ; this were to do more than to [ do all things decently and orderly ] which he appointed . if milk were to be publickly suckt or drank by all in profession , that we will feed on the sincere milk of his word , and so to dedicate us to him by covenant : or , if we were to put on an helmet , and other armour , in token that we will be his soldiers to the death , and manfully fight under , &c. these ingagements , by such publick signs , are sacraments in the sense , as the word was used of old , when it signified a soldiers solemn listing , or covenanting with his commander . thus by distinguishing decent and orderly modes , and circumstances necessary in genere , from new ordinances , even solemn dedicating , covenanting , or such like mystical signs ; we have shewed you what we grant , and where you fail , and what is indeed a wrong to christ , and an accusation of his laws , and what not ? and how unjust your following accusation of us is ( who never yet told you , we would be accounted the best christians ; but to desire to please christ as neer as we can , is not blame worthy . ) abundance of things of lesser moment than these , are commanded by god in the law , to which he addeth , that sanction , deut. 12. 12. whatever things i command thee , &c. and we conceive , that the words [ as my father sent me , so , &c. ] had somewhat proper to the extraordinary mission : [ and if he hear not the church , &c. ] is neither spoken of a church universal , nor of magistrates making laws for such ceremonies or signs : but if he hear not that church , with which he was in communion , and which admonisheth him for his sin , let that church reject him from their communion . sect. 10. [ the command for decent ceremonies , may still continue in the church , notwithstanding the 12. of deut. and so it may too , for all the exceptions taken against them , by sundry learned , pious , and orthodox persons , who have judged them they say unwarrantable ; and if laws may be abrogated as soon as those that list not to obey , will except against them , the world must needs run into confusion ; but those that except are weak brethren , whom by christs precept and example we must not offend . if by weak we understand ignorant , they would take it ill to be so accounted , and it is their own fault if they be , there having been so very much written , as may satisfie any that have a mind to be satisfied . and as king james of blessed memory , said at hampton court ( if after so many years preaching the gospel , there be any yet unsatisfied , i doubt it proceeds rather out of stubborness of opinion , than out of tenderness of conscience ; if by tenderness of conscience , they mean a fearfulness to sin , this would make them most easie to be satisfied , because most fearful to disobey superiours . ) but suppose there be any so scrupulous , as not satisfied with what hath been written , the church may still without sin , urge her command for these decent ceremonies , and not be guilty of offending her weak brother ; for since the scandal is taken by him , not given by her , it is he that by vain scrupulosity offends himself , and layes the stumbling-block in his own way . ] repl. but the command for mans institution of a new worship of god , or rites sacramental , are so like to sacraments as the cross is ; or for the unnecessary imposition of unnecessary things , which should be left to every prudent ministers discretion , and this upon pain of being cast out of the church or ministry ; and the law for subscribing that all these are lawful , and for swearing obedience to the bishops ; all these laws are not to be found in scripture . if you should but command your servant , to do what you bid him , decently and orderly , you would think he mistook you , if upon that pretence he would do any other work , which he could but say tended to the decency of yours . and we would gladly hear , what you can think your selves , is forbidden in deut. 12. 32. if not such humane ordinances ? and why you forbear giving the truer sense of the text ? it is a sad case with the poor church , when gods wisdom that made a few and necessary things , the matter of his churches concord , is no more valued , but we will be wiser ; and when the experience of the church , that hath been torn into pieces 1400. years , by mens inventions , and needless usages and impositions , is yet of no more force with us that come after them ; but whatever can be said , or done , or seen , we will still make laws , that all men shall be tantum non , unchristned , and damned ( that is , cast out of the ministry or church-communion ) that will not wear this or that , or bow thus or thus , or look this way or that way , or say this word or that word ; and when we have laid such a needless snare , we will uncharitably cry out [ that the world will be brought into confusion , because men that list not to obey , would have the laws abrogated ] where hath christ set you to make such laws ? is it not work enough for us and you , to obey the laws that he hath made ? why made he none for postures , and vestures , and words , and teaching signs of this nature , if he would have had them ? if he had not told us , that there is one law-giver , one lord ; and that his word is able to make us wise unto salvation ; and that he would lay no greater burden on us , than necessary things , and would not have us despise or judge each other on such occasions : if he had but told us , that he left any officers after his inspired apostles , for the making of ceremonies , or new laws of worship , or teaching engaging signs for the church , we would as gladly understand and obey his will in these things , as you . what hurt is it to us , to use a cross or other ceremony , if it were not for fear of disobeying god ? enforce gods law upon us , as zealously as you will , and see if we will disobey it : but that the world shall run into confusion , rather than we shall leave to serve god , as peter and paul did , without crossing , surplices , and kneeling at the sacrament , and then that we shall be reproached as the cause of all , by our disobedience : god hath told the world by his word , and will tell them by his judgements , that this is not his way to unity and peace . as to your argument , from your brethrens weakness , we say , 1. it is not your strength to slight it , or them ; nor is it their weakness , that they are willing to be esteemed weak . the apostle called those weak , that placed a necessity in indifferent things , rom. 14. and not those that understood their indifferency . but the truth is , the nature of things indifferent , is not well unstood by all on either side ; some may think evil of some things that deserve it not , and in this they are weak , though in other matters they may be strong . and for the rest , we speak according to the worst , that you your selves can charitably suppose : you can say no more of them , but that they are weaker , that is , in this know less then you : though perhaps we may take them to be stronger , that is to be more in the right ; yet are we not so confident , as to censure you or others ; but speak of things difficult , and doubtful , as they are . but how prove you that we would take it ill , to be our selves , or have those we speak of accounted ignorant in such things as these ? use us no worse then the ignorant should be used . and till you would turn a man out of the ministry , or church , for being ignorant of the nature of a ceremony ( which never was in his creed , the decalogue or scripture ) deal not so by us , that would be wiser if we knew how ; that all our ignorance is our own fault we deny not ; but it is an excesse of confidence , and uncharitableness , to tell us that there is so very much written as may satisfie any man [ that hath a mind to be satisfied ] when we professe in his sight that knoweth the hearts , that we have a mind to be satisfied , and would know the truth , at what rate soever if we knew how : what would you have us to do that we do not , to be satisfied ? do we not read as much for ceremonies , as the dissenters use to do against them ? many books against them are yet uuanswered : as we never shuned any publick or private conference with any of you , and such reasonings are not like to convince us . if you will be the judges of your brethrens hearts , and say it is not tenderness of conscience , but stubbornness , we shall refer that to the day , when your hearts , and ours shall all be opened . must none be tender conscienced , that dare not venture to obey you in such things ? when you may with undoubted safety forbear the imposing of your ceremonies , and so forbear the casting out of your brethren , if you will not , who shews less tenderness of conscience ? that the scandal is taken , and not given , is still the thing in question , as to many things : and if it were no just occasion of offence , yet you ought not to lay that which others weakness will turn into a stumbling block , unnecessarily before them . if the apostles argument be good , rom. 14. the church may not urge unlawful things , nor things meerly lawful , upon such penalties , as will exclude things necessary . if an idle word be to be accounted for , an idle law is not laudable , much less when all men must be excluded the ministry o● communion that scruple it ; when yet a man may be a prophane swearer , for 12. pence an oath , and may swear an 100. times , before he payes that 12. pence . a papist shall pay 12. pence for not coming to church , and a protestant be thrust out of your communion , for not kneeling at the sacrament , and a minister suspended , imprisoned , undone , for not crossing a child , or wearing a surplice . may magistrates , or the church rhus urge their commands ? can any thing be spoken plainer then the scripture speaks against this course ? and would you make the world believe , that the brethren that do not all that you bid them , are so unreasonably , and obstinately scrupulous , as to have no matter of offence but what they lay before themselves , when they have the practise of the apostles , and the custom of the primitive church , for many hundred years against you , and this called by them an apostolical tradition , and decreed by the most venerable councils that ever were ? if you had but one of these , ( the decree of a general council , or practice of all the purest church alone ) for one of your ceremonies , you would think him uncharitable , that so reproached you for pretending conscience . sect. 11. [ the case of st. paul not eating flesh , if it offended his brother , is nothing to the purpose ; who there speakes of things , not commanded either by god , or by his church , neither having in them any thing of decency , or significancy to serve in the church ; st. paul would deny himself his own liberty , rather than offend his brother . bnt if any man breakes a just law or custom of the church , he brands him for a lover of schisme and sedition , 1 cor. 11. 16. ] repl. but because at our last meeting , it was said with so much confidence by one , that the case in rom. 14. and 15. was nothing to ours , we shall here say the more to what you say , that pauls not eating flesh is nothing to the purpose : your reasons are , 1. because he speakes of nothing commanded by god , or his church . 2. nor of any thing of decency , or significancy to serve in the church . to the first we have often told you , that which is undeniable , 1. that paul was a governour of that church himself , that had no superior to con trole him : if you say then , that he wrote not as a governor ; we answer , yes : for he wrote as an apostle , and wrote that epistle that was to be a standing law , or canon to them ; if this be no act of his office , and authority , there was none such ; and then you must say the like of all the rest of the epistles . 2. moreover as paul the apostle excludeth all such impositions , so he wrote to all the resident pastors that were at rome , for he wrote to the whole church : and therefore these commands extend to the governours , that they make not such things the matter of contempt or censures , or any uncharitable course , but bear with one another in them . will you call men obstinate self-offenders , that differ from you , when you have no better answers then these to the plain decisions of the holy ghost ? what we speak of rom. 14. 15. we speak also of 1 cor. 8. and 3. it is to the rulers of the church that we are speaking , and it is they that answer us : and shall the rulers say [ if it were not a thing commanded we might bear with you ] when it is themselves that command them ecclesiastically ; and we intreat them but to forbear that , and to concur with us in petitioning the king to forbear commanding them coercively ; who no doubt will easily forbear it , if they do their part . 4. yea a fortiore it layeth a heavier charge on such governours then others . if it be so hainous a sin as paul maketh it to censure , or despise one another , for meats and dayes , and such like things , how much more to excommuuicate , silence , and undo one another ? and deprive thousands of souls of the preaching of the gospel , that consented not to their pastor's non-conformity ? 5. paul letteth you know , that those things are not the center or matter of our necessary concord , but of mutual forbearance , and therefore condemneth all that will make them necessary to our unity , ministry , or communion . 6. and the difference is wholly to the advantage of our cause ; for those that paul spoke to , were not come so high as to go about to force others to do as they did , but onely to despise them for not doing it . 2. and therefore to the second reason we answer . 1. if the things had been different , yet so was pauls injunction different from our request ; for paul goeth so high as to command them to deny their own liberty , in not eating lawful meats themselves , least they offend , and hurt their breth●en ; whereas we are now but desiring you , that you would not force others to do that which they take to be a sin , and that with penalties that fall heavier on the church , then on them ; they had on both sides fairer pretences then you have : the cases before us to be compared are four ; the case of the refusers of meats and observers of dayes then : the case of the users of those meats , and not observers of those dayes : the case of our imposers : and the case of non-conformists : the pretence that their refusers of meats had , in 1 cor. 8. was , that being offered to idols , they thought it made them partakers of the idolatry ; and so they sinned through weakness in being offended at others , and censuring them that used their liberty : and had they not here a fairer pretence for their offence and censures , then you for your impositions ? you cannot shew half so great an appearance of good in the things commanded , as they could do of evil in the things for which they were offended . and the offended censurer in rom. 14. had this pretence , that the thing was forbidden in gods own law , even the meats which he refused ; and the dayes cōmmanded which he observed : and he knew not that the law in these matters of order and ceremony was abrogated ( which peter himself was ignorant of , when he refufed to eat things common and unclean : ) but you have no pretence of gods own command for the matter of your impositions , as these men had for the matter of their offence , and censure : so that here you are on the worser side . and for the other party , that in 1 cor. 8. abused their liberty : and rom. 14. despised their brethren , they had a double pretence : one was , that it was their liberty ; and if every scrupulous party should drive them from their lawful meat , and drink , they knew not whither they might drive them : another was , that the law was abrogated by christ ; and therefore if they complyed in practice with the scrupulous , or did not shew their difference , they might seem to be guilty of the restoring of the law , and complying with the jewes and the hereticks , that both then were enemies to the church , and agreed in this ; had not these men now a fairer pretence for eating , 1 cor. 8. and for the dissent shewed , rom. 14. then you ever yet produced for forcing others from ministry , and church , ( or into sin , and hell , if they will obey you against their consciences ) and all for that which you never pretended to shew a command of god for ? and others shew you ( as they think ) scripture , and councils , and custom against : to tell us then that paul spake of things [ not decent and significant ] is ( pardon our plainness ) to say much less then nothing : for it was not against imposing that paul spake , but using , and not using , censuring and despising ; and their arguments were ( suitable to their cause ) of another kind of moment , than decency or indecency , significancy or insignificancy , even from supposed idolatry rejecting gods law , and complying with jews , and hereticks , in restoring the law , and casting away the liberties purchased by christ , even in their private eating , and drinking . to be no more tedious now , we humbly offer in any way convenient to try it out , with the reverend brother that so confidently asserted the disparity of the cases ; and to prove , that these scriptures most plainly condemn your impositions now in qnestion ; though we should have thought , that one impartial reading of them might end the controversie , and save the church and you from the sad effects . as to that , 1 cor. 11. 16. we answer , 1. it is uncertain whether the word [ custom ] refer to the matter of hair , or to contention : so many expositors judge , q. d. [ the churches of god are not contentious ] 2. here is no institution ( muchless by fallible men ) of new covenanting , dedicating , or teaching symbols , or ceremonies ; nor is here any unnecessary thing enjoyned , but that which nature , and the custom of the country had made so decent , as that the opposite would have been abusively indecent : this is not your case . a cross or surplice is not decent by nature , or common reputation , but by institution ( that is , not at all ; for if it be not instituted , because decent , it will not be decent , because instituted ) nor are these so decent , as the opposite to be indecent . the apostles worshipped god as decently without them , as you do with them : the minister prayeth in the pulpit , as decently without the surplice , as in the reading place with it . 3. paul doth but exhort them to this undoubted comeliness ( as you may well do , if men will do any thing , which nature or common reputation makes to be slovenly , unmannerly or indecent , as being covered in prayer , or singing psalms , or any such like ; about which we will never differ with you : ) but even here , he talks not of force , or such penalties as tend to the greater hurt of the church , and the ruin of the person . sect. 12. [ that these ceremonies have occasioned many divisions , is no more fault of theirs , than it was of the gospel , that the preaching of it , occasioned strife betwixt father and son , &c. the true cause of those divisions , is the cause of ours , which st. james tells us is lust , and inordinate desires of honour , wealth , or licentiousness , or the like : were these ceremonies laid aside , there would be the same divisions . if some , who think moses and aaron take too much upon them , may be suffered to deceive the people , and to raise in them vain fears and jealousies of their governours ; but if all men would , as they ought , study peace and quietness , they would find other , and better fruits of those laws of rites , and ceremonies , as edification , decency , order , and beauty , in the service and worship of god. ] repl. whether the ceremonies be as innocent , as to divisions , as the gospel ( a strange assertion ) will better appear , when what we have said , and what is more fully said by dr. ames , bradshaw , and others , is well answered . if the true cause of our divisions be as you say [ lust , and inordinate desires of honour , or wealth , or licentiousness ] then the party that is most lustful , ambitious , covetous , and licentious , are likest to be most the cause . and for lust and licentiousness , we should take it for a great attainment of our ends , if you will be intreated to turn the edge of your severity against the lustful and licentious . o that you would keep them out of the pulpits , and out of the communion of the church , till they reform ! and for our selves , we shall take your admonitions or severities thankfully , when ever we are convicted by you , of any such sins . we are loth to enter upon such comparisons , between the ministers ejected , for the most part , and those that are in their rooms , as tends to shew by this rule , who are likest to be the dividers . and for inordinate desires of honour and wealth , between your lordships and us , we are contented that this cause be decided by all england , even by our enemies , at the first hearing , without any further vindication of our selves ; and so let it be judged who are the dividers . only we must say , that your intimation of this charge on us , that seek not for bishopricks , deaneries , and archdeaconries , or any of your preferments ; that desire not , nor would accept pluralities of benefices , with cure of souls ; that never sought for more than food and raiment , with the liberty of our ministry , even one place , with a tollerable maintenance , whose provoking cause , hath been our constant opposition to the honours , wealth , lordships , and pluralities of the clergy ; yea , who would be glad on the behalf of the poor congregations , if many of our brethren might have leave to preach to their flocks for nothing . we say your intimation maketh us lift up our hands and hearts to heaven , and think , o what is man ! what may not by some history be told the world ! o how desirable is the blessed day of the righteous universal judgement of the lord ! how small a matter till then should it be to us , to be judged of man ! we hope upon pretence of not suffering us to deceive the people , you will not deny liberty to preach the necessary saving truths of the gospel , considering how terrible a symptom and prognostick , this was in the jews , 1 thes. 2. 15 , 16. who both killed the lord jesus , and their own prophets , and persecuted the apostles , and god they pleased not , and were contrary to all men , forbidding to preach to the gentiles , that they might be saved ; to fill up their sins alwayes : for wrath was come upon them to the utmost . we can as easily bear whatever you can inflict upon us , as the hinderers of the gospel , and silencers of faithful ministers , and troublers of the churches , can bear what god will inflict on them ; and so the will of the lord be done . sect. 13. [ there hath been so much said , not only of the lawfulness , but also of the conveniency of these ceremonies mentioned , that nothing can be added . this in brief may here suffice for the surplice , that reason and experience teaches , that decent ornaments and habits , preserve reverence and awe ; held therefore necessary to the solemnity of royal acts , and acts of justice ; and why not as well to the solemnity of religious worship ? and in particular , no habit more suitable than white linnen , which resembles purity and beauty , wherein angels have appeared , rev. 15. fit for those whom the scripture calls angels . and this habit was ancient , chrysost. hom. 60. ad pop . antioch . ] repl. 1. if nothing can be added , then we doubt the answered writings extant against these impositions , will never be well answered . 2. we are desirous that no undecent vestures or habits , be used in gods service . those that scruple the surplice , do it not as it is a habit determined of as decent ; but as they think it is made an holy vestment , and so a part of external worship , as aaron's vestments were ; ( as may be seen in the arguments of cotton and nichols , lately printed together . ) sect. 14. [ the cross was alwayes used in the church , in immortali lavacro , tertul. and therefore to testifie our communion with them , as we are taught to do in our creed ; as also in token that we shall not be ashamed of the cross of christ. it is fit to be used still , and we conceive cannot trouble the conscience of any that have a mind to be satisfied . ] repl. that the cross was alwayes used in the church in baptism , is an assertion certainly untrue ; and such as we never heard nor read till now . do you believe it was used in the baptism of the eunuch , lydia , the jalor , cornelius , the 3000. acts 3. or in those times ? and when it did come up , it was with chrysm , and not our airy transient image ; and therefore you so far differ from the users . 2. the condemnation of genuflection on the lords dayes in adoration , was at least as ancient and universal , and commanded by councils , when the cross was not ; and yet you can dispense with that , and many such usages . and if you will your selves fall in with custom , yet every ancient common custom , was never intended to be a matter of necessity to union or tolleration of our brethren ; use no other force about the cross than the church then did . your saying , that you [ conceive it cannot trouble the conscience of any that have a mind to be satisfied ] doth but express your uncharitable censeriousness , while your brethren have studied , and prayed , and conferred for satisfaction , it 's like , as much as you , and profess their earnest desires of it , and their readiness to hear or read any thing that you have to say , in order to their satisfaction . sect. 15. [ the posture of kneeling , best suites at the communion , as the most convenient , and so most decent for us , when we are to receive as it were from gods hand , the greatest of seals of the kingdom of heaven ; he that thinks he may do this sitting , let him remember the prophet mal. offer this to the prince , to receive his seal , from his own hand sitting , see if he will accept of it ; when the church did stand at her prayers , the manner of receiving was , more adorantium , st. aug. psal. 98. cyril . catech. mystag . 5. rather more than at prayers , since standing at prayer hath been left , and kneeling used instead of that , ( as the church may vary in such indifferent things ) now to stand at communion , when we kneel at prayers , were not decent , much less to sit , which was never the use of the best times . ] repl. to all this about kneeling , we say , 1. we have considered the text in mal. and what you say ; and yet , 1. we find that our betters , even christs apostles , and the universal church , for many hundred years , thought not kneeling most decent ; nor did the church , in the first age , think sitting unmeet in that service , to the king of the church : and we hope you reprehend them not . 2. you require not the adult , that are baptized , to receive that seal or sacrament kneeling . 3. when kneeling at prayers was in use , in the apostles times , yet kneeling in the reception of the sacrament was not . 4. why can you so lightly put off , both the practice and canons of the church in this , more than in other such things ? however you cannot here deny de facto , but that kneeling on the lords dayes in the receiving the sacrament , was for many hundred years , of the purer times of the church , disused and condemned : and why do you not tell us , what other general council repealed this , that we may see whether it be such , as we are any way bound by ? when you say [ the church may vary in such indifferent things ] 1. if kneeling or standing at prayer , be an indifferent thing , then so are they at this sacrament . 2. then you follow the changers , and we the old pattern . 3. then the canons of general councils and customs , pretended to be from apostolical tradition , may be changed . 4. what is it , that you call the church that changeth , or may change these ? a council , or a popular custom ? bring us not under a forraign power . 5. the thing then being so indifferent and changeable , you may change it if you please , for ends that are not indifferent . 6. and if now the ministers may pray standing , why may not the people receive standing ? 7. when you say , that [ to sit , was never the use of the best times ] you deny the apostles , and primitive times to be the best ; as to the extent of the church , they were not the best , but as to the purity of administrations they were . sect. 16. [ that there were ancient lyturgies in the church , is evident , st. chrysostom's , st. basil's , and others : and the greeks tell us of st. james , much elder than they ; and though we find not in all ages whole lyturgies , yet it is certain that there were such in the eldest times , by those parts which are extant , as sursum corda , &c. gloria patri , benedicite , hymnus cherubinus , &c. vere dignum & justum , &c. dominus vobiscum , & cum spiritu tuo , with divers others . though ●hose that are extant may be interpolated , yet such things as are found in them , all consentient to catholick primitive doctrine , may well be presumed to have been from the first , especially since we find no original of these lyturgies from general councils . ] repl. we know there wanteth not a lyndanus , a coccius , to tell the world of st. peters lyturgy , which yet prayeth , that by the intercession of peter and paul , we may be defended , &c. and mentioneth lynus , cletus , clemens , cornelius , cyprian , lucia , barbara , and abundance such ; shall we therefore conclude that there were lyturgies from the first , and that what is here consentient to antiquity wa● in it ? there wants not a marg. de la bigne , a greg. de valent. a coccius to commend to us the lyturgy of mark , that praye●h ( protege civitatem istam propter martyrem tuum , & evangelistam marcum , &c. and tells us , that the king , where the author lived , was an orthodox christian , and prayeth for the pope , subdeacons , lectors , cantors , monks , &c. must we therefore believe , that all that 's orthodox in it , is ancient ? so there wants not a bigne , bellarm. &c. to tell us of st. james his lyturgy , that mentions the confessors , the deiparam , the ancherets , &c. which made bellarm. himself say , ( de lyturgia jacobi sic sentio , eam non esse ejus , aut multa a posterioribus eidem addita sunt ) and must we prove the antiquity of lyturgies by this , or try ours by it ? there wants not a sainctsius , a berllarm ▪ a valentia , a paresius , to predicate the lyturgy of st. basil , as bearing witness to transubstantiation , for the sacrifice of the mass , for praying to saints , &c. when yet the exceeding disagreement of copies , the difference of some formes from basil's ordinary forms , the prayers for the most pious and faithful emperours , shew it unlikely to have been basils : many predicate chrysostom's mass or lyturgy ; as making for praying to the dead , and for them , the propitiatory sacrifice of the mass , &c. when in one edition crysost . is prayed to in it , saith cook ; in another , nicolaus and alexius , that lived about 1080. is mentioned ; in another , doctrines are contained ( as de contaminata maria , &c. ) clean contrary to chrysostom's doctrine ; must we now conclude , that all is ancient , that is orthodox , when one copy is scarce like another ? or can we try our lyturgy by such as this ? the shreds cited by you prove a lyturgy indeed , such as we have used while the common prayer book was not used , where the psalms , the words of baptism , of consecration , commemoration , and delivery of the lord's supper , and many other , were used in a constant form , when other parts were used as the minister found most meet ; so sursum corda was but a warning before , or in the midst of devotion , such as our [ let us pray ] and will no more prove , that the substance of prayer was not left to the ministers present or prepared conception , than ite missa est , will prove it . the gloria patri , bellarm. himself saith , according to the common opinion , was formed in the conncil of nice , which was in the 4th . century . and even then such a particular testimony against the arrians , might well stand with a body of unimposed prayers ; and rather shews , that in other things they were left at liberty . if the benedicite , the hymns , or other passages here mentioned , will prove such a lyturgy as pleaseth you , we pray you bear with our way of worship , which hath more of hymns and other forms , than the●e come to . that these lyturgies had no original from general councils , adds nothing with us to their authority , but sheweth that they had an arbitary original ; and all set together shews , that then they had many lyturgies in one princes dominion , and those alterable , and not forced ; and that they took not one liturgy to be any necessary means to the churches uni●● or peace , but bore with those that used various at discretion . we well remember that tertul. tels the heathens , that christians shewed by their conceived hymns , that they were sober at their religious feasts ; it being their custom [ ut quisque de scripturis sanctis , vel de proprio ingenio potest , provocetur in medium deo canere ] apol. cap. 39. note here , 1. that though there be more need of forms for singing , than for praying ; yet even in this , the christians in publick had then a liberty of doing it de proprio ingenio , by their own wit or parts . 2. that those that did not de proprio ingenio , did it de scripturis sanctis , and that there is no mention of any other lyturgy , from which they fetcht so much as their hymnes . and the same tertul. apol. c. 30. describing the christians publick prayers , saith [ sine monitore , quia de pectore oramus ] [ we pray without a monitor or promptor , because we do it from the heart , or from our own breast , ] and before him just. mar. ap. 2. p. 77. saith ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . but if all these words seem not plain enough to some , it is no wonder when they rest not in the greater plainness of the holy scriptures , where prayer is so frequently mentioned , as much of the imployment of believers , and so many directions , encouragments and exhortations given about it , and yet no liturgy or stinted form ; except he lords prayer is prescribed to them , or once made mention of , no man directed here to use such , no man exhorted to get him a prayer book , or to read or learn it , or to beware that he add or diminish not : whereas the holy scriptures that were then given to the church , men are exhorted to read , and study , and mediate in , and discourse of , and make it their continual delight : and it s a wonder that david that mentions it so oft , in psal. 119. doth never mention the lyturgy , or common prayer book , if they had any : and that solomon when he dedicated the house of prayer without a prayer book , would onely beg of god , to hear [ what prayers , or what supplication soever shall be made of any man , or of all the people of israel , when every one shall know his own sore , and his own grief , and shall spread forth his hands in that house ] 2 chro. 6. 29. and that he giveth no hint of any lyturgy or form , so much as in those common calamities , and talks of no other book then the knowledge of their own sores , and their own griefs : and in the case of psalms , or singing unto god where it is certain , that they had a lyturgy , or form , ( as we have , ) they are carefully collected , preserved , and delivered to us , as a choice part of the holy scripture . and would it not have been so with the prayers , or would they have been altogether numentioned , if they also had been there prescribed to , and used by the church , as the psalms were ? would christ and his apostles even where they were purposely giving rules for prayer , and correcting its abuse , ( as mat. 6. 1 cor. 14 , &c. ) have never-mentioned any forms but the lords prayer , if they had appointed such , or desired such to be imposed , and observed ? these things are incredible to us when we most impartially consider them ; for our own parts as we think it uncharitable to forbid the use of spectacles to them that have weak eyes , or of crutches to them that have weak limbs , and as uncharitable to undo all that will not use them , whether they need them or not ; so we can think no better of them , that will suffer none to use such forms , that need them , or that will suffer none to pray but in the words of other mens prescribing , though they are at least , as able as the prescribers . and to conclude , we humbly crave that ancient customs may not be used against themselves , and us , and that you will not innovate , under the shelter of the name of antiquity . let those things be freely used among us that were so used in the purest primitive times . let unity and peace be laid on nothing , on which they laid them not ; let diversity of lyturgy , and ceremonies be allowed where they allowed it . may we but have love and peace on the terms as the ancient church enjoyed them , we shall then hope we may yet escape the hands of uncharitable destroying zeal : we therefore humbly recommend to your observation the concurrent testimony of the best histories of the church , concerning the diversity of lyturgy , ceremonies , and modal observances ; in the several churches under one and the same civil government : and how they then took it to be their duty to forbear each other in these matters , and how they made them not the test of their communion , or center of their peace concerning the observation of easter it self , when other holy-days , and ceremonies were urged , were less stood upon , you have the judgement of irenaeus , and the french bishops in whose name he wrote in eusob. hist. eccl. l. 5. 6. 23. where they reprehend victor for breaking peace with the churches that differed about the day , and the antecedent time of fasting , and tell him that the variety began , before their times , when yet they nevertheless retained peace , and yet retain it , and the discord in their fasting declared , or commended the concord of their faith , that no man was rejected from communion by victors predecessors on that account , but they gave them the sacrament , and maintained peace with them , and particularly policarp , and anicetus held communion in the eucharist , notwithstanding this difference . basil epist. 63. doth plead his cause with the presbyters , and whole clergy of neocesarea , that were offended at his new psalmodi● , and his new order of monasticks , but he onely defendeth himself , and urgeth none of them to imitate him , but telleth him also of the novelty of their own lyturgy , that it was not known in the time of their own late renowned bishop greg. thaumaturgus , telling them that they had kept nothing unchanged to that day of all that he was used to , ( so great alte●ations in 40. years were made in the same congregation ) and he professeth to pardon all such things , so be it the principal things be kept safe . socr. hist. ec. l. 51. c. 21. about the easter difference , saith [ that neither the apostles , nor the gospel , do impose a yoke of bondage on those that betake themselves to the doctrine of christ , but left the feast of easter , and other festivals , to the observation of the free and equal judgement of them that had received the benefits . and therefore because men use to keep some festivals , for the relaxing themselves from labours , several persons in several places , do celebrate of custom , the memorial of christs passion arbitrarily , or at their own choice . for neither our saviour , nor the apostles commanded the keeping of them by any law , nor threaten any mulct , or penalty , &c. it was the purpose of the apostles not to make laws for the keeping of festivals , but to be authors to us of the reason of right living , and of piety . and having shewed that it came up by private custom , and not by law , and having cited irenaeus , as before he addeth , [ that those that agree in the same faith , do differ in point of rites , and ceremonies ] and instancing in divers , he concludeth [ that because no man can shew in the monuments of writings , any command concerning this , it is plain that the apostles herein permitted free power to every ones mind and will ; that every man might do that which was good without being induced by fear or by necessity . and having spoken of the diversity of customs , about the assemblies , marriage , baptism , &c. he tells us [ that even among the novatians themselves there is a diversity in their manner of their praying , and that among all the forms of religions and parties , you can no where find two , that consent among themselves in the manner of their praying . ] and repeating the decree of the holy ghost , act. 15. [ to impose no other burden but things necessary ] he reprehendeth them [ that neglecting this , will take fornication as a thing indifferent , but strive about festivals , as it were a matter of life , overturning gods laws , and making laws to themselves . ] and sozomen hist. eccl. l. c. 18. and 19. speaketh to the same purpose , and tells us that the novatians themselves determined in a synod at sangar in bythinia , that the differenoe about easter being not a sufficient cause for breach of communion , all should abide in the same concord , and in the same assembly , and every one should celebrate this feast as pleased himself : and this canon they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and c. 19. he saith of victor , and policarp , that [ they deservedly judged it frivolous , or absurd , that those should be separated on the account of a custom , that consented in the principal heads of religion : for you cannot find the same traditions in all things alike , in all churches though they agree among themselves ] and instancing in some countreys , where there is but one bishop in many cities , and in others , bishops are ordained in the villages . after many other instances , he adds [ that they use not the same prayers , singings or readings , nor observe the same time of using them . ] and what lyturgy was imposed upon constantine the emperour ? or what bishops or synods , were then the makers of lyturgies , when he himself made publick prayers for himself and auditory , and for his soldiers ? euseb. de vit . constantini , l. 4. c. 18 , 20. &c. but the diversity , liberty , and change of lyturgies in the churches under the same prince , are things so well known , as that we may suppose any further proof of it to be needless : in the conclusion therefore we humbly beseech you , that as antiquity , and the customs of the churches in the first ages , is that which is most commonly and confidently pleaded against us , that your mistake of antiquity may not be to our cost , or paid so dear for as the loss of our freedom , for the serving of god in the work of the ministry , to which we are called ; we beseech you let us not be silenced , or cast out of the ministry or church , for not using the lyturgy , cross , surplice , kneeling at the sacrament , till you have either shewed the world that the practice or canons of the catholick church have led you the way as doing it , or requiring it to be done . and make not that so necessary , as to force men to i● on such dreadful terms , which the ancient churches used with diversity , and indifferency , and liberty . we beseech you , shew the world some proof , that the ancient churches did ever use to force , or require ministers to subscribe to their lyturgies , as having nothing in them contrary to the word of god , or to swear obedience to their bishops , before you impose ●uch things on us , while yet you pretend to imitate antiquity . and have but the moderation towards your brethren , as in suffering , or at death , or judgement , you would most approve . remember how unpleasing the remembrance of such differences about ceremonies , was to bishop ridley , as towards bishop hooper , when they were in prison ; and how the arrians fury made the orthodox gladly to go to the churches of the novatians , and meet with them , and joyn with them in prayer , and had almost been united with them , in the bond of concord , if the novatians in a stiff maintaining of their old customs , had not utterly refused it : but yet in other matters , they embraced each other with so singular a benevolence and love , that they would willingly have dyed for each other , ( as socrates tells us , hist. lib. 2. cap. 30. ) and may we not all here see our duty ? when atticus was urged to deny to the novatians the liberty of their meetings within the city , he refused it , because they had suffered for the faith in the arrians persecution , and changed nothing in the faith , though they separated from the church ; and was so far from violence against dissenters , as that he gave large relief to them that differed from him in religion , socrat. hist. lib. 7. cap. 25. it was the much praised saying of theodosius to him , that asked him , why he put none to death that wronged him ; [ i would i could rather make them that are dead , alive ] socrat. l. 7. c. 22. much more should christian bishops be enemies to cruelty , who know that charity is more essential to christianity , than this or that form of lyturgy or ceremonies is . if you think it unsufferable , that we should have differences about such things , remember that there will be no perfect unity , till there is perfect charity and sanctity ; and that destroying one another , and consequently destroying charity , is an unhappy way to unity . and that unity is to be held in things necessary , and liberty in things unnecessary , and charity in both . remember that it was in a far greater difference , where constantine perswadeth the christians to mutual forbearance , by the example of the philosophers , that suffer difference in abundance of their opinions . euseb. de vita constant. lib. 2. cap. 67. and that valens the arrian was made more moderate , and abated his persecution of the orthodox , by the oration of themistius , who bid him not [ wonder at the dissentions of the christians , for they were small , if compared unto the multitude and croud of opinions that are among the heathen philosophers , as being more than 300. and that god will by this diversity of opinions manifest hi● glory , and make men the more reverence him , who is so hardly known s●crat . hist. ●ib . 4. cap. 27. those that dissent from you in these tollerable cases , cannot c●ange their own opinions ; but you can , if you will , forbear hurting of your brethren : do that which you can do , rather than urge them by usuitable means , to that which they cannot do . these are not matters sufficient to justifie contention and uncharitable usage of your brethren . when many of the macedonian faction ●etitioned the good emperour jovianus , to depose those that affirmed the son to be unlike the father , and to put their party in their places ; he gave them no answer but this , [ i hate contention , and i love and honour them that are addicted to concord ] socrat. lib. 4. cap. 21. then ( saith euseb . hist. lib. 8. cap. 1. ) did the lord obscure the daughter of zion , and cast down the glory of israel , &c. when those that seemed our pastors rejecting the rule of godliness were inflamed among themselves with mutual contentions , and drove on only these contentions , threatnings , emulation , mutual hatred and enmity , and , like tyrants , prosecuted their ambitions . ] we thought it no impertinent digression , here to take this occasion , again to crave your exercise of the ancient charity , and our enjoyment of the ancient liberty , instead of a forcing the anciently-free lyturgie and ceremonies , and that by unproportionable penalties ; and if yet we cannot prevail with you , we shall still beg for peace of the god of peace , where we have better hopes to be heard , and shall hold on in seeking it , how ill soever our endeavours may be interpreted or succeed : and as the good man wept , ( socrat. lib. 4. cap. 18. ) when he saw a woman pompously adorned , because he was not so careful to please god , as she was to allure men : so we shall confess we ought to weep that we cannot be more charitable and laborious in building up the church in holiness and peace , than others are by uncharitable courses to afflict it : and it shall be our , hope that whether by their labours , or their sufferings , god will serve and honour himself , by those many faithful servants of his , whom he hath called into his work , and whose cause we plead ; and that however they are used , they shall not be unuseful to the ends of their vocation : as theodoret observeth , hist. lib. 4. cap. 30. that in a calamitous time [ the moderator of the universe raised up such guides , as were sufficient in so great affluctuation , and opposed the valour of the leaders to the greatness of the enemies incursion , and gave the best remedies in the hardest times of pestilence ] so that the punished pastors did from the utmost parts of the earth corroberate their own , and refu●● th● adversaries by their writings . ] and for our selves , as we were truly desirous to do our part for to preserve your reputation with the flocks , in order to the success of your government for their good , and never envyed you that worldly honour or revenue , which yet some have thought unsuitable to the simplicity and employment of christ's ministers : so if you will neither suffer us quietly to serve god , or conscionably to serve you , we shall be the lesse sollicitous for that part of our task from which you have power to discharge us : and as basil said to valens the emperour , that would have him pray for the life of his son [ if thou wilt receive the true faith , and restore the churches to concord , thy son shall live ] which when he refused he said [ the will of god then be done with thy son ] so we say to you , if you will put on charity , and promote your brethrens and the churches peace ; god will honour you , and good men will honour you , and your calling will have advantage by it : but if you will do contrarily , the will of the lord be done with your honours ; but know , that them that honour him , he will honour ; and they that despise him , shall be lightly esteemed ▪ and that by the course of uncharitable violence , which we deprecate , you will most deeply wound the cause of your preheminence , even more than its adversaries could have done : and , if it be the will of the lord that suffering at home , where we have served him , must be our lot , we doubt not but that he will furnish us with strength and patience , and we shall remember such ensamples as ruffin recordeth , hist. lib. 2. cap. 3. when a millitary bishop sent his souldiers to assault 3000 scattered christians , where appeared a strange kind of warfare , when the assaulted offered their necks , saying onely , amici , ad quid venisti ? friend , why camest thou hither ? or if we must be removed from the land of our nativity , as maris told julian , that he thanked god , that had deprived him of his sight , that he might not see the face of such a man , socrat. hist. lib. 3. cap. 10. so we shall take it as a little abatement of our affliction , that we see not the sins and calamities of the people , whose peace and welfare we so much desire . having taken this opportunity here to conclude this part with these requests and warnings , we now proceed to the second part , containing the particulars of our exceptions , and your answers . concerning morning and evening prayer . 1. rubr. sect. 1. vve think it fit that the rubrick stand as it is , and all to be left to the discretion of the ordinary . repl. we thought the end and use , more considerable than custom ; and that the ordinary himself should be under the rule of doing all to edification . 2. rubr. sect. 2. answ. [ for the reasons given in our answer to the 18. general , whither you refer us , we think it fit that the rubrick continue as it is . ] repl. we have given you reason enough against the imposition of the usual ceremonies ; and would you draw forth those absolute ones to encrease the burden ? sect. 3. lords prayer . answ. [ deliver us from evil ] these words [ for thine is the kingdom , &c. ] are not in st. luke , nor in the ancient copies of st. matthew ; never mentioned in the ancient comments , nor used in the latine church , and therefore questioned whether they be part of the gospel ; there is no reason that they should be alwayes used . ] repl. we shall not be so over-credulous as to believe you , that these words are not in the ancient copies : it is enough that we believe that some few ancient copies have them not ; but that the most ( even the generality , except those few ) have them : the judgment of our english translators , and almost all other translators of matthew , and of the r. r. b. ● . of chester among your selves , putting the copy that hath it in his bible ( as that which is most received and approved by the church ) do shew on which side is the chief authority . if the few copies that want it ; had been thought more authentick and credible , the church of england , and most other churches , would not have preferred the copies that have this doxologie : and why will you in this contradict the later judgement of the church , expressed in the translation allowed and imposed ? the syriack , ethiopick , and persian translations also have it ; and if the syriack be as ancient as you your selves even now asserted , then the antiquity of the doxologie is there evident : and it is not altogether to be neglected , which by chemnitius , and others , is conjectured , that paul's words , 2 tim. 4. 18. were spoken as in reference to this doxologie ; and as pareus , and other protestants conclude , it is more probable the latines neglected , than that the greek inserted , of their own heads , this sentence . the socinians and arrians have as fair a pretence for their exception against 1 joh. 5. 6 , 7. musculus saith , non cogitant vero similius esse , ut graecorum ecclesiae , majis quam latina , quod ab evangelistis graece scriptum est , integrum servavit , nihilque de suo adjecerit , quid de graeca ecclesia dico ? vidi ipse vetustissimum evangelium secundum matthaeum , codicem , chalaaeis , & elementis , & verbis conscriptum , in quo coronis ista perinde atque in graecis legebatur . nec chaldei solum sed & arabes christiani pariformiter cum grecis orant , et exemplar hebraeum a docto & celebri d. sebast. munstero vulgatum , hanc ipsum coronidem habet : cum ergo consentiant hac in re , hebraeorum , chaldaeorum , arabum , & graecorum ecclesiae , valde inconsideratum videtur , quod uni latinorum ecclesiae contra omnes reliquas tautum tribuitur authoritatis , ut quod sola diversum legit , ab evangelistis traditem esse credatur : quod vero reliquae omnes , concorditer habem , & orant , pro a●dititio & peregrino habeatur . and that luke hath it not , will no more prove that it was not a part of the lords prayer , than all other omissions of one evangelist will prove , that such words are corruptions in the other that have them . all set together give us the gospel fully ; and from all we must gather it . sect. 4. lords prayer , often used . answ. [ it is used but twice in the morning , and twice in the evening service , and twice cannot be called often , much lesse so often . ] for the letany , communion , baptism , &c. they are offices distinct from morning and evening prayer , and it is not fit that any of them should want the lords prayer . ] repl. we may better say we are required to use it six times every morning , than but twice : for it is twice in the common morning prayer , and once in the letany , and once in the communion service , and once at baptism , ( which in great parishes is usually every day ) and once to be used by the preacher in the pulpit : and if you call these distinct offices , that maketh not the lords prayer the seldomer used : sure we are the apostles thought it fit , that many of their prayers should be without the lords prayer . sect. 5. gloria patri . answ. [ this doxology being a solemn confession of the blessed trinity , should not be thought a burden to any christian lyturgy , especially being so short as it is : neither is the repetition of it , to be thought a vain repetition , more than [ his mercy endureth for ever ] so often repeated , psal. 136. we cannot give god too much glory , that being the end of our creation , and should be the end of all our services . ] repl. though we cannot give god too much glory , we may too often repeat a form of words , wherein his name and glory is mentioned : there is great difference between a psalm of praise , and the praise in our ordinary prayers ; more liberty of repetition may be taken in psalms , and be an ornament : and there 's difference between that which is unusual ( in one psalm of 150 ) and that which is our daily course of worship : when you have well proved that christ's prohibition of battologie extendeth not to this ( matth. 6. ) we shall acquiesce . sect. 6. pag. 15. rubr. 2. answ. [ in such places where they do sing , &c. ] the rubr. directs only such singing , as is after the manner of distinct reading , and we never heard of any inconvenience thereby , and therefore conceive this demand to be needless . ] repl. it tempteth men to think they should read in a singing tone , and to turn reading scripture into singing , hath the inconveniences of turning the edifying simplicity and plainness of god's service , into such affected unnatural strains and tones , as is used by the mimical and ludicrous ; or such as feign themselves in raptures : and the highest things ( such as words and modes that signifie raptures ) are most loathsom , when forced , feigned and hypocritically affected ; and therefore not fit for congregations , that cannot be supposed to be in such raptures . this we apply also to the sententious mode of prayers . sect. 7. benedicite . ans. [ this hymn was used all the church over , conc. tolet. can. 13. and therefore should be continued still , as well as te deum , ( ruffin . apol. cont . hieron . ) or , veni creator , which they do not object against us as apocriphal . ] repl. you much discourage us in these great straits of time , to give us such loose and troublesom citations ; you turn us to ruffin . apol. in gross ; and tell us not which of the councils of tollet , among at least 13. you mean. but we find the words in council 4. but that provincial spanish council , was no meet judge of the affairs of the universal church , unto the universal church : nor is it certain by their words , whether [ quem ] refer not to [ deum ] rather than to [ hymnum ] but if you so regard that council , remember that can. 9. it is but once a day that the lord's prayer is injoyned , against them that used it , but on the lord's day only ; and that can. 17. it is implyed , that it was said but once on that day . the benedicite is somewhat more cautelously to be used , than humane compositions , that profess to be but humane : when the apocriphal writings , are by the papists pretended to be canonical , and used so like the canon in our church , we have the more cause to desire , that a sufficient distinction be still made . in the letany . sect 1. ans. [ the alterations here desired , are so nice , as if they that made them , were given to change . ] repl. we bear the censure ; but profess , that if you will desert the products of changers , and stick to the unchanged rule , delivered by the holy ghost , we shall joyfully agree with you . let them that prove most given to change , from the unchangeable rule and example , be taken for the hinderers of our unity and peace . sect. 2. ans. [ from all other deadly sin ] is better than [ from all other hainous sin ] upon the reason here given , because the wages ●f sin is death . ] repl. there is so much mortal poyson in the popish distinction of mortal and venial sin ( by which abundance of sins are denied to be sins at all properly , but only analogically ) that the stomack that feareth it , is not to be charged with niceness : the words here seem to be used by way of distinction ; and [ all deadly sin ] seemeth not to be spoken of [ all sin ; ] and if so , your reason from rom. 6. 23. is vain , and ours firm . sect. 3. ans. [ from sudden death ] as good as from [ dying suddenly ] which therefore we pray against , that we may not be unprepared . ] repl. we added [ unprepared ] as expository , or hinting , to shew the reason why sudden death is prayed against ; and so to hint our prayers to that sudden death , which we are unprepared for ; there being some wayes of sudden death , no more to be prayed against than death it self , simply considered may . when you say [ from sudden death ] is as good as from [ dying suddenly ] we confess it is , but not so good as from dying suddenly and unpreparedly . ] we hope you intend not to make any believe , that our turning the adjective into an adverb , was our reformation ? and yet we wondered to hear this made a common jest upon us , as from those that had seen our prayers . would you have had us said [ from sudden and unprepared death ? ] you would then have had more matter of just exception against the words [ unprepared death ] than now you have against [ dying suddenly : ] a man may be well prepared to dye suddenly , by martyrdom for christ , or by war for his prince , and many other wayes . sect. 4. ans. [ all that travel ] as little liable to exception as [ those that travel ] and more agreable to the phrase of scripture , 1 tim. 1. 2. i will that prayers be made for all men . ] repl. all universal is to be understood properly , as comprehending all the individuals , and so it is not an indefinite : and we know not that we are bound to pray for thieves , and pirates , and traitors , that travel by land or water , on such errands as faux , or the other powder plotters , or the spanish armado , in 88. or as parry , or any that should travel on the errand as clement or raviliack did to the two king heneries of france : are these niceties with you . sect. 5. p. 16. ans. [ the second collect. &c. ] we do not find , nor do they say , what is to be amended in these collects ; therefore to say any thing particularly , were to answer to we know not what . ] repl. we are glad that one word in the proper collects hath appeared such to you , as needs a reformation ; especially when you told us before , [ that the lyturgy was never found fault with , by those to whom the name of protestants most properly belongs . ] which lookt upon our hop●s of reformation , almost as destructively as the papists doctrine of infallibility doth , when we deal with them . as for the collects mentioned by us , you should not wonder that we brought not in a particular charge against them : for first , we had a conceit that it was best for us to deal as gently and tenderly as we could , with the faults of the lyturgy : and therefore we have under our generals hid abundance of particulars , which you may find in the abridgement of the lincolnshire ministers , and in many other books . and secondly , we had a conceit , that you would have vouchsafed to have treated with us personally in persence , according to the sense of his majesties commission , and then we thought to have told you particularly of such matters ; but you have forced us to confess that we find our selves deceived . communion service . sect. 1. p. 17. kyries . ans. [ to say [ lord have mercy upon us ] after every commandement , is more quick and active , than to say it once at the close ; and why christian people should not upon their knees ask their pardon for their life , forfeited by the breach of each commandement , and pray for grace to keep them for the time to come ; they must be more than ignorant that can scruple . ] repl. we thank you for saying nothing against our four first requests . though we be thought more than ignorant for our scruple , we can truly say , we are willing to learn ; but your bare opinion is not enough to cure ignorance and more . by your reason , you may make kneeling the gesture for hearing the scriptures read , and hearing sermons and all : if you will but interweave prayers , he must be more than ignorant that will not kneel . the universal church of christ was more than ignorant , for many hundred years , that not only neglected , but prohibited genuflexion in all adoration each lords day : when now the 20. of exod. or 5. deut. may not be heard or read , without kneeling ( save only by the clergy . ) sect. 2. p. 18. homilies . ans. [ some livings are so small , that they are not able to maintain a licensed preacher , and in such and the like cases , this provision is necessary ; nor can any reason be given , why the ministers reading a [ homily ] set forth by common authority , should not be accounted preaching of the word , as well as his reading or pronouncing by heart , a homily or sermon of his own , or any other mans ? ] repl. 1. when the usurpers would quickly have brought livings to that competency , as would have maintained able preachers , we may not question whether just authority will do it . 2. when abundance of able ministers cast out , would be glad of liberty to preach for nothing , this pretence hath no taste or sense in it . 3. when we may not without the imputation of uncharitableness , once imagine that your lordships , with your deans , and other officers , do not value the saving of souls above money , we may conclude , that you will voluntarily allow so much out of your ample revenues , as will supply such places , or many of them : the rather , because we find you charging them , as [ inordinately desiring the honour and wealth of the world ] that would have had all ministers to have had 100 l. or 80 l. per annum a piece ; and therefore may conclude , that you will take no more , if you hate that sin , more than they do , that are accused of it : but the next part of your an●wer firghteth us more ; to which we say , that we will not differ with you for the name , whether reading homilies , may be called preaching ; but we take the boldness to say , that it is another manner of preaching that christ and his apostles sent men to perform ; and which the church hath gloried in , and been edified by to this day ; and which thousands of souls have been brought to heaven by ; and which we again desire may be enjoyned , and not left so indifferent . sect. 3. sentences . ans. [ the sentences tend all to exhort the people to pious liberality , whether the object be the minister , or the poor ; and though some of the sentences be apocriphal , they may be useful for that purpose . ] why collection for the poor should be made at another time , there is no reason given , only change desired . ] repl. we have oft told you , why the apocripha should be cautelously used in the church ; that usurper that should pretend to the crown , and have a more numerous party than the king ( that hath the undoubted right ) will be lookt on more suspitiously than ordinary subjects . 2. it is a sordid thing for ministers to love money , and it 's sordid , unless in extraordinary necessities , to have them beg , and beg for themselves , and beg under a pretence of serving god ; even in times when the clergy seems advanced . 3. we confest our selves deceived , in thinking we should have free personal debates with you , which made us reserve many of our reasons . our reasons are , 1. for less disturbance . 2. because the peoples affections are much more raised usually , and so fitter for returns , when they have received . 3. especially , because it is most seasonable to do the acts of gratitude , when we had received the obliging benefits , and so say , [ what shall i give the lord for all his benefits ? ] when we have partaked of them ; and to offer our selves first , and with our selves , what he giveth us , unto him , when we have received him , and his graces offered to us . these are the reasons that brought us under your censure of desiring a change. sect. 4. p. 19. 3. exhortation . a●sw . [ the 1. and 3. exhortations , are very seasonable before the communion , to put men in mind how they ought to be prepared , and in what danger they are to come unprepared : that if they be not duely qualified , they may depart , and be better prepared at another time . ] repl. but is it not more seasonable that in so great business such warning go a considerable time before ? is there then leisure of self-examination , and making restitution and satisfaction , and going to the minister for counsel to quiet his conscience , &c. in order to the present sacrament ? we yet desire these things way be sooner told them . sect. 5. exc. 1. answ. [ we fear this may discourage many , certainly themselves cannot desire that men should come to the holy communion with a troubled conscience , and therefore have no reason to blame the church , for saying [ it is requisite that men come with a quiet conscience , and prescribing means for quieting thereof ] if this be to discourage men , it is fit they should be discouraged and deterred , and kept from the communion till they have done all that is here directed by the church , which they may well do considering , that this exhortation shall be read in the church , the sunday or holy-day before . ] rep. but we can and do desire , that many that have a troubled conscience , and cannot otherwise quiet it , should come to the communion for remedy , and not be discouraged or kept away . sect. 6. ministers turning . answ. [ the ministers turning to the people is not most convenient , throughout the whole ministration , when he speaks to them : as in lessons , absolution , and benedictions , it is convenient that he turn to them , when he speaks for them to god , it is fit that they should all turn another way as the ancient church ever did ; the reasons of which you may see , aug. lib. 2. de ser. dom. in monte . repl. it is not yet understood by us , why the ministers or people ( for which you meant by [ they all ] we know not ) should turn another way in prayer ; for we think the people should hear the prayers of the ministers : if not , latin prayers may serve , and then you need not except against extemporary prayers , because the people cannot own them , for how can most of them own what they hear not , whatever it be . as for augustins reason for looking toward the east when we pray , [ ut ad moneatur animus ad naturam excellentiorem se convertere , id est ad dominum , cum ipsum corpus e●us quod est terrenum ad corpus excellentius , id est ad corpus caeleste convert●ur : ] we suppose you will not expect that we should be much moved by it . if we should , why should we not worship towards any of the creatures visible when we can pretend such reasons for it , as minding us of superior things ? and why should we not look southward when the sun is in the south ? and we fear the worshipping toward the sun , as representing , or minding us of christs heavenly body , is too like to the prohibited worshipping before an image , and too like to that worshipping before the host of heaven , in which the old idolatry consisted , or at least which was the introduction of it ; of which our protestant writers treate at large against the papists , on the point of image worship ; see also vessius de idolat . lib. 2. cap. 2 , 3. &c. sect. 7. exc. 3. ans. [ it appears by the greatest evidences of antiquity , that it was upon the 25. day of decemb. s. aug. psal. 132. ] repl. it is not august . alone in psal. 132. that must tell us which way [ the greatest evidences of antiquity ] go : and his reasoning that john must decrease , and christ must increase , as proved by johns being born , when the dayes decrease , and christs being born when the dayes increase , doth not much invite us to receive his testimony . we conceive the ancient opinion of jerusalem , and other eastern churches , that were nearest to the place , is a greater argument for the contrary , then you have here given us for what you thus affirm : we might set epiphan . against aug●st . and call the greek churches , till the midst of chrysostoms time , when they changed their opinion , and in our time the judgement of the famous chronologers , scaliger , berraldus , broughton , calvisius , cappellus , clopenburgius , with many others , are not contemptible , as set against such an unproved assertion as this . sect. 8. ans. [ that our sinful bodies , &c. ] it can no more be said , those words do give greater efficacy to the blood then to the body of christ , then when our lord saith , [ this is my blood which is shed for you , and for many for the remission of sins , &c. ] and saith not so explicitly of the body . repl. sure christ their intimateth no such distinction , as is here intimated : there his body is said to [ be broken for us ] and not onely [ for our bodies . ] sect. 9. to every communicant kneeling . ans. [ it is most requisite that the minister deliver the bread and wine into every particular communicants hand , and ropeat the words in the singular number ; for so much as it is the propriety of sacraments , to make particular ob●ignation to each believer , and it is our visible profession , that by the grace of god , christ tasted death for everyman . ] reply 1. did not christ know the propriety of sacraments better than we ? and yet he delivered it in the plural number to all at once , with a [ take ye , eat ye , drink ye all of it ] vve had rather study to be obedient to our master , than to be wiser than he. 2. as god maketh the general offer , which giveth to no man a personal in●erest , till his own acceptance first appropriate it ; so it is fit that the minister , that is god's agent , imitate him , when his example , and the reason of it , so concur to engage us to it ; clemens , alexandr . stromat . lib. 1. prope . giveth a reason ( as we understand him ) for the contrary , that man being a free agent , must be the chooser , or refuser , for himself : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . quemadmodum eucharistiam cum quidem , ut mos est , diviserint , permittunt unicuique ex populo ejus partim sumere : and after rendreth this reason , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : ad accurate enim perfecteque eligendum ac fugiendum optima est conscientia . and the thing is so agreeable to your own doctrinal principles , that we fear you disrelish it because it comes from us . sect. 10. kneeling , &c. answ. [ concerning kneeling at the sacrament we have given account already ; only thus much we add , that we conceive it an error to say , that the scripture affirms the apostles to have received not kneeling : the posture at the paschal supper we know , but the institution of the holy sacrament was after supper , and what posture was then used , the scripture is silent . the rubrick at the end of the 1. edw. c. 6. that leaves kneeling , crossing , &c. indifferent , is meant only at such times as they are not prescribed and required : but at the eucharist kneeling is expresly required in the rubrick following . ] repl. doubtless when matthew and mark say it was [ as they did eat ] to which before it is said [ that they sate down ] and when interpreters generally agree upon it , this would easily have satisfied you , if you had been as willing to believe it , as to believe the contrary : matth. 26 , 20 , 21 , 26. the same phrase is used , v. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as in v. 21. where it sheweth they were still sitting . for the sense of the rubrick , if you prove that the makers so interpret it , we shall not deny it ; but the reason of both seems the same . sect. 11. communion three times a year . answ. [ this desire to have the parishioners at liberty , whether they will ever receive the communion or not , savours of too much neglect , and coldness of affection towards the holy sacrament : it is more sitting that order should be taken to bring it into more frequent use , as it was in the first and best times : our rubr. is directly according to the ancient counc . of eliberis , cap. 81. grat. de consecrat . no man is to be accounted a good catholick christian that does not receive three times in the year : the distempers which indispose men to it , must be corrected , and not the receiving of the sacrament therefore omitted : it is a pittiful pretence to say they are not fit , and make their sin their excuse : formerly our church was quarrelled at for not compelling men to the communion ; now for urging men : how shall she please ? ] hooker , l. 5. s. 8. repl. we con●ess it is desirable that all our distempers and unfitnesse should be healed ; and we desire with you that sacraments may be oftner ; but that every person in the parish that is ●●fit , be forced to receive , is that which we cannot concur with you to be guilty of : two sorts we think unfit to be so forced ( at least : ) first , abundance of people grosly ignorant and scandalous , that will eat and drink judgment to themselves , not discerning the lord's body : secondly , many mela●● holy and otherwise troubled doubting souls ; that if they should receive the sacrament before they find themselves more fit , would be in danger to go out of their wits with fear , left it would seal them to destruction , and , as the lyturgy saith , left the devil enter into them , as into judas ; or at least it would grievously deject them : as formerly , so now , there is great reason 〈…〉 that the unprepared be not forced to the sacrament : and ye● 〈◊〉 to great a part of the body of the church may not be let alon● in your communion , without due admonition and discipline , that ordinarily neglect or refuse the churches communion in this sacrament ; those that are so prophane should be kept away ; but withall they should be proceeded with by discipline , till they repent , or are cast out of the church . sect. 12. answ. [ this rubrick is not in the lyturgy of queen elizabeth , nor confirmed by law ; nor is there any great need of restoring it , the world being now in more danger of prophanation than of idolatry ; besides the sense of it is sufficiently declared in the 28 article of the church of england . the time appointed we conceive sufficient . ] repl. can there be any hurt or danger in the peoples being taught , to understand the church aright ? hath not bishop hall told you in his life , of a romanist beyond sea that would have forced him down , that the church of england is for transubstantiation , because of our kneeling , pag. 20. and the same bishop , greatly differing from you , saith in the same book , pag. 294. [ but to put all scruples out of the mind of any reader concerning this point , let that serve for the upshot of all , which is expresly set down in the fifth rubr. in the end of the communion , set forth as the judgment of the church of england , both in king edward and queen elizabeth's time ( note that ) though lately upon negligence , ( note , upon negligence ) omitted in the impression . ] and so recites the words . where you say , [ there is no great need , &c. ] we reply : 1. prophaness may be opposed nevertheless for our instructing the people against idolatry . 2. the abounding of papists , who in this point seem to us idolatrous , sheweth that there is danger of it . 3. the commonness of idolatry throughout the world , and the case of the israelites of old , shew that mans nature is prone to it . 4. prophaness and idolatry befriend each other . as god is jealous against idolatry , so should all faithful pastors of the church be ; and not refuse to give such a caution to the people , and say , there is no great need of it . publick baptism . sect. 1. ex. ans. [ until they have made due profession of repentance , &c. ] we think this desire to be very hard and uncharitable , punishing the poor infants for the parents sakes , and giving also too great and arbitrary a power to the minister to judge which of his parishioners he pleaseth , atheists , infidels , hereticks , &c. and then in that name to reject their children from being baptized . our church concludes more charitably , that christ will favourably accept every infant to baptism , that is presented by the church , according to our present order ; and this she concludes out of holy scripture ( as you may see in the office of baptism ) according to the practice and doctrin of the catholick church , cyp. ep. 59. august . cap. 28. & de verb. apost . ser. 14. repl. we perceive you will stick with us in more then ceremonies . to your reasons we reply , 1. by that reason , all the children of all heathens , or infidels in the world , should be admitted to baptism , because they , should not be punished for the parents sakes . 2. but we deny that it is ( among christians that believe original sin ) any absurdity , to say that children are punished for their parents sakes . 3. but yet we deny this to be any such punishment at all , unless you will call their non-deliverance a punishment . they are the children of wrath by nature , and have original sin . the covenant of grace , that giveth the saving benefits of christ , is made to none but the faithful and their seed . will you call this a punishing them for their fathers sakes , that god hath extended his covenant to no more ? their parents infidelity doth but leave them in their original sin and misery , and is not further it self imputed to them ; if you know of any covenant or promise of salvation , made to all without condition , or to infants on any other condition or qualification , but that they be the seed of the faithful dedicated to god , you should do well to shew it us , and not so slightly pass over things of so great moment , in which you might much help the world out of darkness , if you can make good what you intimate : if indeed you mean as you seem to speak , that its uncharitableness to punish any infants for the parents faults , and that a non-liberation is such a punishme●t , then you must suppose , that all the infants of heathens , jews , and turks are saved ( that dye in infancy ) or else christ is uncharitable : and if they are all saved without baptism , then baptizing is of no use or necessity , as you seem to think . what then is the priviledge of the seed of the faithful , that they are holy , and that the covenant is made with them , and god will be their god ? we fear you will again revive the opinion of the anabaptists , among the people , when they observe that you have no more to say for the baptizing of the children of the faithful , than of infidels , heathens and athiests . to your second objection , we answer : you will drive many a faithful labourer from the work of christ , if he may not be in the ministry , unless he will baptize the children of infidels , heathens , and excommunicate ones , before their parents do repent . and the first question is not , who shall be judge ? but whether we must be all thus forced ? is not the question as great , who shall be judge of the unfitness of persons for the lord's supper ? and yet there you think it not a taking too much upon us , to keep away the scandalous , if they have their appeals to you ? and is it indeed ( a power too great and arbitrary ) to have a judicium discretionis about our own acts ? and not to be forced to baptize the children of heathens against our consciences ? who judged for the baptizers in the primitive church , what persons they should baptize ? we act but as engines under you , and not as men , if we must not use our reason ; and we are more miserable than brutes or men , if we must be forced to go against our consciences , unless you will save us harmless before god : o that in a fair debate you would prove to us , that such children as are described are to be baptized , and that the ministers that baptize them , must not have power to discern who to baptize . but who mean you by the churches that must present every infant that christ may accept them ? is every infant first in the promise of pardon ? ( if so , shew us that promise ) and then sure god will make good that promise , though heathen parents present not their children to him , as ( your grounds suppose ) if not , then will the sign save those that are not in the promise : but is it the god-fathers that are the church , whoever called them so ? and if by the church you mean the minister , and by presenting , you meant baptizing them , then any heathens child that a minister can catch up and baptize , shall be saved ; which if it could be proved , would perswade us to go hunt for children in turkie , tartary , or america , and secretly baptize them in a habit that should not make us known ; but there is more of fancy than charity in this ; and christ never invited any to him , but the children of the promise , to be thus presented and baptized . sect. 2. [ the time appointed we conceive sufficient . ] repl. we conjecture the words that conclude your former subject being misplaced , are intended as your answer to this ; and if all the children of any sort in the world , that are brought to us , must by us be baptized without distinction , indeed it is no great matter what time we have notice of it . sect. 3. p. 23. ans. [ and then the god-fathers , &c. ] it is an erronious doctrine , and the ground of many others , and of many of your exc●ptions , that children have no other right to baptism , than in ●heir parents right ; the churches primitive practice forbids it to be left to the pleasure of the parents , whether there shall be other sureties or no ? ( st. aug. ep. 23. ) it is fit we should observe carefully the practice of venerable antiquity , as they desire , prop. 18. ] repl. it seems we differ in doctrine , though we subscribe the same articles ; we earnestly desire you distinctly to tell us , what is the infants title to baptism , if it be not to be found in the parent ? assign it , and prove it when you have done , as well as we prove their right , as they are ( the seed of believers , dedicated to them by god ) and then we promise to consent . it 's strange to us to hear so much of the churches primitive practice , where so little evidence of it is produced , aug. ep. 23. talketh not ( of primitive practice ) ab initio non fuit sic ; was it so in the apostles dayes ? and afterwards you prove not that it was the judgement of the catholick church , that bare sponsers instead of parents , pro-parents or owners of the children , might procure to the children of all infidels , a title to baptism and its benefits . such suscepters as became the owners or adopters of the children , are to be distinguished from those that proforma , stand by for an hour , during the baptizing of children , and ever after , leave them to their parents : who as they have the natural interest in them , and power of their disposal , and the education of them , so are fittest to covenant in their names . sect. 4. ans. [ the font usually stands as it did in primitive times , at or near the church door , to signifie that baptism was the entrance into the church mystical ; we are all bap●ized into one body , 1 cor. 12. 13. and the people may hear well enough . if jordan and all other waters , be not so far sanctified by christ , as to be the matter of baptism , what authority have we to baptize ? and sure his baptism was dedicatio baptismi . ] repl. our lesser difference about the font , and the flood jordan , is almost drowned in the greater before going : but to the first we say , that we conceive the usual scituation for the peoples hearing , is to be preferred before your ceremonious position of it . and to the second we say , that dedicatio baptismi is an unfiting phrase , and yet if it were not , what 's that to the sanctification of jordan , and all other waters ? did christ sanctifie all corn , or bread , or grapes , or wine to an holy use , when he administred the lords supper ? sanctifying is separating to an holy use ; but the flood jordan , and all other water , is not separted to this holy use , in any proper sense ; no more than all mankind is sanctified to the priestly office , because men were made priests . sect. 5. sureties , &c. p. 24. ans. [ it hath been accounted reasonable , and allowed by the best laws , that guardians should covenant and contract for their minors to their benefit ; by the same right the church hath appointed sureties to undertake for children , when they enter into covenant with god by baptism , ( st. aug. ep. 23. ) and this general practice of the church is enough to satisfie those that doubt . ] rep. 1. who made those sureties guardians of the infants that are neither parents , nor pro-parents , not owners of them ? we are not now speaking against sponsors : but you know that the very original of those sponsors is a great controversie : and whether they were not at first most properly sponsors for the parents , that they should perform that part they undertook ( because many parents were deserrors , and many proved negligent ) sponsors then excluded not parents from their proper undertaking , but joyned with them ; godfathers are not the infants guardians with us , and therefore have not power thus to covenant and vow in their names : we intreat you to take heed of leaving any children indeed out of the mutual covenant that are baptised : how are those in the covenant that cannot consent themselves , and do it not by any that truly represent them , nor have any authority to act as in their names ? the authority of parents being most unquestionable ( who by nature , and the word of god , have the power of disposing of their children ; and consequently of choosing and covenanting for them ) why should it not be preferred ? at least , you may give leave to those parents that desire it , to be the dedicators of , and covenanters for their own children , and not force others on them whether they will or no. 2. but the question is not of covenanting , but professing present actual believing , forsaking , &c. in which though we believe the churches sense was sound , yet we desire that all things , that may render it lyable to misunderstanding , may be avoyded , sect. 6. page 24. [ receive remission of sins by spiritual regeneration , most proper for baptism is our spiritual regeneration , st. john 3. unless a man be born again of water and the spirit , &c. and by this is received remission of sins , acts 2. 3. repent and be baptized every one of you , for the remission of sins ; so the creed ; one baptism for the remission of sins . ] repl. baptism as an outward administration , is our visible sacramental regeneration : baptism as containing with the sign , the thing signified , is our spiritual real regeneration . as we are regenerated before baptism , ( as you know adult believers are ) so we cannot pray to receive remission of sins by that same regeneration renewed . as we are regenerated really in baptism , that regeneration and remission are conjunct benefits : but if baptism at once give regeneration and remission , it follows not that it gives remission by regeneration : but as regeneration comprehendeth the whole change ( real or physical , and 〈◊〉 ) so we acknowledge , that as the part is given by the whole , you may say that remission is given by regeneration , but more s●●ly in it than by it ; but we are not willing to make more ado about words than needs . [ we cannot in faith say , that every child that is baptized , is regenerate , &c. seeing that god's sacraments have their effects , where the receiver doth not ponere obicem , put any bar against them ( which children cannot do ) we may say in faith of every child that is baptized , that it is regenerated by gods holy spirit , and the denial of it tends to anabaptism , and the contempt of this holy sacrament , as nothing worthy , nor material , whether it be adminis●red to children or no : concerning the cross , we refer to our answer to the same in general . ] rep. all god's sacraments attain their proper end : but whether the infants of infidels be the due subjects , and whether their end be to seal up grace and salvation to them that have no promise of it , or whether it be onely to seal the covenant to believers and their seed , are questions yet undecided● , wherein we must entreat you not to expect that we should implicitely believe you ; and it is as easie for us to tell you , that you are promoting anabaptism , and much more easie to prove it : we take those but for words of course . private baptism . [ we desire that baptism may not be administred in a private piace ) and so do we , where it may be brought into the publick congregation . but since our lord hath said , st. john 3. unless one be born of water and the holy ghost , he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven . we think it fit that they should be baptized in private , rather then not at all . it is appointed now to be done by the lawful minister . repl. we must needs suppose you are disputing with protestants , who ordinarily shew the papists that that text , joh. 3. asserteth no absolute necessity of baptism to salvation . but we believe as wel as you , that it is the regular way of solemn initiation into the covenant and church of christ , which none that indeed are the children of the promise should neglect . as coronation solemnizeth his entrance upon the kingdom , that had before the title ; and as marriage solemnizeth that which before was done by consent ; so baptism solemnizeth the mutual covenant which before had a mutual consent : and none is authorized to consent for infants , but those that by nature , and god's law , have the power of disposing of them , and whose will is , in sens● forensi the children● will : it solemnly investeth us in what we had an antecedent right to , and therefore belongs to none but those that have that right : and this we are ready to make good by any fair debate that you will allow us . nor is any thing done in private , reiterated in publick , but the solemn reception into the congregation , with the prayers for him , and the publick declaration before the congregation , of the infants , now made by the godfathers , that the whole congregation may testifie against him if he does not perform it , which the ancients made great use of . rep. do you not say in the rub. ( and let them not doubt but the child so baptized , is lawfully and sufficiently baptized , and ought not to be baptized again . and after ( i certifie you , that in this case all is well done , &c. ) and yet you do not renew all the baptismal covenant , renouncing the flesh &c. and engaging into the christian belief : and that you may see that the church of england taketh not all infants infallibly to be regenerated by baptism ( unless you grant that they repent to the substance of baptism ; the baptismal prayer is here used for the fore-baptized , that god will give his holy spirit to this infant , that he being born again , and made heir of everlasting salvation , &c. ) which sheweth that he is now supposed to be regenerandus , non regeneratus . do they pray for his regeneration , whom they account regenerate already ? you must either confess that there they repeat much of the substance of baptism , and take the child as not baptized , or else , that they take the baptized child to be not regenerate . and then we may well take them for unregenerate , that shew no signs of it , at years of discretion , but live a carnal and ungodly life , though they can say the cat●chim , and seek confirmation . of the catechism . [ though divers have of late been baptized without godfathers , yet many have been baptized with them , and those may answer the question , as they are , the rest must answer according to truth : but there 's no reason to alter the rule of the catechism for some mens irregularities . rep. if you will have a catechism proper to those that had godfathers , give leave to others to use one that will teach them ( as you say ) to answer according to truth : and let us in the same have that liberty of leaving out the doubtful opinion of godfathers and godmothers , and that which we think too childish a beginning , what is your name ? and let us use one that speaks more of the necessary doctrines of salvation , and nothing but necessaries . [ we conceive this expression as safe as that which they desire , and more fully exrressing the efficacy of the sacrament , according to st. paul , the 26. and 27. gal. 3. where st. paul proves them all to be children of god , because they were baptized , and in their baptism had put on christ ; if children , then heirs , or which is all one , inheritors , rom. 8. 17. rep. by baptism paul means not the carkase of baptism , but the baptismal dedication and covenanting with god : they that do this by themselves , if at age , or by parents or pro-parents authorized ( if infants ) sincerely , are truly members of christ , and children of god , and heirs of heaven : they that do this but hypocritically and verbally , as simon magus did , are visibly such as the others ate really ; but really are still in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity , and have no part or lot in this business , their hearts being not right in the sight of god. this is that truth which we are ready to make good . [ we conceive the present translation to be agreeable to many ancient copies , therefore the change to be needless ▪ ] rep. what ancient copy hath ( the seventh day ) in the end of the 4th . commandment , instead of the sabbath-day ? did king james cause the bible to be new translated to so little purpose : we must bear you witness , that in some cases you are not given to change . [ my duty towards god , &c. ] it is not true that there is nothing in that answer which refers to the 4th . commandment , for the last words of the answer do orderly relate to the last commandment of the first table , which is the fourth . rep. and think you indeed , that the fourth commandment obligeth you no more to one day in seven , than equally ( to all the dayes of your life ) this exposition may make us think that some are more serious then else we could have imagined , in praying after that commandment , lord have mercy upon us , and encline our hearts to keep this law. [ two onely as generally necessary to salvation , &c. ) these words are a reason of the answer that there are two only , & therefore not to be left out . rep. the words seem to imply by distinction , that there may be others not so necessary , and the lords supper was not by the ancients taken to be necessary to the salvation of all . [ we desire that the entring of infants , &c. ] the effect of childrens baptism depends neither upon their own present actual faith and repentance , which the catechism saith expresly they cannot perform ; nor upon the faith and repentance of their natural parents , or pro-parents , or of their godfathers or godmothers , but upon the ordinance & institution of christ ; but it is requisite that when they come to age they should perform these conditions of faith and repentance , for which also their godfathers & godmothers charitably undertook on their behalf . and what they do for the infant in this case , the infant himself is truly said to do , as in the courts of this kingdom daily the infant does answer by his guardian ; and it is usual to do homage by proxy , and for princes to marry by proxy ; for the further justification of this answer , see st. aug. ep. ●1 . ad bonif. nihil aliud credere quam fidem habere ac per hoc cum respondetur parvulum credere qui fidei nondum habet effectum , respondetur fidem habere propter fidei sacramentum & convertere se ad deum , propter conversionis sacramentum quia & ipsa responsio , ad celebrationem pertinet sacramenti itaque parvulum , & si nondum fides illa , que in credentium voluntate consister , tamen ipsius fidei sacramentum repl. 1. you remove not at all the inconvenience of the words that seemeth to import what you your selves disclaim . 2. we know that the effects of baptism , do depend on all the necess●ry con-causes on gods mercy , or christ's merits , on the institution , and on baptism it self according to its use , as a delivering investing sign and seal , and they depend upon the promise sealed by baptism , and the promise supposeth the qualified sub●ect , or requisite condition in him that shall have the benefit of it ; to tell us therefore of a common cause on which the ef●ect depends , v●z . the institution or baptism it self , when we are inquiring after the special condition that proveth the person to be the due subject , to whom both promise and baptism doth belong : this is but to seem to make an answer ; either all baptized absolutely are ●ustified and saved , or not : if yea , then christianity is another kind of thing than peter or paul understood , that thought it was not the washing of water , but the answer of a good conscience to god : then let us catch heathens , and dip them , and save them in dispite of them : but if any condition be requisite ( as we are sure there is ) our question is , what it is , and you tell us of baptism it self ; did ever augu●t . jure vel 〈◊〉 , was to be esteemed a believer ; we grant with austin , that infants of believers , propter sacramentum fid●i , are visibly and professedly to be numbred with believers ; but neither austin nor we wil ever grant you that this is true , of all that you can catch ; and use this form of bapt●sm ever , the seal wil no● save them that have no part in the promise . [ the catechism is not intended as a whole body of divinity , but as a comprehension of the articles of faith , and other doctrines most necessary to salvation ; and being short , is fittest for children and common people ; and as it was thought sufficient upon mature deliberation , and so is by us ▪ ] rep. the creed , the decalogue , and the lords prayer , contain all that is absolutely necessary to salvation at least : if you intended no more , what need you make a catechism ? if you intend more , why have you no more . but except in the very words of the creed , the essentials of christianity are left out ; if no explication be necessary , trouble them with no more then the text of the creed , &c. if explication be necessary , let them have it ; at least in a larger catechism , fitter for the riper . confirmation . [ it is evident that the meaning of these words is , that children baptized , & dying before they commit actual sin , are undoubtedly saved , though they be not confirmed ; wherein we see not what danger there can be of misleading the vulgar , by teaching them truth ; but there may be danger in this desire of having these words wronged , as if they were false ; for st. austin says he is an infidel that defies them to be true , ep. 23. ad bonif. rep. what , all children saved , whether they be children of the promise or no ? or can you shew us a text that saith ( whoever is baptized , shall be saved , ) the common-prayer-book plainly speaks of the non-necessity of unction , confirmation , and other popish ceremonies and sacraments , and meaneth that ex parte ecclesiae , they have all things necessary to salvation , and are undoubtedly saved , supposing them the due subjects , and that nothing be wanting ex parte sui , which certainly is not the case of such as are not children of the promise , and covenant ; the child of an heathen doth not ponere obicem , actually , quo minus baptizetur , and yet being baptized , is not saved on your own reckoning , ( as we understand you ) therefore the parent can penere obicem , and either hinder the baptism or effect , to his infant ; austin speaks not there of all children whatever , but those that are offered per aliorum spiritualem voluntatem , by the parents usually , or by those that own them after the parents be dead , or they exposed , or become theirs : he speaks also of what may be done , & de eo qui fieri non posse arbitratur : but our question is , what is done , and not what god can do : our great question is , what children they be that baptism belongeth to ? [ after the catechism we conceive that it is not a sufficient qualification , & c. ● we conceive that this qualification is required rather as necessary , then as sufficient , and therefore it is the duty of the minister of the place , can. 61. to prepare children in the best manner to be presented to the bishop for confirmation , and to inform the bishop of their fitness , but submitting the judgement to the bishop both of this , and other qualifications , and not that the bishop should be tyed to the ministers consent ; compare this rubrick to the se●ond rubrick before the catechism , and there is required what is further necessary and sufficient . repl. 1. if we have all necessary ordinarily , we have that which is sufficient ad esse , there is more ordinarily necessary , then to say those words . 2. do you owe the king no more obedience ? already do you contradict his declaration , which saith , confirmation shall be performed ( by the information , and with the consent of the minister of the place . ) but if the ministers consent shall not be necessary , take all the charge upon your own souls , and let your souls be answerable for all . they see no need of godf. ) here the compilers of the liturgy did , and so doth the church , that there may be a witness of the confirmation . ] repl. it is like to be your own work as you will use it , and we cannot hinder you from doing it in your own way . but are godfathers no more than witnesses ? &c. [ this supposeth that all children , &c. ) it supposeth , and that truly , that all children were , at their baptism by water , and the holy ghost , and had given unto them the forgiveness of all their sins , and it is uncharitably presumed , that notwithstanding the frailties and slips of their childhood , they have not totally lost what was in baptism conferred upon them , and therefore adds , strengthen them , we beseech thee o lord , with the holy ghost , the comfortes , and daily increase in them their manifold gifts of grace , &c. none that lives in open sin ought to be confirmed . ] repl. 1. children baptized without right , cannot be presumed to be really regenerate and pardoned . 2. we speak onely of those that by living in open sin , do shew themselves to be unjustified ; & these you confess should not be confirmed . o that you would but practise that ! if not , this confession will witness against you . [ before the imposition of hands , &c. ) confirmation is reserved to the bishop , in honorem ordinis to bless , being an act of authority , so was it of old . st. hierome dialog . adv . lucifer , says it was , totius-orbis-consentio in hanc partem ; and st. cyprian to the same purpose , ep. 73. and our church doth every where profess , as she ought to conform to the catholick usages of the primitive times , from which causlesly to depart , argues rather love of contention , than of peace . the reserving of confirmation to the bishop , doth argue the dignity of the bishop above presbyters , who are not allowed to confirm , but does not argue any excellency in confirmation above the sacraments : st. hierome argues the quite contrary , ad lucif . cap. 4. that because baptism was allowed to be performed by a deacon , but confirmation onely by a bishop ; therefore baptism was most necessary , and of greatest value ; the mercy of god allowing the most necessary means of salvation to be administred by inferior orders , and restraining the less necessary to the higher , for the honour of their order . ] repl. o that we had the primitive episcopacy ! and that bishops had no more churches to over-see than in the primitive times they had , and then we would never speak against this reservation of confirmation to the honor of the bishop ; but when that bishop of one church is turned into that bishop of many hundred churches , and when he is now a bishop of the lowest rank , that was an arch-bishop , when archbishops first came up , and so we have not really existent any meer bishops ( such as the antients knew ) at all , but onely archbishops and their curates ; marvel not if we would not have confirmation proper to archbishops , no one man undertake more than an hundred can perform ; but if they will do it , there is no remedy , we have acquit our selves . prayer after the imposition of hands is grounded upon the practice of the apostles , heb ▪ 62. & acts 8. 17 : nor doth 25 article say , that confirmation is a corrupt imitation of the apostles practice , but that the 5 commonly called sacraments , have ground partly of the corrupt following the apostles , &c. which may be applied to some other of these 5. but cannot be applied to confirmation , unless we make the church speak contradictions . rep. but the question is not of imposition of hands in general ; but this imposition in particular : and you have never proved , that this sort of imposition , called confirmation , is mentioned in those texts : and the 25 article cannot more probably be thought to speak of any one of the 5. as proceeding from the corrupt imitation of the apostles , then of confirmation as a supposed sacrament . we know no harm in speaking the language of holy scriptures , acts 8. 15. they laid their hands upon them , and they received the holy ghost ; and though imposition of hands be not a sacrament , yet it is a very fit sign , to certifie the persons what is then done for them , as the prayer speaks . rep. it is fit to speak the scriptures language in scripture-sense ; but if those that have no such power to give the holy ghost , wil say , receive the holy ghost , it were better for them to abuse other language , than scripture-language . after confirmation . there is no inconvenience that confirmation should be required before the communion , when it may be ordinarily obtained ; that which you here fault , you elsewhere desire . rep. we desire that the credible approved profession of faith , and repentance , be made necessaries : but not that all the thousands in england that never came under the bishops hands ( as not one of many ever did , even when they were at the highest ) may be kept from the lords supper ; for some cannot have that imposition , and others will not , that yet are fit for communion with the church . the ring is a significant sign , onely of humane institution , and was always given as a pledge of fidelity and constant love ; and here is no reason given why it should be taken away ▪ nor are the reasons mentioned in the roman ritualits , given in our common-prayer-book . rep. we crave not your own forbearance of the ring , but the indifferency in our use of a thing so mis-used , and unnecessary . these words , in the name of the father , son and holy ghost , if they seem te make matrimony a sacrament , may as well make all sacred , yea civil actions of weight to be sacraments , they being usual at the beginning & ending of all such . it was never heard before now , that these words make a sacrament . rep. is there no force in an argument drawn from the appearance of evil , the offence and the danger of abuses , when other words enow may serve turn . they go to the lords table , because the communion is to follow . rep. they must go to the table whether there be a communion or not consecrated the estate of matrimony to such an excellent mystery , &c. ) though the institution of marriage was before the fall , yet it may be now , and is consecrated by god to such an excellent mystery as the representation of the spiritual marriage between christ and his church , eph. 5. 23. we are sorry that the words of scripture will not please . the church in the 25. article hath taken away the fear of making it a sacrament . ] reply . when was marriage thus consecrated ? if all things used to set forth christ's offices or benefits , by way of similitude , be consecrated , then a judge , a father , a friend , a vine , a door , a way , &c. are all consecrated things : scripture phrase pleaseth us in scripture-sense . the new-married persons the same day of their marriage must receive the holy communion . this enforces none to forbear marriage , but presumes , as well it may ) that all persons marriageable , ought to be also fit to receive the holy sacrament : and marriage being so solemn a covenant of god , they that undertake it in the fear of god , will not stick to seal it by receiving the holy communion , and accordingly prepare themselves for it ; it were more christian to desire that these licentious festivities might be supprest , and the communion more generally used by those that marry , the happiness would be greater than can easily be exprest , unde sufficium ad enarrandum faelicitatem e●us matrimonij , quod ecclesia conciliar , & confirmat oblatio . tertul. lib. 2. ad uxorem . rep. indeed ! will you phrase and modifie your administrations upon such a supposition , that all men are such as they ought to be , and do what they ought to do ? then take all the world for saints , and use them accordingly , and blot out the doctrine of reproof , excommunication and damnation , from your bibles : is it not most certain , that very many married persons are unfit for the lords supper , and will be when you and we have done our best ? and is it fit then to compel them to it ? but the more unexpected , the more welcome is your motion ; of that more christian course , suppressing of licentious festivities , when shall we see such reformations undertaken ? visitation of the sick. forasmuch as the condition , &c. ) all which is here desired , is already presumed , namely , that the minister shall apply himself to the particular condition of the person ; but this must be done according to the rule of prudence and justice , and not according to his pleasure ; therefore if the sick person shew himself truly penitent , it ought not to be left to the ministers pleasure to deny him absolution , if he desire it . our churches direction is acc●rding to the 13. can. of the venerable council of nice , both here , and in the next that follows . rep. but the question is , whether he shew himself truly penitent or not ; if we have not here neither a judgement of discretion , for the conduct of our own actions , what do we with reason ? why are we trusted in the office ? and whose judgement must we follow ? the bishop cannot have leisure to become the judge , whether this man be penitent . it must then be the minister , or the man himself . and must we absolve every man that saith he repenteth ? then we must believe an incredible profession , which is against reason : some are known infidels , and in their health profess that they believe not the scripture to be true , and make a mock at jesus christ , and perhaps in a sickness that they apprehend no danger in , will send for the minister in scorn , to say , [ i repent ] and force him to absolve him , that they may deride him and the gospel . some of us have known too many of those that have for twenty or thirty years been common drunkards , seldome sober & week together , and still say when they came to themselves , that they were sorry for it , and did un●eignedly repent , and as they said in health , so they said in sickness , dying within a few dayes or weeks after they were last drunk : must we absolve all these ? some dye with a manifest hatred of an holy like , reviling at those that are careful to please god ; yet saying , they hate them not as holy , but because they are all hypocrites , or the like ; and yet will say , they repent of their sins . some forbear not their accustomed swearing and cursing , while they profess repentance . some make no restitution for the wrong which they say they repent of : and must we take all those for truly penitent ? if not , the minister must judge . what you mean by your saying , [ our church's direction is according to the 13th canon of the venerable council of nice both here and in the next that follows ] we know not ; the second council of nice you cannot mean ( its canon being uncertain ) and the 13th of no such sense . and the 13th . canon of the first council of nice , is onely , that lapsed catecheumens shall be three years inter and ientes , before they pray again with the catecheumens . this shews they then took not up with every word of seeming penitence , as true repentance ; but what it is to your purpose , we know not , nor is there any other canon in that council for you : the eleventh canon is sufficiently against you : the lapsed that truly repented , were to remain among the penitent for three years , and seven years more , if they were fideles , &c. ab omnibus vero illud precipue observetur ut animus eorum , & fructus poenitentiae attendatur , quicunque enim cum omni timore , & lacrimis perseverantibus , & operibus bonis conversationem suam , non verbis solis sed opere , & veritate demonstrant , cum tempus statutum etiam ab his fuerit impletum , & orati●nibus jam coeperint communica●e , licebit etiam episcopo humanius circa res aliquod cogitare : ) we know this rigor as to time , was unjust , and to the dying it was abated ; but you see here that bare words that were not by seriousness , and by deeds made credible , were not to be taken as sufficient marks of penitence , of which it was not the person himselfe that was to be the judge . the form of absolving in the liturgy , is more agreeable in the scriptures then that which they desire , it being said in st. john 20 whose sins you remit , they are remitted ; not , whose sins you pronounce remitted ; and the condition needs not to be expressed , being alway necessarily understood . rep. it is a controversie amongst the learnedst expositers , how much that of john 20. was proper to the apostles , and such others as were then to have the spirit in an extraordinary manner , who did remit sins effectually by remitting the punishment of it , by casting out devils , healing the sick , &c. according to that of jam. 5. 14 , 15. is any sick among you , let him call for the elders of the church , and let them pray for him , and annoint h●m with oyl in the name of the lord ; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick , and the lord shall raise him up , and if he have committed sins , they shall be forgiven him . if besides this remitting them effectually , the rest be no other then a ministerial pronouncing them so given by god according to his covenant in the gospel , then you cannot plead the phrase of a text , which respecteth another way of remission then we pretend to but must phrase it according to the nature of the thing , and the sence of other scriptures also that fullier open it : there are three wayes of pardoning ; 1. by grant or gift ( whether by a general act of pardon , or a particular . ) 2 by sentence . 3. by execution , that is , preventing , or taking off the penalty . the first of these is done already by god in the gospel . the second god doth principally , and his ministers instrumentally , as his messengers . the third , ( the taking off the penalty ) they can do no otherwise in the case before us , then by praying that god will take it off , and using his ordinary means . so that it is most evidens , that this absolution that ministers are to perform , can be no other then to pronounce the penitent believer to be absolved by god according to his covenants : and if there be no other should we not speak as intelligibly as we can ? indeed there is more in absolving the excommunicate , for then the church both judiciously ▪ and executively remitteth the penalty of excommunication , ( to which also the text , john 20. may have much respect ) but the penalty of damnation can be no otherwise remitted by us , than as is expressed ; and indeed , the thing is of such exceeding weight , that it behoveth us to deal as intelligibly and openly in it , as we can . and therefore we admire that you should say , the condition needs not be expressed , being always necessarily understood ; necessarily ! do you mean , necessitate n●turali , & irresistibili ? so that all the wicked men in the world cannot chuse but understand us to speak conditionally ? surely this is none of your meaning ; if it were , it were far from truth : or do you mean not , de necessitate vel certitudine eventus , but de debito ex obligatio●e ? no doubt but it is necessary as a duty , and also ad finem , as a means : and therefore it is , that we desire it may be expressed . and doubtless you think not that all men do their duties , and understand all that they ought to understand , no not in this particular . if you mean that all sick men may be rationally supposed to understand it , this can never be believed by us that are ●acquainted personally ( and have been ) with so many , of whom it is not true . how many think the ministers absolution , and the sacrament , will serve turn , with their unsound hypocritical repentance ? how easily is that understood absolutely , or as bad , while they take you to take it for granted ▪ that they have the condition which is absolutely expressed . is it not fit the minister should have power to deny this viation , or holy communion , to any that humbly desire it , according to the rubrick , wh●ch no man disturbed in his wits can do ; and whosoever does , must in charity be presumed to be penitent , and fit to receive . rep : there is no condition mentioned in the rubrick , but that he be desirous to receive the communion in his house humbly is not there ▪ and why may not a man disturbed in his wits , desire the communion ? you deny things that ordinarily fall out , and yet lay the weight of your cause on that denial . but why must we give the sacrament to those that have lived in gross ignorance , infidelity and prophaneness and never manifested credibly , that they repent ? you say , that whosoever desireth the sacrament , according to the rubrick , must in charity be presumed to be penitent : but where hath god commanded or approved so blind and dangerous an act as this , under the name of charity ? the ordinary observations of out lives is not to be confuted by mens assertions : we know by sad experience , that there 's abundance of the worst of men among us , that are desirous to receive this sacrament when they are sick , that give no credible evidence of true repentance ; but some in the ignorance and deceit of their hearts , and some as conscious of their impiety , for which they seek any shifting remedy to quiet their consciences for the time , are much more eager for this sacrament in their sickness , then many better and more penitent persons . and must we ●udge all these penitent , and give them the sacrament as such ? we must needs profess , that we think this course would not be the least effectual service unto satan , to deceive poor sinners , and keep them from knowing their misery , and seeking aright after the true remedy in time ; pardon us while we lay together the parts of your doctrine as we understand it here delivered , and leave it to your consideration , what a church , and what a ministry it would make . 1. all infants of any parents in the world that we can baptize are undoubtedly regenerate , and in a state of life , and sh●ll be saved if they so dye . 2. the holy ghost and forgiveness of sin being then given them , it is charitably presumed that they have not totally lost this , notwithstanding the frailties and slips of their child-hood ; and so when they can say the catechism , they are to be confirmed . 3. being confirmed , they are to be admitted to the lords supper . 4. all that marry , and others , thrice a year must receive the lords supper , ( though unfit . ) 5. the minister must absolve all the sick , that say they repent ; ( if we understand you , for we suppose you allow not the minister to be judge . ) 6. this absolution must be absolutely expresly , i absolve thee from all thy sins , without the condition , if thou repent and believe . 7. whosoever desireth the communion in his sickness , must in charity be presumed to be penitent and fit to receive . 8. the minister must not have power to forbear such baptizing , absolving , or delivering the communion as foresaid . ( we now omit what 's said of the dead at burial . ) and if this be not the ready way to hinder thousands from the necessary knowledge of their unrenewed hearts and lives , and from true repentance , and from valuing christ as the remedy , and from making a necessary preparation for death , and also the way to lay by abundance of faithful and conscion●ble ministers , that dare not take such a deceiving dangerous course ; we must confess our selves much mistaken in the nature of mans corrnpeion and misery , and the use of gods ordinances for his recovery . the burial of the dead . it is not fit so much should be left to the d●scretion of every minister , and the desire that all may be said 〈◊〉 the church , being not preten●ed to be for the ease of tender consciences , but of tender heads , may be helped by a cap better then a rubrick . rep. we marvel that you say nothing at all to our desire , that it be expressed in a rubrick , that prayers and exhortations there used are not for the benefit of the dead , but onely for the comfort and instruction of the living : you intend to have a very indiscreet ministry , if such a needless circumstance may not be left to their discretion . the contrivance of a cap instead of a rubrick , shews that you are all unacquainted with the subject of which you speak ; and if you speak for want of experience in the case of souls , as you now do about the case of mens bodies , we could wish you some of our experience of one sort ( by more converse with all the members of the flock ) though not of the other . but we would here put these three or four questions to you . 1. whether such of our selves as cannot stand still in the cold winter at the grave half so long as the office of burial requireth , without the certain hazard of our lives , ( though while we are in motion we can stay out longer ) are bound to believe your lordships , that a cap will cure this better then a rubrick , though we have proved the contrary to our cost , and know it as well as we know that cold is cold ? do you think no place but that which a cap or clothes do cover , is capable of letting in the excessively refrigerating air . 2. whether a man that hath the most rational probability , if not a moral certainty , that it would be his death , or dangerous sickness ( though he wore twenty caps ) is bound to obey you in this case . 3. whether usually the most studious laborious ministers , be not the most invaletudinary and infirm ? and 4thly , whether the health of such should be made a jest of by the more healthful , and be made so light of as to be cast away , rather then a ceremony sometime be left to their discretion ? and whether it be a sign of the right and ingenuine spirit of religion , to sub●ect to such a ceremony ? both the life of godliness , and the lives of ministers , and the peoples●souls ; much of this concerneth the people as well as the ministers . we see not why these words may not be said of any person , whom we dare not say is damned ; and it were a breach of charity to say so even of those whose repentance we do not see : for whether they do not inwardly and heartily repent even at the last act , who knows ? and that god will not even then pardon them upon such repentance , who dares say ? it is better to be charitable and hope the best , then rashly to condemn . rep. we spoke of persons living and dying in notorious sins , suppose they were whoredom , perjury , oppression , yea infidelity or atheism , &c. but suppose we cannot be infallibly certain that the man is damned , because it is possible that he may repent , though he never did express it : will you therefore take him for a brother , whose soul is taken to god in mercy ? you are not sure that an excommunicate person , or an heathen doth not truly repent after he is speechless : but will you therefore say , that all such dye thus happily ? this is a most delusory principle ! the church judgeth not of things undiscovered : non esse & non apparere , are all one as to our judgement : we conclude not peremptorily , because we pretend not here to infallibility . as we are not sure that any man is truly penitent that we give the sacrament to , so we are not sure that any man dyeth impenitently . but yet we must use those as penitent , that seem so to reason , judging by ordinary means , and so must we ●udge those as impenitent that have declared their sin , and never declared their repentance . it seems by you , that you will form your liturgy , so as to say , that every man is saved that you are not sure is damned , though he shew you no repentance , and so the church shall say that all things are , that are but possible , if they conceit that charity requireth it . but if the living by this be kept from connversion , and flattered into hell , will they there call it charity that brought them thither ? o lamentable charity , that smoothers men's way to hell , and keepeth them ignorant of their danger till they are past remedy ! millions are now suffering for such a sort of charity . lay this to the forementioned propositions , and the world wil see that indeed we differ in greater things then ceremonies , and forms of prayer . churching women . it is fit that the woman performing especial service of thanksgiving , should have a special place for it , where she may be perspicuous to the whole congregation , and near the holy table , in regard of the offering she is there to make : they need not fear popery in this , since in the church of rome she is to kneel at the church-door . ] reply . those that are delivered from impenitency , from sickness , &c. perform a special service of thanksgiving ▪ &c. yet need not stand in a special place ; but if you wil have all your ceremonies , why must all others be forced to imitate you ? we mentioned not the church of rome . the psalm 121 is more fit and pertinent , then those others named , as 113 , 128. and therefore not to be changed . ] reply . we have proposed to you what we think meetest in our last pages ; if you like your own better , we pray you give us leave to think otherwise , and to use what we propounded . if the woman be such as is here mentioned , she is to do her penance before she be churched . ] reply . that is , if she be accused , prosecuted , and judged by the bishops court to do penance first , which happeneth not to one of a multitude , and what shal the minister do with all the rest ? all tends to take away the difference between the precious and the vile , between those that fear god , and that fear him not . offerings are required as well under the gospel as the law , and amongst other times most fit it is , that oblations should be when we come to give thanks for some special blessing , psal. 76. 10 , 11. such is the deliverance in child-bearing . ] reply . oblations should be free , and not forced : to some special use , and not to ostentation . this is needless , since the rubr. and common-pr . require that no notorious person be admitted . ] reply . we gladly accept so fair an interpretation , as freeth the book from self-contradiction , and us from trouble ; but we think it would do no ●urt , but good , to be more express . the concessions . we are willing that all the epistles and gospels be used according to the last translation . reply . we still beseech you , that all the psalms and other scriptures in the lyturgie recited , may ( for the same reason ) be used according to the last translation . that when any thing is read for an epistle , which is not in the epistles , the superscription be [ for the epistle . ] rep. we beseech you speak as the vulgar may understand you , [ for the epistle ] signifieth not plain enough to such , that it is indeed none of the epistles . that the psalms be collated with the former translation , mentioned in rub. and printed according to it . rep we understand not what translation or rubr. you mean. that the word● [ this day ] both in the collects and prefaces , be used only upon the day it self , and for the following days it be said [ as about this time . ] rep. and yet there is no certainty which was the day it self . that a longer time be required for signification of the names of the communicants , and the words of the rubrick , be changed into these [ at least some time the day before . rep. [ sometime the day before ] may be near , or at night , which wil allow any leisure at all , to take notice of the proofs of peoples scandals , or to help them in preparation . that the power of keeping scandalous sinners from the communion , may be expressed in the rubrick , according to the 26 and 27 cannons , so the minister be obliged to give an account of the same immediately after to the ordinary . reply . we were about returning you our very great thanks , for granting us the benefit of the 26 canon , as that which exceedeth all the rest of your concessions ; but we see you will not make us too much beholden to you : and poor christians ( that will not receive the sacrament contrary to the example of christ and his apostles , & the custome of the catholick primitive church , and the canons of general councils , must be also used as the notorious impenitent sinners . but the canon requireth us not to signifie the cause , but upon complaint , or being required by the ordinary . that the whole preface be prefixed to the commandements . reply . and why not the word [ sabbath-day ] be put for the [ seventh-d● ] in the end : must not ●uch a ●alsification be amended ? that the second exhortation be read some sunday , or holy-day , before the celebration of the communion , at the discretion of the minister . that the general confession at the communion be pronounced by one of the ministers , the people saying after him , all kneeling humbly upon their knees . that the mannner of consecrating the elements be made more explicite , and express ; and to that purpose those words be put into the rubr. [ then shal he put his hand upon the bread , and break it ] then shall he put his hand unto the cup. that if the font be so placed as the congregation cannot hear , it may be referred to the ordinary to place it more conveniently . that those words [ yes , they do perform those , &c. ] may be altered thus ; [ because they promise them both by their sureties , &c. ] that the words of the last rubr. before the catechism may be thus altered , [ that children being baptized have all things necessary for their salvation , & dying before they commit any actual sins , be undoubtedly saved , though they be not confirmed . that to the rubr. after confirmation these words may be added [ or be ready and desirous to be confirmed . that those words [ with my body i thee worship ] may be altered thus : [ with my body i thee honour ? ] that those words [ till death us depart ] be thus altered [ till death us do part . that the words [ sure and certain ] may be left out . reply . for all the rest we thank you , but have given our reasons against your sense expressed in sect. 13. before , and for satisfactoriness of the last : and we must say in the conclusion , that if those be all the abatements and amendments you will admit , you sell your innocency , and the churches peace for nothing . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26853-e790 mr. hales . notes for div a26853-e7790 reply . answer . sect. 1. reply . answer . sect. 2. reply . answer . sect. 3. reply . answer . sect. 4. reply . answer . sect. 5. reply . answer . sect. 6. reply . answer . prop. a. 1. sect. 1. reply . answer . sect. 2. reply . answer . sect 3. reply . answer . sect. 4. reply . answer . n. 2. reply . answer . n. 3 , 4. socrat. lib 6. ca● 8. th●●dor lib. cap. 〈…〉 7. 1 , 2. ezra● . 11 reply . answer . n. sect. 1. reply . answer . sect. 2. reply . n. 6. ans. rep. n. 7. ans. rep. ans. rep. ans. cor. 14. rep. ans. rep. ans. rep. n. 8. n. 9. ans. rep. n. 10. ans. rep. n. 11. ans. repl. n. 12. ans. rep. n. 15. ans. n. 16. rep. ans. rep. ans. rep. n. 17. exc. 1. ans. rep. ans. rep. ans. rep. ans. rep. ans. rep. ans. rep. ans. n. 18. rep. ans. cor. 14. see hooker l. 3. sect . 4. see hooker l. 4. sect , 1. rep. ans. repl. answ. rule 2. repl. answ. rule 3. heb. 13. 17. rom. 13 repl. a●sw . rule 4. repl. answ. rule 5. repl. answ. 1 answ. ● 1 co. 14. rep. ans. 2. ans. rep. ans. 3. ans. rep. ans. repl. ans. 4. ans. ans. repl. ans. rep. ans. rep. ans. repl. answ. ex● . sect. ● . page 24. answ. ti● 3. 5. ex● . &c. sect. 8. answ. sect ▪ 9. § 31 p. 56. an. 3. § 22 ▪ p. 2. § 3 p ▪ 26. 10 com. excep . § 4. excep . § 5. sect. 7. page 28. sect. 1. rub. 1. sect. 2. rub. sect. 3. exc. 1. 24 ▪ sect ▪ 4. ex ▪ 2. sect ▪ 5. p. ●0 rubr. sect. 6. ex● . 1. § 7. ex. 2. sect. 8. ex ▪ marriage the ring . sect. 1. p. 3● ▪ sect. 2. answ. sect. 3. col. sect. 4. sect. 5. p. 33 ▪ rub. sect. 1. p. 7 ▪ sect. 7. answ. sect. 3. p. 34. exc. ● . sect. 2. rub. ● . sect. 3. pag. 35. § 1 p. 36. exc 1. § 2. ex. 2. § 3. exc. 3. § 4. ex. 4 §4 ex 5 sect. 2. sect. 3. sect. 4. sect. 5. sect. 6. sect. 7. § 8. sect. 9. sect. 10. sect. 11. sect. 12. sect. 13. sect. 14. sect. 15. sect. 16. sect. 17. a posing question, put by the wise man, viz. solomon, to the wisest men concerning making a judgment of the temporal conditions : wherein you have the ignorance of man (in knowing, what is good, or evil, for man in this life) discovered, together, with the mistakes that flow from it : and the great question resolved, viz. whether the knowledg of, what is good for a man in this life, be so hid from man, that no man can attain it / preached at the weekly lecture at upton ... by benjamin baxter ... baxter, benjamin, preacher of the gospel. 1662 approx. 441 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 135 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26847 wing b1172a estc r39509 18425013 ocm 18425013 107590 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26847) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 107590) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1627:2) a posing question, put by the wise man, viz. solomon, to the wisest men concerning making a judgment of the temporal conditions : wherein you have the ignorance of man (in knowing, what is good, or evil, for man in this life) discovered, together, with the mistakes that flow from it : and the great question resolved, viz. whether the knowledg of, what is good for a man in this life, be so hid from man, that no man can attain it / preached at the weekly lecture at upton ... by benjamin baxter ... baxter, benjamin, preacher of the gospel. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [28], 240 p. printed for george sawbridge ..., london : 1662. dedication signed: rich. baxter. imperfect: lacks signature a4. reproduction of original in the university of illinois (urbana-champaign campus). library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng bible. -o.t. -ecclesiastes vi, 12 -sermons. good and evil -sermons. sermons, english -17th century. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-10 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-10 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion a posing question , put by the wise man , viz. solomon , to the wisest men . concerning making a judgment of temporal conditions . wherein you have the ignorance of man ( in knowing , what is good , or evil , for man in this life ) discovered ; together , with the mistakes that flow from it : and the great question resolved , viz. whether the knowledg of , what is good for a man in this life , be so hid from man , that no man can attain it . preached at the weekly lecture at vpton upon severn , in the county of worcester , by benjamin baxter , late minister of the gospel there . eccles . 9. 1. no man knoweth either love or hatred , by what is before him . eccles . 5. 13. there is a sore evil i have seen under the sun , namely , riches , kept for the owners thereof to their hurt . psal . 119. 71. it is good for me that i have been afflicted . london , printed for george sawbridge , at the signe of the bible on ludgate-hill , 1662. to the much honoured , and truly vertuous , mrs . penelope lechmere ; wife to nicholas lechmere , of hanly-castle , esq madam , as nothing is more usual , then for those , who write books , to dedicate them to some person or other : so it 's as usual with those that do it , to make known to the world , the reason of such their dedication ; and , why to such a person . among other reasons , none are more frequently alleadged , then eminent favours received . madam , if i would make these the reasons of my dedicating this book to you , it were sufficient to satisfy any , why i have pitched upon you , rather then upon another . i could tell the world , what a grear debtor you have me to you , especially in this day , wherein the hand of the lord hath been , and still is , very heavy upon me : you have been a nurse , and very much of a physitian to me ; you have ministred to my necessities ; you have often cheared me with your visits ; yea , you left not , till you had found out , an able and eminent physitian , and brought him to me , under whose hands i at present am , waiting upon god for the issue . certainly , these are favours that are not to be forgotten ; and might very well be alleadged , as the reason of my dedicating this inconsiderable peece to you . but , madam , under favour , i must tell you and the world , that this dedication , neither respecteth , nor relates to , any of these . the only reason , is , truly this , that there is none , can claim such an interest in the book , as your self ; and if it be worth seeing the light , you must be thanked for it . you were the person , who , for some years last past , did with much importunity , solicit me to the printing and publishing of these sermons ; you rested not , till you had obtained a promise from me , of doing it ; when my copy was finished , you were impatient till it were sent to the press ; and when it was in the press , in all your inquiries after it , you were pleased to stile it by the name of your book . so many wayes have you been pleased to make it your own , that i should have wronged you very much , if i should have denied you , the right you have to it . and now madam , having given you this accompt of the reason of my dedicating this book to you , i shall next give you , a brief accompt of the book it self . it treats of a subject , which few or none ( that i know of ) have written of , ( i mean ) so as to make it the sole subject , of a full and just discourse . it is a subject , that universally respecteth all , of what degree or quality soever , high and low , rich and poor ; yea , the highest , and the lowest ; the king that sits upon the throne , and the beggar that fits upon the dunghill . god , the great founder , and framer of conditions , hath not made all men , equal and alike in respect of stature , ( saul , was taller than the people , by the head and shoulders ) no more hath he made all equall , in such a crowd of books : but god told not me , what changes he would make : and who knoweth what is good for man , when providence concealeth much that is necessary to the determination . little thought i , that god was so suddenly removing so many faithful guides , and bringing thousands into such a case , in which , books must be their most learned , able , powerful teachers ! o what a mercy is it , that even the poor , may keep such preachers in their houses , at so cheap a rate ! that at home , they may thus have an excellent sermon when they please ! that they may ( yet ) without penalties , hear these silent preachers , that are orthodox , methodical , impartial , not bending to the lusts , and carnal interests of men : that at home , you may hear a preacher that will not flatter you , nor raile at those , that are not for the interest of a faction ; nor by a beastly debauched life , unsay his doctrine : that by reading more or less , you may avoid the offence , of the length or shortness of the sermon : that you may choose the subject , most pertinent to your case , and the discourse that for the manner is most suited to your edification ! that when you cannot come to a powerful preacher , you may , at any time , read a heart-warming book : that when you want understanding and expression , prudently to instruct your families , and exhort your near relations , or your neighbours , you may read to them , or lend them , a book that is best suited to their state. i think , much of the work of god in england , for mens conversion , confirmation , and consolation , is now to be carried on by books . and though i know some get them , but as hangings or pictures , to adorn their rooms , ( ut petrach . ) alii voluptiti , alii jactantiae libros quaerunt ; sunt qui hac parte supellectilis exornant thalamos , quae animis ornandis inventa est , neque aliter his utuntur quam corinthii vasis , & tabulis pictis , ac statuis , &c. ) yet , when they are extant , who knoweth whose hands they may fall into : and how many by such books , as unexpectedly have fallen into their hands , have bin brought to true repentance and salvation . and it is a great-mercy , that we have such a multitude of books , that all agree in the necessary unquestionable truths of our religion ; when it is a thing so dangerous to read books against books , errors against truth ; and [ libri quosdam ad scientiam , quosdam ad insaniam perduxêre ] some are made wise , and some made mad , by reading books : and when diversity , and contrariety , so distract men , as abundance of cross-wayes do a traveller . ( ut petr. ) fallit saepe viarum multiplicitas viatorem ; et qui uno calle certus ibat , haeret in bivio ; multoque major trivii est error , aut quadrivii : sic saepe qui librum unum efficaciter elegisset , inutiliter multos aperuit evolvitque . ) the papists remedy against the hurt of ill books , is to deny us the use of good ones : their remedy against the mischeifs of errors , is to keep men without knowledg of the truth ; and to cure squinting to put out our eyes : to escape the danger of misunderstanding the scriptures , to keep them from understanding them , and to lock them up in an unknown tongue , and to fly from them , because , they are abused by hereticks : as if christ should not have said again , [ it is written ] because , the devil had said , [ it is written ] . but of the two evils , the vanity is more tolerable , of them that glory in their excellent libraries ; or of sabinus , in seneca , that boasted of his learned servants ; or the great men , that glory in their learned chaplains , while they are ignorant themselves ; than the villany of licinius , that called learning , the pest and poison of the common-wealth : or the italian noble man that petrach mentioneth , that would give a very great summe of mony , to keep all men of learning , from ever coming into his country ; or the impiety of them , that would banish the knowledg of the scriptures , from the laity in the church of god. 2. and from the matter and manner of this treatise , i have more special reasons to take the publication of it for a mercy . the subject is very suitable and seasonable in these times , when providence sporteth it self in the affairs of men , and puzzeleth so many , and is so variously interpreted by the best , and misinterpreted by the most . this doctrine of mans uncertainty of what is for his good , in the matters of temporal concernment , or of the disengaged providence of god , is not any where else so fully and methodically handled that i know of . and it is of very great use , to the correcting of many , and great miscarriages , and the right ordering of our affections and imployments in the world . how unreasonable is it , that we should be so eager and peremptory in our desires of that , which we know not , whether it will do us good or hurt . that we should be so passionately troubled , for those passages of god's providence , which , for ought we know , may be the means of our felicity . o how oft do we foolishly trouble our selves , because god is saving us from greater trouble , and we do not understand his meaning ! strange ! that the knowledg of our nothingness , and the experience of the fruits of our miscarriages , will not yet perswade us , to give god leave to govern the world , without our medling , or seeking to take his work into our hands , and censuring of that , which we never understood ! that we have not yet enough , of the desire of being as gods ; having smarted for it , as we have done ! o the folly of those expositors of the prophecies of scripture , who first overvalue a prosperous state , and conclude beyond their knowledg , that it is best for us ; and then reduce the promises to their sense ; and grow so confident in their expectations , of outward deliverances and prosperous times , as to lay their hopes and comforts on it , and the very credit of religion it self ! and ô the madness of those men , that laying this as their ground work , that fleshly prosperity is best for them , are unreconcilable to the wayes of faith and holiness , and mortification , because they square not with this erroneous foundation . these generalls we are certain of ; first , that ordinarily adversity , is more profitable to the soul , then worldly prosperity . secondly , that all things shall work together for good , to them that love god. and therefore we have reason to be most suspicious of prosperity ; but , if we are true christians , to interpret all well that is of god. did we but know what need we have of mortifying providences , as the ordinary means of mortifying grace , we should rightlier judg of them , then we do . tanto quisque ferramentum medici patientius tolerat , quanto magis putridum conspicit esse quod secat . ] saith greg. he that best knowes the rottenness of the flesh , will best endure the surgions knife . and happy are we , if that be cured by the pain of the flesh , which was corrupted by the pleasure of the flesh : [ si quae carnis delectatione peccamus , carnis dolore purgamus : ] marvel not , if , when thou turnest unto christ , thou seemest to be assaulted with successive waves , and to be cast into a furnace , or brought into a thorny wilderness , and compassed with sorrows , which thou never wast acquainted with before : as augustine to his friend , [ noli admirari frater , si , postquam christianus effectus es , mille te undique tribulationes vexant : quoniam christus nostrae religionis caput est ; nosque ejus membra sumus ; debemus ergo non solum eum , sed ejus vitam cumulatissime sequi . ] christs way , must be our way ; we must be conformed to our head : we must suffer with him , if we will be glorified with him : the cross , is the passage to the crown . the armies of saints , have gone this way in all generations . [ similes aliorum respice casus — mitiùs ista feres . ] ov. should we expect that grace should have no conflict , no conquest before the triumph ; but be crown'd , before we have shewed what it can do ? nay , we know not the power of it in our selves , till it be tried . [ nemo scit , quid potueris ; neque tu quidem ipse : opus enim est ad suî notitiam experimento : quid quisque possit , non nisi tentando didicit , inquit seneca . ] be not therefore too unmannerly , and foolishly importunate with god for any outward thing , till thou not only thinkest that at the present it would do thee good , but also canst see as far as to the end , and say , that it will be in the issue good , and will not cross any greater good. and marvel not , if god grant not such mistaking prayers . non audit medicus ad voluntatem , sed ad sanitatem , saith august . what sickly tempers should we be of , yea , what certain death would follow , if our father and physitian , should dyet us as we desire , and give us what we would have our selves ? it seems a hard saying of augustine , of rich men ; difficile , imo impossibile , est , ut praesentibus et futuris quis fruatur bonis : ut hic ventrem , et ibi mentem impleat ; ut à deliciis ad delicias transeat ; ut in utroque seculo primus sit ; ut in terra et in coelo appareat gloriosus : it is hard , yea impossible , to enjoy both present and future goods : to satisfy the belly here , and the mind hereafter ; to passe from pleasures unto pleasures : to be a chief man in both worlds ; to be glorious both in earth and in heaven . ] but it meaneth no more than christ meant , in luk. 16. 25. & 18. 25. o how great a victory do they get , that overcome the temptations of prosperity . magnae virtutis est cum foelicitare luctari ; et magnae faelicitatis est à foelicitate non vinci : aug. how few are so happy , who have that which the world counteth happiness , as to escape its sting , and the everlasting misery , which living after the flesh will procure , rom. 8. 1 , 13. heu caecae mentes , tumefactaque corda secundis ! this maketh the great ones of the world , to be the object of grief and compassion to the wise , and cloudeth their honour , and maketh them usually esteemed the miserablest men alive , because they are usually the worst , through the surfeits which they take from worldly fulness , and the alienation of their minds from god and heaven , through the prevalence of fleshly pleasures : for he is the worst man , that is most earthly and least heavenly ; that hath most of the world , and least of god upon his heart : especially , when the leprosy of the most brutish sensuality , and stinking lusts , and drunken pride , and savage cruelty , are the symptoms of this pernicious disease . luxuriant animi rebus plerumque secundis ▪ saith lactantius , ex prosperitate oritur luxuria ; ex luxuriâ verò , vitia omnia : sic impietas adversus deum nascitur . ] luxurie springeth from prosperity , and all vices from luxurie : and thus impiety against god is generated . and it frequently maketh the prosperous so drunk , that they need no other enemy : their disease destroyeth them , they reel unto their ruine . saith seneca , res est inquieta foelicitas , ipsa se exagitat , movet cerebrum : non uno genere alios in aliud irritat . et alibi : multarum urbium in ipso flore luxuriosa imperia ceciderunt , et quicquid virtute paratum erat , intemperantiâ corruit . seeing then that worldly prosperity is usually so pernicious , and we can never say before hand , that it is for our good : how unmeet is it , that we should inordinately desire it , or think we are undone when adversity is our lot ? why seek we that fulness or greatness , which hath , as augustine speaks , asperitatem veram , jucunditatem falsam , certum dolorem , incertam voluptatem , durum laborem , timidam quietem ; rem plenam miseriae , spem beatitudinis inanem : that is , a true asperity , a false delight ; a certain pain , an uncertain pleasure ; a hard labour , a fearful rest ; a business full of misery ; and a hope ihat is empty of true felicity . ] and , as a leaf , it shakes with every wind : internal gripes , external rumors ; and a thousand accidents , turn their seeming paradise into a hell : ade ò perexigua sunt , quae fortunatissimis summam beatitudinis detrahunt , saith seneca . for , as he saith in another place , felicissimi cujusque delicatissimus est sensus , et , nisi ad nutum cuncta suppetant , omnis adversitatis insolens , minimis quibusque prosternitur . the most prosperous , have a delicate sense , and , if all things be not at their beck , being unused to all adversity , they are cast down with every triffle . 3. and i am the more inclined to this recommendation , for the reverend author's sake : god threatneth by sickness , to call him hence ; and therefore , that he may preach to many , when he is removed from a few , and silenced in the dust ; is that honour to his name , and that benefit to men , which i gladly would promote . he is an orthodox , sober , peaceable , divine ; that never interessed himself , with any thing like a faction : an excellent and most methodical preacher , whose labour is better in the pulpit , then in the press : i have oft heard him , and scarce ever heard a sermon from him , which i thought not worthy to be published : no , not when he began to preach , ( about 26. years ago ) . many such humble , godly , able faithful labourers , i had the happinesse to be a neighbour to , in the county where he liveth . in the matter and style of this book , you may trulier know , than from the reports of malice , what sedition , what faction , what schism or heresy they preached : for it was such as this , so far as i was acquainted . o happy england ! that hath more able , powerful , laborious preachers to spare and lay aside , than any other nation that i hear of in the world , proportionably doth enjoy . now , he that hath an ear to hear , let him hear . yet a little while is the light with you : walk while ye have the light , lest darkness come upon you : for he that walketh in darkness , knoweth not whither he goeth , john 13. 35. march 14. 1661. your companion , in the hope and patience of believers , rich. baxter . the contents . the text , eccles . 6. 12. the first part of the verse , chap. i. solomons design in the whole book discovered . mans felicity consists not in riches . proved by some arguments ; chap. 5. 4. more arguments , chap. 6. the words , a questionary proposal . doct. no man infallibly knoweth what is good , ( and so on the contrary ) what is evil for a man in this life . the doctrine explicated , 1. of what good to be understood , five distinctions of good . 2. of what men , of all good. bad. the difference shewed , between a godly mans , and another mans knowledg , of what is good or evil , for a man in this life , in 4. particulars . a godly mans ignorance , shewed in 2. particulars . chap. ii. confirmation of the doctrine , by scripture . reason . the reason of 2. sorts . 1. some respecting god. 2. some respecting man. 1. respecting god. god hath hid this knowledg from man. why god hath hid it , shewed in 9. particulars . chap. iii. 2. respecting man , ( viz. ) man's inability to know it . this is shewed in 7. particulars . 1. man's ignorance of mens spirits and dispositions . 2. not knowing how they will manage their condition . 3. not knowing , to what evils and dangers , their condition may expose them . 4. not knowing , what snares satan may lay in a condition . 5. not knowing , what the wheel is , within the wheel . 6. the sudden change of conditions . 7. want of the right art , of making a judgment of conditions . most judg of them by opinion . sense . affection . chap. iv. questions resolved . 1. question , whether it be lawfull to pray against afflictions , since a man knoweth not , but they may be good for him . answered 1. generally , in 4. things . 2. particularly in 2 things . it is lawful to pray for the keeping them off . taking them off . 1. for keeping them off . but we must pray for that not absolutely . but conditionally . a double praying against afflictions , viz. the things themselves . the evil of the things . 2. for the taking them off ; shewed in 4. particulars . chap. v. 2. question , whether it be lawful to pray for the things of this life ? since we know not but they may be for evil to us . answered 1. generally . 2. particularly . 1. in general , shewed it is lawful in 6. things . 2. particularly , not to pray for them absolutely . vltimately . god's glory chiefly to be eyed , in praying for outward things . how a man may know , he eyes the glory of god in praying for outward things ; shewed in 4. particulars . 3. question , whether man's ignorance , of what is good or evil for him in this life , doth warrant him to adventure upon businesses , hand over head , without consideration . circumspection . answered in 6. particulars . chap. vi. application . 1. information . of three sorts of persons , mistaken about conditions . 1. some about a prosperous condition , thinking it good for them . four grounds of their mistake . their grounds examined . the fallaciousness of them discover'd in divers particulars chap. vii . 2. some mistaken about an afflicted condition . five sorts of things about which they are mistaken . the grounds of those mistakes examined . several queries put to such , who so mistake . 3. some mistaken , in thinking it is good for them , because they are afflicted . the ground of that mistake discovered . examined . chap. viii . 2. information . that we should be content to receive evil , as well as good , at the hand of god. seaven reasons for it . the great question resolved , ( viz. ) whether the knowledg , of what is good or evil for a man in this life , be so hidden from man , that no man can attain to it . answered ; and directions given : the directions of 2. sorts 1. general . 2. particular . 1. general . something is to be known . done. 1. what is to be known . 1. who is the framer of conditions . 2. what is the right way of judging of conditions . that shewed in 6. particulars . 3. what it is makes a condition good for a man in this life . 1. an interest in the covenant . 2. the enjoyment of god in a condition . 3. suitableness of spirit to a condition . 4. peace within . 5. doing the work of our condition . 6. living above our condition . a twofold living above it , 1. sinful . 2. holy living above its comforts . crosses . 7. watchfulness against the temptations of a condition . chap. ix . 8. spirituallizing a condition . 9. an holy indifferency of spirit , in respect of conditions . five reasons for that indifferency . 10. right behaviour in a condition . nothing of god's must displease us . nothing of ours must displease god. 11. enjoyment of our selves in a condition . 12. adorning our condition . thus for what is to be known , by those that will make a judgment of conditions . 2 what is to be done. 1. inquire by prayer , what is the mind and meaning of god in a condition . two things to be inquired after 1. god's end 2. our duty in it . 2. searching our selves , what we are in a condition . 3. taking a right view of conditions . how to take a right view of conditions . 1. view them by scripture-light . how the scripture helpeth us , in viewing of conditions . shewed in 6. particulars . chap. x. 2. in viewing a condition , take a right standing : particular directions about that . quest . how a man may know , whether a prosperous condition be good for him ? answered , 1. if temporal , hinder not spiritual prosperity . 2. vsing the things of that condition , with right considerations . ( viz. ) of their changeableness . dangerousness . vsefulness . inferiority . emptiness . our own mortality . our accompt . 3. not forgetting the afflictions of joseph . chap. xi . quest . how a man may know , whether an afflicted condition be good for him . 1. he must make a judgment of himself . two questions to be put to our selves in that condition . 1. what we do in it . 2. what we make of it . 1. what a man is to do in that condition ? 1. to find out , what an affliction comes in order to . 2. to set in with the affliction , and to further it in the work , for which it is sent . 3. to eye our passions and affections , more than our afflictions . 4. to eye our sins , more than our sufferings . five things to move us to it . 5. to keep our hearts open heaven-ward . 6. to keep the ear open to counsel . 7. framing the heart , to a pious submission to god. 8. laying the affliction to heart . a two-fold laying affliction to heart . 1. carnal , sinful , hurtful . 2. spiritual , holy , helpful . 9. patient waiting on god. for god. 10. making all out of god , that we need in that condition . chap. xii . 2. what do you make of an afflicted condition : affliction is , 1. god's furnace , to melt . refine . 2. god's school . in a school , there is a book . rod. affliction is god's rod , to beat somewhat into us . out of us . five queries , concerning what instructions , afflictions have sealed . 3. affliction is god's plough . the work of the plough , shewed in 3. particulars . 4. afflictions are god's physick . what kind of physick , shewed in 3. particulars . chap. xiii . quest . what counsel and direction to be given , concerning the choosing or refusing conditions . directions general . particular . 1. general . 1. be not your own choosers . man's unfitness to be his own chooser of his condition . quest . how a man may know he is not his own chooser . answered in 8. particulars . quest . whether lawful , to wish things had fallen out otherwise than they did . answered in several particulars . 2. particular directions . 1. seek not great things , but only what is convenient . the good of desiring what only is convenient . 1. it freeth us from temptations . 2. it is the most easy , in respect of a burthen of cares . duties . 3. it is safest for us . 4. most commodious for us as christians , whose life is compared to a race . warfar . pilgrimage . chap. xiv . quest . what is to be accompted competent . convenient . answered in 4. things . 2. direction , seek those things that are good , without controversy and dispute . quest . what those things are ? answ . 1. in general . godliness , which is good and profitable for all persons . for all things . at all times . for both worlds . 2. in particular . this is good without dispute . 1. to eye more the enjoyment of god , than enjoyments from god. 2. to rejoyee more in the god of our mercies , then in the mercies of our god. 3. to serve god chearfully , however he serve us . 4. to keep god , what ever we lose for keeping him. 5. to remember god and his glory , in all our wayes . 6. to consecrate all we have , to his service . 7. to give the things of another life the preheminence . wherein giving them the preheminence , shewed in 5. particulars . 8. what ever a mans condition be in this life , to fetch comfort from the consideration , of what his condition hereafter shall be . 9. what ever his portion be , to make god his portion . reasons , why we should make god our portion . 10. to have sin pardoned . set out in 2. particulars . 11. to lay up treasure , where things are purest . surest . 12. to seek after distinguishing favours . 13. to keep peace within , however things are without . 14 to keep our selves in a continual preparation for death . this is shewed in 5. particulars . reader , there is lately printed a learned , pious , and practical commentary upon the whole gospel of st. mark ; wherein the text is logically analysed ; the meaning of the holy spirit , clearly and soundly opened ; doctrins naturally raised ; all seeming differences between this and the other evangelists reconciled ; and many important cases of conscience resolved , by mr. george petter . published at the desire of above 200. learned divines , signified under their hands . also , an exposition of the whole epistle to the hebrews , wherein the text is cleared , theopolitica improved , the socinian comment examined , by mr. george lawson , rector of more , in the county of salop. also , the running of the christian race with patience , by mr. john brinsley . all to be sold , by george sawbridge , at the signe of the bible on ludgate-hill . a posing question . eccles . 6. 12. for , who knoweth what is good for man in this life ? chapter i. this book of ecclesiastes , is a book full of discoveries . the great discovery solomon makes in it , is this , viz. what it is upon which the desires of man ought to fix , as their utmost end and rest . thereupon , solomon makes this great enquiry , wherein man's chiefest good and happinesse consists ? in it he proceeds 1. negatively , 2. affirmatively . 1. negatively ; and so , shews wherein true happinesse is not to be found : and there you have solomon discovering the false and counterfeit felicities of mans dark heart , and the wofull mistakes of men about their chiefest good. this he doth more generally , particularly . 1. more generally , in this proposition , cap. 1. 2. vanity of vanities , all is vanity . 2. more particularly ; in recounting severall things , whereon men fix their eyes and hearts , as though happinesse were to be found in them . 1. knowledg , both naturall and morall . 2. pleasure , and all the sweetest earthly delights . 3. honour , and greatnesse of authority . 4. riches , and earthly possessions . the three first of these , solomon discourseth of in the four sirst chapters . and in the fifth chapter he comes to examine , and consider of that of riches . and having , in the former chapter , by many arguments , proved the vanity of riches ; he comes in this chapter to adde four arguments more . 1. a man may have the possession of them , and yet want the right use , and comfortable enjoyment of them . this you have , in the six first verses . 2. they are not able to give satisfaction to the desires of men . this he proves , ver. 7. all the labour of a man is for his mouth , i. e. for the body , and the services of it ; but the appetite is not filled . and further confirmes it , ver. 8. by comparing the wise and foolish , rich and poor , together . if there were such contentment , and satisfaction to be found in riches , why then wise men and rich men should , of all others , enjoy the happinesse of it . but , saith solomon , what hath the wise more than the foolish ? what hath the poor , that knoweth to walk before the living ? q. d. what hath a painfull and laborious poor man lesse of contentment than the rich ? 3. riches are unable to preserve from , or protect against , those evils to which man is subject , viz. sickness , pain , grief , sin , wrath. ver. 10. that which hath been is named already , and it is known that it is man. i. e. call him what you will ; wise , honourable , rich ; why yet he is still but man , weak , earthy , frail , mortal ; and so , subject to those miseries that attend man. 4. abundance of riches hath abundance of cares , troubles , distractions , disquietments , ver. 11. seeing there are many things that increase vanity , what is man the better ? q. d. many , by encreasing riches , think to encrease happiness ; yet they do but encrease vanity : and if so , then man is so far from being the better , that he is the worse for them . thus , solomon shewes how men are mistaken in thinking happinesse to lye in riches ; and the ground of this mistake is laid down in the words of the text , and that is ; mans ignorance of what is good for him in this life ; he thinks that good , which is evil . for , who knoweth what is good for man in this life ? the words are a questionary proposal . who knoweth what is good for man in this life ? the interrogation implies a negation , and so resolves it self into this universal negative proposition ; no man knowes what is good for man in this life . one great thing , about which the ignorance of man discovers it self , is this , what is good , and what is evil , for a man in this life . the conclusion deducible from the words , is this : doct. no man infallibly knowes what is good , and ( so on the contrary ) what is evill , for a man in this life . in the handling of this proposition , i shall proceed by way of explication . confirmation . application . 1. for explication . so we are to make two enquiries . 1. of what good , this is to be understood . 2. of what men , this is to be understood : and whether every man is concluded under the ignorance of what is good for a man in this life . 1. consider of what good this proposition is to be understood . so the question is , whether no man knoweth what is good for himself in any particular . for the better understanding of this , consider , what it is that we call good ? that is good that all desire . goodness is , congruentia rei cum appetitu , it is the suitableness and agreement of the thing to and with the desire ; and hence it is , that bonum & appetibile ; what is good , and what is desirable , are the same . now here is the question , when every one desires what is good , that , for all that , no man knows what is good for a man ; since every man knows what it is that suites with his desires . for the answering of this question , we must give-in some distinctions . 1. distinction is this ; there is bonum reale apparens there is good real , and , good in appearance . there is that that is truly good , and that that seemeth good but is truly evil ; there is that that is good , and that that only seems good . now when we tell you , no man knoweth what is good for a man in this life ; it is to be understood of the former , not of the latter . no man knows what is really good for him ; he knows indeed what is seemingly good for him , what pleaseth his carnal appetite and corrupt desires ; but what is really good for him , man knoweth not . 2. distinction ; there is bonum jucundum , good pleasing . vtile , good profitable . 1. there is a pleasing good , that pleaseth our natures , and delights our senses . 2. there is a profitable good ; and we must know this , that things may be pleasingly good , that are not profitably good . things may be toothsome , that are not wholesome . a man in the fit of an ague , knows , drinking much would be a pleasing good to him , when the physitian knows , it would not be a profitable good and so denyeth it . now the proposition is to be understood of the latter , not of the former . every man knoweth what is a pleasing good . he knoweth , ( as it is said of issachar ) rest is good , and health is good ; but he knows not what is a profitable good for man. 3. distinction ; there is good that is so simpliciter secundum quid. 1. there is that which is , in it self , and of it self , good ; so riches , and health , and honour , are in themselves good , being blessings of god , and streams that issue from that fountain of goodness that is in him . and so , on the contrary , that are in themselves evill ; as poverty , sickness , crosses , afflictions , being brought in by sin. 2. there is that that is good in some respects , et quoad nos , in respect of us . there is bonum commodum , a convenient good . that may be good in it self , that is not good for us ; i mean , a convenient good . so the proposition is to be understood of the latter , not of the former . a man may know what is good in it self , when he may not know what is good for him . a man may know , riches are good , when yet they may not be a convenient good for him . agur's prayer , prov. 30. 8. was give me neither poverty nor riches , feed me with food convenient . though he saw , riches were in themselves good , yet he question'd whether they were a convenient good for him ; and thereupon desires a middle estate , between poverty and riches . so that , when we tell you , no man knowes what is good for man in this life , it is to be understood of a convenient good . 4. distinction . there is good in respect 1. of our apprehensions and imaginations . 2. of gods intention . 1. there is good in respect of our apprehensions . so men , have their several apprehensions of what is good , and what is evil . one man apprehends honour good for him , and riches good for him ; and apprehends disgrace evil , and poverty evil . a man apprehends health good , and sickness evil , for him . 2. there is good in gods intention . and so the proposition is to be understood of the latter , not of the former . though a man may know what is good for himself in his own apprehension , yet he knows not what is good for him in gods intention . what a man apprehends to be good to him , may be intended for evil ; and what he apprehends as evil , may be intended to him for good , eccles . 9. 1. no man knowes love or hatred by any thing that is before him . the meaning is , that no man from outward blessings , which are good in our apprehension , can conclude that god loves him , and intends good to him ; and no man from outward afflictions , which are evil in a mans apprehension , can conclude hatred , or that he intends evil to him . so that though a man knoweth what is good and evil for him in his own apprehension , yet he knoweth not what is good or evil in god's intention . 5. distinction : there is good , that is good in a general notion and consideration ; and good , that is good in relation to particular cases , and to particular times . so the proposition is to be understood of the latter , not of the former . this is granted , that a man may know what is good and what is evil for him in general ; but a man knoweth not what is good for him in such a particular case , and at such a particular time. as hushai said of achitophel's counsell , it is not good at this time ; why so what a man looks upon as good for him , may not be good for him at such a time . riches that seem to be good for a man , yet at some times may be evil to a man. as in plundring times , it was a mans unhappinesse either to be , or to be thought , rich. thus for the first thing , of what good this is to be understood . 2. the second thing to be enquired after , is , of what men , this is to be understood ? so the question is , whether the proposition concludes all men , without exception , under this ignorance ; and excludes all from the knowledge of what is good for them in this life ? so the question is concerning godly men that are sanctified , and enlightned by the spirit of god , whether are they as ignorant in this particular , as others ? answ . there is a great difference to be put between the spiritual and the natural man , in respect of their knowledge of what is good or evil for a man in this life . a godly man , not only knows what is good for a man , in relation to the life to come ; as pardon of sin , an interest in christ , &c. but also he knows more than others do what is good for a man in this life . he knows , that many things are good for a man , that are apprehended to be evil ; and he knows , there are many things evil for a man that are look'd on as good . thus david said , it was good for him that he had been afflicted ; when others looked upon afflictions as evil , he looked on them as good for him . agur prayed against riches ; why , he knew they were evil for him , when others look upon abundance as good . so , consider ; a godly man hath four things to help him in the knowledg of this , that others have not . 1. he hath the spirit of god to instruct and teach him what is good and evil for a man in this life . when others are only led by sense , & opinion , the godly man is taught , and led by the spirit of god. 2. he hath the sanctuary to go into , where he may learn what is good and evil for a man in this life . there david tells you , that he attain'd to this knowledg ; and , till he went into the sanctuary he was ignorant of it , psal . 73. 17. — till i went into the sanctuary . till then , he thought it was ill for good men , that they were afflicted ; and that it was good for wicked men , that they were in prosperity : but when he came into the sanctuary , he was informed otherwise . 3. the godly man hath convincing experience , by which he comes to know what is good and evil for a man in this life . so that by experience , he knows that to be good for him , that others think evil , psal . 119. 71. it is good for me that i have been afflicted . david speaks it from experience . 4. the godly man hath the promise to help him too , rom. 8. 28. all things work together for good to them that love god. so that , being such as love god , they know all shall be for good to them , be it what it will. though it seem evil , yet it shall work for good. these things godly men have above others , whereby they are enabled above others to know what is good for them this in life . and yet , for all this , the proposition includes them too , as well as others . it is true , solomon ( it is probable ) means it chiefly of the natural and unregenerate man ; yet it takes in the godly man too , as one that knows not what is good for a man in this life . and that especially in two cases : 1. a godly man knows not what is good for a man , in all things . 2. he knows not what is good for a man , at all times . 1. a godly man knows not what is good for a man in all things . in this ( as the apostle speaks ) they know but in part . and it appears thus ; that they have been denyed in their requests , praying for that that god saw not good for them . thus abraham for ishmael . thus moses requested to have gone into the land of canaan . and gods denying them these requests , must be interpreted gods not seeing that particular thing good for them ; and that indeed it was not good for them : the will of god being the highest rule of goodness . so we find some of the servants of god have been blinded with passion in some of their requests ; as elijah and jonah ; and god did not see it good to grant them what they desired . they asked they knew not what . 2. a godly man may not know what is good for him , at all times . of that they have been ignorant till they have gone into the sanctuary , and till experience hath afterward taught it them . time was , when david , a godly man , was mistaken about the afflictions of godly men , and the prosperity of wicked men ; till he went into the sanctuary . till then , he was as ignorant as other men . so that till then , a godly man may be ignorant of , what is good for man in this life . chap. ii. now for the confirmation of the proposition . i shall confirm it by 1. scripture . 2. reason 1. by scripture . so we may gather , from scripture , two things , that may serve to assert the truth of this proposition . 1. scripture acquaints us with what disappointments men have met with in those wayes , wherein they have dreamt of nothing but good , and benefit , and advantage to themselves . how , many have ruin'd themselves , by that by which they thought to have rais'd themselves . scripture gives us many instances in this kind , of those whose table hath been their snare ; and what they thought should have been for their welfare , hath become their trap , psal . 69. 22. and this shews how men have been mistaken in what is good for them . the scripture furnisheth us with many instances ; as those of ahab , in compassing naboths vineyard . gehezi , in getting the talents of silver from naaman . achan , in stealing the wedge of gold , and the babylonish garment . haman , in screwing himself into the favour and affection of his prince . israel , in asking a king ; and in asking quails . scripture shews us how these were mistaken about what was good for them . we may say of them , this , that , had they known what had been good for them , they would not have done what they did . solomon , in eccles . 5. 13. speaks of an evil that he had seen under the sun , viz. riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt . surely , if the owners had not thought they had been for their good , they would not have laid them up . 2. scripture acquaints us with this ; that there have been many , that , contrary to expectation , have found those things good for them that they thought evil , and looked on them as evils . as it tells us of many , that found that to be evil to them , that they thought to be good for them ; so of many , that have found that to be good for them , that they thought to have been evil . scripture furnisheth us with instances in this particular . and here time would fail me to tell you 1. of job , who looked upon himself , as the most miserable man in the world ; that god had set him as a mark to shoot at ; as if god would make sport with him . he tells you how god wrote bitter things against him ; yet we see , all was for his good . and so we see jam. 5. 15. what end god made with him : so that we see by that , that job was mistaken about his afflictions . 2. david , psal . 119. 71. confesseth , it is good for me that i have been afflicted . consider , time was , when david did not think so . time was when david complained of them . but see , he was afterwards of another mind , and tells us , it was good for him that he was afflicted . in psal . 73. ( if he were the penman of it ) you find there was a time when he was envious at the prosperity of the wicked , and thought them the happiest men ; and he was troubled at the adversity of the godly , and thought them the most miserable men ; but afterwards he confesseth his ignorance and mistake in that particular . to close up this : if you look upon heb. 12. you shall find the apostle speaking to christians under affliction ; and endeavours to convince them of their mistake about afflictions , and that they looked upon that as evil which was for their good . you shall find , this is the scope of the apostle in the beginning of that chapter . and then , vers . 7. 8. 9. he tells them they are chastisements , and that they bring forth the quiet fruit of righteousness ; q. d. when you come to taste the fruit of these afflictions , you will be of another minde : you will find , contrary to your expectation , that good for you that you thought evil . you must judge of the tree by the fruit ; and when you come to taste the fruit of afflictions , you will say , you were mistaken in the tree . thus for the confirmation by scripture . 2. we come to shew the grounds and reasons of the proposition , why no man infallibly knows what is good for man in this life . so there is 1. some reason of it , in respect of god. 2. some reasons of it , in respect of man. 1. the reason of it in respect of god is this : because god hath hid this knowledge from man , and therefore , no man knoweth what is good for man in this life . and if any ask , for what reason god hath hid this knowledg from man ? i answer . 1. god hath done it to maintain his own prerogative . it onely belongs to him who made the creature to know what is good for the creature . it belongs only to him who hath given life to man , to know what is good for a man in this life . he knows man best , and knows best what is good for man , whether riches or poverty ; quietness or trouble ; health or sickness ; life or death . this knowledg is too high and excellent for man. it is not for man to know this , which god hath put in his own power . 2. god doth it to keep man in a state of dependance on him , and submission to him ; that man may know at whose finding he is , and at whose disposing , ( viz. ) of that god , who onely knows what is good for man. god doth it , to take the creature off from being his own carver . he will have man look to him , and seek to him , for what is good for him . god hath hid this knowledge from man , that man may pray both for the good things , and against the evills , of this life , with submission to the will of god. lord , i know not what is good , or what is evill for me in this life ; and therefore i leave my self to thee ; and in those things submit my self to thee : thou shalt dispose of me , thou shalt carve for me , thou shalt guide me by thy counsel , who onely knowest what is good or evill for me in this life ; thou shalt chuse my condition for me . 3. god hides this knowledge from man , to magnify and make the glory of his wisdom and power known , in working contrary to the apprehensions , hopes , and expectations of man. so the wisdom and power of god shewes it self . 1. in a way of justice , turning good into evill . 2. in a way of mercy , turning evill into good . 1. he shewes his wisdom and power in a way of justice , causing what was apprehended by men as good for them , to become evil to them , contrary to their hopes and expectations . thus the lord causeth some mens tables to become their snare ; and what they thought to have bin for their welfare , to be their trap. thus the lord lets some men lay up riches for their hurt , and suffers them to get honour to their shame . there is an expression in mal. 2. 2. i will curse your blessings . god can make seeming blessings to become curses . and in this his wisdom and power are gloriously seen . god can let a man think he hath a good thing in his hand , and turn it into an evill . and hence it is , some have cursed their riches , and honour , and worldly greatness , as charles the fift , and philip the second of spain did . 2. he shewes his wisdom and power in a way of mercy , in turning seeming evills into good . that when a man thinks it to be an evill , god turns it to good , contrary to a mans apprehension , hope , and expectation . thus , as he can turn the rod into a serpent , so he can turn the serpent into a rod : he can bring good out of evill , and light out of darknesse . as he can turn a seeming blessing into a curse , so he can turn a seeming curse into a blessing . when balack would have cursed israel , moses tells them , deut. 23. 5. god turned it into a blessing . josephs brethren intended evil against him , but god turned it into good , gen. 50. 20. and upon this account it is , that god hides the knowledg of what is good for a man in this life from man , that he may have a freedom and liberty of declaring his wisdom and power when he please , both in turning evill into good , and good into evill , contrary to mans apprehensions , hopes , and expectations . 4. god hath hid this knowledg from man , to keep man humble in the midst of his greatest outward enjoyments . that the great man may not glory in his greatness , and that the rich man may not glory in his riches ; since he knows not whether they are good for him . when a man considers this with himself , i have honour , but i know not whether it be for my good ; i have riches , but i know not whether it be for my good : how humble should the consideration of this make a man in the midst of these enjoyments ? when he considers , honour hath been many a mans snare ; riches , and outward prosperity have been many a mans trap , and i know not but they may be so to me : how humble should this keep a man , when he knoweth not whether they are for his good ? god doth it to keep man from boasting of his enjoyments , prov. 27. 1. boast not thy self of to morrow ( saith solomon : ) for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth . so men must not boast of their wealth or honour , since they know not what they may bring forth . thus a man should reason with himself ; why should i be proud of those things which have proved evill to some , and i know not but they may be so to me ? 5. god hath hid this knowledge from man , to make man patient in affliction , and to make him hope in the worst condition : when a man considers thus with himself , alas i know not what is good for me in this life : for ought i know , these afflictions are good for me ; and what reason have i then to be impatient under them ? why should i fret and murmur at these dispensations ? do i know what these crosses and afflictions may bring forth ? do i know , but that good may lie in the womb of them ? the tree may seem bitter , yet the fruit may be sweet . the rose is sweet , yet the tree that bears it , is thorny . i know not , what grapes may grow upon these thorns , and what figs upon these thistles . when shimei cursed david , what said david ? 2 sam. 16. 12. it may be the lord will do me good for this . god not onely knows how to do his people good , but how to do them good by seeming evills . it is good for me ( saith david ) that i have been afflicted . psal . 119. 6. god hath hid this knowledge from man , to keep men from judging and censuring one another . to keep the rich from despising the poor , and to keep the poor from envying the rich. if a man knew , that riches were good for a man in this life , and that poverty were evill for a man ; then would rich men look upon themselves as the onely blessed men , and judge of the poor as the only miserable men . so that , as the apostle saith of eating , rom. 14. 3. let not him that eateth not , judge him that eateth ; and let not him that eateth , despise him that eateth not ; so will the lord have it to be among men , in this case : he will not have the rich and great ones of the world to despise the poor ; neither will he have the poor , and such as are in a low condition , to envy the rich. and , to prevent this , the lord hath hid this knowledg from man , of what is good or evill for him in this life . thou , o rich man , knowest not but that thy riches may be for thy hurt , why shouldst thou then despise the poor ? and what knowest thou , o poor man , but thy poverty may be for thy good ; and why then shouldst thou envy the rich ? this is the disease to which rich and poor are subject ; the rich are apt to despise the poor , jam. 2. 6. and the poor are apt to envy the rich , psal . 37. 1. and the lord , for the curing of this disease in both , hath hid this knowledge from man. 7. god hath hid this knowledg from man , to let man see that the things of this life are not the things ( viz. ) the only things and the main things , that a man should look after . he doth it to let man know , that outward evils are not evils to be feared , for they may be for good : and that outward good things , are not the onely good things to be sought after ; for they may be for a mans hurt . and so the reason why god hides this knowledg from man of knowing what is good or evill for man in this life , is , that he may especially seek after those things that are good , and fly from those evils that have relation to another life . those things that we call good , viz. things of this life , are but things changeably good ; they are things may become evil to a man , and therefore not the only good things to be sought after ; and those things , that we call evil , are but changeably evil , such evils as may be for good ; and therefore not the only evils to be fled from . there are good things that are unchangeably good , which are good for a man in relation to another life , and these are the things mainly to be sought after . and there are evils that are unchangeably evil , which are evil for a man in relation to another life ; and those are the evils that are most to be feared and fled from . 8. god hath hid this knowledg from man , to keep man in a preparation for all conditions : that since he knows not what is good for man in this life , he may be prepared for what god seeth good for him ; that he may be fitted for all the dispensations and purposes of god concerning him . solomon sayeth prov. 27. 1. thou knowest not what a day may bring forth . and why hath god hidden that knowledg from man , but that a man may be prepared for what ever a day shall bring forth , whether good or evil , mercies or miseries , life or death . solomon in eccles . 7. 14. speaking of prosperity and adversity , saith , god hath set them , the one over against the other , that man may find out nothing after him . there is chequer-work in the dispensations of god toward man in this life . there is black and white ; there are fair and foul , sunshine and rainy days intermingled ; there is prosperity and adversity , changes of conditions . and mark , god hath set the one over against the other , there is adversity , opposite to prosperity ; there is a vally , over against a hill. and see for what end ? that man may find out nothing after him . what is the meaning of that ? why this , that man should not know what shall come afterwards , or what shall come next , whether prosperity or adversity , that so he may be prepared for both . when god hath set a man upon a mountain of prosperity , he cannot assure himself he shall alwayes stand there ; for there is the valley of adversity set over against that mountain , and he knoweth not how soon he may be in it . and so , since he knows not what may be next , god will have him keep himself in a preparation for all conditions . phil. 4. 11. the apostle saith , i have learned to be full , and to be hungry ; to abound , and to want . as if he should say , i am prepared for what god sees good for me ; if he see it good for me to be in a low condition , to be hungry and to want , i am prepared for it , i am prepared for all conditions . and this is one reason , why god hath hid this knowledg from man , that man may be prepared for all conditions . there is an expression in eccles . 8. 7. man knoweth not , what shall be . and what is the reason that man knows not what shall be ? why this , that man may be prepared for what ever shall be . 9. god hath hid this knowledg from man , to shew man the vanity of his thoughts , and to let man see how his thoughts differ from the thoughts of god. as the lord saith in another case , esa. 55. 8. my thoughts are not as your thoughts . so the lord will have men know , that his thoughts and mans thoughts , are not the same in respect of what is good or evill for a man in this life . god doth it to shew man his thoughts and the vanity of them . man thinks that riches and honour are good for him in this life , and god lets him see how he is mistaken in his thoughts , by their becoming evil to him ; and man thinks afflictions are evil for him in this life , and god lets man see how he is mistaken in his thoughts , by turning them to good . thus god shews man the mistake and vanity of his thoughts , in respect of what is good or evil for man in this life . and so the lord discovers to man the vanity of his thoughts in this particular , in three things . 1. in thinking those happy , that enjoy the good things of this life ; when alas , poor man knoweth not but these things are evil for him . thus the lord in turning mens tables into snares , shewes his thoughts are not as man 's . we read of some , mal. 3. 15. that call'd the proud , happy : they thought wicked men were the happiest men ; but god tells them he would have a time to shew them the vanity of their thoughts , v. last . then shall ye return , and discern between the righteous and the wicked . as if he should say , you shall see , my thoughts were not as your thoughts . men are ready to think , the rich man the happy man , and the great man the happy man. and thus he discovers to man the vanity of his thoughts , and to let them know , that they know not the thoughts of the lord. as the expression is , micah 4. 12. but they know not the thoughts of the lord. 2. in his thinking them the only miserable men that are afflicted ; it is usual with men to do so : and god by hiding from man what is good for man in this life , discovers to man the vanity of those thoughts . thus , by making afflictions good for a man , they come to see they were mistaken in their thoughts , and find that gods thoughts were not as their thoughts . god in this , gives man to see his folly in giving a judgment of those things he knows not . and to let man see , that while he professeth himself wise , he becomes a fool , rom. 1. 22 that he is mistaken about the intentions of god , since what he apprehended evil , was by god intended for good . god by this lets men see how much their apprehensions and his intentions differ . how hath the lord brought men to acknowledg their folly in this particular . thus he that was the penman of psal . 73. tells you at vers . 22. so foolish was i and ignorant ! 3. in his judging of the intentions of gods heart , by the dispensations and operations of his hand ; and for this reason god hath hid this knowledge from man , to shew man the vanity of his thoughts , and his judgings , in that particular . though gods heart and hand go together , yet not alwayes so as men imagine . men think , where there is a loving heart , there should be a blessing hand ; and where there is an afflicting hand , there should be an hating heart . god carryeth things in a mystery ; but god will give man to know , he understands not that mystery . man is ready to think , god intendeth good to that man to whom he dispenseth good things , ( i mean ) things temporally good ; and that he intendeth evil to that man , to whom he dispenseth things temporally evil. now the lord by hiding this knowledg from man , will let man see how he is mistaken in these thoughts , and will let him know , that , with a loving heart , there may go an afflicting hand ; and with an hating heart , an hand that is seemingly a blessing hand ; that there may be good in his intention , when there may be seeming evil in his dispensation . when god afflicts , and chastiseth , and corrects , who would think there were good in his intention ? and yet , heb. 12. 10. he chasteneth us for our profit . rev. 3. 19. as many as i love , i rebuke and chasten . remember that , eccles . 9. 1. no man knowes love or hatred by what is before him ; he knoweth not the intentions of god by his dispensations ; he knoweth not gods heart by gods hand . and thus for the ground in general , why god hath hid the knowledg of what is good or evil for a man in this life . chap. iii. i now come to give you the particular reasons , why no man knoweth what is good for a man in this life . so the ground of it is this . reason . mans inability to know what is good for a man in this life . so consider ; man is utterly unable to make a judgement of conditions , and infallibly to say , what is good or evil for a man in this life . the ignorance of man is great in this particular , and i shall shew you it to be such , that it is not possible for a man , as man , to give a judgement of what is good for a man in this life . and that in these particulars . i. a man knoweth not what the spirits and dispositions of men are , and therefore he cannot know what is a fit and convenient good for them in this life . we know not , what will fit a mans spirit and disposition , unless we know his spirit and disposition . he knoweth not the foot , and therefore knoweth not what shooe will fit him . no man ( saith the apostle ) knows the things of a man , and so he knowes not the spirits and dispositions of men . nay let me tell you more , man knoweth not his own spirit and disposition , and how a condition will suit with it . christ told his disciples , luk. 9. 55. they knew not of what spirit they were . and then , man knoweth not , what is a fit and convenient good for himself . it is with men in this case , as with some that drink wine , who find it pleasant , but know not the strength of it , nor the strength of their own heads to bear it , and so come to be distemper'd by it before they are aware . every man thinks prosperity good for him , when as all men can no more bear a prosperous condition , then all heads can bear wine or strong drink . man knowes not how a condition will suit with his disposition , till they meet . we have a famous instance in hazael , 2 king. 8. 13. when he heard what was prophesied of him , he thought the doing of such things did better suit with the nature of a dog then of a man ; and therefore answers , is thy servant a dog , that he should do so ? but what is the prophets reply ? the lord hath shewed me , that thou shalt be king over syria , q. d. the change of thy condition will presently discover that disposition to be in thee , that now thou wilt not believe is in thee . all men know not what lyons and wolves lie sleeping in their bosoms , till they are awakened . like the snake in the snow , that doth not stir and hisse , till it feel the warmth of the fire of prosperity . every man is apt to think his head can bear the wine of prosperity till he drink of it . as the sons of zebedee answered christ , when he asked them , can ye drink of the cup that i must drink of , and be baptised with the baptism i must be baptised with , and they answered , we are able . so ask a man , whether he be fit and able to bear a prosperous condition ? whether he be fit for honour and riches ? why , he is ready to answer , that he is able ; when alas , he knoweth not his own spirit and disposition . and therefore , through a suspition of this , agur prayed , prov. 30. 8. that god would give him neither poverty nor riches ; and why he prayed against riches , he gives the reason , lest i be full and forget thee . why , he did not know under what temptations riches might bring him : they might be such strong drink that his head would not bear . and in this he shew'd he was ignorant of his own spirit it and disposition ; he was afraid that riches would not suit with it . ii. man is ignorant of this , how men will manage their conditions , and thereupon is unable to give , and make a judgement of them . man knoweth not , how a man will use , and improve his condition . things prove good or evil to men according to their management of them . there is an art of managing conditions , which most men are ignorant of ; a condition that might be for a mans good , through the ill-managing of it , becomes evil . it is the saying of one , that , every thing hath two handles . and so it is in respect of conditions , they have two handles . and here is the thing , to take prosperity and adversity , to take every condition by the right handle . now in this the ignorance of man is seen . in his taking of things by the wrong handle ; and so taking of conditions by wrong handles , they become evil ; whereas if they would take them by the right handle , that condition might be for good to them that otherwise is not . so man knoweth not by what handle men will tak hold of conditions . solomon hath an expression , eccles . 8. 6. to every purpose there is time and judgment ; therefore the misery of man is great on him . the meaning is this , that , god having put handles to things , and men not laying hold on the right handle , his not knowing how to do things , and when to do things , makes the miseries of man great upon him . so it is in respect of conditions ; seeming mercies become miseries , because men know not how to use them ; and seeming miseries would become mercies , if men did but know how to use them . it is in this case with us as with children , who , if you give them a knife , know not to make any other use of it then to cut and wound themselves ; and so , most men know not how to make any other use of their conditions , then to hurt themselves . and hence it is that no man knowes what is good for man in this life , what condition is good for him , whether a prosperous or an adverse condition , because he knowes not how he will manage his condition . the wrong use man makes of conditions , makes it impossible to man to give a judgment of conditions . and through this ignorance it comes to passe , that things prove to be evil for a man , that might have been for good . upon this account many a mans table becomes his snare , and what might have been for his welfare becomes his trap. thus by his abusing things , he makes blessings become curses ; and so those things become evil that might have been for good. thus it is in respect of prosperity . adversity . 1. for prosperity ; how do many abuse it to the feeding of their lusts , whereby that becomes evil to them that might have been for good ? and so by their ill managing of a condition , make that condition to become evil to them that might have bin for good . why thus they draw evil out of good ; as when a spider draws poyson out of a flower , it is not from the flower but the nature of the spider ; that , turns it into poyson . 2. for adversity ; why there are many that do want the art of making good out of evil ; and so that becomes evill to them , that through their wise managing of it might have been for good . men have learned the art of making wind and water serviceable to them . we have a saying of making a vertue of necessity , and so there is an art to make good out of evil : but man knowes it not . that man will never be a good bowler that knoweth not how to set the byasse of his bowle . conditions have their byasses : and here is the art and skill , to set the byasse of a condition right . iii. man knoweth not to what dangers , evils , and temptations , mens conditions may expose them ; and therefore they are not able to give a judgment of conditions , and to say what is good for a man in this life . we may look upon those things as good for a man which may expose him to such temptations and dangers that may be for his hurt and ruine . remember , there are no outward or worldly good things , but do expose men to many evils , dangers , and temptations , and so become evil to a man in this life . thus we find , honour , riches , outward prosperity , do expose a man to envy . as one saith of naboth , it had been better for him he had not had a vineyard , it cost him his life . these things have cost a man his sweetest things , ( viz. ) his liberty and life . how many men had lived longer , had they not had such and such things , wherein they seemed to excel and to be more happy then other men . and so the historian saith of the romane emperours , that they got nothing by their honour , nisi ut citius interficerentur , but to be kill'd the sooner . we read of esius proculus , that he was slain by caligula , for being the handsomest man in rome . beauty and handsomness was for his hurt . and seneca was condemned for being too eloquent , though , at the intercession of one of the emperour's lemans his life was spared . and hence it is , a man is not able to give a judgment of things , because he knows not what their issue may be , and what dangers they may bring a man under ; because experience shews , that it had been good for some men to have bin without those things , that , in the eyes of some , seemed to be good for them . that , as our saviour said of judas , it had bin good for that man , if he had not bin born ; so we may say of some , it had been good for them , if they never had had honour , riches , beauty , and other things that most men look upon , as good for a man in this life . iv. man knoweth not what snares satan hath laid in a condition , to catch and entrap a man in ; and therefore is not able to give or make a judgment of outward conditions . through his devices , that condition may become evil that seemed to be for good . satan is a subtil adversary , and he seeks to get an advantage against us by the conditions we are in . he endeavours to make every condition , a snare and a trap to us . he strives to make temptations out of our conditions . he knows how to make use of our conditions to advantage himself , and to hurt us . and man knows not what snares satan may lay for a man in a condition , and what advantage he may make of it to hurt a man , and therefore no certain judgment can be made of it . satan is a careful and diligent observer , as of our constitutions , so of our conditions , and will be sure to suit his temptations to them . he hath his temptations for all conditions , whether high or low , whether prosperous or adverse . 1. if a man be in a prosperous condition , why there are evils he tempts a man to , in that estate . and those , both moral . spiritual . i. moral . so consider these : 1. pride and high-mindedness . prosperity inclines a man to it , and here satan sayles with wind and tide , 1 tim. 6. 17. charge them that be rich in this world that they be not high-minded . 2. boasting and glorying in their prosperity , with a contemning of those whose condition is meaner , jerem. 9. 23. let not the rich man glory in his riches . 3. injustice and oppression , prov. 22. 7. the rich man ruleth over the poor . or , as it may be read , domineereth . 4. luxury , and profuseness , and wantonness . as the sodomites . and dives that fared deliciously every day . ii. spiritual evils there are , to which a prosperous condition inclines a man , and to which satan will be ready to tempt a man : and these are three : 1. forgetting god and forgetting duty . and upon this account it was , agur prayed against riches , prov. 30. 9. lest i be full , and forget thee . 2. creature-confidence . we find the scripture frequent in giving cautions concerning that , 1 tim. 6. 17. that men should not trust in uncertain riches . 3. security , we read of the rich man in the gospel , luke 12 19. who bid his soul take its ease , it had goods laid up for many years . why thus you see a prosperous condition hath its temptations ; and all these ways , satan is ready to get an advantage of a man that is in that condition ? now who can give a judgement of a mans condition when it is prosperous , when he knoweth not but it may cast him into some of these evills . 2. if a man be in an adverse condition , why that hath its temptations too . when a mans condition is low , then satan tempts him to murmuring , discontent , impatiency , envy , use of unlawful means . and , upon this account , agur prayed against poverty , prov. 30. lest i be poor and steal . he saw , that condition had its temptations . why thus you see , every condition hath its temptations : and , how shall man be able to make a judgment of conditions , when he knows not what temptations he may fall under , by reason of his condition ; when we know not , but satan , through his wiles and devices , may make a condition evil for a man , that else might have been for his good ; how he may make that condition his snare , that might have been for his welfare ? v. man cannot make a judgment of what is good or evil for a man in this life , because he knoweth not , what the wheel is that is within the wheel . we read ezek. 1. of the wheel in the wheel . consider , there is the outward wheel of dispensation that is visible to us , and there is a secret wheel of providence within that wheel . so that when we look upon the outward wheel of prosperity , or adversity , we know not what wheel moves within those wheels . we see how the outward wheel moves , but we know not what the motions are of the wheel within ; its motions may be cross to the wheel without . 1. consider how it is in respect of prosperity . there is an outward wheel that is visible , and seems to move to a mans honour , exaltation , and advancement in the world ; and yet we know not what cross motions the secret wheel of providence may have to the external wheel of dispensation : while the outward wheel seems to move to a mans good , and honour , and advantage ; the inward wheel ( for ought we know ) may be moving to a mans hurt and ruine . according to the saying of the poet , — tolluntur in altum vt lapsu graviore ruant — their lifting up , may tend to their casting down . while the outward wheel may seem to raise them , and mount them ; the wheel within , may move to the undoing and destruction of them . we have a notable instance of this in haman : there was an outward wheel moving to his raising and advancement , to the setting of him high in the favour of his prince , and who ( that had lookt upon that ) would not have thought , this had been for hamans good ? but see , there was a wheel within the wheel , a cross-wheel that was then moving to hamans downfall , and hamans ruine . ii. for adversity , why you shall find sometimes the outward wheel seemingly moving to a mans hurt , and ruine , and disadvantage , when yet we know not the motions of the wheel , that are within the wheel . there may be within that wheel , a wheel of providence moving to a mans good and advantage . thus it was in the case of joseph , when he was cast into a pit , when he was sold into egypt , when he was cast into prison by his master ; who would have thought but that this outward wheel of dispensation had moved to joseph's ruine ; and yet , at the same time , there was a wheel within this wheel moving to the advancement of joseph , and to the making him ruler over all the land of egypt ▪ so in the case of job : when he was stript of all to a shoo-latchet , when he was bereaved of his goods , cattel , children , health , who would have thought but this wheel of dispensation had moved to the ruine and utter undoing of job ? and yet , at the same time , there was a wheel moving within this wheel to his good and advantage , as you may read in his story . so the apostle tells us , jam. 5. 11. you have heard of the patience of job , and have seen the end of the lord. god's end in all was jobs good , though the outward wheel of dispensation spake it not . so this is one reason , why a man knoweth not what is good or evil for a man in this life ; because no man knows the motions of the wheel of secret providence , within the wheel of outward dispensation . we know not what is the end of the lord in a mans prosperity or adversity ; our sight is not clear and peircing enough to discern the wheel within , and what its motions are : when we see a man great , and rich , and honourable , we cannot say , he is an happy man , and that it is good for him to be such ; because we know not the end of the lord. and so , when we see a man poor , and low , and in an afflicted condition , we cannot say , that man is miserable , or , that it is evil for him ; because in this dispensation we know not the end of the lord ; we know not how the wheel within moves . reas 6. man knoweth not what is good or evil for a man in this life , because of that sudden and unexpected changeableness that there is in all conditions . man's ignorance of this , disables him to make a judgment of outward conditions . if a man could make the things of this life certain , why then he might make a judgment of them ; but , the comfort in them and the enjoyment of them being uncertain , who can make a true and perfect judgment of them ? the things themselves are uncertain , and the good in them changeable ; and , who is the man then that can say , that things , that are so full of uncertainty and so changeable , are good for a man in this life ? solomon , in eccles . 7. 14. speaking of conditions , saith , god hath set prosperity and adversity one over against the other , as a vally over against a mountain : so that , when a man lookes upon himself as set upon the mountain of prosperity , he seeth a valley of adversity over against him : why , he seeth a change of his condition before him ; and though he stand at present upon the mountain of prosperity , yet he sees below him a valley of adversity , which he knoweth not how soon he may descend into . and , who can say , prosperity is good for him , when he seeth adversity over against him ? so consider : upon this account , it is impssioble that a man should make a perfect judgment of conditions . since 1. conditions are changeable . 2. the good and comfort in a condition is changeable . 1. the condition is changeable . an honourable , rich , & prosperous condition is changeable : and then , what is man the better for being in such a condition ? psal . 49. 20. man being in honour continueth not . and yet see , men had other thoughts vers . 11. their inward thoughts was , that their houses should continue for ever . they thought , it was good for a man to have houses and possessions , because they looked upon these things as constant , and enduring , and lasting ; they thought their inheritances lasting , and that they should leave them to those that would continue their memory for ever , that is , to their children ; which are , but the parents multiplied and continued . which , as one saith , is but nodosa aeternitas , a knotty eternity ; as when one thread is spun and broken , then another thread is knit to it : thus men dream of a continued succession . but what saith the psalmist ? this their way , is their folly ; for man being in honour continueth not . consider , there is a changeableness in all outward conditions ; there may be a sudden turn of providence . job the richest man in the east , lost all ( as it were ) in an instant . all the wit , and care , and industry , and providence of man , cannot hinder the providence of god from making conditions changable . and considering this , who can say , this or that condition is good or evil for a man , when he knoweth not how that condition may change ? what if a prosperous condition should change ? why then , it had been better a man had not known it ; it making a man but more miserable to have been happy , and then to be miserable . 2. though the condition it self should continue , yet the comfort in the condition is changeable : why , the things of a condition , that seems good and comfortable and desirable , are changeable . the things of such a condition may become a cross , and burden , and vexation ; such a changeableness there is in the comforts of a condition that seemeth good for a man. augustus had three daughters , and all of them very lew'd ; and he was used to call them his tria carcinωmata his three ulcers or botches ; and was used to say , vtinam aut caelebs vixissem , aut orbus periissem , i would i had lived unmarried , or died without children . life and light are two of the sweetest things , and yet a man may out-live the comfort of them ; they may prove a burden to a man as to job ( job 3. 20 ) why is life given to the afflicted , and light to the bitter in soul ? let me tell you ; those things , that are looked on as the greatest earthly comforts , may become a mans burthens and afflictions . reas . 7. man cannot make a perfect judgment of what is good for him , and so on the contrary what is evil for him in this life ; because there are but few that have the right art and way of judging of conditions ; and so are apt to call good evil , and evil good ; and so are disabled from knowing what is good for a man in this life . i shall name some of those ways , by which most judge of the good or evil of a condition . 1. opinion . 2. sense . 3. affection . i. most judge of conditions by opinion ; they take things to be as they account them . it is opinion that makes things to be good and evil , to some , that , if rightly considered , are not so . thus conditions are looked upon as good or evil , according as they are in our opinion . it was the saying of seneca , levis est dolor , si nil opinio adjecerit , the misery would be little , if our opinion did not adde to it . opinion is a leight judgment of things , by which things are good in the imagination , but never arrive at the understanding to be made reason . it is an ill guide , and therefore some call it the guide of fools , when reason is the guide of the wise . most men judg of conditions by opinion , and so it is impossible they should make a right judgment of conditions , of what is good or evil for a man in this life . and therefore , we find the scripture setting it self to oppose and cross the opinions of men , in relation to what is good and evil for a man in this life . jam. 5. 1. howl ye rich men , &c. now it is the opinion of most , that rich men have cause to rejoyce . prov. 15. 16. better is a little with the fear of the lord , then great treasures with trouble . this crosseth the general opinion of men . psal . 37. 16. a little that a righteous man hath , is better then the riches of many wicked . now the opinion of the world is , that much , is alwayes better then little . one place more , eccles . 7. 2 , 3. vers . 2. it is better to go to the house of mourning , then to go to the house of feasting . but most men think not so . vers . 3. sorrow is better then laughter . but this crosseth the general opinion of men . ii. another way by which men judg of the good or evil of conditions , is by sense . they judg of the good & evil of things , according as they are pleasing or displeasing to their senses . they judg of conditions as many do of meats , who judg of them by the taste , and so take them to be wholsome that are toothsome : and so , on the contrary , those meats unwholsome that are unpleasant . and therefore , the apostle tells those , heb. 12. 11. how they were mistaken about their condition , which was then a suffering condition ; no affliction ( saith he ) for the present seemeth joyous but grievous . why , sense at the present can feel no good in it , but afterwards it bringeth forth the quiet fruit of righteousness . this way of judging deceived eve : she saw the fruit was desirable , it looked fair to the eye . thus many are deceived about their conditions . they are like the book st. john eatt , as hony in the mouth , but in the belly , as bitter as gall. thus men look upon conditions , whether they are hony in the mouth ; they look no further , whether they may not prove gall in the belly . why , thus most judg of conditions by sense ; and while they judg so , it is impossible for them to know , what is good or evil for them in this life . iii. some make a judgment of conditions , by their sinfully-sensual affections , and so account that good for them in this life , that suits with their lusts and inordinate desires . thus men come to be beguiled with the appearance of good , instead of real good. most men take the word of their lusts , and corrupt and sinful desires , concerning what is good for them . as sampson said , give her me , for she pleaseth me well . since the fall , man rather consults with his own corrupt desires then any thing else , and makes them his oracle ; at which , he enquires about the good and evil of things : and while they seek to that oracle , it must needs follow , that good must be rejected under the notion of evil , and evil lookt upon as desirable under the notion of good . affections sensually-sinful , are wofully blinded in judging of conditions . chap. iv. having explained and confirmed the point , i come now to resolve some questions , that may be put , in relation to the truth delivered . 1. question , whether it be lawful to pray against afflictions , since no man knoweth what is good for a man in this life ; and so in praying against them , we may pray against , and deprecate that , that ( for ought we know ) may be for out good ? 2. quest. whether it be lawful to pray for outward and worldly good things , as riches , &c. since we know not , but we may pray for what is evil for us ? 3. quest. whether our being ignorant of what is good for us in this life , doth not warrant us , to undertake things , and adventure on them hand over head , or at hap-hazard ( as we say ) or at adventure , without any circumspection , consideration , prudential foresight or providential care , as in marriage , &c. why , some may say ; i know not what is good for me in this life , and therefore , let it happen how it will. so the question is , whether this truth , do not deny and destroy all care of providence ? i shall answer to these in order . 1. quest. whether , according to the truth delivered , it be lawful for a man to pray against afflictions , since he knoweth not but that he may pray against his own good . since , some by experience have found , it was good for them that they were afflicted . answ . some have bin of this opinion , that , it is unlawful to pray against afflictions ; and that it was not the errour of tertullian , to say , afflictions were to be sought for , and desired ; and said , that men ought to be so far from praying against them , that they ought to pray for them and desire them . but this i look upon , as one of his errours . i shall give an answer to the question . 1. general . 2. particular . i. general . so i answer ; that , notwithstanding it so falls out that afflictions are good for a man , yet they may be lawfully prayed against . and this truth i shall clear up to you , by four things . 1. afflictions are , in their own nature , fruits and effects of sin , and such as nature abhors ; such are sickness , poverty , all sorts of losses and crosses ; they were brought in by sin. the apostle saith , rom. 5. 12. sin entred into the world , and death by sin. death is there put for , all miseries . as life in scripture is put for all good ; so death is the topick for all miseries , being called the king of fears ; and so the king of evils , being the king of whatsoever is fearful to man , and what nature abhoreth . as death , so all evils ( as death's attendants ) came into the world by sin. sin was the mother , and afflictions of all sorts are the daughters . so then , looking upon them under this notion , as the effects of sin , they may be prayed against . when sin came into the world , these evils crowded in with it ; and when sin shall be no more , these miseries and evils shall be no more , rev. 21. 4. there shall be no more death , &c. the thred followeth the needle . sin was the needle , that drew in with it the thred of miseries and afflictions . man had never known what losses , and crosses , and miseries , and afflictions had bin , had it not been for sin. 2. afflictions of themselves , do us no good ; of themselves , they do not make a man better . the good by afflictions comes from a superiour work , from those admirable influences and concurrences of the spirit of god , on , and with , the afflictions . as our saviour said , man lives not by bread only : so , man is not amended by afflictions only . put a stone into the fire , it cometh out a stone still . no water , either hot or cold , will make a blackmore white . empty vinegar from vessel to vessel , it will be vinegar still . so , let a man be emplyed , from condition to condition , he is still the same . we know , the plough breaks up the earth , but of it self doth not better it ; it leaveth it as it was , there is nothing put in by the plough : if the husbandman dung it , and cast in good seed , when he hath broken it up with his plough , then there is like to be a harvest , else there is nothing but weeds and nettles . the plough of afflictions may break our bodies , and estates , and spirits ; but there will be no harvest without something more , without an heavenly influence ; afflictions will bring forth only briars and thorns . the expression of the psalmist , is , psal . 94. 12. blessed is the man whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy law. it is then happy , when correction and instruction go together . 3. as afflictions are fruits of sin , and of themselves do no good ; so oftentimes , through mans corruption , they prove occasions of sin. they are so far from making men better , that they often make men worse . i have shewed before , what evils are incident , both to a state of prosperity and adversity . satan knoweth , how to make afflictions to become temptations : and therefore we find this to be the reason , why agur prayed against poverty , prov. 30. 9. lest i be poor and steal , and the name of god be taken in vain ; q. d. poverty may put me under a temptation of using unlawful means , to the dishonour of god. thus , afflictions prove somtimes occasions of sin ; and we are taught to pray , that we may not be led into temptation . 4. consider again this , that the saints and servants of god have prayed against afflictions : so , they have prayed for 1. the preventing of them , and keeping them off . 2. the removing them , and taking them off . 1. for the preventing them , and keeping them off. thus did agur , prov. 30. 8 , 9. where you have his prayer ; first , against the evils of sin , ver. 7. take from me vanity and lying . next , against the evils of affliction , ver. 8. give me not poverty . 2. they have prayed for the removing them , and taking them off . and those have done it , who got as much good by their afflictions , as any under heaven . thus david , psal . 39. 10. take away thy stroak from me . psal . 119. 22. turn away shame and reproach from me . thus did job , job 9. 34. let him take away his rod from me . job 13. 20 , 21. withdraw thine hand from me , &c. where , he prayeth for gods taking away his afflicting rod , and for his with-drawing his afflicting hand . and these two men , got as much good by their being afflicted , as ever any did . thus , in general , you see what we answer to the question , whether evils of affliction may be prayed against ? ii. we come to give a more particular answer to the question ; and tell you , that though we say , it is lawful to pray against afflictions ; yet it must be with the observation of some rules , and cautions , and directions . that , as our saviour said in another case concerning hearing ; take heed , how ye hear ; so in this case of praying against afflictions , we say , take heed how ye pray . so consider ; there is a double praying against afflictions , as i told you before : 1. for the keeping them off . 2. for the taking them off . 1. for the keeping them off . so , there is a twofold praying for the keeping off afflictions . 1. absolute . 2. conditional , and with submission . 1. absolute . when men pray , that , in no case , the evil may happen to them ; so making their will a law to god's . this praying against afflictions , is unwarrantable and unlawful . we must know ; for moral evils of sin , we may pray absolutely against , but not so against the evils of affliction . 2. there is a praying against them , that is conditional , & with submission to the will of god ; this is lawful . our saviour himself prayed that the cup might pass from him , but adds this , not my will , but thine be done . our praying against afflictions is then right , when there is a sweet submission of our wills , to the will of god : so , that though we know that afflictions are grievous to our natures ; yet , because we know not , what the decrees and purposes of god are concerning us ; and not knowing , but that he may see them good for us , and make them good to us : we do sweetly submit our wills , to the will of god , and proclaim liberty to him , to deal with us as he please . and herein is the work of grace seen , that , though nature desireth wholly to be freed from them , ( they being such things as are bitter to it ; ) yet a christian leavs himself wholly to the will of god , and saith , not my will , but thine be done . when christians see the cup of affliction preparing for them , or coming towards them , they must pray against it , only as our saviour did . it is then right , when in praying against afflictions , we pray absolutely that god may be glorified ; but for the things that concern our selves , we pray with submission to his will. thus christ did , john 12. 27 , 28. save me from this hour , but for this cause came i to this hour . father , glorify thy self . our saviour is absolute in that request of his , that his father would glorify his name , and received an answer ; but for the other request , he sweetly submitted to his father 's will. thus doth a gracious heart pray absolutely , that god may be glorified , ( let it be in relation to himself ) which way the lord please . thus in desiring freedom from affliction , though a gracious heart looks upon it as desirable to nature , to be freed from losses , and crosses , sickness , and poverty , &c : yet he looks upon gods glory as , that , that is to preferred before its own worldly welfare , ease , quiet , contentment , and comfort . whereas some may say , that agur prayed absolutely against poverty , prov. 30. 8 , 9. give me not poverty , &c. we answer , that though it looketh like an absolute request , yet it is not : if we look upon the reason of the request , vers . 9. we shall find that he prayed absolutely , only in relation to gods glory . for , the reason why he prayes against poverty , is this , lest i be poor and steal , and the name of god be taken in vain . where see , that he only prayeth against poverty upon this account , lest it might occasion him to sin , and dishonour god. agur doth not say , lest i be poor and steal , and be whipt , and stockt , or hanged ; but , lest the name of god be taken in vain . 2. concerning the keeping off , of afflictions . there is a praying either against , 1. the things themselves . 2. the evil of the things . 1. against the things themselves . for that , we say , as formerly , we ought not to pray absolutely , but with submission . 2. there is a praying against the evil of the things . so we may pray absolutely against the evil of the evils , though we may may not pray absolutely against the afflictions , yet against the sting of the affliction . the apostle paul , calleth sin , the sting of death ; and it is the sting of every affliction : and against the sting , we may pray absolutely . thus for the first , concerning praying for the keeping off of afflictions . 2. concerning praying for the taking off afflictions . so , these rules are to be observed . 1. we must not put our wills , as a law to god's . then it is right , when , while we desire god to remove the affliction , we get our hearts willing to bear the affliction , if god will have it so . 2. in praying for the removal of them , there must be a submission to the will of god , in relation to all circumstances ; to wit , the time and manner of removing . we must submit to his wisdom for the means , and be content to wait his leasure , for the time of taking them off . 3. we must choose rather affliction , than sin ; and pray more for the taking away of sin , then the taking off affliction . it was a pharoah that prayed only for the taking off of affliction , exod. 10. 17. pray to the lord your god , that he may take away from me , this death only . he was only , for having his judgment taken away , not his sin. 4. we must pray more , for god's sanctifying afflictions to us , then for his removing them from us . that the rod may do its work for which it is sent , before it be taken off ; that we may be better'd by the affliction , before we are freed from the affliction . thus in answer to the first question . chap. v. the second question . if a man know not , what is good for a man in this life ; is it then lawfull for a man to pray for the things of this life , viz. riches , & c ? since he knoweth not , but they may be hurtful for him . his prosperity may be his ruine , his table may be his snare ; and that which he thought was for his welfare , may become his trap. to this question i shall give an answer 1. in general . 2. more particular . i. in general , i answer thus : that it is lawful to pray for the things of this life ; although we know not , whether they are good for man in this life . there are these arguments to make it good . 1. riches , and health , and the comforts of this life , are in themselves blessings of god. they flow from him , who is the fountain of good ; and are , in themselves , streams that issue from that fountain , and speak his goodnesse . they are some of those things , by which , he that is good ( as the psalmist speaks ) doth good to his creatures . acts 14. 17. god left not himself without witness , in that he did good , and gave them rain , and fruitful seasons ; filling their hearts with joy and gladness . so , upon that account , they may be pray'd for . 2. the things of this life may be prayed for , in that our saviour hath taught us to pray for our daily bread. where , by bread , is meant all those good things that are necessary for this life . bread is there a comprehensive word , being the staff of life ; and so call'd the staff of bread. and by a synechodoche it is put for all , both necessary and comfortable supports of mans life . now , being to pray for our daily bread , we may pray for what is necessary and comfortable for life . 3. outward good things are necessary for our uses , and for our well-being in this world. mat. 6. 32. your heavenly father knoweth , that you have need of all these things . in prayer , there is a making known of our needs and wants to god ; not only spiritual , but temporal too ; not only those that relate to our souls , but also to our bodies . the apostle bids us , phil. 4. 6. in nothing be careful , but let your wants be made known to god. then no doubt , but we may lawfully pray for all comfortable , and suitable supplies to our wants . 4. these outward things do not of themselves hurt . of themselves they make none evil. outward things are to men , as they are to them. it is not from the things themselves , but from lusts within that they become evil. the poyson is not in the flower , but in the nature of the spider : so the evil of outward things , is not in the things themselves , but from our lusts , that turn them into evil. it is not mens possessions , but mens corruptions that make them to become evil to them . when a mans table comes to be his snare , the creatures are not to be blamed , but a mans own lusts . the apostle , 2 pet. 1. 4. speaks of the corruptions that are in the world through lust . the world , and the things of the world are the object ; but the cause why they become evil to us , is lust . the fault , why men are covetous , or sensual , or effeminate , is not in gold , or wine , or women ; but in mens sensual affections , and naughty dispositions . so it is observable , when st. john , 1 john 2. 16. doth sum up , what of the world is opposite to the love of god , he doth not name the objects , but the lusts . he doth not say , what ever is in the world is pleasure , or honour , or profit ; but he names , the lusts of the eye , the lusts of the flesh , and the pride of life ; and these are not of the father , but are of the world. ( i. e. ) these are not of god , as riches , and honour , and outward things are ; but of that world , that man hath made within himself , by his own corrupt desires , and sensual lusts and affections . by this you see , the evil is not in the things themselves , but in our selves ; we find , they are such things as are consistent with grace and holinesse . we read of abrahams and jobs wealth and riches . st. austin , speaking of these worldly things saith , dantur bonis ne putentur mala , dantur malis ne putentur summa bona . it is a certain truth , that god never giveth any thing in it self evil , to those that are good ; so , neither doth he give the chiefest good things , to those that are evil. so that when these things become evil to men , it is from a mans own corruptions . when men make these things , the bellows of pride , the fewel of uncleanness , the instruments of revenge ; this is not from themselves , but mans making use of them for such ends , for which they were not ordained . so when the gospel calls upon us , to renounce the world , the meaning is not , that we should cast the things of the world out of our possession , but out of our affection . to be rich , is not inconsistent with religion , it is mans abusing of riches , &c. that makes them evil to us . 5. the things of this life , may be helps to christians , to further them in doing good : though they be seeming hindrances ; yet , by a wise improvement , they may become great advantages , for the performing of works both of piety and charity . if a man have but the art , of placing these things aright , they may help a man toward heaven . as we see it is with a trunk of mony ; let a man put it upon his head , it boweth him down ; but let him put it under his feet , it lifteth him up . 't is the apostle's command , in 1 tim. 6. 18. to those that are rich , that they be rich in good works ; letting them know , that they have an opportunity put into their hands , of doing good with their wealth . see what our saviour saith , luke 16. 9. make you friends of the vnrighteous mammon . but , why doth our saviour call it , the unrighteous mammon ? not because riches are so in themselves , but because of mens either evil getting , or using of them . q. d. things that many men abuse , and so make them the riches of iniquity ; may be so imployed , as to be helps to further good . and therefore , it was a hard saying , and censure of a father ( although i confess it is sometimes true ) omnis dives aut iniquus , aut iniqui haeres , every rich man is either an oppressor , or the son of an oppressor . 6. wealth and riches , and the things of this life , are the things that come within a promise . it is said of him that feareth the lord , psal . 112. that wealth and riches shall be in his house ( i. e. ) when god seeth it good for him . for all temporal promises must be understood with an exception . the rule is this , concerning such promises , that they do not intimate what ever shall be , but what ever befalleth a godly man shall be a blessing . the fruit of a promise , shall not be the fruit of a loser providence ; but to a godly man , they are the fruits of a promise , and therefore may be prayed for . thus for the answer in general . ii. the particular answer is this . though we said , and have shewed , that it is lawful to pray for outward things , yet it must have its rules and limitations , and that upon this ground , that we know not what is good for a man in this life . concerning praying for outward things , we must know this , they must not be prayed for ; 1. absolutely . 2. ultimately . 1. absolutely . in praying for outward things , we must not pray for them , but with a submission to the will of god. in praying for them , we must take need of making our wills a law to god's . for , as i shewed you before , that the evils of this life , are not evils to be absolutely prayed against ; so neither are the things of this life , absolutely to be prayed for . then it is right , if , when you are begging of them , you can find in your heart to be without them , if god will have if so . as for those good things that relate to another life , they are to be absolutely prayed for ; but , for the things of this life , we are not to do so ; we must not so desire them , as not content to be denyed . this was rachels sin , in her desire of children , give me children or else i dye . she would have no nay , but she must have children , and she payed dear for it , for she died in child-bearing ; she would die if she had not children , and she died in bringing forth a child , whom she called benoni . thus israel would have no nay , but they must have a king. and thus the hearts of many , are so set upon the things of this life , that they cannot brook a denial of them ; and think god doth not love them , if he do not grant those requests they make for them . 2. in praying for outward things , as you may not pray for them absolutely , so you are not to pray and seek for them , ultimately , but to make them subordinate to gods glory . it is lawful to pray for health , and wealth , and the good things of this life ; but it is to be done , with a respect to the glory of god , that we may be enabled the better , to serve and honour him with them ; and not that our sensual desires , and sinful lusts , may be satisfied , jam. 4. 3. the apostle telleth us , of some that did ask ; but he telleth us , that their end was not right ; for they did ask , that they might consume it upon their lusts . this asking is evil and unlawful . how many are there , that would have god bestow that upon them , that they would bestow upon their lusts , as health , and long life ; that they may live the more pleasantly , wealth , that they may fare deliciously every day ; great estates , that they may raise themselves and families , that they may be some-body in the world , and may lord it over others . it is not right , when men desire outward things , that they may live more comfortably , and not serve god more chearfully . quest. but some may ask , how may i know , in praying for the things of this life , that i have a respect to gods glory ; since the heart of man is so deceitful ? answ . by these things , it may be known . 1. he that makes gods glory his end , in seeking these things , is as much in begging grace to use them for god , as he is to have them . where the desires of a man , after these things , are right , they are not single desires after the things themselves , but conjoyned and coupled with desires of grace ; whereby he may be inabled to serve and honour god with them . this is his most earnest request , that , if god put any such price into his hand , he would give him a heart to make use of it for his glory . prov. 3. 9. honour god with thy substance . so , this is the great request of those that eye the glory of god , in their begging the things of this life ; that , if god see it good to bestow those things on them , that he would give them to honour him with their riches , with their health , and with all their worldly enjoyments . when it is otherwise , our praying for them is not right . there are many that only look after the things themselves , but never begg for grace , by which they should make a right improvement of them . then it is right , when a man desireth rather to be denied the things themselves , than grace to use them ; when he can say , lord give me not riches , give me not honour , give me not worldly possessions , if thou do not withall give me a heart to use them to thy glory . 2. this speaketh it , when a man can take a denial , and be content to go without them , when god will have it so . this sheweth man's respecting the glory of god , above the things themselves . such an one sits down contented , when god is pleased to cross his desires , and to deny him his requests : when he beggeth health , and wealth , and the good things of this life , and is denied ; he layeth his hand upon his mouth , and concludeth , that , god did not see those things to make for his glory , nor for the good of him that begged them . we read of balaam , num. 22. when he was sent for by balak , that he gave out , he would not eye the offers that balak made him , but only the command of god. yet , when he was told , he should not go , he enquires again , and again , till at last god bid him go ; which shews , he eyed more the promotion and advancement he expected from balak , then the command of god. so some , in seeking the things of this life , are so impatient , that , though the lord have denied them once , and again , yet they will be asking them again ; it is good for men to do so , in seeking after the things of another life , but not in seeking after the things of this life . 3. this speaketh it , when , in praying for the things of this life , he prayes only for such a measure and proportion of them , as may least expose him to sin . by this , a man shews , in seeking of them , he hath en eye to the honour and glory of god. such an one seeks not great things for himself , but only what is convenient . it was agur's prayer , prov. 30. 8. that god would feed him with food convenient . if you ask , why he prayed for convenient food , and a convenient estate , the reason was this , because he saw danger in extreams ; in poverty on the one hand , and riches on the other . he saw , to be very rich , or very poor , was very dangerous , and would put under great temptations . q. d. lord i would not be rich , because it is hard to be rich and good ; and i would not be poor , because it is hard to be poor , and not to sin . therefore he prayeth for such an estate as did best suite with holiness , and would least expose him , to temptations unto sin ; this speaks his eying the glory of god. he prayeth against riches , and abundance , but it is not upon this account , because they may make a man envyed , or cause cares and troubles , for he that encreaseth riches , increaseth them : but it is purely upon another account , ( viz ) the glory of god , as appears by his reason given , vers . 9. lest i be full and forget thee , and say , who is the lord ? which shews , that it was gods honour and glory , that he did respect . so when he prayeth against poverty , he doth not make this his reason , lest i be despised and trodden under foot , but , lest the name of my god be taken in vain . so that what he prayed for , was in relation to gods glory . so it is with him that eyes the glory of god , in seeking the things of this life ; he seeks not great things for himself , but only what is proportionable and convenient . he knows , a shoo too big for his foot , may hinder him in going , as well as a shoo that is too little : a staff , you know , is a help to a man when he walketh ; but a bundle of staves , both hinder and burden . it is good for men , in seeking the things of this life , to seek only what is fit and convenient , that they may be the better fitted to be serviceable to their god , and to run the race that is set before them . suppose a man were to run a race , and many suites were laid before him to take his choice , some of cloth of gold , &c. he would not choose the most gorgious , but the most convenient , lest otherways he lose the race . quest. some may ask , what is a convenient estate ? answer : 1. that which nature requireth . nature is content with a little . it was the saying of a wise man , he that liveth according to nature , will find a little , enough ; and he that liveth according to opinion , will never have enough . and it was the saying of a gracious man , having food and rayment , let us therewith be content . 2. that is convenient , that is suitable to the estate wherein god hath put us . some need not so much as others do ; and it is their happiness , if they knew it ; as it is for a man to see without spectacles , and to walk without crutches . it was the saying of socrates , when he saw great riches carried through a town , how happy am i , that i can live without all this ? 3. that is convenient , that is requisite for the comfortable maintenance of our families . the apostle saith , he that provideth not for his own house , is worse than an infidel . yet solomon saith , there was a man , that had neither son , nor brother , and yet there was no end of his labours . 4. this speaketh our respecting gods glory , in our seeking the things of this life , our using the things for god , when he hath bestowed them on us , and hath granted us our desire . do you not spend them upon your lusts ? do you not say to the wedge of gold , thou art my confidence ? do you not make them the fuel for lusts , and instruments of revenge ? you may know , what your hearts were in desiring them , by the use you afterwards make of them . remember , lust is an earnest craver ; and will pretend , that what it beggs , is for god , till it hath what it desireth . it is good for christians then , to put the question to themselves , what god hath the more from them , for that they have received from him ? to close up the answer to this question ; let me tell you , although it be lawful to pray for the things of this life ; yet not principally and primarily , but with respect to the inferiority of their nature and uses . remember still , these are not the cheif things to be sought after . mat. 6. 33. seek first the kingdom of god , &c. we ought , in our prayers , to give the precedency , and preeminence to spiritual good things . heavenly things are to be preferred before earthly ; and we are to place them in our prayers , as god hath placed them . though we may lawfully pray for the things of this life , yet we pray unlawfully , when we are more earnest for them , than for the things that relate to another life . god took it well from solomon , when he was left to his choice , and bid to ask what he would , he only asked wisdom . he did not ask riches , nor long life , nor the life of his enemies . yet god gave him those . the way to have the things of this world , is , chiefly to seek after the things of another world. these things you may pray for absolutely , viz. grace , and an interest in christ , and pardon of sin , and all soul-mercies ; and all the good things that relate to another life . we read of some , in hos . 7. 14. that howled upon their beds , for corn and wine . those were the things they only sought after ; and their prayers was but a brutish crie , compared to the howling of a dog. a gracious soul pants after the things of another life , when others pant only after the things of this life . the prophet speaks of such , amos 2. 7. who pant after the dust of the earth : but david's soul panted after god , psal . 42. 1. so panteth my soul after thee , o god. then it is right , when we pray for the things of this life , with a serious consideration of their lowness , and baseness , and inferiority , being compared with the things of eternity , and another life . thus for the second question . the third question , is this : whether our being ignorant of what is good for us in this life , doth not warrant to adventure on , and undertake things ( as we say ) hand over-head , or at all adventure ; without circumspection , consideration , prudential foresight , or providential care. as in the business of marriage , and of managing all our businesses and affairs in this life . some may say , i see i know not what is good for me in this life : and therefore , the thing i am about , notwithstanding all my prudence , and care , and circumspection , may ( for ought i know ) be for evil to me ; and , without all this care and circumspection , may be for good to me . so the question is , whether this truth doth not destroy all prudential and providential care about the management of the affairs of this life . answer . no such matter : it makes nothing against that . and that , we shall shew in these following propositions ; which i shall briefly name . 1. divine providence doth not destroy humane prudence ; which is so much commended by solomon , in his book of the proverbs . 2. gods providence doth sometimes make up mans improvidence . but that is no warrant at all , for a man therefore to be improvident . 3. it is a tempting of god , when we neglect the means , for bringing to passe the end. 4. it is creating crosses to our selves ; and , for which we must only thank our selves . we are not called to bear crosses of our own making , but of god's sending . 5. it is made one of the characters of a righteous man , that he guides his affairs with discretion , psal . 112. 5. 6. there is almost a whole chapter spent in the commendation of a virtuous woman's prudential and providential care in providing for her husband , children , and family ; as you may see , prov. 31. 7. such a conclusion would justifie that prophane saying of some , that if they are ordained to be saved , they shall be saved , let them live as they list . these separate between the means and the end. when as god hath appointed the means as well as the end. so do such , in respect of the affairs of this life ; that lay aside prudence , and say , if god see it good for me , it shall be good. thus for the third question . chap. vi. the application . 1. it is useful by way of information . if this be true , that no man infallibly knows what is good for a man in this life ; why , then it is not to be wondred at , that we find men so wofully mistaken in their judgments , about conditions , and god's outward dispensations . the prophet speaks of some , that call evil good , and good evil : so man , through his ignorance , of what is good for him in this life ; is apt to think that condition good for him , that is evil ; and that condition evil for him , that is good . we read job 11. 10. vain man would be wise . so , ignorant man would be thought wise , in the knowing of things that are above him , and beyond his line , and that come not within the sphear of his knowledg . though he know not , how to make a judgment of conditions , yet he will be offering at it ; nay as confidently undertake it , as astrologers and gypsies do , to tell people their fortunes . but we may say of men in this case , as the apostle doth of those , rom. 1. 22. professing themselves to be wise , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they became fools . so while men profess themselves to be so wise , as to know what is good for a man in this life , they have but shewed themselves fools ; as hath appeared by their gross mistakes about conditions . the heathens of old , though they thought themselves wise , yet shewed themselves fools in their opinions , concerning the chiefest good , ( which did amount to the number of 288. ) and such fools do men shew themselves in their opinions , concerning inferiour good things , and what is good for a man in this life . but , as the lord saith of the customs of the people , jer. 10. 3. that they are vain : so , may we say of the opinions of people , concerning conditions . solomon speaks of some , eccles . 7. 10. who would undertake to make a judgment of times , and did ask , why were the former times better than these ? but solomon telleth such , they did not enquire wisely concerning them . ( i. e. ) they were but fools in thinking so . so there are many that inquire not wisely concerning conditions , and what is good and evil for a man in this life . i shall acquaint you with three sorts of persons , that are thus mistaken about outward conditions . 1. some there are , that , looking upon honour and riches , and such things as are in themselves good , from thence conclude , they are things good for them ; and if they have them , conclude it is well with them . 2. some there be , who looking upon afflictions , as things evil in themselves ; conclude from thence , that it is evil for them in this life , that they are afflicted . 3. some there are , who hearing that it hath been good for some that they have been afflicted , do from thence conclude , that , because they are afflicted , their condition is good . thus there are some , that think the better of themselves , for their being afflicted . i shall speak somewhat , to shew , how all these may be mistaken . 1. for the first . some there are , that think , because honour , and riches , &c. are good things in themselves , that therefore they are good for them . give me leave to shew you , how wofully such persons may be mistaken in doing of it . i shall present you with some of those false grounds and principles , upon which such go , who make such a judgment ; ( viz. ) four , 1. that must needs be good for a man in this life , that is in it self , and in its own nature good . 2. that must needs be good for man in this life , that suits with , and answers to , a mans desires . 3. that must needs be good for a man in this life , that hath been good for others . 4. that must needs be good for a man in this life , that god gives and bestows upon a man in this life . i shall spend a little time , in the examining these grounds , to see whether such a conclusion may be built upon them . 1. the first is this . that must needs be good for a man in this life , that is in it self good . answ . it follows not : that which is good in its self , may be a convenient good for me , or you , or other . that , that makes a good thing , to be a convenient good to us , is its suitableness to , and agreeableness with , our constitutions , spirits , and dispositions . here is the mistake of many , that when they hear , that honour , and riches , &c. are things good in themselves , they presently conclude they are good for them ; without considering , whether they are a convenient good , never examining how they suit with their spirits and dispositions . the apostle , speaking of the creatures , that god hath made and ordained , for the nourishment and preservation of mankind , telleth us , 1 tim. 4. 4. that every creature of god is good : so , flesh is good , and fish is good , and wine is good ; yet we know , it may not be good for some to eat fish , & for some to drink wine ; wine , that is in it self good , yet it is not good for him that is in the fit of a feaver . so that here lieth the mistake , men distinguish not , between what is good in it self , and good for them . thus it is with most ; they look upon the things of this life , without themselves , but look not inward upon their own spirits and dispositions ; which agur no doubt did , when he prayed against riches , and that god would feed him with food convenient . 2. consider this , that a thing may be good in it self , that may become evil to a man in this life , through his abuse of it ; and therefore it followeth not , that , that is alwayes good for a man in this life , that is good in it self : things good in themselves , may through mans corruption be abused . the apostle jude , speaketh of some , that turn grace , into wantonness : and if the corruption of man may rise so high , to abuse that , that is placed in the highest rank of good things ; then much more , to abuse those good things , that are of a lower and inferiour nature . it is observable , that we are most apt to offend in licitis , in those things that are in themselves lawful ; because we are there least suspicious of danger . we suspect not the things , because they are in themselves good , which , through our abuse of them , become evil to us . the flowre is in its own nature , sweet and good , but through the venemous nature of the spider , what is drawn from it , is turned into poyson . so it is in this case , mens corruptions make those things evil and poysonous , that are in themselves good . we must know , outward things are to us ▪ as we are to them ; our outwards , are according to what our inwards are ; things good in themselves , become evil to us , when through our corruptions , they are made to be but food and fewel for our lusts . it may be said of many , it was ill for them , that they were so great , and so rich ; had they not been so , they had not been so bad , and so wicked . solomon saith , the prosperity of fools , destroyeth them . one of the fathers , wrote thus to one , monacho fervido , abbati tepido , episcopo frigido , archiepiscopo dissoluto . to the zealous monk , the luke-warm abbot , the cold bishop , and the dissolute arch-bishop . thus we see , that some are the worse for their outwards . thus for the first ground of mens mistakes about conditions . now for the second . 2. ground of mens mistakes about conditions , is this , that must needs be good for a man in this life , that pleaseth him , and suits with his desires . and hereupon many do infer this , that it must needs be good for them in this life , since it is that they desire . now i shall shew you , how wofully-mistaken such persons may be concerning their condition , that say , it is as i would have it . consider this , that a man's having what his heart desireth , doth not at all , speak the person good . for we shall find , in psal . 73. that those were as bad , as bad could be , that yet had what heart could wish . it doth not alwayes speak , that that is good for us , which falleth out according to our desires . mens desires may be corrupt , and inordinate , and carried out after things that are evil for them . we read of the israelites , psal . 78. 29. they required meat for their lusts , ( and see what followeth ) they had their heart's desire . but by the event , you will find , it was not good for them . so by this you see , this is a false ground that men go upon , in making a judgment of conditions . and this the very heathens saw by light of nature . philip of macedon , had on one and the same day a son born ; the winning of a prize , by his chariots , at the olympian games ; and a victory his army had the same day obtained . he was so daunted with the news being so good , that he feared a mischief would ensue ; and therefore desired the gods , to mix some adversity with it . remember , the things of this life , though they suit with our desires , are so far from being good for us , that it were good for us sometimes , that our desires were not granted . how many are there , that have blessed god for such a providence ! providence doth sometimes cross a man , and turn him out of the way of his desires , for his good . as possidonius , in the life of st. augustine , hath a memorable story , he going to visit a place , with his guide , mistook his way , and so escaped the hands of some bloody donatists , that lay in wait to take away his life . god sometimes leads his people , out of the way of their desires , for the avoiding of some danger , that may lie in the things desired . thus for the second ground , upon which men go , in making a judgment of conditions . 3. ground upon which men go , in making a judgment of conditions , is this : that must needs be good for a man in this life , that hath been good for others . if they were good for abraham , &c. why may they not be good for me ? and here i shall shew you , how upon this ground many are wofully mistaken about conditions . it follows not : i told you before , that the things of this life , are so to us , as we are to them . those godly men that had those things , had hearts and spirits fitted for them . it doth not therefore follow , that we have . it is , as if a man should say , this shoo fits such and such a mans foot , and therefore it will fit mine . we are not to look so much upon the condition , as the graces that belong to the condition . had abraham a prosperous condition ? consider withal , what graces he , and others had , and see whether you have the same . there are prosperity-graces , and adversity-graces ; without which , neither prosperity or adversity is good for a man. the condition was not simply good for them , but as they were furnished with such graces as made them fit for their condition . in a word , consider this , the things of this life , as of themselves , they never did any man hurt ; so , let me tell you , of themselves they never did any man good , i say of themselves . their doing a man good , cometh from a higher good ; and that is , grace to improve them for the glory of god , and our own and others good . there was never any man made better , by his being rich ; but many that have been rich , have been the better for their being gracious , with their being rich. 4. ground that men go upon , is this : that must needs be good for a man in this life , that god bestows upon a man in this life . but honour , and riches , &c. are god's gifts and dispensations ; therefore must needs be good for a man in this life . we shall a little examine this ground , and shew how men may be wofully mistaken , that from those premises make such a conclusion . their mistake lieth in this , their not considering , how god is said to bestow these things . 1. they distinguish not , between what god giveth ex largitate out of his bounty ; and as he is good to all : and what he giveth ex promisso , by promise . and the not considering of this , is one great cause of mens being mistaken , in making a judgment of a prosperous condition . so that , as our saviour told the sadduces in another case , that they did erre , not knowing the scriptures , nor the power of god. so we may say of these , that they erre , not knowing the scriptures , and the intentions of god in the bestowing outward things . while a man hath the things of this life , bestowed on him by god , only out of bounty , he cannot say , they are good for him , till he find , they come in by covenant and promise , as i shall shew you more largly afterwards . when esau asked jacob , whose children are these ? he answered , these are the children that god hath graciously ( or , in mercy ) given me . no man can say , these are the riches , and this is the prosperity that god hath in mercy given me , till he finds they flow from another fountain , than that of general bounty . luther said of the turkish empire , that , how great soever it was , yet it was but a crust , that the great house-keeper had cast to a dog. remember , it is the covenant that forms a mercy . 2. they distinguish not , between things in the dispensation , and in the intention of god. hence ariseth the mistake . many judg of the intention , by the dispensation ; and if such things be dispensed , that be in themselves good , they presently think they are intended for good to them . whereas , solomon telleth such , eccles . 9. 1. no man knoweth love by any outward thing , &c. not by riches , nor honour , nor by outward prosperity . gods hand , and gods , heart doth not alwayes go together . his hand may seem to make for men , when his heart is against them ; as on the contrary , his hand may seem to be against men , when his heart is not . we read , jer. 32. 41. when god said , he would do his people good , he would do them good with his whole heart , and with his whole soul. we find , psal . 78. 29. god gave the israelites their heart's desire , they had what they would ; but see what followeth , while the meat was yet in their mouths , the wrath of god came upon them . remember this , the best good things of this life , may be bestowed in anger , hos . 13. 11. i gave them a king in mine anger . 3. they distinguish not , between gods giving hand , and gods sanctifying hand . between the things given , and grace that fits for the using of them . god sometimes gives the things , when he gives not the grace to make a right use of them . there are some , who , if they find but a giving hand , look no further , whether there be a sanctifying hand , or no. know this , while you look upon a giving hand only , you can never make a right judgement of a prosperous condition , till you look upon the other hand , viz. the sanctifying hand . till you find , that with prosperity , you have also prosperity-graces given too . 4. they distinguish not , between what cometh in by a permissive providence , and by an approving providence . as there is gods permissive and approving will , so it is in respect of providences , as relating to the good things of this life . some men have them onely by a permissive providence . some there are that god maketh rich , as it is said , god made abraham rich ; some god permits to be rich , and hindreth them not . thus , some by sinful , and unjust , and unlawful means , get the things of this life , when god approves not of it , hos . 8. 4. god saith , they sett up kings , but not by him ; and princes , but he knew it not . the meaning is , that he approved it not . there is a disposition in men , ( what course soever they take to compass the things of this life ) to draw god unto a liking , and approbation of what they do , ( let it be never so unlawfully done ) as those , zach. 11. 5. blessed be the lord , for i am rich. how much do men father upon god , as his gifts and blessings , which they have got by their own injustice and oppression ? object . but some will say , is it not the blessing of the lord that maketh rich ? and , if i am rich , must i not say , it is by the blessing of the lord ? answ . it is true , and the place , is , prov. 10. 22. the blessing of the lord , it maketh rich , and addeth no sorrow with it . this is a truth . and yet it followeth not from hence , that , those that have riches , and outward things , have them as a blessing . this will appear , if you consider , what is meant by rich in the text ; it is not the having the things , but comfort , and contentment , in the things , that speaks men rich. so you find , the latter words in the text are exegetical , and expound the former , ( viz. ) he addeth no sorrow with it . there are three vultures that commonly feed upon a rich mans heart , ( viz. ) care in getting , fear in keeping , and grief in losing . but now the blessing of the lord , driveth away all these . so that it doth not follow , that the bare having of the things , is the blessing , but the having the riches of contentment with them . so that the meaning is this , that it is the blessing of the lord , that gives comfort and contentment with the things ; and this is that indeed , that speaks a man truly rich. many have gold and silver , and possessions in abundance , and cannot be said to be rich , because they have not the comfortable use of them , and contentment with them . so that it is the comfort and contentment , that is that blessing that maketh rich. thus i have examined the grounds , upon which many go , in making a judgment of a prosperous condition . and from all that hath been said , their mistakes will appear , by considering of these following queries . 1. who knoweth , or can say , that those things are good for a man in this life , that bad men have had , as well as good ; and for the most part , the greatest portion of them ? upon this ground , the very heathens were drawn to a contempt of those things , because they saw , that for the most part , they were in the hands of those , that were the worst of men . seneca could say , who would esteem of riches and honours , when he seeth them cast , in hoc coenum in has sordes , upon such dung-hills ; speaking of honours conferred upon sylla . who would esteem of beauty , ( saith another ) which a whore may have , as well as an honest woman ? jer. 12. 1. the prophet observed , that the way of the wicked did prosper . and psal . 73. that the worst of men , had waters of a full cup wrung out to them , and had what heart could wish . 2. who knoweth , or can say , that is good for a man in this life , that never made a man good ? where is the man that can come forth and say , that his riches and honours , did ever change his heart or reform his life ? 3. who knoweth , or can say , that those things are good for a man in this life , that have made many men worse , through their abuse of them ? to how many have they become a trap , and snare , and occasions of sin ? how many men hath prosperity undone ? nehem. 13. 20. did not solomon , king of israel , sin by those things ? yet among many nations there was none like him , beloved of his god. how conscientious was david , when he was david the persecuted ? but how careless , when he was david the king ? it is observed of rome , that it was never more wicked , then when it was most flourishing . and it is observed of the church , that it had least purity , when it had most outward prosperity . 4. who knoweth , or can say , that those things are good for a man in this life , that are things so uncertain ? they come and go , pass and run , like a river . the apostle calls them uncertain riches , 1 tim. 6. 17. solomon telleth us , they make themselves wings , and fly away . prov. 23. 5. yea , their being is so short , that they are said not to be ; for so saith solomon in the same vers . why wilt thou set thy heart upon that which is not ? 5. who knoweth , or can say , that is good for a man in this life , that cannot in the least cure a mans vanity , or adde any thing of worth , or excellency to him ? when he hath all the things of the world , yet he is still but vain and empty man ; he is still adam , weak , frail , fleshly , and still vain . hence it is , that solomon sheweth , that riches cannot be a mans happiness , eccles . 6. 10. that which hath been , is named already , and it is known that it is man : ( i. e. ) call him what you will , great , or rich , or honourable , yet he is man still , ( i. e. ) crazy , frail , mortal man ; outward things do not amend his nature and constitution . this the psalmist telleth us , psal . 39. 5. surely , every man at his best estate , is altogether vanity . at his best estate , let him be never so happy , in respect of worldly estate , yet it doth not cure his vanity , he is still but vanity . 6. who knoweth , or can say , that that is good for a man in this life , that will do a man no good in the time of his greatest need , and straits , and exigencies ? prov. 11. 4. riches profit not in the day of wrath. and we have seen this made true in the former dayes of common calamity . in all changes , we have seen , the greatest , were the greatest sufferers . great winds , shake most the tallest cedars , and throw down the strongest oakes . we read , 2 kings 24. in that captivity , the richer jews were carried away , when the poorer sort were left to till the land . 7. who knoweth , or can say , that that is good for a man in this life , that fills the life with so many cares , and exposeth to so many dangers , and troubles , and disquietments ? how many are there , whose wealth hath cost them their lives ? it had bin good for naboth , he had had no vineyard . and it was said of the roman emperours , that they got nothing by their advancement , but ut citius interficerentur , that they might be killed the sooner . how many men are there , that had been happy , had not their prosperity destroyed them ? and this is another argument , that solomon useth to prove , that a mans happiness lyeth not in riches . as you may see eccles . 6. 11. seeing there be many things that increase vanity , what is man the better ? so , how can those things , that increase cares and troubles , make man the better ? psal . 39. 6. man disquiets himself in vain ; he heapeth up riches , and cannot tell , who shall gather them . nay , solomon tells us , eccles . 5. 3. that he had seen riches laid up for the owners , to their hurt . antigonus said of his crown , that if a man knew what cares were wrapt up in it , he would not think it worth taking up . nay , one saith of life it self , nemo vitam acciperet si daretur scientibus . 8. who can say , that is good for a man in this life , that makes the entrance into eternal life so difficult ? this our saviour sheweth , luk. 18. 24 , 25. that it is hard for a rich man to enter into heaven . nay , he makes it not only hard , but in a manner impossible ; when he saith , it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle . our saviour meaneth it , of those that have riches , and trust in them . thus for the first sort of persons , who think , it is good for them in this life to have prosperity . chap. vii . 2 there are some think , afflictions are ill for them in this life ; and conclude , it is ill with them , because they are their portion in this life . i am now to shew you , that many are wofully mistaken in that . i shall name to you five things , that men look upon as evil for them in this life . about which they may be deceived ; and they may be for good to them . 1. god's hiding his face from them . 2. god's suspending , and deferring his answers to their prayers . 3. god's denying their particular suits . 4. god's depriving them of many dear comforts . 5. god's exercising them , with many sad , and great afflictions . we shall a little consider of these things ; and whether men may not be mistaken about them , and take them to be evil for them , when they are not so . 1. many think this evil for them , to have god hide his face from them . and indeed , we find the godly in scripture , complain of it , as one of the sadest things . yet let me tell you , such desertions , and the withdrawings of the light of gods countenance , for a time , may be for good. that as christ said to his disciples , it is good for you that i go away . so it is sometimes good for the people of god , that he turns his face away . although it is not a pleasing good , yet it may be a profitable good . 1. by way of correction . the father's frowns are sometimes necessary , though the children will not say so . the sleighting of divine favours , causeth god to withdraw his favour , by way of correction . 2. by way of instruction . so his hiding his face from his people , teacheth them these things . 1. where their strength lyeth ; that in his light , they see light : that he is the fountain of comfort , and that the happiness of lower spirits , lieth in him , who is the chief of spirits . how know you , that the branch of the tree hath nourishment from the root ? pluck it away from the tree , and it suddenly withereth . let but the nurse , leave the child to it self , and it quickly falleth . 2. it teacheth men to prize god more , and to long the more after him. as in the nothern parts , where the sun is long absent , people will get upon the tops of the mountains , to espie and discover its arising ; and happy is he , that can first see it . for this end , god sometimes hides his face , that his people may with more longing , look after the breakings forth of the light of his countenance . 3. by way of prevention . so god hideth his face . 1. to prevent pride , and to keep his people humble . 2. to keep them from trusting in habits of grace . 4. by way of probation . so by this , god tryeth his concerning two things . 1. whether they can love a hiding god ? 2. whether they can walk dutifully , when god walketh strangely ? isa . 8. 17. i will waite upon him , that hideth his face from the house of jacob. he resolved to walk dutifully , though god walked strangely . thus you see , that gods hiding his face from his people , may be for good. 2. a second thing , that many look upon as evil for them , is , god's suspending , and deferring answers to their prayers . of this , the godly have complained in scripture , that they did cry , and god did not hear . and yet let me tell you , this may be for good. 1. to make his people to be more earnest suitors at the throne of grace . as we read of the blind man in the gospel , when he cryed to christ to have mercy on him ; and being rebuked , he cryed the more earnestly . 2. to make the mercy , the more welcome when it cometh . merchants look for the greatest return , by that ship that is longest abroad . god keeps a mercy the longer in his hands , to enrich it the more ; and to send it forth , as a bride adorned for her husband . one cluster of grapes , when ripe , is better then many when they are green and sowre . abraham waited long for a son ; but it was , that his son might be the greater blessing to him . 3. this is that , some look upon as evil for them in this life ; gods denying them their particular suits . god is pleased sometimes , not only to delay his answers to our requests ; but also to deny them : and yet this may be for good . god alwayes heareth his people , and answers them for their profit , though he doth not alwayes answer them according to their wills . as the physitian hears the patient's request , non ad voluntatem , sed ad sanitatem ; he respects not so much the patient's will , as his health . the patient calleth for drink , but the physitian gives him a sirup , or a julip , which is better . we many times , like the sons of zebedee , ask we know not what : instead of bread , we sometimes ask stones . god hears to our profit , and answers , though not alwayes according to our wills . upon this account , abrahams request , on the behalf of ishmael ; and moses request , to enter into the land of canaan , were denyed . yet they were heard in another thing , and their requests granted in another way . 4. this is another thing , that men look upon as evil for them ; gods depriving them of many dear comforts : as when he takes away a wife out of our bosoms , or breaks an olive branch off from about our tables , &c. this is lookt upon by us , as evil , and yet it may be for good . 1. it may be to make us to live more to him , and to lean more on him ; and to seek for that in him , which we sought in the creature . god sometimes pulleth away our worldly stayes and props , to make us depend more on him , in whom our strength and comfort lieth . 2. he sometimes takes away our comforts , to return them better , as he did jobs . gods pulling down , is sometimes for this end , to build up better . to make that of marble , that before was but of brick . he sometimes takes a comfort out of our hands , to deliver it again to us , with interest and advantage . 5. some look upon this as evil ; gods exercising them with many sad and sore afflictions . and some of the grounds that they go upon , are these : 1. that afflictions are arguments of divine wrath. 2. that they are useless . 3. that they are bitter , and burthensom to nature . 4. that they are the fruits of sin. we shall examine these grounds , on which many go , in making such a judgment of an afflicted condition . 1. say some , afflictions are arguments of divine wrath , and divine hatred ; and therefore not good for man in this life : since such , as upon whom afflictions fall , are as it were marked out by god , as the objects of his hatred . now let us a little examine this , and search whether it be so ; and upon serious and strict examination , we shall find , it is an error , being contrary to scripture-truth , eccles . 9. 1. they who say so , condemn the generation of the just ; we finding , that most precious saints , whom god tendred as the apple of his eye , have seen and felt , great afflictions . noah , who found grace in the eyes of the lord , yet saw a world drowned . job , of whom god gives a most high character , for his piety and uprightness , was stript of all to a shoo-latchet . david , a man after gods own heart , was bred up in the school of affliction . yea , jesus christ himself , who was the beloved son , yet was , vir dolorum , a man of sorrows . you shall find , that to some , the scripture makes afflictions to be arguments of divine love , prov. 3. 12. whom the lord loveth , he correcteth , as a father doth his son , in whom he delighteth . and jesus christ speaketh of them , as arguments of love , rev. 3. 19. as many as i love , i rebuke and chasten . it is true , god delights not in afflicting ; but he loves his children ; and that love moves him as a father , to correct and afflict them for their good. he were a cruel father , that would suffer his child to die for want of a little physick . so that it is a grosse mistake , to think that afflictions are always the wounds of an enemy . but of this , more shall be spoken afterwards . 2. some have this conceit ; that an afflicted condition is an useless condition ; and therefore not good for a man in this life . they look upon afflictions as things that a man may be very well without . we shall a little examine , whether this be true , or no. many indeed say , concerning afflictions , as those did concerning nazareth , can any good come out of nazareth ? so , can any good come out of afflictions ? we must know , that afflictions are as necessary for us , as our daily bread. it is strange , yet it is true , these thorns will bear grapes , and these thistles will bear figgs : and there is a day , when the saints of god shall say , they could not have been without such and such afflictions ; and that it was good for them that they were afflicted . some trees there are , whose root is bitter , yet their fruit , sweet . a natural eye seeth no good in them , and tastes no sweetness : and indeed , the spiritual man , doth not always , at present , discern what advantage cometh by them . we must know , those creatures that we look upon as venemous , and noxious , are yet useful for some ends , and some respects : thus , even toads , &c. the skilful apothecary knoweth how to make vipers and scorpions , medicinal . enquire of the saints of god , and they will tell you , from their own experience , what good afflictions have done them ; and that they were chastned for their profit , heb. 12. 10. afflictions seem to be but dry rods ; yet , like aaron's rod , they have found them bringing forth both blossomes , and fruit. 3. some say , afflictions are bitter , and burthensom to nature ; and therefore conclude , they are not good for a man in this life . we shall a little examine this , to see whether there be truth in it . the premises are granted , that they are bitter and grievous to flesh and blood ; and the apostle grants it , heb. 12. 11. but the consequence is denied , that what is bitter and grievous to flesh and blood , is therefore evil for a man in this life . and therefore we are to distinguish , between what is toothsom , and what is wholsom : between things , that are pleasingly , and profitably good . things may be profitably good for us , that are not pleasingly good . those things are sometimes most wholsom , that are least toothsom . there be sweet and honied poysons that destroy . and there be bitter , and distastful medicines that do cure. we know wormwood is a bitter hearb , and yet wholesom , and useful for man. some things may be sweet in the mouth , that yet are bitter in the stomack . heb. 12. 11. the apostle saith of afflictions , though they are grievous , yet they bring forth the quiet fruit of righteousness . here is the difference between the evils of sin , and of affliction . the evils of sin , they are sweet in the mouth , but bitter afterwards ; but the evils of affliction are bitter in the mouth , but sweet in the close . afflictions indeed are bitter , but oftentimes , the bitternesse ariseth from our own spirits . when our taste is vitiated , some things seem to be bitter to us , that otherwise would not be so . it 's our spirits , that many times imbitter our condition , and make our chain much heavier , than other waies it would be . there are many afflict themselves , when they are under an affliction . as it is with a bird , when it is gotten into a room , or chamber , it might do well , if it sate still , till the doors and casements were opened ; but , till then , with flying against the walls , it doth but hurt and bruise it self . to close up this : physitians do observe , we are most apt to surfeit of those things that are most sweet and luscious . and we find , solomon , the wisest of men , prefers bitter things , before sweet . eccles . 7. 3. sorrow is better than laughter . ver. 4. it is better to go to the house of mourning , than to the house of feasting . 4. some say , that afflictions are the effects and fruits of sin ; and therefore not good for a man in this life . we shall a little examine this ground . it is true , that afflictions , were , at first , fruits of sin. but we must make a difference , between what they were at first , and what jesus christ hath made them , to his people now . it is true , they were at first , the products of sin ; but to the people of god they are now changed and altered . we must distinguish between what is sinfully evil , and penally evil. what is sinfully evil , is unchangeably evil ; but afflictions are but penally evil , and may be made good . we must know , as there is a regeneration of persons , so of things : to him that is born again , all is born again ; as his outward comforts are born again , so all his outward afflictions . it is true , the evils of afflictions were first conceived in the womb of sin , and sin brought them forth : but there is the womb of the covenant , and of the promise , where they are new-formed ; and out of which , those things that were punishments , come forth priviledges ; and what was loss , comes forth gain . we read , rom. 5. 12. sin entred into the world , and death by sin. we see death came in by sin. death , which is the king of fears ; and so its attendants with it , viz. all miseries and afflictions whatsoever . thus , at first , they were conceived in , and came forth of , the womb of sin : but the covenant , and promise , have changed and altered them ; it turneth miseries into mercies , and punishments into priviledges , and evil into good. 1 cor. 3. 22. all is yours , ( saith the apostle to believers ; ) and among other things , he names death : where he makes death one of the believer's priviledges , put into the believer's charter . and the same apostle , phil. 1. 21. saith , to him to die , was gain . death , in respect of its first birth , was losse ; but being born again , it becomes gain . and as death , which is the king of fears , ( and so the chief of evils ; ) so likewise , all other evils are gain to a believer . rom. 8. 28. all things work together for good , to them that love god. thus we have examined the grounds , that those go upon , in making this judgment , of an afflicted condition ; that it is evil for a man in this life . i shall conclude with these queries : 1. who knows , or can say , that , that is evil for a man in this life , that god inflicts upon the best in this life . we often find the cup of gall and wormwood going round about the saints tables . we usually find it the diet-drink , with which god doth physick his dearest children : with the same sword wherewith he destroyeth his enemies , he sometimes wounds his friends ; and all this for their good. we find , the godly ones of judah were carried captives to babylon , as well as others : they lost their houses , estates ; were taken out of the land of their nativity , and carried into a strange land : and yet the lord saith of them , jer. 24. 5. that he had sent them into captivity for their good. 2. who knows , or can say , that , that is evil for man in this life , that may be consistent with happinesse . an afflicted man may yet in this life be a happy man. as man , at his best estate , is but vanity ; so there are , that in their worst estate may be happy . a man may be great , and rich , and yet miserable : and , a man may be poor , and afflicted , and yet happy . job 5. 17. behold , happy is the man whom god correcteth . it seems to be a strange thing , and therefore a behold is put to it . a strange sight , to see an afflicted man , and yet a blessed man ! sense and reason wonder at this conjunction , that affliction and happinesse should both kisse the same person . psal . 94. 12. blessed is the man whom thou chastnest , &c. so that a man may be a chastised man , and yet a blessed man. 3. who knoweth , or can say , that those things are evil for a man in this life , that , by experience , have been found , to have been the means of doing many good . though afflictions of themselves have not done it , yet , being sanctified , and instruction going together with them , they have wrought a gracious and wonderful change. how many may say with david , that it was good for them , that they were afflicted . we read , of moses his rod , what miracles it wrought . the rod of affliction works miracles , when god worketh with it . how many proud ones , hath affliction humbled ? when manasseh was in bryers , then he sought god. how many ignorant ones , hath affliction taught ? they have learnt that , in the school of affliction , that they never knew before . sir thomas palmer , upon tower-hill , when he came to dye , ( pointing to the tower ) said , i have learnt more , in yonder dark corner of the tower , then ever i learnt in all may life . how many wild , and unruly spirits , hath affliction tamed ? those , that in their prosperity , have been , as wild asses , used to the wilderness , that none could turn them back : yet in their moneth of affliction , they have been found and taken . jer. 31. 18. ephraim saith , thou hast chastised me , and i was chastised . ( i. e. ) i was bettered by the chastisment . he was , as an unruly bullock , unaccustomed to the yoak . but afflictions have made him to submit , and tamed him . how many wandring ones , hath affliction reduced and brought into the way ? psal . 119. 67. before i was afflicted , i went astray : but now i keep thy statutes . many have been out of the way to heaven , and have been brought into it , by gods guiding with this rod. it was affliction , that made the prodigal find the way to his father's house . we read of those that were with paul in the ship , when they suffered ship-wrack , acts 27. 44. that some upon planks , and some upon the broken pieces of the ship , got safe to land. so , many have been brought to heaven , upon the broken pieces of an estate ; and must say , ( as one , once said ) they had been undone , if they had not been undone . how many worldlings , hath afflictions weaned from the world ? by being crost in the creature , they have come to discern the vanity that is in the creature , and to have their hearts taken off the creature . here we tast affliction , ( as a father saith ) tanquam amaritudinem in where materno . we are apt to hang on the breasts of the creature , and afflictions are the wormwood , by which god weans us from them . lastly , how many sinners , hath affliction stopped , who else , had run headlong into hell ; if god had not made a hedg of affliction in their way ? we read , hos . 2. 6. i will ( saith the lord ) hedg up thy way with thorns , and thou shalt not find thy paths . god sometimes , maketh a hedg of thorns , whereby sinners are stopped ; it is happy for a man to meet with such a stop , though the hedg be made of thorns . 4. who knoweth , or can say , that , that condition is evil for a man in this life , in which the people of god are best . this is to be considered , that wicked men , are worst , in their best worldly condition ; and a godly man , is best , when his outward condition , is worst . as one saith of the english nation . angliea gens est optima flens & pessimaridens . the english nation , is best when it weeps , and worst when it laughs . thus for the second sort , of those that are mistaken about conditions . 3. there are another sort , that are grosly mistaken on the other hand ; and such are those , who think it cannot but be well with them , because they are in this life afflicted . thus some think , they are the better , and the happier , upon that account . and here lyeth the mistake , because they hear , afflictions have done some good ; and that some , have been able to say , that it was good for them , that they were afflicted ; and thence conclude , that they are happy , because their condition , is such a condition : never considering , ( what i said before , ) that afflictions of themselves , never did any man good ; and that conditions are to us , as we are in those conditions . some , because they suffer in this world , think it is an argument , that they shall be freed from suffering in another world ; as if god could not make two hells for them . we must know , when the scripture speaketh of rejoycing in affliction , it is not to be understood , that meerly afflictions are matter of joy. those that think , they are happy because they are afflicted , and that their condition is low in this world , may be sadly mistaken . it is said , mat. 5. 3. blessed are the poor in spirit , &c. it is not said , blessed are all that are poor in purse . let me tell you , some mens sufferings here , are but the forerunners of those that are to come , and so may be but the beginning of sorowes . we must know , that upon the very tooth-ach of a reprobate , ( as one saith ) hell is engraven . every lazarus , is not taken into abrahams bosome . those may want a bit of bread here , that may hereafter , cry as dives did , for a drop of water , to cool their tongues . a man may be poor in this world , and poor in the world to come . there are a sort of poor , that are the worst of people under ▪ heaven , being ignorant , stubborn , prophane , vitious , despisers of god , his sabbaths , ordinances , ministers , people . and indeed , for the most part , the poorest sort , are the worst of people , and the most licentious ; there being nothing of knowledg , or politique restraints , or civil and ingenious education , to keep them in , and hold them back . to conclude this , happiness is not the portion of every afflicted man in this life . it is not affliction , but affliction sanctified , that makes a man happy by it . thus for the first information . chap. viii . the second information . if no man knoweth , what is good for a man in this life , then it informeth us , that we should be as ready to receive evil , as well as good , at the hands of god. we are not to be our own carvers in respect of conditions . when job was in his sad condition , the devil stirred up his wife , to tempt him to blasphemy , and impatiency . but see what answer job returns to her , job 2. 10. thou speakest as one of the foolish women , &c. where first , he reprehends her . secondly , he instructeth her. shall we , saith he , receive good at the hands of god , and not receive evil ; ( q. d. ) have i , for so many years , received so many good things , and blessings , from the hand of god ; and shall i not now , receive these crosses and afflictions ? now , receiving evil from the hand of god , stands in this , in a sweet , and patient submission , to the will and dispensation of god ; being content , with what god sendeth , whether it be good or evil , and that upon these considerations . 1. that god knoweth , what is better for us in this life , then we do ; since no man knoweth , what is good for man in this life . 2. that good and evil , come both , from one and the same god. it is the lord that gives , and that takes away . as we have blessings , by divine donation , so afflictions , by divine ordination . it is god , that bringeth not only men , and their comforts , but also men , and their crosses , together . 3. as good and evil , come from the same god , so they may come from the same affection in god ; they may both come from love. the apostle james , puts this question , can a fountain send forth sweet water and bitter ? jam. 3. 11. yet from the same fountain of divine love , may issue the sweet waters of comfort , and the bitter waters of afflictions . the same love , that moves a father , to bestow an inheritance on his child , moves him also , to correct his child . 4. all evils , come from a god , that hath a soveraign power over us , and may do with us , what he pleaseth . a god that may give , and take away ; and who can say to him , what doest thou ? a god that hath right to all that we have , and so may take away what he please . in taking away , he takes away , but what is his own . it is observable in scripture , that the lord claimeth an interest , in all that belongs to man , ( viz. ) the earth , and the fulness thereof ; and so , whatsoever it affordeth to man , whether fields , full of corn ; or foulds , full of sheep ; or orchards , full of fruit ; or stables , full of meat . the very cattel , and the beasts of the earth , are the lords , psal . 50. 10. all the beasts of the forrest are mine . the beasts of the forrest , are of a wild nature , and commonly know no master ; and yet of these , the lord saith , they are his : so also , he saith of gold , and silver , hag. 2. 8. thy gold and silver , is mine . yea , the wool , and the flax we have . hos . 2. 8. he saith , it is his. so that god , in taking away any thing from us , takes away but what is his own . 5. all evils , come from the hand of a powerful god , with whom there is no contending . when a great philosopher was chekt , for yielding in a discourse he had with adrian the emperour , he gave this answer , should i not yield to him , that hath thirty legions at command ? there is no contesting with soveraignty , no resisting omnipotency , no striving with our maker . the earthen pitcher , by striking against a rock , doth but dash it self to pieces . 6. all evils , come from a righteous god , that can do his creature no wrong , gen. 18. 25. shall not the judg of all the earth do right ? rom. 3. 5. is god vnrighteous , ( saith the apostle ) that taketh vengeance ? and he answereth it , with a god forbid . so we may say , is god unrighteous , that sendeth affliction ? god forbid , deut. 32. 4. all his wayes are judgment . 7. all evils come from that god , that can bring good out of evil , and light out of darkness ; that can turn water into wine , and make us spiritual gainers , by temporal afflictions . he sometimes pulls down , to build up better ; and sometimes takes away , when he intends a greater good. thus for the use of information . we now come to the resolution of this great question , whether the knowledg , of what is good for a man in this life , be so hidden from man , that it may not in some measure be attained to ; and if so , what directions are there , for the attaining of this knowledg ? answ . though the full and perfect knowledg of what is good for a man in this life , be so hidden , that a man cannot make a judgement of others conditions , yet we grant that he may make a judgement of his own condition . and here i shall give in , some directions to help men , in making a judgement of their own condition . 1. general . 2. particular . i. general directions . 1. something is to be known . 2. something is to be done. i. something is to be known , before we can make a right judgement of our condition . so the things to be known , are these : 1. who is the framer of our conditions ; who it is ordains and appoints them , and puts us into them ? it is not , as the heathen thought , quisque fortunae suae faber , that every man is the framer of his own fortune ; and so of his own condition . conditions are divine allotments . misery ( saith job ) springs not out of the dust. and the psalmist tells us , that promotion comes neither from the east , nor from the west ; but god is the judge : i. e. he is the great orderer , and disposer of conditions : he puteth down one , and setteth up another . it comes not from the east or west ; it comes not from earth , nor from man ; but it is god , that brings a man , and his condition together , and that frames it for him . and it is impossible , that ever any man should make a true judgement of his condition , that doth not first know , who is the framer of it . 2. we must know the right way of making a judgement of conditions . except we know that , it is impossible , but we must be mistaken . and , i shall give you some particulars concerning that : 1. in judging of conditions , take heed of being over-hasty . hasty , and rash judgment , is seldom right . we are to weigh , and consider well of a condition , before we make a judgement of it . a condition , at the first blush , may seem otherwayes then it is . the good , and so the evil , of a condition , doth not appear presently ; it may lie at the bottom of it . the good of affliction doth not appear presently : but the apostle , saith , heb. 12. 11. it yeildeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to them that are exercised thereby . so , that we must be exercised in a condition , before we can make a judgement of a condition . and the apostle , in that chapter , telleth us , that an afflicted condition , at the first sight , seems grievous , and not joyous : but , afterwards ( saith he ) it brings forth the quiet fruit of righteousness . this was the errour of job's friends ; they were too hasty in making a judgement of his condition : and so , it is no wonder they were so mistaken about it . 2. in making a judgement of conditions , you must not judge of the person by the condition , but of the condition by the person . some there be , that judge of persons , by the condition ; as the barbarians did of paul , when they saw a viper hanging on his hand ; surely , this man is a murderer , &c. thus , some judge of persons , to be good , or evil , according as their conditions are . so , they judge those to be good , whose condition is prosperous ; as those in malachi , mal. 3. 15. called the proud happy . and , so they look upon those as wicked , who are in an afflicted condition . thus , job's friends did judge of him , by his condition . now , the right way of making a judgement of conditions , is , to judge of conditions by persons . to a wicked man , every condition is evil : and , to a godly man , every condition is good. that , as the expression is , tit. 1. 15. to the pure , all things are pure : so , to those that are good , all things are good. if he hath prosperity , it causeth thankfulness ; if adversity , it worketh patience . rom. 8. 28. all things work together for good , to them that love god. so that we must know , we are to judge of conditions , by the persons . when one came to austin , and told him of one that came to a strange end , he presently asked , but , how did he live ? intimating , that , a man was not to be judged of , by the manner of his death , if he were godly in his life . 3. in making of a judgement of conditions , you must judge of them , by what men are to , and in , their conditions . i have told you before , a condition is to a man , as he is to , and in , his condition . it is , as a man mannageth his condition . would you know , whether prosperity be good for a man ? you must see how he doth manage that condition ; and how he doth carry , and deport himself in it . if he demean himself proudly , and make the things he enjoyes , to be fuel for his lust ; you may conclude , his condition is evil for him . so , on the contrary ; would you know , whether an afflicted condition be evil for a man ? mark how he behaves himself in that condition ; if foolishly , if impatiently ; either on the one hand , despising the affliction ; or , on the other hand , murmuring at it : you may know , that it is evil for him . of this , i shall speak more afterwards . 4. to make a judgement of conditions , we must know our spirits , and dispositions . now , we cannot know the spirits , and dispositions of others ; but we should labour to know our own , which we may know ; and thereby come to know what is good for us in this life . some there are , that will undertake to make a judgement of a condition , without ever eying , or considering their own disposition . it is with some men , as it is with some that sit at the wine : when they have drunk so many cups , yet they call for the other quart , and the other pint , when they have drunk too much already ; not considering what their heads will bear . consider , as all heads , so all dispositions are not alike . this agur acknowledged in that prayer of his , prov. 30. 8. give me not riches . he looked upon them , as a heady and intoxicating drink , which was too strong for him . the prophet speaks of some , that are strong to drink wine . now a man of a weak brain , that will make their measure his , is easily overtaken . we are apt to eye the prosperous condition of another , and to think such a condition is good for us ; and to desire , to have our condition made after that fashion and mode . but this is , as if the younger child should cry , to have the coat of his elder brother , which would be too long for him , and ready continually to make him fall . 5. in making a judgment of a condition , we must judg of it , by the relation it hath to another condition , viz. that which is spiritual and eternal . the saying is , that what is the first , and best , in every thing , is the rule of the rest : so the best condition , must direct us , how to judg of lower conditions . that condition is good for a man , that makes his spiritual condition the better : this is the fault of many , they judg of conditions , without considering how they stand in conjunction with , or opposition to , their spiritual and eternal condition . we may safely conclude , that that condition is good for a man in this life , that is an advantage to him , in relation to another life . many , little consider this . we should put the question to our selves , in every condition , am i the better for being in this condition , in relation to the spiritual and eternal good of my soul ? doth it hinder , or further my growth in grace ? doth it hinder , or further my salvation ? doth it set me , nearer heaven , or nearer hell ? 6. in making a judgment of conditions , we must make use of faith , and not judg , by sense and opinion , not by appearances ; those that judg so , will never make a right judgment of conditions . an eye of faith will see good , in that wherin an eye of sense , yea of reason too , can see none , heb. 11. 26. it is said , by faith , moses refused to be called the son of pharoahs daughter , &c. where see , what he refused ( viz. ) to be called , the son of pharoahs daughter ; which seemingly , was the greatest honour and advancement , that a man could attain unto ; and then see what he chose , ( viz. ) to suffer affliction with the people of god. one would have thought , he had chose the evil , and refused the good. but by an eye of faith , he saw evil in that , that sense and reason would have told him was good ; and good in that , that they would have told him was evil. it is observable , in mat. 5. that all the beatitudes are affixed , to unlikely conditions : blessed are the poor in spirit . blessed are those that are persecuted for righteousness sake . blessed are ye , when men revile , and persecute you , and speak all manner of evil against you , falsly for my names sake . this is to shew , that the judgment of the word , and the judgment of the world , are contrary . faith will shew you , that the men of the world , are infoeliciter foelices miserable in being happy . and the children of god , are foeliciter infoelices , happy in their being miserable . so that , as the apostle saith , without faith , it is impossible to please god : so , without faith , it is impossible to make a judgment of conditions . i shall close this , with an answer , given to one , that passed his censure upon a picture , as ill drawn , when it was not so ; si meos oculos haberes , non ita diceres , if thou hadst mine eyes , thou wouldst not say so . faith teacheth a man , to make another judgment of conditions , then sense or reason doth . iii. those that will make a judgment of a condition , must know another thing , ( viz. ) what it is makes a condition good , and what makes a condition evil for a man in this life . i shall in some particulars shew , what it is , that makes a mans condition good for him in this life . 1. an interest in the covenant . where there is that interest , there is an assurance that all is good , and all is for good . when we once come to know our interest in the covenant , we may then make a judgment of a condition . i shewed you before ; we are not to judg of persons , by their conditions , but of conditions , by the persons , psal . 25. 10. all the wayes of the lord , are mercy and truth , to them that keep his covenant . so it is to them that have an interest in the covenant . all conditions fall under a promise , when the scripture saith , all shall work together for good . an afflicted condition it self , falleth under that promise . so when it is said , no good thing , will he with-hold from them , that walk uprightly . afflictions themselves , come under that promise . if afflictions be good for them , they shall have them ; and if they have them , they may be assured they are good for them . it is the covenant , and promise , that helpeth us , to make a right interpretation of all conditions , and of all the dealings of god with us in this life . 2. that which makes a condition good for a man in this life , is the enjoyment of god in a condition ; and so we may conclude , that that condition is good for a man in this life , in which he enjoys god. the best condition , without god in it , is evil ; and the worst condition , in which we enjoy god , is good . god is the chiefest good , and that condition must needs be good , in which we enjoy the chiefest good. look upon the worst of outward conditions , it is the best , if there be an enjoyment of god the more in it . this was the ground of moses choice , heb. 11. 26. that he choose rather , the suffering of affliction with the people of god , then the enjoyment of all the pleasures and treasures of egypt . he saw , god was to be enjoyed in that condition . so that by this , we may make a judgment of conditions : that condition is good for a man in this life , in which he enjoys the chiefest good. the apostle saith , 2 cor. 1. 5. as our tribulations abound for christ , so our consolations abound through christ. when one seeth christians abound in tribulations , he would think their condition evil ; but when he cometh to see their consolations abound in that condition , he must needs conclude it good . to close up this , there is no condition good , without the enjoyment of the chiefest good. he that enjoys god in a condition , enjoys him , whose favour is life , and whose countenance is a sun , to enlighten the darkest condition . it is the sun , that makes day , let the starrs be never so many , and shine never so bright , yet it is night still . so it is in respect of conditions , let a man enjoy never so much of the creature , yet without the enjoyment of god , it is but a dark condition . it is his countenance , that makes the darkness of a condition , to be light about us , psal . 18. 28. he shall make my darkness , to be light . mic. 7. 7. though i sit in darkness , the lord shall be a light about me . so that that condition is good for a man in this life , that god enlightneth , and shineth upon , with the beams of his countenance . 3. that that speaks a mans condition good for him in this life , is , the suitableness of his spirit to his condition . when the spirit is not above the condition . as it is to be observed in a married condition ; the sweetness of the condition lieth in this , in the suitableness of their spirits . so , in every condition , the sweetness , and goodness of it , lieth in the suitableness that is between our spirits , and our condition . we see how it is with some , that their spirits are above their condition ; their spirits are high , when their condition is low ; and upon this , their condition doth not please them . and this is the cause of much discontent , because their spirits suit not with their condition . this is the great thing we are to look to ; in making a judgement of conditions , to search , and find out , how our spirits suit with our condition . whether we can say , as the apostle doth , phil. 4. 11. i have learnt , in every estate to be content . he had a spirit fitted for every condition . so then , when your spirits and conditions suit , it is one thing , by which you are to make a judgement of your condition . 4. that which makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , peace within . what ever the condition be without , if there be peace within , it makes it good and sweet to him . want of that imbitters a condition . solomon saith , a good conscience is a continual feast . it feasts a man , and makes him merry in all conditions ; and so makes the worst outward estate and condition to be good and sweet to him . isa . 48. 22. there is no peace , saith my god , to the wicked . put him into what condition you will , he hath no peace in that condition ; and that spoils all . 5. that , that makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , doing the work of his condition . conditions have their several , and suitable improvements . in every condition , a man should put such a question to himself , as the prophet puts , mich. 6. 8. and now , what doth the lord thy god require of thee ? so , in every condition we should put this question to our selves ; what is it that the lord requires me do , as the work of my condition ? the apostle james tells us of duties suitable to conditions , jam. 5. 13. if any man be afflicted , let him pray ; if any man be merry , let him sing psalmes . an afflicted condition hath its duties , and a prosperous condition hath it's : and by doing the work , and performing the duties of a condition , we make a judgement of it , whether it be good for us in this life . 6. that , that makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , his living above his outward condition . when , though there be a suitableness of spirit to the condition , yet he takes not up with his condition , but fetcheth in his contentment from some higher thing . what is it , that makes a prosperous condition evil to some ? surely this , they look no further than their condition ; they look no higher than riches and honour , &c. and seek for all their comfort , and contentment from them . and likewise , what is it that makes an afflicted condition evil to some ? surely this , they have their eye only upon their condition ; they look no higher than their troubles , and crosses , and afflictions . they see nothing beyond their condition ; as hagar , when she was wandering in the wilderness , and the water in her bottle was spent , she concludes , that she , and her child , must die : as though the bottle was all that she , and her child , had to live upon ; when yet , there was a fountain near , but she could not see it . let a mans condition be what it will , yet it cannot hurt him , if he live above it . prosperity cannot hurt that man , who maketh god his all , in a condition . there is an expression , job 20. 22. concerning a wicked man ; that in the midst of his sufficiency he shall be in straits . thus it is with some men , let their condition be what it will , yet in the midst of it they are in straits : the reason is , because they live no higher than their condition . in the midst of their prosperity , and sufficiency , they are in straits , by reason of their many cares , and fears , and perplexing thoughts , and unsatisfied desires ; and if so in prosperity , much more in adversity . now , a man that lives upon that , that is higher than his condition , hath such sweet in-comes of joy , and peace , and comfort , and contentment in every condition , that he is never in any straits . hence it is , the apostle telleth us , 1 tim. 6. 6. godliness , with contentment , is great gain : or , it may be read thus , godliness is great gain , with contentment ; i. e. it bringeth gain with contentment . now , what is godliness ? it is an heavenly impression , and propension in the heart and soul of a man , whereby it is , in all conditions , carried towards god. now , what ever a mans condition be , godliness will make it gainful , and that with contentment . our saviour told his disciples , when they urged him to eate , john 4. i have meat to eate , that ye know not of . so it is with such a man , that lives upon god , and christ , he hath , in every condition , that comfort , & contentment , that the world knows not of . thus the apostle paul lived above his condition , 2 cor. 6. 10. as sorrowful , yet always rejoycing ; as having nothing , yet possessing all things . q. d. men look upon us , as those that are in a sad condition , being poor , and having nothing ; but we live upon something that is above our condition . so that every condition is good to him , that hath something to live upon above his condition . that , as it is in respect of ordinances , so it is in respect of conditions , we are , in the use of ordinances , to live above them , and to seek to find god in them : so in conditions , we are to live above them , and to seek to god , for that comfort and contentment that sweetneth a condition . before i leave this , i must tell you , there is a two-fold living above ones condition . 1. sinful : arising from haughtiness of spirit . 2. holy : proceeding from heavenliness of spirit . 1. sinful : when a mans heart , and spirit , is not contented with its present condition ; when his spirit is above his condition , and he thinks his condition too low , and mean for him . this is sinful . 2. holy : when a man hath such a heavenly spirit , that causeth him , not to take up with the things of his outward condition ; but lives upon higher things . and this stands in two things . 1. living above the comforts of a condition . 2. above the crosses of a condition . 1. living above the comforts of a condition . it is thus with a gracious heart : when the outward condition is comfortable , yet he liveth upon something above the comforts of his condition . it is the apostles counsel , 1 cor. 7. 29. &c. let those that have wives , be as though they had none , and those that rejoyce , as though they rejoyced not . he liveth upon higher things , than the comforts of a wife , so that it is , as if he should have said ; the comfort in a wife , was nothing , in respect of the comfort he finds in god , and christ . and so he seeth , that in his condition , there is nothing to rejoyce in , in comparison of higher things . as christ said to his disciples , rejoyce not in this , that the devils are subject to you ; but rather rejoyce in this , that your names are written in heaven . 2. living above the crosses of a condition : the apostle saith , 1 cor. 1. 29. let them that weep , be as though they wept not . to shew , that christians , should live above the crosses of their condition , enjoying that that makes them weep , as if they wept not . 7. that , that makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , watchfulness against the temptations that attend a condition . there must be standing upon our guard in conditions , and watching against temptations . conditions ( as i have shewed you formerly ) are attended with temptations . there are temptations , that attend a prosperous , and an afflicted condition . sathan layeth snares for us in every condition ; but cannot hurt us , if we but once know his devices . he is subtle , and loves to fish in all waters ; and so he layeth snares in all conditions . this then speaks a condition good , when we watch against the temptations of a condition . the apostle writing to timothy , a young man , 2 tim. 2. 22. biddeth him flie the lusts of youth . youth hath its lusts , and conditions have their temptations , which we ought to watch against . a prosperous condition hath its temptations , and an afflicted condition hath its temptations . the apostle , 1 tim. 6. 17. bids him , charge them that are rich in this world , that they be not high-minded ; and that they trust not in uncertain riches : which shews the temptations that attend that condition , viz. high-mindedness , and trusting in riches . an afflicted condition hath its temptations too , heb. 12. 5. where , writing to them that were in an afflicted condition , he exhorteth them to avoid two extreams , in ver . 5. my son , despise not the chastning of the lord ; neither faint , when thou art rebuked of him . in an afflicted condition , we are apt , either to despise the affliction , or to be too much dejected and cast down under the affliction : and therefore , ver . 12. he bids them lift up the hands that hang down . so james 5. he speaks to afflicted ones to be patient , and stablish their hearts . and ver . 9. saith , grudge not one against another , brethren . the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , groan not one against another . in it , there is an exhortation to them , to watch against the temptations that attend an afflicted condition . some think ▪ the apostle there forbids murmuring groans , which arise from our being discontented at providences : this is one temptation . some think , they are vindictive groans , proceeding from revenge , and stomack against those that were the instruments of our affliction : this is another temptation . some think , are meant envious groans , proceeding from their envying at those , that suffered lesse than they did : this is another temptation . thus we see , that all conditions have their temptations . and this is that , that speaks a condition good for a man ; when , in his condition , he is watchful against the temptations of it ; avoiding the snares of it . satan observeth wind and tide in his temptations ; he observeth the wind and tide of a condition . he observeth , whether the wind that bloweth , be a warm southerly wind of prosperity , or an cold northerly wind of adversity ; and accordingly he suits his temptations . it is the condition that makes the temptation in season . he seldom tempts a poor man to pride : and therefore it is made , by solomon , a prodigious sight , eccles . 10. 7. to see servants on horse-back . so he seldom tempts rich men to steal ; the reason , is , because such temptations are unsuitable to their condition . chap. ix . 8. that that makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , spiritualizing a condition ; when there is an extracting something that is spiritually good out of our outward , and temporal conditions . alchymists tell us , there is an art , of turning baser mettals into gold : so there is a heavenly art , of spiritualizing temporal conditions , and turning them into heavenly advantages . the gracious man is the true alchymist , that can extract something that is spiritual , out of that which is temporal ; and what concerns another life , out of the things of this life . we must know , there is an art of byassing conditions . a bowl runneth according as you set the byass ; so conditions are according to the byass you put upon them . when a condition is spiritually byassed , it moves a man heaven-ward : consider how it is with saylers ; though they have a side-wind , yea , a wind that seems to blow against them ; yet they have an art of setting their sails so , that they will make an advantage of those winds . so grace , will teach every man , so to manage his condition , that , let the wind of it blow from what place , or quarter it will , yet it shall be advantagious to him , for the carrying him on , towards his desired haven , which is heaven . we must know ; outward conditions are common to good and bad. but here lieth the difference ; the godly man , from a heavenly principle , makes a spiritual advantage of his condition , when another doth not . some , when they are in prosperity , or adversity , ( being carnal ) understand not the art of making a spiritual advantage of a condition . we know , there are some actions that are common to men , and beasts ; as to eat , drink , and move , &c. the beast doth it , and man doth it . now where is the difference ? in this , when man doth them , they are reasonable actions , they are guided with reason , and moderated by reason ; but when a beast doth them , they are the actions of a beast , and so they are but brutish . so it is in respect of conditions , they are common to good , and bad ; but here lyeth the difference . a godly man , being indued with a principle of spiritual wisdom , makes a spiritual advantage of his condition , be it what it will ; when the other , haveing no such principle , knoweth not how to do it . it is with godly men , in their worldly conditions , as it is with the planets , which have a motion of their own , contrary to that rapt motion of the heavens , whereby they are carried , and whirled about , in twenty four hours . so it is with godly men , in their conditions , they are carryed about as the world is , in respect of conditions . in respect of their outwards , they are in the same condition with others , sometimes rich , sometimes poor , sometimes high , sometimes low , sometimes in prosperity , and sometimes in adversity : but in these conditions , they have a different motion from others ; being directed by grace , and the spirit of god , they move heaven-wards . even in those conditions , that seem to carry them down-wards , they have a motion upwards . we know in scripture , prosperity is called a mountain ; and afflictions are compared to , and called waters . as for prosperity , which is called a mountain , grace teacheth a man , to get on the top of it , from whence he may see heaven the better , as moses did the land of canaan , from the top of mount pisgah . some there are , when their mountain is made high , they set it between them and heaven . and alas ! what can a man see , when he is at the bottom , and foot of a mountain ? when a man , is on the top of a mountain , then the face of the heavens , lyeth open to his view . then a man may conclude , a prosperous condition is good for him , when it is not a mountain , to hide heaven from him , but to raise him up , more towards heaven . so for an afflicted condition : afflictions , are in scripture , compared to waters . thus it is with some , when they come into these waters , they sink , and are over-whelmed . these waters run over them , and drown them . but with a godly man , it is otherwise ; he swims upon these waters , and is like noahs ark in the deluge , the higher the waters were , the more it was lifted up , towards heaven : so the rising of these waters of affliction , do but lift a godly man up , nearer to heaven . so then , if a man would make a judgment of conditions , he must see , whether they are spiritually good for him , by what spiritual extraction he maketh out of them , and what spiritual advantage he makes of them . 9. that that makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , an holy indifferency of spirit , in respect of conditions . when it is indifferent to him , what condition he is put into , submitting to the will of god , and resolving , gods will , shall be his . then is a condition good for a man , when his spirit is brought to this indifferency . in respect of salvation , he is absolute ; but in respect of outward conditions , whether to be high or low , he is indifferent , and saith , let it be as the lord will. when there is this submission to god in a condition , then it is good . some there are , that have indeed , an indifferency of spirit , in relation to spiritual , and eternal good things ; but none , in relation to those good things that are temporal . they are indifferent , whether they have grace , or not , &c. but concerning the things of this life , it is with them , as with rachel concerning children , they must have them , or else they dye . then it is right , when there is an indifferency of spirit , in respect of outward things . when our hearts are not set , on this or that , worldly thing ; but we are indifferent , whether we have it or not . if god will give them the things of this life , such spirits will be thankful ; if god deny them , to them , such spirits will be content . such a spirit had the apostle , phil. 4. 11 , 12. not that i speak ( saith he ) in respect of want , for i know both how to be abased , and how to abound , &c. and telleth us withal , that he had learned , in every condition , therewith to be content . ( q. d. ) as for these outward things , it is indifferent to me , whether i have them , or have them not ; i will not be my own carver , but am content , with whatsoever condition god shall put me into . a gracious spirit , is indifferent about all things , save-only those , that concern the good of his soul. as that martyr , mr. bradford , answered , when one asked him at parting , what he would have to the queen , no more but this , said he , tell her majesty , if she will give me my life , i will thank her ; if she condemn me to perpetual imprisonment ▪ i will thank her ; if she will banish me , i will thank her , if she will burn me , i will thank her. herein the indifferency of his spirit appeared ; that , let the queen deal with him , how she pleased , it would please him , and he should therewith be content . thus it is with a gracious spirit , it is content to be in what condition god seeth best for him . and this indifferency ariseth from the consideration of these things : 1. from the consideration of outward conditions , and the things of them , that they can neither make a man truly happy , nor truly miserable . riches , and honour , and such things , cannot make a man truly happy . a man may be rich , and yet a reprobate . happiness lieth in higher things , and higher enjoyments ▪ and so likewise , troubles , and crosses , and afflictions , cannot make a man truly miserable . it is sin , not sufferings , that doth that . this chrysostom knew , by returning that answer to the empress , who threatned what she would do to him ; tell her , ( said he ) nil nisi peccatum timeo , i fear nothing but sin . 2. from the consideration of this , that he is not at his own disposing , but at god's , who may do with him , what he will , and put him into what condition he pleaseth . he knoweth , he is not to be the framer of his own condition , and therefore , leaves it to the great god , to choose and frame his condition for him . 3. from the consideration of this , the changeableness of conditions ; he considers this , if i should have prosperity , it may quickly turn to adversity , god having set the one , over against the other . and the consideration of this changeableness , is one thing that helpeth , to put the spirit upon this indifferency . 4. from the consideration of this , that he knows not what condition is good for him in this life , and thence concludeth , that that condition must needs be best for him , that god seeth best . 5. from the consideration of this , what relation he hath to the world , that he is but a pilgrim , and stranger here , only travelling through it , towards his home . and so looketh upon conditions here , only as his inn , in which he is to lodg. from this consideration , ariseth this indifferency of spirit . he is indifferent concerning his inn , when he considereth , it is not his home ; if he be well accomodated , it pleaseth him , if not , yet he is contented , considering this , i am not to dwell here . conditions to gracious spirits , are as weather is to travellers , whether it be fair or foul , being on his journy home-wards , he is content . 10. that that makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , a mans behaviour in his condition . then it is right , when nothing from god , displeaseth us ; and nothing from us , displeaseth god. when we are contented , with all the lords dealings with us ; and make it our care in a condition , that our carriage may be such , that it may not displease him . some there are , that if god put ▪ them into a prosperous condition , and waters of a ful cup are wrung out to them , it pleaseth them well . but then , in that condition , it is not their care to please god ; they abuse their prosperity , to pride , and luxury , gluttony , and drunkenness . as it is said of jesurun , deut. 32. he waxed fat , and kicked . some there are , that if god put them into an afflicted condition , are not pleased with what god doth , neither do they please him , in what they do , in that condition . as those dispensations of god , are unpleasing to them ; so their behaviour , in that condition , is such , that it is most displeasing to god. how many do fret , and murmur , and break forth into the indecencies of passion , against god ? as that wicked king of israel said , this evil is of the lord , why should i wait any longer ? so consider , then a condition is good for a man ; 1. when nothing that comes from god , displeaseth him , let him put him in what condition he will. let god set him up , or cast him down ; let him feed him , with pleasant bread , or with the bread and water of affliction ; let him set him upon the throne , or on the dung-hill ; let him be a giving god , or a god taking away : yet he is not displeased with gods dealings with him . you may remember , what eli said , when the sad news was brought him , concerning what god would do by him and his house ; his answer was , 1 sam. 3. 18. it is the lord , let him do what he will. thus did hezechiah , isa . 39. 8. thus did job , when he received the sad news , concerning the losse of his children and goods , said he , the lord gives , and the lord takes away . blessed be the name of the lord. 2. when we displease not god in a condition . when we are so careful of our behaviour , that we say , as david did , psal . 39. 1. i said , i will take heed to my wayes , &c. he there , takes up a full resolution , of not giving liberty to his tongue , to utter an impatient word , or syllable . so then , if we would know , whether the condition we are in , be good for us in this life ; we must enquire concerning these two things . i. whether god's dealings with us , please us ; and our carriage , in our condition , please him ? the truth is this , most of us , desire that god would please us in our conditions , and give us , what we desire . as sampson said of the woman of timnah , give her me , for she pleaseth me well . so say some , give me this , and that , put me into such a condition , for it pleaseth me well . but here is the sin , they have no care to please god , in their condition . it is with them , as with the people of israel , who asked meat , for their lusts . and as those , of whom the apostle james speaketh , they ask , that they may spend it upon their lusts . so that , a condition is then good for us , when nothing from god , displeaseth us , and nothing from us , displeaseth god in the condition . ii. that that makes a condition good for a man in this life , is , a mans enjoyment of himself in his condition . an holy and comfortable enjoyment of a mans self , in a condition , speaketh his condition good for him . the enjoyment of god , and the enjoyment of our selves , in a condition , makes a condition good for us . 1. concerning a prosperous condition , how many have lost themselves in that condition ; that , as we say of those , whom wine , or strong drink hath overcome , that they are not themselves . some , are so overcome with their prosperity , that we may say of them , they are not themselves . in the midst of their enjoyments , they enjoy not themselves : they possess not , but are possessed . the world doth possess them . they are , at best , but servants , and slaves to the world . the world enjoyes them , but they do not enjoy themselves . solomon telleth us , eccles . 6. 2. of a man , to whom god hath given riches , but not power , to eat thereof . such a man , is a very slave to what he hath , and cannot find in his heart , to serve himself with it . they suffer the world to eat out their very hearts , with cares , and troubles , and thoughtfulness , so that they enjoy not themselves . know this , that a quiet , and a comfortable enjoyment , of a mans self in a condition , is a good , and a sweet thing . 2. concerning an afflicted condition . how many are there , that do not enjoy , but lose themselves in that condition ? there are many , when they are losers in the world , do lose themselves to both , by their impatiency , murmuring , and fretfulness . our saviour saith , luk. 21. 19. in your patience , possess ye your souls , ( i. e. ) possess ye your selves . it telleth us , that an impatient man , doth not possess , nor enjoy himself . it is with an impatient man , as it is with some children , when you anger them , by taking away what they have in one hand , they throw away , what they have in the other hand too . thus satan tempts some , to throw away themselves , when they find , that other things are taken away ; and so they lose themselves in a condition . let me tell you , that condition , in which a man enjoyes himself , is good ; in which he enjoyes his reason , and regulates his affections , and passions by it . as solomon said , that in the midst of his aberrations , his wisdom remained with him . ( i. e. ) he had his judgment , and understanding about him . we should bring our affections , and passions , to the examination of judgment , and reason . if he rejoyce , it teacheth him , to put this question to himself , what reason have i for it ? and if he grieve , what reason have i for it ? is the thing worth my joy ? and worth my sorrow ? so , to close up this , enjoyment of a mans self , consists in this , in a sweet tranquillity of spirit , and temper of soul ; which neither prosperity , nor adversity can alter . it is an equal minde , in unequal conditions . 12. this makes a condition good for us in this life , our adorning our condition . there are many , that are a shame to their conditions , doing that , which is unbeseeming their condition . no man need to be ashamed of his condition , if he be not a shame , to his condition . the apostle speaketh of adorning our generation , phil. 2. 15. among whom , ye shine as lights , in the midst of a crooked generation . so should a man adorn his condition : though it be dark , yet he should shine in it . quest. wherein stands the adorning of a man's condition ? answ . in the exercising and acting the graces of a condition . the stars in the firmament , are an ornament to it . so the firmament of our conditions , hath its graces to adorn it ; the shining forth of which , is the adorning of the condition . there are prosperity-graces , and adversity-graces , and the acting of these graces , is the adorning of the condition . a prosperous condition hath its graces , by the acting and exercising of which , a gracious heart doth adorn it . so an afflicted condition , hath its graces , which adorn it . it is sad to see , how many are a shame , to their conditions ; there being no appearance of grace , shining forth , suitable to their condition . we must know , as all relations , and conditions , have their duties , so their graces . magistracy hath it's : they must be men , fearing god , ruling in the fear of god , hating covetousness . ministry hath it's graces , as the apostle sheweth at large , in his epistle to timothy : which graces , are for the adorning of their professions . so conditions have their graces too , by which they are adorned . a thankful spirit , and a publique spirit , and a bountiful , and inlarged heart , adorn a prosperous condition . as on the contrary , a patient , and meek , and humble spirit , submitting wholly , to the will of god , adorns an afflicted condition . as a man by unthankfulness , and self-seeking , &c. shames a prosperous condition : so some , by their impatiency , and fretting , and murmuring , &c. shame an afflicted condition : of whom , we may say , they shame their conditions , and their conditions are a shame of them . how many are there , that have made their condition to be evil spoken of , by being a shame to their condition . thus i have finished the first sort of general directions , concerning what is to be known of those , that will make a right judgment of conditions . 2. i now come to give you in , general directions , concerning what is to be done , by those that will make a right judgment of conditions . 1. he that will make a right judgment of his condition , must be much in inquiring of the lord by prayer , what his minde , and meaning is in a condition . as prayer is the means , by which we come to know the mind and meaning of god , in his word , so also in his works , and so in those conditions he puts us into . we read of jeremiahs inquiry , concerning the prosperous condition of the wicked , jer. 12. 1. why doth the way of the wicked prosper ? we are indeed , to take heed , of putting absolute interrogatories to god ; as if he were bound , to give an account of his providences to us . yet we may lawfully go to him , in a humble way , to see what is his minde , and meaning in a dispensation , and in a condition . it is our duty , to get as near god as we can , to know this . this is one thing , job , in his afflicted condition , did desire of god , job . 10. 2. shew me , wherefore thou contendest with me . ( i e. ) what this affliction meaneth ? whether it proceed from love , or hatred ? whether it intend good , or evil ? are you in a prosperous condition , and would you make a judgment of it , whether it be good for you ? or in an afflicted condition ? the way to make a judgment of your condition , is , to be much in seeking to god by prayer , to know his minde , and meaning in a condition . although the apostle speaketh of prayer , as a duty , most suitable to an afflicted condition , jam. 5. 13. if any among you be afflicted , let him pray . yet let me tell you , prayer is a duty , that suits with every condition . as we are to enquire into the meaning of god , concerning afflictions , so concerning a prosperous condition : if he putteth us into it , we are to begg of him , the interpretation of the condition . many there be , that never say , as rebecca did , why am i thus ? in these enquiries concerning conditions , we must know , we are not so much , to enquire after the reasons of gods dealing so with us , as of our duty , what we are to do in that condition . so then , prayer is a means , by which we must come to make a judgment of our condition . we should get as near god as we can , to hear what he speaks concerning our condition . as it is the psalmist's expression , psal . 85. 8. i will hark , what the lord will speak . so we should harken , what the lord will speak , concerning our condition . there is no man , can give a right judgment of an earthly condition , till he hear something from heaven , concerning it . there was of old , this custom among the romans , that it was not lawful , to propose any matter of moment in the senate , priusquam de caelo observatum erat , before their wizzards had made their observations from the sky , and heavens . what they did impiously , and superstitiously , we ought to do piously , in respect of conditions ( viz. ) not to make a judgment of them , till we have heard from heaven , concerning them . it is not by the observation of the houses of the planets , or their aspects , or their oppositions , or conjunctions ; such an observation is forbid by a voice from heaven . but we are to hearken , what the lord speaketh to us , concerning our conditions ; and prayer is the means , by which ( though we are on earth ) we have an answer from heaven . the jews had two means , by which they received answers from god. first , by the mouth of the prophets , when the spirit came upon them . secondly , by the priests , when they put on the brest-plate of judgment . those wayes of understanding the minde of god , are ceased . we have the word to go to , and prayer , to make use of , jam. 1. 5. if any man lack wisdom , let him ask of god. the apostle speaks there , of a man in an afflicted condition , and speaks to such in an afflicted condition , as those that need wisdom , both for the managing of their condition , and for the making a right judgment of it . he telleth them , what they must do , they must ask this wisdom of god. it is as if the apostle should say , when you are in such a condition , you need wisdom . 1. wisdom , to discern god's end in it , and to find out the meaning of god , in a dispensation . when we receive outward good things , from the hand of god , or afflictions , whether it be for good , or evil ; it tends much , to the quieting , and and satisfying our spirits in a condition , when we can find out , what is god's end in it . 2. wisdom , to find out our duty in a condition . there are seasonable , and proper duties , which belong to , and become every providence and dispensation . now here is wisdom , to find them out , and to know what we have to do in our condition . it is said of the men of issachar , 1 chron. 12. 32. they had understanding of the times , and knew what israel ought to do . so , there is wisdom required of a man , to know what to do in every condition . as one , being invited to a feast , asked the philosopher , who was his tutor , how he should behave himself ; remember thou art a king's son , ( i. e. ) behave thy self , as becometh thy birth , and dignity . so here is wisdom , to know the duties of our condition , and accordingly to behave our selves . 3. wisdom , to regulate , and moderate our affections , and passions , in a condition . that a man be not too much taken with the comforts , nor too much troubled with the crosses of a condition . now for the attaining of this wisdom , the apostle gives this direction , that we must ask of god. 2. he that will make a judgment of his condition , must be much in searching himself , to see what he is in a condition . i have said before , the condition is to be judged of by the person , and that conditions are to men , as they are to , and in , their conditions . here is the mistake of many , they go to make a judgment of their conditions , before they make a judgment of themselves . our saviour speaketh , in mat. 7. 3 , 4. of them that see a mote in their brothers eye , and discern not the beam that is in their own eye . they would go about to reform others , before they reform themselves . thus some would go to make a judgment of conditions , before they make a judgment of themselves ; and that ignorance is a beam in their eyes , that keeps them from discerning a condition . there are some ( as i have shewed you ) to whom every condition is a curse ; and some , to whom every condition is a blessing . the great thing we are to do , is , to see of which number we are . psal . 77. we find ver. 1 , 2. david was in an afflicted condition , and see what he doth in that condition . first , he sought the lord , ver. 2. in the day of my trouble i sought the lord. he made his addresses to god. secondly , he fell upon a search of himself , vers . 6. i communed with my own heart , and my spirit made diligent search . where we see , he both sought the lord , and searched himself . so that before a man can make a perfect judgment of a condition , there must be a searching of himself . there must be a communing with his own heart . we must understand our selves , before we can understand our condition . eccles . 9. 2. no man knoweth love or hatred , by what is before him . when a man looks only upon the outward dispensation , ( viz. ) riches , and honour , on the one hand ; and crosses , and afflictions on the other : a man may pore upon these , all the dayes of his life , and yet be never the wiser ; he may stare on them , till his eyes drop out , and yet not know , whether they are good , or evil for him , whether they speak love or hatred . but then you will ask , what should a man do in this case , that he may know ? he must not look so much on things without him , as things within him ; he must not so much eye , what his condition is , as what he is in his condition . it is not for a man to look what god doth without , but he must look what god hath done within him ; to know the meaning of an outward dispensation . hath god made you one of his ? hath he shed his love abroad in your hearts ? hath he given you , the new name , which none knoweth , but he that hath it ? have you , the engravings of heaven on your spirits ? have you love to jesus , written upon your hearts ? and holiness to jehovah , upon your fore-heads ? by this , you may know the meaning of a condition . as it was said of luther , that he knew , what was done in heaven , by what was done in his own heart . much more may we know the meaning of what is done on earth , by what is done within us . the outward dispensation is dumb , and saith nothing of it self , in respect of love and hatred ; it is something within a man , that must speak that . there is an expression , psal . 25. 14. the secret of the lord , is with them that fear him , and he will shew them his covenant . we must know , in gods dispensations , there is a secret ; a secret of love , and a secret of hatred , and this lyeth hid in the dispensation ; so that a man , may look long enough upon the outward dispensation , and not see the secret , that is in the dispensation . now the godly man , and he that feareth god , knoweth this secret of a dispensation . god sheweth such a one his covenant , so that he finds all coming in by covenant , let it be what it will , whether outward blessings , or outward afflictions . in a word , those that will make a judgment of their outward condition , must know , that all is good , to those that are good ; and all is evil , to those that are evil. wrath , and hatred , and hell , are written on a wicked mans outward mercies , and on a wicked mans outward miseries . hell is engraven , on the very tooth-ach of a reprobate . as on the contrary , love is written , not only upon the mercies , but also upon the miseries , of a godly man. blessedness is engraven upon his afflictions , and persecutions . so you see , that he , who will make a judgment of his condition , must first make a judgment of himself . 3. he that will make a judgment of his outward condition , must be sure , to take a right view of his condition . the not doing this , is one great reason , why so many have been so grosly mistaken about conditions , calling good , evil ; and evil , good. we know , when a mans judgment is asked , concerning the goodness and value of a thing , he will first view it , before he gives his judgment of it . so we must do concerning conditions , view , before we judg . but you will ask , how may a man come to take a right view of his condition , that he be not mistaken about it ? for answer to that , take these directions . 1. he that will take a right view of a condition , must view it by scripture light. david was mistaken , about conditions , till he went into the sanctuary , and by the light there , he saw , what he did not before discern . many men , set up false lights , and view conditions by them , ( viz. ) the judgment and opinions of others , and their own apprehensions and imaginations ; these are glasses , through which , many look upon conditions , which make but false representations . some tell us , in the opticks , there is a glass , that will represent a foul dirty way , so green and pleasant , as if it were covered with carpets . through such false glasses , do many view their conditions . there are magnifying glasses , that will represent the object , far bigger then it is ; that will make a small fly , seem a hornet ; a straw , a staff ; and a grain of mustard-seed , a bean. such a glass , a mans own apprehension , and imagination is , in the viewing of his condition . they make the things of a condition , seem bigger to us , then they are . thus sometimes , the comforts of a condition , and the crosses of a condition , are represented to us , bigger than they are . now , he that will take a right view of a condition , must lay aside these false lights and glasses , and must view his condition ; by scripture-light . and that for these reasons : 1. the scripture will help a man , to make a true discovery of the things of a condition . the scripture giveth us the best account of what the things of a prosperous condition are , ( viz. ) riches and honour , &c. and it gives us the best account , what losses , and crosses , and afflictions are . as for the first , the scripture telleth us , they are all but vanity . and that the best things of this world , stand upon two lame leggs , ( viz. ) uncertainty , and insufficiency . nay , it is observable , it doth not tell us the vanity of outward things , only notionally , but delivereth it to us as a truth , that hath been experimented and tryed , by those who both had a will , and also ability , to make the experiment . thus you find solomon did ; and , in the book of the ecclesiastes , we have him , giving in his experiments , concerning the best of outward things , in this short sentence , all is vanity . and then for afflictions , the scripture sets up a light for us , for the taking a right view of them . and telleth us , what verdicts have been passed , by those who have had tryals of them . among others , david , who said , it was good for him , that he was afflicted . to close this : scripture light , in respect of this particular , must needs be a great advantage to a man , in his taking a view of his condition . 2. the scripture will help us to view a condition , by discovering to us , what those things are , that make a condition good , and without which a condition is not good . the scripture is much , in making out to men , what it is , that is good indeed . solomon , in his ecclesiastes , sheweth the mistakes of men , concerning happiness , and makes it appear by experience , that it did not lie in honours , or pleasures , or riches , &c. and observe how he closeth his book , with a discovery of that , wherein mans happiness lieth , chap. 12. 13. hear the conclusion of the whole matter , fear god , and keep his commandements , for this is the whole duty of man. it is the totum hominis , the whole , and the all of man. the scripture , doth not only discover to men , what the good and evil of this world is ; but also , what it is , that is good indeed , without which , a condition is not good , and with which , a condition is not evil . it sheweth a man , that , without controversy , this is good for a man in this life , ( viz. ) pardon , and peace , and union with god , and an interest in jesus christ , &c. thus the scripture helpeth a man , in viewing , by directing him to discover , what is good indeed , and makes a condition good to a man. it holds out a clear light to a man , by which he may find out , what it is , that speaks his condition good . augustin said , of tullies works , they were once sweet to him , but now he found , no sweetness in them , because he found not jesus , mentioned in them . the scripture directs us , in the viewing of a condition , to do , as a man doth , when he cometh into a richly-furnished-shop , seeking after some rare piece of ware ; though many be brought to his hand , yet he layeth them all aside , till he find the piece he desireth , and looks for . so it is in viewing the good of a condition , the scripture will direct a man , to lay all aside , till he come to discern , that which is good indeed . in a prosperous condition , when honour , and riches , &c. come to hand , it teacheth him , to put the question to himself , are there not better things then these ? so in an afflicted condition , it teacheth a man , to lay his crosses , and troubles , and afflictions aside , and to put the question to himself , whether there be not greater evils than those ? and whether evils of sinning , be not greater , than evils of suffering . the scripture teacheth a man , to view a condition , as samuel did the sons of jesse , to find out david , whom the lord had chosen . jesse brings forth his eldest son , samuel said , that is not he : he then , brought his seaven sons before him , and samuel answered , neither hath the lord chosen any of these : and then he cometh to david , who was the man looked after . in taking a view view of conditions , we must know , the rule is this , in viewing a prosperous condition , you may see honour , and riches , and other things of the world , passing by you ; but , put them by , bid them stand aside : tell them , they are not the things , that make a man happy . so , in the taking a view , of an afflicted condition , many evils may present themselves to us ; but the scripture telleth us , that these are not the evils , that we are to look upon , as the worst of evils . 3. the scripture doth thus help us , in taking a view of our conditions ; it unvayles conditions , and unfoldeth the mysteries of a condition ; without which , a man cannot take a right view , nor make a right judgment of his condition . we find david , stumbling at the prosperity of wicked men , and at the adversity of godly men ; he knew not , what to think of it , when he saw waters of a full cup , wrung out to the one , and waters of affliction to the other ; he began to think , that he was on the wrong side , and that he had made a wrong choice : and these words were coming out of his mouth , that he had cleansed his heart in vain . ( i. e. ) he was about to say , it was in vain for him , and others , to be godly , if thus they were dealt with , in this life ; if they must be afflicted , and chastned , while wicked men have , what heart can wish . now , how came david , to have his judgment rectified , concerning these dispensations of god ? he telleth us , he went into the sanctuary , and there he understood the mystery of these dispensations : there he found the riddle unfolded , and these providences unvayled . the word of god , will help us , to interpret the works of god. it will help us to see within the vayl of a condition , and to see the wheel within the wheel . it will teach us , not only to look on the motions of the wheels without , but will shew us , the motions of the wheels within . jer. 12. 1. he puts the question , why doth the way of the wicked prosper ? he viewed their condition , and wondred at it . it was a mystery to him , that such men should prosper , that did deal very treacherously . the prophet did not at first understand the mystery ; had he gon into the sanctuary , he would have found , the way of the wicked did not prosper . and he found it afterwards , as appeareth vers . 3. pull them out , as sheep for the slaughter , &c. q. d. lord , i partly see into the mystery of this dispensation ; i find that their prosperity , is but a preparing them , for the day of slaughter . that thou dost deal with them , as men do with those beasts they intend for the slaughter ; they put them into the fattest grounds , and the best pastures . scripture teacheth a man , in viewing a condition , to view it upon both sides : and indeed , till a man do so , he will never make a right view of a condition . conditions are like that cloud , by which god guided the children of israel through the wilderness ; they have their bright , and their black side . some in viewing a condition , look only upon it's bright side , when the condition may have a black side . so , some in viewing a prosperous condition , look only upon the bright side , whereas , if they looked upon the other side , they would find it black , and dismal . so concerning an adverse condition , some look only upon the black side , and see nothing but what is sad ; whereas , if they looked upon the other side of their condition , they might see it bright , and guilded with love. 4. by scripture-light , we see another thing , ( viz. ) how to improve a condition . we can never take a right view of a condition , till we view it with it's improvements . it is in viewing , and making a judgment of conditions , as it is in a husband-man's viewing of lands ; he considereth , whether they are to be improved . though they seem bare , and barren , yet he considereth , whether they may not be improved to be worth so much an acre . so , the right viewing of conditions , is , to view them , with their improvements . now the scripture helpeth us in this particular . 1. it will shew us , how the saints of old , improved their conditions . how they husbanded , both prosperous , and adverse conditions , and what they made of them . and thus it helpeth us , to view a condition with it's improvements . as the scripture sheweth us , what the saints of old , were in their several generations , so what they were in their several conditions ; when they were high , and low ; rich , and poor . it shews us , how job improved his condition , when he was job the wealthy , and honourable ; and how he improved his condition , when he was job the miserable and afflicted . it sheweth us , what david made of his condition , when he was david the king , and when he was david the persecuted . plutarch wrote a treatise , to shew , how a man might get profit by an enemy . the scripture is nuch in shewing us , how to make profit of conditions , and that by setting before us , the improvements that others have made of them . 2. the scripture teacheth us , the art of improving them . it not only sheweth us , that they are improvable , but withal sheweth us , how we may improve them . there is a story of a romane , who was accused of witch-craft ; the reason given was this , that when his neighbours land brought forth little , his brought forth abundantly , though there was but a hedg betwixt them . so this was the charge , that by witch-craft , he drew all the strength , and fatness of their soyl into his , and by that means , enriched his own land , and impoverished theirs : being brought before the judges , be brought forth all the tools , and instruments , which he used in the tilling , and manuring of his land : and answered , haec sunt veneficia mea , these are my witch-crafts ; and withal , told his judges , i am at work , when my neighbours are asleep ; i work , when they play : they are negligent , and use not that kind of husbandry that i do ; and this is the true reason , why my crop exceeds theirs . concerning conditions , it is thus , there is such an art of improving them , that some may be great gainers , when others get nothing by them . this art the scripture teacheth us , how to make a spiritual advantage of temporal conditions . this is an art , that philosophy teacheth not . indeed , philosophy teacheth the art of moral improvements of conditions , but not spiritual ; scripture onely teacheth that . alchymists tell us , there is an art , of turning baser mettalls , into gold. philosophy goeth thus far , to teach us the art , of turning conditions ( as i may say ) into brass , or copper , or silver ; but it can never teach us the art , of turning them into gold ; the scripture only teacheth that . whosoever readeth the works of tully , seneca , and others of that sort , shall find indeed , excellent directions , for the moral improvement of conditions ; but as for a spiritual improvement , they tell you nothing . that was above their reach , and their light did not attain unto it . now this great art , the scripture teacheth ; it teacheth a man the art , of makeing thorns , bear grapes ; and of making thistles , bear figgs . ( i. e. ) when a condition is thorny , and prickly , the scripture sheweth a man , that he may gather sweet and pleasant fruit , from the thorns , and thistles , of his condition . as the apostle saith , heb. 12. 11. that affliction yieldeth the quiet fruit of righteousness . where you see thorns , bearing grapes . in a word , the scripture teacheth a man the art , of sayling by the wind of a condition , let it blow from what quarter it will. it is reported , that those that sayle into the indies , find in some places , the winds blow constantly for six months one way , and for the other six months , quite contrary . let the wind of a condition , blow which way it will , either from the north , or from the south ; yet the scripture teacheth a christian , the skill of setting his sayles so , as that they shall further him in his voyage towards heaven . 5. by scripture-light , a man cometh to discern the dangers of a condition . to discover what rocks , and shelves , are in the sea of every condition , that he may know how to avoyd them . a man can never take a right view of a condition , till he hath viewed it , with it's dangers , snares , and temptations . of these , the scripture makes a discovery two wayes . 1. by way of caution . so it cautionates men , concerning the dangers of a condition , both prosperous and adverse . as you may see , deut. 6. 11 , 12. and deut. 8. 11 , 12 , 13. when thou hast eaten , and art full ; take heed thou forget not the lord thy god. forgetfulness of god , is that , that is to be taken heed of in a prosperous condition . the scripture is frequent in giving such cautions , 1 tim. 6. 17. psal . 62. 10. jer. 9. 23. let not the rich man glory in his riches , &c. 2. the scripture presents us , with the examples of those , that have miscarried , and fallen by their conditions . it sheweth us , against what rocks , some in their sayling , have dashed their ships . deut. 32. 15. jesurun waxed fat , and kicked . neh. 13. 26. we find how solomon miscarried in his prosperity . nebuchadnezzar said in that condition , dan. 4. 30. is not this great babel that i have built , & c ? in scripture , you have the saints set out to us , as in their graces , so in their sins . you have heard ( saith the apostle ) of the patience of job ; so from the same scripture , we hear likewise of his impatiency . as it acquaints us with the pride of israel , when they were in their prosperity ; so with their murmuring , and repining , when they were in adversity . 2 chron. 32. 25. it is said of hezechiah , after he was recovered , that he rendred not again , according to what the lord had done to him ; for his heart was lifted up . 6. scripture-light , discovereth another thing concerning conditions ; and that is this , what are the alloys , and correctives , of a condition ; without the knowledg of which , we can never take a right view of conditions . on the one hand , the pleasantness of a condition may deceive us ; and , on the other hand , the seeming ill-favouredness of a condition , may make us mistaken , in making a judgment of it . the scripture discovereth this to us , what are the true correctives of a condition ? what may allay the sweetness , and pleasantness of prosperity , that they be not too much lifted up ? and what will correct the bitter ingredients of an afflicted condition , that they be not too much dejected and cast down ? it is sometimes with men in conditions , as it is with those that go to sea , of whom the psalmist speaketh , psal . 107. 26. they mount up to the heavens , and they go down again to the depths . so it is in conditions . a man in a prosperous condition , when the waters of a condition are full , he is apt to be high , and high-minded : but he must know , waters of a condition may fall , and that conditions have their depths . there are the full tides , and the ebbs of a condition . it is sometimes full sea with a man ; the comforts of a condition , flow in a pace , and then a man is apt to be lifted up . and then there is the ebb of a condition , when there is a decrease , and diminishing of those comforts ; and then men are apt to faint , and be cast down . now , scripture-light discovereth to us , what helps we have in this case . we know how it is with fishermens nets , they have lead , to make them sinck ; and they have cork at them , to make them swim . and both these are in scripture , put upon outward conditions . 1. for a prosperous condition , there is lead put upon it , to keep a man low , and humble ; and to sink him in that condition . the scripture telleth us , of the vanity of riches , and honour , &c. it telleth us , of the brevity , uncertainty , and insufficiency , that is in the best of outward things . withal , it acquaints us , with the temptations , cares , troubles , disquietments , wherewith those things are attended . it telleth us , that the increasing of them , is but the increasing of vanity , and vexation of spirit . again , it telleth us this , that a mans happiness lieth not in them ; that a man may have them , and yet be miserable ; and that , being vanity , they cannot cure a mans vanity . now this is some of the lead , that the scripture putteth to a prosperous condition , to keep men low , and humble in it . the consideration of these things , are as ballast to a ship , which makes it sayl eevenly , and steadily . when a man is in a prosperous condition , his spirit is apt to be lifted up ; and so it needs ballast , to keep it from fleeting at random , upon the waters of prosperity . now the scripture is much in shewing , what it is that should keep the spirit low , in a high condition . thus , 1 tim. 6. 17. charge them that are rich in this world , that they be not high-minded ; and that they trust not in uncertain riches . ( observe ) ; there is the ballast , and there is the lead , to keep down the spirit in a rich condition , ( viz. ) they are uncertain riches , 1 cor. 7. 29 , 30 , 31. brethren , the time is short , and the fashion of this world passeth away . q. d. remember , the time is short , for your enjoying of the comforts of this life , and the fashion of the world goeth away ; the world is upon gate ; and marrying , and buying , and selling , &c. will shortly have an end . i shall close this , with that place , jam. 1. 10. let the rich rejoyce , in that he is made low ; the expositions of the place are divers , but without doubt , the meaning of the apostle is this , ( when he saith ) let him that is rich , rejoyce in this , that he is made low . that is , there is no rich man , but hath reason to be low , and humble , if he doth rightly consider his condition . and that this is the meaning , appears by the following words , for as the flower of grass he shall pass away . i. e. the beauty and glory of his condition , is but fading , and vanishing , like the flower of grass . here is lead , to make the spirit sinck , in a high and prosperous condition . 2. concerning an adverse condition , there the scripture comes in with cork , to make it swim , and to keep up the spirit of a man in that condition . that we may not be too much cast down ; it hath it's correctives for the crosses of a condition , and somewhat to allay the bitterness of such a condition . it presents us with somewhat , that helps to keep the head above water , and to keep a man from drowning , when the waters of affliction overflow . scripture puts somewhat under , to hold up the spirit in that condition ; ( viz. ) promises , and comforts , suited to such a condition ; with god's end in afflicting ; with the sweet fruit of afflictions ; with what good many have gotten by their conditions ; with what afflictions are , being compared with the glory that is to be revealed . these considerations are as cork , that the scripture puts to an adverse condition . 2 cor. 1. 5. as our sufferings for christ abound in us , so our consolations through christ abound . those consolations are cork to the condition . the apostle saith , jam. 1. 9. let the brother of low degree rejoyce , in that he is exalted . he speaks there , to christians that were in a low , and suffering condition . and see , there was cork , to make them hold up their heads , and swim in that condition ; ( saith the apostle ) he is exalted . according to to the original it is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in his sublimity , being a brother , he is a member of christ . and the apostle setteth before christians , the dignity and honour of their spiritual estate ; to counter-poyse the misery , and obscurity of afflictions . thus the scripture sheweth a man , how he may be preserved from the dangers , of the heights and depths of conditions ; that neither prosperity may lift him up too high , nor adversity cast him down too low ; but that a christian may have an equal spirit , in unequal conditions . there is nothing we have in a prosperous condition , but we have it by divine donation : and why should a christian then be lifted up , when he hath nothing but what he hath received ? and there is nothing befalleth us in an afflicted condition , but what is by divine ordination ; and why should we then fret at it ? to close this , the scripture teacheth a man , how to keep himself sober in prosperity , that he be not overcome with the sweet and pleasant wine of that condition : and also , sober in adversity , that he be not overcome with the gall and wormwood of that condition . the scripture speaketh of a drunkenness , that is incident to an afflicted condition , isa . 51. 21. hear thou this , thou afflicted , and drunken , but not with wine . thus for the first direction , for the taking a right view of conditions . it must be done by scripture-light . chap. x. ii. he that will take a right view of a condition , must take a right standing for the viewing of it . conditions must be viewed at a due and convenient distance . it is in the viewing of a condition , as it is in the viewing of a picture ; the art in drawing , is best discerned at some convenient distance . the reason why many are mistaken about their conditions , is , their setting their conditions too near them , when they take a view of them . thus they set the comforts of a condition , and the crosses of a condition , so near to them , that they cannot take a right view of them . it is with men , in this case , as it is with a man in the midst of a great wood , or in the midst of a great city . when he is at some distance from them , he hath a fuller view of them , than when he was in the midst of them , because his sight is bounded , and terminated , that he can see but a little way . he seeth , it may be , but a street , or some part of a street ; when , being but at some convenient distance from the city , and having a little advantage of ground , he hath a full view of the city , in respect of greatness , length , circuit , &c. thus it is , in respect of conditions ; when a man is in the midst of the comforts of a condition , in the midst of his honour , wealth , and prosperity , he seeth but a little way , and cannot take a full view of his condition . so it is , when a man is in the midst of his crosses , and afflictions , he discerneth but a little of his condition . and thus , not taking a right view of their conditions , they make a false judgement of them . solomon hath a passage , prov. 18. 1. through desire , a man having separated himself , seeketh , or intermedleth , with all wisdom . the words are diversly interpreted . in the margin we read thus , he that separateth himself , seeketh according to his desire , and intermedleth in every business . the meaning seemeth to be this , that a man , that seeketh after wisdom and knowledg , hath his retirements ; his desire of wisdom , makes him sometimes come off from his secular employments , and set them at a distance from him . it makes him sequester himself from all his worldly businesses , that he may seek after wisdom ; and that he may be the freer for study , and meditation , and a consideration of things , what they are . thus it is , in respect of conditions . if a man will take a right view of his condition , and will get wisdom , to make a judgment of it ; he must , for a while , ( as i may say ) separate himself from it , and look upon it at some distance . the apostle gives this direction , for the taking of a right view of conditions , 1 cor. 7. 29 , 30 , 31. let those that have wives , be as though they had none ; and they that rejoyce , as though they rejoyced not ; and they that possess , as though they possessed not , &c. this sheweth us , that then we take a right view of things , when we look on them at a distance . those things are worst seen , that we are on the same side with . an house is best viewed , when we are on the other side the street . so it is in respect of conditions ; we should view the condition , as though we were not in the condition . and so for an afflicted condition , we should view it at a distance . let them ( saith the apostle ) that weep , be as though they wept not . thus the best view of a condition , is , to look upon a condition , to view it upon the other side of the street , to view it at a distance . it is often-times self in a condition , that hinders from taking a right view of a condition . if we could separate our selves from our conditions , and look upon them , as other mens conditions , and not our own , we should take the better view of them . there was a nobleman of this nation , who had three of his sons drowned together in the river of trent : the father had not , as yet , received the sad tydings of their deaths . it was thought good he should be prepared for the tydings , before they came . upon this account , was that learned , and prudent prelate , bishop king , desired to go to him . he very wisely managed the business . he did not , at first , tell the nobleman what was befallen him ; but fell upon a general discourse of an afflicted condition , and so gave the nobleman a view of his condition afar off . the nobleman assented to all the bishop said , and answered , that if god should bring him into such a condition , he did hope , he should be content , and submit to his will. upon this , the bishop brings the condition nearer to him , and putteth this question to him : admit the lord should take from you , your worldly enjoyments , your outward comforts ; and should break off the olive-branches from about your table . the nobleman answered , that he hoped he should be therewith content . upon this , the bishop came nearer , and told him , it was his condition , that his sons were drowned ; and therefore desired him to do as he had said ▪ if he had , at first , shewed him what was his condition , he had been at a losse , in taking a view of it . herein was the prudence of the bishop seen , in giving him a view of it at a distance . so the best way for the taking a right view of conditions , is , to view them at a distance . thus for the general directions , concerning what is to be known done by those , that will make a judgment of conditions . i come now to the particular directions , concerning the making a judgement of conditions : and so , how a man may know , what is good for him in this life . so here we are to shew , how a man may make a judgement , both of a prosperous , and adverse condition . 1. concerning the making a judgement of a prosperous condition . the question is this : question . how may a man know , that a prosperous condition is good for a man in this life ? answ . by these things a man may know it . 1. if outward prosperity , be no hindrance , to inward and spiritual prosperity . it was the wish of st. john , concerning gaius , 3. epist . v. 2. i wish thou mayest prosper and be in health , even as thy soul prospereth . some think , that gaius had a sickly body , but an healthy soul. the contrary is seen by many , they have healthy , and prospering bodies , but unhealthy , and unprospering souls . thus it is with many , they have prospering estates , but poor , and unprospering souls . their outwards , eat up their inwards ; as pharaohs lean kine , did eat up the fat. there are many , whose worldly riches , do eat up their spiritual . though they are rich in the world , yet they are not rich towards god , and in respect of their souls . how many are there , whom outward fulness causeth to despise the hony-comb of the gospel ? remember this , when a mans outward condition , is accompanied with the soul's improsperity , it is naught for him . when , in a prosperous condition , men are thoughtless of their soul's prosperity ; this speaketh a condition evil for a man. 2. we may know it thus , if we use the things of a prosperous condition with right considerations , 1. of their changeableness . 2. of their dangerousness . 3. of their usefulness . 4. of their inferiority . 5. of their emptiness . 6. of our own mortality . 7. of the accompt to be given . 1. if we use them , with a right consideration of their changeableness . some there are , who , when they are set upon a mountain of prosperity , think their mountain to be so strong , that it cannot be removed . this was davids fault , when he said in his prosperity , he should never be removed , job telleth us , that in the day of his prosperity , he thought of adversity . he looked upon the things of his condition as changeable , and so he found them to be ; when of the richest man in the east , he became the poorest man in the world . we must know , the best things of a condition , are mutable : the comforts of a condition , may become crosses . children are looked upon as comforts ; and yet we read of augustus , that he had three daughters , and that they proved such crosses to him , that he was wont to call them , his tria carcinomata , his three ulcers or botches : and he was often heard to say , vtinam vel coelebs vixissem , vel orbus periissem . oh , that i had either lived unmarried , or dyed childless . it is then right , when we use the things of a prosperous condition with right considerations of their vanity , brevity , mortality , mutability . there was an ambassador from a great prince , that had this sentence engraven upon his watch , which he read once every day , favour may turn into disfavour , and grace into disgrace . but of this , i have spoken in a former tract . 2. when we use the things of a prosperous condition , with the consideration of their dangerousness ; that they are things in which men usually sin , and in which they may easily sin . when we consider , what snares and temptations attend that condition ; and thereupon , we become more watchful . but of this we have spoken before , and shall but touch it here . 3. when we use the things of a condition , with the right consideration of their usefulness ; that as they are things useful , so to consider , what use we make of them . as they are easily made matter of sin , so they may be made matter of duty . in this the excellency of a gracious heart is seen , in making duty out of that , out of which others make sin. luke 16. 9. make you friends ( saith our saviour ) of the unrighteous mammon . where riches are called unrighteous mammon , as for other reasons so chiefly for this , because they are the things that men easily , and usually sin in . yet our saviour sheweth , they have their usefulness , when he saith , make you friends of them . so then , would a man know , whether prosperity be good for him ; i would ask him this , what use he doth make of the things of a prosperous condition ? prosperity is to a man , as a man useth it : 1 cor. 7. 31. the apostle speaketh , of using the world , as not abusing it . now , a thing is then abused , when it is not put to the use for which it was given ; but put to wrong uses . thus there is an abusing of the world , and the things of a prosperous condition , when we put them to wrong uses . thus , many abuse their honour , and abuse their riches , &c. when they make this use of them , to feed their lusts , to hearden their hearts against god and his word , to raise their names and families , to oppress their brethren , to make them proud , and high-minded : this is making that use of them , that they were not given for ; and this is abusing them . god never gave these things , to be food for mens lusts , to feed their pride , and to feed their covetousness . he never gave riches , and honour , and possessions to men , to make them proud , and high-minded . thus , many abuse the good things of this life ; their wealth , their apparrel , their very meat , and drink ; by putting them to other uses then god intended them for . as the lord complaineth , hos . 2. 8. she did not know , that i gave her corn , and wine , and oyle , and multiplied their silver , and their gold , which they prepared for baal . they put those things to other uses , then god intended them for . god never gave those things for that end , to serve baal , and their idols with them . thus we see , how the lord telleth israel of her mis-using , and abusing the things of her prosperity , ezek. 16. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. he telleth her , what he had done for her , how he had cloathed her with broidered garments , and fine linnen , and silk ; he had decked her with ornaments , chains , bracelets , jewels , and gold ; he gave her fine flower , and hony , and oyle . now see , to what uses she put these things , you shall find , to such uses as god never intended them for ; as you may see , vers . 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. of the said chapter , they bestowed all upon idols . the lord saith , jer. 7. 31. of their burning their sons , and daughters , in the fire , and sacrificing them to the idols , that he commanded them not , neither came it into his heart . so we may say , that many put the things of this life , to that use that god never commanded , neither ever intended . so then , in a prosperous condition , we should put this question to our selves , what use we make of the things of the condition ? in a prosperous condition , two things are to be eyed by us , for the making a right use of the things of the condition . 1. precepts . 2. patterns . 1. precepts in the scripture , commanding us to what use to put the things of a prosperous condition . the scripture abounds in them , prov. 3. 9. honour the lord with thy substance . deut. 28. 47. where we may see , what is our duty by the threatning . because thou didst not serve the lord with joyfulness , and gladness of heart , for the abundance of all things ; therefore , &c. where see , what is a man duty when he is in a prosperous condition ? it is this , when god giveth abundance of all things , that we should serve him with joyfulness , and gladness of heart . god doth not give abundance to men , that they should live more proudly , but that they should serve him more chearfully . when he enlargeth our estates , he expecteth the enlargment of our hearts toward him in duty , and service . 1 tim. 6. 18. charge them ( saith the apostle ) that are rich in this world , that they do good , and be ready to distribute , willing to communicate . and vers . 19. laying up in store for themselves , a good foundation , &c. where he sheweth , what uses men should put their riches to , ( viz. ) to do good with them , to feed the hungry , to cloath the naked . and then , to lay up a good foundation for the time to come . some men make only this use of their riches , to lay a foundation of greatness for themselves , and families , and posterity , for time to come in this world ; but neglect laying a good foundation for themselves to eternity . thus for the precepts of the word , concerning the use we should make of the things of a prosperous condition ▪ 2. we must eye patterns , and see what uses the saints have made of the things of a prosperous condition . thus you have davids example , 2 sam. 7. 1. when god had given him peace , and prosperity , he considereth how he might honour god , with what god had given him ; and so resolveth upon building a house for god : and when he found it was the mind of god , that he should not do it , but his son solomon ; he thereupon , did bequeath his gold , and his silver , to solomon for that use ; and stirred up the princes , and nobles , to do the like , 1 chron. 29. 12. riches and honour ( saith he ) come from thee : and ver . 13. all things come from thee , and of thine own have we given thee . thus you may see what use job made of the things his prosperity , job 29. 12 , 13 , &c. you will there see , what use he made of his honour , power , and wealth . 4. when we use the things of a prosperous condition , with a right consideration of their inferiority , and subordination , in relation to higher things . this consideration , will keep us from setting our hearts , and affections on them . it will make us set honour and riches , and the best things of this life , upon the foot-stool , and not upon the throne of our hearts . in a prosperous condition , we are to set the things of it in their due place . some there are , who set them so high , as though they were the only things ; when , as they are but bona scabelli , the good things of the footstool . it is then evil , when we have a higher esteem of them , than we ought to have . remember , these are not the things that are to have the preneminence . the apostle exhorts us , col. 3. 1. to those seek things that are above ; and ver . 2. to set our affections on the things above , and not on the things of the earth . he speaketh there of two sorts of things ; there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the things above ; and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or , as the apostle saith , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the things of the earth : and biddeth us seek , and set our affections upon the things that are above . he useth two words , viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which notes , seeking with the whole strength , and endeavour ; and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which notes , the minding of those things with the whole soul. this sheweth , a man is not to look upon the best things of this life , as those things that are the best . they are to have no more degrees of affection , then there are degrees of good in them . it was good counsel , that one gave to a near relation of mine , concerning his horse ; when she saw him too much taken with him , she said , sir , love a horse , as a horse . so we should the creature , but as the creature ; and the things of the world , as the things that are inferior to the things of another world. so , then it is right , when we use the good things of this life , with a consideration of their inferiority . 5. when we use the things of a prosperous condition , with a right consideration of their emptiness and vanity . when your condition is fullest , yet you look upon the things of your condition as empty , and that will not give satisfaction to the soul. as their inferiority speaketh them unsuitable , to the spirit of man ; so their emptinesse , speaketh them unsatisfactory . it is happy with a man , when he is in a high condition , that he can look upon the things of his condition , as low things ; and when he is in a full condition , to look upon all the things of this condition , as empty . when god changeth our condition , then ( it may be ) we can do it . then we can say , now i see , that honour , and riches , are but vain and empty things . but it is best , when a man can , in the heighth of his prosperity , give such a censure of them . when gilimer , king of the vandals , was brought prisoner before justinian , sitting in majesty upon his throne , he cried out , vanity of vanities , all is vanity . this he did , in his adverse condition , when he stood prisoner at the bar. they were the words of solomon ; but uttered by him , when he was in the heighth of his prosperity , and when he sate upon the throne . the consideration of the emptiness , and vanity , that is in the best things of a prosperous condition , will keep a man from taking up with them : it will keep a man from being deceived by them , as promising more than they can perform . our saviour speaketh of the deceitfulness of riches , mat. 13. 22. the greek word , is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the imposture , and fallacy of riches . it signifieth , a drawing out of the way . so there is a deceitfulness in the things of a prosperous condition ; they are apt to draw a man out of the way , to look for comfort , and contentment in them , when it is not to be found . this consideration , will prevent those dreams that a man is apt to have in that condition . as we read , isai . 29. 8. of the dreams of the hungry and thirsty man , that he dreams he eates and drinks , but when he awakes , his soul is empty . some there are , that dream of contentment , and satisfaction in their condition , that at last find it but a phantasie , and a dream . those then , that would make a judgment of a prosperous condition , must put the question to themselves , whether they use the things of their condition , with a consideration of their emptiness ? we say of wells , when they want water , that they are empty , though they may be full of other things ; as mud , and sand , and stones . so the best things of this world , are but empty things ; because they have not that in them , that the soul seeketh after , and that will give satisfaction to the soul. there is no satisfaction , where there is not suitableness . these things were never made for the soul ; and therefore they can no more satisfie it , than you can fill a purse , or a chest , with learning . 6. do you use the things of a prosperous condition , with this consideration , viz. of your own mortality ? then it is right , when we consider , as the brevity of worldly things , and that they have an end ; so , when we consider our own ends also , this consideration , will make us sober in the use of them . 1 pet. 4. 7. the apostle exhorteth to sobriety , in the use of the things of this life , upon this ground , viz. the end of all things is at hand ; be ye therefore sober . where , by sobriety , is meant , a moderate use of the things of this life ; and the motive to enforce it , is this , the end of all things is at hand : the end of your worldly enjoyments , the end of your lives , and the end of the world it self . this is the misery , that many in a prosperous condition , as they consider not , what the things of their condition are , viz. corruptible , and changeable ; so they consider not , what themselves are in their condition , viz. frail , and mortal creatures . some there are , that so use the things of this life , as if they should , for ever , live to enjoy , and use them . the psalmist telleth us , what man is at his best estate , psal . 39. surely every man , at his best estate , is altogether vanity . a prosperous condition is , then , ill for a man , when it makes him forget his own condition ; and it is good for a man , when it holds an agreement with a dying state . 1 cor. 7. 29. brethren , ( saith the apostle ) the time is short , &c. as if he should say , you have but a short time to enjoy these things , to enjoy wives , and possessions , and all the things of this life : as you know not how soon they may be taken from you , so you know not , how soon you may be taken from them . the time is short . the time , in respect of the things themselves , and their continuance , is short , and the time of your lives is short . if those , that lived in the beginning of the world , gave themselves so much to the building of cities ; it was not much to be wondered at , because they had more time before them , then we have , who live in these latter ages . they , by common course of nature , lived 500. 600. 700. years ; but our time is short , it is drawn into a narrow compass ; and the consideration of this , will help us to be sober , and moderate , in the use of the things of that condition ; and make us look upon honour , and riches , and relations , as things that we must shortly part with . it will help us , to use them with weaned affections , as a traveller doth the pleasures of his inn ; he standeth not to build himself a house at every pleasant place he passeth by ; he considereth , he is on his journy , going to his home . it is good for a man in a prosperous condition , to have thoughts of his long-home , whither he is going . so then , the great question we should put to our selves , is this , whether our using the things of this life , be such , as holdeth an agreement with a dying state ? jam. 4. 13 , 14. the apostle speaketh of some , that would go into such , and such a city , and there live , and get gain : whereas ( saith he ) you know not what may be on the morrow ; for what is your life ? it is but a vapour , &c. as if he should say , you consider not your own frailty , and mortality ; if you did , you would not be so carnally-confident as you are . remember in a prosperous condition , you are those that dwell in tabernacles of clay , whose foundation is in the dust , and whose breath is in your nostrils ; dwelling in an open house , and ready every moment to depart . remember you must go down to the grave , and the glory of your condition shall not descend with you , psal . 49. 17. 7. do you use the things of a prosperous condition , with this consideration , that they are things for which you must give an account ? i shewed you before , that they have their usefulness , and men must give an account , how they have used them . we must know , a prosperous condition hath many burthens , ( viz. ) of dangers , temptations , cares , duties ; and here is the greatest of all , that of an accompt : rom. 14. 12. every one of us , shall give account of our selves to god. by giving an accompt of our selves to god , is ( no doubt ) implyed ; a giving an accompt of our selves , in relation to our conditions , ( viz. ) what we have been ? what we have done ? how we have demeaned our selves in our conditions ? what glory we have brought to god ? what good we have done to others ? we read , mat. 25. there were talents delivered , and the master called his servants to an account , how they had used , and improved those talents ? some make these talents to be of five sorts . 1. those of nature , ( viz. ) the members of the body , and faculties of the mind . 2. wealth , 3. authority ; as power , and offices . 4. knowledg ; as arts , and sciences . 5. grace . so then , the outward things of a prosperous condition , are things to be accounted for , and then they become evil to a man , when they cause him to forget his accompt . remember ; we are accomptable to god , for whatsoever we have from god. the world is but god's great family , he is the great house-holder , and every man must give an accompt to him of the things wherewith he is intrusted . we read , luk. 16. 2. how the unjust steward is called to an accompt ; give accompt of thy stewardship , &c. every man is a steward , and hath somewat , wherewith he is intrusted . some have the things of the world , as honour , wealth , authority , &c. some have those things that concern the body , as health , strength , beauty . some have those of the mind , as wisdom , and understanding . now concerning all , there is a strict accompt to be given . to whomsoever much is given , of them shall much be required . god expects , our duties should be answerable to our advantages that we have in a condition . we find the altar that solomon made , was four times bigger then that of moses ; if you compare 2 chron. 4. 1. with exod. 27. 1. moses his altar was , five cubits long , and five cubits broad ; but solomons altar , was twenty cubits long , and twenty cubits broad , now what is the reason of the difference ? surely this , moses was in an unsettled condition , but solomon in a peaceable and flourishing estate . and god expects , that our duties and services should be answerable to our worldly advantages . let me tell you , this consideration of an accompt you have to give , will keep you humble in a prosperous condition ; will put you upon improving the things of your condition , for the glory of god , the good of others , and your own benefit ; considering , they are things you are to give an accompt of . thus for the second thing , whereby a judgment is to be made of a prosperous condition , whether it be good for a man in this life . iii. then is prosperity good for a man in this life , when it doth not make him to forget the afflictions of joseph . it is then evil , when our prosperity makes us to forget those that are in adversity . the lord speaketh of such , amos 6. 1. they were at ease in sion ; ver . 4. they did lie upon beds of ivory . they did eat the lambs out of the flock : they did chaunt to the sound of the viol , ( they had their musick too . ) ver. 6. they drank wine in bowls , ( they had their wine too , and that in abundance . ) and they did anoint themselves with the chief oyntments , ( they had their precious oyntments , so that nothing was wanting . ) now , what is their sin all this while ? why this , they were not grieved for the afflictions of joseph . this was their sin ; their prosperity had taken away the sympathy , and fellow-feeling they ought to have had of joseph's afflictions . their fulness , made them to forget his wants . let me tell you , prosperity is evil for a man , when it makes him forget the afflictions of others . it was evil for those , that they were at ease in sion ; and , that they had their ivory beds to lie upon , and their lambs and calves to feed on ; and their musick to delight them in ; but were not mindful of josephs afflictions : and therefore see how they are threatned , ver . 7. they shall go captive with the first that go captive : i. e. god would first fall upon them . it is said of dives , luke 16. 19. that he was cloathed in purple , and fared deliciously every day : but lazarus could not partake of so much , as the crumbs that fell from his table . we may safely conclude , that , that mans abundance is naught for him , that makes him to forget the wants of others : that , that mans prosperity is naught for him , that makes him to forget the afflictions of others : that , that mans ease is evil for him , that makes him to forget the troubles , and disquiets of others . heb. 13. 3. the apostle chargeth them , that they should remember those that are in bonds , as if they were bound with them . q. d. though you are at liberty , yet let not your liberty destroy that sympathy , and fellow-feeling , you ought to have of your brethrens bonds , and miseries . this sympathy the apostle calleth for , rom. 12. 15. rejoyce with them that rejoyce , and weep with them that weep . q. d. what ever a mans particular condition is , it should not hinder him from sympathising with others in their conditions . rejoyce with them that rejoyce . as if he should say , it may be your particular condition is sad , and you have cause to weep , in respect of your own particular ; yet if it go well with the publick , and the people of god in general , you ought to rejoyce in their rejoycings . and then ( saith the apostle ) weep with them that weep . q. d. it may be , your particular condition may be a rejoycing-condition , nothing aileth you , you want for nothing ; yet , if the church , and people of god , be in a sad condition ; you are to weep with them . job telleth us , he did so in the dayes of his prosperity , job 30. 25. did not i weep for him that was in trouble ? was not my soul grieved for the poor ? this he did , when he had no cause to weep in relation to himself , his condition being a rejoycing condition . you may see , how , in the height of his prosperity , he did sympathize with those that were in affliction , chap. 29. ver . 6 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16. to close this , let our condition be never so prosperous , we ought to bleed in others wounds , and to be afflicted in all , wherein they are afflicted . thus i have finished the first thing , viz. how a man may know , whether a prosperous condition be good for him in this life . chap. xi . 2 i now come to shew you , how a man may make a judgment of an adverse and an afflicted condition ; whether it be good for him in this life . for let me tell you , that as it is not good for all , that they have prosperity ; so neither is it good for all , that they are afflicted . now , that you may know , whether an afflicted condition be good for you , consider this . i. in general , i shall mind you of what i have before said , ( viz. ) that he that will make a judgment of his condition , must first make a judgment of himself . so that , to you that are in an afflicted condition , i have two questions to put . 1. what you do in your condition ? 2. what you make of your condition ? 1. when god puts you into an afflicted condition , what do you do in that condition ? what is your carriage , and behaviour in the condition ? is it such , as becometh such providences and dispensations ? doth your behaviour become your condition ? quest. you will ask , what is a man to do in an afflicted condition , that he may be able to make a judgment of it , whether it be good for him ? answ . do you do the work of your condition , and perform the duties of your condition ? then it is good for you . quest. but then you will ask , what is the work , and what are the duties , that he is to do in an afflicted condition ? answ . i shall shew you that , in some particulars . 1. this he is to do , to endeavour the finding out of this , ( viz. ) what every affliction comes in order to . when god putteth us into an afflicted condition , it is in order to somewhat ; and it is our duty , to search out the mind and meaning of god in it . some there are , that walk up and down ( as i may say ) in that condition , without ever inquiring , for what end it is they are afflicted . as those , isa . 5. 12. they regarded not the work of the lord , nor the operations of his hands . we must know , afflictions are some of god's operations . as it is god that bringeth a man and his comforts together , so a man and his crosses ; and every cross cometh in order to somewhat . the refiner kindleth his fire in his furnace , in order to the refining of his mettal . the physitian giveth physick in order to health . remember , every affliction , is in order to somewhat . it cometh with a message from god. now , our great work is to find out , what the message is , affliction bringeth . when a man brings us letters , we do not look on the back side only , and the superscription , but we look upon what is contained within , and what they import . so it is in respect of afflictions , they bring us ( as i may say ) letters from god , and a message , in order to somewhat . the thing we have to do , in an affliction , is , not only to look upon the endorsment , and outside of the affliction ; but we must break it up , and see what is written within . i told you formerly , we must go to god to know the meaning of a condition ; dan. 5. 5. we read of a hand writing , and the king , and all were troubled , to know the meaning of what was witten . in an afflicted condition , there is a hand-writing upon it . the great thing we have to do , is , to enquire what is the meaning of it , and for what end the affliction cometh . thus it is with many in affliction , they never inquire after the meaning of an affliction , though it cometh with letters and messages ; yet ( as i may say ) they put them in their pocket , as caesar did those letters that forewarned him of his death , when he was going to the senate . plutarch , telleth of the governour of thebes , when a letter was sent to him from athens , to discover a plot that was against him , which was that night to be executed ; and the messenger told him , that the matter , contained in the letter , was of high concernment , and that he must read the letter presently ; his answer was , weighty matters for to morrow , and that night he was slain . thus , some never look into the letters , that an affliction bringeth us , and so despise the affliction . lam. 3. 40. the afflicted are there directed , what to do in their condition , vers . 39. why doth the living man complain ? this we should not do . but then see , what we should do , vers . 40. let us search and try our wayes , &c. this is some of the work we have to do in an afflicted condition . as the lord spake to josuah , when the men of israel fled before the men of ai , josuah casteth himself down before the lord , but the lord bids him rise up and search , for there was wickedness committed . as you may read , josh . 7. 10. where the lord sheweth him , what was his duty , ( viz. ) to search out the sin , for which that defeat came . 2. this is another thing we are to do in an afflicted condition , ( viz. ) to set in , and joyn with the affliction , and to further it in the work for which it is sent . we must do by afflictions , as we do by physick ; we do not only take physick , but we also joyn with it , to further it in it's working ; we keep our chamber , we take broth , we forbear studying and working ; and all this is to further it's working . afflictions , are physick that god giveth us : and then it is right , when we joyn with the physick , and further and help it in it's operation . when a physitian administreth physick , to a diseased patient , there are three things considerable , ( viz. ) the physitian , the patient , and the disease . and where any two of these joyn together , down goeth the third . if the physitian and the patient joyn together , down goeth the disease ; if the physitian and the disease joyn together , down goeth the patient ; if the patient and the disease joyn together , down goeth the physitian . so it is in respect of an afflicted condition : there is the patient , the physick , and the disease . now what is the reason , that the physick of affliction doth some persons no good ? surely this , the patient and the disease joyn together . this the prophet telleth us in the case of babylon , jer. 51. 9. we would have healed babylon , but she would not be healed . where you find the patient , taking part with the disease . thus , many in an afflicted condition , take part with the disease , and not with the physick . affliction cometh , to set mens hearts and the world , men's hearts and their lusts , at greater distance ; but here is the misery , that most men take part with their lusts , and not with their afflictions , to further them in the work for which they are sent . they do , in respect of the rod , as they do in respect of the word . when they should take part with the word , against their sins ; they take part with their sins against the word : so , when they should take part with the rod , against their lusts , they take part with their lusts , against the rod. thus did those , isa . 1. 5. jer. 5. 3. they joyned with the disease , and did all they could to obstruct the operation , and working of the physick of affliction . this ( as i may say ) is a crossing our crosses , and afflicting our afflictions ; when we hinder them in their working . and this speaks an afflicted condition evil for a man in this life . it is said of ahaz , that in his affliction , he transgressed more and more ; this is naught . 3. this is another work of an afflicted condition , ( viz. ) to eye our passions and affections , more than our afflictions . to have an eye upon our hearts , more then upon our hurts . some , when they are in an afflicted condition , spend all their time in poring upon their afflictions , as though that were the only work of their condition : whereas the great work they have to do , is , to eye their own hearts and spirits . some look altogether without , when they should look within . it is our own passions in an afflicted condition , that are our greatest affliction . if the house within be kept dry , we need not much to care , what tempests are without . we many times complain of that , that is without us ; when indeed , the cause is within us . as we see it is with a sick man , he complaineth of the uneasiness of the stool he sits upon , of the bed he lieth upon , of the unsavoriness of the meat he eats ; when the cause is inward . were but his ill-humours removed , and purged away , the same stool , and bed , and meat , would content him . when god puts men into an afflicted condition , the reason why to some it is so troublesome , is , from within , from their own spirits and dispositions . if they could but subdue their passions , and bound their spirits , the condition would be well enough . poring upon afflictions , is like a mans poring upon rough and tempestuous waters , which makes his head giddy , and himself sea-sick : so it is with some , they do but distemper themselves , by looking altogether upon their afflictions . thus it was with job , ( job 2. ) you find him poring upon his afflictions . and then see what the effect was , chap. 3. he opened his mouth , and fell a cursing the day of his birth . satan indeed thought to make him fall a cursing his god , but he was deceived ; yet he fell to cursing the day of his birth , which was too-much . the great work a governour of a city hath to do , when he heareth that the country about him are up in arms against him , is , to look to the town within , to see that there be no tumults and risings within . it is good for us in a day of affliction , to look to this , that our passions do not raise a mutiny . it was the saying of a heathen , intus si recte , ne labores , thou need'st not trouble thy self , if all be well within . 4. this is another work of an afflicted condition , ( viz. ) to eye our sins , more than our sufferings and afflictions . many in an afflicted condition , eye their afflictions , but not their sins . they look upon what god doth against them , but consider not , what they have done against him ; which if they did , it would make them complain more of their sins , then of their sorrows . it would turn their tears into another channel ; and cause them to spend those tears upon their sins , that they spend upon afflictions . lam. 3. 39. why doth the living man complain , a man for the punishment of his sins ? in their afflicted condition , they were full of complaints , as we see , vers . 2 , 3. &c. but here the prophet giveth a check to them , q. d. we complain of our afflictions ; our eyes are altogether upon our sufferings ; oh , but consider , man suffereth for his sin. we should eye our sins , more then our sufferings , psal . 51. 3. david saith , his sin was ever before him . it is thus with some in an afflicted condition , that their sufferings are ever before them , and not their sins . when god afflicts them , they can say , we are the persons that feel affliction from god : but consider not , how they have sinned against god. the good of the consideration of our sins in an afflicted condition , hath these benefits attending it . 1. it will make us justify god in all our afflictions . to acknowledg that all his wayes are equal , and that he is righteous in all that he hath brought upon us , dan. 9. 14. there is an expression of eliphaz , job 4. 17. shall mortal man be just with god ? there is a principle of pride in every man by nature , which is apt to shew it self in the lowest condition ; so that we are apt to have better thoughts of our selves , then of god himself ; and to think , we are more just then god , when he layeth affliction on us . thus those , ezek. 33. 20. they said , the way of the lord was unequal . it was from looking only upon his wayes , and dealings with them , without considering their own wayes , and how they had dealt with him . 2. as it will help us to clear gods justice , so to admire his mercy , in that he doth punish and afflict us , less then our iniquities do deserve . as the confession is , ezra 9. 13. they had been in captivity 70. years , and yet though their captivity were long , they saw cause why they should admire the mercy of god towards them . looking upon their sins , they saw their sufferings were less then they did deserve . 3. this will help us to adore the wisdom of god , in making afflictions to become cures of , and remedies against , sin. afflictions at first came in as punishments for sin . while we look only upon our afflictions , we discern not the wisdom of god in sending them , and ordering them for our good ; but when we eye our sins , as well as our afflictions , then we find , they are sent to cure the soul of some disease , as pride , and worldliness , &c. this will put a man upon putting this question to himself , doth not this affliction come to cure , and kill my corruptions ? hath not the lord sent it to take me off the creature , and to imbitter it more to me ? hath not god done this to cure the tympany of pride , or the dropsy of covetousness , or some creature-surfet ? and hereupon a man falls upon admiring , and adoring the wisdom of god , in making afflictions , cures for our corruptions . 4. eying sins as well as afflictions , will help us to possess our souls in patience , and to suppress all risings and smoakings of passion , to which we are subject in a day of affliction . and this it will do , by giving us to see that our afflictions are less then our iniquities do deserve ; and then there is great reason we should bear them patiently , when we know we have deserved greater . why should he not patiently endure the akeing of teeth , that knowes he hath deserved the gnashing of teeth ? and the burning of a feaver , when he knoweth he hath deserved burning in hell ? this will help to make us patient , when we lose a comfort , ( viz. ) the consideration of this , that we have forfeited all our comforts , and deserve to be deprived of all . 5. eying our sins as well as our afflictions , will make the burthen of affliction much the easier , and leighter . what is the cause that to some , afflictions are so heavy ? it is , because their sin is so leight to them . remember this , the heavier we find our sins to be , the higher we shall find our afflictions to be . affliction must needs be heavy to those , who eye nothing but affliction . when we compare evils of suffering , with evils of sinning , we shall find them to be leight , although they be never so great . the reason why many complain of the burthen of their affliction , is , because sin is no burthen to them . vvhere sin is found to be heavy , affliction will be found to be leight . thus for the fourth thing we have to do in an afflicted condition . 5. we are in an afflicted condition to do this , ( viz. ) to keep our hearts open , and enlarged , in the midst of outward straitnings . afflictions are straitnings . as god dealeth with nations , job 12. 23. he enlargeth them , and straitneth them again . so he dealeth oftentimes with particular persons . and afflictions are their straitnings . god bindeth up the face of our comforts . as the expression is in job , that by the frost , he bindeth up the face of the waters : so by the frost of affliction , he bindeth up the face of our comforts . our work then is , to keep our hearts thawed , and open , when our outwards are as it were frozen up . it is our work to see , that in the mid'st of our outward straitnings , our hearts be not straitned towards god. it must be our work to keep our hearts open , when the lord shuts us up by affliction . gods afflicting , is called gods shutting up , deut. 32. 30. except the lord had shut them up . sometimes a man and his comforts walke together . god sometimes turns a man loose among his comforts , to walk at large in the enjoyment of them . and then sometimes the lord separates between a man and his comforts , and buildeth a wall between them , that they cannot come at one another . thus the church complaineth , lam. 3. 17. thou hast removed my soul far from peace . and again , lam. 3. 5. he hath builded against me , and compassed me about with gall and travel . and vers . 7. he hath hedged me about that i cannot get out . here the church complaineth of her shuttings up by affliction . there is a double hedg that god makes about a man , ( viz. ) an hedg of protection , that no evil can come at him ; ( thus he did about job . ) and then a hedg of affliction , that no good can come at a man , this is a hedg of thorns . thus the church complaineth , lam. 3. 9. he hath enclosed my wayes with hewen stone . she was shut up with such a wall which speaks strong and impregnable afflictions . now the work we have to do , is , to see that in the mid'st of our shuttings up , our hearts be not shut up towards god. jam. 5. 13. if any be afflicted , let him pray . where the apostle sheweth what is to be our work in an afflicted condition , ( viz. ) prayer . several conditions , have their several duties . in prosperity , we are to give thanks ; in adversity , we are to pray . eliphaz charged job , job 15. 4. that in the day of his affliction , he did restrain prayer before god ; that he had inward restraints , when he was under outward restraints . it is our work in an afflicted condition , to watch against that . prayer is the duty that is proper for an afflicted condition , and that suits with such providences . and this is some of the work we are to do in that condition , ( viz. ) to pray . we read , isa . 26. 16. in trouble they have visited thee , they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them . it is calvin's opinion , that there the prophet sheweth , what was the behaviour of gods people , and what they did in the day of their affliction and trouble , ( viz. ) they did visit the lord ; and so shewed the confidence they had in god. q. d. lord , whereas afflictions drive others from thee , and set them at a further distance ; yet thy people draw nearer to thee , and seek the more after thee . here is the work in an afflicted condition , to visit god , and to poure out a prayer before him. afflictions are god's visitations , and when god visiteth us with his afflictions , we should visit him with our supplications . when he poureth forth our comforts , and emptieth us of them , ( for so god's afflicting is called , a pouring out ) it 's then our duty to pour out a prayer before him. david made this the work of his condition , psal . 142. 2. i poured out my complaint before him , i shewed him my trouble . so psal . 18. 6. in my distress i called upon the lord , and cryed to my god. and this the lord calleth for , as that which we are to do in an afflicted condition . psal . 50. 15. call upon me in the day of trouble . it is some ease to us , when a trouble falls upon us , that we have some friend to repair to , into whose bosom we may pour out our complaints . this is the great priviledg , that in an afflicted condition we have a god to go to ; to whom we may make known our condition , and shew him our trouble , as david did , psal . 142. 2. in that condition , it is one great thing we have to do , to go to god , to begg of him what we need for the condition : viz. shoulders of patience for our burthens , and a gracious improvement of our conditions . christians , you must know , an afflicted condition is then good for you , when your hearts are kept open , when you have inward enlargements , in the mid'st of your outward straitnings . 6. the work of an afflicted condition , is this , viz. to keep the ear open to counsel and instruction . some there are , so taken up with the thoughts of their condition , that they will not hearken to counsel . as marius the romane said , he could not hearken to the laws , for the ratling and noyse of armes . so the noyse of troubles , will not suffer some , to hearken to the voice of counsel . and so david confesseth that it was his case , psal . 77. 2. his soul refused comfort . elihu , job 36. 8. sheweth how it is with godly men when they are in affliction . and then vers . 10. he openeth their ear to discipline . we must know , sathan is a great enemy to the doing the work of our condition ; he endeavours to make us turn our conditions into sin , and not into duty . he doth all he can , to stop our ears against hearing counsel and instruction . remember , when you are in affliction , there cometh some instruction with it . now satan endeavours to open the eye , but to stop the ear ; he keeps the eye open , to look upon the affliction ; but he keeps the ear shut , and stopeth it , that it may not hearken unto the instruction . the best way in an afflicted condition , is to keep the eyes shut , and the ear open . not so much to look upon the affliction , as to hear instruction . micah 6. 9. hear ye the rod. he doth not say , see ye the rod , but , hear ye the rod. when men are under the rod , their eyes are open enough to see the rod ; they can point to the affliction , and shew what it is . but the great thing they are to do , is to hear the rod. the rod hath a voice , which should be hearkened to . when an affliction comes , it comes ( as i told you before ) with some message from god ; it comes with some instruction ; and that we are to hearken to : we should hear what god will speak , as david said in another case , psal . 85. 8. when we see a flash of lightning , we then prepare our ears to hear a clap of thunder . when we see the affliction , we should have our ears open , to hearken to what followeth . we read of eliah , when he was in the mouth of the cave 1 king. 19. 12. there came a strong wind that brake the mountains ; after the wind came an earth-quake ; after the earth-quake , came a fire ; after the fire , came a soft still voice . remember , after the noyse of afflictions , there comes a voice ; and we should hearken to that voice . psal . 94. 12. it is said , blessed is the man whom thou chastenest , and teachest him out of thy law. the happiness of a man lieth not in his being chastened , but in his being taught and instructed by his chastisement . a mute and dumb affliction is evil for a man ; and it is our deafness , that maketh the affliction dumb , when a man heareth not the affliction speak . so then , in an afflicted condition , we are to hearken to what god saith , as well see as to what god doth . 7. another work of an afflicted condition , is this , ( viz. ) framing the heart to a pious submission . to get the heart into a submitting frame . and this not only out of necessity , but out of duty . it is excellent , when we can bring our hearts to a quiet submission to the will of god , in all these providences and dispensations . it must not be onely a necessary submission . such a submission is this , when a man parteth with a comfort upon this consideration ; if god will take it away , i cannot help it ; i am content to part with it , since it cannot be otherwise . thus they submit to their condition , and yield to the parting with a comfort , when they see they can keep it no longer . and this is that submission that some rest in , and think it sufficient to say , there is no remedy . but now there is another submission that hath more of grace in it . and that is , when god calleth for a comfort from us , there is free resignation of it up to god. as we read of abraham , when god called for isaack , he presently resigned him up to him. and this submission proceedeth from faith , which works a christian to the denying of himself , and to a complying with god in that , that is seemingly contrary to his own desires and content . thus we read , heb. 11. how abraham , by faith , offered up his only begotten son. by a hand of faith he presents again to god , that blessing he received from him. faith teacheth a man to receive a mercy from god , and to be thankful ; and to part again with it , and to be content : and this not out of necessity , because they can keep it no longer , but there is a free resigning of it up to god. consider , the difference between these submissions , is such , as is between the death's and ends of men . some men , when they see they must dye , and that there is no remedy , do yield out of necessity ; and so their soul 's are as it were taken from them . as the expression in the gospel is , thou fool , this night shall thy soul be taken from thee . whereas a godly man , makes his soul a free-will-offering to god. as our saviour did his , father into thy hands i commend my spirit . and as stephen did his , lord jesus , receive my spirit . it is said , prov. 14. 32. the wicked is driven away in his wickedness . ( i. e. ) he is thrust , and forced out of the world , whether he will or not . but the righteous hath hope in his death ; and that hope makes him to resigne , and give up his soul to god : as we read of giving up the ghost . 8. this is another work we have to do in an afflicted condition , ( viz. ) to lay to heart the affliction . when god puts a man into an afflicted condition , this is one thing god expects from him , eccles . 7. 14. in the day of adversity consider . in isa . 42. 25. the prophet complaineth of jacob , that when god poured out upon him the fury of his anger , and the strength of battle : and it had set him on fire round about , yet he knew it not ; and it burned him , yet he layed it not to heart . according to the original , it is thus , he did not put it upon his heart . it is an hebrew phrase , and notes diligent consideration of affliction . now that you may not be mistaken about this , you must know , there is a double laying to heart of an affliction . 1. carnal , sinful and hurtful . 2. spiritual , holy and helpful . 1. there is a sinful laying of afflictions to heart . when a man takes those burthens that lye upon his outwards , ( viz. ) his person , estate , &c. and layeth them as a burthen upon his spirit ; whereby a man troubles himself , when god troubles him . when he layeth his troubles without , so to heart , as to trouble himself within ; this is evil. this is forbid , john 14. 1. let not your hearts be troubled . the word in the original , signifieth such a trouble , as is in water when the mud is stirred up ; or as the sea is , when it is troubled with a storm or tempest . as we read in scripture of the troubled sea , that it's waters cast forth mire and dirt. it also signifieth such a trouble as is in an army , when it is routed and disordered ; there is nothing but fear , and distraction , and confusion . so saith our saviour , let not your hearts be troubled . ( i. e. ) take heed of so laying your troubles to heart , as to trouble your hearts ; to distemper your affections , and so to blind the judgement , that you can see and discern things no better , then a man can in muddy water . this laying of afflictions to heart is unlawful ; when they are layed to heart , to disquiet and distemper the heart , and to raise a storm in the soul , to make it a troubled sea ; casting forth nothing but the mud of impatiency and discontent . take you a glass of water that hath some mud in it , and let it stand still , the mud settleth at the bottom , and the water above is clear ; but shake this water , and then the mud ariseth , and there is confusion ; and the water that before was clear , becometh muddy . so it is with our hearts and affections , there is mud at the bottom , and when they come to be stirred by affliction , then the mud ariseth . this we should take heed of , of laying afflictions so to heart , as to stir up the mud of impatiency and discontent . 2. there is a laying of afflictions to heart , that is spiritual , holy and helpful ; this is a laying them to heart , not for the troubling , but for the bettering the heart . not for the making of the spirit more distempered , impatient , weak , and unfit for duty ; but for the making of it more holy , and humble , and submissive ; this is a right laying of afflictions to heart . it is then right , when there is an applying of the heart to the affliction ; to find out what use and benefit may be made of it . when we lay the affliction to the heart , not to distemper it , but , as a plaister , to heal the diseases and distempers of it ; ( viz. ) to heal it's pride , and worldliness , and vanity , &c. it should be with us , in considering of , and laying afflictions to heart , as with the bee which alights on a flower , and leaves it not till she hath made something out of it ; even out of the very blossom of a thistle , she will get somewhat . so it should be , in respect of an afflicted condition , there should be such an application of the heart to it , as to get somewhat out of it , for the bettering of the heart . solomon telleth us , eccles . 7. 2. it is better to go to the house of mourning , then to the house of feasting : for this is the end of all flesh , and the living will lay it to his heart . laying to heart the ends of others , is the making somewhat out of them , that is good and profitable for our selves . it is our duty to lay to heart the afflictions of others , much more our own . the lord telleth babylon , isa . 47. 7. that she said , she should be a lady for ever , and did not lay the afflictions of his people to heart . as she laid them not to heart by way of sympathy , so not by way of improvement . so then , to close this , laying afflictions to heart , stands in this , in having impressions made upon our spirits , suitable to the providence and the dispensation . we read of ahaz , that in his affliction he transgressed more and more , 2 chron. 28. 19. god brought judah low , and ahaz was put to his shifts ; he gave gifts to the king of assyria , yet he helped him not . and verse 22. in the time of his distress , he did trespass more against the lord. and it is said , this is that king ahaz ! the meaning is , that the affliction did not make an impression upon his heart , suitable to the providence and dispensation . to close this , it is then right , when our hearts answer to providences , in laying afflictions so to heart , as to make suitable impressions . 9. this is some of the work we have to do in an afflicted condition ; we are patiently to expect and wait upon god ; waiting is one of our duties in an afflicted condition . we are to wait upon god for comfortable supports in it , and a seasonable deliverance out of it ; isa . 8. 17. i will wait upon the lord , that hideth his face from the house of jacob. the prophet resolved to walk dutifully , when god walked strangely . we shall find in an afflicted condition , this is the duty , that is commanded , commended , and practised by the saints in that condition . it is commanded , psal . 27. 14. wait on the lord and he shall strengthen thy heart ; wait i say on the lord. lam. 3. 26. it is good that a man should hope , and quietly wait for the salvation of the lora . it is spoken there in reference to an afflicted condition . and so we find the godly have made it their work in that condition to wait . david telleth us , he waited patiently for the lord. consider , waiting is an act of patience drawn-out . the scripture hath two expressions concerning it , viz. waiting on god. waiting for god. waiting on him for comfort in affliction ; and waiting for him , to deliver out of affliction . thus did the people of god , isa . 25. 9. lo , this is the lord , we have waited for him , and he will save us . this is some of the work we have to do in an afflicted condition , ( viz. ) to wait on god , and to wait for god. affliction is apt to make us short-breath'd . to make us weary not only in waiting , but weary of waiting . this we should look to , that though we are weary in waiting , yet not to be weary of waiting . it was the saying of that wicked king of israel , 2 king. 6. 33. this evil is of the lord , why should i wait any longer ? the great work we have to do in an afflicted condition , is , to wait upon god. i have told you before , it is god that brings a man and his afflictions together ; and as it is he that openeth a fore-door , to let a man into that condition , so it is he that must make a back-door , to let a man out . there are many that would make a back-door of their own ; but god is wiser then they , and knows how to deliver them . job 14. 14. all the dayes ( saith he ) of my appointed time , will i wait till my change come . and this is some of the work we have to do in an afflicted condition , ( viz. ) to wait till our change come . now waiting upon god in affliction , standeth in these two things , 1. in a silence of spirit . a waiting spirit is a silent spirit , it makes no noyse or clamour , lam. 3. 26. it will wait quietly for the salvation of god. psal . 62. 1. my soul , wait thou upon god. according to the original , it is , be silent before god. where there is waiting upon god , there is no murmuring ; there are no impatient expressions ; there is a deep silence of the soul in respect of passion , though not in respect of prayer . there is a speaking to god , but not against god. a waiting soul , is a praying , but not a passionate soul. remember ; when god's hand is upon our backs , our hands should be upon our mouths . 2. in a sweet submission of spirit to god , waiting god's time for deliverance . there is our time , and there is god's time . as christ told mary , mine hour is not yet come . this is waiting , to stay the lords leisure , and to wait his time . it was wickedly spoken by that king of israel , who said , this evil is of the lord , why should i wait any longer ? whereas , on the contrary , he should have argued thus , this evil being of the lord , therefore there is reason i should wait . 10. another work of an afflicted condition , is this , to make all out of god , that we need in that condition . living on god , and living by faith , are some of the great duties that concern that condition , isa . 50. 10. is there any that walketh in darkness and hath no light ? let him stay himself upon his god. while we are in a prosperous condition , we have creature-props and stayes , and we are too apt to stay our selves upon them : and therefore the lord pulleth them away , to make us stay our selves upon him. as the lord speaks , isa . 3. 1. behold , i take away the stay and the staff , &c. the church , in the day of her affliction , made all out of god , mic. 7. 8. though i sit in darkness , yet the lord shall be a light about me . faith will help us to look upon god as an universal good. we know there are many particular things , and ( as it were ) pieces of comforts , that must concurr , to make a mans outward condition good . our good here below , is a compounded good ; a wife is a part , and children a part , and riches a part , and health a part , &c. but a man by an eye of faith , seeth that god is all this , and more . as elkanah told hannah , am not i better to thee then ten sons ? so the lord is more to a christian , then all worldly enjoyments . the things of the world ( though enjoyed in the greatest measure ) can never make a condition comfortable without god : but the enjoyment of god , will make a condition comfortable without them . it was davids course , to place god as his strength , where greatest danger was : the lord ( saith he ) is the strength of my life : his life was in greatest danger : and it was his way , to fetch supplies from god in his greatest wants . when he wanted a rock , a fortress , a comforter , a deliverer ; he made the lord all these . and this is some of the work we have to do in an afflicted condition . thus we have finished the first thing , by which a man is to make a judgment of an afflicted condition ; whether it be good for him in this life or not ? ( viz. ) by considering what he doth in that condition . chap. xii . 2 we come now to shew you , that you are to make a judgment of your condition , by what you make of your condition , and what you have gained by it . the great question you are to put to your selves , is , whether you are spiritual gainers or losers by your condition ? the truth is this , every temporal condition is evil for a man , by which he is a spirituall loser . in an afflicted condition , all will confess they are temporal losers ; they will tell you , they have lost houses , and estates , and wife , and children , and this , and the other comfort : but the question is , whether you are spiritual gainers , by your temporal losses . i have told you before , an afflicted condition , is a condition that may be improved to spiritual advantages : although it seemeth a barren condition , yet it is improveable . isa . 41. 19. god said , he would plant in the wilderness , the cedar , shittah tree , and the myrtle tree , &c. he speaks there of making the wilderness fruitful . an afflicted condition , is a wilderness-condition , and we should see what fruitfulness there is in it . it is sometimes with conditions , according to what the psalmist speaketh in another case , psal . 107. 34. he turneth a fruitful land into barrenness . and verse 35. he turneth a wilderness into springs of water . there are some conditions , that seem outwardly fruitful , ( viz. ) prosperous conditions : and these sometimes are turned into barrenness ; some are spiritually barren in that condition . some there are , whose condition is a wilderness , and yet this condition is turned into springs of water , and is made fruitful . christians should see , whether they are fruitful in the land of their affliction . you have a passage , in gen. 41. 52. that joseph called his sons name ephraim , for ( saith he ) god hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction . christians should look , what fruit their afflicted condition beareth , and what they gather from it . it is a condition planted with thorns and thistles ; but i have told you before , that there is a spiritual art , of gathering figgs , from these thorns ; and grapes , from these thistles . god , in afflicting , intends our profit , and gain , and good , heb. 12. 10. it is our work , to see whether we profit by afflictions . we can never say , an affliction is good for us , till we can say , this affliction is for my profit . and , as david did , it is good for me that i have been afflicted . this having been spoken in general , i shall now come to shew you in some particulars , how you may know , whether you are gainers by an afflicted condition . before i come to speak to them ; you must consider , under what notions and names , the scripture presenteth them to us : by which you may see , what is god's aime , and end , in sending them . and wee should see , whether the affliction hath done that work upon us , that answers to the ends and intentions of god , for which he sent it . now that will be discovered thus , by considering these things . 1. affliction is god's furnace , isa . 48. 10. i have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction . isa . 31. 9. when god afflicted jerusalem , he is said , to have his fire in sion , and his furnace in jerusalem . affliction is god's fire and furnace . now , what is the fire and furnace to do ? it is to melt , and try ; and refine , and purify . christians , in an afflicted condition , are to see , whether the furnace hath done this work upon them ? whether it hath purified and refined them ? they are to consider , what they were when they went into the furnace , and what they are when they come out . we read , zach. 13. 9. god saith , he would bring a third part through the fire , and he would try them as silver is tryed . job ( chap. 23. 10. ) saith in his afflicted condition , when he hath tryed me , i shall come forth like gold. ( i. e. ) pure and glistering . he should come forth better then he went in . this is the great thing we have to do , to see whether we come better out of the furnace of affliction , then when we went in ; whether we come forth like gold. the furnace doth two things . it 1. melteth . 2. refineth . 1. it melteth that , that is meltable ; and we are to see , what melting work affliction hath done upon us . some are not melted , because they are as stones in the furnace . cast a stone into the furnace , it goeth in a stone , and it comes forth a stone . it is heated , but is not melted . there are many come out of an affliction , the same they went in . it is said of pharoah , at the end of every plague that befell him , that his heart was hardned . he went in hardned , and so he came out ; he went a stone into the furnace , and so he came forth . it is our great work in an afflicted condition , to see how we come forth , to see whether affliction melteth us . there is an expression , psal . 107. 26. their hearts melted because of trouble . we should see , whether afflictions do melt our hearts ? whether it hath melted a proud heart into humility ? an hard heart into softness ? a rebellious heart into obedience ? ephraim confesseth , affliction wrought this work upon him , jer. 31. 18. thus you are to see , what affliction hath wrought upon you by way of melting . 2. you are to see , what affliction hath done by way of refining and purifying . that is the other work of the furnace , ( viz. ) to refine . it is to separate the dross from the silver ; and to take away impure mixtures . when you went into the furnace you went in dross , but do you come forth as gold ? some come forth but dross . the lord speaks of such , jer. 6. 29 , 30. they went in dross , and so they came out . vers . 29. the bellows are burnt , the lead is consumed in the fire , the founder melteth in vain . the lord there speaketh of himself , as a founder that hath taken much paines , to little purpose : he had burned his bellows , but all was in vain , the wicked were not taken away . vers . 28. they were brass and iron . god looked that they should have been silver and gold , when they were in the furnace . gods furnace of affliction , is , for a transmutation of metalls , to turn iron and brass , into silver and gold : but they were base and corrupt still . at best , they were but reprobate silver ; as the prophet styles them , vers . 30. reprobate silver shall men call them : or as it is in the margin of your bibles , refuse silver ; such silver , from which the dross would not be separated by the fire of the furnace of affliction ; so they came out of the furnace as they went in . we read , ezeck . 24. 12. god had set israel on the fire , but yet her great scum went not out of ber . it began to boyle up , but it did not boyle out . vers . 13. they were not purged . they came off the fire as they went on . the great work you have to do in an afflicted condition , is , to see what refining work affliction hath done upon you . 2. affliction is god's school . now in a school , there is a rod and a book : the one for correction , the other for instruction . thus it is in god's school of affliction , psal . 94. 12. blessed is the man whom thou chastenest , and teachest out of thy law. whom thou chastenest , there is the rod : and teachest out of thy law , there is the book . this we are to do in an afflicted condition , to see what god's rod hath made us to learn out of god's book . the rod cometh for two ends , 1. to drive somewhat out of us . 2. to drive somewhat into us . 1. the rod cometh to drive somewhat out of us . solomon telleth us , prov. 22. 15. folly is bound ( or riveted ) in the heart of a child , but the rod of correction drives it away . the rod is to whip folly and stubbornness out of a child ; and when it doth this work , then it is good . we are to see , what the rod hath driven out of us . there is folly bound up in all our hearts , and we must see , whether the rod of affliction hath driven it away . ephraim makes this confession , jer. 31. 18. thou hast chastised me , and i was chastised ; i was as a bullock accustomed to the yoak , &c. there was an unruly and untamed spirit in ephraim , but the rod of affliction subdued it : as he acknowledged , vers . 19. surely after i was turned , i repented . the rod gave him a turn , and he was reformed by it . our great work in an afflicted condition , is , to see what the rod hath driven out of us ; and whether , when we were out of the way , it hath whipped us into the right way . david saith , psal . 119. 67. before he was afflicted he went astray . david was a rambler till god whipped him . but now i keep thy precepts . q. d. i was a very careless observer of thy precepts , but now thy rod hath whipped it out of me . 2. the rod cometh to drive , and beat somewhat into us . it comes to set on lessons and instructions . correction cometh for this end , to set on instruction . you have a passage of elihu , job 33. 16. of god's speaking once or twice , and man perceiveth it not . vers . 16. then he openeth the ears of men , and sealeth their instruction : ( i. e. ) when men will not hear , god cometh with afflictions , and openeth their ears , and setteth on his instruction with a witnesse . god's corrections , are to seal his instructions . instructions many times make no impression , till the rod comes and seals them , and puts the stamp upon them . the question we are to put to our selves in an afflicted condition , is , what instruction the affliction hath sealed to us ? 1. can you say , the rod of affliction hath sealed an instruction to you concerning god , what he is ? we read of manasseh , 2 chron. 33. 12. when he was in affliction , he besought the lord his god , and then ( saith the text ) he knew that the lord was god. no doubt but he knew it before , but he heeded it not , till the affliction came and sealed the instruction to him . 2. what instructions hath afflictions sealed concerning your selves ? can you say , we have often heard , what a proud , and stubborn , and perverse-creature , man is ; like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoak . such a creature i my self am , apt to forget my god , and to forget my self : but alas ! i took no notice of these instructions . but now affliction hath opened mine ear , and sealed this instruction . 3. what instructions hath afflictions sealed concerning the creature ? i have often been instructed of the vanity of the creature , of the emptiness that is in all worldly comforts , of the uncertainty that is in riches , and all worldly enjoyments : and have been called upon , to use all these things with weaned affections , and right considerations of their brevity , mortality , mutability . but these instructions i heeded not in the day of my prosperity . but now my affliction hath sealed these instructions . i now see what the creature is , and what all worldly things are , ( viz. ) vanity and vexation of spirit . when solon the wise , came to visit croesus the rich , croesus shewed him his wealth , and asked him , whether he thought him not the happiest man living ? solon answered , nemo faelix ante obitum ; thou mayest be unhappy for all this , before thou diest . croesus did then but laugh at what solon said . but afterwards , when he had lost the battle against cyrus , and had his city taken , and was bound to a gibbet over a great pile of wood , to be burned in the sight of the persians ; he cryed out aloud , o solon , solon ! cyrus asked him the meaning of it ; he answered , that solon had told him this before , but he believed him not . we are to see , whether affliction hath sealed this instruction concerning the creature's vanity . 4. what instructions hath affliction sealed concerning sin ? can you say , i have been informed of the evil of sin , what a bitter thing it is , that though it be sweet in the mouth , yet it will be gall and worm-wood in the end . these instructions i have often heard , but heeded them not . but now affliction hath sealed these instructions . it hath given me to see , the evil of disobedience , pride , covetousnesse , and of over-loving the creature , &c. 5. what instructions hath the rod sealed concerning duty ? i have heard , out of gods word , much concerning my duty , what i ought to do ; but i was a careless , and forgetful hearer . 1. i have heard , it was my duty , in a good day , to prepare for evil dayes . but this instruction i heeded not . i could not believe there would be a change in my condition : but now affliction hath sealed this instruction . 2. i have heard , that this was my duty , to pity others in their miseries , and to have a fellow-feeling of others afflictions . but these i heeded not . i did not remember the afflictions of joseph . i was not afflicted in the afflictions of others : but now the rod of affliction hath sealed that instruction . 3. i have been instructed concerning obedience , viz. that it should be close , and conscionable : but alass ! i heeded not the instruction : i was loose , and formal , and took that liberty to my self , that the word did not allow . but now the rod hath sealed this instruction ; it hath taught me to be more strict , and close in my obedience , as it did david , psal . 119. 71. thus we are to see , whether the rod of affliction hath sealed these instructions , psal . 94. 12. blessed is the man whom thou chastnest , and teachest out of thy law. then it is right , when with affliction , and correction , there goeth instruction ; and when the rod of affliction sealeth instructions out of the law. 3. we have affliction presented to us under another name and notion , ( viz. ) that it is god's plough , psalm . 129. 3. every instrument in affliction , is god's plower : and every affliction is god's plough , that makes furrowes upon our backs , our estates , and families . now consider , what is the work of the plough ? it is to break up the ground , and to fit it for the seed , that it may bring forth a crop. now , how shall we know it was good for the land that it was plowed ? but by the crop it brings forth . if it bring forth nothing but weeds , or bryars , or thorns , we cannot say , that it was good for that land , that it was plowed . joh. 15. 1. god is compared to a husband-man . now a husband-man hath two things to look to . 1. his field . 2. vineyard . for his field , he hath a plough : for his vineyard , he hath a pruning-knife . afflictions are both these . 1. afflictions are god's plough for his field ; and whoever are the instruments in afflicting , they are but god's plow-men . an husband-man hath his day-labourers under him : so hath god , some that labour about the ear , the heart , and the inward-man : and these are his ministers , 1 cor. 3. 9. we are labourers together with god ; ye are god's husbandry , or god's tillage . and then god hath another sort , that deal about a mans outwards , and those are , such instruments as he makes use of , in afflicting . an husband-man in his field , hath some to plow , and break up the earth : and he hath some to sow , and cast abroad the seed . those that sow , are his ministers , who by their preaching , cast abroad the seed , when the plough of affliction hath broken up the ground . it is not the husband-man's work , to be alwayes plowing , he hath his time to be sowing too . as you may see , isa . 28. 24. god's afflicting , may well be compared to plowing , and that in these respects . 1. plowing altereth and changeth the face of the earth . if you plowe up a green meadow , you alter the face of it : it 's verdure , and greenness , and beauty is gone . the plough turneth a pleasant meadow , into a fallow field . thus affliction changeth the face of a mans condition . it turneth a naomi , into a marah , naomi signisieth , pleasant , and marah bitter . ruth 1. 20. it is said , in mic. 3. 12. sion shall be plowed as a field . sion had been as a beautiful meadow , fair , green , and pleasant ; but god by afflicting her , would make her look like a fallow-field . thus , you find the change , god's plough of affliction , made in job's condition : it quite altered the face of it . job 29. 2 , 3 , 6 , &c. he sheweth you , how fair and flourishing his condition was , before god's plough went over him : but chap. 30. he telleth you , what a change it had made of the face of his condition . 2. the plough overturneth the earth , and layeth the bottom uppermost . it turneth that downward , that was upward , and that upward , that was downward . so doth affliction , where that plough comes , it hideth that that was green , and turns it out of sight , ( viz. ) our comforts , and casteth earth upon them . as the expression is , isa . 24. 1. behold , the lord maketh the earth empty , he maketh it wast , he turneth it upside down . this the plough of affliction doth when it cometh , it turneth our comforts and worldly enjoyments , upside-down . 3. the plough where it cometh , maketh furrows : and maketh such marks and prints on the earth , that a man may know where the plough hath gone : so that we can , for along time after say , this ground hath been plowed . so afflictions make furrows , and leave marks behind them , upon a mans estate , and body , and family , and relations ; that one may say , here hath the plough of affliction hath gone . thus it did upon shiloh , jer. 7. 12. go ye to my place which was in shiloh , &c. and see what i did to it , for the wickedness of my people israel . this was a long time after god had inflicted his judgments upon shiloh , yet she lay as a fallow-field still . the great work we have to do , is this , to see , what work the plough of affliction hath done . you must know , plowing is a relative work ; it is in order to some other , and some further thing , as to sowing , and to harvest . we are to see , whether our affliction have been followed with a fruitful crop. i have told you before , the plough of it self doth no good , there must be something else , or else there will be no harvest . there must be sowing as well as plowing . this we are to do , to see , whether we are sowed , as well as plowed . and to see , what crop is brought forth , and groweth in those furrows of affliction ? whether it be not weeds and hemlock , as the expression is , hos . 10. 4. 4. we are to look upon afflictions , as god's physick , and as those physical means and remedies , that god useth for the curing of our diseases . as physitians have their wayes of curing corporal diseases , by diet-drinks , and sweatings , and purgations : so the lord hath his wayes and means of curing our spiritual diseases . as there are diseases to which our bodies are subject , ( viz. ) surfets , and feavers , and dropsies , and consumptions ; so there are the like in our spirits . it is the saying of one , that there is no beast on the land , but it hath it's like in the sea : so , there is no disease belonging to our bodies , but our souls are spiritually subject to . there is the tympany of pride , the dropsy of covetousness , the consumption of envy , the feaver of passion : the spirit hath it's surfets and distempers . now , afflictions are some of those means and remedies god makes use of , for the curing these diseases . the great thing we are to enquire after , is , what work the physick of affliction hath wrought upon us . 1. afflictions are god's diet-drink . it is made up with gall and wormwood . so the church telleth us , lam. 3. 19. so isa . 30. 20. we read of the bread of affliction , and the water of affliction . psal . 80. 5. we read of the bread of tears , &c. physitians give things to their patients , that may not be toothsome , yet may be wholesome . we are to see , what operation this diet-drink hath had upon us , whether it hath weaned us from the world . there is a disease physitians call pica , which is a desire to feed upon trash : as some women and children , will eat earth , and coales , and the clay of walls . such a disease we are all suctject to , having a strong appetite and desire after low earthly things , too base for the spirit to feed upon . now can you say , this diet-drink of affliction hath cured you of this disease ? 2. affliction is god's phlebotomy , his blood-letting . god's afflicting is his takeing some blood from us . and when god doth it , he doth it in the right veine . when he takes away riches , and honour , &c. then he bloodeth us in one veine . when he taketh away wife or children , then he letteth us blood in another veine . we are to see , what good our blood-letting hath done us , whether it hath taken down our high colour , and our high looks ? we are to see , whether it hath taken away any of our corrupt blood ? whether it hath cured our ranckness of pride , and feaverishness of passion . there is an expression , isa . 17. 4. that the glory of jacob should be made thin , and the farness of his flesh should be made lean . ( i. e. ) god would let them blood by his afflictions , to cure their pride , and all their other spiritual diseases . 3. afflictions are god's purgations , to purge out of us peccant and malignant humours , they come to purge out of us pride , covetousness , &c. we are to see , vvhether afflictions have purged us , not only by moving these corrupt humours , but by removing of them . isa . 27. 9. by this shall the iniquity of jacob be purged . this is our work , to see what sinful humours affliction hath purged away . how many purges hath god given to some by afflictions , and yet they have not removed obstructions . afflictions are to remove obstructions : to make way for the word to come to the heart . it comes to the ear , but the work of affliction , is , to make way for it to come to the heart . the great question , we are to put to our selves , is this , vvhether affliction , hath opened a way for instruction to come to our hearts ? st. bernard told a brother of his that was a souldier , and a man of a dissolute and prophane life ; when he saw him sleight the good counsel he had given him , he clapt his hand on his side , and said , one day god will make way to this heart of yours , by some spear or launce . ( i. e. ) he should receive some wound in the warrs , and then he would think of his admonitions : and so it fell out . chap. xiii . quest. some may ask , since i know not what is good for me in this life , vvhat counsel or direction can you give me concerning conditions , ( viz. ) for the choosing or refusing a condition ; so that i may not do what is contrary the will of god , and to my own good ? answ . for answer to this , i shall give you in some directions , with which i shall conclude this subject , and they are of two sorts . some general . particular . 1. general . you must not be your own choosers of conditions , but let god choose for you . as the psalmist's expression is , psal . 47. 4. he shall choose our inheritance for us . it is good for us , not to be our own choosers of conditions , but to let the lord choosers for us . it is an excellent thing , and that that speaks much submission to the will of god ; when in respect of outward conditions , we can say , lord , thou shalt choose for me . there are many that are discontented if they may not be their own choosers ; and say , ( as rachel did concerning children ) give me this , or give me that , or else i dye . herein is the pride of man seen , that he must have , what he would have , or else he thinks it not well , and is ready to charge god foolishly . thus it was with jonah , because he could not have his will in the destruction of nineveh , and in the enjoyment of his gourd ; he presently flyeth on t into passion against god himself : as you may read , jonah 4. vvhen god repented of the evil concerning nineveh , it displeased jonah exceedingly , and he was very angry . and see , in a pett he would dye , vers . 3. take away my life from me , for it is better for me to dye then to live . what was the cause of all this ? jonah could not have his will in the destruction of nineveh ; and so thought it was better to dye , then not to have his will : so far did passion transport him . and then concerning the gourd , vers . 6. we read , how it sprung up to shadow jonah , and he was exceeding glad of the gourd . but when the gourd was smitten , and withered , jonah was exceeding angry ; and saith , vers . 7. it is better for me to dye , then to live . yea , he proceeds so far , as when vers . 9. god asked him , vvhether he did well to be angry for the gourd , as to answer , i do well to be angry even to the death . now , what was the cause of all this ? but only this , that jonah could not have his own will , and be his own chooser . so the great direction , is this , let the lord choose your condition for you , and let it be as the lord will. vve are apt to be our own choosers , and this causeth much sin and sorrow . thus we read of those , in jer. 42. after the death of gedaliah , the forces under johanah , were in a great strait , vvhether they should stay in the land of judah , or go into the land of egypt . they resoved at first , the lord should choose their condition for them ; and thereupon they come to the prophet , to enquire of god what they should do ; and resolved what ever answer they had from god , whether it were good , or whether it were evil , they would hearken to it . as you may see , vers . 3 , 5 , 6. but we find , for all this , they resolved to be their own choosers , and to have their own wills : and the prophet telleth them , that they dissembled in their hearts , when they sent him to enquire of the lord. for when god had choosen for them , and told them what he would have them do , viz. not to go into egypt , they would none of his choice , but into egypt they would go . this is that we are to take heed of , of being our own choosers of conditions ; but let the lord choose for us . so take notice of these moving considerations , vvhy we should make the lord , the chooser of our conditions , and not be our own choosers . 1. now in gospel-times , we are not under a distinct covenant for temporalls as the jews were . the law was to the jews , a conditional covenant for temporalls , ( viz. ) for outward prosperity , and long life , and temporal happiness in the land of canaan . vve find the old-testament , runneth most upon temporal promises . as we may read , deut. 28. lev. 27. and hence it was , the people of god in those times , did so much stumble at the prosperity of wicked men , and the afflictions of godly men ; as david , jeremiah , habakkuk , and others did . but now under the gospel it is otherwayes . since the coming of christ in the flesh , and his pouring forth of spiritual blessings upon his church , by the holy-ghost ; he doth not feed his people , with the hopes of those things that are temporal . the new-testament runs most upon spiritual promises : only here and there , some temporal ones are inserted , and intermixed ; which ( we must know ) are to be understood with an exception ; and that they shall be performed , both when , and as , god seeth good . they do not alwayes intimate what shall be , but onely this , that , what ever be , it shall be for good . so then , having a covenant made up of better promises , then those that are temporal , it should make us willing to be at god's disposing concerning temporalls . it should make us say , lord , seeing thou hast by covenant , settled the highest things upon me ; deal with me for outwards as thou wilt . 2. a second moving consideration is this , our unfitness to be the choosers of our own conditions . such is our folly and ignorance , that , if god should leave us to our own choice , we should make a very foolish choice . we should choose conditions , as little children do books , when they come into their fathers studies , ( viz. ) by their gilt covers , and the gay pictures that are in them . so would many choose conditions , rather by what they seem , then by what they are : rather by the fineness , then by the fitness of a condition . as a child chooseth a coat , he looks not so much at this , whether it be fit , as whether it be fine and trimm . if god should leave us , to choose our own conditions , we should be apt to choose unfit conditions for our selves . our choosing , would be like a child 's in an apothecaries shop , who chooseth the most painted box , when it may be , there is nothing but rats-bane and poyson in it . we are apt to judg of conditions , by their outside , and never look what is within the condition . that man that looks no further then upon the outside of a condition , will never make a right choice . he will be of the number of those , of whom the lord speaketh , isa . 7. 15 , 16. who were apt to choose the evil , and refuse the good . we are indeed children in making a choice of conditions : ready to take rats-bane for sugar , hemlock for parsly , and the berries of deadly night-shade for cherries . as there is need for a great deal of spiritual wisdom , to judg of conditions ; so also to choose conditions . the consideration of our weaknesse and folly , should move us , to make the lord our chooser for us . how quickly should we undo our selves , if the lord left us but to our own choice . we should instead of bread , choose stones ; instead of fishes , choose serpents ; instead of food , choose poyson ; and instead of blessings , choose things burthensome ; and instead of what is really good , we should choose only what is good in appearance . men would choose conditions , as many do wives , ( viz. ) by their outwards , not their inwards . they choose rich and fine , rather then fit wives ; whereas the comfort of marriage , lieth in fitness and suitableness of spirit . the fineness of a shoo , is not that that makes it easie , but the fitness ; so it is not the fineness of a condition , but the fitness that makes it good . plutarch , telleth us this story of a roman , he put away his wife ; his friends thereupon asked him , vvhat fault he found with her ? is she not honest ? is she not beautiful ? he putting out his foot , shewed them his shoo , and said , is not this shoo new ? is it not finely made ? and yet none of you know where this shoo pincheth me . so , if we should be left to choose conditions by their outside , we should choose that condition that doth look fine , but yet may prove evil and uneasie to us . 3. a third moving consideration , is this , we have a god that is infinitely wise , and therefore there is great reason , we should leave the choice of our condition to him. he made man , and therefore knowes what is best for man : he formed man , and therefore knowes how to frame his condition . psal . 103. 14. he knoweth our frame . it is there meant , of our outward frame , ( viz. ) the frame of our bodies : but it is true of our inward frame , ( viz. ) the frame of our spirits . so , he must needs know best , what condition is best for us . 1. he knows what is in man. it is said of christ , ( which speaks his divinity ) joh. 2. 25. he knew what was in man. god knowes man's inwards , and knowes what outwards will best suit with him . he that made us , knows what condition is best for us . he that hath taken measure of our bodies , best knowes how to fit us with a garment : and he that hath measured our foot , best knows how to fit us with a shoo. and god that knowes our spirits , knowes best what condition will sit them . heb. 12. 9. he is called , the father of spirits . they come from him who is the highest spirit , as from the fountain . and he is called , num. 16. 12. the god of the spirits of all flesh . he is the god of spirits , and therefore must know the temper of spirits , and what condition will best suite with them . as he that hath the measure of our bodies , is the fittest to make a garment for us ; and he that hath the measure of our foot , is fittest to make a shoo for us : so he that hath the measure of our spirits , is most fit to choose our conditions for us . 2. as he knoweth what is in man , so he knoweth what is in conditions ; he knoweth what effects they will have upon men . as he knoweth our spirits , so he knoweth what conditions will agree with them . we are so ignorant , that if we were left to choose a condition , we should choose that , that may be unsuitable . it is with many in choosing conditions , as it is with some in drinking wine , who ( as i have told you before ) swallow it greedily because it is pleasant , but consider not it's strength and operation , and so become intoxicated and drunken by it . this sheweth , he is fittest to choose our condition for us , that knoweth , both what is in us , and what is in conditions ; and knoweth how our hearts and conditions will suit when they meet . we read of hazael , that he knew not the operation , that honour and promotion , would have upon his spirit : when he returned this answer to the prophet , am i a dog , that i should do this ? how many have destroyed themselves , by choosing those things , whose operations they knew not . we many times know the names , when we know not the natures , and properties , of things . vve know prosperity by name , when yet we know not it's operations . vve know conditions as some know hearbs , ( viz. ) their names , but not their vertues ; but the skilful physitian knoweth them . god knowes what is in conditions , and what operation and work , they will have upon our spirits ; and therefore is fittest to choose our condition for us . 4. a fourth moving consideration is this , god's soveraignty and lord-ship over us . he is an independent majesty , and we are dependent creatures . we have a common saying , that beggars must not be choosers . vve are all beggarly creatures , that have nothing but what we receive from god. vve live on him , and depend on him every day , for our daily bread . now , to be our own choosers of conditions , suits not with this . he is a proud and sawcy beggar , that will be the chooser of his own almes . vve must know , god hath put us all into a state of dependency . this should keep us humble , and work us to a submission unto the will of god , and to be disposed of by him. vve read of pharoah , how he forgot himself in this particular , ezek. 29. 3. he waxed proud , because his land was watered by the river nilus . thus it was in that country , they had not showres from heaven , as other countries had : for , nilus at a certain time did overflow , and so did enrich the land. upon this , pharoah thought , that he depended not upon god , for the fruitfulness of his country ; and presumes to say , is not the river mine ? vve must know , we are all dependent creatures : vvhat we have , was first in god's hand , before it was in ours : as what we give to a beggar , was first in our hands , before it was in his . 5. a fifth moving consideration , is , our own unworthiness . vvhat do we deserve ? vve forget this , when we would have our own wills . vvhen we would choose our conditions , may not the lord answer us , as we do a proud beggar , that is not contented with his almes , vvhy , what do you deserve ? let god put us into what condition he will , we should consider , it is better then we do deserve . it is the confession of jacob , gen. 32. 10. i am less then the least of all thy mercies . vvho is it , that can look upon himself as such , and yet stand upon it , to have what he will ? 6. a sixth moving consideration , is , to let the lord choose our condition for us , is the way to have comfort in our condition . there is no loss in it : vvhereas we shall be losers , in being our own choosers . there is comfort in leaving our selves to god , to choose our condition for us . let the condition be never so uncomfortable , yet this puts comfort into it ; that it is the condition , that god hath chosen for me , and so must needs be best for me . a mans condition may be such , as may not suit with his own carnal will and desires ; yet , this is that , that gives comfort to a christian , vvhen he can say , this is not a condition that is of my own choosing , but the lord hath chosen it for me . vve read of abraham , when the lord called him out of his own country , he went forth , not knowing whither he went , heb. 11. abraham did not lose by doing this , and by making god his chooser of a place for him . to close this ; know , you will be no losers in the end , in letting the lord choose your condition for you . remember what moses told israel , deut. 8. 16. that god did all that he had done to them , to do them good at their latter end . vve may be assured , when we leave it to god to choose our condition for us , it shall be , first or last , good for us . 7. a seventh moving consideration , is this , they have always been losers , that have been their own choosers of conditions . look through the scripture , you will find that they were , at first or last , unhappy in their choice : and that those , who would have their own wills , had , in the end , no cause to rejoyce . vve read of rachels passionate wish , give me children , or else i dye . and what got she by it ? she died in child-bearing . vve read , psal . 78. 18. of those , that required meat for their lusts . god gave them meat for their hunger , but they must have meat for their lusts . and see what came of it , vers . 30. while the meat was yet in their mouths , the wrath of god came upon them , &c. i shall refer you , to jer. 42. 10. jer. 43. 9 , 10. jer. 44. 26 , 28. vvhere you may see , what those got , that would be their own choosers . remember , this makes a condition a snare to us , when it is a condition of our own choosing . 1 tim. 6. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; they that will be rich , ( i. e. ) rich whether god will or no : who make it their aim , and design , and full purpose to be rich , come of it what will , we may see , what comes of it , ( viz. ) they fall into temptations , and into snares . quest. but how may a man know , that he is not the chooser of his own condition ? answ . in general . consider this , conditions are the higher and lower rooms and seats , in this great house of the world. as you know at a table , there are the higher and lower seats . as we read , math. 23. 6. that the pharisees did love the uppermost seats at tables . vve are apt to affect the higher conditions , but we should look to this , whether the place we sit in , be the place of god's choosing ? vvhether we did not place our selves ? but , whether it be the place the great master of the family placed us in ? according to the counsel of our saviour , luk. 14. 8 , 10. it is said of jesus christ , in respect of his priestly office , heb. 5. 5. he glorified not himself to be made an high-priest . ( i. e. ) he did not place himself in that office. it was not an office of his own choosing , but he was called to it by the father . vve should consider , vvhether we do not take the honour to our selves , of placing our selves in conditions ? vve read , when elijah was threatned by jezabel , 1 king. 19. 3. he fled for his life to beersheba which belonged to judah ; he fled out of israel , and thence he went to horeb , and came into a cave . see vers . 9. behold the word of the lord came to him , and he said to him , what doest thou here , elijah ? and so he asked him again , vers . 13. what doest thou here , elijah ? and we find he could give no good account of his being there . we should consider when we are in a condition , what account , we can give to god of it . what answer we can make , when we are asked , how came you there ? when we are either in a prosperous or an adverse condition , and are asked , how we came there ? what answer can you give ? can you say , lord , it is the condition that thou hast chosen for me ; and i am here by thy disposal and appointment ? now , this having been spoken in general ; i shall come to shew you in some particulars , how a man may know , that he is not the chooser of his own condition . 1. he that is not his own chooser , is not guided by his own counsel , but by god's counsel . he consulteth more with god , concerning a condition , then with his own heart and spirit . it is thus with many ; when they look upon conditions , they fall to consulting with their own carnal hearts , and carnal friends , and to consider , what is for their outward ease , and pleasure , and profit : but say not , as david did , it is good for me to draw near to god. they ask not counsel of god , concerning their condition . ezr. 8. 21 , 22. when ezra was to go from babylon to jerusalem , he asked counsel of god. it is said , he proclaimed a fast at the river of ahava , to seek of god a right way for them , and their little ones , and for all their substance . where you may see , they would have god choose their way for them . we read , 1 sam. 14. 36. when saul made the motion of going after the philistines , and to fall upon them by night , the people answered , do whatsoever seemeth good to thee : but the priest said , let us draw near hither unto god. ( q. d. ) let us not be our own counsellors , but let us ask counsel of god. now in asking counsel of god concerning a condition , we are to look to this , that it be , 1. without dissimulation . 2. without self-reservation . 1. without dissimulation . we read of those , jer. 42. that would have the prophet inquire of god for them : they made as though they would steer their course , by his counsel . but yet we find , they would be their own choosers . for the prophet telleth them , vers . 20. you dissembled in your hearts , when you sent me to enquire of the lord. they sent to enquire of god , when they were resolved before what to do . 2. without self-reservation . of this were those guilty , jer. 42. 6. though they said , whether it be good , or whether it be evil , we will obey the voice of the lord. ( i. e. ) let god's answer be what it will , we will hearken to it . and yet we do find , that , because the lord's answer did not agree with their wills , they would not hearken to it . so that we see , when they made that promise to the prophet , it was with this reservation , provided , that the answer that comes from god , be answerable to our desires . thus they became their own choosers , and rejected the counsel of god , to their own destruction . 2. this speaks , we are not our own choosers of conditions , ( viz. ) when lawfull means are not neglected ; nor unlawful means used . 1. when lawful means are not neglected , for the avoiding of the evils of affliction . there are many that do create crosses to themselves . we are to bear those crosses that god layeth upon us ; but we are not to make our own crosses . there is little comfort , in bearing a cross that is of our own making . it is one thing , when god makes us sick , or poor , &c. and another thing when we make our selves so , by the neglect of means . 2. when unlawful means , are not used to mend and better our outward condition . some there are that god hath placed low : and , not being contented , they fall upon the use of unlawful means , to raise themselves : and will not waite for the invitations of providence till god bid them sit up higher . there is an expression , prov. 28. 30. he that maketh haste to be rich , shall not be innocent . there is a making haste to be rich. some will not keep the road , but will break hedges , and think to find a nearer way to be rich , by the use of unlawful means . 3. this speaks , we are not our own choosers of conditions , ( viz. ) when cross-providences do not discontent us . when what pleaseth god , pleaseth us . when we can say , as job did , shall we receive good at the hands of god , and shall we not receive evil ? it is then right , when what pleaseth god , pleaseth us . there is a known story , of the answer that a shepheard returned to some travailers , who asked him , what weather they should have ? such weather as i please , saith he ; and told them , the weather would be such as god pleased , but what pleased god , pleased him . it is then right , when what pleaseth god , pleaseth us . 4. this speaks , that we are not our own choosers of conditions , ( viz. ) when outward good things are prayed for , and outward evills are prayed against , with submission to the will of god. our saviour telleth us , john 5. 30. he came not to seek his own will , but the will of him that sent him . and when he was to drink of that bitter cup , though he had prayed , it might pass from him ; yet he addeth , mat. 26. 39. not my will , but thine be done so john 12. 27. father ( saith he ) glorify thy self . when he had prayed before , to be kept from that hour , yet he cometh in with this , father , glorify thy self . ( q. d. ) what ever becometh of me , yet father , glorify thy self . we should imitate jesus christ in this , and say , lord , let not my will , but thy will be done . vve should in praying , either for outward good things , or against outward evills , say , as those did , acts 21. 14. the will of the lord be done . vve have an expression , 1 joh. 5. 14. this confidence we have , that if we ask any thing according to his will , he heareth us . this is the way to be heard , when we ask not only according to his revealed will , but with submission to his secret will. the rule for the right using of the great ordinance of prayer , is , asking according to the vvill of god. it is not asking according to our own wills . it is not to ask what we will , for that is to be our own choosers . in prayer , there is a making known of our desires to god , both for the bestowing the good things that we need , and averting the evils that we fear ; and , in all this , there must be a submission to the will of god. in the best of saints , there is grace and nature . nature would have it's will , but then grace cometh , and causeth a submission to god's will ; and saith , as our saviour did , let not my will , but thine be done . 5. you may know , you are not your own choosers of conditions , by this , ( viz. ) when you are not too careful about the issues , and events of things . it is thus with some , they can be content to use the means ; but trouble themselves , about the issue , and event . some are content , that god should prescribe them the means , but they would appoint the success . when we can use means , and leave the issue to god , without a distrustful thought , then it is right . we have an expression of joab's , 1 chron. 19. 13. when the children of ammon came against david , he sent joab forth with his army to give them battle ; and the counsel that joab gave to his brother abishai , was this ; be of good courage , and let us behave our selves valiantly for our people , and for the cities of our god ; and , let the lord do that which is good in his sight . q. d. let us use the means , and leave the issue , and success , to god. joab knew , that the issues of warr , were in the hands of god , and therefore left them to him. our thoughtfulness about the issues of things , proceedeth from a desire that is in us , to be our own choosers . this is forbidden , phil. 4. 6. in nothing be careful . the care forbidden , is about the issues and events of things : and such a care bespeaks a fear , that things will not fall out according to our desires , and expectations ; and speaks our desire of being our own choosers . 6. this speaks our not being our own choosers of a condition , ( viz. ) when we have a promise , and can rest upon providence to bring it about , without shewing the way , how to do it . remember , we are to serve providence , but not to go before it . when we go about , to teach providence its way , how to bring to pass a promise , this speaks a desire in us , of being our own choosers . thus it was with rebeccah , when the promise was concerning her sons , that the elder should serve the younger : yet she could not be content with that , but must devise a way of her own , how to bring it to pass . as if god needed her sin , and her shifting , to bring to pass , what he had promised . providence needeth not our midwisery , to bring to pass gods purposes . concerning them , we may say , as the egyptian midwives did of the israelitish women , that they were lively , and were delivered before the midwives came to them . so , let me say of providences , and promises , they need not our help , for their being delivered . the truth is , we are too apt to mix our wisdom with god's , and to direct his providence how to work. job 38. 2. ( saith god ) who is this , that darkneth wisdom , with words without knowledge ? how many be there , that darken providence with their own sinful inventions ? as though they would teach god , how to bring to pass , and perform his own promises . it is then right , when we can wait upon god , for the performance of his promises in his own way ; and this speaks , we are not our own choosers . 7. this speaks we are not our own choosers of a condition , ( viz. ) when we can wait god's time ( if it be sad ) , for the change of it . there is an expression of the lord's , jer. 49. 19. who will appoint me the time ? some there are , that will presume to appoint god the time , when he shall alter things , and change their conditon . we read , john 2. at the marriage of cana when they wanted wine ; christs mother said to him , they have no wine , vers . 3. but he answereth her , vers . 4. mine hour is not yet come . thus we would set god the time , of changing our water into wine . when we need a mercy , then is our time to seek it ; but we are to wait god's time for the bestowing of it . we are not to set god a day , but wait . as habukkuk said he would do , hab. 2. 1 , 2 , 3. he would get him into his watch-tower . he knew the vision was for an appointed time , and so would wait god's time , for the deliverance of his people . 8. this speaks , we are not our own choosers of conditions , ( viz. ) when the issue and success , and event of things , doth not discontent us . of this i have spoken before , and therefore do but touch it . bernard hath a passage , quadr-serm . 6. enitendum ut sit nobis cum deo una voluntas ; & , quaecunque ei placent , placeant & nobis , we ought to endeavour , that our wills may be one with god's ; and that whatsoever pleaseth him , may please us . but of this i have spoken before . quest. but some may ask , whether it be lawful for a man to wish , that a thing had fallen out otherwise then it did ? as when a loss or cross befalleth us , whether we may lawfully wish , it had not been so ? answ . i shall speak somewhat to the answer of this question . so , we must distinguish between things that are 1. offensive to god. 2. troublesome to us . 1. for things that are offensive to god , vve may lawfully wish they had not been . vve find the lord himself wishing that , psal . 81. 13. o that my people had hearkened to me , and that israel had walked in my way . so that , to wish , that those evills that offend god , had not been , is lawful . 2. there are evils troublesome to us . and about them lieth the question , vvhether it be lawful for us to wish , whether such evils had not befallen us . for answer to that : though in some cases it may be lawful , yet i shall shew you in some cases it is unlawful . 1. when the wish proceedeth from an unwillingness to be under the cross . we may sit down and bewail the state of things , and so may wish things were otherwise then they are ; but then we must see , that this proceeds not from delicacy of spirit , and unwillingness to be under the cross . a christian should love to suffer , though he loveth not that which he suffereth . 2. the wish is evil , when it proceedeth from murmuring and discontentedness of spirit , with the providences and dispensations of god. then to wish , such and such a thing had not been , is sinful , and a kind of secret blasphemy ; when we fall upon censuring god's administrations : this is to make our selves wiser than god. now consider in what cases we may wish things had not fallen out , so as to make such wishes lawful . 1. when they are not absolute , but hypothetical . when the wish is only thus ; if god had been so pleased ; or , if the lord had seen it good . 2. when it is only by way of bewailing the state of things , but yet there is a willingness to submit to god. 3. when in these our wishes , we mix faith with our tears ; and , under black and sad dispensations , we believe that god is good , and good to us . as the psalmist saith , psal . 73. 1. yet god is good to israel . to close this : we are to consider two things , 1. we may wish that , that god wills not , and yet not sin . as the deliverance of a people from judgment , whom god intends to destroy . 2. we may sin in wishing , and desiring what god willeth , ( i mean in respect of his secret will ) as the death of a father , a child ; and husband , a wife : for whose lives we may lawfully pray , when they are sick , though it may be the will of god that they shall dye . this yet to be with a submission to his will , though not yet revealed . thus i have given you directions in general , concerning your choosing of conditions . i now come to give you in some particular ones . 1. seek not great things for your selves , but desire only things that are convenient . we are apt to have our longings after things that are unfit for us . we read of those , rom. 1. 28. who did things that were not convenient . so there are many , who desire things that are not convenient , jer. 45. vers . the last , the lord giveth baruch a sharp reproof for this , and seekest thou great things for thy self ? seek them not . we should still remember agur his wish , prov. 30. 8. feed me with food convenient for me . according to the original , it is , feed me with the bread of my allowance . ( i. e. ) that that is my proportion . tremelius rendreth it , demensum , mine allowance . some think , that demensum signifieth , a monthly proportion of food , deriving the word a mense : some think , it is a metiendo , from measuring . so agur prayeth for his measured allowance , ( i. e. ) such an allowance as did suit with the necessary occasions of his life . we read of jacob , when he was going to padan-aram , gen. 28. 20. that he vowed a vow ; and see what he desireth of god ? it is , bread to eat , and rayment to put on . he desireth not honour , and riches , and great things , but things necessary and convenient . he desireth not delicates , ( as the children of israel did ) to be meat for his lust , but bread for his hunger : if thou wilt give me ( saith he ) bread to eat . and then he desired not cloaths for his pride , but raiment to put on , ( viz. ) cloaths to cover his nakedness . the apostle , rom. 12. 16. among those aphorisms or aphoristical , precepts , he gives concerning practice , he gives some concerning conditions , minde not high things , but condescend to men of low estate . minde not high things , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . and whereas our translation reads it , condescend to men of low estate , in the greek , it is only , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and may be rendred , low things . and so the antithesis requireth that it should be the neuter gender , answering to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , high things . it is as if the apostle had said , mind not high things , but condescend to low things . the same apostle saith , 1 tim. 6. 8. having food and raiment , let us be therewith content . contentment is the rest of the desire ; having that that is necessary and convenient , we should desire no more . and the apostle gives the reason , ver. 7. for we brought nothing into this world , neither may we carry any thing out . here i shall do two things : 1. shew you the good of desiring only what is fit , and convenient . 2. how a man may judge of conveniency , and how he may know what is convenient for him . i. consider the good of desiring what is only convenient , and of that condition that is fit for us . 1. it is the condition that is freest from temptations , and so the best condition . the temptation commonly lyeth beyond the line of conveniency . the apostle saith , 1 tim. 6. 9. that they that will be rich , fall into many snares , &c. when men are not content with necessary things , and convenient things ; but they must have great things , and an abundance ; they lay themselves open to , and fall under , many temptations . this agur doth acknowledg , prov. 30. 8 , 9. in a storm , that ship is in least danger , that carrieth the lowest sayl. the things of this life , are things we easily sin in ; great things make us lyable to great temptations . and this is one reason , why the apostle exhorteth , that prayer should be made for great persons , viz. for kings , and such as are in authority , 1 tim. 2. 2. christians , you are to observe , there are two sorts of persons the tempter is ready to work upon , and to get advantage of ; 1. of such as are in a high condition . 2. of such as are in a low condition . 1. such as are in a high condition ; who sail with top , and top-gallant . hence it is , that our saviour saith , it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven . it is rare , to find great men , and rich men , good men . 2. such as are in a low condition , and are discontented with it ; that would have higher , and fuller sailes : i.e. better , and greater things . these through their discontedness , lay themselves open to temptations . it is observed of witches , who have given themselves up to the devil ; that they are ( for the most part ) such as are old , and melancholy women especially , & such as are of the poorer , and meaner sort : and one reason of it , is , their being discontented with the means of their condition . remember this , our being contented with things convenient , without seeking great things for our selves , will free us from many temptations . there is a story of a roman , that had great bribes sent him , and other great rewards promised him : the messenger that brought them , found him at dinner with a dish of turnips . he gave this answer to the messenger , carry back your presents : he that can be content with such fare , needeth them not . 2. a convenient estate is , the estate that is most easy . those are fit things that are most easy ; that shoo is the easiest , that fits our foot . it is said of abraham , gen. 13. 2. that he was very rich . the hebrew word rendred rich , signifieth heavy , viz. abraham was very heavy . great things are burthensom , and heavy things ; when things convenient are not so . they are attended with a double burthen . 1. a burthen of duties 2. a burthen of cares . 1. a burthen of duties . much will be required of those , to whom god hath given much of the things of this life . the more honour and riches any have , the more duty is expected . 2. a burthen of cares . great things are attended with great cares , and great fears . eccles . 5. 12. the sleep of a labouring man is sweet , but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep . the rich mans care of getting , and his fear of losing , depriveth him of his rest . it is with such , as it is with those troubled with that disease called ephialtes , or night-mare ; they feel a burthen in their sleep , and think they have a mountain lying upon their brests . know this , a convenient estate is the most easie , and is not attended with those troubles and burthens , as great things are . we know , garments that sit close to us , are easiest for us . a loose garment , as a cloak , &c. in a windy day , becomes troublesom . a staff is a help to a man in his journey , but a bundle of staves is a burthen . from all this , you may gather , that a convenient estate is the most easie . 3. a convenient estate is the safest , and most secure , in respect of outward dangers . it makes us less liable to envy , and hatred . the historian said of the roman emperours , that they got nothing by being emperours , nisi ut citius interficerentur ; but that they were killed the sooner . low trees stand in those tempests that overturn the tall ones . great things do but set us upon a pinacle , from whence we are ready , every moment , to fall , and break our necks . 4. consider this , things convenient , are most commodious for us as christians . do but consider , what christianity is compared to , in scripture ; and you will find , that great , and superfluous things , do not suit with it . it is compared to three things . to a race . to a warfar . to a pilgrimage . 1. to a race . 1 cor. 9. 24. know you not , that they that run in a race , run all , &c. they knew it well , for the isthmian-games were at corinth , vers . 24. so run that you may obtain . this sheweth that christianity is a race : now when a man is to run a race , he chooseth that habit that is most leight . some have lost the race , by the over-burthening of themselves . it is thus with some , they never know when they have enough : and never consider , can i run this race with all these cumbersome things about me ? they load themselves with thick clay , which unfits them to run that race . this made our saviour say , that it was hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven . that man that desireth only convenient things , hath advantage of him that burtheneth himself with things unnecessary and superfluous . the apostle saith , heb. 12. 1. that we should cast off what presseth us down , and run with patience , the race that is set before us . the things of this life , are things that are burthensome and heavy , and must needs make us run the race with the more difficulty . i shall conclude this , with a story i have heard of a pluralist that had two benefices : he being visited by a minister upon his death-bed , and speaking of his hope of going to heaven : the minister replied , our saviour telleth us , that narrow is the way , and strait is the gate that leadeth to life . and do you think to enter heaven , with two steeples on your back ? 2. christianity is compared to a warfar . as you may see , 1 tim. 1. 18. 1 tim. 6. 12. now , how is it with such men as goe to war ? they entangle not themselves with the affairs of this life . 2 tim. 24. a loaded souldier , full of spoil and plunder , is unfit to fight . convenient things are most fit for christian-souldiers ; and when we desire things beyond the line of conveniency , we forget that by our profession we are such . 3. christianity is called a pilgrimage . christians are said to be strangers and pilgrims . travellers desire not to burthen themselves with things unnecessary and cumbersome . i told you before , a staff in a journy is helpful , but a bundle of staves is burthensome . it was the manner of the jews , to wear long garments : but when they were to go a journy , they did truss and tuck them up , that they might not hinder them in their journy . a long garment is apt to make us fall . convenient things are most suitable for us , as we are pilgrims . thus , you see the good of things , only-convenient . chap. xiv . we now come to answer another question , that some may ask , concerning , what is convenient ? that so they may know that they desire not things unfit , and unproportionable . answ . there are many that hearken to the voice of covetousness , but not of conscience ; and so are mistaken in their judging of what is competent , and convenient for them . we must know , covetousness knoweth no competency , but is still crying , give , give . the greek word for covetousness , is , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an having of more . when it hath this , and that , and the other thing , yet it never hath enough . a covetous man never knoweth what is his demensum , and due proportion ; and so , never content . i shall shew you in four particulars , how you may judg , what is competent , and convenient for men in this life . 1. that that nature requireth , viz. meat and drink to nourish and feed the body , and clothing to keep it warm . among the rules that wise men give for the regulating of our desires , this is one ▪ that we should desire naturally , according to nature ; and indeed , they make it the fundamental rule . nature is content with little , when covetousness is content with nothing , let a man have never so much . it was the saying of philip of macedon , when once he had had a fall upon the earth ; being risen up , and having viewed the impression his body had made upon the ground : oh ( saith he ) how little , by nature , serveth us , and yet whole kingdoms will not content us . nature is content with few things : this the heathens knew . socrates could say , when he saw great treasures carried through a city : o , how much can i be without ! it is the saying of seneca , parabile est quod natura desiderat , et expositum ad manum est ; admanum est quod sat est . that is ready at hand , that nature desireth , and will suffice it . remember , nature is contented with a little , and grace with less . 2. that that is fit for the estate wherein god hath set us . this is another rule , given for the regulating of our desires , ( viz. ) that we are to desire , by our relation ; ( i. e. ) in reference to the place wherein god hath set us . we must know , that competencies are not all of one size and measure : that that may be a competency for one , may not be so for another . we must know , there are distinctions of persons . god hath made some to be high , and some low . as in the world , he hath made mountains and vallies ; so there are in the world , men of several degrees , and estates , and these have their several competencies , conveniencies , and proportions . agur ( no doubt ) was a man of quality , ( some think he lived in the dayes of solomon , others think in the dayes of hezekiah ) . he prayeth for what was convenient for him . then a man exceedeth the line of conveniency , when he desireth things that are above the state , calling , and condition , wherein god hath set him . 3. those are convenient things , that are necessary for us , in relation to the charge we have , and for the maintaining of our families . the apostle , 1 tim. 5. 8. saith , he is worse than an infidel , that provideth not for his own , especially those of his own house . solomon hath an observation , eccles . 4. 8. i have seen ( saith he ) a man that hath neither child nor brother , and yet there is no end of his labours . ( viz. ) he never hath enough , although he hath none to provide for , but himself . 4. those things are convenient , that are apparently needful , for the future , and the time to come . the scripture condemneth not a care of providence but commends , and commands it , 2 cor. 12. 14. the fathers ought to lay up for the children , &c. as we read of joseph , who fore-seeing the seaven years of famine , laid up corn before hand . to close this : only seek after things that are more for usefulness then delight ; and things whereby you may be made more serviceable to your god , and things that suit with the present condition of times . this was baruch's failing , of which the lord telleth him , that in sad , and evil times , he sought great things for himself . thus for the first . that we should not seek great things for our selves , but things convenient . 2. seek after those things , that are , without doubt and dispute , and without controversy , good for a man in this life . when a man seeketh after riches , and honour , &c. there is some question to be made , whether these things are good for him ? but there are some things , that , without dispute , are good for a man in this life . the apostle hath an expression , 1 cor. 9. 26. i therefore so run , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , as not for an uncertainty . i have told you before , it alludes to the isthmian-games , where running , and wrestling , were the chiefest excercises . and he telleth you , that those that run those races , though they run for a crown , yet it was but for a corruptible crown : they did but run for that that was uncertain and corruptible ; but he , for those things that were certain and incorruptible . quest. some may ask , but what are those things that are good without doubt , without controversy , for a man in this life ? answ . though we are not able to tell you concerning outward things , what are good for a man in this life ? yet we can tell you , of some things that are indeed good . those things are of two sorts ▪ 1. general . 2. particular . 1. general . godliness is good for a man in this life , and that without controversy . we find , how much the scripture doth magnify and extol it , as that that is absolutely and really good. it speaks that of godliness , that it never speaks of riches , or honour , or any worldly thing , 1 tim. 4. 8. godliness is profitable to all things , having the promises of the life that now is , and of that that is to come . this the scripture never said concerning any worldly things . profit we know , is that that most men look after . and we say , those arguments drawn ab vtili , from profit , are the most moving . now we see , godliness is profitable for all things , not only for the life to come , but for this life too ; it is profitable . 1. for all persons : the things of this world are not so . godliness is profitable for high , and low ; for old and young ; for all sexes , men , and women ; for all relations , parents and children , masters and servants . 2. it is profitable for all things : for all the actions and businesses of your lives : for all religious actions : for all civil actions : you cannot buy or sell , nor converse with men as you should , without this : yea , it is profitable in respect of natural actions , you cannot eat , nor drink , nor do any other thing to the glory of god , without godliness . 3. it is profitable at all times . it is profitable in health , in sickness , in the time of youth , and of old-age ; in the time of peace , and in the day of trouble , when riches will not profit . as solomon telleth us , prov. 10. lastly , ( which is the chief ) godliness is profitable for both worlds . it is profitable in relation to this world . it hath the promises of this life . and it is profitable , in relation to the world to come . it hath ( as the apostle telleth us ) the promises of that life that is to come . in scripture , there are no such promises made to any man , as he is great , and rich , and honourable , but as he is godly . to close this , the scripture speaketh this of godliness , that it is gain with contentment , 1 tim. 6. 6. which sheweth , how it differeth from all worldly gain . godliness is great gain with contentment . covetousness may be gain , but it is without contentment : but godliness is gain , with contentment : it is gain in the mid'st of losses : it makes a man contented , whether he hath little or much . to covetousness , there is nothing that is enough : but godliness , sheweth a man enough in god ; which makes him say , not only with esau , i have enough ; but to say with jacob , i have all . now for particulars . 1. it is good for a man in this life , to eye more the enjoyment of god , then enjoyments from god. this is good without controversy , and without dispute . some there are that possess much in this life , but never put this question , do i enjoy god , with the things that i receive from him ? 2. it is good for a man in this life , to rejoyce more in the god of his mercies , then in the mercies of his god : some rejoyce in this , that their corn , and their wine , is increased , and that they have goods laid up for many years : this speaks worldliness , not godliness . godliness teacheth a man to rejoyce more in the creator , then in the creature : more in the fountain , then in the stream : more in the sun , then in the stars . psal . 4. thou hast ( saith david ) put more joy into my heart , than they had , when their corn and their wine increased . 3. this is , without dispute , good for a man in this life , ( viz. ) to serve god chearfully , however he serve us , and deal with us . selfishness will teach us to serve god , while he serves us . he shall have duty , while we have mercies : he shall have work , only while we have wages ; according to the antient proverb , no penny , no pater-noster . godliness will destroy this mercinariness . sathan would perswade the lord , that job did serve him only upon that accompt ; but he found it otherwise . 4. this , without dispute , is good for a man in this life , ( viz. ) to keep god , whatsoever we lose for keeping him : and to please him , whomsoever we displease . wordliness will teach us , to keep him , while we can keep our worldly pref●rments : but godliness will teach us , to keep him , though we lose all for keeping him. 5. this , without dispute , is good for a man in this life ( viz ▪ ) to remember god in all our wayes , and to eye his glory in all the actions and business of this life . 1 cor. 10. 31. whether you eat or drink , or whatsoever else you do , do all to the glory of god. 6. this , without dispute , is good for a man in this life , ( viz. ) to consecrate all his outward things , and enjoyments , to the service of god. we read , 1 king. 20. 3. when benhadab sent this message to ahab , thy silver and thy gold is mine : thy wives and thy children ( even the goodliest ) are mine . ahab returned this answer , i am thine , and all that i have is thine . so it is good for a man to serve the lord , with the things that he enjoyes , as those things that are his. we read , how those in the primitive times , acts 4. 35. that had possessions , sold them , and laid them down at the apostles feet . so it is good for a man , to lay down all ( as i may say ) at the feet of god. 7. this is good for a man in this life , without dispute , ( viz. ) to give the things of another life the preheminence . this our saviour sheweth us , in mat. 6. 33. seek first the kingdom of god , and it's righteousness , &c. we are to set heaven , above earth , and heavenly things , above all worldly things . it is not good for a man , to give the things of this life , the upper hand of the things of eternity . we find , how jesus christ hath placed things , prov. 3. 16. ( viz. ) length of dayes on the right hand , and riches and honour on the left . the right hand is given to eternity , and the things of eternity ; when riches and honour , &c. are set at the left hand . we read of joseph , gen. 48. 14. when he heard his father jacob was sick , he came with his two sons , to visit his father , and presented them to him , to receive a blessing from him : but that son that he brought to his fathers right hand , he put his left hand on . thus it is with many , they set those things at the right hand , that jesus christ setteth at the left . it is good , when we see the things of this life , striving to get the uppermost place , to bid them come down , and sit lower . some may ask , what is it that speaks our giving the things of another life , the preheminence ? answer , 1. when we give them the preheminence , in respect of esteem . when they are the things most prized and esteemed by us : as david said , psal . 84. 10. that one day in god's court , is better than a thousand . it is good for a man in this life , to think meanly of the things of this life , in comparison of the things of another life . in isa . 40. 17. when god's infinite perfections are looked on , all the things of this world are as nothing : all nations before him are as nothing , and they are counted to him less then nothing . so should we make account of the things of this life , as nothing , in comparison of that life that is to come . 2. giving them the preheminence , in respect of affection , collos . 3. 2. set your affections on things above , and not on the things of the earth . it is good for a man in this life , to have his affections weaned from the things of this life , and wedded to the things of another life . though we have the things of this life in our hands , yet those things should not have our hearts . remember , our affections were made for better things , than things below . 3. giving them the preheminence , appears in respect of pursuit , ( viz. ) when the things of another life are chiefly sought after : according to the command of our saviour , mat. 6. 33. seek first the kingdom of god. joh. 6. 27. labour not for the meat that perisheth , &c. the things of another life , are the things that are primarily , and principally to be sought after . 4. giving the things of another life the preheminence , appears by this , ( viz. ) in making the things of this life serviceable , to those of another life . the lord said concerning esau , and jacob , the elder shall serve the younger . thus many make the things of heaven , to serve their inferiors ; giving the better hand to the things of this life . 5. giving the things of another life the preheminence , will appear by this , ( viz. ) the advantages , and disadvantages that relate to another life . when an heavenly advantage is more to us , than an earthly one ; and when an heavenly disadvantage , is more to us than a temporal one . it will appear thus , when we do that , that is to our disadvantage , when the disadvantage only concerns this life , and the thing done , concerns the life to come . this did moses , in forsaking egypt , he did that that was seemingly disadvantagious to him , in relation to this life . we read of those , heb. 11. 35. they accepted not deliverance . the meaning is , they accepted it not , upon the tearms upon which it was offered . to have had deliverance was a temporal advantage : but to have accepted it upon those tearms , ( they found ) would have been an eternal disadvantage to them . upon this accompt , did the martyrs of old , refuse life when it was offered them : they saw a temporal advantage cloy'd with an eternal disadvantage . thus for the seventh thing , that is good for a man in this life . 8. this is good for a man in this life , without dispute , ( viz. ) so to live , and so to walk , ( what ever his condition be ) as that he may fetch comfort from the consideration , of what his condition in another life shall be . some there are , that being in a prosperous condition , draw all their comfort from it . of such david speaketh , they have their portion only in this life : they comfort themselves only with what is their portion here , without considering what their condition will be hereafter . it is thus with gracious ones , ( what ever their condition be ) they can say , my refreshment and comfort , floweth not from the things of my condition , and the springs below : but from the consideration of this , ( viz. ) what my condition shall be in heaven , and so from the springs above . thus in the saddest condition , we find the saints of god , have comforted themselves with that . as you may see , 2 cor. 5. 1. heb. 11. 10. rom. 8. 18. heb. 10. 34. heb. 13. 14. heb. 4. 9. to close this , it is good , when our present condition in this life , is sweetned with the consideration , of what it shall be in another life . it may be , our house doth not please us , but it is comfortable to think , we shall have a pallace . it is the psalmist's expression , psal . 66. 12. thou broughtest us through fire and water , yet thou broughtest us forth into a wealthy place . remember , that the wealthy place , that is beyond our condition , gives a gracious heart comfort , in the worst of temporal conditions . 9. this is good for a man in this life , without dispute , ( viz. ) what ever his portion in this life be , to make god his portion . let his portion be a portion of comforts , or a portion of crosses : it is good to have a portion above all this , ( viz. ) the god of all comfort . as jacob said to his son joseph , when he was a dying , gen. 48. 22. i have given to thee , one portion above thy brethren . it is good in the best outward condition , when we can say , i have a portion above all this . we find in scripture , the saints of god , comforting themselves , with this and that . 1. when they had somewhat else to glory in . 2. vvhen they had nothing else to glory in , or fetch comfort from . 1. vvhen they had something else to glory in , and fetch comfort from : vvhen they have had a large portion of outwards ; yet they have rejoyced in this , that the lord was their portion . thus david , psal . 16. 5 , 6. psal . 119. 57. 2. the saints have gloried in the lords being their portion , when they have had nothing else to boast of . thus did the church , when in a sad condition , lam. 3. 24. the lord is my portion , saith my soul. this the church spake , in the day of her captivity . you must know , god is the best portion . vvere a mans portion in this life , as larg as from sea , to sea ; were it as glorious a portion as solomons was , yet it is nothing , except we have the lord for our portion . god is a soul-portion , and must needs be the best portion ; vvhich will appear , if we consider these things . 1. excellency . the soul is an excellent thing ; and base things , ( such as the things of the world are ) can never be a fit portion for the soul. god is supereminently , and unconceaveably excellent ; and therefore , in scripture , great and excellent things ( according to the original ) are called the things of god. 2. spirituality . the soul is a spirit . god is a spirit : and nothing but a spirit , can be a portion for a spirit . the soul is the spirit created , and god is the spirit creating : and nothing can be the portion of spirits , but he that is the god and father of spirits . 3. infiniteness . nothing but what hath infinite fulness in it , can be the soul's portion . there is an image of god's infiniteness upon the soul : it 's desires are infinite , and so needs an infinite portion . 4. everlastingness . the soul liveth for ever , and seeketh an everlasting portion . vvhen basil was tempted by the emperour's lievtenant , with offers of mony , and preferment : he returned this answer , give me riches that will last for ever , and preferment that will indure to eternity . god is a portion for ever . psal . 73. 26. he is my portion for ever . he is the soul's portion in this life . as david speaketh , psal . 142. 5. thou art my portion in the land of the living . and he is the soul's portion in the world to come : as the apostle telleth us , 1 cor. 15. god will be all in all . there he will be such a portion as is above expression , above comparison , above present sense and feeling , above desire , above hope and expectation , above imagination . 10. this is good for a man in this life , without dispute , ( viz. ) to have sin pardoned . psal . 32. 1. blessed is the man , whose iniquity is forgiven , and whose sin is covered . he sets not the crown of blessedness , upon the head of the rich man , or the great man ; but on the head of that man , whose iniquity is forgiven . pardon of sin , is radically every good thing . vvhen israel had committed that great sin , the first thing moses prayeth for , is pardon of their sin , exod. 30. 32. pardon of sin , is that , without which 1. the best worldly condition , cannot make a man happy . let him be a rich man , a great man ; yet he is not a happy man , except his iniquity be forgiven , and his sin be pardoned . worldly things , cannot mount a man above the evill that is in sin , and so he must needs be unhappy . it is said of naaman , that he was a great , and honourable man , but he was a leaper ; that imbittered all . so , let a man be what he will for his outward condition , sin unpardoned will spoil all . what comfort hath a great man , if he hath the stone in the bladder , or the gout ? so , when sin is unpardoned , it imbitters the comforts of the best worldly condition . if we could extract the quintessence of all outward comforts , into one catholick and universal comfort , yet it would do nothing , to cure the evil of sin . 2. the worst worldly condition , cannot make a pardoned man miserable . the comfort of a pardoned condition , is such , as is not to be over-topped by any discomfort in any worldly condition . our saviour speaking to the man , sick of the palsy , saith , mat. 9. 2. son , be of good comfort , thy sins are forgiven thee . pardon of sin , is the greatest comfort . isa . 40. 1. comfort ye my people , ( saith the lord ) . and one thing wherewith they were to be comforted , was this , that their iniquity was pardoned . could we extract , out of all worldly evills , the quintessence of them , into one catholick and universal misery ( as it is reported of caesar-borgia , that he was so skilled , in the art of poysoning , that he could contract the poyson of a hundred toads , into one drop ) : yet all this would not amount to the misery that attendeth sin . 11. this is good for a man in this life , without dispute , to lay up treasure there , where things are purest , and things are surest , ( viz. ) to lay up treasure in heaven : according to our saviours counsel , mat. 6. 19 , 20. lay not up for your selves , treasures on earth , where the rust , and moath doth corrupt , &c. some may ask , but is it not good for a man to lay up treasures on earth ? let me tell you , it is not good for you , to have those for your only treasure . they are treasures that rust may corrupt , or theeves steal . but would you know , what is good for a man indeed , in this life ? it is , laying up treasure in heaven . there things are pure , no rust to corrupt them ; and there things are sure , no theeves to steal them . it is wisdom in treasuring up of things , not to reflect upon the place from which we are going ; but upon the place , to which we are going . were a man only for this life , and were this world only , to be his continuing city ; then it were somewhat , to lay up treasures here : but remember , this life is but a passage to another ; and it is good to lay up our treasure there , whither we are going . it should be with us , as with a man that is removing into another country ; he sends his treasure before hand thither , and keeps no more about him , then what will serve him for his removal . so , that without controversy , this is good for a man in this life , to lay up treasure in heaven . 12. this is good for a man in this life , without dispute , ( viz. ) to seek after distinguishing favours . conditions in themselves , are un-distinguishing , eccles . 9. 1. we should , therefore , look after those things that speak distinguishing , and not common , love , psal . 4. 6. there be many that say , ( saith david ) who will shew us any good ? but lord , lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us . this is a distinguishing thing : corn , and wine , and oyl , are not . but the light of god's countenance is . christians , remember , that the outward things of a condition , are but common , without the graces of the condition . 13. this is good for a man in this life without dispute , ( viz. ) to keep peace within , however things are without . a good conscience , is a good thing for a man in this life . an heathen could say , as i told you before , intus si recte , ne labores , if all be well within , never trouble thy self . solomon saith of a good conscience , that it is a continual feast . a good conscience is an heaven , and an evil one , is an hell in this life . 14. this is good for a man in this life , without dispute , ( viz. ) for a man to keep himself , in a continual preparation for death . this is good for a man without controversy . and it will appear by these particulars . 1. it is not good for a man to live one hour in that estate , wherein he dare not dye . dare you dye in an unbelieving , and an unregenerate estate ? 2. it is good for a man to dye daily , and to keep himself in a dying disposition . when the apostle saith , pray continually , the meaning is , that we should still keep our hearts in a praying frame . so , when we speak of dying daily , the meaning is , that by daily meditation of , and preparation for , death , we should dye daily . a lyon seldom seen , is the more terrible . 3. it is good for a man in this life , to do every thing so , as that it may hold an agreement with a dying condition . this is that we should look to ; whether , in seeking the things of this life , we seek them so , as that our seeking , holds an agreement with a dying state ? do you use the world , as though you used it not ? do you do every duty , as if it were your dying duty ? 4. it is good for a man in this life , to live every day , as if it were his last day ; and to be doing that every day , that we should be found doing at our last day . some think that good at death , that they looked not upon as good in life . o that men would consider , that what is good at the last hour , must needs be good every hour ! as on the contrary , what is evil at death , must needs be evil in life . 5. it is good for a man , so to live , that when he comes to die , he may have nothing to do but to die . it is a folly in many , to put off all , till sickness and death come . solomon calleth upon men , eccles . 12. 1. to remember their creator in the dayes of their youth . it is a madness in people , to leave the hardest work , to the worst and weakest state. to close all : let me tell you christians , that it is said of david , that after he had served his generation , by the will of god , ( or , as some read it ) after he had served the will of god in his generation , he fell a sleep . how many fall a sleep , before they do their work ? and put off their bodies , before they put off their sins . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26847-e370 fuit nuper , non in agris , nec in sylvis , sed in maxima , florentissimaque , et ( quod stupeas ) urbe italiae , neque is pastor , aratorve , sed vir nobilis , magnique apud cives suos loci , qui juravit se magno pretio empturum , nequis unquam suam patriam literatus intraret : o vox saxei pectoris ! petr. perhaps it was some pope of rome . pneumatou diakonia, or, gospel-churches a standing ordinance of jesus christ to continue to his next personal glorious coming, plainly proved : objections particularly answer'd / by an unworthy servant ... r.b. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1682 approx. 354 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 78 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-06 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26986 wing b1348 estc r30216 11270908 ocm 11270908 47212 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26986) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 47212) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1454:3) pneumatou diakonia, or, gospel-churches a standing ordinance of jesus christ to continue to his next personal glorious coming, plainly proved : objections particularly answer'd / by an unworthy servant ... r.b. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [28], 120 p. printed by t.m. for tho. parkhurst, london : 1682. errata on p. [28]. first two words of title in greek characters. reproduction of the original in the union theological seminary library, new york. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng church -biblical teaching. church -foundation. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2006-01 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2006-02 john latta sampled and proofread 2006-02 john latta text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion πνεύματος διακονία : or , gospel-churches , a standing ordinance of jesus christ , to continue to his next personal glorious coming , plainly proved ; objections particularly answer'd . by an unworthy servant of jesus christ , a mourner in sion for the divisions thereof ; who waits for the day of the son of man , r.b. mat. 16.18 . vpon this rock will i build my church : and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it . 1. cor. 11.26 . as often as ye eat this bread , and drink this cup , ye do shew the lord's death till he come . eph. 3.21 . vnto him be glory in the chvrch — throughout all ages — london , printed by t.m. for tho. parkhurst at the bible and three crowns in cheapside , near mercers chappel , 1682. to the reader . christian reader , if thou intendest a serious perusal of the ensuing treatise , 't will not be amiss to stay a while at the portal . 't is now two full years , and upward , since it was fitted for the press , the remora's of its publication are needless to mention to thee . it hath in that time been frequently given up to the lord , and the service of his churches ; with earnest cries to him , who ministers seed to the sower , and makes the seed sown to prosper , that it may be blessed for some spiritual advantage to them that truly fear him , whether in , or out of the churches of christ . what of the leadings , help , of the lord an unworthy dust hath had in the managery of this work from first to last , is not needful to be mentioned . this i think meet to say to the praise of match-less grace , that i have not been altogether without them , and in some things , such clear openings , as i never had before . all is submitted to the judgment of the truly judicious ; and if the least be contributed for the establishment of the lords children ( the weakest of them ) in the path , and way of the gospel , let him have the glory , i obtain the end aimed at . the reasons of the present undertake are too many to give an account of . i know none that have ex professo handled this subject . 't is true , the learned dr. owen , some while-since ( and long after this was finished for the press ) hath writ much in a little , touching it : but he tells us , he only debates it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , in passage . there have been , and still are , some that openly oppose this way of the gospel , upon various accounts : of which ( at least some of them ) we give particular notice . that in every generation , satan hath set himself against the churches of christ , since they have had a being in the world , none are ignorant of , who have thought it any part of their concern to enquire into these matters . many wayes he hath taken to eradicate , root them out ; and hath by some of those wayes , greatly disturbed , perplexed , shaken them . as , 1. sore , great persecutions , hath he oft raised against them from the first dayes of the gospel , till now . and though he hath often seen the vanity of his attempts that way to root them out , yet he is unwearied therein . millions of saints have been tortured , butchered , destroyed by his instruments upon the account of their being found in the practice of those gospel-wayes , ordinances , we are pleading for . nor can any oppugn , despise them , but they condemn those millions of innocent ones , and justifie satan ; and his instruments , in their horrid butcheries of them . touching which , more afterwards . he early began this cruel work . the priests , ecclesiastick-governours amongst the jews , together with the roman-rulers , breath forth threatnings against them ; imprison , slaughter , some eminent ones amongst them , to terrifie the rest : see act. 4. & 7. & 9. they excommunicate them , charge them with broaching new-doctrines , endeavouring to overturn the antient state of religion , as seditious , factious , setting up separate-meetings , or private conventicles ; banish , cast them into prison , compel them to blaspheme ; whip , behead , stone them . under claudius , about a.d. 45. herod agrippa furiously falls upon some of the disciples of our lord , kills james ( the brother of john ) with the sword ; casts peter also into prison , act. 12. ( him the angel of the lord quickly meets with , smites , he is eaten up of worms , gives up the ghost , v. 23. ) at antioch the jews are filled with envy against paul , and barnabas , contradicting , blaspheming ; they raise persecution against them , expel them out of their coast , act. 13.45 , 50. at iconium also , the vnbelieving jews stir up the gentiles against them ; and the gentiles , and jews , with their rulers , make an assault to use them despitefully , and to stone them , act. 14.2.5 . to lystra , from antioch , and iconium , come certain jews ; who stir up the people against them , they stone paul , and draw him out of the city for dead , act. 14.19 . at philippi , act. 16. paul and silas are dragged into the court unto the rulers , v. 19. they are scourged , cast into prison , v. 22 , 23. at thessalonica an uprore is made against them ; the house of jason ( where 't is like they met ) assaulted ; but not finding them , they draw jason , and certain bretheren , unto the rulers of the city , crying , these that have turned the world upside down are come hither also , act. 17.5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. preaching at barea , the jews from thessalonica come thither also , and stir up the people against them , v. 13. at corinth , the jews , with one accord , make insurrection against paul , bring him to the judgment-seat , act. 18.12 . at ephesus , by demetrius a great tumult is raised also , v. 24. to 35. at jerusalem , the jews which are of asia , stir up the people against him , and lay hands on him , chap. 21.27 . who would have killed him immediately , ver . 31. of his afflictions in asia , paul himself speaks , 2 cor. 1.8 . in judea , heb. 10.32 , 33 , 34. about the seventeenth year of nero ( that monster ) a.d. 63. james the brother of our lord ( with others ) is slain , euseb . l. 2. c. 23. josephus , l. 20. antiq. c. 8. at alexandria , mark the evangelist ( it 's said ) . was put to death . this nero fires the city of rome , layes it upon the christians ; and from hence takes occasion , by publick edict , to raise persecution against them ; he was the first of the emperours that did so , tertull. in apologet. which continued to the end of his reign : peter , and paul ( it 's said ) were slain by him ; with others innumerable . how the hand of the lord wrought him , is known ; condemned he was by the senate , to be punished more majorum , i. e. to be whipt to death ; to prevent which , he slew himself with this exprobration of his own sordid villany , turpiter vixi , turpius morior ; i have lived filthily , i die more dishonourably , sueton. in nero. domitian about a.d. 97. by his edicts , raises another dreadful persecution against the christians : banishes john into the isle of patmos , euseb . l. 3 . c. 18.19 . eutropius , l. 9 . timothy , onesimus , and dionysius the areopagite were put to death , niceph . l. 3 . c. 11. with an innumerable company of the faithful beside : the wrath of god pursues him , and he is murdered in his own house by his own servants , sueton. in domit. under trajan , a great persecution was raised against the lamb's followers , about a.d. 100. multitudes of them are destroyed ; some mentioned by name , viz. simeon the son of cleophas ; clemens , alexander , quirinus , and his daughter balbilia , sulpitius , and servilianus , nereus , and achilleus , phocas , a bishop in pontus , ignatius . this storm continued fourteen years . in fine , by a resolution of his joynts , nummedness of body , and a choaking water , trajan miserably perished , dion . cassius de traj . under hadrian , about a.d. 120. a storm falls upon the christians ; not a few are cut off . about the second year of his raign aurelius comes casts about 1250. of them into prison , whom he at last burnes to death . amongst whom was alexander , the bishop of rome ; and hermes , the praefect of the city . zenon a roman senator , with ten thousand two hundred and three , it 's said ; were slain , in a witness for christ , cent. mag. cent. 2. c. 3. p. 12. at last he perishes with a flux , and casting of blood , aelius spart . in had. some add , that he gave the world , this poetick desperate farewel ; animula vagula , blandula , hospes , comesqùe corporis , quae nunc abibis in loca ? pallidula , rigida , nudula , nec ut soles , dabis jocos . antoninus pius comes next , about a.d. 139. many of the disciples of christ are cut off ; at rome , felicitas with her seven sons ; braxedis — . in spain , and france , not a few ; amongst the rest , photinus , bishop of lions , with fourty nine more : at alexandria in aegypt , ptolomaeus , and licius ; with many others , are martyred for christ . euseb . chron. justin . apol. after he had read the apologies of justin and others , he became better affected to the christians ; and send 's letters into asia to stop the persecution , euseb . l. 4. c. 26. for which cause ( perhaps ) the lord poured not forth his wrath on him as on others , who abode in their enmity against his chosen ones . under antoninus verus , about a.d. 162. the church had their time of tribulation ; as the epistle of the saints at vienna , and lions , to the brethren throughout asia , and phrygia , recorded by eusebius , l. 5. c. 1. does abundantly declare ; wherein they acquaint them , that the fierceness of the gentiles anger against them , the great things they suffer , cannot be well written or spoken . amongst others that suffered , they mention , vetius , epagathus , sanctus , maturus , attalus , blandina , ponticus , photinus , alexander , &c. by name . at rome they were persecuted ; amongst others , justin there fell by wicked hands . in asia there was great distress , euseb . l. 5. c. 15 as the church of god at smyrna , unto the church at philomilium , and to all the churches throughout pontus , intimates ; where they at large declare , the manner of the martyrdom of policarpus . nor was there a stop put to this persecution , by the apologies made for the christians , by melito , bishop of sardis , and apollinarius , bishop of hierapolis . at last his army being sorely distressed in germany for want of water , the christian legion , by their prayers , procures rain , and thunder , and lightning , that scare and routes the enemy ( upon the account whereof , they are termed — 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the thundring legion ) ; this comes with some conviction upon the emperour , who now writes letters , that they should not suffer as christians ; that the informers , prosecutors of them , as such , should be burnt alive . tertull. in apologet. lying speechless for three dayes , he dies of an apoplexie . cent. mag. cent. 2. c. 4. p. 28. the church had a little rest under commodus , the emperour ( who succeeded antoninus ) ; yet was his throne tinctured with some of the blood of the saints : apollonius a roman senator ( by vertue of an ancient law made against the christians , and unrepealed ) lost his head in a witness for christ . euseb . hieron . but in the time of severus about a.d. 205. the devil is let loose to purpose ; a fresh persecution is raised every where against them . euseb . l. 6. c. 1. spartian . the accusations against them were generally , sedition , treason , sacriledge , incest , adulteries , ( the candles being put out ) leonides the father of origen , is beheaded . euseb . ibid. with many others . tertul. ad scapul . apologetick . contra gentes . all manner of cruelties were exercised against them , their houses were rifled , their goods taken away , they themselves are murdered , burnt in a witness for christ . but the emperour at last payes dear for these cruelties . after he had endured great pain in all his members , especially in his feet , he poisons himself to put an end to his torments . cent. mag. cent. 3. c. 3. p. 22. for a little while the church had some tranquillity ; but under maximinus about a.d. 237. persecution is raised against the pastors of the church , upon this principle , that they being removed , the rest , the flock , would deny their profession . euseb . l. 6. c. 28. the distress was short , but smart : he continued emperour but three years ; and then he with his son ( yet a child ) was torn in pieces of the souldiers , all crying out , ex pessimo genere , ne catulum quidem habendum , that not a whelp was to be left of so cursed a stock . aurel. victor , capitol . decius a.d. 247. raises another fierce persecution . euseb . l. 6. c. 39. cypr. l. 4. epist . 4. nicephorus l. 5. c. 29. tells us , that 't is , as easie to number the sands of the sea , as the martyrs that lost their lives by this persecution . some are mentioned by name ; as at jerusalem , the bishop of the church there , who was cast into prison , and died ; as did babylas , the bishop of antioch . niceph. l. 5. c. 26. another babylas bishop ( or pastour ) of the church at nicomedia , was martyred . spec. vincent . l. 11. c. 52. asclepiades , pastor of the church at antioch , with fourty virgins , id. ibid. at lampsac , one peter . in troas , andrew , paul , nicomachus , and dionysia , a virgin , id. l. 11. c. 46. at caesarea , germanus , theophilus , caesarius , vitalis , l. 11. c. 52. at babylon , polychronius their bishop , c. 49. at perga in pamphylia , nestor , their bishop . c. 52. olympias and maximus , in persia — . but the violence of this persecution was in africa , as is manifest from tertullian , cyprian ; and particularly at alexandria , as euseb . l. 6. c. 40 , 41 , 42. demonstrates from the epistles of dionysius , pastor of the church there . at rome , fabian their bishop , and cornelius , sabel . l. 7. ennead . 7. — . as they were an innumerable company , that at this time suffered for the name , worship of christ , so were their sufferings of divers kinds ; some were driven from house and harbour ; spoil'd of their goods , and enjoyments , bound with chaines , shut up in prisons , cast to wild beasts to be devoured ; consumed in the flames , cypr. contr . demet. some they beat with clubs ; prick face and eyes with sharp quills ; stone to death ; drag along the streets ; sorely scourge ; dash against milstones : they break into their houses , take away their jewels , and all of any value ; throw the wooden stuff into the streets , burn it to ashes — euseb . l. 6. c. 40. when decius had scarce raigned two years , he was slain , together with his sons , euseb . l. 7. c. 1. vibius gallus ascends the throne , about a.d. 254 ▪ and continues the persecution by imperial edicts , euseb . l. 7. c. 1. vincent . in speculo . l. 11. c. 53. but a dreadful pestilence invading the empire , not much was done . gallus also himself was quickly slain by aemilianus , faseicul . tempor . fol. 45. about a.d. 257. valerian mounts the throne , who at first was so kind to the people of god , that his whole palace ( saith dionysius ) was replenished with the godly , and became a church of god , euseb . l. 7. c. 10. afterterwards they were sorely persecuted . they are forbid to keep any conventicles ; are despoyled of goods ; imprisoned , scourged , banished , killed with the sword , consumed in the flames , euseb . l. 7. c. 11. at caesarea , priscus , malchus , and alexander , are cast to the wild beasts , euseb . l. 7. c. 12. concerning the persecution at alexandria , dionysius writes to domitius , and didymus , thus , 't is superfluous to go about to reckon the names of such as suffered amongst us , since they are so many ; but thou mayest know that they are of all sorts , men , women , youths , old men , virgins , old women , souldiers , and vnlearned , euseb . l. 7. c. 11. he makes particular mention of one faustus , who was killed with the sword. and bergomensis in his history of valerian the emperour , l. 8. mentions philippus , bishop of alexandria , who suffered after the same manner . and at carthage , cyprian was put to death . sabell . in chron. vincentius , l. 11. c. 83. tells us , that three hundred martyrs suffered at carthage ; many at rome , and elsewhere . at last , the cry of the blood of innocents , brings vengeance upon the pate of valerian , and he falls into the hand of sapores king of persia , who carried him about in a cage , and used him as a foot-stool as oft as he took horse , laetus . aurel. vict. and being seventy years old , as a just and righteous judgment of god on him for his like cruelty to his servants , saith eusebius , serm. ad convent . sanct. he was flayed , and saulted alive ; and so dyed . valerianus being taken by sapores king of persia , galienus governs alone : about a.d. 262. and by publick edicts , puts a stop to the persecution , euseb . l. 7. c. 13. & 15. & 22. from whence , to the time of dioclesian , and maximilian , about a.d. 288. the church was in a more tranquil state ; but then were they more harassed , persecuted , than ever ; euseb . l. 8. c. 1. the persecution began the nineteenth year of his empire , a.d. 306. in march , most terrible edicts come forth , for the pulling down their meeting places , leveling them to the ground , throughout the roman empire ; which accordingly was speedily done , euseb . l. 8. c. 2. then comes forth another edict for burning the scriptures : as also for ejecting with ignominy , out of all offices , and places of trust , whoever would not abjure their religion ; persons in private capacities to be brought under servitude , euseb . l. 8. c. 3. niceph. l. 7. c. 4. zonaras , tom. 2. not long after , other edicts are published , to seize , imprison their preachers ; and by all manner of punishments , to compel them to worship their idols ; euseb . l. 8. c. 3.5 . at tirus above fourty were beheaded : at caesarea the eminent pamphilus was martyred , euseb . l. 8. c. 13. in syria all the noted teachers were first imprisoned , afterwards slain , id. ibid. in mesopotamia , cappadocia , tarsus of cilicia , nicomedia ; in bythinia many are hardly used , butchered , euseb . l. 8. c. 12. & 13. & ch . 4. & 6. hermannus gigas ▪ tells us , that serena the emperour dioclesian's wife , was also martyred for christ . twenty-thousand were together by maximianus his cruelty , burnt in a temple , being there assembled to worship god , niceph. l. 7. c. 6. many in arabia were cut off , euseb . l. 8. c. 12. all the inhabitants of a city in phrygia , with their city were destroyed , euseb . l. 8. c. 11. in armenia , arabrace , the teachers of the churches were murdered by them , euseb . l. 8. c. 6. niceph. l. 7. c. 14. the persecution severely raged in aegypt . at thebes a whole legion of christians were put to death , vincent . in speculo . l. 12. c. 2. it-reached africa , and mauritania , euseb . l. 8. c. 6. and the islands , as lesbos ( sabel . ennead . 7. l. 8 ) samos , and sicilie , where seventy-nine martyrs were slain , heinrick . de erford . at nicopolis , in thracia , niceph. l. 7. c. 14. at chalcedonia , vincent . l. 12. c. 77. at rome , bononia , several were murdered , vinc. l. 12. c. 49. at aquileia the emperour commanded to destroy all the christians , id. l. 12. c. 58. at florence , pergamos , neapolis in campania , beneventum , venusa in apulia , and in toscana several were cut off , saith regino . at verona in france , at mediolanum , at massilia ( or marseille ) there were many martyred , heinric . de erfor . vinc. l. 12. c. 2. in spain the blood of the saints ran down like rivers , and tinctured the streams of water , vincent . l. 12. c. 136. it reacht even to britain , beda , l. 1. de ratio . temp . all the christians here ( almost ) were destroyed , martin . chron. fascic . temp . maximinus ( who was emperour with constantius ) rages in the east against them , euseb . l. 8. c. 15. in the midst of cities , edicts written in tables of brass against them , are hung up , euseb . l. 9. c. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. upon which many are banished , put to death , euseb . l. 9. c. 7. niceph. l. 7. c. 44. having made havock of the church , and not prevailing against it , dioclesian with his partner maximianus , lay aside the government , and live as private men . but the vengeance of the lord reaches them for their bloody cruelty against the saints . dioclesian being smitten with madness , slew himself , euseb . in orat . ad convent sanct. maximianus perished with a disease so loathsome , that the physitians , as they could not cure him ; so were not able to endure the stinck of it , euseb . l. 8. c. 16. at last constantine , with licinius enter rome as victors , proclaim liberty to the christians : yet not long after , licinius sets himself against them : turns them all out of his court , such as are souldiers he cashiers : makes divers wicked laws against them , euseb . l. 10. c. 8. & l. 1. de vit . constant . privately murders their pastors in several cities of pontus ; pulls down some of their temples , shuts up others ; takes away their goods , banishes , puts to death not a few , sozom. l. 1. c. 2. euseb . l. 10. c. 8. l. 1. de vit. constant . so that now the christans betake themselves again to fields , woods , solitudes , mountains , euseb . l. 10. c. 14. niceph. l. 7. c. 14. sozom. l. 9. c. 2. he would have proceeded further , but conquered by constantine , a period is also put to this persecution . 't were endless to mention the sore distress the churches underwent by sapores king of persia in his dominions : the cruelties they endured by the arrians , the butcheries , tyrannies , oppressions of all sorts , they underwent from the antichristians , the papists ; are innumerable , ineffable ; europe is made a shambles , wherein the blood of millions of the innocent lambs of christ hath been poured forth ; ( for which they shall be plagued , destroyed , in the time appointed by the lord ) . these things are known to all , who have thought it their concern in the least to turn aside to consider of them . the boody cruelties of the antichristian party , against the bohemians ; in holland also ; the massacre of paris , ireland , the valleys of piedmont , &c. wherein many thousands of the lord 's innocent ones have been barbarously murder'd , for no other reason ▪ in the world , but because they laboured according to their light , to maintain , and be found in the doctrine , and worship of christ , is yet recent in the memory of most . what heart so rocky as to read the histories of the deep suffeings of those worthy witnesses of our lord the waldenses , without pouring forth floods of tears ? what treacheries , clandestine plots , breach of covenants , oaths , have the antichristians been found guilty of ( pursuant to that bloody principle , nulla fides — no faith is to be kept with haereticks ; and all are such in their account , that embrace not their heresie , abomnable idolatries ) that they might obtain their end , to waste , destroy , root out the heritage of god. another way satan hath taken to accomplish this his design , is 2. schisme amongst the churches of christ . this was early set on foot , even in the apostles dayes , ( 1 cor. 3.3 . & 11.18 . when ye come together in the church , i hear that there be divisions ( schisms ) among you , and i partly believe it : ) and hath been more , or less , with cunning , heat , violence , managed ever since by satan , to the disturbing , breaking , crumbling into nothing some churches of christ . the frequent charging and recharging of schism upon each other , by those that truely fear the lord , and agree in the fundamentals of christianity , hath been no small machine of the wicked one to weaken , destroy them . a work he 's still managing , and we are too too little awakened to see his design , and to study in the right spirit to prevent it . 't would make ones heart to bleed , to see , hear , with what keenness , acrimony , bitterness some protestants are acted against others , who are not of the same mind in all things , whilst the devil in the papacy stands laughing to think , what an easie prey hereby he shall make of them all . ah! alas ! where is the christian simplicity , amity ? how little respect have some to the great commandment of christ , to love one another , who yet would be accounted his disciples ? were it not for a hasty spirit , bitter envying that is upon some , one would think they had no concern for religion at all ; and yet even this discovers that they are too little impregnated with the spirit of the true religion of jesus christ , which engages to love , meekness , condescention , mutual forbearance amongst saints . 3. false doctrine , worship . this also had an early entrance amongst the churches . the denial of the resurrection of the dead , substituting in the room thereof , a metaphorick resurrection , betimes infected some ( at least ) of the church at corinth , 1 cor. 15. with 2 tim. 2.18 . justification by the law , by works was introduced into many of them ; as the churches at rome , galatia , &c. against whom the apostle of the gentiles , paul , smartly disputes in his epistles directed to them . into the pure worship of god , the inventions , traditions of men were at last so introduced , that god could no longer own it as his worship at all . and in respect of both these , none ever were so degenerate , corrupt as the synagogue of rome . to enumerate particulars were endless ; what more contrary to truth , sound doctrine , than their assertions , that the original hebrew , and greek , of the old and new-testament is corrupt ; that the scripture is not perspicuous , cleer : that to one man ( the pope ) the interpretation of scripture doth belong , who is infallible ; and judgment , conscience , all , is to be subjected to him : that he is the alone judge of controversies : who hath the spirit of god , given to him above others for his so doing : that the pope can dispense with the law of god : that he is universal head of the church : that he is not to be questioned for his doctrine , or actions . ( si papa infinitas animas in infernum traheret , tamen nemo debet ei dicere , quid facis ? if the pope should carry an infinite number of souls headlong to hell , none ought to say to him , what doest thou ? for the will of the pope stands for reason , glossa ) . by his own authority he can make laws to bind the consciences of the faithful : he hath power , authority over princes ; can crown , un-crown ; set up , depose as he pleases . that the scriptures are not a sufficient canon , or rule of faith , and manners ; but traditions written , and un-written , are also necessary : that traditions are sufficient without the scriptures ; but the scriptures are not sufficient , without traditions : that christ is mediator only according to his humane nature : that 't is unlawful for priests to marry : that there is a certain place in which ( as in a prison ) after this life , souls are purged , who were not here perfectly purged ; that being so purg'd , they might enter into heaven : that saints are to be worshipped : that images are to be worshipped with the same worship that is due to those whose images they are ( as the image of god , christ — ) : yea , so that the worship be terminated in the image : that the sacraments confer grace ex opere operato : that they justify , that there are seven sacraments : that the church hath power to institute new ceremonies for spiritual ends : that persons un-baptiz'd are damn'd ; there 's no salvation without it : that baptism takes away all sin : that the bread and wine is converted into the body and blood of christ : that the priest offers up christ a propitiatory sacrifice for the quick , and dead , to god the father : that there are sins in their own nature venial : that concupiscence in those that are renued , is no sin : that men may be sav'd if they will ; 't is in their own power to believe , &c. that men are not justified by faith without works : that inherent righteousness justifies : that none can be certain , in this life , either of their election , justification , perseverance to the end , or eternal life : that we are justified by works , that we merit eternal life by them . and these are some of those pure streams that too many have a great mind to return to drink of ; and would by force , bloody cruelty , compel others to drink , and be poysoned with them . 4. false visions , lying revelations ; upon which many times , false doctrine , worship , hath been built , supported . somwhat of these was also in the apostles times . divine visions , revelations there were many , see act. 10.11 — . & 16.9 . & 18.9 , 10. & 23.11 . & 27.23 , 24. gal. 1.12 . & 2.1 , 2. 2 cor. 12.4 . act. 7.55 . & 10.3 . some also there were who were full of their false visions , revelations , 2 thes . 2.2 . now we beseech you brethren , by the coming of our lord jesus , and by our gathering together unto him , that ye be not shaken in mind — neither by spirit — i. e. by any that shall pretend to revelations by the spirit — . to mention what of this kind was in after dayes , is endless : somewhat is spoken to it , chap. 3. of the ensuing treatise . 5. pretensions to a more than ordinary authority , power . false-prophets , pseudo-apostles there were even in the apostles dayes , 2 cor. 11.13 . such are false-apostles transforming themselves into the apostles of christ . see mat. 24.5 , 11. rev. 2.2 . and many have risen up since , whereby the faith of some have been perverted , and they have been drawn off from the wayes of christ . 6. false miracles , lying signs and wonders . of this we have an account , mat. 24.24 . for there shall arise false christs , and false prophets , and shall shew great signs and wonders — . mar. 13.22 . 2 thes . 2.9 . even him whose coming is after the working of satan , with all power , and signes , and lying wonders , rev. 13.13 , 14. and he doth great wonders , so that he maketh fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men : and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles . antichrists kingdom hath been full of such lying signs , and wonders , whereby the faith of some hath been shaken , and they drawn off from the pure worship of christ . 7. open , avowed , oppositions to gospel-institutions of this device of satan to ruine the churches of christ , we might give a distinct , and large account ; some there were of old that opposed , denied , some particular ordinances ; others refused communion with the churches , as no churches of christ . in the third century , the manichees denyed baptism with water , august . l. 2. de mor. manich. and l. 6. contra faust . the meletians in the fourth century refused communion with the churches , saith theodoret. and augustine , ad quod vult , &c. tells us , that they would not so much as pray with the saints . the audaeans , or anthropomorphites ( who held that god had a humane form , or shape as a man ) denied communion with the churches in the same century , epiphan . in anacephal . august . ad quod vult , &c. theodoret , l. 4. c. 10. the donatists held in the same century , that the church of god was wholly lost , and to be restored by them ; amongst whom in africa 't was only preserved , august . l. 2. cont. lit . petil. c. 15. l. 2. cont. cres . c. 37. ( for which they pretended miracles , visions , dreams ) : what open , avowed oppositions have been ( are ) in our dayes made to the churches , institutions of christ , is known , and ought to be bewayled by us : these things might have been more at large spoken to , but i am sensible how far i have transcended the due bounds of an epistle to so small a treatise , and shall only add , that , 1. i plead not for the continuance of this , or that , particular church of christ . many such have been dis-churched , and may be so . god may be so far provoked against this , or that church , as to write lo-ammi , lo-ruhamah upon it ; to disown his relation to it , or its relation to him . where is the church of ephesus , pergamos , laodicea , &c. but only argue , that god doth , will , continue the gospel-church-state , ordinances , in some particular church , or churches in the world , to the next personal coming of christ . much less , 2. do i plead for the corruptions of churches , which indeed are too many , and great , perhaps amongst the best , purest churches at this day ; and in some , at that height ( as the synagogue of rome ) that there is no communion to be held with them , without god-provoking iniquity , that will without repentance , bring his wrath , vengeance , upon us , rev. 18.4 . 3. that persons had need take heed how they speak evil of , slight , oppose , persecute the churches of christ , his worship , institutions , ordinances . the judge stands before the door , the lord of the vineyards is ready to be revealed , and in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know him not , and obey not his gospel . nor will it be a sufficient plea at that day , for any to say , we accounted them not thy churches , ordinances ; therefore we so managed our selves towards them , a despising , rejecting these , is one way of casting off the authority of christ , as we afterward demonstrate . 4. that it highly concerns all that know the lord , who are either separated from ; or , were never adjoyned to any church of christ ; to testify their love , and subjection to him ; by subjecting to his commandements in this matter , lest not being found where christ expects them , they be blamed , shamed , at his day . 5. that the utmost care should be taken , industry used , to keep those iniquities out of particular churches , as may provoke the lord to spew them out of his mouth , as he did laodicea of old . particularly 1. schisms amongst themselves : which as they are an argument of carnality , 1 cor. 3.3 . so they distast , greatly provoke the lord. 2. formality , lukewarmness . 3. pride , both inwardly , in heart , spirit : outwardly , in apparel , garb ; god resisteth the proud ; sets himself in battel-array against them . 4. covetousness , which is idolatry . a wretched spirit , that hath too much overspread , prevailed upon the body of professors : such as are baptized into it , are enemies to the cross of christ , phil. 3.18 , 19. 5. sinful complyance with , and conformity to this world. 6. carelesness as to sanctifying the name of god in every part of worship : the nature of this great work is opened in the following treatise ; with many other things , of which we must not now speak . 6. that particular churches ought , to be much , often considering their ways , get a sense of their miscarriages upon them , pollutions amongst them , to remember from whence they are fallen ; repent , do their first works . and if ever 't were the duty of the churches of christ to attend carefully to these things , it 's much more now . what languishing , dying churches have we ? how is jehovah by word , providential dispensations crying aloud to them , to be zealous , repent , return ? what little attendment to his voice amongst many ? how doth he discover his unwillingness to leave them ? how doth he seem to hover over them ? how many ways hath he been alluring , drawing by cords of love unto himself ; and if after all , he should pull down these tabernacles , and erect others for himself in some remote part of the world ; leave poor england , suffer papal darkness , superstition , idolatry , to overspread the land ; must we not say , he is holy , we reap the fruit of our own doings : he is faithful to his word : churches ( ordinances ) he will have in the world to bear his name , though we are reduced to rubbish , ruins . i have been , am trembling within my self , lest he should at last be provoked to leave us ( at least for a season ) : wo , wo , wo , unto us if he depart from us . repent oh england ; awake , awake churches ; awake , awake professors ; lay hold on god , renew your covenant with him , labour to find out every accursed thing that may be in the midst of you ; cast it away with loathing , abhorrency ; bemoan your selves for the sins , iniquities , are with you ; be conscientious in filling up the relation you stand in each to other , as members of the same body : cry to god to fill you with presence , glory ; to communicate the suitable grace to you , that you may be able to glorify him in the fires ; oh watch and pray , that you may be accounted worthy to escape the things that are to come to pass , and stand before the son of man. oh! wait , look for his coming as those that are indeed ready for it . and if you meet with any spiritual good , and advantage , by the serious perusal of the ensuing treatise , let god have the glory , and pray for him , who accounts it his honour , to be , a servant of christ , and the meanest of his children , r.b. the preface to the ensuing discourse . of the creation of man. divine institutions in the state of innocency . man's fall . a new-state of things thereupon introduced . christ the foundation of instituted worship , and mans communion with god therein . a church-state in adam's family . cain excommunicated . the church-state preserved pure , till about the dayes of enosh . separation from carnal worshippers in his dayes , gen. 4.26 . explained . the church-state preserved in a great measure of purity for ( about ) a thousand years . a grand apostasie there-from in the dayes of noah . the purity of worship preserved in his family . apostates destroyed by the waters of the flood . a solemn covenant made by the lord with noah upon his coming out of the ark. the statutes god gave to him . the purity of worship continues uninterrupted for ( about ) forty years . ham excommunicated . a dredaful apostasie about the thousandth year after the flood . a remnant kept pure . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who they are . the general defection , idolatry that overspread all in abraham's time . his call . the erection of the pure worship of god in his family . corruptions in jacob's family before their going into egypt , whilst there . jehovah's bringing them out from thence : giving the law at mount sinai . their idolatry . the ten tribes led captive beyond assyria ; the two tribes into babylon : god looks after them there : brings them from thence . a new reformation begun by ezra , nehemiah , &c. their apostacy afterwards ; yet they are not totally rejected , till they had refused , rejected , crucified the son of god. then their church-state is vertually dissolved . a new-church-state set up by christ . what a gospel-church is . that 't is of the institution of christ , together with the ordinances thereunto belonging , proved . before i come to that which is the main design of this treatise ; viz. a plain scripture-demonstration of the continuance of gospel-churches , to the next personal , glorious coming , and kingdom of christ , 't will not be altogether unprofitable , nor impertinent to take a view of the churches of god , that have from the beginning been in the world ; so far at least as any foot-steps of them remain in the sacred scriptures , the alone unerring guide in this matter . first then , that god made adam upright , in his own likeness , after his own image , and gave him a law to walk by , with promises of a higher state of glory , if he continued in his integrity ( figured forth by the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of god ) and threatning of death in case of defection therefrom , is evident , gen. 2.16 , 17. that in this state of innocency , adam offered sacrifices to god ; and that the skins wherewith he was afterward cloathed , were the skins of the sacrificed beasts ( as some affirm ) seems to be an un-scriptural foolish figment . this is certain , that upon mans disobedience , a new-state of things was introduced . 1. he that could converse with god , as a friend ; now flies from him as an enemy , gen. 3.8 , 9 , 10. nor , 2. can he any longer treat with god upon the terms of the first covenant ; nor draw nigh to him ( as formerly ) immediately by himself in his original , created righteousness . he had quickly ( by his disobedience ) forfeited all his primitive glory , priviledges , with which in the day of his creation he was invested ; and brought miseries , deaths of all kinds , temporal , spiritual , eternal , both upon himself , and all his posterity that sprang from him by a natural generation : so that in him , all sinned , and came short of the glory of god , rom. 3.23 . 3. as an immediate discovery of jehovahs displeasure against him for his rebellion , he drives him out of paradise ; and guards the tree of life with cherubims , and a flaming sword that he come not at , or eat of the fruit of it , gen. 3.24 . 4. it was therefore necessary that another foundation be laid for fallen-mans drawing nigh to god ( from whom he had thus dreadfully apostatized ) which being provided in the eternal counsel of god , and agreed upon in a solemn-covenant , betwixt the father and the son , is immediately ( of the inconceivable grace of god ) revealed to adam , viz. the seed of the woman , the lord jesus , the only way to the father , gen. 3.15 . joh. 14.4 , 6. 5. that upon this revelation of jesus christ ( mankind multiplying exceedingly by the power of that word of god , gen. 1.28 . ) there was a church-state erected by the authority and command of god in adams family , where solemn worship was managed ; as praying , preaching , offering sacrifices , gen. 4.3 , 4. and out of this church , were open notorious offenders excommunicated . so was cain , gen. 4.12 , 14. by whose ejection the church was kept pure , till about the age of enosh . 6. much about that time , degeneracy in worship had so far prevailed , that the rigteous seed , saw a necessity of separating from the generality of the worshippers of that day , and gather themselves together as a distinct people , for the solemn carrying on divine service amongst themselves , gen. 4.26 . the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , which are variously rendred . he began to invocate the name of lord , so the vulgar latine , and syriac . he hoped to invocate the name of the lord , so the seventy . then ( in his dayes ) the sons of men ceased from calling upon the name of the lord , so the chaldee . then the name of god began to be called upon , so the samaritan , arabick translations renders it . i know there are some who will have the words to poynt at a great degeneracy in worship , a sad lapse into idolatry . but that a defection in worship cannot be intended , is evident ; for there had been long before , a great degeneracy , a total apostasie there-from in the cainites : but somewhat that men began to do , which hitherto had not been attempted , is intimated thereby ; which can be nothing else , then that segregation , and aggregation in order to purity of worship before intimated : for men had before , called on the name of the lord ; but there was never tell now , so visible a separation from the rest of the world , for the solemn management of religious worship amongst themselves . and as they began now to call upon the name of the lord , or to call themselves by the name of the lord , as the margin reads , so are they upon the account of this act of theirs , stiled , the sons of god , gen. 6.2 . 7. about one thousand years after ( all which time there was in a great measure purity preserved amongst them ) great corruption invades the church . the nature of it together with its occasion , and spring , we have an account at large of , gen. 6. and yet even now the lord leaves not himself without a witness . the truth and purity of worship , together with practick-godlinesss , being maintained in noahs family , gen. 6.8 , 9. & 7.1 . who are ensafed in a fluctuating ark ; whilst the whole body of apostates , are swallowed up with the waters of the flood : of which peter speaks , 2 pet. 3.6 . 8. when noah , and his family are brought out of the ark , the waters of the flood being gone from off the face of the earth ; jehovah enters into a solemn covenant with him ; gives him several statutes , and judgments to conform to , gen. 9. these are generally said to be seven . 1. the first , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ; against extraneous worship , or idolatry , the worshipping the stars , or images . 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , against blaspheming the name of god. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , against shedding blood. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , against unjust , carnal copulations . 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , against rapine , or robbery . 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , of judgments , or punishments , against malefactors . 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , against eating any member or flesh of a beast taken from it alive . a special blessing as to propagation is given to him , gen. 9.7 . so that the church in his family soon enlarged its borders . the purity of worship continues amongst them uninterrupted for fourty years , or thereabout . when the wickedness of ham committed against the light of nature , in discovering the nakedness of his father , breakes forth ; by whom he 's cursed , excommunicated ; so the purity of the church-state is preserved , gen. 9.25 . cursed be the father of canaan ; so the arabick reads is . about the hundredth year after the flood , many apostatized from the pure wayes of god , rose up in rebellion against him ; in defiance of him will build a tower , the top whereof might reach to heaven . but yet even in this grand defection , there were some ( at least ) of the posterity of shem that kept pure ; with whom therefore the hebrew language remained entire , as genebrardus chron. lib. 1. tells us : the truth is , as the learned bochartus saith , in his geographia sacra , l. 1. c. 10. it cannot be imagined , that either noah , or shem , or arphaxad , or sala , or heber ( with whom 't is groundedly to be thought not a few continued ) were in this mad attempt . the spirit of the lord seems to intimate the contrary ; they which were engaged in it , were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the sons of men , gen. 11.5 . viz. an apostate , vile crew , who stand in direct opposition to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the sons of god , as the faithful were called in the dayes of enosh , as was before said . how long the purity of worship remained after this , is uncertain . this is most certain , that when god called abraham out of ur of the chaldees , superstition , idolatry , overspread all . at that time both his father , and he , were idolaters , jos . 24.2 . 9. this call of god to abraham was effectual , he obeyes it , separates from the degenerate , idolatrous world ; constitutes a new-church , sets up the pure worship of god in his family : enjoyes more clear , full openings of divine mysteries than any before him . god enters into covenant with him , institutes circumcision — see gen. 12.3 , 7 , 8. & 13.15 , 16. & 15.1 , 5 , 6. & 17.1 , 2 , 9. & 22.17 , 18. so that the church of god in abraham's family growes up in to greater glory , visibility , than before . several corruptions are not long after amongst them in jacobs family before their going into aegypt , which he reforms , gen. 35.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. they polluted themselves with idolatry in the land of aegypt , jos . 24.14 . ezek. 23.2 , 3. ( brought their whordoms from thence , ver . 8. which they practised in the wilderness , exod. 32. ( and never totally left till they were carried captive into babylon ) : nevertheless , the lord casts them not off : but oh the wonder of love ! brings them from under their bonds , leads them to mount sinai ; makes a covenant with them , gives them good statutes and judgments to walk by . and now that church becomes as a city on a hill , visible , conspicuous unto the nations round about : is decked , adorned , with visible excellency , and glory ▪ that her renown goes forth through the nations , ezek. 16.14 . but wo , and alas ! after all the grace of the lord shewed to her , his wonders wrought for her , she quickly forgets , departs from him . is more notorious for spiritual whordoms , wickedness , than all the nations round about her : yet god gives her not up , woes , allures her to return to him — . but all to no purpose , israel ( or the ten tribes ) is led captive by salmanassur : judah ( or the two tribes ) is not betterd by it ; but though now and then under the conduct of some good kings , a reformation is introduced ; yet anon all 's spoyled , marr'd again . jehovah call's to return , but their ear is deaf , their hearts hardned , none obey his voice : he professes for all this , he knows not how to give them up , his bowels turn within him towards them , repentings are enkindled for them . yet this affects them not , so that at last he is forced to send them into babylon ; yet doth not take off his love , care for them there , nor disregards them as a people unchurcht ; looks upon them as his own in covenant with him , brings them from thence to their own land again . then is a new , most absolute reformation begun , by ezra , nehemiah , &c. the temple is rebuilt ; the men of the great synagogue instituted . a most diligent consideration of the exemplars of the holy scriptures is set upon . the word of god is sedulously preached , neh. 8.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. the wicked are excomunicated , ezr. 4.2 , 3. from the mixt people , there 's a perfect separation , ezr. chapters 9.10 . neh. ch . ult . so that the church seems to be again comely , through the comeliness that god put upon her : but long abides not firm with him , pollutes his worship , with the inventions , traditions of men ; departs from the doctrine he had delivered to her ; particularly , the doctrine of the free justification of a sinner before god ; in opposition to which , they introduce justification by the works of the law. in a word , they become as filthy , and abominable every way , as a people can well be ▪ nevertheless , god bears with them , their church-state is not dissolved , they have their temple , ordinances , and even the most holy amongst them attend there , as zachary , elizabeth , simeon . the lord sends a prophet to them , john ( elias in spirit ) to reform , bring them back from their apostasie . at last he sends his son to reclaim them ; who ▪ would have gathered them as a chicken under his wings , but they would not . him they refused , thrust away , by wicked hands , took , condemned , crucified , slew him ; and now the measure of their fathers iniquity being filled up , and the time appointed by jehovah , to take down that tabernacle , being fully come , and to set up another in the room of it by the messiah , christ , he puts a full period to it , apotomizes , cuts them off , perfectly unchurches them , and ( at last ) layes waste , destroyes their city , temple , with an utter destruction . now was the total ruin of that apostatick judaick church . and to purpose , in capital letters , is lo-ammi , and loruhamah written upon them , viz. ye are not my people , i have no mercy for you ; and not so plainly at any time as now . 't were easie to make many remarks to the advantage of the present truth we are risen up in the defence of , from the foregoing discourse . the prudent reader , can do it himself . to whom we leave it . the whole church-politie of the jews , being vertually dissolved at the death of christ , a new-church-state is introduced by him : new churches formed according to his rule , model , new-institutions appointed by him , which 't is the duty of those churches to conform to . two things must here briefly be enquired into . 1. what a gospel-church , or an instituted-church of christ is . 2. that such a church is of the institution of christ . as touching the first , a cospel-church is a society of believers , once dead in trespasses , and sins ; but now quickned by the spirit , sanctified , justified , by the free-grace of god in christ ; illuminated by the same spirit in the knowledge of his will , separated from the world , and voluntarily joyned together for the exercise of the communion of saints in the due observation of all the institutions , ordinances of christ . this description of a gospel-church is proved in every part of it , from the ensuing scriptures , eph. 2.1 . and you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses , and sins , ver . 5. when we were dead in sins , hath quickned us together with christ . 1 cor. 6.11 . ye are washed , sanctified , justified , in the name of the lord jesus , and by the spirit of our god. 1 cor. 1.2 . unto the church of god which is at corinth , to them that are sanctified in christ jesus , called to be saints . 2 cor. 6.16 , 17. what agreement hath the temple of god with idols ? for ye are the temple of the living god — wherefore come out from amongst them , and be ye separate , saith the lord , and touch not the unclean thing , and i will receive you . heb. 3.1 . holy brethren , partakers of the heavenly calling . jam. 1.18 . of his own will begat he us by the word of truth . rev. 1.20 . the seven ( golden ) candlesticks which thou sawest are seven churches , 1 pet. 2.5 . eph. 2.21 , 22 , 23. as touching the second , that such a church was instituted by christ , is evident , 1. from christs appointment , and approbation of such a church , mat. 18.15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20. 2. christ charges his apostles , mat. 28. to teach those , who should be converted by their ministry , to observe whatever he commanded them . in pursuance of which charge , we finde , that as soon as any were converted to the faith , by the direction of the apostles , they were gathered into church-societies , acts 2.41 , 42 , 47. 8.1 . 11.26 . 14.23 , 27. 3. these are called the churches of god , of christ . act. 20.28 . 1 cor. 1.2 . & 10.32 . 11.22 . & 15.9 . 2 cor. 1.1 . gal. 1.13 . 1 tim. 3.5 . rom. 16.16 . because of their institution , establishment by him . 4. the apostles , in the name , authority of christ , direct their epistles to them as such . 1 cor. 1.1 . 2 cor. 1.1 . gal. 1.2 . phil. 1.1 . col. 1.2 . & 4.16 . 1 thes . 1.1 . 2 thes . 1.1 . eph. 1.1 . compared with acts 20.17 . 1 pet. 5.2 . or unto particular persons , giving directions touching their carriage , deportment , and duty towards them . 1 tim. 3.15 . tit. 1.5 . 5. christ calls them his churches , rev. 1.20 . 6. own 's himself to be their head , husband , lord , king ; they his body , bride , house , family — of which afterwards . 7. a great part of the apostolick-writings consists in giving precepts , exhortations , counsels to guide , lead them in their duties to each other , in such a relation ; and for their preservation in purity , and order . of which we shall have occasion particularly to make mention in the ensuing discourse . 8. his special care of them . 9. the particular notice he takes of them , in the book of the revelations , sending particular epistles to them ; exhorting , reproving , counselling , incouraging them ; taking no notice of any that did not appertain to them , rev. chapters 2. and 3. with much more that might be said , doth abundantly demonstrate that the church described , was of the institution of jesus christ . that the ordinances practised in and amongst those churches ; such as preaching the word , prayer , baptism , breaking bread , &c. were of the appointment of christ , will not be denied , se act. 2.42 . and 6.2 . 1 cor. 14.3 . 2 tim. 4.2 . heb. 13.7 . act. 6.4 . and 13.2 , 3. 1 tim. 2.1 . mat. 28.19 . and 26.26 , 27. 1 cor. 11.23 . errata . reader , some few mistakes in printing , are here remarked ; the rest being inconsiderable , are left to thee to amend . in the epistle to the reader , p. 10. l. 21. r. bloody . l. 36. abominable . p. 13. l. 3. hath . in the body of the book , p. 7. l. 2. r. it 's . l. 3. this . p. 16. l. 10. blot out , the. p. 17. l. 11. r. letter . p. 20. l. 34. persons . p. 21. l. 15 inasmuch . l. 17. that . p. 30. l. 14. their . p. 39. l. 5. blot out , are . p. 54. l. 8. r ▪ 1 job . p. 56. l. 32. apostacy . p. 63. l. 15. women . p. 66. l. 33. after much , r. as . p. 73. l. 30. tu es . p. 77. l. 19. increase . p. 79 l. 30 throughout . p. 85. l. 28. for , have . r. are . p. 114. l. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . p. 117. l. 22. after have , add , said . gospel-churches , a standing ordinance of jesus christ . chap. i. gospel-churches an institution of christ , to continue to his next coming , demonstrated from the appellations given in scripture to such churches . they are call'd , 1. the kingdom of god. why they are so call'd , open'd . mark 9.1 . acts 1.3 . and 19.8 , 9. explained . several inferences from hence . a two-fold kingdom , viz. of god , and of the devil , and antichrist . several wayes satan takes for the support of the antichristian kingdom . an objection answered . 2. a house built upon a rock , matth. 16.18 . opened at large . peter not the rock , but christ , proved . the gates of hell , what they import . satan's attempts by subtlety and power , to destroy the church , invalid . an objection answered . 3. the kingdom of heaven . why the gospel-church-state is so call'd , an objection answered . 4. a kingdom that cannot be shaken , heb. 12.27 , 28. explained . 5. the ministration of the spirit , 2 cor. 3.7 , 8. opened at large . 6. the body of christ . gospel-churches hereby intended , proved . vpon what accounts they are so call'd , shewn . several inferences from hence demonstrating the continuation of them . 7. the temple , tabernacle , house , building of the lord. vpon what accounts they are so call'd . an objection answer'd . having already demonstrated what a particular church of christ is , and that as such , 't is one of the gospel-institutions commanded , erected by him ; i. e. 't is the will of christ that all believers ( ordinarily ) should adjoyn themselves to some one or other such church . that which is incumbent on us further to evince , is , that such churches ( or the gospel-church-state ) with the institutions , ordinances , worship thereunto affixed , shall continue unto his next glorious coming and kingdom ; which we now address our selves to the dispatch of . demonstration i. the appellations given in scripture , to such a church ( or churches ) of christ , do evidently evince the truth hereof . first , 't is call'd the kingdom of god , mar. 1.15 . the kingdom of god is at hand : and chap. 9.1 . till they have seen the kingdom of god come with power . he seems to have respect to the day of pentecost , when the spirit was poured down from on high on the apostles , who were then endued with power from above according to the promise of christ to them : by which they went forth to preach the gospel , plant churches , &c. mar. 15.43 . who also waited for the kingdom of god , i. e. the gospel-ministration , luke , 7.28 . he that is least in the kingdom of god is greater than he : see chap. 10.9 . and 23.51 . joh. 3 ▪ 3 , 5 act. 1.3 . and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of god , i. e. the laws , institutions , rules , orders , relating to the churches . see ch. 8.12 . and 19.8 , 9. — disputing , and perswading the things concerning the kingdom of god — but when divers spake evil of that way : — what way ? the way of gospel-ministrations ; or the worship of god in a gospel-day ; which they spake evil of as heretical ( after the way which they call heresie , so worship i the god of my fathers , act. 24.14 . ) chap. 20 25 ▪ with 28. and 28.33 , 34. upon what accounts the gospel-church-state is call'd , the kingdom of god , must a little be enquired into . 't is so call'd upon the account , 1. of its glory , and excellency . persons , and things said to be of god , are therefore so said to be . as men of god , jud. 13.6 , 8. 1 sam. 2.27 . and 9.6 . 1 chron. 23.14 . hill of god , 1 sam. 10.5 , 10. psal . 24.3 . and 42.6 . and 68.15 . this ministration excels all that went before it , for excellency and glory , 2 cor. 3.7 , 9 , 10. ( of which more anon . ) 2. of its extract , and original . there 's nothing of man in it , 't is all of god : given by the father to jesus christ , who came into the world to reveal , and discover his will touching that matter , joh. 1.14 . 3. of believers open , visible subjection to , owning , acknowledging of god in their obedience thereunto . 4. of gods care of it , protection over it , engagement to continue , support , maintain , uphold it to the end . whence it evidently follows , 1. that there must be a continuance of this ministration of the gospel , the gospel-church-state , with all the laws , institutions , ordinances , orders , thereto appertaining , till it be suspended , abrogated by jehovah . who hath power , authority over his kingdom ? or can presume to disannul , suspend any thing he hath therein instituted ; but by such an act he advanceth himself above god , and so proclaims himself to be the antichrist that was to come ? denyes the father , and that supreme ? ? authority , from whence the original of the gospel-ministration doth flow . 2. the veracity , faithfulness , wisdom , power of god , are all engaged for the support , and upholdment of this ministration . 't is of him , from him : he 's oblig'd upon that foot of account , to exert , and put forth the perfections of his nature for the upholdment of it . what devils , beasts of prey , yea , what inward lusts , or corruptions in the saints themselves , shall be able to evert , bring to nought that kingdom he 's obliged to support , and continue ? 3. that there must be a law produced from this high and soveraign lawgiver , for the suspension , perioding of this ministration , or it abides in force , and will do so , whether we be subject to it , or not . our wills , fancies , humors , imaginations , any pretended revelation will not justify any persons non-conformity thereunto . let any statute-law , from jehovah be produced for it's suspension , dissolution , and the controversie is at an end . where hath god said , my kingdom shall continue only for a hundred , two , three , or a thousand years , and then period ; after which i 'll leave my children to act as they please , with respect to any laws , or institutions relating to it ? if there be altum silentium , a deep silence with respect to any such laws , it becomes , and greatly concerns persons to take heed , that they withdraw not themselves from , oppose not his soveraignty herein , lest they be found fighters against god. besides , 't is not inconsiderable , that there are but two kingdoms in the world. 1. the kingdom of god ; which , as hath been shew'd ( as to visibility ) most eminently consists in gospel-ministrations . 2. the kingdom of the devil , and antichrist , ( who receives his seat , power , and great authority from the dragon , or devil , rev. 13.2 . ) and to one of these we must needs be visibly subject . two ways satan takes for the support of the antichristian kingdom ; 1. the one is by establishing laws forreign , yea , contrary to the laws of jehovah , and compelling all to subject to them . the other is , 2. by casting a slight , contempt , upon the laws of divine appointment : and whether the one way , or the other , he prevail upon poor souls , he hath his end ; for jehovah's soveraign authority is thereby trampled upon . objection . if it be objected , that the legal ministration is call'd , the kingdom of god ; and christ tells the jews nevertheless , that it shall be taken from them ( and we know that an actual period is put thereunto ) mat. 21.43 . so that the church-state being call'd the kingdom of god , is no argument to prove its continuance . answer . the answer is easie , 1. it 's granted , that the mosaic ministration is so call'd , and that because it had it's original from god , who descending upon mount sinai , by the ministry of angels , gave forth the law , with the statutes , judgments , and ordinances . 2. it 's also granted , that the whole of that ministration hath expired for above this one thousand six hundred years . but 3. there were frequent intimations in the scripture , that it should so expire , deut. 18.15 . 18. psal . 40.6 . isa . 65.17 . hag. 2.6 , 21. ( these present heavens , or judaic church-state , with all the institutions , ordinances thereto appertaining will i shake , so as to remove , totally abolish . ) mat. 24.2 . ( the temple to which the judaic solemn-worship was affix'd , shall be utterly destroyed ; so the whole of that service thereto appertaining , cease . ) let but one the like instance of the purpose of god , for the determination of the new-testament-ministration before the next glorious personal appearance of christ , be produced , and there 's an end of this controversy . 4. they were not the powers of the world , nor the declensions , apostacies of the subjects of that ministration , that put a period to it ; but the act of god himself , the soveraign thereof . 5. whatever the corruptions of the church-state were ( as they were very great ) 't is the commendation of the lords poor people that they continued in it , as zachary , elizabeth , &c. because in so doing , they testify their subjection to the lord , who instituted it . 6. nor was it actually removed , but by the introduction of a new , more spiritual , sublime ministration , set on foot by jesus , the son of god , fore-prophesied of , as the great prophet of the church , who was to period that ministration , and set up another ; to whom we are charged to attend in all things . secondly , gospel-churches ( or the gospel-church-state ) are said to be a house built upon a rock , mat. 7.25 . and 16.18 . vpon this rock i will build my church . 't is necessary that we enquire ; i. what we are to understand by this rock . 1. the papists tell us , that by this rock , we are to understand peter . the vanity of which pretension , is evident : for , 1. 't is not ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) upon this peter , but upon this rock . 2. peter no where in any of his epistles asserts himself to be the rock upon which the church is built , nor do any of the apostles in any of their epistles so affirm of him . he accounts himself but as an apostle of jesus christ , 1 pet. 1.1 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a co-elder ( with the rest of the presbyters , or elders ) 1 pet. 5.1 . 3. christ is asserted to be the alone rock , foundation of his church , 1 pet. 2.4 , 5 , 6 , 7. 1 cor. 3.11 . in opposition to all others . 4. he himself , as well as other believers , was built upon the rock , which bare him , and not he it , or the church . 5. paul expresly asserts , 2 cor. 11.5 . that he was not inferior to the very chiefest apostles ; which had been false , if peter had been constituted the rock upon which the church was built . 6. if he were the rock when he denied christ ( as he did dreadfully ) and at last fell asleep , what became of the rock , foundation of the church ? but this vain pretension is hardly worth our considering ; nor should it be granted , would it at all conduce to the support of the roman papal synagogue , to which good service it 's design'd . therefore , 2. by the rock , we are to understand the lord jesus christ , the mediator of the new-covenant . he is expresly so call'd , 1 cor. 10.4 . upon what account , is not to our purpose at present to enquire . ii. what we are to understand by the church . 1. not particular believers in a scattered , dispersed state. but 2. saints gather'd together in the order , and fellowship of the gospel . this is evident , as if written with the beams of the sun ; for to particular believers , as such , in their scattee red dispersed state , the keyes of the kingdom of heaven , ths power of binding and loosing , doth not appertain ; but to thi , church ( congregated ) it doth , v. 19. iii. what is signified by the gates of hell ; which 't is said-shall not prevail against this church . first , the subtlety , policy of satan . over the gates of the city , was wont to be the council-house . let all the devils in hell sin in council against the lords church , they shall not be able , by all their cunning , subtlety , to prevail against it . the subtle attempts of satan to undermine , destroy this church , have been ( are ) various . to enumerate particulars , is not our present design : 't is enough , that our lord assures us , whatever they are , they shall prove ineffectual . yet perhaps it may not be altogether impertinent to mention some few of his subtleties , with respect to this matter . he hath then attempted to destroy it in subtlety , 1. with respect to doctrin ; labouring to undermine , destroy the fundamental doctrines of the gospel , thereby subverting the faith of some . his attempts against the person of christ ; sometimes endeavouring to create a mis-belief , with respect to his eternal deity ( to which john opposes himself in his gospel , by impregnable , undeniable arguments ) ; at other times , to the verity of his humanity ( against which the same apostle advanceth himself in his epistle , 1 joh. 1. ) his designs against the offices of christ were also early in the apostle's days , particularly against his priestly office , labouring to introduce a justification by the works of the law , or , as it were by the works of the law , rom. 9.32 . viz. partly by christ , and partly by works , or internal sanctification . a design subtilly managed , and carried on by the bloody jesuits and others , at this day ( as is known ) ; to which the apostles in their epistles , and other worthies since , have oppos'd themselves . but though he hath hereby drawn off ( at seasons ) not a few , from the simplicity of the gospel ; yet there hath all along been a testimony born in the churches against him , which he hath not been able to withstand , or repel . 2. with respect to worship , and that two ways : 1. by introducing humane observances into the service of god , and christ , so polluting , defiling it , that he accounts it not his worship . and hereby for a season , he almost totally prevailed upon the body of professors of christanity . so that the whole world ( as 't were ) wondred after this beast , rev. 13.3 . and the whorish woman , or false church , being her self bewitched with this intoxicating cup of fornication , she held it forth to the nations ( with external pomp and grandeur ) to drink of it ; and they generally drank of it , and were drunk , and mad with it , rev. 17.2 , 3 , 4 , 5. yet all along christ had his remnant , that witnes'd against these abominations , ( amongst whom the true church-state was continued , and the purity of ordinances remained ) who also sealed their testimony with their blood. 2. by reproaching , reviling , contemning , despising the pure institutions of christ , as poor , low , and carnal , pretending to a more sublime , high , spiritual ministration . as some even in the apostles days , and since . and herein satan eminently appeared as an angel of light , withdrawing persons from the fellowship , wayes of the gospel , under the pretence of greater spirituality , heavenliness , leaving the word of the beginning , and pressing after perfection . a brave pretext ! wherewith the minds of many have been ( are ) not a little taken , ensnared . but neither this way hath he been able to destroy the church , which hath weather'd this point also , with , and prevail'd against , him : being from its own experience ( as from the scripture ) ascertain'd , that the more they are in a conscientious observance of the institutions of christ , the more do they grow up into the spirit , life , and power of divine things . their spiritual progress , and growth in grace , depending singly upon jehovah's blessing ; which is promised solely ( and they meet with it ) in their conscientious attendment on him in divine appointments . secondly , the force , power , tyranny , oppressive , destroying practices of the wicked one , are also intended by these gates . the armoury of the city was over the gates of it . but in this forcible attaque of the church , he hath also fail'd . he did his uttermost by bloody cruelty during the first persecutions . but what was the issue ? the executioners of his wrath the roman-pagan-emperors , had torments within them , perpetually gnawing them , whilst the holy ones that kept the commandements of jesus were fill'd with peace and joy , and triumph'd over them in the spirit , and power of jesus both living and dying . the vengeance of god eminently wrought on their notorious persecutors , whil'st the blessing , and good will of him that dwelt in the bush , was with these ; and the more they were persecuted , the more they grew : so that it became a maxim , sanguis martyrum semen ecclesiae ; the blood of the martyrs , the seed of the church . and satan not being able to hold it in the roman-pagan-state , enters into the papal-antichristian-monarchy , and hath therein hector'd , and ranted , breathing forth nothing but threatnings and slaughters against the saints of the most-high , who have the commandments of god , and testimony of jesus . millions of the lords poor people have been destroyed by this roman-antichristian-beast in days past : & of late not a few ; in the massacres of paris , ireland , and the vallies of piedmont , &c. not to mention the bonfires they made of the bodies of our brethren , in the bloody mary's days : which ( notwithstanding their haughty confidence ) they 'l shortly pay dearly for . the judgements of the lord god almighty will speedily come upon the great whore , for these cruelties ; his wrath will consume her utterly . but what 's the issue ? the number of the lambs-followers are multiplied ; their faith , confidence , and courage heightned . and let the pope , and that bloody crew , know , that they are ready to withstand him in his next attaque , and advance against them , being encourag'd thereunto , by that great cloud of worthy witnesses they are encompas'd about with ; and that plerophory of assurance , that in this last attempt , he , with his whole party , will stumble , fall , go into perdition never to appear more . the sum is , 1. the church is built upon a rock ; who then is able to evert , overturn it ? what winds , blasts , storms , what ragings of waves , seas , can over-whelm , destroy it ? satan hath fail'd in all his attempts hitherto against it , and prov'd in-successful . 2. christ hath engaged that it shall continue un-shaken , immovable , notwithstanding all attaques by fraud , or force . is he not faithful ? will he not make good his word ? can he depart from it ? wants he will , or power to accomplish what he hath promised ? what more derogatory to christ , impious , wicked , can be asserted ? object . but churches may apostatize , and so dis-church themselves : they may provoke the lord by his judgments to do so . the first , is notoriously evident in the church of rome . the latter manifestly true with respect to other churches . answ . both the first , and second , is granted . but , 1. the promise of christ cannot fail . therefore , 2. the defection of this , or that particular church , the removing the candlestick from it , the taking away its church-state was never denyed by us . such a dispensation is not in the least contrary to the promises of christ , mat. 16. but , 3. a total apostasy of all the churches of christ in the world , with the suspension , cessation , of the ordinances of the gospel-thereupon , is what is impleded by us , as diametrically opposite to this promise of our lord. two things are also heedfully to be attended to , 1. that we un-church not a church , when that is not to be found upon it ; for which the lord hath declared they are un-churched ; nor before he doth un-church them . some errors in doctrine , formallity , luke-warmness , departure from first-love , doth not un-church a church rightly constituted . these things were found in the churches of corinth , ephesus , laodicea , &c. yet at the same time true churches of christ : the latter are own'd , writ to by christ as such , as the former was by the apostle of the gentiles , when yet these evils were found amongst them , 1 cor. 1. 2 cor. 2. rev. ch . 23. 2. that 't is the duty of particular believers , upon the un-churching a church , to joyn themselves to some other church ; or if a number sufficient of themselves so to do , to form themselves into a body , or church of christ ; for otherwise they disobey , and offer an open affront to the authority of christ in that great gospel-appointment of his , and so indeed lift up themselves against his kingly soveraignty over them . thirdly , this church-state is represented under the notion of the kingdom of heaven , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that kingdom of heavens , mat. 13.24 , 31 , 33 , 44 , 45 , 47. & 25.1 . the kingdom of heaven shall be likned unto ten virgins , &c. and it wants not its weight , that this kingdom of heaven , or gospel-church-state ( notwithstanding the declension , drowsiness , sleepiness , of the subjects of it , or virgin-professors , visibly espoused to christ , in respect of their subjection to his institutions , 2 cor. 11.2 . ) is expresly affirm'd to continue unto the coming of our lord , v. 6 , 7 , 10. and at midnight there was a cry made , behold the bridegroom ( christ ) cometh , go ye out to meet him. then all those virgins arose , and trimmed their lamps , &c. and while they went to buy , the bridegroom came , and they that were ready , went in with him to the marriage , and the door was shut . i. why the gospel-church-state is represented under the notion of the kingdom of heaven , must a little be enquir'd into . 't is so upon the account , 1. of its original from thence . 't is not of man , but from heaven , as was john's doctrin , baptism , ministry . 2. of its supereminent glory ; whatever persons account of it ; 't is of heaven , heavenly , beautiful , glorious . 3. of the design of god in the institution , erection of it , viz. to lead persons to heaven , eternal life . 4. of its stability , duration . heavenly things are stable , abiding . the kingdoms of this world are changing , mutable ; the kingdom of heaven fixed , permanent . ii. that none but he who dwells in heaven , is higher than the highest ; who is the alone , supreme soveraign of this kingdom , hath power to alter the frame of it , put a period to it . the devil hath no power , or authority in it . he 's indeed styl'd the prince of this world , joh. 14.30 . the prince of the power of the air , eph. 2.2 . the whole world is said to be in subto him , 1 joh. 5.19 . ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) he hath a presidency , authority in the anti-christian kingdom , is the head of it , is worshipt in it . the devil gave him ( the beast , the pope ) his power , rev. 13.2 , 4. and the anti-christians are expresly said to worship devils , rev. 9.20 . because they worship idols of gold , silver , &c. a worship instituted , introduced at first by them . but with respect to the kingdom of heaven , he hath nothing to do , nor can he by any of his wiles , strength , cause it to pass away . the same may be said , concerning the sons of men . they may 't is true advance against it ; attempt to shake , remove it , ( as they have done , and do with all their force , and cunning ) but 't is a kingdom so far above them , so supported , strengthned by the king of heaven , that they never succeed in their attempts . vain , ridiculous are their consultations , aggregations , together in order hereunto . can they pull the stars out of the firmament ? stop the sun in its course ? turn it into blackness , darkness ? pull it from the place god hath ordained for it ? are not all attempts of such a nature worthy to be scorned , derided at , as acts of the greatest folly , and desperate madness ? such are the advances of the anti-christians against this state , kingdom : whilst god sits in the heavens , he will laugh them to scorn , and have them in derision . there must first be a power , authority above god's , before this kingdom can be brought to a dissolution by any , save he that erected it . object . but doth not god say , that he will create new-heavens , and a new-earth ; and the former shall not be remembred , nor come into mind , isa . 65.17 . and the apostle peter assures us 2 pet. 3.7 , 10 , 12 , 13. that the heavens that now are , are kept in store , reserv'd unto fire , &c. that there is a time in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise , &c. they shall be dissolv'd ; that the saints look for new-heavens . answ . 1. dato non concesso , granting for disputation's-sake , that by heavens , we are to understand a church-state ( perhaps somewhat else is intended in the places under considerations , viz. the purifying , delivering the creation from that vanity , corruption , to which 't was subjected by reason of sin , the introduction of the restitution of all things by jesus , act. 3.21 . ) yet , 2. it doth not yet appear , nor is it in hast like to be proved , that by the heavens that are to pass away , more is to be understood , than the removing of the judaic church-state ; which indeed passed away , and was melted down by fervent heat , when the temple to which 't was affixt , was consumed with fire , not long after peter writ that epistle . the new-heavens spoken of , may perhaps signify the gospel-church-state ; there 's not a tittle spoken of their passing away , but the contrary , isa . 65.22 . but 3. that we may give to this objection ( such as it is ) the greatest weight it 's capable of , let it further be granted , that by the heavens in peter , which shall pass away , is to be understood the gospel-church-state ; and that isaiah , and peter speak of a new-church-state which shall succeed that ▪ the first heavens pass not away till the consuming fire is kindled ; nor is it in the power of man to set fire to them , to cause them to cease to be ; as the creation of the new-heavens is the peculiar act of god ; so is the dissolution of the old. fourthly . this church-state is represented under the notion of a kingdom which cannot be shaken , moved , heb. 12.27 , 28. wherefore , we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved , let us have grace , whereby we may serve god acceptably with reverence , and godly fear . a few things must be inquired into , viz. i. what we are to understand by this kingdom ? answ . the gospel-church-state we are discoursing of . this is evident , for , 1. 't is a kingdom introduced immediately upon the shaking of the heaven , so as to remove the things shaken , i. e. upon the putting a period to the judaic-church-state , with the removing of all the carnal ordinances thereunto appertaining . when god gave forth the law upon mount sinai , his voice shook the earth , v. 26. but then was the solemn , visible beginning , or creation of their heaven , or church-state , which now is shaken by the death of christ ; so that 't is virtually remov'd , and saints are no longer to be subject to it . 2. 't is a kingdom introduced by christ's speaking from heaven , v. 25. or of his establishment as coming from the bosom of the father , and declaring his mind to the sons of men. which can be nothing else , but the gospel-oeconomy , or ministration introduced by him . 3. 't is a kingdom which they , the jews ( believers at least amongst them ) were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , then receiving , or undertaking , subjecting to , which was the ministration spoken of : and is indeed one part of the design of the apostle in this epistle , to perswade them fully to embrace , or receive , with the rejection of mosaic antiquated observances . 4. 't is a kingdom with respect to which they are said to serve god acceptably , with reverence and godly fear , v. 28. gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 — which though in the general it denotes to serve in any kind of work or service ; yet it s special signification , as used by the seventy in the old testament , and christ and his apostles in the new , is , to worship god in wayes of his own institution , and appointment . ii. in what sense it 's affirm'd concerning this kingdom , and the things appertaining to it , that it cannot be shaken , moved ? that those things which cannot be shaken may remain . the words are variously rendred ; that those things may remain which are immovable , v.l. which are not to be moved , ar. which are not to be shaken , aeth . which are void of motion , syr. the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , signifies to be moved , or shaken , as with winds or tempests ; as the ship in the sea with storms . — the seventy use it when the earth is said to be moved , 2 king. 22.16 . and the pillars of it shaken , job . 9.6 . to be by force removed out of its place , 1 chron. 16.30 job 41.15 . job 9.28 . with respect to which the gospel-ministration , with the ordinances of it , are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , immovables , things that cannot ( are not to ) be removed taken down : storms and tempests it meets with , but it abides firm and immovable under all . a kingdom which cannot be moved ; which is also diversly rendred , an immovable kingdom , v.l. a kingdom which is not shaken , ar. which cannot be shaken , aeth . the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , immoveable , unshaken , firm , stable , that bears up against winds and tydes . the most rough winds , impetuous storms , waves , cannot shake , sink it . the meaning is , the mosaic ministration , the judaic church-state , was liable to shakings ; 't was at last so to be shaken , as to be utterly removed , taken out of the way ; but this kingdom , the oeconomy of the gospel , the gospel-church-state is not such . 't is true , it shall at last period , but not by any shakings that shall dissolve it , as the former to make way for a new , and better ministration : it shall continue immoveable till it run into , and be swallowed up in the glorious visible kingdom of the messiah , or new jerusalem-state . fifthly , the church-state is called , the ministration of the spirit , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that ministration of the spirit , 2 cor. 3.7 , 8. that by the ministration of the spirit , we are to understand the whole gospel-oeconomy , or ministration , the doctrine , worship , institutions thereof , is evident , 1. from its antithesis unto the ministration of the letter , or legal mosaic observances , call'd the ministration of death , and condemnation , v. 6 , 7 , 9. which the apostle tells us was done away ; now 't was that whole ministration , as made up of institutions , ordinances peculiar to it , that was done away . 2. 't was such a ministration as the apostles were ministers of , v. 6. i. e. which they preach'd , declared from jesus christ , according to his charge to them , matth. 28.20 . and were ministring to him , and the saints in . 't was not the doctrine of the gospel , inward purity , practick godliness only , that they declared as the mind of christ ; but the worship thereof , institutions of his appointment thereunto appertaining . no sooner were persons converted to the faith of christ , but they were gathered by the apostles into a church-state ; acts 2.41 , 42 , 46. and 9.31 . and 11.22 , 26. and 14.23 , 27. and 15.41 . and 16.5 . and 20.28 . this is too evident to be denied . 3. 't was such a ministration , wherein as in a glass with open face ( compared to those ▪ vail'd , dark sights they had in their passover , sacrifices , &c. under the mosaic ministration ) they beheld the glory of the lord , and were changed into the same image from glory to glory , even as by the spirit of the lord , v. 18. the first primitive believers , 't will not be denied , attended upon the lord in gospel-institutions . 't is evident they did so from the scriptures but now quoted . in their so doing they beheld the glory of the lord , had choice discoveries , displayes of it ; grew up into a conformity unto him in their conscientious waiting on him herein . and whatever any say , thousands of believers at this day , that are found waiting upon the lord in his own institutions , such as the church-fellowship , breaking bread , prayer , &c. meet with presence , sights of glory , divine transformations , renewals in the spirit of their minds . when any are found in institutions shaken in their minds , touching them as the institutions of christ , that by virtue of his soveraign authority , command , they ought to attend to , 't is no wonder if they see not his glory , know nothing of his transforming power through them . they come not in faith , sanctify not his name in what they do ; therefore meet not with his blessing . quest . the question is upon what accounts this ministration is called , the ministration of the spirit ? answ . 't is so called with respect . 1. to it 's super-eminent , super-excelling glory : for excellency , glory , far superiour unto any ministration that went before it . what compare is there , betwixt spirit , and letter ; that which hath life in it , and that which hath none ? 2. to the communication of the spirit through it , by it . gal. 3.2 . received ye the spirit by the works of the law , or by the hearing of faith ? 3. to its being given forth by christ through the holy spirit , acts 1.2 . the lord jesus being constituted by the father , mediator of the new-covenant , prince , ruler , priest , prophet to the church ; was to reveal the whole of his mind , and will , to them as such : for his inablement whereunto the father pours out of the spirit without measure upon him ; through this spirit he gave commandments to his apostles relating to gospel-worship , with a charge to them to communicate them to others . matth. 28. ult . which also they did . 4. to that glorious effusion of the spirit in the day of pentecost , act. 2. at the beginning , or first publick setting up of this ministration . 5. to evince that 't is the highest , last ministration of institutions , or visible ordinances , that saints are to expect : that when it s taken down , there shall be no more ( nor indeed will there be need of any ; ) what ministration can be supposed to be higher than the ministration of the spirit ? what can supersede it ? yea , the apostle fairly intimates that it shall so remain , not to pass away as the ministration of the ter , or law that went before it , 2 cor. 3.7 . which was to be done away . for if that which is done away was glorious , much more that which remaineth is glorious . and 't is not to be passed by in silence , that the apostle makes part of the excelling glory ( above that of the law ) of the gospel-ministration to consist in the duration of it . if that which is done away , was glorious ; much more that which remaineth , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that fixed , abiding , unalterable ministration . 6. the managery of all the worship , ordinances , appertaining to this ministration , is to be in the spirit . without whom all that 's done , is not , will never be acceptable to god. 7. the means of its support , upholdment , continuance , progress , is the same spirit , 2 cor. 10.4 . the weapons of our warfare are not carnal , but mighty through god — . antichrist hath other wayes to support , promote his filthy worship , senseless traditions , ridiculous fopperies , viz. the arm of flesh , horrid , bloody plots , conspiracies , to massacre , destroy , cut off , such as stand in the way of his devices : prisons , gibbets , stakes , flames to consume , devour such as refuse to drink of the cup of his fornications ; but , lex nova non se vindicat ultore gladio , the law of christ knows no such wayes , methods for its support , increase . 't is the spirit , power of god by which it is ( ever was ) maintained : a neglect of whom ; and turning aside to the power , wisdom of man , warring after the flesh , was the bane of christianity , and the first spring off the antichristian apostacy . three things necessarily follow from hence . 1. that a slighting , undervaluing , withdrawing from gospel-institutions , is a slighting of the most glorious ministration , that ever was set on foot in the world. 2. 't is a contempt , undervaluing of the holy spirit of the lord ; whose they are , and from whom they did proceed . let persons pretensions be what they will , it cannot be otherwise . gospel-institutions are of , through the spirit ; to slight , these is to cast contempt upon him from whom they are . 3. that the spirit is obliged to support , maintain them against all oppositions . he remains with his people for ever for that end , john 16.13 . howbeit when the spirit of truth is come , he shall guide you into all truth . v. 14. he shall glorify me , for he shall receive of mine , and shall shew it unto you . and he hath actually done so hitherto , keeping alive a blessed witness , testimony to them , for them , in his called , chosen witnesses more or less , in every day . though sometimes this their testimony hath cost them dear ; viz. loss of goods , enjoyments , friends , liberty , life it self ; yet they have gloryed , triumph'd under all through this spirit of glory , and of god that rested upon them , and enabled them in this work . the very truth is , as the great controversie of christ , with the nations of the european world , hath been upon the account of their spiritual fornications , or false worship ; so the great controversy of antichrist against the lord's children , hath been , is , and will be , till he be destroy'd upon the account of their abiding by the institutions of christ , rev. 12.17 , the dragon ( or devil ) was wroth with the woman , ( the church ) and went to make war with the remnant of her seed , which keep the commandments of god. — commandments ! what commandments ? such as relate to what is obvious to the eye of the devils instruments , viz. gospel-institutions ( of which afterwards . ) sixthly , gospel-churches are said to be the body of christ , rom. 12.4 , 5. but as we have many members in one body , and all members have not the same office : so we being many are one body in christ , and every one members of another . 1 cor. 12.12 . for as the body is one , and hath many members , and all the members of that one body , being many , are one body , so also is christ , ( christ the head , and saints the members make but one christ mystick . ) v. 27. now ye are the body of christ , and members in particular . eph. 4.15 , 16. the head christ from whom the whole body fitly joyn'd together , — maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it self in love. in which places the church is called a body , the body of christ . two things are briefly to be enquired into ; 1. what we are to understand by the church ? 2. upon what account it 's called the body of christ ? i. as touching the first , i shall not run over the various acceptions of the word church in the scripture , ( i have done it elsewhere . ) that in every one of the places instanc'd , in a particular instituted church of christ , is intended , is evident . for , 1. paul directs his epistles to them as such . those whom he stiles the church in the beginning of his epistles , 1 cor. 1.2 . or beloved of god , call'd to be saints , rom. 1.7 . ( i. e. the particular church at rome , rom. 16.1 , 21. ) or the saints which are at ephesus , the faithful in christ jesus , eph. 1.1 . ( i. e. that particular church there , rev. 2.1 . ) he afterwards calls the body of christ in the places fore-quoted . 2. such a church is intended , amongst which a schism may be , 1 cor. 12.25 . but schism is entirely in one church , among the members of one particular society . 3. 't is such a church as hath officers set , and placed among them , 1 cor. 12.28 , 29. see act. 18.8 , 9 , 10. 1 cor. 3. 21 , 22. these are placed of god in particular churches , relate to them as such , act. 14.23 . and 15.2 , 4 , 6 , 22 , 23. and 16.4 . and 20.17 . and 21.18 . tit. 1.5 . jam. 5.14 . act. 20.28 . ii. upon what account this church is called the body of christ , must nextly be considered . 't is so called , because , 1. of the forming , fashioning of christ ▪ particular churches ( whatever is pretended ) may not be modified , formed , fashioned according to the wills , humors , or lusts of men ; but according to the type , or pattern of them given forth by jesus . he shall build the temple of the lord , zach. 6.12 . 2. of their union , with relation to the lord jesus . the union betwixt head and body , is a real , near union ; cannot be separated , but by the destruction of the whole . 3. of christ's love to , care of , defence over it . the head is careful of the body — nor can it be supposed without the highest advance against the faithfulness , wisdom , love of the lord jesus , that he should not be so to his church . three things necessarily follow from hence ; 1. that christ is obliged to preserve his gospel-church-state , in some particular churches who may glorifie him , in their professed subjection thereto . they are his body : now every one will nourish , cherish , his own body . 2. that therefore this church-state , in some particular churches , is preserved by jesus christ . if it be not , he 's unfaithful , fills not up that relation he stands in to his body , the church . besides , if he preserve it not , 't is either for want of love , or power so to do . the first cannot be asserted ; for no man yet hated his own flesh , but loves , nourisheth , cherishes it ; nor the second ; for all power in heaven and earth is given to him. 3. if the church-state be not continued ; then christ hath now no body , is a head without a body . for they are saints , as walking in such a state , viz. the order and fellowship of the gospel , that are so called , as i have proved . seventhly , gospel-churches are stiled the temple , tabernacle , house , building of the lord. 1 cor. 3.16 . know ye not , that ye are the temple of the living god. 2 cor. 6.16 . ye are the temple of the living god. rev. 13.6 . and he opened his mouth in blasphemies against god , to blaspheme his name , and his tabernacle . prov. 9.1 . wisdom hath builded her house . ( i. e. christ hath done so , builded , planted , his churches ) she hath hewen out her seven pillars . christ's house ( or churches ) is said to be built upon seven pillars , to point out its sure , and stable foundation . heb. 3.6 . whose house are we . 1 cor. 3.9 . ye are god's building . 1 pet. 2.5 . ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house . saints are the house , building of christ saith a reverend , and learned author , upon a treble account ; 1. of their peusons . in them he dwells really by his spirit , eph. 2.20 , 21 , 22. 2 cor. 3.16 . and 6.19 . john 14.17 . 2. of their being compact together in church-order , according to his institution , whereby they are built up , cemented , united , and become an house , like the tabernacle , or temple of god , eph. 4.16 . col. 2.19 . 3. of their joynt-worship performed in that order ; wherein , and whereby he also dwells among them , or is present with them unto the consummation of all things , rev. 21.3 . mat. 28.20 . this must be a little further considered . saints congregated together in the fellowship of the gospel , are his temple , tabernacle , house , building , ( in a scattered divided state , they cannot strictly be so call'd ) and so denominated in scripture , with respect to the tabernacle ; temple of old , that were the lords building , viz. built by his command , express direction in every part of them . these were types of gospel-churches . now insomuch as the temple of old was the most considerable type hereof ; let 's a little consider upon what accounts gospel-churches are so call'd , with respect to the building . they are so upon various accounts . 1. the temple of old was built of precious , hewen-stone , ready prepared for the building , 1 king 5.17 , 18. and 6.7 . gospel-churches are made up of living-stones , formed , prepared , as fit materials for this royal building , 1 pet. 2.4 , 5. 2. that was built by solomon , an eminent type of christ . these by christ himself , zach. 6.12 . ( of which afterward . ) 3. that was renowned for its magnificence , excellency , and glory : these however debased , reproached , by one , and another , shall be so , isa . 60.13 . 4. that had in it , the ark , the mercy-seat — all types of christ , and the special presence of jehovah . these have most eminently the presence of the lord with them , mat. 18.20 . 2. cor. 6.16 . rev. 1.13 , 20. and 2.1 . 5. nothing unclean might come into the temple : nor any impure , unholy persons , into the churches of christ . if any such privily creep in , when discover'd , they are to be ejected , cast out . 6. there was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the daughter of the voice , the answer of god ; who spake unto the people from the oracle . the secret voice , and teachings of god is amongst these , isa . 8.16 . the vial-angels have light into their work in the temple ( or gospel-churches ) ; for out of it they come , when they address themselves to it , rev. 15.5 , 6. 7. in the temple every one spake of his glory , psal . 29.9 . in and amongst these is he praised , eph. 3.21 . 8. all the solemn worship of god was of old affixt to the temple : 't is now to gospel-churches . 9. his special care , protection , was over his temple to preserve , defend it . so 't is over his churches , hence is their continuance , notwithstanding the furious , various advances of men and devils against them . 10. he severely punish'd the violaters , destroyers of his temple , jer. 50.28 . and 51.11 . he hath done , will do so , with respect to such as attempt the ruine , destruction of these . five things evidently follow from what we have been discoursing touching this matter . 1. that gospel-churches being god's temple , &c. he is obliged to support , defend , uphold his own building , house , temple . 2. that if there be no churches at this day , he hath no temple , nor solemn visible worship . 3. that none have power over these churches , to plant , pull down ; nor have they , or shall they , have permission so to scatter , destroy them ; that the church-state should not somewhere , or other , be kept up in the world. 4. that gospel-churches are honourable , glorious . they are god's temple , house , building . — 5. that those who reproach , revile them ; blaspheme god , his temple , tabernacle , and them ; that dwell in heaven , rev. 13.6 . object . but though the tabernacle , temple , were god's building ; yet both the one , and the other , were taken down , abolished . answ . true ! and so shall the present church-state be dissolved at last . but , 1. neither the one , nor the other , were taken down , but by god's own authority and appointment : and that too ( at last ) to make way for a more glorious state. 2. the worshippers in that tabernacle , temple , never deserted it , till god drove them out of it . they offer'd not violence to it themseves : attempted not with their own hands , to consume , destroy it . 't is true , as to the last temple , josephus tells us , that the jews themselves set fire on 't ; but these were not the worshippers in it , but a company of apostate , deboyst miscreants , that cared neither for god , temple , or worship . chap. ii. the continuance of gospel-churches farther evinced from the titles given to jesus christ , with respect to such churches . christ the builder of them , zach. 6.12 . heb. 3.3 , 4. explained . what christ did , doth as the builder of these churches . christ the foundation , head , lord of gospel-churches . in what sense he is so . the husband , bridegroom of them . vpon what accounts he is so called . objections answered . having in the former chapter evinced the continuance of gospel-churches , from the titles given by the spirit of the lord to the gospel-church-state , and those who worship him therein : we purpose in this chapter , further to evince the truth thereof , from , demonstration . ii. the titles , appellations , given to jesus christ , with respect to such churches ; each of which is an unshaken basis upon which their continuation is founded . we think it necessary to premise , that 't is not our intendment to discourse of all the titles given to christ in the scripture ; but only of such as give countenance , assistance , strength , to the matter of our present enquiry ; and of these only so far as is necessary thereunto . i. then , the lord jesus christ is styled in scripture , the builder of these churches , zach. 6.12 . he shall build the tem-of the lord. so , the vulgar latine . the house of the lord , seventy , ar. the temple of the lord , syr. the chaldee reads the whole verse thus , behold the man , his name is christ , who is to be revealed , and magnified , and about to build the temple of the lord. for he shall build the temple of the lord , and he shall bear the glory . the hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behold the famous ( noble ) man the branch . 't is evidently-spoken of christ , who is frequently called tsemach , the branch . isa . 4.2 . jer. 23.5 . & 33.15 . zach. 3.8 . of whom joshua was a type . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , he himself shall build that temple of jehovah ; viz. that temple which was to be erected upon his coming into the world ; whereof the temple that joshua , and zerubbabel , were in building was a type , viz. gospel-churches . these christ is said to build , because he gave forth directions , laws , to his apostles for their erection , establishment . heb. 3.3 , 4. inasmuch as he who hath builded the house , hath more honour than the house : for every house is builded by some man : but he that built all things , is god. ( 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , all these things , the the church , persons , ordinances pertaining thereunto . ) the design of the apostle is to evince christ's preheminence above moses : 't is true , moses was an honourable person ; he received testimony from god , that he was faithful in his house ; but he was but a servant in it , a part of it ; christ is the builder of the house , or church ; ( for that by house we are to understand the church , or churches , with all the ordinances of worship in it , was before proved ) mat. 16.18 . vpon this rock i will build my church . three things christ did , doth , as the builder of this house . 1. gives forth the idea , and plat-form of it , in its laws , ordinances , and institutions . 2. provides materials : by his spirit in the ministration of the gospel , quickning , sanctifying , making lovely , excellent , glorious , dead , polluted , vile , base sinners . 3. closely conjoyning , compacting these materials , that they may grow up together a spiritual house , an habitation of god through the spirit . to this he uses not outward compulsion , force , violence ; but sweetly allures , inclines their hearts by the power of his spirit , making them willing visibly to give up themselves to the lord , and one another , by the will of god. and in this work the lord jesus met , meets with the greatest opposition imaginable : all the power , wisdom of satan , the greatest , wisest of the world , appearing against it : sin , corruption , in the hearts of those that are to be prepared for materials for it , advancing also against it : but christ being invested with infinite power , carries the work through the difficulties , and makes the greatest mountain become a plain before him ; and having erected , set it up , comes and takes up his dwelling , makes his abode in it , as was before proved . four things necessarily follow from hence . 1. that there is really a glory in the churches of christ . 't is true , they have been ( are , as to outward view ) as the tents of kedar , poor , mean , contemptible ; so are all the ordinances , institutions appertaining to them . the materials of which they are constituted for the most part , are visibly base and contemptible , the poor of the world — but christ is the builder of them ( a greater than solomon ) and he builds them for himself , an ivory palace for the great king : and therefore they must needs be amiable , lovely , glorious , comely as the curtaines of solomon . 2. that none can approach , advance themselves against them without pouring out contempt upon , advancing themselves against jesus christ . 3. that he is obliged to protect , defend them against all oppositions whatsoever . he hath done , will do so . 4. that none hath power to pluck them down ; nor can they be dissolv'd but by his authority . for any to go about to do so , is to assume a power to themselves co-equal , nay , superior to christ who built them . ii. as christ is call'd the builder of these churches ; so he is said to be the foundation of them . they are built upon him as their noble , glorious foundation , 1 cor. 3.9 , 10 , 12. ye are gods building ; according to the grace of god which is given to me , as a wise master-builder i have laid the foundation — other foundation can no man lay , than that is laid , which is jesus christ , ephes . 2.19 , 20 , 22. 1 pet. 2.4 , 5. three things necessarily flow from hence ; 1. that gospel-churches are not built upon the old covenant , ( as some talk ) except we will suppose christ to be a part of that covenant : wherein yet there 's not the least notice of him to be found . 2. that they are a firm , unshaken building . christ himself being their foundation , they must be so . 3. that none can dissolve them , put a period to them , but he who is their substratum , foundation ; who as such supports , upholds them , and is obliged so to do . iii. he is also styled their head , lord , ephes . 4.15 . may grow up into him in all things who is the head , even christ ; from whom the whole body fitly joyn'd together — col. 1.18 . he is the head of the body the church . & 2.19 . and not holding the head from which all the body — two things must be considered ; 1. upon what accounts christ is said to be the head of the church . 2. what influence this headship of christ hath into the confirmation of the truth pleaded for . as touching the first , 't is confes'd , that he is not a natural head of the body , the church . the expression is metaphorical . seven things are pointed forth by it . 1. his preference , dignity , excellency , above them all . 2. his comliness , beauty . the truth is , all the comliness of the body ( the church ) is christ . 't is eminently , superlatively in him ; it flows from him . 3. he is the seat of all that life , spirits , the church is made partakers of . all 's in him in fulness . 4. his sympathy with them in all their sorrows , distresses , sufferings . 5. their guidance , direction from him. he is their dux viae , glorious conduct , leader in the way they should go . 6. his dominion , ruledom , authority over them . 7. their protection , safety in , and under him. as touching the second particular . secondly , the continuance , abiding of gospel-churches , is a necessary consequence from hence : for christ being their head , 1. want's not love , affection to them , to support , uphold them . nor , 2. doth he want power so to do . all power is given to him in heaven and in earth . he is for that end constituted head over all things to the church . eph. 1.21 , 22. that he might be able to defend , preserve it . 3. he is an everlasting head ; therefore as such , must have a body to rule , govern , by those laws , institutions , he hath given forth , for their ruledom wherein they are to testify their subjection to him . not to do so , is to cast off his regiment , deny his soveraignty , authority . nay , 4. as such ( being put into office , deputed , appointed by the father , as head , lord , king over them , psal . 2.6 . ) he is obliged to protect , defend , preserve them . for him not to do so , were a breach of that trust , charge reposed in him , given to him by the father . iv. christ is the husband , bridegroom of these churches , 2 cor. 11.2 . for i have espoused you ( the church of god , which is at corinth , chap. 1.1 . ) to one husband ( viz. the lord jesus ) that i may present you as a chast virgin to christ . mat. 25.1 , 5 , 6. then shall the kingdom of heaven , ( or gospel-church-state ) be likened unto ten virgins , which — went forth to meet the bridegroom . while the bridegroom tarried — behold the bridegroom cometh . and these churches are call'd the bride , the lambs wife , rev. 19.7.21.9.22.17 . upon what account the lord jesus is said to be the husband of the church , and she his bride , wife , must be considered . he is so call'd upon the account . 1. of his entire , cordial love , and affection to her . he dearly , above all , loves his churches . psal . 87.2 . the lord loveth the gates of sion ( saints gathered together in gospel-fellowship , solemnly worshipping him in a community ) more than all the dwellings of jacob. he therefore calls them his love , his dove , his vndefiled , cant. 5.2 . expressions demonstrative of his kindness to them . they also are full of love , endearment to him , cant. 1.7 . 1 pet. 1.8 . the truth whereof they evidence by keeping his commandments , john 14.21 , 23 , 24. viz. those commandments he by the spirit gave forth to them , relating to the institutions , worship of the gospel , acts 1.2 . 2. his giving himself to them , taking them for his own , above all the people in the world. god is said upon this foot of account , to be the god of israel , exod. 5.1 . & 32.27 . num. 16.9 . jos . 8.30 . 13.33 . &c. they his portion , peculiar treasure , deut. 32.9 . exod. 19.5 . psal . 135.4 . to be married to them , jer. 3.14 . christ is said to have them , joh. 3.29 . he that hath the bride , is the bridegroom . they give themselves to him , solemnly own , avouch him to be their husband in their visible subjection to his appointments . nor do , or can any be said so to own him , but with respect to such a subjection , 2 cor. 8.5 . they first gave their own selves to the lord , and unto us by the will of god. they are christ's , 1 cor. 3.23 . all are yours , and ye are christs . departure from , forsaking his institutions , is therefore called , adultery , fornication , whoredom , jer. 3.8 . ezek. 23.37 . rev. 2.22 . ezek. 16.26 , 29. rev. 9.21 . & 17.2 , 4. & 18.3 , 9. & 19.2 . ezek. 16.17 . hos . 1.2 . jer. 3.2 . and the false church is call'd , the whore , rev. 17.1 , 15 , 16. & 19.2 . because hereby they are unfaithful to christ in this marriage-relation , whereinto he hath taken them . 3. his care , watchfull eye over them . he watcheth over them for good : keeps them day , and night ; with much more that might be added touching this matter . now , can it be imagined , that the lord jesus , who hath taken a people unto himself in such a relation , loves them with such a dear , intense love ; gives himself to them , is obliged by virtue of that relation , that he hath taken them unto himself into , to care for , watch over them , should when in some singleness of spirit they are testifying their love to him ( though with many infirmities , weaknesses ) in subjecting to his appointments ; so holding fast his name , and bearing a testimony to him in the world ; i say , can it be imagined , that he should at once reject , cast them off , unchurch them ? credat apella ! is this the manner of husbands ( poor mortals , of weak love , finite bowels ) to those , whom they take as brides to themselves ? hath not this lord said , that 't is not lawful for a man to put away his wife , but in case of fornication , mat. 5.32 . and shall it be supposed that he who is infinite in bowels , choicest love , will reject his , when they are not to be charged with such wickedness . god once took israel for a people unto himself ; and though actually guilty of spiritual adultery , worshipping in a way that never entred into his heart to prescribe , serving idols , offering their children to moloch , persecuting also the servants of the lord , that labour'd to recall them to primitive institutions ; yet how long did he bear with them ? he woe 's them after they had committed whoredom with many lovers , to return again to him ; with promises of pardon , reception , new embraces , as if they had never so offended him , jer. 3. 1 , 12 , 22. & 4.1 . and when he hath thoughts of giving them up , with what seeming regret is it , hos . 11.8 . nor did he totally do so , till he had sent his son , whom they by wicked hands took , cast out , slew , mat. 21.37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 45. and are the bowels of the lord dried up ? hath he forgotten to be gracious ? is not his covenant-relation with his people in a gospel-day , as strong , efficacious , as in the times of the law ? besides , hath he any where in all the scriptures given us the least iota , or syllable , upon which we may conclude , that this his relation , with at least some particular churches , should cease , or expire ? en tabulas ! let the scriptures , prophecies thereof be consulted . object . god took israel into such a relation to himself . call's himself their husband , jer. 31.32 . saith he is married to them , jer. 3.14 . yet afterwards rejects them . answ . 1. this objection is in part obviated already , and enough said to an intelligent reader . 2. let it be granted that god calls himself their husband , jer. 31.32 . though a better . translator renders the words otherwise then we read them , viz. paul , heb. 8.9 . because they continued not in my covenant , and i regarded them not , saith the lord : that which we translate , although i was an husband to them ; the apostle renders , and i regarded them not . and the learned pocock in his miscellanies , cap. 1. p. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. at large demonstrates that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , baalti , ( which we read , i was an husband ) signifies , not to regard , to neglect , refuse , despise ; so also the greek , and syriac render it . but i say , let it be granted , as indeed the lord doth own himself to be the husband , to be married to them , though in the place instanc'd in , he doth not do so : let a few things further be considered , and the impertinency of what is objected , with respect to that we are pleading for , will soon appear . for , 1. he himself by signal providences breaking to pieces , destroying their church-state , and that temple to which their solemn worship , as a church was affix'd , apotomized , cut them off : no such act of god with respect to his gospel-churches can be instanc'd in . 2. he bare long with them , before he cast them off ; and actually continued with them in that relation for about two thousand years . nor , 3. did he reject them , till they had for many years rejected him , despised his institutions , ordinances : committed adultery with many lovers , jer. 3.1 . in that matter did worse than the nations round about them , ezek. 5.6 , 7. if this can be charged upon any of the churches , let them plead their own cause ; i 'll be no advocate for them ; nor is it necessary , with respect to our present controversy , since there are churches to whom nothing like it can be imputed . though this i must say , i know none of the churches of christ at this day but are pure , and unchargeable as to any such guilt . oject . 2. the church of rome was a true church , had christ for her husband , bridegroom . is it thus with her now ? is not her church-state perioded ? is she not the apostatick synagogue ? no bride of christ , but the whore , the mother of harlots , and abominations of the earth ! answ . 1. god forbid that i should plead for that filthy strumpet , synagogue of satan , the generation of god's curse , against whom he hath indignation for ever . 2. the church of rome ( so call'd ) that now is , is in nothing like the church of rome that then was , as to its constitution , matter , form , worship , ordinances . that was a particular-church of christ ; this ( pretends to be ) catholick , universal . that was constituted according to the mind of christ ; its matter , visible saints ; its form , their free , spontaneous giving up themselves to the lord , and to one another , according to the will of god : this constituted by the cunning , subtilty , lying miracles of the man of sin ; by the lusts , laws , compulsions of an arm of flesh . it s worship , ordinances had for their substratum the law , commandment , authority of jesus christ : the worship of rome is bottom'd upon the authority , canons , laws , traditions of popes , sinful men , false pretences to the personal appearance of christ , the virgin mary , &c. to them ; giving them in charge to practise this , and that , as his worship , appointment , not found in the scriptures , contrary to them . so that the church of rome ( so call'd ) that now is , was never a church of christ , but a synagogue of satan , set up in opposition to his true churches . 3. had it been never so much a true church of christ ; it hath actually dis-church'd it self , by its horrid idolatry worse than the heathen worshiping idols of gold , silver , wood , stone , with the same worship , that is due to them , whom they set these up to represent ; so as that their worship ( as bellarmin tells us ) is terminated in these ; which scarce ever entred into the heart of an ingenuous heathen to affirm ; upon the account whereof they are call'd gentiles , rev. 11.2 . her persecution also , bloody cruelty against christ in his members , sufficiently bespeaks her to be deserted , rejected by the lord , actuated by another spirit , than the spirit of the gospel , which is pure , peaceable , gentle , meek : so far from having any resemblance of the churches of christ , that it 's the very shambles of satan , by whom as his butcherly , bloody instruments , they have destroyed , poured forth the blood of millions of the meek , innocent lambs of the lord jesus . 4. let the argument be considered ; there was a gospel-church of christ at rome ; the members of it fell asleep in jesus , having served the lord in their generation : by the subtilty of satan , and the man of sin upon that spot springs up a sort of professors , bearing the name of christ , calling themselves a church ; that ( at last , at least ) have nothing to be found upon them , like unto what they pretend to be ; therefore there 's a period put to the church-state , to all churches , christ's relation to them as the builder , foundation , head , husband notwithstanding . and why so i pray ? may not there be true churches of christ , and he stand thus related to them , and as their builder , &c. support , uphold , preserve his church-state amongst them ; though that , and many other churches prevaricate , depart from him ? that he hath actually done so from the time of his first planting churches to this day , we shall ( if the lord will ) in the ensuing discourse demonstrate . in a word , let it be proved against the present churches , that they have unchurch'd themselves by idolatry , bloody cruelty against the saints — as this pretended church of rome hath done , or this objection must be acknowledged to be of no weight . to shut up all we have to say upon this argument ; christ is the builder , foundation , head , lord , husband of particular churches , and so call'd with respect unto a special relation to them as such , as hath been proved ; either then there must be such churches , or this relation is at an end . and thus far touching the second argument . chap. iii. the continuation of gospel-churches further demonstrated . the scripture , the sole directory both with respect to doctrine and worship . whatsoever christ hath instituted , given in charge therein , 't is the duty of saints in every day to be found in the practice of . christ of old prophesied of , as the great prophet whom god would raise up to instruct his people , whom they were bound to attend . deut. 18.18 , 19. explained . christ's instructions contain'd in the scriptures . no other way or means , intimated by god the father , or christ , for the indoctrination of the saints as to doctrine , or worship , besides the scriptures . of popish traditions , visions . the personal appearance of the virgin mary , of christ to them . these the foundation of their festivals , religious orders . god sends us to the scripture for direction in faith and worship : hath under each ministration commanded his people to observe whatever he hath appointed therein without addition , or substraction . it 's sufficient to instruct and guide us . 2 pet. 1.19 . explained . objections answer'd . of pretensions to christ's personal appearance : that there hath been no personal appearance of christ , on the earth , to any since his ascension , proved . of the appearance of christ to stephen , paul , john : that he convers'd not with them on earth , proved . demonstration . iii. that the scripture is our sole directory , both with respect to doctrine , and worship : that 't is the duty of the saints in every generation to attend to the laws , commandments , rules of our lord laid down therein ; that none have power to supersede any law , commandment of christ , hath hitherto been generally own'd as a truth amongst all the reformed churches . 't is true , some amongst the papal-synagogue have blasphemously asserted , that the pope , that man of sin , and son of perdition , hath authority to dispense with the commands of christ ; and he , and some combinations of men ( call'd councils ) amongst them , have actually so done in many cases . but as was said amongst those , that separate from that synagogue of satan , none ha●e as yet doctrinally declar'd the lawfulness thereof . what is of that nature practically done by any of them , is not to our present purpose to enquire . this then might ( one would think ) be taken for granted ; whatever christ hath instituted , charged , commanded upon his people in the new-testament , is the duty of the saints in every day to be found in the practice of . yet insomuch as the most plain , indisputable principles , commonly received maxims , are by one , or other , in this day questioned and opposed ; it may not perhaps be altogether useless , briefly to discover the basis upon which this principle is built . i. then , 't was long before the exhibition of the lord jesus prophesied , that god the father would raise up a prophet to his church like unto moses , to whom it was their duty to attend in all things , should be declared , taught them by him : under the most severe penalty was this charg'd upon them , deut. 18. 18 , 19. i will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren , like unto thee ; and will put my word in his mouth , and he shall speak unto them all that i shall command him . and it shall come to pass , that whosoever will not hearken unto my words , which he shall speak in my name , i will require it of him . the seventy render it , i will take vengance on him : and the hebrew doctors so explain the words , he that transgresseth against his words is guilty of death by the hand of god , as it is written , deut. 18. i will require it of him ; maimon . in jesud . hatorath , c. 9. § . 2. and the word require , often signifies to require by punishment , gen. 9.5 . 42.22 . the apostle expounds this place of of christ , and this requiring , to be destroying from amongst the people , act. 3.22 , 23. that this prophet is christ , he tells us , ver . 26. nor is this prophesie interpreted by any of the antient , or modern rabbies , except some very few , but only of the messiah : nor can it be interpreted of any other ; every particular being exactly fulfill'd in him . a prophet . ] mat. 21.11 . this is jesus the prophet . from among your brethren ] christ was raised up from amongst his brethren ; and 't is particularly mention'd out of what tribe amongst them he was taken , heb. 7.13 , 14. viz. of judah ; and the family he was of in that tribe , namely , that of david , is frequently mentioned , luk. 1.69 . and will put my words in his mouth ] accordingly christ said to god the father , joh. 17.8 . i have given unto them the words which thou gavest me . he shall speak unto them all that i shall command him ] this christ did , joh. 12. 49 , 50. i speak not of my self , but the father which sent me ; he gave me a commandment what i should say , and what i should speak — whatsoever i speak therefore , even as the father said unto me , so i speak , joh. 15.15 . all things that i have heard of my father have i made known unto you . joh. 17.8 . i have given unto them the words which thou gavest me , and they have received them . so that evidently christ is the prophet here spoken of . two or three things are worthy our special remark . 1. that christ is a prophet , raised up , sent by the father . 2. that the end of god in his mission of christ as a prophet , was to instruct the sons of men in the whole of his will , that he thought meet to manifest to them . 3. that christ actually made such a discovery of the fathers will. john 1.17 , 18. the law was given by moses , but grace , and truth came by jesus christ : no man hath seen god at any time ; the only begotten son , which is in the bosom of the father , he hath declar'd him . heb. 1.1 , 2. god , who at sundry times , and in divers manners , spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets , hath in these last dayes , spoken unto us by his son. 4. that all persons whatsoever are obliged , bound under the severest penalties , to attend to whatever was revealed by this prophet . this is also enforc'd by a voice from the excellent glory . mat. 17.5 . this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased , hear ye him . so then the scriptures of the new-testament are our directory ; whatever christ hath enjoyn'd therein , all saints are to have regard to . for what he declared from the father , is therein contain'd , and no where else . but , ii. there 's not the least intimation given by god the father , or this great prophet of the church , of any other way , or means of instruction in his worship , or service , but only the scriptures . 't is true , the popelings talk of traditions , ( as did , do , the jews before them ) and much of their worship ; many of their orders is bottom'd upon , receives its original from pretended visions , revelations , the personal appearance of the virgin mary , yea , of christ himself ( as they vainly pretend ) ; and perhaps satan might appear to them as an angel of light , and avouch himself to be the lord christ . as touching the carthusians , 't is acknowledg'd , that hugo , who joyn'd with bruno , in laying the foundations of that order , had a vision of gods building an house , with seven stars conducting them to a place , call'd , la grand chartreuse ; from whence the whole order hath taken its name . the order of the carmelites was from a vision that simon stock had , wherein the blessed virgin appear'd with the habit in her hand , which she would have them wear ; with a promise , that whoever dyed in that habit , should not perish by everlasting flames . innocent the third hath a vision of st. francis , and st. dominic , supporting the lateran church ; whence the franciscan and dominican orders sprang . as for the jesuits , their grandsire ignatius was full of visions . sometimes peter appear'd to him , sometimes the virgin mary , with a great deal of glory , and her child in her lap ; whereby he was greatly strengthned , and incouraged . but above all , the strangest vision he had , was a vision of the blessed trinity plainly , under a corporeal representation , which fill'd him so full of joy , that he could not hold weeping before all the people ; and was so strangly enlightned by it , that he began to write a book of the glory of the blessed trinity . in one of his exstasies he continued eight dayes ; in which it's probable , saith orlandinus , he saw the frame and model of the society of the jesuits . christ appeared to him once , and again ; sometimes he was lift up from the ground , the room where he was , being fill'd with a great light. in a vision he saw god the father commending himself and his brethren , to his son jesus bearing his cross ; whom he very kindly received , and with a smile , said to ignatius , i will be favourable to you at rome ; which greatly comforted him , and his companions . and in the issue , it fell out accordingly ; his order being confirm'd by p. paul the third , his bull dated octob. 3. 1540. as were their orders , so their festivals were instituted upon the bottom of pretended visions , and revelations : the festival of corpus christi was instituted by vrban the fourth , in honour of transubstantiation , by the revelation of a famous virgin call'd juliana ; which had many raptures , and so prophetick a spirit , as to discern the thoughts , and intentions of her neighbours hearts ; she wrestled with devils , discoursed with the apostles , and wrought many miracles . bullar . rom. tom. 1 p. 147. paul the hermite was canonized for a saint , upon the authority of a vision , and revelation . the feast of michael the arch-angel , upon a revelation to the bishop of siponto , and a few drovers upon the mountain garganus . to which many more might be added . these are the wayes satan hath used to establish his kingdom by , and to introduce his false , superstitious , idolatrous orders , and worship , destructive to the bodyes and souls of men. but in christ's doctrine , gospel , there is a deep silence touching any such matter . he himself , and his apostles after him , introduce nothing upon the account of such revelations , but appeal to the scriptures , and prove their doctrine from thence . not the least intimation is there of any way , or means of instruction in his worship , but only the scriptures . if there be , let the place be produced , and we are satisfied . if there be not , as most certain there is not , to hearken , attend to visions , revelations , is ( to say no more ) unsafe , dangerous . nor can it be consistent with the love of the father to his church , had he intended any other way of instruction , not to give the least notice of it to them ; nor with his wisdom , to make that discovery of his mind and will in the scriptures , to give it forth as our rule , when upon this supposition 't is a most imperfect one . but , iii. god sends us to the scripture for direction in this matter , isa . 8.20 . to the law , and to the testimony ; if they speak not according to this word , ( whatever their pretentions are of the morning , or the breaking forth of a more glorious day ) it is because there is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 morning in them : they have not the light of the glorious morning they speak of . luke 16.29 . they have moses , and the prophets ( i. e. the writings of moses and the prophets ) let them hear them . john 5.39 . search the scriptures , for in them ye think to have eternal life ; and they are they which testify of me . iv. jehovah himself , in and under each ministration , hath commanded his people to observe whatever he hath appointed in the scripture , without addition , or substraction . deut. 4.2 . ye shall not add to the word which i command you , neither shall you diminish ought from it , that ye may keep the commandments of the lord your god , which i command you . & chap. 12.32 . what thing soever i command you , observe to do it : thou shalt not add thereto , nor diminish from it . josh . 1.7 . that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law , which moses my servant commanded thee : turn not from it to the right hand , or to the left . prov. 30.5 , 6. every word of god is pure — add thou not unto his words , lest he reprove thee , and thou be found a liar . rev. 22.18 , 19. for i testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophesie of this book : if any man shall add unto these things , god shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book : and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie , god shall take away his part out of the book of life , and from the things which are written in this book . evidently , god tyes up his people under law and gospel to a strict , and sole attendment unto what he hath given forth in the scriptures ; and that because , v. these are sufficient , able , and perfect ( as he affirms of them ) to instruct and guide us , psal . 19.7 . the law of jehovah is perfect — 2 pet. 1.19 . we have also a more sure word of prophesie ( more sure than what ? than the voice that came from the excellent glory , when christ was transfigured upon the mount ) whereunto we do well to take heed , as unto a light that shineth in a dark place , untill the day dawn , and the day-star arise in your hearts . the word of prophesie contain'd in the scripture is a sure word , 't is a light ( every way sufficient as such , to direct us in the way we should take ) and is carefully to be attended to , till the morning of the day of the son of man , or the revelation of jesus . 2 tim. 3.15 , 16 , 17. — thou hast known the holy scriptures , which are are able to make thee wise unto salvation , through faith which is in christ jesus . all scripture is given by inspiration of god , and is profitable for doctrine , for reproof , for correction , for instruction in righteousness , that the man of god may be perfect , thorowly furnished unto all good works . the sum of what we have been arguing , proving , is this , that the holy scriptures are our directory with respect to worship ; all then ( and no more ) whatsoever christ hath commanded his people therein , saints are bound to attend , and give up to . and if so ( as is clearly demonstrated ) then christ having given charges therein , touching saints walking together in the fellowship of the gospel , worshipping , waiting on him in gospel-institutions , praying , preaching , baptism , breaking bread , is unquestionably the duty of saints in every generation : quod erat demonstrandum . object . t is true , these things were once of the institution of christ , but they are now ceased . answ . 1. they are the scriptures of the lord ( as we have proved ) we are solely to attend to , both with respect to doctrine , and worship ; let but then one syllable , tittle , be produced there-from , that demonstrates the cessation of these institutions of christ , and the matter is at an issue . the honour of our lord jesus being so deeply concerned herein , no sober christian ( except under a great power of temptation ) will be willing to part with them upon easier terms . 't is not pretensions to visions , revelations , angelick appearances , that will remove them from their stedfastness to the institutions of christ ; those that depart from them upon such pretensions , will never answer it , in the day of christ . but , 2. by the same reason , the institutions , ordinances under the mosaick ministration , might long before the fulness of time , for their dissolution , have been exploded ; so all the authority of god , with respect to worship , been rejected . to the very time of their passing away by the exhibition of jesus , who was greater than moses , by whom the law was given , john 1.17 . greater than angels , whose ministry was made use of in its solemn promulgation , act. 7.53 . the lord charges his people to be found in the practice of them , mal. 4.4 . and those that were so ( as corrupt as the then church-state was ) were honoured , signally blessed by the lord ; as zachary , elizabeth , simeon . — 3. there 's not the least mention of the freedom , exemption of any of the lords children from these institutions , till the personal appearance of christ ; but the contrary . object . 2. well then , it seems 't will be granted , that when christ doth personally appear on earth , there is to be a cessation of , and period put to this church-state , with the institutions , and ordinances thereunto appertaining : what if he hath so appeared already ? answ . 1. as touching the first , we very readily grant it : upon christ's next , visible , glorious appearance , there will certainly be a dissolution of this fabrick . but , 2. as to the question , whatever the pretensions of any are , or may be , of christs personal appearance to them , it s evidently false , and untrue ; not to be believed , heeded , or attended to , for these reasons ; 1. christ foretels us , there shall be such pretenders , and charges us not to believe them , or go forth after them , mat. 24.26 . therefore if they shall say unto you , behold he is in the desert , go not forth : behold he is in the secret chambers , believe it not . 2. the scripure mentions but one second coming of the lord jesus , heb. 9.28 . and unto them that look for him , shall he appear the second time without sin , unto salvation . upon this pretext , there may be , must be , many comings of christ . 3. the heavens must receive him till the times of the restitution of all things ; when ( and not before ) god the father will send him , act. 3.20 , 21. of these times there 's nothing appears that bears the least resemblance . 4. christ gives his church no notice of any such thing : which had he designed , and for such an end , as is pretended , viz. to put a period to the present ministration , and to erect a new one , send forth new apostles , &c. he would certainly have done . a total silence herein , were there any such thing intended by him , is perfectly inconsistent with the love he bears to his children . 5. 't is expresly said he must sit at jehovah's right hand till his enemies are made his foot-stool , psal . 110.1 which as yet we are sure they are not . 6. the work of intercession now in heaven , where he is constantly to attend it ; will not admit him to come from thence , tell he bring the new jerusalem down with him : for he makes intercession as god-man , in that nature , body , in which he was crucified ; which though a glorious body , yet is limited , circumscribed , else 't were not a body . 7. the scripture is express , that when he comes from thence , he comes visibly as he went away , so that every eye shall see him . mat. 24.27 , 30. for as the lightning cometh out of the east , and shineth even unto the west , so shall also the coming of the son of man be — then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven , and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn : and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power , and great glory . act. 1.9 , 10 , 11. and when he had spoken these things while they beheld , he ( christ ) was taken up , and a cloud received him out of their sight . and while they looked stedfastly towards heaven , as he went up , behold , two men stood by them , in white apparel , which also said , ye men of galilee , why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? this same jesus which is taken up from you into heaven , shall so come , in like manner , as ye have seen him go into heaven . rev. 1.7 . behold , he cometh with clouds , and every eye shall see him , and they also which pierced him . 8. when christ comes , satan shall be bound , rev. 20.1 , 2. the dead saints raised , 1 thes . 4.16 . 1 cor. 15.23 . antichrist perfectly destroyed , 2 thes . 2.8 . the kingdoms of this world become his , dan. 7.13 , 14. object . but christ came personally on earth to stephen , paul , john. answ . nothing more false . as to stephen , 't is expresly said concerning him , that he saw jesus in heaven standing on the right hand of god , act. 7.55 . the same line of interpretation is to be drawn over that sight that paul had of him . 't was a sight of him not on earth , but in heaven . may be , when he was caught up into paradice . john's was evidently visional . for , 1. he expresly tells us , he was in the spirit , in a prophetick exstasie , or rapture ( rev. 1.10 . ) taken out of himself ; when objects are not presented to the outward senses ( which are not in an extasie , capable of seeing , or beholding them ) but to the inward mind . 2. he also tells us , that he whom he saw , was ( only ) like unto the son of man , ver . 13. was not really , substantially so . 3. if it were a real , personal appearance , then the seven golden candlesticks must be seven real golden candlesticks ; the white garment down to christ's feet , the golden girdle , girt about the paps — the seven stars in his right hand ; the sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth must also be real ; which is absurd , ridiculous to imagine ; 't were to make christ a monster . 4. 't is expresly said , that he sent , and signified the revelation god gave him , by an angel , rev. 1.1 . the revelation of jesus christ , ( every particular , the whole , of what 's contain'd in this book ) which god gave unto him — he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant john. repeated again , rev. 22.6 . the lord god of the holy prophets , sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done . john , 't is true , mistakes him for christ , ver . 8. but is quickly rectified , ver . 9. i am thy fellow-servant , and of thy brethren the prophets , and of them which keep the sayings of this book . chap. iv. the book of the revelaetion containes a prophetick discovery of the state of the church , from the time of its being given forth to the glorious personal appearance of christ . the continuance of gospel-churches prophesied of in this book , to the time of christ's coming . the seven churches of asia , a type of gospel-churches , and their continuation to that time . four signal periods of time mentioned in the revelation . viz. the time of the roman-pagan empire ; of the prophesying of the witnesses ; of the last dragon-war ; of the witnesses rise , and pouring forth of the vials , which periods in the personal coming of christ . the continuation of the church-state through these several periods of time , demonstrated . the womans ( or church's ) flight into the wilderness , and the witnesses prophesying in sackcloath contemporize . her feeding in the wilderness , what , the manner of it . an objection answered . the two witnesses are not two particular persons , proved . they are before the last of the last dayes . who meant by the gentiles , rev. 11.2 . why call'd gentiles . the court without the temple , and the holy city , the treading under foot of the holy city , the temple of god , the altar , and worshippers therein , explained . the fourty-two months , or 1260 dayes , not ordinary months , or dayes , evinced . the antichrist is long since come . the papal kingdom is the antichrist . rev. 12.17 . at large explained . the dragon , woman , remnant of her seed , who they are : to what period of time that prophesie hath relation , the slaughter of the witnesses , not a corporeal slaughter , proved . the risen witnesses , and the vial-angels contemporize . none of the vials yet poured forth , rev. 15.5 . at large opened . what 's meant by the temple : why call'd the temple of the testimony . what the opening of the temple signifies . demonstration . iv. throughout the book of the revelation , we have a plain , and full account , of a church-state , or saints worshipping god in gospel-churches , till the personal appearance of christ . two things must be premised . 1. this book of the revelation is a discovery from god the father to jesus christ , of things ( especially relating to his churches ) that were shortly to come to pass , rev. 1.1 . i. e. the accomplishment of some of the things there prophesied of , was immediately to take place . yet , 2. it containes a prophetick discovery of the state of the church , from that time to the personal coming of the lord jesus , rev. 20.1 . and i saw an angel [ constantine , say some ; an arch-angel , so others ; christ , the angel of the covenant , so rather ] come down from heaven , having the key of the bottomless pit. ( christ alone hath so , rev. 1.18 . ) chap. 21.3 . the tabernacle of god is with men . and 22.20 . he which testifieth these things saith , surely i come quickly , amen ; even so come lord jesus . so then , if we demonstrate , that the continuance of a church-state , or gospel-churches , is prophesied of throughout this book , the continuation of gospel-churches , with the worship , ordinances , institutions peculiar to them , cannot be denied . a late learned author ( and some others before him ) asserts , that by the seven churches of asia ( rev. 2. & 3. ) the state of the church of christ downwards , to the end of all things , is represented . and the truth is , with that strength of arguments , that i know not how it can be refelled . the church of ephesus representing the state of the church of christ to the tenth of nero's raign , a.d. 63. smyrna , the state of the church from 63. tell a.d. 324. ( when constantine had subdued the most potent enemies of the church ) and comprises the ten presecutions . pergamos , the state of the church from 324. to a.d. 1242. when the popes legate amelin , made an end of the albigensian war , with trancavel , bastard of the earl of beziers . thyatira , the state of the church from 1242. till whole nations fell off from the papacy . sardis , from the rise of the witnesses to the last vial. philadelphia , from the time of the last vial , to the fourth thunder . laodicea , the state of the church from the fourth and fifth thunders , i. e. from the loosing of satan , to the appearing of christ's coming to judgment under the sixth thunder . now , though i have several reasons why i cannot comply with this learned author , as touching the computation of time ; yet his arguments , to prove the state of the church , from that time to the confummation of the world , to be represented by the seven churches of asia , seem unanswerable as , 1. the title of the revelation , ver . 1. the revelation of jesus christ — to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass . the asiatick churches then were ; this book containes a revelation of things that were to be . 2. . john's present saluting of the seven churches upon his calling this a book of prophesies , with this salutation , grace be unto you , and peace from him which is , and which was , and which is to come , manifests as much . 3. the description he gives of christ , which is , and which was , and which is to come , ver . 4.8 , 11. doth intimate that he is treating of what reaches from the beginning of the church to the latest ages thereof ( even to the coming of christ , ver . 7. ) 4. the preamble into the vision of the seven churches , ver . 10. and that of the seven seales is so like , that it seems they are both of like extent and importance . 5. else no reason can be given , 1. why , after the spirit had given notice , that this book is a prophesie of things to come , he should presently start from the title , and intended subject , to write seven epistles that have nothing considerable of prophesie in them ; and that he should do this , with as great pomp , and as high a preamble , as when he begins the prophesie of the seals , and the open'd book . 2. why the epistles should be writ to the churches of asia , rather than to the churches of europe , and affrick . 3. why he gives the precedency to this church rather than that . 4. why just seven , neither more , nor less . 5. why these seven , rather than any others , which might have the very same vertues and vices . 6. why christ is described holding the seven stars in his right hand , in the epistles to the churches of ephesus , and sardis . 7. why the church of ephesus of all others , should be commended for their trying false apostles . 8. why 't is said to the church of smyrna , more than to any other , be thou faithful nnto death , and i will give thee a crown of life . 9. why such an ataxy in the ranging of the churches , that the two irreprehensible churches , smyrna , and philadelphia , are not joyned together ; ephesus , sardis , and laodicea against whom there is no complaint of eating things offer'd to idols ; and then pergamos and thy●tira , in which there is . 10. why christ , before the epistle to the church in pergamos , is set out by a two-edged sword ; and in the church of thyatira , by his feet like fine brass [ as if they burned in the furnace ; for that supplement must be added . ] 11. why antypas should be named by name ( in a book so full of aenigmatical involutions . ) 12. why christ expresseth a greater disgust against the church of laodicea , than that of sardis , which is said to be quite dead . 13. why in every epistle , that phrase is used , i know thy works ; which is a thing of small importance in the literal sense ; but in the prophetical , it seems on purpose so repeated , to intimate an allusion in asia , to the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , was intended to answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) that asia may also be significant , as well as the names of the seven churches . 14. why a particular woman should be taken notice of by name in the church of thyatira , more than others . 15. why the promise of ruling over the nations , and receiving the morning-star , should be made to the church of thyatira more than others . 16. why the temptation that was to come upon all the world , should be mention'd rather to the church in phyladelphia , than others . 17. why upon her should be written the name of the city of god , &c. 18. why the church of the laodiceans should account her self so hugely rich , increased in goods , and to have no want in any thing . 19. why that phrase , he that hath an ear to hear , let him hear — which our saviour is found so often to add at the end of his parables , should be used in every epistle ; they being no parables , but epistles sent to each of those churches in asia respectively — the sum is , the seven asiatick churches were types of the state of the church ( or the churches of christ ) from that time to the end of all things . there must then all along be churches to answer to these types . sometimes ( 't is true ) more pure , spiritual , splendid , visible ; sometimes less , as the types of them represent ; but alwayes such as christ ownes for his churches , and as such walks in the midst of them . but further , the state of the churches as represented in the book of the revelation , may be consider'd under a fourfold period of time . i. the time of the roman-pagan empire : that then there were true churches of christ , will not be denied . against them , satan the great red dragon , in that pagan-state , set himself with all the cruelty imaginable , pouring out the blood of myriads of the lords faithful ones . these churches wrestle with god night and day , in faith , prayer , supplication ; and at last the whole state ( as a just judgment of god upon them , for their cruelties exercised upon his children ) passes away , rev. 6. these churches , are the woman cloathed with the sun , having the moon under her feet , and upon her head a crown of twelve stars , rev. 12.1 . ii. the time of the prophesying of the witnesses , which synchronizes with the time of the wild-beast , or antichrist . that during this time , which is one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes , or fourty-two months ( which according to the grecian account , thirty dayes to a month is the same . ) there were gospel-churches , is evident . for , 1. the witnesses themselves are such ; therefore call'd two candlesticks , rev. 11.4 . these are the two olive-trees , and the two candlesticks standing before the lord of the earth . candlesticks ! who , or what are they ? the palmoni , wonderful numberer , the interpreter , one of a thousand , shall answer for us ( and one would think the interpretation he gives , should pass without question among those who call themselves by his name ) rev. 1.20 . the seven candlesticks which thou sawest , are seven churches . object . but why here but two candlesticks ? answ . the antichristian apostacy had now so far prevailed , that christ could own but a few as standing in such a relation unto himself . 2. during this period , there is a temple of god , an altar , and such as worship therein : which can denote nothing less than a gospel-church-state , and gospel-worshippers therein ; in opposition to the court without , and holy city which is given to the gentiles , ( or antichristians ) to tread under foot , rev. 11.1 , 2. and this temple , &c. is to be measured with a rod , ver . 1. 't will not be altogether impertinent to enquire ; what 's held forth by the measuring of the temple , &c. five things i humbly conceive the spirit of the lord intends by it . 1. the churches of christ that were in a witness for him , being reduced to more purity , and scripture-simplicity than was with them a little before . through the cunning working of the man of sin ( though then in a mystery ) professors had not a little swerved from scripture-rule . the body , generality of these are swallowed up in the antichristian apostacy ; a little remnant are awakened to stand up , as witnesses for christ ; and they perceiving disorders amongst themselves , reduce all to the scripture-standard ; the only way to heal all the differences amongst christians , touching worship at this day . 2. the paucity of true , sincere worshippers , so few , that they might easily be measured . 3. the difference god makes betwixt professors ; some he curiously measures , others he deals not so with , as not worth minding , being virgins , nullius pretii , of no reckoning , value . 4. that the building of the church is gods work ; his measuring-line , not man's must be stretcht over it . 5. his care to preserve this remnant in that purity , simplicity of worship , that was according to his will , and they had attain'd to , during the whole time of the antichristian apostacy , and prophesying of the witnesses against it . measuring in scripture ( somtimes at least ) denotes the care , concern of jehovah for the thing measured . iii. all the time of antichrist's rampancy , there are two witnesses that have power given them from the lord ( at least till the time of their slaughter ) to prophesie against antichrist ; i. e. to stand by the lord of the whole earth against him , rev. 11.3 , 4. viz. to take christ's part against antichrist ; maintain , defend the things of christ against the incroachments , devices , carnal inventions of antichrist . now this man of sin made not onely advances against the doctrine of the gospel , but against the oeconomy , order thereof , with respect to worship , christ hath his particular churches with fixed officers in them ( institutions , orders , of his own affixed to them ) all gather'd by the power of the spirit , and voluntarily giving up themselves , to the lord and one another : pastors , teachers , chosen by them from amongst themselves , he the head of them all : antichrist hath his oecumenical , universal church , officers , institutions , ordinances , forraign , contrary to christ's : he sets up himself as head of this antichristian-church ; gathers into it , by force , violence ; rules , governs it , by canons , laws of his own . if then christ hath his witnesses , and their work be to witness for him against antichrist's innovations ; they must be found not only pleading against these , ( which would be only a negative testimony ) but witnessing for the order , institutions of christ ; and so consequently be in the practice of these . for it cannot be imagin'd , that christ's witnesses should own that in principle , and plead for it , which they are themselves out of the practice of . nay the truth is , this last is that , wherein their witness signally lyes . iv. that the woman's flight into the wilderness ▪ rev. 12.6 . and the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth , contemporize , is not onely generally granted ; but 't is from hence evident , because the time of the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth , and the womans continuing in the wilderness , is the same . rev. 11.3 . they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and sixty dayes clothed in sackcloth . rev. 12.6 . and the woman fled into the wilderness , where she hath a place prepared of god that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and three-score dayes . that she was in the wilderness in a church-state waiting upon the lord , in institutions , ordinances of his own appointment , is evident . 1. she is therefore call'd the woman ; as the false church is call'd the whorish woman , because of her antichristian church-state , worship , ordinances . 2. 't is said , they should feed her there . quest . who shall feed her there ? answ . persons appointed by the lord , and chosen by the church in this her wilderness-state shall do it . quest . how should they feed her ? answ . there 's no extraordinary way of feeding pointed at by the spirit of the lord ; therefore she 's to be fed in god's ordinary way ; in her attendment on institutions of his own appointment for that end . so that evidently there were churches , church-institutions , worship , all the time of the witnesses prophesying . object . all this may be granted , and yet the continuance of gospel-churches not proved ; for the witnesses began not to prophesie till a few years ago . answ . though this objection be very weak , frivolous , the basis upon which it is built , generally exploded by all reformed christians , and therefore may seem not worthy our notice : yet resolving not willingly to pass by any thing , that may seem to have the least shadow of argument in it , against what we are pleading for ; and for the sake of some that are ( or may be ) in danger to be led aside , by such pretensions as these , we shall particularly examine it . several things are supposed , as the basis upon which this objection is built , that are evidently false ; which being demonstrated to be so , the objection will presently evaporate into smoke , and vanity . as , 1. that the two witnesses spoken of , are two particular persons . 2. that they are to come in the last of the last dayes . 3. that the time of their prophesie is but one thousand two hundred , and three-score natural dayes . now the heterodoxy of all this , will presently appear . i. as touching the first , 't is true , bellarmine the jesuite , and others , tell us , not only that they are two particular persons , ( whom some of late follow ) but also who they are , viz. enoch and elias ( who they say shall come , and fight against antichrist in jerusalem , and there be put to death by him , bellar. de rom. pontif. l. 3. c. 13. ) : but that they are not , cannot be two particular persons , is evident . 1. the two witnesses are call'd , two candlesticks ; which christ interprets to be churches ( as was said before . ) 2. the two witnesses prophesie , all the wild beast's ( antichrist's ) reign , viz. fourty-two months , or one thousand two hundred sixty dayes , viz. prophetick dayes , i. e. years , as shall by and by be demonstrated . 't is not to be imagined , that any two particular persons should ever live so long . 3. during the time of their prophesie , they torment them that dwell upon the earth , rev. 11.10 . i. e. the antichristian kingdom : which 't is not probable , two particular persons ( especially considering that those which hold this notion , assert also , that the 1260. dayes , are natural dayes , or three years and an half ) should do in so short a time . 4. when they are slain , and lye dead in the street of the great city three dayes and an half , ( natural dayes as they 'l have it ) they of the people , and kindreds , and tongues , and nations ( viz. the multitude over which antichrist presides ) see their dead bodies , and rejoyce over them — which that they should do , if but two particular persons , and they lye dead for so short a time , is the first-born of absurdities . 't is impossible , within that limit , the persons mention'd should all hear of it , much more come to see it . ii. that the two witnesses are to come in the last of the last dayes , is also an unscriptural-vanity , as is evident . 1. the two witnesses prophesying , and the gentiles treading under foot the holy city , contemporize , rev. 11.2 , 3. but the court which is without the temple leave out , and measure it not : for it 's given unto the gentiles , and the holy city shall they tread under foot fourty and two months . and i will give power unto my two witnesses , and they shall prophesie 1260 dayes cloathed in sackcloth . the fourty two months , according to the grecian account , are exactly 1260. dayes : so long then as the gentiles tread down the holy city , so long are the witnesses to prophesie . a few things must further be enquir'd into . 1. who we are to understand by the gentiles . 2. what by the holy city . 3. what their treading under foot the holy city , means . 4. what space of time the fourty-two months take up , in which 't is said , the gentiles shall tread down the holy city . 1. by the gentiles , we are to understand the antichristians ; particularly the bloody papists , headed by the pope [ that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , man of sin , that son of perdition , that lawless one , 2. thes . 2.3 , 8. ] these are call'd gentiles , because , 1. of their introduction of idolatrous worship practised amongst the gentiles . i mean not only the worship of statues , idols of wood , stone , brass , silver , gold ; but the worship of heroes , ( or saints ) in imitation of the gentile-heroes , whom they worship'd . 2. of their being actuated by the same spirit of bloody cruelty , against the worshippers within the temple and altar ( or the true spiritual worshipers ) , with which the gentiles before them were actuated against the primitive believers ; and actually murdering the true servants of the lord , as they did . 2. the court without the temple , and the holy city ( which type out the same thing ) is the antichristian church-state , worship , worshippers , orders , ordinances . the temple of god , the altar , and the worshippers therein , v. 1. are the gospel-church-state , with the worship , and worshippers thereunto belonging ( as hath been proved . ) the court then without the temple , and the holy city , to be left out ( as a matter of no worth ) is the false church-state , with its worship and worshippers . 3. their treading under foot the holy city , denotes . 1. the numerousness of the antichristian worshippers . 2. their frequency in their antichristian service , as the phrase is taken , isa . 1.12 . psal . 121.2 . q. d. measure not the court — . the false worship , worshippers , are so contemptible , vile , they deserve not to be taken notice of : are so numerous , that they cannot well be measured — they throng the city , as if they would tread it under foot at once . 4. the fourty-two months cannot possibly denote fourty-two ordinary months , or one thousand two hundred and sixty natural dayes , or three years and an half , for these reasons . 1. the papacy ( represented under the notion of the gentiles — ) have been already rampant hundreds of years ; persecuted , murder'd , destroyed millions of saints , for not treading together with them , the holy city . 2. as was said , the forty-two months , and the one thousand two hundred sixty dayes are the same : now , a day for a year is the prophetick reckoning . see num. 14.34 . ezek. 4.6 . so in the prophesie of daniel , chap. 8.21 , 23. and 9.24 . and 12.11 , 12 ▪ and for ought i find in all prophetick books , where any signal time is spoken of . 3. that the gentiles treading down the holy city , and the wild beast , rev. 13.2 , 3. are the same , hath hitherto been taken for granted ; and 't is evident they are so ; as from other considerations , so from this , that the same term is given to them both , ver . 5. and power was given to him forty-two months ( or one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes , as was before intimated . ) now , t is impossible , that what is said to be done by , and ascribed to , this wild beast , should be shut up in so short a period , as three years and an half . for , 1. he brings the whole world under his subjection , is a dread and terror to them ; grows so considerable , that none is able to make war with him , ver . 4 , 7. and they worshipped the beast , saying , who is like unto the beast ? who is able to make war with him . 2. all the world wonders after the beast . ver . 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 — . the word is very emphatick , denoting honour , reverence , fear of any one , upon the account of some wonderful strange thing done by him . 't is translated jude . 16. the having ( mens persons ) in admiration . it comes from the hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greatly to observe , reverence , worship , to magnify , have in great esteem . some read it , he was admired in the whole earth . the arabick translates it , the whole earth wondring , followed the beast . which is indeed the sense of the place . q. d. such wonderful things shall be done by the beast in the sight of the world , that with the greatest admiration , highest approbation and consent , they shall take the beasts part , list themselves under his standard . the aethiopick reads , and the whole earth wondred , and followed this beast ; to the same purpose . 3. he makes war with the saints , and overcomes them , v. 7. acts that must certainly take up more time than three years and an half for their production . iii. antichrist , who is the same with the wild beast , but now mentioned ( as is granted by all ) was in the womb in the apostles dayes ; wrought then under ground in a mystery , labouring to come forth ; which he at last did , exalting himself above all that is called god , or worshipped , shewing himself that he is god , 2 thes . 2.4 , 7. he more openly shew'd himself , whilst the apostle john was yet alive , than he did in paul's dayes , john 2.22 , 23. and 4.2 , 3. so that it 's evident , that the antichrist was in the womb in the apostles dayes ; and openly discover'd himself not long after the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( that which letted ) call'd the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( the letter , or he which letteth ) 2 thes . 2.6 , 7. was taken out of the way . various are the sentiments of the learned touching this letter . the learned brightman makes him to be the sixth head of the roman empire : others think him to be the holy spirit , who by his signal presence , power with the primitive believers , kept antichrist from ascending to that heighth of dignity , supremacy , he aimed at . some adjudge it to be the apostasie spoken of , ver . 3. except there come a falling away first , and that man of sin be revealed , the son of perdition . q. d. the general apostacy must first be , ere the man of sin ( or antichrist ) openly manifest himself ; when that is , he will quickly appear to head it . it s not yet coming , is that which lets his revelation . the generality take it for the roman-pagan-empire , or emperour , in his full power , and majesty , flourishing , and living at his seat in rome . which i humbly conceive is paul's intendment . for , 1. no reason can be given , why paul expresses himself in so dark terms ; that which letteth this letter , if the roman-pagan-empire be not intended ; but if so , the reason is obvious : they had an opinion , that this empire was everlasting ; to have talk'd of its removal , would have stirr'd them up to have persecuted the saints , as the enemies of it . less occasions they many times took so to do . 2. antichrist's seat was to be rome , rev. 17.9 . the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth , i. e. the city built on seven hills , is antichrists seat , viz. rome , alone famous amongst historians upon that account . septem urbs alta jugis , toti quae praesidet orbi . the seven-hill'd city that governs the world , saith propertius . but take the letter , or that which letteth , in either of the forementioned sences , and he hath been actually taken away for above this thousand years . immediately upon which antichrist was revealed ; whose time , and the beast's , are the same ; for they themselves are the same . therefore the fourty-two months cannot possibly denote fourty-two ordinary months , or one thousand two hundred and sixty natural dayes , viz. three years , and a half ; but a much longer tract of time . by what hath hitherto in this matter been offered , the judicious reader will find a plain probation of the main thesis , we are now in the confirmation of , viz. that the two witnesses come before the last of the last dayes . for , 2. the two witnesses are expresly said to prophesie one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes , i. e. years , according to the prophetick reckoning , as we have proved . 3. the witnesses prophesying ▪ and the rampancy of the wild-beast , rev. 13.2 , 3. — take up the same time of fourty two months , or , one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes ; but it hath been demonstrated , that the term of the wild beast is not so short as three years and an half ; therefore the witnesses prophesying cannot be thrust into so narrow a compass . 4. the time of the witnesses prophesying , and antichrists day ( after his revelation ) are the same : for antichrist , and the wild beast , rev. 13. are the same . and the witnesses prophesying , and the rampancy of the wild beast take up the same time , as hath been proved . that antichrist hath been reveal'd in the world for hundreds of years past , hath also been demonstrated . therefore the witnesses prophesying hath been also thus long , so must have their existence as prophesying witnesses before the last of the last dayes ; quod erat demonstrandum . as touching the third supposition upon which the objection is built , viz. iii. that the time of the witnesses prophesie ; is but for one thousand two hundred and sixty natural dayes : the contrary hath been , from what hath been said touching the second particular , abundantly evinc'd ; to which add , the witnesses are to prophesie all the time of antichrist ( as hath been proved : ) the truth is , they are raised up , spirited by the lord as witnesses to prophesie against him , and his incroachments upon the soveraign authority of christ . t is true , the papists , that they may clear the pope of the charge hath been by the protestants laid against him as the antichrist , assert , that antichrist is not yet come ; that he is not to come till towards the period of time ; to continue , when he comes , but three years , and an half . thus bellarmin l. 3 . de pontif. antichristus debet regnare non nisi tres annos cum medio praecise . antichristi adventus erit paulo ante finem mundi : continuo post mortem ejus mundus finetur . i. e. antichrist ought to raign but three years , and an half precisely . the coming of antichrist , shall be a little before the end of the world : by and by , after his death , the world shall terminate . two things in this matter are easily demonstrated . 1. that antichrist is long since come . i. that the papal kingdom is the antichrist spoken of : which , if plainly from scripture demonstrated , it undeniably follows , that the time of the witnesses prophesie cannot be shut up within the limits of one thousand two hundred and sixty natural days . 1. that antichrist is long since come , is evident ; for , 1. he is prophesied of , as to come when the apostacy should break forth , 2. thes . 2.3 . except there come a falling away first , and that man of sin be revealed : so that evidently upon the coming in of the apostacy , the man of sin , or antichrist , is to be revealed . but the apostack hath been already for several hundreds of years : witness the corruption in doctrine , viz. justification by works , transubstantiation , &c. in worship , viz. the veneration of reliques , the invocation of saints , the worship of the breaden god , images , &c. 2. the mystery of iniquity wrought ( viz. in order to the bringing forth of the man of sin ) in the apostles dayes , 2 thes . 2.7 . it cannot then be imagin'd , but his birth was near . what ? in the womb then , and not to be brought forth for hundreds of years after ? credat appella ! 't is a figment , that the repetition of , is refutation sufficient . 3. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or that which letted his revelation , 2 thes . 2.6 . was long since removed out of the way , as hath been demonstrated . immediately upon which , he was to be revealed , ver . 8. the truth of this , will more evidently appear in our discussions of the second particular , viz. 2. that the papal kingdom , is the antichrist spoken of in the scripture : which we shall in a distinct treatise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fully demonstrate . the third period of time mentioned in the revelation is , iii. the time of the last dragon-war : when we have an account also of a gospel-church-state ; churches worshipping god , according to the appointment of christ . of this war we have an account , rev. 12.17 . and the dragon was wroth with the woman , and went about to make war with the remnant of her seed . v.l. and the dragon was wroth against the woman , and went to make war with the rest of her seed . ar. therefore that serpent was wroth against the woman ; and went to wage war with the seed of the woman , that was left . syr. and that dragon was wroth against the woman , and went to make war with them , who are the residue of her seed . aeth . and this beast was wroth against this woman , and went that he might oppugn the rest of her sons . much to the same purpose . a few things must be considered . 1. who is meant by the dragon . 2. who by the woman . 3. who are the remnant of her seed . 4. what this war is . 5. to what period of time it hath relation . 6. that in the time of this war , there is a gospel-church-state of the appointment of christ , to which saints are found in conformity . i. as touching the first , by the dragon we are to understand the devil . so the spirit interprets , ver . 9. and the great dragon was cast out , that old serpent call'd the devil , and satan . so also , rev. 20.2 . so call'd upon the account of his , 1. sublety . 2. malice , enmity against mankind , especially the saints . 3. cruelty , in devouring , swallowing them up . 4. strength , power to put in execution ( by divine sufferance ) his enmity against them . but yet the devil as acting not in the roman-pagan-state , but in the antichristian ; wherein he most evidently displayes his enmity , bloody cruelty , subtilty , and power . now this seems to be very evident . for this dragon is said to have seven heads , and ten horns , and ten crowns upon his heads . the seven heads are interpreted , rev. 17.9 , 10. not only to be seven mountains , but also seven kings , or seven sorts of government ; whereof five were fallen , when john writ , viz. kings , consuls , tribunes , decemvirs , dictators ; and one then was , viz. pagan-emperours ; and the seventh was not yet come , viz. christian emperours ; amongst whom springs antichrist , who is said to be the eighth and yet of the seventh , ver . 11. so then during the time of the roman-pagan-emperors , the dragon had but six heads ; therefore by the dragon we are not to understanding the devil as acting in that state , but in the antichristian , when he had his seven heads compleat . the ten horns are also interpreted , rev. 17.12 . to be ten kings which had at that time of johns writing , received no kingdom : they respect a time when the roman-empire should be divided into ten kingdoms , which was not while the empire was pagan , but under the seventh head , about the year four hundred fifty six . to which add that john doth painly enough intimate , that these ten horns did not appertain to the sixth head that then was , or the roman-pagan-empire , but to the seventh , which was to come ; for though he tells us , they were ten kings , yet he adds , that they had received no kingdom at that time ; i. e. they were kings not actually , but only in the purpose of god , to be produced as such under the seventh head , or roman-christian-empire . besides , the beast with seven heads , and ten horns , is expresly said to carry the whore , or antichristian-church , rev. 17.3 . from all which its most clear , that the dragon with seven heads , and ten horns , is to be understood the devil , as acting not in the roman-pagan , but christian ( or rather antichristian ) state. 2. by the woman , we are to understand the churches of christ : so call'd upon the account of their visible espousal to him , or giving up themselves to him as their lord , and husband ; owning his despotick authority , in their profest subjection to all his institutions . this seems evident . because , 1. by woman in the first verse , is meant the churches of christ ( as is generally granted ) the primitive churches , say most ; the churches of christ , as appearing in a latter-day-glory , say others : and as the woman was at first call'd of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ish the man , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 isha woman , because she was of him : so are the churches of christ call'd , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , hashulammith , shulamitesse , or salomona , or she that is peaceable , of him who is the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sheloma , cant. 6.12 . 2. these are frequently , as is already proved , call'd the bride , the wife of christ , said to be betrothed , espoused to him : he is call'd their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ish , lord , husband . 3. the woman ( as related to christ ) is in the book of the revelation , set in opposition to the whore , or mother of harlots , rev. 17. now she types out the false churches : therefore by the woman we are to understand the true churches of christ . 3. by the remnant of the womans seed , some understand such as were brought forth by her in the wilderness , or particular members of the church ( as others ) who by reason of the iniquity of the times , cannot come together to worship god in the solemn assemblies openly , as formerly , yet seperately and apart , they do worship him . now there are several things that i humbly conceive lye in the way of these interpretations . i. this war is not in , but out of the wilderness : for into the wilderness the dragon could not , it seems , pursue her . therefore he casts a flood of vvater out of his mouth , to swallow her up , but with little success , for the earth helps her , opens her mouth and swallows up the flood , rev. 12.15 , 16. besides , he would ( if he could ) have attaqu't the mother in the vvilderness , as well as the children brought forth by her there ; whereas this is a particular vvar against the remnant of her seed . nor , 2. can i see , how their worshipping severally , and a part , is consistent with the characters given of the remnant of the womans seed , ver . 17. who are expresly said to keep the commandments of god , and to have the testimony of jesus christ . nor , 3. would satan have lookt upon them in their divided state , to be so considerable , as to go about to make so formal a war against them , as is intimated : could he disunite , break , dissipate , scatter the disciples of christ , he would think he had done his work ; at least so far , that he might pick them up by degrees , as he saw meet ; and not put himself to the cost and trouble [ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ] of raising a war against them . little do some think , how much they serve satan , by driving on a design of scattering the saints , and calling them off their church-assemblies : a work he hath been attempting by various artifices , and methods , ever since christ had his churches in the world ; but hitherto without success . this matter then must farther be considered . by the seed of the woman ( in the first scripture-notion of that expression ) we are to understand the messiah , christ , gen. 3.15 . here it hath respect to the saints , begotten by the word , and spirit of jesus : call'd the seed of the woman , because born in the midst of the churches of christ , before that their flight into the wilderness , mention'd , v. 14. as also because like her , of the same nature , spirit , temper , walking in the same footsteps , owning the same principles , doctrine , practising the same worship , found in the observation of the same institutions , ordinances , with her . by the remnant then of her seed , we are to understand , such as remain behind her , when she flies into the wilderness , go not with her thither . the wilderness points out a state of secrecy , retirement , and so safety : the woman ( i. e. the body of the churches ) flies into the wilderness from the face of the serpent , worships in holes , corners ; whilest this remnant keep on in their visible owning the wayes , ordinances , institutions of christ as formerly . who ( with submission i speak it ) i conceive to be most strictly the witnesses in their last testimony to jesus . 4. as touching the fourth and fifth particular , what this war is , and to what period of time it hath relation ; it seems ( at least to me ) evident from what hath been already offer'd , that 't is the last advance of the dragon , or devil , acting in the papal-antichristian-wilde-beast , ascending out of the bottomless pit ( or coming forth in more than ordinary malice , fury ) against the two witnesses , or such of the womans seed , who shall at this time most strictly have the spirit of prophesie with them ; and so bear up for a season , in a testimony for christ against him ; the issue whereof , shall be their slaughter , or the driving them off that publick testimony they are bearing , into the wilderness , whether the woman , or the body of the churches was before fled . and this seems more than probable . because , 1. though here 's mention of the dragons going about to make war with the remnant of the womans seed ; yet there 's no intimation of the least execution , as to any corporeal slaughter he makes upon them : but they seem rather ( with respect to that ) in as great safety as the woman that before was fled into the wilderness : in answer to which , the slaughter of the witnesses is not , cannot be a corporeal slaughter , as amongst others is most evident from this single consideration : viz. such as their slaughter is , such will their resurrection be ; if their slaughter be corporeal , their resurrection must be so : but their resurrection is not , cannot be a corporeal resurrection ; because it crosses the scripture , 1 cor. 15.23 . every one in his own order , christ the first-fruits , afterwards those that are christ's at his coming : clearly asserting , that the saints rise not till the personal coming of christ : but now the witnesses rise before ; as is granted by all . 2. after this advance of the dragon , you hear no more of this remnant of the womans seed , till the great randezvouz upon mount sion , rev. 14.1 . where they are the risen witnesses , represented under the notion of one hundred forty and four thousand , with their fathers name upon their foreheads — going forth under the conduct of the lamb , to execute the judgements written against antichrist , ver . 7.8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12. to the end . and no wonder , for all this while , viz. from the time of their slaughter , to the time of their rise , they lie dead , as to any publick visible witness for christ ; which formerly they bear , till the spirit of life , from god , re-enters into them ; and they stand upon their feet — . 3. this war against the remnant of the womans seed , is much about the same time with her second flight into the wilderness , ver . 14. that that flight of the woman into the wilderness is a second flight , is evident . for , 1. she is represented , ver . 10 , 12. as coming out of it with tryumph , shouting , having greatned confidence , that she should never return thither again ; for she sings , ver . 10. now is come salvation , and strength , and the kingdom of our god , and the power of his christ . 2. the wilderness whether she flies , is call'd her place , ver . 14. viz. with respect to what 's said , ver . 6. with relation to her first flying thither . and the woman fled into the wilderness , where she hath a place prepared of god. into this place , which is now call'd , her place , because before prepar'd for her of god , doth she now fly . now that second flight of the woman into the wilderness , is exactly the same with the time of the witnesses lying dead ; she is nourish't for a time , times , and half a time , from the face of the serpent : so the witnesses lye dead a time [ one year ] times [ two years ] and half a time [ half a year ] viz. three years and a half which is congruous to the scripture-notion of time , or times , dan. 4.23 , 25. vi. that in the time of this war , there is a gospel-church-state , is evident . for , 1. there 's the woman , i. e. the saints in church-communion worshipping god in the wayes of christs institution ( for upon this account she 's call'd the woman , bride of christ , as hath been proved ) fled into the wilderness , just ( as 't were ) upon its commencement . 2. the remnant of the womans seed which keep the commandments of god , ver . 17. if by the commandments of god , we understand the commandments of god the father , or of jesus christ , it comes all to one . for one great commandment of the father to the sons of men , is to hear christ , deut. 18.18 , 19. and on the holy mount , a voice is heard to the same purpose , mat. 17.5 . and christ tells us , that those that have heard , and learnt of the father , come to him ; viz. to be instucted by him , john 6.45 . and he that hears him , i. e. obey's , subjects to him , his in-doctrinations , teachings , hears the father . 3. they are also said to have the testimony of jesus . i. e. 1. negatively , they hold not to the decrees , canons , laws , institutions of pope , councils , fathers , &c. they abhor to comply with any antichristian superstitions , worship , orders , ordinances : would they have done so , the devil had never gon about to make war against them . the spirit testifyes of them , that they were not defiled with woman , rev. 14.4 . i. e. with none of the idolatries , superstitions , fornications of the great whore , or any of her daughters . 2. positively , they do visibly own jesus christ , in all his offices , laws , institutions ; nor will they be perswaded to leave them , or cease to conform to them whatever it cost them . the lord testifies of them in their risen-state , that they are virgins , rev. 14.4 . i. e. chast to christ , faithful to his institutions . and thus much touching the third period of time , in which it's evident , there are churches of the institution of christ . that there are so , 4. at the witnesses rise , and all along the pouring out of the vials , is very evident by the same book of the revelation : by the way i would modestly give my judgment touching two things . i. that the risen-witnesses , and the vial-angels , contemporize . this seems evident . for , 1. the time of the witnesses prophesying , is a time of mourning to them , being in their sack-cloth-state , and for the most part the time of antichrist . rampancy : but at the time of their rise , the scene begins to alter ; and the vengance of god falls so fearfully upon the antichristians , that the tenth part of the city falls ; or one of the ten kingdoms totally draws off from antichrist , and is brought into subjection to christ : the time of the beginning of the pouring out of the vials , is a time of mourning to the antichristians : for the vials are vials of the pure wrath of god almighty pour'd forth in his authority , and by his appointment , upon them . 2. from the witnesses rise , the destruction of the kingdom of the beast , or of antichrist goe's on , till he be wholly destroyed , and the kingdoms become the lords , rev. 11.14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18. the same fate befals the antichristians under the pouring forth of the vials : their kingdom is gradually wasted , consumed , till it cease to be , rev. 16 from first to last . but this is not a place fully to prosecute this matter . ii. that there are none of the vials yet poured forth : these few things ( amongst others ) which must not now be mentioned ) lead me captive to the belief of this assertion . 1. the witnesses , i humbly conceive , are not yet risen , 't is to be feared not yet slain . now the risen-witnesses , and vial-angels synchronizing , they not being risen , these have not pour'd forth one vial. 2. we have not yet seen the preparatory work , to the powring forth of the vials mentioned , rev. 15. 3. the subject of the vials are the persons , or things of antichrist . the vials being vials of pure wrath ; on whatever persons , or things , they fall , they totally consume them ; so , as that they shall never stand up , or exist more . what of the persons , things of antichrist have been thus removed , destroyed ; are they not all in their splendour , height , glory at this day ? 4. the vial-angels , and the stone-smiting , dan. 2. synchronize : the effects of the one , and the other , are the same ; viz. the total destruction of antichrist , and introduction , exaltment , of the kingdom of the lord jesus . but the stone hath yet not begun to smite ; for when it begins so to do , it shall never cease , till the image be wholly destroyed ; and it ( the stone ) become a great mountain filling the whole earth , dan. 2.34 , 35. therefore none of the vials are yet poured out . but of this matter we must not now speak at large . that there are particular churches upon the rise of the witnesses , and the pouring out of the vials , will receive a speedy dispatch . 1. now the witnesses ( which we have proved to be particular churches ) stand upon their feet — . begin openly , with their wonted , and perhaps , greater courage and boldness to assert , and give witness to the wayes , and institutions of christ ; which all the time of their prophesying , they were publickly , and in the time of their slaughter , they were privately found in the practice of , rev. 11.11 . 2. now the woman that had fled into the wilderness , and was nourisht there all the time of the witnesses slaughter , comes out from thence , and shews her self as the true loyal spouse of christ , in her visible subjection to him ; in all his glorious institutions , and appointments . to which time , that prophesie seems to have respect , cant. 8.5 . 3. now the temple , of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven is open'd , rev. 15.5 . a few things must be enquired into . 1. what we are to understand by the temple . 2. why 't is call'd , the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony . 3. in what sense it 's said , to be opened . 1. by the temple , we are to understand the gospel-church-state , the churches , ordinances , institutions of christ : which hath been before proved , are represented under that notion , with the reasons thereof . 2. 't is call'd , the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony ; because the presence of god , his laws , statutes , ordinances , were with them , amongst them , in a special peculiar manner . the tabernacle of old was a type of his special presence with his people then , exod. 25.8 . and 29.45 , 46. levit. 26.11 , 12. therefore god is said to dwell in the tabernacle ; it s call'd his habitation , 2 sam. 15.25 . there he promised to meet with , and speak to his people , exod. 29.42 , 43. this tabernacle is call'd , the tabernacle of testimony , exod. 38.21 . acts 7.44 . because in it was the ark , wherein was the law , or testimony . 't was at last brought into the temple at jerusalem , 1 chron. 8.4 . — 2 chron. 5.5 . this here is said to be in heaven ( or appertaining to the gospel-ministration ) perhaps on purpose to obviate any mistake , the jews might have of the restitution of their temple-worship ; q. d. though i speak of the temple of the tabernacle of testimony ; don't think , that i intend that which was built , by moses , solomon , and that your old-worship thereto affixed , shall be restored ; no , i am treating of another kind of temple , under another ministration , viz. an heavenly , which he that speaks from heaven hath introduced . to which appertains the testimony , laws , institutions , he hath given forth ; wherein he hath promised to meet his people , bless them , fill them with his company , presence , glory . 3. by the opening of the temple of the tabernacle in heaven , we are not to understand , the introduction of a new-gospel-ministration : the vanity , emptiness , ridicule of such an interpretation is from hence manifest ; that john saith not , that there shall be a new-temple built ; but only , that the temple shall be opened , i. e. the old temple of the tabernacle that was standing all the times of the pagan-antichristian persecutions . and this very scripture is of it self evidence sufficient , that at least all the times of antichrist , there was an abiding temple , or gospel-church-state , worship , worshippers therein . for at the rise of antichrist we find a temple , rev. 11.1 . and now at the going forth of the vial-angels , this very temple is open'd : not the least tittle , syllable , of the constituting a new one ; but the opening the old . the word is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to build ; no , nor so much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to restore , or repair ; but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to open that which was already built , and sufficiently beautified by the lord. the words are perhaps an allusion to 2 chron. 28.24 . & 29.3 . the first scripture tells us , that ahaz had shut up the doors of the house of the lord ; the latter , that good hezekiah open'd them ▪ 't was the same house , the same doors ( not others ) that was shut up and opened . the meaning is , gospel-churches that a little before were worshipping more retiredly , privately , are now again brought to publick view ; returned from their wilderness , retired-state , to an open profession , owning of the laws , wayes of jesvs . 4. the vial-angels come out of this temple thus opened , rev. 15.6 . for they are some of the most spiritual , principal of the temple-worshippers ( or members of these churches ) as is evident from their priestly-array , they are clothed in pure and white-linnen , having their breasts girded with golden-girdles : the attire of the priests , exod. 28.6 , 8. temple-worshippers are a royal priesthood , 1 pet. 2.9 . 5. during the whole time of the pouring out of the vials ( at the close of which , as is generally granted , christ comes ) we find the continuance of this temple , ver 8. and the temple was filled with smoak from the glory of god , and from his power , ( i. e. there was a more than ordinary presence of god , with these temple-worshippers ) and no man was able to enter into the temple ( viz. to interrupt , disturb the worshippers there , as formerly they had done ) till the seven plagues of the seven-angels were fulfilled , ( i. e. till they were all pour'd out ) antichrist by them perfectly destroyed , the glorious kingdom of our lord and saviovr introduced . chap. v. gospel-churches part of that ministration set on foot by christ : the whole of that ministration permanent , to continue to the end of the world. mat. 28.19 , 20. 1 cor. 11.26 . explained . an objection answered . 1 tim. 6.13 , 14. explained . heb. 1.1 , 2. considered , opened . the excellency of the discovery god the father made of his will by his son , above all other discoveries he had before made : nothing new to be added to it . dan. 9.24 . explained . the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who . vision , and prophesie what it is . the sealing it up , what it imports . there 's no ground left for any new-ministration , or any alteration in that set on foot by christ . the reasons of the alteration of the old testament-ministration , with the institutions thereto belonging . the gospel-ministration , ordinances , must continue , except a greater than christ come . demonstration . v. the gospel-church-state , with the churches institutions , ordinances thereunto belonging , is part of that ministration , that was set on foot by the lord jesus , when he tabernacled amongst men ; as hath already been demonstrated . now the whole of that ministration that was then set on foot by him , is permanent , and inviolably to be observed to the end of the world. to the proof of which , we now address our selves . i. christ himself seems to intimate as much , when he gives commission to the apostles , to go forth to preach the gospel , teaching them who shall be converted by their ministry to observe his whole charge , mat. 28.19 , 20. go ye therefore , and teach all nations , baptizing them in the name of the father , and of the son , and of the holy spirit : teaching them to observe all things whatever i have commanded you ; and lo , i am with you alway , even unto the end of the world. two things are plainly asserted . 1. that whatever christ gave them in charge to communicate to others , was to be observed and kept by them to the end of the world. 2. that the lord jesus christ would all along communicate his presence , to such as should , to that great period of time , be found in the observance of what he commanded . ii. the great apostle of the gentiles , who also had seen the lord , and converst with him , when he was caught up into the third heavens , expresly asserts concerning one part of this gospel-ministration , or one great ordinance appertaining thereunto , ( and such an one as none can regularly be found in the practice of , but such as are in a church-state , act. 2.42 . ) viz. the ordinance of breaking bread , that it was to continue to the coming of our lord , 1 cor. 11.26 . for as often as ye eat this bread , and drink this cup , ye do shew forth the lords death until he come . christ commanded his disciples a little before he was offer'd up a sacrifice for them , to be found in this practice , luke 22.19 , 20. — this do in remembrance of me . and afterwards charges them as they love him , to be found in the observance of it ( as of other his commandments ) john 14.15 . if ye love me , keep my commandments . tells them it 's an argument of their love , and true friendship to him so to do , john 14.21 , 23. and 15.14 . ye are my friends , if ye do whatsoever i command you . which saith our apostle , we are to do till our lord comes . object . 1. but we witness the lord already come to us : therefore we are no longer to be under the observation of it . answ . and thus some in the apostles dayes , were wont to talk , that they had experienced the resurrection , 't was to them past already ; so endeavouring to evert the great doctrine of the gospel , the resurrection from the dead . against whom he smartly disputes , 1 cor. 15. but in what sense it is , that any pretend , that christ is already come , must be a little consider'd . 1. he is come in spirit , power , say some . answ . and so he was before the writing of this epistle : yea , before any one particular church was gathered by the apostles . never such a coming of christ in spirit and power , as was that in the day of pentecost , act. 2. every believer , 't is true , witnesses his coming to him in spirit , power , quickning ; raising him from the death of sin , to the life of righteousness , sanctifying , cleansing him ; which , whoever doth not , whatever his profession is , or by what name soever he is call'd , he is not a believer : but in this sense , he was already come to these corinthians , before paul writ this epistle to them . he ownes them for a church of god , affirmes that they were sanctified in christ jesus , call'd to be saints , that the grace of god was given them by christ jesus ; that in every thing they were enriched by him , in all utterance , and in all knowledge , that the testimony of christ was confirmed in them ; so that they came behind in no spiritural gift ; that they were call'd unto the fellowship of his son jesus christ , 1 cor. 2.4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9. with much more that might be mentioned , evidently declaring , that christ was in spirit , power , already come to them ; yet the apostle speaks of another coming , till which , the saints are to be found in the practice of this institution ; which coming also , these corinthians waited for , 1 cor. 1.7 . waiting for the coming of our lord jesus christ . object . 2. he is come already to some in person ; say others , there 's therefore an end of this institution , the whole ministration . answ . but the coming of christ in a corner , is not the coming the apostle here speaks of — . 't is an unscriptural , anti-scriptural notion ( as hath been demonstrated ) ; but that coming which the corinthians , with all the saints ever since his departure , have been waiting for , viz. his glorious , visible coming in the clouds of heaven , when every eye shall see him . iii. the same apostle most solemnly charges his beloved son timothy , to keep the commandment without spot , to the coming of our lord jesus christ . 1 tim. 6.13 , 14. i give thee charge in the sight of god , who quickneth all things , and before christ jesus , who before pontius pilate witnessed a good confession , that thou keep this commandment without spot — till the appearing of our lord jesus christ . what 's meant by commandment ? answer , the words in the greek are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that you keep the commandment . so the ar. syr. v.l. render it ; his commandment , so the aeth . reads it : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the commandment , for the commandments ; so piscator renders it , vt serves haec mandata , that thou keep these commandments , viz. the commandments he had , as the apostle of jesus christ , communicated to timothy from christ . these believers were to observe , keep , till the appearing of christ jesus . if the words be strictly adhered to , and there be no enallage of the number allowed , it comes to the same purpose . for 't will not i presume , be denied , that by commandment we are not to understand any commandment given forth by paul's private spirit ; but the commandment of christ through him . now of all christ's commandments , there 's the same reason , our reception , owning of , obedience to any one , is grounded upon his soveraign authority : if i may reject one , i may reject all ; and if i am bound to attend to , obey one , i am bound to attend to , obey all . for 't is the same law-giver , that hath given them all forth . besides , the apostle in this epistle , chap. 5.21 . charges him before god , and the lord jesus christ , and the elect angels , that he observe the things delivered to him , without preferring one before another : which seems to be the commandment , he thus solemnly charges him in the words under consideration , to keep without spot , and unblameable to the coming of christ . the plain meaning is , the apostle writes this epstle to timothy , on purpose to instruct him how to behave himself in the church of god , chap. 3.15 . he had given him sundry directions touching the officers to be chosen in the church , chap. 3. speaks of the apostasie from the doctrine , and worship of the gospel that should be in an after-day , chap. 4. ( of which also he had treated in his second epistle to the thessalonians , chap. 2. ) would have him put the brethren in remembrance of these things , chap. 4.6 . charges him to give attendance to the work of the ministry , to which he was call'd ; to take heed to the doctrine , relating to faith , and church-order , which was deliver'd to him , chap. 4.14 , 16. which he calls that which was committed to his trust , which he commands him to keep , chap. 6.20 . yea , to command and teach to others , chap. 4.10 . and having charged him to observe all these things without partiality , chap. 5.21 . he in this place most solemnly commands him to keep that commandment of his . the sum is , 1. whatever the apostle had charged upon timothy , relating to the doctrine and worship of the gospel ; to the church , and the institutions thereof ; he was not only to observe himself , but to command others also to do so . 2. that these orders , institutions , ordinances , were to continue to the next glorious personal coming of our lord jesus , and the saints in their several generations , are till then , to be found in the conscientious observance , and practice of them ; whence it necessarily follows , that the ministration introduced by christ ( which for the most part consists in what we have but now instanc'd in ) must continue till that day . iv. our apostle give us a farther , and most ample demonstration of the truth pleaded for , heb. 1.1 , 2. god who at sundry times , and in divers manners spake in times past to the fathers , hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his son. the last dayes , are the last dayes of the judaick church-state , the whole oeconomy ; all the laws , statutes , orders , institutions thereunto appertaining . god hath spoken — i. e. god the father hath done so by his son , in his personal ministry , when he tabernacled amongst men . the design of the apostle in the words under consideration it 's obvious , is to give the gospel-ministration a preferrence above all that went before it . and this he doth especially two wayes . 1. the discoveries god made of his will to the fathers in times past , he made by the prophets : but the discovery of his will in the gospel-ministration , is by his son. now though 't is true , the prophets were worthy , excellent , glorious ones ; yet they were but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , meer men ; but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sons of adam : the son of god , the mediator of the new-covenant ( by whom the father spake , when he dwelt amongst us ) is fair , fair above them all , psal . 45. transcends them all in beauty , excellency , authority , glory , as being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that son , that well-beloved son of the father in whom he was well pleased . 2. all the discoveries that were before , were but partial , gradual . he gave a hint to adam , to noah ; spake more plainly to abraham , isaac , jacob , gen. 12.1 , 2 , 3 , 4. chap. 15.11 , 12. and 17.1 , 2. and 26.24 . chap. 49. afterward to moses in giving the law , and erection of the judaick-church ; when there was such a discovery of the mind of god , that lookt like so perfect a model , that nothing further was to be expected ; yet he afterward spake by david , the prophets , ezra , &c. but now by his son , he hath made a perfect , and full discovery of his mind , and will ; so as nothing more , nothing new , nothing beyond it is to be expected . that such a discovery should be made by him , was before prophesied of him , dan. 9.24 . seventy weeks are determined upon the people — to finish the transgression — to seal up the vision , and prophesie , and to anoint the most holy. that 't is a prophesie of christ , is generally acknowledged by both christians , and jews . nachmanides tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , this holy of holies ( or the most holy , as we translate ) is the messiah , who is sanctified from amongst the sons of david . the work he was to do when he came in the world , is amply decypher'd , viz. to finish transgression , to make an end of sins , to make reconciliation for iniquities , and to bring in everlasting righteousness , and to seal up the vision , and prophesie . this last is , what we are at present concerned to take notice of . two things must be enquired into . 1. what 's meant by vision , and prophesie . 2. in what sense the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the holy of holyes , or the holiness of holinesses , the messiah , christ , sealed up the vision , and prophesie . 1. touching the first , by vision and prophesie , we are to understand , all the wayes of discovery of the mind and will of god , he was pleased to make use of for the instruction of the judaick-church therein . 2. as to the second , christ sealed the vision and prophesie , by finishing , perfecting it , so as no more was , or needed to be added thereunto , as to the making the discovery of the fathers will compleat . so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chatham ( translated seal ) signifies , ezek. 28 , 12. thou sealest up the summe : vatablus , and the tigurine render it , tues omnibus numeris absolutum exemplar ; thou art in all respects a perfect example . and to the same purpose , castalion . the syriack renders it , by a word that signifies as to seal , so to compleat , make perfect ; and the arabick , by a word , that signifies to make an end of speaking . when a man hath writ the whole of his mind he intends to communicate in his letter , he seals it up . the meaning is , god had divers wayes , and manners , in dayes past , revealed his will to the church ; at last he sent his son , as the great and last prophet , who fully , perfectly discovers his mind to her ; so that a further instruction there needs not , nor is there to be expected . but , v. there 's no ground left for any new-ministration , or any alteration in that set on foot by christ . the reasons of the alteration of the old-testament-ministration , with the institutions , ordinances thereunto appertaining , may be reduced to a twofold-head . 1. they all pointed at , had respect to the messiah , christ , to come , rom. 10.4 . christ is the end of the law. this the apostle asserts to be the ground of its abolition , heb. 10.1 , 9. 2. christ was to come during its continuance , as lord over his own house , with more ample power , and authority than any that went before him , heb. 1.1 , 2 , 3. & 3.5 , 6. he had then power , authority , to confirm , remove , abolish as he pleased ; and none could say unto him in this matter , what dost thou ? but neither of these can be supposed as the ground of altering , discontinuing the ministration set on foot by christ . he was then already come , tabernacled among men : and come he was , as the great prophet , lord , king , of the church ; and as such , gives forth laws for them to subject , conform to . vi. the gospel-ministration , institutions , must continue , except a greater than christ come . the law was given forth by moses , it continued thousands of years ; and notwithstanding the degeneracy , corruption that was amongst the people , none could put a period to it ; the church was bound to the observation of it , to the coming of christ , mal. 4.4 . with deut. 34.10 . and that upon this foot of account ; because till christ , none rose up greater than he . therefore paul going about to demonstrate to the jews the abolition of the mosaick ministration , layes the foundation of his discourse in the super-eminent authority of the lord jesus . 't is true , the law was most solemnly given forth by the ministration of angels in the hands of moses , but christ is above angels , heb. 1.4 . and 2.2 . above moses , chap. 3.3 . is there any greater , superiour to christ ? if not ( as most certain it is there is not ; to assert it , is the height of antichristianism , 't is blasphemy against the son ) then the ministration instituted by him , must of necessity continue till he come to put a period to it . for it must be a greater , and superior , that can abolish or alter what is establisht . chap. vi. the end for which christ instituted the gospel-church-state , churches , ordinances , the same ; and will continue so to the time of the consummation of all things . the particular ends instanc'd in . sanctifying the name of the lord in worship , what it is . a solemn , publick , avowed , owning , subjection to christ , setting forth the lords honour , publishing his praises . eph. 3.21 . explained . saints mutual edification , growth . the confirmation of their mutual love to each other . are some of the ends for which christ instituted gospel-churches , ordinances , demonstrated . demonstration . vi. the end for which , the lord jesus establisht the gospel-church-state , gospel-churches , institutions , ordinances , is the same that ever 't was , and will continue so to be till the time of the consummation of all things . whence its continuation necessarily follows . let 's a little consider what were the ends for which god from the beginning , instituted a church-state in the world. amongst others that perhaps might be mentioned , these are the chief . i. the sanctification of his name therein , lev. 10.3 . this is that which the lord hath said , i will be sanctified in all those that draw nigh to me — . 't is of the solemn worship of god in that church-state he is there speaking : in particular , touching that institution of sacrificeing to the lord. the sanctification of his name therein , is asserted to be one great end of the lord in that institution : a failure wherein cost nadab , and abihu dear ; they thereby provoked the lord , and he brake forth in his fury against them , and slew them before the people . this also is asserted to be the end of the gospel-church-state , gospel-institutions , heb. 12.28 , 29. wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken , let us have grace whereby we may serve god , acceptably with reverence , and godly fear , for our god is a consuming fire . by the kingdom which cannot be shaken , we have already demonstrated , is meant the gospel-church-state , therein they were to serve god acceptably , with reverence , and godly fear , i. e. they were to sanctifie his name in their attendment on him in the institutions appertaining thereunto ; which if they neglect to do , they may expect to find the lord , as nadab , and abihu did , a consuming fire to them . before we come to a full conclusion of this matter , 't will not be altogether impertinent or unprofitable to remark what it is to sanctifie the name of the lord in solemn-gospel-worship . in order whereunto there must be , 1. a single respect to , a holy reverence of god's soveraign authority in its appointment . the laws , edicts of men , have no place here . should we be found in the practice of what god commands , and therein have no regard to his commandment , authority ; but the commandments , injunctions of men , we sanctifie not his name therein . the authority of god instituting it , is laid as the foundation of , and motive to all our worship , deut. 6.4 , 5 , 6 , 7. and 28.58 . mat. 28.18 , 19 , 20. heb. 3.4 , 5 , 6. what 's bottom'd meerly upon the wills , laws of men , is not the worship of god ; 't is superstitious , idolatrous , vain , empty , good for nothing ; that which the soul of the lord loaths , abhors ; it provokes him to jealousie , whatever outward splendour , beauty , shew of devotion it may seem to have in it . how great a part of the worship of the papacy is hereby discarded , is known : it being solely built upon the authority of popes , councils , fathers , traditions , laws , edicts of men ; totally forraign , contrary to jehovah's law. 2. there must be also faith in the promises of god annexed to the observance of these institutions . that there are special promises of favour , grace , kindness to such as conscientiously attend upon him herein , shall afterwards be demonstrated . faith is required with respect to these promises : he that comes unto god ( draws nigh to him in gospel-institutions ) must believe that he is , and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him . heb. 11.6 . 3. there must be a holy , awfull regard unto his special presence in them . he walks in the midst of his golden candlesticks , rev. 1.13 . dwells in his churches , 2 cor. 6.16 . 't is true , he fills heaven , and earth , with his presence , is indistant to no creature , the vilest of men , or devils ; but he hath promised a more special presence with his children , as they are attending him in his own appointments , for their further enlightning , quickning , comfort , strengthning , growth , increasment in the grace of god , mat. 18.20 . if persons attend on divine institutions , and realize not the special presence of the lord there ; no wonder if they are carnal , formal , dead , lifeless in them , meet with no feeling of his power , sights of his glory — . 4. there must be an attendment to the due order , in which the lord will have all managed . a failure herein , caused the lord of old to make a breach upon vzzah ( he smote him , slew him , when they were about to bring the ark from kirjath-jearim , 1 chron. 13.11 . ) 1 chron. 15.13 . the lord our god made a breach upon us for that we sought him not after the due order . all must be managed in the spirit , power , of jehovah : he 's put into office by the father , and the son , to enable in the managery of divine service , rom. 8.26 . alas ! sorry weak man , is altogether unable for the dispatch of such sublime , heavenly work. let men at their utmost peril , contemn , deride the assistance of the spirit herein ; they never worship god aright , who are strangers to it , nor without it will ever be able to please him in what they do . 5. there must be also a holy delight in god : the lively stirring up , exertings , puttings forth of the grace of god in us . 't is not so easie a matter for persons to sanctifie the name of god in worship , as many suppose it to be . we cannot of our selves , in our own creaturely power , serve him who is a jealous god. 6. there must be a perseverance , continuance , unto the end , in obedience to him , in a due observation of , and subjection to him , in gospel-institutions : otherwise we deny his name , prophane it ( as much as in us lyes , make religion , christianity , a ridicule , contempt in the world ) instead of sanctifying it . are any of these things vacated , not to be heeded , attended to ? who that pretends in sobriety to christianity , hath the forehead to avouch , affirm it ? ii. another end of gospel-institutions is , our solemn , publick , avowed , owning of , subjection to the lord jesus . 't was from the beginning , one end of god , in his erecting of worship , that his people might therein , solemnly own , avouch , him to be their god , lord , soveraign ; and they his loyal subjects , faithful servants , deut. 26.16 , 17 , 18. this day the lord thy god hath commanded thee to do these statutes , and judgments : thou shalt therefore keep , and do them , with all thy heart , and all thy soul . thou hast avouched the lord this day to be thy god , and to walk in his wayes , and to keep his statutes , and his commandments , and his judgements , and to harken unto his voice . and the lord hath avouched thee this day , to be his peculiar people as he hath promised thee , and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments . if we will have god for our god , visibly own him as such , we must conform to his institutions ; our publick acknowledgment of him , as such , lyes therein . the world know nothing of the saints actings of faith , love , the secret communion they have with god : nor do they , can they take much notice of them as to their closet , family-service : but when found in the practice of the institutions of the lord , then are they in the view of men , publickly declaring that god's their god , and they his people , josh . 24.18 , 21 , 22. is to the same purpose , 2 cor. 8.5 . first gave their own selves to the lord , i. e. chose him for their god , resign'd up themselves , all that they were , and had , wholly to the lord to be at his dispose : and unto us by the will of god ; i. e. they solemnly avouched , publickly owned , declared this god to be theirs , by their entring into the fellowship of the gospel , walking in the wayes of his appointment , owning , subjecting to , the ordinances of jesus declared to them by us . nor can there be a full owning of the lord ( to speak modestly ) without a conscientious walking herein : neither will the lord look upon ought we do , whilest in the wilful neglect of his institutions to be such an owning of him . he will be acknowledged to be our god , not in the way of our own wills , but in the wayes he hath appointed us so to do . the sole question is ( and yet one would wonder it should be a question amongst any that profess the fear of the lord ) whether it be the duty of saints publickly to own , acknowledge him to be their god ? which if granted , it cannot be denied , but the gospel-church-state , with the institutions thereunto belonging , is yet in being ; and must be so , whilest there are any saints in this world , whose duty 't is so to own him : for one end aimed at by the lord jesus in the establishment of these institutions , was , ( as hath been proved ) that saints should solemnly own , acknowledge him therein . iii. a third end of this gospel-church-state , is to set forth the lords honour , publish his praises , eph. 3.21 . vnto him be glory in the churches by christ jesus , throughout all ages , world without end , amen . two things are here plainly asserted by the apostle . 1. that there shall be a continuation of churches thoughout all ages , world without end : and of such churches , both for matter , and form , ( at least ) as were in the apostles dayes ; walking with christ in all the wayes of his appointment . one would wonder at the confidence of persons , who have the forehead to assert the cessation of churches , ordinances , in open opposition to what is affirmed here by the apostle of our lord : who speaks so fully , plainly , to their continuation , 'till the end of the world , that all the wit of man cannot possibly find out any evasion . had he said only , they should continue , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to , or throughout generations , or ages , 't would have been said , true ; but when the apostles fell asleep , and a second generation also was past , a general apostacy came in , and there was a period of the church-state : to obviate which cavil , he industriously ( as 't were ) affirms their continuance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into all , or throughout all generations , or ages : and as if that were not full enough to express his intendment of their continuance till time should be no more ; he adds , that they should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , throughout all ages of the world , of worlds , or age of ages . the apostles seems to allude to two hebrew phrases , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 psal . 10.6 . i shall never be in adversity ; the word is , unto generation , and generation : and that isa . 45.17 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye shall not be ashamed , nor confounded , world without end . their continuance till the end of this world , is evidently what 's his intendment . 2. that one end of the institution of these churches , is , that god may be praised in them , by them , is also asserted . is this end terminated ? is it not the duty of saints to praise the lord ; and to praise him in the wayes he hath appointed ? if he hath instituted churches for this end ; 't is the duty of saints to praise him in them . if for this end he hath appointed their continuance throughout all ages , they must of necessity so continue , or god failes of his end , which is abominable blasphemous to assert . see to the same purpose , heb. 2.12 . 1 pet. 2.9 . iv. another end of the gospel-church-state , is saints mutual edification , growth , till they all come in the vnity of the faith , and of the knowledge of the son of god , unto a perfect man , unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ , 1 cor. 14.26 . let all things be done to edifying , eph. 4.11 , 12 , 13 , 29. 1 thes . 5.11 . jude 20. have saints no further need of edification , building up ? are they come to a perfect man , unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ ? who dare aver it ? can there be a more proper medium , way , or means , fixt upon , for the effecting this noble , and glorious end , than what the lord propos'd , viz. their walking together in the fellowship of the gospel , in the practice of all the institutions of christ ? what ever persons may think , as none can desert the way appointed by the lord , for the production of this end , without a tremendous advance against the wisdom of god , his love to , and care of his children ; so they 'l find , any other fixt upon by them , will prove altogether insuccessful as to the end aimed at . v. the confirmation of the saints mutual love one to another , is also frequently asserted to be one great end of this appointment , eph. 5.2 . 1 thes . 3.12 . 1 john 3.22 . 1 cor. 10.16 , 17. 't is certainly our duty to keep this commandment of our lord , yea , to abound in love more and more each to other : the means then appointed by the lord for that end , must conscientiously be atended to . chap. vii . the gospel-church-state , with the institutions , ordinances thereunto appertaining , is annex'd unto , and bottomed upon the new-covenant : demonstrated from scripture-prophesie , isa . 59.21 . ezek. 11.19 , 20. and 36.25 , 26 , 27. at large explained . from several places in the new-testament ; wherein 't is clearly asserted so to be , luk. 22.19 , 20. 1 cor. 11.24 , 25 , 26. heb. 10.16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25. considered . that they belong not to the old covenant , proved . the donation of the spirit , faith , peace , joy , &c. from the new-covenant : these communicated , as we are found attending on the lord in gospel-institutions . these are given forth to the saints for the trial of their love , loyalty , as they stand related , are betrothed to him in the new-covenant , jer. 3.14 , 15. explained . demonstration . vii . the gospel-church-state , with the institutions , ordinances thereunto appertaining , is annexed unto , bottom'd upon the new-covenant : therefore it 's perpetual , abiding . the consequence is evident ; what is annext to , bottom'd upon , that which is permanent , cannot be it self otherwise : it must abide , continue , as that to which it 's affixt , on which it 's bottom'd does . the whole judaick-church-state , with all its ordinances , institutions , was built upon that covenant god of old , took israel into , heb. 9.1 . this covenant was mutable , changeble ; a time was fixt by the lord for it's abolition : represented at first in the breaking of the tables of stone , in which the law , or covenant was writ , exod. 32.19 . yet so long as that abode , the institutions thereunto appertaining were in force ; therefore the apostle , being to prove the cessation of the jewish-church-state , amongst other mediums , makes use of this as one , that the covenant god took that people into , was perioded , abolished , heb. 8.6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 13. so then , if the gospel-church-state , ordinances , are annext to the new-covenant ; they are , cannot but be , permanent : except that covenant also be supposed , and can be proved to be otherwise . that the gospel-church-state , and all the ordinances thereof , are annext to , and bottom'd upon the new-covenant , is evident from 1. scripture-prophesie , declaring that so it shall be , isa . 59.21 . as for me , this is my covenant with them , saith the lord , my spirit that is upon thee , and my words which i have put in thy mouth , shall not depart out of thy mouth ; nor out of the mouth of thy seed , nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed , saith the lord ; from hence-forth , and for ever . 't is the covenant that god takes believers into , the gospel-covenant that he speaks of : this is my covenant with them ; these are call'd : christ's seed . so chap. 53.10 . concerning them , he saith , that the words which he puts into the mouth of christ , i. e. whatever he gave christ ( as the great prophet of the church ) in charge to communicate to them ; all the laws , institutions given forth by christ , were part of gods words he put into his mouth . shall not depart out of their mouths , i. e. they shall be found in the practice of , subjecting to them ; whilst there are any saints in this world , they shall be so . and this as a branch , part of that covenant god takes them into , ezek. 11.19 , 20. and i will give them one heart , and i will put a new spirit within you , and i will take the stony-heart out of their flesh , and will give them an heart of flesh : that they may walk in my statutes , and keep mine ordinances , and do them ; and they shall be my people , and i will be their god. the former part of the words , i will give them one heart — and the latter , they shall be my people , and i will be their god ; are the sum , and substance of the new-covenant , jer. 32.29 . unto this then the statutes , and ordinances do evidently appertain : for the lord takes them to be his people , gives himself to them to be their god ; gives them one heart , puts a new spirit within them — that they may walk in his statutes , keep his ordinances , and do them . if there be any saints under the new-covenant , if a new spirit be put within them , then are there also statutes and ordinances ( gospel-institutions ) for them to walk in ; and in their doing so , they discover themselves to be gods people , as he is their god , ezek. 36.25 , 26 , 27. is fully to the same purpose : then will i sprinkle clean water upon you , and ye shall be clean from all your filthyness , and from all your idols will i cleanse you : a new heart also will i give you , and a new spirit will i put within you ; and i will take away the stony-heart out of your flesh , and i will give you an heart of flesh . and i will put my spirit within you , and cause you to walk in in my statutes , and ye shall keep my judgements to do them . if the donation of the spirit , regeneration , sanctification , be a part , branch , of the new-covenant ; the statutes , and judgments of the lord are so too : and these , such a part of it , that there 's at least ground of jealousie , whether any are really made partakers of the former , who are found ( except under the power of temptation ) in the total neglect , rejection of these : for the spirit , &c. is given to cause them to walk in gods statutes , and to keep his judgments . and it 's worthy observation , that god hath equally obliged himself to cause his people to walk in the wayes of his institution , as to give the spirit , &c. to them . so that evidently , there must be a continuation of churches , ordinances ; or there are no saints , there 's an end of the new-covenant . 2. and as it 's fore-prophesied of that , in the dayes of the new-covenant-oeconomy thus it should be ; so it 's evidently declared , that upon the introduction of that ministration , so it was : gospel-institutions , and ordinances , are plainly asserted to be annexed to the new-covenant . christ himself intimates , as much , luke 22.19 , 20. and he took bread , and gave thanks , and break it ; and gave unto them , saying , this is my body which was given for you : this do in remembrance of me : likewise also the cup after supper , saying , this cup is the new-testament in my blood , which is shed for you . as circumcision was call'd the covenant ( as upon other acounts , so ) because , 't was a part , or branch of it : so is this institution of christ , call'd the new-testament ; because a part , or branch thereof . and if it be objected , that this is only asserted of the cup , one part of one institution , not of the whole ; much less of all gospel-institutions : the answer is easie ; what 's asserted of any one part , is true of the whole ; and if the cup be the new-testament , the bread is so ; and if one institution be so , every one is so too . at the same rate the apostle speaks after he had seen the lord , and convers'd with him , 1 cor. 11.24 , 25 , 26. and most evidently , fully , heb. 10.16 , to 26. where he tells us , that our drawing nigh ( viz. to god in wayes of gospel-institutions , the profession of our faith ( which lies eminently in our subjection to him therein ) the assembling our selves together , to exhort one another ( which he would not have us forget ) is annext to , bottomed upon the new-covenant , of which he is ex professo treating : and a wilful rejection of these in open despight of christ , and contempt of his authority , he calls , v. 29. a treading under foot the son of god , because it 's a high affront to his soveraign authority ) an accounting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing ( not only because these institutions are annext to that covenant which was ratified by the blood of christ ; but also because they have all their foundation in that blood , our approximation to god in them , our advantage by them , is the issue of its effusion ) and a doing despite unto the spirit of grace ; because as hath been proved , they are all the ministration of that spirit : should god immediately by himself speak from heaven to us , and declare in so many words , these gospel-institutions establisht by my son , are all of them bottomed upon , annext to the new-covenant ; we could not have a greater certainty that they are so , than what is in that scripture-evidence we have hitherto been discoursing of . but , 3. they belong to the old-covenant , or the new. there 's no medium . to the old-covenant , it 's most ▪ certain they appertain not . other manner of ordinances , which were only to continue to the gospel-day , as circumcision , sacrifices — appertained thereunto : not the least notice under that covenant , as any part of the oeconomy thereof , of particular churches , baptism , breaking-bread — christ came to put a period to that paedagogie ; and all the laws , institutions thereunto appertaining ; and vertually did so by his death ; actually , by providential dispensations ; taking out of the way , destroying that temple to which they were peculiarly affixt . and becoming a mediator of a better covenant , established uppon better promises , as such , he gives forth the laws , and institutions we are pleading for ; of which afterwards . 4. the communications of divine life , the royal manifestations of the love of god to us ; the bestowment of the spirit upon us ; divine peace , comfort , support , upholdment , with whatever grace we are made partakers of , are all conveyed in the way of the new-covenant . now , whatever any talk , the communication of these , as 't is promised to us , as we have found attending upon the lord in his own institutions ( of which more anon ) ; so the saints , in every day , at this day , through wonderful riches of grace , are under the enjoyment of . the spirit is received , faith communicated , peace , and joy shed abroad upon the hearts of believers , as they conscientiously attend on these appointments of christ . such as know not these things , or having known them ( through the power of temptation ) slight , undervalue them , are to be pitied , not attended to , or regarded in their present apprehensions touching them . 5. that god hath a people , that he hath in the new , and everlasting covenant taken unto himself , for a peculiar people , will not be denied . to these god gives himself as their god ; he betroths , marries them to himself ; and they give up themselves spontaneously unto him as a people , to own , subject to his authority , soveraignty , and to profess their so doing by a conformity to whatever commands , injunctions , he shall lay upon them . gospel-institutions he gives forth for the trial of their love , loyalty to him ; charges them to be found in the practice of them ( as hath been proved ) . their obedience , subjection hereunto , he looks upon as a great part of their loyalty to him in the conjugal-covenant he hath taken them into with himself , jer. 3.14 , 15. turn o back-sliding children , saith the lord , for i am married unto you , and i will take you one of a city , and two of a family , and i will bring you to zion . and i will give you pastors according to mine heart , which shall feed you with knowledge , and understanding . where coming unto zion , or our attendment on god in wayes of his own appointment , is asserted to be that wherein our marriage-relation to him stands : hence departing from these , is call'd whoredom , adultery ; and those that do so , the great whore , the mother of harlots , and fornications of the earth . the sum is , gospel-churches , institutions , are bottomed upon the new-covenant : therefore abiding . chap. viii . the churches that have been , are , are the churches of christ , or antichrist . they are not the churches of antichrist , proved . the matter of antichristian-churches ; and of the present churches : the form , foundation , doctrine , worship , nature , characters , properties , of the one , and the other , considered . 1 tim. 4.1 . the daemons there mentioned , what they are ; their original , office , manner of worshipping them ; the doctrines of daemon's the doctrine of the apostatick-synagogue of rome . demonstration . viii . that there have been persons under the profession of the name of christ , congregated together , for the solemnization of ordinances , from the first-times of the gospel hitherto , hath been before proved : that there are so still , cannot be denied . now these churches must be either the churches of christ , or the churches of antichrist . there 's no medium . a church that was neither of christ , nor antichrist , was never yet heard of in the world , since the first-dawning of the gospel-day . so then , if we demonstrate , that the present churches are not antichristian-churches , we evince them to be the churches of christ ; and a continuation of the gospel-church-state , at least hitherto , is evidently discover'd . that they are not churches of antichrist is easily demonstrated . they wholly differ from the antichristian-church in respect of matter , form , foundation , doctrine , worship , nature , characters , properties . touchching which , it 's needful that we particularly discourse . first then , the matter of the antichristian-church , is , whoever own 's the christian faith , make 's a profession of it , though never so deboysh , vile , wicked ; to every good work , reprobate . notwithstanding all their pompous shews of religion , forms of godliness , they are really such as have pleasure in unrighteousness , 2 thes . 2.12 . is this the matter constitutive of the present churches ? do they admit persons of so black a character into their communion ? if any such spots are found amongst them , do they tollerate , indulge them ? are not the rules of christ prosecuted , till they ( appearing to be persons of a reprobate mind ) are rejected out of their fellowship ? is it not the avowed principles of all the churches , that such as these , are not fit matter for any church of christ ? can they be charged with walking contrary to their principles in this matter ? who hath the confidence , impudence , thus to charge any one of them ? 't is true , now , and then , some scandalous persons are found amongst them ( and so there were in the primitive churches , as in the church of corinth , &c. ) that crept in unawares ; but they are matter of grief , humbling to them ; and they do not , dare not , cannot suffer them in their communion . 2. the form ( if it may be so call'd ) of the antichristian-church lie's in a forcible compelling persons into , and violent keeping them in its communion , and fellowship . if you 'l not be one with them , then fines , imprisonment , bonds attend you ; penal laws , and statutes are enacted for this end ; and by these are men brought into , and kept in the antichristian-church : and were these weapons of ▪ its warfare taken away , 't would soon become as a garden of cucumbers , or perish with its own weight . the attempts of the papacy , to reduce persons into their communion , by fire , and sword ; their labours to preserve the uninity of their church this way is known . is there any thing like it owned by , or to be found , amongst the present churches ? do they not with one mouth affirm , that 't is a voluntary departure from the worlds way , and a spontaneous giving up themselves to the lord , and one another , to walk with him in a subjection to his institutions , wherein the form of the churches lies ? herein is a most evident difference betwixt them , and the antichristian-church . they talk of no compulsions , but those of the spirit , and love , that make a people volunteers in the day of the lord's power . lex nova non se vindicat ultore gladio , is their motto , as is known . 3. the foundation of the antichristian-church , is not jesus christ ; but the sons of men , one , or other of them ; their laws , canons , decretals , upon which it is built . is this the case of the present churches ? do they not all of them , with full consent , proclaim their abhorrency of such a foundation ? is not christ , in their account , the alone foundation of all the true churches in the world , and they practise accordingly . their debates touching this matter , with the papelins , about mat. 16.18 . from whence these endeavour to prove peter , and consequentially ( as they 'd have it ) the pope to be the rock upon which the church is built ; is known to all that look upon themselves concern'd in these matters . 4. the doctrine of the anti-christian-church , is a doctrine of devils , 1 tim. 4.1 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the doctrines of daemons , so the learned mede renders it . some carry it thus , doctrines which devils are the authors of : there 's a great deal of truth in that , all the doctrines of the anti-christian-church , that are peculiarly hers , are the doctrines of devils . but i rather think , with that learned person , that by doctrines of daemons , is meant those doctrines that have the daemons for their object . now these daemons ( that were worshipped by the pagans ) were 1. for their nature , and degree , supposed by the gentiles , an inferior , and middle sort of divine powers , between the soveraign and heavenly gods , and mortal men. 2. for their office , to be as mediators , and agents between these soveraign gods , and men. 3. for their original , either angels , or the deified-souls of worthy-men after death . 4. for the way of worshipping them , to find and receive benefits from them ; 't was by consecrated-images , and pillars . 5. their very reliques were adored , and brought into temples . they that desire to see more touching this matter , may at their leasure , consult the famous medes apostasie of the latter times . the doctrines of daemons then , are the doctrines of the apostatick roman-antichristian-synagogue , touching the worshipping of saints , and angels , in imitation of the pagan daemon worship ▪ but take the words in the largest sense , as comprehensive of all those doctrines that are not of christ , have the devil for their author : some whereof , are mention'd by the apostle afterwards , v. 3. forbidding to marry , and commanding to abstain from meats — the doctrines of justification by works , or inherent sanctification , of purgatory ( or a state of purifying after this life ) — any principles , opinions , contrary to sound doctrine ; the form of wholesom words , or the doctrine which is according to godliness ; which of the churches can be justly charged with holding , maintaining any such principles ? 't is true , perhaps amongst some of them , there may be found one , or other , that speak perverse things ( as there was of old in the church of corinth , and some other churches , in the apostolick times ) but are they countenanc't therein ? can their corrupt doctrines be charged as the doctrines of the churches ? what more evidently , notoriously false , can be suggested , or fixed on ? 5. the worship of the antichristian-church , is a worship of devils , idols of gold , silver , wood , stone , the work of men's hands , rev. 9.20 . 't is an idolatrous , whorish , adulterous , superstitious worship , rev. 17.1 , 2 , 4 , 5. whose whole substratum , foundation , is the commandments of men ; ( mat. 15.9 . ) traditions , &c. 't is formal , sapless , lifeless . it 's managery in the spirit , is not at all attended to : his assistance is contemned , reviled , blasphemed ; as that which is phantastick , whimsical , heretical , schismatical for any to talk of , or pretend to . is the worship of the churches , such a worship ? who hath the forehead to aver it ? they witness against all such worship , and worshipper's , both in word , and writing , as is known : are studious to walk by scripture-rule in their worship , both with respect to the matter , and manner , thereof . 6. the nature , characters , properties of the antichristian-church , are amply described by the apostles of our lord. they are such as receive not the love of the truth , that they might be saved ; upon whom god hath sent strong delusions , that they should believe a lye ; that they all might be damned , who believed not the truth , but had pleasure in vnrighteousness , 2 thes . 2.10 , 11 , 12. that give heed to seducing spirits , and doctrines of daemons , speaking lies in hypocrisie ; having their conscience sear'd with a hot iron ; forbidding to marry , and commanding to abstain from meats , 1 tim. 4.1 , 2 , 3. covetous , boasters of themselves , blasphemers , disobedient to parents ; unthankful , unholy , without natural affection ; truce-breakers , false accusers , ( or make-bates ) incontinent , fierce , despisers of those that are good : traitors , heady , high-minded , lovers of pleasures ▪ more than lovers of god ; having a form of godliness , but denying the power thereof — 2 tim. 3.2 , 3 , 4 , 5. such as worship the dragon gave power unto the beast , and worship the beast , rev. 13.4 , 5 , 8. receiving his mark ( in their right hand , or in their foreheads ) his name , or the number of his name ( which whosoever did not ) might neither buy , nor sell , v. 16 , 17. the great whore that sits upon many waters , with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication , and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication ▪ a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colour'd beast , full of names of blasphemy , having seven heads , and ten horns . the woman arrayed in purple , and scarlet colour , and decked with gold , and precious stone , and pearls , having a golden cup in her hand , full of abominations , and filthiness of her fornication ; upon whose forhead is a name written , mystery , babylon the great , the mother of harlots , and abominations of the earth : the woman drunken with the blood of the saints , and with the bloud of the martyrs of jesus , rev. 17.1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. in whom ( in the great inquisition that god will make ) will be found the blood of prophets , and of saints , and of all that were slain upon the earth , rev. 18.24 . in a word , the antichristian-church is that part of the body of professors that the great antichristian-apostasy spoken of , by these apostles , gather's up ; who is described , character'd , by her false doctrine , idolatrous , superstitious worship , ( of which before ) immorality in conversation , persecution , bloody cruelty against the royal seed , the saints of the most high . who so sear'd , hardened in heart , and conscience , as without a blush , from a soul filled with deep consternation , can bear the sight of a thought springing up to affix the characters of this antichristian-church , unto the present churches ? so then , these being in respect of matter , form , foundation , doctrine , worship , nature , characters , perfectly different from the antichristian-church , must of necessity be the churches of christ ( and accounted so by all , who are not resolv'd against the plainest demonstrations , to hold their perswasion with a nunquam persuadebis etiamsi persuaseris ) except some hermaphrodyte-church , that is neither of christ , or antichrist , can be found out . chap. ix . the church-state , gospel-institutions , are bottomed upon the mediatory office of christ . their continuation from thence dedemonstrated . of christ's prophetick , priestly , kingly-office . christ as the great prophet of the church , hath revealed the gospel-church-state , with the institutions , and ordinances . christ call'd an apostle , and why . said to be sent by the father : such a prophet as never was in the world before ; nor hath there , or shall there be , any like him . what of the father he revealed . the continuation of gospel-churches evinced from hence . of the priestly-office of christ , gospel-churches , institutions , bottomed upon it , at large demonstrated . of the kingly-office of christ . gospel-churches bottomed thereupon . demonstration . ix . the church-state , gospel-churches , institutions are bottomed upon the mediatory office of christ ; from whence a continuation of them till his next , second , glorious coming doth necessarily follow . to christ , as mediator , a threefold-office ( whereinto by solemn unction he was inaugurated by the father ) doth appertain , viz. prophetick , priestly , kingly : arguments from each of these , might at large be insisted on , to demonstrate the truth we are at present contending for . i. that christ is the great prophet of the church , will not be denied , deut. 18.18 . act. 3.22 . and 7.37 . as a prophet , he is fully acquainted with the will of god , and hath perfectly revealed it to the church ; both in respect of doctrine , worship , and discipline . the truth is , his whole work , as a prophet , is to reveal the will of god , and therein to teach , and instruct us . he is also call'd , the apostle of our profession , heb. 3.1 . the prophetick-office of christ , with respect unto his immediate , authoritative , mission from the father , is that which is intended by the expression . he is said frequently , to be sent by the father , isa . 19.20 . and 48.16 . and 61.1 . zach. 2.8 , 9. he whom the father sent , is the description he gives of himself , joh. 3.34 . which is frequently repeated , john 3.17 , 18 , 28 , 34. and 5.23 , 24 , 30 , 36 , 37 , 38. and 6.29 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 44 , 57. and 7.16 , 28 , 29. and 8.16 , 18 , 29 , 42. and 9.4 . and 10.36 . and 11.42 . and 12.44 , 45 , 49. and 13.26 . and 14.24 . and 15.21 . and 16.5 . and 17.3 , 18 , 21 , 23 , 25. and 20.21 . a prophet he is , and such a prophet as never was in the world before ; nor any other like him , was there to be ; and as a prophet he reveals the father himself , john 1.18 . and his name , chap. 13.6 . and 17.3 . i. e. the mystery of the covenant of the grace of god , his love , kindness to the sons of men ; his worship , whole will , respecting our obedience , and salvation . and for this work , he was sent from the father ; had his authority from him , and furnitures through the spirit ( poured out upon him without measure ) for the dispatch of it . so that , he that hears christ , hears the father ; and he that refuseth christ , refuseth the father also : because he acts in his name , authority , in this his office. that from hence , the continuation of gospel-churches , institutions , must necessarily follow , is evident . for , 1. christ , as the great prophet of the church , hath declared these to be one part of his fathers will , that ( as such ) he was to reveal ( as hath been proved ) . that at any time it should be lawful for us , to oppose the will of the lord , thus solemnly revealed , none will sure have the confidence , to affirm . 2. the apostle to the hebrews , chap. 1. & chap. 2. makes christ's coming , as the great prophet of god , one argument of the abolition of the whole mosaick paedagogy , and the introduction of those gospel-institutions they were in the practice of . god that spake in the prophets , hath spoken in his son , q. d. you expected a prophet ( for so they did ) who should bring in a new-ministration , reveal the whole will of the father to you ; this is he , he is the apostle sent from him for this end : attend him , consider him , heb. 3.1 . now certainly if the apostle lookt upon this as a good argument for the same ( at least one of the same ) ends for which 't is produced by us , 't will be immodesty for any to look upon it , as impertinent , incogent . 3. christ as the great prophet , when he tabernacled in the world , revealed this state , the laws , institutions relating to it : had we lived in the time when , and been one of those to whom he had communicated them , ought we to have believed , obeyed , subjected to them ? sure ! 't will not be denied , but we ought . are not the same laws , delivered to the apostles , recorded in the scriptures ? this will not be opposed . what then ? have the laws of christ , by their being written , lost their authority ? this will not ( i am sure it cannot with any pretext of reason ) be said . it remains therefore , that churches , with the worship affixt to them , being once of the discovery of christ , must still continue so to be ; and our practice suitable to that discovery , necessitate precepti , necessary . 4. is there any greater prophet than christ risen up ? doth he come in his fathers , or in his own name ; what 's his message that he brings ? is he upon a new discovery of the fathers will , pouring contempt upon what hath been revealed by christ ? every spiritual believer knows what reception he ought to have with him , viz. neither he , nor his message to be received , but rejected , as an impostor , a lye , 2 john 10.11 . 5. hath christ ceased to be a prophet , since he was signally inaugurated into that office by the visible descent of the holy spirit upon him in the form of a dove , mat. 3.16 , 17 ? shall he do so till he deliver up the mediatory-kingdom to the father ? neither the one , nor the other will be asserted . doth he now any other wayes discharge that office , than by his written word , and spirit , opening the understanding of believers to perceive his instructions contained therein ? surely no. the revelation then made by him , with respect to institutions , worship , is in every day to be attended to by the saints . a church-state is then bottomed upon the prophetick-office of christ , and to continue from the time of its erection by him , to the consummation of all things . ii. as 't is bottomed upon the prophetick-office of christ , so 't is upon his sacerdotal , or priestly . the apostle argues from the change of the levitical priest-hood , to the change of the whole of that church-polity , its laws and institutions , heb. 7.12 . for the priest-hood being changed , there is made of necessity , a change also of the law. if this be a cogent argument , it follows strongly on the contrary ; if there be no change of the priest-hood ( as the melchizedekian priest-hood , or the priest-hood of christ after the order of melchizedeck abides for ever , as the same apostle tells us ) then there is no change of the law , or institutions appertaining thereunto . that the whole of gospel-institutions have a dependance upon the priestly-office of christ , is manifest . 1. that the legal ministration , or worship , was affixt to , had a dependance upon the aaronick priest-hood , the apostle plainly enough declares in the forecited place , heb. 7.12 . now if the worship of that day had such dependance upon that priesthood , that it liv'd and dyed ; stood , and fell with it : the gospel-ministration , and worship , must have the same dependance upon the real eternal priesthood of christ ; for that was typick of this throughout . 2. christ by his death , or the oblation of himself , which was a principal part of his priestly-office , vertually , put a period to the law of commandments contain'd in mosaick-ordinances , eph. 2.15 . and so by the removing of them , made way for the erection of the gospel-church-state , with the institutions appertaining thereunto . this the apostle fully declares , v. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22. for through him ( as our high-priest , for as such , he 's discoursing of him , as is evident , from v. 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ▪ ) we both ( viz. jewes , and gentiles ) have an access ( in gospel-institutions ) by one spirit unto the father . now therefore ye are no more strangers , and forreinners , but fellow-citizens with the saints , and of the houshold of god. and are built upon the foundation of the apostles , and prophets , jesus christ himself being the chief corner-stone : in whom all the building fitly joyn'd together , groweth unto an holy temple in the lord. in whom you are builded together for an habitation of god through the spirit . nothing could be more evident , if written with the beams of the sun , than this ; that gospel-churches ( call'd the houshold , the building of god ) with all the institutions of christ , through which they have access to god , are bottom'd upon the priestly-office of christ . 't is through him , as our priest , that we have access in worship to the father ; and equally , in , and through him , ( as such ) that we are of the houshold of god , his habitation , temple . 3. all the fittings , preparings of souls , as fit materials for this spiritual-temple , building , and the management of the ordinances thereof , are bottom'd upon the priestly-office of christ . that men in their natural state , are altogether unfit , for such a building , or work , will be granted ; otherwise , arguments enough lie near at hand , for it's confirmation . our lord hath solemnly determin'd this controversy ( if with any it be a controversy ) joh. 3.3 , 5. that persons fitness lies in the communication of the spirit , a divine principle of life , the participation of the grace of the covenant ; that therein also lies their meetness , ability for the work , and service of this temple , will not be denied . now whence flowes all this , but from the oblation , intercession of christ ; the two signal parts of his priestly-office . nay 4. the saints comming to god with their temple-worship ( all of it ) hath its foundation here ; were it not for the priest-hood of christ , they must stand off at an eternal distance ; jehovah would be a terror , consuming fire to them . this all know , who have a sight of themselves in their lapsed , corrupt , depraved state ; and of the infinite , purity , and righteousness of god. this the apostle treats of , heb. 4.14 , 15 , 16. and 7.19 . yea 5. all the acceptance of their persons , and all their temple-worship , with the father of spirits , is bottomed here . were not christ our high-priest , had he not ( as such ) made an attonement , reconciliation for us ; did he not make intercession ( as such ) for us ; both we , and our most solemn performances would be loathed , rejected , by the lord. 6. their encouragement to come to god with boldness , the great motive to abide in their temple-worship , and not to forsake the assembling themselves together ; to be diligent in the discharge of the duties they are obliged to perform to one another in their church-relation , is fixed here , heb. 10.20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25. their rejection of gospel-communion , is accounted an undervaluing of the priestly-office of christ , v. 28 , 29. to which add 7. that the preservation of gospel-churches , ordinances , is a fruit of the priestly-office of christ , bottomed upon his oblation , intercession . why are they not dispersed , scattered ? why have not their adversaries ruin'd , destroyed them ? whence is it that they have liberty to tread the lords court , and worship before the footstool of his throne in peace ? yea , whence is it , that the devil with all his power , policy , hath not been able to ruin , destroy the churches of christ ? it 's christ that died , yea rather , that is risen again ; who ever lives to make intercession , rom. 8.34 . so that in this matter , hear's full measure of demonstration , pressed down , running over , that gospel-churches , institutions appertaining to them , are bottomed upon the priestly-office of christ . if he continue our high-priest , if there be any vertue in his death , energie , power in his intercession , they must continue also . and when these fail , we are content to sink , perish . maluimus cum christo perire , quam cum caesare regnare . iii. gospel-churches , institutions , are also bottomed upon the kingly-office of christ ; whence their perennity , perpetuity , is evident . that christ is a king , hath his subjects , laws , by which he governs them , cannot be denied . that he hath ( yet doth ) exercised his kingly-soveraignty over them , will be granted ; if he do not do so , he is not king , his despotick authority is at an end . who are his subjects ? those that dwell in sion , his church , his body , his house , his kingdom ; which hath been demonstrated to be saints embodied , and worshipping him in a gospel-church-state ; to these he is a head , lord , king. what are the laws he rules them by , gives forth for the tryal of their faith , love , obedience ? they are gospel-ordinances of his own institution , and appointment . and as of old , the people of the jewes , that church of god , when they rejected his ordinances , are said to reject him , cast off his soveraignty , ruledom : so because of their pertinacious adherence to the laws of moses , when christ had perioded that ministration , had left the world , and was gone to his father ; with a rejection of him , and the ministration introduced by him , they are said to be citizens that hated him , and send a message after him , saying , we will not have this man reign over us , luk. 19.14 . 't is true , christ as king , rules in the saints by his spirit , grace : but visibly by his word , and gospel-institutions doth he reign over them . these are his chariot , or throne of state , wherein he shew's himself publickly in majesty and glory . they are his insignia regalia , or kinglyarms , or ensigns : none can offer despite , affront , to these ; but they affront him , and are guilty of high-treason against him . we justly condemn the papists as opposers of the kingly-office of christ ; because , contrary to his precept , they have taken away one part of the institution of christ , viz. the cup from the laity : and what is to be thought of those who turn their backs upon all , and attempt the pulling down of that house of the appointment of christ , wherein they are to be ministred . if christ be king , he hath his churches , over whom ( as such ) he doth preside ; and his laws , as royal ensigns , in the midst of them , for them to conform to . chap. x. a tenth demonstration of the continuation of churches , ordinances ; otherwise a great part of the scriptures of the new-testament have been , are , of little use to the saints . an eleventh , a twelfth evidence to the same thing ; christ hath power to preserve his churches , and 't is his will so to do . there are special promises , both under the old oeconomy , and the new , to saints , as they attend upon jehovah ( as a church ) in the observation of ordinances . exod. 20.24 . explained . and 29.42 , 43 , 44 , 45. at large . why the tabernacle is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 isa . 4.5 , 6. opened . zach. 2.10 . mat. 18.20 . 2 cor. 6.16 . rev. 3.10 . considered . a thirteenth , fourteenth , fifteenth , sixteenth , demonstration of the continuation of churches , and ordinances . 't is the duty of saints in every generation to confess christ . gal. 3.27 . opened . subjection to the institutions of christ , one signal way of confessing him . saints are charged to hold fast whatever they have received from christ till he comes . much of the glory of christ , as mediator of the new-covenant , lies in his churches . many evil and absurb consequences of the denial of the continuation of gospel-churches , ordinances , remarked . demonstration . x. if there have not been , be not , a continuation of gospel-churches , ordinances , a great part of the scriptures of the new-testament , have been , are , of little use to the saints . now it cannot be imagined , that the lord jesus , out of his special love to , and care of his people , should appoint the scriptures to be written ; and yet no small part of them to be of no concern in this world to them . of this kind are all those scriptures , which contain rules of direction to the saints , touching their embodying together , in order to their becoming a church of christ ; discovering who are fit matter , their power for the election , setting apart of officers , to minister in the name of christ amongst them ; the qualification of such as are to be chosen by them ; their office , work , duty in , and to the church ; the churche's duty to them : the way and manner of the management of the institutions of the gospel amongst them : the mutual duties of church-members each to other , as they stand in a covenant-relation together . how great a part of the scriptures of the new-testament , and particularly the epistles to the churches , is taken up in these things , is known ; to enumerate particulars , is almost endless . see , matth. 28.19 , 20. act. 2.41 , 42. 1 cor. 12.28 . eph. 4.11 , 12. matth. 18.17 , 18 , 19. 1 cor. 4.17 . & 7.17 . act. 14.23 . tit. 1.5 . 1 tim. 3.15 . & 2.1 . act. 6.4 . & 13.2 , 3. eph. 5.19 . col. 3.16 . 2 tim. 4.2 . 1 cor. 14.3 . act. 6.2 . heb. 13.7 . matth. 26.26 , 27. 1 cor. 11.23 . rom. 12.6 , 7 , 8. rev. 2.3 . rom. 1.5 , 6. 1 cor. 1.2 . & 14.15 . heb. 3.1 . jam. 1.18 . rev. 1.20 . 1 pet. 2.5 . eph. 2.21 , 22 , 23. 2 cor. 6.16 , 17 , 18. act. 20.17 , 18. 1 cor. 12.28 . eph. 4.11 . phil. 1. 1 tim. 3.1 , 2. & 5.17 . heb. 13.7 , 17. 1 pet. 5.1 . eph. 4.8.13 . tit. 1.7 , 8 , 9. 2 tim. 3.2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7. 1 pet. 5.2 , 3. act. 13.2 . 1 tim. 5.22 . & 4.14 . & 3.10 , 11 , 13. & 4.12 . 2 tim. 2.3 . col. 1.24 . phil. 2.17 . & 3.17 . heb. 13.17 . act. 20.28 . 2 tim. 2.15 . & 4.2 . rom. 12.6 , 7 , 8. 1 tim. 6.20 . jude 3. 1 cor. 4.1 , 2. 1 tim. 3.15 . & 4.14 , 15 , 16. act. 20.18 , 19 , 20 , 25 , 26. 1 thes . 3.5 . 2 tim. 2.24 , 25. rom. 12.8 . 1 tim. 5.17 . & 3.5 . col. 4.17 . 2 cor. 10.4 , 8. 1 tim. 4.11 . tit. 2.15 . 1 pet. 1.2 , 3 , 4 , 5. 1 thes . 5.12 , 13. 1 cor. 16.16 . eph. 6.18 , 19. col. 4.3 . 2 thes . 3.1 . gal. 6.6 . 1 cor. 9.14 . & 16.10 . 2 tim. 1.16 , 17 , 18. 2 tim. 4.16 . rom. 12.8 . 1 cor. 12.28 . 1 tim. 5.17 . act. 6.3 , 5 , 6. phil. 1.1 . 1 tim. 3.8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. phil. 2.15 , 16. & 4.8 , 9. 1 thes . 3.8 . 1 pet. 4.10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. 1 tim. 3.15 . heb. 10.23 . act. 2.38 , 39 , 46. & 16.33 . 1 cor. 1.16 . & 11.20 , 21 , 22 , 26 , 28 , 29 , 33. act. 20.7 . mat. 16.19 . rom. 12.8 . 2 cor. 10.4 , 5 , 6. rev. 2.2 , 20. mat. 24.45 . eph. 4.13 , 14. 1 tim. 3.5 . & 5.17 . heb. 13.17 . 1 pet. 2.3 . 1 thes . 5.12 . gal. 6.1 , 2. 1 cor. 4.14 . & 5.2 , 4 , 5. 2 cor. 2.6 , 7 , 8. 2 tim. 4.2 . mat. 18.15 . 1 thes . 5.14 . tit. 1.13 . & 2.15 . 2 tim. 4.2 . 1 tim. 5.19 , 20. mat. 18.16 , 17. tit. 3.10 . 1 tim. 1.20 . 1 cor. 5.5 . gal. 5.12 . & 6.1 . 2 cor. 2.7 . 2 thes . 3.15 . gal. 6.2 . 1 cor. 5.2 , 4 , 5 , 12. 1 cor. 6.2 . 2 cor. 2.6 , 7 , 8. phil. 2.10 . & 2.15 . 1 cor. 10.32 . 1 thes . 2. 11.12 . tit. 2.10 . joh. 6.15 . act. 26.18 . 1 pet. 2.9 . 2 cor. 4.3 , 4 , 6. 1 tim. 1.19 , 20. 2 tim. 4.3 , 4. tit. 1.13 . jude 3. eph. 4.20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24. 2 cor. 8.5 . act. 8.20 , 23. tit. 1.10 . rev. 2.2 . act. 18.26 . 1 thes . 2.7 , 8 , 11. act. 9.26 , 27. rom. 14.1 . 1 cor. 13. throughout . & 10.32 . eph. 6.18 . 1 tim. 2.1 . 2 cor. 8.4 , 6. act. 11.29 , 30. rom. 15.26 , 27. & 16.1 , 2. 3 joh. 8.9 . act. 15.2 . 1 tim. 3.15 . cum multis aliis . — are all these scriptures ( with many more ) of no use to the saints ? are they not at all concern'd in them ? credat apella ! and yet this must be asserted upon the supposition , that there are no churches of the institution of christ ; for as such , are the saints alone concerned in them . object . if it be objected , that a great part of the old-testament is of little , or no use to the saints now ; therefore the argument is invalid , of no weight . answ . the answer is easie . 't is readily granted , that whatever is spoken in the old-testament , touching circumcision , priests , altar , temple , sacrifices , vestments , &c. we are not under the gospel-ministration at all concerned with ; an introduction of these things , is a plain practick-denial of christ come in the flesh : but whilest that priest-hood , oeconomy stood in force , 't was the duty of all the saints , to attend diligently to the commands of the lord , relating to them : not to have done so , had been rebellion , high-treason against him . till a prophet greater than moses , a priest greater than aaron , even jesus the son of god came , and put a period to the whole of that ministration , and erected a new one by that authority that was given to him of the father as mediator of the new-covenant , every tittle of that law contained in ordinances they were obliged to . whilest that church-state continued , they were concerned in them . and so by a parity of reason are the saints with all the laws given by jesus christ in the new-testament , 'till either a greater than he come , ( which can never be ) or he by his own soveraign authority , supersede them ; by his second personal glorious coming , introducing a new state of things , without any institutions , or ordinances , put a period to them . demonstration . xi . if there be not a continuation of the church-state , with institutions thereunto belonging , 't is either because christ could not , or would not continue it . the first connot be asserted . all power is given unto him in heaven , and in earth , matth. 28.18 . he is king of kings , lord of lords , 1 tim. 6.15 . rev. 17.14 . & 19.16 . the almighty , rev. 1.8 . is above principality , power , eph. 1.21 . hath all angels , and men at his foot ; can order , dispose of them as he pleases . nor the second , for he hath promised its continuance ; engaged his presence with it , for that end : these are all the visible ensigns he hath in the world of his authority , soveraignty ; not a relation he stands in to them , his concern in point of honour , and glory , in their preservation ; the prophetick discoveries of his resolution , that they should continue , ( of which we have already treated ) amply discover , that his will is their continuation . they then that oppose , advance themselves against the churches of christ , resist his will , and are found fighters against g0d . demonstration . xii . the lord hath , both under the old-oeconomy , and the new , made special promises to his people , as they attend him , wait upon him ( as a church ) in the observation of institutions , and ordinances . so in the old-testament , exod. 20.24 . an altar of earth thou shalt make unto me , thou shalt sacrifice thereon , thy burnt-offerings , and thy peace-offerings : thy sheep and thine oxen : in all places where i record my name , i will come unto thee , and i will bless thee . the latter words are variously rendred . in every place in which shall be the memory of my name , v.l. where ye remember my name , sy. ar. wheresoever i shall name my name , seventy . where i shall cause my glory to dwell , ch. where i shall make my name to be remembred , pi. where i shall make the memorial of my name , or cause the remembrance of my name to be , or make you to remember my name , ainsworth . the meaning is , in every place , in every institution of mine , where i command you to attend me , as a church , in publick worship , and service , ( as at the tabernacle , temple , &c. ) there i l'e come to thee , meet thee , manifest my gracious presence to thee , assuredly bless thee , exod. 29.42 , 43 , 44 , 45. this shall be a continual burnt-offering , throughout your generations , at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the lord , where i will meet with you , to speak there unto thee . and there i will meet with the children of israel , and shall be sanctified by my glory ( the tabernacle is not in the hebrew ; some render it , israel ; others , the place , or the tabernacle , shall be sanctified by my glory ) and i will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation — and i will dwell amongst the children of israel , and i will be their god. that the tabernacle was at that day , the place that jehovah had appointed , for the church of israel as a church to worship him , is known . as you do so , saith the lord , i le meet with you ( or as the greek translateth , will be known unto thee ) to speak there unto thee , &c. 't is the special presence of god with them , that is intended by those expressions . and the tabernacle , is call'd , the tabernacle of the congregation , heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tabernacle of assembly , or convention , because there god , and his people met together ; he to instruct them by his word , they to worship him , and to receive his oracles . see exod. 40.34 . lev. 1.1 . and 9.23 , 24. num. 1.1 . and 7.89 . and 12.4 , 5. and 14.10 . and 16.19 , 42 , 44. so also in the gospel-day , isa . 4.5 , 6. the lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount sion , and upon her assemblies , a cloud , and smoke by day , and the shining of the flaming fire by night , for upon all the glory shall be a defence : and there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat , and for a place of refuge , and for a covert from storm , and from rain . the word translated the dwelling-place , is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an ordinary dwelling-place , or common habitation ; but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prepared place of , and for god. they are the church-assemblies he intends by it . to these he promises his presence , favour , direction , guidance , defence , protection , under the notion of the cloud , pillar , tabernacle ; which were the signal visible ensigns of these to his people of old , zach. 2.10 . sing and rejoyce , o daughter of sion ; for lo , i come , and i will dwell in the midst of thee , saith jehovah . and many nations shall be joyned to the lord in that day , and shall be my people . ( 't is evidently of the conversion of the gentiles , and their walking together in gospel-fellowship , that he speaks ) and i will dwell in the midst of thee — mat. 18.20 . where two , or three ( a few saints walking together in the fellowship of the gospel , for these two or three are call'd the church , v. 17. ) are gathered together in my name , ( or authority ) there am i in the midst of them . 2 cor. 6.16 . ye ( the church of god at corinth . v. 1. ) are the temple of the living god ; as god hath said , i will dwell in them , and walk in them , and i will be their god , and they shall be my people . — rev. 3.10 . because thou hast kept the word of my patience , i also will keep thee from the hour of temptation , that shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth . the words are a promise made to the church in philadelphia , and so to all gospel-churches ; especially to such as are the antitype to the philadelphian-church , of preservation from the temptations , snares , distresses , that are coming upon professors : others shall fall by them , sink under them ; she shall be kept , because she kept the words of christ's patience , i. e. the doctrine , precepts , institutions of christ , he deliver'd in the day of his patience , when he tabernacled amongst men , and endured the contradiction of sinners . the sum is , as under the old law , so under the new ; there are special promises made to saints worshipping god in a community , as a church : whence three things necessarily follow : 1. that there must be gospel-churches , to whom these promises may be made good . 2. that a denial of a gospel-church-state , churches , ordinances , is as much as in us lies , to make these promises of god of none effect . for if their be no churches , there are none to whom they should be performed . and besides , some of them have in them a special engagement for their preservation . as that isa . 4.5 , 6. is god unfaithful ? can any charge him with breach of promise , without being guilty of horrid impiety , blasphemy against him . 3. that a withdrawment from church-fellowship , ordinances , is a practick-contempt of the presence of god promised to his people , as they are found walking according to his will herein . demonstration . xiii . 't is the duty of saints in every generation , to confess , make a profession of christ , as well as to believe in him , rom. 10.9 . if thou shalt confess with thy mouth , the lord jesus , and shalt believe in thine heart — . this will not be denied ! now our solemn , most signal profession of our lord jesus , lies in a visible subjection to him in church-institutions . therefore are we said , by baptism , to put on christ , gal. 3.27 . ( i. e. have taken upon you a most solemn profession of his name ) : and our lord tells us , mar. 8.38 . that to be ashamed of his words , is to be ashamed of him : that we shew our selves his friends , if we do whatever he commands us , john 15.14 . so that evidently an owning of , visible subjection to , the words , institutions of christ , is that wherein our profession of his name doth lie . that it did so in the primitive dayes , will not , cannot be denied : well then , either there are no saints in the world , or they are discharged from the command , to confess christ , or there are churches walking together in gospel-ordinances at this day ; and must be such , to the consummation of all things . the truth is , 't is utterly impossible , for any to hold the nullity of the church-state , ordinances ; but they must affirm , ( as some have done ) that there are no visible saints in the world. for the same law of christ , which directed the saints , in the first-dayes of the gospel , to make a profession of christ by their subjection to his institutions , abides still , as a standing rule for them to walk by . demonstration . xiv . the great charge of christ to his people , is , to hold fast that which they have received 'till he comes , rev. 2.25 . & 3.11 . now 't is not only the grace , and doctrine of the gospel , that they received , but the laws , institutions thereof , relating to gospel-fellowship , worship . these then , in every day , they are bound to hold fast till christ comes : and those that do so , are upon that foot of account publickly commended by him , rev. 14.12 . here is the patience of the saints , here are they that keep the commandments of god , and the faith of jesus . demonstration . xv. much of the honour , glory of the lord jesus , as the mediator of the new-covenant , lies in his churches , zach. 6.13 . he shall build the temple , and bear the glory . let these be removed , and he will have but little glory in the world. demonstration . xvi . many are the evil consequences that follow upon the denial of gospel-churches — . we 'll instance but in a few . i. the ministration of the law wherein moses was a servant , was more lasting , than the ministration the son was on purpose sent from the father to introduce . ii. that 't is lawful to be partial in jehovah's law. 't is true , we are to pray by our selves , or perhaps some very few with us ; to watch , attend the inward work ; press after a further degree of sanctification , conformity to christ ; we are to love him , believe in him : but as to the law of institutions , we will have nothing to do with it . and why so ? are not these last , as much the charge , law of christ to his people , as the former ? iii. 't is a condemning the generation of the righteous ( which we ought to be tender of ) and that many wayes . 1. they are ( have been ) a generation of will-worshippers . their church-state , fellowship , breaking bread — is will-worship : churches are gathered , ordinances administred in the will of man. 2. they are self-persecutors , self-murderers , self-destroyers . the loss of their liberty , goods , enjoyments , lives , for their being found in these wayes , they may thank themselves ; for , they bring it upon themselves : for christ requires no such thing at their hands . iv. 't is a justifying , gratifying , the wicked against the righteous . as , 1. a justifying them in their charge against the lords people . you may ( say they ) be of what religion you will , pray , preach , a few of you together ; but nothing will please you , except you have a great company together . you talk of conscience , this is nothing but your stubbornness , self-will , pride of spirit . and the truth is , it must be somewhat of that nature ( for conscience to christ it cannot be ) if church-assemblies , with the administration of ordinances in them be not of christ's appointment . 2. 't is a gratifying satan , antichrist , in his grand design , he hath from the beginning been managing against the lord , and his people , viz. to dissipate , scatter , drive them into corners . 3. 't is a justifying the wicked in all their bloody persecutions of the saints . they persecute them not as the worshippers of christ ; for he requires them not so to worship him , but as breakers of the law , factious , seditious ones . v. 't is as much , as in us lies , a dispoyling christ of all the visible soveraignty he hath at this day in the world. vi. 't is a withdrawment of our selves from that yoak of christ he commands , encourages his disciples to take upon them . mat. 11.29 , 30. vii . 't is to be ashamed of christ's words in an adulterous generation , mar. 8.38 . with much more that might be instanced in . these things might have been particularly more improved , but we have already past the bounds designed in the managery of this controversie . and if what hath been said , will not convince gain-sayers , i am out of hopes by any thing that i can offer ( though with the brightest scripture-evidence ) so to do : and shall pray to god , to shew them the error of their way , and reduce them to his foot. 't is time we attend to those objections that are made ( at least as many of them as we have heard of ) against the subject matter of the present discourse : which is the design of the next chapter . chap. xi . objections against the continuation of the gospel-church-state , churches , ordinances , particularly considered , answered . object . 1. some of the officers that were in the churches , viz. apostles , prophets , evangelists are now wanting : that hence a cessation of churches , ordinances doth not ensue , evinced : for then there had been a cessation of these , ever since the apostles dayes ; the absurdity whereof demonstrated . that 't was never the intendment of christ , that these officers should be continued , proved , 1 cor. 4.9 . explained . that the essence of a true church of christ depends not upon these officers , demonstrated . apostles as apostles , are neither foundation , matter , or form of the church , proved . object . 2. the apostasie prophesied of , hath covered , swallowed , up all the churches ; answered . the apostasie spoken of , not a universal apostasie , proved . object . 3. that there are no wise-master-builders ; removed out of the way . 1 cor. 3.10 . explained . object . 4. the gifts in the primitive-church , wanting , answered . 't is grace , not gifts , that constitutes a church , proved . object . 5. the present churches , have only the form , deny the power , removed . object . 6. from the pollution of the churches , answered . object . 7. the churches were at first gathred in the will of man ; considered , answered . object . 8. from the want of a presence among the churches , answered . the various wayes of god's being present with a people , considered . having in the precedent discourse , at large evinced , the continuation of the gospel-church-state , churches , ordinances ; that which remaines , is the removal of objections out of the way , which we now address our selves to . object . 1. we grant a church-state , churches , institutions to be of christ , but there 's now no such thing ; for you want some of the principal officers that were in the churches , viz. apostles , prophets , evangelists , eph. 4.11 . answ . that the officers mentioned , were of the institution of christ , is readily yielded : that such are not , now in any of the churches of christ , is also granted : but that a cessation of churches doth not hereupon ensue , is very easily demonstrated . for , 1. then there hath been a cessation of churches for above a thousand , and some hundred of years ; yea , ever since the apostles dayes : for , after those particular persons invested by christ into the offices , and ministry before-mentioned , none such have stood up . now 't is the first-born of absurdities , that christ should with such solemnity , as he did by the pouring forth of the spirit in the day of pentecost , set up a ministration ( wherein also he spent forty dayes after his resurrection to instruct his disciples ) and should in a few scores of years , suffer it to be taken down again . and it cannot be supposed , to consist with the wisdom of christ , so to do : it 's also perfectly inconsistent , with the gospel-covenant , mediatory offices of christ , and signal promises made to his churches — ( of which we have already distinctly treated ) . 2. 't was never the intendment of christ , that such officers should be continued in the churches . which is evident , as if written with the beams of the sun , from these few considerations : 1. if he had indeed intended their continuation , they should have been continued : for 't will not 't is presumed , be asserted , that christ failes of his intendment . 2. there are no intimations given in the scripture of any succession of such officers ; nor any rules laid down for the churches to proceed upon in their election . of pastors , teachers , deacons , we have an account , and directions given for their setting apart to office ; but of apostles , prophets , evangelists , ne gry quidem , not the least syllable , or iota , touching their continuation , or the way to be used in order thereunto . nay , 3. when the first-churches were planted , we find by the advice of the apostles , teachers and deacons chosen to office , but no choice made of new apostles ; nor any intimation given , that more than these were necessary , or expedient for the continuance , or preservation of the church . 4. when christ writes to the seven churches of asia , he blames them ( most of them ) for several things amiss amongst them ; but charges them not , with any neglect , or sin , that they had not the officers mentioned amongst them ; which yet they had not . for apostles , 't is certain , they had none ; of them only john was alive at that day , the rest were fallen asleep ; and he was not with them , but in the isle of patmos : christ owns them as his churches notwithstanding . 't is true , he threatens some of them to un-church them ; but not because they wanted these officers , but for other reasons mentioned by him . 5. we have an almost expresse declaration , that after the apostles fell asleep , there were to be no more apostles to succeed them , 1 cor. 4.9 . for i think god hath set forth us the apostles last : so we render it , but not so fully expressive of the greek ; which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 — for i think , ( or i conclude , for the word doth not alwayes signifie a doubtful opinion , but a certain conclusion , 't is us'd in the determination of that famous council , act. 15.28 . ) that god hath set forth , or exhibited us , the last apostles . so the arabick , syriack , v.l. god hath shewed us the last apostles . god hath designed his last apostles , so the aethiopick . so then evidently , no new apostles were designed by christ after them . 't is true , many have pretended so to be ; some such ( as it seems ) came to the church at ephesus , who upon trial found them liaers , rev. 2.2 . but 6. the whole weight of the objection lies upon this single basis , that the essence of a true church of christ , consists in having the officers mentioned amongst them . for if it doth not , the churches are as really true churches of christ , without these officers , as the first apostolick-churches , that had them , were . this is that then we shall demonstrate , that apostles — are not of the essence of a true church of christ . for i. there was a true church of christ of converted believers , before they ever saw the face of an apostle , even in the apostles days . not to mention what 's probable , that the eunuch being brought over to the faith of christ , act. 8. went in to ethiopia , preached christ , gathered churches there . in which , some think that prophesie had its accomplishment , psa . 68.31 . nor , what some affirm , that the gospel was preached , churches gathered here in england by joseph of arimathea . what may we think of the church at antioch ? was that a true church ? the apostles own'd it as such . and 't is evident , that 't was constituted without the officers mentioned act. 11.19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 26. and here the disciples were first called christians . 't is true , there came apostles , and prophets to them ; but they were , before their coming , a church of christ . the like may be said of samaria , where by the ministry of phillip , were converts brought over to christ , and baptized , before ever the apostles heard tittle of it ; who at this time kept privately at jerusalem , act. 8.1 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 12 , 14. that by the same hand , churches were planted at azotus , caesarea , act. 8.40 . with 9.30 . is more than probable . at ptolemais you have an intimation of a church of christ ; but no account of any apostles going thither , till paul in his journey salutes the brethren that were there , and tarries with them one day , act. 21.7 . the church at colosse was gathered by epaphras , col. 1.7 . as were several churches , before ever any apostle came to them . so that , if because they have not apostles , the present churches are no churches of christ ; neither were the primitive-churches , at least some of them , such : the objection lies as directly against them , as any after-churches . but ii. the apostles , as apostles , are neither foundation , matter , or form of the church ; so far are they from being of the essence of the church . 1. foundation they are not ; for christ is the alone foundation , as hath been proved . 't is true , saints are said to be built upon the foundations of the apostles , and prophets , eph. 2.20 . but the intendment thereof , is no more than that , they were built upon the doctrine was preacht by the apostles ; the substance whereof was christ . 2. not the matter , as apostles : as saints 't is true , they were so , as well as others ; but no otherwise . 3. the form of the church they are not : for that lies in somewhat else , as before was demonstrated . iii. let 's suppose , that , which may be supposed . ( it hath been , as is known ) that by the providence of god , the meanest saint is cast upon any spot , where the gospel never was . he preaches christ to the natives , they are converted by the spirit of the lord accompanying his ministry : may these converts give up themselves to the lord , and one another , to walk with him in ways of his own institution , or not ? if the first , actum est periisti antichristiane , there may be true churches , without apostles ; for herein lie's the essence of a true church : if the second , it 's lawful , then it seems , for believers to disobey the commands of christ ( which will at least sound harsh in the ears of sober christians ) for gospel-fellowship , churches — we have proved to be commanded by christ . nay iv. the apostles , quâ apostles , never belong'd to any perticular church . authority in the name of christ they had in , and amongst them all ; never related to any particular church , as such . they were non-residents , ubiquitaries , and the office whereunto they were called by the lord jesus , required , that they should be so , mat. 28.18 , 19. v. what the apostles were to the gospel-churches , that ( at least ) moses and aaron may be supposed to be in the judaick church . the law came by moses . in every difficult case , he was their mediator to god , and gave responses to them : from him aaron had his vrim and thummim , whereby he gave ( in matters proposed to him ) infallible answers from the holy one. they had also the ark , with the mercy-seat , and cherubims . the fire from heaven : the majesty or divine presence ( viz. the oracle in the most holy place , where god dwelt between the cherubims . num. 7.89 . psa . 80.2 . ) the holy spirit ( viz. the spirit of prophesie , not only in the priests , but in the prophets ) were these of the essence of the church ? was their church-state dissolved because of their want of them ? what more frivolous can be asserted ? moses , and aaron soon fell asleep , before they came into the good land. as for the last mentioned , they enjoyed them not under the second temple ( as the jews themselves acknowledge ) ; yet their church-state continued till the death of christ , as is granted by all . 't is impossible to fix upon any argument to prove the necessity of apostles for the continuation of a church-state in gospel-dayes , which will not also evince a necessity of what we have instanced in , with respect to the necessity of the existence of moses , &c. for the continuation of the judaick church-state ; than which nothing is more false . besides vi. the church was never built upon the apostles ( one or other of them ) but upon their doctrine , which from the lord jesus they delivered ; or rather upon christ the sum , and substance thereof . 't is true , the papists tell us ( as hath been intimated ) that 't was built upon peter , from , mat. 16.18 . upon which they have laboured to build their babel , endeavouring to substitute the pope in his room . the vanity of which attempt , hath been discovered by several , and by none more than the every-way learned , and accomplished j.o. in his animadversions on fiat lux. but as was said , 't was their doctrine , not their persons the church was built upon . this through the wonderful kindness of god , we have continued to us ; and therefore no need of their personal ministry . yet , vii . suppose we had apostles amongst us , the self-same apostles that were sent forth , and instructed by christ , to indoctrinate the saints in his will , to charge them to observe whatever he had commanded them . they would declare to us the same things , or they would not ▪ if the same , they are upon record in the scriptures of truth ; and are as much to be heeded by us , as if they had been delivered to us by them vivâ voce . the latter cannot be imagined . the apostle hath for ever shut the door against any such conceit , gal. 1.8 , 9. though we , or an angel from heaven , preach any other gospel unto you , then that which we have preached unto you , let him be accursed — . so that evidently the want of apostles is the most weak , frivolous argument , that ever men of the least reason , or converse with the scripture , or knowledge of that faith that ought to be with us in these matters , ever fixt upon . object . 2. but there was an apostasie foretold by the apostles of our lord , which we find actually came to pass within a few hundreds of years after christ . therefore there are no true churches ; for the apostasie hath covered , swallowed up all . answ . that an apostasie was foretold , as intimated , that it was also introduced , is granted . but this proves not , the nullity of churches , ordinances . for , 1. 't is expresly declared , that the apostasie mentioned , should not be a total apostasie , 1 tim. 4.1 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , not all , but some shall depart , or make a revolt from the faith. i confess had the scripture asserted a universal apostasie , the objection would have seem'd , to have had some strength in it . i say 't would have seem'd , for really it hath none . for had the apostasie , as is falsly pretended , over-spread all for a season ( as sometimes it did in the churches of old , as was demonstrated in the preface to this discourse ) ; yet it follows not , but in persons ( by the call of god ) delivered from under that apostasie , a true church-state might exist . which is notoriously true , with respect to thousands , that for some while the papacy drank in . but , 2. we have already proved [ demonstrat . 4. c. 4. ] that all along the apostasie , the lord had his true churches witnessing for him against it . so that we need not say more touching this matter . there was an apostasie foretold , that should overspread the greatest part of the churches , prevail in most places of the christian world. it did so to purpose at rome — &c. ergo , there are no true churches , risum teneatis amici , or rather pity ; pray for them , who by reason of prejudice , temptation , have their understanding so far blinded , as to think there 's any weight to be laid upon such puerile ludicrous arguments . object . 3. but you have no wise-master-builder ; which the apostle saith he was , 1 cor. 3.10 . therefore you have no true churches . answ . this objection is the same with the first . to it we will nevertheless speak a few words , which will abundantly evince the emptyness of it . 1. paul asserts himself to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , a chief-bulder , not with respect to christ ; for so he was not , but an under-work-man ; but with respect to others , who afterwards built upon that foundation [ christ ] he had laid . nor doth he 2. assert himself to be the chief-builder , with relation to all the churches ; but with respect to that particular church at corinth . were all the rest of the churches , that had not this master-builder , false churches ? this will not be asserted . yet we hear of no wise-master-builder , with respect to any other of the churches . the word is only used here . but , 3. paul , as wise a master-builder as he was , was sure a work-man under christ ; who is the builder of the house , or churches ( as hath been proved ) and he was indispensibly bound to walk by rule ; the rule of his lord and master , christ jesus . this he tells us he did , 1 cor. 11.23 . now 4. the saints have this rule , and they have the spirit of the lord with them , in them , to open it , and explain it to them . for if they have him not , and for this end ( to lead them into all truth ) they are not saints , rom. 8.9 . what hinders then , but that saints having the same rule the apostle walked by , and the spirit to instruct them in it , they may conform to it , and so constitute churches of christ ? if they have but so much wisdom as to understand the rule constitutive of churches ; and so much conscience and honesty , as to apply themselves to it ( and they are poor saints that are devoid of the one or the other ) they cannot but do so . the very truth is , paul , none of the apostles were builders , or wise-master-builders , but with respect to the rule of christ : to have built in their own wisdom , with a neglect thereof , had been folly and madness . so that any that attend to this rule in church-work , may be as well said to be builders ; and if they lay the foundation of a church afterward built upon by others , as truely said with respect to such a church to be wise-master-builders , as paul , &c. 't would hardly be an effectual argument to a man under the sense of inconveniencies ( almost to starving to death ) by winds , and stormes , for want of an habitation to dwell in ; to tell him , 't is true , here are materials for a house , and here is a rule to build it by ; which if you attend to , you cannot build amiss , but the truth is , the wise-master-builder , who acted by the same rule in building all the strong , and beautiful houses in the country , is thousands of miles off , and perhaps may not come hither again till you are dead , and rotten in your grave ; therefore you had best not attempt the work , till he come . nay stay , will the poor man say , i have the rule that he walked by , and i 'le up , and be doing as well as i can ; and i hope the lord will be with me — . christ commands ( as hath been proved ) to build an house ; gives us rules to walk by in such a work ; but hath no where said , he will send us such wise-master-builders in every respect as paul was ; nor told us the work must cease till they come ; but the contrary . object . 4. but you have not the gifts of the primitive-churches ; therefore you are no true churches of christ . answ . 1. 't is grace , not extraordinary gifts , that is the qualification of church-members , that constitute a church . when the apostles speak of church-members , they decypher them as sanctified ones , partakers of the grace of god — . christ requires no other qualification of a church-member , than being born again of god , john 3.3 , 5. which persons may be without those extraordinary gifts . nay , the truth is , the churches that have most excelled in these , have not been the most comely , or beautiful churches . for instance , the church at corinth , who perhaps in these gifts excell'd other churches ; but i am sure , came short of some of them in divine graces . 2. 't is most evident , that the primitive-churches were constituted , converted , believers added to them , without any immediate participation of these gifts , act. 2.40 , 41 , 42. we have an account of three thousand soules added to the church , but not a tittle of their partaking of these extraordinary gifts . the church at antioch was a true church of christ , before the apostles ( any of them ) came to them , or they had received the holy spirit ( i. e. were made partakers of the extraordinary gifts of the spirit ) act. 8.12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17. the like may be said of other churches . 3. the apostle having discoursed at large of these gifts , 1 cor. 12. at the close , v. 31. tells them , that he shews unto them a more excellent way , ( or the most excellent way , as the greek reads it ) viz. the way of love : of which he discourses at large , chap. 13. and this ( not the gifts mentioned ) is that which christ makes the badge of his disciples , joh. 13.35 . were there more of this , there would not be so much talk of the nullity of churches , as there is amongst some at this day ; nor that undue withdrawment from them . 4. these gifts are so far from being essential to a church ; that the apostle tells us , persons may have them all , and yet not be fit matter for a church : for they that have them , may nevertheless be nothing , devoid of true grace , 1 cor. 13.1 , 2. object . 5. but the churches have only the form of things , and deny the power ; and from such we are commanded to turn away , 2 tim. 3.5 . answ . 1. i must crave leave , to say , that the framers of this objection , are ascended not only to the height of censorious uncharitableness ; but invade the throne of god himself , and will become judges of the secrets of hearts . for , who told them that they deny the power ? did any of the churches themselves ? do any principles owned by them , any practices found amongst them declare as much ? let the individuals hereof [ guilty ] plead for themselves , i 'le not be their advocate . though i must add , i know no such churches , and yet they are not a few i am acquainted with . 2. it had been severe enough for the objectors to have , that they have the form , but not the power ; therefore are not true churches . but this perhaps they thought would not have served their purpose . inasmuch as the lord himself saith concerning the church of sardis , rev. 3.1 . thou hast a name to live , and art dead ; and of laodicea , v. 15. thou art neither cold , nor hot , v. 17. wretched , poor , miserable , blind , naked : yet even these are owned by christ for his churches , rev. 3.1 , 14. 3. that they have not the power , is also notoriously false . 't is true , they have not so much of it , as in a former day ; but that all 's lost , there are a thousand witnesses to confute . object . 6. the churches are polluted ; therefore no true churches . ans . 1. this is a most evident non-sequitur : they may be polluted , and yet true churches . the question is , whether there be such pollutions found upon them , either with respect to worship , or conversation , that by any rule of christ declare them vn-church'd ; which we are only to attend to in this matter . we may stab , and kill each other in a distempered fit , and think we do well ; but 't will be found murder by the righteous judge ; if what we do , be without his rule , and authority . 2. what pollution is there to be found amongst the churches , that was not to be found even in the apostolick churches ; and greater too , at least , in some of them ? 3. do they justify , plead for , any pollutions amongst them ? is not the sight of them , matter of grief , burden to them ; at least , to many amongst them . though there were but a few names in sardis , that had not defiled their garments , rev. 3.4 . yet christ ownes them for his church . object . 7. the present churches were at first gathered in the will of man : therefore they are no true churches . answ . 1. prove this , and take the cause . i 'd be he , after all i have writ , that would cast the first stone at them . but saying so , is but a sinful calumniation , no argument . let 's a little further consider this matter . 2. why are they gathered in the will of man ? is it , because they are gathered by the authority of man , driven together by penal sanctions ? this cannot be asserted . what then ? are they gathered , constituted of visibly prophane persons ? nor can this be affirm'd . if the gathering together of saints call'd out of the world , as volunteers giving up themselves to jesus christ , and one another , to walk together in gospel-fellowship , be a gathering in the will of man ; 't is true , they are so gather'd . but the best on 't is , we have good company under the same condemnation , even all the primitive-churches . obj. oh! but you were not gathered by apostles ! answ . oh! but this hath been already spoken to , and removed out of the way : several of the first churches we have proved , were not gathered by the apostles ; ergo , they also were gathered in the will of man , were not true churches . obj. 8. but there 's no presence among the churches : therefore no true churches . answ . 1. should it be granted , that there 's no presence , yet from thence it doth not follow that they are not true churches . for the glory was departed from the temple , ezek. 3.12 the blessed glory of the lord is gone from his place , and yet the temple was standing . in the second temple , there was not the schecinah , or divine presence ; yet the judaick church-state , not dissolved till many years after . the house may stand , and be a true house as much as 't was before , tho the master be gone out of it ; perhaps he hath a special end for the good of the house , servants , children , for a season to leave it . god may have blessed designs towards his churches in his temporary leaving them , yet true churches . i 'd ask , doth not the lord sometimes withdraw his presence from particular saints ? what child of god , but at one time , or other , finds cause to complain of his departure from him ? he seeks him , yet cannot find him . doth this destroy his saint-ship ? who 'l affirm it ? well then , the with-drawment of god from churches , is no argument they are none of his . 2. it may be there may be some mistake in this matter , and god is onely suppos'd to be a great way off , when he is near . mary laments for the absence of her lord , when yet he stood by her , joh. 20.15 , 16. it 's necessary we enquire a little touching the presence of god with a people . he is said to be present . 1. in respect of his essence , and being , so he is present with all ; indistant to none . he fills heaven and earth ; all things with his presence , psa . 139. 2. in respect of providential dispensations , preserving , defending a people , giving them the victory over their enemies . in this sence , through wondrous riches of grace , the lord is yet present with his churches ; the plots , confederacies , advancements of the children of men against them , have hitherto been in-successful . 3. in respect of sensible manifestations of his grace and love in the way of the new-covenant to them ; quickning , causeing their graces to flourish ; renewing , strengthning , comforting them . now though 't is true , ( and touching it , deep searchings of heart should be upon us , and mournings after the lord ) that there is not in this sense , such a presence of the lord as hath been formerly ; yet we must say , to the praise of matchless grace , we are not wholly destitute of it ; and are crying , as we can , let our beloved come into his garden , that the spices thereof may send forth their odoriferous smell . yet who 'l despise a day of small things ? 't is a mercy , for a rebellious beggar , to have a crum , a drop , of the bread , waters of life . and were we more thankful for , did we prize , improve as becomes us , that little god gives us , we might have more . 4. in respect of his real , actual presence in the new-covenant , though not sensible manifestations of it . thus god is present with us , ( though we complain of his absence ) when he strengthens us to wait on , for him , in the ways of his appointment ; enables us to seek to him . for without his presence , we were not able to do that . thus ( through grace ) he is present with his churches , and every member of them . 3. is not prayer , prayer , because we have not his sensible presence with us ? who 'l affirm it ? is it lawful to omit that duty , in our closets , retirements ; because we enjoy not god in it ? who dare aver it ? this were an effectual , and expeditious way , to drive christianity , all religion , devotion , out of the world. what though there be not a sensible enjoyment of god in churches , institutions — ▪ there he hath promised to meet his people , and bless them ; and there it 's our duty to wait for the returnal of his presence , and glory . thus far in answer to objections : which are all i have met with . and in the whole , have been with prayer and supplication , following the lord for leadings ; have not willingly reflected upon , or used exasperating expressions concerning any ; nor designedly pleaded the cause of any particular party , but the general concern of all the saints , who look upon their subjection to christ in gospel-institutions any part of their concern . in simplicity , and godly sincerity ( though with much weakness ) have i been managing this affair ; and because i believe , that the truth of the lord is herein with me , therefore have i spoken . if any may be profited , let god have the glory ; if any be otherwise minded , i pray god will manifest this also unto him in due time . finis . full and easie satisfaction which is the true and safe religion in a conference between d. a doubter, p. a papist, and r. a reformed catholick christian : in four parts ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1674 approx. 400 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 106 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26931 wing b1272 estc r15922 12544878 ocm 12544878 63024 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26931) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 63024) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 305:7) full and easie satisfaction which is the true and safe religion in a conference between d. a doubter, p. a papist, and r. a reformed catholick christian : in four parts ... / by richard baxter. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [24], 189 p. printed for nev. simmons ..., london : 1674. first ed. cf. nuc pre-1956. reproduction of original in union theological seminary library, new york. (from t.p.) i. the true stating of our difference -ii. the true easie and full justification of the reformed or protestant religion -iii. the protestants reasons and charges against popery enumerated -iv. the first charge, viz. against transubstantiation made good. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng catholic church -controversial literature. protestantism. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-10 spi global keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 judith siefring sampled and proofread 2005-11 judith siefring text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion full and easie satisfaction which is the true and safe religion . in a conference between d. a doubter , p. a papist , and r. a reformed catholick christian . in four parts : i. the true stating of our difference , and opening what each religion is . ii. the true easie and full justification of the reformed or protestant religion . iii. the protestants reasons and charges against popery , enumerated . iv. the first charge , viz. against transubstantiation made good : in which popery is proved to be the shame of humane nature , notoriously contrary to sense , reason , scripture and tradition , or the judgement of the antient and the present church ; devised by satan to expose christianity to the scorn of infidels . by richard baxter . london , printed , for nev. simmons , at the princes arms in st. pauls church-yard . 1674. and still continueth so to do . and while i can say , that i know of no nobleman living who hath read more of my writings than you have done , all that know the end of writing , will consent , that there is no noble name which i should prefer . and as i long ago read in the learned spanhemius's dedication of his dubia evangelica p. 3. to you ( well joyned with the famous usher ) the predication of your judicium supra aetatem maturum , rerum omnium cognitione subactum pectus , and that as attested by the illustrious duke of rohane , the most sagacious arbiter of ingenies ; and years and experience have been long adding to your knowledge : being not a stranger to the truth of this my self , i have great reason to be ambitious to stand right in your esteem : ( for who reverenceth the judgement of ignorant readers ? or doth not reverence the judgement of the wise ? ) and therefore to give you an account of my self and of this writing ; since i overgrew that religion which is taken up most on humane trust , by increasing knowledge i increased mens displeasure ; and my judgement not falling just into the mold of any sect among church-dividers , there is scarce any sect which doth not , according to their various interests , signifie their displeasure . some only by magisterial censures ; more credibly acquainting the world , what they are themselves , than what i am , or what is my judgement . but from others i take a meer slander for clemency , and as philostratus saith , de dicto phavorini ) et dum socratis cicutam non bibam , aereâ privari statuâ non laedit . simple christianity is my religion : i determine to know nothing but christ crucified ( and glorified . ) and i am past all doubt , that till simple christianity become the terms of church-unity and concord , the church will never see unity or concord , which shall prove universal or durable . so certain am i , that the wits of the learned , much less of the community of vulgar christians , will never arrive at the stature , of concord , in numerous and difficult points : nor the marvellous diversity of educations , occasions , temperatures and capacities , be ever united in any thing but what is plain and simple . and as certain am i , that the universal conscience of true believers will never unite , in any thing which is not evidently divine . and yet as certain am i , that the forsaking of the determination of the holy ghost and the apostles , acts 15.28 . and of pauls decision , rom. 14. & 15. hath been the engine of church-divisions and many calamitous distractions to this day : and that that blessed prince who must have the honour and comfort of beginning the true healing and concord of the churches , must pare off all their superfluities , and leave them at best among their things indifferent , and unite them on the terms of simple christianity . and as to popery i have certainly found , that the cross interests and passions of disputers have made us ( though really too distant ) to seem commonly about many doctrinals more distant than indeed we are : and that it had been better with us , if such men as judicious ludov. le blank , had had the stating of our controversies at the first , that differing words and methods might not have passed with either side for damnable errors in the faith . i mean in the points of fore-knowledge , predestination , providence , predetermination , concurse , original sin , free-will , universal redemption , sufficient grace , effectual grace , the nature of faith , justification , sanctification , merit , good works , certainty of justification , and of salvation , perseverance , &c. for my knowing this to be true , i am censured by those on one extream , as too favourable to the papists ( being indeed an enemy to injury , calumny , uncharitableness or cruelty to any in the world . ) but i am much more displeasing to the roman party ; because i know , that one man is naturally uncapable of being the monarch of all the world : that the king of rome ( as the geographia nubiensis calls him ) was never by christ made king of kings and lord of lords : that he never was , nor can be a pastor at the antipodes , and over all the earth , or as far as drake and candish did navigate : that it 's a sorry argument , [ monarchy is the best government : ergo , an universal monarchy is best : ] that the government setled in nature and scripture , is for princes to rule churchmen and all , by the sword , and the pastors of all particular churches , to rule their congregations by the church-keys , that is , by the word , using synods for due concord and correspondency : and this much will do better than all the stir that the clergies ambition hath made in the world . i know that the pope standeth on no better a foundation than the other four patriarchs : and that he was but the chief prelate or patriarch in one empire , as the archbishop of canterbury is in england ; and that the greek church never took his primacy in that one empire to be of divine right : for if they had , they had never set up the patriarch of constantinople against him , who never claimed his primacy as jure divino . i know that the great council of chalcedon decreed , act. 16. bin. 734. [ we following alwayes the definitions of the holy fathers and the canon , have our selves also defined the same things , concerning the priviledges of the same most holy church of constantinople , new rome ; for to the seat of old rome because of the empire of that city , the fathers consequently gave the priviledges : and the one hundred and fifty bishops most beloved of god , being moved with the same intention , have given equal priviledges to the most holy seat of new rome : reasonably judging that the city adorned with the empire and senate , shall enjoy equal priviledges with old regal rome . ] i know that their late bishop of chalcedon saith ( against bishop bramhall , survey , pag. 69. ) [ to us it sufficeth , that the bishop of rome is st. peters successor ; and this all fathers testifie . but whether he be so jure divino vel humano is no point of faith . vid. bellarm. 1.2 . de pont. l. 12. and holden analys . fid . l. 1. c. 9. p. 161. multa sunt quae traditione universa firmiter innituntur ( puta s. petrum fuisse romae ) quae revelata non sunt ; ideoque ab articulorum fidei catholicae numero excluduntur . i know that there never was such a thing as a true universal council in the world ( unless christ and his apostles were such ) ; nor ever must , or will , or can be . i know that they were called universal but as to one empire : and that emperours called them together , who had nothing to do without that empire ; and that ( unless accidentally any inconsiderable number ) no churches out of the empire were summoned , or sent their bishops thither : which needs no other proof than the knowledge of the limits of the roman empire , and the notitiae episcopatùum , and the names subscribed to each council in binnius and the rest . i know that long ago their raynerius said ( cont. waldens . catal. in biblioth . patrum tom. 4. p. 773. ) [ the churches of the armenians , and ethiopians , and indians , and the rest which the apostles converted , are not under the church of rome . ] and that godignus and others make no doubt but the abassines had the faith from the dayes of st. matthew and the eunuch . i know that theodoret. histor . sanct. patr. c. 1. saith , [ james the bishop of nisibis came to the synod of nice ; for nisibis then obeyed the roman empire . ] nothing can be more plain . i know that jacob. de vitriaco ( and others ) say ( hist . orient . c. 77. ) that [ the churches of the easterly parts of asia alone exceeded in number the christians either of the greek or latin churches ] : and that brochardus that lived at jerusalem saith , that [ those called schismaticks by us are far better men than those of the roman church . ] and to perswade the kings of other kingdoms , that the necessary way of church-union , is to unite all their subject-churches under the patriarchs of another empire , is no wiser than to tell all the world that they must be under the bishop of canterbury . i know that it was long ere our antient britains , and especially your scots , would so much as eat with the roman clergy , ( as beda sheweth . ) and i know that their melch. canus saith , ( loc. com. cap. 7. fol. 201. ) [ that not only the greeks , but almost all the rest of the bishops of the whole world , have fought to destroy the priviledges of the church of rome ; and indeed they had on their side both the arms of emperours and the greater number of churches : and yet they could never prevail to abrogate the power of the one pope of rome . ] was this pope then ( or the roman church ) universal ? besides that , to this day , they are but about the third or fourth part of the christian world . and i know that general councils are their religion : and what the general approved council at lateran sub innoc. 3. hath decreed against temporal lords and their dominions , and absolving of their subjects from their oaths of fidelity : besides what greg. 7. hath said in his concil . rom. of his power to take down and set up emperours . the knowing of these things , maketh me taken for their enemy . and their image of worship in an unknown tongue , with their bread-worship and multitude of ludicrous deceitful toyes , are things which my soul can never be reconciled to : much less to that renunciation of humanity which hereafter i detect , in the following treatise . and having given you this account of my self , i add as to this treatise , 1. it grieved me to hear that so many refused the parliaments declaration against transubstantiation : and i desired to shew them what it is . 2. instead of joyning with those who talk much of the danger of popery in the land ( to keep it out , ) i thought it better to publish the reasons which satisfie me against it , and leave the success of all to god. 3. and having occasion to re-print the first part of my key for catholicks , with corrections , instead of the name before prefixed , ( of one whose face i never saw , nor ever had a word from , but ignorantly endeavoured to have provoked him to do good ) i thought your name fittest to be gratefully substituted , who were the first then that checked my imprudent temerity . though i was not so vain , as to expect of late in your multitude of greater business , that you should read over my more tedious writings , i despair not but you may find leisure in perusing this , to see that i have prefixed your name to nothing , but what sense and reason and religion do avow . and so craving your pardon for the boldness and tediousness of this address , i rest , your graces humble much obliged servant , richard baxter . august 27. 1673. to the reader . this dialogue cometh not to you , from an apprehension of any extraordinary excellency of it , as if it did much more than is already done : but as extorted by mens necessity ; 1. because so many ignorantly turn papists of late ; 2. and some are pleased to say ( i dare not say , to think ) that it is long of men in my condition ; 3. and it is the art of the papists ( which our vanity encourageth ) to seek to bring the old books into oblivion ( which are unanswerable ) and to call still for new . the intended use of this is , 1. to tell those that will dispute with a papist , on what terms and in what order to proceed , lest they be cheated into a snare . 2. to teach the ignorant doubters truly to understand , wherein the difference between us and the papists doth indeed consist ; that the talk of sectaries calling that which displeaseth them , popery , nor the scandal of our real or seeming divisions , may not delude them , nor papists puzzle them by putting them to prove every word in our thirty nine articles or other writings . 3. to resolve all that will be resolved , by senses , reason , scripture , or the judgement and tradition of the church . of the multitude of reasons against popery enumerated , i have here made good but one , by a special disputation ; because i would not make the book too big . the rest i shall easily prove in another volume , if greater work and shortness of life do not hinder it ; ( which i fully expect . ) and lest i have no more opportunity to answer their charges against us on the other side , i have reprinted and added ( corrected ) the first part of my key for catholicks , where it is long ago done , and never answered . there is extant one piece of theirs against me , unanswered , called , mr. johnson's rejoynder about the visibility of the church : which i seriously profess i have left unanswered , as utterly unworthy of my precious time , till i have no greater matter to do , which i hope will never be . and he that will well study his opening of the terms in the latter end , will see to how pitiful a case they are reduced . i conclude with this solemn profession , that i am satisfied of the truth of what i write , and must dye ere long in the faith which i here profess , and lay my hopes of endless happiness on no other way : and that i would joyfully receive any saving truth , from papists or any other , who will bring it me , with such evidence as may make it indeed my own . the lord unite us by truth , love and humility . amen . septemb. 1. 1673. richard baxter . the contents . part i. what is the protestants religion , and what the papists ? pag. 1. chap. 1. the occasion of the conference : with an humbling consideration to staggerers . ibid. chap. 2. the conditions of the conference . p. 6. chap. 3. what is the religion of the protestants . of the name protestant : the augustane and other confessions : the thirty nine articles : the essentials of christianity to be distinguished from the integrals and accidentals . p. 9. chap. 4. what is the papists religion : out of veron , davenport , &c. p. 25. part ii. fourteen principles in which the papists and protestants seem agreed ; by which the protestant religion is by the papists confessed and maintained to be all true . p. 40. part iii. twenty five charges against popery enumerated , to be all in order proved ; as reasons why no one that hath religion , or sense and reason , should turn papist . p. 61. part iv. the first charge made good , viz. against transubstantiation : in which popery is fully proved to be the shame of humane nature ; contrary to sense , reason , scriptvre and tradition , or the judgement of the antient and the present church ; devised by satan to expose christianity to the scorn of infidels . p. 75. chap. 1. the first reason to prove that there is bread after the consecration , from the certainty of the intellects perception by the means of sense . ibid. twenty reasons against the denying of common senses . p. 77. chap. 2. the papists answers to all this confuted . p. 88. chap. 3. the second argument against transubstantiation from the contradictions of it . p. 96. chap. 4. the third argument from the certain falshood of their multitudes of feigned miracles in transubstantiation . thirty one miracles in it enumerated ; with twenty aggravations of those miracles . p. 99. chap. 5. the minor proved , viz. that these miracles are false or feigned . p. 110. chap. 6. arg. 4. transubstantiation contrary to the express word of god. p. 117. chap. 7. arg. 5. all these miracles are proofless : yea , the scripture abundantly directeth us otherwise to expound , this is my body . p. 123. chap. 8. arg. 6. transubstantiation nullifieth the sacrament . p. 128. chap. 9. the novelty of transubstantiation , as contrary to the faith of the antient christians : and the singularity , contrary to the judgement and tradition of most of the christian world . p. 132. chap. 10. the second part of the controversie : that it is not christs very flesh and blood into which the bread and wine is turned . p. 146. chap. 11. the conclusion : the scandal of our difference removed . whether the falshood of one article prove the papists foundation false ? whether it do so by the protestants ? whether papists have any more infallibility than others ? the necessity of discerning the essentials of christianity . the distinction of explicite and implicite faith considered . how come so many princes , nobles , learned men , and whole nations to be papists ? all christians besides papists , are of one church , though of many opinions . how come so many among us at home of late inclinable to popery ? what hope of concord with the papists ? how to help them off their councils ? snares in the point of transubstantiation . of their denying the cup to the laity . p. 152. reader , i hope the printers errata are not many , and i am discouraged from gathering them , because i see men had rather err themselves , and calumniate the author , than take notice of them : so hath mr. danvers done by me in a book against infant baptism , where as an introduction to abundance of mistakes in history , he abuseth his reader by several scraps of a book of mine , so curtail'd as to be insufficient to signifie the sense ; and among them feigneth me to write ( chr. direct . p. 3. pag. 885. l. 13. [ to institute sacraments ] as that which man may do , instead of [ nor to institute sacraments ] ; and so maketh his credulous flock to believe that i assert that very thing which i write against : though the place was markt with a star in the errata , and the reader desired specially to correct it . but such dealing is now grown so common with such men , that we must bear it as the effect of their disease . part . i. what is the protestants religion , and what the papists . chap. i. the occasion of the conference . d. sir , i am come to crave your help in a matter of great importance to me : i was bred a protestant ; but the discourses of some roman catholicks , have brought me into great doubts , whether i have not been all this while deceived : and though i cannot dispute the case my self with you , i desire you to dispute it in my hearing with a catholick priest whom i shall bring to you . r. with all my heart : but let me first ask you a few questions . quest . 1. did you ever understand what the protestants religion is ? d. i take it to be the 39 articles , liturgie and government of the church of england . r. no wonder if you be easily drawn to doubt of that religion which you no better understand . can you hold it , and not know what it is ? quest . 2. do you know what it is to be a christian ? d. it is to believe in christ , and to love and obey him. our baptism is our christening . r. very true : and in your baptism you are dedicated and vowed to god the father , son , and holy ghost , renouncing the lusts of the flesh , the world and the devil . quest . 3. and have you been a true christian , and lived according to this vow ? have you obeyed god more than the desires of your flesh ? have you preferred the kingdom of heaven before all the pleasures , honours and riches of this world ? have you sincerely submitted to the healing saving doctrine , law and example of christ , and to the sanctifying motions of his holy spirit ? and have you lived soberly , righteously , and godlily in the world , and made it your care and business to deny your self , and mortifie all fleshly inordinate desires , as it is the care of sensual men to gratifie them ? d. i have had my faults as all men have ; but i hope none can say but i have lived honestly towards all ; and if i have been faulty in drinking , sports or gaming , it hath been to no ones injury but my own . r. i ask you not whether you are a sinner ; for so are all men . but whether you are a truly penitent , converted sinner ; and whether yet you are true to your baptismal vow and covenant ? can your conscience say , that you love , and trust and obey god , and your redeemer , before all the world ; and that you love not pleasure , riches and honour , more than god and holiness and heaven ? and that it is more of the care and business of your life , to know and love and serve god better , and to make sure of your salvation , than to please your flesh , or prosper in the world ? in a word ; do you heartily and in your practice , take god for your god , even for your all , and christ , for your teacher , king and saviour , and the holy ghost for your sanctifier , turning in heart and life , from the devil , the world , and the sinful pleasures of the flesh ? this is the question which i desire you to answer . but i will prevent your answer lest you mistake my purpose , and think i make my self your confessour , and i will tell you why i ask the question . either you have thus kept your baptismal vow , by a godly life , or else you have broken it by worldliness and sensuality , &c. if you have kept it , and are a truly godly person , you have resolved your own doubt , and absolutely confuted popery already . for no honest man and true christian can possibly turn papist without gross contradiction . d. how prove you that . r. most easily : i pray you do but mark : 1. it is their principal doctrine that the pope is the head of the universal church on earth ; and that the church subjected to him , is the universal church ; and that out of that church there is no salvation ; and that no one is a true member of christ and his church , who is not a subject of the pope . 2. and they all confess that every one shall be saved that is a true christian , and keepeth his baptismal covenant , and that loveth god above all . so that they must needs hold that none in the world but papists , do truly love god , & keep that covenant , and are true christians . now if you can know that you have the true love of god , and are true to your baptism , you must needs confess that popery is false , which saith that none love god above all but papists . d. but what if i have not loved god , and obeyed him , above my flesh ? r. i 'le tell you what followeth . 1. it is no wonder if you forsake the protestants religion , who never truly entertained it . if your heart and life were not devoted unfeignedly to god , you were no true christian , nor indeed had any true religion at all : and he that hath no religion , turneth from none which he truly had . if you were never a true christian , you were never a true protestant : and then what wonder if you turn papist ? for you have no experimental knowledge of that religion which you seem to forsake . 2. and how could you expect better , but that god should penally forsake you , and give you over to believe deceits , if you have dealt so falsly and deceitfully with him , as to live to the world and flesh which you renounced , and neglect that god and saviour and sanctifier to whom you were so solemnly devoted ? and if you have been so treacherous and unwise , as to prefer a bruitish transitory pleasure , before gods love and the joyes of heaven ? 3. and what honour is it to the church of rome , that none but infidels and false-hearted hypocrites , and perfidious breakers of their covenant with god , did ever turn to them ? if you turn papist , you confess that you were a wicked hypocrite before . 4. but the chief thing which i would tell you is , that turn up and down as oft as you will , to this church or that church , to this side or that side , you will never be saved , unless you become a holy , serious , mortified christian : as long as you love pleasures , wealth and honour more than god and holiness and heaven , you shall never be saved , whether you be papist , or a professed protestant . it would make the heart of a christian ake , to see so many thousands cheated by the devil , to take this opinion or that opinion , called the true faith , and this side or that side , called the true church , to be to them instead of a holy heavenly heart and life . and how many thousands , especially papists , that are truly of no religion , do dispute , and plot and disquiet the world , as for religion . to hear a prophane man swear that his religion is right ; or that man to think to be saved for being of the true church and faith , whose heart was never set on heaven , but liveth in drunkenness , lying , idleness , fornication , and thinketh that the priests absolution sets all right again . without true holiness no man shall be saved , what church soever he joyn with ; and with it no man shall be damned . for god cannot hate them that have his nature , and image . d. well sir : i came not to dispute with you , but to desire you to meet a roman catholick priest , that i may hear you both together . r. i have the greater hopes of you , because you have so much regard of your soul , as to be willing to hear what can be said . for most that turn to them , never come to an impartial tryal , but rashly follow the deceiver , or stay till they are secretly hardened by false insinuations , and then take on them to desire to hear both , when they are first resolved to be gone . but you must tell me what is the question that you desire should be disputed . d. i would know whether the papists or the protestants be the true , and safe religion ? r. i undertake to give you that plain undenyable evidence for your resolution , which should fully satisfie any reasonable man , at least that professeth himself a christian : so be it you will perform these reasonable conditions : 1. that you will be impartially willing to know the truth . 2. that you will honestly resolve to live according to it when you know it , and to be true to the true religion . 3. that you will bring such a man to confer with me , who will yield to the reasonable conditions of a disputant , such as your doubt and the nature of the matter doth notoriously require , and not a knave , and studied deceiver , who will set himself purposely to hide the truth . d. these conditions are so reasonable that i must not deny them . chap. ii. the conditions of the conference ; between a p. and r. and d. r. sir , i am desired by this person , who is brought by some of you to doubt of our religion , to debate this case with you in order to his satisfaction , whether the papists or the protestants be the true and safe religion ? p. that is too large a question : we cannot dispute of all our religion at once : i will begin with you , about some one of the articles of the church of england , or the visibility of your church in all ages , or the resolution of your faith , &c. and this i will do only on these conditions , 1. that you bring some express text of scripture , which without your interpretation , reasonings or consequences , doth assert that article of yours which i shall accuse , or contradict any article of our faith , which shall be questioned . 2. or if you will go from the express words to reasoning , that we keep to the strictest rules of logick , and that you use nothing but syllogism , and that all be done in writing , and not by word of mouth . r. neighbour d. you promised me to bring another kind of disputant : you hear his conditions : you shall hear my answer . 1. the case which you told me you were in doubt of , and desired satisfaction in , was which is the true and safe religion ? this he refuseth to dispute . pretending that we cannot dispute of our whole religion at once . but did you never hear him give any reasons against our religion ? if he have , why can he not do it now ? i expect not all in a word , but let him give them one by one , and say his worst . i am sure i can give you many against theirs : and we will after debate them particularly as largely as you please . 2. if writing be it that you desire for your satisfaction , i ask you , whether you have read all , or the fourth part , of what is written against popery already . have you read dr. challoner of the catholick church ? dr. white , dr. field , dr. downame of antichrist , chillingworth , dr. abbot , dr. willet , bishop vsher , bishop morton , dr. stillingfleet , and an hundred more ? why should i expect that you should read what i shall write , if you will not read what 's written already ? 3. can you stay so long unresolved without injury to your soul , till he and i have done writing ? you cannot but know , that from sheets we must proceed to the writing of volumes , in answering each other , as others have done . and this is like to be many years work , for men that have other business : and how know you that we shall all live so long ? 4. are you able when it cometh to tedious volumes to examine them , and find who is in the right ? or will you not rather take him to conquer , who hath the last word ? and it 's like that will be the longest liver ? 5. and as to a strict syllogistical form , do you understand that best ? i avoid it not , but shall consent to use it as far as you understand it . do you know all the logical forms of arguing , all moods and figures , and all the fallacies ? or do you not perceive , that you have broken your promise with me , and brought a friend of darkness , who cometh purposely to hide the truth ? d. i must needs profess , that the question which i would have debated , is , which is the true and safe religion ? and that it is not tedious writings , nor long delayes , but present conference which must satisfie me . and that it is plain scripture and reason that must satisfie me , who understand not logick . i pray let me hear your own conditions which you think more just . r. the conditions which the nature of the cause directeth us to , are these . i. that we first truly state the question to be disputed : for we cannot dispute till we are agreed of what : that is , 1. that we agree what we mean by our [ religion ] ; and 2. that i tell you , what is the religion of protestants , which i undertake to defend : and that he tell us what is the religion of the romanists , which must be compared with it . ii. that our conference consist of these several parts . 1. that premising the principles in which we are agreed , i tell you the reasons why you should not be a papist . 2. that he tell you the reasons why you should turn papist , or what he hath against our religion . 3. that then we come to dispute these reasons distinctly : where i will prove my charges against them , and he shall prove his charges against us one by one . iii. and that in all our disputes , we shall consent , 1. not to interrupt each other in speech ; but if the length seem to overmatch the hearers memory , we will take brief notes to help our memories , as we go , and crave the recitation of what shall be forgotten : for the strength of truth lyeth so much in the connexion of its parts , that when it is mangled into scraps by uncivil interruptions , it is deformed and debilitated and cannot be well understood . 2. that we bind our selves by solemn promise , to speak nothing which we unfeignedly judge not to be truth , nor any thing designedly to hide or resist the truth which we discern . these terms are so just and necessary , that i will avoid him as a fraudulent wrangler who will deny them . for i come not to scold , nor to try who hath the strongest lungs , the nimblest tongue , or the lowdest voice , or the greatest confidence , or fiercest passion ; but to try who hath the truth , and which is the true way to heaven . for the servant of the lord must not strive ; especially about words and barren notions ; for that doth but tend to increase ungodliness . d. your method is so reasonable , and so suited to my own necessity , that i must profess no other can so much tend to my satisfaction : and therefore i hope it will not be refused . ( here after long opposition , the p. at last agreeth to these terms ) . chap. iii. what is the religion of the protestants . r. i. the word [ religion ] is sometimes taken objectively ; and so i mean by it ▪ [ the objects of religious belief , love and practice , ] which are , 1. the things themselves ; which are the principal objects ( called by logicians , the incomplex terms . ) 2. the organical object ; or the revelation of these things ; containing 1. the words or other . signs : 2. the sense or notions signified . for instance , matth. 17.5 . [ this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased . ] here 1. the real incomplex object is christ himself , the beloved son of god , and god the fathers well-pleasedness in him . 2. the signal part of the organical object , or revelation , is the words themselves , as spoken then , and written now . 3. the signified notions are the meaning of the words , and are the chief part of the organical object , that is the divine revelation . the word [ religion ] is of larger extent in its sense than [ faith ] ; for it containeth all that revelation which god hath made necessary to salvation ; which is twofold , 1. that which is to inform the understanding with necessary knowledge and faith . 2. that which is necessary to a holy will and a holy life , to the love of god and man , and to well doing ; which are precepts , promises and threatnings . ii. the word [ religion ] is oft taken also subjectively ( as they speak ) ; for the acts and habits of love and obedience . now i suppose we are agreed that it is not religion in this last sense that we are to dispute of ( which is as divers as persons are : ) but it is that which we call objective religion , even the organical part directly . and if by all this d. understandeth us not , in plainer words , our question is , of the true divine revelation , viz. which is the true rule of faith , will and practice ; that which is held to be such by the protestants : or that which is held to be such by the papists ? p. i grant you , that this is the state of the question . r. i here declare to you then , what is the religion of the protestants . it is the light and law of god concerning holy knowledge and belief , holy will and practice , contained in nature and the true canonical scriptures . here note 1. that our religion hath its essential parts ; and its integral parts and accidentals . i. the essentials of our religion , are contained in the baptismal covenant ; which is expounded in the creed , the lords prayer , and the decalogue ( as delivered and expounded by christ , and the law of nature . ) ii. our entire religion , in the essentials , integrals and needful accidentals is contained wholly in the law of nature and the canonical scriptures . the essentials are delivered down to us two wayes : 1. in scripture with the rest ; 2. by the sure tradition of the vniversality of christians , in actual baptizings , and the daily profession of christianity . this is all the protestants religion . if you fasten any other on us , we deny it ; we own no other . and none know what is my religion , that is , what i take for the rule of my holy faith , love and life , so well as my self . p. this is meer craft : you will make that only which is past controversie among us , to be your religion , that so your religion may be past controversie too . r. it is such craft as containeth that naked truth , which we trust all our own salvation on . i say that i have no other religion ; and if you know better than i , disprove me . p. i disprove you three wayes . i. because the name protestant signifieth no such religion , but somewhat else lately taken up . ii. because the angustane confession , the thirty nine articles and such like , are by your selves called the articles of your religion . iii. because all your writings declare , that besides these , you hold all those controverted points , which are contrary to that which you call popery . r. i pray you mark d. that he would perswade you that he knoweth my religion better than i do my self ? what if i should pretend the like as to his religion ? were i to be believed ? p. no : but if you have an odd religion of your own , that proveth it not to be the protestant religion . r. remember d. that i come not hither to perswade you to any other religion , than this which i have mentioned . let him talk as long as he will what is other mens opinions , i perswade you to nothing but this , to take gods law of nature and the scripture for your religion . either this is right or wrong . if right , fix here and i have done . if wrong , let that be disputed . but yet i open to you all his three deceits . i. the name protestant doth not signifie our religion , but our protesting against the papists corruptions and additions . i have no religion but christianity : i am a christian , and that signifieth all my religion . i am a catholick christian , that is , of the common christian faith and church , and not of any heretical dividing sect : and i am a reformed protestant christian , because i renounce popery . therefore i rather say [ the protestants ] than the [ protestant ] religion . as if i were among lepers ; if i say , i am no leper , that signifieth not my essence : but if i say , [ i am a man , and i am not a leper , ] i speak my nature , and my freedom from that disease . so if i say i am a christian protestant , i mean only that i am a christian , and no papist , or renouncing popery ; as by the word [ catholick ] i renounce all sects and schisms . i tell you , this is my meaning , when i say , i am a protestant : and can you tell my meaning better than my self ? ii. and as to what he saith of the thirty nine articles and other church confessions , i answer , none of these are our religion , in the sense now in question ; that is , they are not taken by us to be [ the divine revealed-rule of our faith , love and life ] which is our religion now disputed of . and that this is so , i prove to you past all question . for 1. else should we have as many religions as we have church confessions , and should alter our religion as oft as we alter our confessions ; and our religion should be as new as those confessions : all which the protestants abhor . 2. all those very confessions themselves do assert that gods word is our only religion , and all mens writings and decrees are lyable to mistakes : to pass by all the rest , these are the words of our sixth article , [ holy scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation : so that whatsoever is not read therein , nor may be proved thereby , is not to be required of any man , that it should be believed as an article of faith , or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation ] . what would you have more plain and full ? and in the book of ordination , it is askt [ are you perswaded that the holy scriptures contain sufficiently all doctrine required of necessity for eternal salvation ? through faith in jesus christ ? and are you determined out of the said scriptures to instruct the people committed to your charge ? and to teach nothing ( as required of necessity to eternal salvation ) but that which you shall be perswaded may be concluded and proved by the scripture ? ] is not this plain ? p. why then do you call the thirty nine articles the articles of your religion ? and what is their use ? and why are all required to subscribe them ? r. 1. their use is to signifie how the conjunct pastors who use them do understand the holy scriptures in those points : and that partly for the satisfaction of all forreign churches , who may hear us accused of heresie or error ; and partly to be a hedge to the doctrine of young preachers , to keep them from vending mistakes in the churches , and also to try the soundness of their understandings . 2. the confessions , and articles , and catechisms are our religion , as the writings of perron , bellarmine , suarez , &c. or many of these agreeing , are the roman religion : they are not the divine revelation and rule of faith and practice to us : but they are the expression of our own conceptions of the sense of several chief matters in that rule or revelation . so that they are the expression of our faith or religion taken subjectively ( for acts and habits ) and not our objective rule it self . our sermons and prayers are our religion in this sense : that is , the expression of our own religious conceptions : and so are your sermons and your writings also to you . but if this were our rule of faith and life , and so our divine objective religion , then we should be of as many religions , as we are several persons : for every one hath his several expressions : and every new sermon , or book , or prayer , would be a new part of religion . and so with you also . so that this doubt is past all doubt : our confessions are but the expressions of our personal belief , and not our rule of faith. iii. and as to your third pretence ( that we have other articles as opposite to popery ) i answer , our religion as a rule of faith and worship is one thing ▪ and our rejecting all corruptions and additions is another . e. g. my religion is , that our god is only the true god. if now i say also , that hercules is not god , and bacchus is not god , and venus , mars , mercury , pallas , neptune , pluto , ceres , &c. are not gods ; is this a new religion , or an addition to the former ? if the baptismal covenant be the essentials of my religion , and the creed , lords prayer and decalogue the explication of it ; and if the scripture be my entire religion , and if the papists will come and add a multitude of new articles and corruptions , my rejecting of those additions , is no more an alteration of my religion , than the sweeping of my house , or the washing of my hands is an alteration of them . so that notwithstanding all that you have said , my religion is nothing but the law of nature and scripture , and my rejecting of popery , is no otherwise my religion , than my freedom from the leprosie , &c. is my humanity . p. observe , i pray you , that it is no part of your religion to be against popery . r. observe i pray you , that popery is against my religion , that is , against much of the christian religion ; and therefore my religion is against popery . but i will not quarrell with you about words : when god hath revealed to us his will , and the papists add their corrupting inventions , gods revealed will is my religion : your corrupting additions are contrary to it : call my rejecting such corruptions and additions , by the name of my religion reductively ( as nihil is objectum intellectus , & malum voluntatis ; and as non-agere is part of obedience ) ; or call it no part of my religion in the primary notion , but a rejecting of its contraries ; so we understand each other i care not . the truth is , the rejecting of some of your errors , directly contradicting the scripture it self , may be called part of our religion , as the negation of the contrary is included in the sense of an affirmative : but your remoter additions , are contrary to our religion , but not so directly . for instance : when the scripture saith , there is bread after consecration , and you say there is no bread : my religion containeth the assertion , that there is bread : and so includeth a contradiction to your negative , that saith [ there is none ] . now to say , that it is none of my religion to deny your negative , who say there is no bread , would import that it is none of my religion which affirmeth that there is bread . contradictions cannot both be true : properly that word that saith there is bread is my religion : but this word contradicteth you that say there is none . but in another instance ; my religion saith , that the righteous shall go into life everlasting , and the rest to everlasting punishment ; and tells us of a heaven and hell only hereafter : and you tell us of limbus patrum & infantum , and of purgatory : the scripture enableth us by consequence to confute this : but if it did not , it were enough for me to say , it is none of my religion , because not revealed by god in nature or scripture ; and as it is your addition , so to deny it , is not directly and properly my religion it self , but the defence and vse of my religion . god tells us in scripture , that he created heaven and earth . if one should assert as from god , that god created ten thousand heavens and ten thousand earths , this is a faith of his own invention or addition , and it is enough for me to say , i have no such faith ; because god revealeth no such thing . so tha● still the scripture is the protestants religion as your polydor virgil truly describeth them , and others confess . p. all this is meer delusion : for it is not the words , but the sense that is your religion ; as you will confess . and if your articles or confessions contain a false sense , or your books or sermons shew that you falsly expound the scripture , your religion is then false . r. such confusion may cheat a heedless hearer : but any one that will take heed , may quickly perceive , that you here fraudulently play with the ambiguity of the word [ religion ] and quite turn to another question . for you now speak of subjective religion , that is , of the acts and habits of the person : whereas we are disputing only of objective religion , which is gods revelation and our rule . if i understand any texts of scripture amiss , my faith is so far defective in my selfs ▪ but gods word , which is my rule , is never the more imperfect . i pray you consider how justly you have spoken . 1. is a mans act of faith , gods word or revelation ? 2. what need you dispute of the protestants religion , if we have as many religions as persons ? for it is as certain that we have as many degrees of our understanding many texts of scripture ? 3. would not this prove also as many religions as persons among your selves ? is it not most certain that no two papists in the world , have just the same sense or conceptions of the scriptures and councils in each particular . the law of god is my only religion , objectively , as how disputed of : if i mistake any essential part of it , so as to deny it , i am personally a heretick : if i mistake any integral part , i so far err from the rule of my religion or faith . but i still profess , that i take gods word or law only for my sure unchangeable rule or objective religion , and i am daily learning to understand it better , and as soon as i see my error i will reform it , and blame my self and not my rule . and i think you will say the same of your rule and of your personal errors . p. this shall not serve your turn : for every law must have its promulgation : and if it be not manifested to you that scripture is gods law , and sufficient , it cannot be your rule : i ask you therefore , qu. 1. is it the scripture in the original , or in the translations , which you say is your religion , law or rule ? r. i told you our divine rule consisteth of words and meaning . it is only the originals which are our rule or religion as to the very words ; that is , only the original words , were of that divine inspiration . but every translation is so far gods word , in sense , as it expresseth truly the sense of the original words . p. qu. 2. i pray you what then is the religion of all the unlearned protestants , who know not a word of the originals ? they may see now that you have stript them of all divine religion . r. their religion is the same objectively with that of the most learned , as delivered from god ; but it is not equally learned and understood by them ; gods word in the original tongues is given them as the rule of faith and worship ; and teachers are appointed to help them to understand it . when these teachers have translated it to them , they have the same sense , though not the same words , for their religion . and to know the words is not so necessary to salvation , as to know the sense ( or sentence ) though by other words : for the words are but means to know the sense ; and the sense but a means to know the things , ( viz. god , christ , grace , glory , &c. ) and as they have the same god , christ , spirit , grace , glory , &c. to be the real objects of their religion , so have they the same do-doctrine and law in sense which is in the originals . p. q. 3. and i pray you , how shall the unlearned be sure that the translations are true as to the sence ? when you have no divine infallible translators ? r. i also ask you . 1. how was all the greek church for many hundred years sure of the soundness of the translation called the septuagint ? or that of aquila , theodot . symmachus , &c. when it is certain that in many things they were all unsound ? 2. how was the latine church sure of the soundness of their translation before hierome amended it ? and how have you been sure since then , when pope sixtus , and pope clement have made so many hundred alterations or differences ? had you then infallible translators ? and why then do your translators ( as montanus and others ) still differ from that vulgar latine ? 3. and how do all your unlearned persons know that you give them not only the true sence of the scriptures , but of all your councils or traditions ? but i will answer you directly . we still distinguish the essentials of our religion , from the integrals and accidentals . 1. the unlearned may be certain that the essentials are truly delivered them in sence : because they have them not only in the scripture , but by vniversal certain tradition , in the constant vse of christian baptism , and in the use of the creed , lords prayer and decalogue in all the church-assemblies : and they may easily know that mens tempers , countreys , interests , opinions in other points , and sidings are so various , that it is not a thing possible without a miracle , that all these should conspire both in a false translation , and vniversal assertion and tradition of all these essentials . for the effects must be contrary to a torrent of causes : the papists , protestants , arians , greeks , socinians , lutherans , calvinists , anabaptists , separatists , &c. have so much animosity against each other , that undoubtedly if any party of them did falsifie scripture even in the essentials which are easily discerned , multitudes would quickly detect it and contradict them . and this the unlearned may surely and easily discern . but as for all other less necessary texts of scripture , neither you nor we , learned or unlearned , are certain that they are perfectly translated , nor are they by any one perfectly understood , nor are they sure ( by reason of the various readings ) which copie of the original is absolutely faultless . 2. but suppose that an unlearned weak believer were not absolutely certain ( as he may be ) that the very essentials of christianity are truly opened to him , he may yet grow up to better understanding , and he may be saved with some doubtings of christianity it self , so be it his faith be more prevalent than those doubtings , upon his heart and life . p. is it a safe religion which you your self describe ? when no man can be sure that he rightly understandeth all the scriptures ? and when your believer is uncertain , even of christianity it self ? let d. judge whether this be a sure religion . r. the word of god is absolutely certain in it self ; but that so much uncertainty may be in believers , i will make you to your shame confess your self , and recant these insinuations . q. 1. dare you say that all your church , or any one man , even the pope himself , doth understand all the scripture ? or can perfectly and infallibly translate each word ? you dare not say it . else why did he never once pretend to give us either an unerring commentary or translation ? and why have you such great diversity of both ? q. 2. how much less dare you say that any of you perfectly understand all the councils , which are the rest of your religion ? no nor that you have certainty which are the true copies of them all ? else why do caranza , crab ; surius , binnius , nicolinus , &c. give give us such various copies ? and yet you confess the scriptures to be gods word , and with the councils to contain your religion . q. 3. if god have promised salvation , to all that truly hold and practise the essentials ( the baptismal covenant ) doth the difficulty of other points ( in genealogie , chronologie , history , by matters ) either make our salvation ever the less certain , or any way impeach the word of god ? what disgrace is it to a man that besides head and heart , he hath fingers , and toes , and nails and hair ? no more is it to the scripture , that as our entire religion , it containeth even integrals and accidentals . q. 4. and as to a doubting believer , i ask , dare you say that all those were infidels or in a state of damnation , who said , see the roman catech. where this is confest , cap. 1. q. 1. pag. 9. lord increase our faith ? or lord we believe ; help our unbelief ? or to whom christ said , why are ye afraid o ye of little faith ? or that said , luk. 24. we trusted that this had been he that should have delivered israel ? or if a man should doubt even of the life to come , and yet his faith be so much more powerful than his doubts , as that he resolveth to prefer his hopes of heaven before all this world , and to seek it on the most self-denying terms , even to the laying down of life it self , are you sure that this man shall be damned ? but this is the course of pievish wranglers . to maintain their own opinions and put a face of certainty on their own conclusions , they stick not to damn almost all the world . for it will be no less , if all doubting believers must be damned . 5. it is a gross delusion to pretend that there is a necessity , that all gods infallible word , must needs be taught us by as infallible inspired prophets or other persons , as those that first delivered it . translation is but the first part of exposition . and must we have none but infallible or prophetical expositors ? 6. is it all the scriptures , or but some part , that your pope or councils can infallibly both translate and expound ? if but some , we need not their infallibility or inspiration , for the most plain and necessary parts : it is and can be done without them . if it be all , how impious and cruel are they that would never do it to this day ? 7. and why use all your expositors the common helps of grammars , lexicons , teachers , long studies , and yet differ de side ( even of the sense of many a text of scripture ) when all is done , if your pope have the gift of infallible translating and expounding all ? p. remember that your selves derive your essentials from tradition . r. yes , and our integrals to : what objective presence to the senses , ( eyes and ears ) of those that heard christ and his apostles , and saw their miracles was to the first converts in those times , that partly tradition is to us , or the necessary medium . the words could not come down to us , without some to deliver them . we have the bible by tradition , and we have practical tradition of baptism and the creed by it self , and that in many languages ; where we are sure we have all the necessary sence . but do you remember that this is vniversal tradition , and not meer roman tradition ; such as is certain by moral evidence , even the consent of all that are yet of cross opinions and interests , ( as to matter of fact ) ; historical evidence ; and not the pretended certainty of a pope and his favourites , phanatically claiming a spirit of infallibility . but i am not now disputing with you , i am only telling you that the protestant religion is nothing but christianity and the scriptures . and all our confessions are our religion ( besides consent ) but as our sermons and treatises are , which vary as they are various expressions of mens various subjective faith ; while gods word varyeth not . p. if the bible be your religion , then the ceremonial law of moses is your religion : for that is part of the bible . r. you study what to say against another , and never think how it concerneth your selves . 1. is not the bible at least part of your religion ? you dare not deny it . and is the ceremonial law of moses therefore your religion ? 2. i told you that as a perfect man hath hair and nails , which are but accidents , so the bible hath more than the integrals of our religion . 3. the ceremonies of moses in that sense as now they are delivered to us in the bible , are parts or appurtenances of our religion : that is , the historical narrative of those abrogated laws , which now bind us not as laws , but tell us ( as the prophesies ) what was heretofore , and how christ was fore-typified , and what intimations of gods will we may gather from the history . and the abrogated laws are no otherwise delivered to us , and so we must use them . p. if the ten commandments be your religion , you must keep the jewish seventh day sabbath : so that neither there can you fix . r. the same answer will serve . 1. the ten commandments are no otherwise part of our religion th●n they are of yours . 2. they are a law to us , as delivered and expounded by christ , and in nature : and the seventh day is an abrogated part of moses law. p. if the creed be your religion , you must take the article of christs descent into hell to be necessary to salvation . r. 1. is the creed no part of your religion ? as you answer , so may we . 2. i did not tell you that the creed had no more than the essentials . i told you that all the essence of christianity is in the baptismal covenant : and he that understandeth that , understandeth it all . and that the creed , the lords prayer , and the christian decalogue are the exposition of it . but the exposition may have somewhat more than the essentials . 3. the creed was not written first in english , nor latine ; and christs descent to hades is more needful to be believed , than his descent to hell , as the word is commonly taken in english . but , to conclude , remember , 1. that i profess here to own and plead for no other religion ( as we explained the word ) but gods law of nature and scripture . 2. that i profess to perswade d. to no other : and you cannot make me a religion against my will. chap. iv. what is the papists religion . r. i have plainly told you what my own , and the protestants religion is , viz. [ nothing but christianity ; contained integrally in the holy scriptures ; and the essentials being the baptismal covenant , explained in the creed , lords prayer and christian decalogue , are delivered to us both in the said scriptures , and by distinct tradition ; which also hath brought down to us the scripture it self : not a tradition depending on the pretended authority of the roman pope or party , or on any other that shall pretend the like ; but that historical evidence of matter of fact , which is surelier given us by all sorts of christians , taking in the concord of many hereticks , infidels and enemies ; which evidence dependeth not on the credit of supernatural revelation , but on the natural credibility yea and certainty of such universal circumstantiated concordant testimony ; and is necessarily antecedent to the belief of supernatural revelations in the particulars , as sight and hearing were in the auditors of christ and the apostles ; seeing these two acts of knowledge , [ whatever god saith is true ; and this god saith ] must necessarily go before our belief or trust that [ this is true , because god saith it . ] and so we run not in a circle , and need not a supernatural faith , for the founding of our first supernatural faith ; that is , a first before the first . ] without fraud or obscurity this is our faith and religion . now do you as honestly and plainly tell me what is yours , which d. must be perswaded to : for i confess that i take it to be an unintelligible thing , and despair that ever you give any man a certain notice , what it is , which may be truly called the religion of your roman-catholick-church . p. i shall make you understand it if you are willing : but 1. note that [ religion ] being a larger word than [ faith ] includeth also [ practice ] or [ manners ] , we must give you a distinct account of each : for they have not the same causes : our faith is divine ; but our manners or practice must follow the laws of the church , as well as the immediate laws of god : these must not be confounded . r. man hath three faculties , intellective , volitive and vitally executive , or active : our religion subjectively must be in all , viz. the sanctity of all , by holy life , light and love : and therefore the rule which is our objective religion doth extend to all , ( to intellect , will and practice ) . and surely for all , there is a rule directly divine , given by inspiration of the holy ghost or christs own words , and subordinate rules by christs ministers , which are directly humane , and no otherwise divine than as god hath in general authorized them thereto . even as the soveraign hath the only vniversal legislative power , and magistrates by him are authorized to subordinate mandates and acts of government . and so we have a divine faith and revelation , and a subordinate humane faith and ministerial revelation or preaching : we have divine perswasions , and subordinate perswasions of men : we have divine laws , yea and executions ; and we have humane subordinate laws and executions . if you resolve to call the humane , divine so far as they are indeed authorized by god , i will not quarrel about words : but remember , 1. that so you must do also on the same reasons , by the laws of kings and the commands of parents , who are as much authorized by god to their proper government . 2. and i hope you mean not to confound these humane laws , with gods own vniversal laws , nor humane faith with divine faith . and be it known to you , it is the divine revelations and laws as distinct from the humane , which we are now calling our religion , and disputing of ; though this religion teach us to obey parents , pastors and princes , and that obedience may be consequentially and reductively called religious if you please . but if really your religion be not divine , but humane , let us know it . for by the word [ religion ] we essentially mean that which is [ divine . ] p. men were the speakers and writers of the scriptures , and so far they are humane , as well as the decrees of the present church . r. the decalogue was witten by god , and delivered by the ministry of angels : christ was owned by a voice from heaven . and himself spake and did most recited by the four evangelists : and the prophets and apostles spake by the immediate infallible inspiration of the holy ghost : so that the holy ghost is the author of the scriptures . but the present pastors of the church instead of that immediate revelation from god by the spirits inspiration , have but the ordinary help of the spirit , to understand those same revelations , and that proportioned to the measure of their diligence , natural parts and helps of art , as the knowledge of theologie is attained by other students ; who are none of them perfect or free from error . p. i will tell you what our religion is , it is gods word concerning things to be believed and done delivered partly in the canonical scriptures , and partly by oral tradition , and received by the church , and by it delivered to us . the trent . catech. prefac . q. 12. saith , omnis doctrinae ratio , quae fidelibus tradenda sit , verbo dei continetur , quod in scripturam , traditionesque distributum est . the reason of every doctrine which is to be delivered to the faithful , is contained in the word of god , which is distributed into the scripture and traditions . vide concil . senonens . in bin. decr. 5. p. 671. & concil . tridentini sess . 4. p. 802. — perspiciensque hanc veritatem & disciplinam contineri in libris sacris , & sine scripto traditionibus , quae ex ipsius christi ore ab apostolis acceptae , & ab ipsi , apostolis spiritu sancto dictante quasi per manus traditae , ad nos usque pervenerunt , orthodoxorum patrum sententiam sequuta , omnes libros tam veteris quam novi testamenti , nec non traditiones ipsas , tum ad fidem , tum ad mores pertinentes , tanquam vel ore tenus a christo , vel a spiritu sancto dicta●as , & continua successione in ecclesia catholica conservatas , pari pietatis affectu & reverentia suscipit ac veneratur . bellarmin . de verbo dei , lib. 4. c. 2 , 3. sheweth the divers sorts of unwritten traditions which are part of gods word : some de side , as the perpetual virginity of mary , that there are but four gospels , &c. and some of manners ; as crossing , fast-dayes , &c. easter , whitsontide , and other festivals . veron de reg. fid . cap. 2. saith , [ the total and only rule of the catholick faith , to which all are obliged under pain of heresie and excommunication , is divine revelation delivered to the prophets and apostles , proposed by the catholick church in her general councils , or by her universal practice , to be believed as an article of catholick faith . ] [ all that is of this nature is an article or doctrine of faith . and no other doctrine can be of faith , if either the first condition fail , viz. divine revelation , or the second , which is a proposal by the universal church . ] p. 5. no doctrine grounded on scripture diversly interpreted , either by the antient fathers or our modern doctors , is an article of faith . for such a doctrine , though it may be revealed , yet the revelation is not ascertained to us , nor proposed by the church : — nor any proposition which can be proved only by consequence drawn from scripture , though the consequences were certain and evident , and deduced from two propositions of scripture — yet these doctrines are certain , when the premises are so . — gratians decrees — the papal decrees contained in the body of the canon law , none of them do constitute an article of saith — nor that which is defined in provincial councils , though the pope preside in person — for the second condition is alwayes wanting in this case , and very often the first — p. 11. i did not say that such definitions were not of faith — but they are not of catholick faith , or which all as catholicks are bound to hold as of faith , and the contrary to which is heretical , and removeth from the bosome of the church . — p. 12 , 13. the practice even of the vniversal church is no sufficient ground for an article of catholick faith , by reason the object of faith is truth : and oft times the church proceeds in matter of practice , upon probable opinions , and this probability is sufficient to justifie the practice , which the church on just cause may change : as e. g. as vasquez teacheth , the church did antiently pray in the mass for infidels alive , and catechumens dead , and the sacrifice of the mass was offered for them , and yet he — rather inclineth to the contrary , that the sacrifice of the mass ought not to be offered , but for the faithful living and dead , by which opinion the church seemeth guided at present . but vasquez answers , that the church following a probable opinion did practise that which she did not declare to be of faith . — p. 15. so general councils when they mention any thing in this manner ( by way of simple assertion ) and do not properly define : for as bellarmine affirms , it is necessary that general councils properly define the thing in question , as a decree which ought to be held as of catholick faith . hence bellarmine adds , they are not properly hereticks , who hold the pope not to be above all councils , though he say the last laterane council under leo the tenth ses . 11. expresly and professedly teacheth that the pope is above all councils , and rejects the contrary decree of the council of basil : because it is doubtful whether the laterane council defined that doctrine properly as a decree to be believed with catholick faith . the same bellarm. ( de concil . l. 2. c. 19. ) also requireth that the definition be made conciliarly : pope martin the fifth said , he only confirmed those decrees of faith which were made in the council of constance , conciliariter : that is , after the manner of other councils , the question being first diligently examined : but its clear ( saith he ) that this decree , that a general council hath immediate authority from christ , which all , even the pope , are bound to obey , was made without any examining — p. 17. the object defined must be truly and properly an object of faith ; and a decree ought to be on a thing universally proposed to the whole church — vasquez holds : it is not at all erroneous to affirm that a general council may err in precepts , and in particular judgements — and ( p. 19. ) in framing laws not necessary to salvation ; or making superfluous laws — without all doubt a general council may err in a question of fact : ( which depends on testimony and information of men : ) so the sixth general council condemned honorius of heresie by false information , and misunderstanding his epistles . — p. 20. the pope ( saith suarez ) to a particular action belonging to humane prudence , hath no infallible assistance of the holy ghost — as that such or such an excommunication is valid , or that such or such a kingdom is disposable by the pope for such and such causes . ] so far veron , who is most favourable to you , in narrowing our faith . r. thus far you have resolved me : but i must crave somewhat more . qu. i. are there no essential constitutive parts of your religion , more necessary than the integrals and accidentals ? have you no description for it , but that it is divine revelation proposed by the church ? the doctrine of sacrificing was a divine revelation to adam , and the difference of clean and unclean beasts to noah , and the jewish law was gods revelation to moses and them : and yet i suppose christianity is somewhat different from all these . is not christianity your religion ? hath christianity no constitutive special essence , but only the genus of divine revelation which is common to that with all other divine revelations ? and what if you add [ to a prophet or apostle ] ? was agabus prophesie of paul , or pauls of the event of the shipwrack , &c. essential to christianity ? hath christianity no essence ? or is all divine revelation essential to it ? p. you take advantage of the disagreement of our doctors . you know that some few acknowledg distinct fundamentals ; and some deny the distinction in your sense : and most of us say , that no man can enumerate the things necessary to all , but that it dependeth upon mens various capacities , educations , and means of knowing . and in sum , that no more is necessary to all to be explicitly believed , but that gods revelations are true ; and that all are gods revelations which the church proposeth as such . you may take our judgement much from him that cometh nearest to you , whom i have heard you much praise , as most moderate and judicious , viz. dr. h. holden anal. fid . l. 1. c , 5. lect. 2. p. 53. [ divines disputing of the necessity of points to be believed , do commonly tend this way , to denote the articles of things revealed , the explicite and express belief whereof , is ( as they opine ) altogether necessary to all christians . the resolution of which question is among them so doubtful and uncertain , as that they are in this ( as ☞ they are in all things else ) distracted and divided into various opinions : which they that care for them , may seek : to me they are as nothing , while the authors of them profess , that they have nothing of certainty . yea , to one that meditateth the matter it self , laying by all preoccupation , it is most clearly manifest , that the resolution of this question is not only unprofitable , that i say not pernicious , ( as it is handled by divines ) ; but also vain and impossible . it is unprofitable , because no good accrueth by it to souls . ☞ it is pernicious , while divines for the most part assert , that only one or two articles , yea , ( as some say ) no singular article at all , is necessary to be believed of all by an explicite faith . for hence ( however the truth of the matter be ) the colder christians taking occasion , do little care to obtain that degree of knowledge in the mysteries of faith , which they might commodiously and easily attain . it is impossible , seeing it is manifest , that no particular rule or points to be believed , or number of articles can in this matter be given or assigned , which shall be wholly common and necessary to all christians : for this dependeth on every individual mans natural capacity , means of instruction , and all the other circumstances of each mans life and disposition , which are to each man so special , that we can determine of nothing at all that is common to all . but i handle the necessity of points to be believed in a far other sense : for the articles of the christian faith , which i now call necessary , i do not at all understand to be such as all and every one must distinctly know , or hold by explicite assent ; but i mean only such , the belief of which is accounted universally by the whole catholick church , so substantial and essential , as that he that will deservedly be esteemed , and truly be a member of it , must needs adhere to them all at least implicitely and indirectly : that is , by believing whatsoever the holy and universal church doth catholickly believe and teach as a revealed doctrine and article of divine faith . and therefore he is for that cause to be removed from its communion and society , who shall pertinaciously and obstinately deny the least of them , much more if he maintain the contrary , while he knoweth and seeth that it is the universal sentence of that church , that we must adhere to that as an article of faith . and in this sense i will henceforth use the word necessity . r. this might have been said in fewer and plainer words , viz. that your divines herein do commonly err , and that perniciously , and yet that indeed he is of the same mind ; viz. that it is impossible to name the articles necessary to be believed explicitely of all , because each mans divers capacity , means and circumstances diversifie them to each : but that only this one thing is explicitely to be believed , [ that whatsoever the holy and universal church doth catholickly believe and teach as a revealed doctrine and article of faith , is true . ] and therefore that no man must pertinaciously deny any thing which he knoweth the church so holdeth . so that nothing is necessarily to be believed actually and indeed , but gods and the churches veracity . p. another of ours that cometh as near you as most , openeth this more fully , davenport alias fr. a sancta clara , de. nat. grat. p. 111 , &c. [ as to the ignorance of those things that are of necessity of means , or end , there is difference among the doctors : for soto 4. d. 5. q. 5. & l. de nat. & grat. c. 12. & vega l. 6. c. 20. sup . trid. hold that now in the law of grace there is no more explicite faith required , than in the law of nature . yea , vega ib. & gabriel 2. d. 21. q. 2. ar . 3. & 3. d. 21. q. 2. think that in the law of nature , and in cases in the law of grace , some may be saved with only natural knowledge , and that the habit of faith , is not required . whom horantius terms men of great name , and will not accuse of heresie . i would this great mans modesty were more frequent with modern doctors . yea , alvarez de aux . disp . 56. with others , seemeth to hold , that to justification there is not at all required the knowledge of a supernatural object ( or the supernatural knowledge of the object . ) others hold , that both to grace and glory is required an explicite belief of christ . bonav . 3. d. 25 , &c. others , that at least to salvation is an explicite belief of the gospel or of christ , though not to grace or justification . and this is common in the schools , as ferera shews that followeth it : and for this opinion scotus is cited — but i think he holdeth , that explicite belief of christ or the gospel , is not of necessity of means as to grace or glory , as 4. d. 3. q. 4. what is plainer than that now — men may be saved without the explicite belief of christ — and i plainly think its scotus's and the common opinion , which vega followeth , and faber 4. d. 3. and petigianis very well , and of the thomists bannes 2.2 . q. 2. a. 8. canus and others : yea , the trent council seemeth to favour it , sess . 6. c. 4. — p. 114. so corduba , medina , bradwardine . — ☞ and such ( as have no explicite faith in christ ) are not formally without the church . this way go victoria in 4. relect. 4. tit . richard de villa med . 3.25 . a. 3. q. 1 , &c. well saith petigianis 2. d. 35. q. 1. a. 9. that if there were a simple old woman to whom some false opinion were preached by a false prophet ( e. g. that the substance of bread remaineth with the body of christ in the sacrament ) and she believe it : doth she sin by this ? no. — p. 119. yea , if she so err through piety , thinking that the church so believeth , perhaps she should merit . — p. 120. for my part i think that the vulgar committing themselves to the instruction of the pastors , trusting of their knowledge and goodness , if they be deceived , it will be taken for invincible ignorance , or at least probable , ( as herera ) which excuseth from faultiness . — yea , some doctors give so much to the instruction of pastors , that have the care of the sheep , that if they should teach , that ☞ hic & nunc god would be hated , the rude parishioner were bound to believe him : which yet i think false — p. 123. it seemeth at this day to be the common judgement of the schools and divines , that the laity erring with their doctors or pastors are altogether excused from all fault ; ☞ yea , oft times so materially erring do merit for the act of christian obedience which they owe their pastors : as you may see in valent. to. 3. disp . 1. q. 2. p. 5. and others . so angles 2. d. 22. q. 2. dub . 7. vasqu . p. 2. disp . 121. in case they never doubted of the veracity of their prelates — much more saith sancta clara there , to prove that the ignorant protestants here may be saved ; citing further to his end , zanchez in decal . l. 2. c. 1. n. 8. alph. a castro , simanca , argon , tanner , faber , eman●sa , rozell . and out of argon tells us when faith is sufficiently proposed , viz. [ when faith is so confirmed by reasons , holiness of life , the confutation of the contrary errors , and by some signs , as that reason it self beginneth prudently to prescribe , that the matters of faith heard are to be believed , and the contrary sect is false . ] p. 125. and probl . 16. p. 127. whether men may be blamelesly ignorant of the law of nature and the decalogue ? the common opinion is that they may ; not of the first principles , but 1. of the easie conclusions for some time , and of the remoter conclusions for a longer time : such are the commandments of the decalogue as to the substance of the act ; as in some lying , theft , fornication , manslaughter ( in will at least ) &c. r. qu. ii. but do you think that men may not as invincibly and inculpably be unacquainted with the authority of the pope and roman councils or church , as you say they may be ignorant of christ , and the law of nature ? i instance in the millions of the abassme christians , who for above a thousand years never heard from the pope or his emissaries . p. that cannot be denyed : for they have not the necessary means . r. how then do you make your churches proposal to be the necessary point to be explicitely believed of all ? p. we do not mean it of all that will be saved : for you hear that some may be saved without any explicite belief of christ . but we mean it of all that will be in the church , and be saved there . r. but do you not hold and say , that out of the church there is no salvation ? p. some say so : and some say that it is rare out of the church . r. but are the ethiopian christians out of the church ? p. they are out of the true church , being schismaticks . r. why said your author before , that infidels were not formally out of the church who are invincibly ignorant ? p. but other doctors are of another opinion . r. but christ is the saviour of his body : are not those of the church who are saved , or in a state of salvation ? what hold you of that ? p. some say , they are all of the church : and others that christ saveth more than his church : and some say , that they are of the church regenerate , but not of the church congregate . but few own this , because it is your distinction : as of a visible and invisible church . r. qu. iii. but above all , i would know of you , what you mean by the catholick church , whose proposal is necessary to the being of faith ? p. we mean the roman catholick church : that is , the pope and his subjects . r. do you mean the pope without a general council , or a general council without the pope ? or only both agreeing and conjunct ? r. you take advantage of our differences : but those do but shew , that this is no point of faith . some hold that the pope alone may serve : and some , that the pope in a provincial council : and some that a general council without him : but you heard veron taketh in the council , and it is no true council without the pope : and therefore the surest opinion saith , that it must be both in concord . r. but what is the vniversal church whose practice is made sufficient instead of , or without a general council ? p. it is the whole roman church real , distinct from the representative . r. is it the clergy only , or the laity only ; or must it be both ? p. both , but not equally ; but in their several places . r. must it be all the church , without any excepted ? or only the greater part ? p. these are points not agreed of , and therefore not of faith . some say that it must be so many as that the dissenters be not considerable . but how many are considerable or inconsiderable is undetermined . others say , it may be the minor part that practise , so be it the rest do not contradict it , or do contrarily . r. i will trouble you with no more such questions , ( though i have a multitude which should be here resolved ) for i perceive that we must expect nothing but a maze of uncertainties and confusion . we are next in order to agree upon our common principles which must be supposed in our following dispute : for they that agree in nothing , are uncapable of disputing of any thing ; seeing all conclusions of which we doubt , must be drawn from more evident truths , of which we are less doubtful , and resolved into a conceded principle . part ii. the principles which papists and protestants are agreed in : and therein the full ●ustification of all the protestants religion . the first common principle : that we are men , having reason , and free-will , and sense ; whose natural way of knowing things sensible , is by the perception of our senses , having no way of greater certainty . r. i take it for a common principle , that we are men , having reason , and free-will , and sense : whose natural way of knowing things sensible , is by the perception of our senses ▪ and therefore that our rightly constituted or sound senses , with their due media , about their proper objects are to be trusted ; being either certain , or we have no certainty . p. i know what you intend : i grant it as you express it . r. it must then be granted us , that there is true bread and wine in substance remaining after the words of the mass-priests consecration . p. yes : when you can prove , that the consecrated bread and wine are the proper objects of sense : which we deny ; they being not now bread and wine . r. is it by the perception of sense that you deny it ? or by other means ? p. no : it is by faith and reason which are above sense . r. now you come to deny the principle which you granted : sense is the perceiver of its own objects : no faith , no reason can perceive them , but by sense : and if due sensation perceive them , and faith deny them , then faith denyeth sense to be the proper natural perceiver of its objects , and our judgement of things sensible to be such as must follow that perception . but we must dispute of this anon , and will not now anticipate it . only remember , that if you deny sense which is the first principle , no mortal man is capable of disputing with you , there being no lower principle to which we can have recourse , and resolve our differences . the second principle : that there is one only god , infinite in being , power , wisdom and goodness ; our owner , ruler and chief good ; most holy , just and true , and therefore cannot lye ; but is absolutely to be believed , and trusted , and loved . r. i need not repeat it : do you not agree with us in this ? p. yes : heathens ( that are sober ) and christians are agreed in it . r. you grant then , that this may be known by them that are no subjects of the pope . remember anon that we are not to be blamed for believing god. the third principle : that the whole frame of nature within us and without us ( within our reach ) is the signal revelation of god and his will to man ; called ( objectively ) the light and law of nature . r. i suppose that this also may pass for a common granted principle . p. yes , as you express it : if we agree not of the light and law of nature , we come short of infidels , and meer natural men . r. observe then , that we are justified by your principles , for believing and trusting gods natural revelation . the very first part of which is made to our senses : by natural evidence god sheweth us that bread is bread. p. yes : when sense is sound , and objects and media just , and god doth not contradict sense by supernatural revelation . the fourth principle : that natural revelation is before supernatural , and sense before faith , and we are men ( in order of nature at least ) before we are christians , and the former is still presupposed to the later . r. this also i suppose is a granted principle . p. it is so : but see that you raise no false consequents from it . r. i conclude from it , that he that denyeth the perception of sense to be the certain way of judging of things sensible , denyeth all the certainty of faith , and subverteth the very foundations of it : and that we are justified for our assenting first to gods natural revelations . it is god that made my senses and understanding , and god that made the object and media , as bread and wine , and therefore god deceiveth me , if i be deceived in taking it for bread and wine after consecration . but god is to be believed , in his first revelations . p. you vainly call sensation , and intellection or knowledge of things sensible by the name of believing . r. we will not vainly contend about the name , if we agree of the thing : but this leadeth me to another principle . the fifth principle : that the knowledge of things fully sensible hath more quieting , satisfying evidence , than our belief of supernatural revelations alone , as made to us by a prophet or apostle : and that where all the sound senses of all men living do agree about their near and proper sensible object , there is the most satisfying evidence of all . r. i suppose that we are all agreed also in this principle . p. as you word it we are : for our divines distinguish of evidence and certainty : and are so far from saying that faith hath more evidence than sense and knowledge , that it is ordinary with them to say , that this is the difference between faith and knowledge , and that faith hath not evidence : but yet it hath no less certainty . r. some men use words first to sport themselves out of their understandings , and then to use others to the same game . evidence is nothing but the perceptibility or cognoscibility of a thing : by which we call it knowable ; which is the immediate necessary qualification of an object of knowledge . certainty is either objective , which is nothing but this same cognoscibility or evidence as in a satisfying degree : or it is subjective or active , which is nothing but the infallible or true , and quieting satisfactory knowledge of a truth . where the certainty of object and act concurr : for no man can be certain of a lye or untruth : for to be certain , is to be certain that it is true : those therefore would befool the world , who would perswade men , that a clear and confident perception of an untruth , or confident error , is certainty . there may be objective truth and certainty of the matter , where there is not in us an active or subjective certain knowledge of it : but there can be no active certainty of an objective vncertainty , or certain knowledge of a lye . now if you mean that faith hath objective certainty without evidence of certainty , or ascertaining evidence , that is , but to say and unsay : it hath certainty and no certainty : for this certainty and evidence is all one . but if you mean that faith hath an active subjective certainty without an objective certainty in the matter , you speak an impossibility and contradiction : as if you said , [ i clearly see a thing invisible or without light . ] p. do you think that our divines knew not what they said , when they say that to believe without evidence maketh faith meritorious ? r. the old asserters of this meant the same that christ meant , when he saith to thomas [ blessed are they that have not seen , and yet have believed . ] there is a sensible evidence , and an intelligible evidence . faith hath not an immediate sensible evidence ; that is , we believe things unseen , and above sense : and this is their meaning : we see not god , christ , heaven , angels , &c. but faith hath alwaies intelligible evidence of verity ; and ( as our mr. r. hooker saith ) can go no further than it hath such evidence . however , i appeal to any that have not been disputed out of their wits , whether , if god would give us as full a sight of heaven and hell , and angels and blessed souls , as we have of the bread and wine before us , and as full a hearing of all that they say , in justification of holiness , or lamentation of sin , and as full sensible acquaintance with the world we go to , and our title to it , as we have with this world , i say , whether this would not be more ascertaining and satisfactory to us , and banish all doubts , more than our present faith doth ? i love not to hear men lie as for god , and talk and boast against their experience , as if the interest of faith required it . things revealed to faith are certain and infallible . but that is because we have certain evidence 1. that god cannot lie ; 2. and that god revealed them ; and so that they are true. but if we did see , feel , taste , &c. we should be more certain . else why is it said , that we now know but enigmatically and as in a glass ; and as children ; but hereafter shall see as face to face , and know as we are known , when faith is done away , as being more imperfect than intuition . we have evidence to prove , that the revelation made to david , isaiah , jeremiah , peter , paul , &c. were of god , and that their words are by us to be believed , &c. but to see , hear , taste , feel , &c. would be a more quieting assurance . therefore when all the sound senses of all men living , perceive after consecration , that there is bread and wine , this certainty is , 1. in order antecedent to that of faith , and 2. by evidence , more satisfying and assuring than that of meer faith , as to a prophets revelation ; and therefore to reject it on pretence of faith , is a subversion of all natural methods of assurance ; and is but pretended , i think , by your selves . the sixth principle . that except those immediate inspirations which none but the inspired do immediately and clearly perceive , we have no revelations from god , but by signes ; which are created beings ; and have their several natures , and so may be called physical , though signifying moral things . and thus far our natural and supernatural revelations agree . r. every being is either vncreated ( which is god only ) or created ( in a large sense , that is caused : ) what god revealed to christ , peter , paul , &c. we have knowledge of , but by signes : in scripture these signes are words : these words signifie partly the mind of god , and the speakers or writers , and partly the matter spoken or written . when it is said , that it is impossible for god to lye , it can mean nothing to us , but that it is impossible that god should make us a deceitful sign of his will. the voice of an angel , prophet , apostle , a thousand miracles , &c. are but signes of the matter and of gods will : and if god can ordinarily make false natural signes , we are left unassured that he cannot make false signes by an angel , or a prophet , or a miracle . and so all faith is left uncertain . p. then you will make god a lyar or deceiver whenever any man is deceived by natural signes . r. not so : for men may deceive themselves by taking those for signes of a thing which are none , and so by misunderstanding them . and the devil and bad men may promote this deceit . but whenever god giveth man so plain a sign of the matter and his will , as that no errour of an unsound sense , an unqualified object , a culpable or diseased fantasie or intellect , interveneth , then if we are deceived it can be none but god that doth deceive us ; which cannot be , because he cannot lye . and as it is an unresistible argument against the dominican doctrine of physical predetermination as absolutely necessary to all acts of natural or free agents , that if god physically predetermine every lyar to ivery lye , that is mentally conceived or uttered , then we have no certainty but he might do so by the prophets and apostles ; so is it as good an argument against papists , that ▪ if he ordinarily deceive the senses of all sound men by a false appearance of things seeming sensible , he may do so also by the audible or legible words of a prophet . the seventh principle . that he that will confute sense , and prove that we should not judge according to its perceptions , must prove it by some more certain evidence that contradicteth it . r. i suppose you will not question this . p. no : the word or revelation of god is a more certain evidence . r. how know you that there is any word of god , but by your senses ? p. but yet by sense i may get a certainty which is above that of things sensible . as i know by the world that there is a god , by a certainty above that of sense . r. 1. if that were so , yet if things sensible be your media , you destroy your conclusion by denying them , and undermine your own foundation . 2. but it is not true : the knowledge of the conclusion can be no stronger than that of the principles , even of the weaker of them . if you are in any uncertainty whether there be sun , moon , heaven , earth , man , beast , heat , cold or any created sensible being , you must needs be in as much doubt whether there be a god that made them . the eighth principle . that believing or assenting is intellection of the truth of something revealed , and therefore must have intelligible evidence of truth in the thing believed . r. i know that assiance or trust as it is the act of the will , reposing it self quietly on the believed fidelity of god , is not intellection . but the assenting act is an intellection or an act of knowledge of a verity ; not as science is narrowly confined to principles , but as knowledge is taken in genere for notitia . so to believe is no other than to know that this is true , because god saith it . joh. 6.69 . we believe and are sure that thou art that christ , &c. joh. 3.2 . we know that thou art a teacher come from god , for no man could do such works , &c. joh. 21.24 . we know that his testimony is true — see rom. 7.14 . & 8.28 . 2 cor. 5.1 . we know that if this earthly house , &c. 1 tim. 1.8 . 1 joh. 3.2 . joh. 8.28 , 32. 1 cor. 15.58 . we know that our labour is not in vain , &c. therefore your denying the certainty where the evidence is most notorious , and telling men of meriting if they will but believe your church , without any evidence of certainty , is a meer cheat . the ninth principle ▪ that jesus christ is the son of god and the saviour of the world , and that christianity is the true religion , and gods appointed sufficient way to heaven , including godliness , which is its final part . r. by christianity i mean both our believing , loving and obeying christ as the way to the father , and our believing , loving and obeying god our father , as the end of christs mediation : the knowledge of god and the mediator being eternal life , joh. 17.3 . and as taking a man for my physicion , is taking him , by his medicines to help me to my health , and so health is finally included ▪ so taking christ for my saviour , is to take him by faith to be the means of bringing me to the love of god and to glory : and so i include godliness in christianity , and the law of nature in the law of grace . p. we are agreed on the truth of this : but not of the medium by which it must be made known to us . r. at the present i ask no more than that we agree in christianity as the true and sufficient religion and way to life . the tenth principle . that baptizing is our christening : and that all that are truly baptized are christians , and members of the visible church , untill they apostatize or are justly excommunicate ( at least . ) p. i grant you all this as a common principle with christians . r. then you grant us , 1. that our religion is the true religion ; of gods appointment , sufficient to salvation : for it is christianity , which you confessed to be such . 2. you grant that we are baptized into the true catholick church , which is the body of christ . the eleventh principle . that all that are truly baptized have the pardon of all their sins , and have present right to salvation if they so die . r. i mean , that they that are internally true consenters to the baptismal covenant , and are baptized , have all these benefits of baptism : and that infants have them as rightly dedicated to god and baptized : do not you consent to this ? p. yes , you know we do . r. then you fully grant , that all among the protestants who in infancy or at age are truly baptized are in a state of salvation : why then would you make people believe that there is no salvation in our churches , when you grant the right to all that are baptized . p. but you are not baptized by lawful ministers . r. take heed what you say : your party holdeth that even schismaticks and hereticks baptism is valid , if they have all that is essential to baptizing in the doing of it : yea that a lay mans , or womans baptizing is valid . if you deny it , i will shame you , by producing the common consent of your doctors ; and your censure of cyprian , and making the contrary doctrine to be a heresie . p. but you have not all that is essential to baptism , because you are not intentionally baptized , into the true catholick roman church : for while you are not subject to the pope , you are not baptized into the church : and therefore bellarmine sheweth that indirectly we are obliged to the pope by baptism ; which you intend not . r. come , come , strive not against your knowledge . 1. if our baptism have not all that is essential , why do you never rebaptize protestants when they turn to you ? do you not find that you condemn your selves ? 2. why do not you your selves put the name of the pope into your words of baptism ? 3. doth your tradition tell you that the ancient churches did baptize men into a subjection to the pope ? 4. did any of the primitive christians baptize men into the name or subjection of peter or any apostle ? 5. doth not paul expresly renounce it as to himself and peter , 1 cor. 1.12 , 13 , 14 , 15. every one of you saith , i am of paul , and i of apollo , and i of cephas , and i of christ : is christ divided ? was paul crucified for you ? or were ye baptized in the name of paul , &c. 6. did not christ himself tell us all that was essential to baptism in his institution , matth. 28 without making any mention of peter or the pope ? p. i cannot deny but our doctrine inferreth that all that are baptized among you have a true sacrament , but not the benefit of it , and so are not in a state of pardon and salvation : or at least when you come to age , by refusing the pope , you turn hereticks and lose it . r. i know some of your divided writers say that we have sacramentum , but not rem sacramenti : but 1. you say that a character is imprinted by baptism , and all sin done away , and the person in a state of life , unless he come feignedly ; which you will not charge on infants , nor can you prove it by those of the anabaptists themselves that are baptized at age . and saith aquinas when the fiction ceaseth , the fruits of baptism are obtained . 2. and it will be long ere you will prove that to be baptized into the name of the trinity is uneffectual , if we leave out the pope . 3. and you will hardly make a man understand what you mean by the validity of the baptism of hereticks and schismaticks , if it neither take the baptized into the true visible church , nor the invisible ( or a state of saving grace ) . and as to infants losing it as you say at age by heresie . 1. will you save all the anabaptists , that are baptized at age ? if their baptism put them into a state of salvation , and they continue just of the same faith and mind that they were baptized in , sure that faith which put them in a state of salvation , will keep them in it ; or not be damning through defectiveness to morrow , which made them heirs of heaven to day . but you cannot make your doctrines hang together . 2. and they that are baptized in infancy are baptized into the same faith which they continue in at age . the minister intendeth no other : the parents , sponsors , &c. intend no other : and will that prove defective even to salvation after , which was saving then ? 3. if baptism make us christians ; and if christianity be the true religion , sufficient in suo genere to salvation , then we that continue in the christianity which we were baptized into , by your confession continue in the true saving religion ; and this is all our religion . p. it is not every one that owneth christianity that shall be saved : hereticks own it in general , and yet contradict it by their heresies . r. it is every one that truly owneth christianity in mind and will that shall be saved : else christianity were not a saving sufficient religion : the question is not whether objective christianity or faith be sufficient to save him that believeth not , or is not subjectively a christian ; nor whether the doctrine of faith be sufficient in omni genere : but whether it be a sufficient doctrine , or ob●ective faith , in suo genere ? if a heretick deny any essential part of it , he believeth not that which he ( really , understandingly and prevalently ) denyeth . it is but the name of christianity , and not the thing , which he owneth , who disowneth any of the essence . our question is now whether our professed objective faith be true and sufficient ? when you come to prove us heretical denyers of any of its essence , we will give you a sufficient answer . the twelfth principle . that the essence of our religion or christianity as active and saving , is faith that worketh by love : or such a belief in god the father , son and holy ghost , as is accompanied with a true devoting of our selves to him , by love and willingness to obey his laws , so far as we know them ; in opposition to the temptations of the world , the flesh and the devil : and he that is truly such shall be saved . p. i grant that he that truly loveth god , shall be saved : but a protestant cannot truly love god , because he hath not true faith . r. do you not agree and confess then , that if any protestants do truly love god , and are sincerely willing to obey his will , and to know it that they may obey it , such are of the true religion and shall be saved , and that popery which denyeth their salvation is false ? p. if your false supposition were true , these false consequents would be true : but you are all deceived when you think that you sincerely love god , and are willing to know and do his will. r. 1. let all protestants note this first , that you grant that none but ☞ falshearted hypocrites , that are not what they profess to be , and love not god , nor would obey him , should turn papists . 2. and if a man cannot know his own mind and will , what he loveth and what he is willing of , no not about his end and greatest concernments , how can he know when he believeth aright ? why do you trouble the world thus with your noise about believing the proposals of your church , if a man cannot know whether he believe or not ? ☞ and he that cannot know what he willeth , chooseth or loveth , can no more know what he believeth . for the acts of the will are more plenary and easily perceived . and do all papists know their own hearts or minds , but no protestants ? what would you expect but indignation and derision by such arguing as this , if you will go about the world and tell men , [ you none of you know your own minds and wills , but we know them ; you think you love god , and are willing to obey him ; but you are all mistaken , it is not so with you : but you must believe our pope and his council , and then you may know your own minds and hearts . ] they that believe you on these rates , deserve the deceit of believing you ; and punish themselves . the thirteenth principle . that when christ described all the essence of christianity , by our believing in and being baptized into , the name of the father , the son and the holy ghost , the apostles and first pastors of the churches , instructed people to understand the meaning of these three articles ; and the ancient creed called the apostles , is the exposition of them , as to belief : and that this creed was of old the symbol of the true faith , by which men were supposed sufficiently qualified for baptism , and distinguished from hereticks : which after was enlarged by occasion of heresies to the nicene and constantinopolitane creed ; to which that called athanasius's was added as a fuller explication of the doctrine of the trinity : and he that believed all these , was taken for one of the true christian religion , which was sufficient in suo genere to salvation . p. all that was then necessary to be explicitely believed , necessitate medii , was expressed in the creeds ( if not more ) : but not all that is now necessary when the church hath proposed more . r. 1. some of you say , no more is necessary ut medium , but to believe that god is , and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him : others say that the chief articles of the creed also are commonly necessary : and in your discord we lay no great weight on your opinions . 2. but is not christianity the same thing now as it was at the beginning ? is baptism altered ? hath not a christian now the same definition as then ? are not christs promises and the conditions the same ? shall not he that was a christian then , be saved if he were now alive ? may not we be christians , and saved by the same constitutive causes which made men christians , and saved them in the primitive churches ? subvert not christianity , and confound not the church , and cheat not poor souls , by labouring to hide the essence of christianity , and such plain important truths . you cannot deny our faith to be true , without condemning the ancient church and christianity it self : while we aloud profess that the christian faith explained in all the ancient creeds , is the faith which we own , in its essentials explicated . the fourteenth principle . that the books which the protestants commonly receive as canonical scriptures , are in the agreeing original copies , as to the very words , and in true translations as to the sence , the most true infallible word of god. r. i grant that where the copies disagree by various readings , we are no more sure that any of them is the word of god , than we are sure , that such a copy is righter than all that differ from it . but as long as the essence of christianity on which our salvation is laid , is in the covenant of grace , explained in credondis in the creed , and in petendis , in the lords prayer , and in agendis in the decalogue as explained by christ . and no one duty or material doctrine of our religion dependeth on the various lections , but those texts that agree are sufficient to establish them all ; yea , as franc. à sancta clara system . fid . professeth , the ordinary translations so agree , as that no material point of religion doth depend on any of their differences ; it is as much as we assert , that the agreeing original copies , and the sound-translations , so far as they are such , are the true infallible word of god ; the former both as to words and sence , and the later as to sence alone . do you not grant this ? p. we grant the scripture as you say to be gods infallible word ; but 1. you cannot know it to be so , because you take it not on the roman churches authoritative proposal ; 2. and you leave out part of it . r. 1. whether we can know it , shall be tryed in due place . 2. and whether we have all of it , or enough , is another question , to be debated when you will. you grant us expresly that which we now desire ; which is the infallible truth of our canonical scripture . and this is all our religion , containing not only the essentials , but all the integrals , and accidentals needful to be recorded . so that all the protestants religion is confessed to be infallibly true. and from hence further note , that in all our disputes , you are obliged to be the defendants , as to truth : for we deny the truth of much of your religion , but you deny not the truth of one word of ours : but only the plenitude or sufficiency . p. the name of a protestant was never known till luthers time : and the occasion of it was a particular protestation of the german princes , and not directly a protesting against popery . r. it is not names but religion which we dispute of . and it is that which each party professeth to be their religion . therefore you must take our profession or you change the subject of the dispute . and we profess , that the law of nature ( which no sober man questioneth ) and the scriptures , are all our religion . therefore if you please you shall suppose that the name protestant were not now in the world : it doth not signifie our religion . but we now use it to signifie our protesting against popery , or that we agree in substance , and in rejecting popery , with those that made that particular protestation mentioned by you . names are oft given from accidents ; as africanus , germanicus , britannicus , &c. to several roman captains ; when yet their humanity was the same before they were so named . p. turks , socinians , quakers , &c. protest against popery : it seems then they are protestants too ; and your companions . r. 1. thus some men study to deceive , by turning from the question to another . our question i tell you is whether the religion of the protestants be infallible ? and not , whence is their name ? 2. but by a protestant we mean only one that taketh the scripture for the rule , and christianity for the essence of his religion : which no one doth that denyeth any essential part of it . if we do so , prove it , and you shall have our answer . how do you judge of any man among your selves that taketh gods word proposed by your church for his religion , and yet mistaketh the church in any point : as durandus that thought the matter of bread continues , whom bellarmine yet denyeth to be an heretick . so is it with any among us that mistake the sence of scripture in some such point . when a name is put upon any person or party from a common accident , you may if you will call all by that name which that accident agreeth to : and so papists are called by some non-conformists now in england , because they conform not : but the world knoweth well enough that it is protestants which are commonly meant by that name , and not papists , quakers , seekers , &c. though these conform not . and so you may say if it please your self that turks , jews , heathens , socinians , quakers , ran●ers , are protestants , because they protest against , or reject popery : but the world knoweth who is meant by the name , even christians rejecting proper popery . and for my part , i deal openly with you , i care not if the name protestant were utterly cast aside ; if any man be so deceived by it as 1. either to think that it signifieth the essence of our religion ( unless you mean as we protest for christianity . ) 2. or that we take those called protestants for the whole catholick church , they make it an occasion of their own deceit : names of distinction are used , because men know not else readily how to speak intelligibly of one another without circumlocutions : and then cometh the sectarian , and taketh his party , for all the church ( at least which he may lawfully communicate with ) , and the name of his party to notifie his religion . and then comes the crafty papist , and pretends from hence that such a named religion is new ; and asketh you , where was there any ( e. g. ) protestants before luther ? my religion is naked christianity , the same as is where the name of a protestant is not known , and as was before it was known ; and as if the name of the pope had never been known . but now the pope and his monarchical vsurpation over all the world , are risen and known , i am one of those that protest against them , as being against christianity which is my religion ; but so as to addict my self to the opinions of no man or party that opposeth them , wholly and absolutely and beyond evidence of truth : i take the reformed churches , to be the soundest in the world : but i take their confessions to be all the imperfect expressions of men ; and the writings of protestant divines to be some more clear and sound , and some more dark , empty , and less sound , and in many things i differ from many of them . choose now whether you will call me a protestant or not ; i tell you my religion , which is simple christianity : names are at your own will. i could almost wish that there were no name known besides that of christian as notifying our faith and religion , in the christian world ( though as notifying heresie and sin , there must be proper names , as in rev. the name nicolaitans is used ) . even the word catholick had long a narrower sense in the empire with many than i now own it in . though as it signifieth one that is of the church vniversal , loveth vniversally all true christians , and hath communion with them in faith , love , and hope , so i like it , and am a catholick christian . i dispute for nothing else ; i perswade this person here in doubt , to nothing else ; but 1. to hold fast to true and meer christianity ; 2. to reject all in popery or any other sect that is evidently against it ; 3. to suspend his belief of all that 's doubtful , and to receive nothing as a part of divine faith or religion , till he be sure that indeed it is of god. and now these principles being supposed , let us proceed , and try whether popery be of god or not . part iii. the protestants reasons against popery . d. i have heard what you have said in stating the protestants religion : i now expect to hear what reasons you have against that which you call popery : and afterwards that you prove all that you charge upon it . but i adjure you first that you say nothing but what you believe in your conscience to be the truth , as one that looketh to be judged for it . r. with many papists confident and vehement protestations go instead of arguments , and we oft hear them say , [ if this be not true , i am content to be torn in a thousand pieces : we will seal it with our blood : we will lay our salvation on it : and do you think we have not souls to save ? &c. ] which is much like as if they would end all controversies by laying wagers that they are in the right , or by protesting that they are honester and credibler men than their adversaries : and it is no more than a quaker or other such sectary will say : the most proud and ignorant being usually the most confident : but yet though i expect not that you should receive any thing from me , upon protestations , but upon proofs , i will here promise you that i will charge nothing on the papists , but what in my conscience i am verily perswaded to be true . the reasons which resolve me against popery are these and such like . i. reason , their doctrine of transubstantiation is so notoriously false and inhumane , even contrary to the fullest ascertaining evidence that mankind can expect on earth , ( viz. for all men on pain of damnation to believe , that there is no bread , and no wine , when all the soundest senses of any men in the world , do perceive bread and wine , by seeing it , tasting it , feeling it , smelling it , and by the notorious effects ; and all this built upon no revelation of god , no reason at all , nor any true consent of the primitive church , but clean contrary to them all ; ) that i solemnly profess , that i find it an utter impossibility to believe it : and it often puts me to a doubt , whether it be possible for any mortal man unfeignedly and fully to believe it , and whether there be really any such papist in the world : or whether most do not for carnal respects take on them to believe it , when they do not ; or rather the vulgar understand their words , as not really excluding the true being of bread and wine ; and the rest only somewhat overawing their own reason with a reverence of their church , so far as not to contradict , or so far as notionally to own it , when they do not from the heart believe the thing . so many contradictions , absurdities , and impieties are to be by them believed with it , that i am sure no man that understandeth them , can possibly believe them all . and all this must be done by miracles , stupendious miracles , daily or common miracles , which every priest can do at his pleasure , and never fail , sober or drunken , greater than raising a man from the dead ; so that every beastly , sordid , ignorant priest , shall do more miracles by far , than ever jesus christ did in all his life on earth , as far as we know by the holy records , ( if he live as long ) . he that can believe all this , may next believe , that there is neither earth under his feet , nor the firmament over his head , nor water , nor air , nor any other creature , and that he hath no being himself . ii. reason : the faith or religion of the papists , as described by themselves , is so far from infallibility , as that it is utterly uncertain , unintelligible , and meer contradiction and confusion ; and a changeable thing ; so that no man knoweth whether he have it or not , and whether he have it all ; but whoever hath it , he hath certainly a hodge-podge of truth and falshood . iii. reason . their papacy , which essentiateth their church , is a horrid usurpation of christs own prerogative , and of an office to do that which is incompaparably above the natural power or capacity of any mortal man ; even to be the apostle and governour of the whole world ( of christians at least ) ; to take charge of all the souls on earth ; to teach and call those that are uncalled , and to rule those that are baptized : even at the antipodes , and in all those unknown or inaccessible parts of the world , which he hath no knowledge of : a far more arrogant undertaking , than to be the civil monarch of all the earth ; and utterly impossible for him to perform , and which never was performed by him . iv. reason . the said papacy is an arrogant usurpation of the power of all the christian princes and pastors upon earth , or of a power over them , never given by christ : it setteth up a kingdom in a kingdom , and taketh from pastors the power which christ gave them , over their particular flocks . v. reason . the said papacy is a meer humane institution : they confess themselves , that it is not of divine faith that the bishop of rome is st. peters successor by divine right : it is no article of their own faith : but history fully assureth us , that it was but in the roman empire , that the roman bishop was made supream : as the archbishop of canterbury is in england : and that he standeth on the same humane foundation as the other four patriarchs of the empire did . and that their general councils were called by the emperours , and were called general only with respect to that empire . and there never was such a thing as a general council of all the christian world , nor ever can be : and that there never was such , is most notorious yet by the names subscribed to all the councils . but they abuse the world , and claim that power over all the christians on earth , which one prince gave his subject-prelates in his empire : as if the general assembly of scotland or france should pretend to be a general council of the world , and the archbishop of canterbury should call himself archbishop of all the church on earth , and claim the government of it . vi. reason : the said papacy hold their claim of supream government as by gods appointment ( though they confess as before said , that it is not de fide , that the pope succeedeth peter by divine right ) and this notoriously contrary to the judgement and tradition of the far greatest part of the churches in the world : general councils ( such as they had ) and the sense of the greatest part of christians have determined against the papal claime . and tradition condemneth them to this day , while they plead tradition . vii . reason : it is treason against christ for the papists who are but a sect , and not the third part of the christians in the world , to call themselves the whole church , and unchurch all the rest , and seek to rob christ of the far greatest part of his kingdom , by denying them to be such : as if they would deny two third parts of this kingdom to be the kings . they are sectaries and schismaticks by this arrogant dividing from all the rest , and appropriating the name and priviledges of the church to themselves alone . viii . reason : by making an unlawful and impossible condition and center of church vnion , they are the greatest schismaticks in all the world : the greatest dividers of the church upon pretence of vnity : as he would be a divider of this kingdom , who would set up a vice-king without the kings authority , and say that none that subject not themselves to him , shall be taken for subjects of the king. ix . reason : they studiously brand themselves with satans mark of malice , or uncharitableness and cruelty to mens souls : while they sentence to damnation two third parts of the christian world , because they will not be the subjects of their pope : and they think their way to heaven is safest , because they are bolder than us in damning other christians : whereas love is the mark by which christs disciples must be known to all . x. reason : they are inhumanely cruel to mens bodies : and this is their very religion : for the council at the laterane under innocent the third decreed , that those that believe not , or deny transubstantiation are hereticks , and all temporal lords shall exterminate them from their dominions : that is , no man shall be suffered to live under any christian lord , that will not renounce all his senses , and profess that he believeth that they are all deceived by god himself ; which is not only to renounce their humanity , but their animality or sense it self . so that no men indeed , are to be suffered to live , but only such as deny themselves to be men : what heathens , what turks , did ever exercise such inhumane fury ? besides their burning and tormenting men as hereticks that will not do all this and more , and will not say as they require them . xi . reason : their church indeed is invisible , while they deny it , and an unknown thing : for , 1. men are forced into it by such bloody laws , as that they cannot rationally be known to be consenters : 2. and they have no certain faith to constitute a church-member : for they hold that his obligation to believe , is according to his inward and outward means , of which no man can possibly judge : and so no man can know whether himself or another have that faith which is required as necessary to salvation . and many of them say , that they that believe not in christ , have saving faith , and are in the church , if they had not sufficient means . xii . reason : the papacy doth intolerably tyrannize over kings , and teach such doctrines of perjury and rebellion , as their very religion , as is not in the practice of it to be endured in any kingdom ; nor dare they fully practise it : the crowns and lives of princes being at the mercy of the pope ; as the said laterane council sheweth . xiii . reason : their church is oft essentially unholy , heretical and wicked , because the pope is often so , who is an essential part of it : and therefore it is not the holy catholick church . general councils have upon examination judged their popes to be hereticks , schismaticks , adulterers , murderers , simonists , yea , guilty of blasphemy or infidelity it self . and the church cannot be holy , whose essential part is so unholy . xiv . reason : their churches succession is so notoriously interrupted , and their papacy so often altered in its causes , as that it is become a confounded and a meer uncertain thing . so many notorious or judged hereticks , simonists , murderers , sodomites , adulterers have possessed the seat , who were therefore uncapable , that the line of succession must needs be interrupted by them . and so many wayes have they been made or elected , sometimes by the people , sometimes by the city-presbyters , sometimes by emperours , sometimes by cardinals , sometimes by councils , that if any one way of election be necessary , they have lost their papacy long ago . if no one way be necessary , then the turk may make a pope . xv. reason : their church called one , is really two in specie ; one headed by a pope , and another by a general council : for while the head or supream ruler is an essential part , and one part of the people own one head and another part own another head , ( as they do ) the churches thus constituted cannot be one. and also de individuo there have been long two or three popes at once , and consequently two or three churches : and to this day none knoweth which was the right . xvi . reason : they plead for a church which never had a being in the world ; that is , all christians headed by one pope ; when all the christian world did never take him for their head , nor were governed by him to this day . xvii . reason : they dreadfully injure the holy scriptures , as if jesus christ , and all the prophets and apostles in all those sacred records , had not had skill or will to speak intelligibly , and plainly to deliver us the doctrines necessary to salvation : but they make their voluminous councils more intelligible and sufficient ; as if they had done better than christ and his apostles : and when men must only discern gods laws , and judge causes by the law , they make themselves judges of the law it self , that is , of god the judge of all , and of the law by which they must be judged . xviii . reason : there is no other sect of christians under heaven which hath so many differences among themselves , or have written so many books against one another as the papists : and though many of them are of great importance , yea , some are about the very essence or constitutive head of their church , yet have they no handsomer way to palliate all by , than by saying that these are but opinions , and no articles of faith , and the infallible judge dare not decide them : no though it be diversity of expositions of gods own word , yet commentators still differ without any hope of a decision , as if gods word were not to be believed , but were only the matter of uncertain opinion , till the pope and council have expounded it , and no more scripture is de fide than they expound . xix . reason : perjury is made the very character of their church , or the brand by which it is stigmatized ; as is visible 1. in the trent oath imposed on their clergy , which whoever taketh he is immediately perjured : and 2. by their disobliging men from oaths and vows ; even the subjects of princes from their oaths of allegiance , whenever the pope shall excommunicate them , and give their dominions to others , as is decreed concil . later . sub innoc. 3. can. 3. xx. reason : they are guilty of idolatry in their ordinary worship by the mass : while they worship bread as their lord god : nor will it justifie them to say , that if they thought it to be bread , they would not worship it : any more than it would justifie julian to say , that he would not worship the sun , if he thought not that it was god : and they confess , that if it prove to be still bread , their worship will prove idolatry : and we desire no other proof . and i am not able to justifie their sending god his worship by a cross , crucifix , or other image , as a medium cultum , from being a gross violation of the second commandment : ( which they leave out ) . xxi . reason : their religion greatly tendeth to mortifie christianity , and turn it into a dead image , by destroying much of its life and power : 1. by befriending ignorance , and hiding the holy scripture , forbidding all the people to read them in a known tongue without a special license : blaspheming gods word , as if so read , it had more tendency or likelihood to hurt men than to profit them , to damn them than to save them ; when they will say otherwise of all their own vulgar postils and such like writings . 2. and by teaching the people a blind devotion , viz. to pray in an unknown tongue , and to worship god by words not understood . 3. and by making up a religion much , if not far most , of external formalities , and a multitude of ceremonies , and the opus operatum of their various sacraments ; as if god delighted in such actions as befit not the acceptance of a grave and sober man ; or as if guilt and sin would be wiped off , and charmed away into virtue and holiness , by such corporeal motions , shews and words . xxii . reason : their religion , though it thus tend to gratifie the ungodly by deceitful remedies and hopes , yet is very uncomfortable to the godly . for , 1. by it no man can know that he is a true believer , and not a child of hell , ( much less that he shall be saved : ) for they teach that no divine can tell them what articles are necessary to be believed to salvation : but they must be so many as are suited to every ones capacity , and means , during his life . and no man living can know that he understandeth and believeth as much as his capacity and means were in their kind sufficient to : nay , there is no man that hath not been culpably ignorant of somewhat which he might have known . 2. mens sacramental receptions and comforts depend on the intention of the priest , which no man knoweth . 3. almost all godly men must expect the fire of purgatory : and consequently none of them can be rationally willing to dye : because this life is better than purgatory ; and no man will desire to go from hence into the fire : and so by making all men unwilling to dye , it destroyeth a heavenly mind , and killeth faith , and hope , and love , and holy joy , and tempteth men to be worldlings , and to love this life better than the next . yea , it tempteth men to be afraid of martyrdom , lest ( dying in venial sins , as all do ) they go to a purgatory fire , more terrible than martyrdom . xxiii . reason : their doctrine is not only contrary to many express texts of holy scripture , but also contrary to it self : one pope and one council having decreed one thing , and another the clean contrary . xxiv . reason : all this evil is made more pernicious , by that professed impenitence which is included in the conceit of their churches infallibility : for they that hold themselves infallible , do profess never to repent , of any thing in which they suppose themselves to be so . and as repentance is the great evidence of the pardon of sin ; so impenitency is that mortal sign of an unpardoned soul , without which no sin doth qualifie the sinner to be excommunicated by man , or damned by god : and a sin materially less , is more mortal unrepented of , than a greater truly lamented and forsaken . xxv . reason : every honest godly protestant may be as sure that popery is false , as he is that he is himself sincere , and loveth god , and is truly willing to obey him . and no man can turn papist , without self-contradiction , who is a true christian , and an honest man : for by turning papist he confesseth himself to be before a false-hearted hypocrite , who neither loved god , nor sincerely desired to obey him , nor was true to his baptismal covenant . for it is a part of popery to believe that none are in a state of salvation , but the subjects of the pope , or members of the papal church ; and consequently that no others have true faith , repentance or love to god : or else that god is false in promising salvation , to all that have true faith , repentance and love to god. all therefore that know their own hearts to be truly devoted to god , are safe from popery ; and seeing it is agreed on both sides , that none can or ought to turn papists but ungodly hypocrites ( or knaves ) no wonder if such are deluded by the most palpable deceits , and forsaken of god whom they perfidiously forsook . i will name you no more : if i make these , or any one of these good ( as i undertake to prove them all ) , you will see that i refuse not my self to be a papist without sufficient cause . and yet by this charge you will see that i am none of their extream adversaries : i pass by abundance of doctrinal differences , wherein by many they are most deeply charged : not as justifying them against all or most so charged on them , but 1. as giving you those reasons which most move my self , and which i am most able to make good , and leaving every one to his proper work : 2. and as one that have certainly found out , that in many doctrinals seeming to be the matter of our widest difference , we are thought by many to differ much more than we do ; 1. the difference lying most in words , and logical notions , and various wayes of mens expressing their conceptions : 2. and the animosity of men engaged in parties and interests against each other , causing most to take all in the worst sense , and to make each other seem far more erroneous than they are , and to turn differing names into damnable heresies : and 3. few men having will and skill to state controversies aright , and cut off mistaken seeming differences : 4. and few having honesty and self-denyal enough to incurr the censure of the ignorant zealots of their own party , by seeming but impartial and just to their adversaries . i mean in such points , as 1. the nature of divine faith , whether it be a perswasion that i am pardoned , &c. 2. of certainty of salvation , 3. and certainty of perseverance , 4. of sanctification , 5. of justification , 6. of good works , 7. of merit , 8. of predestination , 9. of providence and the cause of sin : 10. of free-will , 11. of grace , 12. of imputation of righteousness , 13. of universal redemption , 14. of original sin , and divers others : in all which i cannot justifie them , but am sure that the difference is made commonly to seem to be that which indeed it is not : in the true impartial stating whereof lud. le blanck hath begun to do the christian churches most excellent service , worthy our great thanks , and his bearing all the censures of the ignorant . part iv. the first charge made good against transubstantiation : in which popery is proved to be the shame of humane nature , contrary to sense , reason , scripture and tradition , or the judgement of the antient and present church ; devised by satan to expose christianity to the scorn of infidels . chap. i. the first reason to prove transubstantiation false . r. the papists belief of transubstantiation is , that there is a change made of the whole substance of the bread into the body of christ , and of the whole substance of wine into his blood . their opinion ( called their faith ) hath two parts : the first is , that there is no more true proper bread and wine after the words of consecration , hoc est corpus meum . the second is , that there is the true proper flesh and blood of jesus christ , under the species ( as they call them ) of bread and wine . it is the first that i shall now prove false : and you must not forget the state of the question , which is not , whether christs body and blood be present ? but whether there remain any bread and wine ? arg. i. if there remain no bread and wine after the consecration , then all the senses of all the sound men in the world are deceived , or all mens perception of these sensible things deceived , though there be due magnitude , site , distance of the object , a due abode , and a due medium and no depravation of the sense or intellect . but this consequent is notoriously false , ( as shall be proved ) therefore popery is false . 1. that all mens senses perceive bread and wine , or all mens intellects by their senses , will not be denyed . not only protestants , but greeks , mahometans , heathens , papists , all persons perception by sense is here the same : therefore it is sound senses or else there are none sound in the world . 2. it is not one sense , but all . the eye seeth bread and wine : the hand and mouth feel it ; the palate tasteth it ; the smelling sense smelleth the wine ; yea , and the ear heareth it poured out . 3. it is in due quantity , and not an undiscernable atome . 4. it is near the sense , and neither by too much distance or nearness made insensible . 5. it hath a due abode , and is not made insensible by hasty passing by . 6. the air , and light , and all necessary media of perception are present . so that there is nothing wanting to the sensibility of the object . p. and how do you prove all or any of these ? for ought you know , the media may be undue , the magnitude , site , distance , abode , may not be what they seem to be ; and so you prove not what you say . r. all that i am now saying , is , that all men of sound sense , in the world have these immediate clear perceptions : the intellect by sense perceiveth the object as quantitative , as near , &c. this you dare not deny : so that if this perception be false , and here be no bread and wine , then sense or the intellect discerning by the means of sense , is deceived . p. i say that the senses or intellects perception are deceived . r. i prove that they are not deceived ; or at least , that this kind of perception is the most certain that man on earth is capable of , and is to be trusted to by all men , and disbelieved or contradicted by none . reason i. because that humane nature is so formed , that the intellect hath no other way of perceiving things sensible , but as they are first perceived by the sense , and by it transmitted to the intellect ( or made its objects ) : and if about spirits it hold not , that there is nothing in the intellect , which was not first in the sense : yet about things sensible , it doth undenyably hold : and also that the intellect of it self is not free to perceive things sensible otherwise than as they are sensed , or not to perceive them ; but is naturally necessitated to perceive them . so that it is a contradiction for a man to be a man , consisting of a reasonable soul , with sensitive faculties and a body , and yet not to be formed to judge of things sensible as sense perceiveth them . p. then mad men cease to be men , if they judge otherwise . r. mad men are your fittest presidents : but , 1. i told you how mans nature is made by god to judge of things : i told you not that this nature may not be vitiated , and hindered from right action . did i ever say , that the eye may not be blinded , or the understanding distracted ? blind men and mad men judge not according to the tendency of nature , and therefore mis-judge . the connexion of the intellect to the sense is essential to man as man ; but so is not the soundness or right exercise of his faculties . reason ii. hence i argue , that sensation and the understandings perception thereby , is the first perception of mans soul , and all that follow are but the rational improvements of it , and therefore ever presuppose it : the natural order of the souls apprehensions is this , beyond all controversie . first sense perceiveth things sensible , and the imagination the images of them . next the vnderstanding by a simple perception conceiveth of them as it findeth them in the imagination . thirdly , then by this thinking or knowing , we perceive also our own act , that we do so think or know. and then fourthly , we compound our conceptions , and form organical notions , and spin out conclusions from what we first perceive . now if the first perceptions be uncertain or false , it must needs follow , that all those following thoughts , and reasonings which do but improve them , are at least as uncertain and false , if not more . so that there can be no more certainty in any of the conclusions as such , than there is in the premises and principles . therefore if mans first and most natural necessary perceptions are false , all the following actions or reasonings of his mind must be no better . all being finally resolved into these perceptions by sense , there is no truth or certainty in mans mind at all , if there be none in these . reason iii. else you would infer , that god is not at all to be believed , and that there is no such thing as divine faith and religion in certainty in the world : and so you would bring in , by unavoidable consequence , far worse impiety , and irreligiousness than mahomet or julian , or any idolaters that i hear of on the earth . for you directly will overthrow the divine veracity , or truth of gods revelations , which is the formal object of faith , without which , it is no faith. p. a heavy charge , if you can make it good . r. to make it good , do but first observe , 1. that gods essential will or mind is not in it self immediately seen by man ; but known only by some revelation . 2. that this revelation is nothing but some signes : for there is nothing in the universe of beings , but god and creatures and the acts or works of creatures . now it is not gods own essence which is the revelation in question . therefore it must be either a creature ( or work of god ) , or an act or work of a creature . as the voice on mount sinai , and that of christ at his baptism and transfiguration , and the written tables of stone , &c. were either the works of god immediately , and so created signs of his mind ; or else the acts of angels , and so imperate signs of his mind . nor it is not the ordinariness or extraordinariness of the way of making these signs , which maketh them currant and true , or credible : for if god can make a natural false sign , he can make a supernatural false one , for ought any mortal man can prove . only all the question is , whether it be indeed a sign of the mind and will of god or not ? now the works of nature are gods natural signs , and his natural objective light and law ; as the perception of them is the subjective or active light and law of nature : something of god , these natural signs do signifie or reveal plainly , and some things darkly : and so it is with supernatural signs ; as the written tables , the voice of an angel , the words of an inspired prophet or apostle , &c. now there is no other way for god to speak or reveal falsly , could he do it , but 1. either to make a false sign , naturally or supernaturally , or 2. to determine mans sense or mind to a false perception . and if god can do this naturally , why not supernaturally ? nay , à fortiore mark how you teach the infidel to inferr ? 1. gods natural revelations are common , and his supernatural rare . 2. gods natural revelations are most certainly his own acts : but how far a voice or book from a spirit , may be the act of that spirit or angel as a free agent , and how far that agent is fallible or defectible , we could not tell , if we had not farther evidence of gods owning it . therefore if you make gods own ordinary natural revelations or significations to be false , how will you be able to disprove the infidel about the rest ? 3. and then note , that our case is yet lower and plainer than all this : for if the very being of the creatures , which is the matter of these signs be uncertain to us , and all our senses and minds deceived about it , then we have no place for enquiry , whether this creature be any sign of the mind of god. as if the hearing of all men was deceived , that thought they heard that voice , [ this is my beloved son ] or pauls , that thought he heard christ speak to him [ saul , saul , &c. ] or if their eyes and intellects were deceived , that thought they saw christ and his miracles ; or that think now that they read the bible , and indeed there be no such thing as a bible , no such words , &c. then there is no room to enquire what they signifie : for nothing hath no signification . truth and goodness are affections or modes of being : and if we cannot by all our sound senses know the being of things , we can much less know that they are true or good. therefore all knowledge , and all faith , and all religion is overthrown by your denyal of the truth of our senses and intellects perception of things sensible . reason iv. and by this means you are not capable of being disputed with , nor any controversie between you and any others in the world , of being decided , while you deny sense . for then you agree not with mankind in any one common principle . and they that agree in nothing , can dispute of nothing . for this is the first principle : est vel non est is first to be agreed on , before we can dispute any farther of a substance . what will you do to confute an adversary , but drive him to deny a certain principle ? and can you drive him to deny a lower fundamental principle , than the being of a substance perceived by sense , yea , by all the sound senses of all men in the world ? reason v. yea , it is specially to be noted , that our difference is not only about the species of a sensible substance , but about the very substance it self in genere , whether all our senses perceive any substance at all , or not . suppose the question were , whether it be water or not , which all mens senses see in rivers ? if a papist would deny it to be water , doubtless he denyed the agreeing judgement of all mens intellect by sense . but if he should also say , it is no substance , which we call water or earth , this were to deny the first principle , and most fundamental perception in nature . now that this is your case , is undenyable . for , 1. you profess , that christs body and blood are not sensible there ; that it is not the quantity , shape , number , colour , smell , weight , &c. of christs body and blood which we perceive , and that these accidents are not the accidents of christ . 2. and you believe that the bread and wine is gone , that is , changed into the body and blood of christ ; so that no part of their substance , matter or form is left . and you put no third substance under these accidents in the stead . so that you maintain , that it is the quantity of nothing , the figure of nothing , the colour , the weight , the scituation , the smell , the number , &c. of nothing , which all mens intellects by sense perceive . so that the controversie is , whether it be any substance at all which by those accidents we perceive ? and when we see , handle , taste , smell it , you believe ( or say you believe ) that it is none ; neither bread or wine , or any other : now if by sense we cannot be sure of the very being of a substance , we can be sure of nothing in the world . reason vi. yea , it is to be noted , that though brutes have no intellects , yet their sense and imagination herein wholly agreeth with the common perception of man : a dog or a mouse will eat the bread as common bread , and a swine will drink the wine as common wine : and therefore have the same perception of it as of common bread and wine ; and so their senses must be all deceived as well as mans . and brutes have as accurate perfect senses as men have , and some much more . and meer natural operations are more certain and constant ( as we see by the worlds experience ) than meer reason and argumentation . birds and beasts are constant in their perceptions and course of action , being not left to the power of mutable free-will . reason vii . you hereby quite overthrow your own foundation , which is fetcht from the concord of all your party , which you call all the church : you think that a general council could not agree to any thing a● an article of faith if it were not such ; ( when it is bu● the major vote that agree ) ; you say that traditio● is infallible , because all the church agreeth in i● ( when it is perhaps but your sect , which is a mino● part ) . but do you not overthrow all this , when yo● profess , that all the senses of all the sound men in th● world , and all the simple perceptions of their intellect● by sense , do agree , that there is substance , yea , d● specie bread and wine after the consecration ? no on● mans perception by sense disagreed in this , from th● institution of the sacrament to this day , that can be proved , or the least probability of it given . and i● this concord be no proof , much less is yours : for ▪ 1. the intellect in reasoning is more fallible than i● its immediate perception of things sensed ( or perceived by sense ) . 2. yours is but the consent of some men ; but ours is the consent of all mankind . yours among your selves hath oft in councils a minor part of dissenters , who must be overvoted by the rest : but our case hath never one dissenting sense or perception . reason viii . by this denyal of sense , you overthrow the foundations of humane converse : how can men make any sure contracts , or perform any duty on a sure ground , if the concordant senses of all the world be false ? parents cannot be sure which are their own children ; nor children which are their own parents : husbands cannot certainly know their own wives from their neighbours . no subjects can certainly know their own prince . no man can be sure , whether he buy or sell , receive money or pay it , &c. no man can be sure that there is a pope , or priest , or man in the world . reason ix . you seem to me to blaspheme god , and to make him the greatest deceiver of mankind , even in his holy worship : whereas god cannot lye ; it is impossible : and the devil is the father of lyes : and you make god to tell all the world ( as plainly as if words told them ) even by demonstration to their sight , smell , feeling , taste , that , here is bread and wine , when there is none ; yea , that it is at least some substance which they perceive , when it is none at all . reason x. you thus fain god to be cruel to mankind , and that under pretence of grace ; even to put such hard conditions of salvation on man , which seem to us impossible , to any but mad men , or those who by faction have cast their minds into a dream . if these be gods conditions , that no man shall be saved , that doth not believe that all his senses , and all the senses of all the world , are deceived when they perceive bread and wine , or substance , many may take on them to believe it , but few will believe it , and be saved indeed . reason xi . hereby you make the gospel or new covenant to be far harder and more rigorous than either the law of moses , or the law of innocency : for neither of these did damn men for believing the agreeing senses of all mankind : perfect obedience , to a perfect nature , was fit to be a delight . the burdensome ceremonies had no such impossibilities in them . none of them obliged men to renounce all their senses , and to come to heaven by so hard a way . reason xii . you seem to me to contradict gods law and terms of life , and to forge the clean contrary as his : he saith , he that cometh to god must believe that god is , &c. and he that believeth shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be damned : but you seem to me to say in plain effect , [ he that believeth gods natural revelations to all mens senses shall be damned , and that believeth that the said revelations are false , may be saved , caeteris paribus . ] reas . xiii . and what a thing by this do you mak● gods grace to be ? whereas true grace is the repaire● and perfecter of nature , you make it to be the destroye● and deceiver of nature . the use of grace according to your faith is to cause men to believe that gods natural revelations are false , and that all the senses of th● world in this matter are deceived : whereas a mad ma● can believe this without grace . reas . xiv . by this doctrine you abominably corrupt the church with hypocrisie , while all that will hav● communion with you , must be forced to profess tha● all mens senses are thus deceived : and can you thin● that really they can all believe it ? or rather you● church must be mostly made up of gross hypocrites who falsly take on them to believe it when they do not . reas . xv. and by this means you make the vnity of the church to become a meer impossibility : for you● condition of union is , that men all believe this among other articles of your faith : and that man hath lost o● vitiated his humanity who can believe and expect , tha● all christians in the world should ever believe that al● the senses of all the world are thus deceived . you might as well say , the church shall never have unity till all christians do believe that david or christ was a worm and no man , a door , a vine , a thief , a rock , in proper sense ; or we shall have no unity till we renounce both our humanity and animality and the light and law of god in nature . and after this to cry up vnity , and cry down schism , what abominable hypocrisie is it ? reas . xvi . and by this doctrine what bloody inhumanity is become the brand or character of your church ? when you decree concil . later . sub . innoc. 3. can. 3. that all that will not thus renounce their senses , and give the lie to gods natural revelations , shall be excommunicated and utterly undone in this world , even banished from all that they have , and from the land of their nativity ; yea your inquisition must torture and burn them , and your writ de hereticis comburendis must be issued out against them , to fry them to death in flames , if they will not renounce the common senses of mankind . reas . xvii . and it even amazeth me to think what horrid tyrants you would thus make all christian princes ! when the said canon determineth that they shall be first excommunicate and then cast out of their dominions , which shall be given to others , and their subjects absolved from their allegiance and fidelity , except they will exterminate all these as hereticks from their dominions , who will not give the lye to all mens senses and to gods natural revelations . the plain english is , ☞ he shall not be the lord of his own dominions who will have men to be his subjects , or such as will not renounce both their humanity and animality or sense . for to perceive substances in genere & in specie by sense , and to believe or trust the common senses of all the world about things sensible , as being the surest way that we have of perception , is as necessary to a man as ratiocination is . choose then o ye princes of the earth , whether you will be papists , and whether you will have no men to be your subjects , even none that believe the senses of themselves and all the world . reas . xviii . thus also your idolatry exceedeth in absurdity the idolatry of all the heathens else in the world : even canibals and the most barbarous nations upon earth . for if they call men to worship an image , the sun , the moon , an ox or an onion ( of which the egyptians are accused ) they do but say that some spiritual or celestial numen affixeth his operative presence to this creature : but they never make men swear that there is no image , or sun or moon or ox or onion left , but that the whole substance of it is turned into god , or somewhat else . your absurdities tend to make the grossest idolatry seem comparatively to yours , a very fair and tolerable errour . reas . xix . by these means you expose christianity to the scorn of humane nature , and all the world . you teach heathens , mahometans and other infidels to deride christ as we do mahomet ; and to say that a christian maketh and eateth his god , and his faith is a believing that gods supernatural revelations are a lie , and that god is like the devil the great deceiver of the world . wo be to the world because of offences , and wo be to him by whom offence cometh . reas . xx. lastly by this means you are the grand pernicious hinderers of the conversion of the heathen and infidel world : for you do as it were proclaim to them ; [ never turn christians till you will believe that gods natural revelations are false , and that all mens senses in the world are deceived , in judging that there is bread , wine , or sensible substance after the words of consecration . ] these are the mischievous consequents of your doctrine . but one benefit i confess doth come by occasion of it ; that it is easier hereby to believe that there are devils , when we see how they can deceive men : and to believe the evil of sin , when we see how it maketh men mad ; and to believe that there is a hell , when we see such a hell already on earth , as learned pompous clergie men , that have studied to attain this malignant madness to decree to fry men in the flames and damn them to hell , and give them no peace or quietness in the world , unless they will say , that gods natural revelations are false , and that all mens senses are herein deceived , by god as the great deceiver of the world. chap. ii. the papists answers to all this confuted . p. it is easie to make any cause seem odious , till the accusations are answered , which i shall confidently do in the present case . i. all this is but argument from sense : and sense must vail to faith : gods word must be believed before our senses . r. it is easie to cheat fools and children into a dream , with a sound of empty words : to talk of senses vailing to faith and such like canting , and insignificant words , may serve turn with that sort of men . but sober men will tell you that sense is in exercise in order of nature at least before reason or faith , and that we are men and animals before we are christians : and that the truth and certainty of faith , presupposeth the truth and certainty of sense . tell me else , if sense be false , how you know that there is a man , or pope , or priest in the world ? that there is a book or voice , or any being ? and what possibility then have you of believing ? p. gods revelation is surer than our senses ? r. this is the old song over and over . revelation without sense ( to you and ordinary christians at least ) is a contradiction . how know you that god hath any revelations ? if by preachers words , how know you that there is a preacher , or a word but by sense ? if by books , how know you that there is a book , but by sense ? p. ii. we may trust sense in all other things , where god doth not contradict it : but not in this one case , because god forbiddeth us . r. say so of your church too , your pope , council or traditions ; that we may trust them in all cases save one or two , in which it is certain that they do lye ! and will not any man conclude , that he that can lye in one case , can lye in more ? if one text of gods word were false , and you would say , you may believe all the rest save that , how will you ever prove it ? for the formal object of faith is gone , which is the divine veracity ; he that can lye once , can lye twice . so if all our senses be false in this instance , how shall we know that they are ever true ? p. you may know it because god saith it . r. 1. where doth god say it ? 2. how shall i be sure that he saith it ? if you say , that it is written in scripture ; besides that there is no such word ; how shall i know that all mens senses are not deceived in thinking that there is a scripture , or such a word in it ? if you say that the council saith it , how shall i know that there is a man or ever was a council , or a book in the world ? the certainty of conclusions presupposeth the certainty of premises and principles : and the certainty of faith and reasoning , presupposeth the certainty of sense : and if you deny this , you deny all , and in vain plead for the rest . p. i must believe my senses , where i have no reason to disbelieve them . but when god contradicteth them , i have reason to disbelieve them . r. 1. you vainly suppose without proof that god contradicteth them . so you may say , i may or must believe the scripture or an apostle , prophet or miracle , except god contradict them . but if god contradict them , he contradicteth his own word or revelation : for we have no other from him , but by man : and if he contradict himself , or his own word , how can i believe him , or know which of his words it is that 's true , when one is false ? so here : his natural revelation is his first , nearest , and most satisfactory revelation : and if that be said to be false by his supernatural revelation , which shall i believe , and why ? p. iii. you cannot deny but god can deceive our senses . and therefore if he can , will you conclude against all faith if once he do it ? r. 1. this is not once ; but as oft as god is worshiped in your mass and our sacrament . 2. god can deceive us without a lie , but not by a lie. christ deceived the two disciples , luke 24. by carrying it as if he would have gone further ; but not by saying that he would go further . god can do that from which he knoweth that man will take occasion of deceit . god can blind a mans eyes , or destroy or corrupt his other senses ; he can present an object defectively , with unmeet mediums , distance , site , &c. in this case he doth not give us a false sign ; nor doth he by the nature of the revelation oblige any man to believe it : yea nature saith , that a man is not to judge by a vitiated sense , or an unmeet medium , or a too distant object , or where the due qualification of the sense or object are wanting : nature there tells us that we are there to suppose or suspect that we are uncapable of certainty : but nature obligeth us to believe sound senses about duly qualified objects ; and to take sense for sound when all the senses of all the men in the world agree ; and the object to be a duly qualified object of sense , when all mens senses in the world so perceive it . for we have no way but by sense to know what is an object of sense . 3. the question is not what god can do by his power , if he will ; but what god will do , and can will to do , in consistency with his perfection , and just and merciful government of the world. and god in making us men whose intellects are naturally to perceive things sensible by the means of the perception of sense , doth naturally oblige man and necessitate him also , to trust his senses in such perception . and in nature man hath no surer way of apprehension : therefore if you could prove that sense is ordinarily fallible , and gods revelations to it false , yet man were not only allowed but necessitated to use and trust it , as having no better surer way of apprehension : as among many knaves or lyars , i must most trust the honestest and most trusty , when i have no better to trust . if i am not sure that it is a sun or light that i see , yet i am sure that i must take my perception of it as a sun or light as it is ; for god hath given me no better . if i am not sure that my sight , feeling , taste , &c. are infallible ; yet i am sure that i am made of god to use them ; and that i have no better senses , nor a better way to be certain of their proper objects : so that i must take and trust them as they are , or cease to be a man. p. iv. christs body and blood are not sensible objects ; and therefore sense is no proper judge whether they be present . r. this is one of your gross kind of cheats , to change the question . we are not yet come to the question , whether christs body and blood be here ? and i grant you that sense is no judge of that , any more than whether an angel be here . but the question is now only , whether bread or wine or sensible substance be here ? and of this we have no natural way but by sense to judge . p. v. if god should say to you [ your senses are in this deceived ; here is no bread or wine or sensible substance ] would you not believe him ? r. 1. again i tell you , it is a supposition not to be put : as if you should say , [ if god should say , that part of the gospel or word of god is false , would you not believe him ? ] 2. if i know that god telleth me that some disease or false medium , &c. deceive me or another in particular , i will believe him : but here it is supposed , 1. that i have assurance that it is god that tells me so ; 2. and that i have no assurance that common sense saith the contrary . but if the sense of all the world about a well scituate object of sense agree , i will not take that to be gods word which contradicteth it , till i have some evidence which is better and stronger than the agreeing senses of all the world to prove it to be so . and what evidence must that be ? i assure you somewhat greater than the authority of a beastly ignorant murdering pope , and his factious council . p. vi. cartesius giveth you an instance of deception of sight : we think a square tower of a steeple to b● round till we come neer it : and the water seemeth to us to move when it is the boat . r. cartesius and you do seem to be confederate , to put out the eye of nature , and tempt the world to infidelity , if not to atheism . 1. nature tells us that a distan● steeple or other object , is not perfectly discernible and therefore nature forbiddeth us to judge till w● come neerer . we speak only of objects duly scituate an● qualified . 2. the failing of the sight there is but negative : it discerneth not the corners : but here yo● feign it to be positive . 3. as the errour is corrigibl● by nearer approach , so also by the use of other sense● ▪ if a man feel the tower that is square , he will infallibly perceive it . but if you could prove that this squar● tower is no tower , no stone , no substance at all , thoug● all the world should judge otherwise that see it at th● meetest distance , and feel it with their hands , then you did something to the purpose . so as to the moving water or banks , 1. motion is not so evident as substance . 2. though one sense , through the weakness of the brain be insufficient , the intellect by the same sense about other objects , and by other senses can infallibly discern what that one perceiveth not . 3. and if one mans eyes deceive him who is in the boat , ten thousand mens eyes that stand on the firm land , perceive the truth : but in our case it is all the senses of all the world , in all ages , about the neerest object , that agree . p. vii . substance is not the proper object of sense , but only accidents : we see , feel , taste , smell the accidents , but not the substances . r. 1. if you can name some notional speculator or word-maker that hath said so , you think you have authority to renounce humanity by it . call it proper or not-proper , substance is the certain object of sense as cloathed with its accidents . quantity and the res quanta are not two things , but one : and he that feeleth or seeth quantity , feeleth or seeth the rem quantam . he that seeth or feeleth shape or figure , seeth or feeleth the thing figured . he that smelleth odor , smel●eth rem odoratam ; he that seeth colour , seeth the rem coloratam . when to feel the superficies , you feel ●he substance . 2. by this we see how by words you will unman mankind . have you any way of perception of corporal substances but by sense ? do you know that there is any earth or water , or any corporal substance in the world , or not ? if you do , tell us how you know it but by the ●erception of sense presenting it to the intellect ? you know that you must thus know it , or not at all . 3. and thus still you would bring men with scepticism to infidelity . you would teach men , that they that saw christ were not sure that they saw him or any substance at all , but only the accidents , called quantity , shape , colour , &c. they that saw apostles , miracles , bibles , councils , were not sure that they saw any more than accidents , &c. p. viii . they that saw angels appearing to them like men , or the holy ghost descending on christ in the shape of a dove , thought they saw men and a dove : so moses rod did seem a serpent . but their senses did deceive them . r. their senses were not at all deceived : and if by rash judging they would go beyond sense , and wilfully deceive themselves , it was their fault . their sense saw the shape or likeness of a man and dove . the text saith , not that the holy ghost was a dove , but that it descended in the likeness of a dove : and their senses perceived no more . and this was true . a man consisteth of a soul and a body of flesh and blood : did sense perceive any of this in the angels ? either , soul , flesh or blood ? or any such thing in the appearance of a dove ? if i see your picture or statue , is my sense deceived if i take it not for a living man ? it i see it moved , is my sense deceived if i take it not for any other than a moving image ? nature doth not bind me to take every simile to be idem ; a corps for a man ; an image for the person . it will be foolishness so to take it . but if this angel , or dove , had come near to the senses , all the senses , of all sorts of men , and they had seen , and felt , and tasted , and smelt , all that are the objects of these senses , and yet there had been indeed no visible , tactible , sensible substance at all , this had been a deception of the senses remediless . christ i am sure appealed to sense , to prove that he had flesh and blood and was not a meer spirit . the same i say of moses rod : either it was really a serpent or not ; if it was , then it was no deception to judge it such : if not , sense was not at all deceived : for it perceived nothing but the similitude and motion , and those ( with the substance ) were certainly there . but if all mens senses , seeing , feeling , tasting , &c. had been deceived , and there had been indeed no shape of a serpent , nor any sensible substance at all but accidents real without any substance , this had been indeed a deception of the senses . and if god so subvert mans nature , he will not bind him to do the things which belong to the nature of man to do . but by all this we may perceive , that there is no end of controversies with you to be hoped for : for how is it possible to bring any thing to a more satisfying issue , than when the senses of all the world do as clearly perceive it , as any sensible thing can be perceived ? if our difference were whether this be paper , and these be letters ; or whether this be a pen , a table , yea or a substance , and i should appeal to the sense of all the world , and yet this will not serve to decide the controversie ; what end , or hope of ending can there be : i will sooner look for concord with a mad man , than with men that deny the senses of all the world. chap. iii. the second argument against transubstantiation : the contradictions of it . r. arg. 2. god owneth not contradictions ( nor can do ) . the papists doctrine of transubstantiation , or nullification of the whole substance of bread and wine , is contradictious : therefore it is not owned by god. the major i know no man that denyeth . the contradictions are these . i. you feign many accidents of no substance ; which is a gross contradiction . for to be an accident is essentially relative to a subject or substance : and ejus esse est inesse . to be a father without a son , or a son without a father , a husband without a wife , or a wife without a husband , &c. are contradictions : and so it is to be an accident of nothing , or without a subject . particularly , 1. the quantity of nothing is a contradiction : we can measure the bread , and wine : to be an inch in longitude , latitude or profundity , and yet to be no substance is a contradiction . to be ( as the wine is ) a quart , a gallon of nothing is a contradiction . 2. so for number ; we can number the wafers or pieces of bread , and the cups of wine : and to be twenty , forty , an hundred nothings , is a contradiction . 3. so for the weight , to be an ounce , a pound , or ten pound , of nothing , is a contradiction . 4. so for the figure or shape : it is a contradiction to be a round nothing , a square nothing , &c. 5. so is it to be a sweet nothing , a sharp nothing , an austere nothing , &c. as the wine is fancied by you . 6. or to be an odoriferous nothing : a rough or a smooth nothing , &c. 7. or to be a white nothing , or a red nothing , or any coloured nothing . the same i may say of site , and of a multitude of relations , &c. ii. it is a contradiction , for nothing to have all those real notable effects , which it is certain that the consecrated bread and wine have . as , 1. that when a man or a beast , is really nourished by the bread and wine , and flesh and blood , and spirits are made of it , ( as they may live by it many months , ) that these should be the effects of nothing , or made out of no substance by way of nutrition , without a proper creation . 2. when the consecrated bread and wine do partly turn to excrements , vrine , dung and spittle , that all the excrements are nothings or made of nothing without a new creation , is a contradiction . 3. when the wine shall ( as it may do ) make a man or a swine drunk , that he is made drunk by nothing or no substance , when as that drunkenness is essentially the operation of the spirits of the wine upon the spirits of him that drinks it , this also is a contradiction . and god maketh not contradictions true . p. it is the plea of an infidel to say that god cannot do this or that . will you limit the power of the almighty ? will you say that god cannot make quantity , quality , site , &c. without substance , because we cannot ? it is blasphemy to say god cannot . r. god can do all things that are works of power : god can do nothing which is a work of impotency , defectiveness , naughtiness , or folly , or which are contradictions in themselves . and when we say god cannot , we do but say either that god is perfect and almighty , or that the thing is nothing , but a false name , and not capable of being any ones work . god cannot lye , because he is perfect and almighty , and not because he wanteth power . god cannot make you to be a man and no man , a substance and no substance , in the same sence , at the same time : because it is a contradiction . but if this argument did not hold , and it were no contradiction , for god to overturn his setled course of nature , i shall shew you next that we have other reasons enough to judge that he doth it not . if he can make darkness to give light , and a clod to be to the world instead of the sun , without changing it , or a stone to understand and speak without changing it , yet that god doth none of this , both reason and experience prove . chap. iv. the third argument against transubstantiation : from the certain falshood of their assertion of multitudes of miracles in it . r. that doctrine which asserteth a multitude of false or feigned miracles is false and not of god : but such is the doctrine of transubstantiation — ergo — i will 1. shew you what miracles it asserteth ; and 2. prove that they are feigned or false . i. it is a miracle for bread and wine to be turned into no bread and wine , yea , into nothing ; and this by the speaking of four words . ii. it is a miracle ( or contradiction ) for the bread and wine to be turned into christs body and blood , and yet neither the matter nor form of it to become any of the matter of christs body and blood . iii. it is a miracle , ( or a contradiction rather as aforesaid ) for the accidents to be the accidents of nothing , or no substance ; to be the quantity of nothing , the shape , the number of nothing , the colour , savour , smell of nothing , and so of all the rest . iv. it is a miracle to have all the sound senses of all sorts of men in the world so deceived herein , as to perceive bread , wine and substance , if there be none . v. it is a miracle to have the senses of mice and rats , and dogs and other brutes also deceived when they eat and drink it . vi. it is a miracle ( or contradiction ) to have nothing without a creation , to become excrements : or else those excrements to be nothing also : and the accidents of all those excrements to be the accidents of nothing . vii . it is a miracle to be nourished by nothing : ( for you say , that it is not christs body and blood that nourisheth the flesh . ) to have flesh and blood made of nothing , is a creation . viii . it is a miracle to be drunk with nothing , when the wine is annihilated or gone , and seemeth to be it that causeth the effect : yea , for beast or man to be so drunk . ix . it is a miracle ( or contradiction ) for christ to eat his own body ( as the papists hold he did ) ; and yet it was his whole body which did eat his body , and yet he had but one body . x. it was a miracle ( or contradiction ) for christs entire body to be nourished by that eaten body , and that the eaten body turned into the substance of his eating body : and yet all was but one . xi . it was a miracle that christs eaten body being not dead but living with a humane soul , should be broken and eaten by him and his disciples , and yet feel no pain by it . xii . it was a miracle that his whole body was on the cross ; and yet part of it in the disciples bellies at that time ; or at least before that eaten by them . xiii . it was a miracle ( or contradiction ) that christs eaten body now nourisheth not the flesh of any man ; and yet did nourish the flesh of the disciples before his death . or if it did not nourish them , it was a miracle that what they eat and drank then did not nourish them , ( or christ what he eat and drank ) . xiv . it was a miracle that the whole body of christ should arise and live , and ascend to heaven , when the disciples had eaten it . xv. it is a miracle that every receiver eateth the whole body of christ , and not a part , and yet that he hath but one body ; or that they eat each a part without dividing him . xvi . it is a miracle that as soon as the species of bread and wine perish or cease in the eater , christs body and blood ceaseth to be in him , and this without his detriment . xvii . it is a miracle that there is such a local distance between the consecrated bread and wine all over the world ; and yet no such distance between the parts of christs body , and yet that bread to be his body . xviii . it is a miracle that bread and wine is annihilated or cease every mass , and yet that the quantity of corporeal matter in the whole world is no whit diminished : or else that those four words can so annihilate and diminish the matter of the world . xix . it is a miracle that christs body and blood increase not , when so many millions of parcells of bread and wine are turned into it . xx. it is a miracle that christs body and blood is not diminished , when by the corruption of the species of bread and wine , it vanisheth away . xxi . it is a miracle that christs body and blood should be so received into the bowels of a wicked man , and yet not be any way defiled by his sin , nor by his bodily uncleanness . xxii . it is a miracle that a baker dispositively , and a priest effectually can make his own god , and eat him when they have done . xxiii . it is a miracle that when worms are bred of that which was bread and wine , these worms are really generated of nothing , or created ; ( or if as some say , the bread and wine do substantially return again , and breed them , that is another , a double miracle . ) xxiv . and it is a miracle that the corporeal matter of the world should by these worms be daily increased , out of nothing , or out of meer accidents that have no substance . xxv . it is a miracle that men may be poysoned by the sacramental elements as ingredients in the mixture , and yet that they are no substance . xxvi . it is a miracle or contradiction , that when flesh and blood ( formally such ) enter not into the kingdom of god , but glorified bodies are all spiritual bodies ( though not spirits ) , and therefore not flesh and blood : yet christs body in the sacrament should be truly and properly flesh and blood , and yet the same with his glorified body ( which is not flesh and blood : ) which is the papists doctrine ; and the bread turned into such flesh . xxvii . it is a miracle that the same body which in heaven is brighter in glory than the sun , and exalted above angels , should yet shew no signs of glory on the altar , in the cup , in the hand , mouth or belly of him that taketh it ; but all its glory be so hid . xxviii . it is a miracle ( or contradiction ) that christs humiliation should be past , and his whole body glorified , and yet that to be torn with the teeth of a wicked man , to be eaten by mice , rats or dogs , to go into the filthy guts , to be trodden in the dirt , should be neither painful , nor any diminution of the glory of that same body . indeed his body on the cross might be broken , and his blood spilt and trodden on , because he was a sacrifice for sin ; and it was the time of his voluntary humiliation : but now for the suffering of death he is crowned with glory and honour , heb. 2.9 , 7. xxix . it is a miracle that the living body of our glorified redeemer should give no evidence or sign of life ; neither stir , nor speak , nor have breath , pulse , warmth , or other property of life appearing . xxx . it is a miracle , at least , that flesh should have none of the common notes or properties of flesh , not to be made of food , of blood and chyme , not to consist of the fibrae which flesh consisteth of ; not to have the colour , taste , odour or other such accidents of flesh : and that blood should have none of these notifying accidents of blood . xxxi . it is a miracle or contradiction , that christs flesh was broken before it was broken , sacrificed before it was sacrificed , i mean really broken and sacrificed at his supper , when yet he was whole and not really sacrificed till he was nailed to the cross . and so that his blood was really and properly shed in his supper , and yet no skin broken , nor his blood really shed till his side was pierced on the cross . and that he that was but once offered and sacrificed , should yet be offered and sacrificed once on one day , and another time on another day . here are one and thirty miracles or contradictions : let us hear some of the aggravations of them , as worthy to be considered . i. it is a miracle of these miracles , that there should be as many miracle workers as priests in the world : how many thousand are they in france alone ? and so in many other countreys . whereas in christs own time , they were comparatively but few . ii. that the pope or any prelate can make a miracle worker when he please , yea , a thousand ; as if the holy ghost were at his will. iii. it is a miracle of these miracles that a simonist who buyeth the priesthood with money , doth buy the holy ghost to work miracles for that money , which simon magus was condemned for thinking possible . for the papists hold , that the consecration of a simoniacal priest transubstantiateth . iv. it is a miracle that all this power of miracles should be given to flagitious wicked men ; adulterers , murderers , drunkards , &c. v. it is a miracle that all these men can work miracles at their own will and pleasure , at any hour : whereas the apostles had not the spirit at command , and could not do it when they would . vi. it is a miracle that miracles should be as common as masses , or the eucharistical worshipping of god ; not only on every lords day in all church-assemblies , but any day or hour else in the week . and so miracles be as ordinary almost as to eat and drink . vii . it is a miracle that every wicked priest should do so many miracles in one , and so many more in number than christ himself did , in the same proportion of time , as far as the history of the gospel telleth us : christ is quite exceeded by them all . viii . it is a miracle that every wicked priest can work all these miracles so easily , as with the careless saying over four words : when the apostles could not cast out some devils , or work some miracles , and some could not be done but by fasting and prayer . ix . it is a miracle that every priest can work all these miracles upon an unbeliever or a wicked man : for to such they say , it is the real flesh and blood of christ , and no bread or wine ; and the senses of all these wicked men are deceived . whereas christ himself could not do any great miraculous work among some where he came , because of their unbelief . x. it is a miracle that god and the priest should do these foresaid miracles on mice and rats and other beasts , by deceiving their senses , which we find not that christ ever did : or that god should feed them with the miraculous accidents aforesaid . xi . it is a miracle of these miracles that the priest can thus easily work miracles not only on other creatures , but on the glorified body of christ himself , ( by the foresaid changes , &c. ) xii . it is a miracle , that when christ wrought his miracles usually before a far smaller number , these priests work miracles thus before or on the senses of all the men in the world that will be present at the mass ; for all their senses are deceived . xiii . it is a miracle that the abassines , armenians , greeks , protestants , yea , any that they call schismaticks , and hereticks , who do not intend to work any miracle , nor believe transubstantiation , do yet work miracles in each sacramental administration of the eucharist , not only without their knowledge , but contrary to their belief , and against their wills : for they say , that even such mens consecration is effectual . xiv . either their priests consecration worketh all these miracles , when they intend it not , ( as if they speak the words in jeast or scorn , or in infidelity , ) or only when they intend it . if the first be said , it is a miracle of miracles , that any priest can work so many and great miracles by a jeast or scorn — if not , then all the business is come to nothing , and no one but the priest knoweth whether there be any such miracle at all , and whether ever he eat the flesh of christ : and so it will be in the power of the priest to deceive and damn all the people , according to the papists exposition of christs words , joh. 6. except ye eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood , you have no life in you . xv. either a malicious intention to a wrong end will be effectual in consecration , or not . if not , none but the priest knoweth that there is any body and blood of christ , or that ever he received any : because none knoweth though the priest intend consecration , whether he intend it to a right end . but if a wicked end will serve ( as i think most of them hold ) the miracle may be great and sad . for any roguish drunken malicious priest may undo a baker or vintner at his pleasure , and by four words deprive him of all his bread and wine : yea , he might nullifie all the bread and wine in the city , and so either make a famine at his pleasure , or else make whole families and cities live still and be nourished without any substance by bare accidents , which would be a miracle indeed . if the priest can by consecration change only a convenient quantity of bread and wine , then all that is overmuch is bread and wine after consecration . if otherwise , why may he not change all the bread and wine in the shop or cellar where he cometh , intending consecration to an ill end ? if he can do it only on the altar , then want of an altar would frustrate the effect ( which they hold not ) . but if he can do it without an altar he may do it in the shop and cellar . if he can do it only on the bread and wine present , how near must it be ? then the words will work at so many yards distance , and not at so many . or if he cannot do it out of sight , a blind priest cannot do it . but if he can do it on that which is absent , we may fear lest in an anger he may take away all the bread and wine in the land ; at least in a frolick to try his power . xvi . and it is some aggravaion of these manifold miracles that a degraded priest can do them : because they follow the indelible character : and so he that hath once made a miracle-worker , cannot take away his power again , nor his sin lose his power . is not this a marvellous power of miracles , which becometh like a nature to them , as the power of speaking is ? xvii . yet is this miracle-working-power more miraculous , in that a mans own unwillingness , or repentance of his calling cannot hinder the miracle if he do but speak four words . consent it self is not necessary to it : let a man repent that ever he was a priest , and profess that he continueth in that calling against his will , yea , let him write as i now do against transubstantiation , yet all this will not hinder his next consecration from working all the foresaid miracles . xviii . it is miraculous that if you keep a consecrated wafer never so long , if you use it never so coursly , if you ( as he did who occasioned the conversion of mr. anthony egan a late irish priest ) pawn it at an ale-house for thirty shillings ; if you lay it down for a stake at cards or dice , &c. it will not cease to be christs flesh ( and so by his blood , ) nor ever becomes bread , or any other substance till it corrupt : and yet in a mans stomach it ceaseth to be christs body , as natural heat corrupteth it by concoction : and yet it is not christs flesh that is concocted . xix . it is a miracle of this miracle which aquinas and others assert , that the bread and wine are not annihilated , but wholly turned into christs body and blood ; and yet , as vasquez saith , it is not that the matter of bread begins to be under the form of christs body ( as durandus held . ) saith veron reg. fid . cap. 5. this transubstantiation is neither a change nor a production of any thing ; but it is a relation of order between the substance that doth desist to be , and that into which it doth desist . and yet saith the concil . trident. there is a change made of the whole substance into , &c. xx. lastly , it is a miracle that all these miracles should be done so as not to appear to the senses of any man living , either to convert unbelievers or confirm the faithful : so that millions of these miracles are seen and not seen ; the priest , and action , and accidents are seen , but no miracle seen by any . so that aquinas concludeth 3. q. 76. a. 7 , [ though christ be existent in this sacrament per modum substantiae , yet neither bodily eyes , nor our intellects can see him , but by faith : no nor the intellect of an angel can see him secundum sua naturalia ; nor do devils see him but by faith ; nor the blessed , but in the divine essence . ] all these make these miracles far more miraculous than the raising of lazarus from the dead . whether all these are miracles , or most or many of them contradictions , and therefore impossibilities , i make no great matter of at this time . i think it utterly needless to add any more to what is said in answer to such sayings as aquinas's ( 3. q. 75. & 76. ) and other schoolmen , that [ the senses are not deceived , because there are the accidents , and the intellect is by faith preserved from deception : that the remaining accidents are in quantitate dimensiva quasi in subjecto : that these accidents can change an extrinsick body , can be corrupted , can generate worms , can nourish , can be broken , &c. ] for all this at least confesseth , that its all done by miracle : ( though i will say , 1. that they could scarce have chosen a more unhappy pro-subject of accidents than quantity , nor have given more unhappy reasons for it than aquinas doth q. 77. a. 2. c. 1. because the sense perceiveth that it is aliquid quantum , that is coloured . 2. because quantity is the first disposition of matter , &c. for this includeth matter : and aliquid quantum is a word that giveth away his cause : and no accident is more the same with its subject than quantity , or moles extensiva . 2. and he will be long before he will make or prove mans nature to be such , as that his intellect can judge of substances by believing , as incomplex objects , before it have perceived them by sense and imagination . when we see , taste , smell , feel , hear them , the intellect will suddenly and necessarily have some species or perception of the thing , before it come logically to dispute from extrinsick media of testimony , what this thing is in a second notion . and our question is , whether the intellect in this first perception be deceived , or not ? if you discharge the intellect from perceiving substances presently , before it know them by second notions or argument , you will make man quite another thing , than every hour and action tells us he is : but what will not a man say , when he sets himself only to study what to say for the making good of his undertaken cause ? but my next work is to prove the falshood of these pretended miracles . chap. v. the minor proved , viz. that these miracles are false . that these are all but feigned miracles , i thus prove . i. because the holy scriptures do plainly deny such an ordinariness or commonness of the gift of miracles . 1 cor. 12.8 , 9 , 10 , 11. [ to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom , to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit , to another faith by the same spirit , to another the gifts of healing by the same spirit , to another the working of miracles , &c. but all these worketh that one and the self same spirit ; dividing to every man severally as he will. 28 , 29. and god hath set some in the church , first apostles , secondarily prophets , thirdly teachers , after that miracles , then gifts of healing , helps , governments , diversities of tongues : are all apostles ? are all prophets ? are all teachers ? are all workers of miracles . ] here it is most expresly told us , that working miracles is a peculiar gift of some , and even in those times not common to all that were priests . but the papists make it common to every priest , though a common adulterer , drunkard , murderer or heretick ; no one priest in the world is without it . ii. though some few that were workers of iniquity might have some such gifts , matth. 7. yet that was so rare , that nature it self taught men to judge miracles to be signs of divine approbation : so that nicodemus thence argueth , joh. 3.2 . no man could do these miracles that thou dost except god be with him . and the man joh. 9.31 . god heareth not sinners , but if any man be a worshipper of god and doth his will , him he heareth . and the people , vers . 16. how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles ? and it was christs own proof that he was of god , and his gospel true ; and therefore to blaspheam his miracles , by ascribing them to the devil , was the unpardonable blasphemy of the holy ghost : and to deny miracles to be a sign of gods attestation is to subvert all christianity . act. 2.22 . jesus of nazareth a man approved of god among you by miracles , wonders and signs which god did by him in the midst of you — joh. 5.36 . the same works that i do bear witness of me that the father hath sent me . joh. 10.25 , 37 , 38. the works that i do in my fathers name , they bear witness of me — if i do not the works of my father , believe me not : but if i do , though ye believe not me , believe the works , that ye may know and believe that the father is in me , and i in him . joh. 14.11 . believe me for the very works sake . joh. 15.24 . if i had not done among them the works that no other man did , they had not had sin . this also was pauls proof of his apostleship , yea and of the truth of all the apostles doctrine : heb. 2.3 , 4. god also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders , and divers miracles , and gifts of the holy ghost , according to his own will. therefore that doctrine is unlike to be true , which tells us that every wicked priest in the world , though a simonist , or an enemy of christ and godliness , and drown'd in all vice , is such a constant miracle-worker : when god hateth all the workers of iniquity , psal . 5.5 . iii. but though this reason be but probable , this following is demonstrative to a believer . that doctrine which maketh every ignorant wicked or heretical priest in the world , far to excell the prophets , apostles , and christ himself , in the greatness , number and facility of miracles , is false : but such is this doctrine of transubstantiation — i know that christ telleth his apostles [ greater works than these shall ye do . ] but 1. there are greater works ( such as the converting of greater numbers in the world ) which are not greater miracles : 2. and what was promised ●o the apostles , as to miracles , was not promised to every priest in the world . i appeal to the consciences of sober christians , whether it sound not as an arrogant if not blaspheamous speech , to say that christ and his apostles did fewer and smaller miracles ( proportionable to their time ) than every priest . and as to the minor , it is soon proved in its parts . 1. as to the greatness of the miracles ; those of christ were exceeding great : especially his raising lazarus , and his own resurrection , his turning water into wine , and his feeding thousands with a little food — but he that will examine transubstantiation as afore-described , shall find it to have more that is contrary to nature , than all these , by far . the substance of the dead body of christ or lazarus did not vanish , but remained to be the organized recipient matter of the re-entring soul . there were no accidents without substances , or other such things as are mentioned before . the multiplying of food , could at the most be but a new creation ; but it was real food , and none of the contradictions or absurdities before recited . the turning of water into wine was likest this in the papists opinion ; but indeed little like it . for the matter of the water there remained , with the form of wine , and so became the matter of wine , and did not vanish : and here was real wine , and real substance , and not accidents without substances , deceiving all the senses or intellectual perceptions . the same may be said of the miracles of the apostles , compared with transubstantiation . 2. and as to the number , though christs and his apostles miracles were very many , yet there is no scripture-evidence that they were for number comparable ( for so much time ) to every priests . christs miracles are set down in the sacred history in such order , and the evangelists so much agree in reciting the same miracles , that ( though st. john say ) the world could not contain the books that should be written — yet we find no probability that they were neer so common as masses are : when in several places where christ came , they that looked after miracles and signs were denyed them , and had none , but were put off to the sign of the prophet jonah , &c. yea herod and pilate were in this denyed their desired satisfaction ; and they that call to him for a miracle on the cross . and so of the apostles . but every priest doth his miracles as oft as there is a mass , though every day . 3. and as to the facility i said before , that [ in his own country , among his own kindred , he could do no mighty work save that he layed his hands on a few sick folk and healed them , and he marvelled at their unbelief ] mark 6.4 , 5 , 6. and he some time groaned in spirit , and wept , ( as for lazarus ) . and the disciples could not cast out a devil , mar. 9.18 , 28. luk. 9.40 . it was not to be done but by fasting and prayer . it s like paul would have cured trophimus if he could , when he left him sick . and as holy men spake , not when , nor as they pleased , but when and as they were inspired by the holy ghost : so did they work miracles , not arbitrarily , but at such times and in such manner as the spirit moved them . but any the most wicked priest can do it at his pleasure , any hour of the day : and that but by reciting hoc est corpus meum . many other disparities appear in what is said before . iv. the end of the gift of miracles confuteth the feigned miracles of transubstantiation . the end of christs gift was to prove him to be of god ( as is aforeshewed ) and to prove his apostles to be of god , and to confirm the gospel which they preached , mar. 16.17 , 18 , 19 , 20. heb. 2.4 . as the gift of tongues so other wonders , were to convince unbelievers , 1 cor. 14. act. 2. & 4.30 . & 5.12 . & 7.36 . & 8.13 . & 14.3 . 2 cor. 12.12 . but the miracles of transubstantiation are known to no unbeliever ; nor to any one in the world by any sense ; and have no such end , but a contrary effect . the apostles who were to convert the world , and next christ , to do the greatest good , were therefore to do the greatest miracles : and it was their argument for christ , joh. 7.31 . when christ cometh will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done ? yet now every ignorant priest pretendeth to far more , who doth but tempt infidels to deride christianity by the pretence ; as we do mahometanism , for mahomets sport pretended with the moon , and other such delirations . v. god is not to be said to work miracles and cross the established course of nature without proof . but these pretended miracles have no proof — no man living perceiveth them by sense . and that god telleth us of no such things by supernatural revelation , shall be further shewed anon : in the mean time , it may satisfie us , that they bring us no proof , but their own affirmation , which they require us to believe . vi. the matter of these pretended miracles is expresly contradicted by the word of god , as shall be proved in the next chapter . vii . ad hominem ; do not the papists forget themselves here , and contradict their other suppositions ? 1. they make miracles to be one evidence of sanctity , and therefore canonize men , when they think that they have proof that they wrought miracles : and yet maintain that a whoremonger , drunkard or heretick may do many more . 2. they make miracles a proof that they are the true church , and say that among us there are no miracles ; and yet they confess that every priest , among us and all others , whom they account schismaticks and hereticks , do more miracles than christ did ; if they consecrate frequently . 3. they burn men to ashes for working miracles , even for making god ; if so be , they do it not in the roman fashion . 4. they confess that the other sacraments are not thus made up of miracles ; no not baptism , which is our christening , and washeth us from our sins : and yet this sacrament alone , must by a multitude of miracles differ from the rest . 4. whether the doctrine of their st. thomas and his followers and others , that the formal words of this sacrament have a created effective virtue by which they instrumentally make the change ( 3. q. 78. a. 4. c. ) be not an absurdity rather than a proper miracle . for words physically move but the air first , and the terminus of the aires motion ( e.g. the ear ) next : and next that , if it be an intellectual , or other animal recipient , the sense , and fantasie next , and so on : but the bread and wine have no sense nor fantasie nor intellect : and to say that the moved aire is the means of turning them into the body and blood of christ , is still to multiply miracles . 5. do they not too much magnifie the common work ( and consequently the office ) of a priest , above the work of a pope or prelate , who seldom consecrate ? when the priest worketh so many miracles more than they ? 6. they conclude that a sinner that hath voluntatem peccandi receiveth baptism in vain , as to its ends of pardoning him , and therefore should not receive it ( concil . rom. epist . gregor . 7. aquin. 3. q. 68. a. 4. c. &c. ) and yet , be the sinner never such an hypocrite or infidel , he eateth christs real flesh nevertheless , yea against his will , if he do but the outward act . 7. is it not strange that an infidel receiveth as verily the real flesh and blood of christ as a saint , and yet not the benefits or effects ? as if christs flesh and blood could be in a mans body without his benefit : when he hath promised that he that eateth him , shall live by him . yet see the measures of their faith and church : saith aquinas ( 3. q. 80. a. 3. ad 2. ) [ vnless perhaps an infidel intend to receive that which the church giveth , though he have not true faith about other articles or about this sacrament ] then he may receive sacramentally . chap. vi. the fourth argument . this miraculous transubstantiation is expresly contrary to the word of god , in scripture . arg. 4. the papists say that there is no bread after the words of consecration : gods word saith , there is bread after the consecration : therefore the papists speak contrary to the word of god. i. in 1 cor. 11. it is called expresly bread after consecration no less than three times in three verses together , 26 , 27 , 28. [ for as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup , ye shew the lords death till he come . wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the lord. but let a man examine himself , and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup ] : here they that call for express words of scripture for our doctrine , without our consequences , may see their own faith expresly contradicted , and our opposition justified : the holy ghost here expresly calleth it bread : and yet no expresness nor evidence will satisfie them . p. by bread is meant that which was bread before , or else that which nourisheth the soul as bread doth the body : and so it is metonymically only called bread , as christs flesh is called bread in joh. 6. r. why then do you call for express texts of scripture as our proof , when that expresness signifieth nothing with you ; but you can say , it is a metonymie or a metaphor at your pleasure . but you say so against notorious evidence : the apostle calleth it bread so often over and over , as if he had foreseen your inhumane heresie : he calleth it the bread which is to be eaten , joyned with drinking the cup ; never once calling either of them the flesh or blood of christ , but as he reciteth christs words which he expoundeth . yea he telleth us that eating this bread , and drinking this cup , is to shew the lords death till he come ; where he calleth us to look back at christs death as past , in our commemoration , and to look forward to his personal coming as future ; but never telleth us that we must kill christ and eat him our selves ( when we have made him ) , nor that his body is there present under the accidents of bread and wine . but the rest of the scriptures as expresly justifie our doctrine . 1 cor. 10.15 . the cup of blessing which we bless , is it not the communion ( or communication ) of the blood of christ : and the bread which we break , is it not the communion ( or participation ) of the body of christ ? ] here it is the cup and the bread after consecration , if the holy ghost may be believed . and in the next words the apostle repeateth it in his reason [ for we being many are one bread , and one body ▪ for we all partake of one bread ( or loaf ) . ] is not here express proof ? so act. 20.7 . when we came together to break bread — and v. 11. he ascending , and breaking bread , and eating &c. here it is twice more called bread after the consecration ( which ever went before the breaking ) . so act. 2.42 , 46. it is twice more called breaking of bread. and what else can the recitation of christs institution mean , 1 cor. 11.23 , 24. panem accepisse , fregisse ; to have taken bread , and having given thanks , to have broken ? what is it that he brake ? it s non-sence if it have no accusative case that it respects ? and plain grammatical construction tells us then , that it must be that before mentioned , what he took he blessed , and brake and gave : but he took bread and the cup — . the same is in mat. 26 , 26 , 27. and the other evangelists . ii. the scriptures expresly ( act. 2 , &c. ) make the killing of christ , and drawing his blood , to be the heynous sin of the jews , for which some repented and others were cast off : therefore it is not to be believed that christ did first kill or tear himself , and shed his own blood ; or that his disciples did kill him , or tear his flesh and shed his blood , before the jews did it . and if they tore his flesh and drank his blood , and yet killed him not , the event altered not the fact : the jews did but break his flesh and shed his blood . if you fly to a good intention , paul will come in for some further excuse for his persecution . iii. 1 cor. 10.21 . ye cannot drink the cup of the lord , and the cup of devils : ye cannot be partakers of the lords table and of the table of devils . — here note 1. that the same phrase is used of the participation of the lords mysteries and the devils . but it was not the flesh and blood or the substance of devils which the idolaters ever intended to partake of : but only their sacrifices . 2. it is here called only the table and the cup , and not the flesh and the blood . 3. it is said that they could not partake of both : whereas according to the papists doctrine , if a man should partake of the idols sacrifice in the morning , and of the lords table in the evening ( without repentance , ) he should really partake of christs own flesh and blood ; which the text saith cannot be done . p. it meaneth only , you cannot lawfully , or you ought not to partake of both , but not that it is impossible or never done . r. no doubt but it meaneth that they ought not , or cannot lawfully ; but that 's not all : the text plainly meaneth , you cannot have communion with both : you may take the bread and wine at your peril ; but you cannot partake of it as a sacramental feast which god prepareth you , and so partake of christ therein . and the same is said ( expounding this ) 2 cor. 6.15 . what concord hath christ with belial — and what agreement hath the temple of god with idols ? ] intimating that communion with god and idols , christ and belial , are ( so far ) inconsistent : but by the papists doctrine an idolater and son of belial may partake of the very substance of christs body and blood , into his body , as verily as he partaketh of his meat and drink . iv. the scripture teacheth us expresly to judge of sensible things by sense . luk. 24.39 . [ behold my hands and my feet , that it is i my self : handle me , and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have . and when he had thus spoken , he shewed them his hands and his feet . ] and v. 43 , [ he did eat before them ] to confirm their faith . but they could have no more sensible evidence of any of this , than we have of the being of bread and wine , or some sensible substance after consecration . joh. 2.9 . they tasted the water turned into wine , and were convinced . p. but the body of christ here is not a sensible thing . r. but bread and wine are sensible things . p. but they are not there ; and so are no objects of sense . r. but all our senses say that they are there ; and by them we must judge . p. your senses perceive nothing but accidents : and your understanding must believe god , and so ( as you noted out of aquinas before ) there is no deceit either of sense or intellect . r. though this be answered fully before , i will again tell you , that these two notorious falshoods are all that you have to say against humanity in this case , that 's worth the noting . i. it is false that you say that sense perceiveth not substance : when i take up a staff or stone in my hand , i do not only feel roughness or smoothness , &c. but a substance : it is a quantitative , and qualitative substance , which i feel , taste , smell , see and hear : and this i perceive by sensation it self , as the medium to the intellect . it is not the sense indeed , but the intellect that giveth it the logical notion or definition of a substance ; but it is the sense it self that by sensation perceiveth it ; and to deny this is to deny all sense . and if it were not so , how could any such substance be known ? when it cannot come into the intellect but by the sense ? ii. ☞ your great cheat ( or errour ) is by confounding the first and natural-necessary perception of a sensibile sensatum or incomplex object , by the intellect , with the second conception of the names of things , or of organical second notions , and the third conception of them artificially by the use of these names and organical notions , and the fourth perception of consequents from those conceptions . to know by believing is but the third or fourth sort of knowledge , and presupposeth the two first . if a man had never heard a name or word in his life ; yet by sensation as soon as he saw , smelt , tasted , heard , handled things , his intellect would have had a perception of the thing it self as it was sensate ; and this is the intellects first perception : and this is it which falleth under our question , whether the intellect in this first perception of a substance or thing as sensate , be deceived or not , when the thing hath the conditions of an object before mentioned . 2. next this we learn or invent names and organical notions for things : and whether these be true or false , and whether they be apt or inept is all one . this is but an arbitrary work of art . 3. next this we conceive of things by the means of these names and second notions , and examine the congruence : and so we define them : and this is but a work of artificial reasoning , and presupposeth the first natural necessary perception . now faith belongeth partly to this , and partly to the fourth , which is the raising of conclusions , and the weaving of methods ; and presupposeth the first , yea and the second : it is but an assent given by the means of an extrinsick testimony of god , that this particular word is true , &c. now if the intellect in its first perception ( natural and necessary ) of the thing it self , as sensate , be deceived , if faith should be contrary to it , 1. it must be such a faith which is the immediate contrary perception of a sensate object ; which is no faith , nor is any such possible , ( properly called faith ) : 2. and if faith can come after and undeceive the intellect , by saying that god saith otherwise , yet this would be no prevention of its deception , but a cure , presupposing the said deception as the disease to be cured . so that to say as aquinas that faith preventeth the deceit of the intellect , is a falshood contrary to the nature of man , and his natural way of acting , as he is composed of soul and body . i have said this over again , lest errour get advantage by the brevity and unobservedness of that which i said before . chap. vii . argum. 5. all these miracles have not the least proof ; yea , the scriptures fully direct us to a cross interpretation of the papists pretended proofs ; which also are renounced by themselves . i know of no scripture proof in the world that the papists pretend to , but the words , this is my body , and this is my blood , and such like . and that these are no proof i shall fully prove to any impartial man. i. the very nature of the sacrament instituted by christ with his expressed end , command our reason to expound the word [ is ] of signification , representation or exhibition , and the word [ body ] and [ blood ] of a new relative form only , that is , of a body and blood representative , ( which is all one in effect ) : as a piece of gold , silver , or brass , is by the law and stamp turned really into the kings current coine ; and so hath a new relative form : so that you may truly say that there is a change made of the gold , or silver into the kings coyn : and it is no more to be called meer gold or silver ( though it be gold and silver still ) , because the form denominateth , and the new form is now that in question which must denominate . or as a prince that is marryed in effigie or by a representative to a woman , is not there personally ; and yet it is aptly said , this is the prince which is betrothed or marryed to thee . or as we say of pictures , this is peter , or paul , or john. or as when we deliver a man possession of a house by a key , or of land by a twig and a turf , or of a church by the belrope , &c. and say , take , this is such a house , or such a piece of land , or church , &c. as this is ordinary intelligible speech among all men , so christ tells them that he would be so understood . 1. in that his real natural body spake this , of the bread and wine which was not his natural body : his real natural body was present , visible , entire , unwounded , his blood unspilt , and did eat and drink ( the other , as the papists hold , as being the same ) : and can any living man imagine that the disciples who understood not his death , resurrection , ascension , &c. yet understood by these four words , when they saw christs body alive and present , that this bread and wine was that same body and blood , without any more questioning ? 2. in that he bids them , do this in remembrance of him ; which plainly speaketh a commemorating sign : who will say at his last farewell when he is parting with his friends , i will stay among you , or keep me among you , in remembrance of me ? so for christ to say , eat me in remembrance of me , were strange . ii. it may put all out of controversie to find , that christs words of one half of the sacrament are ( as they confess ) figurative ; therefore the other must be so judged also . luk. 22.20 . this cup is the new testament in my blood , which is shed for you : 1 cor. 11.25 . [ this cup is the new testament in my blood . ] and here no man denyeth a double trope at least : no man expoundeth it , that the cup or the wine was the new testament it self . and yet it is as expresly said , as it is that the bread is the body it self . how then will they prove that one is spoken properly , and the other figuratively ? iii. there is no more found in these words to assert the bread to be christs body , than is found in a multitude of such phrases in scripture asserting things which all men expound otherwise . as in joh. 15.1 . i am the vine and my father is the husbandman : joh. 10.7 , 9. i am the door — joh. 10.14 . i am the good shepherd and know my sheep : psal . 22.6 . i am a worm and no man ( which being a prophesie of christ , a heretick imitating you , might deny christs humanity : ) 1 cor. 10.4 . that rock was christ — 1 cor. 12.27 . ye are the body of christ — mat. 5.13 , 14. ye are the salt of the earth : ye are the lights of the world — joh. 6.63 . the words that i speak unto you they are spirit and they are life . abundance such are in the scripture , as all flesh is grass : christ is the lamb of god : the lyon of the tribe of juda ; the bright morning star ; the head corner stone , &c. and it is yet more fully satisfactory , that the hebrew constantly putteth [ is ] for [ signifieth ] as you may find in all the old testament ; having no other word so fit to express [ signifying ] by : and as christ spake after that manner , so the new testament ordinarily imitateth ; as daniel and the revelation agree in saying , of the visions , this is such or such a thing , instead of this signifieth it . so christ , matth. 13.21 , 22 , 23 , 37 , 38 , 39. he that soweth is the son of man : the field is the world : the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; the tares are the children of the wicked one : the enemy is the devil , the harvest is the end . the reapers are the angels — and thus ordinarily . iv. yea , the same kind of phrase used before in the passeover , teacheth us how to expound this : exod. 12.11 . ye shall eat it in haste , it is the lords passeover — vers . 27. it is the sacrifice of the lords passeover . v. yea the ordinary way and phrase of christs teaching may yet farther put us out of doubt . for he usually taught by parables , and expresseth his sense by such assertions : as matth. 13.3 . behold a sower went out to sow , &c. luk. 15.11 , 12. a certain man had two sons , and the younger said , &c. luk. 12.16 . the ground of a certain rich man , &c. luk. 16.19 . there was a certain rich man , &c. mat. 21.28 . a certain man had two sons , &c. vers . 33. there was a certain housholder which planted a vineyard , &c. the gospel aboundeth with such instances , which teach us how to interpret these words of christ . vi. but most certainly all those forementioned texts teach it us , which expresly call it bread after the consecration . if we will not believe the holy ghost himself , who so frequently calleth it bread , it is in vain to alledge any text of scripture in the controversie . now to feign a course of ordinary miracles , greater and more than christs , and this to every priest , how ignorant and impious soever ; to pretend that every pope and bishop can for money sell the holy ghost or the gift of miracles , in ordination ; and all this when no eye seeth the miracles , when it is confessed that angels cannot naturally see it , yea when all mens senses perceive the contrary ; and all this because , that christ said this is my body , while abundance such sayings in scripture , yea the words about the cup it self , are confessed to be tropical , and when the scripture expresly telleth us that there is bread. judge whether it be possible for satan to have put a greater scorn upon the christian faith , or a greater scandal before the enemies of it , or a greater hinderance to the worlds conversion , than to tell them , you must renounce not only your humanity but all common sense , if you will be christians , and be saved , or suffered to enjoy your estates and lives . vii . lastly , it is ordinary with their subtilest schoolmen to confess that this their doctrine of transubstantiation cannot be proved from scripture , and that they believe it only because their church saith it , which must be believed , and because that by the same spirit which wrote the scripture , the church is taught thus to expound it . so that all their faith of this is by them resolved into a phanatick pretence of inspiration ; as i have elsewhere shewed out of durandus , paludanus , scotus , ockam , quodl . 6. li. 5. q. 31. rada vol. 4. cont. 7. a. 1. pag. 164 , 165. and no general council ever determined it till that at rome under innoc. 3. where saith matth. paris , many decrees were proposed or brought in by the pope which some liked and some disliked . and this was 1215 years after christs birth . and stephanus aeduensis is the first in whom the name of transubstantiation is found , about the year 1100. chap. viii . arg. 6. from the nature of a sacrament . arg. 6. that doctrine which by consequence denyeth the lords supper to be a true sacrament , is false . the papists doctrine of transubstantiation by consequence denyeth the lords supper to be a true sacrament : therefore the papists doctrine of transubstantiation is false . the major i know no man that will deny that we have now to deal with . the minor needeth no other proof , than the common definition of a sacrament , and christs own description of this sacrament in the scripture . i. aquinas concludeth 3. q. 60. a. 1. that a sacrament is a sign ; and a. 2. that it is a sign of a thing sacred as it sanctifieth men ; and a. 3. that it is a rememorative sign of christs passion , a demonstrative sign of gods grace , and a prognosticating sign of future glory : and a. 4. that it must be res sensibilis a sensible thing , it being natural to man to come to the knowledge of things intelligible by things sensible , and the sacrament signifieth to man spiritual and intelligible goods : and a. 5. that they must be things of divine determination , &c. but , 1. if the bread and wine be gone , there is nothing left to be a sign , a real sensible sign , to lead us to the knowledge of spiritual and intelligible things . if they say that the species of bread and wine is the sensible sign , what mean they by that cheating word [ species ? ] not the specifying form or matter , but only the outward appearance . and is it a true or a false appearance ? if true , then there is bread and wine : if false , it is a false sign : and what is that false appearance which god maketh a sacrament of ? it is plainly nothing but the accidents of bread and wine without the substance . but , 1. when they take the cup from the laity , and deny them half the sacrament , sure there are then no accidents of wine . is there either quantity , colour , smell , taste , &c. of wine ? they will not say it . so that here is no sensible sign as to one half . 2. and herein they deal far more inhumanely with us than the infidels themselves : for when they plead against christ and scripture , they grant that the common principles and notitiae , which all mankind acknowledge , are the certain unquestionable light of nature . but the papists deny not only the notitias communes , but common sense . it is nothing with them to damn all the world , that will not believe contradictions . they say that the quantity of nothing endued with the qualities , the actions , the passion , the relations , the quando , ubi , situs of nothing , is the sacramental sign . inhumane contradiction ! 1. gassendus and others say truly , that an accident is not properly res , but modus rei , ( vel qualitas , as he calleth it . ) 2. quantity doth not really differ a re quanta : and to say , [ the length , breadth , profundity of nothing ] is a notorious contradiction . and so it is of the other accidents . there is no real sensible sign , and therefore no sacrament , where there is nothing , but the quantity , colour , taste , smell , &c. of nothing . 3. and they cannot , they dare not say , that christs real flesh and blood , is the sacramental sign : for , 1. it is not sensible ; 2. it should be then the sign of it self : the sign and the thing signified cannot be the same . ii. the very substantiality or corporeity of the bread and wine as such , is part of the sign : as christ saith , behold and handle me , a spirit hath not flesh and blood , as ye see me have : so he taketh corporeal bread and wine in their sight , and breaketh it , and poureth it out , and giveth it them to see , to feel , to taste , to eat , that they may know it is true bread and wine , the signs of his true body and blood. so that to deny the corporeity is to deny christs corporeity in its signs ; and tendeth to the old heresie of them that held that christ had but a phantastical body , or was not indeed crucified , but seemed so to be : they teach hereticks to argue , the sign was no real substance : therefore neither the thing signified . iii. the nutritive use of the bread and wine was another part of the sign , as all confess : as bread and wine are the nutriment of the body and life of man , so is christ crucified meritoriously , and christ glorified efficiently , the life of the soul . and he that denyeth the nutritive sign , denyeth the sacrament : but it is not the false appearance , or phantasm , or accidents of bread and wine , that are the natural nourishers of man : therefore he that denyeth the nourishing substance , denyeth the real sensible sacramental sign . saith bellarmin de euchar. l. 3. c. 23. [ in the eucharist we receive not corporal food that the flesh may be thence nourished and made fat : but only to signifie inward refection . ] so that he acknowledged this to be part of the sacramental sign . so gregor . valent. saith that [ the chief and essential signification of this sacrament is that which by external nourishment is signified , the internal spiritual refection of the soul by the body of christ . ] so that denying the nourishing sign is destroying the essence of the sacrament . iv. the breaking of the bread and pouring out the wine is confessedly another part of the sacramental sensible sign . but , 1. when there is no wine , there is no pouring it out : 2. and if there be no bread neither , there is no breaking it : can that be broken which is not ? they that deny ( as the papists do ) that the bread is broken ( saying that only the quantity of nothing is broken ) deny the sensible sacramental sign . and here i may note , that we do not well to contend with them for denying the cup only to the laity , and granting them only the bread , when indeed they grant neither , but deny them both : there is ( say they ) no more bread than wine , but only a false appearance of it . v. lastly , the apostle 1 cor. 10.16 , 17. sheweth that one sacramental use of the bread was to signifie the vnity of christians , who are one bread , and one body , as one loaf is made of many corns . but that cannot be one , which is nothing : ens , vnum & verum convertuntur . to say with greg. valent. and bellarmine , that because it was once bread , and one bread , therefore the accidents of it remaining now signifie that we are one bread ; is but to say , that there was once a fit sign , but then there wanted the form : now after consecration , there is no sacramental sign , but yet there is a sacramental form : and in what matter is that form ? doubtless it can be no where but in the brain or mind of man : that is , man can remember that once he saw bread : this is the species of bread in his intellect : this species is the sign : and so we have found out another sense of the species of bread , than many think on ; viz. it is that which is called the species intentionalis , or the idea or conception of bread in a mans fantasie and mind : and so indeed the sacrament is with them an invisible thing : for it is only in mens minds : there is no sacrament on the altar , but in the thoughts : and so who hath a sacrament , and who not , we know not : and a man may by thinking make a sacrament when he will. chap. ix . of the novelty of transubstantiation . r. i once thought to have next proved out of the current of antiquity , the novelty of this inhumane doctrine of the papists , and that the antients commonly confessed , that there was true bread and wine remaining in the sacrament after consecration : but , 1. i should but tempt and weary ordinary readers , who neither need any such arguments ( having sense and scripture to give them satisfaction ) nor are able to try them : for it is an indirect kind of dealing , to expect that the unlearned , or those that are strangers to the writings of the antients , should believe this or that to be their mind and sayings , meerly because i tell them so . and if they read the plainest words , they know not whether i rightly recite them , but by believing me . and it is as unreasonable on the other side , that the papists should expect , either by their citations or their general affirmations , that the readers should believe them , that the antients were for transubstantiation . till men can both read the authors themselves , and try the copies , they can have no sure historical notice what the father 's held , except by the common consent of credible reporters or historians : not while one side saith , they say this , and the other side saith they say the contrary , and yet their books are to be seen by all . we may bid them believe us , and the papists may bid them believe them , and a priest may cheat them by saying , that his word is the churches : but though this will produce a humane belief in the hearers or readers , as by advantages it is most taking with them , yet that fallible belief is all the certainty that it can afford them . therefore i think it most ingenuous and reasonable to give men such arguments as they are capable of understanding and improving to certain satisfaction . 2. because they that can study such authors as have gathered the sentences of the antients in this controversie , may find it so fully done by edmund . albertinus in his second book , that they can need no more . p. you know that albertinus is answered . r. and i know that he is again defended : and who doubteth but you can answer me copiously , if i did maintain that the sun giveth light : what is it that a man cannot talk for ? especially they that can hope to perswade all the christian world , that they must be damned , unless they will believe that all mens senses are deceived , and that god is the great deceiver of the world . p. but how can you think to please god and be saved , if you be not of the same faith as the church hath alwayes been of ? all the antient fathers and catholick church were for transubstantiation ; and are you wiser and in a safer way than they ? r. you have lost your credit with me so far , as that your word is no oracle to me : if i must not believe my own nor other mens senses , i am not bound to believe you : at least when i know you speak falsly . but i pray tell me , how know you that the church and fathers did so believe ? p. because the present church saith so ; which cannot err . r. do not your own writers say , that a general council and pope may err in matter of fact ? and that they did so in condemning pope honorius and in other cases ? p. yes : but this is a matter of faith . r. is it not a matter of fact , what this or that man said , and what doctrine the church at such a time did teach and hold ? but how know you that the present church doth say so , that this was the faith of the antient church ? p. by their testimony in a general council . r. did you hear the council say so ? p. no : but the church telleth me that the council said so . r. who is it that you now call the church which tells you so ? p. my superiours , who have it from the pope , and their fathers . r. are your superiours that told you so , the church ? or is the pope the church ? if so , what need you say a council is the church ? and how know you that the pope and your superiours err not in a matter of fact ? p. i know it by the decrees of the council yet extant . r. 1. but if sense be deceitful , how know you that you ever read such decrees ? 2. how know you that they are not forgeries , or since corrupted ? p. the church is a safe keeper of its , own records . r. still what mean you by the church ? the vulgar neither keep nor understand your councils . the council of trent is long ceased : no other general council hath been since , to tell you what are the true decrees of that council . the pope is not the church : and he may err in a matter of fact : what then is the church that tells you certainly what the council of trent decreed ? tell me if you can . p. we have such common historical evidence and tradition , as you have for your acts of parliament when the parliament is ended . the present governours preserve them . r. very good : it is the office of the governours to take that care , but therein they are not indefectible and infallible ; but they and the published laws , and the notice of the whole land , and the judicial proceedings by them in the courts of judicature make up a certain historical evidence . and so it may be in your case : and when you have talkt your utmost , you can shew no more . and have not we the same writings of fathers and councils as you have ? you dare not deny it . why then may not we know what is in them as well as you ? and i pray you tell me , whether your antiquaries , such as albaspinaeus , sixtus senensis , petavius , sirmondus , &c. do prove what cyprian , optatus , augustine , &c. held , by the judgement of the pope or councils , or by citing the words of the authors themselves ? and do crab , binnius , surius , caranza , &c. prove what one council said by the authority of another , or by the records themselves , yet visible to all ? p. those records themselves , even the visible writings of the fathers and councils are for transubstantiation . r. till you have perswaded me out of my senses , i will not believe you . i pray you tell me if you can of any author or council that ever used the name [ transubstantiation ] before stephanus aeduensis after the year 1100 , de sacram. altar . c. 13. p. though the name be new , the doctrine is not . r. tell me next , what general council did ever determine it , before the council of laterane under innoc . 3. an . 1215. p. not expresly : for general councils need not mention it , till the albigenses hereticks gave them occasion by denying it . r. was it an article of faith before ? if it were , either the councils are not the measure of your faith , or it is very mutable . p. among all your questionings answer me this question if you can . if that general council decreed transubstantiation , what could move them so to do , if it were not the faith of the church before ? were they not all of the same mind the day before they did it ? and so the day before that , and the day before that , &c. or do you think that they were against transubstantiation the night before , and awaked all of another mind the next morning ? what could make all the pastors of the church think that this was the true faith , if they did not think it was the antient faith ? and what could make them think it the antient faith , if it were not so ? did not they know what their fathers held ? and did not their fathers know what their fathers held ? the same i say of the council of trent also . r. thus men that must not believe the common sense of mankind , can believe the dreaming conjectures of their brains , and sit in a corner , and thence tell the world what can and what cannot be done by publick assemblies , at many hundred years and miles distance . who would not laugh at a fryer , that in his cell would tell by moral conjectures , all the thoughts and motions of an army or navy , that never saw them , and contrary to the experience of those that were on the ground and interessed in their councils and actions . observe how many false suppositions go to make up your cheats . 1. you suppose this a true general council , which is a pack of factious prelates subject to the pope , and assembled at rome in his own palace , under the awe of his presence and power . and as if the small number after at trent had spake the minds of all the churches . 2. you suppose all the members of a council to be of one mind : when as they determine by the major vote . and oft times the difference is not above two or three , and its possible one voice may turn the scales : and perhaps one , or two , or ten may be absent one day , and present another , and so the cry of [ the judgement of all the bishops in the world ] may signifie no more , but that two or three of the other side staid a little too long at dinner that day , while the other party carryed it by their absence . and i pray you where hath god promised , that the faith of an hundred and one shall not fail , when the faith of ninety nine of the same company may fail ( supposing the council to be two hundred ) : or why are the one hundred and one the bishops of all the world , and not the ninety nine ? 3. do you think we never read the history of the council of trent ? and before them , of the councils of ariminum , ephes . 2 , yea , calcedon , & c. ? and yet must we suppose , that men come thither all of one mind ? when they have such shameful contentions ? such cunning contrivances to get the majority of votes ? such awe and terror from the power of the chief ? and such carnal dependances and respects to their several worldly interests ? yea , sometimes fighting it out unto blood ( as dioscorus and flavianus case doth shamefully evince ? ) 4. and must we suppose mens minds to be changed in their sleep , when the awe or the oratory of other men change them ? do we not know the course of the parliaments of england of later times ? how much a few men of more than ordinary parts and interest , can do with the rest ? and how oft the major vote hath gone against the sense of the far greater number of the house ? 5. and do we not know , that ordinarily he that is sent to the council from a province , is chosen as it pleaseth the pope , the king , or the archbishop , or some in greatest power ; and rarely according to the free-will and sense of the greater part of the clergy . if five hundred to one of the clergy of a kingdom be of one mind , and the prince , or chief men , or powerfullest prelates be of another , they will send a bishop thither of their own mind . 6. do you think we know not that all the papists are not past the third or fourth part of the christian world ? why then should their sense be called the sense of all the christian world ? 7. do you think we know not how little reason you have to say , that the council at laterane spake the sense of all the church ? when the decrees were but proposed by pope innocent , and recited there without any due synodical deliberation , and some liked them , and some disliked them ? as you may find in math. paris in k. john , nauclerus gener. 41. ad an . 1215. godefridus ad an . 1215. platina in vita innoc. 3. and this one of your late false scriblers in a book for toleration also saith ; though the disputers against dr. gunning and dr. pierson copiously and confidently justifie that council : and indeed with you it passeth for an approved one . 8. and were not your arguing as strong for the council of ephes . 2. and that at arim. and sirmium , and divers at constantinople disallowed , and those at constance and basil , ( where were many times the number of the council at trent ) ? did these councils all go to bed of one mind , and rise of another ? or did they not know what their fathers faith was ? why then do you reprobate them , and deny that which they decreed as of faith ? is it not a shame , to talk of [ the bishops of all the world ] and [ tradition from their fathers ] when your meaning is but that all these may err , and do oft err , unless one man , the pope approve them ? but where sense is renounced , we must not expect modesty . p. but the antient councils and fathers are against you , as is to be seen . r. it is utterly false : i will not abuse the reader so as to carry him into a wood , and lose him among a multitude of old books , when he hath more satisfactory evidence enough at hand . but , i. as to all your citations from true antiquity ( for your forged authors and corrupted testimonies we regard not ) they are answered by this one true observation , that when old writers sometimes say , that after consecration it is [ no more bread and wine , but the body and blood of christ ] , their whole context plainly sheweth , that they mean that it is no more meer or common bread and wine ; and usually they so speak . because forma denominat , and it is the ultimate form that denominateth , all antecedent forms being but the dispositio materiae . as if the question be , whether a shilling be silver or money ? before the coining , it was but silver ; but after , it is no more common silver , but money : silver is but the matter , and not the denominating form . is your garment to be called cloth , or a cloak ? before the making it was but cloth , but now it is not meer cloth , but a cloak . the same i may say of the kings crown and scepter , or of any relative , representative or personating form that is added to any matter or man. this is the plain meaning of the antients . ii. and as to what they say against you , i will now only give you a few brief instances . 1. justin martyr . in dial. cum tryph. saith , [ the offering of flower delivered to be offered for them that were cleansed of the leprosie , was a type of the bread of the eucharist which our lord jesus christ commanded us to make in remembrance of his passion , &c. ] and more plainly apolog. 2. ( indeed the first ) [ when the president hath given thanks , and all the people acclaimed , those that with us are called deacons , distribute to every one present bread and wine and water , and bring them to those that are absent . ] 2. irenaeus saith lib. 4. c. 34. [ for as the bread which is of the earth receiving the divine invocation , is not now common bread , but the eucharist , consisting of two things , the terrene and the celestial , &c. ] see more out of him in albertinus , at large . 3. tertullian cont . marcion l. 3. c. 19. [ calling bread his body , that hence you may understand that he gave to bread the figure of his body . ] and before l. 1. [ he reprobated not — bread , by which he representeth his very body . ] and lib. 4. cap. 40. [ the bread which he took and distributed to his disciples he made his body , saying , this is my body ; that is , the figure of my body . — and what he would have bread then signifie , he sufficiently declared , calling bread his body . ] and it is a notable passage of tertullians against the academicks that questioned sense , lib. de anim . c. 17. [ what dost thou , o procacious academick ? thou overthrowest the whole state of life : thou disturbest the whole order of nature ; thou blindest the providence of god himself ; as if he had made mens lying and deceitful senses to be the lords , in understanding , honouring , dispensing and enjoying all his works ▪ is not the whole condition ( of man ) subadministred by these . ] and after [ we may not call those senses into question , lest christ himself must deliberate of their certainty ( or must distrust them ) . lest it may be said , that he falsly saw satan cast down from heaven , or falsly heard the voyce of his father testifying of him ; or was deceived when he touched peters wives mother — or perceived not a true taste of the wine which he consecrated in the memorial of his blood . ] many such places are in tertullian . 4. origen is large and plain to the same purpose in matth. 25. calling it [ bread and a typical and symbolical body , which profiteth none but the worthy receivers , and that according to the proportion of their faith , and which no wicked man doth eat , &c. ] many more such places albertinus vindicateth . 5. cyprians epistle to magnus is too large this way to be recited . as [ even the sacrifices of the lord declare the christian vnanimity , connexed by firm and inseparable love : for when the lord calleth bread his body ( or his body bread ) made up of many united grains , &c. and when he calleth the wine his blood , &c. ] so epist . ad caecil . 6. eusebius caesar . demonstr . evang. l. 1. c. 10. [ celebrating daily the memorial of the body and blood of christ ] — [ seeing then we receive the memorial of this sacrifice to be perfected on the table , by the symbols of his body and most precious blood — ] and l. 8. [ he delivered to us to use , bread as the symbol of his own body . ] 7. athanasius's words are recited by albertinus l. 2. p. 400 , 401 , &c. 8. basil . de spir. sanct. saith , [ which of the saints hath left us in writing the words of invocation , when the bread of the eucharist , and the cup of blessing are shewed ? ] 9. ephrem ( in biblioth . photii p. 415. edit . august . ) saith , [ the body of christ , which believers receive , loseth not his sensible substance , and is not separated from the intelligible grace . ] and ad eos qui filii dei , &c. [ take notice diligently how taking bread in his hands , he blessed it , and brake it , for a figure of his immaculate body , and he blessed the cup and gave it to his disciples as a figure of his pretious blood . ] 10. cyrillus ( vel . johan . ) hierosol . catech. mystag . calls the bread indeed christs body , but fully expounds himself de chrysmate , cat. 3. pag. 235. [ for as the bread of the eucharist , after the invocation of the holy ghost , is no more common bread , but is the body of christ : so also this holy oyntment is no more meer oyntment , nor ( if any one had rather so speak ) common , now it is consecrated ; but it is a gift ( or grace ) which causeth the presence of christ and the holy ghost ; that is , of his divinity . ] as the oyntment is grace , or the holy ghost , just so the bread is the body of christ , as he saith after cat. 4. it is not only what we see ( bread and wine ) but more . 11. hierom cont . jovinian . l. 2. the lord as a type ( or figure ) of his blood , offered not water but wine . 12. ambrose de sacram. l. 4. c. 4. [ this therefore we assert , how that which is bread , can yet be the body of christ . ] — and [ if christs speech had so much force , that it made that begin to be which was not , how much more is it operative , that the things that were , both be , and be changed into something else . ] and [ as thou hast drunk the similitude of death , so thou drinkest the similitude of pretious blood . ] 13. theodoret in dialog . immutab . dealeth with an eutychian heretick , who defended his error by pleading that the bread in the eucharist was changed into the body of christ : to whom saith theodoret , [ the lord who hath called that meat and bread which is naturally his body , and who again called himself a vine , did honour the visible signs with the appellation of his body and blood ; not having changed their nature , but added grace to nature . ] and in dialog . 2. in confus . he saith , [ the divine mysteries are signs of the true body . ] and again , answering the eutychians pretence of a change he saith , [ by the net which thou hast made , art thou taken . ☞ for even after the consecration , the mystical signs change not their nature : for they remain in all their first svbstance , figure and form , and are visible , and to be handled as before . but they are understood to be the things which they were made , and are believed and venerated as made that which they are believed to be . ] would you have plainer words ? 14. gelasius cont . nest . & eutych . saith , [ verily the sacraments of the body and blood of christ which we take , is a divine thing , for which and by which we are made partakers of the divine nature . ☞ and yet it ceaseth not to be the substance and nature of bread and wine . and certainly the image and similitude of the body and blood of christ are celebrated in the action of the mysteries . ] what can be plainer ? 15. cyril . alexandr . in john 4. cap. 14. saith , [ he gave to his believing disciples fragments of bread , saying , take , eat , this is my body . ] 16. facundus lib. 9. cap. 5. pag. 404. ( as cited by p. molin . de novitate papismi ) [ we call that the body and blood of christ which is the sacrament of his body , in the consecrated bread and cup. ☞ not that the bread is properly his body , and the cup his blood ; but because they contain the mysterie of his body and blood . ] but i am so weary of these needless transcriptions , that i will trouble my self and the reader with no more . albertinus will give him enow more who desireth them : and no doubt but with a wet finger they can blot out all these , and teach us to deny the sense of words , as well as our senses . d. but you said also , that the present church and its tradition is against transubstantiation , as well as the antient : how prove you that ? r. just as i prove that the protestants are against it . by the present church , i mean the far greater part of all the christians in the world . the greeks with the muscovites , the armenians , the syrians , the copties , the abassines , and the protestants , and all the rest who make up about twice or thrice as many as the papists . that they hold that there is true bread and wine after consecration , all impartial historians testifie , both papists and protestants , and their own several countreymen ; and also travellers who have been among them . and their liturgies , even those that are in the bibliotheca patrum put out by themselves , do testifie for those countreys where they are used ( though as bishop vsher hath detected ) by one words addition they have shamelesly endeavoured to corrupt the ethiopick liturgy about the real presence . ) but i need no more proof of that which no faithful history doth deny . and then i need not prove , that transubstantiation is against the most general or common tradition , for all these christians , the greeks , armenians , abassines , &c. profess to follow the religion which they have received from their ancestors , as well as the papists do : and if the papists be to be believed in saying that this is the religion which they received from their forefathers , why are not the other to be believed in the same case ? and if the popish tradition seem regardable to them , why should not the tradition of twice or thrice as many christians be more regardable ? and if in councils , the major vote must carry it ; why not in the judgement and tradition of the real body of christs church ? as for their trick of excepting against them as schismaticks and hereticks , to invalidate their votes and judgement , we despise it , as knowing that so any usurper that would make himself the sole judge , may say by all the rest of the world : but as they judge of others , they are justly judged by others themselves . chap. x. the second part of the controversie , whether it be christs very flesh and blood into which the bread and wine are transubstantiated . r. our first question was , whether there be any bread and wine left after consecration ; our second is , whether christs real flesh and blood be there , as that into which the bread and wine are changed ? and herein 1. i do freely grant , that the change of christs body by glorification is so great , as that it may be called , though not a spirit , yet a spiritual body , as paul , 1 cor. 15. saith ours when glorified shall be ; that is , a body very like in purity , simplicity , and activity to a spirit : and the general difference between a spirit and body was not held by many of the greek fathers as it is by us : and if the second council of nice was infallible , no angel or other creature is incorporeal : or as damasus saith , [ they are corporeal in respect to god , but incorporeal in respect to gross bodies . ] the perfect knowledge of the difference between corpus and spiritus , except by the formal virtues , is unknown to mortal men . 2. i grant therefore , that our senses are no competent judges , whether christs true body be in the sacrament ? no more than whether an angel be in this room ? there are bodies which are invisible . 3. i grant that it is unknown to us , how far christs glorified body may extend ? whether the same may be both in heaven and on earth ? i am not able nor willing to confute them that say , light is a body ; nor them that say , it is a spirit : nor them that say , it is quid medium as a nexus of both : i mean aether or ignis , visible in its light. and it is an incomprehensible wonder , if lumen be a real radiant or emanant part of the sun , that it should indivisibly fill all the space thence to this earth , and how much further little do we know . so for the extensions of christs body , let those that understand it dispute for me . 4. and i will grant that it is very probable that as in heaven we shall have both a soul and body , so the body is not like to have so near an intuition and fruition of god as the soul . and whether the glorified body of christ will not be there a medium of gods communication of glory to our bodies , yea and his glorified soul to our souls , as the sun is now to our eyes , i do not well understand : only i know that it is his prayer and will , that we be with him where he is to behold his glory ; and that god and the lamb will be the light of the heavenly jerusalem . 5. and i am fully satisfied that it is not the signs only ; but the real body and blood of christ , which are given us in the sacraments ( both baptism and the eucharist ) : but how given us ? relatively , de jure ; as a man is given to a woman in marriage ; or as a house and land are delivered to me , to be mine for my use ; though i touch them not . thus 1. a right to christ is given us : 2. and the fruits or benefits of his crucified body and shed blood , are actually given us , that is , pardon and the spirit , merited for us thereby . 6. and among the benefits given us , besides the relative , there are some such as we call real or physical terminatively , and hyperphysical originally ut à causa , which are the spirit of holiness , or the quickening , illuminating and sanctifying influence of the spirit of christ upon our souls . and the sacrament is appointed as a special means of communicating this . 7. i have met with some of late who say , that indeed christs body and blood in his humbled state , were not really eaten and drunk by the disciples , at his last supper : for the flesh profiteth not to such a use : but that his glorified body is spiritual , and is extensively communicated , and invisibly present under the form of bread in the sacrament ; and that as we have a body , a sensitive life , and an intellectual soul , so christ is the life of all these respectively ; viz. his body is made the spiritual nourishment of our bodies ; his sensitive soul ( for which the word blood is put , because it is in the blood in animals ) is the food or life of our sensitive souls ; and his intellectual soul , of ours : and to these uses they assert the real presence and oral participation of christs glorified body . to all which i say , 1. whether or how far an invisible spiritual body is present , sense is no judge ; nor can we know any further than gods word telleth us . 2. that christ in his glorified soul and body is our intercessour with god , through whom we have all things , we must not doubt . 3. that christ in his humane and divine nature now in heaven , is that teacher who hath left us a certain word , and that king who hath left us a perfect law of life , whom we must obey , and a promise which we must trust , we must not question . 4. that the holy ghost who is our spiritual life , is given us by , from and for christ our mediator , we must take for certain truth . but , though in all these respects , faith apprehendeth and liveth upon christ , yet that moreover his glorified body in substance , either feedeth or by contact purifieth our bodies , and his sensitive soul , our sensitive souls , and his intellectual soul , our intellectual souls , as if in themselves , and not in their effects only they were thus communicated to us , i understand not , either by any just conception of the thing it self , or any proof of it from the word of god. but if any can help me to see it , i shall not refuse instruction . nor can i see why the soul of christ should be said to be given in the wine only , and not in the bread ; nor why by this kind of communication he may not as truly be said to be given us in other ordinances as in the eucharist : nor know i what they mean by the forms of bread and wine , under which they say that christs body and blood is given : but i am past doubt that bread and wine are still really in substance there . and whereas the same men say that it is christs humbled flesh and blood as sacrificed on the cross that is commemorated , but his glorified body and soul only which are communicated and received , i must say , 1. that christ plainly tells us of his giving us his sacrificed body or flesh it self to eat , as he is the lamb of god that taketh away the sins of the world : and he saith , take , eat , this is my body which is broken for you , &c. so that the same body is commemorated and communicated : but how communicated ? in the effects of his sacrifice : his body was given a sacrifice to god for us , and the fruits of that sacrifice given to us . and thus he was given a sacrifice for the life of the world ; and thus we do receive him : by our bodily taking and eating the bread , we profess that our souls take him to be our saviour and cause of our life , both as purchasing and meriting it on earth , and interceding and communicating it in and from heaven . 2. and this doctrine will not serve the papists turn , who tell us that bread and wine are ceased , and that christs very flesh and blood is there , into which all the substance of the bread and wine are turned ; and that his natural body before his death , was in the same sort given under the forms of bread and wine as now ; and will not be beholden to this subterfuge . and indeed it is strange if the sacrament at the first institution should be one thing , and ever after another thing ; and that the bread should ever since be turned into christs body , upon the priests consecration , and not be turned into it , ( because not yet glorified ) upon his own words [ this is my body . ] therefore we must let this go , and speak of what they own and hold indeed . and as for any other bodily presence , influence or communication of christs body or soul , besides that which they call transubstantiation , we have nothing to do with it in this controversie . that the substance of the bread and wine is not turned into the substance of the flesh and blood of christ , is proved . i. because the glorified body of christ is not formally and properly flesh and blood : though it be the s●me body which was flesh and blood. the apostle paul saith , 1 cor. 15.50 , 51. [ now this i say , brethren , that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of god , nor doth corruption inherit incorruption ; behold , i shew you a mysterie : we shall not all sleep , but we shall all be changed . ] it is not only dr. hammond , but other of the best expositors who shew that by flesh and blood and corruption here is not meant sin , but flesh and blood formally considered ; which is ever corruptible : and the papists commonly confess this . if therefore it be flesh and blood which the bread and wine are turned into , then either christ hath two bodies , or two parts of one , which are utterly heterogeneal , one flesh and blood , and the other not ; one corruptible and the other incorruptible . ii. and this feigneth christ to be often incarnate , even thousands and millions of times ; and to lay down that incarnate body again as oft as it corrupteth , and to take up a new one as oft as the priest please ; and yet all but one . whereas the church and scripture have ever told us but of one incarnation of jesus christ . iii. and it is expresly contrary to his promise joh. 6.51 . i am the living bread which came down from heaven : if any man eat of this bread , he shall live for ever : and the bread which i give is my flesh which i will give for the life of the world — v. 34. who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life — he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood , dwelleth in me and i in him . as the living father hath sent me , and i live by the father , so he that eateth me , even he shall live by me — he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever — . ] these are the express promises of christ . but the papists say that wicked men and unbelievers eat the flesh of christ , who shall not live for ever , nor have eternal life , nor dwell in christ , but are more miserable by their hypocrisie . i pass by abundance of other arguments , because commonly used , and these are as many as my ends require ; and i would make the reader no more work than needs . chap. xi . the conclusion of the first book : the causes of popery . r. i have now made plain to you , 1. what the protestants religion is , ( or at least my own , and all that i perswade you or any other to embrace . ) 2. and also that it is granted to be all true by the generality of the papists ( as is explained and proved . ) 3. and i have told you , by an enumeration of some particulars , why i am not a papist , and why i do disswade you from it . 4. and i have made good my first charge , in the point of transubstantiation , if any thing in the world can be proved . the second i shall leave till another time , viz. to shew you how far their religion ( as popish ) is from infallible certainty ; and what horrid confusion is among them ; and how they have done much to promote infidelity in the world , by building religion upon some notorious untruths , and upon a multitude of utter uncertainties . though i doubt not but among them there are many true christians , who practically resolve their faith into the surer evidences of divine revelation , yet i shall clearly prove to you , that all those whose practical faith is no surer or better , than the notional opinions of their divines will allow , have no certain faith or religion at all : and what impudency is it to make men believe , that there is no certainty of religion to be had , but in their way , who build their religion upon such a multitude of uncertainties and certain falshoods , as will amaze you when i come to open them to you , viz. that ever so many learned men , and persons of all ranks , can be induced so to jest in the matters of their salvation . and if i be not by death or other greater work prevented , i hope in order to make good all the rest of the charges before mentioned , which are our reasons against the popish way of religion . in the mean time tell me what you think of that which is already said . d. i know not how to confute what you have said : and yet when i hear them on the other side , me thinks their tale seems fair , and i cannot answer them neither : so that between you both , we that are unlearned are in a sad case , who must thus be tost up and down by the disputations of disagreeing priests , so that we know not what a man may say is certain . r. to this i have several things to say ; 1. ordination doth not make men wise , holy , humble and self-denying ; but sets such men apart for the sacred office , who seek it , and have tolerable gifts of utterance : and it is too ordinary for worldly minded men , to make a worldly trade of the priesthood , meerly for ease , and wealth , and honour . in which case , do you not think that the papists who have multitudes of rich benefices , prelacies , preferments , and church-power , and worldly honour , are liker to be drawn by worldly interest , than such as i that am exceeding glad and thankful , if i might but preach for nothing ? 2. do you lay your faith and salvation upon plausible discourses ? and will you be of that mans faith , whom you cannot confute ? then you must be of every mans faith : or indeed of no mans . there are none of all these sects , so hardly confuted , as a porphyry , a julian or such like infidels who dispute against christ , and the truth of the scriptures ? or such sadducees as dispute against the immortality of the soul . alas , the tattle of papists , pelagians , antinomians , separatists , quakers , and all such , supposing the truth of the souls immortality and the scriptures , is easily resisted and confuted , in comparison of their assaults who deny these our foundations . and will you turn sadducee ▪ atheist or infidel because you cannot confute their sophistry ? i tell you , if you knew how much harder it is , to deal with one of these than with a papist or any other sectary , you would shake the head , to hear one man dispute for an universal monarch , and another dispute against a form of prayer , and another whether it be lawful to communicate with dissenters , &c. while so few of them all can defend their foundations , even the souls immortality and the scriptures , nor confute a subtle infidel or sadducee . 3. what if we all agreed to say that there is no bread in the sacrament after consecration ? were it ever the truer for that ? will you be deceived as oft as men can but agree to deceive you ? there is a far greater party agreed against jesus christ ( even five parts of the world ) than that which is agreed for him : will you therefore be against christ too ? there are more agreed for mahomet ( a gross upstart deceiver ) than are agreed for christ : and doth that make it certain that they are in the right ? 4. will you deny all your senses , and the senses of all the world , as oft as you cannot answer him that denyeth them ? upon these terms , what end will there be of any controversie , or what evidence shall ever satisfie man ? have papists any surer and more satisfying evidence for you , than sense ? i pray you tell me ; did you ever meet with any of them that doubt of another life , or of the immortality of the soul ? d. yes , many a one : i would we were all more certain than we are . r. and what is it that such men would have to put them out of doubt ? d. they say that our talk of prophets and supernatural revelation are all uncertainties ; and if they could see , they would believe . could they see such miracles as they read of : had they seen lazarus raised , or christ risen from the dead , &c. had they seen angels or devils or spirits appearing : had they seen heaven or hell , they would believe . r. and are not you more obstinate than they , if you will not believe that there is any bread and wine , when you see , feel , smell , and taste it , and all men that have senses are of the same mind ? what is left to satisfie you , if you give so little credit to the common sense of all the world ? d. but i oft think that the faith of all the church is much surer than my sense , or my private faith : at least it is safest to venture in the common road , and to speed as the church speedeth , which christ died for , and is his spouse . r. 1. but do you think that the opinion of the papal faction who are not the third part of the universal church , that is , the christian world , is the faith of all the church ? why call you opinion faith ? and a sect and faction , all the church ? 2. indeed if all the church did set their senses against mine , i would rather believe them than my senses : for i should think , that i were in that point distracted , or my senses by some disease perverted , which i did not perceive : i mean if it were in a case where they had the affirmative : as if all england should witness that they saw it light at midnight , i would think my eyes had some impediment which i knew not of , if i saw none . but this is not your case ; the papists themselves do not set all their senses against yours : much less the senses of all mankind : they do not say , that [ we and all men , except the protestants , do see , and feel , and taste that there is no bread and wine . ] but contrarily , you have the senses of all the world , and the saith of two or three parts of the christian world , against the opinion of one sect , which schismatically call themselves all the church . d. but suppose that they err in this one point , they may for all that be in the right in all the rest : who is it that hath no error ? i must not for this one forsake them . r. 1. i will stand to their own judgements in this , whether all their foundation and faith be not uncertain , if any one article of their faith prove false ? they are all ( that ever i knew ) agreed of the affirmative : and will give you no thanks for such a defence . 2. and if we come to that work , i shall prove all the rest of their opinions before mentioned to be also false . d. what then if i find but one point false in the protestants religion ? must i therefore forsake it all as false ? r. 1. still remember to distinguish between our objective and our subjective faith : or if you understand not those words , between gods revelation and mans belief of it : or the divine rule and matter of our faith , and our faith it self . and about our own belief you must distinguish between a mans profession of belief , and the reality of his belief . all true protestants profess to take gods word alone , or his revelation in nature and scripture , for the whole matter of their divine belief and religion ▪ but who it is that sincerely believeth little do i know : nor how much of this word any singular person understandeth , and believeth , i can give you no account of . if personal faith were that which we dispute of , i would be accountable for no mans but mine own . in this sense , there are as many faiths and religions as men : for every man hath his own faith and religion : and if you know that a man erreth in one point , it followeth not that he erreth in another . they that believed that the resurrection was past , believed a falshood : and yet truly believed that christ was the messiah : they erred that thought it lawful to eat things offered to idols ; and yet they erred not in believing in christ . no two men in the world , its like , have the same degree of personal faith and knowledge ; as i oft said before . but if our professed object of faith , that is , gods word , were false in one thing , we could not be sure that it were true in any thing . yet here i told you before , 1. that a man may be much surer that one part of scripture is gods word , than another ; because some copies are doubtful in the diverse readings of some particular words or sentences ; and which of them that so differ is gods word , we oft know not : but so much as we are sure is the word of god , we are sure is true : so if the authority of some few books was once doubted of , ( as 2 pet. jam. jud. heb. &c. ) and yet be by any , it followeth not that they doubt of the truth of any , which they know to be the word of god. 2. or if any do hold that the penmen might be left to their natural fallibility in some by historical circumstances or words , it would not follow , that one article of the gospel or christian faith is doubtful , which is plainly as the kernel of it , delivered in all the scripture , and also by infallible universal tradition , by it self , in the sacrament , creed , lords prayer and decalogue . and our case also much differeth from the papists in this : for we profess that our objective faith , ( gods word ) is infallible , and we are infallible so far as we believe it : but we confess that we are lyable to misunderstand some parts of it ; and so far are fallible , as being imperfect : but the papists say , that their pope and councils and universal practicers are personally infallible , so as not to be lyable to any misunderstanding of any article of faith ( say some ) or article of catholick faith ( say others ) : and so they make their own act of believing to be commensurate and equally certain with gods word of faith ; and therefore they allow you to question them in all , if they err in one , as pretending to a gift of never erring in any . d. but is it not a great reason to incline us to them rather than to you , when they only pretend to infallibility , and you confess that you are all fallible in your belief ? r. this is to be the subject of our next conference , and therefore not now to be anticipated ; only i shall tell you , that it is a meer noise of ambiguous words to deceive the heedless that cannot search out the meaning of them . 1. we not only pretend , but profess and prove that our christian religion is altogether infallible . for which end i have written divers treatises my self . 2. and we profess that all the mystical church of christ ( that is all sincere christians ) do truly and infallibly believe all that is essential to christianity , and as much of the integrals as they can know . 3. and we profess that the catholick church-visible ( that is , all professors of christianity in the world ) do profess all these essentials of christianity , and are infallible in this profession . but we hold withall , that there is no particular church , or bishop , no synod or council , that is so infallible , but that , 1. they that hold to the essentials may misunderstand and err about some integrals : 2. and those persons have no certainty that they shall not err by heresie or apostacy from the essentials themselves : so that the church is infallible , because it is essentiated by believing an infallible word ; which who ever believeth not , ceaseth to be of the church : not gods word infallible , because the church or any number of men believe it , or say its true : for truth is before knowledge and faith : as aristotle was a philosopher , because he understood and taught the doctrine of real philosophy ; and not that doctrine called physicks or philosophy , because that aristotle knew or taught it . but , alas , what work shall i shew you when i come to open their bewildring uncertainties ? d. but to deal freely with you , methinks their way of measuring out the necessaries in faith and religion according to mens various parts and opportunities , seemeth to me more satisfactory than yours , who fix upon certain points ( as the baptismal covenant ) as essentials . for there is great diversity of mens capacities . r. this cometh from confounding several questions as if they were all one . 1. it is one question , what is the christian religion ? 2. ☞ it is another question , whether the christian religion be absolutely necessary to the salvation of all those to whom it was never competently revealed ? 3. and it is another question , whether more than the essentials of christian religion be not necessary to the salvation of many who have opportunity to know more ? alas , what work doth confusion make in the world ! to the first , it is evident that as mahometanism is a thing which may be defined , so much more may christianity : who that writeth of the several religions of the world , ethnick , jewish , mahometan , and christian , do not take them to be distinguishable and discernable ? especially when christ hath summed up christianity into a covenant , and given it us in express words , and affixed a flat promise of salvation to the true covenanters , and the church hath ever called our baptism , our christening ? is christianity nothing ? if something , why may it not be defined , and differenced from all false religions ? and if so , it hath its essential constitutive parts . all this is plain to children that will see . 2. and then as to the second question , it concerneth not our controversie at all . it is but whether any infidels may be saved ? or any that are no christians ? and if it could be proved , that any are saved that are no christians , do you thereby prove that they are christians , or members of the christian church ? or that christianity is not a religion which may be defined ? 3. and as to the third question , we are on all sides agreed in it , that they that have more than the naked essentials of christianity revealed to them aptly , are bound to believe more : yea , it is hardly conceiveable that any one should know and believe the essentials only , and no more : it is not essential to the christian covenant or christianity to know that the name of christs mother was mary ; or that pontius pilate was the man that condemned him ; and if an ignorant man thought that his continuance in the grave was four dayes , i do not think that this would damn his soul to hell : ( much less the not believing that mary dyed a virgin. ) and yet it is not like that any man should come to the essentials of christianity by any such way , as should acquaint him with no one of these , or any point besides the said essentials . and yet it is certain for all this , that he that truly receiveth the essentials , and is true to the baptismal covenant , shall be saved , whatsoever else he want : but it is as true , that he that receiveth the essentials , will ( from the same principles and obligations ) receive more , when it is aptly notified to him : and he that truly covenanteth , will honestly keep the covenant he maketh ; which bindeth him still to learn of christ . but if any man be saved without the essentials , he must be saved without christianity . d. but you know that they distinguish of faith explicite and implicite : he may be implicitely a christian that believeth not the essentials explicitely ; as long as he believeth that which would infer them ; if they were made known to him to be indeed the word of god. r. thus do words abuse and cheat the ignorant : could you but read their own dr. holden before cited in his analys . fid . you would find this distinction justly rendred by him shameful and ridiculous , according to their common sense and use of it ; and the truer sense delivered and vindicated . an implicite faith or knowledge we confess to be true , as it is opposed to 1. a distinct , or 2. to a well-expressed faith or knowledge . for it is implicite , ☞ 1. as to the object , when a man knoweth the whole matter , but not by distinct parts : as a man may know a cup of water , and not know how many drops or drams it is ; or he may know a sentence , and not know how many letters are in it . 2. or it is implicite as to the act , when it is yet but a crude imperfect conception , and the thing is really known , but not the logical notions , or grammatical names , either the verba oris or mentis by which it should be expressed : so that the man cannot notifie his knowledge to another . these two are called implicite ; the first signifieth confused and general knowledge , and the other imperfect and undigested . but to call that implicite faith or knowledge , which extendeth only to some principles , and not to the conclusions themselves , is 1. to call no-knowledge and faith , by the name of knowledge and faith . 2. and by their application to confound the world and the church , and to make all the infidels and heathens to be christians , and every fool a philosopher . for , 1. all men of reason know these two principles ( who own a god ) , 1. that god is not a lyer , but all his word is true. 2. that all the truths in the world are god's , some way or other revealed by him . therefore , if they knew that the gospel were gods word , they would believe it : or if they knew it to be one of those truths that are in the world , they would take it to be of god. and thus all infidels , and turks , and pagans may ( by such abuse ) be called implicite christians . but why then do the papists burn the protestants when if their religion were true , we are all implicitely papists . for we believe , 1. that all divine revelations are true ; 2. and that all those are infallible whom god hath promised to make infallible ; 3. and that all those must be believed and obeyed whom god hath commanded us to believe and obey ; 4. and that we must not forsake that church which god hath commanded us to adhere to ; 5. and that all our lawful pastors must be reverenced and submitted to ; 6. and all their lawful precepts obeyed . 7. and all gods sacraments holily used ; 8. and all traditions from the apostles to the churches received ; with many more such : only we know not that the pope is our pastor , or that his councils are the church , or have a promise of infallibility ; and so of the rest . and yet we must burn for it , if they can procure it . and yet he is a true believer implicitely who believeth not the essentials of christianity . but the design which is predominant here is too visible , when this implicite faith cometh to be described : for it is not a belief in god , or in christ only that will serve the turn , but it must be a belief in the church , and their church , and their pope too , or else it will not do . the implicite faith is the explicite belief of these three articles : 1. all gods word is true : 2. all that is gods word , which the church tells us is gods word . 3. the pope and his council and subjects are this church . and yet this man must be supposed if he know no more , per impossibile , not to know that there is a christ , or who he is as to his person or office , or what he hath done , or will do for us : and yet that he hath a vicar and a church . or else they may know christ and christianity before they know that there is any pope or church , and then the pope hath lost the game . d. but if popery be so senseless a thing as you make it , how come so great a number of persons of all ranks and qualities , kings , nobles , learned men , and religiously-disposed persons to embrace it ? have not they souls to save or lose as well as you ? and do they not lay all their hopes of heaven upon it ? and can such persons , and so many , be so mad and senseless ? r. do we need thus to ramble round about , as if we would doubt of the thing till we know the causes of it ? when we see and they all confess that they deny all our senses ? will you not believe that there is a sun , till you know what it is made of ? or whether the sea ebb and flow , till you know the causes of it ? i pray you tell me , q. 1. do you think that the mahometan's is not a very foolish religion , and their foundation ( the pretended mission of their prophet ) without any shew of truth ; and his alcoran ( if ever you read it ) a heap of non-sense and confusion ? d. yes : i think it deserveth no better thoughts . r. and do you not know that ( though it arose not till about six hundred years after christ ) much more of the world is mahometan than christian ? and are there not far greater emperours and princes mahometans than any that are christians ? and have not all these souls to save or lose ? and do they not all venture their souls upon that religion ? why then is not your argument here as good for mahometanism as for popery ? d. though the emperours of constantinople , the great mogul , the persian , tartarian mahometans , &c. be all great as to their vast dominions , yet they are barbarous and unlearned in comparison of the papists . r. 1. it is not because they have not as much wit as we : but because they think that our laborious wordy kind of learning , is an abuse of wit , and against true policy , ludicrously or contentiously diverting mens minds and time from those employments which they think more manly and profitable to the common-wealth ; though no doubt but they do err more unmanly on that extream . but i further ask you , q. 2. do you not think that the common religion of the heathens is very unworthy for any wise man to venture his soul upon ? if you have but read how it is described by the antient christians , justin , athenagoras , origen , arnobius , minutius foelix , tertullian , lactantius , eusebius , augustine , &c. you will say that they thought it a ridiculous unmanly religion . d. i think no better of it than they did . r. and 1. do you not know that almost all the world was then heathen and idolaters ? alas , what was judaea ( less than england ) to all the world ? was not the roman empire , and alexanders before that , far greater than any christian prince hath now ? and to this day , are not four sixth parts of the whole world ( at least ) heathens and idolaters ? brierwoods calculation is , that if you divide the world into thirty parts , nineteen are heathen , six mahometans , and five only christians of all sorts : besides the vast unknown parts of the world , which are not like to have any religion of supernatural revelation . 2. and do you not know , that athens and rome-heathen were no barbarians , but of most polite literature , and the fathers of the learning now in use ; and that when the christians arose among them , they accounted them barbarians ? and at this day , and long before us , the chinenses have been addicted to arts and literature : and the brachmanes and bonzii are no barbarians . and have not all these souls to save or lose ? and are all these so mad as to cast away their souls upon a senseless contemptible religion ? if your reason be good , how much more will it hold for the heathens , than the papists ? alas , what a handful are the papists in comparison of the present idolaters ! much more in comparison of the antient heathen world , before christianity and mahometanism dispossessed them of those parts which they now hold ! with what greater shew of advantage did the heathens use the arguments which the papists do now put their trust in , and lay their cause upon ! 1. do they talk of antiquity ? why , it was the novelty of christianity in comparison of heathenism through the world , which was it that hardned them to contemn and persecute it . 2. do they talk of vniversality and consent ? alas , how little a part of the world were the christians at first , and are the papists now , in comparison of the heathens , then and now ? 3. do they talk of greatness , empire , acts and learning ? how little are they as to the first , to the heathen empires ? and for learning , they received it of them : and aristotle still is the schoolmens oracle . and yet doubtless all these advantages are not sufficient to disprove the follies of heanism , nor the badness of their religion ? and yet will so much less serve to support the credit of senseless popery ? d. but christians may well expect greater helps from god , than heathens or mahometans : therefore that so many great and learned and religious christians should go such a senseless way to another world , methinks seemeth strange . r. and are not greeks , armenians , syrians , abassines and protestants , all christians as well as they ? their proud schismatical unchristening all but the subjects of the pope , is a silly proof that we are no christians , or that they are any better than others ; unless malignity , uncharitableness and schism be the true excellency . 1. and are not other christians more than the papists ? bishop bramhall reckons the papists to be about the fifth part of christians : suppose they be a third part ? they are still the minor part . 2. and are not the protestants as learned as the papists ? why then will not your argument hold against them as well as for them ? have not all these christians souls to save or lose ? and do they not take that for the true religion on which they trust their souls ? d. but though all these set together are more than the church of rome , yet no one sect of them is so great ; and what matter is it how many various sects are ? r. 1. the greek church is judged by wise men , te be yet bigger than the roman , even in this its broken state : but there is no doubt but it was much bigger long after the first division , before the turk did win the eastern empire . 2. but , if it were not so , your objection is frivolous . the question is either of different churches , or of different opinions and parties in the same church . as to the first , there are but two opinions in the christian world , that i know of , about the constitution of the catholick church . the one is the opinion of the papists only , ☞ that the catholick church is essentially constituted both of christ , and the pope as his vicar and universal monarch , with all his subjects ; as the pars imperans and pars subdita . the other is the judgement of all other christians , ( that i know or hear of , ) that the catholick church is essentially constituted only of christ as the supream head , or king , or pars imperans , and his subjects as the pars subdita ; ☞ and that patriarchs , archbishops , bishops , &c. are but officiales & subditi primarii vel nobiles , constitutive parts indeed of their particular churches ( some humane , and some divine ) but no essential parts of the catholick church . ☞ this is the grand difference between the papists and all other christians in the world , what the catholick church is ? whether it have any constitutive vniversal head or monarch besides christ ? now seeing that greeks , abassines , armenians and all agree with us in this against the papists , it is evident to them that are willing to see that we are all of the same catholick church , though not of the same particular churches , nor all for the same official ministers ; because we are all for the same constitutive head , and his subjects as such , and agree in all the essential parts , ☞ so that our differences among all these parties or particular churches or countries is but the difference of opinions and parties in one and the same church ; and not a difference of catholick churches ( which can be but one . ) and if that be the question , i undertake to prove that there is no one sect of christians known under heaven , that hath so many different opinions within it self , ( if half so many , ) nor have written half so much against one another , as the papists have done . 3. but i must not here anticipate my further work : when i come to that , i shall shew you how small and how disagreeing a part of the christian world the papists are . i have elsewhere recited the words of their melchior canus who boasteth that the papacy yet standeth , though almost all the world , and besides princes , almost all the bishops and churches have fought against it . was it then the universal church ? and the words of reynerius who saith , that the churches of the armenians and the others planted by the apostles ( without the empire he meaneth ) were not under the pope of rome . i shall , if i live to do that work , yet fullier shew you , that the pope was but the chief patriarch in one empire , as the archbishop of canterbury is the chief bishop in england ; and that his general councils were but general assemblies of the empire ( inconsiderable occasional accidentals excepted ) , even as our convocations , or the scots general assemblies were , though in a far larger empire . but all this i have done already in other writings , beyond all reasonable contradiction . d. tell me then , how it cometh to pass that so many princes , nobles , learned men , and religious can be so marvellously deluded ? r. alas poor man ; you talk as if you knew not your self nor mankind ! how bad a thing corrupt unsanctified nature is ! why do you not also ask , how cometh it to pass , that the far greatest part of the world ( even five parts of six ) are heathens and mahometanes ! and that most of the world are wilful self-destroyers ; many ruining their very bodies , eating , and drinking , and whoreing , and idling them into gowt , stone , dropsies and an hundred maladies : but far more ruining their souls . why do you not also ask , how reasonable creatures ( of all professions ) are so worse than mad , as to sell their souls and everlasting hopes , for a dream and shadow , or for dirt and dung ; even for a few cups or morsels , or merry hours , which they know are like the mirth of drunkenness , which is quickly gone , and ends in sickness and in shame ! for a great name , and a large attendance in their way to the grave ! for the thoughts and breath of mortal man ! and for that which all men first or last , are forced to call meer vanity and vexation ! were not men mad in sin , had they never heard a preacher , the sight of a dead carkass and a grave would do more to make them sober and considerate , than is done with most . when most of the world will obstinately follow the devil their enemy , by known sin to everlasting misery , against all the commands , exhortations , promises , threatnings , mercies and warnings of god himself , and all the perswasions of their truest friends , what wonder if the same men can be papists or any thing ? but i will tell you some of the particular causes . i. abroad in other countries , there are all these reasons easily discernible . 1. who knoweth not how great an advantage education hath , to form mens judgements to almost any thing , how bad soever ? that which children receive , if it be not disagreeable to their sensible interest , how commonly and tenaciously do they follow ? whence is it that the whole empires and kingdoms of pagans are all of one mind ; and the kingdoms of mahometans of another ? one kingdom almost all greek christians and another papists , and another lutherans , and another reformists , & c ? hath not education a great hand in this ? 2. and the custome of the countrey , and the company which they converse with , is of no small power with mens minds . especially when men live where almost all are of a mind , they think that concord is a sign of truth , and modesty forbiddeth them to be wiser than all the countrey . 3. and when they know few or none of another mind , how should they know what they are ? and when they hear an hundred lies against them , and never hear them speak for themselves , they think that the law of modesty , humanity and converse , oblige them to believe , that so many , so great , and so learned and religious persons will not impudently lie : when as perhaps the lye it self is a tradition which the lyars received on the same terms in modest credulity from their teachers or fathers . 4. and specially , the names of order , government , vnity , and concord , deceive many millions of souls : for order and vnity are justly amiable to nature it self . and the purblind know not an image from a man. 5. especially when civil wars , or church discords have distracted the world , and made men aweary of all that 's present , and suspicious of all things , which seemed to have a hand in their disappointments ; this maketh men hearken to any thing which pretendeth to certain settlement , order and peace . even as a man that by turning round is wheelsick , will lay hold on the next post or fixed thing , to keep him from falling down . 6. and when their teachers make them believe , that all christians besides them do live like mad-men , in sects and schismes , distractedly tearing out one anothers throats , what wonder if this make men willing of any way which pretends to peace , and glad to run into any cottage which will keep them from such a storm ? 7. but the great cause is , 1. the blindness of mens minds , 2. the wickedness of all unrenewed hearts , and 3. the power of carnal interest . 1. few men are of great natural parts for wit , and fewer improve them , by any serious study of things spiritual . 2. almost all men study with the byas of prejudice and partiality , and as men that would have one side to be right , because it is for their worldly ends . 3. sin ruleth in most souls , and the enmity against god and his laws prevaileth in carnal minds , rom. 8.6 , 7 , 8. and enmity is an ill student and seeker of truth ; and friendship is an incompetent judge of sin . 4. none but a few self-denying persons can bear to be reproached as hereticks and schismaticks by all about them . 5. especially the countenance or discountenance of great ones , doth more with such than heaven and hell. 6. and that 's not all , but he that will not be a papist , in most of their countreys must be undone , and in many must be rackt , tormented and burnt : and it is but few that have learnt to go to so high a price for truth , and to be religious at such a rate . 8. therefore it is a thing utterly unknown among them , who is heartily a papist , and who not . for when men must take on them to be papists or be undone , or burnt , millions will seem to be such that are not . for , 9. most of the world have no religion in truth and power , to overcome the world and flesh : and therefore will seem to be of that religion , which hath the upper hand , and serveth their turns . 10. yea , the very belief of the immortality of the soul , the resurrection and the life to come , is feeble , if not unsound and lifeless , in the most of men : and so is the belief of the christian faith : and a man that doubteth whether there be another life or not , will make as sure as he can of the pleasures of this present life . and i fear that this is the case of no small number of papists ; to think , [ i know not whether there be any other life of retribution : i rather think that there is none : but lest it should prove true , i will be of some religion : and where can i be with more ease and safety , than in that which my rulers and teachers and the whole countrey say is right ? if it prove otherwise , i hope god will excuse me , while i obey my governours , and do as the most do . ] he that much doubteth of the truth of christianity it self , may easily fall in with any sect which seemeth for his interest . i fear melancthon too truly said , that italians maintain that christ is in the sacrament , when they do not believe that he is in heaven . 11. and many nicodemites think , that a man needs not expose himself to danger for his faith , but may keep it to himself , and do as his neighbours do : especially where they have no other society to joyn with , they think it better to joyn with the popish churches than none . 12. and i have reason to think that it is but few among the multitude , that understand indeed what the papists hold , while they go with them in the general name and profession : and in particular about transubstantiation : when even the subtle schoolmen are not agreed of its proper sense ; ( as durandus his instance for one doth prove . ) i do not think that one of an hundred that receiveth their eucharist , doth in his heart believe , that it is not bread : but some think that their church it self meaneth otherwise : and some say , [ it is not for such as i to contradict them and dispute ; but i will leave every one to think as he will ; and so will i. ] 13. and as for princes and lords abroad , those that have once escaped popery will take heed how they entertain it again , unless lust and folly have sold them for a prey : but they that live where their subjects are papists , dare not venture to shake so great a fabrick , lest they overthrow themselves : for 1. people are tumultuous ; 2. the popish clergie are rich and powerful and exceeding numerous . 3. religion is a thing that men are tender and tenacious of , who are seriously of any . 4. the popish doctrine of deposing and killing excommunicate kings , maketh many princes flatter the priests , for fear of losing ●heir lives . they think that it is better make some advantage of the popes friendship , than to have such an enemy , whose knives and poison have easie access , and whose armies we must watch against in peace , as in a continued war , and we know not when they are in our own houses or near us , nor where nor when we are in safety . 14. and , alas , the great ones of the world have the greatest temptations , and not the weakest lusts and passions , and have more of worldly and carnal interest to carry them away ! 15. and the papists religion is notably suited to their lusts and carnal ends : all which , and much more , may tell you that it no wonder , that so many forreign princes , and states and nobles can cleave to so sensless a way as popery . d. ii. but how come so many among us in england to turn papists of late years , where popery is discountenanced by the king , parliament and laws ? r. many of the same causes do this , which i need not reherse . and 1. too many both noble and ignoble are prepared by their lusts , and by a vicious life . there are many things in popery which greatly accommodate a carnal mind and a debauched guilty conscience , which the christian protestant religion affordeth not . and a profligate flagitious person , is likeliest to be forsaken of god , and to be given up to believe a lye , seeing they received not the truth in the love of it , that they might be saved , 2 thess . 2.10 , 11 , 12. i fear nothing so much , as lest men turn heart-infidels and tongue-papists ( as the suitablest reserve , lest christian religion and the life to come , should prove a truth ) . and indeed great sins cry for great vengeance : and what greater than for mind , will and life to be forsaken of god ? 2. and alas , except lawyers , physicions and others bred up to studies and employments , how few are there of nobility or gentry that are hard studying men ! and the great mysteries of religion will not be well learned and defended , by a life of eating , drinking , playing , jeasting , gaming , hawking , hunting , visitings of empty company , lustfulness , worldliness , or vain-glorious pomp . no men grow wise or christians indeed by such a course . 3. and indeed the popish priests are more industrious than too many of our incumbent ministers ; for which they are commendable in their way : the erroneous are oft more zealous than the orthodox . and they that apprehend themselves between fear and hope , are usually more industrious than they that by possession are secure : which maketh the lower side so oft get up , and the upper side go down . and i would i might not say , that our ministers are too few of them able to deal with a trained sophister : some are unable in this particular cause , because they take it as a baffled pack of notorious errors , and thought that few sober persons were in danger of it : and so they have ( honestly ) bent their studies and labours to the winning of sensual persons from their sins ; and are unfurnished in the popish controversies ; knowing that they can refer them to multitudes of books , which are unanswerable . but alas , too many also are unable through meer ignorance , lowness of parts , and gross insufficiency or negligence , not only in this , but other parts of their ministerial work . 4. and we have incurred no small dammage and danger , by ignorant over-doing against the papists : partly with the self-wise sectaries , calling many laudable or blameless things , by the name of popery , antichristianity and idolatry , because they are cross to their pre-judging partial conceits : and partly by some unsound doctrines , which some defend as parts of the protestant religion : and partly by magnifying verbal differences , and making a noise about them as if they were real , and such as salvation lyeth on : for want of skill to state a controversie , and discern a verbal difference from a real . and when a papist can but shew their novices one such palpable error in the writings of a protestant ; what sad work will he make with it ? and still harp upon that string , and perswade the people that the rest of our differences are such like . and thus many overdoing well-meaning ignorant men both ministers and people , have unwittingly done as much to harden papists , and increase their numbers , almost as if satan had hired them as spies , to betray the churches and cause of christ : yea , and if one better studied in these points , shall go a sounder and more successful way to work , and take these weapons out of the papists hands , which some ignorant protestants have given them , the same mens blind zeal will rage against them , ( as some did against chillingworth , anthony wotton , and divers others our greatest champions ) as if it were not themselves but these , that were befriending popery . so that they neither can confute them soundly themselves , nor will suffer others , but zealous protestants assault christs ablest servants at their backs , while their faces are towards the adversaries whom they oppose . 5. but nothing among us ( except ignorance and wickedness ) increaseth them more , than the scandal of our numerous , and some of them abominable sects . when the people see many zealous professors turn quakers , or ranters , or seekers , or antinomians , or socinians , or familists ; and shall see the more tolerable parties ( episcopal , presbyterian , independant , erastian , separatists , and anabaptists ) condemning , backbiting , reproaching and making odious ( if not persecuteing ) one another , and shunning ( many of them ) the communion of one another , as they do the papists . this makes them think , that they must seek some surer soberer way than any of us have yet found : and the papists set in and tell them , [ all these are branches broken off from the true vine and withered ; this it is to depart from the catholick church ; when they are once gone thence , there is no stop or consistence , till they crumble all to dust and atomes : you must become roman catholicks , or go mad : you see to what confusion all others tend : if you once leave our church , you will never know where to settle ▪ which sect will you be of ? if an independant , why not an anabaptist ? if an anabaptist , why not an antinomian ? how will you ever know which one of all these is in the right ] ? all this is easily answered by a man of understanding ; but to the ignorant vulgar , it seemeth unanswerable . and alas , how many have given them this scandal ? wo be to some by whom offence cometh . 6. but the contentions of our clergie advantage them more than the divisions of the people : when we are of many interests , and many parties , and proceed to make each other contemptible and odious : especially when we come to hinder each other from the work of our ministry . a house and kingdom divided cannot stand : christ tells us that the devil himself is not so foolish , as to divide his kingdom . all our consent and best endeavour is too little to save mens souls from sin and error : and when one part is cast by , and each part by contention hindereth the other : the papists have the far easier work . when one part are not to come within five miles of cities or corporations , where papists are , and those that may come near them are too few , and many too indisposed , or negligent in resisting them ; so that we are all overdone by their priests in constant diligence , ( especially with the greater rank of men , with whom one part of our ministers , have almost as little inclination as opportunity to converse , ) no wonder if the roman work go on . 7. and , alas , how great advantage have they made of our late calamitous civil wars , and manifold scandalous rebellions ? though indeed it was the terrour of their murdering about two hundred thousand in ireland ( of which see bishop jones , sir john temple , and the earl of orery against welsh , ) which frightened those that i was acquainted with , out of their peace , and almost out of their wits here in england , yet dead men are not heard on earth , and their service for the king in england serveth not only for a cloke for that , but for an advantage against many that stand in their way . in all civil wars , if the clergy be drawn in to own several causes ( especially if they own an ill cause ) who ever prevaileth , religion suffereth by it ; while one part of them are laid by , or hindered by the other . 8. and though god hath greatly obliged this nation to thankfulness , by preserving our superiours so much from popery as he hath done , yet some of their names are injuriously abused , to entice men to the popish way , as if it had so much countenance and patronage , that interest might invite them to it . 9. and the world is lyable to changes , and weary of holding long in one way : the name of antiquity especially in religion is venerable with all ; but yet it is novelty that pleaseth in the matter . and when popery is to us a new way honoured with the name of the old religion , it is a taking bait . 10. but the grand cause of all , is , the common peoples ignorance , as being ungrounded in their own religion ; and their badness , who measure all by carnal interests , and all our great and manifold sins , by which we have forfeited gods presence and his grace , and provoked him to leave us to the shame and ruine of our own lusts and delusions to undoe our selves . great sins bring great plagues . and most men are of their religion who have the greatest interest in their estimation and affections , or that have greatest advantage on them by constant nearness , familiarity , kindred , kindness or power to do them good or hurt in the world. and therefore to your question why so many of late turn papists , i shall but now concludingly answer you , as i begun with you , concerning the cause of your own doubts ; they that have long lived under the light of the holy gospel , and among the mercies which have blest this land , and yet have been sincerely no true christians , but loved their fleshly lusts and pleasures , and their wealth and worldly honour , more than god , or holiness , or heaven , it is no wonder that they easily change their party , and can be , in siding , of any religion who are in sincerity of none ; and if god forsake their understandings , and give them up to senseless and unreasonable opinions , who would not live according to the knowledge which they had , nor obey the truth which was clearly opened to them . and such hypocrites and perfidious rebels against christ , all protestants do confess themselves to have been , who turn papists , and know what they do : because they profess to go from a state of damnation , into a church out of which there is no salvation ; if the popes judgement be as powerful in heaven , as it is at rome . d. but is there no hope of ending these lamentable differences , and removing the scandal of infidels hereby ? or at least of living together like neighbours without seeking each others blood or ruine ? r. 1. yes ; when god shall by his providence take down the worldly greatness and advantages of the papacy , and level the king of rome with the true pastors of his church , and turn the usurping monarch of all the world into a true bishop ; that so worldly power , honour and wealth , may not be stronger arguments with their party than heaven and hell , and gods commands . till then their great twisted interest is like to rule them , and keep them in the errours into which it hath involved them . especially while their pretended infallibility ( against all sense and reason ) is their strength , which maketh them uncurable in any errour which they once embrace . 2. but yet i did in the second part of my key for catholicks , long ago shew the terms on which we may live like neighbours , if not like christians , if their principles would allow their minds , to be but peaceable , and give dissenters leave to live . and i still profess that might we but secure our selves and our posterity , i am none of those that would have the least injury , much less cruelty exercised upon any man for being a papist : if they will live peaceably with me , or but give me leave , i will live peaceably with them . and i doubt not but as there are some among them truly fearing god ( though corrupt with the errours of their education ) so there are more that are of kind and civil natures , which their ill opinions cannot make fierce and sanguinary nor overcome . and none of them , i think , shall be more loving , kind and peaceable to me , than i will be to him . and i confess i have a greater respect and honour for those whose ancestors have transmitted popery to them under the name of the true catholick faith , and who live according to what they know ( though perhaps in blind zeal they hate me and such others for the interest of their way , ) than i have for those that seemed once protestants , and by filthy debauched lives have made it seem needful or convenient for them to turn papists , that they may have a seeming religion and priests pardons to quiet or deceive their consciences ; or than i have for those papists who live in drunkenness , lust and common lying and prophane swearing , while yet they seem to be religious and regardful of god and their souls ; or than i have for those priests who befriend such mens wickedness for the increase and interest of their church . yea , i truly profess that if i know a truly godly conscionable charitable papist , i must , i will love and honour him far more than an ungodly , unconscionable , uncharitable protestant . and as far as i can discern , both ministers and private christians ( but especially ministers ) whom i most converse with , are of the same mind . d. but is there no way possible to bring them fairly off , in this gross business of transubstantiation , without putting them upon the disclaiming of the popes and general councils infallibility ? r. i am not bound to devise accommodations to strengthen them in their other errours , if i could . but yet i would cure any errour in any , though they intend their own cure to an evil end . i cannot be perswaded but their understanding men are sorry at the heart that the laterane council hath drawn them into such a snare , by making transubstantiation an article of their faith ; and that they are very angry at them , and wish that it had never been done : but being done they must take on them to believe it , lest they pull down with their foundation all their fabrick . i doubt not but they are troubled and ashamed to read the schoolmens disputes of transubstantiation , exposing christianity to the infidels scorn , which this council hath most occasioned . i know not how to bring them off , unless they will hearken to what dr. taylor in his disswasive from popery , and dr. heylin , and dr. pierson and dr. gunning in the dispute , have said against the validity of that laterane council ( could they but spare the canon for deposing temporal lords , and dispossessing them of their dominions , and absolving all their papists subjects from their oaths of allegiance and exterminating the rest ; yea it would be more serviceable to them at last with princes , to retract that also , than to keep it . ) their best way is to take the help of these pretences , and condemn the contrary reasons of mr. terret and his fellow disputant against the foresaid doctors , and expunge that council out of binnius , surius and the rest who number it with the approved councils ; and because matth. paris and others say that some at the council thought the canons burdensom , and they were brought in by the pope , and hastily read , &c. therefore say , that they were not passed at least conciliariter , which you know is a word that serveth their turn against another council which they dislike . d. but what shall they do with following councils , especially that at trent , which say the same ? r. the best shifts that i know are , 1. to do as they do about the condemning of pope honoririus as a heretick . they say that a general council and pope too may err in a matter of fact ; and so they did in judging of honorius his meaning : so they may say , that the council of trent did decree this as an article of faith , only because they thought that the church so held it : which was because they thought that the general approved council of laterane had so decreed it ▪ but now finding that it was not so decreed there , the error in matter of fact ceasing , which was the supposition , the doctrinal error proveth to be no article of faith , or conciliariter decretum . 2. or if this will not do , they are best yet stretch the words of rome and trent , to a more tolerable signification , and say , that it is not the ceasing of the substance of bread and wine which is meant ; but the changing it into a relative new form : and so , as the whole substance of a man is changed from being a meer common man , into a king , a bishop , a doctor , without any cessation of his humanity ; but only quia forma ultima denominat , he is not any more to be called meerly a man , but a king , a bishop , &c. or , as the whole substance of a piece of gold is changed into currant coin by the kings stamp , &c. so the whole substance of bread is turned into the ( representative ) body of christ , and the whole substance of wine into his ( representative ) blood ; which change they call transubstantiation . but why should i give counsel to men that will not thank me for it , and that obstinately refuse much better ? d. but why speak you nothing of their denying the people the cup ? i thought you would principally have fastned on that . r. because it is no part of this present controversie , which i was first to handle , though it concern the same sacrament : but it is such an instance , as serveth to tell those of the world that will understand , what horrid unreasonable , audacious arrogance and vsurpation and treason against god and the true head of the church , this pretended monarch of the world , and his pretended catholick church ( the popish sect ) are guilty of : considering , 1. that it is as essential a part of the sacracrament as the bread is : for christ hath made no difference . 2. it hath the same institution and express command : he that said , [ take , eat ] said also [ drink ye all of this : ] he hath said , [ do this in remembrance of me ] of one as well as of the other . 3. therefore to take away an essential part , is to take away the sacrament , and make it another thing . as it is not a humane body that hath not both head and heart : so here . 4. therefore by the same authority they might have continued the cup , and taken away the bread ; or have taken away both . 5. and on the same reason they might have taken away baptism , and all christs positive institutions . and for ought i know the ministry it self as instituted . 6. but then gersons question , de auferabilitate papae would be next to be debated : for were he of christs own institution ( as he is not ) it is no more than the cup in the lords supper . could he but prove an institution of his papacy as evidently , who would not be his subject ? if you say , but who should take him down , if it might be done ? i answer , kings in their own kingdoms , and his own general councils . the kings of france , spain , &c. may easily prove , that they have more power to cast out the pope , than he hath to cast out half christs sacrament : and they may better forbid their own subjects to obey a forreign usurper , than he can forbid all the world to obey christ . 7. and for all this , the wit of man can hardly devise what reason they have to do it ? what point of their religion ? what interest of their own did engage them to it ? unless it be their interest to shew that they are above christ and the scripture , i do not yet discern their reason . 8. and yet they have , with resolution and obstinacy , persisted herein divers hundreds of years , and denyed the requests of emperours , nobles , and great part of several kingdoms in this point . this and the leaving out the second commandment , seem to be of purpose to shew that they are above the maker of the ten commandments and of the gospel . how long lord shall tyranny oppress the nations of the earth , and the honour and domination and wills of rebels , prevail to tread down truth and godliness , and keep the notice of thy salvation from the sinful miserable world ; whilest yet we daily pray by thy command , that thy name may be hallowed , thy kingdome come , and thy will be done , on earth as it is done in heaven ? whether the pope be the antichrist meant in the scripture ( by that name ) or not , you see that my passing it by doth shew my cautelousness in resolving ( as zanchy and others before me have done ) , because i am confessedly so far unstudyed or ignorant of the sense of the revelations and some other scripture prophecies , as that i must leave such cases to such as bishop downame and others that have deeper insight into them : every man should be best at that which he hath most studyed . but i must needs say , that though i take it to be indispensible duty , to keep up all due charity to all professed christians ; such instances as these which i have here opened do utterly disable me from confuting that man , who shall assert that this pretended vicar of christ , and king or monarch of the world , ( and so king of kings , and lord of lords ) is an abominable usurper , and insolent traytor , against god , and the true king and head of the universal church . how long will princes and prelates , learned and unlearned be deluded by him , or fear power ? and when shall he be restrained from hindering christs gospel , and the peace and concord of the christian world ? finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26931-e4170 johns . nov. repr . p. 426. protestants formally such , have not enough to be brought to the unfeigned love of god above all things , and special love to his servants , and unfeigned willingness to obey him : i deny you have any certain knowledge or feeling that you love god or his servants , or willingness to obey , &c. knot against chillingworth ch. 2. p. 122. [ in no one doctrine protestants would seem more unanimously to agree , than in this , that all things necessary to salvation are contained evidently in scripture — which they hold as the only foundation of the whole structure of their faith and religion . ] note this confession . see dr. holden analys . fidei li. 1. c. 3. lett. 1. he that would know what stress we lay on tradition as the medium may see it fully in my reasons of christ . relig. and dr. holden is more for us than for the papists , cap. 3. q. was it from the church that the first church received it ? or was it not the same divine religion which the first church ( whether council or practicers ) received without the tradition of council or practicers ? if so , this cannot be essential to religion . if the apostles words were to be believed , their proved writings are to be believed . and their writings were proved theirs before a general council or universal practice witnessed it : even by each church and person that received any epistle from any one of them . so that if the doctors will but differ in their expositions , the scripture is no more the sure word of god , or to be believed by catholick faith . of the pope without a general council . mark then , that it may be de fide divina , though not of catholick necessity without the proposal of council or universal practice . johns . nov. rep. p. 19. of the explication of terms : know you not , that divines are divided , what are the points necessary to be believed explicitely necessitate medii : some , and those the more antient hold , that the explicite belief of god , of the whole trinity , of christ , his passion , resurrection , &c. are necessary necessitate medii : others among the recentiors , that no more than the belief of the deity , and that he is the rewarder of our works , is absesolutely necessary with that necessary , to be explicitely believed . he doth better interpret the distinction of explicite and implicite on another occasion , in another sense . holden . l. 1. c. 9. p. 169. queret an teneatur quispiam a● internum divinae fidei actum , quem nec semper fortasse in eius potestate situm novimus ? quamdiu sane arbitretur quispiam hujusmodi fidei actum lumini naturali & rationi oppositum & contrarium esse , nequaquam poterit ad illum eliciendum astringi . notes for div a26931-e26910 aquin. p. 3. q. 75. a. 5. ad 3. fides non est contra sensum , sed est d● eo ad quod sensus non attingit . but doth not sense say , here is bread and wine ? vid. aquin. 3. q. 82. a. 7. c. vid. aquin. 3. q. 69. a. 9. vid. aquin. 3. q. 82. a. 8. 2 cor. 12.12 . rom. 15.19 . act. 14.3 . & 15.12 . matth. 21.15 . so they do by forbidding to eat flesh in lent : and yet say they eat christs flesh in lent : when irenaeus cited by occumenius com. in 1 pe● . c. 3. bringeth in blandina proving to the heathens that christians did not eat flesh and drink blood in the eucharist , because that they use even to abstain for exercise sake , from lawful flesh . see my more reasons for the christian religion , and the lord herbert de veritate . apply this to mr. johnsons rejoynder on this point , and you will see his vanity . richard baxters answer to dr. edward stillingfleet's charge of separation containing, i. some queries necessary for the understanding of his accusation, ii. a reply to his letter which denyeth a solution, iii. an answer to his printed sermon : humbly tendred, i. to himself, ii. to the right honourable the lord mayor and the court of aldermen, iii. to the readers of his accusation, the forum where we are accused. answer to dr. edward stillingfleet's charge of separation. 1680 baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1680 approx. 294 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 52 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26859 wing b1183 estc r10441 12386078 ocm 12386078 60845 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26859) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60845) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:3) richard baxters answer to dr. edward stillingfleet's charge of separation containing, i. some queries necessary for the understanding of his accusation, ii. a reply to his letter which denyeth a solution, iii. an answer to his printed sermon : humbly tendred, i. to himself, ii. to the right honourable the lord mayor and the court of aldermen, iii. to the readers of his accusation, the forum where we are accused. answer to dr. edward stillingfleet's charge of separation. 1680 baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 100 p. printed for nevil simmons ... and thomas simmons ..., london : 1680. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng stillingfleet, edward, 1635-1699. -mischief of separation. dissenters, religious -england. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 andrew kuster sampled and proofread 2005-11 andrew kuster text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion richard baxters answer to dr stillingfleet's charge of separation : containing , i. some queries necessary for the understanding of his accusation . ii. a reply to his letter which denyeth a solution . iii. an answer to his printed sermon . humbly tendred , i. to himself ; ii. to the right honourable the lord mayor and the court of aldermen , iii. to the readers of his accusation : the forum where we are accused . acts 15. 28. it seemed good to the holy ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden then these necessary things . rom. 14. 1 , 17 , 18. him that is weak in the faith receive , but not to doubtful disputations . for the kingdom of god is not meat and drink , but righteousness and peace and joy in the holy ghost . for he that in these things serveth christ , is acceptable to god , and approved of men . phil. 3. 16. nevertheless , whereto we have already attained , let us walk by the same rule , let us mind the same things . — 15. if in any thing ye be otherwise minded , god shall reveal even this unto you . london , printed for nevil simmons , at the three cocks at the west-end of s. paul's , and thomas simmons at the prince's arms in ludgate-street , mdclxxx . the preface . readers , 1. if you would be truly informed of the case of the nonconformists , and the meaning of this defence , you must know 1. that the meer nonconformists of this age take not up their judgment in trust from any party of men , and therefore take not themselves obliged to be for or against any thing , because men were so that were called nonconformist sheretofore : as the scripture is their rule and objective religion , so they reverence the judgment of the primitive church above the judgment of any party ; and indeed are so far against sects and parties as such , as that their judgment is that the church will never be well restored to desireable concord , till our vnion be catholick , upon the terms that christ appointed and which all good christians have agreed in , and may agree in . 2. that what the meer nonconformists of this age desired for concord and reformation , as to the old liturgy and conformity , is best known by their common proposals 1660 , all the ministers of london being by mr. calamy , mr. ash and dr. reynolds , invited to sion-colledg freely to give their judgments : who offered nothing for church-government but bishop usher's primitive form , and nothing for worship but the reforming of the liturgy , and the free use of additional formes : their exceptions against passages in the liturgy being not thought absolutely necessary to communion . and it must be remembred that they offered then , 1. a defence of those exceptions , 2. a reformed liturgy or additions , 3. a petition for peace and preventing schism , to the bishops , which they never answered to this day , that we know of . 3. you must know that the change of the liturgy on pretense of easing us , and the act of vniformity , have made conformity now quite another thing than it was before , and to us far more intollerable ; i am past doubt that ri. hooker , bishop bilson , bi usher and such others were they now alive would be nonconformists ; yea , i can prove it , as well as i can prove that they were honest men , and would hold to what they wrote . 4. you must know that we had never leave to give our reasons against the new conformity ; nor allowed to be once heard speak for our selves , before about two thousand ministers were silenced ; when our judicatures will hear a single malefactor . we have been silent about eighteen years , while men have call'd to us [ what is it that you would have ? ] while they would not give us leave to tell them . 5. and when the press was somewhat open , they spread it abroad that [ our silence now plainly shewed that we had nothing to say , but kept up a schism against our own consciences . ] 6. at last , though my friends had long told me that our lives must be our best defence , and that our accusers would but be inflamed by an apology , and could not endure to hear our reasons , i durst forbear no longer , but yet ventured no farther than to write a bare narrative of the matter of our nonconformity , lest arguing should exasperate : but that very naming of the things which we deny , hath much displeased them that differ from us , supposing that it implyeth an accusation of them , which i renounced . 7. the reader then that will understand our case , must not look to find it here , but be at the labour to read what is already written of it , which we must not repeat as oft as any will write against us ; that is , 1. in the said unanswered writings of 1661. 2. in the kings eclaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs , for which the london ministers subscribed and printed a thanksgiving . 3. in my first plea for peace , describing our nonconformity . 4. in the efence of it against mr. cheyny's answer . 5. in my second plea for peace , describing our judgment of government and obedience , and what our nonconformity is not , and divers other points . 6. in my true and only way of universal concord , on which the churches must agree , if ever . 7. in my moral prognostication . 8. in my abridgment of church-history of bishops and councils , shewing what hath divided the churches heretofore . 8. you must know that i write not to justifie every man that is called a nonconformist , but to give an answer to the publick accusation of my self , and a reason of the preaching of the meer nonconformists . 9. but that the fuller justification of our preaching is intended in another treatise , called their apology , or third plea for peace . ii. and as to the prosecution of the debate with this reverend doctor , it is not likely that i shall trouble him with any rejoinder if he reply , unless he will take another course , and first explain our terms , and state the question to be disputed . much less shall i contend with any substitute who shall avoid the way of love and reason , which from the doctor i may expect . there is one sort of disputants that are too strong for me , those that have a better cause ; truth will overcome : light will appear through narrow cranies . of these i shall be glad to be overcome : i protest , that to my knowledg , i never managed a dispute , in which i trusted not to the goodness of my cause , more than to wit or words or humane advantage . but there are above twenty sorts of other disputants , too hard for me to overcome . 1. those that will dispute before they agree of the sense of their terms or state the question , and then quarrel for not being understood . 2. those that will not read or answer our fullest defence already written , but look i should still begin anew . 3. vniversallists , that can prove me to be an ass , because i am an animal . 4. equivocaters , that can prove me a separatist because i sit not at their feet , or read not in their book or with their spectacles . 5. a pope that taketh it for a heresie or crime to question his word , or suppose him fallible . 6. a proud meer grammarian , who can confute aristotle and the school-men with a scorn , and taketh it for a disgrace to have any more logick than simple terms ; or taketh rhetorick for the purest fruit of reason . 7. a nominal , who contracteth all his syllogisms into simple terms of art , and can confute any adversary , by calling him a fool , or a rogue , or a heretick , or a schismatick . 8. one that standeth so high that he thinks men below him to be little things like walking crows . 9. a one-eyed man that can see nothing but on his own side . 10. a galled person that smarteth if the wind blow on him : and a melancholly man that thinketh that all that you think and say is against him , and would kill him . 11. i cannot dispute against canons and organs , that speak so loud that none can be heard but themselves . nor against ringing bells , that have loud tongues and no ears : and go on , on , on , and take no heed to what is answered . 12. nor against such as isa . 48. 4. iron is too stiff for me to bow , and i can make no impression upon brass . 13. nor can i deal with such as are described , hos . 7. 4 , 6 , 7. such an oven hath too wide a mouth and too hot a breath for me to contend with . 14. nor such as psal . 59. 7. and 55. 21. that speak swords , or dispute with hands and not with tongues : and fetch their arguments from the prison , or the lyons , and speak not to the ear , but to the flesh and bones . nor such as 2 sam. 23. 6. isa . 27. 4. mic. 7. 4. thorns and bryers speak too feelingly . if i must dispute with stings , i had rather it were with bees that will recompence me , than with wasps or hornets . 15. i am too weak for men over valiant , that can venture upon any thing , and easily prove that the snow is black . 16. and my voice is too low for the dead and deaf and sleepy and drunken , that when i have spoken know not what i said . 17. i am loath to enter the lists with those women that never want time , or heat , or words , and seldom foul ones , [ nam si cum stercore certo , vinco seu vincor , semper ego maculor . ] 18. nor am i able to deal with a crowd or multitude , where they follow the leader , and cry , away with him , when few know whom or what they are against . 19. nor yet with lads that are too quick for me , and value mercury above gold , that have quick trade but little stock , and think age and experience to be the characters of dull declining wits . 20. and i am too weak to dispute a man out of love with his life , or his pleasure , wealth or honour . all church-history tells me how rarely any ever scrupled the lawfulness of being made pope or patriarch , or hath been argued out of a bishoprick or dominion . i am not strong enough to answer an hundred pound a year , much less a thousand ( though grace and conscience is . ) 21. but though all this be not the case of the reverend doctor , yet one advantage ( though uncertain ) he hath : he is liketo over-live me , and so may have the last word ; and that is a certain victory with the sequacious multitude . but yet truth will triumph , and fraud will vanish , and secret things shall be brought to light , and that which is crookned by the judgment of men shall be set strait by the infallible final judgment . for the reverend doctor stillingfleet , dean of st. pauls . reverend sir , as you have told the magistrates and the world what you think of me as guilty of sinful separation , i have reason to hope that you will not deny me your help for my own conviction : for it concerneth no man so nearly to know my sin as my self : and being so near my day of judgment , i were a most inexcusable wretch if i were unwilling to know it . you knew their capacity it 's like , for whom you preacht and wrote ; but i , that best know my own , finding it impossible to understand you and your accusation without further help , presume to intreat your speedy answer to these questions which are the stop of my conviction . i. q. i entreat you to tell me more plainly , which is the constitutive regent part of a national church ? whether the king , or a sacerdotal head ? for that you know , that a church as well as a kingdom , is essentiated by a pars regens , and pars subdita , i long ago found in your irenicon . i have opened the state of the question in my first plea , page 251 , 252 , &c. of which i crave your solution : for to hear of [ one head , ] and not know who it is , is no satisfaction to me . ii. q. i intreat you to tell me wore plainly what the [ one rule ] meant in your text was , which was then extant , and all that had attained to be true christians were then and are now to agree in and walk by . for i perceive you truly judge that it was somewhat then known to them ; and yet in your application one would think you meant some late humane laws . was it a divine rule or a humane ? if humane , how to know it . iii. q. i beseech you tell me plainly , what is the definition or formal reason of that sinful separation which you mention as mine . for i cannot perceive it by your book : unless you take preaching without the magistrates leave , and worshiping in a manner different from that appointed by law , and forbidden , to be it . but i suppose you take not all disobedience to be separation , nor all different modes of worship . i would fain know what you mean. iv. q. i intreat you tell me plainly , what you would have the many score thousands do on the lords days , who cannot hear in the parish churches ? for the matter of fact is past dispute , that in your parish of st. andrews , sepulchres , giles cripplegate , giles in the fields , martins , clements , and many others , there are in some 10000 , in some 20000 , in some 30000 , in some the parishoners say , 60000 inhabitants more than can come into the church and hear the ministers voice ; which seldom can be heard by more than 3000 or 4000. how would you have all these score thousands spend the lords day ? v. q. are you not conscious that the true pastoral office is not performed in your own parish to the third part of the people according to their need , and pauls example act. 20. by reason of the number of them ? prudent peaceable men of your parish tell me , that not one of five of their neighbours ever use to go to any church : and out of the church never hear a word from the pastor , unless at the baptizing of a child ; but live like heathens without any publick worship of god : and the worst men that most need help least desire it , and therefore easiliest take the excuse that at the parish church there is no room , and if they go to others they are called separatists ; but not if they play , work or drink at home . vi. q. i am confident you know the need of many curates in your own parish ; ( for my part , i profess , i am so far from thinking my self capable of a bishops work , that i would not take many 1000 l. a year to take the pastoral charge of your parish without many assistants ) seeing then you and i ( as i see by your treat of satisfaction and other doctrinal books ) do preach the same doctrine , and i perform but the part of a curate or assistant to you for nothing . why think you that it is worse than that so many be untaught ? vii . q. do you not think that culpably to alienate an ordained minister , vowed to the sacred office , is far worse sacriledge than to steal church-plate or moneys ? and that it must needs be so culpable , either in our selves for not conforming , or for ceasing our works , or else in those that hinder us . viii . q. what then is it that you would have us do , when after our best endeavours we are no more able to see the lawfulness of conforming or forsaking our calling , than of many great notorious sins ? ix . q. do you think that for qualification and number there are so many better than the silenced ministers in the land , as may so far s●pply the peoples wants , as that 2000 such as we may better be spared , than employed , unless we can conform ? x. q. are none of our hearers more competent judges than their accusers , what profiteth their own souls ? and if the 〈◊〉 , what is the great harm that such as i do , that weighs down the peoples profit ; while all your power is for edification , and all your churches that i come in are full ? xi . q. what is it in us that warranteth a humble 〈◊〉 to think , that his ministerial duty is so much better than ours , that in comparison of his ministry , ours is unnecessary and we unsufferable in the land : is it our ignorance or our wickedness that makes the difference so great ? i have studied many years longer than you , though perhaps with less advantage : we know nothing in the world that we prefer before the pleasing of god , and edifying his church ? though you excel us , do all others so ? my meaning is , would you have none tolerated in england that are as ignorant and as bad as i , consideratis considerandis . doth bare conforming make all this difference ? xii . q. and as i ask all these questions for my self ( and earnestly intreat your answer ) pardon me while in true love to you , i put this question to you for your self ; whether do you think , if you lived in the pain , and as near the grave as i do , and by the sentence of death had the lively apprehensions of your account , should you not tremble to think of becoming a preacher against our preaching , and justifying or owning the silencing and ruining of so many hundred devoted ministers of christ , who are no worse , and for no worse cause ? such as truly desire to serve god as faithfully and diligently as your self , and with as little respect to preferment , riches , applause , or any worldly end ? and whether you will never wish that you had never put your hand to such a work , as to argue with the magistrate and harden others , against the enduring of such mens labours , even on the hard terms that we willingly perform them . sir , many importune me to publish an answer to your sermon : 1. as to my self , i am more concerned to crave your help for my conviction , if i live in sin at so dear a rate , even to my slesh : 2. and as to you , you have deserved so well of this land , especially for so stoutly opposing popery at such a time , and are so much loved and valued by us all , that i would take tho-least provoking way ; us knowing what contention and exasperatiou tendeth to , and how glad the papists will be to turn your pen from themselves , and leave you and such as i , together in a fruitless conflict : waiting your answer , i rest may 29. 1680. your unworthy fellow-servant , ri. baxter . dr. stillingfleet's answer to mr. baxter's letter . sir , i lately received a letter from you , wherein you complain of my exposing you to the magistrates and the world , as one guilty of sinful separation ; whereas i never mentioned your name , when i preached , and when i printed the sermon , i have quoted it several times against separation . but if your meaning he , that you think your self concerned in those practises which i charge with that guilt , i should have been very glad to have found in your letter an answer to those reasons in my sermon which moved me to judg as i then did , and still do concerning them , which in my opinion had been a far more likely way for your conviction , which you seem to desire in your letter , than my answering those queries you propose ; many of which do very little relate to the matter in debate between us . what you mean by knowing their capacity for whom i preached and wrote , i am not willing to understand ; but if i have any , the single question between you and me , as to this matter , is , whether t●e upholding separate meetings for divine worship , where the doctrine stablished , and the substantial parts of worship are acknowledged to be agreable to the word of god , be a sinful separation , or not ? by separate meetings , i mean such as 〈◊〉 to a purer way of worship , and are kept up in opposition to the legal establishment of religion among us . and now sir , i pray consider , first , to what purpose i should resolve the queries you make concerning our great parishes , since , 1. the separate meetings 〈◊〉 kept up in the city , and adjoynen● places , as hackney , newingten , &c. without any regard to the greatness of parishes , or capacity of churches . 2. you cannot but know , that the people do not go to them , because they cannot find room in churches , but because they look upon the worship of god , as purer there , 〈◊〉 our paroch●●l churches : and most of those who frequent them , would not come to the publick worship , were our churches never so great , or our parishes nev●● so small . 3. the preaching in them is forbidden by law , which the greatness or smallness of our parishes doth not make more or l●ss 〈…〉 unless those who preach in ●hem do conform to the 〈◊〉 established , and so i grant you , the tabe●●acle in st. martin's parish , is ●●wah 〈◊〉 to the parish-church , which before was a separate meeting . and i wonder a person of your segacity should think to satisfie your self , or others , by such slight evasions as these , which scarce any of my auditors or readers , how mean soever their capa●●ies were , but could discern the weakness of them . secondly , others of your queries relate to the qualifications and number of the ejected ministers , and comparing their gifts with ours . but what is all this to the business of separation ? unless you suppose that the gospel is not preached by vs ; or whether it be or not , that you are bound to preach it still , and so much seems to be implied in your 7 th question , viz. that it is a sacriledge culpably to alienate an ordained minister vowed to the sacred office. and because this comes nearest to the matter in hand , and seems very much to stick with you , i shall desire you to resolve these queries . 1. whether it be not in the power of those who give orders in a christian church to limit and suspend the exercise of the ministerial function without sacriledge ? if not , how could the christian church in its best and purest times , pretend to reduce bishops and presbyters to a lay-communion ? of which you may read so often in st. cyprian's epistles . nay what church is there to be named , that doth not assume this power to it self , without the least suspition of sacriledge ? and it would be very strange , that this notion of sacriledge should never be understood before . 2. whether christian magistrates may not justly restrain those ministers from preaching , who after the experience of former troubles , do refuse to renounce those principles which they judge do naturally tend to involve 〈◊〉 again in the like troubles ? 3. to what purpose any such authority is either in church or state , if those who are legally silenced may go on to preach publickly in opposition to the established laws ; only in supposition that they were wrongfully ejected ? this i am certain is contrary to the doctrine of all the non-conformists of former times , as you may see in the book published in their name by mr. rathband , a. d. 1644. p. 41. ( besides what you may find in my sermon , p. 51. only the testimony of dr. gouge ought to be corrected th● , p. 513 , 514. ) their words are , if a guiltless person put out of his charge by the churches authority , may yet continue in it , what proceedings can there be against guilty persons who in their own conceit are always guiltless or will at least pretend so to be ; seeing they also will be always ready to object against the churches judgment , that they are called of god , and may not therefore give over the execution of their ministry at the will of man. 4. whether there be the same obligation now lying upon ministers to preach the gospel , in a nation where the gospel is confessed to be truly preached , when they are forbidden to do it by the laws of the land ; as there was upon the apostles to preach it first to the world , notwithstanding ●he prohibitions of men ? the disparity seems so obvious to me , that i could hardly believe men of understanding would alledge the apostles words to justifie their present practises , had i not so often seen it done . but that the old non-conformists did truly understand the disparity of the case , you may see it in 3 instances in the former book , which i shall refer you to . but you ask one matterial question in behalf of the people , viz. are none of our hearers more competent judges than their accusers what profiteth their own souls ? and is this in your judgment , a tolerable plea for separation ? then there can be no such thing as an unjustifiable or sinful separation ; since the people are left to be their own judges . for where was any separation made but upon such a pretence ? and upon this ground the people may leave you to morrow , and go to doctor o. and leave him next week and go to the anabaptists , and from them to the quakers ; and still plead that they are more competent judges than their accusers , what profiteth their own souls . no one would think by such questions as these , that ever you had written so much against separation , and spoken so freely of the mischief of it , thus i have pickt out those queries , which come nearest to the matter of separation , and given a suffieient answer to them . but as to the other remaining , concerning the constituent regent part of a national church ; the one rule mentioned by the apostle ; and whether you or i have studied longer or to better purpose , i have in civility passed them over , as no more relating to our business , than determining the principle of individuation , is , to the keeping of the sixth commandment . and i am resolved in debate of this nature not to be drawn off by any by-queries from the main thing in controversie . i do not press you to any speedy answer , but i desire you rather to weigh and consider things impartially , than to give too hasty a reply . i am neither fond of controversie , nor can i desert so just and clear a cause as i take this against separation to be ; from which i shall not be moved by the noise and censures of weak and injudicious people , who i find ( as you formerly observed ) can least endure to be touched in this matter . if you please at your leisure to return an answer to this paper , it shall be thankfully received by sir , your faithful friend and servant edward stillingfleet . my sudden removal into the country upon the receipt of yours , must excuse my sending this no sooner . a reply to dr. stillingfleet's letter ; being the sum of our controversie . § . 1. i confess i was so well assured of the divine obligations which lay on me , to do these things which you judg my sin , that my expectations from your return were very low : but yet i thought it my duty to try whether you had more than i knew of to say for my conviction , before i ventured on a defence : but your refusal to convince and satisfie me , increaseth my confidence . that it is my great duty which you account my sin . § . 2. did you not write to be understood ? or must i only not understand you ; must i trouble the reader by gathering all the passages , where you expresly speak to me , viz. as one of them ; and as going beyond the independants , and preaching unlawfully to them that unlawfully hear . and as deeling more disingeniously and less fairly than the old separatists , and so almost from end to end . § . 3. seeing you should have been very glad to have found an answer to your sermon , an answer you shall have . § . 4. seeing you will no further explain your great word [ separation ] i will answer it where i find it in your sermon : and if the case must be no more intelligibly stated , i must take it as you will do it . § . 5. to sum up all , as far as i am able to understand you , your sermon containeth , 1. the grounds supposed on which you build . 2. your accusation of us on those grounds : 3. the penalties which you justifie , 4. and the cure which you desire . i. as far as you are intelligible to me , your supposed grounds are , that [ god hath authorized the magistrate , 1. to choose what persons every man in his dominions shall entrust his soul to , as the pastor , whose conduct he is bound in conscience to obey : 2. and also to choose and command , in what words only every pastor shall publickly pray to god ; and what books and words of men he shall profess assent and consent to ; and what dedicating symbols of christianity he shall use as engaging in the christian covenant , and to command ceremonies and modes , for dissent wherein he shall deny baptism , and church-communion to all dissenters , though the things be taken to be indifferent by the magistrate , and great sins by the dissenters . 3. and that all that obey not in all these , but preach when forbidden , or use other accidents or modes , and choose other pastors to ●e their guides , are separatists and sin againg god. ii. on these grounds you judg me and such others sinful separatists iii. you justifie the executing of the laws upon us , and would have us silenced , and such dissenters not endured it is our ( conformity , or our ) ceasing to preach which you plead for as the cure. § . 6. i. as to your supposed ground , 1. you know , it 's like that in my first plea for peace , i largely confuted it : and could you think that without any reply your bare saying over the thing confuted , could be any satisfaction , to one of any sense or conscience . 2. you cannot but know that the judgment and practice of the uniyersal church in east and west hath been against you , not only for the first 300 years , but for many hundred after . father paul sarpi after cited , in his history of church revenues truly testifieth it : i have proved it by many canons and histories in my church history ; that he was to be taken as no bishop that was chosen by magistrates , prelates or any , without the clergies election , and the peoples election or consent : christians then took not this to be any part of the princes trust : but only to countenance the things that furthered learning and godliness , and encourage the clergy and people to choose the best , and to protect and encourage and govern them by the sword when they were chosen . this being past doubt , were the universal church separatists ? is our concent with the universal church , or your singularity from it , liker to schism or separation ? 3. i know that there are inconveniences in the peoples consenting power , and so there are in all humane affairs ; but not to be cured by pernicious mischiefs . you will not tell me , because you cannot tell me , how we shall know what magistrates they be that have this trust ? whether heathens , infidels , mahometans , socinians , arians , macedonians , eutkchians , monothelites , image-worshipers , papists , anabaptists , or who ? and who must judge of their qualifications ? yea , were we sure that the prince were orthodox , if he were but wicked , debauched , an enemy to serious practical piety , as all wicked men naturally are inclined to be , will not all such choose bishops and pastors like themselves ? what more natural than to propagate our like ? and will not wicked bishops make wicked priests ; and you know the patron hath the choice with us and it 's a slender qualification which the bishop hath power to require , without a quare impedit : an atheist , a fornicator , a drunkard , a hater of holiness , hath nevertheless the choice of a priest for the parish , to whom all the people must entrust their souls . what a sad case were the christian world in , if we may lawfully have no other pastors than gentlemen and princes choose for us ? when christ tells us how hard it is for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven ? and how few of the noble are called , and [ in uno annulo , &c. ] is become a proverb . what a case were hungary , poland , france , germany , and the greek churches in , if this were true ? 4. personal power in man is the first : family power is the next : city and kingdom power supposeth these and cannot destroy them : hence subjects that are not meer slaves , stand up to plead for their personal and domestick property , liberty and power . if my money , and limbs and life be not at the patrons or the princes will , much less my soul. he is trusted with my estate and life ; but i am first and more trusted with them . he may keep out ill physitians from the land , and encourage the good ; but he hath no power to tie me to an ill physitian , nor to an ill diet , nor to ill servants , &c. the choice of these belongeth to my self . much less can he on pretence of parish-order tie me to an ignorant , drunken , malignant , or an unexperienced sapless teacher , that is to my soul as a silly emperick to my health . scripture and the worlds experience tell how much god m●rrally giveth his light and grace , according to the aptitude of means : habitus infusi se habent ad modum acquisitorum , is common in the schools . twenty sinners are usually sooner brought to repentance under skilful fit teachers , than under one unskilful or ungodly men . and no man hath power from god , to damn my soul ; or forbid me the needful means of my salvation . no man is so much concerned as my self what becometh of me for ever : and i will not believe that the patron loveth me and all the parish better than we love our selves . england hath been blest with better rulers than other lands : but one rule must in this be held to by all the churches . and if you would even here appeal to experience , i will not here stay to tell you the names of 8 or 9 or 10 ignorant readers , most drunkards , some rarely , half never preaching , that i was bred under , nor what a stock of such our country had , and how very thin pious tolerable preachers were : nor what worthy men aldermanbury , black-fryers , the inns-of-courts , and most places have had where the people chose . but reason signifieth little with most , who are on his side that talketh to them with the best advantage : i insist on this , you go against all the ancient farthers and churches for many hundred years , and are so far a separatist from more than one parish-priest . ii. and therefore your accusation of us thus grounded is shismatical and unjust , and recoileth on your self , who instead of gods rule that all should walk by , accuse them that walk not by your novel crooked rules , which may make as many modish religions as there are princes . iii. and your desire of our silencing and not being tolerated , i will only here lament , and after speak to . iv. and as your cure by our conformity is impossible ; so that by silencing will be none , but increase the disease . § . 7. is it not a very uncharitable thing of you , that when it 's i whom you have called to account , you flatly deny or shun to give me an answer to my case , and to the case of all others that preach only in parishes , where few of the people can hear in the church . why ask you [ to what purpose should you resolve those queries ? ] i answer , to shew me whether my preaching be my sin , or duty : and whether you justly or unjustly accused me , and all such others ; was it not to this purpose that i craved your answer ? 2. and do you not know , that in the bills of mortality it appeareth that the parishes within the walls are but about the seventh part of the whole ; and the outer parishes , which are thus great , are about six parts : and in these parishes it is not the tenth part in some and the sixth in most that can come within the church to hear . and it is pity that one half , or two or three parts of such a city as london should be left like the indians without any publick teaching and worship , and such as you say so much for it . § . 8. you say , the separate meetings are kept in the city , hackney , newington , &c. ans . 1. what 's that to me , and all such other ? 2. i can tell that some city churches are yet unbuilt , and the tabernacles will not hold the people ( as christ-church , and others . ) 3. and divers keep meetings within the walls , where they found most peace , for the reception of those without the walls , that cannot come into their own churches . 4. what 's done at newington i know not ; but at hackney i know of two meetings , where the ministers so preach out of the time of publick worship , that none may be hindred from going to it , and deny not communion with the parish-churches : and they tell me , that as the incumbent officiateth by another , so the parish is so great , and the preachers voice so low , that a great part cannot hear him . 5. why do you say they are separate meetings , when you know that you have cast them out : the preachers had rather preach in your temples , and they cannot be suffered : preachers and people that are professed nonconformists but in opinion , are by the canon ipso facto excommunicate . § . 9. as to what you say of the reason of their meetings ; i answer , 1. i think ( as far as i can judge ) the most of my hearers , ( i think ten or twenty to one ) do also hear in the parish churches : so that your charge of separation against them is but for hearing both : and i believe it is so with many others . 2. every one that preferreth better , doth not separate from all the rest : your church alloweth any free man to forsake and change his bishop and parish priest as oft as he will ; so he will but 8. i believe , that a father must be honoured , and having care of his childrens life and soul , he must command them necessary food and means for body and soul , and they must obey him , if the law forbad it . 9. i believe that murdering souls privatively or positively is a sin , as well as murdering bodies , as many undertaking and not performing pastors will find . 10. i believe that he that obeyeth not a law which was made against gods law , or without authority given by him , sinneth not against authority . 11. i think in such cases , he that submitteth to the penalty of a penal law , doth enough . 12. i conjecture , that the multitude of casuists , politick writers , and lawyers , who say that because the common good is the end of government , and all power is for edification , no law obligeth which is against the common good , or at least that is destructive of it , ] are like to be near as knowing in such matter , as the meanest of the doctors hearers and readers . 13. and i am past doubt , that he that denieth these principles , will shortly have no cause to glory of his wisdom . and o what cause have we that are teachers , in stead of proving those intollerable that differ from us in such matters as our conformity , to consider that an errour in us , especially so practical and momentous , is far more dangerous than in the people . if all my neighbours mistake my disease and the remedy , it may not hurt me ; but if my physician mistake it , it may be my death . bishop vsher and many protestants do except a learned papist much more than the unlearned from the hopes of salvation . § . 12. i will readily answer your queries , though you refuse to answer mine . to your first , those who rightfully give orders , must give such orders as god hath instituted , and may not limit or suspend contrary to his institution or laws . as he that marrieth persons may not except the husbands power of government , nor may unmarry them againe , save for adultery . none may silence ministers that forfeit not their office. on just cause to pull down churches , and alienate the church goods , ( as some bishops of old did for the poor ) is no sacriledge : nor to silence an intollerable teacher : but to silence ministers unjustly , is another matter . if men will cant over still , who shall be judge ? we still repeat , 1. whoever is judge , he hath no power to cast out faithful ministers : and if he mis-judge them , it justifieth not his act . and every man is the discerning judge of his own duty . § . 13. to your second querie , christian magistrates may justly preserve the publick peace by all just means , and may repress all rebellious practices and principles : but if they should mis judge any principles to be such that are not , and for not renouncing those should silence ministers , if they have fitter means than silencing to correct them , silencing them , when their ministry is needful , is a sin . but seeing these words are significant of your mind for silencing us , and the reasons of it , why would you not tell me , what those principles are which we refuse to renounce , and so deserve silencing . either you lay the stress on the guiltiness of our principles , or on the magistrates judging them so . you cannot think , that if he mis judge , it will justifie his silencing men : else valens , hunnierichus , that cut out the preachers tongues , those that silenced the preachers in germany , on one side for not swearing for the pope , and on the other for not swearing for the emperour , &c. all did well . seeing then you speak as an accuser of us , as guilty of refusing to renounce such principles , and subscribe your implied consent to our silencing for it ; o that you would be so charitable as to help our conversion , and tell us what those principles are . i have told the world at large my own and many other principles of government and obedience , in my second plea for peace : i crave your discovery of my errours therein : yea , i provoke also such as more fiercely accuse us , as plotters , or cherishing principles of rebellion , to name that principle which i have not there renounced . if all that 's there be not enough , i know not what will be enough . § . 14. to your third , i answer , 1. it followeth not , that authority to silence justly is to no purpose , unless all unjustly silencing must be obeyed : the apostles , the old bishops , the most of the churches have disobeyed such ; as did the waldenses , bohemians , german protestants , the french , belgians , remonstrants , and contraremonstrants , &c. you say , greatness of parishes makes no difference : what if the king turned all london into one parish , and so fo●bid all preaching and publick worship to all save a few thousands ? is authority vain , unless all the rest turn like to atheists ? no good christian should obey the popes interdicts of whole kingdoms , though he had as much authority as the king : a power to damn souls is a frightful word . 2. either the supposition that it is unjust , is true or false : if false , it will not justifie their preaching : if true , either his preaching is necessary or unnecessary . if it be necessary , we must obey god , and disobey man ( as grosthead saith ) by an obedient disobedience : if it be unnecessary , though the magistrate sin , i must forbear there , and go to some place where i may preach without doing more hurt than good : so that controversie●ieth ●ieth but in this , whether the preaching of the 2000 silenced ministers was unnecessary , and tended to do more hurt than good ? and this is all that mr. rathband , or any sober nonconformist meant : and this is plain truth , though the best of your hearers , and readers , or your self contradict it . § . 15. and whereas you say , this i am certain is contrary to the doctrine of all the nonconformists of former times ; your assertion is so rash and false in matters of notorious fact , that it weakneth my reverence of your judgment . change his dwelling : and in london , lodgers may change frequently . if i know those called puritans better than you , i must profess that i believe of the two it is more the preacher and his preaching which maketh the difference with them than the liturgie . for my part i seldom hear any but very good well studied sermons in the parish churches in london where i have been : but most of them are more sitted to well bred schollars , or judicious hearers , than to such as need more practical subjects , and a more plain familiar easie mode : and it is not your reasoning that will bring all appetites to the same food ; nor make the same books serve every form . i have always found that such conformable preachers , as were mr. bolton , mr. fenner , mr. whately , bishop vsher , &c. were flockt after by those called puritans , as much as the non-conformists . but when they find all together , 1. that the worship and the preaching is more suitable to their good , 2. and that their souls have need of much other pastoral help than publick . 3. and doubt of the calling of obtruded men , no wonder if they prefer the other . § . 10. but you lay the stress on the prohibition of the law , which the greatness or smallness of the parish doth not make more or less lawful . ans . god hath commanded all christians ordinarily to learn and worship him under the conduct of his institution , all christians grant this . no man hath power to forbid this : all law that forbiddeth it is of no obligation . in a parish where 10000 , 20000 , 40000 , cannot come within the church to hear ; if they have no other place to go to , they must forbear all publick learning and worship : so that the english of your words is , that if the law forbid the most of the people all publick learning and worship of god , it is there as unlawful for any to congregate against that law as where there is no such need . but 1. i again tell you , councils , doctors and the universal church thought otherwise , and abhor'd this doctrine . 2. why will you not give us one word of proof but your naked authority to prove such authority in the magistrate , and to satifie us what rulers have it , and how far it reacheth : hath the king enabled justices to depose him , or cast down his honour or prerogative ? hath god given magistrates authority to damn as many souls as they will ; by keeping them from the means of knowledge , faith and holiness ; and to forbid his subjects to worship god ? did robert grosthead of lincoln take this to be the greatest sin save antichrists , and do you take it for an act authoriz'd ? is it unlawful to preach when forbidden , or worship god when forbidden , at japon , indostan , china , turkie , france , &c. or only in england ? and where ? § . 11. yet do you conclude [ i wonder a person of your sagacity should think to satisfie your self or others , by such slight evasions as these , which scarce any of my auditors , or readers how mean so ever their capacities were , but could discern the weakness of them . answ . 1. o pity then the frailty of human understanding ! i get nothing by it if i err but my great labour and the hazard of my salvation by sin ! it must needs be then against my will ; and is none of my size to be endured ? how few congregations are so happy as yours , if all your auditors are so much wiser ? but , 1. be the thousands of your parish as wise that hear you not ? 2. how come some that i thought the wisest that i know of your auditors , to say as i say , and lament your case ? reader , you see here that it must be somewhat better than the confidence of teachers , that must guide and secure the peoples faith. this reverend man you see is most confident of the strength of his reasons and the slightness of mine : and i am so far past doubt on the other side , as that i think he overthroweth all religion , and seteth up man in open rebellion against god : he may as well wonder that i take any thing to be of divine command : if all publick worship is sinful , when forbidden , all private may be so too . daniel may go to the lyons : the martyrs , fathers , councils , the universal church are all foolisher than the meanest of his auditors . it 's strange that he can be sure gods word is true ; and yet be so sure that mens laws are above it , and may suspend it ; when yet mens laws have no more strength than gods laws give them . 1. i believe that the spirit of god hath said , forsake not the assembling of your selves together ; know them that labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you , and esteem them very highly in love for their work sake , 1 thess . 5. 12. 13. that have spoken to you the word of god , that watch for your souls , heb. 13. 17 , 24. how shall they hear without a preacher , &c. rom. 10. 2. i believe that where the gospel is hid , it is hid to them that are lost : and without knowledge the heart is not good , and without faith there is no salvation ; and that it is life eternal to know god in christ . 3. therefore they that forbid men to hear and worship god publickly , forbid what god commandeth ; and what is ordinarily needful to salvation . 4. i believe that god is almighty , the highest universal king , and we are all his subjects ; and the scripture is his law. 5. i believe that there is no power but from him , and that he hath given none against him , or his laws , nor above him ; and that man is not god ; and that we must obey god rather than man , when they contradict . 6. i believe that we must love , fear , and serve god above all , and worship him according to his word , and honour his name , and keep holy his day , whoever forbid it : and that we must love our neighbour as our selves , and help to save him as we may . 7. i believe that i must love my self , and seek the saving of my soul , though the law forbad me . in matter of right . i have told you what bishop bancroft saith of the old nonconformists forming churches and discipline : the canon against conventicles , thence occasioned , confuteth you : i have heard old nonconformists preach constantly publickly and privately against law : i was familiar with many of them : i never knew one of the mind you mention . most of them did preach themselves that ever i heard of . if mr. rathband had denied this , it had been no proof . mr. ash that is one of them there , and mr. slator , both preached at bremicham long , mr. pateman at moseley , &c. multitudes i could name . and yet a man that knew them not [ is certain that all the nonconformists of former times had contrary doctrine ] . i was in 1638. and 1639. accounted one of them , though i used the liturgie , which most of them did not . i knew them better than you did . i have named many in my first plea , whose practice proveth your great error in that history where you say you are certain . § . 16. to your fourth question , an obligation may be called [ the same ] , 1. quoad terminum . 2. quoad gradum . 3. quoad modum obligandi . 4. quoad realitatem . 1. the apostles had an obligation to assert christs resurrection , as eye-witnesses , and to record his doctrine and laws infallibly in scripture , and to many things proper to them , which we have not ; but we are obliged to the work of our proper office. 2. the apostles had greater obligations then we , by more immediate call , and special gift of the spirit , and special commission and command ; when ours are lower , but firmly binding us . 3. the apostles were obliged by christs immediate mission , and commission , and we but by his ordinary instituted means . but we are as truly bound to our duty , as they to theirs . 2. and our duty is to preach the gospel to those without , and those within , according to our power and opportunity , and to do the rest of our office when we can . and though we are called to this without supernatural inspiration , vision , or miracle , being called , we are as truly obliged , as parents , husbands , princes are to their duties . it is not lawful to look back when we have put our hands to christs plow , nor perfidiously to break our ordination vow , nor to be negligent or treacherous non-residents , pluralists , or slothful , nor to obey men more than god , though we were not called immediately , or by miracle . 3. if the magistrate appoint 20000 or 1000 , or one half a parish to be excluded for want of room and teachers , it 's ill supposed that the gospel is truly and sufficiently preached to them , to whom it is not preached at all . and that it is preached to others , proveth it not unnecessary to them . 4. he that only readeth the gospel truly preacheth it : but souls have need of more pastoral help than bare true preaching . 5 ignorant wicked men in england can no more be saved than heathens , and have need of convincing , skilful , serious preaching , as well as they . your wondring at our allegation of the apostle's words , and great confidence in so sad a cause , sets me almost above wondring at any thing that you say . timothy was not called immediately by christ , who had that dreadful charge to preach in season and out of season . the universal church long judged otherwise of this case than you do : and not only bishop bilson , but i think almost all christian writers , protestants and papists , herein follow the ancient church against you . the nonconformists and others easily grant what i said before , that no one apostle might be silenced by man ; but deserving ministers , that do more hurt than good by their ministry , may be silenced by christian magistrates : but not the churches edification oppugned , and 2000 faithful men silenced for not sinning on pretence of a power to judge or execute . § . 17. my question implieth , 1. that every man is most concerned for his own soul , and hath a prior obligation to secure it , which the king cannot dispense with . 2. and , that every man hath nearer helps to know what is good or hurtful to his soul in doubtful cases , than the king that never saw him hath . 3. and every man is like to love himself more than the king loveth him . 4. and , that the king can no more bind him to hurt , or famish , or endanger his soul than his health in diet. but the king must give men all the helps that he can , and set up and maintain sufficient publick teachers , and drive the ignorant and profane to hear and learn , and promote order and concord , and hinder unpeaceableness and disorder by just means . but i have so fully declared the magistrate's work in my book of concord , that i will not repeat it on this slight occasion . separations must be prevented by right means . i had no separatists in a great congregation for fourteen years , though many sects strongly and often tempted them ; no not one separate meeting all that time , and this without force . what harm will it do me , or them , if my hearers go from me ( as you say ) to dr. o? our whole country where i lived almost kept concord , and kept out separation without the magistrates constraint : experience is not easily confuted . why then do you tell me of what i have written against separation ? when you may see that i contradict none of this ; and when that writing , with my other endeavours , served without the rulers sword. i had three justic● always at hand that would have done for me what they could at any time : i never desired one act of force from them . i allowed quakers and anabaptists publick disputes half a day together : they never won one man or woman by it . mr. tombes his great parts , and interest with his flock and kindred , could get but about twenty four or less than thirty anabaptists at bewdeley : almost all the rest of the country was free , save a few inconsiderable quakers at worcester , and a small village or two . the like was then done without force in many other counties . § . 18. i told you how necessary the resolving of the questions which i sent you was to my conviction : and i will not provoke you , by giving that name to your denyal of an answer to them , which i think impartial readers will give it . i. will other men believe that he doth well to deny me the definition of that national church which he writeth of , or to tell me whether he speak of a lay or a clergie government , who writes his wonder that i should say , i know not what they mean by the national church ? how can i know whom to obey , or when i separate from the form of government , if i know not what it is ? is this nothing to our case ? i take my self to be more bound to obey the king , than some bishops . you knew that you are here divided as for two church-forms among your selves . ii. would any man that ever knew you have believed that ever you , even you , should have so preached and written for walking by the same rule , and accused the nonconformists as worthy of silencing , and as intollerable for swarving from that rule ; and when you have done , will by no intreaty be prevailed with so much as to tell me what that rule is , divine or humane , the statutes or the canons , or what ? yea , and think this impertinent to the business ? iii. was it not almost incredible , that when all this was said and written against our separation , that i cannot intreat you to tell me what separation is , even what is the formal reason from whence you so name it , and whether you make it not to be the same with [ disobedience ] , contrary to the common sense of church-writers ? iv. is it not hard to have been believed , that when i and others are so loudly accused of preaching ( though i never gathered a church ) to some of many thousands that cannot come into the temples , ( many of which never heard a sermon of many years ) that i cannot intreat you to tell me what all those thousands should do on the lords day , and how you would have them spend the time : and that this should be taken as impertinent ? the canon commandeth the spending of the sunday and holidays in hearing gods word , &c. doth he keep this better that goeth to no church , or he that heareth such as i ? let the reader also peruse the rest , and see whether they are impertinent . § . 19. before you desired me , i ha●e long weighed with my most serious and impartial thoughts , the matter of this controversie : and i had great reason so to do , when for the labour which you account my sin , i wear my health and flesh , i suffer reproach , and many a thousand pounds loss and dammage , in these nineteen years ; and being weary of a burdensome body , do bear it and live especially for that work . and if i do and suffer all this for sin , to the wrong of the church , and the hazard of my soul , alas , what a case am i in ! when no study , no prayer , no resolved contempt tempt of all mens censure , and of worldly interests , in twenty years time , yea in forty one , ( for so long i have been partly a nonconformist ) can change my judgment , or make me doubt ? lord , shew me thy truth , and make me true to it , whatever it cost me ; and teach us all to know what manner of spirit we are of , and acquaint us with the true way of christian piety , love , and peace . june 17. 1680. to the reverend dr. edward stillingfleet , dean of st. pauls , &c. richard baxter returneth this account of his doctrine and practice , which by his published sermon , preached before the lord mayor , may 2. 1680. he often calleth me to ; and the lord mayor's and court of aldermen's earnest desire of his printing it , add to my obligation . § . 1. sir , i apprehend much reason for my rendring you this following account , and some against it : and it was not easy to me quickly to resolve which did preponderate . it is easy to foresee , that the papists will be glad that your pen be turned from them , against those whom they are most against , and will laugh to see you diverted by such a scuffle . and satan , knowing our frailty , will hope to persuade you , that all that is said against the weakness and error of your writings , is against your interest and you , and so to stir up in you passions and thoughts directly contrary to love and concord , and your own and the publick good : for with some he hath unhappily succeeded to carry them from one error to another , till he hath brought them to the bitter hatred of their confuters . and though i am not so considerable as you , the tempter disdaineth not so low a game , as to try whether he can make your erroneous opposition a snare to me . when i saw that you had begun this contentious way , it was easy to foresee that satan's cause was like to gain by it , and therefore i fear that he was much the cause . § . 2. and i remembred prov. 17. 14. the beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water ; therefore leave off contention before it be meddled with . and if you could not forbear beginning , you will hardly forbear when a necessary confutation seemeth to dishonour you . interest , you tell me , is strong ; and it is easier to speak against selfish partiality than to overcome it . i never personally provoked you , unless it was by confuting your opinion , [ that no form of church-government is of divine institution ] in my christian directory : but as i named you not unless with honour , so your own accusing of that irenicon of yours , ( otherwise a very laudable book ) doth seem to justify what i said . § . 3. and i truly fear , lest the opening of your misdoings should rejoyce the papists , and encourage them to say , this is the champion against the catholicks . for i speak from my heart in my usual saying to them that mention you , that this kingdom is greatly beholden to you , for your seasonable and open defence of the protestant cause , at a time when — and i am glad that you blame them that accuse the conformable clergy of yeildingness to popery ; which implieth , that no bribe shall tempt you , directly or indirectly to serve that cause , how strongly soever it shall seem supported by the arm of flesh . § . 4. but yet in so publick a cause , to be by your accusations so loudly called to be accountable for my doctrine and practice , and that to the magistrate , and to an end easily discernable ; and to refuse to tender you or the magistrate any just satisfaction , when refusing may make me and thousands more taken for guilty , as by our ( silent ) confession , and consequently the magistrate and you to incur a far greater guilt , if you should mistake , this seemeth to me a crime not to be ventured on . when you have made answering necessary , i must answer : else i should have imitated melancthon , who oft boasteth how much he had profited in philosophy , so that he could silently let illiricus , osiander , and such others write and talk against him . if possible , and as much as in us lieth , we should live peaceably with all men ; but when that which men make impossible to us is no duty , nor the want of it a sin , though an affliction , the aggressor doth make defence a duty . and indeed i must be guilty of scandal against you and others , if i deny you satisfaction . either i or you live in no small sin : though mr. cheney think otherwise , your words , and many such others , shew , that you take our course to be a sin intolerable . and if it should prove that the sin is yours , it could not be small , not only to do what we fear would be so bad in us , but also to accuse us so publickly to magistrates , for not forbearing to preach the gospel when we were solemnly devoted to it ; and pleading against the toleration of it , when non-toleration must be by imprisonment , banishment , or death , or such disablement , against such as believe they are bound to preach while they are able . § . 5. yet you can tell that they are ill men that reported you stir up magistrates to persecution . if that much will prove it , it 's like they will be emboldened to call you [ an ill man ] too ; for such faults are so common , that we may say as seneca , [ quid ulcus leviter tangam omnes mali sumus . ] indeed they do not well that use that word , persecution ; when your words are but against toleration , and the church of england ' s endeavour after vniformity ; which are publickly known . § . 6. and no wonder if they are ill men ; when you are but finding out a certain foundation for a lasting vnion , which is impossib●e to be attained , till men are convinced of the evil and danger of the present separation , &c. that is , you are but proving our union impossible ; for i have elsewhere proved , that the conviction which you speak of is morally impossible , to become the terms of a common union . it is impossible that we should all be convinced that none of the particulars imposed are sinful , which i have named in my first plea. and secondly , 't is as impossible that we should all be convinced , that it is any more lawful for us to forsake our ministry , to which we were vowed in our ordination , than to break our oath of allegiance , and deny our duty to the king. so that you do no worse , than for union , to prove our union impossible : and who is it that makes it so ? § . 7. and this impossibility you infer from this principle , [ that it is lawful to separate on a pretence of greater purity , where there is an agreement in doctrine , and the substantial parts of worship . ] answ . 1. was there not this agreement in the case of cyprian and the council , who persuaded the people to separate from martial and basilides ? and is not union possible with such as cyprian and the carthage bishops ? 2. we that are accused by you do not say that [ we differ not from you in doctrine absolutely : ] viz. in the doctrine about diocesan church-forms , or their imposing power , we never denied this difference . but we say , [ in the doctrine of the 39 articles , ] as distinct from the form of government , and imposed abuses , we agree . and suppose that we agreed in such doctrine and worship with a church , that yet held , only that the pope is jure divino the constitutive vicarious head of the vniversal church , and would take none that confess it not , for christians , were it a sin to separate from that church ? 3. suppose that usurpers should thrust out the bishops and you , and make themselves our pastors against our wills , is it unlawful to separate from them , though they agree with us in doctrine and worship ? and if the churches and councils have been in the right , which for 700 yea 1000 years held that the calling of a bishop was null that had not the clergies election , and the peoples election or consent . i need not tell you how far this will reach . 4. what if a church that you agree with in doctrine and worship will not receive you , unless you will deliberately profess or subscribe an untruth , or covenant against some duty , or commit a known sin ; is it intolerable for you rather to separate from them than to sin ? and must we have no union till we can in all things think as you do ? § . 8. i think you need not expect the censures of the chief makers of our divisions : and as to the inferiour sectaries , if you are a sacrifice , it will be an unbloody one . you well admonish us in the end , not to complain too much when we are silenc'd , impoverished , and imprisoned : the counsel is good , but for the dean of pauls , &c. that is deservedly loved and honoured by us all whom you thus deal with , and by those great men whose esteem he deservedly more valueth , while he liveth in this plenty and honour , to call himself [ a sacrifice ] if a few poor men say , he wrongeth them , when he pleadeth against the magistrates enduring them , or against their judgment that think they should be endured , doth not this seem to another greater tendency , than for me only to say de facto , i was laid in the common gaol , and fain to make away my goods and library to save them from distress ? ] but so much to your epistle : the sermon followeth . § . 9. and what could a man have desired more to end the main differences among us , than the serious consideration of your text in its very plain import and drift . 1. that the text speaketh for unity and concord is past question . 2. and that it speaketh both to the pastors and the flocks . 3. and that it speaketh to all christians , though of various degrees of attainment : and therefore requireth all to live in concord that are christians ; notwithstanding other differences . 4. all the doubt is , what is meant by the same canon or rule ? and there are these several expositions pleaded for . 1. that by the same rule is meant only the general concord , idem velle & nolle ; to agree , and live in peace , and to mind the same things . 2. that by the same rule is meant the essentials of christianity received by all christians ; which they should have concordantly practised , notwithstanding other differences . 3. that by the same rule is meant the doctrine which the apostles had concordantly delivered to all the churches . 4. that it was the churches creed which is supposed then to be in use , as the symbol of christians . 5. that it is the canonical scriptures , in the times that they were written and delivered to the churches . 6. that it is the example of s. paul before described , or the matter of it● that is , to hold fast what he had attained , and press forwards towards the heavenly perfection , by desire , hope , diligence , and patience . 7. some take the [ one rule ] to be [ the end as it is to be attained by the means ; ] that is , the common good of the church , and furtherance of the gospel and our salvation : let all be done to edification . 8. some say that it is the great duty of love which is made the rule for our undetermined actions ; or , that the fundamental duties are made a canon to the superstructures , as it seemeth to be meant , gal. 6. 15 , 16. and by christ , go learn what that meaneth , i will have mercy and not sacrifice . to tell you which and how many of these i take to be meant in the text , and why , is none of the work which you call me to ; but to tell you , that which-ever of these it is , or if all these , we fully consent : all these canons we must all walk by . 9. but some say , that by the same rule is meant the tradition and custom of the vniversal church . 10. and some , that it is the canons of the bishops in general councils ; and under them , in national or provincial councils . 11. and some tell us , that the rule of christian concord is [ obedience to the bishops of all the world ( or universal church ) who are a college governing ( not only divisim & per partes , in their several precincts , but ) unitedly as one regent college , ordinarily per literas formas , and by general councils when they sit . 12. and some tell us , that it is the law or will of the civil christian magistrate which is this rule . as to these four last rules we must put in our exceptions . as to the 9 th , the traditions and customs then in use were apostolical institutions , and so are coincident with some of the former : but other traditions and customs we take not for this rule . and as to the tenth , we give councils , though wrongfully called general , their due honour ; as we do to inferiour councils , and every particular pastor in his place : but take not this for the rule here mentioned . and as to the 11th , we know of no such government in being . and as to the 12th , it was not then existent , and therefore could not be that meant in the text : but we take our selves bound to obey magistrates , as we have elsewhere at large explained and professed . in short , either you think it is a divine or a humane rule or law which is here meant , or both : if a divine , we shall not differ from you of any thing , unless it be of the meaning of it . if a humane , either it is an act of true power received from god , or not : if not , you will grant us that it obligeth us not as this rule in question : if yea , then we agree that we are to obey it : so that all that will be useful to our conviction will be , 1. that you prove the persons authorized to their office ( and of our magistrates there is no doubt ) 2. and that they have authority to make all the canons and laws , which you call the rule . and without this your labour is all lost to us . § . 10. but which of all these it is that you take for the rule meant in your text , we must conjecture : 1. you well say , p. 11. [ it was such a rule which they very well knew , which they had given them before . ] therefore it was none that was not then in being , but to be made by bishops afterward . and , p. 14. you seem to include the canon made acts 15. whatever the sense of this text is , we willingly also stand to that ; and to the holy ghosts decision , that nothing be imposed but necessary things : and , p. 15. i find you say [ that the preserving the peace of the church , and preventing separation , was the great measure according to which the apostle gave his directions . ] and this is all that i can find of your determination what is that rule . and if peace be the rule , we all agree with you in declaiming against the violation of it . but is there no more in your application ? § . 11. i remember it is said in the life of joh. bugenhagius pomeranus ( the pastor of the church in wittenberge , and the presbyter that ordained the bishops and presbyters of denmark , and many other places ) how much john frederick the elector of saxony was pleased to hear him open the reasons why magistrates have power to make laws , but not pastors [ armatum 〈◊〉 potestatem politicam authoritate condendi leges , non pugnantes cum decalogo ; & de his traditam se verissimum praeceptum ; necesse est obedire propter conscienti●n : sed pastoribus expresse prohiberi condere proprias leges , eum dicatur , ne●o 〈◊〉 arguat in cibo , in potu nec posse hanc libertatem ullius creaturae authoritate tolli . ] but i had rather stretch my obedience to the utmost consistent with conscience and obedience to god , than speak for any needless liberty . § . 12. it is certain , that by [ the same rule ] is not meant , 1. any rule that tied christians to subscribe or declare that there is nothing in our three books , ( liturgy , ordination , and articles ) contrary to the word of god● for none of them were then extant , nor are they 200 years old . 2. nor any rule that tied them to any one humane liturgy which all the churches i● the nation must agree in : for there was none such . 3. nor was it any rul● that imposed on them any dubious unnecessary opinions , covenants , or practices ; nor , in a word , our conformity , or any like it . this is easily proved : 1. because the rule which they were all to wall by , was somewhat then existent . 2. it was a divine rule . 3. it was th● which all christians were to have concord in : but experience telleth us that all christians ( that is , that consent to the essentials of christianity ) ●●●ver had , nor can have their concord in any of the fore-mentioned conformity , as i have proved in my book of concord . § . 13. we will go therefore no further than your text for the terms 〈◊〉 our agreement , and for our defence against your accusation : what●● you will prove to us , by any such evidence as should convince a man of reason 〈◊〉 impartiality , to have been the rvle which the apostle did here mean , 〈◊〉 bid all that are christians walk by , we earnestly desire to agree thereto : an● we will joyn with you against any that refuse it . it will be a way more co●gruous to your function , and cheaper to your consciences , to condescend 〈◊〉 these terms , and prove to us what this same rule was , than to tell the magistrates that it is no sin not to endure us . § . 14. pag. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19. you come to tell us what separation it is no● which you speak of ; viz. not of the separation or distinct communion of 〈◊〉 churches from each other , &c. answ . you know it 's like your self what 〈◊〉 mean by these words ; if you would have us know it , i must crave yo● answer to these questions . qu. 1. do you make separation and distinct communion the same thing , 〈◊〉 divers ? qu. 2. what distinction of communion is it that you mean ? when there are 〈◊〉 many things which may distinguish ? 1. communion in distinct places you take 〈◊〉 for separation . 2. nor commnion under distinct presbyters or bishops . 3. therefore i suppose neither under distinct princes , or aristocracies in cities , as such . 4. nor under distinct laws ( meerly as such ) of the same prince . 5. nor distinct in allowed or indifferent accidents . why any of these should be called separation i know not , unless as the word doth signifie but diversity or distance . q. 3. do you take separation here in the same sence as before and after ; or equivocally ? if equivocally , why did you not tell us what you here meant ; besides the difference of subjects : if univocally , then q. 4. is not the separation of whole churches much worse than of single persons from one church , when it is upon unwarrantable cause or reasons ? if one church unjustly renounce communion with another whole church , as no true church , or as heretical ; i think that it is done by a whole church against a whole church , makes it worse . but perhaps you mean , that for two national churches to have two kings is not unlawful . no doubt of that : but to what purpose is it ? or is it that two national churches may have different accidents of worship or discipline ? and so may two diocesan or parish-churches in our nation , if the king please at least . § . 15. you add : which according to the scripture , antiquity , and reason , have a just right and power to govern and reform themselves . ans . have not all diocesan churches power to govern and reform themselves ? government is of various species : only the king , or summa potestas civilis , hath power to govern and reform by his species of government : but every bishop may govern and reform his church , as a bishop ; as every master may his family as a master , and every man himself as a man. it 's a strange man , family , or church , that hath not power to govern and reform it self , though not regal power . though kings have power , they have not god's power ; and all power that is humane , is not regal . § . 16. serm. [ by whole churches i mean the churches of such nations , which upon the decay of the roman empire resumed their right of government to themselves , and upon their owning christianity , incorporated into one christian society , under the same common ties and rules of order and government . ] ans . 1. and had not those as good right that were not under the roman empire ? ( as abasia , &c. ) 2. did the churches under the roman power exercise their great diversity in liturgies and other accidents of worship without right ? had not they a right to govern and reform themselves variously as they did ? 3. christian societies are of divers species : do you mean christian civil societies , kingdoms , free cities , &c. or churches ? or do you take a christian kingdom and a christian church for the same , as the erastians do ? if so , i suppose half the conformists will be against you , as well as i. at least you must confess , that if de nomine a christian kingdom quasi tale may be called a church , it is equivocally ; and that there is a sort of christian churches which are of another constitution . far were the christian bishops for 1300 years from believing that a prince or civil power was essential to a christian church , or that a church in the common sence was not constituted of another sort of regent part , that had the power of the keyes . two species of governours make two species of the societies , if they are not subordinate , but prime constitutive parts : but the prince and the pastor are two species , well opened among many by bishop bilson of subjection . and verily if you conformists be divided among your selves about the very constitutive rector of a christian church , you differ more from each other than we do from the generality of you . 4. and what be the common tyes and rules of order which you mean ? are these notifying terms for a definition ? 1. there are divine unalterable rules of order and government , and there are humane rules about alterable accidents . 2. there are rules made by contract ( such as grotius thinks canons are ) , and rules made by governours , which are binding commands or laws . 3. there are rules made by civil governours to be enforced by the sword , and rules made only by ecclesiastical pastors to be executed only by the power of the word and keys . do you mean all these ? or which of them ? 1. all christian churches are tied by the common divine rule ; and is not consent to that enough to make a church ? 2. churches of various nations may be under one humane rule of agreement or contract . 3. the same princes may give divers rules about accidents to the churches of one kingdom , and also the same rule for some accidents to divers churches under them , who differ in other great things : and doth agreement in those accidents do more to make them o● church , than their difference in integrals to make them many ? 4. princes may do as the roman emperours long did ; leave the bishops in councils to make their own rules by consent , and make no common imperial rule for them : are they ever the less one church ? 5. the roman empire and councils both left the several bishops to make rules for liturgies and other accidents for their several churches : were they therefore the less one national church ? so that i am no more acquainted by your words what you mean by a whole church , than if you had said nothing . there is a whole dioces●● church , and a whole parish church , as well as a whole national church : and what the power is , and what the rule of order must be , whether the laws of princes or prelates , and whether about essential , or integrals , or accidents , and what accidents , whether all ; or many , or few , and which , that must make a church to be one whole church , you never tell us . an infidel prince or a heretick prince may give the same rule of order to his christian subjects in a whole kingdom ; is he therefore the constitutive church-head ? or will you say , as your mr. rich. hooker doth , that if he be the head of a christian church , it is necessary that he be a christian ? to tell us of [ common ties and rules of order ] and never tell us what those ties and rules are , may serve your ends , but not my edification . § . 17. but i remember your irenicum learnedly maintaineth , that god hath instituted no one form of church-government as necessary : and if so , then not a national church-form . and is it not a whole church , if it be without a form , which not god but man is the author of ? then god made or instituted no such thing as a whole church . then it is a humane creature . then why may not man make yet more forms ; and multiply , and make and unmake , as he seeth cause ; and several countries have several forms . and , forma dat nomen & esse : and if god made not any whole church , we should be acquainted who they be ( that were not a church ) that had power to make the first church-form ? and who hath the power ever since ? and how it is proved ? and how it cometh to be any great matter to separate from a church-form which god never made ? and whether humane church-forms be not essential and constitutive causes of the churches ; and whether every commanded oath , subscription , declaration , office or ceremony , be an essential part of this church-form ? and there be as many church-forms and species , as there be orders , liturgies and ceremonies . and all these differences in the same kingdom constitute so many schisms and separations . § . 18. do you take all the christians in the turkish empire to be one national church , or not ? if not , then one head or humane law is not necessary to the being or government of a church , nor is it necessary that it be national . and do you think that the greek churches have not power to govern and reform themselves , though they be not a national church ? why did paul write to corinth ( as clemens also did ) and to the galatians , &c. and john to ephesus , and the other six , rev. 2 , & 3. to reform themselves , if they had not power to do it ? but if all the christians under the turk be one national church ; then it is either because they have one civil head , or one ecclesiastical head. not the latter , for they have none such ; though the bishops of constantinople have some primacy by their old canons and customs . not the former , for an infidel cannot be an essential part of a christian church ( as a constitutive head is ) § . 19. and the churches in the roman empire before constantine , were true churches of christ's institution , and they had power to govern and reform themselves ; and yet they had no humane constitutive head , regal or sacerdotal , though they had a civil heathen governour , which was an extrinsick accidental head. it is so contrary to all sence and religion , that either a man as a man , or a family , or a church as such , should have no power to govern and reform it self , that i must needs judg that while you speak confusedly , you meant only a regal or supreme civil power , which yet is totâ specie distinct from that which is properly ecclesiastical . § . 20. serm. p. 17. [ and so the several churches of the lydian or proconsular asia , if they had been united in one kingdom , and governed by the same authority , under the same rules , might have been truly called the lydian church . ] answ . 1. and is the controversy de nomine , whether they might be called the lydian church , when we expected a satisfactory explication de re ? no doubt but a church is so equivocal a word that many sort of assemblies or societies may be so called . i have told you of divers sences , in which we are called a church national , first plea , pag. 251 , &c. either a christian kingdom , or else the churches of a heathen or a christian king , as associated by agreement , may be called a national church . 2. what if they be united in one kingdom , of a heathen , mahometan , or arrian king , and governed by his regal authority , under the same rules which he sets them ? is this it that you mean in your description ? a king as such is not an ecclesiastick person , and therefore is not an essential part of a church , unless as it is equivocally so called . and is it his civil laws for church-government that you mean , or the clergies canons , or god's laws ? the greeks under the turk are under one prince , and governed by the same civil authority and laws , and also are under one patriarch , and by the princes toleration are governed by the ecclesiastick authority and laws , of another species : if you confound these two species , or tell us not which you mean in your definition , it tendeth not to edification . 3. and what if they be under divers kings ( as the bulgarians and greeks were , ) and yet ruled by one ecclesiastick authority and law ? why may not they also be called one church , as the moscovites are now called part of the greek church ? 4. and why might it not be called the lydian church while it was a part of the empire , as the african and other countries were ? but what is all this de nomine to the controversy ? all grant that the civil power must be obeyed in their place , and the church-power in theirs . 5. but here you grant that they are several churches before their union in one kingdom . and i suppose they were churches , 1. of another species than the national described by you , 2. and were of divine institution ; 3. and continue so after their union in one kingdom ; 4. and have power to govern and reform themselves still , though not regal power . § . 21. serm. [ just as several families united make one kingdom , which at first had a distinct and independent power : but it would make strange confusion in the world to reduce kingdoms back again to families , because at first they were made up of them . ] answ . and are they not several families still ? and have they not still a distinct family-power to govern and reform themselves , tho not a regal power ? doth making a city or kingdom dissolve families ? you cannot mean it . what mean you then by reducing these kingdoms back to families , when they are families still ? had you said , that dissolving kingdoms or cities , and reducing them to be only families is confusion , it 's undeniable . but still as families in a kingdom retain family-power , so particular churches in a kingdom retain the church-power which god by his institution gave them . and this is that we desire . § . 22. serm. [ thus national churches are national societies of christians under the same laws of government and rules of worship . ] ans . 1. all christians are under the same divine laws and rules . 2. some princes make no church-laws to christians , but their civil laws for the common peace . and some make various laws for various sorts of christians under them . § . 23. serm. [ for the true notion of a church is no more than a society of men , united together for their order and government according to the rules of the christian religion . ans . 1. there be many true notions of such an equivocal word as a [ church ] is . 2. the generical notion sure is not enough for the definition of each species . there must be more . the universal church is a society of men so united ; and so may the churches of divers kingdoms ; and so is a christian kingdom as such ; and so is a provincial church , and a diocesan church , and a particular parochial church : yet all these are not of the same species , for they have different terminos in specie . 3. this is a very defective definition , where 1. [ men ] are made the qualified subject , when it should have been [ christians ] . 2. the two constitutive essential relations of pastor and flock are not mentioned , as if a kingdom were defined without the mention of king and subjects . 3. they are said to be united in general , without telling us what uniting is meant , whether only by force , command , or consent ; whereas most take even the mode of investiture ( baptism ) as well as consent to be necessary ad esse , as to the visible church . 4. it is said they are united [ for order and government , ] as if these were but the terminus ; and so may those by agreement de futuro , that yet have no government : whereas the government is the constitutive form. 5. this definition leaving out the specifick form and terminus , maketh an army , a navy , a ship , a company of christian merchants , or corporation , &c. to be a church : for all these may be societies of men united together for their order and government , according to the rules of the christian religion : for the christian religion giveth rules to all sorts of christian societies . these are not the usual ways of defining , nor give me any true notice of your sence . 6. and you make it not intelligible , whether by the rules of the christian religion you mean only the divine rule ? and whether you mention it as the uniting bond , or only as a rule to some humane rule ? but though the application look this way , yet your words speak no more than what is common to the churches which you accuse , that are [ united for order and government according to the rules of the christian religion ] . if this will serve , those are thus united that take the bible for their rule of order , &c. but is not this against those churches , that take not the bible , but canons , or other humane laws , for the bound of their church-vnion , or their rule . if it be uniting for order and government according to the rules of the christian religion , which maketh a church , let us then try which societies are so united , and let that be the matter of our dispute . § . 24. serm. p. 13. [ and it is a great mistake to make the notion of a church barely to relate to acts of worship , and consequently that an adequate notion of a church is an assembly for divine worship ; by which means they appropriate the name of churches to particular congregations : whereas if this held true , the church must be dissolved as soon as the congregation is broken up . but if they retain the nature of a church when they do not meet together for worship , then there is some other bond that uniteth them ; and whatever that is , it constitutes the church . ans . 1. did you write this as a confutation of any body ? if so , you should have told them who are your adversaries . i never met with one to my remembrance that saith , the church is no longer a church than they are congregate , but mr. cheney who writeth against my plea for peace . and so the two first who now write against me , write against one another , and i must please them both . when you so far differ among your selves , you should bear with them that less differ from you . 2. what mean you by the [ notion of a church ] which all men know is an equivocal word ? do you mean that a [ church ] hath but one notion ? i pray you tell us , whether the notion be the same as it is used , matth. 16. 18. & 18. 17. 1 corinth . 11. 18 , 22. acts 19. 32 , — 39 , 40. 1 crrinth . 14. 34. psalm 26. 5. ephes . 5. 27. 1 tim. 3. 15. acts 5. 11. acts 20. 28. rev. 2. 12 , 18. rom. 16. 5. phil. 2. 10. acts 8. 1 , 3. eph. 5. 23. col. 1. 18. eph. 1. 22. & 5. 23. doth any man believe that it is in all these texts taken in the same notion ( or sence ) ? i am sure i need not ask this of you as to the sence of prophane authors , who use the word for any sort of concilium , coetus , concio , congregatio , convivia , as in lucian , demosthenes , aristotle , thucidides , &c. 3. if you will pardon me for telling men in print so often , that a church is constituted not only for communion in worship , but also in doctrine , and holy living , i will not ask you , why you dissembled this ? nor why you would intimate the contrary to your readers ? repetition is not the least fault of my writings , and all will not prevent the mis-intimations even of such worthy men as you . ad nauseam usque i have repeated , that the office of the ministery standeth in a subordination to the three parts of christ's office , prophetical or teaching , priestly or worshipping , kingly or ruling ; and that a particular church is associated for the use and benefit of all three conjunctly . were you not willing to take notice of this ? or not willing that others should take notice of it ? 4. how many writings of ours have told the world , that we appropriate not the notion of a church to a particular congregation . do not my books which you cite , copiously express the contrary ? do we not over and over tell men , that the word [ church ] must be considered as equivocal , generical , and specifical ? do we take [ the holy catholick church ] in the creed for a particular congregation ? worthy sir , this is unworthy dealing , whether it be by ignorance , negligence , rashness or wilfulness . we distinguish between churches of god's institution , and of man's invention . and of the first sort , what independent is there that holdeth not an vniversal church at least , besides particular congregations ? and of man's making , who can number the sorts that are and may be made ? 5. did you ever know man , ( save such conformists as he that answered my plea ) whether greek , papist , episcopal , presbyterian , independent , or anabaptist ; who denieth a church bond , that uniteth them when the congregation is dismiss'd . all confess , that the union of the pars regens and pars subdita for church-ends doth make it a church . and who doth not distinguish between the constitution and administration , the status and the exercitium ? 6. how then could you say , [ if this be true , the church must be dissolved as soon as the congregation is broken up ] ? what shew is there of such a consequence ? what if we held that the church were so called barely in relation to publick worship ? doth it follow that this relation ceaseth as soon as the several acts of worship cease ? their mutual consent , and the union of the vvorshippers , priest and people associated for that use , may continue when the act of vvorship is intermitted . may it not continue a school , when the boys go home or play ? may it not be a parliament when the house is risen , tho it be only for the work of assembled men that they are related and denominated ? 7. but sir , do you not confess , even in your iroenicon , where you maintain that no form of church-government is of divine command : 1. that god hath commanded that there be assemblies ordinarily used for his vvorship . 2dly . and that pastors are to be the guides and chief managers of this vvorship . 3dly , and that they should be also their teachers . 4thly , and that they govern them by their keys . and if all this be true , then such assemblies are of divine institution ; not such as are associated only for vvorship , but for doctrine , worship , and holy living , under the teaching and conduct of their pastors . if you deny that such churches as we call particular are of divine institution , we have often proved it , though few christians deny it , or need any proof . and it is so oft repeated in the books which you cite , that i must suppose you know it , though you seem to dissemble it , that the definition which i give of such a church doth make the terminus to be ( not the whole church meeting at one time and place , but ) personal , presential communion in doctrine , vvorship , and holy conversation , as distinct from absent communion by delegates or letters only . your parish is associated for such personal presential communion , and yet they meet not all at once , but some one day , and some another , and some not at all , which is a fault in exercitio , but overthroweth not the being of the church , while it is personal present communion which they associate for and profess , and that states the church-relation . and they meet not all in one place , but some in the bishop of ely's chappel , ( and it is pity but you had many more ) ; and yet chappels of ease consist with some obligations on the whole parish ordinarily , to have per vices sometime personal communion in the parish-church . if you would have told us plainly , that parish-churches are no churches , or that god never ordained such single churches , as are associated for personal communion in presence , in doctrine , vvorship , and conversation , which have their proper pastors , we should have known what to say to you . but if you deny not such , ( which we undertake fully to prove ) plainly confess their constitution , vvorth , and privileges , and we shall readily next debate the case with you , how far men may associate these into larger churches of another species . but still we say , that as families cease not to be families , when they are combined into a village or city ; no more do particular churches lose their constitution or administration by being associated into any lawful larger churches . § . 25. serm. [ and if there be one catholick church consisting of multitudes of particular churches , consenting in one faith ; then why may there not be one national church from consent in the same articles ? &c. ] ans . 1. i pray confess first , that your national doth consist of a multitude of such particular churches of god's institution , and cannot destroy them or their power and privileges : secondly ; and once tell us what you mean by a national church , whether regal or sacerdotal . if you mean a christian kingdom , who denies it : if you mean all the churches of a kingdom associated for concord as equals , we deny it not . if you mean that the nation must be one church as united in one sacerdotal head , personal or collective , monarchical or aristocratical , we must have further satisfaction about this : first , whether it be of divine or of humane institution ? secondly , whether ( if humane ) its power be from the prince , or from the consent of the particular churches ? thirdly , what it is empowered to do ? 1. not to make necessary laws for the churches of the same sort with christ's already made . 2. not to cross any of his laws . 3. not to destroy any privilege of the particular churches instituted by christ . 4. but if it be only to determine of such circumstances as the christian prince may determine of , we shall obey them as his officers . and now to your [ why not ? ] i answer . man is not god. god made the form of the vniversal church , of which the particular are parts ; whose form also is of his making : and if god hath made national regent churches as distinct from christian kingdoms and commonwealths , we will obey them ; if not , we must know what men made them , and by what authority , and whether god authorized them thereto ; if not , your [ why not ] is answered . § . 26. serm. p. 18. [ nay , if it be mutual consent and agreement which makes a church , then why may not national societies agreeing together in the same faith , and under the same government and discipline , be as truly and properly a church as any particular congregation ? ans . 1. is it only de nomine , or de re that you ask ? if de nomine , we grant you , that a parliament , an army may be truly called ecclesia ; if de re , we grant you that it is truly a church of another kind . 2. mutual consent makes a church , but god's consent or institution must go first to warrant that consent , and make it a church which he will own : else mutual consent may make it but jeroboam's church , or a false and sinful policy . prove if you can , that god hath authorized men to make as many new church-species , policies or forms as they please ; or any against , or above , or equal to those of his institution , besides magistracy . § . 27. serm. p. 19. why many of these cities , united under one civil government , and the same rules of religion , should not be called one national church , i cannot understand : which makes me wonder at those who say they cannot tell what we mean by the church of england : sacrileg . desert . p. 35. answ . 1. admiratio est ignorantis : i am as ignorant of you , as you are of 〈◊〉 ; therefore may answer wondering with wondering ; 1. that such a man should not know the reason when i so plainly and distinctly wrote it down , 2. and that while you wonder , you should not vouchsafe to give me the least means of satisfaction . for i suppose few will think that you do so much as attempt it here . 3. you make it still as if the controversie were de nomine ▪ what it may be called ; when i only spake de re , and bid you call it what you will , if you will but tell us your meaning . 4. yea in my plea , sect . 4 ▪ 5. and in the addition : i fully shewed what we grant de re , & de nomine , and what we deny ; and what the state of our controversie is : and do you think to satisfie us , after all this with wondering that we understand not what you mean ? § 28. serm. [ in short , we mean , that society of christian people , which in this nation are united under the same profession of faith , the same laws of government , and rules of divine worship . ] answ . and will not they , that know not your heart any otherwise than by such words , deride us , if we should pretend by these words , to be ever the nearer understanding your resolution of the controversie ? 1. the essential constitutive parts of a political society are the pars rege●s & pars subdita ( as is aforesaid . ) and here is no mention of the regent part at all ; can any man tell by this whether it be the king , or a clergy head , that you take to be the constitutive head ? 2. laws and rules , are part of the administration , and our question is of the constitution . is this then any satisfying definition ? 3. the papists by this definition are the national church [ they are a society of christian people , which in this nation are united under the same profession of faith , the same laws of government , and rules of divine worship ] viz. pap●l . if you say , they are not all the nation . i answer , 1. nor doth your definition require it . 2. you are not all . if you say that they are not the major part . i answer , 1. whether you are i know not . 2. in ireland they are , and so are there the national church by your definition . if you say that you mean the laws of lawful governours . i answer , 1. the papists take the pope for their lawful governour : 2. if a usurper get possession ( as k. stephen and many others , ) is the national church then dead or null ? 3. there is no mention of lawful in your definitions . 4. but though you will not tell us whether you mean divine or humane laws and rules , yet i may confidently conjecture that it is humane you mean : for else , 1. i am of the same national church that you are ; yea if i prove that i am more conformable to god's laws than you , and such as you , i shall prove that it will be a harder question whether you are of the church of eng. than whether i am . 2. and you might know that such a church we no more deny than you do ( at least ) 3. but then it can be but sincere ( not perfect ) obedience to god's laws and rules , which must prove one to be of this church ; or else no man is of it . and then you must shew us whether a mistake in as small a matter as meat and drink , or a ceremony , or liturgick form , or diocesan order , do cut one off from that church . if yea , than how much more would such conformity to sin do it ? which we fear . but supposing that you mean humane laws . 5. why may not divine laws make a church ? if humane laws were necessary ad bene esse , the christians that i have read and converst with , think that they are not necessary to the being of a church in sensu famosiore ; why then should they be in the definition , and only they ? 6. but the difficulty recurreth as to humane laws , which of them are necessary to the being of the church : for your definition distinguished not : the king hath great and excellent laws which we all conform to : doth not our conformity to these seem to prove us of the national church , though we conform not to your formalities and oaths and ceremonies ? imperfect obedience serveth to continue men subjects to the king : it is not every drunkeness , or oath , or fornication , much less the miss of a complement or ceremony , that makes a man a rebel or an outlaw : why then should the refusal of a prelates subscription or formality unchurch a sound and honest christian ? 7. and if the humane laws and rules which you mention ( what ever you mean by them ) be subordinate to god's laws , and so be honest , good and obligatory , why should they cut off those from the church which christ's laws cut not off ; yea , which christ receiveth and commandeth us to receive ? receive him , for god receiveth him : and , receive him as christ receiveth us , ( notwithstanding our infirmities ) were good reasonings in st. paul's judgment , which i prefer before any bishops that i know . 8. and a man of less acquaintance or wit than you , cannot be ignorant , what abundance of differences there are among your selves . i have named you no small number in my ●d . plea : some of you are hot against that which is called arminianism , and some hot for it : some are for bishops and presbyters being of one order , and some of divers : all are not of the mind of the bishop of hereford that wrote naked truth : some ( even bishops ) think that the damnatory part of athanasius's creed is not approved by conformity : others , think that it is all to be approved : a multitude such differences there are among your selves : and why should not this as much unchurch some of you , if it be [ being under the same laws ] that maketh you one church , as the forbearing of a declaration of assent and consent , or of a surplice , &c. 9. especially tell us , whether the conformist's difference about the constitutive regent part of the church of england , some being for one species , and some for another , do not plainly make them to be of two distinct churches of england , and further different from each other than we are from any part . we justly say the papists , who are for two species of soveraigns , some for the pope , and some ●●r a general council , are plainly of two churches : for the regent part is essential . and i am sure that one part of the most eminent disputers for the church of england and conformity , say that the king is the extraneous civil governour , but the bishops are the constitutive essential internal governours of the church as a church ; and that if the bishops command the use of one translation , version , metre , liturgie , and the king another , we are to obey the bishops , and not the king : and that the efficient cause of a national church , is the bishops agreement among themselves to associate into such a church . and others say , that it is the king and his laws , that are the efficient of such a church , and are to be obeyed in matter of the circumstances of worship , &c. before the bishops . can you prove that this difference between the conformists , about the very constitutive regent power , is not greater than mens differences about a ceremony or form ? and doth not more to make them to be of two churches ? 10. if all this confused stir be but about a christian kingdom , be it known to you that we take such to be of divine command : and if you know it not , or dissemble it , after i have said so much of it , in the first plea , and elsewhere , i cannot help that , viz. if you will talk publickly against what you know , or know not when told , because you will not know . but i have there largly told you , what the power of princes about church matters is , which if you will not read , i will not repeat . 11. your words [ laws and rules ] would induce one to think that you joyned the kings laws and the bishop's canons together in your meaning , as the bond of u●ity . if so , is it two sorts of governours , ( by the swo●d , and by the word , magistrates and pastors ) which you take for the constitutive regent parts of the church ? if so , then either in coo●dination and coal●tion , or in subordination . the first cannot be , that the two species in coalition should make one head , unless both were in the kings as persona mixta . both lay and clergie , as some affirm him to be like melchiz●deck : but this both king and clergie disown . nor can the second be , because a subordinate power is not essential to the whole body politick , but only the supreme . and the magistracy & ministry are coordinate species , both depending immediately on god , and subordinate mutually only secundum quid : nor is the legislative power in england any other than one , which is in the king and parliament conjunct . the bishops canons are not laws ejusdem speciei ; till the king and parliament make them such . if this be your judgment , there are i think but few conformists of your mind . 12. i must conjecture therefore by your words , that the laws and rules which you define the church by , are the laws of the king and parliament ; and that it is the civil christian sovereign that you take for the constitutive head of that national church which you plead for ; or else i know not what to conjecture . and if this be your meaning , i add to what is said : 1. erastians have hitherto been distasted by the bishops , and i doubt they will by this take you for somewhat worse . 2. what doth your national church differ from a christian kingdom , which we deny not ? 3. do you think there is no other species of a church , besides that which is constituted by the christian magistrate as head ? 1. all the christian world , as far as i can learn by history ( no considerable part excepted ) have been in all ages , and to this day are of another mind . and who then is the great nonconformist and separatist , you or i ; if this be your mind ? 2. the magistracy , and pastoral office are of different species : therefore the churches constituted by their regency are of different species . 3. constantines words have hitherto been commonly received , that he ( and so christian kings ) was bishop without the church , and the proper bishop within : that is , that he was the governour of the church , by the sword , as the king is of all scholars , physitians , families , &c. but not the governour by the word and keys ; as the king is not a school-master , physitian , or the formal specifying governour of school , colledge , family , as such . bishop bilson , of subjection , most clearly openeth the difference , and i think christians commonly agree to it ; between the office of governing by the sword ; and by the word ; even about the church it self . 4. christ settled immediately the pastoral office , and did not leave it to princes to make it : and he settled churches under the pastors , when there were no christian princes ; and when the emperours became christians , they never took themselves to be the intrinsick constitutive rectors of the churches , but accidental heads , as is aforesaid . and all the councils , and their canons fully shew , that the bishops were still of this mind . and our greatest defenders of the power of princes , bilson , andrews , buck●ridge , spalatensis , &c. were of the same mind , and ascribe to them no more . 5. else heathen , and infidel princes might be essential to the church in the gospel-notion : for they are the governours of it by the sword , and may possibly by the counsel of christians , make them as good laws as many christian princes do . julian made no great change of the church-laws . but i labour in vain , in proving that there is a sacerdotal or clergy-church-form or species ; for i suppose you cannot deny it ; and if you do , few others will. i suppose it is only the national form , which you take to be constituted by a lay-head . but few christians will deny , that the sacerdotal or clergy-form of a particular church , is of divine institution ; and that men have not power to destroy that form ; or change the office there , instituted by the holy ghost . though the forms of ass●ciated churches , diocesan , metropolitan , provincial , patriarchal , are judged by very many , to be of humane invention : and what man may make , man on good reason may unmake or alter . but if you grant us the divine form before mentioned ; i shall grant you that a national church is also of divine command ; if you mean but a christian kingdom . but when one form is denominated from the pastoral office related to the flock , and the other from the magistrates office : what hath a man that can understand the state of the controversy , to do here ; but to shew what is the pastoral office towards the church , and what is the magistrates ? for sure they are not the same . and yet because that it is the pastoral form , which the word [ church ] denoteth in the strict and usual christian sense ; our sovereignes in england , to avoid the papists exceptions , have forsaken the title of [ head of the church ] lest they should seem to claim a constitutive headship of a church strictly taken , and use only the term [ governour . ] even as christ is said by st. paul , eph. 1. to be head over all things , to the church [ over and to ] much differ . and i yet see not why on the same reason that we call a christian kingdom , or republick a national church ; we may not 〈◊〉 call lo●don , york , &c. a city-church , as headed by the mayor , as the christian magistrate , and so talk of provincial , consular , and proconsular churches , monarchical , aristocratical , democratical churches ; and make all the controversies [ which church-form is best ] as politicks do what form of a common-wealth is best . and thus they that chide the independents for making the people governours of their little congregations ( which i think yet most of them disclaim ) do this way quite exceed them in popularity , and in democraties will make the people governours of all the churches , even national including the particulars . for i suppose they will not say , that democratical , civil government is unlawful . and whereas cyprian saith : vbi episcopus , ibi ecclesia ; you will say , where the mayor or bayliffe is , there is the church . but i trow the bishop of london believeth that there is another sort of london-church-form , besides my lord mayors relation to them . but what abundance of church-forms , supream and subordinate may diversity of magistracy make ? § . 29. sermon p. 19. [ i do not intend to speak of the terms upon which persons are to be admitted among us to the exercise of the function of the ministry ; but of the terms of lay-communion , i. e. those which are necessary for persons to joyn in our prayers and sacraments , and other offices of divine worship . ] answ . 1. but your work would have been done more effectually if you had begun at the part which you intend not to speak of : i suppose it is not for want of charity , nor concern , that you intend it not ; and therefore , suppose that somebody else will do it at last . i have heard of some above your order , that could better spare the nonconforming ministers than the people , and said plainly , that they increased the impositions , because they could do better without us , than with us : and some have said , if this will not cast them out , more shall do it . i take it for granted , that this pretermitted part of your work , is indeed , the all that you have to do , in the works of accusing , and afflicting the nonconformists ; and till this be done , the rest of your accusations will confute themselves ; and i doubt not but it will be attempted ; and if it be truly , and satisfactory , i will give you thanks . 2. your term of [ lay-communion ] remembreth me , that if ( as you seem ) you essentiate your church of england by a lay-ruler , and his laws , viz. the king , and the laws made by him for religious government ; the people that you accuse are no separatists , though they separate from the diocesanes ; because they hold this lay-communion ; that is , though they are not perfectly obedient , they are subjects of the lay-governour , and so members of the kingdom , which is the national-church . 3. and as to your lay-communion here spoken of , so far as it is lawful , where you have preach'd or written for it once , i think , i have done it many times : i shall be far from contradicting you in that . § . 30. sermon p. 20. [ i will not say , there hath been a great deal of art used to confound these two ( and it is easy to discern to what purpose it is . ) answ . 1. i have not art enough well to reconcile your negative , and your parenthesis , which intimateth an affirmation : if you will not say such art was used ; how can you intimate [ to what purpose it 's used . ] can you tell so easily why it was done , and not tell that indeed it was done at all ? but perhaps you can tell , though you will not . i would fain know why : no man that reads your words , can well believe that it is through the redundancy of your kindness . 2. forgive this truth : of all men that have written against nonconformity , i remember few that may , worse than you speak against confovnding ; as i shall further prove . 3. if i be one of those that you speak of , confounding is not the greatest fault of your words ; while it is visible that in my first plea i distinctly enumerated the case of the nonconformity of the laity and the clergy . and i spake by consent for many of my acquaintance . and i am likest to be meant by you , because divers others , that go farther from you , take lay-conformity to be unlawful , and largely give their reasons for it . how then did you expect to be believed when our books are in so many hands ? 4. none are fitter judges of arts , than the most exercised artificers : if you are skill'd and exercised in such arts your self , you may the easiler discerne both the , art and purpose . and yet we are so neer our selves that i cannot easily believe that you know my arts or purposes so well as i do my self . § 31. serm. [ i dare say the people ' s not understanding the difference of these two cases , hath been a great occasion of the present separation . ] ans . no doubt but there is a great difference between the ministers case of conformity , and the peoples , which makes some of them think much worse of a conforming minister , than of a conforming lay-man : which sheweth that the difference is not wholly unknown to them . but i think i have done more to acquaint them with the difference , than you or any of your tribe have done . § 32. serm. [ for in the judgment of the most impartial men of the dissenters at this day , though they think the case of the ministers very hard on the account of subscriptions and declarations required of them , yet they confess , very little is to be said on the behalf of the people , from whom none of those things are required . ] ans . 1. this is but such confusion as constituteth this sermon . we think that nothing of truth can be said for any of the people's errors ; no more than for the [ very hard ] and sinful case of our selves if we should conform : if any go one step too far from you , they are unjustifiable therein : but we have shewed those that will see , that much may be said on the people's behalf for much of their nonconformity , and also for such assembling as you call separation . 2. and surely if you had the due sense of your brethrens case , of your own case , and of the kingdoms case , you would perceive how necessary the forbearing of the imposition of those very hard things is to the healing of that which doth offend you ; and to greater ends than that . § 33. serm. [ so that the people are condemned in their separation by their own teachers ; but how they can preach lawfully to a people who commit a fault in hearing them , i do not understand . ] ans . 1. the people that are guilty of any sinful separation are reproved by us ; but not those that separate no further than is their duty . in my first plea i described no less than 30 cases in which separation is a sin ; and neer 40 instances in which some separation is a duty or no sin : and of all this you here take no notice , and toss the bare confounding name of separation , as if the sound ought to affright men from all that you are against ; sure you could never think that we had brains or consciences , if such dealing should pass for satisfactory with us : can any man tell by this bare name , or any thing in your book , what that separation is which you condemn . the word heresie with a papist , and the word [ separation ] and [ schism ] with some conformists , seem to be terms of art : but what art is it ? sure it is not the cartesian nor the epicurean philosophy , which layeth so much on atomes and motion : i cannot imagine what contexture of atomes should cause the sound of the word [ separation ] or [ schism ] to make such a motion as should drive men out of their religion and wits . i am not so happy as to be an academical graduate ; but i have long ago read lullius●nd ●nd many of his commentators ; and i find no philosophy more likely , to lay much on the power of words ; except that which we call magick or charming . for my part , i was born with a disease ( if it be such ) that hateth confusion and deceit , and inclineth me to bring things into light , and to discern between things that differ . and if you doctors have learned the art of reduceing a syllogism into a simple terme or na●e , it is quite above my kind of learning : i suppose it is such a logical contracted syllogism that you intend : but as short writing called characters , though expeditious , is hard to be read by others ; so your contracted syllogism , in the name [ separation ] and [ schism ] will be more useful to you and yours , than to strangers that never saw your heart . if vsefulness and vsedness , even by some of the reverend , may afford us a prognostick , i may conjecture that even lying ( and other necessary arts ) are ascending in hope to be placed among the cardinal virtues , and those that scruple it , may be numbered with schismaticks , separatists and rogues . § 34. if i would here again tell you what separation i take to be lawful , and what unlawful , and desire you to define that which you accuse me of , i may expect that in your reply you will dissemble it ; but i will trie you with a few instances of one sort , and desire you to tell me which it is that you mean. i. do you think that he is a separatist that meeteth not in the same parish church with you ? no sure : for then you are one to others , and other parishes such to you . ii. is he a separatist that liveth in your parish , and ordinarily meeteth not in your temple , but another allowed place ? if so , the bishop of el● is a separatist in your parish , that keepeth a meeting in his chappel when you preach . if not so , when we had the kings license at least , the place made us not separatists . iii. is every one a separatist that differeth from you in doctrine , in publick preaching ? if so , are you not separatists one from another , when one preacheth for that wich is called , absolute election , reprobation , universal redemption , free-will , falling from justification , the morality of the sabbath , &c. and others against these ? if not ; is not difference in such doctrines as great a difference , as using and not useing some of your liturgick forms and ceremonies ? iv. are all different modes of worship enough to make our party separatists ? then the french and dutch churches are separatists , and either the cathedrals or the parish-churches , as to their vestments , organs , chore , mode of singing , &c. and the allowed private baptismes and communion with the sick , are separations . v. doth every disobedience to the king , and laws , and canons in matters of religion , government and worship , make men separatists ? if so , then when ever a conformist disobediently shortneth his common-prayer , or leaveth off his surplice , or giveth the sacrament to one that kneeleth not , or receiveth one of another parish to communion , &c. he is a separatist . yea no man then is not a separatist sometimes . vi. if the diocesane be the lowest political church , and a parish but a part of a church , as they hold that take a bishop to be a constitutive part ; how is he said to separate from the church that owneth his diocesane and the diocess , what ever place in that diocess he meet in , seeing he separateth not from the kingdom that stayeth in it and owneth the king , though in some acts he disobey ? nor doth every boy that is faulty separate from the school . vii . is he a greater separatist that confesseth you to be a true church , and your communion lawful , but preferreth another as fitter for him ; or he that denieth communion with true worshiping assemblies as unlawful to be communicated with , when it is not so . if the former , then condemning you as no church is a diminution or no aggravation of separation , and the local presence of an infidel or a scorner would be a less separate state , than the absence of your friends . if the latter ( which is certain ) then if i can prove the assemblies lawful which you condemne , you are the true separatists that condemn them , and deny communion with them , and declare such communion to be unlawful . i communicate with your assemblies , and you utterly shun , refuse and condemn communion with ours ; which then is the separatist , if i prove ours to be as good as yours ? viii . many english doctors say , rome is a true church , as a knave or thief is a true man , and we separated not from it , but they cast us out for doing our duty , and not sinning as they do . i say not as they ( for as the pope claimeth the headship of the church universally , that form of policy is not of god , and we separate from that essencial form of their pretended church : ) but ad hominem if the diocesane also be a true church , and we cast out of it for not sinning , are we separatists , or are our ejectors such ? ix . i have shewed you that the canons excommunicate ipso facto all that say the imposed conformity is unlawful . if this be unjust , is it separation to be so excommunicated ? and who is the schismatick here ? and what shall be thought of such church-men as will first ipso facto excommunicate us for our duty , and then , as you do , call us separatists . would you have excommunicate men , communicate with you ? i ( and many ) do so , because you shall be the executioners of your own sentence , and not i : but with what face can men cast men out by canon ipso facto , and then revile them for not coming in . you can mean no other in common sense , but that we are schismaticks or separatists because we are not of the conformist's judgment : and that is not in our power : and you differ more in judgment in greater matters from each other ; and yet call it not schisme or separation . yea you differ about the very essential form of your national church , one part taking it to be the kings supremacy , and another to be the bishops or clergy's power : and therefore you cannot be truly of one national church , that are not for one essential form. x. if men be wrongfully excommunicate , are they thereby absolved from all publick worshipping of god ? or do they lose their right to all church-communion ? i have else where cited you canons enow that say the contrary , and that clave errante the excommunication hu●teth none but the excommunicator : and i have cited bishop tailor 's full consent . must we not then meet and worship as we can , when you wrongfully excommunicate us ? xi . are not the laity , by your canon , forbidden to receive the sacrament in another parish ? or , any other to receive them , if they dare not receive it from a non-preaching minister at home ? and if the people judge , that he that is unable or unwilling to preach , or that is a heretick , or that liveth in such heinous sins , or preacheth malignantly , as to do more harm than good , may not lawfully be owned by them for christ's ministers , nor their souls be committed to their pastoral trust ; must they therefore be without a pastors care , or all publick worship and communion , and be condemned for being wronged ? xii . were all those councils separatists , that decreed , that none shall hear mass from a fornicating priest ? and , were the canons called the apostles , and the greek-church that used them , for separation , that said , [ episcopus ignorantiâ aut malo animo opplotus , non est episcopus , sed falsus episcopus , non a dee , sed ab hominibus promotus ? ] was guildas a separatist that told the brittish wicked priests , that they were not christ's ministers , but traitours ? and that he was not eximius christianus , that would call them priests , or ministers of christ ? were cyprian , and all the carthage-council , separatists , that wrote the epistle about martial and basilides , which i translated ; and told the people , it was their duty to separate from peccatore praeposito , a scandalous prelate ? and that the chief power was in them , to choose the worthy , or refuse the unworthy ? and that they were guilty of sin , if they joyned with such sinners ? who made you a more reverend and credible judge of separation , than cyprian , and this council ? at least , who will think , that you may judge them separatists , or guilty of schism ? xiii . are not the laity , by your canon to be denied the sacrament , if they be not willing of your episcopal confirmation ? and when imposition of hands is made the signe by which confirming or assuring grace is conveyed , and some bishops assigne no less to it ; they fear , lest it be made a sacrament . be their doubts just or not , they cannot overcome them . and ▪ must they therefore live without sacramental communion ? by what law ? xiv . are not the laity , that dare not receive the sacrament kneeling , for the reasons else-where mentioned , to be denied the sacrament by your rule ? and though herein they fear sin more than they have cause , must they that cannot change their own judgments , live all their dayes without the sacrament ? when as general councils decreed , that none should adore kneeling on any lord's day , and the church for a thousand years , practised accordingly ; are all separatists , that dare not do that in such an instant , which they judge to be flat sin ; nor yet did cast off sacramental communion ? xv. when the laity cannot have their children baptised , without such use of the transient dedicating image of the cross , and such use of entituling and covenanting ●od-fathers ; which , on the reasons largely given by me , they take to be no small sin ; is it separation to joyn with pastors , that will otherwise baptise them ? are they bound to sin against their consciences , or to leave their children unbaptised ? or , prefer such pastors as refuse them ? xvi . is it separation for men to refuse ▪ pastors that are usurpers , and have no true power over them ? sure it is not to refuse an usurper of the kingly power ? and , why then of the church-power ? which of the bishops thought it any sin , in the dayes of usurpation , to forsake their parish-churches ? and in my abridgment of church-history , i have cited many canons , which prove it the common judgment of the church for one thousand years , or near ; that he was no bishop , that was not chosen by the clergy , and the people ; or came in ▪ without the peoples consent . and if you will read a late treatise of father paul servita of venice , ( a very venerable author ) you will see this at large confirmed . and , if this be true , is it schism to take such for none of our pastors ? and patrons choose pastors for the peoples souls , who too often care not for their own : yea , though they believe not that man hath an immortal soul , their power of electing those that man must take for the guides of their souls , is nevertheless for their infidelity . what law of god bindeth all men to stand to their choice ? how many hundred congregations have incumbents , whom the people never consented to ; but take them for their hinderers and burden ? xvii dispositio materiae necessaria est ▪ ad receptionem formae : non ex quovis ligno fit mercurius . if a person be uncapable of the ministerial office , it is no sin to judge him no minister . those are uncapable , 1. who have not tolerable ministerial knowledge and utterance . 2. who are hereticks . 3. who malignantly oppose serious religion as hypocrisie , or a needless thing . 4. who , by their wicked lives , do more hurt than they do good. from such , st. paul bids men turn away ; that have a form of godliness , but deny the power . is it schism , to obey such commands ? and how great a number of such cases there are , i need not tell the people . xviii . i am loth to displease you ; and i write not to accuse you , or other conformists . but as paul was constrained by accusers , to speak sharply of them , and like a fool ( though not foolishly ) of himself : so you constrein us to say that in our own defence , which will exasperate you ; and , i doubt , you cannot easily bear . and god saith , thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart : thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour , and not suffer sin upon him . i have told you only , how many and heinous the sins are , which we fear we should be guilty of , should we conform . the thirty aggravations , named sect. 16. are tremendous . we have yet heard from none of you , any thing which should excuse us from such guilt , if we did conform . and if the people think , ( though they should mistake ) that all the conformists are guilty of the like , can ye wonder , that they prefer less guilty ▪ pastors , to trust the conduct of their souls with ; when heb. 13. they are commanded to be followers of their guides ? if they mistake , [ 1 cor. 5. with such not● to eat , ] and [ from such turn away 〈◊〉 it i●tolerable ? but bear with needful truth , as to your self . you here would disswade the nonconformists from their publick ministry , and plead it to be their sin ; by this you own the silencing and alienation of about two thousand such ministers , till they conform . i ask't you formerly , is it not sacrilege , to alienate ( unjustly ) devoted , consecrated persons , and worse than to alienate lands or monies ? and , is it not a hindering of god's word ? for which the liturgy disswadeth men from the sacrament , lest the devil enter into them . i only say , if men be guilty of this , ( which you think , the nonconformists are , by not conforming ; and they think , others are . ) if you had robbed thousand churches of the communion plate , or the glebe-land , or consented to the doing of it : were it separation and schism for your parish to prefer another pastor of their own choice ? and when you publish your consent to the alienating or silencing about two thousand such ministers , if men think that you do much worse than a thousand church-robbers , though they should mistake , is not their trusting another pastor with the conduct of their souls , a tolerable thing ? dear brother , try to take off the byass of your judgment ▪ and bear with necessary truth , though rough . though your logical faculty run lamentably low in this your accusing sermon , i impute it to the badness of your cause . undoubtedly , you have learning enough , to know that ye must die ; and that after death , judgment must be expected ; and that the time is short ; and the fashion of these deceiving vvorldly things , doth pass away . and , can you think , that your approbation and endeavours to silence so many such ministers while your own experience might tell you , that even you do need much help in such a charge as you undertake , will be the matter of a comfortable account ? if you think so , i must say , that a little sober , impartial , believing consideration , will make a man vviser , than the reading of many books with an unhumbled , byassed mind . the day is coming , when you will see , that ye were in a better , safer way , when with peaceable dr. tillotson , you seemed to consent to the plat-form of an act for our concord and restoration ? which made me tell many parliament-men , [ refer our cause to the councel of dr. tillotson and dr. stilling-fleet , and we shall presently be healed . ] but , what is man ? and , vvhat need have we to pray , lead us not into temptation ? xix . if men know the need of the full use of the pastoral-office for their souls , and cannot spare it , and yet live where they cannot enjoy one half or quarter of it ; is it schism for them to seek to enjoy the rest ? dr. hammond , in his annotations , o●t tells us , that the office of a bishop , was , to preach , to direct mens consciences , to visit and pray with the sick , to take care of all the poor , and the moneys gathered for them , to be their guide in publick worship , to exercise christ's discipline , admonishing , rejecting the obstinate , restoring the penitent , strengthening the weak , comforting the afflicted , resolving the doubtful , convincing gain-sayers , &c. some of your most peaceable conformable hearers tell me , [ we have need of a frequent help , by the company and councel of a pastor . ] but we never see him , but in the pulpit . and if we should all go to seek him in another parish where he dwells , when ever we need a pastor's councel , were he at leisure and willing , he could not have time to speak to one of an hundred , that might ( at once ) wait to speak with him : so that , we have none of this necessary pastoral help , when we greatly need it . yea , not the sixth , or tenth part of the parish can come to hear him in the church . and when we that most desire it get in , it troubleth us to think , that we thereby keep out those that least desire it , but most need it ; who , knowing the difficulty of getting room , do stay at home , and never seek it : so that , five parts of six of our neighbours , use not to go to any church at all , no more than infidels . and if in pity we perswade them to go to any nonconformist's meeting , they say the clergy will damn them as schismaticks . the question now is , whether ten thousand , or twenty thousand in a parish , are bound to live without all private pastoral help and councel ; yea , and to forbear all publick worshipping of god , and hearing of his word ? and , if they seek relief of nonconforming ministers , publickly and privately , whether it be sinful separation ? if men can spare the ministry , why are they maintained ? if they are needful for the safety of mens souls , must so many thousands hazard their souls for want of needful help , lest they be called separatists ? if the dean of st. pauls be called the parson of the parish , and preach to others that can hear him , will that serve the needs of all the rest ? xx. in moscovie , where a christian prince , and the laws forbid all preaching , and publick worship , save the reading of homilies and liturgies ; is it separation , and sinful schism , to disobey this , and otherwise to preach and worship god ? xxi . is it schism in france , and such other countries , for the protestants to meet to preach and worship god , against the wills of the king and bishops ? it 's true , that great sin is necessarily thus avoided by them , which are not imposed upon us . but if it prove , that any sin is made necessary to communion , the degree will not much vary the case , as to the point of separation . xxii . in divers countries , the prince is of one religion , or mode of religion , and the bishops of another : the question is , who are the schismaticks , the people that in their assemblies , and mode of worship , do ●ollow the prince , or they that follow the bishops ? some great writers for conformity tell me , that if the king command one liturgy , translation , version , ceremony , &c. and the bishop another , i must obey the bishop before the king : others say , i must obey the king before the bishop , ( of which before . ) bishop goodman of glocester ( a papist ) complaineth of the king , that would not consent that clergy-men should be chancellours : and i speak with no bishop , that disowneth not lay-chancellours use of the keys . the helvetian magistrates are erastians , against the clergies power of excommunication : many of the pastors are of the contrary judgment . the duke of brandenburgh is a calvinist : his bishops and clergy are lutherans . which party are the schismatick ? xxiii . were all those separating schismaticks , who , from the apostles dayes , did meet , preach , and worship god against the will and laws of princes ; sometimes of heathen princes , and sometimes of christians ; ( constantine , valens , theodosius the second , anastasius , zeno , justinian , &c. ) if so , most christian bishops have been such separatists . i have in my first plea , and my church-history ▪ given instances enough . xxiv . is it schism , or sinful separation , to disobey a command about religion , which no man hath true authority to give ? authority is the objectum formale of obedience ; and where there is no authority , there is no disobedience , in a formal sense , or privative . most politicks say , that princes have no authority against the common good : all power of princes and pastors is of god , and is for edification , and not for destruction . god giveth no power against himself , or his laws , nor the souls of men. if the king should command me to marry a wife , whom i know to be intolerably unmeet for me ; or to feed my self , and family with food , which i find to be against our health ; or to use a physician , whose ignorance or negligence , or untrustiness , would endanger my life : i am not bound to obey him , both because it is a matter that is without the verge of his governing authority , and because it is against the end of government . regal power destroyeth not family-power , nor personal interest and self-government : no man hath power to destroy or endanger the souls of men , nor forbid them seeking their own edification and salvation . i repeat bishop bilson's words , p. 236. of subjection : [ princes have no right to call or confirm preachers ; but to receive such as be sent of god , and give them liberty for their preaching , and security for their persons . and if princes refuse so to do , god's labourers must go forward with that which is commanded them from heaven : not by disturbing princes from their thrones , nor invading their realms , as your father doth , and defendeth he may do ; but by mildly submitting themselves to the powers on earth , and meekly suffering for the defence of the truth , what they shall inflict . — pag. 399. the election of bishops in those dayes , belonged to the people , and not to the prince : and though by plain force , he placed lucius there ; yet might the people lawfully reject him as no bishop , and cleave to peter , their right pastor . ] on this , i further ask , xxv . if the nonconforming people can prove ; that ( notwithstanding the times of civil usurpation , and bishops removal ) their pastors had a lawful call and title to their office over them , and they were truly obliged to them , as in that just relation , whether the magistrates or bishops acts , have made those relations , and obligations null ? that the temples and tythes are in the magistrates power , we doubt not : but more than bishop bilson , even many councils deny it of the office , and pastoral relation . yea , the universal church was of the same mind . and if so , how prove you , e. g. that the relation of the ejected london ministers , and their flocks was dissolved , and that the succeeders were true pastors to the non-consenting flocks ? xxvi . that there are ( alas ) multitudes of young , raw , injudicious , besides scandalous priests , no man can deny that knoweth england , and hath any modesty . if then honest people , that are not willing to be damned , shall say : [ we best know what is suitable to our needs , and what teachers profit us , and what not . and we find that some are so ignorant that they are unmeet as plowmen , to resolve the most concerning cases of conscience ; and their conversation savoureth not of any serious belief of christianity , and the world to come , and they do but read a few dry words , like school-boyes saying a weak oration , without life or seriousness , and we can but little profit by them . ] how prove you that it is lawful for such to use more suitable helps , though men forbid it ? a soul is precious : god worketh by means , and according to the suitableness of means : that agreeth not to some , which others can make shift with : two or three words from a conformest , that saith : [ god can bless the weakest means to you ; or the fault is in your self ] will not serve instead of needful helps . the king or bishop have not authority to tie a sick man to eat that which he cannot digest , or hurteth him . every man is neerliest concerned for his own soul , and most entrusted with it . parish-order it self , is but a humane alterable circumstance , which i am not bound to observe at the hazard of my edification and salvation . xxvii . what if the magistrate grant a toleration of divers modes of worship , as the french , and dutch churches are here tolerated , and many in holland , and in many other countries ? are these separating schismaticks , that differ from each other ? if so , it is not because they disobey the magistrate ; for he tolerateth them all : if not , then meer diversity of modes of worship maketh not schismaticks . xxviii . if it be no true political church ( in the strict sense as an organized society , which hath not true authorized pastors , and if any parish have either vncapable persons ▪ or such as were never consented to by the flocks , and so have no true pastor ; and if the bishops hold , that parishes are not proper political churches , but parts of churches , having no pastors that have the power of the keyes , or the whole essence of the pastoral office ; but only half-pastors , that want an essential part of the power . if on any such account , any parishes are no true pastoral churches : qu. whether to separate from such a parish , be to separate from a church in the sense in question ? xxix . the mutual condemnations in the times of the novations , donatists , nestorians , evtychians , monothelites , phantasiasts , image-patrons , &c. tell the world how needful , mutual forbearance is , to prevent worse divisions and confusions : and the papists take themselves to be all of one church , though they differ even in doctrines of morality , as dangerously as the jansenists , against the jesuits have shewed ; and though many sects and orders be permitted to live , and worship god with very great diversity in their several sorts of monasteries : why then should the little differences of our questioned assemblies be thought to be so great as maketh us not to be of one church . xxx . some good christians think , that though an undisciplined church may be communicated with , occasionally , yea , and constantly , while there is a hopeful tryal of its reformation ; yet when there is no hope after patient t●yal , a better course and communion should be chosen , where it may be had : and they think , that multitudes whom they know to be prophane swearers , cursers , drunkards , fornicators , haters of serious piety , hobbists , infidels , atheists , sadduces , &c. are continued in the church of england : and they say , they scarce ever heard one man of all these excommunicated ; nor one man of them all , ever brought to publick confession and repentance . and they think , lay chancellours , having not rightfully the power of the keys , there is no ordinary means of hopeful reformation , and exercise of discipline ; especially , the largeness of the diocesses making it impossible to be used to one of an hundred , that ( according to the law of christ ) it should be used on . and they think , that the church-discipline is not only none , as to the right use , and made impossible ; but worse than none , while it is used most to excommunicate from christ's church , the true and conscionable members of christ , that dare not conform ; and so to lead to their imprisonment , and utter ruin. and they think , that no man hath true authority , to confine them to such an undisciplined , and illdisciplined church ; and forbid them the use of better , where christ's discipline may be used . whether these men be in the right , or in the wrong , if the matter of fact be true , i should desire rather the reformation of such a church , than the reproach or afflicting of men , as separatists and schismaticks , that choose another sort of communion , as to their more ordinary practise ; not denying this to be a true diseased church . and so much in these thirty instances , about that which i think deserveth not the reproach of any dangerous separation . i told you thirty instances also of unlawful separation , which i named . and now you may judge , whether you spake to edification , when you said , that the [ people are condemned by their own teachers ; ] without telling , whom , and for what ; and how far they condemn them , and how far not . § . 34. and , did you think the consequence good , that because we think it lawful to hear you , yea , and to many a duty ; therefore we condemn them , for hearing any one else , that conformeth not ? as if they that have communion with your diocesan-church , must have communion with no other ? so far am i from your opinion , that i take it to be wofully separating and schismatical : and will never be a member of a particular church , which will forbid me communion with all others that differ from them ; yea , that doth not hold its communion in unity with all the true christian churches on earth ▪ though a schismatical disputer for prelacy , tells me , that though i communicate with the church of england , i am a schismatick for communicating with nonconformists , who ( saith he ) are schismaticks . but he that will communicate with no church that hath any guilt of schism , when the christian vvorld is broken into so many sects , i doubt , will be the greatest schismatick ; and will communicate with few on earth . and as smith baptized himself , not liking any other baptism , this man may become a church to himself . and indeed , the word [ condemn them ] sounds harsh ; when it signifieth no more , than that we judge them to be mistaken and culpable . if i condemn every man , or every church , which i judge to be sinners , i must condemn all mankind . i use not so harsh a phrase of your self , as to say , i condemn you : when yet i judge your book to be more schismatical , than the meetings of most that i am acquainted with ; which you accuse . § . 35. but yet , your mistake is greater than i have hitherto mentioned . i know not many ( if any ) that use to hear me , who separate from you : many of them are episcopal , and for your liturgy and ceremonies . i think , most of them go to the parish-churches ; and few ( if any ) that i know , do deny it to be lawful . how then can you prove it true , that we condemn them ? what is it for ? is it because they neither separate from the conformists , or nonconformists ? this is it , that we exhort them to . it was an ill slip , to put our condemning them , for commending them : but a fair exposition will make it lawful . § . 36. but you say [ how they can preach lawfully to a people that commit a fault in hearing them , i do not understand . ] ans . now you come to your business : but 1. what if you by calumny call my ordinary hearers separatists , and they are not such ? 2. what if we prove it to be their duty to hear both you and us in season , if they need it , or lawful at least ; and so do commend them , and not condemn them ? may we then lawfully preach to them ? what if the fault which we blame some for , be their judging it unlawful to hear such as you ? will your logick prove , that we call it their fault to hear us ; as if hearing us , and not hearing you , were words of the same signification ? and is all necessary which is lawful ? do we condemn men that do not all that is lawful to do ? and because you after infer , that if it be lawful , it is a duty ; i would you had told us , whether you take this universally , that [ what ever is lawful is a duty , ] or only in this case for some special reason , and what that is . i suppose it is , because it is commanded : as if every lawful thing commanded were a duty : but we think otherwise , unless the command be an act which god authorizeth the commander to do . all mens authority is limited by god : and they have none but from him . for instance , it is lawful to eat brown bread , and drink water , ( or wine ; ) but if the king or bishop forbid me to eat better , when my health requireth it , i am not bound to obey them : it is lawful to were sackcloth , but none have power to forbid me fitter clothing : it is lawful to set a son apprentice to a chimny-sweeper , or to an ale-seller or vintner ; but if the bishop or any other forbid one to place him better , it obligeth not : it is lawful to marry a blackmore , or an ugly scold , or beggar : but the bishop or king cannot oblige men to chose no better , because it is out of the verge of their jurisdiction , and belongeth to personal and family power . it is lawful to put my self into the hospital , and care of an unskilful physician , till my health require better : but when my health requireth it , i will use a better if i can , whoever forbids it . for it is usurpation in them , that shall take the necessary care of my health and life out of my own hands . it is lawful to give the king our estates : but lawyers say , we are not bound to do it , meerly because he or the bishop commandeth it . but perhaps you think , that men may do more against our souls than against our bodies ; and have more power in religion than in civil or bodily things : but we are not bound to think so if you do . it is lawful for men to hear one that only readeth the scripture and liturgy , and never preacheth : but when my needs requireth more , i will use it if i can , whoever forbids me ▪ it is lawful to hear an ignorant raw lad , that saith over a dry sermon as a boy saith his lesson , and hath neither spiritual life nor light , nor is fit to take the charge of souls : and it is lawful to hear such a sermon as yours , or one that peacheth against other mens preaching : yea , we rejoyce , and will rejoyce , that christ is preached , though by such as do it in strife and contention to add affliction to the afflicted , and not sincerely : but wise men that believe a life to come , and love their souls , will choose better if they can , whoever forbiddeth them . men have no power to hurt our souls , nor to deprive us of the help which god affordeth us , nor to make themselves the only judges , what is profitable or hurtful to our souls or bodies , or what is best for our edification . § 37. but [ to commit a fault in hearing us ] is of doubtful signification . in the manner of hearing , all commit faults ; by some defect of attention , faith or application : but that 's not it that you mean : but that it is their sin to hear us . and indeed , if this were true , is it above your learning to understand , that it is lawful to preach to them that commit a fault in hearing them . 1. what if culpably they would hear no other ? is it better let them hear none at all than that we preach to them ? if peevishness or sickness make a child refuse the food or physick which he should take by his parents command ; will you say , that it is better that he famish or die , than that you give him any other ? men may be saved that hear not you : but how can they believe , unless they hear , or hear without a preacher ? the means is for the end : i will have mercy and not sacrifice , is a lesson which i perceive more than the pharisees are to learn. order is for the thing ordered : parish order is not so needful as faith and salvation . it may be , such a mans sin , that he will not hear such as he should hear ; and so by consequence that he heareth me , and yet also consequently his duty to hear me , supposing that his fault hath blinded him , to think that he may hear no other , till his errour be cured : or at least , it is my duty to take him as i find him , and preach to him in his own mistake . 2. the canon forbids going out of our own parishes : suppose twenty or five hundred infidels , or papists of the next parish resolved , we will hear no protestant but dr. stillingfleet ; were it unlawful for you to preach to them ? 3. if i should preach to them all against separation , and for prelacy , were it unlawful ? one of the doctors at the savoy , 1661. motioned , that he and i might go up and down england to preach for conformity : and if any ask us why we do not , we may tell them , dr. stillingfleet taketh it for unlawful : if it be a sin to preach to them , it is a sin to preach to them against separation , or for conformity . 4. it is ordinary for men of other parishes to hear you , and dr. tillotson , and others , such as you esteem : and i suppose most weekly lectures are preached most to men of other parishes , and yet you take it not for sin to preach to them . 5. it is ordinary for many protestants to go hear and communicate wi●h the french or dutch churches which differ from you in the mode of worship : and yet i never heard it proved , that it is a sin for the preachers thus to preach to them . 6. what if your children as prodigals over-run you , or the kings subjects causelesly fly into another land : they ought not to be there . is it herefore unlawful , for any to teach them there , or receive them to pub●ike worship ? 7. almost all the christian world , is so tainted with some degree of errour and partiality , that men will hear none but those of their own mind , for their errour sake . the armenians , abassims , greeks , papists , nestorians , jacobites , luth●rans , arminians , calvinists , anabaptists , &c. it is unlawful for any of these , to refuse sounder teachers than their own , and to confine themselves to their own only meerly for their singular opinions : and yet it will be hard for you to prove , that all the preachers on earth , must give over preaching to any such as these . what shame , blood , and odious schisines , followed this schismatical principle , while in doubtful disputations , or tolerable differences , each party condemned and cursed the other , i have fully manifested in my abridgment of church history . vvhile by one emperour and council all the orthodox were deposed ; and by another , all the nestorians ; and by another , all the eutichians ; and by another , all the monothelites ; and by another , the corrupticolae ; and by another , the iconoclasts ; and so on ; how few were there un-cursed , and un-cordemned in the roman world ? and this keepeth the churches in schism to this day . 8. do not you thus teach the nonconf●rmists to require you with the like ; and by your own rule to judg it unlawful for you to preach . they judg indeed , that it is lawful to hear you ; 1. when better 〈◊〉 , without greater hurt than benefit . 2. to s●ew their 〈◊〉 by their practise , viz. that they separate not from you as 〈◊〉 church , nor ●●ke it for simply unlawful to have 〈…〉 you : but they that think conformity as great a 〈…〉 have told you , they fear it would be to them , must needs think that it is a fault in those that choose your assemblies , when c●teris paribus , and without greater hurt than good , they might have better . and must we therefore conclude , that it is unlawful for you to preach . suppose it were ●ut , when we had the kings licence . or , if in the times of usurpation , and thought to leave the parish churches tended culpably to division : it followeth not , that it was unlawful for a bishop to preach in private , though when you , under the usurpers , kept the parish church , he had preacht to some of your flock . but here you shew what your labour tendeth to , viz. to prove it unlawful for us to preach , that you may perswade us to give over . if god will , i shall elsewhere give you an account of the reasons of our preaching ; and answer what you , and others say against it : and therefore , shall say but little of it here . but i am heartily sorry , that you are come to such a desire : that you had rather so many hundred such ministers were silenced , than suffered to preach without your covenants , and ceremonies ! that you no more regard the needs of the people , that abound in ignorance , carelesness , and vice ; nor observe no more the power of sin , nor the great want of help to such parishes , as your own , and too many in the land , that have need on other accounts . o! how dreadful and unsearchable are the judgments of god ? that when so many hundreds were forbidden to preach the gospel , the plague must first give them some degree of liberty , and the flames continue it the next year , and the kings clemency after , and horrid popish treason next divert their prosecutors ; while the laws and bishops all the while forbad them : even when the parish-preachers fled from the plague , and it was dying men that the nonconformists preach't to . and when the churches were burnt down , and the people had no priest , or place to go to for their own way of worship ; yet neither laws nor bishops consented to our preaching : and such men as dr. stillingfleet also , come in to engage their wit , reputation , industry , and conscience , in the silencing design . o! what cause have we all to vvatch and pray , that we enter not into temptation ? and to dread the spiritual judgments of god ? remember lot ' s wife , was a needful warning . a solomon , that is numbred with the wisest men , may be se● up as a frightful monument , to bid us take heed , lest we revolt . and i take it for a greater injury to us , to perswade us to silence our selves ; than to perswade the magistrate only , to silence , banish , or imprison us : for so to suffer from another is not our sin. but sacrilegiously to break our ministerial vow , and forsake the calling , which we were solemnly vowe● to , and this while the necessity of souls cry for help ; is a sin , which few men are so bad , as to perswade us to with open face , without some pious fraudulent pretence . § . 38. serm. p. 20. [ i do not confound bare suspending communion , in some particular rites , which persons do modestly scruple , and using it in what they judge to be lawful ; with either total , or ordinary forbearance of communion , in what they judge to be lawful ; and proceeding to the forming of separate congregations , i. e. under other teachers , and by other rules , than what the established religion alloweth . and this is the present case of separation , which i intend to consider , and to make the sinfulness , and the mischievousness appear . answ . i am sure , i am one that you expresly charge , as of this number ; and i can best speak for my self , and those of my acquaintance . 1. is it true , that i totally or ordinarily forbear ? 2. what mean you by [ forming ] a congregation ? if their presence be my forming them , it is but because i speak to them : for , i neither perswade nor drive them to be there . but if you mean , forming them into a distinct church , and becoming their pastor , i was never related as a pastor , to any church , but kiderminster ; nor have these twenty years , been a pastor to any ; but borrowed other mens pulpits , to preach a lecture ●o such as say they need it . 3. your word [ separate , ] i have examined before . you separate from my auditory , and more than separate ; and i separate not from yours : who then is the separatist ? 4. all the parishes about you , and the bishop of ely in your parish , that judge it lawful to hear you , yet are absent from you ; and so are some nonconformists , that think they must preach themselves ; and cannot be in two places at once . is that separating ? 5. the french and dutch churches do all that , which you here describe , as sinful and mischievous ; only they have more leave , than we . 6. is all the matter , that we are teachers , which the law alloweth not ? so were the orthodox under the nestorian , eutychian , monothelite , &c. princes . and so i have proved , that the christian religion hath been much propagated in the vvorld . 7. vvhat are the rules which we go by , which the established religion alloweth not ? doth it not allow the sacred scriptures ? or , have you proved , that i go by any other rule ? if the act of vniformity , or the canons be your religion , do not they allow god's word ? or , if they be your rules , omitting that , is not vsing another ? yet those that do joyn in churches under chosen pastors , when i do not , i shall not condemn , till i hear their reasons : they may have more cause than i have . § . 39. serm. p. 21. [ they vnanimously confess they find no fault with the doctrine of our church . ] answ . 1. and yet are you one that would have them all silenced ? 2. but this is not true : you name four or five , and then say [ vnanimously ; ] and this because they offer to subscribe the doctrine of the thirty nine articles : and yet i suppose you know , that they more unanimously dissent from the doctrinal article in the liturgy of baptized infants , certain undoubted salvation without exception , and some of them to the doctrinal damnation of all condemned in athanasius creed ; and some of your selves , as well as mr. humphrey could wish the article against free-will , and that which damneth all the heathens , and some others , had been otherwise than they are . § . 40. [ they generally yield , that our parochial churches are true churches ; and it is with these that communion is required ] say you so ? 1. the diocesans are little beholden to you , if this be all ! do you require no communion with them . 2. i think i shall shew you anon , that you take your parishes for no true churches your self : at least your chief brethren do not , who make them but parts of a church , the diocesan being the lowest proper church . 3. are you sure , that the independents take your parishes for true churches ? i cannot tell . but i know john goodwin and mr. brown have writ to the contrary . 4. and for my self , how oft have i told you , that i distinguish , and take those for true churches , that have true pastors ( but that is , because i judge of their office by gods word , and not by the rule which depriveth them of an essential part of the office of a pastor of a true church . ) but i take those for no true churches , that have . 1. men uncapable of the pastoral office . 2. or not truly called to it . 3. or that deny themselves to have the power essential to a pastor . such congregations i can joyn with , as chappels or oratories : but they are not churches of the political organized from which we speak of , as wanting an essential part . § . 41. next you tell men , what i said in print , of our conclusion , that communion with you , was lawful . ] ans . this is true : and when said we otherwise ? dr. manton , dr. bates , dr. jacomb , mr. poole and others were there ! i told you before , how far lawful . § . 42. serm. p. 22. [ who could have imagined , but they should have all joyned with us , in what themselves judged to be lawful , and in many cases a duty . but instead of this , we have rather since that time , found them more inclinable to courses of separation , &c. ] ans . if this be not true , i take it not for sinless . since that time 1. mr. pool , mr. humphery , my self and others , that took our selves to be no pa●●ors to any particular church , have usually joyned in your assemblies ; and i usually keep to my parish-church . 2. since that time , in a treaty set on foot by the lord-keeper bridgman , we agreed in terminis , with bishop wilkins , and dr. burton ; and judge hale drew up our agreement into the form of an act. 3. since that time , at your own motion , we treated with honest dr. tillotson and you ; and the same men and more , consented to the form and words of an agreeing act , and you both seemed to consent . 4. where you read my words , you might have read the reason , why no more communicated with you . and it is not like a lover of truth to dissemble them ; 1. i told you , that even at the present , new heats arising against dissenters , we thought it our duty , till they were over , to forbear a lawful thing ; which was like to occasion the sufferings of such as in that were not satisfied as we were . marriage is lawful : but if it be not necessary , one may forbear it , if it would ruine another , though the bishop command it him . 2. i told you , that the oxford act of confinement , came out when we were intending to come to your churches : and then had we been seen there in the city or corporations , we had been sent to jayle : but many in the countries came to your churches . this is your cathedrall justice ; the law is [ come to church in london , &c. and you shall go to jayle six months . ] and if we do not , such as you tell the world , that we are separatists . 3. i told you , men cannot preach to others , and hear you both at once . must we repeat these things as oft as you accuse us ? § 43. in the charge are joyned dr. owen and my self , my error is [ p. 24. serm. that to devise new species of churches ( beyond parochial or congregational without gods authority ▪ and to impose them on the world yea in his name ) and call all dissenters schismaticks , is a far worse usurpation than to make or impose new ceremonies or liturgies ] . ans . a man would think that this doctrine should justifie it self and confute the accuser . 1. will you own your churches de specie to be new , and yet appeal to antiquity ? 2. will you own them to be devised without gods authority , and yet to be preferred to those that he instituted ? 3. will you own that yet they may in his name be imposed on the world ? 4. and will you own that for these , dissenters may be called schismaticks ? 5. and is not this a worse usurpation than to make new ceremonies ? if you will plead for so much presumption , profanation of gods name , usurpation , uncharitableness , and schism , i will leave you to fight against the light , and not labour in vain in a needless confutation . 2. but , sir , you should have told your reader the full truth . 1. that i never denied but largely asserted the magistrates power of the sword over all persons and causes ecclesiastical ; much less christian kingdoms , or cities de re . 2. and that i maintained that magistrates make officers to judge of the circa sacra ; or undetermined accidents of religion . 3. and if you will equivocally call these churches , i quarrel not de nomine . 4. nor yet at the thing or name of the association of many churches for concord . 5. but i say ( in the page cited by you ) that as humane forms should not be pretended falsly to be divine , so neither have they authority against those that are divine , to change them and destroy their priviledges : unless you will fight for man against god , you must reverse this accusation . § 44. as to your case , of the extent of the first churches , i have so much to say of it elsewhere , if god will , that i shall not here stay on so short a touch . only you put me to repeat , if god make families , and men make cities , do but confess the different efficients , and usurp not a power to destroy the power instituted by god , and we shall not much differ . § 45. you greatly strengthen my cause by the testimony of so well read a man [ serm. p. 27. [ though when the churches increased , the occasional meetings were frequent in several places , yet still there was but one church , and one altar , and one baptism , and one bishop , with many presbyters assisting him : and this is so very plain in antiquity , as to the churches planted by the apostles themselves in several parts , that none but a great stranger to the history of the church can ever call in question . ans . bishop gunning will give you no thanks for this , it seems after all the anger we are much agreed . i never denied chappel● to a church , nor thought they must all meet at once . if they all meet per vices at one altar , they are associated for presential communion , and not distant only , and this is that i am for . make it but such a church that meet at one altar , and that can know one another , and are associated for such personal communion in presence , and ( though i could wish it neither too small nor too great ) it is of the species which i plead for as of god. there is certainly a specifique difference between a church that hath a constitutive formal governour , who hath the whole pastoral power , and is associated for presential mutual help in faith worship and holy living , and one that either hath but a half pastor without the power of the keyes , or that is associated only for distant communion , and never see each other ; even for another sort of communion . conformists hold that bishops and presbyters are distinct orders : therefore churches differing in the very order or species of the constitutive governours , and in the triminus or end , and the nature of the communions are certainly of distinct species , and not only of distinct degrees in the same species : but such are our parochial and diocesan churches . just such a church as you here describe is it that i would have , and yet if the chappels also have altars , and there be more than one to the church , as long as they are under the same bishop and presbyters , associate for communion in presence , it alters not the species . § 46. i thank you also for adding p. 28. [ and yet this distribution even in creet was so uncommon in those elder times , that epiphanius takes notice of it as an extraordinary thing at alexandria and therfore it is probably supposed that there was no su●h thing in all the cities in his time ] . ans . 1. it s true of creet , which had an hundred cities : but your [ therefore ] makes me think , you put creet for cyprus : for there it was that epiphanius was a bishop . 2. but you grant me the foundation of all my cause . let the diocess or parish or church ( call it what you will ) be no bigger than that the same bishop may performe the true pastoral office to them in present communion , and not only by writs , and delegates , rule men that have no personal present communion , nor ever intend it as the end of their relation , and i have my desire as to the species of the lowest sort of churches . 1 thes . 5. 12. 13. know them which labour among you , and are over you in the lord , and admonish you . but such are not those whom we never saw nor heard , and never laboured among or admonished the twentieth or fortieth or hundredth congregation in their diocess , and whom the people cannot know . heb. 13. 7. remember then which have rule over you , who have spoken to you the word of god , whose faith follow , considering the end of their conversation . 17. obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves , for they watch for your souls as those that must give account . but such are not they that the people never heard the word of god from , nor knew their conversation nor the men : and bishop taylor saith , no man can give account of those that he knoweth not ; that is , pastors account . make parishes true churches , and restore them church discipline , and we are satisfied . § 47. serm. p. 29. [ if we look over the ancient cannons of the church , we shall find two things very plain in them : 1. that the notion of a church was the same with that of a diocess ; or such a number of christians as were under the inspection of a bishop . ] ans . 1. very true ; and the bishop was their ordinary preacher , and only pronounced the blessing &c. therefore till the species was altered it was like a school , whose schollars lived in city and country , but were under a bishop that governed them personally in presence . but after they were like many score or hundred schools that had teaching ushers , and one absent governour ( to the most ) . to govern as a schoolmaster in presence specifically differs from governing as princes or visitors , by laws , or extraordinary inspection . 2. i pray you forget not that by this measure ( if you hold to it ) you unchurch all our parish churches : every church then had a bishop , no parish now hath a bishop ( proper to it self ) , or at least not many : therefore no parish ( by this rule ) is a church . ecclesia est plebs episcopo adunata . you make no church below a diocess . § 48. serm. [ 2. that those presbyters who rejected the authority of their bishop or affected seperate meetings , where no fault could be found with the doctrine of a cburch , were condemned of schism ] . ans . good still : they were not to set up altare contra altare , but joyn with the bishop in governing the same church in present communion at least per vices : but if a bishop than had put down a hundred or a thousand bishops and churches about him , and said , you shall be all but one church in another sort of communion , and i will be your only bishop , christians then would have abhorred him : now we have hundreds of altars locally separated from the bishop . 2. but yet if then the doctrine of faith had been never so sound , christians would have separated . 1. from unlawful worship ( specially idolatry ) , 2. and from wicked bishops ; as the forementioned epistle of cyprian and the carthage council sheweth . § 49. you confess martin and theognostus separation from the synods and communion of the neighbour bishops : and if it were not lawful for neighbours to communicate with them , i shall believe as cyprian , that the same reason would at least warrant the people to forsake them , till you shew reason to the contrary . and you confess the joannites separation , and only say that after they returned . it s true : but did they do well or ill before ? they returned not till gentleness and honouring chrysostome reduced them : and though cyril alex. called them schismaticks and said it was fitter the church canons should be kept , than such refractory nonconformists gratified by restoring the honour of their ejected pastor , yet atticus had more wit and honesty then to follow his council or be moved by his threatning ; our case hath ten times more to be said for it , than the joannites had , who were not cast out , but departed , nor had any impositions forced on them , which they took to be many hainous sins . had you been impartial , you had easily seen this : but as cyril and others accusation of the joannites , as separatists and schismaticks , did not finally attain his ends against the joannites , no more shall yours against the more excusable . in an ale-house or crowd of the debauched or ignorant [ they are puritans , presbyterians , fanaticks , separatists , schismaticks , hereticks , rogues ] is effectual arguing and convincing , and some preachers it seems take their hearers for such judges ; but men will be men , and reason will be reason , and truth will be truth , and innocency will be innocency , and pride , and slander will shame their authors more than the slandered , when you and i are dead and gone . § 50. serm. p. 30. [ but suppose the first churches were barely congregational by reason of the small number of believers at that time , yet what obligation lies upon us to disturb the peace , of the church we live in to reduce churches to their infant state ] and here is mentioned the community of goods , washing feet , and then [ they believe that the first civil government was appointed by god himself over families : do they therefore think themselves bound to overthrow kingdomes to bring things back to their first institution , &c. ] ans . 1. we call them not [ barely congregational ] but [ associated for personal communion ] if all the kingdom had but one bishop , that were another species of government and communion than parochial . 2. if one like you should plead for turning all the families in london into one , and making only one common father or master of a families , who should send stewards to every house , of his own making , to give them their victuals , he only being the proper governour , and this man should plead as you do , that it is disturbing the peace of the great family , to reduce them to their infant state , by restoring particular families , more wit or reputation than yours would not keep his cause from shame . or if he pleaded that all the schools in a diocess , or many 100 or 1000 , should have but one schoolmaster with ushers that have no power to take in or put out or use the rod , and that to retrive this to the infant state is seditious , the reason of mankind would shame his reasoning . and when men know what pastoral guidance is , the case here will be as plain . 3. our reason for desiring ( not the primitive paucity of christians , but ) the primitive form of christ is . 1. because christ by his apostles instituted it : ( mr. thorndike once spake well to that ) . 2. because we can prove that he was faithful in forming his house and church , as moses was in forming that of the jews . 3. because we never heard it proved that man had power to alter what christ by his spirit in the apostles founded : neither having their infallibility nor commission . 4. at least we think it is the surest way to hold to that which we are sure god setled , till we can prove that men have power to change the very form . 4. teach us what to say to the papists , when they shall accordingly say to us [ what though there was no vniversal pastor in the primitive times ? what though many things in discipline and worship be changed since ? why must you disturb the peace of the church by reducing things to the infant state ? what though there were no cardinals , nor general councils of prelates to make universal lawes for the churches , what though the sacrament was given in both kinds , and there were no private masses , or prayers for the dead ? must the church be still in infancy ? what though the apostles instituted the lords day for publick worship and holy communion , may not the church put that down , and set up one day of her making once a month or year instead of it ? but i will not be one of those that will fight for man against god ; for i know who will overcome . if you can prove that christ gave your church authority to pull down the church offices and form which he appointed , and set up another , and call it the churches growth , or emendation , i will obey them . but i have elsewhere asked who they were that made your new church form . if the first church ( of gods making ) it was only the universal headed by christ , and particular churches for personal communion , if these made the new forms , tell us who , when , and by what power , and why they may not unmake them , if there be cause : and whether the efficient church be not better then the effected as the parent than the child . if you say that bishops of parishes did 〈◊〉 by consent in asia or elsewhere above a thousand years ago , how come we in england to be bound by them ? if you say that princes were the makers of the new church species . 1. heathen princes did it not . 2. the bishops will give you little thanks , if you grant not that it was done before there were any christian princes to do it . 3. one prince cannot make laws for anothers country . 4. prove that ever christ authorized princes to change the constitution of the churches instituted by him , and make new ones above his form ; except making officers for the circa sacra or variable accidents . 5. and what princes do , they have power to undo . and it concerneth us to enquire ( much more then about ceremonies ) how far this power of man extendeth . may they make as many new church species as they please . why then may they not make as many forms as there are kingdomes , if not an universal pope by the consent of most ? 5. but that which the papists take for the churches growth from infancy , the protestants take for its gradual depravation ; and have written many treatises to shew when and how such corruptions were introduced : and the forementioned book of paulus sarpi servita lately translated , tells us by what degrees much of that evil did spring up , which some take to be the churches man-hood , and the amending of the defects of christs institutions . 6. and you that wonder that i know not what you mean by [ the church of england ] may next wonder that i know not what it is that you call [ the protestant religion ] in my [ full satisfaction ] i have told you that i mean by it , simple christianity expressed in the sacred scriptures as the recorded rule , with the rejection of all humane additions which suppose the scriptures imperfect as to their regulating use : but if you suppose that men may , without any scripture proof of authority , take down and change the church species , which christ by his apostles made , and make new ones instead , and thus add to christs laws , equal , yea superior and derogating laws of their own , this is not that protestant religion which i am of , and therefore i intreat you to define what it is you so call . 7. when you have as well proved the very essential form of the first churches to have been instituted but pro tempore as a mutable thing , as we can prove the like of washing feet , and community of goods , we will submit . and so we will when you have proved that god that made families made not cities or republicks , that is , did not institute civil government of many families ; or that men who diversifie the forms of republicks , may overthrow families or their proper power : yea and that god hath left men as much power to make new species of churches , as to diversifie the forms of common-wealth . 8. and as to our [ disturbing your peace ] if you had built your frame on christs foundation , and laid your peace on the unity of the spirit , and the seven particulars named eph. 4. 45. 6. and had not built it on uncharitableness , on imperious usurpation , nor that love of the world , which paul servita saith brought in the church corruptions , you would not have been so tender , nor your peace like an aspen leaf in the wind , as that your brethren , who , you say , agree in doctrine and the substance of worship with you cannot quietly joyn near you in the worship of god , without your imposed words , and ceremonies , but they become disturbers of your peace . it s a sickly peace that is so easily disturbed by so small dissent . as rome thinketh that all wrong her that do not obey her , and pleadeth for empire under the name of communion , so do some others ; and will enter a suite against them as schismatiks , that will not let them ride and lash them without complaint . if you have the humility and charity of a christian , without envy &c. what harm doth it do you that i and such others worship god in another room , without your book , while your church is as full as it can well hold ? do you not differ much more among your selves ; as i before shewed ? and the papists yet more among themselves ; and yet are in one church , and tollerated . but so their power and wills may be obeyed , some men can bear with much more against god. who heareth such out cries against ten thousand or twenty thousand in a parish that come not to any church at all , as against a few christians that pray and preach without your book ? what informers , what indictments , what prosecutions , what invectives are equally against all these aforesaid ? § 51. serm. p 31. [ it is very uncertain whether the primitive form were such as they fancy &c , but it s certainly our duty to preserve peace and unity amongst christians ] . ans . 1. then it is certainly a sin to make racks to tear them , and make concord impossible , and say , none shall have communion with us , that will not say and swear what we bid them , and that think any thing sin which we impose ; and to shut men out by cannonical excommunication , and then call them schismaticks in presse and pulpit for not coming in . 2. if it be uncertain whether that which we desire be the primitive form , it is uncertain then whether you oppose not and fight not against the primitive form . 3. what you say is uncertain i shall god willing prove certain elsewhere ( and have done ) . all is not uncertain to others which is so to you . 4. mark this , you that are for the divine right of episcopacy as the primitive forme instituted by christ ; as he taketh it for uncertain ( as beyond congregational formes ) , so were it so , if the church should cast it out , he seemeth to hold your endeavours to reduce it , to be a sinful breaking of the churches peace . you are disturbers if in holland , geneva , helvetia , you would reduce them to that which you suppose to be the primitive form . it may be it was but from the circumstances of the times : and so the head of the church hath made no particular church species , but left all to the better wit of men ( who knowes to whom ) . § 52 serm. [ it is impossible so to do , if men break all orders in pieces , for the fancy they have taken up of a primitive platform ] . ans . anglice , [ it is impossible to preserve peace and unity among christians if men will not suppose that christ never instituted his own church formes , or will not forsake his institutions , but fancy that they must be conformable thereto , and will not preferre the wills and commands of bishops to whom they never consented , and take it to be a breaking of all orders in pieces , not to do all that they enjoyn us , though we take it to be heynous sin , and will not give over gods worship and our ministry when they forbid us . dan. 6. we shall find no fault against this daniel , except it be concerning the law of his god , but if he pray openly when forbidden , away with him to the lyons for the laws of the medes and persians are more inflexible than gods. § 53. as to what you say of preferring morals and the ends , it is more truly than prudently mentioned as to your cause : for the very naming of it will make the readers think , whether your subscription and declaration and oaths and imposed practices , which the nonconformists judge unlawful , be greater matters than their preaching the gospel , avoiding great sins , the concord and strength of the protestant churches , and the avoding temptations to wrath , and persecution and divisions which will be bitter in the latter end . go learn what this meaneth i will have mercy and not sacrifice ; ( or needless ceremony ) § 54. serm. p. 32 [ men may please themselves in talking of preserving peace and love under separate communions : but our own sad experience shews the contrary : for as nothing tends more to unite mens hearrs than joyning together in the same prayer and sacraments ; so nothing doth more alienate mens affections , than withdrawing from each other into separate congregations ] . ans . 1. but do all separate from you that are in other parish churche● than yours ; if not , do all separate that differ , as cathedrals from parish churches , or as conforming preachers do from one another : if not , do they separate that omit a form or ceremony of yours ? 2. i am sorry , if you have experience of the alienating of your affections from your neighbours , that quietly worship god by you : but it s like you know what you say : for my part many of them have said and written more against me , them against you , and , i thank god , i love them heartily ; yea and that your own party from whom i have suffered far more . it is mens diseases that make them impatient of a cross opinion or word or censure , and then they cry out of mens unpeaceableness : as seneca saith , they that are sore complainif they but think their sore is touched . 3. let the magistrates keep peace and punish all that abuse their brethren . 4. but we easily grant to you , that when men do not only differ , but fly from each others communion as unlawful , it hath a great tendency to the alienations and evils which you mention . had we not thought so , we had never stoopt , and pleaded , and begg'd of the bishops to prevent or heal it as we did 1660 , and 1661. and wo to the impenitent that are the cause of all , and to this day will not be perswaded by all the sad experience that they complain of . sir , instead of all your accusations and reasonings , it would have better dispatched all the business , would you but consider , who it is that must cure the distance which you complain of ? i have fully proved to you in my book of concord that we are utterly unable to remedy it . if you will not know , who can make you know . do you think , that when you say to all the land [ say and do all that is imposed , or you shall not be admitted to our communion ] that it is morally possible to make all good christians agree in b●lieving that it is all lawful ? or to make them all do that which they think to be unlawful ? i must freely tell you , that he that thinks that his own or any others reasonings will ever so far change all the truly honest christians in the land , knoweth so little of matters , men or conscience , as that he is unmeet to be a bishop or a priest . but is the remedy impossible to the imposers ? i am ashamed to debate the question : but some men are so learned and wise , that they will not quench the fire in a city , nor save the ship from sinking , no forbear silencing christs ministers and scattering the flocks , as long as they can but say , there will such or such an inconvenience follow . it would cost you nothing to cure all this , which it is impossible for us to cure . therefore all your just aggravations of the mischiefs of schism or separation fall where it concerneth some of you to look to it , if you believe that there is a future judgement ; rather than to call your selves schismaticks under the name of others , and pu● god and man to say , thou art the man. § 55. pag. 33. you come to me , for denying that i separate causelesly from the communion of true churches , or set up antichurches , [ though ( say you ) they prea●● when and where it is forbidden by law , and administer sacraments by other rules and after a different manner than what our church requireth : this is not dealing with us with that fairness and ingenuity which our former brethren used — they deny the fact which is evident to all persons : for do they not the very same things and in the same manner that the others do . how comes it to be then separation in some and not in others . they are very unwilling to confess a separation because they have formerly condemned it with great s●●erity , and yet they do the same things for which they charged others as guilty of a sinful separation . ] and i am cited . ans . 1. this is like h. f●wlis , the puritans are the worst men on earth : the papi●●s , are far prefer'd before them , because the papists differ in fundamentals , but the puritans take mass for a ceremony . so we are the most disingenious and not fair dealers , that own them to be true churches and ministers and hold communion with them ; and yet deny that we are schismaticks or separate : we leave you therefore , to treat with the lesser disingenious and the fair dealers , that say you are no true ministers , nor is it lawful to have communion with men that openly avow such hainous sin , and covenant against ever endeavouring to reform notorious church corruptions : because with such we are forbid even to eat , and commanded from such to turn away ; it s well you have some more ingenious and fair dealers than i am . but the disingenuity is my denying your accusation : i heard of a gentleman that cou●d silence any man : and his way was , he would accuse him ( of murther , adultery , the●t or what his cause required ) and if he denied it he would say ; [ what will you make me a lyar ? to give me the lie deserveth a stab . ] it is not only a crime if we do not toto pectore telum recipere , or with camero unbutton our selves and say feri miser , or whe●ever we are beaten , confess that we deserved it : it 's an odd kind of suit for a man that calleth an innocent man traytor , to bring his action against him , for saying , you slander me . but it is the name or thing that we must not deny . we will gratifie you in the first : i do separate from your church , by half a miles distance , and by going to my own parish , and by preaching my self , and so do most of the parish preachers , that will not sit hearing you when they should preach . but it is de re . and what is it , first i must tell the matter of fact : i never took any pastoral charge these twenty years ; i gathered no church : i never baptized one person : i never administred the lords supper once , in about eighteen or nineteen years ; but of late seldom to some few , since aged weak persons who were in my house , and near , who gave me special reason for it ; and the liturgy alloweth it to the sick and all their friends that joyn with them : while i lived at acton and toteridge i went twice each lords day to the publick church , even to the beginning : here i go when i am able usualy once a day to hear the parson of the parish ; and i communicate with them in the sacrament : i preach twice a week in another mans pulpit ( borrowed ) most to strangers that i have no more to do with : my gain i thank them , the accuser put me not to excuse : i write and preach against schism and all unjust separation , and perswade all to go no further from any than they go from christ , or than they drive us away , or than we needs must , to avoid actual sin . well ; now what is the crime of separation ? 1. i preach ( you say ) when and where it is forbidden by law. ] ans . is this the formal reason of separation ? then disobedience and separation are all one . i suppose you mean the law of the king and the parliament , and not the canons save as by them made laws : when i had given you so many historical instances of the ancient bishops and christians , doing the like , and justified commonly by the church : did you think while you silently pass all that over , and all the rest that i said for my justification , that two lines of your saying was enough to confute all ? certainly it was not me that you meant to satisfie , nor any impartial man that had read my books . this dealing beseemeth , not so weighty a cause . you seem to say [ all preaching when and where it is forbidden by law , is sinful separation : but , &c. i deny the major . the primitive preachers did so for three hundred years : the orthodox did so afterwards under constantius , valens , theodosius junior , anastasius , philippicus , justinian and many more : the albigenses , waldenses and bohemians did so : the reformers did so : the protestants when the interim was imposed did so : episcopius justifieth it at large , and the arminians in belgia , did so : the martyrs in england and elsewhere did so . the jesuits in the east indies did so . but what if the law forbad you to preach at a certain hour — do you separate from the church , if you miss your hour ? they that preacht afternoon sermons when forbidden were taken for disobedient but not for separatists . and what if when the churches here were burnt the ministers had read the liturgy and preacht in a place forbidden by the law : had that been separation ? and how cometh [ when ] and [ where ] to be in , when we are forbidden every time and in every place , to preach to more than four . is any time or place allowed us to preach in ? you mean [ he is a separatist who preacheth being forbidden by law : but i am ready to give you a fuller proof than is now to be offered on this occasion , that no man hath authority to forbid a faithful minister of christ , who forfeiteth not his office-power , to perform the office to which he is ordained . and , secondly ▪ that we remain under a divine obligation to it , which such a law 〈◊〉 dissolve , as bishop bilson before saith [ if princes forbid us , we must go on with our work : what if the king had turned against episcopacy and liturgy , and forbad all the episcopal to preach . would you think it sinful separation to preach . by this you shew how easily you would lay down the work you are vowed to , if the law did but forbid you . how much then are papist and protestant casuists mistaken , that say the law is null that is against the common good , and that all power is only to edification . and what limits do you set to this . till you tell us , how can we judge of our separation : what if an interdict silence all the ministers in a kingdome , must all obey ? what if it be most , must most obey ? what if it be more then can be spared without the churches wrong ? and whose laws be they that so binds us : is it infidel princes or only christians . is it papists , arrians , eutychians , &c. or only the orthodox ? and do you set the people all to judge whether the king be orthodox , as the rule of their obedience to his laws . if i prove not that god bindeth me to preach , call me disobedient , but yet that will not prove me a separatist . by this rule you may be a separatist , as oft as the law changeth , if you will not change as fast as it . yea though you judge the laws impositious to be hainous sins , yet you must do them all or give over your ministry : and so god must ask leave of the rulers to be worshiped as god. if he were a god of their making , they might put him down . and , i think , it will prove confusion and worse disobedience than our preaching is , to lay all the peoples obedience herein on their opinion of the rulers orthodoxness : no doubt , but the heathen and heretical rulers are governours even of the church , though none hath power for destruction or against god. the duke of brandenburghs subjects judge him not orthodox : are they therefore absolved from obeying him in matters of religion ? calvenists subjects think lutherane princes not orthodox ; and protestants , in france , hungary , poland , judge their papist kings not orthodox : yea , what if we judge the bishops not orthodox that made the cannons or liturgy , are we absolved from obeying them . and what if any subjects think that the king is not orthodox ? and parliaments , who also make our laws , contain men of many minds : and the parliament of 1640. is said by the bishops to have been far from orthodox , even to have been presbyterians , and erastians , and even for rebellion ; and yet they made divers laws which the king consented to and ratified : were not men obliged by those laws : and indeed if the lawmakers being not orthodox null his laws about religion , why not all his other laws . but it may be you will say , that it is not all the people that must judge whether the king and parliament be orthodox , but the bishops for them . ans . but who shall judge whether the bishops be orthodox ? and if all be resolved into the implicite belief of the bishops , why not of the civil rulers as well ? or why not as the papists on pope and councils ? i suppose to avoid all this you will not say , that he is a separatist that preacheth when forbidden by any prince whatsoever , turk , heathen , arrian , eutychian , idolater , papist ? where then will you fix the notifying character ? all men are heterodox in some degree ? how shall we know the degree which absolveth us from our obedience , and how cometh an orthodox man to be authorized to do mischiefs and forbid the needful preaching of the gospel any more than a heretick ? or a christian more than a heathen ? i think he is bound to do more good then they , and not authorized to do more hurt ? god never made him a judge whether the gospel shall be preacht or not , nor whether the people shall be saved , or left to perish in their ignorance and sin . either then all are separatists that preach against the laws of heathens , hereticks or papists : and so the orthodox churches have in many or most ages and places been separatists : or else we are cast upon confounding impossibilities to know who the separatist is . especially in aristocracies and domocracies , where the rulers are of many minds , and the people can never know them all , nor when the orthodox , have the major vote . and i would know , whether it be only rightful princes or also usurpers , whose laws are the bond of the churches unity . if of usurpers , then all the prelates that conformed not in the times of the late usurpation were schismatical separatists by your definition : but to do them right , few of my acquaintance that could by conformity slay in , did then refuse conformity : i hear that you were then no separatist . but bishop guning , dr. wild , dr. hide and a great many more , took another course ; and will not thank you if you stigmatize them with us . but if it be not the laws of usurpers in the roman empire by your measure ? how few were the emperours that came not in by meer conquest , or by killing , putting out the eyes or ejecting their predecessors , or without any justifiable right ? and what a case rome , italy , spain and africa were in after the first conquests of the gothes and vandals , and all the western empire in the days of the henries , frederick and many others , while men were fighting for the empire and popes claimed the making and unmaking of them all ; and even in france ever since the days of chilperic for many ages , especially among the progeny of charles the great , it is not to be hid : this way you destroy or confound the churches . i cannot imagine what you will reply to this ? unless you say that , [ it is neither the title , nor the orthodoxness of princes , which is necessary to make their lawes the bond of church unity : but it is the goodness of their laws : at least that they impose no sin upon us ] . ans . 1. then if the usurpers imposed no sin , they were schismaticks that obeyed them not . ● . let that be the rule : who shall be judge whether it be sin or not ? if i be a discerner for my self , i have told you how much and great sin i fear , till you are displeased with the intimation : and when you have proved all those particulars named , to be no sins , you have done more than yet is done : and if you think you can or do prove it , must none have christian communion who think your proof invalid , and that you do it worse than bishop taylor that maintained hurtless lying . § 56. but the other half of the definition of a separatist is [ they administer sacraments by other rules and after a different manner than what the church requireth . ans . 1. why will you so reproach your church ? we do it by no other rule but the scripture ; and doth not the church require that the scripture be a rule ? you know polydore virgil and other papists , ordinarily make this signal difference of protestants and papists , that the protestants make the scripture the only rule of their religion : on which supposition francis peron formed his act of disputing against them . and are not the church of england protestants ? if you add another rule , it followeth not that we have another than you have , though you have another besides what we have . 2. you say [ we deny the fact which is evident to all persons ] and you speak of me : is this true ? what sacraments do you mean ? i never ordained any : i never confirmed any : i have married very few , if those be sacraments : i have baptised no one these twenty years : i gave the lords supper to none for about eighteen years , and rarely since as i told you . but , others do ? ans . and if they have no better reason to justifie the forsaking of their ministry than you give , well may they go on to do it . 3. do you mean here by [ rulers ] the same as before by [ laws ] or what mean you ? i suppose it 's the canon and liturgy that you mean. and if by the [ church ] you mean any thing but the king and parliament you are unintelligible : for the church hath but two visible essential parts , the regent and the subject parts . and of the regent only the supream is essential , the rest being also subjects , and but integrals : and it is a [ requiring ] church which you mention . and so it seemeth that it is but a lay church : and nothing but a christian kingdom . 4. i have told you that the french and dutch churches here administer the sacraments by another rule than your liturgy , and yet are no schismaticks . 5. and your rule hath many parts : it requireth preaching , praying , reading the psalms and two chapters , and delivering baptism and the lords supper in christs words , and repeating the creed , the lords prayer and the decalogue . and all that i do when i officiate for any man ( for i have no church , ) and others do it with whom i converse . but if it be omitting any thing else in your rule that maketh a separation , what is it ? i oft hear conformists omit divers prayers . i have seen dr. horton give the lords supper , i think , to the greater part that sate . i doubt most parishes separate , if every omission make a separatist . 6. but thus far you satisfie me , that you judge all for separatists [ that preach without all your assent , consent , subscriptions , that the covenant bindeth no man living , no not the parliament men that took it , to endeavour any alteration of church government , that it is not lawful to resist any commissioned by the king , ( without exception ) and much more such : that all are ●●●●ratists that administer not sacraments according to your rule , which pronounceth baptized infants saved so dying , without excepting atheists , infidels , or any , and this as undoubted and certain by gods word ; which requireth the minister to refuse baptism and christendom , where the dedicating image of the cross is not submitted to , when the parent or adult judge it an unlawful sacrament : and where baptism must be denyed to all that will not make godfathers and godmothers the sole covenanting undertakers for their children , without speaking a covenanting word themselves : and when your rule requireth all ministers to deny sacramental communion to all that scruple kneeling in the reception , and yet excommunicateth them and ruineth them for not communicating when they are rejected : and also ipso facto excommunicate : to omit much more such , this is your rule , which he that swerveth from it , is a separist . 7. but i had thought that we had not been like those late cavilling papists that will not distinguish fundamentals from any little points , lest it lose them a paultry advantage of abusing men . doth not every good law and rule distinguish between essentials , integrals , and accidents , and make more accidents than are integrals , and integrals , than are essentials ? and doth your rule do otherwise ? if not , tell us what parts of your rule are necessary to one , and what to the other , or you say nothing to resolve the case . is every line and ceremony essential to the church , and to each member ? if not , how cometh our omitting a form of ceremony to cut us off as a separated church any more than every breach of law cuts off a man from the common-wealth ? yea , if your church be but a christian kingdom , do not you cut off all from that kingdom too , that refuse your forms or ceremonies or subscriptions ? 8. but sir , to be short with you , i will yet believe that christ is the institutor of the church ; and that he hath himself made laws which are sufficient to be at least the bond of their unity , yea for more than essentials , even the integrals , and many accidents ; and hath given laws to regulate all mens laws that determine of needful undetermined accidents : and that no man should be cut off from the church or taken as separated that breaketh no law of god , yea those that are necessary to church unity and communion : and that the grand schismaticks of the world , are the engineers that fabricate needless , impossible dividing terms and conditions of unity and communion . § . 57. but you tell me that [ we do the same things in the same manner as the separatists : ergo we are disingenuous for denying your accusation . ] ans . 1. judge of the fact by what is said . 2. we do not say , 1. that you are no true ministers or churches . 2. nor that it is unlawful to communicate with you : ergo it is not true that we do the same things . 3. but it is the external action [ the whole same ] that maketh a separatist . a parson in the ale-house lost his common prayer book : when he came to church , he told them his mishap , and only read what was in the bible , query whether his flock and he were separatists ? an old parson that i was bread under , could scarce see , but could say most of the prayers without book : he said what he could remember , and got a day labourer one year , and a taylor another to read the chapters : query , whether we were all separatists ? § . 58. but you undertake to tell the reason why i am unwilling to confess a separation , because we have formerly severely condemned it in others , and yet do the same things for which we charged others as guilty of a sinful separation . ans . if this be not true , it is not well ; shew me where , and prove , when i ever condemned any for the same that i do , or else take more heed what you write hereafter . § . 59. serm. p. 33. [ for the assembly of divines urged their dissenting brethren to comply with the rules of government , and charged them with schism , if they did not , &c. ans . 1. it 's a foul mistake in matter of fact , if you think that i was that assembly , yea or any one of them ; or that what they did , i did : or those of my acquaintance did it . and it is not much better to pretend that i or they were in all things of their mind : doth the assemblies judgment concern me any more than you ? did not you conform to them as much as i did ? 2. but what mean you to wrong your hearers by such gross confusion , to joyn in your application dr. owen , and me , ( and mr. corbet i think ) with the assembly , when it is publickly known that in those matters we were of three several opinions : ( and who are they that differ not in as great matters ? ) ( 1. ) it 's known that except seven or eight , the assembly men were all conformists when they came thither : and either they were suddenly changed , or not : if not , they were conformists still , and then no wonder that they were of your mind . and indeed i know that they were not all of one mind : most of them were moderate conformists that thought it lawful , but that were much better be without it , than make it a snare to silence ministers , and divide the church , and therefore were glad that it was laid by : such were mr. vines , mr. burgess , and , i think , most . some were for dr. fleet 's way , that no one form of church government was of christs command , but all left to prudence as civil government is : such was dr. edward reignolds and some others ; some were for the sole government of the magistracy , called erastians : such was mr. thomas coleman , and how many more i know not . many of the parliament liked these men best : and these were also for an indifferency of the clergy form : and when mr coleman was chosen to give the covenant to the house of lords , they took it on his exposition , that it meant not the exclusion of the primitive episcopacy : some were more tenacious of the primitive episcopacy , and about to enter a protestation for it ; but that it was declared that only the english form as described in the concatenation was excluded : these were dr. cornel. burges , the excellent thom. gataker , and many more ; and some few were for the divine right of presbytery ( and after more : ) and the five dissenters and mr. philips were independents . but take them as conformists , as erastians , and as indifferents , and judge whether they were not more of your judgment , then of dr. owen's or mine , and it 's no dishonour to you : for i think i have not read of many assemblies of worthier men since the apostles days . but they were but men . but if indeed they were all suddenly changed from conformity to presbytery , when they came to westminster ; what a dishonour is such mutability to conformists ? and how little hold is there of them ; if so many of the best of them will so easily change with the times ? what wonder if you shall do so ? 2. and as for dr. owen , he was known to joyn with the independents : and sure you will not interess him in the assemblies judgment . 3. and mr. corbet and i are of one mind ; and i thought that the truth was divided beween the three parties , and that all of them wanted necessary skill and diligence for the healing of those divisions and the concord of the faithful : and the event excused me in that censure . and now , is the synods judgment more ours or yours ? ( 2. ) but either this synod were in the right or not : if not , why then will you follow them , or plead their testimony ? if yea , then they did well in being against the liberty of the prelatists also . ( 3. ) but is it possible that you can expect that men should believe , that their case and ours are the same , or that either all must be tolerated or none that conform not ; and that the bare talking for or against toleration , without distinguishing the tolerable from the intolerable , doth tend to mens edification ? he that will tolerate all , is bad ; and he that will tolerate none that differ , is mad . as it 's an ill argument , vespae habent favos , & apes habent favos ; ergo vespae sunt apes : so it is not a good one to say , wasps nests should be destroyed : ergo bee-hives should be destroyed . § . 60 but wherein lay the different cases ? ans . in many things and great , however you untruly make them like . first the assembly never endeavoured to turn the independents out of the parish churches , and benefices , nor to silence them , forbidding them publick preaching , as you do us ; but only would hinder them from gathering churches out of other mens parishes . 2. the assembly put on the independants , no oath , no declaration , profession , subscription , or covenant as necessary to their ministry , which both sides confessed not to be lawful ; and so would have imposed no positive bond which they scrupled , but only the said omission of their promiscuous unlimited church-gathering . 3. they imposed no liturgy , no one ceremony , no practice on them , contrary to their consciences . 4. they urged them to declare but what limits they would allow to their church-gathering liberty ; that it might not extend to hereticks and the intolerable , and could not prevail ; judge now whether these cases are of any kin ? save in the genus of not allowing unlimited toleration , which we hold to as well as they . grant us leave to preach in the publick churches , and to be capable of guiding reformed parish churches , yea , or but to preach or officiate publickly for nothing , though we live on alms and beg our bread , and we will thank you : yea , though you hold us to all the terms and concessions in the kings declaration about ecclesiastical affairs : and is this like the case of the assembly , that never offered either to silence an independent , or forbid him parsonages , lectures , colledge preferments , or impose on him any one scrupled promise , profession or practice ? and yet i again say , both sides were faultily wanting in the knowledge and use of the terms of peace . § . 61. serm. p. 35. [ so that whatever false colours and pretences some men make use of to justifie their present practices , if the judgment of their own brethren may be taken , 't is no better than plain and down-right separation . ] ans . 1. were they not as much your brethren as mine , and nearer to your judgment ? 2. let the reader judge , whether it be half so great separation or distance , as the conformists have among themselves , while one part say that their church is but lay in the essential head , and the other half say , it is clergy , and so are really of two churches : and when one party saith , if the king and the bishops command contrary translations , versions , times , places , liturgies , and modes of worship , the bishops are to be obeyed before the king , and the other saith the king is to be obeyed before the bishops . to omit abundance of greater differences than some would perswade men is between us and them . § 62. serm. [ and i must needs say , i never saw any cause more weakly defended , no not that of polygamy and anabaptisme , than that of those who allow it to be lawful to joyn in communion with us , and yet go about to vindicate the separate meetings among us from the guilt of a sinful separation . ] ans . 1. i have long observed , when some men pass a sentence on others , and call them by reproachful names , it ordinarily more ●ruly sheweth what the speaker is , than what the person or cause is that he speaks of : for it is so natural for the streams to be like the spring , and the fruit like the tree , and the mouth to speak from the abundance of the heart , that one may much conjecture what the speaker is by his words : but what the cause and man is that he speaketh of , you can little know , while the speaker oft little knoweth it himself or would not have another know it . neither your confidence nor mine will determine a wise reader . § . 63. to pag. 36. i answer , 1. your text is so clear and full a confutation of your sermon , that it 's hard to know how a mind not strongly prejudiced could have preached such a sermon , or pleaded for the silencing of so many such ministers from such a text ; yea , or can need any more to confute you than to read your text : 1. it is supposed that it was all that had attained to the truth of christianity that must walk by the same rule . 2. it was a divine rule then known . 3. they were to bear with each other in loving communion while they grew up to more . if this condemn not making and imposing new humane unnecessary rules , containing that which multitudes of impartial conscionable men as wise as their reproachers cannot excuse from much heynous sin , and silencing and excommunicating all that obey them not , and when they forbid them communion , call them separatists ; i do despair of understanding sence . and to pag. 37. we come as near you as we can in conscience ; and we know our own conseiences better than you do . but whether you condemn not your selves as separatists in denying communion where we preach as if you only were the church , and any that want but your liturgy were none , yea when we had the license of the king ; unbyassed men will be able to discern . § 64. serm pag. 37. [ but why then is this kept as such a mighty secret in the breasts of their teachers ? why do they not preach it to them in their congregations ? is it for fear they should have none left to preach to ? that is not to be imagined of mortified and conscientious men : is it lest they should seem to condemn themselves while they preach against separation in a separate congregation ? this , i confess , looks odly ; and the tenderness of a mans mind in such a case , may out of meer shamefacedness keep him from declaring a truth which flies in his face while he speaks it . ] ans . 1. alas , you shew us , that some men perceive not when it flyeth in their faces . [ reader , hence take heed of believing words of reproach against adversaries , when interest and sideing hath made men partial . would you think that all this intimated silence were an untruth against publick testimony ? 1. i have many and many times declared in print what he intimateth that we dare not preach . and is not printing a far more publick declaration , than speaking it in one room ? 2. when i began to preach at st. james's , i read a profession to the congregation openly , that i preacht not there as to a separate church , but as in concord with all christs church on earth , for the necessity of the people that had not many of them heard a sermon many a year , the parish having 40000 if not 60000 souls more than could hear in the parish church . 3. i built a chapel by money partly begg'd , and partly to my greater loss than i will mention , that i might but have helpt those needy souls for nothing : for the second sermon , one that preacht for me ( that had suffered imprisonment for the kings cause ) was sent to gaol , to my great trouble and charge . and when i might not use it ( said one in power , though you would use the common-prayer there ) i gave it up to the use of the parish , and take it thankfully of dr. lloyd that he will there teach his people . 4. i have many and many a time in the pulpit openly preacht against separation , even what he now desireth . 5. not past a fortnight before his sermon , i preacht near him ( at the verge of his parish in my lecture ) two whole sermons of it , on luk. 15. the case of the two sons ; shewing that there are three notable sorts of separation . 1. the persecutors that forcibly scatter the flock , as the papists by dividing , sinful impositions . 2. the prophane separatist like the prodigal , who had rather be at the tavern , the play-house , the whore-house , &c. than at church . 3. the passionate peevish honest christian , as in the text , [ he was angry and would not come in . ] here i shewed by many reasons , how faulty and hurtful this mistaking passionate separation is : and i took that occasion to give them many reasons why i communicate with the parish church my self , and separate not from them ; and i told them my judgment , that they that suffer meerly for not-hearing , or not-communicating thrice a year as the law requireth , cannot justifie their cause without some extraordinary reason , if they live in a parish that hath a minister capable of that office. but i did not malignantly equal the son that had long served his father , and not transgressed his commandment , with his brother in his prodigal desertion of his father : but on the next words [ his father went out to him and intreated him to come in ; ] i shewed that gods condescention , and method in satisfying his mistaken passionate children , should direct ministers and others how they also should deal with such . and that violence instead of loving condescension , reasoning and necessary forbearance of such infirmities , sheweth , 1. that such consider not the corruption of humane nature , and how bad all m●n are . 2. they know not what need of forbearance they have themselves ; nor how liable they are to error and to sin. 3. they imitate not god our father and saviour , and know not what manner of spirit they are of . 4. they have not due acquaintance with the preciousness of gods grace and image , that cannot perceive it , if there be but such an errour or passion to obscure it . 5. they consider not that they also may be tempted , and what temptation may do even with upright souls . 6. they are strangers to the pastoral office ; they should excel in love and tenderness as much as in knowledge , and as mothers quiet crying children , and not therefore cast them out of doors . 7. they cross the ends of the ministry , if they take the converting of souls to be any of its end : for as generation so regeneration maketh infants and children before they are grown men ; and children will be weak and troublesome : and he that would have no such children , must not endeavour mens conversion . 8. yea , they greatly increase the disease which they would cure : men will not love those that hurt them so easily as others : and when they are displeased with you , they are the hardlier pleased with your doctrine . 9. driving men into the church , maketh it like a prison and corrupteth it as composed of involuntary members . 10. yea , they must destroy the church , if they will suffer none in it that have as great weaknesses as these . thus i declared both the evil of passionate separation , and of mistaking the way of cure. i would repeat the sermons , were it not for fear of being tedious . 6. i have printed in my second plea for peace , what our non-conformity is not , containing as much in this point as he can reasonably desire , as it was approved by many others ( named in our judgment about the interest of reason in religion ) so that he cannot say that i speak but of my self . 7. i suppose he believeth that i am acquainted with more non-conformable ministers than he is ( or else he will not think that i am any such antesignam●s as bishop morley calleth me : ) and i meet with few or none that contradict what in this case of separation i have published ; they are commonly for reformed parish churches ( not taking all in the parish for the church , but bounding churches in parishes for order ; ) and preach elsewhere but on necessity and as assistants and not as adversaries . 8. doth not our practice ( who go to the parish churches ) shew our judgments to the people if we said nothing ? 9. i could not have drawn the people so much from too great distance if i had not preached to them . at acton i constantly heard dr. rieves , and his curate , and i preached only in my house between his sermons , and then led the people to the church , which judge hales my neighbour thought was good service to the church . and the very sermon that i was sent to the common gaol for , was on matth. 5. blessed are the meek , perswading to submissive peace and patience . 10. when bishop morley forbad me to preach in his diocess , and i could not get leave at my departure to preach to my hearers one farewel sermon in publick ; i preacht in a private house to them on david's words [ bring back the ark of god into the city , if i have found favour , &c. ] purposely to perswade them as my last advice , not to depart from the publick parish assembly , though the liturgy be there the publick worship . but if the minister that is there shall be intolerable . 1. as utterly unable . 2. or a heretick . 3. or so malignant an enemy of godliness as to do more hurt than good ; i advised them not to own any such minister , nor encourage him in his usurpation . and it was on that account that they long forbore , till the vicar was dead and a better succeeded him . 11. since then i have written to my old flock to perswade them to joyn in the parish assembly , and i hear not of three that do refuse it . and all this i have said as to that matter of fact , to shew you how farr to believe this reverend doctor 's intimated ironical accusation . if he say , that other preachers do not so . i answer first , how knoweth he the negative that never heareth them , but like a separatist avoideth it as unlawful ? 2. is it not likely that in season they preach their judgment ? 3. but i confess they may find more profitable work than to preach over all the suspected passages in the liturgy , and other parts of conformity , and answer all the peoples objections against them . the builders and owners of the houses are the fittest to do such offices to maintain it . § . 65. is it that they fear the reproaches of the people ; which some few of the most eminent persons among them , have found they must undergo if they touch upon thi● subject ? ans . 1. so farr as your accusation is untrue as to the fact , it 's but a further ill intimation to ask , why they do not that which they do ? 2. if they that should better know what their auditors most need , must preach what you appoint that know them less , you may make their sermons for them as well as their prayers . 3. those few persons it seems at least toucht on what you say they preacht not : and for my part , whom i know you mean for one , i never felt my self much tempted to grudge at the dissenters that therefore will not hear me : if they hear others more suitable to them by whom they can more profit , as more esteeming them , what hurt is that to me ? would i have none taught the knowledge of christ , but by my self ? while we have all one faith , it 's some convenience for men to assemble and hear , where they do it with unprejudiced , undisturbed minds . 4. if those persons you mention have before and since such censures as you intimate , done what you would perswade men that they do not , your self-contradiction is most palpable . § . 66. serm. [ for i know not how it cometh to pass that the most godly people among them , can least endure to be told of their faults . ] ans . 1. did you not intend [ the most godly ] for a scorn , you would confess it false . 2. if you mean those that we esteem most godly , it is not true neither . 3. if you mean those that think themselves so , it 's no wonder if they mistake ; if not , it 's not true . 2. i pray you take warning by them , or by your own reproof , and do not now shew that you are one of the most godly by less enduring to be told of your faults . if otherwise , you have forecondemned your own impatience . 3. verily they have dealt much more patiently with me than the bishops and canoneers have done : though some have spoken their dislike of me , none of them ( even when they were in power ) did ever silence or imprison me nor ever forbid me to preach ( save once at an assizes . ) how can you think that we can feel their censures , when we have so much worse to feel from the canoneers ? and when you ask , [ is it for fear they should have none left to preach to ? ] if you separated not from us , you would see that such have some left still . § . 67. serm. p. 42. [ whence we see the church of englands endeavour after uniformity , is acquitted from tyranny over the consciences of men , by the judgment of the most learned of the assembly , &c. ] ans . 1. of the assembly i have said enough . 2. if you think the assemblies vniformity , or their endeavours for it , were the same with th● church of englands , none that know the case will be of your mind . 3 if you are intelligible we must suppose that you cite them to defend this as the conclusion which you own . the word [ tyranny ] is too harsh to be used without need : but i suppose you include that the said endeavours for vniformity have no culpable severity in them . that is , that the acts for vniformity , the canons , the executing of them in declarations , subscriptions , oaths , practices , punishments corporal and spiritual ; are no sin , but lawful . in your epistle you say they are ill men that say this is stirring up to persecution : all that i will say is , that if you own these endeavours for vniformity , i do not : and the judge is at the door . § . 68. serm. p. 44. [ if they form their judgments rather by prejudice and passion and interest , than from the laws of god , or just rules of conscience , &c. ans . 1. this is true and good : if we make not gods laws the rule of conscience , no wonder if we err : god preserve us from all corrupting prejudice , passion , interest and canons . 2. but when you compare our temptation from interest with yours , i hope you will not say as dr. asheton , that as going to the bar of god he undertakes to make good , that it 's through pride and covetousness that we conform not ; that is , that we choose the contempt of high and low , and to live on alms , and multitudes in pinching poverty . § . 69. serm. p. 46. [ we find vniformity and order condemned as tyrannical , till men come into power themselves ; and then the very same things and arguments are used and thought very good and substantial , which before were weak and sophistical . ] ans . a true and sad confession ; when i read your irenicon and this sermon , i the more believe you : therefore it hath been my happiness that i was never in power , no nor ever on the uppermost side unless as i am for the king. i remember dr. rieves told us in the pulpit that the reason why we were against diocesan bishops , was because we could not be bishops our selves : and many others have said the like . § . 70. serm. [ those that now plead for toleration , did once think it the mother of confusion , the nurse of atheism , &c. ] ans . 1. sure though you often cite dr. owen , you mean not the independents . 2. if they spake either for or against toleration as you do without distinction , and were for all or against all , and distinguished not the tolerable from the intolerable , it 's no great heed to be taken what they say . if there were but one false word imposed on you , which you could not assent to , and on 2000 such as you , should you be no more tolerated than a mahometan ? § . 71. as to your advice to us p. 47. 48. 1. did you think that because we must bear with much that is amiss in the church , that therefore we must either consent to it , or practise it , and covenant against all endeavours of amending it , or prefer it before better . the man you talk of out of mr. ball was near bremicham , and was melancholy to a kind of madness . to your second i answer , it followeth not , that because we must not judge too hardly of impositions , therefore we must say , swear and do all that is now imposed on us . or that he that dares not do it , is unpeaceable . i would we knew in what cases only you would deny obedience and conformity your self . doubtful passages and undoubted evils somewhat differ . a fault-finding disposition , and the roman art that boccaline mentions to swallow a pimpion , have a mean between them . papists , socinians , or any that are uppermost , may call for conformity under the names of unity and peace . to the third , separation was not the same thing in the mouth of the old non-conformists as in yours : they took it first for unchurching the parish churches . 2. or holding it a sin to communicate with them , if they might be excused as to kneeling , crossing , &c. you take it for [ preaching when forbidden . ] i have named to you the old non-conformists that preached when they could . and half of them i think got into small priviledged places , exempt from the bishops power , and there preached most of them without the liturgy , and all without the ceremonies : and was not this against law. sure bishop bancroft that describeth their attempts to set up new churches and discipline was not of your mind concerning the non-conformists judgment . we had but two in all shropshire , and dr. allestree when a boy was the catechiz'd auditor of one of them , being his next neighbour ( in a peculiar chapel , without the liturgy , &c. ) and yet i think not that his father and all that assembly were separatists for hearing him . bradshaw thought we should submit to a silencing law , where our ministry was unnecessary , and so do i. dr. gouge was a conformist when he wrote the book which you cite . to your fourth ; woe to them that believe our divisions indanger the land and let in popery , and yet will cause them , and no intreaty can procure them to forbear dividing us , when they may ; and then revile them that have no way to remedy it , unless wilful heinous sinning be the way . § 72. that it is diseases ( that love not their own names ) in mens hearts , that make the trouble more than our different judgments and assemblings , experience telleth us : i was never a settled teacher , but in two places ( saving a lecture at coventry in the war , ) viz. an assistant at budgnorth , and a pastor at kidderminster : and in both places there is an honest conformable and a non-conformable minister : and the people go to the publick assembly , and many hear the non-conformist privately between the publick meetings : and both parties ( as i hear ) live in very much love and peace , and why might it not be so in other places , if there were the like ministers and people , without all this envyous clamour and bugbear words of anti-christian ] on one side , or ( separatists and schismaticks on the other . § . 73. as to your next advices p. 53. 54. first qui monet ut facias , &c. we speak so much against rash ignorant zeal , that you commend us against your purpose . 2. we thank you for the admonition [ not to be always complaining of hardships and persecutions . ] doubtless our mercies are so great as forbid us to be over querulous ; nay leave us unexcusable , if we are not very thankful . for my own part my sufferings have been very small from man , in comparison of what i endure in soul and body from my self . they are few days in which i am not a heavier burden to my self , than all my enemies are . but first , i may not be senceless of the case of many better men , who have great families and no bread but what they have by alms in poor countreys where the people are fitter to receive than to give . and if they remove to bigger towns the clergy tell them it is for gain , and they that have one , two , three or more perferments , reproach them as covetous that will rather beg than sin or famish , yet your mr. hickeringil on the contrary proclaimeth how little they get : were it my case as it is very many non-conformists , to be in other mens debts , and have nothing to pay house rent , for cloaths , for bread , &c. and to have wife and many children to pacifie , and to live on bread and water , or little more , and be offered plenty if i would but do that which i take to be the hazard of my soul , i should be sensible of the temptation . 2. and alas all this is nothing to the suffering of thousands of souls ! to perish for lack of knowledge , whose case it is lawful to compassion and lament . 3. and nature maketh it lawful to feel when one is hurt , and to confess that feeling . 4. and methinks if julian that abuseth the christians should say , your master bid you turn the other check , his scorn would but aggravate his sin : patience is our duty ; but if they call us to it who preach and print , and call out for the execution of the laws against us ( as many of the most eminent of the clergy have long done ) as you said in another case , it will look but odly : to preach to the parliament , to put fire to the faggot , to accuse the king for his licences and clemency , to tell the magistrates and the world , that our schisms are because they execute not the laws , even the laws that fine us forty po●nd a sermon , and lay us in the common gaol with malefactors , and banish us from cities and corporations , i say for these men to say [ complain not , ] is a smart accusation of themselves . for from good men good is to be expected ; but if i meet with gentlemen on the road that take away my mony , clothes and horse , and wound me , and tell me how much i am beholden to them , because they did not cut my throat , it 's lawful to know what they are , though i must be patient . and i told you before , when you talk of being made a sacrifice , if a few despised men censure you , while you have all your honour , reputation , riches and many preferments to arm you against their thoughts and breath , methinks sheweth that this counsel is as seasonable to your self as to the suffering non-conformists . § . 74. serm. 54. [ where are the priscillians that have been put to death by their instigation ? what do such insinuations mean , but that our bishops are the followers of ithacius and idacius in their cruelty ; and they of the good and meek bishop st. martin , who refused communion with them on that account ? if men entertain such kind thoughts of themselves , and such hard thoughts of their superiours , whatever they plead for , they have no inclination to peace . ] answ . 1. that is , to your terms of peace , and you being judge . 2. knowledg is oft constrained : it is no sin to know history , much less publick matter of present fact , and least of all , that which we see and feel . is it a sin to know when a man is in prison , or when his goods or books are distrained , & c ? i the rather speak to this , because a reverend bishop tells me also of this wrong , as if those bishops case were unlike to his ; and citeth the words of the historian that mentioneth the suffering of the churches in spain on that account , as if maximus had but taken advantage of the bishops spleen to tyrannize , and prey upon the churches . i desire not to make any men seem worse then they are , nor causelesly to open the faults of any . i profess to the world that it is not in an impatient aggravating of any sufferings of my own ( which are small , ) that i write this , but as the true stating of the case between us . if the matter of fact be not truly stated , the matter of right cannot be well determined . i hate false history . 1. it is agreed on by many of the best historians of that age , beside beda , that maximus wanted nothing but a good title to make him one of the best of emperours : that he was said to be made emperour by the british souldiers , against his will , and being once in , could not go back . his usurpation was wicked , but a way too common in the empire . he was of a pious life , and great zeal for the bishops and the orthodox religion ; what he did was to please the bishops and to suppress heresie and schisme : and it 's like enough he thought by their friendship to strengthen himself . he rescued ambrose at milan from the arrians , and by his threats deterred valentinian ( provoked by his wife ) from persecuting him , and so preserved the church of milan and many others . 2 i read not of any of the bishops in all his countreys that complyed not with this usurper , save martin , theognostus , and ambrose , ( that was preserved by him . ) 3. it was not ithacius and idacius only , but all the synod of the bishops , that were guilty , and that martin separated from . 4. the priscillians were down-right gnosticks , and so are not the nonconformists , who you say agree with you in doctrine , &c. 5. it is but the death of priscillian and a very few more that the bishops were said to have procured ; and they were ashamed of it when they had done , and denyed that it was their doing . you force me for historical verity to tell you , that they did not silence about 2000 ministers , which is worse than many bodily afflictions ; nor did they desire maximus to make a law that all that did not such things as ours , should be ruined by fines , imprisoned , &c. make them not worse than they were . our quakers are much like the priscillianists . had it been but twice as many of them that had dyed in prison , as were put to death of the priscillianists , the cases had not been much unlike . but mr. thompson that dyed in prison at bristol , mr. field that dyed in prison here ; mr. hughes that in prison catcht his mortal sickness ; mr. joseph allen that had the same lot , and many more such , were none of them like the priscillianists ; but men of whom i and such as i come far short . 6. the great mischief that those bishops did was by suspecting men that fasted and prayed much , to be priscillians ; they brought reproach by unjust suspicions in all countreys on the most strict religious men ; and martin was called by them a priscillianist for being against the bishops persecution of them let not me , but publick knowledge here make the comparison : how small was this reproach , for extent and continuance , in comparison of that which by occasion of non-conformity hath been cast on men in england ? my memory serveth me from 1623 or 24 ; commonly in the countreys , if a man did but pray in his family , and spend the lords day in religious exercises , reading the scripture , or repeating a sermon , or reading a good book , or singing a psalm , and was against swearing and drunkenness , he was made the common scorne , as a puritane , and the bishops articles , and their reproach of non-conformists , occasioned all this in the rabble against those that were no non-conformists if you believe not me , believe a conformist rob●rt bol●on , that saith more of the horrid abuse of piety by the name of puritane . and since then the same spirit hath used the name of presbyterian , schismatick , separatist , fanatick , to the like reproach of seriousness and diligence in religion , though not so universally as the name puritan was ; yea if a man had but been for lectures , and such like helps as arch-bishop grindall was for ( to his cost ) or for afternoon sermons , or would not read the book for sunday dancing , &c. he was worse than suspected and reproached . my neighbours that i once was a teacher to , did never presume to preach nor invade the ministerial office , nor do anything but the work of private christians , that is , to pray and repeat the sermon , and sing a psalm , but because many ignorant families that could not read , could not do any of this in their houses , they joyned with the neighbours that performed it , and this not at time of publick worship : yet because that more than four such met , they were distrained on and laid in gaoles . compare all this ( and the removal of many hundred families our of the land heretofore ) with the consequents of the bishops zeal against the priscillians . but remember that it is not in my thoughts to lay any of this upon the bishops that came in since the impositions and actions aforesaid , and had no hand in them , and cry not to magistrates to execute the laws , much less on men of such known moderation as divers of them are , nor on the peaceable conformists that own none of this . 7. and it must be remembred that martin was but an odd man , and seemed singular against the synods of all the bishops , and a man of little learning , like one of our trades-men that is religious . and therefore i have wondred that baronius and binnius , and our rich. hooker , did so openly decry the faults of the bishops here , and take part with martin , and not rather turn the reproach on him , as an unlearned separatist , and fanatick : but his miracles silenced all reproaches ; with the rooted esteem which serious christians will still have for serious piety , when the reproachers have said and done their worst else one unlearned man that went in sordid attire , and lived in a small thacht cottage , and lay on the ground , and eat worse than our beggars do , and pleaded for the gnosticks persons , was liker to have been born down as a mad fanatick , than such men as dr. twisse , thomas gataker , richard vines , anthony burges , mr. hughes , joseph allen , and about 2000 more . 8. lastly , let it be noted that the cause of st. martin was his judgement that heresie and schisme , even as bad as the gnosticks , was not to be punished by the sword , but only by church censures ; and therefore that the bishops did wickedly , in calling for the magistrates sword against them for then if the heretick can get the magistrate to be for him , the same sword may be drawn against the orthodox : and so the priscillianists once got a great courtier to be for them , and a while turned the sword against their adversaries , which occasioned sufferings in spain and other parts . and i wonder how baronius , binnius , or you that plead for the silencing and other afflicting of non-conformists , under the name of [ non-toleration ] and the churches endeavours for vniformity , can possibly keep out the light which would tell you that we may give you twenty to one in weighing your case and ours with ithacius and martins , if any impartial hand do hold the ballance . is not your whole cause , who cry out for the execution of the laws , and against our toleration , ( that is , that we are not to be endured ) clean contrary to martins cause ? § . 75. as to your 3 d. advice , pag. 55. [ not to condemn others for that which themselves have practised . ] i answer , 1. prove that i or any of my acquaintance ever practised ejecting , silencing , ruining men for things unnecessary , yea or for greater things . whom did we ever forbid to preach the truth ? whom did we cast out of all church maintenance ? whom did we imprison ? 2. if any in new-england had done it , is that our doing ? they that are against christs righteousness impated , i hope will not joyn with you in imputing to us the sins of those that were no kin to us , and we never saw . 3. what a pitiful case is mankind in , if such an harangue of confounding words can make them believe , that tolerating or not-tolerating in causes vastly different , are the same ? is it all one to deny men liberty to seduce men from the essentials of the faith , and to forbid many hundreds to preach christs gospel , unless they will openly profess that they assent and consent to three books , and covenant never to endeavour the reforming of the government of the church , & c ? might not the papists have said to us just as you do [ it is the same thing for us to burn protestants as hereticks , as for you to expel the subverters of the faith. ] but you that are for silencing us all , for not consenting to , you know what , have less excuse for calling it [ the same thing ] unless you think christ and a liturgy to be same . it is therefore fitter to be answered with compassionate tears than words , when you say pag. 56. that [ every one of them would practise the same were it in their power , and think it very justifiable so to do ] ans . o whither may he rowl that is tumbling down the hill ! i was never in power : the independents once were : they used it not as i would have had them : but did they or the presbyterians eject or silence one another ? is it a good consequence [ you would silence a quaker that denieth the essentials of christianity : ergo , every one of you , were it in your power , would silence , imprison , and ruine them , that differ from you in ceremony , form , or subscription like ours ? ] o how incredible are the words of some applauded men ! i remember that at the savoy when it was said how some had used the episcopal , bishop walton excused and reproved me , and said , that [ indeed i had then written against ejecting or troubling any honest worthy man for being episcopal or against the parliament , but that the incompetent and vicious of all sorts equally should be ejected but ( saith he ) did not you write that if the sword interposed not , but meer liberty to volunteers were granted to all parties , the prclatical liturgick church would be like a tavern or inne where many sober persons come , but so many others also , as would make it a place of no very great inviting fame ? ] i confessed the truth , and still confess it . § . 76. to your 4 th . advice , [ not to make our differences seem greater than they are . ] i do consent . but 1. did our 18 or 19 years silencing them , do that ? 2. do not you do it , that make men believe that we are intolerable and to be silenced , and that separate from our congregations as if it were a sin to join with us ? 3. we desire only a true stating of the case . the honest dealing which you demand , i and many others constantly perform ; and it 's ill to intimate that we do not . but you add , § . 77. [ it 's hard to understand if occasional communion be lawful , that constant communion should not be a duty . ] ans . some truths are hard to men of great wit. it 's lawful to have communion in our assemblies ( as i am ready to prove ) and yet you think not any , much less constant , communion to be a duty . it 's lawful to have communion with the french , dutch , or greek church ; must constant communion be therefore a duty ? it 's lawful to have communion with an ignorant reader , or a drunken priest ( at least in your judgment ; ) is it therefore a duty to seek no better ? § . 78. serm. [ all understanding men will conclude that they p●efer some little interests of their own , before the honour of christ and the peace of the church . ] ans . 1. the word [ little ] came well in as to your sense : truly poverty and ruin are little interests : i cannot imagine what you mean , 〈◊〉 it be reputation . but is not your reputation with the highest persons , and the multitude , a more tempting interest than our reputation with such as you much contemn . 2. but do you understanding men know our hearts better than we ? and are you sure that none are understanding that be not as partially censorious as you ? if we prefer our little interest , why do we not conform ? if you take us all for mad men , dispute not with us : if not , can we be ignorant that carnal interest is on your side , and are none of us capable of it ? 3. i should have taken it as too sharp an intimation to say that your greater interest swayeth you : no man that is a christian taketh this vain vexatious world for his great interest . and to make the little interest of prosecuted , beggared , ruined non-conformists to be that which beareth down , both all the interest of wealth , ease and worldly honours and the interest of the churches peace and the interest of their own salvation , and all this by no other proof than a supposition that your sagacity knoweth their hearts , and that all understanding men are of your mind ] the naughtiness of this is so great that it will not suffer you to see it . sir , as wise as you are , i know my own heart better than you do ( and so do my brethren know theirs . ) if you would swear the contrary i will not believe you . and i tell you , it is no little interest that moveth me ; it is greater than a deanery or a bishoprick . i were worse than mad , if 1. i consumed my small estate . 2. and my health . 3. and denied my ease . 4. and all worldly wealth and pleasure . 5. and exposed my self to be called a schismatick and a rogue , by the conformists . 6. and lay my self under the ruining dangers of the law. and 7. to be written against as doing all this by sin . 8. and all this under the languishings and pains of sickness , expecting when i am called to my account ; i say i were worse than mad , if i chose all this for that which you call [ little interest . ] 9. and if reputation with my poor despised party be that little interest , you confute your self before , where you say how much i have undergone of their impatient censures . have i flattered them ? have i not said more against their faults than you have done , though not against their duty ? 10. some of my heart-judges say , it is a semel 〈◊〉 , to avoid the imputation of mutability . but their companions confute them who charge me with my retractations ; and who see by my writings that i left room for second thoughts , and have not silenced them to escape the censure of any whomsoever . i have left my reputation to god , and never was so thin skin'd as to be unable to bear a cholerick breath : i liv● not upon air , or the thoughts of men , who will shortly with me be silent in the d●st . they that know how many books , perhaps scores , have been written against me , by sectaries of many sorts , and some by good and sober men , presbyterians , independents and prelatical , and how little they have broke my peace , will not think applause is my little interest . had i b●en as you i wo●ld have left cut this charge of little interest , lest it should te●pt men to compare your case and ours . § . 79. your 5th . advice is just : i hate charging you or any with unjust suspicions of inclinations to popery . i know some sew men whom i have reason to say , defend grotius as one of their religion ; who thought that the protestants can never unite among themselves till they unite with rome as the mistress church ; and that the councils even that of trent are sound in the faith , and that securing the rights of kings and bishops , and disowning the schoolmens abuses , and the clergies evil lives , and reducing the pope to rule us , not arbitrarily but by the canons , are enough to satisfie and reconcile us . but to charge this on all , or most , is unjust : we know what bishop barlow , bishop crosts , and divers others have done to signifie their faithfulness to the protestant cause . and if c●ntzen's way prevail not , to drill men they know n●t whither by degrees , i hope of the 9000 or 10000 clergie men in england , one thousand will not turn to popery . but i must say , that when some prelates made it their great business to silence , shame and ruin us , and drive us far enough from persons of power , undertaking to preserve the protestant religion better without us than with us , and after all , cry out themselves that we are in danger of popery by their own pupils and disciples , whose instruction they undertook ; men will have leave to think of this awake , and to judge of causes by effects . § . 80. your counsel is good , [ not to run the hazard of all for a show of greater liberty to our selves . ] should i tell you three stories of our hazarding our own liberties because we would not do what you disswade us from , one in 1660 , and another 1662 , and another about 1667 , it would be a pair of spectacles to some . 2. but will not all that have eyes see , who doth more for toleration of popery , they that say [ popery and you shall stand and fall together , except you will say , subscribe and do all that is prescribed you ; ] or they that say [ we cannot do that which we take to be hainous sin ? ] do you think the papists had not rather ( with you ) that we were silenced , than that we preach , who have been their greatest adversaries ? if you will rather let in toleration of popery , than you will tolerate protestants that fear the guilt of lying , perjury , and many other evils , should they do that which you confess indifferent , let god be judge between you and us . finis . notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26859-e1640 §. 1. §. 2. §. 3. §. 4. §. 6. §. 7. §. 8. §. 9. §. 10. §. 11. §. 12. §. 13. §. 14. §. 25. §. 16. §. 17. §. 18. naked popery, or, the naked falshood of a book called the catholick naked truth, or, the puritan convert to apostolical christianity, written by w.h. opening their fundamental errour of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the puritans, the prelatical protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a puritan and what a papist is / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 1677 approx. 395 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 103 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2006-02 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26962 wing b1315 estc r13884 12389899 ocm 12389899 60973 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26962) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 60973) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 268:13) naked popery, or, the naked falshood of a book called the catholick naked truth, or, the puritan convert to apostolical christianity, written by w.h. opening their fundamental errour of unwritten tradition, and their unjust description of the puritans, the prelatical protestant, and the papist, and their differences, and better acquainting the ignorant of the same difference, especially what a puritan and what a papist is / by richard baxter ... baxter, richard, 1615-1691. 196, [8] p. printed for n. simmons ..., london : 1677. w.h. is william hutchinson. cf. bm; mcalpin coll. errata on p. [8] at end. reproduction of original in british library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng hutchinson, william, fl. 1676-1679. -catholick naked truth. catholic church -controversial literature. 2005-07 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 apex covantage keyed and coded from proquest page images 2005-11 jonathan blaney sampled and proofread 2005-11 jonathan blaney text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-01 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion naked popery ; or , the naked falshood of a book called the catholick naked truth , or the puritan convert to apostolical christianity ; written by w. h. opening their fundamental errour of unwritten tradition , and their unjust description of the puritan ; the prelatical protestant , and the papist , and their differences ; and better acquainting the ignorant of the true difference , especially what a puritan and what a papist is . by richard baxter , a professor of meer apostolical christianity . trita frequansque via est per amici fallere nomen ; trita frequensque licet sit via , crimen habet . the common beaten way of mens deceit is as a loving friend to work the cheat : but though this be the common beaten way , it will prove criminal — another day . w. h. this author , pag. ●5 . saith [ if you do not find that — they ( your catholick neighbours ) hold nothing , nor practise nothing , but what they are able to give a very satisfactory account of to any impartial enquirer , then say , i am a knave , a lyar , and a cheat , one that deserveth no mercy from god or man , in this world or the next . ] london , printed for n. simmons at the princes arms in s. paul's church-yard . m dc lxxvii . to the author and his relations . chap. i. when the confutation of the treatise of transubstantiation was in the press , this book came to my notice , written , if the stile may go for proof , by the same author : it is conjectured that your name is mr. w. hutchinson of lincolnshire , sometime of queens colledge in cambridge ; and that it is indeed your nearest relations whom you so earnestly labour to pervert : your stile perswadeth me that you are serious , and verily think that your way is right : and i suppose you see that we also are as confident of the truth of our profession , as you are of yours : the question is , whether it be your zeal , or ours , that is according to knowledge ? the title of your religion greatly pleaseth me , and is the same that i assume : for we are , i perceive , agreed in this , that it is [ the apostolical christianity ] that is the true and safe religion : and hath god left the matter so obscure as that we cannot come to an agreement in so weighty a matter of fact , as to know what [ the apostolical christianity ] was ; when even common history giveth us notice what the athenian philosophers held , and what the ancient romans held , and so of almost every literate nation ? you study , and we study ; you pray , and we pray : you would know the truth , whatever it cost you , and so would we. as a man that looketh daily when i am called away to god , i solemnly protest , that if i could find that popery were the true apostolick christianity , i would joyfully quit all the friends , hope , and interests of this world , to embrace it . what is it that is your advantage , and what is our disadvantage ? are you more impartial in your search ? i am so conscious of my impartiality , that i cannot believe that this maketh the difference . is it that we have not read the papists writings ? i have reason to believe that i have read as many of them , at least , as you have done , if you are not much above sixty years of age ( as i hear you are not near it ) . but you have conversed with more of them than i have done ? it 's like you have : but is that the reason of my mistake ? you earnestly invite your relations to converse with the papists , because mens writings may be mistaken : and on this ground i perceive you build all the certainty of your faith , that our fathers and our grand-fathers have told us infallibly , what they received from their fathers and grand-fathers , and so on . this is your certainty . i will tell you briefly what i take for the apostolical christianity , and by what notices i receive it ; and then i will again consider yours . i take not christianity to be a thing so hardly to be known , as you would make it ; either as to the being of it , or the publication . i take it to have its essentials , integrals , and accidentals ; and that these are not to be confounded : if it cannot be readily known what christianity is , how shall we preach it to heathens ? or how shall christians be known to others , or themselves ? and who can have the comfort of an unknown religion ? you tell us that nothing of it is written in the new testament , but the life of christ by four men , and a few occasional epistles , &c. but do you think that christ himself did not institute christianity , and tell men plainly what it was ? did not those four men write christ's doctrine as well as his life ? and is he not the author of our faith ? did he not preach the gospel ? and do you not call these four books the four evangelists ? and doth not the gospel contain and describe christianity ? did not christ oft tell us what it is to be his disciples ? and were not the disciples called christians shortly after , as words of the same signification ? but what place is there for any doubt , when christ himself did institute baptism , and describe it ? and command that all nations being discipled should be baptized into the name of the father , the son , and the holy ghost ; as being the faith which disciples must profess ? and do not you to this day profess , that baptizing is christening , and that baptism washeth away all sin , ( supposing the baptized to receive it as baptism , by true covenant-consent at least ? ) and doth not baptism enter us into the true church of christ ? sure all this is past dispute ; where then is the difficulty ? is not a truly baptized person a christian ? and was it then as hard a matter as you make it , to know what faith was necessary to baptism , ( in the person at age , or the parent of infants ? ) surely then the scripture , that mentioneth the history of so many thousands baptized , would have told us of that grand controversie , and how it was decided . but no such controversie was then debated , for ought we there find . if baptismal covenanting with god the father , son , and holy ghost , as our god and father reconciled in christ , our saviour , and our sanctifier , be not the symbol or badge of christians , and that which visibly maketh them such ; your own church , and all the christian world is deceived . and we know that it was not the custom of the apostles and pastors of the ancient churches , to make a meer ceremony and dead formality of baptism , by baptizing those that would but say the words [ i believe in god the father , son , and holy ghost , ] without understanding what they said : and therefore their ordinary preaching was the exposition of these three articles : and the creed called the apostles , is the exposition of these three articles ; which though some clauses were since added , and though the churches tyed not themselves just to the very same words , ( as we find by the various forms of this creed in irenaeus , tertullian , marcellus's in epiphanius , ruffinus , &c. ) yet for the substance and sense , and most of the very words , all churches used the same . and when the council of nice taught them the way of making new creeds , ( which hilary pictav . so sadly complaineth of , ) yet still the matter of the old creed was the substance of them all . and the eastern creed , which was used before the nicene council , ( for that such a one there was , the most learned antiquaries give us sufficient proof , ) was but the same in sense as the western , even the exposition of the baptismal faith ; and this the baptized did profess before baptism : and the work of catechists was to teach this and the sense of it to the catechumens . and that [ he that believeth and is baptized ( that is , truly devoted to god the father , son , and holy ghost , by the baptismal covenant ) shall be saved , and he that believeth not shall be damned , ] is by christ himself made the sum of his gospel , or law of grace . as the image of the blessed trinity on mans soul is life , light , and love ; so the summaries of that sacred doctrine which must imprint it on us , is the symbolum fidei , the creed , the summary of things to be believed ; and the lords prayer , the symbolum and summary of things to be willed , desired , and sought ; and the decalogue , the summary of things to be practised ; being the directory of mans three faculties , the intellect , the will , and the executive power . and all this we believe was delivered to the churches by the apostles , and received by all christians , many years ( eight at least ) before any book of the new testament was written : and for the fuller understanding and improvement of it , and for all the integral parts of religion that were to be added , the apostles and evangelists more enlargedly preached them to the people in their sermons , as christ himself had done much of them . we receive all that , as gods word , which by these apostles was delivered as such to the churches ; because they had the promise of the holy ghost to lead them into all truth , and to bring all things that christ taught and commanded to their remembrance . we are assured that all that is contained in the new testament was written by such inspired persons ; and that the spirit of god will knew , that when they were to dye , without written records , the memory of mankind would not faithfully retain , and deliver to posterity , such copious matter as the integrals and useful accidentals of religion , and therefore caused them to write it and leave it to posterity . so that our christian religion is contained and delivered to us in three formulas or prescripts : the first containeth the whole essence of christianity , and is the sacramental covenant , in which we are believingly given up to god the father , son , and holy ghost , and god to us , in the relation of a god and father , a saviour and a sanctifier . this is done initially , ad esse , in baptism , and after ad robur in the lords supper . this is delivered to us by tradition naturally infallible , de facto : for all christians , as such , have received and entred this sacramental covenant ; and full history assureth us , that the very same form of it is come down in all the churches to this day . the second formula , is the exposition of the three articles of this sacramental covenant , in the creed , lords prayer , and decalogue ; which hath been delivered by memory also , and kept unchanged ( save the foresaid additions of some explicatory words in the creed , ) to all the churches to this day . the third form , is all the holy canonical scriptures , ( the old testament being as preparatory to the new , ) which contain all the essentials , integrals , and needful accidentals . our religion then is all from christ and his spirit , in inspired men , commissioned to deliver it , and is well called as you do , the apostolical christianity : we own no other . it is all brought down to us by tradition from the apostles . the essentials in the covenant , and the explicatory symbols or summaries , are delivered to us two ways : first by memory and practice most currant and certain from generation to generation , being no more than what memory might well retain , whereto yet the helps of the ancients writings reciting the forms were used for the fuller certainty of posterity . secondly in the holy scriptures , where they are contained ( as the brain , heart , and stomach , in the body ) among all the rest as the principal parts . the third form is so large that memory could not preserve it , and therefore god would have it delivered us in that writing which we all call the sacred bible , or canonical scripture . this containeth thousands of words more than are of absolute necessity to salvation ; but no more than is useful or helpful to salvation . in all this i have shewed you what our religion is , ( objectively taken ) and which way we receive it . where you are therefore to note , 1. that all our sermons , writings , church-articles , &c. are but the expressions of our subjective religion , telling other men how particular men , and particular churches , understand those divine forms which are our objective religion : these are various as churches and persons are , every one having his own faith and religion in different measures , and such expressions being but our sides mensurata may be altered and amended , and we pretend not to perfection in them : but the former being our sides vel religio mensurans , our divine objective faith or religion , is inculpable and unalterable . 2. note that you papists do grant all our objective faith and religion , even every word of it , to be true , infallible , and of god : you own , i say , every word of our religion : that is , all the sacramental covenant , all the creed , lords prayer , and decalogue , and all that which we call the holy canonical scriptures . but we own not all yours : so that you do not , you cannot find fault with the least particle of our religion as to the truth of it ; but , 1. you think that it is not enough : and 2. that we come not to it the right way , that is , we take not our faith upon the word of papists , as papists . is not this the difference ? and is not this all that you cry out against us for ? and now let us see whether your way be better and surer than this of ours is ? i. your religion is much bigger than ours . ii. you hold it on other reasons , and plead another way of receiving it . i. your religion ( objective ) containeth , besides all our bible , all the apocryphal books , and all the decrees of general councils , and all the other un-written traditions ( if there be any more , who knows what ? ) you name your self here , fasting on frydays , and on the vigils of saints , ember-days , lent , and images , and such like . here now we humbly propose to your consideration ; 1. whether you will take all these into the essentials of christianity , or not ? if not , a man may be a christian ; and consequently of the church or body of christ , and in a state of salvation without them . why then do you deny them this , and make them to be as out of the true church and state of life ? if yea , q. 2. did all that the apostles baptized , believe all the apocrypha and all the decrees of your councils , and your oral traditions ? q. 3. did the ancient fathers and catechists teach all those to the catechumens before they baptized them ? q. 4. and were not those all christians , and in the true church , and in a state of life , whom the apostles baptized , without the profession of any such belief ? q. 5. what was the creed , the symbolum fidei used for , if not to distinguish the faith of the christian church from infidelity , heresie , and all without ? and if all the decrees of councils be as necessary to be the symbol of faith , why were they not all made up into a creed ? and why is the creed differenced from them all to this day ? and why do you not cause the baptized to recite and profess all these councils decrees , but only the old christian creed ? q. 6. doth not christ at the institution of his sacrament , mat. 28. expresly promise that he that believeth ( according to baptism , in the father , son , and holy ghost ) shall be saved ? q. 7. is it not a reproach to god and the christian religion , to tell the world that god hath written us by his spirit so great a book as the bible is , and yet there is not in it enough to salvation , but that abundance unnecessary to salvation is in it , and some necessary things left out ? q. 8. have your oral superadded traditions more evidence of truth than the bible , or more evidence of necessity to be believed ? not more evidence of truth : for you confess the certain truth of all the bible , and that as fully manifest as your additions . if it have more evidence of necessity , what is it ? it is not because it is a divine revelation : for so you confess all the bible to be ? and do you pretend to a tradition that saith , [ you may be saved without most of the bible , though it be of god , but not without fasting on frydays , or on the vigils of saints-days , or other such traditions ? ] but if you will make both the whole bible and tradition necessary to be believed , it must be either explicitely , or as you call it , implicitely : if explicitely , ( that is , as each point is particularly understood and believed , ) then it 's doubtful whether there be one man in the world that is a christian , and can be saved ? if implicitely , that is , virtually as it is in some general proposition , what is that general ? is it that all that god revealeth is true ? or that all that the spirit of christ in his apostles delivered to the church as his word , is true . these we all agree in , if this will serve the turn ? is it that the church is the ministerial keeper of the sacred doctrine as delivered ? this also we agree in . or is it that the church de eventu shall never corrupt , alter , or lose , this word , or any part of it ? if you mean it of every particular church , we are agreed of the contrary . you confess that many churches have fallen to heresie , and many apostatized from the faith : if you speak of the universal church , we are agreed that the universal church shall never apostatize ; for if christ had no church , he were no head of it . and we are agreed that they shall never turn such true hereticks , as hold not truly all the essentials of christianity : for such also are no christians ; because each essential part is necessary to the essence . but whether the universal church , much more the greater part , may not make or receive some culpable alteration by amission , omission , or commission , we have reason to question ? we never heard any proof that the negative was necessary to salvation , nor is it held by all your selves ; and whether by any one man i cannot tell : for you take the bible to be gods word , and your knowledge of the various readings of the hebrew and greek copies , and the multitude of errours in the vulgar latine corrected by p. clem. 8. and sixtus 5. do satisfie all the world , that you hold that the universal church , or the major part , even your own , may culpably erre , or alter the very written word of god. and who would then believe you , if you said , [ but the unwritten word it cannot alter ? ] it 's true indeed , the essentials considered , as written or unwritten , all the true church , nor any one christian , while such , cannot deny : but sure , if many thousand errours may be found in that book which you take your selves for the word of god , and this through the fault or failing of such as have had the keeping of it ; and all divine revelations are to be believed , and all the word of god is divine revelation , it notoriously followeth , that your own church hath not kept all that is matter of divine faith from alteration . so that though many of your wranglers will not distinguish the essentials of christianity ( called fundamentals ) from the integrals and accidentals , ( as if christianity were nothing , and had no determinate essence , ) yet this sheweth , that you must do it whether you will or not ; or else you must confess that your church may alter any thing , or every thing , as it hath done all these fore-mentioned : which we will not confess of the church universal . but , i suppose that we have not yet met with the faith that you account necessary to salvation : it is that the pope of rome , and a general council , cannot erre , in delivering to us the apostolical doctrine to be believed . and this is an implicite believing of all that is written in scripture , and that is delivered orally from the apostles . if so , words and names go very far with you as to mens salvation . is this to believe a thousand things which a man never knew or heard of ? if he do but believe the infallibility of your church ? what! believe that which i never once thought of ? but this is but implicite faith ? a cheating name for no-belief of those things : for by implicite here you can mean only virtual , and that is no actual belief of that thing at all , but of something else , which would infer more were it known : nay virtual is too high a name for it . but will this serve the turn to salvation , to believe that the pope and his council are infallible ? what! though the same person believe not in god the father , son , and holy ghost , nor any of the articles of his creed , no not a life to come ? if you say , yea ; then will you call this christianity , to believe in the pope , and not in christ ? or do you mean , that men may be saved without christianity , but not without popery ? if so , why was not the popes name , rather than christs , put into baptism and the creed , or at least with christs ? but the insuperable difficulty is , how must i believe that the pope hath this infallibility ? from christ , or otherwise ? if not from christ , tell me which way , and why i must believe it ? if from christ , can i believe that the pope hath power from christ , before i believe that there is a christ , that hath such power to give ? and can i believe in christ , and not believe that there is a god that sent him ? can i believe that jesus is the christ , and not believe that he is a sacrifice for sin , or a mediator between god and man , and came to save his people from their sins ? and can i believe this , and not believe that we are all sinners , and that sin deserveth that punishment which christ came to save us from ? is not our saviour , and our sin and misery relatives ? as a physician , or medicine and a disease ? and can we believe that we have sin and desert of punishment , without believing that god is our governour , and gave us that law which we broke , and which obligeth us to punishment ? can we believe in christ , and not believe that he is god and man , that he dyed , rose , and ascended into heaven , and will judge us at last ? and that he pardoneth sin , reneweth souls by his spirit , and will give us life hereafter ? all these are included in believing in christ , as christ . and how must i believe that christ hath given the pope this infallibility or power ? by any written word which granteth it ? or by oral tradition ? if by the written word , then i must believe that that word is true , before i can believe that the pope is made pope or infallible by it ? if by oral tradition , whose must that be ? then i must believe some bodies oral tradition as true and infallible , before i believe in the pope at all . if it be the first hearers of the apostles , then either the pope was one of those , or not . if yea , and he hath a negative voice in the credible report , then i must believe him as infallible , before he is proved infallible , in order to my believing that he is infallible , which is a contradiction . if not , then i must believe the infallibility of other hearers of the apostles , before i can believe the pope's ? and the question will recur , how i shall know them to be infallible ? and who they were that were those infallible witnesses ? whether pastors only , or the people ? whether of some one church , or of all the churches ? and how i shall prove that they gave such a testimony ? so that your pretense of a necessity of receiving gods word , or the christian faith , from the pope and his council cometh too late : for it seemeth that we must believe it first , before it be possible to believe in the pope and council as authorised by christ . and if my implicite faith be the belief of this article , [ any church in all the world , yea , the greater part of all the churches , may err in matters of faith , or apostatize , and only the pope of rome and his council cannot : ] what proof , or whose tradition doth this rest upon ? q. 9. do not bellarmine , costerus , and many of your writers profess that the scriptures contain all things ordinarily necessary to salvation ? yea many writers , that the creed hath all that is absolutely to be believed ? yea some , that it hath more than all ? yea abundance ( cited by fr. a sancta clara ) that the belief in christ is not necessary to all ? and will you say then , that he that believeth explicitely the whole bible cannot be saved without believing also your pretended traditions ? q. 10. and do you not hereby , instead of the light burden and easie yoak of christ , and his commands which are not grievous , bring christians under a harder yoak than that which the jews were not able to bear ? when it seemed good to the holy ghost in the apostles to impose but a few and necessary things , act. 15. 28. and how large a law is all the bible , and all your councils decrees , and oral traditions , set together ? do all your priests themselves , or one of an hundred , understand them all , or know what they are ? q. 11. while you pretend a necessity of your numerous ceremonies , ( as fasting on frydays , and such other named by you , ) do you not lay a snare of perpetual division in the churches ? and do you not make as many inconsistent churches , as there be societies of christians that differ ( and still will differ ) about any of those traditions or ceremonies ? q. 12. and do you not lay open your own church , to the accusation of innovation , mutability , and corruption , when it is not to be denyed , but in such things as those they have been mutable or innovated ? have you not long left the custom of adoring on the lords-days without genuflexion , though the first great general council ( nic. can. 20. ) and the ancient fathers commonly , made it a tradition , and practice of the whole church ? and it was decreed to be so used by all ? abundance of such instances may be given . q. 13. you do very injuriously to your own sect and cause , here to pretend tradition as coming down from the apostles , for such things as your own doctors plead but your churches later institution for : it 's fully proved by daleus de jejuniis , that the lent fast was long but for a short time , before it came to fourty days : and it 's an odd thing , if you will pretend tradition from the apostles , for the holy-days , or the vigil fasts , of those saints that were born many hundred years after the apostles death ? we confess our faith is not so big as yours ? we have many score texts of scripture that promise salvation to them that believe much less than the bible it self containeth . yet we profess our selves ready to believe as much more as you shall ever prove to us , to have been delivered by the apostles , to the church , to be believed . ii. and for the second , ( that we receive not our faith the way that you do ; that is , from the authority of the pope and papists , and from your tradition : ) we crave your consideration of these questions . 1. when the apostles ( and disciples , act. 8. ) were scattered , and preached the gospel to many nations , were they not true christians , and saved , that received the gospel from any one of them , or from any person whatsoever ? if aquila or priscilla converted a sinner , such a one saved a soul from death , though peter did it not ; nor his authority was known to such a one ? 2. do you believe that if the roman bishop or churches revelation or proposal were necessary to true faith and to salvation , that christ would never have told men so ? nor any of his apostles have left it us on record ? when there were heresies and schismes so wofully troubling the churches as we find in paul's epistles to the cor. gal. col. and in the rev. 2. and 3. ch . should we never have found one word for this speedy way of decision , to appeal to the church of rome ? would paul have rebuked them for saying , i am of cephas , and made him but a minister by whom they believed , without ever mentioning his office and dignity ? would he never have told the church of rome of their mistris-ship and infallibility above the rest ? would so necessary a fundamental of faith have been so much silenced ? 3. did the apostles , evangelists , or ancient fathers , use to convert infidels by any such method , and telling them that they must believe , first the infallibility of the bishop of rome and his clergie , and then believe the gospel because he saith it is true ? had this been the old method , would there not have been more books necessary , and written , to prove this first fundamental ( the infallibility of the roman bishop and his councils ) than to have proved the gospel it self directly ? is it not a wonder that we should have such volumes as eusebius his praeparatio & demonstratio evangel . and so many written by those before and after him , to prove the gospel , and none of them hit on this method , nor write at large to make it good ? the churches authority and unity , is ordinarily pleaded against heresies and schismes , but who ever converted infidels by the authority of the papal church , either proved or asserted as the necessary medium of faith ? 4. do you not confess that all other churches may erre besides the roman ? and their plea of tradition you account invalid : your book called [ considerations on the council of trent , by r. h. ] p. 40. saith , [ all conciliary definitions are not only declarations and testifications of such apostolical traditions as were left by them evident and conspicuous in all christian churches planted by them ; but are many times determinations of points deduced from , and necessary consequents to , such clear traditionals , whether written or unwritten . 2. if the acts of general councils were only such declarations of apostolical tradition , yet it is possible that some particular church , may in time , depart from such a tradition entrusted to them ; else how can any church become heretical against any such tradition ? ] do you not at this day accuse the greek church , the muscovites , the armenians , the jacobites , syrians , copties , abassines , the protestants , &c. as having departed from , or corrupted the first tradition ? and how small a part of the universality of christians are the papists ? and if the greater part of christians may so forsake the apostolical tradition , why may not the pope of rome and his council ? how shall we be sure of their exemption from such danger ? you tell us over and over of our receiving this and that from our fathers and grand-fathers ? and is that a certain proof that it is apostolical ? why is it not so then with all the rest , the abassines , the armenians , &c. and the majority of christians ? but of this i have spoken in the former treatise . 5. and there i have desired you to tell us , whether your grandfather , or his priest , was infallible ? if yea , how , came he by it more than all those churches ? if not , do you not delude your relations , by drawing them to build their faith on a fallible man , or upon nothing ? your relations were not at the council of trent , or florence , or laterane : how shall they be sure what the pope and council agreed on ? what foundation , but the words of your priest or grandfather , have you for your assurance ? may not one of your priests lye as well as all the greek , abassine , &c. churches ? when pope coelestine himself falsly urged the nicene council for appeals to rome , contrary to augustine and the carthage council ? either tell your readers plainly , that it 's you , and such as you , that are the infallible foundation of their faith ; or bid them stay , and not go your way , till they are certain what the pope and his council say ; and that he is a true pope , and it a true council , and that they are more infallible than the major part of christians . and our faith can be no stronger than the weakest necessary medium of it , from whence it must arise . 6. i have said so much of this in a small book , called , [ the certainty of christianity without popery , ] which i intreat you impartially to peruse , where i have also shewed the utter uncertainty that popery would reduce our christianity to ; that i will now only tell you , that after your talk of tradition , and church , and fathers , and grandfathers , if we had not much more testimony of tradition for our religion than you have for popery , we should think our faith were very lame . compare ours with yours : 1. yours is a pretended authoritative determination , which rests upon a supposed inspiration of some persons , by virtue of a special priviledge peculiar to themselves . 2. it is the tradition of the minor part of christians against the major . 3. it rests on the pretended infallibility of a pope , which great general councils have said may be a heretick , and have deposed divers as hereticks , and worse : and upon the infallibility of general councils , which by popes and other councils are pronounced fallible , unless confirmed by a pope ( who may be a heretick . ) 4. it rests upon a foundation ( viz. the popes divine right of primacy and infallibility ) which is expresly denyed by two of the first four great general councils , approved to this day ; viz. that of calcedon reciting the sense of that of constantinople against the said divine right , affirming , that the popes primacy was given him by the fathers , because rome was the imperial seat. 5. it rests upon an authority ( of popes and general councils , ) which being at first but the clergie of one empire , hath thence claimed the same power over all the christian world , which they had got in the dominions of one prince . 6. it rests on a claim downright contradictory to it self , as aforesaid , viz. that we must believe that the pope hath this power and infallibility given him and his councils , by christ and his gospel , before we can believe that there is a christ and a gospel authorized and true . now our tradition is this : for all the essentials of our religion , the sacramental covenant , and the three expository symbols , we have the currant tradition both of the papists and all the rest of the christian world : yea , that every book that we call canonical is the true word of god , not only the papists but almost all the christian world confess : and , defacto , that these books came down from the apostles , at least that the gospel was preached by them , we have the testimony also of enemies and persecutors . and are not all these more than the testimony of one sect alone ? 2. and in this we have as much to confirm us as you have , of the wisdom , piety , care of the church to preserve the gospel , and much more too ; for we have the piety of all the churches to plead , and not your sect alone : and we undertake to prove such a moral infallibility as is also natural , viz. that mans nature and interests supposed , it is no more possible for so many persons and nations of cross interests to have agreed in their testimony for the gospel , than for all the contentious lawyers in the land to have agreed falsly to inform us , that our statutes were made by such kings and parliaments . but a domineering faction alone might easilier have deceived men . 3. yea , even as to christs promise , we can better prove that the universal church , or body of christians , shall never lose the faith , than you can prove it of rome alone , or the papal sect. bellarmine himself dare not say , that rome shall not cease to be the feat of the papacy , or shall not be utterly destroyed . and then how can there be a bishop of rome , when there is no rome ? but you 'll say , that if he dwell at avignion , he may be called bishop of rome ? but if he be called so when he is not so , at least when there is no rome , or no christian church there , sure a false name is not an essential part of our religion . if you say , that at avignion , or ravenna , or vienna , he may be s. peter's successor , and so the universal monarch still . i answer , then it seems that the council of calcedon , as afore-cited , was in the right , ( that romes priviledge was given by the fathers , because it was the imperial seat : ) and so that the pope is not s. peter's successor , eo nomine , because he is bishop of rome . but if the bishop of avignion , or vienna , might become s. peter's successor ( who never was bishop there , ) how shall we know that the bishop of rome is his successor now ? we have hitherto had no better means to prove it , and deceive the world , than by saying that s. peter dyed bishop of rome , where the pope is bishop : but s. peter dyed not bishop of avignion . if the place prove not the succession , tell us , if you can , what doth ? is it the election ? by whom ? who are those men that have the power of chusing s. peter a successor ? you know , i suppose , that the pope hath been chosen , 1. sometime by the people , ( witness the blood-shed at the choice of damasus in the church : ) 2. sometime by the people , and the neighbour ordaining bishops : 3. sometime by a synod : 4. sometime by the emperours : 5. and lastly , by the roman cardinals . if any of these may chuse , then we may have four or five lawful popes , chosen four or five several ways , at once . if only one of these have the power , s. peter had no successors under all the other elections . so that the claim will fall rather to antioch than to avignion , or any other town , because they say it was s. peter's first bishoprick , from which he removed for a greater . if you are driven with poor mr. johnson , alias , terret , to say , that any way will serve which serveth for the truth of an election of princes , &c. then still we may have four popes at least . i doubt you must be forced to say as some , that it is the acceptance of the universal church , which must prove who is the universal monarch . 1. but some must be electors , before it comes to acceptance . and who hath the power of electing ? and 2. what if now the major part of the church should prefer the bishop of constantinople ? i hope you are not so ignorant of cosmography as not to know that the greek church when they first preferred the bishop of const . was far greater than the latine . 3. and i suppose you know that it is not near half the christian world that now accepteth of the pope as their governour . 4. and i pray you do but get the pope to suspend his claim till the church universal accept him , and we shall not be troubled with him : for how shall they signifie their acceptance ? if in a general council , you know how they of constance , basil , and pisa , are reviled by the pope and those that now go for your church , for pretending to a power to depose and chuse popes ; and how eugenius the fourth prevailed against such a deposition . and if these councils were not your universal church representative , where shall we think to find it ? in sum , we have the tradition of a church as big as three of the roman for all our religion ; and of all the roman church it self ; besides the confession of the enemies of the church , pagans , infidels , mahometans , jews , and hereticks ; we have not one word that 's part of our religion , which your selves confess not to be true : we believe that the faith of the universal church shall never fail , nor the gates of hell prevail against it : and so you see that we may far better tell how infallibly we have received our religion from our forefathers , than you can do of yours : but we believe not that this universal church hath any head but christ ; no humane vicarious monarch or governour of all the world : we believe that men must believe in christ before they can know that the pope is his vicar , if it had been true : we know , as sure as history can tell us , that the pope's first primacy , and the rest of the patriarchates were but the humane ordinances of the clergie of one empire , and not of the whole christian world. and we know not ( nor you ) but rome and its church and bishop , may yet all cease together . but you make me most admire at you , that ( in this book also ) you tell your relations , and other readers , of the uncertainty of notice by books in comparison of converse and talk with those of your present party ; yea that your own religion is not to be known by books , as being lyable to be misunderstood , so well as by talking with papists , and asking them what is their faith or religion . sir , i judge by your stile that you are a man of zeal and conscience in your way , and therefore that you write not this fraudulently against your conscience . sure then you must needs be a man of more than ordinary ignorance , that can believe what you say . 1. is it your objective or your subjective faith that we are disputing of ? if it be not the rule and object of your faith , every man indeed may tell us what he believeth himself , but no man can tell us what another believeth . and then you have as many religions as men ; for every man hath one of his own , and no two men in the world know and believe just all the same things , neither more nor less : and what shall those of us think of your religion then , who find that one of you affirmeth what another denyeth ? for instance , a worthy person of your religion affirmed to me , that notwithstanding the fifth commandment [ honour thy father and mother , ] a mother hath not any governing power over a child , nor the child oweth any obedience to the mother , during the fathers life , because it were confusion were there more governours in a house than one , though subordinate one to the other . is this your common judgment ? may i say therefore that this is other mens belief ? you know that when we alledge the sayings of your most learned writers , we are ordinarily told , that it is not the judgment of particular doctors , but of the church in councils , which we must call your churches judgment . you undertake not to justifie any more . and if i talk with any of my neighbours and ask him what he believeth , have i any more than a single doctors opinion ? is his answer , the faith of your church ? but would you have any one past seven years old believe you , that writing is of no more use to memory for conservation of antiquities ? when god would not trust his ten commandments to the peoples memories , but would write them in stone , and put them in the arke , ( which you have so little skill in antiquity as to say here was the first writing : sure if you will read your jesuite euseb . nirembergius de antiqu. scripturae you will not say that your grand-father taught you truly that opinion as the tradition of the church . ) why do you write to your own relations , if writing be so un-intelligible ? could the bible have been kept as well in memory as by writings ? why were the gospels written then ? do you go to tradition , or to books , to decide any controversie now of the various readings ? did pope clem. 8. and sixtus 5. reform the vulgar latine by memory or by books ? pope pius's trent oath sweareth men to interpret scripture according to the consent of the fathers : do any of your doctors know how that is by memory and oral tradition , or by books ? did possevine , and sixtus senensis , and such others , correct books by oral tradition , or by books ? did celestine and the carthage council debate the case of the nicene canon ( a narrow instance which memory might have served for ) out of mens memories , or out of written records ? why doth 〈◊〉 bring us out new forged canons , and why do the copies of many councils differ in the recital of canons , if memory and universal un-written tradition can reconcile the difference ? was the athenian philosophy propagated and preserved better by memory , or by books ? why is not the stoicks , and epicureans , and others , as fully known now as aristotles and plato's , if memory without books could have done ? have you as full notice now of the acts of james , john , matthew , thomas , bartholomew , &c. without book , as you have of paul's by the book ? is memory sufficient to have preserved to us the statures of the land , without books and records ? yea , or the common-law without any records or book cases ? why are all your councils written ? and all the decretals ? to say nothing of the civil roman laws , institutes , pandects , and digests . can you decide the controversies about the decretals , published by isidore mercator , by tradition ? what are all your libraries for at the vatican , florence , paris , and in each learned mans house , if books be so useless and unintelligible ? if one of your relations ask you , what is in the council of trent , florence , laterane , and so upward , can you tell him fully without book by tradition ? and are not these councils your very religion ? doth every papist neighbour carry them all in his brain , more certainly than in books ? or could your grandfather and grandmother have told us more certainly what is in them , than crab , surius , binius , baronius , justellus , albaspinaeus , petavius , sirmondus , &c. could do ? or is all left uncertain because it is written ? through gods mercy our essentials , and somewhat more , are delivered certainly down to us by two hands , by oral and practical tradition , and by the scripture , because they lye in a narrow room . but yet if you had the front to tell the world , that your immutable church hath never changed the creed it self , we could not believe you , because books contradict you . tradition from your great grandfather cannot assure us that [ filioque ] was in the creed from the days of the apostles : nor that [ the holy catholick church , the communion of saints , ] and the other words mentioned in vessius , and usher de symbolis , were in so long : nor that the greeks added no words to their creed at nice , nor afterward at constantinople , in general councils ; nor that all s. hilaries outcry against creeds was in vain . nor can tradition without book yet assure us , what were the very words of the creed used commonly by the greeks , immediately before the nicene council ; nor who wrote that ascribed to athanasius : nor among the various formula's of that called the apostles , found , as aforesaid , in irenaeus , tertullian , epiphanius , ruffinus , &c. which of them was in constant use ; or whether liberty of such alteration of words was not then used . and no unwritten report of your grandfather can assure us , that your mass-book or liturgy was the same in the apostles days as it is now ; nor that it was for 600 years the same in all the churches of one empire ; and that every bishop had not power to use what liturgy he pleased , in his own city or parochia : nor can your tradition assure us , that what the father and grandfather used , was used from the apostles , when the church of neocaesarea clamoured at s. basil for his singularity and innovations , and s. basil retorts on them , that they at neocaesarea had scarce left any thing unchanged : i hope this is not the less credible because basil hath written it . at least , i pray hereafter give over your ill practice of leading simple readers into a wood of church-history , to lose them and the question there among a multitude of citations of old books , when you know not what else to say ( as william johnson did , ) because there the ignorant know nothing themselves , but may as well believe the affirmer as the denyer ; and at least the diversion to voluminous controversies about particular mens words may hide your errours . do not resolve all the controversie , yea the faith of your followers , into a multitude of books of councils and fathers which they never saw . and do not take so much care to corrupt and alter books , for your interest , as instances and your indices expurg . tell us you have done . resolve without book the controversie about your great laterane council , whether dr. taylor , dr. pierson , dr. gunning , ( and bishop cousins lately ) that say innocent . 3. made and published the canons , and the council did not consent to them , be in the right , or rather they that answered dr. pierson and dr. gunning , and indeed your church , which holds the contrary ( which mr. dodwell seemeth to me lately to have fully proved , in his book about tolerating papists . ) nay why may we not expect that you lay by your book catechisms , your office books , your controversie books , and teach your people all without book ? but by this counsel to your relations , you fully shew that you would have them to have no certainty at all , either what christianity is , or what popery is . for they shall never speak with the universal church , or with a general council , while they live : and all their . neighbours , to whom you send them , are fallible persons . i suppose you one of the chief of them , and alas , how failible you are , you have in two writings grosly shewed . having said thus much more , to shew that your foundation is sand , who send us from books to our grandfathers , as infallible and that this is no better a ground than the abassines , greeks , and others , may build on as well as you ; and that we our selves have a far surer and universal tradition than the papacy hath , and have your own consent to every word of our objective religion , i now proceed to consider of your character of parties . chap. ii. you describe to us four supposed parties . i. the puritan . ii. the prelatical protestant , ( whom your fitz-simmons calleth , the formalist . ) iii. the papist , as you suppose us falsly to describe him . iv. the papist , as you suppose him truly described , whom you call the apostolical christian . in all which you shew that you are far from infallibility , and a man unfit for your relations to trust in so great a case . i. i confess you give the puritan a very laudable description , in comparison of the prelatist protestant , and the feigned papist . and you tell us , that you were once a puritan your self , and you own still that which you describe as puritanism , only adding popery to it , which you think it wants . i confess you speak incomparably more honourably and charitably of puritans , than some malicious interessed persons , of their own protestant profession will do . but , 1. you deal not informingly , in your describing a puritan , before you distinguish that ambiguous ill-made word . it hath three common acceptions among us at least . first , the ancientest , as it signifieth the old or later catharists , who held that they were perfect ( if they are not belyed : ) and none come nearer these than the papists and quakers , certainly protestants are far from it . secondly , the old non-conformists had the name of puritanes put on them , by those that were against them : for what reason , i leave them to answer to god. thirdly , and because these non-conformists lived strictly , and were for much preaching , and praying , and holy conference , and spending the lords-day in holy exercises , and serious diligence in working out our salvation , and were sharp against drunkenness , swearing , and such other sins , therefore the vulgar rabble of vicious ones , that durst not rail at piety under the name of piety , took the advantage of the bishops displeasure at the non-conformists , and of the name puritane , and put that name upon all christians among them , that were notably serious in practical godliness , perswading themselves that they were all but hypocrites : and so the name among the vulgar rabble grew common to godly conformists and non-conformists : and as if loquendum cum vulgo had been a law , by this means the devil did more hurt both to godliness ( rendring it among the vulgar to he but odious hypocrisie and singularity ) and to episcopacy ( making multitudes that disliked the wickedness of the rabble , to think that all this came from the bishops , ) and it did more to advance and honour the non-conformists , ( because the name was formerly theirs as such ) than by any one thing that i remember in all my younger days . this the godly conformists grievously complained of , ( as bishop downame in his spit●le sermon , called abrahams tryal , and mr. robert bolton , who saith , that he believeth that never poor persecuted word passed through the mouths of wicked men with more bitter scorn , since malice first entred into the heart of man : ] really the permitting of the common rabble of all the debauched sinners of the land to make serious godliness a common scorn under the name of puritanisme , had as great a hand as any thing i know in all our confusions . fourthly , and it added fuel to the fire when some brought up a fourth sence of the word ( some say , mar. ant. de dom. spalatensis was the inventor of it , ) and that was doctrinal puritanes , by which name they understood those by some called calvinists , by others anti-arminians , who held the doctrine of your dominicans , or of the jansenists . now who can well tell which of these sorts of puritanes you were , and talk of , while you characterize the second sort , as well as the first , and yet distinguish them from prelatick protestants ? 2. but which ever it is , observe here that you own the puritanes religion still , and say , [ i have not so much left puritanism , as prelaticks call it , as added that to it wherein i found it come short of the holy apostles doctrine and institutions , ] p. 1. and when you have described the puritane as one seriously conscionable and regardful of his salvation , ( at large ) you add , [ if this be to be a puritane , would to god all the world were puritanes ! i am so far from being converted from thus much of a puritane , that i most heartily wish i could convert all the world to it . ] 3. but yet your description of him is so very false , that i may conclude when you turned , as you think , from being a meer puritane to be a papist , you never knew what a puritane is , nor indeed ever were a puritane your self , unless you take the word as fitted to your self , and such as you . if you had meant by a puritane a meer non-conformist as such , you would not so laudably have described the work of god upon his soul and life as you have done : for if most non-conformists be such , yet so are many others as well as they . and it 's easie to see what a deceitful course it is to take up a name of many significations , and such as signifieth no different religion at all , as to any one article of faith , nor any more difference in , or about religion , than such as is among most christian churches ; and much less than is among your selves . besides that the plainer name of a non-conformist is of no determinate nor certain signification , save only in general to notifie one that conformeth not to all that is imposed on him ; but what that is , the name doth not signifie . a non-conformist in scotland is one thing , in england another thing , as the impositions are different . non-conformity twenty years ago , or fourty years , was one thing . non-conformity since 1662. is quite another thing . and non-conformists differ among themselves : if twenty things be imposed as necessary to the ministry , he is a non-conformist who consenteth but to nineteen of them ; and so is he that consenteth but to eighteen , or to seventeen , or to sixteen , and so on , as well as he that consenteth to none of them . and that there is so much difference among them is no wonder to them , nor any considerate man ; for they hold christian love and communion with those that agree with them in the foresaid common principles and practice of christianity , ( as far as they require not them to sin : ) and they are not of a different religion from every one that fasteth not on fridays , or saints vigils , &c. as you seem to be , nor from every one that doth so ; nor from every one that thinketh not in every thing as they think , or that prayeth in other words than they ; for no two men in the world should on such terms be of one religion : they believe socrates and sozomen , who tell us of the great diversity of rites and orders in the ancient churches , which all consisted with the same religion , faith , and love. they abhor the principle of hating , persecuting , yea and separating from one another for such differences as will unavoidably adhere to the imperfect condition of christians here on earth . at this time in england a considerable part ( if not the far greatest ) of the silenced ministers are for the primitive episcopacy , and some liturgie , as you may see in their offer of a. bishop usher's reduction to the king , and their desires of a reformed liturgie . among the old non-conformists , there were divers degrees : such as dr. regnolds , mr. perkins , dr. humfrey , paul bayn , &c. did yield to more than some others could do . how can you tell then by the name of a puritane , what to charge any single person with ? but it seemeth you take their non-conformity in general , and their temper of mind and life together . but then you greatly wrong them , and seem not at all to know what their religion is . there are two things which you say they mistake in : 1. their doctrine of imputed righteousness , and the covenant , and not solicitously endeavouring after the acquisition of virtue , because they trust to the imputed righteousness ; ] your words are too large to recite : you partly here unworthily injure them by ascribing to them the very opinions and words of the antinomians , whom they have better confuted than ever you did . and as to their doctrine of imputed righteousness , even bellarmine in one sense owneth it : and whether our sense be sound i provoke you to try particularly by your perusal of my own writings on that subject , especially a late treatise of [ justifying righteousness and imputation , ] and a treatise called [ catholick theologie : ] in which if there be nothing which you dare or can confute , judge whether your meer derision of [ imputative righteousness ] be not delusory : if you dare say , that you trust not to christs sacrifice , and meritorious perfect righteousness , as procuring you pardon and life , ( jus ad impunitatem & regnum coelorum , ) enjoy your self-confidence while you can . but if you say in this as we , then make publick confession of the injury of your reproach of such imputed righteousness , as you trust your salvation upon your self . i imagine you will say , that my judgment is no certain signification of the judgment of the puritans ; for i am singular , and therefore what i say in these books is no proof of the sense of the non-conforming puritans . but , 1. my judgment of their sense is as good as yours . 2. do you know of any one nonconformist that hath published any dissent to what i have written ? ( dr. tully was a conformist . ) 3. you profess ( before ) to borrow the name [ puritan ] from the prelatists . and i have this to say for my authority in declaring the sense of puritans , that one or more ( whose genius is of kin to the roman , but far less mild than yours ) who are prelatical or super-prelatical , have about 17 years ago ( being masters of that language ) branded me with the name of [ purus putus puritanus , & qui totum puritanismum totus spirat . ] ( the pseudo-tilenus hath just the same stile as the late unmasker of the presbyterians , who revileth modest , judicious , pious , and peaceable j. corbet , and in the most ingenious strain of wrath and malice doth valiantly militate against love. ) therefore prelatists being judges , i may as credibly as another tell you what is the puritan judgment . 2. your second accusation of the puritan is , that [ he begins to quarrel with all external worship and ceremonies . ] but this is also spoken ignorantly and untruly : you before mistook the antinomian for the puritan , and here you seem to take the separatist for the puritan . read the reformed liturgy , and other papers offered at the savoy to the bishops , and you may see that though they are not for silencing , excommunicating , and damning men for a ceremony , nor for making as many religions , as there are differences about ceremonies , yet they are for doing all things to edification , decently and in order ; and for external as well as internal worship of god : as knowing that the body is his , and made to worship him as well as the soul , and therefore should fall down and kneel before him , and reverently and holily behave it self in his service . you say , p. 5. [ he is much confirmed in this his imagination , by considering the open profaneness , and little sense of god , he observeth generally in zealous conformists . and on the other side he taketh notice of his brethren the non-conformists , that they are generally free from open and scandalous sins , and at least sigh and breath after interior spirit and devotion , which certainly must be that must give us a title to heaven , rather than a few cringes , and exterior verbal devotions , which any one though never so prophane may easily exercise . ] 1. but do you not here and in your former description quite contradict your self , when you charge them as neglecting inherent righteousness ? 2. we are not so foolish as not to know , that the unreverent hypocritical abuse of gods external worship , by others whosoever , will not excuse us for neglecting it . of the conformists we must speak anon . 3. by the way i would you could impartially consider , if the puritans be so good men , as you fairly confess them to be , what the reason is that papists generally are far more fiery against them than against those whom you speak so meanly of as prelatical protestants ? remember how your writer after the london fire , answered by dr. lloid , did flatter these as more suitable to the papists genius in comparison of the puritans : and the unmasker against j. corbet will tell you out of watson ( an honourable witness hanged for treason in cobham's , &c. conspiracy ) how bad the puritans are , ( comparing them with the jesuites : ) and if your laws took place in england , what abundance of these puritans would you make bonfires of ? yea your own relations were not like to scape you . they have told me to my face , how quickly they would otherwise silence me than the prelates do , if i were in their power . and the decrees de haereticis comburendis & exterminandis more fully tell it us . yea , whence is it , that most certain experience proveth it , that by how much the nearer any protestants genius is to the papists , by so much the more bloody , cruel , malicious , or slanderous and unmerciful he is to the puritanes ? you 'll say for both , that it is because the puritans are most against them , and interest ruleth the world. but i answer , 1. god's interest is highest with every true christian : 2. i confess it 's true , that puritans are most against popery : but truly as far as i have been acquainted with them , they are not most against your persons , nor would have any injustice or cruelty exercised against you : but the fear of your faggots , or powder-plots , and such massacres as were in france , ( of thirty thousand , or forty thousand ; ) or in ireland , ( of two hundred thousand , ) hath made them think your power inconsistent with their safety : 3. and you must remember that the positive additions of the church of rome , are in the judgment of the puritans very great sins : but you have truly no charge against the puritans , for any one article of their religion ; but only for not receiving , and for protesting against your additions . 4. but i perceive , p. 5. your instances of their defectiveness are , that they are not for [ fasting days , particular garments for priests , set forms , christmas-day , good-friday , ascension , whitsuntide , &c. which they take for meer humane inventions and will-worship ; because they think that the new testament was written to instruct us christians in the whold body of gospel-worship , &c. but you are best prove this only by telling us that you know some persons of that mind : and when you have done , i will demand your proof that those persons are no more than puritans : they have oft told you that their judgment is , that for all that substance of god's worship which is of universal necessity to the church , and is of divine institution , the holy scripture is a sufficient rule : but that very many circumstances and outward acts have in scripture but a general law ( that they be all done to edification , decently , orderly , in concord , &c. ) and it is left to humane prudence to order them by such rules : we condemn no one that useth holy fasts or feasts , but think them needful : we judge not those that celebrate the memorial of god's great mercies to his church , by giving him thanks for the holy life and doctrine of his eminent saints , &c. but will you plainly have our judgment ? we think saint paul was in the right that taught the church of rome it self , both the rulers and the flocks , that they must neither judge nor despise each other for differences about meats and days , but receive each other ( to communion notwithstanding such differences ) as christ received us , rom. 14. and 15. and we will not believe your grand-father , nor great-grand-father , if they told us that the apostles by tradition did institute holy-days , and vigils for st. tecla , or st. bridgit , or st. thomas becket , or any that were not born till they were dead : and any one day or order which you truly prove to us that the apostles by tradition ordained for the universal church , we profess our selves ready and resolved to obey . but if you plead not tradition for any of these things , but the churches commands , ( as you must do , or be singular , or ashamed ; ) here you come to the quick of our difference : 1. we know not of any universal vicarious law-giver under christ that hath any power to make laws to the universal church throughout the world : and we dare not own any such usurper lest we be guilty of treason against the only head of the whole church . 2. we know not of any power that the chief bishop in the roman empire hath over other empires , kingdomes , or churches . 3. but to our own true pastors which are set over us according to christ's order and his apostles recorded in scripture , we puritanes will submit in all such circumstantials , as aforesaid , which are left to their prudent determination , not putting us on any sin . but , 4. we detest making such things as you here name to be taken for the characters of distinct religions , or distinct churches , as if we might not with love , peace , and christian communion , differ about a garment , a holy-day , fast , or vigil . thus far then you seem not to know what a meer puritan is . ii. but , sir , i have much more than all these little things against your description of a puritane : i plainly perceive in your greatest praises of him , that you know not what his very religion it self is ; or else you would never describe him as only taken up with fears and cares , and good desires to be better , having yet greedy desires of the things of the world , without any mention of the love of god above all , and of his neighbour , and a holy and heavenly mind and life , with self-denyal , mortification of the flesh , &c. either you judge of a puritane by what you were your self , or by what your acquaintance were , or by what they commonly profess to be their religion . for the first you have no reason : it followeth not that they have no better a religion , because you had no better . for the second you had no reason : for it 's ten to one you knew not the hearts of your acquaintance , so well as to be able to know that they had not the love of god , &c. and if you were so unhappy in your acquaintance , what 's that to other men ? thirdly , therefore as you look that your own religion should be described , not as we find it in this or that man , but as your church professeth it , so do we : and i have told you before what our religion is . i have the more boldness in speaking the sense of others , as i said , both because i am as aforesaid stigmatized for a total puritan , and because the generality of all of them of my acquaintance as far as i can discern are of this mind . a puritan then , as the word is commonly taken by the rabble , is a serious christian protestant , who truly believeth and practiseth what he doth profess , and doth not mortifie that profession which should help to mortifie his sin : his religion is , to be understandingly and sincerely devoted in the sacramental covenant to god the father , son , and holy ghost ; renouncing the vanities of the world , the lusts of the flesh , and the delusions of the devil : he believeth that all that truly consent to this covenant , have a right , and part , in , and to , the love of god the father , the grace of the son , and the communion of the holy chost ; and that he that hath the son hath life , pardon , adoption , justification , and right to life eternal ; and that this right is continued , he performing his covenant , and continuing in that faith which worketh by love , and not living impenitently in sin , but sincerely obeying god his father , saviour , and sanctifier : he taketh the fear of gods justi●● , ●nd godly sorrow , to be but the lower steps of holiness ; but that the kingdom of god is ( not meats and days , but ) righteousness , peace , and joy in the holy ghost ; and that the spirit of christ , without which none are his , is not the spirit of bondage , but of power , love , and a sound mind ; even a spirit of holy life , light , and love , which are the essentials of true holiness ; and the spirit of adoption , and supplication , causeth us with love to cry to god , and trust him as a father : they take christ to be the only mediator between god and man , whose sufficient sacrifice for sin , and perfect righteousness , habitual , active , and passive ( as called ) advanced in dignity by the divine nature , is the meritorious cause of all their mercies to body and soul , remission , justification , holiness , and glory : they put up all their services , as into , and by , the hand of christ ; and from his mediatory hand they expect all mercies : they take the holy ghost within them to be christ's advocate and witness to them of his truth and love ; and their witness , earnest , seal , pledge , and first fruits of endless life : they take eternal glory for their full felicity , and this world , and flesh , ( pleasure , riches , and honour , ) to be so far useful as they signifie gods love , and further our love and service to him ; but to be vanity as separated from god in our hearts , and enmity , or mischief , as competitors , or as against him . in a word , faith working by supream love and obedience to god , and brotherly love to man , by honour to our superiours , justice to all ; and by all the good that we can do in the world , and by repentance for our sins , patience in sufferings , and by a heavenly mind , and life , is the sum of their religion ; or plainlier as is said at first , the gospel-covenant as expounded in the creed , lords prayer , and decalogue , as the summary of things to be believed , desired , and practised ; and the holy scriptures as the full and comprehensive records of the doctrine , promises , and laws of god , containing the essentials , integrals , and necessary accidentals of religion . this is the christian religion , and the puritan in question is but the serious christian distinct from the hypocrite , or dead formalist . but if you add non-conformity to the sense of the word , and to his character ; so i need not tell you what the impositions are which some deny conformity to , as to oaths , new-covenants , subscriptions , declarations , practices , &c. which he protesteth that he would never deny conformity to , if after his best enquiry he did not believe that god forbiddeth it : ( as you may see at large in their savoy petition for peace to the bishops . ) these two it seems you join together ; and what their objective religion is , i have better told you , than you have told your relations . but as to the clearness of their judgment in it , and the measure of their practice of it , there are , i think , as various degrees as there are persons , no two men in the world being in all things just of the same degree . and now sir give me leave patiently to ask you these two questions : 1. why would you by temerity go about to deceive your relations , and other readers , by talking to them against that which you did not understand ? even then , when you blame others as dealing so by the papists ? and why do you dishonour your own relations so , as to make so bad a description of them ? are they such as have no love to god as god , no delight in holiness , no heavenly minds ? nothing almost but fear and its effects ? have they still the flames of concupiscence , and greedy desires of money and the things of this life , &c. if it be not so , you should not have told the world so of them : if it be so , i am sorry for them : i suppose it is contrary to their profest religion ; and you may have the greater hopes to make them papists ? ii. what wonder is it that you that were no better a puritan than you describe , are turned papist ? you that profess you were a puritan , must needs be judged to tell us what a one you were your self , when you tell us what they are ? alas poor man ! how came you to be so false to your own profession , against your baptismal vows , as to keep so much of the world at your heart , in greedy desires after money , and to have no more love to god and man ? no more righteousness , peace , and joy in the holy ghost ? could you think that a man could be saved without love and good works ? were you deluded by such antinomian conceits as you describe , and took that for puritanisme ? how else did you quiet your conscience in such a state of hypocrisie ? if god and holiness had not your chief love ( as well as fear ) you were but an hypocrite . and here give me leave to repeat what i have oft written : what wonder is it at any mans turning papist ? when according to your own principles , no protestant , puritan , or other christian turneth papist , that doth not thereby declare that he was a false-hearted hypocrite before , and had no true love to god in his heart : and was not this your case ? for , 1. you affirm that all men that have true prevalent love to god are in a state of grace , and have right to salvation , ( till they lose it : ) 2. you affirm that none of us are in a state of grace and salvation , that are not of your church , that is , the subjects of the king , or pope of rome : 3. therefore it followeth that you take none but such subjects or members of your church , to have the true prevalent love of god. but you know that in our christian covenant and profession we all take god for our god , the infinite and most amiable good , our father in christ , and love it self , and that faith working by love is our religion : and if any man , saith saint paul , love not the lord jesus christ , let him be anathema maranatha : and he that loveth the world , the love of the father is not in him , 1 joh. 2. 15. so that by turning papist you confess that before you were no true christian , nor had any true love to god and godliness , nor to jesus christ : and if so , you were a false-hearted hypocrite : for as a christian you profest and covenanted it . and what wonder then if god forsook you and gave you up to strong delusions , when you would not receive the truth in the love of it , that you might be saved , 2 thes . 2. and note here , that if any man know that he truly loveth god and goodness , you tell him that he is none of those that you perswade to popery : for you perswade none to it , but those that are ungodly hypocrites , having no true love of god within them . but can you think , sir , in good earnest , that popery tendeth more to fill men with the love of god , than our simple christianity doth ? is not popery a religion of bondage and servitude , consisting mainly in terrour , and its superstitious effects ? what are most of your tasks of pilgrimages , penances , and abundance such , but the effects of servile fear ? the best of religion next heaven should be that which is nearest to heaven . and do you think you can love god better in the fire of purgatory torments , than if he took you unto christ in paradise ? could you love god better in this life , if he tormented you in the fire , than if he give you comfort by his mercies ? you say that the puritan [ is made negligent ( by his trust in christ ) to adorn his soul with piety , charity , meekness , patience , humility , and other christian vertues ; partly thinking them impossible to be attained , partly deeming there is no absolute necessity of them to his salvation , he having nothing to do but to believe that jesus christ hath done all for him . ] answ . i had hoped there had been few such left in england : even crisp and saltmarsh , were scarce so erroneous : and were you such a one ? o miserable man that was such a puritan ! who did bewitch you so grosly to contradict the whole tenour of the gospel ? it is just with god to leave you , to set now as light by the meritorious righteousness of christ as procuring you pardon , grace , and glory , as you did then set by christian virtues , piety , and love ? but what if it was so with you , will that allow you to belie so many others ? how many score volumes have the puritans written which assert not only the possibility , but the absolute necessity of piety , charity , humility , &c. without which none can see god , ( infants case is not here medled with . ) i know not one person in all the land , or world , that will not abhor , as false , what you here charge in common on the puritans , unless he be a very gross antinomian , or some grosser heretick here unknown : protestants , puritans , separatists , anabaptists , yea , quakers , all abhor it : and yet you feared not to put this in print ? perhaps you will pretend for it the doctrine of justification by faith alone ? but they that say that faith alone going first with repentance , doth justifie them , by procuring the pardon of their sins , and their union with christ , do say that at the same moment of time it also sanctifieth them , by procuring from christ the spirit of sanctification , giving them love , humility , piety , &c. and that this is of absolute necessity to their salvation , heb. 12. 14. mat. 18. 3. rom. 8. 1. 6. 7. 13. so much of your false self-condemning description of a puritan . chap. iii. ii. you next characterize the prelatical protestant : having said before p. 5. [ their preachers in their sermons have little life or zeal ; and seldom discourse of such truths as are apt to awaken mens consciences , and make them lay to heart the great concern of the salvation of their souls . or if they do at any time preach of judgment , or of hell , repentance , or a new life , they do it very coldly and imperfectly , and seem to talk like parrots , of what they have learnt by rote or out of others books , and not what they have had any experience of in their hearts . ] and p. 6. [ generally speaking , ( i wish it were a slander ) prelatick protestants are very prophane , and give no signs of any interiour trouble of conscience : and if any of them begin to be heartily troubled for his sin , he is observed either to turn fanatick or papist . ] answ . if by a prelatick protestant you should unhandsomly mean only such as are worldly clergy-men , like too many of your roman prelates and their curates , who take gain for godliness , and who allow their flesh , their pride , their covetousness , and voluptuousness , and sloth , to chuse their religion ; whose god is their belly , who glory in their shame , and who mind earthly things , and are enemies to cross-bearing ; and through enmity to those that are better than themselves , are cross-imposers , and persecutors , and silencers , of sober faithful ministers , because they cross their pride and worldly interest ; such it 's like may be no better men than you describe them . but why should you take the word in so narrow a sense ? but if by prelatick protestants you mean all such protestants whose judgment is for episcopacy , 1. you deceive , and i suppose are deceived , in your distinguishing these from non-conformists : it 's true that there are envious false-hearted prelatists in the world , that make false names for their brethren , to procure the belief of their false reports of them : and god will cut out the lying tongue . but i will tell you the truth , whose malice soever is against it ; there are episcopal as well as presbyterian and independent non-conformists now : yea , divers that are against the late wars of the parliament , and against the covenant , and never took it , and some that have been souldiers for the king , and suffered for him : yea so considerable is the number of them that are episcopal , that in 1660. when the king called them to treat in order to agreement , they offered him no other form of church government , than a. bishop usher's reduction , in which not a pin of honour , nor one farthing of their revenue was desired to be taken from archbishops , bishops , deans , archdeacons ; but only the parish ministers enabled under them , to have done somewhat more that belongeth to their office , instead of lay-chancellors , &c. most non-conformists of my acquaintance would be glad of the terms contained in the kings declaration about ecclesiastical affairs , where bishops and archbishops are left as rich and high as they were before : so far are non-conformists [ episcopal protestants . ] 2. and though conformity be very much changed from what it was heretofore , episcopacy is not . and i must tell you , that i do not think that the christian world hath more godly learned worthy ministers , than many of the episcopal were heretofore . do you know what men bishop jewel , a. bishop grindall , and many more of old were ? and a. bishop usher , bishop hall , bishop davenant , and many more of late ? who hath written more earnestly and hotly for episcopacy , than bishop downame ( who wrote the great latine book to prove the pope antichrist ; ) yet who that knew him did ever question his piety or diligence ? and if you look to the old conformable presbyters , read their books , and enquire of the lives of many of them , and then confess that they were better men and better preachers than you describe . peruse the writings of mr. rob. bolton , william whateley , william fenner , dr. preston , dr. sibbes , dr. stoughton , dr. gouge , mr. thomas gataker , mr. crook , and abundance of such others , and enquire how they laboured and lived , and you may hear that they were neither such parrots nor prophane ones as you mention . there may be some proportionable alteration supposed to be now made in the persons of the conformists , answerable to that which is made in conformity it self : but surely , if you know london , and many miles near it , and many parishes in the several counties , you must confess that now there are many learned , pious conformists , who preach zealously , and live religiously , and hate covetousness and persecution , and long to see the promoting of piety , peace , and concord . but if you expect a better vindication of them , i must desire you to consider of two things . 1. that in most countries and ages the worldliest men ( that is , the worst ) have been the greediest strivers and seekers for church-power and perferments ; and he that seeketh most diligently is the likeliest to find : and that ordinarily the vulgar do dance after the pipe of him that is uppermost , and will be of the religion of them that can help or hurt them , be it what it will be . most will be of the religion which is owned by law , or countenanced by the greatest , be it right or wrong . in the best countries , the most are too bad : and bad men will have a prospering religion , and not one that will expose them to death , banishment , imprisonment , beggary , contempt , or silence . most will be on the upper side . 2. and remember that you your self here confess the scandals of some of your romish party , and what carnal prophane ones they are . had you not confessed it , i would have desired you to read two books , 1. josep . acosta , of the wicked slothful priests in the indies , as the great hindrance of their conversion . 2. stephanus his world of wonders , taken most out of the book of the queen of navarre , of the horrid villanies of your priests . and one thing i cannot disregard : i marvel not if the papists be most bad in spain , france , italy , &c. or the lutherans in denmark , saxony , or sweden ; or the calvinists in holland ; or the prelatists and conformists in england ; because the most ( who are commonly the worst ) will be of the stronger side . but that greeks should be ungodly in turky , or protestants in france , or papists in england , where they are singular , and under the discountenance of the times , and most hold their religion with some self-denyal , this seemeth to me a more grievous thing . and if it prove true , that even in england , where you make the world believe that you have suffered grievously , your followers are too often found meer formalists , living in swearing , drinking , lying , uncleanness , or some of these , what shall we think of such a religion as this , as in a land of uprightness would teach men to do unjustly ? i wonder not what should make a drunkard , fornicator , or other debaucht sinner to be a papist in france , spain , or italy : but what should make such a one be a papist in england , unless his religion favour sensuality , or else he think that it will yet prove the upper side , i cannot easily conjecture . but you accuse the prelatick protestant for agreeing with the puritan in expecting salvation by the extrinsical righteousness of christ without him , not by any interior righteousness in his own soul. ] answ . i told you your memory faileth you : why did you before then describe the puritan as so well qualified within , and desiring after more ? but were you bred among puritans , and yet talk so ignoranly and falsly ? this had been more tolerable in a cochleus , a genebrard , or other transmarine calumniator , that never knew us here . read but davenant de just . and see how you slander the conformists . and read my fore-named books , and mr. trumans , mr. woodbridges , the morning lectures at s. giles of justif . mr. wotton de reconciliat . mr. bradshaw de justif . praefat. &c. mr. gataker in many books , jo. goodwin of justif . &c. and see how you slander the puritans . in a few plain words , sir , the protestants do not expect salvation by their own personal righteousness as coordinate with christs , but as subordinate to it , nor as a righteousness so denominated from the same reason as christs is , but from a lower reason , and so as of a lower sort . that is , [ we all hold , that gods law to perfect man was perfect , being the effect of his perfect holiness , and required personal perpetual perfect innocency and obedience in man : and that man breaking this law , was according to the justice of it lyable to its penalty , which is temporal , spiritual , and eternal death , or to be forsaken of that god whom he forsook , and to be under the sense of his displeasure , or justice : we believe that christ redeemed us from this punishment , by the merit of his perfect holiness and obedience , and the satisfactory sacrificing of himself on the cross , where he was in his measure forsaken of god , as in our stead and for our sins ; whose punishment , as far as was fit for him to undergo , he voluntarily undertook to suffer . we believe that he never intended by this redemption , to take man from under his subjection to god , or make him an ungoverned lawless wight ; but that by purchase he himself , as mediator , became his lord and king , and gods chief administrator of the redeemed world : and his lord-redeemer , with the will and authority of god his creator , made him a new law and covenant , freely giving right to impunity ( saving paternal healing corrections , and temporal death , and degrees of desertion if men neglect grace ) and right to the heavenly glory , as thus merited for us by christ ; and also the communion of the holy ghost on earth , to fit us by holiness for heaven , and to conquer our sins ; and this to all that will by a true effectual faith , accompanyed with repentance , unfeignedly accept the gift of god , that is , that will truly consent to the baptismal covenant , taking god for their reconciled god and father , jesus christ for their saviour , and the holy ghost for their sanctifier and comforter , renouncing the devil , the world , and the flesh , and engaging themselves as in a holy war against them , as the enemies of the blessed trinity , and them . and this covenant they must keep : for as it giveth right to life to such believers , so it denounceth certain damnation to unbelievers and unthankful neglecters of so great salvation . so that when by [ righteousnesse ] we mean that which answereth gods perfect law , having no sinful imperfection , we all profess that we have no such righteousness of our own to trust in , there being no man without sin ; and all sin by the law of innocency denominating the sinner unrighteous and punishable by death : but instead of such a righteousness , gods justice is so far satisfied by the sacrifice and perfect righteousness of christ , as that he freely giveth us the foresaid covenant , and its free grace and benefits : but because we must be judged by the redeemer according to his law of grace , therefore we must in our selves personally have the righteousness which that law or covenant hath made necessary to our justification first , and our salvation afterwards ; which is first our foresaid faith or covenant-consent , and after ( to our salvation ) our keeping of that covenant in true obedience and holiness to the end , and our victory over the three enemies which we renounced . so that briefly , god justifieth as the donor and the judge : christ god and man , as mediator , justifieth us meritoriously , as aforesaid , and by donation and final sentence ; our jus ad impunitatem & gloriam , our right to impunity and the heavenly glory , justifieth us as our formal righteousness ( which is a relation ) against the accusation that we ought to be shut out of heaven and damned to hell. the covenant of grace justifieth us , by giving us right to the love of the father , the grace of the son , and the communion of the holy ghost : even as gods donative and condonative instrument , or act of grace . our personal faith including repentance justifieth us , as the matter of our formal righteousness , against that particular accusation , that we are impenitent unbelievers , and so have no part in christ and his covenant gift . and our sincere , though imperfect , holiness added to our faith , is our material righteousness , against that particular accusation , that we are unholy , and so unqualified for heaven : so that the formal nature of righteousness being relative , and the word having various senses according to the variety of respects , and all these fore-mentioned having their several parts or offices , to the being of our final perfect justification , all these may accordingly be the reasons of our expectation of salvation . i forgot to adde , that we are so far justified by the holy ghost also , as he is the author of this holiness , which is our necessary qualification for eternal life . 1 cor. 6. 10. 11. tit. 3. 3 , 4 , 5. i have here truly , distinctly , and plainly told you the protestant and puritan , that is , the christian doctrine of justification . as to the sense of the word [ imputing ] see how we do , or do not own it , briefly in mr. bradshaw's preface , or largely in my treat . of justifying righteousness and imputation . and in my cathol . theolog. i have done you and christianity the service , to prove by plain citations , that many of your learnedest divines do say herein the same as we , or very little differ from us ; and if you will as a make-bate prove the contrary , you will do it to the dissenters shame . if you trust not christ alone , as we do , you will find the want of a saviour in your necessity , and purgatory will not serve your turn . but you tell us , that [ some of the prelatick clergie begin to scoff at the doctrine of imputative justice : one of them lately , in a sermon before his majesty , called it , and not improperly , the mummery of imputative justice . ] i will transcribe no more of your scoff : it 's dangerous mocking at such matters : imputed righteousness is oft mentioned by the holy ghost in scripture . it is not some mens mis-exposition that will justifie your derision . it 's no strange thing for men of undigested thoughts on both sides , publickly and privately to revile at each other as erroneous , when if they had but the skill of speaking distinctly , and understanding one another , they would presently profess that they are agreed ; or if it be for want of understanding the matter , it 's pity but they should be quiet till they understand it . i am of their mind that think it is here safest to keep close to scripture phrase ; for want of which many wrangle about their own ambiguous or ill made words , that in the matter disagree not . but , sir , when you say , pag. 6. [ an imputative holy man is a meer christmas mummer ; ] and after your jeasting with the boys and girls , and the coblers and botchers regal attire , and the daw and her fine feathers , you conclude [ such will be the sad lot of meerly imputative saints , who to themselves and their brethren seem very fine in the extrinsical righteousness of christ , put on by their phantastical faith , whilst god and his angels under all this conceited assumed bravery see a lascivious , wanton , covetous miser . ] i must crave leave to call upon your conscience , to judge whether a man that professeth that while he seemed a puritan he was but an unholy , lascivious , wanton , and covetous miser , and since his turning papist tells the world in print , that he is now a most false calumniator , be a fit person to invite his relations to such a pitiful change , to save their souls ? while you talkt but of [ imputative justice ] some mens ambiguous words gave you an excuse : for some protestants think that nothing should be called justifying righteousness , which is not sinless and perfect : but this is but a controversie about a word or name of righteousness . but when you here pretend , that they are for meerly imputed holiness , i must say that i remember not that ever i read a more impudent slander : and he that will dwell in gods holy hill must not receive a false report , especially in despight of the fullest evidence that man can desire : are not our booksellers shops full of books for the necessity of personal holiness ? and that none can be saved but saints ? is it not one of our dislikes of your way , that saints must be made rare canonized persons , when all christians hold , that without holiness none shall see god ? when almost all the sermons that ever i heard 〈◊〉 by any man of sense in my life profest this , and almost all our books are on this very subject , who would have thought that a man on earth could have been found , that would deny it in the open face of the sun ? yea , one that saith he was a puritan , and an university student ? even when the poor puritans are ruined , and hunted about , and cast into goals , because they dare not give over preaching the necessity of personal holiness to salvation ( for that is the most of all their sermons that ever i heard ) dare you stand forth with such an accusation as this ? as if they held no holiness necessary but imputative ? why then are we devoted in baptism to the holy ghost ? yea what are the very separatists more accused of , than that they would have none but real saints in their communion , too far presuming to judge the heart ? you seem a zealous man , though very ignorant ; i pray you study not to excuse this , but let us hear that you as openly repent as you have sinned . the most of your further dealing with the prelatick protestant , is to tell him that his ritual principles lead him to turn papist , or else he cannot answer the puritan : i take not my self any further fit to interpose herein , than to tell you , that in all things truly indifferent , there is a just middle between any mistaken scruplers that hold them sinful , and a papist that maketh them a part of his christianity or religion , and will not be of the same religion and church with those that be not of his mind , nor will willingly suffer them to preach or live . i told you that s. paul , and the churches described by socrates and sozomen ( about easter ) were of this middle way : they neither thought liturgies or ceremonies so bad ( or unlawful at all , ) as some on one side called puritans do , not so necessary as to make them a partition wall between churches and churches , or to forbid communion , or the preaching of christs gospel , or christian peace , to those that differ about them . and i think this middle way is approved by god and angels , and by many at death , or after long experience , who were against it before in prosperity and passion . the instances which you give , are , i. that [ the prelatick protestant is very angry with the puritan , that he will not abstain from flesh in lent , on frydays , ember-days , and vigils of saints — though practically speaking no body takes less notice of them than himself — and the poor puritan , because he will not solemnly invite the people to observe , what himself never intends to take the least notice of , must for this be silenced and suspended both from office and benefice . ] answ . 1. here you shew what things they be that you turn papist for : is not eating flesh on frydays , lent , or vigils , a worthy matter to make another religion of , or to prove men to be of differing churches ? 2. i told you before , that the puritans judgment is as paul's , that such things should be left indifferent , or at least make no breach among us ; by our judging or despising one another : and that neither the pope , nor any men on earth , have authority to make universal laws for them to all the christian world ; and that there is no true tradition of apostolical institution of them : but yet that such fasts and feasts as are appointed by true authority of prince or pastors , not against the laws of god , and such as shall be proved to be instituted by the apostles , they will observe . 3. but the poor puritan is indeed in hard circumstances , were there no life after this ! some of them have no flesh to eat , either on frydays , or any day in the week , but live thankfully upon bread and milk , and some such things ; fish they would gladly eat , if they could get it . there are now among them such as with many children have for a long time lived almost only on brown rye-bread and water : many of them take it for a sufficient quantity to eat one temperate meal a day , though they are in no want ; and the papist that forbeareth flesh , and eateth better than the puritan feasteth with , or that fasteth with one meal a day , which is many puritans fullest dyet , doth condemn the poor puritan as an heretick , and perhaps burn him at a stake , or cast him into the inquisition , for not fasting . poor john calvin did eat but one small meal a day , and the papist who fast much at the rate as calvin feasted , record him for a gluttonous person . and so did the pharisees by christ and his disciples ; why do not thy disciples fast , &c. ii. your second instance is , [ the prelatick protestant wonders the puritan should scruple adorning the communion table , with two wax tapers , &c. ] ans . the former answer serveth to this : hear , o ye puritans , wherein the roman religion doth surpass yours ! their altars have lighted tapers on : do you not deserve to be burnt your selves , if you will not burn candles on your altars ? yea the pope , who hath power to set up and take down emperours and kings , being not only the king of rome , but the monarch of the whole world , doth appoint these lights as a professing sign [ before god and man that he is of that church which in the primitive times for fear of persecution served . god by candle-light in dens and caves , ] and is not this to prove the immutability of their church , that vary not in a circumstance from the apostolioal institution ? doth his domineering over kings and nations , and the hosts of great princes , cardinals , prelates , abbots , clergy , regulars , seculars , that obey him , shew also that he is of that old candle-lighted church ? but while you seem still to plead apostolical tradition for all these great parts of your religion , tell the poor puritan , whether it was by prophesie , or how else , that the apostles delivered to the church the use of these lighted tapers , in commemoration of that which was done in dens long after the death of these apostles ? i doubt rather , the pope doth by this practice condemn himself , and sets up these lights to shew the world how much he and his church are changed since those forementioned days . iii. you next say , [ the prelatick protestant wonders what hurt the puritan can see in making the sign of that on the forehead of a new baptized infant , yet smiles at a papist when he makes it on himself , or his victuals , &c. ] ans . none of us are ashamed of the cross of christ , nor loth to profess this as openly as you : but if we do it by word , by writing , by obeying , or by suffering , we are of another religion from you , ( it seems by you , ) unless we will do it also by crossing : the jews were the cross-makers : and there are now so many cross-makers in the world , whose trade we like not , that we are not forward to set up their sign at our doors . but yet there are puritans and prelatists , that were they among the deriders of a crucified christ , where the use were not a formality , or worse , but convenient to tell the infidels their mind , that they are not ashamed of the cross of christ , would not refuse seasonably to cross themselves . but the puritans think , that when it is made [ a solemn stated sign of the duty and grace of the new covenant , dedicating there by the person to god , as one hereby obliging himself to profess the faith of christ crucified , and manfully to fight under his banner against the devil , the world , and the flesh to the death , in hope of the benefits of his cross and covenant , and so is made a badge or symbol of our christianity , ] then it is made a sacrament of the covenant of grace , added to christs sacrament of the same use ; or at least too like it , though the name be denyed it : and they think that christ hath given none power to make such new sacraments or symbols of christianity ; he having done that sufficiently himself . they have a conceit that the king would not be pleased with them that either frame a new oath of allegiance added to his , as the badge of his subjects loyalty , nor yet that would make a new badge of the order of the knights of the garter , without his consent . at least , the puritans think that baptism , and christianity , and christian burial should not be denyed to those children , whose parents do not offer them to be baptized with this additional symbol : and if the poor men be deceived in such thoughts , it is but in fear of sinning against christ , and not that they are more ashamed of his cross than you , or more disobedient to authority . iv. your next instance is , [ the prelatick protestant wonders that the puritane can doubt the holy euchrist is really and truly the body of christ , &c. ] and you cite dr. cosins hist . transub . p. 44. answ . 1. the prelatick protestant and the puritane differ not at all about the real presence of christs body in the sacrament , as i have shewed you elsewhere . what need you more proof than king edwards old rubrick against the real presence in a gross sence , lately restored to the liturgie . and as for dr. cosins words and book , i again tell you , all the doctors of the roman church are never able to answer his full proof that transubstantiation is a late innovation ; and none of the doctrine of the ancient churches . we challenge you all to give any reasonable answer to that book : and you still cunningly bawke the main controversie between us and you , which is not whether christs body be there , but whether bread and wine be there . for i have told you , 1. that we who know not how far a glorified spiritual body is extensive and invisible to us , cannot tell you where it is present or absent , no more than of an angel. 2. but we all hold , as a piece of plate or silver barrs , is really and truly turned into the kings coine , so the bread and wine is really and truly turned into christs sacramental body and blood ; and yet one is silver and the other is bread and wine still : the change is true , but relative by its separation to that holy use : as a common person may be really changed into a king , or a lord , or a judge , or a captain , or a bishop , or a doctor , and yet be a man still . this real change we all confess . but the question is , whether there be no bread. v. you say [ the prelatick protestant wonders that the puritan when he is going out of this world should find difficulty to make a particular confession of his sins , if any grievous matter lye on his conscience , and humbly desire the prelatick priests absolution , saying &c. ] . answ . i know of no difference between the prelatist and the puritan about confession or absolution . dr. john reynolds a true puritan , received absolution before he dyed : meer puritans believe that it is a duty to confess our sins to men . 1. in case of such injury to any as must have a confession towards the injured persons satisfaction : and forgiveness . 2. in case of such difficulty about either the nature of the sin , or consequent dangers or dutyes , as make a particular guide necessary , who cannot resolve our doubts till he know the case . 3. in case that the conscience be so burdened with the sin , as that the sinner cannot by other means find ease , till he have disburdened himself by such confession . 4. in case it be necessary to heal any scandal given to others ; it is a very great duty for drunkards , fornicators , deceivers , and such others to go to their companions , and lament their sin , and perswade them no more to do as they have done : and if required by the pastors to take publick shame before the congregation , and acknowledg that the doctrine of christ never countenanced them in any such sin , that religion and the church may not bear the reproach of their delinquency . and to beg the prayers of the congregation for their pardon , and that the pastor by virtue of his office will pronounce it . but we are not ashamed to confess that neither puritans nor prelatists think it lawful to make the people believe that they must needs tell the priest of all the sins that they commit , and dutyes that they omit ; nor to uphold pragmatical priests in the trade of knowing all mens thoughts and secret actions , even princes , by which they may betray them . 1. the number of people and of their sins , is so great as render it impossible : in this parish it 's thought there is above threescore thousand souls : how many thousand sinful thoughts , or words or deeds a great part of these may commit in a year , i leave to your conjecture : only i must tell you that if all men high and low , that are called papists about us , should but tell the priest of every time they are drunk , and every fornication they have committed , every prophane oath they have sworn , every lye they have told , ( especially against the protestants , ) and of every filthy and prophane word that they have spoken , and every oppression of the poor , and every filthy or covetons thought that hath been in their hearts , they had need of a very traditional memory to remember them , or great plenty of ink and paper to record them , and a whole diocess of clergy-men in one parish to hear them . how many hundred priests must this parish have , if all should thus confess all sins of commission and omission ? every cold prayer , and omitted prayer , exhortation , alms , example , &c. especially the great omissions of the soul , in the defects of the exercise of faith , hope , love , and patience , &c. 2. and what good will it do a man , that is himself of sound understanding and integrity , to open his conseience to an ignorant or unconscionable man , that will call evil good , and good evil , and will put him upon sin ; as you here do by your relations ; or that dare himself sin as boldly as you here do , when you accuse puritans and prolates as holding meer imputed holiness . 3. and how great a temptation and injury may this be to your priests , in such instances as montaltus the jansenist mentioneth , with which i will not defile my paper ? when , alas ! most of them are not men fit to bear such temptations : what if twenty thousand people in one parish should each make this confession to a papist priest , [ i am afraid i have sinned in believing the common report , that you are a very ignorant drunken sot ; and a common whoremaster , and a proud , covetous lying man ; ] would it not be like to enrage the priest into an enmity against his flock ? if all the fornicators in such a parish should tell such priests of all their filthy thoughts , and words , and their immodest actions , and actual fornications ; how like were it to make such impressions on the poor priests phantasie , as would pollute him with many filthy imaginations . vi. you adde , [ the prelatick protestant wonders at the puritan's niceness , that he can by no means be perswaded to bow at the name of jesus : when nature teacheth us a relative reverence , &c. the sound of the name jesus is vanished and gone , before the superstitious worshipper can make his mimical congie : whereas the picture , a far more lively representation of the same great lord , remains . ] ans . 1. the puritans think it not unlawful to bow when god or jesus are named . but , 1. they are loth to serve those men , that would turn all serious religion into a dead image of it . 2. and they like not bowing at the name jesus , and not at the name [ god ] , or [ christ , or immanuel , or jehovah , or the holy ghost . ] 2. as to images , i will but refer you to dr. stillingfleet's last book against godwin , which hath fully proved , that you use them as truly idolatrously as did the heathens . vii . your next instance is , [ the conformists rejecting the popish girdle , stole , and casuble , and yet wondring at the puritans rejecting the surplice . ] ans . the former answers serve to this : some puritans would use the surplice , if that would serve and satisfie . but they see , that if they say [ a ] first , they must say [ b ] next , and so on to the end of your alphabet . but still you tell us what great things your new religion doth consist of , and what great cause you had to turn from the puritans to the papists ? if you had known no more than books can tell you , and your grandfather had not known better than baronius himself , what the apostles did and instituted , we should never have known that the religion which is integrated by a surplice , girdle , stole , and casuble , had been herein apostolical , and not rather a novel thing . viii . your eighth instance is about praying for the dead : but whatever you say of the rector of s. martins in oxford , there is no difference between the puritans and the prelatick protestants in that point : you mistake the matter : it is another passage , or two or three at burial , which the puritan sticks at , viz. which pronounceth of every individual person in the kingdom , atheists , infidels , papists , and impenitent sinners that we bury , except only the excommunicate , unbaptized , and self-murderers , that [ god of his mercy hath taken to himself the soul of this our dear brother , out of the miseries of this sinful life , &c. ] ix . your last instance indeed toucheth the quick of our controversie with rome : you say [ the prelatick protestant wonders at the puritan's pride , that he will not submit his judgment in matters of faith , to the determination of a council of all the reverend bishops of the land , his majesty as supreme head and governour presiding , ] yet submit not [ to the determination of a general council of all the learned bishops of the christian world , his holiness the pope as supreme pastor presiding , and believe as the universal church of christ believeth : it 's fitting , says the conformist , that for order sake in christs church , there should be in every nation some supreme governours , to whose directions in matters of divine worship , all should submit ; else we shall have as many christian religions and ways of worship , as there are parishes , families , or persons . the puritan replyeth , it seems as rational that christ should for the same reasons of conserving union , decency , and order in his church , appoint one supreme pastor over all christians , dispersed in all the nations of the world , whom all should obey in the vacancy of general councils . ] ans . this desenveth our wakeful remarks : i. so your sacred cardinal bertrand ( in biblioth . patrum ) said , that god had not been wise else , if he had not placed one supreme , as his vicar over the world. and so you can tell what god hath done , by your superlative wit which can tell us what he ought to do . god doth all wisely : but if he had not made an universal head of the world under him , he had not done wisely ; ergo , he hath made such an head , &c. this is historical logick . ii. but is this monarch the head in civil government , or only in ecclesiastick ? why is your one church no more one in answering this question ? nay why were poor barclay , withrington , and such others , whose writings goldastus hath preserved , so hardly judged of , for pleading for kings supremacy in civil government ? and if you are of their mind , tell us if you can , why god must not be judged as unreasonable and unwise , if he have not made one universal civil monarch of all the world ? i undertake , when you will come to a due tryal , to prove , that civil government is such as may as well , and far better , be done by officers and deputies than the ecclesiastical government can : and i pray who is the universal monarch ? or who must be he ? or how must he be chosen ? i would have our king have no mortal king set over him , at least without a chusing vote . and shall they meet in a general council of kings to chuse one ? by that time the place and time be agreed on , and the kings have all left their kingdoms , and be come from the antipodes , and the terra australis incognita , and all other kingdoms to that council to chuse a monarch of the world , they will be too old to return home again . or shall they fight it out , till one have conquered all the rest ? alas , who shall bear the charge of the conquest at the antipodes , and who shall answer for all the blood ? when one cannot get all europe at a cheaper rate , than will be expressed by many kingdoms groans , and the soil dunged with mens flesh and blood . i have long ago on this subject given ( in my key for catholicks ) an answer to richlieu , and to carol. boverius , who wrote for the honour of ecclesiastick monarchy , from the similitude of civil , to have perverted our late king ; as if he would have made him believe , that the world must have one mortal monarch . contrarily , if it be madness and hostility to all kings and states , for any one man on earth to claim and seek to be the monarch of all the world in civil government , it is madness and hostility to kings , pastors , and people , for any one man to claim and seek to be the monarch of all the world in ecclesiastick government . but the former is true : ergo , so is the latter . i am ready to make good the comparison . iii. but , sir , if the pope be s. peter's successor , is not his apostolick office as universal as his monarchy or ruling office ? surely the first part of the apostles office was to preach and baptize , and make christians and gather churches , and the governing of them was but the second part : and is the pope the apostle of all the world ? then it seemeth that he is a betrayer of most of the whole earth to the devil , that neither preacheth to them per se vel per alios . but s. peter's charge was not vniversal but indefinite . and even as to government , why did he never so much as send his deputies to govern the abassins for so many hundred years ? nay hence it seemeth to follow , that all the preaching and church-order that hath been for so many hundred years , either there or in any other nation , by which millions have been turned to christianity and edified , without the mission or commission of the roman monarch , should have been left undone , and all was unlawful ? iv. but must your pope be obeyed as supreme but in the vacancy of general councils ? dare you preach this at rome ? 1. how then come the councils of constance and basil for such doctrine to be unapproved or reprobate councils ? how came pope eugenius to keep up and continue the succession , when so great a general council had deposed him as heretical , simoniacal , and many ways flagitious ? 2. and what ? have we a catholick church with two heads ? that are pervices the vicars of christ ? a pope one year , and a council another ? then sure they are two churches , seeing the pars imperans is the specifying part . 3. but the best is , it is at the pope's will , whether ever there shall be a general council more ? and he knoweth which side his bread is buttered on ? nay , they say , no decree is valid without his approbation : and if ever a john , or eugenius of them all will approve of his own deposition for heresie , simony , adultery , &c. he is not the man that i took him for . 4. but if the name [ general council ] be not a cheat , and taken for a council very far from being general , as to the whole christian world , let the pope set his heart at rest , i will undertake to secure him from the danger of such a council , and to prove that such there never ought to be , will be , or can be , unless christianity come much nearer to be rooted out of the earth , and the church brought into a narrower room . v. but you have a reflecting comparison between the kings presiding and the popes , and between a national council and the bishops of the whole christian world. to begin at the later part . alas poor ignorant man , if you believe this your self ? and alas unfaithful man , if you believe it not and yet dare say it ? do you yet know no difference between the orbis romanus , and the orbis universalis ? or will you with william johnson , alias terret , prove your councils to be universal , because such places as thracia had bishops there , as if thracia had been without the empire ? or because such a name as johannes persidis is found at nice ? read all the subscribed names , and return to a sounder mind ! theodoret knew what he said , when he gave the reason why james bishop of nisibis in persia , or near it , was at the council of nice , because nisibis was then under the roman emperour . do you not know that most of the christian world ( two to one ) are not of the pope's subjects ; and are all the bishops of the christian world then on your side ? and do you not know that when constantine presided at nice , his dominion was full as large as the bishop of rome's was , and a little larger . vi. but because you shall find us reasonable , we will tell you , that we consent to general councils where the pope consenteth not ? we consent to what the great councils at calcedon and constantinople , before mentioned , say of the humane institution of his primacy , and the reason and mutability of it ; and so doth not the pope ? we consent to the councils at constance , basil , pisa , that the pope may be deposed as a heretick , and worse ; but the pope doth not : is it not he then that dissenteth from all the bishops of the world ? vii . and for the kings presiding we wholly own it : he is the governour of clergy-men , as well as of physicians ; and he is to see that they abuse not their function to the common hurt . the difference is here , 1. our king governeth but his own dominions : but your pope would govern all the world. 2. our king hath an undoubted title : your pope is an usurper . 3. and as to your name [ head ] he hath given the world full satisfaction , that he did never claim to be a priest-head or governour , a constitutive head of a properly called church , nor to have the power of word , sacraments , and keys , so as to administer them ; but to be a civil head and governour of priests , and the churches in his dominions ; as he is of physicians , &c. viii . and you mistake the puritans , if you think they are not for this government : why else take they the oath of supremacy ? yea , and if you think that they are not for as much unity and concord of all the churches in a kingdom , as can be had without a greater hurt , than the lesser particularities of their concord will do good : and they are not against national synods for such concord : and they hold the king to be the regular head or governour , or principium of that concord : but not principium essentiale ipsius ecclesiae : and therefore the puritans differ from judicious ric. hooker , who saith , [ if the king be the head of the church , he must needs be a christian : ] for we hold that an infidel king may be so the head , that is , the rightful governour of the christians and churches in his dominion ; or else how should they be obliged to obey him ? ix . and you are mistaken , if you think that the puritans and the prelatists differ about submitting our faith to the judgment of the church : we subscribe the same articles , which say that general councils may erre , and have erred , even about matters of faith. x. but i must tell you , that the puritans , who are accused of disorder and confusion , do many of them loath disorder and confusion , even in words and doctrine . and they distinguish here between the churches keeping and teaching the christian faith , and the churches judging in matters of faith. the first they are wholly for : we must receive our faith from our teachers , and oportet discentem fide humana credere . but if by judging you mean strictly a decisive judgment , in which we must rest , which way soever the sentence pass , as if the church might not only teach us the truth of our religion , but judge in partem utramlibet , whether it be true or not , the puritans own no such power in the church , nor will so submit their faith to the judgment of it . they believe that pastors in councils have power to judge that there is a god , almighty , &c. a christ , a holy ghost , that christ dyed , rose , &c. that the scripture is true , that there is an absolute necessity of holiness , that there is a resurrection and life everlasting , that gods commandments must be kept , and sin not committed , &c. but that no council hath power to judge that there is no god , no christ , or the contrary to any one of these , or any other revealed truth of god. xi . and i must not let pass your schismatical inference , that [ else there should be as many religions and ways of worship as parishes or persons ] if some supreme governour determined not in matters of worship : for 1. it was not so , when no supreme governour determined , on earth : 2. but either you mean the substantials of gods worship or the circumstantials : in the first as faith is not to be got by force , so neither is godliness , but yet governours should here do their best : but as to the other we abhor the conceit , that there are as many religions , as there is difference about vestures , gestures , days and meats : but perhaps you take the word religion in the romane sense , as you confine it to those that you call [ the religious ] ( as if you took the people of your church to be irreligious : ) and so you have indeed too many religious , however they come to make one church : the religion of the carthusians is one , and of the benedictines another , and of the franciscans another ; i cannot name them all : one eateth herbs and fish , and another eateth flesh seldom , another often ; one weareth one habit , and another weareth another ; one religion hath one rule of life , and another hath another . but with us there is but one religion ( which is the christian ) though one man wear cloth and another stuffe , one white and another black , one eat flesh and another fish , and another can seldom get either ; though one wear his hair long and another short , though one be old and another be young , yet we are all of one religion : yea , though one preach and pray in english , another in welch , another in french , and another in dutch , yet we take not these to be so many religions : no nor though one think free praying fitter for ministers than an imposed form , and another think an imposed form only fit , and a third think as the meer puritan , that both having their conveniences and inconveniences , there should be seasons for both . and i pray you here tell me two things if you can . 1. whether the great difference of liturgies ( which are the very words and order of the churches worship ) be not liker a difference of religions , than the colour of our cloaths , or the meat we eat , or the lighting of a candle , &c. and yet do i need to tell you how many liturgies are recorded in the bibliotheca patrum ? yea , that it was six hundred years and more before the churches in one empire used all one and the same liturgy ? and for some hundred years , that every church used what the bishop pleased ? yea , that the first restraint of free-praying that we find was , by a council ordaining that the presbyter should first shew his prayer to the fathers that they might be sure it was sound ? and had basil and chrysostome , and all others that varyed , as divers religions as liturgies ? 2. whether all the doctrinal controversies among your selves , as between all your school doctors about predestination , grace , and free will , about perseverance , about the immaculate conception of the virgin mary , about the power of the pope over all kings in temporals , and about the killing of excommunicate kings , and the absolving their subjects , and whether after excommunication they are kings or no , ( of which hen. fowlis hath cited great store on one side , ) and all the moral controversies about loving god , about perjuries , vows , murder , fornication , lying , stealing , drunkenness , gluttony , ( of which you may see great store in montaltus's letters , the mystery of jesuitisme , and mr. clarksons late book called the practical divinity of the church of rome : ) i say , is not religion as much concerned about all these differences , and all the rest among you which make many horse-loads , yea i think cart-loads of volumes , as it is in the colour of the preachers cloaths , or the meat he eateth ? and are not protestants ( that is , meer christians disowning popery ) as justifiable in their unity and charity , for taking men to be of the same religion , who use not the same garments , gestures , and ceremonies , and that bear with differences herein , as your church that beareth with all these loads of different doctrines in your most learned famous doctors ( and not in the weaker priests alone ) even whether excommunicate kings may be killed or no ; and whether the pope hath power to put down and set up emperours and kings ? if you say that your one religion and one church hath no such difference , it must be by saying that you all agree to gregory the seventh in concil . rom. & innoc. 3. in concil . lateran . on the worser side , and all own the doctors cited by h. fowlis aforesaid : but indeed i must speak better of you , even that some are of a better mind , whom goldastus hath gathered and preserved , and divers of the learned men of france , and some in spain . but we think the difference even between the prelatists , presbyterians , independants , yea and the moderate anabaptists , to be far less than these which your unanimous agreeing church doth constantly bear with , without silencing , imprisoning , ejecting , or condemning , or so much as disowning the judgments of the worser side . he that readeth parsons on one side , and watson's quodlibets on the other ; barclay and witherington on one side , and zuarez and the far greater prevalent party on the other , will either wonder at the strength of your unity which no doctrinal differences even about the blood of kings can at all dissolve ; or else he may wonder at the laxe and sandie temperament of such protestants as cannot bear with a man that readeth not in their book , and singeth not in their tune ; and is still crying out against others as sectaries , because they have piped to them and they have not danced ; and such as no man can live quietly within reach of , unless they swallow every morsel which they cut for them , having throats neither wider , or at least no narrower than theirs . as if king henry the eighth's days were the measure of true discipline , when one man was burnt for being too far from popery , and another hanged , or beheaded , for being popish , and it was hard to know the middle region , and harder to know how long it would be calm ? till strangers cryed , deus bone , quomodo hic vivunt gentes . but as none are more cruel in wars than cowards , ( nor in robberies than women , ) nor any more gentle and pitiful than valiant experienced souldiers ; so few are so insolent and bloody obtruders of their dictates and wills upon the world , as those that being least able to prove them good , have nothing but inquisitions and prisons , silencings and banishings , fire and faggot , effectually to make them good . but if st. james be in the right , who saith , that pure religion and undefiled is this , to visit the fatherless and widows in their adversity , and to keep our selves unspotted of the world , then certainly the jesuits morals , and the mystery of jesuitism , and clarkson's roman practical divinity , and fowlis's treasons of the papists , contain more of the concerns of religion , than preaching in a consecrated or unconsecrated place , and than eating flesh , fish , or neither , in lent or on fridays , doth . o the strange difference between your unity and concord , and the protestants ! how fast is yours ? how loose is ours ? and it is to be considered we pretend not to so much perfection in this world , as ever to expect that all men should be just of the same size and complexion , or speak the same language , or have all the same opinions , thoughts , or words : if we can keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace , in the seven points named by the apostle , eph. 4. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. so far as we have attained do walk by the same rule ( of love and peace ) and mind the same things , till god reveal more to such as differ , ( phil. 3. ) we shall be glad of such a measure of union : for we believe it impossible to be perfect in concord , while most , yea all are so wofully imperfect in knowledge , faith , love and obedience . we wait for perfection of all in heaven ; and we find that few things in the world ever did so much against unity , as pretending to more than is to be hoped for , and laying ill on so high terms , and so many as we know will never be received . therefore our mutual love and forbearance with different forms and circumstances , is agreeable to the principles of our religion . but for you that pretend to unity , concord , and infallible judgement , to tolerate cart-loads of doctrinal controversies , divers expositions of many hundred texts of scripture , divers readings of the text it self , contrary doctrines about god's grace , about all the ten commandments , about the estates and lives of kings , and never so much as to condemn either side nor silence the preachers , never imprison them , or banish them five miles from cities and corporations , never put them to any disgrace , but still honour them as renowned doctors , as if the lives of kings , and the rest of these things were less than a form of prayer , or a ceremony , yea when your inquisition torment poor protestants for smaller matters , ( as reading the bible , or a protestant book ; ) methinks all this sheweth that christian concord is founded on better principles than yours , and that yours is but the bond of your clergy interest . chap. iv. his own false description of papists . your next work being to give your relations , first the false and then the true description of a papist , it 's most deceitful work that you make in both . i. in the false description you do quite pass over the great constitutive causes of popery , in which it is that it differs from apostolical christianity : and you name a few of the superstructures or remoter differences , and cite not one protestant that speaketh those words , but only the present arch-bishop of york , and as you say , the vulgar conceit : and you are ordinarily careful , in every paragraph , to put in some one word , by the disowning of which you may disown the sentence . but , 1. is it not a meer deceiving trick to word your own accusations so in the protestants name , as you know you can easilyest plead , not guilty ? may not one alter some one word in every verse of any chapter in the bible , and then protest , that not one of all those verses is in the bible ? so if the printer have some errata in each leaf of your book , may you not protest that not one leaf of it is yours ? 2. and is it not deceitfully done to appeal to the vulgar as the accusers , that thus charge you , when you know how vain it is to expect , that , ( how sound soever their judgments be ) the vulgar should state any controversies so exactly , as not to miss it in a word or more ; when they hit the sense ? and you knew how hard it is to disprove you : for who shall judge what is the opinion of the vulgar ? if i should say that few or none of my acquaintance do charge you to speak those very words , you may say that you know some that do , and i cannot confute you . 3. and have you not the differences between you and us voluminously stated and handled long ago , by many whose books have been received by the churches , and licensed by authority , when the vulgar stating of them was never licensed nor owned ? why did you not gather out of jewel , usher's answer to the jesuites challenge , dr. challoner , chillingworth , dr. field , dr. crakenthorp , dr. reignolds , dr. john white , bishop morton , dr. ames , sadeel , chamier , whitakers , or such others , what the things are that protestants charge you with ? and answer what is there charged on you ? i my self have enumerated many of the things which we take for popery , and not to be defended , in my key for catholicks , and in my safe religion , and in one sheet against popery , almost twenty years ago ; and since then in my [ full and easie satisfaction which is the true religion , ] and in my [ certainty of christianity without popery . ] and you have given no answer to any one of them that i ever heard of : but you can better dispute , it seems , with your relations , and with the women and country-labourers , or tradesmen , that never use to speak in that stictness of words as shall prevent the cavils of a studied sophister . 4. as for the a. b. of york , i am almost a stranger to him , and more to his book , which i never saw : but two things i can say , 1. that we are no more obliged to justifie his words , than you to justifie the words of any one of your doctors . 2. that no man is so fit to answer for him as he is for himself : because no man knoweth so well in what sense he took the word [ papist . ] i suppose you know that grotius , who perswadeth us all to an obedient union with your church , under the popes government according to the canons , owning the decrees of all the councils , even that of trent , yet for all this doth speak against papists : but he tells you that by papists he meaneth those flatterers of the pope , who approve of all that he saith or doth . and that it was not the government or doctrine of that church that was to have been reformed , but the opinions of some schoolmen , and the excesses , and ill lives of many of the clergie . now could not grotius easily have produced such papists as these , as having said as gross things as you recite ? and how far bishop bromhall , and the doctor that lately published him , own grotius , i will not tell you , but refer you to their own words : to which many more might easily be added . now suppose that dr. heylin , or a. bishop bromhall , or his prefacer should say , that by [ papists ] they mean such as grotius did , do you think that they could not prove as gross words , as any cited by you , in some such flatterers of the pope ? and you know , i suppose , that some of late would not have the church of rome called papists , or at least so charged , but only the court of rome . but let us take notice of some of the particulars . i. your first article is , that papists are said to worship stocks and stones , medals , and pictures of jesus christ as gods , and pray to them , and put their whole confidence in them , as the ancient heathens did in their dumb idols of jupiter , mars , &c. ans . 1. your doctors are oft charged with maintaining that the image of christ and the cross must be worshipped with latria , which is the worship called divine : and instead of this you put in the word [ as gods. ] it is not [ as reputing these images to be really gods , ] but [ worshipping them as god only should be worshipped , ] contrary to the second commandment , which forbiddeth such bodily actions as were symbolical of idol-worship , though the mind were kept never so free from accounting god to be like idols , or idols to be gods. 2. who chargeth you of putting your whole trust in images ? is not part of it too much ? 3. how prove you that the heathens ordinarily did so ? or that they took jupiter , &c. to be nothing but the image , and not a coelestial power ? 4. but instead of saying any more on this point , i again tell you , that dr. stillingfleet hath in his new defence against t. g. so fully proved that the generality of the heathen nations did worship one universal supreme god , and worshipped their inferior gods much like as you do angels , and worshipped their images , not as being gods themselves , but with such a relation to the deity , as you do your images ; and that your image worship is such as the ancient fathers condemned in the heathens ; that none of you will ever be able solidly to confute him , or defend your idols any more : so dear do you pay for t. g. his temporary triumph . ii. your second feigned charge is , [ that the pope can give men leave to commit any sin for money — or so pardon any sin after , as you shall not be in the least danger of any punishment for it temporal , or eternal , in purgatory , or in hell. ] ans . i will take your part in this , and prove that the squib-maker , who drew up this charge , doth do you wrong . what a sot was he to think that any pope would ever be sick , or sore , or dye , if he could forgive all temporal punishment ? unless the unhappy man can forgive all others , and not himself ? at least he would preserve some of his friends in health and immortality on earth ? and the whores , that baronius himself saith made popes at their pleasure , would have found some popes so grateful as to have saved them from dying , if not from bringing forth in pain . and truly i should hope that at least the pope that by a council was condemned for an infidel , and believing not any life to come in heaven or hell , would have been so tender-hearted as to forgive all the world the punishment in hell. and it was a great mistake in these slanderers of you , to except no sin : as if the popes could forgive them that would diminish their kingdoms , or restrain their domination ; much less that would depose them . could pope eugenius ever forgive the universal church , as it 's called , that is , the great general council which in vain condemned and deposed him ? when he can scarce forgive a poor protestant the rack and fire , for reading the bible or serving god out of the roman way . and doubtless he is wronged by this charge , that he can nullifie all pain , death , purgatory , and hell ; for i think you will say , that quoad potentiam ordinatam christ cannot do it , or at least he will not . and were this believed by all the world , no wonder if they willingly obeyed him , and called him , our lord god the pope . for he could conquer any kingdom , by saving all his souldiers from hurt and death . it is enough that he can forgive some part or time of purgatory torments , and that ( as great doctors say ) he can ( and lesser priests than he ) forgive the pains of hell to a sinner that hath no true contrition for sin ( that is , repenteth not out of any love to god or goodness ) but only attrition and the sacrament of penance and absolution , ( that is , repenteth only for fear of hell , and would sin still if he durst . ) and though you may hope that there are no copies of the old pardons yet to be seen , or any of tecelius merchandise now extant , yet the sure history of them is common , and if you deny it , it will be proved to your shame . what a multitude of writers have better cited your practice and confuted it ? but yet i remember ( to do you right ) that even hildebrand himself ( greg. 7. ) in a roman council saith , that [ neither the sacrament of baptism , nor penance is of any force to pardon any impenitent hypocrite , ] which is well said ; and as for true penitent believers , we verily believe that they are pardoned ipso jure by the gospel , as to destructive or hellish punishment ; and that every true minister of christ may validly deliver this pardon ministerially , by true absolution , in the sacrament , and without it . but in what measure god himself will remit temporal chastisements , few men can know till the event tell it them : and neither pope nor priest can forgive without him ; nor know what god will remit , any more than another man may know , that is , by gods word , and by the event . and again , i say if it were in the popes power ( however you may absolve him from bribery or the love of money ) that there would be more difference in point of bodily suffering , between his subjects or favourites and other men , than was ever yet perceived . it 's policy therefore to confine the business to purgatory , that no witness may be able to disprove it . you add to the charge , [ that of all christ's merits the pope is the supreme lord , to dispose of them to the living and the dead , as he by his unerring spirit thinks fitting . ] answ . here the charger wrongs you too : for seeing all mens lives and mercies are the fruits of christs merits , if this were true , the pope could kill all his enemies at his pleasure , and when he hath killed them could cast them into hell , or keep them out of heaven : and then no one in his wits would be against him , or displease him . it 's enough to be able to do as aforesaid . iii. your next is [ the papist honours the virgin mary much more than he does her divine son , or god the father : for one prayer he says to god , he says ten to the virgin. ] answ . this is injurious too , whoever made it : the pagans honour not their inferiour gods , so much as the supreme ! and for the number of prayers , it 's not like that all papists use the same , or by the same beads : but whether you give inordinate honour to the virgin mary , and put not up a very large proportion of your prayers to her ; if dr. stillingfleet , and abundance before him , may not be trusted in their citations , i hope your own prayer-books may be believed . it 's bad enough to make her like juno , though you should not equal her with jove . angels have refused smaller honour . iv. you add [ his prayers are a company of latine words , he neither understands , or cares to understand them , which if he do but patter over in such a number , though his heart and mind be wholly taken up with worldly thoughts and desires , he thinks , &c. ] answ . at the first line one would have thought you had grown past blushing , and had denyed your latine prayers , not understood ; but you never want one word to help you out in renouncing the whole sentence : you make me think of that sorry religion which teacheth men , that if one article in a vow , among many , be unlawful , they may renounce all obligation to any thing else that there is vowed ; and so a knave may be disobliged to all vows and covenants , if he will but drop in any thing that is unlawful . do not your unlearned multitude join in your latine prayers ? do mass-books , and your daily masses , all deceive our eyes and ears ? no , that 's not it ; what then ! must all be desirous to understand it , if they cannot ? i rather think the calumny is , that [ his mind and heart may be wholly taken up with worldly desires ? ] but who was it that put in that into the charge ? was it not your self ? we know that you say , there should be some general kind of devotion and good desire , though he know not what is said ; and a general belief , called implicite , which is no belief of any of the particulars , and a general implicite desire , which is no desire of any express particular , being a faith that is no faith , and a prayer which is no prayer , would make a religion which is no religion , if you had no better . v. the next is [ if he do but believe as his church-men believe , though he be wholly ignorant of their belief , his soul is safe enough . ] answ . what is a man but his wit ? the word ( wholly ) craftily put in by your self , enableth you also to renounce this charge : for we all confess that your doctors commonly hold , that this one article must be believed , [ that the church is to be believed and obeyed , ] and that 's one particular . but i pray tell us if you can : 1. dare your church say that every word revealed must be believed explicitely of necessity to salvation ? no : 2. and have they in any general council determined what those particular articles are that are so necessary , ( since you departed from the sufficiency of the creed ? ) or do not your doctors , without any decree of the church , use to debate it as a free opinion ? 3. and do they not differ among themselves , as all in pieces about the point ? and do not your chief learned school-men cited at large by fr. a sancta clara on our articles hold that the particular belief of christ himself , or the supernatural articles of the creed are not of necessity ? and i know not of any one thing that you are agreed to be necessary , besides the belief that the church , ( that is , the pope and his council ) are infallible , or to be believed and obeyed ; and it is a learned school doctor and jesuite fran. albertinus corol. p. 250. that justifieth a country-man that should believe a falshood if twenty bishops tell it him , and that the command of faith doth oblige to believe falshood , it being not per se , but per accidens , &c. and i think the old man is now among you at london , ( fr. a sancta clara , ) who having cited abundance of doctors against the necessity of believing in christ or any supernatural point , or in some cases knowing the law of nature and the decalogue , saith p. 20. [ to speak my sence freely , i think that the common people committing themselves to the instruction of the pastors , trusting their knowledge and goodness , if they be deceived , it shall be accounted invincible ignorance , or probable at least : so herera ; which excuseth from fault : yea , some doctors give so much to the instruction of doctors on whom the care of the flock lyeth , that if they teach hic & nunc that god would be hated , that a rude parishioner is bound to believe them . see abundance more in him cited , deus , nat. grat. probl. 15 , and 16. and that you may know that this opinion is not rare , he addeth , p. 123. [ it seemeth to be the common opinion of the schools and doctors at this day , that the laity erring with their teachers , or pastors , are altogether excused from all fault : yea , by erring thus many wayes materially they merit for the act of christian obedience which they owe , their teachers , as valentia saith to. 3. disp . 1. q. 2. p. 5. and others with angles , vas . quez . &c. ] and if this be true , what prince , lord , or any other lay-man , that would be out of all danger of sin and hell , would not be a papist , and be sure to chuse a priest that is ignorant enough to take perjury , drunkenness , gluttony , adultery , fornication , persecution , opression for no sin , and then he may be sure that it 's none to him , but he meriteth by obeying him that will perswade him to it ? and what if these bid subjects kill their kings , would it not be sinless and meritorious by this rule ? but you 'll say , these be but the words of writers , and books may be misunderstood , when they say that this is the common opinion of the doctors . and perhaps if i talk with you , or another , you will protest that this is none of your belief . but how shall i know that w. h. or his neighbour , or grandfather , know better what is the faith or religion of the papists than the old queens confessor , and all those famous doctors , whom he citeth , and all that i my self have read ? and remember your undertaking , cited in my title page . is it not the most common opinion of your doctors , that all men are bound to know and believe according to their opportunities , and probable instructions ? but what is commonly necessary your learned church-men cannot tell us , no not the pope or councils ? and who can tell what other mens capacities and opportunities have been ? and so whether he be a believer indeed , or not ? or bound to be so ? vi. your next part is , [ he makes gods of — sinful men : — he maketh less scruple of violating gods laws , than he doth any ordinance of the pope , or any law of his church ] ans . that one word [ any ] is either the falshood of your accuser , or the craft of the clark that drew up the inditement : and i think it should not be drawn up of these laws compared formaliter , but materialiter : for i cannot think you so unreasonable , as to think that the pope is above god ; but that when you cast away god's laws to keep the pope's , it is because you think that the pope hath power to change and abrogate god's laws , or dispense with them ; or that you are bound to believe that it is none of gods law , if the pope say it 's none : for instance , 1. i know that you cast away christ's law for receiving his body and blood , the cup as well as the bread in the sacrament : but why you do so , i am no judge . 2. i know that you break the second commandment , and usually leave it out of the decalogue too : but why you do it , i am no judge . 3. i know that the pope and his approved general council at laterane make a law against gods law for obedience to the higher powers , and this papists profess to receive as part of their religion : but on what reasons you do it , i leave to you . you instance [ if he commit fornication it is but a venial sin ] do you hold that any of your approved councils have defined it to be a mortal sin ? if so , i hope you will take those for heretical that think it is not always so : i refer you to mr. clarksons practical divinity aforesaid , and the jesuites morals . but doubtless all of you have not the same judgment either of fornication or murder , ( as is there proved ; ) for you are not bound to be so far agreed , in such little things : but your craft put in the saving word next , [ and sprinkling himself with a little holy water he is as free from all spot as a new baptized infant . ] answ . they say , no man wrongeth himself : you may lay a false charge against your self that you may the easier deny it ; there must be somewhat more than holy water , else what need of attrition and confession , and penance , if it please the priest , or commutation of penance ? what need the crusado's to have killed so many thousands of the waldenses and albigenses to procure the pardon of their sins ( o dreadful way to pardon ! ) what room for pilgrimages , satisfactions , or for purgatory , or for masses to be said for the souls in purgatory , or for praying to the virgin mary , and abundance such , if holy water alone would do all the business ? was not he much overseen , or did grosly prevaricate , that drew up this charge ? might i but chuse my adversaries advocate , and agree with him to say nothing but what i can disprove , i would certainly have the better , and be justified . vii . the next part is , [ and as for his obedience to magistrates , if they be not of his religion , he owes them no allegiance : and if he have by oath obliged himself , he has a holy father can dispense with him for that , or any other oath , for a piece of money : if his prince persecute him for his religion , let him but have so much desperate courage as to sacrifice his own life to stab or poyson his said persecutor , he shall at rome be canonized for a saint : nor can private persons expect any fidelity from him , when he is thus traiterously rebellious against his liege lord and soveraign , &c. ] ans . now i perceive you are over bold , and do too hardly blush , when you have the face to bring in such an instance , and by the inserting of a word or two of your own , to dare to wash off from your religion the blot of perfidiousness and rebellion , when it is part of the decrees of your approved general council . the prevaricator wrongeth you , 1. by making [ not of his religion ] to be all that 's necessary to free you from allegiance . 2. by putting in [ or any other oath for a piece of money : ] i have not yet found that the pope undertaketh to dispense with a man that will swear to believe the roman church , or the rest in pope pius his trent oath , nor yet with the vow of baptism , if seconded by an oath . 3. by saying only [ if his prince persecute him ; ] for the doctors say that he must be first excommunicate , or a heretick at least , and some say he must have the pope's order before he may kill a king ; and the council only speaketh of deposing , and not of killing . 4. and the prevaricator too rashly promised [ canonizing : ] he that murdered one of the french kings , was but praised in an oration by the pope , ( proved by many ) but not canonized : garnet was not every one . but because i see you grow so bold , ( and also in what follows return to what you had said before ) i will , instead of following you farther , tell you what such as i mean by a papist , and what some other men mean by him . chap. v. the true history of the papacy , its original and growth . though i reserve the opening of the ambiguities of the word papist till near the end , i shall so far anticipate that , as to tell you here also , that the word [ papist ] is equivocal : i. in the sense of grotius , and all our reverend country-men that are of his judgment , [ papists are those that without any difference do approve of all the sayings and doings of popes , for honour or lucre sake as is usual , ] discus . p. 15. if of all , then of all the adulteries , murders , simonie , heresie , infidelity charged on some of them by their own writers and by councils . i am sorry if this be [ usual ] i hope yet that there are few of these papists in the world , and that few popes themselves will deny that they are sinners . but he elsewhere desireth the reformation , 1. of some bold disputes of the school-men ; 2. and the ill lives of the clergie ; 3. and some customs which have neither councils , nor tradition . ii. some who are for the supremacy of general countils above the pope , do call those papists that are for the pope's supremacy above such councils ; or that give him the legislative as well as the judicial power over the universal church : though themselves give him the supreme judicial power when there is no general council . iii. protestants call those papists who hold that the roman pope is rightfully the governour of the universal church on earth , either as to legislative or judicial-executive power , either with councils or without . two things are here included in our judgment . 1. that there is no rightful universal governour under christ over all the church on earth , either as to legislation , or judgment : 2. that the roman pope therefore is no such governour . in this third sense now i am to tell you what we protestants mean by a papist more particularly . and first i must tell you what a pope is , before i can well tell you what a papist is : which i shall do , i. de facto historically : ii. de jure as to the power which he claimeth . i. a long time the bishops of rome were seldome called popes , and other bishops were so called as well as they : at first the bishops of rome were pious persecuted men , and many of them martyrs , and usurped no power over any churches but their own ; which with alexandria were the two first that brake ignatius his test of unity , who saith , [ to every church there is one altar , and one bishop with his fellow presbyter and deacons . ] but rome having long called her self the mistris of the world , and being the seat of the empire and senate , and of the governing power of the orbis romanus , the christians there grew greater than others , and the bishop as it increased kept it under his power : and when christians had peace ( which was under the far greatest part of the heathen emperours , and for the far longest time ) the greatness of rome giving greatness to that church , and so to the bishop , and great opportunity to help other churches , because the governing power of the empire was there , this bishop grew to be of greatest wealth and interest : and in times of peace the strife which christ once ended was taken up among the bishops [ which of them should be the greatest : ] and st. paul having taught christians that they should not go voluntarily to law against each other before heathens , if there were but a wise man among them to be an arbitrator ; the christians supposing that they had none wiser or fitter than their bishop , made him their common arbitrator in things civil , as well as ecclesiastical : by which means custom making it like a law , bishops became de facto church-magistrates : but they had no power to execute any penal laws , either jewish or roman , or to make any of their own , except as arbitrators or doctors to those that would voluntarily receive them : and they had no power of life and death , nor to dis-member any , nor to beat or scourge them , nor to fine them or confiscate their estates : but being entrusted by christ as his ministers with the power of the church-keys , and by the people with the power of civil arbitrations , they were by this the stated governours of all christians ; who yet obeyed the roman heathen magistrates , but brought none of their own differences voluntarily before them . and because that multitudes of heresies took advantage of the churches liberty , and swarmed among them to their great weakning and disgrace , and christ had commanded his servants to serve him in as much unity and concord as they could , duty and necessity drove the pastors of the churches to correspondencies , and to meet together on all just occasions , and at last to associations for the ordering of these meetings ! in which they agreed in what compass and in what place , or by whose call such meetings should be held , and what bishops in those meetings should preside or sit highest , and first speak and subscribe : and usually they thought that to follow the order of the civil government , and give precedency to those that were bishops of such cities as had precedency in the civil government , was the most convenient order : and in these meetings they agreed on such canons or orders for all in that compass to observe , as they thought best tended to their ends : and having no forcing power ( as is aforesaid ) they formed their impositions on voluntarily penitents so as might serve instead of the power of the sword : even murderers , incestuous , adulterers , they could not punish with death , stripes , or mulcts , and they were loth to disgrace christianity so much as to accuse such to the heathen magistrates ; and therefore they laid the greater shame upon them , forbidding them communion with christians for so many years as they thought meet , and before they restored them they were humbly to beg the prayers and communion of the church . but yet these synods were small and few and rare , and never any dreamt of them as a council of all the church on earth . but when god blessed the rome world with a christian emperour after the sharp persecution of dioclesian , and this emperour had by religion and interest made the christian souldiers his chief confidents or strength , he studied the utmost increase of the christians , and to that end invited all to christianity , by the favour of the court , and by such honours , commands , wealth , and dignities , as they were capable of ; and above all he exalted the christian bishops , whom he found the rulers of the christian societies : he gave them honours , and wealth , and power : he made a law that no christians should be forced to go to the civil heathen judicatures , from their bishops , and gave power to the bishops to be the christians judges , some few hainous crimes being in time excepted : and so the bishops were by his law made civil magistrates or arbitrators ; yet not with any power of life , or limbs , or estate : so that all that would become christians , and would be subject to the bishops canons , and church discipline , were freed from death , stripes , and mulcts , for many crimes which all others were lyable to , and excommunication and some penance was instead of all : by such means multitudes of worldly men , and by the preaching of the gospel multitudes that were sound christians , came together into the churches : and bishopricks being now very desirable for their power , honour , and wealth , men that most loved power , honour , and wealth , ( that is , proud , worldly , carnal men ) did earnestly seek them , and strive for precedency in them : but yet while the people had the choice , or a negative therein , and the old spirit of christianity remained in many of the bishops , in many places bad ones were kept out , and many excellent men were preferred . the heresie of arrius and the alexandrian contentions thereabout , required a remedy for the churches peace : the bishops could not end it themselves : it spread so far that it was constantine's great grief to see christians so quickly disgrace themselves , and weaken their religion in the eyes of the heathens : therefore he called a council of bishops consisting mostly of those of the eastern parts where the troubles arose : two priests of rome were there , but not the bishop , nor but few of the west : where the emperours open rebukes and lamentation for their contention , and his earnest exhortation to peace , and his burning all the libells or accusations which the bishops brought in against each other , and his continual presence and moderating oversight of them , brought that meeting at last to that good and peaceable end , which else it was never like to have attained . it never came into constantine's mind to call this council as an universal representative of the whole christian world , or as the governours of the churches that were out of his dominions ; but as a fit expedient to end the strife that was raised in those parts : for as few of the west were there , so none of all other kingdoms were once called . for who should call them ! constantine that called the council neither did it , nor ever pretended to a power to do it . the pope called not the council , much less did he call the rest of the christian world : socrates tells us , l. 1. c. 15. that st. thomas had preached to the parthians , and bartholomew to the indians , and matthew to the ethiopians , though the middle india was not converted till constantine's days , by frumentius , and edesius , and iberia by a maid : ] and so euseb . l. 3. c. 3. who saith , that st. andrew preached to the scythians ; and in vit. constant . l. 4. c. 8. that there were many churches in persia : and no doubt these apostles preached not in vain : scotland and other countries that were out of the roman empire had churches . yet any neighbour bishop that desired it , might voluntarily be present . when theodoret ( in his life ) tells us that [ james bishop of nisibis ( in the borders of persia ) was at the council of nice : for nisibis was then under the government of the roman empire , ] he plainly intimateth that none but the subjects of the empire were called : and the names yet visible , of the subscribers prove it . notwithstanding this councils decisions , the contentions continue , and the major part of the bishops went that way usually as the emperours went : and so in the reign of constantius , and valens , they most turned to the arrians , at least in words : and many general councils ( so called , of the empire ) the arrians had , in which they prevailed , and made creeds for their turn as they at nice had done against them , and brought persecution on the orthodox , silencing , and ejecting them , and scattering their meetings as prohibited conventicles , the emperour himself sometime executing their dispersions and restraint : and among other liberius the bishop of rome , against his conscience subscribed to them . the fathers at the council of nice did determine of the bounds of the patriarchs of the empire , which being at first but three , ( rome , alexandria , and antioch , ) jerusalem was after added , and after that constantinople : for constantine having now strengthned himself by the christian interest , and being further out of the danger of mutable souldiers , than his predecessours , did that which none of them was ever able to do , by removing the imperial seat from rome to constantinople , and so leaving that famous city as naked and almost neglected : whereby two great changes befell the clergie , 1. the bishop of rome was left more absolute and uncontrouled in the west ; 2. and the bishop of constantinople set up against him for the primacy in the empire : at first he claimed but an equality , but afterward a priority as universal bishop , because his seat was the imperial seat. the patriarch of jerusalem was so far from the court , and of so small power , that he made the least stir of any of the five , though he had the fairest pretense incomparably for a claim of supremacy on religious reasons , if a supreme there must have been ( christ himself having been there a minister to the circumcision , and shepherd of the sheep of the house of israel , and his kinsman james then bishop after , and that being the mother-church out of which sprung all the rest . ) but the other four patriarchs ( especially three of them ) became as so many generals of armies militating frequently against each other : and he that got the stronger party of bishops and court-favourers carryed all , against the rest . but no place more turbulent , nor no bishop more unquiet than those of alexandria : pride and worldliness now grew apace , and so corrupted the clergie , that in their synods the fleshly part too oft prevailed against the spiritual ! when court and councils were for the arrians , the whole eastern part of the empire was embroiled in the contention , and the orthodox in the greater bishopricks cast out : when they were down and cast out themselves , the temporizing and turbulent bishops usually got the major vote : excellent gregory nazianzen for the great service that he had done against the arrians was chosen by the people , and made patriarch of constantinople : but the synod of bishops envyed him and rejected him , to whom he gave place and would not strive . dioscorus of alexandria and his party fought it out at the general council , and killed flavianus : and being after overcome and outed of his seat , did still claim and keep the title with his followers , and the most of his patriarchate of the people stuck to him ; so that he propagated his opinion and interest in all those remote parts of the empire : yea among volunteers in ethiopia and other extra-imperial parts , which no law or canon had subjected to him ; while the patriarch that succeeded him by the councils decree , had his party only as the rest , within the empire : so that to this day the syrians , ethiopians , and abundance others profess themselves the followers of dioscorus as the true bishop injuriously , say they , cast out . chrysostome afterwards was cast out of his patriarchate of constantinople , by a synod of bishops and the court. at rome the bishoprick was such a prey , that contending for it troubled the publick peace : at the choice of damasus they fought it out in the church , and his party won that sacred field , leaving many carcasses there to the church-communion of the dead . but it became the great advantage of rome , that when the empire was divided , the western emperour proved orthodox while the eastern were oft arrians : which kept up the honour of the western bishops who had not the temptations of the east ; where sharp persecutions and the desolation of their flocks , and the boast of the arrians as the major part , that was also setled by authority , caused the ejected bishops sometime to solicite them of the west for help , by sending them some to acquaint the arrians that their cause was owned by the western bishops , or to put some countenance on their depressed cause ( and indeed the western emperour did rescue them . ) this occasioneth the papists to this day to pretend that this was an act of their subjection to the pope : st. basil was the chief in this solicitation , and you shall read his words ( translated . ) verily the manners of proud men ( speaking of the western bishops ) use to grow more insolent , if they be honoured : and if god be merciful to us , what other addition have we need of ? but if gods anger remain on us , what help can the pride of the west bring us ? when they neither know the truth , nor can endure to speak it ; but being prepossessed with false suspicions they do the same things now which they did in the case of marcellus , contentiously disputing against those that taught the truth , but for heresie confirming it by their authority ? indeed i was willing , ( not as representing the publick person of the east ) to write to their leader ( damasus ) but not about church-matters ; but that i might intimate that they neither knew the truth of the things that are done with us , nor did admit the way by which they might learn them . and in general , that they should not insult over the calamitous and afflicted , nor think that pride did make for their dignity , when that one sin alone is enough to make us hateful to god. but this epistle of basil andr. schottus the jesuite left out of basil's works when he published them , antw. lat. a. d. 1616. tertullian had made as bold with the bishop of rome long before , lib. de pudic. pag. 742. against zepherinus : so had cyprian and firmilian against stephen : hilary pictav . with liberius and the councils , even that of nice : but most notable was the sharp contest of the carthage council , of which augustine was one , against zosimus , and boniface and celestine ; when the pope falsly alledged a canon of the nicene council for appeal to rome , they denyed his claim , and evinced the forgery , and stood it out against him to the last . i. and here you may see that they took not the pope's power to be of god ( jure divino : ) for they searched only all the archives to find out the true copies of the nicene council , ( pisanus canons being not then made ; ) and did not go to the scripture to decide the case , nor to tradition apostolical , only pleading church-laws and order as on their side . and that they never dreamt of a divine institution of this roman papacy or primacy , but only as the arch-bishop of canterbury in england hath precedency by the king's laws , and not by god's ; so rome was the first seat by the meer appointment of man , even emperours and councils , is yet fully evident ; 1. in that the same power that made the other four patriarchs , made the bishop of rome a patriarch ; and he was not made pope or prime patriarch before he was made patriarch : but no man dreameth of a divine institution of the other four patriarchs : ergo. 2. because the whole eastern church , which was far greater than the western , first equalled the patriarch of constantinople to him of rome , and after preferred him ; when yet they never dreamed of a divine institution of the patriarchate of constantinople : for it was but lately made : and no man of reason can judge , that all the catholick emperours , bishops , and people of the far greatest part of the imperial church , would professedly equal or prefer a humane office before one which they believed to be of divine institution . 3. to this day all the greek church shew themselves to be of that judgment , by adhering to the patriarch of constantinople , whom they confess to have been made such by emperours and councils . and in the contest with them the case is commonly pleaded accordingly . 4. gregory nazianzen would never have wished so earnestly that there were no inequality , superiority , or priority of seats , if he had taken them to be of divine institution : durst he have so opposed the law and order of god ? 5. but to put all out of doubt , it is expresly determined by the most famous general councils , even two of the four which are likened to the four gospels , constantinople and calcedon , that the primacy was given to rome by the fathers ( so they called councils ) because it was the imperial seat ; and therefore they give equal priviledges to constantinople , because it is the imperial seat. the words of the council of calcedon ( oft cited ) are these ( translated . ) act. 16. binii pag. 134. [ we following always the definitions of the holy fathers and the canons , and knowing those that have now been read of the 150 bishops most beloved of god , that were congregated under the emperour , of pious memory , theodosius the greater , in the royal city of constantinople , new rome , have our selves also defined the same things , concerning the priviledges of the same most holy church of constantinople , new rome : for to the seat of old rome , because of the empire of that city , the fathers consequently gave the priviledges . and the 150 bishops most beloved of god , being moved with the same intentions , have given equal priviledges to the most holy seat of new rome ; reasonably judging that the city adorned with the empire and senate , shall enjoy equal priviledges with old regal rome . this council was called by the emperour martian ; and his lay-officers were called the judges : and the bishops , to shew what they thought of rome , cryed out [ they that contradict it are nestorians : let them that contradict it walk to rome . bin. p. 98. ] if such a general council be not to be believed , farewell all the papists infallibility , authority , tradition , and religion : if it be to be believed , the pope is a humane creature , and not a divine . but binius saith , that rome receiveth not the canons of this council of constantinople , which this confirmeth , but only their condemnation of macedonius : and he saith [ that every council hath just so much strength and authority as the apostolick see bestoweth on it : for ( saith he ) unless this be admitted , no reason can be given why some councils of greater numbers of bishops were reprobated , and others of a smaller number confirmed , ] vol. 2. p. 515. and yet must we hear the noise of [ all the christian world , and all the bishops , and general councils , and the tradition of our fore-fathers , &c. ] as against us , when all is but the pope of rome , and such as please him ? and it is he and his pleasers that refuse the most general councils and tradition ? away with this false deceitful talk . 6. once more hear their own confession ; their late english bishop ( of calcedon , a fatal name ) r. smyth in his survey against bishop bromhall saith , cap. 5. [ to us it sufficeth , that the bishop of rome is s. peter 's successor , and this all the fathers testifie , and all the catholick church believeth : but whether it be jure divino or humano is no point of faith. ] ans . 1. is not that a point of your faith which the general councils affirm ? at least of your religion ? who can tell then what is your faith ? 2. if an historical point be not to be believed from general councils , why should the history of peter's being at rome , and bishop there , be believed as from fathers ? ( which nilas hath said so much against . ) 3. do not the fathers as much agree that peter was first bishop of antioch ? if then you have no more to shew than they , where is your title ? 4. if your divine right of succeeding peter be no point of faith , then he that believeth it not , doth not sin against any point that god would have him believe as from him , and therefore is not to be thought erroneous in the faith. 5. and yet upon this , which is no point of faith , you build your faith and church , and would have all christians do the like , on pain of damnation . ii. and as the roman primacy was but of man's devising , so i next prove , that it was but over one empire , unless any neighbours for their own advantage did afterward voluntarily subject themselves . 1. because the powers that gave him his primacy , extended but to the empire . the emperour and his subjects ruled not other lands . 2. because the four other patriarchs , made by the same power , had no power without the empire : as appeareth by the distribution of their provinces in the council of nice , and afterward : pisanus's canons we regard not , that take in ethiopia . obj. the abassins now receive their chief bishop from the patriarch of alexandria . that proveth not that ever they were under rome : for there is not the least proof that ever they did so , till dioscorus and his successors separated from rome , being rejected by them as hereticks , and by long and slow degrees enlarged their power over many neighbour volunteers . 3. because the general councils in which the pope presided , were but of the empire . and the popes never claimed a more general extensive power then , than the councils : who indeed with the emperours made the papacy in its first state . 4. because when the patriarch of constantinople claimed the primacy , yea called himself universal bishop , which gregory sharply reprehendeth as antichristian , yet he never claimed the government of the whole christian world , but only of the empire . and in all their contests there is no intimation of any such different claim of the competitors , as if rome claimed all the world , and constantinople but the empire , or roman-world : their contest was about the same churches or circuit , who should be chief . 5. the instances of the several countries that were never under the pope , do prove it : even the great empire of abassia , and all the rest fore-named without the empire . of which and the exception more under the next . iii. the general councils were all so called only in respect to the generality of the empire , and not as of all the christian world ; which was never dreamed of . proved , 1. because the emperours that called them ( constantine , martian , &c. ) had no power out of the empire . 2. there is no credible history that mentioneth any further call ; much less of all the christian world. 3. it was the affairs only of the empire that the councils judged of , as is to be seen in all their canons . 4. the names of the bishops yet to be seen , as subscribers , fully prove it . 5. it was not a thing probable , if possible , that the indians , persians , and other nations , should send their bishops into the roman empire , which was usually at war with them , or dreaded and detested by them . 6. theodoret's foresaid words of james bishop of nisibis sheweth it [ that he was at the council of nice , for nisibis was then under the roman empire . ] 7. i have oft cited the words of reynerius , saying , that the outer churches planted by the apostles were not under the church of rome . 8. the executive part neither could , nor ever was performed upon the churches without the empire . when did any patriarch , or any provincial , or general council send for any bishop or other person out of india , scythia , ethiopia , or any other exterior nation , to answer any accusation ? or pass any sentence of deposition , or suspension against them ? or put any other into their places ? 9. general councils are confessed by papists to be but a humane and not a divine institution : and what humane power could settle them in and over the church universal ? if you say it is by universal consent ; prove to us that ever there was such a consent , or that ever there was any meeting or treaty for such consent , of all the christian world , and we will yield it to you . surely if there be any christians at the antipodes they were not sent to in those days when lactantius , augustine , and others , denyed that there were any antipodes , and derided it ; nor when the pope by our countryman boniface his instigation excommunicated virgilius for holding that there were antipodes . hear their great disputer pighius , hierarch . eccles . lib. 6. c. 1. fol. 230. [ general councils ( saith he ) have not a divine or supernatural original , but meerly an humane original , and are the invention of constantine a prince ; profitable indeed sometimes to find out in controversie which is the orthodox and catholick truth , though to this they are not necessary , seeing it is a readier way to advise with the apostolick seat. ] so that general councils are novel , humane , and only of the empire then . 10. but to end all the controversie , the names of the subscribers are yet to be seen , who were not the representatives of the christian world , but of the empire , as is notorious . aeneas sylvius epist . 288. saith that [ before the council of nice there was little respect had to the church of rome . ] and though when he was made pope , interest caused him to revoke his judgment of the councils being above the pope , he never revoked such historical narratives . their great learned mathematical ( yet militant ) cardinal cusanus li. de concord . cathol . c. 13. &c. saith [ that the papacie is but of positive right , and that priests are jure divino equal , and that it is subjectional consent which giveth the pope and bishops their majority , and that the distinction of dioceses , and that a bishop be over presbyters are of positive right , and that christ gave no more to peter than the rest ; and that if the congregate church should chuse the bishop of trent for their president and head , he should be more properly peter 's successor than the bishop of rome . ] object . oh but this book is disallowed by the pope . answ . no wonder : so is all that is against him . the exceptions which we grant are these . 1. there were some cities of the empire that were near to other nations , where the princes being heathens , christians were underlings and few : and the bishops of these cities extended their care to as many of the neighbour countries as would voluntarily submit to them : so the bishop of tomys was bishop of many scythians , and so some that were on the borders of persia , had many persians , and were at nice . 2. there were some countries that were sometimes under the roman power , and sometime under the persian , or others , as victory carried it ; and these when they had been once of the imperial church , took it ( when they fell under heathens ) to be their honour , strength , and priviledge to be so accounted still , and so would come to their councils after if they could : so it was with the armenians ; and the africans , when the 〈◊〉 had conquered them , &c. 3. there were some bishops that lived on the borders of the empire , under heathens , that needed the help of neighbour churches , and accordingly were oft with them , craving their help : so it was with the old britans , as to the bishops of france . 4. there were some small countries adjoining to the empire , who took the friendship of the roman power for their great honour and safety , and therefore were glad to conform in religion to the empire , and to let their bishops join with them . 5. and there were some neighbour countries who were turned to christianity by the emissaries of the bishop of rome ; who therefore ( rejoicing also in so powerful a patronage ) were willingly his subjects : but this was long after the first great councils . these two last were the saxons case in england . accordingly you may sometimes find two or three out of such countries at some of the general councils of the empire . which yet were called general but as to the empire , and not as to the world. to proceed in the history : when christians were ( mostly ) exempted from the magistrates judicatures ( that were most heathens , though under a christian prince , ) and so the bishops canons were to them , as the laws of the land are to us , it is no wonder that councils must then be very frequent , and canons of great esteem ; and hereupon bishops by prosperity growing more and more worldly and carnal , made use of their synodical power , as is aforesaid , to accomplish their own wills : so that the synods of bishops became the great incendiaries and troublers of the empire . you need no more to satisfie you of this , but to read the acts of the councils , and the words of nazianzen ( called theologus ) against synods and contentious bishops , and the sad exclamations of hillary pictav . they that had too little zeal against ungodliness , unrighteousness , pride , and malice , were so zealous against any that withdrew from their power and contradicted them , that they easily stigmatized them for hereticks , and made even godly sober christians suspected of heresie for their sakes ; while notorious vice was used gently in those that adhered unto them . even holy augustine saith [ drunkenness is a mortal sin , si sit assidua , if it be daily or constant ; ( what , not else ? ) and that they must not be roughly and sharply dealt with , but gently and by fair words : ] vid. aquin. 22. q. 150. a. 1. 4. ad 4. & a. 2. 1. and their great gregory , [ that with leave they must be lest to their own wit , ( or disposition , ) lest they grow worse if they be pulled away from such a custom , ] ( as drunkenness . ) but when it came to such as withdrew from under them , they were not so gentle . lucifer calaritanus is made the head of a heresie , because he was but too much against the receiving of such as had been arrians . the large catalogues of heresies contain many that never erred in fundamentals . they prosecuted the priscillianists so hotly , that if godly men were but given to fasting and strictness of life , they were brought into suspicion of priscillianism : and the vulgar took advantage of the bishops turbulency and ill disposition to abuse the godly . s. martin therefore separated from the whole synod of the bishops about him , and neither would join with them , nor have any communion with them , as supposing them proud men that suppressed piety , and strengthened the wicked , by their intemperate prosecution : whereupon they suspected and accused him also as an unlearned fellow , and a favourer of the priscillianists . they did not only bring in the use of the magistrates sword in religion against heresie , which martin could not bear , but they owned and flattered an usurping emperour , that they might have the help of his sword to do their work : so that in all those parts of france , germany , and the borders of italy , i find not a bishop that refused to own the usurper , save s. ambrose , and martin , and one french bishop : and sulpitius severus tells us that they were men too bad themselves , and that upon his knowledge ithacius the leader of them scarce cared what he said or did . s. cyril at alexandria is noted by socrates as the first bishop there that used the sword ; and his kinsman s. theophilus went beyond him , and took upon him even to favour the errour of the anthropomorphites , that he might have their help against such as he hated , and prosecuted chrysostom till he had procured his ejection , which made a rupture in that church , and caused the separation of his adherents , whom the bishop would have taken for a new sect , and called them joannites ; such skill had the domineering sort of prelates in making and multiplying heresies and sects ; and calling themselves still the catholick bishops because they kept the upper hand , and major vote , except where the arrians over-topt them , who then claimed the catholick title to themselves . and by what arts some of them kept the favour of the emperours , to do their work and keep up their greatness , socrates tells you in the instance of the said s. theophilus , who sent one before the great battel between theodosius and eugenius another usurper , with two letters , and a rich present , and bid him stay till the battel was over , and then give the flattering letter and the present to him whoever that got the better . but though still since the world came into the church , and the greatness , power , and honour of prelacy made that office a very alluring bait to the desires of the most worldly fleshly men , yet god kept up some that maintained their integrity , and bare their testimony against the pride and carnality of the rest ; and though the scandals of the catholicks turned many to the novatians , and other sects that profest more strictness , ( yea salvian makes the arrians , gothes , and vandals themselves to be men of more honesty and temperance than the catholick clergie ) yet sound doctrine had still some holy men that did maintain it . but what were the popes doing all this while ? sound doctrine by the advantage of the soundness of the western emperour as is said , yet kept out arrianism , pelagianisme and such other heresies there : but they were still striving to be the greatest : leo one of the best of them was one of the first that laid claim to an universal headship within the empire : i told you how zosimus and his followers strove with the africans , to have appeals made to rome from the african bishops and councils : which the africans stifly opposed as contrary to the canons , to custom , and to the reason of discipline , which required that cases should be judged and ended where persons and things were known , and not by strangers afar off , where witnesses could not without intolerable charge and trouble be brought beyond sea to prosecute the suite . the words of the african council translated are ●●se : [ let your holiness , as beseemeth you , repel the wicked refuges of presbyters and the clergie that follow them , because this is not taken from the african church by any definitions of the fathers , and the nicene decrees did most plainly commit both the inferior clergie and the bishops themselves , to the metropolitans : for they did most prudently and most justly provide that all business should be ended in the very places where they began , and the grace of the holy ghost will not ( or should not ) be wanting to each province : which equity should by the priests of christ be prudently observed , and most constantly maintained : especially because it is granted to every one to appeal to the councils of their own province , or to an universal council , if he be offended with the sentence of the cognitors : unless there should be any one that can think that our god can ( or will ) inspire a justice of tryal into any one man , and deny it to innumerable priests that are congregated in council . or how can that sentence that is past beyond seas be valid , to which the necessary persons of the witnesses could not be brought , because of the infirmities of sexe or age , many other impediments intervening ? for that any ( that is legates ) should be sent from the side of your holiness we find not constituted by any synod of the fathers ( it seems they never thought of a divine right ) because that which you sent us by our fellow bishop faustinus as done by the nicene council — ( they prove was false ) — send not your clergy executors ( or agitators ) to potent men : do not yield to it , lest we seem to bring the secular arrogancy into the church of christ , which preferreth the light of simplicity and day of humility for them that desire to see god : for of our brother faustinus ( the popes legate ) we are secure that the sa●● brotherly love in your holinesses honesty and moderation , can suffer him to stay no longer in africa . ] the popes took this heinously from the africans ; that they should stop them in their ascent to the universal monarchy : so that pope boniface , epist . ad eulal . saith , aurelius sometimes bishop of carthage , with his colleagues , did begin by the devils instigation to wax proud against the church of rome , in the days of our predecessors boniface and celestine . ] o how little do proud men instigated by the devil know themselves , when they think that the diabolical pride is in them that will not serve their pride ! and harding against jewel , art. 4. sect. 19. saith [ after the whole african church had persevered in schism , the space of twenty years , and had removed themselves from the obedience of the apostolick seat , being seduced by aurelius bishop of carthage , &c. ] here note , 1. that so numerous were the bishops in africa , that one of their provincial councils had far more bishops than the council of trent , or divers others called general . 2. that they were men of the most eminent learning and piety , and that had kept up discipline above almost any church in the empire . s. augustine was one that subscribed the foresaid letter : and were such men like to be seduced by aurelius ? 3. note with what impudencie even such men as harding yet pretend that st augustine was for their papal claim , when yet he professeth him to be one of the schismaticks that cast off obedience to the seat of rome . 4. note what good company we have in our reproach of the same pretended schism . 5. note how shamelesly the papists still tell us of all the bishops of the christian world being for them , and asking us , where was our church before luther , that is , a society of christians that obeyed not the pope ; when they confess that augustine and all the african church for twenty years obeyed him not : ( and alas , soon after the vandals came and conquered them , and persecuted and destroyed those famous bishops that did survive . ) and that you may further know that they had yet more disobedient resisters than african bishops , you may remember that even the egyptian monks , so long famous for their great austerity and sanctity , had renounced not only obedience but communion with the pope and his adherents : fulgentius was about going to live with them for their holiness , but he was told of this , and turned his course : vid. vit. fulgent . and how great were all those churches of aethiopia , armenia ( exterior ) india , and the rest which the apostles converted , which reynerius aforesaid truly saith , are not under the church of rome ? cont. waldens . catal. in riblioth . patr. to. 1. p. 773. i have formerly recited the words of melch. canus , one of their great bishops , saying [ loc. theolog. li. 6. c. 7. fol. 201. not only the greeks , but almost all the rest of the bishops of the whole world have vehemently fought to destroy the priviledge of the church of rome . and indeed they had on their side both the arms of emperours , and the greater number of churches ; and yet they could never prevail to abrogate the power of the one pope of rome . see here their own confession , 1. where christians opposing the pope were before luther . 2. and of what credit their boast of universality and catholick tradition is . one while ( w. h. ) saith , the bishops of the whole world were for them : but when their cause leads them to tell truth , they say , almost all the bishops of the whole world have vehemently fought against the pope , and the arms of emperors and the greater number of churches were against them . and indeed , if it had been none but the greeks , he might well have said [ the greater number of churches : ] for the contest which begun upon the emperours removal to constantinople , and at the first general council , increasing more and more , till gregory opposed john's claim of universal bishop , as antichristian , at last phoc as the cruel murderer of mauritius gave the title to the bishop of rome : but that no whit ended the contest , following emperors being contrary minded , and the greeks continuing their claim , the bishops of rome and constantinople excommunicating one another ; so that by this abominable striving which should be the chief or greatest , the churches that were of old in the empire have been divided , and so they continue to this very day , as unreconcileable as ever . and when gregory sent his emissary hither to preach to the saxons , they found the christian britans and scots not only averse to the government , orders , and ceremonies of rome ( so that in many kings reigns neither words nor force could make them yield ) but also such as refused their communion , and would not so much as eat and drink with them in the same house . no wonder then that marinarius at the council of trent complain , that the church is shut up in the corners of europe : and that sonnius bishop of antwerp say ( demonstr . relig. christ . li. 2. tract . 5. c. 3. ) [ i pray you what room hath the catholick church now in the habitable world ? ] scarce three elns long in comparison of the vastness which the satanical church doth possess . the truth is , saith brierwood , divide the known world ( and alas how much is unknown ? ) into thirty parts , and about nineteen are heathens , and six mahometans , and five christians of all sorts : and of these christians the papists at this day are as some think about a fifth part , some think a fourth part , and some think a third part . and after the assuming of the universal title , their popes more and more degenerated to such odious wickedness at last as we hope few pagans are guilty of : which we speak , not as from enemies , but from their own historians and flatterers , such as platina , baronius , genebrard , &c. nay , not so much from them as from councils general and provincial which have accused , condemned , and deposed them . read in my key for catholicks pag. 220 , 221 , 222. the words of baronius , genebrard , platina : cl. espensaeus , 〈◊〉 muss , guicciardine , &c. nic. clemangis , bernard , alv. pelagius say more . let any impartial man but read the articles on which the council at constance condemned and deposed john 23. about 70 in number , in which they make him almost as bad as a man out of hell can be , and indeed say , he was commonly called , [ the devil incarnate . ] read the articles on which the council at basil condemned and deposed eugenius the fourth as a perjured wreteh , an obstinate heretick , and all the rest . read the articles on which another council deposed john 13. alias 12. and read the lives of many more in their own historians . and what came the church to when it had such heads ? when baronius saith , ad an . 912. that [ the face of the holy roman church was exceeding filthy : when the most potent whores did rule at rome , by whose pleasure seats were changed , bishops were given , and which is a thing horrid to be heard , and not to be spoken , their lovers were thrust into peters chair , being false popes , who are not to be written in the catalogue of the roman popes , but only for the marking of such times : and what kind of cardinals , priests , and deacons , think you , we must imagine , that these monsters did chuse , when nothing is so rooted in nature as for every one to beget his like . ] for near 150 years , saith genebrard , about fifty popes were rather apostatical than apostolical . ] and where was their uninterrupted succession all this time ? pope nicolas in his decretals caranz . p. 393. 395 ) saith [ he that by money or the favour of men , or popular or military tumults is intruded into the apostolical seat , without the concordant and canonical election of the cardinals and the following religious clergy , let him not be taken for a pope nor apostolical , but apostatical . ] and of the clorgy he saith [ priests that commit fornication cannot have the honour of priesthood ; ] yea , [ let no man hear mass of a priest whom he certainly knoweth to have a concubine or woman introduced . ] ( and shall not protestants forgive those that will not hear such , or as bad ? ) where then was the papacy under such ? for above forty years together there were more popes than one at once , and sometimes more than two , one dwelling at rome , and another at avignion , or elsewhere : one set up and obeyed by one party , and another by another party , each condemning the other as an usurper . and had the universal church then any one head ? and with what wickedness are they charged , one destroying what the other was for ; see in wernerus fascial . and my key p. 28 , 29 , 30. wernerus and others say , that silvester the second was made pope by the help of the devil to whom he did homage , that all might go as he would have it — but he quickly met with the end that such have that place their hope in deceitful devils . ] when one pope cuts another in pieces , and casteth his careass into the water , as unworthy of christian burial ( as you may find in the lives of formosus and sergius ) must we yet suppose such the lawful rulers of the world ? the fourteenth schisme ( saith wernerus ) was scandalous and full of confusion , between benedict the ninth and five others : which benedict was wholly vitious , and therefore being damned , appeared in a monstrous and horrid shape , his head and tail were like an asses , the rest of his body like a bear , saying , i thus appear because i lived like a beast . in this schisme ( saith the author ) there was no less than six popes at once . 1. benedict was expulsed . 2. silvester the third gets in , but is cast out again , and benedict restored . 3. but being again cast out , gregory the sixth is put into his place : who because he was ignorant of letters , caused another pope to be consecrated with him , to perform church-offices , which was the fourth : which displeased many , and therefore a third is chosen instead of the two that were fighting with one another : but henry ( the emperour ) coming in , deposed them all , and chose clement the second , ( who was the sixth of them that were alive at once . ) in my opinion this gregory the sixth shewed himself the honestest man of them all : who though he could not read himself had the humility by chusing a partner to confess his ignorance . and i am perswaded if the question had come before him , which was the truest translation of the hebrew or greek text , or such like , the man would scarce have pretended to infallibility in judging . the nineteenth schisme , was between innocent the second and peter leonis , and innocent ( saith the author ) got the better because he had more on his side . ] a good title no doubt ! and thence a good succession . the twentieth schisme ( saith wernerus ) was great between alexander the third and four others , and it lasted seventeen years . after nicolas the fourth ( saith he ) there was no pope for two years and a half ( where was the church then ? ) and celestine the fifth that succeeded him resigning it , boniface the eighth entered , that stiled himself lord of the whole world in spirituals and temporals ; of whom it was said , he entered as a fox , lived as a lyon , and dyed like a dog. i have as good hope of the salvation of celestine the fifth and felix the fifth as any two of them , because as they were drawn in as simple men in ignorance , so their resignation shewed some hope that they repented . the 22. schisme ( saith wernerus ad an . 1373. ) was the worst and most subtil schisme of all that were before it : for it was so perplexed that the most learned and conscientious men were not able to find out to whom they should adhere : and it was continued for forty years to the great scandal of the whole clergie , and the great loss of souls , because of heresies and other evils that then sprung up , because there was no discipline in the church against them . and therefore from this urban the sixth to the time of martin the fifth , i know not who was pope . ] ( nor i neither : nor any one else i think ) . the twenty third schisme , was between felix the fifth and eugenius the fourth , of which saith wernerus [ hence arose great contention among the writers of this matter , pro & contra , and they cannot agree to this day : for one part saith that a council is above the pope ; the other part on the contrary saith , no , but the pope is above the council : god grant his church peace , &c. ] the christian world being all in divisions because of sidings for these several popes , the emperours were constrained to call general councils to end the schismes : that at constance thought they had done the work ; but they left work enough for that at basil , and more than they could do : when they found not a fit man among the clergy , they chose a lay-man to be pope , the duke of savoy , a man noted for honest simplicity and piety , and called him felix the fifth : but eugenius , who was cast out by the council for his wickedness , kept the place , and made the duke glad to resign and leave the popedome . should i stay to tell you after the barbarous age 900. what work the popes made in the world , how many thousand they forced to death upon the wars at jerusalem ; how many score thousand waldenses and albigenses they murdered ; how they forced kings to kiss their feet , and trod on the neck of frederick the emperour : how they divided the empire by a rebellious war against the emperours henry the third and fourth ; and how they armed their subjects and neighbours against them , yea the emperours son against his own father ; and how the writers of those times are divided , and open the lamentable divisions of the ages in which they lived ; what work they made here against the kings of england ; and what passed between boniface the eighth and the king of france , and the coin on which he stamped his resolution to destroy babylon , &c. you would little think that either holiness or unity were any property of the roman church . qu. but if most did not favour them , how did they ascend to so great power ? ans . 1. the old name of the imperial rome , and the popes primacie in the empire , kept up a veneration for him in the ignorant . 2. the eastern emperours seated at constantinople were so taken up with wars , rebellions , and other difficulties at home , that they could not take sufficient care of the west ; but left the popes too much advantage to grow great : and wickedness also increasing among them ( though the princes presence kept their patriarchs in more order and submission , than the popes that were become masterless ) provoked god to give them up to be conquered by the mahometan turks : and by the ambition of the popes , the emperours wanted the due assistance of their western subjects , to resist their enemies . and the pope took the advantage of the eastern emperours weakness , to lead the west into a settled rebellion , offering the king of france the western empire , which he embraced , the pope making his bargain with him for his own advantage . 3. and in the wars of christian princes , the pope used to obtrude his arbitration , in such a manner as tended to his gain : so that he shortly got to be a temporal prince of a great part of italy , and to have crowns and kingdoms made feudatary to him . 4. and he got germany to be broken into so many small republicks and liberties , as that they were not able to unite to resist him . 5. and he took great advantage of the religious humours of any that were devout , and allowed them so many and various societies , and with so great priviledges , as obliged them generally to uphold and serve him . though he cruelly persecuted all that were against his power and interest , yet he allowed almost all the diversities of such as would but unite in him and serve him . 6. and as he so twisted his own and all his clergies interest , that they were all ready to obey and defend him against their several princes , and thereby had a great power in every christian state in europe , so , keeping all his clergie unmarryed , their wealth still accumulated and flowed into the church : and the eastern empire being first weakned and then overthrown , and the western nations kept weak , and in continual wars against each other , there was none well able to resist his pride , but one party still was ready to flatter him , partly to keep their own clergy in peace , and partly to have his help against their enemies . and the grand cheat by which they were commonly deceived was , that they lookt more at his present possession of primacie , than at the reason and right by which he claimed it ; and so he that had been prime patriarch in one empire , set up by the prince , still claimed the right of the same places when the empire was dissolved : as if the subjects of the kings of france , spain , &c. must obey him , because they did so when they were the subjects of constantine , theodosius , valentinian &c. for by little and little he changed his title mentioned in the council of calcedon , into a pretended divine right , and so they that would not have obeyed him as set up by caesar and his councils , obeyed him as if he had been set up by god : for the name of st. peter and his chair and successour was used as the common blind . and next to that he did by degrees change his claim of a primacie in the empire into a claim of primacie in all the world : and his claim of a meer primacie , into a claim of soveraignty , or governing monarchy . if you ask me , how could he blind men so far as to make such a change ? you seem not to know man-kind , nor to observe common experience . do you not consider what power the clergie had every where got with the people ? what an advantage possession and st. peters name were ? and how lamentably ignorant they kept the people ? do we not see that even in our more knowing times , yea among protestants , yea with some divines , the evident distinction between their humane right and their pretended divine right , and between an universal council or church of the empire , and of the whole world , have not been sufficiently observed in our disputes against them ? and the additional countries of voluntary subjects in brittain , hungary , sweden , denmark , &c. which of later times , since his imperial primacie , have fallen in to him , have much helped to blind the people herein , and to serve his claim as by divine right . for which ends his emissaries have taken great pains , at the east and west indies , in china , and japan and congo , ( and once they made an attempt in abassia , ) and among the greeks and in many other nations of the world ; laudably seeking to win some heathens to christ , that they might win them to the pope ; and turbulently seeking to disturb the greeks and other christian churches , to draw them to the obedience of the pope . the doctrines by which they promote their design are more than i may now stay to open . i. one of the chief is , by depressing the honour of the sacred scriptures , as insufficient to acquaint us with all gods will that is necessary to our salvation , without supplemental tradition ; that so all men might be brought to depend on them as the keepers of tradition . but 1. is their tradition yet written in any of their own books , or not ? if not , where are they kept ? and who knoweth what they are ? is it not strange that so many doctors in so many ages , all remembring them , would none of them ever write them down ? are they in the memory of the pope only ? ( what of those that could not read , or that were condemned as hereticks of infidels ? ) then all the world must receive them from the popes memory . if so , must it be word or writing ? and had he no memory of them before he was pope ? but if it be in other mens memories that your unwritten traditions are kept , in whose is it ? if in all the doctors of your church , why did not luther , melancthon , pet. martyr and the rest that turned from you , know them ? or did they suddenly forget them all when they turned protestants ? and how vast must your necessary religion be , if yet it must have more in it unwritten , than is to be found in all your great volumes of councils , and your huge library ? but i suppose you will say that all your unwritten traditions are now written : if so , they are not unwritten : and how long have they been written , and by whom ? if fathers and sons could keep them unwritten in memory a thousand years , why not 1100 , and why not 1600 ? &c. if they were written in the beginning , where be the books ? are they not such as other christians can read and understand as well as you , ( or an illiterate pope ? ) if there be a necessity of having them in writing now , was there not the same necessity to former ages ? 2. i suppose you will send us to your councils for those traditions : but if the bishops know them not before they come to the council , how do they begin to know them then ? do they go thither for a new miraculous revelation of an old tradition left with the whole church ? 1. but do not councils oft determine things confessedly uncertain to the church before ; and yet out of utter uncertainty , it suddenly becometh an article of faith ? for instance , the great council at basil saith ( bin. sess . 30. p. 80. ) [ a hard question hath been in divers parts and before this synod , about the conception of the glorious virgin mary , and the beginning of her sanctification : some saying that the virgin and her soul was for some time , or instant of time , actually under original sin : others on the contrary saying , that from the beginning of her creation god loving her gave her grace , by which preserving and freeing that blessed person from the original spot — we having diligently lookt into the authorities and reasons which for many years past have in publick relation on both sides been alledged , before this holy synod , and having seen many other things about it , and weighed them by mature consideration , do define and declare , that the doctrine affirming that the glorious virgin mary the mother of god , by the singular preventing and operating grace of god , was never actually under original sin , but was ever free from all original and actual sin , and was holy and immaculate , is to be approved , held and embraced of all catholicks as godly and consonant to church-worship , catholick faith , right reason , and sacred scripture : and that henceforth it shall be lawful for no man to preach or teach the contrary . where was this tradition kept before , that was so hard a controversie till now ? 2. and do not general councils bring in novelties ? i cited formerly the words of cajetan in his oration in the council at the laterane under leo 10. charging the council of constance , basil and pisa with novelty , and such novelty as would have quite defaced the church and was inconsistent with it . and pighius chargeth them with the like . yea i told you before where he saith that general councils themselves are a novelty devised by constantine . 3. be not general councils themselves approved or reprobated at the pleasure of the pope ? what a number of reprobated councils were there ? that yet were as numerous as the approved , and as lawfuly called and assembled . bellarmine instanceth in the 2. of ephesus , constance , basil , and many more : of which more before . ii. another of their deceits is by pretending to vinc. lerinensis rule , quod ab omnibus , ubique , semper , &c. as if antiquity and universality were on their side . i must remember that i have long ago confuted these and the rest of their deceits in my key for catholicks : yet i will briefly speak here to these two . 1. for antiquity we willingly stand to it , and to the rejecting of all novelty in religion : but we must have better proof than the word of our grand-fathers , or a priest . 1. is any of their books or traditions elder than the holy scripture ? 2. either the greeks , armenians , abassines , &c. have been sure keepers of antiquity , or not : if yea , then we may take their testimony as well as the church of romes . if not , why may not you prove as ill keepers of it as they ? 3. but are they not certain novelties that you would impose on us under the colour of antiquity ? read but pet. moulin de novit . papismi , or mr. th. doelittles discourse in the morning lectures against popery , and you shall see the novelty of your religion fully proved . take now but these few instances . 1. your very patriarchate , primacie , claim of universality , general councils , are all proved novelties before . 2. your own writers confess that the denying the people christs blood ( or the cup ) in the lords supper is a novelty , that prevailed by custom by little and little , and was not common long before the council at constance : dare you say that it was so from the beginning , or of old ? 3. can you possibly believe that your forbidding men to read the scriptures in a known tongue without a licence is not a novelty , if ever you read chrysostom , augustine , jerome , or any thing of the ancients ? 4. is it not a novelty for the publick prayers of the church to be ordinarily made in a tongue not understood by the generality of the people ? but i must stop . 2. and as to universality i have before proved , 1. that by their own confession most of the churches and bishops of the world have been against them . 2. that at this day they are not above the third part of christians . too small an universal church for any man of charity and consideration to be a member of : a sect that call themselves all the church . jacob. a vitr . histor . orient . cap. 77. tells us that , the churches in the easterly part of asia alone exceeded in multitude both the greek and latine churches . as for their telling us that all these followed dioscorus a heretick , or were nestorians , and that all the abassines , armenians , georgians , syrians , coptics , greeks , protestants , &c. are hereticks , or schismaticks , i have answered it so oft at large that i must not repeat what i have said . only , 1. i say that if the censures and revilings of adversaries can un-christen all others , and appropriate the church to them that have least charity , perhaps the qualiers may shortly have as fair a title as the papists . if general councils be not to be believed when they hereticate popes , i will not believe a railer when he hereticates most of the christian world , whom he never saw or spake with ▪ sure that man judgeth persons unheard . 2. i repeat the words of barchardus one of your own , that long lived among them , and spake what he saw , p. 325 , 326. [ and is for those that we judge to be damned hereticks , as the nestorians , jacobites , maronites , georgians , and the like , i found them to be for the most part good and simple men , and living sincerely towards god and men , they are of great abstinence , &c. — and p. 324. he saith , that [ the syrians , greeks , armenians , georgians , nestorians , nubians , jubeans , chaldeans , maronites , ethiopians , egyptians , and many other nations of christians there inhabit ; and that some are schismaticks not subject to the pope , and others called hereticks , as the nestorians , jacobites , &c. but there are many in these sects that are very simple , knowing nothing of heresies ; devoted to christ , materating the flesh with fastings , and clothed with the most simple garments , so that they far excel the very religious of the church of rome . ] and , p. 323. of the papists , whom he calleth by the name of christians , as if it were proper to them , he saith , [ there are in the land of promise men of every nation under heaven , and every nation liveth after their own rites ; and to speak the very truth to our own great confusion , there are none found in it that are worse and more corrupt in manners than christians ; ] ( that is , papists . ) 3. if greater errours and vices than are among the armenians , the abassines , syrians , &c. will allow us to reject men from our communion , how much more cause have we to renounce communion with popes and papists than with these churches ? 4. how can any man say that nations and countries are to be rejected as hereticks , unless the single persons guilty were tryed and heard ? when there is no heresie but what is in individuals , and no law of god or reason condemneth the innocent for the guilties faults ; much less all posterity for their ancestors . iii. but they never gain more than by aggravating the divisions that are among other christians , and boasting of the unity of their church : and the contentions that have been among us have given them such advantage , as that some in the sense of their former guilt , having been sect-masters themselves , have turned papists , as thinking it the state of union ; and having found no settlement in those ways , which they have tryed , because they never rightly understood the true temperament of the christian religion which they professed , they think to find it in that way that they never tryed ; as sick men turn from side to side for ease , while the cause of their weariness and pain is within them , and turneth with them . here let the reader note , 1. that fools judge of differences in religion by the noise that it makes in the world ; but men of reason judge of it by the greatness and number of the points of difference . verily our differences here in england , and the neighbour protestant churches , have shewed in us much personal peevishness , unskilfulness , and other faults ; but in my judgment they are such as greatly commend our real concord in the same religion , and partly our conscience in valuing it , and being loth to lose it . if you see latine grammarians reviling one another , about the spelling or pronunciation of a word or two , and critically contending with varro , gellius , &c. which is the right , when a man that never knew a word of latine but welch or irish , never strove about such questions in his life ; which of these will you think have more agreement in their language ? i would say that those men that disagree but about the pronunciation of a few words are very much agreed , in comparison of a barbarian , that agreeth not with them in a sentence or a word . even the old schoolmen were in language more agreed with erasmus , faber , hutten , and other critical grammarians that derided them , than any illiterate man was with any of them . all gruterus his volumes of grammatical controversies , shew not so much distance in language , as the peaceable silence of an unlearned man doth . and no one strives much about that which he doth not much care for : countrymen can contemptuously laugh at logical disputes or criticisms . horses or oxen will not strive with us for our gold or jewels , clothes or food , as we do with one another ; and yet they are not so like us in the estimation of such things , as we are to one another . when i hear religious persons contentiously censuring each other , about some little points of ceremony , order , discipline , or form , which are but the fimbria , or the welts and laces of religion , i am angry at their weakness and defect of love ; but i must needs think that there is very great concord in the faith and religion ( objective ) of these men , who differ about no greater matters than such as these . if men that were building a palace would fall together by the ears , only about the driving of a pin , i should marvel at their concord that differed in no more ; though i could wish them , like wrangling children , whipt for their folly and frowardness till they were quiet . the great things that protestants have paltrily wrangled about , are , 1. the doctrinal controversies called arminian : 2. and the matters of discipline . and ceremonies . the former i have shewed lately in a large volume , hath much more of verbal than of real difference , and is cherished by the ambiguity of words , and the unskilfulness of too many to discuss those ambiguities , and find out exactly the true state of the controversie : it is oft but stubble that maketh the greatest blaze . and as for the other , i would not undervalue the least things of religion , but i will say , that engagement , faction and worldly interest are magnifying glasses to many men , and make a mote to seem a beam , and a gnat to seem a camel. and it is one of the devils old wiles , to keep men from learning of christ , how to worship the father of spirits , in spirit and truth , by starting such questions , as , whether in this mountain or at jerusalem men ought to worship ? and to hinder godly edifying by doting about questions that gender strife . and fighting for shoo-buckles may shew the quarrelsomness of men , but it proveth not the greatness of the matter . 2. note further that though subjective religion ( the measures of our belief , love and obedience ) be as various as persons are ; yet the objective religion of all true protestants is the same : not only the same in the essentials ( one god , one saviour and lord , one baptismal covenant , one creed , one spirit , one body of christ , and one hope of glory , eph. 4. 4 , 5 , 6. ) but also the same in all the integral parts : for it is integrally the holy scripture which containeth all that they take ( with the law of nature ) to be the whole law of god , and so the rule of divine faith , desire and duty . they may subjectively have some difference in understanding some texts , ( as the most learned and holy in the world have : ) but objectively they have no other divine faith or religion . 3. and note , that the church that protestants , yea greeks , armenians , syrians , abassines are of , are all certainly one and the same church : for a church is constituted of the ruling and the ruled parts . and they perfectly agree that christ is the only essentiating and universal head ; in him they all unite , and confess that there is no other . even the patriarch of constantinople , as i have shewed , claimeth but a primacie in the empire , and not the government of all the world , no not of us in england . and as for the ruled constitutive part , we are agreed that it is all baptized christians that have not apostatized , nor forsaken any essential part of christianity , nor are excommunicate by power from christ . so that we are clearly all of one and the same church . but how far the papists differ in the greatness and number of their controversies , i think to tell you a little more anon . iv. i may not stay to shew at large , how they vary their shape and course as may fit their interest : how sometime they put on the person of infidels or atheists to plead men into an uncertainty of all religion , that they may be loose enough to follow them into theirs : for even so car. boverius would have perswaded our late king , apparat. ad consult . [ the first thing is ( saith he ) seeing true religion is to be inquired after by you , that before you address your self to search for it , you first have all religions in suspicion with you ; and that you will so long suspend ( or take off ) your mind and will from the faith and religion of the protestants , as you are in searching after the truth . ] reader , doth not this tell you whence much of our late atheism and infidelity cometh , and what it tendeth to ? i tell thee not the words of a novice , but a person chosen to have seduced our king , when he was prince , in spain . and is not this way very suitable to the end ? how must men become papists ? boverius will teach you : first suspect all religion , and with your very mind and will cease to believe that there is a god , or that he is powerfull , wise or good , or that we are his creatures and subjects , or that there is any heaven or hell or life to come , or that christ is not a deceiver but a saviour , or that any of the bible is true : cease from loving , fearing , obeying or trusting god , and from loving man for his sake : cease praying to him , and forbearing any wickedness , injustice , cruetly , perjury or filthiness as being forbidden by him , and this as long as you are searching after the truth . ] verily this devilish counsel is so notoriously followed now by some , that we may fear what truth it is that they are searching after . certainly this way is of the devil , and how it can lead to god i know not . i love cartesian philosophy the worse because its principle is so congruous to this . and their doctrine of lawful hiding their religion by equivocation is commonly known . and what they say about coming to our churches i have formerly cited at large out of thom. a jesu , and the lawfulness of denying the person of a clergie-man or a religious man : and the ground of all , [ because humane laws for the most part bind not the subjects conscience when there is great hazard of life , as azorius hath well taught , inst . moral . to. 1. l. 8. c. 27. see the authors words de convers . gent. li. 5. dub. 4. pag. 218. and dub. 5. p. 218 , 219. and dub. 6. p. 220. we may find them in our churches and garb when their interest requires it . but again i must for all these points refer the reader to my forementioned book ( a key for catholicks . ) the history of the papacie being thus briefly given you , i should next briefly tell you , i. what a pope is ; ii. what a papist is ; iii. what the present papal church is : but it requireth more than this short writing , to open any one of these to the full : but take this breviate . chap. vi. what the pope is . 1. we are not to describe the bishop of rome as he was at the beginning , but as in that stature to which he is since grown up . and so unmeasurable a potentate must be described to you but by parts , and inadequate conceptions ; and i will no more undertake to enumerate all , than to name all the kingdoms known and unknown to us europeans which he claimeth the government of . but i remember who it was that shewed christ all the kingdoms of the world , and said , all these things will i give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me , math. 4. 9. or as luk. 4. 6. all this power will i give thee and the glory of them , for that is delivered to me , and to whomsoever i will i give it . i. the pope of rome is an usurper , who from the lawful episcopacy of one particular church aspired to be a bishop over many churches and bishops , and a metropolitan , and thence to be a patriarch , and the first patriarch in the roman empire in order of dignity , and entred a contest for the primacie with his competitor of constantinople , which is not ended to this day : and next claimed an universal government in the empire as well as a primacy ; and also the government of such neighbour churches as had once been in the empire , or had been lately converted by any of his clergie ; and lastly being made a king of rome or secular prince in italy , he also claimed a monarchy or government over all the world under the name of ecclesiastical . ] all this is proved in the foregoing history of the papacy , and may better be found out by any that will peruse the history of the church and empire , than by particular citations . ii. by the name of ecclesiastical power he understandeth not only that which is truly spiritual or sacerdotal , by which gods word is preached and applyed to particular persons , by reception into christian communion , and exclusion from it , sententially ; but also a power of erecting courts of judicature in all kingdoms to judge of cases about ministers , temples , tythes , testaments , administration of goods , lawfulness of marriages , divorces and many such like , in a manner of constraint which is proper to the magistrate : abusively calling this the ecclesiastical power in foro exteriore , distinct from the sacerdotal in foro interiore , cheating the world with words . experience fully proveth this . iii. for the performance of this deceit they appropriate to princes and other magistrates the titles of [ civil ] or [ secular ] making the world believe that as soul and body differ , so the pope and his clergie being governours of the soul , or in order to salvation , excel kings and magistrates who are but governours for bodily welfare and civil peace . whereas indeed the difference of the offices of christian magistrates and pastors , is not , that one is but for the body and the other for the soul ; for both are to further mens salvation , and true religion , and the obedience of gods laws in order thereto : but it is in this , that princes and magistrates have the power of governing men in things secular and religious within their true cognisance by the sword , that is , by external compulsion and coercion , by mulcts and penalties forcibly executed ; whereas the pastors have only the charge of teaching men christs doctrine , and guiding the church in the administration of gods worship , and by the keys or authority from christ , judging who is capable or uncapable of church communion , and declaring pardon and salvation to the penitent for their comfort , and the contrary to the impenitent for their humiliation ; and all this only by word of mouth , without any constraining force . proof of the character . pope innoc. 3. ( vid. & cosins hist . transub . p. 147 , 148 ) [ god made two great lights in the firmament of heaven , — and of the universal church ; that is , he instituted two dignities , which are the pontifical authority and the regal power : but that which ruleth the day , that is , things spiritual , is the greatest , and that which ruleth carnal things is the less : that it may be known that the difference between popes and kings is such as is the difference between the sun and the moon . if this were true , the lowest priest were incomparably more honourable or amiable than kings , as the soul is more excellent than the body : but david , solomon , hezekiah , josiah , and all good kings , did shew that religion was the matter of their government and the principal part of their care . read for this fully bishop bilson of christian obedience , bishop buckeridge for the magistrates power , and bishop andrews tortura torti ; excellent discourses against the papal usurpation . iv. the office which he thus claimeth as over all the earth , is to be the vicar of christ or of god , or the vice-christ or vice-god , as kings have their vice-kings in remote provinces . proved . i have elsewhere cited the words of popes saying , that they are vice-christi and vice-dei , at large : and pope julius's words [ we holding the place of the great god , the maker of all things and all laws : ] and carol. boverius's words , consult . de . rat. fidei , &c. to our late king , saying [ besides christ the invisible head of the church , there is a necessity , that we acknowledge another certain visible head , subrogate to christ and instituted of him , &c. ] and card. betrand's . words in biblioth . patrum , that saith , almighty god had not been wise else , if he had not sent one only to govern the world under him : ] and boverius reason [ christ was himself on earth once a visible monarch ; and if the church had need of a visible monarch , it hath need of one still . ] christ said that it was necessary that he went away that the paraclete might come , whom tertullian calleth his agent ; but the papists will not part with him so , but they will have his body here still , and yet a vice-christ or visible monarch also in his stead : see their own words , which i have cited at large in my answer to mr. johnson . v. the pretended ground of this his claim is , that st. peter received this power from christ , and that st. peter was bishop last at rome , and that the pope succeedeth him in his bishoprick , and power . this is professed commonly by them . but 1. it is false that st. peter received any such power from christ , as to be the governour of all the rest of the apostles and christians in the world : he never exercised or claimed such a government , but in cases of controversie act. 15. and gal. 2 , &c. he dealeth but on equal terms with the rest . and they that said i am of cephas , are as well rebuked as they that said , i am of paul. ] and 1 cor. 12. 28 , 29 , &c. apostles are said to be but chief members of the church , and christ the only head : and when the disciples strove who should be the greatest , christ giveth it not to peter , but forbideth it to them all : and peter himself as a fellow elder exhorteth all elders to oversee and feed the flock , not as lords over the heritage , &c. and never claimeth a soveraignty to himself . no word mentioneth any power that st. peter had greater than his apostleship : and bellarmine professeth that the pope hath not his power as succeeding him in his apostleship , but as an ordinary pastor over the whole church . 2. there is no certainty that ever peter was at rome ( as nilus hath shewed ; ) but a humane testimony of many later fathers , upon the words of uncertain reporters before them , which are to be believed indeed as probable but no more ; there being as great a number of papist writers i think ( about 60 ) that tell us there was a pope joane , and yet it is uncertain if not least probable . but if he was at rome , apostles were no where proper bishops . bishops were the fixed elders or pastors of particular churches : apostles were moveable and itinerant , having an indefinite commission to go preach the gospel to all the world as far as they were able . though the ancient fathers used to call them bishops because pro tempore they ruled ( perswasively ) where they came : though indeed their work was to settle churches and bishops , and not to be settled bishops themselves . 3. paul was certainly and long at rome , and liker to be as a bishop there of the two : if paul was not one , peter was not ; for there is no more , but less proof of his government there . if paul was one , then one city had two , contrary to the old canons . 4. there is no proof that peter's being last at rome gave his power to all or any following bishops of rome , any more than to the bishops of antioch who are said to succeed him in his first bishoprick ; or any more than christs dying at jerusalem , the mother church , did fix the supremacie there : or any more than the other eleven apostles did leave their power which they had above all ordinary bishops , to the places where they abode ( either last or first . ) if peter's dying bishop at rome prove such a succession of universal monarchy , the aforesaid successions will be proved by the same reason , which yet none affirm : even alexandria claimed but from st. mark who was less than thirteen apostles : but no testament of peter declaring any conveyance of such a monarchy is pretended by the popes ( which is a wonder : ) nor any word that ever he used of such importance . 5. i have shewed that general councils ( calced . and constant . ) have declared that romes primacy had a later humane rise . yet would they have exercised no other government than st. peter did , the world would not have been troubled by them as they have been . vi. the papists seem not resolved themselves whether the pope have an universal apostleship or teaching office , as well as the universal monarchy or government . though bellarmine say that he succeedeth not peter as an apostle , but as a pastor ; yet most others that i have seen medling with it , say otherwise . if he succeed not in the apostleship , he is no true successour of st. peter at all , in any superemience of power : for what he had was as an apostle : if he do , then he is bound to go preach himself to the nations of the world as peter was : to send others to preach , and not do it himself was no apostleship : they were sent themselves . david and solomon set up priests , and yet were themselves no priests : hezekiah and josiah sent and set up preachers , and yet undertook not that office themselves . vii . this pope claimeth the sole power of calling general councils of all the christian world ( yet never did it ) and consequently of being the judge when any shall be called , and so whether ever there shall be any or not . and though former general councils voted that they should be every ten years , yet he prevaileth to the contrary . viii . also he claimeth the sole power of presiding in such councils , and also of making their decrees either valid by his approbation or null or invalid by his reprobation , as he please : so that nothing that they decree is of force but as it pleaseth him ; whence we have distinct catalogues of approved and reprobate councils . yet no mortal man knoweth oftentimes how much of a councils acts and decrees the pope approveth . when martin the fifth had consented to all done by the council of constance , the word [ conciliariter acta ] seemed to the council to mean [ all that they did de facto as a council . ] but the popes ever since yet reject that council on pretense that by [ conciliariter ] was meant all that de jure as a council they might do . gregory the first approved of the four first general councils , receiving them as the four gospels ( and if his predecessors did not , it was because their consent was not taken to be necessary , nor much sought . ) and yet now bellarmine raileth at the council of calcedon , and they tell us how much of it they receive and how much not . and so of many others . and nothing is more evident in such history , than that the emperors and not the pope , were they that called divers of the first councils . ix . the pope accordingly claimeth a supremacy above general councils ; that he may dissolve them ; but they cannot question or depose him ; though general councils have decreed the contrary . i recited binnius words before , vol. 2. p. 515. pighius , gretser's , bellarmine's , and multitudes more might soon be produced to the same sense ; the eighth general council at constantinople saith , can. 21. that [ none must compose any accusations against the pope ] vid. bellarm. de concil . li. 2. c. 11. saith pighius , hier. eccl. li. 6. [ the councils of constance and basil went about by a new trick and pernicious example to destroy the ecclesiastical hierarchy , and instead of it to bring in the domination of a promiscuous confused popular multitude ; that is , to raise again babylon it self ; subjecting to themselves , or the community of the church ( which they falsly pretended that they represented ) the very head and prince of the whole church : and him that is the vicar of christ himself in this his kingdom ; and this against order and nature , against the clearest light of gospel verity , against all authority of antiquity , and against the undoubted faith and judgment of the orthodox church it self . ] ( and yet our papists would perswade us that their grandfathers , much less great general councils cannot bring in novelties on pretense of antiquity , and mislead them . ) truly said lud. vives , in august . de civ . dei l. 20. c. 26 [ those are taken by them for edicts and councils which make for them ; the rest they no more regard than a meeting of women in a work-house or a washing-place . ] x. he claimeth a power of legislation to all the christian world , kings , and states , and single subjects ; and that no kings can nullifie his laws to their own subjects : as also the power of receiving accusations and appeals , and of judging and executing accordingly . this needeth no proof , being not denyed . xi . he claimeth power to interdict whole kingdoms ; that is , when they think the rulers give them cause ; to forbid the preaching of the gospel and publick worship of god , to all the people of the land ; yea forbidding the clergie who are subjects to obey their own princes who shall command them ( as the kings of israel did the priests and levites ) to do their offices . that is , if the state or king offend them , they will be avenged on god by denying him all publick worship , and on the souls of millions of innocent people by doing their worst to send them to hell , ( where the unbelieving ignorant , and those that worship not god , must go . ) the instances in germany , and the venetian interdict and others are too full proof of their claim and practice . xii . the pope claimeth power , even by the decrees of an approved general council to oblige all men to believe that all theirs and all other mens senses and perception upon sense , are certainly deceived , when they think that there is real bread and wine after consecration : and this denyal of all mens common sense , he hath made an article of faith , and necessary to salvation . xiii . he hath by the same council decreed that all those that do not thus far renounce all their senses , shall be exterminated and made uncapable to make any will , &c. and by other of his laws , that they be all burnt as hereticks ; and delivered to that end to the secular power . xiv . by the same council he hath decreed that temporals lords shall take an oath to execute this decree , and shall be excommunicated if they exterminate not all such believers of sense from their dominions : and to dishonour kings by excommunications ( whom the fifth commandment bids us honour ) is an act of papal power . xv. by the same council he hath decreed to depose all temporal lords that will not thus destroy or exterminate their subjects , and to give their dominions to papists that will do it : so that the popes power to depose princes is become an article of their religion . and in his roman councils greg. 7 declareth that he hath power to take down and set up kings and emperors : and in his letters to the german clergy : and what he said , he did practise by bloody and unnatural wars , to the great distraction of all the empire . saith innocent 3. serm. 2. [ to me it is said , i have set thee over nations and kingdoms , to set up and destroy , and scatter — i am set up as a middle person between god and man ; on this side god , but beyond man ; yea greater than man ; who judge all , and can be judged of none : i am the bridegroom , &c. ] xvi . by the same council he hath power to dispense with the oaths of all the subjects of such princes , and to disoblige them , how many soever , from their allegiance ; so that the popes power thus to dissolve the obligation of oaths is also become an article of their religion . i prove all these together , by giving you the words of the council in english . once again ( though i have oft cited them ) c. 1. they say that [ no man can be saved out of their universal church . ] and c. 2. that [ the bread and wine in the sacrament of the altar are transubstantiate into the body and blood of christ , the appearances remaining . ] and c. 3. [ we excommunicate and anathematize every heresie extolling it self against this holy orthodox catholick faith , which we have before expounded , condemning all hereticks by what names soever they be called — and being condemned , let them be left to the present secular power , or their bayliffs , to be punished , the clergy being first degraded of their orders . and let the goods of such condemned ones be confiscate , if they be lay-men ; but if they be clergy-men , let them be given to the churches whence they had their stipends . and those that are found to be noted only by suspicion , if they do not by congruous purgation demonstrate their innocency , according to the considerations of the suspicion , and the quality of the person , let them be smitten with the sword of anathema , and avoided by all men , till they have given sufficient satisfaction ; and if they remain a year excommunicate let them be condemned as hereticks : and let the secular powers , in what office soever , be admonished and perswaded , and if it be necessary , compelled by ecclesiastical censure , that as they would be reputed and accounted believers , so for the defence of the faith , they take an oath publickly , that they will study in good earnest , according to their power , to exterminate all that are by the church denoted hereticks , from the countries subject to their jurisdiction . so that when any one shall be taken into spiritual or temporal power , he shall by his oath make good this chapter . but if the temporal lord , being admonished by the church , shall neglect to purge his country of heretical defilement , let him by the metropolitan , and other com-provincial bishops be tyed by the bond of excommunication . and if he refuse to satisfie within a year , let it be signified to the pope , that he may from thenceforth denounce his vassals absolved from his fidelity , and may expose his country to be seized on by catholicks , who rooting out the hereticks may possess it without contradiction , and may keep it in the purity of faith , saving the right of the principal lord , so be it that he himself do make no hindrance hereabout , nor oppose any impediment : and the same law is to be observed with them that are not principal lords . and the catholicks that , taking the sign of the cross , shall set themselves to the rooting out of the hereticks , shall enjoy the same indulgences and holy priviledges which were granted to those that go to the relief of the holy land. moreover we decree , that the believers , receivers , defenders , and favourers of hereticks shall be excommunicate ; firmly decreeing , that after any such is noted by excommunication , if he refuse to satisfie within a year , he shall from thenceforth be ipso jure , infamous , and may not be admitted to publick offices or councils or to the choice of such , or to bear witness : and he shall be intestate , and not have power to make a will , nor may come to a succession of inheritance : and no man shall be forced to answer him in any cause but he shall be forced to answer others : and if he be a judge , his sentence shall be invalid , and no causes shall be brought to his hearing : if a notary ( or register ) the instruments made by him shall be utterly void , and damned with the damned author : and so in other like cases we command that it be observed . they further command bishops by themselves or their archdeacons or other fit persons , once or twice a year to search every parish where any heretick is found to dwell , and to put all the neighbourhood to their oathes , whether they know of any hereticks there , or of any private meetings , or any that in life and manners do differ from the common conversation of the faithful , &c. and the bishops that neglect this are to be cast out , and others put into their places that will do them . here you see that no man must live on earth ( for all kingdoms must be subject to the pope ) that will not renounce his humanity and animality or common senses , and declare himself below a beast , that all kings are the popes subjects , commanded by him , and must take a new oath when they are crowned to destroy all their subjects that believe their senses ; that even the suspected are undone if they prove not the negative : that princes must be a thousand fold worse than hang-men , who hang not whole countries but a few condemned maleafctors : that popes can and must depose kings , and lords that will not do such things as these , and give their dominion to others : that the sign of the cross is the cross makers sign : that all the promises of the pardon and happiness that were made to the invaders of the holy land are given to those wretches , that when they have lived in filthiness and wickedness will expiate it by murdering the innocent ( as they did , say historians , by above an hundred thousand . ) this is the roman way to heaven . that the very favorers of these men that will not renounce humanity are to be also utterly ruined . that ( as in the japan persecution of the christians ) all the neighbour-hood must be sworn to detect them ? and the office of a bishop is to see all this done : and now if you will see you see how the church of rome is upheld , and propagated : and what the religion called popery is ? and consider whether as angels and saints are near of kin , or like in disposition , it be not so also with devils and wicked men : and whether all protestants be not dead men in law , or condemned , where the papal religion and laws are received : and what will follow hereupon . and besides gregory the first 's declaration in his roman councils before mentioned , he saith in epist . 7. l. 4. [ and for the conspiracy of hereticks and the king , we believe it is not unknown to you that are near them how it may be impugned by the catholick bishops and dukes ; and many others in the german parts : for the faithful of the church of rome are come to such a number , that unless the king shall come to satisfaction , they may openly profess to chuse another king ; and observing justice , we have promised to favour them , and will keep our promise firm , &c. xvii . the pope , though pretending to be the infallible judge of controversies , doth tolerate his most famous learned doctors , in great numbers , without any condemnation or disowning , to write that excommunicate kings are no kings , and may lawfully be killed , as some say by the popes consent or direction , or as others say , without it . henry fowlis in his book of popish treasons , hath so largely proved , by citing the express words of their chief doctors , jesuits , dominicans and others , that this is their ordinary assertion , that i must remit the reader thither for full satisfaction beyond all denyal . i briefly refer you but to the words of learned suarez advers . sect . angl. l. 6. cap. 4. sect . 14. and cap. 6. sect . 22. 24. azorius instit . mor. part . 1. l. 8. c. 13. and dom. bannes in thom. 22. q. 12. a. 2. saith [ when there is evident knowledg of the crime , subjects may lawfully exempt themselves from the power of their princes , before any declaratory , sentence of a judge , so they have but strength to do it . ] [ hence it followeth that the faithful ( papists ) of england and saxonie are to be excused , that do not free themselves from the power of their superiours , nor make war against them : because commonly they are not strong enough , to manage those wars : and great dangers hang over them . so then , the disability of the papists is all the security we can hope for from them . augustine triumphus saith ( de potest . eccl. q. 46. a. 2. ) there is no doubt but the pope may depose all kings , when there is reasonable cause for it . part of suarez words are ( defens . fid . cath. l. 6. c. 4. § . 14. ) [ after sentence he is altogether deprived of his kingdom , so that he cannot by just title possess it : therefore from thence-forward he may be handled as a meer tyrant , and consequently any private man may kill him . i have elsewhere cited card. perrons words out of bishop usher professing that , if the pope may not depose kings , it will follow that he is antichrist who hath so long professed it : i grant the consequence . xviii . the pope professeth the fallibility of general councils , but that he is infallible himself . the first is proved by his reprobating many . for the second , saith leo 10. in bull. cont . luth. in bin. p. 655. [ the holy popes our predecessours never erred in their canons and constitutions . ] xix . they hold this gift of infallibility to be by supernatural inspiration , beyond all natural faculties and means ; even to men that cannot read or have no learning , at least none in the text of scripture , to judge of such texts , the translation and exposition of them . that they pretend to be judges in controversies de fide , i need not prove : nor that some have been lads , and some men unlearned , as i proved before of greg. 6. their own histories agree in this . xx. though the decrees of general councils be their very religion , and pretended immutable , the pope pretendeth to a power to change them . ( and yet they pretend that all is old and from their forefathers . ) both these foregoing parts are proved , by pope julius 2. in his general council at the laterane with their approbation , monitor . cont . prag . sanct. bin. vol. 4. p. 560. [ though the institutions of sacred canons , holy fathers , and popes of rome — and their decrees be judged immutable as made by divine inspiration , yet the pope of rome , who though of unequal merits , holdeth the place of the eternal king , and the maker of all things and all laws on earth , may abrogate these decrees when they are abused . xxi . by the same pretended power he changeth christs own instituted sacrament , even in the substance of it , denying all the laity the cup , while they condemn all that will not believe that the wine is turned into his very blood ; and he that eateth not the flesh of christ , and drinketh not his blood , hath not life , ( which they expound of the sacrament . ) christ said when he had given them the cup , drink yes all of it , mat. 26. 27. and paul delivereth it to the laity from the lord , 1 cor. 11. 23. 25. 28. [ this do ye , as oft as ye drink it , in remembrance of me . ] and [ as oft as ye eat this bread , and drink this cup , ye shew the lords death till he come : let a man examine himself , and so let him eat of this bread , and drink of this cup ] 1 cor. 10. 21. ye cannot drink the cup of the lord , and the cup of devils , is given to the laity as a reason against their idol communion . in relation to the sacrament it 's said that [ all were made to drink into one spirit . ] the reception of the spirit being likened to that drinking . and if the pope may abrogate one half the sacrament , why not theother . xxii . the pope declareth all the world to be damned except his own subjects . see the foresaid first canon of innocents laterane council . leo 10. abrog . pragm . sanct. bul. in the 17. general council at laterane saith [ and seeing it is of necessity to salvation that all the faithful of christ be subject to the pope of rome , as we are taught by the testimony of divine scripture and of the holy fathers , and it is declared in the constitution of pope boniface the 7. &c. pope pius 2. was converted from the supremacie of councils by this doctrine of a cardinal which he approveth ( or by the popedom , ) bul. retract . in bin. vol. 4. p. 514. [ i came to the fountain of truth which the holy doctors both greek and latine shew , who with one voice say , that he cannot be saved , that holdeth not the unity of the holy church of rome ; and that all those virtues are maimed to him that refuseth to obey the pope of rome ; though he lye in sackcloth and ashes , and fast and pray both day and night , and seem in the rest or other things to fulfil the law of god. ( bellarmine saith de eccles . l. 3. c. 5. ) that [ no man , though he would , can be subject to christ , that is not subject to the pope . ] and therefore he saith that our baptism implicitely subjecteth us to the pope ; or we are so baptized to him . and saith gonzal . rodericus in godignus de rebus abassin . l. 2. c. 18. p. 323. to the emperours mother , [ i denyed that any one is subject to christ that is not subject to his vicar . ] but said the old woman to him , [ neither i nor mine do deny obedience to s. peter : we are in the same faith now that we were in from the beginning : if that was not the right , why was there no one found in so many ages and generations that would warn us of our errour ? ] ( see here what tradition is , and whether the papal church and charge was universal . ) the jesuite answered , [ the pope of rome who is pastor of the whole church of christ , could not in the years that are by-past send teachers into abassia , because the mahometans incompassed all , and had left no passage to them ; but now the maritime way to aethiopia is open , they can do that which they could not do before . ] so that it seemeth , 1. christ hath made the pope governour of countries that he cannot send to , and set the poor man an impossible task . 2. he hath made it necessary to salvation to whole kingdoms to believe in a pope that they could never hear from ; nor whether there were such a man or city in the world . 3. or else their faith groweth new as the sea passage is open . and wo to them if their new acquaintance with the pope make all , all , all his laws necessary to them , which they might have been saved without before . how much happier were they when they never heard of his name ? see here , all you jesuites , one old woman is able unanswerably to confute you all , if she stand but on equal ground with you , and be not under your power , inquisition , or fear . xxiii . in so doing the pope damneth and unchurcheth about two or three parts of the christians upon earth , and so would destroy the body politick of christ . for the body is rather to be denominated from the greater part than from the less : else why do votes in general councils go for the sense of the church ? and i have shewed before that the abassines , copties in egypt , syrians , armenians , georgians , greeks , moscovites , protestants , and the rest , are far more ( two or three to one ) than all the papists in the world. much more when mahometanism had not drowned so many countries that were of the greek profession , was it so . and how the saviour of the world will take it for this usurper to rob him of the most of his flock , and damn most of his church , ( and corrupt the rest ) consider and judge . xxiv . by so doing the pope sets a sect , or small divided parcel of the church , and calleth it the whole church of christ . even as some anabaptists ( i hope not many ) and other sects appropriate christianity , or true church-communion , to themselves , and say , we are all the church ! so doth the pope : his universal church is too small for any understanding christian to own , as such , and to be a member of , as such . xxv . the pope damneth not only two or three parts of the christian world , but also his own representative body , or church , called papists ; such an abaddon is he . proved . the general councils at constance and basil ( to say nothing of many others ) were the representative church of the papists , and took it to be de fide that a council was above the pope : but the pope hath damned them for this as an error , and for their deposing popes : see concil . later . sub jul. 2. and sub leone 10. & concil . florent . review the fore-cited speeches of cajetan and pighius against them . many more councils have they condemned . xxvi . yea popes have damned popes also , ( and it is most to be feared lest they damn themselves , more than others . ) i need not tell of marcellinus , nor of honorius condemned for an heretick by divers popes ; nor repeat the schismes and damnations of each other therein , nor the story of sergius and formosus and stephen , &c. nor their forementioned wickedness . watson in his quodlibets tells you of bellarmines sentence against pope sixtus quintus , [ conceptis verbis , quantum capio , quantum sapio , quantum intelligo , dominus noster papa descendit ad infernum : ] and as others report him [ qui sine poenitentia vivit , & sine poenitentia moritur , ad infernum descendit . ] see baronius forecited . xxvii . though the pope condemn and unchurch so many , yet doth he tolerate in his own church abundance of differences , de fide , and abundance of controversies in theologie , and abundance of differences and errours in great and dangerous matters of morality , and abundance of sects that variously serve god , so they will serve him , and uphold his kingdom . 1. the holy scripture is all de fide , that is , a divine revelation to be believed : the popes tolerated translations that differ in many hundred places , or that erred so oft ; and commentators that differ in many hundred texts as to the exposition ; yea , they tolerate those that deny the immaculate conception of the virgin , after a general council hath defined it . 2. he tolerateth vast volumes of theological differences , in the school doctors . 3. he tolerateth all the moral doctrines for murdering kings before mentioned , and all those cited by mr. clarkson in his practical divinity of the church of rome , and all those mentioned in the provincial letters , and the jesuites morals , about murder , adultery , perjury , lying , seldom loving god , not loving him intensively above all , &c. see my key , &c. p. 59. 4. he tolerateth abundance of religious sects , jesuites , augustinians , franciscans , carthusians , &c. who differ from each other in their serving god , as much as many of the sects of protestants , who are despised for their discord . xxviii . he pretendeth a necessity to the ending of controversies that he be the judge , and yet will not end them by his judgment , but continueth many hundred undecided . if we dispute with a papist , and cite the scriptures , they ask us presently , who shall be judge of the meaning of them ? as if the pope would decide all : and yet to this day he will neither write any deciding commentary on the bible , nor on one book of it ; nor end the controversies among his own commentators . nor will he end any of the fore-mentioned controversies in morality , of great importance . xxix . he sweareth all his clergie never to take or interpret scripture , but according to the unanimous sense of the fathers , ( see the trent oath : ) when yet the fathers do not unanimously expound the scripture , nor any one book of it . and few priests know what the fathers are unanimous in , nor can do , unless they read them all ; which by this oath they seem obliged to do . was not greg. nazianz. one of the fathers ? who saith , orat. 18. [ i would there were no presidency , nor prerogative of place , and tyrannical priviledges ; that so we might be known only by vertue , ( or deserts : ) but now this right side and left side , and middle and lower degree , and presidency and concomitancy , have begot us many contentions to no purpose , and have driven many into the ditch , and have led them away to the region of goats . ] is not this heresie , or worse , with you ? was not isidore pelusiota a father ? ( but a sharp reprover of proud and wicked priests and prelates ) who saith , lib. 3. epist . 223. ad hieracem [ and when i have shewed what difference there is between the ancient ministry and the present tyranny , why do you not crown and praise the lovers of equality ? ] doth not this deserve a fagot with you ? how ordinarily doth cajetan , and others of yours , reject ( deservedly ) the expositions of fathers ? bellarmine chargeth justin , irenaeus , &c. with error , de beat. ss . li. 1. cap. 6. he saith , [ there is no trust to be given to tertullian , de rom. pont. li. 4. c. 8. he saith , eusebius was addicted to hereticks , and that cypri●n seemed to sin mortally , de rom. pont. li. 4. c. 7. di. ●●s . pe●avius de trinit . citeth the words of most of the ancientest as favouring arrianism ( almost like sondius himself or philostorgius ; ) and is fain to go to the [ major vote of the nice ne council as the proof , ] that most of the ancients were not really of the arrians mind . dallaeus hath told you more of the fathers differences , and unsatisfactory expositions . xxx . he confesseth all the scripture to be gods infallible word , yea his doctors have asserted its sufficiency as a divine law ; and yet his pretense of its insufficiency without traditional supplement , is one of the pillars of his kingdom . the second part needs no proof : for the first , the elder popes oft assert it ; and the school-men in their prologue to the sentences ( scotus , durandus and many others : ) but when reformers confuted them by scripture , they found that would not serve their turn , ( as micaiah of ahab , it prophesyed not good of them but evil . ) and since then , they cry up the church and tradition , and depress the sufficiency of scripture . even card. richlieu pag. 38. confesseth [ as for us , we assert no other rule but scripture , neither of another sort , nor total : yea we say that it is the whole rule of our salvation , and that on a double account : both because it containeth immediately and formally the sum of our salvation ; that is , all the articles that are necessary to mans salvation , by necessity of means ; and because it mediately containeth what ever we are bound to believe , as it sends us to the church to be instructed by her , of whose infallibility it certainly confirmeth us . ] here the sum of our religion is granted . at the council of basil ragusius's oration ( bin. p. 299 ) saith [ that faith and all things necessary to salvation , both matters of belief and practice , are founded in the literal sense of scripture , and only from that may argumentation be taken for the proving of those things that are matters of faith and necessary to salvation , and not from those passages that are spoken by allegory , &c. and sup . 7. [ the holy scripture in the literal sense soundly and well understood , is the infallible and most sufficient rule of faith. ] see more of his oration opened in my key pag. 93 , 94 , 95. the testimony of bellarmine , costerus and others i have formerly recited . xxxi . the pope teacheth us that we cannot truly believe the articles of our faith or the truth of scripture , but because of the authority and infallibility of the pope and his church declaring them ; so that we must believe that the pope is christs vicar and authorized by him , and made infallible , before we can believe that there is a christ , or that he hath given any authority or gifts to any . this is not to be denyed : and knot against chillingworth hath no other shift , but to resolve their belief of the churches infallibility and authority , not into any word or donation of christ , but into miracles wrought by the church . so that no man can be a believer that is not first certain of the papists miracles ( and how can millions know them , when they see them not ? and in all my life i could never meet with one that saw them . ) and he must next be certain that those miracles prove the infallibility of the pope ; when yet they confess that they prove not the infallibility of him that doth them . valentine greatreak● hath done and still doth more wonderous cures by touch or stroaking , than ever i heard by any credible report that any papist did : and yet he pretendeth to no infallibility . and those canonized saints that have been most credibly famed for the greatest miracles , have born their testimony against popery , and therefore popery was not confirmed by them . for instance , st. martin is by his disciple and friend sulpitius severus affirmed to have done more miracles than i have ever credibly read done by any since the apostles : i scarce except gregory neocaesar : and yet , whereas the papal councils give high priviledges , of pardon , &c. to those that will take the cross to kill the waldenses , and compel princes to it , and uphold their kingdom by such means , st. martin separated to the death from the synods and bishops about him , for seeking the magistrates sword to be drawn against even priscillian gnosticks , and he professeth that an angel appeared to him and chastised him sharply for once communicating with the bishops at the motion of maximus , when he did it only to save mens lives , that were condemned as priscillianists . here are miracles against the very pillars of popery . so also the egyptian monks were the most famous for miracles of any people . and yet ( as their miracles were no confirmation of the errour of the anthropomorphites which their simplicity and rashness involved them in , so ) they renounced communion with the church of rome , and therefore confirmed it not by their miracles . how few christians be there on earth , if none are such but those that by known popish miracles believed the pope to be infallible before they believed that there was a christ ? and thus they must believe him to be infallible not as pope , but somewhat else : for to be pope , is to be [ christs pretended vicar : ] and to believe that he is authorized or infallible as christs vicar , before they believe there is a christ , is a mad-mans contradiction and impossible . what infallible wight then is it that we must first believe the pope to be , before we believe him to be pope ? to what impudence will interest and faction carry men ? i will again recite the words of an honest jesuit , joseph . acosta de tempor . novis . li. 3. c. 3. [ to all the miracles of antichrist , though he do great ones , the church shall boldly oppose the belief of the scriptures : and by the inexpugnable testimony of this truth , shall by most clear light expel all his juglings as clouds — signs are given to infidels ; scriptures to believers ; and therefore the primitive church abounded with miracles , when infidels were to be called : but the last , when the faithful are already called , shall rest more on the scripture than on miracles : yea i will boldly say , that all miracles are vain and empty , unless they be approved by the scripture ; that is , have a doctrine conform to the scripture . but the scripture it self is of it self a most firm argument of truth . obj. but he grants that infidels had miracles . ans . he lived long in the west-indies among them , and in his treat . of the convers . ind. and his hist . ind. he professeth that the ignorance , drunkenness and wickedness of the roman priests there , was the great hinderance of their conversion ; but that miracles there were none . god had not given them there any such gift . once more , did the miracle which thyraeus de daemoniacis , p. 76. reciteth out of prosper , that [ a person possessed by the devil was cured by drinking the wine in the eucharist ] confirm the popes religion , who hath cast out the cup ; or the protestants that use it ? xxxii . though s. paul say , let every soul be subject to the higher powers , and give honour to whom honour is due , the pope as far as he is able exempteth all his clergie from the government of the magistrate ; yea they are forbidden to fall down to princes , or eat at their tables , but emperours must take them as equals . the first part is commonly known : caranz . pag. 395. reciteth this decree of pope nicholas , that [ no lay man must judge a priest , nor examine any thing of his life : and no secular prince ought to judge the facts of any bishops or priests whatsoever . the eighth general council at constantinople saith , can. 14. [ ministers must not fall down to princes , nor eat at their tables , nor debase themselves to them ; but emperours must take them as equals . xxxiii . the pope confesseth every word of our objective religion to be true ; for all his killing and damning us as hereticks . proved before : we have not a word of our objective religion , but the sacramental covenant , and its exposition in the creed , lords prayer , and decalogue , and the canonical scripture , which we receive . and they confess all this to be infallibly true , and so justifie all our positive religion . xxxiv . the popes to this day will not tell the church so much as what a christian is , and what must make a man a member of their church , in the essentials of a member . of which more anon . xxxv . while the decrees of general councils are made quoad nos the churches faith , the pope will never let us know how big our faith must be , nor when we shall have all . if every general council add new articles ( or many ) quoad nos , who knoweth when they will have done ? and whether we have yet half the christian faith , or not ? xxxvi . the popes religion maketh contradictions necessary to be believed ; that is , impossibilities . the contradictions of transubstantiation i have opened in my [ full satisfaction ] confirmed general councils they commonly agree do make decrees which must necessarily be believed : and it is notorious , that such decrees are contradictory . the general council at constance confirmed by martin 5. and that at basil confirmed by foelix 5. do make it de fide for a council to be above the pope . bin. p. 43. 79. 96. conc. basil . sess . ult . they say , [ not one of the skilful did ever doubt , but that the pope was subject to the judgment of a general council in matters of faith ; and that he cannot without their consent dissolve or remove a general council ; yea and that this is an article of faith , which without destruction of salvation cannot be denyed , and that de fide the council is above the pope , and that he is a heretick that is against this . ] eugenius also owned this council , bin. ib. p. 42. but the councils of florence , and at the laterane sub jul. 2. and sub leone 10. say the clean contrary . the 6. council at constant . approved by pope adrian is now said by them to have many errors . xxxvii . the pope arrogateth power to alter the constitutions of the spirit of god in the holy scriptures . proved . the council of constance taking away the cup saith [ though in the primitive church this sacrament was received by believers under both kinds , &c. ] yea though christ so instituted it , yet they altered it . i elsewhere cited pope innocents words [ by the fulness of our power we can dispense with the law , being above the law. ] and the gloss oft saith , [ the pope dispenseth against the apostle , against the old testament , &c. the council of trent say , sess . 21. cap. 1 , 2. that [ this power was always in the church , that in dispensing the sacraments , saving the substance of them , it may ordain or change things as it should judge most expedient to the profit of the receiver . ( but is not the cup of the substance , as truly as the bread ? ) andrad . def. conc. trid. li. 2. p. 236. [ hence it is plain that they do not erre that say , the popes of rome may sometimes dispense with laws made by paul , and the four first councils . and vasquez saith to. 2. disp . 216. n. 60. [ though we grant that this was a precept of the apostles , yet the church and popes might on just causes abrogate it : for the power of the apostles was no greater than the power of the church and pope in bringing in precepts . ] one of luthers opinions opposed as heretical by leo 10. was this , [ it is certain that it is not in the hand of the church or pope to make articles of faith. ] see more in my key , p. 243 , 244. xxxviii . the pope setteth up a publick worship of god , in a tongue not understood by most of the worshippers ; and forbiddeth men , without licence to read the scriptures in a known tongue . practice and the trent council prove both these . xxxix . the pope determineth that the image of christ be reverenced with equal honour as the holy scriptures . ] so it is decreed concil . constant . the eighth general can. 3. and yet images are mans work , and at the best unnecessary , and the holy scriptures are gods work by his spirit , and the law by which we must live , and be judged at the last . xl. and when all this power over the whole earth is thus claimed , there is no possible means left for any mortal man , much less for the antipodes , to know who is the man that hath this power , and whom on pain of damnation we must obey , and believe in before we can believe in christ . proved : if there be any possibility of knowing it , it must be either , 1. by personal qualifications of mind ; 2. or by right of election ; 3. or of ordination ; 4. or of possession ; 5. or of acceptance by the church after possession . i cannot imagine any other way . but there is no possibility of knowing who is pope by any of these wayes . i. the first is not pretended by them : but anon we shall thence prove their nullity for want of necessary qualifications . ii. if election will tell us , then it is either any election whatsoever , or else election by authorized persons . not the first ; else the turks , or the greeks , or the adversaries of rome might elect a pope : and an hundred might be elected at once several ways . not the later ; for if any one way of election be necessary , popes were no popes when that way failed : sometime they were elected by the people of rome ( and were they the chusers for all the world ? ) sometimes by the people and the presbyters : sometimes by the neighbour bishops and ordainers : sometimes by the emperours : and lastly by the cardinals . if one way only be valid , the rest were invalid : and how shall we prove which ? if any of these ways are valid ; then six men or five may be chosen at once by the several ways : and where is the proof ? iii. if ordination be the notifying title , then , 1. those lay men that were put in full possession unordained were no popes ; and where then is the succession ? 2. and who is it that hath that ordaining authority ? if some bishops ordain one , and some another , and so twenty ( as they long did divers in many years schism ) which of these is the true pope ? or is it all ? iv. if possession were the title , then the turk may be pope ; or he that can get it by the sword : then there can be no usurper , but the strongest hath best right . then he that kept at rome had better title than he that was in germany , or at avignion . v. if it be the churches after acceptance ; then , 1. he was an usurper before . 2. and what or who is that accepting church ? sure they that must make a pope of no pope , by after acceptance , should have the antecedent election : else popes must all be first usurpers , before they are true popes . but , 1. if it must be the major part of the christian world , then there is no pope , because two parts are against him . if it must be one sect of christians only like the papists , that will but think themselves the church , or better than the rest ; who is it that can prove their title to this choice ? and must it be all of them , or but part ? if all , 1. how shall we ever know it ? never such a thing was tryed . 2. and then there was no pope in the 40 or 50 years schism . if it must be part , how shall we ever know which part it must be ? if the major or the melior , how shall it be ever tryed and known in a division ? none to this day knoweth who had the major or melior part in many a schism . if they say that silent non-opposition is consent . i answer , that 's a known falshood , when most men , even a thousand to one , have neither call nor opportunity to signifie their dissent effectually ; and when no wise men that love their time and peace , will run to rome by thousands out of all kingdoms , to tell them their dissent . 2. but it was no silent submission , when several popes were upheld by several kingdoms . so that there is no way of certain notice who is the true pope , but he must go for the man , as eugenius 4. did after his deposition , who can keep possession , which is no title at all . 2. yea , i prove certainly , according to their own principles , that there is no pope at rome , nor hath been for many an hundred years . for they hold themselves , that the right must be derived by an uninterrupted succession from s. peter , ( and call us no ministers for want of succession : ) but that they have no such uninterrupted succession is notorious . for , 1. an infidel and heretick pope , so openly judged , can be no pope : else a turk might be pope . for he that is no christian , is no christian bishop . but popes ( before mentioned ) have been judged infidels , hereticks , incarnate devils . 2. a pope actually deposed as an uncapable wicked heretick , by a general council , was no pope : yet such was eugenius 4. who yet kept the place , and the rest are his successors . 3. there have been sometimes several years without any pope at all : and if two or three years make no interruption , how shall we know how long time doth it ? 4. baronius , genebrard , and others aforementioned , confess that for 50 of them together they were apostatical , and deserve not to be named among the popes , being wicked men , made and ruled by whores , &c. where then is the succession ? and if it were possible for those at rome to know that there is a pope , and to know who and which is he , yet how should all the rest of the world have any assurance of it ? you 'll say , it is not necessary : possession and common report must satisfie them in china , congo , abassia , and the phillipines , &c. answ . no building can be stronger than its foundadation , nor conclusion than its premises : how then shall such men have assurance of their religion when they must take it on the credit of a pope as infallible of whom they have no assurance ? and how shall they be certain that they are of the right church , when they are uncertain who is the head whom they must be subjects to ? chap. vii . what a papist is . ii. having shewed what a pope is , i am next hence to tell you what we protestants take a papist to be . and first as to the name , it is equivocal : there are so many sorts that are called commonly by the one name of papists , that it is hard to enumerate and describe them all . 1. there are some that believe that the pope is but a humane creature , that hath run up his power into tyranny by abuse , and it were well if he were either down , or reduced to his first state : but they take themselves to be as those that live under other abusive , oppressing or tyrannical governours , who must live in patience and submission , and are not bound to ruine themselves , by opposing him in vain ; and though he impose on them many things which they like not , but had rather they were reformed , yet it being not in their power , and princes and magistrates commanding them the same , they take conformity to be orderly , and nonconformity to be unpeaceable and of ill fame ; and if any of the things commanded them prove sinful , they hope god will forgive them ( for bowing in the house of rimmon ) and will lay it on popes , princes and prelates , and not on them that are not bound to study controversies ; and who do what they do but in obedience and for peace ( pretenses that quiet their consciences in self-saving conformity : ) i verily think that the greater part of those called papists in all the world , are of this self-saving sort . as we see in all countries that the greater number are or seem to be of the religion of those in power , be it what it will be . and we ordinarily hear that the common people will thus talk against the popes doctrines and practices , and yet quiet themselves on such terms of conformity as i here describe . ii. another sort called papists do believe that the pope is a meer humane creature also , not over all the world but in the empire and where princes let him : and consequently as men set him up , men might take him down . but yet that it is an orderly institution , as kings and emperors , and that his place is lawful , and that it is the duty of the church to obey him , especially when princes also do command it : and that men have power from god to make , as national , provincial , and patriarchal churches and rulers , so also an universal church and ruler for order and unity sake over many countries , and that it is good and desirable to these ends . of these there are two sorts . 1. one sort take the papacie and patriarchs to be a lawful and laudable institution of constantine , confirmed by other princes . 2. the other sort take them to be laudable institutions of general councils , or else of particular consenting bishops before the first general council ( whom thy call the church . ) iii. another sort called papists , do believe the pope ( as the former ) to be a humane creature , viz. of the first or ancient bishops by mutual consent ; but that it was a necessary thing , which by gods general laws , and his special inspiration , they did well , and were bound to do for the churches concord and strength ; and that it is not lawful for the church now to alter it , or any prince in his dominions . these also are of three sorts : 1. some think that the roman seat may be altered , and the church upon just cause may remove the primacy to another bishop . this seemeth to be the opinion of cardinal cusanus afore cited de concord . who saith , the church might make the bishop of trent chief . 2. others seem rather to think , that god hath by decree annexed the supremacy to rome , and yet ( as r. smyth , the bishop of calcedon , and ruler of the english popish clergy afore cited ) think , that it is not de fide , that the pope is peters successor . 3. others say that they are not sure but god may destroy rome , and remove the primacy ; but men may not do it . iv. the whole greek church seem yet of the second or third opinion , ( that the pope had a just primacy in one empire , which was justly removed to constantinople : ) but there are some that think the pope had also a just primacy in all the christian world , and yet that he hath it but by humane institution . v. there are other that think the pope is the universal head by divine institution ; even as s. peter's successor , by derivation of the power which christ gave peter . and as about the foundation , so about the subject and the measure of power , yea who is the true chief ruler over the uuniversal church , there are these several sorts of popery . i. some believe that it is general councils that are the subject or possessors of supreme church power and infallibility , and that the pope is but the first in order of the five patriarchs in such councils ; who hath no necessary right to call them , nor no negative voice in them , nor any government over the other patriarchs , or their churches ; but only the first seat , if he be there ; just as the patriarch of alexandria first , and of constantinople after had when the patriarch of rome was absent . and thus indeed it was in the empire , for a long time . but those five patriarchs ruled not all the world ; no more than our two provincial archbishops do . ii. others called papists do go farther , and believe that general councils indeed have the supreme legislative power , and the chief executive while they sit , and are the seat of infallibility : but because they are not to be always or ordinary , god hath not left the four patriarchs , and all the world , ungoverned in the intervals ; but the roman pope is the supreme governour of the world , when there is no general council : yet so that he must govern by their laws or canons . iii. another sort ( and i think the most numerous among the learned ) called papists , hold that neither the pope alone , nor the council alone , are the seat or possessors of the supreme legislative power , or the infallibility , nor of the supreme judging and executive power sedente concilio ; but it is both of them agreeing or conjunct : and two fallibles joyning , become one infallible . iv. another sort of papists , and very numerous especially in italy , hold , that the pope alone is supreme and infallible in legislation and judgment , and that councils are but his counsellors , to prepare laws , to which his fiat giveth authority and infallibility . all these indeed are commonly called papists , because that more or less they are subjects of the pope . but who can give one definition , or the same marks of men that are really of so many minds ? if i describe one sort , the other will say , this is not our opinion ; you do us wrong . and so of all the rest . and here you may see , that when the question is , whether a papist may be saved ? and whether a papist be a heretick ? or the like ; that it cannot be well answered , till we know of which sort of papists you speak . but because i find that already my writing is swelled beyond my first intent , i will give you the properties or inadequate conceptions of only one sort of papists , which is the third sort in the last distribution , who hold the soveraignty and infallibility to be in the pope and council conjunct , and that by divine right . because if i speak of any of the other sorts , i find they fly for refuge hither , and most writers go upon this ground , and will own nothing as their religion but what is in approved general councils . and here i desire the reader to peruse what i have said in my [ full and easie satisfaction , &c. ] out of veron , and others , as they describe their faith themselves . i. a papist of this sort is one that believeth that the pope and his council , or church , is infallible in proposing the will of christ ; and believeth in christ , and receiveth the gospel as true , for the authority and infallibility of this pope and council , and hereon layeth all the hopes of his salvation , as on the churches faith : and all this authority and infallibility he believeth before he believeth that there is a pope or a church of christ , or a christ indeed , or a promise or gift from christ of any authority or infallibility to them : much more before he knoweth who is the true pope , and which are true general councils , or whether ever there were any such , or what it is that they have decreed to be believed . 1. that they take all their faith in christ and the gospel on the credit of the church ( that is , the pope and council ) proposing it , the moderatest of all this sort profess ; as out of veron , and others , i proved as afore-cited . hence it is that one tells us that the scripture is so full of seeming contradictions and improbabilities , that he would no more believe it than esop's fables , were it not for the authority of the church . another said [ would i ever believe the trinity , the incarnation , that if you lay a man to dye in a close chest of lead or marble his soul could get out to heaven , that the body shall rise again , &c. were it not for the authority of the church ? ] 2. they believe this infallibility and authority of the pope before they can believe that there is any pope at all . for to be a pope is essentially to be christs vicar as they describe him : and , as i said , it is impossible to believe that christ hath a vicar , before they believe that he is christ . as it is to believe a son without a parent . 3. they believe the infallibility and authority of the church , ( as they profess ) before they believe that there is any church : for to be a church is essentially to be a society of christians : and he that yet believeth not that christ is truly christ , cannot believe that christians are truly christians , save de nomine ; nor that christ hath a church : for they are relatives , as wife and husband . 4. they believe the infallibility and authority of the church , that is , the pope and council , before they believe that jesus is the christ ; for they profess to believe in him , because of the said churches authority and infallibility : and the premises go before the conclusion . 5. they believe the said infallibility and authority of the church , before they believe that ever christ gave them such authority and infallibility : for they cannot believe that christ gave it them , before they believe that there is a christ , and a word of gift . and now is not here a riddle hard enough to pose the wisest ? which way do all these believers , through all the world , come to know that the pope and council , or church , are authorized and infallible , before they believe that christ ever gave it them ? which way do they think that they came by it ? let him unriddle it that can . 6. they believe thus in the pope , before they know what a pope is , or who is he that they must thus believe in . for alas , how can all or any in the world know what is necessary to make a pope ? what election ? what ordination ? what qualification ? and whether the man had all these ? and of divers pretenders which is he that hath the proofs of a true title ? 7. they believe thus in councils , when they know not what councils are true , and what not ; nay whether ever there were any : for i have elsewhere fully proved that there never was any , nor ever will be , that are truly universal as to all the christian world. 8. much less do these beginners know certainly , what general councils have decreed to be believed by those that will be saved . that which will be said to all this is , that it is not necessary that all men receive their faith from councils ; it is sufficient if it be from the church-real , though not from the representative . ans . very good : 1. else no man was a christian , nor could be , before the first general council , which was above 300 years . 2. but still this answereth none of the contradictions about believing in and from the pope : may we all take our faith from the church-real , without taking it from the pope , or not ? if yea , we may possibly be good friends at last . if not , all the contradictions about him are still upheld by you . 3. and if you must take it from the authority and infallibility of the church real , still all the contradictions will follow as if you took it from councils : for can you believe that this church is christs church , and hath this power and gift from him , before you believe that he is christ , and that ever he made such a gift or promise to them ? 4. and who or what is this real church , that must be first known to be thus impowered and infallible : is it some few , or many , or must it be the most ? if a few or many , you profess that they may be hereticks , and have not that authority or gift . if it must be all , or the greater part ; 1. then the church of rome goeth down , that is at most but a third part . 2. how shall every poor man ( or any man ) know which is the judgment of the major part ? can he take the votes of all the christian world ? 3. and have all that were converted in the apostles days and since , first known the major vote of the christians , or were they converted by the foreknown infallibility or authority of the majority ? ( or of the pope ? ) some will say , we see the madness of this popery , but how then do you say that the faith must be received , if not from the church ? i answer i have told you at large in a treatise called the reasons of the christian religion , and briefly in a smaller treatise called the certainty of christianity without popery briefly , judging is one thing , and teaching is another thing . before i submit to the decision of a judge i must know his commission or authority ; and i must then stand to his sentence which way ever he decide the case . men be not converted to christianity by such judges , but by teachers ; nor will i believe the judge if he say there is no christ , no life to come , &c. but a teacher is to make intelligible to his hearer or scholar , the evidence of truth which is in the matter taught , and to draw men to believe by telling them those true reasons upon which he did believe himself : and no man takes him for his teacher that he is perswaded knoweth no more than himself . and the greater reputation of knowledge and honesty the teacher hath , the easier we apply our minds to learn of him , and a humane trust or faith prepareth us to receive that evidence of truth which may beget a divine faith by the help of grace . but still the learner truly believeth no more than he thus learneth . and i may hear a stranger tell what he hath to say , and be convinced by the evidence that he giveth me of the truth , though i know not of any authority that he hath to teach me , much less judicially to decide the case . i little doubt but most that were converted by the apostles themselves , were perswaded to believe in christ by the evidence of truth proposed ( the spirit co-operating ) before they knew of any authority of the apostles ; much less before they heard what they said in a general council , or what was the vote of the universal church ; or what any pope said as ruler of the rest . these things are very plain and sure , and they that will be wilfully blinded by faction , and prejudice , and worldly interest against plain truth , have no excuse if they perish in darkness . ii. a papist ( of this sort ) is one that believeth that the pope of rome is the rightful governour of all the world ; that is , that all christians immediately , and all infidels and heathens mediately , are bound by god to obey him , as christs vicegerent on earth : and that he , with his council , is thus an universal lawgiver and judge to all kings , states , and persons , that dwell round about the earth . but a protestant denyeth this , and holdeth that there is no universal monarch , or legislator , to all the world , but god and our saviour ; and that he hath made no such vice-christ , or vicegerent ; and that such a claim is high-treason , as usurping his prerogative . and that if pride had not in tantum made them mad , no men could think themselves thus capable of governing all the world. protestants believe that there is no such thing on earth , as an universal church headed by any mortal head , pope or council , but that christ is the only universal governour or head. iii. this papist is one that holdeth , that the church of christ on earth is no bigger than the popes dominion , and that it is necessary to salvation to be subject to the pope ; and consequently he unchurcheth two or three parts of the christian world , and damneth most of the body of christ , and robbeth him of the greatest part of his kingdom , as far as denying his right amounts to : and consequently is a notorious schismatick or sectary , appropriating the church title only to his sect. this is proved before from the masters of their religion . iv. this papist is one that holdeth , that those councils which were general as to one empire , were general as to all the christian world : and that such general councils there must be , ( if it please the pope to call them , ) though they must come from all the quarters of the earth , and whence they have no sea passage , and out of the empires of many princes , and many that are enemies to the christian name , and perhaps at wars with christians ; and when the voyage or journey is such , that if the churches be deprived of a thousand bishops , twenty of them are never like to live to return home to the remotest nations . nor could they converse as a council , by reason of the number and diversity of languages , if they were equally gathered . or they hold , that if a small part of the christian world assemble ( as at trent ) when the rest cannot come , this is an universal council of and to all the christian world. v. this papist is one that holdeth , if a fallible pope and a fallible general council do but agree , their decrees are infallible : as if an unlearned pope ( e. g. that understands not the text of scripture in the original ) and an unlearned council ( as to the most ) should agree , their decrees would be learned ; e. g. in judging which is the true translation of a tongue which they never understood . as if ten purblind men if they meet together might produce the effects of the clearest sight , or fools by conjunction become wise . vi. he holdeth that tradition from fathers to children is the sure way of conveying all the matter of faith and religion ; and yet that the greatest general councils , which are the church representative , may erre in matter of faith , and have erred ; unless a pope ( who is fallible ) approve of their decrees . vii . and when he hath trusted to this way of tradition , he denyeth the judgment and tradition professed by the greater half or the christian world. viii . he believeth that all men are bound on pain of damnation to believe that the senses and perception of all men in the world are deceived , in apprehending that after consecration there is true bread and wine in the sacrament . and he that will so believe his own and others senses , should suffer as an heretick , and be rooted out of all the dominions of all christian lords on earth . so merciful is he to his neighbours . for an approved general council hath decreed this , and such councils are his religion . were it his own father or mother , wife or child , that cannot thus renounce all his own and other mens senses , and believe that there is no bread or wine in spight of his sight , taste , touch , &c. he believeth that they should be burnt as hereticks , or exterminated . he may be a good naetur'd man that is loth it should be so ; or he may be one that is ignorant of his own religion , and doth not know that this is one article of popery ; or he may be an unconscionable man , that will not obey that which he knoweth to be his religion ; or he may be unable to execute such laws : but it is his religion to believe that he ought to do it . ix . if he be a temporal lord of a protestant country , it is part of his religion to take himself obliged to root out , destroy , or burn all his protestant subjects , and all others that deny transubstantiation . obj. the king of france , and some others , do it not . ans . no man is bound to do that which he cannot do . but if he can do it , and he be a papist , by the express words of an approved general council he is bound to do it , and to believe that it is his duty . i speak not of what men do , but what their religion binds them to do : though interest or good nature hinder them . x. he believeth that all temporal lords that will not first take an oath thus to root out their subiects , and then do it , may be first excommunicated by the pope , and then deposed if they repent not , and their dominions be given to be seized by another papist that will do it . the words of the council are before cited . xi . he believeth that in this case the pope may absolve all the subjects of such temporal lords from their oaths , and duties of allegiance or fidelity to such rulers . this also is express in the councils words . xii . he is one that believeth that the priviledges of the roman church were given it by the fathers , because it was the imperial seat , and therefore constantinople had after equal priviledges : ( for so saith the forecited general council : ) and yet he believeth the clean contrary , even that rome's priviledges were given it by s. peter , and constantinople's are not equal . ( for popes and councils also are for this . ) xiii . he believeth that it is de fide that general councils are above popes , and may judge them , and depose them if there be cause , even as hereticks or infidels , adulterers , murderers , simonists , &c. and yet he believeth that all this is false , and the contrary true . for the approved general councils of basit and constance say the first , ( and others ; ) and those fore-cited at the laterane and florence say the latter . xiv . he maketh uncharitableness , and bold damning all others , a comfortable mark of the safety of his state , and the truth of his religion , and our charity a mark that ours is worse ; whereas christ hath said , by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples , if ye love one another . it 's usual with them to say , [ you say that a papist may be saved , and we say that a protestant cannot ; therefore we are in the safer state . ] as if our case were ever the more dangerous for their condemning us . as if a man that doteth in a fever , should say to those about him , [ you say that i may live , and i say that all you are mortally sick ; therefore my case is better than yours . ] god saith , judge not , that ye be not judged ; and who art thou that judgest another mans servant ? and these men hope their case is safe , because they sin against this law , and damn the most of the universal church . xv. a papist thinketh that all the bible is not big enough , or hath not enough in it , to save those that believe and practise it , or to make us a saving religion ; but other tradition must be received with equal reverence ; and the decrees of all the approved general councils must make it up . xvi . he confesseth every article and word of the religion of the protestants to be infallibly true ; and yet holdeth that they are to be burnt and damned as hereticks . for he confesseth every part of the canonical scripture to be true , and we have no more in our ( objective , positive ) religion , not a word . our negations of popery are not properly our religion , any more than our speaking against diseases is our health : but as our health containeth our own freedom from an hundred diseases which we never thought of , as well as those that we once had or feared ; so our faith and religion is free from popery , and containeth that which is against it . xvii . a papist is for swearing men to take scripture in that sense as the holy mother church doth hold , and hath held it : whereas , 1. their church hath given them no commentary on the scripture , one way or other . 2. and their translations have been altered in many hundred places by clement 8. and sixtus 5. so that their clergy is sworn to take one translation to to be right one year , and a different one to be right the next . xviii . they are for swearing men to take or interpret scripture but according to the unanimous sense of the fathers , and consequently never to interpret the most of it at all . xix . a papist hath a thriving faith and religion , which groweth bigger and bigger , as fast as general councils add new decrees ; so that they know not when they shall have all : and yet they cry out against novelty and change , and boast of antiquity . xx. he holdeth that priests or prelates may not fall down to princes , or eat at their tables , nor debase themselves to them ; but emperours must take them as equals . concil . gen. 8. const . can. 14. xxi . he is satisfied that their church hath a judge of controversies , though he decide them not : and he gloryeth in the unity and great concord of their church , whose doctors differ de fide even in the exposition of many hundred texts of gods word ; and where they differ in the morals before cited , about murder , killing excommunicate kings , &c. and in volumes of controversies . and yet he looketh upon far smaller differences among us with great offense , as if they were intolerable , and were so many different religions : and all because in all their differences they agree in one pope . as if it were not as good an union to agree in one god , one christ , one spirit , one body or church of christ , one faith ( creed and scripture ) one baptismal covenant , and one hope of life eternal , eph. 4. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. which is the union that god describeth . xxii . he believeth that the pope doth justly take away from the people one half of the substance of christs own sacrament , and deny them that which they hold to be his very blood. xxiii . they believe that they ought not to read the scripture translated without a licence . so saith con. trid. xxiv . they believe that the image of christ is to be reverenced equally with the holy scriptures . it is a councils words before cited : yea they must believe the second council at nice , that latria is to be given only to god : and yet a canonized s. thomas 3. q. 25. a. 3. & 4. maintaineth that latria or divine worship is to be given , 1. to the image of christ , 2. to the cross that he dyed on , 3. and to the sign of the cross . and how largely jac. nauclautus , cabrera , and multitudes of the schoolmen are for it , see my key , p. 165 , &c. xxv . they will publickly pray to god , and praise him , in an unknown tongue , because the pope will have it so . xxvi . they think that the far greatest part of the body of christ are tormented in the flames of purgatory , to make satisfaction to gods justice for some sins , notwithstanding christs sufficient satisfaction . xxvii . expecting to go to the flames of purgatory when they dye , they cannot possibly be willing to leave this world , and consequently must be worldlings , and never truly willing to dye . for the basest condition on earth will seem to them more desirable than purgatory . xxviii . they think that the flames of purgatory do perfect mens preparation for heaven : whereas he is readiest for heaven that is likest to those in heaven and most holy , and that is they that most love god! and they that are angry here with every one that hurteth him , and do not think that tormenting men will win their love , yet look that the torments of purgatory should help us to love god , better than all the mercies on earth will do . xxix . the generality of papists believe a fallible priest , or printer , or such other person , telling them what is the faith of the universal church , and yet think that this is an infallible faith. xxx . a papist is one that layeth his hopes of salvation upon his belief of and obedience to a pope which by their own principles is no pope , and a general council which is no general council , never was , nor never will be ; and on his communion with a catholick church which is no catholick church , but a sect. all which hath been proved already , and moreshall be . i have told you in part what we take a papist to be . some things , before mentioned in the description of a pope , have been here necessarily repeated . chap. viii . what the papists church is : ( called the roman catholick church . ) what their church is may so easily be gathered from what is said , that i shall say but little more of it . in general , it is a society called ecclesiastical , constituted of such a head , and such members , as i have described . particularly , i. it is a humane church as to the efficient cause of its form ; made by man , as distinct from that church-form which was instituted by christ ; even by the fathers , because that rome was the imperial seat. as is proved before . ii. it is a humane church as to the constitutive head , as distinct from the true universal church , which hath no head ( single or collective , pope or council ) that is not god. iii. it is a sect consisting of about the third part of the christian world , calling themselves the whole church , and condemning all the rest for not subjecting themselves to this usurping head. iv. it is a new church in comparison of christs universal church , as having a new humane original . ( as is proved . ) v. it is a treasonable church , as set up without christs authority , and challenging his prerogative , and weakning his kingdom , by unchurching the greatest part . vi. it is an unholy church , as distinct from the holy catholick church , and that both in the essential matter and form. 1. in the matter , its head which is a constitutive part , having been oft a condemned heretick , infidel , murderer , and other flagitious wicked man. 2. as to the form , being not of god it is not holy . 3. besides that , as to the head , he was long made by the most wicked whores . all this is before proved at large . vii . it is a church that hath had its pretended succession interrupted ( as is proved ; ) sometimes by long vacances , sometimes by long schismes , when no one was the universal head ; sometimes by the incapacity of the persons , being lay-men , or infidels , simoniaoal , condemned deposed hereticks , and therefore no bishops . viii . it is a schismatical church , that cuts off it self from all the rest of the christian church : and by making a false head and principle , and conditions of unity , which the universal church never did , never will , or can unite in , is the grand cause of the greatest continued schism . ix . it is a trayterous church against princes , making it their very religion to force bloody oaths on them , and to excommunicate and depose them , and give away their dominions , and that tolerateth its most famous doctors to maintain , that being excommunicate , they are no kings , and may be killed ; and to maintain , that the pope is above them in temporals , and may set up and pull down kings when he seeth cause . all this is expresly proved before . x. it is a church that believeth contradictions ( as is proved in their councils ) e. g. the council of basil , sess . ult . saying [ no one of the skilful did ever doubt , but that the pope was subject to the judgment of a general council , in things that concern faith , &c. ] and others saying the clean contrary : as also in divers other things . xi . it was for above forty years , sometimes two , sometimes three churches , instead of one : for the head being an essential part , two or three heads make as many churches . xii . it is at this day divers churches really , as to the form , that are by the ignorant supposed to be one : two or three forms and partes imperantes , being essential , make as many churches , though the subjects live mixt . the summa potestas is a constitutive essential part . some called papists take the pope for the summa potestas , and some a council , and some both conjunct , and some the church real or diffused through the world. xiii . it is a church made up of a tolerated hodge-podge of many sects , some utterly uncapable members , so they do but serve the pope . i have shewed out of many doctors cited by sancta clara that many that believe not in christ are of their church . he saith himself pag. 113. ( deus , nat. grat. ) [ what is clearer than that at this day , the gospel bindeth not , where it is not authentically preached ; that is , that at this day men may be saved without an explicite belief of christ ? for in that sence speaks the doctor concerning the jews : and verily what ever my illustrious master hold , with his learned master herera , i think that this was the opinion of scotus , and the common one , citing many that follow it . and that men that hold all the different opinions in the jesuites morals , and the schoolmen , besides many various religious sects , make up their church , is not denyed . xiv . it is a church that pretendeth to have a judge and end of controversies ; but indeed hath a judge that for the most part dare not decide them , and that can make no end of them when decided . for instance , the controversie of the virgins immaculate conception decided at basil , is never the nearer an end . images were decreed up by some councils , and down by others . even s. thomas stood not to the second council of nice about image worship . the various councils that decreed variously for and against a councils supremacy , never the more ended the strife . and indeed it is so hard to know approved from reprobate councils , and what parts of them the pope meant to approve , and what not , ( as by pope martin 5. his conciliariter appeareth ) that there is no certainty , and no end . xv. it is a church that hath almost laid by the ancient discipline of christs appointment , and instead of it hath set up partly auricular confession , when it should be publick , and partly a tyrannical sort of hostile proclaiming their adversaries excommunicate without hearing them , and forbidding gods word and worship to whole kingdoms . saith learned albaspineus a bishop , observ . 1. pag. 1. [ if ever any one in this age was deprived of communion ( which i know not whether it ever fell out ) it was only from the receiving of the eucharist : in the other parts of his life he retained the same familiarity and converse with other believers , which he had before he was excommunicated . xvi . it is a church that is upheld by flames and blood , distrusting the ancient discipline , and the meer protection of the magistrate , and the proper work of his office. the foresaid 12. general council at laterane proveth it , besides inquisitions and bloody executions . xvii . it is a church that cherisheth ignorance in the matters of salvation . proved , 1. by forbidding the reading of the scriptures translated , without licence . 2. their prayers in an unknown tongue . 3. the quality of their commonest members . xviii . it is a church that militateth against christian love. 1. by their foresaid condemning the most of christians . 2. by the foresaid bloody religion and execution . xix . it is a church which hath often damned it self , one pope and council damning others . as is proved . xx. it is a church which indeed is no church , according to their own rules ; the pope indeed being no pope , and the general councils no general councils , ( as is proved . ) and if it were one , it could not possibly be certainly known to be so ; because the pope , who is an essentiating part , cannot be certainly known . as is proved both as to election , ordination , and all that is necessary to a right and title . as to the doctrines which they hold contrary to the scriptures , i have named many of them elsewhere , ( in my key , pag. 39. 142 , 143 , &c. ) and others more largely . and thus i have told you what i take a pope , a papist and the papal church to be . but you must remember that as the same man may be a visible christian or member of the true universal church as headed by christ , and a visible papist or member of the sectarian church as headed by the pope , so i judge none of you as in the first respect , but allow you the same charity proportionably as i do other erring sects : and especially to those many thousands who adhere to a church which they understand not , and profess that in gross which in particulars they themselves abhor : of which number i am not hopeless your self ( w. h. ) to be one . chap. ix . how our religion differeth from the papists . and now out of all this it is easie for you to gather how our religion differeth from the papists : i shall recite but a few of the differences , leaving you to collect the rest from what is said of theirs . i. our religion is wholly divine , or made by god : for so is the holy scripture , which is all ours . but the papists super additions are made by men : even popes and councils , under pretence of declaring , expounding , governing , judging , &c. ii. the religion of protestants is no bigger , nor no other in the essentials , than the sacramental covenant with god the father , son , and holy ghost , expounded in the creed , lords prayer , and decalogue : and in the integrals no bigger , nor other , than the holy canonical scriptures . but the papists is as big as all the decrees of all general councils , added to all the bible ; if not the popes decretals also , and uncertain traditions . tell us not of our 39 articles , and other church confessions , as contrary to this : for those confessions all profess what i here say : and you may as well tell us of our other books and sermons . our question is not of mens subjective religion ; for so each person hath one of his own ; and it cannot be known but by knowing what is in each mans mind ! and our books and confessions are ( as is aforesaid ) but the expression of our sense of that which is our regular objective religion : and we are ready to confess and amend any misconception : but our objective religion which is the rule and law of our faith is only divine . iii. our religion is known , even the sacred bible . but yours is unknown : what are approved councils , and what decrees are intended to be de fide , and what temporal , and what perpetual , and how far the popes decretals bind , and whether all isidore mercator's decretals be the popes , with abundance of the like . iv. our religion is owned by you , and every word confessed to be divine and infallible : but your added popery is disowned by us as sinful , presumptuous and false . v. our religion is fixed and unchangeable ; ( for so you confess the holy scriptures to be : ) but yours is still swelling bigger and bigger while councils will increase it , and hath no certain bounds . vi. our religion is only that ancient one delivered by the holy ghost in the apostles , and so is certainly apostolical , your additions are novelties since brought in . vii . our religion is infallible , holy , pure , your additions are fallible , contradictory , sinful , oft contrary to plain scripture , condemning one another . viii . our religion is universal , owned by all the christian world in the essentials , and in the main in the integrals , that is , the scripture : greeks , papists , armenians , abassines , and all other parties that are christians own it . but your additions are some disowned by one part of cristians , and some by another , and some by all save your selves . ix . our religion therefore is the true terms of catholick concord , according to vincent . lerinens . doctrine , quod ab omnibus , semper , ubique receptum est . but your additions are the very engine of the dividing enemy , by which he hath long kept the christian world , distracted by discord , with all the calamitous effects and consequents . x. our religion hath a certain rule for the ending of all controversies , so far as there is hope of ending them in this world : all men will rest in the judgment of god ; and his word in all such necessary things is plainer than all your general councils : but your humane authority is such as fighteth with it self and all the world , and which the universal church never yet received nor will ever rest in . xi . our religion owneth a certain lawful government appointed by god , which well used may keep just order in the world : that is , parents in families , pastors in such particular churches as christ hath instituted , ( as join for personal communion in holy doctrine , worship and conversation ; ) which they are indeed capable of overseeing and governing by sacred doctrine in christs way : and associations or correspondencies of these pastors for concord ; and princes and magistrates to keep peace and order among them all ; governing glergie-men as they do philosophers , physicians , &c. but yours hath an utopian pretended government of men on the other side the world , whose countries you scarce ever heard or dreamed of ; and an usurpation of an impossible confounding kind and degree of rule . xii . our religion is fitted to give glory to christ , and his grace and kingdom . but yours to set up proud usurpers over princes and people , in such an impossible government making subjection to him , necessary to salvation . as if a man unacquainted with cosmography that never heard that there was such a town as rome in the world , must be no christian and be damned : when yet the popes name was never mentioned in our baptism . xiii . our religion is faith working by love. christs ministers that are truly of our religion , take only convincing evidence of truth , and unfeigned love , and works of love , to be their means of winning souls : and they take not christs discipline , which worketh only on the conscience , to be a leaden sword , or vain . but yours is a hanging killing religion ; jails , strappado's , exterminating , and burning men are your means and works of love . you take a bonfire , or the ashes of the bodies of such as will not believe in the pope , to be a great medicine to save the peoples souls . such murders as were done on the albigenses , waldenses , in the inquisitions , the french and irish massacres , smithfield flames , piedmont , &c. are your proof that you love god and man , and some of your good works . xiv . our religion tendeth to holy consolation , and a heavenly mind and life : for it teacheth us how to be certain of gods love by its effects on our souls , and to know that we are justified by christ , and to trust the sufficiency of his sacrifice , merits , and intercession ; and to believe , that when we are absent from the body we shall be present with the lord , 2 cor. 5. 1. 7 , 8. and to desire to depart and be with christ , phil. 1. 23. but yours leaveth a man uncertain of his justification : for you mostly deride such distinguished fundamentals , as ( received ) essentiate a justified christian : and your doctors lay all mens necessary religion , and so their peace , upon their receipt of so much truth as hath been authentically proposed to them ; whereas no man living is certain that he hath received so much as hath been so proposed : all men are guilty of neglecting some such proposal at one time or other : and gradual neglects the best are guilty of . and you cannot ascertain men what is an authentick proposal . you also tell men of the necessity of their own satisfactions for the sin that christ forgiveth , and that in the fire of purgatory ; so that ( as is said before ) none such can dye comfortably , that look to go hence into such a fire , where torment may make it hard to you to love god that tormenteth you . it is a spirit of bondage that seemeth to actuate your very austerities , and to turn your religion into superstitious tasks of self-made services ; ceremonies , and expectations of the expiating flames in purgatory : but you shew too little of the spirit of adoption , of power , love and a sound mind , 2 tim. 1. 7. of righteousness , peace and joy in the holy ghost , rom. 14. terrour and torments are temptations to you to desire the miserablest life on earth ( much more a life of pleasure ) rather than to dye , when such flames must next follow . xv. we offer god such worship as we can prove by his word that he commandeth and accepteth ; and such reasonable service in spirit and truth , which is not unsuitable to the father of spirits , and god of wisdom ; yet using all reverent and decent behaviour of the body as well as of the mind . but it would be hard to number over all the humane inventions of formalities , and rites , and ceremonies , and images , and other arbitrary external things , by which you have corrupted the worship of god , and hid the body in your new fashioned cloathing , which you pretended to adorn ; and as worldly minds do cumber themselves , as martha , with many unnecessary things , and then say , [ is it not lawful to do this and that ? ] while they hereby alienate the thoughts , affections , and time , which should be laid out on the one thing needful ; so do you in gods worship make such abundance of work with your ceremonies , for thoughts , affections , and time , as maketh it very difficult to give the great and spiritual part of worship its proportion , ( far beyond what augustine epist . ad januar. so much complained of in his time : ) and then think you justifie all , if you can say , how prove you this or that unlawful ? as if your servant should instead of his work play at cards most of the day , and ask you [ how you prove it unlawful ? ] you never well studyed 2 cor. 11. 3. [ i 〈◊〉 lest by any means as the serpent beguiled eve through his subtilty , so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in christ , ] nor col. 2. 18 , 19 , 20. 22 , 23. nor act. 15. 28. nor rom. 14 and 15. nor ioh. 4. 20 , 21. an ignorant woman set upon christ , just as you pervert all holy discourse , with turning all to [ which is the true church ? ] our fathers worshipped in this mountain , and ye say that in jerusalem is the place where men should worship : but christ answereth you in her , the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth : for the father seeketh such to worship him : god is a spirit , &c. ] those that by custom be not ingaged in your way of numerous formalities and bodily actions , can hardly think that you are spiritually and seriously worshipping god , or can believe that infinite wisdom would be pleased with such things as — i am loth to denominate or describe . xvi . our religion teacheth us that without holiness none shall see god , and none but the pure in heart and life are blessed , and if any man have not the sanctifying spirit of christ he is none of his : and that god must be loved above all , and our treasure , heart and conversation must be in heaven , and none but saints are saved . i think you deny none of this ; and yet you canonize a saint as if he were a wonder or rarity , and you call a few sequestred votaries religious , as if all that will be saved must not be religious . and your doctors are permitted to teach all that 's cited in the jesuites morals , and mr. clarkson fore-cited : even that it is not commanded , that god be intensively loved above all . tolet. li. 4. de instruct . sacerdot . c. 9. see our morton apolog . part 1. l. 2. c. 13. stapleton l. 6. de justif . c. 10. & valent . l. de votis c. 3. [ this precept of loving god with all the mind , is doctrinal , not obligatory , ] see my key , chap. 33 , 34. 38. and yet you have the fronts to perswade men that we are for only imputative holiness , and against good works . xvii . our religion is for increasing true practical knowledge in all men , by all our industry , as knowing the father of lights saveth us by illumination ; and therefore we are for all mens reading or hearing the holy scriptures , and worshipping god in a known tongue : but yet with the help of the skilfullest teachers . the prince of darkness leadeth men in the dark to do the works of darkness , that they may be cast into outer darkness . how the case is with yours i have before shewed . xviii . our religion is for so much fasting and austerities as is truly necessary to the subduing of pride , worldliness , or fleshly lusts , or to express our self-abasement in due times of humiliation , ( prescribed by authority on publick occasions , or discerned by our selves in private ; ) and so much as is truly helpful to us in gods service , or our preparations for death . but how much you have turned these into unreasonable ceremony , and how much into a pretended satisfaction to gods justice by punishing our selves , as if our hurt delighted god when it tends not to our healing , i shall not now stay to open . see dallaeus de poenis , indulgentis , & de jejuniis , of it at large . xix . our religion teacheth us that all that truly believe in , and are heartily devoted to god the father , son , and holy ghost , as their god , and saviour , and sanctifier , forsaking the devil , the world , and the flesh , should be taken by baptismal profession hereof into the church , and shall be saved , if they prove not hypocrites or apostates : and that we must judge men by this their profession , till they plainly or provedly nullifie it , supposing every man , under god , to be the best judge of his own heart . but your religion teacheth you to hold and say , that if men are never so fully perswaded in themselves that they truly love god and holiness , and are thus devoted to him , yea and if their lives express it , yet if they be not papists , they are all deceived , and none but papists so love god : and every papist thus knoweth the hearts of others , better than we can know our own . xx. our religion leaveth us room for repentance , and hope of pardon , if we mistake . for we take not our selves to be impeccable or infallible in all that we hold ; though we are sure that our rule and objective religion is infallible . but your church being founded in the false conceit of the popes and councils infallibility , you shut the door against repentance and amendment ; and when once a false decree is past , you take your selves obliged to defend it , lest by reformation you pluck up your foundation , and all should fall . were it not for this i am perswaded your church would recant at least the doctrine of transubstantiation , if not that of deposing princes , and some others . and now i humbly present what i have written to w. h. and not without hope ( if he will but impartially read it ) of his reduction : for the man seemeth to me to sin through ignorance , and to have an honester zeal than many others . for my own part , 1. i profess to him i write as i think ; and that after forty years reading i think as many of the papists books as of the protestants . 2. and that i would joyfully recant , whatever it cost me , if i could find that i do erre . but i have shewed him that i differ not from them , without that which to me appeareth to be constraining reason . 3. and that if he will prove to me that i have in one word of this book unjustly accused , either their pope , papists , religion , or church , i shall thankfully receive his conviction , and repent . and i agree with him wholly in professing my religion to be , the apostolical christianity , and whatever he proveth to be truly such i will receive . the name of [ the protestant religion ] i like not , because meer christianity is all our religion , and our protestation against popery denominateth not our religion it self , but our rejection of their corruptions of it . but the name of [ the protestants religion ] i approve and own , that is , apostolick christianity cleansed from popery . aug. 9. 1676. finis . the contents . chap. i. whether christ hath not left us sure and easie notice what the christian religion is : what it is , and how delivered to us , in three degrees . 1. the essentials generally in the sacramental covenant . 2. the exposition of the essentials in three summaries , the creed , lords prayer and decalogue . 3. the essentials , integrals and needful accidentals in the whole canonical scripture . p. 1 , &c. our confession , articles , books , and sermons are but the expressions of our subjective religion , or fides mensurata , and are not our objective and fides mensurans in terminis . p. 9. the papists confess every word of our objective religion to be divine and infallible . but we confess not the truth of all theirs . they blame us only , 1. as not having enough . 2. and as not receiving it the right way . p. 9. i. whether the papists religion be better than ours , as bigger ? some queries of the antiquity of the belief of the roman additions , viz. the apocrypha and the decrees of all the councils , &c. p. 10 , &c. what implicite faith we are agreed in , and what not . p. 12. the papists confess that their church hath not kept god's own written word without many hundred errours , and so not all that is de fide . p. 13. therefore they must needs distinguish the essentials of christianity from other points . of implicite belief in the pope and councils . p. 13. &c. ii. whether it was or is necessary to receive christianity as from the infallibility or authority of the pope and papists ( or councils ) p. 19. &c. we have much more and surer tradition for our religion than that which the papists would have us trust to . 20. the difference of our tradition from theirs . whether rome or a church there may not cease . p. 22. whether the seat , the election , or what doth prove the pope to be st. peter's successour . p. 23. whether books or oral tradition by memory of all generations , be the surer preservative of the faith. p. 24. chap. ii. the puritane is ambiguously named , and falsly described . p. 25. of imputed righteousness . p. 30. puritanes not against external worship , nor all ceremonies . p. 36. of their usage . ibid. the puritans judgment about fasts holy-days , ceremonies , &c. p. 38. the papist writer knoweth not what the puritans religion is . p. 40. the true religion of a puritane described . p. 41 , 42. 1. the writer wrongeth his relations . 2. he declareth that he was before an ungodly perfidious hypocrite , and no true puritane , and therefore no wonder that he turned papist . p. 43. none but such can turn papists without self contradiction . his slander of the puritanes , that they think piety , charity , humility and other christian virtues not possible and necessary to salvation . p. 45. chap. iii. his hard character of prelatical protestants . p. 46. many nonconformists are episcopal ; therefore not dislinguishable by that name . p. 47. what men many bishops and conformists have been and are in england . p. 48. the religion which is uppermost , right or wrong , will be professed usually by the most , and therefore by bad men . p. 49. it is worse with the papists , who are many very bad , even where they differ from superiours and suffer . ibid. his accusations of puritanes and prelaticks protestants about imputed righteousness and inherent confuted : a true description of the protestants judgment of justifying righteousness . p. 51 , 52 , &c. his derision of imputed righteousness as a mummery . p. 54 , 55. his gross slander that we are for [ meer imputed holiness . ] p. 55. the true middle way about indifferent rituals . p. 56. i. of his charge on prelatists for silencing puritanes for not observing fasts , &c. which they neglect themselves . p. 57. puritanes and papists fasting . 2. of wax tapers on the altar . p. 58. 3. of the sign of the cross . p. 58 , 59. 4. of the real presence . p. 60. 5. of confession and absolution . p. 61. 6. of bowing at the name jesus , and images . p. 62. 7. of the surplice , girdle , stole , and casuble . p. 63. 8. of praying for the dead . p. 64. 9. of the government of the pope and councils . p. 65. 1. whether gods wisdom require it . 2. civil and ecclesiastick monarchy of the whole world , compared . p. 66 , 67. 3. is the pope universal apostle or teacher ? p. 55. 4. whether the pope be head but in the vacancy of councils ? p. 66. 5. most of the christian world by far are no papists . 68. 6. the pope dissenteth from general councils , and so far from the universal church : we own them when he doth not . 69. 7. the difference between the kings headship and the popes . 37. 8. puritanes are for the kings supremacie . 70. 9. how far they submit their judgment to the churches . p. 70. 10. the church teacheth us the faith , but may not judge in partem utramlibet , viz. that there is no god , no christ , no heaven , &c. p. 71. ii. it 's schismatical and worse to feign that various habite , gestures , meats , &c. make various religions . q. 1. do variety of liturgies make various religions ? 2. is not religion more concerned in the papists doctrinal differences among themselves about predestination , grace , free-will , the immaculate conception and hundreds more in the school doctors , and about the deposing , excommunicating and killing kings , and about all the controversies mentioned by the jansenists in the jesuits morals , and by mr. clarkson in the practical divinity of the papists , than in variety of clothes , formes or ceremonies ? and is it not as laudable for protestants to hold union and communion with them that use not the same words or rites , as in the church of rome to tolerate without so much as any disowning censure , the foresaid doctrinal differences about king killing ( when excommunicate ) murder , adultery , fornication , perjury , lying , stealing , &c. mentioned in the foresaid books . p. 72. chap. iv. h. w's ill forming accusations , which he can best answer . p. 77. what grotius meant by papists . p. 79. i. of papists image-worship . p. 79. ii. of popes pardons . p. 80. iii. their praying to the virgin mary . 83. iv. latine prayers . 84. v. implicite belief in teachers . 85. vi. preferring the churches laws to gods. 87. vii . obedience . 88. chap. v. the true history of the papacie , its original and growth . 94. 1. the ancient church took not the papacie to be of gods institution , but mans , fully proved . p. 99. &c. 2. the roman primacie was ever but one empire , and not all the christian people in the world , proved . p. 103 , &c. 3. councils were general only as to the empire , and not the world. p. 104. five exceptions . p. 106. remarks upon the africans pretended schism ( austin being one . ) p. 112. the not able words of mel. canus against the roman universality . 113. the means of the popes last growth to maturity . 119. the doctrines by which they do their work . p. 122. 1. depressing the scriptures sufficiency and crying up their traditions , which are again conjuted . 123. 2. pretending antiquity and universality . 125. both confuted . the objection of heresie and schism to other churches answered . p. 127. 3. aggravating our divisions and boasting of their unity . p. 128. even the scandalous contending sects among protestants have more unity with each other than the papists , proved . 4. their vile counsel to men to suspect all religion and suspend it , to make them papists : boverius to our late king. p. 131. chap. vi. what the pope is in forty characters , or inadequate conceptions of him . p. 134. &c. chap. vii . what a papist is . the word [ papist ] is equivocal . many sorts are called papists that differ both in the foundation and the very form and the subject and the terminus of church power , and are not formally one church as is commonly thought . pag. 165. a papist of the most learned sort described , who placeth the authority universal and the infallibility in the pope and council agreeing : thirty properties or characters of them . the first about the resolution of their faith into the authority or infallibility of the church proposing . how protestants resolve their faith , and how they take it from their teachers . p. 169. &c. see the rest . chap. viii . what the papists church called the roman catholick church is , in twenty characters . p. 184. chap. ix . twenty properties of the protestant's religion as it differeth from popery . 187. errata . page 26. line 28. for turrian read pisanus . p. 76. l. 7. for in r. it . p. 97. l. 21. r. presbyters . p. 93. l. 20. r. roman . p. 94. l. 2. for or r. of . p. 107. l. 1. for gothes r. vandals . p. 110. l. 4. dele and. p 115. l. 13. for com. r. corn. p. 123. l. 11. r. libraries . p. 156. l. 28. r. greatreaks . errata , in roman tradition , &c. page 18. l. 1. for most real r. moral . p. 20. l. 5. r. georgians . p. 29. l. 16. r. sirmium . p. 37. l. 5. for sind r. said . the way to true happiness in a serious treatise / by joseph alleine. alleine, joseph, 1634-1668. 1678 approx. 396 kb of xml-encoded text transcribed from 125 1-bit group-iv tiff page images. text creation partnership, ann arbor, mi ; oxford (uk) : 2003-01 (eebo-tcp phase 1). a26701 wing a982 estc r27085 09642468 ocm 09642468 43891 this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the early english books online text creation partnership. this phase i text is available for reuse, according to the terms of creative commons 0 1.0 universal . the text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. early english books online. (eebo-tcp ; phase 1, no. a26701) transcribed from: (early english books online ; image set 43891) images scanned from microfilm: (early english books, 1641-1700 ; 1322:8) the way to true happiness in a serious treatise / by joseph alleine. alleine, joseph, 1634-1668. r. a. (richard alleine), 1611-1681. baxter, richard, 1615-1691. [30], 214, [1] p. printed and are to be sold by nevil simmons, london : 1678. "shewing i. what conversion is not, and correcting some mistakes about it, ii. what conversion is and wherein it consisteth, iii. the necessity of conversion, iv. the marks of the unconverted, v. the miseries of the unconverted, vi. directions for conversion, vii. motives to conversion." "to the reader" signed: richard baxter. "to the unconverted reader" signed: richard alleine. reproduction of original in the bodleian library. created by converting tcp files to tei p5 using tcp2tei.xsl, tei @ oxford. re-processed by university of nebraska-lincoln and northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. eebo-tcp is a partnership between the universities of michigan and oxford and the publisher proquest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by proquest via their early english books online (eebo) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). the general aim of eebo-tcp is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic english-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in eebo. eebo-tcp aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the text encoding initiative (http://www.tei-c.org). the eebo-tcp project was divided into two phases. the 25,363 texts created during phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 january 2015. anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source. users should be aware of the process of creating the tcp texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data. text selection was based on the new cambridge bibliography of english literature (ncbel). if an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in ncbel, then their works are eligible for inclusion. selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. in general, first editions of a works in english were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably latin and welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so. image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in oxford and michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet qa standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. after proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of tcp data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a tcp editor. the texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the tei in libraries guidelines. copies of the texts have been issued variously as sgml (tcp schema; ascii text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable xml (tcp schema; characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless xml (tei p5, characters represented either as utf-8 unicode or tei g elements). keying and markup guidelines are available at the text creation partnership web site . eng conversion. 2000-00 tcp assigned for keying and markup 2001-11 aptara keyed and coded from proquest page images 2002-02 tcp staff (oxford) sampled and proofread 2002-02 tcp staff (oxford) text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-03 pfs batch review (qc) and xml conversion the way to true happiness in a serious treatise , shewing i. what conversion is not , and correcting some mistakes about it . ii. what conversion is , and wherein it consisteth . iii. the necessity of conversion . iv. the marks of the unconverted . v. the miseries of the unconverted . vi. directions for conversion . vii . motives to conversion . by ioseph alleine , late preacher of the gospel at taunton in somersetshire . london , printed , and are to be sold by nevil simmons at the princes arms in st. pauls church-yard , 1678. to the reader . he that hath an ear to hear let him hear . precious souls , there is that life and light and love in every true believer , but especially in every faithful minister of christ , which engageth them to long and labour for your salvation . life is communicative and active . it maketh us sensible that faith is not a fantasie , nor true religion a stage-play , nor our hopes of our eternal happiness a dream . and as we desire nothing more for our selves , than to have more of the holy life whic●● we have , alas in so small a measure ; so what is it that we should more desire for others ? with the eye of an infallible ( though too weak ) faith , we see the heaven which you neglect , and the blessed souls in glory with christ , whose companions you might be for ever : we see the multitudes of souls in hell , who came thither by the same way that you are going in : who are shut out of the glorious presence of god , and are now among those devils that deceived them , remembring that they had their good things here , luk. 16. 25. and how they spent the day of their visitation , and how light they once set by god , by christ , by heaven , by mercy , whilest mercy was an earnest solicitour for their hearts : and with our bodily eyes we see at the same time , abundance of poor sinners living about us , as if there were no god , no christ , no heaven , no hell , no iudgment , no nor death to be expected ; as if a man were but a master beact , to rule the rest , and feed upon them , and perish with them . and if it were your own case , to see what souls do in heaven and hell , and at once to see how unbelievingly , carelesly and senselesly most men live on earth , as if there were no such difference in another world , would it not seem a pittiful sight to you ? if you had once seen the five brethren of dives on earth , eating , drinking , laughing and merry , cloathed and faring daily with the best , and at the same time seen their brothers soul in hell , begging in vain for a little ●ase , and wishing in vain that one from the dead might go warn his brethren , that they come not to that place of torment , would it not seem to you a pittiful sight ? would not pity have made you think , [ is there no way to open these gentlemens eyes ? no way to acquaint t●em what is become of their brother , and where lazarus is , and whither they themselves are going ? no one driveth or forceth them to hell , and will they go thither of themselves ? and is there no way to stop them or keep them back ? ] did you but see your selves what we see by faith ( believing god ) and at once beheld the saints in heaven , the lost despairing souls in hell , and the sensless sensual sinners on earth , that yet will lay none of this to heart , sure it would make you wonder at the stupidity of mankind . would you not say , o what a deceiver is the devil that can thus lead on souls to their own damnation ? oh what a cheater is this transitory world , that can make men so forget the world where they must live for ever ! o what an enemy is this flesh , that thus draweth down mens souls from god! o what a besotting thing is sin that turneth a reasonable soul into worse than a beast ! what a bedlam is this wicked world , when thousands are so busily labouring to undo themselves and others , and gratifying● the devil , against the god and saviour , who would give them everlasting blessed life . and as we have such a sight as this by faith to make us pity you , so have we so much taste of the goodness of god , the sweetness of his ways , and the happiness of believers , as must needs make us wish that you had but once tried the same delights , which would turn the pleasures of sin into detestation . god knoweth that we desire nothing more for our selves , than the perfection and eternity of this holiness and happiness which we believe and taste . and should we not desire the same for you ? and being thus moved with necessary pity , we ask of god , what he would have us to do for your salvation . and he hath told us in scripture that the preaching of his gospel , to acquaint you plainly● with the truth , and earnestly and frequently intreat you to turn from the flesh and world to god by iesus christ , is the means with which his grace is ready to concur for your salvation ; when obstinate resistance causeth the holy spirit to forsake the sinner and leave him to himself , to follow his own counsels , lusts and wills. in this hope we undertook the sacred ministry , and gave up our selves to this great and most important work : in the great sense of our unworthiness , but yet in the sense of your souls necessity . we were not such fools at our first setting out , as not to know it muct be a life of labour , self-denyal and patience , and the devil would do his worst to hinder us , and that all sorts of his instruments would be ready to serve him against our labours , and against your souls . christ our captain saved us by patient conquest , and so must we save ●●r selves and you : and so must you save your ●●●ives under christ , if ever you be saved . it was no strange thing to paul that bonds and afflictions did every where abide him , nor did he account his life dear that he might finish his course with joy , and the ministry committed to him by the lord , acts 20. 23 , 24. it was no strange thing to him to be forbidden to preach to the gentiles that they might be saved , by such as were filling up the measure of their sins , and were under gods uttermost wrath on earth , 1 thes. 2. 15 , 16. devils and pharisees , and most where they came , both high and low , were against the apostles preaching of the gospel , and yet they would not sacrilegiously and cruelly break their covenant with christ , and perfidiously desert the souls of men , even as their lord for the love of souls , did call peter satan , that would have tempted him to save his life and flesh , instead of making it ● sacrifice for our sins , mat. 16. 23. what think you should move us to undertake a calling so contrary to our fleshly ease and interests ? do we not know the way of ease and honour ; of wealth and pleasures , as well as others ? and have we not flesh as well as others ? could we not be content that the cup of reproach and scorn and slander and poverty and labours , might pass from us , if it were not for the will of god and your salvation ? why should we love to be the lowest , and trodden down by malignant pride , and counted as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things , and represented to rulers , wh●m w● honour , as scismaticks , disobedient , turbulent , unruly , by every church-usurper , whom we refuse to make a god of ? why give you not over this preaching of the gospel , at the will of satan , that is for the everlasting suffering of your souls , under the pretence of making us suffer ? is not all this that you may be converted and saved ? if we be herein besides our selves , it is for you . could the words of the ignorant or proud , have perswaded us , that either your wants and dangers are so inconsiderable , or your other supplies and helps sufficient , that our labours had been unnecessary to you , god knoweth we should have readily obeyed the silencing sorts of pastors , and have betaken us to some other land where our service had been more necessary . let shame be the hypocrites reward , who taketh not the saving of souls , and the pleasing of god , for a sufficient reward , without ecclesiastical dignities , preferments , or worldly wealth . i have told you our motives : i have told you our business and● the terms of our undertaking . it is god and you sinners that next must tell us what our entertainment and success shall be . shall it be still neglect , and unthankful contempt , and turning away your ear and heart , and saying , we have somewhat else to mind ? will you still be cheated by this deceiving world ? and spend all your days in pampering your guts , and providing for your flesh that must lie rotting very shortly in a grave ? were you made for no better work than this ? may not we bring you to some sober thoughts of your condition , nor one hour seriously to think whither you are going ? what! not to one awakened look into the world where you must be for ever ? nor one heart-raising thought of the everlasting glory ? not one heart-piercing thought of all your saviours love , nor one ●ear for all your sinful lives ? o god forbid : let not our labour be so despised . let not your god , your saviour , and your souls be set so light by . o let there be no profane person among you like esau , who for one morsel sold his birth-right . poor sinners ! we talk not to you as on a stage , in customary words , and because that talking thus is our trade . we are in as good earnest with you as if we saw you all murdering your selves , and we are perswading you to save your lives . can any man be in jest with you who believeth god ? who by faith foreseeth whither you are going , and what you lose , and where the game of sin will end ? it is little better to jest with you now in pulpit or in private , than to stand jesting over your departing souls , when at death you are breathing out your l●st . alas , with shame and grief● we do confess , that we never , speak to you of these things as their truth and weight deserve , nor with the skill and wisdom , the affection and fervency which beseemeth men engaged in the saving of poor souls . but yet you may perceive that we are in good sadness with you . ( for god is so . ) what else do we study for , labour for , suffer for , live for ? why else do we so much trouble our selves , and trouble you with all this ado , and anger them that would have had us silent ? for my own part , i will make my free confession to you to my shame : that i never grow cold and dull and pittiless to the souls of others , till i first grow too cold and careless of my own ( unless when weakness or speculative studies cool me , which i must confess they often do . ) we never cease pittying you , till we are growing too like you , and so have need of pity our selves . when through the mercy of my lord , the prospect of th●●●●rld of souls which i am going to , hath any po●●●ful operation on my self . o then i could spend and be spent for others . no words are too earnest , no labour too great , no cost too dear , the frowns and wrath of malignant opposers of the preaching of christs gospel are nothing to me . but when the world of spirits do disappear , or my soul is clouded , and receiveth not the vi●al illuminating influences of heaven , i grow cold first to my self , and then to others . come then poor sinners , and help us who are willing at any rate to be your helpers . as we first crave gods help , so we next crave yours . help us , for we cannot save you against your wills , nor save you without your consent and help . god himself will not save you without you ; and how should we ? know that the devil is against us , and will do his worst to hinder us ; and so will all his ministers by what names or titles soever dignified or distinguished . but all this is nothing , if you will but take our parts your selves : i mean if you will take christs part , and your own , and will not be against your selves . men and devils cannot either help or hinder us in saving you as you may do your selves . if god and you be for us , who shall be against us ? and if you will help us , give over striving against god , and conscience , give over fighting against christ and his spirit : take part no more with the world and the flesh which in your baptism you renounced : set your hearts to the message which we bring you . allow it your manlike sober thoughts ; search the scriptures , and see whether the things which we speak be so or no. we offer you nothing but what we have resolvedly c●●●en our selves : and that after the most serious d●●●ation that we can make . we have many a tim● looked round about us , to know what is the happiness of man : and had we found better for our selves , we had offered better to you . if the world would have served our turns , it should have served yours also ; and we would not have troubled you with the talk of another world ; but it will not ; i am sure it will not serve your turns , to make you happy , nor shall you long make that sorry self-deceiving shift with it as now you do . but if you will not think of these things ; if you will not use the reason of men , alas what can we do to save your souls ? o pity them lord , that they may pity themselves . have mercy on them , that they may have some more mercy on themselves . help them that they may help themselves and us . if you still r●fuse , will not your loss be more than ours : if we lose our labour ( which to our selves we shall not ; ) if we lose our hopes of your salvation : what is this to your everlasting loss of salvation it self ? and what is our suffering for your sakes , in comparison of your endless sufferings . but , o , this is it that breaketh our hearts , that we leave you under more guilt than we found you ; and when we have laid out life and labour to save you , the impenitent souls must have their pains increased , for the refusing of these calls . and that it will be part of your hell , to think for ever how madly you refused our counsel , and what pains and cost and patience were used to have saved you , and all in vain . it will be so : it must needs be so : christ saith it shall be easier for sodom and gomorrah in the day of judgment than for the rejectors of his gospel-calls . the nature of the thing , and the nature of justice certainly tell you , that it must be so . o turn not our complaints to god against you : turn us not from beseeching you to be reconciled to god , to tell him you will not be reconciled . force us not to say , that we earnestly invited you to the heavenly feast , and you would not come . force us not to bear this witness against you , lord , we could have born all our labour and sufferings for them , much easilier , if they would but have yielded to thy grace . but it was they themselves that broke our hearts , that lost our labour , that made us preach and intreat in vain : it was easier to preach without maintenance , than without success . it was they that were worse to us than all the persecutors in the world. how oft would we have gathered them , but they would not , but are ungathered still ? how many holy , faithful ministers have i known these eleven years last past , who have lived in pining poverty and want , and hardly by charity got bread and clothing ; and yet if they could but have truly said [ lord the sermons , which i preach privately and in danger , have won many souls to thee ] it would have made all this burden easie . but i tell thee sensless and impenitent sinner , thou that deniedst god thy heart , and thou that deniedst them thy conversion , which was the end of all their labours hast dealt much more cruelly with them , than they that denyed the levites bread. poor sinners ! i know that i am speaking all this to those that are dead in sin : but it is a death consisting with a natural life , which hath a capacity of spiritual life : or else i would no more speak to you than to a stone . and i know that you are blind in sin : but it is a blindness consisting with a reasonable faculty , which is capable of spiritual illumination : or else i would no more perswade you than i would do a beast . and i know that you are in the fetters of your own lusts : your wills , your love , your hearts are turned away from god , and strongly bewitched with the dreams and dalliances with the flesh and world : but your wills are not forced to this captivity : surely those wills may be changed by gods grace , when you clearly see sufficient reason for to change them : else i would as soon preach ( were i capable ) to devils and damned souls . your case is not yet desperate , o make it not desperate : there is just the same hope of your salvation as there is of your conversion and perseverance , and no more . without it there is no hope : and with it you are safe , and have no cause to doubt and fear . heaven may be yet yours if you will. nothing but your own wills , refusing christ and a holy life , can keep you out . and shall that do it ? shall hell be your own choice ? and will you , i say will you not be saved . o think better what you do ! gods terms are reasonable : his word and ways are good and equal : christ's yoke is easie and his burden light , and his commandments are not grievous to any , but so far as blindness and a bad and backward heart doth make them so . you have no true reason to be unwilling : god and conscience shall one● day tell you and all the world that you had no reason for it . you may as wisely pretend reason to cut your throats , to torment your selves , as plead reason against a true conversion unto god. were i perswading you not to kill your selves , i would make no question , but you would be perswaded . and yet must i be hopeless when i perswade you from everlasting misery , and not to prefer the world and flesh before your saviour and your god , and before a sure everlasting joy ? god forbid ! reader , i take it for a great mercy of god , that before my head lyeth down in the duct , and i go to give up my account unto my iudge , i have this opportunity once more , earnestly to bespeak thee for thy own salvation . i beg it of thee , as one that must shortly be called away , and speak to thee no more , till we come unto our endless state , that thou wouldst but sometimes retire into thy self , and use the reason of a man , and look before thee whither thou art going ; and look behind thee how thou hast lived , and what thou hast been doing in the world till now ; and look within thee , what a case thy soul is in , and whether it be ready to enter upon eternity , and look above thee what a heaven of glory thou dost neglect , and what a god thou hast to be thine everlasting friend or enemy , as thou choosest and as thou livest , and that thou art always in his sight : yea and look below thee , and think where they are , that died unconverted . and when thou hast soberly thought of all these things , then do as god and true reason shall direct thee . and is this an unreasonable request ? i appeal to god , and to all wise men , and to thy own conscience when it shall be awakened . if i speak against thee , or if all this be not for thy good , or if it be not true and sure , then regard not what i say : if i speak not that message which god hath commanded his ministers to speak , then let it be refused as contemptuously as thou wilt . but if i do but in christs name and stead , beseech thee to be reconciled to god , 2 cor. 5. 19 , 20. refuse it at thy peril : and if gods beseeching thee shall not prevail against thy sloath , thy lust , thy appetite , against the desires of thy flesh , against the dust and shadows of the world , remember it when with fruitless cries and horrour , thou art beseeching him too late . i know , poor sinner , that flesh is bruitish , and lust and appetite have no reason : but i know that thou hast reason thy self which was given thee to over-rule them ; and that he that will not be a man cannot be a saint , nor a happy man. i know that thou livest in a tempting and a wicked world , where things or persons will be daily hindering this . but i know that this is no more to a man , that by faith seeth heaven and hell before him , than a grain of sand is to a kingdom , or a blast of wind , to one that is fighting or flying for his life , luke 12. 4. o man ! that thou didst but know the difference between that which the devil and sin will give thee , if thou wilt sell thy soul and heaven , and that which god hath promised and sworn to give thee , if thou wilt heartily give up thy self to him . i know that thou maist possibly fall into company ( at least among some sots and drunkards ) that will tell thee , all this is but troublesome preciseness , and making more ado than needs : but i know withal what that man deserveth , who will believe a fool before his maker : ( for he can be no better than a miserable fool , that will contradict and revile the word of god , even the word of grace that would save mens souls . ) and , alas , it is possible thou maist hear some of the tribe of levi , ( or rather of cain , ) deriding this serious godliness as meer hypocrisie , and fanaticism , and self-conceitedness : as if you must be no better than the devils slaves , lest you be proud in thinking that you are better than they ; that is , you must go with them to hell , lest in heaven you be proud hypocrites for thinking your selves happier than they . it may be they will tell you , that this talk of conversion is fitter for pagans and infidels to hear , than christians and protestants . because such mens big looks or coats may make the poyson the easilier taken down , i will intreat thee but as before god to answer these following questions , or to get them answered , and then judge whether it be they or we that would deceive thee ? and whether as men use to talk against learning that have none themselves , so such men prate not against conversion and the spirit of god , because they have no such thing themselves ? quest. 1. i pray ask these men , whether it be a puritan or fanatick opinion that men must dye ? and what all the pomp , and wealth , and pleasure of the world will signifie to a departing soul ? ask them whether they will live on earth for ever , and their merry hours , and lordly looks will have no end ? and whether it be but the conceit of hypocrites and schismaticks , that their carcases must be rotting in a dark-some grave ? quest. 2. ask them whether man have not an immortal soul , and a longer life to live when this is ended ? luke 12. 41. quest. 3. ask them whether reason require not every man , to think more seriously of the place or state where he must be for ever , than of that where he must be for a little while , and from whence he is posting day and night . and whether it be not wiser to lay up our treasure where we must stay , than where we must not stay , but daily look to be called away and never more to be seen on earth ? mat. 6. 19 , 20. 2 cor. 4. 16 , 17 , 18. and 5. 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 8. quest. 4. ask them whether god should not be loved with all our heart , and soul , and might ? mat. 22. 27. and whether it be not the mark of an ungodly miscreant , to be a lover of pleasure more than god , 2 tim. 3. 4. and a lover of this world above him ? 1 joh. 2. 15 , 16. and whether we must not seek first gods kingdom and his righteousness , mat. 6. 33. and labour most for the meat that never perisheth , ioh. 6. 27. and strive to enter in at the strait gate , luke 13. 24. and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure ? 2 pet. 1. 10. quest. 5. ask them whether without . holiness any shall see god ? heb. 12. 14 mat. 5. 8. tit. 2. 14. and whether the carnal mind is not enmity to god , and to be carnally minded is not death , and to be spiritually minded , life and peace ? and whether if you live after the flesh you shall not die , and be condemned ? and they shall live and be saved that walk after the spirit ? and whether any man be christs that hath not his spirit . rom. 8. 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 13. quest. 6. ask them whether any man have a treasure in heaven , whose heart is not there ? mat. 6. 21. and whether this be not the difference between the wicked and the godly , that the first do make their bellies their gods , and mind earthly things , and are enemies to the cross of christ ( though perhaps not his name● ) and the latter have their conversation in heaven , and being risen with christ do seek and set their affections on things above , and not on the things that are on earth , to which they are as dead , and their life is hid ( or out of sight , ) with christ in god , till christ appear , and then they shall appear , ( eve● openly to all the world ) with him in glory . phil. 3. 18 , 19 , 20. col. 4. 1 , 2 , 3● 4. 5. quest. 7. ask them whether it be cre●●ble or suitable to gods word or workings● that he that will not give th●m the fruits of the earth without their labour , nor feed and cloath them without themselves ; will yet bring them to heaven without any care , desire , or labour of their own ? when he hath bid him● care not for th● one , and called for their greatest diligence for the other , mat. 6. 25. 33. joh. 6● 27. yea , ask them whether these be not the two first articles of all faith and religion , 1. that god is ; 2. that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him , heb. 11. 6. quest. 8. ask them , yea ask your eyes , your ears , your daily experience in the world , whether all or most that call themselves christians , do in good sadness thus live to god in the spirit , and mortifie the flesh with its affections and iusts , and seek first gods kingdom and righteousness , and love him above all , and lay up treasure and heart in heaven ? or rather whether most be not lovers of the world , and lovers of pleasure more than god , and live not after the flesh , and mind not most the things of the flesh ? i mention not now the drunkards , the flesh pleasing gentlemen , that live in pride , fulness and idleness , and sport , and play away their precious time ; nor the filthy fornicator nor the merciless oppressors● nor the malignant haters of a godly life , nor the perjured and perfidious betrayers of mens souls and of the gospel or their countries good ; nor such other men of seared conscience , whose misery none questioneth , but such as are as blind and miserable . it 's not these only i am speaking of ; but the common , worldly , fleshly and ungodly ones . quest. 9. ask them whether the name of a christian will save any of these ungodly persons ? and whether god will like men the better for lying and calling themselves christians when they are none indeed ? and whether they dare preach to the people that a christian drunkard , or a christian fornicator , or oppressor , or a christian worldling , needeth no conversion ? quest. 10. ask them whether they say not themselves that hypocrisie is a great aggravation of all other sin ? and whether god hath not made the hypocrites and unbelievers to be the standards in hell ? luke 25. 51. and whether seeking to abuse god by a mock religion , do make such false christians better than the poor heathens and infidels , or much worse ? and whether he be not an hypocrite that professeth to be a christian , and a servant of god , when he is none , nor will be ? and whether he that knoweth his masters will and doth it not , shall not have the sorest stripes , or punishment . luke 12. 47. quest. 11 , ask them whether in their baptism ( which is their christening , as a covenant , ) they did not renounce the flesh , the world , and the devil , and vow and deliver up themselves to god , their father , their saviour and their sanctifier ? and whether all or most men perform this vow ? and whether a perjured covenant-breaker against god , is fitter for salvation , than one that never was baptized . quest. 12. ask them whether the holy nature of god be not so contrary to sin , as that it is blasphemy to say that he will take into heav●n , and into the bosom of his eternal delights , any unholy unrenewed soul , 1 pet. 1. 15 , 16. quest. 13. ask them why it was that christ came into the world ? whether it was not to save his people from their sins , mat. 1. 21. and to destroy the works of the devil , 1 joh. 3. 8. and to purifie to himself , a peculiar people zealous of good works , tit. 2. 14. and to bring home straying souls to god , luk. 15. and to be the way to the father , john 14. 6. and whether christ save that soul that is not converted by him and saved from his sins ? or whether it be the dead image only of a crucified jesus , that is all their saviour , while they will have no more of him ? quest. 14. ask them why they believe , and were baptized into the holy ghost , and whether a man can enter into the kingdom of heaven , that is not born of the spirit as well as of water , joh. 3. 3 , 5 , 6. and that is not converted , and begins not the world as it were anew , in a teachable , tractable newness of life , like a little child ? mat. 18. 3. and whether it be not a certain truth ; that , if any man have not the spirit of christ the same is none of his , rom. 8. 9. quest. 15. ask them why christ gave the world so many warnings of the damnableness of the pharisees hypocrisie ; if hypocritical christians may be saved . and what were these pharisees ? they were the masters of the iewish church ? the rabbies that must have high places , high titles , and ceremonies , formal garments , and must be reverenced of all : that gave god lip-service without the heart , and made void his commands , and worshipped him in vain , teaching for doctrines the commandments of men , and strictly ●●the mint & cummin , while love mercy , and iustice were past by ? who worshipped god with abundance of ceremonies and built the tombs , and garnished the sepulchers of the saints ; while they killed and persecuted those that did imitate them , and hated the living saints , and honoured the dead . they were the bitterest enemies and murderers of christ , on pretence that he was a blasphemer , and a seditious enemy to caesar and the common peace , and one that spake against the temple : they were the greatest enemies of the apostles . and silencers of those that preached christs gospel , and persecuted them that called on his name . and had these no need of conversion , because they could say , god is our father ( when the devil was their father , joh. 8. 44. ) and that they were abraham's seed ? and are not hypocritical christians , drunken christians , fornicating christians , carnal , worldly , infidel-christians , ( the contradiction is your own ) persecuting christians , false-named hypocritical christians , as bad , yea worse , as they abuse a more excellent profession ? mat. 15. 7 , 8. and 23. and 22. 18. and 6. 2. &c. luke 12. 1. quest. 16. doth not the holy state of heaven require holiness in all that shall possess it ? can an unholy soul there see and love and praise and delight in god for ever , and in the holy society and employment of the saints ? rev. 21. 27. is he not liker a mehometan than a christian , that looketh for a sensual and unholy heaven ? quest. 17. what is the difference between the church and the world ? is not the church a holy society of regenerate souls ? yea the church visible , is only those that in baptism vow holiness and profess it . look those hypocrites in the face and see whether they do not blush , when they repeat in the creed , i believe in the holy ghost , i believe in the holy catholick church , and the communion of saints , who shall have the forgiveness of sins , and live ever-lasting . ask them whether they mean , holy adulterers , holy worldlings , holy perjured persons ? ask them whether they mean a communion of saints in a tavern , in a play-house , in a gaming-house , in a whore-house ●or a jesting , canting stage-play communion ? if the church be holy , be holy if you will be of the church : if it be a communion of saints , make it not a communion of swine , and make not saints and their communion seem odious either for their infirmities , or their crossness to your carnal interests or conceits . quest. 18. ask them whether there be a heaven and a hell , or not ? if not , why are they pretended christians ? if there be , will god send one man to heaven , and another to hell , to so vast , so amazing a difference of states , if there be no great difference between them here ? if holiness no more differenced christians from others , than saying a sermon , or saying over a prayer , doth difference one from an infidel , where were the justice of god in saving some and damning others ? and what were christianity better than the religion of antonine , plato , socrates , seneca , cicero , plutarch , if not much worse ? go into london streets , and when you have talkt with living prudent men , then go to the painters shop and see a comely picture , and to the looking-glass and see the appearances of each passenger in a glass , and to the periwig-shops , and set a wodden-head with a periwig upon the bulk , and you have seen somewhat like the difference of a holy soul , and of a dead and dressed formal hypocrite , psal. 23. 27. quest. 19. ask them whether kings and all men make not a great difference between man and man ; the loyal and perfidious , the obedient and the disobedient ? and whether they difference not themselves between a friend and a soe , one that loveth them , and one that robbeth , beateth , or would kill them . and shall not the most holy god more difference between the righteous and the wicked ? mal. 3. 17 , 18. quest. 20. but if they are deaed in every point save carnal interests , ask them why they are preachers or priests ? and if conversion and holiness be a needless thing , what use they themselves are of ? and why the country must be troubled with them , and pay them tythes , and owe them reverence ? when these twenty questions are well answered , conclude that you may be saved without conversion . but if poor soul , thou art fully convinced , and askest , what should i do to be converted ? the lord make thee willing and save thee from hypocrisie and i will quickly tell thee in a few words . 1. give not over sober thinking of these things , till thy heart be changed , psal. 119. 59. 2. come to christ , and take him for thy saviour , thy teacher , thy king , and he will pardon all that 's past and save thee , joh. 1. 12. and 3. 16. and 5. 40. 1 joh. 5. 11 , 12. 3. believe gods love , and the pardon of sin , and the everlasting joys of heaven , that thou maiest feel that all the pleasures of the world and flesh , are dung in comparison of the heavenly delights , of faith and hope , and holy love , and peace of conscience and sincere obedience . 4. sin no more wilfully , but forbear that which thou maist forbear , isa. 55. 7. 5. away from temptations , occasions of sin and evil company , and be a companion of the humble , holy , heavenly , and sincere , psal. 119. 115 , 63. 6. wait on gods spirit in the diligent , constant use of his own means , read , hear , meditate , pray : pray hard for that grace that must convert thee : wait thus , and thou shalt not wait in vain , psal. 25. and 37. 34. and 69. 6. pity o lord and perswade these souls : let not christs blood , his doctrine , his example , his spirit , be lost unto them , and they lost for ever . let not heaven be as no heaven to them , while they dream and dote on the shadows in this world . and o save this land from the greater dectruction , than all our late plagues , and flames , and divisions , which our sins and thy threatnings , make us f●ar . o lord in thee have we trusted , let us never be confounded . having thus contributed my endeavour in this preface to the furtherance of the design of this excellent book . i must tell thee , reader , that i take it for an honour to commend so masculine a birth unto the world : the midwife of alexander or aristotle need not be ashamed of her office . who the author of this treatise was , how h● preached , how he lived , how he suffered ( and for what ) and how he died , his life and letters lately printed fully tell you : and i earnestly commend the reading of them to all , but especially to ministers , not to tell them what men have been here forbidden to preach christs gospel , and for what , nor what men they are that so many years have done it : but to tell you what men christ's ministers should be : but say not he kill'd himself with excessive labour , and therefore i will take warning , and take my ease . for , 1. he lived in perfect health all his days , notwithstanding his labours , till after his hard and long imprisonment . 2. it was not the greatest labours of his times of liberty that hurt him , but his preaching 6 or 7 or 8 times a weak after that he was silenced , because he could not speak to all his people at once . o make not an ill use of so excellent an example . say not like judas , what needs this waste ? his labour , his life , his sufferings , his death were not in vain . the ages to come that read his life , and read this little popular treatise , and his call to archippus shall say , they were not in vain . and though he was cut off in the midst of his age , and his longer labours , and more elaborate writings thus prevented , take thank fully this small but methodical , warm , and serious tractate : read it seriously , and it cannot be but it must do thee good . i am one that have lookt into books and sciences , and speculations of many sorts , and seriously tell thee as a dying man , that after all my searches and experience , i have found that philosophical enquiries into the divine artifices and the nature of things , hath among a greater number of uncertainties , a great many pretty pleasant probabilities , which a holy soul can make good use of in admiring god , and may find us a lawful kind of sport ; but in the moralities which atheists count uncertainties , the knowledge of god , and our duty , and our hopes , the doctrine and practice of holiness , temperance , and charity , and justice , and the diligent seeking and joyful hopes of life everlasting , is all the true wisdom , the goodness , the rest and comfort of a soul : whatever be our plea , this is the satisfying certainty , the business , and the beautifying improvement of our lives . i have done , when i have sought to remove a little scandal , which i foresaw ; that i should my self write the preface to his life , where himself and two of his friends make such a mention of my name , which i cannot own ; which will seem a praising him for praising me . i confess it looketh ill favouredly in me : but i had not the power of other mens writings , and durst not therefore forbear that which was his due . had i directed their pens they should have gone a middle way , and only esteemed me [ a very unworthy servant of christ , who yet longs to see the peace and prosperity of his church ] and should have forborn their undeserved praise , as other men should have done their slanderous libels . but if the reader get no harm by it , i assure him the use i made of it was , to lament that i am really so much worse than they esteemed me ; and fear lest i should prove yet worse than i discern my self , who see so much sin and weakness , in my betters , and much more in my self , as to make it the constant sentiment of my soul , that pride of mens greatness , wisdom , and goodness , is the first part of the devils image on mans soul , and darkness is the second , and malignity the third . richard baxter . reader , how well were it if there were no more unconverted ones among us , than those to whom this is directed ? unconverted persons how many are there , but how few unconverted readers especially of such books as this before thee ? a play or a romance better suits the lusts , and therefore must have more of the eye of such ; what will cherish the evil heart is only grateful , not what will change it . how many are there to whom this is directed , who will not know , that they are the men ? and how little hope is there that this excellent treatise should reach its end , with those who apprehend not themselves concern'd in it ? art not thou one of them ? art thou a convert , or art thou yet in thy sins ? what is sin ? what is conversion ? it may be , thou canst tell me neither , and yet a convert thou sayst thou art . but to what purpose is it then like to be , for the servant of god to treat with thee about this matter ? let him bid thee believe , thou art a believer already ; let him bid thee repent and turn to the lord , that work thou sayst is not now to do . what can there be said to this man , that 's like to b●ing him to good ? friend , know thy self better , or thou perishest without remedy . thou maist pray , but what hope is there in thy praying ? thou maist read , but what hope is there in thy reading . yet read on , this little hope there is ; in this book there 's eye-salve that may heal thee of thy blindness . in this book there is a glass that will shew thee thy face . dost thou know thine own face when thou seest it ? behold thy very image in those marks that are given of an unconverted person ; read and consider them , and then say , if thou be not the man. be willing to know thy self , and to know the worst of thy case ? wink not at the light , hide not thy self from thine own soul. wilt thou never know thy disease , till it be past remedy . much of our hardest work would be over , if we could see the sinners to whom we are sent , to be convinced sinners . if we could but open the blind eyes , there were hope we should shortly raise the dead . sinner , of a truth , thou art in evil case whether thou know it or not ; thou art among the dead , and there is but a step betwixt thee and hell. thou wilt not believe it though it be told thee , yet once again let me beseech thee , come to the glass that is here presented to thee , and narrowly observe whether the very marks of the dead be not found upon thee . if there be a miscarriage in this first work , if thou wilt not understand thy misery and thy danger , there 's an end of all hopes concerning thee . whilst self-ignorance abides upon thee , all the counsels , that are necessary to a man in thy case , will do thee no good ; they are never like to prosper with thee , because thou wilt not count them proper for thee . who will be perswaded to do that , which he believes is already done ? who will take the counsel of the physitian that does not think himself sick ? the man of god may spare his pains of perswading thee to conversion , whilst thou art confident thou art converted already . who will be at the pains of repentance that concludes he hath repented ? who will bear the labour and the pangs of the new birth that is confident he is already passed from death to life ? but friend , let me a little reason with thee ; thou art confident it is well with thee , yet why wilt thou not yield to thus much at least , to put it to the question , am i not mistaken ? thou art worse than mad , if thou thinkest such a question may not be put . dost thou know that thy heart is false and deceitful , and yet because it speaks good concerning thee , must it not be questioned whether it speak truth or no ? be so wise as to conclude i may be mistaken , and thus come to the trial whether thou art mistaken or not . and if upon trial by the marks that are before thee , thou come to be undeceived , and see thy self wrapped up in that misery which hitherto thou wouldst not suspect , the next news i expect to hear from thee is , what must i do to be saved ? o were it come to that once ! then thou hast an answer at hand in those means thou wilt find prescribed thee : and because they are such as thou wilt hardly be perswaded to use , take in the motives that follow , and these will help down the means . consider both the one and the other , and if thou dost not find the means proper , and the motives weighty , i think i shall do thee no wrong if i tell thee , thou art still of a blind mind , and an harder heart . friend , the matter which this little book comes to treat with thee about , is of highest importance ; 't is a matter of life or death . if thou sayest , the terms upon which life is offered , are hard ; consider , is it not harder to dye ? he is worthy to dye who will lose his soul to save his labour . if thou couldest step down into the deep , and take a turn or two with those damned souls , who are drench'd with fire and brimstone , and bound in everlasting chains of vengeance , and should ask them , now what do you think of the terms upon which life was offered ? now what think you of that repentance , of that obedience , of that circumspection , self-denyal , and the greatest severity which by the gospel were imposed upon you ? if you might once again have the same terms granted you for your redemption from this place of torment , would you yet say , hard terms ! let me rather dye this death for ever , than live such a life ! let me broil in this furnace , rather than escape with such difficulty ! shouldst thou ask them thus that have felt what 't is to be damned , what answer dost thou think they would make ? o friend , never again groan under the difficulties of conversion , till thou believe them to be worse than hell. but i will not farther anticipate my worthy author . nor is there much need i should commend either himself or his works ; for the author himself , thou maist at a small charge get ●●quaintance with him in that history of his life and death , which is extant ; concerning which i shall only say , sic mihi contingat vivere sicque mori . and for this work of his , what commendation i shall give of it , would be needed no longer than till thou hast read it over . thou wilt find such wine in it as needs no bush. this only i shall say , as far as my credit will go , it is exceedingly well worth thy most serious perusal . o maist thou hear that voice , ( such a voice from heaven there is whether thou hear it or no ) tolle & lege , take up and read . read friend , and read over again . read and understand , understand and pray , pray and consider , and consent unto him , who by the pen of his servant calls to thee from heaven , why wilt thou die ? turn and live . o suffer this word of instruction and exhortation , to open thy blind eyes , to turn thee from darkness to light , from the power of satan unto god , that thou maist receive forgiveness of sins , and an inheritance among them that are sanctified . et cum tal●s fueris memento mei . when it is thus with thee , then pray for the friend and servant of thy soul , richard alleine . mr. joseph alleine's call to the unconverted . dearly beloved , and longed for , i gladly acknowledge my self a debtor to you all , and am concerned , as i would be found a good steward to the houshold of god , to give to every one his portion . but the physician is most solicitous for those patients , whose case is most doubtful and hazardous , and the fathers bowels are especially turned towards his dying child . the numbers of the unconverted souls among you , call for my most earnest compassions , and hasty diligence to pluck them out of the burning , iud. 23. and therefore to these first i shall apply my self in these lines . but whence shall i fetch my arguments , or how shall i choose my words ? lord , wherewith shall i wooe them ? whereby shall i win them ? oh that i could but tell ! i would write unto them in tears , i would weep out every argument , i would empty my veins for ink , i would petition them on my knees ; verily ( were i able ) i would , ( o how thankfully i would ! ) if they would be prevailed with to repent and turn . how long have i travelled in birth with you ? how frequently have i made suit to you ? how often would i have gathered you ? how instant have i been with you ? this is that i have prayed for , and studied for , for many years , that i might bring you to god : o that i might but do it ! will you yet be intreated ? o what a happy man might you make me , if you would but hearken to me , and suffer me to carry you over to jesus christ. but , lord , how insufficient am i for this work ! i have been many a year woing for thee , but the damsel would not go with me . lord , what a task hast thou set me to do ! alas , wherewith shall i pierce the scales of leviathan , or make the heart to feel that is hard as a stone ; hard as a piece of the nether milstone ! shall i go and lay my mouth to the grave , and look when the dead will obey me and come forth ? shall i make an oration to the rocks ? or declaim to the mountains , and think to move them with arguments ? shall i give the blind to see ? from the beginning of the world was it not heard that a man opened the eyes of the blind . but thou , o lord , canst pierce the scales , and prick the heart of the sinner . i can but shoot at rovers and draw the ●ow at a venture , and do thou direct the arrow between the joynts of the harness , and kill the sin , and save the soul of the sinner , that casts hi● eyes into these labours . but i must apply my self to you , to whom i am sent : yet i am at a great loss . would to god i knew how to go to work with you ! would i stick at the pains ? god knoweth , you your selves are my witnesses , how i have followed you in private , as well as in publick , and have brought the gospel to your doors , testifying to you the necessity of the new birth , and perswading you to look in time after a sound and through change . beloved , i have not acted a part among you , to serve my own advantage ; our gospel is not yea , and nay . have not you heard the same truths , from the pulpit , by publick labours , and by private letters , by personal instructions ? brethren , i am of the same mind as ever , that holiness is the best choice , that there is no entring into heaven , but by the straight passages of the second birth : that without holiness you shall never see god , heb. 12. 14. ah my beloved ! refresh my bowels in the lord. if there be any consolation in christ , any comfort of love , any fellowship of the spirit , any bowels and mercies , fulfil you my joy . now give your selves unto the lord : 2 cor. 8. 5. now set your faces to seek him . now set up the lord jesus in your hearts , and set him up in your houses . now come in and kiss the son , psal. 2. 12. and embrace the tenders of his mercy . touch his scepter , and live : why will you die ? i beg not for my self ; but fain i would have you happy : this is the prize i run for , and the white i aim at● my souls desire and prayer for you is , that you may be saved , rom. 10. 1. the famous lycurgus , having instituted most strict and whole●●m l●ws for his people , told them he was necessitated to go a journey from them , and got them to bind themselves in an oath , that his laws should be observed , till his return . this done , he went into a voluntary banishment , and never returned more , that they might , by vertue of their oath , be engaged to the perpetual observing of his laws . methinks i should be glad of the hard conditions which he endured ( though i love you tenderly ) so i might but hereby engage you througly to the lord jesus christ dearly beloved , would you rejoyce the heart of your minister ? why then , embrace the counsels of the lord by me : forgo your sins : set to prayer : up with the worship of god in your families : keep at a distance from the corruptions of the times . what greater joy to a minister , than to hear of souls born unto christ by him , and that his children walk in the truth ? 2 iohn 4. brethren , i beseech you suffer a friendly plainness and freedom with you in your deepest concernments . i am not playing the orator , to make a learned speech to you , nor dressing my dish with eloquence , wherewith to please you . these lines are upon a weighty errand indeed , viz. to convince , and convert , and save you . i am not baiting my hook with rhetorick , nor fishing for your applause , b●t for your souls . my work is not to please you , but to save you ; nor is my business with your fancies , but your hearts . if i have not your hearts , i have nothing . if i were to please your ears , i could sing another song . if i were to preach my self , i would steer another course ; i could then tell you a smoother tale : i would make you pillows , and speak you peace ; for how can ahab love this micaiah , that always prophesies ●vil concerning him ? 1 kings 22. 8. but how much better are the woun●s of a friend , than the fair speeches of the ha●lot , who flattereth with her lips , till the dart strike through the liver , and hunteth for the precious life ? prov. 7. 21 , 22 , 23. and prov. 6. 26. if i were to quiet a crying infant , i might sing him to a pleasant mood , or rock him asleep : but when the child is fallen into the fire , the parent takes another course ; he will not now go to still him with a song or trifle . i know , if we speed not with you , you are lost : if we cannot get your consent to arise , and come away , you perish for ever . no conversion , and no salvation : i must get your good will , or leave you miserable . but here the difficulty of my work again recurs upon me . lord choose my stones out of the rock . 1 sam. 17. 40 , 45. i come in the name of the lord of hosts , the god of the armies of israel . i come forth like the stripling against goliah , to wrestle not with flesh and blood , but with principalities and powers , and the rulers of the darkness of this world. eph. 6. 12. this day let the lord smite the philistine , and spoil the strong man of his armour , and give me to fetch off the captives out of his hand . lord choose my words , choose my weapons for me , and when i put my hand into the bag , and take thence a stone , and sling it , do thou carry it to the mark and make it sink , not into the forehead , 1 sam. 17. 40. but the heart of the unconverted sinner , and smite him to the ground , with saul in his so happy fall , acts 9. 4. thou hast sent me , as abraham did eliezer , to take a wife unto my master thy son . gen. 24. 4. but my discouraged soul is ready to fear , the woman will not be willing to follow me . o lord god of my master , i pray thee send me good speed this day , and shew kindness to my master , and send thine angel before me and prosper my way , that i may take a wife unto thy son , gen. 24. 12. that as the servant rested not , till he had brought isaac and rebeckah together , so i may be succesful to bring christ and the souls of my people together , before we part but i turn me unto you . some of you do not know what i mean by conversion , and in vain shall i perswade you to that which you do not understand ; and therefore for your sakes , i shall shew what this conversion is . others do cherish secret hopes of mercy , though they continue as they be ; and for them i must shew the necessity of conversion . others are like to harden themselves with a vain conceit , that they are converted already ; unto them i must shew the marks of the vnconverted . others , because they feel no harm , fear none , and so sleep upon the top of the mast ; to them i shall shew the misery of the unconverted . others sit still , because they see not their way out ; to them i shall shew the means of conversion . and finally for the quickening of all , i shall close with the motives of conversion . chap. i. shewing the negative , what conversion is not , and correcting some mistakes about it . let the blind samaritans worship they know not what , ioh. 4. 22. let the heathen athenians superscribe their altar to the unknown god , acts 17. 23. let the guileful papists commend the mother of destruction , hos. 4. 6. for the mother of devotion : they that know mans constitution , and the nature of the reasonable souls operation , cannot but know , that the understanding having the empire in the soul , he that will go rationally to work , must labour to let in the light here . ignorantis non est consensus . and therefore that you may not mistake me , i shall shew you what i mean by the conversion i perswade you to endeavour after . it is storied , that when iupiter let down the golden chaplets from heaven , all of them but one were stolen : whereupon ( lest they should lose a relique of so great esteem ) they made five others so like it , that if any were so wickedly minded , as to steal that also , they should not be able to discern which was it . and truly my beloved the devil hath made many counterfeits of this conversion , and cheats one with this , and another with that ; and such a craft and artifice he hath , in this mystery of deceits , that ( if it were possible ) he would deceive the very elect. now that i may cure the damnable mistakes of some , who think they are converted when they are not ; as well as remove the troubles , and fears of others , that think they are not converted , when they are ; i shall shew you the nature of conversion , both negatively , or what it is not ; and positively , what it is . we will begin with the negative . 1. it is not the taking on us the profession of christianity . doubtless christianity is more than a name . if we will hear paul , it lies not in word , but in power , 1 cor. 4. 20. if to cease to be jews and pagans , and to put on the christian profession had been true conversion , ( as this is all , that some would have to be understood by it ) who better christians than they of sardis and laodicea ? these were all christians by profession , and had a name to live , but because they had but a name , are condemned by christ , and threatned to be spewed out , rev. 3. 1 , 16. are there not many that name the name of the lord jesus , that yet depart not from iniquity ? 2 tim. 2. 19. and profess they know god , but in works deny him ? tim. 1. 16. and will god receive these for true converts , because turned to the christian religion ? what , converts from sin , when yet they do live in sin ! 't is a visible contradiction . surely if the lamp of profession would have served the turn , the foolish virgins had never been shut out , mat. 25. 3 , 12. we find not only professors but preachers of christ , and wonder-workers turned off , because evil workers , mat. 7. 22. 23. 2. it is not the being washed in the laver of regeneration , or putting on the badge of christ in baptism . many take the press-money , and wear the livery of christ , that yet never stand to their colours , nor follow their leader . ananias and saphira , and magus were baptized as well as the rest . how fondly do many mistake here , deceiving , and being deceived ! dreaming , that effectual grace is necessarily tied to the external administration of baptsim , ( which what is it , but to revive the popish ●enent , of the sacraments working grace , ex opere operato ? ) and so every infant should be regenerated , not only ( sacramento tenens ) sacramentally , but really and properly . hence men do fancy , that being regenerated already , when baptized , they need no further work . but if this were so , then all that were baptized ( in their infancy ) must necessarily be saved : because the promise of pardon and salvation is made to conversion and regeneration . acts 3. 19. 1 pet. 1. 3 , 4. mat. 19. 28. our calling , sanctification , ( as to the beginnings of it ) or conversion ( which are but the same thing , under different conceptions and expressions ; ) is but a middle link in the golden chain , fastned to election at the one end , and glorification at the other , rom. 8. 30. 2 thes. 2. 13. 1 pet. 1. 2. the silver cord may not be broken , nor the connexion between sanctification and salvation , between grace and glory , impiously violated , mat. 5. 8. if we are indeed begotten again , it is to an inheritance incorruptible reserved in heaven for us , and the divine power is ingaged to keep us for it , 1 pet. 1. 5. and if the very regenerate may perish at last in their sins . we will no more say , that he that is born of god , his seed remaineth in him , and that he cannot sin , 1 ioh. 3 9. i.e. unto death , now that it is impossible to deceive the very elect , mat. 24. 24. and indeed were this true , then we need look no farther to see our names written in heaven , than only to search the register , and see whether we were baptized : then i would keep the certificate of my baptism , as my fairest evidence for heaven , and should come by assurance of my gracious state , with a wet finger : then men should do well to carry but a certificate of their baptism under the registers hand , when they dyed ( as the philosopher would be buried with the bishops bond in his hand , which he had given him for the receiving his alms in another world : ) and upon sight of this , there were no doubt of their admission into heaven . in short , if there be no more necessary to conversion or regeneration , than to be turned to the christian religion , or to be baptized in infancy , this will flie directly in the face of that scripture , mat. 7. 14. as well as multitudes of others . for first , we will then no more say , strait is the gate and narrow is the way : for if all that are baptized , and of the true religion , are saved , the door is become heavenly wide , and we will henceforth say , wide is the gate , and broad is the way , that leadeth unto life ; for if this be true , whole parishes , yea whole countries , and whole kingdoms may go in a breast , and we will no more teach , that the righteous is scarcely saved , or that there is need of such a stir in taking the kingdom of heaven by violence and striving to enter in . surely if the way be so easie as many make it , that there is little more necessary , than to be regenerated in our baptism , and cry god mercy , and be absolved by the minister at our end , 't is more ado than needs , to put our selves to such running , and seeking , and knocking , and fighting , and wrestling , as the word requires , as necessary to salvation . secondly , if this be true , we will no more say , few there be that find it : yea we will rather say , few there be that miss it : we will no more say , that of the many that are called , but few are chosen mat. 22. 14. and that even of the professing israel , but a remnant shall be saved , rom. 11. 5. if this doctrine be true , we will not say any more with the disciples , who then shall be saved ? but rather who then shall not be saved ? then if a man be called a brother ( that is , a christian ) and be baptized , though he be a fornicator , or a railer , or covetous , or a drunkard , yet he shall inherit the kingdom of god , 1 cor. 5. 11. 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. but the arminian will reply ; such as these though they did receive regenerating grace in baptism , are since fallen away , and must be renewed again , or else they cannot be saved . i answer , 1. that there is an infallible connexion between regeneration and salvation , as we have already shewed , and i itch to be farther evidencing , but that 't is against designed brevity . 2. then men must be again born again , which carries a great deal of absurdity in its very face . and why may not men be twice born in nature , as well as in grace ? why not as great an absurdity to be twice regenerated as to be twice generated ? but 3. and above all , this grants however the thing i contend for , that whatever men do , or pretend to receive in baptism , if they be found afterwards to be grosly ignorant or prophane , or formal , without the power of godliness , they must be born again , or else be shut out of the kingdom of god. so then , they must have more to plead for themselves , than their baptismal regeneration . well , in this you see all are agreed , that be it more or less that is received in baptism , if ( when men come to years ) they are evidently unsanctified , they must be renewed again by a through and powerful change , or else they cannot escape the damnation of hell : friends and brethren be not deceived , god is not mocked ; gal. 6. 7. whether it be your baptism or what ever else that you pretend , i tell you from the living god , that if any of you be a prayerless person , iob. 15. 14. or unclean , or malicious , or covetous , or riotous , or a scoffer , or a lover of evil company , prov. 13. 20. in a word , if you are not holy , strict , and self-denying christians , heb. 12. 14. mat. 16. 24. you cannot be saved , except you be transformed by a further work upon you , and renewed again by repentance . thus i have shewed , that it is not enough to evidence a man to be regenerate , that he hath been baptized ; effectual grace not necessarily accompanying baptism , as some have vainly asserted . but i must answer one objection before i pass . obj. the sacraments do certainly attain their ends , where man doth not ponere obicem , or lay some obstruction , which infants do not . sol. i answer , it is not the end of baptism to regenerate , 1. because then there would be no reason , why it should be confined only to the seed of believers : for both the law of god , and the nature of charity , requires us to use the means of conversion for all , as far as we can have opportunity . were this true , no such charity as to catch the children of turks and heathens , and baptize them , and dispatch them to heaven out of hand ; like the bloody wretches , that made the poor protestants ( to save their lives ) to swear they would come to mass , and that they would never depart from it , and then put them forthwith to death , saying , they would hang them while in a good mind . 2. because it presupposeth regeneration , and therefore cannot be intended to confer it . in all the express instances in scripture , we find that baptism doth suppose their repenting , believing , receiving the holy ghost , acts 8. 37. acts 2. 38. acts 10. 47. mark 16. 16. and to imagine , that baptism was instituted for an end of which not one of the first subjects was capable ( for they were all adult persons and supposed to have faith and repentance according as they professed , and their children were not baptized till after them , in their right , ) were no little absurdity . were this doctrine true , baptism would make disciples , but we find it doth bespeak them such before hand , mat. 28. 19. 3. because baptism , being but a seal of the covenant , cannot convey the benefits , but according to the tenour of the covenant , to which it is set . now the covenant is conditional , therefere the seal conveys conditionally . the covenant requires faith and repentance , as the condition of the grand benefits , pardon , and life , act. 16. 31. acts 3. 19. and what the covenant doth not convey but upon these conditions , the seal cannot . so that baptism doth presuppose faith and repentance in the subject , without which it neither doth , nor can convey the saving benefits : otherwise the seal should convey contrary to the tenour of the covenant to which it is affixed . 3. it lies not in a moral righteousness . this exceeds not the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees , and therefore cannot bring us to the kingdom of god , mat. 5. 20. paul , while unconverted , was touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless , phil. 3. 6. none could say black is thine eye . the self-justiciary could say , i am no extortioner , adulterer , vnjust , &c. luke 18. 11. thou must have something more than all this to shew , or else ( however thou maist justifie thy self ) god will condemn thee . i condemn not morality , but warn you not to rest here . piety includes morality , as christianity doth humanity , and grace reason . but we must not divide the tables . 4. it consists not in an external conformity to the rules of piety . 't is too manifest , men may have a form of godliness , without the power , 2 tim. 3. 5. men may pray long , mat. 23. 14. and fast often , luke 18. 12. and hear gladly mat. 12. 20. and be very forward in the service of god , though costly and expensive , esay 1. 11. and yet be strangers to conversion . they must have more to plead for themselves , than that they keep their church , and give alms , and make use of prayer , to prove themselves sound converts . no outward service but an hypocrite may do it ; even to the giving all his goods to the poor , and his members to the fire , 1 cor. 13. 3. 5. it lies not in the chaining up of corruption , by education , humane laws , or the force of incumbent affliction . 't is too common and easie , to mistake education for grace ; but if this were enough , who a better man than iehoasb ? while iehojadah his uncle lived , he was very forward in gods service , and calls upon him to repair the house of the lord , 2 kings 12. 2 , 7. but here was nothing more than good education all this while : for when his good tutor was taken out of the way , he appears to have been but a wolf chained up ; and falls off to idolatry . 6. in short , it consists only in illumination , or conviction , in a superficial change , or partial reformation . an apostate may be a man inlightned , heb. 6. 4. and a felix tremble under convictions , acts 24. 23. and a herod amend many things , ●ar . 6. 20. 't is one thing to have sin alarm'd only by convictions , and another to have it captivated and crucified by converting grace . many , because they have been troubled in conscience for their sins , think well of their case ; miserably mistaking conviction for conversion . with these cain might have passed for a convert , who ran up and down the world , like a man distracted under the rage of a guilty conscience , till with building and business he had worn it away , gen. 4. 13 , 14. others think , that because they have given off their riotous courses , and are broken off from evil company , or some particular lust , and reduced to sobriety and civility , they are now no other than real converts ; forgetting that there is a vast difference between being sanctified , and civilized ; and that many seek to enter into the kingdom of heaven , luke 13. 24. and are not far from it , mark 12. 34. and arrive to the almost of christianity , acts 26. 28. and yet fall short at last . while conscience holds the whip over them , many will pray , hear , read , and forbear their delightful sins : but no sooner is this lyon asleep , but they are at their vomit again . who more religious than the jews , when gods hand was upon them ? psal. 78. 34 , 35. but no sooner was the affliction over , but they forgat god , and shewed their religion to be but a fit , v. 36 , 37. thou mayest have disgorged a troublesom sin , that will not sit in thy stomach , and have escaped the gross pollutions of the world , and yet not have changed thy swinish nature all the while 2 pet. 2. 20 , 22. you may cast the lead , out of the rude mass , into the more comely proportion of a plant , and then into the shape of a beast , and thence into the form and features of a man : but all the while it is but lead still . so a man may pass through divers transmutations , from ignorance to knowledge , from prophaneness to civility , thence to a form of religion , and all this while he is but carnal and unregenerate , while his nature remains unchanged . application . hear then , o sinners hear ; as you would live , so come and hear ; esay . 55. 3. why would you so wilfully deceive your selves , or build your hopes upon the sand ? i know he shall find hard work of it , that goes to pluck away your hopes . it cannot but be ungrateful to you , and truly it is not pleasing to me . i set about it , as a surgeon , when to cut off a pu●rified member from his well-beloved friend ; which of force he must do , but with an aking heart , a pitiful eye , a trembling hand . but understand me , brethren , i am only taking down the ruinous house , ( which will otherwise speedily fall of it self , and bury you in the rubbish , ) that i may build fair , and strong and firm for ever . the hope of the wicked shall perish , if god be true of his word . prov. 11. 7. and wert not thou better , o sinner , to let the word convince thee now in time , and let go thy false and self-deluding hopes , than to have death too late to open thine eyes , and find thy self in hell , before thou art awa●e ? i should be a false and faithless shepherd , if i should not tell you , that you who have built your hopes upon no better grounds , 〈◊〉 these ●orementioned , are yet in your 〈◊〉 . let your conscience speak ; what is it , that you have to plead for your selves ? is it that you wear christs livery ? that you bear his name ? that you are of the visible church ? that you have knowledge in the points of relig●●● , are civilized , perform religious duties , are just in your dealings , have been troubled in conscience for your sins ? i tell you from the lord , these pleas will never be accepted at gods bar. all this though good in it self , will not prove you converted , and so will not suffice to your salvation . oh look about you , and bethink your selves of turning speedily and soundly . set to praying and to reading , and studying your own hearts ; rest not , till god hath made through work with you : for you must be other men , or else you are lost men . but if these be short of conversion , what shall i say of the prophane sinner ? it may be , he will scarce cast his eyes , or lend his ears to this discourse : but if there be any such reading , or within hearing , he must know from the lord that made him , that he is far from the kingdom of god. may a man be civilized and not converted , where then shall the drunkard , and glutton appear ? may a man keep company with the wise virgins , and yet be shut out ? shall not a companion of fools much more be destroyed ? prov. 13. 20. may a man be true and just in his dealing , and yet not be justified of god ? what then will become of thee , o wretched man , whose conscience tells thee thou art false in thy trade , and false of thy word , and makest thine advantage by a lying tongue ? if men may be enlightned , and brought to the performance of holy duties , and yet go down to perdition , for resting in them , and sitting down on this side of conversion : what will become of you , o miserable families , that live as without god in the world ? and of you , o wretchless sinners , with whom god is scarce in all your thoughts : that are so ignorant , that you cannot , or so careless , that you will not pray ? o repent and be converted ; break off your sins by righteousness : away to christ for pardoning and renewing grace : give up your selves to him , to walk with him in holiness , or else you shall never see god. oh that you would take the warnings of god! in his name i once more admonish you . turn you at my reproof . prov. 1. 2. 3. forsake the foolish and live , prov. 9. 6. be sober , righteous , godly . tit. 2. 12. wash your hands you sinners , purifie your hearts ye double minded . iames 4. 8. cease to do evil , learn to do well , esay . 1. 16 , 17. but if you will on , you must die . ezek. 33. 11. chap. ii. shewing positively what conversion is . i may not leave you with your eyes half open , as he that saw men as trees walking . mar. 8. 24. the word is profitable for doctrine , as well as reproof ; 2 tim. 3. 16. and therefore having thus far conducted you by the shelves and rocks of so many dangerous mistakes , i would guide you at length into the harbour of truth . conversion then ( in short ) lies , in the thorow change both of the heart , and life . i shall briefly describe it in its nature and causes . 1. the author it is the spirit of god ; and therefore it is called , the sanctification of the spirit ; 2 thes. 213. and the renewing of the holy ghost . tit. 3. 5. yet not excluding the other persons in the trinity : for the apostle teacheth us , to bless the father of our lord jesus christ , for that he hath begotten us again : 1 pet. 1. 3. and christ is said to give repentance to israel ; acts 5. 31. and is called the everlasting father , esay . 9. 6. and we his seed , and the children which god hath given him , heb. 2. 13. esay . 53. 10. o blessed birth ! seven cities coutended for the birth of homer : but the whole trinity fathers the new creature . yet is this work principally ascribed to the holy ghost , and so we are said to be born of the spirit . ioh. 3. 8. so then it is a work above mans power . we are born , not of the will of the flesh , nor of the will of man ; but of god. iohn 1. 31. never think thou canst convert thy self . if ever thou wouldst be savingly converted , thou must despair of doing it in thine own strength . ier. 31. 18. it is a resurrection from the dead , rev. 20. 5. eph. 1. 2. a new creation , gal. 6. 15. eph. 2. 10. a work of absolute omnipotency : eph. 1. 19. are these out of the reach of humane power ? if thou hast no more than thou hadst by thy first birth , a good nature , a meek and chast temper , &c. thou art a very stranger to true conversion . this is a supernatural work . 2. the moving cause is internal , or external . the internal mover is only free grace . not by works of righteousness which we have done : but of his own mercy he saved us — by the renewing of the holy ghost , tit. 3. 5. of his own will begat he us , iam. 1. we are chosen and called unto sanctification , not for it . eph. 1. 4. god finds nothing in man to turn his heart , but to turn his stomach : enough to provoke his loathing , nothing to provoke his love . look back upon thy self , o christian. take up thy verminous rags : look upon thy self in thy blood . ez. 16. 6. o reflect upon thy swinish nature , thy filthy swill , thy once beloved mire . 2 pet. 2. canst thou think without loathing of thy trough and draugh ? open thy sepulchre , mat. 23. 27. art not thou almost struck dead with the hellish damp ? behold thy putrid soul , thy loathsom members . o stench unsufferable , if thou dost but sense thine own putrifaction ! psal. 14. 3. behold thy ghastly vissage , thy crawling lusts , thy slime and corruption . do not thine own cloaths abhor thee ? iob. 9. 31. how then should holiness and purity love thee . be astonished o heavens at this , be moved o earth . ier. 2. 12. who but must needs cry . grace ! grace ! zech 4. 7. hear and blush you children of the most high . o you unthankful generation ! that free grace is no more in your mouths , in your thoughts ; no more adored , admired , commended by such as you . one would think you should be nothing but praising and admiring god , whatever you are . how can you make a shift to forget such grace , or to pass it over with a slight and seldom mention ? what but free grace should move god to love you , unless enmity could do it , or deformity could do it , unless vomit , or rottonness could do it ? how affectionately doth peter lift up his hands ? blessed be the god and father of our lord iesus christ , who of his abundant mercy hath begotten us again . 1 pet. 1. 3. how feelingly doth paul magnifie the free mercy of god in it ? god who is rich in mer●● for his great love wherewith he loved us ; hath quickned us together with christ ; by grace are ye saved , eph. 2. 4 , 5. the external mover is the merit and intercession of the blessed iesus . he hath obtained gifts for the rebe●●ious ; psal 68. 18. and through him it is , that god worketh in us , what is well pleasing in his sight , heb. 13. 21. through him are all spiritual blessings bestowed upon us in ●●●venly things , eph. 1. 3. he intercedeth for the elect , that believe not . ioh. 17. 20. every convert is the fruit of his travel . esai , 53. 11. o never was infant born into the world with that difficulty , that christ endured for us . how emphatically he groaneth in his travel ? all the pains that he suffered on his cross they were our birth pains , act. 2. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pulls and throws that christ endured for us . he is made sanctification to us , 1 cor. 1. 30. he sanctified himself ( that is set apart himself as a sacrifice ) that we may be sanctified . iohn 17. 19. we are sanctified through the offering of his body once for all , heb. 10. 10. 't is nothing then without his own bowels , but the merit and intercession of christ , that prevails with god to bestow upon us converting grace . if thou art a new creature , thou knowest to whom thou owest it , to christ's pangs and prayers . hence the natural affection of a believer to christ. the ●oal doth not more naturally run after the dam , nor the suckling to the dugs , than a believer to jesus christ. and whither else shouldst thou go ? if any in the world can shew that for thy heart , that christ can , let them carry it . doth satan put in , doth the world court thee , doth sin sue for thy heart ? why , were these crucified for thee ? 1 cor. 1. 13. o christian , love and serve the lord while thou hast a being . do not even the publicans love those that love them ? and shew kindness to them that are kind to them ? mat. 5. 46 , 47. 3. the instrument is either personal , or real . the personal is the ministry . i have begotten you to christ through the gospel , 1 cor. 4. 15. christs ministers are they that are sent to open mens eyes , and to turn them to god. acts 26. 18. o unthankful world , little do you know what you are doing , while you are persecuting the messengers of the lord. these are they whose business is ( under christ ) to save you . whom have you reproached and blasphemed ? against whom have you exalted your voice , and lifted your eyes on high ? esay . 37. 23. these are the servants of the most high god , that shew unto you the way of salvation , acts 16. 17. and do you thus requite them , o foolish and unwise ? deut. 32. 6. o sons of ingratitude , against whom do you sport your selves ? against whom make ye a wide mouth , and draw out the tongue ? esay . 57. 3. these are the instruments that god useth to convert and save you : and do you spit in the face of your physicians , and throw your pilots overboard ? father forgive them , for they know not what they do . the instrument real is the word . we were begotten by the word of truth . this is it that enlightens the eyes , that converteth the soul , psa , 19. 7 , 8. that maketh wise to salvation , 2 tim. 3. 15. this is the incorruptible seed , by which we are born again . 1 pet. 1. 33. if we are washed , 't is by the word , eph. 5. 26. ●f we are sanctified , 't is through the truth , ioh. 17. 17. this generates faith , and regenerates us . rom. 10. 17. iam. 1. 18. o ye saints , how should you love the word ? for by this you have been converted . o ye sinners , how should you ply the word ? for by this you must be converted . no other ordinary means but this . you that have felt its renewing power , make much of it while you live , be for ever thankful for it . tie it about your necks , write it upon your hands , lay it in your bosoms . prov. 6. 21 , 22. when you go let it lead you , when you sleep let it keep you , when you wake let it talk with you . say with holy david , i will never forget thy precepts , for by them hast thou quickned me . psal. 119 , 93. you that are unconverted , read the word with diligence , flock to it , where powerfully preached ; fill the porches , as the multitude of the impotent , blind , halt , withered , waiting for the moving of the water . iohn 5. 3. pray for the coming of the spirit in the word . come off thy knees to the sermon : and come to thy knees from the sermon . the seed doth not prosper because not warred by prayers and tears , nor covered by meditation . 4. the final cause is mans salvation , and gods glory . we are chosen through sanctification to salvation , 2 thes. 2. 13. called that we might be glorified , rom. 8. 30. but especially , that god might be glorified , esay . 60. 21. that we should shew forth his praises , 1 pet. 2. 9. and be fruitful in good works , col. 1. 10. o christian , do not forget the end of thy calling , let thy light shine , mat. 5. 16. let thy lamp burn , let thy fruits be good , and many , and in season , psal. 1. 3. let all thy designs fall in with gods , that he may be magnified in thee , phil. 1. 20. why should god repent that he hath made thee a christian , as in the time of the old world , that he made them men ? gen. 6. 6. why shouldst thou be an eye sore in his orchard , luk. 7. by thy unfruitfulness ? or a son that causeth shame , as it were a grief to thy father , and a bitterness to her that bare thee , prov. 17. 25. prov. 10. 5. o let the womb bless thee that bare thee , prov. 17. 21. he that begets a fool doth it to his sorrow ; and the father of a fool hath no joy . 5. the subject is the elect sinner , and that in all his parts and powers , members and mind . whom god predestinates , them only he calls . rom. 8. 30 , none are drawn to christ by their calling , nor come to him by believing , but his sheep , those whom the father hath given him , 1 iohn 6. 37 , 44. effectual calling runs parallel with eternal election . 2 pet. 1. 10. thou beginnest at the wrong end , if thou disputest first about thine election . prove thy conversion , and then never doubt of thine election . or canst thou not yet prove it ? set upon a present and thorow turning . whatever gods purposes be ( which are secret ) i am sure his promises are plain . how desperately do rebels argue ? if i am elected i shall be saved , do what i will : if not , i shall be damned , do what i can . perverse sinner , wilt thou begin where thou shouldest end ? is not the word before thee ? what saith it ? repent and be converted , that your sins may be blotted out , acts. 3. 19. if you mortifie the deeds of the body , you shall live , rom. 8. 13. believe and be saved , act. 16. 31. what can be plainer ? do not stand still , disputing about thine election , but set to repenting and believing . cry to god for converting grace . revealed things belong to thee , in these busie thy self . 't is just ( as one well ) that they that will not feed on the plain food of the word , should be choaked with the bones . what ever gods purposes be , i am sure his promises be true . whatever the decrees of heaven be , i am sure , that if i repent and believe i shall be saved ; and that if i repent not , i shall be damned . is not here plain ground for thee : and wilt thou yet run upon the rocks . more particularly , this change of conversion passes thorowout in the whole subject . a carnal person may have some shreds of good morality , a little near the list , but he is never good throughont the whole cloth , the whole body of holiness and christianity ; feel him a little further near the ridge , and you shall see him to be but a deceitful piece . conversion is not a repairing of the old building , but it takes all down and erects a new structure : it is not the putting in a patch or sowing on a list of holiness ; but with the true convert , holiness is woven into all his powers , principles , and practice . the sincere christian is quite a new fabrick , from the foundation to the top-stone all fire-new . he is a new man , eph. 4. 24. a new creature . all things are become new , 2 cor. 5. 17. conversion is a deep work , a heart work ; acts 2. 37 , and 16. 14. it turns all upside down , and makes a man begin a new world . it goes throughout with men , throughout the mind , throughout the members , throughout the motions of the whole life . 1. throughout the mind . it makes an universal change within . first it turns the ballance of the judgment , so that god and his glory do weigh down all carnal and worldly interests . acts 20. 24. phil. 1. 20. psal. 73. 25. it opens the eye of the mind , and makes the scales of its native ignorance to fall off , and turns men from darkness to light . acts 26. 18. eph. 5. 8. 1 pet. 2. 9. the man that before saw no danger in his condition , now concludes himself lost , and for ever undone , acts 2. 37. except renewed by the power of grace . he that formerly thought there was little hurt in sin , now comes to see it to be the chief of evils ; he sees the unreasonableness , unrighteousness , the deformity and the filthiness that is in sin , so that he is affrighted with it , loaths it , dreads it , flies it , and even abhors himself for it , rom. 7. 15. iob 42. 6. ezek. 36. 31. he that could see little sin in himself , and could find no matter for confession ( as it was said of that learned ignoramus bellarmine ( who it seems while he knew so much abroad , was a miserable stranger to himself , ) that when he was to be confessed by the priest , could not remember any thing to confess but was fain to run back to the sins of his youth ) i say he that could not find matter for confession , unless it were some few gross and staring evils , now sin reviveth with him , rom. 7. 9. he sees the rottenness of his heart , and desperate and deep pollution of his whole nature : he cries , unclean , unclean , lev. 13. 4. 5. lord purge me with hysop , wash me throughly , create in me a new heart , psal. 51. 2 , 7 , 10. he sees himself altogether become filthie , psal. 14. 3. corrupt both root and tree , mat. 7. 17 , 18. he writes unclean upon all his parts , and powers , and performances , esay . 63. 6. rom. 7. 18. he discovers the nasty corners that he was never aware of , and sees the blasphemy , and theft , and murther , and adultery that is in his heart , which before he was ignorant of . heretofore he saw no form nor comliness in christ , no beauty that he should desire him ; but now he finds the hid treasure , and will sell all to buy this field . christ is the pearl he seeks , sin the puddle he loaths . now according to this new light , the man is of another mind , another judgment , than before he was : now god is all with him : he hath none in heaven nor in earth like him , ps. 73. 25. he prefers him truly before all the world : his favour is his life : the light of his countenance is more than corn and wine and oyl , ( the good that he formerly enquired after , and set his heart upon , psal. 4. 6 , 7. ) now let all the world be set on one side , and god alone on the other ? let the harlot put on her paint , and gallantry , and present her self to the soul ( as when satan would have tempted our saviour with her ) in all the glory of her kingdoms , yet the soul will not fall down and worship her ; but will prefer a naked , yea a crucified , persecuted christ before her , phil. 3. 8. 1 cor , 22. not but that a hypocrite may come to yield a general assent to this , that god is the chief good : yea the wiser heathens ( some few of them ) have at last stumbled upon this : but there is a difference between the absolute , and comparative judgment of the understanding . no hypocrite comes so far , as to look upon god , as the most desirable and suitable good to him , and thereupon to acquiesce in him . this was the converts voice ; the lord is my portion saith my soul whom have i in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth , that i desire besides thee . god is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever , psal. 73. 25 , 26. lam. 3. 24. secondly , it turns the byass of the will , both as to means and end ( 1. ) the intension of the wist is altered , ezek. 36. 26. ier. 31. 33. esay 26. 8 , 9. now the man hath new ends and designs . now he intends god above all , and desires and designs nothing in all the world so much , as that christ may be magnified in him , phil. 1. 20. he accounts himself more happy in this , than in all that the earth could yield , that he may be serviceable to christ , and bring him glory in his generation . this is the mark he aims at , that the name of jesus may be great in the world , and that all the sheaves of his brethren may bow to this sheaf . reader , dost thou view this and never ask thy self , whether it be thus with thee ? pause a while , and breathe on this great concernment . 2. the election also is changed , so that he chooses another way , psal. 119. 30. he pitches upon ●od as his blessedness , and upon christ as the principal , and holiness as the subordinate means , to bring him to god. ioh. 14. 6. rom. 2. 7. he chooses jesus for his lord. col. 2. 6. he is not meerly forced into christ by the storm , nor doth he take christ for bare necessity , as the man begged from the gallows , when he takes the wife , rather than the halter : but he comes off freely in the choice . this match is not made in a fright , as with the terrified conscience , or dying sinner , that will seemingly do any thing for christ , but doth only take christ , rather than hell : but he deliberately resolves , that christ is his best choice , phil. 1. 23. and would rather have him to choose , than all the good of this world , might he enjoy it while he would . again , he takes holiness for his path . he doth not out of meer necessity submit to it : but he likes and loves it . i have chosen the way of thy precepts , psal. 119. 173. he takes gods testimonies not as his bondage , but as his heritage , yea his heritage for ever : v. 111. he counts them not his burden , but his bliss , not his cords but his cordials . 1 ioh. 5. 3. psal. 119. 14 , 16 , 47. he doth not only bear , but take up christs yoak . he takes not holiness , as the stomach doth the loathed potion , ( which it will down with rather than dye ) but as the hungry doth his beloved food . no time passes so sweetly with him ( when he is himself ) as that he spends in the exercises of holiness ; these are both his aliment , and his element , the desire of his eyes , and the joy of his heart . iob. 23. 12. psal. 119. 82 , 131 , 162 , 174. psal. 63. 5. put thy conscience to it as thou goest , whether thou art the man. o hapy man , if this be thy case ! but see thou be thorow and partial in the search . thirdly , it turns the bent of the affection . 2. cor. 7. 11. these run all in a new chanel . the iordan is now driven back , and the water runs upward against its natural course . christ is his hope , 1 tim. 1. 1. this is his prize phil. 3. 8. here his eye is , here his heart is . he is contented to cast all over board ( as the merchant in the storm , ready to perish ) so he may but keep this jewel . the thirst of his desires is , not after gold , but grace , phil. 3. 13. he hungers after it , he seeks it as silver , he digs for it as for hid treasure : he had rather be gracious , than be great ; he had rather be the holiest man on earth , than the most learned , the most famous , most prosperous . while carnal , he said : oh! if i were but in great esteem , and rolled in wealth , and swim'd in pleasure , if my debts were paid , and i and mine provided for , then i were a happy man : but now the tune is changed . oh , saith the convert , if i had but my corruptions subdued ; if i had such measures of grace , such fellowship with god , though i were poor and despised , i should not care , i should account my self a blessed man. reader , is this the language of thy soul ? his ioys are changed . he rejoyceth in the wayes of gods testimonies , as much as in all riches , psa. 119. 14. he delights in the law of the lord , wherein once he had little favour . he hath no such joy , as in the thoughts of christ , the fruition of his company , the prospirity of his people . his cares are quite altered . he was once set for the world , and any scraps of by-time , nothing ( too often ) was enough for his soul. now he gives over caring for the asses , and sets his heart on the kingdom . now all the cry is , what shall i do to be saved ? acts. 16. 30. his great solicitude is , how to secure his soul. oh! how he would bless you , if you could but put him out of doubt of this ! his fears are not so much of suffering , but of sinning , heb. 11. 25 , 27. once he was afraid of nothing so much as the loss of his estate , or esteem , the displeasure of friends , the srowns of the great : nothing sounded so terrible to him , as pain , or poverty , or disgrace . now these are little to him , in comparison of gods dishonour , or displeasure . how warily doth he walk , left he should tread on a snare ? he feareth alway , he looks before and behind ; he hath his eye upon his heart , and is often casting over his shoulder , left he should be ●vertaken with sin , psal. 39. 1. prov. 28. 14. eccles. 2. 14. it kills his heart to think of losing gods favour ; this he dreads as his only undoing , psal. 51. 11 , 12. psal. 119. 8. no thought in the world doth pinch him and pain him so much , as to think of parting with christ. his love runs a new course . my love was crucified ( said holy ignatius ) that is , my christ. this is my beloved , saith the spouse cant. 5. 16. how doth augustine often pour his loves upon christ. he can find no words sweet enough . let me see thee , o light of mine eyes . come , o thou joy of my spirit ; let me behold thee , o the gladness of my heart . let me love thee , o life of my soul. appear unto me , o my great delight , my sweet comfort , o my god , my life , and the whole glory of my soul. let me find thee , o desire of my heart : let me hold thee , o love of my soul. let me imbrace thee , o heavenly bridegroom . let me possess thee , o eternal blessedness , &c. his sorrows have now a new vent . 2 cor. 7. 9. 10. the view of his sins , the sight of a christ crucified , that would scarce stir him before , now how much do they affect his heart ? his hatred boils , his anger burns against sin , psal. 119. 104. he hath no patience with himself : he calls himself fool , and beast , and thinks any name too good for himself , when his indignation is stirred up against sin , psal. 73. 22. prov. 30. 2. he could once swill in it , with too much pleasure ; now he loaths the thought of returning to it , as much as of licking up the filthiest vomit . commune then with thine own heart , and attend the common and general current of thine affections , whether it be towards god in christ , above all other concernments . indeed sudden and strong commotions of the affections and sensitive part , are oft-times found in hypocrites ; especially where the natural constitution leads thereunto : and contrariwise , the sanctified themselves are many times without sensible stirrings of the affections , where the temper is more slow , dry and dull . the great inquiry is , whether the judgment and will be standingly determined for god , above all other good , real or apparent : and if the affections do sincerely follow their choice , and conduct , though it be not so strongly and sensibly , as is to be desired , there is no doubt , but the change is saving . 2. thorowout the members . these that were before the instruments of sin , are now become the holy utensils of christs living temple , rom. 6. 16. 1 cor. 3. 16. he that before made , as it were , a band or a barrel of his body , now possesseth his vessel in sanctification , and honour , in temperance , chastity , and sobriety , as dedicated to the lord , 1 thes. 44. gal. 5. 22 , 23. 1 cor. 6. 19 , 20. the eye that was once a wandring eye , a wanton eye , a haughty , a covetous eye , is now employed , as mary , in weeping over her sins , luk. 7. 38. in beholding god in his works psal. 8. 3. in reading his word , acts 8. 30. in looking up and down for objects of mercy , and opportunities for his service . the ear that was once open to satans call , and that ( like a vitiated palat ) did relish nothing so much as filthy , or at least frothy talk , and the fools laughter , is now bored to the door of christs house , and open to his discipline . it saith , speak lord for thy servant heareth . it cries with him , veniat verbum domini , and waits for his word as the rain , and relishes them more than the appointed food , iob 23. 12. than the honey and the honey comb , psal. 19. 10. the head , that was the shop of worldly , designs , is now filled with other matters , and set on the study of gods will , psal. 1. 2. psal. 119. 97. and the man beats his head , not so much about his gain , but about his duty . the thoughts and cares that now ●ill his head are principally , how he may please god , and flie sin . his heart , that was a sty of filthy insts , is now become an altar of incense , where the fire of divine love is ever kept in , and whence the daily sacrifice of prayer and praises , and sweet incense of holy desires , ejaculations , and anhelations are continually ascending , psal. 108. 1. psal. 119. 20. psal. 139. 17 , 18. the mouth is become a well of life , his tongue as choice silver , and his lips feed many : now the salt of grace hath seasoned his speech , and eat out the corruption , col. 4. 6. and cleanseth the man from his filthy communication , flattery , boasting , rayling , lying , swearing , backbiting , that once came like the flashes proceeding from the hell that was in the heart . iames 3. 6. 7. the throat , that was once an open sepulchre , rom. 3. 13. now sends forth the sweet breath of prayer , and holy discourse , and the man speaks in another tongue , in the language of canaan , and is never so well , as when talking of god , and christ , and the matters of another world. his mouth bringeth forth wisdom , his tongue is become the silver trumpet of his makers praise , his glory and the best member that he hath . now here you shall have the hypocrite halting . he speaks it may be like an angel , but he hath a covetous eye , or the gain of unrighteousness in his hand . or the hand is white , but his heart is full of rottenness , mat. 13. 27. full of unmortified cares , a very oven of lust , a shop of pride , the seat of malice . it may be with nebuchadnezzar's image , he hath a golden head , a great deal of knowledge : but he hath feet of clay , his affections are worldly , he minds earthly things , and his way and walk are sensual , and carnal , you may trace him in his secret haunts , and his footsteps will be found in some by-paths of sin . the work is thorowout with him . 3. thorowout the motives , or the life , and practice . the new man takes a new course , eph. 2. 2 , 3. his conversation is in heaven , phil. 3. 20. no sooner doth christ call by effectual grace , but he strait way becomes a follower of him , mat. 4. 20. when god hath given the new heart and writ his law in his mind , he forthwith walks in his statutes and keeps his judgments , ezek. 36. 26 , 27. though sin may dwell ( god knows a wearisome and unwelcome guest ) in him , yet it hath no more dominion over him . rom. 6. 14 , 7. he hath his fruit unto holiness , rom. 6. 22. and though he makes many a blot , yet the law and life of jesus is that he eyes , as his copy , psal. 119. 30. heb. 12. 2. and hath an unfeigned respect to all gods commandments , ps. 119. 6. he makes conscience even of little sins & little duties , psal. 119. 113. his very infirmities which he cannot help , though he would , are his souls burden , and are like the dust in a mans eye , which though but little , yet are not a little troublesome . [ o man , dost thou read this , and never turn in upon thy soul by self-examination ? ] the sincere convert is not one man at church , and another at home : he is not a saint on his knees , and a cheat in his shop : he will not tithe mint and cummin , and neglect mercy and judgment , and the weighty matters of the law : he doth not pretend piety and neglect morality , mat. 23. 14. but he turns from all his sins and keeps all gods statutes , ezek. 18. 21. though not perfectly ( except in desire and endeavour ) yet sincerely , not allowing himself in the breach of any , rom. 7. 15 , now he delights in thy word , and sets himself to prayer , and opens his hand , ( if able ) and draws out his soul to the hungry , rom. 7. 22. psal. 109. 4 esay . 58. 10. he breaketh off his sins by righteousness , and his iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor , dan. 4. 27. and hath a good conscience willing in all things to live honestly , h●b . 13. 18. and to keep without offence towards god and men . here again you shall find the unsoundness of many professors , that take themselves for good christians . they are partial in the law , mat. 2. 9. and take up with the cheap and easie duties of religion , but they go not thorow with the work . they are as a cake not turned , half roasted , and half raw . it may be you shall have them exact in their words , punctual in their dealings , but then they do not exercise themselves unto godliness ; and for examining themselves , and governing their hearts , to this they are strangers . you may have them duly at the church , but follow them to their families , and there you shall see little but the world minded , or if they have a road of family duties , follow them to their closets , and there you shall find their souls are little looked after . it may be they seem otherwise religious , but bridle not their tongues , and so all their religion is in vain , iam. 1. 26. it may be they come up to closet and family prayer ; but follow them to their shops , and there you shall find them in a trade of lying , or some covert and cleanly way of deceit . thus the hypocrite goes not thorowout in the course of his obedience . and thus much for the subject of conversion . 6. the terms are either from which , or to which . 1. the terms from which we turn in this motion of conversion , are sin , satan , the world , and our own righteousness . first , sin. when a man is converted , he is for ever out with sin : yea with all sin . psal. 119. 128. but most of all with his own sins , and especially with his bosom sin , psal. 18. 23. sin is now the but of his indignation , 2 cor. 7. 11. he thirsts to bathe his hands in the blood of his sins . his sins set abroach in sorrows . it is sin that pierces him and wounds him : he feels it like a thorn in his side , like a prick in his eyes , he groans and struggles under it , and not formally , but feelingly cries out , o wretched man : he is not impatient of any burden so much as of his sin , psal. 40. 12. if god should give him his choice , he would choose any affliction , so he might be rid of sin . he feels it like the cutting gravel in his shooes , pricking , and paining him as he goes . before conversion he had light thoughts of sin : he cherished it in his bosom , as vriah his lamb : he nourished it up , and it grew up together with him ; it did eat as it were of his own meat , and drank of his own cup , and lay in his bosom , and was to him as a daughter : but when god opens his eyes by conversion , he throws it away with abhorrence , esay . 30. 22. as a man would a loathsome toad , which in the dark he had hugged fast in his bosome , and thought it had been some pretty and harmless bird . when a man is savingly changed , he is not only deeply converted of the danger , but defilement of sin : and o how earnest is he with god to be purified ? he loaths himself for his sins , ezek. 36. 31. he runs to christ , and casts himself into the fountaine opened for sin and for uncleanness , zec● . 13. 31. if he fall what a stir is there to get all clean again ? he flies to the word , and washes , and rubs , and rinches , labouring to cleanse himself from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit : he abhors his once beloved sin , psal. 18. 23. as a cleanly nature doth the trough , and mire , wherein he sees the swine delight . the sound convert is heartily engaged against sin . he wrestles with it , he wars against it . he is too often foiled , but he never yields the cause , nor lays down the weapons ; but he will up , and to it again , while he hath breath in his body . he will never give quiet possession , he will make no peace ; he will give no quarter , he falls upon it , and fires upon it , and is still disquieting of it with continual alarms . he can forgive his other enemies ; he can pity them , and pray for them , acts 7. 60. but here he is implacable , here he is set upon revenge : he hunteth , as it were , for the precious life ; his eye shall not pity , his hand shall not spare , though it be a right hand or a right eye : be it a gainful sin , most delightful to his nature , a support to his esteem with carnal friends ; yet he will rather throw his gain down the kennel , see his credit fall , or the flower of pleasure whither in his hand , than he will allow himself in any known way of sin , luke 19. 8. he will grant no indulgence , he will give no toleration , but he draws upon sin where ever he meets it , and frowns upon it with his unwelcome salute , have i found thee , o mine enemy ! reader , hath conscience been at work , while thou hast been looking over these lines ? hast thou pondered these things in thine heart ? hast thou searched the book within , to see if these things be so ? if not , read it again , and make thy conscience to speak whether or no it be thus with thee . hast thou crucified thy flesh with its affections and lusts ; and not only confessed , but forsaken thy sins ; all sin in thy servent desires , and the ordinary practise of every deliberate and wilful sin in thy life ? if not , thou art yet unconverted . doth not conscience fly in thy face , as thou readest , and tell thee that thou livest in away of lying for thy advantage , that thou usest deceit in thy calling , that there is some way of secret wantonness that thou livest in ? why then , do not deceive thy self , thou art in the gall of bitterness , and bond of iniquity . doth not thy unbridled tongue , thy bruitish intemperance , thy wicked company , thy neglect of prayer , of hearing and reading the word , now witness against the , and say , we are thy works and we will follow thee ? or if i have not hit the right , doth not the bird within tell them , there is such or such a way , that thou knowest to be evil , that yet for some carnal respect thou dost tolerate thy self in , and art willing to spare ? if this be the case , thou art to this day unregenerate , and must be changed or condemned . secondly , satan . conversion binds the strong man , spoils his armour , casts out his goods , turns men from the power of satan unto god , acts 26. 18. before , the devil could no sooner hold up his finger to the sinner , to call him to his wicked company , sinful games , filthy delights , but presently he follows , like an ox to the slaughter , and a fool to the correction of the stocks , as the bird that hasteth to the prey , and koweth not that it is for his life . no sooner could satan bid him lie , but presently he had it upon the top of his tongue , act. 5. 3. no sooner could satan offer a wanton object , but he was stung with lust . the devil could do more with him than god could . if the devil say , away with these family duties , be sure they shall be rarely enough performed in his house . if the devil say , away with this strictness , this preciseness , he will keep far enough from it . if he tells him there 's no need of these closet duties , he shall go from day to day and scarce perform them . but now he is converted , he serves another master , and takes quite another course , 1 pet. 4. 4. he goes and comes at christs beck . col. 3. 24. satan may sometimes catch his foot in his trap ; but he will no longer be a willing captive . he watches against the snares and baits of satan , and studies to be acquainted with his devices . he is very suspitious of his plots , and is very jealous , in what comes athwart him , lest satan should have some design upon him . he wrestles against principalities and powers , eph. 6. he entertains the messenger of satan as men do the messenger of death . he keeps his eye upon his enemy . 1 pet. 5. 8. and watches in his duties , lest satan should put in his foot . thirdly , the world. before sound faith , a man is overcome of the world . either he bows down to mammon , or idolizes his reputation , or is a lover of pleasure , more than a lover of god , 2 tim. 3. 4. here 's the root of mans misery by the fall ; he is turned aside to the creature , instead of god , and gives that esteem , confidence , affection to the creature , that is due to him alone , rom. 1. 25. mat. 10. 37. prov. 18. 11. ier. 17. 5. o miserable man ! what a deformed monster hath sin made thee . god made thee little lower than the angels , sin little better than the devils , ioh. 6. 70. and 8. 44. a monster that hath his head and heart , where his feet should be , and his feet kicking against heaven , and every thing out of place , the world , that was formed to serve thee , is come to rule thee ; and the deceitful harlot hath bewitched thee with her inchantments , and made thee bow down and serve her . but converting grace sets all in order again , and puts god in the throne , and the world at his footstool , psal. 73. 25. christ in the heart , and the world under feet , eph. 3. 17. rev. 12. 1. so paul , i am crucified to the world , and the world to me , gal. 6. 14. before this change all the cry was who will shew us any ( worldly ) good : but now he sings another tune . lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me , and take the corn and wine whose will , psal. 4. 6. 7. before , his hearts delight and content was in the world ; then the song was , soul take thine ease , eat , drink and be merry , thou hast much goods laid up for many years : but now all this is withered , and there is no comliness that he should desire it , and he tunes up with the sweet psalmist of israel , the lord is the portion of mine inheritance ; the lines are fallen to me in a fair place , and i have a goodly heritage . he blesses himself , and boasts himself in god , psal. 34. 2. lam. 3. 24. nothing else can give him content . he hath written vanity and vexation upon all his worldly enjoyments , ec. 1. 2. and loss and dung upon all humane excellencies , phil. 3. 7 , 8. he hath life and immortality now in chase , rom. 2. 7. he trades for grace and glory , and hath the crown incorruptible in pursuit , 1 cor. 9. 25. his heart is set in him to seek the lord , 1 chron. 22. 19. and 2 chron. 15. 15. he first seeks the kingdom of heaven and the righteousness thereof , and religion is no longer a matter by the by with him , but the main of his care , mat. 6. 33. psal. 27. 4. now the gawdy idol is become nehushtan ; 2 kings 18. 4. and he up and treads upon it , as diogenes trampling on plato's hangings , and saying calco platonis fastum . before the world had the swaying interest with him : he would do more for gain than godliness , 1 tim. 6. 5. more to pleasure his friend , or his flesh , than to please the god that made him , and god must stand by till the world were first served ; but now all must stand by : he hates father and mother and life and all in comparison of christ , luke 14. 26. well then , pause a little , and look within . doth not this neerly concern thee ? thou pretendest for christ ; but doth not the world sway thee ? dost thou not take more real delight and content in the world , than in him ? dost not thou find thy self better at case when the world goes to thy mind , and thou art encompassed with carnal delights , than when retired to prayer and meditation in thy closet , or attending upon gods word and worship ? no surer evidence of an unconverted estate , than to have the things of the world uppermost in our aims , love , and estimations , ioh. 2. 15. iam. 4. 4. with the sound convert christ hath the supremacy . how dear is this name to him ? how precious is its savour ? cant. 1. 3. psal. 45. 8. the name of jesus is engraven upon his heart , gal. 4. 19. and lies as a bundle of mirth between his breasts , cant. 1. 13. 14. honour is but air , and laughter is but madness , and mammon is fallen like dagon before the ark , with hands and head broken off on the threshold , when once christ is savingly revealed . here is the pearl of great price to the true convert ; here is his treasure , here is his hope , mat. 13. 44. 45. this is his glory : my beloved is mine , and i am his , gal. 6. 14. cant. 2. 16. o 't is sweeter to him to be able to say , christ is mine , than if he could say , the kingdom is mine , the indies are mine . fourthly , your own righteousness . before conversion , man seeks to cover himself with his own sig-leaves , phil. 3. 6 , 7. and to lick himself whole with his own duties , mic. 6. 6 , 7. he is apt to trust in himself , luk. 16. 15. and 18. 9. and set his own righteousness , and to reckon his counters for gold , and not submit to the righteousness of god , rom. 10. 3. but conversion changes his mind ; now he casts away his filthy rags , and counts his own righteousness , but a menstruous cloth : he casts it off , as a man would the verminous tatters of a nasty beggar , esay . 64. 6. now he is brought to poverty of spirit . mat. 5. 3. complains of and condemns himself , rom. 7. and all his inventory is , poor , and miserable , and wretched , and blind , and naked , rev. 3. 17. he sees a world of iniquity in his holy things , & calls his once idolized righteousness , but flesh , and loss , and dogs-meat , and would not for a thousand worlds be found in himself , phil. 3. 4 , 7 , 8 , 9. his finger is ever upon his sores , psal. 51. 3. his sins , his wants . now he begins to set a high price upon christs righteousness : he sees the need of a christ in every duty , to justifie his person , and justifie his performances : he cannot live without him , he cannot pray without him ; christ must go with him , or else he cannot come into the presence of god ; he leans upon the hand of christ and so he bows himself in the house of his god. he sets himself down for a lost undone man without him . his life is hid in christ , as the life of a man in the heart . he is fixed in christ , as the roots of the tree spread in the earth for stability and nutriment . before , the news of a christ was a stale and sapless thing : but now how sweet is a christ ? augustine could not relish his before so much admired cicero , because he could not find the name of christ , how pathetically cries he ? dulcissime , amantisbenignis . caris . &c. quando te videbo ? quando satiabor de pulcritudine tua ? medit. c. 37. o most sweet , most loving , most kind , most dear , most precious , most desired , most lovely , most fair , &c. all in a breath , when he speaks of and to his christ. in a word , the voice of the convert is , with the martyr , none but christ. 2. the terms which are either vltimate , or subordinate and mediate . the vltimate is god the father , son , and holy ghost , whom the true convert takes , as his all-sufficient and eternal blessedness . a man is never truly sanctified , till his very heart be in truth set upon god , above all things , as his portion and chief good . these are the natural breathings of a believers heart , thou art my portion o lord , psal. 1. 9. 57. my soul shall make her boast in the lord , psal. 34. 2. my expectation is from him : he only is my rock , and my salvation , he is my defence : in god is my salvation , and my glory , the rock my strength , and my refuge is in god , psal. 62. 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 7. psal. 18. 1 , 2. would you put it to an issue , whether you be converted or not , now then let thy soul and all that is within thee attend . hast thou taken god for thy happiness ? where doth the content of thy heart lie ? whence doth thy choicest comfort come in ? come then , and with abraham lift up thine eyes , eastward , and westward , and northward , and southward , and cast about thee what it is , that thou wouldst have in heaven or earth to make thee happy . if god should give thee thy choice , as he did to solomon , or should say to thee , as ahashuerus to esther , what is thy petition , and what is thy request , and it shall be granted thee ; esther 5. 3. what wouldst thou ask ? go into the gardens of pleasure , and gather all the fragrant flowers from thence : would these content thee ? go to the treasures of mammon , suppose thou mightest lade thy self , while thou wouldst from hence : go to the towers , to the trophies of honour ; what thinkest thou of being a man of renown , and having a name like the name of the great men of the earth ? would any of this , all this suffice thee , and make thee count thy self a happy man , if so then certainly thou art carnal and unconverted . if not , go further ; wade into the divine excellencies , the store of his mercies , the hiding of his power , the deeps unfathomable of his all-sufficiency . doth this suit thee best , and please thee most ? dost thou say , 't is good to be here . mat. 17. 4. here i will pitch , here i will live and dye ? wilt thou let all the world go , rather than this ? then 't is well between god and thee : happy art thou , o man , happy art thou , that ever thou wast born . if a god can make thee happy , thou must needs be happy : for thou hast avouched the lord to be thy god , deut. 26. 17. dost thou say to christ , as he to us , thy father shall be my father , and thy god my god , ioh. 20. 17. here is the turning point . an unsound professor never takes up his rest in god ; but converting grace does the work , and so cures the fatal misery of the fall , by turning the heart from its idols , to the living god , 1 thes. 1. 9. now saies the soul , lord , whither should i go ? thou hast the words of eternal life , ioh. 6. 68. here he centers , here he settles . oh 't is as the entrance of heaven to him , to see his interest in god. when he discovers this , he saith , returne unto thy rest , o my soul , for the lord hath dealt bountifully with thee . psal. 116. 7. and it is even ready to breath out simeons song , lord , now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace , luke 2. 29. and saith , with iacob , when his old heart revived at the welcome tidings , it is enough , gen. 45. 28. when he sees he hath a god in covenant to go to ; this is all his salvation aud all his desire , 2 sam. 23. 5. man , is this thy case ? hast thou experienced this ? why , then blessed art thou of the lord. god hath been at work with thee , he hath laid hold on thine heart by the power of converting grace , or else thou couldst never have done this . the mediate term of conversion is either principal , or less principal . the principal is christ , the only mediator between god and man , 1 tim. 2. 5. his work is to bring us to god , 1 pet. 3. 18. he is the way to the father , ioh. 14. 6. the only plank on which we may escape , the only door by which we may enter , ioh. 10. 9. conversion brings over the soul to christ , to accept of him , col. 2. 6. as the only means to life , as the only way , the only name given under heaven , acts 4. 12. he looks not for salvation in any other , but him ; nor in any other with him ; but throws himself on christ alone ; as one that should cast himself with spread arms upon the sea. here ( saith the convinced sinner ) here i will venture , and if i perish , i perish : if i die , i will die here . but lord suffer me not to perish under the pitiful eyes of thy mercy . intreat me not to leave thee , or to turn away from following after thee , ruth 1. 16. here i will throw my self . if thou kick me , if thou kill me , job 13. 15. i will not go from thy door . thus the poor soul doth venture on christ , and resolvedly adhere to him . before conversion , the man made light of christ , minded the farm , friends , merchandise , more than christ : mat. 22. 5. now christ is to him as his necessary food , his daily bread , the life of his heart , the staff of his life , phil. 3. 9. his great desig● is , that christ may be magnified in him , phil● 1. 20. his heart once said , as they to the spouse , what is thy beloved , more than another ? cant. 5. 9. he found more sweetness in his merry company , wicked g●mes , earthly delights , than in christ. he took religion for a fancy , and the talk of great enjoyments for an idle dream . but now to him to live is christ. he sets light by all that he accounted precious for the excellency of the knowledge of christ , phil. 3. 8. all of christ is accepted by the sincere convert . he loves not only the wages , but work of christ , rom. 7. 22. not only the benefits , but the burden of christ. he is willing not only to tread out t●e corn , but to draw under the yoak : he takes up the commands of christ , yea and the cross of christ , mat. 11. mat. 16. 24. the unsound closes by the halves with christ : he is all for the salvation of christ , but he is not for sanctification : he is for the priviledges , but appretiates not the person of christ. he divides the offices and benefits of christ. this is an error in the foundation . who so loveth life , let him beware here . 't is an undoing mistake , of which you have been often warned , and yet none more common . jesus is a sweet name , but men love not the lord jesus in sincerity , eph. 6. 24. they will not have him , as god offers , to be a prince and a saviour , acts 5. 3● . they divide what god hath joyned , the king , and the priest. yea they will not accept the salvation of christ , as he intends it ; they divide here . every mans vo●e is for salvation from suffering ; but they desire not to be saved from sinning . they would have their lives saved ; but withall they would have their l●●ts saved . yea many divide here again , they would be content to have some of their sins destroyed ; but they cannot leave the lap of dalilah , or divorce the beloved herodias . they cannot be cruel to the right eye , or right hand : the lord must pardon them in this thing , 2 kings 5. 18. oh be infinitely tender here : your souls lie upon it . the sound convert takes a whole christ , and takes him for all intents and purposes , without exceptions , without limitations , without reserves . he is willing to have christ , upon his terms , upon any terms . he is willing of the dominion of christ , as well as deliverance by christ ; he saith with paul , lord what wilt thou have me to do ? acts 9. 6. any thing lord. he sends the blank to christ to set down his own conditions , acts 2. 37. acts 16. 30. the less principal is the laws , ordinances , and ways of christ. the heart that was once set against these , and could not endure the strictness of these bonds , the severity of these ways , now falls in love with them , and chuses them as its rule and guide for ever , psal. 119. 111 , 112. four things ( i observe ) god doth work in every sound convert , with reference to the laws and ways of christ , by which you may come to know your estates , if you will be faithful to your own souls ; and therefore keep your eyes upon your hearts , as you go along . 1. the iudgment is brought to approve of them , and subscribe to them , as most righteous , and most reasonable , psal. 119. 128 , 137 , 138. the mind is brought to like the ways of god , and the corrupt prejudices that were once against them , as unreasonable , and intolerable , are now removed . the understanding assents to them all , as holy , just , and good . rom. 7. 12. how is david taken up with the excellencies of gods laws ? how doth he expatiate in their praises , both from their inherent qualities , and admirable effects , psal. 19. 8 , 9 , 10 , &c. there is a twofold judgment of the understanding , iudicum absolutum , & comparatum . the absolute judgment is , when a man thinks such a course best in the general , but not for him , or not under the present circumstances he is in , pro hic & nunc . now a godly mans judgment is for the wayes of god , and that not only the absolute , but comparative judgment : he thinks them not only best in general , but best for him . he looks upon the rules of religion , not only as tolerable , but desirable , yea more desirable than gold , fine gold , yea much fine gold , psal. 19. 10. his judgment is setledly determined , that 't is best to be holy , that 't is best to be strict : that it is in it self the most eligible course ; and that 't is for him the wisest and most rational , and desirable choice . hear the godly mans judgment ; i know o lord that thy judgments are right . i love thy commandments above gold , yea above fine gold . i esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right , and i hate every false way , psal. 119. 127 , 128. mark , he did approve of all that god required , and disallowed of all that he forbad , righteous are thou o lord , and upright are thy judgments . thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous , and very faithful . thy word is true from the beginning ; and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever , psal. 119. 86. 160. 102 , 163. see how readily and fully he ●ubcribes ; he declares his assent , and consent to it , and all and every thing therein contained . 2. the desire of the heart is to know the whole mind of christ , psal. 119. 125. 124. 169. psal. 25. 4 , 5. he would not have one sin discovered , nor be ignorant of one duty required . 't is the natural and earnest breathing of a sanctified heart , lord if there be any way of wickedness in me , do thou discover it . what i know not , teach thou me , and if i have done iniquity , i will do it no more . the unsound is ● willingly ignorant , 2 pet. 3. 5. loves not to come to the light , ioh. 3. 20. he is willing to keep such or such a sin , and therefore is loth to know it to be a sin , and will not let in the light at that window . now the gracious heart is willing to know the whole latitude and compass of his makers law. psal. 119. 18 , 19 , 27 , 33 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 73 , 108 , 124● he receives with all acceptation the word that convinceth him of any duty that he knew not , or minded not before ; or discovereth any sin that lay hid before , psal. 19. 11. 3. the free and resolved choice of the will is determined for the ways of christ , before all the pleasures of sin and prosperity of the world , psal. 119. 127 , 103 , 162. his consent is not extorted by some extremity of anguish , nor is it only a sudden and hasty resolve : but he is deliberately purposed , and comes off freely in the choice , psal. 17. 3. psal. 119. 30. true , the flesh will rebell , yet the prevailing part of his will is for christs laws and government ; so that he takes them not up as his toil or burden , but his bliss , 1 iohn 5. 3. psal. 119. 60 , 72. when the unsanctified goes in christs ways , as in gy●es and fetters , he doth them naturally , psal. 40. 8. ier. 31. 33. and counts christs law , his liberty , psal. 119. 32 , 45. iames 1. 25. he is willing in the beauties of holiness , psal. 110. 3. and hath this inseparable mark , that he had rather ( if he might have his choice ) live a strict and holy life , than the most prosperous and flourishing life in the world , 1 sam. 10. 26. there went with saul a band of men whose hearts god had touched . when god touches the hearts of his chosen , they presently follow christ , mat. 4. 22. and ( though drawn ) do freely run after him , can. 1. 4. and willingly offer themselves to the service of the lord , 2 chron. 7. 16. seeking him with their whole desire . 2 chron. 15. 15. fear hath its use , but this is not the main spring of motion with a sanctified heart . christ keeps not his subjects in by ●orce , but is king of a willing people . they are ( through his grace ) freely resolved for his service , and do it out of choice , not as slaves , but as the son or spouse , from a spring of love , and a loyal mind . in a word , the laws of christ are the converts love . psal. 119. 159 , 163 , 167. desire , v. 5 , 20 , 40. delight , v. 77● 92 , 103 , 111 , 143. and continual study , v. 99. 79. psal. 2. 2. 4. the bent of his course is directed to keep gods statutes , psal. 119. 4 , 8 , 167 , 168. 't is the daily care of his life to walk with god. he seeks great things : he hath noble designs , though he fall too short . he aimes at nothing less than perfection ; he desires it , he reaches after it , he would not rest in any pitch of grace , till he were quite rid of sin , and had perfected holiness , phil. 3. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14. here the hypocrites rottenness may be discovered . he desires holiness ( as one well ) only as a bridge to heaven , and enquires earnestly , what is the least that will serve his turn ; and if he can get but so much as may just bring him to heaven , this is all he cares for . but the sound convert desires holiness for holiness sake , psal. 119. 97. matt. 5. 6. and not only for heaven sake . he would not be satisfied with so much as might save him from hell ; but desires the highest pitch . yet desires are not enough . what is thy way and thy course ? is the drift and scope of thy life altered ? is holiness thy trade , and religion thy business , rom. 8. 1. mat. 25. 16. phil. 3. 20. if not , thou art short of sound conversion . application . and is this , that we have described , the conversion that is of absolute necessity to salvation ? then be informed , 1. that strait is the gate , and narrow the way that leadeth unto life . 2. that there be but few that find it . 3. that there is need of a divine power savingly to convert a sinner to jesus christ. again , then be exhorted , o man , that readest , to turn in upon thine own self . what saith conscience ? doth it not begin to bite ? doth it not twitch thee as thou goest ? is this thy judgement , and this thy choice , and this thy way ? that we have described ? if so , then 't is well . but doth not thy heart condemn thee , and tell thee , there is such a sin thou livest in against thy conscience ? doth it not tell thee , there is such and such a secret way of wickedness , that thou makest no bones of ? such or such a duty , that thou makest no conscience of ? doth not conscience carry thee to thy closet , and tell thee how seldom prayer , and reading is performed there ? doth it not carry thee to thy family , and shew thee the charge of god , and the souls of thy children and servants , that be neglected there ? doth not conscience lead thee to thy shop , thy trade , and tell thee of some mistery of iniquity there ? doth it not carry thee to the ale-shop , or to the sack-shop , and round thee in thine ear for the loose company thou keepest there , the precious time thou mispendest there , for the talents of god which thou throwest down this sink , for thy gaming , and thy swilling , &c. doth it not carry thee into the secret chamber , and read thee a curtain lecture ? o conscience do thy duty . in the name of the living god i command thee , discharge thine office . lay hold upon this sinner . fall upon him , arrest him , apprehend him , undeceive him . what , wilt thou slatter and sooth him , while he lives in his sins ? awake , o conscience : what meanest thou , o sleeper ? what hast thou never a reproof in thy mouth ? what , shall this soul die in his careless neglect of god and eternity , and thou altogether hold thy peace ? what , shall he go on still in his trespasses , and yet have peace ? o rouze up thy self : and do thy work . now let the preacher in the bosom speak . cry aloud and spare not , lift up thy voice like a trumpet ; let not the blood of this soul be required at thy hands . chap. iii. of the necessity of conversion . it may be you are ready to say , what meaneth this stir ? and are apt to wonder , why i follow you with such earnestness , still ringing one lesson in your ears , that you should repent and be converted , acts 3. 19. but i must say unto you , as ruth to naomi , intreat me not to leave you , nor to turn aside from following after you , ruth 1. 16. were it a matter of indifferency , i would never keep so much ado . might you be saved as you be , i would gladly let you alone . but would you not have me solicitous for you ? when i see you ready to perish ? as the lord liveth , before whom i am , i have not the least hopes to see ever a one of your faces in heaven , except you be converted . i utterly despair of your salvation , except you will be prevailed with to turn throughly , and give up your selves to god in holiness and newness of life . hath god said , except you be born again , you cannot see the kingdom of god , iohn 3. 3. and yet do you wonder , why your ministers do so painfully travel in birth with you ? think it not strange , that i am earnest with you to follow after holiness , and long to see the image of god upon you . never did any , nor shall any enter into heaven , by any other way but this . the conversion described , is not an high pitch of some taller christians , but every soul , that is saved , passes this universal change . it was a passage of the noble roman , when he was hasting with corn to the city in the 〈◊〉 mine , and the mariners were loth to set sail in the foul weather , necessarium est navigare , non est necessarium vivere . our voyage is of more necessity than our lives . what is it that thou dost account necessary ? is thy bread necessary ? is thy breath necessary ? then thy conve●sion is much more necessary . indeed , this is the vnum necessarium , the one thing necessary . thine estate is not necessary : thou maist sell all for the pearl of great price , and yet be a gainer by the purchase . mat. 13. 45. thy life is not necessary : thou maist part with it for christ to infinite advantage . thine esteem is not necessary : thou maist be reproached for the name of christ , and yet happy , yea much more happy in reproach , than in repute . 1 pet. 4. 4. mat. 5. 10 , 11. but thy conversion is necessary , thy damnation lies upon it , and is it not needful in so important a case to look about ? upon this one point depends thy making , or marring to all eternity . but i shall more particularly shew the necessity of conversion in five things : for without this , 1. thy being is in vain . is it not pity thou shouldst be good for nothing , an unprofitable burden of the earth , a wart , or wen in the body of the universe . thus thou art , while unconverted , for thou canst not answer the end of thy being . is it not for the divine pleasure thou art and wert created , rev. 4. 11. did not he make thee for himself , prov. 16. 4. art thou a man , and hast thou reason ? why then bethink thy self , why , and whence thy being is . behold gods workmanship in thy body , and ask thy self , to what end did god rear this fabrick ? consider the noble faculties of thy heaven-born soul : to what end did god bestow these excellencies ? to no other , than that thou shouldst please thy self , and gratifie thy senses . did god send men like the swallows , into the world , only to gather a few sticks and dirt , and build their nests , and breed up their young , and then away ? the very heathens could see further than this . art thou so fearfully and wonderfully made , psal. 139. 14. and dost thou not yet think with thy self , surely it was for some noble and raised end ? o man , set thy reason a little in the chair . is it not pity such a goodly fabrick should be raised in vain ? verily thou art in vain , except thou art for god. better thou hadst no being , than not be for him . wouldst thou serve thy end ? thou must repent , and be converted . without this thou art to no purpose , yea to bad purpose . first , to no purpose . man unconverted , is like a choice instrument , that hath every string broke , or out of tune . the spirit of the living god must repair , and tun● it , by the grace of regeneration , and sweetly move it by the power of actuating grace , or else thy prayers will be but howlings● and all thy services will make no musick in the ears of the most holy . eph. 2. 10. phil. 2. 13. hos. 7. 14. esay . 1. 15. all thy powers and faculties are so corrupt in thy natural state , that except thou be purged from dead works , thou canst not serve the living god , heb. 9. 14. tit. 1. 15. an unsanctified man , cannot work the work of god. 1. he hath no skill in it . he is altogether as unskilful in the work , as in the word of righteousness , heb. 5. 13. there are great misteries as well in the practices , as principles of godliness : now the unregenerate knoweth not the misteries of the kingdom of heaven , mat. 13. 11. 1 tim. 3. 10. you may as well expect him that never learn'd the alphabet to read , or look for goodly musick on the lute , from one that never set his hand to an instrument , as that a natural man should do the lord any pleasing service . he must be first taught of god , ioh. 6. 45. taught to pray , luk. 11. 1. taught to profit , esay 48. 17. taught to go , hos. 11. ● . or else he will be utterly at a loss . ] 2. he hath no strength for it . how weak is his heart ? ezek. 16. 30. he is presently tired : the sabbath● what a weariness it it ? mal. 1. 13. he is without strength , rom. 5. 6. yea stark dead in sin , eph. 2. 5. ] 3. he hath no mind to it : he desires not the knowledge of gods ways , iob 21. 14. he doth not know them , and he doth not care to know them , psal. 82. 5. he knows not , neither will he understand . ] 4. he hath neither due instruments , nor materials for it . a man may as well hew the marble without tools ; or limn without colours or instruments , or build without mat●rials , as perform any acceptible service without the graces of the spirit , which are both the materials , and instruments in the work . alms-giving is not a service of god , but of vain glory , unless dealt forth by the hand of divine love . what is the prayer of the lips , without grace in the heart , but the carcass without the life ? what are all our con●essions , unless they be the exercises of godly sorrow and unfeigned repentance ? what our petitions , unless animated all along with holy desires , and faith in the divine attributes and promises ? what our praises and thanks-givings , unless from the love of god , and a holy gratitude , and sense of gods mercies in the heart ? so that a man may as well expect the trees should speak , or look for logick from the bruits , or motion from the dead , as for any service holy and acceptable to god , from the unconverted . when the tree is evil , how can the fruit be good ? mat. 7. 18. secondly , to bad purpose . the unconverted soul is a very cage of unclean birds , rev. 18. 2. a sepulchre full of corruption and rottenness , mat. 23. 27. a lothsome carcase full of crawling worms , and sending forth a hellish and most noisom savour in the nostrils of god. psal. 14. 3. o dreadful case ! dost thou not yet see a change to be needful ? would it not have grieved one , to have seen the golden conseciated vessels of gods temple turned into quaffing bowls for drunkenness , and polluted with the idols service , dan. 5. 2 , 3. was it such an abomination to the jews , when an●us set up the picture of a swine at the entrance of the temple ? how much more abominable then would it have been , to have had the very temple it self turned into a stable , or a stye , and to have the holy of holies served like the house of baal , to have the image of god taken down , and be turned into a draught-house , 2 kings 10. 27. this is the very case of the unregenerate : all thy members are turned into instruments of unrighteousness , rom. 6. 19. servants of satan ; and thy inmost powers into the receptacles of uncleanness , eph. 2. 2. tit. 2. 15. you may see the goodly guests within , by what comes out . for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts , murders , adulteries , fornications , thefts , false witness , blasphemies , &c. this black guard discovers what a hell there is therein . oh abuse unsufferable ! to see a heaven-born soul abased to the filthiest drudgery , to see the glory of gods creation , the chief of the ways of god , the lord of the universe , a lapping with the prodigal at the trough , or licking up with greediness the most loathsom vomit . was it such a lamentation to see those that did feed delicately , to sit desolate in the streets ? and the precious sons of sion comparable to fine gold , to be esteemed as earthen pitchers ; and those that were cloathed in scarlet to embrace dunghils ? lam. 4. 2 , 5. and is it not fearful much more , to see the only thing that hath immortality in this lower world , and carried the stamp of god , to become as a vessel wherein there is no pleasure ? ( which is but the modest expression of the vessel , men put to the most sordid use . ) oh indignity intolerable ! better thou wert dashed in a thousand pieces , than continue to be abused to so filthy a service . ii. not only man , but the whole visible creation is in vain , without this . beloved , god hath made all the visible creatures in heaven and earth for the service of man , ier. 22. 28. and man only is the spokesman for all the rest . man is in the universe , like the tongue in the body , ( which speaks for all the members . ) the other creatures cannot praise their maker , but by dumb signs and hints to man , that he should speak for them . man is , as it were , the high-priest of gods creation , to offer the sacrifice of praise , for all his fellow creatures , psal. 147 , and 148. and 150. the lord god expecteth a tribute of praise from all his works , psal. 10● . 22. now all the rest do bring in their tributo to man , and pay it in by his hand . so then , if man be false , and faithless , and selfish , god is wronged of all , and shall have no active glory from his works . oh dreadful thought to think of ! that god should build such a world as this , and lay out such infinite power , and wisdom and goodness thereupon , and all in vain ; and man should be guilty at last , of robbing , and spoiling him of the glory of all . oh think of this , while thou art unconverted , all the offices of the creatures to thee are in vain : thy meat nourishes thee in vain , the sun holds forth his light to thee in vain , the stars , that serve thee in their courses by their most powerful , though hidden influence , iudges 5. 20. hos. 2. 21 , 22. do it in vain ; thy cloaths warm thee in vain ; thy beast carries thee in vain : in a word , the labour unwearied , and continual travel of the whole creation ( as to thee ) is in vain . the service of all the creatures , that drudge for thee , and yield forth their strength unto thee ( that therewith thou shouldst serve their maker ) is all but lost labour . hence the whole creation groaneth under the abuse of the unsanctified world , rom. 8. 22. that pervert them to the service of their lusts , quite contrary to the very end of their being . iii. without this thy religion is in vain . jam. 1. 26. all thy religious performances will be but lost ; for they can neither please god , rom. 8. 8. nor save thy soul , 1 cor. 13. 2 , 3. which are the very ends of religion . be thy services never so specious , yet god hath no pleasure in them . esay . 1. 14. mal. 1. 10. is not that mans case dreadful , whose sacrifices are as murder , and whose prayers are a breath of abomination ? esay 66. 3. prov. 28. 9. many under convictions think they will set upon mending , and that a few prayers and alms will salve all again : but alas , sirs , while your hearts remain unsanctified , your duties will not pass . how punctual was iehu ? and yet all was rejected , because his heart was not upright , 2 kings 10. with hos. 1. 4. how blameless was paul ? and yet being unconverted all was but loss , phil. 3. 6 , 7. men think they do much in attending gods service , and are ready to twit him with it , esay 58. 3. mat. 7. 22. and set him down so much their debtor , when as their persons being unsanctified ) their duties cannot be accepted . o soul , do not think when thy sins pursue thee , a little praying and reforming thy course will pacifie god : thou must begin with thine heart : if that be not renewed , thou canst no more please god , than one that having unspeakably offended thee , should bring thee his vomit in a dish to pacifie thee , or having fallen into the mire , should think with his loathed embraces to reconcile thee . it is a great misery to labour in the fire . the poets could not invent a worser hell for sys●phus than to be getting the barrel still up the hill , and then that it should presently fall down again and renew his labour . god threatens it , as the greatest of temporal judgments , that they should build and not inhabit , plant and not gather , and their labours shall be eat up by strangers , deut. 28. 30 , 38 , 39 , 41. is it so great a misery to lose our common labours , to ●ow●● in vain , and build in vain ? how much more to● lose our pains in religion , to pray , and hear , and fast in vain ? this is an undoing and eternal loss . be not deceived , if thou goest on in thy sinful estate , though thou shouldst spread forth thine hands , god will hide his eyes ; though thou make many prayers , he will not hear , esay 1. 15. if a man without skill , set about our work , and m●rr it in the doing , though he take much pains , we give him but small thanks . god will be worshipped after the due order , 1 chron. 15. 13. if a servant do our work , but quite contrary to our order , he shall have rather stripes than praise . gods work must be done according to gods mind , or he will not be pleased ; and this cannot be , except it be done with a holy heart , 2 chron. 25. 2. iv. without this , thy hopes are in vain , job 8. 12 , 13. the lord hath rejected thy confidence , ier. 2. 37. first , thy hopes of comfort here are in vain . 't is not only necessary to the safety , but comfort of your condition , that you be converted . without this , you shall ●ot know peace , esay 49. 8. without the fear of god , ●ou cannot have the comforts of the holy ghost . acts 9. 31. god speaks peace only to his people , and to his saints , psal. 85. 8. if you have a false peace , continuing in your sins , 't is not of gods speaking ; and then you may guess the author . sin is a real sickness , esay 1. 5. yea the worst of sickness , t is a leprosie in the head , levit. 13. 44. the plague in the heart , 1 kings 8. 32. 't is brokenness in the bones , psal. 51. 8. it pierceth , it woundeth , it racketh , it tormenteth , 1 tim. 6. 10. a man may as well expect ease , when his diseases are in their strength , or his bones out of joynt , as true comfort , while in his sins . o wretched man , that canst have no ●ase in this case , but what comes from the deadliness of thy disease ! you shall have the poor sick man , saying in his lightness , he is well ; when you see death in his face . he will needs up and about his business , when the very next step is like to be into the grave . the unsanctified often feel nothing amiss , they think themselves whole , and cry not out for the physician , but this shews the danger of their case . sin doth naturally breed distempers and disturbance in the soul. what a continual tempest and commotion is there in a discontented mind ? what an eating evil is inordinate care ? what is passion , but a very feaver in the mind ? what is lust but a fire in the bones ? what is pride , but a deadly tympany ? or covetousness , but an unsatiabl● and unsufferable thirst ? or malice and envy , but venom in the very heart ? spiritual sloth is but a scurvy in the mind , and carnal security a mortal lethargy ; and how can that soul have true comfort that is under so many diseases ? but converting grace cures , and so eases the mind , and prepares the soul for a setled , standing , immortal peace . great peace have they that love thy commandments , and nothing shall offend them , psal. 119. 165. they are the ways of wisdom that afford pleasure and peace . prov. 3. 17. david had infinitely more pleasure in the word , than in all the delights of his court , psal. 119. 103 , 127. the conscience cannot be truly pacified , till soundly purified . heb. 10. 22. cursed is that peace , that is maintained in a way of sin , deut. 29. 19 , 20. two sorts of peace are more to be dreaded , than all the troubles in the world ; peace with sin , and peace in sin . secondly , thy hopes of salvation hereafter are in vain : yea worse than in vain , they are most injurious to god , most pernicious to thy self ; there is death , desperation , blasphemy in the bowels of this hope . 1. t● is death in it . thy confidence shall be rooted out of thy tabernacles , ( god will up with it root and branch ) it shall bring thee to the king of terrors , iob 18. 14. though thou maist lean upon this house it will not stand , iob 8. 15. but will prove like a ruinous building , which when a man trusts to , it falls down about his ears . 2. there is desperation in it . where is the hope of the hypocrite , when god takes away his soul ? iob 27. 8. then there is an end for ever of his hope . indeed , the hope of the righteous hath an end , but then 't is not a destructive , but a perfective end ; his hope ends in ●ruition , others in frustration , prov. 10. 28. the godly must say at death , it is finished ; but the wicked , it is perished ; and in too sad earnest bemoan himself , ( as he in a mistake ) where now is my hope ? he hath destroyed me , i am gone , and my hope is removed like a tree , iob 19. the righteous hath hope in his death , prov. 14. 32. when nature is dying , his hopes are living : when his body is languishing , his hopes are flourishing , his hope is a living hope , 1 pet. 1. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , but others are dying , yea a damning , soul-undoing hope . when a wicked man dyeth his expectation shall perish ; and the hope of unjust men perisheth , prov. 11. 7. it shall be cut off , and prove like the spiders web , iob 8. 14. which he spins out of his own bowels , but then comes death with the broom , and takes down all , and so there is an eternal end of his confidence , wherein he trusted . for the eyes of the wicked shall sail , and their hope sh●●● be as the giving up of the ghost ; iob 11. 2. ●cked men are setled in their carnal hope and will not be beaten out of it . they hold it fast , they will not let it go . yea but death will knock off their fingers . though we cannot undeceive them , death and judgment will. when death strikes his dart through thy liver , it will let out thy soul , and thy hopes together . the unsanctified have hope only in this life , 1 cor. 15. 19. and therefore are of all men most miserable . when death comes , it lets them out into the amazing gulf of endless desperation . 3. there is blasphemy in it . to hope we shall be saved , though continuing unconverted , is to hope , we shall prove god a lier . he hath told you , that so merciful and pittiful as he is , he will never save you notwithstanding , if you go on in ignorance , or a course of unrighteousness , esa. 27. 11. 1 cor. 6. 9. in a word , he hath told you , that whatever you be , or do , nothing shall avail you to salvation , without you be new creatures , gal. 6. 15. now to say , god is merciful , and we hope he will save us nevertheless , is to say in effect , we hope god will not do as he saith . we may not set gods attributes at variance . god is resolved to glorifie mercy , but not with the prejudice of truth , as the presumptuous sinner will find to his everlasting sorrow . object . why , but we hope in jesus christ , we put our whole trust in god , and therefore doubt not , but we shall be saved . answ. 1. this is not to hope in christ , but against christ. to hope to see the kingdom of god , without being born again , to hope to find eternal life in the broad way , is to hope christ will prove a false prophet . 't is david's plea , i hope in thy word , psal. 119. 81. but this hope is against the word . shew me a word of christ for thy hope , that he will save thee in thine ignorance , or prophane neglects of his service , and i will never go to shake thy confidence . 2. god doth with abhorrency reject this hope . those condemned in the prophet , went on in their sins , yet ( saith the text ) they will lean upon the lord , mic. 3. 11. god will not endure to be made a prop to men in their sins . the lord rejects those presumpt●ous sinners , that went● on still in their tresposses , and yet would stay themselves upon the god of israel , esay 48. 1 , 2. as a man would shake off the briars ( as one well ) that cleave to his garment . 3. if thy hope were any thing worth , it would purifie thee from thy sins , 1 ioh. 3. 3. but cursed is that hope , which doth cherish men in their sins . obj. would you have us to despair ? ans. you must despair of ever coming to heaven as you are , act. 2. 37. that is , while you remain unconverted . you must despair ever to see the face of god without holiness : but you must by no means despair of finding mercy , upon your thorough repentance and conversion : neither may you despair of attaining to repentance and conversion , in the use of gods means . v. without this all that christ hath done and suffered will be ( as to you ) in vain ; ioh. 13. 8. tit. 2. 14. that is , it will no way avail to your salvation . many urge this as sufficient ground for their hopes , that christ died for sinners : but i must tell you , christ never died to save impenitent and unconverted sinners ( so continuing . ) 2 tim. 2. 19. a great divine was wont , in his private dealings with souls , to ask two questions , 1. what hath christ done for you ? 2. what hath christ wrought in you ? without the application of the spirit in regeneration , we can have no saving interest in the benefits of redemption . i tell you from the lord , christ himself cannot save you , if you go on in this estate . i. it were against his trust . the mediatour is the servant of the father , esay 42. 1. shews his commission from him , acts in his name , and pleads his command for his justification : iohn 10. 18 , 36. iohn 6. 38 , 40. and god hath committed all things to him , entrusted his own glory , and the salvation of his elect with him , mat. 11. 27. ioh. 17. 2. accordingly , christ gives his father an account of both parts of his trust , before he leaves the world . ioh. 17. 4 , 6 , 12. now christ should quite cross his fathers glory , his greatest trust , if he should save men in their sins ; for this were to overturn all his counsels , and offer violence to all his attributes . first , to overturn all his counsels ; of which this is the order , that men should be brought through sanctification , to salvation , 2 thes. 2. 13. he hath chosen them that they should be holy . eph. 1. 4. they are elected to pardon and life , through sanctification , 1 pet. 1. 2. if thou canst repeal the law of gods immutable counsel , or corrupt him , whom the father hath sealed , to go directly against his commission , then , and not otherwise , maist thou get to heaven in this condition . to hope that christ will save thee while unconverted , is to hope that christ will falsify his trust . he never did , nor will , save one soul , but whom the father had given him in election , and drawn to him in effectual calling , iohn 6. 37 , 44. be assured , christ will save none , in a way contrary to his fathers will , who came on purpose to do his will , iohn 6. 38. secondly , to offer violence to all his attributes 1. to his iustice. for the righteousness of gods judgment lies , in rendring to all according to their work , rom. 2. 5 , 6. now , should men sow to the flesh , and yet of the spirit reap everlasting life , gal. 6. 7 , 8. where were the glory of divine justice , since it should be given to the wicked , according to the work of the righteous ? 2. to his holiness . if god should not only save sinners , but save them in their sins , his most pure and strict holiness would be exceedingly defaced . the unsanctified , is in the eyes of gods holiness , worse than a swine or viper , mat. 23. 33. 2 pet. 2. 22. now what cleanly nature could endure to have the filthy swine bed and board with him in his parlour , or bed chamber ? it would offer extremest violence to the infinite purity of the divine nature , to have such to dwell with him . they cannot stand in his judgement , they cannot abide in his presence , psal. 1. 5. psal. 5. 4 , 5. if holy david would not endure such in his house , no nor in his sight , psal. 101. 3 , 7. shall we think god will ? should he take men as they be , from the trough to the table , from the harlots lips , from the stye and draught to the glory of heaven , the world would think god were at no such a distance from sin , nor had such dislike of it , as we are told he hath : they would conclude , god were altogether such a one as themselves ( as they wickedly did , but from the very forbearance of god , psal. 50. 21. ) 3. to his veracity . for god hath declared from heaven , that if any shall say they shall have peace , though he should go on in the imagination of his heart : his wrath shall smoak against that man , deut. 29. 19 , 20. that they ( only , ) that confess , and for sake their sins , shall find mercy , prov. 28. 13. that they that shall enter into his hill , must be of clean hands , and a pure heart , psal. 24. 3 , 4. where were gods truth , if notwithstanding all this , he should bring men to salvation without conversion ? o desperate sinner , that darest to hope , that christ will put the lie upon his father , and nullifie his word to save thee ! 4. to his wisdom . for this were to throw away the choicest mercies , on them that would not value them , nor were any way suted to them . first , they would not value them . the unsanctified sinner puts but little price upon gods great salvation , mat. 22. 5. he sets no more by christ , than the whole by the physician , mat. 9. 12. he prises not his balm , values not his cure , tramples upon his blood , heb. 10. 29. now , would it stand with wisdom , to force pardon and life , upon them that would give him no thanks for them ? will the all-wise god ( when he hath forbidden us to do it ) throw his holy things to dogs , and his pearls to swine , that would ( as it were ) but turn again and rent him , mat. 7. 6. this would make mercy to be despised indeed . wisdom requires , that life be given , in a way sutable to gods honour ; and that god provide for the securing his own glory , as well as mans felicity . it would be dishonourable to god , to set his jewels in the snouts of swine ( continuing such ) and to bestow his choicest riches on them , that have more pleasure in their swill , than the heavenly delights that he doth offer . god should lose the praise and glory of his grace , if he should cast it away on them , that were not only unworthy , but unwilling . secondly , they are no way suited to them . the divine wisdom is seen in suiting things each to other , the means to the end , the object to the faculty , the quality of the gift to the capacity of the receiver now , if christ should bring the unregenerate sinner to heaven , he could take no more felicity there , than a beast if you should bring him into a beautiful room , to the society of learned men , and a well furnished table ; when as the poor thing had much rather be grazing with his fellow bruits . alas , what should an unsanctified creature do in heaven ! he could take no content , because nothing suits him . the place doth not suit him , he would be but piscis in arido , quite out of his element , as a swine in the parlour , or a fish out of water . the company doth not suit him . what communion hath darkness with light , corruption with perfection ? filth and rottenness , with glory and immortality ? the imployment doth not suit him . the anthems of heaven fit not his mouth , suit not his ear . canst thou charm thy beast with musick ? or wilt thou bring him to thy organ , and expect that he should make thee melody , or keep time with the skilful quire ? or had he skill , he would have no will , and so could find no pleasure , no more than the nauseous stomach in the meat , on which it hath newly sur●eited . spread thy table with delicates before a languishing patient , and it will be but a very offence . alas , if the poor man think a sermon long , and say of a sabbath , what a weariness is it ? mal. 1. 13. how miserable would he think it , to be held to it to all eternity ? 5. to his immutability , or else to his omnisciency , or omnipotency . for this is enacted in the conclave of heaven , and enrolled in the degrees of the court above , that none but the pure in heart shall ever see god , mat. 5. 8. this is laid up with him , and sealed among his treasures . now if christ , yet , bring any to heaven unconverted , either he must get them in without his fathers knowledge , and then where is his omnisciency ? or against his will , and then where were his omnipotency ? or he must change his will , and then where were his immutability ? sinner , wilt thou not yet give up thy vain hope of being saved in this condition ? saith bildad , shall the earth be forsaken for thee ? or the rocks removed out of their place ? iob 18. 4. may not i much more reason so with thee ? shall the laws of heaven be reversed for thee ? shall the everlasting foundations be overturned for thee ? shall christ put out the eye of his fathers omnisciency , or shorten the arm of his eternal power for thee ? shall divine justice be violated for thee ? or the brightness of the glory of his holiness be blemished for thee ? oh the impossibility , absurdity , blasphemy , that is in such a confidence ! to think christ will ever save thee in this condition , is to make thy saviour to become a sinner , and to do more wrong to the infinite majesty , than all the wicked on earth , or devils in hell ever did , or could . and yet wilt thou not give up such a blasphemous hope ? ii. against his word . we need not say , who shall ascend into heaven to bring down christ from above ? or who shall descend into the deep to bring up christ from beneath ? the word is nigh us . rom. 10. 6 , 7 , 8. are you agreed , that chrst shall end the controversie ? hear then his own words : except you be converted you s●all in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven , mat. 18. 3. you must be born again , ioh. 3. 7. if i wash thee not thou hast no part in me , ioh. 13. 8. repent or perish , luk. 13. 3. one word , one would think , were enough from christ ; but how often and earnestly doth he reiterate it , verily , verily , verily , verily except a man be born again he shall not see the kingdom of god , ioh. 3. 3 , 5. yea he doth not only assert , but prove the necessity of the new birth , viz. from the fleshliness and filthiness of mans first birth , ioh. 3. 6. by reason of which , man is no more fit for heaven than the beast is for the chamber of the kings presence . and wilt thou yet believe thine own presumptuous confidence , directly against christs word ? he must go quite against the law of his kingdom , and rule of his judgement , to save thee in this estate . iii. against his oath . he hath lifted up his hand to heaven , he hath sworn , that those that remain in unbelief , and know not his ways ( that is , are ignorant of them , or disobedient to them ) shall not enter into his rest , psal. 95. 11. heb. 3. 18. and wilt thou not yet believe , o sinner , that he is in earnest ? canst thou hope he will be forsworn for thee ? the covenant of grace is confirmed by an oath , and sealed by blood , heb. 6. 17. heb. 9. 16 , 18 , 19. mat. 26. 28. but all must be made void , and another way to heaven found out , if thou be saved , living and dying unsanctified . god is come to his lowest and last terms with man , and hath condescended as far as with honour he could , hath set up his pillars , 〈◊〉 a ne plus ultra . men cannot be saved , while unconverted , except they could get another covenant made , and the whole frame of the gospel ( which was established for ever , with such dreadful solemnities ) quite altered , and would not this be a distracted hope ? iv. against his honour . christ will so shew his love to the sinner , as withal to shew his hatred to sin . therefore he that names the name of jesus must depart from iniquity , 2 tim. 2. 19. and deny all ungodliness ; and he that hath hope of life by christ must purifie himself as he is pure , 1 ioh. 3. 3. tit. 2. 12. otherwise christ would be thought a fautor of sin . the lord jesus would have all the world to know , though he pardon sin , he will not protect it . if holy david shall say , depart from me all you workers of iniquity , psal. 6. 8. and shall shut the doors against them , psal. 101. 7. shall not such much more expect it from christs holiness ? would it be for his honour , to have the dogs to the table ? or to lodge the swine with his children ? or to have abrahams bosom , to be a nest of vipers . v. against his offices . god hath exalted him to be a prince and a saviour , acts. 5. 31. he should act against both , should he save men in their sins . it is the office of a king. parcere subjectis , & d●bellare sup●rbos . to be a terror to evil doers , and a praise to them that do well , rom. 13. 3 , 4. he is a minister of god , a revenger to ●ecute wrath on him that doth evil . now should christ favour the ungodly ( so continuing ) and take those to reign with him , that would not that he should reign over them , luke 19. 27. this were quite against his office . he therefore reigns , that he may put his enemies under his feet : 1 cor. 15. 25. now should he lay them in his bosom he should cross the end of his regal power . it belongs to christ , as king , to subdue the hearts , and slay the lusts of his chosen , psal. 45. 5. psal. 110. 3. what king would take the rebels , in open hostility , into his court ? what were this but to betray life , kingdom , government and all together ? if christ be a king , he must have homage , honour , subjection , &c. mal. 1. 6. now to save men while in their natural enmity , were to obscure his dignity , lose his authority , bring contempt on his government , and sell his dear-bought rights for nought . again , as christ should not be a prince , so neither a saviour , if he should do this . for his salvation is spiritual , he is called jesus , because he saves his people from their sins , mat. 1. 21. so that should he save them in their sins , he should be neither lord nor jesus . to save men from the punishment , and not from the power of sin , were to do his work by halves , and be an imperfect saviour . his office , as the deliverer , is , to turn away ungodliness from jacob , rom. 11. 26. he is sent to bless men in turning form them their iniquities , acts 3. 26. to make an end of sin , dan. 9. 24. so that he should destroy his own designs , and nullify his offices , to save men abiding in their unconverted estate . application . arise then , what meanest thou o sleeper ? awake , o secure sinner , left thou be consumed in thine iniquities . say as the lepers , if we sit here we shall die , 2 king. 7. 3 , 4. verily , it is not more certain thou art now out of hell , than that thou shalt speedily be in it , except thou repent and be converted : there is but this one door for thee to escape by . arise then , o sluggard , and shake off thine excuses . how long wilt thou slumber , and fold thine hands to sleep ? prov. 6. 10 , 11. wilt thou lie down in the midst of the sea , or sleep on the top of the mast , prov. 23. 24. there is no remedy ; but thou must either turn or burn . there is an unchangeable necessity of the change of thy condition , except thou art resolved to bide the worst of it , and try it out with the almighty . if thou lovest thy life , o man , arise , and come away . methinks i see the lord jesus laying the merciful hands of an holy violence upon thee : methinks he carries it like the angels to lot , gen. 19. 15. &c. then the angels hastened lot , saying arise , lest thou be consumed . and while he lingred , the men laid hold upon his hand , the lord being merciful unto him , and they brought him without the city and said , escape for thy life , stay not in all the plain , escape to the mountain , lest thou be consumed . oh how wilful will thy destruction be , if thou shouldest yet harden thy self in thy sinful state ! but none of you can say , but you have had fair warning . yet methinks i cannot tell how to leave you so . it is not enough to me to have delivered my own soul. what , shall i go away without my errand ? will none of you arise , and follow me ? have i been all this while speaking in the wind ? have i been charming the deaf adder , or allaying the tumbling ocean with arguments ? do i speak to the trees or rocks , or to men ? to the tombs and monuments of the dead , or to a living auditory ? if you be men , and not senseless stocks , stand still , and consider whither you be going , if you have the reason and understanding of men , dare not to run into the flames , and fall into hell with your eyes open : but bethink your selves , and set to the work of repentance . what , men , and yet run into the pit , when the very beasts will not be forced in ! what , endowed with reason , and yet dally with death and hell , and the vengeance of the almighty ! are men herein distinguished from the very bruits , that they have no foresight of , and a care to provide for the things to come ; and will you not hasten your escape from eternal torments ? o shew your selves men , and let reason prevail with you : is it a reasonable thing for you to contend against the lord your maker ? esay 45. 9. or to harden your selves against his word ? iob 9. 4. as though the strength of israel would lie ? 1 sam. 15. 29. is it reasonable that an understanding creature should lose , yea live quiet against the very end of his being , and be as a broken pitcher , only fit for the dunghill ? is it tolerable , that the only thing in this world that god hath made capable of knowing his will , and bringing him glory , should yet live in ignorance of his maker , and be unserviceable to his use , yea should be engaged against him , and spit his venom in the face of his creator ? hear , o heavens , and give ear , o earth , and let the creatures without sense be judge , if this be reason , that man , when god hath nourished and brought him up , should rebel agninst him , esay . 1. 2. judge in your own selves : is it a reasonable undertaking , for bryars and thorns , to set themselves in battel against the devouring fire ? esay 27. 4. or for the potsherd of the earth to strive with his maker ? if you will say , this is reason , surely the eye of reason is quite put out . and , if this be not reason , then there is no reason that you should continue as you be , but 't is all the reason in the world , you should forth with repent a●d turn . what shall i say ; i could spend my self in this argument . oh that you would but hearken to me ! that you would presently set upon a new course ! will you not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? what , will no body be perswaded ? reader , shall i prevail with thee for one ? wilt thou sit down and consider the forementioned arguments , and debate it , whether it be not best to turn ? come and let us reason together . is it good for thee to be here ? wilt thou sit still , till the tide come in upon thee ? is it good for thee to try whether god will be so good as his word ? and to harden thy self in a conceit , that all is well with thee , while thou remainest unsanctified ? but i know you will not be perswaded , but the greatest part will be as they have been , and do as they have done . i know the drunkard will to his vomit again , and the deceiver will to his deceit again , and the lustful wanton to his dalliance again . alas , that i must leave you where you were ! in your ignorance or loosness , or in your lifeless formality and customary devotions ! however , i will sit down and bemoan my fruitless labours , and spend some sighs over my perishing hearers . o distracted sinners ! what will their end be ? what will they do in the day of visitation ? whither will they flee for help ? where will they leave their glory ? esay , 10. 3. how powerfully hath sin bewitched them ? how effectually hath the god of this world blinded them ? how strong is their delusion ? how uncircumcised their ears ? how obdurate their hearts ? satan hath them at his beck : but how long may i call , and can get no answer ? i may dispute with them year after year , and they will give me the hearing , and that is all . they must and will have their sins , say what i will. though i tell them there is death in the cup , yet they will take it up . though i tell them 't is the broad way and endeth in destruction , yet they will on in it . i warn them , yet cannot win them . sometimes i think , the mercies of god will melt them , and his winning invitations will overcome them : but i find them as they were . sometimes that the terror of the lord will perswade them : yet neither this will do it . they will approve the word , like the sermo● , commend the preacher : but they will yet live as they did . they will not deny me , yet they will not obey me . they will flock to the word of god , and sit before me as his people , and hear my words : but they will not do them . they value and will plead for ministers ; and i am to them as the lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice : yet i cannot get them to come under christs yoke . they love me , and will be ready to say they will do any thing for me : but for my life i cannot perswade them to leave their sins , to forgo their evil company , their intemperance , their unjust gains , &c. i cannot prevail with them , to set up prayer in their families and closets : yet they will promise me , like the forward son , that said , i go sir , but went not , mat. 21. 30. i cannot perswade them to learn the principles of religion , though else they will die without knowledge , iob 36. 12. i tell them their misery ; but they will not believe , but 't is well enough . if i tell them particularly , i fear for such reasons their state is bad , they will judge me censorious : or , if they be at present a little awakened , are quickly lull'd asleep by satan again , and have lost the sense of all . alas for my poor hearers ! must they perish at last by the hundreds , when ministers would so fain save them ? what course shall i use with them that i have not tryed ? what shall i do for the daughter of my people ? jer. 9. 7. o lord god help . alas , shall i leave them thus ! if they will not hear me , yet do thou hear me . oh that they might yet live in thy sight ! lord save them , or else they perish . my heart would melt to see their houses on fire about their ears , when they were fast in their beds : and shall not my soul be moved within me to see them falling into endless perdition ? lord have compassion , and save them out of the burning . put forth thy divine power , and the work will be done : but as for me , i can't prevail . chap. iv. shewing the marks of the unconverted . while we keep aloof in generals , there is little fruit to be expected . it is the hand-fight that does execution . david . is not awakened by the prophets hovering at a distance , in parabolical insinuations : he is forced to close with him , and tell him home , thou art the man. few will in words deny the necessity of the new birth ; but they have a self deluding confidence , that the work is not now to do . and because they know themselves free from that gross hypocrisie , that doth take up religion meerly for a colour to deceive others , and for the covering of wicked designs , they are confident of their sincerity , and suspect not that more close hypocrisie ( where the greatest danger lies ) by which man deceiveth his own soul , iames 1. 26. but mans deceitful heart is such a matchless cheat , and self delusion so reigning and so fatal a disease , that i know not whether be the greater , the difficulty , or the displicency , or the necessity of the undeceiving work that i am now upon . alas for my unconverted hearers ! they must be undeceived , or undone . but how shall this be effected ? hic labor , hoc opus est . help , o all searching light , and let thy discerning eye discover the rotten foundation of the self-deceiver ; and lead me , o lord god , as thou didst thy prophet , into the chambers of imagery , and dig through the wall of sinners hearts , and discover the hidden abominations that are lurking out , of sight in the dark . o send thine angel before me ; to open the sundry wards of their hearts , as thou didst before peter , and make even the iron gates to fly open of their own accord . and as jonathan no sooner tasted the honey , but his eyes were enlightned : so grant , o lord , that when the poor deceived souls , with whom i have to do , shall cast their eyes into these lines , their minds may be illuminated , and their consciences convinced and awakened , that they may see with their eyes , and hear with their ears , and be converted , and thou maist heal them . this must be premised , before we proceed to the discovery , that it is most certain men may have a confident perswasion , that their hearts and states be good , and yet be unsound . hear the truth himself , who shews in laodicea's case , that men may be wretched and miserable , and poor , and blind , and naked , and yet know it not ; yea they may be confident they are rich and increased in grace . rev. 3. 17. there is a generation that is pure in their own eyes , and yet is not washed from their filthiness , prov. 30. 12. who better perswaded of his case , than paul , while yet he remained unconverted ? rom. 7. 9. so that they are miserably deceived , that take a strong confidence , for a sufficient evidence . they that have no better proof , than barely a strong perswasion , that they are converted , are certainly , as yet , strangers to conversion . but to come more close : as it was said of the adherents of antichrist , so here ; some of the unconverted carry their marks in their foreheads , more openly ; and some in their hands , more covertly . the apostle reckons up some , upon whom he writes the sentence of death , as in these dreadful catalogues , which i beseech you to attend with all diligence , eph. 5. 5 , 6. for this ye know that no whoremonger , nor unclean person , nor covetous man , who is an idolater , hath an inheritance in the kingdom of christ and of god. let no man deceive you with vain words , for because of these things cometh the wrath of god upon the children of disobedience , rev. 21. 8. but the fearful and unbelieving , and the abominable , and murderers , and whoremongers , and sorcerers , and idolaters , and all liars , shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone , which is the second death , 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. know you not , that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of god ? be not deceived , neither fornicators , nor idolators , and adulterers , nor effeminate , nor abusers of themselves with mankind , nor thieves , nor covetous , nor drunkards , nor revilers , or extortioners , shall inherit the kingdom of god. see gall. 5. 19 , 20 , 21. wo to them that have their names written in these bed-rolls : such may know , as certainly , as if god had told it them from heaven , that they are unsanctified , and under an impossibility of being saved in this condition . there are then these several sorts , that , past all dispute , are unconverted , they carry their marks in their foreheads . 1. the unclean . these are ever reckoned among the goats , and have their names , whoever be left out , in all the fore-mentioned catalogues , eph. 5. 5. rev. 21. 8. 1. cor. 5. 9 , 10. 2. the covetous . these are ever branded for idolaters , and the doors of the kingdom are shut against them by name . eph. 5. 5. col. 3. 5. 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. 3. drunkards , not only such as drink away their reason , but withall , yea above all , such as are too strong for strong drink . the lord fills his mouth with woes against these , and declares them to have no inheritance in the kingdom of god , esay . 5. 11 , 12 , 22. gal. 5. 21. 4. liars . the god that cannot lie hath told them , that there is no place for them in his kingdom , no entrance into his hill ; but their portion is with the father of lies ( whose children they are ) in the lake of burnings , psal. 15. 1 , 2 , rev. 21. 8 , 27. ioh. 8. 44. prov. 6. 17. 5. swearers . the end of these men without deep and speedy repentance , is swift destruction , and most certain and unavoidable condemnation , iam. 5. 12. zech. 5. 1 , 2 , 3. railers and back-biters , that love to take up a reproach against their neighbour , and fling all the dirt they can in his face , or else wound him secretly behind his back ; psal. 15. 1. 3. 1 cor. 6. 10. 1 cor. 5. 11. 7. thieves , extortioners , oppressors , that grind the poor , over-reach their brethren , when they have them at an advantage , these must know , that god is the avenger of all such , 1 thes. 4. 6. hear o ye false and purloining and wasteful servants : hear , o ye deceitful tradesmen , hear your sentence . god will certainly hold his door against you , and turn your treasures of unrighteousness into treasures of wrath , and make your ill-gotten● silver and gold , to torment you like burning metal in your bowels , 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. iam. 5. 2 , 3. 8. all that do ordinarily live in the prophane neglect of gods worship , that hear not his word , that call not on his name , that restrain prayer before god , that mind not their own nor their families souls , but live without god in the world , ioh. 8. 47. iob. 15. 4. psal. 14. 4. psal. 79. 6. eph. 2. 12. & 4. 18. 9. those that are frequenters and lovers of evil company . god hath declared , he will be the destruction of all such , and that they shall never enter into the hill of his rest , prov. 13. 20. psal. 15. 4. prov. 9. 6. 10. scoffers at religion , that make a scorn of precise walking , and mock at the messengers and diligent servants of the lord , and at their holy profession , and make themselves merry with the weaknesses and failings of professors . hear ye despisers , hear your dreadful doom , prov. 19. 29. 2 chron. 36. 16. prov. 3. 34. sinner , consider diligently , whether thou art not to be found in one of these ranks : for if this be thy case , thou art in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity ; for all these do carry their marks in their foreheads , and are undoubtedly the sons of death . and if so , the lord pity our poor congregations ; oh how little a number will be left , when these ten sorts are set out ! alas on how many doors , on how many faces must we write , lord have mercy upon us ! sirs , what shift do you make to keep up your confidence of your good estate , when god from heaven declares against you , and pronounces , you in a state of damnation ? i would reason with you , as god with them ; how canst thou say i am not polluted ? ier. 2. 23. see thy way in the valley , know what thou hast done . man , is not thy conscience privy to thy tricks of deceit , to thy chamber pranks , to thy way of lying ? yea are not thy friends , thy family , thy neighbours , witnesses to thy prophane neglects of gods worship , to thy covetous practices , to thy envious and malicious carriage ? may not they point at thee as thou goest , there goes a gaming prodigal ; there goes a drunken nabal , a companion of evil-doers ; there goes a railer , or a scoffer , a loose liver ? beloved , god hath written it as with a sun beam , in the book out of which you must be judged , that these are not the spots of his children , and that none such ( except renewed by converting grace ) shall ever escape the damnation of hell. oh that such of you would now be perswaded to repent and turn from all your transgressions , or else iniquity will be your ruine ! ezek. 18. 30. alas for poor hardned sinners ! must i leave you at last where you were ? must i leave the tipler still at the ale-bench ? must i leave the wanton still at his dalliance ? must i leave the malicious still in his venome ? and the drunkard still at his vomit ? however you must know , that you have been warned , and that i am clear of your blood . and whether men will hear , or whether they will forbear , i will leave these three scriptures with them , either as thunderbolts to awaken them , or as ●earing irons to harden them to a reprobate sense , psal. 68. 21. god shall wound the head of his enemies , and the hairy scalp of such an one , as goeth on still in his trespasses , prov. 29. 1. he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed , and that without remedy , prov. 1. 24 , &c. because i have called , and ye refused , i have stretched out my hand , and no man regarded . &c. i will mock at your calamity — when your destruction cometh as a whirlwind . and now i imagine , many will begin to bless themselves , and think all is well , because they cannot be spotted with the grosser evils above mentioned . but i must further tell you , that there are another sort of unsanctified persons , that carry not their marks in their foreheads , but more secretly and covertly in their hands . these do frequently deceive themselves and others , and pass for good christians , when they are all the while unsound at bottom . many pass undiscovered , till death and judgement bring all to light . those self-deceivers seem to come even to heaven gate with confidence of their admission● and yet are turned off at last , mat. 7. 22. brethren , beloved , i beseech you deeply to lay to heart , and firmly to retain this awakening consideration : that multitudes miscarry by the hand of some secret sin , that is not only hidden from others , but ( for want of observing their own hearts ) even from themselves . a man may be free from open pollutions , and yet die at last by the fatal hand of some unobserved iniquity : and there be these eleven hidden sins , by which souls go down by numbers into the chambers of death . these you must search carefully for , and take them as black marks ( wherever they be found ) discovering a graceless and unconverted estate . as you love your lives read them carefully , with a holy jealousie of your selves , lest you should be the persons concerned . 1. gross ignorance . ah how many poor souls doth this sin kill in the dark , hos. 4. 6. while they think verily they have good hearts , and are in the ready way to heaven ! this is the murderer that dispatches thousands in a silent manner , when ( poor hearts ! ) they suspect nothing , and see not the hand that mischiefs them . you shall find whatever excuses you have for ignorance , that 't is a soul● undoing evil , esay . 27. 11. 2 thes. 1. 8. 2 cor. 4. 3. ah would it not have pitied a man's heart to have seen that woful spectacle , when the poor pro●estants were shut up a multitude together in a b●rn , and a butcher comes with his inhumane hands warm in humane blood , and leads them one by one blindfold to a block , where he slew them ( poor innocents ! ) one after another by the scores in cold blood ? but how much more should our hearts bleed , to think of the hundreds in great congregations , that ignorance doth butcher in secret , and lead them blindfold to the block ? beware this be none of your case . make no pleas for ignorance . if you spare that sin , know that that will not spare you . will a man keep a murderer in his bosom ? 2. secret reserves in closing with christ. to forsake all for christ , to hate father and mother , yea and a mans own life for him , this is a hard saying , luk. 14. 26. some will do much , but they will not be of the religion that will undo them ; they never come to be entirely devoted to christ , nor fully to resign to him . they must have the sweet sin . they mean to do themselves no harm . they have secret exceptions for life , liberty , or estate . many take christ thus hand over head , and never consider his self-denying terms , nor cast up the cost ; and this error in the foundation marrs all , and secretly ruines them for ever , luk. 14. 28. mat. 13. 21. 3. formality in religion . many stick in the bark , and rest in the outside of religion , and in the external performances of holy duties ; mat. 23. 25. and this oft-times doth most effectually deceive men , and doth more certainly undo them , than open loosness ; as it was in the pharisees case , mat. 21. 31. they hear , they fast , they pray , they give alms , and therefore will not believe but their case is good , luk. 18. 11. whereas resting in the work done , and coming short of the heart-work , and the inward power and vitals of religion , they f●ll at last into the burning , from the flattering hopes , and confident perswasions , of their being in the ready way to heaven , matth. 7. 22 , 23. oh dreadful case , when a man's religion shall serve only to harden him , and effectually to delude and deceive his own soul ! 4. the prevalency of false ends in holy duties . mat 23. 25. this was the bane of the pharisees oh how many a poor soul is undone by this , and drops into hell , before he discerns his mistake ! he performs good duties , and so thinks all is well , and perceives not that he is acted by carnal motives all the while . it is too true , that even with the truly sanctified , many carnal ends will oft times creep in ; but they are the matter of his hatred and humiliation , and never come to be habitually prevalent with him , and to bear the greatest sway , rom. 14. 7. but now when the main thing that doth ordinarily carry a man out to religious duties , shall be some carnal end , as to satisfie his conscience , to get the repute of being religious , to bee seen of men , to shew his own gifts and parts , to avoid the reproach of a prophane and irreligious person , or the like , this discovers an un●ound heart , hos. 10. 1. zech. 7. 5 , 6. o christians , if you would avoid self-deceit , see that you mind , not only your acts , but withall , yea above all , your ends , 5. trusting on their own righteousness , luke 18. 9. this is a soul undoing mischief , rom. 10. 3. when men do trust in their own righteousness , they do indeed reject christ's . beloved , you had need be watchful on every hand , for not only your sins , but your duties may undo you . it may be you never thought of this , but so it is , that a man may as certainly miscarry by his seeming righteousness , and supposed graces , as by gross sins ; and that is , when a man doth trust to these as his righteousness before god , for the satisfying his justice , appeasing his wrath , procuring his favour , and obtaining of his own pardon : for this is to put christ out of office and make a saviour of our own duties and graces . beware of this , o professors ; you are much in duties , but this one fly will spoil all the ointment . when you have done most , and best , be sure to go out of your selves to christ , reckon your own righteousness but rags , psal. 143. 2. phil. 3. 8. esay 64. 6. neh. 13. 22. 6. a secret enmity against the strictness of religion . many moral persons , punctual in their formal devotion , have yet a bitter enmity against preciseness , and hate the life and power of religion , phil. 3. 6. compared with act. 9. 1. they like not this forwardness , nor that men should keep such a stir in religion . they condemn the strictness of religion , as singularity , indiscretion , and intemperate zeal ; and with them a lively preacher , or lively christian , is but a heady fellow . these men love not holiness , as holiness , ( for then they would love the height of holiness ) and therefore are undoubtedly rotten at heart , whatever good opinion they have of themselves . 7. the resting in a certain pitch of religion . when they have so much as will save them ( as they suppose , ) they look no further , and so shew themselves short of true grace , which will ever put men upon aspiring to further perfection . phil. 3. 12 , 13. prov. 4. 18. 8. the predominant love of the world. this is the sure evidence of an unsanctified heart . mar. 10. 37. 1 ioh. 2. 15. but how close doth this sin lurk oft-times under a fair covert of forward profession ? luke 8. 14. yea such a power of deceit is there in this sin , that many times when every body else can see the mans worldliness and covetousness , he cannot see it himself , but hath so many colours , and excuses , and pretences for his eagerness on the world , that he doth blind his own eyes , and perish in his self deceit . how many professours be there , with whom the world hath more of their heart and affections than christ ? who mind earthly things , and thereby are evidently after the flesh , and like to end in destruction ? rom. 8. 25. . phil. 3. 19. yet ask these men ; and they will tell you confidently , they prize christ above all , god forbid else ! and see not their own earthly mindedness for want of a narrow observation of the workings of their own hearts . did they but carefully search , they would quickly find that their greatest content is in the world , luke 12. 19. and their greatest care and main endeavour to get and secure the world , which are the certain discoveries of an unconverted sinner . may the professing part of the world take earnest heed , that they perish not by the hand of this sin unobserved . men may be and often are kept off from christ , as effectually by the inordinate love of lawful comforts , as by the most unlawful courses , mat. 22. 5. luke 14. 18 , 19 , 20 , 24. 9. reigning malice and envy against those that disrespect them , or are injurious to them , 1 ioh. 2. 9 , 11. o how do many that seem to be religious remember injuries , and carry grudges , and will return men as good as they bring , rendring evil for evil , loving to take revenge , wishing evil to them that wrong them , directly against the rule of the gospel , the pattern of christ , and the nature of god , rom. 12. 14 , 17. 1 pet. 2. 21 , 23. neh. 6. 17. doubtless where this evil is kept boiling in the heart , and is not hated , resisted , mortified , but doth habitually prevail , that person is in the very gall of bitterness , and in a state of death . mat. 18. 34 , 35. 1 iohn 3. 14 , 15. reader doth nothing of this touch thee ? art thou in none of the forementioned ranks ? o search , and search again ; take thy heart solemnly to task . woe unto thee , if after all thy profession , thou shouldest be found under the power of ignorance , lost in formality , drowned in earthly mindedness , envenomed with malice , exalted in an opinion of thine own righteousness , levened with hypocrisie , and carnal ends in gods service , imbittered against strictness : this would be a sad discovery that all thy religion were in vain . but i must proceed . 10. unmortified pride . when men love the praise of men , more than the praise of god ; and set their hearts upon mens esteem , applause and approbation , it is most certain , they are yet in their sins , and strangers to true conversion . iohn 12. 43. gal. 1. 10. when men see not , nor complain of , nor groan under the pride of their own hearts , it 's a sign they are stark dead in sin . o how secretly doth this sin live and reign in many hearts , and they know it not , but are very strangers to themselves ! ioh. 9. 40. 11. the prevailing love of pleasure , 2 tim. 3. 4. this is a black mark . when men give the flesh the liberty that it craves , and pamper , and please it , and do not deny and restrain it : when their great delight is in gratifying their bellies , and pleasing their senses ; whatever appearance they may have of religion , all is un●ound . rom. 16. 18. tit. 3. 3. a flesh-pleasing life cannot be pleasing to god , they that are christs , have crucified the flesh , and are careful to cross it , and keep it under , as their enemy , gal. 5. 24. 1 cor. 9. 25. 26 , 27. 12. carnal se●●rity , or a presumptuous and ungrounded confidence , that their condition is already good . rev. 3. 17. many cry peace and safety , when sudden destruction is coming upon them , 1 thes. 5. 3. this was that which kept the foolish virgins sleeping , when they should have been working ; upon their beds , when they should have been at the markets . mat. 25. 5 , 10. prov. 10. 5. they perceived not their want of oyl , till the bridegroom was come ; and while they went to buy , the door was shut . and oh that these foolish virgins had no successors ! where is the place , yea where is the house almost , where these do not dwell ? men are willing to cherish in themselves , upon never so s●ght grounds , a hope that their condition is good , and so look not out after a change , and by this means perish in their sins . are you at peace ? shew me upon what grounds your peace is maintained . is it a scripture peace ? can you shew the distinguishing marks of a sound believer ? can you evidence that you have something more than any hypocrite in the world ever had ? if not , fear this peace , more than any trouble ; and know , that a carnal peace doth commonly prove the most mortal enemy of the poor soul , and while it smiles and kisses , and speaks it fair , doth fatally smite it as it were under the fifth rib . by this time methinks i hear my reader crying out with the disciples , who then shall be saved ? set out from among our congregations all those ten ranks of the prophane on the one hand ; and then besides take out all these twelve sorts of close and self-deceiving hypocrites on the other hand , and tell me then whether it be not a remnant that shall be saved . how few will be the sheep that shall be left , when all these shall be separated , and set among the goats ? for my part , of all my numerous hearers , i have no hope to see any of them in heaven , that are to be found among these two and twenty sorts that are here mentioned , except by found conversion they be brought into another condition . application . and now conscience do thine office . speak out , and speak home to him that heareth or readeth these lines . if thou find any of these marks upon him , thou must pronounce him utterly unclean . levit. 13. 44. take not up a lie into thy mouth : speak not peace to him , to whom god speaks no peace . let not lust bribe thee , or self-love , or carnal prejudice blind thee . i subpoena thee from the court of heaven , to come and give in evidence . i require thee in the name of god to go with me to the search of the suspected house . as thou wilt answer it at thy peril , give in a true report of the state and case of him that readeth this book . conscience wilt thou altogether hold thy peace at such a time as this ? i adjure thee by the living god , that thou tell us the truth . mat. 26. 63. is the man converted or is he not ? doth he allow himself in any way of sin , or doth he not ? doth he truly love , and please , and prize and delight in god above all other things , or not ? come , put it to an issue . how long shall this soul lie at uncertainties ? oh conscience bring in th● verdict . is this man a new man , or is he ●iot ? how dost thou find it ? hath there passed a through and mighty change upon him , or not ? when was the time , where was the place , or what was the means , by which this through change of the new birth was wrought in this soul ? speak conscience . or if thou canst not tell time and place , canst thou show scripture evidence , that the work is done ? hath the man been ever taken off from his false bottom , from the false hopes , and false peace wherein once he trusted ? hath he been deeply convinced of sin , and of his lost and undone condition , and brought out of himself , and off from his sins , to give up himself intirely to jesus christ ? or dost thou not find him to this day under the power of ignorance , or in the mire of prophaneness ? hast not thou taken upon him the gains of unrighteousness ? dost not thou find him a stranger to prayer , a neglecter of the word , a lover of this present world ? dost not thou often catch him in a lie ? dost not thou find his heart fermented with malice , or burning with lust , or going after his covetousness ? speak plainly to all the forementioned particulars : canst thou acquit this man , this woman , from being any of the two and twenty sorts here described ? if he be found with any of them , set him aside , his portion is not with the saints . he must be converted and made a new creature , or else he cannot enter into the kingdom of god. beloved , be not your own betrayers , do not deceive your own hearts , nor set your hands to your own ruine , by a wilful blinding of your selves . set up a tribunal in your own breasts . bring the word and conscience together . to the law and to the testimony . isa. 8. 20. hear what the word concludes of your estates . o follow the search , till you have found how the case stands . mistake here , and perish . and such is the treachery of the heart , the subtilty of the temper , and the deceitfulness of sin , ier. 17. 9. 2 cor. 11. 3. heb. 3. 13. all conspire to fla●●er and deceive the poor soul , and withal so common and easie it is to be mistaken , that it 's a thousand to one , but you will be deceived , unless you be very careful , and thorow , and impartial in the enquiry into your spiritual conditions . oh therefore ply your work : go to the bottom : search as with candles : weigh you in the ballance ; come to the standard of the sanctuary : bring your coyn to the touch stone . you have the archest cheats in the world to deal with : a world of counterfeit coin is going : happy is he , that takes no counters for gold. satan is master of deceits : he can draw to the life : he is perfect in the trade : there is nothing but he can imitate . you cannot wish for any grace , but he can fit you to a hair with a counterfeit . trade warily : look on every piece you take : be jealous : trust not so much as your own hearts . run to god to search you and try you , to examine you and prove your reins . psal. 26. 2. psal. 139. 23 , 24. if other helps suffice not to bring all to an issue , but you are still at a loss , open your cases faithfully to some godly and faithful minister . mal. 2. 7. rest not , till you have put the business of your eternal welfare out of question . pet. 2. 10. o searcher of hearts , put thou this soul upon and help him in the search . chap. v. shewing the miseries of the unconverted . so unspeakably dreadful is the case of every unconverted soul , that i have sometimes thought , if we could but convince men , that they are yet unregenerate , the work were upon the mattter done . but i sadly experience , that such a spirit of sloth and slumber ( rom. 11. 8. mat. 13. 15 ) possesses the unsanctified , that though they be convinced , that they are yet unconverted ; yet they oft-times carelesly sit still : and what through the avocation of sensual pleasures , or hurry of worldly business , or noise and clamour of earthly cares , and lusts , and affections , luke 8. 14. the voice of conscience is drowned , and men go no farther than some cold wishes , and general purposes of repenting and amending . acts 24. 25. it 's therefore of high necessity , that i do not only convince men that they are unconverted ; but that i also endeavour , to bring them to a sense of the fearful misery of this estate . but here i find my self aground at first putting forth . what tongue can tell the heirs of hell sufficiently of their misery , unless 't were dives his that was tormented in that flame ? luke 16. 24. where is the ready writer , whose pen can decipher their misery , that are without god in the world ? eph. 2. 12. this cannot fully be done , unless we knew the infinite ocean of that bliss and perfection which is in that god , which a state of sin doth exclude men from . who knoweth ( saith moses ) the power of thine anger ? psal. 90. 11. and how shall i tell men , that which i do not know ? yet so much we know , as one would think would shake the heart of that man , that had the least degree of spiritual life and sense . but this is yet the more posing difficulty , that i am to speak to them that are without sense . alas , this is not the least part of man's misery upon him , that he is dead , stark dead in trespasses and sins . eph. 2. 1. could i bring paradise into view , or represent the kingdom of heaven to as much advantage , as the tempter did the kingdoms of the world and all the glory thereof to our saviour : or could i uncover the face of the deep and devouring gulph of tophet in all its terrors , and open the gates of the infernal furnace , alas he hath no eyes to see it , mat. 13. 14 , 15. could i paint out the beauties of holiness , or glory of the gospel to the life ; or could i bring above● board the more than diabolical deformity and ugliness of sin , he can no more judge of the loveliness and beauty of the one , nor the filthiness and hatefulness of the other , than the blind of colours . he is alienated from the life of god through the ignorance that is in him , because of the blindness of his heart . eph. 4. 18. he neither doth nor can know the things of god , because they are spiritually discerned . 1 cor. 2. 14. his eyes cannot be savingly opened , but by converting grace , acts 26. 18. he is a child of darkness , and walks in darkness , 1 iohn 1. 6. yea the light in him is darkness . mat. 6. 2 , 3. shall i ring his knell , or read his sentence , or sound in his ear , the terrible trump of gods judgments , that one would think should make both his ears to tingle , and strike him into belshazer's fit , even to appall his countenance , and loose his joynts , and make his knees smite one against another ? yet alas ! he perceives me not : he hath no ears to hear . or shall i call up all the daughters of musick , and sing the song of moses , and of the lamb● yet he will not be stirred . shall i allure him with the joyful sound , and the lovely song and glad-tidings of the gospel ? with the most sweet and inviting calls , comforts , cordials , of the divine promises , so exceeding great and precious ? it will not affect him savingly , unless i could find him ears , mat. 13. 15. as well as tell him the news . shall i set before him the feast of fat things , the wine of wisdom , the bread of god , the tree of life , the hidden manna ? he hath no appetite for them , no mind to them . 1 cor. 2. 14. mat. 22. 5. should i press the choicest grapes , the heavenly closters of gospel-priviledges , and drink to him in the richest wine of gods own cellar , yea of his own side , of set before him the delicious honey-comb of gods testimonies , psal. 19. 10. alas he hath no taste to discern them . shall i invite the dead to arise and eat the banquet of their funerals ? no more can the dead in sin , savour the holy food wherewith the lord of life hath spread his table . what then shall i do ? shall i burn the brimstone of hell at his nostrils ? or shall i open the box of spikenard , very precious , that filleth the whole house of this universe with its perfume , mark 14. 3. ioh. 12. 8. and hope that the savour of christs ointments , and the smell of his garments will attract him ? psal. 45. 8. alas ! dead sinners are like the dumb idols , they have mouths , but they speak not ; eyes have they , but they see not ; they have ears , but they hear not ; noses have they , but they smell not ; they have hands , but they handle not ; feet have they , but they walk not , neither speak they through their throat . psal. 1. 5 , 6 , 7. they are destitute of all spiritual sense and motion . but let me try the sense that doth last leave us , and draw the sword of the word : yet lay at him while i will , yea though i choose mine arrows out of gods quiver , and direct them to the heart , nevertheless he feeleth it not ; for how should he , being past feeling ? eph. 4. 19. so that though the wrath of god abideth on him , and the mountainous weight of so many thousand sins , yet he goes up and down as light , as if nothing ailed him . rom. 7. 9. in a word , he carries a dead soul in a living body , and his flesh is but the walking cossin of a corrupted mind , this is twice dead , iude 12. rotting in the slime and putre●action of noisome lusts , mat 23. 27 , 28. which way then shall i come at the miserable objects that i have to deal with ? who shall make the heart of stone to relent , zech. 7. 12. or the lifeless carcase to feel and move ? that god that is able of stones to raise up children unto abraham , mat. 3. 9. that raiseth the dead , 2 cor. 1. 9. and melteth the mountains , nah. 1. 5. and strikes water out of the flints , deut. 8. 15. that loves to work like himself , beyond the hopes and belief of man , that peopleth his church with dry bones , and planteth his orchard with dry sticks ; he is able to do this . therefore i bow my knee to the most high god , eph. 3. 14. and as our saviour prayed at the sepulchre of lazarus , ioh. 11. 38 , 41. and the shunamite ran to the man of god , for her dead child , 2 kings 4. 25. so doth your mourning minister kneel about your graves , and carry you in the arms of prayer to that god , in whom your help is found . oh thou all powerful iehovah , that workest , and none can let thee ; that hath the keyes of hell and of death , pity thou the dead souls that lie here intombed , and roll away the grave-stone , and say , as to lazarus when already stinking , come forth . lighten thou this darkness , o inaccessible light , and let the day spring from on high , visit the darksome region of the dead to whom i speak : for thou canst open the eyes that death it self hath closed . thou that formedst the ear , canst restore the hearing . say thou to these ears , ephatah , and they shall be opened . give thou eyes to see thine excellencies ; a taste that may relish thy sweetness ; a scent that may savour thine ointments ; a feeling that may sense the priviledge of thy favour , the burden of thy wrat● , the weight intolerable of unpardoned sin : and give thy servant command to prophesie to the dry bones , and let the effect of t●is prophesie be , as of thy prophet , when he prophesied the valley of dry bones into a living army , exceeding great , ezek. 37. 1. &c. the hand of the lord was upon me , and carried me out in the spirit of the lord , and set me down in the midst of the valley , which was full of bones . he said unto me , prophesie upon these bones , and say unto them ; o ye dry bones , hear the word of the lord : thus saith the lord god unto these bones ; behold i will cause breath to enter into you , and ye shall live . and i will lay sinews upon you , and will bring up fles● upon you , and cover you with skin , and put breath in you , and ye shall live , and ye shall know that i am the lord. so i prophesied as i was commanded ; and as i prophesied , there was a noise and behold a shaking , and the bones came together bone to his bone . and when i beheld , loe the sinews and the flesh came up upon them , and covered them above , but there was no breath in them . then said he unto me ; prophesie unto the wind , prophesi● son of man , and say to the wind : thus saith the lord god , come from the four winds , o breath , and breathe upon these slain , that they may live . so i prophesied as he commanded me , and the breath came into them , and they lived , and stood up upon their feet , an exceeding great army . but i must proceed , as i am able , to unfold that misery , which i confess no tongue can unfold , no heart can sufficiently comprehend . know therefore , that while thou art unconverted . 1. the infinite god is engaged against thee . it is no small part of thy misery , that thou art without god. eph. 2. 12. how doth micah run crying after the danites , you have taken away my gods , and what have i more ? iudges . 18. 23 , 24. o what a mourning then must thou lift up , that art without god , that canst lay no claim to him , without daring usurpation ! thou must say of god , as sheba of david ; we have no part in david , neither have we inheritance in the son of jesse . 2 sam. 20. 1. how pitiful and piercing a moan is that of saul in his extremity ; the philistians are upon me , and god is departed from me ? 1 sam. 28. 15. sinners what will you do in the day of your visitation ? whither will you flee for help ? where will you leave your glory ? esay 10. 3. what will you do when the philistines are upon you ? when the world shall take its eternal leave of you , when you must bid your friends , houses , lands , farewell for evermore ? what will you do then , i say , that have never a god to go to ? will you call on him , will you cry to him for help ? alas he will not own you , prov. 1. 28 , 29. he will not take any knowledge of you , but send you packing , with an i never knew you . mat. 7. 23. they that know what 't is to have a god to go to , a god to live upon , they know a little what a fearful misery it is to be without god. this made that holy man cry out , let me have a god , or nothing . let me know him and his will , and what will please him , and how i may come to enjoy him , or would i had never had an understanding to know any thing , &c. but thou art not only without god , but god is against thee , ezek. 5. 8 , 9. nah. 2. 13. oh if god will but stand a neuter , though he did not own , nor help the poor sinner , his case were not so deeply miserable . though god should give up the poor creature to the will of all his enemies , to do their worst with him ; though he should deliver him over to the tormentors , mat. 18. 34. that devils should tear and torture him to their utmost power and skill ; yet this were not half so fearful . but god himself will set against the sinner ; and believe it , 't is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god. heb. 10. 31. there 's no friend like him , no enemy like him . as much as heaven is above the earth , omnipotency above impotency , infinity above nullity , so much more horrible is it , to fall into the hands of the living god , than into the paws of bears , or lions , yea furies , or devils . god himself will be thy tormentor ; thy destruction shall come from the presence of the lord. 2 thes. 1. 9. tophet is deep and large , and the wrath of the lord like a river of brimstone doth kindle it . esay 30. 33. if god be against thee , who shall be for thee ; if one man sin against another , the iudge shall iudge him : but if a man sin against the lord , who shall intreat for him ? 1 sam. 2. 25. thou , even thou , art to be feared ; and who shall stand in thy sight , when ●●ce thou art angry ? psal. 76. 7. who is that god , that shall deliver you out of his hands ? dan. 3. 15. can mammon ? riches profit not in the day of wrath , prov 11. 14. can kings , or warriours ? no , they shall cry to the mountains and rocks , fall on us , and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne , and from the wrath of the lamb. for the great day of his wrath is come , and who shall be able to stand ? rev. 6. 15 , 16 , 17. sinner , methinks this should go like a dagger to thine heart , to know that god is thine enemy . oh whither wilt thou go , where wilt thou shelter thee ? there is no hope for thee unless thou lay down thy weapons , and sue out thy pardon , and get christ to stand thy friend , and make thy peace . if it were not for this , thou mightest go into some howling wilderness , and there pine in sorrow , and run mad for anguish of heart and horrible despair . but in christ there is a possibility of mercy for thee , yea a proffer of mercy to thee , that thou maist have god to be more for thee , than he is now against thee . but if thou wilt not forsake thy sins , nor turn throughly and to purpose unto god , by a sound conversion , the wrath of god abideth on thee , and he proclaims himself to be against thee , as in the prophet ezek. 5. 8. therefore thus saith the lord god , behold , i even i am against thee . i. his face is against thee , psal. 34. 16. the face of the lord is against them that do evil , to cut off the remembrance of them . wo unto them whom god shall set his face against . when he did but look upon the host of the egyptians , how terrible was the consequence ? ezek. 14. 8. i will set my face against that man , and will make him a sign , and a proverb , and will cut him off from the midst of my people , and you shall know that i am the lord. 2. his heart is against thee : he hateth all the workers of iniquity . man , doth not thine heart tremble to think of thy being an object of gods hatred ? ier. 15. 1. though moses and samuel stood before me , yet my mind could not be towards this people , cast them out of my sight . zech. 7. 8. my soul loathed them , and their souls also abhorred me . 3. his hand is against thee . 1 sam. 12. 14 , 15. all his attributes are against thee . first , his iustice is like a flaming sword unsheathed against thee . if i whet my glittering sword , and my hand take hold on judgment , i will render vengeance to mine adversaries , and will reward them that hate me . i will make mine arrows drunk with blood , &c. deut. 32. 40 , 41. so exact is justice , that 't will by no means clear the guilty , exod. 34. 7. god will not discharge thee , he will not hold thee guiltless , exod. 20. 7. but will require the whole debt in person of thee , unless thou canst make a scripture claim to christ and his satisfaction . when the enlightned sinner looks on justice , and sees the ballance in which he must be weighed , and the sword by which he must be executed , he feels an earth quake in his breast . but satan keeps this out of sight , and perswades the soul while he can ; that the lord is all made up of mercy , and so ●ulls it asleep in sin . divine justice is very strict ; it must have satisfaction to the utmost farthing ; it denounceth indignation and wrath , tribulation and anguish , to every soul that doth evil , rom. 2. 8 , 9. it curseth every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in the law to do it . gal. 3. 19. the justice of god to the unpardoned sinner , that hath a sense of his misery , is more terrible , than the sight of the bailiff or creditor to the bank●rupt debtor , or than the sight of the judge and bench to the robber , or of the irons and gibbet to the guilty murderer . when justice sits upon life and death , oh what dreadful work doth it make with the wretched sinner ? bind him hand and foot , cast him into outer darkness , there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth . mat. 22. 13. depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire . mat. 25. 41. this is the terrible sentence that justice pronounceth . why sinner , by this severe justice must thou be tryed ; and as god liveth , this killing sentence shalt thou hear , unless thou repent and be converted . secondly , the holiness of god is full of antipathy against thee . psal. 5. 4 , 5. he is not only angry with thee ( so he may be with his own children ) but he hath a fixed , rooted , habitual displeasure against thee : he loaths thee , zech. 11. 8. and what is done by thee , though for substance commanded by him : esay . 1. 14. mal. 1. 10. as if a man should give his servant never so good meat to dress ; yet if he should mingle filth , or poyson with it , he would not touch it . gods nature is infinitely contrary to sin , and so he cannot but hate a sinner out of christ. o what a misery is this , to be out of the favour , yea under the hatred of god! eccles. 5. 4. hos. 9. 15. that god can as easily lay aside his nature and cease to be god , as not to be contrary to thee , and detest thee , except thou be changed and renewed by grace ! o sinner , how darest thou to think of the bright and radiant sun of purity , upon the beauties , the glory of holiness that is in god! the stars are not pure in thy sight ; iob 25. he humbleth himself to behold the things that are done in heaven . psal. 113. oh those light and sparkling eyes of his ! what do they espy in thee ? and thou hast no interest in christ neither , that he should plead for thee . methinks i should hear thee crying out astonished , with the bethshemites , who shall stand before this holy lord god ? 1 sam. 6. 20. thirdly , the power of god is mounted like a mighty cannon against thee . the glory of gods power is to be displayed , in the wonderful confusion and destruction of them that obey not the gospel . 2 thes. 1. 8 , 9. he will make his power known in them , rom. 9. 22. how mightily he can torment them . for this end he raiseth them up , that he might make his power known . rom. 9. 17. o man , art thou able to make thy party good with thy maker ? no more than a silly reed , against the cedars of god , or a little cock-boat , against the tumbling ocean ; or the childrens bubbles , against the blustring winds . sinner , the power of gods anger is against thee : psal. 90. 11. and power and anger together , make fearful work . 't were better thou hadst all the world in arms against thee , than to have thee power of god against thee . there is no escaping his hands , no breaking his prison . the thunder of his power who can understand ? iob 26. 14. unhappy man that shall understand it by feeling it ! if he will contend with him , he cannot answer him one of a thousand . he is wise in heart , and mighty in strength ; who hath hardened himself against him , and prospered ? which removeth the mountains and they know it not , which overturneth them in his anger . which shaketh the earth out of her place , and the pillars thereof tremble . which commandeth the sun , and it riseth not ; and sealeth up the stars . behold he taketh away , who can hinder him ? who will say unto him , what dost thou ? if god will not withdraw his anger , the proud helpers do stoop under him . job 9. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. &c. and art thou a fit match for such an antagonist ? oh consider this , you that forget god , lest he tear you in pieces , and there be none to deliver you . ps. 50. 22. submit to mercy . let not dust and stubble stand it out against the almighty . set not briars and thorns against him in battel , lest he go through them , and consume them together : but lay hold on his strength , that you may make peace with him , esay 27. 4 , 5. we to him that striveth with his maker . esay 45. 9. fourthly , the wisdom of god is set to ruine thee . he hath ordained his arrows and prepared the instruments of death and made all things ready . psal. 11. 12 , 13. his counsels are against thee , to contrive thy destruction . ier. 18. 11. he laughs in himself , to see , how thou wilt be taken and ensnared in the evil day . ps. 37. 13. the lord shall la●gh at him , for he seeth that his day is coming . he sees how thou wilt come down mightily in a moment ; how thou wilt wring t●●ne hands , and tear thine hair , and eat thy flesh , and gnas● thy teeth for anguish and astonishment of heart , when thou seest how thou art fallen remedilesly into the pit of destruction . fifthly , the truth of god is sworn against thee . psal. 95. 11. if he be true and faithful , thou must perish if thou goest on . luk. 13. 3. unl●ss he be false of his word , thou must die , except thou repent . ezek. 33. 11. if we believe not yet , he abideth faithful , he cannot deny himself . 2 tim. 2. 13. that is , he is faithful to his threatnings ; as well as promises , and will shew his faithfulness in our confusion , if we believe not . god hath told thee , as plain as it can be spoken , that if he wash thee not , thou hast no part in him . iohn 13. 8. that if thou livest after the flesh , thou shalt die , rom. 8. 13. that , except thou be converted thou shalt in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven ; mat. 18. 3. and he abideth faithful , he cannot deny himself . beloved , as the immutable faithfulness of god in his promise and oath , afford believers strong consolation ; heb. 6. 18. so they are to unbelievers , for strong consternation and co●fusion . o sinner tell me what shift dost thou make to think of all the threatnings of gods word , that stand upon record against thee ? dost thou believe their truth , or not ? if not , thou art a wretched in●idel , and not a christian ; and therefore give over the name and hopes of a christian. but if thou dost believe them , o heart of steel that thou hast , that canst walk up and down in quiet , when the truth and faithfulness of god is engaged to destroy thee : that if god almighty can do it , thou shalt surely perish , and be damned . why man , the whole book of god doth testifie against thee , while thou remainest unsanctified : it condemns thee in every leaf , and is to thee , like ezekiel's roll , written within and without with lamentation , and mourning , and woe : ezek. 2. 10. and all this shall surely come upon thee and overtake thee , deut. 28. 15. except thou repent . heaven and earth shall pass away , but one jot , or tittle of this word shall never pass away . mat. 5. 18. now put all this together , and tell me , if the case of the unconverted be not deplorably miserable . as we read of some persons , that had bound themselves in an oath , and in a curse to kill paul : so thou must know , o sinner , to thy terror , that all the attributes of the infinite god are bound in an oath to destroy thee , heb. 3. 18. o man what wilt thou do ? whither wilt thou fly ? if gods omnisciency can find thee , thou shalt not escape . if the true and faithful god will save his oath , perish thou must , except thou believe and repent . if the almighty hath power to torment thee , thou shalt be perfectly miserable in soul and body to all eternity , unless it be prevented by thy speedy conversion . ii. the whole creation of god is against thee . the whole creation ( saith paul ) groaneth and travelleth in pain . rom. 8. 22. but what is it that the creation groaneth under ? why , the fearful abuse that it is subject to , in serving the lusts of unsanctified men . and what is it that the creation groaneth for ? why , for freedom and liberty from this abuse ; for the creature is very unwillingly subject to this bondage . rom. 8. 19 , 20 , 21. if the unreasonable and inanimate creatures had speech and reason , they would cry out under it , as bondage unsufferable , to be abused by the ungodly , contrary to their natures , and the ends that the great creatour made them for . it is a passage of an eminent divine ; the liquor that the drunkard drinketh , if it had reason as well as a man , to know how shamefully 't is abused and spoiled , it would groan in the barrels against him , it would groan in the cup against him , it would groan in his throat , in his belly against him . it would fly in his face , if it could speak . and if god should open the mouth of the creatures , as he did the mouth o● balaam's ass , the proud mans garments on his back would groan again●d him . there is never a creature but if it h● reason to know how 't is abused , till a man ● converted , it would groan against him . this land would groan to bear him , the air would groan to give him breathing , their houses would groan to lodge them , their beds would groan to ease them , their food to nourish them , their cloaths to cover them , and the creature would groan to give them any help and comfort , so long as they live in sin against god. thus far he . methinks this should be a terrour to an unconverted soul , to think that he is a burden to the creation . luke 13. 7. cut it down why cumbreth it the ground . if the poor inanimate creatures could but speak , they would say to the ungodly , as moses to israel ; must we fetch you water out of the rock , ye rebels ? numb . 2. 10. thy food would say , lord , must i nourish such a wretch as this , and yield forth my strength for him , to dishonour thee withal ? no , i will choak him rather , if thou wilt give me commission : the very air will say , lord , must i give this man breath , to set his tongue against he●ven , and scorn thy people , and vent his pride and wrath , aud filthy communication , and belch out oaths and blasphemy against thee ? no , if thou but say the word : he shall be breathless for me . his poor beast would say , lord , must i carry him upon his wicked designs ? no , i will break his bones , i will end his days rather , if i may have but leave from thee . a wicked man the earth groans under him , and hell groans for him , till death satisfies both , and unburdens the earth , and stops the mouth of hell with him . while the lord of hosts is against thee , be sure the hosts of the lord are against thee , and all the creatures as it were up in arms , till upon a mans conversion , the controversie being taken up between god and him , he makes a covenant of peace with the creatures for him . iob 5. 22 , 23 , 24. hos. 2. 18 , 19 , 20. iii. the roaring lion hath his full power upon thee , 1 pet. 5. 8. thou art fast in the paw of that lion , that is greedy to devour ; in the snare of the devil , led captive by him at his will , 2 tim. 2. 26. this is the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience , eph. 2. 2. his drudges they are , and his lusts they do . he is the ruler of the darkness of this world : eph. 6. 12. that is of ignorant sinners , that live in darkness . you pity the poor indians , that worship the devil for their god , but little think that 't is your own case . why , 't is the common misery of all the unsanctified , that the devil is their god. 2 cor. 4. 4. not that they do intend to do him homage and worship , they will be ready to defy him , and him that should say so by them ; but all this while they serve him , and come and go at his beck , and live under his government . his servants you are , to whom you yield your selves to obey . rom. 6. 16. o how many then will be found the real servants of the devil , that take themselves for no other than the children of god ? he can no sooner offer a sinful delight or opportunity for your unlawful advantage , but you embrace it . if he suggest a lie , or prompt you to revenge , you readily obey . if he forbid you to read , or pray , you hearken to him , and therefore his servants you are . indeed he lies behind the curtain , he acts in the dark and sinners see not who setteth them on work : but all the while he leads them in a string . doubtless the lyar intends not a service to satan but his own advantage : yet 't is he that stands in the corner unobserved , and putteth the thing into his heart . act. 5. 3. iohn 8. 44. questionless iudas when he sold his master for money , and the caldeans and sabeans when they plundred iob , intended not to do the devil a pleasure , but to satisfie their own covetous thirst : yet 't was he that acted them in their wickedness . iohn . 13. 27. iob 1. 12 , 15 , 17. men may be very slaves and common drudges for the devil , and never know it , nay they may please themselves in the thoughts of a happy liberty , 2 pet. 2. 19. art thou yet in ignorance , and not turned from darkness to light ? why thou art under the power of satan . act. 26. 18. dost thou live in the ordinary and wilful practice of any known sin ? know that thou art of the devil . 1 iohn 3. 8. dost thou live in strife , or envy , or malice ? verily he is thy father . ioh. 8. 40 , 41. o dreadful case ! how ever satan may provide his slaves with divers pleasures , tit. 3. 3. yet it is but to toll them into endless perdition . the serpent comes with the apple in his mouth , o but ( with eve ) thou seest not the deadly sting in his tail . he that is now thy tempter , will be one day thy tormentor . o that i could but give thee to see how black a master thou servest , how filthy a drudgery thou dost , how merciless a tyrant thou gratifiest , all whose pleasure is , to set thee on work to make thy perdition and damnation sure , and to heat the furnace hotter and hotter , in which thou must burn for millions of millions of ages . iv. the guilt of all thy sins lies like a mountain upon thee . poor soul ! thou feelest it not , but this is that which seals thy misery upon thee . while unconverted , none of thy sins are blotted out : act. 3. 19. they are all upon the score against thee . regeneration and remission are never separated : the unsanctified are unquestionably unjustified , and unpardoned . 1 cor. 6. 11. ● pet. 1. 2. heb. 9. 14. beloved , it 's a fearful thing to be in debt , but above all in gods debt : for there is no arrest so formidable as his , no prison so horrible as his . look upon an enlightned sinner , who feels the weight of his own guilt , and oh how frightful are his looks , how fearful are his complaints ! his comforts are turned into wormwood , and his moisture into drought , and his sleep departeth from his eyes . he is a terrour to himself and all that are about him , and is ready to envy the very stones that lie in the street , because they are sensless , and feel not his misery ; and wishes he had been a dog , or a toad , or serpent rather than a man , because then death had put an end to his misery , whereas now it will be but the biginning of that which will know no ending . how light soever you may make of it now , you will one day find the guilt of unpardoned sin to be a heavy burden . this is a milstone that whosoever falleth upon it shall be broken , but upon whomsoever it shall fall , it shall grind him to powder . mat. 21. 44. what work did it make with our saviour ? it pressed the very blood ( to a wonder ) out of his veins , and broke all his bones : and if it did this in the green tree , what will it do in the dry ? oh think of thy case in time . canst thou think of that threat without trembling , ye shall die in your sins , ioh. 8. 24. oh better were it for thee to die in a goal , die in a ditch , in a dungeon , than die in thy sins . if death , as it will take away all thy other comforts , would take away thy sins too , it were some mitigation . but thy sins will follow thee , when thy friends leave thee , and all worldly enjoyments shake hands with thee . thy sins will not die with thee , 2 cor. 5. 10. rev. 20. 12. as a prisoners others debts will ; but they will to judgement with thee , there to be thine accusers ; and they will to hell with thee , there to be thy tormentors . better to have so many fiends and furies about thee , than thy sins to fall upon thee and fasten in thee . oh the work thot these will make with thee ! oh look over thy debts in time ! how much art thou in the books of every one of gods laws ? how is every one of gods commandments ready to arrest thee , and take thee by the throat for innumerable bonds that it hath upon thee ? what wilt thou then do , when they shall altogether lay it in against thee ? hold open the eyes of conscience to consider this , that thou maist despair of thy self , and be driven to christ , and fly for refuge , to lay hold upon the hope that is set before thee . heb. 6. 18. v. thy raginglusts do miserably enslave thee . while unconverted , thou art a very servant to sin : it reigns over thee , and holds thee under its dominion , till thou art brought within the bond of gods covenant . iohn 8. 34 , 36. tit. 3. 3. rom. 6. 12 , 14. rom. 6. 16 , 17. now there 's no such tyrant as sin . oh the filthy and fearful work , that it doth ingage its servants in ! would it not pierce a mans heart to see a company of poor creatures drudging and toiling , and all to carry together faggots and fuell for their own burning ? why , this is the employment of sins drudges . even while they bless themselves in their unrighteous gains , while they sing and swill in pleasures , they are but treasuring up wrath and vengeance for their eternal burning ; they are but laying in powder and bullets , and adding to the pile of tophet , and flinging in oyl to make the flame rage the fiercer . who would serve such a master , whose work is drudgery , and whose wages is death ? rom. 6. 23. what a woful spectacle was that poor wretch possessed with the legion ? would it not have pitied thine heart to have seen him among the tombs , cutting , and wounding of himself ? mark 5. 5. this is thy case , such is thy work . every stroke is a thrust at thine heart . 1 tim. 6. 10. conscience indeed is now asleep ; but when death and judgment shall bring thee to thy senses , then thou wilt feel the raging smart and anguish of every wound . the convinced sinner is a sensible instance of the miserable bondage of sin . conscience flies upon him , and tells him what the end of these things will be● and yet such a slave is he to his lusts , that on he must , though he see it will be his endless perdition : and when the temptation comes , lust gets the bit in his mouth , breaks all the cords of his vows and promises , and carries him head-long to his own destruction . vi. the furnace of eternal vengeance is heated ready for thee . esay . 30. 33. hell and destruction open their mouths upon thee , they gape for thee , they groan for thee , esay . 5. 14. waiting as it were with a greedy eye , as thou standest upon the brink , when thou wilt drop in . if the wrath of a man may be , as the roaring of a lion , prov. 19. 12. more heavy than the sand ; prov. 27. 3. what is the wrath of the infinite god ? if the burning furnace heated in nebuchadnezars fiery rage , when he commanded it to be made yet seven times hotter , were so fierce as to burn up even those that drew near it , to throw the three children in : dan. 3. 19 , 22. how hot is that burning oven of the almighty's fury ? mal. 4. 1. surely this is seventy times seven more fierce . what thinkest thou , o man , of being a faggot in hell to all eternity ? can thine heart endure , or can thine hands be strong in the day that i shall deal with thee , saith the lord of hosts ? ezek. 22. 14. canst thou dwell with everlasting burnings ? canst thou abide the consuming fire ? esay . 33. 4. when thou shalt be as a glowing iron in hell , and thy whole body and soul shall be as perfectly possessed by gods burning vengeance , as the fiery sparkling iron , when heated in the fiercest forge ? thou canst not bear gods whip : how then wilt thou endure his scorpions ? thou art even crushed , and ready to wish thy self dead , under the weight of his finger : how then wilt thou bear the weight of his loyns ? the most patient man that ever was , did curse the day that ever he was born , iob 3. 1. and even woo death to come and end his misery , iob 7. 15 , 16. when god did but let out one little drop of his wrath . how then wilt thou endure , when god shall pour out all his vials , and set himself against thee to torment thee ? when he shall make thy conscience the tunnel , by which he will be pouring his burning wrath into thy soul for ever ; and when he shall fill all thy powers as full of torment , as they be now full of sin ? when immortality shall be thy misery , and to die the death of a bruit , and be swallowed into the gulf of annihilation , shall be such a felicity , as a whole eternity of wishes , and an ocean of tears shall never purchase ? now thou canst put off the evil day , and canst laugh and be merry , and forget the terrour of the lord , 2 cor 5. 11. but how wilt thou hold out , or hold up , when god shall cast thee into a bed of torments , rev. 2. 22. and make thee to lie down in sorrows ? esay . 50. 11. when roarings and blasphemy shalt be thine only musick , and the wine of the wrath of god , which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation , shall be thine only drink ? rev. 14. 10. when thou shalt draw in flames for thy breath , and the horrid stench of sulphur shall be thine only perfume ? in a word , when the smoak of thy torment shall ascend for ever and ever , and thou shalt have no rest night nor day , no rest in thy conscience , no ease in thy bones , but thou shalt be an execration , and an astonishment , and a curse , and a reproach for evermore ? ier. 42. 18. o sinner , stop here ; and consider . if thou art a man , and not a sensless block , consider . bethink thy self where thou standest : why upon the very brim of this furnace . as the lord liveth and thy soul liveth , there is but a step between thee and this , 1 sam. 20. 3. thou knowest not , when thou liest down , but thou maist be in before the morning : thou knowest not when thou risest , but thou maist drop in before the night . darest thou make light of this ? wilt thou go on in such a dreadful condition , as if nothing ailed thee ? if thou putt●st it off , and sayest , this doth not belong to thee ; look again over the foregoing chapter , and tell me the truth , are none of those black marks found upon thee ? do not blind thine eyes , do not deceive thy self : see thy misery while thou maist prevent it . think what 't is to be a vile cast-out , a damned reprobate , a vessel of wrath , into which the lord will be pouring out his tormenting fury , while he hath a being , rom. 9. 22. divine wrath is a fierce , deut. 32. 22. devouring , esay 33. 14. everlasting , mat. 25. 41. unquenchable fire ; mat. 3. 12. and thy soul and body must be the fuel upon which it will be feeding for ever , unless thou consider thy wayes , and speedily turn to the lord by a found conversion . they that have been only singed by this fire , and had no more but the smell thereof passing upon them ; oh what amazing spectacles have they been . whose heart would not have melted , to have heard spira's outcries , to have seen chaloner that monument of justice , worn to skin and bones , blaspheming the god of heaven , cursing himself , and continually crying out , o torture , torture , torture , o torture , torture , as if the flames of wrath had already took hold on him ? to have heard rogers crying out , i have had a li●tle pleasure , and now i must to hell for evermore ; wishing but for this mitigation , that god would but let him lie burning for ever behind the bac● of that fire ( on the hearth ) and bringing in this sad conclusion still , at the end of whatever was spoken to him , to afford him some hope , i must to hell , i must to the furnace of hell , for millions of millions of ages . o if the fears and forethoughts of the wrath to come be so terrible , so intolerable , what is the feeling of it ! sinner , t is but in vain to flatter you : this would be but to toll you into the unquenchable fire : know ye from the living god , that here you must lie , with these burnings must you dwell , till immortality die , and immutability change , till eternity run out , and omnipotency is no longer able to torment , except you be in good earnest renewed throughout by sanctifying grace . vii . the law dischargeth all its threats and curses at thee . gal. 3. 10. rom. 7. oh how dreadfully doth it thunder ? it spits fire and brimstone in thy face . its words are as drawn swords , and as the sharp arrows of the mighty , it demands satisfaction to the uttermost , and cries , justice , justice . it speaks blood , and war , and wounds , and death against thee . oh the execrations , and plagues and deaths , that this murdering● piece is loaded with ( read deut. 28. 15 , 16. &c. ) and thou art the mark at which this shot is levelled . oh man , away to the strong hold , zech. 9. 12. away from thy sins : haste to the sanctuary , the city of refuge , heb. 6. 18. even the lord jesus christ ; hide thee in him , or else thou art lost without any hope of recovery . viii . the gospel it self binds the sentence of eternal damnation upon thee . mark 16. 16. if thou continuest in thine impenitent and unconverted estate , know that the gospel denounceth a much sorer condemnation , than ever would have been for the transgression only of the first covenant . is it not a dreadful case , to have the gospel it self fill its mouth with threat● and thunder , and damnation ? to have the lord to roar from mount sion against thee ? ioel 3. 16. hear the terror of the lord. he that believeth not shall be damned . except ye repent , ye shall all perish . luke 13. 3. this is the condemnation that light is come into the world , and men love darkness rather than light . john 3. 19. he that believeth not , the wrath of god abideth on him , joh. 3. 36. if the word spoken by angels was stedfast , and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward : how shall we escape , if we neglect so great salvation ? heb. 2. 2 , 3. he that despised moses law , died without mercy : of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy● that hath trampled under foot the sons of god● heb. 10. 28 , 29. application . and is it true indeed ? is this thy misery ? yea 't is as true as god is . better open thine eyes and see it now , while thou maist remedy it , than blind and harden thy self , till to thine eternal sorrow , thou shalt feel what thou wouldst not believe : and if it be true , what dost thou mean to loyter , and linger in such a case as this ? alas for thee poor man , how effectually hath sin undone thee , and depraved thee , and despoiled thee even of the reason to look after thine own everlasting good ! oh miserable caitiff , what stupidity and senselesness hath surprized thee ! oh let me knock up and awake this sleeper . who dwells within the walls of this flash ? is there ever a soul here , a rational understanding soul ? or art thou only a walking ghost , a sensless lump ? art thou a reasonable foul , and yet so far brutified , as to forget thy self immortal , and to think thy self to be as the beasts that perish ? art thou turned into flesh , that thou favourest nothing but gratifying the sense , and making provision for the flesh ? or else having reason to understand the eternity of thy future state , dost thou yet make light of being everlastingly miserable ? which is to be so much below a bruit , as it is worse to act against reason , than to act without it . o unhappy soul , that wast the glory of man , the mate of angels , and the image of god! that wast gods representative in the world , and hadst the supremacy amongst the creatures , and the dominion over thy makers works ! art thou now become a slave to sense , a servant to so base an idol , as thy belly ? for no higher felicity , than to fill thee with the wind of mans applause , or heaping together a little refined earth , no more suitable to thy spiritual , immortal nature , than the dirt , and sticks ? oh why dost thou not bethink thee where thou shalt be for ever ? death is at hand , the iudge is even at the door . iam. 5. 9. yet a little whil● , and time shall be no longer . rev. 10. 5 , 6. and wilt thou run the hazard of continuing in such a state , in which if thou be overtaken , thou art irrecoverably miserable . come then , arise , and intend thy nearest concernments . tell me whither art thou going ? what , wilt thou live in such a course , wherein every act is a step to perdition ? and thou dost not know , but the next night , thou maist make thy bed in hell ? oh! if thou hast a spark of reason , consider , and turn , and hearken to thy very friend , who would therefore shew thee thy present misery , that thou mightest in time make thine escape , and be eternally happy . hear what the lord saith ; fear ye not m● saith the lord ? will ye not tremble at my presence ? ier. 5. 22. o sinners , do you make light of the wrath to come ? mat. 3. 7. i am sure there is a time coming , when you will not make light of it . why , the very devils do believe and tremble , iames 2. 19. what , you more hardned than they ? will you run upon the edge of the rock ? will you play at the hole of the asp ! will you put your hand upon the cockatrice den ? will you dance about the fire , till you are burnt ? or dally with devouring wrath , as if you were at a point of indifferency , whether you did escape it , or endure it ? o madness of folly ! solomon's mad man , that casteth fire-brands , and arrows and death , and saith , am i not in jest ? prov. 26. 18. is nothing so distracted as the wilful sinner , luke 15. 17. that goeth on in his unconverted estate without sense , as if nothing ailed him . the man that runs on the cannons mouth , that sports with his blood , or le ts out his life in a frolick , is sensible , sober , and serious , to him that goeth on still in his trespasses . psal 68. 21. for he stretcheth out his hand against god , and strengthneth himself against the almighty . he runneth upon him , even upon his neck , upon the thick bosses of his buckler . job 15. 25 , 26. is it wisdom to delay with the second death , or to venture into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone , rev. 21. 8. as if thou wert but going to wash thee or swim for thy recreation ? wilt thou as it were fetch thy vieze , and jump into eternal flames , as the children through the bonfire ? what shall i say ? i can find out no expression , no comparison whereby to set forth the dreadful distraction of that soul , that shall go on in sin . awake , awake , eph. 5. 14. oh sinner , arise and take thy flight . there is but one door that thou maist fly by , and that is the strait door of conversion and the new birth . unless thou turn unfeignedly from all thy sins , and come into jesus christ , and take him for the lord thy righteousness , and walk in him in holiness and newness of life , as the lord liveth , it is not more certain that thou art now out of hell , than that thou shalt without fail be in it , but a few dayes and nights from hence . oh set thine heart to think of thy case● is not thine everlasting misery or welfare that which doth deserve a little consideration ? look again over the miseries of the unconverted . if the lord hath not spoken by me , regard me not , but if it be the very word of god , that all this misery lies upon thee , what a case art thou in ? is it for one that hath his senses to live in such a condition , and not to make all possible expedition for preventing his utter ruine ? o man , who hath bewitched thee , gal. 3. 1. that in the matters of the present life thou shouldest be wise enough to forecast thy business , foresee thy danger , and prevent the mischief ; but in matters of everlasting consequence should be slight and careless , as if they little concerned thee ? why is it nothing to thee to have all the attributes of god engaged against thee ? canst thou do well without his favour ? canst thou escape his hands , or endure his vengeance ? dost thou hear the creation groaning under thee , and hell groaning for thee , and yet think thy case good enough ? art thou in the paw of the lion , under the power of corruption , in the dark and noysom prison , fetter'd with thy lusts , working out thine own damnation , and is not this worth the considering ? wilt thou make light of all the terrours of the law , of all its curses , and thunderbolts , as if they were but the report of the childrens pot-guns , or thou wert to war with their paper pellets ? dost thou laugh at hell and destruction , or canst drink the envenomed cup of the almighties fury , as if it were but a common potion ? gird up now thy loyns like a man , for i will demand of thee , and answer thou me . iob 40. 7. art thou such a leviathan , as that the scales of thy pride should keep thee from thy makers coming at thee ? wilt thou esteem his arrows as straw , and the instruments of death as rotten wood ? art thou chief of all the children of pride , even that thou shouldst count his darts as stubble , and laugh at the shaking of his spear ? art thou made without fear , and contemnest his barbed irons ? iob 41. art thou like the horse , that paweth in the valley , and rejoyceth in his strength : he goeth out to meet the armed men ? dost thou mock at fear and art not affrighted , neither turnest back from gods sword ? when his quiver ratleth against thee , the glittering spear and the shield ? iob 39. 21 , 22 , 23. well , if the threats and calls of the word will not fear thee , nor awaken thee , i am sure death and judgment will. oh what wilt thou do when the lord cometh forth against thee , and in his fury falleth upon thee , and thou shalt feel what thou readest ? if when daniels enemies were cast into the den of lyons both they and their wives and their children , the lyons had the mastery of them , and brake all their bones in pieces , ere ever they came at the bottom of the den , dan. 6. 24. what shall be done with thee , when thou fallest into the hands of the living god ? when he shall gripe thee in his iron arms , and grind and crush thee to a thousand pieces in his wrath ? oh do not then contend with god. repent and be converted , so none of this shall come upon thee . esay . 55. 6 , 7. seek ye the lord while he may be found , call ye upon him while he is near . let the wicked forsake his way , and the unrighteous man his thoughts , and let him return unto the lord and he will have mercy on him , and to our god for he will abundantly pardon . chap vi. containing directions for conversion . mark 10. 17. and there came one , and kneeled to him , and asked him ; good master , what shall i do , that i may inherit eternal life ? before thou readest these directions , i advise thee , yea i charge thee before god , and his holy angels , to resolve to follow them , ( as far as conscience shall be convinced of their agreeableness to gods word , and thy estate , ) and call in his assistance , and blessing that they may succeed . and as i have sought the lord , and consuited his oracles , what advice to give thee ; so must thou entertain it , with that awe , reverence , and purpose of obedience , that the word of the living god doth require . now then attend . set thine heart unto all that i shall testifie unto thee this day ; for it is not a vain thing , it is your life , deut. 32. 4. 6. this is the end of all that hath been spoken hitherto , to bring you to set upon turning , and making use of gods means for your conversion . i would not trouble you , nor torment you before the time with the forethoughts of your eternal misery , but in order to your making your escape . were you shut up under your present misery , without remedy , it were but mercy ( as one speaks ) to let you alone , that you might take in that little poor comfort , that you are capable of , here in this world . but you may yet be happy : if you do not wilfully refuse the means of your recovery . behold , i hold open the door unto you : arise and take your flight . i set the way of life before you , walk in it , and you shall live , and not die . deut. 30. 19. ier. 9. 16. it pities me to think , you should be your own murderers , and throw your selves headlong , when god and men cry out to you , as peter in another case to his master , spare thy self . a noble virgin , that attended the court of spain , was wickedly ravished by the king ; and hereupon exciting the duke her father to revenge , he called in the moors to his help , who when they had executed his design , miserably wasted and spoiled the country : which this virgin laying so exceedingly to heart , shut her self up in a tower belonging to her fathers house , and desired her father and mother might be called forth : and bewailing to them her own wretchedness , that she should have occasioned so much misery and desolation to her country , for the satisfying of her revenge , she told them she was resolved to be avenged upon her self . her father and mother besought her to pity her self and them : but nothing would prevail , but she took her leave of them , and threw her self off the battlements , and so perished before their faces . just thus is the wilful destruction of ungodly men . the god that made them beseecheth them , and cryeth out to them , as paul to the distracted jaylor , when about to murder himself , do thy self no harm . the ministers of christ forewarn them and follow them , and fain would hold them back . but alas ! no expostulations , nor obtestations will prevail ; but men will hurl themselves into perdition , while pity it self looketh on . what shall i say ? would it not grieve a person of any humanity , if in the time of a reigning plague he should have a receipt ( as one well ) that would infallibly cure all the countrey , and recover the most hopeless patients , and yet his friends and neighbours should die by the hundreds about him , because they would not use it ? men and brethren , though you carry the certain symptoms of death in your faces , yet i have a receipt that will cure you all , that will cure infallibly . follow but these few directions , and if you do not then win heaven , i will be content to lose it . hear then , oh sinner , and as ever thou wouldst be converted and saved , embrace this following counsel . dir. i. set it down with thy self as an undoubted truth , that it is impossible for thee ever to get to heaven , in this thine unconverted state . can any other but christ save thee ? and he tells thee he will never do it , except thou be regenerated and converted . mat. 18. 3. iohn 3. 3. doth he not keep the keys of heaven ? and canst thou get in without his leave , as thou must , if ever thou comest thither in thy natural condition , without a sound and through renovation ? dir. ii. labour to get a thorow sight and lively sense and feeling of thy sins . till men are weary and heavy laden , and pricked at the heart , and stark sick of sin , they will not come to christ in his way , for ease and cure , nor to purpose enquire , what shall we do ? mat. 11. 28. acts 2. 37. mat. 9. 12. they must set themselves down for dead men , before they will come unto christ , that they may have life , iohn 5. 40. labour therefore to set all thy sins in order before thee . never be afraid to look upon them , but let thy spirit make diligent search , psal. 77. 6. enquire into thine heart , and into thy life , enter into a thorow examination of thy self , and of all thy wayes , psal. 119. 59. that thou maist make a full discovery ; and call in the help of gods spirit , in the sense of thine own inability hereunto : for it is his proper work to convince of sin . iohn 16. 8. spread all before the face of thy conscience , till thine heart and eyes be set abroach . leave not striving with god , and thine own soul , till it cry out under the sense of thy sins , as the enlightned jaylor , what must i do to be saved ? acts 16. 30. to this porpose meditate of the numerousness of thy sins . david's heart failed when he thought of this , and considered that he had more sins than hairs , ps. 40. 12. this made him to cry out upon the multitudes of gods tender-mercies . psal. 51. 1. the loathsom carcase doth not more hatefully swarm with crawling worms , than an unsanctified soul with filthy lusts . they fill the head , the heart , the eyes and mouth of him . look backward , where was ever the place , what was ever the time , in which thou didst not sin ? look inward , what part or power canst thou find in soul or body , but it is poisoned with sin ? what duty dost thou ever perform into which this poyson is not shed ? oh how great is the sum of thy debts , who hast been all thy life long running upon the hooks , and never didst , nor canst pay off one penny ? look over the sin of thy nature , and all its cursed brood , the sins of thy life . call to mind thy omissions , commissions , the sins of thy thoughts , of thy words , of thine actions ; the sins of thy youth , the sins of thy years , &c. be not like a desperate bankrupt , that is afraid to look over his books . read the records of conscience carefully . these books must be opened sooner , or later . rev. 20. 12. meditate upon the aggravations of thy sin , as they are the grand enemies against the god of thy life , against the life of thy soul ; in a word they are the publick enemies of all mankind . how do david , ezra , daniel and the good levites aggravate their sins , from the consideration of their injuriousness to god , their opposition to his good and righteous laws , the mercies , the warnings that they were committed against . nehem. 9. dan. 9. ezra . 9. o the work that sin hath made in the world ! this is the enemy that hath brought in death , that hath robbed and enslaved man , that hath blacked the devil , that hath digged hell ; rom. 5. 12. 2 pet. 2. 4. iohn 8. 34. this is the enemy that hath turned the creation upside down , and sown dissension between man and the creatures , between man and man , yea between man and himself , seting the sensitive part against the rational , will against judgment , lust against conscience ? yea worst of all , between god and man , making the lapsed sinner , both hateful to god , and a hater of him . zec. 11. 8. o man , how canst thou make so light of sin ? this is the traytor that sucked the blood of the son of god , that sold him , that mocked him , that scourged him , that spat in his face , that digged his hands , that pierced his side , that pressed his soul , that mangled his body , that never left , till it had bound him , condemned him , nailed him , crucified him , and put him to open shame . esay . 53. 4 , 5 , 6. this is that deadly poyson , so powerful of operation , as that one drop of it , shed upon the root of mankind , hath corrupted , spoiled , and poisoned , and undone his whole race at once . rom. 5. 18 , 19. this is the common butcher , the bloody executioner , that hath killed the prophets , that hath burnt the martyrs , that hath murdered all the apostles , all the patriarchs , all the kings and potentates , that hath destroyed cities , swallowed empires , butchered and devoured whole nations . what ever was the weapon that 't was done by , sin was it that did the execution . rom. 6. 23. dost thou yet think it but a small thing ? if adam and all his children could be digged out of their graves , and their bodies piled up to heaven , and an inquest were made , what matchless murderer were guilty of all this blood : it would be all found in the skirts of sin . study the nature of sin , till thy heart be brought to fear and loath it . and meditate on the aggravations of thy particular sins , how thou hast sinned against all gods warnings , against thine own prayers , against mercies , against corrections , against clearest light , against freest love , against thine own resolutions , against promises , vows , covenants of better obedience , &c. charge thy heart home with these things , till it blush for shame , and be brought out of all good opinion of it self , ezra . 9. 6. meditate upon the desert of sin . it cryeth up to heaven : it calls for vengeance , gen. 18. 24. it s due wages is death , damnation . it pulls the curse of god upon the soul and body . gal. 3. 10. deut. 28. the least sinful word or thought , ●aies thee under the infinite wrath of god almighty , rom. 2. 8 , 9. mat. 12. 36. oh what a load of wrath , what a weight of curses , what treasure of vengeance have all the millions of thy sins then deserved ! rom. 2. 5. iohn . 3. 36. oh judge thy self that the lord may not judge thee . 1 cor. 11. 31. meditate upon the deformity , and defilement of sin , 't is as black as hell , the very image and likeness of the devil drawn upon thy soul , 1 iohn 3. 8 , 10. it would more affright thee , to see thy self the hateful deformity of thy nature , than to see the devil . there is no mire so unclean , no vomit so loathsom , no carcase or carrion so offensive , no plague or leprosie so noisom as sin , in which thou art all inrolled , and covered with its odious filth , whereby thou art rendred more displeasing to the pure and holy nature of the glorious god , than the most filthy object , composed of whatever is hateful to all thy senses , can be to thee . iob 15. 15 , 16. couldst thou take up a toad into thy bosom ? couldst thou cherish it and take delight in it ? why , thou art as contrary to the pure and perfect holiness of the divine nature , and as loathsome as that is to thee , mat. 23. 33. till thou art purified by the blood of jesus , and the power of renewing grace . above all other sins , fix the eye of consideration on these two . 1. the sin of thy nature . 't is to little purpose to lop the branches , while the root of original corruption remains untouched . in vain do men lave out the streams , when the fountain is running , that fills up all again . let the axe of thy repentance ( with david's ) go to the root of sin , psal. 51. 5. study how deep , how close , how permanent it is , thy natural pollution ; how universal it is , till thou dost cry out with paul's feeling , upon thy body of death . rom. 7. 24. look into all thy parts and powers , and see what u●clean vessels , what styes , what dunghills , what sinks they are become . heu miser , quid sum ? vas sterquilinii , concha putredinis ; plenus faetore & horrore . august . solil . c. 2. the heart is never soundly broken , till throughly convinced of the heynousness of original sin . here fix thy thoughts . this is that that makes thee backward to all good , prone to all evil ; rom. 7. 15. that sheds blindness , pride , prejudices , unbelief into thy mind ; enmity , unconstancy , obstinacy , into thy will ; inordinate heats and colds into thy affectious ; insensibleness , benummedness , unfaithfulness into thy conscience , slipperiness into thy memory , and in a word , hath put every wheel of thy soul out of order , and made it of an habitation of holiness , to become a very hell of iniquity . iames 3. 6. this is that that hath defiled , corrupted , perverted all thy members , and turned them into weapons of unrighteousness , and servants of sin ; rom. 6. 19. that hath filled the head with carnal and corrupt designs , mic. 2. 1. the hands with sinful practices , esay 1. 15. the eyes with wandring and wantonness , 2 pet. 2. 14. the tongue with deadly poison ; iam. 3. 8. that hath opened the ears to tales , flattery , and filthy communication , and shut them against the instruction of life ; zech. 7. 11 , 12. and hath rendred thy heart a very mint and forge of sin , and the cursed womb of all deadly conceptions ; mat. 15. 16. so that it poureth forth its wickedness without ceasing , 2 pet. 2. 14. even as naturally freely , unweariedly , as a fountain doth pour forth its waters , ier. 6. 7. or the raging sea doth cast forth mire and dirt . esay 57. 20. and wilt thou yet be in love with thy self , and tell us any longer of thy good heart ? o never leave meditating on this desperate contagion of original corruption , till with ephraim thou bemoan thy self , ier. 31. 8. & with deepest shame and sorrow smite on thy breast as the publican , luke 18. 13. and with iob abhor thy self and repent in dust and ashes , iob 42. 6 , 2. the particular evil that thou art most addicted to . find out all its aggravations . set home upon thy heart all gods threatnings against it . repentance drives before it the whole herd , but especially sticks the arrow in the beloved sin , and singles this out , above the rest , to run it down , psal. 18. 23. o labour 〈◊〉 make this sin odious to thy soul , and double thy guards , and thy resolutions against it , because this hath , and doth , most dishonour god , and endanger thee . dir. iii. strive to affect thy heart with deep sense of thy present misery . read over the foregoing chapter again and again , and get it out of the book into thine heart . remember when thou liest down , that for ought thou knowest , thou maist awake in flames , and when thou risest up , that by the next night thou maist make thy bed in hell . is it a just matter to live in such a fearful ease ? to stand tottering upon the brink of the bottomless pit , and to live at the mercy of every disease , that if it will but fall upon thee ; will send thee forthwith into the burnings ? suppose thou sawest a condemned wretch hanging over nebuchadne●ar's burning fiery furnace , by nothing but a twine thread , which were ready to break every moment , would not thine heart tremble for such an one ? why thou art the man. this is thy very case , o man , woman , that readest this , if thou be yet unconverted . what if the thred of thy life should break ? ( why , thou knowest not but it may be the next night , yea the next moment ) where wouldst thou be then ? whither wouldst thou drop ? verily , upon the crack but of this thread , thou fallest into the lake , that burneth with fire and brimstone , where thou must lie scalding and sweltering in a fiery ocean , while god hath a being , if thou die in thy present case . and doth not thy soul tremble as thou readest ? do not thy tears bedew the paper , and thy heart throb in thy bosom ? dost thou not yet begin to smite on thy breast , and bethink thy self what need thou hast of a change ? o what is thy heart made of ! hast thou not only lost all regard to god , but art without any love and pity to thy self ? oh study thy misery , till thy heart do cry out for christ , as earnestly , as ever a drowning man did for a boat , or the wounded for a chirurgeon . men must come to see the danger , and feel the smart of their deadly sores and sickness , or else christ will be to them a physician of no value , mat. 9. 12. then the man-slayer hastens to the city of r●fuge , when pursued by the avenger of blood . men must be even forced , and fired out of themselves , or else they will not come to christ. 't was distress and extremity , that made the prodigal think of returning , luke 15. 16 , 17. while laodicea thinks her self rich , increased in goods , in need of nothing , there is little hope . she must be deeply convinced of her wretchedness , blindness , poverty , nakedness , before she will come to christ for his gold , raiment , eye-salve , rev. 3. 17 , 18. therefore hold the eyes of conscience open , amplifie thy misery , as much as possible . do not flie the sight of it , for fear it should fill thee with terror . the sense of thy misery is but as it were the suppuration of the wound , which is necessary to the cure . better fear the torments that abide thee now , than feel them hereafter . dir. iv. settle it upon thine heart , that thou ar● under an everlasting inability ever to recover thy self . never think thy praying , reading , hearing , confessing , amending will do the cure . these must be attended ; bu● thou art undone if thou restest in them , rom. 10. 3. thou art a lost man , if thou hopest to escape drowning upon any other plank , but jesus christ , act. 4. 1● . thou must unlearn thyself , and renounce thine own wisdom , thine own righteousness ; thine own strength , and throw thy self wholly upon christ , as a man that swimmeth casteth himself upon the water , or else thou canst not ●scape . while men trust in themselves , and establish their own righteousness , and have confidence in the flesh● they will not come savingly to christ , luke 18. 19. phil. 3. 3. thou must know thy gain to be but loss and dung , thy strength but weakness , thy right●ousness rag's and rotteness , before 〈◊〉 will be on effectual closure between christ and ●hee , phil. 3. 7 , 8 , 9. 2 cor. 3. 5. esay . 64 6. can the liveless carcase shake off his grave cloths , and loose the bonds of death ? then maist thou recover thy self , who 〈◊〉 dead in trespasses and sins , and under an impossibility of serving thy maker ( acceptably ) in this condition , rom. 8. 8. heb. 11. 6. therefore , when thou goest to pray , or meditate , or to do any of the duties , to which thou art here directed : go out of thy self , call in the help of the spirit , as despairing to do any thing pleasing to god , in thine own strength . yet neglect not thy duty , but lie at the pool , and wait in the way of the spirit . while the eunuch was reading , then the holy ghost sent philip to him , act. 8. 28 , 29. when the disciples were praying , act. 4. 31. when cornelius and his friends were hearing , acts 10. 44. then the holy ghost fell upon them , and filled them all . strive to give up thy self to christ. strive to pray , strive to meditate , strive an hundred and an hundred times , try to do it as well as thou canst , and while thou art endeavouring in the way of thy duty , the spirit of the lord will come upon thee , and help thee to do , what of thy self thou art utterly unable unto , prov. 1. 23. dir. v. forthwith renounce all thy sins . if thou yield thy self to the contrary practice of any sin , thou art undone , rom. 6. 16. in vain dost thou hope for life by christ , except thou depart from iniquity , 2 tim. 2. 19. forsake thy sins , or else thou canst not find mercy : prov. 28. 13. thou canst not be married to christ , except divorsed from sin . give up the traitor , or you can have no peace with heaven . cast the head of sheba over the wall . keep not dalila● in thy lap . thou must part with thy sins , or with thy soul. spare but one sin , and god will not spare thee . never make excuses : thy sins must die , or thou must die for them , psal. 68. 21. if thou allow of one sin , though but a little , a secret one , though thou maist plead necessity , and have a hundred shifts and excuses , for it , the life of thy soul must go for the life of that sin ; ezek. 18. 21. and will it not be dearly bought ? oh sinner , hear and consider . if thou wilt part with thy sins , god will give thee his christ : is not this a fair exchange ? i testifie unto thee this day , that if thou perish , it is not because there was never a saviour provided , nor life tendered : but because thou preferredst ( with the jews ) the murderer before thy saviour , sin before christ , and lovedst darkness rather than light , iohn 3. 19. search thy heart therefore with candles , as the jews did their houses for leven , before the pass-over : labour to find out thy sins . enter into thy closet , and consider , what evil have i lived in ? what duty have i neglected towards god! what sin have i lived in against my brother ? and now strike the darts through the heart of thy sin , as ioab did through absalom's , 2 sam. 18. 14. never stand looking upon thy sin , nor rolling the morsel under thy tongue , iob 20. 12. but spit it out as poyson , with fear and detestation . alas , what will thy sins do for thee , that thou shouldst stick at parting with them ? they will flatter thee , but they will undo thee , and cut thy throat while they smile upon thee , and poyson thee while they please thee , and arm the justice and wrath of the infinite god against thee . they will open hell for thee , and pile up fuel to burn thee . behold the gibbet that they have prepared for thee . oh serve them like haman , and do upon them the execution , they would else have done upon thee . away with them , crucifie them , and let christ only be lord over thee . dir. vi. make a solemn choice of god for thy portion and blessedness , deut. 26. 17. with all possible devotion and veneration avouch the lord for thy god. set the world with all its glory , and paint , and gallantry , with all its pleasures and promotions on the one hand , and set god with all his infinite excellencies and perfections on the other , and see that thou do deliberately make thy choice , iosh. 24. 15. take up thy rest in god , ioh. 6. 68. set thee down under his shadow , cant. 2. 3. let his promises and perfections turn the scale against all the world . settle it upon thy heart , that the lord is an all-sufficient portion , that thou canst not be miserable , while thou hast a god to live upon . take him for thy shield and exceeding great reward . god alone is more than all the world . content thy self with him . let others carry the preferments and glory of the world , place thou thy happiness in his favour , and the light of his countenance , psal. 5. 6 , 7. poor sinner , thou art fallen off from god , and hast engaged his power , and wrath against thee . yet know that of his abundant grace , he doth offer to be thy god again in christ. 2 cor. 6. 17 , 18. what sayest thou man ? wilt thou have the lord for thy god ? why take this counsel , and thou shalt have him . come to him by his christ , ioh. 14. 6. renounce the idols of thine own pleasure , gain , reputation ● 1 thes. 1. 9. let these be pulled out of the throne , and set gods interest upermost in thine heart . take him as god , to be chief in thine affection , estimations , intentions ; for he will not endure to have any set above him , rom. 1. 25. psal. 73. 25. in a word , thou must take him in all his personal relations , and in all his essential perfections . first , in all his personal relations . god the father must be taken for thy father , ier. 3. 4. 19. 22. o come to him with the prodigal , father , i have sinned against heaven , and in thy sight , and am not worthy to be called thy son : but since of thy wonderful mercy , thou art pleased to take me , that am of my self a dog , a swine , a devil , to be thy child , i solemnly take thee for my father , i commend my self to thy care , and trust to thy providence , and cast my burden on thy shoulders . i depend on thy provision , and submit to thy corrections , and trust under the shadow of thy wings , and hide in thy chambers , and fly to thy name . i renounce all confidence in my self , i repose my confidence in thee , i depose my concernments with thee . i will be with thee , and for no other . again , god the son must be taken for thy saviour , for thy redeemer , and righteousness , iohn 1. 2. he must be accepted , as the only way to the father , and the only means of life , heb. 7. 25. o then put off the rayment of thy captivity , on with the wedding garment , and go and marry thy self to jesus christ. lord i am thine , and all that i have , my body , my soul , my name , my estate . i send a bill of divorse to my other lovers , i give my heart to thee . i will be ●hine undividedly , thine everlastingly . i will set thy name on all i have , and use it only as thy goods , as thy loan , during thy leave , resigning all to thee . i will have no king but thee : reign thou over me . other lords have had dominion over me : but now i will make mention of thy name only , and do here take an oath of fealty to thee , promising and vowing to serve , and love , and fear thee , above all competitors . i disavow mine own righteousness , and despair of ever being pardoned and saved for mine own duties , or graces , and lean only on thine all-sufficient sacrifice and intercession , for pardon , and life , and acceptance before god. i take thee for mine only guid and instruction , resolving to be led and directed by thee , and to wait for thy counsel , and that thine , shall be the casting voice with me . lastly , god the spirit must be taken for thy sanctifier , rom. 8. 9 , 14. gal. 5. 16 , 18. for thine advocate , thy counsellor , thy comforter , the teacher of thine ignorance , the pledge and earnest of thine inheritance , rom. 8. 26. psal. 73. 24. iohn 14. 16. eph. 1. 14. iohn 14. 26. eph. 4. 30. awake thou northwind , and come thou south , and blow upon my garden , cant. 4. 16. come thou spirit of the most high ; here is a house for thee , here is a temple for thee . here do thou rest for ever ; dwell here , and rest here . lo i give up the poss●ssion to thee , full possession . i send thee the keys of my heart , that all may be for thy use , that thou maist put thy goods thy graces into every room . i give up the use of all to thee , that every faculty , and every member may be thine instrument , to work righteousness , and do the will of my father , which is in heaven . secondly , in all his essential perfections . consider how the lord hath revealed himself to you in his word : will you take him as such a god ? o sinner , here 's the blessedst news that ever came to the sons of men . the lord will be thy god , gen. 7. 17. rev. 21. 3. if thou wilt but close with him in his excellencies . wilt thou have the merciful , the gracious , the sin-pardoning god , to be thy god ? o yes ( saith the sinner ) i am undone else . but he further tells thee , i am the holy , and sin-hating god. if thou wilt be owned as one of my people , thou must be holy , 1 pet. 1. 16. holy in heart , holy in life . thou must put away all thine iniquities , be they never so near , never so natural , never so necessary to the maintaining thy fleshly interest . unless thou wilt be at defiance with sin , i cannot be thy god. cast out the leven : put away the evil of thy doings : cease to do evil , learn to do well , or else i can have nothing to do with thee , esay . 1. 16 , 17 , 18. bring forth mine enemies , or there is no peace to be had with me . what doth thine heart answer ? lord , i desire to have thee as such a god. i desire to be holy , as thou are holy , to be made partaker of thy holiness . i love thee , not only for thy goodness and mercy , but for thy holiness and thy purity . i take thy holiness for my happiness . oh! be to me a fountain of holiness : set on me the stamp and impress of thy holiness . i will thankfully part with all my sins at thy command . my willful sins i do forthwith forsake ; and for my infirmities , that i cannot get rid of , though i would , i will strive against them in the use of thy means . i detest them , and will pray and war against them , and never let them have quiet rest in my soul. beloved , whosoever of you will thus accept the lord for his god , he shall have him . again , he tells you ; i am the all-sufficient god , gen. 17. 1. will you lay all at my feet , and give it up to my dispose , and take me for your only portion ? will you own and honour mine all-sufficiency ? will you take me as your happiness and treasure , your hope and bliss ? i am a sun and shield , all in one : will you have me for your all ? gen. 1. 15. psal. 84. 11. now what dost thou say to this ? doth thy mouth water after the onions and flesh-pots of egypt ? art thou loath to exchange thy earthly happiness , for a part in god : and though thou wouldest be glad to have god and the world too , yet thou canst not think of having him , and nothing but him , but hadst rather take up with the earth below , if god would but let thee keep it , as long as thou wouldst ? this is a fearful sign . but now if thou art willing to sell all for the pearl of great price ; mat. 12. 46. if thine heart answer , lord i desire no other portion but thee . take the corn , and the wine , and the oyl whoso will , so i may have the light of thy countenance . i pitch upon thee for my happiness . i gladly venture my self on thee , and trust my self with thee . i set my hopes in thee , i take up my rest with thee . let me hear thee say , i am thy god , thy salvation , and i have enough , all i wish for . i will make no terms with thee , but for thy self . let me but have thee sure , let me be able to make my claim , and see my title to thy self , and for other things , i leave them to thee . give me more , or less , any thing or nothing , i will be satisfied in my god. take him thus and he is thine own . again , he tells you ; i am the soveraign lord. if you will have me for your god , you must give me the supremacy , mat. 6. 24. i will not be an underling . you must not make me a second to sin , or any worldly interest . if you will be my people , i must have the rule over you . you must not live at your own list . will you come under my yoke ? will you bow to my government ? will you submit to my discipline ? to my word , to my rod ? sinner , what sayest thou to this ? lord i had rather be at thy command , than live at mine own list . i had rather have thy will to be done , than mine . i approve of and consent to thy laws , and account it my priviledge to lie under them . and though the flesh rebel , and often break over bounds , i am resolved to take no other lord but thee . i willingly take the oath of thy supremacy and acknowledge thee for my liege soveraign , and resolve all my days to pay the tribute of worship , obedience , and love , and service to thee , and to live to thee as the end of my life . this is a right accepting of god. to be short , he tells you ; i am the true and faithful god. if you will have me for your god , you must be content to trust me , 2 tim. 1. 12. prov. 3. 5. will you venture your selves upon my word , & depend on my faithfulness , and take my bond for your security ? will you be content to follow me , in poverty , & reproach , and affliction here , and to see much going out , and little coming in , and to tarry till the next world for your preferment ? mat. 9. 21. i deal much upon trust , will you be content to labour , and suffer , and to tarry for your returns till the resurrection of the just ? luke 14. 14. the womb of my promise will not presently bring forth ; will you have the patience to wait ? heb. 10. 36. now beloved , what say you to this ? will you have this god for your god ? will you be content to live by faith , and trust him for an unseen happiness , an unseen heaven , an unseen glory ? do your hearts answer , lord , we will venture our souls upon thee , we commit our selves to thee : we roll upon thee , we know whom we have trusted : we are willing to take thy word : we will prefer thy promises , before our own possessions ; and the hopes of heaven , before all the enjoyments of the earth . we will wait thy leisure . what thou wilt here , so that we may have but thy faithful promise for heaven hereafter ? if you can in truth , and upon deliberation , thus accept of god , he will be yours . thus there must be , in a right conversion to god , a closing with him suitable to his excellencies . but when men close with his mercy , but not with his sin-hating holiness and purity ; or will take him for their benefactor , but not for their soveraign ; or for their patron , but not for their portion , this is no thorow , and so no sound conversion . dir. vii . accept of the lord iesus , in all his offices , with all his inconveniences , as thine . upon these terms christ may be had . sinner , thou hast und one thy self , and art plunged into the ditch of most deplorable misery , out of which thou art never able to climb up . but jesus christ is able and ready to help thee , and he freely tenders himself to thee , heb. 7. 25. iohn . 7. 37. be thy sins never so many , never so great , of never so long continuance , yet thou shalt be most certainly pardoned and saved , if thou dost not wretchedly neglect the offer , that in the name of god is here made unto thee . the lord jesus calleth to thee , to look unto him and be saved , esay 45. 22. to come unto him , a●d he will in no wise cast thee out , iohn 6. 37. yea he is a sutor to thee , and beseecheth thee to be reconciled , 2 cor. 5. 20. he cryeth in the streets , he knocketh at thy door , he wooeth thee to except of him , and live with him : prov. 1. 20. rev. 3. 20. if thou diest , 't is because thou wouldst not come to him for life , iohn 5. 40. now accept of an offered christ , and thou art made for ever . now give up thy consent to him , and the match is made , all the world cannot hinder . do not stand off because of thine unworthiness . man , i tell thee , nothing in all the world can undo thee , but thine unwillingness . speak man , art thou willing of the match ? wilt thou have christ in all his relations to be thine ; thy king , thy priest , thy prophet ? wilt thou have him with all his inconveniences ? take not christ hand over head , but sit down first , and count the cost . wilt thou lay all at his feet ? wilt thou be content to run all hazards with him ? wilt thou take thy lot with him , fall where it will ? wilt thou deny thy self , take up thy cross , and follow him ? art thou deliberately , understandingly , freely , fixedly , determined to cleave to him in all times , and conditions ? if so , my soul for thine , thou shalt never perish , iohn 3. 16. but art passed from death to life . here lies the main point of thy salvation , that thou be found in thy covenant-closure with jesus christ , and therefore if thou love thy life , see that thou be faithful to god and thy soul here . dir. viii . resign up all thy powers and faculties , and thy whole interest to be his . they gave their own selves unto the lord , 2 cor. 8. 5. present your bodies as a living sacrifice , rom. 12. 1. the lord seeks not yours , but you . resign therefore thy body with all its members to him , and thy soul with all its powers , that he may be glorified in thy body and in thy spirit , which are his , 1 cor. 6. 20. in a right closure with christ , all the faculties give up to him . the judgment subscribes , lord thou art worthy of all acceptation , chief of ten thousand . happy is the man that find●th the● . all the things that are to be desired , are not to be compared with thee , prov. 3. 13 , 14 , 15. the understanding lays aside ●s corrupt reasonings and cavils , and its projudices against christ and his ways . it is now past questioning and disputing , and casts it for christ against all the world. it concludes , it 's good to be here , and sees such a treasure in this field , such value in this pearl , as is worth all . mat. 13. 44. oh here 's the richest bargain that ever i made : here 's the richest prize that ever man was offered : here 's the soveraignst remedy that ever mercy prepared : he is worthy of my esteem , worthy of my choice , worthy of my love , worthy to be embraced , adored , admired for evermore , rev. 5. 12. i approve of his articles : his terms are righteous and reasonable , full of equity and mercy . again , the will resigns . it stands no longer wavering , nor wishing and woulding , but is pe●emptorily determin'd . lord , thy love hath overcome me : thou hast won me , and thou shalt have me . come in lord , to thee i freely open , i consent to be saved in thine own way , thou shalt have any thing , thou shalt have all , let me have but thee . the memory gives up to christ : lord , here is a storehouse for thee . out with this trash ; lay in thy treasure . let me be a granary , a repository of thy truths , thy promises , thy providences , the conscience comes in ; lord i will ever side with thee . i will be thy faithful register . i will warn when the sinner is tempted , and smite when thou art offended . i will witness for thee , and judge for thee , and guide into thy ways , and will never let sin have quiet in this soul. the affections also come in to christ. o faith love , i am sick of thee . o saith desire , now i have my longing . here 's the satisfastion i sought for . here 's the desire of nations . here 's bread for me , and balm for me , all that i want . fear bows the knee with awe and veneration . welcome lord , to thee will i pay my homage . thy word and thy rod shall command my motions . thee will i reverence and adore , before thee will i fall down and worship . grief likewise puts in , lord thy displeasure and thy dishonour , peoples calamities , and mine own iniquities shall be that , that shall set me abroach . i will mourn when thou art offended , i will weep when thy cause is wounded . anger likewise comes in for christ : lord nothing so enrages me , as my folly against thee , that i should be so befooled and bewitched , as to hearken to the flatteries of sin , and temptations of satan against thee . hatred too will side with christ. i protest mortal enmity with thine enemies , that i will never be friends with thy foes . i vow an immortal quarrel with every sin . i will give no quarter , i will make no peace . thus let all thy powers give up to jesus christ. again , thou must give up thy whole interest to him . if there be any thing , that thou keepest back from christ , it will be thine undoing . luke 14. 33. unless thou wilt forsake all ( in preparation and resolution of thy heart ) thou canst not be his disciple . thou must hate father and mother , yea and thine own life also in comparison of him , and as far as it stands in competition with him , mat. 10. 37. luke 14. 26 , 27 , &c. in a word , thou must give him thy self , and all that thou hast , without reservation , or else thou canst have no part in him . dir. ix . make choice of the laws of christ as the rule of thy words , thoughts and actions , psal. 119. 30. this is the true converts choice . but here remember these three rules . 1. thou must choose them all . there is no coming to heaven by a partial obedience . read psal. 119. 6 , 128 , 160. ezek , 18. 21. none may think it enough to take up with the cheap and easie part of religion , and let alone the duties that are costly , and self-denying , and grate upon the interest of the flesh . you must take all , or none . a sincere convert , though he makes most conscience of the greatest sins and weightiest duties ; yet he makes true conscience of little sins , and of all duties , psal. 119. 6. 113. mat. 23. 23. 2. for all times , for prosperity , and for adversity ; whether it rain , or shine . a true convert is resolved in his way : he will stand to his choice , and will not set his back to wind , and be of the religion of the times . i have stuck to thy testimonies , i have enclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway , even to the end . thy testimonies have i taken , as an heritage for ever , psal. 119. 31 , 111 , 117 , 44 , 93. i will have respect unto thy statutes continually . 3. this must be done , not hand over head , but deliberately and understandingly . that disobedient son said , i go sir , but he went not mat. 24. 30. how fairly did they promise : all that the lord our god shall speak unto thee , we will do it ; and it 's like they speak as they meant , but when it came to tryal , it was found that there was not such a heart in them , as to do what they had promised , deut. 5. 27 , 29. if you would be sincere in closing with the laws and wayes of christ , first , study the meaning , and the latitude and compass of them . remember , that they are very spiritual : they reach the very thoughts and inclinations of the heart ; so that if you will walk by this rule , your very thoughts , and inward motions must be under government . again , that they are very strict and self-denying , quite contrary to the grain of your natural inclinations , mat. 16. 24. you must take the strait gate , the narrow way , and be content to have the flesh curbed from the liberty that it desires , mat. 7. 14. in a word , that they are very large : for the commandment is exceeding broad , psal. 119. 66. secondly , rest not in generals , ( for there 's much deceit in that ) but bring down thy heart to the particular commands of christ. those jews in the prophet seemed as well resolved as any in the world , and call god to witness , that they meant , as they said . but they stuck in generals . when gods command crosses their inclination , they will not obey , ier. 42. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6. compared with ch . 43. v. 2. take the assemblies larger ca●echism , and see their excellent and most compendious exposition of the commandments , and put thy heart to it . art thou resolved , in the strength of christ , to set upon the consciencious practice of every duty that thou findest to be there required of thee , and to set against every sin that thou findest there forbidden ? this is the way to be sound in gods statutes , that thou maist never be ashamed , psal. 119. 80. thirdly , observe the special duties that thy heart is most against , and the special sins that 't is most inclin'd unto and see whether it be truly resolved to perform the one . and forego the other . what sayest thou to thy bosome sin , thy gainfull sin ? what sayest thou to costly and hazardous and flesh displeasing duties ? if thou hal●est here , and dost not resolve by the grace of god to cross thy flesh , and put to it , thou art unsound , psal. 18. 23. psal. 119. 6. dir. x. let all this be compleated in a solemn covenant between god and thy soul. psal. 119. 106. neh. 10. 29. for thy better help therein , take these few directions . first , set apart some time , more than once to be spent in secret before the lord. 1. in seeking earnestly his special assistance , and gracious acceptance of thee . 2. in considering distinctly all the terms or conditions of the covenant , expressed in the form hereafter proposed . 3. in searching thine heart , whether thou art sincerely willing to forsake all thy sins , and to resign up thy self , body and soul unto god , and his service , to serve him in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of thy life secondly , compose thy spirit into the most serious frame possible , suitable to transaction of so high importance . thirdly , lay hold on the covenant of god , and rely upon his promise of giving grace and strength , whereby thou maist be enabled to perform thy promise . trust not to thine own strength to , the strength of thine own resolutions , but take hold on his strength . fourthly , resolve to he faithful , having engaged thine heart , opened thy mouth , and subscribed with thy hand unto the lord , resolve in his strength never to go back . lastly , being thus prepared , on some convenient time set apart for the purpose , set upon the work , and in the most solemn manner possible , as if the lord were visibly present before thine eyes , fall down on thy knees , and spreading forth thine hands toward heaven , open thine heart to the lord in these , or the like words . o most dreadful god , for the passion of thy son , i beseech thee accept of thy poor prodigal now prostrating himself at thy door : i have fallen from thee by mine iniquity , and am by nature a son of death , and a thousand-fold more the child of hell by my wicked practice : but of thine infinite grace thou hast promised mercy to me in christ , if i will but turn to thee with all my heart : therefore upon the call of thy gospel , i am now come in , and throwing down my weapons , submit my self to thy mercy . and because thou requirest , as the condition of my peace with thee , that i should put away mine idols and be at defiance with all thine enemies , which i acknowledge i have wickedly sided with against thee , i here from the bottom of my heart renounce them all , firmly covenanting with thee , not to allow my self in any known sin , but conscientiously to use all the means that i know thou hast prescribed , for the death and utter destruction of all my corruptions . and whereas i have formerly inordinately and idolatrously let out my affections upon the world , i do here resign up my heart to thee that madst it , humbly protesting before thy glorious majesty , that is the firm resolution of my heart , and that i do unfeinedly desire grace from thee , that when thou shalt call me hereunto , i may practise this my resolution through thy assistance , to forsake all that is dear unto me in this world , rather than to turn from thee to the ways of sin ; and that i will watch against all its temptations , whether of prosperity , or adversity , lest they should withdraw my heart from thee : beseeching thee also to help me against the temptations of satan , to whose wicked suggestions i resolve by thy grace never to yield my self a servant . and because my own righteousness is but menstruous rags , i renounce all confidence therein , and acknowledge that i am of my self a hopeless , helpless , undone creature , without righteousness or strength . and forasmuch as thou hast of thy bottomless mercy offered most graciously to me wretched sinner , to be again my god through christ , if i would accept of thee : i call heaven and earth to record this day , that i do here solemnly avouch the for the lord my god and with all possible veneration , bowing the neck of thy soul under the feet of thy most sacred majesty , i do here take thy the lord iehovah , father , son , and holy ghost , for my portion , and chief good , and do give up my self , body and soul for thy servant , promising and vowing to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life . and since thou hast appointed the lord jesus christ , the only means of coming unto thee , i do here upon the bended knees of my soul accept of him as the only new and living way , by which sinners may have access to thee , and do here solemnly joyn my self in a marriage covenant to him . o blessed jesus , i come to thee hungry and hardly bestead , poor and wretched , and miserable , and blind , and naked ; a most loathsom polluted wretch , a guilty condemned malefactor unworthy for ever to wash the feet of the servants of my lord , much more to be solemnly married to the king of glory : but 〈◊〉 such is thine unparallell'd love , i do here with all my power accept thee , and do take thee for my head and husband , for better , for worse , for richer , for poorer , for all times and conditions , to love , and honour , and obey thee before all others , and this to the death . i embrace thee in all thine offices : i renounce mine own worthiness , and do here avow thee to be the lord my righteousness : i renounce mine own wisdom , and do here take thee for mine only guide : i renounce mine own will ; and take thy will for my law. and since thou hast told me that i must suffer if i will reign , i do here covenant with thee to take my lot , as it falls , with thee , and by thy grace assisting to run all hazards with thee , verily supposing that neither life nor death shall part between thee and me . and because thou hast been pleased to give me thy holy laws , as the rule of my life , and the way in which i should walk to thy kingdom , i do here willingly put my neck under thy yoak , and set my shoulder to thy burden ; and subscribing to all thy laws , as holy , just , and good , i solemnly take them as the rule of my words , thoughts and actions ; promising that though my flesh contradict and rebel , yet i will endeavour to order and govern my whole life according to thy direction ; and will not allow my self in the neglect of any thing that i know to be my duty . only because through the frailty of my flesh , i am subject to many failings ; i am bold humbly to protest , that unallowed miscarriages , contrary to the setled bent and resolution of my heart , shall not make void this covenant , for so thou hast said . now almighty god , searcher of hearts , thou knowest that i make this covenant with thee this day , without any known guile , or reservation , beseeching thee , that if thou espiest any flaw or falshood therein , thou wouldst discover it to me , and help me to do it aright . and now glory be to thee , o god the father , whom i shall be bold from this day forward , to look upon as my god and father ; that ever thou shouldst find out such a way for the recovery of undone sinners . glory be to thee , o god the son , who hast loved me and washed me from my sins in thine own blood , and art now become my saviour and redeemer : glory be to thee o god the holy ghost , who by the finger of thine almighty power hast turned about my heart from sin to god. o dreadful iehovah , the lord god omnipotent , father , son , and holy ghost , thou art now become my covenant-friend , and i through thine infinite grace , am become thy covenant-servant , amen , so be it . and the covenant which i have made on earth , let it be ratified in heaven . the authors advice . this covenant i advise you to make , not only in heart , but in word ; not only in word , but in writing ; and that you would with all possible reverence spread the writing before the lord , as if you would present it to him as your act and deed. and when you have done this , set your hand to it . keep it as a memorial of the solemn transactions that have passed between god and you , that you may have recourse to it in doubts and temptations . dir. xi . take heed of delaying thy conversion , and set upon a speedy and present turning . i made haste , and delayed not , psal. 119. 59. remember , and tremble at the sad instance of the foolish virgins , that came not till the door of mercy was shut ; mat. 25. and of a convinced felix ; that put of paul , to another season , and we never find that he had such a season more , acts 24. 25. o come in while it 's called to day , le●t thou shouldst be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin ; lest thy day of grace should be over , and the things that belong to thy peace should be hid from thine eyes . now mercy is wooing of thee : now christ is waiting to be gracious to thee , and the spirit of god is striving with th●e . now ministers are calling : now conscience is stirring ; now the market is open , and oyl may be had , thou hast opportunity for the buying . now christ is to be had for the taking . oh! strike in with the offers of grace . oh! now , or never . if thou make light of this offer , god may swear in his wrath , thou shalt never tast of his supper , luk. 14. 24. dir. xii . attend conscientiously upon the word as the means appointed for thy conversion , james 1. 18 , 19. 1 cor. 4. 15. attend , i say , not customarily , but conscientiously ; with this desire design , hope and expectation , that thou maist be converted by it . every sermon thou hearest , come with this thought : oh , i hope god will now come in . i hope this day may be the time , this may be the man by whom god will bring me home . when thou art coming to the ordinances , lift up thine heart thus to god : lord let this be the sabbath , let this be the season wherein i may receive renewing grace . oh let it be said , that to day such a one was born unto thee . object . thou wilt say , i have been long a hearer of the word , and yet it hath not been effectual to my conversion . ans. yea , but thou hast not attended upon it in this manner , as a means of thy conversion , nor with this design , nor praying for , and expecting of this happy effect of it dir. xiii . strike in with the spirit , when he begins to work upon thy heart . when he works convictions , o do not stifle them , but joyn in with him , and beg the lord to carry on convictions to conversion . quench not the spirit : do not out-strive him : do not resist him . beware of putting out convictions by evil company , or worldly business . when thou findest any troubles for sin , and fears about thine eternal state , b●g of god , that they may never leave thee till , they have wrought off thy heart throughly from sin , and wrought it over to jesus christ. say to him , strike home lord : leave not the work in the midst . if thou seest , that i am not yet wounded enough , that i am not troubled enough , wound me yet deeper , lord. o go to the bottom of my corruptions : let out the life blood of my sins , thus yield up thy self to the workings of the spirit , and hoise thy sails to his gusts . dir. xiv . set upon the constant and diligent use of serious and fervent prayer . he that neglects prayer , is a prophane and unsanctified sinner , iob. 15. 4. he that is not constant in prayer , is but an hypocrite , iob 27. 10. ( unless the omission be contrary to his ordinary course , under the force of some instant temptation . ) this is one of the first things conversion appears in , that it sets men on praying , acts 9. 11. therefore set to this duty . let never a day pass over thee , wherein thou hast not morning and evening set apart some time for set and solemn prayer in secret . call thy family also together daily and duly , to worship god with thee . wo be unto thee if thine be found amongst the families that call not on gods name , ier. 10. 25. but cold and lifeless devotions will not reach half way to heaven . be servent , and importunate . importunity will carry it . but without violence the kingdom of heaven will not be taken , mat. 11. 12. thou must strive to enter , luke 13. 24. and wrestle with tears and supplications , as iacob , if thou meanest to carry the blessing , gen. 32. 24. comp . with hos. 12. 4. thou art undone for ever without grace : and therefore thou must put to it , and resolve to take no denyal . that man that is fixed in this resolution , well i must have grace , and i will never give over , till i have a grace , and i wi●● never leave seeking , and waiting , and striving with god , and mine own heart , till he do renew me by the power of his grace ; this man is in the likeliest way to win grace . obj. but god heareth not sinners : their prayer is an abomination . ans. distinguish between sinners : 1. there are resolved sinners : their prayers god abhors . 2 returning sinners : these god will come forth to , and meet with mercy though yet afar off , luke 15. 20. though the prayers of the unsanctified cannot have full acceptance ; yet god hath done much at the request of such , as at ahabs humiliation , and ninevehs fast , 1● kings 21. 26. ionah 3. ● , 9 , 10. surely thou maist go as far as these● though thou hast no grace : and how dost thou know but thou maist speed in thy suit , as they did in theirs ? yea , is he not far more likely to grant thee , than them ; since thou askest in the name of christ , and that not for temporal blessings : as they ; but for things much more pleasing to him , viz. for christ , grace , pardon , that thou maist be justified , sanctified , renewed , and fitted to serve him ? turn to those soul incouraging scriptures , prov. 2. 1. to 6. luke . 11. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13. prov. 8. 34 , 35. is it not good comfort , that he calleth thee ? mark 10. 49. doth he set thee on the use of means , and dost thou think he will mock thee ? doubtless , he will not fail thee , if thou be not wanting to thy self . o pray and faint not , luke 18. 1. a person of great quality , having offended the duke of buckingham , the king 's great favourite , being admitted into her presence after long waiting , prostrates himself at his feet , saying , i am resolved never to ●is● more , till i have obtained your grace's favour , with which carriage he did overcome him . with such a resolution do thou throw thy self at thee feet of god. 't is for thy life and therefore follow him , and give not over . resolve thou wilt not be put off with bones , with common mercies . what though god do not presently open to thee ? is not grace worth the waiting for ? knock , and wait , and no doubt but sooner or later , mercy will come . and this know , that thou hast the very same encouragement to seek and wait , that the saints now in glory once had : for they were once in thy very case . and have they sped so well , and wilt thou not go to the same door , and wait upon god in the same course ? dir. xv. forsake thy evil company , prov. 9. 6. and forbear the occasions of sin , prov. 23. 31. thou wilt never be turned from sin , till thou wilt decline and forgoe the temptations to sin . i never expect thy conversion from sin , unless thou art brought to some self-denial , as to fly the occasions . if thou wilt be nibling at the bait , and playing on the brink , and tampering and medling with the share , thy soul will surely be taken . where god doth expose men in his providence , unavovidably , to temptations , and the occasions are such as we cannot remove , we may expect special assistance in the use of his means . but when we tempt god by running into danger , he will not engage to support us , when we are tempted . and of all temptation , one of the most fatal and perniclous , is evil company . oh what hopeful beginnings have these often stisled ! oh the souls , the estates , the families , the towns , that these have ruined ! how many a poor sinner hath been enlightned , and convinced , and hath been just ready to give the devil the slip , and hath even escaped his snare , and yet wicked company have pull'd him back at last , and made him sevenfold more the child of hell. in one word , i have no hopes of thee , except thou wilt snake off thy evil company . christ speaketh to thee , as to them , in another case . if thou seek me , then let these go their way , iob. 18. 8. thy life lies upon it : forsake these , or else thou canst not live , prov. 9. 6. wilt thou be worse than the beast , to run on , when thou seest the lord with a drawn sword in thy way ? num. 22. 33. let this sentence be written in capitals upon thy conscience , a companion of fools shall be destroyed , pro. 13. 20. the lord hath spoken it , and who shall reverse it ? and wilt thou run upon destruction , when god himself doth forwarn thee ? if god do ever change thy heart , it will appear in the change of thy company . oh fear , and fly this gulf , by which so many thousand souls have been swallowed into perdition . it will be hard for thee indeed , to make thine escape . thy companions will be mocking thee out of thy religion , and will study to fill thee with prejudices against strictness , as ridiculous and comfortless . they will be flattering thee , and alluring thee ; but remember the warnings of the holy ghost , my son , if sinners entice thee , consent thou not . if they say , come with us : cast in thy lot among us : walk not thou in the way with them , re●rain thy foot from their path . avoid it , pass not by it , turn from it , and pass away . for the way of the wicked is as darkness , they know not at what they stumble . they lay wait for their own blood ; they lurk privily for their own lives , prov. 1. 10. to the 18. prov. 4. 14. to the 19. my soul is moved within me , to see how many of my hearers a●e like to perish , both they , and their houses , by this wretched mischeif , even the haunting of such places , and company , whereby they are drawn into sin . once more i admonish you , as moses did israel , num. 16. 26. and he spake unto the congregation , saying , depart , i pray you , from the tents of these wicked men . oh! flie them as you would those that had the plague sores running in their foreheads . these are the devils panders , and decoys ; and if thou dost not make thine escape , they will toll thee into perdition , and will prove thine eternal ruine . dir. xvi . lastly , set apart a day to humble thy soul in secret , by fasting and prayer , and to work the sense of thy sins and miseries upon thy heart . read over the assemblies exposition of the commandments , and write down the duties omitted , and sins committed by thee against every commandment , and so make a catalogue of thy sins , and with shame and sorrow spread them before the lord. and if thy heart be truly willing to the terms , joyn thy self solemnly to the lord in that covenant set down in the 9. direction , and the lord grant thee mercy in his sight . thus i have told thee , what thou must do to be saved . wilt thou not now obey the voice of the lord ? wilt thou arise and set to thy work ? oh man , what answer wilt thou m●ke , what excuse wilt thou have , if thou shoul●●st perish at last through very wilfulness , when thou hast known the way of life ? i do not fear thy miscarrying , if thine own idleness do not at last undo thee , in neglecting the use of the means , that are so plainly here prescribed . rouze up oh sluggard and ply thy work . be doing and the lord will be with thee . a short soliloqui for an unregenerate sinner . ah wretched man that i am ! what a condition have i brought my self into by sin ! oh! i see my heart hath but deceived me all this while , in flattering me , that my condition was good . i see , i see , i am but a lost , and undone man ; for ever undone , unless the lord help me out of this condition . my sins ! my sins ! lord , what an unclean , polluted wretch and i ! more loathsome and odious to thee , than the most hateful venome , or noisome carcass , can be to me . oh! what a hell of sin is in this heart of mine , which i have flattered my self to be a good heart ? lord , how universally am i corrupted , in all my parts , powers , performances ? all the imaginations of the thoughts of my heart , are only evil , continually . i am under an inability to , averseness from , and enmity against any thing that is good ; and am prone to all that is evil . my heart is a very sink of all sin : and oh the innumerable hosts , and swarms of sinful thoughts , words , and actions , that have flown from thence ! oh the load of guilt that is on my soul ! my head is 〈◊〉 and my heart full ; my mind and my mem●ers , they are all full of sin . oh my sins ! how do they stare upon me ! how do they witness against me ! wo is me , my creditors are upon me : every commandment taketh hold upon me , for more than ten thousand talents , yea ten thousand times ten thousand . how endless then is the sum of all my debts ! if this whole world were filled up from earth to heaven with paper , and all this paper written over within and without by arithmeticians : yet when all were cast up together , it would come unconceivably short of what i owe to the least of gods commandments . wo unto me for my debts are infinite , and my sins are increased . they are wrongs to an infinite majesty : and if he that committeth treason against a silken mortal , is worthy to be tacked , drawn and quartered : what have i deserved , that have so often lifted up my hand against heaven , and have struck at the crown and dignity of the almighty ? oh my sins ! my sins ! behold a troop cometh ! multitudes ! multitudes ! there is no number of their armies . innumerable evils have compassed me about ; mine iniquities have taken hold upon me ; they have set themselves in array against me . oh! it were better to have all the regiments of hell come against me , than to have my sins to fall upon me , to the spoiling of my soul. lord , how am i surrounded ! how many are they that rise up against me ! they have beset me behind and before : they swarm within me and without me : they have possessed all my powers , and have ●ortified mine unhappy soul , as a garrison , which this brood of hell doth man , and maintain , against the god that made me . and they are as mighty , as they be many . the sands are many , but then they are not great : the mountains great , but then they are not many . but wo is me , my sins are as many as the sands , sand as mighty as the mountains . their weight is greater than their number . it were better that the rocks and the mountains should fall upon them , than the crushing and unsupportable load of my own sins . lord , i am heavy loaden : let mercy help , or i am gone . unload me of this heavy guilt , this sinking load , or i am crushed without hope , and must be pressed down to hell. if my grief were thorowly weighed , and my sins laid in the ballances together , they would be heavier than the sand of the sea , therefore my words are swallowed up : they would weigh down all the rocks and the hills , and turn the ballance against all the isles of the earth . o lord , thou knowest my manifold transgressions , and my mighty sins . ah my soul ! alas my glory ! whither art thou humdled ! once the glory of the creation , and the image of god : now , a lump of filthiness , a coffin of rottenness , replenished with stench and loathsomness . oh what wor● hath sin made with thee ! thou shalt be term● forsaken , and all the rooms of thy faculties ●●solate , and the name that thou shalt be called 〈◊〉 is icabod , or where is the glory ? how 〈◊〉 thou come down mightily ! my beauty is turned into deformity , and my glory into shame lord , what a loathsom leper am i ! the ulcerous bodies of iob or lazarus were not more offensive to the eyes and nostrils of men , than i must needs be to the most holy ●od , whose eyes cannot behold iniquity . and what misery hath my sins brought upon me ! lord , what a case am i in ! sold under sin , cast out of gods favour , accursed from the lord , cursed in my body , cursed in my soul , cursed in my name , in my estate , my relations , and all that i have . my sins are unpardoned , and my soul within a step of death . alas ! what shall i do ? whither shall i go ? which way shall i look ? god is frowning on me from above ? hell gaping for me beneath ; conscience imiting me within , temptations and dangers surrounding me without . oh , whither shall i fly ? what place can hide me from omnisciency ? what power can secure me from omnipotency ? what meanest thou o my soul to go on thus ? art thou in league with hell ? hast thou made a covenant with death ? art thou in love with thy misery ? is it good for thee to be here ? alas what shall i do ! sh●ll i go on in my sinful ways ? why then certain damnation will be mine end : and shall i be so besotted and bemadded , as to go and sell my soul to the flames , for a little ale , and a littl● ease ; for a little pleasure , or gain , or content to my flesh ? shall i linger any longer in this wretched estate ? no : if i tarry here , i shall die . what then , is there no help ? no hope ? none , except i turn . why , but is there any remedy for such woful misery ? any mercy , after such provoking iniquity ? yes , as sure as gods oath is true , i shall have pardon , and mercy , yet , if i presently , unfeignedly , and unreservedly turn by christ to him . why then ●●hank thee upon the bended knees of my soul , o most merciful iehovah , that thy patience hath waited for me hitherto : for hadst thou took me away in this estate , i had perished for ever . and now i adore thy grace , and accept the offers of thy mercy . i renounce all my sins and resolve by thy grace to set my self against them , and to follow thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life , who am i , lord , that i should make any claim unto thee , or have any part or portion in thee , who am not worthy to lick up the dust of thy feet ? yet since thou holdest forth the golden scepter , i am bold to come , and touch . to despair , would be to disparage thy mercy ; and to stand off when thou biddest me come , would be at once to undo my self , and rebel against thee , under pretence of humility . therefore i bow my soul unto thee , and with all possible thankfulness accept thee , as mine , and give up my self to thee , as thine . thou shalt be soveraign over me , my king , and my god. thou shalt be in the throne , and all my powers shall bow to thee , they shall come , and worship before thy feet . thou shalt be my portion , o lord , and i will rest in thee . thou callest for my heart . oh that it were any way fit for thine acceptance ! i am unworthy , o lord , everlastingly unworthy to be thine . but since thou wilt have it so , i freely give up my heart to thee . take it , it is thine . oh that it were better ! but lord , i put it into thine hand , who alone canst mend it . mould it after thine own heart ; make it as thou wouldst have it , holy , humble , heavenly , soft , tender , flexible , and write thy law upon it . come , lord jesus , come quickly : enter in triumphantly : take me up for thy self for ever . i give up to thee , i come to thee , as the only way to the father , as the only mediator , the means ordained to bring me to god. i have dostroyed my self , but in thee is my help . save , lord , or else i perish . i come to thee , with the rope about my neck . i am worthy to die , and to be damned . never was the hire more due to the servant , never was penny more due to the labourer , than death and hell , my j●st wages , is due to me for my sins . but i fly to the merits ; i trust alone to the value and vertue of thy sacrifice ; and prevalency of thine intercession . i submit to thy teaching , i make choice of thy government . stand open ye everlasting doors , that the king of glory may come in . o thou spirit of the most high , the comforter and sanctifier of thy chosen ; come in with all thy glorious train , all thy courtly attendants , thy fruits , and graces . let me be thine habitation . i can give thee , but what is thine own already : but here with the poor widow , i cast my two mites , my soul , and my body , in to thy treasury ; fully resigning them up to thee , to be sanctified by thee , to be servants to thee , they shall be thy patients ; cure thou their maladies : they shall be thy agents ; govern thou their motions . too long have i served the world ; too long have i hearkned to satan : but now i renounce them all , and will be ruled by thy dictates , and directions , and guided by thy counsel . o blessed trinity , o glorious unity , i deliver up my self to thee : receive me : write thy name , o lord , upon me , and upon all that i have , as thy proper goods . set thy mark upon me , upon every member of my body , and every faculty of my soul. i have chosen thy precepts . thy law will i lay before me : this shall be the copy , which i will keep in my eye , and study to write after . according to this rule do i resolve , by thy grace , to walk : after this law shall my whole man be governed . and though i cannot per●ectly keep one of thy commandments , yet i will allow my self in the breach of none . i know my flesh will hang back : but i resolve , in the power of thy grace , to cleave to thee , and thy holy ways , what ever it cost me . i am sure i cannot come off a loser by thee : and therefore i will be content with reproach , and difficulties and hardships here , and will deny my self , and take up my cross , and follow thee . lord jesus thy yoke is easie , thy cross is welcome , as it is the way to thee . i lay aside all hopes of a worldly happiness . i will be content to tarry till i come to thee . let me be poor and low , little and despised here , so i may but be admitted to live , and raign with thee hereafter . lord , thou hast my heart and hand to this agreement . be it as the laws of the medes and persians , never to be reversed . to this i will stand : in this resolution , by grace , i will live and die . i have sworn , and will perform it , that i will keep thy righteous judgments . i have given my free consent , i have made my everlasting choice . lord , jesus confirm the contract . amen . chap. vii . containing the motives to conversion . though what is already said of the necessity of conversion , and of the miseries of the unconverted , might be sufficient to induce any considering mind to resolve upon a present turning , or conversion unto god : yet knowing what a piece of desperate obstinacy and untractableness the heart of man naturally is , i have thought it necessary , to add to the means of conversion , and directions for a covenant-closure with god in christ , some motives to perswade you hereunto . o lord , fail me not now at my last attempts . if any soul hath read hitherto , and be yet untouched , now lord fasten in him , and do thy work : now take him by the heart , overcome him , perswade him , till he say , thou hast prevailed , for thou wast stronger than i lord , didst thou not make me a fisher of men ? and have i toyled all this while and caught nothing ? alas , that i should have spent my strength for nought ! and now i am casting my last : lord iesus stand thou upon the shore , and direct , how , and where i shall spread my net ; and let me so enclose with arguments the souls i seek for , that they may not be able to get out . now lord for a multitude of souls ! now for a full draught ! o lord god , remember me i pray thee , and strengthen me this once , o god. but i turn me unto you . men and brethren , heaven and earth do call upon you , yea hell it self doth preach the doctrine of repentance unto you . the angels of the churches travel with you , gal. 4. 19. the angels of heaven wait for you , for your repenting and turning unto god. o sinner , why should the devils make merry with thee ? why shouldst thou be a morsel for that devouring leviathan ? why should harpies and hell-hounds tear thee , and make a feast upon thee , and when they have got thee into the snare , and have fastned their talons in thee , laugh at thy destruction , and deride thy misery , and sport themselves with thy damnable folly ? this must be thy case , except thou turn . and were it not better thou shouldst be a joy to angels , than a laughing-stock and sport for devils ? verily if thou wouldst but come in , the heavenly host would take up their anthems , and sing , glory be to god in the highest ; the morning stars would sing together , and all the sons of god shout for joy , and celebrate this new creation as they did the first . thy repentance would as it were make holy-day in heaven , and the glorious spirits would rejoyce , in that there is a new brother added to their society rev. 22. 9. another heir born to their lord , and the lost son received safe and sound . the true penitents tears are indeed the wine that cheereth both god and man. if it be little , that men and angels would rejoyce at thy conversion , know that god himself would rejoyce over thee , even with singing , and rest in his love , luke 15. 9. esay . 62. 5. never did old iacob with such joy weep over the neck of his ioseph , as thy heavenly father would rejoyce over thee , upon thy comming in to him . look over the story of the prodigal . methinks i see how the aged fathers laies aside his state , and forgets his years : behold how he runneth ! luke 15. 20. oh the hast that mercy makes ! the sinner makes not half that speed . methinks i see how his bowels turn , how his compassions yearn . ( how quick sighted is love ! ) mercy spies him a great way off , forgets his rigorous courses , unnatural rebellion , horrid unthankfulness , debauched practices , ( not a word of those ) but receives him with open arms , clasps about his neck , forgets the nastiness of his rags , kisses the lips that deserve to be loathed , the lips that had been joyned to harlots , that had been commoners with the swine , calls for the fatted calf , the best robe , the ring , the shoos , the best cheer in heavens store , the best attire in heavens wardrobe , &c. yea the joy cannot be held in one breast ; luke 15. 6 , 9 , 23. others must be called to participate , the friends must meet and make merry . angels must wait , but the prodigal must be set at the table under his fathers wing . he is the joy of the feast : he is the sweet subject of the fathers delight . the friends sympathize , but none knows the felicity the father takes in his new born son ; whom he hath received from the dead . methinks i hear the musik and the dancing , at a distance . oh the melody of the heavenly choristers ! i cannot learn the song , rev. 14. 3. but methinks i over-hear the burden , at which all the harmonious quire with one consent strikes sweetly in , for thus goes the round at heavens table , for this my son was dead , and is alive again ; was lost and is found , luke 15. 23 , 24 , 32. i need not farther explain the parable . god is the father , christ the cheer , his righteousness the robe , his graces the ornaments , ministers , saints , angels the friends and servants , and thou that readest ( if thou wilt but unfeignedly repent and turn ) the welcom prodigal , the happy instance of all this grace , and the blessed subject of this joy and love . oh rock ! oh adamant ! what not moved yet ! not yet resolved to turn forthwith and to close with mercy ! i will try thee yet once again : if one were sent to thee from the dead , wouldst thou be perswaded ? why hear the voice from the dead , from the damned , crying to thee that thou shouldst repent . i pray thee that thou wouldst send him to my fathers house : for i have five brethren , that he may testifie unto them , lest they also come into this place of torment . if one went unto them from the dead , they will repent , luke 16. 27 , 28. &c. hear o man , thy predecessors in impenitence preach to thee from the infernal gibbets , from the flames , from the rack , that thou shouldst repent . o look down into the bottomless pit . seest thou how the smoak of their torment ascendeth for ever and ever , rev. 14. 11. how black are the ●iends ? how furious are their torments ? 't is their only musick to hear how their miserable patients roar , to hear their bones crack . 't is their meat and drink , to see how their flesh frieth and their fat droppeth , to drench them with burning metal , and to rip open their bodies , and to pour in the fierce burning brass into their bowels , and the recesses and ventricles of their hearts . what thinkest thou of those chains of darkness , of those instruments of cruelty ? canst thou be content to burn ? seest thou how the worm gnaweth , how the oven gloweth ? how the fire rageth ? what saist thou to that river of brimstone , that dark and horrible vault , that gulf of perdition ? wilt thou take up thine habitation here ? o lay thine ●ar to the door of hell. hearest thou the curses and the blasphemies , the weepings and the wailings , how they lament their folly , and curse their day ? mat. 22. 13. rev. 16. 9. how do they roar and yell , and gnash their teeth ? how deep are their groans ? how feeling are their moans ? how unconceivable their miseries ? if the shrieks of corah , dathan and abiram , were so terrible ( when the earth clave asunder , and opened her mouth , and swallowed them up , and all that appertained to them , ) that all israel ●led at the cry of them , numb . 16. 33 , 34. oh how fearful would the cry be , if god should take off the covering from the month of hell , and let the cry of the damned ascend in all its terror among the children of men ? and of all their moans and miseries , this is the piercing , killing ●mphasis and burden , for ever , for ever . why , as god liveth , that made thy soul , thou art but a few hours distant from all this , except thou repent and be converted . oh! i am even lost and swallowed up in the ab●●dance of those arguments that i might suggest . if there be any point of wisdom in all the world , it is to repent and come in : if there be any thing righteous , any thing reasonable , this is it . if there be any thing in the world that may be called madness , and folly , any thing that may be counted sottish , absurd , brutish , unreasonable , it is this , to go on in thine unconverted estate . let me beg thee , as thou wouldst not wilfully destroy thy self , to sit down and weigh , besides what hath been said , these following motives , and let conscience speak , if it be not reason , that thou shouldst repent and turn . 1. the god that made thee doth most graciously invite thee . first , his most sweet and merciful nature doth invite thee ; oh the kindness of god , his working bowels , his tender mercies ! they are infinitely above our thoughts , higher than heaven , what can we do ? deeper than hell , what can we know ? iob 11. 7 , 8 , 9. he is full of compassion , and gracious , long suffering , and plenteous in mercy , psal. 86. 15. this is a great argument to perswade sinners to come in . turn unto the lord your god , for he is gracious , and merciful , slow to anger , of great kindness , and repenteth him of the evil . if god would not repent of the evil , it were some discouragement to us , why we should not repent . if there were no hope of mercy , it were no such wonder if the rebel did stand out : but never had subjects such a gracious prince , such piety , patience , clemency , pity to deal with , as you have . who is a god like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity &c. mic. 7. 18. oh sinners ! see what a god you have to deal with ; if you will but turn . he will turn again , and have compassion upon you , he will subdue your iniquities , and cast all your sins into the depths of the sea , v. 19. return unto me , saith the lord of hosts , and i will return unto you , mal● 3. 7. zech. 1. 3. sinners do not fail in that they have too high thoughts of gods mercies , but in that 1. they overlook his justice . 2. they promise themselves mercy out of gods way . his mercy is beyond all imagination , esay . 55. 9. great mercies , 1 chron. 21. 13. manifold mercies , neh. 9. 19. tender mercies , psal. 25. 6. sure mercies , esay . 55. 3. everlasting mercies , psal. 103. 17. esay . 54. 8. and all thine own , if thou wilt but turn . art thou willing to come in ? why the lord hath laid aside his terror , er●cted a throne of grace , holds forth the golden scepter : touch and live . would a merciful man slay his enemy , when prostrate at his feet , acknowledging his wrong , begging pardon , and offering to enter with him into a covenant of peace ? much less will the merciful god. study his name , exod. 34. 7. read their experience , neh. 9. 17. secondly , his soul-encouraging calls and promises do invite thee . ah what an earnest suitor is mercy to thee ! how lovingly , how instantly it calleth after thee ! how passionately it wooeth thee ! return thou back-sliding israel , saith the lord , and i will not cause mine anger to fall upon you ; for i am merciful , saith the lord , and i will not keep anger for ever . only acknowledge thine iniquity . turn o back-sliding children , saith the lord , for i am married unto you : return and i will heal your back-slidings . thou hast plaid the harlot with many lovers , yet return unto me saith the lord , jer. 3. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 22. as i live , saith the lord god , i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked , but that the wicked turn from his way and live ; turn ye , turn ye from your evil ways , for why will ye die , o house of israel ? ezek. 33. 11. if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed , and keep all my statutes , and do that which is lawful and right , he shall surely live , he shall not die . all his transgressions that he hath committed , they shall not be mentioned unto him ; in his righteousness that he hath done shall ●e live . repent , and turn your selves from all your transgressions , so iniquity shall not be your ruine . cast away from you all your transgressions , and make you a clean heart , and a new spirit , for why will ye die , o house of israel ? for i have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth , saith the lord god ; wherefore turn your selves , and live ye , ezek. 18. 21 , 23 , 30 , 31 , 32. oh melting gracious words ! the voice of a god and not of a man ! this is not the manner of men , for the offended soveraign , to sue to the offending traiterous varlet . oh how doth mercy follow thee , and plead with thee ! is not thy heart broken yet ? oh that to day ye would hear his voice ! 2. the doors of heaven are thrown open to thee . the everlasting gates are set wide for thee , and an abundant entrance into the kingdom of heaven administred to thee . christ now bespeaks thee , ( as she her husband ) arise and take possession , 1 kings 21. 15. view the glory of the other world as set forth in the map of the gospel . get thee up into the pisgah of the promises , and lift up thine eyes westward , and northward , and southward , and eastward , and see the good land that is beyond iordan , and that goodly mountain . behold the paradice of god , watered with the streams of glory . arise and walk through the land , in the length of it , and in the bredth of it , for all the land which thou seest ; the lord will give it to thee for ever , if thou wilt but return , gen. 13. 14 , 15 , 17. let me say to thee as paul to agrippa , believest thou the prophets ? if thou believest indeed , do but view what glorious things are spoken of the city of god ; psal. 87. 3. and know , that all this is here tendered in the name of god to thee . as verily as god is true it shall be for ever thine , if thou wilt but throughly turn . behold the city of pure transparent gold , whose foundations are garnished with all manner of precious stones , whose gates are pearls , whose light is glory , whose temple is god. believest thou this ? if thou dost , art thou not worse than distracted , that wilt not take possession , when the gates are flung open to thee , and thou art bid to enter ? o ye sons of ●olly , will ye embrace the dunghils , and refuse the kingdom ? behold , the lord god t●keth you up into the mountain , shews you the kingdom of heaven , and all the glory thereof , and tells you , all this will i give you , if you will fall down and worship me ● if you will submit to mercy , accept my son , and serve me in righteousness ness and holiness . o fools , and slow of heart 〈◊〉 believe , will you court the harlot , will you seek and serve the world , and neglect the eternal glory ? what not enter into paradise , when the flaming sword , that was once set to keep you out , is now used to drive you in ? but you will say , i am uncharitable , to think you infidels and unbelievers . why , what shall i think you ? either you are desperate unbelievers , that do not credit it , or stark distracted , that you know and believe the excellency and eternity of his glory , and yet do so fearfully neglect it . surely you have no faith , or no reason ; and i had almost said , conscience should tell you so , before i leave you . do but attend what is offered you , oh blessed kingdom ! a kingdom of glory . 1 thes. 2. 12. a kingdom of righteousness , 2 pet. 3. 13. a kingdom of peace , rom. 14. 17. an everlasting kingdom . 2 pet. 1. 11. here thou sha●t dwell , here thou sha●t ●eign for ever : and the lord shall set thee in a throne of glory , mat. 19. 28. and with his own hand shall set the royal diad●m upon thine head , and give thee a crown , not of thorns ( for there shall be no s●nning , nor suffering there . rev. 21. 27. 22. 3 , 4 , 5. ) not of gold , ( for this shall be viler than the dirt in that day ) but a crown of life , iames 1. 12. a crown of righteousness , 2 tim. 4. 8. a crown of glory . 1 pet. 5. 4. yea thou shalt put on glory as a robe , 1 cor. 15. 53. and shale shine like the sun in the ●irmament in the glory of thy father , mat. 13. 43. look now upon thy dirty flesh , thy clay , thy worms-meat : this very flesh , this lump , this carcase shall be brighter than the stars , dan. 12. 3. in short , thou shalt be made like unto the angels of god , luke 20. 36. and behold his face in righteousness , psal. 17. 15. look in now and tell me : dost thou yet believe ? if not , conscience must pronounce thee an infidel , for it is the very word of god that i speak . but if thou say , thou believest , let me next know thy resolutions . wilt thou embrace this for thy happiness ? wilt thou forgo thy sinful gains , thy forbidden pleasures ? wilt thou trample on the worlds esteem , and spit in the harlots face , and stop thine ears at her flareries , and wrest thee out of her embraces ? wilt thou be content to take up with present reproach and poverty , if it lie in thy way to heaven , and to follow the lord with humble self-denial , in a mortified and flesh-displeasing life ? if so , all is thine , and that for ever . and art not thou fairly offered ? is it not pity but he should be damned , that will needs go on and perish , when all this may be had for the taking ? in a word , wilt thou now close with these proffers ? wilt thou take god at his word ? wilt thou let go thy hold-fast of the world , and rid thy hands of thy sins , and lay hold on eternal life ? if not , let conscience tell thee , whether thou ●rt not distracted , or bewitched , that thou shouldest neglect so happy a choice , by which thou mightest be made for ever . 3. god will settle unspeakable priviledges at present upon thee . 1 cor. 3. 22. heb. 12. 22 , 23 , 24. though the full of your blessedness shall be deferred , till hereafter , yet god will give you no little thing● in hand . he will redeem you from your thraldom . iohn 8. 36. he will pluck you from the paw of the lyon , col. 1. 13. the serpent shall bruise your heel , but you shall bruise his head . gen. 3. 15. he shall deliver you from the present evil world . gal. 1. 4. prosperity shall not destroy you , adversity shall not separate between him and you . rom. 8. 35 , 37 , 38. he will redeem you from the power of the grave , psal. 49. 15. and make the king of terrors a messenger of peace to you . he will take out the curse from the cross , psal. 119. 71. and make affliction the fining-pot , the fan , the physick , to blow off the choff , purifie the metal , and purge the mind , dan. 12. 10. esay . 27. 9. he will save you from the arrests of the law , and turn the curse into a blessing to you , rom. 6. 14. gal. 3. 14. he hath the keys of hell and death , and shutteth that no man openeth , rev. 3. 7. & 1. 18. and he will shut its mouth , as once he did the lions , dan. 6. 22. that you shall not be hurt of the second death , rev. 2. 11. but he will not only save you from misery , but install you into unspeakable prerogatives . he will bestow himself upon you , he will be a friend unto you , and a father to you : 2 cor. 6. 18. he will be a sun , and a shield to you : psal. 84. 11. in a word , he will be a god to you , gen. 17. 7. and what can be said more ? what you may expect that a god should do for you , and be to you , that he will be , that he will do . she that marries a prince , expects he should do for her like a prince , that she may live in suitable state , and have an answerable dowry . he that hath a king for his father , or friend , expects that he should do for him like a king. alas , the kings and monarchs of the earth , so much above you , are but like the painted butterflies amongst the rest of their kind , or the fair coloured palmer-worm amongst the rest of worms , if compared with god. as he doth infinitely exceed , the glory and power of his glittering dust , so he will beyond all proportion exceed , in doing for his favourites , what ever princes can do for their● . he will give you grace and glory , and withhold no good thing from you , psal. 84. 11. he will take you for his sons and daughters , and make you heirs of his promises , heb. 6. 17. and establish his everlasting covenant with you , ier. 32. 40. he will justifie you from all that law , conscience , satan , can charge upon you , rom. 8. 33 , 34. he will give you free access into his presence , and accept your persons , and receive your prayers , eph. 3. 12. eph. 1. 6. 1. ioh. 5. 14. he will abide in you , and make you the men of his secrets , and hold a constant and friendly communion with you , iohn 14. 23. ioh. 15. 15. 1 ioh. 1. 3. his ear shall be open , his door open , his store open at all times to you . his blessing shall rest upon you , and he will make your enemies to serve you , and work about all things for good unto you . psal. 115. 13. rom. 8. 28. 4. the terms of mercy are brought as low , as possible , to you . god hath stooped as low to sinners , as with honour he can . he will not be thought a fautor of sin , nor stain the glory of his holiness : and whither could he come lower than he hath , unless he should do this ? he hath abated the impossible terms of the first covenant . ier. 3. 13. mark 5. 36. acts 16. 31. acts 3. 19. prov. 28. 13. he doth not impose any thing unreasonable , or impossible , as a condition of life upon you . two things were necessary to be done , according to the tenour of the first covenant by you . 1. that you should fully satisfie the demands of iustice for past offences . 2. that you should perform personally , perfectly , and perpetually the whole law for the time to come . both these are to us impossible , rom. 8. 3. but behold gods gracious abatement in both . he doth not stand upon satisfaction : he is content to take of the surety ( and he of his own providing too ) what he might have exacted from you . 2 cor. 5. 19. he declares himself to have received a ranson , io● 33. 24. 1 tim. 2. 6. and that he expects nothing , but that you should accept his son , and he shall be righteousness and redemption to you . iohn . 1. 12. 1 cor. 1. 30. and for the future obedience , here he is content to yield to your weakness , and to remit the rigour . he doth not stand upon perfection ( as a condition of life , though he still insists upon it as due , ) but is content to accept of sincerity . gen. 17. 1. prov. 11. 20. though you cannot pay the full debt he will accept you according to that which you have , and will take willing for doing , and the purpose for the performance : 2 cor. 8. 12. 2 chron. 6. 8. heb. 11. 17. and if you come in his christ , and set your hearts to please him , and make it the chief of your cares , he will approve and reward you , though the vessel be marred in your hands . oh consider your makers condescention . let me say to you , as naaman's servant to him ; my father , if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing , wouldest thou not have done it ? how much rather , when he saith unto thee , wash and be clean ? 2 kings 5. 13. if god had demanded some terrible , some severe and rigorous thing of you , to escape eternal damnation , would you not have done it ? suppose it had been to spend all your days in sorrow in some howling wilderness , or pine your selves with famine , or to offer the fruit of your bodies for the sin of your souls , would you not have thankfully accepted eternal redemption , though these had been the conditions ? yea further , if god should have told you , you should have fryed in the fire for millions of ages , or been tormented so long in hell , would you not have gladly accepted it ? alas , all these are not so much as one sand in the glass of eternity . if your offended creator should have held you but one year upon the rack , and then come and bid you take your choice , whether you would renounce your sins , accept his christ , and serve him a few years in self-denyal , or lie in this case for ever and ever : do you think you should have stuck at the offer , and disputed the terms , and have been unresolved , whether you were best to accept of the motion ? o sinner return and live ; why shouldest thou die , when life is to be had for the taking , and mercy should be beholding to thee ( as it were ) to be saved ? couldst thou say indeed , lord i knew that thou wast an hard man , mat. 25. 24. thou hadst some little excuse ; but when the god of heaven hath stooped so low , and bated so far , if now thou shouldest stand off , who shall plead for thee ? obj. notwithstanding all these abatements , i am no more able to perform those conditions , ( in themselves so easie ) of faith and repentance , and sincere obedience , than to satisfie and fulfil the law. answ. these you may perform by gods grace enabling , whereas the other are naturally impossible , in this state , even to believers themselves . but let the next consideration serve for a fuller answer . 5. wherein you are impotent , god doth offer grace to enable you . i have stretched out my hand and no man regarded , prov. 1. 24. what though you are plunged into the ditch of that misery , from which you can never get out ? christ offereth to help you out ; he stretcheth forth his hand to you , and if you perish , it is for refusing his help . behold i stand at the door , and knock : if any man open to me , i will come in . rev. 3. 20. what though you are poor , and wretch●d , and blind , and naked , christ offereth a cure for your blindness , a cover for your nakedness , a remedy for your poverty , he tendereth you his righteousness , his graces . i couns●l thee to buy of me gold that thou mayest be rich , and white ●aiment that thou maist be cloathed and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve , that thou maist see , rev. 3. 17 , 18. do you say , the condition is impossible , for i have not wherewith to buy ? you must know , that this buying is without money and without price . esay . 55. 1. this buying is by begging , and seeking with diligence and constancy in the use of gods means . prov. 2. 3 , 4. god commandeth thee to know him , and to fear him . dost thou say , yea but my mind is blinded and my heart is hardned from his fear ? i answer , god doth offer to enlighten thy mind , and to teach thee his fear : that is presented to thy choice . prov. 1. 29. for that they hated knowledge , and did not chuse the fear of the lord , so that now if men live in ignorance and estrangement from the lord , it is because they will not understand , and desire not the knowledge of his ways . iob 21. 14. if thou cryest after knowledg , if thou seekest her as silver , &c. then shalt thou understand the fear of the lord , and find the knowledg of god. prov. 2. 3 , 4 , 5. is not here a fair offer ? turn you at my reproof : behold i will pour out my spirit unto you . prov. 1. 23. though of your selves you can do nothing , yet you may do all things through his spirit enabling you , and he doth offer his assistance to you . god bids you , wash you and make you clean : esay . 1. 16. you say you are unable as much as the leopard to wash out his spots : ier. 13. 23. yea but the lord doth offer to purge you , so that if you be filthy still , 't is through your own wilfulness . eze , 24. 13. i have purged thee , and thou wast not purged . jer. 13. 27. o jerusalem , wilt thou not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? god doth wait when you will be made clean , when you will yield to his motions and accept of his offers , and let him do for and in you , what you cannot do of your selves . you do not know how much god will do , upon your importunity if you will but be restless and instant with him . luke 11. 8. and 18. 5. if god hath not bound himself by express promise to wicked men , to give them grace in the diligent use of the means : yet he hath given them abundant encouragement to expect it from him , if they seek it earnestly in his way . his most gracious nature is abundant encouragement . if a rich and most bountiful man should see thee in misery , and bid thee come to his door , wouldst thou not with confidence expect , at thy coming to find some relief ? thou art not able to believe , nor repent ; god appoints thee to use such and such means , in order to thy obtaining ●aith and repentance : doth not this argue , that god will bestow these upon thee , if thou dost ply him diligently in prayer , meditation , reading , hearing , self-examination , and the rest of his means ? otherwise , god should but mock his poor creatures , to put them upon these self denying endeavours , and then when they have put hard to it , and continued waiting upon him for grace , deny them at last . surely if a sweet-natured man would not deal thus , much less will the most merciful and gracious god. i intended to have added many other arguments : but these have swoln under my hands , and i hope the judicious reader , will rather look upon the weight , than the number . the conclusion of the whole . and now my brethren let me know your minds . what do you intend to do ? will you go on and die , or will you set upon a thorow and speedy conversion , and hold on eternal life ? how long will you linger in sodom ? how long will you halt between two opinions ? 1 king. 18. 21. are you not yet resolved whether christ or barabbas , whether bliss or torment , whether the land cabul , 1 kings 9. 13. or the paradise of god , be the better choice ? is it a disputable case , whether the abana and pharphar of damascus , be better than all the streams of eden ? or whether the vile puddle of sin , be to be preferred before the water of life , clear as crystal , proceeding out of the throne of god and of the lamb ? can the world in good earnest do that for you , that christ can ? will it stand by you to eternity ? will pleasures , titles , lands , treasures , descend with you , psal. 49. 17. 1 tim. 6. 7. if not , had you not need look after somewhat that will ? what mean you to stand wavering , to be off and on ? foolish children ! how long will you stick between the womb and the world ? shall i leave you at last no farther than agrippa , but almost perswaded ? why , you are for ever lost , if left here . as good not at all , as not altogether christians . you are half of the mind to give over your former negligent life , and to set to a strict and holy course : you could wish that you were as some others be , and could do as they can do . how long will you rest in idle wishes , and fruitless purposes ? when will you come to a fixed , full , and firm resolve ? do not you see how satan gulls you , by tempting you to delays ? how long hath he toll'd you on in the way of perdition ? how many years have you been purposing to amend what if god should have taken you off this while ? well , put me not off with a dilatory answer . tell not me of hereafter . i must have your present consent . if you be not now resolved , while the lord is treating with you , and woing of you , much less are you like to be hereafter , when these impressions are worn out , and you are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin . will you give me your hands ? will you set open the doors , and give the lord jesus the full and present possession ? will you put in your names into his covenant ? will you subscribe ? what do you resolve upon ? if you are still upon your delays , my labour is lost , and all is like to come to nothing . fain i would , that you should now put in your adventures . come , cast in your lot , make your choice . now is the accepted time , now is the day of salvation : to day if you will hear his voice . why should not this be the day from whence thou shouldest be able to date thine happiness ? why shouldest thou venture a day longer , in this dangerous and dreadful condition ? what if god should this night require thy soul ? o that thou mightest know , in this thy day , the things that belong unto thy peace , before they be hid from thine eyes ! luke 16. 42. this is thy day , and 't is but a day . iohn 9. 4. others have had their day , and have received their doom ; and now art thou brought upon the stage of this world , here to act thy part , for a whole eternity remember , thou art now upon thy good behaviour for everlasting . if thou make not a wise choice now , thou art undone for ever . look what thy present choice is , such must thine eternal condition be . luke 10. 42. luke 16. 25. prov. 1. 27 , 28 , 29. and is it true indeed ? is life and death at thy choice ? yea , 't is as true as truth is . deut. 30. 19. why then , what hinders but that thou shouldest be happy ? nothing doth or can hinder , but thine own wilful neglect , or refusal . it was the passage of the eunuch to philip : see here is water , what doth hinder me to be baptized ? so i may say to thee : see , here is christ , here is mercy , pardon , life , what hinders but that thou shouldst be pardoned , and saved ? one of the martyrs as he was praying at the stake , had his pardon set by in a box ( which indeed he refused , deservedly , because upon unworthy terms . ) but here the terms are most honourable and easie : o sinner , wilt thou burn with thy pardon by ? why do but forthwith give up thy consent to christ , renounce thy sins , deny thy self , take up the yoak , and the cross , and thou carriest the day ; christ is thine , pardon , peace , life , blessedness , all are thine : and is not this an offer worth the embracing ; why shouldst thou hesitate , or doubtfully dispute about the case ? is it not past controversie , whether god be better than sin , and glory better than vanity ? why shouldst thou forsake thine own mercy , and sin against thine own life ? when wilt thou sh●ke off thy sloth , and lay by thine excuses ? boast not thy self of to morrow : thou knowest not where this night may lodge thee . prov. 27. 1. beloved , now the holy spirit is striving with you . he will not always strive . hast thou not felt thy heart warmed by the word , and been almost perswaded to leave off thy sins , and come in to god ? hast thou not felt some good motions in thy mind , wherein thou hast been warned of thy danger , and told what thy careless course would end in ? it may be thou art like young samuel , who when the lord called once and again , he knew not the voice of the lord : 1 sam. 3. 6 , 7. but these motions and items are the offers , and essays , and the calls and strivings of the spirit . o take the advantage of the tide , and know the day of thy visitation . now the lord jesus stretcheth wide his arms to receive you . he beseecheth you by us . how movingly , how meltingly , how pitifully , how passionately he calleth ! the church is put into a sudden extasie upon the sound of his voice , the voice of my beloved ! cant. 2. 8. o wilt thou turn a deaf ear to his voice ! it is not the voice that breaketh the ceders , and maketh the mountains to skip like a calf , that shaketh the wilderness and divideth the flames of fire , it is not sinai's thunder ; but the soft and still voice . it is not the voice of mount ebal , a voice of cursing , and terror ; but the voice of mount gerizim , the voice of blessing , and of glad tidings of good things . it is not the voice of the trumpet , nor the noise of war , but a message of peace from the king of peace , eph. 6. 15. 2. cor. 5. 18 , 20. methinks it should be with thee as with the spouse ; my soul failed when he spake , cant. 5. 6. i may say to thee , o sinner , as martha to her sister , the master is come , and he calleth for thee , iohn . 11. 28. oh now , with mary , arise quickly , and come unto him . how sweet are his invitations ! he cryeth in the open concourse . if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink . iohn . 7. 37. prov. 1. 21. he broacheth his own body for thee . oh come and lay thy mouth to his side . how free is he ! he excludeth none . whosoever with , let him come and take the water of life freely , rev. 22. 17. whoso is simple , let him turn in hith●r . come , eat of my bread , drink of the wine which ● have mingled . for sake the foolish , and live , prov. 9. 4 , 5. 6. come unto me , &c. take my yoak upon you , and learn of me , and ye shall find rest unto your souls . mat. 11. 28 , 29. him that cometh to me , i will in no wise cast out . joh. 6. 37. how doth he bemoan the obstinate refuser ? o jerusalem , jerusalem , how often would i have gathered thy children , as a hen guthereth her chickens under hot wings , and ye would not . mat. 23. 37. behold me , behold me : i have stretched out my hands all the day to a rebellious people . esay . 65. 1 , 2. o be perswaded now at last , to throw your selves into the arms of love . behold , o ye sons of men , the lord jes●s hath thrown open the prisons , and now he cometh to you ( as the magistrates once to them acts 16. 39. ) and b●●ee●heth you to come out . if it were from a palace , or a paradise that christ did call you , it were no wonder if you were unwilling ( and yet how easily was adam tolled from hence ? ) but it is from your prison , sirs , from your chains , from the dungeon , from the darkness that he calleth you ? esay . 42. 6 , 7. and , yet will you not come ? he calleth you unto liberty . gal. 5. 13. and yet will you not hearken ? his yoke is easie , his laws are liberty , his service freedom : mat. 11. 30. iames 1. 25. 1 cor. 7. 22. and ( whatever prejudices you have against his ways ) if a god may be believed , you shall find them all pleasure and peace , and shall taste sweetness and joy unutterable , and take infinite delight and felicity in them . prov. 3. 17. psal. 110. 165. 1 pet. 1. 1. psal. 119. 103. 111. beloved , i am loath to leave you . i cannot tell how to give you over . i am now ready to shut up , but fain i would drive this bargain between christ and you , before i end . what , shall i leave you as i found you at last ? have you read hitherto , and are not yet resolved upon a present abandoning all your sins , and closing with jesus christ ? alas , what shall i say ? what shall i do ? will you turn off all my importunity ? have i run in vain ? have i used so many arguments , and spent so much time to perswade you , and yet must sit down at last in disappointment ? but it is a small matter that you turn off me : you put a slight upon the god that made you , you reject the bowels and beseechings of a saviour , and will be found resisters of the holy ghost . acts 7. 51. if you will not now be prevailed with , to repent and be converted . well , though i have called long and ye have refused , i shall yet this once more lift up my voice like a trumpet , and cry from the highest places of the city , before i conclude with a miserable conclamatum est . once more i shall call after regardless sinners , that , if it be possible , i may awaken them . o earth , earth , earth , hear the word of the lord , ier. 22. 29. unless you be resolved to die , lend your ears to the last calls of mercy . behold , in the name of god , i make open proclamation to you . hearken unto me , o ye children . hear instruction , and be wise , and refuse it not , prov. 8. 32 , 33. ho , every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters , and he that hath no money , come ye , buy and eat , yea come , buy wine and milk without money and without price . wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread , and your labour for that which satisfieth not ? hearken diligently unto me , and eate ye that which is good , and let your soul delight it self in fatness . incline your ear and come ye unto me , hear and your soul shall live , and i will make an everlasting covenant with you , even the sure mercies of david . esay 55. 1 , 2 , 3. ho , every one that is sick of any manner of disease or torment , mat. 4. 23 , 24. or is possessed with an evil spirit , whether of pride , or fury , or lust , or covetousness , come ye to the physician ; bring away your sick . loe here is he that healeth all manner of sickness , and all manner of disease among the people . ho , every one that is in debt , and every one that is in dist●ess , and every one that is discontented , gather your selves unto christ and he will become a captain over you . he will be your protection from the arrests of the law ; he will save you from the hand of justice . behold , he is an open sanctuary to you , he is a known refuge , heb. 6. 18. psal. 48. 3. away with your sins , and come in unto him , lest the avenger of blood seize you , lest devouring wrath overtake you . ho , every ignorant sinner , come and buy eye-salve that thou maist see , rev. 3. 18. away with thine excuses ; thou art for ever lost , if thou continuest in this estate , 2 cor. 4. 3. but accept of christ for thy prophet and he will be a light unto thee , esay . 42. 6. eph 5. 14. cry unto him for knowledge , study his word , take pains about the principles of religion , humble thy self before him , and he will teach thee his way , and make thee wise unto salvation , mat. 13. 36. luke 8. 9. iohn 5. 39. psal. 25. 9. but if thou wilt not follow him , in the painful use of his means but sit down , because thou hast but one talent , he will condemn thee for a wicked and sloathful servant , mat. 25. 24 , 26. ho , every prophane sinner , come in and live . return unto the lord and he will have mercy upon thee . be entreated , oh return , come : thou that hast filled thy mouth with oaths , and execrations , all manner of sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven thee , mark 3. 28. if thou wilt but throughly turn unto christ , and come in . though thou wast as unclean as magdalen ; yet put away thy whoredoms out of thy sight , and thine adulteries from between thy breasts , and give up thy self unto christ , as a vessel of holiness , alone for his use , and then , though thy sins be as scarlet , they shall be as wooll , and though they be as crimson , they shall be as white snow , luke 7. 37. hos. 2. 2. 1 thes. 4. 4. esay . 1. 18. hear o ye drunkards , how long will you be drunken ? put away your wine , 1 sam. 1. 14. though you have rolled in the vomit of your sin , take the vomit of repentance , and heartily disgorge your beloved lusts , and the lord will receive you . 2. cor. 6. 17. give up your selves unto christ , to live soberly , righteously , and godly ; embrace his righteousness ; accept his government ; and though you have been swine he will wash you , rev. 36. hear o ye loose companions , whose delight is in vain and wicked societie , to sport away your time in carnal mirth and jollity with them , come in at wisdoms call , and choose her , and her ways , and forsake the foolish , and you shall live , prov. 9. 5 , 6. hear o ye scorners , hear the word of the lord. though you have made a sport of godliness , and the professors thereof ; though you have made a scorn of christ , and of his waies ; yet , even to you doth he call , to gather you under the wings of his mercy , prov. 1. 22 , 33. in a word , though you should be sound among . the worst of that black roll , 1 cor. 6. 9 , 10. yet , upon your through conversion , you shall be washed , you shall be justified , you shall be sanctified , in the name of the lord jesus , and by the spirit of ou● god , ver . 11. ho , every formal professor , that art but a luke-warm and dough-baked christian , and restest in the form of godliness , give over thy halving , and thy halting ; be a throughout christian , and be zealous and repent , and then though thou hast been an offence to christ's stomach , thou shalt be the joy of his heart , rev. 3. 16 , 19 , 20. and now bear witness , that mercy hath been offered you . i call heaven and earth to record against you this day , that i have set before you life and death , blessing and cursing , therefore choose life , that you may live , deut. 30. 19. i can but woo you , and warn you : i cannot compell you to be happy : if i could , i would . what answer will you send me with to my master ? let me speak unto you as abrahams servant to them ; and now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master , tell me , gen. 24. 49. oh for such a happy answer , as rebekah gave to them ! gen. 24. 57 , 58. and they said , we will call the dams●l , and enquire at her mouth . and they called rebekah , and said unto her . wilt thou go with this man ? and she said , i will go . oh that i had but thus much from you ! why should i be your accuser , mat. 10. 14 , 15. who thirst for your salvation ? why should the passionate pleadings and wooings of mercy be turned into the horrid ag●avations of your obstinancy and additions to your misery . judge in your selves : do you not think their condemnation will be doubly dreadful , that shall still go on in their sins , after all endeavours to recall them ? doubtless , it shall be more tolerable for tire and sydon , yea for sodom and gomorrah , in the day of iudgment , than for you , mat. 11. 22 , 24. beloved , if you have any pity for your perishing souls , close with the present offers of mercy . if you would not continue and increase the pains of your travelling ministers , do not stick in the birth . if the god that made you have any authority with you , obey his command and come in . if you are not the despisers of grace , and would not shut up the doors of mercy against your selves , repent and be converted . let not heaven stand open for you in vain . let not the lord jesus open his wares , and bid you buy without money and without price , in vain . let not his ministers and his spirit , strive with you in vain , and leave you now at last unperswaded ; lest the sentence go forth against you , the bellows are burnt , the lead is consumed of the fire , the founder melteth in vain . reprobate silver shall men call them , because the lord hath rejected them , ier. 6. 29 , 30. father of spirits , take the heart in hand that is too hard for my weakness . do not thou have ended , though i have done . half a word from thine effectual power , will do the work . o thou that hast the key of david , that openest when no man shutteth , open thou his heart as thou didst lydia's and let the king of glory enter in ; and make this soul thy happy captive . let not the tempter harden him in delays . let him not stir from this place , nor take his eyes from these lines till he be resolved to forg● his sins , and to accept of life upon thy self-denying terms . in thy name o lord god did i go forth to these labours , in thy name do i shut them up . let not all the time they have lost ; be but lost hours , let not all the thoughts of heart , and all the pains that have been about them , be but lost labour . lord put in thine hand into the heart of this reader , and send thy spirit , as once thou didst philip , to joyn himself to the chariot of the eunuch , while he was reading thy word . and though i should never know it while i live , yet i beseech thee lord god let it be found at that day , that some souls are converted by these labours : and let some be able to stand forth and say , that by these perswasions , they were wo● unto thee . amen . amen . let him that readeth say amen . finis . reading mr. ioseph allein book , entituled an alarm to the unconverted . reader , who ere thou art dost chance to look , bless god directed thee to such a book : be serious when thou readest , 't is no droul , but that which aimeth to convert thy soul. what mad besotted desperado can take prejudice against this holy man ? who did sincerely nothing else desire , but to prevent thy leaping in the fire ; and pen'd this book out of a true endeavour to keep thee from that lake which burns for i do beseech you read it over ; why ever . will you be obstinate and choose to dye ? know you what heaven is , or can you tell the torments of those damned souls in hell ? now read and pray , o pray that god will give a true repentance , that your soul may live : this book needs no commendum , for no doubt you will commend it , if you read it out : what did i care , so sinners understood , if each word were a tear or drop of blood ? notes, typically marginal, from the original text notes for div a26701-e4550 the terms of our communion , are either from which , or to which . the terms from which we must turn , are sin , satan , the world and our own righteousness , which must be ●husrenounced . the terms to which we must turn , are either ultimate or mediate . the ultimate is god , the father , son and holy ghost , who must be thus accepted . the mediate terms are either principal , or less principal . the principal is christ the mediator , who must thus be embraced . the less principal are the laws of christ which must be thus observed .